I'm a multi-fandom artist, who mainly likes to draw OC x canon! The fandoms I'm in include: Iron Lung, Project Hail Mary, Bloodmoney!, Dispatch, Resident Evil, HTTYD, Welcome Home, Sally Face, Detroit: Become Human and Kpop Demon Hunters!
I also draw some fanart on the occasion, mainly Chappell Roan, Arcane, Spider-Verse and TØP!
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If you'd like to look at my OC stuff, I have the following tags for navigation on my page: snowieblooms_ocs, snowieblooms_ships and bribloomins_shiptober.
All the posts of my OC references and information can be found from the following:
I’ve never draw digitally before and this is more of me coloring over references than actual drawing, but I couldn’t get it out of my head sooo
Does she really misjudge the distance of the bars from her face or is she just happy to see Simon?
I got this idea after reading “An unlikely pair”.
inspired by this meme:
Hope you enjoy :3
OH MY GOD??? YOU MADE SOMETHING FOR HER I LOVE IT, I COULD CRY OH MY GOD, IT'S SO CUTE LDKWOFKWK 🥹🥹
And I'd say it's a mix of both! Obviously with the other prisoners she's not trying to look into their cells. Then with Simon, she gets excited to go see him and she's kind of in a rush to greet him, so she's not paying attention to how close her face gets when she goes to peer through the bars. She also has it in the back of her mind that the guards are watching at times, so it makes her a bit on edge and she just ends up smacking her face against the cell window trying to get a quick glance at him before she has to do her assessment. So I guess her nerves are all over the place and she just doesn't realize how close she's getting until it's too late and she gets a new scar on her face lol.
Anyway, I love it sm this has made my entire week I will cherish it ty ty ty 🫶❤️❤️ And ty for reading my fic of them it means a lot 🥹
Sooo finally got to watch PHM, and now I have to write cause I love that fucking awkward nerd already
Purely self-indulgent with my OC Astra and Simon from Iron Lung, cause I can. For her lore she goes down in the SM-1, but for the sake of plot, she went down with Simon >:)
"Eye movement detected."
A robotic voice chimed from above, the once sleeping figure of a woman stirring from the disturbance. At first she didn't move, eyes squeezed shut and eyebrows pinched inwards, her brain slowly but surely rousing from its drowsy state.
The first sensation that came flooding back was pain, sharp and aching along every part of her body, paired with a headache that was the equivalent of a hammer bashing through her skull. With a groan Astra began to roll to the left, a futile attempt to shield herself away, only for her stomach to drop when the soft padding was no longer beneath her.
"Patient has fallen."
At the sound of that voice again – one she finally realized was automated – she could only groan, disoriented and wounded. Something ripped off her face and arm when she had fallen, and she briefly felt a trickle of blood traveling down the length of her arm.
Actually, there was a warm, sticky substance all over her. It felt damp against any exposed parts of her pale, freckled skin, tears through her clothes that she couldn't fathom how they got there. Whatever was coating her from head to toe, it was light and drying, as if someone had tried to haphazardly clean off what they could.
Her brain felt sluggish, unable to process what was happening fast enough—side effects from a type of opioid, she assumed. Instead she attempted to focus on one thing at a time until it jogged her memory.
"Patient is in stable condition. What is your name?"
She sure as hell didn't feel stable, but she did know her name. That was a good sign, she supposed.
What was that robotic voice, anyway? Since when did the C.O.I. have a machine meant to help treat and observe patients? She'd be pissed if they had this the whole time while making her their primary medical provider. Would've made her life a lot easier, and given her more time to seclude herself inside the lab.
But that didn't make sense. Now that she thought harder on it – god her head was killing her – she hadn't been at the station at all. Glimpses of the submarine flashed through her mind, along with a familiar blonde woman that had the left side of her face deformed, eye a ghostly blank tint compared to the striking blue of the right.
Ava, that was her name. The captain leading the next mission to send down the SM-13 submarine—aka the Iron Lung. Astra remembered now, being sealed inside that hunk of metal, left to face the horrors lying in wait in the dark depths of the blood ocean on the AT-5 moon.
The memories were flooding back now, her chest rising and falling quicker than usual as a hurricane of conflicting emotions raged inside of her. So vividly she recalled the hull being torn apart, the metal creaking, bending and snapping from rows of teeth, all while her screams were drowned out by the rush of thick, hot blood consuming her body whole.
Astra knew that's what happened, had come to the horrifying reality that was her inevitable death. It was real, it happened, she knew it did. That's what her body was still coated in, drying blood.
If that's the case, then how was she still alive? How was she here? Wherever here even was...
Where was she?
For the first time Astra pried her eyes open, wide, mismatched irises darting around the unfamiliar space. Immediately her brows furrowed together, confusion deeply etched into her features.
It was a ship, that much she could tell, but it was unlike any of the ones she had been on. There were multiple cloths piled in the corner, stained with a crimson hue—likely used by someone to wipe the blood off her. Then she spotted a glass-like structure propped against the wall, which she had no clue what that was for. A dome of sorts?
Eventually her eyes shifted up, landing on the robotic arm that hovered above her. The arm's hand shifted around her space, as if it were looking at her through the camera in the center, observing every miniscule detail of her stress that was rising by the second.
On instinct she tried to scramble away from the foreign technology, only to let out a loud hiss between her teeth when her side flared up at the movement. Her elbow braced against the ground to keep her head from smacking into it, eyes squeezed shut as short, shallow breaths slipped out of her lungs in painful wheezes.
None of this was making sense, yet a part of her wanted to ignore the millions of questions, to let her pounding head rest and ease away the pain coursing through her nervous system. Unfortunately, the anxiety pumping through her veins right now wouldn't allow her a single second of peace.
Nor would this damn robotic arm that kept getting even closer to her business.
"Heart rate is elevated. Would you like me to administer a dose of—"
Before the automated voice could finish, the sound of bounding footsteps nearby halted its inquiry. Not long after a voice rang out from above, deep and riddled with exhaustion, as if he had just woken up from the noise. A man began to descend the ladder from her peripheral, vibrant orange fabric entering her view.
He was speaking, not sparing a glance in their direction to avoid tumbling down the ladder in his sleep-deprived state. "Armando, what is all the commotion? I'm trying to get some sle—" Once he neared the bottom of the ladder he shifted his gaze over, only to freeze up when his eyes connected with wild, mismatched ones. "Oh."
For a minute it was an awkward stare off between the two. Light-green and hazel-brown clashed with striking blue, the prior dazed and fear stricken while she held her breath, and the latter purely stunned, unable to believe what he was seeing. He stared at her like she was otherworldly, something he couldn't fathom was currently awake and looking right back at him.
That expression melted away into relief, finally processing the situation after the initial shock wore off. A hint of urgency seeped into his movements while he struggled to get down the last section of the ladder.
"Oh my god, you're awake! You're actually– Uh, hold on, let me just get down this—" The man rushed down the last few rungs rather ungracefully, nearly tripping and falling to the floor in the process.
He stumbled his way over to her eventually, with Astra watching the entire scene in perplexed silence. At least she didn't have to fret over the possibility of enduring more bodily harm from a captor. The blonde in front of her looked anything but hostile or intimidating, instead appearing to be a little out of breath after getting his shoe stuck between the ladder rungs.
The man, now a few feet away from her, was tall with a well-defined build. He was clothed in a tight, navy-blue science pun t-shirt – I wear this shirt periodically, with a periodic table – the bottom half of an orange suit with the sleeves tied around his waist, and white, scuffed shoes that were partially unlaced. His dirty blonde hair was short and messy, sticking out in every direction – bed head – while the sides connected to the short beard along his face. Along with that he wore a pair of gold, thin-rimmed glasses, hanging loosely from one ear and ready to fall off his face at any moment.
He shifted on his feet, bursting with a nervous yet warm energy that reflected in the hint of a smile he wore. His demeanor made him appear giddy, like he was eager to finally talk to her, yet apprehensive all the same. He stood a reasonable distance, to the point she realized he was taking precautions from her, like she might potentially attack him rather than vice versa.
So yeah, definitely not a threat.
"You're awake– I mean, this is great! I'm glad you're finally awake." He was caught up on that fact, unable or unwilling to believe it. Then he paused, eyebrows furrowed in worry as he eyed her hunched over posture. "Are you in a lot of pain still? Armando can give you another small dose of morphine now, I think."
"Affirmative, Dr. Grace." The robot responded in time, already preparing said dosage to administer to her.
Astra watched the machine warily, before glancing back towards him when the needle breached her skin. "Armando? That's its name or..?" She trailed off, more than lost on everything happening at this very moment—one small thing at a time, lest her head would explode.
He shrugged a shoulder, looking slightly embarrassed as he glanced away. "Yeah, I decided to give it one. It was just me on the ship and the robot, so I figured—" He abruptly cleared his throat, cutting himself off in an attempt to redirect the conversation. "But not anymore, evidently. What's your name? Do you remember your name?"
The second question puzzled her, especially the genuine concern he expressed with it, as if it were an experience he'd lived through and now awaited her to admit the same.
"It's Astra." She mumbled, leaning her head back for some semblance of relief. God, this headache was going to turn her brain into mush.
He blinked at her. "Astra..?" He waited, only to be met with a strange, hesitant stare in return, to which he nodded despite the confusion etched into his face. "Oh, that's it. No last name. Okay, cool. A little weird that you don't have one, but no judgment here."
From what she could tell so far, this guy rambled a lot. Usually she would've found said trait endearing, along with all his other socially awkward yet charming mannerisms, but right now she was struggling to wrap her head around this situation. Her entire body still hurt like hell, too—hopefully the morphine would kick in fast.
Astra couldn't bother to keep her head up, letting it rest fully against the wall. "You're, uhm... Dr. Grace?" She assumed, recalling what the robot referred to him as.
"Ryland Grace. You can just call me Ryland, or Grace. Either one is fine." He offered instead, a warm smile lighting up his face. Cautiously he took a step forward, like approaching a wild deer ready to sprint off. "Is it okay if I help you up? The floor doesn't look too comfortable."
"Please." She agreed without hesitation, her current position not helping her injuries in the slightest.
With quick yet careful movements he lifted her up like she weighed nothing, setting her on top of the soft padding she fell off of earlier. Once he ensured she was steady he stepped away, leaving a respectable distance between them—not too close to make her uncomfortable, yet enough to be of help were she to sway.
It was silent for a minute, with Grace internally struggling on how to start his next sentence without stressing her further. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I can try to answer them, if you answer one of mine first. Cause, well— Uh, I'm not exactly sure how either of you ended up here."
Her eyebrows scrunched up, regarding him with a puzzled stare for the umpteenth time. "'Either of you'?" She repeated that part slowly, having no clue who else he could be referring to. "What are you talking about?"
The worry from earlier returned, his lips pursing into a small, hesitant frown. "Uhm, your friend over there? I'm assuming you were together, since you were in the same heap of, uh, blood on the floor when I found you both. Am I wrong or do you– do you not remember?" He grew fidgety, blue eyes flickering between herself and something behind her.
Astra squinted, reluctantly turning her head in the direction he was glancing at. In the bed behind her laid the body of a man coated in blood – she imagined she looked the same – while attached to a oxygen mask and IV similar to when she had woken up. Although, he looked much worse for wear compared to herself—the crimson bandages around the remaining stump of his left arm said that much.
For a minute her brain ran a blank, mismatched eyes roving over his features in hopes to jog something, anything. Medium length, dark, wavy locks sprawled around his head, dark stubble around his jaw, and glimpses of tan skin beneath smeared blood, likely paler than usual due to his current state. Then her eyes trailed down along his ripped clothes, landing on a bracelet clutched between his fingers—a leaf pendent, one he cherished deeply.
The wave of memories that slammed into her made her feel physically nauseous.
Simon.
How could she have forgotten about him being with her? How did her brain skip such a crucial detail? And god, he looked awful. His arm, his entire fucking arm was gone.
Without thinking she scrambled across the bedding towards him, ignoring the sharp aches and pains that followed. All that mattered was getting to him, that she confirmed he was alive despite seeing his chest rise and fall unsteadily. She needed to feel his pulse beneath her fingers, feel the thrum of his heart in his chest.
Unfortunately, a pair of arms was quick to reel her back before she could go crashing to the ground. "Whoa! Hey, what're you doing? Don't do that–!" Grace's panic fell on deaf ears, the woman continuing to thrash in his hold to get free. "You're going to hurt yourself!"
"I need to see him! I need to make sure he's okay! Let go—!" She tried to pry herself out of his grip, but her weakened state did little against his strong hold. It was irritational, she knew that deep down, but in her frenzy she couldn't find it in herself to care about anything else but him. "Simon! Simon, get up!"
With some difficulty he managed to pull her back enough to where he wasn't actively preventing her from falling off the bed. "Astra! Just listen to me, please!" He pleaded with her, her struggle dying down the longer she drained her energy.
Eventually she stopped fighting entirely, to which a relieved breath escaped him. It was quiet, nothing but their panted breaths filling the room while both recovered from the scuffle. He didn't release her out of fear of her making another attempt, the trembling underneath his fingers a telltale sign.
Then a quiet noise met his ears, a stuttered breath that devolved into a pitiful whimper, each barely restrained. The shaking of her body worsened, her shoulders tensed up in a poor attempt to stop them from moving.
Oh. She was crying.
Oh no.
Grace's gaze softened, a mixture of sympathy and remorse swirling in them. He hadn't meant to cause her further distress, and he knew the sinking feeling a little too well—that heavy rock of dread that settled into one's gut upon realizing the other person wasn't going to wake up.
He knew that, except that wasn't the case in this scenario, and now he felt personally responsible for making her spiral. Truthfully he wasn't the greatest at comforting people, let alone a stranger, but the guilt was eating him alive and it hadn't even been a minute.
He sighed, his grip loosening to hover at her sides. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" What? Manhandle her? He winced, realizing an apology was only going to make it more awkward. Nope, not good. He needed a new approach. "Can you look at me? Please."
It took a moment for Astra to tear her gaze away from Simon's sleeping form, fearful the second she did so, that would change. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him, yet as her watery gaze connected with Grace's, filled to the brim with compassion despite the uncertainty there, that tight knot in her chest loosened enough to let her breathe.
"He's resting right now. Armando took care of his injuries, now his body has to work on the rest." He reassured her, his deep voice impossibly gentle, as if she would break from anything louder. The touch on her sides raised up, resting lightly on her shoulders. "He'll be okay, I promise. If you want to check for yourself, I can walk you over to him."
New tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, for an entirely different reason this time. "Y–yes, please..."
Grace helped her down from the bed, letting her wrap an arm around his waist to keep herself stable. He carefully walked them over to where Simon laid, far slower than was truly necessary, but she didn't comment on it.
Once close enough she reached out with her free hand, watching as her own quivering fingers brushed away some dark hair from his face. Up close she could see the puffs of air through the clear mask, along with the peaceful expression resting underneath it—no terror, no panic, no anger, no worry. Absolutely nothing, completely detached from the horrific events that somehow lead them here.
Her palm drifted downwards, until her fingertips brush along the torn fabric covering his chest. It rested there, feeling for the heartbeat that lay beneath. It was faint, but still pumping in time with her own.
Grace held onto her the entire time, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against her side. "See? He'll be fine. He just needs a long nap, and then he'll be back in business." He sounded reminiscent, like the words falling from his mouth were from his own experience.
Astra let her hand slip away, yet her mismatched irises didn't leave Simon's face for a second. "He'll be fine." She mumbled, trying to reassure herself. Then she sighed, rubbing under her eyes to rid of the wet streaks there. "I'm sorry about all that. I don't know what came over me."
"You were worried for your friend. There's nothing wrong with that." Grace shrugged it off, merely relieved he was able to calm her down from her frenzy. "Except now Armando will have to check you over to make sure you didn't open any stitches. So, you did that to yourself."
There was a teasing lift to his tone, one she released a breath of a laugh at—the action hurt her chest a bit. "Yeah, yeah. Can I wash all this blood off before that? I'd rather not get an infection."
"Right, that's a good idea. Should probably do that first." Grace agreed with a nervous chuckle, accidentally overlooking her blood-soaked state admist the chaos. "You wait here for a second, and I'll get everything ready for you. Armando can keep you company."
As he set her back on the empty bed, she spared a glance towards said robot. It waved a bit then moved its fingers, confirming what he said.
A smile cracked on her lips, shaking her head as she turned back around to see the blonde shuffling towards the ladder. She watched from where she sat, nothing but gratitude in her expression. "Thank you, Grace."
He halted, near the top of the ladder when he went to peer down at her from above. "Oh, it's, uh– it's no problem, really." He mumbled, a noticeable redness rising to his cheeks as he went to rush up the last few rungs, only to hit his head against the ceiling. "Ow, that's my head. Need to look where I'm going."
A laugh escaped once he was out of sight, simultaneously amused and endeared. Grace seemed like a good person so far, sweet and charming, albeit in a clumsy way. Nonetheless, she was appreciative it had been someone like him to save and care for herself and Simon.
Now she had to figure out how the hell they even ended up here when she was one-hundred percent positive they should've been dead.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
A warm shower was a much needed refresher. Blood and grime tainted the water at her feet, swirling down the drain over and over again until the water trickling down her body turned clear. While it felt heavenly, she remained mindful of the fact she shouldn't use up too much water, and stepped out once she deemed herself properly cleaned.
Grace had provided some clothes for her, clearly doing a once over of her current outfit and deciding, "Yeah, there's no salvaging that. There's some extra clothes I have that you can wear, or some left behind from the– the, uh, other crew." She decided not to question the noticeable waver in his voice from that last part.
Looking in a mirror now, she hadn't realized how awful she looked. Crimson wounds littered random parts of her body – Grace was right about the stitches coming undone – along with dark, purple bruises blooming along her pale, freckled skin. Her face sustained a few cuts and scratches, paired with the usual one across her nose.
Astra fished around in the medical kit she took after some convincing. She insisted it would be easier if she stitched up the wounds on her own, that she had experience doing so many times before, both on herself and other patients.
Truthfully, she wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea of letting a robotic arm do it for her, regardless of her fascination. That, and she needed a second alone, to breathe and process everything that's happened—she kept that part to herself.
Grace didn't question her reasoning, caving into her request rather easily. Though he was staring at her differently, something indecipherable in his tone when he blurted out, "You're a doctor, then?"
No, she wasn't. At least she didn't feel like she was a proper one, given the circumstances of her role, which was why she shut that down with a flush rising to her cheeks. He didn't push the topic further, nor did he look convinced by her modesty.
She had to take the supplies and clothes then rush away when he kept staring at her strangely—she didn't know how to describe it, like he was analyzing her in a way he hadn't before. Whatever it was, it was had her face burning up and she decided to flee.
It was an unpleasant process, a needle poking through her skin over and over again never a sensation she could get used to. Regardless her fingers moved with familiar precision, until the pressure of the needle turned dull and the skin around her open gashes were sealed shut.
After that she worked on shuffling into the clothes that were provided for her. There was a pair of loose fitted cargo pants – she had to tighten the belt straps quite a bit – along with another science pun t-shirt that said Ah! The Element of Surprise. Her boots were returned, now clear of all blood, and on top of it all she was given a cardigan that had animals woven along the front and back.
Squinting at the patterns, she tried to recall what kind of animal it was. It was difficult to remember with the limited data she had at the C.O.I., especially when her studies revolved around the ocean. After some thought, a specific depiction came to mind she'd seen before with similar colors—a fox, she finally concluded.
It was cute, and thoughtful since it was a little too cold for her in the ship, at least while her body was recovering.
Before she left the bathroom, she dried her auburn locks as best as she could, the messy curls dripping with water. Upon stepping out she glanced around, trying to remember which direction to head in. Grace mentioned he'd be in the lab, if only she could recall where he said that would be at.
It didn't take her too long to find it, seeing as she could hear him rustling around and mumbling to himself over the consistent hum of the ship. She hovered in the entryway for a second, eyes landing on Grace where he was fiddling with the knobs of a microscope. From the blank stare he was directing down the lens, to his foot rhythmically tapping against the floor, it was evident he was trying to pass the time while she finished up.
Astra shifted where she stood, deciding to gain his attention by clearing her throat. The small sound made him jolt away from the microscope, sending some nearby equipment off the table in the process. Before they could fall, he hastily swept them back up with his arm, the items clattering noisly against the surface.
The glasses dangling off his face were pushed up to rest on the bridge of his nose before he turned to face her. A sheepish smile twitched at his lips. "Hey! Sorry, didn't notice you were—"
The words died in his throat, nearly choking on them once his gaze landed on Astra. During that split second his brain stopped functioning, wide eyes taking in the sight before him—his cardigan engulfing her smaller figure with the sleeves reaching past her fingers, his shirt hugging her frame underneath, and wet, curly locks of auburn hair cascading around her head.
In that moment, he realized how terrible of an idea it was to lend his clothes to the only woman he'd seen in god knows how long. Not his greatest decision, but in his defense, it didn't feel right giving away his deceased crew mates clothes. He knew he was overthinking it, however it was too late to second guess himself now.
His face felt like it was blazing, no doubt turning the the shade of a tomato, cause damnit he was still staring and hadn't said anything. His brain was failing him yet again.
Her fingers fiddled with the edges of the sleeves, finding interest in staring at the patterns there. "Thank you for the clothes again." She broke the silence, now tracing along the animals on the front. "I like the foxes on this. They are foxes, right?"
Her voice knocked him out of his stupor, quickly averting his gaze like he'd been caught doing something he's not supposed to. "Y–yeah, they're foxes. I used to have a keychain with one on it, and I have a fox mask one of my students made for me, and some other shirts—" When he met her curious gaze, his throat closed up and his face grew hotter, if possible. "Anyway! You can keep it, if you want. Since you like it. It looks better on you than me."
A light red hue painted her cheeks, one that paled in comparison to the scientist in front of her, who looked ready to melt into a puddle on the floor. "Oh, thank you... I assume the shirt I'm wearing is also yours? Do all your shirts have bad science puns on them?"
Her tone was teasing, fingers pulling as the fabric of the shirt for emphasis as she walked further into the room. It was a little messy, with equipment and supplies strewn about, and a random pillow and blanket thrown in the corner.
There were more of those glass-like structures winding throughout the ship, which she still had no clue what those were for. She'd have to ask him about that.
A light-hearted scoff left him, any tension from before now fading away from his body. "I'll have you know they are amazing science puns, and so is my fashion sense." He remarked with feigned offense, a playful glare in his eyes from behind the rim of his glasses.
"With this adorable cardigan? Can't argue there." She replied with a soft grin, laughing under her breath when his head ducked down, the tips of his ears visibly red. "What were you looking at in the microscope?"
He spared a glance between her approaching figure and his scattered station, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. "It's a long story... But I can fill you in while you eat!" He perked up, a hand carefully grazing her waist to keep her balanced while he slipped past her. "Figured you'd be hungry after, uh— Well, whatever it is you went through to cover you in that amount of blood..."
Grace trailed off while grabbing a ceramic cup filled with noodles, still warm underneath his touch. Both of them needed to clear up some things between them, seeing as neither had any idea how the other ended up on the Hail Mary in the first place. Let alone in the bloodied state they were in, which nearly gave him a heart attack at first. He'd never admit to the shriek that escaped when he first discovered them.
Could anyone blame him, though? Two bodies covered in blood from head-to-toe wasn't exactly a normal sight to stumble upon, even more so in the empty void of space. It was ten times more horrifying than the first time he encountered Rocky.
"Guess we both have some explaining to do." Astra mumbled, holding out her hands as he gently handed her the cup. The smell immediately wafted into her nose, triggering the rumble of her empty stomach. "You start first. I'm starving."
He held no objections, an eager smile on his face as he sat down on the floor with her. She started digging into her meal, which was surprisingly more flavorful than she anticipated, and she couldn't recall the last time she had any sort of noodles.
The man in front of her rambled on while she ate, explaining in vivid detail everything that happened so far. She listened with rapt attention, as much intrigued as she was puzzled the longer the story went on.
What she gathered by the time she ate her entire cup of noodles—the stars were dimming due to a microbe called astrophage, except for one star called Tau Ceti that was immune to this phenomenon, and approximately 11.9 light-years from Earth. He found the cause, these predatory-like organisms called Taumoeba on the planet Adrian – named after Rocky's mate, how sweet – and after successfully breeding a separate strain resistant to nitrogen, he was now routing back to Earth to bring this discovery with him, courtesy of an alien space rock providing him the fuel.
She wished she could've met Rocky, it would've been extraordinary to see intelligent extraterrestrial life with her own eyes. A bit of a bummer to hear she missed that opportunity, but he offered to show her the recordings they made together at some point. He also explained that's what the glass-like tunnels she saw were from, created from xenonite to keep Rocky in his own atmosphere composed mainly of ammonia.
There were some terrifying bumps along the mission, shown by the couple of scars on his face and the burn mark around his arm. She could feel her expression drop from its initial fascination once he – rather hesitantly – mentioned the fact he was forced into going on this one-way trip, rather than volunteering.
He wanted Earth to be saved, he just didn't want to be the one to do it. In the beginning he wanted to help, to provide as much research as they needed to send those four astronauts on their mission, who had long accepted their awaited deaths. Never did he anticipate how an explosion would lead to being sent to his inevitable demise, his life stolen from him for the sake of humanity's survival.
It was simultaneously heartbreaking and frustrating to hear, knowing the man in front of her was unwillingly sent on a suicide mission when all he wanted was to live—the sentiment was familiar in a way that made her chest feel hollow. Spurred on by her emotions, she began to delve into her own explanation while her now empty cup sat beside her.
How it all began with the Quiet Rapture, leading to two distinct governing forces and their goals—the Consolidation of Iron, who wanted to create a new, sustainable future for humanity, and Eden, whose only purpose was to protect and nourish the Last Tree, a symbol of hope for their remaining lives. Their differing viewpoints regarding the future lead to tension between the two, inevitably resulting in a war breaking out that left Filament Station blown to pieces and heavily irradiated.
During the conflict, there was a discovery of two moons—the Z-8 and AT-5, the only planetary bodies left in the universe. Astra and other researchers were trying to study these abnormal moons with oceans of blood on them, however due to their dangerous and unknown qualities, their observations remained at a surface level. That was, until the C.O.I. proposed sending down submarines to collect data that'd be more substantial.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any success. A threat lingered beneath the crimson surface, destroying anything man-made sent to its depths. No one knew what was down there, yet the C.O.I. kept sending one after another despite the consistent lack of progress, leaving endless amounts of valuable information at the bottom of the ocean.
Eventually Simon and herself were chosen to be sealed into a submarine, the SM-13, also known as the Iron Lung. Like all the others, she knew it was a death sentence, that neither of them were making it out of that metal hull.
Astra was sent down after the C.O.I. accused her of an alliance towards an Eden prisoner, for betraying their trust and reporting false information on her psychological assessments of the prisoners. They also suspected her of hindering their research, which was far from true since she'd never sabotage her own studies, but she knew at that point they were piling on her crimes to justify the punishment.
After a brief pause, she decided it was best to leave out what Simon was down there for, almost one-hundred percent certain the man in front of her would freak out. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and while she assumed Grace could acknowledge that factor, telling him Simon was a convicted murderer wouldn't land well either way.
That information could be disclosed later, or preferably never.
Grace had the enthusiasm and curiosity of a little kid the entire time she spoke, constantly asking questions to make more sense of the story. He was attentive to every detail, listening with utmost fascination, his expressions twisting in response to what she said. Definitely more of an engaged listener, rather than herself who preferred to simply nod and hum along, save for the occasional question.
He was beyond intrigued when she mentioned they had established a colony on Mars before the Quiet Rapture—the place where Simon was born before moving to Eden Station. There was a bombardment of inquiries from him, ones she had absolutely no answer for since she never got to experience it for herself. She only ever heard about it, never got to see it in person before it disappeared with the rest of the planets.
If he wanted, it was possible Simon could tell him more about it when he wakes up. She found it adorable how eager Grace looked at that suggestion, like a puppy with an imaginary tail wagging behind him.
At one point he brought her two new cups, one filled to the brim with more noodles and the other some water. Along with it there was a green bag labeled Skittles, which she found out were mini sour candies. The tart coating over the fruity sweetness was unexpected at first, but she quickly began to like it.
By the time she was done talking, she had polished off the second cup of noodles, half the bag of candy, and now sipped on her water. Neither of them were left with a reasonable conclusion as to how Simon and herself ended up on the Hail Mary—let alone in an entirely different universe, but quantum physics wasn't either of their expertise.
"Guess we were both unwilling sacrifices for the sake of saving humanity. That must be some kind of achievement." His deep voice grumbled, half-serious and half-joking.
Astra rolled her eyes, contradicting the smile that was curling on her lips. The rest of the water slid down her throat, and by the time she set the cup down, she took notice of him staring again. Lots of rambling and staring seemed to be his thing.
His elbow was propped against his leg, letting his head rest in the palm of his hand while his eyes flickered across her facial features from behind his lopsided glasses. There was a smile slowly spreading across his face, one she couldn't identify as she rose an eyebrow at him.
"What?" She asked skeptically, trying to ignore the heat rushing to her cheeks at the attention.
That smile shifted into a grin, his gaze locking onto her own with a fond gleam. "Not only are you a doctor, but you're a scientist, too. That's impressive."
It was a statement, not allowing her to confirm nor deny unlike his earlier question. He sounded sure of himself, that it was a fact regardless of what she said next—which he easily predicted what that'd be based on her reaction from the last one.
"I wouldn't say that." As expected she tried to wave it off, unable to look at him as she fiddled with her empty cup. "I was merely one of the best options they had after everything vanished from existence, and the medical position was kind of thrown at me because of my mother."
His stare remained unwavering, yet softened at the doubt in her tone. "I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit." He murmured, wholly genuine and warm, gently nudging his foot against hers as a gesture of reassurance. "You said you were young when this, uhm, Silent— No, Quiet Rapture happened? And all that was left were these moons with oceans of blood..?"
A quiet laugh escaped her at the unease etched into his expression whenever he mentioned blood. Clearly finding them coated in the crimson substance and imagining an ocean full of it had him disturbed. Not that she could blame him, any sane person would be thoroughly freaked out from it.
"Yes, I grew up on Earth for some time, then ended up moving to a station with my family. I was little, so I don't remember much of it." As she spoke her voice dipped down, a deep melancholy painting every word. "It's difficult to use the Earth's ocean as a reference for my studies when I've never actually seen it before. I had to go off of what we had stored in the database."
The smile he wore faltered at her tone, a devastating mixture of disappointment and mourning over the life she could've experienced. It felt like a hole carved itself into his chest, seeing her previously content demeanor deflate before his very eyes, with no way to fix it.
If he could, he would've shown her the ocean and everything else she missed out on. They were heading back to Earth, so he could promise to, but there was this heavy, sinking feeling in his stomach. A pit of dread that he couldn't identify, preventing him from saying such.
Fortunately, his brain decided to cooperate with him this one time, providing him an easy solution.
Grace lit up, already scrambling to his feet by the time she sent him a puzzled glance. "We have to change that. Come with me." He didn't provide any details, merely reaching down to help her up.
She complied easily, though her confusion increased tenfold when one of his hands went to cover her eyes. "What is happening right now?"
"It's a surprise. Just trust me, you'll love it." He paused, a hum in the back of his throat that became uncertain. "Or I hope you will. It's the only option I could think of, seeing as we're in the middle of space and it'll be some time before we—"
She sighed in faux annoyance. "Grace."
He winced, a nervous chuckle slipping out. "Right, sorry. Leading the way."
The trip was a slow one, seeing as the ship was practically a minefield with objects and xenonite scattered all over the place. Grace was careful with guiding her, one hand over her eyes and the other resting against her waist, verbal directions murmured to her as an extra precaution.
By the time they got there, he had her sit on a platform. Astra kept her eyes closed, listening to the sound of his fingers typing and tapping away. A few seconds later a bright light surrounded her, causing her closed eyelids to squeeze further together, struggling to keep them shut like he requested.
To the right of her she heard Grace climb up onto the platform, until his knee bumped against her own. "Okay, you can open them now." He gave the green light, his words layered with a giddy anticipation.
First she peeked one eye open, then the other as they landed on the scene before her. The room they were in was made entirely out of screens, showcasing a sandy shoreline where waves of blue-green water crashed along it, white foam disappearing beneath their feet. Above the ocean's horizon sat the sun, reflecting warm, yellow rays along the waters rippling surface, while hues of orange, red and pink bled throughout the sky like a watercolor painting, broken apart by white, fluffy clouds.
Even with it being a digital view, it was the most beautiful scenery she had ever seen in her life. Slowly she scanned over the entirety of the room, taking in as much as she could from left to right, until eventually she landed on the man sitting next to her. While all her attention was on the display around them, his remained glued to her, as if the scenery paled in comparison to her reaction.
His fingers dragged through his mess of dirty blonde hair, unable to sit still as his shoe began to tap against the platform. "Sooo, do you like it? I know it's not the real thing, but I figured it'd help you picture it."
It felt like only a split second as he glanced away, yet when he looked back, he immediately noticed the glistening light along the edges of her mismatched eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek and he felt his chest tighten in alarm.
"You're crying. Shoot, I didn't mean to make you cry!" He blurted out in panic, quickly shuffling onto his knees so he could get off the platform. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that— Here, I can turn it off—"
Before he could, her hand darted out to latch onto his arm, halting his actions. "No! No, no, no. It's okay, more than okay." She rushed out, offering him a wobbly yet reassuring smile. "God, I love it. It's so beautiful. I could've never imagined it like this."
Right, happy tears. He forgot it could be those.
With a sigh of relief, he let himself sink back down beside her. The hand on his arm returned to her lap, and he found himself silently missing the contact. He shoved that thought down as quickly as it came.
Astra played with the ends of her sleeves, watery eyes wandering along the screens with nothing but awe. "Y'know, this is much prettier than an ocean of blood filled with flesh and bones" She joked, turning to him with a tiny grin.
Grace shuddered, pulling a face that coaxed a laugh from her throat. "I don't want to imagine what that looks like. I've been scared enough on this mission." He huffed playfully, before twisting his body around to slide off the platform. "Hold on a sec, let me change it. I think you'll like the Great Barrier Reef."
The screens around them shifted, showcasing a thriving ecosystem along the ocean floor. Coral of all shapes, sizes and hues, intertwining with bight green seagrass and algae, while various types of fish swam in and out of the large reef. The beach was pretty, but getting to see the life waiting beneath the surface of the ocean was breathtaking.
"It's so vibrant. There's so many different colors and fish." Astra whispered, more so to herself than the man sitting next to her. Then her eyes squinted, zeroing in on a creature sliding along the screen that she couldn't recognize. "What is that one?"
Grace followed her gaze, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's a sea turtle. They like to eat jellyfish." He quietly answered, unable to help himself as he added on a small factoid.
She didn't know what a jellyfish was either, only humming in acknowledgment as she watched the turtle float by. "I like them. They're cute."
She wasn't sure how long they'd been in there for. Apparently this was the Mental Health room – or as he liked to call it the Don't Go Crazy Room – a way to help ward off cabin fever in the endless void of space.
They went back and forth like that for a while, with Grace changing the scenery and her trying to point out places and animals that she learned about. When she couldn't identify something he'd do it for her, each one paired with a random fact he knew off the top of his head.
It was the most relaxed Astra had felt since she got here. Maybe it was the slow realization that everything was fine here, that she'd be able to return to Earth like nothing ever happened.
Or maybe it was the company of the man beside her, chatting away about anything and everything while she listened, his low, slightly raspy voice soothing to her ears. Whichever it was, it felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders.
At some point she let her head fall against his shoulder, the peaceful scenery – it was now a forest with a family of red foxes skittering around – and the comforting hush of his words only enhancing the drowsiness washing over her body.
She felt his shoulder tense for a second, his sentence coming to a shuddering halt as his breath hitched above her. A beat of silence, then a light pressure on top of her head, his voice resuming as a gentle murmur that brushed along the curled strands of her auburn hair.
Astra was trying to listen, she really was. But he was warm beside her, the arm that steadied itself around her waist merely inviting her to cozy up to him further. She was dozing off, his words gradually fading into silence, the last thing she registered being the gentle motion of his thumb rubbing along her waist underneath the cardigan.
At least that would've been it, had a startlingly loud bang from above not ripped her out of said blissful state. Along with it there were heavy, panted breaths, causing her head to snap up in that direction.
When they landed on a blood-coated Simon, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved at his recovery, or alarmed for the scientist beside her, who he was currently staring daggers into. If looks could kill, Grace would've slumped over then and there.
And he definitely wanted to, because he felt like prey being stalked by its predator—a hound ready to lunge for the fox's throat.
"Who the fuck are you?"
He almost let out the same scream from when he first found them. Almost.
No, instead he let out a mix between a whimper and yelp, his body flailing away from Astra as he went tumbling off the platform.
Ouch.
*Shoves all three of them in a box and shakes them around violently*
Idk what I'm doing but I do have an iron lung oc who would fit mermay... being a mermaid themself... I have them posted on my other acc @justasillycutie for ref... Maybe them and simon together idk...
(I feel rlly awkward, don't mind </3)
Hiii! I didn't have time to draw them with Simon, so hopefully this is okay :') ❤️
Hi!! I just saw your post about Mermay. Would love if you could do my oc Henry again! He can be a mermaid or whatever you would like! Love your art! 💚🩸
Hi hi!! Here he is! Ty for joining, I'll add your name to the raffle! :) ❤️
Hello! Could we get some post-iron lung Mer-Ava head cannons? (ie: her transformation, her reaction, behavior, etc)
Hiii Anon, ofc ofc!! Finally get to write a little bit for Ava, I'm excited :D
I might extend this event to June, because I've been slower than I originally anticipated with answering these asks fksjlfsl
•Similar to those before her, her submarine was destroyed by the monster, leaving her suspended in the middle of the blood ocean with metal debri floating around. The blood enters via any open wounds, mixing with the hosts blood to begin the mutation process
•Ava, much like Simon, was passed out for the first part of the mutation. The person dies from suffocation, until the mutated cells work through the body to revive it, adding gills in the process so manual breathing is no longer required
•When she woke up to the excruciating pain and her body actively changing, she did try to remain as calm as she could. Obviously it's a difficult situation to keep a level head in, but in her mind panicking doesn't solve anything and only makes the situation worse
•Instead she tried to focus on the waves of pain coursing through her body, working through it as best as she could. Naturally she was still freaked out by all of this – it'd be impossible not to be for any human – but it was more of an internal response that she didn't allow to break through her exterior
•Her mutation was longer and more agonizing compared to Simon's, because her body grew larger—women tend to grow bigger during the process while men remain around the same size
•The entire time she hovered near the ocean floor, figuring it was safer than floating in the endless abyss around her, especially when unknown creatures began to swim past. Some deformed fishes, others like nothing she had ever seen before, indescribable and admittedly horrifying to witness without the protection of a metal hull around her
•At that point she did curl up and cry for a minute, the sensations, realization and fear eventually becoming too overwhelming for her to bear. Panic set in, despite how desperately she wanted to keep herself in a reasonable headspace
•By the time her transformation was done, she had grown a long tail with scales of a red and golden hue, matching the various sized fins running along it. She had dark crimson claws and spines that faded into a pale gold, along with long, winding crimson ribbons that flowed around her figure, meant to make her appear even larger and intimidating
•Ava was exhausted by the time it was over, her body still aching paired with the occasional spike of pain when she moved. At that point, her mind was dazed and she wasn't exactly sure what to do after the worst part of it was over. So for a while, she simply laid along the congealed blood and bones below her until her mind and body could recover from the torment
•After some time, the first thought she had was to search for the black box. Her memory was still intact for the time being, and she decided she could use this new form to her advantage. She didn't dare try to wrap her head around how any of this was possible, nor how she'd have to address her future as this unidentifiable creature now. That was an issue for later, and she didn't want to spiral out of control again
•Ava was still terrified, but she also had a mission to accomplish, so she would mask it in favor of focusing on the task at hand. She wanted to get this done, to contribute to something bigger than her, even with these bizarre, terrifying circumstances
•Unfortunately, as time ticks on with her swimming around in an attempt to find the lost black box, her memories would slowly begin to fade. Older memories slip first, enough that she can write it off, that she couldn't recall them as well since it had been so long
•Then she couldn't remember something as recent as these missions she began conducting for the C.O.I., until eventually she could barely recall why she had been sent down in the ocean in the first place. The alarm bells were ringing in her head, yet she regarded it with frustration rather than dread, cursing herself for not being able to jog her own memory of her purpose
•So as a mermaid, she's now stuck in this loop of searching for something she can no longer remember, making her rather aggressive and hostile to any creatures that get in her way. If any creature comes near her while she's out scouring the ocean floor, she'll attack without a second thought, seeing it merely as an obstacle—or a potential meal since she still had to eat
•She's very secluded for that reason as well, choosing to live in a cave that's farthest from the bustling ecosystem growing along the blood ocean's floor
🩸Feel free to skip this because it might be too involved of an ask, but someone's gotta! Elli the eel monster but...mermaid! Interpreted however you wish!
Okay okay okay, so in my AU Elli isn't an amalgamation of the SM-8 crew, given that every sub after the SM-1 was rescued by Maris. So she's just an ancient creature that already existed in the blood ocean
Howeverrrrr, I still want to keep the concept of her being an entity made up of multiple beings, even as a mermaid! So here's some headcanons + an artwork of how I imagined her :)
And I've entered your name into the raffle, ty for participating!! <3
•Elli as a mermaid would remain around the same size as her eel form. She's enormous, the largest sea creature that exists in the blood ocean on AT-5
•On her head the top half is covered by a skull, with dark locks of hair slipping out from underneath it, flowing behind her and past her waist. There are two skulls fused against each side of her head, which she can control—all three mouths can spilt open wide and have rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth
•She has multiple eyes, the main pair in the center and three smaller ones on each side. She can also see through the eye sockets of the skulls around her head, making her view range far wider
•She has multiple arms – four full arms and two hands on each side – and her tail spilts into two, with one major fin on the ends of them
•The spines of her fins are made up of various sized bones, along with her claws, spikes along the length of her tails, and the ends of each of her tails
•Veins grow out from different parts of her body, which are often used to catch prey, either wrapping around it until she slices it open, or to attach to the prey and suck out its insides through the small tubes
•Her current form isn't always a constant, shifting new limbs, fins, spikes, etc. at random depending on what she needs
•Elli was the first creature to exist in the blood ocean. It is unknown how she came to exist, nor how an abundance of sea life appeared after her. What is known is that every single living thing in that ocean is connected to her
•She is the only creature that can communicate across species, though she can't outwardly speak and instead does so through telepathic transmission
•When she does her voice sounds like a distant echo, surrounding the creature from all directions, yet unable to be found. There is a distance limit to what she hears, but enough for her to be out of sight when using it
•Elli's voice/sounds changes tones and pitches at times, some deeper some higher, some more masculine and others more feminine. It depends on how she wants to appear to whatever she's speaking to, a tactic to evoke a certain emotion in the creature
•At times she'll mimic voices, either ones she's heard before or ones from the creature's memories
•She is able to influence creatures thoughts and actions, to some extent. Minds that are complex take more effort for her to gain control over
•She's an unpredictable creature, one moment completely calm and the next tearing a fish from the inside out when it swims too close to her cave. Her behavior often matches how her tone sounds, or shifts depending on what part of her is in control
•Whereas some creatures minds are split in two – Maris for example – hers has four separate sections, each containing a different part of herself that influences how she reacts to certain scenarios
•Anyone that has been contaminated by the blood from the ocean, she has the potential to influence how they behave. The more blood that is absorbed and multiplied inside the body, the stronger the connection between them is
•Elli doesn't typically bother with the other creatures of the ocean besides for her food supply, until the day something foreign appeared in her territory, and she decided to do what it took to ensure the safety of her thriving ecosystem. She'd have to keep an eye on the woman that came out of that strange metal contraption
Maris and Simon artwork based on this ask! I actually love how this turned out, the lighting was super fun to do, I love drawing them sm ❤️
I have more artworks planned of them, especially for Mermay, some of which will be for the requests on my writing page :)
Also I totally didn't forget the harness went over the tibbies instead of under oop—
If you want to potentially win an artwork like this one, you can join my Mermay Event! 🩸
I will work on requests soon, for both of my pages! Had something come up right after I posted the event so I haven't had time to start working on stuff
Hello everyone! It's Mermay, and like I did on my writing account, I want this special to be based around my Iron Lung Mermaid AU! <3
For this special, I'll be taking art requests based around this AU! Can be of Maris, Merman!Simon, or other characters as sea creatures—whatever ideas you have, send them my way! And if any of you have OCs you'd like to see in the AU, I'd love to draw those, too! :)
And while this is more so for my Iron Lung AU, I don't mind drawing characters/OCs from other fandoms I'm in as well for Mermay!
Not sure how quickly I'll get through drawing these – if I get any lol – but they'll likely be doodles for the most part.
As mentioned before, I'm doing this event on my writing account as well, so if that interests you can look at cinnabuns4me!
Along with that, I'm going to include a little art prize for a random user! All you have to do is add a 🩸 emoji to your ask, on either of my accounts, and you'll be entered in. At the end of the month, a random name will be chosen!
Thank you for reading, lovelies! I hope to receive some requests soon. <3
i just wanted to say that I am loving the blood ocean mermaid AU you've created, and I love how much thought you've clearly put into it and the artworks and just ugggghhhhhhhh i love it when people clearly love the projects they're working on
also wanted to share the mental image of Maris with those little talking buttons people give their dogs sometimes, I just think it’s silly :]
Excited for more of the story, thank you for sharing it! <3
Awwweee, thank you!! That means so much to me that people are enjoying the AU I made! 🥹 It's funny, cause I didn't have anything planned for it at first since it was just supposed to be a silly oneshot, and now I have a whole outline for the lore of it and OCs—genuinely has consumed all my thoughts since then
I do hope to have the next chapter out soon, but my writing has been a bit slow lately 🫠 I either have all the art motivation and no writing motivation, or vice versa, and right now it is the prior. For now though I did post a 2nd part to Little Helper, so there's that if anyone wants more mermaid/sea creature! reader fic
And here's this doodle I made from you mentioning the talking buttons, cause omg that's such a cute and silly image 😭❤️ I love that
Idk guys, I think he might like her or something, it's hard to tell
