#solune's journal

[soluneinouterspace]

That one sketch I did once but colourised, 2026

[soluneinouterspace]

Alright! I already shared them here before and that's why I'm sharing them here again, since I've slightly reworked this drawing! My beloved Nomai twins, Alba and Bellis ❤️

Um... If anyone has questions about them, please do ask away! I'll answer the questions in a future journal entry dedicated to the two of them specifically :o and truth be told, I'm not sure exactly what I could write about them because I haven't fleshed out their lore yet. I think questions would really help me use my brain juice and give me ideas what to write ^u^

[soluneinouterspace]

Journal Entry #10: Quantum Moon

WHOAH WOWOWOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? We are SOOOO BACK!!!!

First off, I had A LOT OF FUN DRAWING THE SKETCHES FOR THIS ENTRY! Pardon the caps, I'm just really excited to share this xD and I swear it isn't only because of Solanum (okay I admit, I go feral whenever Nomai.. just Nomai)

Taking what I've learned from the Quantum Tower as I am a fantastic student and I pay attention to class(!!!) It wasn't hard to get around (and to) the Quantum Moon c: navigating the caves on Ember Twin has also provided me with valuable knowledge

I'm somewhat disappointed in me that I didn't immediately think of the Schroedinger's cat thing, it's not that deep tho 😔 since on every version of the Quantum Moon you can see Solanum's deceased body, except for one... The seeeecret location (where the mysterious Eye of the Universe is located) the sole version of her that has survived, I wonder how it feels being simultaneously alive and dead? It must be strange when you're (sort of) aware you aren't fully alive

Here's a sketch of one of Solanum's dead versions (it genuinely hurts drawing it, not sure why I'm doing this to myself lol)

I recall not trying to get my hopes and expectations up to meet an alive Nomai and was hoping for like... At least "video recordings" of them. NOPE! I ACTUALLY GOT TO SEE ONE WHO'S ALIVE! I was going insane xD no face reveal, that's fine. I'm happy with what I got and I made sure to take tons of screenshots, Solanum is my idol and celebrity and she has no idea. She's just chilling!!!

That being said, I greatly enjoyed the conversations I was able to have with her, even though I couldn't speak with her directly. I felt a tear roll down my cheek when she asked if it's okay if she can call me a friend... Yes... YOU CAN call me your friend, nothing honours me more thank you 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I appreciate how calm she is/was, this was technically her first time ever to meet a person from a whole different species. I mean, the Nomai weren't unaware of the existence of other intelligent life, the older generation definitely taught them a lot about it. Doesn't change the fact the younger generation that lived in the Hearthian's solar system never had direct encounters

The time flow on the Quantum Moon is interesting as well, barely any time passed for Solanum... Sometimes I wonder what could've happened if you had been able to tell her "hey yo, your entire clan is dead... 😨" Unless she had a hunch in the same way she was able to tell she isn't completely alive

The Eye isn't far anymore..... Time's ticking

[soluneinouterspace]

MEET N GREET WITH NOMAI HELLOWWWWW

I love having free will and drawing skills because this is what I can do with those two things combined it truly is wonderful, I can draw myself being best friends wjth a Nomai

It's also kind of a "recap" of all the unmasked Nomai I drew XD not all but you can really see the difference AND I LOVE IT!!! I KEEP EVOLVING

[soluneinouterspace]

Journal Entry #9: The Interloper

Here we are, at the place we all hate wholeheartedly: the Interloper

I don't know what to say besides that I knew the Interloper is going to be bad news and I was fuming when I realised I was correct :(

Also, there were no complications when I landed on the Interloper... Surprisingly (ok, well, if we ignore that the second time I tried to get to the Interloper I got destroyed by the sun again)

At the start of my playthrough I've had all sorts of weird theories, like the apparently popular "The Interloper is causing the death of the sun" theory and even considered it being alien technology that was sent from a distant place to do... Whatever?

I remember a line from Yarrow I believe, when he said they're all excited to explore the Interloper and see what knowledge it brings because they haven't seen any interstellar objects enter the solar system in a very long time if ever. Little did he or the others know what's coming for them... 💔

Pye, Poke and Clary went together to explore the comet. I picture all three of them were super close, I mean Poke and Clary were sisters, but I imagine that they hung out as a trio very often in the past! Perhaps with Ramie, too :) girl group 🔥🔥 (one of my goals was to draw all four of them on a picture!!!!)

When Pye realised the core was under a lot of pressure and threating to erupt, golly I could see it: millions of thoughts racing through her mind, not sure what to do. She told Poke to leave, warn the others, however... Poke never made it out before everything went down- IT'S SOOOO FRUSTRATING AND SAD D:

Seeing Pye float in the core chamber with the messages she and Poke left behind was heartbreaking :/ as was seeing Poke laying around not far away from there. And Clary in the frozen shuttle, spending her last moments worrying if her sister and her friend are alright and whether she should go look for them...

They deserved a better ending fr and I'll always be the Interloper's no.1 hater for what it did to the Nomai 😡😡😡😡

[soluneinouterspace]

While playing the DLC I was genuinely wondering if the Nomai would have reacted similarly to the Inhabitants if they had learned about the "true reason" the Eye has called out

Now, I don't think they'd have started demonising the Eye and destroy their shrines like the Inhabitants did (oop), but I'm pretty sure they would have had divided opinions (which isn't too surprising). Especially when I think back to Pye's and Idaea's conversations about causing a supernova

Idaea saying: The purpose of the Sun Station goes against every standard we hold ourselves to and everything we believe in as a species!

Pye saying: Unsurprisingly, Idaea, I disagree. We're pushing a possible new technology further than ever before. That, in my experience, is the defining characteristic of our species.

Hypothetically, let's assume they would've discovered what the Eye intends to invite them to do before they physically even went there (that a conscious observer is able to cause endless possibilities for a new universe). And they know they don't have to go just yet. The Eye has only called out to carry the news across the galaxies: the universe has begun breathing its last few breaths. It is not forcing anyone to accept its invitation

Time flows differently on the Eye (and on the Quantum Moon, as we have seen with Solanum), I don't think that as soon as you show up there and start creating endless possibilities, everything blows up right in that moment. I believe the time just SPEEDS UP and makes it seem that way! For that reason the Nomai are given two choices: live out their lives or end it fast

I can imagine three different things different Nomai would say:

Nomai 1: This is it? All that we endured to make it here, only to learn the universe is dying and we are invited to watch it end? No more traversing of the stars, no more discoveries to make, knowledge to gain? I refuse to accept this! I say we don't go!

Nomai 2: Our achievements and the work we have put in haven't gone to waste. The knowledge we have gained from the Eye is valuable and we should be grateful. We should be grateful we yet live, even in the final stages of the universe's life.

Nomai 3: What does it matter now if we live or die? Everything is dying as we speak. This Eye has called us to do what we are meant to do: create a new universe. We should go, for what other reason have we been doing all this, if not for this very moment? This is our purpose.

I can definitely imagine some of them would absolutely refuse to go because they don't want to see their stories end, as well as thinking none of this was worth it, other Nomai saying none of what they have been doing was a waste and they have indeed found valuable information (while being of the opinion to stay) and some Nomai urging and encouraging everyone to go because they firmly believe it is their "destiny" (perhaps they're also speaking from depression, trying to make it sound like it's a positive thing)

At the end, personally I think they might have left the burden of choice up to the newer generations to come 🤔 seeing as the universe still has a few years left until everything is gone. (And maybe they would've had discussed this with other clans?)

Sorry if some stuff does not make sense my brain is empty as I write this XD fried and empty

WAIT EDIT!!!!!! Since time flows differently it IS entirely possible some of the Nomai would go and some would stay, because it wouldn't matter, right? For the Nomai who stayed behind, time flows slower, as it always did. And the Nomai who decided to go, it seems as if all of it happens instantly. I GUESS that would mean it's up to the individual and their own choice

There could be two groups: one group stays behind, the other leaves for the Eye. This kind of thing

[soluneinouterspace]

Journal Entry #12: The Stranger (Part 1)

WE ARE SO BACK!!!

Welcome to part one of my Echoes of the Eye Journal Entries, I'm so glad to do this again c: I've been doing too many what I like to call "filler episode" posts, it's time to get back into action!

I'm going to skip right to the part where I arrived at the Stranger... No need to talk about how I struggled to get there (it wasn't SO bad)

Due to "accidental" spoilers I already knew about the existence of the Inhabitants; however, that didn't stop me from being amazed when I first set foot on the Stranger. Like wowowowow advanced alien technology that wasn't created by the Nomai OwO

Speaking of their technology, when I walked through the door where you find that strange mechanism which reacts to light (I mean yeah, majority of the Inhabitant's technology is light dependent. You get what I mean here), I spent about five minutes watching it spin because my dumb brain used the SCOUT instead of the FLASHLIGHT DX please don't ask me why I don't have an answer to that other than using my excuse that I'm chronically tired

The way my jaw dropped when I saw what's behind the door.......O.O I'm not alone in this, right? I thought it was absolutely beautiful and the first thing I did was take millions of screenshots LOL. It truly felt like the start of a movie, especially when I hopped on the raft that carried me across the river and the music started playing and everything? Absolute cinema

It's definitely not what I expected to find? I'm not sure what else I would have imagined what the Stranger could've looked like, but I know it wasn't this

I actually quite enjoyed seeing how "simple" the Inhabitants lived when you compare their lifestyle to their tech! They had some nice little huts made of wood. And they played boardgames!!! They were truly chilling until they lost all of their chill to extreme paranoia

During my first visit on the Stranger I spent most of my time just walking around everywhere, exploring the places and the huts! Pretty sure there are others besides me who wish they could enter the huts on Timber Hearth too, yeah? I'd love to see how a Hearthian home looks like from the inside ;n;

I also liked the portraits of the Inhabitants hanging inside the huts. I am absolutely in love with their design, I love deer and I love owls (and birds in general) Of course I'd appreciate it XD though I cannot deny the portraits felt a little uncanny. It's probably due to the lack of expressions on their faces... They're just standing there like🧍‍♂️or do you think if they smiled it would be even scarier? Perhaps I need to draw that to test my theory

A sketch from inside one of the "theater" rooms? Or cinema rooms? I will call it cinema room because it sounds funnier to me

I really want to talk about the first slide reels I found in the river lowlands but I'll save it for another post that is connected to this specific entry! Mainly because I want to sketch what you see in those reels and I haven't done that yet. I wanted this entry to focus on the first/general thoughts I had about the Stranger and I feel it's a bit messy 🤔 there's too many thoughts and I seriously have to sort them out xD (and write them down) that's going to make my life easier

[soluneinouterspace]

I did talk about this particular soundtrack before, but I've been given a new reason to do it again and this time I'm adding more thoughts to it

"The Nomai" definitely counts as one of my absolute favourite soundtracks from the game. Yes, I am not sane about the Nomai in general; it's just how perfect this ost is

Before I knew anything about what had befallen the Nomai, I wandered around in the cities, listening to the music. I would even say it made me more curious about what happened because of how mysterious sounding it was. (Mysterious, but in a sad way)

And after visiting the Interloper the song hit harder :/ when I went back to the cities and heard it once more, the ost had a whole new feeling to it... It made me feel hopeless, as well. A disaster they weren't able to prevent and fell victim to it

Generally, looking past the "negatives", the ost does give me the impression of a distant and very different civilisation. It truly screams "Nomai"! It's got this apt alien vibe and the sense of something that's ancient and long gone. And that tracks, since the Nomai we learn about in the game were dead for over 200,000 years