alastyr-not-alastair - Tumblr blog

alastyr-not-alastair · 27 days ago

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@dracl-dragon

The uncanny alien au, as per request, ehehe!

It's based on this writing prompt:

(Damn it's crazy to think it's been 3 years since I wrote this-)

Anyyyywho- For most Steves, they're in the adorable category for humans (exceptions being certain villains, ie Faceless). This is a vague TSS/SSO au, where Sabre gets left behind on a new planet by his fellow space-researchers. Mogi and Spency took the emergency pod back to the ship after a few encounters with the Steves, leaving Sabre to fend for himself.

The story is written from Rainbow's perspective, who is currently defending the first village that took him in. He's not struggling nearly as much as he was in SSO, but isn't as powerful as he was in TSS. He was on a scouting mission when he found Sabre.

The Steves follow Minecraft logic, while Sabre follows real-life logic (mostly), which is where the uncanny valley comes into play. Like in early TSS, Steves speak backwards English, but since this is Rainbow's POV, Sabre's words are reversed instead.

The creature beyond the trees looked like me. It had a similar build.

Yet the skin..the face...its details were all wrong.

The way its body contorted itself in ways nothing like me should. Its limbs could twist backwards and sideways.

I took off into the forest when I saw its mouth twist into what I now understand is known as a smile. Its teeth were many, skin pale as birch wood..

It had strange stick-like protrusions at the tips of its hands. They each moved not unlike a tentacle.

All I could think about the creature was that it was like me.

But it so very clearly wasn't. The way its slender, oddly shaped limbs moved across the terrain sent shivers down my back. Never again would I dare come face-to-face with it.

I have been hidden in the trees for days now. The stranger hasn't left the open terrain of the plains.

I see how it hunts. What powers it lacks in, it more than makes up for in survivalist skills.

It ran its makeshift tools into the nearest peaceful fauna, an unelegant and gory mess in mere minutes. Yet without any powers, it was left with ten times the meat.

It made tools and weapons and shelter in a short period of time, and without any of my kind's abilities. One shouldn't be able to form a whole array of tools from nothing. Even the strongest of my kind had a very small range of objects or materials we could summon.

I have stayed here to observe this creature, I dare not imagine what it could do if I leave it alone.

But I dare not meet face-to-face. It may run from the fire and tides, but I have seen it has power over these very elements.

It scratched a piece of metal with a sharp black object, sparks lighting pieces of wood organized in a cone shape.

Did it just create fire?

I knew I should've returned to the elders at that moment. But what if it set the forest ablaze? I needed to be here. It was too unpredictable to leave alone.

I saw its talent in controlling the elements despite a lack of powers over the days following.

One evening there was a storm, and I decided to fly within its winds in hopes of frightening the stranger to leave this land.

I saw it building a tall tower near its shelter. What was it doing now?

I flew back down into the treeline, watching. It erected a strange metal structure at the top, red lines of...something connecting it to the bottom.

As I grew nervous, thunder boomed above. With that, the stranger jumped off, using a leash-like material to safely return to the ground.

That was possible?

My kind never needed climbing gear. We all could fly.

But that..that could make supplies easier to transfer to mountainous regions.

I was forced out of my thoughts when lightning striked. I immediately flew up as it flashed, blinding me. But what I saw was the red lines of the structure lighting up.

Did this creature just build a machine? What was it for?

The rest of the night was uneventful. The stranger stayed huddled up in its shelter. I almost considered checking out what it had made, but fear grew and I didn't want to get vaporized by whatever lightning-absorber machine this was.

The night after, I got up the courage to get close.

I refused to go anywhere near the shelter, but wanted desperately to figure out what it was that the stranger built.

"Curiosity killed the kaet," I had thought to myself as I slunk across treetops.

But that didn't stop me.

Until I heard a noise.

Not from in front of me.

Behind.

I turned, and there it stood. Barely two trees away.

Had it been following me?! Watching?? What did it want??

As thoughts raced, I took off into the sky.

It didn't follow.

Thank whatever up there who didn't let the stranger figure out flight yet.

My heart raced as I hovered in the air, turning back towards them.

Both of us stared at one another.

At least I think, its eyes were covered with fabric. How it could see, or if it could, still plagues me.

It held a long metal object defensively in its odd hands. A sword.

Great. This thing's a swordsman. And may or may not be blind.

Not a word was said.

But as I stayed floating there in the cool night air, it felt like the first time we saw each other.

I could see its torn clothing and tired stance. It didn't seem quite as horrid.

It still terrified me, don't think for a moment it didn't.

But maybe, just maybe it wasn't the destructive beast I thought it was.

We continued to just stay there, in the cool night air. Staring.

The longer I looked the more I wanted to look away. Its smaller size didn't make it cuter. It felt like it could climb into my body and kill me from the inside. Its long hands held the metal sword like a squeed latching onto a meal. Fear started creeping up my back.

I wanted to run.

The wind started picking up, the thing suddenly jumping out of the treetop.

I took that as my chance to fly out of there.

I looked up at the moon and stars, trying to calm myself. That thing saw me. It knows.

What do I do? It didn't attack. But maybe if I got closer it'd slice me to bits like an animal and devour me.

I shuddered at the mere thought.

It knew I knew it was there. Maybe it saw me before this. Maybe it didn't.

I couldn't return home until I was certain of its intentions. I needed to wait. Watch. Who knows what that machine does.

I missed home. I missed Belu. I missed a comfortable bed and house.

But it was my duty. I had to protect my kind from this..thing. If I left it unsupervised for even the rest of the night, it could do horrible things.

I wasn't just protecting my people, but the land too. This thing showed me that it can kill. It could burn the whole forest if it wanted, I bet.

I wasn't willing to take the chance.

I flew back down, checking the forest just in case it decided to ambush. Nothing.

I returned to the makeshift bed I made a ways away from the stranger. I packed it up every morning, so it was unlikely it'd see it.

Despite the discomfort that came with sleeping directly on a tree branch, I fell asleep instantly. I have no idea how the Gren do it. Then again, they're most connected with nature.

Perhaps one day I'd be able to tap into that side of me more. It'd be nice to just sleep wherever, whenever. Like a kaet.

I woke to the morning sun once again. I gathered my wool "bed" before looking for more food.

I knew the forest like the back of my hand so it was easy. A wolvvf pup ran past me, chasing another. The tiny pups were growing fast. They were so cute!

I had a quick breakfast of mishrumms and roots with some berraies for sweetness.

Back to watching. I needed to make sure the stranger didn't do anything major while I was resting.

I flew a bit closer, but stuck to the treetops as I got near. I spotted a..sign? There was definitely a wooden sign down there. I looked around, questioning if it was a trap.

I climbed out of the tree, making sure to check every nook and cranny before I even got near the sign.

Again, nothing.

Besides, it can't hide that well. It's literally wearing all white. Honestly, it looked almost like a chikeen in those weird clothes.

I crouched behind a tree, carefully peeking out. No sign of the creature. I crept out, getting closer to the wood sign before me.

I was surprised to find it was in my language. How would it know my language?!

I was terrified of what it could mean. But I read the sign.

It read:

"I mean no harm. Not evil. Can not find home. Just surviving."

Was that a...flower it drew below the message? Yes, that was definitely a flower.

Why was it in my language? How did it know it? Why did it leave a sign for me?

Was it wanting peace? Or to trick me?

I had so many questions yet none would be answered if I didn't respond somehow.

I noticed an empty sign leaning against a tree, grabbing it. I wrote, "What do you want? Peace? Supplies?"

It was as I finished writing that I heard a noise. Oh no, it was back! I dropped the sign and flew into the trees.

It didn't go after me. It went to the sign first. It moved towards my previous location with its skinny, oddly shaped legs. It held a pickaxe in its hands and was covered in dust.

It put the pickaxe onto a belt of some sort, grabbing the sign with its tentacle-tipped hands.

It stood there for a bit. It suddenly looked up, almost right at me.

It put the sign down and picked up the one it wrote on, clearing the ink away and writing something else.

I waited tensely, wondering if I should run or try to hide more or directly engage with it..

I just stayed right there. Frozen. My heart raced.

It stopped writing. It looked up again.

Did it see me?! I tried to hide myself more, using the green colors in my form to try to hide the rest of me.

It walked to the base of a tree. Directly below me. I shut my eyes, hoping it wasn't about to climb up and get me or burn the tree or worse.

I heard dirt being dug into, followed by footsteps getting quieter and quieter.

I opened my eyes. The stranger has returned to its shelter. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in.

I glanced to the shelter. Wondering if I should just go. I know its intentions now.

But what if it had written something important? What if it says it wants...I don't know, meat or blood?! What could happen if I left it alone then?!

Fighting nerves, I slid down the tree trunk. I crouched to read the sign.

"Yes. Peace. I can not leave until I have supplies to return home."

I stared at the sign. I still couldn't tell if it was trying to trick me or not.

I realized I couldn't keep this up. I was sleepy still and this thing hasn't actually hurt anyone besides a couple animals, and that was for food. Doesn't mean it wasn't savage and bloody and mildly traumatizing.

It didn't seem evil, that's it. I had dealt with actual evils, though they were like me. So that doesn't quite work.

But I was tired and over watching this thing.

I turned, realizing it spotted me.

I froze again.

It stared.

At least I think. That cloth around its face made it hard to tell.

It suddenly had a...flower? A flower in its hand. It slowly moved out of its shelter. Those gangly limbs still freaked me out.

It was closer than last time now.

Seeing it closer made me panic. I wanted to run but I was frozen. Everything told me to not trust it.

Then it laid the flower down before me and backed away.

My limbs unfroze. I almost considered running. But instead I picked up the flower and put it in my hair.

The two of us shared a moment of understanding. Both wary of the other yet no longer afraid.

It really wasn't evil. Just absolutely terrifying.

I finally spoke.

"What is your name?" I spoke slowly, trying to hide the fear creeping in just by looking at them.

They cocked their head to the side. Could they not understand me?

I cocked my head to the side too.

They suddenly pulled out a device. Some sort of translator perhaps?

I spoke again.

"What is your name?"

I heard the click of a button before and after.

They hit another button and the same thing I just said suddenly repeated again! It was confusing at first, heh. Then they clicked another button and it was being said in..reverse??

I couldn't tell what they just did. But it seemed that they held a tiny machine that helped them understand me.

They nodded and clicked a button and spoke.

"Uoy? erbaS si eman ym," they said.

They clicked another button. This time their voice spoke but I understood!

"My name is Sabre. You?"

"I am Raynboew."

They repeated my voice again, but changed so they understood.

They "smiled," but without showing their many teeth and bowed.

I bowed too.

Finally, I could return home!

#aughhhh… good soup #favremysabre #the steve saga #steve saga #tss! rainbow steve #rainbow steve #tss!sabre #uncanny alien au #uncanny valley #humans are space orcs #the steve saga au #rb

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