#audacity factory

And then the Notting Hill ending scene wouldn't go away...

I put Gossan in maternity (gn alien equivalent pls???) overalls :)

On a more serious note, how long would a Hearthian incubate an egg before laying? How long does a hatchling take to fully develop? I'm sure there's tons of HCs out there...

I am an idiot :3 *laughs at own jokes*

On a different note, If they look like a bunch of punks from the 80's, thats because they are!!

I have been brewing a modern OW AU for a couple of weeks now. This is a bit of a preview :3

For some context:

Gossan and Feldspar are recovering delinquents (and siblings)!

Slate is only guilty by association.

Gossan and Felds ride motorbikes!

Felds is a speed demon!

Gossan has anger-management issues!

Slate is a mechanic (they are not allowed to touch Gossan's bike). They are also far-sighted and a nerd.

These punks are also a 3-hearthian band :D (for now)

Roasted pine nuts

Pinenut butter :D

Pine nut coffee

Candied pine nuts

Pine nut milk (and varients like condensed and evaporated milk)

Pine nut curd (tofu) - good source of protein for vegetarians!!!

Pesto!!

Pine nut cheese? (*urk*)

Of course there's also Fish:

Fish lol

Sushi

Fish jerky

Fermented fish sauce

Canned fish (canon)

Gelatine (from fish bones, for marshmallows)

Gelatine means they could also make:

Fruit jello

Fruit gummies

Pine nut pudding (from pine nut milk)!!

Being able to make marshmallows must mean they have access to some kind of starch (whether grains or roots doesn't matter)

Therefore:

Cake!

Cookies!

Biscuits! (The American kind)

Pies!

Bread!

Crackers!

Liquor! (similar to vodka and whiskey, gin etc)

I imagine they would have other protein sources (crustaceans etc)

Possibly some kinds of algae?

Does any of this matter? No, but it was a fun distraction :3

Now HCs that Feldspar has a pinenut allergy and deliberately ate pinenut butter to prove how badass they were...

Related fic

HCs I've picked up from various places (and some of my own) regarding the founders:

Esker is the oldest, and sort of just happened to inject themself into the whole thing out of concern for the younger 4. They share a living space with Slate, are a Mechanic/Tree keeper, and taught Slate a good amount of what they know (think this last bit might be something I saw in a fic on AO3 by erosophic)

*gets sidetracked by that damn hat...* *grrr*

Slate and Gossan were once super close because they are close in age, but then, well, stuff.

They used to work in the mines together before Slate moved on to building/maintaining other machines around the village (@merrydock 's the official 'Miner Gossan's pioneer :D).

I HC Gossan, Tuff, and Feldspar share a living space near the mines.

Merry had some awesome thoughts on how the first ships were probably modeled after the mining rig, therefore Gossan had a hand in designing them (especially the cockpit). I imagine that the same could be said for the safety gear the astronauts eventually wear as space suits?

Feldspar is the second youngest of the founders. They are chronically ill (based on @elwensa 's comics) and feel driven to enjoy life as much as possible as a result (which means they don't give a damn about putting their life in danger while chasing thrills). They can't work in the mines because of their lungs, but they can fill in where they're needed with a bunch of other things around the village. I saw somewhere the idea of them doing Firewatch duty along with Tektite. This may also be merrydock's HC... *scratches head and wills away dementia*

Hornfels is the youngest, and the brainy (nerd) one of the bunch (@rondoel 's rendition of them is priceless!). I would think they'd be a good teacher before they went on to become an Astrophysicist/Ground control/Museum curator.

*takes a breath*

Yeah, that's it for now... factory closed :)

Boxing!!!

Slate even helps them practice :3 which means they've gotten their nose broken, and had to get new specs more than once.

Why does Gossan have anger issues? Because they and Felds used to get bullied for being short as hatchlings, and Gossan is very protective of their sibling :3

Unfortunately, Goss has gotten themself into bad situations more than once (where they underestimated their opponent, or got ambushed by a gang of Nomai punks with a grudge).

When they're really angry, they resemble Feldspar more :D

On that note, all races from the game are present in this AU, which makes for some fun situations :D More on that later!

Here's a little tidbit:

'Slate watched at the angry being before them carefully. Gossan looked about ready to rip their head off.

They really should have chosen their words more carefully.

Yes, Slate knew quite well that Gossan could probably kill them.

And yet, they never once feared for their safety around their friend, not even when Gossan was in their most explosive fits of rage. Because they knew where that anger came from, who it was for, and where it started and ended.

But Gossan and their sibling were also idiots. That meant they bit off far more than they could chew more often than not. This was one of those occasions.

And while Slate knew when to back off, they also knew when it was time to speak up, lest someone dear to them end up in a hospital bed.

This was one of those times.

They'd rather put up with an irate delinquent now than do damage control later.

"You're not going anywhere," Slate said, putting a hand on Gossan's shoulder.

Gossan shoved that hand away quickly.

"The hell if you think you can stop me!" they shouted.

Slate lifted their hand again, reaching for the smaller hearthian-

Gossan threw their fist-

Slate caught it deftly.

Gossan growled. Their teeth were beared, their eyes narrowed and feral. Slate was sure it would have had a cowing effect on anyone else.

"I'll kick your ass, Slate! Get out of my way!"

Gossan punched with their other fist.

Slate caught that one too. Then they tightened their fingers over Gossan's hard enough to be painful. They watched as their friend hunched slightly and grimaced.

"The fu-!?"

"Don't forget who trains with you every day, Goss," Slate said sternly as they leaned down, simultaneously pulling both of Gossan's arms toward themself and outwards, "I know every move you'll make before you make it," they finished lowly-

-and quickly slid a leg behind Gossan's knees, and swiped the smaller adult's legs out from underneath them. They followed as Gossan's back hit the floor, stooping down so they could pin the smaller's arms to their own chest, then they sat on Gossan's stomach and used their weight to hold them down.

Gossan spat a healthy amount of cusses before shooting the taller a death glare, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Stopping you from being a dumbass."

Gossan struggled, snarling and tugging their arms hard. It wasn't easy to keep them pinned.

"Get the **** off! I have to-"

"No you don't, you idiot! They'll kill you!"

Gossan struggled more, then stopped and gave Slate a cold stare. Their shoulders rose and fell rapidly, and their nostrils flare as they seethed.

"They hurt Feldspar," they hissed, "they're going to pay." '