Found Family AU:
(This is being remade into a comic with some details being changed, the main story remains the same)
Barnius' Prologue
(Trigger Warning // Blood and Injury with one of the panels)
Barnacles had been alone at the Octopod for a while as everyone else was needed for a mission in one way or another.
Kwazii is with Calico Jack treasure hunting,
Peso is with Natquik giving checkups to all his penguin family back in Antarctica,
Dashi is cave exploring with Ryla,
Shellington is on a research expedition with Pearl,
Tweak and Bud is repairing Ranger Marsh’s station in the Everglades,
Professor Inkling went out with Min to map out an area somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest,
Tunip and the Vegimals are helping Selma tend to her plants,
And Paani is researching water samples from the melting glaciers in Iceland accompanied by tracker who’s birdwatching.
After their report, none of them seemed to be in need of any assistance, this left Barnacles with nothing to do in the Octopod especially since most of the crew won’t be back for at least a week. Out of boredom and feeling like he needs something to do, he decides to go out on patrol.
On his way back after the patrol, the Gup-A accidentally gets its lamp tangled with a fishing line, unable to stop in time, he heard a snapping sound and decided to surface and investigate. There he found a polar bear who has a striking resemblance to him, only differing from the eye color, The polar bear too was surprised to see him.
The two polar bears introduced themselves to each other with Barnacles finding it uncanny that even Barnius’ name sounds similar to his. Noticing Barnius’ mannerism, he was overly welcoming and optimistic as if he was the first person he’d talked to in years. Barnacles tried to apologize for breaking his fishing rod which Barnius immediately forgave him for and said that he could always just repair it. Still feeling guilty, Barnacles offered to give him some kelp cakes and fish biscuits until Barnius could fix his fishing rod.
Ever since that event, Barnacles would often visit Barnius in his boat and getting to know each other more and more, and since the rest of the crew wouldn’t be back for a while, this was Barnacles’ routine until they return. During their time together they realized that apart from their identical appearances, they also share the same hobbies and generally have a lot in common and their only other difference that separates them is their personalities, with Barnacles being more confident and serious while Barnius is more timid and mellow.
Barnius expressed how he’s been having trouble with food lately as there aren’t many fish or islands to gather food from. Barnacles shares the same problem with his crew that although they have the garden pod, it would be nice to have more sources of food just in case, especially since the food they make is both needed by them and the creatures they encounter as well. They have a solution, however, there is currently a problem they’re trying to resolve. Though Barnacles immediately changed the subject. Noticing his discomfort, Barnius dropped the subject as well.
After a week passed, the crew eventually finished all their missions and returned to the Octopod. Thankfully, throughout their missions, nothing came up that would cause an Octoalert. but unfortunately, something else was upon them. From the storm tracker, Dashi mentioned that a huge storm is moving quickly towards their direction, Barnacles noticed that it would also mean that Barnius will be hit by it, and even if he moves now, he won’t be able to outrun it. Taking the Gup-A, he rushed to Barnius’ boat.
It was a little late by the time Barnacles found Barnius, his boat was thrown ashore by a huge wave and was broken in half. He found Barnius not far from the destroyed boat, heavily injured but awake. Barnacles immediately picked him up, calling the peso and the rest of the crew to prepare the medical bay. From there, Barnacles brought Barnius to the Gup-A and rushed back to the Octopod. Barnius, feeling safe in the Gup-A with Barnacles and unable to tolerate his injuries, lost consciousness during their travel.
Due to losing consciousness Barnius doesn’t remember much, regardless he’s still grateful for Barnacles rescuing him. After a few weeks, Barnius eventually recovered from his injuries, he’s still a bit lost on what to do since with his boat gone, he doesn’t have any other place to live in. Barnacles kept reassuring him that things would be alright and that he had an idea for where he can live but he’s keeping it a secret for now, claiming that he should fully recover first. During his time in the Octopod, Barnius got to meet new people in Barnacle’s crew, they kept him company until he fully recovered.
One of the Octonauts that approached Barnius was professor Inkling. Professor Inkling revealed that he was the founder of the Octonauts, and wanted to inquire on whether Barnius is interested in joining them. Surprised, Barnius couldn’t hold out his excitement, however, he was immediately overcome with worry explaining that he didn’t think he had what it takes to become an Octonaut. Inkling reassured him that he does have what it takes and that anyone can become an Octonaut as long as they put the effort into become one. With that Barnius accepted, happy to not only have a renewed purpose but also have new friends that he can work with.
Barnius was surprised when he saw the ship he was going to be working on from now on, it was huge, it was as big as the Octopod, if not bigger. Barnacles explained that they originally intended to just have his boat repaired, but now that he’s joining the Octonauts, they thought that it would be a great idea to make him the captain of their new ship, the Octoark. When he asked about his boat, Barnacles said that it was in the Octoark’s launch bay which shocked Barnius even more thinking that his boat which he considers large can comfortably sit inside the ship. When Barnius expressed his worries about being the captain of such a large ship, both Barnacles and Inkling reassured him that he’ll do fine especially since Barnacles plans on becoming his mentor to teach him how to be a captain.
With that said Barnius was not able to keep his emotions hidden, his happiness poured in, and he pulled both Barnacles and Inkling for a hug, thanking them for the opportunity they gave him. Both Barnacles and Inkling also showed their happiness for having Barnius be a part of their team. And from here on out the Octonauts have two captains, one above and below the ocean waters.
Resolving some (Possible) plot holes.
The Octoark was planned and started being built before Barnius even arrived.
The Octoark has a large farm and was the solution to their food problem as well as other facilities needed by the Octonauts.
Before Barnius arrived, the Octoark was crewless although some roles can be taken by the vegimals and some of the Octoagents, the main problem was it lacked a captain.
Barnacles, being the only captain at the time was also the only candidate, however he didn’t want to be transferred to the Octoark since he’s too attached to the Octopod (hehe barnacles pun). Hence his discomfort with talking about it. Barnius was the solution to his problem, he just didn’t know it yet until he joined them.
This is my first time writing a story, recommendations on how I can improve are welcome.
