Outer Wilds is a video game that affected me emotionally on a profound level. I think other people who have experienced it often have similar sentiments. I wanted to create an object that represents the tone and messaging of the game, so I decided to make quantum poem charms. I hate to say this (it’s always cringe), but IYKYK, meaning it’s not something I should explain. Why not? Well, if you haven’t played Outer Wilds, go play it. Then come back here.
The tricky thing about making charms like this is that the likelihood of them getting beat up, tangled, or otherwise damaged is quite high. They are, by their nature, quite delicate, even though I took steps to make them a little less so. As such, the quantum poems are not well-suited to be phone charms or keychains. They are great for hanging somewhere you’ll see them frequently, or as rear view mirror accessories. They are even rearrangeable with just a pair of needle nose pliers.
This is the process I followed to make the quantum poem charms.
Molds, always
I made the first quantum poem by hand individually, but I quickly realized that I wanted a second one (to place somewhere else) and as soon as I make more than one of a thing, I make molds. I used Sculpey Firm polymer clay to make masters of four sign boards. I did not want to use the same mold for all four boards; that would give a boring, uniform look and would lose its unique charm.
I made a one-piece mold with mold putty; there was no need to make a two-part mold, since I was fine with adding the details to the un-molded face of the sign boards by hand individually.
Quantum poem and quantum shard clay blends
I used polymer clay to make the quantum poem (and accompanying quantum shard). To make the sign boards, I made a striated clay blend of several shades of brown and tan to give the “wood” a more realistic color mix. I also made a clay blend of black with some highlight colors for the quantum shards.
I pressed my “wood” clay blend into the sign board molds and then textured the un-molded side with clay tools. The sign boards were cured by baking. I molded the four-sign set multiple times to make a few quantum poem charms.
Quantum poem sign boards
I baked the sign boards in the mold to prevent marring. After removing them from the oven, I used a hand drill to make holes for eye pins, which I glued in place.
Next, I used two shades of Army Painter washes (Mid Brown and Strong Tone) to add shadows and depth to the sign boards.
Next I separated each set to include four distinct sign board shapes (no duplicate shapes per charm). I then painted the lines of the poem on both sides of each sign board using a 00 paint brush. I wanted to ensure a home-made, hand-written look, so I did not get fussed by inconsistencies or imperfections in the writing.
Adding durability and finish
As they were now, the sign boards looked nice but they were so, so delicate… mainly in that the writing could very easily get rubbed or chipped off. (Also, washes give a shiny texture, and I didn’t want the finished product to look glossy — but we’ll come to that.)
In order to protect the color, writing, and to provide some extra durability to the polymer clay, I coated every side of each sign board in UV resin, which was then cured to a hard, clear finish under a UV lamp.
After the resin was cured, the sign boards would no longer be damaged by chipping or rubbing, but they were entirely the wrong finishing texture. UV resin adds a highly glossy, glass-like appearance, and it’s not the right look for wooden boards.
Fortunately, matte varnishes can take care of glossy surface textures. I applied a few layers of Vallejo matte varnish to each sign board.
Matte varnish took care of the glossy resin beautifully, while adding another protective coating at the same time.
With that, the sign boards were done.
Quantum shards
I wanted to add a quantum shard that would always be at the bottom of the poem. This way, the poem would never have an extra eye pin at the bottom no matter how the lines were arranged. It also provided a nice additional element.
Using the black clay blend, I shaped some quantum rocks. I then used ball tools of varying sizes to add the spherical cut-away texture of quantum objects in Outer Wilds.
The subtle striations of color in the black clay were not dramatic, but added the right amount of visual interest. I then baked the quantum rocks to cure them. After the charms were baked, I used my hand drill to drill holes and glue eye pins into the tops.
The quantum shards in the game have an almost otherworldly sheen to them. I replicated this by mixing small amounts of black alcohol ink, interference blue, interference green, and interference violet pigment powders into gloss glaze. When applied to surfaces, interference pigments reflect different colors when light shines on them.
The final result had a shiny, subtly colorful finish applied to the quantum shards.
It works out to be a good 24 poems.
Of course, the beauty of Gabbro’s quantum poetry is that the four lines can be assembled in any order and it always makes a nice poem. A good twenty-four of them, according to Gabbro themself.
That means the best part of the quantum poem charm is customization. Buyers must choose the order the poem sign board lines should be assembled in.
I used needle nose pliers and small jump rings to assemble the charms I wanted to keep for myself.
Then I left the rest of the charms unassembled. Whoever receives them will be the person to determine what order the sign board poetry lines should be in.
Quantum poem charms available in the shop
The quantum poem charms are available in my shop in extremely limited quantity. When made, they are unassembled. The purchaser must specify the order they want the lines in and their preferred charm type (e.g., colored lanyard, rearview mirror accessory, keychain, etc.). I then assemble the charm to the buyer’s specifications.
Now, despite the charms having several layers of protection, charms of this nature (lots of awkwardly shaped pieces strung together) are a bit delicate. I do not recommend using these as an item that is going to take a lot of abuse, or be thrown carelessly into a purse or key tray to get tangled up and damaged.
Important: please note that I may contact buyers via email to confirm customizations or request more information. If you buy a quantum poem charm, make sure you keep an eye out for emails from Mihi Mini Studio. If I need to correct an order and I reach out but do not receive a response, I will cancel your order, issue a refund, and the item will return to available stock.
Quantum charms are available on a first come, first served basis. Currently, they are not available for backorder. If you have questions, please get in touch with me via the email form or on Bluesky @mihi-mini.studio.