#3rd life angst

[angeart]

tiny hmtb writing progress update with more 3rd life angst to throw heedlessly at you <3

Grian’s head is swarmed by apologies, but they’re not Impulse’s—they’re his own, spoken hopelessly and desperately into the oppressive desert heat; an endless chant of I’m sorry, Scar, I’m so sorry. It’s not heard. It falls discarded into blood-soaked sand, and the only available redemption left is for Grian to fall as well. To take himself away from everything he loved—everything he destroyed—and let himself topple. 

[windwardwords]

CHAPTER TWO/LAST CHAPTER I HAVEN’T SLEPT IT’S 6:30 ENJOY IT’S SCAR POV TIME WOO 

[sadagios]

double victory, was it? (it doesn't feel like one)

i saw a post about 3L!Grian meeting SL!Scar, but since SL!scar never died i figured he can't see any of the winners nor join them before the next session, and they appear before him as shadows. also, i thought 3L!Grian would be really happy to see a scenario where scar didnt die by his hand and actually won.

❀ bonus sketch ☘

[siinokoma]

Oh the grip that minecraft characters have on me…

[jestroer]

Filling my annual "being ill about 3rd life desert duo" quota

[buggsxp]

get your hands dirty (and rip up the garden)

[applestruda]

Old memories

[thatstoomanysausages]

Does anyone ever think really hard about Grian's inability to team? To stick with the same people he'd allied with at first after it shows the slightest hint of going downhill? Or about everyone's knowledge to be weary with teaming with Grian as he's notoriously disloyal with his teammates?

Cause the gutting thing is, he isn't. He isn't disloyal. He doesn't have an inability. In fact, I'd argue he is one of the few people who are tragically loyal to a fault, at least in most cases.

In Last Life, although he killed both Jimmy and Mumbo, he still felt the need to return to his allies after he'd turned red, feeling betrayed when they threw him out for being red. After that, he stuck with Joel and didn't dare betray him.

In Double Life, although he cheated on Scar and constantly complained, he stuck by Scar almost obsessively. His aim to protect him, even if he said it was for his own benefit, was painful. He didn't try to leave Scar behind like Cleo or Scott, he didn't try to sever the bond between him and Scar, nothing. It was almost like he was desperate.

In Limited Life, he was beyond loyal to his boys. He was loyal until the very end. And although he immediately switched to join the Nosy Neighbours, he didn't try to team with anyone permanently until Jimmy and Joel were dead. His silence when he realised he was truly the last Bad Boy was deafening. He hid his grief by saying that he had a backup team, just to save face, even though he built a gravestone for both boys and grieved them meaningfully.

In Secret Life, it wasn't as if he was fine with having no allied, like someone would be if they truly didn't care for loyalty, he was desperate once again. Having no teammates later in the game would hurt him, yes, but his desperation felt lonely, not power hungry. He didn't dare betray Etho nor Cleo, and stuck by them until the end. He was losing his mind on his hill before he teamed with the two, he needed to have close allies to depend on.

Now, in Wild Life, Mumbo is out of the series and Grian goes to say he needs to find some more friends, even with Skizz still around. Now, I don't think this is a power play thing, it's a desperation thing. He's hiding his grief by pretending everything is fine because if it wasn't he'd be vulnerable. For the past couple sessions, he had been working tirelessly to help get Skizz a kill so he could get off of being a red life, even to his own detriment.

Grian doesn't half ass teams. He will not team with everyone. However, he gets vulnerable when the ones that he connects to die.

Because that's how it went about in 3rd Life. He allied with Scar throughout the whole game, it starting simply because Grian felt guilty about what he'd done to Scar. He felt guilty. He stuck with him the whole game, undying loyalty, and all it ended in was him standing at the top with his best friend's blood drying on his hands.

To him, being loyal to someone like he was in 3rd Life ended badly. So, to avoid that, he found a way to still stay teamed with people, but not be left at the top of that mountain again, alone, even if his teammates die.

But so far, the curse keeps following him. He will always outlive his teammates. And this season is following the pattern, again, Mumbo dying right in front of his eyes, so close, yet so far. Always in a distance where he could've done something different, and he'd still have a teammate.

He may move from person to person, but only when they are dead or reject him. He is the forever Widow, cursed to always face his consequences, over and over and over again.

[blu-xp]

hi sorry just had the thought of red life grian and scar arguing somewhere and they start fighting but stop and just stare at each other wide eyed because oh my god we've done this before why are we destined to hate instead of love

ugh i HATE THEM (im lying)

[izelthewashbear]

The one part of 3rd Life Renchantyn/Treebark we never talk about

Whenever we talk about Treebark/Renchantyn/Martn and Ren in context of 3rd Life, it's almost always about the beheading - the ultimate test of trust between them two, where Ren claimed his place as the Red King, and Martyn finally fullfilled his duty of being his loyal hand.

However, there's one part we don't talk about even half as much, while I think we should.

"On the 3rd Life server, there is a rule - that if Red attacks yee, yee may attack the Red back."

The second half of their test was to see whether they trusted each other enough to not attack each other despite being on two opposite ends of the spectrum - with Martyn being green and Ren being red. Ren passed the test with flying colors right away - despite pointing out the possibility that as a red, he could attack Martyn, he never did - he never even grabbed a weapon to attack him with.

And what about Martyn?

Immediately after Ren pointed out the rule, he was holding a cobweb in his hand - so that if Ren went on to attack him, he'd be able to trap him. He ran away and only came back upon Ren saying that he won't do it.

However, he was given a choice. Ren punched him, not even shedding any of his hearts - but as per that rule, Martyn could attack him back. He was armed with both his sword and Red Winter, he even started placing the cobwebs so that Ren couldn't run.

"Are you with Red King to the end, or will you take Dogwarts for yourself?"

He could very well slay Ren again at that moment. It would not break any rules - Ren attacked him first, so it would count as self defense. Ren was ready for that, maybe even expected that.

"No! I won't do it!"

But Martyn didn't do it. For that one moment, the guy who mostly travelled the server and didn't have the place to call home aside from Dogwarts, decided to trust his only friend and not take everything they worked for together all for himself. He allows the walls he built around himself to crumble ever so slightly, to let that one man in.

...

But what if he didn't?

I can't stop thinking about what would happen if at that moment, he hesitated. If at that moment, despite spending so much time with Ren, he still didn't trust him enough. If his survival instincts kicked in and he attacked Ren again, making the Red King the first fallen player. If he remained at Black Heart Altar alone, with Dogwarts all to himself. If he decided that if not many players trust him, it's better if he doesn't trust anyone, as well. The walls are not ready to be broken down yet.

And then imagine the rest of the games afterwards.

Last Life, where he teams up with Southlanders first - if he turns on them, he'd be outnumbered, so it's like forcing himself into submission. Him hesitating to join Shadow Alliance - he killed Ren last time, why is that man trying to put trust in him again?

Double Life, where he ends up separating from his soulmate either way. He would end up backstabbing Cleo, anyway, so it's better if he starts on his own. Ren still tries to get his attention, but why? What's up with this guy and his weird obsession with his first murderer?

Limited Life. Ren is suddenly gone, so there is nobody else around to pester Martyn. The walls gets thicker and thicker. Scott is nice enough to him, but that pisses him off even more. Reminds him of Ren. This time, he backstabs him with no hesitation, and that leads him to victory. Why trust people, when working on his own led him to his goal?

...

Anyways I have a new idea for a treebark fic, idk if you guys are interested?

UPDATE: It's here, chapter 1 is finished! Enjoy, and brace yourself :>

[stiffyck]

Been thinking too much about 3rd life

[samgatinho]

I’m sorry. I’ll see you again. I think. I hope.

wearing thin by @sparxwrites

[windwardwords]

Hey! Good morning! (I haven’t slept it’s still morning)

Want some good ol’ 3rd Life Grian Angst? You do? Well here you go! Fresh and still warm! (My laptop is struggling)

Enjoy!

[little-flowers]

So I saw a TikTok post saying what if the second-place people could remember the past seasons as punishment for losing and like its rotting my head (if anyone knows who made it lemme know so I can credit them)

Scar lost first. He remembers all of third life, and when double life comes along, he clings to grian. It's desert duo all over again. And then grian cheats, but mind you, grian just had a vague idea of Scar. (cheating is still bad, but also, this is a Minecraft death game; things are weird) He knows Scar, who gets hurt and chases after an allay and loses them so many hearts. But Scar knows grian. His grian. His partner in crime, they had a llama together so he just doesn't get it.

Ren gets second next (last-life), that's why he's so insistent on fixing him and BigBs' alliance during double-life (I actually didn't finish watching Double Life from anyone's perspective, so I’m lacking in their info, sorry). They were the shadow alliance; they had to stay together especially when they share hearts.

Scott gets second on our third series and now he knows he won. And that's a very fun bit of trivia. So limited life he just goes with it. He lets himself have a target on his back. He's won he's gotten second, and he didn't mind that he got 10th it was for Jimmy

Now impulse gets second in our fourth series (limited life) and so when secret life comes along well he wants to win. He's had the taste of victory his allies from different seasons have won. He wants to win. That's his goal.

Pearl gets second in our fifth series (Secret Life). Now, the next series are what make things interesting for her. Because technically, Real life comes before wild life. She's in an alliance with Scott; she wants to fix it. But it's one episode; it's not enough.

Scott gets second again in our sixth season (Real life.) And they can't double his pain (they could but it'd be boring, he's never been good at playing the game) but a bit of torture to their double third place girl, who’s still shiny and new works. Gem gets to remember. This is really shown in the pearl hate. She backstabbed her and maybe its a bit fun for them to watch her torture the girl who also remembers. (and Gem plays the game, they need that)

And now grian got second in our seventh season. (Wildlife) now out next season hasn't happened yet but I mean scar team again maybe, he won with scar. Or does double life cancel that out? I don't know. But like he knows, and that's what important.

Yeah so that's a fun little concept for you writers out there. Or just people who like angst (you can't tell me Grian not remembering scar who remembers him isn't a wonderfully sad concept)

[canneddolts]

Do you have any thoughts on freehoun?

[elliotthedumb]

im scared of the eventual day when the hermits decide to look at fanfiction...

it'll go one of three ways:

rlly fucking weird side of it thats only a few fics but still exists and that'll be horrible for the hermits

hermit/trafficshipping stuff which half the time is like normal good ships that the hermits can kinda like understand why they get shipped and its just cute stuff which ofc is weird but not like aaaa weird (the other half is the rlly fucking weird stuff)

the just pure angst fics where we just project trauma onto them. this is the most scary one imo, the hermits will find it and be like '...why are you making me into a mentally ill trans guy...' etc and everyones just kinda ._. welp what to do now lmao

so pretty much dreading that please i beg you hermits and life members never touch ao3 we will kill you thank you