#Ashlley writes

[firequeenofficial]

Couldn't find the original post, but this is Ranchers. To me.

[firequeenofficial]

Me as well

Hi,

It’s your friendly neighbor fanfic author here. In the light of this apparent new trend of people feeding unfinished fics to AI to get an “ending,” and some people even talking about “blanket permissions,” let me just say this:

I EXPLICITLY FORBID ANYONE TO FEED MY FICS TO AI. DUDE, THAT IS ABOUT THE LEAST RESPECTFUL THING YOU CAN DO. IF YOU DO IT, SHALL YOU BE EXCOMMUNICATED FROM YOUR FANDOM AND WALK ON LEGOS BAREFOOT TILL THE END OF DAYS.

That is my anti-permission.

Thank you for your attention.

[firequeenofficial]

Team Ranchers Week Day 1 - Hybrid Love and Courtship

Jimmy paced up and down inside the ranch house, wringing his hands together. He’d sworn to himself long ago that when he was ready, if that day ever came, he would do this. He’d sword to himself that when the right person came along, he’d make sure they knew. 

He had thought, once upon a time, that Scott was that person, but when he tried to tell him, the other man had just laughed and called him cute and hurried off to go see Grian. That was why he was hesitant to try again. 

What if Tango laughed at him, too? What if he didn’t feel the same? What if Jimmy had imagined all the looks and touches and fond smiles? What if, what if, what if… 

He’d lived his entire life caught up in what ifs. He wanted to stop, he wanted to be free. Tango helped with that. He was wild, and impulsive, and brave, and smart. Jimmy doubted he’d ever thought the words, “What if?” in his whole life. He wanted to be like that. He wanted to spend forever with Tango, learning to be more like him, learning to live like him. 

In the distance, a familiar, wonderful, laughing voice called out his name, and Jimmy straightened, steeling himself. He would do it now, before he could back out. He wouldn’t let the what ifs stop him. Not this time. 

*

Tango ran into the Ranch, feeling the weight of home settle over his shoulders like a warm blanket as he passed through the gate. Adrenaline was coursing through him, making him half-hysterical. He’d just barely survived an encounter with Joel and Etho, and he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be home, and alive. 

“Jimmy!” he called, laughter bubbling up, the thrill of the chase pulling his lips into a smile. “Jimmy, you here?” 

He skidded to a stop outside the ranch house, forcing himself to calm a little. Jimmy always worried so much, he didn’t want him to worry even more by appearing overly frantic. On the other hand, Joel and Etho might be out for his blood now - he was never sure with those two - and he knew Jimmy would want them to prepare for the Boat Boys to attack, just in case. 

After taking a calming breath, he pushed open the door to the ranch house and stepped inside. There was Jimmy, looking stressed as usual, and somehow managing to also look amazing even as he chewed on his lip and shifted his wings and fiddled with something between his fingers. 

“Hey, buddy,” Tango grinned. 

“Tango, where were you?” Jimmy demanded. “You were taking damage all over the place, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Tango assured him. “Just a little run in with Etho, no big deal.”

“No big deal?! What happened?” 

“Eh, I may have… borrowed some of their sugar cane.”

Jimmy looked like he might pop, though Tango got the distinct impression it wasn’t because of his recklessness. “Why? We have our own!”

Tango shrugged. “It’s funny watching Joel get riled up!” 

Jimmy sighed. It looked like he was trying to gather his nerves for something. 

Tango took the moment to add, “They may be a little upset with us now. You might want to keep your gua-”

“I need to talk to you,” Jimmy interrupted him, speaking very quickly. 

Tango’s smile faltered, but didn’t fall entirely. “Uh oh. What is it?”

“Or… well…” His Rancher hesitated. Took a deep breath. Twitched his wings. Pushed on. “I actually have something to give you.” 

He held out his hands, flat to show what was lying on them. A single yellow feather on a looped string. He licked his lips and gave Tango a look that made it very clear it was important to him that Tango liked it. 

So Tango beamed and took it. “That’s really cool! Is it one of yours?”

“Yes.” Jimmy was giving a lopsided, uncertain smile now that the gift was given. His wings had stopped twitching every second, and his hands had stilled. 

Tango laughed happily. “I love it!” And, even though he wasn’t exactly a jewellery guy, he pulled it down over his head so it hung around his neck, the feather resting against his heart. He took a second to admire it once more, this piece of his Rancher that he could keep with him forever, then looked back up at Jimmy and said, “Now, what do you want to do about Joel and Etho?”

*

Jimmy could feel himself deflating. Tango had laughed. He’d skimmed over it. He’d changed the subject. 

But he’d still put it on. He’d still held the feather like it contained the world. He’d still looked at it almost the same way he’d looked at their first diamond. 

Tango was still talking, rifling through their chests. “I think Etho will probably just laugh it off. He’ll accept they couldn’t catch me and move on. I don’t know about Joel though, I don’t know him that well.”

Jimmy made a distracted, noncommittal noise in his throat. 

“Well, you know him best, what do you think?” Tango pressed. 

Jimmy tried to force himself to focus. “Uhh, I guess he could go either way. Depends- depends on his mood, I guess.” 

Tango turned back to him, frowning. “Are you feeling alright, Jimmy?” When he straightened, Jimmy noticed he was fiddling with the feather, and it hit him. 

Relief bursting through his chest, he said, “You don’t know what it means for an avian to give something their feather, do you?”

Tango's face coloured, his hair burning a bit brighter. “Does it mean something?”

“It means-” Oh crap, now he had to explain. Jimmy could feel his own cheeks turning red to match his Ranchers’. “Uh. It’s a way to show…” He swallowed. This was a lot harder than he’d ever thought it would be. “It's the same as… as humans giving rings, I guess.” 

*

Tango knew his face matched Jimmy’s in its deep red. He knew his hair was burning so bright and strong they were at risk of losing their ranch house again. But he didn’t care. Because the words that Jimmy had just spoken…

“Did you just… propose to me?” Tango clarified. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that this funny, creative, caring ball of feathered stress could care enough about him for that. He couldn’t believe that he could ever get that lucky, that he could rest forever beside someone as amazing as Jimmy. 

“Um.” Jimmy’s wings took up their rustling again. “Yes?”

Tango just stared for a second, then his face broke into a grin. “In that case!” He walked over to Jimmy and wrapped his arms around him. Tango was a bit shorter than Jimmy, so he could easily rest his head on the other man’s shoulder, and Jimmy instinctively wrapped both his arms and his wings around Tango in return. Tango pulled back a little, just enough to look up into his Rancher’s face. “Yes.” 

Jimmy blinked, like he couldn’t really believe it. “Yes?”

Tango was beaming, happier than he could ever remember being. He lifted up onto his toes and kissed Jimmy, the first time he had ever dared to do that. Jimmy didn’t even hesitate before pulling him closer, kissing him back. When they pulled away, Tango rested his forehead against Jimmy’s and breathed softly, “Yes.”

He was pumped full of adrenaline again, but this time, there was no danger involved. This time, it was the thrill of a different chase setting him ablaze - no pun intended. As Tango’s hand closed again around the feather, this time knowing exactly its significance, he felt pure bliss settle over him. Maybe there was something to this death loop thing, after all.

[firequeenofficial]

Team Ranchers Week Day 2 - Fire and Ice

Winter did something strange to Tango, Jimmy had noticed. As the weather got colder, he got warmer, until it hurt to touch him. And, as Tango got warmer, his hair got brighter, until it was nearly impossible to look at him. Tango had told him, when the weather started to turn, that often most of his friends avoided him in the dead of winter, as well as the weeks leading up to it and afterwards. 

Tango had told him that was why Team BEST had fallen apart so quickly - the snow fort made him unbearable to be around. Not to mention, he kept melting it just by existing. When the team had finally fallen apart, Tango had been thrilled, because he could melt the darn thing as much as he wanted. 

Jimmy was determined not to be like that. He would never push Tango away for something he couldn’t control, no matter what. 

So he found solutions, because that was what he did. He overthought, he found solutions for every problem except the important ones, he did his best for the people he cared about, and he fought tooth and nail for his Rancher. 

He made sure they both had water buckets in their inventories at all times. He wore two pairs of sunglasses Ren wasn’t using to protect his eyes. He borrowed a pair of thick redstone gloves from Impulse. He covered the bed with a protective lining Grian used when building with flammable materials. He found several blinkers in Bdubs’ chests for the horses and cows - he had to adjust them for the cows - so that Tango didn’t have to stop working. He stockpiled insane amounts of wood, much of it repurposed from other bases and chests, in case they needed to rebuild any part of the Ranch.

Every time he appeared with a fresh smile and a fresh solution, Tango told him he didn’t have to. He told him it was fine. He told him he was used to it. But Jimmy wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was sticking by Tango’s side, and he sure as hell wasn’t letting his Rancher pull away over something stupid like this. Ranchers stuck together, no matter what. 

What Jimmy didn’t know was that when Tango was alone on the Ranch, because Jimmy was off finding yet another fix to a problem that was barely a problem or fighting battles that didn’t need to be fought or dying on trivial hills, he couldn’t help but cry, because no one, ever, had done so much for him in the winter. No one had ever cared enough to try. 

But Jimmy cared. And he refused to let Tango forget it.

[firequeenofficial]

So, I was inspired by Evil Anvil's incredible Limited Life song and the angst demons took a hold of my body. Enjoy!

He wasn't supposed to remember.

This was the first thing Martyn Littlewood realised as he spawned into Last Life. He wasn't supposed to remember. No one else did. Ren certainly didn't. The others had all forgotten.

All except Grian, he noticed, who still looked at Scar with a mix of pain and longing and anger.

And Jimmy, who looked at Scott like the sight hurt him.

The winner and the loser. They were the ones who were supposed to remember. They were the ones meant to be blessed - or cursed - with their memories of Last Life.

Not him. The Hand. The Listener. Sixth. It wasn't even a number worthy of remembering.

But he remembered.

As laughed with Jimmy and Grian and Mumbo and Impulse, Martyn made a vow. He couldn't get his King to first place last time. This time, he would not fail.

He got his king to final four. Final three. Final two. If he'd been better, if he hadn't fallen in that hole, if he hadn't been swarmed by mobs and killed alone, maybe he would have succeeded.

-

He definitely was not meant to remember. When he spawned into Double Life, only Scott and Jimmy and Grian remembered. He could see it in their eyes.

Martyn wondered whether Grian remembered because he'd won Third Life. He wondered if Scott would remember Double Life after winning Last Life.

Only time would tell.

This time, he decided, as Scott and Cleo walked away, and he pushed Pearl away for no reason other than he couldn't bear to give his heart to another. This time, his King would win.

He couldn't tell him. Ren didn't remember Third Life - he pretended that didn't hurt like callouses from a diamond axe - and he couldn't risk Them finding out he remembered and wiping the memories.

He brought Pearl into his and Ren's fold because she was a powerful ally, but even that wasn't enough.

Grian. Of course it was Grian who killed his King. Of course, of course, it was actually BigB who died, forcing Ren to die as well, like twisting in the knife that Ren wasn't actually his, not anymore, probably never again.

Except, sometimes, when Martyn was half looking the other way, he thought he saw... something in Ren's gaze. Not quite memory, more recognition. Like Ren realised there was something, or had once been, and couldn't put his finger on it.

Then he'd turn fully and meet his King's gaze and it was gone.

The Hand pretended it didn't hurt.

He made it to the final four once again, but this time, Ren wasn't with him.

-

The first thing he noticed in Limited Life wasn't the remembering - though that was a close second. No, as soon as he spawned, he saw, felt, the absence.

Ren wasn't there.

Except.

Except that he was. Martyn still fought to win, unable to hold himself back, but in the midst of it all, Ren was still there, guiding his every decision. The Hand still swung his sword at his King's command. The Listener still looked up at the Wolf's howl. The banner of Dogwarts still hung from his seaweed belt.

He fought, and he fought, and he fought. Until, finally, he made it to the end. It was him and Scott and Impulse. The final three.

Throughout the hours he felt he'd wasted, he'd found himself drawn inexplicably to Scott. He understood Jimmy and Pearl and Cleo now. He understood why they'd followed him so readily. If he didn't have his King's voice in his ear, he may have done the same.

"No armour, no shields," Impulse was saying.

He heard Scott chuckle humourlessly. "So we're just going to fistfight. Like our forefathers, Scar and Grian."

The words echoed in his head, pulling him back before he could stop it, straight to the Game that had held his head and his heart for three thereafter.

Suddenly, he was standing in the desert with his King, staring up at Scar and Grian's desert stronghold.

"Filthy desert hippies," Ren scoffed scornfully.

"What would you have me do, my lord?" They both knew Martyn wasn't talking about the men living up on the sandy hill.

Ren turned to him, his face hard with determination. "Those who have wronged us, Hand."

Martyn thought of their banner burning in Scott's base. He thought of walking on to a battlefield with Impulse on the wrong side, at Cleo's shoulder. He knew what his next orders would be.

"They will pay the ultimate price."

"I don't wanna play this silly game!"

Back in Limited Life, he was moving. He got rid of Scott first, his biggest threat. If Scott opened his mouth, Martyn knew he'd struggle to do what needed to be done. So he tossed lava on him and let him be, burning to ash in seconds.

"I wanna do it this way, I wanna do it exactly this way!"

Then he turned to Impulse, who was shouting. This wasn't the plan, what was he doing, he had to stop.

But there was no stopping the Hand. Not when he had orders. Not when he had revenge to deal out. Not when Ren was calling, "On with it, me laddie!" in his ear.

"Doesn't matter if you're a Mean Gill or a Bad Boy or a Neighbour or a Clocker!"

Impulse was dead.

He was alone.

"None of these niceties!" he announced to no one and everything. "This is a death match for a reason!"

He turned to glare up at the sun. He pointed a bloodstained sword up at it. At his shoulder, his King smiled.

-

Martyn blinked.

Ren wasn't there. He still wasn't there.

And Martyn still remembered.

But this time, he'd already won. This time, there was nothing ot fight for. He found he didn't care anymore.

When Scar died, Martyn didn't feel a thing.

-

And then Ren was there.

His presence upon spawn was so strong, it hit Martyn like an arrow to the chest.

Ren was there.

Suddenly, he cared again.

He gave up on beating about the bush. He grabbed Ren from the moment they swam or sailed away from the starter island and he held him tight the entire game.

He got Ren to the end. Martyn wasn't there, but he'd gotten Ren there. The final six. Five. Four.

And then Pearl.

It felt like a punishment, like a punch to the gut. No matter what he seemed to do, it was never enough. Ren couldn't win.

As he sat in the void and watched Joel drive over to the rest of them, Martyn Littlewood, Hand to the Red King, made a vow.

Next time.

Next time, Ren would win.

[firequeenofficial]

What if I did this? What if I choose a few days (maybe 8-10ish) and did this? What if I made myself do this? What if?

If I decide to do this, I'll probably put up another poll to pick which days I'll do, but we'll see. I already have a few I definitely do and probably don't want to do, so we'll see how it turns out.

Mark your calendars! DoubleHearted-vember is coming!!

To celebrate the 2 year anniversary of Double-Hearted (DDVAU) on November 4th, a group of us fans have put together a drawing/writing prompt list for the whole month of November!

What is Double-Hearted (DDVAU)?

Double-Hearted is a comic created by Doody (@kitsuneisi) and Maruu (@xmaruu11) based off of Hermitcraft and the Life Series. It follows the adventures and misadventures of Scar and Grian as they navigate their double lives—one as the beloved celebrity hero Hotguy, the other as popular vigilante Cuteguy, both unaware they're coworkers at the same university.

Where can I read it?

Here’s a link to the masterpost!

Who are the awesome people who made this list?

That would be @rebelrenee36 (me!!), @liloinkoink, @kowore, @deedolldrawz, and @anpanbun

Can I start working on it now?

Of course! We wanted to give plenty of time so people can start preparing now to help avoid burnout. Feel free to participate as much or as little as you’d like as well. Late uploads are also a-okay!

What if I'm not an artist?

We tried our best to make most of the prompts writer-friendly as well with the exceptions of Day 22 and Day 30, but feel free to use those as two more free days instead!

What's up with the bonus Day?

At the request of Maruu themself, we've added a bonus day at the very beginning for the first completed arc of Double-Hearted! Since the Mother Spore arc takes place on October 31st, it’s only fitting.

What if I have more questions?

Feel free to send me an ask and I can answer any questions, offer suggestions, or link any other resources!

[firequeenofficial]

I miss the Ranchers. That is all I have to say.

-

When they finally managed to put out the mansion, Jimmy slipped away from the others, finding a quiet spot to hide away. He just needed a moment to breathe. He'd been struggling ever since he'd first seen Tango with Etho, Skizz and Impulse.

He'd never felt anything like this before, like a part of him was missing, broken off, stolen. He saw Tango laughing with his friends, and his heart ached. He had once made Tango laugh like that. He had once been the person Tango relied on. Now, he watched his soulmate, his Rancher, with the others, and it was like he didn't even care, or didn't remember. He hadn't even reacted when Jimmy had called him, "Rancher".

He wondered whether Joel felt the same way watching Etho. He didn't think so - Joel had barely stopped laughing since he'd found him, except to rage about the mansion being set on fire, of course. Besides, Joel wouldn't even remember Double Life.

He sat at the top of a hill in the south-east corner of the world, watching the sun rise beyond the border. He was grateful everyone seemed to want to base close together this season; it left plenty of free space to hide away.

He hated this. He hated being one of only three people who ever remembered each season. He hated Grian for forcing this on him. He hated the Watchers for forcing it on Grian. More than anything, he hated himself for not being able to do anything but whine about it. Grian was his brother, he should have been able to help him, but there was nothing he could do.

He wondered if Pearl felt anything, watching Scott with Martyn. Was there any part of her that missed him, even though they'd done nothing but fight the whole time they were soulbound? She couldn't remember Last Life, he knew, but did some part of her long for it anyhow? He wished he could speak with her about it, but she would probably just call him silly. No one else pined after their alliances from previous seasons, after all. It was just him that was so pathetic that he longed for the first person to be genuinely gentle with him.

That didn't make it any easier, after all. It didn't make him long any less. It didn't make Tango suddenly mean nothing to him.

He missed him.

That was the plain and simple truth of it. He missed Tango. Void, he missed him so damn much it hurt.

He sighed and dropped his face into his hands, fighting back tears. He was completely alone, but he still couldn't bring himself to feel it all, not so strongly, not all the way.

He just had to move on. It was that easy. He just had to let the Bad Boys be his new people, and he had to let Team TIES be Tango's new people, and he had to leave it at that.

He could do that.

Jimmy took a deep breath and leaned back slightly, turning his attention back to the brightening horizon. A breeze ruffled his hair.

The pain lessened, just slightly.

"Jimmy?"

The pain came back full force, and he froze.

No. No, he couldn't be here. Not now, not when he'd committed to letting him go.

Jimmy didn't turn. He didn't say anything.

After a moment's hesitation, Tango sat down beside him. Jimmy didn't move. He didn't look at him.

"Wow, what a view." Tango's heart clearly wasn't in the observation, though.

Silence was Jimmy's only response.

Tango apparently decided that beating about the bush was overrated. "Are you upset with me?"

Jimmy closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at him. "No." That was true, at least. He was upset about Tango, not with him.

The blazeborn let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I would hate for you to be mad at me. I don't know how I'd do this without my Rancher."

Jimmy was so surprised that he snapped his eyes open and his head around to face him. "What?"

He was met with a smirk that he'd learnt to adore. "What, you didn't think I'd forgotten, had you?"

He remembered. He remembered! Jimmy could have cried with joy! Tango remembered him!

But Jimmy didn't cry. Instead, he let out a loud, jubilant laugh and launched himself at his Rancher, throwing his arms around Tango's neck. The pair fell to the ground, both laughing, clinging to each other. Jimmy buried his face in Tango's neck, holding on like Tango might disappear the moment he let go.

"You really did think I forgot, didn't you," Tango realised, and held him closer.

"I thought I lost you." Jimmy's voice was muffled by Tango's shirt collar.

Tango huffed a small laugh, running his hands through Jimmy's hair. "We're in this together, buddy. Even if we're on different teams, you'll always be my Rancher."

This was what Jimmy had been missing. Two whole seasons, he'd searched for this. For something who cared for him no matter what, in thick or thin, even across lifetimes. Tango was... exactly what he needed. Exactly what he wanted.

Jimmy sighed, his breath shaky. He was going to be okay.

Whatever happened this season, he was going to be okay. He could face whatever with his Rancher by his side.

They were going to be okay.

[firequeenofficial]

Send a number 2-100 (for personal reasons, I'm leaving 1 out) and a lifer/alliance and I'll write a little something.

[firequeenofficial]

For the random prompts. 9 and with ranchers? Tango centric?

Hey guess who got carried away again :)

This is based on this post.

-

When Tango got himself blown up and Jimmy killed, he was expecting anger, hatred even. He got the former, but only for a few minutes. Before he knew it, the two of them were best buds. 

Jimmy was constantly surprised when Tango stood up for him. Tango was constantly surprised when Jimmy didn’t want anything more than friendship from him. Slowly, with each other’s help, they grew out of that. Tango was happy to support and defend Jimmy in any and every situation, and Jimmy readily drowned him in compliments and offers to help him with anything and everything. 

Tango grew to trust Jimmy in a way he hadn’t trusted anyone before - not that he remembered a “before”. He just felt it, that sense that he was opening up for the first time in a while. In fact, he didn’t remember a single day before waking up in a circle of friends, tied to Jimmy without even knowing it. Once he realised no one else remembered, either, he stopped worrying about that. It must have been normal, he’d reasoned with Etho and Impulse. 

Etho was soul-bonded to Joel, and they were having the times of their lives, messing around and teasing each other like they’d known each other for years. Impulse was with Bdubs, who Tango found he couldn’t be around for longer than a few seconds without seeing red. In some inexplicable way, Impulse felt… half. Like some integral part of him was missing, even though his soulmate was right there. When Tango mentioned it to Etho, he’d agreed that it felt strange, but they couldn’t figure it out. 

But Tango, he was happy and whole. His Rancher was everything he needed, everything he wanted. 

Until suddenly, he wasn’t. 

Until the moment Etho shot him off that cursed tower - why were they even up there, it was so stupid! - and he respawned… different. 

Distant. 

He apologised profusely, stressed and worried and afraid. It was so obvious he was afraid Tango would hate him that it hurt Tango. He hated seeing Jimmy like that, so self-deprecating, blaming himself for their death. True, he shouldn’t have been standing on the edge like that, but it wasn’t his fault Etho shot him. But no matter what he said, Jimmy wouldn’t give up the blame. 

And the more he tried, the more it felt like he was pushing Jimmy away. He started devoting more and more time to tending the animals or farm, or to mining, or resource gathering, or simply disappearing for hours at a time. Tango would go whole days without seeing Jimmy once. Often, the only words they exchanged were, “Good morning,” and, “Good night.”

Tango didn’t know what to do. Something was wrong, it had to be, Jimmy wouldn’t just pull away like this, not over something so stupid. He was ill or hiding an injury or, or, or… or something! But Tango just couldn’t figure it out. If Jimmy was hurt, Tango would be too. If he was ill, Tango would be feeling the effects. But he felt nothing but afraid. 

Nothing made sense. Without his Rancher, the world felt wrong, empty, confusing. He visited Etho - who laughed off their death - and Impulse, but couldn’t find the same rush he normally did while talking redstone. He hung out with Bdubs and Scar, hoping to take out his nervous energy in the form of anger, but even that did nothing to dispel this dread. He burned down Scott’s wannabe-ranch. He sassed Cleo. He exchanged dark jokes and forced laughter with Pearl. Nothing worked. 

It must have been something he did. There was no other explanation. He said or did something wrong, he wasn’t warm enough with his greeting, he didn’t hug him tight enough, he didn’t laugh hard enough at a joke. It had to be something he’d done, because that meant he could fix it. He could apologise and make it right. He could get his Rancher back. If it was anything else, then it was out of control, and that terrified him almost as much as the prospect of their relationship being ruined for good. 

And he couldn’t put into words how much that thought terrified him. It kept him awake at night, it made his hands shake when he was placing redstone, it left him a gasping mess when he was alone in the woods, it permeated every thought and conversation he had. 

Despite how desperately he hoped at first that it was something he could fix, the longer it went on, the more he spiralled. Because the longer this rift between them existed, the wider it got, and it wouldn’t be long until it was insurmountable. And it was all his fault. He didn’t know what he’d done, he didn’t know how bad it really was, he didn’t even know when he’d done it, but he had no doubt in his mind that this split was his fault. And the longer he did nothing about it, the worse it got, and the harder it would be to make up for whatever mistake he’d made. But that fear, and an insurmountable uncertainty on how to approach the subject, held him back. 

Finally he caved, and turned to the one person who knew Jimmy better than anyone else in the world, even him. 

“Tango?” Grian frowned when Tango appeared on the doorstep of his weird-looking base. “What’s up?”

He hated going to Grian for relationship advice, especially considering the state his and Scar’s relationship was in, but he saw no other option barring actively confronting Jimmy, and he was so scared that would just make everything so, so much worse. 

“Something’s wrong,” Tango admitted, then clarified, “With Jimmy.”

“Did you have a falling out?”

“I don’t know.” His voice broke, the stress and fear making it nearly impossible to get a full sentence out. Brokenly, he explained everything, watching as Grian’s face turned paler and paler with every word. 

“And I don’t know what happened,” he concluded. “I don’t know how to fix it.” 

Still standing on his doorstep, Grian wrung his hands. “Um. Yes. I think… I think the best thing would be to talk to him about it.”

“Do you know what’s going on?” Tango asked eagerly. 

“I might.” Grian pursed his lips. He seemed almost as stressed as Tango was. Almost. “But he should be the one to explain it to you. It’s better that way.”

So Tango went home, more confused than ever, but with a little hope, now. 

When he returned to the Ranch, Jimmy was bent over their chests, rifling through them. He froze when Tango walked in, like he’d been caught in a crime. He wouldn’t look at Tango. 

“Hey there,” the blazeborn said uncertainly. 

“Hello.” That was all the avian gave him. One curt, blunt word. No eye contact. A turned back. 

Tango felt like his heart was breaking. It hurt so much he was surprised Jimmy wasn’t flashing red right now. 

“What’s up?” he tried. Maybe Jimmy would tell him what was happening without Tango even having to ask. 

“Nothin’ much.” He didn’t return the question. He didn’t turn to him. He continued giving his soulmate nothing, nothing, nothing. His wings weren’t even shifting like they normally did when he was nervous. They were completely, statue-still. 

Tango took a deep breath, his tail flicking, and asked. “What’s going on with you?”

If Jimmy could go any stiller, he definitely would have. “I don’t know what you’re on about.” He jerked to his feet and went to pass by Tango out of the house, his head still turned completely away. 

Before he even knew what was happening, Tango caught his wrist in his fingers. Jimmy was taller than him, but Tango’s fingers were long and wrapped easily around Jimmy’s tiny wrists. 

Jimmy didn’t look at him.

“Yes you do,” Tango countered. “Something’s wrong. What is it?”

“Just stressed,” Jimmy explained. “We’re on our last life, you know.”

There was more to it than that, there had to be. 

Tango couldn’t help but demand, “Did I do something?”

That, finally, got Jimmy’s attention. His head whipped around on that skinny neck of his, looking straight at him. “No! No, of course not! Why would you think that?”

Tango’s fire hair roared brighter, agitated by his stress. “Because you’ve been avoiding me!”

Jimmy looked like he might try to run away, and Tango’s tail wrapped around his leg all by itself, holding him in place. 

“I-” The canary was clearly reaching for a reason, some lie or excuse he could spit out. Finally, he repeated lamely, “I’ve just been stressed.”

Tango narrowed his eyes. It was a lie, it was so clearly a lie! Not only that, it wasn’t even a good one. Jimmy had been stressed ever since they’d spawned the first time, but he’d never acted like this before. 

“What aren’t you telling me, Jimmy?”

Jimmy licked his lips and looked away again. The moment those brown eyes weren’t fixed on his anymore, Tango felt his heart give a scared tremble. It was happening all over again. Tango could already feel him slipping away from him again. No, no, no, no. 

“I can’t talk about this,” Jimmy murmured, and tried to wrench away from Tango’s grasp. Tango just held on more, his tail twisting tighter around Jimmy’s leg. 

“You have to!” Tango shouted, before catching himself. His voice shook as he said softer, “Please. I want to help. I want to fix it. We can fix it together. Please.” 

Jimmy’s eyes closed, and a tear slipped past his lids. 

“I’m cursed,” he finally admitted. 

Tango blinked. “What?”

There was a long, long silence. Slowly, Tango released his Rancher, ready to grab him again if he made a break for it. Instead, Jimmy only sank down onto his haunches, wrapping his wings around himself so only his head was visible above them. 

He took a long time to say, “This… this isn’t… the first time we’ve done this.”

Tango said nothing, letting him sort his thoughts out. 

“This is the third game,” Jimmy explained eventually. “And… I lost both of the first two. Badly. I just know it’s gonna happen again. No matter what I try, I can feel it coming, like this- this storm, that you can see and you can feel and you know it’ll be awful and it’ll ruin everything and you can’t stop it and all you can do is wait for it to hit and I hate it! But mostly, I hate that I’m gonna drag you down with me.” 

Tango’s head was reeling, even after only this small amount of information. That was way too much to unpack, and he’d never been good with dealing with emotions, which was why he’d spiraled so much and why he’d allowed the problem to get this far. So he focused on the first part, the easiest part. 

“What do you mean this is the third game?”

“We’ve done this twice before. Third Life, then Last Life. Double Life is third.”

“How come you remember? Why can’t I? Why can’t anyone else?” It was easier to think about this than to acknowledge the steadily blooming relief that it wasn’t his fault Jimmy was pulling away, that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Because I lost. Only the loser and the winner remembers. So Scott remembers Last Life - not Third Life.” There was a shadow of pain in Jimmy’s voice as he added the last part, and Tango found his hatred for Scott growing even further, not that he could explain why. “Grian remembers both, cause he’s Grian. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he won the first game or something, I don’t know. But I lost both games. So I remember both games. And I always will.”

“But no one else does?” Tango clarified. 

“No. No one else.” 

So Jimmy had to sit with these memories alone. He could talk to Grian, but Tango knew he wouldn’t - he wasn’t sure what was happening between the two brothers, but there was always a tension between them. Tango got the idea that Jimmy was lying to him again, saying he didn’t know why Grian remembered, but that wasn’t important. 

“How?” That wasn’t important either, but Tango couldn’t keep the question in. 

Jimmy hesitated. “I- I don’t know.”

Another lie. Lie after lie after lie. This one, Tango couldn’t tell whether it mattered or not. He decided Jimmy would tell him if it did, because the alternative - that Jimmy didn’t trust him anymore - was unthinkable. 

He gathered his thoughts. He made them finally wander over the last part of Jimmy’s opening explanation, to Jimmy’s panic and guilt. 

“So… why were you avoiding me? We could have talked about it.” 

Jimmy’s sigh sounded like it held the weight of the world. “I guess… I don’t know. I guess I thought, if I could stay far away from you, if I could make you wish you weren’t bonded to me- if we both wished that- maybe the bond would break.”

The pain in Tango’s chest gave another painful twinge, so strong he sucked in a breath. If he had tears, his eyes would be drowning. “You… you wish you weren’t bonded to me?”

Jimmy looked back up at him with wide, frightened eyes. “No! No, that wasn’t what I meant, not at all!” 

“Then what-” Tango couldn’t get the tail end of his sentence out as his throat closed up, choking him.

“I just meant- I meant, if we weren’t bonded, you’d be safe! You’d be able to make it further! You wouldn’t be about to go out first, because of me! Maybe you’d even win!” 

“I don’t care about that!” Tango shouted, his voice too small to get the words out if they’d been any quieter. “I don’t care about winning! I’d rather lose a hundred games with you than win one without you!” 

Jimmy stared at him, disbelieving. 

Tango’s mind was racing, connecting dots. After only a second, he said, his voice under control once again, “You said the loser remembers the game, right?”

“Yes.”

“If either one of us goes out first, we both go. We lose together. Right?”

“I- I guess so.”

“So if we lose, I’ll always remember this.” Slowly, he crouched down so he was on eye level with Jimmy. “I’ll always remember you.”

With his body hidden by his feathers, Jimmy was letting his tears fall freely. Carefully, Tango reached out and wiped his Rancher’s cheeks. The tears sizzled on his fingers, though their heat apparently didn’t bother Jimmy at all. 

“I’d rather lose than forget you, I think.” Tango had never been so certain about anything. He’d rather lose than forget his Rancher. He’d rather never win at anything again than have this moment taken from him. 

“R- really?”

“Really. You’ll alway be my buddy, my Rancher.” 

Jimmy sniffed. “Thank you.”

Tango grinned at him and straightened, holding out a hand. “Now come on. If we’re gonna lose this thing, we can at least leave some chaos behind!”

Jimmy chuckled shakily, emerging from his feathery cocoon to take Tango’s hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet. 

They walked out of the house together, still hand in hand, and Tango didn’t have the words for the relief and joy in his chest. It wasn’t his fault. Jimmy didn’t hate him. He had his Rancher back. And he was never going to lose him again. Of that, he was sure. 

[firequeenofficial]

Borth!

Let's do this thing! Today (26/11) is borth so I'm opening this up! I'm only gonna do a few, so if you send me a request and I don't do it, then it's not you, it's me.

But anyway, send me an ask with any number and any Life Series pairing/group, and I'll angst it up real good >:D

20 random prompts :p

come and get them while they're hot 🥧

"stop treating me like a fragile piece of glass"

2. "you were never supposed to see this"

3. "i can't imagine what the world is like at your size"

4. "what were you thinking?"

5. "why are you still afraid of me?"

6. "i'm sorry, i can't hear you"

7. "you have no idea what this is like"

8. "why was this your first idea for a hiding place?"

9. "what aren't you telling me?"

10. "please let me help"

11. "what is it going to take to get you to trust me?"

12. "i'm sorry, i had to"

13. "please don't leave, i don't want to be alone right now"

14. "stop gawking at me"

15. "i know you're there, so..."

16. "very funny, now put me down"

17. "who did this to you?"

18. "in my defense, i wasn't planning on getting caught"

19. "you're cute like this"

20. "your heartbeat is so loud..."

run with them and be free, tag me if you decide to use them! <3

[firequeenofficial]

Team Ranchers Week Day 4 - It's Over. Go Home.

When Jimmy wasn’t with the rest of the Empires crew going home, Tango was the only one to notice. 

He brought it up to the others, who shrugged it off. 

“The lad probably headed home early,” Joel told him. “He doesn’t do well with goodbyes.”

“Right,” Tango said. “That makes sense.” He tried not to let it hurt that Jimmy wouldn’t even come see him before leaving. When that didn’t work, he settled with trying not to let it show just how much it hurt. 

“Cheer up,” Impulse said, clapping him on the back. “We can do another one of these some time!”

Everyone made excited noises, agreeing that it would be a good idea, and Tango joined in, but his thoughts were a million miles away, in Tumble Town, where his Rancher was undoubtedly doing all sorts of official sheriff-y things. Some part of him, a much larger part than he’d ever admit, wished he could be there with him. But he knew this was his place, with Impulse and Grian and Zedaph and all the other Hermits. 

After a final round of farewells, the Empires crew went home, and Grian announced, “Who’s hungry?”

A cheer went up from the Hermits, and they all started to follow him to his base for a feast, but Tango hung back. 

“You coming, buddy?” Impulse asked, pausing to wait for him. 

“I think I’m gonna pass,” Tango said nonchalantly. 

“Oh, come on, Decked Out can go without its dungeon master for a few hours!” Zedaph protested. 

“I won’t be long,” Tango assured them. “I just need to do some maintenance, no big deal. You guys go ahead!” 

Zedaph just shrugged and hurried after the others. 

Impulse wasn’t convinced. “If you’re sure,” he said slowly. 

“Hey, I’ll be fine! I’ll catch you guys up later.” It was a lie, and both of them knew it.

“Fine.” Not looking pleased, Impulse turned away and flew in the direction the others went. 

Tango watched them go for a minute, before flying in the opposite direction, to the Deepfrost Citadel. 

It was strange. He’d spent so many frustrating hours among his noodles, and far too many times emerged feeling like he wanted to pull his hair out, but it was still his happy place on the server. It was a sort of safe haven, somewhere he was in change and in control, where he knew exactly what was going on at any given time because he’d made it that way. In here, when his mind was full of redstone and calculations, nothing else mattered because there wasn’t any space for anything else to matter. In here, nothing could hurt him. 

In here, he could pretend he didn’t miss his Rancher so much it hurt. 

As he ducked under and stepped over and dodged around the scarlet powder, he took a deep breath, pushing out all those feelings. Instinctively, his eyes took everything in around him, checking for anything out of place, making sure every tiny component worked exactly right. The thinking took over the feeling, and he could already feel himself calming. 

A twittering sounded above him, and he glanced up to see his yellow bird flitting through the higher boughs of his noodles. A smile tugged involuntarily on his lips. He’d found the bird shortly after returning from Double Life, and hadn’t been able to resist taming it and bringing it home. He wasn’t sure when it had gotten into the Citadel, but he’d never complained. He enjoyed the company. He hadn’t trusted himself to name the creature just yet, knowing he’d probably choose something sappy, so it had stayed as “his yellow bird”. 

He started climbing towards the bird, expertly following familiar paths and avoiding shifting the redstone dust. It flew further into the redstone, and Tango climbed faster, trying to catch up. 

It ducked out of sight, and Tango scrambled to find it again, partly enjoying the chase and partly panicking that he’d lost his yellow bird. 

That was when he heard the giggle under the bird’s singing. 

Tango froze. He knew that laugh. He knew it well. It was in every dream, in every silence and in every call of his yellow bird. 

There was no way. 

Tango moved faster than ever, cresting a high point in the noodles, and in the valley that followed, he saw him. 

The golden hair. The bright yellow wings. The hat hanging from his neck. The laughter that lit up the dark innards of his Citadel. The hand reaching up for his yellow bird to land on it.

His Rancher. 

“Jimmy?” 

His voice was quiet, but his Citadel had a way of amplifying it, of echoing its Dungeon Master’s orders around the entire structure, like it wanted to be sure everyone heard it. 

The Canary looked up, shocked at being caught. 

“Oh. Hi, Tango.” He looked nervous. 

“You’re still here?” It was all Tango could think to say. “The others are all gone already.”

Jimmy looked down at the bird curled up in his cupped hands. “Yeah.”

“I- I thought you left without saying goodbye.”

Jimmy looked back up at him, face open in surprise. “What? Why would I do that?”

“Joel said-”

“Don’t listen to anything Joel said,” his Rancher told him with a scoff. “He loves making my life difficult.” Then he cracked a smile. “So, what’s next on the roster?”

“Jimmy…” Tango said, the sadness coming back full force. He wanted more than anything to go down to him, but he knew it was a bad idea. He knew if he came close enough to touch him, he would lose all the restraint he was trying so hard to hold on to. “Jimmy, it’s over. Go home.” 

Jimmy’s face fell again. “Why?” 

“If the rift closes while you’re still here-”

“Would that be so bad?”

“You don’t belong here, buddy,” Tango told him, wrapping his arms around himself. He sank into a crouch, the closest he would let himself get. “You have to go home.” 

“Tango-”

“No, Jimmy, you can’t stay!” 

Tango felt like his heart was breaking all over again. This was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he knew he had to do it. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.” 

Jimmy took a step forward. “I want to stay here! With you!”

“But you can’t.” 

“I don’t want to lose you again!” Jimmy shouted. 

“And I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret!” Tango shouted back. “You don’t belong here, Jimmy! You know you don’t!”

“And you know I don’t care!” Jimmy stretched out his wings and pushed himself into the air, landing only a few feet away from Tango. 

Tango shot upright and took several steps away. 

“Please, Jimmy! Please, just go home! It’s what’s best for both of us!”

Jimmy sucked in a breath. “B- both?” 

Tango closed his eyes and turned away. “You can’t stay.” 

Jimmy’s footsteps came closer, and Tango’s heart seized, but he couldn’t bring himself to move away. The Canary took his hand just as his yellow bird landed on Tango’s opposite shoulder. “Don’t push me away, Tango. Please.” Jimmy’s voice broke. “I miss you.” 

Tango opened his mouth to say something else, to force him to leave, to snap something scathing that will make him want to leave. What came out instead was a quiet, “I miss you too.” 

“So why do you want me gone so much?”

“Don’t you get it?” Tango pulled away from him, twisting around to face him. “We’re not meant to stay together! Grian told me - we’re not even supposed to remember Double Life! The longer we’re together, the more we fight for this, for us, the more danger we’re in! 

“You need to leave, Jimmy! It’ll just hurt more the longer you stay! I can’t be the reason you stay! I can’t be the reason you get hurt! Not again!” 

His fire was burning bright. The redstone around him was flickering, affected by his anger, his fear, his pain. He hated this. He hated that look on Jimmy’s face, like a kicked puppy. He hated that he’d put it there. He hated that he’d had to put it there, that it was the only way to save him. 

Finally, Jimmy asked softly, “Did Grian say anything else?” 

Tango swallowed. “He- he wouldn’t tell me what would happen, but he said it would be bad. He said… he said it was dangerous even just us being together for this short time. He didn’t even want me to see you. He tried to stop me from going, tried to convince me to not let you come here. And he said- he-” Tango had to stop to collect himself, the fear stealing his voice for a second. “He said as long as you’re here, you’re in far more danger than me. He said it would be my fault if you got hurt while you were here. I can’t let that happen. Please, Jimmy. Please.”

For a moment, Jimmy just looked at him. Then he opened his mouth and-

Doubled over in pain with a shout. 

“Jimmy?!” Tango gasped, rushing forward to grab him, supporting him as he sank to the ground. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?”

“The ri-” Jimmy’s voice was cut off as he flickered purple, disappeared, and reappeared a split second later, gasping and panting. 

“The rift is closing!” Tango realised. No, no, no, no! “Can you fly?” 

Jimmy just groaned, then shouted again as the pain flared. 

“Just hold on, buddy! I’ll get you back!” 

Tango wrapped an arm around Jimmy’s back. He was so much smaller than Jimmy that he was barely able to cup his hand under Jimmy’s opposite arm, so he shifted so they were chest-to-chest and wrapped both arms around his Rancher. Then he opened his elytra and launched himself into the air, startling his yellow bird. He couldn’t bring himself to care. 

As soon as the pair flew out of the Citadel, Jimmy glitched again. Tango was moving so quickly that by the time Jimmy returned, he had already flown too far for Jimmy to reappear in his arms. The Canary screamed as he fell, in far too much pain to think about opening his wings. 

Tango dove, catching Jimmy in record time. He didn’t even hesitate before flying towards the Rift, more determined than ever before. He was going to get Jimmy home, even if he had to kill himself from exhaustion for it. He would not let anyone hurt Jimmy like this, never again. 

The glitches got more and more frequent the more the Rift closed, and each time Tango had to double back and dive to catch the falling Canary. But he never gave up. He couldn’t. If he flew just a little too slow, or paused a second too long, his Rancher would die, and it would be his fault. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the Entity, and the Rift inside. 

Tango didn’t even hesitate. He flew straight through the Rift, holding on as tight as possible to Jimmy, and emerged in Empires. 

“Lad!” a voice called out. There, waiting on the other side, was an incredibly stressed Joel. 

Tango landed at his feet with Jimmy moments before glitching himself. 

The pain was worse than anything he’d ever felt. Even the burn of a creeper’s explosion wasn’t this bad. It was stinging and burning and aching all at once, every kind of agony imaginable at the same time, all over his body. When the glitch stopped, all it left was an unending ache that left his mind completely empty.  He cried out, curling over Jimmy and clinging to him like he could make it stop. He longed for the familiar warmth of his Rancher’s wings wrapped around him. 

“Tango!” Jimmy gasped, pulling away from Tango, only to reach out to him again. 

Tango reached over with a shaky hand and cupped the side of the Canary’s tear-streaked face. He couldn’t muster up the strength for words over the pain, especially as he glitched again. 

Tango couldn’t cry, but he knew if he could, he’d be sobbing. 

“He needs to get home!” Joel said. He yanked Jimmy away from Tango and started heaving Tango away. 

But Tango wasn’t thinking plainly. He wasn’t thinking at all. All he knew was that he was being forced away from the only person he wanted at his side right now. “N- no!” he groaned, forcing far too much energy into the word. 

Jimmy must have been exhausted from the pain, but he crawled as fast as possible towards Tango and Joel. He grabbed Tango’s hand to stop Joel dragging him away, then pulled himself closer to Tango and kissed him. 

“One last time,” Jimmy breathed. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he held Tango’s gaze for one split second. 

Joel made a noise of disgust and, with one final heave, he swung Tango through the Rift. Tango watched his Rancher until the last second. 

The next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor, back in Hermitcraft, and the Rift was shut beside him. 

Tango curled up on the ground and gasped. His hair was burning far brighter than ever before, threatening to overtake his whole body. He felt like he would shake apart. He could barely breathe. The pain was tearing him to shreds, no longer from being on the wrong side of the Rift, but from losing the man who had been such an integral part of his very being. 

He felt something on his leg and managed to lift his head. His yellow bird was standing on his thigh, looking at him with its head cocked to the side. 

Shakily, Tango reached out to it. It landed on his finger, and Tango pulled it closer to his chest, curling around it. It was all he had left of his Canary, and he wasn’t sure it would ever be enough. 

But, he supposed, it was better than nothing. Maybe, in time, he could learn to survive with nothing but his yellow bird. But for now, it was all he could do to lie right there, right beside the closed Rift, as close to Jimmy as he could possibly get now. 

It was better than nothing.

[firequeenofficial]

Team Ranchers Week Day 3 - Platonic Ranchers

They’d been soulmates for all of one week, and Tango had never been happier. Every second spent with Jimmy was one spent laughing and smiling. He told the best stories, and his grin could light up the whole room, and his eyes held worlds, and he was so, so gentle with everything and everyone around him. Tango had never known anyone like him in his life. 

But now was the best moment so far, when he wasn’t saying a word, when his eyes were turned away and his lips just barely tilted up. They were sitting together on the porch of their new Ranch, watching the sunset. Or rather, Jimmy was watching the sunset and Tango was watching Jimmy, unable to tear his eyes away. 

The whole world was quiet, the air was steadily cooling and the falling night smelled fresh and new. Jimmy was a master at seeing the beauty in the world. Tango was more clinical, seeing the details, nitpicking every little thing he saw and breaking it down into its constituent parts. Jimmy, on the other hand, saw the whole beautiful picture, the way it all fit together and worked perfectly, like it was a master painting. Tango wished he could see the world through his eyes. The best he could do for now was to see it reflected in them, the golden sunset tinged brown in his irises. 

Tango shivered involuntarily, the chill getting to him. Without looking, Jimmy stretched out one wheat-coloured wing and draped it over Tango’s shoulders, and just like that, Tango didn’t need the covering anymore. Suddenly, he was far too warm for comfort. 

“Thanks,” Tango managed to say, barely remembering himself enough to pull up his voice. 

“Hmmm,” Jimmy hummed. He leaned back on the bench, tilting his head upwards and closing his eyes. “It’s nice here. I like it.” 

“Y- yeah,” Tango stammered. 

“I wish it would last forever.” As Jimmy said the words, his wing wrapped tighter around Tango, keeping the cold breeze off him entirely. 

I couldn’t agree more, Tango thought. Out loud, he said, “Yeah.”

And, as he sat there, the man who was rapidly becoming his best friend sitting beside him, his wing around his back and his smile lighting up the world as the last of the sun’s rays failed, Tango thought this was how the world was supposed to be.

[firequeenofficial]

:0 borth??? happy birthdayyy?? :D

Also what about ranchers with 16 :3c

Borth! Thanks!

Have a cute and silly Ranchers :)

-

Tango arrived back at the Ranch after a moderately successful mining trip, expecting to find Jimmy outside working with the animals or building up the wall. Instead, the Ranch seemed deserted.

Tango frowned and headed to the main house. "Jimmy?" he called, fighting trepidation. He was probably just lost in work or something. Nothing serious.

And then Jimmy rushed out of the door, colliding with Tango just outside. Tango's relief had just a second to live before it was killed by the panic of Jimmy's face.

"Don't go inside!" Jimmy gasped.

That didn't sound good at all. Jimmy's fear was contagious, and Tango found himself nearly trembling. "What? What is it?"

"There's- there's something in there!"

Tango's tail whipped nervously, matching his soulmate's wings' movement. "What kind of something?"

"I don't know. I can hear it moving around under the basement!"

It was a trap. It had to be. Someone had trapped their base. There was a mob under there, ready to jump out and attack the second either of them stepped on the wrong plank or opened the wrong chest. A skeleton, or a creeper, or something. Something that would kill them immediately, even if there was only one of them in range.

If Tango went in there and died, Jimmy would die as well. But... they couldn't stay outside forever. They had to do something about it.

Tango straightened, balling his fists with resolve. "Watch my back," he said to Jimmy.

Jimmy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What part of don't go inside do you not understand?!" But still, he followed Tango into the house, both of their shields raised. Together, they headed down to the basement.

Immediately, Tango heard it too. Something walking around directly below the floor, on the other side of the room. He tried to figure out what it was, but the sound was echoing too much to be anything approaching identifiable, like the creature was in some sort of chamber.

Beside him, Jimmy was wringing his hands, panicked and trying not to be. "It was Joel," he was saying. "I know it."

"Or Scar," Tango suggested. He was doing about as well as Jimmy at hiding his fear, his flames growing brighter and his tail flicking around like a trapped fly at a window. And yet, he managed to keep his footsteps steady as he started to approach the corner the sound was coming from.

He'd barely taken two steps when the footsteps below got louder. No, not louder - closer. Tango froze, letting out a little squeal. The creature moved nearer and nearer, and Tango started backing away, until he was shoulder to shoulder with Jimmy, their backs against the wall. The thing was between them and the ladder back up to safety, trapping them.

"What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?" Jimmy hissed, his voice rising in pitch with each repetition.

"Um." Tango brain had shut down, too afraid to think. "Uh." He did the only thing he could come up with. He broke the floor.

"Why would you do that?!" Jimmy squeaked, his voice so high now that it was almost inaudible.

"I panicked!"

With the new hole in the floor, they could see the shallow ditch below it. They were one block above what seemed to be a small, natural cave, and hadn't even known it. And now it would kill them.

That was the moment the thing decided to strike, leaping out of the hole and right at them with terrifying speed and accuracy.

Both men shrieked, Jimmy leaping into the air and into Tango's arms, presumably on some avian instict to find high ground. Unfortuntaley, Tango was not very tall; Jimmy was easily a head taller than him. Despite this, Jimmy felt heavy as a feather, and Tango held him easily.

Tango squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for death, ready for the pain then the pull of the respawn that would put them on red.

Nothing happened.

Slowly, Tango opened his eyes.

Standing in front of him, innocently scratching at the stone floor, was a chicken. Just a tiny, harmless chicken.

There was a moment of shaken silence as they both took in the animal in their basement, then the chicken let out a squawk and Tango burst out laughing.

In his arms, Jimmy was going bright red, too embarassed to see the humour in the situation.

"Oh yeah, Joel's really stepped up his trapping game!" Tango wheezed. "We should have thought of that!"

"Yes, very funny," Jimmy grumbled. "You can put me down, now."

Tango did, still losing his mind. If he could cry, he definitely would be now. "I think I need new trousers!" he joked.

Jimmy managed a tiny smirk. "Did you poop a little?"

"I definitely pooped a little!"

And then Jimmy was laughing along, too. "Yeah, I think I did too."

Tango scooped the chicken up under his arm and climbed back up the ladder one handed, using his tail for balance, and Jimmy followed, ready to catch him if he fell.

The chicken made for a delicious dinner that night.

[firequeenofficial]

^OP's tags cause I didn't wanna shove them all in my tags

This is so true though. Imagine you've been dealing with this horrible awful thing for so long that it's just part of the routine. You deal with it cause there's no other option. You learn how to live (and die) with it, and how to distance yourself from your friends so you hurt them less. You try to be better, to rid yourself of it, because of course you do. It sucks, it ruins everything, it hurts the people around you, of course you want it gone. But in the interim, you live (and die) with it.

And then it's gone. At first, you're overjoyed. You're free! It's over! This horrible awful thing that's been plaguing you for far too many lifetimes is gone!

But then the truth sinks in. Cause it's not gone, it's just been transferred. A curse cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one vessel to another. And the new vessel it's chosen is your sister.

But she doesn't seem bothered, she doesn't seem even the slightest bit worried. She's just her usual happy self, full of joie de vivre, all smiles and laughter and hugs and love. So you try not to let it bother you, either.

After all, you're free. Free to take risks, to live your life, to explore and experiment and experience everything the world has to offer. Life is yours for the taking, and you plan to take it.

But you look at your sister, your wonderful, amazing sister, and you find you can't do it. You can't leave her to suffer this fate. She doesn't know what she's doing. She doesn't know how it feels, what it does to you, what it does to those you love. She doesn't know how to live (and die) with it. You do.

So you take risks. You live your life. You explore and experiment and experience all this world has to offer. But don't do it just because you can. You don't do it just because you're free. You do it to save her. You do it so she can be free. Because if you take enough risks, you can take back this horrible awful thing that threatens to take your sister from you. Because you know how to live (and die) with it, and she doesn't, and you don't want her to deal with that ache, that constant terror that every day might be your last.

To all the world, you're simply enjoying your freedom, but you know the truth. You'll take back that cage, no matter what it takes. You'll do anything to take her place, to reclaim that awful honour.

And you're determined to succeed.

hey guys imagine youve lived so long with a terrible curse that might have been transferred to someone you love a lot. imagine it. imagine.

[firequeenofficial]

I have completed my first extra prompt for @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes ! It's a good thing I can cram a lot of points in one piece, cause I'm watching some of the artists (You Know Who You Are) uploading like a piece a day and I'm thinking, ain't no way I can keep up xD It's a lot of fun to see everyone's stuff though!

Anyway, here, have this. I will not apologise. Tango deserves this <3

[firequeenofficial]

Behold! My first submission for @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes! Expect more very soon, I'm here to win!