#Grian was always quite spoken word though

[aeolianblues]

seen people calling this Fontaines’ pop album and that they lost what made Dogrel special, I think youse missed the essence of Fontaines D.C.! It was never specifically about the punk or the aggression. It was about Fontaines’ poet-in-the-corner observations. It was about how if five people with ideas in their mind came together and spent a long time carefully crafting a record, people who developed their taste in music together, people for whom ideas and motifs gave rise to music, then the music will take on an identity of its own. It was never specifically about the Lotts on the corner. The ideas will evolve. This is the best evolution of a band you could’ve asked for! If a few strummed acoustic guitars equal sold out pop for you I don’t know what to tell you.

[arts-and-drafts]

I decided to start compiling speech patterns and such for the Hermits I watch the most, because being a fic writer is hard sometimes 😭 then I thought “why not share it here?”

so here’s my very rough analysis of my most viewed Hermits, this is just what I’ve managed to gather so please don’t call me out for what I’m missing

-

Scar

Rarely stutters in normal speech. Maybe pauses if he’s started a sentence and doesn’t know where it’s going, but he doesn’t tend to trail off unless something interrupts his train of thought

Stutters a LOT when he’s startled. Also makes ‘hoo!’ noises repeatedly before he finds his words

Lays on the charm THICK when he’s trying to convince someone over literally anything; compliments their looks, their handiwork, and then pitches his proposition in smooth segue. Not one to entertain haggling though (however he DOES do a ‘look if you’ll pay full price I’ll throw in xyz’ thing). King of upselling even the most mundane things.

His tone is cheerful most of the time, no matter what he’s saying. He’ll actually often say very disturbing things with a light voice (ex. when discussing how to retaliate ie “what should we do about him?” “we could kill him! :)”)

Builds and locations somehow are always capitalized in his voice?? Like he says them differently. I can’t really explain it (when he talks about Aqua Town or Scarland or The Big Dig)

Literally has an evil laugh when he thinks of a way to prank someone or mess with people

Hums in thought quite often, and uses “huh!” quite often when confused or finding out something new (Mostly with redstone)

His farewell is almost always “Byeeee, have a great time!” even if the conversation he left was not a pleasant one. I’m almost certain he does this in tense situations just to get under other people’s skin and really push how unbothered he is

Doesn’t tend to insult people, the farthest he’ll take it is backhanded compliments

That said he is not afraid to outright threaten (“I will murder them.”)

References media a lot, both for concepts for builds and in speech (ie his greeting “Well hello there!” is from Star Wars)

Number one exclamation is “Sweet Baby Jellie!”

(More under the cut!)

Grian

Cold opens, both in videos and conversations (rarely says “hello, how are you, etc” when encountering someone, but he does say farewells/‘thank you’s)

Likes to sneak up on people and scare them if he realizes they haven’t noticed him yet, usually does so by getting real close and then yelling (“HEY!”/“HI!”/“WHAT’S THAT?”)

Uses the name of whoever he’s talking to pretty often while speaking to them (“Well, Mumbo, you never know”/“So, Scar, as you can see here-“), same goes for often addressing his audience (“you all”/“you lot”/“you guys”)

Usually pretty focused (when he wants to be) but oftentimes takes a minute to laugh at things he notices in the natural environment (An accidental face in a build, a mob in a strange place, etc)

Takes the lead in a conversation if nobody is the clear leader, but generally only speaks when spoken to if someone else has risen to that spot

Clarifies instructions after something is explained, both to his viewers and to anyone he’s grouped up with (most often seen in the Life Series)

Uses “Pardon?!”/“Beg your pardon?!” most often when surprised or startled (he’s very British), also sometimes uses “Sorry??”

Things are way more funny to him when he’s tired

Deadpans a lot in conversation ie “why not do xyz?” “Well because we’ll horrifically die 😑“

This man is allergic to committing to the bit unless he’s the one that initiated it

Not one to sugarcoat (“how is it?” “well to be honest it’s miserable”)

Number one exclamation is “WHAT?!” (though he often uses “oh my GOODNESS” quite a bit)

Mumbo

The start of nearly every episode is almost a pitch, does the same when bringing up an idea to others (“I have this idea”/“I was thinking”/“I noticed” etc)

Often laughs a little at himself when he speaks

Also often brings up how inexperienced/unqualified he thinks he is with literally any task he’s doing

Gets very distracted with the smallest things

Uses similes a lot when trying to describe a concept (“I’m thinking a this-type thing”/“Something like a [xyz]”/“Imagine like a [thing]”)

His voice gets higher when he’s startled or panicking

A very vocal thinker, which makes sense because he’s a MC Youtuber, but he also just. Seems to think out loud regardless

Comments a lot on the feel of things (“Oh this feels menacing”/“This looks like it’d mess you up”/“This makes it feel very intimidating”), often with building

Extremely modest. However will celebrate when he does something right in redstone/building (“YES! Oh my days, that took forever”)

Once and a while will have a rare banter moment with people he’s comfortable with (ie teasing and making fun)

Related to above, he gets very giggly when he’s hanging out with people he’s familiar with (Grian and Scar most often, but also Iskall)

Number one exclamation is “What on earth?!”

Joel

Greets people most often with “How you doing [name]?”/“How are ya [name]?”

He’s very northern. He often leaves out words in his sentences bc that’s just the way his dialect is (“What you doin’?” vs “What are you doing?”)

Says his th’s like f’s (“somefing”/“nofing”/“finking”) ((Stress also does this))

His jokes/teasing are very deadpan (“I made you this extra thing, because you’re trash at this”)

Actually gives gifts of resources very often, and always leaves it with a little note and signs his name

His voice gets higher pitched when he’s defensive/being extremely cheeky but other than that his tone rarely changes

This man. Flirts so much. If any other person initiates even the slightest of flirty banter he takes that and dials it to eleven I cannot believe this is a straight married man sometimes

Joel commits to the bit 100% of the time (slightly related to above), unless of course it’s jokes about his height

Makes a point to compliment himself if he gets the chance (words most often used are “handsome” “strong” and “humble”, as well as comments about his muscles and physique)

Insults his enemies diminutively (“look at you down there, tiny idiot”/“You’re wrong and also weak”) ((seen most often in Empires SMP)

His most often used insult is “idiot”

When he’s flustered/frustrated he uses “bloody” a lot (ie “bloody heck” or “this bloody thing” (loves to toe the PG line), also uses “blooming” (“bloomin’ heck”)

Most often used exclamation is also “WHAT?!”

Bdubs

Opens videos very jovially, talks almost like a radio host

Breaks down his builds down to the block, spends a lot of time discussing his block pallet choices and giving tips while he builds

Uses the affirmation “sure enough” a lot, and often addresses himself as “Ol’ Bdubs”

Talks affectionately about other hermits often (“[name], the absolute sweetheart, left me some materials”, “[name], you angel!”)

Adding to above, “angel” or “sweet angel” seems to be his most often used affectionate terms

Switches on a dime, though, if he gets offended (which of course causes others to poke fun at him even more)

Calls mobs “stupid” a lot when they don’t do what he wants (but takes it back if he says it to one of his horses ex. “Come here, stupid—wonderful, I mean, beautiful”)

THIS MAN IS THE #1 HORSE ENJOYER. He gets a horse first thing every season and rides it everywhere, and they’re always a focal point of his theme or builds in some regard

Pauses whatever he’s doing to sleep as soon as it’s possible, and gets very antsy if he can’t do it for some reason (“One moment, time to shreep!”)

Related to above, EVERYONE messes with him if he’s trying to sleep in their presence ie breaking his bed over and over, and he gets increasingly more frustrated when it happens

Rarely is soft spoken or quiet, he projects his voice and uses a lot of emphasis in his tone

Either straight up screams (and peaks the mic 😭) if he’s startled or scared, or yells “oh my GOODNESS!!”

Number one exclamation is “HEY!”

[arc852]

First Meetings 1/3

Summary: How Jimmy met Grian and Joel.

Warnings: anxiety, being/feeling trapped, and hunger pains

Word Count: 2295

AO3 Link

It's finally time! Let's see how Jimmy met Grian and Joel in the BBBCAU!

This is gonna be a slightly longer story, which is why I'm splitting it up into three parts! I'm still working on part 2 though so it might be a few days until the next chapter. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted their first meeting to go but I think I'm quite happy with what I've come up with! So I hope you guys enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jimmy opened his wall entrance slowly, peeking out and taking a look around. His entrance was hidden behind one of the humans’ desks, so he was safe to check and make sure there were no humans in the room.

 Once he deemed the room empty, he came out of the walls fully and prepared for a quick raid of the dorm room. It had only been a week since classes had started up again, which meant things were still a mess in a lot of the dorm rooms. Especially the ones used by freshmen. Humans who were fresh to college, still learning and getting all of their stuff together. These were the rooms where Jimmy found the most things and he was always excited about what kinds of things he would find.

 He adjusted the strap of his bag as he came out into the open, glancing warily at the door for a brief moment. He should be fine, it was still early enough that if the humans weren’t here, then they were still in class. He should have plenty of time to borrow and then get out.

 Confident in his reasoning, Jimmy’s gaze left the door and wandered around the room. There were some clothes strewn about but with them on the floor like this, Jimmy stayed away from them. He couldn’t be sure if they were dirty or clean and he would rather be safe than sorry. Besides, humans usually noticed when clothes went missing. Jimmy really only felt comfortable taking clothes if they were already lost.

 That’s how he had gotten his current bed, a sock that had fallen between the bed and the wall as the human was trying to fold their laundry. They never noticed it missing and so Jimmy had dragged it through the walls and back to his home. That had been years ago now, and the sock had been good to him. 

 It didn’t look like he was going to get anything like that out of this room though. He’d probably do well to focus on getting some food. He was running really low, so some crumbs, maybe a full chip if he could manage it, would be great.

 So Jimmy walked around the room, looking behind the piles of clothes and underneath the nightstands for any food that would have dropped. So far, there wasn’t anything but Jimmy still had a lot of the room to go. He headed over to the opposite desk, heading underneath to see if any crumbs had gotten stuck in the carpet. The desks and beds, both under and on top, were most likely to have food, since that’s were he noticed the humans eating the most.

 But as he made it to the desk, there was a sound that made Jimmy’s blood run cold. The jingling of keys and the turning of a knob. Wasting no time, Jimmy ran the rest of the way underneath the desk and hid himself behind one of the far legs. Just in time too, because as he settled the door fully opened, revealing two humans. They were just legs to Jimmy from this angle but that did nothing to lessen his fear.

 “--try to finish it all tonight.” One of the humans spoke, in the middle of talking already as they had entered the room.

 “How much did you get? Aren’t you only taking three classes this first semester?” The other one asked. Jimmy tried to peek out more, to try and get a better look at the humans in order to see what they were doing. He wasn’t afraid of being seen from here, he knew humans barely ever looked down, let alone in the corners and underneath their own desks.

 The human who had just spoken was wearing a red sweater and just threw his backpack underneath his desk. Jimmy winced a bit and then was thankful when the other human, one who appeared to have a green streak in his hair, placed his backpack at the edge of his bed. 

 “Yeah, and two of them aren’t super homework heavy. But my other class definitely makes up for that.” The green-streaked human said, letting out a sigh. “I want my weekend free though, so if I focus I can probably get it done before dinner.”

 The red wearing human hummed and Jimmy watched him nod. “Yeah, I’ll probably do the same. I’ve got no more classes today either and having the weekend off sounds great.”

 Jimmy bit his lip. That did not sound good. Both humans seemed to plan on staying in the rest of the day and since Jimmy’s exit was currently on the other side of the room, he had no choice but to wait. Hopefully they would both leave for lunch or dinner. Otherwise he had to wait until they both fell asleep.

 And knowing college students, that could be a while.

 Jimmy sighed and started to settle into his spot, only to jump and just barely hold back a yelp as the chair in front of him got pulled out. Jimmy slammed a hand over his mouth and pressed himself back into the wall. The human was just taking a seat but the suddenness of it had caused Jimmy’s heart rate to spike.

 The human pulled himself forward but Jimmy was still far back enough that he was still at least a foot away from the human. Still, he was no longer comfortable staying here to hide. One wrong swing of the human’s foot and he was as good as dead. Or caught. Either one was very bad.

 Thankfully, the desk was pushed right up next to the bed and so Jimmy shimmied along the wall until he was out from the desk and hidden under the darkness of the bed instead. Jimmy let out a little sigh of relief, no longer feeling cramped from having the human so close.

 He stayed by the wall and took a seat, leaning against it. Might as well get himself comfortable with how long he would have to wait. He ducked his head a little and watched as the other human’s feet disappeared, probably getting into his bed to do his homework there. Both backpacks were still where they had left them, so Jimmy could only assume they were doing their homework on laptops.

 “Alright, let’s get this done.” The human with the green-streak said. He heard the other human hum and then the air was filled with sounds of typing and clicking. 

 Jimmy sighed and waited.

***

   Nothing interesting had happened and no opportunity for escape had presented itself throughout the rest of the day. Grian and Joel (he had learned their names as he sat there waiting) had continued to talk with one another as they worked on their homework. He had perked up when they had talked about getting something to eat but was disappointed when only Grian left to go pick something up for them.

 As the humans ate their food, Jimmy’s stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since early that morning. He pushed the feeling away though. Even if the humans made some mess and dropped something, he couldn’t go get it right now. Not without being seen.

 He settled back in as they had continued to work, until finally, after many hours, Joel let out a short exclamation. “Done! Finally.” He heard Joel close his laptop and the human leaned back in his chair, stretching. His feet hit the back wall and Jimmy was glad he had moved.

 Joel pushed the chair back and stood up, stretching again once he was standing. He heard Grian chuckle. “It’s about time. I’ve been done for an hour now.”

 “Oh good for you.” Joel said, his voice taking a mocking tone. Grian laughed.

 Jimmy placed his head in one hand, leaning against it as he watched (though all he could see were Joel’s legs at the moment) and listened. These humans were interesting, that was for sure. He hadn’t been as bored as he could have been, listening to them talk and go back and forth with one another.

 But even so, no matter how interesting a pair of humans appeared to be, he would much rather be back in the walls and away from the threat of being caught. He didn’t expect to be seen, he was careful and in a spot a human wouldn’t look in, but the longer he stayed the more his anxiety began to grow.

 Unfortunately, it looked like he would have to wait longer. “Want to celebrate with a movie night? I’ve got some popcorn in my bag.” Grian said and Jimmy barely heard Joel’s reply of yes as he sighed in frustration. He knew this would be a possibility though. From his time in the dorms and watching many college students, he knew they tended to stay up way later than they probably should. It was one of the things that made borrowing here hard, which was why Jimmy tended to go out and borrow while the humans were in class rather than at night.

 He heard them shuffling around, talking as they got the movie set up. The smell of popcorn filled the air and once again Jimmy’s stomach reminded him how long he had gone without food. And once again, he pushed it back down.

 The two humans settled into bed and the sounds of the movie began to play. Jimmy leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the movie and imagining what could be happening on the screen. Despite his want to get out of there, it was kind of nice. He had never been this close to actually watching a movie before. It sounded fun.

 Eventually, the movie ended and the humans went to their own beds. The lights turned off and he heard the shuffling of blankets but Jimmy still waited. After maybe another hour or so, Jimmy finally felt confident enough to try and make his way back to his entrance into the walls.

 He stopped short of the edge of the bed, looking up and at Grian, since he was currently the only human he could see. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. He was definitely asleep.

 He then stuck close to the nightstand and rounded the corner in order to peek up and look at Joel. He was the same, steady breathing and closed eyes. Jimmy let out a little sigh of relief. He wasted no time in running back across the room, back to Grian’s desk where his entrance was located. 

 Jimmy grinned, relieved he would finally be able to get back home. Grian’s backpack was still there but he went to the side of it to get to his exit. His smile turned into a frown, however, when he realized the bag was too close to the wall in order for him to get through. “No…” Jimmy let out a little noise of frustration, going over to the other side of the bag to see if it was any different over there.

 It wasn’t.

 The bag was too full, making it a heavy roadblock. Meaning, despite how small Jimmy was, he couldn’t push his way behind the bag. He tried, he really did, but it didn’t so much as budge and Jimmy quickly got scared at how much weight it held. He backed away, wondering what he was going to do now.

 This entrance was the only one he had in this room and going out into the hallway was definitely not a good idea. It didn’t matter how late it was, there was always a chance some human would be walking down the hall and then Jimmy would be as good as caught.

 No, he was well and truly trapped within this room.

 But that was fine. He would just wait until tomorrow. Grian would pick up his backpack to go to class and then there wouldn’t be…a…problem…

 Wait, today was Friday, wasn’t it? Friday was the last day of the week for classes. He knew that and Grian and Joel had just been talking about it earlier too. Tomorrow was the weekend and both humans had already completed their homework. Which meant…

 Which meant there was no reason for Grian to pick up and move his bag for at least another two full days.

 Jimmy leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down it until he was sitting against it. He threw his head back and let out a quiet noise of frustration and worry. He was trapped in this room for the rest of the weekend at least. 

 Honestly, he felt like crying a little.

 He shook the feelings away though. Crying wouldn’t help him.

 He stood up and went underneath Grian’s bed. He didn’t want to stay underneath the desk, just in case Grian did need his backpack before the weekend was over but staying underneath his bed at least left him on the right side of the room. Once the bag was lifted and the humans’ backs were turned, he could take the opportunity to get back into the walls.

 For now though, he let himself lay down, using his bag as a makeshift pillow as he tried to get some sleep. He wasn’t sure he would be able to, but he at least had to try. Just because he was trapped in this room, his anxiety growing more and more at the thought, didn’t mean he could forgo his rest. He needed it more than ever in this situation anyway.

 He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the way he could hear the humans’ breathing and shifting.

 Eventually, he did fall asleep.

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

hooray for open ask box! how about Martyn, or Etho, or Ren seeing Skizz’s ghost on the altar?

hell yeah i love writing about Skizz, even in death :D

cw blood, dead body

…

Less than a day after Skizz’s abrupt death, Martyn returns to the crastle alone, with a sombre mission. His stomach drops when he sees Skizz’s body hanging upside down over the ramparts, exactly where it fell the moment Skizz died. It’s horrifying to see the blood still dripping down the walls of the crastle, the gaping wound in his chest clearly visible.

An arrow shoots into the ground at his feet just in front of the drawbridge, causing him to stop.

“What business do you have here, Red Army scum?” snarls Bdubs’s voice.

Martyn carefully lays his sword and shield on the ground, before standing back up with his hands raised to show he’s no longer armed. “I come in peace and I come alone.”

A pause follows this.

Martyn looks up and finds Bdubs’s face just visible through a slit window. Another face can be seen through the slit window just to the left but this one is less visible, so Martyn can’t identify who it is. He suspects it might be Impulse.

“What do you want?” Bdubs demands, though his voice is less hostile than before.

“All I want is to retrieve Skizzle’s body so we can bury him.”

Another pause.

This time, a different voice comes from the castle: “His body stays here.”

“Scott-,” Martyn begins.

“No, I’m not budging.” Scott’s voice is full of grief and anger. “He killed my husband and my friend. I want his body displayed exactly where it is. You’re lucky Grian and Bdubs talked me out of slicing his head off and displaying it on a stake.”

Nausea rises in Martyn’s throat at the grisly image. “Please,” he says, almost begging. “He died in battle just like Timmy and Cleo; he deserves a proper burial. We… We need to say goodbye to him.”

“Do it here,” Scott snarls, “cuz I’m not budging.”

Bdubs’s face disappears from the slit window, but his voice is still just about audible to Martyn on the ground. “Scott, I think we should give them Skizz’s body.”

“What?!” Scott’s voice snaps back. “Why would you even consider that?! Don’t you care that he murdered your best friend?!”

“Yes, but I’m not thinking of Skizz,” responds Bdubs. “I’m thinking of Cleo. She’s been avenged already, Scott. Jimmy’s been avenged. Do you really think either of them would want us to deny him being laid to rest, despite everything he did? What’s the purpose of that? Skizz is dead, Scott, and seeing his body on display is only going to remind us of our losses every time we look at it. In order to start healing, you gotta let go of your anger.”

Bdubs’s voice cracks and he says something else that Martyn can’t quite hear.

Martyn waits anxiously, wondering what will happen. He’s half expecting Scott to just shoot him there and then, or at the very least destroy Skizz’s body out of bitterness and anger.

But eventually, the door to the crastle opens and Bdubs appears, holding a crossbow at his side. “You can come in and get it,” he says. “Tango will help you take it back to Dogwarts.”

Martyn lets out a quiet sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

As he crosses the drawbridge, Bdubs gives him an odd look. “You’re really okay with walking into the enemy base on your own with no weapons? What if this was a trap and we just killed you right here?”

“I did consider that possibility,” Martyn admits. “But I decided that my mission is more important.”

Bdubs nods slowly. “Okay. Fair enough.”

Martyn follows Bdubs up to the first floor, where Tango is already starting to pull Skizz’s body inside. Now that he’s closer, Martyn can see that Skizz’s eyes are still open, so he kneels beside his body and gently closes them.

“We can use one of the coffins outside to transport him,” says Tango, his voice low and serious. “And you can keep it to bury him in.”

“Thank you,” says Martyn. “After we bury him, you’re welcome to visit his grave whenever you wish.”

“What about me?” Impulse asks quietly, standing on the upper staircase.

Martyn turns and looks him dead in the eye. “Like I said. Tango, you’re welcome to visit anytime.”

Impulse blanches as Tango nods gratefully.

…

It takes the two of them less than ten minutes to carry the coffin to Dogwarts. As they get close to its walls, Etho and Ren dash out to meet them.

Etho takes the burden from Tango, who steps aside to a safe distance, keeping a wary eye on Ren.

“Thank you for returning Skizzle to us,” Ren says, all hints of his former fake accent and overly dramatic tone gone.

“Of course. I hated seeing him left up there like that.”

“I know you can’t give anything away but can I just ask… how’s… how’s Impulse?” Etho asks hesitantly.

Tango briefly makes eye contact with him but has to look away. “I wouldn’t hold out any hope that he can be saved if I were you. He wasn’t just there when Skizz died; he watched him die and did nothing to help or comfort him. There’s no coming back from that.”

“Oh my god…” Ren breathes out, suppressing a shudder. “How did this happen, Tango? What turned him into such a monster?”

“Trust me, Ren…” Tango turns to face Ren, a sombre expression on his face. “...I wish I knew. Anyway, I’m gonna head back now. Give him a good sendoff.”

“We will,” promises Ren. “Thank you.”

Etho and Martyn carry the coffin into Dogwarts and to the site that they have already picked and prepared for the burial. All three of them lower the coffin into the freshly dug grave and then kneel down beside it: Etho to the left, Martyn to the right, and Ren directly in front.

“Today, we celebrate the life of our good friend and loyal ally Skizzleman,” Ren begins. “Right from the start, even before he fought for us in battle, he proved himself a dedicated friend to Renchanting. He provided me with shelter when I was nothing but a lowly travelling merchant. His leather made the book that created the first enchantment table we ever used. And his cobblestone helped build the walls of Dogwarts that still stand to this day. He took care of us, he fought for us, he killed for us, and in the end, he died for us.” He addresses the coffin directly. “Thank you, Skizzle. For everything.”

He clears his throat. “Does- Does anyone else have anything they want to say?”

Etho nods and gently tosses the allium he’s holding onto the coffin. “Nothing special, just… Thank you, Skizz. For always being there for me.”

“I have some things to say,” says Martyn quietly. “I honestly didn’t think much of Skizz at first. I thought he was a nice guy but not someone I could see myself even being friends with. But he became so much more than that. We shared the same drive, the same passion and commitment to our convictions. When the two of us were out there fighting, it was like we’d known each other for years. But most importantly, he would always put his life before others, even mine, and even after he turned red. He was fun to be around and he always made me laugh.” His voice cracks. “I’ll miss you, Skizz.”

Twirling the tulip he brought from outside, he drops it into the grave, on top of Etho’s allium.

Ren wordlessly starts to scoop dirt over the coffin, and Etho and Martyn join him. Finally, once the coffin is properly covered, Ren plants his flower - a poppy salvaged from Skizz’s destroyed home, over the top of it and sits back.

After a moment, he starts to sing softly: “Fill to me the parting glass, and drink a health whate'er befalls. And gently rise and softly call: good night and joy be to you all. But since it fell unto my lot, that I should rise and you should not, I gently rise and softly call: good night and joy be to you all.” (this song is The Parting Glass, sung by The High Kings)

This breaks the dam. Martyn hurriedly rises to his feet and flees towards the altar, tears falling freely from his eyes. He drops to his hands and knees in the centre of the stone platform, hanging his head and crying openly.

He hasn’t cried like this in a very VERY long time. It’s just so unfair to him that Skizz, one of the kindest people he knows, is gone so soon from the server. There’s so much he wishes he could have said back there. How he blames himself for not stopping Skizz from charging in there, how much he dreams of slaughtering Grian for taking Skizz away from them, how he wishes it was him who died instead. But he couldn’t manage it.

A chill suddenly runs down his spine, causing him to involuntarily look up.

His heart skips a beat.

Standing a few blocks away on the altar is the ghostly image of Skizzleman, back to normal except for a slight magenta tinge to him. He’s smiling kindly down at Martyn, his eyes sparking with a kind of energy that he hasn’t had for a long time.

He holds out his hand to Martyn, who hesitantly reaches for it. Despite not being able to touch it, something helps Martyn to his feet, some kind of invisible energy.

Martyn gazes into Skizz’s face and manages a smile. “Goodbye, Skizz,” he whispers. “Good luck.”

The words “you too” echo in Martyn’s ears, not spoken by anything of this world.

“Martyn,” calls Ren’s voice. “Are you coming?”

Martyn automatically turns to look at Ren. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

When he looks back, he’s alone on the altar.

[justletmeplayminecraft]

Hermitcraft Great British Bake Off AU

(Or the Great British Baking Show outside the UK)

With the start of a new series, I thought I'd compile this AU I came up with a while ago. Big shout out to @skywillsometimeswrite who helped me brainstorm nearly all of this (and accidentally got into the series sorry. Time to get emotional over bakers again.) 

It's Great British Bake Off, where the hermits take the place of the contestants, judges and some of the crew (with the recap boys as the hosts!) It follows the structure of the show, but to add maximum fluffiness, nobody leaves and the show works on a point system instead. The loser of each week does the washing up. (Not that the winner matters, this is all about the shenanigans.) Further explanations and what role each hermit fills with a short bio is under the cut!

The recording structure follows the usual routine. It takes place over several weeks, with the recording happening at the weekend. They stay at a hotel over the weekend. On the Saturday they record the Signature Challenge and the Technical. On the Sunday they film the Showstopper. Each week is themed, with the challenges fitting into that theme. The themes are often based around a certain kind of baking (pastry, bread, chocolate) but sometimes around time periods, places, or diets. I recommend googling or watching an episode of the show but a brief explanation of the challenges:

The Signature Challenge: They're given a certain thing (cake, pastry, biscuit, etc) to create. They've been able to practice at home. This is the opportunity to show personality and a home-cooked, rustic style with tried and tested bakes.

The Technical: The Judges take turns each week to set a recipe for an often uncommon bake. The recipe is bare-bones and the bakers have to use their intuition and knowledge about baking to create what's intended. This round is unpractised, and judged blind, with the judges outside the tent for the duration. The aim is to perfectly replicate the recipe given and that's how they're judged.

The Showstopper: A chance to bring out the big guns! They're often given a theme and a type of bake and then the contestants can go wild. The aim is to create something of professional quality, that makes the judges go 'wow' and still tastes good. Also practiced over the week, though sometimes less due to the size of the bakes.

Now onto the hermits:

The Judges are TFC and Biffa. TFC is the friendlier of the two. He does his best to find positives in bakes, although he enjoys making jokes about things that go wrong. Most of the contestants come to think of him as a grandad. Biffa gives more thorough criticism, but it helps the contestants improve a lot and is tailored towards the advice they need. They enjoy talking to the contestants about their bakes and lives outside the tent, both on and off camera. They've both had long careers in the industry.

The Hosts are our recap boys, Pixelriffs and Zloy. They're a dynamic duo in front of the camera, riffing off each other and the contestants naturally. They have a good balance of improvisation and planned skits. Zloy will doodle scenes from the tent during their downtime.

In alphabetical order, the Contestants:

1. Beef: Works as a butcher. It's often joked about, and not helped by him spilling red food colouring on his apron early in the series. He's incredibly good at piping and often creates artworks on top of his bakes for decoration. Absolutely smashes any biscuit decoration.

2. Cleo: Works as a teacher. Ironically, has to be censored at least once an episode and continuously hopes none of her students watch. It's hard to tell what she's doing until the last minute when she pulls it all together. She enjoys making little figures from fondant or rice crispy marshmallow mix.

3. Cub: Runs a sports equipment company. He likes coming up with creative solutions to the challenges and surprises the others by how focused he can become once in the zone. He has a deadpan sense of humour and a willingness to commit to bits. Often banters with Scar.

4. Etho: His job seems to change every time he mentions it. It never fails to catch the others off guard. He rarely explains his bakes, and his ability to mix flavours that shouldn't work but somehow do is infuriating. Sometimes, as he waits for things to bake, he uses the free time to play music on the baking equipment.

5. False: Works as a bodyguard. She says the details of her job are classified and never brings it up again. Nobody is sure if she's joking, but she's built. She's a very precise builder, with perfectionist tendencies that can sometimes come back to bite her if she focuses on them too much. She jumps between different themes with ease when decorating.

6. Grian: Works as an architect. He's fond of going big with his bakes, trying to push the limits of what's possible. However, he often gives himself too much to do, and ends up having to rush, disguise unfinished parts or the other contestants help him finish. He's bubbly in front of the camera and enjoys the occasional prank.

7. Impulse: Works as an electrical engineer. Also anxiety central. He's a very technical baker who's brilliant at following recipes. However, he will restart a bake if very minor things go wrong, which often leaves him pressed for time. Despite this, he's one of the most likely people to jump in and help someone who's struggling.

8. Keralis: Owns a bookstore. He loves decorating and his bakes are always some of the prettiest in the tent. Although he has a sleek, modern style, he can branch out when needed. He makes up his own pronunciation for ingredients, bakes and the other people in the tent. Gradually, everyone else starts using them too.

9. Scar: Works as a landscaper. Skilled at detailing and has out of the box thinking for his designs. Likes creating vehicles. However, sometimes he finds himself hiding bad baking with his decoration. His name proves accurate when half of his arm ends up bandaged in the first episode. Becomes good friends with Bdubs because of this.

10. Stress: Works as a personal trainer. Her bakes are always bright and colourful. It isn't a Stress bake if it doesn't make you smile. She's fairly equal on her decorating and her baking and enjoys a cartoonish style. A delight to have in the tent, loves helping other contestants and cheers them up if something doesn't go to plan.

11. xB: Medical researcher. His bakes are always creative, with fun stories behind them, if a bit dark. He's soft-spoken and doesn't raise his voice. He never quite swears but always comes close. The others can tell something's gone wrong when they hear a quiet 'dangit' or 'son of a-' and somebody jumps to find out what's happened.

12. Xisuma: Works as bee-keeper. He loves big shapes and patterns in his bakes. Often keeps things healthy(ish). He's primarily a technical baker and researches and practices his bakes extensively. However, he has a tendency to panic and makes silly mistakes (salt instead of sugar, forget to turn on the oven, etc.) 

The Crew Members:

Camera Crew:

Mumbo: Sometimes mistaken for being on a work placement/internship. He enjoys his work and takes a lot of the detail shots of the bakes. Although he can keep to himself, Iskall often brings him out of his shell and encourages him to chat with the contestants.

Ren: He's an incredibly chill presence to be around. He'll do his best to chat with contestants in-between filming and try to calm them down or hype them up. Usually he films stressful sequences with a reassuring smile and kind words. He enjoys singing in their downtime.

Zed: Very bouncy. He enjoys rushing around the tent to get over the shoulder shots or focus on the detail. He's good friends with Tango, and maybe he occasionally worries he’s ‘broken’ something to get the chance to talk to him on set. 

Sound:

Wels: He's calm and organised. He tests everybody's microphones are working and manages audio levels. He's good at handling distractions, but if they manage to catch him off-set they find he has a fun sense of humour and can give genuinely good advice. Enjoys singing to test the microphones when he thinks nobody's listening.

Wardrobe:

Iskall: Most of his work is done off-set, and he becomes good friends with the contestants, discussing their plans for bakes and chatting. He'll dart onto set to touch up make up when the cameras are off, offering words of encouragement as he does. Though it’s a bit concerning when he calls people’s bakes ‘of doom’.

On-site Medic:

Bdubs: Bdubs is a familiar sight with the accident prone contestants. He's always there with calm words and enthusiasm, talking the contestant down from their worry about their injury, helping them to relax. Despite his silliness, it's obvious he takes his job seriously. The contestants are glad to have him.

Set Manager:

Jevin: A bit chaotic, but he helps make sure things are set for filming. He enjoys getting the ingredients ready for the day and working out what they'll need. He also enjoys bullying Hypno. They've worked together a few times now. He enjoys a good joke when he gets the chance.

Hypno: Fairly relaxed, but he can appreciate a good joke and he appreciates Jevin. He helps organise ingredients and makes sure that things run smoothly on set. Very precise with his work, he doesn't cut corners and makes sure everyone has what they need, when they need it. A good person for the contestants to talk to.

Researcher:

Joe: He takes great pride in searching recipes, trying new things and adding them to his repertoire. Sure he might use a few too many words, but he's good at his job. He's not often on set, working mostly with Jevin and Hypno behind the scenes. But he might step in as tech if he's needed. A bit of a cryptid to the contestants.

Technicians:

Tango: A good friend of Zed. Even though he has some... Less than professional terms, he does his job well, and enjoys the opportunities he gets to socialise with the bakers. Very smiley and friendly, however if he’s in the tent, it’s likely something has gone very wrong. He's terrible at baking himself, much to the amusement of those who find out.

Doc: More serious than Tango, he's there to do a job, not make friends. Then he ends up making friends anyway. They're infectious. Grian enjoys 'breaking' things to annoy him (and have a chance to pull him on set to talk to him.) He does, secretly, enjoy the shenanigans the contestants get up to. But he'd never admit it.

Keeping in mind, I care less about the accuracy of this and more about The Shenanigans:

The first time Xisuma gets everything correct in a bake, he is convinced he’s still got something wrong. He spends the entire time until judging expecting there will be something wrong with it that they only discover during judging. A lot of memes are made out of his worrying.

At the end of filming during the heatwave, they have a lake party. Someone challenges Cub to jump in the lake and he cannonballs straight in. The others are surprised. Scar, who knows him well enough by then, is not. Doc is dragged in. Xisuma sits neatly on the edge and looks so relaxed they’d feel too guilty pulling him in. Keralis sits next to him and splashes him a little instead.

Cleo will make frequent asides to her students to try and impart good messages. Sometimes she swears during them. Then swears again upon realising. She uses her teacher voice on the other contestants a few times by accident (and on purpose.)

Someone doubts False’s strength. It’s probably Grian. She makes a beeline straight for him and hauls him onto her shoulder. And possibly into the lake. She makes it her mission to pick up most of the guys, whether they’re ready or not (with prior consent, of course.)

Stress and False work out together in the mornings. Sometimes some of the other contestants will join them and she’ll lead an impromptu work out session. She also does yoga in the evenings to calm down after filming. A fair few join her for that. 

Some of Etho’s jobs include: ‘I’m a gardener so I want this cake to include edible flowers’, ‘I’m a beekeeper so I wanted to use honey.’, ‘I’m a piano tuner so music is a big part of my life’, ‘I used to hack as a part-time job’. His job subtitle changes each episode. He gets a lot of concerned looks from other contestants.

Grian and Scar become frenemies because they’re bench buddies. Grian loves bullying Mumbo off-camera. He argues with Iskall over wearing anything but a red sweater. He loves complimenting everyone’s bakes. He makes a lot of friends. 

Tango and Zed often try to take jobs on the same productions. Zed likes to bother Tango with stupid ways to make broken tech work. Impulse will sit there and try to fix it in earnest. They have to remind Impulse he’s supposed to having a break before filming resumes. The three quickly become friends and can be found hanging out together.

During one of the heatwaves, Impulse near passes out from heat exhaustion. There’s eleven concerned people crowding around him, and it’s one of the only times Bdubs has to seriously raise his voice to gain control of the situation. The others are all sat outside in the shade and given water. Impulse goes back to the hotel and is ambushed by a lot of very concerned friends later that day. They take good care of him and threaten to beat him up if he doesn’t take better care of himself.

During Saturday evenings is when they’ll all lounge around the hotel and hype each other up for the show stopper. They like discussing what their plans are and sharing their ideas. A lot of dumb things happen to help work off the nervous excitement. 

There’s also a lot of calming each other down when they’re stressed out and caring about each other. It’s the Found Family VibesTM.

Even though washing up is supposed to be a punishment, a group of them usually end up doing it together and singing loudly and terribly to the radio.

One of the contestants catches Wels singing as he tests his microphone and drags him outside to come and jam with the contestants. Ren joins in. Etho provides backing. It delays things a little but they agree it’s worth it.

Keralis and Beef at some point have some made up war between them that is completely stupid, entirely overdramatic, and gives all the contestants a lot to laugh about.

There is, absolutely, a prank war part way through the season. It also extends off-set. Nobody is safe.

I haven’t seen anyone doing this AU before, and I apologise if they have! I hope there’s enough unique ideas to set it apart. But yeah, this is the AU I use when I just want some Fluffy content. Thanks for reading!

[yhs-silly]

Treatment

White room, new robe. Grian sat on the floor, the floor was soft here, he liked it. He couldn't move his arms, but it wasn't like he needed to. He'd been in a room like this before... But it wasn't the same.

He was diffrent back then.

Much louder, much braver. He remembered that he hated everyone, he couldn't remember why, he just remembered that he did. He sometimes had bad dreams about those days, blades to his throat, gunfire, and so much more. He didn't like to think about those, he was a much better person now, he did everything they told him.

So he was sitting, looking at his lovely room. The door clicked and began to open, he looked up to see some nurses walking in. He smiled up at them as they lifted him to his feet, pulling him out of his room.

The corridors were just as white and empty, the wall's weren't as soft though, Grian noticed as the nurses dragged him around the hospital. He saw a few other people like him, they didn't seem to notice him, maybe he should've said something...but the nurses didn't like it when he spoke.

He was shoved into a chair, the doctor was there. The doctor spoke to him but his words began all jumbled and fuzzy when the needle went into Grian's arm, he smiled as relaxation took to his veins. He could make out a few of the doctors words, but it was still a little fuzzy. "He's still stagnant...but I think he should be healthy enough to receive visitors today."

Grian's face lit up at that. Visitors! His friends were coming to see him! He was beaming the whole time as the nurses dragged him into a different room and sat him in a chair, there was music on in this room, nice calming stuff. Grian found himself swaying gently to the rhythm, the nurses frowned disapprovingly but left him there.

After a while, people entered the room again. But these people weren't nurses, Grians face lit up. These were his friends!! He shuffled forward in his seat and beamed. "Sam! Taurtis! Hi!!"

His friends sighed and looked at him sadly, a small smile on their faces. Taurtis was the one that spoke first, his voice sounded so sad. "Hey Grian, how are you doing..?"

"Oh oh! I've...uhmm.... I've just had needle and fuzzy so words are jumbley."

His friends frowned and glance to the nurse standing in the corner who nods. "He's just had his treatment, it tends to confuse him a little." They seem happy with this response, as Sam then speaks.

"That's good, he deserves to get better..."

Grian tilted his head, not really understanding why his friends were acting so strange. "Sam..? Why do you look so sad?"

Sam sighed and looked almost sadder, he smiled softly. "I'm not sad Grian, I'm just a little worried..." He pauses and glances to Taurtis, Taurtis seems to nods, prompting Sam to say. "Do you feel like you're getting any better..?"

Grian frown, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be getting better from, he glances down at his hand then up at the nurse. He tilted his head a little. "Well I feel happy? What should I be getting better at?"

They both sigh, Sam looks almost angry and Taurtis puts a hand on Sam's shoulder before smiling at Grian. His smile isn't genuine, but it's caring. "You know you're sick right..?"

Grian frowns. "I'm not sick..? I don't feel sick at all?" He hums in thought, that would explain the hospital, and the treatment, he's never questioned it before...

Taurtis just sighs at that and nods, but Sam snaps at him. "yes! You're *mad* Grian!!"

There was silence from everyone in the room, even the maid looked shocked. Taurtis had gasped and grabbed Sam's arm, even Sam's eyes were full of regret.

Grian froze, mad? He wasn't mad, why would Sam say that? Grian wasn't mad? He wasn't crazy...

Grian felt and ache in his head, he put his hands to it and groaned quietly, sounds- no, *voices* coming to mind.

"HE'S MAD! OUR SON IS CRAZY!"

"You've gotta be mad kid."

"Don't be crazy Grian."

"You're starting to sound a little mad."

"-Grians about to go crazy."

"-he's crazy-"

"-you're mad if-"

"-crazy-"

"-mad-"

The voices swirled around in Grian's head, taunting him. He can't take it, he feels like he's about to break, he's not crazy, he swears.

He hears Taurtis's voice, then the nurses, then Sam. He's not sure what they're saying, it's all blurred sounds to him. Then one sentance, spoken by Taurtis, stands out.

"Don't listen to him Grian, you're not crazy."

But Grian couldn't really focus that well on the words, he only really heard the word crazy. Something broke in him, he leaps up and shuffles across the table, flailing his arms, smacking and grabbing at Taurtis best he could. He didn't know what he was doing, he just felt rage, he wasn't crazy!

He felt a scream leave his mouth but it wasn't his own, he wasn't loud, he was quite, nice, always did what he was told. So when the nurse grabbed him, more joining her to hold him down, he wasn't supposed to struggle, he wasn't supposed to scream.

He looked around the room, the nurses all looked worried and annoyed. He looked to his friends, Sam looked so shocked, he was comforting Taurtis, who looked so sad. Grian tried to reach out to them, he had to comfort his friends. He tried to speak, to tell them he was sorry- when he felt a sharp pain in his arm.

Everything blurred and fuzzed, he felt numb and peaceful. He didn't protest as the nurses lead him out of the room and into his usual room, placing him on the floor.

He looked around at his room, the walls were so soft...he banged his head against one, he felt really bad, he couldn't remember why...

Then he heard a nurse speak. "This is the third time...we really need to up his treatment."

[arc852]

Deserved

Summary: Jimmy feels like a burden and undeserving of being in The Bad Boys.

Warnings: self-deprecation, anxious thoughts, and feeling unloved

Word Count: 1591

Read on AO3

_____________________________________________________________

 Jimmy looked back at the half ruined mansion behind him before continuing on. Night had fallen and most, if not everyone, was asleep. Times like these were the only times they were able to rest without the worry of someone coming after them. Not that many people had to worry right now. The early stages of the life series were always the most relaxed and with even more lives to spare this time around, it seemed even more so.

 So why wasn’t Jimmy taking advantage of this time to get some sleep? Well, the fact of the matter was he couldn’t. He felt tired but no matter how much he tossed and turned, his own thoughts kept him awake. So he decided he needed to go for a little walk.

 He found a little clearing among the dark forest and lit it up before sitting on a rock near the center. He took a deep breath.

 He loved being part of the bad boys. It was a fun little group, him, Grian, and Joel.

 But…did he really deserve a place in their group?

 No. The answer was no.

 The game had barely begun and he already felt like he was holding the others back. Just like with Scott. Just like with the Southlands. Just like with-

 “I had a feeling I would find you out here.” The sudden voice cut through Jimmy’s thoughts and he screamed, jumping in his seat. Turning, he saw Tango walk out of the trees, laughing at having scared him.

 “Tango! You can’t just do that!” Jimmy cried, placing a hand on his chest to calm his heart rate down.

 “Sorry, sorry.” Tango laughed, though he did at least seem a bit sorry. Jimmy huffed before taking in the circumstances. 

 “Wait, how did you know I would be out here?” Jimmy asked. Him and Tango hadn’t spoken much since the game started. Just one instance where Jimmy had hit him with a pickaxe when trying to get away with Joel.

 Tango sat down next to him and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.” Jimmy hummed but understood well enough. Ever since double life, it seemed the soulbounds never quite broke all the way. They no longer felt each other's pain, of course, but there were…feelings. Echoes. None of them knew how to explain it but none of them did anything about it. It was kind of nice, to still be connected in some way.

 “So, why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be getting some rest for the next session?” Tango asked and Jimmy sighed, having dreaded the question. He glanced back toward the mansion before looking down.

 “Tried. Couldn’t sleep.” Jimmy said, keeping his answers short and not necessarily untrue. But Tango wasn’t deterred.

 “Come on rancher, you can tell me.” Tango said softly. “We might not be teamed this series but I’m still here for you.”

 Jimmy hated Tango for knowing how to get him to open up. But he also loved him for the same reason. Jimmy slunk deeper into himself, eyes still trained on the floor.

 “I’m not good enough to be on a team with Grian and Joel.” Jimmy said and there it was, out of his head and into the open. 

 “What? Did they tell you that?” Jimmy could feel the heat coming off of Tango in waves all of a sudden and Jimmy shot up and put his hands up in an attempt to calm Tango’s anger. 

 “No! No! They haven’t said anything like that.” At least not to his face. He wouldn’t blame them if that was what they thought though.

 Tango’s anger cooled, as did his flames, but now he looked confused. “Then why do you think that?”

 Jimmy shrugged and looked back down. “Because it’s true? Grian and Joel have always been good at this game, always making it near the end or even winning in Grian's case. But I’m…well, everyone knows about my curse. How I’m always the first one out. How I…always drag people down with me.” He said that last part with a glance towards Tango. “I mean, it was my fault we were out first last time. You were doomed the second the game paired us together.”

 There was silence, to the point where Jimmy would have thought Tango left if not for being able to feel the heat coming off his rancher. But he could and he was still there. Just…silent.

 “Jimmy.” Tango spoke after what felt like hours. “Can you look at me?” Jimmy hesitated for only a moment before looking up and meeting Tango’s eyes. “There we go.” Tango smiled but the expression turned more serious a moment later. “It was not your fault.”

 Jimmy frowned. “But-”

 “Nope, let me finish talking.” Tango cut him off, not unkindly, and Jimmy closed his mouth, letting Tango continue. “It was not your fault. Us dying last season was not your fault. You aren’t cursed Jimmy, I don’t care what anyone else says. You deserve to have a good team. You deserve people who care about you.”

 Jimmy tried to swallow but his throat felt dry. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes. “I don’t feel like I do.” And it was, unfortunately, true. Even with Tango being so nice to him back in double life and now, his time throughout Empires rings in his ears like a broken song. He knows it's all just jokes and for lore and all of that. He knows that. But… “I don’t think I have in a long time.”

 “Jimmy…” He felt a hand cup his cheek and lift his head so he now met Tango’s eyes. He hadn’t even realized he had wandered away from them. “You do. You deserve just as much as anyone else. You were never a burden to me and you aren’t a burden to Grian and Joel either.”

 Jimmy blinked and thought back to earlier in the day. Joel hadn’t hesitated to keep Jimmy with him once they met up. And Grian had said nothing about it either when he joined them. In fact, Jimmy felt happy when thinking back. They had fun being The Bad Boys.

 But his happiness soon turned to anxiousness and dread. Because he didn’t deserve it.

 “I feel like I've always been a burden to them especially.” Jimmy spoke softly.

 “Jimmy, you idiot. Why on earth would you believe that?” Another sudden voice, not Tango’s, exclaimed. Jimmy once again found him jumping in surprise and turning to find Joel in the clearing. Not far behind him was Grian. They both looked…more than a little concerned.

 “How-How long have you two been there?” Jimmy stammered out, suddenly feeling ashamed for how they found him.

 “Long enough.” Grian said, and oh, Jimmy hadn’t seen him look like that since after 3rd life. Grian glanced over to Tango. “Thanks for letting us know.”

 Jimmy blinked and then looked back at Tango. “Wait, you…?”

 Tango nodded, an apologetic smile on his face. “Yeah, I messaged them a few minutes ago. Sorry rancher, but I've told you all this before. You need to hear it from them now.”

 Footsteps came up behind him and a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. “We’ve got it from here. Thanks, Tango.” It was Joel.

 “Anytime.” Tango said and then met Jimmy’s eyes again. “I mean it.” Tango stood up and at the same time, Jimmy was also led to stand, Joel’s hand never leaving his shoulder. The grip was gentle but unmoving.

 Tango left, as silently as he had come and Jimmy was led in the opposite direction, back toward their base. They were all silent as they made their way back, which only made Jimmy feel worse. What if Tango was wrong? What if they were about to kick him out of The Bad Boys?

 As soon as they made it back up to the roof, however, Jimmy was suddenly pulled into a hug from both Joel and Grian. “We’re so sorry Tim.” Grian said, his voice muffled from having his face pressed into Jimmy’s shirt. “We’re so sorry we ever made you feel like you didn’t deserve anything.”

 “You’re not a burden.” Joel spoke. “Not here, not on Empires, not ever.”

 Jimmy couldn’t keep it in any longer. He broke down, falling to his knees and taking Grian and Joel down with him. But they didn’t seem to mind. They just held on tighter. And Jimmy held them back.

 They were there for what felt like hours but eventually they made it back to their beds, which they had pulled together. Jimmy laid in the middle, hugged by Grian and Joel on either side. He felt a lot better. Not all the way. But better.

 “We still have a lot to talk about.” Grian murmured, not wanting to talk too loud, as if he would break the peace if he did.

 “I know.” Jimmy said.

 “Us too, on Empires.” Joel said in the same tone.

 “I know.” Jimmy said, with a bit more of a wince. But if this moment taught him anything, it was that he needed to speak more openly about his feelings. Lest he find himself dug into the anxiety ridden, self-deprecating hole he found himself in earlier.

 And if this moment taught Grian and Joel anything, it was that they needed to be much more open about their love for their friend.

 “We love you Jim, please don’t forget that.”

 And Jimmy, for the first time in a long time, believed that to be true.