#He just has a cool suit/elytra | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

redorich · 4 years

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to those who carried on

A fic for @petrichormeraki and their Hermit!Tommy AU.

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The hermits know Tommy as a quiet young man who is very sad and contemplative. The more time they spend with him (against his will, but they know he needs the company) the more they learn of the little details. His favorite block is cobblestone, he likes building towers, and apparently his favorite woman is the Queen. They don’t ask why he wears a smiley mask even though he never seems happy. They don’t ask why he hides important things in his ender chest. They don’t ask why he wears a shattered compass on a chain about his neck.

(Once, he died in lava and lost his absolute mind. He was so upset about the compass that he didn’t even mention the stack and a half of diamond ore he had on him. Xisuma ended up manually rolling back the server just so Tommy could have it back.)

As time goes on, the tremors in Tommy's hands grow lesser. His dull blond hair seems a bit brighter, his bruises fade quicker, he doesn’t look quite so skinny-- he spends his time serenely building, resource gathering instead of running and fighting. He has a sense of humor under all that trauma, which the hermits unfortunately find out after another massive-scale prank war thought to be instigated by Grian actually turns out to be Tommy's fault.

Tommy starts swearing more. Doc gets the stink eye from Stress for this, but Doc insists he’s never once sworn around the young man. (That’s an absolute lie, but it wasn’t anything Tommy hadn’t heard before. Tommy thinks Doc is remarkably unoriginal in his cursing. He does take note of the German ones, though.)

Inviting Tommy to PvP minigames can be touchy, they learn. He likes to fight, but he fights like an animal with nothing to lose. Grian once chanted, “It stays in the pit!” and everyone present had to spend the next five minutes wrangling Tommy’s soul back into his body from wherever it’d floated off to.

Tommy likes to glide with his elytra. He claims he’s never had one before, but he flies like such a natural that a few people have their doubts. On a dark desert night, with dark blue eyes watching the night sky, he confides to Cub that it reminds him of the way his dad used to fly. He hates rockets, though. He does not confide to Cub that it reminds him of what his brother did to his best friend. He says enough that Cub can guess, though.

Scar gets fed up with Tommy’s creeper holes and makes Tommy help him fix them. At first, Tommy has no clue why Scar is breaking out things like coarse dirt and birch leaves and making the ground all fancy, but he’s not afraid of a little hard work and Scar makes it fun. He learns a lot about terraforming that day, and awkwardly comes back a few days later asking if Scar needs any more help terraforming. Tommy still hasn’t built a real base, not by Hermitcraft standards, but the small hill he’s built his dirt hut near now has a very beautiful, if amateurish, waterfall. He doesn’t tell Scar about this, but Scar finds out anyway. Tommy wakes up one morning to find that someone has left a shulker box in his house. Instead of iron-gripped paranoia, he just feels wonder that someone would give him a gift-- to the hermits, a single shulker box is nothing. To Tommy, it’s everything.

The shulker box contains coarse dirt, birch leaves, and a silk touch shovel.

Tommy helps Xisuma mine a giant hole in the ground near bedrock, because he realizes that he’s never thanked the admin for getting him his compass back. Well, that and the fact that instamining with a haste two beacon and an efficiency five pickaxe is a novelty. Xisuma lets him keep the cobble, since everyone knows it’s Tommy’s favorite block, but also insists he keep some of the other blocks like andesite and diorite. He pats Tommy on the head and tells him to talk to Bdubs about building a house some time. Tommy nods. He's taken aback by how tall Xisuma is, completely contrasting his mild nature. He reminds Tommy of Wilbur, on one of his good days before... Before. Not Ghostbur, though-- the admin is much too alive.

Tommy waits too long, so eventually Bdubs comes to him. The man is silly and outrageous, playing everything for laughs and unexpectedly tender. Bdubs plays up how beautiful he thinks Tommy’s hideous dirt shack is, then offers to help him build a house that’s better. For Tommy, building a house means settling down, accepting that this is his home now. Bdubs doesn’t know this. Tommy builds cobblestone dicks while Bdubs tries to lecture him about depth and block variation. Nothing gets done and Bdubs feels like he might have failed, but come next week Bdubs is flying over the area and sees the dicks are gone; so is the dirt house. In its place is a spruce-and-cobble cottage nestled near the tiny waterfall. Off to the side, he’s made a cozy doghouse for his fox, Theo. Bdubs doesn’t know how close that fox came to being named Fundy.

He spars with False, and she very pointedly does not mention how his stances are uniquely suited to a piglin. There’s only one renowned fighter who’s a piglin, after all. It's Tommy’s story to tell, if he ever does, why he’s seen enough of the legendary Technoblade’s fights to pick up on his stances, yet he’s not experienced enough to know that they don’t suit him. Instead, False gives him different stances suited more for tall, skinny people like the two of them. She’s got blond hair and blue eyes just like him. (Not that she’d know. She’s never seen his eyes, hidden behind his mask as they are.) Every now and then, he imagines her as an older sister, and the one time he says so, she smiles. When Tommy’s at home, looking at his own distorted reflection in his waterfall (he’s improved it since he built it), he muses that their eyes aren’t the same, their hair colors are subtly off. It’s close enough, he thinks.

Stress dies from fall damage and Tommy goes out of his way to pick up her stuff, because the hermits do these things out of the kindness of their hearts. The thought never even crosses their minds to steal. It crosses his mind. He doesn’t do it. Stealing from Stress would be like stealing from Niki.

He shows up at Cleo’s base unannounced and demands to see the “cool shit”. He is appropriately enthused by the giant armor-stand-bugs. She tries teaching him her armor stand magic, but it doesn’t really sink in. It’s okay, she assures him, most people don’t have the knack for it. He does, however, learn that buttons make excellent decorations. He also learns how to braid hair, bribed by ice cream. He is terrible at it, to the point where Joe has to come by to help the two untangle her hair so Tommy can start again. Watching the two bicker over capitalism and six million armor stands and a whole host of other inside jokes he doesn’t get, he thinks he’s starting to understand what friendship is supposed to be like. Joe and Cleo don’t see him clutching his compass. He and Tubbo weren’t too far off from this, given their circumstances. Maybe...

Maybe Tubbo can be forgiven.

Tommy makes minigames of his own, ones that don’t just kill you and steal your stuff. He builds things that are pretty instead of just functional, brews potions with Stress and only calls them drugs once (again, upsetting her is like upsetting Niki. Best not done), and sets up chicken bombs above people’s bases instead of just lavacasting them. (As Grian saw the hundreds of chickens slowly raining down upon his mansion, he got such a peculiar look on his face that Tommy feared he’d fucked up. The shorter, stronger (much stronger oh god why is he so strong despite being so small) man nearly crushed Tommy’s lungs in a hug, proclaiming how proud he was of Tommy. Tommy was proud of himself for not accidentally murdering Grian out of reflex. Was this what healing was like?)

Yes. It is what healing is like. Tommy knows this because that wound gets ripped open again. Tango shows him how to build the most obnoxious redstone-powered noise machine the two can think of. Tango digs a small pit, and asks Tommy to throw down his axe. Suddenly, Tommy’s in Logstedshire again; it’s not Tango asking, it’s Dream. His hands don’t shake when he tosses his axe into the pit, followed by his sword and his armor. It isn't until he’s placed the TNT down that Tango grabs his wrist and asks him what he’s doing. Tommy’s eyes clear enough that he can see past the blond hair and freckles. Tango isn’t green, he’s red. He's shorter than Dream, and his worried eyes are unhidden. Tommy shudders, then tells Tango everything.

Tango has no pity for Tommy, just understanding and sympathy. He doesn’t push Tommy to talk about it, but when Tommy’s done telling his story, Impulse and Zedaph show up. They all pretend that Tommy’s voice isn’t hoarse, that they all didn’t conveniently happen to look away when Tommy took off his mask just long enough to wipe his eyes. The men bake a cake together, fool around with honey blocks, and don’t talk about it.

Tommy knows very little about redstone, considers himself more of a builder and a fighter than an engineer. Still, Mumbo’s living base is inspiring, and Tommy often hangs around the man’s industrial district just to watch Mumbo work. Mumbo knows that Tommy hasn’t purchased a day pass, but it’s nice having someone around to talk to while he works. It’s not like Tommy is stealing anything. (Tommy totally steals from Mumbo’s industrial district storage system. The man’s farms are so efficient that he doesn’t even notice, so Tommy assumes it’s fine. What Mumbo doesn’t know won’t hurt him.)

Lava still isn’t his favorite thing in the world. He stays far away from it, instead of imagining what it would be like to hurtle towards it. Ren doesn’t really notice this, but he does notice that Tommy doesn’t seem to like his mustafarian base. On a spur-of-the-moment whim, Ren whips up some absurd plotline in which he is a lone weary traveller seeking refuge at Tommy’s base from strange alien overlords. The two have fun together, and the young man cracks more absurd jokes about it than the hermits have ever seen him do. When Ren leaves a week later to return to his own base, Tommy keeps being absurd, if a bit more subdued without someone to play off of. He builds a shrine to the “prime log”, which grows more elaborate each day. Beef and xB pretend to be his acolytes, despite having no clue what a “twitch prime” is.

They can’t see his face, but the smile in his voice is a far cry from the despondency he once wore like a heavy cloak. He is so much more animated and alive, full of motivation. He builds an entire island in three days, and hand-delivers an invitation to each and every hermit for his beach party. Everyone shows up, even those with packed schedules (Iskall) and those with introverted tendencies (Etho). Tommy is nearly moved to tears when they show up in groups of twos and threes, as though he hadn’t expected anyone to come. There aren’t enough chairs for everyone, but there is more than enough cake to go around. Tango brings drinks, Impulse brings meat to barbecue, and Zedaph makes an elaborate jump-powered grill. Keralis brings way too much confetti and several handfuls of cheap, obnoxious party noisemakers. Stress brings Tommy a crown made out of alliums. It shines far less than his brother’s gold crown, and it’ll die in a few days, but he wears it all night and keeps it in his ender chest until it withers away.

He spends five days teaching himself to make flower crowns. Even his best attempt is awful, nowhere near as pretty as the crowns Stress makes, but when he gives it to her, she takes off the one she was wearing and wears his until it falls apart.

He dies fighting a creeper on Grian’s behalf, and doesn’t even panic, because he trusts that however many times he dies, no matter how stupid or ignominious or revolutionary or important, Xisuma will always let him respawn.

He spends a grand total of nine diamonds to buy a single plot of land in the shopping district. He builds a cute little bench facing the sunset, with warmly glowing street lights on either side and a small garden. At the end of the bench he places a jukebox, and buys every single disc that Beef’s music shop sells, including Pigstep. He sits on the bench while Mellohi plays and watches the tiny silhouettes of his friends flying in the evening sky. Tommy looks alone on that bench, even if he seems happy, so sometimes other people stop by to sit with him. Scar declares the bench area a public park, since everyone likes it so much, and refunds Tommy his nine diamonds straight from the throne.

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ghastspidergwen · 3 years

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empires elytra

starting with the people I watched!

Scott - light blue budgie

- I know he's usually portrayed with snowy owl wings, but the budgie has a similar pattern, with a light blue tint for ice powers (and the teal seen in some varieties just suites him)

Jimmy - Blotchwing flying fish (sorry the picture is so small, it was the best I could find)

- I know flying fish don't technically fly, they glide, but so do elytra! (and looking at fish was cool, too)

Lizzie - flying fish

- again, flying fish are SO COOL! but pinkish-blue wings? fins? fit her aesthetic

Joel - green purple crested turaco

- Look at this Cool Bird!!! the ombre on the wings? the vibrancy of the colours? the crazy green hair? this is 100% a Joel bird

Gem - Purple emperor butterfly

- less pinkish than amethyst, but the white markings kinda mimic the shine / reflection of the amethyst crystals, hints of red for fWhip

fWhip - red admirable butterfly

- I know he's usually portrayed with bat elytra, but hear me out:

~Matches Gem with wing shape and white spots (and bits of purple)

~Keeps the red and black colour scheme

~Cave. Butterflies.

#empires smp #empires scott #empires jimmy #empires lizzie #empires joel #empires gem #empires fwhip #elytra #it was fun to do this again!#bugs and birds and bats (and flying fish) are cool to look at

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mawofthemagnetar · 2 years

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Stoneman Syndrome, Pt. 2

Warning for death, greifing, swearing, mild horror, and dolls.

Part one here!

You decide to swim for Boatem.

The air is thick with the acrid stench of burning wood. You don’t want to know what that gang lit on fire. You’re not likely to find out, either.

You’ve always been a good swimmer- front crawl’s your specialty, and as you pull up for another breath, you catch sight of another of them jerkily flying overhead. The Pronghorn Hybrid, by the look of them.

How the hell did this crowd pass the vetting process?

Or get past any of the anti-cheat plugins? That’s clearly a hacked communicator, what the hell?

You surface briefly, taking a few seconds to tread water and regain your bearings. Boatem’s getting closer- a lot closer, actually. You turn around, kicking against the warm seawater, and catch sight of-

Your heart stops.

It’s a glowing lavacast, slowly building up over the Octagon, cascading down the carefully-crafted sides and pouring into the ocean. It pulses and flashes, layers of lava and water flowing down each other and covering everything it touches with gradually-increasing layers of molten rock. If you were closer you’d hear the hiss of Doc and Ren’s masterpiece being slowly swallowed up by a wall of stone.

You blink tears out of your eyes and turn back. You need to get to shore.

Night falls just as you drag yourself up onto the beach, right by the pirate walker that graces Boatem’s shore. There’s sand stuck to your hands, and you wipe it off on the grass, craning your neck up to look at the village.

And at the rapidly-growing pile of TNT that several people are stacking up inside Grian’s Magical Alleyway.

In the distance, you hear something clank.

You spring to your feet and start sprinting, full-tilt, across the landscape. Jumping over torches, vaulting over fences- you don’t have time. This has to stop.

This is the actual world itself. This is the original. The hermits were here, here on this world, touching this soil, and these clowns want to totally destroy-

You skid to a stop by the base of Treeza, craning your neck up.

The door of the VW microbus is propped open, and Mumbo has his legs sticking out of it. Or, well, Stone Mumbo- a statue of the man, just as perfect as all the others. Except, well, there’s- You personally wouldn’t make a statue to have such an angry snarl on its face, long stone fangs dropping down from the roof of his mouth as Stone Mumbo looks over his shoulder at the back wall of his bus, looking in the direction of Grian’s alleyway.

You swallow nervously, and keep running.

Closer to, the rapidly-growing pile of munitions is a terrifying sight. Random bits of TNT are scattered everywhere along the mountain range, and you realize with cold horror that you’re pretty well powerless to try and stop this. You’ve got bare fists and about 49 baked potatoes, plus that pile of extremely useless diamonds you feel increasingly guilty about taking.

Looking up, you can see dozens of these people glitching around on hacked comms, with the exception of that wasp guy and the blue-suited woman with her stolen elytra. You spare a glance down at your comm, but it’s just a string of meaningless names- Peska_4, Cromtastic68- nothing and nobody you recognize.

In the distance, there’s another muffled clank.

You take a step back as someone- the Pronghorn hybrid (Cromtastic68 according to your communicator) floats down next to you.

“You here for the show? It’s cool, Peska said you had a talk and you’re on the same page. So here’s what we’re gonna do. Mitch there-”

And he gestures up at the wasp hybrid who’s still buzzing around placing bits of TNT here and there on the mountain-

“-Is gonna give you a lift up to that weird triangle up there so you can get a good look. Then you take a swan dive into the boatem hole after you take lots of pictures, alright? Always looks good to have an outsider confirm it.”

You stare at him like he’s just grown another head.

“I-” you look around frantically, trying to find someplace to hide. You don’t want any part of this. You don’t want to see this. And-

Then your eyes fall, somewhat desperately, on Impulse’s factory.

“Can I- Can I have- a look in there- first?” you protest, frantically trying to find some excuse to escape.

He tilts his head, horns tipping back and forth, and then he smiles.

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Run around in there, Mitch’ll come get you when it’s time. We’re doing that place next, though, so don’t spend too long in there. Or else.”

You smile weakly at the warning and take off for the factory at a brisk run.

The gates are open, wedged wide and welcoming, and you sprint through it. There’s no time to admire the staggering footprint of this place, or the huge spiralling smokestacks that soar into the sky. The row of delivery trucks waiting patiently in their berths all have the doors popped open, and an army of Stone Impulses have stepped out of the cabs of their trucks, huge snarls locked on stone faces.

You skid to a stop in front of the stairs heading up to the main entrance. You wanted to go hide somewhere inside the sprawling labyrinth of corridors that are sure to fill the walls of the factory, but you can’t. You won’t.

Because standing in front of you is a towering statue of Impulse. His wings are spread, and stone teeth shaped like needles are starting to poke up at odd angles from his snarling stone mouth. He clutches his stone cane with a death grip, and he’s strangling his stone top hat to death in his other hand. If he was alive, if he was a real person and not a statue, you’d suspect he was about to stomp on that hat and rip your head off.

Then you hear a scream behind you.

It’s not a human scream.

It’s a wail like a siren, piercing and filling the air, a grinding noise like air being driven through a crack in the stone. It fills the entirety of Boatem with its fury, angry shrieking and scraping filling the world in its wake-

You turn on your heel and sprint, full-tilt, towards the magical alleyway.

What you see outside the factory gates takes your breath away.

Dozens of statues, dotted all around the place, many multiples of different hermits. You don’t know how they got there, but they all look absolutely furious. They’re frozen in place- not moving, not breathing, just standing there, arms outstretched.

And clustered around the now-gargantuan pile of TNT is that stupid gaggle of morons.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!” Peska shouts desperately, “DID YOU DO THIS?!”

“THIS IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!” you shout right back. But you make no motion to move towards them. You didn’t do anything wrong, and you don’t want to be anywhere near that giant pile of TNT…

“Yeah, you know what? Actually fuck this. I’m out!” And that’s that wasp hybrid you saw earlier, Mitch. He jumps into the air, his wings buzzing up to full speed as he starts to fly.

Everyone watches with bated breath as he takes off-

Not least of all the statues around you.

You blink.

And Mitch is falling to earth, screaming his head off, a stone statue of xB wrapped around him in a bear hug. The sudden change in weight throws Mitch off and he drops like a rock, careening straight for the ground-

But when he slams to earth, it’s not a splat or a crunch. It’s just the sound of fracturing stone, crumbling and bursting into a cloud of white powder and fragments.

Your communicator buzzes and you spare a glance at it-

You glance back up and scream in fright.

Cleo and a half-dozen Tangos just took a step towards you, and they’re all scowling. You pivot on your heel-

Keralis’ stone eyes bore into your own, a look of disappointment so stark you feel ashamed for something you didn’t do. Stone…tendrils…poke out of the statue’s back, in a way that no human sculptor would be able to carve without it all collapsing immediately into a pile of dust.

“OH GOD OH GOD NO-”

“MITCH!”

“FUCK! IS THIS YOU? DID YOU DO THIS?!”

You swallow nervously, racking your brain for some solution. The statues aren’t moving since you’re facing them. They’re not moving. Maybe- Maybe-

Maybe if you get closer to that crowd, maybe you can get everyone out? Maybe-

“I- I think I can get us out of here,” you say.

Your plan is brilliant, actually. One person at a time takes a moment to type in the command into their comm to get the hell out of this place, and then when everyone’s typed it in, you’ll all look down and hit it at once. Easy.

You never get a chance to say it.

The air fills with a cracking, crunching noise, stone fracturing with a series of thunderous bangs- like a cliff being demolished with dynamite, it’s a wave that rolls across the crowd of statues.

Your eyes are locked on a stone Keralis as he…changes.

The stone around all of his joints breaks, cracks, snapping into rough spheres and ovals. Stone grinds against stone, and the statue-

The statue tilts his stone head with a hideous scraping noise, particles of dust shaking off in an instant. He’s moving. Right before your eyes, he’s MOVING.

The ball-jointed tendrils thrash wildly, as stone arms twitch and stone fingers flex.

And your heart stops beating.

They’re so fast. Stone blurs bounding across the landscape, eating up the distance with horrible bounds. Each slam of stone feet into the ground shakes the earth, and the screaming is nearly drowned out by the clattering of marble rubbing against itself.

You start to panic, turning to run, only to slam into a broad stone chest.

Beef- Stone Beef- is staring down at you, frozen face locked in a disappointed scowl. You turn around, frantically trying to escape, only to find yourself eye to eye with that same Stone Keralis, arms folded.

Huge stone hands, balljointed and ice cold, grab you by the arms.

#Magnetar writes #Stone Hermits #Hermitcraft Fic #Hermitfic

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pixelfun20 · 4 years

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Little Lilac Blossom

Part 2!

Summary: Joe Hills has always been able to see things he isn’t supposed to. When he spots a small, transparent boy by the name of Wilbur following his friend Grian around, he isn’t as surprised as he is sad.

Notes: Incorporates @give-grian-rights‘s (hope you don’t mind the tag!) Brothers!AU, where Wilbur and Grian are biological brothers. Hopefully I’ll be adding more to this, because I have plans (:

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Joe Hills first sees the child when he’s in the shopping district.

Despite having sworn off diamonds for the season, he’s taken to dropping by the shopping district every once in a while, mostly to care for the wolves Scar and his HEP friends had set off over the district. He’d respected the mayor’s wishes for him not to tame the dogs, but he still came out every few days to set out little bits of mutton where he knows the wild animals can find it.

It’s on one of these trips, as he’s walking down the main road, that he sees the child.

It’s sitting on one of the fence posts right outside of Grian’s barge. He’s a boy, maybe seven or eight, with curly brown hair maybe a shade darker than Grian’s. He’s wearing a large yellow sweater, big enough that it bunches around his knees and pools around his arms. He’s also wearing a beanie that’s too big for his head, almost dropping over his eyes.

The child is also transparent.

It’s been years since Joe has seen a ghost, the last being long before he’d joined Hermitcraft, and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen one so young before. Seeing the child catches him by surprise, and he halts on the path, watching the boy as he picks at the sleeves of his sweater. He looks past the child and sees movement inside the barge. Grian’s bright red sweater and yellow-red elytra are easy to spot on a roof that’s being swiftly disassembled.

“Hello there, young one,” he says to the ghost, gaze still on Grian as he works. He can hear the squeak of surprise that comes from the child, and chuckles as he looks down to see the boy looking at him in shock, brown eyes big and wide.

The boy doesn’t answer for a moment, still shocked, before a grin splits his face. “You can see me?!” he exclaims, hopping down from the wooden fence post. “No one’s been able to see me yet.”

“What’s your name?” Joe asks instead of answering that just yet. He glances at Grian, who is engrossed in his work and likely won’t notice him for the next fifteen minutes or so at least, and kneels down so he’s at the child’s height. “I’m Joe Hills. I’m one of Grian’s friends.”

“I’m Wilbur!” The boy chirps brightly, pushing the beanie up his head as it slips over his eyes. “You’re one of Grian’s friends?”

“Yes I am,” Joe laughs at the awe in the kid’s voice.

“Woah,” Wilbur says, drawing out the word. “Grian sure has lots of friends.”

“He tends to attract the right sort of people,” Joe responds with a smile. “What brings you here?”

Wilbur shrugs, sitting down on the ground. A nearby bush branch phases through his arm and Joe follows suit.

“Followin’ Grian,” Wilbur answers after a bit, glancing over at the man who has yet to notice Joe sitting next to his shop and talking to no one.

“How do you know Grian?”

“He’s my big brother!” Wilbur says with a smile, throwing his hands up in the air. “He’s the best, did you know that?! He lives in a castle!”

“Yes, he built it himself.”

“He did?!” Wilbur’s mouth drops open.

“All by himself.”

“I knew he was cool.”

“He is very cool,” Joe agrees with a solemn nod. “I like him quite a bit.”

“Well, duh,” Wilbur sticks out his tongue at him, and then laughs. It has been far too long since Joe has heard a child’s laughter, and it sounds like music.

“Hey Joe!” Grian’s voice has Joe’s head snapping up to the barge’s roof, where the younger man has situated himself precariously on the side as he looks down at him. “What brings you round here, man?”

“Feeding the dogs!” Joe calls back with a smile.

“I made a new friend, Grian!” Wilbur adds in. Grian, of course, only hears the first reply.

“Looking to buy anything?” Grian asks. Joe makes a faux-disgusted sound, standing up and cracking his back.

“Just resting these sore bones. You know diamonds are man’s worst enemy.”

Grian laughs, and it sounds like Wilbur’s. Joe wonders if Grian even knows that his younger brother is dead.

#grian #joe hills #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fanfic #wilbur soot #ghostbur #dream smp #hi look i made myself happy and sad at the same time!#didn't know i could do that #part 2 hopefully coming soon #Little Lilac Blossom #pixel writes

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sweetest-honeybee · 3 years

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Hi,

I’ve been scrolling through your Poultry Man AU, and I love it — the concepts and storylines are great, and the art is amazing. I have a few ideas for it, but obviously you don’t have to take them.

1. Aerial stuntman Grian, or some variation of that? Flying is a big part of his identity on Hermitcraft, but he’s a ‘normal citizen’ in this, so he’s probably not going to have wings. Maybe he did something like that for a while and eventually quit, but when everyone started targeting him, he decided to start doing it again (unprofessionally), if only to evade potential attacks. It’s much easier to do that when you’re in the sky.

(...and it’s great for pranking people.)

It’s also another reason why people think he’s Poultry Man. Flying around like that is a very ‘hero’ thing to do, and Poultry Man is literally a superhero associated with birds.

Bonus: Maybe Milo knows about this, and gets Keralis to make some sort of elytra suit? But that doesn’t have to happen. If it does, though... yet more suspicio. Especially if Milo has one himself.

...Also, Grian definitely has a pet parrot called Professor Beak.

3. False as part of the police, too, probably involved in the physical catching of criminals (not the big villains, though, the police leave those to the heroes). She’s one of the best PvP-er’s on the server, so it works that way, and I don’t think you’ve done much with her, so this could be a way to incorporate her into this.

Also, Cub is the Chief of Police, and I feel like they would work really well together?

4. False, Grian, Cub and Ren having taken part in some sort of Olympic-adjacent event (because of MCC. It would be different, though, and they’d probably specialise in one thing, like in the actual Olympics). The event doesn’t have to be as famous as the Olympics, but it definitely wasn’t just confined to Hermiton, due to people all over the world (the YT community) taking place.

It probably wouldn’t come up much in the AU, but I think it might be a nice little detail to add, and would fit with things like Stuntman Grian and Criminal Catcher False (if she specialised in something similar to PvP). It would also give Cub and False a common background, which might’ve lead to him employing her as aforementioned criminal catcher.

5. Something happening to Ren to turn him into Cyber Ren, like he currently is in S8. Yeah, Cyber Ren could just be another doppelgänger, but I feel like this could have a lot of potential for character arcs and storylines. What happened to him, and who did it? How does he react to it? Does he become some sort of cyborg hero?

Anyway, thanks! And yeah, I love this AU.

This is gonna be a long answer here we go XD

Aerial stuntman Grian would be cool! Also he can have wings just fine, ren’s got dog ears and a tail lol. That would make it seem like he were poultryman bc poultryman also has wings (not all the time, they can just kinda appear I guess). So not only because of trying to evade the attacks, but that could be another factor into that as to why everyone thinks he’s poultryman. I like it!

Also, I’m not sure Milo would be able to get him an elytra suit, not unless Keralis had some spares that were too small for Xisuma to use. But yes, if he were to get one, it just piles onto the theory of him being poultryman. It would be incredibly funny to try to explain to people XD

He’s just sitting there like “I know I’ve got wings, I know I can fly, I know I have some connections with Poultryman, I know I have a suit made by Keralis, I know I like birds, I know I’m an aerial stuntman, and I know I do some hero-y stuff BUT-“

He definitely has a pet parrot name professor beak

False would absolutely be a part of the police force with Cub. I’m surprised nobody suspected that she was a hero, given that she’s got some skills and seems a little stronger, more agile, less human than other people. They would work incredibly well with each other :D (or maybe she’s that way bc of some Vex magic Cub uses sometimes)

While it’s not a huge thing that I’ll go over, the idea of the MCC being like the Olympics in this world is actually a really awesome idea that I hadn’t really thought about until now. Contrary to your suggestion, I think it should be a worldwide event. Maybe there’s also like a spronsoring system where heroes can sponsor different teams and whatnot and even use the event as a way to potentially paid with other potential heroes or hire a sidekick.

As for Cyber Ren, who says he wasn’t knocked out and kidnapped by Doc himself? More or less following that episode he did, could’ve been brainwashed n stuff still, then turned into a cyborg. Could still happen ;)

On a side note, I’d love for him to be a hero or a villain. I mean villain Ren and poor little ol’ Renbob? I like the angst potential :3

#I believe that’s all I needed to say #but these are great ideas!#poultryman au #also glad you like the au <3

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justletmeplayminecraft · 4 years

Text

xisuma doesn’t smooth over a server glitch fast enough. the others have to save him from the consequences.

in this fic, i play loosely with minecraft mechanics to create angst. very loosely. don’t think too much about ‘em. you can also date how long i’ve spent on this by the projects they’re working on.

featuring: being an admin gives you a connection to the server, xisuma has a less than stellar day, angst/comfort, zed is an ender hybrid, false & tango are minor admins, getting stuck in blocks is not a fun experience, the hermits care a lot about each other.

warnings: sensory deprivation, starvation, suffocation, its a death loop babyyy, a fair amount of panic, fighting code, glitches, helplessness, it’s pretty whumpy before the comfort. let me know if something’s missing here.

also on ao3. link in replies.

Xisuma sighs as the sun beats down on him. It's barely let up, even on the outskirts of the jungle. He enjoys the brief stints in the shadow of the giant quartz walls. Even then, waves of heat come off them. All of the structures in his base are a heat trap. Clearing out several layers of dirt and stone is a necessity he should've left for another day. With a click, he tugs his helmet off his head. The humidity outside is worse than his filtered air. He tucks the helmet under his arm, pushing sweat slicked hair from his face.

He's made good progress levelling this arena space. He leaves his helmet on his bed and heads to the temporary storage chests. They're filling up quickly, he notices, as he starts emptying his inventory into them. Except, something's broken. The stacks of blocks aren't all moving. He tries a few times before sighing, ruffling his hair. When he turns to the area he's been mining, it's still empty. It's been a long time since they've had desync this bad. He's not even sure when it started.

Stepping gently across the stone, he can feel the heat rising from them. He'll rollback the world and then he'll relax by Keralis's river. The farm is delightfully cool. Anything will be better than this oppressive heat.

He's almost reached his bed when something takes hold in his chest and pulls.

He stumbles forward with a gasp. Of course, the server decides to fix itself this time. He forces his feet forward, trying to reach his helmet so he can smooth things over. He only makes it two steps until his eyes are forced shut as the server reloads. For a split second, all he feels is the chill of the void as chunks reload around him.

He opens his eyes to darkness. It feels like he's suspended in space, unable to move. There's a suffocating pressure around him. Though it's with shallow breaths, he can still breathe. Did something go wrong? He blinks hard. All of his limbs are accounted for, he's certainly present. Even when he's working in the void there are still particles around him. His attempt to raise his arm fails, finding it impossible to open his back up admin panel. His helmet is- where even is his helmet?

His breath hitches, a feeling of panic escaping his controlled calm. He feels like he can't breathe. He can't move. He's trapped in his own body.

What's happening?

[MumboJumbo] anybody else just experience some major desync?

[Keralis1] Oh, is that what that was?

[Zedaph] I had nearly finished my redstone! All of that work, gone!

[FalseSymmetry] didn't you notice you weren't actually... losing anything from your inventory?

[Tango] he was probably too caught up in his supposed mastery

[FalseSymmetry] everybody okay though?

[Grian] all good here!

[Zedaph] Only my pride's wounded.

False looks down at the bedrock layer at her base. Like half an hour spent placing glass, all gone to waste. She groans, closing her chat as it pings away. Sure, she can rib Zedaph, but that doesn't change the fact she just did the exact same thing. She kicks off the sidewalk, gliding to the bedrock layer. She can feel the cold of the void float up with specks of grey.

"Good going, False," she murmurs. Some patches of glass survived. It's almost worse, that's going to be so much less satisfying to fill in. She takes her goggles off, tugging her hair loose to tie it in a low ponytail. Usually Xisuma gives them a warning before the server resets like that. It always messes up her hair, leaves it floaty and static.

She adjusts her goggles on her head, opening the player menu. Xisuma's currently online. She checks chat. He hasn't said anything. She considers it strange, but it's not unusual. Maybe he's been at a farm and isn't AFKing. She types out a private message, sending it across to him.

[FalseSymmetry to Xisuma] hey x, server blipped, might need to check it when you get back.

She'll see if he returns her message. She's got glass to place.

Iskall looks through his in-progress sorting system with a frown. It's broken somewhere. The stupid server reload has glitched it out and he can't find how. He's checked the redstone, he's checked the hoppers and he's checked the chests! Which means it's glitched. Either Xisuma reloads the chunk for him, or he's going to have to tear it down.

Actually, he'll probably have to tear it down anyway. Reloading the chunk will only roll it back.

At least he's not the only person who's redstone has been ruined. The thought brings some comfort. If he has to be miserable, somebody else should be too. He opens his communicator, checking who's around at the moment. That might take his mind off it.

He notices that Xisuma's online. Their admin has been quiet in chat since the reload. Maybe there's something going on behind the scenes he's having to sort out. He'll reach out to Mumbo and Grian, but first, he sends a message X's way.

[iskall85 to Xisuma] hey is everything alright? nothing broke?

[iskall85 to Xisuma] don't forget you can reach out to us if you need help.

He has no idea how much time has passed. Usually he's connected intrinsically to the server. It helps him keep track of the world, dig out any errors or mishaps - sometimes before his suit alerts him. It's essential for his job in order to keep things running smoothly. The server is always there, at the edges of his consciousness.

In this nothing, he can't even keep track of his internal clock. Perhaps it's his own panic, but the code he tries to reach out to feels fuzzy. It feels like it's glitching, sending shooting pains through his head if he focuses too hard. He couldn't take a guess how long he's been trapped. His breathing still comes too fast and shallow, ignoring his attempts to calm down.

He's completely helpless here. And he doesn't even know where here is.

Tango stares up at the stars on his ceiling. He checks his inventory again, counting aloud. He flicks it off with a frown. Yeah, he's definitely missing some. It's not a massive deal, Impulse will be happy to help out. But if he's having problems then some of the other hermits might be. Perhaps they fell and despawned in the reload. Either way.

"Tangoooooo!" The cry is accompanied by several rockets, something hitting the ground and the sound of damage. He chuckles, stepping away as Zed soars over the edge, stumbling forward with a flutter of his elytra. Tango straightens him up with his free hand.

"No, I'm not doing your redstone for you." Zedaph gasps, dusting off his jeans. He bounces up with a grin.

"You really think I'd come all this way for that?" Zed questions.

"So why have you come all the way here?"

"I'm bored," Zed replies. "And it still stings too much to do my redstone again." Tango laughs, opening up his chat. Xisuma's online, though Tango doesn't expect an immediate response.

"How do you feel about some wither grinding?" He types a message to Xisuma, Zedaph attempting to peer over his shoulder.

"Mmm, I don't see why not."

[Tango to Xisuma] Hey, seem to have lost some stars when the server reset

[Tango to Xisuma] might wanna check nothing important got eaten.

"Right, let's go."

Keralis hums, staring at the plot he was about to start building on. The area has been a bit... Funny. He'll break and replace a block, only to have it switch again. He might have to work on another area until it sorts itself out. His attempts at working here started after the reload, so he doesn't know if that caused it. He's not been able to spot Xisuma nearby either. He's been online, but Keralis hasn't spotted him in chat for a while.

He sighs as he watches the last blocks he placed switch back as if nothing happened. Crossing his arms, he examines the area. He wonders how big this is. Definitely more than one chunk. His new house is going to have to wait. He was excited to show Xisuma around, too.

With a glance at the sky, he realises it's late afternoon. He yawns, stretching his back out. Perhaps it'll be best to settle in his office and work on some future designs. He'll drop a message in chat first, in case this is affecting anyone else. It might give him an excuse to hunt down Shishwamy. He always feels guilty bothering him about things. Their admin takes far too much responsibility on his shoulders. They’re all adults. Keralis wishes he’d ask for help sometimes.

[Keralis1] Has anyone else been having glitchy blocks?

[iskall85] some of my redstone is broken but it's no biggie

[Tango] lost some of my nether stars with the reload but it's been fine since.

[FalseSymmetry] been placing glass without any problems since the reset

[MumboJumbo] I haven't had any problems either.

[Keralis1] A bunch of chunks around our bases are glitching

[Keralis1] but it seems like Shishwamy is busy :(

[Grian] well it looks like he just went afk

[iskall85] that answers that lol

His mind is becoming blurry. It's hard to focus on... Anything. He can't tell if it's because he's struggling to breathe, or something further, tugging him down and away. He tries to fight against it but there's nothing he can do to stay present. He can't hear anything, barely even his shallow breaths. He can only feel the consistent pressure on every inch of his body, the wet tears on his cheeks. He tries pulling on every one of his senses, but nothing comes up.

He slips under.

False empties the last of this glass stack, stepping back at a job well done. She smiles, rubbing her aching hands. It's nice to finally work on this part of her base. Even better now it's not going to pick itself up. At least she hopes so. She'll be right annoyed if it happens again. Something's been tingling at the back of her head, though. She wonders if it's because of the reset.

She looks up at the late afternoon sky. That's enough work for today. As she stretches, she can feel each and every ache in her body. She brushes away her hair, already falling loose. Maybe she'll have something nice for dinner. Some steak, potatoes and pumpkin pie. If she has pumpkin, of course. Xisuma was planning to build a pumpkin farm, wasn't he? His traditional pumpkin and melon combination. She chuckles to herself as she pulls out her rockets.

No matter how things change from season to season, there will always be things that don't. Hermits might come and go, but they'll always be her family.

She launches up, shooting through the water barrier. It's fast enough it doesn't stick. She lands gracefully, making her way to the kitchen. She hopes this nudging in her head doesn't get worse. She just wants to enjoy a nice meal. That's all.

"Well, I think we have a plan," Grian declares, grinning from his perch. His legs are crossed, hands resting in his lap.

"I mean, we didn't exactly need a plan to fix our redstone," Mumbo replies, slouched in his chair the way he only ever does in front of them. Iskall chuckles, resting his hands behind his head. They've really helped take his mind off the broken redstone. Mumbo had a similar problem, so tomorrow they'll meet up again and attempt some fixes.

"Always helps," Iskall says, shrugging. "Especially when one of us spends so much time in the Nether depths, now." Grian laughs, his legs kicking.

"Hey, I'm doing good work out there!" Mumbo yawns, looking between them.

"Well I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted."

"Food then sleep?" Grian suggests. Iskall nods. It's been a long day.

It's dark as Zedaph and Tango return from The End. Zedaph yawns, running a hand through his hair, messing it up. Tango rubs the side of his own hair. Something's been bothering him, but he can't tell what. Like there's something just not... Right. Zedaph is chatting beside him, a bounce in his step. It's like he doesn't feel it at all.

"Do you want to have dinner together?" Zed asks, twirling his sword by his side. They've repaired their tools, done everything properly. It's been a hard day's work, but they've achieved a lot, even with the setback.

"Yeah, dinner sounds good." He looks at the night sky, squinting his eyes. Zedaph tilts his head at him. The purple eyes are concerned, particles floating up in his worry.

"Tango, are you okay? You seem... Off." Tango sighs, waving Zedaph's worry away.

"Something's nagging me. It's not a big deal." Zedaph's still frowning, but the particles die down.

"Let's just get you something to eat, yeah?" Tango nods, leaning into Zedaph when he squeezes his shoulder.

"Sounds good to me."

Keralis watches the night sky overhead. He's sat in the doorway to his office, a blanket around his shoulders. The stars are always a beautiful sight. It's the perfect way to relax after such a, hm, busy day. Not busy in a conventional sense, no, but still busy. His specially commissioned noteblock song plays in the background, a perfect accompaniment in the peaceful night. He thinks it's strange how the stars always seem the same no matter what world they're in. Maybe he should ask Xisuma about it in the future.

He pops up his screens open. Xisuma is still afk. He misses seeing his neighbour out and about. Xisuma often spends time at his farms, it's nothing new. But Keralis enjoys saying hello to him! Especially after missing well... Years of his life. He tries not to think about that.

With a sigh, he lies against the doorway. Time for bed soon. He laughs at the sound of Bubbles' voice in his head. His communicator beeps and he glances over to it.

Huh. That's interesting.

Xisuma is thrown into full consciousness. His stomach is still cramping with phantom hunger. He opens his eyes and finds...

Black.

No, no, he died. He died. Why has he respawned here? He chokes on his sob, realising no air is entering his lungs. His cheeks are still wet with tears, more leaking out as he gasps at nothing. His lungs burn, unable to take the shallow breaths he needs to. Would it even help? He wants to curl up, clutch at the growing pain in his chest. But he can't move an inch. Heaviness sinks into his limbs and head.

He wakes again in the same place. He doesn't know if he wants to scream or cry. There's not enough air for him to scream, anyway.

[Xisuma starved to death]

[MumboJumbo] X?? mate?

[Tango] X?

[FalseSymmetry] do we need to get your stuff?

[Keralis1] I'm by his base.

[Tango] he's not afk anymore

[Grian] x???????

[iskall85] maybe he's getting his stuff rn

[Keralis1] Shishwammmmyyyyyyy

[MumboJumbo] starving isn't a nice way to go

[Zedaph] It really isn't.

[Xisuma suffocated]

[iskall85] oh no

[FalseSymmetry] x???? im going over

[Keralis1] so am i

[Tango] this isn't right, this really isn't right

[Xisuma suffocated]

[Grian] what's going on???

False shimmies back into her elytra, reaching for the one jacket potato that finished cooking. So much for having a sit-down meal. She rubs her head, pushing away the fear that has something to do with this. Her communicator continues beeping as she grabs her rockets. She runs to the entrance, kicking off and launching into the air.

"We should go and help," Iskall decides, already picking up his armour.

"Thought you'd never say." Mumbo straps his elytra on, grabbing a spare shulker box and an ender chest. Grian nods with a seriousness that doesn't fit on his face.

"Let's go."

"We're going?" Zed asks. He's already stuffing food into his mouth. Tango rubs his temples, nodding. He takes the elytra that's thrusted into his hand.

"Yeah. We're definitely going." He watches the particles floating off Zed in waves, glowing the same purple as his pupils. Tango presses his eyes shut against another spike of pain as their communicators beep. "C'mon."

Keralis scrabbles until he balances on the tower roof. He's searched each one and not found X anywhere. Tapping his foot, he meddles with his communicator to turn some settings on. He has no minor admin powers - that he has to leave to False and Tango - but he can at least try this.

"Ah-hah!" He grins as hitboxes light up beneath him, hopefully a better clue where his currently red coloured friend may be. He scans the towers closely, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. There are a few mobs, especially as night sets in. Then he sees Xisuma's new build.

He has to take a step back at the sight. The chunks look- a mess. The outline of the blocks are overlapped or flickering. It hurts to look at. Blocks aren't meant to highlight like that. He glides across the treetops. It not only covers the area he was trying to work earlier but spreads into Xisuma's current build. Yeah that's- that's bad. That's not good. His communicator has continued to beep with messages as he searched. He goes to read it, and spots different colours in the mess. The red of an eyeline. He stands on his toes, leaning off the leaves. The outline flickers in and out, accompanied by a beep.

He thinks he's found X.

[Xisuma suffocated]

[Keralis1] he's in his new build!

[Keralis1] I think I can see him in the ground

[Keralis1] it is very very broken

[FalseSymmetry] tango? you on your way?

[Tango] as we speak

[Tango] been a long time since we've had to use these powers

[FalseSymmetry] not long enough

Tango and Zedaph are the first to land by Keralis's side. They kick up loose powder from the road, taking in the massive structure in front of them. Tango's shoulders raise, cringing at the sight.

"That's definitely broken," he agrees, his eyes twisting as they focus.

"And Xisuma's in the middle of it?" Zedaph looks at Keralis. He nods, usually big eyes sharply focused. He points beyond the walls.

"You can just see his name tag. I think the glitched blocks have got him stuck. I tried to build there earlier but nothing would stay." Tango presses his lips together in thought as False lands. They nod to each other in acknowledgement.

"How long does it take until the blocks pop back?"

Keralis hums, tapping his chin before answering, "About ten seconds, I think."

"That's not going to be enough time to reach him," Zed says. "Can't you just teleport him?" He looks at Tango and False. Tango opens his console menu, typing something in. Zed can tell the answer before Tango says it.

"What ideas do we have?" Keralis asks. "We can't just leave him there!"

"Of course not!" Tango replies, sounding shocked at the suggestion. "We just- need a plan." False nods.

"We're not as powerful as X," she explains, "Together we should be able to roll back these chunks but- I have no idea what that would mean for Xisuma. We don't really work with player code." She brushes her hair back. The conversation is paused as the trio of Grian, Iskall and Mumbo land beside them. The three slot in, listening as they're caught up.

"There has to be something that's making him spawn there." Iskall points out, his hand held towards the structure. False searches through the control panel, whilst Keralis and Tango simply examine the messed up blocks.

"He has a bed in there," Tango answers. False taps where Xisuma's spawn is tied to on her screen.

"Since the blocks are glitched, it must mean the bed isn't like... Registering them. Since they don't fully exist." She thinks about it carefully, putting the pieces together as she explains.

"So if we break the bed, he'll respawn at the world spawn?" Grian suggests.

"But how do we get down there?" Mumbo turns to look. It's pretty far down in the ground. They'd have to move quick to get near where Xisuma is.

"There's a few of us." Iskall waves at the gathered group. "I say with enough TNT and manpower, we could do it."

"Wait-" Zedaph holds his hand up, "-Get me close enough and I can teleport in there, get the bed. Less blocks to destroy."

"Zed." Tango turns to him, glaring at the blond. "That's a stupid idea, don't you get how dangerous that is-"

"Xisuma is stuck in a death loop, Tango!" Zed cuts in, raising his voice. The others fall silent, not sure how to handle this exchange. "Sure, I might die a bit! That's nothing compared to what Xisuma's currently experiencing."

"TNT will destroy a fair amount, but it already puts us on a time limit," Grian adds, a sideways agreement.

"I'm willing to do it. Either we reach the bed, or I teleport in." Zed says it with finality. The others don't argue. False checks his spawn point. Zedaph will respawn back in his cave, safe and sound. Even if it goes wrong, it'll be recoverable.

"We need to be ready to roll back the chunks," False says, focusing on Tango. "If I have this headache for much longer I'm going to go insane." Tango smiles tiredly.

"Fine. Let's try this." He shrugs. "I don't think we have a better idea."

"Well, come on! Let's go!" Keralis claps, placing an ender chest. Tango sighs, typing in a command.

"I think I'm allowed this time," he says, a stack of TNT appearing in his hand.

"And other times?" Grian asks. Even through the teasing, they can hear the fear in his voice.

"Don't push it."

There's noises. He blinks his eyes open into the unending darkness. He tries to focus past his burning chest and the weight of his body. There's... Definitely noises up above him. It sounds like explosions. The space he's stuck in shakes slightly. After another lapse, he gasps back to life in the same position. He wants to scream, tell somebody he's down here. This opportunity might not come again.

Then he feels a sharp stab of pain. Something is there, near him. Everything hurts and he still can't breathe. For a moment, he thinks he hears the trill of an Enderman. His tired mind can't figure out how as he runs out of air.

He wakes up to a chill. He slightly opens his eyes, spotting yellow sand as he falls, blacking out.

[Xisuma suffocated]

[Zedaph suffocated]

[Grian] have we done it?

[Keralis1] he's at worldspawn! got him!

[iskall85] YES!!!

[Zedaph] Oh thank goodness I don't want to do that again

[World reloaded]

[Tango] Z, you okay?

[Zedaph] I'm good. Bring my stuff? I'm going to worldspawn

[FalseSymmetry] will do

"Keralis!" Zedaph's elytra beats as he lands, feet digging into the sand. "Is he okay?" Keralis nods. Xisuma's head is resting in his lap. The admin's eyes are closed as he breathes slowly. His expression is relaxed. It's a good sight to see. The spawn island is lit up well, but Keralis keeps his eye on the surrounding oceans.

"He's sleeping," Keralis says, messing with strands of brown hair. "I don't think I'm strong enough to move him on my own." Zedaph drops onto the sand next to them, crossing his legs. There are still bright particles floating off him, his eyes fully purple. "What about you, Zee?" Zedaph seems to notice Keralis's focus, ducking away to hide his eyes.

"Um, not the best. That kind of sucked. But, it worked, and that's what matters!"

"Make sure you look after yourself, too," Keralis tells him. "Fighting the server's code isn't easy." Zedaph laughs, resting on his hands.

"Can say that again. Forgot we have anti-enderman griefing." Keralis cringes, realising why Zed looks so much like he might collapse. It'll pass, but it's never fun to go against programming like that. The architech trio arrives next. All of them look relieved to see the three on the island.

"Oh, Zedaph, I have your stuff." Mumbo starts emptying it out, the few things Zedaph couldn't fit in an ender chest. Zedaph smiles, tugging his helmet on and feeling a lot more comfortable. He tries not to meet anybody's eyes.

"Tango and False will be on their way. They're just checking everything's good," Grian tells them, hands moving quickly as he talks.

"Should we try moving X somewhere safer?" Iskall suggests. "The shopping district isn't that far."

"If you're willing to boat him." Keralis is firm. "I don't want him dropped in the ocean."

"I swear nothing will happen to him under our watch." Grian puts his hand on his heart. Iskall and Mumbo nod in agreement.

"It'll be the safest boat journey on the server." Iskall's hands are on his hips. Keralis tilts his head up.

"Look into my eyes and nothing but my eyes, if anything happens to my Shishwamy, I will not hold back." The architechs look suitably threatened.

"Can I boat with someone?" Zedaph asks. "I nearly crashed so many times flying over here."

"Hop in the back of mine!" Iskall calls, placing one in the water. Grian plucks Xisuma into his arms, carrying him to the edge of the water. He sets the admin in the boat before climbing in himself. Keralis checks him over before nodding and allowing Grian to keep him.

"I've told the others to meet us there," Mumbo says. "I'm going to fly across and see where's best to bunker down. I think we could all use some sleep."

Zedaph looks at the moon hanging overhead, "Yeah, I think we could."

[MumboJumbo] we're heading to the shopping district.

[FalseSymmetry] thats a good plan

[MumboJumbo] any idea who's shop we could stay in?

[FalseSymmetry] my dimension shop is pretty empty

[FalseSymmetry] plenty of room for some beds. pretty warm.

[Tango] we'll get it set up for you

[MumboJumbo] ok. ill protect the others

[Keralis1] so will I.

The first thing Xisuma picks up on is the talking. He stays still, trying to tell if his brain is playing tricks on him after so long in the nothing. His body is like a rock. He's barely able to move. His lungs still ache and it takes some conscious effort to continue breathing. He blinks his eyes open, wincing at bright lights. Light. There's light. He rolls forward, a sob leaving his lips before he can catch it.

"Xisuma, hey, hey." The voice is soft, casting a shadow over him. Xisuma forces his eyes open now the worst of the brightness is blocked out. Keralis is crouching in front of the bed. His fingers gently brush across Xisuma's cheek. For once, Xisuma doesn't feel the dried tears that had become his constant. "You're okay, you're safe. We got you." Xisuma takes a shaking breath in, squeezing his arms to feel the pressure of his own touch.

"Do you want your helmet?" He flits to look at False. The mere sight of his helmet is overwhelming. He reaches out and wraps it close to his chest. Keralis laughs gently, scratching through Xisuma's hair. The admin sighs, his eyes slipping closed once more.

"There you go." He can hear the smile in Keralis's voice. "We've got you, right here." The sound of movement. Cracking his eyes open reveals False sitting in front of the bed, weaving her hand into Xisuma's. He squeezes it gently.

"You're in my shop, in the shopping district," she tells him. "It's past midnight. You're completely safe here. We've got things sorted, there's nothing you need to worry about." A tear slips from his eye. Keralis wipes it away.

"What happened?" He can't make his voice louder than a whisper, and even that hurts.

"Something went wrong with the world reload," False tells him. He can trust her not to sugarcoat things. "We all had a few bugs, but the chunks around you glitched out badly. Created a bunch of like... Invisible blocks, but they were visible, if you get what I mean? They weren't fully there. Ugh, Tango's better at all this technical stuff." Xisuma tries to peer around for him, but the light still hurts if he looks for too long.

"You were stuck in a bunch of them," Keralis finishes. "We didn't realise until you starved and got stuck in a death loop. I'm really sorry, Xisuma."

"We broke your bed to get you out. Well, Zedaph did. The others got him close enough then Tango and I fixed the area. It's all sorted." Xisuma forces his sluggish brain to put the pieces together. He didn't dream up that enderman sound. That was-

"He's over there, sleeping. Tango's with him." Keralis points at a bed nearby. Tango's back blocks any sight of their part Ender friend, but Xisuma can see purple particles floating into the air. A concerning amount of them.

"What did Zed do?" He asks, the vice around his lungs tightening in concern.

"Um," Keralis answers, False looking at him. "He mentioned fighting the anti-enderman griefing code? So I think he picked the bed up." Xisuma's stomach drops. He tries to push himself up but collapses onto his back again.

"Hey, X, careful," False warns. Her voice is stern but Xisuma shakes his head.

"No- I-" He shuts his eyes, fighting off disorientation. "The server's going to keep fighting him. I've got to reset it." False helps him sit up, but she still watches him with concern. He picks up his helmet, pulling it on and relaxing slightly as all the displays flicker to life. Now when he looks at Zedaph he can see the extent of the damage. His very code seems to be fighting itself. "Help me up?"

False gets an arm around his chest. He ends up leaning his weight against her to stand, his legs shaking. She's firm, grip only tightening to accommodate his need. Keralis hovers nearby, ready to jump in if he has to. They take slow steps across the room. Xisuma strains to see under the light, but the tint of his helmet helps. He can see the architechs sat nearby, watching without any attempt at discretion.

Tango looks up as they approach. Xisuma can see the resignation on his face.

"This isn't going to fix itself, is it?" He asks. His hand in clasped tightly in Zedaph's, whose usually bright expression is twisted in pain. His skin is all too pale, black freckles spreading into larger patches across his face. He doesn't open his eyes, not even as Tango moves so Xisuma can sit down. The grip on each other's hand remains tight.

"I need to reset the code that's attacking him," Xisuma explains. His words have a tired slur he can't quite hide. "I'm gonna write an exception, I can't believe I haven't already just- not right now. Don't wanna do it wrong."

"Xisuma, it's okay." Tango smiles, pinched but genuine. "I'm sorry you need to do this." Xisuma shakes his head.

"It's nobody's fault," False says, "Do what you need to do, X. Then you're going back to bed." Keralis hums in agreement. Xisuma laughs softly as the command screens in his helmet boot up.

He zones out the others around him, leaning on Keralis's shoulder when his friend perches beside him. He scrolls through information as he brings up Zedaph's data on one screen. With one eye on it, he unlocks the data packs, searching through them. He gives voice instructions with his microphone muted to the outside world. Finding the pack he needs, he disables it and checks Zedaph's data. It looks like his code is straightening out again. Thank goodness. He makes sure all activity is deactivated before he turns the pack back on.

"That should do it," he mumbles, before realising his microphone is still off. He reactivates it before repeating himself.

"Maybe you should teach us a bit more sometime," False squeezes his shoulder, helping him up. Xisuma slings his arm over False with a nod. That would be good.

"Thank you, X." Tango smiles. He rubs his thumb across Zedaph's hand. The ender hybrid has relaxed, face slack. It looks like he's properly sleeping now. Xisuma can finally rest.

"Come on. Don't you fall asleep here, I don't want to carry you across." Xisuma hums, too tired to commit to any words. Before he knows it, he's sitting down on the comfortable bed again.

"Shishwam, lemme get your helmet." Xisuma nods, tilting his head up so Keralis can unlatch it and bring it off. His head rolls onto his shoulder the moment it's gone. Keralis giggles, ruffling his hair. "Come on, sleepy time." False lies him down, his helmet tucked safely in his arms. Keralis's hand slips into his. Xisuma shuts his eyes, before blinking them open again.

"Stay?" He asks, too tired to worry about being needy. He doesn't want to be alone in that darkness again.

"Of course," False replies.

"We're not going anywhere," Keralis adds. Xisuma smiles at them both, eyes slipping closed. The darkness is manageable with his friends by his side.

"Don't you dare wake them up," False hisses, watching as Grian and Iskall play with redstone. The morning sun is beginning to shine through the cracks in the windows. She's exhausted, having only caught a quick nap. Keralis is asleep next to Xisuma, sitting on the floor with his head resting on the bed. Tango's slid into bed beside Zedaph, holding him close to his chest. Mumbo's dead to the world across the room.

"We won't!" Grian calls, trying to figure out the game he could make out of this mechanic. Iskall has a Statues book open, an armour stand sat in front of a piston.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if the two people who have done this with armour stands were helping," Iskall points out, flicking through the pages.

"We're fine, it's part of the adventure!" Grian watches as the piston shoots the armour stand across the room. False smiles, leaning back against the bed. Some of the other hermits have been coming online with the early morning. Thankfully, they don't seem to know about everything that went down yesterday. It's best things are quiet for Xisuma whilst he rests. She's sure he’ll tell them about it. She'll make sure he does.

As the sun grows higher with the dawn, she dozes off again. Grian is yawning, him and Iskall only catching a few hours of sleep. He's still buzzing with activity. He'll crash later, easy enough.

It's to this quiet atmosphere that Xisuma wakes up. Iskall and Grian are still experimenting. Grian’s laughter rings out as the armour stand bounces in the air. The beat of the piston is monotonous, but they're nearly falling over each other at the sight. Xisuma watches with a soft smile, eyes barely opened.

"It we got one on top, do you think it would-" Grian holds his hand up, demonstrating an armour stand shaking up and down aggressively. Iskall chuckles, shaking his head.

"It's only the morning, we don't need to break physics yet."

"It's for science," Grian protests. He sounds breathless, half-delirious with his need for sleep.

"Please don't make me do work," Xisuma whispers, all too aware of the sleeping hermits around him. Grian perks up, Iskall turning to him with a grin.

"'Suma!" Iskall calls. Xisuma smiles at both of them, making no attempt to move. He's comfortable here and he doesn't want to wake his friends.

"Exy-Suma!" Grian slides across, leaving a gap from the sleeping hermits. Iskall stands by his side, resting his hand on Grian's shoulder. "How are you feeling?" Xisuma wraps his arm tighter around his helmet.

"Not the best, my friend," he answers honestly. "But I'm certainly better than before."

"Well, we'll just have to make that even better then." Grian is committed to the cause now. He's going to make Xisuma's day.

"You don't have to rush back into things," Iskall says, offering a smile. "I'm sure we can handle ourselves today."

"I don't think I'm getting out of this bed anytime soon." Xisuma looks down at Keralis, dark hair brushing Xisuma's chest plate. False is asleep slouched in the chair beside him. Even without being able to see the other occupants of the room, he can still tell they're sleeping. "Feels a bit weird not going for a jog at this time, though."

"I'm sure your legs won't wither away after one morning, X," Iskall jokes. "Be lazy like the rest of us." Grian grins.

"We could always play some mini-games later, too!" Xisuma laughs, stretching as much as he can without shifting Keralis. He's beginning to regret sleeping in his armour, but it's too late now.

The three chat with each other, Xisuma offering advice now he's awake. They're gradually building up a system to launch the armour stand across the room. Sure, they'll have to clean it all up later, but it passes the time and it makes them laugh. Hearing Xisuma laughing is good for all three of them, despite the roughness reminding them of last night's ordeal. It's safe to say that nobody envies Xisuma's experience.

The three jump at a strange, shrill noise, until the realisation kicks in. Zed is sitting up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Hair is falling into his face, ruffled from sleep. Tango remains slumped against him. He even rolls into the warmth Zedaph leaves behind. It takes a few seconds until the hybrid notices his audience. Zedaph jumps, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, hi, sorry! Forgot I wasn't alone." His eyes are glowing brightly in the morning light. He looks down at the arm lazily clinging to his waist. "This oaf is used to it."

"No, no, you're okay," Xisuma tells him. False is stirring beside him, blinking to life, but Keralis remains out. "How are you feeling?" Zedaph taps his chin, resting his finger on his lip.

"Pretty well-rested, actually." Then his attention turns to Xisuma. "What about you? I should be asking you that question!" Xisuma laughs, flexing his fingers against his helmet.

"I'm okay. Taking it easy." He tilts his head towards Grian and Iskall. "Whether I like it or not, it seems."

"Too right," False agrees, yawning. "T'others can handle admin duties for today. You're ours."

"Is that a threat?"

"We can make it one!" Iskall tells him, his voice a lot more cheerful than the implication of his words. "We just need a good leash-"

"Oh absolutely not! Don't you dare!" Keralis pokes his head up next to him, trying to tune into the conversation. Zedaph laughs from across the room. He's tugging a bleary Tango to rest on his shoulder so he can wrap the blanket around them both.

"Oh come on, X, it'll be fun!" Grian wraps his arms around Iskall's shoulders. Xisuma shakes his head.

"You two are terrible. Absolutely terrible. Goodness me."

"I'm sure X will agree to take a day off willingly," False says, sounding far too threatening as she rubs sleep from her eyes.

"I already agreed. No leash required!"

"Why are we talking about leashes?" Keralis finally asks, looking more confused than anything. They break down into laughter.

[Grian] hello everyone

[iskall85] HALLO!

[iskall85] we are stealing your admin for the day!

[Grian] yeah he's ours.

[falsesymmetry] x had a rough night so he's having a day off

[falsesymmetry] so if any admins besides tango, x and i could step up please?

[cubfan135] yeah I'm on it.

[joehillssays] of course, and send our well wishes to our dear admin!

[Xisuma] your dear admin thanks you :-)

[Xisuma] please try not to break anything

[Etho] have a fun day lol

[joehillssays] don't make us lock you out of your screens, x!

[Keralis1] Nothing will get past us.

[iskall85] he's been suitably threatened.

[Renthedog] Should uh... We be concerned?

[Grian] about x-i-sooma finally getting a break?

[falsesymmetry] he's in safe hands. promise.

"Should we get this day started?" Tango asks. Grian is about to answer, only to yawn. He covers his mouth, face turning red.

"Another hour of sleep first?" False suggests. They look around the room, everyone in varying states of awareness.

"It never hurt anyone." Iskall shoves Mumbo over, fitting into bed beside him. "See y'all in an hour." Keralis smiles at Xisuma. He bumps their heads together.

"You deserve a break without being traumatised first, you know that Shishwamy?" He checks. Xisuma laughs, pressing their foreheads together.

"Yeah, I know." He leans back. "And I think I've got some good friends to remind me." False pats his back, getting comfortable enough to doze off again.

"And don't you forget it." Xisuma looks around the room. The architechs are fighting over the bed, Tango and Zedaph curled back up on theirs. He smiles, the fear from last night already on its way to being a distant memory.

"Don't think I can."

#hermitcraft #xisuma #falsesymmetry #keralis #grian #iskall85 #tangotek #zedaph #feel like mumbo's role is too minor to tag him lmao #my writing #this fic took so loooong #but i wanted to get it done #more brain space for my other projects

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votederpycausemufins · 4 years

Text

*arrives with a cup of hot cocoa instead of coffee* oh hey, you know you guys have been waiting long enough. Here’s the captain. Just ignore the Mumbo in the background having a crisis

@petrichormeraki

Grian regretted going through the portal almost immediately as a wave of nausea hit him. “Are you okay mister grain?” he gave a weak laugh at Crumb already figuring out that nickname.

“Yeah, just didn’t expect this place to be so charged with Vault God energy. Oof, no wonder I can’t remember anything. Can you try sending a message to Tommy?”

“Ye ye ye!” Crumb replied before tapping away at her own communicator. She stopped, jumping as someone wearing a white mask with a black symbol on it landed in front of them.

“Heyyyy!” Grian pointed finger guns at the Watcher that landed in front of him.

“Xelqua. What are you doing here?”

Grian frowned, recognizing the voice. “Ugh, Lynn… Look, I’m just here for my family and a friend of Tommy’s. I didn’t know it was going to be this bad.” He fumbled as Lynn threw an identical mask to the one she was wearing to him. He put it on and felt relief as it helped stabilize him a bit, though he could feel it activating his Watcher powers further. “If you know where they are, I can be on my way.”

“Fine, try not to take too long.” She gave Grian some directions before leaving.

Grian went to pick up Crumb, but found her looking a little scared. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Well, when me and Tubbox was getting flown away by the big bird, it made a portal dat looks like dat.” She pointed at Grian’s mask.

“Oh, yeah that bird was probably me. It was very much on accident though as you can see that is not happening this time.”

Crumb stared at him, half surprised, half skeptical, but mostly confused. “Are you a shape shifter like me den?”

Grian chuckled. “Nope, just an avian. Okay maybe not just. I was born an avian and then made into a Watcher, and to show off power they get wicked cool forms that sort of reflect who they are. Since a good number of Watchers are human based in origin, they basically turn into what people think of as angels. That’s… actually probably where those came from.” Grian shrugged. “Eh, who knows, it was who knows how long ago. Let’s just go find your friends.”

When Grian walked into the building Tommy was hiding out in, he got stabbed. He knew that it made sense, but he couldn’t help but look down at the sword. “Ugh, not again.”

His voice seemed to help the others figure out who he was. “Grian?”

“Hi Tommy! Sorry if I scared you. It’s just I kinda need to wear this mask or else I’ll feel sick and drunk at the same time or something.”

“Tommy an’ Tubbox!” Crumb jumped at the pair when she saw them, shifting to a hybrid form midair and then hugging them.

“Crumb!” Tubbo hugged her first. “Are you doing okay?”

“Ye ye ye!”

“Everything should be okay here soon guys. I’ve got some friends who are definitely going to take care of Dream for you guys once and for all. At the same time, I talked and we’re really going to make a permanent connection between here and Hermitcraft so you can visit all the time. Admin duties will be shared between the servers, but X said he won’t step on any toes, it’s just as a precaution.”

Tommy crossed his arms. “And what are you doing about your boyfriend?”

Grian hesitated at the lack of Tommy using Mumbo’s name. “You mean Mumbo? I mean, he’s a disgusting mess after barely sleeping and eating taking care of me, but I’m sure he’ll get better. Unless you’re concerned about how he was after being here, because again, bit of a mess but he’ll be fine.”

“Not going to get upset at me coming back?”

That really made Grian pause. What was Tommy talking about? “What do you mean Tommy?”

Tommy didn’t respond, just getting so angry he could barely say anything, so Tubbo answered for him. “Just before Mumbo left with you, he yelled at Tommy. He sort of said he wished Tommy never showed up in your world.”

Grian frowned. “Well, you’re fine to come back. I’ll make sure he has a stern talking to. Come on, let’s go back to the portal.” Grian then looked over where Techno and Philza were playing a game of… well Grian wasn’t sure, but it looked like some kind of board game. “You can come too if you want.”

Philza shook his head. “No. Whatever Dream did turned Wilbur back into a ghost, so someone showed up and took him away to fix that. We’re going to wait here until he’s back to normal.”

“Oh, alright then. Well, don’t be a stranger or anything. C’mon kids!”

“Hey! I’m not a kid!” Tommy complained, just making Grian ruffle his hair.

“Were it not for the laws of this land, that being you’re literally my brother, I might have adopted you. Also if we maybe had a few more years between us.”

Grian dropped off the trio at Tommy’s tower before flying to Mumbo’s base. He set his mask down on a table and then walked to where Mumbo’s bedroom was, surprised to hear the shower still running as he passed the bathroom. Grian paused and knocked on the door. “Mumbo, when you’re done in there, we need to have a chat. I’ll be waiting by the counter.”

Grian sat down on the ledge in front of the life counter of Mumbo’s base after feeding it an apple. He stared out at the jungle, waiting for Mumbo to arrive. He finally heard the redstone walk up behind him and then started to address him. “Mumbo, look. Tommy told me you-” He turned to look at Mumbo who was dripping wet. It was like someone pushed him into a pool while he was wearing his suit. “Mumbo why are you all wet?”

“You said to take a shower.” Mumbo said like how he currently looked was the most normal thing in the world.

“I didn’t mean in your clothes! Oh my god, go get changed!”

“I thought you wanted to talk?”

“We can do that after you’re dry!”

Mumbo was quiet before speaking again. “You know I don’t really have another suit.”

“You have your bamboo one!”

Again, he was quiet for a worryingly long time before he just sat down next to Grian. “Can we just talk and get this over with?”

Grian was reluctant and nodded. “Tommy said you yelled at him.”

“I know… I was upset. A lot of things had just happened and with everyone with amnesia, I was really the only one who was able to do much. And Dream had messed with you so I was angry. I barely got to sleep, and we had just had a war with that guy and we were all over the place and I just sort of… lost it.” Mumbo started to lean on Grian’s shoulder, but quickly stopped himself. “Through all this, you’ve been focused a lot on Tommy and your family, and everything else, but you weren’t really…”

“Oh Mumbo. Why didn’t you say anything?” Grian realized what Mumbo meant.

“Well, I sort of knew Tommy was sort of the priority. Plus you had a lot on your plate. I didn’t want to put more on there.”

Grian nuzzled against Mumbo’s chest, not noticing how he stiffened up. “Mumbo, I’m not going to stop loving you. I’m just going to have love for my family too. You know how we hermits need to be there for each other, and Tommy is a hermit too.”

“Yeah…”

When their comms buzzed, Mumbo gave a small sigh as Grian sat up to look at the message. He saw there were actually a few he had missed and laughed a little at them. “Looks like Crumb’s dad is looking for her but he was told he’s at my mansion. I’m going to fly over there and take him to Tommy’s tower since that’s where I left them. If you want we can talk more later.”

“Go deal with them first. And can you tell Tommy what I said?”

Grian nodded and then flew off to his mansion. He quickly arrived since it wasn’t too far even on foot. “Hellooo? Crumb’s dad? You in here?” He called out before spotting an unfamiliar man. “Oh, hey there. Sorry that Crumb’s not here. She’s actually at Tommy’s tower. I can take you there if you want.” Grian stood there as the man in front of him stayed quiet with his back turned to the avian. “Uh, hello?” He then put a hand on the man’s shoulder.

Sparklez jumped slightly, shocked out of his train of thought before he whirled around and saw Grian.

“Hi! Sorry if I scared you. Crumb’s not here, but I can take you to her.”

“Is… Do you live here?”

Grian nodded. He must not have seen many of the other bases. “Yup! Built the mansion myself. Why?”

Grian’s eyes widened as the man held up a lost child poster. “Where did you get this?”

“Uh, that’s from my old world. The kid’s not mine though. Just sort of-”

Grian was cut off by Sparklez. “I know he’s not your kid. He’s mine!”

“Oh my god you’re the captain.”

“Yeah, I am. People don’t normally call me that.”

Grian just grabbed Jordan’s arm. “No, argh! I mean… Tubbo’s here! Your kid is here! They’re with Crumb and Tommy right now.”

“You mean… that kid… with the green shirt, red bandana. That’s him? The whole time that was him?”

“Oh great, looks like you’ve seen him already. That should make things less awkward. Even more of a reason to go over to the tower. Let’s go!” Grian grabbed Sparklez and pulled him over to an ender chest to hand him some spare elytra and rockets. After he had put the wings on, they both got into the air and then flew to the tower.

When they landed, Grian had to hold Jordan back because he looked like he was about to tear the tower apart. “Hey Tommy!” Grian shouted up to the tower. “Are you guys still there?” When the blond called back in affirmation, Grian shouted again. “Can you three come down here? It’s important!”

“Give me a second! I need to grab some more elytra. Hey can you remind me to change the floor 2 elevator to a down tomorrow?”

“We’ll see. Might be busy for us then.”

In a few moments, Tommy was gliding down with Tubbo, Crumb in Tommy’s arms. Crumb was the first to see Sparklez and frowned. “Aw myan… do I have to leave?”

Her dad didn’t answer as he half stumbled towards them and then held Tubbo in a bone crushing hug.

“Ah! What’s going on?” Tubbo, having no context was confused.

Sheepishly, Grian gave the answer. “So remember how you said you went missing when you were little and couldn’t find your dad? I found a missing person’s poster? Well, Crumb’s dad is the one who made that poster… making him your dad too.”

Everything was silent as everyone comprehended the news, Sparklez just holding Tubbo close and not wanting to let go, but finally Tubbo half screamed from being so surprised. “He’s whAT?!”

Mumbo sat in his room, still dripping wet. He knew he could just go sit in front of some lava or stand in the nether for a while if he felt daring, but instead he was just sitting in his room leaving a puddle behind. He wasn’t sure why he set up an ice mirror, but there it was, waiting for him to take his shirt off.

He just stared at himself, trying to will himself to move, but it just wasn’t working. So he tried talking to his mirror self. “Alright Mumbo. Stop acting like a spoon and just look. It’s going to be there. He was lying and Grian seemed fine when he left. They’re supposed to stay forever. A few years won’t do anything to it.”

Still, Mumbo didn’t move, he just kept staring. “Fine, if that’s how we’re going to do it, I’ll just go ahead!” He closed his eyes and took his tie and jacket off. His hands trembled as he got to the buttons of his dress shirt, but then he steeled himself and undid two of them, pulling his left arm out of the sleeve. There was no hiding it now. He would open his eyes and right there, on the skin just under his clavicle, Mumbo would see it.

The redstoner took a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking into the mirror. He was staring at his face and now where he should, but it was hard to look away. No, he told himself. He had to look and put this all past him. He shifted his gaze and his heart dropped. It was gone, like it had never been there at all.

#hermit!tommy #hermit!tommy au #tommyinnit #grian #grian xelqua #watcher!grian #avian!grian #tubbo #crumbl #cuptoast #mumbo jumbo #vault god!mumbo #captain sparklez #grumbo

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just-strolling-by · 4 years

Text

Was debating on whether or not I wanted to post this but I decided "eh, why not." Here's my designs for the Origin SMP. Will I make one for Charlie and Schlatt? Probably not.

Some Design Notes/Character "Headcanons":

Wilbur Soot:

- Didn't know how to make him look obviously transparent so go along with it

- (Was actually considering to make a background for all of them because of this but I got lazy)

- Should have made him float higher but didn't have enough room on my page

Nihachu:

- I forgot to put it but their's supposed to be fins on her arms

- I gave her legs cause technically she CAN go on water but she'll suffocate

- Gills are either covered by hair on neck or behind those fin-things on her head

- Blue pupils to symbolize "Wet Eyes"!

TommyInnit:

- The first clothing design I did. I really liked the idea of Avians having their wings gradually form to their arms because over time they didn't need to fly anymore

- (but you also can't really see it since his arms are covered with his clothes )

- ((no, those are NOT his "wings" I just drew it like that and I am now experiencing regret))

- Out of everyone, I feel like his is the one that's the most heavily based on his skin

- FUCK I FORGOT TO PUT THE SCRITCHY-SCRATCHY THINGS ON HIS PANTS

- Oh well

- Instead of flying they would use their strong feet to travel at mountains.

- (Also I was trying to find a "mountain chicken" type bird that lives in high places but I discovered a "mountain chicken" is a type of endangered frog. Also I think quails suits Avians??)

- I think when one first hears about Avians they'll think about like these peaceful, graceful species, like akin to elves, and the person who chose this role is Tommy of all people and I find that funny and really interesting. Like, imagine a young (and loud and brash) Avian who left the mountain because he didn't agree with the traditional ways and wanted to explore the world. Also he really wants to fly. Could be a really interesting story.

Tubbo:

- Oh God, wHERE DO I START????

- Smallest one there for obvious reasons

- Tubbo's and Jack's designs were the trickiest ones for me. Because Tubbo's main color is green it clashes with purple quite a lot.

- Added purple splotches cause the description said "protected shell-like skin" but that (along with the green cell-shading) made him look sort of sickly. Also without the gloves his hands are completely purple.

- When I colored the pants I did what any good mom would do and try to add as much green as possible. The inside of the shulker is yellow so I made it to a greenish-yellow.

- (also, because the weird robe thing I did had the pattern of a shulker box I thought it was clever to "hide" the color inside it, like the actual mob)

- Hands are shaped like that because he can't hold a shield and I think its easier to mine stone like that.

- His outfit sort of resembles a guard's uniform because there is always one shulker guarding the treasure room.

- Backpack has no straps cause it really isn't a "backpack" but an actual box stuck on his back

- Thought about basing the shulker parts on the green shulker box for a smoother transition but I thought against it since I felt like it would go against the purple-scheme of the End. Oh well.

Philza:

- The first time I ever saw an elytra in Minecraft the first thing I thought of was "insect"

- Because Elytras are from the End (a mysterious place) I make it like a magic "cape" he was born with that can turn into "cape wings" (there was this one design I saw of his wings and I think that perfectly represents what I had in mind)

- Originally thought "Would it be fine just to give him his original skin?" but I thought it was too easy so I come up with him being some sort of "treasurer" since Elytras are found in the treasure room (don't quote me on that I have not played Minecraft in years)

- I think it'll be cool if every Elytrian has a Shulk to protect them since the Elytrians are with the treasure they're probably some kind of trusted nobility so they need a guard to help them. May this guard be Tubbo is up to debate.

Jack Manifold:

- The second hardest one to design.

- Because his color scheme has a lot of blue I didn't know what to add and remove to match with the blaze (no pun intended) of the Nether.

- First thought is to replace his camo pants to a nether-camo pants. I dropped the stripes cause I didn't know what to do with them and instead gave him a gradient.

- Arms are disjointed and (don't know if you can see) his head is floating akin to a blaze.

- I gave him golden kneecaps cause... Nether

- His shoes/head is bright cause of fire(?) I headcanon that blazes have an innate fire/heat system so I carried that over to the Blazeborns

Ranboo:

- Noble that snuck away from the End to visit the Overworld!!

- When I first read the description for the Enderian the first thing I thought was of princes, princesses and nobility, with the Ender Dragon of course being the tyrannical ruler of the End.

- (plus, his skin has a liTERAL CROWN)

- I gave him a traveller's cloak and some noble-ish clothes underneath to emphasize on that "noble snuck out to explore the world" sort of vibe.

- It's sort of hidden by the hair but there is a crown underneath it. There was originally jewels there but I decided against it

- His arms are longer and I was supposed to make him taller (despite him already being the tallest person in the server) but I did not have enough room. Also he was originally not gonna have a mouth but I gave it to him anyways.

#origin smp #tommyinnit #wilbur soot #nihachu #tubbo #philza #jack manifold #ranboo #fanart #character design #headcanon #mcyt #myct fanart

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star-captain · 5 years

Text

So Much Better

Angst? Yes please! I’ve had the honor to give Red’s au life, to create a story around his amazing artwork. And I can’t help but latch onto the dramatic scene of Edolas Mumbo meeting his Hermit self.

The Edolas team has found themselves in the Hermit world, and are meeting people with the same face, but different personality. Edolas Mumbo’s insecurities rise and boil over when he comes face to face with a better version of himself.

Edolas AU belongs to @theguardiansofredland

Warning: Alcoholism, Violence, drug mention

It’s been some time since the hermits have been open to visitors from other worlds. A new world can be stressful, and it’s best just to keep to themselves while they sort it all out. Better to deal with their own chaos before adding in someone else’s. But eventually, trouble finds them.

From the Edolas world, it was just natural to explore what’s beyond. Xisuma makes it impossible not to be curious about what’s on the other side of his crazy portals he macgyvers together. And when Scar ultimately pushes Mumbo in, Grian has to jump after. Everyone else follows in after, with Impulse being dragged in last by an overzealous Zedaph. Black ground bursts out from the portal, massive stone pillars capturing the energy of floating crystals between the tongs. Purple mist swirls beneath the glass at their feet, every so often lightning snapping across the cloudy air.

“Oh, that definitely didn’t take long.” Scar chuckles, peering over the nether portal. “Though I definitely was expecting visitors of the more...pig variety.”

“Scar?” Edolas Grian coos, tilting his head and looking at the man above the crowd. He has the exact same face, the same voice as Scar, but he acts completely different. He’s...well, he’s cheery, friendly.

“That’s not me man.” Edolas Scar growls, looking at the dopey version of himself before him.

“Aha! I knew it! Alternate Universes! Worlds with the same people, experiencing different choices!” Edolas Xisuma scrabbles up the smooth obsidian monument, practically hopping onto Scar and scaring the daylights out of him. “They are obviously nothing like us! I mean, this Scar here is in his underwear!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault the infinity portal forgot my pants!” Scar whines. He looks across the group, pushing the feral scientist off his perch. They all look like his friends, and yet nothing like the other hermits. It’s creepy. It’s cool. It’s magical. “You should definitely check out the other hermits, then. They’re a pretty awesome bunch, if I do say so myself.”

“If they’re anything like you, they’re bound to be strange.” Mumbo grumbles, keeping close to Grian. He’d rather just go back to his world. He doesn’t want to meet with whatever there is out in this world. And he definitely doesn’t want to see what his alternate self is like. If he’s nothing like Mumbo, then he’s obviously not cool. He’s obviously a dork, a baby. He’s probably...Mumbo shakes the thoughts away from his head. He’s not letting those thoughts give themselves credence. If only he had some vodka on him, there’s no faster way to get rid of such thoughts.

So of course the first person Scar offers for them to see is this world’s Mumbo. “I think him and the other Architechs are doing some sort of get together. I know Iskall and Mumbo are partners, but I don’t know what Grian has to offer. Cactus maybe?”

“Why would this place’s Iskall want to partner with Mumbo? I can hardly stand this jackass.” Edolas Iskall sneers, glaring at Mumbo. Mumbo flips the bird back, hiding it from Grian. He knows Grian doesn’t like getting into arguments, but Mumbo thrives off conflict. He tries to keep it hidden from his friend. To keep him from getting anxiety from the tension.

“Mumbo is a really cool dude. Trust me, his work is amazin. “ Scar cheers, guiding the crew into the depths of the jungle, heading westward. “He’s super smart, he makes these machines that just blow my mind with all kinds of redstone.”

“Definitely the opposite of our Mumbo. I don’t think he can count to ten...unless it’s ten shots.” Edolas Scar hisses, stepping way too close to Mumbo’s personal space for his liking. Mumbo shoves him away, muscles tightening as he listens to Scar talk. Both Scars are beyond annoying, for different reasons. The Scar Mumbo knows is annoying because he’s a prick, a jackass who can’t shut his mouth unless it’s broken for him. This ‘hermit’ Scar is annoying because he won’t be quiet about things. He won’t stop talking about all the amazing achievements that his Mumbo has done. An entire company with automated delivery, walking houses and hands-free machines.

The more Scar talks about Hermit Mumbo, the more Edolas Mumbo hates him. He’s smart, and popular. Even this Scar likes him. Mumbo, on the other hand, struggles to even keep Grian around. Why would Grian want to stay around him? He’s not smart, or popular. He’s not jubilant or silly like this one seems to be. No, Edolas Mumbo is a piece of shit with nothing good to his name. The only thing he’s smart on is the best kind of drinks and drugs, he’s only popular when it comes to seducing people.

The group arrives at the quiet river, the potatoes growing before the circular hovel nestled in the hillside. Across the river, a series of machines are running at lightning pace. Xisuma can’t help being drawn to the inventions, optimized to give the best products in the shortest amount of time. Iron farms working nonstop, sugarcane growing as fast as possible, and a smelter cooking without a single coal wasted.

“Hey Mumbo! I have some friends that would love to meet you!” Scar yells, poking his head through where a door should be. It seems Scar isn’t the only one to fall victim of the Jungle Bandit.

“I wouldn’t say ‘love’.” Mumbo hisses. He winces as Grian slaps his shoulder lightly.

“Be kind, Mumbo. We’re guests, and you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Grian whispers.

Three familiar faces peer out the massive glass window. All three are easy to identify, though some more than others. Iskall still has his emerald eye, but rather than an eternal frown on his face, his cheeks are creased with dimples. Grian has an evil glint in his eye, practically rushing down the ladder to meet the strangers at the doorstep.

The two Mumbo’s simply stare at one another. The same face, same black hair and smooth mustache, on completely different people. Hermit Mumbo’s hair is slicked back, neat and tidy. His mustache is well trimmed, and he wears a well tailored suit. Edolas Mumbo’s hair sticks out in every direction, like he just woke up from a drunken stupor. Probably because he did. Piercings litter his face, cool metal brushing against his frazzled mustache and hair. Mumbo looks at his clothes, dirty and stained with alcohol and...well, other things. He just grabbed whatever was the least dirty, wore it out to party last night then fell asleep in it.

Hermit Grian flies up, locking in on his counterpart. Edolas Grian squeaks, hiding behind Mumbo. “Whoa, I look good in every world.”

Grian tugs on his bowtie, gulping as he dares to look closer at himself. Hermit Grian can barely keep still, bouncing from foot to foot and even fluttering the elytra wings on his back. Mumbo steps back between the two, seeing the mischievous glitter in Hermit Grian’s eyes. He’s seen that kind of trouble before. This one is a little shit. A gremlin. Nothing like the ball of anxiety behind him. Edolas Grian couldn’t even knock over a punching bag without apologizing.

Hermit Grian looks up, surprised by the angry face. He’s not sure if he’s ever seen Mumbo make that kind of a stare. Daggers cutting through him, like some terrifying biker or punk rocker. “I don’t know if I like Mumbo with ear piercings however.”

“Tough, because they’re staying.” If anything, now he wants to get more. Just to spite the gremlin in front of him.

“You’re me?” Mumbo questions, appearing from his hobbit hole. “Wow...I look...I look…” Mumbo is at a loss of words, glancing over his Edolas counterpart. He looks badass, like some guy who knows how to find trouble and win. He’d make a better mole than Hermit Mumbo.

But under the gaze of Hermit Mumbo, Edolas Mumbo can feel every part of him being scrutinized. His sloppy dress, the alcohol on his breath. Every insecurity, every vice and weakness is under a microscope.

“This is the man of the hour, let me just say. I mean, look at this awesome iron farm he just built!” Scar waves the group over to Mumbo’s work. “How many iron ingots does it make?”

Hermit Mumbo scuffles his feet, blushing. “Oh, something like 3,000 ingots and hour. It’s not the fastest, but it’s more than enough for me.”

Mumbo rolls his eyes as the others gasp in awe. What a waste of energy. Who even needs 3,000 ingots? Mumbo can think of a thousand better things to waste his time on than making such ridiculous contraptions. Hermit Mumbo is just lazy. Smart, smarter than Edolas Mumbo, but surely he’s lazy.

At least, until he starts to show his current project. Edolas Grian gravitates towards Hermit Mumbo, enjoying the calm and funny personality. And that infuriates Mumbo. Even his best friend things this useless brainiac is better than him? Grian points at the half-finished machine, in awe with wide eyes. Wrapped into the conversation. “What does this do, Mumbo?”

Hermit Mumbo goes into some long winded explanation, and the second Mumbo hears his own voice, he tunes out. But he can’t help but watch as his own friends are rapt with Mumbo’s words. Xisuma is taking notes at a feverish pace, and even Scar is listening to the suited version of Mumbo.

No one is better than me. Mumbo reminds himself. He may not be as smart, or as popular, or as funny, or as kind as Hermit Mumbo. But he’s cooler. He’s sly, he’s independent, he’s the life of the fucking party. This guy… this guy can’t stop talking about t-flops or whatever.

Edolas Mumbo sneers as Edolas Scar looms close, resting his arm on Mumbo’s jacket. “Would you look at that. Even your best friend prefers this version to you.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Mumbo steps back, letting Scar fall flat on his face. But Mumbo looks at Grian, both Grians listening intently to Mumbo show off his spectacular knowledge. The machine starts to fire, turning the farm on and beginning it’s collection.

Even he is better than me. Mumbo can’t build incredible designs, machines that make life easier, that astonish and astound. Machines that Mumbo could never even begin to imagine, much less build himself. He can hardly even get the key of his own apartment into the lock most days. Mumbo can’t make friends, even the people he hangs out with most would rather eat fermented spider eye than call him an ally. He’s not funny unless he’s got a cocktail of drugs mixing up his mind and body. And the last thing anyone, even Grian, would call Mumbo is kind. He’s an asshole, a bastard. A rubbish friend and an even more rubbish person. A waste of space. A waste of time, a waste of effort.

Mumbo rolls his eyes, but he hears Edolas Grian’s bright voice over the amazement of the others. “You’re so cool, Mumbo! You can make all this incredible stuff, and you’re smart enough to explain it all. And kind enough to show us it all, I can’t imagine thinking of all this. This has to be why so many people ask you for help!”

Edolas Mumbo can hear something snap, like a bone breaking in his own mind. His own heart. Grian never called him smart, or kind. No one has ever called him anything except a bastard, or a fucker, or an asshole. He hardly feels his fists clench, looking at his own face. How long has Mumbo wanted to punch himself, to beat himself up? To give him what he deserves? How often has he looked in the mirror, drunk and high, and just wanted to knock himself out?

“Oh, it’s nothing really, mate. I’m honestly not that good, you should see something like Impulse.” Hermit Mumbo overs a shy smile, eyes closed as he smooths back his hair. His awkward chuckle is cut short as a rough grip wraps around his neck. Hermit Mumbo’s legs kick out as the raging grip raises him from the grass. He forces his eyes open, hand grabbing at the tattooed arm- of himself.

“Stop being better than me!” Edolas Mumbo shouts, fists shaking and a prick of tears burning at the corners of his eyes. Mumbo looks down the arm holding him up, head tipped high but eyes glancing down to see his own face. He gasps for air, holding onto the arm suspending him in the air. And despite being physically in peril, he can see that he’s not the one suffering as much as Edolas Mumbo. In shared grey eyes, he can see the pain, the fear.

Edolas Mumbo is terrified. Everyone thinks this Mumbo is so much better- because they’re right. He is a thousand times better than him. Scar prefers him, Xisuma prefers him. Even his best friend, Grian, prefers this Mumbo to him. They’ll ditch Mumbo in no time, in lieu of so much better a version. He’s nothing compared to the amazing, perfect person he has grasped in his hand. He’s just a bastard, someone that everyone hates. Someone that everyone wants gone.

“Mumbo! Stop it, what are you thinking?” Both Mumbos look over, seeing Edolas Grian with tears streaking down his face. Torn between wanting to tell his friend off for being so aggressive, and wanting to calm him down. But for Edolas Mumbo, seeing his best friend crying because of him lets him know that he’s done it again. He’s fucked it all up again, because he can’t handle his own emotions. He can’t control himself, he can’t be anything except a piece of shit and a walking disaster.

Mumbo let’s go of his own neck, lightly setting Hermit Mumbo onto his feet. The tiny tears have grown to full floods, guilt and regret and hatred all boiling over. Despite the soft landing, Mumbo still falls to his knees, trying to regain control of his heartbeat and body. He looks up, wanting to ask himself what the problem was. Why he was more afraid than Hermit Mumbo.

But he’s gone, a cavity bored through the crowd that surrounded him. Hermit Grian steps in, looking at Mumbo’s neck. It’s red, but not bruised. Despite the anger in Edolas Mumbo’s grip, he couldn’t bring himself to actually hurt another person for no reason other than wanting to bring pain to himself. Grian looks at the shaking Grian. “I think he needs some help.”

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

“Mumbo?” Grian whispers, peeking his head into the empty bar. It’s midday, but he knew that if Mumbo was going to go anywhere, it was here. This is his favorite haunt, where he can get the cheapest prices on drinks, find the best new addictions, and hit up the next morning’s mistake.

There’s only two people in the dark, smoky bar. The bartender, who nods to the end of the line of stools. The darkest corner. Mumbo is surrounded by an assortment of bottles, shots, and whiskey glasses. Mumbo’s head is against the glistening and sticky counter, hand still clutching the current bottle. Grian creeps closer, clambering onto the stool next to Mumbo.

“I thought you’d rather be with that perfect version of me.” Mumbo growls, turning his gaze away from his friend. “And why wouldn’t you, huh?”

“Mumbo, I-” Grian flinches back as Mumbo snaps at him, cutting him off. He can smell the alcohol on his breath. This may not be the first time Grian has had to help Mumbo through a bout of alcohol poisoning. Hopefully he won’t need the hospital this time.

“Just leave me, get something better than this piece of shit. Someone smarter than me, kinder than me. Someone who can actually do something useful with their life. Who’s good at so many things. Redstone, being nice, being funny and friendly and smart and such a great person!” Mumbo grasps the bottle in his hand until the glass shatters, shards digging into his skin. Grian has never seen his best friend so low. He’s afraid, not for his own safety. For Mumbo’s. “And what am I good at? Nothing. Nothing except overdosing in an alley outside a bar.”

Mumbo’s head snaps to the side, cheek stinging and burning red. His eyesight is set straight, free from the drunken stupor for just a moment. Just enough to look back, and see Grian. With his hand still up, and his face creased with sorrow and tears. Deep valleys as he holds back his own cries. Not because he’s sad for himself. But sad for Mumbo. “How could you say such a thing? How could you honestly think that any of us would want you any different than who you are?”

“Because he’s-”

“Because he’s you? He’s not you, Mumbo. He’s got a different world, a different life. A different place that he grew up in. A different set of vices and worries than you.” Grian scoots the stool closer, forcing Mumbo to listen. “He’s smart, and kind. But that doesn’t make us ever want to get rid of you! You are wild, and clever, and there’s not another person in this world that would step into a fight for any one of us. Even for Scar, if it came down to it.”

“Great, so I’m just you guys’s bodyguard.” Mumbo hisses, looking at the glass buried in his fingers.

“No, Mumbo! Just...for once listen to me, for fuck’s sake!” The sharp curse that crosses over Grian’s lips is enough to snap Mumbo back to his words. Grian never swears, he’s too much of a goody-two-shoes for that. “We are your friends because we want to be! We hang out with you because we enjoy it! Just because one person is different than you doesn’t mean you’re any better or worse!”

Mumbo’s voice is gone from his lips, and all he can do is breathe in and out. He can’t think of any retort for Grian’s words. Just one thing. “I messed up, Grian.”

“We all mess up. But the important thing is learning from it. Learning from our mistakes, and being better from it. Maybe...one day we can go back and smooth things over with Hermit Mumbo. But...for now, let’s get you some help.”

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graaythekwami · 5 years

Text

Love Square Fluff Week: Day 3, Flowers

Also read on ao3!

Paring: Ladrien

Note: This takes place in an animal/shapeshifting AU I’m working on. Instead of superheroes their Miraculouses turn them into animals, and the general public is scared of them and their powers.

-----

“This is getting ridiculous!” Plagg snapped. “Utterly ridiculous!”

“Thanks Chloe,” Adrien said as he added his order to his cart, clicking to go pay. His kwami was hovering in front of his computer screen, paws crossed. “Don’t you have any cheese to go eat?”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than work on your fake garden!?”

“Why are you so opposed to it?” Adrien snapped.

“I’m not an idiot, kid!” Plagg growled. “I’ve been alive longer than you could comprehend. I’ve seen you Googling ‘what plants attract ladybugs’ and ‘what flowers do ladybugs like’, and you’re an idiot to think it’s actually going to work.”

“It already has worked,” Adrien replied, gesturing to below his window, which had been converted to a miniature garden of potted plants– several of which he had found ladybugs crawling on before.

It had taken Nathalie some convincing when he had first started ordering seeds, pots and potting soil– but after making up something about reading an article about having natural plants within your home could help you have clearer skin she had relented (on the condition that he didn’t get his room or clothes covered in dirt). Everything had to be contained to the long table that now rested below his window, but it was more than worth it.

Gardening had become a fun pastime for the long hours he was locked in his room, especially since he had been forbidden from a young age from helping out in the mansion garden by both his mother and father. As much as they loved the natural beauty on their property, they didn’t like it on their son. Still, some of his fondest memories with his mother had been them wandering out in their garden together, so having flowers and plants right in his room brought back some happy memories.

He also wondered if gardening was a fashion trend at the moment, as he noticed both Marinette and his father had an increase of potted plants on their balcony and office.

“There’s a difference between ladybugs and Ladybugs– she’s not about to come flying into your room because you have a bunch of cosmos planted,” Plagg said in exasperation. “Just because you can turn into an animal doesn’t mean you act like them.”

“Catnip,” Adrien said simply, which shut Plagg up– they had both agreed not to talk about the catnip incident after all.

He stood up, making his way over to his miniature garden. He had a variety of flowers: cosmos, marigolds, geraniums, and more. It was more than just garden of flowers too, fennel, cilantro, among other plants could be found in his collection. It all smelled quite nice (horrendous, in Plagg’s opinion), and helped to cover up the smell of Camembert that lingered on him and in his room (much to Plagg’s disappointment). They were all plants that were supposed attracted ladybugs, and while he wasn’t a hundred percent sure all the websites were true it seemed to have done its job, because he had found a few of the beetles in his little garden on days when he left the windows open.

None of them were Ladybug, though.

Perhaps it was a bit of wishful thinking, that Ladybug would just turn up in his room because of some plants, he was sure she wasn’t about to go flying into someone’s room (and why would she even be near his house?), but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t holding out that she might turn up. Sure he saw her quite often when they went to battle, but it wasn’t often they could just be together. The thought of seeing his Lady made his heart race, and just the knowledge that she was okay helped soothed nightmares of the battles they had faced.

Plagg let out a huff as he picked up his watering can to tend to his plants, diving into a laundry basket saying it smelled too fresh in here. Adrien could only smile, before staring out his window.

He wondered if infesting his plants with aphids would attract more ladybugs.

-----

Adrien grew bored of his piano practicing half way through it– so he switched on the recording of him playing and flopped onto his bed. Before school and Hawk Moth he had been content with playing the piano, but now that he had tasted freedom he found he grew bored much more easily. It wasn’t like he hated the piano, but his father’s expectations were too much at times.

He couldn’t turn on the TV, games, or music– that would be a dead give away for his fake practice, so he just laid there staring at the ceiling. Strange how doing nothing was more appealing than doing what he was told at times. Of course this only lasted for a couple of minutes, and he rolled off his bed to do his favorite thing his room had to offer: gardening.

His new supplies had arrived this morning, and he was happy to get to work planting the cosmos seeds he had just gotten– specifically white cosmos– which apparently were better at attracting ladybugs than the other colors he had. He didn’t know how true it was, but he was more than happy to try it. He filled up his newest pots with soil, humming to himself as he did so. It had taken him a while to learn not to over-water plants and sometimes he had forgotten to water them, but now he felt he was pretty good when it came to gardening.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he saw a small red figure on one of his marigold’s leaves.

It was a little ladybug, small enough to sit on the tip of his finger. Most people probably wouldn’t even blink at it, but all it took for him was a glance to recognize her. A shade of red that was so familiar it was comforting, five black dots that were perfectly round and perfectly symmetrical– two on each elytron, and one in the very center. A scientist would say that it didn’t resemble any known species of ladybug, but to Adrien all he saw was a being that meant nothing but safety and trust.

“Ladybug,” he whispered in awe, barely believing his eyes. She was here in his garden, Ladybug was right in front of him!

She stiffened up slightly as he spoke, before continuing to crawl along the leaf without a care, clearly just trying to act like a normal bug. He bounded over to her, kneeling down so they were closer to the same level, but he didn’t reach out to hold her like he often did when a ladybug found its way into his room. He stared at her for a few seconds, before realizing how creepy that probably was, and pulled back slightly.

It took everything he had not to say ‘My Lady’, because Plagg would probably Cataclysm him then and there for being such an idiot. He shifted back and forth, not quite sure what to do. He wanted to talk to her, but he also didn’t want to scare her off with being recognized.

“Um...” he began uncertainly, before clearing his throat. “Um, hi Ladybug. I know it’s you, er, by the way.”

The ladybug froze up once again, scurrying across the leaf, before once again trying to act like a normal bug that most certainly did not understand him and that he most certainly had misidentified. He had to hold back a laugh, because he knew that Ladybug had never been recognized when she was normal sized, only once she augmented did people realize she was one of the magical creatures that roamed the city.

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I... I honestly don’t know what to say. Er, thank you? I guess. For protecting Paris, you don’t get nearly enough credit as you deserve.”

Ladybug went still once more, recognizing that she had truly been recognized. She turned on the leaf she was on, staring at him with a look he couldn’t read. He found himself straining his mind, waiting to hear her words in his head, but he couldn’t unless he transformed himself. His heart sank slightly because of that, but still he smiled at her.

He wondered what he looked like to her with her so small. He knew her eyesight wasn’t like a regular ladybug, his research said they saw in black and white, while his Lady said she still saw in color. It was the same for him, he saw the same range of colors as when he was human, though his eyesight was much sharper when transformed.

“I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I was actually hoping that you’d show up in my garden,” he said, rubbing the back of his head again. “I didn’t think you’d ever come though, but I planted it with you in mind. All these plants are supposed to be ones that ladybugs like– do you like them?”

He could see her hesitate, swaying slightly in place, before she gave a nod with her tiny head. It was hard to catch with her small form, but he knew it was a yes.

He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Um... could you go bigger? It’s kind of hard to see you when you’re so tiny.”

Again she hesitated, swaying adorably on her leaf, before going still. The center spot on her back vanished, and she slowly began to grow in size. A moment later there was a four-spotted ladybug clinging to the leaf, now roughly the size of a bottle cap– still small enough to be nimble and generally out of sight, but much too big to be a true ladybug.

He smiled. “That’s so cool,” he said, even though he could do the same himself when transformed, but he knew how nice it was to have a civilian that didn’t stare at them like they were a mutant. “It must feel pretty weird, I hope it doesn’t hurt.”

She shook her head from side to side, and her elytra flared open. She flew up and landed on top of a pink cosmos, staring at him. She circled around the petals, which dipped under her weight, until she settled in the middle.

“Pink suits you,” he blurted out suddenly, and he felt a blush appearing on his face. “I m-mean it looks really nice with your red. You can keep the flower if you want, this garden was made with you in mind after all and–“

He fumbled, reaching for the scissors he used as garden clippers, and clipped the cosmos stem. He lifted the flower up, and found himself stuttering for words with her so close. He mentally face palmed, he was never like this around her when he was transformed! Why was he like this now?

“W-wait, you can’t carry it, can you,” he stammered. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking–“

She flicked her elytra open, and he saw another one of her spots vanishing as she began growing once more. This time she was bigger than his fists, and her wings were making a clear buzzing sound as she hovered there in the air. It was a mere fraction of the size she could manage when facing an akuma, but yet still giant for a bug.

He held out the flower, and she wrapped her six legs around the stem. She took a moment to find her balance with it, but seemed to have no real struggle carrying it. He smiled as she watched him, and she gave him a nod of acknowledgement, before turning towards the window.

He stared after her as she flew away, disappearing out of sight as she flew up and over the mansion. Adrien couldn’t help but let out a sigh, grinning from ear to ear as he sank down onto his couch.

“Isn’t she amazing, Plagg?” He asked in a soft voice.

“She’s a good Ladybug,” Plagg acknowledged. “But you’re ridiculous.”

He just let out another sigh, his thoughts on Ladybug and the flower. Would she keep it after she detransformed? Would she mention to Chat that she had been given a flower? Okay, maybe that last one was wishful thinking, but so had been her showing up and she had! He found his mind constantly turning towards turning towards Ladybug and the cosmos, hoping at the very least it had made her happy in some way.

Yet strangely when he went to visit Marinette that night his mind wasn’t on flowers, and he didn’t even blink at the pink cosmos sitting in her room.

#lovesquarefluffweek2020 #ladrien #ml ladrien #day 3: flowers #adrien agreste #ml adrien #ladybug #ml ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #ml marinette #ml animal au #ml shapeshifting au #my fics #miraculous fanfic

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triple-a-enderdragon · 5 years

Link

Hey, guys, I’m just itching to tell you

First | Previous | Next

It was a crisp, bright day. Stress was out on her castle wall, gazing south. Visibility was good enough she could swear a hint of green was just noticeable. Usually seeing the shared lab brought her joy— as did the man she shared it with— but now it just worried her. She knew Iskall's role was demanding and he handled it well, but she also knew his track record with the Nether all too well. Thinking of Iskall made her think of Python, also trapped in the oppressive hell-scape. As far as Stress knew, no one spent more than a day straight in the Nether, with good reason. Well, except Tango, but he was an exception.

Stress looked at her hands. They were always edged with frost, but lately they'd been feeling itchy. It was uncomfortable and persistent; the only thing she found to soothe the itch was to make ice, so whenever it got unbearable, that's what she did. So far she had made almost two shulker boxes worth of packed ice made straight from water, and it scared her. Making packed ice straight from water was exhausting. Or, at least, it used to be.

Lately, Stress was full of nervous energy to the point where she couldn't sleep. Tonight the phantoms would start spawning, and if she wasn't careful, she would join Xisuma and Cub. She absentmindedly scratched her hands.

Barking echoed behind her, getting louder. Three of her samoyeds, followed by two huskies, turned the corner and blazed past her before disappearing out of sight. Brought back to the present, Stress sighed. Everything would be fine in the end. It had to be. Besides, wings of the castle were still unfinished, and that she could do something about.

Oh, how her hands itched.

~~~

Grian loved flying. He had loved it before, with the elytra, and he'd gotten ridiculously good at it. But with wings? It was a whole new world! There was so much more control, so much more finesse. One of the first things he did once he was used to them was the elytra course. Unsurprisingly, he crushed it.

But as the days wore on, from all the news surrounding the Nether, Grian started to feel agitated. He tried to keep his hands busy working on his base, the Infinity Room, anything. But inevitably, he would find himself in the air, flying aimlessly over the main island and beyond.

He had so much restless energy he had gotten little sleep over the past few days, little enough he was worried about phantoms. And since he was in the air at seemingly every opportunity, it was only a matter of time before one caught up with him.

Why did his wings itch so much?

~~~

Staring at TFC, Impulse was the first to recover. "Are we looking for you?"

TCF gave a snort of laughter. "Well, I certainly was looking for you. Do you know how long that took? I assumed you were at Xisuma's base, so I took the rail system there." He nodded at Ren. "Fantastic system, by the way, even if it's not fully functional. But I didn't find you there. So I had to travel back. I don't think you understand how long it takes to travel on foot." Seeing the others' faces, TFC laughed. "Not that it matters, I got here eventually. Though I was a bit surprised to find you in Ren's base."

"How did you know to look here?" Impulse asked.

"I was going towards Tango's base first hoping to catch you there, but—" TFC looked at Tango. "—I could tell you were here."

Tango was confused. "Why would you be looking for me?"

The change in TFC's demeanor was subtle, but if the others somehow missed it, the change in his voice was unmistakable; softer, yet no less gruff. "Because we're the last piece to your puzzle. I am Earth, and this is my avatar."

~~~

False was trying to find Impulse. So far he'd not been at his base, so she was headed toward the next best location. Landing in Xisuma's base, she could tell it was empty. Where was Impulse? Probably tending to something else, he doesn't live in X's base, False. Nevertheless, she headed to the admin room; maybe he left her a note saying where he'd gone.

Entering the room, she scanned the monitors. There wasn't much of it she understood, but there was one thing she did; the red dot of an unauthorized spawn. Somehow, while everyone was distracted by the Nether, an intruder had slipped in. While her two flankers were preoccupied elsewhere.

Think, False, think! There wasn't much she could do about the Nether situation, but this was right up her alley. With her tracker currently unavailable, she had to fall on her backup.

Now finally with a clear purpose, False left X's base and flew west. A gliding silhouette greeted her as she neared her destination; Grian absentmindedly riding the thermals. False got his attention and followed him as he dived into his base.

Once on the floor, Grian asked, "So, what do you need? Is it the Nether again?"

"No, I need your help finding someone. An intrusion has been detected and I need to deal with it as soon as possible."

"My help? Don't you usually— oh. Right."

False sighed. "Sorry. Until this Nether problem's solved, I need you to do Iskall's job since you are quite good at finding people."

"No, no! It's no problem at all! I just hope you don't expect me to fight, as that's not exactly my strong suit."

"Oh don't worry. With our third party member, you won't be able to fight even if you wanted to."

With that, False sent out a message:

[falsesymmetry to: Biffa2001] You busy?

[Biffa2001 to: falsesymmetry] nothing that can't be interrupted

[flasesymmetry to: Biffa2001] Meet outside of iTrade?

[Biffa2001 to: falsesymmetry] o/

False turned to Grian, who was waiting expectantly. "Well, time to go to the shopping district."

~~~

As Grian and False landed in front of iTrade, they could see Biffa flying in from the east. As he landed, he didn't waste time on pleasantries.

"Who do you need dead? I'm ready."

Grian smothered a laugh as False sighed.

"Well, you're straight to the point. You don't even know if that's why I called you here."

"Why else would you need me? Unless you need something built? A cup of tea? Hm?"

False gave a small laugh. "Fine, you're right. A hopper has managed to slip in and I need you in case they're hostile."

Biffa lit up. "Finally! Is this Nether business what it takes for me to get in on the action?"

"Biffa, you've been 'in on the action'. Anyway, we shouldn't waste time. Stay close, you two."

False took to the air, with Biffa and Grian close behind.

~~~

"Wait, what?"

In a deathly silent room, Impulse was the first to speak. TFC— Earth? turned to him, scrutinizing every inch of the man.

"All right, I have some explaining to do. But that's for a later time, as time is something you don't have much of. For now, you have to stop Fire before he commits a grave mistake."

"Wait, was I right? About the other avatars?" asked Tango. "Stress and Grian?"

"Yes, wasn't it obvious? It was about time Air committed." Earth looked at Tango, concerned. "You must find them both before you confront your Element, and quickly."

"What happens if we don't stop him in time?"

But the man they were talking to was TFC once again.

"Sorry, he's cryptic like that. I don't know any more than you do." He gave a short laugh. "Anyway, good luck finding the others; I'll only slow you down. I'll be in my bunker when you need me."

~~~

Python was getting tired of the Nether. No matter what he and Iskall tried, no progress was made; he was starting to think they were well and truly stuck. Normally that would be fine, as he knew people who had survived in the Nether for weeks on end; but that was with proper preparation. Between the fluctuating heat and their dwindling water, the two Strikers were woefully unprepared.

Speaking of the heat, the temperature had risen again, to the point where it was dangerous for Python and downright deadly for Iskall. With the strangely hostile pigmen, they were content to stay in their cave anyway. Or, at least Python was.

He watched helplessly as Iskall became increasingly agitated as the two of them tried to work through their situation. When trying to create a new portal had failed, he'd injured his foot kicking it. He'd almost broken his flint and steel trying to relight portals, only stopping because one blew up, almost killing him.

The only thing Python could think to do was to keep Iskall confined to the cave. Being surrounded by the ice seemed to help cool his temperament as well as the air, but there was only so much of this confinement that either of them could take.

Hearing feverish muttering, Python turned to where Iskall was sitting. Something seemed to be wrong with his left eye, he was scratching at it, as if something was wrong.

Something was wrong; Iskall's eye was itchy as hell, to the point where he wanted to take the damn thing out. Every time he went to rip it out, something stopped him. But nothing was stopping the itching, the damn itching, get it out get it out—

"Iskall?"

He looked up to see Python incredibly concerned, so much so he momentarily forgot about the itch.

"What?"

"You okay?"

"No."

Silence, then; "You want to talk about it?"

"...it's my eye. It's bad enough we're stuck here for the time being, but the dang thing won't stop itching. It's driving me crazy, dude!"

"Has it done this before? I remember when I had a similar eyepiece, it would get irritated sometimes. Glad I got rid of it."

"No, that's the thing. It hasn't done this before." Muttering half to himself, Iskall continued, "And what does—" Diamond? He looked at Python. "You're not wearing your gear, are you? But you have your tools."

"Uh, yeah. It was getting a bit cumbersome, so I took it off. You could tell?"

"Yeah, that's part of what this thing does." Iskall paused, mind miles away. "I need to think." For him, the best way to think was to sleep; so that's precisely what he did.

~~~

Not far under the gardens of the Stock Exchange, Doc was working on his HRN station. He was working on a vending machine; something he'd wanted to put in for a while. Now that the war was over, he could finally return fully to his own projects. He felt he should be glad to work undistracted, but frustrations were mounting.

It was a simple circuit for him to work with, but novice mistakes were constantly popping up. Timings were off, a repeater would lock, a comparator would be wrongly set. He could tell from the flow of the redstone what was wrong and where, but with every fixed mistake another would pop up.

And his arm. What was up with his arm? Every time Doc stopped working, the metallic arm felt as if it was full of electricity; he was not sure how to describe it. He'd taken it apart more than once to check the wiring, the circuits, anything he could see for a hint as to what was wrong. As far as he could tell, everything was on order; from the redstone tubing to the circuitry. But every once and a while he would find himself scratching at it. An itch, that was it. His arm itched.

Between his arm and the vending machine circuit, Doc had not gotten much sleep. The constant flow of the red dust through its own tubing gave him the energy to work, so he wasn't worried. However, there was one night terror he would do well to remember, and tonight it would start spawning.

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rendiggitydog · 5 years

Text

In which Evil X isn’t very evil:

"Ugh, I need a vacation," Evil Xisuma sighed and leaned against his rock. The cave was quite nice, since Ex had lived there for quite some time. The floor had been swept that morning, and the walls were warmly lit with small torches. "Where could I go on a vacation?"

He dug his old, yellowing map out of a box, and smoothed it across the floor. The map displayed the area above his cave in faded greens and browns. There was a forest, some hilly mountains, and a bay opening into the ocean.

"I loved the mountains last time I went out, but it's been quite a while. Maybe I'll go back and see if it's changed." He sang to himself as he packed a small box of food and armor, and a make-shift sleeping sack. "Let's go!"

—

Stress hummed a tune as she strolled through the shopping district. The sun was shining, and the birds chirped, covering the valley in a muted blanket of peace.

"Oh my days!"

Stress heard Xisuma shouting from the base of the mountain, under the Sahara Project. She quickly ran over, and peeked down the slope, spotting an armored figure at the banks of the river. The sunlight glinted off his armor, but she could have sworn the armor appeared red. "Oi! X! Are you alright?"

He turned to her, but didn't seem to recognize her. "Hello! Who are you?"

"Why I'm Stressmonsta! Are you not Xisuma?"

The man scoffed as he hopped across the river, making his way up the hill towards her. "Don't call me that name! I'm Evil Xisuma!" He stood proudly beside her, giving a clear view of his outfit. It was nearly identical to Xisuma's suit, except red, with a black cape draped over his shoulders.

"Oh," She thought for a moment. "Didn't you nearly blow up all of our Season Five homes?"

"Well, yes, but then I was banished. Do you know where I am now? Because last I thought I was leaving my base to head to the mountains!"

"Hm. Well, this is our Season Six shopping district, and you just came out of that hole!" She motioned to the hole in the side of the mountain.

"What!? Are you telling me you moved Hermitcraft right on top of my cave?" Ex looked around in disbelief.

"I suppose so! Would you like a tour?"

Ex blinked in surprise. "...I don't see why not!"

—

"What is that?" Ex stared as two hermits soared overhead.

Stress laughed. "That's Grian and Iskall!"

"But- they're in the sky!"

"Well, yeah! They're using their elytra to fly! Have you neva seen an elytra?"

Ex paused. "Maybe...? I was in my cave for a long time.."

"Well, this cant stand!" Stress found an ender chest and rummaged through it, triumphantly pulling out a spare elytra. "Let's teach you to fly!"

"Ah, I'm not sure.. I'm more confident on the ground..." Ex stepped back, eyeing the elytra.

"That's because you've never tried it! Cmon!"

—

After a long, painful process, the two were in the sky, gliding (somewhat) gracefully over the ocean.

"See, flying's not bad!" Stress laughed.

"I suppose." Ex laughed nervously. "Where are we going?"

"I figured we could stop by Mumbo's base. It's real pretty!" Stress motioned to the giant sphere appearing out of the fog.

Stress landed gracefully on the catwalk, and helped Ex land without taking too much damage. He could only stare, jaw dropped, at the bright, futuristic base.

Just then, Mumbo strolled around the beam in the center, shrugging on his suit coat. He smiled when he noticed Stress, but jumped a mile when he spotted Ex. "E- Evil Xisuma!" Mumbo squeaked. He shuddered, fumbling for his sword, which dropped with a clang.

"It's okay Mumbo, he's a friend!" Stress threw her arms around Ex, who stood awkwardly.

"But- But- Last season he ruined my redstone!"

"That was a long time ago! He's better now, right Ex?" She looked expectantly at him.

Ex shuffled his feet. "Yes, I'm doing much better now."

Mumbo visibly relaxed. "Oh good! How are you two doing then?"

"I'm fantastic! I'm taking Ex on a tour, and it's really fun, right Ex?"

"Flying is... different."

"I totally understand." Mumbo laughed. "Well I was just grabbing some observers, so I'd better head back to work!"

Ex perked up. "Observer? What does that do?"

"Ah ha, I- I suppose it's difficult to explain! Can I show you?"

"Yes please!"

Mumbo taught Ex and Stress about redstone, both entranced by the unique element. After a while, Ex developed a headache, and decided it was time to go.

"Thanks Mum! Good luck!" Stress waved as she and Ex flew off.

"There's so much I didn't know about redstone..." Ex sighed, holding his head.

"Me nieva! It's really difficult, but Mumbo's a helpful fella. I'm much better at buildin!" She swooped in front of Ex, proudly displaying her ice castle.

"Wow..." He breathed. "You're really good!"

Stress giggled. "Thanks love! I'm fond of the stone bricks with the ice!"

"Stone... bricks?" Ex curiously followed Stress to the base of the castle.

Stress stifled a laugh. "You don't even know stone bricks? You've been in that cave a while!"

"I'm sure I've seen them, it's just been a while!" He defended. "How did you make these out of cobble?" He ran his fingers over the uniform bricks.

"Not cobble, silly! Stone! You have to use silk touch!"

Ex's blank expression said it all.

"You've really forgotten everything, huh? Cmon, let me show you."

-----

"Thank you for the wonderful day, Stress! It was so nice to meet you!" Ex thanked Stress as they strolled arm in arm down the lane.

"I forgot we only just met today! I hope you'll come visit again soon!"

"Who's visiting?" Grian zoomed past, soaring straight up in the air before drifting back down. "Who's this?"

"This is Exy! Exy, this is Grian, our newest member!"

Ex went in for a handshake, but Grian, beaming, pulled him into a tight hug. "So cool to meet someone new! Speaking of which, are you a hermit? I've never met you, but here you are!"

"I, uh..." Ex rubbed his neck. "Well..."

Just then Jevin glided in, waving to the small group. "Hey Grian, have you seen Mum-" He froze. "Uh, what's goin on here?" He looked between Stress and Grian's cheerful grins and Ex's anxious stare. "I- I'm not even gonna ask.." He shook his head, flying off.

"Well he was rude! He didn't even say hi!" Grian folded his arms.

"I know why..."

Suddenly, Xisuma strolled around the corner, pulling his helmet off and shaking his hair out. Ex tensed, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I better go..." Ex murmured to Stress, eyes darting to find a good direction to run.

"How did you get here? I thought we left you in Season 5?" X's commanding voice cemented Ex's feet to the ground.

"Left him? Last season? What are you on about X?" Grian unconsciously took a step forward, blocking Ex from view.

"Do you know who this is Grian? Or why he looks and sounds just like me?" X stepped forward, making Ex flinch.

Grian couldn't read X's tone, and now he was conflicted. Why was he defending a stranger that X clearly knew better than he did anyway? Why were they so similar?

Grian's hesitation allowed X to step around him, approaching Ex, who squeezed his eyes shut.

"...just ban me already..." Ex muttered.

"Ban you? Now why would I do that?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." He gritted his teeth, awaiting the dreaded feeling of his body dissolving into the void.

X's laugh cut through the tense air like a knife. "And never get to see my favorite brother again? Never!" X threw his arms around Ex, who seemed paralyzed with fear and confusion.

Stress seemed just as confused, as she made a little squeak noise.

"What just happened?" Grian rubbed his head in confusion.

X stepped away from the hug, but kept one arm around Ex. "This is my brother, Exy!"

Ex finally came to his senses and shoved X away. "You are not my brother! I'm your evil clone!"

X shrugged, not phased. "You've always been around, and we used to get along just fine! Have you decided you actually want to be evil now?"

Ex froze. "Wait, no. I'm not evil." The gears turned in his brain. "But if I'm not evil, then what's my name? I can't just be Xisuma Two!"

"You're right!" The small crew contemplated the strange situation for a moment.

"Harold?" Stress offered. Ex stuck his tongue out.

"How about Poultry Man?" Grian suggested with a chuckle, earning him playful glares.

"I've always just called you Exy, I can't imagine anything else!" X ran his fingers through his hair.

"I like Exy, it's kinda cute! And it still sounds a little like Xisuma." Stress smiled.

Ex shook his head. "Fine, but it's cool, not cute."

"Whatever you say. Now, how on earth did you get here?"

Ex showed Xisuma the cave he had made in the hillside, and recounted his experience that morning.

"Huh! I must have banished you here, and then subconsciously used the same seed for our new world! Well, welcome to the hermit family, I suppose!"

"Welcome yes, family no. I'd rather hang out in my cave over you guys. Except maybe Stress." He threw her a bashful glance, and she instantly wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Anytime you wanna hang out, text me! And don't forget to polish your armor, it looks much better that way. Oh, and take some cookies I made, they're really good-!"

Ex smiled as Stress fussed over him. "I'll be fine. I'll text you, I promise."

Stress held him at arms length. "Love you hun. Come back soon."

"I will, I promise! I've got to go now, bye Stress!" Ex glanced at Grian and X, who were giving the friends some space. He gave a wave and a short smile, and returned to the safety of his cave.

"I hope he'll be okay.." Stress wrung her hands.

"He'll be fine, he's very independent." X put his arm around her shoulder.

Grian raised an eyebrow, pulling out his magnifying glass with a grin. "Now, about those cookies you gave him..?"

#hermitcraft #rae writes #stressmonster #evil xisuma #xisuma #grian #jevin #mumbo jumbo #more good evil x content!!#i just love a tsundere boy #is that a good way to describe him?#idk

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votederpycausemufins · 4 years

Text

i have food poisoning and it sucks, but it meant i could just lie in bed writing, so here we gooooooo

@petrichormeraki

As Tommy paddled the boat, Tubbo watched their communicator. “It sounds like she’s not at… wherever we’re going anymore.”

Tommy cursed. “Any clue where to go now then?”

Tubbo glanced down at the messages.

<CaptainSparklez> She’s not there anymore!

<Rendog> How? It’s surrounded by water

<CaptainSparklez> She’s a shapeshifter, not a hybrid.

<Crumbl> yuoll nrrver find mee sprinklez

<CaptainSparklez> Again. You’re a shapeshifter. Why are there feathers left behind.

<Crumbl> I dinit mumch them.

Tubbo looked up and scanned the ocean before pointing out on the water. “Those feathers over there! It’s looking like she left them behind.”

Tommy smiled and turned the boat to follow the trail of feathers. It took a little bit, but the pair did reach land near a forest, though it had started raining. “Where do you think she is?”

Tubbo shrugged. “Don’t know. We don’t even know what she looks like.”

A calico cat walked nearby, then ran as the pair walked near it, making Tommy notice it. “Hey, must be a village nearby. Maybe she’s there for shelter?”

“I hope so. But she might just be hiding under some trees.” Tubbo suggested. As they continued to walk, Tommy saw movement near a tree and started to run toward it. Tubbo watched him run and then noticed the coloring of the form. “Tommy! Wait! That’s a-” The mob exploded. “-Creeper…”

“Aw myan!” The cat said as it sat down next to Tubbo, making them jump.

“Did that cat just talk?!” Tubbo said, nearly shouting from shock.

Said cat changed into what resembled a cat hybrid that reminded Tommy vaguely of Fundy. “Ye! I’m Crumb!”

“Cool! I’m Tommy and this is my friend Tubbo!”

Crumb tilted her head. “Ooo, really? Well I came here with Sparklez, he’s my dad. But i’m hidin’!”

“Want to hang out with us while you hide?” Tubbo suggested and the shapeshifter nodded, changing back into a cat and flopping over Tubbo’s shoulder. “Let’s boat back to your place and show it to Crumb.”

The now trio got into the boat and Tubbo watched as Crumb used her paw pads to type on her communicator and send a message.

<Crumbl> sprakle i made frends!

<Crumbl> Im gonna play wit tonmi and tubbox

Tubbo laughed. “I actually can be a Tubbox.” Tubbo said, making Tommy speak up as well.

“Tubbo in a box, what will he do?”

“Uwwu I’m so good at this!” Crumb replied proudly and Tubbo could feel her purr.

“So is what the captain said true?” Tubbo asked. “Are you really a shapeshifter, not a hybrid?”

“Ye! I um, I’m a badass shapeshifter!” Tommy and Tubbo tried not to laugh at the sound of this cat with a voice like that saying something like that, but they couldn’t hold it in and Crumb also started laughing along. “I’m super strong and beat the Ender Dragon when we had lotsa random potion effects!”

“That sounds so cool.” Tubbo complimented Crumb and then the three of them continued to chat as they rowed along.

Sparklez was glad to see another message from Crumb and see she had made some friends. When he read their names, he froze for a moment. It couldn’t be. This was nowhere near where he should have been. He shook his head. No, it was just coincidence. Crumb probably just misspelled it when typing.

<CaptainSparklez> Alright Crumb, have fun. Just don’t get in trouble.

He laughed as a message came back, distracting him from his previous train of thought.

<Crumbl> No prmosed! Were ginna conmit crim!

“I’m a danger to society!” Crumb shouted as she pounced on a chicken, no longer just a cat, but looking like a very squishy cat that could be mistaken as a stuffed animal at a glance. She had wanted to stay a cat, but by complete chance, another calico cat showed up and Tommy and Tubbo nearly went after the normal cat. She also liked how the pair approved of such a squishy looking cat going left and right killing mobs.

When a parrot flew above her, she jumped to try and grab it, but it was just a little too high for her to reach. “Come down here! I wanna eat you! Mumnch and crumnch!”

The parrot squawked and flew over to land on Tommy’s head. “Oh, leave this one alone. I think this is one of Grian’s. Part of his pesky bird delivery service.

“But it just looks so tastyyy! Crumb jumped again. It made Tubbo wonder how much of it was just how she acts, or if being a cat so long made her act like one.

“Oh, speaking of Grian. He sent me a message.” Tommy says as he pulls out his communicator. With the flood of messages from the visitors - well, one in particular - Grian sent the message on their own private chat.

<Grian> bring Tubbo if you want but it’s parrot brain hours

<TommyInnit> he probably won’t be coming. We made a friend with one of the guests. Don’t really want to leave her all alone.

<Grian> that makes sense.

<Grian> and bring any extra wheat you can

<TommyInnit> okay, definitely not letting Tubbo come. It’ll shatter my manly image.

<Grian> dad left me books about shifting and I’ve had plenty of time to read. Did you know I can just give myself a beak or talons without shifting completely?

<TommyInnit> woah, hey. Alright big G, I’ll be there as soon as I can.

Tommy looked up to see Tubbo glancing at their communicator. “He messaged me directly, H is talking too much.” Tubbo nodded. “Big G wants me for something. Okay if I let you two hang out by yourselves?”

“Ye! We’re gonna have lotsa fun together! And den we can go see my dad!”

“I can’t wait to meet him!”

Tommy waves and then starts to boat off, using it as a platform once he’s far enough out at sea to safely use his elytra. He stops at his base and goes through his chests, making some hay bales. Afterwards he flies to the mansion and up near the roof where he knows Grian is going to be.

It was a room made in one of the side roofs of the mansion. The main one sat above the great hall with windows wide open, but the areas to the side were a little more closed off. This one also had a large window, but there usually wasn’t much in there.

Right now however, the place was littered with a few beds and wool and hay bales. Grian was in the center of it all, wings spread out. In the small room they looked much larger.

“Hey, I brought the hay.” Tommy joked, holding out the bundled wheat. Grian immediately took it and started spreading it around. “Hoo boy. Are you sure you don’t want Mumbo here, orrrr?”

“Oh he definitely wants me here.” Mumbo’s voice speaks up as he pushes a wing off him, only for it to flop back down, pinning his legs. His tie is loose and his suit is a mess along with his hair. “It’s been fine for a while. Just stay in bed, maybe wake up in the middle of the night to a nightmare. I forgot how he gets when he’s like this.”

Tommy nodded. He had only really seen this twice. The first time he managed to decline, much to Grian’s dismay, but the second time there was no way out of it with Grian now knowing they were brothers.

Tommy knows he could have said no this time, but seeing everything that happened the day of the war and the night following made Tommy worried, and he wanted to be there.

Grian smiles as he finishes moving blocks and beds and carpets around. He nudged a few stray pieces of wheat and cotton around with his feet and wings. He knows it would be so much easier to use his hands, but it just doesn’t feel right.

The avian stares at the nest he’s built. It’s perfect. Maybe a little small for right now, but that’s just because the kids are still on their way. He thinks that he could make it bigger. Big enough to fit the rest of his family, but they aren’t around. So he settles for Mumbo and Tommy.

He pulls Tommy into the nest, making sure he’s comfortable before putting each of his wings around Tommy and Mumbo. Mumbo half bats the wing away as feathers get into his mouth, but he’s too exhausted from helping to set this up in the first place to complain much more.

Grian holds them close. He could lose everything else if he still had the people he cared about most. He would do anything to protect them.

Crumb is excited as Tubbo boats the two of them towards the shopping district. She really wanted her dad to meet her new friend. And Tubbo was very much a new friend with a nickname and everything.

When they landed, she hopped out of the boat and shifted to a hybrid form before running off to find her dad. Tubbo was left running behind her, aging a little trouble keeping up.

“Sprinklez!!! Look at my new friend!” She jumped into her dad’s arms, shifting back into her cat form. He looked around not seeing anyone for a moment before a panting Tubbo caught up.

“You… couldn’t have… waited for me?” Tubbo panted out, trying to catch his breath.

“Dis is Tubbox! He has another friend but but but I don’ have a good name for him yet so he’s just Tommy.”

Sparklez smiles and shifts Crumb to hold out a hand. “Nice to meet you. Captain Sparklez. But most people just use my last name or even just use Jordan. The one exception being Crumb who likes to call me Sprinklez or of course just Dad.”

Tubbo’s eyes sparkle. “Wait, you’re the Captain?! I’ve heard so much about you! You travel across so many worlds and are known for the songs you’ve written and your curse! I mean, the curse isn’t the most popular thing to know about, but uh…”

Sparklez just laughed. “It’s fine. I’m sure I’m going to get rid of it soon enough. Glad to meet another fan, especially if you’re friends with Crumb now.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty pog.” Tubbo jokes and they continue to talk. He doesn’t give his real name since Crumb seems to like using ‘Tubbox’. He doesn’t know how much it could change their life’s if he did.

The netherite blocks go up and there’s the sound of redstone being messed with. He looks out to watch as the lava slowly disappears. Across the chasm he can see an equally black and white figure. He can already feel the energy on them.

Even with his admin powers gone, he still has some tricks up his sleeve. And there are always strings to pull.

#hermit!tommy au #hermit!tommy #tommyinnit #grian xelqua #grian #avian!grian #tubbo #tubbox #crumbl #cuptoast #mumbo jumbo #captain sparklez #i would die for crumb #dreamwastaken #still not a fan of how dream's persona eminates someone... problematic

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