#YES ETHO INTERACTION

[frightenedcookie]

Yes Koji!

[Prologue] [Ch1] [Ch2] [Ch3] [Ch???]

In which Bdubs finally meets the siren!

A couple notes; one, cleo’s “zombie stitches” are just tattoos, and two, I completely forgot to add the logo onto their outfits last chapter but I’m gonna stick to that now o7 I had a lot of fun drawing this chapter probably because of the ethos, lucky for me i’ll be getting even more next chapter ;]

[art-of-inconsistency]

POV: you are BigB

[dogerbooger]

Hi! Could you maybe do Etho and Gem? (platonic of course) They’re my absolute favorite duo.

I love this duo so much! Seeing them interact is such a joy. Thank you for the ask, have Gem and Etho trying to flex and Gem (totally not on purpose) hitting him in the face lmao

[gh-0-stcup]

Tumblr 101

Since the post about reblogging, I'd thought it'd be a good idea to make a little guide about how to use Tumblr effectively. You know - gaining followers, increasing meaningful engagement, and keeping the site healthy.

If you saw the post on likes vs reblogs, you probably have gathered that Tumblr's core feature is reblogging. If you didn't, let me tell you now - Tumblr's core feature is reblogging. It's what allows your posts to circulate, to cross over to different communities, and to keep being seen 10 years after you initially posted it. It's how users find you, how you find them. It's how communities are built and what allows them to thrive.

Why is this?

To get the most out of Tumblr, it's important to understand the main way this site differs from other social media. We are not algorithm driven. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, and many others, the main feature is likes. Or whatever happens to be their equivalent to likes. Liking is what lets the posters know you enjoyed their post and what helps get it seen by other people.

If you're coming to Tumblr having spent a lot of time on other sites, it's likely you're instinctively relying on the like feature. As a long term Tumblr user, the like button on this website is largely meaningless. The improvements to searching and browsing by tags, which now allow users to sort based on likes/reblogs, have made the feature a little more useful. But it's still pretty much the least important feature. It's just a nod to the poster.

You have to change the way you think.

Step One: Follow!

Your personal dash is where you should be spending most of your time on this site. The search functions are superfluous and if you're relying on that for entertainment, I'm sorry to say you are not using the site properly.*

To make your dash more interesting, follow more people. Yeah, yeah you know! I hear you scream out. Stop talking to you like you're stupid, you get that you're supposed to follow people you like. But here's the thing - if your dash is so boring you're not even using it, you don't know.

Go into that search function, look up some stuff you like, and whenever you find a good post follow that person. The time for pickiness comes later. Just follow, follow, follow. Keep going until you get bored. Start with quantity over quality. The more you follow, the more you'll see on your dash.

When somebody new follows you, check out their blog. Do they share an interest with you? Follow back. Even if it's not the greatest blog, just spend some time focusing on increasing the number of people you are following.

Step Two: Effective Design

Your icon and description are very important. Other people will look to your icon when it pops up on your dash or their searches to judge whether you're a kindred spirit they can follow. Set your icon to something that relates to a fandom or ship you post about often or like a lot. It will attract others who enjoy the same thing.

Your icon is (generally) not about creating an identity for yourself. It communicates what your interests are, your aesthetic, and/or what kind of things you post about. Every time your blog shifts gear, crosses over to a different fandom or gets into a different ship or starts posting lots about something else - change your icon.

Your description is also important, though less so than your icon. Something very important thing to keep in mind - this is a content driven site, not a personality driven one. In essence, nobody here gives a shit about who you are. Your real name, face, age, gender, location? Superfluous information. Nice to know sometimes, but completely unnecessary to share.

Like your icon, your description should be a summary of the content you post. It should describe what you like and possibly convey the tone of your blog/your sense of humour (if that's important to your blog). Update your description when your blog changes what it posts about. People will look at your description as well as the content you post to determine whether they want to see you on their dash. You are their source of entertainment, they care about whether you post things they want to see.

Step Three: Reblog

Now that we've (somewhat) fixed your dash and helped you get seen by others, it's time to get into actual site usage. Browse your dash, which is hopefully now buzzing with content.** Pretend the like feature does not exist. Every time you find yourself going for that like button, hit reblog instead. Okay, you can hit the like as well - just make sure you're reblogging every time too.

Reblogging should be the main thing you're doing. It produces content for your followers. It advertises you as a person who posts things to people who post things you like. It helps you find things you'd like to see on your dash because they'll find you.

If a post is good enough for a like, it's good enough for a reblog.

When the mood strikes, add to what you're reblogging with your own commentary. If you have something to say, say it. Even if it's just a "wow awesome gif" or "i loved this scene!"

On Tagging

Tagging is important. Yes, it gets your post seen. But the biggest benefit to tagging is that it allows your followers to NOT see certain things. Say you mostly post about Blorbo from your shows, but you also like Xorbo. If you tag appropriately, fellow Blorbo lovers will be able to follow you even if they hate Xorbo. They'll follow you for the content they like and filter out the content they don't like rather than unfollowing.

For fandom content, you want to tag the fandom and character discussed in the post. Simple. If you notice most people use a particular acronym for a fandom, adopt that over the full name. Optionally, you can tag for both.

Don't over tag. If a character or ship is mentioned in passing but is not even close to the main focus of the post, it is not necessary to tag it. Overtagging clutters tags for people who are completing step one. If you're unsure, imagine you despised xyz character or show. Would this post be annoying to see? If so, tag. If not, don't.

Now, tags are for people who enjoy the thing. If you're posting content that is against the thing, tag with "anti-[x]" instead. This is where things get a little complex - is a take that is critical of a character "anti" that character? You can also tag as "[x] critical" in cases where the take is not motivated by disdain/frustration for the thing.

Similar to how tags are for people who enjoy the thing, anti tags are for people who do not enjoy the thing. When judging whether something is anti or simply critical, consider who it would annoy more to see the post. If it would annoy people who hate the thing, go with critical.

Basically, it's all about politeness and the ability to curate our own experiences. Keep this in mind as you tag your posts.

A time honored tradition on Tumblr is to put commentary in the tags. Many new users have question what the etiquette of this is - when do you add to a reblog vs when do you add to the tags kind of deal. The simple answer is - there is no longer a rule to judge this by. I don't care what tips people have tried to tell you. Tag commentary was brought about by the way the site used to function. The reasons are now obsolete and thus make zero sense to anybody who's entered Tumblr recently. Feels and vibes are the only way you have to judge it.

What do I mean? In the long long ago when Tumblr's culture emerged, tags did not show up in the activity feed. Things that were added in the main text of reblogs would. So people could add random comments, jokes, or things they didn't want the OP to see in the tags. This is where the phrase "why would you hide this in the tags?!" comes from. Tags were difficult to see unless you saw the post on your dash or were browsing the person's actual blog.

Step Four: Queue

Reblogging everything means your blog is going to get pretty crowded real quick. Spamming can be fun once in a while, but if it's happening regularly it can be annoying. There's a chance people might start unfollowing you, which we do not want. So you should make use of Tumblr's other main feature - the queue.

The queue is a chest of posts that get released at regular intervals. You can adjust when and how often your queue posts, but it's fine to leave it at the default for now. It allows you to reblog a lot without cluttering the dash. It also ensures you're posting consistently, which will help you gain followers better than spamming 20 posts every Saturday.

To start making use of your queue, choose an arbitrary ratio of reblog/queue. For example, reblog two posts and queue the third. I also tend to queue things that I don't add commentary to. If I'm adding commentary, I want to be around when/if people respond to it so I can have a conversation. You don't have to do that though. Just build up a queue however you feel is appropriate to your needs.

Step Five: Pruning

Okay, at this point a lot of your Tumblr problem should be fixed. You're barely using the searches anymore, your dash keeps you busy for days, you've started to gain followers, and people are engaging with your posts. You've probably noticed a downside to the whole "follow everybody" thing I had you do in step one - there's a lot of stuff on your dash that you don't want to see! It's starting to get annoying. You just want to sit in the glow of all that content you adore.

Well, the time for pickiness has finally come. You see one person on your dash keeps posting stuff you don't know or care about? Unfollow. This other person is spamming and that was fine once upon a time, but their stuff isn't that great and it's blocking you from stuff you really enjoy? Unfollow. Go on a very small unfollow spree, focusing on clearing your dash of things that are preventing the joy from sparking.

Don't bother with sentimentality. Remember: this is a content driven site. It is not insulting to unfollow somebody who isn't posting things you want to see.

Start being a little more choosy when hitting follow. If somebody follows you, visit their blog. Are their posts something you'd like to see on your dash? Follow. Do the same for people who reblog your posts. Doing this in tandem with getting rid of things you don't want to see will allow you to further tailor your dash to your interests.

Misc. Tip: Reblog vs New Post

Adding commentary to reblogs is generally better than creating an entirely new post because it's continuing a conversation. You already have two people who are guaranteed to see your post (the OP and the person you're reblogging from), which is two more than a new post is guaranteed to have.

There are, however, times where creating your own post is best etiquette. If you are starting to stray pretty far from the original topic, feel free to make your own post about it instead. You can link and/or screenshot the post that inspired your own for context.

Other times, etiquette warrants a new post. Go by the same metric I described in the tagging section - if you created this post, would the commentary annoy you? Make your own.

On Tumblr, we must curate our own experience. Therefore, good Tumblr etiquette is all about allowing others to do the same.

*Meant in terms of keeping this site functioning, not dictating how you should have your fun. This post is about boosting community building, making friends, and helping Tumblr not get shut down for sucking ass.

**If your dash is not buzzing with content, repeat step one.

[andromedasummer]

Good morning, today im going to pirate 5-7 videogames made by small indie game devs who are heavily dependent on sales 😚✌️

in WHAT world is the sims 4 or fucking crusader kings 3 an INDIE GAME

[rambles-about-minecraft-ocs]

theres something so funny to me when hermits are talking about redstone and theyre like "and then theres an etho hopper clock here-"

like. of course they use etho hopper clocks, itd be weirder if they actively avoided using it, considering its like. a redstone thingy that is very useful and still works even after all this time, and from what i understand it was like. a pretty big deal in terms of useful things you could do with redstone back when he first made it because it opened up ways to do even more things with redstone

and like for the most part theyve probably been referring to that particular thing as an etho hopper clock for longer than theyve even known etho personally, considering the etho hopper clock predates his joining hermitcraft by at least 1-2 years, and several of the other hermits joining hermitcraft by even more. so of course they still call it that

on a related note, most of them likely had at least heard of etho before meeting him, even if they didnt personally watch him (tho i know some did) since he was an old school minecraft youtuber. like his original season 1 of "lets play minecraft" started when minecraft was so new it hadnt been officially released yet. literally back in minecraft alpha. he was a minecraft youtuber OG

so with those two points taken into consideration it completely makes sense that "etho hopper clock" is something ingrained into the terminology of anyone that does stuff with redstone somewhat regularly. theres no reason it wouldnt be

but when you put it into contrast with like. their actual interactions with etho. it kind of cracks me up???

its like. in my head the vibes are this: imagine building something and being like "okay guys, for this machine we need to use an archimedes screw, which is named of course after its inventor archimedes, a man so genius that to this day he is regarded as one of the most brilliant inventors and mathematicians to ever walk this earth" and then like thirty minutes later you go to a restaurant and you see archimedes, of classic antiquity fame, trying to eat a sandwich but the ingredients keep falling out in increasingly comedic manners. so you of course call him pathetic to his face, and then ask if he wants to try out your new totally-not-a-scam product that you carry on you at all times for opportunities like these. and for some reason he doesnt just say yes, but buys two

[tubbytarchia]

Doc and Jimmy brainrot part 1 lmao oh no

Basically "What if Doc was in the Life games and Jimmy triggered his parental instincts again". You guys will see my vision. I don't care what it takes. You will see this very specific vision I have god damn it if it's the last thing I do

This is all I have to use as propaganda right now but some ideas and justification below cut!!

Been imagining a lot of Doc/Jimmy interactions both in a traffic and HC context, both of which I'd love to draw for but obvs this for now is 3rd life and I want to draw a little something for each Life series. You'll see!!

The general idea is inspired by a moment from one of the Decked Out streams in which Jimmy calls for Etho and Doc's all "you're triggering my parental instinct... I wanna take you into my hand and take you to a safe place" yep that's it that's the whole inspiration!!

Jimmy deserves love and he does get it to various degrees ofc (Tango, Bad Boys etc) but man... It's so fun to me to imagine Doc in traffic, I think he claimed that he didn't want to be part of the life games because he was afraid of being too competitive (or so I heard), but god it's so fun to imagine big scary mad scientist goat man in that scenario and him probably going at it on his own a lot of the time, but this god forsaken mf Jimmy knows exactly how to unintentionally trigger his parental instincts. I want Doc to subtly take Jimmy under his wing especially as Jimmy keeps dying first. So maybe Jimmy is a bit incompetent and loud as far as he knows, but he sees that he's trying his best and the dad in him can't help but intervene just a tiny bit (and I do mean just a tiny bit) as the games go on. Yes I'm just gonna shove Doc into the Life Games just because I wish this dynamic could have happened and I beg you to put up with it!!

For the above drawing specifically since, sigh, I'm slow and that's all I have to offer rn... it's of course 3rd life, starting off. I imagine Jimmy's wings sprouting during that, because the whole "canary curse" began with the Life Games etc. And this post isn't about FH but just for context as I imagine it, Scott who doesn't like unpredictability convinces him to clip his wings (thanks Bree) because Jimmy's not a proper avian (unlike Grian who has a more "airborne" body, bird feet etc rather than just... wings) and he'd never be able to take flight anyway, those wings would only encumber him. (And then Jimmy keeps clipping them himself until DL Ranchers but cough this post isn't about that). I imagine the avians (for my specific roster, just Grian) have their wings magically clipped anyway just enough to prevent flight and make the games fair. Doc ofc isn't avian himself but he knows that Grian greatly frowns upon the act of willingly clipping wings so when he sees that Jimmy's quickly growing wings have been clipped as well, he can't help but ask, because why would that be necessary while his wings are so small anyway? And Jimmy's response triggers a wee bit of fatherly concern in him but thats it for 3rd life woo

For the rest I just wanna draw more tiny moments of interaction until I get to Secret Life, I guess!! The brainrot is really fucking strong guys

[azsazz]

Glitz, Glam & Grand Prix

Formula One!Azriel x Reader

Summary: Set at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, you, as Ferrari's team Media Trainer, struggle with keeping both drivers in line.

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 1,887

Notes: Back again with another F1 AU 💙 so obsessed with this trope tbh

Belongs to the Off Grid collection.

_________________________________________

“I am not wearing this,” Azriel says flatly, staring at the garment in his hand in horror. He’s holding the hanger hook between a pinched thumb and forefinger, like the newly designed sequined bomber jacket might jump off the holder and strangle him.

He might prefer that.

“Yes, you are,” you answer, distractedly. Your phone buzzes in your hand, another email coming through. Something about a calendar change with the scheduled interviews for the two drivers you’re in charge of for media training. “You’re going to put that jacket on, just like all of the other drivers are doing, and you’re going to march your ass over to the social media team and do what they ask without complaint.”

You cut your—secret—boyfriend a harsh look that matches your no-nonsense tone. He holds your look for all of four seconds before giving in, returning to his glower to the garment in his hand instead. It’s smart of him, choosing not to start with you while you’re in Media Training mode, not secret girlfriend mode where you shoot him teasing grins and cheeky glances behind everyone’s backs.

“Give it here, old man,” Dorian Havilliard says, swiping the coat from him. You cringe, offering Azriel an apologetic smile that looks more like a grimace when his hazel gaze swings wildly to meet yours. As if you can do something about the driver tasing him. Azriel looks like he’s about two seconds from trying to lay Dorian—Ferrari’s newest recruit—out flat.

“I’m not even that old,” Azriel mutters, giving up before the arguing can even begin. The drivers haven’t started off on a good foot, Azriel upset about the realization that he’s getting older in this sport, and the looming fear that the rookie is going to replace him for his Driver 1 spot. For Dorian, he’s too naive yet to understand that he can learn a thing or two from the veteran driver. “Can I fake a stomach bug to get out of this one, ba—(Y/N)?” Azriel stutters, quickly catching his mistake.

Your eyes widen, but thankfully, Dorian doesn’t seem to notice, too enraptured with the design on the back of the bomber. Three dice line the back in white sequins, and instead of regular pips, the black of the dice spells out the acronym F1LVGP: Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

It is pretty ugly, but you cannot wait to see your boyfriend in it.

Both drivers are set to shoot media in the very jackets that fans received with their purchase of tickets months ago. It’s going to be as gimmicky and cheesy as Azriel thinks it’s going to be, which is why you refrained from mentioning this specific part of the media tour to him this weekend.

“The fans are going to want to see you both in that jacket,” you explain, biting your lip at Dorian, who has zipped it up to his collarbones. It does look horrid, and there’s a part of you that wishes you could warn the social team about Azriel’s reluctant attitude. Hopefully, they don’t give him any props that might make him look even sillier. “It’s good for the team and the race. Plus, interaction gets us all paid, boys.”

Your phone pings with another important message, a call-in meeting with the Ferrari Public Relations team managers to develop key messages that align with the brand values, sponsor commitments, and team ethos.

With the two stubborn-minded drivers on your team, that part might prove to be difficult.

After that it’s crisis meetings with said drivers, training both Dorian and Azriel on how to efficiently deflect the potential damaging and sensitive questions about what happened in Brazil two weeks ago. Azriel is used to it, and as much as he hates the interview portion of his job, is trained well in answering these types of questions with tact and confidence.

Dorian, on the other hand, is still young and new to the team. The interviewers will no doubt single him out, sniffing out his fresh blood because he’s more likely to make a mistake. You already know that he’s a touch hot-headed when it comes to the obvious rift between the two Ferrari drivers, and if the interviewers pose a question that gives him room to get a word in about Azriel, you have no doubt that he’ll take it, even without realizing exactly how it could impact the team image.

You’re going to make sure that that doesn’t happen.

The rest of the weekend is planned out down to the minute. You’re not even sure you have a single free second to spend with Azriel.

Las Vegas is always exhausting.

“Hey, boss? When do we have some down time this weekend?” Dorian asks, as if he’s somehow reading your mind. You’re dreading this, having to tell a freshly turned twenty-one-year-old in Las Vegas for the first time that he’s not going to be able to go buck-wild. He’ll have to save that for a bye-week or a break. You’re here for business and racing this weekend, not strip-shows and high-hollers tables.

And while he may have an appearance at Omnia night club post-race on Sunday, you’ve tasked yourself with keeping an eye on the rookie, this weekend more so than during the rest of the races this season.

“Unlikely, Havilliard,” you answer, finally looking up from the calendar on your phone. He should really know by now how this all works—it’s race 22 for Mother’s sake—that everything is all work and no play until after the race, but as it’s Dorian’s first year in the big leagues, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It’s been years since you worked with a rookie. You’ve been on Ferrari’s team for a while now, working with Azriel and veteran driver Rowan Whitethorn who accepted an offer from McLaren at the end of last season. It had been bliss, the both of them the most unproblematic drivers on the grid, letting their racing do the talking for them.

But it had been more difficult to get them to talk than you thought. The pair hadn’t been as personable to the world because of their stoic behavior, but when you were hired on, you whipped them into tip-top shape, both drivers the perfect media trained racers within all of Formula 1.

“We’re here for work. You’ll have some time after practice and the race, but Saturday night you’re not to be spotted in any clubs or casinos too late,” you explain, shoving your phone into your back pocket to give him your full attention when you say this. You watch your words settle within Dorian, his shoulders falling more and more as you continue. “You’re not to go overboard. That means no drinking, no gambling, no—”

“Fun?”

You sigh at his disheartened look. Maybe it would be alright if he spent some time with some of the veteran drivers, maneuvering Las Vegas along with them. He’ll find that he can still find fun in moderation. Too bad you know Azriel will cut that idea off at the neck.

“I know it sounds boring, Dorian,” you try easily, giving the young driver a sympathetic look. “It’s your first time in Las Vegas and that’s very exciting, but you really need to think hard about what you’re doing here because there are temptations, but there are so many cameras and eyes on you. If you can handle how things might be construed, you don’t have my blessing, but I can’t force you to sit in your hotel all weekend.”

Something sparks in those deep blue eyes at your hidden message. You’ve warned him and you’re not flat-out telling him that you’ll look the other way, that you’ll clean up a mess for him if he makes it, but he should get to live a little, at least.

You know that he’s unlikely to listen to you anyway, friends with a lot of the other young drivers who are just as excited to be in Las Vegas as Dorian is; Ruhn Danaan, Ithan Holstrom, and Tharion Ketos to name a few, with veteran driver Cassian Bailey taking them all under their wing.

That tiny detail means that you’re going to have your work cut out for you this season.

“You got it, boss,” Dorian salutes, shooting you the most innocent look he can muster.

Behind him, Azriel rolls his eyes, and you’re pretty sure you hear him mutter, “Kiss ass,” under his breath, which both you and Dorian effectively ignore.

You’re proud, he’s already learning.

“Alright, Dorian. You’re up first for bomber jacket media, I have something to talk about with Azriel, but we’ll be down soon. You know where you’re going?” You ask, even though his security detail is awaiting him in the hall outside of the suite.

“Of course,” Dorian nods, passing you with his phone already out in his hand. You give him all of three seconds before he begins posting Instagram stories about the hotel. “Thank you for everything, (Y/N).”

“My pleasure,” you answer, waiting until the door shuts behind him before spinning towards your boyfriend and pinning him with a stern look. “You need to stop being so negative, Az. Dorian is on your team and he’s here to stay, at least for the next two seasons until your contract ends. If you want Ferrari to keep you, the both of you will have to start getting along sooner rather than later, and Dorian is a sweetheart.”

“Not you too,” Azriel groans. “Come on, babe, no one can be that charming.”

You hum, stepping into your boyfriend’s warm body. If this is all the time you’re allowed this weekend, you’re going to take advantage of it. Azriel’s hands find your hips easily, a firm, comforting weight against your skin. “I seem to remember someone else that was quite charming when we met,” you tease, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him into a kiss that makes your heart race faster than the speed of his car.

“I was pretty charming, wasn’t I?” Azriel grins, waggling his eyebrows, and you love looking at him like this, happy, when his eyes crinkle in the corners with his smile, the slight dimple in his cheek deepening. He’s so handsome. “Want to go down to the Little White Chapel later and make this official?” Azriel teases and your heart fucking soars, even if he is only poking fun.

Someday the man in your arms won’t be a secret anymore. You’ll be able to flaunt him all over the world, build a life with him, love him not just in the shadows.

“Without a ring?” You joke right back, pinching his side. “I don’t think so, Az.”

“Baby, I’ll get you the biggest ring I can find,” Azriel’s words are husky, his breath hot against the shell of your ear as he dips his chin. “I’ll give you the whole damn world, (Y/N). I love you.”

“I love you too,” you respond breathlessly, and begin rethinking your refusal to marry him on the strip in Las Vegas without a ring. You’ll take him now, hell, you’ll even marry him in the sequined bomber jacket, you don’t care.

You just want to be his, not in secret anymore.

_________________________________________

Tagging people from the last F1 fic. If you don't want to be tagged just lmk 🥰

@iambored24601 @secretlyhers @kylaisra @daily-dose-of-sass @moosemahboi @devilsfoodcake22 @blackthorngirl @brieflyclassymortal @starsdoulikedem @cami26cami @justasillylittlegoofyguy @milswrites @navyblue-eternity @kennedy-brooke @mimsie95 @shadowsingersmate24 @piceous21 @skyjasper @soulessjourney @despoinasstuff @weasleyreidstyles @marrass @favfantasyreads @fairywriter-oracle @georgiastars13 @blueblondi @namelesssav @tothestarsandwhateverend @brekkershadowsinger

[ssnowflowers]

Grian's alliance with Cleo and Etho is so interesting to me. Because it's so different from every other alliance he's made.

The first alliance made in the Life Series for Grian is the Blue Sword Boys. And it's simply for a diamond sword. This sets an expectation that Grian needs to be useful for an alliance to be worth it.

His alliance to Scar, his desert friend, is built on him selling his life to Scar. An entire life, one of three deaths he gets before never being able to walk the world again. He gives it all to Scar. Because lives are valuable, useful. Servants are useful.

In Last Life, the Southlands are brought together through resources. You go red, there are no gifted lives bringing you back from the brink like in other alliances. You just go. Grian is forced out of the Southlands first, the home he built no longer his. Because by dying, he has proven he isn't useful.

His alliance with Joel is built on the fact that they are both red. That they need one another to survive. That reds live and die alone. They are loyal, because loyalty is useful. And their alliance ends when they stop being red. And it resumes once they are again.

In Double Life, Grian doesn't want to pair with Scar. He quite literally lets out a guttural scream of no. But it's easier to stick around his soulmate. Build Scar a base, babysit him. It's far more useful.

After a certain point, Grian stops viewing alliances as someone loyal. Someone who has your back. Simply, that it is necessary to have friends.

It's useful to have allies, so he jumps at the first opportunity. In Limited Life, he joins Joel and Jimmy because they invite him. He changes his skin, something he has never done before. He engages with bread bridge, he changes things about himself to look useful.

And then in the final sessions, when he loses Jimmy and Joel, he moves along quickly. He even says that Joel is a 'lost cause' and teams up with Pearl and BigB instead.

His wording is so specific too. Not allies, not teammates...friends. This is how he views friendship. A mutual exchange of usefulness.

It's why he's so desperate to make friends in Secret Life. He begs and pleads with people, when he is forced together with Joel he sticks with him like a clingy child, he builds the egg not because he likes it, but because a pretty base can attract friends.

When he asks if he can join Etho and Cleo. They just say yes. No second thoughts. And Grian is still trying to sell himself, prove why they should want him around. And Cleo just has on screen text (aka, inner thoughts) questioning why Grian is still trying to convince them? They've already said yes!

He's so stuck in the mindset of seeming useful, that he's now doing it even when no one is looking for him to be useful.

This is what sets his alliance with them apart from anyone else. He does not have to stick around, or cling to them. He can disappear for most of the session, and be fine.

Cleo and Etho help him out and he helps them in return. Not because he needs to be useful. But because he wants to. Because he has finally found people who just want him around because it's him.

It's such a large shift in his previous alliances, that I can't help but appreciate every little interaction. Because Cleo and Etho are his friends first. Not just allies.

[fkapommel]

I believe that it is thematically necessary for griddlehark full lyctorhood, or on Harrowhark Christ

Together, Harrow and Gideon complete the symbolism of Christ. You have the obvious Christographic imagery in the start and end of Gideon's life: she is a "virgin" birth, a genetic product of God without any sexual interaction between her mother and father; she was concieved in order to die, specifically to be sacrificed to save the souls - in a literal and metaphorical sense - of the innocent, i.e. non-necros; and she died ultimately by her own choice, dying with the use of pentrative weapons.

But Harrow is literally the "child of man" - she is the cumulation of a generation, not one but many, the many made one. Harrow resembles young Jesus debating and educating the priests of the Temple, already knowing more about the arts of the spirit, of life and death, than his teachers as an infant. Both are prodigies of their craft. She is literally and figurarively carrying her cross all of HtN, the sword physically resembles a cross and is a burden of both her and Gideon's sins. And Harrow, in her soup making era, pulled off the Eucharist, transforming Mithraeum family dinner night into sacrifical, (not metaphysical) cannibalism night. Though both G & H have lain entombed and miraculously resurected, it was Harrow that descended into Hell to interact with the dead (more on this when ATN reveals what she did in Hell).

In one way, this creates friction, a literary rivalry, between the two characters. Who is more Jesus-like? Who is more central to the narrative? I argue that its in merging them that we see a clearer narrative reflection of the scriptural material of both the physical book series and the religio-imperalist model Jod based his empire on. This meta-textual symbolism HAS to be incorporated within the narrative itself given the device of lyctohood, wherein two souls literally meld to become inseperable and indistinguishable. By becoming full lyctors (and seperately i suspect that theyll become perfect lyctor numero dos), the Christographic symbolism embodied by both Gideon and Harrow will become literal and plot relevant, and solidify their lyctorhood not just as a narrative goalpost, a "hell yea" moment for the reader, or a completion of the main narrative conflict of their constant division. Their merging via the Eightfold Path will be semi-prophetic and imbued with religious significance as they both represent a halved Christ.

Gideon and Harrow HAVE to become full/perfect lyctors not just to release the symphonic tension of their constant coming togethers and going aparts, but to complete the image of a divided messiah.

Tldr: yes gideon is jesus, but harrow is jesus too and together they make Double Jesus. Jesus pt. 2 WILL become canon via full or perfect lyctorization!!!

Edit: I do NOT think ATN will /end/ with lyctor!griddlehark; thats just not in character for either of them, nor would that provide a morally satisfying end that is in contrast to Jod's ethos. I believe they will uncover the process and either temporarily inhabit full/perfect lyctorhood, find a way to balance their soul melange equally, or sever their soul bond completely (worst option!) Them uncovering the truth to lyctorhood, however, is necessary to resolve (meta)narrative tension.

[shepscapades]

do you have any plans to expand the dbh au outside of hermitcraft? just curious

Yes and no! Dbhc essentially is the normal plot of hermitcraft + friends (+life series, whatever) , except a big handful of them (the androids) were introduced and s8 and s9 of hermitcraft. Since Xisuma (with Doc’s help) is the one who made most of the androids, the androids are limited to hermitcraft characters (aka, sausage or jimmy or any other characters will not be androids). Skizz I think is the only exception, since he was made by Impulse+Doc+Mumbo+Tango+Etho! And he wasn’t technically a hermit at the time that info came out in the au. Though maybe in dbhc skizz WAS made for hermitcraft— not sure on those details yet!

However, since this au pretty much follows normal hermitcraft timeline with s8/s9 onwards (although some androids were introduced/made in s9, and were not present in s8), everyone else (empires, life series, etc) are still part of this world! and the hermits interact with them like they would in normal canon :] which is why we have the life series and everything! This DOES mean that events previous to s8– including 3rd life + previous hermitcraft seasons follow a pretty different timeline, as a lot of those characters would not be there yet. Makes for some fun plot rearranging! But I don’t have all of that figured out yet :]

Hopefully that helps clear it up a bit! I’ve had a few people ask if other non-hermits were going to be androids, so hopefully this answers that too :3

[logosbot-tm]

Sometimes, I get attached to things in such a way that I feel as if I need it to breathe.

And for some reason.

That attachment is about Mumbo and Grian's friendship/duo/whatever

Why are they like that? Why have they been like that since the beginning? Genuinely what's up w the two of them

It's fascinating.

But also, it's so silly that My Hyperfixation is These Two Dudes Interacting

That's so silly

I could've had anything

And I got Blockmen Who Behave Suspiciously

Like, ah yes, summoning circles bc the other isn't online, messaging systems between their bases, a canonical kid named after their ship name, secret diaries w just words about how much you miss the other, random references to each other, a tendency to team up often, a soulbound that has stayed since s8, bases close to each other, need for attention/approval from the other, being in awe of what the other creates, utter despair when the other dies, flirting, etc-

Why are they like that? The only other thing that Is Like This that I can think of is Etho and Bdubs

What is it w redstoners and builders getting this attached???

And I am very attached to whatever the hell this dynamic is.

Wait, what do you mean it's been going on for six years?

[whereonhermitcraftisjoel]

joel chats with tango, gem, and etho (& skizz for a bit as well) on tango’s monday hc stream for ~16 mins! he shows up at 02:08:50

And what a WILD RIDE this was. I have clipped the whole interaction, the part here Gem says she ships Joel and Etho, and a highlight of the most intense Joel & Etho segments. (Was I avoiding work I don't want to do? Absolutely yes.)

Joel & Etho highlights:

Full version of the stream fun!

Longer version of "Gem ships Joel & Etho" scene below cut

[raindropren]

everytime gem mentions impulse and pearl I get really,,,, I think the word is uncomfortable?

It may be a fun storyline but i get so,, weird when a character is very clearly wanting someone to have a bad reputation with others instead of it happening gradually. Gem even says that impulse hasn't really done anything to her and joel, and yet,,,

not to mention the fact that the only thing Pearl did to gem was trying to get her to eat the cobblestone wall, which yes, would've poisoned her, but also was clearly for funzie's and something that multiple people had done in session 2 at that point, and maybe, maaybbee, be alittle agro with impulse during the cow stuff in session 1? but I,,, i have my own thoughts on that. Anything else is from the last season, and while referencing a past season is very fun, having a whole bias because of one makes me,,,, blah. It's not a bad thing, it's a fun storyline ngl, It just makes me,,, like,,, kinda ill,,,(and not in the "I'M ILL /POS" way,,,) like a,,, weirdly physical ill??? It's so weird to say because,,, I'm completely talking about the characters, I think CC gem is amazing, and really funny for this ngl, but stars above, the character makes me sick feeling.

Also, the fact that multiple other people have been,, eh,, meaner? to "The Family" and instead of also being rival's, enemies,,, not friendly?? with them, they are constantly trying to ally with them in a way. Biggest point is martyn, First session he killed one of their cows to try and force them into a trade, and it worked(kinda)! AND IT WAS IMPULSES COW!!! so ya,,, the fact the entire thing that,,, that was,, just vanished in her thoughts of them is,,, gvbiufhdbkgudfljnrioghdfjk

It's so interesting,, Fascinating, I love it, I hate it, It makes me sick, it's on a C!Scott level of interesting, WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!!!

There's a weird level of nostalgia that I feel towards what C!gem is doing,,,, It,,, reminds me of a different,,, smp,,,, anyways

She's actively and constantly saying, especially to others, that Impulse and Pearl(But not Scott and Cleo) are basically the villains, that they should be harmed, die and such, to go after them. She tells Skizz to try and kill impulse actively, joel and her give him advice. She says something to Ren, Martyn, and Etho aswell(and I'm 90% sure there's more, i just,,, haven't finished watching the video,,,,) Bdubs and Tango? maybe BIG MAYBE!! they're around quite abit but I can't remember(my memories so bad oh my stars,,,) if She said anything to them. She talks to Scott about it AND I THINK SCOTT??? AGREES????

This girlie confuses me to no end,,, WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!

Also the fact that They are CONSTANTLY on her mind, despite not interacting,, basically at all it seems in session 3. They are in her head, spinning while she desperately tries to get them out, of course, via death in-season <3

[mysticofspades]

Top 10 Moments in the Life Series

Okay, so like, a month ago or something, Jimmy asked his viewers to compile together a list of their top ten moments from the life series, and I put together my potential list right then and there when the video came out. Then I forgot about it for the entirety of a month and now here we are. (ADHD sucks sometimes TT). Since he’s already put out his reaction vid, I didn’t feel like putting together an entire video but still wanted to ramble some so~

10. Desert Duo on a Camel Together in a Red Desert

Frankly, this made the list exclusively because of biases. The significance of these two men wandering around a RED DESERT – red as in; covered in blood – on the back of some rideable minecraft animal is probably lost on any new viewer. Not to mention the Cactus Monopoly scene, with Scar giving Grian the monopoly over it while saying; “I know how you love monopolies.” That entire interaction pretty much ruined me. I haven’t not thought about it in weeks. I need help.

9. The AH-HA Bit

I don’t know if I need to say anything more about this. If the previous was iconic for its dramatics, this is iconic for the opposite. It’s just a bunch of men having fun together, laughing and making stupid little puns about a made up British tradition. The fact that Impulse, a very american american, was somehow bound up in this group made it ten times funnier. No notes, this bit speaks for itself. Insert funny AH-HA pun here.

8. Etho’s Fishing Rod Kill on Scar

Already one of my favorite seasons for a variety of reasons, Last Life didn’t need this scene to make it my all time favorite season or anything. But damn, am I glad it happened. The precision and calculations on Etho’s part is just– damn! That entire situation, no matter how it played out, Etho would be on the winning side. Like, it was either Scar dies and Etho gets a boogie kill or just not. Even if Etho didn’t get his kill there, Bdubs woulda still gotten a life and Etho could still kill anyone else. Either way, Bdubs would’ve gotten his life and Etho would’ve gotten his buddy back. It’s all just beautifully and meticulously planned out that I can’t help but plop into this spot.

(Yes, I recognise that it might not have been planned to that extent on Etho’s part, or IRL Etho’s part, at least. I am choosing to believe that ch!Etho totally did weigh out all his options and came to the conclusion that this was the best course of action and was confident he could get the kill and even knew that Scar would have the Enchanter on him. He just comes off as that type of character to me, is all.)

7. Scott’s Sacrifice for Pearl in DL

You cannot tell me that this is not one of the most iconic moments of the life series, ever. Scott standing over that pile of TNT, lighter in hand while Pearl, bathed in red and a bloody ax clenched tightly in her fists, watches, wide-eyed and hysteric, trying to desperately ask what’s going on or to understand or to just do something, unable to in the end as Scott takes his own life crowning her victor over the bloodbath that she had never thought would end like this.

And that fucking line?! “Tilly death do us part?!” What the hell, Scott?!

In conclusion, your honor, Tilly is still alive somewhere in the DL world and someone should rescue her.

6. Grain’s Stalactite kill on BigB / Ren

Alright, this is pure luck and I am so fucking here for it. It’s simply beautiful. The unplanned accuracy of a man on a bloodlust ending up only getting a kill on his chosen soulmate is poetic as shit (shit that just so happens to be really poetic, that is).

It’s kinda like the reverse or inverse of the Etho fishing rod kill. Grian’s pure luck and also not is what makes this scene so fucking memorable.

Not to mention both Grian and Scar’s reactions. Grian was over the moon, screaming and celebrating and being ecstatic until he realizes just what he’s done. And his little “except when I got married,” is all pure chaos and we live for that here.

Then there’s Scar, ever the opportunist, immediately starts looting the corpses. Silently. He picks up anything he deems valuable (which could mean useless lint and string, but whatever) and tries to bealine it out of there the second he’s done. I love Scar, honestly.

5. Scar’s SL Win!

This specific season holds a special place in my heart for being the only season I watched and stayed tuned in for the entirety of its run. So when Scar, the one I’ve been rooting for since 3L, happens to win, you can imagine my excitement.

It was so out of left field, too. Like, in the final battle, I knew for a fact something was going to take out Scott and Pearl, them being winners already and this spoken rule of no double winners and all. But between Scar and Gem? I’m sorry, Scar, but I definitely didn’t see it coming. Gem was on a mad one, killing or getting someone else to kill more than half the server and already being stacked on kills. It just fits, ya know?

Like, Martyn, Grain and Pearl all were crazy about killing their entire season, even on green they were kinda unhinged, ya know? (couch couch Scarlet Pearl cough cough). And it's not like Scott didn’t have a body count.

To be fair though, it’s not like Scar didn’t get any kills either, it was just more…. Discrete? Unintentional. His kill on Bdubs and his accidental shot on Gem were both not of his own volition.

The idea that what it took for Scar to win was to completely give up on making friends is poetic as shit.

First season, he had an ally, a friend, a comrade, one whom he betrayed then gave his life for.

Next season, he tried and tried and tried again to make friends, almost as if chasing that same high he got with his first partner, but never managing to make any meaningful connections, and ended up shot in the back.

Then, he’s reunited with his partner of old and they get off to a good start, being the last greens and all. But as if with all things, it came down as Scar, accidentally, took their first two lives and his soulmate took the other.

Afterwards, he returns to his family, hoping to find peace and connections there. He finds it with his mother and brother and, sort of, with his estranged father. He leads a Scar-typical season of blowing things up (attempting to, at least), stabbing people in the back and swindling (only a little). It all comes to a head as his once-soulmate, once-partner-in-crime stabs him in the back, literally.

Finally, we have this season. Scar starts out looking for friends, he very much does. But the universe itself has other ideas. Bad task after bad task, Scar is left almost entirely isolated from the rest of the server. The backstabber of a soulmate offers him a home but he cannot take it (as per rules he made up about his task). Then, somehow, somewhere, he sees those words, “She’s dead, Scar, you won.”

It’s all just beautiful honestly.

4. “It was just a prank, Scar!”

The beginning of it all. This little prank led to so much that it deserves to be in the top5 of every list out there, in my opinion anyway. Like, Grian randomly happening across a creeper out in broad daylight then proceeding to choose to lead it all the way into a group of distracted people in the name of a prank which leads into a season-long, dramatic, all-defying alliance of which leads to a climactic battle surrounded by the disheveled and war torn lands they once ruled over together (we’ll get to this in a minute, don’t worry), chants of the ghosts of the lives they ended to get to where they are, screaming in their ears to fight and to kill and having to brutally take the last life of the person he’d once vowed his own to Al because of what? A prank?! Seriously?!– is that not the best shit you’ve heard all day? Or all week? Hell, maybe your entire fucking life???

I sure think so.

3. Liz’s Final Death in SL

I realize that this is my only Tim related moment on the list and it was Tim who had asked for the list in the first place, but whatever. There are plenty of cool ass (and miserably funny) Tim moments out there (ones I might plop into the honorary mentions bit) but this is honestly my favorite and the one I think makes the cut compared to the others on here.

Anyhow. Onto Liz taking Tim’s place as first out.

I watched Liz’s POV late, can’t remember if it was because she uploaded late or someone else uploaded and I forgot to get back to it afterward– I dunno. I saw hers late and thus already knew she was going to die first, so, unfortunately, I didn’t get to live it through her eyes first, quite sad I know. Point is, I fucking. Nearly. Cried.

Like, not only was Liz’s whole arc in the season quite sad already, with the whole, “I wish everyone were here,” and her attempt at cheering herself up ending up so horribly, I knew beforehand that something awful was going to have to happen to sum up all her season-long misery. Dying in the midst of an attack, her only proper attack really, with an ender-pearl sitting untouched in her hotbar, was not the way I thought that would happen.

And something I didn't expect even more?? Her dying first??? Yeah, no, it was definitely not on my SL Bingo Card, that’s for sure. It was just so out of nowhere and yet, it also wasn’t? How do I explain? Like, Liz’s whole season was going from one misfortune to another, bad decision to another and it just kept piling on, until, well– you know.

Tim’s seasons are usually like that, no? Bad decisions followed by the universe itself hating on him followed by pure bad luck. Pretty much any Timmy Life Series season honestly.

I don’t think I’m doing this scene– this event justice. Timmy went out first every season for 4 seasons in a row. then Lizzie waltzes on in for the second time, suffers a bunch in her episodes, tries to kill Scott (a well-known no-no if you want to live) and then dies. First.

Beautiful and iconic; that’s LDShadowLady for you.

(I realize I should probably talk about Tim some more, given that this is the only Jim-related moment on here, but eh. This segment is too long already. I’ll talk about some other Jim moments later.)

2. Scar’s Water Bucket Clutch

This moment proved to me that putting Grian and Scar together in a life series makes a seriously underrated but totally fairly rated duo. Like, in one season they managed to keep a whole ass, proper, monopoly going for at least, like, 2(?) whole sessions, Grain managed that stalactite kill I talked about already and then Scar does this shit??

I just– there’s a reason these guys got so fucking close to winning and never teamed up, volentairily, ever again. Had they teamed up again, and wanted to actively work together and actually win this shit, they totally could. There is a fucking reason both of them are individually winners now and I’m so shitting here for it.

Onto more specific things; Scar is a mad man and I love him for it. He saw Etho burning a couple of pandas (I apologize; a couple of jellies) and was just, “screw you Giran, those pandas need me,” and he went.

Grian’s reaction going from severely panicked to immeasurable pride is just beautiful (lots of things are beautiful, shut up).

When I tell you I replayed this shit non-stop until all the dopamine this scene could provide my ADHDed brain could be sucked up dry until it was drier than the driest of dry prunes you’ve ever seen on a hot ass summer afternoon, I mean it with every ounce of my being.

With that said; second place it shall be forevermore~

1. Cactus Ring

I mentioned this earlier and I don’t think anyone is necessarily surprised judging by all my other picks thus far, yeah?

Everyone’s heard of the beginning of the end. Well this feels a lot like the opposite of that. The end of the beginning, ya know? Third life’s the beginning, where everything began, where everything and everyone got established (well mostly everyone) and it’s where everything started. The cactus ring, to me, marks the end of the beginning. As if to say, “the beginning is over. We all know what we’re doing from now on, the trials are over and the bloodlusts and betrayals have already begun, let them continue (forevermore~).”

It’s a red mark (of blood) in the sand from where they began to where they’ll continue to go. It's the end of an era, the beginning of another, the continuation of a story left unfinished. It’s everything and nothing and I’m making no sense–

My point in all this is that this moment is iconic and deserves top 2, at minimum, on any and all lists of this kind. I accept none otherwise (not really :P).

…I feel like I spoilt myself a little my gushing about these guys earlier and now I don’t really have all that much to say–

Honorary Mentions!

1 - Tim’s final LimL death.

What the hell, dude? Talk all that crap to what? Trip off your own fucking Bad Boys Bread Brige™? Timmy, Timmy, Timmy.

Joel and Grain’s, and even Pearl’s, reactions were awesome btw!

2 - Grain and Scar’s Sing-Along!

It’s a desert duo moment, I don’t know what you want from me.

3 - Tim Killing Liz in SL

If I’m not mistaken, this is, like, Tim’s only kill that season and it being completely accidental and the fact that he feels horrible for it makes this moment comedy gold.

4 - Grain’s Triple Kill in 3L

This set the stage for many, many kills to come, and the excessive use of TNT minecarts can also be pinned back here, which is awesome of course.

5 - Etho’s Washed Up?!

This was originally on the list but because of (Scar-related) changes, it no longer is. It's awesome though so I put it down here. I fucking love this shit, dude. Cleo and Budubs’ back and forth and Etho just like, “I knew it guys, I really am washed up,” is just great.

6 - Mumbo’s Death in the Nether in SL

Mumbo is awesome and kinda not all there sometimes. This just so happens to be a moment of the latter, is all. Love him.

7 - Joel and Liz’s Romance in SL

I love these two interacting just casually. They’re super sweet and I just– I love seeing couples just doing normal things, like playing a game they both like together and just having fun, ya know? Whether that be with a little flirting or not, it’s fun to watch.

Alternatively; the Joel and Liz are trying to flirt in LL with Scar awkwardly there in the background.

[blackdiamond1038]

Secret Life Secrets

Session 3

Green- Successful

Red- Failed

Scott: Tell a player you love them and have them say it back unprompted at least 3 times. 1 attempt per player.

Jimmy: Re-bind your W key to A, S to W, D to S, and A to D for 30 minutes. You must interact with other players during the 30 minutes. If anyone points out your weird movements, restart the timer.

Lizzie: You cannot deny any request or question from another player. You must say yes.

Martyn: Someone else on the server has the same task as you. Find out who it is while still keeping it a secret. Do not reroll.

Skizz: Someone else on the server has the same task as you. Find out who it is while still keeping it a secret. Do not reroll.

Tango: You have an imaginary friend. Talk to them as if they follow you around the whole session and are part of conversations. You must interact with other players.

Grian: For every heart of damage Joel takes, you must take the same. You can let Joel in on the secret, but no one else. If either of you die this session, you fail.

Joel: Listen into another player’s conversation then try to have the same conversation with them later and have them claim deja vu. [Re-roll for harder task] Do a 100 block water bucket clutch in front of the whole server.

BigB: Listen into another player’s conversation then try to have the same conversation with them later and have them claim deja vu.

Bdubs: Use the words “bet,” “poggers,” “dab,” “yeet,” “drip,” “slay,” “vibing,” “valid,” “rizz,” and “sheesh” in the correct context over various conversations. If someone questions or repeats the words back to you, that whole conversation does not count. [I know his fail/success was kinda messy, but he pressed successful, so I’m counting it as a success.]

Pearl: Request an item 5 times in one conversation but never pick it up. You can’t be called out. 

Mumbo: Prevent Scar from losing more than 3 hearts this session.

Scar: Remove all light sources from around 5 people’s bases. If someone questions you, you need to put that person’s lights back.

Impulse: Find any player over 25 hearts and “accidentally” take 5 off of them. The method is your choice. You fail if they ask if it’s your task.

Gem: You declared yourself incorrectly successful last session. You must re-roll for harder task. [Re-roll for harder task] Open the end portal. 

Cleo: Film a nature documentary for on the server about 2 people who aren’t you for at least 5 minutes. If anyone notices you or interrupts the film, you must stop and find someone else.

Etho: Convince someone you have the same task as them. [Re-roll for harder task] Figure out someone’s secret task and prevent them from completing it.

y’all this took me two hours 😭

Let me know if anything is wrong, it’s a LOT to keep track of