#bbpau bdubs

[ethosiab]

just two guys, cursed by a god to be eternally bound by their souls

One of the main contributers to Joel and Etho's dynamic in this AU is the supposed familiarity (or lack thereof) each of them has with their curses and the soul god. Etho first picked up that stupid dagger over a decade before the story begins, he's been living with it for a large part of his life. After feeling forced to leave his family because of the bloodlust, and travelling for years trying desperately to find a way to break the curse or get rid of the dagger, Etho's jaded. He's... given up, and is trying to be content with the quiet life he's built in this tiny island village. He's got friends! A friend! The bloodlust has been pretty quiet! The soul god is probably busy doing other things, pestering other victims. He's scared of upsetting this small sanctuary he's built, even if that upset may lead him back to his home and his family.

Then along comes Joel, freshly cursed, shipwrecked, and stubborn as fuck. Joel's got a loyal crew to get back to, a wife, people he's promised to protect. He may not have had much, but he had them, and he'll do anything to get back (Etho thought he'd do the same, once, but then again, he ran away willingly). And in some twisted move on the soul god's part, they're tied together! Feel everything the other does, can't get much more than half a kilometre away from the other before they double over in pain on the verge of death.

Joel doesn't understand Etho yet, and Etho doesn't want Joel to understand him. Neither of them can get what they want without sacrificing the other's needs. It's almost like some higher power orchestrated this whole thing in an attempt to cause drama!

In the end, Etho's the one dragged along on adventure to reunite with Grian, Jimmy, and Lizzie. If he's secretly hoping Joel's quest will bring him closer to getting back to Cleo, Bdubs, and Beef, that's his business.

[ethosiab]

Did you get asked about the boatboys pirate au yet? That sounds so awesome 👀👀👀👀👀👀

hehe im glad you think so !

the AU concept essentially sprung from my sleep-deprived and angst-craving brain, on a flight to melbourne at 2am.

The basic idea is that Etho and Joel are pirates in a nautical fantasy world, with gods, magic, and fantastical sea beasts (+ Lizzie).

Etho and Joel end up with their souls linked after the two of them take and use cursed magic items 'belonging' to the god of souls, a vengeful being who feeds on the emotions and souls of mortals (it does not have a name yet-). So now they share injuries which means neither can satisfy the urge to strangle the other without causing themself harm. Sad! The items do give them powers though, which is a bonus. Yeah Joel might be seperated from his wife and has to deal with etho but he can also turn into a wolf so its not all bad.

Prior to meeting Joel, Etho was a loner, having already lost his soul in his shitty deal with the god (yet somehow still being alive... hmm... smells like a plot point....). He spent a fair while running around causing chaos (got involved with King Ren a while and worked for him, because despite being a pirate and generally against the idea of a monarchy he will not pass up the chance to get some extra coin if it suits him), but eventually settled down in a seaside pirate-ridden town because he was massively wanted after betraying the King's trust and also kind of tired. Here and there, he did the bidding of his god, which generally consisted of killing people (the god could just smite them but this is more interesting for it to watch). Etho's cursed item is a dagger that gives him the ability to go unnoticed when he's sneaking around places. If people are looking for him, their eyes gloss over him, if he's trying to be quiet he will literally not make a noise, and if he's picking someone's pocket his touch is feather light. Unlike Joel's amulet, there's nothing special about the dagger that gives him these powers, it just grants whatever the user would find coolest or most useful. Etho avoids using the dagger in combat for... reasons, and instead opts to use an arsenal of other knives he has.

Before Joel had his soul split in two (because note that difference, Etho was running around soulless for a decade before this somehow) with one half shoved in Etho's glass eye, Joel was a pirate captain with a crew consisting of Jimmy and probably some other empires people, or just random bg characters. Joel was probably one of the most dangerous pirates to encounter out there, not because of his ships firepower (though they've got a lot of that), but because he somehow always had the environment on his side. (Almost like the Ocean Goddess was his wife... or something...)

Most of the plot revolves around them being sent on a long errand by the soul god to find one of its other 'followers' that it lost track of. They end up putting together a shabby crew, meeting character's from their pasts, and desperately seeking a solution to the soul-linked issue that doesn't end up with both of them dead.

[ethosiab]

I follow from @cornbread-girlboy

phoenixparker -> ethosiab

Phoenix/Nic - he/she

Hey hey! I'm Nic, an aussie artist whose interest in Etho may or may not have gotten be better of her. I draw, I write sometimes, and I'm studying game art and design this year! So feel free to talk to me about any of that stuff :D

My main hermitcraft POVs are Etho, Tango, Bdubs, Mumbo, and Joel. Everyone else I might watch a video of here and there, but not consistently.

Links: Ao3 Artfight Bluesky

Tag directory below the cut.

Original Posts: #nics rambles - talking #nic plays games - game liveblogging #nics art - general art #nics writing - general writing #nics clips - my animations #nics wips - unfinished art/writing

Reblogs: #other's art - art/writing #clips - video clips

AUs: These AUs are mostly random art and rambles, I'm always planning on adding more to them. If you take interest or want to know something in particular, please feel free to send asks! #bbpau - Boat Boys Pirate AU: The boat boys are cursed pirates bound by their souls, and with the help of Etho's old crew, must journey to get back to the people they care about. #404 scifi au - Episode 404-inspired scifi AU: Etho works for a pharmaceutical(?) organisation called the Script Foundation, and during his employment donates his DNA for use in their cloning program. When one of the clones escapes, he is tasked with tracking it down, and along the way learns to live a little again.

[ethosiab]

Hello hello! I have little time (and energy, i'm a little sick atm haha) to draw, but I've got bbpau on the brain so I'm thinking of introducing each character's role in the story. Which brings me to ask-

These are very arbitrary groups, but those who are grouped together have interconnected stories and I think it's easiest to introduce them together.

I'll also obviously giving a bit more info on how each of them know Etho and/or Joel as i introduce them.