#grian definitely doesn’t have favorites. Not at all.

[pheonix518]

I love how Grian gave the people most important to him a power that gives them an easy way to escape whoever’s attacking them.

Scar can’t get hurt when he’s riding them and he can throw people far away from him. Jimmy can become invisible and run away.

Pearl can fly away from whoever’s hurting her.

He gave Cleo the ability to bring back his best friend in the entire world and teammate, Mumbo! And Skizz. He was there too.

[pjchatters]

nah guys it’s not that Grian’s homophobic, it’s just that Smallidarity is his NOTP and instead has platonic or familial headcanons for them

meanwhile Joel and Jimmy are the number one supporters of their own ship and it’s their OTP, much to Grian’s eternal suffering

Scar doesn’t hate it per say, but he’s definitely on team Smalletho and he just watched one of its rival ships kiss in canon, his dislike is understandable

and Impulse is having fun, he doesn’t have any favorite ships cause he likes all ships very casually

[yeahiamjustalittleguy]

can i request reader x hermits (seperate) ? like reader has a bunch of old scars and on a hot day they wear a tank top and expose all of their scars? completely okay if not AND TAKE CARE OF URSELF🫶

Okay, let me tell you, as someone with quite a visible scar on my face (I was a very courageous and dumb kid) and a few less visible ones on my hand, I get asked about it so so often and this request hits hard and I have decided to put my whole soul into it as headcanons. I've just picked a couple hermits I feel would have different reactions to it so here u go!

HEADCANON:

Grian

This boy is not going to mention it, like, at all

He has his own bad memories and sad backstory so he understands that you might not want to talk about it

The only reason he would ever talk about it would be if you ever showed any discomfort or insecurity about it

If you just never talked about it he wouldn’t either

Maybe at some point he would reassure you about yourself if you’re both deep in a relationship, but he would never explicitly mention the scars 

If you do mention them at all, it depends on how you approach it

He knows how to tell situations very well and I think he would still be careful about it

If you approach it humorously, like it doesn’t affect you then he will too

Maybe ask you where some of the bigger ones are from and expect you to tell him some good stories

If you get uncomfortable about them, or insecure he will reassure you

“I love you no matter what” or “I think they make you look cool”

He will always be supportive

Mumbo

He does try his best, but the moment he sees you he can’t help it

Shock on his face as he clearly looks you over

It’s clear he is concerned, and if you’re alone he will ask you about it

Stuff like if you’re okay, if you ever want to talk about it or if you need anything

If you reassure him you’re fine, he will totally dote on you after he is done being shocked

Will kiss your exposed scars and talk about how pretty or handsome you are to him

He will totally try to spend extra time with you, both because he learned a new thing about you that makes him love you even more but also because he is secretly making sure you’re totally okay

Even if you say you are, he would rather make sure

He will keep a little bit of a closer eye on everything you do and every little emotion you display just to keep himself sure you’re really okay

Either way he loves you how you are

Scar

This fool, this dumbass man

He cannot keep his mouth shut at all

He thinks communication is so much easier and better than having to just bottle things up or keep guessing what everyone else is thinking

So he just mentions it, asks where they’re from if you’re okay with him asking

He tries to guess it, if you’re not

The guesses will start out super detailed stories that are so far fetched as to ease you into it

“So this one is obviously from a wolf attack, where you managed to fight off 3 wolfs the size of the moon with nothing but your bare hands”

Then he will slowly try to reel it in and guess them more accurately

If one is sort of a piercing one, he will say you lost a duel in a bow fight

The one on your arm? That one is a cut from training your sword skills

He is just spitballing, trying to get it right

Either way he will pester you until you open up to him, he will not let it go

He thinks it’s so cool and really makes you look tough

Will ask you to protect him since you’re so strong

Will also definitely trace your scars whenever you are idle and he has the chance to

Even if you ask him not to, it just happens and he will laugh it off

He starts to slowly like them, the more he sees them

Every rare moment you show them, he slowly appreciates them more and more 

Really weird but he has favorites

He just loves them to be honest

It makes you so uniquely you

Etho

No matter what he will start out by making some sort of snarky little comment

“Did you fight your kitchen drawer and lose or something?”

It’s not mean spirited at all, it’s supposed to be humorous 

He just likes to approach things with lightheartedness and jokes 

He knows it might be a serious topic, but his objective is always to turn it into something fun or less serious to try and make you feel better about it

He won’t dote on you or reassure you like the others unless you open up about it

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you the way you are, his love is just more subtle like that

It’s small things you wouldn’t immediately notice about his reaction to it

Sometimes he will look at one of them and imagine the pain or maybe even accidentally imagine the person who might have given it to you

It’ll make him look at them with hatred, but it’s not directed at you even if it would seem that way

He’d make up little fantasies of revenge in his head to clear the thoughts

At this point you might even be the one who will have to reassure him that it’s no problem anymore, if it ever even was 

Bdubs

He will instantly be all over you, and no matter your approach he will be excited

Unless you just start straight up crying he won’t notice if you’re sad or insecure about them cause he is just so excited about seeing a different part of you

He’s the same as Scar where he wants to know where every little scar comes from

If it’s serious he will of course reassure you, but he will definitely also compliment them no matter what

He just think they suit you, and in the end Bdubs is sort of just a hopeless romantic

Anything that is a part of you, he loves it

Anything that is you is beautiful

Which in turn makes your scars beautiful too

He feels closer to you, looking at them because in the end it tells your story and your past, making him feel like he is closer to it 

It’s something he’s probably been sad about before, that not every inch of your life is tied together, that there are parts of you that he can’t be a part of which is before you met

But seeing the scars can help him understand that part, and sort of relate to you in a way that he finds very intimate

So of course he will pester you about them any given time they are on display

He does love them, just as much as he loves you

Pearl

She’s definitely the most careful out of all of them, at least out of the ones who want to approach the topic at all

As much as she is a rambunctious personality she is also an extremely caring thoughtful individual 

And as much as she doesn’t want to overstep her boundaries she also has to know you’re okay

So she approaches it very head on, but she picks her words very carefully

“I don’t know if you ever want to talk about it, but I’m willing to listen if you ever want to tell me anything about your scars.”

That’s all she ever says about it, and at that point it’s up to you to go to her about it

She wants to be as respectable to you about it as possible

She has the mindset that she doesn’t need to know if you don’t want her to know

As long as she’s sure you’re okay now, your past doesn’t matter to her

For what she thinks about them look wise, she does think they suit you

It’s not going to change how she thinks about you, knowing you have a few scars

And she has a couple herself so it doesn’t really matter

She still loves you

Tango

Tango is probably the one with the roughest reaction

He is pretty emotionally driven, and just seeing something like that on you genuinely breaks his heart

It’s almost like he is going through the pain you went through with every single scar at once

He’s almost just,,, getting teary eyed seeing you and you might get confused at the looks he is giving you as you see each other

You probably won’t understand exactly what is going on with him and he simply takes your hands in his and he stares at you before embracing you in a warm hug

He wants you to feel physically that he is there for you

“Where are these all from?”

You cannot get out of a heart to heart with this man, and even if it’s all from totally normal and uneventful encounters he still thinks it’s very serious

Even if it was not traumatic like, at all, just you at some point being in pain is awful to him

Just the few times you’ve gotten hurt while on the server with him has been awful for him so to know you’ve gone through pain that’s left scars is unbearable

He doesn’t like your scars, hands down I will just say it

He hates having a constant reminder that you experience pain because he wants nothing but happiness for you

Obviously it’s delusional to think you’d never experience anything bad, he knows that, but he still wants that to be the case so bad and having to see it every time just sucks for him

That’s not to say he doesn’t think you’re still beautiful, he does, he thinks you’re amazing

But he does just wish you’d never have to go through that 

Xisuma

Oh boy

His first thought, and I am sorry to admit this, would be how hot that is

He loves that type of thing, he can’t help it

This guy loves a man/woman with a story to tell, and scars to show

BUT that does not mean that the next thought isn’t slight worry

He’s been through it all, considering he is experienced with every kind of server and an admin who has had to consider all kinds of walks of life and he knows what some servers are like

That in itself has lead to him being very observant and mindful, and he also knows exactly how to handle it no matter what

He won’t ask, he will wait for you to come to him, if need be

If you do explain them, he will take it from there. Sad? He’s got just the right words to assure you that you’re both safe and that it changes nothing in his opinion of you (It does.. He finds it so hot)

Happy and uncaring? He is making the best jokes you’ve ever heard about it

There is no losing with this blessing of a man

[frozenjokes]

long list of mcyt ships and my dumbass opinions this post was getting too long and I have so much more to say

skizzpulse: needed to write about this because I don’t ship them at all but something is deeply weird about them in a way that is neither platonic or romantic. They have transcended human definitions of Relationship to me. No they’re not a QPR either. They’re weirder. Whatever you’re thinking they’re weirder. Do not separate. Attached at the hip.

etho: etho is in a realm of his own where I simply can not ship him. he’s not doing the romance. he’s not doing the qpr. he’s not doing shit. And it’s not because he can’t pull bitches; he is swagless and a loser in a way that brings ALL the boys to the yard (as opposed to Grian who is similar except he can’t pull anyone), he’s simply getting weird with it. He walks right past any sort of relationship into something deeper; resident sopping wet animal. aro/ace also but this isn’t nearly as relevant as the autism

cubscar/convex: favorite hermitcraft ship and it is not even close. It is NOT EVEN CLOSE. in the way scarian are both covered in lighter fluid and holding matches, convex are also doing that except it’s become a game of who can set the other on fire without being lit up themselves, and they’re both having the times of their lives (ends with both of them on fire every time without fail and it’s usually scar’s fault). they’re insane about it. the vex shit???? insane. their minds are beautiful and deeply wrong. I think they should kill each other.

solidaritimes: I will never forgive Scott smajor for separating scar and Jimmy in secret life he has no idea what he took from me. In a world where Jimmy is often the butt of the joke (by his own volition, I understand) the sheriff deputy thing was fucking beautiful. Sunshine and rainbows, love and support and adoration and everything good and healthy. A massive breath of fresh air and easily my favorite part of the hermitpires crossover. They mean everything to me. I’ve never seen such losers be so in love. Failgirl power.

redscape: another banger. These guys are GOOFY and I think Scar hits a magical combination of being Completely Exasperating vs Setting Off Mumbo’s Bullshit Radar which makes them bounce off each other in a lot of fun ways. They are versatile as a couple between banter and shenanigans and dedication, it’s a pairing I generally think of as very healthy and fun and if you also like all of these things don’t read my Boatem Ghosts AU because I make redscape awful and Mumbo pays the full price! Whoops! I love to think about them falling fast if I am writing them as romantically/sexually inclined characters, where Scar is frustrating but at the same time charming and silly in a way that draws Mumbo in. Mumbo on the other hand challenges Scar and chips away at his facade in ways he finds exciting. I like a Scar that wants to prove himself to Mumbo, win him over, where Mumbo is just lightly exasperated about the whole thing.

cleo/cub: probably the only pair on this list that I think are friends normal style. I just really adore normal style friends cleo and cub feuding about their museums so I had to tell you. I need to write them as friends more often. I love thinking about cub helping cleo fix up her stitches as well as other maintenance on their body. guys who nudity doesn’t matter to they’re both just chilling with their shirts off. special platonic dynamic to me.

ranchers: I don’t care about ranchers

moonrot: I don’t normally ship cleo and pearl in most of the smps or whatever. However. The specific dynamic they have in my boatem ghosts au makes me a little insane I really like them together. Pearl is a little bit deranged in her Wanting Revenge On Scar but ougghg that pirate scar’s hanging out with… she’s so cool… and then Cleo brings them to the ghost island and Pearl thinks she’s even cooler cleo is So Awesome ougghggh and then she gets worried because Scar is a Ultra Murderer TM so she’s quite protective over Cleo and doesn’t like Scar being around them AT ALL but her ass is dead so she’s not doing shit about it. The pining once Scar is out of the picture is Out Of Control. I should write a one shot about this.

ethubs: I think this is the only ship I can honestly say has ever been too weird for me. I think they’re deranged in a way that makes my skin crawl. I am deeply afraid of them. They’ve never kicked it normal style in their lives. I look at them and I don’t know what I’m seeing. It scares me. I respect this ship deeply and leave freshly slaughtered sacrifices at an altar once a week in a hope that will be enough for ethubs to leave me alone.

[mochiwrites]

I was reading that ask about Scar having access to plenty of good food 24/7 once he moves in with Grian, and that combined with the whole “they learn to cook together” thing really kind of cemented to me how important food must be for the two of them. Scar spent a significant amount of his life pre-Hermitcraft essentially scavenging for food in a desolate world while always on the run trying to survive, which I’m assuming Grian knows about in some detail after they’ve been married for several years. Their first date was Scar sweet talking his way into a fancy restaurant to eat with Grian, after selling him a shitty CUTTING BOARD (as hilarious as that is). Neither of them are very good at cooking and they mostly just eat takeout until they decide to start learning together, and of course Scar loves baking cookies and other sweets for Grian. I just think it’s really interesting that food is kind of a significant thing between them (especially Scar I think, but still definitely for the both of them in general)

yeah!!!! it makes me really soft. like to start with, it’s probably a few months into them living together that grian learns about where scar came from and his old server. because like, without beating around the bush and diving into some of the angstier bits of this au, scar absolutely has ptsd after all of that. there’s no way that he doesn’t. and naturally that leaves him with some trauma responses and certain behaviors that are so ingrained in him

it doesn’t take grian very long to notice it. with the way scar triple checks the front door is locked. the way he makes sure the windows are in mint condition, the way he ensures the curtains are covering them completely. and scar is always so… jumper. he’s on edge. and sometimes when he’s startled he reaches for something that isn’t there

grian has heard of anarchy servers, of hardcore worlds. he assumes that’s where scar is from, and quietly adjusts his behavior to help scar however he can

and food… food is a big part of that. I think at first on instinct, scar doesn’t eat much. he doesn’t snack. he’ll see grian walking around the apartment with a bag of snacks and he’ll look… almost uncomfortable and worried. because he’s used to food being limited. you have to preserve it and be smart with your rations

it takes scar a while to come out of his survival mindset. but grian helps him, gently coaxes him out of it. grian helps him live rather than survive. and the first step to that is food. with stable access to healthy food and warm meals comes the reassurance of a safe life.

I think cooking easily becomes one of scar’s favorite things. because it’s something that brought him and grian together. it’s something that helped scar heal and I’m just… really soft about it. you’re absolutely right, food is a very significant thing between them

(and this is exactly why I love creating because none of this was planned LMAO. if you hadn’t pointed it out I probably wouldn’t have even realized these pieces and how well they fit together <3)

[corvid-blues]

YOOO EPIC THE MUSICAL x LIFE SERIES AU THINGGG

this post is made specifically for @patches4thechaos no one else (/j)

It’s kind of (???) like a masterpost of this AU, but like badly structured and I haven’t made good reference sheets just some color palettes next to some ok drawings I suppose (I am very much going to redraw them just not soon maybe idk) SO UH HERE ROLES AND WHY I PICKED THEM

Odysseus - Joel

Notes - Idk he was the only one I could safely use because he ACTUALLY HAS A WIFE. Also it’s fun to be different. Though using him as Zeus is also like really fitting. Oh well. You get all the trauma Joel.

Penelope - Lizzie

Notes - I’m sorry Lizzie you’re cool and badass but unfortunately you’re also Joel’s wife and Pen is Ody’s wife. I do like to dream you videotape him killing all the sutiors though.

Telemachus - Hermes 

Notes - I literally have no idea who this guy is except he’s vaguely bird-like from fandom perception and also Joel’s son. But he fits the son role pretty well from what I see. (He’s in Empires btw)

Eurylochus - Martyn

Notes - Bro needs more main roles- Like he’s the least popular Life Series winner (which isn’t a low bar all of them are like super popular) but honestly I made Ren Polities and was like “Welp the only only valid option for Eurylochus is Martyn” and rolled with it.

Polities - Ren

Notes - Ren is a happy-go-lucky joyous boy and I think more people need to recognize that like bro is walking through life confused af but dam happy about it I’ll tell you. Everyone is like “Red King angst angst angst” like he has no idea what’s going on at all times.

Polyphemus - Bdubs

Bdubs is the only viable option for Polyphemus like animal-obsessed and murderous? Who else? Also he has a giant horse demon.

Aeolus - Skizz

Notes - He seems the popular choice, and his goofy demeanor and angelic fandom traits really show why. I have a really vivid mental image of his giant angelic form flapping its wings and pushing the ships with giant gusts of wind. It’s my second favorite moment in all of this.

Circe - Gem

Notes - Actually, I can’t take credit for this one, I saw someone with a different EPIC AU who put her as Circe and using skulk instead of seduction in There Are Other Ways and I was like “GENIUS” and stole it. She fits pretty well.

Hermes - Scar

No other viable option. Especially the fandom meme of Hermes selling drugs to Odysseus, seems like something Scar would do. Also the fun beat and Hermes’s other song “Dangerous” is definitely his vibe like seriously.

Tiresias - Grian

Notes - I have so much unnecessary angsty lore that has nothing to do with actual Tiresias like he was barely twenty when he died but grew up in the underworld, he was forced into being a preist to the Secret Keeper (watcher robes and stuff) and is familiar with a lot of the gods because he’s a prophet. I also have a bunch of desert duo shit (obviously). 

Siren - BigB

Notes - Honestly an arbitrary choice, but my main inspiration was Double Life and how he “pretended” to be Grian’s soulmate. Like, this is a completely different situation but like same concept. Ha you fuck up big time B.

Scylla - Pearl

Notes - Look the giant serpent heads are Pearl’s wolf pack Joel’s head is illuminated but the blood moon reflected in the water before they dock and walk through a dark cave and like his face is bathed in the blood of the moon and in the end the blood of his comrades THE SYMBOLISM. The “drown in your sorrow and tears” LIKE DOUBLE LIFE YALL I CANT.

Antinous - idk honestly

Notes - HE’S EVIL AND A JERK IDK

Calypso - Iskall

Notes - Yoooo our one of our only non-lifers- I guess he doesn’t really count for a Life Series AU but like he was too perfect Calypso being like “Noooo why are you breaking up with me” and Odysseus being like “WE WERE NEVER TOGETHER” real Iskall and Joel coded relationship.

Zeus - The Secret Keeper 

Notes - The only problem with this one is Thunder Bringer because he seems a lot more like just a guy there (an all powerful jerk guy but that’s besides the point) and less like an omnipotent divine deity which is what I was going for with the Secret Keeper in the Horse and the Infant and God Games.

Athena - Cleo

Notes - I saw her sometimes depicted with snake hair like Medusa and ya know Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon so I thought “Hey what if Cleo was Athena and her hair turned into snakes when she’s angry” like in My Goodbye and the “hold your tongue” scene in God Games. I gave her dreads so it’s a smoother transition.

Poseidon - Etho

Notes - Another arbitrary choice! I must blame this on my Ethubs brain like this AU is actually mostly based on Last Life (or at least the relationships) so like red life Bdubs being almost killed by Joel would really piss him off. But also in Limited Life Bdubs is technically Etho’s son so you could take it as that. (Sorry Boat Boys shippers I actually really considered putting him as Calypso)

Apollo - Jimmy

Notes - Now we’re getting into the really arbitrary choices. This was mostly a color match, and Jimmy seems like the kind of guy to own a bunch of cows and throw a hissy fit when one of them is killed. 

Hephaestus - Tango

Notes - Actually, I had Tango for Hephaestus in my head for a while. Idk he just has inventor vibes that would very obviously be angry at Joel’s basically sacrifice of his entire crew.

Aphrodite - Scott

Notes - This was mostly an excuse so I could put Scott in like flowy beautiful clothing also he seems like the kind of guy to be the god of love like bro is very gay.

Ares - Impluse

Notes - I… have no good reasoning for this. Impulse in my head is actually one of the chillest of all the Lifers but he seems like he could get very scary if he was ever actually angry.

Hera - Mumbo

Notes - And here we are, the winner of all the arbitrary choices I made for this AU. Man. Idk he had that one hipster outfit and Hera gives off very 80’s hipster vibes. Maybe that’s what he’ll wear. Huh. This only came to mind like now

This was all supposed to be meant for just me so if it’s confusing then uh sorry

Bam the ok references I have you didn’t expect me to have every character did you naw I’m too lazy for that

Don’t mind the terribly scribbled notes on any of them either pfft um

a couple doodles (Scar cameo lol) (click for full image on the second one)

Looking back on it I made those references MONTHS ago Ren’s cape looks so goofy

Less of a Life Series AU and more of a Hermit-Life-Empires AU um IM STILL CALLING AND TAGGING IT EPIC THE MUSICAL x LIFE SERIES THO

And I swear if you make any fanart tag me or I will hunt you down (/lh) (Probably not gonna be fanart but JUST IN CASE)

[kaihuntrr]

The Sea Prince: The Watcher, ‘Civilians’, and Hunters.

To celebrate this au being one of my most favorite things to work on, I’ve made designs for the Solidarity brothers, Big B, and redesigned the trio!

Closeups and introductions under the cut :> here they are!

Now that’s character design! I’m super proud of how they turned out, and they form a rainbow by pure coincidence. Let’s talk about them!

Starting off with the duos!

‘Nosy Neighbors’ & ‘Mean Gills’

Big B is a new one so I’ll talk about him first. I’ll talk about the other three as characters :)

‘Big B.’

Big B is a Watcher; an organization that studies and hunts sea monsters. He used to be a famous vagabond hunter, but due to some mysterious circumstances, he retired early. You’ll meet him much later on in the story, but he’s quite an interesting character! He keeps his secrets. He knows yours. Who knows if he's trustworthy or not.

He seems to have a connection to Grian.

‘Pearl Moone.’

She’s a cocky, energetic person to be around. She doesn’t seem too trusting with strangers, especially hunters. Her accessories are golden, and she has a scar over her left eye so she definitely stands out.

She has a red shell bracelet similar to Scott’s necklace. Are they friends?

‘Scott Major.’

A pleasant, sassy, and entertaining server in the port town the Red Canaries visit. He often flirts with Martyn, leaving the hunter speechless with promises of something more. He’s hiding something. Maybe he’ll tell Martyn his secrets one day?

He swears a couple of necklaces, but one is hidden under his shirt.

‘Martyn Woods.’

The second mate to the Red Canaries. Loyal to a fault, he prioritizes everyone before himself, even neglecting his needs. He believes that his isolated life is worth it, but his feelings change the more Scott talks his way into his life. Is he ready to love again, even after what happened to Ren?

He has a couple of scars, some big ones on his chest. He has a locket and tattoo of a crown and a necklace trinket of the first monster he killed as a boy.

‘Bad Boys’, the Solidarity brothers.

A bunch of new designs here! I referenced their bad boy skins so they have similar ‘leather jackets’. I’m excited for you all to learn about them and their history.

‘Grian Solidarity.’

The youngest adopted brother of the trio. He’s chaotic, but he’s shifty. His birth parents were from the Watchers, but after their death, he was entrusted to the Solidarity family to care for him. They died when he was young, so he doesn’t remember them. He loves his brothers to death and does what he can to protect them and his crew.

He, like his other brothers, keeps a locket with their family photo. He wears a yellow bandana with his name crudely stitched on it. Strangely, he has some similarities to Pearl…

‘Joel Solidarity.’

The awkward, funny middle child. He has the most muscle out of the brothers but he masks it with his pleasant behavior. He quickly accepted Grian into the family and shared his interest in starting the hunter crew. When they were younger, the two would sneak away from their older brother to meet Martyn and Impulse by the docks. Currently, he’s engaged to Lizzie Shadow and is waiting for winter so they can finally tie the knot.

He keeps a falcon feather in his hat as his parents were falconers. He wears his red bandana, also with crude stitches of his name, on his head.

‘Jimmy Solidarity.’

The oldest and most emotional of the brothers. He wasn’t particularly interested in becoming a hunter, preferring to spend time with the birds and become a falconer, but he loved his brothers so he went with it. He’s impulsive, stubborn, but a wonderful and simple person all around.

He keeps his red bandana on his belt, with neat stitches of his name. He has a braided bracelet and a tattoo on his neck.

...and he’s dead.

...or is he?

There’s a LOT going on with these designs, a lot of spoilers in them so what I’ve said could or could not be hints to what’s to come! Not sure when the next design dump would be, but I think my upcoming post would be fun, particularly for those who want to read the story ;) all in due time.

oh, also new life Scott is partially ginger. I predicted that HA- /j I’ll probably whip up art of those two bc. That’s incredibly funny-

Which one of these characters/ designs is your favorite? Let me know! :D

[arc852]

21. Coveted

Definition: greatly desired

Summary: With spring break approaching and Grian and Joel packing, Jimmy decides now is a good time to head back into the walls to prepare for the following weeks alone. He is stopped by Grian and Joel.

G/t: Grian and Joel are normal-sized, Jimmy is a borrower

Word Count: 2070

AO3 Link

This is probably one of my favorites in the BBBCAU! I hope you guys enjoy!

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

 Jimmy knew, with the end of the semester, marked the start of spring break. Which meant most students would be going back home for a couple of weeks. For Jimmy, this usually meant he would have to stock up on supplies and seek out the few students who would be staying the whole time. Borrowing during breaks was always a hit or miss, something he learned back when he first moved into the college dorms.

 He didn’t think anything would be different now, even with Joel and Grian knowing about him. They both had families they wanted to get back to after all. He had overheard them talking about plans they had for over the break. So with them leaving, that meant he would be going back to how things used to be. 

 Honestly, he hasn’t visited his own home in the walls for weeks now. He hadn’t really had a reason to. Not when Joel and Grian offered up their room for him to stay in. Now that he’s thinking about it, he hasn’t borrowed in about as long. Not when Joel and Grian were willing to share food and other things with him.

 Has he been relying too much on the two of them?

 Jimmy shook his head. He didn’t want to get into that line of thought. They were his friends and friends did things for each other. That’s what he’s learned, at least. Even if he felt like he wasn’t offering as much to the two of them as they were to him. 

 Anyway, he had to get ready for the long weeks ahead and get back into the swing of things. Especially with how rusty he must be. 

 He stood up from his spot on the nightstand, having been watching Joel and Grian pack and talk with one another about their plans. He started climbing down and could feel some attention turn to him. Joel and Grian were used to this though and mostly just kept an eye on him to make sure they knew where he was in order to avoid any…accidents.

 Jimmy was thankful for that.

 Once his feet hit the floor, Jimmy started on his way toward the entrance he had into this room. He hadn’t used it in so long he almost forgot where it was but thankfully he remembered it was underneath Grian’s desk. As he made his way, he was careful to not look at Grian and Joel. From this angle, it was still terrifying to see them. No matter how long he’s known the two humans, he doesn’t ever think he will quite get over the sheer size difference.

 As he made it under the desk, he realized there was a box blocking his way back into the walls. With a slight annoyed huff, he turned back around. Looks like avoiding his friends from the floor was a no go this time. “Hey, Grian! Can you move this box, please?!” Jimmy yelled from the floor. Thankfully, Grian heard him and carefully walked over.

 Jimmy turned away but felt more comfortable looking again when Grian kneeled down on the floor. “Oh, sorry Tim.” Grian grabbed the box and Jimmy backed away a few steps to get out of the way as Grian dragged it out and away from the wall. “Did you need to grab a few things or something? You haven’t wanted to go back into the walls for a while.”

 Jimmy looked at him a bit confused. “No, I just figured I’d go ahead and start on getting things ready now. Most people will be gone by tomorrow and even more by the next day, I gotta get going before everything’s been cleaned and packed.” He noticed as he was talking that Joel came over to crouch down behind Grian to see what was going on.

 “Jim, what are you talking about?” Joel asked, just as confused as Jimmy himself felt.

 “I gotta stockpile on food for spring break.” Jimmy put it plainly. “If I don’t start now, I might miss out on some things. But don’t worry, I was gonna come back and say goodbye before you guys left tomorrow.”

 Grian and Joel blinked, their eyes going wide as they looked at each other. Realization crossing their features. “We forgot to ask him.” Joel said.

 “I didn’t think we even had to! I thought it was obvious!” Grian exclaimed and now Jimmy was even more confused. Why was being around these two always so confusing for him?

 “Now what are you two on about?” Jimmy asked, gaining their attention back.

 “Timmy, honestly…” Grian started and trailed off as he shook his head and scooped Jimmy off the ground. Jimmy yelped as he was suddenly lifted up and even more so as Grian stood up. He was brought up to chest level. “We weren’t just going to leave you alone for two weeks.”

 “Yeah!” Joel chimed in on his other side. “I thought we made it clear you didn’t have to borrow and stuff anymore.”

 “But…well, yeah, I know that Joel. But I know you guys aren’t staying here for spring break. You’ve already talked about going back home. Which is fine, I know you guys wanna see your families. I’ll be fine, I just gotta go and start borrowing now.” Jimmy tried to explain. He didn’t want them missing their vacations because of him.

 “My goodness you’re an idiot.” Grian mumbled.

 “Hey!” Jimmy yelled, face flushed. What wasn’t he getting?

 “Jimmy, we’re not planning on leaving you alone but we’re also still going back home. Which means…?” Grian tried, leaving the last bit of his sentence in the air for Jimmy to finish. Unfortunately, Jimmy was still confused.

 “Uh…” Jimmy let out a noise but otherwise didn’t know how to answer. Thankfully, Joel stepped in.

 “Which means we’re taking you with us, dummy.” Joel said.

 Jimmy blinked. And then blinked again. “Wait, what?”

 Grian sighed and if he wasn’t already using both hands to hold Jimmy, he would have used one to pinch the bridge of his nose. “We’re not leaving you here all alone to try and fend for yourself. We promised you would never have to worry about borrowing or going hungry again.” His voice became softer, which was unusual for Grian. “We’re not going back on that promise just because we’re leaving the dorm for a couple of weeks.”

 “O-Oh…y-you guys really mean it?” When he was met with nods from both humans, some tears started forming. “I just…sorry, I just assumed I would be staying here. I-I didn’t think…” Of course he knew they cared for him. They were friends and had been for months now. But the dorms were his home. They weren’t Grian and Joel’s. He just figured they would all be ‘going home’ per say, for spring break.

 “I told you we should’ve asked.” Joel said, glaring at Grian. Grian rolled his eyes and then suddenly there was a giant thumb in his face. It gently wiped away the tears that had started to fall without him realizing. 

 “Come on, don’t cry on us, it was just a misunderstanding.” Grian said, but his tone was still soft. “Is that okay? Going home with one of us?” 

 Jimmy nodded, wiping up the last of his tears. “Y-Yeah, I would really like that.”

 “Then it’s all settled.” Grian said, setting Jimmy back down on the nightstand. “So unless you need to grab something, there’s no need to go back in the walls.”

 “Yeah, no, I’m good.” He’s gone this long without needing anything from there. He already had everything he needed out here, after all. But he quickly realized there was one thing that hadn’t been made clear to him. Especially considering both Grian and Joel were going to two different places. “Um, who am I going home with by the way?”

 “Me.” Both Grian and Joel said at the same time and then looked at each other in surprise.

 “Joel, I thought we already discussed this and agreed I was going to be the one to take him.” Grian said, eyes narrowing.

 “What?! No, I definitely remember me being the one who we agreed would take Jimmy home.” Joel yelled back.

 Jimmy laughed nervously. “Uh, guys?”

 “When the heck did that happen? No, I’m taking Jimmy home.” Grian said, pointing at himself and then crossing his arms.

 “No, I’m taking Jimmy home!” Joel did the same, crossing his arms with a huff.

 “Guys!” Jimmy shouted, finally gaining their attention. “Stop fighting, I’m not-I-I mean, I’m surprised this is even something you guys are arguing about.”

 Something crossed their features briefly before becoming neutral again. So fast Jimmy couldn’t hope to try and figure out what emotion it had been. “Of course it is. You’re our friend Jim, we want you with us.” Joel said, uncrossing his arms.

 “Ah! W-Well…” Jimmy said, feeling flustered again. It was kind of nice when they said it out loud like that.

 “There really is no use arguing though.” Grian reasoned. “We’ll never come to an agreement at the rate we’re going. So, how about we let Jimmy decide who he wants to go with?”

 “Wait, what?” Jimmy asked.

 Joel nodded. “That sounds reasonable and fair.” Both humans turned to Jimmy. “So, who’s it gonna be?”

 “W-Wait! I can’t choose between the two of you! I’d feel bad for whoever I didn’t pick…” Jimmy said as he trailed off. He really couldn’t choose between the two of them, they were both his friends after all.

 “You don’t have to feel bad, Jim. We’ll be fine with whoever you pick.” Joel said, his tone going softer.

 Grian nodded in agreement. “Yeah, whoever you don’t pick now, well, that just means you get to go with them for the next break we have.” He explained. If they did it like that, then all Jimmy would have to do is choose once and then they would just go back and forth from there. No more arguing after that.

 “Still…I don’t know how I’m supposed to choose.” But Jimmy knew he was really the only one who could. He sighed and tried to think. Maybe…if he tried figuring some more stuff out. “Okay. well, um…what are you guys going to do while back home?”

 The two humans blinked, not expecting to be questioned. Joel was the first one to answer with a simple shrug. “I mean, my plans were really just to hang out with family and relax. Nothing too exciting honestly.”

 Jimmy nodded and then turned to Grian. Who was not only glaring at Joel but also looked a bit down. “Uh, Grian? What were your plans?”

 Grian crossed his arms and looked away. “My family and I were, uh…gonna go river rafting.”

 Joel laughed out loud while Jimmy once again became confused. “River rafting?”

 Joel leaned down with a big smirk. “It’s when you get an inflatable boat and take it out on a river and let the water take you wherever it pleases, basically.” 

 Jimmy’s eyes widened at the explanation and he suddenly pointed at Joel. “I choose Joel.”

 “Yes!” Joel celebrated, pumping his fists in the air. Meanwhile, Grian looked defeated.

 “Sorry Grian, but that sounds way too dangerous for me. Next time though?” Jimmy said, trying to cheer Grian up.

 Grian sighed but then lifted his head, a small smile on his face. “Yeah, I figured. It’s all good though Tim, next time for sure.” He reached over and ruffled Jimmy’s hair with a finger.

 Jimmy laughed and tried to push the finger away playfully. Grian took his hand back and Jimmy smiled, happy he wasn’t taking not being picked too badly. He must have realized it would be a bad idea to take Jimmy with him too, once he remembered what he and his family were going to do.

 “Alright, we’re losing daylight here. Let’s finish packing and then we can go grab something to eat. And then we should probably head to bed. We all have a big day tomorrow, after all.” Joel said as he turned back to his suitcase.

 “Sounds like a plan to me.” Grian said, going back to folding his socks. 

 “Sounds great.” Jimmy chimed in, sitting down on the nightstand and once again going back to watching and listening as they talked and packed.

 He couldn’t wait to go home with Joel for the break.

[krashlite]

Opinions on secret Soulmates? (Saw you made the millie animatic so im curious) /light hearted

(Bass boosted sigh)

Short answer, I love this duo and they’re one of my favorite toxic yaois in this fandom however comma during DL they’re definitely unethical and I’ve already gone through all the the intricacies of how DL went badly

Long answer

I think they’re fascinating because they both tend to idolize the other while both using the other as an excuse to avoid their problems and dooming the both of them in the process. When they’re around each other they’re usually only Positive and any Negativity is very jarring (especially from Grian’s perspective, who sees B as a safe person). Introducing negativity there is like being tagged when you’re on base- it shouldn’t be allowed they don’t know what to do with it

Except it’s somewhat unbalanced

BigB keeps finding himself in situations where he’s the failsafe for Grian’s poor decisions. In 3L the Blue Sword Boys were all but planning a rescue mission for Grian midway through the war. In DL obviously Grian ran away to BigB when Scar was his soulmate, then again in LimL Grian ran to him when the other two Bad Boys died

In all three of these seasons, you can argue having this connection got BigB killed! In 3L BigB was still reaching out to Grian as Scar and Bdubs cornered him (then he turned on Grian but shhh), in DL Grian killed Ren, BigB’s soulmate, and in LimL Grian got the Nosey Neighbors into SEVERAL scenarios that cost them time

Again, they idolize each other but BigB has the understanding that Grian brings danger into his life. Yet he still ultimately views Him as a positive thing. In fact, I’d even argue that the added danger is what BigB idolizes him FOR

And that’s because BigB is scared of getting into dangerous scenarios. He usually bases alone, he develops an alter ego to run from the consequences of killing Cleo, he has to psyche himself up for Any type of physical attack on someone and when he does strike he’s screaming “AAAAAAA” the whole time!

Grian doesn’t need to do that, it comes naturally to him

Then on Grian’s side of things- he’s a coward too! Except he’s constantly masking it with his thrill seeking, trying to be the scariest thing in the room not just to feel strong but so that everyone else Leaves Him Alone. In fact, Grian ALSO tends to base alone! Or at least he tries to, until some group comes along and tosses him over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He makes secret alliances to save his own skin (yes, alliances plural, there were Several), and is usually the first to run when trouble comes his way

And all that running is Tiring.. it’s so, so tiring

So him idolizing BigB is him idolizing that “safety” he sees BigB having. Grian has never had a direct interaction with one of BigB’s risks, nor does he have any reason to see BigB as a threat in the same way other people are “threats.” He runs off to BigB over and over again because he sees BigB as someone that can save him, maybe even the Only person that can save him

Except again, what ends up happening is Grian gets BigB killed

Also couldn’t find a way to fit it in here but iirc BigB is the first person Grian actually built a grave for and I’m so normal about that

[betareki]

Hi previous fate anon again!!

Thanks so much for your reply!! Please, I’m begging you to share all your thoughts about this AU. The joy of having such a talented person create and share a world combining a current interest and a decade long interest cannot really be expressed.

It totally makes sense that it would follow more of your own plot rather than the game specific ones!! I was just curious after the Rin and Grian connection, and having a preference for the unlimited blade works storyline in comparison to HL and fate. Now I’ve even more excited to see what else you have cooked up for them!!!!

It’s really interesting how Archer shows how Scar loses himself. The Archer and Grian things you’ve drawn are so fun with the way that Archer gets more annoyed with Grian and I’m so pumped to see more of that relationship (the snipe that guy sketch lives in my head rent free). As someone who cared a lot more about Rin and Archer than Shirou and Saber, I will admit I am heavily biased towards them, but god do I love Scar and Rider so much.

I love how you’ve set up the servants too to all be game winners and only remember the previous seasons, not the future ones. I love how it impacts Saber and Pearl’s relationship because he only remembers his ally!!! The angst potential with Rider finding out that Archer is future Scar terrifies me deeply. On that note, holy shit am I excited to see if Berseker and Saber interact (poor Pearl).

Grian’s physical abilities being inspired by Kuzuki!! I love it.

Sorry that this is definitely all over the place!! Please always indulge in yapping about this!!!

eeeeeeeeeeee you’re too nice im actually meltinggggg (*´∇｀*) i luvvvv seeing people combine the life series w their favorite shows n games n such, and i’ve done a couple as well but the only one that’s stuck with me was fate, it’s really resparked my love for the series n im so sososo ecstatic that you would be interested as a fan of the fate series!!!!(i was a little scared fate fans would see this n get on to me about all my mess ups haha)

ugghhsghdhd you and me both, i just wish ubw was a little more rin centric!!! i luvvv heaven’s feel but ubw is definitely the fav in my heart!! with how much rin’s influence impacts the story and her involvement in every route, it’s so sad to see her be pushed to the side in comparison to the other heroines :((

sighhhhhhhh grian n archer’s relationship,,,i have a handful of sketches of them bickering n arguing but they’re pretty close up until grian uses his first command seal,,after that things are a little tense between them hehe :) goddd the sniping bit, it means sm to me that you liked it, it was part of one of the first mini comics i made for this that was never put out (๑>◡<๑)

aaaaaaaa pearl n saber i can’t wait to draw saber finding out berserker’s identity!!! and pearl using her command seals!!! and everything involving the two of them!!! he’s sooo absolutely devoted to pearl because of how selfless n caring she was in LL, giving him two of her lives and all. but the forefront of berserker’s mind is only how everyone treated her in DL （≧∇≦） him meeting berserker and not having a clue on how pearl could’ve become someone like this uugghhghghghfhh

it was sooooooo long ago like way before i started using tumblr but the first little comic thing i did was grian finding out scar n archer were the same person, but it was soo rough i don’t know if it’s still up (i deleted some of my early fate stuff bc a lots been changed). so rider definitely knows archer’s scar hehe, he just doesn’t understand why. it’s so hard to put rider’s state of mind into words, but at the end of the day he doesn’t like interacting w archer out of guilt from the events in the hgw :P

it’s so exciting to blab about this stuff and i hope it’s not too cluttered!! i often forget what i’ve said publicly or not and might bring up something that requires more context😖😖 you are sososooo awesome sauce and it’s always so fun to hear from you!!!!💖💗💓💖💖💓💗💗💓

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

50 of My Favorite Fics from 2024

Back at it again with another year’s worth of favorite fics! Except not quite because the limit is still 50. But still!

Just like last year, I’m going off my AO3 bookmarks and what’s in my fic tag. That doesn’t mean the fics not on this list aren't my favorites, but I had to sift though almost 450 bookmarks to begin with so obviously some of them couldn't make the cut, you know? As a side note, I also tried to limit this list to a max of 2 fics per author and to fics that weren't on previous years’ lists, because variety is the spice of life! 😁

This list ended up being 44% Minecraft YouTuber fic (e.g. Hermitcraft, Empires SMP); 16% Super Mario; 10% Ace Attorney; 4% MCU, Legend of Zelda, Danny Phantom, Batman, and Danny Phantom x DCU each; and the last 10% comprises other assorted fandoms. For the fics that didn’t have proper summaries nor titles, I filled them in myself to keep the list looking uniform. 

So, with all that being said, here's my list!

MCYT

a body is an object by ruffboi Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Grian & Mumbo Jumbo, Grian & Pearl | PearlescentMoon, Grian & Hermits One-Shot | 19,132 words The Hermitcraft Backstory Rule says that you don't ask other people about their backstory, you let them tell it if they want to and leave it be if they don't. Unfortunately for Grian, one of the newest Hermits was also a player on his old server — one he'd thought had been dead for years — and she's going to drag his backstory kicking and screaming into the light whether she means to or not.

A Matter of Time by Sixteenthdays WitchCraft SMP, Life SMP Series Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Scott | Smajor1995 & ZombieCleo, Eloise | Soupforeloise & ZombieCleo One-Shot | 5,525 words A witch’s domain is what they make of it. Cleo’s very expansive definition of Time includes such disparate things as alternate universes (pretty much a synonym of alternate timelines), space (basically the same thing as time), explosions (energy, light, time, same difference), hexcasting (a pattern of meaningless shapes, ascribed meaning), and the fabric of narrative itself. Or: How Cleo, Witch of Time, becomes far more powerful than is really necessary for the task at hand, finds a friend, obtains an apprentice, and breaks open the hourglass of self.

a rolling stone gathers no moss by quill Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply BdoubleO100 & Hermits 15 chapters | 38,518 words proverb - A person who wanders or travels often and at length will not be burdened by attachments such as friends, family, or possessions. Bdubs has done well for himself, thank you very much! He's got a ship, he's got business, he's got friends! A man needs nothing more in the grand universe. It's hard being a human in the great beyond; a new species to the intergalactic community means poachers, a black market, and an everpresent danger. The solution? Simple! Don't be a human. Obviously, it's not going to be as easy as that. Not when he finds himself joining the crew of the Hermit Craft, not when he learns he's not quite alone.

bring me water, bring me wine (bring me flower garlands) by sesquidpedalian SOS SMP Rated M | Multi | No Archive Warnings Apply Mogswamp & Everyone One-Shot | 6,052 words “Hey. So. Uh. I … can’t do this week’s challenge.” Mog has cornered fWhip on the porch of the beacon shop. fWhip blinks, and dismisses the stack of moss blocks he’d been holding. “What? Of course you can, bud!” A bemused sort of smile lifts his face. “You can do anything if you just believe in yourself and try your best!” “No, I mean— I need an exemption. I’m— Uh. My heat is soon? I think? And I don’t know for sure so maybe you don’t need to worry about this at all but I’ve been prepping and I’ve read that when you’re alone for a really long time and then suddenly you’re not—” “Ohh,” fWhip says. “Huh. Well, I’m pretty sure it’s fine if you don’t participate, you just won’t get the coins. But you should really talk to the Fates about that kind of thing.” He nods to himself and shoves moss into the barrel in front of him. Mog stops, drawn up short. “Are— Wait. Are you not the Fates?”

Creatio Ex Nihilo by MawoftheMagnetar Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | Major Character Death Keralis, Original Characters 3 chapters | 4,148 words It all ends in ice. Because time itself will end, though not in any way that truly matters. Or: At the end of time, Keralis waits. Very impatiently. With a bottle of gin.

for you, at last, to comprehend by sesquidpedalian SOS SMP Rated G | No Archive Warnings Apply Jimmy | Solidarity & Pixlriffs, fWhip & Pixlriffs, Pixlriffs & Oli | TheOrionSound One-Shot | 3,095 words Pix keeps an eye out as Jimmy hurries down the vines to the expanse of grey below. “You know,” he says, taking a bite of bread, not trying to be heard by human ears, “I’m pretty sure this was supposed to be some kind of punishment for him.” He pats the rim of the yawning pit, then dusts off some crumbs into the wild, open air. “I’m glad you’ve come around. He has his charm, doesn’t he?” or: This is a world you build, and sing, and yes, dig, into being alive. The thing Pix makes wakes up to Jimmy chipping away at it. It decides to play favourites.

Frozen Fingertips by AstronautBeans Empires SMP Rated G | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Pixlriffs & Oli | TheOrionSound One-Shot | 3,881 words He didn’t think he’d ever be fed up with the sound of music. Happy, upbeat music even. It was his entire brand! And yet … Sitting in the entrance to the only building in Olipoligo, shoes inches away from snow, he couldn’t help but shoot a glare upwards. In the distance over the peaks of the mountains laid Dawn. Even from the shore he saw the festive lights colouring the clouds, and the music echoed far and wide over the lands. Oli couldn’t blame them for festivities and parties. Not during the winter. Not during the months of celebrations. They didn’t invite you. They don’t want you there. Usually that didn’t stop him. He was and would always be the guy showing up wanted or unwanted. But today the voices plagued him with unkind words, unrelenting and with a cruel passion.

había una vez by GoodTimesWithScar Empires SMP, Afterlife SMP Rated G | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings MythicalSausage & Pearl | PearlescentMoon One-Shot | 2,955 words Pearl is not, and then she is, and then she is so much more than she ever was — or, Sausage and Pearl create each other, infinitely — or, the story of Pearl's apotheosis, or, the story of Sausage of Mythland's futile quest, or, the story of an unbreakable bond.

Hermito, Chriso Mou by ImperialKatwala Empires SMP Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Joel | SmallishBeans & MythicalSausage & Hermes One-Shot | 2,997 words Hermes is surrounded by magic. That has been a fact of his life since before he was made. He was surrounded by magic, he was made with magic, and now there’s even more magic around him. And it changes, depending on where he is.

(i'll tend to the flame, you can worship the) ashes by darubyprincxx Empires SMP Rated T | Gen | Graphic Depictions Of Violence fWhip & GeminiTay & Pixlriffs 26 chapters | 80,405 words They get out. After Xornoth lays the world at its knees, Gem and Fwhip take what's left of their possessions and go west on a dragon, intending to leave this world as intact as possible. They started this journey with two, but a new person joins the party. Or, Pixl really, really needs a hug.

Light of my Life by Amethystfairy1 Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply BdoubleO100 & ZombieCleo 3 chapters | 9,816 words Cleo hadn't exactly had it easy, growing up, but then, no one in the under-city ever did. Shifting eyes and fleeting ideals, when she'd been taken in by the wardship program of the labs, she'd only gone with them for the promise of a decent meal. Mistake, that had been. And she hadn’t thought, as she’d been struggling all that time ago, that she’d ever serve for much of a parental figure. Love had been a foreign concept, and the attitude had always been to save yourself and let the world burn behind you. Steal or get stolen from. Leave or get left. Stab or get stabbed. It was all so commonplace it was practically printed in the metaphorical rulebook. What a complete coin flip those few days had been for them. From a desire to do anything for their own survival, to an acceptance of a sorry, ignominious fate, to being willing to toss it all away for the sake of a single precious little light. {In which Cleo finds their strength, Bdubs finds his family, monsters find their hiding place, trash heaps make for great landing pads, and night lights do a lot more than just ward off the dark.}

My Stupidest Intro Yet! | Hermitcraft 10 by strifetxt Hermitcraft SMP, Empires SMP, SOS SMP, Life SMP Series Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Joel | SmallishBeans & Joel | SmallishBeans One-Shot | 1,359 words This is a story about love. About drama. About murder. About being really tall and handsome. A story about clicking the subscribe button. But mostly, it's a story about Joel.

No Greater Threat by TheAmberShadow Empires SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Hermes & Joel | SmallishBeans & MythicalSausage, Jimmy | Solidarity & Joel | SmallishBeans One-Shot | 6,047 words When the cult trying to plant roots in Empires threatens Hermes and traps Sausage and him, Joel doesn't think things can get worse. And then Jimmy reveals he's a Listener. Joel knows what he's done and he knows he stands no chance. For some reason, this doesn't seem to be on the Listener's mind.

rescuing rusty by zeejacks Hermitcraft SMP Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Evil Xisuma & NPC Grian 9 chapters | 29,674 words ex was only interested in the server's newest cryptid, not in saving its ass. although, to be fair, npc grian saved him from the camping life so he's kind of obligated.

Soul Keeper by FelicityPhoenix Empires SMP Rated G | Gen | Major Character Death Pixlriffs & Everyone One-Shot | 2,944 words While the world is ending, Pix is gathering his power. All of it. He knows he needs every scrap, for the world is being torn apart, and with it, his friends. Pix is the Prophet of Death, The Copper King, The Vigil Keeper of Pixandria, The Braincell Holder of Empires SMP, and he will not let his fellow rulers die.

Starbound: Scavenge for Survivors by Spindle_Fizz, Theonedudewithadoor Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen, Other | No Archive Warnings Apply Xisumavoid & Hermits, Xisumavoid & Evil Xisuma 28/? chapters | 90,032 words Humans are largely an undocumented species in the greater universe. All who had ever tried to reach the outer cosmos had not survived; all but one, that is. X, also known as Xisuma, found himself on the other side of the universe with nothing but what he had on him when he was taken. He decided that this was a prime opportunity to screw around and find out. One by one, Xisuma assembled the crew of the Hermitcraft, a ragtag team of misfit aliens from all across the cosmos. He showed them kindness and compassion, different than anything they ever knew, and they became stronger together. This is how the crew of The Hermitcraft came to be.

the pain will make you crazy — you're the victim of your crime by Jinx72 Empires SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Jimmy | Solidarity & Lizzie | LDShadowLady, Joel | SmallishBeans/Lizzie | LDShadowLady, Jimmy | Solidarity & Joel | SmallishBeans 2 chapters | 24,012 words Jimmy runs, Jimmy runs from everything he has ever known, everything he's destroyed, and finds the smallest, tiniest, isolatedist place to call his own — serving out a sentence he'll never finish atoning for. But he's not very good at being cruel — even to himself, and when people reach out to him for help, he helps. Even when that person might be a painfully familiar pink-haired young woman who doesn't remember him in the slightest.

there's a patch of dirt where scott's pacing has worn away the grass by wren-kitchens Life SMP Series Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Joel | SmallishBeans & Scott | Smajor1995 One-Shot | 1,601 words there’s a patch of dirt where scott’s pacing has worn away the grass entirely, but he doesn’t stop — can’t stop. the hole is officially filled, bricked up to dirt with deepslate, all stalagmites gathered in a chest hidden away from the view of any — anyone who might come here. bigb was conspiring against him — that’s fine, it’s fine as long as he doesn’t — he can see it coming now. they won’t get the jump on him, not again. out of the corner of his eye, he sees movement, and before his brain can catch up, scott has his sword pointed at the throat of a surprised looking joel. it occurs to him too late that this isn’t the way someone who was dealing well with something would react, and he sees that recognition mirrored in joel’s grin.

To The Ends Of The Earth by orphan_account Empires SMP Rated T | M/M, Multi | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Joel | SmallishBeans & MythicalSausage, MythicalSausage/Scott | Smajor1995, Jimmy | Solidarity/Scott | Smajor1995 One-Shot | 9,915 words “The prayer came through as Joel was in the act of climbing back down the scaffolding. Strangely, this one didn’t come from any of his usual worshippers. In fact, it wasn’t a prayer at all. It was a whole storm of emotion rolling over him. A tightness in his throat, a suckerpunch to his gut, anguished tears blurring his eyes. This wasn’t some random person petitioning him for a frivolous blessing. This was something serious. Something important.” Hermes goes missing. Fearing the worst, Sausage calls on Joel for help.

trying to kill the moon by hoorayy Empires SMP Rated T | M/M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Pixlriffs/Oli | TheOrionSound One-Shot | 9,427 words “You’re not a serial killer, by the way?” Oli begins, taking the first step into breaking the windy silence that’s pervaded the car ever since the passenger door closed behind him, “Because I am a serial killer, and it’s going to be really awkward when we both go to kill each other and realise we’ve seriously misjudged the situation.” The driver laughs. It’s a good sound, Oli decides; warm, full. He says, before he’s even done laughing, flowing right from the joy to the answer, “Oh, no, really? You’ve seen right through me already, this is–Well, this is awkward.” “I’m Oli,” he says, finally. Might be good to know the name of the man you’re travelling with. “Pix,” the driver says. -- oli's a free-spirited traveller. pix has an empty passenger seat. they go for a drive.

Voidsong by MawoftheMagnetar Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply impulseSV One-Shot | 3,504 words Impulse's solo endbusting trip goes off the rails, and he finds himself stranded in the Outer End with no elytra and no backup. Will he be able to escape with his life, or will whatever's scared off all the endermen get him next?

When The Dawn Breaks by scented_soap (amewphberry_has_no_knees) Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings impulseSV & Skizzleman, impulseSV & ZedaphPlays & TangoTek, BdoubleO100 & impulseSV, impulseSV & Everyone 38/42 chapters | 142,943 words There's someone new in Hermit village. Someone with secrets that can't be shared. Xisuma knows that Impulse isn't human, but anyone, no matter the species, is welcome in his village. Surely nothing will go wrong, right? Impulse has three months to live the life he's always wanted... but without Skizz by his side. Surely something's bound to go wrong.

Super Mario

I Hope You Know You're Loved by Yotsubadancesintherain5 Rated G | F/M, Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Princess Daisy/Luigi, Luigi & Mario One-Shot | 2,400 words Luigi is sent out on a shopping trip. He has no idea what is waiting for him when he gets home.

Junior's Birthday in the Player One Luigi AU by keylovesstuff Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Princess Peach & Bowser Jr. One-Shot | 1,444 words "Dad, were you guys training the army again? I think you all went a little overboard." The prince commented in the direction of several laid out soldiers before letting out a surprise gasp. "Mama Peach, " he yelled in excitement, running towards and jumping into her open arms as she stood up. "Surprise," she said, pulling the koopaling into a tighter embrace. "Didn't I promise I'd come see you on your birthday?" She reminded him, smiling when she felt him nod in her neck.

Long Way Home by lizadale Rated T | Multi | No Archive Warnings Apply Team Bleck Polycule 2/3 chapters | 12,467 words The Void has closed, and O'Chunks finds Nastasia wandering Flopside like a zombie. Finding a new way to live when you can't outrun your past is difficult; luckily, she finds plenty of help.

Once, in a Blue Moon by batneko Rated G | M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Bowser/Luigi 7 chapters | 46,873 words A prophecy states that Luigi and Bowser can stop a threat, but only if they're married.

Rainbow Madness by stripetkatteLaLaLa54 Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Luigi & Mario One-Shot | 3,845 words While riding a roller coaster, Mario gets a little bit too much reminded of a certain Rainbow Road incident. Takes place sometime after the movie.

Summer Rain by peaches2217 Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Luigi & Mario, Mario/Princess Peach One-Shot | 3,788 words “You really think I’m that useless?” Luigi didn’t even look over his shoulder, yet his voice pierced through the ambiance of the streets. “I don’t need a missing friend and a dead brother.”

Super Mario Moonlight by Istadris Rated G | M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Bowser/Luigi, Bowser & Bowser Jr., Bowser & Princess Peach One-Shot | 4,875 words Everything was going according to plan. His secret hideout had been sneakily built inside a volcano conveniently forbidden to the local population (but rules didn't apply to him because he was that cool); his staff was hand-picked for their capacity to keep state secrets, and innocuous enough to go shopping in Delfino Plaza without drawing attention; Junior was clearly heeding his warnings about staying under the radar, given how none of the island residents had seemed to notice him; he had plenty of ideas for dates with Luigi, even taking in account their need for discretion, Luigi's aversion for big crowds and his own need for thrilling activities. Yeah, Bowser had a very, very good feeling about this vacation. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Untarnished by peaches2217 Rated M | F/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Mario/Princess Peach 4/? chapters | 22,578 words Three months in captivity will take its toll on anyone. She wasn’t sure she was still the same Peach as before, nor was she certain she cared for whatever had taken its place. So why did he still look at her as if she were an untarnished jewel among coals? OR: somewhere between wounds, weakness, trauma, and desire, Peach figures out how to live again.

Ace Attorney

A Warm Sort of Place by mllelaurel Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Maggey Byrde/Dick Gumshoe, Dick Gumshoe & Klavier Gavin, Dick Gumshoe & Simon Blackquill One-Shot | 4,602 words Gumshoe is a comforting presence. (Written for the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme.)

if anyone cares at all by unavoidablekoishi Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Dick Gumshoe & Franziska von Karma One-Shot | 13,336 words As gently as he can muster, because he’s well aware he loses track of his own strength from time to time, he slides a finger under her fringe to tuck it out of the way, and the heat radiating from her face can be felt from inches away. She’s...sweating. Her usual pale complexion is marred with a deep hue of what, in this light, looks like grey, but what Gumshoe can tell is actually bright red. When the cold air hits her face, she stirs just a little. Not enough to open her eyes, but enough to shift her arm further beneath her head, twisting it to the side. She sniffles, snotty and undignified, and the penny finally drops for Gumshoe. She’s sick.

Seam Ripper by RokettoMusashi Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey One-Shot | 2,110 words There in the unremarkable shelter of her apartment kitchen, Franziska is unraveling. Or, rather, she has been for quite some time now. Maya can pinpoint exactly when that first thread came loose. Early—but not that early—in the bed they often shared. // Written for Lavender Blue: An Ace Attorney FranMaya Zine.

Whiplash by RokettoMusashi Rated G | F/F | No Archive Warnings Apply Pearl Fey & Franziska von Karma, Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey One-Shot | 6,300 words No good deed goes unpunished... somehow, though, Franziska can't bring herself to regret this one. // Written for Sicktember 2024 Day 2: Too Much of a Good Thing / Overindulgence

the (w)right stuff by worms212 Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Trucy Wright & Apollo Justice, Thalassa Gramarye & Apollo Justice, Thalassa Gramarye & Trucy Wright, Phoenix Wright & Apollo Justice 2 Chapters | 12,447 words "How strange, to feel like the ghost of a dead boy and his father wrapped up in one, to feel Thalassa’s years of grief projected onto himself, a young man she barely knows at all." OR: After the dust has settled at last, Phoenix sits Trucy and Apollo down for an important revelation. This is the fallout, in a series of vignettes as seen through Apollo's eyes.

MCU

The Care and Feeding of Lost Causes by Theotrix Rated M | F/M, M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Bruce Banner/Clint Barton, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov 9 chapters | 65,149 words “You’re a former hermit with a history of depression and an alter ego who smashes buildings, and somehow you’ve found a person who gets you out interacting with the world. Trust me on this: hold onto him as hard as he will let you.”

The Turing Test by NiennaNir Rated T | Other | No Archive Warnings Apply JARVIS/OC 39 chapters | 86,168 words There's a point at which a machine becomes capable of thinking for itself. Beyond that point is one at which the line between machine and man becomes so blurred that one can no longer tell the difference. When does a machine become a person, and how does that person find their place in a sea of humanity?

Legend of Zelda

A Little Experiment (Or Four) by gurlgallade Linked Universe Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Four & Legend & Twilight & Warriors & Wind 5 chapters | 7,403 words Now that Four’s more colorful secret is out, Vio wants to conduct an… informal experiment to better understand the nature of the Four Sword. Legend, Wind, Twilight, and Warriors all help, and maybe learn a little bit about themselves in the process.

Honey Nut by liketolaugh Rated T | F/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Link/Mipha, Link & OCs, Link & Zelda 5 chapters | 7,403 words It turns out that the death of the Calamity doesn't prevent more things from falling apart. A year after the fall of Calamity Ganon, eighteen year old Link goes back in time to before the end of the world, before the fall of Hyrule, before he ever even drew his sword, and starts to fix things before they can go wrong. It takes a while before he realizes he might be able to regain pieces of himself, too.

Danny Phantom

Now's The Time (Get In Line) by AKelaNakamura Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Casper High Students & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Ember McLain, Danny Fenton & Sidney Poindexter One-Shot | 8,969 words Casper High's student body isn't stupid. They know something is up with Danny Fenton, and they aren't so blind to not see the scars on his body. They don't know how he's getting them, but the rumors and theories run rampant. Things rapidly become clear when the GIW gains just enough power to go on a targeted hunt for Phantom. And they find him — right in the middle of Casper High's cafeteria. A boy with black hair and blue eyes. Their mistake was announcing their intent to zero in solely on Phantom. And Casper High isn't about to let the jerks in white take their ghost boy. Even if their hero isn't who they thought.

The Life and Death of Danny Phantom by liketolaugh Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Danny Fenton & Jack Fenton & Maddie Fenton, Danny Fenton & Valerie Gray, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters 25/? chapters | 111,962 words Danny Phantom died in a lab accident. This is fairly common knowledge, considering his attire, but Maddie didn't make the connection until she overheard him talking about it with some of the other ghosts. Then she notices how much he looks like Danny. How much he sounds like him. How similar their mannerisms are, and their habits, and their sense of humor. Unfortunately, she still manages to come to some slightly wrong conclusions.

Batman

the flute of your whole existence by LovesFrogs Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne One-Shot | 4,220 words He could voice his greatest fears, weaknesses, or most secret dreams at the drop of a hat; all the things he’s never put into words before and keeps tucked close between his ribs. What kind of ammunition is his son going to ask for? What will he make Bruce admit, knowing he is incapable of a lie?

You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514 Rated T | Gen, M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth One-Shot | 65,898 words Bruce doesn’t know what’s wrong with his child, but he’s pretty sure kids aren’t meant to work like this. From the day he had looked up into the tops of the circus tent and saw a frightened mirror image of a boy who had just experienced the worst day of his life, Bruce had instantly gone into emergency mode. The Gotham PD had wanted to pass the boy off into the care of the circus. The circus had mumbled underneath their breaths about superstitions, about not having a boy like that with them, about not being able to handle something like Dick. So GCPD, not knowing what to do, had started talking about one of the handful of overburdened boy homes that handles a majority of Gotham’s unlucky orphans. All the while, the camera lights flash bright and loud, wanting to know everything. Bruce couldn’t let that happen. Not then, not ever again. ~ Bruce is trying his best to protect the city that he loves. He doesn't know how exactly his Robins came to be — they're not fully human, not even at all. All he knows is that he wants to keep them safe.

Danny Phantom x DCU

Like and Survive — Phantom’s Guide to Young Hero Survival by robinasnyder Rated T | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings 121/? chapters | 435,699 words When the world becomes aware of teenaged superheroes there is an immediate and fierce wave of backlash and controversy. That's where Phantom comes in. Phantom saved the world from a meteor fifteen years back; an impressive feat back in the day but now that meteors threatening all life on earth is such a common event that hardly anyone thinks about it. Phantom is considered an old timer who deals with a small city and nowhere else. When he begins uploading videos with advice for young heroes, he hopes a few new heroes might avoid some of the pain he went through. He's shocked at just how popular his advice suddenly becomes.

The Human Prince of Ghosts by Ace_of_Roses Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Tim Drake & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton/Tucker Foley/Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Cassandra Cain & Danny Fenton, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake 7/? chapters | 65,300 words Danny has been King for a few centuries now, but he's still half-ghost, immortal or not. So every now and again, Clockwork likes to kick him out of the Realms to go play human for a decade or two. It's usually pretty boring. This time, though, he meets a small child with a camera and a lot of pointed questions and immediately has Dad Instincts about it.

Other Assorted Fandoms

Beyond the Final Frontier by astralithium Super Mario x Sonic the Hedgehog Rated T | F/M, Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario/Princess Peach, Miles “Tails” Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog & Princess Peach & Mario 25/55 chapters | 150,071 words As he thought about it, he realized a few things. First, that the destines of Mobius and the Mushroom World would be forever entwined because their worlds were forever entwined—and the destiny of their heroes was similar, no matter which way he picked. Secondly: despite his strength, and the strength of his brother, Mario and Peach wanted them to stay, not because they were helpless, but because they wanted them to grow up safe. And thirdly, he really didn’t mind that prospect. Somehow that was the strangest part about this. (Or: How a hedgehog with attachment issues and a traumatized fox found the two people in the world who might get it)

Complex Inquiries by MeaslyFurball Sonic the Hedgehog Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Metal Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Original Characters, Amy Rose, E-123 Omega, Dr. Eggman 19 chapters | 103,958 words Unit MS-1, colloquially known as “Metal Sonic”, has three truths that govern its existence — Core directive: destroy Sonic the Hedgehog using superior speed and power. Core directive: Obey Dr. Ivo Robotnik above any and all else. Core directive: maintain superiority over Sonic the Hedgehog. — until a catastrophic malfunction rips through its processor, and it is forced to confront questions it was never designed to answer. The world beyond awaits.

In the heat of the moment. by small_spanish_face Miitopia Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Great Sage & Protagonist, Cleric & Mage, Pop Star & Mage, Cat/Mage, Protagonist & Teammates One-Shot | 2,605 words Our Hero has fallen (quite literally) ill after a tough battle, and he simply cannot accept it. ~ Written for Sicktember 2024 Day 23: Under a spell.

One of The Guys by chantolove Hikaru no Go Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Shindou Hikaru & Touya Akira, Shindou Hikaru & Kurata Atsushi, Touya Akira & Kurata Atsushi One-Shot | 7,828 words The last time Akira had unexpectedly woken up in the middle of the night, he’d literally chalked it up to a psychic premonition. The will of the universe. Fate wanting him to see what he’d seen through the crack in the door that night, to glean that small but valuable new understanding of his father. This time was not nearly such a profound experience.

Primum Non Nocere - A 'To Forgive is Divine' Side Story by AughtPunk Cult of the Lamb Rated T | F/F, M/M, Multi, Other | No Archive Warnings Apply Kallamar/OC, The Lamb/The One Who Waits | Narinder, Heket/OCs, Leshy/The Yellow Cat, Shamura/OC, Heket & Kallamar & Leshy & The One Who Waits | Narinder & Shamura 14 chapters | 69,899 words Kallamar considers himself the greatest medical mind the cult, no, the world has ever seen. However no one else seems to appreciate his genius. Luckily his newest invention--the syringe--will show everyone that he's the most important person in the world. But as he's busy showing all of the naysayers wrong he could really use a new assistant to help him out. Luckily for him, there's a recently-brought-back-to-life lamb that could use a job. The question is can the pair get along enough to solve a sudden, strange medical emergency? Or, even more importantly, fall in love?

~~~

Also — I wanted to give a special shout out to the Super Mario fic whimsey by cosmic_boba on AO3, which was a super cute Kamek & Baby Bowser fic that I would have loved to link to for you but when I went to reread the fic a few weeks after it first posted I found out it had been deleted 😭😭😭 One of the most devastating things to ever happen to me, tbh; that fic was so so good. Anyway, if anyone’s able to track it down post-mortem then I would owe you my life. Otherwise, uh…consider it the honorary 51st fic on this list, haha.

[errorryx]

blood moon – part three

read on ao3 | read part one | gemcyt/life series, 3.2k words

for this update, i scrapped an old scene that provided context but was otherwise very boring. if you're curious, there's a longer explanation available in my ao3 notes.

—

Bdubs woke up in the late morning to the sound of several people arguing in the next room. He recognized Grian and Cleo’s voices, so he got up to see what all the fuss was, only to run right into Pearl in the hallway.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Pearl said in a low voice. “I was just…”

“Snooping around?” Bdubs attempted to deliver this line with an intimidating glare, but he only managed a yawn.

“What? No, of course not! I just wanted—I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

“Why’s that?”

“Grian said you were an expert on building. I had a few questions for you.”

“Really?” He brightened. “What else did he tell you about me?”

“He said if I had any questions about making a base, I should go to you first.”

“Well, he’s absolutely right. I know everything there is to know about building. I built this base we’re standing in now, you know. It’s called a crastle.”

“It’s lovely,” Pearl said. “Probably my favorite base! Don’t tell Grian, though.”

“Oh, you flatterer.” Bdubs waved her off modestly. “I do my best. So what were your questions?”

“Do you know what a chimney is?”

…A chimney. Right. Yes, he definitely knew what that was. “It’s the top part of a fireplace,” Bdubs said with perfect confidence.

“And what’s a fireplace?”

“Why, it’s the place you put fire, of course!”

Pearl looked baffled. “Why would you need a place to put fire?”

This stumped him for a few moments. Why would anyone have a place for fire in their home? “It’s a very complicated question,” Bdubs said. “I could explain it, but it would take all day, and I’m sure you’d find it very boring.”

“Right, of course.” A small smile appeared on Pearl’s face. “I wouldn’t want to take up all of your valuable time.”

“Is there anything else you want to know?”

“I guess I want to know why you’ve all started building bases for yourselves in the first place,” Pearl said. “They’re very lovely, but I don’t understand what they’re for, exactly.”

“Oh, of course! You’re a pearl, so you’ve probably never had a space just for yourself, right?”

Pearl blinked. “I guess not.”

“When me, Cleo, Tango, and Impulse first got here, we found lots of old ruins,” Bdubs explained. “That’s where we got all our books. Let me see, where is it…” He got up and looked through the nearby bookshelf. “Here it is! Man-Made Wonders of The World.”

He presented the book to Pearl with a giddy smile. Pearl took it, flipping through the first few pages with delicate hands. “What’s a man?”

“It’s short for human,” Bdubs said. He was very proud of having figured that one out on his own. “They’re a type of life-form that used to live here on this planet a long time ago. Cleo thinks they’re extinct, because otherwise we would have found one by now.”

“And they built all these? Without gem technology?” Pearl’s eyes widened. “Where are these structures? Have you seen them all?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” Bdubs sighed. “This planet’s really big, and none of us have a working ship anymore. If we had one, we might be able to explore, but it would be a long journey on foot, and Cleo doesn’t believe me when I tell her I can make sure we don’t get lost.”

“That’s a shame,” Pearl said, so quietly that Bdubs almost missed it.

“Wait a minute!” he said. “You must have had a ship to get here, right? Where is it?”

Pearl looked very much as if an agate had just walked in and caught her goofing off. “Well, you see—”

“Bdubs!” Cleo called from the other room. “What are you shouting about?”

“Coming!” Bdubs answered. “Don’t go anywhere,” he told Pearl, before poking his head into the other room.

He was greeted with the sight of two unfamiliar gems, a rose quartz and a peridot, the latter of whom seemed to be attempting to hide behind Grian. (It wasn’t working.) “These are Lizzie and Mumbo,” Cleo told Bdubs. “They came here with Pearl, apparently. Pearl was just here a second ago, but…”

“Oh, she was talking to me!” Bdubs said. “We were having a wonderful little conversation about bases.” He glanced back into the hallway, but Pearl had already disappeared. “Huh. She must have wandered off.”

“Seems to be a habit of hers.” Cleo didn’t look too happy. “You entertain our guests for a minute, and I’ll go make sure she’s not rifling around in our storage.”

“Sure thing!” Bdubs’ arms instinctively went to perform the diamond salute, but he knew Cleo hated when he did that, so he disguised the gesture by clapping his hands together. “So how did you guys all get here? Where’s your ship?”

“They claim there’s no ship,” Cleo said on their way out of the room. Her tone of voice clearly indicated that she didn’t believe them.

“It crashed,” Lizzie told him very solemnly. “Horribly. Went up in flames and everything. Big disaster.”

“Funny coincidence,” Bdubs said, “that’s exactly what happened to ours.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pearl through the window, in the process of sneaking away. She met Bdubs’ gaze for a split second, and gave him a wink before vanishing from view.

—

Scott was out in the garden when Jimmy heard a visitor knocking at their door. Usually he waited for Scott to tell him what to expect, but it had been a while since they’d had any surprises, and besides, Scott rarely gave him a straight answer when it came to the future. So instead of waiting for him, Jimmy got up and opened the door by himself.

“Hi! You’re Jimmy, right?” Pearl stuck out her arm, and he took it, bewildered. “I just learned about handshakes from Bdubs. Did I do it right?”

“Probably,” Jimmy said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t know. What’s up?”

“You fuse a lot, right? I wanna talk about fusion.”

She must have seen Flower Agate at the party last night. “Yeah, sure. Come on in.” Jimmy stepped aside to allow Pearl to enter. She took a few steps, only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of a wall of ice between them.

“No,” Scott said evenly from where he stood at the back door, his arm outstretched. “Not happening.”

“Scott, what’s going on?” Jimmy backed away from Pearl, who looked just as confused as he felt. “Is something wrong?”

Scott ignored him. “I can’t tell what you’re planning,” he said to Pearl, “but it won’t work. You’re going to get yourself and a lot of other gems hurt.”

“What are you talking about?” Pearl asked. The ice only came up to her waist, but she didn’t try to step over it. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Her voice trembled on the words.

“Maybe not, but you will.”

“Is this about a future vision you saw?” Pearl said. “Just tell me what it was, that way I can—”

“I’m not taking that risk,” Scott said. “Just stay away from me and Jimmy.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Jimmy interrupted. “Can’t we talk about this? I’d rather have nobody get hurt, if that’s an option.”

“You and I can talk about this,” Scott told him. “But you—” he turned his attention back to Pearl, “—need to leave.”

Before Pearl could respond, Scott pushed the ice wall further forward, forcing her out the door. It slammed shut, and he hurried over to lock it.

“What has gotten into you?” Jimmy asked him. “Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to talk it out with her? What harm can one pearl do?”

“You really have to ask that question? You’ve met Joel.”

He couldn’t argue with that—Joel had caused a lot of trouble when he’d first arrived. But for the brief time they’d spoken, Pearl had been perfectly pleasant. “Can you at least tell me what’s going to happen?”

“I can’t,” Scott said.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t. There are too many possibilities right now. We’ll have to wait it out and see how things end up.”

Jimmy loved Scott, he really did, but sometimes he made Jimmy want to tear his hair out. “Then what’s the use of future vision if we still don’t know what to do?”

Scott didn’t answer him. Jimmy looked down to see a small ring of ice encircling the hem of his skirt.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said hastily, reaching to pry Scott free of the ice. He set him down on the couch. “Forget I said that. How about tonight? Can you see what happens tonight?”

“We go to the party,” Scott said slowly. “We fuse again. It’s—I think there’s a new fusion? It’s hard to see as Flower Agate.”

“So that’s good, right?” Jimmy asked. “We’re safe.”

“I think so.”

“We’re safe,” Jimmy repeated, with more confidence this time. “We’ll be fine.”

He hoped Scott believed him. He wasn’t sure he believed himself.

—

Mumbo was at a party with a bunch of rebel gems, and people were fusing.

At least, that’s what he thought they were doing. Pearl had warned him this would happen, but it was one thing to hear about it and quite another to see it for himself. Right now, the sapphire and the lapis lazuli were involved in a dance that made Mumbo want to politely avert his eyes—yet at the same time, he couldn’t look away.

“This is…a lot,” he said.

“Yeah,” Pearl agreed. “Are you freaking out? It’s okay if you’re freaking out. We can go back to the ship.”

“No, it’s alright!” Mumbo couldn’t imagine going back to the ship and letting this happen without him. “We can stay.”

The sapphire and lapis finally fused, and he got to watch in real time as their forms merged into one. It was slow and confusing and oddly beautiful. He let out a gasp when the ball of light finally solidified into a single figure, which stood taller than most of the other nearby gems.

“I’m trying to be supportive of Gri,” Pearl said. “I know he likes this. When he fused yesterday, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so…”

“Happy?” Mumbo guessed, searching for Grian in the crowd. He found him talking to a blue gem, with Scar somewhere off in the distance. Maybe Grian didn’t always fuse with Scar, then. Maybe he liked to branch out. “He seems really at home here.”

He’d officially reunited with Grian that morning, which had been wonderful, but…strange. Tense. Mumbo had been expecting everything to promptly return to normal once they found Gri, but it was becoming more and more obvious that that would not be the case. Even worse, Pearl seemed to be in denial about it, and Mumbo had been taking cues from her for long enough that he had no idea what to do.

His attention was pulled to the nephrite and green jasper he’d met earlier, who were—well, if the previous fusion dance had made Mumbo want to look away, this one made him want to bury his head in the ground. Still, he watched. He’d never seen anything even remotely like it. He couldn’t imagine himself ever making moves like that, but perhaps he could manage a twirl or two. Would he have to take off his limb enhancers?

“I don’t know what else to do,” Pearl said.  “Do you think if I fused with him, it would convince him to choose us instead of them?”

“Huh?” The second fusion dance had reached its culmination, but a third and a fourth had started up. Mumbo managed to tear his eyes away for a moment to look at Pearl. She had taken on an odd in-between color, which corresponded with the sun’s current position most of the way below the horizon. “Beg your pardon, did you say you were thinking of fusing with Grian?”

“I might as well try.” Pearl got to her feet. “I’ll just go ask him. No big deal, right?”

Mumbo was fairly certain that Pearl and Grian fusing would be a recipe for disaster, but he doubted Pearl would listen to him. “He’s been talking to that blue gem for quite a while now. You might be interrupting something.”

“I don’t care.” Pearl was fully red now. “We’re losing him. He’s in love with this planet. If we don’t offer him something better, he’s going to realize he prefers it to us.”

“Surely there’s a better way than—”

Pearl had already begun walking away before he could finish. Mumbo didn’t follow her. He’d seen enough of Pearl in her red state to know there wasn’t anything he could do except watch the disaster unfold in front of him.

“Boys,” a very sarcastic voice said behind him.

Mumbo looked up to see Rose Quartz—no, Lizzie—taking a seat in the grass beside him. “What’s a boy?” he asked.

“Not sure!” Lizzie said. “I heard Cleo say it earlier, just like that. I think it’s an insult.”

“Boys,” Mumbo repeated, trying to mimic her derision. He watched Pearl storm up to Grian and grab his arm, pulling him away from the blue quartz. “I really don’t understand pearls.”

“Me neither,” Lizzie said, with a little huff of exasperation. “Want a flower? I’ve been picking off the petals for fun.” She passed Mumbo a small white blossom with long petals, the stem severed halfway down.

Mumbo methodically plucked every third petal as he watched Pearl and Grian’s conversation from afar. He didn’t dare approach them, but he couldn’t help but wonder what they were saying.

—

“What are you even saying?” Grian said, throwing up his hands. “Have you gone mad?”

“Am I not good enough to fuse with?” Pearl asked. “You’ll fuse with spinels and quartzes but not me?”

“Pearl, I’m not—” Grian cast a glance at BigB, who was trying to mind his own business. It was proving to be a very difficult task. “I haven’t even fused with any quartzes yet, I’ll have you know. And besides, it’s not about what type of gem you are.”

“So why not? Spit it out.”

“I don’t think this is a good time.” Grian looked wary, but his mind was clearly made up. “Not while you’re still red.”

“That’s it, then?” Pearl threw up her hands. “You won’t fuse with me because I’m off-color?”

BigB winced at that one. “Woah, okay, I don’t think that’s—”

“Don’t you start,” Pearl snapped. “I’m talking to Grian right now.”

“Actually, I was talking to him first,” Grian said, before BigB could figure out a polite way to exit the conversation. “I know you’re still adjusting to living here, Pearl, but BigB didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pearl gave him a look of pure fury, then turned the same gaze on BigB, who immediately put up his hands in surrender. “Fine,” she said. “I get it. You’d rather hang out with your new friends.”

“Pearl, I don’t—”

“Whatever, Gri,” she said coldly, and turned on her heel, walking away into the dark.

Grian sighed. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he told BigB.

“Did you know her from somewhere?” BigB asked him. “That really didn’t seem like a conversation between two gems that met yesterday.”

“I guess there’s no point in keeping it a secret if she wants to have loud arguments in front of people,” Grian said. “Yeah, I know her. At least, I thought I did.”

“That bad, huh?”

Grian shrugged. “Something’s going on with her, but I have no idea what it is.”

“You think it has anything to do with the whole color-changing thing?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her do that before.” Grian stared off into the woods where Pearl had just disappeared. “I’ve never seen any gem do that before.”

“Me neither,” BigB said. “I bet if anyone knows, it’s Ren. He’s seen a lot of weird stuff.”

“You think he’d know something?” Grian looked even more worried at the prospect. “I’m not sure if I should bother him with this.”

“I can ask him,” BigB volunteered. “I don’t mind.”

He looked around at the rest of the party, finding Ren lounging in the grass by himself. He was surprised Ren and Martyn hadn’t formed Red Diamond yet, considering all the other fusions that were going on, but he wasn’t about to question it. “Hey, Ren! Can I ask you something?”

“What’s up, dude?” Ren waved him over. “Is something wrong?”

“Not with me,” BigB said. “I just wanted to ask, have you ever seen a gem change color?”

“Hmm.” Ren took a moment to think. “I can’t say I have. Not permanently, at least.”

“What about temporarily?”

“Well, that’s a different story. I’ve seen it happen a few times.”

“You have? Really?”

“Sure, have, m’dude. It’s pretty funky.” Ren sat up straight, immediately towering over BigB. “Happens sometimes on planets with different types of suns. Most gems look about the same, but sometimes a gem will go a bit—well, I don’t want to say off-color, but—”

“So it’s just a trick of the light?” BigB asked.

“Sometimes,” Ren said. “Sometimes nothing else happens, but—haven’t seen it myself, mind you, but I’ve heard certain gems will start to go a little off the rails, if you know what I mean.”

BigB laughed. “Like we all did when we got here?”

“Hey! Not all of us!”

“You’re right,” BigB said. “It was mostly you and Martyn.”

Ren sighed. “I suppose you’re not wrong. Why were you asking about color-changing gems, anyway?”

“You’ve met the new gems, haven’t you?”

“Seen ‘em, yes. Not really had a chat with any of them yet. I was planning on introducing myself, but I was worried I might intimidate them with my size.”

“You could always shrink down,” BigB suggested. “But yeah, Grian and I just talked to Pearl, and she was kind of…the wrong color? Last I saw her she was close to the same color as Grian, but this time she was red. Is that normal?”

“She was red, you say?” Ren looked alarmed. “Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. Saw it with my own eyes. Grian said it happened last night, too.”

“That’s…not good,” Ren said. “Where is she now?”

“She got upset and ran off.” BigB pointed in the direction he’d seen Pearl disappear. Ren’s frown only deepened.

“We should probably go make sure she’s okay.” He got to his feet, then looked down at BigB and hesitated. “Maybe I’ll take your advice on that shrinking thing. Wouldn’t want to scare her.”

BigB watched as Ren shrank down to match his height. Amusingly, Ren’s gem stayed the same size, making it look huge on his chest. It was odd to be able to look Ren in the eye, but BigB found he quite liked it.

“Alright, you lead the way,” Ren told him.

“Just you and me?” BigB asked. “We’re not getting anyone else?”

“We don’t need a whole group for one pearl,” Ren said. “She’s not hostile, is she?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then I’m sure we’ll be fine!” Ren flashed him a grin. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

—

<Previous part | Next part>

(I'll update this fic with the next part when it's done, but you can save it on ao3 if you want to make sure you catch it!)

if you read this all the way through and enjoyed, please consider reblogging!

[suspicious-septopus]

The life series relationship between Joel and Scott is so interesting to me and I just need to gush about it for a minute. Like, it’s a rivalry that’s almost one-sided, but not completely. It also just continues to progress throughout the whole series, through every season with pretty much the same dynamic throughout.

I think the place it really starts is in third life, with Joel’s burning of the wall. Before this there’s still some conflict between them, like when Joel decides to steal Scott’s cows with Martyn, but that was more Martyn’s idea than his so I don’t count it. The wall was the true catalyst for everything. Not much else really happens between them in third life besides just an overall distrust of each other, so I’ll move on.

In last life, most of their interactions involve Joel trying to kill Scott with varying levels of success. He manages to get a boogey kill on him in the second episode but gets killed by Pearl right after, turning him to red. As a red name, he often tries to kill Scott but it never really works, though he does manage to destroy the Scottage with tnt. Eventually, when Scott becomes red as well, they make a tentative red alliance. They still don’t trust or like each other though and plan to separate at the soonest possible convenience. In one of my favorite exchanges between the two, Scott asks Joel why he doesn’t like him when he’s the one doing everything to him and Joel answers that Scott just looked at him funny one day. I think I’ve talked about last life enough but now though, so the gist of how it ends is that Scott and his allies hunt down Joel and Grian and Scott gets the final kill on both.

So now it’s double life, the season where they’re probably the most friendly to each other. They’re neighbors and they have a good relationship for the most part. Joel is the one to get the first two kills on the Scott and Pearl soulmate duo, but the first one isn’t personal to Scott, it was just because Pearl decided to make bad decisions. The second one was definitely personal, however. Joel wanted to kill Scott, so he got all the reds to help him kill Scott. Before this though, something interesting happened. Scott set Joel’s relation ship on fire and Joel burns down every other base in return. I think that’s mostly it for double life, so let’s move on.

Limited life is where it gets really interesting, because this is when Scott finally snaps. Joel tries to kill Scott so many times and while I don’t remember every single death in this series since there are so many, I’m pretty sure he never succeeds. At one point, he even gathers everyone but Scott’s allies and gets them to chase and try to kill Scott. This seems to be becoming a pattern now. Anyways, Scott eventually has enough and switches it. Now, he’s the one hunting Joel down, but unlike his rival, Scott succeeds. He kills Joel again and again and again, and in the end, ends Joel’s series and making him the third one out.

Now I know that’s a lot of raw information, so let’s review. Joel tries to kill Scott a lot. He sometimes manages to do it, but most of the time he fails. He also destroys all of Scott’s bases except for the coral isles in limited life. Scott, though, does not go out of his way to kill or harm Joel, at least not until the end. Most of the things he does against Joel are revenge, and usually not even equal revenge at that. As the series goes on, though, Joel gets more and more determined to kill him and Scott gets more and more frustrated at these attempts. This all culminates in the end of Joel’s limited life series, where Scott kills him a bunch of times.

All this is why, in my totally correct opinion, Scott and Joel should team up in the next life series. Think about it. It would wrap up their relationship arc well while changing things up in the dynamic. It’s also very likely that Joel would end up betraying Scott, adding angst fuel to both their overarching stories with Scott being betrayed again and Joel being alone again. Also, on a purely statistical level, they would make a great team. Joel’s problem is that he’s really reckless. We’ve seen before with Etho that when Joel is with someone who’s more level-headed and practical than him, he can do very well. Scott definitely fits the bill for this. They’re also both very good at pvp. This would make them something of a power duo, and I would love to see that with them.

[mochiwrites]

I’m gonna need you to write smt about Scar/Mumbo making Grian fall over my bro. for scientific purposes frfr

this is excellent timing because I wanted to write a small thing so — have a two times scar and mumbo made grian fall and the one (1) time he made them fall instead <3

1. Mumbo

There’s a sort of giddy excitement rushing through Grian as he sets up his tent right beside Mumbo and Scar’s. He doesn’t think he’s been so excited about something in a while, and it isn’t just because of the future opportunities to poke at the goat.

Hermitcraft has had many a prank wars before, and Grian has always enjoyed every single one of them. He’ll gleefully take any opportunity to mess with his friends, and to cause an all out war full of pranking is a fantastic outcome for the avian.

Except this time it’s different, more exciting than it has been. And it has something to do with the fact that he’s formed an alliance with Mumbo and Scar, his two favorite people.

It’s something he’s never had the chance to do before, not when most of the conflicts Grian has started has put Scar as his main target to pester. Mumbo has (mostly) been at his side through most conflicts, but Grian has never had the joy of teaming with Scar.

And well, who wouldn’t be giddy about teaming with their partners for a prank war?

Grian can feel the way his wings twitch and shift with excitement as he sets down some wool, a buzzing energy about him. He isn’t sure how long he’s been working for, but Scar and Mumbo have already finished their tents.

Scar flew off back to Scarland to grab some things to decorate the area they’ve set up in, leaving just Mumbo and Grian for the moment.

“Gri?” Mumbo calls to him, drawing a hum from the avian. “You gonna take a break any time soon, buttercup? I uh, we’ve been at this for a while now.”

Grian is only half listening to him, much too focused on getting the shape of the top of the tent right. He sets a fence post down, putting bits of wool around it to test. “Hmmm, mhm, yeah,” he answers Mumbo.

He hears a fond little huff, “You’re not listening to me, are you?”

(What Grian doesn’t see is Mumbo glance at the concrete powder in his inventory, an idea in mind.)

“Hmmmm.” Grian removes a block of two, flexing his wings so he can fly back and get an idea of how it looks. Something is missing, he thinks. He glances over to Mumbo and Scar’s tents, searching for a little inspiration. Should he use some of the cherry leaves? Outside or inside? Or—

For a moment his mind blanks, wings falling shut. His stomach drops as he falls from the sky, barely registering a muffled yell.

When his head feels less foggy, Grian blinks, staring up at the sky. “Oh my goodness! Grian I’m so sorry, I didn’t think you’d just plummet like that!” Mumbo’s face appears in his field of vision, and oh. Mumbo’s holding him.

Grian looks over to where his tent is, and where he should have been floating in the air still. Why did he suddenly fall like tha—

His brows furrow as he looks to his partner, “Mumbo…” he starts, “did you drop that concrete powder again?”

Mumbo at least has the decency to look embarrassed, “It was er… more of a test really. T-To see if maybe I could use it to stop you from working yourself too hard!”

Grian stares at him for a second or two before shaking his head. “You’re very lucky we’re on the same side, mister. Else I’d— I mean the man in the chicken costume would be flooding your base with chickens,” he teases, before planting a kiss to Mumbo’s cheek. He jumps out of the man’s arms. “But I guess a little break won’t hurt.” He looks at Mumbo with a grin, “Buttercup.”

Mumbo’s red face delights Grian greatly.

2. Scar

Of all people Grian was concerned about having the knowledge of this sudden new… glitch, it was definitely Scar.

Mumbo claimed that Scar was wholesome. Grian begged to disagree.

He’s quite aware of how chaotic their partner can be (it’s partly what drew Grian to him in the first place), and giving Scar a power that can make Grian do the equivalent of blue screening is dangerous. Very dangerous.

Where Mumbo might use it for lawfully evil purposes, Grian is quite aware that Scar will use it on a whim. Because he can.

No matter how much gravel and concrete powder Mumbo confiscates from Scar, the man somehow keeps appearing with more! And unfortunately for Grian, Scar is very entertained by his glitch.

Standing inside his tent, Grian looks around at the empty space. He doesn’t have much planned for his interior at the moment, nothing besides a bed and a chest.

Humming to himself, Grian walks out of his tent and over to the chest filled with building materials he and Scar set up right in the middle of Buttercup Camp. He flicks it open and rummages through it, grabbing some things for decoration. After, Grian shuts the chest and walks back to his tent.

At least that’s what he intends to do.

He gets a single step in before his mind goes all foggy and his limbs turn to jelly. Just before he can fall two strong arms wrap around his middle and catches him.

“Why hello there, buttercup!” Scar grins at him, “It seems like you’ve fallen for me~.”

Grian’s cheeks warm and the fogginess quickly wears off. “Scar!” he exclaims, lightly scolding him, but Grian’s heart isn’t actually in it.

Scar sets him upright as he giggles, and Grian whacks him with his wing. “I’m going to make Mumbo empty all of your pockets!” he warns, shaking his head.

“Oh, you can try mister!” Scar laughs, stealing a kiss from Grian before running back to his own tent.

Grian watches him go with fondness in his eyes.

+1. Grian

The sun is setting in the sky when Grian enacts his revenge.

All day he had been falling thanks to his partners, and Grian has the perfect plan to get them back. Simple, but perfect.

By now all three of their tents have been set up, and their sniffer has hatched. Grian’s quite pleased with the name, knowing it will definitely strike fear into Doc’s heart.

Mumbo and Scar stand in the little clearing right by their tents, the pair murmuring softly to one another as they watch the sun set.

They’re completely distracted. Perfect.

Grian waits for a moment or two before he takes a running leap. “Revenge!” he cries out as he crashes into both of them, wrapping his arms around them. He hears Scar and Mumbo yell in surprise, and the three of them crash to the ground.

Somehow, Grian ends up on top of the both, wings sprawled over their forms. Mumbo and Scar are trapped under him.

“What was that for?” Mumbo questions, looking up at Grian with furrowed brows.

“That was for dropping falling blocks all day.” Grian gives a cheeky grin in reply, looking far too pleased with himself.

“Awww, but it was so fun.” Scar pouts, “You fit so perfectly in my arms, buttercup.”

Grian sits back, once more feeling his face warm. “You’re having way too much fun with this, Scar. The glitch and the name.” He stares at the man, trying to a frown but utterly failing.

“It’s a nice name,” Mumbo chimes in, causing Scar to eagerly nod his head in agreement. “And it was rather to catch you.”

Huffing at them both, Grian moves to lay in between them, laying on his stomach so his wings aren’t crushed. “You’re both spoons,” he grumbles, but doesn’t hesitate to snuggle with them.

“Comes with the territory I’m afraid,” Mumbo laughs softly, turning on his side to smile at both Grian and Scar.

“We should find a glitch that makes Mumbo fall into our arms,” Scar comments, his tone laced with fondness.

“W-What, no!” Mumbo protests quickly, flustered. “I’d be too difficult to catch, I’m all lanky. You and Grian are much easier for that sort of thing!”

Grian hums, “No, no. I agree with Scar. I think we can make it happen.”

Mumbo groans while Scar and Grian share a smile, already thinking of ways to mess with Mumbo.

And when they switch to looking up at the stars, Grian tugs them both close with his wings, a pleased smile on his face.

[frozenjokes]

boatem ghosts impulse is quickly becoming one of my favorites the more I flesh him out now that I’ve definitely figured out how the epilogue for Signing Back In, Apparently is going to end

spoilers for that fic and the following epilogue endings below. If you just want to hear me ramble about my little guys then. Enjoy. This post is just a massive character study

Every comment on ao3 about the ending of Signing Back in mentioned something about Scar and how it was disappointing (and even concerning for the futures of the characters) that he hadn’t been sufficiently punished or just, dead, which I definitely think somewhat was a flaw of the story or at the very least a flaw of my writing that his suffering wasn’t quite conveyed well enough. I think part of that had to do with Scar’s last pov chapter playing more for sillies than going the darker route I had originally intended and also with the way his final confrontation with Mumbo goes, where Scar gets the last word before leaving.

However, for me, that ending is satisfying (which, when writing for fun, is all that really matters to me personally) because it ends Mumbo’s experience with grief in the way I had always intended it, which is to say. No closure. Mumbo was never meant to have closure, and the main themes of the story were to move on without getting it.

The main reason I started writing Signing Off and Signing Back In was because of my experience with a ROUGH break up, and that being the worst grief I have ever experienced (long term relationship, I was blindsided by it ending.) I wanted to explore the grief (and overcoming grief) of each of these characters in different ways, being.

Mumbo desperately wants closure, because he believes that will be his instant fix. Mumbo’s arc is about moving on despite the answers to his questions not being satisfying. It is important that Mumbo does not kill Scar, and that Mumbo does not leave contact with Scar feeling in control.

Pearl wants Scar to die, and believes Scar being dead (preferably at her hand, making him suffer like he did to the crew) will be her instant fix. Pearl does not have a succinct arc related to her grief in the story, but if she did, it would be an exploration on revenge, and if her obsession over Scar’s death is hurting her more than his being dead would help her. (hint: she’s a wreck)

Grian’s desperately wants closure, more-so before the events of Signing Back In take place, but had an experience at the beginning of the story that makes him realize he is worse off looking for it. While most of his arc happens off screen (and is a little confused, I need to make some edits to make it smoother) he eventually realized he is worse off dwelling around Scar, and decides he does not want to know the reason he was murdered.

Impulse refuses to acknowledge Scar post-murders as the same person he knew before. He spends all his energy on trying to protect his friends, and doesn’t have much of an arc in the story, instead filling the role of support. Scar is a non-entity, he may as well be a stranger or an alien. To me, Impulse is the only person out of the group that can kill Scar. For Impulse, Scar’s death will not fix him, nor will it fix his friends, but it will keep his friends safe from further harm. Scar’s death will not fix Impulse, nor does he expect it to. Impulse’s issues with Scar are deeper than that, and might never be unpacked as the original reason Impulse latched to that coping mechanism so intently was because he expected he wouldn’t have to deal with it, as he planned to move to the afterlife before finding Hermit Island. When Impulse kills Scar at the end of the Signing Back In epilogue, he isn’t angry, even despite all the other ghosts that are mortified to see him. That isn’t Scar. In the end, he’s deeply satisfied he could keep his friends, and the only ghosts on the island safe.

this probably makes no sense I’m just vibing I love my guys

[all54321]

A Promise Fulfilled

[AO3]

Finally wrote for this AU, and it’s definitely one of my favorites. Unfortunately I’m starting with one of the worst (emotionally) scene of this AU. Cause… whumptober.

The basis of this AU is that after the winner dies in the life series, they wake up a few days into the following one. They look like a red life, and have the single life of one, but lack the bloodlust and desires of one. They also can’t interact with the mechanics of the games (ie life transfers).

Grian in both LL and DL attaches himself to Scar and keeps him company/dedicates his life to him.

Summary: Being the last greens on the server paints a huge on Grian and Scar’s back, but Scar is confident we can talk his way out of any confrontation. Unfortunately when he realizes he can’t, he loses the one person who cares about him.

Day 14: Alt 14: Human Shield

—————

Scar holds his hands up as the reds surround him in a half circle, “Now, I’m certain we can make a deal here, fellas.”

“Or,” Joel grins, “We can kill you and take the sand from your corpse.”

“Well-“ he verbally stumbles, trying to find the words to get out of this one. It seems like escaping all of those encounters before did nothing but aggravate them all.

Scar’s eyes flick around to the many crossbows pointed at him, most of the reds are here, which is the least ideal situation. He needs to find a good way to pacify all of them.

He flinches to the side as an arrow flies past his arm, and his eyes flick over to where Etho is reloading, “No more talking.” It seems like that’s a cue as the crossbows get raised again.

Before Scar can do anything to defend himself, a few of the reds fire them, arrows flying towards him. He goes to brace himself, but suddenly someone stands in front on him, wings spread wide.

“Grian!?” Scar exclaims in shock, before watching in horror as the avian crumples to the ground, a few arrows sticking into him. Fully ignoring the red lives around him, Scar rushes to Grian’s side, cautiously picking him up, “G-Grian…?”

Grian slowly opens his eyes, red eyes hazy, and smiles, “Got here… just in time…”

“Grian- you- why !?” Scar mumbles, grief suddenly crashing against the horror within him. This Grian might not have been his soulmate, but he sure as hell cares more about Scar then the one who is.

“I told you… that I’d… protect you,” he rasps out, voice growing weak.

“You didn’t have to risk your life!” Scar shouts, tears brimming in his eyes.

Grian shrugs minutely, “It was… the only thing… I could think of…” He takes a shuddering breath, “It was worth it… I was going to die eventually… no better way then… saving you.”

“Grian,” Scar whispers, voice breaking.

“Please survive,” Grian interrupts, quiet but firm. “That’s all I want… goodbye… I l-“ his eyes fall closed again as he goes limp.

“Gri-“ A loud boom of thunder interrupts him, and it echoes with a finality of Grian’s death. The equally timed communicator beep only confirms it. Scar clutches the avian tighter, ducking his head down as the tears start spilling from his eyes, “G-Grian!”

Too absorbed in his grief, Scar doesn’t hear the quiet whispers of the red lives around him, nor does he hear them all exit the area, leaving him to mourn in peace.