#it was there when Grian chose join Scar

[rainyinautumn]

Scar pulled his punches in the cactus ring.

"You can't know that for sure-" yes, I absolutely can. Scar isn't terrible at PvP—he's not the best, but he knows the basics of how to aim and hit. He does objectively well in the Battle of Dogwarts. He understands the rhythm of a fight. His biggest weakness isn't his skill, it's his tendency to get overwhelmed by the chaos of a battle.

And the cactus ring? Not a battle. It's just Grian, who Scar doesn't even look at. You can see it from both perspectives—Scar doesn't aim, he doesn't have a rhythm, he just hits repeatedly and nonsensically.

And Grian notices.

GRIAN: Go! SCAR: I'm ready, here we go! [Fight begins] SCAR: Oh, oh it hurts so bad. GRIAN (indignantly): Scar! SCAR: I'm getting you, I'm getting you good! GRIAN (laughing): I don't think you are.

Grian's indignant "Scar!" is because he can tell that Scar isn't trying. And you know what? After that, Grian doesn't try as hard. He goes into the fight expecting a fight, and is met with an opponent who clearly isn't trying to hurt him. Grian hits Scar with two crits initially, then completely ignores an obvious chance to do so a couple seconds later, when he jumps down from a block to land next to Scar and then hits him.

Grian does still win, though. He does eventually start trying again, because one of them has to win, and Scar made the decision to give him the victory right from the start. Grian recognizes that Scar wants him to win. So he fights hard again when Scar's health starts to get low, to get it over with for the both of them.

And that's when he tells Scar he's sorry.

The worst part?

In Scar's very last moments, he starts to fight back.

When he gets to about a heart and a half, his hits start to become more desperate as he realizes he is actually about to die, and regardless of the fact that he's okay with Grian winning, that's scary. As he's on death's door, he actually crits Grian, and his last words are "no, no, no, no!"

He doesn't blame Grian, though. Because when he asks for a life in the very beginning of Last Life, Scar gives it to him.

In a strange way, Last Life parallels 3rd Life. At the very beginning, Grian takes a life from Scar as a prank. In neither situation does he intend to hurt Scar—he didn't think the creeper would kill him, and he was going to return Scar's life until he learned he started with six. In the end, he still does. The difference is that Last Life shows us a Grian with no remorse, and what 3rd Life could have been like if he'd never pledged himself to Scar. Double Life follows that up with a world where they're forced to be together, rather than Grian choosing to protect Scar.

The one through line in all of this? Scar trusts Grian with his life, and in the end, Grian loses it—not out of any malice, but because, as we learn in Limited Life, he's him.

[boxbugdotcom]

poo poo pee pee oooohh you wanna tal;k about mumscarian asooooo bad ouuhohhhhh you wanna discuss tehem and tyour headcannons on them SOOO ABADDDD

OUHH I WANNA TALK ABOUT MUMSCARIAN SOOOOO BAD

(guys, obviously this is not about the content creators, those are real people. this is all about the characters!! ty 🫶)

guys literally ENOUGH trying to chose between Grumbo or Scarian or Redscape. they all have two hands. And it’s not Just Grumbo + Scar or Scarian + Mumbo, THEY ALL HAVE WONDERFUL CHEMISTRY!!

Grian and Mumbo CLEARLY like each other— summoning circles and bothering each other every single day (not so much this season), they genuinely enjoy each other’s company, love being around each other— a good example could be in secret life, Grian’s first task to make bad puns and have no one laugh. And what did he do?? Immediately goes to find Mumbo, despite knowing Mumbo is the world’s giggliest person!! Another one is Mumbo’s complete and total regret when making that deal with Grian for his permits— when he took the bit too far and Grian backed out he felt so bad about it!!

Scar and Grian, I mean. C’mon. We have everything about third life, and then double life— and they have such a fun teasing sort of relationship! They laugh with each other and poke fun and that’s how they are !!! They are NOT bad for each other or mean to each other or anything, they play off of each other and don’t hold grudges for their bits. Like the snails bit, or the on hold bit (all from this season), they’re just ! fun and playful together.

Mumbo and Scar are absolutely wonderful together ! their personalities work well together and they’re so hilarious— i love me a crazy bitch (scar) and the seemingly normal guy said crazy bitch totes around with him (mumbo). That’s not to say Mumbo’s normal, he’s only regular because everyone around him is batshit /j still though! Scar does all his crazy shit, and Mumbo’s along for the ride bc they like hanging out together! Mumbo loves Scar’s builds and takes inspo from them, they based next to each other on magic mountain, they’re just so !!

And let’s not forget !! the buttercups! All of season nine! The fact that they’ve based together every season since Grian’s joined!!!

as for headcanons i. literally could talk for hours about it but my phone is dying and its late,,, so have this short list!!

- Grian falls asleep in the sun SO often and whenever Scar or Mumbo finds him, they just ! join him !

- Scar’s the strongest, Grian’s the lightest, and Mumbo’s the weakest. Grian has hollow bird bones and therefore is really light ! Mumbo just is,,,, such a twink im sorry its gotta be said. He may haul redstone components around but he is NOT buff. Scar is buff okay it just Makes Sense. He can pick both Grian and Mumbo up easy

- Mumbo’s the most easily flustered, and Grian and Scar tag team flirt with him SOOOO OFTEN. It just ends in Mumbo being a red and stuttering mess

- Mumbo also is the worst at flirting— Grian’s the best, and Scar isn’t good at it but his insane demeanor and strange behaviors are so captivating to the other two. Mumbo cant flirt to save his life. He once tried a simple pickup line on Grian and forgot how it went halfway through. He’s tried to flirt with Scar and fell face first into the dirt.

- Mumbo still has insane loserboy rizz and autistic swagger. how??? no one knows! but his nervous demeanor and autistic rizz bagged both scar and grian idk

- The Buttercups was a resistance to Doc, yes, but it was ALSO Grian and Scar inviting Mumbo into their relationship. Mumbo did not realize this until FAR into the buttercups. He was not complaining

- On that note, Grian and Scar were dating first, absolutely. After 3rd life??? there was no way they weren’t. But they saw Mumbo, in all his autism, loserboy, anxiety disorder swagger, and both fell head over heels.

- Mumbo has like. Always been in love with Grian and Scar. Since they became friends, basically. But he was nervous to say anything, and then they were dating, and it was okay! Mumbo was absolutely smitten, but it was manageable. He loved them both so much— it was a bruise that only hurt when you pushed on it. But he loved being around them! He loved being their friend, so it was okay! He was their friend, and he loved them, and he was okay with that

- Of course, they DID love him back. Mumbo just didn’t realize that,,,, for a while,,,,,

I’m sure i could come up with more! but like i said it’s late and i need to sleep lmao

[plasteredwalls]

Random AU idea I've been thinking about for a while -

What if the watchers chose their winners and influence everyone's decisions to make it happen.

So Grian was chosen as a punishment for being in the games to begin with.

Scott stuck his tongue out at the watchers and they wanted revenge.

Pearl was chosen for double life but it could have been Martyn. This is because the Watchers viewed the breakup as something that would create a yearning for the way things are written in the rules. Yet they viewed Martyn as too dangerous to let upstairs.

Because the winners do live in the Watchers realm after their games to continue the cycle of torment. While for grian and Scott it was a punishment, for Pearl they recognise that they still need control over the winners. So they enable Pearl to essentially punish Scott for going against the soulbound in a way to keep him in his place while also letting in someone who is likely to abide by the rules. A distraction from the real enemy if you will because then Grians role becomes occupied in dealing with that too.

But for a fleeting moment that the watchers considered Martyn, it allowed him a peek at upstairs. He realised if he wants to stop the games he has to win.

Winning isn't easy, especially when the watchers have chosen Impulse as their next winner. Someone who appears as a friend to all amd can inadvertently sow more doubt among the winners. Martyn hangs by Scott strategically to benefit from his ally blessing and to almost hide behind him.

When the last fight comes, Martyn knows that this is his opportunity. He knows how the watchers love a fair duel so he can usurp that. He kills Scott first to get him out of the way and then targets impulse who is disorientated from the sudden twist. All as Martyn hoped he would be.

Martyn gets upstairs and immediately runs. He forms a resistance of just himself to try take the watchers down. The watchers sow seeds into the other winners minds that Martyn will disrupt their sanctuary. And even though the winners know this isn't sanctuary, they know better than to defy watchers.

Martyn runs for another 6 months. Until he catches an inkling of a new death game. This time they have chosen Scar as a victim, targeting him more harshly than ever before. The idea is to get him so depressed that when he is alone, he will crumble and won't consider any hatred towards the watchers. They also won't let him die because then he could escape the world and potentially cause issues like Martyn did. Martyn realises this and takes it upon himself to save Scar from Secret Life. Turns out the watchers failed because Scar is as vengeful as ever about taking them down.

Scar joins the resistance and he and Martyn keep working to convince the others to join them. It doesn't work. Their fear is too strong.

Soon, Cleo joins too. She is not chosen at all because the Watchers don't want a repeat of Scar. She joins the resistance too and the three work tirelessly to stop the games.

But what Martyn forgets is that he isn't a human like the others. He is just a piece of code. And soon the Watchers figure that out and exploit it. As Martyn deteriorates, he makes sure Scar and Cleo know they have the strength to fight the watchers without him.

The others actually see this as the ruthless reality of the watchers they all knew in the back of their minds. And grian can sense another game brewing. So the five of them finally join forces to destroy the watchers. The game is continuously delayed until finally the watchers succumb. Grian seizes control of the new game with the new rules:

Everyone has one life. There are no boogymen. There are no tasks. There are no soulbounds. Let's just live together and work through this.

And even if Martyns code couldn't muster up enough strength to regenerate him, at least it knew that everyone else got that happy ending.

[rachiecrown]

I AM GOING TO SHOUT A LOT

Buttercup Trio right, they have me in a CHOKEHOLD. I am INSANE ABOUT THEM. I need to talk about them or I WILL EXPLODE!!!!

So now I'm gonna talk about them in the Feather's Embers AU.

Grian invites Mumbo and Scar to sleepovers, Scar choses a random movie and Mumbo is frightened because its horror. Grian sits on the couch with Mumbo hiding behind him, Scar leans a bit too far to the right and ends up asleep over Grian's lap like a tired cat. Mumbo falls asleep with his face in Grian's shoulder and Grian can't help but to feel this soft and warm feeling despite the fictional atrocities going on on the television.

Scar works at his cafe, the Goodtimes Cafe, and Grian and Mumbo come in bantering about paint colors, Grian complains about Mumbo's overuse of teal in his apartment but Mumbo honestly doesn't see the problem. Scar sides with Mumbo just to frustrate Grian more and Grian tries to show the busied Scar that the shades of paint Mumbo wants to use are far too close, and Mumbo flicks Grian in the forehead. Then as they sit down to eat and drink Scar joins them because there's no line at the counter, and they talk about old gossip and heroes on the other side of the world.

Mumbo has an online centric job and he can just bring his laptop and charger wherever, so he goes to Grian's bakery and Scar's cafe, choosing his favorite booth from each business to sit in for his working period. Sometimes Grian and Scar will join him on their breaks or when business is slow, and Mumbo will save his work and close his laptop to talk to them about whatever they want to talk about. Mumbo notices how close Grian and Scar are starting to get whenever he's around them, and to himself, Mumbo mutters that they're both hopeless while shaking his head because he sees the way Grian smiles at Scar, and he sees the warmth Scar's eyes hold when looking at Grian.

Together the three sit and declare their official trio name because they're against the city's biggest villain, The Doctor, who is part goat and allergic to buttercups.

The Buttercups are such a trio to me I literally go insane over them for at least half the day I'm bonkers I'm bonkers

[hermit-lover]

Trash Panda

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

Character: Hermit × Reader

Type: Moments (~1.2K)

Theme: Platonic, fluff, raccoon hybrid reader

Summary: Being invited to the Hermitcraft server is an exciting time, how will the Hermits react to your fluffiness?

TW: Teasing

A/N: I LOST THE ASK FOR THIS I AM SO SORRY!!!! Hope you can find and enjoy it! Sorry if it bad, trying to get back into writing.

Joining:

Being invited to Hermitcraft was something incredibly special. The server was filled with crazy talented builders, redstoners who casually broke the server, and tons of shenanigans.

So it was surprising to have received the DM from Mr. XisumaVoid himself, extending an invitation.

You weren't the worst builder by any means, and happened to dabble in redstone when it was fun, but this was a step up. Not one you could deny.

So you took the plunge through the familiar swirly purple portal and into the new server. The air was sweet, you noticed immediately, carrying a light and uplifting vibe. Your nose twitched in interest as your eyes adjusted to the light. It was also sunny. Your pawed feet sank into lush grass, and a small cart with what appeared to be starter tools stood nearby. Tall, impressive buildings punctuated the skyline. Each possessing a unique style and colour, yet somehow worked together in perfect unison.

Hermitcraft season 9.

Your ears swiveled as the sound of rockets neared, squinting up to the green blob nearing you. Excitment rushed through you- the man- the myth- the legend- Xisuma. Seeing him nearing solidified it. You were now a Hermit.

He lands a little ways off, elytra closing majestically, and you beat him to walking. Skittering over the gap to his side.

"Mr. XisumaVoid!" You greet energetically, a toothy grin and an outstretched clawed hand. "So cool to meet you face to face- the messages don't do your height justice." It's true, he stands much taller than you. You would almost consider him scary if it weren't for his cheery and wet cat demeanor. His chuckle reverberates through his helmet. He accepts your handshake, and his grip is firm, armor smooth and chilled where it touches your sensitive pawpads.

"A pleasure to meet you as well." Xisuma choses to reply, "Your messages make you seem taller." He tacks on cheekily. You gasp over dramatically, yanking your hand from his own.

"How could you say that??! So rude! I'm going to call you out to all your loving fans- see what they say then!!" You threaten, unable to contain your grin. He raises both hands in surrender, widening his tinted eye's behind his visor.

"I didn't mean it! Dont tell them- they cant know in secretly toxic!" The genuine (faked) panic in his tone breaks your character easily and you double over laughing. Tail lashing happily behind you. Xisuma joins in, giggling to himself pleased with the introduction. When you manage to recover, stifling your laughter, he gestures out wide with his arms.

"Welcome to Hermitcraft."

The Pranksters:

The tour was excellent, but now you couldn't wait to dig your hands into a project or-

Swiveling your head at the noise, your ears strained forwards. Whispering? Followed by frantic shushing?Creeping effortlessly forwards, you found around the corner, three figures crouching. Obviously you could recognize them. The red sweater and wings; Grian, the construction vest and hat with little vex wings and a pointed tail; Scar, and lastly a bright green shirt with gadgets galore and tossed brown hair; Iskall. Now what were they doing?

Silently picking across the ground, you manage to get just behind the trio. Tail twitching in anticipation, you watch a moment before deciding to play a prank of your own.

"What are we waiting for?" You stage whisper. All three of them leap, spinning around practically mid-air. Various exclamations fill the space before you start frantically shushing yourself. No need to ruin their surprise. They quiet down surprisingly fast.

"That was terrifying!" Scar stage whispers back, eyes wide and hat askew. You grin back at him.

"Who even are you?" Grian asks, raising an eyebrow to disappear under his mop of hair. Oh- right!

"The newbie." You decide to answer, "pleased to meet you. Now who are we waiting for?"

You get your answer- a panicked very British shout, and a message in chat;

MumboJumbo was killed by falling anvil.

The doctors:

When you had gone exploring- this was the last thing you had expected to find. A hoard of white lab coats. Well- Hermits wearing lab coats rather.

Doc, Zedaph, and Cub stand in a half circle, around a device. They speak in needlessly complex terms, and look all too professional. That could be changed, of course.

Sneaking along the shadows you move into seeing range of the device. A strange redstone contraption that appears to have been hooked up to a chicken. Poor bird was clueless, pecking at the dirt on the ground. You don't envy its fate. Deciding its been enough sneaking around, you slip out of shadows-

Doc's head snaps to you instantly, goat ears twitching. He seems to assess tensely for a moment before relaxing.

"Hey guys-" His thick accent gently interrupts the other two, they look to him attentively, "newbie." He gestures with a clawed thumb.

"Spot on." You nod, stepping silently towards the trio. "A pleasure to meet you all." You offer a toothy grin.

Zedaph grins back, bouncing towards you, sending his own goat ears flopping. His hooved feet click against the stone.

"Wonderful to meet you!" He exclaims, accepting a handshake and shaking a little too hard, too many times. His energy is infectious, and so you accept his other hand to shake them both in unison.

"You as well!" You chirp back through the movement, tail starting to wiggle depending on up or down.

"Alright- I better step in before you two end up doing that all day." Cubs even tone is strangely familiar, and almost eerie, but you don't think about it too long. Releasing Zed to accept his own handshake. One firm up and down. Boring but effective. "I would say I hope today hasn't been overwhelming- but you seem to have more than enough energy to match." He jokes dryly and you laugh. He's not wrong, being a raccoon has its perks.

"Why thank you." You place a hand in your chest dramatically, posing slightly.

"I fear the moment you meet Ren." Doc's rumble jolts you slightly, head turning to look at him directly.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" You cock your head, raising an eyebrow.

"Your energy will only multiply." He answers, offering you his own fluffy paw. His paw is much larger the your own, and you have to resist the urge to squish the beans. Maybe another time.

"Well I'm looking forwards to meeting Ren." You declare, puffing your chest and tail to try and look bigger.

"Void bless the sever." He chuckles, "and whoever is unfortunate enough to be nearby."

"Rude." You stick your tongue our at him, and he immediately reciprocates.

"Oo!" Zed's exclamation makes you look to him again, tongue still out. "I have an idea- you can help us!!" Excitement sparks.

"Sure what do I have to do?"

"Well see that chicken? I was thinking maybe if we used a player instead-"

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

[watcheraurora]

Break

I found out sometime within the last year that people in the fandom interpret Mumbo as a vampire and I kinda love that 3.05k words

CW: consensual vampire feeding, lots of mentions of blood but nothing super graphic, some sensuality between characters, some discussions of addiction

—

Mumbo Jumbo

Mumbo dusted off his hands and looked around, a satisfied smile on his face. The vault was done. Perfect. Protected and private. With no way for Grian to get in without breaking blocks. Mumbo knew the trick to get in, of course, but he wasn't telling Grian.

He glanced up at the tinted glass panels in the ceiling. It allowed him to see the outside without the sunlight actually coming through and burning him.

He took a deep breath. He'd been going, going, going for a long time with next to no stopping. He was planning on taking a break as soon as the vault was done. And now it was.

He crossed the vault floor to the bed he'd set up for himself and glanced up at the tinted glass again.

Slow and careful, he reached under the collar and necktie of his suit and withdrew his talisman. A gift from Grian not long after he joined the server. The necklace was a sturdy iron chain with a red crystal charm. The crystal was smelted redstone, according to Grian. Although Mumbo had tried smelting redstone dust and it didn't actually do anything. So he chose not to ask. Grian worked in mysterious ways that no one could ever seem to figure out or replicate.

The talisman provided him protection from the sun. Let him walk around during the day indefinitely without fear of turning to ash. What once required a secret potion recipe that he'd have to constantly brew and replenish to make sure he never ran out of time no longer took that much effort.

If nothing else, he was indebted to Grian for life for that one.

Ready to sling it back on at a moment's notice, Mumbo took the talisman off. He braced, waiting for the sunlight to breach the tinted glass and fry him, giving him a sunburn if he couldn't get the talisman back on fast enough.

Nothing happened. He didn't start burning. His skin didn't begin to flake or turn to ash. He was fine.

"Tinted glass works," he noted to himself.

Quickly, he surrounded his bed with trapdoors for an extra layer of protection and proper coffin etiquette before climbing inside. He sent a quick message to Grian.

Time for my break. Tell the other Hermits I won't be active for a while. And I'll see you when I see you, I suppose.

He was just starting to settle in properly when Grian's reply came.

Enjoy your break, mate. We'll miss you. I'll pass the word on. See you when it's over.

Mumbo smiled. "I'll miss you too, bud," he said softly to himself before burrowing down. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. Maybe he'd wake up in six months, maybe a year. Who knew? His alarm was set to ring a year and a day from now, to keep him from oversleeping. But he needed this time to recharge.

Sleep swept over him faster than he'd ever experienced before. A testament to his exhaustion.

And Mumbo sunk deep into unconsciousness.

—

Grian

Grian landed on top of Mumbo's vault, peering inside through the tinted glass panels in the ceiling.

Once-a-week he stopped by just to check on things. The vault was sealed so well that he hadn't even seen dust coating the tops of the storage chests yet.

Carefully, Grian plopped down on the roof and lounged back, letting the sun warm his wings. "Hey Mumbo," he greeted casually. Knowing his friend couldn't hear him. "Just wanted to stop by and say hello. Give you the weekly update. It's been a lot quieter since the Empires crew left. Sorry I was gone for a few weeks, by the way. Dunno if I apologized for that yet. Can't remember. It was nice to see them. Spend time with old friends. Wish you'd been here for it." Grian cleared his throat.

"Anyway. Tango's back in his hole. We can't get him out. He's determined to finish that game. Scar's tried everything. He occasionally manages to get Tango to leave for a brief excursion to look at new things, but it never lasts.

"Er... what else... Doc's perimeter is still big and empty. Well. Empty-ish. Who knows what he actually gets up to in a big square pit. Er... Scar's theme park is absolutely incredible. Making a lot of progress there. My rocks are still rocky. Impulse has taken on too many projects, as usual. Also, Cub and Cleo are both making museums to commemorate the season. It's becoming a funny little competition. It's going to be so much fun."

He took a deep breath and looked down at the coffin that hadn't moved in months. "Miss you, bud," he finished.

Pushing to his feet, he adjusted his wings and took off. Back across the bridge toward his own base. The towering rocks hung as they always did.

On the first building he'd made, the one with the Greek columns, he sat himself on his bed and typed out a message.

Whenever you're ready, Pearl.

After a moment, he heard the soft fluttering of wings. Pearl's lunar moth wings folded back, twitching lightly. "Hi," she greeted with her usual smile.

"Hello," Grian replied.

"Ready?"

Grian nodded.

"I brought more of Scar's cookies." She set a stack of them on the chest next to Grian's bed.

"Thanks," he replied.

"You don't have to keep doing this, you know. He'll be fine."

"You've never seen him wake up after this long asleep." Grian rolled up the sleeve of his jumper. "He's going to need it."

Pearl didn't assume her usual position standing next to where he sat, instead pausing near the chest. "G, I'm worried," she said.

"What for?"

She raised a brow sarcastically. "Grian. You know what you're like, compared to the rest of us."

"You don't want him to drink Watcher blood."

Pearl made a face. "I'm scared that if he does, nothing else will ever satisfy him. You're the only person on the server with blood that potent. I don't want him to get addicted."

Grian took a turn to raise a brow. "You think he's never had my blood before?"

"I'm not answering that," Pearl said decisively. "Because I don't want to know. Don't give me any context for that. Ever." She shook her head.

Grian stuck his arm out. "He'll need as much nutrients and magic as he can get to replenish when he wakes up. Might as well be from the most magic-rich blood on the server."

Pearl took a deep breath and sighed before opening another of Grian's haphazard chests and rifling through it for the equipment to draw his blood. "If he gets addicted, it's your fault and I don't want you complaining to me about it," she said, defeated and a little snappish.

"Yes ma'am," Grian replied with a smirk.

"Lean back and relax," Pearl muttered.

—

Mumbo Jumbo

When he opened his eyes, the coffin was dark. When he opened the coffin, the vault was dark. Stars shone through the tinted glass ceiling.

He pulled himself out of the coffin and stretched. His body was stiff as a board and his joints were sticky.

Once he was loosened up enough to walk, he pulled the talisman on and tucked it down the front of his shirt. The chain and crystal were frigid against his chest—and coming from a vampire who generated no body heat and was quite cold himself, that was saying a lot.

He waited only a few moments for the daylight to return. A little message pinging the server that BdoubleO100 had slept. Followed by a general message from Bdubs to someone else to stop breaking his bed. Mumbo chuckled. Some things never changed.

He checked his calendar. He'd been asleep for nearly a year.

No wonder his mouth was dry. But at least he beat his alarm.

He left his vault and looked across the bridge toward Grian's base. It had made quite a lot of progress, but was currently sitting silent.

Mumbo shook his shoulders, releasing his bat wings. He could have walked, but the wings needed the stretch too.

He glided from his vault to Grian's base. "G?" he called, looking around the Greek building. "Grian!" Where the floor of the building ended, a large cavern opened up. The enormous rock was hollow. "Grian, where are you?" He moved to go search the other rocks—only to yelp.

Pearl was rifling through one of Grian's open chests. Mumbo hadn't even noticed her there. "He's not here, mate," Pearl said. He realized she was organizing the chest, dressed in her cleaning lady overalls, her moth wings opening and closing slowly.

"What—what do you mean? What do you mean Grian's not here? How's he not here? Is he in the shopping district?"

"No. He's not on Hermitcraft at all. He had to go home."

Mumbo's eyebrows scrunched. "What do you mean? Hermitcraft is his home."

Pearl scoffed. "Then you don't know him as well as you think you do, mate," she muttered, finishing organizing the chest. She stood up. "When did you meet him? Before he came here?"

"Yeah. But... not by much."

She bounced her eyebrows but said nothing. Instead, she beckoned him with a wave to follow her. He did, trailing after her deeper into the hollow rock to where a shulker box sat, hidden in shadow. "Here," she said, pointing at it. "He stockpiled these for you. For when you woke up."

Curious, Mumbo opened the shulker box.

It was surrounded on all sides by packed ice. Unmelting.

Resting in the middle was ten bags of blood. A purple eye was stamped into the plastic of every single one.

Mumbo felt his fangs aching just at the sight of it. All of the Hermits were kind enough to donate some blood to him whenever he needed it—and he tried to stretch that time out as long as possible—but after nearly a year of being unconscious, his control was shaky.

He snatched one up, popped the spout open, and drank the whole thing down to its last drop. Clarity flooded his mind that he hadn't really realized had been foggy until the fog was gone.

"Okay. I can think now," he said. "What do you mean he's gone home?"

"Just surprised he never told you."

"What, that he's a Watcher?"

"No, I knew you knew that," Pearl retorted. "I'm surprised he never told you that home for him is still there. With the Watchers."

"But... he never leaves."

"That you've noticed," Pearl muttered under her breath, dripping with sarcasm. "Did you really think all his holidays were just him jaunting over to some friends' servers to lie on a beach or see what they've built?"

"... Yeah?"

"Then that's on you, buddy." Pearl dusted off the knees of her coveralls. "He goes home to the Watchers. He likes spending most of his time on Hermitcraft, but he has to go home sometimes."

"He told me he doesn't care much for them." Mumbo closed the shulker box, picked it up and put it away in his inventory.

"He doesn't. But he loves their stronghold. Their base, if you will." Pearl looked around. "He'll be back in a week or so. Try not to get addicted to his blood, yeah?"

"What do you mean?"

"He has the most magic-dense blood on the server. No one else here is as powerful as a Watcher. And that level of magic in someone's blood can help you get back to yourself nicely, but don't let your brain get dependent on it."

"Don't drink all his blood at once, is what you're saying," Mumbo said.

"Basically." She looked around. "Grian wasn't the only one stockpiling while you were gone. I have some for you too. So does Iskall and Impulse. I've got them all at my base. Grian was the only one who kept his here since your base is so close. Come with me. I'll pass them along."

"Oh. Yeah. Alright then."

—

Grian

A general ping went across the server. Mumbo has reached the following goal—

Grian didn't bother reading the rest. Mumbo was back!

He bolted, unfurling his wings and beating them at the air to take off. Liftoff for a human-sized creature with wings took a lot of strength and energy. Rockets were best as a way to take off and conserve energy, but sometimes he was fine just to use his wings.

He flew to Mumbo's base. Mumbo wasn't there. The achievement was something he must have done elsewhere.

Grian hurriedly put together a welcome-home party of decorations. Music, bottles o' enchanting, flowers, table and chairs. Possibly too many of his own heads on dripstone like a strange attempt at fairy lights.

And he waited.

After a while, Mumbo returned. "You're back! Yeah!" Grian screeched in excitement. Mumbo grinned, a little baffled, his fangs shining in the light of the bottles o' enchanting shattering into magic.

"Hey, I got back and you were the one gone!" Mumbo protested. "I had to get your delivery from Pearl."

"Oh she did give you the blood bags, then?"

"Yeah. I appreciated it."

Grian smiled, preening a little at the warmth in Mumbo's words. "I'm glad it could help."

"It did. Not quite as good chilled, but I appreciated it nonetheless."

"I mean, if you need some warm, fresh, all you have to do is ask."

Mumbo raised a brow. "You sure you're ready for that?" Playfulness colored his tone.

Grian laughed. "I'm fine. Last time I drew blood was months ago at this point and I recover faster than the average mortal. Since, y'know, I'm not mortal."

Mumbo chuckled at that. "Well, I, uh... I'd appreciate something fresh, actually."

"Just ask."

"Can I? Please?"

"Always."

In a blur of movement that only came with a vampire's speed, Grian felt the wind knocked out of him as he sunk just slightly into the honey-and-slime-block back of the vault door. His wings vanished as the impact started—Watcher power—to protect them from being shattered.

Mumbo towered over Grian, his eyes fully black and his fangs more prominent than they'd been a moment ago. "I know what you're like, Grian," Mumbo said, voice low. "Don't squirm."

Grian wasn't an Avian before he became a Watcher. His wings were Watcher wings, not Avian ones. He was a restless person, but he wasn't as flighty as an actual Avian. Still, the gleam in Mumbo's eye made a shiver pass down Grian's spine. "I'll try."

"It'll just hurt more if you can't hold still. You know that."

Before Grian could say anything, Mumbo bent down and hovered just over Grian's neck. His right hand—which had previously been pinning Grian's shoulder to the squishy, sticky blocks behind them—cupped Grian's jaw and tilted his head out of the way, stretching his neck a little more taut and freeing up some room for Mumbo to put his head.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Mmhmm."

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through Grian as Mumbo bit him. His body went rigid. But the pain passed quickly and he was able to relax. A flood of calm rushed over his systems from the natural sedative that coated Mumbo's fangs. Grian felt his eyes roll back a little, his head flopping almost to his opposite shoulder. His hand that had been freed from Mumbo's grip on his shoulder reached up and curled around the collar of Mumbo's suit and shirt. His fingertips brushed the cold metal of the talisman necklace.

Mumbo pressed a little closer, a quiet sigh escaping his nose. Grian's whole body rolled, seeking the contact. Mumbo's grip on Grian's other shoulder tightened, pushing the both of them more firmly against the honey and slime blocks. His other hand released Grian's jaw and slowly explored lower, coming to rest over Grian's pounding heart.

Mumbo's heart didn't beat. Grian couldn't feel Mumbo's exhilaration the same way Mumbo could feel Grian's. But Grian was a Watcher that could feed on any emotion from any sentient being less powerful than his kind. He drank in Mumbo's exhilaration as Mumbo drank his blood. It tasted like candy that fizzled and popped in the mouth. Zinging around as he took it in. Mumbo lost nothing by Grian feeding off him. But Grian could feel the pulling sensation of Mumbo sucking his blood.

His fist tightened around Mumbo's collar, pulling them closer. His other shoulder was still pinned to the wall by Mumbo, but his hand could move enough to cup Mumbo's hip and drag them together.

Mumbo hummed in contentment. His head tilted a little, drinking deeper. Grian couldn't stop the noise that left his throat. Not quite a moan, but easily mistaken for one. He pretended he didn't feel Mumbo smiling against the sensitive skin of his neck.

It was over as quickly as it had begun. The black of Mumbo's eyes had retreated, revealing the natural red. He'd always been good at feeding cleanly. All he did was lick a trace of blood off his lower lip and fangs, and the evidence that he'd drank at all was gone.

His grip on Grian's shoulder slowly eased off before vanishing. He took a step back. The lack of pressure against Grian made him blink in confusion for a moment before his mind caught up. The Watcher magic in his body fought off the sedative quickly, bringing him back to himself. Grian swallowed thickly. "Better?" he asked.

"Yeah. You alright? You, uh... went a little hazy there." Mumbo's left hand closed over the puncture wounds in the right side of Grian's neck. He could feel the holes closing already.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He waved his hand dismissively. A flash of purple light and the wound in his neck was gone, like it had never been there to begin with. Not even a scar left behind. "I guess I just... forgot what that felt like."

Mumbo raised a brow. "Did you like it?"

A foggy sort of pleasure still clouded Grian's brain, lingering after the sedative was purged. "Obviously."

Mumbo smirked in self-satisfaction. "I could tell by that noise you made."

"Shut up," Grian retorted with a grin.

[prismadog]

been thinking about an au idea I've had bouncing around in my brainspace for ages now. I don't know the name of the au yet but I've been calling it the Evo Server Prison AU.

it's kind of a "what if" au where "what if Grian refused to join the Watchers" "what if that angered the Watchers" "what if the Watchers locked down the server, preventing the players from escaping"

I've had so many thoughts about this au, but here's some bullet points

after killing the dragon, Grian was faced with the Watchers and instead of joining them, he chose to stay with his friends instead. this angered the Watchers

after Jimmy kills his dragon, he gets trapped in a space between time, and is contacted by the Listeners. they give him a task to help his server-mates which he fulfills (this I think is actually canon or something close to it). afterwards, he meets the Listeners and they gift him wings and make him one of them, but they allow him to stay with his friends.

canon events happen like a change in time (I think that happened), and a new spawn is set thousands of blocks away.

some of the Evo players find themselves in the Upside Down and some disappear. the only ones who remain months after the new spawn and server closing are Grian, BigB, Pearl, Martyn, and Jimmy.

months later, the Watchers drop a new person into the server: Ethoslab. he too is trapped in the server and unable to escape. over time after that, more people are added who can't leave (in order): Cleo, Scar, Bdubs, Impulse & Skizzleman (together), Joel, Tango, Scott (who Jimmy brought in), Rendog, Mumbo, and Lizzie

at some point around Bdubs' appearance, the server finds out that Jimmy isn't the same person he used to be - he'd been hiding his new abilities as Listener. they question him but when he refuses to tell his server-mates anything, they take his silence to mean that he's a Watcher. he's shunned

the Life Games still happen because the Watchers need some kind of entertainment, and for the Games, the canon is still canon in the au - very little changes

that's all I can write down right now cause I gotta get ready for work. I just really needed to get this out and share it cause this au is starting to plague me.

I really really wanna talk about this

[hmshermitcraft]

For the weekly theme - sfw age regression on the beach!!!

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The Hermits were all a tightly-knit group, there were hardly any secrets between them. Of course, if someone wanted to keep quiet on a certain topic, no one forced them to talk. But there was no judgement on any of the topics someone decided to share with the group

So it was not a surprise, when the server quickly turned into a supportive web of age regressors and their caregivers. No one can quite pinpoint when that happened, but one thing led to another, and soon enough the age regressors could always count on having someone look after them when they were small, and all the caregivers of the server formed a special groupchat just to exchange information about what each of the regressors liked and how to best take care of them

So of course, as soon as the weather got warm enough, everyone decided to go to the seaside, for a few days of relaxation and fun. The server worked together to build a set of comfy and cosy beach houses, equipped with everything one could need during the stay. Of course, everything was ready in no time, Hermits cooperating with one another were a force to be reconed with

The sunny weather, patches of sand, crystal clear blue water, and relaxed atmosphere did all lead to people regressing freely. After all, what screams "childhood" more than a holiday at a seaside?

Soon enough, everyone had their little spot secured in the sand. Some people brought sun-umbrellas with them, but some chose to enjoy the sunlight to the fullest ("No, Ren, get back here, you're already sunburned enough!!! Or at least let me put sunscreen on you!" yelled Keralis, from underneath his bright pink umbrella).

Gem, ever the menace, decided it'd be a delightful idea to use her little shovel to catapult blobs of wet sand into other people's sand castles. She had to be gently talked out of that idea by a very amused Cleo (she was still quietly laughing, cuz one of the blobs hit Mumbo straight in the back, while he was turned around to face Stress)

Speaking of Stress, she was watching over False, who was enjoying some ice cream. When regressed, False's impeccable precision and coordination were nowhere to be found, so she did need someone to catch the falling ice cream cone, just in case (a crying False was not something anyone wanted to happen)

Etho, for some reason, was always a magnet for the regressors. Maybe it was his calm voice, or the fact that he could entertain everyone with his stories, but he always had at least two regressors following him like ducklings (no, that sitiation with TNT minecart from Limited Life would NOT happen here, that was just a joke between adults, Etho wouldn't pull stuff like that with anyone regressed). Today, he had Grian and Pearl very intent on putting as many flower crowns as possible on his head, all while giggling like crazy

Next to the sat Beef, shaking his head fondly at his friend getting a face-full of flowers. He was glad that Xisuma was such a heavy sleeper when regressed, the racket from the winged duo was a lot. But everyone managed to convince their beloved admin that it was okay for him to relax and not mind the server for a bit, and this is exactly what he did

Tango, being the warmth-loving creature he is, dug himself a den in the warm, dry sand, and dozed off. Zedaph was also snoozing near him, in a patch of lush grass. Impulse watched over them both, from where he was skeching out a new redstone machine in his beach chair

Cub, Scar, and Doc joined forces to build a huge custom tree next to the water. It had a couple of swings and slides for regressors to enjoy. Some of them (like Wels) enjoyed them calmly, just swinging around and feeling the wind on their faces, but others (like Joe) were running around at top speed, laughing and launching themselves into the water

Everyone were having such a wonderful time! This was definitely not the last time everyone got together to enjoy the summer weather!!! But let's not talk about the holiday ending yet, there are still a couple of days let to enjoy the beach

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

I don't feel like I know all the Hermits well enough to write what each of them did at the beach. I haven't forgotten about them, I just don't wanna write something wildly out of character for them

🌠 anon

When things get a bit chaotic (like they always can with so many people in a group like this) the caregivers have careful strategies to calm things down. There's plenty of shady spots along the beach, and places for people to go if they need quiet time. Adults included!

Or be put in time out, if Jevin doesn't stop trying to shlorp up people's sand castles. And he's not even regressed! Stop teaching xB bad habits!

They made sure there's enough ice cream for everyone (because three of them immediately declared they wanted some once they saw False with it.) There's plenty of options for cones or tubs as well.

Cleo, Impulse and Doc have some supplies for the inevitable boo-boos as well. Zed scraped his knees trying to find rock pools (he was less upset about this than Tango was) and a kiss and bandage cleared up most minor injuries.

The real challenge is going to be how to get everybody inside to sleep.

[indigo-flightly-falls]

Helsmit headcanons

The way I headcanon Helcraft and the Helsmits to work is that during season 3, the Gods decided that Hermitcraft was getting a bit overpowered (it hosted Watchers, Listeners, as well as ancient gods and species that were almost extinct, with many more to join), and decided to create a server to balance it out! Nobody expected Hermitcraft to exist as long as it is, so Helscraft is missing some features.

Namely, they don't get a new world. They're on the same world as when they were created. This is the source of a few problems at times, especially when new members arrive. However, due to farms and careful planning to avoid going into new chunks when not needed, the server is relatively stable.

One of these plans to avoid loading new chunks is the addition of groups. There are three groups set up, and new Helsmits often join one of these. The groups are the following: Spawn, which is a roughly 400 block circle containing spawn, and several friend groups. (such as the NHelsO, Team ZPR, the Space Squad, and the 'Main Four) The Swamp, the smallest group, set in a modified swamp that covers about 100 blocks in total, only four people live here currently. The Mountains, which contains a replica of an Ancient City built inside it. This is a fairly large group, and where the non-social Helsmits stay.

New Helsmits either come from alternate universes or already existed in their universe and got an invite around the time their Hermit joined Hermitcraft!

It should be said that the Helsmits aren't evil. Some of them have bad relationships with their Hermit, but many just want to live. They've all been through some difficult things in the past, and sometimes that means lashing out at others.

They view themselves as protectors of Hermitcraft, due to the fact that Helscraft is a weak spot in the whitelist and protective measures of the server, and as such the Runaway Watchers target the server. The only time this became a big issue was during season 8/9, when a group of Watchers broke into the server and used it to crash the moon, before fully taking over Helscraft.

It should be noted that Etho and Grian, while not being Helsmits, often hang out on the server and see it as a second home. They both get along with their Hels, and many of the other server members!

Ex - Voidwalker/Watcher - he/they Ex was chosen as admin of Helscraft due to their relationship with Xisuma. They were the former prince of the Voidwalkers and as such, treats his role as admin as if he were king. Ex doesn't actually stand for Evil Xisuma, it's short for Exion, an old voidtongue word for 'protector' that was their old name before they became a helsmit. They also pronounce their name as 'E-X', mostly to avoid confusion with X. Ex and Xisuma have a more neutral relationship. Xisuma wants to reconnect with Ex, and Ex feels the same way. However, Ex also suffered at the hands of the Watchers due to Xisuma not listening to his ideas.

Hels - Angel/Watcher - they/it/he/blaze/hell Hels wandered onto Helscraft after escaping the Watchers and has since adopted a protector role. They are headstrong and quick to anger, but truly care for the safety of everyone on the server. Hels is actually their chosen name! They identify as a trans demiboy, and chose Hels both as a way to mock Wels and the entire angel city. Hels and Wels have a heavily negative relationship. Wels wants to hang out with Hels, to revisit the old days when they were kids. However, Hels has a lot of anger directed at Wels, for many things. Honestly, the best way to sum up Hels' feelings towards Wels is the song Feel Better by Penelope Scott.

Badtimed (Bad) - Alleyling/Listener - he/xe/they Bad was traveling with Hels before joining Helscraft, trying to escape the Listeners. They are rather calm for a Helsmit, which is saying something. Xe is Scar's older brother! However, the two were both separated when Scar was a small child, and as such, Scar grew up not knowing Bad existed. Bad and Scar's relationship is fully neutral. They both feel proud of each other, but there is a level of awkwardness due to missing out on so much of their lives.

Xornoth - Elf/demon- They/them Xornoth arrived in Helscraft during mid-season 7, trying to escape Exor. They crash landed onto Helscraft and were taken in by Ex and Hels. Xornoth actually rejects Exor's control, and is actively working against the god. When not corrupted, they have a rather easy going personality, and prefers to stay out of fighting. It is unknown who Xornoth is the Hels of, and it is theorized that they are the Hels of Pearl and Gem. However, nothing is set in stone.

Grain - Watcher/parrot hybrid - she/her Oh my god it's the famous popstar Ariana Griande :0000. Wait sorry, that's the Helsmit of Grian... Aka, meet Grian's sister, Grain! Grain named herself, because when you don't identify as your assigned gender and you've suffered through a high school that could function as hell, you can pick a funny name. Grain and Grian are best friends. They are like the siblings in movies that somehow get along. You put them in a room with some redstone contraption, they'll either break it or it'll be 10 times better then it was before. High positive. Also yes she's also Ariana Griande. It's how she sneaks onto Hermitcraft before the Helsmits were well known.

Renbob - wolf hybrid - he/they Idk what to say about this guy. He just popped into Helscraft when Ren joined and claimed himself a part of the server. They're best friends with Grain and Proto. What more do you need?

Proto - robot - they/he/blue Proto is short for Prototype Grumbot, or a fully humanoid version of the robot from season 7! Blu looks just like Grumbot, only with legs and sentience. Blue's actually one of the chillest server members. Proto feels out of place on Helscraft due to the fact that blu is fully non-human. They are a full robot and that leads to some seperation with the others. Grain and Renbob are always there for blu though, and always make sure he gets what he needs Mumbo and Proto don't really interact with each other, with Proto preferring to keep to blueself instead of interacting with their hermit.

Echo - Voidling/Listener - they/void Echo isn't their actual name, back before they joined Helscraft, it was Pathos. However, due to backstory™, they see themself as a 'echo' of their former self. Echo appears rather scary, but is actual pretty easy going! Voi just loves to blow stuff up! Echo came from a different universe, where the Jungle didn't happen and some other assorted stuff was different. However, they were summoned into Helscraft after they watched their Hermitcraft be overtaken by Watchers and most server members permakilled. Echo and Etho have a highly positive relationship. Their personality's work well together, and they have similar interests!

Chicken - dove avian/Watcher - He/him Chicken, just like the rest of the NHelsO, was from an alternate universe. Chicken got the short end of the stick, coming from a universe where avians like himself were a collectors item. Chicken got his name because Adubs didn't know what doves were and asked if he was a chicken hybrid. Chicken and Beef have a relatively neutral relationship. Neither have really connected with each other but get along well if in a conversation.

Adubs - glare/phantom/Watcher - it/he/rot Adubs doesn't actually remember most of its past, as in rots universe, his body was overtaken by the Jungle and wiped of memories. This is also why when asked to chose a name, rot decided to steal his hermit's name and change one letter like the basic bitch it is. Adubs and Bdubs have a negative relationship, due to Adubs viewing Bdubs as an imposter and Bdubs seeing Adubs as a version of the evil that almost took him.

13 - cat :3 - he/it/blast 13 is just straight up a gray and white anthropomorphic cat. Still has the same missing face and arm as Doc btw. He's just a cat. Nothing else has been changed. Yes he gets hit with furry jokes all the time. He got his name because blast didn't know math and thought 7+7 was 13. Nobody lets it live it down. 13's passion is redstone casino games. But rigged to hell and back. Also anything involving TNT. Blast is a menace. 13 and Doc have surprisingly positive relationship! On bad days, they can't be near each other, but they do enjoy each other's company and love bouncing ideas off each other!

Zedx/Zex/FedX - demon - he/they/swirl/color Don't ask them about their names/nicknames, it was all because Joe Hels is a menace and might not be from this universe. Honestly I don't have a ton figured out for swirl yet, but I have been taking inspiration from both the Nether (Minecraft) and the Spiral from TMA. You know those THA!Zed drawings? Add a bit more black/red/teal and slightly less glitchy-ness and you've got Zex. Zed and Zex love working together. They just chill and break reality whenever they meet up! Positive relationship!

Relic (Reluctance) - Angel - he/they Relic is one of the few Helsmits that is exactly the opposite of their hermit, down to the backstory. While Impulse was used as a free wish machine, Relic was used as a fortune teller by the angels. Relic is the most peaceful of all the Helsmits, as they hate fighting and would rather sit around and heal the others. This doesn't mean he won't fight, he just hates it. Relic and Impulse have a neutral/negative relationship, mostly due to the natural dislike Angels and Demons have for each other. They do both wish that the other has a happy life though.

Polka - Warden/axolotl - he/she Polka. Beautiful mess of a creature. Not Warden enough to live full time in ancient cities and not axolotl enough to have a place underwater. She has mild control of water, and can summon it or give himself waterbreathing for a certain amount of time! As a fun fact, if he summons the water in the Nether, it works like if it was placed in the overworld. Yes she has drowned in the Nether and flooded it before. Polka and Tango are very chill :) they are complete opposites but both love redstone! I'd say a positive relationship!

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

And that's it for the fully fleshed out Helsmits! I do have some other ideas bouncing around, but haven't gotten a chance to fully create the characters!

So here's those none fleshed out characters:

Joe Hels - all pronouns I adore this name for no reason. It gives off all the vibes this guy has. This guy is either a demon or a Listener. but not both he can't be both. I have no idea for anything about xym except for the name.

(unnamed Cleo hels) - she/they (?) I have no idea who they should be or their name. All I know is that she is the single human on this whole server. I will take name ideas because I have none ;-;

True - hawk - she/it/cog Honestly the only reason she's on this list is because I haven't gotten around to hc/empires false lore so until then it's not developed.

CalmCreature - she/her Genuinely have no ideas for her. Got her name and she's not human in any way, but no more ideas yet

Herobrine - Void demon god thingy - he/it Meet TFC's hels and also his brother. Yeah that's all really. He doesn't stay on Helscraft much because it's a god, but he loves to check in and make sure the server isn't on fire

(unnamed Keralis hels) - *screeches in unknown* - it/void/he Eldritch horror Keralis that is all. Also known as I like the idea of EHK but that doesn't work with that Watcher!Keralis that exists in my main headcanons so here. this is my solution.

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

@kamishirosss here's the tag! I'll finish the next few posts about stuff in a few days :D

[convexicalcrow]

Okay but

Indiana Johns like Scar finding the Pyramid of the Pharaoh Cub.

Perhaps the Pyramid is also cursed with the spirit of Vexes?

When I read this, my brain was like, maybe this is the backstory that Scar tells ppl about the newest, and deadliest, attraction at Scarland, and this is what came out of that thought process. Also this is my first attempt at writing Grian so idk how well I have captured his voice and character, but I think it turned out okay.

-

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how far I walked through the desert! You'd think a pyramid would be easy to spot, but it wasn't! Man, it took forever, and I was almost out of water when I found it at last. It was just a gold block, shining in the sunlight, but I knew it. I knew what it was. That was the pyramid of the lost Pharaoh! It had to be! So I started digging, not knowing what I was going to find when-"

Scar paused, distracted by some more Hermits joining the line. He beamed and gestured them over.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to the Pharaoh's Lost Pyramid! The scariest attraction in aaaaaall of Scarland! It's a faithful recreation of the pyramid that I found many years ago in a desert many blocks away. Come, I will tell you what I found in there," Scar said.

"You found Cub, that's what you found," Grian said.

"Nonono! Not Cub! The lost Pharaoh! Doomed to rest in his pyramid, cursed by what he'd done to the land and his people, buried with so much treasure I could not carry it all away with me... But do not disturb his tomb, or you will die!" Scar said, gesturing wildly as he brought the group up to the entrance. "Do you still dare to enter the Pharaoh's lair?"

"Yeah, of course. It's just Cub. What is there to be scared of?" Grian said.

Scar opened the gates and stepped aside. "Oh, you'll find out, Grian. Beware, if the cursed Pharoah touches you, all hope is lost."

Grian shrugged as he went inside. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

Scar closed the gates behind him and locked them. Grian turned back.

"Hey! You're not locking me in here, are you?" Grian said.

"What, you said it wasn't scary! I'm sure you'll be fine, Grian," Scar said dismissively.

"You'll pay if it isn't, Scar, just warning you now," Grian said.

"Hey, you chose to go in, any deaths are not the fault of Scarland and it's owners. Goodbye, Grian, and good luck!" Scar said cheerfully.

Grian huffed, but continued inside. Scar turned back to the rest of the gathered Hermits. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes! I'd found the golden tip of the pyramid just peeking out from the sand! Night was closing in, I didn't have much time to make camp..."

-

Inside the pyramid, the Pharaoh lay in his sarcophagus, sleeping. At least, he had been sleeping until his senses told him he had intruders. His hands glowed and he summoned some Vexes.

"Go, my friends, tell me who walks the halls of the pyramid. They will become ghosts soon enough," the Pharaoh murmured.

The Vexes hissed, chattered their assent, and disappeared. The Pharaoh closed his eyes and waited, already tasting blood on his lips.

-

The hallways were tight and winding, full of dust, sand, and cobwebs. Grian could hear strange sounds as well, sounds he couldn't identify. He had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. Something that felt like cold fingers touched the back of his neck, and he startled, turning to see nothing behind him.

"What- who's there? Scar? What's going on?" Grian said, looking around him.

A sudden gust of wind blew the torches and candles out, plunging him into darkness.

"Oh, no, I don't like this. I don't like this!" Grian said as he reached for the wall and started moving, hoping he might find the way out.

-

"...It took an hour to break into the pyramid once I'd dug out enough sand. The limestone was harder and thicker than I thought, but once I managed to break in, I found myself in a one-block-wide passageway, filled with cobwebs and dust and a pile of rubble I'd just let in! I lit a torch and stepped inside, hoping the map I had of the passageways was accurate. The treasure was in here, I just knew it! I had to find it!" Scar said to his captive audience.

This wasn't how he intended to work the pyramid, but Jevin had got him on a roll and there was no stopping him now. They would hear the whole story whether they wanted to or not!

-

The one with the empty eyes walks the halls, master, the Vexes reported.

The Pharaoh smiled, knowing who they meant. "Well, well, well. Now, that's interesting. Chase him deeper. I'll awaken soon enough."

-

Grian had walked for another ten minutes, now inexplicably lost. He'd been shot with an arrow after tripping over a wire, and now he could hear zombies groaning behind the walls. He wished he had some torches on him, he might have been able to mark his way. But he'd brought nothing useful except for some food, acutely aware that Scarland was full of danger, not just from the dimly lit park that spawned mobs after dark, but from Scar himself and some of the attractions he'd built in here, like the pyramid. He wasn't taking any chances of losing his gear in a place he wouldn't be able to recover them from.

He stopped, hearing something screeching. Like a minecart breaking quickly on rails, followed by a thump and a howling sound. Perhaps coming in here had been a mistake. He froze as something sharp pressed against his neck.

"Who's there? Is that you, Scar? What do you want?" Grian said, trying to keep his voice down in case he attracted any further attention.

Run.

"Why would I do that? Who are you?" Grian said. "Maybe I'll just stay here."

Then you will die.

Grian nearly argued back, but a Vex face appeared as something grabbed his ankle and it was such a shock he kicked and kicked until he was free and did indeed run for it.

"Maybe Scar was right, maybe this place is cursed," Grian said as he ran down more hallways.

Well, run was a little optimistic. The darkness concealed a lot of hazards, and without a memory of where he ought to be going, he simply followed the halls blindly, hoping he might get back to the entrance at some point. Hopefully. Perhaps without dying, that would be nice.

-

The Pharaoh rose out of his sarcophagus, pushing the lid off until it crashed onto the ground. Grian was getting close, he could sense it. Grasping an ornate khopesh, the Pharaoh, bandages dragging through the sand, pushed the door of his tomb open and began to walk the halls.

-

In the back of Scar's awareness, he could sense where Cub was, and what was going on, as he told of his brave feats of adventuring as he walked through the old pyramid, avoiding traps and killing spiders and making his way to the treasure room. Every sentence became more incredible than the last, which is usually what happened when Scar let himself just spin a story like this.

He and Cub had cooked this idea up in Bdubs' coffee shop one night after several games of TCG at Cub's arena. The mummified Pharaoh creeping through the pyramid to kill whoever disturbed his sleep, with Vexes and other dangers thrown in for good measure. After all, Scarland needed at least one death game, right? It had to live up to it's reputation as dangerous as much as it was the happiest place on earth. That's what made it so special.

-

Grian heard spiders. Cave spiders. The problem was, he couldn't work out where the sound was coming from. He stopped in an intersection of three other passageways, all as dark as each other, unable to decide where to go next. He was sure the Vexes were still behind him, but they seemed to be toying with him. Getting close to bite him, before backing off again. Not even deep bites either, just warning shots, as it were, leaving him a little bloodied and in pain as he kept going.

He saw the eyes first. Beady red eyes charging at him through the corridor in front of him. It took a moment to process what he was seeing before they were suddenly on him, and he ran, unable to have avoided being bitten.

"Scar! SCAR! WHY WOULD YOU PUT CAVE SPIDERS IN HERE? WHO DOES THAT?" Grian screeched, feeling the poison burning through his body as he ran.

-

The Pharaoh laughed, hearing Grian's cries. He knew where he was, alright. The spiders were crying for blood. He was close. He raised the khopesh, its blade sharp and ready to strike, as he took a left, and prepared to end the game.

-

Grian had found a small nook to hide in, where he was waiting for the poison to wear off as he ate as much as he could. His feet were hurting in more ways than one. He was shivering, ignoring the blood from another arrow shot that had hit his thigh. At least he couldn't hear any spiders anymore.

What he could hear now, once he stopped breathing so heavily, were footsteps. Human-sounding footsteps.

"There's someone in my tomb. Someone who shouldn't be here. Someone who won't live to see the sky again once I find you," a voice called.

It was definitely Cub, Grian realised. But also, more than Cub. His voice had been booming, shimmering with magic. He should probably move, especially now that the poison had worn off. The problem was, the Pharaoh's voice was coming from all angles. He had no idea where he actually was.

"I'm just going to have to guess, aren't I? Oh, good lord. Where's left to go? There's only a couple of passageways from here. Guess I'd better just pick one and see where I end up," Grian said.

-

The Pharaoh pushed a button, hidden underneath some sand. Whichever way Grian went, he wasn't getting away. He was so close now. Time to feed. Time to eat the soul of his next victim.

-

Grian crashed into a wall that he was sure had been a much longer hallway.

"No! Hey! Let me out of here!" Grian said thumping on the stone.

Footsteps approached. Grian turned to see a dark figure closing in.

"You dare to disturb my slumber, mortal? No one enters my tomb and lives!" the Pharaoh cried as he ran at Grian.

"No! Scar! Hey! Wait, I-"

-

Grian was slain by TheCursedPharaoh using The Vengeance of Ra

-

Scar pulled something out of his bag as his fellow Hermits looked on in awe. "See, this is a golden cup I found in the tomb! Look at the intricate carvings! There were a pair of these, and I rescued them, along with so many other treasures! Once you complete the pyramid, you can see them all in the museum, and buy replicas of your favourites in the gift shop! Take home a little piece of the Pharaoh's treasure to remember your visit to Scarland! So, who's keen to go next?"

[salemoleander]

Wrote an experimental piece on the plane a while ago, and finally polished it up! The conceit is something like "what happens when you are the god of birch forests and land, and a World Eater starts tearing those forests apart"

Lines in the Dirt

It echoes through the leaves and bees and calcite and bone - a slow lessening. An absence that scrapes back and forth, infinitesimally voiding chunks and chunks of space.

Grian is the first to feel the world-code flinch. He responds by doing the mental version of lifting your legs while someone is vacuuming.

This fiery embodiment isn't a threat- to him, anyways. Grian's breath drifts above the growing pit, time and entity and eldritch floating shoved harmlessly to the conceptual side.

Scar is even less affected. Though the lurch-tide of another player's becoming is uncomfortable, especially to someone so tied to buildings and places and Existing, there's no conflict of domain. Doc embodying absence slicks from Scar's skin and mind like water off a duck's back.

Bdubs wakes yelling. Hot lava and the glitched gunpowder Doc is using carve through nature and lungs, taking space and space and space. He gasps, heaving oxygen. It just makes the forests Doc is unmaking burn hotter.

Cub valiantly tries to shove potions and spawn's river-water between them. The concept of cool water offers a momentary reprieve before blasts prick along Bdubs' back and arms again.

He is going to rip apart, lose days and organs to this. Blood is oozing from his nose, some dripping noxiously down the back of his throat.

And then there is stone and gold, forming a crust between him and the burning hole.

Tucked back into the edge of his bed, crammed against the diorite and stone and deepslate of the Monolith, Bdubs pants, pain slowly dissipating. Coolness and solidity flow into him, under him.

Ren is ascendant. He shouldn't be.

They aren't meant to force this, aren't meant to cram so many concepts together and possess them like Ren is trying to do (for you, his brain unhelpfully supplies). Stone, broad categories of stone- and gold as well, snatched painfully from Impulse- it's too much to hold. Bdubs desperately reels him in, but there's only so much he can act as an anchor.

Cracks break through as quickly as Bdubs can try to fill them, with moss and leaves and vines.

Those aren't his only domain, though. And this is- Ren chose to help him. This is an emergency. Bdubs can help back, he thinks. He can do this.

Bdubs pulls the tree of whimsy to the front, tangling stories and tales and myth with stone and Ren (only his piece of myth- taking care not to wrench too fast, not to steal from or hurt Cleo) and he twists the plot.

Gold is a crown, stone his as-yet unbuilt castle.

Too weak, the story's still too weak. Bdubs reverses slightly, redirects. His Crastle, and the- he swallows his fermented fear, pushes through.

The King, Ren made king again in this world, as in the other. He feels a tug from Cleo, and then she is there, stabilizing myth and story. And with another part of the Crastle, he has room to breathe.

If the other Hermits weren't awake before, they are now, massive shifts cascading through the group. Cub- already potions and spectacle, fireworks and death-as-entertainment- lumps everything together as Magic, a domain he's always excelled at. The pvp aspect strengthens Bdubs' attempted 3rd Life reference, and the game portion slots with Cleo and creates an easy space for Joe to fill with... pinball and ghosts?

Bdubs feels a laugh bubble up at the incongruity. But sure! Pinball and ghosts works.

GoodTimeWithScar> can I join

GoodTimeWithScar> I want to decorate my base interiors this season

GoodTimeWithScar> if I'm on Docs side I'll just end up with empty boxes

Scar is welcomed into the fold, magic and wonderment and beautiful structures. There's also something sharp and cruel he brings with, a chunk of malicious commerce that smells like desert storms, which Bdubs dutifully ignores as a Problem For Later.

Feeling out the edges of this new group- Ren's barely-holding-together royalty, Cleo's thirst to make myth rather than support it, Cub and Scar's love of chaos- he figures there's going to be a lot of those problems for later.

[jadienjaystoriesandart]

Secrets of the Mansion

Summary: Grian is an evoker... or was might be a better term. Though he still uses magic, he’s long since stopped using illager magic. He can pass for human with mild illusion magic, However it becomes a little harder when he finds out two of his friends are Vexes, who have taken an... unhealthy fascination in him. 

Notes: This is loosely based on @theminecraftbee and @silverskye13 ideas they did. But with my own twist on it. - Hybrid Vexes actively seek out Evokers, they are slightly picky on who they chose to the ‘Their Evoker’.  - Evokers can be half player, which is what Grian is. Pureblood Evokers are fully illagers and aren’t as creative as Players are.  - Grian’s magic is summoning, illusions, necromancy, and spirit magic. He mostly uses the term ‘Void Mage’ now as he dislikes being called an Evoker.  - Grian left his mansion years ago finding he didn’t fit in due to being a Half Blood. - Scar and Cub are possessive fuckers who are addicted to the magic Grian gives them, begging for him to join their Cult. - Vexes are the ones with power, they are a type of void creature, near god like. Evokers borrow their power in exchange they gain loyalty and give it back.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Grian wanted to groan, that had been a mistakes, one of many mistakes he made. How had he missed the signs? How had he been so blind to the obvious of it all? Why did his actions have consequences!? He shouldn’t have trusted Scar as much as he had. 3rd Life and Double Life was a nightmare, he got too close, allowed his magic to peel past many layers.

Then again people like him were addicted to power. When someone with magic as strong as him found someone they loved, they wanted, they had to have that person, fully. Mind, Body, and Soul. That was true with his mother and his father, even if his mother had been brainwashed into loving his father. 

Now, the cat was out of the bag. Scar knew what he was, and now he knew what Scar was. The wide eyed look at each other, the small kiss near the Red Velvet, the spark of magic. The blue skin looking at the graying skin. 

Grian actually did groan now, hiding his face into his hands sinking to the ground in his home. Now he couldn’t get rid of the man, Scar and Cub was dead set on getting Grian tied to them. Suppose though this explained Double Life well, why Scar seemed faster, mischievous, and a little out of it. The soulmate bond had allowed Grian’s magic to fuel Scar on a small level. 

“Scar for the final time no, I will not join you and Cub’s cult.” Grian said to the man as he found a way inside again, leaning back his head on the wall. Scar made a whining sound, high pitched, like nails on a chalk board. He heard another set of steps, that would possibly be Cub. 

Cub walked into the room, a smile on his face, that Grian could now see the inhuman edges to it. “You look like a wreck Grian.” he teased lightly, a apologetic, if sinister, smile on his face. Scar’s smile was just knowing, in a very annoying way.

Well no duh Grian might look like that way to them, swearing off of Vex Magic in general could be taxing on the body. Grian was young when he made the deal for power, when he summoned his first Vex. He was promised power, loyalty, and he just had to give it back.

‘You don’t chose a Vex, the Vex chose you.’

Grian swore off that magic, he swore he’d never be tempted again. Even if his hands tingled to use it again. Using other magics helped, illusions, necromancy, or even glamor charms. But it was like he was still bound to it, still longing to give and receive back. He hated it, he hated how he still, on some level, was dependent on it.

That’s the thing about Vex Magic, it pulled you in, alighting your senses to give you an indescribable high. Though half blood as an Evoker, Grian still was accepted by them easily.

“Gosh Gri, you’re over thinking like crazy.” Scar told him walking over as Grian pulled his hand away before Scar could grip it. Scar huffed at that, a pout on his lips. “How long have you been running from it? Depriving yourself of the magic?” he asked in a gentle, soothing tone.

Grian narrowed his eyes at that, looking away from Scar, but saw no reason to lie. Lying to a Vex wasn’t wise, he at least still remembered that from his teacher. “8 years.” he said softly to them as Cub made a whining sound in his throat. 

Cub now as next to Grian looking hurt, “Why?” he asked him, it was fake concern. Grian could see the desire in those eyes, they wanted him, they wanted him fully, devoted and loyal. “Grian you could be hurting yourself, we are willing to help you.” Cub said a cold hand on Grian’s own as Grian felt the sparks of magic, the itch again as he pulled back and rubbed his hand close. For a moment his skin was slightly gray as it faded back to a pale color.

Looking away Scar nodded along with Cub, “Grian Cub and I would love to be your Vexes, symbiotic relationships and all. We’ll give you protectors, our loyalty, and in return you swear yourself to the Vex again, atone for leaving, and...” a near whisper, “We’ll give you it all.”

Magic laced Scar’s words, poisoned honey in his ears, temping his thoughts. It’d be so easy, the rush of it, the power to make things happen at his own will. Scar’s hand found his again, the magic spreading down his arm as he was forced to look at the two. 

“Need to hear you say the words Grian.” Scar purred to him as Cub now as gripping his other hand. Rushing the magic over him, one he could deal with, two felt like it was overwhelming his senses. “Just agree to it, and we’ll give you everything you could ever want.” Cub whispered also, lacing their fingers together. “And say our names.”

The edges of it flared up, the thread reaching out slowly. Grain wanted to summon them to him, he wanted so badly. 

Once the Vex have their mind set to something, they could be very persuasive, and perhaps Grian should have guessed they’d find him eventually... but at least these two were friends long before this.

[siriannatan]

Canary and A Mermaid

LimitedLife / Au / Flower Husbands

I'm putting the entirety of the blame for this existing on Scott settling on the water.

Might have some mild (thus no tag) Limited Life spoilers

Song Jimmy's singing: Steffan Argus – Ship in a Bottle

AO3

Scott heard more warnings about humans than he cared to count. Martyn warned him The weird harpies did (Cleo, Bdoubs, Scar), the dwarves (Tango, Impulse, Skizz), and the weird elf (Etho) living with the dwarves all warned him whenever they passed by the lake or saw him just floating down a river. But when the weird humans settled in an old ruined house by one of Scott's favourite smaller lakes, he could not help his curiosity and watched them instead running back home as everyone told him to do.

There were three of them. All rather loud and obnoxious when together. The two shorter ones remained noisy even when separated from the rest. but the tall and pretty one would get quiet and just mumble something Scott couldn't quite catch from his hiding spots.

And he played a small instrument with strings and sang pretty well for a not a mermaid. Scott was somewhat tempted to join in but he didn't know the songs and didn't want to destroy the nice melody so he just listened and tried repeating it when alone. Martyn would be so angry if he knew.

Most of the songs the human - Jimmy as others called him - sang were happy and cheerful. At least from what Scott could understand. He was not an idiot so he usually observed from a fair distance and Jimmy didn't sing too loudly anyway so he could have missed something.

You can fit everything you know In a bottle for you to show Pick your brain apart and put it in And build it again with needles and pins...

Jimmy started in a forlorn, shaky voice, pulling at the strings. He was sat on the sandy bank of the small (by Scott's standards) lake. Barely paying any attention to his instrument as he looked up at the clear sky. Scott couldn't really see his face but he slowly got louder and louder and...

Oh, captain, let's make a deal Where we both say the things that we both really feel I feel scared and I'm starting to sink And I only sink deeper the deeper I think Oh, captain, oh, captain, deal Oh, captain, deal, oh, captain, deal, oh

There are red spots under your eyes From when you cry into the sky Ocean waters rising above your neck, mmm You feel the glass start to crack

Scott was a simple man, for a mermaid. He liked pretty things and Jimmy's voice was really pretty so of course on the next 'Oh, captain, oh, captain, deal Oh, captain, deal, oh, captain, deal, oh' he joined in and clearly startled the human who froze to look for the source of the noise. And now Scott had to decide if he should flee or stay and talk to Jimmy.

Scott obviously chose to stay. He'd care about Martyn's warnings later. Nothing he saw about the humans made him scared. And it wasn't like they swam that well anyway so if he was wrong he could just swim away. "Sorry, I couldn't help it," he said after pulling himself onto a rock a bit closer to the coast but not so close Jimmy could just grab him. "You've got a nice voice," he smiled fanning out his earfins. 

Jimmy was shocked to say the least. One moment he was having his me time away from Joel and Grian and the next there was a whole damn mermaid in front of him. That's not what 'retirement' was supposed to be. But here he was. "Um... I'm sorry if I disturbed you?" he offered. Offending magical creatures was a very bad idea. And even if this one said it liked Jimmy's voice it could be some game. Better save than sorry, and Jimmy had nothing to defend himself with. He was not expecting any creatures this close to the ruined mansion they set up camp in. 

"No, no, I live in a different lake, this one's a bit too small for that," the mermaid smiled and showed off pearly white, sharp as-heck, pointy teeth. "I like your singing, it was a nice song, I'm sorry I interrupted," the mermaid said and slipped off the rock. 

Jimmy expected it to get bored and left so he was a bit shocked when teal hair broke water just by the beach and the mermaid left the water. Teal scales morphed into a pair of pale legs. And to Jimmy's dread, all it was wearing now was a tunic, stopping barely at his thighs, made of weird, almost translucent material. and it was wet and clung to their skin.

"Um... I kind of have to..." Jimmy started saying but the mermaid sat next to him on the ground and smiled. Jimmy hoped it was supposed to be a smile.

"Can we sing together sometime?" it asked before Jimmy could collect his thoughts. "The name's Scott, by the way, and I already kind of know yours."

"Su... sure?" Jimmy stammered out and got an even wider and scarier smile in return.

"Great, unfortunately, I have to go, but next time I won't be hiding, don't worry," Scott said leaning in and gave Jimmy a kiss on the cheek and was gone. No goodbye or anything. Just gone as suddenly as he appeared. Almost as if Jimmy imagined him. But the cold feeling on his cheek persisted and there was a wet patch on his shirt from when Scott's hand briefly rested on his shoulders.

After a minute of just sitting there, Jimmy hurried back to the mansion. Before Scott changed his mind about eating him.

Back on his way home Scott was beyond giddy for the next meeting with Jimmy. He was even cuter up close.

[ilikedesertduothe-normal-amount]

TNT Joel vs The Clock Tower

Literally no one asked for this but I completely rewrote GTvTMK for Limited Life Session 7 and it turned into an AU

Also this mf is like five pages long. Enjoy!

The Watcher’s Song: Narration

And so, in the reign of King Ren the 1st, it came to pass that the Watchers began the planning of their fourth game, and cast their gaze to the servers.

Soon, every Hermit, Empress and Emperor strong enough to wield a sword was chosen and sent off to fight for the Watcher’s entertainment.

I was already skilled in these games, while Joel was still busy dying in every single one. Like an idiot.

I can almost hear the Watcher’s song now…

The Watcher’s Song: Song

[Watcher]

Grab yourself a sword, mortal, and join our games

With a smile, smile, smile

Build the TNT cannon and light the flame

Smile boys, that’s the style 

Come on a grand adventure

Playing our games all the while

So, grab yourself a sword, mortal, and join our games

With a smile, smile, smile

“Come on mortals!”

“The games aren’t that long and you’ll be home before you know it.”

“Let’s give the Watchers a damn good show.”

“The others won’t know what hit him!”

“So join the Life SMP Games, and have some fun.”

Burnt Last Night: Narration

Of course, when Joel arrived, alongside his best friend Jimmy, it was a very different story indeed.

The surface of the world was quickly abandoned, so all the fighting took place in the vast tangle of bridges above.

It was windy, it was deadly, it was cold. And most of the time it was impossible to see from below, aside from at dawn and dusk, or when a minecart fell from above and carved scars into the land.

And aside from that, you always had to keep one eye on your comms.

If someone had fallen, there was every chance they were on their way up to the bridges, but you’d have plenty of time to escape while they climbed.

But if it was an explosion death, you had to get underground and stay there for a while, because they were up on the bridges right that moment.

I was having a great time. But Joel and Jimmy found their own ways of dealing with it…

Burnt Last Night: Song

[Joel]

Burnt last night, and burnt the night before

Gonna be burnt tonight if we’re never burnt no more

[Joel & Grian]

When you’re burnt, your home fills with the sound

‘Cause the family wants to burn the mansion to the ground

[All]

They’re burning us, they’re burning us

One water bucket and it’s not enough

Thank your lucky stars that the cobble’s safe

‘Cause livin’ on the ground can be a chore

[Joel]

Bombed last night, and bombed the night before

[Joel & Grian]

Gonna be bombed tonight if we’re never bombed no more

When you’re bombed, it’s just your first night

[All]

‘Cause everyone’s acting like mobs, they’ll blow you up on sight

They’re bombing us, they’re bombing us

We’re low on minecarts so we can’t fight back

Thank your lucky stars that their chests aren’t hid

‘Cause mining all that stuff’s a waste of time

The Boogeyman’s Song: Narration

But I was not the only servant of the Watchers involved in the fight.

The one known only as the boogeyman had enlisted alongside me, claiming that it would be ‘jolly good fun’.

And indeed in the second game, it had (mostly) fought valiantly by my side, but it was when we twisted the rules that we discovered something interesting about it - It would corrupt whoever it so chose, but it didn’t exactly matter how many players were chosen during one session.

It stopped hunting Skizz after a session, only to show up the very next, within Joel. Then, later, Pearl’s tone when she asked if I wanted to play a game was rather…familiar. I even heard it went after Bdubs again, once.

Still, it seemed happy enough, after its fashion.

The Boogeyman’s Song: Song

[The Boogeyman]

When little mortals play at war

They don’t care what they’re fighting for

Player’s battlefields are rife

With items from the end of a life

Marching ever above the world

Take control, our minds are swirled

Whoe’er I corrupt, they must obey

Or time they will lose at the end of the day

As his powers grow, the games do to

More and more rules are woven through

Alliances they begin to rise

Until a curse brings their demise

Marching ever above the world

Take control, our minds are swirled

Whoe’er I corrupt, they must obey

Or time they will lose at the end of the day

Whoever I choose for this day

All allyships are thrown away

No more hatred, no more friendship

There’s time to gain, so make the hit

Marching ever above the world

Take control, our minds are swirled

Whoe’er I corrupt, they must obey

Or time they will lose at the end of the day

Joel Goes Crazy: Narration

The game continued like this, for five or six sessions - exciting and chaotic bridge warfare.

Until Joel’s best friend Jimmy did what the canary is prone to do, and died.

The details are, in true canary fashion, utterly pointless and strangely hilarious.

But what’s interesting, is the effect it had on Joel.

Joel Goes Crazy: Song

[Joel]

We’ll murder everybody else with minecarts heaven-sent

And we’ll rain down upon the ground the iron we have spent

They’ve tried to take our MRye5 and haven’t made a dent

And your blood will float our sub!

[All]

Break alliances, rain the minecarts

Show them all the aftermath of the cursed canary call

The Watchers will learn why they shan’t break our hearts

And your blood will float our sub!

[Joel]

We’ll kidnap every pufferfish and take the upper hand

We’ll construct so much TNT that we’ll run right out of sand

By the time we’re done with it there will be no more land

And your blood will float our sub!

[All]

Break alliances, rain the minecarts

Show them all the aftermath of the cursed canary call

The Watchers will learn why they shan’t break our hearts

And your blood will float our sub!

[Joel]

“All together now!”

[All]

Break alliances, rain the minecarts

Show them all the aftermath of the cursed canary call

The Watchers will learn why they shan’t break our hearts

And your blood will float our sub!

Midnight at the Clock Tower: Narration

[Grian]

So TNT Joel blew a smoke-shrouded path

Through the TIES and through the family, dealing out his wrath

Everyone else gathered, and plotted his demise

But they all fell, like the tears within his eyes

Such violence can’t last, and before the minecarts ran dry 

The family lined the shot up, and let the arrow fly

And so Joel fell, like the canary before,

And landed on the ground, on the clock tower’s floor

The Tower, the Watcher, looked at young Joel

And said “Welcome, mortal, the third one to fall”

“You made a good effort, but you weren’t good enough”

“But perhaps I’ll give you one last chance, just prove that you’re tough”

“It’s just a simple challenge really, easy for one like you”

“Just kill the player I summon here and I’ll give you hours two”

So Joel nods grimly and the Tower smiles, and with a sharp crack!

A player falls to the ground, landing on their back

They stood up and looked at Joel, and he realised his mistake

For there before stood the one whose life he could not take

“You’ve agreed, now kill him here” the Tower’s cold voice spoke

Joel backed away and tried to speak, but his words came out a choke

Because before him there, standing confused, was Jimmy the Canary

Joel had agreed but now he found he couldn’t do the deed

As the scenery reformed to a cactus ring and he stood atop a stone

Joel looked the Tower in the eye and gave his response:

[Joel]

“No!”

[Grian]

The Tower sighed and shook its head, “You already swore you would”

Joel glared at it and shook his head

[Joel]

“That doesn’t mean I should.”

[Grian]

Meanwhile outside time had stopped, I recognised the signs

And though I couldn’t scream, my mind filled with my cries

Jimmy still had no idea, for he could not understand

As Joel looked at him, saluted, and then held onto his hand

[Joel]

“Bad boys to the end.”]

[Grian]

He said,

[Joel]

“Our run was pretty long.”

[Grian]

For that day the music of explosions became his favourite song

And so they faced down the Towers rage, bad boys to the end

As the Tower let out an enraged roar, and the space began to rend

Jimmy scattered to the winds and awoke in his empire

And Joel heard the thunder crack and felt the lightning’s fire

So as his clock ticked to a halt and time simply moved on

The brightness of the lightning faded and I saw that he was gone

And with the emotion within me that I’d hidden to play the game

I let the tears fall from my eyes and I screamed out his name

[lavendertownsghost]

I have so many unconnected ideas for an Animorphs crossover with Hermitcraft/Life Series/Empires and since I know I'll never connect them into an actual story, I figured i may as well post them so anyone who wants to can try and piece them together or pick and chose what that want to use.

The characters are in no real order, and all of the 'younger' characters are in high school instead of middle school. I have no idea where this would be set.

Character stuff:

Doc is an Andalite and he has the same morphing allergy that Mertil had, and in a battle many years before the story starts he losses not only part of his tail, but an arm, leg, and two eyes (a main eye and a stalk eye). Instead of accepting his 'shame' and being outcast as is Andalite custom, Doc made his own prosthetics. This pissed off the vast majority of Andalites and he was exiled to some backwater planet (aka Earth). Doc was fine with this since he was a bit fed up with the Andalite's strict culture. He lives in a forest near whatever location is the main one for the story. There's also an alternate backstory where Doc is still morph-capable and left the Andalite homeworld on his own. In this version he uses the Frolis Maneuver to make a human persona and is a part time teacher at the school the other characters go to.

Ren is a human who recently graduated high school and friend of Doc's. He either found Doc in the forest or discovered he was an alien (depending on which version of Doc's backstory is used) and helped him learn more about humans.

Cleo is a fried of Ren's and a teacher at the school. Her younger cousin Scott lives with her. (She's possibly infested by Joe, a member of the Yeerk Peace Movement)

Scott is in high school and currently lives with his older cousin Cleo after his parent's sudden death in a car crash. Scott firmly believes his older brother Xornoth is responsible for their parents death, but he has no solid evidence so he can't go to the police.

Xornoth is Scott's older brother, and was infested by a Yeerk sometime before the start of the story. His parents noticed his behavior change and were about to look to deeply into the Sharing, so Xornoth's Yeerk cut their brakes and had them killed. Xornoth was old enough to live by himself so he doesn't live with Scott and Cleo. Xornoth was already naturally charismatic, so he ends up recruiting a lot of people for the Sharing. He hates it.

Joey was in the same grade as Xornoth before they graduated, and was seduced convinced to join the Sharing by him. Despite the fact that the only time the two of them can talk freely is when they're in the cage together at the Yeerk pool, they become good friends.

Sausage is someone else who was recruited into the Sharing by Xornoth, but I'm thinking of having his Yeerk be part of the Peace Movement (don't know if the Yeerk is an existing character).

Impulse is a teacher at the school, and is infested by Tango (official name Tangriss 373), a member of the Yeerk Peace Movement. The two get along really well, and Impulse is in the process of making a small portable Kandrona source in case he and Tango need to run.

Skizz is Impulse's childhood best friend, and knows about Tango (who has infested him briefly at Skizz's request). The trio is currently trying to decide weather it's safer for Skizz to be infested by another Peace Movent Yeerk so he's not pursued by the Sharing or remain separate so he's not under their scrutiny.

Scar is in high school and Jellie is his cat. I'm debating weather or not to make Jellie sentient, either as an Andalite refugee, someone stuck in morph somehow, or another alien species disguised as a cat. If she is one of these, Scar knows about it.

Jimmy and Lizzy are siblings in high school, and Lizzy is dating Joel.

Grian and Pearl are also siblings in high school. Their parents foster a lot of kids, and they consider Martyn and Bigb (both recent high school graduates) their brothers as well.

Gem and Mumbo are also students at the high school.

Bdubs and Etho are teachers at the school.

Xisuma is the principal of the school (possibly with EX as his Yeerk)

(I know there are some Empires people / Hermits not on here, I don't know enough about them to have ideas for them)

Plot Stuff:

The main Animorphs are most likely some combination of Grian, Pearl, Jimmy, Lizzy, Joel, Martyn, Bigb, and Scott.

Doc is probably the one to give them the morphing cube (no idea how he has one).

Part of me wants to be evil and have Ren get stuck in wolf or dog morph.

The Yeerk Peace Movement storyline starts MUCH earlier than canon, since several notable characters are Yeerks. Leading into that, several Yeerks and their hosts get morphing power.

Like I said, feel free to use any parts of these however you want! I'd appreciate if you could credit me and let me know if you're doing something with them so I can see it!

[meteor752]

The DL kids on Empires part 2: Hermitcraft

The videos came out like five minutes ago, I’m watching Jimmy POV as I’m writing this, god I’m speedrunning

So anyways, the hermits arrive! I think that maybe six months after the DL kids show up does the rift spit them out, so when they do the kids have all settled in to their routines

So when the Hermits arrived to the server, Liana was in the Museum reading up, Wes was deep into the mines of Gobland, Johnny was herding cows a bit away from Tumble Town, and Gertrude and Novo were on a date close to spawn. Only Jekiv and Jassy were in an empire when it happened, The Eversea and Evermoore respectively.

So yeah, fricking no one was prepared.

Jassy and Jekiv were very shaken up upon seeing Cleo and Tango, but both chose to not mention anything about the life servers. None of their parents from Empires had recognized them, so there was a slim chance that the hermits would. Lo and behold, they didn’t. Cleo and Tango were directly introduced to Jassy and Jekiv, and they showed no signs of recognition. Jassy did ask what other Hermits had joined though, and sadly her dad weren’t once of them.

Johnny’s cowboy antics are interrupted by his dads familiar piercing scream, so he abandoned the cows and rode back into town, where he saw Grian perching on Jimmy’s shoulders like a gremlin bird, cackling, while the sheriff tried to shake him off to the best of his ability.

Yeah it was a very ??????? moment, but Johnny knew enough about both Grian and Liana to not get in the way when they felt like being pesky birds, so he just climbed down and stood on the ready, trying not to drag any attention to himself because that’s a conversation he did not feel like having right then and there.

....aaaaat least until Tango showed up, where he literally flung himself like a god damn cat at him, knocking them both to the ground.

So yeah, graceful.

He explained it off as he was just ‘Glad to see another of his species’, since both Scar and Grian were there and he figured it wasn’t his place to reveal what was actually going on.

As soon as everyone but Tango and Jimmy left to check on the rift, he did tell them what was up, even though Jimmy had already kinda figured it out.

So yeah, Jimmy and Tango who’d met briefly a few times are now sharing custody of a child.

Novo and Gertrude found out by their picnic being interrupted by Scar and Grian, from out of nowhere might I add, and when they found out that the hermits had gone through the rift they both scattered to find their parents.

Gertrude found nothing, of course, and she was a sad pupper.

But going to Chromia, Novo saw the most strange sight. His mom and dad, acting civil towards each other?? Having a conversation?? His mom dressed in GREEN??

He was shaken to the core!

Unnerved by it, he set off to the Olipeligo as it’s far enough away so no one would stumble upon it by accident, and he sat in a tree and poorly strummed his lyre while waiting for Oli to return.

Until his fricking mom showed up.

Now, growing up Novo never had a bad relationship with his mom. Sure, she wasn’t the best influence in the world, but the two got along great in their madness. But after their death, the bitterness had started to sink in with Novo. Both of his parents had neglected him in favor of harming each other, making him witness things he’d never want to witness. It sorta fucks with your head to see your mom’s arm nearly he cut off in front of you by an ax crit from your dad.

So while a small part of him wanted to run up to her and lay safe in her arms, a bigger part of him despised her for fucking him up so badly.

So he stayed in the tree, out of sight, choosing to just watch what she would do.

It got boring quickly.

But then Oli showed up, and offered her a place in his small empire, which Novo would not accept, so he jumped out of the tree and voiced his opinion about it.

Unfortunately his opinion was inapprehensible because of his accent, so to Pearl this tiny boy with crazy hair and running makeup just appeared out of nowhere and started shouting gibberish at her and this bard.

Oli didn’t fully understand what Novo was saying either, only the other kids and Sausage for some reason could understand him, but he picked up on the vibes well enough.

So yeah Pearl took off, shaken to her core, and Novo was left all grumpy

Wes stayed in the mines for a while, and didn’t interact with any of the hermits for a good while because he hates meeting new people, and Liana avoided them like pest because she’s afraid of confrontation.

So yeah, first day went great!

As time went on, things calmed down. The hermits just accepted that in this place there were the emperors, and these strange children who also came through the rift, but also did not wish to return back. The kids all had a talk and decided to not tell the hermits about what was happening for the time being, as they were all kind of settling in and also most of them are kinda iffy about their parents.

Twenty years of abandonment will do that to ya

That is, at least, until Scar and Liana meet, which you can read about here :)

So basically, now that both Scar and Grian knows, and some time has passed, and both BDubs and Ren has also joined, the kids decide that alright it’s time to let them know what’s up

So Jekiv tells Cleo, which is a very awkward conversation, but you know Joe got very happy about now being an uncle

Novo spends a good seven minutes getting the message across to his mom, which turns into a game of charades as she has no idea what he’s saying. She visits him occasionally, but for the most part he doesn’t want anything to do with her.

Wes doesn’t tell either of his dads, but Impulse figures it out anyways. He confronts him about it casually, and Wes avoids him for a solid three weeks after it.

Then, Wes tells BDubs, who is a self proclaimed god. BDubs kind of immediately reverts back to beauty pageant mom, wanting to show to everyone that his son is the best and have him pulled into his sun cult, so Wes stays underground even more than usual. He’s often joined by Impulse though, and the two does manage to form a bond of sort

The night after Ren joins is a full moon. Gertrude is too caught up in the preparations for her transformation to contact him, but when they both do transform, the kids are stuck with not only keeping Gertrude away from all the empires, but also from the other feral werewolf who will go on the attack on sight.

Half the server are pulled into keeping the two apart, some distracting Weretrude while some keep Weren entertained. This is also how Katherine finds out that the werewolf she’s been hunting is her own pupil

So when the moon lowers and the sun rises, everyone is left fricking exhausted.

In the healing place (Maybe like Shelby’s or something) Ren and Gertrude are put to recover from their long nights, and Gertrude have plenty of time to explain what’s going on and who she is.

Ren is ecstatic to have a kid, and he tells her all about what’s been going on on Hermitcraft, and Gertrude compares it to the stories he told her about Dogwarts and The Red King, the the two are just excited puppies

And yeah, that’s the first meetings.

Gertrude is the only one to contribute to Hermitopia, since she’s the only redstoner, and like half the kids are afraid it’s gonna collapse if they as much as touch it.

Jassy seeks out BDubs a lot to hear about what’s been going on with Etho, and BDubs being BDubs he talks her ears off about him.

Wes and Jassy start to suspect that they might be step siblings

When the sculk starts spreading across the server, it has mixed reactions with the kids.

Liana fucking hates it, everything to do with sculks and wardens scares her, but she still assists Pixl in the removal of it. It gives her major creeps though

Johnny kind of likes it. He’s always had a strange connection with Wardens and the sculk, so he kinda vibes with it. Plus, the Wardens in the deep dark don’t care that it’s being spread, so who cares!

The others reactions vary from ew, to why, to whatever. These kids have been through a lot

And then…Grumbot. The mysterious robot figure appears in Hermittopia after a few months, seemingly sleeping considering the closed eyes.

And when asking about it, Grian reveals that he is his and Mumbo’s son!

So….Liana has a brother now

And she tries. She really tries to bond with Grumbot when he goes online. She sits for hours on his palm chatting, she tries to learn more about him, she tells him about Scar and asks about Mumbo.

Because Jassy and Hermes has such a close bond. Jassy is always carrying the little guy around, either on her hip or on top of her shoulders, and Jassy encourages her to get something similar with Grumbot.

Buuuut, Grumbot is kind of evil, is obsessed with Mumbo, sorta hates Scar since he won the mayor election, and does not care at all about Liana.

So yeah, what a bust.

But then the rift reopens, and the kids are faced with a dilemma.

Because some of them would love to move to Hermitcraft, a dream they’ve had for years, while some would much rather stay on Empires.

And…they’ve never been separated before.

Liana, Jassy, and Wes are very interested in joining the Hermits, while Jekiv, Novo, and Gertrude would rather not. Johnny is torn, he wants to be with both of his dads! He just…can’t.

So when the Hermits stand by the rift, six months after they arrived, trying to leave while the Emperors fight them off, the kids are divided, Johnny choosing to side with Empires since Tango isn’t present.

But the Hermits slip through, Liana Wes and Jassy with them without even thinking, and the other four are left behind.

The Emperors choose to follow along though, but the divide between the kids has already formed, and it will only grow with time…

So! That’s that! Well I’m not completely done yet, the Empires X Hermitcraft story line need to finish first then I’ll post the last update of the arc.

Because yes, we’ve got story arcs for these little bastards now.

Does anyone even care? Well I do and that’s what matters

Anyways, byeeeeeee