#last life boogieman

[silverskye13]

Etho looks down quietly at his basket, making sure everything he needs is inside. He knows it is best to only make one trip down to the water. The water is treacherous. He is strong enough to withstand it, but of course, everyone who ever drowned thinks they're strong enough until their lungs are bursting. So. He double checks. He makes sure.

He has a week's worth of laundry. Some dishes he needs sand from the river to scour. A bucket, so he won't have to make this trip for another few days. There are a few pieces of leather armor in need of a quick rinse before they're polished. Also, he's thirsty. He tries not to drink his rain water. He needs it to last.

Finally, Etho belts on his sword, hefts the basket over one shoulder, and the empty bucket with his free hand. He looks to the short path that leads down to the dock. The water is blue as the diamond sky above, edged in gold from the slowly gathering sunset. Birds are singing. Breeze whispers through the willow branches and cattails. Across the river, a small herd of deer is moving through the rushes. One breaks apart from the others to drink. Etho sighs out a long breath, steels himself, and walks down the trail.

The water is cursed. Very few people still come to the river for chores. Most only dare to run down for a few buckets of water when the well is running dry.

_____

When Tango saw him gathering his things earlier, he'd shaken his head and made a warding gesture with his hand. Protection. For himself. For Etho. Or just to ward away the idea of evil.

"Scream, I guess," Tango had told him. "I doubt we'll make it in time, but yanno, we'll know what happened."

Etho had only offered a tense smile behind his mask. Everyone would know what happened, scream or not.

"I'll be fine," Etho said. "I've been fine before."

He said it a lot more confidently than he felt, and Tango wasn't reassured. Tango had a good nose for things like that. He sniffed the air, and made the chagrined expression of someone who could smell a coming thunderstorm.

"Yeah. Sure." Tango sniffed again, and then tapped the side of his nose with a knowing finger. "On second thought, maybe save your breath."

_____

Etho walks out onto the dock, his footsteps silent as he can make them. He took his boots off by the dock's edge. They're heavy when they're wet. He sets the basket down gently on the aged wood. He fills the bucket first. In the neat and tidy plan of his habits, he thinks the bucket is the one he least wants to be left last with. It's heavy and cumbersome, and requires leaning over the water's edge. So he fills it, trying to disturb the water as little as possible, and pads back to his boots to set it down gently beside them. Then he's back to his basket, and getting to the louder work, what he know will attract attention.

He grabs a shirt and dunks it into the water, wringing it out a few times before scrubbing it against the dock's edge. Someone nailed a washboard here, probably to make it easier for everyone else who needed to scrub up -- one less cumbersome thing to drag to the riverside. Beside it, Etho can see long scratches in the wood, vanishing off the side. He has large hands, so they don't line up to him, but the unmistakable look of nails scratching, clinging, is recognizable even still. He wonders idly who made them. Probably someone playing, before the water was cursed. Or an animal that swam across the bank and needed help scurrying out.

He is tempted to think it's something more sinister, but he knows better.

The water turns from diamond blue to sunflower yellow, then to blazing orange with rusted and bleeding edges. The herd of deer on the other side of the water wanders off, sated. A fox calls in the wood somewhere, an uncanny, very human scream. The bird calls twitter into silence, replaced by chirping frogsong. Etho wrings out the last of his clothes and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. He checks how far the sun has dipped in the sky, and decides he has an our yet before dark settles in.

With his clothes washed, he sets them back in the basket, neatly folded. They'll wrinkle probably, but when he puts them out on the line, the wind will straighten them out. His knees are sore from kneeling, his back from leaning. His armor will be easier to clean if he can settle in, brace it on his crossed legs.

Etho looks around the water, at the deceptive stillness. It's a slow, lazy river, hardly pushing the water fast enough to put ripples on it. There is one place near the opposite bank where a long shadow stretches from a stone, broken by the reflection of red sunset. It's the kind of image he would expect to see on a lake on a windless day. He's heard before that quiet rivers make for deadly waters, that there is a current in holes in the riverbed that will devour someone.

But Etho isn't in the water. He's on the dock, and the dock is safe. Nothing will drag him off it. Nothing in the water is strong enough. It doesn't have to be. There is some comfort in that, in knowing he can't be devoured against his will. It is why he still comes to the river. It is why he dares. Etho sits back and crosses his legs, bracing his leathers against his knees. He scoops a palm full of water onto them and scrubs, trying to get blood out of the small cracks where it will settle and rot. His chainmail is back at the fort up the hill, where its heaviness can't encumber him. It cleans itself reasonably well, all the links clattering together, just so long as he doesn't roll in any mud.

There is shuffling on the dock behind him, the creaking of old wood. Etho tilts his head, breathes in deeply through his nose. His pulse doesn't quicken. After a momentary pause, he resumes his work.

"Hey BDubs," he says conversationally. "Trying to sneak up on me?"

"Wh-- no. Of course not." There is mischief in BDub's answer, a grin in his voice. "The great Etho? Never. You probably heard me coming from a mile away."

"Maybe not a mile," Etho chuckles humbly. "You going to join me?"

"Well, I don't know," BDubs laughs, leaning over Etho's shoulder. "Is it safe?"

"I don't know why it wouldn't be."

"Water's cursed," BDubs reminds him. "There could be boogiemen about."

"You trying to tell me something BDubs?" Etho asks slyly, peering up at his friend.

"What? No of course not," BDubs laughs. He sits beside Etho, plunging his bare feet into the water beside the dock. "Even if I was, you know me Etho. You? Kill you? You'd kill me first."

"I don't know about that," Etho hums, splashing another palm full of water on a buckle clasp and scrubbing at a rusted stain with his thumb. "You made pretty efficient work of Grian."

"Grian had it coming," BDubs shrugs. "Got too caught up listening to the music."

Etho chuckles. "The music was very good."

BDubs kicks his feet in the water, humming the tune momentarily under his breath. It's a haunting sound, not really meant to be sung. Not by anything human. Etho shudders in spite of himself.

"Man, don't do that."

"Sorry! Haha! Sorry. Couldn't help it," BDubs grins a gap-tooth smile in Etho's direction, his eyes bright and gilded by the setting sun. "It's probably one of the coolest kills I've ever gotten."

"I'll make sure Tango knows you said that."

"Oh, Tango's fine." Bdubs waves a hand dismissively. "He's just upset 'cause I scared him."

"You did more than just scare him."

Dark room. Dark water. Tango screaming and running, scrabbling at the walls with his nails. If they ever went back to that little cave, Etho wondered if there would be marks on the walls like the docks, played, desperate fingers, digging.

"Well he's alive, isn't he?"

"I guess he is."

"Then he should get over it!"

Etho shakes his head, laughing. BDubs' voice is over-loud on the quiet lake, but its a good sound. Full of intensity and joy, and revelry. It made the silence between his words stark and empty, and Etho was always loathe to fill it.

Bdubs suddenly wraps an arm around Etho's shoulders, pulling him into a conspiratorial embrace. "Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you, by the way."

Etho suddenly has goosebumps on his neck, his spine, his arms. BDubs' arm is cold against his shoulders. He smells of bracken and standing water, and his eyes are bright as sunset. Etho takes a long, slow breath in and holds it for a moment.

"Uh... Yeah, BDubs?"

"I've got a plan, you know, for the others," Bdubs continues, his voice dropping to something near a whisper. There is something on the edge of his tone like the ringing of bells. Excitement. Thrill. Hunger. "But I'll need some help. I mean, I'm good at redstone, you know 'ol BDubs knows his stuff. But I need an expert. Someone good at traps."

"You know you've always got me Bdubs," Etho laughs, and it is hard to keep the nervousness from his voice. He's not sure he succeeds. "I'm happy to help. Just uh--" He shrugs his shoulders, and BDubs' arm falls away. "You know. Keep your distance."

"You're not scared of me, are you Etho?" Bdubs laughs, and it's loud and boisterous, and perfect. It echoes off the water like glass. Bells and ringing. He gives Etho a prideful, knowing look. "No, you're not scared of little 'ol BDubs. I know what you're scared of."

BDubs suddenly turns and slips into the water. Not all the way. His hands are still clinging to the wood, his elbows resting on the dock like it was a pool side. But the splash hits Etho's side and makes him shudder so hard, he drops the armor he'd been polishing. In a flash he's on his feet, backing away two, three steps. His movements feel too slow and heavy, and there's an instant of panic in him.

"Woah man!" Etho snaps, startled. He reaches for something, anything-- "I said keep your--!"

But BDubs is laughing, kicking his feet, stirring up the mud at the bottom of the river. "Oh come on Etho. It's water."

Etho takes three long breaths, filling his lungs to bursting before pushing the air out again heavy through his nose.

"You're fine you big baby," BDubs grins, resting his head on his crossed arms. His legs stop kicking, stop stirring up the mud, and Etho can see the water is shallow enough that he's standing on the bottom. He'd thought-- he'd thought-- "You'd think I tried to drown you, jeez."

He thought it was deeper.

Etho held his breath for a moment, counted slowly. He wanted to reach his hand to his neck, to check his pulse. To see how fast his heart was beating. He moved his hand to, and at a mocking glance from his friend, decides instead to stoop to pick up his dropped armor. He walks carefully to his basket and places it inside.

"Why'd you come down here, anyway?" BDubs asks. "If you're so scared, I mean."

"You know me, BDubs. I always come back," Etho answers, almost a reflex. A rehearsed answer. "Who else would I go to?"

"Tango and Skizz?"

"They won't keep me safe like you will." Etho points out. He shudders again, the cold from BDub's touch had seeped into him more than he thought it had. He's acclimating though, like jumping into a pool. It's a cold that seeps out of him, warms as it settles. "It's me and you to the end, right buddy?"

"Of course Etho. I'd never betray you."

Etho looks through his things one last time, then frowns. He turns the basket with his foot. He glances at BDubs, who still watches him from the water's edge. Then he takes a chance and crouches down beside his basket, rifling through with both hands.

"Lose something?" BDubs asks, standing on his tiptoes to get a better look.

Etho looks around, checking first the dock, and then the water beyond. In the deeper water over the side, he sees the flash of a buckle in the dying rays of the sun.

"Oh, huh," BDubs hums disinterestedly. "Guess you'll have to get that."

"BDubs," Etho scowls.

"Fine! Fine. I get it. You don't wanna get wet." BDubs puts up his hands, as though surrendering. "The water really isn't all that bad." He offers Etho a quick little salute. "Be right back."

He takes an exaggerated breath and splashes beneath the dock, stirring up mud and river plants. He breaks the water's surface shortly after, holding up the fallen armor piece triumphantly. "Ta-da! Hold your applause. I know I'm great."

Etho, in spite of himself, chuckles. He shivers again -- the evening is getting cold -- and reaches a hand out. BDubs places the buckle in his hand, then reaches his other hand up to clasp Etho's gently. It's awkward and off-balance, Etho leaning precariously over the side of the dock, and BDubs on his tip-toes, holding him in place. It isn't a hard grasp. At any moment, Etho can take his hand away. He has always been stronger than BDubs.

"Hey, Etho, I really have missed you, man," BDubs says, smiling fondly, his voice soft. It isn't a whisper. It simply isn't loud and brash like he normally is. Heartfelt. The kind of tone that beckons, that wants to be listened to. "I mean-- I've missed us doing things together. It reminds me of the good 'ol days, you know? NHO and Mindcrack. We make a good team."

"We do," Etho agrees. He takes a long, slow breath. He shivers.

He frowns.

Etho pulls his hand out of BDubs, and BDubs offers no resistance. Etho looks down at his hand, at the wrinkled, waterlogged skin. He rubs his thumb across his forefingers, feeling the odd texture, grounding himself on it. Etho takes a deep breath in, lets it out again slowly.

"How long have I been in the water, BDubs?" Etho whispers.

Etho is still holding the belt buckle in one hand, still looking down at the wrinkled fingers of his other. BDubs is still in front of him, only his head and shoulders above the water. Etho looks back over his shoulder. The dock is startlingly far away, the basket sitting on the very edge. Beyond it, his boots and water bucket are sitting in the grass beside rushes and willow branches.

"Does it matter?" BDubs asks, smiling gently.

Etho takes a long, deep breath through his nose.

"Oh, don't be scared," BDubs says, moving silently closer. He reaches out his hands and grasps Etho's arms, a gentle touch, reassuring. A friend trying to assuage fear. His eyes are blazing red and orange with the setting sun, but the sky is black and salted with stars. "I didn't drag you down here, Etho. You came to me, remember?"

"BDubs--"

"You know I'd never betray you," BDubs continues, taking a slow step backwards. He pulls Etho with him, and Etho, by habit and familiarity, takes a step forward. The allure of BDubs' voice tilts his vision. He's on the dock, holding the buckle that fell in the water, and BDubs is clasping his hands, and the sun is setting. The water is up to his chest, and the world is dark star-filled, and BDubs is taking another step backwards, and Etho is following. "I could have betrayed you day one, and I didn't. I'm just asking for your help, Etho. You and me together, right?"

"BDubs--"

"It's the deep water, isn't it?" BDubs croons, like he's speaking to a child. "The deep water scares you? It's okay. You're fine."

Etho is fine. His breathing is slow, his heartbeat even. He wants to be scared. He should be scared. But BDubs is his friend.

BDubs reaches up to Etho's neck, not to strangle or to threaten, but to gently cup his hands around him. He pulls gently on Etho, not to drag Etho down, but to raise himself up, so they're nearly eye to eye. Etho feels water around his shoulders, and shivers.

"It's okay," BDubs says. "I would never hurt you, I promise. We don't have to go any deeper." His voice even and calm, inexorable. Etho's pulse doesn't quicken when he says, "You know how many people drown in shallow water? It's easy. I'll be with you the whole time."

The water is around Etho's neck, and BDubs is above him just slightly. One hand raises slowly to the back of Etho's head, fingers gently tangling in his hair. It is the caress of someone who cares for him deeply, someone who wants him to stay. The feeling is wholly dissonant from the words being spoken. Water? Drowning? How could someone who loves him so much drown him?

"You want to stay with me, right?" BDubs asks. "You and me together, we'd be unstoppable, Etho. The best duo the Life Series has ever seen."

BDub's hand on Etho's neck moves just slightly, the thumb pulling around to rest on his adam's apple. The hand in his hair clenches just a little. A warning. "You're not thinking about betraying me, are you?"

Etho shivers again. He wants to be afraid.

"You know, Grian said some things before he drowned," BDubs's hand on his neck tightened just a little. Etho could feel his pulse against BDub's thumb, finally, finally beginning to quicken. "He said you were a survivor. He said you'd leave me -- heh -- high and dry. You wouldn't do that, would you, Etho?"

Etho's pulse quickened more. There was a cold numbness in his limbs that he hadn't even noticed gathering, and his sluggishly awakening panic pushed it from him.

"BDubs," Etho said, his voice small and hoarse in his throat, "let me go."

"Etho..." BDubs said warningly.

"Let me go!" Etho shouted, planting his hands on BDub's chest and shoving backwards away. What he felt, in that brief second, was neither skin nor flesh, nor the softness of fabric. He felt tangled river weeds, and fish scales, slimy and cold against his skin. The cursed thing that looked like BDubs but wasn't, released Etho spitefully. His claws tore from Etho's neck, scraped along the back of his head to come free with pale strands of his hair. Suddenly there were arms around him, and Etho screamed and thrashed as he was dragged.

"I've got you dude! I've got you!"

It was Skizz, his voice a thunderous bellow in Etho's ear, his arms feverishly hot against him where they clamped like vices around his waist. Skizz dragged Etho from the water like he weighed nothing. Etho got his feet underneath himself and clung to Skizz, staggering out of the water as quick as he could. He heard feet pounding on the dock, and glanced over to watch Tango sprint across the wood. He stooped, grabbed up Etho's basket, and sprinted back with it, the reaching, clawed hand of the thing that looked like BDubs snapping for his ankles and missing.

"I got him!" Skizz shouted to Tango, scrambling onto the grass, refusing to let Etho go until they were well up the path. "Did you see how close he was?!"

"Yeah I saw!" Tango snapped, choking on his own fear, gulping in air and coughing it back out again. "It tried to drag me in!"

"Oh my god, are you okay dude?" Skizz demanded, and, when Tango nodded, he turned back to Etho. "Are you okay? I didn't see you go under. Can you breathe?"

Etho, who had collapsed into the grass the moment Skizz released him, lay there gasping like a hooked fish. He shivered, pale and cold from how long he spent in the water-- how long had he been in the water. He could still feel the thing's burning claws in streaks across his neck, and a tickling of blood at the back of his head.

"Etho?"

"I'm okay," Etho gasped, "I'm sorry I just-- I needed-- I wanted--"

"I know what you wanted!" Tango snapped angrily, the anger of someone who had risked his life. The anger of someone who thought a friend of his was dead, or dying. "But it's not him, Etho."

"It sounds like him," Etho whispered. He threw an arm over his eyes and shivered again. "It sounds like him, though."

"I know it does buddy, I know," Skizz said, his voice full of sympathy and pity. He waited with mountainous patience as Etho pulled himself together, and then helped Etho stand.

Together, they walked back to the fort.

Behind them, something cursed and hungry in the dark water, sang, and its voice was sweet and familiar.

[socialistexan]

The biggest consequence of the American migration to Redbook with the impending tiktok ban?

This is essentially the closest and most unfettered access people in the US have had to Chinese people essentially ever. We've existed on the same sites and apps before, but we were so siloed that we almost never interacted. Now Americans are getting a direct interaction and seeing how we're all just people.

The US Government ran so hard on sinophobia for so long (Republicans and Democrats both) that Americans just sort looped around and they're going directly to the people.

Best case scenario is this builds some solidarity internationally and demystifies the Scary Boogieman Other and we have a generation of people that finally see through all of it directly into humanity of The Other and won't be so easily misled later in life by propaganda and bigotry.

Or it's just a little blip that lasts two weeks and all the zoomers end up on some tiktok clone made by Zuck and Elon.

[nitsa13]

Man. I first started writing tags but I've ran out of them. Did anyone know you have max of thirty tags lol

Anyway, after etho hating creepers. I remember from last life that he loves going on the tops of the trees, he likes being invisible and safe so, because no one is looking up

I remember bdubs killing grian right in front of etho. I remember etho boogie-killijg scar because he burned his tree a little and then getting a life for bdubs out of him.

I remember how each even session contained more than one boogeyman. I remember how sixth session had six boogies

I remember etho throwing a potion and mumbo killing bdubs with the help of it. I remember etho killing mumbo exactly after.

I remember tango being killed by bdubs, betrayed, stabbed in the back after giving him a life, and all the rage

I remember how yellow scar threatened team best to kill himself to turn red and go off on the killing spree to get his enchanter back. I remember that scar cut that out of his episode but in the end almost stupidly died in southlanders's trap

I remember scott killing impulse when the guy didn't even have a weapon in his hands

I remember scarecrows in the southlanders's

I remember this world to be dark from endless nights and to be light from the bright fires that were happening constantly

Sorry I go crazy about last life in particular

guys I'm curious what are some of the most iconic life series moments? I want to hear about everything from the most well-known, fandom-loved moments to little things that just make you specifically go crazy! Tell me it all!

[hybbart]

The hosts of the games (minus Grian, who hosted 3rd life himself) Each one was hosted by a watcher inspired by the original game to host their own.

lore below

The Boogieman (he/she) loves bloodsports and the drama of betrayal, so she created a game in which curses were bestowed upon players (some more permanent than others) and gave them the ability to gain and lose more hearts in order to encourage violence. He hosted Last Life after seeing how Grian's game ended and wanted more red life drama.

The Spinner (they/them) loves the relationship drama and tragedy of the games, so made a mechanic to pair up the players. Their favourite biome is the Ancient City because of its horror movie (the true romantic genre supposedly) like atmosphere, so they built the arena atop one. They cursed golden apples to break bonds and put them in the game hoping at least one of the pairs would participate int he drama of consuming them, but the planned failed to their annoyance.

The Clockmaker (any) is a control freak who interfered the most forwardly with their games. They wanted the most chances possible for stories and gaming, so created a mechanic to allow for more deaths and strategies. They ended up breaking Limited Life more often than not with their strange mechanics. They wanted a centrepiece to their arena similar in danger to the pillager outpost Double Life incidentally had, but broke it while attempting to make resources more plentiful to minimize time resource gathering.

The Secret Keeper (it/its) wanted to create a more relaxed game with more ridiculous and silly situations, so inserted itself into the game to hand out tasks to do instead of mull around until the players kill each other and mechanics to discourage hurting each other directly. It doesn't care for the drama the others before it loved so much, and didn't both maintaining the curses Boogieman placed leading to some of them breaking.

[zynnth]

(My AU of the Eyes and Ears AU)

Adding on to this post, cause I genuinely can't stop thinking about this, that Joel's victory of Wild Life might be one of the first solid steps towards fighting back against the Watchers.

Winning the game by not giving in to his usual bloodthirst after turning red and keeping a generally cool head throughout Wild Life, as well as refusing to generate and spread too many negative emotions across the server is an act of resistance against the Watchers, who expected to feed on said emotions. It was the thing they were most looking forward to, only to watch Joel laugh in their faces instead.

And this wasn't the first time something like this has happened either. All the way back in Last Life, the game where the Watchers first introduced the Boogieman Curse, an addition which created fear and distrust even in some of the most tightly knit groups, a similar resisting force decided to make itself known. It was Scott, one of the people who got the Boogieman Curse two separate times, and the only one who refused to kill another person when he got it for the second time. He outright defied the Watchers, deliberately going against their interest of watching the bloodshed caused by the curse unfold. Just to add salt to the wound, he then went on to win the game, which most likely wasn't the outcome the Watchers would've wanted to see at that point.

It has been speculated many times before that Scott hates the Watchers, which is supported by him letting the curse consume him instead of killing someone else to get rid of it. I think this hatred not only comes from the fact that the Watchers are forcing them to go through these killing games, but also from the fact that Scott is the kind of person who stays true to his morals and won't do something he doesn't think is right. In his words, he "spent all season being honorable" and he was "not about to stop now". He defied the Watchers, because getting that last Boogie kill would've just caused more despair and wouldn't have served any other purpose than please the Watchers.

When we look back on Joel's victory in Wild Life, we can see a reflection of this. He might not be all about morals and honor, but he's also not the type of person to let others pull his strings. He does what he wants, whenever he wants, the way that he wants to. And he wasn't about to let the Watchers decide how his battles would end, how his victory is earned.

To me it seems like Joel hates the Watchers just as much as Scott does, albeit for different reasons. He's not going to let them push him around anymore, he's going to play on his own terms from now on.

With that in mind, I think it's interesting to think about how these individual acts of resistance will develop in the future. With these first steps taken already, it's not unthinkable that more will follow soon. Will the next winner attempt to defy the Watchers as well? Will they eventually get to a point where they will have an actual fighting chance against them? What about Grian, who's a Watcher himself? What about Martyn who embraced the violence to win or Scar who is still stuck in Secret Life?

It seems only time will tell.

[hybbat]

One thing I don't like is characterizing Jimmy's canary curse as a fault of his ego/stupid mistakes. He can be and has done those things, but that's not the root of why he loses.

In third life his last death was from a stray arrow that managed to slip through a half block from half a desert away, absolutely a freak accident and crazy shot into a box that was supposed to protect him. Two of his deaths happened back to back in this game, staying completely safe the rest of the time and in both he wasn't the only one.

In last life the man started with two lives and spent the whole game on those two lives! He died in the middle of a big fight where he was not the only one to perma die.

In double life Tango was at fault for the first death, and Jimmy WAS being extra cautious. Even Tango noted how long Jimmy went without dying. And can we acknowledge how incredibly crazy it is that he got knocked off from an arrow that hit him on the BACK of his head? All four were leaned out, and Scar made it out safe, because their attackers were specifically hunting the ranchers based on misunderstanding and bullying. And the enderman death. He was the third to die that way, lasted the longest with the least (on a food run, shield almost dead, no safe trees, abandoned) and that enderman came out of nowhere. That was the purest of bad luck.

And in limited life. Well, there's a lot of deaths, and some of them were silly. But several of his deaths were to Grian and HIS mistakes/malice. He fell off their base the least and his final death was one not even unique to him. The real nail in the coffin was Etho's boogie kill which was never intended to be him but Etho attacked a group after Impulse stole his kill. But the important thing to note is despite all that, Jimmy still died one of if not the fewest times in limited life!

Jimmy's problem isn't making stupid mistakes like Scar. He doesn't make them more often than any other player. He died the fewest times in two seperate series! His problem is his refusal to pvp. He never gets boogieman, he never knocked anyone else down, and when he does end up in group fights he tends to lose or run away. Limited life he got probably the fewest kills besides Tango, and three of them were willingly given to him. He never gained any lives in last life except his brief moment stealing martyn's. Jimmy's biggest problem is that he is too cautious and has zero fighting instinct, he never takes the risks to get ahead, and each time he even thinks of it he's punished for it so who can blame him.

And also Grian. Honestly, mostly Grian.

[mcyt-trios]

PROPAGANDA:

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss:

Listen to me closely. There is no other alliance on the whole Traffic series as based as them. They did EXACTLY what they set out to do. Did they Gaslight? Oh fuck yeah. Did they Gatekeep? You better believe it. Did they Girlboss??? By the good grace of god they did!!!!!!! They are simultaneously the blueprint for every trio of mean girls in a 2000s high school movie and the most genuinely devoted alliance on the whole server. They trust and respect and love each other in ways beyond mortal comprehension. Vote them please I'm begging you.

They were an absolute powerhouse! Also also, Cleo finding herself a group of people who were properly loyal to her after being betrayed for the healing arc. Scott telling them he was the boogieman and refusing to kill even if it meant going red. They're just so hhhhhh

cleo is gaslight (setting things on fire), scott is gatekeep (protecting the base), and pearl is girlboss (girlbossing).

Quite possibly the most ride or die alliance of Last Life. Consistently sharing lives, helping each other get boogey kills, refusing to hurt each other… they were just such a feel good team up for the entire series :] and then they kicked Pearl out in double life :]

Listen they are the EPITOME of ride or die. They love each other so much during that time. Do you hear me. Dear God they are the most precious

Best faction on Last Life. Set the template for pretty much everything Scott and Cleo do together, and set us up for 5AM Pearl.

Boreal Trio:

look. look okay so youve got two battle hardened at least mildly immortal warrior brothers-in-arms slash best friends slash partners for life, and then youve got this anxious, queer wet cat of an enderman who lives in their shed. oooh my god this is gonna be so incoherent im so sorry. ranboo was doing soooo awful when doomsday happened and both techno and phil immediately went him. that one. he needs to be safe and supported and away from all of this he should come with us. only if he wants to. and he did want to!! he was soo anxious but he got more confident!! none of them are great at expressing their feelings verbally (techno is but he also does other things) so they do it in other ways! phil rushing over as soon as he hears ranboo CLOSE to water because he knows it hurts him! techno moving the prison break up from 'some time soon i guess' to 'now now we are leaving now we are doing this RIGHT NOW' as SOON as ranboo gets detained!! avenging his ghost, throwing any and all hesitation about tubbo away to work with him because that was what ranboo wanted, that was what he asked. always checking in and making sure he was okay. all three of them are soooo dysfunctional but i love them so much. think of the mansion raid streams!! techno and ranboo off adventuring, phil taking care of the animals and getting up at 3am real time to trigger their stasis chambers!! they care about each other all so fucking much and they are a family! please vote for them i will be very sad otherwise :(

[puddleorganism]

I’ve seen a LOT of different - all very cool - ideas for what Martyn’s winner thing should be and naturally I’m going to make it worse

Martyn design by @cherrifire !

(Explanation and version with blood under the cut)

See, my thinking is that Limited Life’s win broke a pattern. In every previous season, the winners were victorious due to some sort of contradiction to the rest of the game.

Third Life was a war fought in self-interest. Most factions came together to fight simply because they had a greater enemy than each other that needed to be taken care of. Even people who were incredibly loyal to their allies expected loyalty in return. Grian won because of Scar’s selflessness. He gave his life not as a test, not to become a stronger weapon, not to pay back a debt. He gave his life for gratitude. A peace treaty signed in blood.

Due to the introduction of the boogieman mechanic in Last Life, that season was one of hidden intentions. In the end, there was no will-I-won’t-I. The final four declared, with utmost clarity what their intentions were. We’re going our separate ways, and when we next see each other we will kill each other.

In Double Life the pairs were meant to protect and care for each other, to bring each other to the end. Pearl not only was shunned by her soulbound, but actively caused harm to herself and Scott and was purposefully reckless with their lives. Then, I’m honestly not sure what they were meant to do when there were only two left lol. I think they would’ve either had two winners, or forced the final two to fight. Either way, Pearl wasn’t the winner of her own accord.

Finally, Limited Life, the outlier. Ironically, this season was one of sudden, unexpected deaths. You’d think it wouldn’t be, with a timer telling everyone exactly when they were going to die; and yet no one’s timer (except Martyn’s) actually hit zero. With the re-introduction of the boogieman mechanic and all the damn tnt minecarts SO many deaths were unexpected - and there were so many of them. It was a bloodbath. And that’s exactly how Martyn won. It was unexpected, it was unfair, and it was brutal.

His win was the opposite of all the others. A defiance of a pattern of defiance. It makes sense, given what I understand of his lore.

That’s why I think he ought to be the black hole (or event horizon, if you want a cooler title lol). All the other winners put out some sort of light, even if they don’t literally scientifically produce light. The sun, the stars, the moon. Martyn is the outlier, the one who embraced the darkness and the blood.

The sun, the stars, the moon, and the looming event horizon.

[totallynotokguys]

If Wild Card was a Real Boy: Snails

Imagine Grian has gathered his friends again and he's told them their going back to the basics: three lives, red hostile, and boogie man. But this time with nerfed enchantments and new bioms/mobs from updated Minecraft. And his friends are like, "Yeah, sure. It's a life series. We're down."

But it's a lie!

The first session progresses like normal, people gather supplies and teams are beginning to be formed - then right near the end.

3. 2. 1...

Creepy sound and a flash of some symbol.

What?

The lifers are confused. Was that supposed to be the boogieman curse activating? Why did it show up so late? Did Grian forget to activate it until now?

Some look around. Nothing happens. They continue on, if a little more uneasy now.

A few lifers spot them immediately.

The snails are back!

There was never a boogie curse, it was a snail curse all along!

It's panic, fear, pandemonium, chaos in a box!

Maybe the lifers discover that episode, maybe they don't until the next, but these snails are different.

They aren't killing their people.

They are cute as ever, making silly noises and following along like true stockers, but they don't hurt you. They don't fly. And they aren't fast.

Sure they are a little annoying, if you drop a block near them they shloop it up. If your build is between you and them they just demolish it. If you build a tower up they cry pitifully while circling your tower like sad lil puppies. If you swim too long they accidently drown and take you with them.

The murder snail is now an annoying pet you have to take care of.

Which, is kinda cute. Lifers learn to get along with the thing they once feared and snail pranks ensue. (locking yourself in another person's base so your snail will chew holes all over it. Lagging peoples supplies into your snails mouth. Discovering a trap under your base because the trappers snail gave them away.)

Cute snail moments happen too (snail race the second, Scar turning his snail into a Star Wars fan, Impulse figuring out how to use his snail mechanics to make a cool farm, BDubs trying to get his snail to sleep on his bed, Grian being yelled at by the whole server to get down because he made another sky net but forgot to make a way for his snail and now is crying bloodied murder for the whole server to hear)

And then session 3 happens. It's all normal, it's progressing how the lifers expect just with snails... until a snail kills their lifer.

Did I say there was no boogie curse?

I lied. There still is, it just affects the snails instead of of the lifers.

So now, every session the lifers are once again living in fear. Is their snail the boogie this session? How many snails will become boogies in one session? When will the curse strike? They don't know.

Of course there are ways to tell. Someone realizes their snail isn't eating everything they drop anymore and moments later they just barely dodge a snail strike. Boogie snails only have taste for their flesh. Someone pillars up high and finds their snail can now propeller up to them. Boogie snails can fly. Someone tries to drown another snail but it survived, only to wiggle and attack its lifer a moment later. Boogie snails don't drown.

Boogie snails also don't remain boogie forever. There's a time limit, and if they don't kill their lifer in that time (time ranges from 15 minutes to half an hour) then they go back to normal.

Lifers learn to adjust, they learn the tricks or they die but it's fun, it's harrowing, it keeps them on their toes.

And then someone turns red and their snail becomes red named too. The red snail still chases after its lifer, but doesn't eat them. It eats anyone else that gets too close. The red name now has an attack dog. A very slow one but still affective if the red life uses it right.

Red snails are like boogie snails. They only eat people and they cannot drown. Unlike boogie they cannot fly and they never stop hunting.

When their lifer dies... they travel to the lifers last resting place and remain there for the rest of the season.

[froggybrainz]

Don't mind me. I just felt like posting alil teaser for my fic. Sorry if it's bad, it's my first one.... Just letting yall know that this one isn't a y/n kind of fic but a world building one for my ocs....

The steps gave way to a slight creak as I made my way up to the front door, a soft glow eliminated from the curtains suggest that I might not be the only one up. My keys jingle together as I push the door open as I am now met by my mom still in her robe.

“Oh! Alex….you scared me!...”She jumped.

“...hi mom…”, I yawned, kicking my boots off to the side. A sign of relief was heard as she sat back down in her chair.

“Well don't you just look lively tonight Alex… another long night at work?” she joked before taking another sip of her coffee. I do nothing but smile at her and continue my journey to my room.

She's up earlier than usual, I thought to myself, hmmm…Matter of fact she's up 2 hours early! The kitchen clock read the time, 1:34am normally she doesn't get up for work till a whopping 3:30am! A restless night it seems ....Then again She's always been that way from what I remember, from one doctor's appointment to another just to find out the last pill doesn't work anymore!

“I guess that just leaves me with more time to watch my shows!”, she'll always say. Insomnia oh what a real pain in the ass…

“Oh Alex by the way don't forget that i'll be working later today and make sure you wake your brother up for school, I don't feel like getting another call from the office saying that he's been skipping again…”.

“Hmhmm…”, I mumbled, making my way up the stairs, my feet getting heavier the closer I got to my bed.

The storm had luckily held off long enough for me to make it home before it let loose, the sound of the rain rhythmically tapping my window soothed my mind and helped eased me to sleep.

Finally…

It was a busy day at the dinner, as both familiar and new faces filled the booths with bustling energy. The same old couple ordered their usual early bird special while a group of friends pick and poke at each other about a guy the one has been thinking about. It's been a good day.

Making my rounds through the dinner I stopped by the old couples booth to refill their drinks. With a soft smile and a gesture I began to pour them some more tea when I got a whiff of something rotten… Assaulted by the smell…I gag…

“...sorry I don't mean nothing by it…it's just that…”, I said apologetically, lifting my head.

The pitcher fell to the floor as I stumbled backwards away from the sight. The once lively couple now a sight only a psychiatric patient would imagine. Teeth…so many teeth…. They seemed to be joined at the waist like some monster from the movie The Thing. The smell was horrendous….

Backing away, I seemed to have stepped in something…chunky…slowly my eyes down to what I just put my foot in and in all my life I've never ran faster. The whole dinner seemed to be covered in what used to be the dear customers. Entrails to torn clothing it was EVERYWHERE….

Hyperventilating, I crammed myself under the counter like a child hiding from the boogieman. The sound of hysterical laughter started to cry out from behind the counter as the whole dinner was laughing at me ... .they were mocking me….

“NO …N-NO… STOP THIS!!!” I cried out, my head tucked between my legs. The masses continued their chorus of demonic laughter before uniting into a singular male voice.

“....ALEX….”

My blood froze, I couldn't tell if I wanted to look at it or if it was making me. Taking in what felt like it could have been my last breath, I looked up.

*BEEP!

*BEEP!

*BE-...

It was just another dream….Just another damn dream….

Side note: so imma do arcs for each oc I have, so don't worry, not everyone will be based around Alex. The next one I'll work on after this one is complete is "Hippies and Cowboys" (yes, like the song) for Willie and Frankie. This one is called "Dream Walker," and it's gonna be based around Jack and Alex. Plus, Bernie will be in it, too.

Overall, my au is gonna be called "IT Stalks," so i hope some will like it....

[emilynyaesmp]

“ETHO, WGAT IF ITS A BOOGIEMAN??”

Guys… can I call this trauma yet.

LIKE, IN THE TWO SEASONS SHES BEEN IN THERE HAVE BEEN BOOGIEMEN (although she wasn’t there for it in SL)

LAST LIFE WAS HER FIRST EVER SEASON, THE SEASON ALL ABOUT MISSTRUST AND PARANOIA, SHE ACTS VERY PARANOID AT THE IDEA THAT THERE MIGHT BE A BOOGIEMAN.

PLEASE. LET ME CALL THIS LL TRAUMA. PLEASE 🙏🙏

[sprucefrog]

In lieu of Mumbo being on Secret Life have a Mumbo Last Life posts that's been sitting in my drafts forever:

Last Life Mumbo is something else:

Ep.1: Zooms in on Grian's backside (ass) with a spyglass.

Ep.2: [Standing among the other southlanders] "Do you wanna kiss?"

Ep.3: Marries Martyn.

Ep.4: "I'm sorry Grian... I love your back."

Ep.6: [Talking to Grian] "Should we just, just stare at each other for the whole session and just really really admire one another?"

____________________________

Bonus:

Ep.2: [Talking about Scar] "He didn't have to do me though."

Ep.4: "I'm not the boogieman!!! I'm... I mean I'm the, I'm the boOgieman!" *starts dancing*

Ep.6: [Talking about Scott] "He is quite talented he is... and handsome as well. Wow, what a man."

[novastardoughnut]

Wild life predictions

With a new season of the life series, I like to do what I've done for the last couple and make predictions over what I think might happen so I can reflect back when the season is over. So, based on what we have right now with only 2 episodes, here are my thoughts

As much as I wish for it, I don't predict Jimmy going out first. This could always turn around in an instant, but with 6 lives and the more careful, cautious playstyle, Jimmy might have a fairly good chance here. i can pray this jinxes it, but I dont think it'll work. I predict skizz dying first based solely on him having the most deaths so far

So far, the rules have all been mechanical changes affecting how functions of the game work. I don't expect this to change. Future wild cards I predict are randomised drops (IE destroying dirt gives diamonds, destroying stone gives steak), blocks getting sand physics, the floor is lava (standing on grass sets you on fire) and a bounty of some descriptor (kinda like an inverted boogieman for when there are still some yellows or greens outnumbered by reds or limes. One person is told hunt [blank] and the other is told theyre being hunted)

I think the wildcards will get increasingly violent or potentially costly in terms of life loss. In order to push towards that end point and red madness.

I think that impulse has a pretty good chance of winning here, and i would love for him to take a win, but equally, we now have a pretty good chance of a repeat winner.

The tuff guys are in a terse relationship, and I have no doubt they'll kill tango or kick him out at an early opportunity.

I'm not convinced martyn and ren will get heavily involved in RP too much. The newer more episodic format i think draws players away from player interaction/character drama into more environmental struggles that place focus into engaging with the gimmick of the session.

[joifee]

is Bigb a watcher in your swamprot art? I noticed the many eyes around him.

Additionally, I would love to hear about your heart monitor headcanon plz

First: No I don't headcanon BigB as a watcher - I actually don't headcanon any of the creators as watcher! But yes this is a reference to the watchers; hinting that they are behind the boogieman curse and watching bigb do it^^ Second: Yes let me explain it, I even drew infographics (i love drawing infographics)

The heart monitors show of the amount of life/time a player has. 3rd life is simple, just three hardcore hearts stacked on top of each other. Last Life shows the amount of hearts you have as a number. Beneath that there is a "GIVE" button you can transfer a life with. I think you do it by pressing the button and making the heart monitors touch (kinda like paying with a credit card) Double Life has two rows of hearts. Your own and the one of your soulbound mirrored on the bottom. In the middle is a "soul string" that represents your relationship. Limited life shows three hearts just to fit in with the others (it isnt really a necessary thing, it just looks cute). It also displays your pulse and the time you have left. (More info and more graphics below)

The heart monitors change depending on whats happening. If you loose a life and turn yellow or red, the missing hearts get blacked out while the rest turn yellow/red.

In Last Life the number just goes down.

When a player turns red in last life, the button gets crossed out and looses its function.

For Lim. Life the more time you loose, the higher beats your pulse (even if it doesn't)

In Double life the "soul string" on the monitor shows the relationship with your soulmate. If you haven't found them, it shows a "?". If you doing well it shows a heart. When you are fighting/not working together/divorced it shows a messed up ball of string. The string is displayed broken when you and your partner run out of lifes.

Elimination turns all the hearts black.

If you are the boogieman, a purple watcher eye appears on your screen that is only visible to the affected player. It overshadows everything else displayed on the monitor. The eye vanishes once you killed another player.

If you recieve or lose time/life a lil purple notifications pops up telling you how much you earn.

Your screen gets messed up if a player doesn't record or is missing an episode (this does not count if a player gets replaced aka gem or lizzie in limited life don't have this.) Example would be Bdubs during in limited life (also yes he uploaded his movie, no I not gonna change it)

Gosh i always wanted to talk about it. Here are some more examples

[fr0gleggs]

Ethubs and Unrequited Devotion

1. How Christianity Encourages Codependence by KC Brown 2. Building the Redstone Shop! - Hermitcraft 10 #8 by TangoTek (7:44) 3. Cop Car by Mitski 4. Psalms 121:6 5. Last Life #5 - Boogieman Business by Ethoslab (23:08) 6. This reddit post by u/DeadSpiderInPocket 7. Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville 8. Last Life: Episode 7 - BETRAYED by Grian (31:55), transcript by beacon-lamp 9. art by @panidanya

[ashiyn]

okay so you love last life. it's personally my least favourite season of the life series so NOT YUCKING YOUR YUM I'd really like to know what about it you love. because me and my sister have been trying to work out why so many people really like it. if that's cool with you :)

okay okay so my brain is slightly messy and foggy due to a flare and new meds situation so bear with me and my rambles possibly not making any sense!

so going into this, i am aware that i do possibly have the sentimental value of last life being the first life series season that i watched live and the excitement it gave me waiting each week for a new episode. i was not however in the fandom space at the time!

so first of all martyn is my all time favorite life series pov, i love his bad jokes, the bits he plays, his video editing, the way he socializes and the sneakiness he manages to pull off. i also do like his lore quite a bit! i personally feel like martyns last life has a bit of the perfect combo of all this combined! (and unpopular opinion but i also really like martyns face cam, i miss it dearly). so his last life pov is one i've rewatched the most out of any life series ever, i just keep coming back to it!

i really loved the concepts of last life with the boggieman, being able to give a life away and the randomized amount of lives in the beginning. the boogieman gave the series so much more drama and there was no "we're all green so its safe and calm" feeling to it. everyone was kinda constantly on edge or suspicious of each other, which i know not everyone was a fan of, but i thought it was fun to watch and made me seek out other povs to see how each team handled the situation of the boogie each week. i liked having a life as a currency cause it felt more valuable than some object in the game, and it again gave the season more suspense in a way.

the teamups!!! gosh i loved the teams. so much spanned from last life that still gets referenced in newer seasons. the southlanders was such a mess. the bad puns never failed to make me laugh. jimmys whole arc of getting cast out and then being put on trial to join again. they never really trusted each other. the bit of always getting rid of jimmys spyglasses. "do u wanna kiss" mumbo jumbo. "we can still be friends mumbo" after grian went red moment. the "yeah well my diamonds are RIGHT HERE!!" moment. (just grumbo in general i mean what can i say. im their biggest fan). the goddamn breakup and remarriage of etho and bdubs every single episode in that goddamn snow fort had me in shambles i tell you. they made me go insane. "he loves me! he cares! he does!" bdubs about etho. like ok. ok ok ok. cool. sick even. team best with their stupid tnt canon that didn't do shit. incredible work. the birth (i THINK) of the codeword banana that gets used to this day by these clowns. the fairyfort and ren's awkward roleplaying with bigb and lizzie. BIGBS BETRAYAL TO CLEO. HELLOOO. PEAK CINEMA. cleo's "do me a favor. die for me." i-fucking-conic. the origin of gaslight gatekeep girlboss teamup of scott pearl and cleo. incredibly fun to watch. (pearls boogie trap with the dancefloor was so good. kept me on the edge of my seat). THE WIZARDS!!! loved ever pathetic attempt joel made at making traps. and that one time he screamed to the point of getting lightheaded once a trap actually worked. every joel and lizzie interaction was GOLDEN. "ive always liked red names... bad boys." "that's awkward." crying. scar's wizard arc was amazing, such a fun pov to watch. everyone being silly and not following the rules while using scar's enchanting service.

i loved the map seed and the bases this season as well! loved scar's wizards hat on the magical mountain, the ugly but charming southlander towers, the fairy fort, the shadow tower, the snow fortress, the bridge house, jimmys stupid exile shack and the scottage. a lot of circular walls surrounding their bases! i liked the "aesthetic" it made, the dark oak forest, utilizing the mountain, the paths between the bases. i feel like it created an amazing vibe!

the use of end crystals (mumbos boogie kill!!), the wither skill gathering and then the actual wither fight, the wizard theme.. its all so purple coded and ive loved seeing it in fanart and animatics. not to mention that my favorite animatics are of last life in general and i still gush over a lot of them! the ethubs last life fanfics are either pure "i gotta book a therapy appointment due to this angst" or pure crackfics and no in-between. incredible work really.

i don't know, i love the charm of last life, every single pov is great and its such a gem to me! i think it just hit with my personal favorite things that i always enjoy in any other show or move that i watch.