#red cleo in last life my beloved

[solarockk]

i need to try new things for my art ngl i feel a lil stuck (have one of my favorite life serie scene as a treat tho!)

[probablyaseamonster]

i miss last life dawggggg

Who's the B.E.S.T.?

[kiwinatorwaffles]

I found This is About a Stuffed Bird bc of you and its one of my favorite fics ever. Do you by chance have more suggestions?

hermitcraft/mcyt fic recs? :0 let's go!!

i get a lot of my fic recs from other friends since i don't really go out and search on my own all too much for this fandom. but there are lots of great works out here! i will be listing out some of my favorites :3 mostly hc but a couple general mcyt ones that i think are an excellent read no matter what. all of the fics i'm listing will be genfic without ships!

also i just realized a lot of my bookmarks are grian-centric which is funny i guess because i am admittedly quite picky about content of my other favorites and grian just tends to have the most content in the fanbase. hope that'll be alright

(i hope some of my friends and mutuals don't mind me tagging them for their works)

hermitcraft longfics:

the last days of the free angel of carrows by @theminecraftbee - loved stuffed bird? here's another great longfic by second! this one is about joe and cleo in an urban fantasy mystery setting. again, second writes our beloved hermits into an captivating au!

leaping and hopping on a moonshadow by @lunarblazes - a fantasy au by luna my beloved! pearl suddenly gains magical powers and goes on a quest to find her long-lost friend grian who might know what's happening to her. she meets a lot of familiar faces along the way!

Recall by @redwinterroses - hey, i was the artist for this one! :D mumbo goes missing, so grian and scar search for him. they find that grumbot has been up to some... things along the way. the fic isn't finished but i think the chapters red put out is worth a read if you don't mind leaving off on a cliffhanger because it really is super interesting

dramaturgy by wormcity - a universe where gem and pearl join in a season 7 that was never finished. mumbo became the mayor, but the turf war went so very wrong afterwards. admittedly i have not finished reading this yet because ummm short on time xD but it's super interesting with a lot of layers of drama(turgy hahaha)!

hermitcraft short fics/oneshots:

for trying. by @autistic-evil-xisuma - a stuffed bird universe oneshot of x and xisuma during their lab days. great if you want to be sad over the doomed brothers again :D

the wheels on the bus by sparxwrites - a hilarious post-s8 oneshot about grian being a little shit towards the watchers. one of the first fics i've read from this fandom and i still love it

a body is an object by ruffboi - grian is a mimic, and pearl's arrival in s8 shakes him up. she hasn't seen him in a while and is quite upset to learn that the grian she knew died a long time ago. a great read for familial connections and conflict of friendships!

Goatman and the Rift by TheDepressedCanary - doc's eldritch powers start acting up when the rift appears. what shenanigans will ensue?

other mcyt fics/crossovers:

late at night, when the stars don't look quite right by @lunarblazes - an excellent empires s1 and hermitcraft crossover longfic, where grian lands into the server and is discovered by pearl! very great worldbuilding and relationships, i especially love the dynamic between gri and pearl and pearl and gem :D

every new discovery is just a reminder by amaranthinecanicular - grian begins pulling alternate versions of the hermits from the life series into the server. he does save a lot of them, but at what cost? it does end on a cliffhanger but this is genuinely one of the most captivating oneshots i've ever read... argghhh

The Fair and the Brave and the Good by @slashmagpie - an afterlife smp longfic centered around the shelby, scott, and sausage. i have never watched afterlife smp before in my LIFE and this is still one of my favorite pieces of literature ever. the characters and worldbuilding is impeccable and perfect if you like something dark with themes of hope and renewal.

Two Can Keep a Secret (If One of Them is Red) by anonymous secretmcblog - a 3L oneshot! ren suspects grian has stockholm syndrome with his pact to stay with scar, but his expectations are wrong. a truly excellent read and one of them first fics i've read! i still go back to reread it from time to time

dog at the door by fluffy_papaya & iamsolarflare - a longfic where doc and ren take a trip on a van on their way to s8. ren, however, is not quite himself, and doc has to learn to befriend the red king.

devil town is colder in the summertime by @bananasofthorns - a oneshot from a 100hsmp/life series d&d au! team BEST ventures into a cursed evil fucked up forest. uh oh.

Interview with the Aftermath by @ranchersrevenge (wanderlasts) - the last life contestants are invited for an interview. the responses vary greatly.

stars, smoke, and stolen car keys by wormcity - a 100hsmp modern au oneshot where grian, scar, and joel go on a hike. it doesn't go quite as they expected.

the beehive state by amaranthinecanicular - a dsmp oneshot after wilbur moves to utah. tommy visits him, and the two reconnect. i have to say i stopped following dsmp a long time ago but this fic made me BAWL. i don't even think you need to know any of the characters that well to really enjoy just how amazing the writing itself is

Can't Go Back (This Time) by @duckmumbo (musicaltvbooks) - soup group goes end raiding and accientally finds themselves in afterlife smp. nothing goes wrong, surely! also admittedly i havent finished reading this either but roy i swear i will. this is a great read nevertheless and the soup group dynamic is impeccable!

TommyInnit's unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii - on the train of dsmp fics, this is the superhero au longfic that inspired my own hc superhero au, vdhau. it's a lot of funny shenanigans with tommy and his friends. the fic does take a dark turn at the end, but that can be skipped entirely (as said by eneli herself) if you just want the wholesome aspects.

if you don't mind a little self promo, here are some of my fics!

it takes two to play (the game of mutual secrecy) - the aforementioned hermitcraft hero au. this installment is centered around xisuma and evil x as brothers resolving their issues through hero work and solving the mystery of welsknight's disappearance :D there are other works that are set in the same universe if you're interested for more!

how to form the ultimate besties dynamic: an unreliable tutorial by hypnotizd - a oneshot! hypno is a warlock who goes treasure hunting under the sea. he meets a guardian who later becomes his unlikely friend.

smoke and mirrors, the hunt perseveres - grian's arrival in empires s2 unwittingly brings the watchers' suspicions with him. cue jimmy freaking out and a lot of shenanigans.

ballad of etho’s lab - my newest installment! a oneshot about etho's storied life as the redstone god.

i'm also currently working on the sequel to the game of mutual secrecy and a new (well not exactly new since i made concept art for it) au called private detective gem tasey! these will likely be released sometime late january or february. have fun with these fic recs! i haven't been reading as much lately but i hope ill be able to find more if anyone else asks in the future. cheers!

edit: the fics are out! here they are!

hiding in plain sight (the meaning of trust) - sequel to the hermitcraft hero au! it follows an escaped lab rat trying to acquaint themselves with human society while avoiding suspicion and making friends with familiar faces from tgms ;D

private detective gem tasey: a rotten mystery in london - a hermitcraft detective au where gem gets hired for a case that spirals completely into drama and politics!

[rizavii]

tagged by @the-feral-gremlin for a lil tag game!

Favorite Color: I fucking love yellow hhhhhhhhh

Last song I listened to: 2085 by AJR (their CD in my car alskdjf)

Last film I watched: Arrietty, last night!! made me cry harder than i have in years /pos

Currently reading: uhhhh like six different fanfics lmao

Currently craving: panera bread save me........ panera bread.......

Currently watching: i am. still not done with My Adventures With Superman. also watching Cleo's Secret Life!

Coffee or Tea: mmmmmmm sweet tea my beloved.....

Tagging: @boyprinzessin @bigenbysharkshoal @0xy--m0r0n @red-spider-lilies and anyone else wishing to join!

[goodstuffexe]

Guys Secret Life is just Life Series insanity mode I love it so much damn

Like the twirls and mingles and how ppl are forming ally ships just for one session because of their tasks DAMN makes SO GOOD ENTERTAINMENT so fun omg I cannot put it in words

And the fucking BEST PART is that I watch like 3 episodes a week and I have SO MUCH STUFF FOR THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS TO CHEW ON!!! Like whaat the heck I still don't know what's the deal with BigB most of the times I've seen him interact with ppl and and and I have to watch the 3 dudes who died now cause they died but then I probably miss the whole thing that happend with the heart foundation this session or what happend to Cleo if she did manage to find out what task she has and what the reds where up to the last 2 sessions omg and and SO MUCH STUFF SO MUCH INTERACTION AND REN WAS THERE omgg I DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT ANYONE'S TASKS WHERE AND I WANNA KNOW ALL OF THEM BUT I CAN ONLY WATCH SO MANY PPL HUH

Holy hell they rly thought 'Hey guys how do we make this thing even better maybe Limited Life was falling a bit too short in some ways' and THEY DELIVERED SO HARD with Secret Life omg and cracked it up to 200 it is SO amusing to watch, I cannot stop myself from writing in caps, I can't stop laughing at those doofuses playing Minecraft, it's so entertaining I love everyone involved in this series and I love them more the more episodes I watch it is incredible and it makes me so happy :')

THANK YOU GRIAN MY BELOVED FOR BEING A CREATIVE MIND AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER SORRY FOR SO MUCH CAPS I CAN'T HOLD IT IN

I actually wanna draw fanart so bad but I have literally no clue how to draw anything homeboys and girls making me want to be an artist so bad

[zodarii-dae]

Just finished watching 3rd Life!!!! I was a bit busy so I couldn't do it as quickly as I wanted to but I made it.

I watched Grian's pov as you suggested and holy fuck was that a ride. I have Thoughts.

Grian and Scar. Scar and Grian. Those two shared a braincell and Grian had it for most of the series.

Grian I think had the most kills out of anyone by the end of it??? Guy really thought he could use Scar as an excuse to satiate his bloodlust without losing any lives. He was 100% correct.

Scar had a lot of kills too, didn't he? Especially in the Dogwarts war. Even if he is the goofy boss to Grian's competent right-hand man, it was nice to see him get down to business as well.

"Your Honor, he pleads /j."

I'm focusing a lot on Scar and Grian here, but I would also like to give a shoutout to Jimmy for being the first person out. From what I hear it's pretty on-brand for him and it makes me think Scott was his Grian. For a second I thought it was Cleo tho.

The Battle of the Red Desert was painful to watch lmfao.... Scar pulled the lever, Grian. Wrong time tho.

Can't be good at building without being good at demolition. Grian really likes TNT, doesn't he. Just pray he never improves at redstone, I think it's best his traps stay broken.

I learned from a comment section that Impulse was killed for a clock that belonged to him in the first place. Rough going, buddy.

Scar's second death had me wheezing.... that's how you know he had some sort of plot armor on, no matter what Grian might say, cuz no way in hell did that guy become the first red name and stay alive for 2nd place.

That was the most Canadian fistfight I ever did see. Scar's muscles did not help.

Grian I see is associated with a bird sometimes? I don't know the reason for that but I find it interesting considering he killed himself by jumping off a cliff.

All in all....... yeah I really liked it!!! I have only watched Grian's pov tho, so if you recommend checking out any other POVs, I could do so. Not sure if I'll be able to watch any of the other Life seasons soon, as I might start dipping into, y'know, Hermitcraft/Empires (thanks to you, really!), but we'll see.

This was long. Yeah. Uhhhh Wings of Fire: A Guide To The Dragon World is coming out October I think I read the excerpt I'm excited ok bye-

nice! glad to see you again :D.

desert duo my beloved. absolutely they are two halves of a whole idiot. grian is the designated braincell holder.

grian kills and maims and we love him for it. i love his maniacal laugh whenever he gets a good kill. like a cartoon villain.

scar is goofy and silly and also bloodthirsty. he's so much fun. he can go from himbo to terrifying red life so fast.

yup, very on brand. poor jimmy. scott is kind of his grian? he's definitely the green to his red, and smart to his stupid, but their vibes are pretty different from grian and scar. they're husbands rather than boss and right hand.

i cannot physically express how disappointed i was when the explosion didn't kill anyone.

the real best duo, grian and tnt.

impulse's death... oh i feel so bad for him. you could hear him starting to say bdubs' name as he died. i had to stare at the wall for like five minutes after that scene.

the only reason scar lasted so long was because of grian. if they hadn't teamed up, he would have died much quicker lmao.

oh the fist fight. oh the cactus ring. oh god.

grian is usually depicted as a parrot hybrid. i'm not sure why, i think it started as a hermitcraft fandom thing that bled into his other stuff. people often fannonized as birds falling to death is one of my favorite things. i can't get enough of it.

if you want to watch more povs, i would recommend martyn or scott. martyn's is good if you want to understand the dogwarts side of things, and scott's is just one of my favorites.

i haven't watched any hermitcraft myself, but i plan to one of these days. empires is one of my favorite smps, and really what got me back into mcyt. if you ever do get around to watching the other life series, i think you'd enjoy them!

i'm also very excited for the guidebook! i haven't read the excerpt though.

[thedo0zyslider]

And The Clock Keeps Ticking A Limited Life fic, 5k words AO3 Link

Chapter One: Fourth Time's the Charm

When Scott woke up on a new server, he felt a lot of things

The first was dread. He knew the moment he spawned what this was, where he was. They were back in the dastardly games of life and death. One glance down at his shirt confirmed his instincts. His usually blue jacket had turned into a bright, pleasing to look at green. The multicolored stripes on his white t-shirt were now once again replaced with a green heart. If he could see his reflection he felt sure a familiar green stripe would now be through his cyan bangs. 

The second thing he felt was..indescribable. When Last Life started they had discovered something quite interesting. Players only remembered the games while they were in them. For example, when Scott had gone back to Empires after Third Life he’d remembered nothing, except a weird pull towards Jimmy. Additionally, in the games other servers became a fuzzy memory, especially on red life. The second he’d woken up Chromia had become nothing but a vague recollection, something he had to dig further into his brain to get a clearer image of. He couldn’t even remember his beloved llamas names. 

Every life series he was hit with the sudden memories of the last games. Scott felt sick to his stomach, the ending of Double Life seemingly on repeat in his brain. He didn’t want to remember how he’d blown up Pearl, how she’d screamed in terror. The feeling of explosions igniting at his feet. He’d be glad when he’d exploded both of them, knowing he wouldn’t remember it when he woke again. One minute in and Scott was already longing for the ignorant bliss that came in between seasons. 

The third feeling was a sick kind of excitement. Part of him, the part that never quite stopped being red, wanted to feel the bloodlust of a red life. He wanted blood under his fingernails and a sword in his hand. The fourth feeling was guilt at the mere thought of the third. Scott blinked, shaking his head and any other feelings that had been stirring in him. 

It was then Scott realized he’d just been…laying on the ground for a few minutes. He also realized what he was laying on wasn’t grass. He sat up slowly, taking in his surroundings. Scott had spawned on a small island by himself, with the mainland presumably just over a small stretch of water. He thought that was the mainland, it certainly looked big enough. 

Scott stood, a bit quicker than he had sat, and dusted sand off his clothes. The scottish man huffed in annoyance. Yay, sand in my hair. He ran his hands through his cyan hair, trying and failing to remove some sand. That would be a pain to get out later. 

It was then that Scott noticed he was alone. No one else had spawned around him. This had happened the past two times, Third Life was the exception. After that they’d known the drill, and Scott still did. Meet with the others in the middle, then let the games begin. 

A few minutes later Scott had crossed the stretch of water separating his island and was now walking through a forest. He walked in almost a straight line towards the middle, as if he’d lived in this area his whole life. Getting used to the terrain wasn't a bad idea, though. 

As he traveled, Scott noticed something felt..off. In the past games he’d felt his heart beating, more clearly than he’d ever had in his life. It was a constant reminder. He only had three chances, to get it right or die. He’d gotten it right once, but death had still come swiftly. There was no getting it right here. 

In Double Life he’d felt Pearl’s heart beating in tandem with his, a constant tug that he’d become begrudgingly familiar with. He’d hated it. The way he felt her heart rate increase, usually a sign she was about to hurt them. He hated that he’d grown to hate it. He hated that he wished to feel Cleo’s heartbeat instead. He hated that he’d grown to hate Pearl. 

Now he didn’t feel either of those times. The fourth time it was different, it’d never felt like this before. It was like his heart had been replaced, like a clock had been shoved inside his chest in its place. He felt a constant ticking, like it was a timer. Like his lifespan was being timed.

Oh Scott thought. He’d figured it out. He knew the theme of this game. 

Their lives were on a countdown

This time, Scott realized, there was no arguing that someone could make it out alive. They all had a fixed amount of time, and then it was over. There were no if, ands, or buts about it. You had a timeframe. A timeframe to win, to get it right. He knew no one truly made it out of these things alive, if his former victory held true for the other winners. But this time everyone knew, and denial had been made impossible. And Scott wanted the denial back. It had been his safety net last game and he wanted it back. He’d denied and denied and denied and denied that everyone in Double Life would die, no matter how strong the soulbonds were. Before there’d been some sort of hope, that maybe if everyone else died one person could make it and then all of it would have been worth something. But he’d gotten it right two games ago, and his hope was gone, and now his deniability was gone. And Scott didn’t want to get it right again. He really really didn’t want to get it right ever again. 

As these thoughts ran through Scotts head, of countdowns and soulbonds, his appeared through the trees. He turned his head as a familiar accented voice called his name. It filled him with dread and joy. Pearl!

“Scott! Scott!” The aussie waved, the biggest smile on her face. Her hoodie was black again, not red. Like the blood from last time had been washed away. Her eyes were a light blue once more. God, he never knew how much he missed her eyes being blue instead of red. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to see Pearl without a wolf by her side twenty four seven. Almost. 

“Pearl!’ Scott exclaimed, letting his joy seep through. 

“How's it goin mate?” She asked, giving his shoulder a friendly bump as she came to walk alongside him. It was as if they hadn’t seen each other in several months. And to them they hadn’t, their two servers dip in multidimensional travel now buried deep in their memories. 

“Well, it’d been going great before this.” Scott responded honestly. 

“Yeah, me too…” Pearl trailed off, slowly and suddenly moving out of his personal space. Her gaze filled with guilt, moving down to the grass beneath her feet. Ah, right. Last time. He guessed Pearl thought he was referring to them in the last game, when he just hated this whole ordeal in general.

Scott moved into her space this time, giving her shoulder a return bump. His way of forgiving her, of saying Sorry, I was a huge jerk last time. Pearl understood it perfectly, he could tell by the tiniest of smiles that spread across her face. She bumped his shoulder in return, and stopped looking quite so guilty. Sorry about the powdered snow. She seemed to say. Scott’s response of It’s fine didn’t need to be spoken. 

In one moment they’d understood each other wordlessly, easier than they had in two months of sharing a heartbeat, and the months before that of being Gatekeep and Girlboss. They would have never worked as soulmates, but it took being bonded for the world beneath them to realize that. 

The universe seemed to breathe in relief with them. The past was the past. And Scott couldn’t forget for the time being, but he could forgive. 

They found the middle of this small, new world in almost complete silence, enjoying the ambience of the forest and the presence of the person at their side. At the center was a Woodland Mansion, and Scott knew that was going to kill so many people as soon as he saw it. It’d definitely get Jimmy if he ever went in. He loved his blonde friend, he really did, but the universe was very much not in Jimmy’s favor during these games. 

“Scott, over there! Look!” Pearl said, shaking his arm. Scott blinked, dragging his gaze away from the Mansion. Pearl was pointing to the top of a nearby mountain. Scott squinted, shielding his eyes from the midday sun with his hand. He saw the figures of a few people at the edge of the mountain, one was waving down towards him and Pearl. Pearl waved back, her wide smile returning once again. Scott thought it was Bdubs waving, based on how short the silhouette was. The person next to him was significantly taller, with trademark bright red hair. Excitement buzzed through him as he recognized his former chosen soulmate. Cleo!

They began climbing up the mountain, almost forgetting to be careful. If Scott almost slipped and fell and died first because he was practically running to the top, well that was between him and the mountain. 

"Pearlie Pop!" The warm voice of Skizz greeted them as they reached the top. Scott had guessed right, Bdubs and Cleo were also there as well, with Skizzleman standing behind them. "Skizz! Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Pearl exclaimed, running over to hug the taller man. They hadn't seen Skizz since Last Life and hey, this might be a death game, but this was the only time most of them saw Skizzle. Any feeling of "Oh God I'm about to kill my close friend" was overridden by just seeing the man again! 

"HI Skizz!" Scott called his own greeting a moment after Pearl, walking towards the two of them as Skizz excitedly yelled his name. 

"Man I haven't seen any of you in forever! This is great!!" Skizzle was his usual cheery self, his familiar smile planted over his features. Pearl was right, he was a sight for sore eyes.  

"I see how it is, not excited to see Ole Bdubs" Bdubs scoffed lightheartedly from the side, crossing his arms. 

"I see you every day, Bdubs! We live on the same server!" Pearl retorted, rolling her eyes 

"Yeah well they don't!" The shorter gestured at Scott and Skizzle. Cleo just laughed beside him. 

"You know I missed you buddy!" Skizz said, wrapping his arm around Bdubs shoulders. 

"I missed you, too" Scott rolled his eyes fondly. 

"Why thank you!" Bdubs crossed his arms again, this time triumphantly. 

"And I guess I missed Cleo as well." Scott said a moment later, giving the undead woman a teasing look.

"I'm flattered." Cleo deadpanned. 

"This the middle of the server?" Pearl asked, arms behind her back as she surveyed the area surrounding the little mountain. 

"Yep, Woodland Mansion right in the middle." Cleo confirmed. 

"Oh that's gonna go great." Scott said sarcastically, having unconsciously stood beside Cleo. He crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Oh Scar's gonna burn that down to the ground. I'm bettin' on it." Bdubs said. 

"He'll probably sell tickets to it." Skizz joked. Bdubs snorted in amusement. 

Pearl glanced behind her, her eyes flashing with something at Scott and Cleo standing together once more. He gave her a reassuring blink. Something that said It’s not like last time, I promise. If Cleo noticed the exchange, she didn't let it show, they just kept watching Skizzle and Bdubs. 

Before Pearl could respond to Scott a voice came from behind him. Scott turned, seeing a Tango quickly approaching. The blaze hybrid's tail was swishing happily against the stone. Etho followed behind him slowly, hands in his jacket pockets. Scott swore the white haired man was wearing a new jacket every time he saw him. 

"Tango! Etho!" Pearl waved vigorously. 

"Etho!" Bdubs yelled, running over to the taller man. Scott always thought the height difference between them was funny. "HI Bdubs" Etho laughed in return. 

More greetings were exchanged, and a lot more Skizzleman hugs. Scott didn't mind the Skizz hug he eventually got, the other man gave really good hugs. 

"There's only seven of us." Etho spoke up after a few minutes of no one showing up. "Surely there's more." 

"Where G?" Bdubs asked. "He's usually one of the first people here." 

"Am I Bdubs? Am I?" As if on cue, the avian was suddenly behind the other. Scott giggled as Bdubs screamed and jumped at least four feet in the air. “How do you always do that!?” Bdubs shrieked at the other short man. 

Grian ignored him with a roll of his eyes. "Anddd I have a BigB with me!" He exclaimed, gesturing behind him right as the aforementioned person walked towards the group. 

"BigB!" Scott greeted the other man happily. B was another person he never saw outside of the games. 

"Hi guys." BigB said, smiling lightly. The other six greeted him with enthusiasm, Skizz giving another hug. Scott made a mental note of how Grian arrived with his "Secret Soulmate" from last game. It probably meant nothing, knowing Grian, but it was a good thing to keep note of. It might come back later. 

It wasn't long after that Martyn joined the party, Jimmy in tow. Joel ran in a moment after them saying how he'd been trying to catch up for ten minutes and how rude it was for the blondes to leave him behind. Martyn offered no sympathy, remarking, "Well you shoulda ran faster then mate." That got him a light punch on the arm. 

They decided to catch up while they waited for whoever else might be here. It would be nice to have some down time to catch up with each other. Jimmy went to talk to BigB, clearly missing his old friend. Cleo had left his side at one point, going to talk to Martyn. Scott was glad they’d gotten along better as soulmates then he and Pearl had. 

Speaking of Pearl, she had just sat down beside him. Scott blinked, greeting her with a grin. They were slightly away from everyone else, backs resting against a small rise in the mountain. 

"Hey" He said. 

"Hey" Pearl responded. 

They lapsed into comfortable silence, watching the others converse. Pearl giggled beside him as Bdubs fumed. Someone had probably made a short joke again. Cleo's laughter boomed through the clearing. Etho kept edging the shortest one on more by making the two's height difference obvious. If Bdubs was an anime character he'd most likely have a little anger symbol on his forehead by now. Scott snickered at the thought. 

Scott looked at Pearl, watching the way she laughed at their friends' antics. He missed seeing her happy, he realized. He missed being her friend. 

Pearl glanced at him after a moment, her eyes holding a question. What? 

Scott looked back at the group for a moment, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say. It'd been on his mind since they met up in the woods. He decided finally to just be blunt with it. 

"Sorry for blowing you up" 

Pearl inhaled sharply, she probably wasn't expecting that. 

"It's fine, I kinda deserved it." After a moment she added, barely audible. "You didn't deserve to win again anyways." 

Oh shit. She won. She won. It dawned on Scott suddenly. Back then he hadn’t thought what the explosion meant for his soulmate, just that he couldn't win again. Not a second time. 

Pearl had lost her mind for nothing, and it'd taken him this long to realize. 

Scott said nothing, just leaned against her. He hoped it was comforting. He hoped it said. I know I didn't deserve it. I'm sorry. 

The moment was soon broken by Impulse, who was about ten minutes late to the party, showing up. Impulse said he'd been near Skizz at one point, but had gotten slightly lost trying to find him again. 

"Aw, sorry buddy." Skizz gave his old friend a pat on the shoulder. Impulse just rolled his eyes. 

"Now who're we missing?" Martyn asked, looking around. 

Grian, who they learned somehow had admin powers in these servers, pulled up a player list. Grian acted like he had no idea why he had admin permissions, Scott thought he was lying about that. Grian knew why, he just wasn’t telling for whatever reason. At the end of the day it didn’t matter, since Grian couldn't affect the actual game after it started. Well from what they’d been told anyways. The avian scanned the list of players quickly, counting the names and the number of people around him. “We’re just waiting on-” 

Joel cut the admin off. “Scar” He said, guesting towards the scarred man as he finished Grian’s sentence. The brunette walked into the group, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry I’m late.” He apologized. 

“Scar!” Grian’s feathers fluffed up slightly. “What took you so long?” 

“I got lost.” Scar said, voice getting smaller. The group reacted with a mix of giggles and eyerolls. Scott assumed he got lost in true Scar fashion, probably getting distracted by a woodland creature. Scar was endearing like that. 

“Well,” Grian said, his feathers smoothing again. “Now that everyone here, i guess we can get started” 

The mood dampened slightly at this. Grian grimanced, as he did at the start of every game. No one wanted to do this a fourth time, and no one wanted to be the one to start it. Participating in a death game is bad, but being the one to truly start it is a million times worse. If this was any other group, Scott would be expecting them to blame the whole thing on Grian.  

The group began walking towards the middle of the little clearing on their mountain. Scott took a deep breath, getting to his feet. Beside him Pearl did the same. She unexpectedly grabbed his hand, slowly pulling him forward as she walked. Scott blinked in surprise, glancing down. Pearl squeezed his hand reassuringly. Scott looked at her face, it was expressionless. Scott squeezed back. 

Pearl let go, going to stand beside someone else. Scott stood on the opposite side of the circle the small group was forming. He looked at Grian, who was standing at the head of the circle. 

“..Well” The admin began. “We’re back” 

“Yeah, and what’s different?” Martyn spoke up, a hand on one hip. “I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.”  Small murmurs of agreement followed his words. Scott looked around his friends, the rest doing the same. Something felt wrong. It felt like they were missing one piece to whatever puzzle this situation was.There had been a similar feeling last season, when Lizzie, Mumbo and Skizz hadn’t started with them. It also came with a small feeling of relief, that a few of them had been spared for a minute. But this time Scott felt like something, someone, very big was missing. 

“Well, Ren isn’t here” BigB spoke up. 

It clicked in Scotts head what was missing right as B spoke. Oh, Ren. Ren was definitely a pretty big puzzle piece to be missing. The feeling felt worse now that it was a consistent member actually, worse than it had for Skizz’s departure last season. The dog had made a constant impact on whatever game he was in, in a different way each time. Scott was irritated with himself for not noticing before BigB said something. Ren had a pretty loud presence, so someone probably should’ve noticed before now. 

When he looked at his fellow players' faces again, some had a look of guilt. Scott was glad to know he was one of many to not notice poor Ren wasn’t here. It made him feel less like him specifically was being a jerk. 

“Why isn’t he here actually?” Martyn piped up again, looking at Grian. The blonde was now a tad restless, shifting his weight from foot to foot. A wave of sympathy for the man ran through Scott. Martyn and Ren had been inseparable in Third Life, and their bond had persisted into the other games. They were clearly still very connected to their first real ally. Scott could understand, he didn’t know how to feel if Jimmy wasn’t here one day. Even if he hated Jimmy dying first every single time, he’d rather have his former husband with him than being God knows where. 

“I don’t know, Martyn.” Grian gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “Just like I didn't know where Skizz,” The avian gestured to the suited man across the circle. “Or Mumbo or Lizzie were last time.” Martyn just narrowed his eyes at the admin. If he were a dog hybrid like Ren he would definitely be growling.  “I guess they-the universe wanted to see how a game goes with Ren.” Scott narrowed his own eyes as Grian stumbled over his words. 

“Anywhere’s better than here.” Cleo muttered after a moment, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the group. That seemingly made Martyn forget whatever he was going to retort with, as he stopped giving Grian a death glare. “Yeah, I guess you're right.” The blonde mumbled with a glance at Cleo. He stopped being visibly antsy, now standing still. It was kind of unnerving how still actually, he was almost as still as a statue. 

“Right.” Grian began, clearly wanting to get back on track. “We missing anyone else?” When no one responded the avian seemingly decided it was time to start, once again pulling up some sort of weird admin panel. He scrolled for a bit, fingers playing over the hologram. Scott assumed that it was a hologram, for his own sanity, because if that was something else he’d never seen before he might lose it. 

“What's changed this time?” Jimmy asked after a moment of Grian just scrolling and reading something. No one else could read it, as the text was in galactic. Scar, who was standing beside Grian, peeked over his shoulder at the screen regardless. 

“You haven’t noticed?” Tango looked at his rancher--well former rancher. 

“Noticed what?” Jimmy asked, oblivious. Tango’s tail curled up in amusement, and Scott snickered to himself . Typical Jimmy. 

“The ticking, Tim.” Martyn spoke once more, seemingly over his previous funk. He pointed at his chest, and Jimmy seemed to get it. “Oh, I just noticed it.” The latter said sheepishly, and Scott couldn’t hold back a snicker. “You’ve been here for half an hour and just noticed with ticking in your chest?” He teased. In Jimmy’s defense, it was a really quiet sound, but teasing Jimmy always gave everyone a good laugh, even Jimmy himself laughed at his own stupidity. 

“I bet Scar hasn’t either!” The other defended himself lightly, glaring at Scott. 

Unfortunately trying to take Scar down with him wouldn’t work for Jimmy. Scar was oblivious, yes, but half of that was just an act. And Scar broke Jimmy’s little defense when he said, “Oh I noticed it  as soon as I woke up.” The man’s voice was laced with fake innocence, his little trickster smile across his features. Scott laughed, and beside him Tango let out a snort of his own amusement. Joel quickly joined in the laughing at Jimmy party, the brunette’s booming laugh filling the forest below. Jimmy just gaped at Scar, before huffing and turning back to Grian.

“Alright, enough taking the mick out of Tim.” The avian said, closing his little admin panel. He whacked Scar in the face with a wing, shoving the other man out of his space. Scar spluttered, blinking as loose feathers got comically stuck to his face. Grian gave a quiet apology chirp, as he probably only meant to nudge the taller a little bit, not ya know whack him in the face. Scar accepted the apology, shaking the loose feathers away and standing beside Grian again. 

“The ticking is the first change” Grian began what Scott called the beginning speech. It was an overview of all the game's new changes before the countdown happened. “Everyone has twenty four hours to live, and we’re all on a timer.” Scott felt his stomach plummet. He hated the idea of knowing how long his life was. 

“So we have a day to live?” Impulse asked nervously.

“Well, we were supposed to.” Grian’s face warped into a shit eating grin. “The timer says twenty four hours, but it actually spans about twenty four days. Maybe more.” That made Scott feel better, it was a similar length to the other games. Twenty four days, he could work with that 

“Oh thank Jesus.” Bdubs sighed in relief.  

Grian continued explaining. “If you have more than sixteen hours on your timer your name will be green. More than eight hours makes you yellow, and under eight hours means you’re a red name. If you kill someone, you get thirty minutes back, and they lose an hour. But if your timer reaches zero you die, permanently. Oh and yellows can attack greens this time..” 

 Grian suddenly pulled up his admin panel again, searching once more. The others took this time to talk quietly amongst themselves. Eight hours on green. Scott thought uneasily. The new concept gave them a little more leniency with death, but also gave them a time limit. You had to face the fact that your time was running out, even on green. In previous games only the reds really had to worry about that. Scott thought it made this game unusually cruel. 

“This kinda feels like Last Life.” He faintly heard Pearl remark to Skizz. Scott then decided to ignore the conversations around him and the sick feeling in his stomach at the thought of Last Life, his eyes going to watch Grian instead. What’s he looking for? He knows how to start a countdown. 

“Ah-hah!” Four former Southlanders snickered when Grian spoke again. The Ah-hah joke was still funny to that lot, apparently. “Found it!” The avian closed the panel again, his eyes scanning over the galactic text one last time before he did. 

“The Boogeyman curse is back.”

The sick feeling for moments earlier returned, and Scott was sure he visibly went pale. One sentence had sombered the mood further, the group going quiet. Anyone who had been subject to curse looked unwell, and Scott guessed he didn’t look any better. Being boogey was one of the worst feelings he’d ever felt, and he’d felt a lot of fucked up things in these games. It was constant bloodlust, a never ending need to kill. It was everything about being a red life, which Scott already hated, but turned up to ten. 

The people who hadn’t been boogeyman, Grain, Impulse, Skizz, Tango and Cleo, just looked a bit lost at everyone else's reactions. Of course they didn’t get it, they’d never known what it was to know that if you don’t kill someone you were going red. All five had been red lives, but on red the universe wasn’t making you slaughter your allies, the choice to end someone's life was in their hands at the end of the day. When you were boogey it was you going to red, or you could bring some poor green life down a singular color. And Scott had done both. He wasn’t even thinking when he’d done his first and only boogey kill back in Last Life. Something in him and told him to kill Impulse, and he’d obeyed before he even knew what was happening. But the second time he didn’t, he hadn’t wanted to hurt the little alliance he’d made. He couldn’t do it again. 

Part of him, the part that had been hardened and made cold from these games, wanted the other five to get boogey this time, just so they could get it. 

“What-what are the requirements?” Jimmy asked softly. The man looked like he was going to throw up. Scott felt so bad for him. Jimmy never liked senseless killing, and he’d been forced to it once before, and was being forced to possibly do it again. 

Grian resumed his explanation, very tentatively. “Well, if you’re killed by a boogeyman you lose two hours off your timer, and the boogey gets once added to theirs. And if the boogey doesn't get a kill by the end of the week, they lose a color.” 

Scott took a breath, trying to calm himself once again. He could just, not kill someone if he got boogey on green. This wasn’t as bad as Last Life. It wasn’t. Just as long as he never got boogey, Scott would be okay. 

 “What about the enchanting tables?” Pearl asked, clearly trying to change the subject. 

“Oh! Yes!” Grian was glad to move on. “We can have more than one, but we’re still limited to low level enchantments!” 

“Aww, I can't have a monopoly on the enchanter anymore.” Scar pouted. Grian lightly glared at the other. “Yes Scar, that’s why we get multiple.”

“It’s a good thing Ren isn’t here then.” Joel joked. “There can be no Dogwarts without the dog, eh Martyn?” 

“Without my king I am not even a hand, just a lowly man without a kingdom to call home.” Martyn said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. Etho let out a giggle at the two’s antics, and Scott honest to god hadn’t even noticed the masked man standing to his right before now. 

“One last question!” Pearl was smiling widely again. “Are diamonds gonna be a pain in arse to find, like last time?’ 

“Nope!” Grian responded. “Diamonds are easier to find, and there's also no Wardens. Now,” He pulled up the admin panel again, triple checking everything. “That’s everything new this time!” 

Scott took another deep breath, trying to shake away his remaining nerves. It’s time. The mood dampened a bit, but only for a second as Grian started the short countdown. Scott felt it when the timer in his chest truly started counting. It felt like the ticking out louder, less of a gentle, barely noticeable noise and more like it was blaring in his ears. 

“Okay, you have twenty-four hours left to live. Good luck!” Grian began to run down the side of the mountain, laughing as the others began to do the same. Yells of lighthearted panic filled the air as the fourteen friends started their fourth death game. 

Scott laughed, getting swept up in the misplaced excitement. His worries dispersed as he ran down the mountain he’d climbed before. And this time Pearl was not with him. 

[hollowwish]

I posted 2,642 times in 2022

That's 2,642 more posts than 2021!

124 posts created (5%)

2,518 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bucket-of-amethyst

@theminecraftbee

@scribbling-dragon

@0xeyedaisy

I tagged 1,326 of my posts in 2022

Only 50% of my posts had no tags

#ren reblog - 951 posts

#ren posting - 110 posts

#grian - 100 posts

#hermitcraft - 88 posts

#gtws - 73 posts

#mcyt - 71 posts

#jimmy solidarity - 61 posts

#empires smp - 53 posts

#cubfan135 - 45 posts

#empiresblr - 42 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#shoutout to the one family in the sims i started playing as and made the wife cheat with geoffrey landgraab and the husband i was gonna kill

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

LMAO WHO FUCKING PUT THIS ON THE EMPIRES WIKI

133 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

#4

In todays episode of Empires, Pixlriffs steals someone's fucking house

159 notes - Posted October 12, 2022

#3

meme potential

232 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

#2

The concept of only winners remembering the life series is absolutely heartbreaking with Scott and Pearl. They both won, but the other can't remember their partners win. Scott goes back to empires after his win. Pearl doesn't remember their alliance, here she's not his friend and trusted ally, just the farmer queen. He can't even tell her that he placed the last axolotl down safely, or that he avenged her death. He feels a part of him die when Pearl withers away. When Double Life starts he can't believe he's soulmates with her. The universe has stuck them together once again. But it hurts, it hurts that she didn't look for her soulmate, didnt look for him. He knows she doesn't remember but it still hurts. And then he leaves her, leaves her out of anger. Anger that she can't remember what they had with Cleo in last life. It's him and Cleo, against the world, but without Pearl this time. Just Gatekeep and Gaslight without Girlboss. His anger starts to be directed at Pearl herself (rather than he memory loss) when she starts hurting them on purpose. Scott's annoyed with her almost every time she shows up at him and Cleo's base. The alliance they had against the reds was begrudging on Scotts side. He can't quite fathom how they went from friends to acting like bitter jealous exes. He blows himself up, genuinely thinking Pearl deserves the win, after all she did for him last season. He doesn't want to remember a world where he hates Pearl anyways. This gets worse if you combine this concept with soulmates sharing emotions. Pearl can tell his anger is different, she can feel it, but she doesn't know why. She can't understand what else he could be mad about other than her "leaving him first." And then she wins. Something clicks in her head, that oh Scott must've won before. We must've been friends before. Oh god what have i done. Pearl is back to being a god on Empires after Double life. She sees Scott but can't talk to him. She can't say she's sorry for ruining their soul bond, for running off to the nether with Martyn the episode one, for the powered snow, for killing Cleo, for everything. He wouldn't even understand what she's sorry for. On Hermitcraft she has to see the people she killed. Bdubs is right there, alive and okay, and all she can think of is how she murdered him and Impulse in cold blood. How they killed her beloved Tilly, and how Cleo fell out of that tree trying to escape her. She understands what Scott felt, his anger towards her during Double Life, what he's been feeling, and what he'll keep feeling. She only hopes and prays that no one else has to go through this.... (Grian is. Grian is right there, has been right there in the same server suffering.)

289 notes - Posted September 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I think we're sleeping on e!s2 Scott and Jimmy a little bit A Sheriff and a man whos never respected authority in his life?? Sign me up, this is peak relationship dynamic

350 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[shadeswift99]

> Game Over.

> /death run

> Choose Your Character!

> /Cleo

> Good Luck.

(Part 1: Etho | Part 2: Scar | all character sheets accurate as of session 4 | reblogs appreciated!)

[beansismyreligion]

just a couple of pals! nothing wrong here! perfectly normal guys! (those cookies are definitely poisoned)

[oh-snapperss]

my beloved mutual. my dearest blorbo in my phone. you decide between 14 and 20 but it's ethubs all the way 🐟

20. found you / cannot trust you

Note: This is part of the resistance au, and I would highly recommend reading the rest of the series BEFORE reading this oneshot for context. The rest of the series can be found here on ao3.

Words: 1977

CW: Second guessing self, Angst

Read on AO3

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

Drip… drip… drip…

(Had he ever meant anything to Bdubs?)

(Had Bdubs ever loved him, really?)

They’re on another world, and Etho is lost. The cavern they’re in is enormous, and across the vast underground expanse a waterfall of lava is one of the only light sources.

“Etho, can you see me?”

Etho squints into the cavern, frowning when there’s no movement. “...no.”

“Oh, you’re goin’ the wrong way, sweetheart!” (Even then, piling on the pet names. Making Etho feel cared about. Bdubs can’t have loved him then, they had barely even been friends!)

Etho thinks forward a bit, to the time when Scar was announced mayor, with Bdubs at his side. He had cheered them on, proud of Bdubs. Etho had never particularly enjoyed politics himself, but he knew this was something Bdubs wanted.

He shoved down the sparks of jealousy in his gut, clapping as Scar pulled Bdubs into a kiss of celebration. (Had Bdubs ever sworn loyalty to Etho? Had Bdubs ever promised himself so wholly to Etho the same way he’d done for Scar and Ren and even Cleo, during Third Life?)

Third Life… when he’d been content to poke fun at Bdubs and his crastle, Cleo had kept Bdubs safe, and in return Bdubs had once again devoted himself to someone. (And broke that loyalty as soon as it was over. Was that what Bdubs did? Pledge himself wholly to whoever could give him the most, then end it as soon as whoever it was couldn’t give anything else?)

While on Last Life Bdubs had devoted himself to Etho, for once. Even then… threatening to turn Etho red. Pleading for a life. Etho had given and given and given, and loved Bdubs even though both of them knew how tragic they were doomed to be. (Was that what love was, to Bdubs? Taking and taking?)

And then… Bdubs had married Impulse. Not just married, flaunted it in Etho’s face, showed off his happiness to Etho and taunted him for still caring. Logically, Etho knew that it wasn’t Bdubs’ fault they weren’t soulbound. But Bdubs had taken things to the extreme as always, and loved Impulse so completely, leaving Etho alone in the night. Again. (That was how it always was. First everyone else, then Etho.)

The longer Etho thinks about it, the more he’s sure. Bdubs never loved him. For all the times Bdubs gave himself to someone else, he had never once been Etho’s, and Etho was a fool to have ever thought otherwise.

—-----------------------------

Days have passed, or at least Etho thinks it’s been days. For all he knows, it may have been weeks.

“Etho?” A voice shakes him out of his daydreaming, and Etho looks up to see Scar standing before his cell. His bow is nowhere to be seen, and he holds a small parcel in his hands. Even from where Etho is curled up in the corner of his prison, he can see Bdubs’ handwriting on it.

“I don’t want it,” he shakes his head, and digs his fingernails into his own arms before Scar can say anything else. “I don’t want anything from him.”

Scar winces, and his tone is filled with sympathy–which Etho hates–as he slides the parcel along the ground and under the bars anyway. “Bdubs wants it delivered, and I can hardly refuse the hand of the king, now can I?” His voice turns slightly wistful at the title, and Etho once again is reminded of the time when Bdubs had been Scar’s.

“All these years, and he’s still got you wrapped around his fingers?” Etho laughs, and he despises himself for the way he’s let Bdubs affect him like this, turn him into a sulking, bitter mess when he’s sure Bdubs is perfectly content upstairs with his king. Whatever this gift is, he’s sure it’s only meant to draw him back in and make him forgive Bdubs, when Bdubs deserves nothing from Etho.

Scar’s jaw tightens and Etho smirks at the way Scar has taken his bait that easily. “Come on Scar, we all know you have a soft spot for Bdubs. Don’t really know why, since he turned his back on you too.”

“...don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scar scofs after a few tense moments. Etho doesn’t respond again. Scar turns on his heel after a few seconds, and his footsteps echo through the dreary dungeon, eventually fading into nothing. Etho is left alone with his thoughts once more and the continued drip, drip, drip of the dripstone.

At first, he promises himself he won’t open Bdubs’ bribe. He won’t touch it. Heck, he won’t even glance over at it. There’s nothing Bdubs could possibly give him that would change his mind or help the situation, and he wants nothing to do with it.

Time works against Etho, unfortunately. With nothing to think about other than Bdubs and his lies, Etho pulls himself to his feet, walks the few steps over, and picks it up. Handling the package with all the gentleness he used to reserve for Bdubs, he turns it over in his hands. The envelope flutters to the ground, and he almost grinds it into pieces with his shoe before thinking better of it. Instead he retreats to his corner again and tears open the paper wrapping.

It’s a clock. Weathered from age and years of use, Etho can tell almost immediately what this is, and he feels bile at the back of his throat at the audacity Bdubs has. This is how he apologizes? This is how Bdubs thinks he can get Etho back? He turns the clock over to confirm, and sure enough–there’s the date it was given on the back.

It’s the original clock, the one Etho gave Bdubs so many years ago as a sign of friendship and affection. He hadn’t even known Bdubs had kept it, but there was no mistaking his own initials on the back, or the scratches from where Bdubs had dropped it almost immediately in a cave. And–is that? He frowns at the slight rattling in the clock, and finds the catch to open it. Inside there’s a key.

Hands shaking, Etho marches right back to the other side of the cell and shoves the clock underneath the bars. He’ll make Scar take it back later. As for the note, he snatches that up, tears it into as many pieces as he can, and throws them out too. He catches an I'm sorry and even an I love you as he rips it to shreds, but it doesn’t matter, because Bdubs does not love him and most certainly isn’t sorry.

—-------------------------------------

When Scar brings him food later, Etho sees him eyeing the shreds of paper and the clock and tells him to take it back to Bdubs.

“The paper too?” Scar sounds incredulous.

“If that helps get the point across, yes,” Etho growls back, and Scar gathers the clock and the paper from the ground before once again leaving Etho to brood.

—-----------------------------------------

Etho’s ears ache, ringing from the attacks of the wither. Chunks of soul sand fly into the air, particles flying into Etho’s eyes. He throws himself to the side, and the very ground he had just been standing on ignites into another explosion.

“Bdubs!” He yells, but he’s too far away to stop his husband from attacking the monster head on, and he can only crawl towards them before there’s a scream of pain from his lover and then nothing.

He staggers to his feet, dragging his sword into the air in front of him with shaking arms. He’s got to avenge Bdubs.

But… the wither is gone. Etho looks around, and he’s not even in their base. He’s… he’s at home, in his private world. The clock on the wall is ticking, and all is silent.

Too silent, he realizes a moment too soon. It’s just a couple steps to the door, and he yanks it open to find–

The void.

It’s dark, empty, and hungry. Etho can feel it pulling him closer, beckoning him with a terrifying gentleness he knows the void cannot possess. He braces himself on the doorframe, but the house tips, and he tumbles out into the night and he is falling,

and falling…

    and falling…

            and falling…

  and–

“Etho.”

Etho’s eyes fly open, hands scrabbling along the floor–oh thank god there’s a floor– as he scrambles to make sense of himself. His neck aches from the strange angle he had been half sitting half lying at, and he pulls himself up to look towards the cell door.

Of course it would be Bdubs, one hand holding a lantern and the other hidden within his cloak. Etho notices the slippers Bdubs is wearing and holds himself back from laughing at how utterly out of place Bdubs is down here.

“Etho… you were…” Bdubs trails off, seeming uncertain of how to go on. Etho knows why–before, Bdubs would always sing him to sleep, or hold him when Etho had nightmares like that. Usually, Etho always fell asleep feeling safe with Bdubs, and the nightmares wouldn't plague him those nights.

Not that Bdubs had ever been safe, but Etho still finds himself longing for those nights when he’d believed in Bdubs’ love.

“What do you want?” Etho growls, fixing Bdubs with the most disgusted, loathing look he can muster. He tries to ignore the hurt crossing Bdubs’ face, and the way his own chest clenches with guilt and the need to comfort him instead.

“You returned the clock…” Bdubs mumbles, and he looks forlorn.

Etho refuses to give in. He owes Bdubs nothing and he won’t feel guilt about this, he won’t. “Well… yeah. I don’t want your stupid clock.”

Bdubs’ face breaks a little further, and a part of Etho is viciously satisfied, although most of him wants to beg to be let out just so he can hold Bdubs. No, Bdubs doesn’t love you. He’s acting, this is what he does. He shoves away the part of him wanting to comfort.

“I wanted you to have it…” whispers Bdubs, and he reaches into his pocket, this time holding the same key as before. “But at least take this.”

White hot anger fills Etho, and any remnants of what still loved Bdubs flees before his rage. “Oh, so this is the game you’re playing?” A laugh bubbles out of him. “This is how you’re planning on getting me back into your clutches? Make me think you care?”

“That’s not fai-”

“Fair? Fair? You know what wasn’t fair, Bdubs? What wasn’t fair was lying to me, for all our goddamn friendship. If-if that’s even what it was.” Etho slams his fist on the ground. “Don’t even think about telling me you care. I know better now.”

Bdubs doesn’t reply, and when Etho looks at him, he can see tears dripping from his face. He feels no remorse, however. He won’t.

“Go.” Bdubs finally croaks out. He holds the key through the cell. “Take it and run. I won’t tell.”

“Really?” He raises an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna betray me again? This isn’t some sick test?”

“Never.”

“Is that so?” Etho stands, and reaches towards the key, hand hovering just above Bdubs’. He doesn’t take the key. “If you’re actually helping me escape, do it fully. Open the door yourself.”

“I-I can’t do that!” Bdubs says almost immediately, and Etho smirks, drops his hand, and paces back to the other side of the cell.

“That’s what I thought.” He sits back down. “I can’t trust you, you’re loyal to Ren and pretty much anyone else but me.”

Bdubs doesn’t reply again.

“Goodnight, Bdoubleo. At least try and act like you mean it, next time.” Etho closes his eyes, and doesn’t reopen them until Bdubs’ footsteps and quiet sniffling are long gone.

[kiwiwritescrap]

sooo the last post blew up a bit 0-0

have some 3rd life (flowerhusbands my beloved)

this is from Scott’s perspective have fun ig (tw for torture/blood) -🥝

Grian and I were harvesting wheat near Monopoly Mountain. Scar and Jimmy were in the mines looking for diamonds. Grian hefted a haybale over his shoulder and tossed it on the pile. I tied some stalks of wheat together and wiped sweat from my brow, looking across the desert. I saw two shapes coming towards us. I thought maybe it was Cleo and Bdubs, but I was mistaken. Standing before us, red cloak swishing in the wind, golden crown glinting in the sun, was Ren. Beside him was Martyn, his right hand.

“What do you want, Ren?” I spat.

“Nothing much, just you.” Ren said. As soon as the words left his mouth, Martyn leapt at us, throwing two bottles on the ground. They shattered, forming green clouds around Grian and I. Grian coughed and collapsed on the ground, unconscious. I waved the smoke from my face, but my vision was fading. I tried to reach for my sword, but I fell over into the sand. I stared up at Ren and Martyn, who were standing over us. Everything went black.

When I woke up, I felt cold metal around my wrists. I blinked a few times, scanning my surroundings. I was in a cell, chains binding my hands. “Grian?” I rasped.

“I’m here!” Grian replied through the wall.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here.” Ren said, walking down the stairs followed by Martyn, who was spinning a poison arrow in his hand.

“Why did you kidnap us?” I asked.

“The plan is simple, honestly. We use you two as bait, and draw your friends here. Then we kill them. Once they’re both dead, we won’t need you two anymore.” Ren said coldly. “Of course, while we have you here, we may as we settle some scores.” He pulled a dagger from his belt. He nodded at Martyn, who came into my cell.

“Hello Scott.” Martyn glared.

“Martyn.” I said bitterly. Martyn spun his arrow, then, with no warning, he jammed it into my shoulder. I screamed in pain, feeling the poison spread. From the cell beside me, I heard chains clatter to the floor, and a pained grunt from Grian. Martyn ripped the arrow from my arm, and I looked at the bloody wound. He took a few drops of a healing potion and splashed it on the wound, causing it to close some and the burning from the poison to subside.

“Keeping you alive.” Martyn hissed before leaving my cell. I fell on the ground, noticing a brick was missing in the base of the wall. I peered through it, and saw Grian’s hand. He was lying on the floor, patches of blood around him. His hand was twitching a bit, giving me indication that he was still alive.

“S-scott?” Grian said hoarsely. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve been better.” I sat up, holding my shoulder. “You?”

“I’m doing absolutely wonderful.” He said sarcastically.

“Do you think Scar and Jimmy will come to save us?” I asked.

“I hope not.” Grian sighed.

For the next few days (I think?), Ren and Martyn would come down to taunt and torture us. I would sit in my cell, alone. I missed my home. I missed my friends. I missed Jimmy. At least I had Grian to talk to. He was still, somehow, staying positive, though I could hear his voice losing some of it’s hope. “Everything is going to be fine.” He assured me. “They’re going to save us.”

“How can we be sure?” I said.

“I don’t know.” Grian sighed. Just then, a loud explosion split the air. I shot up. Smoke stood in the stairwell. Through the smoke, came Scar and…Jimmy. I smiled. Jimmy broke through the cell bars with a pickaxe, unlocking the chains. I jumped into his arms, hugging him and inhaling his flowery scent.

“I missed you.” I said.

“Me too, but we need to get going. Cleo and Bdubs can’t hold off Dogwarts for long.” Jimmy took my hand and dragged me out of the cell, handing me my armor and tools. I hefted my sword, and looked over to see Grian and Scar, who were already running into battle, laughing and brandishing their weapons. Jimmy and I followed, and dashed into the fight. Bdubs was fighting Etho and Tango, Impluse was dueling with Skizz, and Cleo was holding off Ren and Martyn. Scar and Grian ran to Cleo and attacked Martyn. Etho and Tango were retreating, with Bdubs chasing after them, waving his sword and shouting. Skizz had vanished, as well as Impulse. Ren was looking around, but only he and Martyn remained. They both ran back to their fortress. Scar was about to chase after them, but Grian stopped him.

“It’s a battle for another day.” He rested his hand on Scar’s shoulder. Cleo and Bdubs gave us a brief nod and returned to their base. Grian and Scar went back to the desert, leaving Jimmy and I to return home. When we got back, I collapsed into the soft, flowery grass. Jimmy laid down beside me, sliding his hand into mine. I let out a breath, and my eyes welled up with tears. The magnitude of what I had gone through came crashing down on me. Jimmy pulled me up, and took me to my house, lying me in bed. He pulled a few healing potions from the cabinet and applied them to my wounds. I winced when he touched my shoulder on accident. Despite the wound being days old, the poison had caused an infection.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Poison, courtesy of our friend Martyn.” I spat. “I think it’s infected.”

“We need to treat it before the damage gets any worse.” He looked concerned. I took off my jacket and shirt, revealing the puncture wound on my shoulder. Black veins spread from the barely closed gash. Jimmy picked a regeneration potion from the table, pouring it on my shoulder. The veins faded, causing a stinging pain. I flinched away, but Jimmy pulled me back and wrapped bandages around my shoulder. When he was done, I slipped my jacket back on and sat up. Jimmy sat down beside me, and I laid my head on his shoulder. He smelled like orchids, citrusy and sweet. “I was so worried about you.” He whispered. “When Scar and I came back from the mines and found a note and a Red Winter banner in the sand…” He paused. “I thought you were gone for good.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easy.” I chuckled.

“Good.” He said, wrapping his arm around me. “I’m counting on it.” I closed my eyes, leaning back and curling up, falling asleep.

When I woke up, moonlight streamed through the window. There was a note next to me from Jimmy that read ‘In the desert getting potion supplies from Grian and Scar, be back soon.’ I set down the note and stood up, wincing as I did so. I limped over to the cabinet, retrieving a pile of flowers that I had picked. I sat down and began to weave them into crowns for Scar and Grian. For Grian, I tied together some daisies and alliums, and for Scar lilacs and poppies. When I was done, Jimmy was back. “Good morning petal!” He said enthusiastically.

“Good morning.” I smiled. “How are Grian and Scar?”

“They’re doing fine. Scar won’t let Grian leave the house, he’s scared he’ll get snatched up by Dogwarts again.” He laughed. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m feeling better, just still a bit shell shocked from everything that happened.” I sighed, examining the flower crowns that I had made.

“If you need to talk to me, I’m here.” He said, resting a hand on my good shoulder.

“I know.” I said, pressing my forehead to his.

“Come on, it’s almost sunrise.” Jimmy took my hand as we went outside, sitting atop a flower-covered hill. The pink-orange hues of the sunrise glowed on the horizon, the bright yellow sun poking over as the night sky faded from deep midnight to a lighter blue. The two of us sat on the hill together, gazing at the sunset. We were together, and we were home.

[wither-rose-circus]

all the ladies for the ask game?

- acacia

Lizzie - Any AUs?

Well, given the theory/AU concept of both series being run by the Watchers was partially canonized today, I feel like that doesn’t count anymore. So I’ll say the Producer AU, my absolute beloved. Strifesolutions, it’s more or less founder, is like one of the og 3L blogs back when there were maybe 10 of us (so some amount of respect there) and I remember spending like an hour trying to hunt down that suit skin, and Redwinteroses’ fanfiction about it (Another Hero, Another Mindless Crime) holds a very special place in my heart.

Cleo - Favorite meme/inside joke?

I have made Red’s “It is Tuesday, my dudes” Ren edit my discord pfp every Tuesday for like the past 4 weeks and I’m honestly a little bummed that there’s no reason to do it anymore.

Pearl - Favorite piece of fan content?

Oh god, you cannot seriously make me choose- I can’t possibly pick between the hundreds of artworks and fanfics in general so I’m gonna pick my favorite animatics instead since they’re fewer and farther between. (Though as an honorable mention, literally any art made by Ghosted-Jazz or Wasyago is an automatic fave for me). Also I’m splitting this between 3rd and Last Life at least.

For 3rd Life, it’s a tie between Vyeoh’s Strawberry Blond animatic and Zylisticart’s Goodbye animatic. I cannot describe how much I adore them both. For Last Life, I gotta say Scar’s Lament by Fantasticalrain. It’s definitely not because I’m heavily biased towards that song for personal reasons, but also the art is just fantastic.

(Some more honorable mentions are Sex with a Ghost, Where Is Your Rider, We Raise Our Cups, Impulse’s Turn, and oh god this is gonna get too long if I don’t stop)

[thetomorrowshow]

artificiality

DEADCEMBER DAY 4 - Cold

red!mumbo my beloved

if yall want to read the rest of my deadcember fics, they’re all on my blog or on my ao3, linked in my bio :)

fandom: Last Life SMP

cw: blood, violence, death

~

Mumbo hugs his arms closer to his chest. Nobody told him being Red would be so cold.

He’d specifically asked Grian what being Red was like. All his friend had said was “I don’t want to think about it.” Which, sure, that was a perfectly valid reason. Mumbo didn’t want to think about Grian’s time as Red either. The man was terrifying.

Now, though, Mumbo can’t help but think, irritation prickling at his skin, that Grian could have told him to grab a coat or something. Here he is, out in the middle of nowhere, forced from his own home, and he doesn’t even have his jacket. His vest and button-up are in tatters, shredded by Etho’s axe, revealing shiny pink scars across his torso. Maybe it’s that, the sparseness of his clothes, the wind biting through them. It’s not quite right, though. This cold comes from within.

Cleo burned down forests to keep warm. Joel built lava traps. Grian sat for hours in the Nether.

Mumbo tries those things. They aren’t as effective as he’d like them to be, leaving him shivering the second he steps away.

He thinks he’ll be warm with Grian, or Martyn, or any of the Southlanders. He just needs one of them to join him. And for that to happen, he needs to get temporarily warm so he can focus enough to take one of them down.

He finds the answer relatively quickly. He laughs a little, mustache twitching as he stares at the End Crystal. It’s like a light box, his mind supplies. They’re supposed to help with seasonal depression and whatnot, right?

Mumbo gathers End Crystals close, as many as he can, purple light peeking from his pockets and strapped into the belt across his chest. It scares Joel, makes him flinch every time Mumbo enters the base, but Mumbo doesn’t care. The artificial glow keeps him warm better than the blood Joel bathes in.

Sure, they’re unpredictably volatile. That’s part of the thrill, he thinks. And besides, he’s come to recognize when they begin to overheat, knows when to use one as a weapon and take away its growing warmth for his own safety.

Mumbo’s collected a decent amount, enough that he feels pretty confident in taking down a Southlander. He’d tried early on, but that had left him scrambling for another End Crystal before he froze to death and he doesn’t want to put himself through that again. So he loads up, ignoring Joel’s anxious glances, and heads out.

He comes across Jimmy on the way, invites him along (Jimmy isn’t warm, either, but one of the other Southlanders definitely will be). They’ve decided to trap Mumbo’s old base, someplace he has a reason for being at, and lure Martyn or Grian in. Preferably Grian–they would have to kill Martyn more than once, and that’s almost more trouble than it’s worth. Not that he doesn’t miss Martyn and all, but killing Martyn right now won’t give him warmth. Martyn can come later.

They set the trap, Mumbo giving up one of his precious End Crystals. He doesn’t think it’ll explode without being triggered, but one can never be too sure. He pushes Jimmy back against the far wall.

Then neither Grian nor Martyn fall for it. His numb fingers had mistyped the message, making it needlessly suspicious. If he’d worded it just differently, they would have walked right in the door, setting off the trap. Instead they’re all outside now, and he’s desperately trying to convince them to just walk through the door. He’s even willing to do it first, prove to them that it’s safe. His End Crystals wouldn’t hurt him, after all. They keep him warm.

Martyn shoves him back and Mumbo flounders at the burning heat of his skin. He wants that, he needs that, he needs that so bad, and it suddenly becomes vitally important that one of them goes Red. He nods to Jimmy, who seems rather dazed–Grian’s been pushing him away repeatedly, he must feel the heat too–and his friend snaps into action clambering onto the roof and dragging Grian to the hole there.

Mumbo keeps talking, not even sure what he’s saying, just trying to make sure that Grian doesn’t notice what Jimmy is actively trying to do. It almost works.

Grian pulls away at the last minute, and when Jimmy, a starved gleam in his eyes, tries to shove him into the hole, Grian lashes out.

He’s drawn his sword and is slashing Jimmy, and Mumbo can’t help but cry out because this isn’t how it was supposed to go. Jimmy’s begging, Jimmy’s running away, and Grian is their friend! Grian can’t be killing them, they just want to be warm–but Jimmy, pleading for mercy, is kicked square in the chest by Grian, flying off the building. He lands on the ground with a sickening crunch, lightning flashes, and Jimmy lies still.

The heat of the End Crystals no longer does anything as Mumbo goes cold. He dives to Jimmy’s side, cradles his clearly-broken neck. He distantly registers that Jimmy’s body feels no different--the chill of death already wraps Reds.

“You killed Jimmy,” he gasps out, turning to Grian. Grian was Red once–Grian should understand that it’s freezing! Grian should understand that they just want to be warm again! “You killed him!”

“I had to,” Grian says grimly. His shield has dropped, for just a second, and Mumbo isn’t thinking of warmth when he pulls off his bandolier (for safety, he can’t have a stray strike from Grian explode the entire south, that’s how rigged he is to blow). He’s thinking of revenge.

Mumbo attacks, shooting off an arrow that he’s fairly certain lands, detonating one of the End Crystals from his pockets. The warmth of it washes over him, too warm, burning, as it explodes, and he realizes dimly that he was far too close to that one to be safe. He gets blown back a couple of feet, one pant leg entirely gone to show his grey, bloodied leg. His whole body, actually, is bleeding from the blast; his head rings, but he can see Grian bearing down on him with a sword in hand and a crossbow in the other and he rolls to shaky feet, shivering as a gust of wind blows by, stumbling away as fast as he can. If he can make it back to Joel’s base, he thinks there’s some health potions stocked away. That’ll get him right as rain–he’s close to death now, uncannily close, and he needs to get away.

The part of him that’s begging for warmth, though, points out the obvious. Grian was just as close to that explosion as he was. Grian’s low too. There’s nothing to say one last hit won’t take him out. He can deal with Martyn later, once Grian’s down.

He turns, lifting his sword, but Grian is a lot closer than he thought. He can’t, he needs to run, regroup, find Joel and Lizzie and Skizz and gather materials for a new trap–but before he can even turn, Grian’s plunging a sword deep into his chest.

It lodges somewhere between two ribs with a squelch, and Mumbo involuntarily releases a small gasp as he falls to his knees, then completely collapses onto his side. What?

Grian–Grian’s killed him. Grian, a Yellow, is staring down at him with an unreadable expression, and all Mumbo can feel is cold–and alone. “My friend,” he croaks, and Grian is his friend, but betrayed him? Why would he do that? In the blurred background–Grian’s face the only thing in focus–Martyn gingerly picks up the bandolier.

Mumbo’s dying, he knows that, so is it too much to ask to be warm? His chest rattles against the sword when he breathes in, blood washing up his throat when he breathes out. With all the strength he has, he reaches for Grian, arms trembling.

“My friend,” he says again, waiting for Grian to hold him one last time, as he did on nights weeks ago around the campfire when the other Southlanders shared haunting memories of the first time this game was played. But Grian takes a step back, says something Mumbo can’t hear, and turns away.

He’s so cold. Why won’t Grian hug him? Even the last couple of End Crystals, spilling from his pockets, do nothing for this chill. The world darkens, and Mumbo shivers uncontrollably until his muscles can’t move any longer. He’s cold. He’s freezing. He’s freezing to death.

He’s dead.

[julethiefs]

carmen sandiego as the jatp soundtrack

actually yes i am going to combine my two favorite tv shows and you can’t stop me <33

now or never

“clocks move forward // but we don't get older, no”

“keep dreaming like we’re living forever // but live it like it’s now or never”

“and even if we hit the ground, we’ll keep flying”

this song just ??? *screams* carmen right after she escaped vile... her being so excited to explore the world and not caring about falling down and her enthusiasm to stop vile without really knowing what they’re like yet... yeah 

wake up

“get out, get out, relight that spark”

“its not what you lost, its what you’ll gain”

“better wake those demons, look them in the eye”

this song has such jules vibes (jules is definitely julie in this hypothetical au... even besides the names its just so perfect), and besides the fact that julia’s mom is also dead (see necklace theory) jules finding this song and singing it would be so amazing i cannot handle this 

this band is back

“we gotta get ready, cause its been years” 

“can you hear me” “LOUD AND CLEAR”

team red singing this band is back is something that can actually be so personal... 

bright

“life is a risk, but i will take it”

“we will fight to shine together, bright forever”

“together, i think that we can make it” 

do i. do i really have to say how much julethief this is. the way they shine and work well together, the way everything they do is the epitome of a risk but they do it anyways, the way together they can stop vile. yeah i’ll stop now 

flying solo

“my life, my life, would be real low, zero, flying solo”

“if somebody hurts you, im going to get hurt too”

yes i know this song is julie singing to flynn. in this au its jules singing to carmen (or vice versa idk) the amount of brainrot this au can hold... nobody mention stockholm but yeah it definitely fits and just. scream.

i got the music

“weight off my shoulders, dancing instead”

“can't stop the music // back inside my soul” 

i don’t even have coherent reasoning for this one i just think we should get to see jules sing this song and have player rap flynn’s parts. as a treat <3

the other side of hollywood

“we could go make history or you could rest in peace”

“everything has got a price but happiness is free”

“the rain don’t blind the rising souls // they got too much to see”

we all agree that hgc is basically vile but more dramatic and less green, right? also ive been trying to think of which of the faculty would be caleb in this au... i’m guessing countess cleo is the only one who could really pull it off well? but yeah... tr getting stuck at the hgc would be so so good and painrot

finally free

“hearts on fire // we’re no liars // so we say what we wanna say”

“i wanna fly // come alive // watch me fly”

“i got a spark in me” 

“been so long, and now we’re finally free” 

“now till eternity”

this is the ultimate julethief song actually i will not shut up about it (hence the excess of quotes). just !! the way its abt them not hiding anymore, “now till eternity” with “transcends space and time” ... yeah sounds like canon to me 😋  there’s so so so much quality content in this song i love it so much and just. this with julethief ???? my heart can’t handle this kind of excitement

perfect harmony

“bittersweet love story about a girl”

“two worlds collide when i’m with you” 

“we come to life when we’re in perfect harmony”

yes i know this was cs as jatp songs apparently somewhere along the line it dissolved into julethief but honestly are any of us surprised ??? its just so so perfect the way the lyrics describe them is just LGSHDAFLS “two worlds collide” (acme vs jules’s personal wants/desires) “in perfect harmony” *cough cought* did anyone mention the duane interview? no  ‘they work in harmony even when they’re not in the same scenes” yeah practically the same thing !!  (edit bc carmen pointed this out and i am screaming: perfect harmony is basically the tsonts dance scene and i cannot get over this) 

edge of great

“running from the past, tripping on the now” 

“what is lost can be found, its obvious”

“i believe that we’re just one dream // away from who we’re meant to be” 

“we’re standing on the edge of great” 

EDGE OF GREAT MY BELOVED !!! this song is SO iconic and you know whats even more iconic ??? the way it works so perfectly with carmen sandiego... carmen and jules post canon ?? 👀👀👀. i am looking at the lost/found line in particular for that but all of it works so so well (also side note but i would die if we got the classic juke nose scrunches with julethief actually)

unsaid emily

“i should have turned around // but i had too much pride” 

“and write in every empty space the words “i love you” in replace”

“the words i most regret are the ones i never meant to leave // unsaid emily”

to be honest this is the song that stumped me the most? it would take a bit of canon reconfiguring- either we’re making brunt more sympathetic (ew) or carmen grew up with carlotta and then had a falling out ??? i think that would make more sense, especially with carmen trying so hard to find her again after 25 years (the timeline matches closer than expected actually 👀 ) this song is peak painrot so have fun with this besties <33

you got nothing to lose

“ain’t nothing quite like living on the edge” 

“i’m chasing down a thrill, looking fit to kill” 

“you got nothing to lose, boys”

this scene would be so terrifying actually like, we already got the dark!carmen trauma so watching caleb have the ability to manipulate her would just be ABSOLUTE painrot *distant screaming* also the way the offer would be so tempting to team red ?? just bc carmens whole life is living on the edge, chasing down thrills, and being unable to settle down but she stays for jules i. yeah im soft what about it 

stand tall

“and it’s one, two, three, four times // i’ll try for one more night” 

“whatever happens // even if i’m the last standing // imma stand tall” 

“keep holding on, never look back” 

“i keep going on when it’s all falling apart // yeah i know it with all my heart”

thinking thoughts... julethief post canon with this song.... yeah i would be decimated on impact just the way jules thought carmen left but CARMEN COMES BACK.... canon ? i dont know her <33

in conclusion julethief/cs jatp au supremaki besties ♥️

[arospecsyourblockdudes]

3rd/last life cleo? -@crastlefolke

Ooooooo Cleo my absolute beloved

Realistic: She is very self-sacrificial. If the final two was her and a close ally, she would let her ally win without much of a thought. She’s very loyal, the idea of attacking someone she cares for, even at that point, is disgusting to her

Funny: Sometimes her hand or foot will fall off and whatever’s happening has to wait until she sticks it back on

Heart-crushing: Often, she deflects her pain to anger as a sort of defense mechanism. Sure, maybe she could’ve cried in front of Lizzie or Ren or just express her hurt, but at that point they had already betrayed her by prioritizing their sympathy for Big B’s curse over sympathy for how she was hurt by him. She wasn’t going to let her enemies see her ‘weak’. Going red only heightened the problem, letting her express her hurt through more violent means (see: arson of the Fairy Fort). She cried for the first time the first night she spent at Scott and Pearl’s

Fuck canon: She exclusively eats raw meat (see: zombie)