#watcher Grian

[kitab00m101]

(I had a vision that I don't have the time or skill to draw)

Everyone froze as they received the message. *Mumbo Jumbo blew up*

In fact, the whole world seemed to stand still for a moment, blurred and distorted as it's prisoners stood ever still. A few tears welled in Grian's purple eyes, but he was able to ignore them.

"Oh- damn it. Not again-" He muttered bitterly as he looked around at the void covered space he and the other players stood in. His freinds were starting to move again, as if thawing after being frozen, and of course it had to be Solidarity that was the first to see Grian at the center of this sudden eclipse of existence.

"G- Grian..." He exclaimed as if pleading like he had done for many seasons. This time, as the canary crumbled to his knees, Grian could see his gapsing, panicked breathes were results of nothing but pure relief. Oh- I'm sorry. I meant the phoenix crumbled to his knees. There was no need for the canary, when shivering in the familiar yet uncaring cove of Grian's wings was this season's first coal miner.

"Thank you all." Mumbo's voice was nothing but a slowly fading memory of the remaining.

Etho came closer, but stayed only as far as Jimmy had gone, fearing the Watcher's eyes dancing around Grian's figure. "Miss you already." He told the ghostly spirit sorrowfully. He lightly tapped the light green heart embroidered on his vest, and simultaneously a warm glow brightened and dimmed in Mumbo's heart.

Following his example, Scott did the same, dipping his head respectfully as his small green heart warmed thr empty space where Mumbo's had been. Cleo followed after, then Bdubs, and everyone else until all eyes rested on the final person.

Jimmy looked up from the ground, folding his ember encased wings behind him. He stood, and took a few steps forward, though Grian's watcher eyes glared at him. The phoenix pressed his cracking, but intact red heart. "Thank you." He said, his voice cracking. Jimmy couldn't help the overwhelming smile creeping onto his face, contrating so painfully with everyone's settling grief.

Grian closed his outstretched wing, and Mumbo Jumbo was gone. "They hate it when I let you guys say goodbye." His eldritch voices spat pitifully. "They never let you remember it anyway."

-The smoke cleared as the explosion settled. Grian could feel his higher up's eyes burning into him, but he couldn't acknowledge that. The games must go on.

// WILDLIFE SPOILERS

THEYRE SO SWEET AAAAAAAAAAAA

[cherrijuice]

Come on you Hermit why don’t you stare back into my huge eye?

[krashlite]

Design concepts for Grian!

basically, completely overhauling how I draw him!

Design notes under the cut!

Animal: Sphinx

He's one of two people that try to hide that he has a motif (the other being Scott, but I'll get to him), so his animal traits are a lot more subtle. We only see more overt traits like his wings and big teeth through his hallucinations.

FACE/HEAD

Wide face! Very rectangular.

Generally, he has more reserved expressions that are based off his eyes.

His face/head shape is meant to resemble that of a lion, with a broad nose, round ears, and a lazy, catlike smile.

The shape of his hair is meant to resemble a bird with tucked wings, though I'm not sure how well I pulled that off!

He has lowlights in his hair that, when pulled into the "wings," makes the light and dark strands crisscross into that waffle pattern.

He doesn't have irises! It's a genetic disorder called aniridia, which affects his sight. During/before EVO he still had ~75% of his irises and wore contacts, but now he's fully reliant on his watcher abilities to see (though bright lights still affect him!).

BODY TYPE

Even mix of soft muscle and body fat. Reads as soft but can absolutely pack a punch!

Most of his bulk is around his abdomen and biceps, with a bit of overhanging fat in both areas (though we don't really see this).

Legs are fairly skinny to give a more birdlike appearance to his shape.

CLOTHES

An adapted version of business casual! Adventure casual? Business adventure?

The leather vest is mostly there for weight. It's there to help ground him when he's experiencing the wing hallucinations. Most of the weight for it lands on his back, where said wings would otherwise sit.

Leather patches on his elbows and the toes of his shoes from wear and tear (though the left one is starting to tear off again...) as well as a messy stitch on the side of his pant leg.

This outfit doesn't actually fit, but he works with it! This is his favorite outfit and he's going to make it work goddamnit!

Doesn't generally button the top button on his undershirt.

ADDITIONAL

He's the only one that sees the wings/eyes/teeth in his hallucinations! He does also see more overt versions of other motifs (so hare ears on Etho, or antlers on BigB, for example). This isn't all he sees, and episodes can induce nausea in the same way looking at a magic eye painting can make you dizzy.

He doesn't show any physical signs of injury or aging, nor does he have the ability to make lasting changes to his appearance (such as tanning, gaining/losing muscle mass, haircuts, tattoos, etc.) with the exception to this rule being, ironically, his eye bags.

Final note is that with the life series, I'm approaching the watchers through a complex trauma lens. In my interpretation, they are otherworldly and incomprehensible entities that can damage the human psyche just through small, direct interactions. Grian, after being changed into one against his will for an extended period of time and then changed back, has a very difficult time separating that experience from his own identity. The watchers themselves ARE NOT a current part of the games, but Grian uses the abilities gained from them in order to run the games. It's his way of both reconnecting with his humanity and reclaiming that trauma.

Once again, the watchers ARE NOT a part of the games in my version. References to them through Grian are either flashbacks or hallucinations.

[loveaurapearl]

First Out (Wild Life Spoilers)

Hey guys, I'm still reeling from Wild Life's first permadeath, and it had me thinking.

Mumbo wasn't supposed to be the first out. It was meant to be Scar. The winner of Secret Life was meant to be the first to die.

What lead me to think that?

First, the Secret Keeper wanted Scar to be the villain and in my head, I don't think it was because they wanted Scar to win. Sure, in the life series, it's kill or be killed, but you need alliances to make sure you don't die first. You can't fight an army alone if your name isn't Technoblade. So by making Scar the villain and trying to make everyone hate him, the Secret keeper was trying to get him killed early. Sure, they didn't want him out first since the Canary Curse was still activated, but still they wanted him out early. But that didn't happen. Scar managed to wriggle his way through the other teams so their eyes were on other people and not him.

Now why did they want Scar to be the villain? Because he was a thorn in their side since the first session. He failed his first task and then got Grian, the guy they hate and the ruler of Life series games, to make a loophole so he could get a re-roll, messing up their order of plans and accidentally giving Scar a really easy 'HARD TASK'. (Anyway, that's my headcannon on why Scar's Hard Task was so much easier than any of the other hard tasks we saw later in the season.) Scar used Mumbo's task to bribe him so he looked the other way so Scar could easily complete his task. Scar got Bdubs killed even though he was Green and he found a loophole in their task so there would be two winners in the Chicken game. He distracted the Wither for so long that it made everyone gather up and defeat it and the Warden with the only casualties being Jimmy, Mumbo, Grian trading his life for Scar's, and an accidental death of BigB on Scar's end. Grian cheated to spare Scar's life by allowing him to log off then log back in. And Lizzie managed to break the curse on Jimmy, allowing Jimmy to not go out first. So the Watchers turned their heads to Scar, the watcher's favorite, and decided that the only way to hurt Grian was to hurt Scar. And while their plans work on making Scar the villain, it worked too well. Scar wasn't just going easy and he won. Sure, Grian helped him a bit with bringing Gem and the Scotts' health low, but it was all Scar's skills that got him the title of winner.

Wild Life was meant to be the Watcher's revenge on Scar. After all, they allowed him to be paired up with Jimmy and Lizzie. Scott said it himself that their teaming up would mean they would be out of the series the fastest. And while the Watchers hate Scott, they realize he was right. So to try and restore order, they decide to let Scar have friends and then kill him so fast that he couldn't even be allowed to enjoy it. And session 3 was when the Watchers struck. They were so close to Scar losing his final life thanks to the invisible Snail trap that Martyn used. Martyn, an agent of the Watchers who they had been using for years and who was the winner of Limited Life because of their will. Sure, it meant the Canary Curse would be broken, but they didn't care. Scar would be gone and his team would be in ruins. They were so close too. The snail almost ended Scar's series. But then Grian, who had been avoiding Scar for so long and was trying to deny his feelings towards him, stopped the world and ended the Session early before Scar could die. Grian ended the game early for Scar again, and they weren't happy.

The one guy they wanted dead was now alive all thanks to Grian. It made them extra mad because it meant Scar now had a chance to not only live but thrive. They knew that if they didn't get him with snail now, they wouldn't know when Scar would be out next. And that's what Scar did. Scar not only got back to Green by killing Etho and Grian, but he managed to help the Canary regain his lives even after Martyn accidentally killed him with Jimmy's own trap by using Grian's own trap against him. And it was all thanks to Grian.

So the Watchers were glad to hear Grian vow his revenge against Scar and Jimmy, it meant that Grian was now on their side. They were so sure the Canary Curse would continue and Scar would be dead soon. And it at first worked, Grian got Scar on Yellow due to his admin 'Watcher' powers and it seemed like things were going well. But then Scar called out Grian for cheating. For using his Admin/Watcher powers against a player and this snapped Grian out of their trance. For all of Wild life, Grian had been using his Admin/Watcher powers more and more. At first, it was harmless, he knew all the Wild Cards. It would be impossible for the game to happen if Grian did not know the Wild Cards and Grian refused to simply just watch the games like the Watchers originally planned. But then Grian began using his Admin/Watcher powers more and more. Threatening to use his powers to ban people and using his powers to have an edge over the other players. He was becoming more and more like the Watchers he hated.

But then Scar called Grian out. Scar, the only one who could get to Grian, saw what Grian was doing, saw that it was unfair to the other players, especially him, and called Grian out for cheating. And it gets to Grian. At first, Grian tries to brush it off as them just being even. After all, Scar did the first underhanded shot by shooting him off the Bridge of the Spanners' headquarters, so it was only fair that Grian got him back. But the more and more he thought about it, the more it bugged him. He tried to ignore it. Try and push it to the back of his mind, but he couldn't. And Grian realizes he made a mistake. That he abused his Watcher powers and was becoming more like them. So to try and make amends, he gives Scar the mace. But of course, it wasn't that simple. Scar didn't care that much about the mace. What he truly, truly wanted was to have Grian back. To end their fighting and to be Best Friends again. To be like Third life again.

And it brings Grian back to his humanity. It made him remember the good memories and that he doesn't have to be like the Watchers. And to hear Scar say 'What happened in Third life?', it softens Grian and they become Allies. Whether or not Scar remembers what happened in Third Life, it doesn't matter since Grian fully believes Scar doesn't remember anything about Third life except for Mr. Bubbles, Pizza and their friendship. (To be honest, I have no idea how genuine Scar was when he asked about what happened in Third Life. On one hand, he sounds like he means it. It doesn't sound like he's lying. But on the other hand, Scar is a master liar, and he remembers the Lilacs and Poppies like it was yesterday. So it's up to interpretation.)

However, Grian still wants to save Mumbo and Skizz. He still wants Jimmy dead, so there was still a chance that at least the Canary Curse could continue. Sure, Jimmy prayed to the Watchers to be spared, but the Watchers don't care, they just used his wishes to make sure Tango wasn't out first.

But... Mumbo didn't want Jimmy to die first. Mumbo wasn't a heartless fellow to a fellow struggling red life and thanks to Scar, Grian allowed Mumbo to spare his life. However, we all know what happened next. Mumbo, not checking if everything was secure, not checking if everything was safe, not seeing the warning signs that the mine was dangerous, saw Gem moving away from Jimmy and trying to get a life back activates the TNT minecart track. And... with one lever left active, Mumbo dies in a firey explosion. Grian, not looking at Mumbo, only hears an explosion as Tango's wind burst thrusting him into the air and saving his life, and is left paralyzed as he sees his friend's burnt corpse. And in the first time in forever, Grian is allowed to grieve. And the world stops and pitied Grian. Grian, who was seen as the source of all the lifer's suffering and a villain who must be slain for all of Wild Life, was pitted and was finally seen for who he was, human. Sure, Grian was close to being like the Watchers. Much closer than he ever had been before. But thanks to Grian protecting Scar in Session 3 and preventing Scar's final death, Grian was saved from himself and the Watchers. It was thanks to Scar and their friendship that saved Grian but at the cost of Mumbo's life.

Mumbo, poor Mumbo, only wanted Grian to look at him like he did to Scar. Mumbo who wanted Grian to love him like he did Scar. Mumbo who wanted Grian to save him like Scar. But it was too late. Mumbo wasn't a fighter and unfortunately, there are some things not even Watchers can protect you from. Only when it was too late, did Grian finally look at Mumbo like he did with Scar. Just like Third life...

[hazelnutsummer]

Maybe the real Watcher Grian’s power is to be able to watch their lives in the form of a video, posted by a weird looking man (also named Grian) from a server called Britain on an inter-server system called YouTube.

Maybe he can see all the statistics and comments left by all the other folks from all across the the World, enamoured by their love and joy and grief.

The videos are of foresight, or maybe memories. Of long lost lives and distant pasts. Of him. Of his friends.

But it’s not him; it’s someone else.

Maybe the Watchers created something so powerful it peers just a little out of their universe, a being capable of catching a glimpse of the Other Side.

At the end of the day, however, he shall return to his family and friends, going about his normal days, with just a bit more knowledge than the gods.

[blueishspace]

(Slay The Watcher route 8 p4)

Mumbo: Knowledge. You can't just tell us to kill someone like this.

The Narrator: Knowledge? Of what?

Mumbo: I have a few ideas.

The Narrator: We don't have the time, if you want a deal you get one question.

Scar: Oh ok-

Mumbo: Only if you swear to tell us everything you know about what we ask about.

Scar: Right! No half truths!

The Narrator: I-

Mumbo: Or you can forget us helping.

The Narrator: The fate of the world depends you on slaying the Watcher and you are holding it over my head!!?

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[pixxlotl]

quality nerfed by tumblr smh

[platedpixels]

OH MY GOD IM GOING INSANE???? YHIS IS INCREDIBLE AND I LOVE THE DESIGN YOU DID FOR HIM

transcendental cha cha cha stuck in my head forever….. you’ve done absolutely amazing with this AGH

fuck it, trancsendental dj Grian because uh- because I can? I don't know. I've had Tom Cardy's Trancsendental Cha Cha Cha playing a lot lately and this idea lodged itself into my brain and would not leave until I drew it.

And then I kept drawing it 'cos he's just so fun to draw god damn.

Mumbo is also there, witnessing the cosmic chaos first hand, as he should be.

[jerichomadden1]

My favorite biblically accurate Grian for some eyeball animation practice :)

[ivethewriter]

WILD LIFE THEORY!!!!

so I saw someone point out that grian is "leaning into his watcher side" that has me thinking. Did the watchers do something to him after he was the first out in real life? Or for letting real life happen at all? Personally I have a head canon that the Listeners are responsible for Real Life. It's shorter and much more light hearted, so the listeners did it to either feed on the happy emotion or just uplift the players, or both.

I have noticed that drama from previous seasons is resurging. I Think that the watchers are doing this. I think the watchers are getting sloppy and are letting things fall through the cracks.

But at the same time I have another idea. What if the bad things that are coming up are the things grian was supposed to feed on and he was trying to hold on to them and hide them from the watchers. I mean the desert duo stuff. Grain would not want the watchers to have that so grain tried to hold on.

Idk if any of this makes sense. Lol just some ideas I have

[threeshadesbrighter]

post secretlife//pre wildlife

[fallenvoid27]

”BigB treated me right”

[snake-bytez]

"When the rain ends, will you still be by my side?" "...... Grian put your shirt back on–"

Hello Tumblr, I've been a bit absent (not counting my silly post earlier), but I come bearing gifts!

This is an AU of mine, a Desertduo Roleswap where, over time, Grian is the one ostracized and made the enemy. This is my design for him! I haven't really drawn the others yet.....

Red life alt below the cut

He's so silly, trust me guys.

In this AU, he still wins 3rd Life (hence the vague sun motif), but on much different terms with Scar. Scar pledges his life to Grian rather than the other way around. It's still them against the world, but they are seen as an even larger threat.

Except the actual reason I made this AU is to swap the "put your shirt back on" bit and it spiraled out of control- It wasn't this serious, I promise!!

[smutnytechnik]

Canary's thrill, the first to kill - chapter 4 (fragment)

Again, thanks for the insane support for this story! I LOVE reading what you guys think about it!

"You happy now?" Grian grumbled, putting a flower on the top of a crudely cut tombstone.

"Oh you have no idea" Jimmy smirked, then flew down and landed on the edge of the gravestone. The unstable rock shifted a bit under his weight. For a moment, his rosy pink eyes turned a bit more brown, just like they were just a few days ago. "Sorry that it had to be Mumbo... But someone has to be out first, right?"

"It's usually you" the parrot sighed and sat down on the ground. "What happened to you...? What did they do to you?"

"They fixed me."

Grian looked up at his friend. He could barely recognize him at this point. Jimmy looked different- he felt different. He was more feral, more ruthless, more fiery. He almost didn't look like the canary anymore. His wings were shining almost as bright as the sun. His eyes were full of passion, burning with energy and anger. His claws, lesser wings and stocky, strong frame made him more reminiscent of an animal, rather than a human.

"Did they...?"

"You don't get it, man..." Jimmy huffed. "You won the first game! You were never made fun of for being a weak loser! And now that I'm trying to change, you make it seem like sucha problem!"

"It's not a problem that you wanna change! The problem's that you're suddenly acting like everyone is your enemy!"

The phoenix hissed quietly, shifting on his spot. His wings opened up a little bit.

"Not everyone. Scar and Lizzie are friends. I protect them."

"So you need to kill everyone else to protect them? And what happens if you're the final three? Are you gonna kill them? Or sacrifice yourself like the hero you pretend to be?"

[hoppingcarrots]

Ceaseless Watcher...

(You will quickly find that I have no consistency with anything 👍)

[blueishspace]

(Slay The Watcher route 8 p5)

Mumbo: Well if it really is then you'll have no reason to not give us that knowledge.

The Narrator: You can't be serious.

Mumbo: Do I look like I'm kidding?

The Narrator: People will die! Why are you-

Mumbo: If they really will then I see no reason to hide anything. Do you, Scar?

Scar: Uh...no?

Mumbo: Exactly.

The Narrator: You're crazy if you think thos is worthy, this is much bigger then me or you.

Mumbo: Maybe so. What are you going to do about it?

The Narrator: W- what?

Mumbo: You heard me. What are you going to do about it?

The Narrator: ...

Mumbo: Well?

The Narrator: What do you want to know about?

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