#can you tell i care about ethos builds a lot

[redwitchrune]

something about comfort, blue and orange, and new perspectives

#runes rambles #etho #ethoslab #hermitcraft #can you tell i care about ethos builds a lot #maybe making a post like this more than twice ruins the Vibe but. i just love walking around hc and the lp #i should really go to more locations but my laptop yells #anyway. heres this post with hc ones now #idk what it is about the monstrosity that Gets me #maybe its bc s7 was when i started watching etho regularly. #its just. it holds such a place in my heart #it feels so small walking though it but. god. i love it so so much #it was my laptop lockscreen for the longest time. the hallways of it #(its the youve been ethod lake now) #i really like the windmill through the trees screenshot. its where the 'perspective' thoughts came from #the guts of the monstrosity inspired that too #anyway. etho <3

[trafficblr-confessions]

I'm sorry I just can't keep it in anymore, I need release - people need to Shut Up about the content creators and their personal dynamics.

A comment on one of the Takeout Trio/Skranchers vods (Jimmy's vod to be specific) was complaining about how they're so refreshed seeing him playing with people that are "actually nice" to him and how they're sick of all the picking on him and it just.. Jesus christ, butt out? Jimmy is a 27 year old man. He has known his friends for years and doesn't need any of us policing him on who he spends time with or how he spends time with them!

I get it, I really do: I love Jimmy and I love seeing how he's improved and am happy to see him keep going! That moment during the Hermit x Empires crossover when everyone kept saying the best parts of Tumble Town were the pranks genuinely made me feel a bit sick in my stomach because it's just really tough.. but I just click off. Because I know that we see a very limited portion of the interactions between these people in real life. Because I know that if anyone was genuinely uncomfortable about something, it wouldn't really be our business and that the CCs can talk to each other about it off camera.

Beyond that, I love seeing what the fandom does with it! I love seeing the angst, I love seeing the hurt/comfort, the hurt/no comfort.. but then people make it about the CCs or they completely mischaracterize the characters and it's just so-- disheartening.

This happens with a lot of CCs and Characters, but I'm more specifically thinking about Jimmy and Joel (mostly because they're who I watch a lot and I love these silly guys) and how everyone seems to think that nothing but malice stands between them and it's so? Telling? Of how many perspectives they get?

If you just watch Jimmy's or any-outside-the-dynamic povs you might think Joel is Just mean to him,, but like,, good GODS these MEN make me INSANE. First of all, all forms of Joel express their love via pranks and tomfoolery and whatnot. Have you HEARD some of his intros? How he talks about himself between player Joel and editor Joel?? He is mean, yes, but it's GENUINELY like a love language for that man I swear. Jesus christ. What is his deal. Additionally, anytime he visited Tumble Town to prank Jimmy, he almost always ends up complimenting the buildings and how far Jimmy has come and Oh My God this MAN.

Fuck this, this confession is turning into a Joel fan rant. I love Joel. All my homies love Joel. That silly man is an ogre with LAYERS. He has loyalty, but where it lies is less within session to session and more season to season. He can be careless, but it doesn't mean he doesn't Care. There's so many moments in so many series and it's just YAHAGEGEH. Mans is SO... GRGRGGRGRGRGGAAAAAAGH.

One of his intros was literally addressing the fans with "You're all stupid, I love you." completely deadpan. LET THIS MAN. LET THIS MAN OKAY. LET THIS MAN.

"Am I socially awkward?" YES. YES YOU ARE. YES HE IS. HE IS SO FUNKY AND HE LOVES HIS FRIENDS HE IS JUST AWKWARD AND SILLY. I DONT NEED TO BE COHERENT JUST WATCH HIS VIDEOS AMD YOU'LL KNOW.

Also I can't find the post or remember who posted it, but know that whoever the person is that said something about how in every universe and every life Joel recognizes and loves his wife and then there's just his death game assigned soulmate Etho, know that I love you.

End of confession or I won't shut up.

.

#confessions #trafficblr #based #fandom #solidaritygaming #smallishbeans #long post

[wordwarriors]

World Building

I'm a little late with the summary, but here it is. Thanks to everyone who attended and see you all again next month!

Where does your story take place?

Real-world v created world: You can use the world that we live in as it is. You can use the world that we live in with some tweaks. You can use alternate timelines/universes or create an entirely fictional world.

Alternate timelines Ex: modern day real world but WW I never happened.

High v low fantasy:

High fantasy refers to epic fantasy which is set in an alternate world. It typically includes lots of magical elements, fantastical creatures, and unusual technology. Whereas low fantasy is when magical creatures and elements intrude upon the regular world.

Things to consider/include:

Magic system

Geography

Political systems

Religion

Culture

Is there a class system? What does that look like?

Being grounded in the real world doesn’t save you from having to world-build.

What continent, country, city? Urban or rural? Mountains? Beach? A country can be set in the real world but it’s a fictional country. A city can be fictional. It can be based on NYC for example but still be fictional. Change the name and whatever else you need to.

You can blend real and imagined. Ex: Used the name of a real restaurant but placed it in a different town, etc.

Example: I used real roads but fake places. Anyone local will recognize the intersection but I put a fictional forest where a horse pasture actually sits.

You can create fictional shops, buildings, etc in NYC. NYC is real but the places aren’t.

Example: I had to create a building with a helipad in a story once b/c there are no helipads in that area, but I needed one for my story to work so I made it up. Could have used an actual one but my characters would have had to get past the FBI barricade, so it was easier to make up a building that was inside the perimeter.

Note:

If using magic, one must first establish how it normally works before showing it malfunctioning. Same if the character is supposed to be super strong or smart or something, establish that first so the reader understands what is normal in this world before the thing goes wrong.

Establishing Scenes: tell us all of the above. But do it in a way that shows not tells.

Also, make sure it matters. You need rich world-building but the reader doesn’t care what your character's first car was unless that information tells us something important about the character that we need to know, like he worked three summers in a row to earn the money because his parents were poor. Or because they were rich but stingy. Or because they were rich but wanted him to learn to earn things rather than have things handed to him. (if this is important to set a tone for his character or personality, ie, learned the value of hard work or this is why he resents his parents or this is why he is so driven to succeed in his career so he never goes hungry again!

Fabulous establishing world-building scene courtesy of @karahalloway:

The horse responds with a sour-faced snort, stepping quickly past the moss-covered waypost — a brazen reminder of this land's heathen roots. Because despite the House of Rys' conversion to Christianity almost a millennia ago, in the far-flung reaches of the kingdom — where the roads ran out, and the name of the King is just that... a name — the tenet of the old ways is more than just a memory. It is a living, breathing ethos. Suffused into the very heart of this harsh, rugged, yet beautiful land. Where portents, spells, and otherworldly creatures exist in the same breath as Christ, the Eucharist, and Judgement Day, and the very air crackles with mysticism and superstition. Which is partly what drew me here — to the edge of the proverbial map, where the laws of Cordonia fray into irrelevance in the face of the jagged peaks of the snow-capped mountains, and your fortune is what you craft it to be.

This sets the stage with so many rich details: geography, history, socio-political, religious background, his place in this world,etc.

Please, if I've missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments and I'll add it!

Also, check out these articles:

World Building

February Event:

Live Discussion on character building on Friday, February 23rd, 2024 12:00 p.m. CST

Word Warriors:

@karahalloway @aussiegurl1234 @harleybeaumont @alj4890 @peonierose @petiteboheme @twinkleallnight @lizzybeth1986 @noesapphic @thedistantshoresproject

@ryns-ramblings @tate-lin @nestledonthaveone

@aallotarenunelma @kristinamae093 @coffeeheartaddict2 @memorias-depresivas

@jerzwriter

#word warriors #discord chat #fanfic writing #creative writing #fanfic writers #writing #writers on tumblr #pacing #writing tips #writing help #writing advice #writer tips #writing resources #writing reference #writing scenes

[bananasofthorns]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Bdubs doesn’t linger very long after Gem leaves even though he clearly wants to. As soon as Etho’s sure he’s not coming back, he sits down cross-legged next to the fireplace and pulls Joel’s note out of his inventory. The paper has the distinct feel of something handmade; it’s nice, but not as perfect as it would be if it had been mass-produced at a farm or something. Etho likes the rough feel of it beneath his hands.

For a moment, he just stares at it.

He’s not scared. It’s just...okay, maybe he’s a little apprehensive. He probably shouldn’t be; Joel’s nice. And he clearly cared enough to send a note with Gem all the way from...wherever he is now. Empires, Etho thinks? He’s not sure.

That’s not the important thing here. What’s important is that the last time they saw each other, they were soulbound even as ghosts, and even now, weeks later, Etho still finds himself glancing over his shoulder or calling out a warning before he catches himself. Which is weird, right? He barely knew Joel before all this.

...but also, he reasons, all this is kind of a big deal. Probably. He feels like other people would consider a third run of a death game a big deal. And he’s currently holding a paper that Gem said was from Joel, so—

He opens the letter.

Etho, it starts, in Joel’s scrawled handwriting that Etho recognizes from the few notes he’d left around their base before it burnt. Hi.

This is weird. I don’t write letters very often. Gem said this would be easier than just telling her something to tell you. She’s probably right.

Don’t tell her I said that.

How are you? I’m doing pretty well. There’s a part that was scribbled out; Etho squints, but he can’t make out more than the word “you.” Next to it says, Been building lots.

I was going to message you the other day before realizing I never saved your contact. I’m guessing you don’t have mine, either. Well, now you do! Congrats. There’s a short line of code written out that Etho guesses is what he’ll have to enter into his comm to get Joel’s contact. He doesn’t think he’s ever actually done that with anyone before. Huh.

Hopefully that works. If not, you can just send another letter along with Gem or something and we’ll figure something else out.

Talk to you soon, I hope.

Beneath that is a scribble that Etho’s pretty sure is Joel’s signature. He assumes that’s what it is, at least. It kind of just looks like a long scribble. He can kind of make out a J, or maybe an S. Joel has a really bad signature.

Etho stares down at the letter.

“Well,” he says, lips curling into a soft smile.

He enters the line of code into his comm. It only takes a handful of seconds for it to load, but he doesn’t exhale until Joel’s name appears in his contacts.

Etho whispered to Smallishbeans: hey hey Etho whispered to Smallishbeans: did it work?

It only takes a few moments for Joel to respond.

Smallishbeans whispered to Etho: holy hsit

A second later, Etho’s comm starts buzzing. He picks up the call before it’s rung twice.

“Hey,” he laughs.

“That actually worked,” Joel breathes, delighted. “Oh my gods.” He pauses. “Hi, by the way.”

Etho smiles, leaning back against the fireplace with his comm tucked against his ear. “Hi. How’re you?”

Joel hums. “Good. Busy. I’ve got an entire empire to run, you know.”

“Really?” Etho was right about Empires, then.

“Mhm. Stratos. I’m building floating islands this time, which is super annoying to do. But it’s coming along really well so far.” Joel pauses. “Oh, and I’m a god now. Super strong and powerful and sexy and tall.”

“Really?” Etho repeats. “All that.”

“Why’d you say it like that?!”

“I don’t know about tall,” he teases, trailing off to let Joel’s indignant noises fill the silence. “I had at least six inches on you, last time I checked.”

“Well now I’m eleven foot. Beat that. I bet you can’t, huh?”

Etho laughs. “Are you serious?”

“Wh— of course I’m serious, Etho! Why would I lie about being eleven foot?”

“I don’t know....” he says, grinning when Joel yet again sputters at him. “I’ll believe it when I see it, man.”

“Come visit Empires, then.”

Etho blinks. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“I’m not whitelisted,” he points out. Joel scoffs.

“So? I’ll just get fWhip to whitelist you, then. We did it for Grian last world, it was fun. Except for the time where they killed me.”

Etho hums. It isn’t a hard decision.

“Okay,” he says, warmth curling in his chest when Joel cheers. “When...when are you thinking?”

“Dunno, I’ll have to convince fWhip, first. Give me a few days...? We’re kind of on rocky terms right now, but he’ll get over it. Especially if I bribe him.”

Etho laughs. “Oh, nice.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation lapses into silence for a moment. It’s nice. It reminds Etho of late nights on The Relation. He’s distantly surprised to realize that he misses Double Life. Parts of it, at least.

Maybe he just misses Joel. That would make more sense. Double Life was fun, but also, objectively, a lot of it was bad.

He’s pretty sure he just misses Joel. Man, I’m going soft, he thinks.

Joel clears his throat. “What’ve you been up to?”

“Well, I’m back on Hermitcraft, which is nice,” Etho starts. “I’m living in Bdubs’s basement right now.”

Joel laughs. “Are you really?”

“Mhm. He already had a staircase leading down here, I think it was some sort of worldbuilding thing or something—”

“Lore,” Joel says sagely. Etho grins.

“Yes, exactly. So I just dug into the wall where he didn’t have anything and built my own little area. It’s coming along pretty nicely. I’ve got my chests, and an enchanting area, and a few small farms for flowers and things. Working on getting caught up, since I joined late and everything.”

“It sounds nice. Maybe I can visit someday.”

There’s something wistful in Joel’s tone that says he doesn’t actually think he’ll be able to visit. Etho frowns even though he’s probably right; Hermitcraft has always been pretty closed off from visitors. That doesn’t mean there can’t be exceptions, though.

“Maybe,” he agrees, trying to convey more hope than what Joel had had. He clears his throat. “Bdubs and I had to get a Warden out of here the other day.”

Joel laughs, any trace of disappointment or resignation gone. Etho smiles. Success. 

“What was a Warden doing in your base?”

“Impulse put it there!”

“Ah, I see. fWhip and Pixlriffs tried to do the same thing to me a few days ago. It didn’t go very well.”

“How so?”

“Well, it killed fWhip. And me, a few times. And then I killed Lizzie by accident. It was stuck underground, so they blew up part of my landscaping to get it out. And then we killed it.”

“Oh, nice.”

“What did you do with your Warden?”

“Dropped it down a hole,” Etho says. “It’s still down there, I think. I hear it grumbling every once and a while.”

“Well, that’s one way to do it. Have you tried a fishing rod on it? I tried it on mine, but I’m not sure it worked very well. I couldn’t really see, so.”

“I didn’t, no. Maybe if I want to bother Bdubs one day I’ll see if I can get it back up here. He’d probably kill me, though.”

“Eh. Just kill him first,” Joel points out. “Have the Warden do it for you.”

Etho laughs. “Sure, man. What if he kicks me out? I’d have nowhere to go, it would be so bad.”

Joel scoffs. Etho can perfectly imagine the eye roll that goes with it. “He wouldn’t do that. Are you serious?”

He smiles. “No, I know he wouldn’t.”

The conversation lulls again. Etho is about to say something else - he’s not even sure what, just that he doesn’t want the call to be over yet - when Joel swears suddenly.

“Lizzie!” he shouts, voice distant like he’s away from his comm. “Why are you up here? Stop shooting me!”

Lizzie says something too indistinct for Etho to decipher. Joel groans.

“Sorry, Etho,” he says. “I’ve got to go, Lizzie’s threatening to trample my crops again. Look, I’ll talk to fWhip in a bit and see what he says, okay?”

“Okay,” Etho agrees, ignoring the pang of disappointment in his chest. It’s not like Joel’s leaving forever, he reminds himself; they can still text whenever they want, and they are actively making plans for Etho to visit him. “Say hello to Lizzie for me.”

“You can tell her yourself, she’s right here. Hey!”

Etho pulls the comm away from his ear with a slight grimace as there’s a scuffle.

“Hello!” Lizzie says.

“Hi."

“Joel says goodbye,” she tells him. “I’m going to go steal his comm now. Where should I hide it?”

There’s a distant shout of protest from Joel. Etho laughs.

“I dunno,” he muses. “Maybe somewhere small where he can’t reach. Since he’s so...big and strong, or whatever.”

She snorts. “Oh, is that what he’s telling you? Right. I’ll go do that now. Thanks for the idea!”

The call disconnects. Etho sets his comm down, unable and unwilling to fight a smile. It was nice, getting to talk to Joel again.

Yeah, he’s totally gone soft. Bdubs is never going to let him hear the end of it.

#ethoslab #smallishbeans #boat boys #smalletho #aywth au #banana writes things #banana made a post

[eats-all-your-shoes]

pearlscott rant because i’m normal about them :3

okay so first i just wanna talk about like. the duo name thing i use for them, because i know eclipseduo is the “official” duo name but like that doesn’t seem right because i don’t see them as completely platonic because they are exes, but they are definitely also not dating/romantic at all but like it’s so not just duo? so i use pearlscott as like just an alternative duo name type thing for them!

OKAY TALKY TIME!! i’ve said this before but the entirety of the divorce quartet is so interesting but i love pearlscott so much it’s just AAAAA!! after scott leaves pearl she might have been slightly okay, just by looking at the way she was joking about it in the first episode, but then martyn leaves her and she’s left completely alone in a new series, and if we add some watcher angst to that it makes it worse for her.

their dynamic is so bad that it’s good, pearl’s angry at scott but will also take any chance she gets to come back and try and be with him (breaking into his house and building on scott’s and cleo’s bridge) she wants him dead but also desperately wants him back, it’s raw and crazy and loud and everyone can tell she’s going insane over it.

scott on the other hand just wants her gone, she doesn’t matter to him anymore, he just wants to live peacefully with cleo and let her leave him alone. he hates her too and it’s very obvious, but he’s less loud about it then pearl. it’s that petty hate that’s not bad enough to warrant that bad of a reaction but just enough to annoy pearl which makes it so much worse

like it’s just so interesting to think about how different each of their reactions are and how that just makes them so much worse when you put it together.

then there’s the fact that they were ally’s, hell friends, in last life but that doesn’t matter anymore, all that they had together was thrown out the window when scott met cleo and they realized pearl and martyn weren’t looking for them.

ALSOALSO!! Pearl was regarded as the “bringer of death” in double life due to a lot of people dying close to her (joel and etho with the fishing rods, bigb and ren with the enderman) and scott has the winners curse (always having an ally of his win the game) and that just seems like something cool to think about but i’m not the best with symbolism so someone else can use that.

another thing, pearl was so close to killing scott in ep3, he stole her music disc and she axe crit him multiple times bringing them below half health and almost killed him by punching him off the bridge aswell, and if it weren’t for someone stopping her i think she would have gone through with it. the blood on her hands and just letting out so much rage by killing him (and herself, but i don’t think she would care all that much).

She didn’t even have the chance to kill him when she won, event the ghosts were chanting for her to do it but she couldn’t because scott killed himself first. but then when she’s on the respawn screen when she wins she says something along the lines of “he sacrificed himself for me. i guess i do forgive him.” and that’s just AAAA. she hates scott, but winning is horrible and she understands why he would not want to do it again, but also he has forced her to take on the burden of winning by killing himself. they are so complicated it’s amazing.

#so uh #they are cool #pearlescentmoon #scott smajor #double life #double life smp #mcytblr #trafficblr #life series

[puer-aurea]

been thinking abt a fully fleshed out mercenary au since i posted that oneshot for sixth day of christmas so.... heres a drabble

jimmy and martyn are, ofc, human mercenaries who call themselves the big dogs so they can seem scarier than they really are. theyre mostly homeless theres a rumour abt a witch who lives in the woods and everyone thinks its lizzie but when they show up shes like "oh no thats scar!" and points to her very eccentric and flamboyant neighbor who lives across the river. scar looks NOTHING like a witch but when you go in, you come back out with exactly the potion you wanted, several others you didnt actually need, significanctly less money than what you went in with, and absolutely no memory of actually being inside and making the purchase. hes incredibly suspicious but godDAMN do his potions and crystals work well skizz owns a building plaza named the heart foundation where he rents out sections to people for their stores (yk like those buildings that are connected stores?? i really hope this makes sense). tango is his assistant as well as bigb but bigb is super weird and disappears a lot. tango was the one to suggest the coffee shop idea that martyn overheard. skizz is an angel and tango is an imp lizzie and scar own one of the spaces where they sell very normal things like farm produce and things that would usually be hard for the other members of the community to get like amethyst and food enchanted with elven magic. as well as very specific bones lizzie has found (no, she will NOT tell you where she got them, yes they are organic, she declines to answer if they are ethically sourced). scar is an elf which is why he's able to sell elven enchanted food. the roomies own one of the store spaces and mostly sell wool products but theyve started farming cotton in hopes of expanding their market. they live together on a farm with a fence covered in vines surrounding it so the animals can wander about sometimes. since they sell wool products, they have a lot of sheep, so when they need the sheep back in their pen they hire mercenaries to do it for them. cleo is the only zombie in the community and, while grian was mentioned as an avian in the oneshot, hes actually going to be a fae. everyone thinks etho is a human but he barely leaves home so cleo and grian are the only ones who know for sure whether or not he is gem is the girl who just moved in with the dream of starting a band. she ends up with an imp and an angel both named scott and they call themselves gem and the scotts. they rent one of skizz's spaces for a studio and gem lives in the apartment above it. impulse, scott the imp, lives in a cave, and scott the angel lives in a cottage on the edge of the woods (so not as far in as lizzie and scar) the mounders live in 4 big old creepy houses that look completely different on the inside than they do outside. its also a 'gated' community but they dont care enough to enforce it. mumbo and pearl are both vampires, bdubs is a fae, and joel is an elf. ren is also around to add more people to their little community even tho this uses the alliances made in secret life. he lives in a smaller house a little ways away from scott's cottage. he seems human enough but theres a rumor that he's a werewolf. no one really knows what bigb and lizzie are, scott even introduces them to gem as the 'suspicious weirdos' and cleo and grian joke that not even they know what they are.

#traffic life series #traffic smp #life series smp #trafficblr #secret life #secret life au #jimmy solidarity #solidaritygaming #inthelittlewood #the big dogs #big dogs #mumbo jumbo #pearlescentmoon #smallishbeans #bdoubleo100 #bdubs #ethoslab #grian #zombiecleo #the roomies #skizzleman #tango tek #bigbst4tz2 #heart foundation #geminitay #scott smajor #impulsesv #gem and the scotts #ldshadowlady #lizzie ldshadowlady

[theadventuresofalittlebug]

Hiii can I ask what ur Hermitcraft headcannons areee

This ended up wayyyy longer than anticipated so here we go

This is a pretty open request so I’m just gonna list random headcanons. I’m also assuming you meant agere so thats what I’m going to do here.

Who I headcanon as a regressor kinda changes depending on what I’m writing, for example in my short fic Hanging Stars, Zed doesn’t know Tango regresses until s9, but I typically imagine they both regress and have known for a while.

I think Tango regresses from 3-5 normally, and at that age is quite active and excitable, he can’t sit still and prefers to run around rather than sit. The one exception is watching cartoons, he will be glued to the screen and can easily watch for hours, so he needs someone around to keep him from wasting the whole day staring at a screen. Occasionally though he will regress younger, more like 1-2, typically when he is tired. in that case he is more nervous and would rather sleep cuddled up with his caregivers than go on adventures.

As I covered in a different post (Here) Zed is a baby regressor, I already talked about it in that post.

In the context where most of the server is open about their regression I think Grian always builds a huge room in his base as a play room for the littles! It has tons of toys, a cozy blanket nest for naps, and a little kitchen always stocked with easy snacks!

In s7 Joe’s dog catcher business actually involved him putting a bunch of dog stuffies around the shopping district, after all of that he gave one to every hermit, little or not.

Grian has the biggest collection of stuffed animals ever seen. Most are birds, but he has many others including a toy sheriff from empires, a cod, several cats including a Jellie from Scar, a stuffed corgi from Joe, and a llama (Scar has a matching one) 

Keralis is a flip I haven’t really thought about how he’d be when little, he is the best babysitter when hes big

He would always use cute nicknames with whoever hes caring for eg: baby, little one, some cute play on their name

Always making sure that his little is safe, constantly telling them to be careful so they don’t get hurt

Loves making his littles laugh, he makes lots of silly jokes, his favorite being to pretend he doesn’t know something suuuper obvious, so the little can tell him the answer while giggling at how silly he is

Grian loves trains when hes little, he has a play mat with super detailed roads and houses on it that he likes to play trains on.

Pearl’s favorite thing to do when little is play pretend, she isn’t super used to having a cg I think so she probably prefers to go on adventures and get into trouble with her stuffed animals! 

I think Impulse is a cg for both Team ZITS and the Soup Group, Zed and Tango care for each other if they aren’t little themselves, as do Gem and Pearl

When Tango and Zed are both little Tango loves to be Zed’s big brother, but he’s frequently too loud for Zed and accidentally scares him, so Impulse always has to keep a close eye on him.

I think Joe and Etho both regress but its not super obvious when they do, as they are both older regressors (Joe 8-9, Etho 12-13). The main signs that Joe is little is that he doesn’t use as complex of vocabulary, and he is more energetic. Etho spends most of his time alone when he’s regressed, typically either drawing or watching anime and reading manga or comics.

also thank you so much for asking! I love talking about my agere hcs sooo much!

#hermitcraft agere #sfw agere

[f0point5]

My (long) and hot take (maybe especially with some of the anons you’ve had so far 😬): people tend to forget that Max, due to his current position, has it a lot easier than most drivers when it comes to saying what he wants/thinks and not playing the pr game

He has already achieved the dream of winning a championship (3 times even) so the stakes are not as high as that goal is already checked off.

These wins also means he isn’t nearly as reliant on selling/marketing himself pr and sponsor wise as 1) it’s extremely unlikely for him to get fired or switch team anytime soon [where sponsors is a big deal on the negotiation table] and 2) that first place bring in a big paycheck and a lot of traction (securing the sponsors he already has)

The wins also gives him ethos, meaning whatever he says has credibility, rather than people seeing for instance critique as pettiness or bitterness due to lack of wins, talent etc.

And most importantly he’s the star driver of Red Bull. Like, he’s the driver they’ve played their cards on since hiring him at such a young age. He brings in insane amount of wins and records, which we know is the most important thing for Red Bull (more so than image). Helmut himself said that if max want’s to do less pr, they will simply make it happen because they don’t wanna lose him. In other words, they are not going to fire/harshly-reprimand/limit him or whatever for speaking his mind, even if they don’t necessarily approved what he’s saying or if he’s telling GP the car is shit on live tv.

And a lot of drivers don’t have that freedom. They have to seek out those extra sponsors. They have to dress up for that extra pr. They are in not allowed to publicly criticise their own team. They don’t have near as much political power/security to criticise the organisers/track/FIA and so on and so forth.

I can not stress enough that this is in no way max’s fault and I’m not trying to criticise him or say he doesn’t do any pr at all. I for one am glad that he’s in a position where he can and will speak his mind.

I simply think it’s unfair and a bit narrow minded for fans to not consider how unrealistic that is for many other drivers, and looking down on them for it, saying they are all pr, robots, boring, doesn’t have the courage to speak up whatever, when they are literal athletes who have dedicated their lives and sacrificed their childhood for this sport, and of course will do whatever it takes to not compromise that. (Another hot take: but maybe these pr robots is also just what you see because you don’t follow that/those drivers beyond what pops up namely because it is pr, unlike the more personal content you will see of your fav)

Like hate that the sport has come down to so much pr, but don’t blame the drivers for trying to survive in it.

Tbh I think Max has built his brand around wanting to do as little media as possible, so the sponsors he gets are sponsors that want wins, not a show pony. Also, he has the kudos to build a brand on his on track reputation alone, unlike other drivers who are more reliant on off track appeal. Also, Max doesn’t seem to be very motivated by money so he probably says no to anything that requires too much from him.

And yeah Helmut did say they cut down PR at Max’s requests to keep him happy, as they should tbf there’s no point upsetting your golden goose in case it stops laying eggs 😂

But yeah I agree with you, most drivers are beholden to different obligations that Max either doesn’t have or doesn’t care about. And neither position is wrong.

[bloop-im-a-frog-now]

If The Gods Were Kind — village pt.2

Hehe, another part!!! The 4th one this time of the world-building extravaganza. Well, it is kinda essential, but at this point, I am feeling like I’m writing a whole novel. I’m sure it’s nothing. 

Enjoy!

Master Post

— —

Content warnings: none that I can see, though, tell me if that’s not the case!

Cleo came back to entertain Scar, making sure all the monsters were leaving them alone. Bdubs then joined them, muttering how he was a great team player and wouldn’t be in the way if they'd told him what to do. Scar didn’t inquire, knowing Impulse, Tango and Etho asked Bdubs to leave them alone, much to his friend's displeasure. 

After a while of sitting, killing zombies, evading creepers and slaying phantoms, the other three finally arrived with Scar’s new mobility aids. Scar grinned and waved them where they were. Cleo stood up and dragged Bdubs away from them as Impulse presented Scar the two new fancy canes. 

They weren’t really that much fancy from the cane Impulse made, but Scar still found them astonishing. It was two oak sticks, thick enough his thumb only landed at the first phalanx of his fingers, and smooth to the touch. Just like Tango explained, there were elbow holders at the higher end of the crutches, made out of leather and there was probably wool inside to make it more comfortable. 

Scar put his cane in his inventory and placed the crutches on each side, resting his forearms on the smooth leather and gripping the handles. He tested them, walking around, evading holes, while having a big grin on his face. It felt so amazing to have people who care about him and his safety and who are ready to help him in this mysterious world. He looked back at them, noting Impulse left them, and shot them a wide grin.

“Thanks guys.”

Cleo patted his shoulder. “Anytime.”

“Yeah, if you need something else, please tell us,” Bdubs encouraged, expression open and big smile. 

Tango nodded before going back to help Etho with the crops. 

It was easier for Scar to walk, and it didn’t strain his hips and his back as much as the cane did. Phantoms still swooped in, but it let him practice switching between his cane and crutches during combat. He was still clumsy and received a lot of stings from the phantoms’ tails, luckily, Cleo always stood by his side.

Eventually, Bdubs groaned and stomped angrily. 

“Will somebody chop down that tree?!” he cried. “For goodness’ sake.”

Scar sighed, laughing. “Fine, fine, I’m working on it.”

He leaned on his cane and swung his ax, creating a dent in the trunk, before Etho elbowed him. Scar stuttered in his steps, switching immediately to his crutches for balance, and gave Etho a mock offended look. The masked man ignored him and placed dirt around the tree to protect it. 

Impulse ran, almost bumping into Scar and Bdubs. “Nobody hang out with Martyn,” he panted. Scar wondered where Impulse wandered off to come back red in the face.

He quirked an eyebrow, while Bdubs laughed. Tango slayed a phantom and patted Impulse on the back. 

“Yeah, don’t worry, he got me too.” He almost sound disappointed.

Bdubs snorted. “Yeah, it’s like a five-year-old receiving a whoopee cushion for their birthday.”

Scar wheezed at the comment, shaking his head. “A whoopee cushion,” he laughed.

While they were laughing at Martyn’s prank and his determination to scare everyone, Etho let out a chuckle.

“There, it’s been claimed. This is a historical landmark, you will not get rid of it.” 

Tango laughed after reading the sign.

“Historical landmark?!” Bdubs exclaimed, eyes wide and furious.

“We can just get saplings from the leafs, you know that?” Cleo raised an eyebrow to Etho, who glared in response.

“No one touches a historical landmark.” He made sure to burn his green and red eyes on everyone. Scar wanted to run for his life. But he also felt annoyed. “If you do, it’s a declaration of war.”

Bdubs scoffed. “As if!”

Scar wanted to point out to Bdubs that he was scared of Scar because he thought he would kill them, but knowing the man’s short temper (and short height), he simply hummed a random melody to himself. Tango let out a yelp from the sheep’s pen and groaned.

“Why are they always against me? I slept in a bed!!”

Impulse circled the tree. “We might be here for a while.” Scar had no intentions of staying here. He sat on the edge of the wheat farm, not wanting to get in the way and to relax the strain on his shoulders. “You guys seemed all cozy here, even got a sheep farm.”

“Yep!” Tango beamed. “We’re gonna—”

Etho shushed him, smacking his arm. Tango let out an “ow” and looked back at the four nervously. 

“Nothing!” he squeaked. “Nothing at all, we’re gonna make nothing at all!” he laughed nervously, rubbing his arm. 

Bdubs squinted at them.

“Oh-ho-ho, forming alliances!” He harrumphed. “I see how it goes. We let you sleep in our home, even let you guys vibe with us—”

“Yeah, I thought that was a thing,” Impulse chimed in.

“Lack of gratitude, that’s what I’m seeing!”

Phantoms screeched over them. Cleo was clearly amused by Bdubs’ tantrum and went to help Tango and Etho kill those annoying creatures. Bdubs signaled Scar to huddle up with him, which he gladly did after ignoring the ache that spread from his arms to his shoulder blades. He rolled his shoulders back, ate a piece of fish and grabbed his crutches to join his friend. Impulse also came close and Bdubs gave them shifty glances.

“I feel like there might be a natural war—”

“Oi!” Cleo called, making Bdubs yell and jump. “I wanna be in your not super secret conspiracy.”

Etho gave them an unimpressed glance. “So subtle, you guys. Didn’t seem suspicious at all.” 

Tango laughed so hard, he clutched his stomach. Bdubs’ red face crunched in anger, and Scar had a lazy smile on his face as the short man yelled at them, “really, no respect around here”. 

“Yeah, nothing about natural wars around here,” grinned Tango.

Bdubs crossed his arms. “We were not talking about natural wars!”

Etho loomed over him. “So, what were you talking about, hm?”

Bdubs stammered and Impulse cut in. “S’mores!”

“Yes!” The timekeeper pointed a finger at Etho’s chest. “We were talking about s’mores, and now I’m hungry.”

As the group laughed, Scar looked at the tree again, leaning back on his crutches. It looked very flammable. And it would piss off Etho, not that he wanted to declare war on the man. It was all in good fun, and he would still have contributed to raiding the village, just like he first planned. He glanced at Bdubs, who was still arguing, backed up by Impulse. Dawn was finally upon them, with the leave of the ginormous evil manta rays. The village was at peace at last. He smirked.

“Does anybody have a flint and steel?” he asked innocently, genuinely curious.

“Um,” Bdubs and Impulse both looked in their inventory. “No, sorry.”

Etho’s eyes widened. “Don’t you torch our village, Scar,” he warned.

“I wasn’t gonna, I was just asking,” he shrugged, trying to suppress the laughter in his voice to no avail.

Tango chuckled nervously. “Wouldn’t want the last villager to lose his home.”

Impulse sneaked past him, shoving something in his hand. It was the rough structure of a flint and steel. “Nah, it’s surely not for that.”

Etho collected some wheat, and looked beyond the village. “We were thinking about making this place more homely.”

“I think the holes make it very homely,” Cleo commented sarcastically.

“More like burning the tree down.”

At Bdubs’ mutter, Scar lighted the flint and steel, creating a flame that latched onto the tree. He snickered. He hid the flint in his inventory, a big grin on his face, even with the throbbing ache that became more prominent in his shoulders. He switched to his cane in order to put less tension on his upper body and joined Cleo and Bdubs gazing at the burning tree with mesmerized eyes.

“Uh oh,” Tango mused.

“Oh, he went there. He went there,” Cleo nodded solemnly. Scar could see her cheeky smirk.

“Oh no,” Impulse grinned.

“Etho!”

Seeing Tango and Etho struggling to die out the flames brought great amusement to Scar. He should burn things down more often. It felt great, this bubbling feeling that made his grin wider. He would cherish this new sensation, but he knew it stemmed from frustration. Not anger, no, why would he be angry? They were fighting over a tree, a dark oak tree. This was clearly fun and games. And he would add insult to injury.

“We gave them sustenance,” he started, talking with his free hand, “let them vibe with us, gave them great hospitality, and this is the thanks we get?”

“Thank you, Scar!” Bdubs exclaimed and huffed, hands on his hips.

“I feel like we felt we weren’t invited unlike when we invited you to our place,” Impulse tested the water between the two groups.

“We didn’t invite you,” Tango grumbled as he dug the cobblestone tower he made. Scar noticed even if the blazeborn sounded mad, his voice still left a cheer behind each word, as if this man was forever laughing.

“We didn’t kick you out,” Etho pointed out. “We just asked you not to steal our tree and here you are, burning it down—”

Scar snickered. 

“You immediately thought the worst of us,” Impulse chided, shaking his head.

Cleo sighed. “C’mon boys, this place clearly sucks. Let’s go find another one.”

“Yeah, we don’t want your stinky village,” Bdubs taunted.

As the group left the village, Scar lit up a few houses, just for the fun of it and because it was easier to light them without needing to hold his crutch. He couldn’t be more delighted to see such pain in Tango’s and Etho’s faces. He heard the masked man calling them invaders, raiders, but that was the least of his worries. 

He tried to catch up with the others, switching his cane to his crutches, but the iron armor made it harder for him to use his arms without the constant ache and soreness of his shoulders and upper arms. It became heavier and cumbersome, and Scar just wanted to take it off. He was then reminded of the zombie and skeleton encounter and decided to keep it on and push through the ache.

<- Prev _ Master Post _ Next ->

#hehe i love dialog #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #scar #zombiecleo #impulsesv #bdubs #bdoubleo #ethoslab #etho #tango tek #third life #3rd life smp #trafficblr #bloop's attention seeking strategy

[skystarry75]

Life SMP Series 3 Divorcees

Spoilers for the first session, if you don’t know, the divorcees are Scott, Cleo, Pearl and Martyn. Why? Well...

Martyn and Pearl spent most of the first session together, doing things that Scott and Cleo deemed overly dangerous and generally not good ideas. They went into the nether, fought blazes, and got set on fire a bunch. Scott and Cleo were not happy about that, eating quite a lot of food just to keep their health up.

So, Scott and Cleo decided that their soulmates are not worth it, and have ditched them for each other. Martyn then ditched Pearl, meaning we currently have 5 soulmate pairs, 1 chosen pair, and 2 solo players who’s soulmates don’t want to be with them. 

Thing is, it does give them an advantage. Partnering with someone who isn’t your soulmate means 2 things! 1. You basically have twice as much health as a soulmate duo attacking, since you don’t share hearts and they do. 2. If your soulmate isn’t in the fight, they can instead focus on eating and healing, and even potentially sending reinforcements to assist if it seems to be going badly.

The only disadvantage is that the loyalty won’t last. One will go red first or die, and only one soulmate pair can survive. Soulmates may share health, but can deal twice as much damage as a solo player, so the betrayal will likely kill the solo player, thus killing their soulmates. The last few episodes will probably be full of panic and problems for those who chose to be apart from their soulmates. 

Best case scenario for the solo- Those separated betray first with traps, taking their group down and then joining up with their soulmate. If the soulmate still won’t accept it, make a small watch-tower nearby and help defend them from their enemies. The begrudging soulmate may not like it, but it’s not like they can kill you without killing themselves.

My guess as to how things are gonna go now? Martyn’s gonna find Ren and BigB, joining them and effectively remaking the shadow alliance from Last Life (minus Lizzie who isn’t playing) or do what I think Pearl will do. Which is probably that she’s gonna tell someone her sob story and end up teaming with another duo. They then can’t really touch the other Divorcees for the purpose of making sure Pearl isn’t killed off too early. That extra set of hands and health is useful.

As for the other teams, if Pearl or Martyn joined-

Grian would probably be ecstatic to have someone else to help him babysit Scar and help build a nice home. Most likely Pearl, since she knows both of them quite well already, and would definitely be someone that Grian trusts to build a home, keep the group on track, and help prevent Scar dying.

If Etho and Joel hear about their woes, they may decide to bring one in, if only as a way to ensure the other Divorcees co-operation, and maybe the advantage of having someone not bound to another in the group.

If Tango and Jimmy take them in, it will be 90% for the woe-is-me story and a general “we losers gotta stick together!” vibe. If Pearl joins them, she’s probably gonna end up doing at least 70% of the building.

If Ren and BigB take one in, and it would probably be Martyn, they’d probably be chill about it. Well, except that Scott and Cleo are their nearest neighbors. That may not go down well with Cleo especially if it’s Martyn.

I’m not sure if Impulse and Bdubs would actually take one in, since both now have horns, and Impulse has become really annoyed by them. Still, they’re nice enough they might just take pity on one of them if they hear the story, especially if it’s Pearl who got rejected by her soulmate and ditched by the person she spent the first episode with.

Of note, almost everyone appears to have clustered fairly close in one corner. Like, if Pearl or Martyn wanted to go at it alone they could try to build something in the opposite corner and rarely be bothered. They’d just need to be careful because they’d be easy targets, and being that far away from your soulmate means it’s harder to get reinforcements.

#double life smp #zombiecleo #smajor1995 #pearlescentmoon #inthelittlewood

[minehog]

if hermitcraft had cars for some reason

brought to you by a car nut

bdubs’ car is a POS. he loves it to death but it fucking sucks. he got it secondhand from some punk writing it off, ““fixed”“ it and now it barely beats walkin’. She’s got rust holes and leaks and the seats smell so strongly of weed he’d be taken in for dealing if hermitcraft had cops. He also doesn’t understand the limitations of his own car, he thinks it goes fast and every time the fuel gauge dings he tells her to calm down. Somehow he’s never crashed and Somehow (possibly through sheer cartoon force of will) it’s never failed him. I think he’d own a v8 commodore sedan or something similar, and he estimates his boot space with how many bodies can fit in there (a lot).

there’s nothing technically wrong with etho’s car it’s just really old. It was made in the awkward era where no one really knew how to make cars but they were trying their best. He bought it new, learnt how to care for vehicles and has kept it in good nick. Every time he goes out he has to crank the engine to prime it even though he’s rebuilt the damn thing to keep up with the latest technology. (it’s an Etho job, so who knows how that thing works.) he doesn’t remember what model it is and he took all the branding off it so he wasn’t advertising for free. it still has a cassette player.

doc has an R32 GTR that he spent ten years hunting for. It has a candied green apple paint with a custom insignia (the G.O.A.T. symbol) on the hood and he’s only had to get the shocks replaced on it. This is what he tells literally everyone that asks about his car because goddamn is that a nice piece of metal and he knows it. Despite this he drives like an old grandma and is overly cautious about fuel consumption. he mostly uses it for long trips and prefers walking. has a custom-made screw on muffler in the boot that he puts on in crowded areas and takes off on the open road. He also has a second car he’s building from scratch to be “more G.O.A.T.-like”, whatever that means. beef has a jeep :) and on the outside it looks like any normal car to ever exist. But this mfer can Go and boy howdy does he make it Go! Full new engine and only a 25% chance of catching fire next time he starts it! He likes it a lot because it makes going between hermitcraft and his other worlds comfortable and simple. he’s not very good at parking but he can drive offroad excellently after so much practice. and yes he knows the jokes. he has bumper stickers (custom made) all over it. he calls it the jeef. beef’s jeefs.

mumbo owns a car, maybe? honestly he isnt too sure these days. He knows he got one at some point and he thinks it looked like Grian’s one (he remembers buying it because it had funny flip-up headlights like Grian’s does.) it doesn’t really matter because he also owns a motorcycle (hayabusa) and he can just borrow someone else’s car if he needs to.

Grian stole mumbo’s car. he didn’t really mean to but it’s not like mumbo was using it and Grian likes it. It has cute little flippy headlights and everything! (its an MR2, painted blue and then badly repainted red after grian stole it. he keeps adding paint to try to make it look better but it just isnt working) Iskall has a hoverbike. no one is quite sure how they have a hoverbike but they’re all jealous. i dont have much more to say except im also jealous

zedaph has a DeLorean! he’s not sure if it’s A DeLorean or if it’s The DeLorean. it’s surprisingly difficult to tell if you’ve traveled back in time when you move worlds so quickly. he likes the beep boop noises it makes though.

tango has a 240SX hatch. he got it for the flippy headlights and then realised mumbo and possibly grian also had a car with flippy headlights. then he decided he was gonna own the headlights and now the car has 75% more flipflops, beepboops and doodads than before, and also drives fast enough to kill god. it has flame decals.

xisuma drives a vauxhall chevette and it’s so small he has to bend in half to fit in it. (this is literal. look it up. they are so fucking small.) everyone on the server makes fun of him for having such a small car but he likes it. also if he has trouble parking (because he can’t move to see over his shoulder) he can just pick it up and move it himself. he thinks it’s kindof like a puppy and he’d be very upset if he had to get a new vehicle (because he’d be favouring one over the other then)

evil x drives xisuma’s car but every time he does he puts a skull sticker on the windscreen. it fits them much better but they wish the seat covers weren’t floral print.

scar’s car? you all saw season eight

TFC has a WB ute, with sun visor. it’s a reliable car and it does its job. he’s not much of a car guy. most of it’s white but the hood is sunfaded blue and one of the doors is highlighter yellow (seriously, who painted a car that colour?) from incidents.

Impulse has a mustang. everyone pretends they don’t really care but he knows better. he put a muffler on it and abides “speeding laws”, thereby completely ruining the entire point of getting a mustang.

cub has a sandman ute. he likes it. he wouldn’t get another car. he’s one of the few hermits that actually waxes their car instead of wondering why it gets so dirty so often. he only really uses it to go surfing or offworld driving, and a lot of the other time it has a special spot safe in one of Scar’s swaggons. hes also one of few hermits that puts their car in a garage instead of wondering why it gets so dirty so often.

#hermitcraft #text #it feels so fuckin awkward tagging all these tbh #also if anyone wants clarification on cars / the thoughts behind this hmu i have many more thoughts than whats on here #bdouble0100 #ethoslab #docm77 #vintagebeef #mumbo jumbo #grian #iskall85 #zedaphplays #tangotek #xisumavoid #goodtimeswithscar #tinfoilchef #impulseSV #cubfan135 #post

[tyrannosaurus-trainwreck]

The one thing I don’t really understand about the whole Joss Whedon thing is takes like this:

The community’s sense of shock and betrayal could be seen in part as an indictment of the culture of fandom itself. “As fans, we have a bad habit of deifying those whose work we respect,” Kurtz, the comic-book artist, told me. “When you build these people up so big they have nowhere to go but down, I don’t know why we’re surprised when they turn out to be fallible humans who fall.” (from the Vulture article making the rounds)

Literally all Whedon had to do was produce the work he produced and be an okay dude.  That was it.  This is not some unscalable peak, some unfordable river, some impossible dream. 

Like, yes, please, by all means stop acting like an artist’s output is any indicator of their personal worth, their personal morality, whether or not they’re a decent person, etc.  There’s not actually any kind of correlation between the two, it’s a bad idea in general, there’s no real upside to it, blah blah blah.

But can we, for the love of all things holy and un-, not then turn around and act like “Don’t be an active shitheel” is an unreachable standard of behavior?  Can we save the “fallible human” speeches for shit like needing to go to rehab, or having an affair with a costar and getting divorced, or handling your money so badly that you do a lot of shitty projects because you need the dough, or being Perfectionist McGee to the point where it makes you kind of difficult to work with, or putting your career ahead of your family? Notably: things that tend to blow over quickly in terms of needing the “fallible human” speech, since the reasonable fans settle down post-revelation and the unreasonable ones burn their swag and move on to their next idol.

Whedon could be described as going down--in a very gentle, controlled descent toward a very soft landing on a very high plateau--prior to it becoming extremely common knowledge that he’s a raging asshole, but it was largely because he hadn’t updated his writing in two decades and people were getting tired of seeing the same things out of every new Whedon project even as the cultural milieu drifted farther away from anything that gave those things relevance. 

People got less and less forgiving of certain tropes Whedon leaned on as they aged poorly, sure, but he still enjoyed broad acceptance as a ‘90s dude-feminist who’d done groundbreaking work and then gotten lazy.  It wasn’t even that inexplicable, given the slacker ethos popularized just as he was starting to take off--one of the primary benefits of Making It was supposed to be that you could do what you were interested in doing with people who were more friends than coworkers and still get paid. (Further illustrating the concept: 90% of Adam Sandler’s filmography, practically everything directed by Kevin Smith since 1997.)  And probably most people would have said that his feminism seemed sincere, if shallow and dated.

All that would have been required to maintain that whole perception was, again, to not be an active shitheel. 

Especially at the level he hit after Buffy was a huge and obvious success, where if you have relatively decent intentions, you don’t even have to be like “Wow, my interpersonal skills in this regard are subpar, I should work on that!” You can just hire people to handle stuff you’re not great at. “People get upset when I forget their birthdays, I’m shit at remembering birthdays, somebody place an ad for a PA to remember birthdays for me.” is a perfectly acceptable move for a rockstar showrunner to make--but it does require you to care that people are getting upset and want them to be happy instead.

Practically none of the stories that gained any traction were of the “he could be a thoughtless dick” or “he was an exacting director” stripe, though.  The stuff that stood out to people--the stuff they’ve been putting on social media and telling reporters about--has all been about incidents where he was really clearly out to hurt someone.  Because they disappointed him, because he could, as a warning to everyone else in the room, whatever, everyone’s on the same page that it was done deliberately.

See also, sleeping around.  Would literally anyone have ever cared about who he had consensual sex with if he’d a) not been married to someone to whom he’d promised monogamy and b) excluded employees and teenagers?  Probably not!  And that’s still an absolutely enormous pool of potential sex partners!  But you do have to want a lot of sex with hot women instead of wanting to emotionally abuse hot women willing to have sex with you.

The bar is just so goddamn low.  Trotting out the fallible-human thing when people tunnel under it really doesn’t help.

[refuge-au]

>Open the Doctor’s File

Doc: Receive an Invitation

The conference room was small and sparsely decorated, little more than a round table and a handful of chairs in an empty room. The walls were bare, the table empty, and the window that looked out into the hallways covered by blinds.

The window that looked out onto the street, to the east, may as well have been covered too. The only thing visible when you looked out was the greyish hue of smog.

Doc sat in the chair closest to the door on the east side of the table. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his feet were up on the table. He knew his attempt at nonchalance wasn’t fooling anybody, but it didn’t hurt to try.

Etho sat to his right, leaned over the table and absently spinning a rubix cube in his hands. Every so often he’d scramble it and then solve it quickly afterward, seeming slightly disappointed. His left eye was covered in a plain black eyepatch that wasn’t quite big enough to cover the extent of the scarring.

Bdubs sat on Etho’s other side, the drumming of his fingers on the table and the way his eyes flickered from one side of the room to the other every couple of seconds the only things betraying the amount of nervous energy contained inside him.

Beef sat in the last chair on their side of the table, staring at the covered interior window as if he could see through the blinds and into the hallways behind it. His face was expressionless, apparently lost in thought.

No one spoke.

It was the kind of silence they had sat in many times before- part comfort, of being around people who know you better than almost anyone else in the world, and part anxious anticipation. None of them knew exactly what was going to come next.

They had been contacted individually a week or two ago, letters that had no return address slipped under doors or through mail slots. What usually would have been some sort of threat or insult turned out to be a job interview opportunity.

Come to a certain building two weeks from now, the letters read. Tell the receptionist that you’re looking for refuge. Someone will be in to see you shortly.

The most paranoid of the group (Beef) had found out that it was sent by some sort of government official or organization before he contacted the rest of the group to see if they had received the same summons. After a brief discussion, a decision was reached. They would hear out whoever wanted to talk to them.

If things went down badly… as long as they were together they would be able to fight their way out.

Most of the invitation had been true. They found the correct address, and were taken to a room when they asked for refuge… but the person that they were waiting for had not come shortly. It felt like they had been waiting for an eternity- even though his internal clock told him it had only been about twenty minutes.

Ten more minutes, he decided, and then he would leave. If whoever the hell wanted to talk to them was going to be late, they should have told the receptionist to tell them or something. It was basic human decency- although admittedly that did seem to be in short supply these days.

The door handle turned with a click, and four pairs of eyes locked onto it immediately. There was a moment of nothing, and then the door swung open, letting a relatively tall brunette man into the room.

His hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, all brown except for a single streak of white from a large x-shaped scar that stretched across most of his face. It was an old scar, very faded, the chunks of white in his hair and his beard some of the only things left to prove that it was there.

He looked slightly winded as he smiled, shutting the door behind him. “Hello, gentlemen. Sorry about the wait. There was a bit of a… conflict. Downstairs, and I ended up having to sort it out.”

He walked over to the table pulling off his gloves and unwrapping his respirator from around his neck before sitting down across from Etho and folding his hands together. “So. You all actually came.”

“Did you expect us not to?” Beef asked, eyeing him warily, apparently not recognizing him.

“Of course not! A government official contacting you out of nowhere, asking you to come and meet them? The fact that you have enough faith in humanity to come here, despite everything, without knowing anything about why you’re being asked here… it’s amazing.” He grinned.

“Amazing is one word for it, sure.” Bdubs said, leaning forward in his chair. “But uh, who are you, and why exactly are we here?”

“If you’re going to try to kill us, we’ll give you a thirty second head start.” Doc added dryly. “But no more than that.”

The man chuckled. “We’re not trying to kill you, we’re trying to offer you a job.”

A job?

Before Doc could express his hesitation, the man continued, putting a hand to his chest:

“My name is Xisuma Void, Captain Void to most people, but you can call me X. I’m putting together a crew.”

“Like a boat crew?” Bdubs asked, brow furrowing slightly.

“A spaceship crew. I’ve been given a mission- go to uncharted territory, chart it, and start a colony on a planet outside the solar system.” He extended his hands in front of him, gesturing to the team. “I’d like you to come with me.”

For a moment, there was silence.

“…What’s the catch?” Etho asked slowly.

“Catch?” Xisuma asked.

“We’re not from here.” Etho said, and Beef chuckled. “There’s always a catch.”

Xisuma shook his head slowly. “I don’t think… well… how about I just tell you what the job would entail before we decide if there’s a catch or not?”

Doc looked across the table to the others. Bdubs nodded, Beef shrugged, and Etho set down the rubix cube for the first time since he had gotten into the room. X took that as permission to continue.

“Do you remember all those stories in the news about the government funneling money into a secret project?” X asked.

“And everybody was worried that it was gonna be another war.” Bdubs said. “We remember.”

“They were building a ship for this mission. It’s been in progress for years now, but they’ve ramped up construction in the past several months. The ship will be fully built in three months, and the mission will begin no sooner than six months from now.” Xisuma stood, either ignoring or not noticing the way that the rest of the group tensed when he moved, and began to pace up and down the length of the table. “The ship- the Refuge- will exit the solar system in about one and a half years, and then it’ll be four and a half to eight and a half years til we reach Haven.”

“Haven?” Doc interjected. “That’s the planet?”

X nodded.

“Bit on the nose, don’t you think?” Bdubs asked.

X shrugged, not pausing in his pacing. “I wasn’t the one that named it.”

“So what do you want us to do?” Beef asked. “None of us have ever been to space before. Sure, Etho may have been… built for it, but…”

“You don’t have to worry about the space stuff.” X said, stopping and leaning on the back of the chair he had been sitting in. “Just the landing part of the mission. The way that this is set up, there are two smaller groups within the crew as a whole- the ship crew and the colony crew. While the ship crew will transition into being a part of the colony crew once we land, the colony crew doesn’t have to be a part ship crew. It’s unnecessary, and most of the crew mates don’t have essential skills for the trip.”

“So what does the colony crew do during the flight?” Beef asked, his brow furrowed.

“Sleep.” X responded. “We have two cryogeneticists on the crew that will be maintaining and caring for frozen personnel and assets.”

“Which one would we be?” Doc asked.

X looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t know whether the question was a joke or not. “Personnel… in total, if you decide to take me up on the offer, we’ll have nine people frozen out of a crew of thirty six. Most of the ship can be run mechanically, but we still need the ship crew to oversee everything.”

“And what would we be doing when we get planet-side? What’s our actual job going to be?” Bdubs asked.

“Building, scouting surrounding areas, neutralizing any potential threats, whatever needs to be done, really.” X sighed. “Unfortunately, since a mission like this has never been attempted before, I can’t tell you exactly what we’re going to need you to do. If you accept, I can give you the paperwork that runs through several potential scenarios, but… there’s a lot that we just don’t know.”

“I’m not going to ask you to sign on immediately, but I’d like your responses as soon as possible.” X concluded. “There’s a packet with the receptionist downstairs that has more information-“

“I’ll do it.” Bdubs said, cutting him off.

X blinked. “What?”

“I’ll do it.” He repeated, leaning back in his chair. “It sounds exciting, it’s a chance to travel somewhere without risking being carsick, it’s getting away from everything that’s going on here… and we’re probably not gonna get another chance at this for at least six years, right?”

X nodded.

“I can’t speak for the guys, obviously, but you’ve got one.”

“I’m in too.” Doc decided, taking his feet off the table and sitting up straight. “There’s not a whole hell of a lot for me to do here, not many people that want me here, and somebody’s gotta make sure you don’t get yourself killed.” He said, pointing a vaguel accusatory finger at Bdubs, who rolled his eyes. “I still want the packet, but I’m in.”

X grinned. “Wonderful! And… I suppose, do you want to make your decision now too?” He turned his attention to Beef and Etho.

“I’ll agree… but I reserve the right to change my mind if we start getting ready and things seem off.” Etho said, picking his rubix cube back up and spinning it on its corner. “I may have been made for space travel, but they kept me grounded for a reason.”

“I agree with Etho, minus the spaceman bit.” Beef said. “Also, can we have your phone number, or some way to contact you?”

Xisuma’s grin turned into a softer, warmer smile. “Everything that you’ll need is going to be in the packets. Welcome to the team, gentlemen.”

Computer: Input Command: Show Available Files:

> Open the Pilot’s File

> Open the Doctor’s File (New)

> Continue

#the peril the wind sings to in the wires // doc #doc #etho #bdubs #beef #xisuma #long post ((read more to be added later)) #refuge au #refuge arg #hermitcraft refuge arg #hermitcraft refuge au #hermitcraft au #refuge update #hermitcraft arg #command input needed #NHO #prologue

[hmshermitcraft]

(Final part of Beeftho High School Reunion headcanon. Thanks for the reminder to write it!)

(Oops it got long. Sorry!)

The moon had past its peak and started falling towards the western horizon. The music faded as old friends said their goodbyes, heading their separate ways into the night.

"Well, uh, that was fun," said Etho, feeling unusually light and bubbly from the open bar.

"Thanks for coming with me," said Beef. "That was a lot less painful than I was expecting."

"You weren't even the only bachelor," said Etho, elbowing Beef in the ribs.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Beef with mock snobbery.

Etho chuckled.

The stars sparkled overhead as the two of them made their way back to their motel through the crisp night air. Their breath fogged in front of them as their boots crunched through the frosted grass that bordered the street.

"Hey Beefers?" asked Etho, kicking at the fallen leaves as he walked. "Have you ever thought about partnering with somebody for real?"

"Why would I need to?" replied Beef, sticking his hands further into his pockets. "I've got the Hermits. I've got the nHo. I've got Team Canada. What more could I possibly need?"

"I mean it could be nice for you," said Etho. "To have somebody who's there just for you and nobody else."

"Don't you go worrying about me," said Beef with a smile. "I'm very good at looking after myself."

"But what if it was me?" said Etho, pausing in the middle of the side walk.

"Huh?" said Beef, stopping to look back at Etho.

"Forget it," said Etho, shaking his head as he started up again. "I'm drunk."

Beef reached out to grab Etho's arm, stopping him before he could walk off.

"I said forget it," said Etho, face flushing with embarrassment as he tried to pull away. "I'm not thinking stra–"

Beef pulled Etho into a hug. His large, muscular arms, toned from years of building, wrapped themselves around Etho's lanky form. The smell of sweat mixed with the last whiffs of his aftershave, his scratchy beard tickling Etho's neck.

"Of course I want to be with you, you idiot," said Beef affectionately.

"Why?" asked Etho, standing stiffly in Beef's embrace.

Beef laughed. "Because I love spending time with you," he said. "I love working with you. I love hearing your weird stories. I love seeing how much you love your strange little projects, and I love it when you let me be a part of them."

"But you could have anyone you wanted," said Etho. "I'm not good at this stuff. Why would you want me?"

"Because I do, ok?" said Beef. "Now shut up and hug me back."

Etho obliged, relaxing into Beef's embrace as he wrapped his own arms around his back, gloveless fingers digging into Beef's soft hoodie. He burried his face into Beef's neck, breathing in his Beef-y scent.

Beef ran his fingers through Etho's hair, gently pulling through his messy locks. The younger man was so small in his arms, so unusually vulnerable. So unusually open and trusting. Beef pulled him closer as if to shield him from the world. He would not betray that trust.

Beef planted a kiss on Etho's temple. "Come on," he said gently. "We should get back to the motel. It's cold out here."

Etho groaned, reluctantly pulling away from Beef.

"I don't wanna go home," said Etho, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "I don't wanna go sleep and wake up and remember what a bad idea this is. I just wanna stay drunk and stupid."

Beef looped his arm through Etho's and started walking.

"Etho," said Beef. "As the people person of the pair of us, I can tell you it's not stupid."

Etho tilted his head onto Beef's shoulder, resting there in silence as they walked.

Finally, at long last, the motel came into view at the end of the street.

"Hey Beefers?" Etho asked hesitantly.

"What is it, Etho?" replied Beef.

"Can I do one last stupid thing?" said Etho.

Without waiting for a reply, Etho pulled down his mask, put a hand behind Beef's head, and pulled a surprised Beef forward into a kiss.

It was nice. It was warm, and soft, and caring. It was nervous but gentle. Just the two of them, alone in the stillness of the night, under the halo of a street lamp.

"Yeah that was stupid," Beef said as they broke apart.

Etho blushed, moving to put his mask back on.

"You know what else is stupid?" asked Beef, quickly putting a hand on Etho's.

Etho paused, looking up at Beef as Beef leaned back over. Beef let go of Etho's hand, raising his own hand to gently cup Etho's chin, pulling his face forward into another kiss.

This kiss was firmer, more sure of itself. It was more intentioned, but slowly fell apart as the pair succumbed to a mutual fit of giggles.

"What a night," said Beef, catching his breath as the giggles subsided.

"Thanks for inviting me," said Etho, smiling as he slipped his mask back over his face.

"Thank you for coming," Beef replied. "Anyway, we should actually get back to the motel now."

"Sleepy old man," teased Etho.

"You bet I am," said Beef. "But now I'm your sleepy old man. Ha! You're stuck with me now!"

Etho chuckled, looping his arm through Beef's as they headed back to their rooms.

(Fin)

"I'm not thinking stra–" yeah man you sure aren't

#hermitshipping #ask #etho tag #vintagebeef tag #beetho #theme: fake dating #alcohol tw

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Scattered AU Conclusion

To tie up the Scattered AU, I have written a short conclusion. I can't even express how much I've enjoyed working with all of you on this, and once again I have to say I've been absolutely blown away by the number of contributions there were. I am so happy that this idea was loved, and I hope all of you continue to take joy from it even after the official end of the event. Once again, thank you.

I tried to cover as many Hermits as I could here, but my energy ran out partway through. Feel free to add on an ending for anyone I've missed. Also, it's worth mentioning that this conclusion is not the only possible ending and does not overwrite any other endings submitted for the AU. This universe is a multi-branched thing, and the timeline of the story is flexible depending on what makes you happy. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this small effort to keep up with all your boundless creativity. 💙

After a long discussion, the Hermits decide to stay in the season 8 world instead of starting a new one. They will take this broken wreck of a place and turn it into something beautiful, just like they have every season. They will heal alongside the world they created, fixing what glitches remain as they support each other and make their best effort at recovery.

Impulse settles in the desert, with Tango and Zedaph close by him. The hot air stings his transformed body, but he is more than done with water for now. Maybe one day he will return to it - but not this season. For now, he keeps the air in his base humid, learns to build with sandstone, and invites his friends over often. Sometimes they talk about the things they all went through, but mostly, they just talk about all the normal things friends talk about. How their day went, what might be causing Tango's latest farm to malfunction, how Zed is going to pull off his next wild plan... they're just glad to have each other back. They're just happy to not have to be alone and afraid anymore.

Cleo is rezombified with the help of Joe, Stress, and False, as soon as they can manage it. Nobody really understands why she wants that, but no-one really needs to - it's her choice. It's what she needs to feel whole again. Seeming vital and normal to the outside world is not nearly as important to her as being herself is, and the others are glad to see her back to her former undead glory. Returned to her familiar form, she laughs and jokes in a way much more alive than she ever seemed when her heart was actually beating.

Jevin keeps every single axolotl he found on his and X's journey through the caves. His mind returned slowly back to normal after Xisuma fixed the plugins, and focusing on the adorable creatures helped him to control the lingering aggressive tendencies as he recovered. Now, when another Hermit seems to be having a hard time, he'll let them borrow an axolotl to take care of until they feel better. It helps to ground them and give them a sense of control, and reminds them all how lucky they are to be alive in this strange, updated world.

Scar struggled. For a long time after the events of the early season, he struggled. He claimed he could control this new level of Vex power, but more and more, he felt as though he was being subjected to it rather than using it. He could feel himself slipping more and more every day, and it scared him, so much that he couldn't even say anything...but the others noticed. Cub's own connection to the Vex told him that this wasn't a sustainable way for Scar to live. Together with Mumbo, he formed a plan. Using Mumbo's new Evoker power, they summoned the Vex that was controlling Scar and broke its hold. Scar is more vulnerable to deals with the Vex now, and it will be a long time before he can visit the End again without feeling weak, but he's more than happy to feel like himself again. Eventually, TFC talks him through his fear of the End - talking himself through his own fear in the process. He offers to go with Scar the first time he decides to return. Both of them find the obstacle more manageable with a friend.

Ren, Grian, and Doc find themselves drawn to each other even after things go back to "normal", not wanting to be alone again. In fact, many of the groups that formed in the more than a year since the world started remain intact. Whether for comfort or protection, or just sharing resources, the Hermits continue to rely on each other. That trio specifically has something new in common - with Grian's new foxlike features, they are all mob hybrids now. They share experiences and support each other, and they can often be found gathering around a fire to tell stories. None of them particularly fancies the cold anymore.

After all that they went through, nobody feels very strongly about banning Evil Xisuma again. His crimes are so far in the past by now, and it feels wrong to condemn him to a future of darkness and isolation when he's already gone through so much of that this season. He doesn't live on the server permanently, preferring to wander off and cause mischief elsewhere, but when he does visit Hermitcraft he stays with Hypno. They bond over a desire to stay on the outskirts and a persistent fear of flowers. They live in a base in the ocean, not a blossom in sight.

XB and Iskall live in the jungle, close enough to see each other but far enough so they don't feel pressured to talk. Both of them feel slightly guilty for getting separated in the desert, but neither of them want to be the first to apologize. Their conversation happens in stops and starts, not in one big rush - but they get there. Eventually, they get there.

Etho drifts. For what seems like an age after the glitches are fixed, he drifts. He talks to the Beetlejhost, sends messages through him sometimes, even manages to manifest in a way others can see occasionally - but that takes a lot of energy. Mostly, he just drifts. He hovers especially around Xisuma, who works for hours on fixing his code. The world can't be considered fixed until everyone is here. Nothing can be fully right until all of his Hermits are safe. It's the hardest admin challenge he's taken on yet, but it's worth it. When he gets to finally hug Etho again, it's worth it. When he brings him to the shopping district and presents him to the other Hermits with tired eyes and a grateful heart, here and real and alive again, it's worth it. It is more than worth it.

Nothing will ever be the same again. That much is obvious. Though the world was fixed and the season went on, the physical changes and emotional wounds are too lasting to be erased, no matter how much time goes by and how much the Hermits support each other. No matter what, the things they went through are unforgettable. Nothing will ever be the same again - but it doesn't need to be.

What is broken will heal back differently, what was changed will be adapted to. New things will be created, new habits will be formed, and for each new fear and trauma there will be a new kindness to match. It won't erase what happened, won't make the pain of the past any less real - but it will help. Healing is not a return to one's original state. Healing is progress. And, together, the Hermits are making progress.

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

And, there it is! The inbox will stay closed for another day after this (because I do occasionally need a break), and then it will be open again for regular Hermitcraft headcanons. If you have made any art or writing for the Scattered AU that hasn't been posted yet, please feel free to send that in too! Chances are if you just tagged this blog without sending me a link, it probably got lost in the flood of notifications.

#hcraft #hermitcraftheadcanons #hermitcraft #hermitblr #scattered au #mod shade

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Dogwarts Angst prompt: With so many out for his blood, Martyn needs power and protection so, what does he do? Mutiny, he slays his king in a way that gets him no suspicions and claims it was another faction (prob the desert given they have a gunpowder farm). Then, uses Ren as a martyr and symbol ("for our fallen king!") to gain the loyalty of the Red Army...HIS army...

this was so painful to write asdfghjkl not because it’s bad but bc i love loyal Martyn too much and the idea of him betraying Ren is horrible lol

...

It’s nearing sunset and Martyn and Ren are out for a walk near their base. Martyn is sweating a little; he has a plan and everything has to go just right or his life will be over. Ren has already asked a few questions but at least he seemed mostly satisfied with Martyn’s answers.

“You alright, there, Martyn?” says Ren after a while. “You seem to be looking around a lot.”

“Having a bounty on my head is making me a little nervous,” responds Martyn. “I love being wanted but it really makes a guy paranoid.”

Ren smiles sympathetically at him. “Understandable. I never thought-.”

“Wait!” Martyn gasps involuntarily, spotting the thin tripwire he set up, only just visible through the trees. “I-I think I see someone. Quickly!”

He takes off towards the trees, with Ren just behind him. Hopping over the tripwire, he hides behind another tree a few blocks away until he hears Ren yelp, “Martyn, I just tripped on something!”

Martyn immediately dashes for cover, leaving Ren behind.

The last thing he hears is Ren yelling his name, before the world explodes around him.

Luckily, Martyn is far enough away that the explosions only knock him lightly off his feet. Hurriedly getting back up, he rushes back the way he came, to find Ren lying in the centre of the large crater on his back, a small puddle of blood under his head.

Martyn kneels down beside Ren and cradles his head in his lap. Despite his plans, he can’t help feeling a twinge of guilt.

“M-Martyn…” coughs Ren, eyelids fluttering. “Wh…”

“I’m sorry, My Liege,” Martyn starts quietly, before abruptly changing what he was going to say. “I shouldn’t have left your side.”

“It’s okay,” Ren whispers, giving a weak smile, as he reaches up with a shaky hand to touch Martyn’s shoulder. “T-Take my crown. D-Dogwarts is yours, o-okay? Take c-care of it.”

Martyn nods as he carefully takes the crown from Ren. “Of course.”

Ren’s eyes slowly close for the final time and his body disappears.

Renthedog blew up

Martyn sits back on his ankles, allowing himself a minute to cry. He doesn’t hate his plan - he chose this path after all - but he does hate not being honest. He’d been planning to reveal his treachery to Ren just before he died but when it came down to it, he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t quite force himself to admit that he’d betrayed the man who gave him shelter, a purpose, and the position to be able to take control of arguably the most powerful alliance on the server.

He has made the decision to let Ren go to his grave believing that his dedicated friend was loyal to the end.

And now Martyn must live with that.

He stays there for a while, until he hears a distant voice yelling his name. It’s a friendly voice, so Martyn doesn’t move. This is his chance to start the performance of his life.

Sure enough, Skizz soon appears through the trees, followed closely by Etho. The two skid to a halt as they register the scene: Martyn kneeling in the crater with Ren’s crown in his lap.

“No!” Skizz gasps, rushing to Martyn’s side. “Oh no, are you okay?! What happened?!”

“I… The D-Desert Alliance must’ve trapped the area,” Martyn croaks, forcing himself to act shell-shocked. “I was stupid; I-I left Ren’s side to scout ahead. By the time I heard the TNT hissing, it was t-too late to save him.”

“Oh my god…” Skizz hugs Martyn tightly. “I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”

“N-No, I was far enough away from the explosion.” Martyn clutches the crown as if his life depends on it. “I… What do we do now…?”

“Now, you gotta take over as the red king,” Skizz says, exactly as Martyn hoped. “Ren gave you his crown, right? He wanted you to take over for him.”

Martyn clears his throat. “Yeah… you’re right. We have to avenge Ren.”

Skizz nods, his eyes flashing red. “They gotta pay for what they did to our king, Martyn. I need to make them pay.”

“Me too,” responds Martyn. “For Ren."

…

When they get back to Dogwarts, the sun has long since set. Martyn is standing on the altar, holding Ren’s sword. He can’t stop thinking about Ren, as he’s sure none of his team can. But he knows it’s for very different reasons.

“Hey,” says Skizz’s voice gently from behind him. “You should get some sleep. It’s been a rough day.”

Martyn nods slowly. “I know, I just… I’m a little nervous.”

Skizz moves to his side and places his hand on Martyn’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Martyn. You know we’ll all protect you, right? You’re our new king; we’ll protect you with our lives, no matter how many stupid bounties are on your head.”

“Thanks, Skizz. I appreciate that.” Martyn can’t quite manage a smile. “Get some sleep. We’re gonna attack the Desert Alliance tomorrow at dawn.”

“Really?” Skizz stares at him. “Do you have a plan?”

“I’ll address everyone properly first thing in the morning.”

“Okay. Night, buddy. I mean… My Liege.”

Martyn carefully watches Skizz go into the building, before heading out towards the gate. His plan is working better than he could have ever imagined. Nobody suspects him. The only person who would even have the capacity to suspect him is-.

“Hey, Martyn.”

Martyn freezes as he hears Etho’s voice. Turning slowly, he spots his ally leaning against the wall, arms folded. “Hi. You startled me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Etho’s expression is friendly but there’s something underneath, something that makes Martyn uneasy. “I just had a question for you, if that’s okay?”

Martyn turns fully to face Etho. “Shoot.”

“Did you see anyone around when you and Ren were out there, just before the trap went off?” Etho asks. “Anyone at all?”

This feels like a trap to Martyn. The easy thing to do would be to say yes, to tell Etho that he saw someone lurking around. But at the same time, maybe Etho is expecting him to say no. Either way, Martyn risks elevating Etho’s suspicions.

After taking a few seconds to think, he replies, “I thought I did, but I can’t be sure. That’s part of the reason I went ahead; I thought maybe someone was waiting to ambush us.”

“Right, I see.” Etho seems neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with his response. “So. An attack on the Desert Alliance at dawn, huh?”

Martyn nods, realising that Etho heard what he said to Skizz. “My reasoning is they’ll probably be expecting us to be weak and have to spend a few days to regroup after Ren’s loss. They won’t expect an immediate attack.”

“I see. That makes sense. I guess we’d better all get some rest, huh? Including you.”

“Yeah, I’ve just gotta do one thing before I turn in. But by all means, you go ahead.”

“I will,” Etho says. “Night, Martyn.”

“Night.”

Martyn watches Etho go back inside, before heading out to the grave Skizz made for Ren. He kneels in front of it and lays a flower on it.

“Sorry, Ren,” he murmurs. “There’s a new red king now.”

#3rd life smp #3rdlifesmp #inthelittlewood #rendog #vaunna’s requests