#vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

so we can all agree that the jacket on Jimmy's new skin looks like Scott's, right?

right.

here, enjoy some fresh angst based on that :)

...

“I’m sorry,” fWhip says softly. “He… He’s gone.”

Jimmy’s stomach lurches. He had been expecting to reunite with Scott after the climactic battle with his demonic sibling, not to find fWhip returning from the battlefield alone, holding Scott’s bloodstained sword in his hands. “Wh- What? What do you mean…?”

“He sacrificed himself to save us all from Xornoth.” fWhip’s face holds the weight of intense grief and guilt, confirming Jimmy’s worst fears. “I’m sorry.”

The world starts to sway around Jimmy and he staggers back a few steps. It’s taking all his strength and energy to not collapse to his knees or pass out. It feels like the weight of a thousand boulders is pressing down on him. He coughs as his chest constricts, restricting his breathing. He’s painfully aware of every sensation in his body as his mind fights to find a way to rationalise what he’s just heard.

Scott can’t be… gone. He can’t be dead. He just can’t be.

“Jimmy.”

Jimmy is faintly aware of fWhip’s comforting hand on his shoulder but he brushes it off and stumbles back a few more steps. He’s about to break down and for all of fWhip’s understanding and patience, he doesn’t want to be around people when it happens.

So he takes off into the air, activating rocket after rocket in quick succession until he has none left, trying to get as far away as he can. But he can feel the tears starting to fall, obscuring his vision. He can’t hold back his pain anymore.

Half-blind and on the verge of hyperventilating, Jimmy flies until he can’t fly anymore, landing more neatly than he ever has on a hard surface that clearly isn’t grass. Blinking to clear his vision, Jimmy realises with a jolt where he is.

Rivendell.

Somehow, Jimmy got here. Something inside him had caused him to subconsciously fly straight here.

Almost tripping over a loose stone brick in the pathway, Jimmy wanders up the hill and enters Scott’s house using the key Scott had given him all those months ago. He heads straight up to Scott’s bedroom but he only just manages to sit down on Scott’s bed before the pain overwhelms him and he curls up in a ball on the bed, hugging one of Scott’s jackets to him and sobbing into it, trying to cling on to the memories contained within it.

He cries and he cries until he has no tears left inside him.

…

Jimmy slowly opens his eyes. It takes him a while to realise that he is back in his own bed, with a note beside him. It says “found you at Scott’s and brought you home. i’m here for you, okay? don’t suffer alone. fWhip.”

Taking in a deep breath, Jimmy rubs his dry eyes. He must have fallen asleep.

After a moment, he gets up off his bed and heads to his wardrobe. After taking off his regal garb, he changes into casual trousers and a white t-shirt, unable to bring himself to pretend to be royalty any longer. This world will not last much longer anyway.

As he passes his bed, intending to start packing up, something catches his eye. Scott’s jacket, lying next to where Jimmy had just woken up. He must have been clutching it when fWhip brought him here.

After a moment, he picks it up and dusts it off. Something about it seems to call to him, as if Scott’s very spirit is near him right this moment.

So he puts it on.

He checks himself out in the mirror. Scott’s jacket suits him very well, despite looking slightly smaller on him as it was on Scott. It just seems to be the last missing piece of the puzzle that Jimmy didn’t realise was incomplete.

Finally, he lets himself give a small smile. The pain has not faded in the slightest, and Jimmy knows he will spend many many more nights crying himself to sleep. But he feels closer to Scott now. Knowing that Scott wore this jacket, loved this jacket, and now Jimmy is wearing this jacket. Something about it helps ease the pain even just a tiny bit.

Yeah.

This feels right.

#vaunna writes #solidaritygaming #smajor1995 #empires smp

[shadeswift99]

Hey Shade! o/

How does it feel to share a braincell when it comes to Vaunna’s fics? I mean like, part 2 to that was just, like, yeah. Know what I mean?

Hello there! It feels like

#thank you vaunna; very cool! *collapses in a wheezing pile of AAAAAAAAA* #YEAH IT WAS #IT WAS #i don't think my heart rate has calmed down yet #i didn't know i liked the uncertain/horror-y/very-big-chance-of-bad ending style until about a year ago #when i took a few stabs at writing it #and then i just read comfort stuff for a while but now for whatever reason it's #YEAH #YEAH THAT HITS #there's a VERY different and specific feel about that that is just so good right now to be #*me #horror in uncertainty is SO POWERFUL #and Vaunna does it SO WELL #not to mention the existential decay kind of feeling around all the glitches and the question of just being wiped from reality - #yeah I'm so glad we samebrained #i hope you too are feeling very #that's it just Very #i am Very #ask #shadespam99

[galaxygermdraws]

So. @theres-an-impulstor-among-us is writing a thing and I am so in love with the first chapter I uh. I drew this!! Idk if I’ll do one of these for every chapter but I HAD to draw one for this chapter because I read it and just. I had to. I had to I couldn’t not. It was just a clear image in my head, I had to draw it. So I did. Can’t wait to see where this fic goes, especially given it’s surrounding my favorite Hermit(yes. yes Zed is my favorite. I think it’s obvious but like openly admitting he is my favorite)

(Reblogs with tags/comments are appreciated. Also go give the fic a read and reblog it!! It’s really good!! Can’t wait to see where Vaunna takes this)

#hermitcraft #hermitblr #zedaphplays #evil xisuma #evil at the emporium #gift art #tw lightning #tw glowing eyes #tw bright colors #tw mind control #its implied mind control but shhhh #also ik the light was not this intense in the fic I just wanted to be dramatic #anyways vaunna if u reading this iM SO EXCITED FOR THIS #MY BELOVEDS IM H Y P E #I am. So excited #i mean ive been in an ex mood again recently bc of the fansong and im always in the mood for zit angst #BUT LIKE. MAN IM JUST IERHFIEFHERIUHERIUHEIRFHUEHU BOUNCING #germdraw #germ draws #everybody go read it plz

[funkily]

5, 11, 12? For the ask game :]

hello dear !! :DD

5. Show me your favorite under-appreciated fic; why do you wish it got more attention?

GOSH i cant pick just one ! ive narrowed it down to three that are less than or around 500 hits and thosell be under the cut heart

11. Do you have any writing rituals you do before (or during when) you write?

not particularly ? i mean i always need music to write but other than that ? when im at home i use a pillow to support my back in the shitty chair but i wouldnt really call that a ritual HVCFHHXFG

12. Where do you commonly find inspiration for your stories?

so my main inspiration (and i say this without embarrassment as ive learned its at least somewhat common) is the silly lil daydream scenarios i make up of characters before i go to bed . other than that , mainly canon itself , fan content (esp fics that i felt could go in a different direction) , and tropes + characters i like ! (and a lot of that last one)

okay fic timeee :DDD

Old and New Secrets- blueticked

honestly just a pretty solid s7 worm man fic !! im really fond of this one (and NOT just because i read it when i was on my initial evil x brainrot and it caused me to look more into hels) . in which worm man , evil x , and hels are personas their respective hermits have varying levels of awareness that they put on . does it make canonical sense ? no .

Not A Family- Vaunna

now , if youre looking for accurate and serious portrayals of the helsmits , this fic isnt necessarily for you but !! theyre not ooc in the bad way , theyre ooc in the selfindulgent fanon way that just makes ya smile (imo at least) . this fic really got more than a few laughs out of me . helsmits found family , 10/10 would reccomend .

to share the throne- orphan_account ( :( )

obligatory hermitshipping warning and surprise to no-one , its one of the fake dating fics . s7 scardubs to be exact !! this fic is genuinely so cute and im SO sad it got discontinued i mourn it everyday . just pining bdubs and oblivious scar who lost a bet godbless . very good characterization !!!!

#ask #my beloveds #ask game #fyi nook in case ur checking out those fics ..... only the first one is completed :(

[inarocky]

Have you read Stand For Nothing by InatelyCrow? Because ever since I read it, I can’t stop thinking about how that might be how your timeloop!Impulse will end up like.

You mean by Vaunna i believe =) I have read it! It's sooo good, the perfect villain arc for impulse.

I wish i could write such a ruthless Impulse.

#asks from the void

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Separated (cw loss of red life)

BdoubleO100 fell from a high place

Etho stands alone against the wither, clutching a weak sword and a battered shield. His head is spinning with the knowledge that Bdubs is red yet again, and he’s now all alone. He has to fight the wither on his own.

Muscles aching, Etho stumbles out of the way of another burst of skulls fired at him. He almost falls straight into one of the TNT holes, further crippling his balance. At this point, he’s ready to give up and run away to preserve his own life. The snow fort is lost.

As he lifts his shield to block another attack, he hears a voice somewhere above him. “Etho!”

Etho glances up to see a figure jumping down from the wall, clutching an enchanted diamond sword. “S-Scott?!”

Scott is immediately followed by Cleo and Ren, the latter of whom fires him a smile and says, “We’re here to help!”

Encouraged by the sight of three new people coming to his aid, Etho experiences a burst of strength and he throws all his might into the battle. Scott, Cleo, and Ren join in, and with the arrival of the reinforcements, the wither dies within seconds.

Etho scoops up the nether star and tucks it into his pocket, before straightening up. He tries to speak, to thank his rescuers, but the adrenaline is already wearing off and his knees buckle.

“Whoa, whoa!”

Cleo catches him and steadies him, allowing him to lean on her. Ren comes to Etho’s other side and supports him as well.

“Are you okay?” Scott asks concernedly.

“I…” Etho lets out a shaky breath. “I lost Bdubs.”

“He’s red, right?” says Scott. “Are you gonna give him a life?”

“I don’t know. I-I want him back, but… I don’t know if he really wants to be with me.”

Scott thinks for a moment. “What if you don’t make it easy for him? See how much he really wants it.”

“I…” Etho considers this. “Yeah. Good idea.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get moving,” says Cleo suddenly. “Do you have anywhere to go, Etho?”

Etho shakes his head. “No, I don’t. Not anywhere that’s safe. Tango and Bdubs know the ins and outs of the snow fort, and… most of it’s been destroyed anyway.”

“We’re going to take refuge at Ren’s stripmine,” Scott says. “You wanna come with us?”

Etho isn’t expecting this. “Really?”

“Yeah, you’re green and you’re alone. That makes you a target. Stick with us and we can protect you.”

“That- That would be great, actually. I’d really appreciate that.”

Scott smiles. “Then welcome to the group. Are you okay to walk?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

The group make their way up the hill. As they get to the top, Etho spots a figure in the valley to their left. “Bdubs!”

“Etho!” Bdubs’s voice echoes across the landscape. Etho can hear the sadness and fear in his voice. “Th- This server really doesn’t want us to be together, huh?”

Etho nods sadly. “Yeah. But I’m gonna give you a choice right here.”

Bdubs blinks, clearly not expecting Etho to be so nice. “A choice?”

“Kill a red name and I’ll give you a life.”

“Wh- What?!” yelps Bdubs.

“If you kill a red name, I’ll transfer a life to you,” Etho repeats. “Then we can be together again.”

Even from this distance, Etho can see a spark return to Bdubs’s eyes, as if he had been imbued with new hope. “Oh, I will! See you soon, Etho!”

Etho watches Bdubs bound off into the trees.

“Are you sure we can trust him to do that, Etho?” Scott asks.

“I’m sure,” replies Etho confidently. “Trust me, I know Bdubs. He wants to be back with me just as much as I want to be back with him. We’re gonna see a red death message in chat within minutes.”

Despite clearly being dubious, Scott doesn’t say anything else. He leads the group onward to the entrance to the stripmine, deepslate stairs descending down into the depths. The staircase comes out in the bottom of a ravine, which has been coated in an obsidian floor due to the lava.

As Etho is looking around, a death notification pops up on his communicator.

LDShadowLady fell from a high place

“He did it!” gasps Etho. “He actually did it!”

“Or it might be unrelated and he’s just gonna take credit for it,” Scott responds doubtfully.

“I- I don’t care, honestly. I just want him back.”

But as Etho is typing out the command to give his life, another death notification comes through, one that rocks his entire world.

BdoubleO100 was shot by Grian

Etho stares at the words on his screen. It can’t be real. It just can’t be. Bdubs can’t be gone, not when they were so close to being reunited again.

Finally, Etho’s legs give out and he drops to his knees, his communicator clattering to the ground beside him. He hangs his head, tears beginning to drip from his eyes.

This is all Etho’s fault; he should have know this would happen. He should never have told Bdubs to kill a red. If only he had transferred the life right away. Bdubs would still be here, with his high pitched indignant voice and his fluffy moss hoodie that Etho loves to stroke and his big adoring eyes. WHY did it have to be HIM…?

Ren kneels down next to him and gently rubs his back. “I’m so sorry, Etho,” he murmurs.

Cleo watches him from a safe distance, the slightest visible hint of sympathy on her face. “We have to keep moving.”

Etho weakly clears his throat. “Give me a minute.”

“Etho-.”

“I SAID GIVE ME A MINUTE!” Etho yells, his head snapping up. His eyes are full of emotion: anger and grief and hatred.

Cleo takes a step back in slight shock, before turning away. Ren quickly moves back as well, tearing his gaze away from Etho, while Scott stands rooted in place.

None of them have ever heard this level of emotion from Etho before.

Unbeknownst to them, someone is watching. Someone who cannot be seen or heard by the living.

“Etho, I’m so sorry,” Bdubs croaks, wishing he could hug his best friend. He can only kneel in front of him and place his ghostly hands roughly where Etho’s shoulders are. “I should’ve escaped better. I thought I could get away. I- I was just so scared… of never seeing you again. And now…”

His voice cracks.

“I just wish you could hear me…”

He breaks down in tears right in front of Etho, who can’t even see or hear him. They’re so close together, inches apart. And yet the distance between them is like a canyon: Bdubs can see Etho on the other side but he can’t get to him, and Etho can’t get to him either.

The last time Bdubs felt this alone, he was in that jungle. Alone, terrified, separated from everyone he has ever loved. Back then, though, he was sustained by the hope that Etho was on his way to save him. That thought kept him sane.

And Etho DID save him.

And then again in Last Life. Twice. Twice, he brought Bdubs back from red, kept him alive. Etho has always saved him, every time.

But Etho can’t save him this time.

#last life smp #last life spoilers #bdubs #etho #smajor1995 #zombiecleo #rendog #vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

The Beginning Of The End

Etho can hear Skizz and Tango yelling somewhere above him but he's not concentrating on their words. All he's focused on is getting rid of the TNT that Scar is placing around the walls of their beloved base.

Then suddenly, Scar's sword slams into his chestplate, knocking him backwards. Crying out, he half-tumbles down the hill, helped by another strike to the back from a sharp sword. Even though he lands in the water still pooling around the bottom of the hill, he feels his ankle twist on impact, causing pain to flare up immediately. Lying helplessly in the shallow puddle, in agony from his ankle, he watches as Scar looms over him with an enchanted diamond sword.

Somewhere above him, Skizz and Tango are continuing to yell indistinctly, but Bdubs's shrill scream rises above their voices and the ringing in his ears. He's screaming Etho's name.

Etho manages to lift his shield. A split second later, Scar's axe blade lodges in the wood, the force from the blow splintering it and causing the blade to partially go through the other side. There's nothing but pure rage and hatred behind Scar's attacks, fueling his unbelievable strength.

"Scar!" he yelps weakly. "Please! W- We can work this out!"

"HE'S GONNA KILL ETHO!" he hears Bdubs screech from above. "TANGO!"

Etho strains against Scar's axe, the blade of which is getting dangerously close to his throat. He hardly realises he's holding his breath, his strength about to give out.

All of a sudden, the pressure is abruptly released.

Etho flops back, gasping for breath, his shield clattering aside. His chest and ankle are on fire with pain.

He feels a hand touch his shoulder. "Etho!" Bdubs's voice gasps. "Etho, are you okay?! Are you hurt?"

Etho takes a minute to regain his breath before hoarsely replying: "My ankle. Twisted it."

Bdubs carefully helps him sit up. At this close range, he can see bruises forming on Etho's face and arms from his fall down the hill.

"What happened?" Etho coughs. "How did you get him to stop attacking?"

"Tango gave him a life," replies Bdubs steadily. "It took a lot of yelling, but once he saw that Scar was actively killing you, he handed it over."

Etho's shocked eyes flicker up to where Tango and Skizz are talking to Scar, at the top of the hill. Even from this distance, Etho can see that the heart on his neck is glowing yellow. "I... I can't believe he did that..."

Bdubs averts his gaze. "It was necessary. Now c'mon, let's get you back into the base and have your ankle looked at."

He lifts Etho's arm over his shoulder and starts to raise him to his feet. Bdubs knows he's not strong enough to take Etho by himself but thankfully, Skizz appears to take Etho on his other side, and the two help Etho up the hill.

As they pass Scar, Etho keeps his eyes trained straight ahead, not daring to look at him. To his relief, Scar doesn't try to speak to him.

But Tango does. "Are you okay, Etho?"

"I'm alive," Etho responds honestly. "Thanks to you."

Though Tango's eyes are warm, he doesn't smile. "Good. Glad I could help."

To anyone else, Tango's statement is genuine. But Etho knows Tango well. He can hear the almost indiscernible undertone of bitterness at being forced to give a life under duress.

But what he doesn't expect is to feel a sting in his own chest. Maybe Tango regrets giving Scar a life to save Etho. Maybe he would've been happier letting Etho die.

Either way, something deep inside Etho fears that this may be the beginning of the end for Team BEST.

#last life smp #last life spoilers #etho #bdubs #skizzleman #tangotek #vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

No Words

Summary: The Ahalliance breaks apart.

MumboJumbo blew up

SolidarityGaming blew up

Impulse stares at the messages in chat. They can’t be real. This can’t be real. This has to be a bad dream.

He can’t have just lost two allies in one fell swoop.

Finally managing to shake himself into action, he descends his tower and rushes out into the base, where he immediately runs into a frantic Mumbo emerging from his bunker.

Impulse backs away several steps with a yelp. “Mumbo! What happened?!”

Mumbo sounds breathless as he responds, “it must’ve been a trap; there were several TNT minecarts. I don’t know who set it, but it got both of us.”

“Y-You gotta leave, dude,” Impulse says nervously. “You and Jimmy. Right?”

Mumbo nods sadly. “Yeah, I know. I can’t speak for Jimmy, but I’m gonna get my stuff and be on my way. Hey, do you mind giving me a sword or axe or something so I can go get my stuff back?”

Impulse watches him warily, clutching his own weapon tightly. “You… You said there were several TNT minecarts. Your stuff is all gone.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Mumbo forces a chuckle. “Silly me, I forgot.”

As Mumbo’s eyes flicker over Impulse’s shoulder, Impulse spins round and finds Jimmy standing fairly close to him. Within ten or so blocks, but still close enough that Impulse feels uncomfortable.

“You guys need to go,” says Impulse reluctantly. “I-I know there’s two of you and one of me, but… I don’t want any trouble.”

“Neither do we,” Jimmy says. “Mumbo, let’s just gather our stuff and go. Meet you at the front gate?”

“Yup.”

Impulse steps back, keeping an eye on the two as they depart back to their respective towers. Now that they’re out of sight, the emotional toll of the situation finally hits him.

Grian’s already red, and now Jimmy and Mumbo are too.

Impulse has lost three of his allies.

Watching Jimmy and Mumbo leave together causes tears to spring to Impulse’s eyes. He managed to hold it together when Grian left, but losing these two really hurts. It really hammers it home that the alliance is breaking apart. They’re not the family they once were.

Less than ten minutes later, Martyn walks through the gate and finds Impulse sitting at the entrance of their communal cave, contemplating his next move.

“Hey,” he says.

Impulse glances up, hurriedly wiping his eyes. “Hi. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”

“No worries.” Martyn clears his throat, the awkwardness clear in his demeanour. “So, um… Do you have any other secret alliances or anything I should know about? Any deals you’ve made?”

Impulse shakes his head and attempts a joke. “Nope, you’re all I have left in this world.”

“Ohh, that just makes this so much harder,” murmurs Martyn, before again clearing his throat and speaking louder: “I- I’m really sorry to have to tell you like this, but I’m leaving.”

It takes Impulse a few seconds to register this. When he does, his stomach drops. “Y-You’re leaving…?”

Martyn nods slowly, unable to meet Impulse’s gaze. “Yeah, um… I have a thing going on with Ren, and… I just think it’s the best place for me to be right now.”

“Wh- What do you mean?!” Impulse almost wails. “I-I need you more than ever!”

“I know, and I’m not proud of this decision,” responds Martyn guiltily. “But I just… I can’t stay here anymore.”

Impulse jumps to his feet and clasps Martyn’s hand pleadingly. “Please, don’t leave me…! We’ll be okay together.”

“Come on, Impulse.” Martyn sighs quietly. “Look around. We’re far from the powerhouse we once were. Our gate is wide open, the underground is filled with mole tunnels, our wall has been burned more than once. Just leave, Impulse. Find someone to take you in and you’ll be a lot better for it.”

With that, he pulls his hand out of Impulse’s grasp and walks away.

Impulse sinks back down to the ground in despair, watching as Martyn packs up his stuff and leaves out the same gate Jimmy and Mumbo left through not fifteen minutes earlier.

This is it.

He’s alone. Completely alone, in a base made for five.

What is he supposed to do now…?

He sits there, completely numb, until he looks up and spots the sun starting to set. Finally realising he’s an easy target out here for both mobs and red lifers, he goes over to his base and starts to gather all his valuables. As he picks up the 13 music disc, the dam almost breaks and he throws it out the window. He doesn’t need any more reminders.

The last thing he picks up is his spyglass. He stares down at it for several minutes, trying his hardest not to cry again. He remembers Jimmy carefully crafting this spyglass for him. He remembers how indignant Jimmy got every time one of them “lost” their spyglass. How he grumbled to himself as he crafted another for his friend. How Mumbo would always start giggling as he revealed to Jimmy that he had “lost” another spyglass. How delighted Martyn and Grian sounded when Jimmy got indignant.

No more stupid aha jokes. No more replacement spyglasses. No more shenanigans.

The base that was founded on laughter will never hear it again.

Unable to bear the painful memories, Impulse leaves his spyglass resting on the crafting bench and leaves his tower. After one last look up at the home he’s leaving behind, Impulse is the last to exit through the gate, for the final time.

He makes it to the house he’s looking for just as the sun disappears over the horizon. Lifting a heavy hand, he knocks on the door. Within seconds, the door opens, revealing his two best friends in the whole universe.

Skizz stares at Impulse for a moment, seeing how downtrodden his best friend looks. Like he has the weight of the world on his back. He’s seen what happened in chat and even though he doesn’t know the exact details, he can see the pain of four losses in Impulse’s heavy eyes.

Impulse opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn’t need to say anything.

Skizz and Tango envelop him in a hug, letting him cry into their shoulders.

No words need to be said.

#last life smp #impulsesv #inthelittlewood #solidaritygaming #mumbojumbo #vaunna writes #last life spoilers

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Human Again

Summary: Mumbo wants to become human again, no matter the cost.

AKA Vaunna finally watched Mumbo and Grian's episodes and got very much inspired for ANGST :3

...

Grian lets out a yelp as he falls into a glass box. On the other side, he can see the friend who just dumped him in here staring back at him. “Hello, Grian.”

“Mumbo, what is this?!” snaps Grian, hitting the glass with his fist. “Let me out!”

Mumbo’s facial expression and voice are steady. “I can’t do that. Yesterday, you signed something for me. Remember that?”

“I signed- Yeah, I signed your stupid tree thing.”

“Look on page 20.”

Frowning, Grian rifles through his copy of the book until he reaches a page with a worrying paragraph of small print. “Page-?! MUMBO!”

“I’m sorry!” Mumbo yelps. “You signed it without reading the fine print!”

“I THOUGHT I WAS JUST GIVING YOU FEEDBACK ON YOUR TREES!”

“You should’ve been suspicious when I asked you to sign your feedback “so I would know it was from the Tree Lord”! Come ON, Grian!”

Grian angrily tosses the book across the box. “Oh, so this is MY fault?! Explain yourself, Mumbo! Why are you not human? I thought you were just cosplaying a potato.”

“Cosplaying a-?!” Mumbo breaks off. “Grian, LOOK at me!”

As Grian opens his mouth to retort, Mumbo finally removes his mask. Grian takes an involuntary step back, his breath catching in his throat, as he registers Mumbo’s appearance. “Wh- What on EARTH?! Why are you this weird pig hybrid thing?!”

“I don’t KNOW!” Mumbo cries, covering his pig snout with his arm. “I ate pork for the first time and I turned into this! And when I ate a carrot, I turned into a horrible carrot monster! I need to be human again so this doesn’t happen anymore, Grian! You can’t even look at me!”

Grian feels bad for averting his gaze now. “So you’re harvesting my soul to become human again?”

“I… Well, I…” Mumbo takes in a deep but shaky breath. “I decided to give you a choice.”

“A choice?” repeats Grian with another frown.

“A choice of two buttons. One will kill me and let you go free, and the other will give your soul over to me, killing you in the process.”

Grian glances to his left and sees a button labelled “ESCAPE”. The button on his right is labelled “GIVE SOUL”. “What kind of a choice is this?” demands Grian.

Mumbo hangs his head. “A choice I never wanted anyone to have to make.”

When Mumbo looks back up, he sees Grian standing in the shallow hole in front of the button he’s picked.

And it makes Mumbo’s heart sink.

“Y-You… You’re picking…?”

“I’m sorry, Mumbo,” Grian says quietly. “We can find another way to help you, I just- I can’t give you my soul. I just can’t.”

Finally, Mumbo looks away. “...get it over with, then.”

Grian presses the button. Immediately, both of them drop through the floor, with Mumbo landing safely and Grian dropping into a water stream leading to a horrific-looking chamber.

“You LIED to me!” snarls Grian, scrabbling at the wall for a handhold to save himself. “Both buttons did the same thing, didn’t they!?”

“You were going to kill me!”

“YOU’RE going to kill ME! We could have fixed this together, Mumbo! You didn’t need to do this!”

Mumbo can’t reply. He turns away, squeezing his eyes shut against the sound of Grian’s terrified attempts to escape.

“MUMBO!” screams Grian as, despite his struggling, he drops into the chamber. “PLEASE!”

Thankfully, the end is quick.

Grian suffocated in a wall

Mumbo involuntarily gasps at the awful sound. But as he slowly turns back to the chamber, he can see Grian’s items starting to filter through the hoppers.

Now then… did it work?

As Mumbo takes a step towards the chamber, his strength suddenly drains away and he stumbles forward, leaning against the glass for support. His chest is constricting so tightly that he can hardly breathe. Gasping and choking as if he’s drowning, he stares down at his hands. The pig trotters are fading, flickering, the image of his old human hands slowly returning.

It seems to be working.

Grian comes back down the stairs to retrieve his items just in time to see Mumbo collapse.

“Mumbo!” Grian gasps, all his anger and bitterness immediately being replaced by worry.

He rushes to Mumbo’s side and carefully turns him onto his back. A quiet sigh of relief escapes him as he realises that Mumbo’s face is back to normal, back to its normal human appearance.

At least Grian didn’t die for nothing.

Mumbo lets out a soft groan, his eyelids flickering. Grian takes his hand and clasps it tightly, rubbing his friend’s shoulder with his free hand.

“You’re okay, Mumbo,” he murmurs. “You’re back.”

“I’m sorry,” Mumbo croaks back, his eyes filling with tears. “I’m so sorry. I n-never wanted to hurt you like this.”

Even though the feelings of anger and resentment towards Mumbo for what he did haven’t completely dissipated, Grian can’t help but feel sympathy for his friend. “It- It’s okay. All that matters now is you’re alright.”

But there’s distance between them now, and both of them know it. Mumbo may have killed Grian, but they both know that Grian made the choice to let Mumbo die in order to escape. What does it matter, though? Mumbo is human again and that’s all that matters, right?

...so then why does it feel like they both lost?

#hermitcraft #grian #mumbojumbo #vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Evil At the Emporium chapter 1

Summary: With another war bringing Tango and Impulse to opposite sides of the battlefield yet again, Zedaph is forced to join up with a certain evil businessman who claims to have a plan to solve everything, but is it really that simple?

...

“-and finally, the villager gets assigned a profession down here and that’s when I move them all the way to the trading area,” finishes Zedaph.

“Nice, man,” says Impulse, impressed, staring up at the villager breeding chamber. “I love the minecart system that drops them when they grow up. Really creative.”

Zedaph can’t help a proud smile. “Thanks! I’m glad you were finally able to come over and see it.”

“Yeah sorry dude, I’ve just been so busy,” chuckles Impulse.

“I know, yeah.” Zedaph’s smile drops as he forces himself to ask, “How’s the war going?”

“Honestly, I’m excited,” Impulse replies enthusiastically. “I’ve got a great group and I think we’re gonna come up with some creative pranks. And of course, Tango and Bdubs and Keralis are super creative too. I think it’s gonna be great.”

“Really…?” Zedaph frowns. “Have you spoken to Tango recently?”

“Nah, why?”

“Well…” Zedaph falls silent, remembering how bad the end of the Civil War got back in Season 6.

Impulse frowns back at him but then realisation dawns. “...oh, I see. Don’t worry buddy, it’s not gonna get that bad again. Unless Tango escalates it. Which is a possibility.”

“This isn’t making me feel better.”

Impulse sighs. “Okay, look. I can’t promise it won’t escalate but I swear I won’t do anything to escalate it on purpose. Okay?”

Zedaph has to avert his gaze, unable to make eye contact with his friend any longer. “Alright. Thanks, Impulse. I just… it gets hard, you know? You say the wars are just for fun but real people get real injuries and that’s not fun for anyone, not even an uninvolved party like me.”

“Don’t worry, I get it.” Impulse pats his friend on the shoulder. “Anyway, I’d better head off. Thanks for inviting me over.”

“Hey, no problem. Thanks for coming.”

Zedaph walks Impulse to the door but just as they get there, they find Tango just entering the lab. Both he and Impulse freeze when they spot each other.

“Hi, Tango,” says Zedaph carefully. “What’s up?”

“You said I could use your combrewter whenever I needed.” Tango’s tone is low, non-hostile for now but certainly not friendly. “I still can, right?”

“Oh of course, let me just walk Impulse out and I’ll be right there.”

“Mhm, cuz Impy doesn’t know how to find a door on his own,” mutters Tango.

Impulse shoots his friend a scowl. “Don’t start, Tango. Not here.”

“Where exactly would you like to start?” Tango demands. “Cuz it really seems like you’re avoiding me.”

“We’re in the middle of a war.”

“Oh are we? Last I checked, it was just Boatem pummelling us with pranks. Call that a war?”

“PLEASE, Tango,” Zedaph says pleadingly. “I don’t understand why there even needs to be a war in the first place.”

“Stay outta this, Zed; you’re not involved,” Tango snaps. “As usual.”

Zedaph deliberately steps between his friends, ignoring the twinge in his chest at Tango’s comment. “If you’re gonna fight, physically or verbally, go do it outside please.”

Tango takes a step back, back towards the door. “Fine, I’ll come back another time. Really thought you were better than this, Zed.”

“Me?” Zedaph blinks. “What did I do?”

“Playing favourites.”

“I’m not-!”

But Tango is already gone.

“Sorry about him, he-,” Impulse starts.

“Please leave,” interrupts Zedaph suddenly. “I’m sorry, but please just leave me alone.”

“Oh. Okay. S-Sorry.”

Zedaph watches Impulse sadly leave. He feels a bit bad for being so curt but he just couldn’t take it anymore. Impulse and Tango are the absolute best of friends the vast majority of the time but when they end up on opposite sides of a war, it’s like they were never friends at all.

And they never seem to understand how much it impacts Zedaph to see them so easily become enemies every time.

…

For the first time in a while, Zedaph has ventured out of his lab. He doesn’t normally like going to such a public area while a war is going on but he needs supplies, so he has no choice.

As he walks past the large ominous building, something stops him. He’s never been inside the Evil Emporium before - mostly due to a desire to avoid coming into contact with its proprietor - but something seems to be calling to him now. So he slowly approaches.

He can see someone standing just inside the doorway but it’s not until he gets closer that he realises who it is.

“Zedaph!” Evil Xisuma beams, throwing his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. “My friend! Welcome to the Evil Emporium. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”

“You haven’t,” Zedaph replies carefully. “It’s my first time here.”

“Well, then! Let me show you around!”

Zedaph hesitates, but EX seems to be nothing but friendly and welcoming so he allows them to take him inside.

The tour of the Evil Emporium lasts only a few minutes but Zedaph finds himself relaxing the more it goes on. EX is nothing like the way they used to be; they are chatty and cheerful and patient with all of Zedaph’s questions. Since his only contact with other people in the last few weeks has been with the hostile Impulse and Tango, it’s refreshing to spend time with someone so different.

“So this Derpcoin is gonna become the new currency?” Zedaph asks, as the tour comes to an end.

EX nods enthusiastically. “Eventually, yeah! It’s THE hottest currency on the server at the moment and we aim to make it the ONLY one soon. Diamonds are old news, you know? It’s time for an update.”

“Fair enough, fair enough.” Zedaph checks his watch. “I should be getting back.”

“You sound a little disappointed,” observes EX.

“I am a little. I’m just so tired of the same old routine. I haven’t been able to finish any experiments in weeks because of the war.”

EX appears intrigued. “Oh? I thought you weren’t involved.”

“You wouldn’t know it,” sighs Zedaph. “My best friends are, and even though they haven’t tried to get me to join their side for once, I see them often enough that the anxiety of them being enemies is really getting bad. I can’t do anything with even just one of them without them talking about the war, and don’t even get me started on what happens when they end up in the same place at the same time.”

“That sounds really hard,” EX says sympathetically.

“It… It is. And this is just the START of the war.” Zedaph’s shoulders slump. “I just don’t know what to do anymore, EX; I don’t think I can bear another conflict like this. You didn’t see how the Civil War ended. I just- I can’t go through that again.”

EX pauses for a moment, before thoughtfully folding his arms. “Well… what if I told you I could end the war?”

Zedaph glances up at him. “What?”

“Actually, let me rephrase: what if I told you I had an idea to end the war but I couldn’t do it alone?”

“Alone?” echoes Zedaph, still not entirely sure where EX is going with this.

Sensing that they have Zedaph’s full attention, EX continues, “I have a few people working with me: Xisuma, iJevin, Welsknight, and VintageBeef. But it’s not enough. My idea to end the war will only work with one more person of unique enough talents, and you fit that bill.”

Zedaph frowns. “You want me to work for you?”

“Not FOR me,” EX corrects him. “WITH me. You’re a scientific genius and I’m a business genius. The two of us could achieve extraordinary things.”

“I see your point…” Zedaph hesitates. “But my only concern really is to end the war.”

“Of course, of course,” says EX quickly. “That’ll be the first thing we work on. So are you in?”

Zedaph isn’t entirely sold on this idea but he knows he’s getting less of a choice as the days go by. He has absolutely no ideas on how to end the war before either of his friends get hurt, whereas EX clearly has a plan. What would be the harm in giving this partnership a go?

“I…” Zedaph clears his throat. “I’m in.”

“Excellent.” A smile appears on EX’s face, hidden behind the mask. They offer Zedaph their hand. “We’re gonna be a perfect team.”

As he shakes Ex’s hand, a sudden sense of calm washes over Zedaph and a smile appears on his face, not seeing the faint glowing pink aura around EX’s hand.

“A perfect team.”

#hermitcraft #zedaph #impulsesv #tangotek #evil xisuma #vaunna writes #evil at the emporium

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

A Deal With The Devil

"Scar, I'm sorry," Etho says, carefully watching Scar pick up all his stuff. "It was just such a good opportunity; I had to do it."

"So..." Scar pauses, as if he's searching for his next words very carefully. "Etho..."

"Y-Yes?"

"You're gonna sign that contract now."

The coldness in Scar's tone sends a chill down Etho's spine. "I- There's a reason why I didn't wanna sign it."

"I know." There's a dangerous glint in Scar's eyes. "But now you can sign it."

Quick as a flash, Scar grabs Bdubs by the neck and pins him against the tree, forcing him still as he pulls back his axe, ready to bury the blade in Bdubs's throat.

"Sign it or I take the life back from Bdubs."

Scar's voice is ice cold. No longer is he the shady but charismatic salesman he portrays himself as. Gone is the humour, the twinkle in his eye. This is the first time Scar has been murdered this season and Etho can tell it's rattled him.

Bdubs's pleading eyes meet his.

"I'll sign it," Etho quickly says. "I'll sign it. I promise."

"Do it right now," Scar orders. "Where I can see you."

Etho signs the contract with a shaky hand and offers the book to Scar, who releases Bdubs and takes it from him. After a quick scan of the signature to determine its legitimacy, Scar gives a nod, his charming smile back on his face. "Well thank you, Etho! Pleasure doing business with you!"

"You too," Etho forces himself to say.

As soon as Scar walks away, Etho dashes over to Bdubs, who is massaging his throat. Dark finger marks are visible in his neck. "Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.

Bdubs nods. "I'm fine," he says, his voice a little raspy. "Etho, did you just sign your life away to him?"

"I think I might've," Etho admits. "I'm sorry he made you sign one too, but it was the only way."

Bdubs gives him a small smile. "You really missed me that much, huh? So much that you'd make a deal with the devil to get me back?"

Etho hesitates for a moment.

"Nah, you trying to kill me was getting annoying," he says. "That's all."

Bdubs chuckles, but Etho knows he can tell he's lying. "Yeah. At least I wasn't very good at it."

"I dunno, you almost got me with the enchanting table trap. Anyway, at least we can live together properly again. But if we do, I need a favour."

"Dude, you signed your life away for me," Bdubs says. "I'll do anything."

Etho is grinning behind his mask. "The stairs stay the way I designed them."

Bdubs snorts. "Yeah, absolutely not."

#last life smp #last life spoilers #etho #bdubs #goodtimeswithscar #vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Woven Bonds chapter 1

Summary: When the Watchers return to claim Martyn's soul as punishment for failing them during Last Life, Impulse, Jimmy, and Mumbo, helped by Grian, set off to save him from eternal purgatory.

@caligulousaquarium i blame you for this

...

This is the first time Martyn has ever been to Grian’s Hermitcraft Season 7 mansion. He can see why Grian chose it as the location for their post-Last Life celebration party; it’s large, fancy, and easy to get to. But despite its size, Martyn still feels stifled. He knows he only has minutes left on this earth; the voices made it perfectly clear. And he doesn’t want anyone he cares about to see him when it happens.

So he slips out of the mansion, where night has already fallen outside. But as he starts to go down the stairs, he hears a voice from behind him: “Martyn?”

He sighs; he’d thought he was so careful. “Yeah?”

Scott raises an eyebrow. “I’m sure I don’t need to ask the obvious question.”

“The answer’s none of your business,” responds Martyn coldly.

“You’re sneaking out of a party celebrating the end of Last Life with a facial expression that makes me think you’re gonna go do something bad.”

“What does it matter? Get back to YOUR celebration.”

Scott makes a face. “Not sure I like the way you said that.”

“Well it is, isn’t it?” Martyn says pointedly.

“I…” Scott pauses. “In a way…”

Martyn regards his friend for a moment, before deciding to change the subject. “Scott, why didn’t you kill anyone?”

His friend frowns. “What do you mean? I killed loads of people.”

“I mean why didn’t you kill anyone as the boogeyman. You were the ONLY one who ever refused the boogeyman curse. Why did you choose to do that?”

“Martyn, we were at a point where the only non-reds were all together as one alliance.” Scott folds his arms. “Not that you’d know that, since you were conspicuously absent.”

Martyn’s eyes narrow but he doesn’t respond.

Already regretting saying that, Scott continues, “I couldn’t kill any of them without turning them against me. And besides, I… I didn’t want to hurt any of them.”

Martyn snorts. “And look how well that worked out for you. The second you went red, they turned on you. You can’t go through games like these caring about other people, Scott. Isolation is the only way.”

“And yet I wear the crown and you died to your own failed end crystal,” snaps Scott. “How’d THAT work out for YOU?”

“Yeah yeah, you won,” Martyn snarls. “You won, just as you always do. MCC, Last Life, you just keep winning, don’t you? And you never think about people like me, who NEVER win.”

“Look, I…” Scott hesitates, taken aback by the sudden venom in his friend’s voice. “I’m sorry that I killed you.”

“It’s not about that anymore. You- You can’t even realise the full extent of what happened. I lost more than just a game today, Scott.”

Scott frowns. “Wait… what do you mean? What are you talking about?”

Martyn ALMOST tells him. For a single moment, he can feel the words on his tongue. But he forces himself to look away. “Forget it. Go enjoy your party. And the copious amounts of time you have left.”

“Martyn, what are you talking about?” Scott asks, reaching out towards Martyn. “If there’s something going on, you can talk to me.”

“I SAID GO!” bellows Martyn suddenly.

Scott steps back, retracting his hand as if he’s been stung.

Martyn’s glare slowly melts into a grimace of pure anguish, sending a thrill of fear through Scott. “It’ll be best for everyone if you just forget I ever even existed,” he murmurs.

“Wh-?!”

Scott can only stare at Martyn as he descends the stairs and vanishes into the night.

After a moment, he rushes back inside and maneuvers around the crowd of people to where Jimmy is hanging out with Joel at the snack table.

“Jimmy, can I, um…” Scott pauses briefly, glancing at Joel. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Oh, sure.” Jimmy smiles, but his smile quickly drops as he registers Scott’s expression. “Is everything okay?”

“Just- Just wait outside for me, will you? Please?”

Jimmy nods confusedly. “Okay, will do.”

After locating Mumbo and Impulse and telling them the same, Scott meets the group outside the mansion. “Thanks for meeting me here so quickly and suddenly.”

“What’s this all about?” Mumbo asks.

“Martyn,” replies Scott simply. “There’s something really bad going on.”

He quickly explains what happened.

“That really sounds like Martyn’s not coming back,” says Impulse worriedly. “Which way did he go?”

Scott points down the stairs. “Into the woods that way. Look, he- he doesn’t want to see me right now. But you guys have a better chance of getting him back. Go, quickly. Go save Martyn.”

Mumbo is the first to move. Hurtling down the stairs, taking them three at a time, he almost falls over at the bottom but hauls himself up and sprints towards the trees, followed by Jimmy and Impulse.

“Martyn!” Mumbo yells as he enters the forest. “MARTYN!”

Deep in the woods, Martyn hears Mumbo’s voice and he whirls round. Part of him wants to run away, to spare Mumbo the pain of what’s about to happen.

But he can’t. He can’t force himself.

“Mumbo!” he yells back, taking off running back the way he came.

Hearing his friend’s voice, Mumbo urges himself to go faster. “MARTYN!”

“YOU WILL NEVER BE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AGAIN.”

Martyn ignores the thundering voice in his ears. Shut up, he tells it. I’m going to be with them again. I WILL be with them again.

In the distance, through the trees, he can see the outline of someone running towards him. Hope filling his heart, he puts on a burst of speed. “Mumbo!”

Mumbo too feels hope as he spots Martyn in the distance. He’s almost there, they’re almost together. Then Mumbo can take Martyn safely home.

But some higher force appears to have different plans.

Martyn stumbles as sudden pain grips his chest. His knees almost buckle, the world spinning around him, his head and heart pounding. “Mumbo,” he croaks, seeing his friend reach him through his blackening vision.

And he collapses into Mumbo’s arms.

“Nonononono!” gasps Mumbo, carefully lowering Martyn down. “Martyn! Stay with me!”

“What happened?!”

Mumbo glances up as Jimmy and Impulse skid to a halt in front of him, both simultaneously dropping down beside him. “He- He just collapsed,” Mumbo pants, his heart hammering. “I don’t know what-!”

“W-Wa…” comes Martyn’s weak voice.

Mumbo turns his attention back to Martyn, who seems to be trying hard to talk. “Stay with me, Martyn,” he pleads. “Y-You’re gonna be okay…!”

“Listen…” Martyn coughs, struggling to breathe. “G-Grian… Th-The Watchers… T-Tell…”

But he can’t get out any more words before his head tips back and his chest falls still.

#last life smp #last life spoilers #martyninthelittlewood #smajor1995 #mumbojumbo #impulsesv #jimmysolidarity #vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Join Me

Summary: after Grian turns red, he tries to recruit his best friend. by any means.

Mumbo clutches the cobblestone slab railing tightly, dizziness starting to overwhelm him. He can’t stop staring at the spot where his best friend just hit the ground moments before. As the world slowly comes back into focus, he realises he can hear maniacal laughing coming from behind him, causing him to spin sharply round. “J-Joel!”

“Don’t worry, Mumbo,” Joel cackles. “I’m not gonna go for ya.”

Mumbo’s voice rises in panic. “How can I believe anything you say?! You just murdered my best friend!”

“Cuz I’m a red with standards. I’ve done the job I came here to do and now I’m gonna go set a trap elsewhere. See ya!”

Mumbo watches Joel slide down the ladder and rush off towards the portal. Muttering, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…” to himself, he shakily descends the ladder himself and gathers up Grian’s stuff. Leaving it in a chest near the portal, he climbs back up the ladder and finishes placing the cobblestone slabs, unsure of what else he can do. Everyone knows Grian is red now. What else can he do?

Just as he’s placing the last slab, he hears a voice from behind him: “Hey, Mumbo.”

“OH my word!” yelps Mumbo, his heart skipping a beat. “G-Grian…!”

Grian gives him a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I just want you to know that I bear no ill will towards you whatsoever. This wasn’t your fault at all.”

Bunching his muscles in preparation for a quick getaway, Mumbo shakily points down at the ground. “I-I saved your stuff. It’s in a chest down there.”

“Why are you so nervous?” asks Grian.

“Because you’re red and that means you want to kill people. And you lie. So I don’t trust anything you say.”

Grian frowns. “That’s hurtful, Mumbo. You really think I’d just turn on you? Right here, right now?”

Mumbo hesitates, unable to tell the truth but unable to lie either. “I don’t know…”

“Well… What if we were allies again?” Grian asks pointedly. “What would you say then?”

“I… What…?”

Grian whips out an iron pickaxe and mines the block under Mumbo’s feet. Luckily, Mumbo is able to jump up onto the cobblestone slab railing just in time. “AH! Grian! NO!”

He dodges another attempt and dashes back towards the ladder. Just as he grabs it, Grian mines the block under him, causing the ladder he’s hanging onto to suddenly be suspended in mid air. Mumbo yelps as Grian continues mining the blocks around him, leaving him with only this thin handhold between life and death.

“Join me, Mumbo!” pleads Grian, his voice filled with desperation. It sounds almost exactly like Joel’s when he turned red. “We can be friends again! We don’t have to say goodbye!”

“Grian, no!” Mumbo cries, clinging onto the ladder for dear life. “I don’t want to be red!”

“It’s not so bad, look!” Grian spreads his arms wide, a crazed look in his eyes. “I’m fine! We can team up again and take over the server! Nobody would dare mess with us!”

Tears fill Mumbo’s eyes as he gazes into the face of his best friend, who was totally normal just five minutes ago. “Please! I don’t want to be red! Grian!”

As Grian opens his mouth to reply, a new voice yells from below: “Mumbo!”

Mumbo stares downwards, spotting a friend climbing up the ladder far below them. “I-Impulse?!”

As Mumbo is momentarily distracted, Grian mines out the block the ladder is attached to, sending Mumbo tumbling down with a scream.

Reacting fast, Impulse leans out as far as he can, reaching out with his hand. He manages to catch Mumbo’s sleeve as he falls, swinging him down and onto the ladder. Mumbo’s scream cuts off abruptly as he hits the ladder, injuring his shoulder, but he’s able to grab onto it quickly enough to be safe.

“Go go go!” screams Impulse.

The two frantically descend the ladder and sprint towards the portal. Running behind, Impulse pushes Mumbo forward. As they jump into the purple vortex, they hear Grian yelling behind them: “Mumbo! Impulse! Come back! I won’t hurt you guys!”

When they get back to the overworld, Impulse continues pushing Mumbo forward, but stops as Mumbo lets out a cry and clutches his shoulder. Impulse carefully lifts Mumbo’s arm over his shoulder and guides him towards the gates of the Southlands.

Thankfully, he spots two figures moving around just inside the gate. “Martyn! Jimmy!”

Martyn catches sight of the two first. Vaulting over the redstone gate, he rushes over to them, followed closely by Jimmy. “Oh my god!” he gasps. “What happened?! Are you two okay?!”

Impulse nods. “I’m fine, but Mumbo’s shaken up real bad.”

Mumbo lets out a muted wince.

“And I think his shoulder might be injured.”

“Oh god. Timmy, go get some ice.”

As Jimmy rushes off, Impulse and Martyn help Mumbo into the base and sit him down on the grass, leaning him against the hill. After Martyn manages to ease Mumbo’s jacket off him, Jimmy returns with the ice, which Martyn then carefully holds against Mumbo’s shoulder.

Mumbo suppresses a cry at the sudden cold, but soon relaxes as the ice works its magic, letting out a long breath. The adrenaline is finally wearing off, leaving him shaky and short of breath.

Impulse is kneeling beside him, gently squeezing his uninjured shoulder reassuringly. “You’re okay,” he murmurs, feeling Mumbo trembling under his touch. “You’re okay.”

“What exactly happened?” asks Jimmy hesitantly. “How did Grian die?”

“J-Joel,” Mumbo murmurs, his eyes hollow. “Joel sh- shot him off the pl- the platform.”

“Jeez…” Martyn shakes his head slowly. “Then he attacked you?”

“N-No. He left.”

“Then… Then who…?”

Mumbo buries his face in Impulse’s arm and doesn’t reply.

“Grian,” Impulse says grimly.

Martyn and Jimmy exchange a look of shock and horror. “He turned on you THAT fast?” Jimmy gasps.

“H-He was insane,” Mumbo croaks. “He- He tried to k-kill me, to get me to- to go red. He wanted me to- to join him.”

“That red life insanity hit him hard and fast,” remarks Martyn softly. “Are you doing okay?”

Mumbo’s eyes stare into nothing and he doesn’t reply.

“I think he’s in shock,” says Impulse. “That was pretty traumatic. I mean, if I hadn’t shown up when I did, I’m pretty sure he would’ve died too.”

In the ensuing pause, a familiar voice calls from outside the gates: “Mumbo!”

Mumbo flinches.

Martyn rises to his feet and points to Jimmy, who has also risen to his feet. “Wait here.”

He strides towards the gate and stands in front of it, blocking Grian’s entry.

“Martyn, can I-,” Grian starts.

“Get outta here.”

Grian grimaces at the iciness in Martyn’s tone. “I just want to talk to Mumbo.”

Martyn narrows his eyes. “You think you have any right to even be NEAR Mumbo after what you just did?”

“I want to apologise!”

“APOLOGISE!?” Martyn snarls. “That’s a JOKE! If Impulse hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t be apologising to your new red life friend now, would you? You burned all your bridges with us the second you went after Mumbo and I won’t let you march in here and finish the job. Now LEAVE.”

“Martyn, think for a second,” snaps Grian. “Am I stupid?”

“You don’t want me to answer that question.”

A dangerous look flashes in Grian’s eyes. “MARTYN. Am I stupid?”

Martyn holds Grian’s dark gaze for a moment, before looking away. “No. You’re not.”

“And only a stupid person would turn up here to kill someone when THREE of their friends are around them. I don’t want to hurt Mumbo; I just want to talk to him and explain.”

“No,” Martyn responds immediately. “You wouldn’t be welcome here anymore anyway, so just go away before I’m forced to do something drastic.”

“You can’t touch me,” Grian points out. “I have to be the one to instigate the violence, remember? I can just refuse to leave.”

“Fine. Don’t leave. But just know that the second you lay a hand on any of us, we WILL kill you. Don’t expect any mercy from us.”

With that, Martyn turns and walks away. His heart pounds in his chest; for a moment, he’s terrified that Grian will succumb to the bloodlust again and just attack him here and now.

But nothing happens.

Mumbo looks up as Martyn returns. “Wh- What did he want…?”

Martyn almost tells the truth. The words are on the tip of his tongue. But as he gazes down at his traumatised friend, he makes a difficult decision.

“Looking for a fight,” he responds. “That’s all. Anyway, how’s your shoulder feeling?”

“Better, but not- not great.” Mumbo closes his eyes, his hand tightening on the ice pack pressed against his shoulder. “I’m so tired.”

“You should rest,” says Impulse gently. “Come on, you can sleep in my tower. I’ll take care of you.”

Mumbo manages a smile. “Thanks. And thank you for saving my life as well. I- I don’t know what I would’ve done if Grian had managed to get me to go red.”

Impulse smiles back. “No problem, buddy.”

#vaunna writes #impulsesv #mumbojumbo #grian #inthelittlewood #solidaritygaming #last life smp #last life spoilers

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Reunited (cw for slightly graphic description of death)

sequel to Separated

inspired by @caligulousaquarium i hate you so much for doing this to me (/j)

...

Etho and Grian are locked in battle. Both have red life bloodlust fuelling them, but Etho has the added fuel from the fire burning inside him. The desire for revenge.

“Etho, WHY me?” Grian growls, only just managing to knock Etho’s sword away with his shield. “Why have you been hunting me down this WHOLE time?”

Etho’s tone is cold, with zero emotion behind it. “Because you took Bdubs from me.”

“Bdubs betrayed the red team just to run back to YOU,” snarls Grian. “He deserved what he got.”

Etho’s blood boils. “Don’t you dare say that.”

Grian grins at the reaction he’s elicited from Etho. “You wanna know what the last thing he said was? The last word he ever spoke was your name. He was calling for you as he ran away, and I shot him in the back. He never stood a chance.”

This gets exactly the reaction he hopes for. Etho’s rage explodes out of him and he attacks Grian again with the fury of a hellhound, both his eyes flaming red.

Within a minute, Grian realises this may have been a mistake. Etho is very strong at the best of times, and now he’s given Etho an even more concrete reason to hate him.

Finally, Grian’s shield breaks, and he goes for a risky attack, at the exact same moment as Etho does the same.

Grian’s blade runs straight through Etho’s stomach.

Etho’s blade pierces Grian’s chest.

Despite agonising pain exploding from his wound immediately, Etho doesn’t pull out his sword. Instead, he twists the blade, causing Grian to let out another scream of pain.

“That’s for Bdubs,” Etho croaks.

Grian stares up at him, his eyes wide. He almost looks normal again.

And then his body goes limp.

Grian was slain by Etho

Coughing softly, Etho releases his grip on his sword, letting Grian’s body fall. He limps over to the nearby tree and lowers himself painfully to the ground, leaning back against the rough bark. He can taste blood in his mouth, a sure sign that he isn’t going to survive much longer. His trembling hand is still pressed against his wound, as if that will help at all. But it’s instinct, and he can’t force himself to move.

He closes his eyes. Tired. Oh, so tired. Can he just sleep now…? Can all this finally be over…?

“Etho.”

A slight frown comes over his face, his eyes still closed. That voice… No. It can’t be. He’s… He’s gone.

“Etho…!”

No, that really IS his voice…! Somehow…

Etho’s eyes open. Instead of the blank landscape he’s expecting, what lies in front of him is the interior of the snow fort. Except… it’s not the snow fort he remembers. It’s not the ruins he left behind, it’s not even how the snow fort looked BEFORE it got destroyed.

It’s the snow fort he always pictured in his head, the way he always wanted it to look, but never got the chance to actually build. The walls stand tall and strong, the interior building a mighty fortress.

That’s Bdubs’s work, he thinks immediately. He recognises Bdubs’s building style.

“Etho! You’re finally here!”

Etho freezes for a moment, hardly daring to look up. When he does, his breath catches in his throat.

Bdubs runs down the stairs, a wide grin on his face. He looks happier and healthier than Etho has ever seen him in this world; all the darkness is gone from his bright eyes, and there’s even a noticeable spring in his step.

“B- B- Bdubs...?!” stammers Etho.

“I can’t believe you’re finally here!” Bdubs grabs his friend in a tight hug. “You really took your time, huh?”

Etho finally shakes himself out of his stupor and hugs Bdubs back, the feeling of the soft mossy hoodie under his touch spreading warmth all over his body.

“I really missed you,” Etho whispers.

Bdubs chuckles quietly. “Now I KNOW we must be dead; you’re not usually this emotional or sentimental.”

“You know I don’t like losing you, especially not when you’re so far away from me.” Etho continues to hold Bdubs close, wishing he could stay like this forever. “Bdubs, I’m so sorry…”

“Sorry?” Bdubs blinks. “For what?”

“For not being able to save you,” Etho replies quietly, squeezing his eyes shut as tears threaten his vision. “I’ve lost you once before and I vowed I wouldn’t let it happen again. And then I sent you out there to your death…”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Bdubs rubs Etho’s back reassuringly. “It’s not your fault. The universe just didn’t want us to be together, but we can be now. This is it.”

“This is… it?” repeats Etho. “Is this the afterlife?”

“You know what this is, Etho?” Bdubs takes Etho’s hand and leads him up the stairs, looking down on the beautiful base below them. “This… This is home.”

But Etho isn’t looking at the base. The base is just a bonus. His eyes are focused on the person next to him, the person he had feared he would never see again.

“Home.”

#last life smp #last life spoilers #etho #bdubs #vaunna writes

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Evil At The Emporium chapter 2

Summary: With another war bringing Tango and Impulse to opposite sides of the battlefield yet again, Zedaph is forced to join up with a certain evil businessman who claims to have a plan to solve everything, but is it really that simple?

Chapter 1

...

Zedaph takes a step back to admire the building he’s created. He’s certainly no master builder but he likes to think he’s managed to capture the essence of the shopping district around the Evil Emporium. It seems to fit in with the style of some of the other shops, buildings Zedaph recognises the style of as Welsknight’s and iJevin’s.

“Nice shop,” comes an unexpected voice.

Zedaph spins round to find VintageBeef standing there, arms folded. “Oh, thanks, man. I was a little nervous about it.”

“Don’t be, it looks great,” Beef says approvingly. “I didn’t know you were working with us.”

“Oh yeah, it’s been about three days now. Do you think EX will mind that this is the only thing I got done in that time?”

Beef shakes his head with a chuckle. “Nah, you’ll be fine. Took me a week to make my first building here, so you’re good. Anyway, I gotta go get stuff done. Welcome to the team.”

Zedaph smiles. “Thanks, man. See you later.”

As Beef walks away, Zedaph feels a swell of pride. It’s been a long time since he’s built something so out of his comfort zone, and it feels good to have the approval of someone like Beef.

Suddenly filled with energy, Zedaph takes off with his elytra and flies the short distance to Boatem. That’s another benefit of working at Evil Emporium; he’s much closer to everyone else than he is at the lab.

He lands neatly in the courtyard of the candy factory and immediately spots Impulse inside one of the large garages. Grinning, he bounds over to his friend. “Impulse!”

Impulse whirls round in surprise. “Zedaph! Wow, I haven’t seen you out here before.”

“I’ve come here once or twice before, but I don’t usually venture this far from my lab,” chuckles Zedaph. “Do you have a second to talk?”

“Only a second, really,” Impulse turns back to the redstone device he’s working on. “What’s up?”

“I’ve got some exciting news. I’m working with Evil Xisuma now.”

Impulse doesn’t look back at him. “Oh, nice! How come?”

“Uh…” Zedaph pauses, knowing he can’t tell his friend the real reason. “They just offered me a really good opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.”

“Who did?” asks Impulse absently.

Zedaph frowns. “...did you hear what I just said?”

“About working with Xisuma?”

“EVIL Xisuma.” Zedaph folds his arms and gives his friend a stern look. “Impulse, are you listening?”

Impulse gives a sigh, finally giving Zedaph a look, albeit briefly. “I’m trying, bud, but I’m really busy. Sorry, maybe you should come back another time.”

A pit opens in Zedaph’s stomach as he takes a step back, trying not to let the bitter disappointment come through in his voice. “Alright. Sorry. Bye.”

With that, he takes off again, this time flying towards the Big-Eyed Crew’s shopping district. The gigantic boat that used to cast a shadow over the area has been removed, but there are still hundreds of normal boats littering the promenade and the harbour.

In fact, Zedaph can see the figure of Tango hacking away at the boats over the promenade with an axe, so he lands near him. “Hey, Tango.”

“Not now, Zed,” snaps Tango.

If Zedaph had any excitement or energy left after talking with Impulse, it’s all gone now with Tango’s words and tone. “I- I wanted to buy something from one of your shops.”

Tango shoots him a scowl. “Really?”

“Um…” Zedaph’s shoulders droop. “No. Nevermind, I… I’ll just go.”

As he turns away, Tango speaks again: “Wait. I’m sorry, Zed; I didn’t mean to snap. Just come back tomorrow and we’ll talk, okay?”

Zedaph doesn’t bother to turn back around. “Okay.”

He flies back to the Evil Emporium, unaware of the dampness on his face until he lands. He quickly wipes his eyes with the back of his sleeve. It’s been a long time since he last cried, but he just can’t help it. His best friends have no time for him anymore. In fact, it’s like they don’t even care about him at all.

“Zedaph, hey!” comes the voice of EX, who appears at his side a moment later. “Good job on the- Wait…” They frown as they register Zedaph’s expression. “You’re crying?”

“I- I’m not,” says Zedaph quickly. “I’m fine.”

EX crosses their arms. “You know I can see you crying, right?”

“I’ll be fine, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Are you sure?” EX asks doubtfully. “Cuz it seems like you really need to talk.”

Zedaph opens his mouth to reiterate but something about EX’s sympathetic tone makes him stop. He really does need to talk. And EX appears to be willing.

“I just… I tried to talk to Impulse and Tango just now about my new position here and everything, but neither of them had time for me. So much has changed in the last few days; now they don’t even have two minutes to talk to me.” Zedaph clears his throat as his voice almost cracks. “We- We have to end this war, EX. Things can’t go on like this.”

“Oh, agreed, agreed.” EX gently grasps Zedaph’s shoulder. “In fact, I wanted to talk to you about the shop you made. Can you show it to me?”

Zedaph blinks as a warm sense of calm washes over him. Is EX… glowing pink? No, they can’t be. It must just be the leftover tears in his eyes blurring his vision slightly.

“Zedaph?” prompts EX. “Can you show me your shop?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

Zedaph takes EX to the building he made and waits nervously as EX inspects the outside of it. Finally, they return to him with a thumbs up. “Looks good! I’m impressed with how well you managed to make it match the rest of the buildings.”

The glowing feeling of pride returns to Zedaph and he can’t help a smile. “Thank you. I was nervous about it cuz I’m not a builder.”

“Well, you’re doing great.” EX pats him on the shoulder. “Are you ready for your next project?”

Zedaph tries to say no, tries to ask if he can take a small break before he gets started on something new. But he’s acutely aware of EX’s hand on his shoulder and for some reason, he just can’t get the words out.

“Of course,” he says. “What’s next?”

#hermitcraft #zedaph #evil xisuma #tangotek #impulsesv #team zit #vaunna writes #evil at the emporium

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

A Place of Love

Summary: Jimmy and Scott reconnect at the royal wedding

PLEASE DO NOT TAG AS SHIP, THANK YOU

...

“I love weddings,” says Jimmy happily, watching his friends dance. “They’re a place of love.”

“That’s kinda the point, isn’t it?” Pixl chuckles.

“Not just the love of the two people getting married, though. I mean, you can actually almost feel the love in the air, can’t you? You feel happier, don’t you? Like even your enemies are your dearest friends tonight.”

Pixl nods slowly. “Huh. I think I know what you mean.”

Across the room, Scott is sitting on a chair at a table by himself, just watching everyone else dance. As the last song starts to finish, the groom approaches Scott and leans on the table next to him, clearly worn out but happy.

“Hey,” says Joel. “Not dancing?”

Scott shakes his head. “Not at the moment.”

“The waltz is coming up next. You should find a partner.”

“I’m not really into slow dancing.”

Joel scoffs. “Since when? You love all forms of dancing.”

Scott doesn’t respond, so Joel jerks his thumb across the room. “Jimmy’s sitting over there on his own too. You should ask him.”

“Mm no, that’s not happening,” Scott replies.

“Everyone else is partnering up, Scott,” says Joel. “Please, we want everyone out there for the dance.”

“Pixl’s not.”

Joel raises an eyebrow. “Are you gonna dance with Pixl?”

Again, Scott doesn’t reply.

“Thought not.”

As Scott starts to respond, Lizzie appears and fixes him with a steely look. “Scott Smajor, go dance with Jimmy RIGHT now!”

One look at Lizzie’s face persuades Scott not to argue. “Okay, okay.”

He gets up and heads across the room towards Jimmy, who’s still talking to Pixl and doesn’t notice him approach until he says, “Hey.”

Jimmy beams at him. “Oh, hi! This is such a nice wedding, I love the-.”

“Get up, we’re dancing.”

“We are?” Jimmy blinks. “Oh! We are! O-Okay!”

Jimmy takes Scott’s hand and lets his friend take him to the dance floor. As the slow music starts to play, Scott and Jimmy move into position. Jimmy can feel his heart pounding at being so close to Scott for the first time in months.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m not a very good dancer,” he murmurs. “I have-.”

“-two left feet,” finishes Scott at the same time as him. “I remember.”

Jimmy dares not speak again as Scott starts to lead him through the dance. Only half a minute in, Jimmy’s foot catches on a ridge in the floor and he gasps sharply as he feels himself falling backwards.

But two strong arms immediately wrap around his back, catching him.

Scott’s breath catches in his throat as he finds himself staring directly into Jimmy’s soft brown eyes from less than two inches away.

“I… um…”

Scott quickly pulls Jimmy upright and releases him. Jimmy watches in disappointment as Scott hurriedly leaves the room. After a moment, he shakes himself slightly and follows.

He finds Scott out on the balcony overlooking the ocean. In the distance, the twinkling lights of Lizzie’s empire shine just under the light of the moon.

“Are you okay?” he asks quietly, dithering behind his friend at a safe distance.

He half expects a curt reply or no reply at all.

Instead, Scott sighs softly. “Do you remember that time in 3rd Life?”

“The time we danced under the moonlight the night after I turned red?” asks Jimmy.

Scott almost chuckles. Of course Jimmy knows the exact moment he means. “Yes, that one.”

A pause.

“I remember it,” Jimmy prompts.

“Me too. And that’s the problem. I remember how cold and cracked your skin felt. How I couldn’t meet your eyes because they were red and angry. your whole body exuded an air of death and hatred. It was like…” Scott hesitates. “It was like I was with an angry spirit in the body of you.”

Jimmy frowns. “Wh-What does that have to do with…?”

“I was just- I was hesitant,” admits Scott. “After last time. And when we actually started dancing, I… It was such a different experience that I just got overwhelmed. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ditch you.”

“Oh no, it’s okay.” Jimmy joins Scott at the balcony and gives him a smile. “I understand. It’s just been really difficult for me to adjust to living witho-.” He clears his throat. “-living on my own after 3rd Life.”

Living without me? Scott wonders.

Aloud, he says, “It’s been hard for me too. But I’m adjusting. Kinda.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asks Jimmy worriedly. “You’re not usually this… uh… vulnerable.”

Scott sighs again and shakes his head. “Weddings do that to me. It’s the atmosphere.”

Jimmy pauses for a moment. “You know, we’re husbands but we never had a wedding of our own.”

“That’s because we’re not actual proper legal husbands, Jimmy,” Scott chuckles. “We’re not even a real couple.”

“I know, but the platonic love is real. And even fake husbands deserve their own first dance.”

“We’ve already danced at least twice.”

“Uh huh, but have we danced alone out in the moonlight at someone else’s wedding with neither of us looking and feeling like death?” asks Jimmy innocently.

Scott stares at him for a moment, before laughing quietly. “No, I guess we haven’t.”

Jimmy steps back and holds out his hand. “Shall we?”

After a moment, Scott accepts Jimmy’s hand and the two start swaying together to the music drifting in from the almost-closed balcony door. After a while, the world around them starts to melt away. All they’re aware of is the sensation of their chests touching and the feel of their hands holding.

Tomorrow they’ll be rivals again. Tomorrow Scott will go back to his merciless teasing and messing with Jimmy. Tomorrow their empires will be separated by physical and metaphorical distance once again.

But tonight? Tonight they’re reunited by the bond that once held them together during the time of uncertainty and pain that was 3rd Life.

Weddings truly are a place of love.

#empires smp #jimmy solidarity #solidaritygaming #smajor1995 #scott smajor #vaunna writes