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[risingwingwhisper]

okay i don't even really enjoy the whole Watcher take on the Life Series but like. Cleo being one of the only people not to include clips of her wearing the VR get-up(i.e, we can't physically watch her partake in the VR gaming) and being the one to win??? idk feels pretty defiant to me... something something escaping the all-seeing eyes of the Watchers allowed her to slip under the radar and emerge victorious... just something to think about...

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Jimmy in RealLife is still a canary- just one that's developed an immunity to the poison gases and still sings, sweetly as ever, even as the miners drop dead around him.

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Life series winners DND characters that i drew for @life-winners-liveblog that are slightly based off Deltarune characters. Also I can't draw hands lol (edit: I don't really play DND sooo it may not be accurate)

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REAL LIFE SPOILERS

Can we talk about how a zombie killed Scott? Not Cleo herself, but still a zombie.

Because while according to the code, they're players, Cleo is still very much a zombie.

Cleo was unable to kill their closest ally, and this zombie saw their kind struggling and decided to help her. (angsty lore shit idk)

Even if they had killed Scott, he still would've been killed by a zombie. And that's weirdly unsettling...

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real life broke the alternating pattern of how many lives everyone has. it was supposed to be a many-life season and it was a 3-life season. the life economy is in shambles

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"which celestial object-"

WHICH OF THE SIX MERRY MURDERESSES OF THE COOK COUNTY JAIL ARE THE WINNERS??? (Cell Block Tango- better known as 'He ran into my knife. He ran into my knife Ten Times.)

YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS GO:

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he was so excited-

no wonder grian got out so quickly lol

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Winner Cleo!

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Life Series Victors as Tarot Cards

A presentation on why we’ve got it all wrong when it comes to grouping life series victors.

This post will continue on with the implication that ZombieCleo is a Victor, simply because she is. She won real life, therefore she's a victor. Argue with the wall.

Now, I see your celestial trio of the first three winners. This should never change. This feels the most apt, it centers perfectly, and each of the things it represents are present in multiple different categories. Obviously in space, as everyone has adapted to, but also in a Minecraft world, and what I see as more important: in a tarot deck.

Think about it this way.

The Watchers, in whatever form you think they (or we) take, are collecting these Victors. Each one means a different thing, survived a different landscape. While I understand the celestial motif of the first three Victors, and how it fits into their characters, I would argue that many others are far too grounded for that.

It’s a collection, remember? What is better for assembling a set than a deck of cards? Especially ones that meddle in Fate, something the Watchers seem to adore.

So here are the cards each Victor represents, with card meaning and my defense as well. This will go in chronological order of the seasons.

Before I continue, I just want to give a disclaimer. Every tarot deck has a slightly different explanation for what each card means. The definitions I use are a mix of three of my decks and the official Rider-Waite-Smith deck's explanation, so if there are inconsistencies with what your deck says or what you know, please don't come for me.

Grian, Third Life:

XIX. The Sun

Beyond the obvious desert motifs (a whole extra post in and of itself), the Sun is representative of not only Grian's gameplay, but also how the Watchers (those collecting this deck) feel about him. Grian is one of them, so he naturally starts out in their good graces, with a greater level of respect.

Rider-Waite-Smith defines the card as one of success. Of course the Watchers will gloat when their baby wins. Even if he wasn't meant to, it did inevitably mean that throughout his game, Grian was inarguably one of the largest sources of negative emotions, second only to the Red Army. Again. Extra post on its own. When he won, it saved anyone the satisfaction that might negate their negativity, alongside the delicious outpouring of grief that was the final duel of Third Life.

Reversed, the Sun is a card of depression. As I just touched on, one of the most defining moments of Grian's game was his final victory. When the ending came down to himself or his greatest ally, he went about it in the way that caused probably the most pain to both parties involved. It pushed him to the very brink, ending in him defining his own ending just moments after winning.

Scott, Last Life:

XVII. The Star

Even ignoring the starborne origins and headcanons, as well as the crown of stars included in his skin (Void below, these posts write themselves) this one looks like a super simple explanation, but actually requires me pointing out something that may not be obvious to some Watchers: Scott, in every game and Iteration has made it a point to rebel against the rules in whatever way he can. I could go into full detail, but thats a lot of words and I don't need anyoen to get bored. (Void, this series and side tangents that require other posts)

In third life, a game about death and destruction, and the originator of factions, Scott took a very different route: he got married and built a house in a flower field. When grief finally found him, he refused to give the Watchers any satisfaction, literally crystalizing his grief into a part of his character design (and one that would remain for two to three more seasons, depending on your thoughts on the coral pieces). In Last Life, he is the singular person in all five seasons (technically two, but shhh this is more dramatic) to withstand the Boogeyman curse, something the Watchers installed purposefully to make people kill allies. Double Life, obviously, as Scott rejecting the soulmate the Watchers gave him. Limited life, in which kills gave more time, Scott did not die a single time without giving life freely, either to an ally or a temporary ally.

That got long. Anyways. Scott's game has always been one of hope, spreading positivity and refusing to be pushed around by the Watchers. And that's exactly what the Star means. Upright, this is a card about hope and perseverence, pushing through challenges, which is exactly what Scott does. He refuses to let the Watchers' actions upset him and continues to play the game for his friends and for the future and nothing else.

Even reversed it still fits. Reversed, the Star means loss or abandonment. I've already used up too much time on Scott here, so I'll let you pick your favorite instance of that.

Pearl, Double Life:

XVIII. The Moon

This one is far and away the easiest. Like the previous two Victors, Pearl's story connected her with her symbol even before she won. But blood moons and wolf packs aside (as that's a whole different post for a whole different day) when you take a look at the definitions provided, it becomes even clearer.

The Moon is a card of transformation and change, as well as revealing one's inner self. Rider-Waite-Smith attributes hidden enemies, darkness, and terror with The Moon. While I'll happily analyze every single one of Pearl's actions as the Scarlet Pearl, I think this one is plenty self explanatory. After her rejection early on in the game, she immediately isolates herself and latches onto the night motifs, leaning in to what everyone expects her to be.

The reversed meanings also explain Pearl's arc in Double Life perfectly: confusion, mixed messages, and disbelief. This perfectly encapsulates Pearl's feelings at the very beginning of the game via her rejection by Scott and subsequent abandonment by Martyn in an attempt to get back into Cleo's good graces. Her instinctual reaction is one of shock, not understanding why Scott would choose to pick a soulmate when she was right in front of him.

Martyn, Limited Life:

XVI. The Tower

One of my favorite cards, the Tower is instantly recognizable. While most of my analyses aren't about how the card looks, I feel like it's important to share this time around. The most common image consists of a tower and one or both of two elements: lightning, and people falling. As a card, it represents sudden change, destruction, and chaos.

If anyone here is not yet convinced that I'm correct, please go rewatch Martyn's last LimLife episode, then come back and argue.

You're back? Great. We agree? No? Fine, I'll explain.

This fixates mainly on his winning game, but I'll touch on the rest of his games as well. LimLife ended with a huge betrayal on Martyn's part, one characterized by being so insanely sudden. (Of course it's the Watchers meddling. But the Tower isn't always about your own choices being your downfall.) He quite literally snapped as if hit by lightning (see description of the card), and this spells the beginning of the end for him.

Similarly, in all of his other games, Martyn finds himself with one pivotal moment that spells his downfall. The Red King, Betrayal at the Southlands (and honestly his worst move in DL was abandoning Pearl to try and beg for Cleo's forgiveness).

Funny enough, the reversed meaning of this card is almost a perfect match. I don't think this needs too much more explaining.

Scar, Secret Life:

X. The Wheel of Fortune

I adore Scar in these games. Every single season seems absolutely plagued by chaos. The worst season, obviously, was the one in which he gained his crown. Poor guy was just trying to make friends, and it seemed like every new secret was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

The Wheel is just what it sounds like: it's the card of luck, destiny, and fate. I won't add a new paragraph for the reversed meaning here either, as it means the exact same thing as upright, but with negative connotations in the form of bad luck and misfortune.

Scar is plagued by the whims of luck left and right. It seems like, more than any other player, Scar is unable (whether by others, fate, Watchers, what have you) to take full control of his own story and take actions that he wants to take, instead limited to where the current takes him.

But in the end, that chaos is what gives him his win. The lack of alliances and freedom that the game forced on him was what eventually lead him to be unmoored and able to volley his pain wherever he wanted, leading to a mostly painless win.

Cleo, Real Life:

XIII. Death

A little on the nose, I know, but which of these choices aren't? For a series entirely based on improv, there are a stupid amount of coincidences present.

Now, I know this is far and away the shortest series, so I'm going to analyse Cleo as a player across all of her seasons, not just her winning game. Sorry Real Life. You should have been longer.

While the meaning of the Death card may seem obvious, it's twofold in actuality. In some historical decks, even, the card is instead named Rebirth. I know how ironic that is that the zombie is the one who stands for death and rebirth, but again. Blame the stupid narrative, not the poor me trying to make sense of it.

In what my lovely mutual Honor called "phoenix behavior", I'm going to focus specifically on her deaths and rebirths, specifically BigB's betrayal in LastLife. Cleo takes her death hard, as anyone might. But her rebirth comes with change. The minute she respawns, it's with a different understanding of the world around her. She immediately embraces the change that has been given to her, burning down the Fairy Fort and ditching her alliance for a new one.

The reverse captures Cleo as a character over her seasons better than anyone on this list. While the upright meaning of the card is change, reversed it signifies stagnancy, obsession, and immobility. This can be seen almost perfectly with her thoughts on alliances. Scott remains forever in her good books, even over the course fo multiple seasons, simply because he has never wronged her. Even when they aren't direct allies,she still cooperates with him whenever, simply because she retains her previous feelings about him. The same can be said for BigB, but in the opposite direction. From the moment of the betrayal onwards, she refuses to trust him, going so far as to warn Pearl away from allying with him in LimLife.

Bonus: Jimmy Solidarity, the Canary

XII. The Hanged Man

But Moon! you shout, throwing your complimentary bucket of popcorn at me. Jimmy isn't a Victor! He's the exact opposite!

Yep.

That's why he's so soggy and why he goes on this list. You wanna argue that he doesn't have the same lore impact as a Victor? Too bad. Can't hear you. Jimmy gets his own card.

Initially, I was kinda sad that I already used the Tower, because that's the portent of doom and gloom or whatever, perfect for a canary. But then I spied an even better, even more Jimmy card.

The Hanged Man is the card of sacrifice. While I could go on a whole rant about the Fool's journey and how it is represented in the Life Series, that is Extra Tumblr Post Number IDK Anymore. Instead, today I'm going to stick to the basics. To specify sacrifice, the card doesn't just mean giving up. It signifies self sacrifice specifically. And what is Jimmy if not a semi-willing first sacrifice to get the chaos rolling?

How many times has he gone out to stop his friends from being the one who has to herald the change? The canary knows that he will sing the final notes, but so long as he can ensure the miners don't have to, he will descend once more.

Conclusion:

Now. Did I spend more time on this post than I ever did on an English Lit essay? Maybe. But as much as I love the space motifs this fandom has, I fundamentally disagree when we get to the latter winners. Come on, guys. Tarot decks are right here.

If I missed anything, or I misrepresented a player's game, please tell me. I can't be everywhere at once, and I'm always happy to learn more about some of the players I don't watch as regularly.

Anyways, this was way more fun to write than I expected. If anyone wants to see me give cards to the rest of the players who have yet to win, or an analysis of anything a mentioned in my tangents, please let me know.

Special thanks to @honorsongs who kept me company through this whole process and gave me many a suggestion when I lost my train of thought.

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WINNERS W/ THEIR SOULBOUND

Individuals under the cut

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I imagine that there’s a bit during real life where one of the divorce quartet members makes a joke about double life and Gem is like wait what happened and they spend like half an hour doing storytime about how they’re all divorced in another life

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Different players eliminated

Lizzie is the only person to not be eliminated by Scott, Scar or Grian, and Scott was only eliminated by himself out of the three of them

Scott has eliminated BigB twice and Joel three times, Scar has never eliminated the same person multiple times, and Grian has eliminated Scar twice

Pearl is the only other person to eliminate the same person multiple times, and eliminated Cleo twice, but Martyn also eliminated Impulse twice if Real Life is included

Bdubs and Impulse have both been eliminated by a different person all five seasons

Bdubs has been eliminated by Scar, Grian, Pearl, Impulse and Scott

Impulse has been eliminated by Bdubs, Scott, Pearl, Martyn and Scar

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Backs Turned, Victory

Characters (povs): Cleo, Scott, Martyn

Wc: 1000

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt 247, “Blind Spot” - late, but better than never.

Ao3: Here!

Only Cleo and Scott remained. Honestly, Cleo never thought she’d be one of the last two. The closest she ever got was in Double Life, in fourth place. Did that technically count as second place, considering the soulmate dynamics?

But now there were no technicalities. No other person who shared her life. Her team made it to the end. Sadly, Pearl had to go. The triple Gs couldn’t all win. 

After Martyn and Pearl died, Cleo, Scott, and Gem made a pact. They’d all go down to their last lives, and then a free for all. Always Scott with his justice. He proposed a battle royale once, among four players. It went well for him.

He then proposed the same in a previous season. 

It didn’t end well for him then.

They took a breather. It truly felt strange, being in a virtual world. It felt… disorientating. But at least they’d be free to go after this. They couldn’t wait to meet up with their friends in the real world after remembering them through the game. 

Usually, after remembering, that was it. It only lasted for however long they survived in the game, then they died, and that was it. And in another world, they were all unaware living their lives, until a game, they remembered, then they died, rinse and repeat. Cleo was surprised how she went all her current life not knowing Scott. She definitely had to reach out after they got this over and done with.

But before that, they had a fight to win.

“Come on, Scott. You could never kill me,” Cleo mocked, and Scott jumped to action.

His sword clashed against her shield and she struck.

And he was gone.

She hadn’t killed him. She could hear him wince. He was just. Gone.

Their voices overlapped. “Where have you gone to?” — “I don’t even know where you are.”

Ah, behind them. That virtual world truly was strange. A laugh bubbled up from her and Scott followed in her laughter. Still, she struck again, it hit. Scott’s sword kept hitting their shield. Good.

“Wait,” Scott said. Cleo stopped, unsure exactly why they felt compelled to. 

(That’s a friend, they were just laughing, and it’s not even actual real life, despite what the name of the game suggests)

Out of the corner of their eye, they saw a zombie approaching as Scott talked nonsense that Cleo wasn’t really paying attention to.

Near.

She said something in response to his question, tracking the zombie while staring at Scott. It was at an arm’s—

Scott popped out of existence, revealing the zombie that did him in.

Cleo’s shriek transformed into laughter as she did a quick job of the zombie. 

Everything was silent for a second, then it hit them. They’d won. They cheered with all their might and looked around for a vibrant green mob.

They knew what they had to do now.

—

When only four people remained, Scott had devised a plan. Each player on a corner of the arena. No alliances. Fight on sight, even if he had to end Pearl. A battle royale, a fair battle, as it all should be.

The first to go was Pearl, by Ren’s hands.

He knew it could’ve been him who killed Pearl, had he come out of the trees sooner, but still, he set his eyes on Ren and not let go.

Zombies swarmed around them. Scott kept away from them as he tried to shoot Ren. He was sure he’d almost killed him, but he slipped from sight.

The next thing he knew, Martyn had fallen down a hole and exploded himself. One less competitor. There was only Ren left.

He took chase.

Each arrow hit the mark. Ren was visibly agitated now as he ran down the hill.

Scott smiled in satisfaction as a horde of zombies tailed Ren.

The man just wouldn’t give up. Scott wouldn’t expect him to. 

They were on the side of another hill now. Ren tried shooting Scott, but his aim wasn’t the best. Scott outmaneuvered him, turned him around and back. A great strategy, disorientating your enemy. 

A zombie walked past Ren. Scott never lowered his bow.

Then lightning. 

A zombie walked away victorious, and Scott couldn’t care less that it wasn’t him who finished him. He was glad. Mirth colored his voice, and relief. So much relief…

He had won.

Scott made a hole for Binkie in the ground, filled with water so Pearl’s pet could outlast him, and looked to the side.

The canopy of a tree. 

He walked up to it, and climbed onto its strongest branches.

The rustling of leaves was the only sound around him as he stood atop the tree, feet steady.

He lifted his sword in the sky—

A flash of white.

—

In another world, Scott and Martyn were a team.

In that world, they were beasts of the sea; a creature from the depths and a sailor corrupted by coral and kelp.

And when there were only three people left, Scott proposed to go down to their last hour and battle it out, fair. They’d fight with no armor, no shield, as proposed by Impulse. Battle like their forefathers, Grian and Scar. But Scott and Martyn and Impulse instead. 

But Martyn… Martyn only cared to win.

He struck against his ally, lava charing— burning through Scott’s scales and flesh. He thrusted his sword, and Scott was dead.

Impulse tried to run, but he was no match for him. Words, almost an incantation, poured out of Martyn as he slashed his enemy, as he gained time. Time. Time.

Impulse was dead. The words kept coming, like he’d rehearsed them. Like his body wasn’t his own, but it was. Like he was a shell controlled by himself, a part he didn’t know. Divine inspiration. He’d won—

That feels good.

His hand were stained red, like the corals piercing from his skin.

Time is delicious.

—and Martyn laughed—

—knowing his time would run out.

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Hi! I made a Life Series Connections! Hope y'all enjoy!

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the winners

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It is statistically likely that Scott gets 1st and 3rd next season

There are four other important people, Joel, Grian, Impulse and Martyn.

Impulse and Martyn have a similar "curse" whoever kills them (usually) wins the season. This happened in Last and Double Life, and Martyn killed Impulse and won in Limited Life. In 3L, Scar killed Martyn and Grian won, but Bdubs killed Impulse, and in SL, Grian killed Martyn and Scar won (Scar also killed Impulse).

However, in SL, Martyn got 11th and Impulse got 7th, and the only player to ever eliminate 7th and 11th from the previous season is Scott Smajor himself. He killed Ren and Joel in LL, Joel and BigB in LimL, and BigB and Bdubs in SL. Tango and Grian got 7th and 11th in LL, and both died to mobs in DL.

This is important, because the player who eliminates the players who got 5th and 8th in the last season always wins. For 5th place, Scott eliminated Impulse in LL, Martyn killed Impulse in DL, and Scar killed Etho in SL. For 8th, Cleo was killed by Pearl in DL, Martyn eliminated Etho in LimL, and Scar killed Cleo in SL. 5th and 8th in SL were Joel and Grian.

Out of the six total times Joel and Grian were eliminated by a player, it was Scott four of those times.

So it seems like Scott will eliminate all four of them and win, right? Yes, it does seem like that. Obviously.

But there is one more thing. On average, the player who eliminates Impulse gets 1.492st place, Grian's is 2nd (exactly), Martyn is 3.058, and Joel is 4.212 (all are for a season with 17 people). If you average all of these numbers, it equals 2.690, which rounds to three.

So the player who eliminates Impulse, Martyn, Joel or Grian will win, but if they eliminate all of them they will get third, and Scott is the most likely for both.

Edit: The average place for the player who eliminates last season's 7th and the player who eliminates last season's 11th (AKA Scott in LL, LimL and SL) is about 3rd.

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Every season has a distinct feel, I tried a new style to tell their stories through distinct shapes (and rl is like that for funsies)