#jimmy solidarity angst

[gtwscratch]

Go Home

Summary: Tango and Jimmy are the first ones out in Double Life. They talk for a bit, and Tango says some things he’s going to regret.

This is inspired by @cramblm! She made a comic a while back about these two, and I was (FINALLY) motivated to write something again :D 

This is also part one of a two-part little story!! I’m not sure when part two will be up, but yeah! If you like this one, I hope you guys look forward to the next part!

CW: Team Ranchers angst, that’s about it

Word count: 1,203 words

===============================

Tango looks down at the server, floating above everything. He idly rubs his arm. He can almost still feel the phantom pains of the enderman ripping into Jimmy, and by association, himself.

Huh. So this is what it’s like.

It’s oddly peaceful. Obviously there's still chaos going on below him as the last of the server’s peace crumbles away, but this was… different. Tango had died before in these games of course, but never first. It’s weirdly calm. And lonely.

Tango then hears the sound of rustling fabric, and his heart aches. He doesn’t need to look to know who it is—no one else has perma-died yet. Tango doesn’t want to look; so, he stares forward. They float in silence for several minutes before Jimmy breaks the silence.

“Tango,” the half-avian starts, “I’m.. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“You’re still here.” It’s less of a question and more of a statement.

Jimmy glances away and fiddles with the necklace he’s wearing. It matches the one Tango wears, given to him by Jimmy after the first session. “... Well, yeah. I.. I don’t want.. I, uh, didn’t-” 

Tango cuts him off, his tone coming out harsher than he had intended. “Why are you still here?”

“.. I could ask you the same thing,” he responds quietly after a moment’s hesitation. He looks out at the server and then reaches for Tango’s hand. “C’mon, it’s rough to watch at the start sometimes, we should-”

Tango snatches his hand back, keeping it close to his chest. “We should what, Jimmy? We can’t do anything. We’re dead.”

“We can at least go somewhere that won’t see so much bloodshed.” Despite the tone Tango is taking with him, Jimmy’s own voice remains soft and patient. “We can go back to the ranch.” He sounds a little hopeful. Tango ignores it.

“And then what? Just wait around and welcome everyone as they die? Pretend that everything is fine and that we haven’t just come in dead last?” Tango’s tail flicks angrily back and forth, and the flames in his hair burn a little brighter. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Tango isn’t upset about coming in last. He’s never come close to winning before, and it’s never bothered him all that much. He doesn’t understand why he’s so angry all of a sudden. The blaze-hybrid hasn’t once looked away from the soon-to-be-destroyed landscape. He hasn’t once looked at Jimmy.

Tango releases a heavy sigh. “It’s over, Jimmy.”

They both know Tango is talking about more than just their time in the game.

Tango can almost sense Jimmy tense—can feel the faint panic and hurt spread in his own chest despite their link already being severed and fading. Maybe he just knows Jimmy that well. Maybe Tango doesn’t want to go through with this.

“.. What?? No, Tango, don’t- don’t say that..!” Jimmy raises his voice for the first time. “This isn’t-! I-it can’t be-!”

“It can be, and it is. We don’t know if something like this,” he gestures to the server in front of them, “will ever happen again, and if it does, I don’t see us teaming up again in the future.” What Tango fails to elaborate on is that he doesn’t think he’d be that lucky enough to have Jimmy on his team again.

Jimmy tries to reach for Tango again. “Please, don’t say that. We’re the Ranchers..!”

“NO! We’re not the Ranchers anymore!” Tango finally snaps his head in Jimmy’s direction, the flames in his hair and tail flickering and growing as his emotions do. “‘The Ranchers’ are gone! They were something that the psychos who created these games influenced and forced, and now they’re gone, Jimmy! That wasn't real!” 

But, oh, how he wants this to be real. Somewhere along the way, Tango found himself catching feelings for the half-avian. Despite their situation, he always seemed to be so optimistic and confident. Even when the ranch was burned down and Tango lost it, Jimmy remained (mostly) level-headed and helped get Tango to calm down despite getting burnt by his flames. And yeah, if it had been anyone else he’d accidentally hurt, he would’ve felt bad, but it felt even worse because it was Jimmy. Jimmy, who always found a reason to smile. Jimmy, who always put up with everyone’s crap. Jimmy, who apologized to Tango when they found out they were bound despite Tango being the one to lose their first life and being the reason the two found out they were bound in the first place. Jimmy, who didn’t deserve this kind of fate but received it for a third time now.

Ah, so that’s why he’s angry. Because this cruel, sick game has done nothing but take from and torment this saint of a player.

And maybe that’s why he’d been partnered with Tango. 

Because fire destroys everything it touches, and the expression on Jimmy’s face is proof of that.

Tango quickly looks away. He can’t bear to see the pain and betrayal in Jimmy’s eyes. “Just.. just go home, Jimmy.”

Jimmy’s voice wavers with one last attempt. “Tango, please-”

“Go,” his flames flare up once again, and even in death, their temperature rises. Tango’s arms are wrapped tightly around himself now.

Jimmy hesitates for another moment before floating off in the direction of their the ranch, leaving Tango alone like he’d requested. It isn’t until he’s sure that Jimmy’s gone that he slowly lowers to the ground, kneeling in the grass.

He carefully uncrosses his arms and touches the charm on his necklace, a feather carved from iron. It won’t melt with your flames Jimmy had once said, nervously beaming as he handed it over and showed his own charm to Tango (a flame, also carved from iron). Tango exhales shakily, tracing over the ridges on the pendant. He stays there for a long time, just staring at the pendant and desperately wishing that this wasn’t how things had turned out.

Tango doesn’t know how long he’s kneeling there when the second lightning strike sounds, indicating another two members have fallen. He takes a deep breath and hides the pendant beneath his shirt before getting up and floating in the direction of where he heard the lightning strike. Did it come from the Box..? Yeah, that sounds close enough. 

As he makes his way over there, he risks a glance over to the ruined ranch and sees Jimmy sitting at their graves, leaning against Tango’s. Tango looks away quickly, but he stops, hesitating on continuing to the Box. At this point, his anger has subsided and has morphed to guilt and regret. He wants to go to Jimmy and apologize—to tell him he didn’t mean it, but would Jimmy take him back? Would he want to try for something that was genuinely real and not influenced by whoever put them into this mess? What would Tango even say to make up for what he said??

Tango decides to settle on the plan of giving them both some space. He needs to think about how he’s going to apologize, and, if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t want to see Jimmy again so soon. 

So he continues on his way, scared to give Jimmy and the ranch another glance.

===============================

Hope you guys enjoyed :) I worked on this instead of school work haha

[simple-seranade]

short little thing i wrote about Jimmy’s lore today, spoilers! (2/26/23)

------------•------------

Jimmy is alone.

His deputy betrays him, leaving a horrible monster in his town that sends everyone but him running for the hills as he faces it, sword drawn.

Jimmy is alone.

Citizen after citizen files out of his town, hearts set towards brighter shores and more brilliantly shining empires.

Jimmy is alone.

The Hermits come in like a wildfire, leaving just as suddenly and leaving Jimmy craving the warmth of fiery hair and passion by his side.

Jimmy is alone.

A sheriff of long time gone gives him advice before being overwhelmed by the changes in the world, retreating back to the darkness of the caves.

Jimmy is alone.

All he was doing was sharing his excitement about how all the respect he craved was finally in reach, only to feel the cold sting of a blade and bolt upright in bed, heart pounding.

Jimmy is alone.

He sits in the ghost town, surrounded by chests upon chests of gunpowder he’s stashed away for himself, because he should be getting paid as a sheriff, right?

Jimmy is alone.

As smoke curls into the air, filling his lungs as screams fill his ears, he smiles, cold and calculating against the dancing flames from everywhere around him as the other empires burn to ash thinner than the desert sand.

Jimmy is alone.

[pentacle-artist]

Angsty canary!Jimmy thing

I imagine that after he dies first he wakes up in a birdcage for the watchers to fawn and gush over like a little pet. On top of that, he's stuck until the season is over.

The watchers saying how adorable he looks in his jacket and shades. Jimmy trying to hide in his wings in an attempt to not feel the eyes on him. Silently cursing himself for not being better.

[arc852]

Deserved

Summary: Jimmy feels like a burden and undeserving of being in The Bad Boys.

Warnings: self-deprecation, anxious thoughts, and feeling unloved

Word Count: 1591

Read on AO3

_____________________________________________________________

 Jimmy looked back at the half ruined mansion behind him before continuing on. Night had fallen and most, if not everyone, was asleep. Times like these were the only times they were able to rest without the worry of someone coming after them. Not that many people had to worry right now. The early stages of the life series were always the most relaxed and with even more lives to spare this time around, it seemed even more so.

 So why wasn’t Jimmy taking advantage of this time to get some sleep? Well, the fact of the matter was he couldn’t. He felt tired but no matter how much he tossed and turned, his own thoughts kept him awake. So he decided he needed to go for a little walk.

 He found a little clearing among the dark forest and lit it up before sitting on a rock near the center. He took a deep breath.

 He loved being part of the bad boys. It was a fun little group, him, Grian, and Joel.

 But…did he really deserve a place in their group?

 No. The answer was no.

 The game had barely begun and he already felt like he was holding the others back. Just like with Scott. Just like with the Southlands. Just like with-

 “I had a feeling I would find you out here.” The sudden voice cut through Jimmy’s thoughts and he screamed, jumping in his seat. Turning, he saw Tango walk out of the trees, laughing at having scared him.

 “Tango! You can’t just do that!” Jimmy cried, placing a hand on his chest to calm his heart rate down.

 “Sorry, sorry.” Tango laughed, though he did at least seem a bit sorry. Jimmy huffed before taking in the circumstances. 

 “Wait, how did you know I would be out here?” Jimmy asked. Him and Tango hadn’t spoken much since the game started. Just one instance where Jimmy had hit him with a pickaxe when trying to get away with Joel.

 Tango sat down next to him and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.” Jimmy hummed but understood well enough. Ever since double life, it seemed the soulbounds never quite broke all the way. They no longer felt each other's pain, of course, but there were…feelings. Echoes. None of them knew how to explain it but none of them did anything about it. It was kind of nice, to still be connected in some way.

 “So, why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be getting some rest for the next session?” Tango asked and Jimmy sighed, having dreaded the question. He glanced back toward the mansion before looking down.

 “Tried. Couldn’t sleep.” Jimmy said, keeping his answers short and not necessarily untrue. But Tango wasn’t deterred.

 “Come on rancher, you can tell me.” Tango said softly. “We might not be teamed this series but I’m still here for you.”

 Jimmy hated Tango for knowing how to get him to open up. But he also loved him for the same reason. Jimmy slunk deeper into himself, eyes still trained on the floor.

 “I’m not good enough to be on a team with Grian and Joel.” Jimmy said and there it was, out of his head and into the open. 

 “What? Did they tell you that?” Jimmy could feel the heat coming off of Tango in waves all of a sudden and Jimmy shot up and put his hands up in an attempt to calm Tango’s anger. 

 “No! No! They haven’t said anything like that.” At least not to his face. He wouldn’t blame them if that was what they thought though.

 Tango’s anger cooled, as did his flames, but now he looked confused. “Then why do you think that?”

 Jimmy shrugged and looked back down. “Because it’s true? Grian and Joel have always been good at this game, always making it near the end or even winning in Grian's case. But I’m…well, everyone knows about my curse. How I’m always the first one out. How I…always drag people down with me.” He said that last part with a glance towards Tango. “I mean, it was my fault we were out first last time. You were doomed the second the game paired us together.”

 There was silence, to the point where Jimmy would have thought Tango left if not for being able to feel the heat coming off his rancher. But he could and he was still there. Just…silent.

 “Jimmy.” Tango spoke after what felt like hours. “Can you look at me?” Jimmy hesitated for only a moment before looking up and meeting Tango’s eyes. “There we go.” Tango smiled but the expression turned more serious a moment later. “It was not your fault.”

 Jimmy frowned. “But-”

 “Nope, let me finish talking.” Tango cut him off, not unkindly, and Jimmy closed his mouth, letting Tango continue. “It was not your fault. Us dying last season was not your fault. You aren’t cursed Jimmy, I don’t care what anyone else says. You deserve to have a good team. You deserve people who care about you.”

 Jimmy tried to swallow but his throat felt dry. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes. “I don’t feel like I do.” And it was, unfortunately, true. Even with Tango being so nice to him back in double life and now, his time throughout Empires rings in his ears like a broken song. He knows it's all just jokes and for lore and all of that. He knows that. But… “I don’t think I have in a long time.”

 “Jimmy…” He felt a hand cup his cheek and lift his head so he now met Tango’s eyes. He hadn’t even realized he had wandered away from them. “You do. You deserve just as much as anyone else. You were never a burden to me and you aren’t a burden to Grian and Joel either.”

 Jimmy blinked and thought back to earlier in the day. Joel hadn’t hesitated to keep Jimmy with him once they met up. And Grian had said nothing about it either when he joined them. In fact, Jimmy felt happy when thinking back. They had fun being The Bad Boys.

 But his happiness soon turned to anxiousness and dread. Because he didn’t deserve it.

 “I feel like I've always been a burden to them especially.” Jimmy spoke softly.

 “Jimmy, you idiot. Why on earth would you believe that?” Another sudden voice, not Tango’s, exclaimed. Jimmy once again found him jumping in surprise and turning to find Joel in the clearing. Not far behind him was Grian. They both looked…more than a little concerned.

 “How-How long have you two been there?” Jimmy stammered out, suddenly feeling ashamed for how they found him.

 “Long enough.” Grian said, and oh, Jimmy hadn’t seen him look like that since after 3rd life. Grian glanced over to Tango. “Thanks for letting us know.”

 Jimmy blinked and then looked back at Tango. “Wait, you…?”

 Tango nodded, an apologetic smile on his face. “Yeah, I messaged them a few minutes ago. Sorry rancher, but I've told you all this before. You need to hear it from them now.”

 Footsteps came up behind him and a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. “We’ve got it from here. Thanks, Tango.” It was Joel.

 “Anytime.” Tango said and then met Jimmy’s eyes again. “I mean it.” Tango stood up and at the same time, Jimmy was also led to stand, Joel’s hand never leaving his shoulder. The grip was gentle but unmoving.

 Tango left, as silently as he had come and Jimmy was led in the opposite direction, back toward their base. They were all silent as they made their way back, which only made Jimmy feel worse. What if Tango was wrong? What if they were about to kick him out of The Bad Boys?

 As soon as they made it back up to the roof, however, Jimmy was suddenly pulled into a hug from both Joel and Grian. “We’re so sorry Tim.” Grian said, his voice muffled from having his face pressed into Jimmy’s shirt. “We’re so sorry we ever made you feel like you didn’t deserve anything.”

 “You’re not a burden.” Joel spoke. “Not here, not on Empires, not ever.”

 Jimmy couldn’t keep it in any longer. He broke down, falling to his knees and taking Grian and Joel down with him. But they didn’t seem to mind. They just held on tighter. And Jimmy held them back.

 They were there for what felt like hours but eventually they made it back to their beds, which they had pulled together. Jimmy laid in the middle, hugged by Grian and Joel on either side. He felt a lot better. Not all the way. But better.

 “We still have a lot to talk about.” Grian murmured, not wanting to talk too loud, as if he would break the peace if he did.

 “I know.” Jimmy said.

 “Us too, on Empires.” Joel said in the same tone.

 “I know.” Jimmy said, with a bit more of a wince. But if this moment taught him anything, it was that he needed to speak more openly about his feelings. Lest he find himself dug into the anxiety ridden, self-deprecating hole he found himself in earlier.

 And if this moment taught Grian and Joel anything, it was that they needed to be much more open about their love for their friend.

 “We love you Jim, please don’t forget that.”

 And Jimmy, for the first time in a long time, believed that to be true.

[ieatstardust]

Your legacy's not yours to see, nor is your eulogy

Empires was over. Corrupted. Destroyed beyond recognition. A weird feeling of deja-vu came over him as he sat on the only cliff in Rivendale not covered with debris. Memories that he had pushed far back into the corners of his mind came flooding in with new ones, all of them drowning him in a sense of guilt and sorrow

He remembers watching the sunset on a cliff much like this one, before logging off of a long-forgotten server for the last time. 

The sunset was beautiful. Too beautiful for all these terrible and morbid feelings swirling inside him. Even with all the mesmerizing pinks and oranges, he could not forget. Not like the others would. His grip on the cliff’s edge tightened, the rough rocks and pebbles digging into his palm, and grounding him into reality.

He felt his grip loosen soon after, too loose to be safe this close to the edge. But maybe that was the point. With an empty feeling in his chest, he brought his attention to the sky once more. The color of the sunset was now a deep orange at this point, with twilight making its way onto the horizon.

He let go. 

He hit the ground.

The arms of death embraced him, and now it seemed they would never let go. 

—

He remembers it all being his fault, just like this time and the time before that one.

—

      There is a soft smile on his face as he stands next to Fwhip, as Jimmy places both his hands on his hips. (he snickers to himself when he notices that it rhymes) 

“I’m glad that we’ve finally come together Fwhip! Seems things are finally looking up”. He says, with a turn of his head and a slight chuckle. Fwhips face looks calmer than it's been in a while. With all the Xornoth stuff going around, and him getting possessed- Today seems to be looking better than the past weeks.

Fwhip Chuckles a bit at that. “Yeah... Yeah, we have..” He Pauses for a second and looks at the machine that's supposed to make a Salmon-Cod Hybrid. (Jimmy's mind wonders if calling it a Cod-Salmon Hybrid is still on the table.) Fwhip Turns to look at Him again and Jimmy almost notices an uneasy feeling in his chest starting to grow.

“Time to get this party started!” Fwhip says with a devilish grin on his face and goes to flip the switch that would start the machine.

“Oh come on-” Jimmy starts, wanting to flick the switch himself, but is he then interrupted by the start of the end of the world.

[tubbytarchia]

I hate this stupid screenshot for making me emotional. ?? this sucks

[agni-ashes]

i’m. im going insane over this.

transcript under the cut!

martyn: "i talk about my fears to- so that i can face them! well, get rid of them at least"

jimmy: "you're gonna have to face it now! *laughs*

martyn: "well i'll tell you now, what i'll do, is once your build exceeds this build by one block in terms of height, i will come and slaughter you and push you down to third life and then, we'll just stop proceedings"

jimmy: "we're on- we're on new life. i don't- that was two years ago, martyn! get over it, it was two years ago! third life was two years ago!"

martyn: "... third life never ended for me."

[smallidarityfan]

smallidarity highschool au

came up with this au like actually 2 years ago where it's mainly empires 2 smallidarity centric, with Jimmy as a student council member and Joel as an honours student who doesn't like the way Jimmy runs things around the school.

As payback for the regulations Jimmy put up that Joel thought was stupid, Joel does these elaborate 'The Office' style pranks on Jimmy (specifically) while Jimmy retaliates by trying his best to dig up dirt on Joel. This banter goes on for a while— however Joel ends up doing the pranks less as a statement, and instead more just to see how Jimmy would react... with his comical, cartoony villain yells, and... weirdly cute face....? (YAOI YAOI YAOI YAOI)

very very old au drawings below:

from July 2023

😭😭 joel does NOT look like a highschooler here 😭😭😭😭 (i also wanted to draw angst in the first two ig idk a year later it's pretty cringe [i am still cringe]) (also partially inspired by when I read "Go for it, Nakamura!" and the mc reminded me of joel for no actual reason. or maybe i was just thinking about that manga while drawing smallidarity. idk)

from November 2022:

I think these doodles were genuinely the first instance of me converting from being against mcyt shipping to for shipping LMAOO

[chipperchemical]

c!Tango has two major rage moments, one in Last Life after the Bdubs boogie kill and one in Double Life after the ranch burns down, and after both, his behaviour changes drastically.

first, there's the obvious, the part that everyone can see: he's fucking angry. everything he does has this air of pure rage surrounding it. even after the incident actually happened, for the rest of the season, he is just furious. it leaks through his voice and his constant gritted teeth. others can move on, others can forgive; Tango cannot. Tango cannot let go.

then it's the... well, the untrustworthiness. he starts slinking around in the dead of night, sitting in trees or on cliff edges. often, players just feel his eyes on them, watching from the forests or outside their windows. they don't know what his intentions are but he isn't hostile, he just... watches. sometimes he goes missing for hours at a time and is found just sitting there, staring. it's like he's absent in his own mind.

but most of all, it's the recklessness. no-one wants to say that he's suicidal, but, you know. the leaps he takes down cliffs as he's following his friends, how dangerously close he comes to lava, the little scrapes and bruises that he never would've gotten before. Jimmy notices it more than anyone as his soulbound -- waking up in the night to see his partner gone and a brand new tingling pain in his ribs.

Tango feels rage so much deeper than everyone else. some would say it's in his nature

[theghostlyunknown]

Love the idea of jimmy possessing Grian just so he could bark at Martyn one last time. He didn’t get to say goodbye so he physically fucking manifested in the watcher so he could say bye to his big dog.

[firequeenofficial]

Couldn't find the original post, but this is Ranchers. To me.

[lyraofthestarsss]

Can we talk about how LOUD the silence was after Joel’s death. Grian yelling Joel’s name only to be consumed by the silence again. Hearing nothing but the sound of rushing water, the remains of the bread bridge Joel worked so hard to build

But more importantly can we talk about how Grian started making jokes as soon as other people were nearby. “Looks like I’m a noisy neighbor now!” “It was too expensive to keep him alive”

They’re watching him.

No one must know the truth

No one can know how much their deaths hurt him

[simple-seranade]

so i wrote more of that shapeshifter!jimmy concept- team rancher fans (/p or /r) come get y’all’s content

(part one here! shoutout to @pixiemage for the inspo to add some team rancher, apologies for the tag if it is unwanted-)

TW: body horror, panic attack, lots of anxiety

Tango is a being of emotion.

Whether the fires of passion and rage that consumed him in the Life games, to the ice cold loneliness he felt after the fact when he realized his soulmate was gone, the man has had plenty of practice in letting his feelings flow through him, empower him, become the fuel that kept him going. 

So when he receives Jimmy’s message in the world chat, every single alarm bell in his head sounding that something was wrong, Jimmy is in trouble, go help him, go find your rancher…

Well, Tango felt his feet hit the sand before he even had the conscious thought of going to find the sheriff.

He can’t help the feeling of worry that pools in his gut as he nears the town, ignoring the gritting sensation of the wind-tossed sand flying in his face, his clothes, his hair. His mind is frantic and flickering as the possibilities flare to life, all the groundless worst case scenarios painting a baseless picture of ash and ruin. 

The smell of singed sand rises in the air, causing Tango to pause, looking back at the course he was taking. A series of smoking footprints trail behind him, some flames still burning in his wake despite the fact the only fuel was the sand and the hot desert sun. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he attempts to steady his breathing.

He has no reason to be getting this upset, no valid explanation for the uncanny fear that’s taken residence in his chest. He shouldn’t even be worried, for void’s sake. After all, Jimmy was talking after a few days of radio silence, and nothing he had said was wrong, or bad, or even troublesome, but for some reason the ice blue flames on Tango’s head were roaring like a bonfire three times their size. 

Maybe if he just… reads the message again, he’ll calm down. He can rationalize, go check in Jimmy without the threat of accidentally burning the town to the ground, and just catch up with the sheriff. It had been a while since they’ve gotten the chance to chat, Tango getting caught up in helping FWhip with his Empire and Jimmy’s never-ending feud with Joel. 

Tango hums absentmindedly as he walks, pulling up the world chat on his communicator.

Jimmy: Renovations in Tumble Town. For safety purposes, visitors are banned until further notice.

See? Nothing to worry about. He was fine, there was nothing wrong with Jimmy. Tumble Town was just changing, so he was probably busy. Everything was fine.

Someone should notify Tango’s emotions of that message, because the pit of worry in his gut only grows. Whoever said anxiety was a rainy emotion must not have known what they were talking about, because the smoke pillaring into the sky from the icy blue flames in his hair seemed to perfectly match the hot sparks of panic in Tango’s chest.

He really needs to find Jimmy before he sets the entire desert ablaze over paranoia.

Because that’s all it could be. Paranoia. He was getting worried over nothing. He can’t feel Jimmy’s pain anymore, he has no reason, no way of knowing the sheriff is hurting or in any kind of danger. Then again, it also meant he isn’t sure Jimmy isn’t, either. 

He had never missed the soulbond more.

The wave of relief that crashes over him when the familiar walls of Tumble Town rise in the distance is hardly enough to quell the burning emotion inside of him, but it does dim the glow to a more reasonable proportion. Nothing is on fire- well, aside from Tango himself- and no screams are to be heard. In fact, it's a typical quiet desert day.

Nothing like Tango would expect from a place undergoing heavy renovations.

He tries to keep himself in check as he nears Tumble Town, doing his level best to not let his growing unease affect him. Everything is normal, any traces of the claimed construction nowhere to be seen. The only out of the ordinary occurrence is the fact that, despite the sun barely even beginning to dip past its midday point in the sky, the lights in the sheriff office are completely off. Jimmy usually keeps the lights on to let people know they could come in and receive help from the sheriff if they needed it.

Tango’s traitorous brain considers truly for the first time that something is actually wrong. That he isn’t imagining things. That Jimmy…

He needs to find his rancher.

The blaze hybrid takes a deep breath, steadying his nerves. “Jimmy? Where are you?” 

Silence.

A fiery man’s sinking heart.

Then, so soft it was nearly imperceptible, a sniffle.

Tango swings his head around, attempting to pinpoint the origin of the sound. His blue eyes land on the dark sheriff’s office, and his heart sinks as a small, pitiful whine comes from inside. He isn't sure he’s ever moved faster than he does in that moment, the door opened and shut before he even processed the fact that his feet were moving, creaking against the wooden planks. “Jimmy? Jimmy, are you ok? What’s-“

“Tango, you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.” A hoarse whisper sounds from the back corner of the room, shrouded in shadows from the lack of lights. Tango fights back a cringe at the sound of the voice he knew so well, which was oddly lifeless and wooden.

The blaze hybrid takes a step towards where the sheriff is, brightening the room slightly as the icy blue fire that partially made him fought back the dark.The figure of his past soulmate is huddled against the wall, features still too dim to make out. He is also, worryingly, very, very small, the size of a stuffed animal instead of a man. He takes another step. “I was worried. It’s been a while since we’ve talked, and I just wanted to see-“

“STOP!” The pure fear in the sheriff’s voice causes Tango to freeze. “Don’t come any closer, leave, you need to leave-“ Jimmy’s voice hitches, his breath becoming more shallow and frantic. 

Ice cold panic shoots through Tango’s veins. Jimmy- Jimmy is scared. His rancher is terrified, on the verge of a panic attack, he has to help. He takes a shuddering breath, steadying himself and doing his best to keep his flames under control as he sits in front of the sheriff.

“Jimmy, I need you to breathe with me, ok? Just listen to my breathing, do your best to copy it.” He inhales loudly, counting to four in his head before holding it. Then, slowly, he exhales, fighting to keep it at a reasonable pace when he was panicking as well.

Jimmy sucks in a breath, but it catches in his throat as he chokes back a sob. Tango ignores the pang in his heart at the sound, continuing the breathing pattern. 

It takes an agonizing fifteen minutes for the sheriff to be able to breath, and another five before either of the men are able to break the silence.

“Jimmy…”

“I’m fine.” The sheriff interrupts. Tango can see the small lawmaker rub furiously at his eyes with the heels of his hands before freezing, lowering them again. “You can go now.”

“You were just having a panic attack, Jimmy. I’ll give you some space if you want me to, but… I just want to know you’re ok. Just-“ He sighs, wringing his hands nervously. “You’re my rancher, and I know I haven’t been around much, but I still care.”

He keeps his gaze on his hands, fully expecting Jimmy to implore him to leave. What right did he have to still be here? Yeah, he and Jimmy were close, but Jimmy was clearly trying to be alone, to distance himself from him and the others on the server.

He ignores how that thought makes him even less inclined to leave the sheriff alone.

Just as he’s about to stand up, apologize, leave, do something, he feels a small tug on his cloak. He looks down, and right there is Jimmy.

It has to be Jimmy, and that’s what makes Tango’s heart break.

It breaks because instead of just a small version of the man he’s fought by, lived by, died by, he was… wrong.

That was the only way Tango can describe it. The only way he can possibly put into words the way his stomach twists as he takes in the sight of glassy lifeless eyes, of stitches pulled tightly into plush skin, of the long ring-tipped string sprouting from a back where there had once been beautiful golden wings before those had disappeared. The soft golden hair had given way to obnoxiously yellow string, just barely escaping from under the sheriff hat atop his head. 

Dazed, the blaze hybrid reaches out, gently cradling the man’s the toy’s Jimmy’s face with his fingers. Instead of slightly stubbled skin, his fingers are met with the sensation of fabric. He can feel the stuffing underneath, even though he’s barely applying any pressure.

“Tango-“

“Who did this to you?” Tango growls, unable to stop his fire from brightening and raging, so much so he had to lean forward to make sure he didn’t set the wall ablaze. His vision is tinged with a vibrant sky blue, his thoughts racing as furyprotectivenessragecare surges through him, because someone’s turned Jimmy into the very thing he had been protesting this entire time, and when he finds them Tango is going to make sure they feel the burning of a thousand suns-

“Tango, calm!”

The familiar voice snaps reality back into place with the faint memory of sunny farms and peaceful farm animals. The blaze hybrid blinks away the remnants of blue clouding his vision, gaze settling on the small sheriff in front of him. Small plush hands were on his shoulders, and those glassy eyes stared up at Tango with a slightly pained look that was no doubt only a small part of what he was really feeling. 

“Tango, I know this is upsetting, but there’s no use in raging. It won’t change anything.” The pure resignation in Jimmy’s voice nearly breaks Tango’s heart all over again

The blaze hybrid shudders, trying to rein in his emotions. “Sorry. I- I just- how did this happen?”

Jimmy laughs, a hollow and humorless sound. “No idea. I changed a few days ago, finally regained enough control over my limbs to message the world chat today. Turns out typing and using a communicator without bones is hard. Who knew?”

Tango’s eyes only widen in horror as the sheriff talks. “Oh, Jimmy…”

“And I probably should have seen this coming, if the Life games were anything to go by, I apparently don’t get to control these things because the universe hates me, but- but it hurt, it hurt so bad-“ He blinks furiously, eyes dry. “And I can’t even- I can’t even cry, Tango, and you know more than anyone how much of that I did the first time.”

The memories of tear soaked sheets mingling with the blood and feathers strewn about surface in Tango’s mind, along with the haunting sobs as the wings tore their way through Jimmy’s back.

Those were just wings. The entirety of Jimmy’s body had gone through that level of change. Alone.

Oh void.

“But yeah, that’s- that’s the story. The Toy Story, one could say. I’m sorry you had to see me like this, I-“

Jimmy is cut off as he’s pulled haphazardly into a hug, suddenly surrounded by warmth and comfort and Tango.

“I am so sorry.”

The sheriff grips tightly onto the arms around him with what little strength his plush arms and hands have to offer. “Why on earth are you apologizing? You’ve done nothing to apologize for.”

“I left you alone, Jimmy. I got so caught up in my work at FWhips and I haven’t gotten to talk to you and you went through so much hurt, my rancher, and I’m so sorry.”

How does someone respond to that? How does someone tell a person, a friend, a companion who was crying their eyes out, that their absence was understandable, even if their presence would have been the most beloved thing in the world? How does one break the news that the universe was trying to break him piece by piece, and it was no use shedding tears over his inevitable fall?

Jimmy doesn’t know how to do that, so instead he hugs the man tighter, trying to fit all the unspeakable words and pain and grief and resignation and acceptance into the grasp of his hands.

“I forgive you.” Jimmy murmurs, feeling Tango’s breath hitch against him. 

“You will never have to go through that alone again. You wont have to do any of this alone.”

The sheriff’s breath stutters, and phantom tears he knows he can no longer shed gather in his eyes. “I- I- Tango, you can’t. You have more important things to do-“ more important people to spend time with “-and- and as much as I hate it, you… you have to head back to Hermitcraft eventually.” The thought that Scar would be leaving him, Tango would be leaving him, everyone he had on his side, it’s been enough to drive Jimmy mad. Still, he doesn’t have any plans yet to keep them there, any plans to convince them to stay, please, please don’t leave him all alone again, don’t make him fight the world alone, he can’t bear it.

“You’re hurting. I’ve seen how they’ve treated you with the whole toy thing, I’m not leaving you to face that alone. Besides, I don’t think I’ve gotten to officially stay in that house you’ve built me, which is a shame because it’s lovely.”

“But Hermitcraft! You have things there you can’t just abandon, Tango! You shouldn’t pick me over what you guys have been trying to get back to all this time.”

Tango slips his fingers under Jimmy’s chin, guiding his gaze up to him. “Jimmy. Do you want me to stay with you?”

More than anything. I would let you set the world ablaze if it meant I could have someone in my corner, someone who respects me, just please, don’t leave me.

“I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“But do you want to?”

Yes, almost more than I wish to be human again.

The sheriff looks down, filled with shame, because he can’t keep Tango here, he can’t, but he also can’t get his mouth to form the one word he needs it to to let Tango go on his way.

The silence is answer enough, and Jimmy can feel the arms around him tighten, and it should be uncomfortable by this point, but all he can think is warmcomfysafehere. 

“Well then, I guess you can let the rest of the Empires know you have another deputy now.”  The sheriff’s hat is lifted off his head, and a hand runs carefully through his knotted yarn hair. 

“Tango-“

“Nope, no trying to convince me otherwise. The decision has been made.”

Tango expects more resistance, given his past soulmate’s infamous stubbornness, but instead he just hears a hushed, hopeful response.

“… You’ll really stay?”

“As long as you’ll have me.”

As Jimmy looks up, meeting the blaze hybrid’s eyes, he’s in shock of just how much genuine care is shining in them. He… he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand why Tango is treating him like this, when all he’s done is been horribly, horribly selfish, keeping him from all he cares about, wanting him to stay here with him because he’s horrible and a joke and no one respects him-

But- but Tango doesn’t… Tango doesn’t think he’s horrible, or laughable, or the antithesis to all things serious. Or, if he does… he’s still willing to stand by Jimmy, even as Jimmy becomes even more of a mockery of respect with every passing day. 

Jimmy’s heart grew warm at the thought.

Maybe things would be ok after all. Together… together they can figure this out.

If Jimmy will have him.

“Always.”

———————

ok that was my first time writing tango so apologies if he was horrendously OOC-

but yeah i just love team rancher and this au and just. empires x hermitcraft brainrotting is STRONG

definitely gonna write more of this, so like. idk if y’all want a taglist but if you want to be added to one just lemme know, through an ask, reblog, comment, whatever floats your boat.

[mbohjeezart]

[blicketdabest33]

What if the reason people stopped participating in the life series (Skizz, Ren, Mumbo, Lizzie) was because of mental health reasons? And i mean this from a lore perspective What if Grian tries his hardest to get his friends help after each game... and some take a break to help themselves heal, but others just hide it, because they fear letting their friends down? What if Martyn can't tell if his actions are his own anymore? What if Scott is slowly giving up on himself? What if Jimmy is becoming terrified of his loved ones possibly getting hurt? What if Pearl is struggling to keep the bloodlust at bay? What if Etho wants to disappear?

What if they're all slowly loosing their minds?

[moss8e]

3RD LIFE SCOTT IS SWAN CODED.

Swans only have one partner for their whole life and if their partner dies, they fly as high as they can and the let themselves fall to their deaths.

Now, in 3rd life, Jimmy dies first, as he always does, and Scott places the worst he has ever done in these games, I could go on and on about this honestly, but I struggle to write this stuff down, I more so speak it better unless someone is going back and forth with me on this stuff.

But you guys get it right? you see it?