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obxsummer · 1 year

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End of the Line // JJ Maybank

summary below the cut to avoid spoilers for s3 ep5

part of #obx3celebration

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request: hi can i get jj x reader, soo basically instead of kie she is the one on the bike with j BUT she refuses to jump off so they distracting the cops together

warnings: cursing, accidents, minor injuries

In terms of a quick and simple in-and-out rescue mission of the cross, this was the worst outcome you could imagine. Pope and Cleo had managed to find the correct train car, but the whole train started moving before you guys even had a chance to see if the cross was inside.

“Shit! Let’s go.” JJ began to shuffle off the train car that he, Sarah, Kie, and you were looking off of. Sarah had somehow managed to convince Topper to let your group use his dad’s truck, but he was slowly becoming freaked out by what you were doing.

“Hey, I just wanna make sure everyone here is okay with ending up in federal prison,” Topper said after Sarah asked him for jumper cables. She handed them over to you before you moved to climb on the bike of JJ’s bike.

“Uh, if it gets to that, yeah. I’ll do it for Pope,” Your boyfriend didn’t leave room to argue before taking off, the two of you in the lead for Topper and your friends to follow.

JJ took the first turn a little too sharp causing you to tighten your grip on him. You were used to his recklessness at this point in your relationship, and of course, you trusted him to keep you safe, but this bike was not on the list of your favorite things.

“This should be far enough.” JJ pulled off the main road into the grass to park before you both ran towards the train tracks. You made it a whopping three steps before JJ tripped over nothing into the dirt below. He groaned and got back to his feet, sparing the glance to see you laughing at him. “I meant for that.”

You hummed, “Sure you did, babe. Let’s go.”

The plan was simple - use the jumper cables to reverse the charge so the train would have to stop, hopefully leaving enough time for you guys to unload the cross and get out of here. JJ connected one of the cables to the crossing lights before placing the other two on the tracks.

“Okay, now all you have to do is change the current,” He scrambled around to get everything in the right order.

You looked behind you, the horn of the train getting louder by the second which didn’t help your nerves. “Please don’t get electrocuted.”

“Yeah, no promises with that.” He placed the red cable on first before clamping the black one next. The two of you looked up at the signal, anticipating the lights to change to red, but they continued to flicker green.

“Why isn’t it changing?”

“That’s literally what he would do. He would do, and-and then it would change to red. Oh my god.” JJ started pacing in frustration as the train continued to near. “Think think think. Okay, what if I blockaded the track?”

You crouched down by the cables, giving him a look. “How about moving the cable because the train touches both sides of the track, hmm?” You switched the red cable over to the other side before standing up. JJ’s fingers curled around your wrist in anticipation as you stared up at the crossing lights. They blinked green for another few seconds before switching to a solid red.

The two of you cheered at the color change, JJ reaching for a high five. “You’re a genius.”

“Nope, it’s all you.” You kissed his cheek quickly before grabbing his hand and tugging. “We gotta hide.”

It didn’t take long for the train’s brakes to kick in and start slowing down. JJ let out a small ‘yay’ once it finally stopped in front of you, hopefully giving Cleo and Pope a chance to climb off. The excitement was short-lived, however, when a service truck pulled up next to you.

“Shit, back up, back up.” JJ tugged the back of your shirt, moving the two of you further into the tree line. “This was not part of the plan!”

Two workers climbed out of the truck and started surveying the area for the possible cause. “What is this bullshit?” It didn’t take long for them to find the jumper cables attached to the tracks, both you and JJ mumbling curses when they did. They were quick to remove the cables so the crossing lights turned green.

“You’re all set over here. Some asshole put jumper cables on the tracks.”

You turned to JJ as the workers climbed back in the truck. “You think that gave them enough time?” The answer to your question came in the form of the train honking that it would start moving again. “We gotta go get them.”

“There goes the plan, come on!” JJ offered his hand to get you off the ground, the two of you sprinting back to his bike. The engine kicked to life beneath you just as a familiar pickup truck came flying around the corner with a large crate in the back. “That’s Top. And that’s the cross. Get on!”

You didn’t hesitate to climb behind him, arms looped around his waist tightly before he took off behind your friends. Blue lights came up behind you not too long after.

“J!” You placed your forehead between his shoulder blades, suddenly terrified about what would come next.

“I know, I know!”

The bike moved faster beneath you, JJ guiding it to ride alongside Topper’s truck. You glanced over to see Cleo and Pope in the bed of the truck, staring right back at you. “What the hell are you doing?” Pope yelled.

“Get ready to jump,” JJ yelled back at you.

“What?” You flicked him in the neck. “Are you insane?”

Pope let out an expression of equal shock, the two of you in disbelief that JJ would actually suggest this.

“Probably,” Your boyfriend replied back, his eyes not leaving the road. “Get ready to jump.”

“JJ, I’m not fucking leaving you!” You argued back, grip tightening around him to reinforce the idea. “You can’t make me.”

JJ’s whole body tensed at your disagreement but he didn’t have time to argue back. Brakes kicked in as Topper’s truck moved ahead, JJ using the momentum to swing the two of you around. He hesitated for a second, wanting to chew your ass for how stubborn you were.

His eyes met yours for a brief second. “I’ll rip you a new one later. Grab that rock.”

You did as he asked, grabbing the hefty stone from the roadside before rebalancing behind him.

JJ let out a sigh as the police sped closer. He turned back to you one last time. “I love you.”

Your throat tightened at the tone of his voice, like this was the last time he was going to say it. You nodded, kissing his cheek before settling behind him. “I love you too, but I’ll tell you that again after we’re done with this.”

JJ revved the engine, the tires squealing beneath you as he got back on the road, this time in the opposing traffic lane. The second the cop car was close enough, he yelled back, “Throw it!”

You did your best to remain balanced behind him and launched the rock at the windshield of the car, watching the glass splinter as soon as it made contact. JJ continued to drive steadily, the only goal in mind to get the two of you out of this safe and sound. He took a sharp turn, the cops drifting behind as you hit the overpass.

Everything happened so fast. One second, JJ had a clear road ahead of him, and the next thing he knew, a pair of headlights were blinding him. The car honked, swerving towards you at the last second.

The bike collided with the concrete barrier, and both you and JJ got separated and thrown onto the ground below the overpass. The air in your lungs escaped as you hit the solid grass beneath you, your body aching with the sharp collision. You could hear the sirens above and the screech of tires, not wanting to know what damage you left behind.

“Fuck,” You hissed as pain radiated through your body, your wrist suddenly numb and your head pounding. “Jayj.” Your voice was hoarse from getting the wind knocked out of you, but you needed to find JJ. Now.

“Right here, I’m right here.” He came stumbling out of the brush next to you, his knees hitting the grass next to you. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

You used him as a support to sit up, clenching your jaw at the movement but shook your head. “Probably sprained my wrist and have a concussion but I’m good. Are you okay?”

JJ stared back at you, eyes brimming with tears. “Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again, do you understand? I can’t lose you, Y/N. I-” He sniffled, looking up to the sky so his tears wouldn’t fall.

You shushed him and pushed yourself up to hug him close. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” JJ let you hold him for a moment, relishing in the feeling of you on his body. “You’re severely mistaken if you think I’m gonna let you do stupid shit like that yourself. I’d go to the end of the line with you, if you asked, J.”

JJ let out a small laugh before kissing you a bit harshly. He’s had too many close calls with losing people important to him. The shouting of voices interrupted your moment, the blond Pogue getting to his feet to help you up.

“JJ!”

“Y/N! Answer us!”

JJ’s arm wrapped around your waist for support as the two of you stumbled up the hill to the roadside. Topper’s truck had slid to a stop just before JJ’s totaled bike, your friends desperately searching the area for you with their backs to you.

“I wish I could say we did that on purpose,” JJ interrupted their concerned conversation as you looked up at the broken bridge above. “But that was quite literally, the gnarliest powerslide I’ve ever done.”

Pope reacted first, slamming into JJ with a hug. “You’re alive!”

“That was gnarly, dude!”

“That was trucking, dude!” JJ winced as Sarah’s hands collided with his chest, her face purely angry before she embraced him tightly. “Oh Jesus, oh God.”

Kiara’s arms wrapped around you tightly, Pope on top of her as the two of them held you close in relief. “Don’t ever do that shit again.” Pope’s voice was strict as he mumbled into your shoulder. “John B would kill us if you two died.”

Sarah practically pulled you away from them to hug you herself, her eyes scanning for obvious injuries. She sobbed beneath you, reality setting in for everyone on how close of a call that actually was.

“The pleasantries are really nice, but we should really get out of here!” Pope interrupted the reunions to run back to Topper’s truck.

Sarah gave you one more squeeze before heading to the passenger seat. JJ moved towards you, hands reaching out before you crashed into his chest. “Can we never do that again?” You whispered, tears falling on your cheeks in shock.

“Hey! Hey, you kids, don’t move!” A flashlight interrupted your calming moment, sending the two of you running for the truck. JJ was quick to shove you in the backseat with Kie behind Sarah before climbing into the bed of the truck with Pope and Cleo.

Topper took off a second later, rushing to get away from the scene. It didn’t take long for the group to start arguing about Topper’s driving only for you all to hit a bump in the road and have the wooden crate go flying from the back.

“Shit!”

“You guys told me to go faster!”

You tumbled out of the backseat, Kiara and Sarah right behind you as everyone rushed towards the crate. Pope shoved the top of it off, everyone stopping short at the contents inside. Concrete-filled tires were lying in the place of where the cross should’ve been.

“It’s fake.”

You groaned, covering your face with your hands. “Of course, we almost died for stealing a fake.”

“Pope, I’m so sorry.”

Silence enveloped your group for a moment before the noise of sirens approached again. Topper held his hands up. “Y’all hear that? Okay, I can’t be here. My grandfather’s a judge.”

“Dog, would you relax? They’re not gonna think some dude in flip-flops is part of a robbery.” JJ argued back to Topper, the two of them occupied as they climbed into the vehicle. You let out a deep sigh before following Sarah into the truck, ready for this nightmare to be over.

You eventually got dropped off at your house, the entire mood somber for whatever had just happened. You would’ve gone back to the Chateau but that was out of the question since you didn’t know where John B was. Luckily, your parents were fast asleep, leaving you and JJ to your own devices.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” JJ hovered by the doorway of the bathroom, the concern never leaving his eyes. “I’m sorry for putting you through that.”

You were quick to dry off your hands from washing your face and stepped towards him. He looked much better after you both had taken a shower and put fresh clothes on. Placing your hands on his cheeks, you brushed your nose against his. “A few scrapes and bruises are nothing compared to losing you, J. I’d do it all over again if you asked.”

JJ gave you a sad smile before wrapping you in a hug, resting his chin on your head. He was used to doing stupid shit all the time, obviously, but you’d never been in the direct path of his decision-making before. He felt horrible knowing he’d put you through an accident like that, something that could potentially be the end of the line for the two of you. But in moments like this, where it was just you and JJ, he felt so overwhelmingly grateful to have you.

“Let’s agree to avoid any high-speed chases from here on out, yeah?” You looked up at him with a teasing look on your face. “Someone’s gotta keep you safe.”

JJ chuckled before kissing you softly. “Anything you ask, baby. No more high-speed chases.” And he’d make damn sure of that.

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#obx3celebration #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank fanfic #jj maybank #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank one shot #outer banks x reader #outer banks #obx3 #obx x reader #outer banks spoilers #jj maybank x you

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teddybearsandspaceships · 1 month

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Again, way too detailed notes about a Cleo stream (15.3.2024) because it was great and I want to remember. (Please Cleo upload your VODs again please.) Featuring an Ancient City, Hermit scariness ratings, a new Emerald Daddy, and Life series reminiscing with the Clockers.

Plan for today: Ancient City raiding!, to get books

She´s definitely going alone because Ancient City raiding on her own is terrifying but you know what else is terrifying? The other people on the server.

The only person on the server Cleo is afraid of is False. Not Gem, Gem´s a kitten. False could take Cleo in a fight and kill her dead, but more importantly False can scare Cleo because she´s quite sinister. 5am Pearl is kinda cute. “can kill you, probably won´t,” if you entertain her. Cub isn´t scary either, the only thing to be scared of with Cub is the grind. Doc is 95% bark.

(In hindsight, finding a Swift Sneak II book so early is a tease knowing that it´ll be the only one.)

Chat is way more scared of the Ancient City than Cleo is. Worst that can happen, you summon a warden, you die, and your gear despawns, so what. Cleo thinks people are trying to freak her out and scare her into making mistakes.

This stream was right after or during Mumbo´s video on Hermits´ weird playing habits came out so there were plenty of questions about Cleo´s set-up. Cleo defends their choices, also they have a desk now.

Hypno drops by to show off his new armor and announce a raid. Cleo calls Cub her Emerald Daddy because he supplies her with emeralds.

Hypno drops off a shulker full of emerald blocks for Cleo, for free. Cleo then tells him he gets free books now. Hypno is astonished and delighted, and asks for a written voucher. Cleo writes him one and calls him Emerald Daddy too. Cleo: “Double Emerald Daddy, I´m good.”

Cleo won´t tell her fellow Hermits that they´re great to their faces because it would ruin her tough guy image.

Fun in chat: Etho sleeps. Bdubs: “sorry dad” Etho: “son I am at your place to give you a scolding” Bdubs: “be right up” – Cleo is sorry she saw that

Cleo discovers Joel´s glow ink shop and the glow squid Joel built from candles and is delighted. Joel is now her absolute favorite person. Armor stand buddies!

Taking advantage of the fact that all words are made up, Cleo makes a few more hoppadingdongs

Bdubs demands quiet because he and Etho are about to record one of their famous Bdubs-and-Etho clips. Cleo says they should get in a group. Etho: “Mum is so bossy, right Bdubs?” Bdubs: “She´s so bossy.” Cleo: […] *hits him* “Don´t talk to me that way.” Bdubs: “I´m sorry.” Cleo: “You will be.” Bdubs: “I´m sorry. That was a no-no, I´m sorry.” Etho: “Never talk back to your mummy.” Bdubs: “No, never.” Cleo: “Yeah, you two role-playing this thing again, it´s weird.” Etho, laughing: “You´re done with it, aren´t you, Cleo.” Cleo, also laughing: “I´m done with it. I was kind of done with it when it started, to be honest.” Bubs: “That shows your level of commitment.” Etho: “I feel like we move on from it and then Scar brings it up once in a while, and then Bdubs…” Cleo: “Me and Etho are kind of over it, so…” Bdubs: “Really? I saw Joel today and I thought, this is my uncle.” Etho: “Baby-sitter, right?” Cleo: “Cousin.”

Cleo offers to mute again but Bdubs asks her not to, having her there is great. Like audience chatter.

Bdubs shows Etho and Cleo his scaffolding challenge as his shop advertisement. Etho: “He´s so clever.” Cleo: “He is, he´s a genius. That´s our special boy.”

Bdubs starts his spiel: “You think you´re so cool…” Etho: “I thought I was…”

Bdubs wins the first game because Etho has trouble ringing the bell. And the second one. Cleo soon realizes that it´s easy to make Bdubs lose by sabotaging the scaffolding. Bdubs swears Etho and Cleo to secrecy about this easily exploitable weakness.

Cleo keeps talking about how wealthy they are. Very profitable shop, after all! (…true but I saw Cub´s stacks of diamond blocks the next day. Fear the grind.) Cleo bankrolled Etho already.

After a conversation about pricing Etho tells Cleo they have to teach Bdubs about peer pressure. Then remembers that “she doesn´t like it when we do that, we gotta stop.” Cleo says it´s fine. (Yay boundaries.)

Cleo asks Bdubs for a horse. Bdubs accuses Keralis of fraud (secretly swapping the horses people bought from him if they don´t buy the extended warranty.) Cleo asks if Keralis is gingering his horses. They talk about the meanings of the word, and why ginger is also used for red-heads. Etho: “Is it ´cause gingers are spicy?” Moment of silence. Cleo: “…sure?” Bdubs: “Yeah…” Etho: “I think we nailed it.”

Some talk abut spelling variations. “You can just say you don´t know how to spell, Etho, it´s fine.” And then talk about British dialects, how they drop the “t” in the middle of words (or phrases). Etho and Bdubs try to imitate it, badly. They don´t seem to understand what “in the middle of a word” means.

Shopping district talk, and some reminiscing about Shade-E-E´s. Cleo steered clear because she didn´t know Etho very well back then. Etho has a different glass prank in mind for this season. Etho and Bdubs also remember an end rod exchange thing they did, they neither remember what started it or how it ended.

Cleo: “I feel like you´re not spiteful enough, Etho.” He lets too much go. Bdubs protests that Etho lets it go with him, because they have a history – Etho: that´s right – but to anybody else Etho is very spiteful. Cleo: He´s never been particularly spiteful to me, “and I deserve it.” Bdubs, dismissive: nah. Etho: “Well, to be fair, Cleo *builds up a dirt wall like he did between them in Third Life* I am kinda scared of you.” Both crack up. “You´re not necessarily who I wanna be poking.”

Cleo clarifies that the reason why False is the only one who scares her is because False is very quick on the insults. Cleo can be fast, but False can be faster. Bdubs: “Now I´m scared.”

Etho tells Bdubs the story of why he´s scared of Cleo: “I always viewed Cleo as, like, sweet, innocent, you know, quiet…” Cleo cracking up. It was because Cleo stole Pizza, for no reason. “She was laughing the whole time, like a crazy psycho.” Cleo: “It´s a llama.” “I just thought it was interesting, I had a complete shift of what I thought of you at that moment.” Bdubs: “Yeah, she can do anything.” Bdubs was also shocked at that moment. They hadn´t talked about it, Bdubs just supported her in her plan to cause trouble. Stealing Pizza was more of a crime of opportunity because Scar didn´t want to talk to her and left Pizza there. “Bold move.” “It´s just Scar.” Etho reminds everyone that the Life series was fresh at that point, they know now that this sort of thing happens but they didn´t then. Cleo didn´t know most of the people in the series very well so she went full-on chaos gremlin. She blames Bdubs.

Etho repeats that that´s when his perspective on Cleo shifted. “And it never shifted back. Like, the more stuff she did, it just got further in that way.” Cleo can understand that: she got worse, as time went on, chaos-gremlin-wise. Etho: now we´re in season ten of Hermitcraft, she´s stealing villagers… Cleo points out that it wasn´t her idea, but admits that she fully embraced it. Etho isn´t sure he would have, Bdubs says he wouldn´t have. Cleo: “What´s Doc going to do to me.” Bdubs: “Uh, have you seen the sand dial?” Cleo: “Have you seen what´s inside it?” Bdubs, clearly grinning: “Oh, yes, yes.”

Scar is online and Bdubs invited him over to find out if he was actually upset about Cleo stealing Pizza. Scar arrives on his horse, but stays away a few blocks. Etho walks up to him: “You may approach, Scar.” Scar ender-pearls up to them. Bdubs asks how mad he was at Cleo over Pizza, Scar claims he was looking up tickets to the UK to seek his revenge. “Pizza meant more than I can express.” Does a whole sad monologue. Cleo and Etho think it was funny, Scar demands they take it back. Worse, and what also really threw Etho, when Scar asked Cleo to her face if she stole Pizza she denied it.

Cleo: “Yeah, but I´ve had my punishment now, ´cause now I´m your mother forever.” Scar just realized: “The family! What a wonderful moment.” Etho: “Out shopping together.”

Scar has to wait for Skizz to enforce rules in the shopping district, but Skizz is off on the high seas. Scar: “What if the boat went down.” “What the hell, Scar!” “That´d be awful!” Scar imagines it as, you float for a while, maybe see a shark, then get rescued in a helicopter. Cleo: you might see someone else die, while you survive ´cause you´re the main character. Scar asks after a Titanic character and is surprised Etho immediately knows her name because Etho is usually bad with movie references.

Cleo: “I would never do anything to you guys, you´re my family.” Bdubs: That´s sweet.” Scar: “That was sinister.” Etho: “Trolls us.” Cleo: “Correct.”

Scar got a tip to keep a horse from wandering off inside a circle of berries from an e-mail. Only the best things come from e-mails.

Bdubs tries to prove scaffolding superiority to Scar. Etho and Cleo support the pitch. Scar is disappointed by mom and dad. Etho and Scar agree to give it a try sometimes. Bdubs says Tango puts redstone on scaffolding sometimes, Etho is horrified. Etho shows them that you can use scaffolding to clutch a fall. Scar tries it because it would also work on leaves – unfortunately Etho forgot to tell him that you need to crouch and he dies. He´s not going to be happy, but ultimately it was clearly his own fault. It´ll take him a while to come back, Bdubs feels like he should go get him but Etho and Cleo need to leave.

#zombiecleo #hermitcraft #hc s10 #hermitcraft streams #...this got a bit out of hand oops

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dollsorwhatever · 5 months

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Creeproduction Spectra

Figured this would be valuable to post here as well since these are so new lol Despite spending almost an entire day complaining about Creeproduction Spectra having the wrong head sculpt and polypropylene hair, I did actually buy her from Paulmart the day she was first listed because Spectra is one of my favorite MH characters (along with Cleo ofc, and Wydowna- please make a collector or G3 Wydowna Mattel I am begging you) and because I was curious to compare her with my original Sig Spectra that came from the very first batch and is slightly different from later batches of Sig Spectra lol Original on the left, Creepro on the right!

Some things of note: -Can confirm she has poly hair! Appalling. I get that kanekalon is discontinued, but there are nearly identical saran matches for Spectra's original hair colors, so this was purely a result of Mattel being incredibly cheap. Mattel has recently made a pretty significant effort to make new saran batches of g3 dolls that originally had poly, so I really do not understand why they would do this for a reproduction doll that is primarily directed at adult collectors lol It's also horribly layered in a way that I find baffling? Sig Spectra has always had weird layers but the creeproduction has, like, a mullet. I'm not even bothering to style it because she's getting a reroot ASAP.

-Creepro uses the less detailed Spectra sculpt with less prominent cheekbones that was introduced with the final batch of Signature Spectra and used for most of her subsequent dolls until 13 Wishes. It also sits a lot lower on the neck than the original sculpt, which is why she looks slightly less relaxed than my original.

I honestly hate that they chose to reproduce this sculpt instead of the original (her HC doll also lacks cheekbones btw) and she would have been lesser compared to my original even if she didn't have poly. Spectra's original sculpt is one of my favorite MH heads they've ever done so it's pretty annoying to see them using the simplified version for her new dolls, especially considering they made switch in the first place because corporate allegedly thought the original was "too scary" for children. Despite my disappointment at her lack of cheekbones, I do actually really like her face and I find it a little hilarious that I managed to get such a good one after all the complaining I did lol

-While Creepro Spectra has a shorter neck than her original doll, she has a longer neck than the other Creeproductions; this is because the other Creeproductions (both waves) have shorter necks than their original dolls, but Spectra's original doll already had a much longer neck than the other characters. I guess she had some extra neck to spare compared to the rest lol (it's more accurate to say that the neck length is still the same, but all of their heads sit lower on the neck knob than their original dolls for some reason) -Her screening is mostly based on the version used for the late batch of Sig Spectra, but interestingly has a side glance! The only other version of Sig Spectra with a side glance is a variant from her second or third batch (with cheekbones) so it's interesting that they chose a side glance for the reproduction.

-Her earrings match the first batch Spectra (black chains instead of silver like subsequent batches), but the rest of her outfit is more reminiscent of the batches that came after. For example the belt on the first batch is much more simple than the one used on later batches, and the creepro comes with the more detailed belt. -Skirt is slightly shorter and her boots are also darker (improvements imo) -The silver necklace and bracelet shackle are made of a much more transparent plastic than the original (not an improvement) -Her top is mostly the same but the construction is slightly less fitted and the pleather feels a bit cheaper.

As much as I actually sincerely like her, I think it's overall a mixed bag; the poly is the worst part imo. I can look past the sculpt being wrong because she is really gorgeous despite that, but it's unacceptable for any doll to be rooted with polypropylene, and especially not a reproduction. And I can't help but think about how amazing she would have been with her original sculpt. Luckily I can reroot and I look forward to giving her knee length saran hair..... but I shouldn't have to do that! According to the retailer who first got these, they will get a wide release on Amazon exclusively in April of 2024 and he only managed to get them directly from Mattel because they hadn't decided to make them Amazon exclusives until after he ordered stock. So keep an eye on Amazon in a few months! Also according to a very reliable inside source on Reddit, there will also be a new batch of wave 1 Creeproductions in 2024 as well!

Don't buy from scalpers!

#monster high #creeproduction #spectra vondergeist

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hmspogue · 1 year

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Outer Banks Season 3 Shot by Shot Trailer Rundown

I do not own any clips or screenshots, all rights to Netflix and the creators.

To say I'm still reeling would be the understatement of the century, let's get into it.

John B: "From the very beginning, it was always Kooks..."

Even though they're set on us prying this orange filter from their cold dead fingers, these first two shots are actually stunning?

"...and Pogues"

Holy hell, we know we have all the ohter Pogues reuniting with their parents after they get back home, so JJ being all alone at this house is actually so heartbreaking.

Jiara nation rise, it looks like Bracelet Touch™ takes place at the empty Maybank house I'm not well.

"Some people with everything..."

Why are season 3's always everyones haircut season in shows like what is the source of this phenomenon?

But Rafe and Barry with the key

This hiding job is on par with JJ throwing pew pillows over it in the church.

Although, kind of think this is them getting ready to try and melt the cross down (which makes me so beyond furious), because off to the side you see the lighter fluid and the muffin tins, then later there's shots of gold.

"...and some with nothing."

The DIVIDE. I actually love the dynamic of Kooks vs Pogues heating up and the two cultures that try and exist on a very small island together. Especially since this season seems to be Kiara centric, her whole identity being called into question about where she falls I NEED IT.

I cannot even begin to express how sad I am that we're probably going to get approximately 3 seconds of them hanging out on Poguelandia because look at them!!! Let them be happy!!!

"That's the way it's always been."

SDHCULAISUEHLWAG JIARA FISHING ISNT JUST A MONTAGE I REPEAT JIARA FISHING WILL NOT JUST BE A MONTAGE.

I LOVE HER SO MUCH YES BABE GO FISHING!!!

Pope and Cleo making a signal fire together. Looks like that scene from the teaser of them walking in the field was probably them trying to scout out a good spot for it.

Jarah B looking fine as hell John B I know that bandana is your father's but i cannot even begin to imagine how disgusting it is at this point I'm sorry-

IM BEING SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS!!!!

I feel like both this shot and the previous one are them being saved by the plane that lands.

(@whitetrashjj the mullet truther, your time has come).

"Until now."

This may be my favorite John B set up narration so far.

Also, like I said, them getting rescued by the plane. Kiara looks almost hesitant? Could be the same shot as above where her and JJ aren't too sure about this plane or the people on it.

MMMMMMMM VERY concerning JJ bike crash. Pope and Cleo (or maybe Kie?) in the back of the truck with a crate.

Okay this is SO intereting to me because Ward with blood all over himself (whatelse is new?), Rafe, and Sarah helping him? I can't tell what's in his hand. But the family dynamics this season are goign to be somehow even messier, I can feel it.

Kiara getting kidnapped and taken to wilderness camp, I'm so not ready for this like. It's for sure the Carrera house in the back, the two shirts say Kitty Hawk Adventure.

For a long time, we all thought this was going to be something they ended the season on, but now it seems like it'll be a plot point in the middle. Thanks to @sun-undone and her unhinged costuming documents, we know that this yellow halter top is after the Carrera anniversary party we got BTS from (with the Jiara gate fight and John B rocking Topper's shit and Mike's "see, this is what I'm talking about, JJ"). We know Kie is seen later witht he Pogues, so Blue Ridge may be a quick, one episode plot mid season.

If they've been holding Blue Ridge over her head the whole season, then John B beating the shit out of Topper at the party is sort of the last straw, I cannot een begin to imagine the fight that he and JJ will have about it????

JJ and Kiara INSIDE the Chateau and a fire being lit OUTSIDE? If someone's trying to burn the house down witht hem trapped inside there will be heLL TO PAY.

IF THE CHATEAU GETS BURNED DOWN IM COMING FOR THE PATES I STG DON'T DO THIS TO ME WHY DO I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE MY CHILDHOOD HOME BURNING KJDFLAIUDHFAL??????

I know that Cline talked about having to mentally take Sarah to some very dark places this season and this shot just confirms my theory that I seriously think Sarah's going to kill someone and deal with the emotional consequences of that.

I want this to be feral JJ so badly after Kiara's taken, but, sadly, he's not in the right outfit. Not the first time we've seen machete!JJ though.

We saw this shot in the teaser, but looks like they're climbing up an abandoned elevator shaft. They're in their clothes they have on get reunited with Kie. I think it's from the same abandoned hotel the Pogues (minus Kiara, probably because they're going to save her) are in front of in a different shot.

Andd here it is: the new plot of the season and confirmation they're going after fucking EL DORADO NEXT LIKE.

Important to note this is shot on a plane as well.

Oh the Twinkie, how I missed you.

oh look they remembered a mom besides Anna this season WHY MY EYES WET LIKE THESE REUNIONS ALSO WHILE JJ IS COMPLETELY ALONE. HEYWARD, ADOPT HIM YOU COWARD!

Kiara's relationship with her parents is so askjhfailsuh COMPLICATED because I think they really do love her. And she wants more than anything for them to understand her and they just keep missing each other.

"My father and me..."

This shot is very aesthetically pleasing to me. That's all I have to say about it.

YEAH OKAY AND THEN I STARTED FUCKING WEEPING BECAUSE THIS?????? I CANT BELIEVE THEY PUT BABY JOHN B IN THE TRAILER?????

If they only do baby Sarah and Baby John B I will do something so drastic-

"...the treasure was our way out."

The way he's looking at his father? Like the pride in his eyes? I know this relationship is going to sting so badly with the way the Pates have talked about John B having to reconcile the idealized version of his father in his head with the one that left him for gold.

This is a kid that hasn't been hurt by the world or his father yet and I wanna hug him.

(post will be continues apparently i can only up load 30 images at once)

#outer banks #outer banks season 3 #shot by shot trailer rundown #john b routledge #jj maybank #pope heyward #kiara carrera #sarah cameron #jiara #obx3

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glowin-theshark · 11 months

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**SPOILERS AHEAD**

So, I know I just made a meme replacing JFK with Confucius as my favorite character… and I’m still a bit disappointed about the upcoming events that will likely befall my beloved ship… and Confucius is still now my best friend…

But in a slight defense towards JFK, I was rewatching and pondering the older episodes, and I felt a tiny, sliver of positivity. I am a little bit happy that he went through character development over the course of the two seasons. In the very first episode, he outright cheats on Cleo by going all the way with another woman without so much of a second thought. (And, ironically, gets mad at her for kissing another guy, Abe).

Here, as soon as he suspects that he may like Harriet, he actively tries to avoid her at first. Which is something that he never would have done with other women, or Cleo. And when they eventually kiss (which was still a scummy move), he immediately says “I didn’t do this with my other broads, but should we tell Joan?” It was essentially Harriet who convinced him that they “technically” didn’t do anything wrong and he went along with it. And again, at the end, JFK is the one to tell Harriet that they should come clean. He’s taking the initiative. And he is very concerned about how Joan feels as they let her know the full situation.

Credit where credit is due, it really does show how much his relationship with Joan is important to him. So much so that he feels guilt about a kiss and wants to tell her and seek forgiveness, when with Cleo, fully sleeping with someone else was second nature…

I dunno. It was still really bad to betray Joan’s trust and it did leave me feeling heartbroken about it. I’m sure JoanFK is still gonna go through a ton of obstacles the next couple of episodes, and it’s unclear if they will recover from them… this is still first and foremost a parody of teen dramas. To be honest, I was surprised they lasted about 6 episodes before the first wind of major drama occurred in their relationship.

But yeah. I guess I’m trying to make peace within myself and focus on some slight positives about the current state of the ship. Maybe I’m just in the denial stage of grief….

#thanks for listening to my rant #maybe a miracle could still happen but I don’t plan on it #at least we got a little taste of sweetness for a hot second #clone high jfk #joanfk #clone high #clone high joan

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raindropren · 5 months

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!!!!!! Secret Life Episode 9 Spoilers !!!!!!

THIS SEASON IS SO FUCKING GOOD HELL YA

I LOVE THIS

I LOVE SECRET LIFE

IT'S SO GOOD

I'M

SIIJOHFSIHFJSNF

LETS GO, SCAR!! WOO HOO

I GENUINELY LOVE THIS SO MUCH AAA

ALSO WHY IS PEARL SO CRACKED AT THIS GAME!?!?!

So she was i think 3rd in last life, Won in double life, I think 4th or 5th in limited life, and now, 2nd in Secret life!!

What the F u c k

I love it so much

It really helps all my headcanons tbh, it makes me so happy.

Also why does pearl always survive longer then her allies/teammates(Unless they win)

and by always i mean like, 2 times? 2 and a half? if u count tilly maybe? i do... 2.5 :]

I really do wish joel or bdubs won, mostly joel because it would've been so good but I deffo think scar deserved this win.

I think it wouldve been kind of funny if in the 1v1 battle between scar and pearl.. pearl won... and it's just, awkward cause she... didn't want that. at all.

She wanted scar to win after bdubs and joel died, she wanted to sacrifice her life to scar in the end because she wanted her allies to win.

I also think shiny duo is a tragedy in the end. I really hope someone makes a fanfic about them in secret life cause they just, they, they just, <3 <3 <3

I love them alot

I'm making a theory that Gem might, win the next life seires.

Shiny duo winning their second season, please please please /hj /lh

I've already really loved the pearl fanfics from this season cause omg but I just, i just <3 <3 can't wait to see more!! aaa :D

if i get the motivation i fucking will make a fic about gem and pearl coming back into hermitcraft. They have very similar vibes in the life series(they're fucking crazy, don't mess with them, but also you'd rather be on their side then not(I haven't watched gems life series so if i'm wrong on this one, oopsie) cause they are more loyal then most) and I think it'd be fun to see them coming back and talking to eachother about the season ngl.

Murder camel my beloved, shiny duo my beloved

I also think(if I get the motivation) i'd want to make a fic with Pearl and Bdubs, in hermitcraft, afterwards.

ooo so many ideas, so many ideas so little time and motivation.

i wanna know what would happen if pearl accidentally won, despite not wanting too, if she hit scar just alittle to hard and now she was alone, as the sole 2 time winner. I think AU!pearl would have a mental fucking breakdown but i also think it'd be a fun concept aaaa

I want a fic about Pearl just after Bdubs and Joel died, just crying. like tears down her cheeks when she meets back up with scar and aaaa <3

All these would be my au obviously cause i'm way to obsessed with it but my au is set in canon, mostly. or at least alittle, i'm trying LOL

I'm proud of scar :]

like, i'm proud of all the winners but, i really do feel like scar deserved this win

I might watch his pov at some point, i can't wait for people to tear the angst from scars episodes, they already have alittle but with him winning, I can't fucking wait, omg <3

I'm just so excited now

aaaa

i'm nhjgofubkhgfubkjhdfjl eee

I really hope gem and pearl team next season instead of just being temporary allies because they are so fun omg

I really hope there's another season cause god they are so good /nf

I can't get enough of life series pearl in my au

which is why i keep mentioning her, i've basically only watched her pov cause I have a hard time watching others. I wanna watch gem, lizzies(it's ies right? i'm bad with spelling names aa), and now scars. stars above, i love this series

aaaaaaaaaaaaa

secret is probably my new favorite season, idk why, maybe it's because of shiny duo alittle, but y'know :]

There's so much i wish i wanna talk about

like how Pearl said "Always Watching" to BigB

Or just any moment with Pearl and Scott, I miss their last life dynamic alot /pos /notneg

Cleo and Pearls pupper alliance breaking and Pearl saying she really wanted to be allies with Cleo, like I need fics of that so much guys omg (Big MoonRot fan!! ee)

Anytime Gem, Impulse, and Pearl were in a trio together, like omg, It's Soup Group!!! Guys!!! it's them!!! omg!!!!!!!! guys!!

Pearl walking the Warden around like a pro, i love that so much LOL

there's deffo more, but i've typed way to much LOL i just love this so much, it's insane.

#GUYS I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS SERIES #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa #secret life #life series #i'm gonna tag everyone i mentioned so yee #not tagging people i only mentioned once hmmm #pearlescentmoon #geminitay #goodtimeswithscar #bdoubleo100 #bdubs #smallishbeans #joel smallishbeans #shiny duo #idk which one is the main tag for them aaa #I mention moonrot btw. i've seen people use that duo name as a shipping thing. i don't ship them!! it's all platonic!!#I type so much omg i'm so sorry

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dailyfalsesymmetry · 8 months

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Not really a request or anything but I just wanna ask how would you describe False to someone who is unfamiliar with her

oh boy the pressure... ok... well um

first of all, we must separate false into the hermitcraft false who is inextricably linked to cc!false in terms of personality, and empires false, who shares many qualities but is ultimately a separate character (pretty sure irl false does not get uncontrollable murderous urges) so for this question, i'm going to be focusing on hermitcraft false as she appears in videos and streams

she is first and most noticeably not the most outspoken, chatterboxy person. she is quieter in group settings, often straight up muted in game when streaming to talk to chat instead (when viewed from others' povs, this often gives a "silent and deadly" effect, but no she's just voicing her concerns to viewers) she is perpetually confused about the current situation of others (this is a running joke on streams) and is pretty lowkey with all of her plans and intentions

this does not mean, however, that she is not capable of being, ah, silly. she has a very dry tone of voice that extends to her sense of humour, which consists of a lot of saying strong/silly words in a flat tone and yelling in lowercase. she loves a good prank as much as any other hermit, and will actively engage in banter. she's a participating member of The Bit, whether that be a bribed Logfellas trial or a banana suit and skin for charity (she'll bring out the goggles for good measure

her strengths are notably building and pvp (bowmanship especially), to most hermitcraft fans' knowledge (more recently she's been lending out her building skills to tango, cleo and ren for their respective, ahem, "mini"-games) but other, less noted strengths are specifically her caution and her sense of spatial awareness. these are showcased a lot in her main skills and are part of why she's so good at them (the second one specifically is very apparent in s8 ep14, where she is given the joking title "mole symmetry" (yes that is on my list of things to draw on this blog

she does often undermine her abilities, but her in the lead of something she's good at is always a treat to watch (occasionally in mcc she'll take charge of comms for the team and i smile so big) she's a good ally for marginalized communities (couple of my favorite moments include her complaining about needing to pause her cheese-eating to ban a homophobe in chat, and actively listening to a chatter who was uncomfortable with the use of a word with a possibly ableist origin) she's vocal about the misogyny she faces as a woman in the community, and will not hesitate to call out creeps in as point-blank of a way as possible

tl;dr: uh she's cool

#can you tell i'm normal about her #you opened the flood gates anon i hope you got what you wanted #other false fans feel free to contribute in notes #asks #not a daily

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bluebelleisabelle · 1 year

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G3 Clankie headcanons:

Cleo calls Frankie “precious” or “my precious” in reference to her voiceover towards the end of Horoscare, in which she referred to them as a “precious monster”.

Frankie likes doing the nose-to-nose boops/rubs that they give Watzie with Cleo, and every time they do it, it catches Cleo off guard and makes her a little flustered.

Frankie lets Cleo borrow their jacket, and when she returns it to them, they hug it to their chest and smell her scent on it jdjdj

Cleo always fakes being full when eating screechza (pizza) with Frankie, so that they don’t feel bad eating the last slice

Whenever Cleo puts her canopic jar bag down, Frankie guards that shit with their UNDEAD LIFE like it’s an unattended drink at a party. And if Cleo ever asks them to hold a jar for her, Frankie will clutch onto that thing and make sure nothing happens to it

*Insert Frankie doing something silly goofy* *Cleo responds with a “omg I love you, you little dork” look*

Frankie makes Cleo things when she’s having a rough day. Whether it be jewelry or a cute art piece of the two of them holding hands with lots of glitter and glue djjdjd

Though Cleo has every piece of jewelry imaginable that she inherited from her royal family, she still chooses to exclusively wear the homemade jewelry that Frankie makes her

Frankie infodumps to Cleo about their interests and vice versa. Cleo will talk about one of her favorite influencers (showing pictures and gushing), and Frankie will enthusiastically respond with questions

Frankie likes having their face cupped in someone’s hands (Cleo’s hands specifically)

When the two of them are having creepovers, Frankie will ask really strange, philosophical questions to Cleo at late hours of the night. Things like “can vegetables feel pain when you bite into them” or “is cereal a soup”. Cleo considers the questions for two seconds, realizes she’s too tired, and says meekly “go to bed, Frankie”.

Frankie doesn’t understand that salmonella exists, so Cleo has to keep a close eye on them when they’re baking together to ensure that they don’t eat fistfuls of cookie dough

Whenever Cleo and Frankie are watching pep rallies from the audience, when the fearleaders enter the stage, Cleo always looks over at Frankie to assess their expression and make sure they’re okay. They always have a beaming smile on their face.

Cleo has become Frankie’s safe space to let out emotions if they need to. When Frankie approaches her needing someone to talk to, Cleo can sense that the vibe is off, and she gives them a safe space to talk it out

I’ve mentioned this is a prior post of mine, but Cleo definitely allows Frankie to gently stim with her mummy wraps when they’re alone together <3

Lots of nose kisses !!

Cleo will approach Frankie after class like “um… hey, precious, what was the homework?” And Frankie will give her all of their class notes and offer to help her study

Cleo told Frankie that, as someone who appreciates healthy emotional processing, her favorite acronym is “MILF” (Man, I Love Feelings), and Frankie goes around saying “milf”, having no idea what it actually means

Cleo will send Frankie vague messages like “aw I’m sitting all alone in the creepateria. I wish a cute monster would sit with me :( ”. And Frankie is like “awww Cleo, I’ll sit with you !! :D ”, having no idea that Cleo was referring to them the whole time

Frankie will try to eat something off the floor and Cleo will slap their hand away. Frankie will look sad, and Cleo will kiss the back of their hand with a timid apology

Frankie loves treating Cleo like royalty, but not in the alienating way. Like, they love serving Cleo breakfast in bed, kissing the back of her hand, and playfully bowing before her when they volunteer to help her with something djdjd

Will I make more parts? Honestly, don’t be surprised if I do jdjdjd

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logo-ssspathosss · 10 days

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💚💛❤️ Third Life Series in 2024 (happy 3 years of third life!!) 💚💛❤️

“This series went from being like ‘it’s hardcore with a gimmick!’ to ‘it’s like battle dome in here!’”

so because it has been 3 years since our beloved traffic series has started, i figured a good way to celebrate would be going back and watch 3rd life from the winners pov.

this post will basically contain notes from the 1st episode that my brain has entirely/somewhat forgotten.

if you have not watched 3rd life FULLY this is will contain spoilers! i feel like thats a given, but i'll put it here anyway.

(i was thinking about making this post just for funsies but then i checked the date and realized that it was actually 3rd life’s 3 year anniversary TODAY. fjdkjfkdjd I SO PLANNED THIS. TOTALLY!)

ONE MORE QUICK THING!!: did i forget anything? reply, or put it into the tags if theres something I missed!!

EPISODE ONE: Grian plays Minecraft… With a TWIST

. this is the first series Grian’s officially played using the proximity chat mod.

. mentioned briefly at 2:55, this is Grian’s first hardcore series he’s ever played in.

. the first person grian meets up with is BigB!

. Grian only sees RenDog once in his first episode.

. Grian was originally going to base somewhere in the flower forest (closer to where Scott and Jimmy eventually live) before basing with Scar in the desert. However, once he started building, Grian immediately disliked it, and called it the ugliest thing he’s ever built.

. Grian gives his flint and steel to Scar, which he uses to burn down Etho's dark oak tree.

. Grian hides two villagers, and originally wants to show them to Etho. However, Impulse, and Bdubs, follow, and the word gets out shortly after. *

. Scar and Grian were going to team up BEFORE Scar was killed. Scar first brings up having a monopoly on sand around the 12 minute mark.

. (not really notes but) Scar takes his shirt off for the first time at 15 minutes exactly. (i can’t believe im writing this smh)

. * Grian is invited to go back to the village after venturing to the sand biome with Scar, and trades his villagers. (he trades them for 3 diamonds, a dark oak sapling, a lava bucket, a juke box and disc, a bed, and some other lint)

. Grian explodes Scar at the 21:25 minute mark. There were 6 witnesses to his 'prank'. Impulse, Etho, Cleo, Bdubs, Tango, and Martyn. (my favorite thing about this is that Ren puts in the chat "Enchanting would have helped with that")

. Grian pledges his 1st life to Scar(didn't really forget that part, but i did forget that Grian loses his first life near the end of the series

. Pizza is first seen at the 25 minute mark exactly! (i think Pizza spawned in during a cut in Grian’s video. because i am only watching his pov, i do not know where Pizza originally cane from, this is the best estimate.)

. Grian abandons his first base in the flower forest at 26:15. This hole-in-the wall base didn’t last an episode.

. Grian and Scar originally wanted to have a monopoly over sand AND dark oak, and successfully chopped down the ‘only’ forest they saw. However, there was another not too far away from their base which ultimately ruined that monopoly. That being said, if the second dark oak forest had not been there, they might’ve had a chance at monopolizing dark oak saplings.

.💚💛❤️.

I will be doing more posts like this for all of the episodes of Grian’s pov. that being said, if i miss something that was said/a scene in a different pov, i will not include that in this post.

for now, i hope you’ve enjoyed this little forgotten-info post, and i encourage you to watch the series for yourself!

I remember watching 3rd life for the first time when the episodes were still coming out, and i’ve loved the series ever since. It was, and still is a comfort series i watch when going through tough times. I’ve met lots of people, and made lots of friends through this series, and although i don’t post a lot about it on my blog, i’m grateful to have found a community who feels the same.

thanks for reading!

.💚💛❤️.

#happy 3rd life anniversary!!#3rd life #third life #3rd life smp #third life smp #traffic series #grian

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marsmarbles · 3 months

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Why hello there. I yet again crawl from the depths of a computer screen with an offering for my favorite AU. For the third day in a row. Apologies for so much but when I get obsessed I get OBSESSED. Have a Shadowrot (kinda) (1209 words)

Lizzie grumbled as she stumbled through the forest. Of course it had to be her who was assigned to gather more wood for Joel’s house. He had bribed her with the promise of building her and Pearl a better house than their current one. Not to say she and Pearl were a bad building team, but they didn’t do the whole ‘medieval’ style their team was going for. Joel was much more apt at it.

She brought her ax out of her inventory and started swinging at the trees. The leaves shook, raining down almost piles of them onto her face. She squeaked and jumped back, glaring at herself for being so nervous. No one was going to fall out of the tree and kill her, that was silly. Although, the boogeyman hadn’t made any kills yet, so she wasn’t completely out of the water. Surely she should have brought someone with her, Pearl, or one of the-

“Princess!” A voice from behind Lizzie shouted. Not exactly what she had in mind, but whatever. She jumped in surprise, but she recognized the voice. Lizzie turned angrily, forgetting she had an ax in her hand and almost hitting the other person.

“Cleo, don’t do that!” Lizzie scolded. Cleo just grinned at her, a vaguely menacing look on her face. “You scared me!”

“Oh, is Princess Lizzie scared of me?” Cleo teased. “A poor damsel in distress?”

“I’m a prince, actually.” Lizzie went back to hacking at the logs. “Joel and Scott are the princesses.”

“Hmm,” Cleo hummed, leaning against one of the nearby stumps. They really were staying, weren't they. Lizzie sighed and collected the wood, settling it cleanly into her inventory bag. “Wouldn’t a noble prince like you want to get the criminal?”

Cleo grinned again. Lizzie observed her for a second, glancing at the black shirt with torn sleeves that she wore. She didn’t look like a criminal, but it was likely their team's theme. Lizzie thought it was stupid that all their teams needed themes, up until she was given a bright pink princes uniform. It was basically her pride and joy of this game, and she kept it pressed and princely as a death game would allow. Currently it wasn’t doing the best, but that was fine!

Lizzie, in her response, decided to go in a different direction. “I hereby charge you for arson!” She declared. “May you face ten years in the dungeons!” Cleo played along, placing a hand at her heart and gasping playfully.

“Not the dungeons! Anything but the dungeons!” Cleo pleaded. Lizzie hoisted her ax, placing the blade over her shoulder.

“Would you prefer the chopping block?” Lizzie shot back. She hoisted the ax over her head and, ignoring the panicked look from Cleo for a second, and brought it down into another tree. She heard the zombie breath a sigh of relief, and giggled to herself. “I wouldn’t actually do that to you.”

“I’m really glad, Mumbo would not be ‘chuffed’ to lose another life.” They laughed when she imitated him, holding a finger in front of her face to imitate his over-the-top mustache. The woods around them went silent when they finished, and Lizzie began hitting the same tree she had just buried the ax in. Cleo watched her curiously, with a small smile on their face, and eventually Lizzie had to ask.

“Cleo,” She asked, bringing her ax up for another slice. “Why are you here?”

“What do you mean?” Cleo asked, all too innocently. The way her words were phrased, as if she knew exactly the next thing Lizzie would say, and then the next, made her uneasy. She gave up with the tree, deciding she had enough wood for Joel’s house, and turned to her friend. Shuffling nervously, Lizzie started to play with the cuffs around her wrists. It was only then she noticed the cuffs that Cleo held were a bright yellow instead of green. She shivered.

“Why are you talking to me? I know we aren’t…” She faltered, trying to find a way to phrase this. “...on the best of terms. Why not just move on? Go find… I don’t know… go bother Etho or someone.”

“I wanted to talk to you, Lizzie.” Cleo kept up her calm demeanor, even when saying such things, things that should have been said four games ago. “I miss talking to you, you know.”

“I’m not all that interesting…” Lizzie admitted. Sure, she had done many weird things in this game, like bake a potato cake to prank Scott, and collect leaves from the ground to create a leafy headband, but those things weren’t interesting. They were just things she had thought of before anything else. Cleo stepped towards her, reaching out for her hand.

“I think you’re very interesting,” They said, grinning slyly. Lizzie laughed, maybe a little too loud for the situation. “I find it interesting how you carry yourself, and the way you talk to other people, and your builds-”

“Tell that to the faery forest,” Lizzie mumbles before she can stop herself. Cleo ignores it, instead pressing on.

“I think it’s interesting how you seem to care about other people so much, and how you’re so trusting. But most of all-” Cleo paused. Lizzie held her breath, waiting to hear what was coming next. She couldn’t say she wasn’t blushing, she definitely was, but she wasn’t making a lovesick expression or anything. Not for Cleo, not even four games later. Cleo made a quick motion with her free hand, something rushing towards Lizzie’s stomach. “I find it interesting how the chains work, don’t you?”

Lizzie looked down in time to see a sword jabbed into her stomach before it was pulled out. The crimson of her blood went well with her pink uniform, however morbid that was. She was pushed to the ground, and Cleo held her foot over her chest so she couldn’t get up. Not that she would try, with pain flaring through her abdomen so hard she could barely breathe. She should have known, Cleo had never done anything that wasn’t for themself.

“I have to, Lizzie. It’s almost the end of the session.” A red glint flashed through their eye, despite the yellow that plagued her chains. “I hope you understand.” And with that, the foot that had been on her chest rose up and crashed back down on her face.

Lizzie had been laying there for a few minutes before her whole team (all three of them, for goodness sake) flew into the room and squatted by her bed.

“Boogey?” Pearl asked in a small voice, adjusting her position so Lizzie could sit up and lean on her. She just nodded, letting herself fall into her friend's shoulder. She had been so sure Cleo had good intentions this time. She had been so sure that maybe, just maybe, Cleo had come to apologize. In those last few moments, holding hands, it had felt like before, back when she made midnight escapades to the Castle to see them.

Now she had two rows of hearts and dark green chains. Reminding her, yet again, to never trust someone who could kill so easily, someone who fit too well into their ‘zombie’ title.

hehe ex girlfriends.

-🌻

AAAAAAAAA I LOVE THIS!!!! Shadowrot is definitely something I want to happen I just haven’t drawn much of it really. It adds an interesting layer I hadn’t thought of with them being exes.

Though you don’t have a lot to go off of story wise(and that’s a fault of mine), I really like your depiction of the world of Chained Life.

Also, don’t feel like you gotta pump out a fic everyday for me lol. I don’t want you getting burnout.

I love to read your writing regardless.

#mars ask #chained life au #trafficblr #traffic shipping #mcyt #traffic life #traffic smp #chained life au fanfiction #chained life #ldshadowlady #zombiecleo #shadowrot

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germworms · 6 months

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Half-a-life (the story)

Pairing: Bdubs/Etho

Limited Life/Secret Life

Wordcount: about 5900 words

Summary: Bdubs wakes up after having died in Limited Life, instead of going back to Hermitcraft, he realises he's stuck in the Lifesmp. All because of some sort of "Half-a-life" deal a few lives ago...

___

A miracle brought him back, a bug or an error must have occurred.

His eyes blinked at the stone cave, and his back was against the uncomfortable bed, that only served as his respawn point, but still was comfortable enough to sleep the night away in.

He slowly remembered everything, and not only the game that they were playing but also his horses. His hologram, his friends whom he hadn't seen for days.

He remembered how Grian had asked them to play a new game, how a lot of them had agreed. But why agree to this game of murder?

The light from the entrance hit him in the face, and he could hear from far away, fireworks and yelling. Explosions and chaos.

His legs felt weaker than before, his whole body sore, feeling like he was burning up from the inside. Standing up felt worse, but he wouldn't dream of anything other than defending his family. His friends, to try to make them stop.

Out of habit he checked his clock, mostly to see how far away the night was, but his eyes landed on his timer, which wasn't ticking. His clock was frozen, time stopped. Maybe it was broken, but still, he wasn't dying anytime soon.

30 minutes on the clock, 30 minutes which meant nothing in the grand scheme of everything. Frozen minutes that flew by, and seconds he didn't want to be on stand-by.

He tightened his headband, and went out into the dark oak forest where he was headed for the clocktower which was making sounds. Ticking down the time, ticking down the deaths. Waiting to be ruined by the explosions.

In his head, he saw Grian, how happy he looked when they all agreed to play.

But behind all his confusion, he saw Etho for him, dying countless times while he stood by and watched. It was a life and death situation and by God, he didn't want to die. But watching Etho die in front of him at that time felt even worse than potential death would feel like.

Cleo knew that Etho was his favorite, his number 1. Definitely more than friends, but he couldn't see them together as a stereotypical couple, that made no sense. Etho was his special someone, his shoulder, his shield, someone he would protect with his life.

That's why when he neared where bombs dropped from the sky, and swords and arrows could be heard, he ignored the way his body jerked. He ignored the way his eyes closed and the way his ears rang, he even ignored the pieces of stone being flung into his skin. Leaving behind bruises and wounds.

His eyes searched for one man, who was in front of him, holding his arms and trying to speak to him. He couldn't watch his mouth, since it was covered, so trying to figure out what he was saying was impossible. His hand went to pull his mask down, and he was finally able to understand.

"We need to get out of here."

We, plural. Cause, even if everything seemed dull, it was always the two of them. They could rely on each other, when everywhere else was a mess.

His feet followed suit, but he could feel the harsh ground rip up his bandaged soles.

A squeeze alarmed him of the reality setting in, Etho looking back at him while running, his mask off and a sad smile was now shown. Still hopeful in spite of all this. He ran along until he couldn't anymore, until a barrier stopped them from running. Thunder halted their steps, Etho holding his hand tighter than before, "Someone's out."

Bdubs watched Etho looking at his own clock, it was a necklace around his neck, "I've only got a few hours left before I'm out, what about you?" He watched as Etho's eyes glanced down at his, so he quickly turned it around. Not wanting to reveal that he wasn't supposed to be alive right now. Knowing that behind it all, Etho would be sad about it, whether he showed it or not.

Etho raised an eyebrow, and tackled him until it was turned it around, time froze as Etho slowly realized what had happened.

"What did you do?"

"Someone blew me up from above, I woke up to thunder, and now I'm here." He confessed in a haste. His voice quietened down, "I should be dead."

He watched how Etho took a step back, assessing the situation, he went around in circles before stopping. "That means you can win."

He took a step back from Etho who neared him, who took his hands and looked at him in wonder, a different light beamed from him. Who hugged him, tight. He could smell smoke, blood, dirt, and sulfur, from the silver head. He hugged him as tightly back. His hands seemed to have missed the feeling of someone holding him so dearly, someone who sounded proud.

Which is why he took the opportunity to take Ethos clock off him, pushing them away from each other. With a stab from his hidden knife from his belt, he hit the clock, stabbing through the glass and metal, a purple smoke escaped and Etho who could have done something, was only watching.

Bdubs stomped on it for the last time and spat on it, "We're in one of Grians games, Etho. I don't want to do this anymore."

Etho stunned, nodded, shook his head and looked up at him, "What? Grians game? What about my time? My clock..."

"I'll give you one when we're back on the server." Bdubs eyes cast a last glance down at the broken clock which had stopped ticking. "I'll give you as many as you want."

Sounds of rattling from below, made him jump back, as he watched the clock magically rearrange itself and seemed to glue itself back together, purple smoke circled around it before landing in Etho's out-stretched hand. "What in the world!" He exclaimed, quite loudly. Loud enough for Etho to quiet him down, his hand around the clock.

It was ticking again, the one red eye reflected on the new shiny glow of the clock, "My time."

Bdubs finally realized that half of Etho's time was gone.

Thunder rumbled from the sky, sudden lightning making them flinch. "They're out to kill you." He stated, leaning against the barrier, behind him. Etho finally looked at him, nodding before putting his clock around his neck again.

"We gotta keep moving." And in seconds he was running again, hearing new footsteps meters behind them.

Arrows started shooting over their heads.

He felt exhausted, his knees weak and in pain, his feet hurt and his head felt heavy. He had to stop, even if Etho seemed to keep going, he had to surrender, to whoever was out to kill them.

"Etho!- Bdubs?"

He fell to his knees, feeling the night near and even if he had no bed, now was a good time to sleep. His head hung low, ready to be struck down. "Grian, do you have a bed? I'm tired."

"Oh, Bdubs, what did you do?"

He never got to answer before fireworks went off right behind Grian, who snapped his head to look at where it was coming from before running away in fear.

Someone picked him up, he was familiar with this person, of course, he knew Etho inside and outside. His rather ragged breathing turned more stable, his eyes opening to watch the distress in the others eyes, mask covering his mouth again, for more than practical reasons. He could feel his lungs get filled with smoke before he could hear the explosions.

He was lost, not knowing where Etho was taking him, he kept drifting in and out of consciousness.

When he woke up, he was alone, the air was tight, and the room was cold. His eyes looked around, landed on Grian who was sitting beside him, "How are you still here - alive?"

His eyes were red, as if he had been crying before he woke up, he didn't know how much time passed, he went to look at his own time, but it was still stuck.

"G, I don't know. Everything hurts."

His back felt stiff, his arms unmovable, his legs as heavy as a boulder and a loud thunder seemed to be stuck in his head.

Grian paced inside the small cave, "You lost all your time, yet you're not back on Hermitcraft. I can't call Mumbo or X to help, because I'd have to die in order to get help, which I don't even know what could have gone wrong! Everything seemed perfect except for..."

His eyes landed on him, "... you."

Grian was all over him, in the bed, looking even more distressed, his voice raspy and high pitched, "Whatever you're doing! This is dangerous, for yourself!"

"For myself?"

"You could actually die! Or go offline for, who knows how many weeks, months! Maybe forever?!" Grain raged. Spit flying everywhere in the spur of the moment, he had to push Grian off him with the strength he had.

"Enough, I'm fine. It's just pain, I can take some regen or whatever." Bdubs pulled himself up, sitting upright and starting to go through his inventory finding it very empty, "Do you have some potions?"

Grian sighed, pulled out his clock and turned it over, he watched as Grian wrote to everyone else about stopping the timer. Behind Grian, wings grew and his eyes turned from red to black, his hands reaching into his unlimited inventory and pulling out a few regeneration potions.

"Really going creative on me..." He mumbled, wondering how serious Grian was, his worry started setting in. If Grian stopped the game, his own game, for him.

Grian quickly changed back, picking up the potions and shoved them into Bdubs arms, "Drink these, I'll go out."

"Wait! G!"

Grian stopped in the entrance, "What is it?"

"Could you give Etho his time back, I tried to break his clock and it took some - time off... I feel really bad about it."

Grians eyes whitened out, like how it did when you would look into the controls. His eyes turned normal after a few seconds, furrowed eyebrows raised the suspense.

"I can't?" Grian looked unpleased about this, his eyes kept flickering, and Bdubs would rather have Grian stop trying to get time back, than potentially glitching out on him. It was a pathetic sight.

"Okay, G, stop! Stop!" He went to hold Grian in place, trying to ground him. "Listen, it's okay! Stop doing that."

Grian inhaled deeply and calmed down, "Somehow, Ethos time has been reduced to half of what he had, unless he gets a kill of course. The game works smoothly, and you don't even affect it in any way, shape or form. Stay put. Wait here until I come back."

He watched Grian sprint out before he got to ask where Etho was. The small human-dug cave seemed smaller and colder, he took a few potions down into his inventory and stood up, feeling the cold floor and the shake in his body.

The pain has subsided, for now.

"Etho?" He called out, once he walked out and onto some stairs. This must have been a quick hole Grian had dug for him, he could recognise it from the way he didn't hit his head on the way up. Not that he usually did, but that wasn't because he was short!

He was taller than most of the server, well 4 or 5 of them. Tango was a centimeter taller and Etho a meer 5 centimeters. Still, they kept bullying him.

If anyone could call him short it would be Pearl, Mumbo, or Ren. Impulse could he also excuse, but that was because of personal reasons.

He had a hard time adjusting to the light of the moon, he switched over to a sword he suddenly had, his eyes scanning for threats, not seeing anything but a zombie a bit away and a skeleton roaming around.

He ran towards the Clocktower, searching for Etho in the meantime.

He avoided the holes in the ground, from either tnt or creepers, this server had gone a mess. Once inside the tower, he stopped to catch his breath, the tower he had built had crumbled, now ruins scattered in its place. He looked up and saw a bright light falling directly above him, he quickly ran out of the castle while he felt a heat creep behind him.

With covered ears, he sat down as a loud explosion was heard behind him.

"Bdubs?" He heard a familiar voice call out.

He stood up, quickly equipping his sword, "HEY!"

"Woah! I saw the lightning! How are you still here?" Impulse stood a bit away from him. "I even got the time for the kill.."

It dawned on him, he took a step back, "You took me out, I can't believe this! My own- You took me out! I thought we were allies!" He yelled at Impulse who seemed to crumble in on himself.

"There's no allies once you're low on time, how much time do you have?"

"I'm dead." He stated. "I died, but I'm here, okay? G- G said I'm not- That I might go offline if I die. You do remember Hermitcraft?"

Impulse shook his head, "What? What do you mean go offline? I-" Impulse looked in pain as he tried to remember, "Why can't I remember, what?"

Bdubs watched as someone shot something towards them, "Impulse! Watch out!"

He was yanked away before he could grab onto Impulse.

"Bdubs! I thought Grian kept you away! You're playing with your real life here!" Etho said, as he ran away with Bdubs in his arms. "I can't lose you to you being reckless!"

"Awh, stop it, you love when I'm like this." Bdubs said, grabbing onto the other tightly as he felt the ground beneath them.

It wasn't the right time to joke, when this was the second time he was saved by Etho.

They ran until Etho physically couldn't hold him up anymore, it wasn't like he was petite, he was a full grown adult man. And Etho was quite lanky for someone his size, "Weak." He scuffed, obviously joking. "Thanks."

"Like you could carry me." Etho dared him, out of breath, but still willing to try to be cheeky.

"Oh, yeah?" He easily picked up the other, even swung around, while Etho held around his neck for support, "What did you say?"

"Okay! Okay! Put me down, I'll be sick!" Etho said, hiding his face in the others chest, trying to not get motion sick.

"Alright-" He started coughing, and even though he felt his lungs give out, he still found a way to safely put Etho down on the ground without hurting him. He was on the ground too, on his knees, as in a prayer. He was praying, for someone to save him.

When he felt like dying, he would close his eyes.

Hope for something good to happen.

"Bdubs!"

Hope for someone to hold him.

"Bdubs! I'm getting Grian!"

For someone to hold him tight. And when he least expected it, he was in a different place, in the same man made cave he knew. In front of two half soulless eyes, darker than the void.

Teleportation made him sick, his head spun while he was forced to drink a potion. Pink liquid filled his mouth, his stomach.

"You'll feel better, fill up your inventory with these, or a chest, I don't care, im one text away if you need me anymore. Stay. here. I beg you! Once I'm back on Hermitcraft I will get Mumbo to get you out, okay?" Grian said as he ran up to the surface again, shoving some potions into his inventory.

Once, again, isolated from the world.

He stayed down there for 2 days, thunder came from the outside twice, making him aware that the game continued on.

Another hour and he was up on the surface, looking around the world in flames.

He called out, to no one in particular. Grian, Etho, Scott, Impulse, Martyn.

It was in his blood to help, so he ran for his life when he heard screams. He ran until he got to the ruins of his work.

He watched the scene of Impulse, Martyn and Scott take place. His head sticking out from a place where they couldn't spot him.

Watching Martyn kill Scott made him jump up from his spot, "IMPULSE!" He yelled out.

The only thing he had on him was a few regen potions and his clock. He threw one at him, but missed. Darn.

Martyn had stopped in his killing spree, turning towards him, "Bdubs? Oh, you had it!"

And suddenly this situation had turned, "WAIT WAIT WAIT!" He yelled, "HOLD ON!" He screamed out, "MARTYN!"

Impulse took this opportunity to put down a minecart tnt cart, "BDUBS! COME TOWARDS ME!"

Was he crazy? Did he really want him to go offline that badly? What had he done in the previous seasons to make Impulse hate him. Yet he still ran over because they did team up last time and somehow that trust was the only thing he could feel in that moment.

He ran past Impulse, as Martyn ran after him, not stupid enough to step on the pressure plate of course. But that was never the plan in the first place.

Two bolts of lightning struck down at the crater that was just made. He was alone.

Did he win?

He had fallen, he was out of breath, and he was crying. He was cold, and warm, and out of place.

"What happened?"

He looked up, "Etho."

"What happened to everyone?"

"God Etho," He pulled himself up, wiping away his tears, his hands, shaking, but still managing to hold onto the other, "Impulse saved me."

At first Etho looked rather unpleasant, and then it dawned on him, "He died saving you."

"Yes."

He wasn't that good at expressions, but somehow he knew exactly what Etho was feeling at all times, even if he only saw his eyes most of the time. Jealousy had been a big factor ever since he mentioned Impulse.

Etho nodded, "Alright, I have to say thanks to him, I guess."

"So there's only, you and Grian left, huh?"

The air changed, "Nope. Only the two of us."

...

"What happend to him, Etho?"

Etho looked at him, "Are you scared of me? Grian died two days ago by my hand, okay?" He noticed how Bdubs had scooted away from him, only a few centimetres but still enough to be noticeable.

He shook his head, "No! I'm not! Etho you won! I don't count, so what's the price? Diamonds? Redstone? Shulkers? - Whatever your heart desires?"

A sudden faint expression painted Ethos face, an unreadable emotion, he didn't even say anything as he started climbing a ladder to skynet. "Hey!" He yelled at Etho, he ignored him, "What are you doing?"

He followed quickly, trying to keep up, "Etho!"

"I didn't win anything, Bdubs."

He kept going, and Bdubs followed him all the way up. Until they were on a wooden platform. The wind was wilder up here, so he kept himself grounded by sitting. His eyes on Etho who was standing, seemly deep in thought.

"I didn't win. There's no winning this if everyone is gone."

He shook his head, grinning, his mask lost somewhere on this server, his red eye met his black ones, "Even If I win, I have to go back don't I? And what about you? That's not winning, that's losing."

"I- Maybe- Grian said he was gonna go find help. And then..." His words died, "And then everything would be fixed."

"No."

"Huh?" He asked, looking up at Etho, who didn't even look at him, he was fixated on the ground way below them. "What do you mean?"

Ethos silence was deafening, he stood up, against his own fears, "What do you mean no?" With his friends expertise in coding and redstone he must know a bit more than he did. Which is why this one word concerned him the most.

"I'll go get help-"

"Like HELL you will! Everyone's gone! I can't lose you too! It's been days! Grian is gone now, and said he would talk to Mumbo about-" His arms flailed pointing at himself, "My situation!"

Etho looked at him, his eyes sad, his hands holding him tight, "I will get you - back again."

His hands shook as he fought himself to not be desperate, as the impulse took over, as his hands were all over the other. Holding, holding. On for his dear life, wandering.

"Please- Anything," He grabbed the others shirt, ghosting near his face, closer than he had ever been and would ever be. Seeing the small scar in the red eye and the tears in the other black one.

"Etho-" He took the others face in his hands, smashing their lips together in a last attempt at compromise, his hands sweaty and his whole body shaking. It wasn't nice, it wasn't warm, he didn't feel happy- dread filled his stomach and his eyes closed. Etho had gone into shock, his whole body still, not holding onto him, like a statue.

His lips cold against the others. The ticking of a clock felt like thunder in his ears.

Etho was the one who pushed him away, looking at him, not with disgust, but with sadness. With a whisper, almost impossible to hear, "I'm... gonna go find help. I- I'm-," His words seemed stuck in his throat, as if in a debate with himself to what he was gonna say, "I- I really care about you."

He jumped,

for goodness sake, he actually jumped and Bdubs were close to take off as well, but had to stop himself from doing so. His feet halted, hand reaching out for air as he watched his friend fall.

"ETHO!!" He screamed, a late response, falling to his knees as he in shock stared while Etho fell through the clouds. Lightning struck through them and then disappeared as quickly as he blinked. Only the remains of thunder sounded as an echo through the wind.

"Etho.." He whispered, falling back onto the platform as he started curling up into himself.

Last 5 minutes, Etho had used all his time trying to save him, trying to comfort him. And what had he done? Been a bother, only thinking about himself.

A tear fell down his cheek, his heart hurt, either from the sudden solitary, or from the illness or "bug" as Grian called it. He wasn't supposed to be here, and he couldn't die and respawn anymore apparently.

When the night neared, he stood up, not daring looking down, and not daring speaking up. He knew he would break down if he started speaking, even if it was for himself. Trying to cheer himself up, something he had gotten good at, since he was hilarious.

"He'll come back for you." He mumbled, stumbling to get down the ladder, "He wouldn't leave you alone."

"He loves you." He said, as quiet as the wind, "He does."

"He loves me."

When his feet landed on the dirt, he crumbled down into himself, he held onto himself tightly as one does when left alone, and started shaking. Trying to hold back his sobs, a talent he had gotten good at.

After some time, the night was over, with no meeting of a creeper or skeleton, he was sitting at the bottom of the ladders, stained cheeks of tears and red eyes. His arms were moist and his breath shallow. He forced himself up, holding onto the ladder, trying to not stare at it for too long.

The sun was out, warming him up, and lighting the way for him.

His hand went to reach for his lips, regretting his action. Closing his eyes to chase the feeling, hating the way he got excited, hated the way he loved it. He was far too gone to think straight anymore, his hallucination of lips against his ever lasting. His emotions all mixed up, some more fucked than others. Some more sinful and shameful.

He was devouring Etho's presence, or lack of.

Hungry, he was hungry and his feet were moving towards a cow farm he knew he had. He, Cleo, and Scar, their base. Which was, where? He swear it had been right there, right beside him. Before it blew up.

Before it blew-

up.

Realizing where he was, he ran. Ran until he couldn't anymore, until his hunger got the best of him, scared of dying and scared of this new world with none of his friends.

"They're coming." He said, to hear himself talk, "They're coming back for you, they promised. Grian promised, Pearl, Impulse... Etho promised me."

And after days of waiting, of finding ways to motivate himself to not go insane, he had built a new home. Well, newer than the one from yesterday, which he had burned down. Along with all the other projects he had.

Every strand of grass seemed the same, every single tree was newly planted. His leg was injured due to a skeleton, the arrow seemed to have pierced through him. He drank the last potion Grian had given him, for what seemed like months ago.

His clock was broken, so he couldn't count the days. He stopped counting after day 6.200. It all seemed meaningless after all.

He had learned to live by himself, even kept a zombie in a boat for company, which he had named Ethan. For no apparent reason. Ethan knew how to make him laugh, and even would sometimes grunt at him if he disagreed. Which he totally did, because who else would understand him in this barren world?

When his crops had disappeared one day after his expeditions to the mines, which he had almost stripped out completely, he didn't question it. Maybe it was a mob who had stopped by, burned and gone away. Or maybe it was his wolf who had eaten it. But, worst of all, Ethan was gone.

Ethan had disappeared along with his house.

Even the grass was greener, and a big statue had appeared where he had dug up from.

A big stone statue, of a head? Not his head, which was a tad bit offensive. If the mobs had decided to praise him, then at least get his face right.

"People these days, don't know how to build right! I say, to thou, stone head, I will rebuild you once I get back to my chest and get my - uh, pickaxe! I will redeem your sins against me!" He yelled at the statue, his voice more raspy and worn out.

"Bdubs?"

His head turned almost too fast, his neck cracking a bit, "Huh!?"

Grian stood there, someone he hadn't seen for a long time, "Why are thou- you here? What are- who- Get away from me!!"

The words died out as he screamed, his heart racing, his eyes blood shot and his sword dashed towards the man. The man who had been his friend, who had seemed to help him, who had promised him something he would never forget.

He would never forget.

"You forgot me, so why did you come back?"

Grian halted in his action to walk closer to him, "We really didn't! I went back and talked with everyone! Mumbo, Tango, Doc, Zed - everyone! And then, they said that the code had been mixed in with yours and there was no way to send you back until they had made a brand new one! Apparently something about a promised life, and the code for the new life series was unstable, so you only got half of a life, and-"

He couldn't listen to excuses, so he swung towards Grian, "YOU!" A hit against Grians shirt, "LEFT!" His sword left a mark on Grians arm, "ME!" Grian fell backwards, "TO DIE!" He stopped himself right as he was about to go for the final blow.

"But you didn't." Grian said, his voice was as calm as ever.

He cried, tears which hadn't been there for a long time fell down his cheeks, his sword limp in his hands, throwing it to Grians side, wiping away his tears, "But I wish I did." He held out his hand to help Grian up.

Grian went in for a hug, a warm one, he hadn't felt this warm since he was on fire that one time. Which had hurt a lot less than this, his body seemed to shake violently, which he found out were from the loud sobs he was making, he didn't want to let go, afraid to be left alone again.

Afraid to be left out.

"Bdubs, we did everything we could to start the server up again, it was on lockdown, and we all thought of you. I'm under strict orders to not tell you how Etho really missed you. He went offline for a long time to protest, and was really sad when he logged on to find you gone still. But I'm not allowed to tell you that!" Grian chuckled, rubbing circles on his back to calm him down.

"Where is he?" He asked, like a child, like a desperate lover, like a last plea. "Is he coming on?"

Grian nodded into his shoulder, "Of course, he's gonna be here soon to play test everything. You can respawn now by the way, you aren't tied to the code anymore."

"Okay, so I can be fully healed?" Bdubs asked unsure.

"Yes."

He pulled away from Grian, getting down on his knees, "Kill me."

Bdubs looked up at him, while Grian pulled out an enchanted netherite axe from his inventory, "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

He could feel the air change, his breathing slowed down, he could feel his heart stop, his eyes locked with the axe. He was gripping the grass.

He was - terrified.

"STOP!" He yelled out, rolling to the side, missing the axe by a centimeter. "I can't - can't do this!"

Grian nodded, "It's alright, I'll go back, I think the testers will be on in a few hours?"

"You're going?" Bdubs asked, his voice smaller now, he was still sitting on the grass, petting it slowly, "You're really gonna go?" It was almost impossible to bear.

Grian gave him a small smile, "Hey you could come with me if you - well, respawned. I have to be sure you're all new before you go back. I don't want what happened before to happen again..."

He nodded, slow at first, "Yeah, I will be here. I'll stay - here, good bye."

Grian waved, a bright light absorbed him.

"WAIT!!"

He yelled out, stumbling to get up, chasing the light, "DON'T LEAVE ME!" He cried out, his hands reaching and reaching, "GRIAN!!!" He face planted right down into the grass, quiet sobs, his whole body engulfed with shaking, and his hands trying to reach for something that was gone.

He threw up whatever he had swallowed down in the mines and throughout his period of being in solitude. Spider legs and Zombie flesh, steak and a cold potato. All the water he had swallowed when he almost drowned and all the ink he got into his lungs when trying to make a fresh octopus. A puddle of all the shit he had to endure, a pile of all his horror and terror of being alone. A small bone from a camel, and a fish eye. Not much to see.

What a man wouldn't do to survive, when all he wanted was to die.

His hands, rough, bruised, cut up from the stone and in constant pain. His pants, ripped, dirty, a different color than it had once been. His shirt gone, used for a cleaning rag and to help him survive from all the wounds he got. Shoes, gone, but never really forgotten, lava accident.

From where he stood he watched how the world had stopped moving, in a constant pause.

It didn't phase him how long he stood still for, he had been sitting for approximately 2 weeks before, it wasn't odd to wait for anything to happen. Either starvation or a zombie to find him.

A bright light startled him, a silhouette, two silhouettes.

He reached for his sword, out of defense. His eyes met familiar red ones, blonde hair, and red clothes.

All the words he wanted to say were gone, his eyes blinking at someone he both knew and couldn't recognize.

"Bdubs!" Tango screamed out, startling them both, "Good to see you again buddy! How, uh- I guess it's been rough. I missed you." His eyes watched how his friend reacted to his whole being. He probably looked like shit, and he felt like it too.

But, he didn't even listen to Tango, his eyes were focused on Etho, who had stopped in his tracks, eye to eye.

And he fell to his knees, not him, but Etho. His eyes filled with tears as he cried, no one dared near him, not even Tango who had taken a step back, knowing how long it had been.

As Etho cried, and cried, endless sobs into his hands, he weakly said, "I'm sorry" in between his cries. And after some time Bdubs went to hold him, scared at first, he was dirty, he was filthy, and he was everything horrible. But even still, Etho held onto him as hard as possible, to the point where he had to try to tap out, he was suffocating.

"What happened to you?" Etho asked, his voice stable now, his hands warm on his back.

He held on even tighter, "I- I don't know. Too much, can you just - please, hold me."

And he did. He could hear Ethos trying to slow his breathing through the mask.

The goddamn mask was back on, not that he really remembered what was hidden under, other than the experience of a lifetime. Other than the guilt.

He did remember the kiss, of course, how could he forget that. He felt shameful for it. "Etho I'm sorry-"

He didn't get to even start his apology before Etho was on him, mouth on mouth, with a mask in between them. He could feel the silhouette of his mouth, of hot breath, of wet tears. Of desperation. 'forgive me' repeating in his head as he stayed there for a second longer than appropriate.

A sudden tightness in his stomach occured, a force greater than he had felt in ages. He gasped, and Etho cried harder.

"Forgive me."

This time it wasn't he who said it, but Etho who held a bloody dagger in his hand, "This will be better for you after you respawn."

Tango stood there silently as his world faded in and out, "It hurts."

"It hurts so much, Etho." He whimpered.

His world become dark, as he felt his body ascend towards a familiar light. Every wound healed over, and every broken bone fixed within seconds. New clothes was provided along with shoes.

...

They all stood in a circle, a campfire in the middle as Grian was talking. Everything felt familiar, but who cared about that?

Bdubs beside Etho.

As fate aligned.

#angst #ethoslab #bdoubleo #ethubs #ethubs fic #trafficshipping #life series #trafficblr #etho #bdubs #Traffic fic #Half a life #The story to the comic #Spoilers for half a life if you wanna wait years for me to finish the comic 🙏

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usgsnajs · 5 months

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God I can’t wait until tomorrow’s episode of secret life… it’s obviously gonna be the finale, and unlike previous seasons I watched live, I have wishes for every server member except for the previous winners to win lol

I want Cleo to win because she deserves this story arc, surviving the zombie apocalypse and turning human as a result, being the last green name, and also getting back with her ex husband lolol (just so you know, I have essays of thoughts about Cleo and Ethos character arcs this season that I cannot put it into words. Just trust me that this and Ethos sections should be a lot longer)

I want Etho to win because oh my god??? What has he been on this season??? First off, he has somehow reached higher set cat status than he did in Limited life, which I thought was impossible, but he just struggles so. hard. in the earlier sessions especially. Secondly, he plays the secret aspect of the game really well, where he almost always comes up with a fake task for him to do in addition to his actual task, and sticks with it completely. He’s just really good at the secret part of it while also hiding what he’s doing really badly, which is the best thing to watch ever. But thirdly and most importantly, the fucking…zombie apocalypse session…He failed his task, and made the ENTIRE SERVER also fail their task just because he didn’t want to give up Cleo and Grian… He jumped in front of Bdub’s arrow to protect Cleo… ‘I’m a survivor’ this ‘I’d probably run’ that, you are a liar Mr Etho Slab!! Face it, you’ve had character development since Last Life!!! Stop thinking the worst of yourself!! Also, in addition to all that, he also fits the fact that all the previous winners played the game differently than how it was intended, with the previously mentioned failing of the task, so he also deserves to win because of that.

I want Scar to win because this entire season has been him fighting against what the secret keeper pushes onto him, with him not wanting to be the villain but repeatedly getting villain related tasks, so him winning in spite of that would be so satisfying. Also the idea of Scar, who has spent previous seasons constantly fighting to make friendships, winning the season where everyone on the server hates him does something to me the vibes are just immaculate. Also also! Please let him win he’s come so close so many times 😭

I want Gem to win because Geminislay next question. lol but actually I think it would be really funny if she joined the server for the first time, killed all her friends, won, and then left. Also something something her bringing the boogeyman curse to a season that was never supposed to be cursed in that way, and then fighting her way to victory is really cool. Also also Gem is just cool so I want to see that victory

I want Impulse to win because he’s gotten so close in like almost every season before this!!! He got second last time please just let him win and go apeshit, he deserves it I think. Also last yellow??? He deserves to pop off in the final session and take the win

I want Bdubs to win because this season has been peak Bdubs allying with half the people on the server, and he deserves to win at his worst /j But seriously his perspective so far has been one of my favorites this season because of how funny he is. He spent over an episode building the world when he didn’t even need to. He was murdered by Scar when both of them were green. He has a room in the Roomies base when he’s not even part of their group. He’s so silly he deserves to murder Scar in revenge for his first death and then gloat as he wins.

I want Joel to win because he deserves to go apeshit and then not die from recklessness. I think he should be insane and murder a bunch of people while still staying alive, like Last Life but without the ending part. His base is filled with joy but he is not, and that’s hilarious to me. Please let Joel win one of these he’s come so close

I want BigB to win because out of everyone in secret life he was the one to truly take the ‘secret’ part of the title to its very max. BigB gaslighting everyone he comes into contact with for literally no reason is my favorite part of secret life lol. He should win just for that as well as having the funniest life series base ever. Also his storylines tend to get ignored by a bunch of the fandom, and while it’s definitely improved a lot this season, it still could be better, so I’m hoping he wins just so more people will watch his perspective 😭

I want Skizz to win because like BigB, he is seriously underrated. He still doesn’t have 100k!! Subscribe to him right now!! But other than that, he also deserves to win just because it’d be funny if, now that he’s lived past the third death, he promptly switched his curse as far around as possible and just won lolol. Also also the Heart Foundation has been one of the silliest groups ever, and their base was really cute while it lasted, so any of the members of that group deserve to make it far if just for that. Plus him immediately going after Tango once he got infected with boogeyman was very funny. You go king! Drag your friends down with you! In conclusion Skizz is very funny and deserves to win purely because of that as well as the underdogness of it all.

I want Tango to win because of the Heart foundation stuff I mentioned with Skizz, but also he deserves to win just so he can break his curse of always having a kinda stupid final death 😔 I think it would be really funny if he broke that curse in the coolest way possible, and then in every season after this one he immediately goes right back to silly final deaths.

(Also if a previous winner won this season again I would not be upset as all of them have storylines this season that are really good for it, I just want them to win a little less than the others)

This season has been incredible so far, and it might even end up being my favorite season yet!

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watcher-with-burned-wings · 6 months

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Darkside (Pt. 2)

(Part 2 to If you love me, let me go, or the Wasteland Au)

The crest of the sun had just begun to peek over the edge of the wall of Life City. Only a few citizens were wandering the streets of the sleepy city, setting up shops and stalls for the customers. Town hall lay dormant, peaceful for now. But soon, it will be filled with hostile and aggressive arguments, insults, and annoyed hybrids.

As per Mayor Scar’s integration plan, all outsiders had to attend classes to learn how to be model citizens.

That’s how every day, for eight hours, Scott had spent the last two weeks. Scott tolerates the quote “lessons” only because it allows him to see Ren and Grian. Pearl was there as well, formally known as Blood Moon. But her owner had somehow managed to calm the wolf centaur down to someone nearly unrecognizable. Most of the time it is just them ignoring or arguing with Scar.

Jimmy, Martyn, Tango, and Cleo tend to come back to the hall to find the crimson having done something to Scar and were found chilling in Grian’s room, much to their dismay. They never hurt Scar, he’s usually locked in a closet or locked out of the hall, they even had him stuck in a chair due to super glue the quad had made from flour, water, mud, and sap.

They weren’t allowed flour unsupervised after that.

Waking up to someone licking his face, Scott groaned out, “Owen…please. I’m trying to sleep.” The llama huffed and nudged him a bit more aggressively, bleating into his ear. The cyan-haired llama hybrid sat up, rubbing his ear. “Fine, fine. I’m up.”

The llama huffed again and then began to eat the hay that Scott had been using as a bed. Shaking his head, Scott chuckled and got up, stretching out, and looking around the stall he called a “room”. Jimmy reluctantly agrees to allow Scott to live in the barn because both Tango and Jimmy can see the effects of Scott being locked and chained up in the house.

He had fallen into a deep depression, barely eating, not speaking, and refusing to come out from under the bed. The llama hybrid was sleep-deprived as well, so it was only so long before Tango set up a room-like cell next to Owen’s stall. It was a stall with a padlock on the door and had hay for bedding instead of a mattress, much to Scar’s disapproval. The first night showed much improvement, much to the Ranchers’ delight.

A few compromises were made for him to stay in the barn. First, he had to have meals in the house, unless he was sick. Second, he needed to shower every day, at least once, due to smelling like a llama, which Scott honestly didn’t mind smelling like. And last, he had to attend the “lessons” without fuss, unless, again, he was ill. Scott readily agreed because he got the chain off and had somewhere comfortable to rest with a fellow llama by his side.

Owen worked as a personal alarm clock as well.

The llama would lick him or annoy him until he got up for the day. Which was a blessing and a curse because he didn’t have a snooze button or off button. Scott walked over to the stall window, looking through the bars as Jimmy opened the barn door. Jimmy smiled as he strolled over to the door, pulling a key out of his pocket.e

“Good morning, Scott! How are you? Sleep well?” He asked as he unlocked the stall door, opening it for the perky llama man. Said llama man nodding with an eye rub.

“Yes. Now food.” Scott replied simply. Jimmy shook his head.

“Nope, you shower and get dressed first. You smell like the barn.”

Scott grumbled under his breath but dipped his head in acknowledgment because he didn’t want his little bit of freedom taken away. Jimmy’s gaze softened as he walked with him, guiding him towards the house.

“Tango is making your favorite, strawberries and waffles.” Jimmy tried to cheer him up. “So, the faster you shower, the faster you get strawberries.”

Scott visibly perked up at the mention of the red berry, his tail wagging. He had never tasted something so sweet and juicy before, being one of the only good things in the Life City. “Okay. I’ll accept this.” He laments. Jimmy giggles and opens the door for him.

Scott didn’t even try to get away from them anymore. He learned that trying to escape alone goes nowhere. Granted, even if he did have a chance, he wouldn’t want to leave his friends behind again. Even Pearl had become somewhat of a friend to all of them, easily relating to the sucky situation they all were put in. So, they all agreed to play nicely with the Lifers.

Bolting to the guest room, he grabbed a clean uniform for the class that Scar had issued all of them, tailored to their specific needs. Scotts was normal, minus the tail hole in the trousers. The uniform consisted of gray pants, a black blazer with red, green, and yellow accents, and a white long-sleeve undershirt. The llama hybrid ran back to the bathroom to begin getting ready.

After the quick shower, Scott got dressed. He looked at himself in the mirror and tamed his wild hair. Once he deemed himself presentable, he left the bathroom. He throws his night clothes into the laundry room as he passes before heading to the kitchen.

Jimmy and Tango were chatting in the kitchen when he entered. They both turned to him when they noticed him.

“Good morning, Scott. You can sit down. I’m just finishing the last batch of waffles.” Tango invited with a kind smile. “The strawberries are already on the table for you.” He tacked on after a second.

“Okay, thanks,” Scott replied as he sat down at the dining table.

Scott grabbed a strawberry happily from the large bowl in the center of the table. Unable to contain his llama side, he popped the whole thing into his mouth. Juice dripped down his chin as he savored the delectable fruit as he chewed. He didn’t realize he had closed his eyes until he opened them once he was finished with his mouth full, wiping away the juice with his sleeve.

Jimmy gave a disappointed frown. “Scott, small bites and please use a napkin instead of your sleeve.” Scott just rolled his eyes at him but did what he was told with his next few strawberries.

The Crimson llama was still quite hurt about the Ranchers' betrayal of him. He would be civil to them but would give them the cold shoulder if they asked him to join them in a bonding activity or try to explain their reasoning. However, he didn’t hate them.

He could never.

Jimmy, the kind and caring guy that he is, does everything in his power to try to make Scott comfortable. He has been the one to try to cheer Scott up using flowers, trips, or food to show him that being a lifer isn’t so bad. Tango, in his way, shows his affection by allowing Scott to help around the farm when he is stir-crazy. He shows him how to cook and work complex Redstone mechanics, which goes over Scott’s head most of the time.

But it’s in those times that it hurts Scott the most. Neither understands that they are showing Scott a life they could have had if they had kept their word. But now doubt and broken trust have fractured their relationship in an immeasurably way. Tango and Jimmy have been trying desperately to fix it, but it’ll take time. Something they don’t have before they lose Scott forever.

Shaking away his thoughts, he noticed the waffle on the plate in front of him. Scott glanced up to see Jimmy looking at him worriedly with Tango glancing at him through bites.

“Sorry, just lost in thought.” He apologized before he started eating. Both seem to lose some tension in their shoulders. Jimmy begins to eat his waffle now that he has confirmed Scott’s comfort.

Honestly, Scott felt a little bad about the two farmers. They love him, which before the incident, perhaps he could have reciprocated the feelings. But not anymore. Neither understands that the hybrid feelings. He does like some of the perks of the city, but he feels confined. He is meant to wander, and be nomadic. The lessons feel too domestic. He is part animal, and animals like to be free.

Scott's eyes drifted to the door window, looking out towards the gate as he chewed the waffle slowly, holding it with his bare hands, no syrup.

Tomorrow night they would escape.

They all had been planning this for the last two weeks whenever they managed to get away from Scar. They would quickly hide the evidence of anything being suspicious if they heard any footsteps heading towards them and pretend to be playing cards or just talking. Today they were going to go over last-minute details then they were out of here.

Finally, they all finished their breakfasts. Scott got up and grabbed his required bag and slipped it over his shoulder. Jimmy cleaned off the table as Tango when saddling the horses. As much as the llama wanted to help, he was called over to Jimmy to help wash dishes. He did so begrudgingly, knowing this was a tactic to keep him clean.

Once the dishes were cleared and cleaned, both made their way outside where Tango was waiting. Scott ran up to his horse, he called Bubbles, petting her affectionally. She nuzzled into his hands, snorting happily. He hoisted himself over the sweet horse and settled him into the saddle. Tango had already mounted his horse and trotted over to him. Jimmy followed suit quickly, mumbling something about being late.

The trio began to make their way towards the town hall at a quick pace. They rode through the narrow streets that led to the interior city. Scott couldn’t help admiring the small shops and morning people that milled around them. Flowers and colors were everywhere compared to the scarlet sands of the wastelands. It only grew more colorful as they went deeper into the city.

Soon the hall appeared ahead of them. Scott dismounted Bubbles, giving her a loving pat on her flank. Tango and Jimmy both stay on their horses.

“Have a good day in class Scott,” Tango called with a smile as he grabbed Bubbles’s harness.

“And please don’t glue Scar down again,” Jimmy added. “It was a pain to get him off that wooden chain.” Scott couldn’t help but feel proud.

“No promises~” Scott called back, laughing at Jimmy’s pale face. Tango shook his head.

“Just get in there, you’re late as it is. I don’t want Scar giving me an earful for you being late.” Tango shouted with an amused and slightly serious tone.

The llama stuck out his tongue at Tango before bounding up the steps and entering the city hall. He took a sharp left down a hallway, following it down to the very end of the hall. He pushed open the door to find Scar in the middle of some boring manner talk.

Scar looked up and grinned, clasping his hands together, “Ah, Scott. Nice of you to join us !” He gestured towards his seat. “Please sit, I was just explaining the concept of good table manners.”

Huffing, Scott sat heavily in his seat, feeling a smug satisfaction every time, he saw the scar that had appeared where his saliva had burned Scar. Grain gave him a lazy wave of his hand, head down on the table, clearly bored out of his mind, wings partly tucked. Ren wasn’t much better; he looked like he was trying to give Scar his attention but was cleanly falling asleep behind his sunglasses. Pearl sat with her wolf body lying down, being too big for a chair. She had her head in her hand, blinking slowly as she too felt compelled to nap.

Scott sighed as he settled in for the long, boring morning.

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Grian was startled as the bell rang for lunch. He looked around frantically as his wings puffed in fright. He relaxed when he realized where he was, catching his breath before he relaxed. Scott seemed to notice and gave him a small reassuring smile. Ren and Pearl were still knocked out cold due to being nocturnal most of the time.

Glancing around, Grian didn’t spot Scar anywhere.

“Where’s Scar?” He questioned Scott.

Scott hums as he stands up, stretching. “He went to grab the lunches.” He sighs as his back audibly cracks, making Grian cringe. “Also, you have drool on your face.” The llama pointed out.

Grian wipes his face and stands up as well. “So how are we going to keep him this time?” Grian asked, looking at the llama expectantly. Scott looked around the room before smirking to himself. The llama hybrid went over to a cabinet and grabbed a gray roll of something. “What is that?”

“No idea, but I’ve seen Tango use it in the barn to hold a pitchfork together so it’s strong,” Scott explained.

“Huh,” Grian replied. “So, pin him down and use it to attach him to the floor?” Grian suggests. Scott gave him an odd look.

“Well, I wasn’t thinking to use it like that,” Scott admitted. “But I think your idea sounds funny so let’s do it.” The llama grins devilishly.

Grian mirrors his expression.

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Of all the things Pearl was expecting to wake up was not Scar yelling as Grain and Scott attempted to get him to the floor. Pearl flickered her ears in amusement as she watched the bird man struggle to hold down the human while the llama boy tried to put something gray on his limps. Pearl got up and trotted over and sat down her great wolf body onto the man’s chest.

Said the man letting out an “oof” as he lost his breath. Seeing his opportunity, Scott swiftly placed gray stuff all over his limbs, all attracted to the floor. Ren, who seemingly had just woken up as well, looked at the sight with amusement. Pearl got off him and moved to stand by the llama hybrid.

Getting his breath back, Scar exclaimed, “Where did you get duct tape!? And where did you learn to use it!?” The human struggled futilely on the floor in the tape. Scott simply shrugged.

“Found it and Tango fixed a pitchfork with it so I thought I could use it on you. And it worked.” He gave a snide smirk. “Thanks for lunch by the way!”

Scott grabbed a box labeled with his name and began to head to Grian’s room. Grian followed, hopping on Scar’s stomach before grabbing his lunch box.

“That was for the boring lesson, now we’ll be in my room, socializing.” Grian chirped as he left. Ren got up and followed him, but stepped around him and grabbed his lunch.

“Later dude. Have fun laying on the hard wooden floor.” He said as he left as well.

Scar looked up at Pearl. “Can you please let me up?” Pearl snorted at the absurdity.

“Nah, mate. This is your well-deserved karma.” She stepped around him, grabbing her lunch as well but used her tail to smack him in the face before she left. She exited the room and bounded down the hall towards Grian’s room.

When she got there, she found her allies eating their box lunches. Scotts ate nearly all fruits and vegetables due to meat being hard on his digestive system. Grain had a mix of nuts and seeds, some meat scarps for him as he was an omnivore. Ren had a burger of some sort, biting into it happily. Pearl settled beside Ren and opened her box, wagging her tail as she had a nearly raw steak in her box. She grabbed it and started tearing into it eagerly.

Everyone was quiet as they enjoyed their food. It wasn’t until everyone was done completely did Grian pulled out the escape plan.

“Now let’s get down to business. We’ll go over the plan once more.” Grian looked at Ren. “When Martyn heads to bed, you’ll creep down the stairs get the key from under his bedside lamp, and leave through the front door after grabbing your things.” Grian looked down at the map he was holding, tapping on a marked house where Ren lived. “From there, you’ll go head to Scott’s place and grab the sharp clippers and free Scott and the horses.”

Grian turned to Scott. “When Ren frees you, you’ll supply the horses with everything we need and grab your gear. Then you head to me with the metal snappers. I should have grabbed my stuff by the time you have arrived, then you just need to free me.” Grian looks at Ren and points at the map. “You’ll go break Pearl out from Cleo’s with your claws to pick the lock.” Grinning, Grian finishes up, “Then we can get out of here. We just need to wait for the guard switch.”

Pearl gives a wolfish grin, “Sounds great to me. We can blow this popsicle stand.”

Scott looked at Grain and nodded, “I think that covers everything.” He speaks. Ren frowns.

“Wait, when is the shift change?” The werewolf inquires. Grian bites his lips.

“That’s the problem. It happens right before sunrise, so we need to be quick. And that’s why we need the horses.” He explains, glancing at the Pearl. “You can run faster, right?”

Pearl crosses her arms, insulted. “Of course, I can. You insult me Grian.” The parrot snickers and smiles.

“Great. So, we’re sorted.” He clasps his hands. “Now what?”

Scott pulls out a deck of cards, “Go Fish?”

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Jimmy pulled his horse to a stop in front of the town hall. Tossing over towards Tango, he asked, “So where do you think Scar is today?” He asked as he dismounted his horse.

Tango looked over and snorted, “I don’t honestly know. It’s honestly impressive what they can do.” The other rancher followed Jimmy’s actions.

Jimmy tied his steed up to the fence before heading up the stairs. He shook his head slightly before sighing, “I can’t even disagree with you. The glue was incredible.” The dirty blond turned back to the other. “We probably should hurry, I bet Scar is waiting for us to free him.” Tango quickly followed his partner up the steps and headed inside.

The pair glanced around the hall before heading towards the classroom.

“Yo Scar, you here?” Tango called out, before opening the classroom door.

“I’m here!” Came the reply. “Help me, please!

Jimmy looked around confused before he saw the poor mayor. He was practically wrapped in a layer of duct tape to the floor. It took everything in Jimmy’s power not to burst out laughing. Tango excused himself before he erupted into laughter in the hallway. Scar gave him a pleating look.

Holding his laughter back, Jimmy managed to ask, “I see they did it again. How this time?” The farmer knelt, pulled a knife out of his back pocket, and began cutting away the tape, being extra careful not to nick Scar.

“I went to grab the lunch, then Grian ambushed me when I set them down on the desk.” The green-eyed man complained. “Scott then appeared with the duct tape I had on the cabinet and started taping me down. When I was almost free, Pearl sat on me!” Scar sat up, most of the tape off him.

Tango came in looking a bit sheepish, “That may have been my fault. I showed him how to use the stuff.” Scar brushed himself off.

“So, I have you to blame for this.” Scar threw up his hands as he scowled. “Thank you so much, Tango.” He said sarcastically.

Tango huffed. “We’ll reprimand Scott. Jeez, don’t get your panties in a twist.” Tango tacked on, “Plus it was Grian who tackled you.”

Scar sighed, “I know. It seems like he is getting more mischievous and chaotic recently.” Jimmy frowned slightly.

“Do you know why?” Jimmy questioned. Scar shrugged.

“Nope, but I am hoping it’s because he is settling in.”

The group of humans moved towards Grian’s room. They walked back through the main hall before going down a hallway on the opposite side of the classroom. They walked past the door leading to Scar's office, where the prison is still full of other hybrids waiting to be essentially adopted. Soon they reached the door and opened it.

What awaited made all of them fawn over the sight. All the hybrids were curled up in a pile on the bed, asleep. Pearl was curled around all of them, under the pile. Ren was lying across her wolf body, snoring slightly with his sunglasses askew on his face. Grian was in the center of the pile, wings draped across everyone, making sleepy chirps. Scott was on the other side of Grian, pressed tightly between Pearl and Grian curled into a small ball with a small smile on his face.

As much as they wanted to let the mutants sleep, they were supposed to be trouble. Tango was the one who shook Scott’s shoulder. The llama whined as he sluggishly woke up, sitting up carefully to not disturb the others. When he realized who woke him up, he gave them a sleepy sheepish smile.

“Hey…”

Tango picked him up and said, “Don’t ‘hey’ me mister.” He said, “You know exactly what you did.” The blue-haired man just whined as he was slung over Tango’s shoulder. Scott waved to the other awakened hybrids as they left the room.

Jimmy followed Tango out as he carried Scott out. “You said you were going to be good.” Jimmy chastised him. “But instead, you duct tape Scar to the floor.”

Scott grumbled, “Scar is boring. All he did was talk about manners.” Tango shakes his head.

“I know it’s boring, but you need to still be respectful of Scar.” Sighing, he shared a look with Jimmy as they left city hall. Tango sets Scott on Jimmy’s horse, much to the llamas' confusion. “That’s why something is going to change.”

Jimmy sits next to him. “This is going to sound bad, but the other day, we agreed that you need some sort of punishment for these shanghaies. And that is why we are going to move you back into the house.” The visible panic that crossed Scott’s face made Jimmy’s heart hurt. Grabbing his hands, the farmer continued, “It’ll only be for a week, darling. It won’t be so bad.”

Scott began pleading, “No, please. Don’t put me back in the house. I’ll behave better please.” The llama’s eyes watered with unsheathed tears, causing Jimmy’s resolve to fracture. “You can do anything else, but please. I can’t sleep or feel comfortable in the house. Take away my water or food but please, let me stay in the stall.” Scott begged.

Jimmy looked over to Tango, wearing a conflicted expression. Tango seemed to share a similar reaction. Neither of them predicted this strong of a reaction when they were planning this. They were expecting angry words and fighting, but not pure desperation. Scott seemed terrified of going back to the house. Jimmy bit his lip.

“We’ll talk more when we get home.” Jimmy decided.

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The trip was silent they made the trek back to the ranch. Scott's mind was buzzing with thoughts. He didn’t want to go to the house. It would ruin any plans of escaping they have been planning for the last two weeks. His ears were pinned to his head at the thought of going back to the house. The other two would occasionally glance back at him with guilty expressions as Scott hugged himself tightly.

When the llama hybrid said he would give up anything, he wasn’t kidding. He hated being locked in that room. Only himself in that small tight space. A shiver ran down his spine. He would rather be under a tree in the crimson than be back in that room unable to leave as his only will. The stall is bearable because Owen is with him. The llama is an emotional support animal.

The sudden stop of the horse realized that they were back at the house.

The blue-haired man leaped off the horse’s back and ran towards the barn, not bothering to stop as his name was called by the other two. Running into the shed, he ran to his stall and slammed the door, flopping into the hay and curling up, tears pooling in his eyes.

The llama man didn’t even look up as footsteps approached his door. Owen had leaned over the stall and was nuzzling Scott’s cheek, never liking to see the man sad. The llama snorted at whoever opened the door and bleated out at them.

“Scott…” The blue-haired hybrid didn’t even look up at Tango’s voice.

Scott mumbled, “Go away,” He pressed himself deeper into the straw, “I refuse to leave this barn.” Owen stamped his hooves with an agitated blet as the footstep closed in on him.

“Scott please, we just want to talk.” Jimmy’s voice responded.

Scott sat up and snapped at them. “Leave me be! I just want to be alone!” Tears freely ran down his face as he glared at the startled and shocked faces of Tango and Jimmy. Owen, sensing Scott’s anger and hurt, began spitting at the two. Both left the stall but Jimmy paused outside of the closed door.

“We’ll talk tomorrow morning when you have time to process this.” Jimmy sounded apologetic. “I’ll be back later with food. We are sorry we upset you darling.” He left after that, leaving Scott to wallow in his misery.

After a while, Scott stood up from his bed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, a new fire in his heart. Owen blets in concern for him, nudging his side. Sniffing, “I’m fine. I promise.” He patted the head of the animal before beginning to gather up his belongings into his original scarlet to prepare for the night.

The hybrid was tired of people pulling him this way and that. Gritting his teeth, he shoved away some ration he had been staving and filled his canteen full of water out of the water trough. He changed out of his uniform and into his colorful coat and homemade patchwork pants. His fedora was hanging on a nail on the stall wall. He snatched it off the hook and placed it on his head.

He looked at his reflection and felt more like himself than he did in a month of being there. He felt the bitterness from the betrayal rising in his chest, mixing with the new outrage. Who do they think they are to cage him like a misbehaving dog? Scott clenched his fist tightly, leaving crescents in his palms. When they are gone, they’ll see. They will all see you can’t tame the untamable. Spite coursed through his veins, after all, if he’s anything, he is petty.

A low giggle soon grew into a laugh that turned into manic insane laughter. After all, they put them through. Being petty would be merciful, but no. Scott wanted revenge. Owen gave a pleasing baa to him to see him laughing, not understanding. The chains and trying to force them into submission, treating them with fake respect but still expecting them to fall in line? Yeah, no.

Scott turned to Owen and stroked his wool as he came up with a plan for revenge, while he waited for Ren to come for him.

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It was well into the night before Scott heard a rustling outside his cell. Scott perked up as Ren unlocked the door for him. He gave Ren a grin. “Took you long enough.” The llama teased the wolf. Ren rolled his eyes.

“Sorry dude, Martyn was being extra clingy tonight.” The wolf apologized. Scott brushed it off.

“It’s fine. Now I’ll get the horses out, you grab the saddles.” Scott grabbed the keys from Ren and unlocked Owen’s stall then moved onto the horses. The llama pushed open his stall and followed Scott, leaving Ren confused, but the guy didn’t question it.

Scott grabbed the three horses from the stalls as quickly as he could. He even took precautions by tying rags over the hooves while Ren saddled them.

Next, Scott went to the far side of the barn where all the tools hung. He looked at all the tools before he found the bolt cutters. He grabbed it when something else caught his eye, a lighter. He debated to himself before he snatched it as well and shoved it into his pocket. He headed back over to Ren and Owen.

“Got it, take Blossom and head over to free Pearl. I’ll bring Bubbles, Buttercup, and Owen to free Grian. We’ll meet you in the center of town.” Scott related as he mounted his horse easily. Ren saluted, doing the same to his horse.

“Got it, my dude. I’ll be back faster than a fart.” Ren announced before he took off. Scott sighed, amused by Ren’s antics. Scott led the horse and llama pair out of the barn, leaving it empty.

Pausing, Scott looked at the barn before pulling the lighter out of his pocket. He ran his thumb over the little ignition as he stared at it, before looking at the barn again. Spite shot through his mind as he opened it and tossed the lighter into a hay pile on the side of the barn. Scott ran away before he could watch it set a flame.

The blue-haired man managed to get to the town hall in record time, especially with the two animals in tow. He hopped off the horse and climbed over the fence to Grian’s window with a little difficulty but managed when Owen bucked him over the last foot. He used the chain cutters to snap off the lock then rapped on the window, letting Grian know he was there.

The avian burst out of the window, startling a surprised laugh out of Scott. Grian picked him up by the shoulders with swiftness and flapped over the fence, dropping him onto his horse and landing on Buttercup, his feather ruffled.

Grian looked a bit panicked, “We got to go! I may have done something quite stupid.” Grain urged his mount into a near sprint. Scott followed swiftly, Owen keeping up relatively well for a llama.

“What did you do!?” Scott called to him as he kept pace.

Grian bit his lip, “I may have... uh… accidentally alerted Scar when I was…” He mumbled the last part.

“What?” Scott asked as he didn’t hear him.

“I tried to steal his shiny pendant…from around his neck…when he was asleep.” Grian finished looking sheepish. “And he may have woken up.” Scott groaned as he facepalmed but knew he couldn’t say anything after the stunt he pulled, smoke was already starting to waft through the air.

“Let’s hurry, I bet the others are waiting,” Scott replied instead as he pushed his horse to a full sprint, Grian following suit.

As the blue-haired llama guy suspected, Ren and Pearl were waiting for them. Both looked bewildered as they flew down the street towards them on horseback. Scott called out to them as he and Grian dashed past, “Go! Go!” Neither needed to be told twice before they were with them.

The group charged toward the gate, no one faltering as horns sounded around them. If anything, it made them go faster. The closer the gate became, the more smoke filled the air, and a large plomb bellowed up from the air in the direction of the ranch.

Pearl called out, “Scott! What the heck did you do!?” A laugh in her voice of astonishment.

“A heat of the moment of decision you could call it,” Scott admitted as pressed close to his horse’s back.

Grian gave a startled laugh as well. “You can say that again. Did you set the barn on fire?” He questioned.

“Yep.”

The trio blinked at the straight answer they got but didn’t question it any further. After all, who are they to judge a bit of revenge?

The buildings thinned out as when they came up to the gate. The open was clear of guards, much to their surprise. But a glance to the left was the answer. The lighter had done its job, it lit the hay up which had spread to the barn. The frame was engulfed in flames, sending black into the near-dawn sky. The whole guard was firing the fire along with Jimmy and Tango.

Scott called over to the others, “Get going, I’ll catch up with you, take Owen with you.” The other three shared a look as they slowed down, just barely before seeing the look in Scott’s eyes and decided to continue. Scott watched as the others left the city until he made sure they were well and far away.

The llama hybrid turned back to the fire. A strange scent of calm washed over him as he watched the flames eat away at the old wood. He must have stood there for a good five minutes before he caught Jimmy staring at him. The blond-haired human was covered with soot and grime, tears in his eyes. They stared each other down for what felt like an eternity.

Jimmy was the one to break it. “Scott! Get back here!” The human screams in anguish.

Scott simply bowed his head to him, sad that it had to come to this. He turned and urged his horse into a trot, a free man once again, now with plenty of friends. Scott glanced back when he reached the place where he first saw the city. In his heart, he hoped that they never have to deal with another Lifer again, but in his mind, he knew his actions had consequences. He sighed and caught up to his friends who were waiting for him, who all rode into the rising sun.

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