#skizz hunting tango and saying he wants him back

[boxesblr]

Rotating Etho's choice to protect his allies in my mind. Obviously they made incredible escapes and held their own but Etho also refusing to sell out Cleo and Grian meant that nearly everyone else died, some died multiple times, most lost additional hearts, hurt alliances (Scott: Gem has no band loyalty!), and did not gain something like 120 hearts total

Meanwhile, Cleo and Grian get to feel secure in their alliance, not go red, and actually finish their tasks. The playing field has obviously been levelled significantly and they still suffered, but Etho facilitated his alliance gaining the most where everyone else lost the most

Obviously it's a display his loyalty first and foremost but he also played the game, ran the numbers, and counted himself out of success knowing it would be diminishing returns to go after them and I just think that's neat

[dmwrites]

Martyn was yelling. Martyn was yelling and coming at Impulse with a desperation and fury that rooted him to the spot. It didn’t make sense, Martyn was… cheating. Scott was dead, gone in a flash of fire that Impulse couldn’t even begin to comprehend. And he was facing down a man who was all greens and yellows and reds and-

There was a slice through the air, a pain so brief it might have been imagined, and then-

“I’m so proud of you, homie buddy!”

“For goodness sake, Skizz, put on a shirt!”

Impulse tried to extract himself from Skizz’s chest, but his friend only pulled him closer.

“Let him breathe a little, Skizz, he just died, after all.” Tango’s voice floated up somewhere to the left of him, and he felt a pat on the back. “Nice work, man, second place ain’t too bad.”

Skizz let Impulse go, finally, and Impulse was instantly being congratulated by his other friends, Scott giving him a distracted smile, Pearl sticking out her tongue before hugging him tight.

“You’re a good guy, Impulse. Thanks for sticking by me.” Etho came over and clapped Impulse on the shoulder, a small smile in his voice and a twinkle in his eye. “You fought well.”

“Thanks, man.” Impulse beamed at him. “You did too. Not washed up at all.” He chuckled, and Etho grumbled good-naturedly before wandering back over to The Clockers.

Skizz was standing next to him still, almost vibrating with energy.

“You’re being ridiculous.” Impulse told Skizz. “You should be congratulating Martyn when he dies. Or Scott, for that matter- there was no way I would have won even if we’d all played fair.”

“Come, walk and talk with me, buddy.” Skizz said, floating in the direction of the TIES tower.

They passed by the small group around Grian, who were watching Martyn below, still alive and on the ground. He caught a bit of conversation as they passed.

“We should probably slash-kill, G. Game’s over.”

“No, let’s leave him for a moment.” Grian mumbled, watching Martyn with a troubled look on his face.

The tower was empty, and Skizz and Impulse perched on the edge of Skynet, watching the other dead players float around.

“Dude, I said it once, but I’ll say it again- I am so proud of you. You’re like a warrior, man!” Skizz crowed.

“But I didn’t win!” Impulse exclaimed, although he couldn’t help but smile at Skizz’s enthusiasm.

“What- are you kidding me, dude! I told you- all of you before I died- team TIES gets top three, and you got to second place!”

“Well, second is a poor replacement for first…” Impulse grumbled.

“You know what, dude?” Skizz said, snapping his fingers, “I never did get to your affirmation, did I?”

“No, but I’m not, like, offended.” Impulse replied.

Skizz cleared his throat. “Impulsesv, my bestest friend-”

“You don’t have to do this, I’ll be okay without my affirmation.” Impulse interrupted.

“Shut your face and let me say nice things!” Skizz waved his hand dramatically at Impulse to make him shut up. “Impulse, my friend. You know, when I was doing these affirmations, I had to study people, even the ones I knew before. But you… it was easy to come up with the words. Perseverance. Focus. God, man, look at what you did. You wanted to win, and the way you hunted, killed… it was incredible. You never stopped, and I could tell how badly you wanted to win. You put your mind to it and you just go, man. If death herself hasn’t stopped you, I’m sure you would have walked right through Martyn’s axe to get the win.”

Impulse laughed. “I think you’ve been hanging out in the afterlife for too long, man, you are making less sense with every sentence.”

“I’m just proud of you, man.” Skizz smiled.

“Careful, Skizz,” Impulse teased, “people are gonna start thinking you’re some kind of angel or something, with how nice you’re being.”

“Ha! Whatever, dude.”

Skizz and Impulse started trying to elbow each other off of Skynet, laughing and waiting for Martyn’s life to end. The sun was setting, and there was that bittersweet taste of second place that settled heavy on Impulse’s tongue. Not good, not bad, but at the end of the day, there were always people who loved him, so it didn’t really matter.

[krashlite]

Life series scenes/tidbits I rotate regularly but I don’t see talked about enough

Tango being blamed for Etho’s castle burning in 3L

Scar going quiet when Grian mentions that when he turns yellow he’s gone (this was in Scar’s pov after the renchanting trap)

Tango’s pov of the desert standoff, both sides just slowly turning to look at him as he panics bc he thinks they’re onto him

Scar escaping the bunker in 3L after that battle was lost HOW DID HE LIVE. MAN TARGETED ETHO HOW DID HE LIVE

Jimmy saying he doesn’t want to kill as a red name and Grian telling him “that’s not what this series is about” in 3L (Jimmy’s pov)

BigB’s final death in 3L and how differently the series would’ve ended if he’d successfully killed the last yellow name, Grian

Not technically on screen but when Grian got kicked out of the Southlands after turning red and his character potentially not knowing why, hence the “we can still be friends” line. (It’s a call back to 3L when Scar asked the same thing)

Ren watching Lizzie kill BigB at the shadow fort, followed by Ren being hunted by Skizz and Impulse for sport THIS WAS SO INTENSE???

All of Impulse’s final deaths being betrayals (for LL, Grian’s plan got him killed so I’m counting it)

Martyn being the only person to use a soundboard and voice changers

Bdubs being the boogeyman in session 1 of both boogey curse seasons.

HOW SKIZZ ACTS ON RED?? Man is fully insane and I’m OBSESSEDDD

BigB’s entire Shakespearian tragedy in DL, I refuse to pick a favorite moment

Cleo refusing to trust BigB the second the boogeyman curse is back

Pearl demanding BigB kill her and take a half hour back when he had 45 SECONDS ON HIS CLOCK. And him almost refusing to swing at her because he “doesn’t know how.” Aha, fairy fort betrayal trauma

BigB knowing that Martyn was the boogeyman in LimL

Skizz knowing Etho was the boogeyman in LL

Pearl having to rescue BigB from Jimmy’s attempted kidnapping in LimL SHE IS SO SCARY. I LOVE HER

Pearl fighting Martyn and refusing to let up even though she’s really low on health (LimL)

Martyn being able to sound incredibly trustworthy every time he’s about to backstab someone in general

“Tango Polo” in LimL

The fact that BigB has an incredibly low kill count and two of the four kills were circumstance forcing his hand

[tubbytarchia]

Some Tango, rancher and Etho (!?) thoughts as I finished up Tango's POVs for 3rd, Limited and Secret Life

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is near empty in this skull of mine so bear with my poor analysis skills if you can call it that. This is walls of text that I'm not expecting anyone to fully read but it's nice to get my own thoughts in order for the future, somewhat!

ahem Tango thoughts

Tango's loyalty KILLS ME. Similarly to Impulse in 3rd Life he recognizes the value in allyship but struggles to maintain any concrete ones, and then goes from a double agent to someone playing all sides, but even so, whoever his allies are at a given moment, unless he's been severely wronged by them, he's straight devoted to them. He seems to switch on a dime in 3rd life going from team to team, but that's not because of lack of care and he puts his best foot forward for them anyway. He wants to be trusting of and trusted by Etho even after their alliance strains, he was quick to defend the Crastle and offer reassurance to Cleo even after declaring the Crastle to be his enemies, he fought against Dogwarts alongside Impulse, refusing to back off even when it became certain death after Impulse died, etc

He might have a tendency to die stupid deaths but he did seem to have his value recognized unlike Last Life, where he was allied with the same people for almost all of it. He sacrificed a lot for team BEST to ultimately get no more than a pat on the back. I already made a post about this but I'm not gonna shut up about it!! The way he kind of gets tossed around begrudgingly when he's very rightfully upset about Dbubs killing him, and others just keep joking about his anger and treating him as dispensable, ahh it saddens me. Skizz WAS nice to him but even he, in the end, came over to try and threaten and intimidate Tango once he was red. Reds in Last Life took the breaking of any previous alliances seriously, as did Tango once he was also red, but even so

Then ofc Double Life <3

And in Limited and Secret Life he seems to have his value largely recognized again and is able to secure good teams, to whom, again, he's SO loyal to. He always has been, ever since 3rd Life and even in Last Life after the boogie incident. I don't think he ever wronged his teammates in ANY substantial way. He very openly made a deal for Scar to kill BDubs and that's probably the worst he's done, and even then, not like Scar did a very good job... But Tango is also someone who often talks big game (eg "oh just wait until I'm red" etc) only to not be very fatal to anyone. He threatened BDubs a lot but ultimately, hardly harmed him

Tango's devotion is undying and he really wants to trust people. He'd rather put up with team BEST making fun of his rightful anger than leave or harm them, and he's quick to join back up with the Crastle because he wants people by his side. He makes himself a good asset to prove his trustworthiness, if even subconsciously, because he certainly trusts whoever he manages to settle with first. I was kind of surprised at how much faith he had in team TIES as he was being hunted down by the entire server for being the last green name. He hardly ever doubted them and wasn't afraid to immediately come out of hiding upon finding them (and ofc then sacrificing himself for Skizz)

Tango's response to combat is VERY often to cower away somewhere. Maybe he's just being cautious but nevertheless his immediate reaction tends to be to back away, and he's admitted many times himself that he just hesitates. I think this has happened a few times but in LimL in particular he called Etho out for fleeing combat when the Bad Boys attacked them and the Clockers, even though Tango did basically the exact same thing. As if he doesn't even always realize when he's cowering off to the side? But seeing the ways that he usually gets himself killed, yeah! Understandable! Lol. And yet when things get dicey, he more often than not goes against this nature to abstain. Third Life, instead of fleeing from a battle against 3(4?) people once Impulse dies, he goes back in and dies. Last Life, he takes one for the team by charging at a minecart (though granted, in the moment he didn't seem to think it'd kill him, he did charge in without much thought). Limited Life, he refuses to disengage and gets himself killed in his pursuit of Scar instead of eating to heal from his half a heart of health and Secret Life.... oh ho ho

Tango's not as literally sacrificial as Skizz or Scott, and he might not be very good at protecting his friends due to his tendency to abstain from combat (because he's not much good at it so again, understandable) but he's very firm about who his friends are and man, does he do his best. 9/10 times he makes a good effort at best (lest we forget, the man has gotten very few legit kills across all five seasons) but then there are times like when he physically put himself between Etho and Martyn in LimL when Etho called for his help, even when it looked like Tango was trying to maintain distance from the confrontation. And Secret Life...!!!

First of all, got half the server to support him in the last session by giving him hearts ofc, very nice, very cute, very deserved. But secondly, I will not stop thinking about him going against Scar's deal. He was so very adamant about not hurting, let alone killing Skizz and very begrudgingly accepted Scar's offer for a heart in exchange for him swiping Skizz once. Only for Tango to start attacking Scar later, proclaiming that he could never betray Skizz. My condolences to Scar but fuck yeah, king shit!! He showcases his loyalty again but also just straight up initiates combat and goes at it for a bit. Like many times before he just gets kinda feisty as things get closer to the end, I suppose! Even when he doesn't really have many hearts to spare. I'm here for this

I have thoughts about Etho and him specifically too but thats below

Rancher thoughts

Firstly just some rancher moments that I'm sure all the rancherers already have seared into their brains but I'm noting them for me because I've seen them for the first time now:

Jimmy in LimLife, all bad boy, hits Tango and then immediately turns around to apologize to his rancher

When Tango gets blown up by Joel, upon returning, Jimmy bombards Tango with questions about how it went down

And it stuck out to me because it reminded me so much of the way Jimmy tries to inquire Tango about the amount of hearts he dealt to him in Secret Life (and ofc Tango being all indirect with his replies which ends up sounding like some strange off-brand flirting). Also Tango intentionally running into Jimmy's TNT and then sticking around him instead of fleeing. Also also "I like seeing Tango's reaction when he sees me, it's nice, he makes these weird sounds". That entire ordeal in session 5 is such gold

When Skizz is doing his affirmation thing with Jimmy in LimL, Tango and Impulse eavesdrop and Tango jokes about how embarrassing that was and that he needs to throw up right to their faces. And the way Jimmy had absolutely zero hostile reaction whatsoever. Even when it quieted down and he thanked Skizz, Skizz referred to "those idiots" and Jimmy's all "what idiots?" lmao. But then maybe he was just too taken aback by Skizz's kindness (of course he's also in on the jokes and doesn't always play up the upset factor, but I mean, it WAS his rancher very loudly voicing his disgust), which breaks my heart just a wee bit after all the kindness he got from Tango just one series prior, the same Tango who barely partakes in all the jokes going around at Jimmy's expense. But then, it's not like he made any direct jabs at Jimmy, I don't think he ever has but I might be wrong? And was playfully disgusted by the corny interaction in general, including Skizz

Ok I knew of this one but Jimmy interrogating Tango when his task was to talk to Torchy, but also I just love it so much that Flower Husbands is kind of in the mix too with Scott telling Jimmy to do the thing, for Jimmy to then attempt to do the thing, then defend Tango to Scott's face, to then attempt to do the thing again and get it completely wrong even though Scott knew exactly what Tango's task was and gave Jimmy all the pieces

Pearl giving Tango a pity flower only for Jimmy to immediately walk over and accidentally pick it up. Reminds me of when the same happened with baked potatoes in DL

I don't actually have a lot to add here for the rancher stuff, except that I think it's neat how the nature of Tango's alliances aligned? Which I just went into detail about but I think it's poetic that it went from Tango struggling to find one sure alliance, to Tango being in a mostly stable alliance but his worth largely unrecognized, to assigned soulmate ranchers, where Jimmy gave him all the affirmation in the World, even as the others made fun of them, and then Tango having very dependable alliances since then. Something something the way Jimmy rightfully supported Tango, seeing him for all his worth, and then Tango not having to settle for (much) less since then. That's just the way things happened to go but hey, I don't know about you but I see fanfic material and stuff about Jimmy leaving a mark on the course of Tango's Life series, or something

Going back to the Skizz affirmation thing for a moment too, I think it's also neat to compare how good he is at voicing intricate affirmation vs, well, Tango. Jimmy seemed so very genuinely touched by Skizz's kindness, something he obviously isn't subjected to a lot, except for Tango in Double Life with all his ornately worded "Great job!"s and "You're awesome!"s. That's just the thing that I love about ranchers sooo much that they're hardly ever graceful in what they do or say, more just bundles of strong emotions than anything, but they mesh oh so perfectly

suddenly Etho thoughts

Unrelated to ANYTHING but Etho's so cute!! Like ok, what else is new but ahh, just stuck out to me, probably because Tango keeps getting allied with him one or another way for half the seasons. I grinned so widely each time he went around "team meeting, team meeting!" or "banana!" in his small voice, and for me, nothing so far has topped the moment of him running into the TIES group, yelling for someone to help him craft some powered rails

Ok anyway it was SO nice to see his undying loyalty towards Tango in LimLife after what happened in 3rd and Last Life. It reminds me so much of his heartwrenching loyalty in Secret Life where he absolutely refused to give away his teammates' locations even as the success of his task depended on it. In the manhunt in session 4, the one person who saw Tango, completely vulnerable before he could continue his escape attempt was Etho, and the WAY Etho doesn't have immediate vocal reactions like so many of the other lifers do and can just stay silent is soo. I don't know man. It works wonders to make him intimidating but then there's also moments like this, the way he stays totally silent on more than one occasion so as not to risk betraying his teammates, and when he does speak, it's to give false information or whatever it takes to protect them. And just as with Cleo and Grian, in LimL with Tango, he was defending the last remaining green/s! That adds absolutely nothing lmao just an observation that I felt the need to point out

In Secret Life Tango and Etho also team up somewhat at the very end, at which Tango says "I'll carry you, as usual" which is a line that tickles me. Like, true, Tango has done a lot for Etho in their previous alliances but in LimL, it felt a lot more balanced, if not the other way around altogether. Again, the manhunt!! Not that Etho's attempt to misguide the others helped at all, but it's the sentiment that matters... Etho had Tango's back all throughout LimL and that makes me so happy. deserved

[hermitcrossovers]

So fun fact I'm currently avoiding doing my greek school work to write this haha

Anyways on to the other parts of the plot!

So Empires is another island, with nine ruling clans (I took out Pearl, Jimmy, and Gem's kingdoms due to plot). This is where most of the Emperors come from, they are the children of these leaders.

Pearl and Jimmy ended up on the island when Jimmy was thirteen and Pearl was fourteen. Jimmy had been sent by the Listeners, while Pearl had shipwrecked after escaping the Watchers.

Most of the Emperors are just kinda chilling. They're living their lives and learning how to hunt dragons and keep their island safe.

There's only one problem, the island has a history of sacrificing misbehaving children to a nearby island filled with the worst and most deadly dragons.

Everything changes when a masked figure starts attacking, claiming to control the deathgrippers. They say their name is Xornoth, and they know the secrets of the island.

Of course, they do. After all, Xornoth is the only surviving child who was sacrificed. They want revenge for their friends, and to get rid of their parents once and for all.

Oh, and they're Scott's older sibling. Scott doesn't know about this.

So, when Xornoth starts threatening Scott's island, he (very blind to the truth, because sheltered upbringings will do that to you) decides to leave and seek out somebody who could help. Jimmy offers to come along, and Scott says yes, because Jimmy could be useful, not at all because Scott has a crush on him. Totally.

They end up sailing for a few days, before being scooped up by Grian, who is overjoyed to see one of his old friends again. And to have somebody who isn't Scar around.

I should note this happens before Grian finds out BigB and Martyn are alive.

Now, meanwhile with the Crastle crew:

Cleo is about to pull her hair out, because why are they stuck with this gremlin of a teenager. All she wants to do is go home for once, not be stuck on this random island after getting blown off course in a storm.

Bdubs is having a great time! He's finally got another person on the island besides himself, and shes great! He swears he'll protect her forever, because she can get him off the island. It's been a long two years after all.

Impulse has zero idea what's going on. He and Tango were out looking for Skizz one minute, exploring an island and getting jumped on by a feral teenager and a redhead who has a knife the next. He's pretty sure he wants to go home.

Tango has given up trying to understand anything. He's just listening to Cleo and Bdubs argue about what to do with him and Impulse, so he offers to help them work on a ship in exchange for their freedom after the ship is built. That seems to work.

-------

I'm still working out most of the details but here's a list of dragons + the answer to your question:

Yes Evo is abandoned but sort of intact! However it's been pretty ravaged and needs a few years before most plants grow back, as a lightning storm that ended up making the forests catching fire happened shortly after the Watchers took and/or killed everybody.

Jimmy - a yellow razorwhip named Canary!

Scott - a red whispering death named Poppy

Bdubs - a snaptrapper named Mossy as a collective, and a terrible terror named Shrub

Cloe - a bonenapper named Bones, and she later gets a screaming death named Screamy

Impulse - a yellow and black windwalker named Ssvee

Tango - a rumblehorn named Ravager!

Joel - a pack of small shadows (you might notice I haven't done much with Joel yet, that's because I'm trying to figure out what he's even doing) - 🔮🐦 (magic bird anon)

I swear I had already answered this 💀💀

First off! The crastle vibes are on point, and Cleo with a bonenapper is just perfect, honestly I feel like she would absolutely gather bones to give to Bones lol.

Second... the empires guys are in for so much hurt, plus sailor Jimmy and Scot is now stuck in my head.

I love how you're weaving in the different servers together.

-Mod Jer

[vivitheanimaxen]

hmmmm okok.. so do siz + the pod team up, then? when the realise their goals are aligned? or is it more of a race? and since tango never mentioned his pod, do siz even believe them? <- very obviously fishing for angst..

Well first off, you have to take into consideration the language barrier. As do I. Etho probably knows English, for some unexplained reason, but Bdubs most certainly does not. And the name Tango gave siz isn't quite his real name, cause humans can't pronounce his actual name. I think siz would believe that the pod is Tango's because they've seen how lonely and clingy Tango can get, he's obviously a social creature and used to company.

They'd be hurt and confused as to why Tango didn't tell them, bc then they would have helped to find the pod and reunite Tango with them bc he'd have someone else to take care of him instead of just dumping Tango back into the ocean to either get killed or starve to death cause he couldn't hunt.

I think Siz would be more open to a team up than the pod, but in reality what probably happens is Martyn and co are watching siz, bc they got their hands on one mer what's to say they don't do it again, and Jimmy makes contact with the pod before Impulse and Skizz and Zed can convince Etho and Bdubs that they just wanted to help Tango recover. Etho and Bdubs would be more likely to trust a fellow mer rather than a trio of humans. and besides. Jimmy would have had one of Tango's scales, proving that Jimmy actually knew where Tango was, as opposed to Impulse's word of simply wanting to find Tango again.

Bing bang boom, pod reunited. But despite Tango getting what he wanted and being able to go home and everything else, the rest of zits is still on his mind. And he does know where they live.

[captainschaos]

Gentle touch, killer's touch.

The session has hardly began, and Etho find himself on guard again. It is rare he finds himself at the front like this, but Skizz was behind him, and the influx of people needed to be addressed quickly. The clock is ticking, after all. So he stands beside the doorway, hands brushing against each shoulder that pushes through the doorframe. Bdubs is good, of course, Scott is green, they're good, they're good- Alright. He remains on guard, audible smile and joking toss of TNT to himself broadcasting the attitude he wants the others to see. The boogeyman may not have been chosen yet, but he is dangerous, should he need to be. He glances at Skizz, laughing at his antics, scarred arms crossed and dark halo overseeing all. They're on guard, through the quips and conversations. A battle is brewing.

Careful tongue, killer's tongue.

They go above the surface, and Etho pushes across the group to Skizz. He leans in, mutters the duty they always know they need to uphold. But he says it anyway. "We have to protect." He says it because he knows however deep it is ingrained in them, they have other instincts that fight it. He says it as a reassurance. Of course they will protect, it's what they do best, it's what they always do. Now. With that aside. The hunt is on.

No one, not even he, can see the grin that pulls at his face, but it seems to spread through every one of his faeish muscles. It's a simple thing, the hunt, the chase, but it will never get old to him. He almost forgets about the clock in the heat of the chase, but the seconds are sweet as they spill from Joel's fallen body. It despawns quickly, sand on the wind, and in the remains there's laughter. The fanged fae's laugh, a sharp and dancing tune, captivating and capturing.

Wicked laugh, killer's laugh.

And there are other laughs. Tango's, so similar to his own, faeish and just behind him every step of the hunt. The phoenix has always understood him and his playful, deadly instincts, and now that Etho has had his fun, he falls behind Tango's fiery wing to help his hunt. He burns extra hot, extra red, and Etho can tell he needs the kill. There are other hunters, the whole server scrabbling for sand in their hourglasses. Martyn's hunger is clear as he lashes out toward Etho, who raises his shield and swivels to position Martyn between Tango and himself. It becomes a dance, and when Martyn falls in that pool, the phoenix flicks a fiery finger and tosses the dynamite. And the explosion is musical.

Stark silence. Killer's silence.

In the aftermath, it is quiet. The two check their clocks, check the roster, and see the green is thinning. Of the few left, Tango and Impulse are forefront for Etho and Skizz. Team T.I.E.S. regroups, and the fae and the reaper share yet another glance. We have to protect. They don't say it aloud, but they know, and fall into position. But these are the Life Games, and there's only so much that can be done. Impulse falls, and they all curse under their breath, but they refocus. Tango will be the next target, and now that their hunt is over, the hunt will turn against them.

"Skizz, I'm just gonna hide behind you, okay," Tango squeaks out as he ducks under Skizz's wing. "It's all you can do, man," he laughs back with a smile. Skizz pats the phoenix's shoulder and pushes off, bow in hand. A warmth spreads against the inside of his skin to match the warmth of his friend's flame as he is entrusted with this. To guard, to protect. It's all he wants to do. Not to be so wrapped up in death as a reaper always is, but to stave it off. But some things are inevitable.

Guarding friendship, killer's friendship.

All Skizz wants is to be a good friend. As he runs with the pack, it's all he wants, to be like the guardian angels he watches with such admiration. But he is not one of them. As much as he wants to be, his halo is dark and spiked, and the weight of the scythe is always a shadow on his hands. Eventually the pack turns on his own, and he knows with a crushing weight he can't escape the death he ferries. He cannot guard against the hoarde, not as long as Tango needs him to be able to, so he goes to Tango while Etho and Impulse pulls the pack away. His protection intermingles with his deathly duty as he shields the phoenix by turning him to ashes.

Pounding touch, killer's touch.

In the aftermath, Etho and Skizz stand side by side. Both with time that wasn't theirs in their hourglass, both standing, watching the allies they find themselves guarding this week. Etho leans into the reaper to teasingly elbow his arm. We'll protect them. Skizz puts on a little smile and elbows the fae back. Of course.

They can't seem to escape it. They're killers. When push comes to shove, the fangs sink in, knuckles turn white and red. But at least they'll put it to good use. Right?

[There will be one of these for each week! This is 4/?]

First // Previous // Next

[fountainpenguin]

"When you tell me I'm such a wreck ("It isn't easy cleaning up your mess")- it's like I've got a rope around my neck..." (x)

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New Pixels Imperfect stuff today! || One-Shot

“Yes, And?”

Read on AO3

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Even in a death game, the polite Canadian thing to do is ensure everyone is comfortable with the improv dynamics. Hi, it’s me. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with our improv dynamic-!

AKA - The one where Etho (assigned dad by the narrative) pays a late-night visit to his ex-wife and sons. What do you even say to a very scary someone you've "canonically" broken up with despite never actually dating in the first place?

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

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Time moves snail-wriggle slowly whenever you're on-world. It oozes, squashes, and stretches out like slime in the cogs of a clock. As Etho climbs the steps from the Team T.I.E.S. basement, he pulls out his communicator and checks the symbol in the upper left. It's a crescent moon with a 3 clearly printed in the center. They're only three nights into the current play session with six more to go. There's a cloud symbol beside it with a single raindrop.

Oh, so THAT'S why I can hear Skizz screaming about endermen. They're trying to get one last hunt in before the rain gets heavy.

Impulse shouts encouraging words from the sea, like "Run faster, you jerk!" The slap of oars on water is unmistakable. He's rushing in with the boat. Will he make it? Who's to say?

Etho leaves the stairs for the surface. Raindrops patter on the back of his neck and across his jacket sleeves, but they're so light, they're hardly noticeable. They leak through his hair and tingle on his scalp. The cold's sort of welcome, honestly. He's been boiling alive ever since they came to this tropical place to play their game.

This evening's dreary weather, however, has certainly not deterred a seething enderman from chasing Skizz round and around their stonecutter and assorted resource chests, which are haphazardly strewn across the area. My bad; I meant to tidy those up. Etho had popped down to the cave for a bit of mining. Tango's grateful, probably, even if he did sort of dump his loose things without a lot of thought. There's, like… feathers and random mob drops in there too. And bamboo. And sticks.

Impulse pops from the boat the instant he hits shallow water. He holds it above his head like an umbrella and comes sprinting up the sand. Skizz loops the chests again, this time zigzagging through a gap. The enderman doubles back around. The claws on one hand scrape the back of Skizz's armor and he shrieks, throwing in an extra burst of speed. Ooh, boy… But Etho stays where he is. No reason to throw off their groove; he doesn't have a boat and here comes Impulse to save the day.

Skizz slides around the corner chest like he's making the big bucks in professional sports. A scuff of sand twinkles in the air. He yips like a wolf pup and every pixel on his face crackles hot with sparks. The enderman lunges across a chest, banging its knee - endermen have knees, right? - and it trips with a splat in the sand. Skizz dives past Impulse, who shoves his way forward. He slams down the boat. His sword flips out and here comes the swing! Maybe this is a sport. Skizz, puffing, starts bricking up a little two-block-high cover spot with a bit of cobblestone.

"You know," Impulse chides as the enderman shoves itself back to its feet, "they'd leave you alone if you wouldn't look at them, dude. They're like tourists. Mmhm- they don't want to pick a fight with you."

The enderman's still aggro'd on Skizz. Rain or not, it's not going anywhere fast. It ignores the boat to charge straight for him. Impulse whiffs when he takes a swing. Skizz spits a half-finished accusation. He ducks under his cover spot and pulls out his shield. "I didn't even see it! I was just digging up gravel in the hole over there! It just flew at me like a rocket!"

"Well, stop looking harder! You're just flipping them off in enderman language, probably. They don't like it."

"Don't tell me what endermen don't like!"

"You, clearly."

"STOP IT!"

Etho stands with his hands in his pockets, more than a little grateful that he'd disabled the toggle for his natural fox tail before joining the server. It wouldn't be a good look if his teammates saw it curling in amusement at their own expense. "You got this, Skizz?" he calls.

"EeeiyyuuuhhhiiieeeyyuUUHHH!" Skizz wails back. Impulse tries again, throwing the boat in the enderman's general direction, but it bangs the ground and flips over, landing face-down. Whoops. The enderman prowls circles around its target and Skizz hides behind his shield. Etho glances up. Tango's watching all of this from the top of his half-constructed tower, one leg crossed over the other and foot lightly bouncing. He's got a beef sandwich in hand. Not as helpful as, y'know, an enchanted bow or something, but Etho's not judging. They're okay. We're all professionals here.

Impulse huffs, breaks the boat with a swing of his axe, and runs after it to try again. The rain is gentle, the wind like baby's breath, and all but Impulse's footsteps sliding over sand is quiet in the night. Even Skizz has shut his mouth. For a little while.

Six more days with these nerds. Then we're out of here until next time. Should be nice. He could use the peace and quiet. Might miss 'em, though. Not much. Maybe just a hint.

The moon peers down like a glowing fingernail. Etho lingers a moment longer, just to confirm that Imp and Skizz really do have this one in the bag. Despite the impromptu shelter, Skizz takes about three slices from enderman claws before Impulse delivers the final blow. Technically, you never really kill endermen… but the guy dissipates in a spiral of void-smoke and drops an ender pearl when it goes. Skizz drops back on his butt, clapping his palm to his chest. Tango cheers and toasts the air with his half-eaten sandwich. Etho gives a thumbs up. Nobody sees. That's okay. He knows. Impulse exhales, then sheathes his sword. He offers Skizz his hand. Pulls him up. They embrace, Impulse thumping once on his back with his hand. Then he tucks the shiny pearl away for later. Light chatter resumes… Tango goes back to gnawing on his sandwich… and Etho vanishes without another word.

You have to take a skip and a hop to cross the stream between the TIES base and "the Rock" where Cleo, Scar, and Bdubs have set up camp. Etho misses the bank by a smidge, grazes his shin on dirt, and splashes. Soaks his sandals. Ah. Maybe he needs to build a bridge. He'll chalk that one up for later. But hey… it was already raining. A little water's never hurt anybody. He shivers once, grips his jacket close around his chin, and hustles up the hill. At least his destination's not far away. Two to three minutes tops. If he's lucky, maybe by now those fools will have built a roof.

The rain's letting up, at least. He hasn't spotted any lightning. No thunder either. Etho's feet smack on every smooth stone step of the hill. He keeps his sword drawn, but only one zombie lopes from the shadows to get a better look at him. He checks the face - he always checks the face - and it's a Grian. There's a white slash mark curling down its shoulder where the vex that got him must have landed the killer blow.

"Hey, buddy… You've wandered pretty far from your respawn point, you know. You died in the mansion, right?"

[Cnt'd on AO3 - Link at top]

[panda-wearing-pants]

Best Life Series episode #3

S1E3: Tango creates a cow farm, which is found by Jimmy, Scott, and Grian, Scar begins selling "friendship certificates," Cleo and Bdubs decide to give Pizza back after failing to push them through the border, Bdubs insists that they give them information in the form of a riddle, which ends up being Pizza's coordinates, Scar falls into a ravine while singing and becomes red

ZombieCleo: THE PLAN and CRASTLE DEFENSE

S2E3: Etho passes around notes saying Impulse is the boogey (he isn't), B.E.S.T buy the enchanter from Lizzie, wanting to be heroes but being unable to steal it, Scar steals the enchanter again, Mumbo and Grian pre-order soul crystals from Scar, Mumbo buys a cactus for Grian's shoes, Grian stumbles upon Joel setting up a trap at the Scottage, Mumbo steals Yellow Snow and the Southlanders dangles the horse above a pit of lava, Grian drops them in when Scar says he doesn't want the horse because it was originally Grian's

Goodtimeswithscar: TRADING LIVES AND A BETRAYAL....

S3E3: BigB finds the gift from Grian, Scott builds the relationship ranch, Cleo builds a bridge to Martyn's Bleeding Heart Bastion, Scar sets up a surprise meeting for Cleo and Martyn in the panda reserve, Martyn accidentally kills Cleo, BigB gives Grian cookies as a gift, Ren, Martyn and Pearl make an alliance, Etho, Joel, Cleo and Bdubs steal some of Grian's sugarcane, Ren and BigB go to the Relationship Ranch, and BigB tells Ren that he has a secret soulmate, Tango brings a warden to the surface

Grian: A REAL MONOPOLY

S4E3: Grian is AFK, Skizz begins building Skynet, Scar kills Jimmy and Pearl, so Joel kills Scar but falls off Bread Bridge and dies, Impulse spleefs Pearl off of Skynet for a boogey kill, Scar blows up Jimmy, Grian and Cleo, Martyn kills Grian with a pufferfish, but is killed by Joel, Grian is put in a hole that becomes a confession booth/fortune teller

Grian: THE AFK SESSION

S5E3: Gem is forced to reroll and has to open the ender portal as her task, Tango talks to his friend Torchy, Grian follows Joel around, because his task is that he must take as much damage as Joel does, Scar removes light sources from bases, Mumbo follows Scar in order to keep him from taking damage, Mumbo tries to kill Scar's camel, Lizzie and Mumbo hunt for Scar, Joel attempts a 100 block water bucket clutch, but lands on tall grass and dies

MumboJumbo: Impossible Task

[socks-pawn]

impulse tries to push down the feeling of possessiveness often. he makes matching bracelets to distract himself, and all his boyfriends wear them every time. it sooths something inside of him. like a discreet collar almost. every time his boyfriends wear the new bracelets he cant help but purr (which makes tango joke "and you say I'm the one who is most like a cat?").

there has been times where they might be out and about somewhere. maybe at mcc, his boyfriends cheering him on in the stands. and he'll notice one of his boyfriends, maybe zed, talking to someone, which is fine, but when he sees flirty body language, the other person leaning in and whispering into his ear.... something in him burns. after the game he will quickly hunt down zed, drag him into a corner and absolutely cover him in bites and hickeys and maybe some claw marks. with a promise to properly fuck him later after mcc/during the lunch break.

he looks possessive, when standing behind or next to zed or tango. skizz is about the same height as him, and while impulses body language screams *prey* when gripping onto skizz's arm, standing next to him with dark eyes and a sharp grin.. skizz's angelic smile and excited laughter and loose body language cancels out any of impulses possessiveness as a picture.

but most people know not to make a move on ZITS. A possessive demon on your ass is not something anyone ever wants.. nor a blaze hybrid if you ever upset any of them. tango is more protective, ready to fight tooth and nail against anyone who attempts to upset his boyfriends. Zed and Skizz are levelheaded, though the rare occasion skizz can be jealous or possessive too.

Eating all of this!!!

I need to get back into the habit of normal responses lol

But yes!! Possessive imp!!! My beloved <33 and I love that Tango is so protective and will get into a fight over someone hurting his bfs feelings <3 a hot headed sweetheart <3

[art-i-know-yes]

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYONE'S (that i watch) AND THEN MARTYN'S EP 4 LIMITED LIFE

END OF TANGO'S EP

OK ALL IM GONNA SAY IS OMG CHAOS

TANGO BEING HUNTED BY THE ENTIRE SERVER

Joel killing Tango and Jimmy being like "WASNT ME"

Props to the rest of T.I.E.S for trying to protect

"This is for peace"

just bombs

Skizz just bargaining

the MUSIC is killing me

running through the walls

what about MY heartbeat

Tango driving the Bad Boys insane

ESCAPE INTO THE RAVINE BABY

ooo the mob farm

"hi everybody. im afraid."

your teammates want to kill you

Tango doesn't even know where he is

he has 40 minutes

THEY TRIED THO

momma's respect

baby dug

GRIAN'S EP

"what-what's this? are you a bad boy?" *switches skin* "of course I am!"

they tried really hard

oh no Scott is GOLDEN

"tastyyyy"

"he knows etho is the only that can protect him"

oh so Joel was just killing people like scar was last session

he was trying

oh so that's how that happened

hunting green names for sport

"last ep behavior" is hilarious to me

all the accidental clocker kills

oh so that's what THAT was

got that green name tho-

"im squealing-"

grian uses that kind of tactic reasoning right

you're destroying his pretty house

i-i was. bit expecting that to work

the Bad Boys are rrreeeeaaaalll desperate

not too sure about the friends

grian's gremlin laugh is so funny

wooooowww

potato pier

they have so many lives so they just decided that vertical was going to be the best tactic

Jimmy's Ep (finished b4 Grian's ep)

no ily for scott

so. jimmy is just. wild. this season huh. kidnapping bigb.

fire bread bridge

pearl is soooo gonna follow

*sigh* guess we know who's going red first

"yeeeahh mellow yellow. we're all friends here" "i couldn't kill you even if i wanted" but i can kidnap you

ALWAYS CHECK FOR FOLLOWERS

the bois are building and jimmy is. going through something right now.

jimmy's emotional support frog Judge Judy and Executioner

"excuse me"

"how do we know he's still a bad boy" "ive been threatening and kidnapping people"

being a bad boy is a family business

bad boy bread bridge bakery

MARTYN'S EP

him and his puns

"filthy reds"

"how much time you got? 18?" "17:48" "disgusting."

being scott's bodyguard

of course it's grian with the fishing rod

oh joel was kinda close

mean gill protection services

"the other kids are bullying me!!!"

"why am i following"

the bread bridge is getting wild

martyn watches too many of his subs vids

hunting green names for spoooorrrttt

do you trust that tho

it's it'sssss wabbit season!!

the FEAR in joel's voice

"chaps let's talk about it"

"i need the time back, i need the time back-"

"OHH MARTYN"

cooooLAAATTERRRAAAALLLL

"oh my word"

"oh grian noo"

did- did they not. notice.

loooooorreeee????

LOOOORRRREEEE!!!!

im not smart enough for lore

Scott's Ep

scott having the most time is great

"is that why you're hovering"

"little 'ol meeeee"

grian tried spleefing a lot

scott is left undefeated

people lost more time trying to kill greens than had gained

*runs in fear*

also scar being peaceful this episode

"Why do you KEEP BRINGING THEM TO MY BASE"

rip to pufferish of peace

"Hmm? hmm!"

"the arrows caaNNN REACH"

absolute amazing bucket clutch

the yellow skin is very cute

"oh yeah no I was slippery"

AY YO

what.

the clockers are the most unsubtle team ever

and pearl did that one huh

"yeah it's pretty close"

momma can't do her chores when her kids are there

always with the aesthetics

aww cute

ahhh innuendo

wild session

btw i watch tango's first bc he posts suuuper ahead of everyone else so. anyway i watched his and part of grian's when the episodes came out just finished the rest of them lmao. i have a short attention span.

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

If you are taking Phasmo requests: There was a round in the latest stream where Impulse spent way too much time near the ghost and had to borrow extra sanity pills from the others just to keep himself going. The interesting part is: his internet cut out partway through the round, and if I remember correctly it didn't come back until the mission was done and they were all safe again.it kinda made me think...what if it all just finally got to be too much and his character passed out? Do with that what you will, I'm just really interested to see how you write the sanity mechanic and the effects of that :)

i love phasmo :D

...

Impulse leaves the farmhouse and heads back into the truck, disappointed with himself. He’s spent so much time in the ghost room but not had a single reading on the spirit box. It must be something he’s doing wrong.

The board in the truck says his sanity is low. He’s already taken his sanity pills but he can’t just give up now. He knows he must be SO close to getting a reading.

“Hey Tango, can I have your sanity pills?” Impulse asks over the radio.

“Um… sure. If you want.”

Impulse takes Tango’s pills, deciding not to mention the fact that he also took Skizz’s pills less than ten minutes ago.

He heads back into the building and goes straight to the ghost room. Immediately, he can feel a squirming in his stomach and a heavy kind of dizziness making the room spin slightly around him.

Sanity pills aren’t a substitute for letting sanity regain naturally, so Impulse is still suffering from the effects of the previous times he’s been in this room. Deep down, he knows it’s not good for his health to spend so much time here. But he just has to get these clues.

“Are you here?” he asks his spirit box.

Only static as a response.

He spends another ten minutes in the room, ignoring the horrifying breathing noises coming from the corner. For some reason, the ghost is not feeling chatty anymore and refuses to talk to him through the spirit box.

Finally, Impulse gets sick of it. “Linda Johnson, show yourself,” he snaps.

Immediately, the spirit box lights up: “DEATH.”

Impulse yelps and dashes out of the room, almost dropping his spirit box as he does. He pauses outside the door, his flashlight starting to blink.

“It’s hunting, Impulse, get outta there,” comes Joker’s voice over the radio.

After a moment, Impulse turns and runs. He can hear the footsteps, the breathing, the heartbeat, and he knows the ghost is right behind him. The pain and nausea are rising to almost overwhelming levels; it’s all he can do to force himself onward.

Finally, he bursts out of the front door and the noises go away. He doubles over, breathing heavily through exhaustion and nausea, trying to fill his lungs with as much fresh air as possible.

“Impulse, are you dead?” Joker asks through the walkie talkie.

“No,” Impulse responds.

He trudges back to the van, passing Tango and Skizz on his way. Joker is still inside the van, keeping an eye on the monitor for ghost orbs.

The last bottle of sanity pills catches his eye. “So, um… any ghost orbs yet?” Impulse asks casually.

“Not yet.” Joker glances at him and his eyes widen. “Whoa. Impulse, you look terrible.”

“Thanks.”

“No, really. Your eyes are BLOODSHOT, dude. You’re pale, you’re sweaty. Do you have a fever or something?”

Impulse blinks. He doesn’t feel sweaty; in fact, apart from the dizziness, he feels okay. And the nausea. And the churning in his stomach. And the splitting headache.

“I’m fine,” he says. “Can I take your pills?”

Joker stares at him, realisation dawning on him. “How much have you taken already?”

“Hey, I only took mine,” replies Impulse defensively. “And Tango’s. And I don’t think Skizz realised I took his too.”

“Oh my god!” Joker yelps. “Dude, your sanity’s at ZERO right now and that’s with THREE sets of pills?! You gotta tap out, man. You can’t go back in there.”

“I’m fine,” Impulse repeats firmly.

He reaches for the last bottle of sanity pills but his vision suddenly swims and he has to blink heavily a few times, his brain growing fuzzier and fuzzier by the second.

Joker jumps off his chair and captures Impulse’s hand before he can take the pills. “Impulse, STOP,” he orders. “This isn’t healthy.”

“I gotta get back in there,” Impulse argues weakly. “I gotta help Tangy and Skizz.”

“Since when do you call him “Tangy”?!” Joker tries to guide Impulse towards the chair. “Impulse, seriously, you’re too out of it. You gotta sit down and take it easy or something.”

Impulse pulls his wrist out of Joker’s grasp and stumbles back towards the shelf. But the nausea and dizziness are just too overwhelming, and just as he lifts his arm to reach for the pills again, his eyes roll back and he collapses to the ground.

“Impulse!” cries Joker in alarm. “Oh my god!”

He drops to his knees beside Impulse and shakes his shoulders, trying to wake his friend up. “Impulse! C’mon, man! W-Wake up!”

But when Impulse doesn’t stir, Joker hurriedly reaches for his walkie talkie, fumbling and almost dropping it in the process. “G-Guys, get back to the van. NOW.”

“Oh, what now?” comes Skizz’s annoyed voice over the radio. “We can’t do our job if you keep-!”

“Joker, what is it?” Tango’s voice interrupts, clearly sensing the urgency in Joker’s voice. “Is everything okay?”

“N-No!” Joker’s voice cracks. “Impulse passed out and now he won’t wake up!”

“What?!” Skizz gasps. “Okay, I’m on my way back.”

Joker waits anxiously until he sees Tango rushing towards him, with Skizz right behind him. Tango kneels down beside Impulse and quickly checks his pulse.

“His sanity’s at zero,” Joker reports shakily. “But I don’t think he should take any more pills. He already took three sets.”

“WHAT?!” screeches Skizz.

Tango exhales slowly, shaking his head. “Oh my god, no wonder he’s passed out. He shouldn’t even have had more than one set, let alone three.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” Skizz asks worriedly, taking Impulse’s hand. “He looks so pale.”

Tango grasps his friend’s shoulder reassuringly. “As soon as we get back to the lobby, his sanity will be restored and he should be fine. But now the question is: do we cut our losses and take the l on this one or do you wanna keep going?”

“There’s no way I’ll be able to concentrate now,” replies Skizz, his own face almost as pale as Impulse’s. “I just want Impulse to be okay.”

Tango nods. “Joker?”

Joker’s eyes glisten as he responds, “Man, I-I’m still traumatised from the image of him just dropping to the floor like a- like a sack of rocks. I’m fine with taking the loss.”

“Good, yeah, me too.”

Tango activates the van keypad, ending the round. The group wait as they’re transported back to the lobby.

Impulse awakens as he feels his sanity get restored, but as soon as his feet land on the floor of the lobby, his knees buckle and he pitches forward.

Thankfully, Tango reacts quickly and catches him, half-carrying him towards the sofa in the corner. He sits his friend down and stands back, arms folded, as Joker and Skizz come to stand next to him.

Impulse looks up to find all three of his friends watching him.

“Okay, what the hell was that?” Tango demands.

“I don’t know,” says Impulse quietly. “I’m sorry. But I feel better now. And it won't happen again.”

He tries to get up off the sofa but Tango takes hold of his shoulders and pushes him back down. “Not good enough. Impulse, I’ve never heard Joker sound so scared than when he came on the radio to tell us you’d passed out. At the very least, you owe him an explanation.”

Impulse’s eyes flicker to Joker, who glances away, unable to meet his gaze.

“You’re right,” he murmurs. “Joker, I’m sorry. I don’t have an explanation. I just pushed it too far and I should’ve listened to you guys. I’m really sorry.”

Tango and Skizz both glance at Joker, who hesitates for a moment before approaching Impulse and awkwardly patting his shoulder. “It… It’s okay. Do you feel okay now?”

“My head hurts and I feel exhausted, like I’ve been awake for ages.” Impulse inhales deeply. “I think I just need to rest.”

“Understandable, since you took, like, three times the recommended dose of sanity pills,” Tango says. “We’ll call it here for today, then. Just… don’t do that again, please.”

“I won’t. Those sanity pills taste even worse the more you take.”

“That’s not what I meant. Though you should definitely not do THAT again either.” Tango clears his throat. “Don’t scare us like that again.”

“Yeah, dude, I thought you’d just dropped dead in front of me,” Joker adds. “Like, dropped dead of insanity or an overdose or something. I’m not too stubborn to admit that I nearly had a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” says Impulse quietly. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

“Good.” After a moment, Tango smiles and also pats Impulse’s shoulder. “Let’s all go home and get some rest. We need it.”

Impulse nods. He regrets scaring his friends of course but more than that, he regrets losing sight of what’s important: the fact that it’s just a game and it’s supposed to be fun. He’s not supposed to drive himself to win at the detriment of his own health. He’ll have to make sure he remembers that in future.

“Good idea.”

[micer2012]

no cure is coming, you know (LLSMP Fic)

A few months into Last Life, Skizz and Tango are some of the only members to still hold onto their humanity. With Tango the only member on dark green and Skizz on yellow, Skizz is cursed as the Boogeyman at the beginning of their session. He knows that without hesitation, without question Tango will give one of lives to him… and that’s exactly the problem. [3k words] [crossposted on ao3]

just trust in me, my dear… no cure is coming near.

“Skizz! Countdown time!”

Skizz heard Tango’s voice coming from one of the top layers of their castle, their home. He put down the axe he had been using and ran inside the castle, shutting the door behind him.

“Boogey time?” Skizz called. “Boogey time, my brother!” Tango responded, barreling down the stairs to meet Skizz.

And right on cue, as the moon hit the highest point in the sky, the countdown began in their heads. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

Silence filled their home.

“Nothing. You good?” “Yeah! Yeah, ob-viously. What, were you worried?”

Tango laughed. “I- I mean a little. I gotta be worried a little. There’s what.. 5 non-reds left?”

“And MY teammate is the only one who’s still on dark green.” Skizz boasted, hand on his chest.

Tango punched him playfully, snickering. “Don’t get so high and mighty! I went from.. What, 11 lives? Down to a measly 4.” “That’s only because you were such a good sport about it, Tango Tops. You coulda kept those for yourself, y’know. Been the schamaze of all time.”

“Ha!. Suppose it would have been. But- but I bet we’d have FAR more enemies. It would not have been a good idea to be on that many people’s bad sides that early…” “I coulda took em.”

Tango laughed again. “Y’think? Etho and Bdubs? Cleo?” “I coulda took em. If they were trying to hurt my best friend.”

Tango smiled sadly at him, before looking down. “I wouldn’t want you to lose any more of your own lives because of My theoretical jerk move.” Skizz just looked at his friend, before sitting down on the floor, gesturing wildly with his hands. “Well, Theoretically, I wouldn’t lose any lives then! I’d just do a super good job, and kill them down to 0.” Tango let out another laugh. “Says the guy who lost his life to a mob!”

Skizz pointed his finger accusatory at Tango, still criss-cross applesauce on the ground. “Hey, it wasn’t a ’’’mob’’’ it was a BABY ZOMBIE. You KNOW how much I hate those Lil’ annoying kids! Those- Those are more dangerous than most of the people on this server. THEY are the ones with the bloodlust, I’m tellin you.”

Tango laughed again. “Heh, suppose you’re right. At least it wasn’t an enderman, right?” Skizz narrowed his eyes. Yellow, but the sclera were still tinted purple from the… events of the previous season. “Tango Tops, if I had lost my first life to an enderman AGAIN, I think I would have just quit the server.” Tango snickered. “True that! True that. Alright, I’m gonna go back to my scouting.” Skizz pushed himself up from the floor. “Of course! I’ll be.. I think I might go caving.” Tango turned back to meet his eyes. “W… Will you be far from the base?”

Skizz paused, and then shook his head, hands up. “No, no! Just like, tunneling nearby. I won’t.. I’m not leaving our base, I’m not leaving you here with the.. With those Swarms.”

Tango nodded. “Of course, of course just.. Just checking. Are.. Are you sure you want to go out alone? The boogeyman just got chosen and- and you’re… one of the 4 victi-”

“Hey, don’t you talk like that. You’re a much higher target than me, and you Know I can take care of myself, right?” Tango looked to him, then looked away. “I’m just.. On- on second thought, you’re sure you don’t want me to come? We can go mining together, better- better to have eachother’s backs.” “Then the castle will be unprotected.” “I don’t care. Better it get raided than us.” “No, this- this is our Last bastion. We CAN’T let this fall, then.. Then we’d have nothin’, Tops!”

Tango’s eyes were soft when he looked back up at Skizz. “If I lose you, then I’ll have nothing.”

Skizz was taken aback. He froze for a few moments, before walking over and putting his black-stained hands onto Tango’s shoulders. “Hey, d-don’t talk like that. I’m not going anywhere! F-FIRST sign of danger, I’m calling you and running back home. Okay, buddy?” Tango nodded. “Yeah.. Yeah. Okay. Be-be careful.” Skizz patted his shoulders, before walking out to leave the base. “Of course, Tops! Nothing bad’s ever gonna happen to your buddy Skizz.”

❤❤❤

You are the boogeyman. You must by any means necessary kill a green or yellow name by direct action to be cured of the curse. If you fail, next session you will become a red name. All loyalties and friendships are removed when you are the boogeyman.

Skizz looked down at the message sent to him on his communicator, hands shaking so much it was hard to read the screen.

But he didn’t need to read the screen, he had heard the message beamed loud and clear into his own head. He- He had lied and Tango had believed it. Tango would believe anything he said. He knew that- He- He knew the second he told Tango he was the boogeyman, his friend would immediately let him take one of his lives and free Skizz from the curse. He probably wouldn’t even be mad that Skizz had lied to him earlier.

Skizz had dug himself a hole in the wall of one of the mountains near their base, 10 deep and covered up. He paced the 3x2 room he had made now, this tomb, ranting to himself. He needed to get his thoughts out SOME way.

“Ok. So.So I-I’ve gotta get SOMEONE. A green or y.. Oh, this WHOLE time too I thought killing one of the reds would be fine- THAT would be too easy huh?? We’ve got HOARDS and hoards of hostile reds trying to hunt us down every moment, targeting us like mobs- but NOO. Nooo, it’s gotta be one of the people who’ve still got humanity, huh? Cruel. CRUEL trick to play on Skizz.”

Hand on his head, he scrolled through the list of names on the communicator. He and Cleo were on yellow, BigB and Lizzie were on green… Tango was on dark green. He scrolled back down, cutting off Tango’s name. No. No, that was off the table.

“T..Tango Tops has got the best chance of winning right now out of all of us. Even- not just Life wise, but he’s sharp. Tango’s a sharp cookie. Right now, he’s got the best shot of winning.”

He kept looking at his communicator, before shoving it back into his pocket and groaning, hand on his face. “GAAAGHH, WHY DOES IT GOTTA BE A GREEN OR YELLOW?? L--Lizzie and BigB and Cleo, they’re still up this long because they’re Set up. They’ve Got an alliance, they- they’re untouchable to the reds. I surely won’t be able to be touching them!! ‘Specially without Tango’s help!!” He gripped his face, growling again, before punching the cobblestone wall to the side of him. “And-And I CAN’T tell Tango this. I’m not bringing him into some.. Into some yellow and green fistfight. He’s gotta stay safe, he’s the biggest target on the server.” Skizz was breathing heavily, adrenaline that had been building up leaving as his hand stood in place in the small crater he had made in the wall. “He..He’s gotta stay safe. He’s got the biggest chance of surviving out of everyone. I..” Skizz withdrew his fist, balling it up and rubbing it with his other hand. It hurt. “I can’t do that to him. I’m not gonna be the one who hinders my buddy’s chance.”

The adrenaline gone, Skizz just stood in his little 2x3 box, the chill of what he had to do running up his spine. He kept running his hand over his other hand. “I...I can’t do that to him.”

❤❤❤

He had memories of being reckless and running into battle. Of- Of the loyalty to his friends and the stab of betrayal overcoming his senses, along.. Along with the drive to kill. The drive to dig his sword through Impulse’s heart, through Grian’s, through Tango’s, it.. It was the worst feeling he had ever felt in his life, and it had completely enveloped him.

He remembered Ren crying out, asking him what he was doing. He had convinced himself he was doing it for their benefit, right? Skizz had screamed, as he ran towards the castle, he was doing it for the Red Army. For the only people who defended him. For the only people who gave him a chance. And that chance he had immediately squandered, leaving the Red Army with 1 man less the coming week and.. And leading to Skizz having to watch his friends run into a battle that all of them knew they weren’t going to be coming out of. Skizz had known that when he surged the Crastle too. This was a death game, only one person could make it out alive, and they were all resigned that they were not gonna be that lucky winner.

Skizz ran his hand over the scars around his mouth. Vertical slits where his face had torn itself open, enderman hostility Not mixing well with his human anatomy. His arms were stained black too, not that he had noticed, taken how often they had been stained with blood.

A voice that sounded like his own was talking in the back of his head, reminding him that He was the boogeyman, and reminding him of what he needed to do. Like he could forget.

❤❤❤

Tango was holding his hand, and the two of them were bolting. A swarm of reds, what used to be the southlanders, was chasing them, and their base was already compromised. There were only a few minutes left of this session, if- if the two of them could just get to safety-

“HERE! TANGO, FOLLOW ME!” Skizz let go of Tango’s hand and started digging into the wall, into the cobblestone he had used to patch up his Vent Hole from earlier today. Tango followed after him, panting, as they dug their way into the wall and closed the opening behind them.

“Th...D’ya think we’re safe here?” Tango managed between breaths. Skizz was breathing heavily too, holding his chest. It sounded like the man was about to pass out, whole body leaning onto the cave wall. “Skizz.. Woah, Skizz buddy, take some breaths. The sessions almost over I- I think we’re good.”

When Tango went to go put his hand onto Skizz’s shoulders, he jolted back, chest still heaving.

“Th.. The sessions almost over?” The words sounded incredibly pained.

“Y-Yeah. Few minutes til midnight.” “Few minutes til midnight…” Skizz stuck on the words, and then slumped down against the wall, falling into a sitting position. He was still holding his chest.

“I don’t think anyone’s been killed by the boogeyman yet, right? All the deaths have been red.”

Skizz, still slumped over, did not react to this news.

“...This’ll be the first week where the killer fails, if something doesn’t happen in the next minute..”

A pained sob was expelled from Skizz, shaking his entire body.

“S-Woah, Skizz? Are you- did you get hit? I have regen potions, are- what’s wrong?”

Skizz was shaking now, trying to not make noise as the tears ran down his face. He was failing.

“Talk to me man, use your words. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.” Tango was kneeling next to him, also on the floor now.

The tears hurt Skizz as they surged down his face.. A kind of singing burn, like his cheeks were being branded. It had been happening ever since 3rd Life ended, a side effect of the whole enderman thing. It was excruciatingly painful when he was crying big, painful, tears like now, but not as painful as his mind was. Not as painful as knowing what he had to do was.

He could hear the countdown in his own mind. Second by second it ticked by, and the letters filled his brain and his vision with large red text. It was screaming at him. He was screaming back at it, desperately trying to get it to shut up. There were other voices in his mind too, screaming and crying and tugging at him. He can’t do this, He has to do this, Why won’t he get it over with and do it already? He’s learned nothing from last season, keeping this in is just gonna make this more painful for both of them, he deserves all this pain for what he put Tango through.

He was gripping himself with both his arms now, shaking. All of his senses were screaming that he had T-60 seconds left to kill a green or yellow name.

“I.. I-” Skizz managed, voice cracking. “Yes?” “I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

“Oh!” Tango moved away from his best friend slightly. “Uh, Here, I have a bucket. Let me pour out the water.. Here. Here you go, buddy.”

Skizz was holding the bucket now. His darkstained hands were holding on so tight, it looked like the steel might crack. Not just his hands now, it looked.. It looked like his entire arms were turning black in a veinlike pattern. Tango couldn’t see his face.

Skizz kept hold on the bucket. T-50 seconds left. He had to get on with it.

Skizz slowly moved his hands to the buckles of his chestplate, and started undoing them.

“Wh- What are you doing? Are you hot?”

Skizz pulled the chestplate over his head, and set it aside. “I-I uh Drats I just. Poured out the water. Um, I’ve got.. potio-”

“Tango. Look at me.”

Tango turned back and focused his eyes on his friend. The tears were still running down his face leaving burnmarks on his cheeks, his eyes were still covered, his.. His chestplate was off. The blackness in his veins ran across all the space his skin was visible and.. and he was shaking like an egg about to crack.

T-40. “You- you remember what you said about the boogeyman not killing yet, right?” His voice was shaky, like the words hurt to get out.

Tango’s face was frozen, and then dropped.

“Skizz.. No. NO.”

Skizz’s grip on the bucket got tighter. T-35.

“Skizz I- Skizz, you KNOW if you had just told me I would help you get a kill ri- Ok.Ok, No I’m not mad. There’s no time to get mad, I’m not mad at you, I’m just.. Skizz, you know this isn’t going to break our alliance, right? I’ve told you countless times, I trust you.”

Skizz convulsed like he was trying to hold in another sob, eyes still not meeting Tango’s.

“I’m… I’m not mad. I’ve got 4 lives left, I in no way think less of you. This was inevitable.”

T-25. “Here.” Tango took Skizz’s hands, cold and limp in his grip, and placed his Netherite Sword into his hands. They had only had enough to make a sword for Tango- of course, Skizz had found the Netherite first, but insisted it was used on his buddy.

“Do what needs to be done. I won’t think any less of you.”

Tango spread his arms out now, crouched in front of Skizz.

15.

Do what needs to be done. Skizz..Skizz needs to do what needs to be done, alright. It didn’t make it hurt any less, knowing this was what he had to do. It didn’t make him any less scared.

10.

This was the worst case scenario. Tango had the greatest chance out of all of them of living.

8.

Skizz certainly had no chance. And he didn’t want to drag his only friend, his brother down with him. Like he had dragged the Red Army with his own selfishness.

5.

Tango had the best chance of winning out of all of them.

4.

His hands were shaky as he moved the sword into the correct position, inches from his heart.

3.

You are the boogeyman. You must by any means necessary kill a green or yellow name by direct action to be cured of the curse. If you fail, next session you will become a red name. All loyalties and friendships are removed when you are the boogeyman.

2.

Skizz was scared.

1.

“DO IT ALREADY!” Tango yelled, arms thrown out and eyes squeezed shut.

Skizz drove the blade through his chest, piercing his heart.

Piercing his heart.

“Wh-” Tango opened his eyes, and screamed. That scream was the last thing Skizz heard before his vision went black.

“N-NO WHAT- WH NO.NONO” Tango was holding his body. “NO, N- I’VE GOT HEALING ITEMS. I’VE GOT POTIONS, OKAY? ST-STAY IN THERE BUDDY-”

Tango was frantically shifting through his inventory, holding Skizz’s corpse in his other hand.

The second his hands found his way upon an apple, lightning was heard outside the cave.

It pierced through everyone’s hearts, a shot in the air heard serverwide.

When Tango looked back to the body it was gone, the only sign left of his brother being a pile of still items.

“No. N-No. No, I- I was at gr.. No, No h..this. This has to be a dream, th- this has to be a nightmare I- I can’t.. I, I can’t……………” Tango’s voice trailed off into incomprehensible quiet sobbing. He was curled up in a pile around the items, holding close the only remainder of his friend. The only thing that he had left period, since the castle had been taken… But he would have took a thousand structures falling to keep his friend. He… He would have done anything to keep his friend. Both Skizz and him knew that.

❤❤❤

Skizz had respawned in the spruce forest. He was leaning against a tree, still weak on his feet. There was a hole in the middle of his chest, and it hadn’t stopped bleeding.

The reds weren’t gonna hurt him now, he had become one of them. A murderer, just like them.

The curse needed a green or a yellow’s life taken to be broken, and he sure had a spare yellow life.

He wasn’t gonna let his own incompetence, his own selfishness doom the fate of his friend again. Tango had the best chance of winning, and he needed to keep all 4 of those lives.

As-as a red he could help too, right? Pick off any other reds that make claims on his friend. Of.. Of course, he couldn’t speak to his friend anymore. He couldn’t see him. He couldn’t even get his stuff.

It was better this way. Tango had the greatest chance of winning, and he was only going to hinder that chance.

He took his communicator out of his pocket, hands still shaking. They were covered in red now, and the communicator’s screen was splattered with red as well.

Skizzleman was killed by Skizzleman using [YOU BET YOUR LIFE]

LDShadowLady> …

Grian> WHAT

SolidarityGaming> ?????

Skizz looked down at the screen.

Tango hadn’t typed anything.

He put the communicator back into his pocket.

This session was ending now. And the next session might be his last. But he didn’t care, his own life didn’t matter, as long as he used his corpse to lift his brother to the win.

He had learned from season 1, hadn’t he?

[hmshermitcraft]

(Whoops this got longer than expected, but I can't copy it to swap it to a submission, sorry!)

The nether prince was reaching the end of his twenties, and yet still hadn't found a partner. All he did was hang out with those three overworld humans, Impulse, Zed, and Skizz, but never partnered with any of them in particular.

The nether king was getting nervous. His son would need to be wed if he were to take over the kingdom unchallenged on his 30th birthday, as was tradition. It was time to take more drastic measured.

"An arranged marriage?!" the nether prince said.

"You leave me no choice," said the king. "You've had almost 30 years to find someone yourself, and yet, you haven't. You know the rules."

"I'm just not ready yet!" the prince complained.

"You will just have to _be_ ready then," said the king.

Despite the young prince's protests, the king began the process of searching for acceptable suitors; ones who would strengthen alliances, as well as be compatible with his son. After all, he didn't want the prince to be unhappy.

The day arrived much sooner than the prince had been expecting; the day he would be meeting his arranged fiancé.

The prince sat in the room alone, waiting for his future spouse to enter. Spouse! Ugh, so weird to think of himself as having a spouse.

The door opened, and a tall man with the most striking platinum blond hair entered the room. The man stood up straight, taking purposeful strides across the room towards the nether prince, his projected confidence somewhat undercut by the fidgeting of his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Hey," he said in his strange accent. "I'm Etho."

"Tango," the prince replied, holding out his hand.

Etho shook it. "Nice to meet you, Tango," Etho said. "My queen."

The prince laughed nervously. "Please no," he said. "I'm just some guy. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess."

Etho shrugged. "We're both in it now," he said. "May as well make the best of it."

"Yeah, I guess," said the prince.

"We can go as fast or as slow as you want," said Etho. "The ceremony's just a formality."

"Thanks," said the prince, smiling.

The ceremony itself took place only a matter of weeks after the pair's first meeting. Once confirming the couple wouldn't hate each other, the king had just needed to iron out the final details of the agreement with his counterparts and organise the ceremony.

The prince stood at the alter, his best man, Impulse, beside him.

"You ready for this?" whispered Impulse.

"Nope," the prince whispered back.

The music swelled as the doors opened and the prince's fiancé stepped into the room, followed by his own best man. His white suit went strikingly well with his platinum hair, combed into some approximation of neatness. The prince couldn't help but smile at the attempt.

Etho finally reached the alter. "Hey Tango," he whispered with a grin.

"Hey Etho," the prince whispered back.

The celebrant began their speech.

"Do you, Prince Tango Tek of the Nether Kingdoms, take Etho Slab to be your lawfully wedded husband?" they said.

The reality of the situation very suddenly hit home for the prince. He hesitated.

"It's ok," whispered Etho, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

"I... I do," said the prince.

"And do you, Etho Slab of the Terra Firma, take Prince Tango Tek to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," said Etho, noticeably tensing as he said it.

"I now pronounce you husbands, bound for life," said the celebrant. "You may now kiss."

The prince started to panic. It was official now. He was married to a stranger, and now he had to kiss him.

He felt Etho's hand cup his chin, gently making him look up at his new husband.

"Are you ready?" Etho asked.

The prince exhaled. "As I'll ever be," said the prince.

Etho leaned down and cautiously pressed his lips against the prince's. The prince opened his lips, accepting the kiss. It tingled. He wasn't sure if the sparks flying through his body were from nervousness or from pleasure.

Etho pulled back as the crowd cheered, a smile spread across his face. The prince could feel a similar smile mirrored on his own face.

"That wasn't so bad," the prince said.

"Glad to hear it," said Etho.

"I guess we can make this work," said the prince.

"Yeah," said Etho. He held out his arm. "C'mon, let's get out of here. This suit is itchy."

Tango looped his arm through Etho's. "Let's go," he said.

For the most part, Etho and Tango are just friends. Sure, they’re friends who share a bed, hold hands and kiss at public events, but they’re not deeply in love like Impulse, Zedaph, and Skizzleman say when they tease Tango.

But still, Tango is thankful he gets along well with his assigned husband. Really well. He loves hanging out with him, solving problems together, sneaking around the castle to show Etho all the hidey-holes he discovered as a kid, sneaking away from hunts to admire the trees. Three months after their wedding, Tango looks at Etho plotting to pour ink on the dress of a haughty duchess and realizes he really is in love with him after all.

[impulstor]

explanations behind my song choice for my 3lsmp playlist under the read more! keep in mind, some of these songs don't really have a reason beyond just... vibes. and that some ideas have changed over time. anyway!

playlist here

anti-hero — originally added as an etho song, and still applies. with him being prepared to fight & kill for ren + the rest of the red army. also, he tends to be a bit unpredictable and has a very different moral standing from someone like, say, martyn.

kill the sun — fits with the series as a whole, with shifting alliances and friendships, and with people killing and being killed by one another.

special — this ones for all the mfs who didn't pick a side until really late, or were bouncing between factions for a while 💪. especially for tango, as an example, making friends with someone who he can also consider his enemy, and being completely unsure where he stands in any group, though he wants to have their faith.

villain — this song is just really good for making a mental amv for lmao. it's good for demonstrating differing alliances n sides, n of course that applies here.

oh, death — not a lot of specific thoughts for this, just. yknow, death, vibes, dying for someone, watching your friend die, etc.

6up 5oh cop-out — first of all, I'm just a slut for will wood sometimes. second, a lot of the lyrics on their own could 100% be applied to events in the series (I mean I did use some from it for my etho n tango drawing for funsies) so. it's a strange song but the vibes fit well, in my opinion :]

kill of the night — a bit self explanatory, I think. in a series about trying to outlive, and to eventually kill your friends? no doubt you're going to end up hunting certain people down, hmmm? revenge, n all that. works well for multiple characters, really.

you're gonna go far, kid — impulse. just like. tango, or maybe etho, at impulse. "with a thousand lies and a good disguise, hit em right between the eyes" I meaaan 🤔 how is it NOT impulse lmao

kill the lights — once again, killing, death, murder, yknow. good vibes. also people lying and betraying one another, and watching as their friends and enemies die in front of them, people being changed by the events that transpire.. also technically they ARE actors sooo. kill the actor, yknow

mad IQs — mostly this song just slaps (thank you eexer 🙏) but also the lyrics fit well with the events! death, murder, killing your friends, burning. there is a lot of fire.

go get your gun — works very well for the whole war goin on. one side vs another, fighting and losing allies, fighting to win for their fallen allies, cheating fate if they DO win. also the line "when this is over, we'll raise a glass straight up to the sun" could be seen as like. everyone coming together to be friends once it's all over bc they are!

c'est la vie — it fits well. bad things happen, you lose people, you hurt, karma kicks your ass, but that's just life, and that's the game. c'est la vie.

i'm gonna win — fits for how they're all fighting to be the last one standing. and also with having to work through literally dying and to not give up, if you want to win.

mr capgras... — once again, I just like will wood. also fits well with people fighting each other, mostly with the chorus. "you'll never take me alive" / "you better pray that I die" likjkeeeee 👀 you could make art fitting those lyrics tbh

curses — red & green duos (at least. when they were intact :/) sticking together, taking care of one another when everything is going to hell, people are dying, and it's getting intense. they trust each other, at least.

under the pressure — don't really have something specific, it just fits well, with the lyrics. honestly this one fits well as a skizz song, now that I'm thinking about it. he went from trying to be friends with a lotta people to taking two out for good and went out in a blaze of glory. yea. that's what I got lol

everybody wants to rule the world — I dont think I really need an explanation for this one. it just fits well with everyone trying to win the whole game, and with everything slowly ramping up in intensity

rebels — for scar and grian being crime bros for the first while :] everything IS burning, good for them!

outrunning karma — impulse once again. playing everyone, playing to everyones good sides as much as he could, until the act didnt matter anymore. but karma might really kick him in the ass, if he ends up as one of the last survivors, and others turn on him for betraying everyone earlier on.

you're nobody til somebody wants you dead — shrug emoji. just fits well mostly. friends fighting eachother, betrayal, yadda yadda.

thanks i hate it — mmm,, tango? idk, im just a tango enjoyer, and he has spent quite a bit of effort trying to please certain groups to like. no avail. especially team crastle. like tbh he was solidly on board with em for a while, and mightve gone back to them on his own. but cleo blackmailed him anyway. rip tango.

the riddle — ALL OF IT. the whole series. it fits

crazy = genius — i dont rly like brendan urie like at all. so i might remove it from the playlist at some point. but it does fit with scar and grian being villains.

icarus — mmm fits well with grian. with the wing imagery, and with the fact that he made SO many enemies by working with scar. and he never reaallllyyyyy apologized, did he? he's walking a dangerous line, with few allies,

cradles — idk lmao. vibes only.

wolf in sheeps clothing — impulse again mostly lol. sung by skizz or etho probably. betrayal <3

how villains are made — again, for those neutral parties that had to choose a side. its about being torn between two sides & having to choose. honestly, I could see it fitting bigb, if he does some funky villain stuff next session. he deserves it I think <3

killing butterflies — trauma, ouchie, angst, murder your friends. everything hurts.

king — ren!! that's it.

little lion man — bruh if ren dies and leaves martyn alone.... ghost ren to martyn.... ouch.

gives you hell — red army @ sand people. specifically etho and ren get to be petty at scar i think

wine red — [gestures vaguely] all of it

i bet my life — red and green duos again. though it could be after some of them permadie.

miss missing you — (thanks again eexer this one also slaps <3) ouch impulse and tango angst. or impulse and etho angst. OR etho and tango angst. THEM. :(

youth — all of it but like. after it's over. just like going back and looking at how it all went down.

a gorey demise — i just think it would be fun to animate everyone's different deaths to this song tbh

another one bites the dust — they are once again Dying. but it's not angsty and dramatic this time.

god rest ye merry gentlemen — 😔 the whole thing again. pain

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

The Last Goodbye: Cleo

second part of The Last Goodbye series! explanation of the series

  “-expecting Ren to come over any minute now,” Bdubs is saying. “We’re gonna discuss the- CLEO, are you listening to me?”

  “Huh?” Cleo turns away from the window. “What?” 

  Bdubs huffs. “You never listen to me when I’m talking!”

  “Maybe say something worth listening to and I’ll pay attention.” 

  “I’m telling you Ren and the Red Army are coming over here right now!” Bdubs snaps. “That’s pretty important information. Am I just boring you? Is that it?”

  Cleo nods nonchalantly. “Yeah. Pretty much.” 

  “Oh, you’re so infuriating!”

  “Hey, I’ve only managed to kill ONE person this whole time,” Cleo retorts. “And I didn’t even do much for it, I just placed a bucket of lava. I’m bored, dude! I wanna get out there and cause some chaos!”

  “No! We’re both red, Cleo. We gotta be careful! At least for now. Going out there and stirring stuff up unnecessarily is just gonna get us both killed.”

  Cleo sighs heavily. “You’re so boring.”

  Bdubs glares at her. “Get out there and keep watch for Ren.”

  “You’re SO boring.”

  Tango appears on the stairs at that moment. “Hey, what’s-?”

  “Shut up,” Cleo responds as she passes him on her way down.

  She storms outside and leans against a tree on the outskirts of the forest, watching the crastle. On the floor she just came from, she can see figures moving through the window; it must be Bdubs and Tango. 

  Things are quiet around here. Too quiet. If there’s any action going on, it’s elsewhere. That doesn’t suit Cleo; she prefers to be where the action is. It’s more fun that way. But Bdubs insists on keeping them both here, where it’s “safe”.  

  Glancing to the side, she spots the Red Army heading towards the castle. Moving away from her position, she starts to head towards them. She’s bored. Her bloodlust is flaring up. All she wants is to cause some chaos.

  When she gets close enough, she charges straight at Ren and hits him with her sword, which glances off his armour.

  As she expected, Ren lets out a screech and starts to run. 

  Grinning, she pursues him with her sword out. 

  “No, Cleo, no!” Martyn yelps from behind her. 

  She can tell the rest of the so-called Red Army are pursuing her, but she doesn’t care. The unfed bloodlust inside her has caused her to become aggressively restless and she no longer cares about her own life. 

  “Cleo, stop!” Ren shouts desperately. “We’re not your enemy!”

  “You killed me twice! How are you not my enemy?”

  “Uh-! Th-That’s a very good point, actually.”

  Cleo manages to catch up with Ren and knocks him down with her sword. 

  “Get away from him!” comes Skizz’s snarl. 

  Before Cleo can react, she feels a sword - presumably Skizz’s - hit her in the back, setting her on fire and breaking her armour. Coughing, she darts towards the river.She can feel someone - again, presumably Skizz - pursuing her. Now she’s become the hunted. 

  And she’s loving it. 

  “Come catch me!” she taunts. 

  She knows it’s dangerous to bait the only person so far to end a red life, but again, she doesn’t care. If she dies right here, so be it. Anything is better than forcing stupid alliances with people she doesn’t actually trust and just waiting around for something to happen. 

  Skizz’s second strike scores a deep gash diagonally across her back, sending her tumbling forward. She lands with her head and upper torso on the bank of the river, the rest of her body trailing in the water. Weakened by the blow and slowly bleeding out, she knows her time has come.

  Too late, she thinks of Bdubs. Her biggest regret is leaving him all alone; she doubts he’ll survive a day without her. He never showed signs of depending on her but they’ve been allies since day one, and she knows he doesn’t handle losing people well. And she knows he’ll feel guilty that their last exchanged words were an argument, just like she does. But there’s nothing that can be done about that now. 

  “Cleo!” 

  She frowns. That’s not Bdubs, but the voice does sound familiar.

  A few seconds later, she feels herself be lifted slightly up and turned onto her back, and finds herself looking up into the pale face of her other strongest ally. Tango has tears in his eyes as he holds her carefully to him. “Cleo, why…? Why would you DO that?”

  “‘M sorry,” she rasps. “Couldn’t sit still anymore.”

  “I…!” Tango clears his throat. “I-I understand. I’m so sorry.” 

  Cleo manages a weak grin. Between shallow breaths, she manages to croak out, “T-Take care of Bdubs for me. Please.” 

  “Of course,” whispers Tango. 

  She lets out a quiet sigh, her final breath, and lets her eyes close. 

  The last thing she hears is a quiet sob from Tango. 

ZombieCleo was slain by Skizzleman