#this however is the mianite tom

[kiwibirdlafayette]

tom gets sent to VH through a rift by accident and doesnt realize that hes in a different universe (he thinks he got stuck and came back a year or so into the future) and gets confused when jordan doesnt want anything to do with him (pete and xeen assume he must be an idiot)

(based on Regret by Anon but with a little multiverse spin on it for funny because i love tom bein a dumbass)

[syn4k]

a quick summary of mianite season 1 episode 6

[coolcattime]

Safety [Mianite Oneshot]

Relationships: Captain Capsize/Lady Ianite

Characters: Captain Capsize, Lady Ianite, Lord Dianite, Skipper Redbeard, Jordan Captainsparklez, Tucker Jericho, Tom Syndicate, Sonja Firefoxx, Lord Mianite

After so long of being imprisoned in the Nether, cold air feels like heaven to Capsize. It’s such an overwhelming relief that it takes her minutes to even consider the implications of feeling it.

When she finally does, she opens her eyes to find herself in a cage floating in the sky somewhere in the farthest reaches of the End. Lady Ianite greets her, an elation overtaking Capsize to see her goddess freed. However, quickly she questions as to why she remains imprisoned. Questions with painful answers, even if the only ones she hears are false.

AO3 Link

The first thing that Capsize noticed was the cool breeze hitting her, as pleasant as it was painful. After the never-ending heat of the Nether, she couldn’t help but bask in it even as it began to feel like needles digging into her skin. It was still the nicest thing she had felt in weeks. She just lay there for minutes, nearly crying in relief that she finally felt cool air again. Until the impossibility hit her.

If she was still in that cell in the Nether, the only thing she should be able to feel was that sickening supernatural heat. She supposed it was possible that she was so close to death that she had begun hallucinating, but her thoughts all felt her own. If anything, she felt stronger than the last time she was awake, not weaker. So, what precisely was going on?

Acknowledging the first difference in sensation opened up her thoughts to begin noticing the other ones. Soon enough the oddities and impossibilities were piling up in her mind. The first one was that she realised with a start that she was no longer shackled. No longer was tight metal pushing into her skin. It seemed her limbs were free to move as she wished them too.

Of course, her body still ached. Though she did not feel nearly as beaten down as she had in her last moment of wakefulness. Despite how it certainly was not possible, it seemed that she had been recovering.

She almost didn’t want to believe these feelings. No… No, she desperately did want to give into this new reality where she wasn’t stuck in that tiny cell in a hellish dimension. But she couldn’t afford to build up hope. It would just shatter her if she awoke from this dream.

It was painful to admit, but she was so tired. She was meant to be Lady Ianite’s messenger, a person looked to for guidance. Instead, she was a worn-down prisoner terrified to even risk hope. She was utterly ashamed of how badly she had fumbled her mission. If anyone from back home could see her, they’d tell her what a failure she had turned out to be.

In a moment of spite, she huffed. What good was berating herself actually doing? It was just as bad as lingering in a dream would be. She needed to actually do something. Though entirely exhausted and frankly still terrified learning she was still in her cell, she forced her eyes open.

What she found before her eyes left her just confused. She wasn’t in the Nether. She was no longer in that claustrophobic cell. However, she also wasn’t free.

Immediately, she tried to sit up. Tried being the optimal word. A sharp pain shot through her stomach as she did. With a cry she was sent back to her starting position of laying on the cold stone.

She tried to breathe through the sudden shock.

Had she been stabbed? It was the sort of injury that she’d associate with this type of pain, but she didn’t recall anything of the sort. She’d have thought even in her less than responsive state that she would’ve been woken by such an attack.

At the very least, she could tell that the injury was recent. It had to be with how painful it felt, but as she carefully ran a hand over where the pain was coming from, she didn’t even feel a cut. She desperately tried to make sense of it, trying to bite back fears of it being something far worse than a stab wound. However, as she continued to lay there, she was stuck staring at the bars above her that separated her from the sky. She couldn’t remain doing nothing. She needed to know why she could see the sky at all.

She was more careful in sitting up than she had been in her first attempt. Though her gentleness did little to ease her pain. She had to grit her teeth as she still very much felt like screaming. However, without the aspect of it being unexpected, the pain was at the very least management.

Once she was sitting up, it was far easier to get herself to her feet, even if her body whined and complained at the process. Now that she wasn’t shackled and restrained, now that she could move, she was going to make sure that she did. She needed to explore whatever she could here before her movement was restricted again.

She was in another prison. Though perhaps that was overselling it a little. It was a cage. A giant cage of iron bars completely open to the air. It wasn’t the most confined she had ever felt. She doubted anything would ever compare to that tiny cell she had been imprisoned in until now. A place where she had been shackled and restrained left with nothing she could even possibly do but await her own death. However, she was not about to be grateful for a prison just because it was nicer than the last. There was still the tightness in her chest from the feeling of being confined. There were still the ever-present thoughts reminding her that she needed to escape.

She needed a focus to stop such thoughts from overwhelming her. So, she settled on the most basic. Where exactly was she? Given her capacity to feel cold and the presence of a sky, she was clearly no longer in the Nether. However, that wasn’t exactly an answer to her question. The sky that surrounded her being lit up by a bright purple aurora did give her a certain assumption. One that made her stomach twinge uncomfortably. However, there was little point dwelling on assumptions. After all, this prison came with a view, she could see for herself where she was.

Despite the dread building within her, she forced herself to one of the cage walls. Her movement was slow, her limbs aching after so long of being stuck in one position. She could see her surroundings quite a while before she actually reached the bars, but still she forced herself all the way. Despite the illogical hope she had tried to hold, the view didn’t change when she reached the edge of her confinement.

She was, as she feared from the look of the sky, in the End. So Dianite had managed to force his way into some of Ianite’s realm despite their efforts to strengthen her. However, it was far worse than just that.

The cage she was in was built on a tiny floating island, high above the other far larger landmasses that surrounded it. All that could be between herself, and the endless void was a layer of stone bricks and a shallow amount of end stone. The landmasses around her were far enough away that, even if she did somehow manage to break free of these bars, she would never be able to reach them. Even if she did, for as far as she could see it was just an endless forest of chorus trees. She seemed as if walk through them forever and never reach their end.

She just stood there, leaning against the bars, realising that she was just as trapped as she had been in her previous cell. Her shackles had been replaced by an endless landscape that she would never be able to reach anyway. It was suffocating. But unfortunately, she couldn’t show it. Not when the bastard god who had trapped her was here watching.

She was sure that he was. While she might not entirely trust herself, she still trusted her senses enough to believe them not to be lying about the presence behind her. And if there was a presence, it had to be him. Who else would it be?

She remained still, as did he. Both were waiting for the other to acknowledge them first. He liked when she acknowledged him, whether she cowered or stood strong, it always left him with a horrible mocking grin. She wasn’t going to this time. If he wanted to play this game, she wasn’t turning to look at him and giving him any sort of victory. She could hold strong. She could—

“Capsize,” Her eyes widened as she heard that sound voice and realised just how completely and utterly wrong her assumption had been.

She turned, fast enough that she wanted to scream, but no pain was enough to stop her from whipping around with tears brimming just as a smile was breaking onto her face. The only fear left in her mind was that this was somehow her imagination.

“Ia!” The moment she saw her, she melted into elation. Standing before her was Lady Ianite. Not a flickering image or a voice in her head. Her goddess was actually physically stood before her. Ianite had been freed.

Even with the terrible situation she was still in, that fact was enough to break through her dread and distress and have her laughing in relief. Even if she hadn’t been the one to do it, Ianite was free. She was stood before her, smiling. Though, strangely enough, the goddess’ expression was not one of happiness as her own was. Though it was, at least as far as she could tell, a genuine smile, it seemed as though it was just there to conceal pain. The smile you’d give to someone on their deathbed.

And that, well, Capsize knew that it should give her chills. That she should stop and worry. But she was face to face with the person that she had been fighting for so long to save. How could she focus on anything else but how much of a relief and victory that was?

“You’re safe!” She said. Then she couldn’t hold back. Even with her aching limbs and the terrible pain in her midsection, she rushed to her. Though her joy wasn’t enough to actually keep her upright. She ended up stumbling, being caught in Ianite’s arms.

The goddess pulled her close as she wrapped her own arms around her. She could only describe it as an embrace, as the sort of thing she had been dreaming of for so long. The sort of hold that she wanted to melt into and never leave. It had been weeks since she had had any non hostile physical contact, she wanted to cry as she felt Ianite’s hand running through her hair. She never wanted this to end. She could fade away right now in this moment and be truly satisfied with her fate.

However, despite her own desires, she knew that she couldn’t stay like this. As intoxicating as being held by Ianite was, there were still so many questions that she needed the answers to. Even so, it took more strength than she’d care to admit to break away. As if being inches away from her goddess may kill her.

“Are you okay?” Ianite asked as she did, leaving her feeling all the worse for ending the moment. Especially as she could not answer the question positively. Beyond her physical pain, there was the question that she needed to ask that she knew could only lead to more pain. Unfortunately, she could not leave it unspoken.

“Why am I still imprisoned? I… I thought that when they freed you, that I would also…” She didn’t know how to finish her sentence. It felt wrong to imply that her friends may have just given up on saving her, but what else could she think given her surroundings?

Ianite looked down, squeezing her eyes shut. Capsize felt a pit beginning to form in her stomach. Had it not already been obvious, it was now painfully so. Something had gone deeply and terribly wrong.

“That was the plan, for the champions to travel to Aethoria and free us both. Unfortunately, my brother couldn’t take a loss.”

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

“Come on then,” Lord Dianite invited the champions to attack him. To his absolute disappointment, not one of them made a move.

They really were all cowards. It seemed that they really had been hoping to skirt by and ruin his plans without any resistance.

He understood his own champion not making the first move. Even if he was a turncoat and a liar, he was still the champion that he had cultivated. The fear would still be there. So, it was no wonder that he stood on the edge of the makeshift arena hesitating to come any closer.

What Dianite, however, couldn’t understand was why the others were being so cowardly. They had wanted to defeat him, hadn’t they? So why were they all waiting on him to make the first move? Perhaps they thought they had time to dawdle and strategize. Well, he wasn’t going to allow them such a boon.

“Perhaps you all need a little more motivation,” He laughed with a horrible mocking tone. He brought his hands up, in one summoning an impossibly sharp sword. It was crafted from a dark metal, one that none of the mortals before him had ever seen before.

He grinned and for a moment it seemed like he was going to lunge at one of them. However, the person he attacked would not be any of those before him. Rather she appeared in his other hand, already barely conscious.

“Capsize!” Her brother screamed in horror as every soul in the arena rushed towards the horned god, each desperate to stop the attack before it occurred. Even the fastest of them could not reach him before he stabbed his weapon into her gut.

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

“He stabbed me?” Capsize questioned. The idea left her cold and numb. It wasn’t unbelievable. In fact, if anything it was extremely believable considering that she did believe that she had been stabbed and Lord Dianite made the most sense to have done such a thing of anyone. But the fact that she believed it to be true didn’t rid of her the numbness at once more being used as a prop to hurt other people.

It was the reason Furia had attacked her too. It had nothing to do with who she was. It was just to cause Redbeard pain. She wasn’t important at all. Just the way her hurt made other people feel.

She didn’t know what was more pathetic, that fact itself or how sensitive she felt about it. Her silence must’ve stretched a little too long as Ianite took one of her hands. She gave it a comforting squeeze. The tiny smile on her face was enough to spread warmth back through her body. She took a breath and managed to speak again. “I don’t remember any of it.”

There weren’t exactly flaws to pick at in the story thus far. While she could ask how Ianite knew what had happened, she assumed that she had simply been watching from afar. She always could watch her own domains and cities. Given that the fight was in Aethoria, she was probably watching the whole thing. Her thoughts twisted at that. Ianite had had to watch her get skewered.

But there was such a gap in her memory that it was difficult to believe anything could’ve happened beyond her being moved from her previous prison to this one.

“I don’t think you were awake,” Ianite spoke quietly. Capsize could hear what remained unspoken, that she hoped that she wasn’t awake. Given how pained her expression was, Capsize herself felt glad that her memory seemed to be failing her. “You haven’t been responsive for almost a week now. Even with our connection, I could barely sense you. I was starting to fear that you might have…”

Again, her fear was left unspoken, though this time because her voice broke before she finished her sentence rather than by choice. However, this time Capsize found the strength to give a comforting smile.

“Hey. I ended up surviving, didn’t I?” She said, laughing as best she could. Though, she couldn’t sound nearly as confident as she wanted to. There was still something deeply wrong here, the questions about it threatening to some to the surface, but even if she was imprisoned, she was okay. She wasn’t dead or dying. So, she could comfort and reassure Ianite that she did not need to linger on such fears. “And you’re clearly fine too. So, I assume Dianite isn’t a worry anymore.”

“No, he’s…” Again, she watched Ianite hesitate. Though she didn’t wear the same pained expression as she did previously. “He’s dead. All the heroes fought him, but ultimately Syndicate dealt the final blow.”

“Oh gods…” Capsize felt her throat go dry. It was as if the world completely froze.

Now, Capsize certainly wasn’t going to mourn the bastard god after everything he had done. In fact, she would be lying to say anything but that she was glad to see him gone. However, it felt so incredibly unfair that Tom had had to kill his own god. She couldn’t imagine a crueller fate for a champion.

She almost asked if he was alright, only stopping herself because she knew he couldn’t be. The most that she could wish was that he wasn’t grieving alone. None of the champions would have any more reason than she did to mourn the devil, she knew. But with how close friends they were, she hoped that they’d have the sense to offer him at least some comfort, even if just a shoulder to cry on. Once she was out of here, she certainly would. It was the least she could do for a friend.

However, with that thought, another struck her with all the gentleness of a falling brick.

Dianite had released her. Released her to kill her, yes, but had he sent her back to a cell again Ianite would’ve mentioned.

But here she was in a cage.

She had been freed. Dianite had been slain.

So why was she once again imprisoned?

She looked at Ianite, the obvious question on her lips. However, she couldn’t ask it as she was met with a look so haunted she doubted she would ever forget it. Purple eyes bore into her, a broken look that did not belong on a goddess piercing into her very soul.

“As I said though, my brother couldn’t take a loss.”

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

All four champions ran ahead of him, Jordan leading the charge, as Redbeard did his best to run without disturbing Capsize’s wound. A futile task given that she had been run through. The fact that she was still holding on was only not a miracle due to the excessive number of healing potions that Foxx had thrown onto her. Even with their best efforts to heal her though, his sister was still bleeding out in his arms.

A curse on Lord Dianite’s sword, he was sure. That was why she wouldn’t stop bleeding. A curse so he could get the last laugh even after his own defeat. But Lady Ianite would be able to heal her. She had to be able to heal her. They’d come so far.

Capsize was in his arms. She couldn’t die now.

“Dianite’s dead. So, she should be free already, right?” Tucker asked as they ran through the gate. The temple was in sight now, towering over them as a beacon of hope.

“Yes! We’ve freed her! I can feel it!” Jordan said in response, confident and completely elated.

Redbeard wished he could share such a celebratory tone. He should be able to. The mission was complete. The evil god was defeated, and their goddess freed. But this wasn’t his mission. He was no hero. He was a desperate man who could feel blood seeping through his sleeves and staining his skin.

She couldn’t die here. This had been her mission. Sparklez could claim it as his all he wanted, but she was the one who had sacrificed everything to make sure that the mission could be completed. This was Capsize’s mission, her victory to celebrate. She couldn’t die without even being awake to acknowledge it.

He knew that she would say she’d give anything for Lady Ianite. As much as he tried to ignore it, he had always known that included her own life. If he was being completely honest, it had been a terrible fear of his that they would make it to this moment, to this victory, and he would see Capsize sacrifice herself for it. But at least he would’ve known that was her own wish. That would’ve been so much easier to stand than the death he was currently trying to prevent.

This was the furthest thing he could think of from willing self-sacrifice. This was her dying to hurt other people.

She’d been imprisoned to hurt him. Dying and being captured due to an attack from Furia that he knew he would’ve been able to prevent if he had just tried. Dianite was only able to attack her because she had been imprisoned. If she died here as a culmination of that capture, her death would rest surely on his shoulders.

But she wasn’t going to die. He kept trying to reassure himself of that as he shook and stumbled. They’d enter the temple. Lady Ianite would greet them as heroes. She’d heal Capsize of this cursed wound. Everything would be fine.

Everything had to be fine.

Those words kept repeating in his head as he entered the temple. They were his only focus beyond keeping Capsize steady. Perhaps that’s why the scene before him dawned so slowly.

The champions had frozen, the previously jubilant energy dead and rotting into a horrible dread. An altar made of obsidian sat in the centre of the room. A bubbling potion sat in the middle of it. Though he had no idea its effect, Redbeard knew just from looking at it that it was wrong.

Then there was what he realised last. Or maybe he had noticed it first but had been such a horrible twist of the knife that his mind had elected to ignore it.

Before them was an image of Lady Ianite, flickering to make it horribly clear that she was not there with them in the flesh. Shackles still bound her wrists. As she looked at all of them, she was barely holding back tears.

“My heroes,” She spoke with the heavy sorrow of one about to watch an execution. “I’m afraid one more sacrifice is needed.”

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

“Dianite placed a binding curse on my prison. In order for myself to be freed, another would have to take my place,” Ianite spoke gently, though each word held a profound grief. Worse, each word brought a dawning realisation to Capsize about the only reason she would be saying them.

“No,” The noise that escaped from her was hollow. Less a word and more an attempt to desperately claw her way to better reality that was quickly spilling away from her. There was only one reason why she would be in this cage and Ianite would be saying these words to her. And it absolutely couldn’t be true.

They couldn’t have done this to her.

“Capsize,” Ianite said, squeezing her hand as if that would in any way soften the blow of what she was going to say next. “This was my prison. You replaced me as its prisoner.”

“No!” She repeated as if being louder would make it have more meaning. She ripped her hands away from Ianite and stumbled away only to feel her back hit the bars. They pressed against her skin, feeling worse than the physical restraints had. She started to feel her breath being ripped away from her. “They wouldn’t have done this to me! They... they can’t have.”

Her own voice betrayed her as it broke and cracked. Reality was as terrible as it was obvious. Still her thoughts rushed to deny it. They can’t have condemned her to this fate. Redbeard wouldn’t have let them. Tom wouldn’t have let them. Hells, all of them had acted like they had cared about her. How could any of them have inflicted such a terrible fate on her when she couldn’t fight back or advocate for herself?

This had to be a test of some kind. She couldn’t understand why Ianite would test or try to trick her like this, but it being a cruel test would still be better than this being her actual reality. So that had to be what this was.

“It was not exactly a unanimous decision.”

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

Jordan stood frozen in horror as he stared at his Lady, still imprisoned. Suddenly what was meant to be his victory was an absolute nightmare.

It felt like a terrible joke. That after all the work he had put in, suddenly there was one more insurmountable hurdle.

Furia was dead. Dianite was dead. He was stood in his Lady’s temple. And in order to get to their final victory, they were going to have to sacrifice someone.

“So, to free you, one of us needs to drink that potion,” He said as if repeating his Lady’s words back at her would somehow reveal another option. There had to be another option. The solution couldn’t be that one of them had to be left behind, sacrificed to reach their greater goal. What kind of an ending was that?

Despite what he had been desperately trying to wish into reality, his Lady nodded.

“Yes, and they will replace me in my prison,” She said, mournful for a sacrifice that had not yet happened.

Jordan, for the first time since declaring his loyalty to Lady Ianite, felt utterly lost. He knew that ultimately this choice fell to him as her champion, but he had no idea where to start. He had to make this decision. It was his job to save his Lady and this was what needed to be done to save her. But it was an impossible burden to bear.

“Isn’t there anything we can do to break the prison’s enchantment? Tom’s Dianite now, surely, he could just turn it off!” Tucker beside him fumbled for another answer. He sounded just as desperate as Jordan felt, offering hope that he could cling to. But he knew that he couldn’t, it would only make his decision even harder.

That was until he saw the briefest hint of light in his Lady’s eyes.

“Yes! Maybe. If we could prepare for a few hours, then perhaps—"

“We don’t have time,” The defeated voice of Sonja cut through his Lady’s words and all the hope they had given it. His thoughts berated himself for even daring to have the tiniest fragment. His body felt rigid as he turned to her, just feeling all the more numb as he saw her gripping an empty bottle in blood covered hands. “I’m out of healing pots. If we don’t free Ianite now, Capsize is going to die. No matter what, we’re going to lose someone.”

“Wait! I’ve got a couple pots,” Tom said, quickly slipping back to the dying woman. Jordan felt the briefest pangs of jealousy as the questions pressed in his head of why Tom would’ve brought healing potions when they don’t work on him as an undead creature. But he pushed it down. They didn’t have time for the petty drama.

How could he even think about bringing up their romantic tangles when Redbeard was lowering his dying sister to the ground with a darkened look in his eye. There was only reason he would be letting her go right now. Though he certainly didn’t want to hear it, Jordan knew precisely what the man was going to say before he said it.

“Give me the potion, I’ll drink it,” He spoke directly to Jordan, as if knowing that this was his choice as champion. Or perhaps he was just scared to pick up the bottle himself.

The latter seemed to be closer to the truth as the pirate was shaking. It was truly like looking at the condemned. It was impossible to believe he truly wanted to make this sacrifice.

“Please,” Still though, he begged to be handed the potion. “Capsize has given up so much for this mission. If making myself a sacrifice lets her live through this, I can happily do it.”

His tone didn’t match his words. Rather he sounded seconds away from breaking completely. His attention turned to Lady Ianite.

“You’ll be able to heal her, right? Once you’re freed you can heal that cursed wound.”

“Yes! Yes, of course, Skipper. Your sacrifice won’t be in— Captain, what are you doing?”

As Redbeard and his Lady were speaking, Jordan took the potion from the altar. Just as looking at it, holding it felt completely wrong. As if it could drag him into the darkness at any moment. But grave as it may be, it was just a feeling. He could push past it, and he needed to. He had to focus all his resolve on doing what he had to do.

“Captain!” His Lady yelled. Though the fear laced in her tone hurt him, it could not dissuade him. He did however turn briefly to look at her.

“I’m making the only right choice. She’s dying anyway,” He said simply. As he turned away from her, back to the woman dying on the floor, he saw the briefest glimpse of dawning horror on his Lady’s face. He forced himself to ignore it.

The decision was painful, yes, but it was the only logical one. If someone had to suffer in that prison, it should be the person who would have to suffer for the shortest amount of time. She wouldn’t even know.

“No!” He heard Redbeard scream behind him. Apparently, the man was going to try and insist on being the hero he wasn’t.

There were rapidly approaching footsteps, the pirate trying to rush him. However, any attempts to wrench the potion off her were swiftly stopped when he threw his elbow back. His diamond armour hit soft flesh, and there was the sound of the man falling back. He forced himself to ignore the yelp, to ignore the painful coughs that quickly followed.

“What the hell, Jordan?!” Tucker demanded from behind him. That was fine. They could judge him and treat him like a villain all they wanted. None of them wanted to make this decision either so why should he care if they judged him.

He needed to save his Lady. So, he needed to make the hard choice.

“Please just give it to me! I can’t lose her!” His voice was weaker, hoarse now. Jordan desperately tried to ignore the voice telling him that was because of the damage he had just done. This was the right choice. He had to hold fast and make it.

“You’ll lose her either way! You won’t have your sister when you’re stuck in a prison for the rest of your life! At least this way she won’t suffer!” It was the kinder option. Either way one of the two siblings would have to live knowing the other had been sacrificed for their Lady. But if Redbeard was sacrificed, Capsize would have to live with the knowledge that he was alive and had given up everything for her. Meanwhile she barely had a few minutes left. Redbeard could live in the knowledge that at least she died none the wiser. It was just kinder.

“No! This place needs a prisoner! It’ll keep her alive!” His Lady cried.

Jordan hesitated, his throat feeling dry. He could so easily pretend she was lying. She had been so close to Capsize, of course she would lie so she wouldn’t be imprisoned. But even with all his rationalizing, his brain wouldn’t accept that.

What it could accept though, was that they couldn’t know how much it would heal her. It would keep her alive, yes, but that didn’t mean she would ever wake, that she would ever realise her situation. Better than any of them who were awake and aware being saddled with this fate.

That, and even if she was fully healed, Capsize was like him. She’d give up anything for Lady Ianite. Give up anything for this mission to save her. If she woke up there, she’d understand that her fate was necessary to save their Lady.

Now steadfast in what he needed to do, Jordan kept walking forward. He could ignore all the cries and yells behind him. Though he did find one more obstacle. Tom stood between him and Capsize, his sword pointing squarely at Jordan’s chest.

“You’re not giving it to her,” Tom spat, snarling as if he was ready to bite like his undead brethren. Jordan squared his shoulders, ready to fight if he needed, though he certainly didn’t have time for one.

Why was he still acting like this? Had he not done enough damage to the mission already? Jordan couldn’t even tell if he was still trying to stake a claim on his girl or just acting like the villain for the sake of it. The sword pushed against his armour. “I’ve already lost Dianite, I am not losing Capsize too!”

“You lost your god because you chose to follow a villain! If you wanted the reward of being a hero, you should have actually been one! Because villains don’t get rewards, and they certainly don’t get the girl!” He yelled. There was a painful silence.

Tom looked at him as if he had physically struck him, just complete and utter shock. He loosened his grip on his sword.

In the brief moment of Tom being distracted, Jordan shoved past him.

He knelt by Capsize, quickly uncorking the potion. He allowed himself the briefest pause, running a hand through her hair.

“I’m sorry, my Capsize,” He whispered before tipping the potion into her mouth.

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

As Ianite fell silent, Capsize sat blinking back tears as numbness overtook her. She couldn’t deny the truth anymore. Every doubt she had tried to cling to had been sunk by Ianite’s full explanation. Never had she faced such a bitter truth.

Sparklez had done this to her. He had chosen to sacrifice her all the while acting as if he was making the honourable decision. She wished so deeply that she could say it was expected, that learning he had done this didn’t hurt. But she would be lying to herself if she said that. Even with just how little she had expected from him, with how little she could say she respected the man, this still felt like an impossible betrayal.

Maybe this was just karma for disliking him.

“I—” As she tried to speak, she found herself unable. Her voice cracked and immediately she broke into tears.

She was stuck here, nothing more than a tragic sacrifice for Sparklez to look back on and lament. His first love lost too soon.

She could have forgiven him for stealing her present. For appearing out of nowhere and stealing her mission and Ianite’s attention. But now he had also stolen her future. Anything she had planned to do was now impossible and all she was left with were shattered dreams. With Ianerea destroyed, she may as well have no past. All that was left of her was a legacy that he was free to weave however he wanted.

In the end, she was nothing.

There was nothing even to fight. Her fate had been sealed hours ago, completely out of her control. She was stuck here, a prisoner of a cursed cage that would never let her leave and not even death was an escape from. Surrounded by a completely unchanging view that mocked her with just how impossible escape would be if she even tried. She couldn’t even gather the strength to be angry, every ember of it already extinguished by cold hopelessness. All she could do was sob.

She sobbed as every sacrifice and defeat hit her at once. They were meant to be worth something in the end. She had given up everything and lost even more. There was meant to be some sort of reward in the end. Instead, she was left with nothing but a complete and hollow emptiness.

Warm arms wrapped around her. She ended up sobbing onto Ianite’s shoulder. Despite how earlier being held like this overwhelmed her with elation, now it barely even gave her comfort. One arm was stretched across her back, Ianite holding one of her arms in her hand and the other in the bend of her arm. The goddess’ other hand rested on her head. It felt protective and warm and she never wanted her to let go. But still, it wasn’t enough to stop her from sobbing.

“I would have— If I had been awake, I would’ve,” She couldn’t complete her own sentence despite desperately wanting to. The meaning of it just felt hollow. It was impossible to rid herself of the bitter numbness the betrayal had caused. But she knew that had she been awake and aware, she would’ve willingly drunk the potion and taken Ianite’s place in this prison.

She didn’t know why it mattered to her. Why she wanted so desperately to make clear to Ianite that she would’ve truly given up everything for her had she been given the opportunity. Maybe just as some kind of trick, to convince herself to stop crying. If she would’ve chosen this fate anyway, then she didn’t need to feel so broken that it had been forced upon her.

“I know, Capsize,” Ianite said softly. She stroked her head, the repetitive motion actually managing to break through her horrible despair and actually give her a tiny bit of comfort. “But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a wrong to be righted. I promise you. I will keep working until I can break this curse my brother put on this place. I will free you.”

Capsize listened to her words, hearing her own resolve from the very start of this mission echoing back at her. Despite how she had never been in a worse place, she had never felt safer than she did right now in Ianite’s arms.

⚖ ⚖ ⚖

Night had fallen now, not that that was a particularly easy fact to acknowledge in the End. However, the bright purple aurora had dimmed, and now the only light in the cage was a lantern summoned by the goddess who still sat by the now sleeping prisoner. Despite Capsize’s insistence, she had used what strength and power she had to summon whatever she could to make sure she was comfortable. The light by her sleeping form. The simple bed that she slept on. Enough blankets and furs to make sure she wouldn’t feel the cold air.

Ianite sat by the sleeping pirate just as she had stayed with her the whole time since had awoken. Even now, she was focused on a task, stirring through her dreams to quiet any nightmares. After how long she had sobbed for, she deserved a restful night's sleep. She did not need any reminders of the betrayals she had suffered, nor the pain that Dianite had inflicted on her. And if Ianite banished away dreams where she was getting a little too close to the champions for comfort that was just a happy bonus.

When finally her dreams settled into something preferable, Capsize’s form relaxed. She seemed so peaceful despite everything. And now Ianite allowed herself to smile. Guilty though she felt for the amount of tears that she had caused, she was glad that it had all worked out.

Admittedly, she had been worried at points. Jericho had immediately questioned why Capsize wasn’t also free when she had greeted them alone in her temple. Absent as her brother may have been as a guiding force, it seemed his champion was still chosen wisely. He had questioned after she had summoned her puppet too, asking after the possibility of a cure. He could’ve so easily ruined all of her careful planning.

Her brothers’ other champions had also posed possible complications. She had at least expected something from Syndicate given his closeness to Capsize. Thankfully his actual ask had been easy enough to shut down. After all, she had no idea what she would’ve done had the champions all agreed that they ought to take the undead puppet with them in the void.

Foxx had blended into the background so often that she hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t keeping her distance from the puppet like the others until she was far too close for comfort. Yes, she found it admirable that she had cared enough for Capsize to attempt to heal her, but still it had sent waves of panic through her when she had heard the smashing glass and since just how close she was standing to it. What would’ve happened if she hadn’t made it lunge at her to chase her away? How close had she come to seeing the imperfections in the illusion?

But thankfully all her fears had been for naught. Her own followers had played their parts perfectly. Jordan had never doubted a word she said. What a good and loyal champion he was. Even if Redbeard did doubt her, he was never going to allow his sister to suffer. Admittedly, her plan may have pushed him a little far. The man appeared broken by his grief and the mercy killing he believed he had bestowed. As much as Jericho has been a thorn in her side threatening to reveal her lies, she had been so thankful to see him drag the Skipper out the water.

How would she have ever explained to her treasure that her brother was dead on top of everything else she had to tell her?

As it stood, the man was still deep in his own grief. Completely expected, given all he had been through today. Perhaps she could fix it eventually. A little memory manipulation to have him remember things the way Capsize believed they had happened. It may prove useful someday down the line. For now, though, she was content to just let him mourn.

Once the champions had left, he had requested to be alone. She was, of course, keeping an eye on him to make sure that he did not try anything drastic again. But she had been more than happy to give him the time he wanted. After all, there was someone far more important she wanted to focus on.

Capsize had still been unconscious when she had first arrived in the cage. The enchantments on it were already doing their job and healing the damage inflicted on her by Dianite’s prison and general treatment of her. Though, it had been quite the shock to see the bloodstain on her shirt and the worryingly large pool underneath her. Apparently, she had underestimated just how connected the original and the puppet were.

Thankfully, despite her initial panic, the wound had been mostly healed already by the enchantments. She knew it would hurt for a good while but Capsize was not at risk of dying. After all, the goddess had designed this place to make sure that its occupant couldn’t die. She was just so thankful that it worked in practice as well as theory.

She had erased the blood puddle to make Capsize’s awakening at least a little more pleasant. Then all that had been left to do was wait. Wait until the captain had recovered enough to regain consciousness, all the while weaving her story to perfection. She couldn’t afford her to question. If she didn’t truly believe that she was stuck here, she would never stop trying to escape. Thankfully, her messenger had never been one to doubt her. And her dislike of her champion gave an easy person to stick the terrible deed squarely on.

Yes, it had hurt to see her tears, to hear her broken thoughts. But beyond all her guilt, Lady Ianite was overwhelmed by relief. Finally, she had her messenger away from anyone who could possibly harm her. Finally, Capsize was safe.

At first, she had thought it would be enough to keep her safe from Dianite and his servants. The people who wanted her dead or at the very least suffering. She had thought that her brother being defeated would be enough for her to be protected.

However, the more she had watched Capsize from afar, the more she had discovered the sheer amount of people she needed protecting from. She saw her on Ianerea, doing everything she possibly could to assist and to give answers that she didn’t have. And what had its people done? Doubted her. Acted as if she was some struggling child that they could belittle and ignore and lecture. Watching that had made her realise just how many people she needed protecting from.

Watching the way the champions treated her only cemented her decision. Her own champion had bickered over her like she was a prize to be won. The others joined in as if it was some funny little game how uncomfortable they could make her. All the while they had left her so unprotected that she had fallen into her brother’s clutches.

And so, she had realised that there was only one way to protect her. To keep her away from everyone and everything. Now, she would never be harmed again. Now, no one knew where she was, so she was finally safe. Besides herself, of course.

Well, actually she supposed there was one other person.

“I know you’re watching, Mianite,” She said in a soft tone as to not wake her companion. For a god that remained so absent from the action, he was certainly nosey. She could almost feel the judgement in his stare. As if he had any right to judge how she treated her follower. “I will not allow you to interfere. She is my messenger. I can keep her safe however I want.”

“This is cruel and possessive,” He said coldly. She almost laughed.

Who was he to judge cruelty? He had been perfectly content to allow her to suffer as Dianite’s prisoner until Jordan came along and remembered her.

And possessive? Keeping someone precious close to you and away from others who would hurt them wasn’t possession, it was just logical after everything. He had never liked the idea of getting attached to mortals, so he just couldn’t understand. “You can’t imprison her and let the world believe that she’s dead.”

“I can do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And it is absolutely none of your concern,” She said, running a hand through Capsize’s hair. She looked so peaceful.

Mianite stopped staring. Of course he did. She knew he was still judging her, but he could not interfere in her realm. The only way he could possibly try would be via a champion and unfortunately all of them had disappeared who knows where. It was unlikely that the void would give them back anytime soon. He could not steal Capsize away from her even if he wanted to.

No matter what he thought, Capsize was safe. Safe and hers. He could call her possessive all he wanted, but who wouldn’t be when the one that they loved had come so close to death? Finally having her any from all of that, it was such a weight off her chest. Her beautiful Capsize was safe at last.

Soon enough, this place would be a home to her. There would always be the lingering sadness, yes, but Ianite would fill that with hope and anything she could possibly request or desire. She would be just as satisfied here as she could be anywhere else. They would be happy together, just as they were in the dreams that Capsize so often had. She would have no need for anything else.

And if the world proved safe enough one day, she could miraculously figure out how to break Dianite’s curse on this place. How elated Capsize would be when that day came.

With a bright smile, Lady Ianite softly kissed the sleeping woman, only feeling brighter as she smiled in her sleep.

“I promise you, my Capsize, I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

[syndianites]

tom in a (season 1 centric) timeloop

thank youuu!

When I tell you that I've had an idea similar to this floating in my head for ages, let me tell you that unironically I have a whole lore for it. (Granted, it uses some of my more out-there Mianite headcanon and background lore for characters, so it'd get revised to be less ooc for the characters if I ever DID write that plot bunny. My similar thought centers on the idea of the crew coming out of the void post-s2 and getting stuck in the entire s1 plot again, except 1) the s2 crew is there and 2) no one seems to remember doing any of this before except for some brief deja-vu moments. The main POV would follow the s2 crew and the main plot twist would be the fact that Tom DOES remember what happened and has the powers of Dianite, but is trying his best to keep the events all together and maybe, possibly, save his Dianite. The ending is a secret tho)

Onto the fic

----

Tom felt the strain burn into his upper back. He was never the best archer- that solidly went to Jordan and his goddess' personal preference for bows- but at this close of distance and how big Dianite was, he knew his aim would be true.

He was conflicted.

Yeah, Dianite disowned him. Sure, he was acting absolutely batshit insane, trying to kill his own sister and fellow goddess. And yeah, Tom had decided he'd side with his friends, but a few swings against his god were nothing in the grand scheme of things. What was significant, however, was how worn Dianite was beginning to look. For all his godly might, Dianite had been deteriorating for months. Tom couldn't figure out why and any attempt at getting answers was met with harsh rebuttal, and by the time he started to get an inkling of what might be going down Furia had decided to start shit.

Looking at Dianite now, you wouldn't think he was a god. Maybe a tough, angry red demon, but a god? No, he was far too battered and bruised to attest to such divine birthright. Even as he expertly parried a strike from Tucker and ducked an arrow sent by Jordan, Dianite just barely managed to escape Sonja's quick slash with a shallow scratch. He was slowing down. Even more so after the crystal atop the pillar at the center of their arena had been broken.

Tom tracked the fight with his eyes, barely moving a muscle beyond the subtle shake of his arms. His bow was redied, his shot clear. Just a quick release of the tension built in his fingers and his arrow would hit home. Dianite's back was turned to him.

Why was he hesitating?

The wait was maddening. How much longer could he hold this position? How much longer until someone got the upper hand- who would it be? Would he be able to stand seeing his god cutting down one of his friends, so soon after Capsize's death? Would he be able to handle seeing his friends cut down his god, the very one that had taken him in, bloodied and bleeding and freshly pulled from the grave?

The choice was taken from him.

He didn't realize until the arrow was already in the air, too focused on the sudden chill that had taken into his fingers. Tom glanced at his hand in bewilderment, seeing the ghost of a dark energy- or was it a deep purple?- before his head snapped back up to Dianite.

To the arrow lodged in his back.

Dianite stumbled, sword clattering to the ground. Tucker and Jordan had stepped back, both with their swords still raised, and Sonja had an arrow knocked in the background, all of them clearly ready for some new power to burst forth.

Instead, Dianite's head turned towards Tom, eyes eerily blank.

They stared at one another as Dianite fell down to one knee, then both. A frown marred his face- not a sneer but something more confused. His eyes fell to Tom's hand that still prickled with cold like he'd just dunked them in arctic waters.

Tom's chest twisted like it was reading its own arrow.

"No." Dianite's eyes found his again. "Not like this."

Stuck in the god's gaze, Tom watched as a shadow seemed to lift from Dianite's eyes like he was gaining clarity. He seemed to wrestle with himself, teeth grit in determination and Tom wondered if he was going to strike him down for the betrayal.

But was it betrayal when Dianite had turned his back to him first?

Instead, Dianite gave a sigh, setting a soft look upon Tom. "Not for you."

Before Tom could react, before he could draw a breath, pain erupted behind his eyes. The world was swallowed in a blinding light- white, at first, then turning a deep, blood red, before fading to black.

Oh, Tom mused, he really did strike me down.

With that thought, Tom blanked out.

---

In a shocking turn of events, Tom came to with a stuttering gasp. His eyes flew open only to burn with the sudden onset of light. He squeezed them closed, hand flying up to protect his eyes. The sound of waves beat at his pounding head.

A groan sounded from afar. It wasn't himself, for he could scarcely manage a wheeze. There was a shuffling of sand, shoes crunching shakily on the uneasy surface.

Sand?

Gods know Tom wasn't the smartest, but after getting blasted by godly power and surely being killed so thoroughly he wasn't likely to get revived a second time didn't put him anywhere near sand.

He peeked an eye open from beneath his fingers as his mind fried itself trying to connect dots.

Smited by Dianite + horrible pain = brain exploded?

Brain exploded + waking up in pain = died and sent to hell?

From what Tom knew about the Nether, sand wasn't out of the question, perse, but it was usually accompanied by the screams and moans of the dead.

Wait, did his soul get sucked up by some soul sand?

As he tried to figure out the logistics of how souls even got stuck in sand, a voice caught his attention, "You alive over there?"

When Tom didn't reply, because surely they weren't talking to him, the crunching of sand got closer and there was a nudge at his side.

Startled, Tom dropped the hand from his face, squinting through the sudden pain and onslaught of light to see a man standing above him. As his eyes focused, the face because clear.

"Tucker?" Tom's brain tried to reboot, not comprehending why his best friend was also here. "Don't tell me you died too?"

Instead of a snarky remark, Tucker gave him a suspicious frown. "How do you know my name? Who are you? No, wait, what do you mean died? Is this the afterlife?"

The questions hurt caused Tom's brain to lag, trying to process the absolutely absurd shit coming out of Tucker's mouth. This was too much for him, honestly, between his brain getting exploded and waking up to his soul getting eaten by soul sand and- wait.

Tom sat up suddenly, head pounding at the movement. He was on a beach. There was a clear blue sky around him and a lack of sweltering heat. Either he was not in the Nether, or the process of getting his soul eaten by fucking sand made him hallucinate.

Rather than answering Tucker's questions, he swivled his head from side to side. He was on a beach, a hill stretching out behind him and leading to a solitary acacia tree. The dry looking grass was familiar, like the savannah grass their homes were all built on top of. If he squinted, he could imagine that mountain off to his side being where Tucker and Sonja's castle home was, and opposite of that he could almost visualize Jerry's Tree.

Tom frowned, looking up at the bewildered and agitated Tucker.

"I'm Tom, dumbass. Don't tell me that dying made you forget me?"

Tucker huffed. "Like I'd be able to forget a talking zombie. I'm pretty sure we've never met."

Despite his confusion, Tucker offered Tom a hand like it was second nature. He took it gingerly, eying his friend warily.

"Sure," Tom muttered, the gears in his brain clicking together like an abandoned machine that needed maintenance five years ago. "Doesn't this place look familiar?"

"Not at all. Don't think I've ever been to, what, a savannah? At least, that's what it looks like. Dry grass and all." Tucker frowned at the stalks coming up to his waist, twisting the top and watching it break under his fingers.

Tom didn't respond, instead opting to climb the hill to get a better lay of the land. There was a mutter from Tucker behind him and the sound of footsteps following him. When Tom reached the top he felt his abused brain step into overdrive.

This place looked familiar for sure. Three mountains surrounded the savannah plain, with a river cutting through it. If he squinted at the one on his left, he could almost see was looked like an incomplete version of Dec's house. To the right, he could imagine the Dianite head statue his friends had made, leading into what would be the Forest of the Abyss.

It wasn't until a flash of red caught his eye that Tom truly felt his mind break.

There was Dec, in his usual ragged get-up, waving in that same carefree way he always did. But instead of making some comment about how Tom looks like he lost a fight with a sand castle, or how Tucker looked like a half-drowned rat, he greeted them.

"Welcome! I haven't seen you all around before. What brings you folk out here to our lovely realm of Mianite?" Dec grinned at them, offering a hand to shake.

Tucker stepped forward to introduce himself, but Tom just stared at Declan.

This was almost exactly how his first day in the realm had gone. He'd washed ashore, met Tucker, and got the run down from Dec. Hell, if things continued he could easily imagine how Tucker and he would start gathering wood and trying to set up a base at the top of that stupid mountain Tucker had tried to push him off of as a joke.

No.

No, there was no fucking way.

Dianite had killed him.

But ghosts didn't feel pain. He'd asked Capsize and she told him as much. His head throbbed with the ache of getting smitted.

They couldn't feel temperature, but the heat of the plains was already seeping into his suit jacket.

Most of all, they didn't have a heart beat, and Tom could feel his barely there, defunct heart slowly but surely beating in his chest.

Something had went royally fucking wrong.

----

Okay, I could probably continue this, in fact I have a vague idea for how Tom's character arc would go for this and I 100% know how I would end it. If you want more, I can keep going, but I'd either need to separate it into it's own post or do a little planning to get the idea more concrete. Because this is honestly a banger ass plot bunny.

Thanks for the prompt!!

[hbkerlon]

The syndicate project zombies

#The syndicate project zombies series#

In 2016, his LifeOfTom YouTube channel, with everyday vlog adventures, passed the 2M subscriber mark, and he voiced “Loki” for the mobile app game Marvel Avengers Academy.

#The syndicate project zombies series#

Popularized by his gameplays of CoD: MW2 and Black Ops zombies and Minecraft, with subsequent series “Nuking The Fridge” and “Minecraft Project,” Tom also collaborates with fellow gamers like YouTube’s GamerShore and on the “Mianite" live streamed Twitch series. Expanding to YouTube in 2014, Tom’s TheSyndicateProject channel is one of YouTube’s top 100, nearing 10M subscribers. The zombie population is huge, but the game loads without any zombies. 64 zombies will be born each day and eventually reach an absurd amount number.The first streamer to hit the 1M follower mark on Twitch, Tom Cassell’s Syndicate is currently the most followed Twitch channel with 2.4M+ people tuning in. Example Project Zomboid Population Settings Your cells will be “locked” to the population you loaded the first time they are accessed. If you find cells before peak day, they won’t reach peak population. Undiscovered cells will grow. Syndicate joined YouTube on 3 September 2010 and quickly grew to. In the mid-2010s, he made numerous collaborations with the group. Note: Zombies will not spawn or respawn if you choose 0. They will die and be gone for good. Tom Cassell (born J() age 29), sometimes known as TheSyndicateProject or simply Syndicate, is a British YouTuber and friend of the Sidemen. Indicates how many zombies spawn and respawn over time. Although you can input any value, it is best to use smaller values. For example, for example, let’s say you entered 30. This means that 30 zombies will spawn and respawn each day. Note: If you choose 0, there will not be any zombies at the start of play. However, the population peak multiplier will result in zombies. Indicates how many zeds will be in play at the beginning of the game. Any value from 0.0 to 4.0 can be entered. It will begin with a ton of zombies if you input 4.0. The best videos on the YouTube channel The Syndicate Project, ranked by fans and. If you choose 0, no zombies will appear. Once the game has been loaded, there will be some zombies. Zero is zero, one is small, two are medium, three are huge, four is crazy. You can input any value between 0.0 and 4.0. Sandbox mode also allows for “sprinter” zombies to be created. Regarded as one of the earlier known gaming personalities, his videography consisted of gamingcommentary videos on the franchises Call of Duty and Minecraft on his YouTube channel originally named 'TheSyndicateProject'. This area is known as Knox County and has been quarantined. The player has the option to choose their character’s appearance and occupation before choosing one of four towns as their starting point. To survive, the player must manage their own needs, such as hunger, stress and fatigue. Although the game features slow-moving zombies in Romero style, some zombies are more agile than others. Thomas George Cassell (born 23 June 1993), known online as Syndicate, is an English YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Project Zomboid is a difficult survival game where the player must survive in a zombie-infested area of Kentucky. Players are challenged to survive as long as they can before dying. It was one the five first games to be released under the Desura alpha funding section. Project Zomboid, a survival horror video game that is open-world isometric in nature, is being developed by The Indie Stone, a Canadian and British independent developer. The game takes place in a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world. Example Project Zomboid Population Settings.

[incorrect-mianite-quotes]

Tucker: [Holding two photos] One is your house. The other is a garbage dump in the Nether. Can you tell which is which? Tom: ... Tom: That one’s the dump. Tucker: They’re both your house!!!!!!!!!!!

[memryse]

sometimes i forget how wild the mianite era was so. here are some favourites since we're talking about mianite tonight! this is mianite propaganda btw. you should watch it.

tom mistaking the annie song "hard knock life" for "hard butt life" and somehow seeing nothing wrong with this. "hard butt life" becoming a bit which eventually resulted in the four of them getting lifetime supplies of charmin toilet paper

jordan having masses of signs written in lawyer-speak outside his vault because people kept coming up with ways to glitch into it. i promise you this server had NO respect for "lore" or "morals"

that one purge where the quartzhouse became completely overrun by mobs and tom spent like 20 minutes dying over and over and over

that other purge where one of the wizards was messing around and killed another, so he technically was on the scoreboard, came last because he only got one kill and was then punished for it

that one picture of tucker with the chipped tooth that was just... everywhere you looked

speaking of that pic of tucker: mianite purge highlights my beloved over-edited absolute messes of videos

jordan's ever-expanding list of nicknames: glitter lap, sparkly dick, sparkly pants, et cetera

repeatedly doing meth and cocaine and every other hard drug imaginable in minecraft on stream. bolded for emphasis captainsparklez did not do actual meth on stream

#SteveFor1D, when zayn had just left one direction and the 1D fandom was incredibly confused and/or angry about who the hell steve was and why there was a minecraft farmer man in the tag

jordan singlehandedly spurring on the plot because he couldn't choose a god and made his own OC instead. dare i say this was the predecessor to wilbur just really really wanting to do breaking bad/hamilton roleplay

them having so many issues with nvidia graphics cards that seven years later i still cannot ever see nvidia without laughing

that time tom spawned a mini me which he decided was his son jeffrey... jeffry.. however he spelled it, and promptly forgot his son's name every time he was mentioned. then the others decided to kidnap jeffrey and ended up having to rename him, causing jeffrey's skin to change into a male stripper skin. that sure was a thing that happened

everything mot screziato had going on

[smp-boundaries]

List of Boundaries: CaptainSparklez

Violence in fanworks: In one of his subreddit videos, Jordan reacts positively to a bloody drawing of him being accidentally stabbed by Tubbo, showing that at least in fanart, he is okay with violence and death.

Fanfiction: Jordan has done two videos where he read fanfiction, one of which was an x reader, and reacted positively both times. This shows that he is okay with fanfiction and the x reader did not appear to put him off, as he specifically chose it for a Valentine’s Day video.

Shipping: There is no distinct evidence for Jordan being for or against shipping as a whole. He seems comfortable with being shipped with Tom Cassell (Syndicate) as evidenced by various videos where they joke about kissing and being shipped together. On the other hand, in the third MC Ultimate, when AntVenom made a joking comment about SparkAnt (their ship name) being revived after they both respawned, Jordan replied with distaste, implying that he doesn’t like being shipped with AntVenom. He has also spoken on multiple occasions against being shipped with Lady Ianite (from the Mianite series), and shows discomfort when looking at romantic fanart of them.

AUs where Jordan is Tubbo’s and/or Crumb’s father: Jordan has reacted positively to fanart of Tubbo and Crumb as his children and is accepting of the AU. However, he seems to be unaware that it is an AU and not canon on the Dream SMP, therefore this cannot be used as evidence for his stance on AUs in general.

General PSA: Jordan does not like people prying into his personal life, which includes his IRL friends and relationship status. He doesn’t disclose this information and people should respect this about him.

Evidence: Jordan reacting to violent fanart, CaptainSparklez reads a CaptainSparklez fanfiction, Jordan reads an x reader, Jordan, Tom, and Mini Ladd joking about shipping, Jordan reacting negatively to the idea of SparkAnt (Jordan/Anteler), Jordan reacting negatively to Sparkanite, Jordan talking about Tubbo and Crumb being his children, Jordan talking about how it’s weird when people ask about his IRL relationships

clip transcripts below cut

reacting to violent fanart Jordan: (reading reddit post) uh, “blood. It was a mistake.” (opens post, revealing Among Us fanart) ah, no, dude.. (playing it up for the bit) ah no, back to back! I can’t believe I have to relive this moment again and again! I don’t think I - it’s - it’s - y’know, I don’t think I ever betrayed him, but I got betrayed in return. It was hard.

Jordan, Tom, and Mini Ladd joke about shipping Tom: (hugging Jordan and Mini Ladd) all in - all in, all in, all in - this feels good. hey, no kissing tonight, alright? Jordan: really? Tom: no kiss - (Mini Ladd kisses his cheek) okay. (looks at Jordan, points to cheek expectantly) Jordan: (kisses Tom’s cheek) Tom: (laughs) oh yeah!

reacting negatively to the idea of SparkAnt (Jordan/Anteler) Anteler: this is team Sparkant, being revived Jordan: no, not that - not that word.

reacting negatively to Sparkanite Jordan: alright people do this weird shipping thing with me, and Ianite, and I realize that it kinda stems from season two but let’s just - I feel like we need to keep it as a platonic relationship between a follower and their god, alright? Ianite is m’lady, my god, it doesn’t have to become like a romantic thing. Alright? alright. cool.

about Tubbo and Crumb being his children Jordan: (reading reddit post) “the Tubbo origin story is growing.” (opens post, revealing fanart) Is that Tubbo jumping out of the ____ to catch a bee? and then Crumb saying “there can be only one?” There actually - I’ve seen things on twitter though - Inga(?), who - who does lots of art and stuff and has done some of the MCC thumbnails, like, did a drawing where I was Tubbo’s dad in the Dream SMP server and I was like “is this a thing that’s actually going on?” I know nothing, I’m confused. But I guess I’m like - I’m Tubbo’s dad. on the server. I have no - I geniunely don’t know, but that’s what I’ve heard. And I’m like “oh, okay.” I guess - y’know. I did say I wasn’t having kids but there wasn’t anything about a kid that already has been had. So I guess it works. It doesn’t - yeah - doesn’t mess with my take. But also we have Crumb now. (laughs) “There can be only one.” But it’s been established that I’m his dad I guess, so - so, there has to be two. It’s already been said and done.

talking about it being weird when people ask about his IRL relationships Jordan: (reading reddit post) “Expose yourself, Jardoon. Did you break quarantine for a video?” (opens post, revealing screenshot of Youtube comments under his video) I can’t - I can’t, like, it’s so - it’s so weird.. to me, that every comment is just - who filmed the video - does any other channel get that? It’s bizzare - like I - I feel like other channels just have people film their videos and it’s - the entirety of the comments section isn’t, “who filmed the video,” it’s - it’s about the video content itself. I just - I mean, I don’t know for sure. Maybe that is a thing on other channels. But - also … and also, I do know other people who live in the general LA area. I’m not just completely solo without the ability to reach out to a single person. I know as much as I stay at home and am confined, I do know other people. Weird flex, I know. “Woah, this guy, look at him out here - knows other people? Who exist? Not just on the internet? Oh ho, mister fancy out here dude, okay. He’s got real life acquaintances and all that. Alright, way to flex on us all!” But I - oh my god dude, it’s so weird. And I made this comparison in my stream a couple days ago, that it’s like my mom when she’s asking about plans and what I’m doing, and I’ll be like, “oh, I’m going to such-and-such with friends,” …. she’ll be like “oh, what’s their name?” And I just think - I mean it’s - you’re not gonna meet them. Are you gonna look up their - like are you gonna look their name plus my name online to try to figure out who they are? I’m confused in that regard. It’s just a person who I know. And - and then, anyway, it’s just - you guys are my mom. (laughs) So that’s where we are with this.

[apollos-boyfriend]

ASK! AND I WILL DELIVER YET AGAIN!

okay so my very poorly pieced together hc that sparklzes fam would kidnap ranboo was wrong. HOWEVER. i read the chapter it was very nice i am very pleased with it and the fact that ranboo put an ENTIRE BAG OF FLOUR IN A BLENDER. onwards.

does tubbo just. lick things?? to figure out what they are??? has he ever gotten his tongue frozen to something????

how many buildings has he exploded? does he even keep count??

crumb ink properties!! does it correlate to the color?? is it something she just thinks up and it manifests the way she wants it to? art is really fluid as a medium so if her powers are That Flexible i think thats kinda cool

how does sparklez keep up with both heroism and his kids? though i guess the two go hand in hand. he really cares about them, huh.

anyways! this is non signing off. (keep it up!! aaawoaoauraernanghgs <333)

hey, it's never too late for ranboo to be kidnapped! you never know :]

1. tubbo does, in fact, just lick things to figure out what they are. more specifically, metals and alloys. inspired be geologists and their rock-licking identification methods

2. good question! bold of you to assume he can count that high! jordan can. he's on building 22.

4. it's color coordinated!!! as we saw in chapter two, pink ink is sticky and slows people down. other colors will be explored as we go, but she has a good arsenal under her belt >:3

5. he cares about them SO much. he's very lucky to have the mianite crew, because he's certain he couldn't have done it without them. if there's ever a moment where he can't perform his superhero duties because of his kids, one of the others will step in for him (even tom, even when he needs to be a hero, even when it "ruins" his image). when the kids were younger, it was rare that there was a time where he had to be captain sparklez, but in those instances, one of the crew would step up to babysit

[anothermcytblog]

Jordan didn’t consider himself very unlucky. Sure bad luck has cross his path before- for goodness sake he lives in a world where the two most worshiped Gods are Dianite and Mianite, Evil and Good respectfully, and he got caught up in feuds more often then not- but it wasn’t really anything horrible. For the longest time, at the end of the day, they were all still friends. Tom and Tucker bickered, but it was never anything like this. It was never like this- Tom never called war before and Jordan never had to genuinely pray that Mianite or Ianite help them with what Tucker, Sonya and himself manage to sacrifice to them. 

So, Jordan never considered himself unlucky- but he wasn’t lucky either. Just like his Goddess, he was somewhere in the middle. He didn’t have a lot of diamonds, but that was alright. He didn’t have a lot of resources but he lived fairly comfortably nonetheless. His only real ‘luck’ came to enchanting, although considering Ianites domain being the end, it didn’t surprise him. Ianite may be the Goddess of Balance and Justice, but that doesn’t mean she can’t give little boosts here and there. 

However, looking down at the unconscious boy (At least he assumes it’s a boy, he doesn’t want to be rude- better safe then sorry though) laying against one of the obsidian trees, suit looking worse for ware and body littered in little scars and burns, Jordan can’t help but chuckle to himself a little- at least his luck is better then this strangers. 

Still, although the stranger is taller then him, Jordan hoists them up on his back- noting how light they is, almost worryingly so. Picking up the two books that laid by the stranger, he takes note of one of them being named ‘Do not read’. 

Carrying the stranger all the way home was a bit of a hassle, but he couldn’t just leave them there. Laying the stranger on his bed, curiosity overtakes Jordan and he opens the first page of the ‘Do not read’ book- almost dropping it after he finished the second page as he looks back at the kid. Oh dear, perhaps this stranger really is more unlucky then he is. Your name is ranboo, you don’t remember your exact age but you’re a minor and you’re a traitor to everyone, you can’t trust anyone. Dream ratted you out as a traitor. You currently live with Phil and Techno, they’re okay. You’re half Enderman and half something else.  CHOOSE PEOPLE NOT SIDES. No one trusts you you’re alone again all alone why cant you remember please remember i miss fundy and niki and tommy and tubbo and ghostbur 

[gayforbadboyhalo]

i saw a post of someone asking what's mianite and now a floodgate has opened

Mianite is, and I mean this, a precursor to Dream SMP. We can follow the path that Mianite blazed all the way to the popularity of the Dream SMP.

First off, we need to address Mianite.

Mianite, is a 2 season series with 2 main spin-offs (Trinity Islands and Mianitian Isles) that involves the streamers iijerichii (now known as Jericho), omgitsfirefoxx, Syndicate (SynHD, Syndicate Project, Life of Tom, he has several aliases), CaptainSparklez, and waglington. The focus is on the streamers as they play on a survival world but the twist is, there are 3 dieties and there's roleplaying. The god of Order, Mianite, the god of Chaos, Dianite, and the goddess of Balance, Ianite. Everything the streamers would do was improv based on what their gods were doing. It's difficult to argue that any specific streamer was the "main character" however, season 2 made a strong argument for CaptainSparklez to be a central character.

It's first season happened in 2014 while it's second season happened in 2015. Mianite, in it's popularity, was trending on twitter every single time one of the streamers got a hashtag trending. You would be hard pressed to find a Minecraft streamer who didn't at least know Mianite peripherally.

You would have an even harder time with current streamers because CaptainSparklez has become one of the names synonymous with the golden age of Minecraft. Which leads us to SMPLive.

CallMeCarson started the SMPLive in early 2019. It quickly started to gain popularity and a lot of the new age streamers got their start on SMPLive. During this, CaptainSparklez' song "Revenge" became a popular meme. Sparklez eventually joined the SMP to great delight of his viewers and the participants. Most of the people on the SMP who participated in his first stream on the server knew who he was and was able to make references to multiple old videos of his. The SMP eventually closed in late 2019 but this led the way for the next big SMP.

SMP Earth started late 2019 and ran until the middle of 2020. One of the lead organizers of the SMP was Wilbur Soot, a former member of SMPLive. Many of the SMPLive members joined SMPEarth and many new streamers joined SMPEarth as well.

Since SMP Earth, there has not been any particular large scale attempt to bring as many content creators on to an SMP. There have been smaller, more localized attempts but the most known one is the Dream Team SMP, or Dream SMP for short.

All this said, I can't discount the effect various different Minecraft competitions have also had for content creators as well as the rise in popularity in speedrunning. Minecraft Monday, Minecraft Championships, Twitch Rivals, and more tournaments have had a significant impact on Minecraft content creator's content. However, I am tracing the effects specifically of Mianite on the Dream SMP and so I'm acknowledging but moving past their impact. In addition to this, I am aware that Hermitcraft exists and is a long running, multi-season SMP but it also doesn't have that key trait that I am following.

The Dream SMP is now known for being a server with some roleplaying but a lot of pranks. The key part of what I mentioned previously is the roleplaying. Mianite was well known for its mixture of roleplaying and improv as well as the fact it was just some friends playing Minecraft everyday together. That's partially what made it so popular. Now it's 2020, the new Mianite is Dream SMP. The streamers (who are participating in the roleplay) are actors of their own sort and they are making it up as they go. In the end, they're all still good friends and they are just having fun playing block game.

tl;dr: The things that made Mianite popular are what are making Dream SMP popular as well.

[kiwibirdlafayette]

you heard of the kites and nightingales, kestrels and herons... but little do you know, another faction hides in the caves and unseen crevices of the faction isles...

I've been brainrotting about a Krimson Krakens (+ mianite pirates and Tom because I do what I want) cameo in Pirates SMP, so have some worldbuilding and lore ideas! Of course, all for fun, moreso an AU/Headcanon than anything, not meant to be taken seriously at all :] If it turns into anything more, cool beans, but for now! I'm just vibing

(Made in collaboration with @kaye-memer-kurrentvertz who helped with the Dave, Krinios and Krakens dynamic stuffs :D)

Little prologue and ficlet below the cut; Enjoy!

Meet the Krimson Krakens.

Comprised of mystical and mysterious individuals- some of more human in appearance than others- no one is sure when this faction formed. Unlike the others, it holds no precedence over the many generations of pirates in these Isles, nor is their presence heard of other then in whispers between pirates across the land.

Carrying with them an infamous reputation of a crew like a Kraken; in search of breaking curses, solving the mysteries of the Isles. Who would find their target and take it over like tentacles wrapping around a ship reaching into its deepest corners until they've found what they're looking for, no stone left unturned in their wake.

The crew is headed by the elusive Captain Kara Corvus, adorned by many snakes upon her shoulders, and Captain Jordan Sparklez of draconic origins; the latter said to have begun life in the End, given humanity by a deity and brought into the Overworld as a curse. While they bicker a lot sometimes, they are a powerhouse of a duo who know each other very well, being a force to reckoned with especially while wielding their respective weapons- Kara's ruby-adorned Leviathan Blade and Jordan's unbreakable enchanted prismarine trident with a name in Enderian spoken only once ever by the deity that crafted it

But they by no means hold any sort of superiority over the others, for like Nightingales, they value friendship and comradery over power over one another. By their side is the former Kestrel cyclops Krinios- a man with a keen eye for treasure and an ability to loot a ship in the heat of battle which has been considered unmatched, only having been caught a few times. - and Dave Krtzy, a fighter from a bloodline stretching generations in the Kites who broke it to join the Krakens. A master with any melee weapon he can get his hands on, he's usually the first to jump into battle, and if someone's in danger, his waterman abilities come into play.

However, while these four make up the core of the Krakens they are not alone in their adventures, and have picked up other friends along the way

Joining them are the Dulahann siblings, Katherine "Capsize" and Redbeard (his birth name has been all but forgotten by the others) and family friend Rupert, a skeleton reborn from an island of purple goo who gained sentience thanks to Capsize's mother. The Dine-at-Night is their family's tavern-BnB that was expanded into a base of operations after the trio met Jordan, who one day washed up on the beach with little memory of where he came from- and sort of became his family. While not a Captain in this universe, she still takes up a leadership role of her own right in being rather good with a sword, solving mysteries, collecting evidence and giving the realest advice to both friends and passing bar patrons. Red's a little more loose headed but alongside Rupert is a skilled ship engineer, and the guy to go to if the boat's got a leak or a steering system has gone awry. Not much is known about Rupert besides him being known to be a jack of all trades, a powerful asset to have onboard. He has said to have had said he has a claim to fame in his past life before dying on the taint-covered island, but has yet to share it with anyone..

The most recent member to join them is the undead Tom Syndicate, a blue-haired zombie with an explosive personality and fighting style, who had been known to frequent taverns across the Isle. Having once belonged to a rival independent crew of the Krakens, rumor has it that he betrayed them after years of mistreatment, turning instead to choose to join Cpt. Sparklez out of admiration and perhaps a kind of affection that turned romantic over the years (to the point of claiming to be married to the captain, no one knows for sure how true this is). Despite coming from a very different background than the others, including a lost memory of who he was before he had been zombified he fits in quite well, his willingness to jump into battle like a cannonball flying through the air and explode on enemies without second thought brings a certain chaos to the Krakens that they have accepted wholeheartedly.

While their ship is stored away in a sea cliff hidden behind a waterfall somewhere on the island, the tunnel system leading there from beneath the Dine-at-Night, the Krakens enjoy a relaxing life on land, chilling at their tavern base of operations, or being a living legend amongst the other inhabitants, familiar but unfamiliar faces in the crowd. Some have started to believe that their swashbuckling days are few far between in the lack of comings and goings since the new recruits have arrived, but contrary to that they still have been traversing under cover of night to seek out what darkness could be brewing just around the corner. From the growing amount of purple in Rupert's hair to a sudden glow of the rusted coin around Dave's neck the Krakens have had their suspicions for a while....

-------------------------------------------

"Oi! Ye heard what happened?"

Jordan jolts awake off the bar when the bottom of a mug hits against his shoulder. He glares at the Scottish accented, freckled face that passes him, an eyebrow raised.

"No... Heard what Kat?" He grovels, and sits up a little straighter, turning to check the time. 1am. He rests his hand under his chin, hoping that propping it up would keep him awake for the time being. "It better be important, I was having a nice dream for once in my life."

Capsize rolls her eyes. "I don't think that's all gonna matter all that much one ye hear about what I heard today."

He eyes her cautiously as sets the mug she was drying down on the bar. There were a number of things that she could be alluding to, from their own personal affairs, to Tom causing trouble at the Heron's base to something as drastic as their ship had been stolen, or worse burnt to the ground. He hoped it wasn't the last one, but even if it was, he and Kara had a contingency plan.

He murmurs. "I mean maybe... what'd you hear?"

She sits down on a stool across from him, folding her hands together. "The Factioning was a few days ago, right?" She waits for him to nod in response, ensuring that she had the dragon's full attention. "Turns out, that's not the only thing that happened that day. Something calls them out to the Isle to the north, spoken through the recruitment officer."

"The fox man? He told them to go?"

"From the looks of it, yeah." She fiddled with her bracelet, the clacking of the beads breaking through the ambient sound of distant ocean waves and the crackle of torchlight. "I mean, I wasn't there so what would I know. for sure, but they listened."

Jordan shrugs. "I mean PK's a trustworthy guy, I'd probably go if he told me to."

"Yeah, well you'd trust Tom if he told you to walk the plank, I'm not surprised." Despite her little quip, Capsize's face becomes more serious solemn in expression and her voice lowers. "I don't think they were meant to because turns out, twenty-four of them went over there, two of them didn't come back. Kestrels and Kites apparently both lost a member of their faction."

"... Like they stayed? Why would anyone wanna hang out at the wasteland, there's nothing there but-"

"Jordan. They died."

A gust of wind howls outside through the barely cracked windows, the flame within the lantern beside her flickering briefly twice.

The wings on the captain's back droop slowly downward as he lowers his hand onto the bar crouching over ever so slightly. "Died? From what, the island?"

"I don't know, but from what it sounds like. Yeah." She gulps. "One get taken away on a boat.. of sorts? The other follows and lands onto the island probably to chase after their friend, and never comes back."

Jordan feels his heart drop further down into his chest. He finds himself fidgeting with the rings on his fingers, already a million possibilities running through his head "Did they get a look at who took the first one away, at least? So there's somewhere to start?"

"All that I was told is that they were dressed in robes. Could've been a cult, bandits in disguise, ghosts for all I know- Not much to go off of." She solemnly runs her hand through her hair, reaching to untie her bandana allowing her bangs to fall into her face. "It's a feckin' shame really... after all these years. I didn't think anything of that damn accursed land would ever come back. Because here I thought they'd be able to recover properly this time, not let whatever still lingers take back over."

A glaze falls over Jordan's expression. Memories of dried violet entrails wrapping around buildings, skeletons not unlike in appearance to Rupert buried in the masses of warped wood and sunken docks. Wind howled over the tops of the valleys and mountains carved out, through temples that had been thought to be abandoned for centuries. The time he, Kara, Red and Dave travelled there in search of another medallion there was a certain eerie silence, the sign of a land that no longer had any visible, breathing life to it, but remained haunted by all that came before, and all that was yet to come.

Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together. "That means… the island's alive again?"

Capsize nodded. "Aye. The island is alive again."

[syn4k]

What's Mianite?

Mianite was a Minecraft roleplay series started in 2014 by Tom Syndicate and Tucker II_JERIICHO_II! It had two seasons, the second of which started late in 2015 and ended in 2016, and one spinoff series called Mianitian Isles that started in pandemic-era 2020 and ended sometime in 2022 IIRC. It also featured Jordan CaptainSparklez (yep, that CaptainSparklez) and Sonja OMGItsFirefoxx.

The premise of Mianite is that there are three gods: Mianite, god of order, after whom the series is named after, Dianite, god of chaos, and Ianite, goddess of balance. Each god has a champion (or champions), a player who carries out their will on Earth. A main point of tension present in all three series was that the champions were often caught between the bonds they had with each other and their loyalty to their gods, which made for some really damn good moments in all three series.

If that sounds interesting to you, good news, you can totally jump into this blind! I recommend starting with Jordan CaptainSparklez' POV first, since he's a central figure in s1 and involved in basically all the main plot points in s2. He also edited down his livestreams (the entire series was streamed live on Twitch) into shorter episodes with only the relevant clips sticking around. You can find his s1 playlist here, his s2 playlist here, and his Isles playlist here.

Fair warning: Seasons 1 and 2 but especially 1 are very much products of the time they were made in, and while they're pretty chill, some of the jokes and references made come off as dated and off-color today. The R slur is also dropped a total of like, four times over the span of the two seasons but I thought I'd point it out anyways jic. Season 2 also handles themes of abuse, torture, and is just in general a Little Bit (very) Strange.

is it worth watching it? i don't know. i don't know you. however if you can handle the format and the longevity of it (jordan's s1 and s2 povs combined are 200 episodes long), it tells a pretty damn compelling story about how uhhh [checks notes] divinity is found in the most human of places, how morality is farther from black and white than anything you could possibly imagine, and how and why it's important to pay attention to the way people present information and what motives they may have behind not only how they share it but behind why they might share it at all. it's also a testament to how humans will always find ways to stay silly no matter how serious things get around them. and last but certainly not least mianite is the forerunner of queercoded as FUCK characters interactions etc its just So Very, in more ways than one, All The Time.

but also ive had a raging hyperfixation on it for the past several months so who knows if any of that is accurate lol

good luck and have fun, anon :]

[coolcattime]

The Price of Loyalty [Mianite Oneshot]

Relationships: Tom Syndicate & Captain Capsize

Characters: Tom Syndicate, Lord Dianite, Captain Capsize

As often happens, Tom is doing a job for the criminal lord he calls a boss. Digging a shallow grave in the middle of the night isn’t the worst thing he’s ever been asked to do, but there’s a certain nervousness he can’t shake off tonight. His gut feelings turn out to be vindicated in the worst possible way when it’s revealed to stay loyal to Dianite he’ll need to leave his friend to an unimaginable fate.

AO3 Link

Tom tried to ignore the lingering unnerving atmosphere as he continued digging. His shovel pushing through the dirt was the clearest noise hitting his ears, and the only noise aside from the idling truck a few feet away and the occasional disconcerting thump from whatever object was in the covered bed. There was a lantern at his feet, allowing him to see his progress on the task set for him. Anyone who happened to see the scene would almost certainly set off running, hoping to whatever gods that were listening that they had not been seen. Here Tom was, an hour’s drive outside the city, digging a shallow grave in the middle of the night. The only reassurance he had for his own thoughts on the task being that he knew it was not for him.

He had certainly done worse things in his work for Dianite. The man was the head of a criminal syndicate and had long ago taken Tom on as an apprentice of sorts. It was a fact he was more than appreciative for. He had been in a terrible state when he had originally been found by the man. He was almost certain that death would’ve taken him had he not been taken in – housed, fed, and trained. And yes, he was in a life of crime, but that was far better than death and now he was making his own living. He could’ve only dreamt of that before. If the price of that was committing crimes for Dianite, who was he to question? He owed the man his life, he could do things he found questionable. However, tonight there was a certain level of nerves that he just couldn't shake.

“Are you nearly done over there?” Dianite called over as he climbed out the truck. He was only half illuminated by the torch he was carrying. The shadows over half his form made him look more intimidating than usual, his eyes seeming to almost gleam in the darkness. It was odd for the man to come and observe whatever he wanted Tom to do. Clearly whatever was being buried was important to him. Somehow that made the thumps from the object all the more unsettling, but Tom knew better than to ask questions. He might’ve only been asked to dig the grave but if he questioned his benefactor when he was in a mood like this, he might end up in it.

“Yep! Should be deep enough,” He called over, attempting to keep up a facade of his usual attitude. He wasn’t nervous. There was no reason to be. He just had to bury whatever the hell Dianite wanted buried, and he’d be back in his bed in no time. The crime lord walked over to the hole, peering into it for a good few moments. Tom stood by with a lump in his throat that he tried to reassure himself was just from not wanting to disappoint the man, and not because in the quiet he hears another thump from the truck bed. He just didn’t want to dig for another hour, that was all. Finally, Dianite looked up.

“It’ll do. Help me with the box,” He said, turning without expression. Tom stuck the shovel into the dirt, quickly following after the man. Dianite put his lantern on the vehicle’s roof as he pulled the sheet from the back. A cold chill ran through Tom’s body as box was certainly the wrong word for the object. It was a coffin, plain and simple. A wooden coffin held shut with a glowing padlock. Perhaps he should’ve expected as much. He had been digging a grave, what object would go in there but a coffin? However, there was only one conclusion to come to from thumping coming from within a coffin. Tom found himself frozen, until Dianite slapped him on the back. “Go on, you know what to do.”

Scared of what his voice would sound like if he spoke, Tom merely scrambled up to the back of the truck as was expected of him. He took a hold of the furthest side, trying to ignore how the weight seemed to be shifting inside of it as Dianite helped him lift it and they carried it towards the grave. He’d been asked to bury things in the middle of the night before, to make sure that certain pieces of evidence would never come to light. Hell, he was sure that he had buried a body, but this felt completely different. Whoever was in here was so obviously alive and struggling. If Dianite weren’t so steady, Tom was absolutely sure he would’ve dropped the coffin with the amount they were struggling and trying to escape. He knew the job, knew that as they placed it by the hole he was meant to go back to the truck and get the ropes to tie to the coffin so they could lower it down. However, he couldn’t keep himself from asking a few questions.

“Sir, did you find a traitor? Is that who’s in there?” He couldn’t think of anything else. He could understand if it was a traitor. You needed to make an example of such a thing. Dianite chuckled, a smile growing on his face. Tom had no idea if that was a good or a bad thing.

“I forgot that I hadn’t told you yet. Here, I’ll show you the prize I got a hold of before we bury it,” He pulled a key from his pocket, glowing as the padlock was. As he knelt to unlock the coffin, Tom felt his heart thumping. The way he was talking, it wasn’t a traitor. He wanted to look away, knew that he did not want to see whoever was in there. However, he obviously couldn’t draw his eyes away.

The moment he laid eyes on the person in the coffin, he felt his entire body go completely rigid. They weren’t a traitor. They weren’t even a member of Dianite’s organisation. Tom knew both of those facts for certain, because he recognised her. He struggled to keep his face neutral as he found himself staring at Capsize, gagged and her wrists and ankles bound. She was struggling as best she could, this clearly having been the cause of thumps that he had been hearing. She shrank away from Dianite, looking around rapidly, but she froze upon seeing Tom. She stared at him with wide eyes and tried to say something that was transformed into quiet whines. He wanted to say something back, but he knew he couldn’t in front of Dianite. He had been about to bury his friend alive.

“I believe you’ve met my sister’s fiancée,” Dianite said, instantly letting Tom know what he had meant by prize. He didn’t want to believe it, that this was being done just to get one over on Dianite’s sister, but Tom absolutely knew that the man was that petty. It seemed basically every task Tom was given was meant to somehow harm one of his siblings or their businesses. The tasks were always easy enough. Even if they made his friends mad at him, he was always happy to do them and please Dianite. Capsize, however, she didn’t really get mad at him. It was odd, by all logic they should hate each other, but they didn’t. They had fun, they were chaotic together in the best possible way. She had gone missing two weeks ago. He’d been helping look for her, because she was his friend, because he hated the idea of her being hurt. She must’ve been in Dianite’s manor the whole time. So close and he hadn’t noticed. “Furia managed to grab her. I had been trying to be a good host, but she just wouldn’t shut up. So, I thought if she didn’t want to stay with me, she could have her own private space.”

“Sir, not to question, why exactly are we doing this?” Tom made sure to ask his question cautiously, knowing he couldn’t appear to be going soft. He felt Dianite’s gaze on him, the man waiting for him to continue. He smiled, looking at him as if this situation was any other job, as if his friend wasn’t staring at him with terrified eyes that he’d never seen from her before. “Shouldn’t we be ransoming her off? I mean, she’s Ianite’s fiancée. You could get a fortune off her.”

“That’s precisely what I’m doing, my boy. I’ve sent my sister my demands, it’s hardly my fault that she chose to ignore them. Seems that she cares about Sparklez more than she cares about you,” Dianite knelt down again to deliver the last sentence, eyes boring into Capsize as his tone turned mocking. Tom watched with a growing lump in his throat as a few tears ran down her cheeks. Was it true? Did Ianite know that Dianite had taken her and not tell him? He could’ve helped her. He could’ve stopped this. Instead, he was stuck here watching as Dianite lent closer to Capsize who couldn’t get away no matter how she tried. “I made it very clear to her, you know. I told her straight that you’d be returned safe and sound if she just gave me Sparklez. She’s the one that refused. Don’t worry though, she’s still got time. This coffin has a statis enchantment. As long as you’re locked in there, you’ll remain alive and in your current condition. There’s all the time in the world for your fiancée to realise she wants you back. I’m sure she won’t leave you here forever.”

Capsize sobs. It’s the only response she could possibly have. She’d been struggling for so long that she knew it was futile. She was going to be buried alive. She was probably going to be stuck alive for the rest of time because there was no way that Ianite was ever going to give her brother Jordan. That fact wasn’t one she would be angry at if she wasn’t so terrified, but she was facing a fate worse than death and she wished she could hand Jordan over herself. Even in the darkness, she could see the entertainment on Dianite’s face at her fear. What she didn’t see, and neither did Dianite, was Tom’s movements.

He was so quiet. He could barely be heard despite the quiet of the night. Despite this, he barely thought before he moved. It was instinct. It was the only thing he could think to do to stop something beyond horrible from happening to his friend. It was an action he both regretted and didn’t. Tom pulled the shovel from the dirt and swung it into the back of Dianite’s head.

The crime lord collapsed on top of Capsize. She flinched in fright, before quickly struggling under the weight. Neither Capsize nor Tom fully believed what had just happened. This situation was always going to end with Tom doing something he would regret; a decision bore out of loyalty. However, not a soul would’ve believed he would’ve betrayed his boss, the man that took him in and raised to where he was, for his loyalty to his friend. Not Dianite, who certainly wouldn’t have turned his back on the other if he suspected betrayal. Not Capsize, and certainly not Tom. Tom believed his actions so little that he stood completely frozen, grip still on the shovel as he tried to process what the hell he had just done. Then the moment passed, and he rushed to help Capsize.

“I’m sorry. Oh gods, I’m sorry, Cap,” He said as he finally pushed himself into moving. He haphazardly pushed Dianite off her, his body landing with a soft thump in the grave. Tom was beyond happy that he always brought a knife with him as he saw how tight the ropes were. But she was shaking. He was so scared he was going to hurt her. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m gonna cut you loose. So just stay still, okay. We’re gonna get out of here, you’re gonna be okay.”

Capsize couldn’t do anything but give a shaky nod. She trusted Tom. Right now, she trusted him more than she trusted anyone in the world. So, somehow, she managed to hold herself still as he brought the knife under the rough gag and sliced through it. As soon as it was away, she coughed and choked. She felt disgusting. She wanted to sit in a shower for days to wash away the disgust she felt. She wanted to completely be away from her own body. But she couldn’t do either of those things. So instead, as Tom began to cut the ropes from her limbs, she just sobbed.

“I thought-- I thought I was gonna,” She could barely form sentences as every moment from the past two weeks hit her at once. From the moment Furia had grabbed her, she had been terrified, but she had tried to push it down. She had done everything she could think of to try to escape, every method proving fruitless. She had tried screaming, even as she’d been threatened by Dianite and Furia to shut up, because she knew there was the chance that Tom would hear her. She’d believed that someone would find her. She’d believed that Ianite would do anything to rescue her. And though she had been saved, suddenly she was realising that maybe she just wasn’t actually okay. Her brain wanted to be away from it all. So desperately that she asked the last question that Tom expected to hear from her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course I am. You don’t need to be worried about me,” His tone wasn’t convincing. Obviously, it wasn’t, he wasn’t okay. He had no idea what he was meant to do. He’d nearly buried his friend alive. He’d killed Dianite. There was no possible way he was okay, but he absolutely did not want Capsize focusing any concern on him. It wouldn’t be fair. She was the one right now that should get to be not okay.

Soon enough, Tom would cut through the ropes and pull Capsize up from the coffin. She ended up leaning on his shoulder as they walked over to the truck. Neither was okay, they wouldn’t be for quite a while. Neither wanted to go home. Tom couldn’t face Dianite’s empty manor house knowing the man was lying face down in the dirt. Capsize didn’t want to face Ianite or Jordan, which she would inevitably have to do the moment she went home. They sat in the idle truck for quite a while, as if the solution would come to either one of them. Eventually, Capsize spoke.

“Do you wanna get a drink?”

“Yeah, I think a drink sounds great.”

Tom started the truck. They drove back towards the city, uncertain of what would come tomorrow. Tonight though, a drink shared by the two friends sounded better than anything.

[wildcardjoey]

also for shelter au, what are the characters different opinions on their deities( is that the right word) and each other? Does it differ a lot now that they’re in a new world or are they the same.

Since, while they are in a different world, the Mianite and Ianite focused on in this au are the same two from the world Mianite, Tucker has the same opinion of Mianite as he did s1, Sanja's has slightly shifted, she no longer actively follows a god, but she sees him the same as a person as she always has. In a similar vein, Sparklez remains as devoted to Ianite as he has always had. Tom still hates Mianite but, as he now serves Ruxomar's Dianite, he no longer hates Ianite. Devisor Gains follows Mianite but works for Dianite. The two fill the role of a better god and employer than Ruxomar's Mianite ever was. Waglington is in a loving relationship with Martha and Andor doesn't have any followers yet, but as a god of journeys in all it's meanings and forms, he's sure to get people who start taking him as a patron soon.

As for 'of each other,' the group hasn't ever been closer. They shared being hunted by World Historian across the void for so long, the feelings of loss and betrayal when their screen selves cut their connections and never returned, having to work as a single unit with their limited resources to keep everyone alive in the most hostile environment imaginable. Tucker alone has about a million different complexes developed from having to manage the groups' effectively single witchcraft-connected health bar. having let it drop to half a heart once, nearly getting them all killed. The group has become a series of pillars structured so that nothing could possibly hope to knock the whole structure down, but if one were to instead focus on a single pillar, the entire thing would collapse.

Back on Tom, he does hate S1 Dianite. He hates him more than Mianite. He will not disobey his orders because it will bring about the chaos that he follows. However, if any of those orders put his freinds, his family in danger, he will not hesitate to take that power back.

That’s something he really doesn’t want to do. He’s not fit to lead a place as large as a dimension. Ruling goes against everything he stands for. Taking Dianite’s power back sets him down that road and eternity is a long ass time. No matter how much he’d try to avoid it, a war declared on him here, a failed inquisition there, being forced to step in against a tyrant violating human rights over there, if he came into power there, he’d end up ruling it all eventually. 

He knows he’ll want to settle eventually. Maybe a lead designer or building prototypes for Ruxomar Dianite. Maybe a retirement living off the same treasure hoard he’ll be buried with, a blessing to any treasure hunters that come after him. Maybe a quiet smithy where he’ll forge weapons for future heroes. But immortality, ruling a dimension, he can’t see that. He refuses to out live his the others, to risk forgetting them in some unforeseen age to come.

As for the alternates, they all have favorable opinions of Spark and Spark of them, although Mot and Jeriah despise each other and Alyssa didn’t really have the best opinion of Jeriah either, although having spent a few years adventuring with him has eased that quite a bit. Their relations with their counterparts are mostly that of mentors although that’s begrudging for Jericho and Jeriah. The situation is flipped for Sanja and Alyssa.

[anigodd]

The Deal

Here it is, the crossover I said I would do like 3 weeks ago. Sorry about that. anyway, first and foremost, I’m a Captainsparklez stan, so he is the main character. Also, if you don’t know anything about Mianite, this aint for you, sorry. 

Let’s get started! It’s super long, but enjoy!

Summary:

Jordan would not consider himself a cruel man, but when he saw that children, especially Tubbo, were being forced to fight in a war? Well, if he made a seemingly harmless deal with JSchlatt in order to...persuade him to end the war, then that was his own decision to justify. After all, what was a war without a little bit of psychological torture?

Most of the time, people forget that Jordan, better known as Captainsparklez or just The Captain, was old. I don’t mean in his 40s or 50s, I mean thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of years old. He’s fought for balance for as long as his lady had accepted him as her Champion millennia ago. Most don’t know simply because they don’t ask.

Most of the time, people forget that he is not entirely human. He’s immortal—it come with the job description—and has spent so much time in the End that it was bound to affect him eventually. His Lady, ever the one to always worry about him, changed him ever so slightly so that he was not susceptible to most human weaknesses: he didn’t need to sleep as much, better stamina, strength, etc. He complained that she did not have to do that, to save her power for something more important than him, but she stared him straight in his eyes and said with such conviction and with such sadness in her eyes that he was stunned,

“You are the most important thing to me, Jordan. Please, never forget that.”

He never did.

Most of the time, people forget that Jordan was dangerous. You don’t remain the Champion of the Goddess of Balance without having a few perks, nor do you simply kill a god and not absorb some of their power. In his dreams, he could see snippets of the future, not like his Lady, but just enough to influence his actions in wars or in everyday life to help maintain balance. Jordan could feel a deep ache in his soul when balance was disrupted. He can travel to and fro from the end without the need for a portal—he teleported like an enderman (he wouldn’t stop scaring Tom with this new-found power for days). He knew how to use a bit of magic, some was taught to him by the Ianite in Ruxomar. Just simple spells, such as small barriers or being able to communicate with endermen. He really had to hone his magic at some point. What was most interesting was his control over some of the Darkness’ domain. He never figured that he gained a little bit of something from killing World Historian all those years ago, he just thought he was mentally prepared for the next years to come.

Turns out he was wrong again.

The Darkness, before their final battle, had brought this to his attention. The deity would always poke into his head and whisper to him, but Jordan would push him out of his head when it got too much for him. After a few times, the Darkness said that Jordan had more power over his mind than he thought. The deity’s voice sounded intrigued by this development and soon worked harder to get Jordan on his side to no avail. However, what the Darkness said lingered in the back of his mind until one day, after the war, his Lady brought it up.

They were quietly sitting in her temple in the End when she spoke.

“Captain, I don’t want to pry, but I know that you’ve been thinking about what the Darkness told you and, if you wanted, I could help you control it?” She hesitantly offered. Jordan froze.

The Darkness told him a lot of things. He promised him weapons of infinite power, nights of peaceful rest, a break from the voices in his mind—a break from fighting. He promised him a peaceful life if he joined him. The Captain composed himself but stopped.

‘Control what?’ he thought. Now he was confused. It must have shown on his face because a smile blossomed on Ianite’s face.

“I wanted to teach you how to control your mind. The Darkness noticed you were able to block him from your mind. That does not come from years of experience, Captain. It’s more of a gift...or perhaps a curse. This power is why, when I was being influenced, I was unable to communicate with you,” she explained.

“Unable to talk to me? Why? I never intentionally pushed you away,” Jordan questioned. He would never ignore his Lady, even if she wasn’t really herself.

She chuckled. “I know you wouldn’t, Jordan. Thank you for that. What I mean is that you subconsciously blocked out all influences if the Darkness, including me.”

She watched as his eyes widened, but he nodded slowly in understanding. He waited for her to continue before he asked his questions; she could feel his curiosity.

“I could either help you control and develop this power, or you could leave it as a sort of unconscious barrier for your mind. There are many aspects that come with this gift, not just protection for yourself. If you wish, we could start immediately?” Ianite inquired.

She hoped he accepted. The Captain was like a son to her and it would mean the world to Ianite if she could finally teach him something as a mother would teach her son to ride a bike. She wanted to see him grow into his power and watch with pride as he mastered magic. Yes, she hoped he would accept.

Ianite watched as he thought about it. He stared at her. She could see his burning curiosity and the look of hope on her face. The truth was, the Captain craved knowledge more than power. He wanted to know anything and everything that he could, and this was something he wanted to learn. It may come in handy in the future.

He nodded. “When do you want to start, M’lady?” he asked with a smile.

She grinned. “We can start immediately.”

Oh, she couldn’t wait to see what he would become. No matter what, she would be proud.

—————— Nobody knew the extent of Jordan’s power or what he was trained to do. Rumors spread of the great hero who learned how to harness old magic from the teachings of the Goddess herself. Others say he went mad with power and tormented her with visions of destruction. Some say he does not look human anymore. Some say he guards her temple in the End and is still loyal to her thousands of years later. Others say he got to live his life in peace after training.

Some of those rumors are true. After all, all myths come from a seed of truth. Nowadays, though, The Captain does live in relative peace. He gets to participate in tournaments, such as the newest one called Minecraft Championship, where he really just plays for fun. He never got to make friends or have fun for his years under the gods, but the Universe has calmed down and his Lady wanted to see him have fun and socialize.

Most of them recognized him or had heard of him. He was always so uncomfortable with attention or praise but thankfully—THANKFULLY—their starry-eyed looks stopped after a while. Unless, of course, he said something that they recognized as one of his catchphrases all hell broke loose but...well...it was pretty funny to watch them yell and laugh good-naturedly when he said something like that.

Some asked him a million questions about his life or his adventures, especially this...child? His name was Tubbo and, apparently, Jordan was his role-model. He was flattered and a bit flustered. Most people that came up to him were older than 16 and usually asked about his fighting tactics or the wars he fought in. But this kid asked about none of those. Tubbo was the nicest kid he had ever met and tried to give him the best answers that he could, even if the were a little vague at some points—he didn’t want to scar the boy.

Tubbo didn’t seem to care. He always stared at him with the most excited smile and genuinely interested expression that he nearly cries thinking about it. Only a few people look at him so kindly it hurts. Tubbo is always bursting with questions and the Captain is always happy to answer. It became a thing for Tubbo to follow him around, prompting Jordan to call him ‘duckling’ in his mind.

He has started to become a bit worried about Tubbo and his loud friend, Tommy, though. The two are usually so boisterous and loud that it was hard to miss them. Nowadays, when he sees them, the two teens are more subdued and they look....exhausted. He’s seen that look. He knows they are fighting a war they cannot win.

Jordan knows he has to put an end to the fighting. If not for Tubbo, then for his own peace of mind. He finds Jschlatt on his own private server and strikes a sort of a deal with the man.

His smile is ice and his eyes are as dark as the Void when they shake hands. Purple tendrils and sparks emerge from their handshake, giving Jordan access to Jschlatt’s every move. The magic let Schlatt know that there was no backing out of this deal.

Their souls were intertwined until the deal was done. —————— Nobody knew that Jordan was a deal maker. Not that he did it much in the first place—there wasn’t anything that he wanted from others and he hated exercising his power over others.

This time, however, was an exception.

He knew what Schlatt had done to Tubbo and the others on Dream’s SMP. He knew that they were hurting. He hated seeing families torn apart and children being forced to grow up and fight. They should’ve had a childhood. They shouldn’t have to be forced into a war, and for what? Power? Glory? Honor? No honorable soldier would endorse using children to fight. No honorable leader or nation would do so either.

He noticed the shadows on the walls growing and harmful magic beginning to swarm around him.

Jordan heaved a sigh. He had to calm down before he did anything he would regret. He looked back at Schlatt from where he was hidden in the shadows. The hybrid was sat at his desk in the White House, languidly drinking from a glass as if there was no war going on; as if he isn’t responsible for the suffering going on in his lands.

He gave Schlatt two weeks to fulfill his end of the deal before Jordan fulfilled his end, but it doesn’t seem like Schlatt was even slightly worried about their agreement.

The Captain watched as he filled out paperwork and discarded peace treaties or ideas for that may improve Manburg. The lack of care for his nation made Jordan’s blood boil.

How careless.

How cruel.

How sickening. —————

Most know that Jordan, at his core, is kind-hearted and humble. He would never attack without a reason, but even before then, he would try to negotiate. It’s why he has been the Champion of Balance for so long: it’s in his nature.

That being said, Jordan is not a cruel or sadistic man. But to him, this deal was important to him. It would bring peace and protection to those in Dream’s land. They have been fighting for too long and are beginning to lose themselves. It had to be stopped.

As another few days went by, and soon, with 5 days left for Schlatt to fulfill his end of the deal, Jordan knew he had to give a bit of an....incentive to Schlatt.

He smiled. While he hated using his powers over the mind, now looked like a good time for some practice. The Captain waited until Schlatt was asleep to enter his mind. Since their souls were intertwined because of the deal, his plan was much simpler. His eyes glowed a deep purple.

After all, what was a little bit of psychological torture on one person if it benefitted the masses?

The Captain left the man to sleep. He had a feeling he’s be hearing from Schlatt in the next few days. And maybe, if Schlatt heard clocks ticking a bit louder than normal and seemed to echo in his mind, well, that was for Jordan to know, wasn’t it? ————————

Schlatt woke up with a killer headache and an unsettling feeling. The hairs on the back if his neck stood up and his shoulders tensed. Was he being watched? He looked around his room with a steady gaze. The room was quiet save for the birds outside and his clock. Had it always been that loud?

No matter. He couldn’t see anyone but that didn’t mean he was safe. Maybe he should have Tubbo stay by his side for the day until his paranoia passed?

Something caught his eye. He could have sworn he saw the shadows grow in his room after that thought. He shrugged to himself. He definitely needed more sleep if he was starting to see shadow demons.

Ha.

He took a deep breath and began to get ready for the day. He had paperwork to do and meetings to plan. If Manburg were to be under his rule, there had to be a few new....rules put into place.

‘Yes,’ he smiled. ‘New regulations wouldn’t hurt anybody.’

He walked down the hallways of the White House quicker than he usually does. Why does he feel like someone was watching him? Was Pogtopia planning an attack? The thought made him snort.

‘Right, like they could plan a decent attack,’ he thought.

When he looked outside to where the seats in front of the podium were located, he didn’t see a nice grassy field with a peaceful waterfall. Instead, he saw ashes falling from the sky like snow, a red haze filling the air, and fires burning with. The birds chirping distorted into echoed screams of agony. The podium was blown to bits and Tubbo...oh god....—

He blinked and the scenery reverted to normal.

“Sir?” a small voice asked from behind him.

Schlatt jumped and tried to control his breathing. When did he begin to hyperventilate? Why was he shaking?

He stared into the concerned and slightly wary eyes of Tubbo. Jesus, the kid was quiet.

He let out a breath and put his hand on his chest.

“Christ, Tubbo, you’re gonna give this old man a heart attack one day,” he tried to joke.

Tubbo cracked a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Are you alright, Schlatt? You were staring out at the lawn like someone died.” Tubbo said.

Schlatt froze. He did see someone dead. But it wasn’t a memory, what was it?

He looked at Tubbo and put his hand on the kid’s shoulder. Geez, he was just a kid, wasn’t he.

“Whatever happens, Tubbo, just know that it’s not your fault,” is all he said before walking into his office and closing the door. Tubbo was so confused, but Schlatt has done weirder and so he let it go. He wanted to see Tommy.

The clock in Schlatt’s office echoed in his mind as he worked. ——————

The one thing that Jordan hated was being mistaken for a kind-hearted fool.

He watched as Schlatt worked for another 3 days while enduring the visions of what may become of Manburg.

He watched as Schlatt ignored the shadows on the walls and the ticking of his clock.

He watched as Schlatt jumped in his seat when the whispers of the End began to echo in his ears.

He watched as Schlatt could not sleep for the rest of the 5 days.

He watched as the man slowly broke down. The visions kept him awake, the clocks were too loud, the whispers were in a language he couldn’t understand and the feeling of being watched drove him to the brink of insanity.

The others began to notice his quickly deteriorating health.

Schlatt had dark bags under his eyes that nearly looked like bruises. He was constantly looking over his shoulder and nearly broke all of the clocks in the White House. While talking to someone, his eyes always darted to the corners of the rooms. Most worryingly, he would just stare at something that looked normal, say an open field, and nearly put himself into a panic attack. The residents may not like him but they hated seeing anyone reduced to shambles. They tried to help him but all they get is incoherent mumbles or snippets of what may be Schlatt’s imagination.

Whatever it was, it had to stop.

The first time Wilbur heard of Schlatt’s health, he laughed. He laughed so hard he cried and couldn’t breath for at least 5 minutes. Tommy and Tubbo joined in, though their laughter was much weaker. The times after hearing about it, though, something changed in Wilbur. He could see how it was scaring Tubbo and at the rare times Niki visited, she expressed her genuine concerns over Schlatt.

“We may not like him too much, Wilbur, but you haven’t seen him. The poor man looks like he’s gonna run himself to his grave. We’re all worried about him,” is what she said to him when he asked why they were so concerned about him.

Wilbur wanted to see how Schlatt was fairing. Techno didn’t seem to care too much but he seemed interested in what happened to Schlatt.

“I’ll go along only because I wanna see what he looks like when he walks,” was Techno’s justification to visiting the White House. Okay then, Techno.

Tommy was coming along as well. He was practically dying from curiosity, but he also wanted to see Tubbo. Wilbur didn’t question his logic either.

However, they didn’t have to sneak into Manburg like they had planned to. They received an invitation to an SMP meeting in the community center in 3 hours. Everyone on the server had to attend, including Dream. This surprised Wilbur as he held the letter in his hands. Why would Dream have to attend if Schlatt was calling this meeting?

“Kinda sus of him, not gonna lie,” Techno said from behind him.

Wilbur hummed and turned around.

“Do you think we should go?”

Techno looked at him, practically expressionless. Wilbur stared back--- he was used to waiting for an answer.

“Tommy will complain for days if we don’t go, so yeah, we’re going,” is what Techno said eventually.

Wilbur sighed and crumpled the letter. He looked back at Techno, who was starting to head to the entrance of their ravine.

“Can you wait for Tommy and I before you go off and commit war crimes?” He joked.

Techno stopped.

“BruuUhhhH.”

Wilbur just laughed and went to fetch the blond gremlin from his room.

He just hoped this meeting didn’t go to shit. ———————— Schlatt felt like shit. He didn’t know what was happening to him or why but he just wanted it to stop.

Every corner he turned there was some depiction of an explosion or a massacre in that area. Quiet rooms were too loud with the whispers and the clocks. He kept the lights on at all times.

What was breaking him down the most was the constant feeling of being watched. Even with multiple people in the room, it was like a predator was watching its prey from afar. Waiting to pounce. He was at his wits end, but finally, hours before he called the SMP meeting, he got answers.

He was trying to do paperwork but was really just staring at the same paragraph for an hour. His mind was muddled and he couldn’t form a coherent thought.

He was so tired but every time he closed his eyes, it was another scene of death and destruction. He hands shook so badly that he had to put his pen down and place his head in his hands.

“You seem to be struggling, Schlatt,” a voice said from behind him. That feeling of being watched increased tenfold, causing Schlatt to tense and look behind him.

The Captain was standing in the corner of the room. The shadows obscured most of his figure but he could see his eyes—what happened to his eyes?—and his unnerving smile.

Schlatt tired to summon some of his dignity.

“Captain! Long time, no see. How’ve you been?”

Jordan’s expression didn’t change, but the room darkened a bit. Schlatt noticed.

“Have you been doing that? It’s been driving me nuts!” he angrily exclaimed.

Jordan cocked his head to the side.

“Have you forgotten about our deal, Schlatt?” Is all he asked. Why was his voice suddenly deeper? It rumbled in his ears and was vaguely threatening. His heart rate picked up and he had a feeling that Jordan was not just some guy he made a deal with.

He steeled his nerves. There is no way that Jordan is anything but human. He looked towards the Captain who was impossibly still with his creepy smile.

“No, I didn’t forget about it. I just....had better things to do,” was his defense. That apparently was the wrong answer.

Jordan was suddenly right in front of him, smile gone and eyes staring straight into him. Schlatt’s instincts immediately screamed ‘danger!’ and ‘run!’ but something was keeping him in place. He felt his heart pounding in his chest but he still couldn't move away. Purple eyes bored into his own. 

Jordan placed a deceptively gentle hand on his cheek.

“I don’t like being mistaken for a fool, Schlatt. We made this deal to benefit both of us, yet you exploit my charity,” he patronized. The power radiating from those words nearly had Schlatt tumbling to his knees but he stood firm.

“I’ll give you 24 hours, but,” his hand suddenly gripped his face tightly and forced Schlatt to look at him. What he saw terrified him.

“If you continue to fail to uphold your end of the deal, then, well,” he released his hold on Schlatt, “I hope you’ll be able to get used to the way your currently living,” he threatened. The Captain straightened and gave him yet another unnerving smile.

Out of nowhere, he summoned an intricate clock and began to wind it. It was a beautiful black with purple and gold accents. The outer design of the clock resembled...scales? At the center, there was an ender eye. The numbers weren’t exactly numbers but looked like writing one would find in an enchantment table. How in the hell did Jordan get a clock like this?

He finished winding the clock and Schlatt thought he was going to place it down on his desk. He was wrong once again. A deep purple aura surrounded the clock and it disappeared with a burst of particles. Unfortunately, he could still hear it ticking next to his ear.

“This should remind you of the limited time that you have,” he began to back away before he stopped and turned around with a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’m not a cruel man, JSchlatt. But I do believe in an eye for an eye. I hope you make the right decision,” he said, and he was gone in a flash of purple.

Schlatt shakily sat down—when had he stood up?—and began to draft a peace treaty for Manburg. The writing was shaky and nearly illegible, but it would have to do. Then, he called a meeting for all of SMP to attend.

He sat for 3 hours listening to the incessant ticking. It was becoming more and more distorted in his mind as the hours ticked by. ——————— Once everyone was seated at a round table in the community house, they all looked towards Schlatt for an explanation.

The atmosphere was tense, mainly from Wilbur and Tommy, while the rest tried to sit as comfortably as they could. Dream was practically lounging in his chair.

“So, Schlatt,” Wilbur practically spat his name, “what did you call this oh so important meeting for?” he asked and crossed his arms.

It was his first time seeing Schlatt since his exile and he felt...just a little bit of pity for him. His clothes were rumpled as if he had slept in them, his eyes were red—he looked about ready to fall asleep but always jerked awake at the last second. His eyes were darting to the corners of the room. Wilbur looked around but found nothing out of the ordinary. He could see the others glancing around the room as well, unnerved by Schlatt’s paranoia.

Schlatt, even though he was incredibly shaky and oh so tired, stood up. He was still the President, damn it. All eyes were on him as he cleared his throat.

“I have called this meeting to.....to....” he was having second thoughts. Did he really want to give up his power over Pogtopia and Manburg? He enjoyed the chaos and having control over everything. He wasn’t ready to give this up yet.

He saw the shadows move and the Captain manifested from the shadows. The ticking was nearly deafening. Jordan’s eyes were deadly, his smile nowhere to be found. He looked non-human without his glasses on.

Schlatt was so focused on his appearance that he missed when the Captain drew his sword—a near black blade that looked wickedly sharp. The handle was intricately carved with ancient spells and magic seals. Schlatt noticed too late that Jordan had heard his thoughts.

The Captain rushed at him with his sword raised and cold eyes boring into his soul. HIs smile was nearly feral as he charged. Schlatt shrieked and stumbled backwards into the wall and raised his hands to defend himself from the blows-

But nothing came.

He shakily looked around and noticed that the room was giving him nervous looks. Quakity and Niki were nearly out of their seats while Dream was sitting straight in his chair. Schlatt shakily let out a breath and began to stand.

“Schlatt...” Tubbo began but Schlatt waved him off.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just my imagination,” he easily lied.

Those in attendance saw right through this lie, but decided that once he begins talking, they may get an explanation.

Schlatt took a breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He was so tired. His whole body shook with adrenaline and exhaustion and, god, he just wanted to sleep but he couldn’t. Not with the state he was in now. The Captain’s words echoed in his mind: ‘I hope you can get used to this.’

Schlatt decided that he couldn’t live like this and made his decision. He sat down and took out the drafts of the peace treaty and set them on the table.

“The fuck’s all this?” Tommy quietly mutters while picking up a paper and scrutinizing it. But of course, Tommy’s version of quiet is still decently loud.

“It’s a peace treaty. If you read through this and sign, Manburg and Pogtopia will cease their fighting and hold another election. This time, however, two partied cannot combine their votes,” Schlatt explained. He saw the room looking at him with mixed reactions.

Some looked relieved that the fighting would be over, others were skeptical, and some looked elated at the chance to live peacefully again. Wilbur, however, was not convinced. He was looking at Schlatt skeptically while reading the treaty silently.

‘He’s looking for a loophole,’ was whispered in his ear. It took all of Schlatt’s willpower not to look to his left in fear of what he may see. He could hear the smile on the Captain’s face.

Finally, Wilbur spoke.

“And why should we believe that you would peacefully give up your power? We know that you love the fighting, the wars, the power,” his voice rose as he continued, “why should we trust anything you say?” he finished with a shout.

Wilbur was breathing heavily and glaring at Schlatt. The atmosphere became almost unbearably tense until Jordan finally decided to step in.

He had been silently watching from the shadows, making sure Schlatt stayed in check but also to make sure that the deal was completed. There was mistrust in the air, and to be honest, he was getting impatient. Jordan really wanted to get the treaty over with and go home, take a nap, and preferably not get up for three days.

“Schlatt’s telling the truth,” he says before he steps out of the shadows. He nearly chuckles at the bewildered looks he gets as he steps into view.

A very eager Tubbo is soon clinging to his waist and looking up at him with such relief that he does not regret even the smallest bit of what he’s done to Schlatt. He noticed the boy looked close to tears and was starting to bury his face into his coat.

Jordan placed a gentle hand on Tubbo’s head and he flinched. Oh, he was about to murder whoever hurt his boy. His Lady’s influence reminded him that no, no matter how much it would have been justified, he could not kill someone in this land. He took a deep breath and looked up.

“Does anyone have any questions or will you sign the contract?” he said more as a statement than a question. Tubbo’s arms tightened around his waist. Jordan should really ask him what’s been going on; he wanted to help him and Tommy in any way he could.

Dream, however, had a question.

“How did you get into my server? You’re not whitelisted and I know for a fact that Tubbo doesn’t have the admin power to invite you” Dream said, though he sounded a tad accusatory.

Did he not see what was going on in his server? Did he not care that people were being traumatized? Did he not care that they were losing hope?

The Captain chuckled. The sound caused everyone to shiver and for Schlatt to shrink in his seat. He noticed the clock had stopped ticking and his heart sunk. Fuck, was he too late?

“Dream,” the Captain took off his glasses and his whole visage changed.

His warm brown eyes were now a deep purple that held a small glow to them. His hair was impossibly dark—it looked like of you were put put your hand on it, it would sink right in like a shadow. The outside around his eyes were veins of crying obsidian, a stark contrast to his skin. His clothes floated almost as if he were in water and the pure power of magic that radiated from him was nearly stifling.

“I don’t need your permission to enter your lands when I feel that ethical and moral laws are being broken. I knew something was wrong when Tubbo stopped talking passionately about anything and everything. I knew something was wrong when those from here flinched and loud noises. And I knew something was wrong when you didn’t seem to care,” he spat.

He gently pulled Tubbo from around his waist and walked next to Schlatt. The air around him rippled like water and the shadows grew.

“Now,” he purred. “Schlatt and I made a bit of a deal. A peace treaty that stopped the fighting on these lands that also prohibited future wars in exchange for books on basic magic,” he explained.

The room listened intently.

“But,” he dramatically sighed and Schlatt tried to make himself as small as possible.

“Schlatt here didn’t feel like adhering to our deal very much, so I gave him a bit of incentive,” he stopped there and looked at the room as if that explained everything.

“What does that have to do with my lands?” Dream asked.

Jordan paused. How could he say this as delicately as possible? He sighed and cleaned his glasses in his coat.

“You have to understand that I’m not a cruel man, but I hate being mistaken for a fool. I told Schlatt this when he had five days remaining to complete his end of the deal. If you remember, he may have started acting a bit...differently?” he began.

Niki gasped.

“You were doing that to him? Making him go nearly insane?!” she exclaimed. While she may not like Schlatt, that was cruel of him.

“Yeah, we were really worried for him. What did you do to him, man?” Quakity asked. He was really not liking this side of the Captain.

“I think it was perfectly reasonable, especially when the lives of children were on the line. Honestly, you all should be ashamed of yourselves. Making children fight—who does that?!” he angrily exclaimed.

“They wanted to fight!” Wilbur defended.

Jordan’s dark eyes rounded on him and while he would never admit it, Wilbur was terrified. There was such resentment and disgust in his expression that he almost regretted the war. Almost.

“Have you ever once asked then what they wanted? You’re living in a hole for my goddesses’ sake! Tommy looks like he hasn’t eaten in days and Tubbo is on the brink of tears! Are you so blinded by greed that you can’t see you’re hurting them?” his voice rose as he pointed out the obvious states of the teens.

Tommy was so conflicted. He wanted to defend himself and Wilbur, but he was intimidated by the Captain. He usually never cared for being weaker than other people, but he felt if he used his usual snark he’d be vaporized or something. He looked to Tubbo. His best friend was struggling to keep his emotions in check ever since the Captain arrived, but he knew Tubbo adored the man to high heaven. If Tubbo trusted the Captain’s judgement, then so would he.

Wilbur hadn’t spoken yet, so he did.

“Wil,” he began quietly.

Wilbur turned towards the blond. He hoped he wouldn’t say anything that would confirm what Jordan said.

“Yes, Tommy?” wilbur sounded near accusatory.

The teen but his lip and looked towards Techno, who sat next to him. The pink haired man gave him a subtle nod to continue.

Tommy let put a deep breath. Techno was always right, wasn’t he.

“I.....I want to go home,” he admitted.

Wilbur was shocked. Go home? Why? They were fighting for their country back and Tommy wanted to go home?

“Why would you want to go home, Tommy? I’m so close to getting L’manburg back! If we could just-“

“I don’t want to fight anymore!” he cried. The room went silent.

“I don’t want to fight, Wil....” he said again in a small voice.

Wilbur didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell if he was angry or heartbroken at Tommy’s admission. He didn’t want to fight?

“We can go home if you want, Tommy. Just let me call Phil and we can head over once the meeting is done,” Techno said softly.

Tommy nearly cried in relief. He would get to see Phil again and sleep in a proper bed in a comfy house. He hugged Techno tightly, not caring if it ruined his alpha male reputation.

“Thanks, Techno,” he shakily said.

Tommy looked towards Tubbo.

“Do you want to come along, Big T?” he asked with a small smile.

Tubbo hesitated. He wanted to go with Tommy, he really did, but he just felt...safer with the Captain. Jordan must have sensed his conflict because he immediately changed the conversation.

“So,” he drawled and garnered everyone’s attention, “will you sign or subject Schlatt to some more mind games for the rest of his life?” he asked. It wasn’t a threat, but they knew a promise when they saw one.

“How do we know that you’ll continue to pester Schlatt and not just leave him be?” Quakity asked.

“Please, no, just sign the treaty! He’s legit, he’ll keep going!” Schlatt begged.

He was right, Jordan would have to keep this up if the deal wasn’t finished.

“He’s right. The deal wasn’t just a simple handshake. Our souls are temporarily connected until the deal is completed. Until then, I have power over him,” he revealed.

Quakity’s mouth formed an ‘O’ and immediately signed the treaty. Schlatt nearly sobbed in relief. He knew there was a reason Quakity was in his cabinet.

He passed the treaty to his left and it soon traveled all around the table until it got to Wilbur. He glared at the treaty, then at Schlatt.

“If this is a joke, I’ll kill you myself,” he warned.

Schlatt gave a shaky smile.

“Believe me, I’m really not joking about this.”

Wilbur stared at him a bit longer before signing and passing the paper on. It finally reached Schlatt.

He was about to sign when a pen was in front of his face. He looked at the Captain in confusion.

“This pen will help end the deal. It’s all magicy and stuff, pretty swick,” he explained with a less menacing smile.

Schlatt instantly took the pen and signed his name. The ink glowed red and blue before fading. Schlatt slumped in his seat, unconscious. Some panicked and went to check on him but Jordan stopped them.

“He’s fine, just overtired. He’ll wake up in a day or two with a completely restored mindset,” he soothed.

They nodded but still picked him up and took him to a room with a bed so he could at least rest comfortably.

Jordan clapped his hands together and smile happily.

“Welp, I think that settles everything for today! Unless you have any questions, you guys are good to leave,” he cheerily said.

Some immediately left while others took their time leaving. Niki hugged Tubbo and Tommy before leaving while Techno left to wait outside for Tommy. Wilbur, Tubbo, Tommy, and Jordan were the only ones left in the room.

It seemed like nobody would talk first, so Jordan took a seat next to Tubbo.

“You can go with Tommy, if you want Tubbo. I won’t be offended,” he softly offered.

Tubbo glanced unsurely between Tommy and Jordan.

“Could I...speak with Tommy in private? Please?” he asked.

Jordan nodded and motioned for Wilbur to follow him outside. The brunet hesitated, but with a stern glance he was leaving the room.

Tommy and Tubbo sat in tense silence before they spoke.

“Tommy-“

“Tubbo-“

The tension broke as they laughed with each other. Tommy began before Tubbo could say anything.

“Do you not want to come with me and Phil?” he hesitantly asked. There was an undertone of hurt but Tommy was trying to understand. This was Tubbo, and he trusted Tubbo.

Said best friend looked away as he fidgeted with his fingers and sighed. Tommy felt his chest tighten.

“Come on, just say what you want. I’m a man!” he joked, but it fell a little flat.

Tubbo looked at him.

“It’s nothing against you, Tommy, or-or even Techno or Phil, but, I just....I dunno, I feel....safer? I guess? With the Captain cuz he’s just great and he listens really well and you know how I get sometimes but-“

“Big T you don’t have to defend him,” Tommy cuts him off. It’s not often that Tommy is serious, but he was now.

“I want you to be happy, Tubbo. If you feel safer with the Captain than with us, I guess that’s ok. Just don’t forget about me, yeah? I’ll fucking kill ya, bitch,” he admitted.

Tubbo felt incredibly guilty for leaving his best friend, but he wasn’t staying with the Captain for weeks! Maybe just a few days. He said none of those though and settled for a hug. He buried his face into his friend’s neck and felt Tommy clutch at his shirt.

“Thank you, Tommy, for understanding,” he quietly said.

“No problem, Big T.”

They stayed like that until there was knocking at the door. Jordan popped in with an apologetic look.

“Just wanted to check in. Techno is getting antsy and Wilbur looks ready to demonetize something,” he said to the teens.

Tommy and Tubbo got up from their seats and headed to the door when Jordan stopped them. They looked at the man questioningly but he held no malice on his face. Instead, he was looking at them with some form of understanding.

“Tubbo, whenever you want to visit Tommy, just tell me and I’ll make a portal to Phil’s place. I know you’ll miss him,” he said softly.

Tubbo’s eyes widened and he looked towards Tommy with the biggest smile that the blond couldn’t help but smile back. Tubbo tackled Jordan in a hug.

“Thank you, Captain! Thank you so much!” he exclaimed.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck and stood a bit awkwardly, “Yeah, thanks.”

Jordan smiled. “Of course.”

There was shouting from outside.

“I think Phil is finally here,” Jordan said.

They peeked outside the room and saw Phil hitting Wilbur with his sandal and the desperate attempts to deflect by Wilbur. Techno was cackling while taking screenshots.

Jordan turned to Tommy.

“I think they’re ready to take you home. Take care, kid,” he said as he nudged Tommy towards the group.

Tommy looked towards Tubbo and they shook hands.

“See you in a few, Big T.”

“As always, Tommy.”

They watched as he ran towards Techno and began to take screenshots as well with a growing smile on his face. His signature loud laugh seemed to brighten the area. Tubbo watched fondly for a bit before Jordan’s hand was on his shoulder. He looked up at Jordan who stared at him with a soft smile.

“Let’s go home, Tubbo. M’lady is eager to meet you,” he said. 

Tubbo immediately lit up.

“Does she like bees?! Could you teach me how to do cool magic stuff too?!” he excitedly asked.

Jordan laughed as he made a portal and stepped through with Tubbo.

-----------

There are many rumors surrounding the legendary Captain, but there are a few things for certain.

Even the most kind-hearted people can be cruel, and they can enjoy their own cruelty.