#vexspace

[convexicalcrow]

Can I ask? I’ve read a lot of your fics by now, and the way you write the vex is interesting.

What are some of your personal headcanons of these guys? They seem equal parts pleasure givers and evil spirits.

Scar seems to be the default leader (which I don’t see often as usually people make it Cub).

Also how does someone get chosen by the vex in your AU’s?

Thanks!

These are all great questions, anon! Thank you for reading and enjoying my fics enough to ask about my lore. I adore talking about my lore and I'm going to enjoy answering these questions for sure. :D

This is gonna be a long post, so Imma split it up into sections to make it easier to digest as I ramble on about my lore. <3

Vex Headcanons and Lore

So, I tend to see the Vex as very hedonistic creatures. They're pleasure-seekers and sometimes aggressively so. It's just, murder is also one of those things they find pleasurable. So they are evil spirits! But they are also hedonists. They will happily indulge in cake and diamonds while also enjoying some light murder. They primarily attack with their swords, but also by biting. Not all Vex eat people, but some do, like Scar.

I don't see the Vex as like, servitors or familiars created and controlled by Evokers. The Vex, to me, are a collective hivemind who look out for themselves and have their own goals and agency.

Mostly, they are selfish creatures who really only look out for the Vex, and this is broadly true. Even when they are working towards finding a cure for skulk infections in Fog, it's primarily motivated by clearing the skulk from Cub, a fellow Vex, but they also do not like the skulk and that is like the one thing they will selflessly work towards fighting against.

I do have separate lore surrounding Evokers taking Allays down to ancient cities to convert them into Vexes with skulk, but that's not really part of my broader Vex lore.

The Vex do need the Evokers though, and they work together on the same goals. The Evokers gain assistance in protecting mansions and fighting in raids, and the Vex gain a gateway to the overworld, albeit temporarily if they are not named or possessing a player. It's a symbiotic relationship where the Evokers serve the Vex and enable their plans to come into fruition.

The Vex exist in a fourth dimension when they are not in the overworld. That's where they're summoned from. I call this Vexspace, as it's where the Vex reside. It's separate from the overworld, nether, and the End, but can access all of those dimensions, so the Vex can be summoned anywhere. It's accessible to the Vex, but not to the Evokers. It is also constant. Scar and Cub are always connected to it, unless they are either forcibly shut out (as in Fog my skulk Cub saga), or if they choose to do so. Not being connected to the hivemind means the Vex no longer have access to their thoughts, but on the other hand, Vexspace is no longer accessible, so using it for fast travel is not possible.

Fast travel is a way to use Vexspace to travel between mansions and pillager towers across the overworld almost instantly, speeding up extremely long travel that would otherwise take hours even through the nether. (This ignores that the game only spawns mansions up to a certain distance out; they can spawn anywhere for me.)

Mansions are safe havens for the Vex. Evokers act as priests and healers, and as particularly strong centres of power for Vex magic. This is why they are protected. The Vex use the mansions as overworld bases, seeing the world through the eyes of their Evokers. From here, they can carry out plans for controlling territory and enacting other plans they have.

Also! The blood thing! For me, the Vex enjoy feeding on blood. They're not vampires, and they definitely don't need it to live, but it's a pleasureable act for them, and they seek out those with very tasty sweet blood. Which is why they feed on Cub a lot because they love the taste of his blood. It's a way of bonding as much as sustaining the Vex and giving an offering to them. Giving your body up to them to feed off is a sacrifice and a willing one that Cub often makes because he's masochistic enough to enjoy it. It's part of his worship of the Vex.

And that worship aspect that Cub and Scar brought in with the Cathedral is important. There is a hierarchy. It's strict but it's not strict at the same time. The Vex are creatures worthy of worship, and the things being offered include blood that was laid on the offering tables. This distinguishes Scar and Cub as players and Vexes as being on a different level to those in the hivemind as players turned into Vexes are like Vexes that have been named, and can therefore persist in the overworld. Because Vexes normally don't have names because they have no need for them.

Scar as Leader

This is... Okay. See, I think this is more an extension of their personalities and of Scar having a more natural leadership energy than Cub does. It's also related to their roles as Vex and how they work best together. They complement each other very well. But Scar isn't The Leader by default either. They are both in service to the Vex and obey them as their masters. I see them as equal partners, just with different roles and abilities. Scar is better as a leader/front, and Cub is better behind the scenes with redstone stuff, but this doesn't make one The Leader over the other. They're both capable of driving things along on their own, and they both contribute ideas to their future plans.

For the more kinky side of their dynamic, I do tend to write Scar more Dommy than not, which may also tie into this, but Cub is just as capable of that, it's just not usually his preference. When Cub does Dom, he's usually much more gentle than Scar, who's more sadistic than him, because they want different things out of a Dom when they are subbing.

For me, Scar is the salesman. The leader. The one who can do the talking and wield the power of the ConVex and ConCorp in ways that Cub isn't as good at. Scar is motivated by power, and seeks out power, and so that's what he does with the assistance of the Vex. As a Vex, he is tuned in with the Vex magic currents that flow between the three realms and Vexspace. He can make those connections and bring power and magic between them. And yet, he is still weak to the pleasure of Vex magic, much more than Cub is.

As for Cub, he's the brains for sure. He's good at strategy, tech, seeing where opportunties are to make even more wealth, and does more of the behind the scenes work. He can absolutely be a leader, but he'll make Scar front things and work from his plans. As a Vex, Cub is motivated by pleasure, and acts as a vessel. If the Vex are going to possess one of them, it's going to be Cub. He's basically given his body over to the Vex to do with as they wish, and he's in a much more subservient position with the Vex than Scar is. At the same time, Cub is still motivated by power and wealth, but these are more public-facing motivations and drive a lot of what he does. But there's more going on internally than that suggests.

You can't have one without the other. On his own, Cub would be lost, and there wouldn't be as great a drive without Scar. He would still do well, but he needs that bigger picture energy that Scar brings to really shine. And Scar needs Cub to do the infrastructure and tech stuff that he just can't do. Scar could definitely have build the aethetics of the ConCorp industrial park, but the farms would have been beyond his skill level, especially the super-smelter. it's only together that they are able to shine and profit handsomely from their efforts. They make an excellent team and you can tell they are aware of this as well.

How Do The Vex Choose People?

There are no real hard and fast rules on this for me, but I do tend to work from those who canonically are/were friendly to the ConVex/ConCorp or aligned with them, helped them out in some way, or just feel like they should be Vex.

Why did Cub get chosen? They could sense his use and his skills, and his prankster urges. He's also a big grinder, so they know he'll put in the work if they give it to him. Plus, that late stage capitalism sense, of profitting at any cost. This was less important in s5 bc of the lack of Stuff being sold, but it definitely came into play in s6 for sure.

Scar, of course, has similar vibes and values as a player, and being close to Cub, they can be sure he's going to work well with him. And he has those other motivations and he can play a slightly different role to Cub and make them both successful.

So it's finding the right sort of player who's got the right sort of values. Don't pick a couple of guys to start a war if they aren't immoral enough to not only instigate war, but also get the two teams to pay them for the privilege of fighting it.

There are good reasons as to why the fics I have of them becoming Vexes are quite different, even if there are similar scenarios/motifs. Cub, being motivated more by pleasure and subservience, is more open to being seduced by the pleasures of Vex magic than Scar would be. For Scar, he craves power and wealth, and self-preservation. Scar dying from that fall to earn his Vex head is something that was necessary to get Scar to agree, because they can simply let him die if he doesn't join. But they also offer the things he wants the most, and pranking Hermits and hanging out with Cub are two of those things.

Then we get to the others! False, Joe, and Bdubs! These are the other three that I've written as Vexes and I'll talk a little about why them in particular, and why they might have been chosen.

False is probably the most obvious of the three. She helped them out in s5 with the prank on X's base, and was named as an honourary Vex and given a Vex head. So making her a proper Vex isn't that much of a stretch. The Vex like her and trust her, and why would you not want the strongest pvper on the server on your side when you are a hivemind who loves a good murder?

But in her conversion fic, she has a totally different process. She isn't just seduced into joining, because that's not really her style, but also that's not what they want from her. She fights them, because power and a vessel aren't going to do anything without a Will to give that power intent and direction, and that's what False brings, on top of the corruption and greed she carries with her. Plus the whole evil clone thing ofc.

For Joe, he's a friend, and in Fog, he was kind to those in the mansion. He fed them and befriended some Vexes, and that kindness was rewarded with becoming a Vex, so he could do the fast travel he needed to help them with the skulk cure. I am undecided if Vex Joe is something I'd write more of outside of that specific AU, but we'll see. Stranger things have happened.

Bdubs is a special one, and it's based on only one thing, and that's him falling into s6 with an elytra named 'Vex Wings'. Neither Scar nor Cub have ever called their elytra that, so it's an odd choice for sure. bc why carried named elytra anyway for an entrance like that and do absolutely nothing with that named elytra? For me, it's more relevant in s7 with Bdubs approaching Scar to convince him to run for Mayor, because Cub was busy doing other Pharaoh things and a Vex never works alone. Cub just isn't motivated by power enough to run for Mayor himself, let alone convince Scar to run for Mayor, but Bdubs could do it for sure. And that's why he was chosen.

Sure, Cub does eventually work for him as his enforcer, but Scar clearly wanted him as much because he was a Vex than anything else. So you have three Vex in the Town Hall wielding power over the server in a different capacity than with ConCorp. Again, it's that Vex drive to seek power over the server, and Scar is a natural leader for that specific thing. Cub couldn't have done that. And Scar is great at playing villains and should have been more villainous as the Mayor and I am forever salty that he wasn't, even if I do understand why he didn't push it too far.

I have, like, a ton more things I could say about all of this but my hands are getting sore again :( so please do send asks if there's anything else you'd like me to ramble about! <3

[vexingly-yours]

-posts at midnight so no one can see-

my husband. but also scae’s husband. and maybe your husband (do you REALLY wanna marry him tho..?)

[convexicalcrow]

"Look, I know you're impatient, but just trust me, okay? We can't let them know ConCorp's behind this. Not yet, anyway," Cub said.

He was talking to Captain Jack, ConCorp CEO, who was currently sitting on the other end of the boardroom table, clutching a piece of melon in a claw that he was currently eating rather contentedly. The parrot seemed to pay no attention to him.

"What about Scar? Nah, nah, not Scar. He doesn't need to know. Besides, I told you before why we need Grian to front this. Not just because it was his idea, but because he's better at running things like this. And it keeps it all separate from me, so if it does end up failing, well, I can swoop in later to take over," Cub said.

The parrot chirped softly. Wandered across the table, gazing at things. Seeking more fruit. He caught Cub's gaze, and Cub laughed.

"Look, I promise I'll keep you updated, okay? Just let me work. I know what I'm doing," Cub said.

-

The meeting with Captain Jack had happened in Vexspace, of course, like all good ConCorp meetings, and it had happened just as the Hermetheus was arriving at their new home planet. Grian had been talking about running the shopping district on permits this season, something he'd been thinking about during stasis. Give each Hermit their own monopolies and see how that panned out. Cub had only gotten involved after Grian asked for help coming up with all the permits that might be needed.

Cub, of course, could see the potential. Monopolies for some resources could be very lucrative indeed. If this could infect the other Hermits with the same capitalist drive that ConCorp thrived on, well. They could go far indeed. And better have the Hermits in the arms of ConCorp than in the arms of GigaCorp. At least ConCorp was openly unethical. They wore their war crimes with pride.

And so it was that Cub spend much of the first day on the server, after they'd gotten geared up, locked in a dirt hole with Grian, figuring out permits, and how to sort them. Because, of course, if he rigged the distribution system well enough, perhaps he too could profit handsomely from it.

-

Hermit Time was a rather finicky thing. It happened when it happened. Once everyone had settled down in whatever space they wanted, it was easier to figure out where the shopping district would go. The permits were on their way, and Cub did not miss the hours spent crafting them all and sorting them into their iron, gold, and diamond tiers in the randomiser system he'd built. And then, once it was done, he stepped back, and let Grian run the show.

Grian sold it so well though. He was uniquely capable of ensuring the permit system was adopted by everyone. Unlike other Hermits, who didn't know exactly which permits were up for grabs, Cub knew which ones he wanted, and he would make sure he got them one way or another. Horns and fireworks, once he had those, he was set.

-

It's not that Cub was necessarily letting Grian fail, but the man's obsession with fishing up a mending book probably had wrecked his brain a little, so he wasn't at all surprised to find him rather reluctant to actually run the permit office once it had been set up. Hiring Scar and Skizz as Permit Office Enforcement agents definitely said a lot about Grian's care in selecting good people to help run the place. Cub had laughed when Grian told him he'd only hired them because they happened to be there at the time. Of course he did, that was the kind of slapdash Permit Office Grian seemed to like to run.

Cub didn't mind, though. If his Higher Ups wanted him to step in, he would, but they had other plans still. Give them a chance to fail on their own first. Patience. The time will come.

-

In some ways, Cub thought he was doing more permit office work than any of those three combined. He was fastidious about checking for permits being hung in shops, the presence of ender chests, making sure shops were kept in stock, all the work the Permit Office staff should be doing. He didn't keep his records out of spite, but perhaps he did send some anonymous mail to the Poe-Poe to tip them off if he found any egregious offences.

But of course, Grian would get lazy, the Poe-Poe would shirk their responsibilities, distracted by other crimes such as Doc's diamond ore thefts, and so the shopping district would lie neglected. And thus came the message from Captain Jack: It was time to step in.

-

Cub arranged a meeting once his ultimatums to Grian to step up his game went unanswered, which he knew they would be. He also sent summons to Scar and Skizz, just to get everyone together. Was calling it a disciplinary hearing a little strong? Well, perhaps, but it would get his attention. Set the stakes. Let them know he was serious. Well, the Higher Ups were serious. They wouldn't know it was him until he arrived.

Captain Jack was chattering in his ear as he floated down in front of the Poe Poe HQ where Grian, Scar, and Skizz were waiting for him. Cub wasn't always one for a dramatic entrance, but he felt this one mattered. Got himself a whole Permit Office uniform and a shiny gold badge, just to make it feel official. He was pleased they all showed up, and he definitely had to suppress a smile as he heard Scar reply, 'hello God' as he touched down in front of them, the slow falling having done its job.

It wasn't necessarily in Cub's nature to be dominant and bossy, but sometimes, it was just how things were gonna be, and it was vital to make it clear to them that he was in charge now and his orders would be obeyed. And, look, if he laced in a little Vex magic to sway the non-Vex, well, that wasn't a bad thing, right? The thunderstorm was a bonus, and honestly, he didn't mind the ominous evil atmosphere it created as he very calmly said things would be fine. And they would be fine, in time. All he had to do was make sure Grian didn't get in the way too much, and when the time was right, well. Perhaps Captain Jack would come to visit, and the server would once again belong to the ConVex.

[convexicalcrow]

The Vexnos radiated power as Cub stood before it. He knew he needed to be here to finish off his work, but he felt woefully out of sorts still, and his memory was far from complete. The grimoire sat open before him, floating in the air, and the Time Stone sat in the gauntlet, waiting.

Only he could do this, he knew that. Partly because of how the magic worked, and partly because no one else had mastered the infinity stones the way he had.

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. The magic wouldn't work if he wasn't clear about what he wanted. Time magic was like that. If he lost focus or wasn't specific enough in his request, he could wind back more time than he anticipated.

He took the stone from the gauntlet and looked down at it, seeing his reflection in the light blue stone. It hummed with power, almost making him dizzy. This was the last thing he needed to do before he could wake up properly. Fix the magic he blasted himself with.

The problem was, he wasn't really sure how far back he actually needed to go. The last thing he solidly remembered was moving into Scar's treehouse. The rest after that was a blur, and he wasn't sure the stone wouldn't simply take him back to Hermitcraft if he did that. Well, okay, maybe not if he only used the time stone, but the possibility was there if he wasn't careful.

"It's been two weeks, if that helps," Scar said as he joined him in front of the Vexnos.

"Two weeks? Really? Geez. Is it exactly two weeks or are you just rounding up? Because I really do need to know exactly how many days back I need to go," Cub said.

"Uh, hang on." Scar went quiet as he counted the days. "It's been 16 days. Yeah! But go back a day or so on top of that just to be sure."

"Okay, will do. Anchor me, Scar. I'm not sure my brain is capable of doing this right, given how much I don't remember," Cub said.

Scar rested his hands on Cub's shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere."

-

Bdubs was finishing up some landscaping around the front of the mansion when False flew down and landed before him. Bdubs looked up and smiled, delighted to see her.

"Hey! Falsie! What're you doing here?" Bdubs said.

"Oh, uh, well, you see, it's about Cub. Has something happened to him? He hasn't been in Vexspace for days. Is he okay?" False said.

"Wait. You're a Vex too? Really?" Bdubs said, shocked at this information. "Well, I mean, if you are too, then you should know, right? You can't take that stuff," False said.

"Oh, yeah, of course! And you're worried about Cub hey? He's fine! We got the priests taking care of him. Just waiting for him to wake up now. Scar hasn't left his side this whole time, you know," Bdubs said.

"Oh, I don't doubt he has. Is it the skulk thing? Is that what they're fixing?" False said.

"Yeah, yeah, it's taken days and days to clear it all out, but I think we've managed to succeed. Well, I say that, but we won't know for sure until Cub's back. Hey! We heard something about Pix being infested with skulk too, do you know anything about that?" Bdubs said.

"I-I, er, haven't seen him around anywhere, so. I don't know. There is still a lot of skulk about, but I don't know if that's from Cub, or if Pix is adding more," False said.

"Oh, okay. So, uh, did you want to come in or something? See Cub, perhaps? Not that there's much to see, he's sleeping in a locked room, so. But Joe's been cooking so if you're hungry, we could grab some food maybe?" Bdubs said.

"Uh, I mean, maybe, but I-I guess I could be more useful looking into Pix, right? See what's actually going on there? I'm not good at waiting for... Well. Tell me when he wakes, okay? I'll go back, yeah. Thanks for telling me what's going on, though, I'm glad Cub's okay," False said.

"Me too. Let us know anything important, yeah? Maybe we can help! We cured one person of skulk, maybe we can cure Pix too!" Bdubs said.

"Maybe, yeah. Anyway. I'll be off. See you around, Bdubs!" False said.

-

Cub became aware of a pounding headache first, followed by the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He felt like he'd been squahsed by a boulder. Everything hurt. He wasn't awake yet though. Far from it. Just vaguely making touch with his body again, and it wasn't pretty.

-

"We can find no traces of skulk anywhere. He's cured. I feel safer letting you in now, but still, be careful. We have no way of knowing what he'll be like when he wakes. He may not remember much," Naos said as they left the room to tell Scar how Cub was doing.

The relief on Scar's face was palpable. "Oh, thank god. I knew he'd pull through. Thank you, thank you. Oh, man. I'm so glad he's going to be okay," Scar said.

Naos smiled. "You got him through this, I'm sure of it. The connection between you has never felt this strong before. Go and sit with him. I see no reason to keep you apart any longer."

"That's very kind of you, thank you. I'll call you if anything more happens, okay?" Scar said.

"Of course, we're not leaving him unsupervised just yet," Naos said.

-

Scar pulled over a chair from the brewing set-up on the far wall and sat beside Cub's bed. Cub was still sleeping, but Scar could tel he wasn't as deep.

"Hey, Cub, it's been a while. I've missed you so much. I had to watch you from outside, they wouldn't let me in in case I got infected too. I dunno how much you'll even remember when you wake up, but it's been hard. I just hope you're okay. I want my Cubby back," Scar said.

Scar reached for his hand, just needing to touch him again. The connection sparked, flooding him with Cub's energy. He didn't always remember their meetings in Vexspace, but it didn't matter. He knew they'd done some work over there while Cub had been recovering, but it didn't matter that he couldn't remember the details.

Scar kept talking anyway. Telling Cub anything and everything. Mostly because he hated sitting in silence, and because he hadn't spoken to Cub in so long, he needed to get all his words out. Some of it was catching him up with news, some of it was just nonsense. It didn't matter because the more he talked, the stronger Cub's energy felt.

"Just... come back to me, Cubby, I miss you so much. I just want to hear that sweet, sweet voice of yours and get back to doing what we always do. I miss that mischievous little Vex of mine," Scar said.

-

Cub heard sounds. Indistinct sounds, but sounds nonetheless. He still didn't feel up to waking though, and lay there, body unwilling to move. How much time had passed, he didn't know. He wasn't really sure of anything. But there was a voice, and it seemed... familiar. Comforting. Gentle energy drifted through him, and his heart knew then who it was. Scar's energy seemed to soothe away the remaining fatigue from his body and he opened his eyes.

"Cub! Oh, my god, you're awake! Oh, thank god, I've been so worried about you!" Scar said.

"Scar. Hey." Cub turned his head in the direction of his voice and saw Scar sitting beside him. "It's my guardian angel."

Scar took Cub's hand in his, and Cub felt that sensation and the energy that flowed between them. "Yeah, that's me. It's just so nice to see you back. And wiithout all that skulk!"

"Yeah, yeah, can't keep me down," Cub said. "Just keep talking for a while. I'm just so tired still. Need time to wake up."

"Of course! Just lie back and close your eyes, and listen to my voice. I'll tell you a story, a story about a brave little Vex..."

[convexicalcrow]

The best thing about being a Vex was being able to transport Cub to a mansion thousands of blocks away in an instant via Vexspace. Cub hadn't woken since he'd collapsed on the bridge in spite of Scar's attempts to fight off the skulk and rouse him. He'd had some success and the skulk had retreated a little more, but he knew he couldn't do this alone, and the Vex were urging Scar to hurry to the mansion. He landed outside the front door and the Vindicator inside nearly went after him before recognising him as a Vex and lowering his axe.

"Where are the priests? We need the priests!" Scar said.

The Vindicator indicated upstairs, and that's where Scar went, carrying Cub in his arms as he went. Vex magic was helping to lighten his weight so Scar didn't drop him.

"We need the priests! Someone show us where the priests are!" Scar called as he moved through the second floor.

He followed the directions a couple of Vindicators gave him as he passed and as he kept calling for the Evokers, one appeared, looking very concerned as they ran towards him.

"Oh! There you are! Hello! Got a poor Vex here who needs some help! We were told me to bring him to a mansion to help him heal. He got all skulkified! We gotta save him!" Scar said, relieved to see the priests before him.

"I'm Priest Arcturus, we were told to expect you. Bring him this way, we've prepared a room," the Evoker said.

"Hang on, Cub, help's coming, we'll get rid of all that skulk stuff, I promise," Scar said

-

Scar followed the Evoker into a room made of stone bricks in a corner of the second floor where another Evoker was waiting, tending to a brewing stand with some strange-coloured potions in it.

Priest Arcturus gestured to a bed in the middle of the room. "Lay him down. We've been preparing the healing spells. This is Priest Naos."

"Right." Scar carried Cub over and lay him down gently. He looked so peaceful, and Scar might have reached down to gently touch his face, just so Cub knew he was there with him still, but Priest Arcturus pulled him back.

"No. I know it hurts, but don't touch him further. We've already got one infected Holy Vessel. We're not going to lose you too," Priest Arcturus said.

Scar did understand. He really did. "He's going to be okay, right?"

"It might take a while, and it won't be pretty, but we're sure we can manage it," Priest Arcturus said.

"Though, I may warn you, we will have to let him back into the hivemind in order to properly ascertain the level of damage, and we know you are linked together. Be prepared for things to not be pleasant. We just don't know what this level of infection can do to a Vex let into the hivemind," Priest Naos said.

"He may be hostile, or come after you. He may have powers we are just not aware of yet. We can't be sure. Don't trust him. Consider him to be dangerous until he's free of the skulk, alright?" Priest Arcturus said.

"Alright, alright. I'll keep away. You still need me to channel? I can spare the energy while you work. You're the priests, after all. You know Vex magic better than I do," Scar said.

The Priests looked at each other. Naos spoke. "Arcturus, it may come to that. I need you on watch."

Priest Arcturus nodded and turned back to Scar. "Right. Yes, please channel for us then. I'll do my best to block you off from him so he can't find you, but that may not be enough. Go into trance, and we'll secure him and get the healing spells ready."

"On it. Just the main current? Or do you need something specific?" Scar said.

"Just the main current. Sit at the foot of the bed but don't touch it. Hopefully that will be all," Priest Arcturus said.

-

Time needed to be spent. Scar had protective bindrunes painted on his body to keep him safe from Cub if he managed to find him in the hivemind, and there was a little more preparation needed in order to seal the room and protect as much of the mansion from the skulk as possible.

And then, Scar got into place, hands pressed against the floor, as he closed his eyes and opened himself up to Vex magic, finding that current of magic that ran through everything and placing himself in the middle of it, bringing the magic into the mansion. And that would be the last thing he remembered.

-

(a/n: btw have made a tag for this series: #fog - skulk cub fic series, in case you wanna find them all. <3)

[convexicalcrow]

I have to ask, now that I’ve slept properly, I’m surprised you haven’t wrote anything of Vex Scar and Grian. Given you have a lot of ship stuff of Scar corrupting the fuck out of people. I’m thinking he has done something similar to Grian at one point. Given their time together in 3rd Life. Hmmmmthis now gives me dark shipping ideas.

Also what are your head canons and lore in Vex people?

I'll be honest, I find Cub and Scar a far more interesting pairing to write for than Scar and Grian. No shade on Scarian shippers ofc, but they're just not that interesting to me. >_> I suspect it's bc I'm just hyperfixated on Cub so, I'm far more interested in ConVex stuff than Scarian stuff. Unless it's Cub/Ariana Griande, that I do ship (ty AK <3). But yeah. Not my thing! But if it's something you wanna run with, feel free. <3

(also it was Ren and Martyn that got me into 3rd Life, so my heart will always be with them over desert duo. >_>)

As for headcanons and lore, that's a longer answer. And this will get rather long so strap yourselves in lol. :D

For me, I tend to stick fairly close to canon? I just maybe extrapolate a little from that. So my Vex are a hivemind, a collective. They exist mostly in another realm/plane of existence as spiritual beings, and only come into the overworld through being summoned by Evokers, or by possessing players.

This other plane of existence I tend to refer to as Vexspace, and it's where the Vex reside and hold all their power. Evokers do not have access to this space as they are not Vex, but they act as priests and high priests, and are more seen as individuals than the Vex are. The Vex have a hierarchy, though it's both strict and loose at the same time, given the Vex don't really see themselves as individuals but as a collective.

Scar and Cub are considered Holy Vessels of the Vex, as they are used to channel Vex magic into the overworld. Possession by the Vex is done when they have need of physical bodies, and is done by wearing the Vex masks. The Vex masks have other powers, not just possession, such as unlocking their Vex forms, and giving them access to higher streams of Vex magic they would not otherwise be able to access, tho Cub is the only one who really takes advantage of this.

Cub and Scar can always hear/sense/feel the Vex around. There's always that connection to Vexspace. By extension, they are always aware of where each other is as well. They can travel through Vexspace to find each other, or visit other mansions, or other places where they want to go, but they don't always use this method of transport bc they are players first and it doesn't always occur to them to do so.

Which brings me on to mansions! They're like home bases for the Evokers as priests and high priests in the overworld. Connections to Vexspace and Vexkind that are highly charged with Vex magic. Vindicators act as protectors of the mansion, the Evokers, and the Vex. I know some have used mansions as a name for a collective of Vexes, but that isn't my thing. For me, mansions are their overworld homes especially for Evokers. It's where the Vex can learn about what's happening from their eyes and ears in the overworld, and how they did get a lot of their intel about the overworld before Scar and Cub came along.

Indeed, Scar and Cub have been responsible for great advancements in Vex magic use, bc ofc players are creative in a way Evokers aren't. Evokers have names these days because one day, Scar and Cub built a Cathedral to the Vex, and named the high priest. The Evokers name themselves now after stars found in Cub's Book of the Stars to honour how much he has taught them about Vex magic.

There's probably more I'm forgetting, but it's 12:30am and I should probably head to bed lmao. But that's the main gist of my Vex lore and how I write them. I don't really vary much from this bc I like to be consistent. But yeah, apart from that, I really just write from the ConVex canon and work from there.

[convexicalcrow]

Favorite Convex headcanons? Just curious.

This is actually a good question, anon, and it's taken a while to really think about an answer, bc in some ways, I don't necessarily have favourite headcanons? tbh a lot of my fics involve my favourite headcanons, so that's the short answer. bc like, if I wasn't invested enough into a specific headcanon, I just won't write it? So there's that. Plus, I'm very live and let live wrt headcanons, and if something doesn't jive with me, I just ignore it and let others have their fun.

But I do have a specific headcanon I'm not sure I've really explicitly mentioned in my fics and it's that they have two Vex forms. One is where they simply transform fully into Vexes and can phase through walls and access Vexspace and do all the things Vexes can do. This is like their true form.

But they also have a half-Vex form, and this is what changes their player bodies, so you get the blue skin, the claws, the teeth, the masks becoming Vex faces. This is the possession side of it, where the Vex possess their bodies and do work in the overworld that they wouldn't be able to do otherwise.

If you had any specific headcanons you wanted my thoughts on, though, do please send another ask! <3

[convexicalcrow]

The Warden farm was silent, and it was the kind of dense, full silence Cub needed right now. He'd thought coming back to Hermitcraft was going to give him the time to process the skulk possession and the memory loss, but the Emperors had followed, and he'd been too busy pretending everything was fine as he tried to remember where everything was while trying to keep up with everything going on to stop. At least down here, his brain didn't feel like it was full of angry bees.

He broke the portal once he'd arrived, not wishing for anyone to follow him. He just needed to be alone for a while, and let the darkness and the silence soothe his ragged nerves. He curled up against the wall, finding comfort in the sensation of the skulk veins against his body as they began wrapping him in a coocoon, hiding him away from the world.

He didn't sleep, not really. He wasn't really awake either. He'd found a consciousness somewhere between the two that was also neither, and there he stayed, undreaming, unawake, simply existing in the silence. There were no skulk whispers, no Vex pestering him, nothing. Just silence. Eyes closed. Wrapped in a tight blanket of skulk veins that he found very comforting, like arms holding him close. It felt like that.

-

"Cub? Cub! No! Hey! Get away from him! Let him go! You're not taking him again! I won't let you!"

Scar's voice pierced through Cub's mind like lightning, blasting the silence away. He was too loud, too loud, and he was forced back to a more waking consciousness as he felt his body being pulled around as the skulk veins fell away.

"I'm getting you away from here, Cub. I don't want you losing more of your memories to this stinking plant! Come on! Get up! Please? Cub, please, get up, the skulk's too dangerous," Scar pleaded.

He pressed his hands over his ears once he could move, and curled up, resisting Scar's attempts to help him. He didn't need help. Just needed to be alone. He was vaguely conscious of more skulk veins wrapping over him, and more attempts from Scar to free him. But Scar was just Too Loud and his mind was overwhelmed to the point where he felt paralysed. Couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't do anything. Didn't know how to tell Scar what he needed.

In his mind, he screamed.

-

Cub retreated to Vexspace, shutting himself away from the rest of the hivemind. Nowhere was safe when he wanted to be alone, but at least he could police his boundaries here. He curled up again, burying his head in his arms, hoping for some peace.

-

He dreamed this time. Remembered standing under Scar's tree on the banks of the Hermissippi once the Empires folks had gone home, taking in just how many of the buildings around him he didn't recognise. It was like he'd been away from the server for several months and had to catch up. But he hadn't been away. He'd been doing all kinds of things, he just couldn't remember doing them.

Playing Total Chaos had been... strange. Familiar, and yet vastly not. He stared at the redstone spaghetti all around the arena and knew he'd built it, but could he explain it? Certainly not. The fact he'd needed other Hermits to explain his own game to him in order for him to run it again had been frustrating, but he had understood it. It did seem like his kind of game, and once he'd played it once, it was like his body knew what to do then, and he was fine.

He remembered standing on the pathway out to his farms that he'd built from the red tunnel, and feeling lost. He walked by so many portals, read the signs if they had them, and felt like he was playing on someone else's world.

He went through them all, of course, just to refamiliarise himself with where he was and what he'd done. The Allays at the scute farm seemed happy to see him, at least. He didn't remember getting Allays, and he got to be delighted by them all over again as they flew towards him to greet him. They were very sweet creatures, and nuzzled him softly before going back to their work collecting scutes.

As a Vex, he felt strange about that. Allay were- he didn't know, not really. They seemed very helpful creatures, and all his instincts were telling him to do were to destroy them and corrupt them into Vexes. He took himself away from the Allays at that thought. He didn't want to hurt them.

-

Something was weighing him down, and he felt fingers brush his cheek softly. Scar. It couldn't be anyone else. He curled up again, feeling Scar's arms hold him tighter. Vex magic was pulsing strongly between them; clearly he was still in Vexspace. Scar wasn't talking, though. Wasn't even sending him any words through their mental link. He was just holding him close and nuzzling him softly like the Allays did. Scar's energy was apologetic, and Cub understood. Scar was just looking out for him. At least this time, Scar's touch didn't make him feel like he was on fire.

-

"I just didn't want to lose any more of you than I already have," Scar murmured, unwilling to raise his voice.

"I know, I get it," Cub replied. He sat back against the walls of the farm again, closing his eyes as the skulk veins wrapped tightly around him again.

Scar kissed his temple and pulled Cub into his arms, adding more comforting pressure that Cub melted into. He'd forgotten how soothing it felt to be close to him. Everything about him was a comfort now.

"Needed the silence. Didn't mean to panic you," Cub said.

"Don't apologise. We'll stay here until you feel better, alright?" Scar said.

"Thank you," Cub said, his ears suddenly deciding he'd heard enough sound. "Shhhh. Please."

Scar pressed a kiss to his head and let Cub settle in his arms. Maybe having Scar around would help after all. The silence fell like a blanket over them, and Cub sighed softly, still overwhelmed, but knowing he'd be okay. It might take a while, but he'd be okay.

[convexicalcrow]

CubScar Week Day 5: Chaos/Pranks

[Limited Life setting]

Scar and Bdubs dare to go to the woodland mansion, and meet someone there they never expected to see.

cw for blood feeding, M/s dynamic, manhandling, hair-pulling, kneeling, kissing, obedience

convex/scardubs pairings

Unlimited Chaos

Who's decision was it to go into the mansion? Well, maybe his, but Bdubs had encouraged him! But it became clear they hadn't been the first to loot it, and there wasn't much left to steal. There were no priests or vindicators around anyway. Someone had taken the totems and all the good stuff and left them with a diamond hoe, some gunpowder, a lead, and a nametag. Well, could be worse. At least he didn't have to face any Vex-

Scar froze as the scent of Vex magic filled the air. "Oh no. Was there one priest left? Oh no. I-I- Bdubs! Bdubs! There's a magic hands man! I can sense Vexes!"

He turned, ran down the corridor where he'd last seen Bdubs. He kept calling for him, but Bdubs seemed to be somewhere out of earshot. Scar began to panic. As he turned to look in one final room, he saw someone he was not expecting to see, and Vex magic began pulsing strongly through him as Cub, in half Vex form, slid off the table in the middle of the room and walked towards him.

"Scar! There you are! I wondered when you'd come by. Couldn't resist, could you? The pull of the mansion is irresistable to a Vex," Cub said.

"Well, Bdubs encouraged me! I wouldn't have dared without him," Scar said.

"Yes, where is Bdubs anyway? He's around here somewhere, I can feel him," Cub said, brushing past Scar as he went into the corridor.

Scar followed, unsure if he wanted Bdubs to be found or not. He stood in the hallway as Cub went into a room further down, and moments later, emerged, dragging Bdubs by his hair.

"Hey! Hey, look! No need to be harsh! I wasn't hiding, I swear!" Bdubs said as he staggered along behind Cub.

"You forget the Vex know your heart, Bdubs. This way," Cub said, gesturing for Scar to follow.

"Is that why you're here, Cub? Did the Vex send you? Because I didn't think you were interested in playing in this series," Scar said.

"Oh, I'm not. That's your job, not mine," Cub said.

Scar believed him, feeling the Vex magic pulling him onwards. Even Bdubs was quiet. Cub said nothing else as he led them into a room on the third floor, where Bdubs was unceremoniously shoved down onto his knees as Cub took a seat in front of him. Scar joined Bdubs on his knees, understanding the protocols at play here.

"Well, well, well. Our two recalcitrant Vexes. Glad to see you still know your place," Cub said.

Scar went to reply, but thought better of it as he heard the voice of the Vex in Cub's voice. He was channeling. He lowered his gaze and curled into himself. He could feel the Vexes hanging around. Now was not the time to be stupid. Even Bdubs was appropriately quiet and subservient as he looked at the floor, averting his gaze.

"We've been watching these death games for a while, and we feel they're missing something. Something we think you two are well-placed to provide," Cub said.

"And what might that be, master?" Scar said.

Cub leaned over and lifted Scar's chin up. Yes, the Vexes were in his eyes, and he got lost in the stars he could see, feeling Vexspace pulling him in. He closed his eyes as Cub kissed him softly, feeling Vex magic flood through his body.

"Chaos. Total chaos," Cub said.

"Total chaos?" Scar said. "You mean-?"

"You can read our thoughts, you know what we mean," Cub said.

Scar looked at Cub as a flood of imagery filled his head. Fire, distractions, death, pranks, Vex magic being used to tear alliances apart, at least as far as Scar could see. There was a lot of other things going on, and who knew how many of them they'd be able to pull off? There wasn't much he could predict.

"S-so you want us to, like, so you mean…" Bdubs said, struggling to deal with the imagery he was seeing.

Cub turned to Bdubs and grasped his hair, forcing their eyes to meet. "Yes, you see what we mean. Your allegiance is to the Vex and to no one else. Don't forget that."

"Gah! I won't, I won't, I promise!" Bdubs said.

"I would never! We'll do our best, master," Scar said.

Scar instinctively reached for Bdubs' hand, hearing the fear in his voice. He was unsure they were capable of pulling off what the Vex had in mind. Sure, he normally played with a certain amount of chaos because that's what he was like, but were they capable of playing the whole server and turning everyone against each other? Maybe, maybe not.

"Obedience is your only choice. Now, give us blood, we are hungry tonight," Cub said.

Scar immediately offered his hand. He felt only pleasure as Cub bit him, feeling Bdubs squeeze his hand tightly beside him as he shifted to get a little more comfortable. The Vex were with him. Vex magic pooled in his hands, whispering magics to cast and words to say to sway his friends into anything he wished. His doubts faded, as they should, ashamed to have had them in the first place. He was better than that. The Vex conquered all. There was nothing he couldn't do with Their power at his fingertips.

[vexingly-yours]

got a Silhouette Cameo 3 recently and cut out some test stickers of me and @glimmeringalder‘s son’s head... looking forward to making some sticker sheets for Dragon Shores! ;3

[vexingly-yours]

Connnnn prep~

[vexingly-yours]

FR’s chillin with page 200 done. time for WUMB~