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tineymang · 1 month

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i finished doing an updated reference of my explorers of sky team!! these guys live rent free in my head i like them a lot (some fun facts under the cut because i have too much to say about them)

circuit

was found by mello passed out on the beach, with no memories other than their name, and the fact they were once human…

had the scars on their horn and fin from the moment they woke up on the beach, and never figured out why they had them until they went to dark crater

the main navigator and also the cartographer of the group! they carry the wonder map with them, along with a feather pen and paper for mapping out the floors of mystery dungeons

was originally always the leader, but often now they will switch between themselves and mello depending on the situation

came up with the team name! they think it is very cool and nobody else except for mello agrees.

has a habit of rushing into fights without thinking, so they often need to duck behind mello for cover when things get dicey

only stores light things in their bag, like their paper and a few healing items in case of an emergency. they will also often hold onto items that need to be delivered to clients so they don't get mixed up with other equipment

they offered to carry mello's bag once and were immediately squished by it, and now they are permanently banned from carrying anything heavy.

mello

formed a team with circuit after the two joined wigglytuff's guild together

a lighter color than most mudkip! the 'splotchy' or spotty patterns she has are also a common trait of water types, possibly because it helps them blend into the water more

her gills are curved and her head fin is longer than normal, which causes it to fold over because of the extra weight. these are only aesthetic differences, and don't affect anything about their functionality!

keeps track of the job requests, usually has a bulleted list she keeps on her. likewise she also keeps an eye out for the items and/or pokemon they need to find in dungeons

has a fascination with all things ancient and mysterious. she has a growing collection of aged books, even in subjects she doesn't have much interest in.

also enjoys collecting various odd objects, and souvenirs from the places she's been! she decorates sharpedo bluff with them.

originally carried the bulk of items they found in dungeons, but after luna joined mello now only carries equipment (orbs, scarves, etc.), while luna carries treasure (boxes, poke, etc.)

one of her favorite hobbies is reading, she finds it's a good way to wind down after an exploration. recently, she has taken up journaling as well.

stripe

met circuit and mello when they explored sky peak together, and she joined the team soon after!

grew up in a colder climate, hence their extra fur

trained at marowak dojo following her joining the team, in an attempt to match the levels of circuit and mello. her brown bow is from marowak!

handles inventory management, took over for circuit who did it prior. she insists she doesn't mind, she finds it satisfying to do.

doesn't speak very often, except to people that they're comfortable with. because of her easygoing nature, she's often the first one other members of the team come to for advice!

has their own home where they live by themselves, but they stay at sharpedo bluff enough that they consider it their second home

one of her favorite spots is spinda's cafe, they enjoy sitting down and crowd watching. mello likes to join her sometimes!

stripe exclusively holds onto healing items like reviver seeds, so they're able to quickly grab one if someone is in a pinch.

mana

joined the team after they came to sharpedo bluff to return to the place they hatched!

has the same kind of splotchy patterning as mello! this is only by pure coincidence, though.

circuit and mello are very protective of mana following their illness when they were young, but they insist they are able to handle themselves.

has the occasional mischievous streak in which they find it entertaining to intentionally scare their parents. i wonder who they get that from…

being the most recent recruit to team epic squad, mana is still figuring out exactly where their specialties lie. but that doesn't mean they're not trying their best!

never quite figured out who exactly it was that left mana's egg alone in the middle of the ocean. circuit has some strongly worded things to say to them if they ever encountered them.

they view mello and circuit as their parents, and walrein is more like an uncle to them. they still see walrein on occasion when he comes to visit treasure town!

carries no bag, only their defense scarf. circuit and mello worry about them straining themselves, so they will usually not bring any items with them.

luna

joined the team after the fight at dark crater!

really not a fan of the team name, but also trying really hard not to be rude about it. she will often refer to it as 'team epic' for short.

not used to having casual conversations with pokemon, so she often will come across as stilted when speaking. instead of names she will default to referring to a pokemon by their position (ie the kecleon brothers are shopkeeps, chatot is head of intelligence, etc)

because of how long she's been around, she has a knack for spotting rare or unusual items! she is not particularly good at estimating monetary value, however.

having trouble figuring out how to relax now that she doesn't have to focus on thwarting any world-ending plots. the rest of the team has gradually been working on getting her to loosen up more

enjoys the company of the future trio, celebi in particular. they like to discuss "legendary pokemon things", as celebi puts it.

has reasons for joining the team beyond finding the work of exploration teams fascinating. she has not told anyone what those reasons are, though.

carries all the various treasure the team finds! she has a liking for any especially shiny objects.

also as a bonus for making it thru the fun facts heres the old reference i did of team epic squad (around 2021 i think??) which this one was a redraw of! (and i also added luna)

#pokemon mystery dungeon #pmd eos #pmd 2 #rotom #mudkip #furret #manaphy #cresselia #mang doodles #my junk #too many tags..... i didnt know what ones to use #i think this is the first time ive posted abt them but ive had these guys for a while #i updated my desktop tumblr theme recently and i added a gif i made of circuit and mello in the corner... the guys ever #also its a lil hard to tell bc both circuit and mello have blue and orange in their color schemes #but their respective accessories are meant to match the colors of each other!#circuits bow is color picked from mello and mellos band is color picked from circuit :]

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luuma-makes-games · 2 years

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Hey gang,

I'm back to my usual setup now lmaooo. Here's a sweet little monk subclass designed for multiclassing moon druid, acting out redwall, or being master cricket from kung fu panda.

#did you know that if you accidentally fumble a headphone jack into a usb port #it short circuits the motherboard and kills your PC instantly?#bummer right! I have learned many new and exciting facts these past few weeks away from tumblr #dnd monk #dnd #dnd subclass #dnd 5e #dnd homebrew #homebrew subclass #luuma's stuff #5e homebrew #subclass #dungeons and dragons

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cyan-circuits · 1 year

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Parallels.

First is pre-campaign when Mayve mauled her, the second is her making a mistake and Tharin puppeteered by Emerala beating the shit out of her.

#Knights Against the Machine #dnd oc #dnd #tiefling #character illustration #illustration #dungeons and dragons #tw blood #blood #gore #cyancircuitsart #cyancircuitsocs #cyan circuits

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seumascowan · 1 year

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Yesterday morn's training session.

10 circuits: 1-arm Kb swing x 10 Jump rope x 100 (Alternating) Wide/Close grip push-ups x 10 Kb cleans x 5 Kb halos x 10

Obviously some limited mobility on the halos, but otherwise a decent morning. Especially with England losing to the Boks in the background. A Wales collapse and England gettin' the business, both at home ~~ how could it not be a great morning!

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voltaage · 11 months

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this one... this one calls to me

#♡ ˙ * ✧ ━━ the charge in my circuit ❪ooc❫#(oh to rp a character whose fandom is non existent here)#(i have brain worms and theyre festering)#(this is the plague doctor/paracelsus from darkest dungeon btw)

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limbusabnormalitycodex · 1 year

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KQE-1J-23 - Pinpoint Logic Circuit

A sharp mechanical noise zips through the air. Illuminating eyes are fixed on you. A robot slowly approaches. It appears to be incomplete, as suggested by the bare wires protruding with each movement. Is that leakage antifreeze, or blood? While you were wondering, the terminal on its chest flashed to life. Looks like you can write something.

>Write [Hello].

>Write [Goodbye].

Write [Hello].

The terminal prints out its words: <Welcome, Dear Guest. Have you enjoyed the town tour? We'd like you to have a souvenir. :-)> A smile is displayed on the terminal, but in the robot's gestures, you feel a plea for help.

E.G.O. Gift Pinpoint Logic Circuit earned!

>Ask for an explanation of the "town."

>Take the souvenir and leave.

Ask for an explanation of the "town."

The robot tilted its head. While unable to lift and tilt its head in the other direction, it displays a question on the screen. <Did you not take a tour of the town, Dear Guest?> It seems to want an answer.

>Confess the truth.

>Tell it that you took a tour.

>Leave without answering.

Confess the truth.

The terminal suddenly opened upward, and a mechanic arm popped out, trying to snatch something from you. <Please cooperate with confiscation! Lying is bad behavior.> As you duck and twist out of the arms way, it gradually grew faster. <Please cooperate, or you may be punished according to Rule #A62GBFE1!> You hurriedly made your escape, fleeing the robot's unending rampage.

Speed +2 for this battle.

Tell it that you took a tour.

After printing those words, the robot stood still for a while. Just when you started to wonder if it was broken, the terminal flashed. <No response after multiple requests to the Administrator. System Error. System Error. Rebooting...> After that, it kept throwing up complicated words on blue screen.

Cost 40 gained

Leave without answering.

Nothing happened.

Take the souvenir and leave.

Nothing happened.

Write [Goodbye].

(ID: The terminal's light goes red, and warnings start to blare.) The robot shakes intensely as if in pain. <Farewell. Farewell, FarewellFarewellFarewellFarewellFarewellFarewellFarewellFarewellFarewellFarewell> A single word filled the whole screen moments before the robot exploded into bits of metal and gore before your eyes.

Identities without Envy Affinity take 15 HP damage and 15 SP damage!

#pinpoint logic circuit #mirror dungeon event #kqe-1j-23 #mirror of the beginning

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dravidious · 1 year

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This immediately made me think about making one for each color, since there are five dungeons, but I don’t think any of them would fit black

Yeah, plus Prism Mountain would definitely need to be multicolor. In the original outline for Childish Harmony (back then titled Bonds of Discovery because I didn’t realize what I wanted it to be) the final dungeon was actually darkness-themed. It also swapped out the Enchanted Forest for Firework Forest, which would’ve fit red, but then there’s nothing for green. The dungeons just don’t want to make a perfect cycle :(

Here’s the beta stuff for Childish Harmony in case you want more details: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45008744/

In other news, the great jagras is an easy early-game enemy in monster hunter, and I saw one innocent little quest called “The Greatest Jagras”, which has a high drop rate for decorations, so I thought “Oh, this quest is just a convenient way to farm decos just like the coal mining quest in the previous game.”

I was wrong.

#asks #the main problem is that both circuit cavern and cloud palace want to be white #i guess you could kinda see circuit cavern as red because lightning #but it's just too orderly #cloud palace could be blue #but coral garden NEEDS to be blue #not just because water but also because it has the theme of curiosity #it's so blue #nothing else is bluer #the colors of the other dungeons are fuzzier #also the greatest jagras IS a convenient way to farm decorations #it's just also an actual boss fight #they could've just made it bigger and do more damage #but they went all the way and gave it a stronger roar and a new attack #it's practically a subspecies #like a master rank monster except it's in high rank #also when great jagras eats another monster it gains a barfing attack #and The Greatest Jagras' barfing attack also drops decorations #and i'm really proud of how i recreated that in the ability #the killer ability is copied directly from my great jagras card so that's neat

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inspectorspacetimerevisited · 1 year

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So, the Sergeant’s replication of Daeif was merely his way of getting out of the dungeon, where he conveniently has a teleportation mechanism hid in the wall.

He escapes from W.I.T. headquarters to go where? (Or, more likely, when?)

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deckitout · 5 months

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my bug (fae butterfly man)

#vale #circuit #fae #dungeons and dragons

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theminecraftbee · 7 months

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"You know, I kind of get it now," Gem says to Impulse.

"What?" Impulse says. He's nervously playing with a frozen shard in his hands. Come on, Impulse, head into the dungeon, don't be shy, you can do it. Keep hyping yourself up, you didn't die horribly last time. Ugh, he wishes he were a little less into the game, or maybe more uncomplicatedly addicted, like Gem; it would make everything easier if he thought he could either just leave or play.

"I get it now!" Gem says. "Oh, stop debating if you'll go in like that, either do it or don't."

"I'm trying, Gem!"

"Yeah, but if you aren't gonna do it, I want a go."

"You used all your shards."

"In principle!" Gem says. "It's the principle! You wouldn't get it. You don't hang out here nearly as much as I do. You don't understand, understand the vibes." She sticks out her tongue at him for good measure.

"Well, inform me of the vibes, and maybe I'll work up the nerve," Impulse says.

"It's like--I get it now," she says. "When you were complaining earlier this season about Tango not going outside, I was like, aw man, you redstoners and your caves. I'm a sunshine girl. I like trees. And bloodshed."

"Don't see how those things are related but continue," Impulse says.

"I thought you were complaining because Tango is equally lame as you are about stuff like 'going outside' and 'talking to people who don't drag him into it'," Gem clarifies.

"I go outside!" Impulse says. "I go outside all the time! I ran a rebellion! I pranked you and Pearl! I yelled at Grian! I helped cover the perimeter! I have a whole island and a giant shop! I got a job with Scar! I even went through the Rift! I don't know what you want from me, here. It's not like I'm Tango. I did things that weren't my base from time to time."

"The lady doth protest too much," Gem says.

Impulse sighs. Gem laughs and hops into the air and squeezes herself into a gap between the walls near the entrance to the dungeon. Impulse has seen her in there a lot recently; it's almost like she's a gargoyle, or an inlaid relief for the dungeon. Weird thing to think about his friends, but--

"Besides," Gem continues. "Besides. I just said I get it now."

And something about that makes the hairs on Impulse's arm stand on-end.

"You get why we have to work so hard on circuit design?" Impulse asks hopefully.

"No, I don't get the redstone stuff, that's all still stupid nerd stuff," Gem says cheerfully.

"Jock," Impulse says.

Gem smirks meanly. "Script kiddie."

"Ow, that hurts. And it's not even true. Where did you even learn that one, you just admitted you hate that stuff!"

"Lady never tells her secrets," Gem says.

"Well, if you don't understand the redstone, what do you understand?" Impulse asks.

"Just--you really could stay in here forever, couldn't you? It'd be fun while you did it! I even built a tree and everything. Not much I have to leave for anymore, is there?"

Impulse swallows. Ah.

"Except when you run out of shards," he says, after a painful long several seconds in which there's a rock in his throat and he can't breathe and he has to try very hard to find an excuse to refute that.

"Yeah, except for that. Why did Tango have to go and limit how many times we can go in, huh? If I didn't get bored halfway through the week I think I could just move in!"

And Impulse--

Impulse thinks of Tango.

"Yeah," he says. He plays with the frozen shard in his hands. It feels very cold. "I wonder why."

"So? Are you gonna run or not? I want to mock you when you die," Gem says.

"...I might as well spend them all sooner rather than later," Impulse says, and he puts the shard in the barrel. His heart skips a beat as the door opens. Gem cheers. He shakes his whole body to shake off the conversation as he goes inside. It never does, after all, to try to run the dungeon while distracted.

#hermitcraft #a bee fic #decked out 2 #impulsesv #geminitay #SO GEM BASICALLY LIVES IN DECKED OUT HUH.#staring at the 'tango gets eaten by his base' continuity. that's not concerning at all.#...i have no idea why i thought i was done with this continuity BEFORE decked out opened i should have known better

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profkaytonart · 3 months

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My contribution to Dungeon Meshi Thursdays; I needed more food motivational stickers so hoping to get these made soon and added to my etsy/con circuit ....and to plaster Senshi across my waterbottle when I am SLACKING

#dungeon meshi #laios touden #chilchuk #senshi #marcille donato #fanart #anime #delicious in dungeon #stickerdesign

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blackcathjp · 3 months

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in eighth year, animagus harry unexpectedly transformed into a 3 month old black kitten.

the trio didn't understand why his animal form was so young, but he still had full capacity of his human abilities and magic. he roamed around the castle at night, avoiding other students and animals, but a group of slytherins took a liking to the cute little black kitten that lurked around the dungeons.

he visited the slytherins a few times a week, who set out water, food, and even toys for him. it was different being around them, far nicer than he expected - he was just a cute castle cat, not harry potter the savior. he hated being in the spotlight, but he didn't mind the adoration or pampering he received as a cat. he liked being cared for. he felt carefree and comfortable when they played with him, made him refreshed and relaxed the next day. he liked not having to think each day, be stared at, or live up to expectations.

maybe that's why he was a kitten. his magic sensed something, manifesting this form so he could feel like and be a child again. whenever he thought about that, he felt so much grief and sadness that his magic might be compensating for his childhood and teen years. on those days, it was easier to be in his cat form because he didn't have to think so much. and on those days, he found comfort in someone he least expected: draco malfoy.

draco was reluctant at first, deterred by a mysterious cat who seemed to understand him, purring or meowing at just the right moments as if they were talking. the cat hissed and placed paws on him whenever he said something self-deprecating, as if scolding him. he noticed how the cat politely refused others' attempts to pet him, but welcomed draco's affection, nuzzling and asking for more. it was strange that a cat would drag a blanket over to him when he so much as shivered, or nudge a goblet of water to remind him to drink.

he noticed a pattern: on the days harry potter skipped class, the kitten was found asleep in the middle of the day, curled up on draco's favorite seat in the common room. the next day, the cat was gone, but harry potter was there, softer and calmer, less twitchy and alert like he'd been days before. sometimes harry's hand would linger as he brushed against draco, reminding him of a soft cat tail wrapped around him.

eventually, it clicked.

the startling green eyes, the heart marking on one paw, the zigzag lightning marking on the other. it was unsettling to know the cat sleeping on his lap was harry potter all along, who's been secretly living among them the past few months, pretending. yet, he was thrilled to have his attention, to be his favorite, to have harry potter come back to him, every single time. it was such a heady thought, and now draco couldn't stop staring at harry potter, couldn't stop thinking about kissing him senseless.

"you're such an idiot, potter! you're a much better listener when you've got the whiskers on," draco accidentally blurted during an argument in potions.

harry's spoon clattered to the table. "what?"

"i know, you know," draco scrambled out, softer and quieter this time. "i won't tell anyone."

harry stared silently at him, before glancing away, blush high on his cheeks. "how did you know?"

"i didn't at first. but i must say, it's such a classic move of yours, following me around even when you're, well."

"you seemed really sad and lonely," harry whispered as he resumed his stirring. "but you became happier and kinder when i was like that. i felt really comfortable and safe around you, not like when i was with the others, and it made me like you. a lot."

"oh," draco whispered back, brain short-circuiting. "oh. well, i quite like you too."

to the slytherins' disappointment, the kitten's visits slowly dwindled down, along with draco's presence in the dorm. it was common to find him in the corridors, the library, or the lake, sometimes with the black kitten, but most of the time with a smiling, happy harry potter.

#v long way to say drarry healed e/o thanks to cat harry!#he's a black cat with white paws/tuxedo cat #lowkey living a peter pettigrew life LMFAO #he becomes a full adult cat after a while #draco mourns the kitten but cat hjp is still v cute #cat harry #drarry #drarry blurb #harry potter #draco malfoy #drarry fics #writing

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scribbling-dragon · 1 year

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with only feathers as your guide

summary:

With a dungeon as vast and as dark as Decked Out, there’s bound to be plenty of rumours circulating on what might lurk within the shadows, simply waiting for an opportunity to reveal itself and prey on the Hermits that dare to venture within.

The newest rumour, and probably the most interesting one Tango’s heard recently, is that there is someone else in the depths of Decked Out, waiting and watching for a moment to reveal themself. The Hermits that have spotted this mysterious figure haven't seen them for very long, either getting distracted by a ravager appearing around the corner, or just because the mysterious person slips away before they can get a better look.

(ao3 link)

(3,100 words)

this was inspired by the Guide Jimmy fanart i saw from @hybbart recently! it was really cool and i was struck with this idea :]

Obviously, those rumours are just that- rumours. Something that has no basis in reality or even fact. Letting creepy-crawlies lurk in the corners of his dungeon would defeat the whole point of it- the only monsters you’ll ever find lurking in Decked Out are meant to be there.

The Hermits that have managed to catch sight of this figure describe a blue light, almost calling them forward, pulling them further into the depths of the Frozen Crypt, through pathways that they didn't even know existed (pathways Tango is pretty sure didn't exist before their mysterious figure led them down the path). And these paths, each time and without fail, would be marked by a trail of feathers.

So, the Guide joins the ranks of rumoured ghosts that haunt the Crypt and Tango moves on with his life.

Some of the redstone in the Crypt got messed up- Tango’s still not sure how it actually happened. Only that things stopped working as they should and the clank spiked on one of their test runs and he almost got impaled. Several times. Which means he gets the irreplaceable pleasure of kneeling on the ice-cold ground (which is made of ice, hence the ice-coldness) and wrangling the redstone wires back into some kind of order.

His shoulder aches, face cold from where it’s pressed into the ground so he can peer into the floor without inhaling a faceful of redstone- he’s done it once, not at all something he recommends. The sneezing and general sightlessness was a solid zero out of ten.

He hisses out a breath, watching it cloud in front of his face before fading a moment later. It really is far too cold in here, even with the thick fur lining of his cloak he finds himself huddling a little further in on himself and wishing that his flames were a little warmer.

The heart thumps in the background, the noise bouncing around his head, rattling between his ears like an overexcited ping-pong ball. It’s easy to put to the back of his mind most of the time, working past the dull thumping that pulses in time to his own heart, but today, in this particular moment, it grates on his nerves easily.

There’s a small skittering sound to his left, not unlike a pebble clattering to the floor, and his ears swivel towards it automatically. It takes his brain a moment to catch up, thoughts still tangled in redstone wires and circuits. It then takes him several more moments to physically untangle himself from the redstone, pulling his arm back carefully in case he further disturbs the wiring and upsets the already delicate system further.

He turns, finding that there was, indeed, a pebble on the floor.

It sits just a few feet away from him, shining a little in the dim lighting. It’s polished, which wouldn't be unusual if he was somewhere near water- somewhere that would have been able to wear stone down into such a small, smooth pebble. But he’s underground, halfway into the Frozen Crypt and nowhere near any large bodies of water. All the water here is frozen solid (Frozen Crypt, duh) meaning there’s no way for any pebble to have gotten in unless he placed it there, which he didn't, or if someone else brought it in.

He’s on the alert immediately, glancing upwards as he slides backwards, away from where he was just sat and preparing for an anvil to come crashing down. He snatches his hands back as he stares upwards, waiting for the slight clunking noise of an anvil as it’s let loose, or even a frustrated grumble as Doc has to reposition how he’s peering down to try and get a better angle on him.

But there’s no structure above him, nothing that might have been built to ensure he was squashed. The ceiling of the Crypt remains unchanged and as frosty as ever. None of the stalactites look as though they're intending on impaling him within the next few moments, either.

Something whistles behind him, the note carrying hauntingly through the still air. It’s clear and sharp, cutting through the dull monotony of the heartbeat. He turns towards the sound, a grin beginning to pull at his lips as he listens carefully. There’s nothing for several long moments, the silence settling thick and heavy over him, only interrupted by the thumping of the heart. But the noise is easy enough to disregard now, pushing it aside in favour of something far more interesting.

He stands, dusting his hands off, stepping towards the pebble. He nudges at it with his foot, watching as it slides a little further across the ice, coming to a slow stop. He picks it up, cupping it carefully in his hand as he steps in the direction that he’s pretty sure the sound came from.

A lesser person might be scared by the sudden appearance of someone that won't show themselves. But Decked Out is Tango’s domain and it fills him with a confidence he doesn't normally feel.

He pauses at the first spot of colour against the blue and grey of the ice and rock around him.

The yellow of the feather sits innocently in the middle of his path, as though it has just been dropped by accident- a feather that had simply slipped from the wings of an avian as they passed through.

He jerks his head up, quick enough to catch sight of a blue flame, quickly disappearing again as his companion disappears around a corner. He breaks into a run, sliding easily around the corners, accustomed to the slide of the ice beneath his feet- leaning into it on occasion to help him go a bit faster.

He pushes off the iron of the trapdoor, ignoring the way the metal sends a chill shooting through him as the pads of his feet come into contact with it, leaping across the small river and landing softly on the other side. The snow there cushions his landing, settling easily after he kicks it up to continue his pursuit.

He can hear the rattling of a chain, the slight sounds of breaths hitching as he follows his guide, noting each feather in his pathway as he follows along. There are no sounds of something crashing into walls on the tighter turns, which is something he’s noticed the other Hermits doing when they're volunteer for a test run; something about the slipperiness of the ice beneath their feet and not enough grip sending them crashing back and forth, flailing as they struggle to regain their balance while fleeing whatever monster’s chasing them.

He slows, just a little, as he realises he’s in a path he doesn't recognise. He stops completely a moment later, ears still pricked for any sound of movement. He shouldn't be somewhere he doesn't recognise- he made the entirety of the Crypt, every pathway is as familiar to him as his own hands. It would be embarrassing for a dungeon master to get lost inside of his own dungeon.

He walks this path with a little more caution, unsure of when, exactly, he passed into a corridor that was not of his own making. The stone of the walls are smooth, carved in the same design as the rest of the Frozen Crypt- whoever made this was intimately familiar with the way he carved the rest of the stone.

Two feathers mark his path forwards when the corridor forks, both of them leading into incomprehensible darkness. He pauses, on the threshold, squinting for any sign of his guide.

A blue flame flickers, and he plunges forward.

The darkness swallows him whole, impossible to see in, even with his night vision. He has to feel along the wall to make sure he doesn't run into it and smash his face open by accident- his face would probably recover, but his pride wouldn't.

His hand brushes over a notch in the rock, and he pauses for a moment, feeling around the small indent in the wall, curious to what it might be for. His fingers close over something rough on the otherwise smooth notch and something clicks above him.

He freezes, prepared for some elaborate trap to spring up around him and for the pranker to reveal themselves with a grin and a laugh.

The darkness parts instead, the bright light of the stables blinding him momentarily. He has to stop and blink the spots from his vision before he steps forward into the light fully.

The ravagers snort at him from within their cages, watching him with their beady little eyes. Tango pulls a face back at them, sticking his tongue out. The ravagers don't react, not that Tango expected them to, and he closes his mouth. Instead, he looks around the stables, curious as to why his guide might have chosen to lead him here rather than deeper into the Crypt.

There’s straw strewn over the floor, padding the cages of the ravagers (though they seem to enjoy tossing it out of their cages and everywhere else rather than actually lay on it), but it’s still easy to spot the feathers, piled in front of one of the ravager cages.

Said ravager is right against the bars, mouth slightly open and posturing in a rather aggressive way. Tango crouches down, keeping close to the floor as he slips closer, towards the golden feathers.

The mysterious guide, one of the favourite topics amongst the Hermits in the last few weeks, has never led one of their charges astray. Sure, they've been led deeper into the Crypt before, but their passage has been safe and largely uneventful. The most trouble Tango had with their mysterious guide was when they disappeared and every single door locked- the clank had spiked dangerously high, too, and it had been a scramble to fix everything and pull Zed out before too much damage could be done.

He’s close enough to the feathers now that his breath causes the pile to flutter slightly, shifting in the spot they're sat in. He hardly dares to breathe, aware of the ravager a mere foot from him, the way their horns and tusks could jab through the bars and catch him, if he let his guard down too far.

He glances up, careful not to meet the ravagers gaze head-on. He likes his insides being insides and he’s rather they stay that way.

His eyes catch on the bars as he raises his eyes, lingering on the scratches around the bases of several bars. He shuffles a little bit closer, hoping and praying that the ravager doesn't decide that it’s bored and attack him anyway.

He runs a finger along one of the bars, pressing down on it carefully, feeling how it bends beneath even that tiny bit of pressure. He rocks back onto his heels, letting out a breath that’s halfway between a sigh and a laugh.

The bars are weakened, on the verge of giving out completely. One ravager being loose would be more than enough for him to shut the entire dungeon for the day just to herd the ravager back to its cage and then fix said cage. An entire day that could be spent troubleshooting and fixing the problems that arise.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, not needing to speak any louder- the guide will hear him all the same. There’s a low scraping sound above him, like claws against metal, and the creak of a chain. Tango snorts at the lack of response, shuffling backwards until he’s outside of the ravager’s reach.

The emergency button, the button that he’d felt quite stupid for installing in the first place (and also worried because Grian likes to visit the stables sometimes, and leaving a button out in the open is just asking for trouble when he likes to hang around nearby), is his saving grace. He pushes it, watching as the metal reinforcements slide down over the doors with a shing. At least now if the ravager decides to enact its jailbreak, it’ll be contained in a small space and easily dealt with.

“You know you don't have to be all spooky and ominous right now, right?” He asks, listening to the way his voice echoes around him. “It’s cute and all, and I love that you're really getting into the role, but you are also allowed to talk.”

“But then it would hardly be any fun, would it?”

Tango turns towards the voice, quick enough this time that he manages to glimpse more than the flickering of a solitary flame. Instead, he gets to see the sweeping of dark material and the flash of yellow feathers as Jimmy sinks a little further into the shadows lingering around the roof.

“What if I wanna see you?” He frowns, spinning in a circle, trying to track Jimmy’s path from the small glimpses he gets and the soft sound of his talons scraping against the metal supports.

“Then I might be able to help you with that,” something thumps to the ground behind him, arms wrapping around him securely before he’s being lifted off his feet. He laughs as Jimmy spins him in a small circle, the slightest rumble of a purr escaping him before he wriggles loose, turning to grab Jimmy before he can disappear again.

“Hi,” he grins up at Jimmy, tugging him a little closer. “You're the talk of the server, you know.”

“Am I?” Jimmy grins down at him as well, looking incredibly cosy in his cloak, the ruff of fur poofed-up around his neck. He looks far warmer than Tango feels right now- he can practically feel the warmth of Jimmy seeping through the sleeves of his coat, his mind demanding that he draw this source of warmth closer and not release him until he’s warm again. “What a surprise.”

“You don't sound very surprised.”

“Why would I be?” One of Jimmy’s wings shifts behind Tango as he speaks, “Isn't the whole point of me to inspire intrigue, get them guessing about who it is that’s lurking around the corner and guiding them to safety.”

“You're not meant to be guiding them to safety,” Tango frowns, but can't quite keep the grin out of his voice as he looks up at Jimmy. “You're meant to be leading them into danger on occasion, showing them that they can trust you be maybe shouldn't.”

“I'm getting to it,” Jimmy promises. “But I think they're more scared about the ghost haunting the Crypt right now. Leading them to their deaths will only spook them more.”

“They think you're Grian with spray-painted wings.”

“Ouch,” Jimmy’s lantern clinks a little, swinging forward from where it’s hanging on his belt. The flame within it has been extinguished, Tango notes, the pinprick of fire no longer on the edge of his consciousness. “I would have hoped they could at least see I'm taller than five-foot nothing.”

“Be glad Grian wasn't here to hear that.”

“I’d say it to his face.”

“Sure you would, dear.” Tango laughs at the face Jimmy pulls, tugging him a little closer. Jimmy radiates warmth like a furnace, and no matter what books he reads he can't seem to find an answer to why he’s so warm all the time.

“Aw, are you cold?” Jimmy’s arms circle around his back, pulling them flush against each other.

“A little,” he admits. “But I can think of one remedy to that.” He grins up at Jimmy, pressing himself even closer than before. He’s forced to stand on the tips of his toes to get even close to Jimmy’s face, tail swishing behind him to keep him balanced.

“Oh, really?” Jimmy’s grin matches his own. “What remedy might that be?”

Tango has always been good at leading by example than trying to explain his thought process, and it’s easy to pull Jimmy down to meet him halfway, arms hooked behind his neck and lips ghosting over Jimmy’s own before he kisses him properly.

It makes something hot ignite in his chest, warming the previously frozen parts of him. He feels Jimmy smile against his lips, breaking the kiss with a breathy laugh.

“What’s so funny?” He asks, annoyed as he pulls back, noses brushing from how close they are.

“Marigold’s cage just broke open.”

Jimmy laughs as Tango bolts, scrambling up the support beam and peering down at the canary, watching as he pats the ravager - Marigold, apparently, when did Jimmy have the time to name them - on the head. The ravager seems content to let him do so.

“You can clear that up.” He says, still perched on the beam above Jimmy’s head. Jimmy makes it look far more comfortable than it actually is. “Seeing as you've named them.”

“Aw,” Jimmy croons, a smile spreading across his face. “Are you jealous?”

“No.” He crosses his arms, watching as Jimmy nudges Marigold back into its cage. The ravager goes with only a small protest in the form of nudging at Jimmy gently. That gentle nudge is enough to almost send him sprawling, but Marigold seemed to have meant it with good intent.

The bars are fixed a moment later, Jimmy producing a new set from the depths of his coat.

“And you couldn't have done that yourself?”

“But then how would I get my thanks?” Jimmy smiles up at him, far sweeter and more endearing than Tango wants him to be right now- he scowls, but it’s all for show. Really, Jimmy making friends with his ravagers is probably the most in-character thing for him to do. Even if he refuses to go near the warden.

Tango doesn't have a good enough argument against Jimmy’s argument, slipping down from his perch and back towards Jimmy. He gives him a small peck, leaning back.

“I'm going to tell everyone that you're Grian with spray-painted wings.”

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