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coffehbeans · 4 months

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Gt WAC Day 23

"A story with a nonhuman/ monstrous character"

THIS, this was a challenge to write ahsushus I'm so nervous cause it took me SO long and as per usual I'm still unsure about it.

This story is based on a dream I had a month ago, I was writing it since then so i could post it on day 23 of gtwac. So yep, new character. It's different from what I've wrote so far, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

Depending on the reception of this story I will continue it, but fair warning that it'll not be a happy one (IF I continue it).

I'm not sure if I'll rate this chapter in particular as above PG-13, but general warning for overall spooky, unsettling vibes.

Enjoy!

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Edward Becker has not seen his wife in seven years.

People called him crazy for waiting for her return. "She's done for", someone mentioned. "Why don't you find another one?", someone suggested, all falling in deaf ears as every single day, he'd go back from work, sit by the porch, and wait for her until the sun went down. A useless effort, as they said, a delusional hope, or the sign of going mad. But for Edward, it was his strength. The only support for his failed attempts at finding her. His last pillar of sanity that made him get up every morning and wait for her until nightfall. His wife would come back, like she always did. She would come back to his open arms, embrace him gently like she used to, cover him with kisses as he pulled her close. They would giggle and enter their home, enjoy a nice meal they cooked together, talking about their day during dinner, about plans for rebuilding their house, plans for a new job he wanted to get, plans about their future children. When night falls, they would sleep holding each other tight, relishing in their shared warmth.

All he had to do was wait for her by the porch.

...

One day, she did comeback.

It was past midnight. So dark and cold outside, most animals have gone to sleep, making the woods around his remote home dead silent. The cows and chickens of his small farm uttered no sound as they slept, and the wind billowed the wheat fields outside, his plain wooden house colored pitch black by the late-night sky. It was a weathered home, well kept indoors but in need of repairs, with ripped, dingy furniture and leaks on the roof. It was protected by a measly three-feet-tall fence that threatened to fall apart, and over the backyard, where the overgrown grass was blown by the wind, laid a simple wooden shed meant for storing farming equipment. Tossing and turning on his bed, Edward sat up with a jolt, sweat dripping on his face as anxiety threatened to eat him whole. He sighed, holding his face in his trembling hands, and letting out a shaky breath. He couldn't fall asleep in those nights, where the memory of Cordelia haunted his mind in his dreams, ones where she wore desperate expressions as she's dragged away from him by detached, withered hands, and no matter how much he ran, he didn't reach her. Nightmares where he found her dead body, pale and laying limp, lifeless eyes staring at him. Nightmares where he found her hurt, bleeding and beaten up, face covered by bruises – in most nights, those visions would plague him.

With a shiver, Edward got up, lighting up the oil lantern. He trudged for the kitchen, on his way to do the same as usual: put some water over the wood burning stove, boil it, try this new tea his friend had brought for him, and drink it aimlessly, hoping in vain for sleep to come back.

He sluggishly put wood pieces inside the firebox, reaching a hand for the lighter on the table. A flicker, two, and the fire was lit. He put the kettle over the stove with a clank, and stared at it blankly, waiting for bubbles to form. The house was pitch black, only the flickering flames of the stove and the lamp’s dim glow illuminated the room.

A loud sizzling of the kettle snapped Edward out of his torpor as the water boiled. He picked the hot handle, feeling its heat burning his skin, lifted it from the fire and — THUMP. A loud thud by the window behind him sent him jumping, fumbling with the kettle in his hands, heartbeat skyrocketing. He banged it on the table. Hot droplets prickled his hand. He turned around with rapid breaths. A blurred shadow dashed away from the window, sending a cold chill down his spine, the wind howling and heavy thuds echoing outside the house’s walls. Rhythmical and constant. Pounding on the ground. Edward sucked in a breath, head ringing against his skull. He stomped towards the cabinet containing his shotgun. There were thieves? In the middle of the night? Were they finally coming to steal a poor and mad man's house? He wouldn't allow it.

He can’t die yet. Not until Cordelia comes back to him.

Loading the gun with precise clicks, Edward aimed it at the window, darting his aim from window to window until he reached the door, the last place he heard the strange sound. With trembling hands over the trigger, his eyes focused on an invisible target. He held his breath, standing still. Not a single sound. Ears trained on any disturbance. THUMP. THUMP. A shadow passed by the window to his right. BANG!

He twisted his body and shot, missing the shadow by an inch.

"W-who's there!?" He shouted in a trepid tone.

No answer. Not even a sound. Maybe the sound of breathing. He couldn't tell. He couldn't tell if it was someone's breathing or his own.

The “sshhhs” and “thuds” echoed around him, heading towards the backyard. Edward adjusted the position of the gun in his arms.

He took a deep breath.

Edward ran to the back door and slammed it open with a kick, pointing the trembling shotgun towards the field. The sky was pitch-black outside, engulfing the horizon with its inky tint, and the stars didn't dare approach the darkness. The faint moonlight was partially obscured by the clouds, its glow too weak to lighten the outdoors. He huffed, feeling the weight of his gun, and headed further into the backyard with measured steps. His shoes crunched the grass below, the dry air amplifying the sound of his stride. Deadly silence filled the field. A puff of smoke left his nostrils as warm exhale met with the frigid air. Tightening the grip around the gun, he aimed it at the decrepit shed. Waiting for movement. Eyes trained forward. The dark blur of a large silhouette shifted behind it.

BANG.

He shot. Once. Twice. The sound of the bullets making his ears ring, metal creating holes in the aged wood. A loud, high-pitched, and definitely human scream cried behind it.

He stopped shooting, heart leaping to his throat. A weight plunked in his insides, making him loose the tight grip on his gun. Behind the shed, he heard it. A gasp. A whimper. A sob. Clearly feminine. Edward lowered the gun, furrowing his brows as the cries made a lump form inside his throat. A trick to let his guard down? A trap? It must be a trick for sure. No way an innocent person would show up in the middle of the night. No, there's no way. Goosebumps trailed down his back as the cries reached his ears. Why was there even someonehere?

The sobbing got louder, echoing in the cold, dark night. He shivered when the shrill voice reverberated in his ears, an uncomfortable knot twisting in his stomach at the thought he could have shot an innocent woman.

"Who... Who's there?" He repeated, cautious this time, as if talking to a cowering animal.

The sobs dwindled little by little. He didn't dare move. The figure was hidden behind the shed, not even the faint moonlight giving a glimpse of its appearance.

Finally, he heard it: that feminine voice. Frail, faint, and so utterly scared.

Its familiarity so potent, something clogged in his throat.

"... Ed..."

That voice. The voice he waited for so many years by the porch. The voice he dreamed of in his sleep. Screaming. Crying for help. Calling for his name.

"... Edward..."

The same voice that recited sweet words of so much care, so much love and adoration to him every day. The voice that followed a gentle embrace, the smell of perfume and a prolonged kiss. The same voice that said "I do" by the altar over 12 years ago, that whispered close to his ear, giggling with joy. The voice that chatted to him relentlessly, which he couldn't get enough of. The voice that laughed, cried, shouted, only to say sweet words of gentle love again. That melodic yet striking voice. Edward didn't notice the tears falling from his face. Didn't notice the gun falling to the ground. Didn't notice his feet moving on his own, towards the shed, towards the faint possibility that she was behind it. He stumbled faster towards it, raising a trembling hand. "C-Cordelia?!" "NO! DON'T COME CLOSER!" The powerful shout made him stop dead on his tracks, ears complaining from its sheer force. He never heard his wife sound so... Desperate. In panic. "... H-honey...?" "Pl-please... D-don't come closer yet." She said, her voice returning to its normal pitch, but shaking with trepidation.

"W-what's wrong...? Did I –"

Then he remembered it. The gun. The shootings. The fact he almost killed his own wife. His heart sank, face turning pale, his voice hoarse.

"Oh God. It's - it's really you, it was you and I almost, I-I a-almost... A-are you hurt? Are you bleeding? I –"

Edward took more shaking steps towards it, the nightmare of his dead wife still clear in his mind.

"NO!" - He stopped again. - "I-I'm fine! I'm not hurt, you d-didn’t hit me."

Edward covered his face with a hand and stopped himself from wanting to vomit.

"Cordelia I'm- ... I-I'm so, so sorry I thought it was a thief, I..."

He lowered his head, and took a shaky breath.

"Am I going crazy? Is – is it r-really you?! I, I waited for s-so long – I thought you were dead —!"

Tears poured desperately from Edward's eyes, his attempts to stop his sobs coming in vain. He hiccupped under his cries, breathing rapidly as reality came crashing down and years of restrained emotion leaked out. The voice sounded just like her. The voice could really be her.

‘Then, if it’s her, why is she hiding?’

"Please, d-dear, if it's really you..." - he whispered, his voice croaky and dry. Tears continued to fall.

"Please let me see you..." The shed grew eerily silent. Cold air made him quiver. A silent second spread throughout the night, the sounds of his sobs echoing through the pitch-black darkness. "I... I can't."

She whispered back in a shaky voice. Unsure. Afraid. Edward raised his head, glancing to the fallen gun on the grass, a realization hitting deep inside his stomach. "Are you scared of me...?" A pause. He heard her sucking in a breath. A long, deep exhale was carried by the wind. Her voice faint and trembling. "N-no... Dear, I... I'm not scared of you." The shed's wood creaked, like something was gripping it and scratching it down. "...I'm scared of myself." Edward's guilty expression changed to confusion. He furrowed his brows. A part of him wanted to giggle. His adorable wife, scared of herself? Why? She always had some impatience and anger she was discontent about, but even so... That made no sense. The way she acted, hiding from him, made no sense. Another part of Edward felt an odd sense of dread. As if something was not right. "Honey, why are you hiding from me? I... I waited for so long... I-I searched everywhere for you, and when I couldn't find anything, I waited. And when I couldn't wait anymore, I prayed. I hoped. I-I never paid attention to what the others said, even if they called me crazy." He took a step towards the shed. She sucked in a breath. Edward didn't notice more tears started to pour from his face. "And it's you, r-right? It's you who's behind here, right? Alive and well? Please dear... Don't let me think I've gone crazy!" He took another step closer. Then another. She whimpered behind the decrepit barn. Edward's vision was blurry from his own tears, but he didn't care anymore. He just needed to see her, even if it wasn't true. Even if he died.

Gosh, he just wanted to see her.

"Honey, DON'T!" The sheer loudness of her rigid voice made him stop dead on his tracks again. He opened his mouth, ready to protest, but Cordelia interrupted him.

"It's n-not... It's not that I'm not alive and well, Edward..." "So why are y-"

"...I-it's that I don't know what I am anymore..." He paused. That uneasy sense of dread sank heavier inside him. "What...? Cordelia, what do you mean-" "If I," – She interrupted, taking a deep breath. – "If I really come out of this shed, Will you promise, promise me that you will not run?" A shiver ran down his spine. Heartbeat rocked harder against his chest. Something's not right. Something's clearly not right. But Edward planted his feet firmly on the ground. It was his wife's voice. He lost her seven years ago. He doesn't know what happened to her in that time. She could be different from how she looked back then, hurt and bruised from whatever abuse they inflicted on her. Rage bubbled up inside him. Whoever did anything to her, he would kill them in cold blood. They would pay for taking her away from him. Being hurt and disfigured by her captors… That was probably what Cordelia meant.

There was no need for him to feel so nervous.

"You know I love you, dear... No matter what. You know I'd never run away from you... So why would you even ask that?"

"Please, Edward." She said louder than he expected. Desperate. Too desperate. "Please promise you won't run." The moonlight cast over the shed, the little gaps between the wooden plates showing a faint shadow behind it. A hulking mass, piled up like a bundle of hay, a head peeking out of the lump as if there was no body attached to it. Edward's eyes widened, heart drumming faster in his chest. Cold sweat scurried down his forehead. 'What is that?' And yet, he couldn't deny the pleading voice of his wife, sounding exactly as she did seven years ago. It couldn't possibly not be her. Something grave must have happened when she was gone, and that's why she was so afraid. Yes, that's most likely it.

So Edward gulped his nervousness down, and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Honey... I promise I won't run away from you... I would never run away from you."

A light, quiet wail whispered in the cold night, slowly dwindling down. A sniff sounded behind the shed. A long inhale and exhale belonging to powerful lungs.

Silence.

"... Alright."

And the heavy sound of something dragging over the earth.

A form encased in shadow peeked from the wooden walls over fourteen feet above him. Edward took a while to notice the large silhouette was a head. His wife's head. It was truly, truly her! Looking just like he remembered and – pale. So sickeningly pale. A dark and somber expression covered her face. Her eyes were baggy and downcast, white lips trembling. But more importantly, he couldn't understand why she has so high up.

"P-please..." - she uttered, almost to herself. - Please don't run..." Gargantuan claws appeared next to her, black, sharp nails curling over the creaking wood. A long, bony hand covered by charcoal scales. His wife pressed her eyes firmly shut. Edward took a step back, his mouth going dry. The sinking feeling in his stomach cut deeper. And then he saw why she was so high up.

The rest of her appeared under the pale moonlight, her form triple of a human size. A gigantic torso loomed over him like a small tree, covering him in her shadow. She wore nothing on her, long, mahogany hair covering her chest.

Then he looked down.

Black and yellow scales jutted out of her skin, covering her lower half, legs attached together in a single, cylindrical body that twitched and writhed as it came closer. The thick tail uncoiled behind the shed, extending further and further to Edward's right, so much so it could envelop around him if it moved. With loud thumps, Cordelia's massive form fell on the ground, hair obscuring her downcast face. Black talons gripped the soil as she pushed herself forward. Rough and coarse scales scraping against the earth as the hulking, round tail crunched the grass and lugged over it like a corpse dragging on the dirt. Rocks broke with a sickening "crunch" under its weight.

Edward's face contorted in shock. He took one, two steps back, eyes widening in horror, shaken to the core as his heart jumped in his throat. Pounding harder against his ribcage.

It was a gargantuan something, half snake, half something that resembled human. Resembled his wife. He mumbled incomprehensibly. Primal fear took over him. A crying, shaky voice resounded from the creature's mouth. A clawed hand the size of his head reaching out to him. "P-please... Edward..." He ran. He screamed bloody murder and dashed back towards his house, hearing it holler back his name. Tears fell from his eyes, desperation taking hold of his body. A deafening sound of thumps and scratches came from behind him, growing closer, coming for him.

"WAIT–!" Tha thing can’t be his wife. Whatever it was it could not be his wife. It shouldn't be his wife. It shouldn't be human. He ran through the house's corridors, left became right and up became down and the crunches behind him grew louder and louder and he had to hide, he had to hide but there was nothing in his room aside from the cold, old bed so he bolted, ran and ducked under it, mumbling shaky prayers, begging to heavens for his life. Begging that he was hallucinating. To not die to someone who looked so much like her.

That couldn't be real. He heaved. It can't be real, can't be real can't be real it can’t – He's gone crazy. Yes, that must be it. He's finally gone mad and that’s why.

But the cracks of the floorboards under the creature's weight sounded far too real for him to doubt. The scratching of the claws over the ground as it dragged its gargantuan body caused a fear too intense for him to doubt. The cracking of the walls as it squeezed itself inside felt too real for him to doubt. Edward clamped his mouth shut with a shaking hand, curling up under the bed and closing his eyes tight. If he remained immovable, if he remained silent, maybe it wouldn't find him. Maybe he wouldn't die. He gulped down a whimper that threatened to escape from his throat. Cordelia's voice resonated from the creature's mouth again. Weak, raspy, and grieving. It was a strategy to lure him out. Yes. That was probably it. It couldn't possibly be something else. Because that huge monster with crude scales couldn't be his wife, with soft skin and flowing hair, with her dress that billowed in the wind when they walked over green fields together. No. That thing could not be her. "Edward... Please, I-I..." She whispered under her heavy sobs. Loud thumps echoed outside the room. "I won't hurt you... Please believe me!"

The sobs that sounded so much like her broke his heart in half. But he remembered to what it belonged to. He would not fall for it. Even if he wanted to scream for help, knowing that no one would come. Even if a part of him wanted nothing more than believe it was all true and run towards its scaly arms. He gulped down his screams of fear, and remained silent. Frozen. Unmoving. He would not fall for it

The scrapes and scratches got louder. Scales hissed over the floorboards that chirred in protest.

"I'm not a monster. I'm not –" A claw unhinged itself from the floor and the creature raised itself up. A loud bump thundered on the ceiling, a shocked gasp echoed in the dry air. Edward clutched his eyes shut. Dust and debris fell on the ground. The monster laid down again, a heavy bang thundering in the silent house. The floorboards groaned as it settled on the ground.

"If you... If you look at me like that again, I-I think I'll go crazy... I can't stand it!"

Loud sobs filled the house. Edward flinched and clutched his eyes shut, breathing heavily, curling further inside himself. He resisted the urge to break down into tears.

The dragging and shuffling got heavier. The floorboards of his bedroom, the ones he was currently laid over, creaked in complaint of the weight being placed upon them. The sound got louder. Closer.

It was entering his room.

He sucked in a quivering gasp. Heart threatening to escape his throat, he shook as if the room was freezing cold, tears cascading down his face at the thought that he really could die now. He would die. He would die. Maybe he should. Maybe she should just end him.

He saw it. The black and yellow scales, shimmering as it moved. The snake body crawling as it reached the door, so massive it got stuck in the door frame. A push or two and it got free, the walls around it cracked, dust fell around him and a crunching sound reverberated in the room. Black claws scraped the ground, wood screeching in the deafening silence. A towering human body, pale torso as tall as him, laid down, auburn locks of hair trailing on the floor. The face obscured by its raised head.

It stopped moving. He looked at its skin with heaving breaths and widened eyes.

They remained still for what felt like an eternity. The only sound was his own heartbeat, his breathing and the creature's. The tail twitched and thumped against the walls with a loud noise. He flinched as his eyes darted back and forth, hearing the friction of scales against wood.

Silence.

She sniffed. And spoke first. "... When the civil war happened, we hid here once. You would wrap your arms around me, and we'd curl up together under the bed, praying that it'd protect us." – she whispered.

"– But even when I cried, even when we thought we would die, I still felt safe with you. Do you remember that, dear…?"

The sorrowful voice spoke of memories that a monster should not have. Edward felt cold. So cold, alone under that bed.

He closed his eyes tightly shut. Maybe, after a while, he wouldn't see her when he opened them. Hugging himself, Edward shuddered as a shiver crawled up his spine. Maybe he could still return to a normal life, where he didn’t hallucinate. Maybe he could still pretend none of this happened.

There was a shifting sound, and he sucked in a trepid breath. A thud, right in front of him. With his lips trembling, and teeth grinding against each other, Edward wondered if his death would be quick. But time stretched as the room fell into stifling silence, the monster's breathing ruffling on his face. It was right in front of him. He knew. He knew that he should just keep his eyes closed, waiting for his death. He knew that. His heart hurt inside his ribcage from pounding so hard, and his stomach sank lower with fear. He should close his eyes more firmly. He should just wait a while longer.

But instead, he opened them.

Her face. Her same crying face, if not for the magnified size and its greyish blue eyes with slitted pupils. A shadow of what once was her. His wife. The one he waited for so long. The one he imagined walking back to him as he sat by that porch every day. It did come back, as a monster, a ghost ready to haunt him, blame him for the pathetic man that he was, for not being able to prevent her from going missing. A reflection of what he lost. Evidence of his cowardice. A sign that he has gone mad.

That's what he wanted to believe.

But the face that resembled his wife so faithfully mirrored his expression of dread and grief. It covered itself in such humanity, with the exhausted eyes dripping with tears. With the mouth, when its pale lips parted as it sucked in a shaky breath, even if it revealed sharp teeth underneath. With its thick, auburn hair as it clung to her sweating face. It looked so distinctly human. So distinctly real. Not at all like a ghost. Not at all like a monster out to hunt him.

In that closeup by the gap under the bed, it just looked like his wife.

Edward’s breathing got less exasperated. His heart rocked less inside his chest. His tears dried as his widened eyes remained frozen on the figure before him. He glared at its mouth, as it opened to speak.

"Edward..." It whispered. So silently, so tender yet certain, just like the time when he had her by his side.

"... I am real."

The tears resurfaced, a mix of fear, hope and despair turned into quiet, then loud sobs, then muffled screams as Edward cried and curled up further under the bed, letting out years of frustration. Years of guilt as it made his chest hurt and his breathing to narrow. He couldn't hear her, who was sobbing on her own, as he drowned in the sorrows that leaked out of his weathered body like a dam that has been broken. Did he have her back? Could he really put a stop to this? He felt guilty. So guilty. Was that his fault? If he found her, would she have turned out like this? No, she wouldn’t. He knew she wouldn’t and that was why the tears wouldn’t stop. If the monster wanted to hurt him, Edward wouldn’t blame it, not even a little.

When he started to calm down, he didn't realize the creature was still there, in front of him, with tears gathered on its enlarged face. He regained his breath, steadily and gradually, refocusing his eyes on the grey blue irises. Her gaze softened, just like when she greeted him home after a tiring day, eyes inviting him for peaceful rest.

He needed that rest. More so than any other day.

"If I... If I move away, will you come out?"

She whispered so quietly Edward struggled to hear it. But it still sounded the same, that sweet, honeyed voice that said “I love you” with so much earnest and ease. But a part of him still doubted. His body still trembled under her alien gaze. Doubts echoed in his mind, and adrenaline pumped in his veins. If this was her, then how? Why? What kind of degenerate devil would do this to her?

But still, he wanted to believe... He did, but... He didn't want to die.

"Dear... If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I'd already done so?"

There it was, her bolder side, the one that always made her win an argument, that scolded him sometimes but he always loved it when she did. The one that now made him snap out of it, and helped Edward realize that he didn't have any power in this situation from the very beginning. The creature was huge and could see him. Indeed, if it wanted it would have hurt him long ago. Edward repeated this in his head over and over until it was enough to clear his mind.

In a glimpse of calmness, he managed to speak in what was left of his hoarse voice. "Yes... You're right, honey." And she smiled. A relieved, sad smile, one that did not have any hope in it, but that was glad he at least spoke to her like a person. Like his wife. Even if it was only for a little bit.

She got up, the long claws visible for a second in Edward's field of vision. They recoiled towards the snake creature's chest as if it had touched a burning kettle, knowing he had seen its intimidating appendage. It shifted its body away and the scales glistened as it slithered towards the door. After a while, it stopped. The area in front of Edward was free to move now.

His heartbeat rocked louder. What if the moment he leaves it slices him open with those claws... – No. 'Snap out of it. Snap out of it.' he repeated in his head, recalling the events and the fact that if it was a predator after its prey, he was already too difficult to be bothered with. He would be fine, Edward assumed. He had to be.

And if all of that was a lie, then it was better that he died anyway, granting the sweet release of death instead of sinking into his madness.

Because if all that he saw this night was not real, then he really has gone mad.

Edward took a deep breath. One... Two... The snake creature remained still.

Three.

He scrambled away from the bed and sat up in a hurry, heaving like he had run a marathon. Eyes closed. Waiting for the inevitable.

It never came.

So he opened his eyes, coming face to face with the creature's scales stretching in the distance. His heart throbbed.

"I-it's okay, honey... You're doing great." She whispered, voice clogged by her own desire to break down into tears.

Edward took another deep breath. In… And out. No closing his eyes now. And slowly, he raised his head up, searching for the face of his beloved. Even if he was shaking from head to toe.

His eyes trailed up her body. Nervous and slim hands, covered by black scales, interlaced over her lap. The scales of her tail became thinner and thinner as he looked up, their color contrasting against the ivory skin of her human upper body. It was ashen, slim, the torso alone was as tall as he was. He looked to the chest concealed by her hair, mahogany and wavy, just like he remembered, although the strands were much longer and thicker than before. And finally, he reached it. The same sweet, tender face, looking down at him. The trembling lips struggled to show a reassuring smile, forcing her mouth shut in order to cover the fangs underneath it. Those elongated eyes, with thick eyelashes that fluttered, blinking away tears. The same straight nose. Those previously beautiful blue eyes, now a greyer shade and with pupils like a reptile's, yet with that human, longing glance, darting around Edward's face as she analyzed his every expression.

It was her. No doubt about that now.

Edward opened his mouth and closed it, struggling to form words. Thoughts spiraled inside his mind. Feelings of guilt, frustration, anger, indignation. Fear. Sorrow. Pain.

Yet hope. Above all it was hope.

Edward got up, not taking his eyes off hers.

That was no monster. It was, indeed, his wife.

"Oh, Cordelia, what have they done to you?"

His voice whispered, thick with sorrow. He looked up to see pools of tears splashing from Cordelia's face, a clear expression of relief. She sobbed, burying her face in her clawed hands, relieved that her husband called her by her name again. Relieved that he was here. Relieved that he didn't see her as a monster, at least for that moment. A piece of humanity she lost, a piece of her previous life that she missed, a piece of hope that was snatched away from her seven years ago and that she never thought she'd have again. It was returning for her.

He was returning for her.

Cordelia was surprised by a warm touch over her scaled lap. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the rough back of her hand, looking down with a gasp. Her husband was rubbing his hand over it, tiny and shaking, comforting her. An attempt to reach out.

"D-don't. They are hideous..." Tears flowed on her face.

‘Indeed, they were’, Edward thought. He never liked snakes, their scales always making his skin crawl whenever he found one in the farm. The feeling wasn't any different as he trailed his hands over her, goosebumps raised the hairs on his skin and he shuddered with each motion. Edward exhaled shakily. No matter how much he looked at it, even if everything felt unreal at the moment, he couldn’t deny who was in front of him.

"They are still you." He said.

Cordelia widened her eyes and Edward looked up at her with compassion on his face. Love, longing. They both yearned for that. For the same feeling to return to them. For the same life, that was so cruelly snatched away from them, to return as if nothing had gotten between them in the first place. Even if it was a pointless dream.

They fumbled awkwardly at what to do.

Edward wasn't sure how to proceed. His mind conjured images of him holding her tightly, back to her human form, like a dream manifesting. Yet the reality loomed over him and the long tail that filled his bedroom in multiple coils covered his skin with goosebumps, a knot tightening on his throat.

He looked up and confirmed it, Cordelia's unsure face was there. He’s not crazy. All of that was still her.

She looked away under his apprehensive gaze, turning deep red and ashamed of herself. Edward took a deep breath; she didn’t feel well and he needed to fix this. He looked down. Then looked up again.

"Can I hold you?"

The question took Cordelia aback. She backed away from him and widened her eyes. Her tail bumped on the cabinet and he twisted his neck towards the source of the sound, clearly flinching from the movement.

He was still terrified of her. Then, why...?

"You don't need to do this, Edward. You did great already –“

"No. I want to do this. If you're really you, I want to do this."

Cordelia looked down and saw Edward's determined face. Her heart broke silently inside her. Why he was so adamant in dealing with her, Cordelia didn't know. But gosh, if it wasn't for his fear and for her disgusting claws, she'd have held him close a long time ago. She missed it so much. How much she missed his strong embrace.

So she nodded, and he came closer.

Edward couldn't quite contain how much he was shaking. Couldn't contain his jolt when he touched her frigid skin, chills crawling down his spine. But despite this, he pushed on forward, kneeling over her scaled lap, glancing at how they shone even in the partial darkness. With silent fascination, Cordelia let her arms hover around him.

A moment hung between them.

And Edward latched onto her. He rested on her torso and enveloped his arms around her, as much as he could, as they barely reached her back. Cold. She was cold like a corpse. He rested his cheek against her stomach, shivering upon contact. Gosh, it was so cold. He wanted to pull away. He wanted to hold her closer. Cordelia didn't remember the last time she sensed so much warmth. She felt herself getting hot inside even when she thought she was not capable of feeling warm anymore. Edward snuggled closer to her chest, and she sighed, relishing in his contact. Gently, like she was cradling an injured bird, Cordelia enveloped her arms around him, careful not to hold him too tight or not to loom over him, either. Gosh, the way her arms completely engulfed him... She felt monstrous. Edward shrank upon contact and she started to let him go, fearing this was a bad decision, but the feeling of his hug getting tighter made her arms remain still.

They stayed like this for an amount of time, taking in each other’s presence. Edward heard his wife's strong heartbeat against him, which grounded him in his current predicament, but still... Maybe he'd blink and she'd be gone, or maybe something would finally reveal that he'd made all of that up. Cordelia's embrace got a little tighter, not in a way that was hurting him, but she shifted around and her shadow loomed over as she curled around him. Her arms closed the hug in, and his heart skipped a beat.

"I missed you." she croaked.

She leaned over Edward, pulling him closer. He sighed in sweet relief upon hearing her melodic voice, feeling exhaustion weighing down on him as his body relaxed. He sank in her gentle embrace, kissing the surface of the freezing cold skin.

"I missed you too, dear."

...

They were laying on their backs under the early morning light, on the floor of the same bedroom where everything happened. Cordelia's tail stretched way further outside the room, disappearing through the door. Edward rested on top of her, not after much insistence that he wrapped a warm blanket around him. He ran his fingers through her hair, dazed, letting the reality of the situation sink in. He wasn't exactly afraid now, but the memories of the night made his heart twist with a mix of dread and guilt. Edward needed to know. How bad was everything that happened to her? Too much happened, she was gone, and now he had her back. It felt unreal and too real at the same time. And yet, Edward needed answers. Maybe, just for a few minutes, he thought, they could stay like this, and pretend that nothing had happened, but he knew that curiosity would get the best of him. Cordelia looked down at her husband with tenderness, watching as he caressed her hair, as she avoided touching him with her claws. She noticed his pensive expression and frowned.

“Is something wrong?

Edward hesitated, looking for ways to phrase his question. "What happened that made you turn into this?" He asked finally, tone even, yet with seething rage building up inside his chest. "Who did this to you?"

Cordelia sighed, closing her eyes. All the memories surfaced in her head like a messy conjecture of disfigured images and sounds. She took a shuddering breath, and spoke.

"I regained memories of you first before I remembered my own name..."

#this was my attempt at suspense #giant/tiny #g/t #hope y'all like it!#I've got some goosebumps while writing this so I hope y'all get some too lol #coffeh writes #story #writing #sfw g/t #g/t story #g/t writing #oc: cordelia #oc: edward #g/t angst #g/t hurt and comfort #gtwac #wacprompts

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cryptidclaw · 1 year

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Cryptidclaw's WC Prefixes List!

Yall said you were interested in seeing it so here it is!

This is a collection of mostly Flora, Fauna, Rocks, and other such things that can be found in Britain since that’s where the books take place!

I also have other Prefixes that have to do with pelt colors and patterns as well!

Here’s a link to the doc if you dont want to expand a 650 word list on your Tumblr feed lol! the doc is also in my drive linked in my pined post!

below is the actual list! If there are any names you think I should add plz tell me!

EDIT: I will update the doc with new names as I come up with them or have them suggested to me, but I wont update the list on this post! Plz visit my doc for a more updated version!

Animals

Mammal

Badger

Bat

Bear

Beaver

Bison

Boar

Buck

Calf

Cow

Deer

Elk

Fawn

Ferret

Fox

Goat

Hare

Horse

Lamb

Lynx

Marten

Mole

Mouse

Otter

Rabbit

Rat

Seal

Sheep

Shrew

Squirrel

Stoat

Vole

Weasel

Wolf

Wolverine

Amphibians

Frog

Newt

Toad

Reptiles

Scale

Adder

Lizard

Snake

Turtle

Shell

Birds

Bird

Down

Feather

Albatross

Bittern

Buzzard

Chaffinch

Chick

Chicken

Coot

Cormorant

Corvid

Crane

Crow

Curlew

Dove

Duck

Dunlin

Eagle

Egret

Falcon

Finch

Gannet

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Hawk

Hen

Heron

Ibis

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Kite

Lark

Magpie

Mallard

Merlin

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Nightingale

Osprey

Owl

Partridge

Pelican

Peregrine

Petrel

Pheasant

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Quail

Raven

Robin

Rook

Rooster

Ruff

Shrike

Snipe

Sparrow

Starling

Stork

Swallow

Swan

Swift

Tern

Thrasher

Thrush

Vulture

Warbler

Whimbrel

Wren

Freshwater Fish

Fish

Bass

Bream

Carp

Dace

Eel

Lamprey

Loach

Minnow

Perch

Pike

Rudd

Salmon

Sterlet

Tench

Trout

Roach

Saltwater fish and other Sea creatures (would cats be able to find some of these? Probably not, I don't care tho)

Alge

Barnacle

Bass (Saltwater version)

Bream (Saltwater version)

Brill

Clam

Cod

Crab

Dolphin

Eel (Saltwater version)

Flounder

Garfish

Halibut

Kelp

Lobster

Mackerel

Mollusk

Orca

Prawn

Ray

Seal

Shark

Shrimp

Starfish

Sting

Urchin

Whale

Insects and Arachnids

Honey

Insect

Web

Ant

Bee

Beetle

Bug

Butterfly

Caterpillar

Cricket

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Fly

Grasshopper

Grub

Hornet

Maggot

Moth

Spider

Wasp

Worm

Trees

Acorn

Bark

Branch

Forest

Hollow

Log

Root

Stump

Timber

Tree

Twig

Wood

Alder

Apple

Ash

Aspen

Beech

Birch

Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cypress

Elm

Fir

Hawthorn

Hazel

Hemlock

Linden

Maple

Oak

Pear

Poplar

Rowan

Redwood

Spruce

Willow

Yew

Flowers, Shrubs and Other plants

Berry

Blossom

Briar

Field

Flower

Leaf

Meadow

Needle

Petal

Shrub

Stem

Thicket

Thorn

Vine

Anemone

Apricot

Barley

Bellflower

Bluebell

Borage

Bracken

Bramble

Briar

Burnet

Buttercup

Campion

Chamomile

Chanterelle

Chicory

Clover

Cornflower

Daffodil

Daisy

Dandelion

Dogwood

Fallow

Fennel

Fern

Flax

Foxglove

Furze

Garlic

Ginger

Gorse

Grass

Hay

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Hop

Hyacinth

Iris

Ivy

Juniper

Lavender

Lichen

Lilac

Lilly

Mallow

Marigold

Mint

Mistletoe

Moss

Mushroom

Nettle

Nightshade

Oat

Olive

Orchid

Parsley

Periwinkle

Pine

Poppy

Primrose

Privet

Raspberry

Reed

Reedmace

Rose

Rush

Rye

Saffron

Sage

Sedge

Seed

Snowdrop

Spindle

Strawberry

Tangerine

Tansy

Teasel

Thistle

Thrift

Thyme

Violet

Weed

Wheat

Woodruff

Yarrow

Rocks and earth

Agate

Amber

Amethyst

Arch

Basalt

Bounder

Cave

Chalk

Coal

Copper

Dirt

Dust

Flint

Garnet

Gold

Granite

Hill

Iron

Jagged

Jet

Mountain

Mud

Peak

Pebble

Pinnacle

Pit

Quartz

Ridge

Rock

Rubble

Ruby

Rust(y)

Sand

Sapphire

Sediment

Silt

Silver

Slate

Soil

Spire

Stone

Trench

Zircon

Water Formations

Bay

Cove

Creek

Delta

Lake

Marsh

Ocean

Pool

Puddle

River

Sea

Water

Weather and such

Autumn

Avalanche

Balmy

Blaze

Blizzard

Breeze

Burnt

Chill

Cinder

Cloud

Cold

Dew

Drift

Drizzle

Drought

Dry

Ember

Fall

Fire

Flame

Flood

Fog

Freeze

Frost

Frozen

Gale

Gust

Hail

Ice

Icicle

Lightening

Mist

Muggy

Rain

Scorch

Singe

Sky

Sleet

Sloe

Smoke

Snow

Snowflake

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Spring

Steam

Storm

Summer

Sun

Thunder

Water

Wave

Wet

Wind

Winter

Celestial??

Comet

Dawn

Dusk

Evening

Midnight

Moon

Morning

Night

Noon

Twilight

Cat Features, Traits, and Misc.

Azure

Beige

Big

Black

Blonde

Blotch(ed)

Blue

Bounce

Bright

Brindle

Broken

Bronze

Brown

Bumble

Burgundy

Call

Carmine

Claw

Cobalt

Cream

Crimson

Cry

Curl(y)

Dapple

Dark

Dot(ted)

Dusky

Ebony

Echo

Fallen

Fleck(ed)

Fluffy

Freckle

Ginger

Golden

Gray

Green

Heavy

Kink

Knot(ted)

Light

Little

Lost

Loud

Marbled

Mew

Milk

Mottle

Mumble

Ochre

Odd

One

Orange

Pale

Patch(ed)

Pounce

Prickle

Ragged

Red

Ripple

Rough

Rugged

Russet

Scarlet

Shade

Shaggy

Sharp

Shimmer

Shining

Small

Smudge

Soft

Song

Speckle

Spike

Splash

Spot(ted)

Streak

Stripe(d)

Strong

Stump(y)

Sweet

Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tatter(ed)

Tawny

Tiny

Tough

Tumble

Twist

Violet

Whisker

Whisper

White

Wild

Wooly

Yellow

#cryptidclaw's warriors au #?#Im tempted to use these in the au #some characters deserve some more fun names hehe #rise of change #warrior cats #warrior cats design #warriors #warriors names #warriors naming #warriors prefixes

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mousetoe-wc · 8 months

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I Got bored one time awhile ago and made a list of every prefix plus some into organised sections so I thought I might as well share.

All the ones that aren’t cannon to warriors, yet at lest are bold

Describing names

Colours: red, russet, copper, golden, amber, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, white, gray, black, ebony, dark, pale, silver, brown, tawny, fallow

Pattern, Texture + Size: spot/ted, dapple, speckle, freckle, brindle, patch, mottle, ragged, tangle, kink, bristle, fuzzy, curl/y, wooly, soft, sleek, little, tiny, small, slight, short, tall, long, big, heavy, crooked, broken, half, stumpy, shred, torn, jagged

Actions + Character: flip, pounce, bounce, jump, hop, crouch, down, low, drift, flail, strike, running, fidget, mumble, whistle, snap, sneeze, shiver/ing, shining, flutter, fallen, lost, rush, fleet, quick, shy, sweet, brave, loud, quiet, wild, hope, wish,

Other: claw, whisker, dead, odd, one, spike, fringe, echo, song, hallow, haven

Elements

Time + Weather: day, night, dusk, dawn, morning, sky, sun/ny, moon, storm, lightning, thunder, cloud/y, mist/y, fog, snow, blizzard, ice, frost, dew, drizzle, rain, clear, wind, breeze, gale, shadow, shade, bright, light,

Earth/Water/Fire names: stone, rock, boulder, slate, flint, pebble, gravel, sand/y, dust, mud/dy, meadow, hill, rubble, river, ripple, whorl, float, rapid, shimmer, lake, swamp, marsh, wave, wet, bubbling, splash, puddle, pool, creek, fire, flame, flicker, flash, blaze, scorch, ember, spark, ash, soot, cinder, smoke

Plants

Trees: alder, aspen, birch, beech, cedar, cypress, pine, elm, willow, oak, larch, maple, bay, rowan, timber, bark, log, wood, twig, acorn, cone, seed, spire

Berry/Nut/Fruit/Herb: juniper, elder, sloe, holly, yew, mistle, bramble, hickory, hazel, chestnut, nut, apple, cherry, cranberry, olive, pear, plum, peach, chive, mint, fennel, sage, basil, mallow, parsley

Flowers: aster, poppy, primrose, rose, bluebell, marigold, tansy, pansy, briar, cherry, daisy, dandelion, daffodil, tulip, violet, lily, myrtle, thrift, yarrow, heather, lavender, blossom, bloom, flower, petal

Other: leaf, frond, fern, bracken, sorrel, hay, rye, oat, wheat, cotton, reed, pod, cinnamon, milkweed, grass, clover, weed, stem, sedge, gorse, furze, flax, nettle, thistle, ivy, moss, lichen, bush, vine, root, thorn, prickle, nectar

Animals

Mammals: mouse, rat, mole, vole, shrew, squirrel, hedgehog, bat, rabbit, hare, ferret, weasel, stoat, mink, marten, otter, hog, wolf, hound, fox, vixen, badger, deer, doe, stag, fawn, sheep, cow, pig, lion, tiger, leopard, lynx, milk

Birds: robin, jay, cardinal, thrush, sparrow, swallow, shrike, starling, rook, swift, dove, pigeon, crow, raven, duck, goose, heron, wren, finch, swan, stork, quail, gull, lark, owl, eagle, hawk, kestrel, buzzard, kite, hoot, feather, bird, egg, talon

Fish, Reptiles + Amphibians: pike, perch, pollack, trout, tench, cod, carp, bass, bream, eel, minnow, fin, snake, adder, lizard, turtle, frog, toad, newt

Bug type Names: bug, lady or ladybug, moth, spider, ant, snail, slug, beetle, bee, wasp, dragon or dragonfly, bumble, worm, maggot, cricket, fly, midge, web, honey

Skyclan + Warriorclan: Bella, Billy, Big, Harry, Harvey, Snook, Ebony, Monkey

#warrior cats #wc

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bokutosmochi · 2 years

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MINECRAFT ♡ KOZUME KENMA

kozume kenma x fem!reader

sugar level: 0.6k allergen warning/s: fingering, orgasm denial regulars: @hanayanetwork

bon appetit!

you've never played minecraft before, or maybe you just lied about it so you'd get the chance to sit on your boyfriend's lap. regardless, you were enjoying yourself, cutting down trees to get wood, crafting those blocks of wood to planks, building yourself a cute cozy, albeit plain and simple house, and getting meat to eat from the cows, pigs, and chickens you came across. the music was calming as well, and if that wasn't good enough, kenma has shrugged to playing a multiplayer game and just had you settle on his lap as he guided you through your adventure, occasionally guiding you whenever you made a mistake, and giving you valuable tips.

but after a few minutes, he started to get bored. he told you to go and explore caves, go out to mine for iron and gold and diamonds, but you told him you didn't have enough torches to go through with that. instead, you were on your land, planting wheat and herding animals.

to say kenma was bored out of his mind would be an understatement because while he enjoyed your presence, because really, he did, it did not do anything to ease the boredom he felt and he's sure that if you were the one watching someone break dirt block after dirt block after dirt block only to make a farm, you would agree.

he wanted, no, needed some form of entertainment and since you did not want to help him with that, he decided to take it in his own hands.

his hands roamed your thighs innocently as he did so many times before while watching tv or playing video games and you smiled at the familiarity of it all. the warmth felt like home. if a siren were to try and charm you, then it would sing a song that would make you feel like this because it is something that will draw you in every single time. you are sure of that fact.

but before long, they were at your inner thighs, drawing circles on the plush flesh. you could feel his smirk on your shoulder as he continues to hum along to you tending to your farm, planting wheat seed, after wheat seed. the sensation made you shiver in his lap, something he felt.

his fingers flicked your tiny skirt up and pushed your panties to the side, sighing in relief when his digits met your dripping pussy. he slid two of them up and down your slit, then wordlessly pushed his long, slender index finger in up to the knuckle making you mewl and throw your head on his shoulder. it rubbed at your spongy flesh in all the right ways, while his thumb stimulated your clitoris. your eyes rolled to the back of your head at the things he was doing, but then, it all stopped suddenly. fingers were pulled out of your cunt and thumb no longer brushing along your bundle of nerves.

from above you, kenma tsk-ed. "kitten, just keep on playing, okay?" he instructed you, only putting his hand to work when you grasped the mouse once again with steel determination, breathing heavily and beads of sweat on your forehead.

at this point, kenma's denied you so many orgasms you found yourself half-laying on top of his desk, panting to yourself, absolutely braindead for him. you have no idea how you were still able to defend yourself against the zombies and creepers in the game, your only guess is that it was simply muscle memory.

kenma was smiling at the image of you on his lap: breathing erratic, tongue out with drool slipping out of the corner of your mouth, and legs wide open for him.

he could feel your wetness on his lap and though he is a man of patience, he does not know how much he still has in him to not push off his old red nekoma sweatpants and drag you to sit on his dick.

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animalcrossingshowdown · 8 months

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Furniture items and sets round 1 results:

Items:

Froggy chair 90.6% / Leo sculpture 9.4%

Mush lamp 83.9% / Cancer table 16.1%

Mom's homemade cake 77.9% / Skull rug 22.1%

Afternoon-tea set 76.4% / My Melody clock 23.6%

Star clock 75.2% / Anatomical model 24.8%

Lily record player 74.7% / Scattered papers 25.3%

Dried-flower garland 72.6% / Rose bed 27.4%

Virgo harp 70.2% / Rescue mannequin 29.8%

Wooden music box 70.1% / Bathtub with yuzu 29.9%

Snail clock 69.1% / Imperial dining table 30.9%

Spooky cookies 67.8% / ACNH Nintendo Switch 32.2%

Plain party-lights arch 67% / Cinnamoroll sofa 33%

Moon 67% / Hyacinth lamp 33%

Greenhouse box 66.4% / Soft-serve lamp 33.6%

Dreamy rabbit toy 66% / Elephant slide 34%

Crescent-moon chair 65.2% / Retro stereo 34.8%

Toy duck 65% / Lovely phone 35%

Dreamy wall rack 61.7% / Throwback skull radio 38.3%

Lucky cat 59.2% / Decayed tree 40.8%

Tiny library 59.2% / Kerokerokeroppi bridge 40.8%

Fortune-telling set 59.2% / Cucumber horse 40.8%

Resetti model 58.5% / Titan arum 41.5%

Wheat field 55.1% / Zodiac dragon figurine

Paper tiger 54.5% / Colorful juice 45.5%

Cherry-blossom pond stone 54.4% / Rocket lamp 45.6%

Hamster cage 53.5% / Monster statue 46.5%

Starry garland 53.3% / Bonsai shelf 46.7%

Balloon-dog lamp 52.2% / Eggplant cow 47.8%

Creepy skeleton 52.2% / Elaborate kimono stand 47.8%

Mom's plushie 52% / Pergola 48%

Peach chair 51.1% / Dessert case 48.9%

Rattan towel basket 50.9% / Cherry-blossom branches 49.1%

1 ) I can't believe you guys voted out lovely phone, the entire reason I'm adding functions to these posts, in round 1

2 ) I can't believe you guys voted out cherry-blossom branches, the item that was positioned as second most likely to win based on number of submissions, in round 1

Sets:

Spooky 89.1% / Throwback 10.9%

Motherly 84.9% / Kiddie 15.1%

Shell 83.1% / Chess 16.9%

Sloppy (classic) 83.1% / Sloppy (ACNH) 16.9%

Rococo 81.6% / Elegant 18.4%

Insect 81.4% / Mario 18.6%

Glowing moss 78.2% / Ruined 21.8%

Mermaid 77.6% / Harvest 22.4%

Cute 76.3% / Lovely 23.7%

Modern 71.9% / Construction 28.1%

Ironwood 71.5% / Hello Kitty 28.5%

Fish 71.5% / Plaza 28.5%

Sweets 70.6% / My Melody 29.4%

Alpine 70.2% / Nordic 29.8%

Stars 69.6% / Gorgeous 30.4%

Cherry blossoms 68.5% / Blue 31.5%

Rattan 67.1% / Astro 32.9%

Flower 66.7% / Diner 33.3%

Fruit (ACNH) 66.7% / Fruit (classic) 33.3%

Antique 65.6% / Classic 34.4%

Modern wood 62.7% / Green 37.3%

Log 62.6% / Cabin 37.4%

Princess 62.6% / Card 37.4%

House plants 61.5% / Kerokerokeroppi 38.5%

Ranch (ACNH) 60.7% / Ranch (classic) 39.3%

Dreamy 58.3% / Wedding 41.7%

Mush (classic) 55.1% / Mush (ACNH) 44.9%

Patchwork (classic) 54.6% / Patchwork (ACNH) 45.4%

Kiki & Lala 53.9% / Moroccan 46.1%

Regal 51.2% / Cinnamoroll 48.8%

Robo 51% / Cardboard 49%

Gracie 50.6% / Imperial 49.4%

As you can see I've colour coded the sets by game. NL is pink, NH is blue, and sets that didn't really change between games are purple.

For the redesign matches, it was an even split between NH and NL. out of 10 redesign matches, they each won 5.

It's easier for me if all the new polls post in a row with no gaps between, so round 2 will start in a few days to give the hourly tournament a chance to catch up! This should be the only round where I have to do that.

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notcaycepollard · 10 months

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fresh bread with cold butter and cheese and a sliced up apple cannot be beaten in terms of ahhh yes.......i am but a humble traveller.....my lunch, a rustic loaf....tied in a linen cloth.......cut with my own personal knife handle is bone blade is worn from long years of use........handed down father to son....perhaps someday I may aspire to a silver plate but at present whittled wood must suffice......the harvest is brought in my wheat is good i have two cows to my name this year.......for dinner, a pottage of soup cooked over the fire of my small but pleasant cottage

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norinenglish · 5 months

Text

Team Rancher - Guide of Canon - Tango Episode 2

Notes on the episode below the cut

Guide of Canon: Team Rancher

Tango's Episode 1 - Tango's Episode 2 - Tango's Episode 3 - Tango's Episode 4 - Tango's Episode 5.

Tango’s Episode 2: TREACHERY AT THE RANCH!

The episode opens with Tango inside their base. As he opens the door Jimmy claims, “We’re back at the ranch!” while goat horns are heard in the background.

“Welcome home, honey! How are we, team rancher?”

“It’s good to be back.”

“Yes, and already the horns with the mocking continues as always.”

“It’s happening today, I’m getting one today!”

“This is the quest, yeah. Horns will be acquired.”

Tango shows Jimmy the secret chest full of goodies (mostly food, leather, wood, wheat and seeds) below the regular ones. Jimmy is excited about it. He repeats “Stop it!” while laughing with happy disbelief as Tango nods proudly. “We ain’t just a ranch.”

“We ain’t hungry anymore!”

“Oh my gosh! You’re a genius!”

“Yeah, I did a little work with the cow, the moo-moos and the chick-chicks downstairs, so we’re good.”

They still don’t have enough iron to be fully clothed, so they decide to make leather armours and they laugh at how poor they look. They consider upgrading the ranch, with the wall and an archway entrance, a lookout tower.

“Tango, you told me you weren’t a builder…”

“I’m not! I’m not!”

“Let me tell you, everyone in my comment section was like, ‘what, you know who you’re playing with?’ and I was like, ‘let me just look at his latest- ah! there it is.”

“Oh, nooooo.”

“So uh… Yes, you will make a watchtower on top of that box, thank you very much.” Tango is protesting a bit, so he adds, “You will!”

“Fine!”

They decides to breed goats to get the horns. Ren stumbles upon the ranch. He wanted to steal a few cows (he brought a boat with him for it)

“Welcome to Team Rancher!” Tango tells him as he puts a sign saying just that on top of the newly made archway.

Ren asks for a tour. Jimmy gets him inside and creeps him out (in good humour) by saying, “Well, this is the ranch. This is where you step through these doors and… you don’t go home. You’re at the ranch now.” They all have a good laugh.

They offer an exchange to Ren, two goats for two cows.

While with one goat, Tango sees Jimmy with several from far away, and Scott coming to talk to Jimmy. “Oh, no, he’s getting hassled over there!”

Jimmy wants Scar’s horse for the ranch. Scar refuses and leaves.

They make the pen for the goat. Martyn comes and gloats about the fact that he has a horn and they don’t. They struggle a long time to get one. Pearl helps them get some. It’s sing. Jimmy gets the first one, sounds it and immediately says: “We need one more for Tango.” They sound it together and scream with excitement. They praise and thank Pearl.

They sound the horns and people answer in the distance.

“I like how ours is different as well.”

They cover the goat pen with dirt.

“This is what the ranch is all about: we’re saving animals. Our next thing will be stealing horses- I mean- uh… Capturing horses.”

Tango visits Bdubs building his house.

“Have you been with Jimmy at all today?”

“Oh, the whole time!” Tango shows him “the fruit of their labour” and sounds the horn. “We’re setting up Team Rancher, you should stop by.”

Tango mines a little and gets a few iron ingots. “I need more. I need stuff for tools and I need stuff for Jimmy.”

At the Panda Reserve, Scar tries to get Tango to trade him his horn, then to try to get Jimmy to not have his horn anymore “We just take it away for like a few minutes from him”.

Tango doesn’t understand the second part and gives his own horn to Scar.

“No, we gotta get his!”

“Oh! Oh, I can’t get his,” he says immediately.

He doesn’t want to get Jimmy and run away. “It’s not very team-like.” He still seems to agree to do it, though.

Tango chats with Scott about cows, then about Pearl and being paired.

“She’s fully unhinged, like- off the rails”

“I love it, I love it.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you were the one getting- uh…”

“Probably not. But I’m the one who killed my partner, so.. So I got one coming.”

“That’s fair. You seem reasonable. It’s just a shame you got paired up with Jimmy.”

“Yeah, well, we do what we can, you know.” Tango doesn’t seem aggravated by the idea of being paired with Jimmy.

He sounds the horn and Scott apologizes for not being able to answer it (they agreed on the server to ignore Jimmy’s horn on purpose). Tango doesn’t mind. “I understand, that’s Team Rancher,” he says simply.

“This is why- I mean, I feel bad for you and your ranch partner.”

“I just got flocked* down by you inner vendettas, yeah.”

“Yeah, it’s the curse of Jimmy. That’s the real curse this time. Last season was the boogeyman curse, whoever got Jimmy this time was the Jimmy curse.”

“Yeah, yeah. This is great,” Tango says before promptly changing the subject.

Tango gets an iron ingot from Cleo with his bad advice stand before upgrading his “box of birch sadness”. Etho comes by the ranch and they chat about the Deep Dark. Tango laments about Jimmy being down there. Etho says he got peer pressured into it.

They trade chicken for iron. Tango bargains for more.

“I gotta provide for my teammate who’s in leather.”

While the talk, the sing horn sounds in the distance. Tango responds and says, “There’s my buddy. He’s coming home.”

“Jimmy! Jimmy, we need to have a discussion here!”

“Tango-”

“You’re risking your yellow life.”

“I can explain.”

“Uh, hu.”

“I can explain alright.”

Tango takes a deep mafia voice and makes a movie reference? “You got some ‘splaining to do, Bessie.”

“Peer pressure. That’s the explanation.”

“It’s looking lovely over here.”

“Oh you notice my super beautiful tower?” Tango is still being self-deprecating but Jimmy is genuinely happy with the build.

“It’s fine!”

“I’m enhancing the organic shape and, you know-”

“It’s amazing.”

“-monotone block palette, yes, yes.”

The tower is crooked and looks like a foot. Tango is proud of it.

Later at Grian and Scar’s bases, Tango says he’s trying to get the horn from Jimmy for Scar.

They decide to add an R to the foot tower.

Cleo comes distracting them. They go to Scar’s panda enclosure “a good couple’s retreat.” Jimmy steals Scar’s horse. Tango hadn’t planned for it (he claims so at least), he leaves when Scar and Grian gets angry.

“Where are you my friend, you expert rancher! I’ve never been more proud of anyone in my life.”

“Victory horns, there it is!”

The horse is in the goat pen that is otherwise empty. They realize the goats are gone. They think Cleo run a distraction for Martyn. They are mad.

“Hey Martyn! You suck!”

They fume and talk about the event. Jimmy asks about Tango and Scar whispering together (about the horn). Tango brushes it away as him being a distraction for the horse stealing. Jimmy doesn’t seem convinced but doesn’t insist. “If you say so, okay, okay.”

They go have a word with Cleo. Scotts advocates for Cleo (but he’s the one who killed the goats.) Tango is crossed. While they talk they see the base being on fire and run back to the ranch.

Tango is already fuming before they get there: “Ohhhhh, he’s gonna die!”

“The ranch is on fire!”

“I hope he doesn’t like his building!”

“We kill him.”

They panic and try to put the fire out but it’s too late. Tango shoots him with a bow as Scar flees. They take burning damage and scream and laugh and run everywhere.

The rage is starting to build up. The boat boy comes to help. Martyn, Scott and Cleo are also here.

Tango chats, “IT’S BBQ PANDA TIME. SO TASTY.”

Tango is grunting and yelling about having flashbacks from Last Life.

Jimmy comes in his face and tells him to snap out of it. “Look, the R survived.”

The neighbourhood watch is trying to egg Tango on to burn the pandas. Tango wants to do something bigger. Jimmy is trying to calm him down. “Tango, Let’s think about this! Don’t go straight over, we gotta talk it through.” Jimmy tells him to listen to the horn. Despite everyone else saying otherwise, Tango immediately uses sing.

“This is horrible! There’s holes! It’s Swiss cheese ranch!”

#Guide of Canon #GoC: Team Rancher #trafficblr #team rancher #rancher duo #solidaritek #tangotek #jimmy solidarity #I am very normal about them #double life

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yacinthemorning · 11 months

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A Secret Third Thing

Summary: A conversation with Cleo and Scott causes Tango to ponder the nature of relationships and what Jimmy is to him. In a very Tango manner, of course.

Ships: Jimmy/Tango (Undefined relationship)

Warnings: Anxiety

“I’m pretty sure your husband’s about to do something stupid.”

Tango blinked, like the cogs in his brain suddenly jammed. It took several long seconds for it to restart, during which Cleo lifted an eyebrow at the stupefied blazeborn. She pointed over his shoulder towards the fields where Scott was already looking. Of course, he felt the arrow stab into not-his-shoulder before he processed the sight of Jimmy fighting off two mobs, trying to lead them away from the cow who grazed obliviously next to them. He stumbled, and the creeper began to charge. Luckily, before it could go off he smacked it into one of the many shallow ravines, and the ranchers only took a small bit of damage from the explosion.

Tango’s tail curled anxiously, but he knew Jimmy wasn’t helpless. He would be able to take care of the skeleton long before Tango made it to him. Instead he juggled the logs in his arms in order to pull out a steak to help his soulmate from afar. “I- I think he’s good for now.” He said with a nervous laugh, gaze returning to his trading partners. He quirked a grin that he hoped wasn’t too awkward. “But I thought you guys were over that?”

A confused frown accompanied the second stack of logs from the pair. “What?” Scott asked.

“Your, uh, what was it?” He tilted his head, feigning poor memory to cover his nerves. “The whole flower husbands thingy, didn’t you- like, uh… Maybe divorce isn’t the right word…”

“It’s fine? We did.”

“I was talking to you, Tango.” Cleo clarified, brows knit.

Tango’s brain rebooted a second time with a strangled noise escaping him and a spasm vibrating through his tail. He felt his face light up. “What- M- No! Nonono, he’s not my husband!” His pitch was all over the place, crackling with the flames in his hair. “We’re not- We’re ranchin’ buddies, we don’t got that sort of schtick going…”

“Riiight.” Cleo rested a hand on her hip. Skeptical. Her gaze was far too skeptical.

“Right!” He nodded anyway. He wanted to hide behind the logs in his arms, but he was pretty sure they would light on fire if he did. Tango couldn’t return home empty handed just to explain that he burnt the logs they were using to replace the ones burnt by Scar. “That’s, uh, right.”

Scott sighed. “You know, I don’t care, right? I only bully you guys cause it’s fun, I don’t have anything against your relationship.”

“Never thought so!” Tango squeaked, taking a few steps back. How could he get out of this conversation without looking like he was running away? “We just, you know, aren’t… like… that . We’re… We’re ranchers!”

Both soulmates-by-choice exchange a glance before shrugging. “Uh-huh. Well, good luck with that, then.” Scott muttered.

“Yep! Thanks for the wood!” And then Tango bolted. He didn’t stop his full-speed sprint until he was well over the bridge and into the open fields. He peaked over his shoulder, as if he could expect Scott or Cleo to chase him down.

He took a deep sigh of fresh midnight air. It was silly, what was there to be worried about? He traded leather for the wood fair and square. Any extra was a pity gift on their part. They were friends, for the time being at least. Everything was fine, all fine.

With assurance he started his walk back to the ranch.

He got two steps before the sight of the stone walls melted it all away.

Jimmy was visible over it, still wrangling stray cows back into their pen within the burnt ranch house. There must have been a kerfuffle, because the back of his pants were coated in mud and ash. One of the cows had latched onto the wheat stalks in his hand while he was distracted, and they now played tug-of-war with them.

Any other day it might have been a warming sight, something to chuckle over. He would walk over and force him to stop, partly out of concern and partly because it was cold which meant time for cuddles. Now, though, Tango could feel his muscles tense while his conversation with Scott and Cleo replayed in his mind.

I don’t have anything against your relationship.

Those words brought on a lot of emotions, but Tango wasn’t sure he even knew what they were. Just… a lump in his chest. Most certainly he didn’t know how to feel about what Scott and Cleo seemed to think was going on. It’s not like they’ve ever done anything, especially not in front of other players. Was there something else about how they acted that gave off that impression?

“Well, if that’s how we act, nobody gave me the memo.” He chuckled to himself as he forced another step, but it died pretty quickly. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more it sounded exactly like the sort of ridiculous situation he would get himself into somehow.

Bugs filled his chest. He clutched at the front of his shirt as he took another peek towards the ranch. Jimmy had finally gotten the cows into their pen and was now trying to salvage some of the wood that was left from the looks of it.

Did Jimmy think they were… That? Had he been showing signs and Tango managed to stumble right past them like a fool? Accidentally leading him on? If he did then Tango didn’t quite know what to do. He would hate to break the canary’s heart. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to. Did he? The more he thought about it the more confused he felt. He liked the guy, liked being around him and seeing him smile and working with him to steal horses and acquire horns. That was about as far as he could sparse for certain. Was that… husband things to like?

He liked similar things about his other friends too, though… Was he actually being weird around everyone and nobody had ever told him? He shook his head, he had more than enough blunt friends for that to not be the case. But then why…

Well, he liked whatever they had now, he was pretty sure. Maybe he should just ask Jimmy what that was and roll with it?

But his feet wouldn’t move closer to the ranch. Maybe he should take a short stroll around the server and clear his head. “Yeah… A nice long short stroll.” He muttered as he spun around back towards the border.

So, he walked. And walked. The box loomed ominously in the dark. He walked a little faster. It was nice, but it wasn’t helping like he hoped it would.

In the distance he spotted something bright, even in the night. It wasn’t a torch or lantern, but the home soaked up every sliver of moonlight offered to it. His tail perked up at the sight of a familiar face tending to the garden outside it. Impulse looked up at the sound of footsteps, relaxing quickly into a smile when he realized it was just Tango. “Hey there, buddy.” He greeted.

“Hey, how ya doin’?” Tango asked back, offering his friend a helping hand onto his feet.

Impulse dusted his knees off. “Just some late-night gardening, what are you up to? Collecting gunpowder?”

“Something like that. Thinking, making plans.” He smirked, wiggling his fingers ominously. It got a laugh.

The front door suddenly burst open, a sword swinging out. “Ha, you think you can sneak up on us! I got ya, youuu- oh. Hi Tango.” Bdubs stumbled out completely, lowering his sword. “I thought you was those younguns who keep stealing from us. Where’s Jimmy?”

“Just little ol’ me this time.” Tango shook his head. Impulse left his side to join Bdubs instead, arm wrapping around the shorter’s shoulder. With the backdrop of the mid-modern century home the two looked like one of those too-happy families in an old advertisement. Well, if the family just got back from a brawl they sorely lost. “He’s back at the ranch cleaning up. I’m just going around collecting resources for us.”

“Oh.” Bdubs put a hand to his chest, pulling his best sad face. “So you haven’t been keeping an eye on him?”

“Nah, goes faster if we split the work. And we got him a pretty good sword the other day so he can protect himself.” Tango shrugged. “Speaking of, you got any spare iron? I’m gonna need it for some… very special plans.”

“Oh, oh sure! Yeah, we got a little. Anything for our favourite redstone buddy. Right Impulse?” Bdubs looked to his soulmate, who gave him a confused look before he nodded.

“Right! Yeah, I’ll go get it right now! Sit tight.”

With that Impulse went back into the house. Tango raised an eyebrow as he popped out of the window to share a thumbs up with Bdubs, but the bleach-blond quickly turned back to him with a serious face. “So, Tango…”

“Yeah?”

Bdubs paused, then shook his head as if he were steeling himself. “You know, I was out earlier by the ranch and… Oh, I’m not really sure I should say…”

“Bdubs? Keeping a secret? Sacrilege!” Tango laughed. It quickly died as Bdubs approached, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“That soulmate of yours, you should really watch your back around him.” He warned. “I’m telling you this as a friend, Tango. That guy… You can’t trust him.”

Tango tilted his head in skepticism. “Oh really? What he do?”

Impulse came back out at that moment, a handful of iron ingots in his arms. Bdubs glanced back at him, gaping dramatically. “Oh, well, you know… It would just be too heartbreaking to even say! All sorts of things! Listen, Tango.” He grabbed Tango’s other shoulder. Impulse was clearly trying not to laugh. “Tango, you’ve been our friend for a long time, and we care about you! If you ever feel unsafe, you got a place here. You got that? Just say the word!”

The hands were slowly removed, Tango backing away to go get his iron. “I thhhink I’m good, but thanks.” He grinned. “I’m pretty sure I can trust Jimmy.”

Bdubs stared hard into his eyes, before his face fell completely. “This ain’t working one bit, is it?”

“Nah.”

“Dang it!” He kicked at the earth while Impulse and Tango chuckled. “I shoulda had Impulse say it, it’s cause it’s me ain’t it? Impulse woulda got ya!”

Tango folded his arms. “Nuh-uh! No way would I not trust my rancher!”

“When did you two get to be such good friends?” Impulse joked.

“Oh pshhh.” Bdubs rolled his eyes, walking over to Tango’s side to elbow him. “These two been pallin’ around the server like best buddies since they met up! They’re almost as good a pair as us. Why I even bother trying?”

Tango’s giggles died out, his gaze shifting to the unfinished garden. There it was again, that buggy feeling. “Well, you know. Jimmy’s a great guy…”

“I don’t know about that, but he certainly seems to try hard for you guys. Hey, remind him he still owes me one for that bucket, by the way!”

“Yeah sure, uh… Actually…” He paused, glancing between his two old friends. Was it a good idea to drag them in on something weird like this? But he needed to get out of his own head. “Actually, you’ve um. Seen us plenty so far, right? Me and Jimmy.”

Two separate looks of confusion. Okay, so it was a strange question! He waited patiently for their answers, though. They both eventually just nodded, giving each other another side glance.

“Great! Great. Well, uh, weird questions, I know. When you see us, what do you, uh, let’s say generally think of us? Like, our relationship.”

Bdubs tilted his head. “I would say it’s a pretty good one? You certainly seem close.”

“You look like a couple of ranchers to me.” Impulse agreed.

“What sort of question’s that, anyways? Don’t tell me there really is trouble in paradise.”

Tango tried to wave it off, backing away. “Ah, nah, just a stray thought, y’know? Curiosity. Sorry, to bother you. Thanks for the iron!”

They continued to give him odd looks but when he didn’t stop backing away they shrugged and waved him off. He bolted back towards the ranch before they could think too hard about it all. What was he thinking? Now they probably thought their little lie secretly worked or something. He hoped that’s what they thought, rather than whatever weird ideas Scott and Cleo had gotten.

He didn’t slow until he could see the ranch walls once again. Jimmy was outside, laying on his stomach in the grass – their bed and blankets lost to the fire - with his head tilted towards the gate. He looked somewhere between bored and falling asleep. He must have finished the chores he could do without the supplies Tango was supposed to bring. The blazeborn hissed at himself, he should have been back a long time ago.

But he still hesitated. The bugs were back, twisting his stomach. Asking Bdubs and Impulse did him no good in clearing his head. If anything, they only added to it. How was he supposed to sparse through everyone else’s biases to figure out that truth? Not like there was a factual truth to begin with…

… He was just driving himself in circles. His soulmate was right there, he could just ask him.

There were no excuses to stay away, anyways.

With his tail wrapped tightly around his leg he took a deep breath and marched back down to the ranch.

Jimmy heard him approach before he opened the gate, his wings perking up first before he pushed himself up into sitting cross-legged. Tango felt his heart almost melt at the sleepy smile sent his way. It dispersed his muddled thoughts long enough to collapse down into his soulmate’s open arms. He slipped his arm around Jimmy’s waist, twisting to get comfortable in the canary’s grip, who didn’t bother to give him much time to do so before he already had his face buried in Tango’s hair. Given how the same locks were aflame in rage the night prior he was honestly surprised how quick Jimmy was to trust Tango wouldn’t burn him.

Tango chuckled. “Cold?”

“Mn-mm.” Jimmy weakly shook his head. “But you are comfy.” He sounded almost asleep.

“Hey! I’m not a pillow!”

“Dunno, you feel like one…”

The arms around his shoulders tightened their grip for emphasis. Tango let out an amused huff. Looks like he was stuck there.

A dozy sort of silence fell over the ranch while the first shades of dawn began to creep over the horizon. With nothing but his thoughts, though, Tango felt the mysterious bugs begin to return. Should he ask Jimmy now? What would he even ask, though? Maybe he should let him nap-

“You’re thinking very loudly.” Jimmy grumbled.

“Wh-“ He blinked. “Oh.”

“What’s all the hubbub about?”

Tango shrugged, trying to stall for time. “Just had an odd thought I can’t get out of my head.” How on earth was he supposed to word the question on his mind without sounding leading? Or without concerning the avian?

He could feel the frown against the top of his head. They pulled apart just enough for them to be able to look at one another. “Are you getting second thoughts about the revenge plan? Cause I can come help dig, or we can come up with something else-”

“No, no, it’s all fine, that’s not it.” Tango waved him off, but grinned. “I appreciate the thought, though, thank you. And thanks for rebuilding the house.”

Jimmy beamed. There really wasn’t a better word for it, and it had quickly become one of Tango’s favourite things. The way he held his lips tight to keep from outright grinning like a doofus despite how wide his smile stretched, while his cheeks and eyes lit up. How his wings flexed only to settle with golden feathers fluffed up almost proudly. Even his back seemed to straighten a little despite trying to keep his hold around the blazeborn’s neck, inadvertently yanking Tango towards him.

It was far more adorable than the whining and huffing – and, once everyone was gone, fits of giggles – that escaped the avian whenever someone pulled a prank on him. If Tango could he’d make a sport out of complimenting Jimmy. His tail curled up in delight. So busy basking in the precious reaction, he nearly forgot what they were talking about until Jimmy piped up again.

“So, then, what was it?”

Right. What was it again? Did that mean anything to it? Were only husbands allowed to love that sort of thing about someone? That didn’t sound right, but Tango wasn’t the smartest in these matters, as evident by his predicament.

The beam ebbed away into concern once again. “Tango?”

“What are we?” He blurted out, then immediately covered his mouth with a squeaky ‘ meep !’

Well, there went the proverbial bandage, he supposed…

Tango could visibly see Jimmy’s mind trying to process the question, from stupefied confusion to regular confusion to some sort of short circuiting that prevented his brain’s automatic response to… Tomato. “W-what?” His voice came out horse.

There wasn’t any taking it back now. So, equally red-faced, Tango pushed a little bit more room between the two – easy, now that Jimmy seemed to turn to gelatine from shock – and repeated. “What… Are we? I mean, what do you think we are? Or, er, want us to be, I guess? Maybe.” His throat suddenly felt very dry.

“Um, sssoulmates?” Jimmy leaned to the side, like he was trying to test for the right response.

Tango could feel nervous sparks licking his hair. He tried to smooth them down, looking away in the process. “I mean, yeah, but like, Bdubs and Impulse are soulmates and they’re all married and stuff, but Scott and Cleo are soulmates and are BFFs. A-and Pearl-”

“Are you…” Jimmy paused. At some point he’d pulled his wings in tense around his shoulders, his hands completely leaving Tango in favour of rubbing nervously against his forearms. “Are you asking if I want to get married?”

“Well, I- do you? Cause I don’t… Know?” Tango felt like he was floundering, arms flailing out attempting to gesture an abstract point.

“I mean I guess that’s much more considerate to at least ask first-”

“No, I mean…!” A deep sigh escaped, followed by several slow breaths. It looked like he was just breathing embers as some weird distraction. Why couldn’t the soulbond just transfer his thoughts into his soulmate’s brain so he didn’t have to get it together? They were a type of pain, weren’t they? At this rate he might die from the humiliation. “What I meant to say- ask. What I meant to ask is… What. Are we. Like, cause I like what we are, so do you… know what we are?”

Yeah. Yeah, he was gonna lose their life to embarrassment. That sounded about right for the two of them. Or he was gonna burn Jimmy alive, because his tail was awfully close to his wings and the flames were certainly not shrinking .

Jimmy shifted, at first away but then scooching up next to Tango with his knees pulled to his chest. One wing wrapped around his exposed side over his legs, the other awkwardly encompassing Tango into the little safety cocoon. It tugged guiltily on Tango’s heart and he wanted to apologize, or perhaps thank him for bringing him in as well even though it was Tango’s fault he felt so frazzled.

He absently pulled at the loose threads worn into the knees of his jeans. “I… I like us, too. But…” It wasn’t physically possible for the avian’s face to be as red as Tango’s, but it was trying its hardest. His lip quivered for a moment before his hands full on slapped over his face. He let out a strangled little noise. “I… I don’t know, either? I never thought about it? We’re…”

There was an odd shudder through his wings. Like a flipped switch he pulled both his hands and wings away, now sporting a determined look only slightly hampered by the remaining blush. He dug through his inventory and pulled out their horn. Both hands held tightly onto it as he presented it towards Tango who instinctively mimicked the movement, ready to respond if the other was blown. Jimmy seemed to falter for a second but shook it away. “We’re ranchers! Obviously!”

Tango blinked owlishly at the other man. A grin broke across his face, and he held up the horn. “Yeah, ranchers! Of course, duh!”

“Yep. We’re ranchers.” Jimmy nodded in satisfaction. It was like those words shooed all the bugs away, pulled the tension out of every nerve. Both ranchers relaxed, melting back together with embarrassed but honest smiles.

Tango chuckled as Jimmy remembered to actually blow his horn, responding instantly. The sun finally deigned to peak over the hills in front of them. One of Jimmy’s arms found its way back around Tango’s shoulder. “My rancher.”

“My rancher.” Tango repeated, tail wrapped around Jimmy’s waist. A warmth spread through his chest. That one was probably about right.

#jimmy solidarity #tangotek #team rancher #rancher duo #trafficshipping #traffic series #double life smp #mcyt #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #hurt/comfort #sharing a cupcake

59 notes · View notes

owtenen · 1 year

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LIMITED LIFE EPISODE 1: The Basics

Where I put all the info we know about the mechanics, team-ups, base locations, etc into one location

(below cut is spoilers to LIMITED LIFE, which is series 4 of the life series. Pls don’t get mad if you read it and don’t want spoilers)

I. Participants

No ren :( I'm sad :(

Skizz is back :D

Nothing really big about this part, just that all of the soul pairs except Box Boys are here for potential refs and angst (there has already been a lot)

NOTE: I have only fully watched 6 out of the 14 possible POVs, so info regarding people I haven't watched might be limited to what the comments tell me when I make a mistake This info comes from watching these POVs and snippets of the other ones.

POVs I watched (in this order): Joel, Tango, Jimmy, Etho, Skizz, Cleo

POVs I skimmed (in this order): Martyn, Impulse, Scar

^ I will be consistently watching these POVs + Bdubs every week, however I'll probably watch others when I'm bored or if something big happens lol.

II. Teams/Alliances (from what I can gather from Episode 1)

EDIT: I originally said that Martyn and Scott were individual teams when that was wrong, it looks like they are teamed together and are called the Coral Kids. This change has been made below

Team T.I.E.S: Tango, Impulse, Etho, Skizz

Bad Boys: Grian, Jimmy, Joel

Coral Kids LBGSeas BadBouies : Martyn and Scott

Nosy Neighbors: Pearl and BigB ( + Froggy the Jellie cat)

Cwackers Cockers Clockers: Cleo, Scar, Bdubs

NOTE: Not all of these are NOW official names WAHOO

It seems like everyone is teaming with pretty much their usual crowd (ie, Jimmy/Joel/Grian , Cleo/Bdubs , Skizz/Imp/Tango/Etho) except for the notable exception of BigB and Pearl, which I don't think have teamed up together in a series before?

I could totally see Etho and Martyn teaming up after this episode, especially later in the season when TIES eventually break up.

III. Base Locations (based off of limited info from episode 1)

Team T.I.E.S seems to be basing on the edge of the main land mass underground. I can't tell if they have cows after Martyn's TNT but they have wheat and chickens, as well as sugarcane. NOTE: Etho seems to be basing close to but not WITH Tango, Impulse, and Skizz. Idk what this means but it's interesting to see what happens

Scott and Martyn are basing right next to TIES on a floating island in the ocean. I didn't watch their episodes but from Etho's it looks like they have both sugarcane and a zombie villager in a boat.

Bad Boys are basing .... *checks notes*.... on top of the woodland mansion .... made of wood .... wait? so Jimmy "our Ranch is burning down!" Solidarity and Joel "If the ship burns everything burns!" Smallishbeans are going to base on the top of the most flammable structure known to Minecraft? Okay cool.... this won't go horribly wro- oh and Cleo’s already burned the whole thing down great that lasted about 2 seconds

Cockers Clockers are based literally just at spawn. There entire thing is going to be building a stadium so they can laugh at people when they die.... I hate them (/lie)

Pearl and BigB are based between spawn and the woodland mansion on the edge of the stone cliff. I hope they slay and thrive there

IV. Mechanics

Okay so, there seems to be a lot more rules to this one than the other ones, so here's what I've gathered.

Everyone has a timer that counts down from 24 hours, this timer started when the series started

When the clock reaches 0 for the player, they are eliminated

There seems to be 2 ways to lose time: Being killed or dying. If you are killed by the boogeyman, it subtracts two hours from your time. If you are killed by natural gameplay (ie creeper, fall damage, etc.) you only lose 1 hour of time. (NOTE: it's not said how many hours are taken away if you're killed from non-boogeyman PVP, but I'm assuming it will still be 2 hours)

There is only 1 way to ADD time to your clock: kill players. When you are the boogeyman, you can kill whoever you want, and when you do you are given 30 minutes to your timer. EDIT: thanks to a comment I now have this info: If you are the boogeyman and you fail to kill a player within the 3 hours (that's how long they record for), you are dropped down to the next color life. For example, if you are a green name boogeyman and fail to kill, your time will go down to 16 hours and you will become yellow. This is the same for the yellow to red drop. (NOTE: Some ccs have said in their videos that it's + 1 hour, however Grian's intro says + 30 minutes which is what i'm going off of. Not sure if the + 30 minutes applies to non-boogeyman PVP kills, however I suspect it does)

Everyone starts as a green name, and the players turns yellow when they have less than 16 hours left on their timer. A player turns red when they have less than 8 hour on the clock

Most of the same rules apply to PVP as before: greens cannot kill anyone, yellow names can now kill green names even if they aren't provoked , and red names can kill everyone. Boogeyman kills can happen to anyone regardless of color. I suspect these rules will not be strictly followed like they have been for every season but yaknow we'll see.

V. Episode 1 Specifically

This series seems actually super cool! Here's some of the thoughts as a writer of traffic series fics and just a general enjoyer of episode 1. I like writing my opinions and these were written in real time while I was watching each POV.

🚧 NOTE: Some (like 4) of these points talk about shipping in fics.. I'll label the bullets with the caution tape emoji but I'd just recommend skipping this entire section if you get really pissed or triggered about it. Reminder that I do not ship real people, just the characters.

the Bad Boys are literally just that one (1) 100 hours hardcore episode.

Joel and Jimmy being idiots and dying is so funny, what a couple of idiots (I love them)

🚧 Boat Boys and Ranchers broke up to be with each others soulmates

it didn’t take even 20 minutes for Team Rancher and Boat Boys to break up. A real love loses moment.

I'm convinced Tango decides his friend groups based only on if there names make good acronyms. Like for sure he didn't invite Martyn to join TIES because it would have ruined the name.

Passive boogeyman Scott has left the chat. Man’s a beast.

^ Bdubs boogey first episode once again, this man can't escape the betrayer narrative

The mechanic has so much angst potential. I’m thinking a curse that slowly eats away at your body until you die. As the timer counts down, people will become more desperate to survive and that’s where alliances will fall. This season has probably the best potential for angst out of all of them, especially when people started running out of time.

just imagine with me: Tango and Etho are in a cave, Tango realizes he only has a minute left on his clock while Etho has maybe an hour and a half. Tango can't kill Etho cause it will just kill his friend immediately, so they both have to just... sit there while Tango's timer ticks by and he eventually gets eliminated by the mechanics of the game. HOW HORRIFYING IS THAT PEOPLE !!!!! I love it >:)

BEST? nah it’s team TIES now (rip Bdubs I guess)

Jimmy might escape the narrative just because of Skizz dying so much lol

I actually hate Grian for this. The fic that could be written about it is…. so much

okay but if Clockers dynamic this season is gonna be single mom with two annoying ass twins i’m all for it. I love them for this

🚧 ETHO TURNING DOWN THE ROLL OF DAD FOR BDUBS AND SCAR THANK GOD !!!! While I would love a Clethubs teamup, a nice straight happy family is not the way I wanted it to be done

Poor Skizz man. Dude was so excited to be back just to be killed twice by boogey and then die again by creeper death. Maybe HE can't escape the narrative

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of this series, and my opinion with probably change as more episodes come out, but I feel like it will be much easier to predict who will win this season than others because of the timer. like there is already a very strong likelihood that skizz will die first, just because if every kill only gives you 30 minutes, he would have to kill 10 people to even get back to normal, where as Bdubs and Scott have already killed 1 person and hasn’t died once, which means they are ahead. Basically, I think we’ll be able to see who will die first/not win very easily, which maybe will take away some of the suspense? I hope not, but that’s my thought rn.

🚧 we were SO CLOSE to a Martyn and Etho team up…. imagine the sus activity that could have happened here. I was so prepared to start writing Martho fics

SKIZZ'S COMPLIMENT TO ETHO WAS LITERALLY SO SWEET? Like it was 100% true and props to Etho for taking it like a champ. Etho really is the most likable guy in the Minecraft space, and he shines like a diamond in these kinds of thing with his friends. I'm glad Skizz took the time to recognize it and say it to his face. He deserves all the love.

🚧 if Bdubs is (maybe canonically) related to both his team members, there is little opportunities for sus mlm activity from him, and he will have to find bitches elsewhere, which might be difficult

TIES are four grown ass men and have three of the BEST redstoners minecraft has to offer and they still can't keep cows alive for more than like 5 minutes. What a bunch of losers

Okay now that I’m thinking about it, Etho might not be completely committed to TIES as it seems. I mean why would he make a base close BUT completely seperate from them? I sense some uh….. drama in the future mayhaps

I love Martyn's editing style it's great

VI. My Bingo Card (🚧)

Uh... so I did a bingo card before the series started and it's already got some good ticks off so here it is after episode 1

🚧 this bingo card contains some shipping/romance spaces, please plan your viewing accordingly

NOTE: I could have probably argued for a lot more of these, but it's no fun to check them all of in ep 1. Also, I didn't watch all the POVS (I think I watched 6/14) so there could have been some of these that happened in the other videos but I'm not watching all the POVS today so there's no point.

Wow sure glad I didn't put any Ren stuff in here (Fr I was originally gonna put a "Ren Win" space on here but thank god I didn't)

that skizz one better happen especially after today

play along if you wish! an unmarked one of these can be found if you stalk my Tumblr page far enough

VII. Conclusion

Um.... this was a really long post.... I'm sorry? I just wanted to make it because I had all this info in my head and it was spinning around in there and it needed to get it out. And maybe someone will find the first part useful! Who knows.

In real conclusion, Etho deserves the win. I don't care what you think should happen, this is what the universe wants. Yes, this is coming from an Ethogirl, and yes, I know I'm also the self proclaimed #1 smallishbeans enjoyer, but i just feel like Etho should be this seasons champ.

Even if I'm looking at it from a completely objective POV, Etho IS one of the top candidates for this specific mechanic/season. He barely dies in these games and he's generally good at boogeykills/PVP so I could see him losing very little time in terms of deaths but gaining a lot with kills. Also, no one really dares to kill him with the boogey (if we can take anything away from last life) so that too is a bonus.

133 notes · View notes

oh-snapperss · 1 year

Text

the stories we tell, the truths untold

hey guys what if Evo was a campfire story and what if Etho was being watched?

this is part of a concept @pebbltree and i have had for well over a month now involving etho and the universe and we're really excited to share more!

art for this fic by pebbl!

Words: 5735

CW: Watchers, mild horror (no gore or blood or anything!)

Read on AO3!

for @shepscapades. you inspired us with dbhc, so we wanted to gift you the entire au. our ultimate revenge, if you will<3

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

“Hey, Pause, if you’ll get wood for a fire, I’ll set up the tents?” Beef drops his bag unceremoniously on the forest floor. After a day of gathering supplies, they’re all exhausted in this new world, and with the sun steadily traveling towards the horizon, Pause had suggested they settle for the night, instead of fighting through it. Little supplies and no armor certainly didn’t lend itself to quick traveling, especially with the complete lack of villages so far.

Pause cranes his head up to look up incredulously from where his hands are braced against his knees, breathing heavily. “Beef, we don’t have tents! What do you mean?”

“Oh… c'mon man, it’s about the principle. I can go kill a rabbit?” Beef shrugs, then winces. “Man, walking all day… ain’t no joke.”

“The principle?” Etho has to stop where he’s sorting their few supplies just to laugh.

“Yeah, Etho, the principle!” Beef starts picking up rocks around the area, placing them in a circle for a campfire.

“Principle of what? Pretending we have tents?” Etho sounds incredulous, holding back a snort. Only Beef.

“You know they called me that in–nevermind.” Beef cuts off his own joke as both Etho and Pause break into laughter. “That doesn’t work–but it’s not my fault we don’t have any!”

“Then why would you offer–okay. Principle it is.” Shaking his head, Pause straightens up, pulling the already worn stone axe from his back. “I’ll chop the wood, but only cause I’ve got the only axe right now. You fellas better help out.”

“Yeah, yeah, get chopping, wood boy.” Beef retorts.

Etho just rolls his eyes. He leans back on his knees to sit on his haunches, resting his hands on his legs for a moment. They’re dirty, covered in mud, soil, and scratches from the day so far. Later, he’ll clean them off in the river he can hear nearby, maybe even wrap them to protect the scratches, but for now he wipes his forehead off with his sleeve, glancing up through the trees. Sunlight filters through them, although shadows around their clearing are quickly growing as the night approaches. There’s a tiny breeze filtering through the woods, sending the branches into a gentle dance that Etho has always enjoyed seeing. The rustles in the foliage beyond seems to promise food and life, although he can’t see any cows or sheep yet, which is unfortunate. They’ll have to make do with the thin sleeping pallets for the night. Inhaling deeply, Etho can’t help but love how clean and new the air itself feels–it’s the fresh air of a world just freshly created by the universe, and Etho always feels slightly awed every time.

After all, the universe loves him. His lips curl into a smile under his mask for a moment, and then he’s brought back to reality, where Beef seems to have stubbed his toe on one of the rocks he’d just placed.

“Crap!”

“You good?” Etho asks, trying to sort through his belongings again. Had he always had two wooden pickaxes? Why did he have two wooden pickaxes?

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Beef grumbles somewhere behind him.

A few beats of silence, then–“Sun’s already setting… I can’t believe this.” A dull thunk of the axe hitting wood sounds, then another, and another as Pause sinks his axe into one of the smaller trees, until it finally crashes to the ground, crushing a couple bushes below. “Got us some wood!”

Etho glances up from counting how much wheat he has. “Pause… that’s how day works. Sun rises, sun goes down...moon comes up… moon goes down…”

“I know! But it just seems fast!” Pause says, quick to rise to Etho’s banter. He grunts as he heaves the axe down on the fallen tree, before dragging them over to the circle of stones.

“...okay. How’s the campfire going?” Beef asks, cutting both of them off. Etho twists to look at him–he’s sitting on the forest floor, glaring down at his foot as if he’d done more to it than simply whacking it on a rock.

“I’ve got some wood. I’ll get it started,” Pause stops for a moment, glancing down to Beef with exasperation and amusement. “You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Beef says with a tone that says the exact opposite, before whipping his head to look at Etho. “Etho, what are you doing? We’re working hard, you’re just–sitting there!”

“I’m supervising,” Etho corrects. “and you’re just sitting too!”

“...wh–no, go help start the fire!” Beef waves Etho towards Pause, and Etho rolls his eyes before scooching over to help pile sticks on. There’s dirt caked into his pants, and twigs digging into his knees, but it was easier than standing fully to take the few full steps over. With the sticks and logs in the pit, he leans back, letting Pause do the actual lighting since he has the only flint between the three of them.

For a moment, there’s silence, until the cracking of fire fills the air, and Etho sneezes at the smoke immediately blowing to his face. Beef clambers back to his feet with the air of a mortally wounded soldier, grumbling under his breath about smoke in his eyes.

“Beefers, can you bring over the pork?” Pause asks.

“Yeah, I got it,” Beef replies. Etho ducks instinctually, and sure enough, meat soars through the air a second later towards Pause, who catches it without missing a beat.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem!”

And so their dinner is cooked quickly, while Etho and Beef set up torches around their area in the hopes mobs won’t dare to come near in the night. It’s an easy routine for them–Pause always cooks, Etho sets traps for more food, and Beef sets up tents… except they don’t have tents this time. Or traps, for that matter. Not yet.

For now, pallets are laid out, and while Pause is turning the meat over, Beef rolls three logs into a triangle around the fire for them to sit on. All three of them eat unceremoniously and quickly–they haven’t had a good meal since arriving, after all. As the sun turns to brilliant pinks and oranges, Etho wipes his fingers on his pants and glances over at his bag. His fiddle is wrapped in there, and he’d love to play it, but something holds him back, this time. Beef raises his eyebrows at him, a silent request, but Etho shakes his head.

“I shouldn’t… don’t wanna make the cuts worse on my hands.”

Beef nods in understanding. “I have an idea for what we could do instead..”

By now, the sun has set fully, but the world hasn’t completely darkened. Etho can just make out the leaves of the bushes drenched in deepening shadows, and the fireflies have just started to flicker into existence. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls. Glancing up at the sky, Etho watches the final streaks of pink fade, replaced by the first of thousands of stars. As always, he smiles up at it–he knows what that star is. Home. The stars smile back as they twinkle into existence, as if greeting a friend. After a moment he tears his eyes away from the galaxy above, brought back by Beef’s statement. Both Pause and Beef are staring at him, and he realizes he must have ignored them by accident–a rarity. Usually he ignores them on purpose, just to be funny.

“Hmm?�� Etho glances between them. “Wasn’t listening, sorry.”

“Yeah, we figured. You always do that–looking at the sky and forgetting the earth when the stars come out,” Beef says, as if it’s the most normal statement in the world.

“...do I?”

“Yes,” Both Pause and Beef say in unison.

“Oh,” Etho says, and while they look back at him, as always, he offers no explanation. He clears his throat, trying to move on. “What were you saying?”

“I was suggesting something…” Beef trails off, looking to Etho as if that would make him magically know what he said.

Etho raises his eyebrows. “Is it… sleeping?”

“Nope!”

“I like your thinking already,” he laughs, scooting on his log just barely toward the fire. The gentle wind on his back has turned unkind in the night, serving to bite with a chill.

“Thank you! Now hear me out, gentlemen….” Beef stops, glancing around the woods as if to make sure nothing else is listening. “Scary stories.”

Pause nods emphatically from his own log, looking rather enamored with the idea. Rolling his eyes, Etho sets aside all hope of a full night's sleep–not that he’s ever had that with them. Not that he cares.

Another beat of silence passes, where Etho forgets to reply, and then Beef speaks again. “C'mon guys, it’ll be fun!”

Etho settles his hands back into the rough bark, bracing himself against them. “I’m not saying otherwise…”

Truth be told, Etho hasn’t ever really gotten the… point of scary stories, really. Sure, he’d been afraid of the occasional mob or fall, but ultimately he knew he was safe. The universe was kind, kinder than most people knew, why should he fear it? For all the campfire stories Etho had heard others swap over drinks and meals, he’d never really understood the appeal of it being scary. To him, it felt like just that–a story. Something never to be feared, just enjoyed.

“C’mon, Etho, don’t you enjoy being scared out of your wits? Just for fun?” Pause grins, and there’s something in it that feels unfamiliar to Etho. Again, another phrase he can’t understand. The other players have always described fear in ways he’s not sure exist.

“I mean, sure? Why not?” He settles, taking his hands off the wood and instead leaning forward to rest his elbows against his legs. The fire crackles as if laughing in the wind, sharing his sentiment that such fear doesn’t exist. Etho snorts softly in agreement. “Tell me a scary story, Pause.”

For a moment there’s silence, broken only by the sounds of mobs out in the distance, the fire laughing, and crickets whispering, and Beef settles too, sitting on the ground in front of his log, far too close to the fire for what Etho would deem comfortable. Pause closes his eyes, and the shadows on his face, for a moment, seem to cast a warning over it. Etho’s brows furrow–he’s not sure the shadows have ever done that before. Nonetheless, the moment passes, the shadows become as friendly as the rest of the universe again, and Pause opens his eyes, glancing between Etho and Beef with a glint.

“Alright, gentlemen… gather close… gather near… and let me tell you the legend… the tragedy… of Evolution.” Pause waves one of his arms at the sky, and Etho follows his gesture, looking to the sky. Again, he smiles. Then Beef interrupts, and Etho drags his gaze away again.

“Oh come on, Pause, we’ve all heard that one!”

“Have we?” Etho frowns… Evolution… the word is familiar, but not with the weight placed behind it.

“Come on, Etho, everyone knows about Evo. Oldest legend in the books… ‘cept for a couple stories, I guess.”

Etho can’t reply to that. He knows which legend is older, and he won’t confirm it. Not yet. He speaks after a moment, choosing his words carefully. “I’ve not heard it… I don’t think.”

“What, really?” Pause tilts his head at Etho. “Out of everyone… I guess I figured you’d know all these legends by now.”

“Nah, you know me!” Etho cracks a grin. “I’m a redstone guy! I’m no storyteller.” (That’s a lie, and they all know it.) “Tell me about it?”

The other two trade glances, then Beef shrugs and leans back against his log again. Pause nods, takes a deep breath, and begins.

“Once upon a time… there were beings. Powerful, godly beings… ones who called themselves…” he trails off, glancing around again, even to the open sky, before reaching for a stick on the ground. “I’ll write it… just in case.”

“In case of what?” Etho scoffs, confused.

“In case they w̸a̸t̸c̸h̸.” Pause hisses back, and for a moment Etho is taken aback at how serious he sounds. Then he’s shaking it off, craning his head around the fire to see what Pause writes in the soil. For a moment he struggles to read it–it’s upside down for him and scrawled without care to keep it neat looking. Then he reads it out loud, just to be sure he’s read it right.

“Watchers?”

“Shh! You can’t invoke Their name!” Beef sounds appalled, swatting at Etho’s leg. “You don’t want Them near!”

For a moment Etho stares at him, brows furrowed, then he turns his head to see Pause looking at him with the same deadly serious expression. They can’t be serious, can they? He decides to test their theory, and dispel whatever the odd feeling in his chest is by mocking it.

“Watcher watcher watcher watcher–”

“Etho, no!” Pause shoots to his feet, eyes wide with… fear? Etho wonders if that’s what his eyes look like, when facing the dangers the universe won’t ever truly hurt him with. Beef doesn’t move, but he trades looks with both of them before settling.

“Etho, just hear the story!” Pause scolds, sinking back down to sit. Despite feeling rather inclined to burst into giggles, Etho obliges, crossing his legs and staying quiet. He’s intrigued, to say the least.

“Alright, so these beings… the ones who ẉ̷͊ā̴̠t̸͎̽c̷̉ͅȟ̷̲, they’re not players, right?” Beef prompts Pause, giving him a nod.

“Right. Nobody seems to know exactly what they look like… mostly because anyone who could tell us either won’t or is dead.” Pause sighs, rolling the stick between his hands. “I think the general agreement is whatever they are, they aren’t human, or mobs, but… something different. It’s like they’re admins on steroids–they just have that kind of power, and more. And the thing is, they don’t use it how admins do.”

“What’d’you mean?” Etho asks. There’s a stray coal burning orange by his shoe. He crushes it under his heel, and it crumbles into ash.

“They use it… well, they use it like a toy. As far as anyone knows, they pick servers, pick players, use them as their playthings. Like entertainment.”

“Seems a little ridiculous, if you ask me.” Beef shrugs. Still, Etho doesn’t miss the way his eyes seem a little too similar to an animal just before slaughter.

“A lot of things seem ridiculous in this universe, until they’re true.” Etho counters, voice quieter than normal.

Pause lets his tone slide for once. “I think that the best way to explain them… is to tell the legend of the first lost server… Evo. They say the Wa– supposedly, they found Evo. Used it as a plaything, before throwing it away.

“The thing about Evo–what really made it stand out, if you know what I mean–this server was filled with the most powerful players in the universe. Some stories say that these players came there powerful, others say that the gifts were given by the… Not-Admins.”

“I thought they just watc-looked?” Etho frowns. Something keeps him from saying that word, and he’s not sure why.

“Not always… not on the servers they played with.” Pause glances around again, and so does Etho. By now, the sky is completely darkened, lit up by stars that… huh. Etho isn’t so sure they’re smiling, right now. He shakes it off, looking to the woods instead, where vague shadows swathe everything in it in darkness. A shiver runs down his spine, and he looks back to Pause, who continues his tale after a moment.

“So… the players on that doomed server. There was the admin, Grian… he had wings-”

“Like an elytra?” The woods aren’t so menacing after all, and he cracks a slight smile.

“No, like wings, Etho. Impossible wings, from the beginning.”

“...I see.”

Pause squints at him, then sighs. “There was Martyn… or maybe Merlin. I’m not sure what his name was, to be honest. Don’t guess it matters, now. I’m not sure what his gift was, either. But Pearl…” Pause’s tone turns almost reverent, closer to a whisper. “She was made of stardust and the universe itself, and fell from the moon.”

This time, Etho can’t quite laugh. Made of stardust…yeah, he knows that’s possible, better than anyone else. He looks up to the sky again, and they provide no answers.

“Netty… she could grow anything just from the force of her mind, just like that.” Pause snaps his fingers. “And not just regular plants, she could grow trees, magical things with roots to the void that should have been impossible to plant otherwise.”

Beef interrupts, eyes glinting excitedly. “-oh, I’ve heard of her! I know there was another player who could hop through time–”

“I’m getting there!” Pause says back quickly.

“...Sorry, time hopping?” Etho’s nose wrinkles. Such a thing… he rolls his eyes. Made of stardust, sure. Time hopping? Never.

“Yeah, yeah, hold in there, I’ve not explained what made the server so special.”

“...I thought it was the players.”

“It was, but there was something else, another impossibility that drew them there.” Pause nods, then leans in for dramatic effect. “This server could hop forward through time itself.”

There’s a drawn out silence again before Etho speaks.

“Sounds like a load of mumbo jumbo to me.” Etho laughs, but it feels stifled, as if the air were trying to push it back in his throat.

“...it’s a story, Etho. Of course it’s all mumbo jumbo.” Beef shakes his head, staring into the flames of the slowly dying fire.

“Aren’t all stories started from truth?” Pause counters.

Etho’s mouth falls open, perhaps to counter, but nothing comes to mind. Instead he gives a stilted nod, and his mouth closes without further argument.

“Can I tell my story, then?” Pause rubs a hand over his face. “I’ve not even gotten to the good part yet!”

“Yeah, yeah” Beef snorts, “Go on, scare the crap outta us.”

“Anyways, to recap before Etho here decided to interrupt–don’t roll your eyes at me-these players were special. Blessed by the universe, or maybe something else–but they all joined together, to create a world that could jump through time itself.”

“What does that even mean?”

In the woods, a twig snaps. Nobody hears it other than Etho, whose head flies up towards the sound, only to see nothing.

“Yeah, so this world… they started it as if the universe had only just begun, before all the resources we have today existed.” Beef glances to Pause. “At least, that’s how I heard it.”

Pause nods in response, sketching something new in the dirt with his cheek resting on his other hand. “That’s about right. Nobody knows if the admin made a deal with them or if they found a way on their own, but… that’s what it was.”

“That’s not possible.” Etho worries at the inside of his cheek. “Can’t go back. Not like that…” Memories filter through his head, of an age no other player should have seen, when it had simply been him and the universe, and the few animals that had come into existence at the time. To travel to that point… for something else to go back too and ẘ̷̜̃a̵̗͇̋͠t̸̢̓͒c̷̫̥̐h̸̲̀̃… his neck prickles, and he glances around. Is there a mob nearby?

The woods are empty.

Pause laughs, but it sounds wrong to Etho too. “Anything is possible, when you’ve been blessed like that, blessed by the very universe or void or.. whatever. When you’re being w̵̻͎͗a̵͍͚̽͘t̷͙̲͆̇̿č̴̲̭̋͠ḫ̶̃̿ẻ̷̢͉͙̃̔d̶̙̐̅̐.” … “Who knows, Etho… maybe you too.”

“Nah, man!” Immediately, his hackles are raised, which is… ridiculous. This is just a story! Some stupid campfire story meant to entertain, that someone made up lifetimes ago. And yet… he’s being… no. No.

“I’m just saying!” Pause says, sounding far too amused for how Etho feels so wrong.

“Go back to the story, Pause.” Beef intervenes.

Pause grumbles under his breath, something about constant interruptions and a bad audience–and Etho can’t butt in indignantly, not this time. “Okay. So the ones who were… looking at the players, they started to intervene. They left gifts in bedrock and other impossible blocks, and the players had to follow clues to reach them. Most of the players willingly went along with it. They were scared, afraid of what could happen if they didn’t play the game how it was meant to be played. All but one. All but the admin… Grian. As the story goes, he broke the rules. Took gifts that weren’t his, the impossible blocks from builds… just a general pest, to be honest.”

“Now hang on, I always heard he blew up the builds, and that was what upset them.” Beef interrupts.

“Who on earth did you hear it from??” Pause raises his eyebrows, looking at Beef like he has three heads again.

“That’s just how I’ve always heard it told!” Beef protests. “What version did you hear?”

“The right one, obviously.” Pause turns his chin upwards, towards the moon overhead, radiating smug energy. Beef opens his mouth to protest again, and as the two dissolve into bickering, Etho can’t help but glance upward at the sky again.

The stars feel wrong. Etho shivers, eyes growing wide, and he’s glad his mask is firmly in place, hiding his expression. Although… the mask is just an illusion of protection, isn’t it?

Where did that thought come from? He’s always been protected under the stars.

The back of his neck prickles again, and he whips his head down and around towards the woods. A stick cracks, and his hand travels to where his sword would be strapped to his side, if he had one. Still, there’s no movement, and Etho forces himself to turn his back to the shadows, because there’s nothing there.

He’s being-

A scoff of breath leaves him. This is ridiculous. He’s not being ẅ̷̲̖́͘͠a̶̲̺̜͊̇̋ť̵̬c̷͎̙̜͓̆̀̿͘h̶̪̏ͅẻ̷͓͛͝d̸̪̒́̈́ͅ, there is no such thing as a Watcher, the universe loves him. That’s the mantra he repeats even as puffs of air leave him faster and his eyes sting in the smoke.

He’s being ẅ̶̘̎͛͝a̸̗̔̿̀t̶̨̢̖́c̸̩͆́͌̕̚h̷̞̭̑͆́́̾ę̵͈̖̦̟̅̂̈́̅͐ḋ̸̻̘.

He’s fine.

The world comes back into focus around him, the campfire crackling merrily as Beef tosses a new log into it. Pause is speaking again, and Etho realizes the story must have continued without him. He shifts, hesitating to give into his fear–not fear, he’s never felt that before–whatever it is, but he slides off the log and in front of the fire, matching Beef’s position. It’s easier to breathe again, with his back guarded by the wood. Pause and Beef say nothing of his movements, although he can feel both their eyes on him, watchi-looking at him.

“Just getting warm. Getting chilly out here!” Even to him, his words sound strained.

Pause shrugs in agreement, and continues his story. This time, Etho doesn’t look at the sky for reassurance.

“--so they’re doing the impossible, and one of the players could even hop back and forth, he called it the Downside Up–”

“Oh, weird. I thought it was the Other Side.”

“Sorry, the Downside Up?” Etho grins without any positive emotion tied to it. “Thought this couldn’t get any more ridiculous sounding!” He’s being-

“Yeah, that’s what they called the times they left behind whenever they hopped.” Pause says, before holding the stick from earlier out to Beef. “You remember Their symbol? I can’t.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Beef says, and he etches in the ground, brows furrowed in concentration. Etho cranes his head the opposite way as before, narrowing his eyes.

“What would they have had a symbol for?”

“To show it was from them! It was created from bedrock itself, and etched into the earth and stone and even stars.” Pause sighs. “Look, Etho, Mr. First Player–don’t look so shocked, we guessed anyway–you’ve been around a while. It’s just a story. Let it entertain you. Let me tell the story.”

Etho purses his lips, but nods. It’s just a story. Stories are fake. Stories are rooted in truth and–no, no, this one isn’t. He takes a moment, considering, shoving away all his newfound apprehension, then seizes on another strange fact.

“They could just.. Use bedrock?”

“Yes!” Beef’s voice rings out louder than Pause’s, but both echo through the woods for just a second.

“Etho, they could do anything. They aren’t players, or gods, they’re beings between. Nobody knows.”

“Right.” Not players. Not gods. Simply something outside of that sphere, existing in the same universe.

“And so they,” Pause jabs his stick at the word scratched on the ground, “started a game with their players, a wonderful game of clues and punishments and rewards. And the players played well! They played how it was meant to be played, all but one.”

“Right… you said before. Grain, right?”

“Grian.” Pause says, rolling his eyes. “Maybe it was Grain. That makes more sense, honestly.”

“Yeah, Grian, Grian, the admin, whatever–him. You said he fought back?”

“Well, not fought, exactly. More just… didn’t play by the rules. And god, he paid for it.” Pause closes his eyes, looking to the stars for a moment. “All of them paid for it.”

“What, they punished him–sorry, everyone, just for not playing by the rules?” It feels like a warning. Because if there’s one thing Etho has never done, it’s stay within limits. Another glance at the stars, and–the stars don’t feel like home anymore. They’re ẇ̶̰̩͇̬a̸̜̘̮̰͉͉͐̓̓͘͠͝ţ̵̟̟̲͌̊̀̕c̵̡̆h̸̤͙̤̺̐̌͂i̸̛͎̹̫̿́̒̑ͅn̷͖̼͐͒̓̀̍͜͠g̶̬̣͓͊̌ͅ.

Beef nods. “Yeah… pretty much. Thanks to the admin’s refusal to play by the rules… in the end, everyone was punished. Least, that’s what I always heard, right, Pause?”

“Yep! At first, they let the players live under a false pretense of freedom, let each of them do what they would, just left clues and portals and gifts. But finally… the players wanted to go and take on the final fight.”

“The dragon.” Etho almost rolls his eyes. The dragon fight had always felt… well, boring, compared to what the rest of the universe offered. Somewhere in his head, music plays, the song he’d listened to when he’d undertaken the dragon on his own world. It’s calming, much more entertaining to listen to than the eerie silence the End had held when he’d first gone. Supposedly, the End was much more life-filled now, but he’d not bothered to explore much of it, preferring to keep under the stars for now.

“...did it..go well?” he frowns. The End was untouchable, surely.

“Supposedly, when everyone jumped through, they were separated. Alone. Screaming for their friends, only to be faced with the eyes of a beast larger than life.” Pause lowers his voice. “They fought the dragon alone, screaming for their friends, and they won anyway!”

“Doesn’t seem so bad to me!” Etho feels a weight on his chest lighten. Sure, it was an odd punishment, to face the dragon alone, but he’d done it without issue. “How is that possible? To separate the players like that?”

“Anything is possible, if you’re being w̴̧̞͕͇̩̼̒͒̂̑͛ạ̶̢̳͎͖͎̏͒ţ̵̛̬̗̘̺̺͆͋̐̓͐č̴̪̃̋̑h̵̛̹̭͛͑͊͝͠e̶̡͖̊̏̐̓̾̏d̴̰͚̪͚̞̭̠̎̍̿̈̋̋.”

The weight of the words returns tenfold, and it’s crushing, feeling the eyes on him, knowing they’re there knowing–

He gasps for air, forcing away the fear filling him. “I thought you said not to say that out loud!”

Pause breaks into laughter. “Chill, Etho, it’s just a story! I meant it, like, for the atmosphere. It’s not real.”

Another branch breaks, and Etho startles, eyes wide with the same fear he hadn’t understood, before.

“Did you just get scared by a branch cracking?” Beef frowns, but seems inclined to laugh.

“...no”

Pause snickers, “You did!”

“No, leave it, cmon–” Etho shoves some leaves into Pause’s area, hoping one will fly into his face. Pause just shoves them back at him, snorting.

“Awwww, scared some mythical beings might get ya?”

“Weren’t you telling me stories have truth to them, earlier?” Etho counters, and all three of them fall silent, illuminated only by the now-mocking campfire shadows and the dim moonlight. For a moment, Etho almost thinks Pause and Beef look afraid too, sharing nervous glances into the forest and above. Then Beef clears his throat, and the moment ends.

“Let’s move on-”

“Yeah-”

“Yep-”

“As I was saying, the promises of the universe weren’t given to the players when they defeated the dragon.”

“Wh–promises of the-” Etho feels his heart drop from his chest. Those promises were for him, once. “You mean…”

“Oh, you know, and the universe loves you, because you are love, all those words that beam into your head? They changed it. Made it different.” Pause shakes his head. “Powerful beings. Messing with the universe itself.”

“Again, impossible.”

“Is it?”

Of course it is!, Etho wants to say. The universe can’t be messed with, not like that. The universe loves its players. We aren’t ever in any true danger!

He’s not so sure, sitting in this world.

“...what did they say?” Not that… he really wants to know, but… he needs to know.

“Oh, well… that’s when they took the admin. Made him one of them. They say Grian threatened the other players, he changed. He became a-y’know.”

“What do you mean, one of them? I thought you said they weren’t players–” he doesn’t understand, feeling a bit dizzy.

“They aren’t. But… he used to be, at least.” Beef shakes his head. “Took his wings, gave him new ones, took his humanity, freedom, everything. I’ve heard versions where he doesn’t remember, others where he does… some versions where he’s simply a prisoner, forever trapped in… wherever Watchers live.”

“Don’t say the name!” Pause hisses.

“Alright!”

“That…” Etho doesn’t really know what to say. The hair on his arms stands straight up, and he peers into the woods. Nothing. “Good campfire story, Pause. Wanna sleep now?”

“It’s not over!” Pause grins just a little too widely. “Just now getting to the best part!”

Etho shudders, Something is w̵̨̞̽͐̉a̷̲̩͍͕͜͝t̸̢̥͕̣̠͕̄̈́c̵͚̮̝̫̓̏h̶̢͉̯̜̘͗͜ͅỉ̶̳͓̈́͂̊̉̅ͅn̷̦̹̬̰̳̘͂g̷͈͈̾. “Alright, go on.” he swallows. Just a remnant of the past.

“Well, the admin was taken, but that leaves the other players. Three of them… Merlin, BigB, and… another. They were thrown into a vicious cycle of death, forced to kill each other over and over in games that only had one victor… one survivor. And then they do it again, and again, and again.”

“Oh.” The rising fear stops, for a moment. Such games… impossible. At least that must be myth and nothing more. “Who was the third?”

“Nobody knows. That was his other punishment–to be forgotten. No one knows his name, no one knows anything about him, except he and Merlin were close.”

Again, impossibility, most likely. It’s easier for Etho to dismiss that out of hand. A player forgotten? Players can’t be forgotten by the universe. “And the others?”

“Some of them were killed, along with the server. They set the server in ruins, burned it, destroyed it, and swallowed it wholly into the void itself, never to be visited again.”

“Seems harsh…”

“I don’t think so. I think that was the kindest punishment,” Beef mutters. “I’d rather that than anything else, if it were me.”

Neither Pause nor Etho have a response, and after a moment Pause clears his throat and continues. “Two escaped. Netty and another. I think… Beef is right. That was a worse punishment than dying… to live and always be w̸̡̧̺̩̻̋̊͐̔̈́͠ą̷̣̑̔̓͘͠t̸̡̘̩̳̜̉̈́̂̓̈͂c̶̯͇̘͔̣̰̫̀̃̊̈̇̈́͌̇̉h̷̝̦̩̣̲͉͑͒̊̊͑͐͋̔͜͝e̸͓͙̟̳̺͙̕d̴̲͓͂̾͗̂̚͜. To live on and be powerless against the past, stripped of the gifts given.”

“They lost their gifts?” Etho’s eyes fill with horror, and his hand edges his pack, where his own gift (or at least… part of it) resides.

“Yep! And that’s it! That’s the legend of Evo! Cool story, right?” Pause seems… unbothered by it all. Can he not feel it?

Etho nods weakly. “It… that’s a story, alright!”

“C’mon, Etho, you know it’s just a story! It’s all fun!” Pause waves smoke out of his face, before pushing off the log to his feet. “Well! Good times, gentlemen. Should we sleep the mobs away before we all die a gruesome death?”

“Probably should, yeah,” Beef follows suit, opting to flop on his log without a pallet or even a blanket. “Etho, you got first watch?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Etho doesn’t move from his spot, just stares into the campfire. “I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn.”

“Okay then. G'night, Etho.” Pause flops onto his pallet, and within minutes, both him and Beef are breathing steadily, completely out.

Minutes tick by, measured only by the steady creeping of the stars above. At first, Etho tries not to think, tries not to exist, even. The fire dances softer than earlier, flames barely eating the charred sticks. He sighs, but pulls to his feet to place another log in the fire. As he turns to the pile of wood, he’s startled, turning his head so quickly his neck cracks to peer into the woods.

There’s nothing there.

There’s something there.

He swallows back air, and it chokes him. He picks up a log and holds it like a weapon, grasped firmly between both his hands. Even so, as he revolves in one spot, peering into the trees, nothing appears. He’s alone. After a moment, as the fire dips dangerously close to spluttering out, he’s forced to lay down his flimsy protection. Kneeling down, he shoves it in, then returns to his log and flops backwards on it to stare up at his solace.

He stares up at the stars, and the stars ẃ̶̰͎̳̤̖͔͂͗́͒ǎ̵̧ţ̴̧̧̗̙͔͓̮͗��͋̓̑̀͐c̷̭͚̬̿̉͗́̌͠h̵̡͍̖͖̭̬̺͙̋̅͗ him back. It only takes a heartbeat for him to realize that these are not his stars. He shuts his eyes, willing them to go away, to leave him be, and when he opens them again they are still ẁ̷̪̰̳̳̩͙͙͎͚̱̓̓̌͝a̵͎͕̟͉̭̪͚̋̆̉̊̊̈́̀̎̋̔̔ͅt̷͓͔̼̱̥̯̺̺̦͆̿͌̾͜ͅċ̷̟̬̱̍h̵̘̦̮̙̬̤̘͛̅ͅị̷͍̣̝̑̀̈́͊͆͊̆̋͗͋͜ň̷̢̨̧̳͔̳̻̱͉̲͎̀̿̀̋̕ģ̸͙̠͌̈. Something cold stops his heart and he’s suffocating under their cold care, and he doesn’t understand, because the universe promised, and this is not the universe he thought he knew.

He is being w̸͖̗̥̬̫̣̟̰̔̋́̉̋͘ǎ̵͔̳̳̖̟̲̫͔̉ț̶̼̘͇͇̫̺̗̣̱̻̩̬͊̃̈̀̒̒̔͆̓č̴̱̺̟̺͕͉͙̿̿̓̓̇̈̽̉̉͝h̴̩̝͍̩̭͐͋̿̍͑̓͋͘e̷̢̘̖͚͉̦̪̻͕̘̯̔̒́̉̓̊͋́̓̑͝ḑ̸̨̫̳̼͉̫͙̼̪͍̏́̐̽̅͝.

Hours later, when he wakes Beef with shaking hands and no words, he flops down on his pallet, and he searches one more time, for the safety and love the universe has always given. For the first time, he cannot find it.

He is being ẃ̶̧̛̛͈͙̮̗̙̦̰̙̖̗̬̭͚͔̾̈̈́̊̀̏́̈́̽͑͊̽̇̇̊͗́̊͋͋̓̏̓̚͘̕͜͝ȁ̶͙̩̝͇̼͉̠̳͎̻̀͜ͅt̴̨̡̺̦͉̗̺̞̱͍͓̫̠̭͇̝̰͎̘͕̬͙̘̙̖͒́̄͒̌̉̈̄͐̅̈́͒͒̒́̈́̑̽͘̕̚ͅc̸̨̡̧̢̧̛͚͕̼̜̥̥͓̦͚͎͓͇̹̮̮̱̣̣̳̞̟̱̖̐̃͌̀̍́̀̇̿̈͆̾͛͌͐̎̈́͌̃̋͆͐́͂̀̋̋̚͘͝͝͠͠ͅh̴̢̛̛̰̥̯͉̗̄̄͆̈́̇̌̈́̊̆̀̓̄̊̍̓̐̔̄͒̽͆̊̈́̄́̐̒̕ë̴̢̢̛̛̥̼̱̹̪͇̪͕̲͕̦̫̲͓̤̲̪͓͍̙̗́́̎̔̓̉̊͗͋͆̃̐̋́̇̈́̎́̚͝d̴̹̈́͛̑̒̓̇̓̃̈́̀

#ethoslab #etho #pauseunpause #vintagebeef #evolution smp #tw: watchers #watchers #hiiii guys it's me i'm back on my bullshit #my fics

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