Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This eye… It was staring back at the players, facing the sky but strangely still watching them. It meant different things to people, but they all felt like something was wrong.

For Grian, it was fear. Pure unbridled fear. This was the symbol of the things that ripped him away from his friends, molding him into what they wanted. Their prized possession, tangled in the destiny they decided against Grian's own will. But destiny is tricky and fickle, and the road to it tends to be uncertain. Grian had learned this long ago, and had been running from his fate for many years. The idea that his run was up, and that the only path left was to them…it scared him.

For Joel it was disdain and hate. He was all too familiar with this symbol. He and it were one and the same after all. But Joel refused to associate himself with it. Everything it stood for was built on foundations of control, but also passivity and an avoidance of influencing events. Joel hated that part of him. It was why he had helped Grian break free of their control so long ago. He hated them, and refused to bow to them again. No more.

For Pearl, the feeling was a morbid curiosity. For most of her life she had felt the attention of others on her back; phantom whispers in her ear and figures dancing in the shadows, watching her. Judging her. At first she didn't mind, but these strange feelings had become more eerie and sinister over the years, until the mere thought of it left her balancing on a knife edge. Even so, it felt familiar. Pearl began finding comfort and security in watching, spectating and commentating on the actions and events around her. She wasn't quite sure why, but she wanted to know more.

For Jimmy, it was a sense of unease. Ever since Evo, nothing felt right. There were little nuances that just didn't quite make sense. Consistently, he was haunted by the visage of a canary caged in a coal mine of changing appearance and kept alive only by the oxygen boxes provided by those whom he loved. Kept alive but dying inside, aware of how people perceive it yet persistent in its course. It kept him on edge, ever unsure of himself. He couldn't help but feel like he was being given a warning or message, but of what?

Martyn felt overwhelmed. He was always different after Evo, and never knew why. He always needed headphones, finding everything too loud to function. When they came to him he was angry. They took Grian away. They hurt his friends and they hurt him. Not only did they change him, they made him different. A listener. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. He was still new to all of this shit, and now here he was. Being watched like he and his friends always had been. Everything was so confusing and loud, and he had no headphones anymore. It was just…too much.

Mumbo felt incredibly uncomfortable about this. He had only been familiar with this symbol and its meaning for a little while now, having learned it on his own after the consumption of Grian's soul in season 8. That event changed him, and it made Mumbo start to think differently about Grian's little quirks. And now here he was, in a new and unfamiliar world with their eye watching over him. Not even blinking. It was unsettling and made him feel sick.

And then there was Scott. Scott was…confused. Usually he would be excited about a new smp, but usually he was asked in advance if he wanted to participate. No one gave him a warning before he showed up. Not to mention he was an owl hybrid now, which wasn't normal. Looking at the symbol on the floor, it felt familiar; like he had not only seen it before but it had meaning to him. He couldn't quite figure out what- his memory was always foggy, and he tended to have trouble remembering much more than a few key details from the series he was in. Something was off, and Scott couldn't yet tell if it was good or bad…

The small group was gathered, dazed and confused, around this ritualistic symbol of the Watchers. They'd all had their lives flipped upside down forever by these beings, but were hardly aware of each other's struggles. The rules were a mystery- no one knew why they were here or what to expect. All they knew was one thing…

The Runaway SMP had begun.

Chapter Text

Grian took a few deep breaths. Looking around, everyone else appeared to be confused and afraid. He needed to take charge. He always took charge. "Alright everyone, there's no need to panic."

Joel was the first to respond. "Really Grian? Really?? What is this?!"
"I'm not sure…I didn't do this. Not this time."
"Do we at least know what kind of rules we're dealing with?" Mumbo asked nervously. "Who's the admin if it isn't you?"
Grian could only shake his head. "I don't know, okay? How am I meant to know that??"
"I don't really know what else to say, Grian, this whole situation is very bizarre!"
"That's the understatement of the century." Joel muttered. "We're in a whole new server with a weird ritual thing and no fucking clue what we're doing here! That's more than fucking bizarre!"

The group argued for an uncomfortable amount of time, and it stressed Grian out. Was this their plan? To turn the group against each other so they can swoop in and take advantage? It had to be. There wasn't any other explanation, right?

Eventually, Scott finally cut in. "Everyone, be quiet for a moment! All your yelling's going to send Martyn into a panic attack!"

Grian turned his attention to Martyn. The raven hybrid was crouched low, hands firmly covering his ears. Now that everyone had quieted down, a small whimper could be heard. Grian had never really considered Martyn having headphones something strange, but did he have sensory issues..? It would make sense, he supposed. Headphones always worked for Taurtis after all.

"Look, none of us know what's going on." Scott said rather calmly. "Arguing won't get anything done. Why don't we just split up and start the way we always do. If there are rules, they'll show up eventually."
"Scott's right." Mumbo agreed. "We can't just stand here fighting all day."
"Alright. Splitting up sounds good. You alright Martyn?" Grian asked
Martyn nodded, standing up awkwardly. "Sounds good to me."
"Alright, we have some sort of plan." Grian took a deep breath. "Off ya trot then, lets get started."

Grian watched the group disperse and leave in various directions. It was a strangely specific group, and very small. Grian wasn't sure what this new world was, but with tensions so high already… he worried this wouldn't end well.

This was going to be one hell of a series.

Chapter Text

Mumbo was the first to split from the group, eager to get away from all the tension and arguing. He had been spending the early days simply gathering resources and exploring the area. At some point on his travels, he encountered Grian.

The parrot hybrid was on top of a small mountain range, staring up into the sky. Mumbo decided to say hello. "Grian, how are you man?"
The shorter turned. "Oh- Mumbo! Hello!~"
"Hey man, what are you doing up here?" he asked with a chuckle.
"I'm getting ideas."
"About?"
"My base."
"Planning already?" Mumbo snickered at Grian's eagerness.
"Yeah, you gotta plan early for these things. I'm thinking of building up in the sky."
"Oh, that sounds fun!" Mumbo nodded, looking around. "You know, this area is really nice. I might build around here myself."
Grian looked at him for a moment. "....Neighbors?"
"Neighbors."
"Oh man, this is gonna be great!" Grian started to pace. "I'm already getting so many ideas."
"Here- sit down. Talk me through them. Let's start planning."

As they planned, Grian appreciated the distraction. Up until this point, he hadn't even gathered anything more than some steak and a few wooden tools. He didn't have it in him to do much more, the eye still haunting him. It was really throwing his thoughts in so many directions, and Grian was so conflicted about it. He was so paranoid that everything was watching him. Mumbo helped though. Discussing their plans was a good distraction from it all, and Grian really enjoyed spending time with him.

On the other side of the map, Jimmy was incredibly stressed. He'd made sure to be alone as he started up, hiding away underground. He wasn't sure what the rules on dying were. Looking at his hearts on his forearm, they weren't coloured by life like in the Life Series, and he didn't feel the uncomfortable gripping feeling of a hardcore world, but he couldn't be too sure. He didn't want to die first again. He couldn't. It was too much.

Wandering through the caves and mineshafts, he couldn't help but shrink. It was oppressive down here, the world feeling so small and dark beyond the light of his torches. He was almost struggling to breathe the further down he went. Whenever he was stressed or nervous, he found comfort in singing, so as he ventured into the depths that's what he did. He sang his favourite little tunes until his lungs hurt and he resurfaced. Gasping for breath, he glanced back the way he had came, concerned about his struggles. He never had any issues before… Jimmy shrugged it off, heading off in search of a place to call home.

Chapter Text

Martyn was glad to get away from spawn. The eye, the arguing… The general stress of this whole situation made him feel sick with anxiety. He could usually play off his worries with a good joke or two, but he also usually had his headphones on hand. The world was so much louder without them. He could hear every little sound, from the rustling of the trees to the whistle of the wind. As he gathered supplies and wandered the land, he made a wonderful discovery.

Hidden away behind some cliffs was a giant lagoon, a small river leading out to the ocean. The area was lush with forest and flowers, and Martyn was in awe. Making his way down, he couldn't help but find comfort here. The sound of the water gently lapping at the land was therapeutic, and everything was delightfully peaceful. Not too quiet, but not overbearing. It was brilliant, a secret safe place guarded by cliffs. This was it, Martyn thought. This was home.

Pearl was having a blast. She was already making plans to journey to the nether, covering herself in iron armor. She liked to set up early. It gave her time to work on bigger projects and spend time with her friends. This was a whole new world, completely unknown to the players! It was so exciting! She desperately wanted to learn more about it. What better way to learn more than give yourself the time and resources to? The moth hybrid was currently diamond hunting, so that she could build a nether portal. This was going to be fun.

As he traveled, Scott was talking to himself, trying to collect his thoughts. Hearing the others, they all seemed more stressed than Scott thought was necessary. He wasn't quite sure what the eye symbol was about, but it had riled everybody up. Maybe it would be worth asking someone. Scott came into a clearing, and was met by a snow biome. As the snow crunched beneath his feet, Scott's creativity was starting to go haywire. He was getting so many ideas! This may be a good place to set up a base. He placed a bed down, setting his spawn to explore the area. This biome was a blank canvas, after all. There was so much he could do! May as well make the most of it, right?

Joel just wanted to be alone right now. He had seen Scott fairly recently, Joel saw him while making his way through the taiga, but he didn't engage with him. The moth was still reeling from the shit that went down at spawn. He wouldn't have cared all that much if this was another one of Grians silly little games. Those were fun and generally well controlled. But Grian wasn't in control, he was just as clueless as everyone else and that both frustrated and scared Joel. Grian's the only person in this group with enough understanding of servers to run one, even if they never lasted long. If Grian didn't make the server, it had to be them…the watchers. There was no other way, but what were they planning..?

Joel's thoughts were disrupted by a small yap. He tensed, whirling around to see what the source of the noise was. A wolf pup, seemingly lost and alone. Where were its parents? He searched his inventory for bones. He had some, right? "Hey little guy. Come here." Joel crouched on the ground. He only had one bone… Would that be enough? It was only a pup after all. The pup approached, sniffing at the bone. For a moment, Joel was nervous. He didn't have a good track record with wolves, and with Martyn on the server he wasn't sure if he was ready for another pack.

Unfortunately for him, the wolf pup didn't give him much of a chance. It gently took the bone from his hands and curled up beside him while it ate. Joel gently pet his new friend, checking the chat. He couldn't help but smile.

Smallishbeans has gained the achievement: [Best Friends Forever.]

Chapter Text

Pearl opened her map, tracing her fingers along the route she'd taken. She was currently mapping out their little area. The group had quickly learned that they were in a bordered area, and Pearl was curious as to where everyone had based down in relation to the borders. Her map had taken her to the south east corner of the borders, and some flowery hills looked like they were hiding something.

Scaling the hills, Pearl found a large tree at the top, looking over a beautiful hidden area. There was a large lagoon, with what appeared to be docks on the shore. Tucked between cliffs was a small wooden house. Was someone living here? Carefully, she made her way down. She couldn't fly properly without an elytra, but she was able to descend with a mix of gliding and slowing her fall. Once she stood on the docks, she glanced around. "Hellooo?" she called out.

"Hello?? Pearl?" Martyn quickly called back, stepping out of the house. The raven hybrid was fitted out in a white shirt with a sleeve rolled up matched by a brown skirt, sleeveless vest and corset. His talons were painted gold and he had his hair in a long braid laying over one shoulder. His usual bandana was pulled down over his eyes, but he still seemed to see her as he approached. "How are you?"
"I'm alright. Look at you all dressed up!"
"Oh- yeah, I decided to be a pirate this time around. For the funsies, y'know?"
"Ooh, sounds fun! I was thinking about theming myself."
"What were you thinking of?"
"I'm not sure, that's why I don't have one."

Martyn circled her a couple times, looking her up and down. She wasn't really sure what he was doing. "I see you're all kitted out in iron."
"Oh yeah, I wanted to get into the nether really quickly so I could do better things. Like map out the area."
"Makes sense, I suppose. What's your series plans for after the map?"
"I'm thinking of basing down near spawn." She explained. "I want to keep a close eye on that eye symbol. Something about it feels suspicious."
"Sounds like a good idea. Oh- You could have a big watchtower!"
"That's actually a really good idea. What theme though…?"
"Well, you have a very magical sounding username. What if you were like, some sort of wizard?"

Pearl thought about that for a moment. A wizard huh? She could make a really pretty wizard tower that was all spiraled and flowery. Thinking about all of the potential builds was really exciting! There were so many possibilities for what she could do! "...Yes, I like that. I think I'll go with that."
"Awesome! I'm excited to see what you'll do with it."
"I'm going to finish my map so I can start planning. Have fun with your pirate builds! How do I get out?"
"I made a tunnel in the cliffs. It looks like a cave."
"Got it, see ya around pirate man!"
Martyn laughed at her enthusiasm. "Alright, have a good one."

Pearl waved until Martyn was out of view, making her way through the dimly lit passage. She got her map out again. All she had to do was head west and she would be back where she started the map. This may take a while, She thought.

Pearl continued on her travels despite this, traveling from dark oak forest to taiga, crossing rivers and falling into pits. She quite enjoyed her little adventure. It was really nice to slow down a bit and take some time to just explore and relax. The map filling also gave her some time to dwell on her new build ideas. She was planning out elaborate towers and houses in her mind, indulging in all the potential.

At some point she came across what looked like a campsite, a mossy tent sitting beside a small campfire. Pearl figured that it was reasonable to have small bases around, since the world was so new and nobody had the means to gather more resources. Investigating a little, she found a wolf pup curled up on a bed, snoozing. It was a cute little area, and Pearl couldn't quite figure out whose it was. Maybe Joel? Pearl had a small look around, hoping to find the owner of the tent and dog, but there was nobody in the area. She shrugged, deciding to come back and look another time. She was busy.

Pearl continued on her way, eventually crossing over into the snow biome where Scott was basing down. She had started in this biome, so her return showed that she had at least covered the borders. The moth made her way to his area, the calcite and deepslate building a relief. "Scott, guess who's back~!"

Scott called out from inside the building. "Hey Pearl, how's the map coming along?"
"It's going good! I've followed all the borders, so now I just have to fill in literally everything between."
"Sounds rough."
"It will be." She said, entering his house. "I did find Martyn though! And a tent! Do you know who's over in the taiga?"
"Oh, that's Joel. We bumped into each other while I was gathering wood yesterday."
"I figured. I didn't see him there, so he must be out."
"Most likely, yeah. How are you on food at the moment?"
"It's a miracle I made it, Scott. Berries aren't a very good food source." Pearl huffed, crossing her arms.

The taller laughed. "I should have some spare in one of my chests, I want a copy of the map when you're done though." they said before going to grab said food.
"That seems fair to me." Pearl agreed, following him over to some chests as he handed her some steak.
"That should keep you going until you're done."
"Thanks man, I appreciate it." she replied, taking the steak and eating some of it immediately.
"No problem. Good luck with the map."
"Thank you~ See you later!" She waved goodbye, leaving the building and once again looking at her map. She had a long way to go before being done, but at least she had food now.

Chapter Text

Jimmy scaled up the mountain, preparing to meet a few of the other server members half way. Apparently Mumbo had found a massive cave system, and he and Grian didn't feel confident tackling it alone. Jimmy and Pearl were more geared up than most of the server by now, so they had both agreed to help explore. The problem with traveling without an elytra was that Jimmy didn't have quite the same biology as his fellow bird hybrids. His legs and feet were human, he had long tail feathers that tended to get caught on things and his wings were small. Too small to fly with. It was awful, not having the same mobility as others like him, and he could only chalk it up to his curse. Why else would he have to suffer? Eventually, the canary scrambled up to where the others waited, out of breath.

"Took you long enough Tim." Grian greeted sarcastically. "We fell asleep waiting for you."
"Well you and Mumbo live here!" he retorted. "And Pearl can actually use her wings!"
The parrot laughed. "I'm just messing with you, it's all good. Thanks for coming."
Jimmy huffed. "Yeah, sure thing. So, where's this cave?"

Mumbo led the group to a small opening. It looked like a giant sword ripped through the side of the mountain. Peeking inside, it opened into a large shadowy cave, only slightly lit by the occasional patch of lichen. Looking closer, Jimmy could see the glimmer of eyes staring back at him, making him shiver. "That sure is a cave..."
"Oh yeah. You can see why we wanted some help." Mumbo said from beside him.

Looking the two over, neither seemed prepared for caving. Grian didn't have anything more than leather boots and stone tools. Mumbo was a little better, the taller having some iron armor and iron tools but not fully kitted out. What had they been doing this whole time? Were he and Pearl the only two with gear? Regardless, the group prepared each other with torches, food and encouragement before descending down into the darkness.

Things were going well for a while. The group had managed to light up a safe area and gather enough iron for Mumbo and Grian to have full iron gear, but Jimmy was starting to get that breathlessness he felt the last time he was caving. It was concerning for sure, but he didn't mention it yet. There was no need. The four huddled in a small tunnel branching off from the main cave system, regenerating health and catching their breath.

"What are we thinking? Do we want to keep going down?" Mumbo asked.
"I don't see why not." Pearl commented. "Might as well while we're already down here."
"I suppose that's true."

Grian went to speak, but was distracted out into the cave by some mobs. This was fairly common when mining with him, so nobody took any notice. Once the group had recuperated, they met back up with Grian and continued their descent into the darkness. As they explored the caves, avoiding lava pools and slaying mobs, Jimmy started to struggle. Soon enough, every step felt like a burden. They had stopped a couple times to let him catch up, but it wasn't doing anything for him. He felt sick and dizzy, like the walls were closing in on him.

It soon became too much, and the canary collapsed.

Grian was the first to notice, rushing over. "Timmy? What's wrong?"
Pearl and Mumbo followed over, the taller of them gently pulling him back. "Give him some space, Grian."
"Ok…Ok."

Jimmy was terrified. He could feel the air escaping him, and his throat felt like it was closed off. Jimmy felt like he was trapped in his own body. He wasn't even processing the talking of the others anymore, gasping desperately for air. Was this it? Was he going to die? What was he dying of?? What would happen to him if he died like this? The rush of fear and the futile attempts to breathe were draining, and he could feel himself growing weaker.

Mumbo crouched beside him. "You're alright Jimmy, just breathe."
"I don't think he can, Mumbo, I think that's the problem!" Pearl commented, her voice pitching with stress.
"Why not?"
"How am I supposed to know?!
Grian went quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "...Jimmy's a canary hybrid."
"Yeah? How is that going to help anything?" Mumbo asked, looking at the parrot.

Grian began to search through his inventory. "Maybe it's the depth. There isn't as much oxygen down here, and canaries have a bad history with being underground."
Mumbo thought for a moment. "...That makes sense, actually."
"So what do we do about it?" Pearl asked, glancing down at her writhing friend.
"When I was killing mobs earlier I found a zombie with an enchanted helmet."
"Okay? Cool?" Mumbo didn't get it.
"It's got respiration on it." He explained, pulling out a golden helmet and replacing it with Jimmy's iron one.

Jimmy felt a rush of relief hit him, the enchantment kicking in. He gasped, his throat and chest opening up to let him breathe properly. He coughed and wheezed, his body relaxing as the oxygen got to his lungs. "wh- what happened..?"
"You weren't breathing." Mumbo explained, sighing in relief. "We can explain more once we get out of here."
"Yeah… Alright."

Mumbo helped Jimmy to his feet, providing support as he stumbled. "I don't feel well…" he spoke in a quiet rasp, still reeling from the whole situation. "I feel light headed…"
"That's ok. You'll be alright now." Mumbo reassured him, helping him to the surface.

It was easier once they surfaced, Jimmy able to take his helmet off and relish in the open air. "I feel a little better now, just a little dizzy still." He turned to his caving companions. "Sorry about all that."
"Don't be silly Tim. We couldn't leave you like that." Grian replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you stay at our place for a bit? Make sure you're alright before heading off."
"Yeah… I think I will. Thanks for that."
"No need to keep apologizing." Mumbo chuckled. "It's the least we can do for your help."

The trio said their goodbyes to Pearl and made their way to Mumbo and Grians shared starter base, Jimmy deep in thought. He had a lot to consider.

Chapter Text

Scott leaned back, sighing heavily. He was perched on top of his roof, having worked on adding an attic space to his starter house. He wasn't going to originally, but figured having the space would be nice in case he needed it later. It meant they had to rebuild the roof, but it was a worthy sacrifice for the extra little room. The owl hybrid pushed off of the roof, their talons landing in the snow below. Taking a few steps back, Scott gazed up at the newly edited house. It was quite nice, if not a little too tall. That was alright though, it was only his starter house. It didn't need to be perfect.

The house wasn't anything remarkable or grand. The framework was mostly deepslate, a random mix of calcite and andesite making up the space in between. It was relatively small and cozy, with a room branching off the side and a small chimney puffing out smoke. The roof was a different story, however. Within a pointed deepslate border was a blue gradient made from concrete powder. Time consuming, but worth the overall look. It wasn't much, but Scott was generally happy with it.

They looked around, getting the sensation of being watched. In the distance, he spotted Joel among the trees. It wasn't hard. His green wings and tufts of fluff stood out among the whites and browns around him. This wasn't a new thing. Since starting this world, Scott had noticed Joel watching him build on multiple occasions. They'd even seen him earlier that day, having noticed Joel watching him while he worked on the roof. Had he even moved?

Scott had decided to finally talk to him. They were confused and thought that Joel might need something. After all, what else would Joel be doing? He approached the shorter with a wave. "Joooel? Can I help you with something?" There was an awkward silence between the two.

"...no." he stated, turning and retreating into the taiga.
"No- Joel, wait a minute." they followed. "If you need something just ask."
"I don't need anything Scott."
"Then why do you keep watching me? It's kind of creepy."
"Unimportant."
"This seems pretty important, actually."
"Nope."
"Joel-"
"Look." Joel stopped, turning to look up at the taller. "It's none of your business what I do in my time, alright? Just drop it."
"It becomes my business when you're practically stalking me!"

Joel stood silently for a moment. Scott could assume he was likely thinking about a response. The way he stared up at them, Joel almost looked sad. The owl hybrid felt a sinking feeling in his stomach just looking at him. He wasn't sure what had upset Joel, but he felt an unusually strong need to cheer him up a bit.

"Well- Why don't we go back to my place for a little catch up?" they offered. "We haven't really spoken all that much."
The moth seemed unsure, but thought on it for a moment. "...Sure, why not?"
"Excellent! I can tell you a little about my plans!"
"Plans?" Joel tilted his head a little, the two beginning to backtrack to Scott's.
"Yep! I'll tell you about it on the way."

The two made it back to the house, Scott letting Joel in. They made their way up to the new attic, sitting down to talk. Scott always enjoyed conversations with Joel, they remembered that much. The man had so much to say that it was difficult to keep up at times. He and Scott discussed their plans, mostly bases. Both being builders, they offered each other critique on their plans. Joel was very passionate about building, and seeing him so excited about new projects always made Scott very happy.

Joel always confused them. He was an enigma. Scott and Joel were always closer than most, and Scott very much saw Joel as family. The two often engaged in mild shenanigans, bonding over builds and activities. Even so, there was always something a little off. Joel would be awkward or avoid certain things, and never told him why. They could somewhat remember when he told Joel their elvish name back in Empires season one, Scraptha, and Joel reacted with discomfort. Scott couldn't really understand why, and in typical Joel fashion he didn't admit to it. It was only one example of a bizarre awkwardness between the two. Scott felt it too at times, particularly with the shorter referencing dreams and memories that he had never shared. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Eventually, it started getting late. To the players' annoyance, this was a server where everyone had to sleep in order to skip over the night. Neither Joel or Scott had the access to wool to make a spare bed or a spare bed on them, so Joel had to go home to sleep. "Welp, I've had fun." Scott said, walking him to the door.

"Same here." Joel agreed. "I'm gonna think on those design ideas we talked about."
"Same here. This was very helpful. I wasn't fully sold on the old-timey painter poet aesthetic, but you've given me some good ideas on how to work with it."
"Great. Let me know how it goes."
"I will when I inevitably find you stalking me again."

Joel laughed, leaving through the open door. "You'll have to find me first."
"Is that a challenge Joel?"
"Perhaps."
"Alright then." Scott smirked, closing the door. "Challenge accepted."

Chapter Text

Martyn gathered some essentials. Tools, armor and food were safely in his hotbar, as well as a spare bed. He had been enjoying working on his little base, tucked away in the corner of the map. By now he was content with his starter home, built primarily from oak and spruce. It had a nice feel to it, with a large patio and large open windows. Beyond the house was a path leading to some docks, where Martyn eventually planned to build a pirate ship. That was a future Martyn problem though.

For now? Martyn was focused on his entry tunnel. It was alright, but felt empty and bland. The torches also hurt his eyes, making the tunnel very bright. He wanted to decorate the tunnel to be more welcoming, but didn't have the resources. Martyn had reached out for help in the chat, and Grian had responded saying that he and Mumbo had some materials from a lush cave they had raided with Pearl and Jimmy.

Perfect!

Martyn made his way through the unfinished tunnel, running his fingers along the wall. Once out of his little paradise, the raven made his way in the direction of spawn, where he could ask Pearl for directions. Surely she would know. She had to have finished her map by now, right?

The journey was made so much easier by having wings. Martyn had never been a hybrid before. The talons took some getting used to, and he had to figure out his balance, but the wings really helped with travel! He didn't have an elytra, but he could still glide. Not to mention his new ability to give himself an extra boost so that he could jump bigger gaps with ease. It didn't take long to get to spawn.

Martyn wasn't sure how close Pearl was building. Turns out she had decided to build relatively close. He could see the plans and base structures of what he assumed to be her tower, spiraling up into the sky. "You absolute madwoman…" he muttered, chuckling as he approached. "Pearl! Where you at?"
Martyn heard the moth's hurried footsteps approaching from the tower. "Martyn! Hello!~"

Pearl had changed outfit. She now wore a dark purple shirt and lighter trousers, with translucent glittery gold sleeves and trouser cuffs. She had gold accents on the cuffs of her sleeves and around her waist, with nearly knee-high purple boots and a purple cape over her head and shoulders. The cape hung down, seemingly split at the back for her wings, with a galaxy pattern on the inside and a golden moon pin to hold the cape in place.

"Well now, look at you! I love the outfit! It goes really nicely with the wings."
"Thank you, thank you! S'nothing much really. Just a little something to get into the vibe of my area."
"Oh yeah, it really works." he looked up at the tower progress. "You look like you have some pretty big plans."
"You have no idea."
Pearl continued to ramble, Martyn just kind of nodding along. She had some really interesting ideas, and seemed to have a good idea of where she wanted to go with it.

Eventually, Martyn remembered that he was here for a reason, and had to cut the conversation short.
"Right- Back to the original conversation. I actually need directions. I'm trying to get to Grian's place, so I need to look at your map if that's alright?"
"Oh yeah! Yeah yeah yeah. I forgot." She chuckled. "Is this about the lush cave stuff you mentioned in chat?" Pearl asked, pulling the map out of her inventory.
"Yep! It's for the tunnel."
"Ooh, that'll be pretty!"

Martyn looked at the map. On a wider scale, Grian and Mumbo didn't seem all that far away, their area being the mountains down to the south. He could probably make it there before dark. Martyn took a moment to figure out which direction was south before handing Pearl her map back. "Got it. I'll be on my way now."
"Aight, see you around!"

Martyn continued his travels, his feet starting to hurt. Traveling across the whole map wasn't easy, even with the borders. He had decided to follow the river passing through the map, seeing as that led directly to Grian. After a little while, he saw the mountains looming ahead, a small house nestled nicely among them. That must be it, he thought.

Scaling the mountain, Martyn soon found himself face-to-face with Grian, startling the shorter. "Hey Grian-"
"AH!" the parrot fell back, making Martyn jump in surprise at the yell. "Martyn! Hi!"
The raven laughed, helping him up. "Ohh man, that made my day. That was incredible!"
"Yeah yeah, get it out of your system now." he huffed. "I've been waiting for you, you know."
"Hey- hey. I don't have an elytra yet, thank you very much!" he retorted.

Looking at him, Grian had changed his attire as well. He still had the classic red sweater, but he wore a brown jacket with fluff lining the hood over the top. On his hands were grey gloves, and hidden in his hair was a pair of goggles. Three distinctly coloured heart pins were on his jacket, tributes to the life series.

"Dang, you got a new get up as well?" he chuckled, pulling the goggles down onto Grian's face.
Grian squawked in surprise. "Hey- Stop it. Yes I do." he huffed, pulling the goggles back up and adjusting them. "I'm a pilot."
"A pilot? Why a pilot?"
"Well why are you a pirate?"
"Because i'm going to live in a little cove."
"And i'm living in the sky."
"Wh- Why???"
"Because I want to live in the sky, Martyn! Fuck you!"

The two laughed as Grian led him to the house. It definately felt like a Grian starter base, a long wooden building that bent into a smaller room, supporting a pointed copper roof. Smoke billowed out of a tall, thin chimney protruding from the side room of the house, and various bushes decorated the outside. Going inside, the house was almost divided in two. On either wall was a set of chests, a crafting table and furnaces, with two beds on the far wall. "Well now, what's going on in here then?"

"Me and Mumbo are sharing a starter base." the shorter explained, going over to the right side of the house.
"Does Mumbo have a theme as well? And is it as stupid as pilot?"
"Well- ok, first. Ouch!" he huffed. "Secondly, yes. He's going for a vampire theme."
"Vampire? What brought that on?"
"Have you seen him?"
".........True."

"Anyways, you wanted some decorative stuff, yeah?"
"Yeah. I want my entrance tunnel to be pretty."
Grian rummaged through the chest, pulling out some moss, flowers and glowberries. "Will this do?"
"Oh, yeah that'll be gre-" Martyn trailed off, distracted by the berries.

Shiny…

The little glowing fruits instantly caught his attention. They were so shiny and pretty, glowing like little embers but not so brightly it hurt. They were just pleasantly bright and shiny and he REALLY wanted them. It took everything out of him to not snatch them and run away.

Grian chuckled. "You alright there Martyn?"
"Yeah, yeah i'm fine." he nodded a little. "Yeah, that'll do."
He approached, wings flapping excitedly as Grian picked the plants off the floor. "I don't think i've ever seen you so happy." he commented.
The raven hurriedly took the resources, staring at them. "Pretty berries." he said simply.
"Of course." Grian sighed.

"Uh- sorry, sorry." Martyn apologised, putting everything in his inventory. "Thanks man, this'll really help the vibe of my area."
"No worries, i'll try to swing by and see how it looks."
"Sounds good man. Oh- before I go?"
"Yeah?"
Martyn pulled his goggles back down, laughing as he turned and ran from the building.
"MARTYN!!"

Chapter Text

Grian yawned, stretching as he emerged from his nest of blankets and pillows. Sunlight streamed through the windows, pleasantly lighting up the house. For a moment, Grian had forgotten about all of his troubles. Everything felt lighter. The world was peaceful, quiet and warm, and life felt simple. He didn't want the feeling to end. Looking over the room, Grian caught sight of Mumbo adjusting his tie. 

Mumbo was dressed in a Victorian looking dull maroon and pale purple dress, flowy and loose with red ribbons on the skirt. He had dark purple boots, belt and a capelet with a bright red inside. The outfit had silver accents, and of course Mumbo had kept the classic red tie. Grian would be surprised if he didn't. The whole look was elegant and formal, femenine in a subtle enough way to compliment Mumbo's personality and figure nicely. 

"Good morning." Grian yawned, shuffling off of his bed. 
"Oh- Grian! Good morning! How did you sleep?" 
"Pretty good." He looked the taller up and down. "You look different." 
"That uh, good different right?" 
"Yeah- sorry, yes! You look great!" 
"Thanks mate." Mumbo chuckled. "It's not too different from what I usually wear, but I figured that I should at least make an effort to change." 

Grian stared at Mumbo. Something felt missing, and he wasn't sure what it could be. He definitely looked the part of a fancy vampire, but not quite a vampire prince. "Grian? Why are you looking at me like that?" Mumbo asked nervously, only to be met with silence from the shorter. 

"......You need a tiara." he decided. 
"What??" 
"You need a tiara." 
"I'm not wearing a tiara."
"But Mumbooo it'll complete the look!!" Grian whined. "Can you at least try it on? For me?" 
"Well- Wait no don't pull the sad 'for me' trick! That's not fair!" 
Grian laughed, nearly falling over. 

Mumbo let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll try it on." Mumbo disappeared to change, while Grian sat on his bed to wait. He didn't understand why Mumbo didn't want to wear a tiara. Grian would personally love that! Wearing a tiara would be so much fun if it didn't clash with the pilot theme he was going for. 

Mumbo soon returned, a tiara sitting atop his head. "How does it look…?"
"That's better! You look really pretty now!" 
Grian paused, processing what he had said. Mumbo did look pretty, really pretty. If anything, Grian was kind of jealous. He enjoyed his own new attire, sure, but Mumbo just looked so nice. 

Now that he thought about it, Grian envied his friends’ clothing styles quite often. He remembered when Scar showed up in season nine of Hermitcraft in the grand, elegant elven dress. At first he thought it might be a crush, but looking back, it was more him wanting to look like that himself. Grian shook the thought from his head, surely it was just his insecurities talking again.

"Well- i'm glad you like the outfit." Mumbo chuckled. "It's not what i'm used to, but i'm sure i'll adjust eventually."
"Yeah. I'm sure you will." 
There was a moment of silence between the pair, but eventually Mumbo spoke up. "Are you alright? You seem…distant, almost?" 
"I-..." Grian stumbled for a response. How was he so obvious that Mumbo caught on so easily? Was he always this readable? "Well, uh-..."  He pulled out his communicator, hoping for a distraction. 

SolidarityGaming has gained the achievement: [We're Being Attacked!] 

"Oh- Well, would you look at that! Timmy's started a raid!" 
"What??" Mumbo pulled out his own communicator. "Why on earth would he do that? I don't see why he would need a raid farm, especially so early." 
"I mean- it is Timmy." Grian reminded, engaging in the conversation in chat. 

SolidarityGaming: HELP!!! 
Smallishbeans: what did you do? 
SolidarityGaming: A MISTAKE!!!! 
SolidarityGaming: HELO ME!!!! 
SolidarityGaming: HELP
Smajor1995: omw
Grian: oh Tim…
Grian: where is the village? 

Grian headed over to his furnace, picking up some newly cooked pork as Jimmy sent him the coordinates. "Welp, I suppose I should go and save Timmy." 
"Good idea. Be careful!" 
"Will do!" Grian left the house, beginning to hop and climb down the mountain. He had a fairly large distance to travel flightless, and really just hoped that he could make it in time. 

Crossing over to the plains, Grian passed an incredibly basic wooden house on the way to the village. It must have been Jimmy's place. It appeared to be, the shape and block pallet screaming 'I don't know how to build'. He didn't stop to look too much though. He had places to be right now. Not too farther into the plains, Grian could see the village, the familiar blue dome of swirling magic a telltale sign of a raid. Pillagers and ravagers were running wild, and there wasn't much sign of anyone else. Grian placed a bed down, setting his spawn before heading into the fray. 

The first person he saw was Jimmy. The canary was rocking a new outfit. He had a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top buttons undone, revealing what looked to be a small pierce-like scar on his chest. He wore dull purple-blue jeans held up with black suspenders, black boots covering his feet. Around his neck was a bandana, the same colour as his jeans, and his hair was tied up in a low ponytail at the back. Spread across his suspenders were various pins. One was a goat horn, and below it was a red southwards symbol. On the other suspender was a pin similar to the three life series hearts on Grian's own jacket, but only as one pin. 

"Timmy! I'm here!!" He called. 
The taller turned, barely getting a chance to speak before he was met with a ravager slamming into his side. Grian yelped, stopping in his tracks as Jimmy was flung against one of the nearby houses and fell limply to the floor. "Tim? Are you dead?" 
"Not yet! Somehow!" 
"Great!" 
The parrot drew his sword, fending the beast away from Jimmy so he could recover. A little ways away, he finally caught sight of someone else: Scott. 

The owl hybrid had also changed attire, his usual shirt swapped out for a frilly poet shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black ribbon tied around their waist. A black scarf was wrapped around his neck, with a white bow tying up his long blue hair in a high ponytail. Their hair was streaked with the same blue, purple and pink that he had painted his nails and talons with. Though the whole outfit was coated in splatters of various paint. 

He was on the other side of the village engaging in a pretty intense fight with an evoker and its vexes. He'd hit them, then they would hit him much harder. Even then, he seemed to be holding his own decently well. 

As the raid continued, the difficulty really ramped up. At one point, a vindicator got a lucky hit on Grian before going down, its axe ripping into his forearm. Drops of blood stained the grass as he looked at the wound. He watched the gash close itself as his health regenerated, the ripped edges of his skin stretching and reforming. To his relief there was no scarring, the only remnants of the injury being smears of blood along his arm.

During the raid, Joel had shown up. Joel's usual outfit had been changed. The overall colours were still typical Joel, but he had opted to wear a white shirt with a diamond checker pattern sweater vest over the top. He had brown shorts and black boots, with a belt of pouches around his waist. His hair was longer than usual, and the outfit change had made Grian realize that his limbs appeared fuzzy and more colourful. 

He had taken over most of the ravager fighting, a small but formidable army of wolves by his side. It was brutal, a flurry of teeth and fur nipping at the beast's heels and tearing into its flesh while Joel dealt strong and violent blows with his axe. One of the wolves, the only one with a green collar, was particularly vicious. It stayed by Joel's side for the most part, but when it did attack it targeted more risky areas, frequently tugging on the ravager's tusks and bringing it to Joel for him to finish off.

With his pack by his side, Joel made quick work of most enemies. It didn't take long for the raid to be over. Since it was his raid, Jimmy had the pleasure of slaying the last vindicator. Its death sent shock waves throughout the village, shattering the magical dome into pieces. Grian unequipped his sword, panting. It had been a while since he had actively partook in a raid, and he had forgotten how exhausting it was. 

Once the battle was won and everyone had healed up, the group gathered to discuss. Transparent crowns of emerald and gold circled their heads, a faint glow emanating from them. "Seriously guys, I can't thank you enough for that." Jimmy sighed, his clothes turning scarlet from his still healing wounds. He always took longer to heal than everyone else, likely due to the curse. 

"How do you get yourself into these messes?" Scott sighed. 
"Are you really surprised?" Joel sneered. 
"Oh, shut it." Jimmy huffed. "I don't have a lot of raiding experience! S’not my fault I forgot that the magic stuff was for a raid." 
"What else would it be? The status gives you chains on your wrists, Tim. I think that should be obvious enough." 
Jimmy stumbled for a response, but very clearly didn't have any real defense. 

Grian turned to Joel, who was counting up his pack. "Hey Joel, how are-" Grian was cut off by the sound of explosions so violent that the whole group could feel the earth shake. In the direction of spawn, they noticed smoke swirling ominously in the sky, shades of black and purple blocking the sky's blue out completely. 

Grian checked the chat, only to find a single message. 

PearlescentMoon: Everyone come to spawn. We have a problem.

Chapter Text

Jimmy sprinted through the forest, his friends not far ahead. Nobody knew what the explosion was, but with how much of an impact it had on the world it couldn't be good. Since nobody could fly, they had to travel on foot. The extra travel time and the group's panicked silence was painful, all four of them anxiously wanting to know what had happened. As they approached spawn, the sounds of indistinct chatter got nearer, until Pearl and Mumbo came into view. 

Jimmy skidded to a stop, barely avoiding falling into the hole. Wait- what? Around spawn was a large hole. It looked like someone had taken a cookie cutter and cut a ring out of the ground. He peeked over the edge. As far as he could see, there was no bottom. Only darkness. It wasn't your normal pit into the abyss though, as the typical world void has some level of star-like sparkle to it, similar to that of an end portal. This was a whole new level of weird, looking closer to the void below The End than the void Jimmy would expect. The group stood in stunned silence until Martyn arrived.

"What happened?? Why is there a hole in the floor now???" 
"I don't know! I was just building my tower when the ground exploded!" Pearl explained, panic leaking out of every word. 
Jimmy glanced around at everyone, getting the feeling that they all wanted to ask the same question, but no one was quite sure how. Eventually, it was Mumbo. "Do you think this was the ritual on spawn?" 
"Well, that is the only part of spawn that didn't get blown up." Scott noted. "This is way too perfectly placed around it too." 
"It kind of reminds me of Boatem." Pearl commented, looking to Grian. "What do you think?" 
"Don't compare the sketchy ritual pit to Boatem." He replied almost bitterly, glaring into the abyss. "Boatem is way better." 
"Did I say it wasn't?" 
"Where do you think it goes?" Jimmy asked, cutting off the probable argument. 
"Where do you think? Looks pretty void-y to me Jimmy." Joel responded sarcastically. 

Jimmy crouched by the edge of the hole. Something about this felt really wrong. It felt like there was a pit in his stomach, feeling sick with stress. It was unusual- it was just another hole, right? Just a creepy, bottomless, starless, suspicious ritual hole. Yeah. That was much more comforting. 

"Well, what do we do about it?" Martyn asked, taking a few steps back. 
"What can we do about it?" Mumbo retorted, looking at the raven. "It's kind of right in the middle of spawn, we can't exactly ignore it." 
"We could always throw something in and see what happens?" Pearl suggested. "Like- A stick or something." 
"... That gives me an idea." Joel said, standing by Jimmy and looking in. 
Scott sighed. "Oh god- What is it?" 
"We find out where it goes by sending someone down." 
"What-?" Was all Jimmy could say before feeling Joel's foot slam against his back. Jimmy yelped as he tumbled forward, the sounds of the group's panic and surprise quickly fading away as he sunk into the abyss. 

The canary fell for what felt like forever, no longer able to see the light from the mouth of the hole. Was this it? Was this how he'd die forever? Being pushed into a pit by Joel? He somehow wasn't surprised, all things considered. Eventually, he felt himself land on something solid. A floor, perhaps? Jimmy groaned, not taking damage but still feeling the pain as if he had. He rolled onto his stomach, pushing himself up into a sitting position. 

Looking around, there was nothing. He didn't even seem to be sitting on anything, the 'ground' below him being the same black void that was around him. It was disorienting, boch unsettlingly open and unbearably claustrophobic. But the most unsettling thing was what was in front of him. 

Stood before him was a figure, nearly blending in with the void around them. They were draped in flowing robes that were dark purple in colour, two sets of magpie wings outstretched and four pale hands disconnected from the body. As Jimmy looked closer, he could make out a slightly feathered face like Martyn or Scott, accompanied by spiky black hair. All of this framed three purple eyes, two of them pupilless, seemingly dripping like tears, and one central eye staring expectantly at him. A purple dripping halo completed the almost familiar look.

Jimmy's blood ran cold. 

"╎  ⍑ᔑ⍊ᒷ  ʖᒷᒷリ  ᒷ ̇/!¡ᒷᓵℸ ̣ ╎リ⊣  ||𝙹⚍  ⎓𝙹∷  ᔑ  ꖎ𝙹リ⊣  ℸ ̣ ╎ᒲᒷ,  リ╎⍑╎ꖎꖎ." 
"Don't call me that!" he snapped. "That's not my name!" 
"ᔑ∷ᒷ  ||𝙹⚍  ᓭ⚍∷ᒷ  ᔑʖ𝙹⚍ℸ ̣   ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ?" 
Jimmy glared at the watcher in front of him. "...I can tell your like me. Talk to me properly, like a player." 
The watcher tilted their head. "How curious. After all this time you remain resistant." Their voice echoed, and something about it bothered Jimmy. 
"...I recognise you. Have we met before?" There was a long silence, Jimmy deciding to stand up and confront the watcher more confidently. "What is your name? Your real name?" 
The watcher lightly chuckled, the pitchy echo effects sending chills down Jimmy's spine. 

"I do not remember my name, nor who I was before…" They admitted. "I only know myself as ᓭℸ ̣ ⚍ꖎℸ ̣ ⚍ᓭ."
"Stultus?"
The watcher nodded. 
"Alright Stultus, what do you want from us?" 
"Simply your cooperation." 
"We don't want or need to cooperate with you!" He spat "We just want to be left alone!" 
The watcher approached. They weren't nearly as tall as Jimmy expected, being closer in height to Joel or Pearl. Now they were closer, Jimmy noticed a pair of checkered headphones clamped around their neck like a shackle.

"You speak the truth boldly, canary, although I do believe that you need us."
"Why would I need you?" 
Stultus closed two of their hands. When they opened, Jimmy was met with a band of purple magic, showing him and Martyn in Evo. Jimmy was frozen, only able to watch in shock as his Evolution smp journey was shown to him like a film on a movie screen. It was everything, from the time he and Martyn met to the time that he became a watcher.

"We watched you all grow and develop, and with that your abilities grew stronger with time." Stultus explained, speaking with a subtle hint of empathy that was uncharacteristic of most watchers. "When the time came for you all to join our ranks, we were waiting. We always had been." Jimmy watched in horror as he relived that fateful day. Grian and Pearl were so tired from the dragon fight…They had given in to the watchers so easily. It was heartbreaking to see. 
"please stop…" 
But Stultus kept going, showing him his own corruption. He hadn't really remembered when he got corrupted. Those memories were hazy at best. What he saw in the hologram was him resisting the watchers and their influence, breaking open the nothingness for just long enough that Martyn could escape back to Evo. He didn't remember doing that… 

"You gave them quite the trouble リ╎⍑╎ꖎꖎ. It took a while to find Martyn again. They couldn't let you do that again."
"stop…" 
"You needed containment."
"ᓭℸ ̣ 𝙹!¡  ╎ℸ ̣!" 
Jimmy covered his mouth, alarmed. Had he ever…? He didn't think so. Why would he? 
Stultus' hologram flickered off, the watcher closing their hands. "Do understand that we had no other choice, リ╎⍑╎ꖎꖎ. Us watchers only ever do what is necessary."
"please, just-...send me back." 
He felt Stultus' eyes on him, and it made him so uncomfortable. He had come here so confident, so angry and upset. And still he couldn't even look at Stultus now, not wanting to remember anything else. He had blocked these memories out for a reason. 

"...Very well. I expect we will meet again one day, be it through the same means or not. Perhaps next time we meet you'll be more compliant with me."
Jimmy felt so small in comparison to this being, so insignificant and powerless. He hated that. He hated not being able to do anything. "Whatever." 
Jimmy felt the watcher's cold hand rest itself on his head, making him flinch and shiver. They began chanting, speaking entirely in galactic. Jimmy could feel himself becoming dizzy and drowsy, his limbs feeling like dead weight. The eyes of the watcher were the last things Jimmy saw before the darkness overtook him, the feeling of falling taking him over once again.

Chapter Text

"Joel, what the fuck was that?!" 
"Oh calm down Martyn, don't act like you wouldn't have done it too. The opportunity was right there!" 
"Well actually no I wouldn't because why the fuck would I?! We have no fucking clue where this goes or if we'll ever see him again!!" 
"Oh piss off!" 
"Alright, both of you cut it out!" Scott cut in, standing between the two. Most of the shock of the situation had worn off on him, unlike everyone else. "Shouting at each other won't do anybody any good." Martyn started pacing, concerned about Jimmy's fate. 
"This is so fucked up. So fucked up!" 

Once everyone had settled, Grian gathered himself and took charge of the situation. "Alright. Well- he's still on the server, and there isn't a chat message saying that he's died. I'm sure he's alright wherever he is."
"How do we find him though?" Mumbo chipped in. "We can't risk anyone else going in." 
Martyn crouched beside the hole, anxiously searching for Jimmy while he listened to everyone else talk. He loved bullying Jimmy, it was great, but this felt too far. This server was a mystery to everyone, and not a good place to be pushing Jimmy into pits.

What if his worst fears were true, that this was done by the watchers? The ominous void below reminded him of where he used to meet with them, so it didn't seem like a stretch. Jimmy had already been through so much because of the watchers, what would they do to him? How long could Jimmy last against them with the curse tying him down? Just the thought of it made him sick to his stomach. 

His thoughts and fears were interrupted by a low humming coming from the ritual. Martyn looked up. A pillar of purple magic swirled and twisted in the center of the eye, growing in size. "Uhhh- Guys?" 
"What is it- Oh what the fuck." Grian cut himself off as the pillar grew in size. The group began a new wave of panic, everyone's fearful yelling becoming overwhelming for Martyn. The raven covered his ears, trying desperately to block it all out. His head felt like it was going to explode, his thoughts scrambled by the noise. Everything was so bright and loud and he just couldn't think straight anymore! All he could think was how he wanted everything to just stop! 

The magic pulsated, a beacon of light exploding upwards into the dark clouds above. The sky began to clear, the pale blue of the sky breaking through the storm-like darkness above. As the clouds died down, the magic dissipated. Martyn glanced up as the glow faded, revealing Jimmy. Was it really him?? It looked like him, and he looked ok! The canary collapsed limply to the floor. Martyn didn't hesitate, standing and jumping over the pit. "Jimmy!!" 

Grian was close behind, the two birds crouching beside Jimmy. 
"Tim?" Grian gently shook him. "Hey- Timmy. Are you there?" 
The taller curled in on himself, a small incoherent murmur slipping out. 
Martyn felt a sigh escape him. He was alive. That was good. "Tim, what happened to you?" 
"Give him a minute." Mumbo suggested, hopping over the gap himself. "We don't know what kind of state he's in." 
"...Let's get him off the ritual." Grian decided, looking to Mumbo for help. "It might have an influence on him somehow." 
As Mumbo helped lift the unresponsive body, Martyn noticed something he found odd. 

A new pin. 

It was an eye, simple and unsettling, pinned on his suspenders alongside his Southlands pin. Martyn knew that this wasn't Jimmy's. Jimmy had come to him to show them all off. The raven very much remembered Jimmy's excitement as he showcased each individual pin and the sentimental value it had. This wasn't shown to him. This pin was new. It had to be- the style didn't fit in with his other pins, them being more stylized and cute. The appearance of this pin gave Martyn all the answers he needed. The watchers were here, and they had gotten to Jimmy somehow. But he was never this fatigued after a meeting with them…What had they done…? 

Mumbo gently lay Jimmy down on the grass, kneeling beside him. The bird stirred, mumbling incoherent galactic under his breath. Martyn glanced around the crowd. It seemed that he wasn't the only one disturbed by the strange language coming from Jimmy, the unknown words getting various different reactions depending on the person. For Martyn? He was fucking pissed. "This is so fucked up." he muttered, bitterness and spite in his tone. "So fucked up." 
"What is he saying?" Pearl asked hesitantly. 
Grian leaned in to listen. "I… I'm not sure. It's all nonsense to me."
"Maybe we should get him home." Scott thought. "Might do him some good to get some proper rest." 
"I agree." Mumbo said. "We can't leave him here." The group eventually dispersed, Martyn going with Scott and Grian back to Jimmy's. None of them really wanted to leave him, besides they knew where he lived.

Joel had been following along for a while, maybe out of guilt? Martyn wasn't sure, the moth had broken away from the trio not long ago. Likely due to the strange looks he was getting. Especially from Martyn. He couldn't help it really. Everyone knew how strange spawn was, and Martyn had noticed that Joel especially seemed to avoid it. Why would he shove someone down to the abyss, knowing nothing about it?! Especially the member of the server who is struggling the most! In any other situation it would be funny, but not this time.

As Scott went ahead with Jimmy, Martyn pulled Grian aside. "Hey- Can we talk?" 
"Yeah- sure. What's up?" 
"You and I are thinking the same thing, right…? What happened back there-" 
"Evo?" the shorter sighed. "Oh yeah. No doubt. What else could it be?" 
"We've both been to the void though, and neither of us reacted like this." 
Grian thought. "I didn't really think about it. Maybe it's the world?" he suggested. "This whole place is fucking weird." 
"Maybe…" 

The parrot glanced over to Scott and Jimmy. "I don't like how this place is messing with him." he said after a moment. "I think everyone's noticed by now. The guy can't even go mining properly." 
"Yeah- I heard about that." Martyn huffed. "You think he'll be ok?" 
Grian thought about it, looking worried as he considered his words, then forced a smile. "You know Tim, he's a stubborn bugger! He'll pull through it!" 
Martyn chuckled. "Yeah, true." he appreciated the attempt, but could tell neither of them were actually that optimistic.

Chapter Text

Jimmy lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been a week or two since the hole opened at spawn, the whole ordeal earning the serverwide nickname of 'The Opening', a name courtesy of Martyn. It was admittedly pretty funny. Jimmy had hardly left his base since the Opening, the canary preferring to stay at home. It was a lot to process, meeting a watcher for the first time in what must have been years by now. The things they said and showed him… Memories which were originally repressed were now keeping him up at night. 

As he lay there in solitude, his thoughts were disrupted by the sound of a bell ringing. Right. He had taken one from the village he raided to use as a doorbell.
"Who is it?" 
"Jim, it's Joel." 
He debated whether to answer for a moment. The two hadn't spoken since the Opening, Jimmy had only spoken to a few people he trusted, which right now didn't include Joel. He didn't really want to talk to Joel right now, but he also felt bad ghosting him for so long. 
"Can I come in?" 
After taking a moment to think about it, the canary huffed, sitting up. "Yeah, sure." 

The moth hybrid entered, his gaze everywhere except on Jimmy. The taller had never seen Joel with such little confidence in himself. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Jimmy went to close the door before gently bumping it on something. Opening it again, one of Joel's wolves whimpered up at him. "Oh- sorry buddy." he chuckled, letting it inside. It scampered into the house, nuzzling into Joel's now outstretched hand. "Hey girl." he smiled. 

"So, what brings you here?" The taller asked, going over to sit on his bed. 
"I uh- I actually came to apologize…" 
Jimmy paused. "...What."
"What?" 
"Sorry- that just seems out of character for you. Since when did you apologize to me?" 
"Jokes aren't funny when they do damage Jim." Joel huffed in response, glancing away. "You haven't gone out for a while now, and there's no way that isn't because of the Opening thing." 

Jimmy fell silent. He wasn't sure what to say, just idly fidgeting with his suspender awkwardly. Joel didn't apologize often, usually being pretty shameless in his actions and their consequences. This was a new experience for both of them, and neither was sure how to proceed. For Jimmy though, his mind was being taken back through his time knowing Joel, and all the times the shorter belittled or mocked him. That always stung, and while he knew it was - mostly - comedy, it still felt just genuine enough to sting. 

"I'm guessing you're mad?" Joel asked after a moment, going to sit with the taller. 
"Yes." 
"That's fair." he gave a small nod. "I-.... I'm sorry, Jimmy." 
".............What?"
"You aren't getting another one out of me." he chuckled, gently punching him. "Not this time." 
"Damn. Too bad." The pair laughed a little. That felt nice. 
"But really. I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you. It actually was just for fun." 
"Yeah…" Jimmy looked at the moth. "I don't quite think I forgive you yet, but it's a good start." 
"That's alright. You seemed pretty badly shaken, so I can't hold that one against you." 

Jimmy watched as Joel's wolf jumped up between the two, resting her head on the moth's leg. 
"Hey Geraldine." he smiled. 
Jimmy snickered. "Geraldine?" 
"Yeah. You got a problem?" 
"No- I'm actually not surprised you named your wolf Geraldine. It's very you." 
"I'm going to take that as a compliment for your sake." 
"Alright, sounds good man." 

The two fell silent for a moment, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Jimmy appreciated that Joel was able to put his pride aside long enough to apologize. It meant a lot to know that he understood when things had gone too far. 
"Oh right- I forgot." Joel said, looking up at him. "We're planning on raiding the End as a group soon. Would you wanna tag along with us?" 
"Wait- but what about the border?" 
"Oh right! Pearl found it a few days back. It's within the borders for the most part. At least, the portal room is." 
Jimmy thought about it. End raid meant elytra, which meant he could finally fly! Besides, he hadn't been out in a good while. "...Yeah, sounds like fun." 
"Nice." Joel gave a thumbs up. 

Taking advantage of the builder currently in his house, Jimmy quickly moved the conversation to discuss some of his build ideas. He had been drafting them for a while now, and who better to show them off to than one of the most batshit builders on the server? He showed off all of his concept sketches, sprawled out across various sheets of paper. He talked about how he wanted the building to look like a farmhouse, with two layers and an attic on top, and pestered the shorter about block pallets. Joel seemed thrilled to hand over tips and knowledge he had gathered over the years, and by the time the two were done talking Jimmy had a very strong idea of the direction he wanted to go. 

"Thanks a bunch for your help." The canary said, following Joel to the door. "I'll have to start gathering materials soon." 
"Make sure to invite me over when it's done, alright lad?" 
Jimmy nodded. "Will do man, will do." 
The two said their goodbyes, Jimmy making sure Geraldine had a snack to munch on the trek home, before he went to his chests. He needed to know what resources he had and what he would need to gather. He had spent way too long doing nothing, and there was a lot of work to do.

Chapter Text

Joel made his way through the trees, occasionally pulling up chat. After a short discussion over resources and preparations, Pearl had shared the cords to the stronghold in the chat. Considering how many times he had fought the ender dragon, Joel was pretty numb to it for the most part. In every world he was in, it just felt like another chore to do. This time though, he wasn't sure about it. Not the fight itself, but more so seeing everyone again. There was a lot of tension and division in the group nowadays, and a lot of it started around him, which made the concept of being in the end with some of the others a little unnerving. But regardless, this had to be done eventually, and everyone had agreed that with the strange nature of the server it was safer to do this together. 

The coordinates led him to where a small birch forest merged with the oak trees. There, he met Grian and Mumbo, the parrot hopping off of the taller's shoulders as he approached. "Joel!!" 
"Hey fella! How's it going?" he asked, the two shaking hands before Joel was pulled into a hug by the other.
"Good actually! You ready to slay some dragons?" 
"Oh yeah. It's gonna be great." 
"Hey Joel." 
"Hey Mumbo, how is it living with Grian?" 
"I'm used to it by now." the taller chuckled, his lack of a mouth somehow more unsettling than Grian's thanks to the fangs that implied one. 
"Can you get used to living with Grian?" 
"You ask as if you have?"
The two shorter people exchanged a glance. 
"You could say that." Grian chimed in. "It was… interesting." 
"Oh yeah. That's a massive understatement." 
"Alright, fuck you too then." the parrot huffed. 

Soon enough, everyone else showed up. Jimmy didn't show up long after Joel, followed by Scott, Pearl, and finally Martyn. Once everyone had exchanged some playful conversation, Pearl led the group down to the stronghold. Everyone was on edge as they passed through the eerie old halls, the distant squeaks of silverfish scuttling in the walls acting as the only sound echoing through the corridors. Even Joel found some form of discomfort in the silence. Hallways were cut off by the world border, making navigation difficult, but eventually they got to the portal. It was already lit, gently humming. 

Joel glanced over the group. Most of them looked tense and uncomfortable, and he couldn't blame them. He knew that at least Grian had some sort of bad experience with watchers and the end. The parrot never wanted to talk about it, but he didn't have to. Joel understood. And he knew that Grian and some of his other friends had a history, so he could assume that no one was thrilled to be here. It needed to be done though. Without elytra nobody could really do a whole lot. 
"Everyone ready?" Scott asked, turning to the group. 
"As ready as we can be." Pearl replied. 
"Awesome!" Joel stepped up. "You first Jimmy!"
"wait, no-" 
Joel didn't hesitate pushing him in. 
"Ok, that one was a little funny." Martyn chuckled, following along. 

The dragon fight was pretty typical and boring as far as Joel was concerned. Apart from a few close calls where people got flung into the air and Martyn aggravating all the endermen, that is. Jimmy and Grian had decided to focus more on the end crystals and shooting her while she was flying, as they had the best aim of the group. Joel always forgot that about Jimmy, but the guy did have pretty good aim when it mattered. With those two in the back and everyone else using brute strength to attack, the fight was quick and smooth, and soon enough the group was on the hunt for end cities. 

Scott had suggested the group split up, arguing that the process of finding elytra would be easier in smaller groups. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea. Martyn and Jimmy had turned it into a competition with Pearl, and Mumbo had gone with them to make sure their recklessness wouldn't get them killed, which had led to Joel, Grian and Scott splitting off from the others. 

Joel wasn't sure how he felt about this group, his thoughts racing in the moments between city raids. These two… they meant so much to him. More than either knew. He and Grian had bonded so much over time. From the day Joel had met the watcher, alone and afraid, he saw a piece of himself in his eyes. They were similar; both runaway watchers with nobody to turn to but each other, bitter and angry but also so afraid. They often teamed up, raining chaos upon the life series together just because they could. Little things like that always made Joel happy and comfortable. As for Scott? He was the first person to make Joel feel secure. The taller took him in, hid him away and taught him how to blend in. Scott to Joel was how Joel wanted to be to Grian back when they met: a safe place. It broke Joel when he lost Scott, after that day in Crazycraft. It felt like his world had fallen apart, much like when he lost his pack in 3rd Life, but so, so much worse. Scott was as close to a brother as Joel would ever have, and in just a moment he was gone. Joel didn't want that for Grian. He didn't want it for anyone. 

Joel's head was very busy right now. So busy, in fact, that he had lost track of where he was walking. He was literally pulled back into the present by Grian, who yelped as he pulled Joel away from the edge of an end island. The two fell to the ground with a small oof. "Joel! Watch where you're walking mate!" 
"Oh- Sorry. I was distracted." 
Grian sighed. "It's alright." he looked over the edge. "That would have been bad." 
"Oh yeah. I don't wanna have to find you guys again." 
The two regrouped with Scott, who was bridging. He had an elytra, but also had the most blocks so he’d offered to be the bridger. As the trio explored, Joel felt a ping from the communicator. He checked it. 

InTheLittleWood fell from a high place
Smallishbeans: L

"Oh dang. Hey guys, check out what Martyn's been up to." 
The others checked. "I guess Mumbo wasn't able to keep them alive after all." Grian chuckled. 
"I mean- there were three of them." Scott mentioned. 
"True, true." the bird paused. "Did-...Did we ever figure out if this was a respawn server?" 
"Oh, yeah." Scott nodded. "Remember the nether incident with Jimmy?" 
"OH right! I forgot about that!" 
"The what?" Joel stopped, surprised. He didn't know someone died. How did he miss that?! He missed the chance to laugh at Jimmy?! 
"Me, Jimmy and Grian went to the nether." Scott explained. "Jimmy decided he could ender pearl across a gap." 
"He could." Grian explained. "He just missed." 
Joel couldn't help but laugh. "Ohh Jimmy… How do you miss??" 
"He hit a wall instead." Scott shrugged, continuing on his way. 
"I… I'm not quite sure what I expected there." he shrugged. 

Soon enough, they found another ship, which meant another elytra. He and Grian squabbled over it for a while before the group lent it to Grian, figuring that he was the best flyer and could scout for more ships. Joel was still bitter about it, don't get him wrong! Buuut it logically made sense, so he begrudgingly let it go this time. With Grian off ahead, that left him with Scott, and he was… conflicted. He looked up at the snow owl. They're alone now, and Joel was wondering if it would be a good time to tell Scott. About what? Not sure, maybe everything? Maybe just Crazycraft? Would it even be a good idea?? Joel didn't want Scott to suffer with the knowledge of being a watcher like everyone else did. But with the pit, and the watchers watching over everything, maybe Scott needed to know. Then again, what would they think of him if he told them so late? Keeping such a big secret for so long… Would Scott be mad? Would they be hurt or upset? Joel wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that. It was just too risky. At least for now. 

Once Grian returned to the very awkward silence (mostly from Joel) he began leading them to the city and ship he had found. They could all get spare elytra another time. As of now, no one really wanted to stay that long. Once they got to the city, Joel cracked his knuckles. He was ready to fight through the city to be able to use his wings. He was sick of them being dead weight, even if they were pretty. Although, Grian had other plans. 
"Hey- Hey Joel." he snickered.
The moth sighed. "What." 
"Want some help getting up?" 
"What? No. Why-" He didn't get a choice, apparently, as Grian wrapped his arms around the taller and lifted him off the ground. "Grian- GRIAN NO! PUT ME DOWN!!" He squirmed, batting at the bird defiantly. It's not like he hates heights, but he does when it's someone else carrying him. And extra especially if that someone is Grian. 
"Oh pipe down. Stop squirming before I drop you." 
"I hate you. I hate you so much." 
"Uhuh. Sure." 

Grian dropped him onto the deck, landing gracefully beside him as he landed with a thumk. 
"Yowch. You good?" 
"I'm fine." Joel grumbled, getting up. 
"You sure? Looked awful painful." Grian teased, following the moth to the elytra room. 
"Well it wouldn't have been if you didn't drop me." 
"You squirmed out." 
"You're a menace." 
"Dick." 
"Prick." 
"Twat." 
"Tosser." 
"WaaAA-" Grian was cut off as he got hit by a shulker bullet, which sent him smacking into the ceiling. 
"Heh. Sucks to be you." Joel sneered as he stabbed the shulker. 
"Piss off." 

Once the shulkers were dead and Grian was back on the ground, Joel took his elytra. "Fucking finally. Took long enough." He said as he and Grian left the room. 
"Congratulations. You are now on par with the rest of us." 
Joel just stared at him for a moment before shoving him off, making him squawk in alarm. 
"Oops, my hand slipped!" he called down as he followed, happy to be able to fly. 
"You're a meanie!!" Grian huffed as they landed, not too far from Scott. 
"Oh wow, so hurtful. How will I ever get over this horrible insult." Joel deadpanned. 
"You motherfu-"

Chapter Text

Mumbo placed the next few pieces of his makeshift bridge, footsteps thundering behind him. 
"Get back here!!" Jimmy protested, chasing Martyn across the unfinished bridge. "I'm not done with you!" 
The raven pushed past Mumbo, nearly knocking him off. "Oh- Watch it!" 
"Sorry!! Gotta go!!" he said as he tossed an ender pearl across the gap. Mumbo saw him for a whole two seconds before he disappeared, Jimmy skidding to a halt to avoid falling off the edge. Across the void, Martyn was cackling on the floor of the next island. 
"Martyn!!" the canary squawked, tossing his own pearl. Mumbo sighed as he disappeared, giving Martyn quite the fright on the other side. Mumbo had only gone with these guys to make sure they didn't die, but their squabbling and play-fighting made that tough. Pearl wasn't helping much either, having beaten the two birds to the ship and doing nothing but taunt them, fueling their competition further. At least they were willing to wait for him to cross. That was nice. 

Once he finished his bridge, Mumbo sighed. "Somebody's going to fall at this rate, and it'll probably be me by means of collateral damage." 
"Oh it's fine!" Martyn said, leaning on Jimmy. "You worry too much. We're good at this, right Tim?" 
"Sure." he replied, pushing Martyn off of himself. 
"You know what would make the search easier, right?" Pearl teased. 
"Yeah yeah, lucky bastard." Martyn huffed. 
"I'm just saying~" 
"Say quieter. Come on Tim." Martyn pulled the taller along. "Bet you i'll find a city on this island before you do!" 
As the group descended further into the End, they became more risky and careless. Even Mumbo was starting to abandon the bridges for an ender pearl and a laugh. It was kind of fun, he had to admit. The recklessness of their actions made the search for end cities faster and more enjoyable. 

Then it happened. 

Martyn and Jimmy were goofing around ahead of Mumbo, their noisy chatter becoming more and more like background noise by now. It reminded him of Scar and Grian's bickering, only more competitive and containing a lot more cursing. The moment it wasn't background noise was when their conversation was cut short by a startled caw. Mumbo jumped, just catching sight of Martyn as the raven stumbled off the island's edge. 
"Shit!" Jimmy took a step back as Mumbo ran over, Pearl not far behind. "What happened?!" 
"I have no idea! I didn't push him that hard!!" 
"Jimmy…" Pearl chuckled. 
"What?! I basically didn't do anything!"
"I hope he has spare gear." Mumbo sighed, pulling out his communicator. "I'll message him our coordinates." 

After what felt like forever, Mumbo was greeted by the sounds of talons against the dusty stone as Martyn approached. "Timmy!!" 
"No! Stay away!" Jimmy protested as he got tackled into, both birds falling to the floor. "I didn't mean it I swear!!" 
"Oh lad, you are so fucking lucky i had some spare kit on me or else you'd be next into the void." he huffed, standing back up. 
"Alright, why don't we stop throwing people off of edges?" Mumbo suggested with a small chuckle. "I think there's been enough of that on this server." 
“Yes, please don't push me off. I've already been pushed off of things so many times already."
"We'll see…" Martyn decided. 
"Lovely." The canary huffed, standing up and dusting himself off. 

The competition died down a lot after that. Jimmy and Martyn were still trying to beat each other to an elytra, but they were notably more reserved in their physical displays of rivalry. Martyn particularly was acting uncharacteristically reserved, hesitant to start anything unless there was clearly no harm to be done. Part of Mumbo wondered if he had seen something in the void, or if he was reading too much between the lines. After all, Martyn wasn't the kind of person to back down from a challenge easily. Not to mention how distracted he seemed to be. Pearl had noticed that bit as well. At one point, they caught Martyn looking out into the abyss, ear fluff twitching. It was well known that Martyn could see through his bandana, but something deep inside Mumbo said that he wasn't seeing anything out there. It was bizarre, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. 

Soon enough, they started finding more ships, which meant more elytra. Martyn had beaten Jimmy to the first and wasn't letting it go down quietly, making a point to fly across gaps unnecessarily. Jimmy was bitter about it until he got his own shortly after. Technically Mumbo had been the one to find it, but he could cope with a little more searching longer than Jimmy could, so he'd let Jimmy take them. The relief on the canary's face made it worth the sacrifice, his usually small wings growing to their full size as he glided down. It was a strange sight to see when you get used to Jimmy with small wings, but at least he was happy. Besides, Jimmy's new elytra appeared to calm everyone, since all those involved in the competition were satisfied. It took a while for Mumbo to find an elytra, and he was the last of the server to get it if the chat was anything to go by. It was a relief, to be honest. Mumbo equipped his elytra, curious as to how his wings would look this time. Since he was the only one here without wings already, the elytra would form new wings entirely, which changed depending on the server he was in. What he got this time was… Surprising. 

His wings were long and bat-like, appropriate for the vampire prince theme, but made of a shifting purple magical glow. Symbols drifted and shifted throughout the wings, almost as if spelling something. The only issue was that he didn't recognize the symbols. Unfortunate. He met up with his team on the ground, waving greetings. "Elytra acquired."
"Ooh, looking fancy!" Pearl complimented, approaching. 
"Dang dude, sweet wings!" Martyn chimed in. Jimmy was quiet. 
"Thank you. They say something, but I'm not sure what." 
Martyn approached to study the wings, but stumbled back as he too fell silent. He glanced between the others, stunned. Did they know something he didn't…?
"... I dunno. Maybe ask Grian when you get back." Martyn concluded after a moment. 
"Uhh- alright…" Mumbo was confused but let it go. "Right. Shall we head back home then?" he asked. 
"Please." Jimmy agreed. "I have things to do." 
The group began the long journey home with awkwardly little conversation most of the way. At some point, the bickering picked up again, to everyone's relief.

Mumbo decided that travel was a lot more enjoyable when his friends were squabbling.

Chapter Text

Scott traveled through the taiga, talons sinking into the podzol as he led the group through the trees. Everyone had been really tense recently, they had noticed. People were uncomfortable and awkward, uncertain about everything. It really sucked seeing morale so low, and Scott figured that needed to change. Luckily, he had recently visited Joel and the two of them had talked about it. Turned out Joel had the perfect thing to cheer everyone up. Torches were lit as the sky darkened, stars on full display. 
"How much further?" Jimmy whined. "It's getting dark." 
"Good. We want it dark." Scott responded, refusing to explain or answer Jimmy's questions. 

Soon enough, the sun had fully set as the group reached Joel's base. He had made good progress, having set up some temporary houses and started work on a large custom tree. But the centerpiece? A campfire. A small cluster of them decorated by cobble slabs and surrounded by fallen logs. Everyone took their seats as Joel lit the fires, smoke billowing into the sky. 
"This is cozy, actually." Grian commented. "Why'd you bring us here?" 
"I figured we all needed a breather after the past few weeks." they explained, leaning forward. "It's been rough, and we've all been going through the ringer, so I figured it would be nice to just. Vibe."
"I suppose that's fair." Mumbo nodded. "And a good idea. This is very pleasant." 
"I'm glad my pit suffices." Joel proudly stated, only to be met by giggles from the less mature of the group. The laughs continued into the night as everyone wound down. For the first time in a while, it felt like nothing was wrong, like this was just another server for friends to hang out in. Scott just smiled fondly at this moment, not really wanting it to end. 

"Actually, now that I think about it, I had something I wanted to mention." Mumbo said as conversation faded out. 
"Go for it." Pearl replied. 
"Grian and Joel, you two mentioned living together, right? When did that happen?" 
"Oh!" The two shared a look that Scott didn't quite understand before Joel sighed. "Back in X Life. He lived in my basement." 
"Wait- that’s what the sketchy noises were?!" Jimmy asked, surprised. 
"What did you think it was??" 
"Not a Grian!" 
" 'A Grian' " the parrot chuckled. 
"Shut up!" 
"No no, it was a Grian." 
"I didn't even realise you were on the server." Scott looked between the two. "How come neither of you mentioned it?" Everyone fell silent as they tried to find an answer. 
"I was only there temporarily." Grian stated after a while. "There was no point making a fuss when I would be gone eventually." 
"I guess so, but that kinda sucks." Jimmy huffed. "I always did wonder what happened to you after Evo smp." 
"Right…" the shorter looked uncomfortable at that, so Scott spoke up. 
"What was Evo? I've heard you guys mention it, but nobody's explained it." 

"Evolution smp was a server that me, Pearl, Grian and Tim were on." Martyn explained. "Along with some others. We were going through the updates to vanilla, starting from beta." 
"Oof, sounds rough." Joel's face scrunched up at the thought. "You wouldn't even feel hunger that far back! Being hungry just- wasn't a thing!" 
"Oh yeah. It was slow in the early days." Jimmy chuckled. 
"I joined late, so I wasn't there for the start." Pearl added. "Hey Grian, remember when I first showed up?" 
Grian chuckled, smiling warmly at the memory. "How could I forget? You literally fell on me!" 
"Yep!" 
"Oh man, Evo was such a roller coaster." Jimmy sighed. "I wonder what the others are up to now. Nettie, Mini…" 
"Taurtis…" Grian added solemnly. 
Mumbo and Scott shared a look, the former deciding to change subject. "So, Scott, when did you meet everyone?" 
"Through MCC, for the most part." Ah yes, MCC. The monthly competition Scott often hosted for people from all servers. It was a passion project, and one that he was told wouldn't become anything. Now it was a well established game, and they were so proud of it. "The only person here that I knew before that was Joel." 
"Oh, how did you two meet?" Pearl asked, looking between them curiously. 
"We shared a homeworld." 

"Oh shit- Really?" Martyn asked, surprised. 
"Yeah, Crazycraft." Joel said from beside Scott. He sounded… hollow? Empty? Scott wondered why, Crazycraft was great, wasn't it? Then again, his memory of the server was always a bit fuzzy… Did something happen that Scott just wasn't remembering? 
"What was it like?" Grian asked, tilting his head. 
"It was very heavily modded, a lot of fun!" Scott said. "It was so long ago- I don't exactly remember a whole lot but what I do remember was great." 
"I met Lizzie in Crazycraft actually. That's where we got together." Joel smiled fondly, at the thought of his beloved wife Scott supposed. The two were always so close, they honestly found the pair adorable together.
"I just wish it all wasn't so fuzzy." Scott sighed. "We had some good times on that server." 
"Bad times too." Joel chimed in. 
"Well obviously, but all servers have their bad bits don't they?" 
"I suppose so." 

The rest of the evening went slowly, but not in a bad way. Different members of the group began to reminisce on moments gone, sharing mostly positive or funny stories. As the hours passed, Scott felt a familiar sense of comradery with these people. They had spent years with some of these guys, building empires and fighting wars all in the name of fun. Had they always been fun? Not exactly. Scott himself had his fair share of residual problems from the past, particularly the life series. But he wasn't the only one. It was something he had discussed with Cleo before in Double Life. Everyone had their scars from that series, physical or not. Even so, Scott felt closer to everyone after all of that. They saw Pearl at both her best and worst, once a loyal ally, then an untrustworthy burden, but still their friend. Scott knew Pearl better now, and that was comforting. Everyone here was the same, minus Mumbo, who he’d never really gotten to know until now. This bizarre group of people meant a lot to Scott, he trusted them with everything. 

Soon enough, the conversations died down to light giggling and warm smiles, barely audible over the fire's crackling. Joel was leaning on Scott barely awake, and across from them Martyn was sprawled across Jimmy, the canary whistling a simple tune. Beside them Pearl and Grian, who had been bickering like siblings for the past while, were now curled up together, a tangled mess wrapped around a sleeping Mumbo. This was really nice, Scott thought. This pleasant calmness was exactly what they had hoped to do here. The owl yawned, getting ready to go to sleep surrounded by some of his best friends.

Chapter Text

Grian huffed, muttering quiet curses as he trudged through the taiga. Since the outfit change, living with Mumbo had gotten really tough. He was so pretty in his fancy dress and tiara- Grian had spent the past little while trying desperately to ignore how envious he was of how well Mumbo pulled it off, but his mind just circled back around to all the little moments he'd had with others like Scar and Joel. Whenever they wore dresses Grian badly wished he was wearing them instead. And then there was Ariana Griande in season 6 of Hermitcraft, where he took on the persona of a pop star. Presenting so feminine… It felt amazing! But what made his thoughts so conflicted was how much he enjoyed being more masculine. Even when he indulged in being feminine, he was slightly jealous of how handsome the other Architects were. It just didn't make sense! Why did nothing ever make sense with him?! Everything would be simpler if it did!

At first he went to Joel for advice, in hopes that maybe he could offer some sort of guidance. But, as per usual with Joel, he wasn't all that useful. "Have you considered just don't?" He had asked when Grian explained everything to him. Minus the parts where he envied Joel, of course. The man didn't need more of an ego boost. After getting no help whatsoever from the moth, Grian had figured he would go to Scott instead. In hindsight, Scott may have been the better source of advice anyways due to how open they were about their pronouns, but Grian hadn't really given Scott a second thought. He never really knew the taller that well, the two's only notable interactions that he could remember being their allyship in 3rd Life and a few MCCs where they were on the same team. The owl took a lot of pride in being queer, so hopefully they would be able to help. 

Grian shuddered as his talons were met by snow, sending cold shivers up through his body. Usually Grian would fly now that he had an elytra, but Joel and Scott were very close neighbors, not having enough distance between them for Grian to want to fly. Besides, he had more time to think when traveling on foot. What was he thinking about? Everything honestly. What to say when he gets to Scott mostly, but also how he got here in the first place. What happened in his life to send him on a wild goose chase for help with his gender? It was so dumb! He had enough on his plate right now and really didn't need yet another thing to deal with, let alone something so personal and complicated. 

Grian sucked up his pride, Scott's house coming into view. There were some new buildings behind it, a gazebo-esque build made from spruce wood and white wool sheltering some wheat and a small barn made from deepslate and spruce. Cobblestone and gravel formed a path between the new buildings and his house, lined with lantern-based lamp posts. It was beginning to look really neat, Grian thought. He loved the aesthetic of the area. The bird hurried over to the path, eager to escape the snow as he began searching for his friend. Grian started searching the house, but Scott wasn't on any of the three floors. He then made his way around, glancing into the gazebo before heading into the barn. There were cows, sheep and chickens, but no Scotts. "hm. Must not be home…" Grian muttered to himself. He decided to head back to the house, wanting to wait in the warm. 

Grian hadn't been waiting for long when Scott opened the door, axe in one hand and spruce logs under the other. They were startled to see Grian sitting on the floor. "Oh- Hey Scott!" the parrot greeted, standing up. 
"Grian." he nodded awkwardly, nudging the door shut with his talons as he entered. "Can I help you?" 
"Actually, yes." he nodded. "I need help with something, and due to your…everything, I figured you could help." 
The owl snickered, putting the axe away as they opened a chest. "My 'everything' huh?" 
"Yyyes." 
Scott chuckled, placing the logs in the chest before closing it. "Alright, I'm listening. How can I help?" 
Grian swallowed nervously. "I'm having a bit of a gender crisis, if you will." 
Scott nodded. "Ah, I see." 

Scott led the shorter up to the attic so that the two would have more privacy, which Grian appreciated. They settled down on the floor, facing each other. "So, talk me through how you feel in terms of gender. What's it feel like?" 
Grian took a deep breath, beginning to talk Scott through his feelings. He tried to cover every detail and answer all of Scott's questions. The parrot mentioned how his envy of others wasn't constant, and how he was sometimes content as he was. He talked about Griande and how sometimes he would be jealous of his masculine friends when presenting as a woman. Scott asked if anything was dysphoric, and he explained how his feelings of dysphoria changed. The taller was even asking about his understanding of gender and ability to recognise when it changed for him. With every question Scott asked, Grian grew restless. What would he do if Scott said that this was all nothing, that he was simply being overdramatic again? What if Grian really was just a jealous asshole making excuses? The conversation was long and thorough, Scott being hard to read throughout everything. They seemed focused and in thought, which didn't help Grian's anxieties. By the time Scott had stopped asking questions, Grian's thoughts were racing and his insecurities were practically screaming at him to just leave. 

"I'm sorry- is there a reason you're asking me so much stuff?" 
Scott nodded. "Yeah, I'm just trying to get a good understanding of how you feel." 
"And…?" 
"I have a pretty good guess as to what it could be." 
Grian perked up. He wasn't overreacting? "What is it?" 
"I assume you know what genderfluid is, yeah?" 
Grian sat there in a stunned silence. Of course he knew what genderfluid was, how did that never cross his mind?! He hadn't even considered it! The parrot took a moment to think about it. Suddenly everything started making a little more sense than before. "....oh."
Scott snickered. "Yeah?" 
"I uh, hm. Yeah, that- That sounds about right." 
"But how does it feel to you?" 
"It…" Genderfluid… "... It feels right. I think." 
"If it feels right for you, then that's all that really matters." Scott said, putting a hand on Grian's shoulder. "Feel a little less confused?" 
"Kind of? I dunno man, there's still a lot I'm not too sure on." 
"That's ok. Sometimes it takes time to figure things out. You've got a whole server of people willing to help you out as well!" 

Grian couldn't help a fond smile. Having so much support was something he always forgot about. When Grian had a worry he kept it to himself because he didn't want to bother others with his silly problems. It was a force of habit, deep rooted and hard to stop, even if he knew it wasn't good for him. To hear someone tell him directly that he had support… It made him feel all happy and fuzzy inside. 
"Thanks Scott. I really appreciate that." 
"No problem. Is there anything else you need help with?" 
"Uhh, actually yeah. What do I do about the whole… changing gender thing?" 
"Oh, well that really comes down to what you think is best. Although I've noticed that neopronouns are often used with genderfluid people if that helps you out." 
Grian thought on it for a moment. He had heard of neopronouns, a couple of the hermits had even used them on each other occasionally. He had never really considered them for him, but then again he didn't really think too much into it. Maybe they were worth a try? 
"...Yeah, I'll look into it when I get home. Thanks for all the help, it means a lot." 
"It's nothing, no need to keep thanking me." the owl chuckled. "Good luck figuring things out!" 
"Yeah, tha-... Yeah." Grian snickered at himself as he stood up, stretching his back and wings. There was no way he was walking all the way home. 

Grian landed on the mountain side, not far from where Mumbo was starting the framework of his base. One block pillars of blackstone marked each corner of his castle, pointing up into the sky where Grian himself planned to live. The frames connected to the partially hollowed mountain wall where most of the house would be. He could see the taller balanced on one of the pillars, overlooking his work. He glanced down at a large piece of paper as reference, likely being his build plans. Grian sighed, making his way over. "Mumboooo, I'm home!" 
"Oh- Did you find what you were looking for?" He called down. 
"I guess you could say that… Had to go to Scott though." 
Mumbo hummed as the parrot sat, leaning against the blackstone. "Well, at least you found it." 
"Yeah…" Grian had a lot to think about. What did feel right to him? And how was he supposed to figure it out if it was changing all the time? It was so fucking annoying. Grian was quiet while he sorted through his thoughts, hardly noticing Mumbo hop down from the pillar. The vampire landed beside him, sitting cross-legged. "You alright?" 
"Yeah- sorry, yes, i'm fine." 
"You sure? You're only ever quiet when you're upset or scheming." 
"Wh- Should I be offended?" 
"Up to you really. Although I am saying that you never shut up, so." 
Grian gasped, dramatically placing a hand on his chest. "How DARE you! I can shut up whenever I want!" 
Mumbo laughed, and Grian couldn't help but join in. It was a nice pick-me-up for him. 

As the laughter died down, Mumbo sighed. "Really though, what's bothering you?" 
Grian went to protest, biting his tongue for a moment. He'd just had a conversation with Scott about how he had support from his fellow players. Was he really going to let himself revert back to suffering alone so soon? 
"...I'm thinking I might be genderfluid." he admitted. "And I'm not sure how to feel about it." 
"Oh!" Mumbo looked at him before smiling. Well- as best as a mouthless entity could smile. The sentiment was there, at least. "Well- that sounds like a big thing. Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me." 
"Uh- yeah. No problem." 
"Wanna talk me through what you're thinking?" 
Grian paused, thinking about it. "I guess…Well, ima be honest I have no clue what I'm doing." he chuckled nervously. "It's hard to figure out how to identify when it could change in a day or so." 
"Well, what did Scott say? You mentioned talking to them." 
"Uh- yeah, Scott suggested neopronouns might help, but I have no idea where to start with those." he chuckled. "I may need to think on it." 
"That's alright. You have time." 
"Yeah, true. Thanks." 
"Of course. Why don't we head back up to the house and talk through it? I could use a break." 
Grian smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Chapter Text

Basically, the writer of Runaways (me) got super burnt out while writing and shit, and by the time that burnout was over I just didn't have motivation and got too busy.

So what's gonna happen is that the story, characters and such are getting a full rework and my partner (the one posting this) is going to be a co-author instead of the editor (yippee promotion) so that the writing responsibilities don't pile up too much. Basically Runaways is getting a reboot.

When will this start happening? Who knows honestly. When both of us are less busy. We both have a lot of projects right now that we wanna prioritize. So yeh. See you when i see you i guess?

(poster now YAY) if you wanna ask any further questions about Runaways and it’s reboot, or just wanna see our other stuff, you can find us on tumblr! I’m @sharpilu, and the writer is @skrimbled. We’ll also be posting any potential updates on writing Runaways itself when it comes up. Probably.