Soo.. I've been doing a lot of rigging and Blender stuff throughout the year. Broken computer, Arch Linux shitting itself, some road blocks there and there, and uh I've been making a really great rig standard along with some friends that I'm pretty proud of.
I intended to release something pretty cool today for the occasion with all sorts of cool mechanics and neat doohickeys, but unfortunately, scheduling issues and computer maintenance didn't allow me to do finish up, so that's something.
Hopefully I'll be able to get something out soon (no definitive date) for people to use though! ..although "people" might just be like uh, 3 or 4 guys given the small community, let alone 3D artists in it lol
anyways that's it
cool blender stuff and uhh happy birthing meincrap study made i love you
This series honestly pulled me from my biggest struggles and helped me find new hobbies and a future job. It also helped me land the animator position in a series, for once!
MCSM influenced me so much and has inspired me to make my own animated series. I find that insane.
So, thanks, silly block game. I hope to stick with the silly block game for at least 6 more years.
Models used:
This animation isn't quite perfect, but I couldn't care less. I just want to celebrate MCSM and all of the opportunities and lovely things it has given me.
Olivia is terribly perceptive. There's no reason to suddenly mistrust her judgement or her eyes. You turn to her, letting your gaze fall away from the two strangers, and Olivia's teeth clench into a grimace. She steps in front of you, gaze turning back to the ceiling. You turn to the strangers again, watching them tense as Olivia continues to stare.
"Is something wrong?" CaptainSparklez steps forward and Olivia waves one hand rapidly at him. "I guess that answers that, then." The words are followed by an anxious laugh. TorqueDawg shakes his head at the idea.
"You really think someone would invite us just to--" He steps forward and Olivia rushes towards him. You hear something in the ceiling move and your eyes catch a part of it pulling away. Before you can comprehend it, you hear the familiar sound of arrows piercing the air.
You try to rush forward but Petra grabs you and pulls you back. In your periphery you catch Axel heaving like a madman. You force your eyes forward but it's hard to see what's going on through the haze of the arrows.
"What's going on!?" CaptainSparklez shouts.
"Help me, dammit! There's gotta be somethin' in here to stop--" TorqueDawg yells at his side. You watch the arrows calm, leaving Olivia hunched on the ground. A few of them stick into her armor haphazardly while others litter the floor. She's still for a moment in that position and you swear nobody in your group breathes.
You watch her gauntleted claws pull one of them out of her back. You catch a trickle of purplish blood, but not enough to be a big wound. She rises to her feet, inspecting the arrow in her hand for a moment, before stepping back and turning to the ceiling.
"There isn't a pressure plate here." She murmurs and you hear Ivor gasp and rush to her side. That's when you catch the green tip of the arrow. Olivia looks to him, as if she's not resembling a human pincushion at the moment.
"That's---you're poisoned!" Ivor sputters, staring at her. His teeth lock into a grimace before he laughs. "Of course. Withers are immune to poison!"
"She's s'posed to be a Wither?" TorqueDawg stares at Olivia for a moment before pulling his sunglasses down. "I think you need your eyes checked."
"Can you focus on the fact that she's currently full of arrows instead? Please?" CaptainSparklez shudders, hands grasping at his hair. You watch Olivia turn to remove another one of the arrows. "Stop that! You're going to bleed out!"
"My skin's too thick for them to pierce too far..." Olivia mutters before wincing as she pulls out another. "Besides, Ivor has a harming potion or two."
"Um... Shouldn't you be... A little more worried?" Axel stares at Olivia, looking like he's trying to figure something out. Olivia looks to him and pulls out another air.
"I've got another thing to be worried about. Look," She points to the ceiling and you catch strange, almost vine-like things lining the walls. They're all a different, vibrant color. "someone here wanted to kill us. It's got enough power to pierce straight through my armor."
"Ah, yes, that reminds me!" Ivor starts to walk towards Olivia and she rapidly shakes her hand.
"Absolutely not! I need to figure out what even activates this in the first place." She pulls out another arrow and stares at it. "...Whoever set this wanted the target to stay dead. Even if armored..." You watch her gesture the arrow around the floor. It takes a few moments for the mechanism to activate again, seemingly only doing it when half of the arrow hits its range.
"Wait, I think I see it!" Lukas points to the ceiling and you look up, catching part of the ceiling has opened up to reveal a dispenser. "But there's no pressure plate... And what's with the vines?"
"...Those are wires?" CaptainSparklez stares at Lukas strangely.
"Okay, so the 'wires' have redstone in them, right?" Olivia looks to CaptainSparklez for a moment before returning to watch the arrows. You watch Ivor sneak up behind her and pour a few drops of a harming potion on her back. Her gaze snaps back to him.
"I'm fine. They were more like little cuts, honestly. The poison would have been what killed me." Olivia rolls her eyes.
"Well, forgive me for wanting to make sure you're well before I patch up your armor!" Ivor scoffs before putting his hands to Olivia's armor. You hear him speak in a tongue you haven't heard before and watch the holes in Olivia's armor close. She stares at him wide eyes and he recoils.
"Um... Thanks. But don't do that again, you could have gotten a bunch of arrows in you!" Olivia stammers before turning back to the dying arrow flow. "Okay, would it recognize a finger?" She points one finger underneath the dispenser and recoils immediately. A hail of arrows follows shortly after.
"Er..." Lukas stammers and looks to you. "So it just, fires arrows? Using those wire things?"
"And some kind of sensor. I can't figure out what... But maybe it's something like an observer block. There's something up there that detects a target. And it's not based on weight, either." Olivia ponders as the arrows continue to fire.
"Can you at least stop triggering it? You're gonna hurt yourself!" CaptainSparklez shouts.
"Well, seeing as I can't just reach up there and get to the dispenser, it seems we're going to have to have it run out of arrows the old fashioned way." Olivia huffs.
"Or we could step around it." You suggest.
"That's the thing, though. What if someone else comes in here and they don't know about it? Plus, I could really use some extra arrows." Olivia starts to pull a few of the arrows from the floor, recoiling when the dispenser reawakens.
"Yeah... There are quite a few of us." CaptainSparklez seems to hum that out anxiously. "But... Why would someone want to kill us?"
An old memory sparks in your mind. You'd read in the history books of people who'd slaughtered for Experience and inventories before. Jealousy could drive someone to madness, even the most blood soaked kind. You absentmindedly chuck a spare block of inactive cobblestone to the dispenser's range and part of the floor opens to swallow it whole.
"Our inventories." You shudder. "That's what they want."
"Alright, I vote that we go back out there and just fight the zombies. Or we can dig a nice big hole--" Axel begins and Petra glares at him.
"That's suicide!"
"And staying in a place where people want my inventory isn't!?" Axel shouts, looking around. "I say we get everyone together, run outside and just... Deal with the zombies. We can last until morning!"
"Who's to say the murderer wouldn't also be among us?" Olivia baits out the arrows again and recoils when they set off. "Alright, we need to mark this with some kind of warning. This is... Lasting much longer than a dispenser should be."
"That's a good point." Petra looks to Olivia and you catch slight anxiety in her eyes. "Alright, we stick together and we figure this out."
"Is there a chance this could be just... A home security system of some kind? Maybe it activated when you broke the window?" CaptainSparklez nervously pipes up.
"Why would it take the inventory, then? To hide the evidence?" Petra rebuts that quickly.
"Forgive me for not wanting to be stuck with a murderer, I guess..." CaptainSparklez murmurs.
"Anyone have anything to block it off?" You ask as Olivia removes some of the outer arrows and pockets them. Ivor gestures for her to hand him one of them. She shrugs and lets him have at it. Petra is about to hand you some spare wood when her mouth opens in a strange way and she tilts her head. You turn to catch what she's looking at and find Ivor sniffing the arrow.
"...You've gotta be kidding me." Petra stares at him. "Are you seeing this, Lukas?"
"I really wish I wasn't." Lukas mutters.
"Honestly, he can sniff all the arrows he wants. I don't care about that!" Axel shudders and shuffles to Petra's side. "We're gonna get murdered!"
"Alright, cool it big guy. Panic's gonna make you stupider than normal." Petra pats Axel on the shoulder.
"You think I'm stupid?" Axel whines dramatically.
"I was just teasing. Doesn't laughter make the sense of impending doom leave a little?" Petra shrugs.
"Now I just feel like I'm gonna do something stupid and die!" Axel shivers a little.
"I didn't think you could get nervous." Petra tilts her head. "Honestly, I can't figure out what's weirder..." Petra shakes her head as she looks back at Ivor.
You step to Olivia's side and carefully place some spare cobblestone around the mechanism. Olivia waves her hand over one of the cobblestone blocks and when it doesn't fire you build up to the ceiling, entombing the dispenser.
"Now we should probably put a sign there. So nobody gets curious."
"Wouldn't a sign make people more curious?" CaptainSparklez suggests. "Although, a big obelisk in the kitchen would probably already do that..."
"I mean, we do have the word of seven people to go off of." Lukas shrugs. Ivor stops sniffing the arrow and recoils, his eyes practically bugging out of their sockets.
"This is incredibly potent." Ivor stares at the arrow like it'll grow legs and try to embed itself into someone.
"So, in essence, whoever set this trap wanted to cover their bases? If the arrows didn't do it, then the poison would finish the job?" Petra approaches Ivor, cautiously eying the arrow.
"Without a doubt, yes." Ivor comments. You watch Olivia bring one of the arrows back from her inventory, stare at it, and then lick it. Ivor nearly jumps out of his skin and you watch TorqueDawg cringe.
"Uh, hm..." Olivia begins, staring at the arrow. "Honestly, I wanted to see if I could pick up on anything. All I know is that poison is apparently very tasty." She sticks the arrow in her mouth.
"...What the fuck?" TorqueDawg stares at Olivia before looking to CaptainSparklez. "Am I hallucinating or something?"
"Well, as long as those arrows aren't hurting anyone, I'm fine with... This. I suppose." CaptainSparklez shrugs. He approaches Olivia and taps her on the shoulder. She jolts back, nearly impaling him, before recoiling and pressing back to the barrier around the dispenser. "Olivia, right? Could you help me warn the others about this? You seem to have a better understanding of this stuff than me."
"I... Was honestly going to stay back and continue looking around?" Olivia stares at the arrow and you notice the tip seems a lot less greener. "Well, I guess this arrow is icky in a different way. Um..." Olivia's gaze flickers from side to side before she shrugs and tosses the whole arrow into her mouth, crunching down on it.
"Er?" CaptainSparklez tilts his head, smiling stupidly.
"I got hungry?" Olivia shrugs.
"How did you even... I'm not going to ask, actually. Never mind." CaptainSparklez puts his hands up and walks back. "But I could really use an extra hand, especially if there are traps around here we don't know about."
Your nerves finally let you remember something. You look to Axel, his teeth locked in a tight grimace, and you step forward. Somehow, your head's clearer than it was while running from the zombies. "Actually, could I steal you for a moment? You can have her once we're done talking." You stare at the two of them.
"I'd... Prefer to let everyone know about the traps as soon as possible." CaptainSparklez' looks back at Olivia, wincing a little. "I mean, who knows what else is in here?"
Right. He's right. You can shove back that revelation for later. "Oh. Right. Sorry. Go on, then."
"We should all come." Axel steps to your side, glaring at CaptainSparklez and TorqueDawg. Olivia looks to Axel and then to the two men. She shrugs and Axel steps to her side. "I'm not trusting either of them, not yet at least." Axel whispers.
"I suppose that's right?" You shrug as you whisper back to him. Axel nods and looks to Petra, who seems just as tense.
"You nearly got yourself killed!" Axel hisses at Olivia. She rolls her eyes.
"Did you forget--"
"I didn't!" Axel hisses. "But Withers aren't invincible! I just saw you get turned into a pin cushion! You can't just pretend you're immortal or something!"
"I barely felt it!" Olivia snaps back. "I'm fine."
"Alright, guys, settle down. We'll all go. We should probably set up a buddy system anyway, just in case the killer's around." You offer. "What do you guys think?"
"That sounds like a good idea." Lukas nods. "How about we all stick together and--"
"Hey? I heard a lot of shouting earlier! Did you guys deal with whatever tried to break in?" A new voice cuts through from behind the door. Before anyone can talk, the door swings open. The voice belongs to a pale, pink haired stranger in a blue blazer. "Oh. It seems... Everything's alright, then?" She squints and stares at all of you for a moment too long.
"Oh, yes, I was going to get everyone together to tell--" CaptainSparklez begins but the stranger continues to look over your group.
"Hang on a minute! It's you. I recognize you!" She suddenly pipes up.
"Wait, huh?" Olivia stares at the stranger and then you. Olivia shrugs when you stare back at her.
"Excuse me?" Lukas looks at your group and then the stranger.
"That's... Literally impossible? We've never met?" You tilt your head.
"I'll show you. Follow me." The stranger continues.
"Wait," CaptainSparklez steps to her side, "would you mind staying by Olivia?" You watch the stranger raise an eyebrow right as CaptainSparklez points to Olivia. "I'll explain why once everyone's together."
"Wouldn't hurt to tell her here." TorqueDawg pipes up. "Considering our pointy Wither buddy here nearly got herself turned into a kabob." With that, he points one thumb towards Olivia.
"I... That's one way to describe it, I suppose." CaptainSparklez rubs the back of his neck. "Come on, everyone, let's stay close together."
You're about to leave in a line when Axel suddenly stacks himself against your shoulders. "Hey, is now a good time to bring up--" He begins and you have a strange feeling.
"Is it about the white pumpkin from the chest?" You whisper back. Axel stares at you for a moment, taking a moment to find words. He thinks so hard even his bad eye focuses for a moment.
"Yeah. You think that person you saw earlier might be related to it? I feel like I'm missing something important." Axel rubs one hand against his helmet, as if he was going to run it through his hair. You watch him register that, blink, and then shake his head like he's trying to clear his mind.
"I don't know," You admit, looking around the room for a moment, "maybe it's a coincidence. I mean, they didn't react too harshly to Olivia so maybe... Maybe that weird person is normal here?" You begin to follow after the line.
"I dunno, they seem all... Human?" Axel shrugs. "Maybe they're just... Rare? I don't know, all of these different worlds are making my head hurt."
"Mmh," You remember your lack of sleep then, "I really wish we weren't dealing with a potential murderer. I'd like to sleep, honestly."
"How the hell did I forget about that..." Axel murmurs.
You pass through the door, catching the death of a conversation. "This can't be real--how would someone even make these so fast?!" You can recognize Olivia's exasperated words, despite how echo-y her voice has gotten from the shout. Axel stops short for a moment and you follow his gaze, a gasp dying in your throat.
It's you. Not a portrait, not a headshot, you. In your armor, painted almost grandly. It's terribly accurate, as if someone's been over your shoulder, memorizing each part of you. As you move your head, you expect the painting to somehow come to life or to be revealed as a three dimensional structure. Somehow, neither happens.
"I know, right, isn't it freaky? First it was just the people here and poof--you guys too!" A new voice cuts through your thoughts. You look over, catching a red haired, porcelain skinned stranger.
"But how could they paint them so fast?" Olivia asks and you step closer. The red haired stranger looks to you for a moment as you do and that's when you catch the wall is lined with portraits. You nearly walk into a calcite table in shock.
"Now that you say that, I have to agree. These are, well, pretty flattering." Petra cuts in and you step to Olivia's portrait.
"They even got the glowing patterns right..." You step away from it. "What the hell?"
"Yeah, I ah... I don't know what's going on here, but I really don't like it." Lukas rubs the back of his neck. "And combined with what just happened? Really not liking it."
"Ivor," Olivia pipes up, "could this maybe be an enchantment?" You turn to Ivor and catch him admiring his own portrait. "Ivor!"
"Give me a moment! It's not often I find such an exquisite depiction of myself." Ivor ponders the painting for a moment before reaching his hand out. You watch him hold it there for a brief second before recoiling. "Wait. Who's to say it isn't a lure of some kind? How dare they..."
"I really doubt that's what the paintings are for..." Olivia steps to Ivor's side and shakes her head. "But, I suppose that is a fair point. What if they are boobytrapped? If they are enchanted, they could easily have something else tied to them..."
"Who would even enchant a painting? Honestly, it's probably some weird obsessed fan." The red haired stranger comments, circling around the paintings. "Which means we're probably gonna get locked in their basement!" She seems to shout and shudder at that last part.
"More like murdered, but sure..." Olivia comments and you watch the red haired stranger nervously fiddle with her blue beanie. With that, you look around, noticing that CaptainSparklez has disappeared. You suppose he's already--
Something brushes against your leg. You nearly jump out of your armor until you realize it's just a calico cat. The red haired stranger stops gripping her beanie long enough to scoop up the cat and stroke the back of its neck.
"Stay close, Winslow..." She seems to mutter, resting her head on the cat's neck. The cat idly paws at her black framed glasses.
"Hey," The pink haired stranger steps to your side suddenly and you nearly jolt again. Petra approaches and the stranger puts her hands up. "I just wanted to ask what happened in the kitchen. But, not in here." You watch her look back to the red haired stranger.
"I'll come with." Petra steps in between you. "Don't even start."
"That's fine. The more the merrier, I suppose." The pink haired stranger nods. She leads you to a far off table. You catch Axel and Olivia looking over the paintings in your periphery. It seems Ivor has elected to observe the paintings from afar and Lukas is pacing around them, as if he's seen something off.
"What were you going to ask?" Petra's words are sharp. You wave one hand at her to tamper it down and her teeth lock into a sharp snarl. You're not even sure if you can blame her.
"I have an idea of what I think happened, but I want to hear it from you." The pink haired stranger's gaze seems to be just as observant as your own.
"There was a dispenser in the ceiling, it shot out a bunch of poisonous arrows." You see no harm in telling the truth. You look around. "Why'd you wanna discuss this over here?"
"Well," The stranger's shoulders tense in a way like she's about to brace her words with a 'no offense,' "Cassie," she points to the woman with the red hair, "has a habit of... Overreacting. Let's just leave it at that."
Petra seems to run her gaze along the stranger before flicking her eyes over to Cassie for a brief moment. "And how do you know this?"
"Everyone here knows each other, at least in passing. Sure, some better than others, but working in a similar industry means you kind of have to know them." The pink haired stranger looks back to Cassie before shrugging and leaning in close. "Honestly, I think she's probably going to die first."
"Um...?" You stammer.
"Alright. That's definitely not suspicious at all." Petra comments. The pink haired stranger shrugs.
"She's been on edge the whole night. Once, TorqueDawg stole something from her and she nearly jumped off a cliff trying to chase after him. When she freaks out, she has a habit of making incredibly stupid decisions." The stranger shrugs, as if it's a casual thing to talk about. Petra's gaze hardens. "I heard the arrows were poisoned? Were they tipped or were they those dart-like ones?"
"The... Huh?" You tilt your head.
"How do you know about something like that?" Petra leans in closer.
That seems to knock the stranger off balance. You catch anxiety in her eyes for a moment. "I know a bit about potions. It doesn't hurt to know about something like that, especially if you're about to head into a fight."
"Sure..." Petra comments.
"By the way, is your friend okay? She looks awful." The pink haired stranger's eyes fall on Olivia. You try to figure out if the sympathy in her eyes are genuine.
"Hey." Petra leans over the table and the stranger stares at her. "Take that back."
"It was a genuine question? She looks ill."
"Well, she's not!" Petra shouts back.
The pink haired stranger stares at you. "You know, it's really suspicious that all of this has stared after you arrived." She leans over the table as well. "I heard the arrows. TorqueDawg said something about her being part Wither, right? I know what it looks like when someone holds a crossbow. I see her sneaking around, acting like she owns the place!"
"Olivia isn't a murderer!" You lean over the table and shout back. "Are you nuts?"
"I'm just noticing a pattern." The pink haired stranger sits back down.
"Were you... Just standing out there, listening to us?" Petra's words are a wraithlike, tense thing. She pads closer over the table.
"Why does it matter? Do you have something to hide?"
"No, it's just suspicious as shit!" Petra fires back sharply. The pink haired stranger stares back at you.
"And the firework to the window wasn't?"
"We were going to be overrun by mobs!" You snap back. "Besides, it was Axel's idea. Nobody told him to do that."
The pink haired stranger looks back at Olivia and then to you. "She's sniffing around this place more than one of Stacy's wolves! If I was the murderer, that would sound like the perfect way to throw people off my tail."
"And if I was the murderer," Petra leans in with a hiss, "I'd throw stupid bullshit around like this."
"You wish." The pink haired stranger spits that out and shakes her head. "But it's real convenient that this started after you came here. That's all I'm going to say." The stranger takes that moment to stand up and walk away. You slump back in your seat and catch Petra continuing to glare at the stranger.
"Well, that went... Terribly." You twiddle your fingers together.
Petra's teeth continue to lock into a tight snarl for a moment before she lets out a breath and sits down fully. "We've barely been here five minutes and we're already on shitty terms with someone."
"Do you really think she's the murderer?" You ask.
"More than I would Olivia. She does... Feel kinda off." Petra shakes her head and stands back up. "Come on."
You follow Petra and look to the rest of your scattered group. "Figure out anything about the paintings?"
Olivia huffs and shakes her head. You debate pulling out Clarity for a moment but decide against it. That's weird, too, it hasn't spoken in a while. Perhaps it's just as deep in thought as the rest of you. Maybe you should have touched the pink haired stranger with it? You never caught her name... You wonder if that's for a good reason.
Ivor seems to be concentrating on something. You watch him turn his head to one of the paintings with his eyes closed and then when he opens then he seems to shake his head. "I believe something's up with them, but I can't seem to figure out what..."
"Well, I don't want to find out by watching you die today." Olivia's words are sharp. "What was with the pink haired lady?"
"I think we burned that bridge." You grimace.
"Petraaa..." Olivia glares.
"Hey, if you heard what'd she said about you--" Petra begins.
"Alright," Lukas stops in front of your group, "I don't see anything up with the paintings? Olivia could you--"
"I really don't want to find out what potentially enchanted paintings could do to me." Olivia grimaces with her whole mouth.
"Can we stop messing around with the murder traps? Please?" Axel's gaze snaps between all of you. You shrug. "I just--this sucks. Okay? I just wanna go home."
"We all do." Lukas sighs. "If we could find somewhere safe... I'd really like to shut my eyes for a minute."
"In here?!" Axel stares at Lukas like he's grown another head. "You'd be better off sleeping in the damn Death Bowl!"
"I'm just tired..." Lukas shakes his head. "I mean... I can barely remember how long it's been since we were in Sky City."
"We could sleep in shifts?" You suggest and look around, noticing Cassie has disappeared. She must have followed after CaptainSparklez. So did that pink haired lady. Huh.
"Do you think they're waiting for us?" Axel shudders a little. "I mean, what if there isn't just one murderer? They could all want to kill us for crying out loud!"
"I don't know... CaptainSparklez didn't give me those vibes." You admit, rubbing the back of your neck.
"What if that's what he wants you to think!?" Axel nearly jolts back into one of the paintings. You watch him recoil away from it. His good eye passes over and he looks back to you. "At least I'm not seeing eyeholes or something! At least... They're not watching us."
"We need to keep our heads on straight." You say that and immediately feel like you've just stated the obvious. "We can't jump to conclusions but we can't blindly trust anyone. We should stick together."
"I can be intimidating, if you need that." Olivia shrugs as she suggests that.
"Let me handle that." Petra smirks. "Seriously, don't force yourself into it, I'm better at it anyway."
Olivia snorts. "Sureeee."
There's an agonizing silence for a moment. You watch CaptainSparklez emerge from a door on the other head, head bowed slightly. Suddenly, you're peering at him like he's a new person. You really don't know any of these people. Who's to say Axel isn't right?
"Come on. You... Know the most about what's happened." CaptainSparklez' gaze flashes back to the room behind him. You catch Axel stiffening somewhere at your side.
"Do you think he told them?" Petra asks at your side.
"How many people are even in there?" Lukas whispers and Olivia steps in front of you. You watch her look back before disappearing beyond the door. You freeze for a moment and when you move again it feels mechanical, like you're marching into the jaws of a large beast.
Inside is a dining room. You realize with horror that you recognize everyone here. You'd seen them in the paintings, every detail rendered brilliantly. It reminds you of the snapshot book... Speaking of, one the people in that book looks oddly familiar now. Maybe you're just sleep deprived.
Olivia seems to beam for a moment and you follow her gaze. For a moment, you think you're looking at a large cat, at least until the figure readjusts their hoodie and the cat's face falls away to reveal a light beige person with fluffy brown hair. Olivia seems disappointed at the sight.
You don't realize CaptainSparklez is on the far end of the large dining table until he speaks. "Here, let me introduce you all properly. You guys already met Cassie Rose and LDShadowLady." With that last part, he points to the pink haired woman.
"But my friends call me Lizzie." She adds.
"Oh. That's a bit less of a mouthful than your other name--" Olivia begins.
"Did I say you were my friend?" Lizzie narrows her cornflower blue eyes.
"Alright, everyone, settle down." CaptainSparklez waves one hand up and down frantically. That earns him an eye roll from Lizzie. "This is StacyPlays," He gestures towards a beige stranger in a white and blue striped shirt with long brown hair, "StampyCat," he points to the man in the orange cat hoodie, earning another disappointed glance from Olivia and finally, "and that's Dan 'The Diamond Minecart.'" to which he points in the direction of a beige brown haired person in a gray jacket and blue lensed goggles.
"And these are the Loser Patrol." TorqueDawg points at your group. "And their cool Wither buddy." TorqueDawg gestures excitedly at Olivia.
"What." Lizzie stares at him.
"Hey, she saved my life. That earns her a place in TorqueDawg's 'cool people' book." TorqueDawg crosses his arms. "So I'd say knock her off the suspect list."
"Suspect... For what?" Dan pipes up, parts of his hair prickling into a strange white color. You watch panic cross CaptainSparklez' deep blue eyes.
"Well, Olivia," CaptainSparklez limply gestures towards Olivia, "ended up activating a trap in the kitchen. According to what she said, it had enough power in it to kill a human being."
"And how did she know that?" Lizzie narrows her eyes.
"Yeah!" Cassie pipes up, green eyes darting frantically around. "What makes you say that?"
Olivia sighs and removes one of her gauntlets. "Here, touch my hand." She walks around idly, holding out her hand. You finally let yourself sit down, noticing a few cups strewn about, filled with some sort of liquid. It's a deep purple. You raise an eyebrow.
Olivia continues walking around for a few moments, with nobody taking the offer, except for Dan. You watch his hair prickle into segments of purple and white and he recoils after a moment. "That feels almost like obsidian, hold on--" Dan touches her hand again, his hair fading into a soft, pale yellow. "No, no, it's something entirely different. But from what I can tell it is decently thick."
"That's what I'm trying to tell you," Olivia gently pulls her hand away, "it still pierced my skin. It went straight through my armor and it drew blood. If anyone else would have been under it, they would have been dead before they could even register what was happening."
There's an awkward silence. TorqueDawg's face contorts into a forced grin. "Ah. It was... That close, wasn't it? I really just looked death in the face."
"It would have at least been quick." Olivia pulls out one of the tipped arrows. "But whoever did this also had a safeguard. Potent poison."
Lizzie stares at the arrow for a moment before holding out one hand. Olivia pulls the arrow away. "I know about alchemy, let me look at it." Lizzie's words aren't harsh but they do hold some tension.
"Ivor already told me everything I need to know." Olivia inventories the arrow. "And no offense? I don't trust anyone in here."
"Someone... Someone in here wants to kill us?" StampyCat pipes up, voice shuddering a little. "What could they want to kill us for?"
"Same as anyone else," StacyPlays pipes up suddenly with a huff, "inventory. Happens to famous people all the time. It seems it's our turn."
"What?!" Cassie shudders and pulls Winslow close. He curls around her neck.
"Alright, alright, settle down everyone." CaptainSparklez stands up, waving his arms up and down gently, as if he's soothing a hoard of wild animals. StacyPlays looks over your group for a moment and then turns to CaptainSparklez.
"And this only happened after these people arrived?"
"Well, yes, but--" CaptainSparklez begins.
"That's suspicious." StacyPlays crosses her arms.
"Hey, you didn't almost get turned into a pin cushion!" TorqueDawg fires back. "I don't think they're gonna kill us."
"But it conveniently hit the one person who's immune to poison?" Lizzie pipes up.
"I really do not like where this discussion is going." Dan interrupts.
"I don't like this, I really don't like this..." StampyCat seems to be murmuring.
"Why's that, Dan? You a big pussycat too?" TorqueDawg snorts.
"No, this is sounding incredibly, well... You sound like you're just accusing her because she's part Wither!" Dan fires back.
"Well, it's incredibly suspicious!" Lizzie fires back. "One of her friends just tried to intimidate me!"
"Sounds an awful lot like pack mentality." StacyPlays crosses her arms. "Wolves do something similar. Why bring the whole pack when you can do the same with only a few?"
"Guys. Stop." CaptainSparklez pipes up. "This isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to set up some kind of system. Besides, why would Olivia help us disarm one of her own traps if she was the killer?"
"Good point." StacyPlays nods.
"What? It's obvious! To throw us off!" Lizzie retorts.
"We need to stay calm about this." CaptainSparklez continues. "I say we all travel in groups of three."
"What do we do if we get stuck with her?" Lizzie points to Olivia. Olivia glares at her. "What? You probably need about four people to take you down."
"We'll just stick together then." You gesture at your group. "Maybe I could even--" You debate pulling out Clarity for a moment when Olivia picks up one of the glasses and inspects it.
"Do you... Guys want me to test if this is poisoned?" Olivia asks and that gets a host of confused glares. "I can taste poison, it's this sort of... Distinct sweet flavor."
"I don't see why not." Dan offers with a shrug. "It'd be nice to be able to drink something."
"I do have to admit I'm rather thirsty but..." StampyCat shudders again. "I'm sorry, I'm just... I really don't feel right about it."
Olivia shrugs. "Alright." She chugs the whole thing down. "Not poisoned. This tastes awful."
"Well, that's good to know. If only there was some food you could taste too..." Axel murmurs at Olivia's side. She hands him some bread. "Is that really all you brought?"
"I did bring a cake but..." She whispers to him. "I don't want to deal with a bunch of people fighting over it right now."
"You guys think it tastes good? I mean, having a drink could make things a little less awkward." Lukas shrugs.
"Assuming there isn't alcohol in it, of course." Ivor suggests. Lukas stares at him. "What? Do you want to be drunk in a situation like this?"
"Well, then the murderer would also be drunk." Lukas shrugs. You watch some of the others partake. Lizzie seems to sniff her drink, StampyCat seems still off put, and Stacy takes one sip of it before shaking her head and putting it down.
"Aren't you guys thirsty or whatever? I am." TorqueDawg raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip.
"What?" You stare at him.
"You guys don't get thirsty?" TorqueDawg crinkles his nose. "Lucky bastards."
"Well, anyone wanna... Drink something, I guess?" Axel shrugs. Ivor examines one of the cups as well. You shrug and look at him. They don't seem to be poisoned. Lukas picks one up and has a few sips.
"Ehhh." He shrugs. "It's sort of sweet, like a fruit, but I can't seem to figure out what kind."
"It's grape." CaptainSparklez comments. Lukas raises an eyebrow. "You don't have grapes? Wow, you're missing out!"
"Technically, it's not actually grape flavor--" Dan begins.
"Don't. Even. Start." TorqueDawg hisses. "Do you guys at least drink for fun?"
"Sometimes if it tastes good?" You shrug. You're kind of curious what the grape tastes like. Axel stares at Olivia.
"You're sure it's not poisoned?" He asks her.
"I would have tasted it. Believe me, poison is a strong flavor." Olivia shrugs. Petra looks over Ivor as he seems to start sniffing one of the full cups. "Really, it's fine. If it's poisoned, everyone in here is screwed."
"Do you want any?" Axel asks, picking one up. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to distract ourselves for a bit. You know, pretend it's a cool dinner party."
You think about it for a moment. Is it really a good idea to have a drink here? But Olivia has to be right, she would have tasted poison. And nothing else can really mess you up. Besides, you've never had grape before. Why not try some?
The first thing you notice about the world beyond the portal is that it feels... Different. Swamps aren't usually this cold. For a moment, you think it's chills from seeing at least half a town's worth of tombstones, but you find the cold air stays. Swamps are humid, not cold. You catch some of the grass browning, some of the trees shedding leaves into the cold wind.
"Something doesn't feel right." Olivia pipes up and you nod at her before you can fully comprehend it.
"Ahem." Ivor points to the sky. You take notice of the two moons hanging above you, one smaller than the other. They're both full.
"Well, that's definitely... New." You don't know which world will mess with your head more, this one or the one before. Seeing a reflection of your own world that's not quite right? It makes your insides twist strangely. Especially with the fact the grass is dying around you. That's not right. Not right at all.
"Do you think something's killing the trees around here? It's... Weird." Axel nearly gets hit in the face with an orange leaf. "They're even the wrong color! What is going on in here?"
"That's what's getting you? Not the two moons?" Petra raises an eyebrow before looking to Lukas with a smirk. "You owe me two iron, Lukas. C'mon, pay up."
"Sorry for having hope, I guess." Lukas murmurs as he hands Petra the iron. She breaks into a chuckle.
"Told you it was a dumb bet." Ivor shakes his head.
"Who asked you?" Lukas hisses. Olivia stares at the moons for a moment before scooping up one of the leaves drifting across the wind. You watch her turn it in her hand and Axel examines it.
"I mean, trees do this back home too. But these trees look... Different. Ours shed leaves all the time. But look--" Olivia points to a tree and you follow it. It seems to have sticks attached to the leaves. You watch one of the leaves fall, noticing how it's a deep maroon.
"Do you think they're sick or something?" You ask. "Maybe there's a Wither nearby, I mean they can make Wither Roses appear where their victims fall. Maybe... Plants get Wither too, here?" You shrug. Olivia shakes her head.
"They don't look Withered." She kneels down to some of the grass. You watch it break off brittly in her hands when she applies some force with her fingers. Shuffling echoes around you and you hear Olivia click her teeth. That's enough to make the shuffling bodies avoid you for a moment.
"Is anyone else... Really cold?" Axel asks, shivering a little.
"Yeah, the last swamp was terribly humid. This is... Cold? Why would a swamp be cold?" Petra looks around.
"I'm not seeing strays like last time." You look around as well, catching a glimpse of green, shambling things. You tense. "Well, whatever it is, I don't like it. Let's get out of here."
"Oh, but who knows what sort of treasures this world could hold? Besides, unless the next portal is disguised as a tombstone, I'm not seeing it anywhere near here." Ivor pipes up.
"I'm voting we find shelter." Olivia looks around. "Unless you guys want to huddle around a fire and hope the mobs don't get over their fear of me." That's enough to get you to step past the graveyard's threshold. Something catches your eye. You squint. It's like you just saw a patch of darkness itself move. You blink, and it's gone, leaving a small structure with something on top of it.
"What the hell was that?" Petra squints at your side.
"So I'm not seeing things this time." You murmur and Petra stares at you strangely. You slowly approach the structure and reach your hand to it, finding a pale blue envelope sealed with red wax. That gets another raised eyebrow from you.
"Are you seriously going to take something from the weird shadow monster?" Axel asks as you pick up the envelope. You pull it open and remove a letter from it. No, not a letter per se, something fancier, with loopy text and vine-like borders. It's strangely intricate.
"Well, it's definitely weird. Who starts an invitation with 'Read immediately! Your life depends on it!'?" You begin and hear the shuffling surround you. "Me and my big mouth."
"That... Was quicker than normal." Olivia looks around frantically and you catch the wall of zombies surrounding you. "If you guys could distract them, I might be able to put something together to get them off us!"
"Uh, well, I guess the reading could wait?" You shrug and inventory the invitation, pulling out Clarity.
What is with all of these zombies? Aren't swamps more of a home to slimes, especially with two full moons? You suppose since you're doing all the work, Clarity can ask a question or two.
I'm surprised you know that. You admit as you slash into a zombie. The scent of rotten blood makes you nearly gag. You catch hundreds--is THAT A THOUSAND OF THEM?
"Olivia, could you hurry? We're kinda swamped here!" Axel shouts, throwing a zombie so far it bounces off the ground. You watch its inventory follow the same directive. "Haha... Swamped."
You hear sword slashes all around you. "No offense, but you should really get moving!" Lukas shouts at Olivia.
"Gimme a moment!" Olivia yells back and you're surrounded by walls of dispensers faster than you can think. "Watch your step!" Before you can comprehend it, there's redstone on the ground. She wasn't lying. You hear a lever flick and a thousand yowling zombies falling back.
"I uh..." You look at Olivia.
"Get reading! There's only enough arrows for a minute at most!" Olivia does her best not to shout that. You recoil and pull the invitation back out.
"Greetings, traveler," You begin, stopping to listen to the whooshing of the arrows, "I humbly invite you to my mansion for an evening of food and festivity with your fellow adventurers. Come to my home on the hill, just follow the path. Please watch out for zombies. Sincerely, The Host."
"That definitely doesn't sound suspicious at all." Petra shakes her head. You hear the dispensers empty right then and there.
"Ah fuck." Axel murmurs.
"We could probably stay in here, right? I mean, we might have to deal with a few spiders but--" Lukas begins and you watch one of the zombies practically vault over the walls. Lukas yelps and Axel throws it over the wall.
"Looks like we don't have a choice." You grimace. "Everyone run!" You vault over the dispenser walls and rush between the zombies.
"Are we really about to trust some weird... Shadow person?" Axel asks.
"Eh? They did just give us a way out." Petra shrugs. "Although, I'm not exactly fond of someone who's not willing to at least show us the path!"
"Yeah, I think the 'shadowy' part is the least untrustworthy thing about them. Maybe..." Olivia murmurs something before shaking her head. A zombie nearly whacks in the face as she does and she slaps it off balance. Petra chases after it and jabs her sword straight through its chest.
"I must say, this is the highest concentration of zombies Iāve ever seen in one place." Ivor seems to ponder that for a moment as Petra rushes back to your side.
"Could be the moons. They do affect mob behavior a little." Olivia offers.
"And you know this how?" Ivor stares at Olivia for an uncomfortably long moment.
"Reading about it?" Olivia stares back at him, cocking her head to the side.
"You think this āHostā is going to be legit, Jesse? I just ask, well, because this place hasnāt exactly been friendly so far." Lukas pipes up. You shrug, teeth locking together tensely.
"I mean, I don't see many other options. Unless you all want to curl up in a really cold hole." Sure, Olivia could light a fire, but do you want to suffocate in a hole? Or risk leaving a patch for mobs to funnel in? You'll take your chances, you suppose. You hope you don't regret that.
Through the fog in the distance, you catch a large, terribly imposing mansion. It stands tall, almost like a mountain. You wonder how many logs it took to make its walls.
"Iām going to go out on a limb and sayā¦ thatās the place weāre looking for!" Ivor interrupts that rail of thought. You roll your eyes.
"Thank you, captain obvious." Axel rolls his eyes as well.
"Race you guys there!" Petra rushes ahead.
"Oooh... yeah. I donāt race so much anymore. Bad, heh, bad knees." Ivor mocks massaging his knees. Petra stops for a moment to scoff. You glare at the two of them and then at the horde of zombies encroaching.
"You pick up that excuse at the same place you got that haircut? Because theyāre both awful." Petra snorts before rushing ahead.
"Hey, get back here! I'm gonna beat you!" Axel huffs, rushing after Petra.
"I'm clearly the fastest." You boast, rushing beside Axel and practically skipping in front of him. He stares at you like you've grown another head.
"You people..." Olivia murmurs from behind you somewhere. You watch Petra diverge from you, practically leaping up one of the hills. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear she was a rabbit or something. You catch her slashing through zombies like a hot knife through butter. It reminds you of just a day or two ago. Strange.
Lukas pulls away eventually, chasing after Petra and following her lead. You watch him fire arrows at some of the zombies. Axel takes a moment to look between the two groups before rushing after them. "Hey, wait for meeee!" He calls. You lose track of him for a moment until a firework launches past your face and into a swarm of zombies right behind your group. You decide to not watch the light show. Clearly, you need to focus on your destination.
You duck and weave through zombies. You debate fighting some of them but decide not to waste your energy. You have a destination, somewhere to rest. All you can hope is that you're not running into the jaws of some great beast. Perhaps the Host is like Olivia? Maybe even a little socially awkward... Can't blame them for that.
"There's a river!" Olivia shouts suddenly. "Zombies hate water!"
"So do skeletons!" Ivor rebuts. "Are you sure you can still swim?"
"Withers are different! You should know that! Also, I swam in the lava? Did you forget that?!"
"Lava is different!" Ivor snaps. You watch Olivia shake her head, take in a hefty gulp, and rush into the river. You hesitate for a moment, at least until you catch the zombies closing in. That's enough to make you stop waiting for her to resurface and finally leap in.
"Oh, this is cold, cold cold--" Your teeth chatter. You did not account for potential hypothermia. Something brushes past your leg, something colder than ice, and you nearly leap right out. Olivia bobs her head above the water, sputtering and blowing steam out of her nose.
"Swimming is hard with long limbs..." She murmurs and you notice her teeth don't chatter. "Why are you staring--oh." She catches your chattering teeth.
"I'm surprised you can!" Ivor manages through his own chattering teeth. "I hope the Host's mansion is warm. This is dreadful!"
"If I had a diamond for every time we had to fall into water..." You murmur, shaking your head. You watch some zombies debate the river, while others rush away. A golden sword slashes one and it falls past you, sinking into the depths below.
"Dammit!" Petra curses from above you. "If I were you, I'd hurry."
"I am not dealing with a drowned today!" You practically shriek, pushing against Olivia. You jolt back when her quills nearly pierce your armor. Olivia paddles ahead and you do your best to follow, ignoring the siren call of allowing your muscles to fully tense.
Ivor shouts from behind you. You catch deep teal hands on his shoulders and you rush behind him, trying to slam the damned thing back under the water. It doesn't let go of him, dragging him under the water for a moment. You dive under, swiping Clarity at it madly, but the coldness has made each slash a struggle.
A dark shape rushes towards it, dragging it off Ivor. You grab him by the scruff of his armor and pull him to the surface. Ivor gasps, heaving madly at the air. Olivia emerges a long moment later, huffing out more steam.
"I hate water." She shakes her head. "It feels like someone's set my nose on fire." She sneezes, sending a few weak purple sparks out. "Whyyyyy..."
You feel the water rush by you in a strange, almost familiar way. As if on cue, Ivor begins, "You hear that too, right? Almost sounds like aā¦" You turn your head, watching the water drop. "WATERFALL!" You try to swim against the current but your cold limbs can't manage. Olivia's gaze flickers between you and the land.
In your periphery, you catch a few stone blocks jutting right out of the water. You could survive a tumble into water, but not one onto stone, especially if you hit your head. Part of you flinches in preparation for the pain. As you fall down, you swear you see vines. You reach, somehow managing to grab one.
It seems Ivor has taken the same initiative. You watch Olivia manage to climb one of the rocks lining the outside of the fall. She watches the two of you climb to land. The mansion stands still in the distance in the monolith, like it's been watching your journey with incredible interest. The array of large windows reminds you of a thousand peering eyes.
You rush forward with Ivor and Olivia following closely behind. You catch Petra's distant gaze, worried just for a second, before turning back into a devious gleam. She rushes ahead, right across a bridge connecting two of the hills. In her excitement she ends up knocking some of the zombies to your level.
"Show off!" You shout to the sky, dodging between the zombies. An arrow whizzes by your skull and Petra snorts.
"Hey, you're the one going slow!"
"Not as slow as you!" You fire back, rushing ahead. Olivia snags an arrow straight out of the air before leaping at the skeleton. Lukas yelps and that's when you catch him following right behind Petra.
"You nearly knocked me down!" He yowls as Olivia rushes by him.
"Sorry!" She nearly leaps past you. "Those dispensers took almost all of my arrows!" You slash through a zombie blocking your way and duck under a few of them. It appears, however, there's still a hill blocking your path. You debate searching your inventory until you feel someone yank you from the back and launch you over the hill.
"THANKS???" You yelp and struggle into a landing. Ivor slides across the grass a moment later and you hear Olivia huff as she claws her way up. "You could have warned me--" You begin and watch Petra huff and puff as she comes into view.
"We would've lost?" Olivia shrugs as she manages to her feet. "I'll give having claws this, they're very good at scaling rock."
"Ughhh... I still wish we were swapped on that." Petra groans and shakes her head. You begin to dance excitedly, rubbing the win in her face. Axel steps out from behind her before trying to mimic your dance. Petra slugs him. "Sure, you won that one... I'll getcha next time."
"You can dance later." Lukas passes Axel. Axel pouts.
"Aww..." Axel does his best impression of puppy eyes. That makes you realize you've never seen your own puppy eyes in the mirror.
"Letās maybeā¦ get inside the mansion before we pat ourselves on the back too much, shall we?" Ivor interrupts after clearing his throat. You sigh, remembering the tide of zombies behind you. You take in the mansion, it's much larger up close, with a well maintained sidewalk and a fountain.
You step towards the mansion, noticing that ultimately, the true winner of the race are the zombies. You and your group duck behind the fountain, hoping the rushing water will hide your breathing. "Looks like the front entrance is a no go..." Petra murmurs.
"Do you think we could fight through it?" Axel whispers.
"Are you mad? We'll just invite them inside." Lukas whispers back, a little too loud. One of the zombies' heads snaps towards you. You recoil.
"Get moving, we'll find another way in!" You rush around the side of the mansion. A few zombies give chase and you catch Olivia in your periphery taking down her scarf. That's enough to get some of the zombies to stop for a moment. Strange... You didn't think they had an instictual--
Something stares at you through the window, something like swirling darkness. You catch the white face, almost like... A pumpkin? It stares at you for a bit too long, yellow irises piercing your soul. They turn, and seem to vanish into shadows, and then those shadows wisp away like smoke.
"What the hell...?" You mutter, almost tripping on your own feet.
"What'd you see? What's going on?!" Petra launches to your side, head turning like mad, as if something's on you. She looks you over and raises an eyebrow.
"I think I saw a plant creature? White pumpkin for a head?" You're not entirely sure what you saw. It's hard to even remember it, honestly. Are you hallucinating, like with the red eyes you'd seen hours prior? You don't really know. The coldness is probably getting to you, messing with your head.
"White pumpkin? No such thing as white pumpkins!" Ivor shouts from behind you.
"And there's no such thing as sky islands or Witherstorms!" Olivia shouts back. You catch one of the lower windows and nearly jolt back in surprise.
"There! We can get in through the window. Olivia, can you throw us?" You look at Olivia, who drags down her scarf just to let her jaw go slack in surprise.
"Are you crazy? Do you want to crash through a window? I swear--" Olivia starts and a firework hits the window. That appears to be enough to shatter it. Olivia turns slowly to stare at Axel, who does his best to hide his hands behind his back. "Okay. Got my answer." She glares at him.
Petra sighs. "I've got some planks." You swear you hear a shout from inside the mansion. Actually, quite a few.
"Alright, build a bridge! Go, go, go!" Axel shouts. "I'll uh. Knock out the bottom of it?"
"Right. Zombies." Petra shakes her head and starts building the bridge. Your group rushes on top and you catch Axel breaking the bottom blocks so none of the zombies can climb up. You rush through the smashed part of the window, nearly tripping inside. You notice the glass has broken unevenly, into a thousand shards on the floor.
When you focus on something other than them, you catch two people staring at you, one tense like a piston about to fire and the other seemingly caught mid gasp. The tense figure, a pale person with a brown beard and mullet seems like a terrible person to pick a fight with. The other, a tan person with a black beard and short hair, seems like they'd rather rush away. The only thing that seems to unite them is they're both wearing sunglasses, but even the colors differ on that.
"Ah, um..." You stammer, looking back to the window. Olivia haphazardly smashes the top of the window, grumbling as she passes through. Ivor awkwardly steps over the shattered glass, teeth locked in a grimace. Lukas somehow makes a cat look like an inelegant creature. Petra and Axel take a moment to stare before leaping at your sides dramatically. You're surprised neither of them got cut, even with their armor.
"Alright," The tense figure steps forward and you can see the muscles in his bare arms clench. If you didn't have armor and a weapon, you'd be running back to the zombies. "You're gonna explain what you're doin' here right now."
"TorqueDawg, is it really a good idea--" The man with the red sunglasses pipes up. TorqueDawg hushes him.
"Y'think we didn't see the firework? You damn near scared everyone in here half to death! First the zombies, now you? What's your deal, huh?" TorqueDawg is almost in your face. You tense.
"We were just trying to get out of the sea of zombies, lay off!" You snap. TorqueDawg seems to curl back, his thick brows furrowing in a sort of contemplation. You feel like you're being examined by a polar bear. His eyes fall on Olivia.
"Don't." She hisses. TorqueDawg scoffs.
"Don't what? Stare? You're all the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Who needs to prance around in armor like that? You guys look like you're from the dark ages." TorqueDawg looks to the man in the red sunglasses. "I think we're dealing with LARPers, Sparklez."
"Did... You just say Sparklez... With a z?" Petra raises an eyebrow.
"LARPers?" Lukas parrots.
"Yeah, shit cosplays too." TorqueDawg knocks on your armor. You stare at him, crinkling your nose. "What kinda prank is this? It's terrible, that's what it is."
"We have... Oh. You're party crashers, aren't you?" Sparklez seems to speak up. The naming scheme must work differently here?
"Huh? Are we even speaking the same language right now?" Axel stares Olivia who just shrugs.
"Seriously, knock it off. What are you people supposed to be, some kinda loser patrol?" TorqueDawg taps you on the shoulder before recoiling. "What kinda--why'd you put real spikes on your damn cosplay?! Are you mad?"
"Are... Are you gonna explain what you're talking about?" You stare at TorqueDawg. He glares back at you before his mouth falls into a strange expression and he stares at Sparklez.
"Dear god. They're serious."
"Really, you can knock it off now. Maybe they're entertainers?" Sparklez suggests. "They don't seem to be doing... Anything else, really?"
"This is giving me a headache." Petra pushes her palms to the sides of her head.
"Maybe they got hit in the head." TorqueDawg murmurs. Sparklez glares at him.
"Be polite!" Sparklez chides. "Ah, well, I suppose you've already met TorqueDawg. I'm CaptainSparklez! Though, maybe you know that already. 'CaptainSparklez?' I've got, like, 9 million fans?" CaptainSparklez cocks his head. You all stare at him harder.
"A captain!" Ivor excitedly shouts and wraps an arm around CaptainSparklez' black jacket. "Tell me, what kind of treasures have you found, Captain?"
"Uh...?" CaptainSparklez backs away. "Not... Like that? You really don't know, do you?"
You take a look around at the room and notice Olivia's doing the same. She seems really focused on the ceiling for some reason. It seems like a kitchen, but not like one of yours. There's something like a furnace, but it's not right. It seems too square, with a door and four circular markings on its top. You walk to and stare at it.
"Weird furnace..." You murmur.
"You mean the fucking stove?" TorqueDawg glares at you and then at the 'stove.'
"What's it do?" You assume it's like a furnace, but you're not sure. Olivia glances at it for a moment before staring at the ceiling, muttering something.
"Oh you gotta be kiddin' me. What are you, five? I can't believe this... Explain' stoves to randos..." TorqueDawg shakes his head.
"I just turned seven recently, actually." You admit. TorqueDawg stares at you before his eyes widen.
"That's a seven year old!? What---HOW BIG ARE YOU GONNA BE WHEN YOU'RE TWENTY?" TorqueDawg stares at you like you've grown another head. He pulls his sunglasses up. "What? You've gotta be shittin' me." He points at you with his palms a few times, looking back to CaptainSparklez who just raises an eyebrow.
"You're... Small when you're my age?" You stare at him. "I stopped being considered a fresh spawn when I was one." You tilt your head.
"What are you fucking talking about? Fresh spawn? Where are your parents?!" TorqueDawg examines you. "Who invited SEVEN YEAR OLDS? WHY DOES A SEVEN YEAR OLD HAVE A BEARD?" He points at Ivor.
"I am much much older than seven." Ivor boasts.
"How... Old?" TorqueDawg stares at him, looking almost out of breath. Ivor looks at his fingers.
"I uh, hm... I honestly don't remember. Am I a hundred yet?"
"...What." TorqueDawg stares at him.
"What do you mean by parents? Do you mean like villagers or the people who take care of the fresh spawns? Ivor's got one back home, although she's more like a teenage villager would be. Y'know? Ivor, is she one yet?" Axel asks, turning to Ivor.
"Hm, I never asked her, honestly. And she never told me." Ivor admits.
"You don't know how old your fresh spawn is!?" Axel stares at him.
"Oh my god." TorqueDawg mocks like he's about to faint. "Sparklez, can you believe this?"
"Well, if what you stole actually works--" Sparklez begins.
"For the last time, I didn't steal it! I don't have it!" TorqueDawg snaps at Sparklez. "There are more rare items than that damned 'flint and steel' or whatever!"
You jolt back at the sound but keep yourself from spilling. "You guys also have the Old Builder rumor?" You raise an eyebrow.
"Oh, you mean the stuff that old conspiracy? Who believes that whacked out nonsense, 'cept for the same idiots who think putting cherry blossom flowers in your water will make you immortal?" TorqueDawg glares at you. "Are you people tripping on spore blossoms? I knew a guy who did them in high school, never acted right after."
"TorqueDawg!" CaptainSparklez treats him like he's a fresh spawn who's devoured all of the rations. TorqueDawg glares back at him.
"What? It'd explain a lotta stuff. I knew a guy who took too much of his allergy meds and thought he was being attacked by a thousand spiders!"
"Maybe you should get better friends." CaptainSparklez shakes his head.
"Honestly, if they're tripping, we should give 'em some snacks and let 'em sleep it off." TorqueDawg's voice is suddenly quiet.
"Does this look like 'tripping' to you?" Olivia pulls down her scarf. TorqueDawg recoils. "We're from another world!"
"There goes the neighborhood..." Lukas mutters anxiously.
"Ah. What." TorqueDawg looks back at CaptainSparklez.
"...Sounds like something Dan would know about." CaptainSparklez approaches Olivia and she recoils closer to the broken glass. "He's always getting himself into some crazy stuff. He probably has a cure for every disease at this point."
"Disease?" You raise an eyebrow.
"Well, I definitely know they're not on drugs, that's for sure. And I don't think a LARPer would be this dedicated." TorqueDawg looks at Olivia again. "Your face hurtin' you?"
"No?" Olivia tilts her head. "Thanks for asking--?"
"'Cause it's killin' me. Haha, still got it." TorqueDawg smirks.
"Wow." Olivia sighs and looks back at the ceiling. A strange silence falls in the room. TorqueDawg leans against the stove.
"Well," CaptainSparklez cuts through the silence, "you've got our names, how about we get yours?"
"I'm Jesse," You begin, "that's Petra, Ivor, Lukas, Axel, Olivia and--oh. Yeah just us." You debate showing Clarity but that seems like a new way to spark those 'drug rumors' from before. You'd heard of people who'd consume spore blossoms to 'see the future' or 'commune with the gods' but this sounded different.
"Hmm..." TorqueDawg seems to ponder that. "I expected something flashier. Like, I dunno, Sharkteeth or something." He points at Olivia.
"What-teeth?" She stares back at him. You watch her debate pulling her scarf back up before she pushes the goggle part of Ellegaard's helmet up. "My appearance doesn't bother you?"
"Nah, Dan turned himself into a vampire for a week once." TorqueDawg lazily waves one hand.
"That was scary. He almost bit me!" CaptainSparklez shudders.
"Oh, quiddit. He didn't even come close." TorqueDawg rolls his eyes. "But you don't seem to be demanding blood or anything. Do you burn in the sun? I might have some sunscreen or somethin'..."
"No, I don't. But... Thanks for asking?" Olivia tilts her head. "Not even the glowing eyes? The... Teeth?" Her mouth hangs open. TorqueDawg rushes over to her.
"Do you shed them? You have gotta let me keep some of those!"
"You've already got a sharktooth necklace. And you stole it from Stacy!"
"Nah, I think I took it from Lizzie. She's a bit of an oddities enjoyer. I think. Hm... Was it Stacy or was it Lizzie. I don't remember now."
"Uh, I shed some last month? So you're... Late, I guess?" Olivia shrugs. "Still don't know how often that's gonna happen. Ugh..."
"You weren't born like that? Man, we really should get Dan in here." CaptainSparklez mutters.
"Assuming he doesn't come in and lecture us about how fireworks work or something..." TorqueDawg rolls his eyes.
"Are the two moons and zombies normal?" You ask.
"Two moons yes, zombies no. I've never seen them like this. Although, maybe Dan's messed with them somehow. I remember he made a super zombie once, nearly killed himself..." CaptainSparklez seems to lose himself in thought for a moment. "I'm surprised they let that episode air!"
"We should really start a tally for things we don't recognize." Lukas mutters from behind you. You turn to Olivia again and notice she's staring around the room again. You raise an eyebrow.
Firstly, when you get this, you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)
Ok.
I like uhmm... that I draw nice. That I have friends. That I'm not too selfish. That I'm alive... that's all.
Here's my fav followers: @moonlitepaws @nirami-blogin @radiojackt @mxnsttry @l3xi39 (somehow tacticalsp left tumblr??) @quietrainflower @mori-bound and @dipper-m-pines.
Please, if you are not here, don't feel down ir offended. I love and admire every single one of u ^^ ā¤ļø
UUUUUhhh...i draw good, im happy and lucky to have a GREAT AMAZING friend like Mellissa (@urlocal-trashyrat) i try to be active as possible!!!!! And i know God loves me :3
Oh my gosh yippee I like my eyes my arts and my loyalty @itsgirlcraft @frostfae-thesoulcrow @dracl-dragon @thebeingmerf I'm trying to put sagemare but can't find there @
5 things i like about myself... is that.. i have no idea.
Uhhhhhhhh-
I can listen to your problems(sometimes i can try give advice or compliments or... other things. But they aren't that good tbh;;)
I have a large range of music that I like :D
I'm pretty open about most things? Like. ..uh- opinions, just thoughts, life... yeah. I like listening to both sides of the story... i mostly try to stay neutral
I do as I'm told?
I can block things out well if I try really hard(or is it not try at all but it just happens??)
(O yeh btw thx for the tag!! This is the first time I did one of these! Thankies <3)
1: iā¦like that i can give the fandom more ep 6 content me thinks?
2: shit thatās all I can think of uhhhhh
YA'LLS TURN!!
@zeph-draws-stuff @iris-the-illustrator @wedixx (mostly just to show that ur also my favorite follower TEHE) @crystalverse-project @riracat @chocopastelbow @gasterscientist @midway64 @deedeebubbles-g-o-i @computerfeeler @lady-hibiscus @slide-into-the-void
Anyways, uh.. I never thought about myself much but I guess I gotta try.
[1] Luck. This one is a weird one to start with, but damn it is my luck one hell of a wild card, and I'm really glad for it. Been in so many sticky situations and I somehow manage to pull through them. You a real one four leafer šāāļø
[2] Skill retention. Another weird one, but I like the fact that I could get a looong break from a hobby or activity, and whenever I rediscover it I could just whip out a skilled showoff casually and go "Ha! Still got it."
[3] Bravery Stupidity. I swear, my ass could come across one of the dumbest things someone could simply just use common sense and avoid, but me? Got that airhead dawg in me, which leads us back to [1] folks. That, and this stupidity of mine allows me to quickly ignore any problems in a breeze and simply go have fun. No one likes to be overthinking while doing something, right?
[4] Fast learner. Give me a skillset to learn (that I am interested in) and a bit of time, and I'll come out with a pretty average amount of skill. Jack of all trades (albeit master of none) I guess.
[5] Neutrality. Now, this one is odd (all of these are odd to be fair), but I try to keep a cool head at all times, no matter what. Someone could be ragebaiting me real hard, I could be having a grudge with someone and vice versa, all that usual sass, and most of the time I will try and keep it cool. This also works pretty decently whenever a third party is needed for something. No doubt sometimes bias will seep in through a crack (has happened before, didn't go well), but most of the time I can assure that it wouldn't be a problem. At least that's what I think.
That's five, right? Okay I think that should be it.
Anyways, I don't know much people here, but I'll try tagging whatever is possible.
@spunkfunkyzzz @alpineapples @melissadiamond @p3tr1xx @silentbeaves @realvermin @p-a-m-a-prototype-2-0 (yes I know that's you I'm just filling up the quota)
Uhhh no more come to mind so.. yeahhh uploading this immediately.
Currently watching: Doctor Who season 4 (like 3rd rewatch), Torchwood
Last movie: Sinners (2025) SO SO GOOD!! peak movie
Currently reading: Dragon Age: The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes (I kinda don't wanna finish it bc I know what's gonna happen and im scared), 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Sweet, spicy, or savoury: sweet!!
Relationship: nah
Current obsession: Dragon Age insanity is still going strong
Last googled: "basalt rock flour" (gardening core)
Currently working on: small diy projects and gardening
Tagging (less than nine ppl): @heliomanteia @edenintheskies @ghost-of-spring-woods @falloutcoys @durgeapologist
Favourite colour: I think for now a warm sage green? something like this:
Currently watching: The Apothecary Diaries, I love their costumes! And that the main character is a girls' girl
Last movie: if it has to be specifically a movie and not a series, it might be "The VelociPastor" lol, I watched it with my friends after the obligatory Polish May grill
Currently reading: Witch Hat Atelier manga (I just got volume 13)
Sweet, spicy, or savoury: savoury
Relationship: like a romantic one? no
Current obsession: still fiddlestan
Last googled: podest synonimy (synonyms for a platform)
Currently working on: writing my silly bachelor thesis.. once I'm done with it I'll be SO back
Currently watching: Supernatural, Criminal Minds (again), Gravity Falls (constantly), Yellowjackets
Last movie: The Substance (2024)
Currently reading: Yellowface - R. F. Kuang, The Summer Hikaru Died vol 5 - mokumokuren, I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga
Sweet, spicy, or savoury: savory
Relationship: married and also a little bit in love with all of my friends
Current obsession: Gravity Falls
Last googled: "step 4 profit meme"
Currently working on: chapter 14 of Moving Right Along, modding for Memories Zine and SGIC Zine, finishing up the last 11 days of the semester (send me good vibes and good music, I'm gonna have like 235 finals to grade at the end of the month)
Awwwww thankyou for tagging me! I love your writing <3
Last song: Full speed ahead from Epic the musical
Favourite colour: Pink!
Currently watching: BBCās Merlin, (rewatching it again)
Last movie: either the sea beast, or I think I watched the Wild Thornberryās movie
Currently reading: The elderās quest by Erin hunter, even if i havenāt touched it in a good month or so
Sweet, spicy, or savoury: depends on the day, I feel like you canāt go wrong with savoury though
Relationship: haha no
Current obsession: Cookie run kingdom, also my ocās
Last googled: āanimals associated with secretsā (i was writing something)
Currently working on: A hoard of Shadowlily fanfiction, an Oc story I am considering turning into a comic, another Oc story I really like, and also just incorporating cookie run into every little thing I do
Tagging (probably not) nine people: @aceof-diamond @beetrootbug @justarandomart @f4gspeare @diddykitty746 @friedwings @purplepenguintime +anybody else who wants to join?
Last Song: Thus Saith The Lord (all the songs in The Prince of Egypt actually hit hard...)
Favourite Colour: picking pink again because why not?
Currently Watching: unfortunately only YouTube videos :') my favorites at the moment are from the LubaTV channel
Last Movie: dude, i really don't remember- i used to watch movies on Netflix, but now that i don't have access to it anymore, i've stopped watching š
Currently Reading: uh... nothing, really. except for some fanfics and such, and THIS when i can stay focused
Sweet, spicy or savoury: all of them!! it just depends on the amount i eat because i can easily get nauseous if i overdo it
Relationship: i'm taken :]
Current Obsession: EPIC: The Musical, Slay the Princess and some games i shouldn't mention-
Last Googled: i actually looked up what savoury means because english is not my first language
Currently Working On: trying to get back to writing and drawing, but creative block doesn't allow me š
Currently Watching: I rewatch Smosh videos CONSTANTLY, not really TV shows. But I'm also watching the new season of Criminal Minds with my mom.
Currently Reading: "Helen of Troy, 1993" a poem collection by Maria Zoccola
Sweet, Spicy or Savory: SWEEEEET
Relationship: my partner is @plasmas-arcade but I'm also poly and always looking for sexy men <3
Current Obsession: THUNDERBOLTS*
Last Googled: "a simple favor film", I needed the plot synopsis before I watched the sequel
Currently Working On: so many things oh my god. 3 short stories & several poems (all in the last-ish stages of revisions), dominating Tumblr as the best John Walker blog, job applications, staying sane
Tagging people I think are really great and deserve a lovely day <3
Last Song: "I Will Wait" from The Book of Life
Favorite Color: Buttercream Yellow, Fern Green, or Rose Red
Currently Watching: Rise of the TMNT (rewatch) and Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja (rewatch)
Last Movie: The Book of Life (it made me cry 20 times)
Currently Reading: Westing Game (in class (tho i do need to finish reading Frankenstein sometime)
Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: I'd have to go with sweet (cuz strawberry shortcake)
Relationship: Taken
Current Obsession: MCSM and TMNT
Last Googled: ...cookie clicker
Currently Working On: Dawn (tmnt fanfic) and art requests
anyone can join but here are some people (sorry if you've already done this): @ivormybeloved @fourthactdoesstuff @ap0calypticdrag0n @zuliuli-main @mcsm-r0ckz @aid3nk1nnie
This is actually sorta funny, cause I got tagged to do this once 2 years ago when I was still pretty big on 7 deadly sins. I ended up deleting it for some reason, but here we go again (with new answer!! :D)
Last song: "God's Don't Pray" by Imagine Dragons
Favorite color: All variations of blue (also a big fan of yellows, purples, greens, pinks (does that include red or is pink just a purpler red))
Currently watching: I technically just finished Ojamajo Doremi, but I'm rewatching it again with my partner :)
Currently Reading: Anything Mcsm related....specifically Vos related...maybe...
Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: Sour :D (I guess savory since sour isn't an option and I like that too)
Relationship: Still somehow in a relationship
Current obsession: MCSM and Pokemon (all of my other obsessions are in a line waiting to resurface...currently looks like bomberman is joining the current obsession line lol)
Last googled: Lukas MCSM (ToT)
Currently Working on: Improving my art and drawing more panels for Icy Ode!! I finished line art for the current 5 panels yesterday....it's been 2 months guys.....(tbh it doesn't even look that great but....I'm a happy ok ish with the quality) ((oh let's not forget little mode which has been sitting in a ditch for months and the tons of other au's that i keep flipping between))
No pressure tags!!! Anyone is free to join in :D
@hyrule-pitchoun @thegreatnure @murkystarlight @spunkfunkyzzz @breadedboi (all I can think of at the moment who I don't think has been tagged yet)
currently reading: Warrior cats graphic novels (Need the third one)
sweet, spicy or savory: mostly a sweet person but also a savory guy
Relationship: Alone.
Current obsession: Minecraft storymode (its been months) and dragons some times.
last googled: I cant remember
Currently working on: Not much. been thinking of drawing or trying to write again. though my main focus is my modded minecraft world. im recreating beacon town in survival
AU stuff cuz I'm testing out what animation style I want to go for with the proper episodes and also want to show ya'll some extra little teensy bits of lore hehehehe
Models used:
And credit to @kristalofficial for doing the retextures
jesse 100% loves conchas, specifically the chocolate ones because who doesnāt like those??
I think f!jesse def prefer jamaica while m!jesse prefers horchata.
when they go to the panaderĆa they like to buy a puerquito because it reminds them of rueben, they donāt eat it tho. It just sits there with them while they eat their conchitasšš
andulkaphoto
prguitarman
snowghoul
baratheonpilled
