Aaand here it is! Mine and @andirling submission for the Two to Tango segment of @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes :D You can find the entire fic, along with the absolutely amazing, jaw-dropping animations (animations!!!!!), below the cut!
Rating: Teen and Up
Relationships: EthosLab & ZombieCleo (Video Blogging RPF), John Booko | BdoubleO100 & Ryan | GoodTimesWithScar & ZombieCleo, John Booko | BdoubleO100 & Ryan | GoodTimesWithScar
Wordcount: 3.1k
Chapters: 1/3
Tags: Angst, Whump, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Hypothermia, Monsters, The Clockers as Family (Limited Life SMP), Enemies to Friends, POV Alternating, Illustrated fic
Summary:
"Get out of my way," Cleo said, unspoken threats hanging in the air between them. With any other person, it would have been enough. They had always made for a threatening figure. The why of it didn't really matter when a single stern look was enough to part the seas in front of them.
It never had the same effect on Etho, though. He stood tall in front of her, arms crossed in front of his chest, and a defiant look burning bright behind mismatched eyes.
Unstoppable force. Immovable object.
"You were barely conscious when I found you, there's no way you're going back out there so soon, and definitely not when it's still pitch-black." His tone was measured, frustratingly calm.
"I didn't ask," they bit back, words laced with unjustified anger, because the alternative was letting the jagged pain in their chest overtake them whole, breaking down into unending sobs.
They had always been too prideful to let anyone see them like that.
Etho, though, remained steady in his resolve. "You need to tell me what's going on, what happened?"
Or
Scar and Bdubs were gone, dragged into the snowy wilderness by a monstrous creature, leaving Cleo with no other choice but to work with the person they loathed the most.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱ Cleo ⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
They couldn't stop.
With every step, Cleo's booted feet sank further into the barely disturbed snow. The cruel, white landscape wanted to swallow them whole, envelop them in its frigid embrace, until they became nothing but another mound in the endless expanse.
It didn't matter how many layers they were wrapped up in—the cold was never one to discriminate. It sank its wicked teeth underneath their skin, numbing their nerve endings into useless crystals of ice.
Their quick, laboured breathing curled into puffs of mist in front of them, before being whisked away by the sharp, unrelenting wind, which lashed against their cheeks like a whip. It sang promises of worse weather to come, battering their face with snowflakes, which only blurred the already murky divide between land and sky.
They could not stop.
A part of them—one they refused to look directly in the eyes—was far too aware of how quickly the trail was disappearing.
Their last connection to Scar and Bdubs.
Cleo swallowed down everything—the uncomfortable pain in their throat, the burning of their muscles, the stinging of their eyes, which threatened to turn into crystals against their skin. They stuffed the too-big emotions into a tiny box and shoved it far off into a corner of their mind, ignoring how it threatened to burst.
All they could do was continue putting one foot in front of the other. Continue sinking into the puffy snow. Continue their trek forward, one too-slow step at a time.
Because they could not stop.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
The ugly truth of it was, they weren't properly prepared for any of it.
This was meant to be only a fishing trip—a quick, simple venture to replenish the settlement's food reserves. Easy enough that two teens, with barely any idea of the evils of the world, could join and shake off a bit of that restlessness burning in them.
The thought of them snagged against Cleo's throat like a too-sharp hook. How did it all go so wrong?
She swiped at her face, ignoring the biting cold which sank further and further into her being. It stiffened her limbs, slowed down the racing of her heart. Sensations teetering between numbness and pain.
Her body grew heavier with each step.
Green eyes zeroed in on the slowly disappearing tracks in front of her. She took little comfort in the fact that they weren't streaked with blood.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
The world danced in front of Cleo's eyes.
White upon white upon endless white, with no telling where the ground ended and where the sky began. Even when they closed their eyes, they still couldn't escape the blankness of this existence.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
Looking back, they couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when their body began rejecting the sensations around them. When cold gave way to numbed limbs, gave way to pain, gave way to burning.
When fire began flickering right underneath their skin.
They wanted nothing more than to unpeel the layers smothering them, to rid themself of the pain. Even knowing it was just a trick of nature, designed to make them give in and become one with the snow-filled world, it took all of Cleo's willpower to keep their hands stuffed firmly in their pockets.
All that mattered was to keep placing one lead-laced foot in front of the other.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
Hot.
Everything was too fucking hot.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
Cleo swore she was moving. She knew she should be moving because moving meant getting closer to Scar and Bdubs.
She couldn't leave them behind, would rather die than leave them alone.
(Odds were, she was going to end up dead. The blanket of snow turning into her tomb.)
The distance between her thoughts and her body began to grow farther and farther apart.
Her legs began revolting. Refusing to move.
Her eyes kept falling closed.
All she needed was a little rest. Just a handful of minutes. Just enough to replenish her energy. Then she could continue on, follow the tracks that—thing left behind.
She couldn't tell if it was her eyes playing tricks on her, or if the tracks had actually disappeared.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
Something moved in the distance. A tiny black smudge against the perfect white.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
How was it so close now? Cleo swore it had been nothing but a speck only a second ago.
It drew nearer and nearer, a beeline straight for their collapsed body.
When had they even sunk into the snow? They couldn't rest... couldn't stop... they had to get to Scar and Bdubs before...
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱❆⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
Scar and Bdubs.
Bdubs and Scar.
The names flickered in Cleo's head, sharp and clear, standing out like a lighthouse beacon against the fogginess of her mind.
Tinkling laughter. Light teasing turning to fights. Two pairs of large, melted-chocolate eyes. Each thought trapped her heart in a vice grip, squeezing tighter and tighter, until she was convinced it would explode.
Something had gone wrong, horribly impossibly wrong, that much she was sure of, even when she couldn't place her finger on exactly what that was. Whenever the smallest clue of what might have taken place began approaching the shores of her mind, it was swiftly tugged away before she could properly grasp it. Just another wave, returning to the murky ocean of uncertainty.
Bdubs and Scar.
Scar and Bdubs.
Somewhere in the distance, their body burned, and yet they couldn't help but curl further in on themself, arms tucked close to their chest as forceful shivers rocked their being.
Everything was impossibly heavy, their limbs leaden and unsteady.
Something danced in front of her, painting gentle hues of colour on the backs of her closed eyelids. Cleo forced them open, none-too-happily as they fought against her efforts, begging her for just a little more rest.
They were met with the warm, orange glow of a fire. The flames flickered lazily, trapped within a small iron stove. Beckoning them to close their eyes for a few more minutes, to throw their worries into the blaze, let them burn away into ash, and just rest.
They pushed themself up, too many blanket layers to count falling off their shoulders. Their head pounded in protest at the sudden movement.
"What...?"
The room they found themself in was dim and unfamiliar, lit up only by the small fire beside them. Little care was put into the small amount of furniture dotting the place—there was no decor, nothing placed without a strict, utilitarian purpose: a chair here, a dented table there, a semi-organised pile of gear in the corner.
A strange, rhythmic sound echoed through the cabin like a sinister heartbeat. Shink, shink, shink.
With their mind lagging behind their body, they turned to the source of the sound.
And there, sequestered off in one of the dim corners, sat a figure cloaked in darkness. They were hunched over, the entirety of their attention caught on the bevel of a dagger as they dragged it rhythmically across a sharpening stone.
Shrink, shink, shink.
A small spark fell off the blade, momentarily illuminating the scarred face behind it.
Even with barely more than a silhouette, Cleo could recognise that figure anywhere.
Air began leaving their lungs in sharp, quick puffs.
"W-where are they?" she demanded, though the involuntary clatter of her teeth took all the intended bite out of her words.
The rhythmic sharpening paused as her words blanketed the room in a pressing atmosphere. Etho didn't look up, yet Cleo somehow felt the heaviness of his gaze anyway.
"Don't know," he replied in that deceptively mellow cadence of his. "You were the only one I found. I thought you were alone."
The words slid beneath their ribs like a too-dull knife, a sudden, indescribable dread slicing them to ribbons from the inside out. No amount of measured breathing could curb the panic seeping from the wounds, yet Cleo tried anyway. "I'm never alone."
Flashes of memory splashed onto her like streams of freezing water: Scar and Bdubs' barely contained excitement when they finally left the bounds of the settlement, the carved hole and fishing poles, the bickering laughter charging the air.
The sudden screams, the blurs of motion, Cleo's small knife sliding underneath the hide of some unknown beast. Rushing through the endless white, desperately clinging onto hope that she would somehow catch up.
Too late, all of it too late.
She wasn't crying, but the dry lump nestled in her throat made it seem like she might. It was difficult to breathe around it.
"I need to get them."
Cleo pushed herself off the threadbare couch she'd been lying on, a sudden fervour catching aflame within her bones. But no amount of determination could counteract the heaviness of her limbs or the dizzying fog now clouding her vision. Her feet shook under the newfound weight they had to support, or it might have just been the shivering she couldn't shake off.
It didn't matter. It didn't matter.
"Hey, hey, slow down!" Etho jumped from his place in the corner, the sharpening stone clattering to the ground all but forgotten.
They paid him no mind as they made their way over to their jacket, which hung from the only chair, angled towards the fireplace to help dry it out. Somehow Etho appeared right in front of them within a single blink, blocking out the heat of the flames.
"Get out of my way," Cleo said, unspoken threats hanging in the air between them. In any other situation, with any other person, it would have been enough. They had always made for a threatening figure, though they could never place their finger on the reason behind it—but the why of it didn't really matter when a single stern look was enough to part the seas in front of them.
It never had the same effect on Etho, though. He stood tall in front of her, arms crossed in front of his chest, and a defiant look burning bright behind mismatched eyes.
Unstoppable force. Immovable object.
"You were barely conscious when I found you, there's no way you're going back out there so soon, and definitely not when it's still pitch-black." His tone was measured, frustratingly calm.
"I didn't ask," they bit back, words laced with unjustified anger, because the alternative was letting the jagged pain in their chest overtake them whole, breaking down into unending sobs.
They had always been too prideful to let anyone see them like that.
Etho, though, remained steady in his resolve. "You need to tell me what's going on, what happened?"
Cleo wanted, needed, to push, to push and fight and bare their teeth—as long as the fire burned bright in their chest, it kept their emotions singed off, making it easier to sweep their ashes to a sequestered corner of their mind.
But the painful familiarity which flickered behind Etho's mismatched eyes tamed their flame. They bit their tongue— whether it was meant to hold back the vicious words or the sudden well of tears, they couldn't tell. Both, neither, it didn't matter.
"I just took them fishing, we needed the food and they—something took them, and I need to get them back, so move away before I move you myself."
Something in Etho's usually stoic expression splintered away. Not a full crumble, just a small crack that exposed the worry hiding away beneath the surface. "Took them?"
They attempted to speak three separate times, but on each try, the thoughts melted away on their tongue before they could form the proper shape. Every breath they drew snagged in their throat, ragged and painful, barely covered up by their never-ending shivering. "This—this monster-creature-thing, it came out of nowhere and just—I stabbed it, but it wouldn't let them go—"
Cleo forced the endless onslaught of words to a stop, swallowing down the pain in their throat and steadying their breath. "I'm not leaving Scar and Bdubs alone with that thing."
They could swear Etho's expression paled. It was hard to tell in the dim room. "That's a frost walker, you can't just—"
"Watch me," Cleo bit back and pushed the man out of her way. Her fingers tugged away her coat, though barely any sensation made it through the cold-numbed digits.
"And what's your plan?" Etho barked out, a sudden edge taking over his mellow tone. "Follow the tracks that the snowstorm has long covered up? You'll just get yourself killed!"
"I can't just leave them alone! I'm not going to sit on my arse while they..." She screwed her eyes shut, willing away the too-dark thoughts out of her mind. "So, get out of my way."
Etho stood there, statue-still for a moment. Two.
Mismatched eyes staring intently into hers.
And then his shoulders sagged, a forceful unwinding of sorts. "I know where they might have been taken. I should have enough proper gear around for the both of us."
"Yeah, because last time we worked together turned out so fucking well." The words snaked out of her mouth on their own, traitorous and venom-dripped. It was a cruel, low blow, but she didn't have it in her to take them back. She wouldn't have been able to fire the shot if Etho hadn't given her the ammunition years before.
For his part, Etho's expression didn't change much, though by now Cleo knew better than to expect him to wear the emotions plainly on his face. He'd always been a master of concealment, knew how to scold his emotions no matter the situation.
He ignored the rise she attempted to get out of him. "If either of them got injured, you'll need an extra pair of hands."
Cleo's eyes searched those of her former friend. The years had not been kind to him. With no blackened mask covering half his face, it was impossible to miss the scars marring his skin, some of them familiar, others she had only known as angry, weeping wounds, most of them entirely new. Nature was a cruel thing, always eager to leave its marks on anyone dumb or arrogant enough to brave its expanse on their own.
Cleo bit the inside of their cheek. That was Etho's choice, they reminded themself. His choice to leave their small, stitched-together collective behind. His choice to practically exile himself in the middle of a snowy desert.
"...Fine," she replied, ripping the words out of her chest before her head could convince her otherwise. This wasn't about her, nor about Etho, nor about the day everything went to shit. "But you better be quick with this. I'm not leaving them alone any longer than I already have."
And there they were again, another sliver of emotions shining through the small crack in his expression. They flashed through, small rays of colour, gone before Cleo could fully grasp what they meant. His expression quickly settled back into the passive stoicism he never seemed to shake. "It's pitch black out, and you're still shaking like a wet dog from all the cold. Leaving right now would only make it harder for us to reach Bdubs and Scar."
"Well, I can't very well sit around here and spend my time staring at the air. I already failed them once, I'm not going to do it again!"
Etho's mouth opened for a second, ready to comment on something or other she said, before he thought better of it. Instead, he shook his head. "There's only an hour or two until sunrise. That should be enough time for me to get all the gear ready. I promise we'll leave as soon as we can see more than 5 feet in front of us."
For a moment, Cleo entertained weighing her options. But the truth of it was, there were no options to begin with. The only way to get through this—this mess was with Etho by her side.
That fact didn't mean she was any happier with this situation. "Fine."
Etho's lips tugged themselves up in a broken approximation of a reassuring smile. He raised one hand, half-intent on reaching out to Cleo before he thought better of it and let it fall down limply against his side instead. "Let me get you a cup of tea in the meantime. Last thing we need is you freezing up before we even step foot outside."
₊˚ ❅ ━━━━⊱ Bdubs ⊰━━━━ ❅ ₊˚
They could not freaking stop.
The cave that swallowed the siblings was impossibly dark, their flickering torch barely provided enough light, and they kept stumbling and half-falling and—
Bdubs gulped down the blind hysteria tearing up his insides, because there was no time to panic. There was no time to pay attention to the cold cutting at his lungs, or the burn of his legs or the pressure of Scar's weight leaning heavily against his body.
They kept on pushing forward with nothing more than a fast walk, because that's all they could afford when his little brother kept on wincing with every step.
Their panting breaths mixed together, echoing through the too-large cave tunnels, the sound somehow louder than the whistling of bulltes.
Too loud, all of it too loud, too identifying, too much.
Bdubs tightened his hold around the slowly melting icicle, water mixed with blueish blood cascading down his trembling fingers before dripping onto the rocky floor beneath them.
If that—that thing came back, this chunk of ice was the only thing that would keep them safe (and it was going to come back after them, there was no way in hell a few stab wounds would keep it down).
It had to be toying with them at this point. There was no way they had managed to shake it off for such a long time—it was only a matter of time before it got bored of stalking them from behind and decided to eat them, or, or kill them, or—
Bdubs pulled Scar tighter to himself. The radiance of his brother's quickly dissipating body heat hit his cheeks. "C'mon, one foot in front of the other," he murmured, hoping against all hope that the echoing tunnel wouldn't lure the creature closer to them."
Scar chuckled, but it broke ever so slightly. Bdubs couldn't see what was funny in any of this. "You should leave—"
"No, we're going to find a—a ledge or somethin' soon, someplace where that thing can't reach. And then we're gonna wait, and stay together, and—" the words, desperate to spill out of his chest, snagged themselves in Bdubs' throat. He swallowed them down because there was no time for crying or for panic. "Mom's gonna come, she always knows what to do. She's gonna find us, and—we're gonna get out of here."
His own reassurances left a taste of futile hope in his mouth.
₊˚ ❅ ━━━⊱ End ⊰━━ ❅ ₊˚
Thank you so, so much for taking the time to read through all of this! This entire event has been the most fun I've had creating stuff in a long time.
Now I'm putting a gun to your head, you need to shower @andirling with all the love in the world, because oh my god???? I've seen these animations dozens of times, and I'm still rendered speechless each time around. All the work and attention and effort that went into bringing the clockers to life make me teary-eyed. I could not have asked for a better soulmate for this event, it has been an absolute honour working alongside them <3
Rating: Teen and up
Wordcount: 5,3k
Chapters: 1/8
Tags: Exes, Getting Back Together, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Roadtrip Summary:
Jimmy had gotten lost in the repetitive task, barely even registering the kitchen door creaking open. "I'm just about to wrap the last of these boxes, so we can start hauling everything out to the cars—"
The rest of the sentence got trapped within his throat once he turned to face the newcomer with an easy-going smile dancing on his face. It swiftly fell away, dropping into the pit of his stomach as he faced the moment he'd been dreading for weeks on end.
Everything about Scott was exactly the same as he remembered—his face was nothing but smooth lines, artfully dusted with colourful make-up that he had always found such pleasure in playing around with. His silken hair was still the same shade of the sky, styled carefully in loose curls which framed his face like gentle clouds.
Jimmy had lost count of how many times he'd imagined this exact moment in his head, replaying it in his head over and over again in an attempt to figure out the exact sequence of words that could mend the chasm which had opened up between them.
Lotta good that did him now.
He stood, dumbfounded, in front of Scott. All those words attempted to spill out simultaneously, clawing up his chest, demanding to be heard and only succeeding in clogging his throat.
The silence between them stretched into infinity before Scott shook off whatever spell had overtaken them both. He placed two grocery bags onto the counter, sky blue eyes deliberately not meeting Jimmy's. "Here's more stuff that needs to be packed away. Be careful not to damage the fruit. No one wants mushy apples and bananas."
No 'how are you?'. No 'I'm sorry'. Not even a 'hello'.
Or: going on a ten-day vacation with your ex, what could go wrong?
Also known as 'Foam finally posts something that's been sitting half-completed in her drafts for two years'. This is my first multi-chapter fic after a long time, so please bear with me through the bumpy posting period!
I'm so excited to finally share this with the world. Exes to lovers is one of my favourite types of relationships to write, it's got sooo much angst potential (that I may or may not be abusing as the story goes along)
I hope you'll enjoy reading through what I've got so far :D
Please ignore how it's been about a week since I actually posted this on ao3
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello, wonderful people, the time has come again: we’re looking to expand our team here at Project Lumen!
What even is Project Lumen?
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game here to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. We’re currently focusing on the Third Life demo, where the players get to lead Grian through the series, with minigames, battle mechanics and the choices they make all impacting the events of the story. With an added touch of our own spin on the watcher lore, we’re hoping to craft together a compelling narrative :D
What positions are open?
We’re looking for:
Writers, who will help out with writing barks (short lines of dialogue)
Programmers, who will work alongside our wonderful Pie to help create the building blocks for the game
UI artists, who will be focusing on pixel art and menu creation
Over the coming hour, we will be posting more detailed descriptions of what each of these positions entails, including the requirements and the expected workload.
When is the application period?
The application form will be open from March 30th to April 13th
We’re looking forward to seeing all of your applications, and if you’ve got any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to send us an ask :D
Vibrating with joy to present to you the fic I wrote for the lovliest @andirling for the Mcytblr Soulmate Sweepstakes last week! Despite the ups and downs while writing and it being very much outside my usual wheelhouse, I feel very proud of this oneshot :D
Rating: Mature
Wordcount: 9.3k
Tags: Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Kidnapping, Joel | SmallishBeans-centric, Horror, Non-Linear Narrative, Isolation, Watchers as evil gods, Just expect a lot of watcher fuckery, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, set in tail end of hermitcraft s10, MCYTblr's Soulmate Sweepstakes 2026
"Hey, that's enough, you idiots, cut it out!" Joel yelled out, his tone determined and steadfast.
His fist collided with the brick wall. Again. And again.
A sickening crack filled the room, as pain flashed in front of his eyes. Joel bit down on his tongue to keep himself from screaming out, doubled over from self-inflicted pain. "Whatever point you're trying to prove," he hissed out through gritted teeth, "You did it! You got the Joel with the massive ego telling you that you won! Now let me out!"
There had to be someone watching from the other side of this cold, empty room. The hermits wouldn't just leave him like that. They were watching, they were listening, they had to—
Someone was coming to let him out soon, or—or he would break his way out on his damn own.
"Did you hear me?! Let me out!"
Despite the pain blooming in his knuckles, he continued throwing punch after punch against the wall.
He would get out, he would get out—
Or: Joel finds himself the latest victim of a strange string of disappearances
I hope you end up enjoying this, and before you give it a read, please do mind the tags :D
I'm ecstatic to present you my piece for the amazing @ascarianzine! I got the privilege of creating a fic for the Last Life section, which I hope you will enjoy <3
Rating: General Audience
Wordcount: 1.5k
Tags: Last Life SMP Setting, Angst, Ryan | GoodTimesWithScar-centric, Ambiguous Relationships, Not together not broken up but a secret third thing (longing for what used to be yet not allowing yourself to have it), They're both still in the desert
Grian's eyes already shone a golden yellow; his luck had run out in that battle-torn desert.
Wasn't it strange how the tides changed? Scar had never thought there would be a time when his body was the one brimming bright with countless lives, while Grian was only one wrong step away from becoming consumed by bloodthirst.
The two froze in place as they caught sight of one another, two deer caught in each other's headlights. It was Scar who managed to tear himself out of the strange trance first.
"I was starting to think the earth swallowed you whole. I swear I've run into everyone but you," he said, hesitantly making his way to his former teammate.
There comes a time when they have to leave the desert, but Scar has never been good at letting go.
If this is something that strikes your fancy, please take your time to look through the entire zine here! Thank you so much for reading through, and have a lovely day <3
Here is the second half of our boss team. Make sure to give everyone some love!
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut.
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
To celebrate one whole year since the original LUMEN team was announced, we're bringing you each member's very own individual introduction. We've come a very long way since the very beginning of this project, welcomed and farewelled many people, and truly bonded to become a team who work occasionally. LUMEN is so excited to share with you guys everything we have in store, and here's to another year of fun and relative productivity!
Without further ado, make sure to give everyone some love.
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut.
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello everyone. It’s been a while. It is the end of 2025, and it’s been almost two months since our last update. So. How is the team? How is the project progressing? What are our current objectives?
We have slightly neglected our communication and for that we are sorry. To make a long story short, the team has changed since the beginning. The project has been going on for a while now and has taken proportions most of us could not imagine. It’s only natural that we’ve had people joining and people leaving. Among other people, Kori, Pinkish and Arto, who were the hearts and souls that birthed this wonderful project, have left. This has been sad, but we are so grateful for all of the people who have one day contributed to this project. We have learnt so much – be it on an individual skill side, on how to work as a team and organise things among ourselves, on how to communicate better… Things are underway, now better than ever, and we’d like to share more things with you.
We are updating this Tumblr to reflect the project now. We will post a new Master Post (the old one will stay up for archival purposes) and the tags will be changed accordingly. Some asks from the past might not be relevant anymore as our thought process has evolved with time. We are taking the resolution to give you more insights – art, writing, coding, lore…. Stay tuned, because we have a lot to share. If you are excited about this project, please like and reblog our posts, share your thoughts with us through tags and asks, talk about this with your Life Series friends, join our Discord… This is a community project; we’d love to grow alongside you.
Our YouTube channel will take a bit longer to receive new content, but it’s not abandoned. Now, for the heart of things – how much of the game is actually done? That’s a bit hard to quantify. The 3rd Life script is in very good shape – the first round of editing, which nearly tripled its size, is officially completed. Our wonderful Pie took over coding, and so much progress has been made and we hope to actually show you bits of it soon.
Thank you for sticking with us for such a long time, and hopefully you'll hear more from us soon!
As you have all been waiting for, today (as of this post), is the 30th of april! We have our application round open from now until the 20th of May, so make sure you apply before then! We wish you all the best luck on your applications!
We are delighted to present to you:
The background and UI artist application form:
Welcome to the artist application form 2: electric boogaloo!
This form is for Background and UI Artists. Please keep in mind while answering
(More info about the role of Background Artists is here, and info about the role of UI Artists is here)
The Writer application form:
Hi! My name is Teri, I am the Writing Team’s Boss and today we present to you the Writer’s Application Form!
Project LUMEN is a Video Game
(more information about the Writer role is here)
Common questions (and their answers):
How many applicants will you be taking?
Background artist - 6-8, but flexible in that it depends on how many applications we have.
Script writers - 6-8, also flexible like background artists.
UI artists - 1-2.
Will there also be applications for character artists/programmers/voice actors/item-prop artist?
Nope!
Character artists - As of now, we have character artists for each of the Lifers. However, if one of the artists drops out, we will most likely re-open a smaller application for them. But it seems unlikely.
Programmers - We already have programming covered at this point in the project.
Voice actors - We will also not be taking any Voice Actors, as that would be way too much trouble for multiple reasons.
Item/prop artists - We are still early in development, and so we are not exactly sure what objects/items we would include. While the answer to needing item artists is most definitely a rotund yes, it might be a little while before opening applications for them, so, you might want to stick around for when that time comes.
What is required in the Background Artist portfolio?
We require 3-5 pieces of art, but are pretty flexible if you have more you think we need to see. The pieces themselves preferably contain works that show your skills in composition, detail, and colour. Not all of the pieces need to be backgrounds, some may be character art or something else, but they still all need to show your skill to the best of your ability. You also do not only have to have mcyt art in your portfolio.
What needs to be in the writer’s portfolio?
For Writers, while we do need to see a few of your pieces as well as a link to your ao3, we mostly need your willingness to collaborate with other Writers! What we will be looking for in your works isn’t skill in prose, but characterisation and dialogue. Maybe a tiny bit of scene handling.
Can we have examples of the style UI is going to be in, and what we need for the portfolio?
You can see examples of the pixel art style here.
We'd like to see UI artists are capable of doing pixel art, knowing the principles, and having a good grasp on the style (aka: keeping shapes readable and knowing how to shade). When submitting examples, we'd like to see pieces you are proud of and you believe capture your pixel expertise best, whether they be full illustrations or smaller sprites, anything goes! Also be sure to include pixel animation examples!
You also do NOT need coding experience, you will not be doing that side of UI.
If you have any queries in the application process that we have not already answered send us an ask! There are more already answered questions that you can check under #projectlumenasks !
We have an application info video up and out on our youtube!
There's some information about the applications, what we're looking for, and related things. Check it out! We have the lovely @farther-north, @seafoampuddings and @thedoomedpie voicing parts of the video. Give em love for their effort!
our lovely writers @seafoampuddings and @nuggeteri wrote this!!
***
It wasn’t much, just a shallow grave near the calm lake in the flower valley.
He deserved better.
Too little, too late.
Dirt clung underneath Scott’s nails as he knelt against the grass, fingers wrapped gently around a poppy. He swallowed against the acrid knot that climbed up his throat when his gaze landed on the stone slate, Jimmy's name carved into the rough surface.
It was never going to end any differently—one man always forced to bury the other. It just so happened that he had pulled the short end of the stick.
Jimmy was never going to make it far in this world created to be destroyed, not when his eyes were filled with such wonder and with his heart made of nothing but trust.
A part of them knew from the beginning they were never meant to last. But it was easy, to chase that thought into the shadows when his sun shone so brightly next to him.
Even when he'd been bracing for it, the final death message still stole the air from his lungs.
There would come time for vengeance, for more blood to spill as if it could ever mend bone-deep wounds.
He deserved better.
So much better than the small patch of peaceful land Scott could offer. Better than a quickly carved piece of stone. Better than a lone poppy to decorate his grave.
At least he knew the valley would never let go of Jimmy. That in this world of destruction, it would cradle him in between the hills, an endless embrace from the land they had called home for so long.
Because in a world created for war and death, wasn’t it a sign of resistance to be loved?
***
Something clicked.
“Friieeeend…” They dragged out the word with a teasing tone as they shut the book they were reading, putting it on their lap, calling out Friend.
They didn’t wear braids now: No. They took too long to do. The reason they stopped doing them in the first place. Friend thankfully didn’t comment on it. But they were absolutely gonna comment on their recent choice of words.
“What do you want?” Friend groaned out in annoyance,
“You called them Shards,” They pointed out, a grin making itself onto their face. “A few weeks ago. You called the fragments Shards.”
They Watched their friend intently, seeing the way their eyebrows moved, how their head tilted, how their Eyes widened as they remembered the instance.
“It wasn’t affectionate!” They defended, raising their voice in a way that made them flinch, though they wouldn’t want to admit it. “I don’t see why it would be. In Common, it literally means a broken piece of glass.”
“And in Galactic, it means a Gifted Piece Of—”
“I don’t wanna hear it, Friend.” Friend cut off, which was rude. They didn’t want to let that slide, though seeing the face that Friend made–well. It shut them up.
“Let’s talk about something else than babies,” They proposed. Friend nodded gratefully.
Please ignore the part where I haven't posted anything about the fic for like half a year
It took a year of me writing it, but the first draft of the fic is done! Cue the poppers and balloons! It still needs thorough polishing as all first drafts do, but if everything goes smoothly, I'm hoping to resume regular updates by end of April (hopefully before, but I want to give myself some buffer space because I'm also working on another very cool project)
What comes after? More Stardew Valley au fics! Next on the roster is a boat boys one-shot that is also mostly written already. I'd like to focus on other characters and their storylines in the future :D
Now I shall scurry back into my dark void, have a nice rest of your day <3
This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure fic thats also quiet a bit out of my comfort zone. It's based off the game Life Eater where you play as a serial killer who sacrifices people to please a god and prevent the end of the world.
The general idea is that Grian becomes indebted to the Watcher and becomes forced to murder someone every year. But during the disposal of the first body, Scar accidentally stumbles onto him, to which Grian panics and ends up taking him hostage.
Not sure if I'll ever end up posting it, just because of the general nature of the fic. But from what little I've written it's been a good exercise in writing darker tones and a good excuse to play the game again :)
Omg, please tell me more about How To Love A God. I am in love with the idea of God of Death!Jimmy
-Nor
This was one of those projects were I was certain that it was only going to be a 5-10k oneshot, but the more that I'm planning it, the more I realise it's definitely gonna be longer.
It's set in a world where gods' powers are derived from their followers, the more they have, the stronger they become, both physically and magically. Jimmy starts the story off as one of the Watchers' followers, but he ends up earning their ire. Because of that, they turn him into a deity of death, a dominion no one wants to worship, cursing him with immortality and no power to show for it, except for the lingering death that follows him wherever he goes. Queue in Tango who just can't help himself falling in love with the wet dog of a god personified.
I've always been fascinated with death and fictional gods, so writing and planning this has been quite the treat for me!
Original Post Rules (from @fallen-knight ): "WIP Tag Game: Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs."
I don't have that many friends... because I have a lot of WIPs XD
Okay. Let's do this
Burn Out 2 (title pending)
Supernatural Frat (temporary title)
Brass Walls (temporary title)
To the Skye Part 4: Solidarity-Tek
Burn It to the Ground (temporary title)
The Tinkerer
Impostor (temporary title)
Guardian Angels and Their Demons (temporary title)
Isekai (temporary title)
Siren Song Part 2
Admin
I would add Healing Light 2 but since that's a collab I'm not counting it
No pressure tags: @infernafiresword @soemthingsparkly @mellioops @aris-has-a-paracosm @slooopes and anyone else who wants to play! <3
I don't have a wip folder and I have... A nebulous understanding of "in the 'eventually' bin" vs "wip" but I'll do my best!!
ranch roadtrip
ranchers week d1
jimmy
Ranchers borrower au planning
Untitled document
I haven't been writing much recently so ;; I have a lot of stuff I've started (ranchers, epic the musical, an otgw pinescones fic...) that I haven't touched in many moons, but I still love/would love to continue writing. even the wips I added are soooo unwritten and haven't been looked at in ages whoops. also my naming skills.
also i love that my names are vague and lowercase. no titles barely anything. what the fuck does jimmy mean . one isn't even named
Nah don't do this to me +, you underestimate the number of WIP I have...
Let's start with the MCYT, since this is mostly the fandom I'm in rn and the one I've been posting on this blog about. This is mostly about the ranchers.
The Canary of the Black Mines (Obviously, this one I'm actively posting, but still a WIP)
Familiar AU
For Better, For Worse
Every Night, I'm Dancing With Your Ghost
Stardew Rancher AU
Plate UP
After the Fall (this one is a boat boys special)
Clock Duo (because I want to write about them soooo bad. It has a working title maybe, but that's not the name of the document)
Now, one thing you might not know about me is that I am a big Haikyuu!! fan. Here are my WIPs for it (limiting myself to what I have on my computer and not in handbooks) Lots of BokuAka but also a healthy mix of different ships.
Fukurodani The Band
Acts of Service
Who's Got Any Time (For Growing Up)
Anata Ni Dewanakereba
Yokai Bokuaka
BokuIwa
Kuroo/Yaku
Window Of The Soul
Strix
The Prettiest Setter
Kyoutani's House.
Don't Speak.
(Gosh I haven't touched most of them in years.)
The last thing is I used to write in French!
Notre Autre Vie (a ShikaTema fic that is almost done, I need to post the last chapter and write the epilogue. It's been years I need to do it)
De Sel et D'eau (a SuiKa mermaid fic)
La Voix de La Mort (an early Teen Wolf fic I have abandoned.)
Do you guys think I'll ever be able to finish all of those in my lifetime?
Alrighty, I'm probably going to forget to list half of mine because my organization is a mess to put it mildly. I'm also gonna use this as an opportunity to talk a bit about them because despite the fact I haven't touched many of these in a while I still adore them a lot
These New Dreams - first fic of my traffic stardew valley au, where we get to see Jimmy's first week in the valley
Casual Affair - boat boys oneshot in the sdv au aka Joel thrusting over a stranger because he's bored for a couple thousand words
Lost In A Daydream - scarian sdv au oneshot
A Long Burned Out Light - ranchers fic were Tango had way too much unprocessed trauma
How To Love A God - Jimmy gets cursed into becoming a minor god of death and Tango is nothing if not determined to show him love
i don't know what to say - oneshot for my Lives That Bind Us AU
A debt to be paid II electric boogaloo
Flower husbands getting back together
Life Eater Au
I've also got a few Simon Snow/Carry On unfinished fics that are just waiting for my hyperfixation to return
Signs Of The Past - my haunted house (but not really) au. I think this is one of my favourite things I've ever written, it's currently 45k words long and about half-way done
Fear That You Find Out - first snowbaz fic I ever wrote, your generic Baz returns to Watford traumatised, but tries to hide it and Simon is absolutely deranged about it fic
Date With Hate - plans for a college au intended for Carry On Big Bang 2024 that just didn't end up happening
Food Fuc - that one's just a misspelling that I can't bring myself to correct
