Thinking about my block ppl

she's fangirling again... and it's /not/ normal

[taytaythehufflepuff]

Welcome! Welcome!

Hi hi hi! 

If you don’t know me, my name is TayTay, known across the interwebs as TayTayTheHufflepuff. Posts here will be about my random ramblings on Hermitcraft and the Life Series (my home base fandoms), pieces of fanart I do at random, some behind the scenes not-too-personal life stuffs, and sneak peaks at original stories I’m working on! 

A little bit about me: 

I’m a freshly young adult with the aspirations in life to be a published author. I create stories with wholesome themes that surround love, forgiveness, friendship, found family, and Christian elements (if you squint).

I love all things minecraft, drawing, writing, and music. Pretty much any hobby that is mildly artistic / creative I can and will obsess over. 

Find me elsewhere!

I'm still figuring out what my online presence looks like, so bear with me as I slowly start posting.

Archive of Our Own

Youtube (Main Channel)

Youtube (Writing Channel)

Instagram (Writing Account)

[ethosprincess]

everything stops for etho.. everything…..

[taytaythehufflepuff]

He’s putting on a Drum Show!

[taytaythehufflepuff]

NOPOE Hermitcraft Animatic!

I have finished my first animatic! Covering the entirety of the POEPOE's evil reign from the eyes of the NOPOE exiles.

[meloodyxx]

nostalgia bias is like ten times more prominent than recency bias when it comes to the life series and i find that very interesting

[taytaythehufflepuff]

My youngest sister has taken over my tomadachi life world on my ds (the device is hers now). She’s added a few characters, but kept the ones I’ve made (a few hermits, undertale characters, my original book characters, and family and friends.)

We’ve been adjusting one of my old miis, and I told my sister he should be updated to Skizz.

Meet MrSkittles! Or Skizzle Man, if we want to go by formalities.

The first thing we decided to do was give him a purple bedroom. It suits him quite well, I think.

Before logging off, we had to check on poor MrSkittles to see how he was fairing. We were welcomed by this dream sequence (fair warning, much giggles and delirium from myself and little sister):

To quote my sister: “I bet acho he will not sleep tonight!”

Sweet dreams to our favorite hermit. We may need to give him a few more friends tomorrow.

[bellshazes]

heres a question for the etho scholars: has anyone ever conclusively figured out what the source of "speaking of llamas" nonsequitur segue is? I know it's older than hcs7 because he does it in reverse the first time llamas are in a snapshot. a maxis reference - or quake and its ilk, perhaps? both seem supremely unlikely and it remains on my Mystery List and probably will for ever

[taytaythehufflepuff]

On a technicality, this is my second fanart because my first drawing was done in a landscape canvas. (A drawing inspired by Barbra Manatee from Veggietales meets Scott giving Jimmy a poppy. I feel I ought to also attempt redrawing it.)

This drawing is based on Cleo’s 3rd Life episode 1: TreeTSD!

As you probably know, this template is made by Hoffen, which you can find here!

[meelkieyap]

Hierarchy of Needs

all you need is cobble, lava and gluten.

[king-wyrmwood]

I had a really good idea for portraying the gimmick this season...

Everyone is aged back to the age they were during that update, so for session one:

Cabincore

Etho - ???? -> still old

Bdubs - 42 -> 28

Scar - ~33ish? -> prolly 20

Scott - 29 -> 15

The Losers

Skizzleman - 46 -> 32

BigB - 35 -> 21

Joel - 32 -> 19

Jimmy - 29 -> 15

Lost Generation

ZombieCleo - 44 -> 30

Martyn - 35 -> 21

The Girls and Grian

Grian - 31 -> 19

Gem - 29 -> 15

Pearl - 28 -> 15

Gluten Guys

ImpulseSV - 44 -> 30

Tango - ~44? -> ~30?

Rendog- 42 -> 28

...This was a great idea until I realised that it makes most ships SO unethical ;^;

If you don't care about shipping it's still good though?

[taytaythehufflepuff]

TENNIS!!!

This is your sign to grab a pack of crayons and/or pencils and make a silly little drawing. I finally picked up a set of the temporary re-released 8 crayola crayons last night. Can confirm dandelion yellow is worth the hype.

[wren-kitchens]

i carry the time we don't talk in a backpack

2076 words

something gnaws at the centre of etho's chest, seemingly impossible to ignore, despite all his best efforts to do just that. he hopes it's just a him thing, but there's no way to actually know if joel can feel it too without asking—which is not an option he is even remotely willing to consider. imagine how that would sound- 'hey joel just to check you can’t feel the way my debilitating anxiety feels like a black hole in my chest right?' absolutely not- you could not get etho to ask that with a gun to his head. just- can joel feel it? would it be worse if joel could feel it? what an idiotic question- it would probably be the worst thing in the world if joel could feel it, actually. the last thing etho needs right now is for joel to know how he’s feeling, when he’s taken such great pains to avoid anyone figuring that out. it'd be inconvenient, first of all, and extremely embarrassing—not to mention that etho would have to actually explain why he’s feeling the way he is, because he at least knows that the soulmate bound doesn't actually elaborate on the cause of the emotion. 

this is maybe gonna be chapter one of a fic because I randomly got the inspiration to make a multichapter fic but also I have a bad track record with chapters so don't quote me on this

anyway I decided to give etho the problems because i’m fairly certain that all my boat boys is mostly joel centric GKFHD

[part 1 - you are here!] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]

something gnaws at the centre of etho's chest, seemingly impossible to ignore, despite all his best efforts to do just that. he hopes it's just a him thing, but there's no way to actually know if joel can feel it too without asking—which is not an option he is even remotely willing to consider. imagine how that would sound- 'hey joel just to check you can’t feel the way my debilitating anxiety feels like a black hole in my chest right?' absolutely not- you could not get etho to ask that with a gun to his head.

just- can joel feel it? would it be worse if joel could feel it? what an idiotic question- it would probably be the worst thing in the world if joel could feel it, actually. the last thing etho needs right now is for joel to know how he’s feeling, when he’s taken such great pains to avoid anyone figuring that out. it'd be inconvenient, first of all, and extremely embarrassing—not to mention that etho would have to actually explain why he’s feeling the way he is, because he at least knows that the soulmate bound doesn't actually elaborate on the cause of the emotion. 

joel is fashioning himself an axe handle in the corner of the room, not even looking up at etho or showing any sign that he's feeling anything out of the ordinary. which- that's probably a good sign, right? a little awkward, sure, but perhaps indicative of him not actually feeling anything of etho's right now? hopefully that is the case, and not that he’s just trying to think of a way to ask him about the void in his chest that has appeared within the last ten minutes.

it isn’t- it's not like etho is hiding some deep dark secret: no, he’s just a little- cautious when it comes to making friends now, when his closest.. ally was taken before he could right his wrong. so- etho just doesn’t want to make that mistake again, and the best way to avoid hurting the person closest to you is not to become close to anyone. that sounds like the best course of action, at least for now. it- joel is a nice guy, okay, etho wouldn't want to be a dick to him.

the silence in the boat is broken only by the rain battering the deck above, and the crackling furnaces beside their bed. joel nicks his finger with the chisel and mutters a hasty apology to etho when he winces. 

against his own fruition, etho finds himself wondering what it'd sound like in bdubs and impulse's modern mansion right now. impulse would probably be grumbling about how the rain is going to ruin any plans for a tnt trap anytime soon, and bdubs would be laughing along, suggesting another way to blow the server to smithereens. maybe they'd be cozied in bed together, discussing all the ways they’re going to win, hand in hand. bdubs would be doing that thing he does where he tries to pretend he isn't having fun—the way he scrunches his face up at any implication he’s enjoying himself. joel does something similar.

for a brief moment, the idea of what it would be like if that were him and joel floods etho's mind, accompanied by an almost overwhelming sense of yearning. something shifts in joel's expression and etho forces the notion out of his mind. it could never happen anyway, he tells himself.

joel puts the chisel down with a clunk, startling etho from his thoughts. "I can’t believe i’m the one saying this, but are you gonna tell me what's going on, or will I have to guess?"

"uh." etho has apparently forgotten the english language in his surprise. "i don't- what?"

"you just started.. hurting." joel says haltingly, gesturing vaguely at his chest. "and- y’know, I wouldn't care, but I can feel it too. so." as he talks, he glances at the floor. joel doesn't seem to have noticed this—or at least, he hasn't yet figured out that he does this every time he lies.

etho feels his face flush embarrassingly. "it's- um. it's nothing." he says hurriedly, and judging by the way joel raises an eyebrow, unconvincingly. "you- i'm allowed to think in private! it's not illegal!"

joel huffs, setting down the handle on the ground and standing up. both he and etho wince in unison as his knees protest. he sits next to etho, and very abruptly, yanks on his own hair, sending a stab of pain into etho's scalp.

"ow." etho rubs his head, exasperated. "what's that for?"

"that's what you sound like." joel says, looking proud of himself. etho wants to resent it, but there's just something about his smug smile that's inconveniently endearing. 

etho keeps his expression deadpan. "you’re annoying."

joel grins, and etho realises he basically just called himself annoying. go him. "exactly."

"i’m still not telling you." etho says, picking up the discarded sword he was sharpening and beginning to test its blade. it- before you say anything, he’s doing it the right way, which isn’t running his finger along the sharpest part and hoping he doesn't cut his thumb. he only did that once, and has since learnt the right way to do it.

joel pushes himself further on the bed, crossing his legs. he doesn't say anything, and somehow that's even worse than if he just sat there talking at etho. he kind of- it reminds etho a little bit of a dog. not that he expects joel to appreciate that comparison.

although- thinking about it, joel has had a lot of dogs in the past. like, a lot of dogs—in third life, he had his whole wolf army, and you would never find him without at least geraldine by his side, and in last life, he was almost always surrounded by a whole pack of dogs—some of them his, some of them grian's, so closely mingled that it was nearly impossible to tell which dogs were whose. if joel picked up some wolf mannerisms along the way, that'd make a lot of sense.

etho pauses as he goes to pick up the makeshift rock he’s been using to sharpen his sword as he notes that joel doesn't have dogs this time around—not even one. he turns to joel, who is now leaning against the wall of the ship and messing with a chunk of wood. 

"out of curiosity," etho starts, before he fully registers the decision to start talking. joel looks up, apparently not expecting a conversation. "why don't you have any dogs?"

joel blinks for a moment, and- yeah, to be fair, that's a very odd question to ask out of the blue. "it- what?"

"you- in the last two games, you got wolves on, like, the first day." etho says, watching with mild interest as joel sits back a little, expression shifting ever so slightly. "but you don’t have any this game. I was just.. wondering why."

joel shrugs, and etho gets the impression that the nonchalance he's putting on is more of a veneer than anything else. "I don’t know. I guess- I just don’t need them this time." he looks back down at the wood, peeling a splinter off the side of it, as if he hadn't said anything of importance.

etho almost frowns, processing what that means. it's still a death game, why wouldn’t you need a wolf pack? what could be so different this time around that would negate the need for-

oh. wait- no, it's not- there's gotta be something else. it's- y’know, there are less people you have to fight? 'cause- everyone's soulbound and everything- you only have to kill one person to get rid of two. yeah- that'll be it. it's just that- it's just a little easier this time around; joel doesn’t need the additional power, because he’s got less people he needs to kill. there's- that's the only explanation that seems logical. except- 

okay. it's- there's no way this is actually the case- it's just wishful thinking on etho's part. in fact- not even wishful thinking! no, etho doesn’t want this to be the reason, it's just- it's a possibility, and he may as well consider all the possibilities. what kind of- well, he’s not a scientist, but it wouldn't be very scientific for him to disregard a potential outcome just because he dislikes it.

it's just- it could also be that joel doesn’t need his wolves, because now he has etho. which then brings the obvious conclusion of- does joel consider etho to be part of his- his pack, or something? not that- etho doesn't want to be part of joel's pack. that would be weird, and dumb, and- and probably foolish for etho to let himself think about what joel might consider etho to be. he probably doesn't! this is probably something that etho has completely made up in his head for no reason. it doesn’t actually matter, of course- it's not like etho cares.

"if you're done thinking in private," joel's voice comes, and etho drops the sword in surprise. he fumbles after the rock, and pointedly ignores the grin in joel's voice as he continues, "can I ask what you are?"

etho huffs, turning to face a smug looking joel, putting his stuff aside. "what do you mean, what I am?"

joel gestures vaguely at etho. "I mean- you’ve got the ears and the tail and stuff." he says, and there's something in his voice that makes etho think he’s got some kind of- ulterior motive for this question. "I can’t figure out what you are though."

"oh- i’m a fox." etho wags his tail from side to side, suppressing a smile as joel tilts his head to watch. "well- arctic fox. everyone thought I was a wolf for a while, because foxes weren't discovered yet." he grins.

joel hums, as if in lieu of an answer, and etho nods as if that makes any sense. "there's types- I think there must be more wolves than we know about." joel says, almost to himself. "'cause I know of hybrids who aren't.. they don't look like the normal wolf. the patterns are different."

"like ren?" etho says, remembering the browns and tans of ren's colouring. "that's kinda cool."

"yeah." joel stretches, and maybe it's just because they’re talking about wolves, but all etho can think of is how much joel reminds him of a dog. "I wonder how many wolves we don't know about yet."

"i’d never considered that." etho nods thoughtfully. 

joel huffs, clearly preparing himself for a joke. "yeah- well. that's 'cause you’re dumb."

etho snorts in surprised amusement, somehow more endeared by the insult than offended. despite himself, etho just can’t find it in him to be annoyed by joel's pleased grin. although- there's something about his expression that makes him think that joel was also taken aback by etho's reaction. "I see how it is."

joel gives what etho can only describe as a hiccupy cackle, which- okay, that shouldn’t- etho doesn’t like it. he doesn't- why would you even suggest that he does. 'cause- he doesn’t. not in the slightest. "hey, i’m just saying it how it is." 

"wow. worst soulmate ever." etho scoffs, expecting (and- maybe hoping. just a little) to hear that laugh again, only to feel a sharp stab of anxiety that couldn't be anything other than joel's. scrambling to fix the blunder, etho says hurriedly, "actually no- that's gotta be scott, right? didn’t even- y’know, with pearl. and he only built a house- you built us a boat. with- with symbolism. so that's- that's gotta count for something." 

"you- i’m-" joel looks as if etho just grew another head. "I- I was thinking in private, y’know." he says, grinning a little awkwardly, and etho can’t help smiling back.

"well, i'm not gonna pull my hair." etho says, and joel snorts. something fond nudges at etho's chest, and he pushes it away. 

joel sits back a little, picking at the chunk of wood once again as etho begins to think- did joel move to the bed because he could tell etho felt lonely? not that- it wouldn’t matter, aside from the fact that etho really has to chill out with everything he’s feeling, if joel can feel it too. joel is a considerate guy- that's all it means. 

[miiilowo]

in the minecraft world do youthink people would use "they dug straight down" as code for someone dying

[miiilowo]

inthe minectraft world they would say someone spawned with a diamond hoe insteadof saying they were born with a silver spoon

[miiilowo]

in minecraft world they would say speak of herobrine instead of speakof the devil

[taytaythehufflepuff]

Hermit-a-day-May, but I’m only doing day 9 and it’s a day late…

Rambles & extra doodles under the cut!

Yesterday, I was watching the REPO stream, as you do, and I decided to doodle the outfit swaps! Tango as Shubble (empires 2) and Etho as Tango dungeon master. Today, I decided to paint the Etho & Rusty doodle. In a sketchbook that I don’t believe is mixed media (but my sketchbook saved for fully colored “good” drawings)… gouache isn’t a medium I’ve dabbled in much, let alone found an art style for. But definitely a good time-passer for a Saturday afternoon!

[thewanderingmask]

i am far from the first person to riff on this concept but consider: EGGGIS spark joy

[aureachaos]

Grian, after tricking Etho into picking up the love potion in repo: You watch this guys

Etho, under influence of love potion: Geminitay looks so wholesome

Grian: NO! NO!

Gem: See! I knew it! I knew it!

Etho: Wholesome? Why wholesome? That doesn't sound right

Impulse: Who would've thought Etho was a Gemgirl

[taytaythehufflepuff]

I need to talk to someone about how the song Seven (by SleepingAtLast) would be the perfect Roomies song, specifically for the Secret Life finale.

If I wasn't working on the NOPOE animatic (which fingers crossed will be done next week, but no promises), I would jump right onto this idea.

(If you wanna steal my idea, feel free. I need someone to bring this to reality.)

Here's the song in question:

There's a lot about Seven that feels very roomies to me. It's very light and bouncy. On the outside, the song is so heavy on the fluff. But there's something deeper there. Yearning for More. Relationships and meaning to life.

Which to me just WORKS with their finale?!! Like, Cleo and Etho, running across the server, crossing off that list of things they've not done before. Ignoring the problem at hand, though clearly undyingly loyal. Not wanting to make it to the end, just wanting to be there. Together. This song, to me, captures that mood deeply. Makes me think of vibrant colors, loyalty, and friendship.