Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

This is a ruff-ass copy

Try # 2

I flew down the hillside pillaging the trees for their resources, carefree as the wind itself.

I could never have imagined the life that lurked in this forest, nor had I ever wanted to. Shadows clawed at my feet, roots arose to trip me, and leaves whispered my coordinates to anything that listen.

However, at this time, I studied a cave opening, crunching on an apple, beyond oblivious. Shushing the communicator at my hip, I let the gaping maw of earth swallow me at the mere hint of riches.

Not for nothing, this world may have more overlooked thoughts waiting in them, and those who once created them, but the stone was seasoned with ores. Bodies at various stages of rot could crawl from any crevice. Amalgamations of plant spores crept across the depths, looking to spread.

My greed was not deterred in the slightest, and not from ignorance! I had walked worlds much like this one many of times, most far worse off, this was standard procedure. The people dealt more harm, for much pettier reasons. I say as if I am not the Queen of petty, myself.

The worm hollows twist and turns into jaw-dropping caverns. Iron practically rained into my backpack. Using a makeshift furnace, I clumped together scraps hoping for them to form nicely into shiny armor; however, disturbing the formation of my new and approved tools, a voice bounded across stalactites to stalagmites.

“Half health, while I was fighting a skeleton.”

“No way! Your soulmate is clearly very daring”

I could not discern who was below me but, they seemed preoccupied in their conversation, and unaware of me. How could I pass up such an opportunity?

With my enforced pick-axe I, gently as possible, tore away at the walls down towards the voices.

“Jimmy, you almost die every twenty seconds.”

“Don’t insult me! That is less than normal, I’m trying man! No one wants to come face to face with an angry teammate.”

“Are you not used to that by now?”

The bickering covered me breaking into a crawl space some feet above them.

“I have no experience with that, this time around. And I have no plan too!”

“Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep, Jimmy!” I shouted loud enough to hear my own voice banging about in my ears.

Jimmy screamed louder.

“Where are you?” I could hear him spin on his heels, and his friend try to climb up to me, but I was too satisfied to care, instead, I cackled hard enough to bruise my ribs. I rolled to their level, wasting no time to dust off the cave germs on to the avian and the sarcastic, averaged height-ed man.

They were more kitted out than me! Full iron everything, shields to boot 10 minutes in.

Joel was not nearly as impressed with me.

“You sound like a witch.” I failed to stifle my laugh.

Screaming and laughter apparently attracts an audience. Three more men entered the room all sporting green. I stretched out my arm to see the three traffic light hearts on it.

Wondered how long it last, but no need for those thoughts now.

I walked deeper into the caves avoiding the punching fest, finding a dilapidated chest that six, no nine there is more coming around east, had not found. Chest like these were nothing special, we weren’t the first adventurers down here. Plenty of bodies to show that, even walk up to you if you’re not careful.

“So, Joel, what does that mean for us, together forever?” A tall man with white hair approached Joel with open arms.

“Together and always.” Joel did his best to fight off the hug, well Etho wasn’t a hugger more of an amicable choke-hold, but he surrendered begrudgingly.

“Aww look at you two love bugs, almost feel envious.” I butted in while digging through the copious amounts of coal contents.

“So why were you taking so much damage earlier, huh? I was in the middle of a fight!” He shook free, swiping the strand of green hair out of his eyes.

“Yeah Pearl, really missing out.” Etho dunked his hands into his pockets, I think there was a smiled in his eyes. Due to the face mask, it was a little hard to read him otherwise.

I did my best at silent yet sociable response back, but my attention was captivated.

The overwhelming chaos blanketed me as I, wide eyed, dug through further coal for some shimmering thing. An unblemished fruit! ‘Fruit’, I should say, honestly a medicine, cast to the abilities of average food. An ancient one at that. I bite the inside of my cheeks in stress. A forbidden one equivalently. I opened a spare compartment on my backpack and stashed it.

I scampered out of the main group lower into the earth. That many people in one spot was stupid, I didn’t look out of place to leave. I shouldn’t have let myself get that comfortable around the others either, least I forget why we are all here. To survive, at any cost. In fact, that should my first goal, do not go out first.

I have met my death. In these realms everyone becomes quite close to it. Our lives are defined by it, literally. On our arms are indicators to how many we have left to spend until we join the ghouls. I shudder at the thought. The only fate worse is when we all slip away to watch erosion in real time, the footprints you left get swept up by the wind.

But the universe never forgets, even if the worlds do, because one day we will be granted another chance. We may never rest; we do have this moment and our bounded this time around. I survived my first world, for some time at least. To the final four, but failure feels like my nerves melting away and my vocal cords shredding themselves. My soulmate will not feel that due to me. After every arrow launched into my shoulder, follicles bursting in my nose, I whispered apologizes.

Finding a breath between all the mobs I slumped over onto the wall. There are not many places quieter than an empty cave. Your blinks could sound deafening! Therefore, not much can hide in a cave, ie.another wispy voice.

“My MODS these cave spiders won’t leave me alone!” A distorted Jimmy said through the walls. His hollow footsteps suggested wood, which suggested mine-shaft. I perked up. I had not gotten as far as I thought. Stepping carefully till I was directly below. I hoped my bruised ribs could learn to forgive as I took a deep breath.

“Don’t Let The Cave Spider Get’ca!” His jump thundered in my little stretch of cavern.

“Wha- Where do you come from, Pearl?” His voice distorted downward.

“Just handing out other worldly advice, Jimmy!” I chided in return.

“Jimmy look, she’s right below us, that’s what the Comm. says,” As another joined I felt It bitter at all the people that jimmy seemed to have around him at all times.

“I dare you to see who can get to there first.” The Martyn-ish voice teased as he burrowed towards me. Their wrecking of stone almost ruptured my ear drums.

“It’s a massive cave. You’ll die doing that.” I lied, and for no real reason. There was no danger in friends, this early on.

“Oh? Are you down in deep slate?” Jimmy asked, closer than before.

“Nope, got iron though.” My reply just left my mouth as the roof above me opened up and a blur of green fell next to me.

“Not for long!” Martyn, ha I was right, said as he jolted up.

“Oh wait,” Martyn almost fell from how quickly he turned around. “Did you take any damage earlier, like when we were clumped up?”

“Nope.” I popped my lips.

“Okay that’s cool.” He pushed my backward and sprinted down the mine.

All three of us ripped the earth of any materials. We didn’t notice then but the underneath our level, the ground squirmed.

“I could fashion my own saddle out of all the zombie flesh we now have.” I waved my hand behind me towards the boys.

“No one has ever said that.” Martyn’s face twisted up in disgust.

“Seriously.” Jimmy agreed, face just as disgusted.

“Well, what would you do if your enemy showed up on horseback, sitting on the flesh of the dead? It’s a brilliant plan. I won’t give it up because of ‘morals.” They gagged.

“See! You pr- “Looking back at them I hadn’t seen the fall awaiting me. The world was spinning when I got up. I saw people above me frantically trying to get my attention. I worried for my hearing when I hadn’t heard a sound leave their mouths, until I looked to my right. Shit. The deep slate was enveloped in blue ooze. Little crystals glittered despite the darkness. Sculk spread towards me, worst of it latching onto my arm through my jacket. I did not dare to scream; I couldn’t alert more of it to my position.

In the hels of the world, a substance now ruled overall. Its crystals were not for aesthetics, but remnants of its victims, and it did not discriminate.

There was a pint of hope, however. It only held one sense, hearing.

I gently backed up onto my heels, hoping I wasn’t forgetting something. A hoard of its ‘ears’ sprung to life. The antenna of a moth-looking tentacles traded the news of an arrival. My telltale heart luckily was silent enough for them not to care. I took my axe and cut away the sculk leached on me, a whisper of its imprisoned souls wept at their freedom. I could deal with the gunk still on me later.

Luckily, not a single sculk shrieker was in range. My shoulders relaxed. I backed towards the wall and climbed up; the real dangers oblivious. At the top, I crawled into safety and finally screamed. The stupid jaws of garbage did not like that, but it couldn’t affect me anymore.

Deciding the events for the night be over, Jimmy wandered back, for his partners sake, he insisted. Martyn studied me to see if this strand of sculk gained duplicative abilities. I brushed my legs off with my jacket, then donated it to its conqueror. I ravaged my bag to find a hoodie with an eclipsed moon on the front, but the moment I put it on, green bleed into the fabric. It matched all our eyes.

We stood in silence, peering into the floor. Him watching me desperately try to heal from the fall with the copious amount of bread I was shoving down my throat.

“… Want to go enchanting?” He pointed a thumb behind himself. I think my laughter startled him. My brain let me think of magic in the center of a living hell. Crisp pages fluttering loud enough to alert death’s sirens.

“Nah, don’t have the levels.”

We drifted around the caves looking for our entrance, leaving me plenty of time to ponder the irony. The crystals in sculk form from the living. The personification of your life experience. When one takes a life, a fraction of the victim’s experience is granted to them and all of it expunged from the victim. Or whoever it saunters to first. They are a part of the body, as mobs will drop them, and the scum evolved to live off it, culminating life and whatever else it can scrub you of, till overflow expands into the container around it. If you kill it, the sculk steams away, leaving the experience.

Enchanting is an art of survival. To even use the table of enchantments one must have a healthy level of experience. This starts the cycle of killing more, enchantments granting you more of a chance to win a fight, so on, so forth. Their existence based on the same force, but radically different endings if you provide it.

I was dragged from my thoughts when Martyn and I’s Comms. made a mock cannon sound effect. There was only one reason, but we wanted reassurance.

“Tango blew up

Solidarity’s heart’s broken”

Martyn chuckled in dismay.

“It’s been like a couple of hours, how are they dead?”

“What an awkward talk at spawn, ouch. And I just noticed, it’s not even Jimmy’s fault this time!” Martyn appeared fascinated.

Jimmy had a track record for death. Their favorite punching bag, if you will. Tango got hooked in the crossfire.

“I taking this as a sign for some fresh air.”

I felt as if the caves were going to constrict us into the next tragedies any second. Best to leave Jimmy with the grief of taking someone down with you.

“Hold on sec, we still have tons of raw iron. Let’s get that all smelted first.” Martyn took his pick to the walls to make a shady base.

“Didn’t we already have a smelter?” I groaned

“…Did we ever get that stuff back?” You could hear a water splatter somewhere for off.

“Alright well here,” He shoved all his iron into my hands. “You smelt that; I’ll retrieve the stuffs.” He fled down the stairs, torch in hand.

This left me with plenty of time spare. Too much. I gazed up at the ceiling and studied its marks. A lot of time, in fact. I shuffled the coal around in its chamber, making sure the iron would cook properly. Tapping the stick on the ledge, I hummed a tune. Then murmured one, leading up to me full-on belting out a song.

“Chillin’ with my iron. Watin’ for my iron to smelt, do-do boop, do-do boop oh waum.” I grandiosely spun around only to meet eyes with a star-struck Martyn.

“Don’t mind me.” I spat out.

“Don’t stop, I was enjoying the little musical!” We laughed, giving Martyn time to return, finally.

“Can it, helmet head. It’s done! Both of you took forever.” I picked up the furnaces with their contents into my inventory.

“Are you telling me,” Martyn picked up my tune,” finished all your iron, finished all your iron? Now you’re high in supply in a boat full of iron.” He finished it off with

jazz hands. Our laughter echoed out in the hollow.

“Someone thought I was wearing a helmet last season. Guess my hair does have a lot of yellow going on.” Martyn continued.

“Last season…?” I trailed off. My brain was fuzzy, that’s the harm with server hopping. Get’s better with time, I’ve heard. For now, however, very little that hadn’t happened in these last few hours was not getting through. I put together hints of a purple sky accented with blood. Far in front of me a cavalry knight rode next to someone with a crown. Blood stained the yellow covering their heads. I waved the memory away; not only was it mostly irrelevant, but this life was just beginning! Human’s will try to keep the peace for a while. They will.

“… I think that was me?” I tried to laugh off my daunt pause.

“Really, is that so? Well, I think it’s time we really get out of here, and with no helmets! We aren’t rule-breakers.” He smiled getting his stuff together. Nice enough to not mention it. Some things are taboo for a reason, I guessed. What was even the point of no helmets? This was a hardcore world, after all, the protection would be needed.

A brick of a memory hit me. I stood in the branches of a tree. A rustle of leaves introduced a warrior, armor chipped and worn, walking into my sight. I focused on their face, but I could no longer make it out. They never noticed me pull the bow string back. My pride enveloped me.

Did they the ever get feeling too? Were they just innocent bystander? A laugh boiled up in my stomach, contrasted with denial.

I was in this slum till we reached the surface, when I heard a faint bark.

“A doggie!” I rammed Martyn out of the way as I went ventured out. The grass that brushed my ankles felt calming as if it was welcoming me back. The breeze in my lungs asked why I ever left. And as if to make sure I was the surface’s, I found the wolf. Precariously above the gaping maw of a cave, the pup bravely stared down the warped, tattered sky.

“Quite a mob to be wondering about the border.” I offered them a single bone, and they accepted gratefully. Poor thing alone out here, not much can stand the ring of the border.

“Pup-o, my best of friends!” I carried the wolf up from its cliff edge to its summit.

“What about me?” Martyn shouted as he clambered up the hill.

“Hmm, too yellow.” I patted pup-o on the head.

“You’re joking!” When Martyn dramatically rolled his neck, he locked eyes with a mighty steed.

“Screw you, I’ve got a better ride or die. Its fate, got the saddle to prove it!” Martyn charged the donkey down, ignoring the fear in its eyes.

“You say a friend that’s destined by fate? Sounds familiar,” The dog tilted their head with me.

“Well, a donkey is way better at being a quadruped than any of the rest of ‘em so, am I really at a loss?” Martyn proudly sat atop the petrified stead.

“What? Quadruped? That’s the deciding factor?” I looked at him only to be blinded sided by his smug aura.

“Of course, can’t hop on a bounds shoulder into battle, or run away looking nearly as majestic!”

“You look like a tea kettle with your arm on the hip like that.” I tried to sound deadpan, but neither of us were good at hiding smiles. We almost didn’t look at our Comms.

“Joel was killed by an enderman

Etho has soul has been crushed”

How do you reply to that? Its barley begun but we are dropping like flies. Martyn read my thoughts.

“Shame with partners, series goes twice as quick.” I could only nod in response. Picking up the dog, I held them close to me.

Our mood lightened as we trekked to where we ‘spawned’, a birch trees clearing. I jogged in tandem to Martyn’s unhelpful donkey, dog barking at its heels. Our traveling was interrupted by a pair of canary wings attached to a not so bright and cheery man.

“Martyn and Pearl! Did you guys see Joel get crushed by that enderman?” Jimmy stepped out of the woods, eyes with a gold gleam to them. His clothes were noticeably rugged and worn, a little singed as well.

“Oh boy, tells us about the soulmate first. How was the talk at spawn?” Martyn lit up bright as the sun.

“Oh yeah, uh it was awkward.” Jimmy rubbed his arm.

“Well yellow suits you! First out again, and it’s not even your fault. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” He sneered.

“Yes, and it’s not even the worst part! I went back to where I died, and it’s all gone! This is all I have! Can you spare some things?”” He pulled at his pack’s straps, light as a feather.

“Despawned, ey? That’s just your luck.” Despawning was the worst consequence of living in these realms, if one is to abandon something and didn’t properly store it, it would disintegrate. Same goes for bodies, except the fact there is no way to store them. I look at it as a free cremation. “So, I would appreciate that you give me all you can part with.” Jimmy held out his hands. I scavenged my backpack overwhelmed by pity and the idea of making an enemy.

“Here Jimmy.” And threw him ten pieces of iron. He blinked, visibly astonished.

“Martyn, Pearl gave me stuff so you should too.” He immediately went to face Martyn for more bargaining.

“How about a firm handshake?” Jimmy’s wings flinched in disgust.

“I see you hold no sympathy for the poor.” Jimmy sulked back towards the trees.

“Well don’t waste your chances, Jimmy.” And with that Martyn slapped him on his.

“I didn’t even get the handshake!”

The world was green, flourished in bushes and undergrowth. Sickly sweet flowers bloomed in the summer sun. We got caught in brambles once or twice, it is Not fun to pull a donkey nor dog out of those by the way, so we changed course to open land.

“Where’d you get a saddle?” The plains greeted us. An imp by the name of Impulse jogged over to greet us. He was heads taller than me and bigger too, yet completely unimposing. He waved a hello. From behind Impulse, a figure easily hidden due to his stature gleefully caught a glimpse of the saddle.

“A dungeon, I believe.” Martyn brought the reigns up to his chin, pulling the donkey to stop.

“Does anyone got food?” I asked unthinkingly, but Impulse hurried over to hand me watermelon slices.

“IMPULSIVE!” The small man shrieked. Impulse practically flew into the air.

“They have saddles to trade!” Impulse bent down to be at level with BdoubleO.

“Oh! Right!” Umm, there’s more where that came from,” Impulse lifted himself up and perked his lips. “If you give us the saddle.” Bdubs attempted to pat him on the head but settled for the shoulder.

“Don’t do it,” I replied before Martyn could think.

They were odd, to say the least. Most people here are odd (those who weren’t the oddest) but something about the tiny man head to toe with bandages and bruises, not from anything in particular, next to the perfectly healthy imp that towered over all just took the cake. Maybe it was Bdubs’ elaborate outfit, nicely layered and clearly thought out, to Impulse’s black jeans and a graphic t-shirt with a yellow ‘i’ in the middle.

“I don’t get a smidge of hunger up here, so!” Martyn chirped.

“Oh GREAT!” If you had the gall to call Martyn dramatic, Bdubs was a high school romcom. He managed to roll his eyes with his entire body. Beyond Buds’ audience, a speck frolicked in their wheat.

“Frog! Look at it!” I ditched the barging, much to Bdubs’ appall, to spin around the frog. My spun until vertigo sent me down, frog safely placed on my stomach.

“Not on our crops!” Impulse and Bdubs ran over exhausted.

I did seem to have fallen in a wheat field. My dog walked over to lick my face.

“And the dog too? Just call up the whole zoo to trample ol’ Bdubs wheat!” He pushed me out of the soil with a hoe, disturbing the frog further into the miniature farm.

“One more thing tramples my crops, I’m killing it!!” He said, stomping in the middle of his field.

“I’ll kill you!” I mocked in a terrible accent.

“I will” He started to replant in anger.

“Don’t touch the froggie!” I carefully glanced before each step to lessen the wheat trampling, to scoop up the frog and deliver them to my hoodie hood.

“You can’t be all that mad Bdubs, they were just tilling the earth.” Martyn approached the chaos.

“Just little tillies.” Martyn continued.

“Tilly,” I sparked with joy, the frog taking its chance for freedom. “Perfect name for a pup like you, right Tilly?” Tilly barked in presumed agreeance.

“Well, that settles that, Buds keep the frog and hubby happy, alright?” I dusted off my hands. Somehow, his eyes got bigger, “WhaaaAAAat!”

“We didn’t even tell you we were bounded.” Impulse said with a flick of the tail.

“No not that, that frog is NOT my problem!” Bdubs pressed his hands into his chest.

I got my battle axe out and traced the edge, “Really, Bdubs?” He botched at least twenty different unintelligible sentences.

Before he could find a response, a couple of boats cascaded down the mountain behind us. Bdubs’ nagging was not nearly as interesting. They, perfectly fine, skated across the earth leaving deep gutters behind themselves.

“Can tell that your partners!” Martyn tilted his donkey over into earshot.

“Two boys in boats!” A voice branded with sunlight cheered.

“Boating all about!” The other farther back spoke in equal joy.

They died moments ago! They should not be this chipper, I thought, lost.

I could tell it was Etho and Joel now that they were boating over Bdubs’ pasture. Attracted by their happiness, the frog hopped into Etho’s muddy boat.

“Pearl, look I got a frog!” He yelled over Bdubs.

“Keep ‘em safe, please!” I replied.

“And you’ve got a saddle.” Joel sidestepped out of his boat, axe in hand, towards Martyn.

“The donkey, with the saddle, for the frog’s life!” Joel declared, pointing the axe at the poor froggie.

“Well actually,” I piped in before Martyn could agree. “I was just harassin’ Bdubs, so keep ‘em.” I did my best to sound casual. Joel slumped and dragged his feet over to his boat. As they continued tilling the earth, Bdubs regained interest in us.

“Pearl,” He yelled even when I was a mere meter away.

“Pearl! They took the frog. It’s no longer my problem.” As he said that, the Boat Boys ditched their namesake after a sheep.

“To me, it appears to still be on your property, and thus your problem.” I popped my lips. Bdubs fell to his knees in arrant tragedy.

“I am in need of resources.” His head hung low. I noted the bandage around his skull but had an inkling he was always like this.

“Tough.” I turned to walk away when my stomach betrayed me. I regretted not settling for rotten flesh.

“HAHA! You need food, I have food, give resources,” I lifted an eyebrow at him.

“Please.”

“I’ve got full armor and tools so I could lend you 51 iron.” I browsed my inventory.

“%!!” His jaw hit the floor.

“Yep, gave ten to Jimmy too.”

“Here’s four steaks.” So, they had cows.

“Thank you!” I waved but Bdubs grabbed my arm still looking for tradables.

“32 melons.”

“Okay, okay! I’m intrigued now.” Even at full height, I must bend my head down to gaze at him.

“Mangrove Propagates!” New stuff, nice.

“Where did you get these?” I needed to work on hiding my interest.

“Yes.” He answered confidently. I flattened my lips.

“Let’s see… How much?”

“Up to you.”

I browsed my inventory, not that I cared to lose the iron, just seeing if I could get a bit more from him. A diamond, a disc, mainly beginners’ trash. I tested luck by tossing a lone iron at his feet.

“How dare you! I’ll go kill the frog right now.”

“Noo, no, here you are.” I snickered as I handed him 10 more.

“Perfect, just perfect. Exactly as I need!” He pulled out a collapsible crafting table and got to work, crisscrossed on the dirt.

“Welp thanks for coming in clutch, actually my stomach was annoyed ‘cause I was out of food.” I shoved a melon slice into my mouth.

“Really!” He looked away from his work, amazed by the timing.

“Couldn’t even run, so thank you.”

“Wish you well on your travels, alone, with Ruffus, no what’s his name.” He said peering around for who I assumed to be helmet head, who had disappeared.

“Martyn. Hope you get some health for that eye.” I gestured to my own for reference.

“NO, THE DOG! Tilly, you called her Tilly, right, and thank you! I’m looking for some aloe.” He prodded his own bruised eye.

We shared a laugh as I walked away.

I had a plan. See, I didn’t mention them, but every once in a while, worlds will provide new entities. Be it a gross ooze with a taste for blood, or helpful blue spirit, they appeared without explanation. The captive of my attention today was a top the mountains. Goats yodeled hellos when I approached their plateau. If the goats charge at you and miss, they may break their horns, which have been co-opted into noise machines. They sounded constantly, and I was going to join in the misery making.

I baited the goats towards me, back facing a wall, but none would bite. And if they did, they were exact with their hits, then my dog would track them down in revenge. I tried for a good hour, sun ending up painting the sky, to no avail. Dejected, I grabbed my axe and went to the base of the mountain to see if I could find anyone else.

You wouldn’t believe my luck.

“Pearl! Congrats, you are going to the nether!” Martyn shouted from a hill side. Lave sizzled at his feet when he showed me a jagged portal to hell. A purple cool-feeling mesh radiated a glow, beckoning you in, from the obsidian.

“Martyn, I’ve seen like two people and you’re one of them.” I sat asked Tilly to sit.

“Well, have you considered it’s an adventure?” He smirked

“We could.” I pulled out my axe.

“We could! Come on!” We both already had our feet in the portal.

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I crept through a cave following voices. They were practically incoherent, but I could tell they were fighting creepers, due to the 'boom' sounds. I waited for the festivities to calm down before breaking the wall between us. A werewolf and a zombie, stood in dismay at the demolition before them. They still were talking about something as I ran up behind them.

“Watch Out!” I jumped between them.

“Smajor!” The wolf yelped.

“Woah!” The zombie cried, taking their sword out and facing me. I cackled in reply.

“Smajor.” Ren the dog still sounded happy to see him.

“Hey Scott!” ZombieCleo more so.

“Well while you here, want to trade in hot gossip?” Ren covered his smile. His sunglasses reflected me in all my armor. I hated it.

“I’ve got none to trade, besides Jimmy and Tango.” I crossed my arms.

“Jimmy and Tango.” Cleo noted

“That’s more than us!” Ren bolstered while Cleo took out her Comm. and gasped.

“Tango blew up

Jimmy’s heart is broken”

“Oh,” Ren peered over her arm, jaw agape. “We didn’t even see that!”

“We made a zombie farm!” Ren said proudly, hastily changing topic. Zombie spawners were another weird thing that just existed in the universe. In the darkness, most hostile mobs can materialize. This chance is changes to certain for one type of mob when close to a spawner.

“Another one, I saw one near spawn?”

“Yup! But first, information,” Ren uttered, dramatically putting his fingers together. “I saw Bdub’s and Impulse in the woods up to no good.”

“Oh, so they’re together, together than?”

“Yes, that and they told me that they were soul bound” Cleo interjected.

“Well than that leaves us with… each other I believe.” I peered at the server’s member list.

“Scott! Do the honors.” Ren laid is head out for me. I pinched his ear and felt nothing.

“Well, how about this?” Ren smacked my arm.

“Nope, nothing.” Cleo lamented, hand at her hip.

“Well, it’s not us either.” Cleo and I sighed in unison.

“What a shame, it could have been great!” Ren’s ears faced downward as he rubbed is neck.

“Wait!” A voice from outside the ravine called.

“Wait, again. Is it safe for me to come down?” Big B leaned in over them.

“You can make it. Got a bucket?” Cleo called back

“Hmmm. I don’t know…” Big B started to walk back.

“Here, I have some.” I slide my pack off my shoulder and grabbed the water. In the weird and marvelous way this world works, it infinitely poured where you spilt it.

Well not exactly infinitely, more of spread for a while but the logistics of water does not matter. I threw some to the floor.

“Come on Big B you can make it!” I reassured. He finally leaped down and by our world’s miracles, he didn’t break his legs.

“Anywhozel, why’d you tell us to wait.” Ren ears perked back up.

“Oh right!” And with that Bing B decked Ren.

“What was that for?!” Ren covered his bleeding nose. Big B’s nosebleed with his.

“We’re soul mates!” Big B exclaimed bringing Ren in for a hug.

“Really?! Best friends Forever! Now can you all leave me and Big B’s big hole, please.”

…………..

“Then we’ve meet everyone!” I turned my Comm.’s server members interface off in frustration.

“But Pearl and Martyn.” Cleo offered bitterly.

“Except Pearl and Martyn.” I threw myself on to the grass. A poppy greeted me after my fall. I crushed it. Dye stained my hand like blood. Cleo came to sit by me but

the Comms. lit up, causing her to jump.

“They just don’t shut up do they?” They brought the troublemaker to her face, and squeezed it.

“Scott, they're in the nether nether.”

“You’re kidding” I checked mine.

“I wouldn’t lie about that, to you at least.” Cleo sat down, resting her head on their arms.

“I know, I mean them. The nether? Potions are banned! Why go?” I bent my head back to see how mesmerizing the stars above us were, even when upside down.

“I know, I don’t get it either. And it’s Pearl too, didn’t expect that from her. What if we claimed each other as our soulbounds, well soulmates I guess?”

I chuckled. “And what? Find them at the end of the session and be like, ‘Welcome home, cheaters’ ?”

“Yes! We have been out here all day looking for them!” Cleo smiled as she swiped hair out of her face.

“Serves them right!” I sat up with them. “I wouldn’t hope to star gaze with anyone else.”

“Sweet, but mobs will try to kill us if we stay here.” With that us soulmates took out our weapons and ventured for shelter.

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

I almost fell flat on my face running from the nether, Martyn hot on my heels. The portal whisked us away into sanctity. Might as well been heaven when the cutest of dogs was awaiting me. I scratched her head trying to ignore the scorch marks on my arms and the memories that came packaged with. In stead I focused hard on the softness of Tilly’s fur.

“Here we are, alive and well!” He twirled a blaze rod like a baton, the rest peeking out of his backpack.

“So now what.” I plopped next to Tilly on the dirt.

“We scam! In fact, we’re right next a couple of suckers.” He jumped onto his steed toward Bdub’s and Impulses’ home with me in pursuit. Martyn pulled out a horn and blasted it.

“Can we kill whoever is causing that racket?” A distance voice groaned.

“No! It’s the sound of a bargain! May I present to you, a blaze rod.” Martyn bowed as he showed pulled it from his bag. The crowd ooed.

“Positions this early on will be an annoyance to make.” Impulse thought aloud.

“Alright, alright. What do you want for it.” Martyn shrugged his pack off.

“Nothing.” Bdubs stated but Impulse mouthed to him something.

“Oh right! We want a mushroom. A Brown mushroom, got one?” He heckled with arms crossed.

“Got it right here!” I dangled it in front of him but pulled it back before he could snatch it.

“What can we give you?” Impulse stared with wide eyes.

“Hmmm” I theatrically put my hand to my chin.

“We have two cattle!” Impulse lifted his hand.

“Hmmmmmm” Me and Martyn did together.

“… Bdubs’ do we have anything else.”

“Come on, you’re hungry! You have no food. Admit it! And think of the leather, for books…! And other things... I can’t think of.” We huddled in silence.

“We’re scrapping the bottom of the barrel.” I huffed with my entire chest.

“Too poor!” Martyn agreed pulling leather strands from his bag.

“YOU’RE THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL! Sorry, I shouldn’t shout.” Bdubs slid back behind Impulse.

“We’re going to find something better; I have a plot.” As we trotted off, I implored.

“Okay, okay, we haven’t got a clue of who our soulmates are right?”

“That’s rig-”

“That’s right! So, we collect all the people who haven’t found their soulbounds yet and,” He waved his fingers. “Have A Game Show!”

“Game show?” I wasn’t sure I was following.

“To find our soulbounds!” Martyn repeated in vigor.

“I’ll send out the message for all of single ladies to meet at spawn and explain further.”

But elsewhere in the world, sour smiles snared at their screens. They’d come alright, how could they pass up this opportunity?

“Cool, they said they’ll be right here!” I sat in a tree as Martyn configured his stage. I hadn’t even thought about my favor with Scott and Cleo so far. What was to say? We are a triangle, our bond defying us. The moment they came over we’d be together again, doing anything for each other’s success.

“Just the two of them, how ‘bout everyone else?” He said half-minded while pressuring the netherack to cooperate.

“Just those two replied.” I jumped down to the clearing. A goat bleated in the distance, probably summoned by all the horns sounding off in the distance.

“But we need three for this to work. I have to host, there has to be someone else.”

“I could?”

“Oh, my mod, you could!”

“Hello, guys! What are we doing today?” Scott cheered from the woods shadowed by Cleo.

“Hello! I have here a game show.” Martyn presented the structure to them and they giggled. Something was up, I couldn’t wait to see what they had planned.

“Get into the stalls I’ll explain further.” He ushered us into random spots.

“What lovely mats you have here Martyn, went to the nether for them?” Scott’s and Cleo’s sneers would not leave them.

“The netherack! Just a quick trip. In and out, y’know.” He hoisted himself on top of the stalls.

“In and out, yeah?” Cleo remarked, hands behind their back.

“Hello contestants!” Martyn stole a stick for a microphone. Bits of walls crumpled as he walked on them.

The goat came over to explore the conundrum.

“Infront of you is a chest with items. You will use them to find your soulmate!” Scott whispered something to Cleo. They failed to suppress their laughs.

Before I could question them, I was thrown to the floor. The victor, the goat, stood above me strikingly. Scott laughed from the other stall, arms clasping his stomach, not from joy however, he winced in pain. I joined them in their hysteria.

“Hard to start a game show when all the contestants won’t shut it. What did I say?”

“No, no you worked hard on this keep going.” Cleo could barely get the sentence out.

“What did I do?” He begged

“Look, Martyn,” Scott got Martyn’s attention before slamming his fist into the wall, causing some of the netherack to fall away. I grasped for my fist at the sudden jerk of pain.

“And.” He flicked Cleo. Martyn flinched.

“You are joking… How did you know!” Their response was even louder laughter.

“Because you are the only ones left! Everyone else has their partner.” Cleo huffed, exhausted from the laughing.

“You left us for each other! Off to literal hell!” Scott continued for her.

“We were getting resources.” Martyn yelled back.

“What Kind Of Resources, They Are All Banned!” Cleo shot back.

“Valuable ones!” His excuses were too pathetic, I couldn’t help but grin.

“Enjoying the show? We’re in this together!” Martyn looked grisly.

“Pearl, you left us too.” Scott’s answer winded me.

“W-What? But we’ve been together since last season!” I tried to fight back.

“And you left us for the nether! You weren’t eating! Did you ever think to look for us, ‘cause we met everyone before you two bothered to present yourselves!”

“i-I I was looking.” I never was a good liar.

“Do you know how painful it is to know that your universe assigned partner didn’t even bother to find you? The pain of watching everyone else meet up and having to bear a lone grin? Added with the fact it was you, someone who I trusted!” Scott fought back better.

Trusted

“Scott-” But he wasn’t interested. He dragged Cleo by the collar out of the fight Martyn pulled them into. They shared matching bruises.

A horn blew in the distance, followed by a mocking chorus of responses.

“Can they just shut up!” He threw is stick in that general direction.

“I’ll add to it since you love it so much.” Martyn’s anger was flushed out by the horn.

“I hate you!” He retorted.

“Feelings mutual!” Cleo growled back. We watched them trail off for a moment.

“I guess we are united now…” I felt like a ghost again, just watching everything fall. Having no say over it.

“Are you kidding? Pearl, you’re great, but you are no soulmate.”

“Martyn, we have no one else!” I tried to say it with the same conviction.

“You wouldn’t get it. I’m going alone now.” I was parallelized, shocked to my core.

The moon was almost full that night letting me stare in clarity even when the mist took him in.

He never looked back. How long I stood there? Couldn’t tell you. Tilly eventually whimpered at my feet. Branches were entangled in her fur, remnants from where she hid, most likely.

“It’s you and me now, girl” I combed off the twigs.

“Just us.”

Chapter Two Bayyyybeeee!!!

Fog clung to me and Tilly as we slogged away. For where? Away. I couldn’t stand to see that hellish glade for another second. I was alone, in every way! The ‘break’ has commenced. Your comms. shutoff completely and all member’s footsteps are evaporated into the air. No one can find you; you can’t find them. The fun would return, it always did, the world simply felt displaced from time to time. To give you a rest, they said, a moment to think.

Because that’s what I needed.

Cast off to fend for myself. Didn’t they care, chiefly Scott, if I made it back alive? Not that I struggled, the dead are great bearers of my torment, but I still feel a little left behind.

What was I doing while they panicking at the spectral burn? Gallivanting with Martyn, not a care in the world.

They won’t stay mad forever, they’ll come around and see it from my eyes. I was thinking of them! Even if it wasn’t the brightest choice.

But that’s all it took for them to cast me aside? That’s how little I mean to them?

I did so much for them! I took in a deep breath. And they did equal work for me. I will wait it out, it will be okay.

Won’t it?

Cleo and Scott are veterans compared to me. The one thing that made you a worthy ally to veterans was loyalty, and I had left that in the overworld. I assumed that they wouldn’t care, assumed they’d get over it, instead of showing that I still was valuable.

In my defense, they were out of harm’s way. They’re living, aren’t they?

I scared them out of their minds with wafts of fire searing my- me and Scott’s nerves, and they had no context as to what was happening! They said that their food was out, was I that injured?

Tilly yelped at my feet, fur stuck firm to her body, paws deep in mud. I’m forced to notice the tremor in my legs.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to forget about you too. There is a cave over by our left we can camp the night there.” The cave air isn’t nearly as humid and cold, even if the walls are wet, luxurious with the addition of a private river lulling us to sleep.

The sun greets us when we exit our bunker, even mistier from storm. Heat warms up my damp eyes, from the rain, nothing else. I flick my comm. on but it still can’t find a signal. Not that it matters, I have no one to go to.

“How do you feel about living like Rapunzel, honey?” I exclaim over my internal discourse.

Tilly barks in excitement, be it at a bee or me I don’t know.

She chases butterflies as I tear down trees for a ladder and the actual home. Propagates produce mangrove trees like weeds, making gathering simple; ignoring the roots that tie in a mangled messes constantly latching around ankles.

By the time I get to a happy height Tilly is a speck on the floor. She next rubs my leg. Pets are family, and some mod had deemed it necessary they follow you to the ends of the earth, all be it walking or a disappearing act. Another silly, little thing we accept into our lives. I try to look out for them.

“How’s the view?” I put my legs of the side and my hand on Tilly’s face. Her ears pin back when scratching her chin, I store in some patch of my brain for later.

“Hello! Is anyone living here?” Their shouts are barely tangible but enough to ruin the moment. I peer down the trapped door to see Scar hoisting himself up my ladder. Fear scatters in my rib cage. Not again, not at my base again.

A very angry wizard yelling at Scott far, far up in a tower built in a much more constructively sound manor comes to sicken my mind. Bubble elevators are not Scar’s friend, by the way.

Not a good old ladder, however! He gets close to repeating history a few times, but Scar makes it safely to the top.

“Pearl! Your looks worried me a bit yet hear me speak from the top of the world!” He stretches out his arm, other leaning on an elaborate cane.

“What about my looks?”

“Oh! Your skin, it looks sickly. You should see a doctor about that.”

“I’ll get right on that. Bit hard to keep the smiles up after losing Scott and Cleo.” I cavil.

“Oh, you need a heart doctor! Well, I’m told I’m a greet listener, and on the side I’m an entrepreneur in drama.” He takes his hand under his chin.

“Sure Scar. There isn’t much to say. After not finding Scott immediately they decided I wasn’t committed enough, omitting that however I live in this tower.” The view captivates me once more; a creamy blue sky with sparce clouds is not the worst thing to draw your focus.

“Alone, that is. Is Martyn caught up in this too?”

I let the calm smolder between us instead of granting a response.

“He’s built a horrendous house in the middle of the valley!”

“He’s what?” My intrigue betrays my effort to seam detached.

“In the valley, there now is a blob of red floating in the sky. Y’know I offer therapeutic support?”

“Really- Why?”

“Yes, of course,” Disregarding my comment on Martyn he continued. “And I’d be bad at my job if I let you sulk alone. Grian isn’t too impressed to be stuck with me again.”

“Didn’t he choseablely do that?”

“No, not at all. The once was a contract obligation. No Jellie pandas in the fort! Didn’t even give me a reason. Just ‘No’ like it was self-explainable. They can’t defend themselves, Pearl, he’s just too cruel.”

“Jellie pandas?”

“Oh, yes, don’t you think the regular pandas are pathetic! To fix that, ask a mod for them to look like your beloved cat!” With that he pulled a sleepy Jellie cat from his top hat.

“How? How did you get them to do that?”

He laughs. “It was a struggle! She almost took my arm! Anyways, you may see another dejected loner tower over near the jungle. Don’t know how long I have left in the house.”

“Well, I’d always love the company.” I assured civilly, trusting that he’ll note my cordialness.

“We could build a bridge between us and everything! Well, Grian sent me out here to get wood, so I should get back and pretend I couldn’t find any.

“Scar, we are in an oak forest.”

“Goodbye!” He slides down the ladder like second nature, voice cartoonishly getting quieter each rung.

I am mentally winded.

The ‘house’ currently lacks any walls nor a roof. It shouldn’t be this easy to fill my lungs. I look through empty chests for scraps.

“Looks like we’re poor, Tilly.” I sigh. When Scott was here, we were the richest on the server.

“Tilly!” I call for my beloved.

That’s behind me now.

“Tilly?”

My comm. whizzes for my attention.

The artless floor that will house us is empty. Dog hairs float aimlessly in the wind.

She must of have gone back down. There probably was some stranger down there, again. I couldn’t see anything from where I was at.

Scar is a sketchy man! I don’t blame her if she escorted him off the premises. I cry for her again. The wind is the only one to hear.

I fly down the ladder calling for her, ignoring the comm. buzzing on my hip. Nothing can be heard up there anyways. She is just around the corner; she has to be around the corner.

I don’t get far until my hopes are crushed like, well. A pool of blood flows before me. Dust covers the foliage slowing getting picked up by the wind; Her remains dance around me.

“Tilly…” I do my best to hold up, but she is the last straw. For a moment I couldn’t conceive it; she was just laying at my feet a moment ago. How could the only one left leave me, by accident even!

I fail to hold back the realization, she would never excitedly await me at the door, couldn’t snap at butterflies in the woods.

Grief pulls me to the floor and anguish rips my throat. I can’t get any oxygen back into my lungs.

She’s gone. Tilly is gone.

She had existed in my life for so little. Did she know how much I love her? Need her?

I am completely alone.

I pulled my hood over my ears to muffle it out, but it hummed in the earth.

No one in the world cared about me.

I heaved for some air, straining.

No more sleepless nights made bearable by my dog.

Wind rustles leaves above, scrapping together a laugh.

No one else cares for me. And the only one that does is a dog, was a dog.

Screams wrestle me.

She wouldn’t lick the tears off my face, couldn’t take me back to reality.

The wind picks up drying out my eyes.

No one needs me anymore. No one wants to be around me.

Something ugly boils in my cortex.

My nails return to digging through my palms. The remorse creeps back out, but I smother it in, prodding further.

I’d never be in this tower if I was there for them in the start.

This is what I deserved really, to feel the same pain of abandonment.

I’d bet they’ll all get a kick out of this, the deserter entirely alone.

I reach for Tilly to calm me down, Tilly. A wail breaks any composure I had left. The ends of my nails keep pushing and pushing into my palm even when I released my grip.

“Tilly, - “I hic-upp more tears. The poor thing must have been petrified. I was the cause. Why didn’t I tell her sit down. Why can’t I do anything right. Why must the one I love have her life thrown away.

“Pearl! I just had the greatest idea do you have iron?”

I feel hard stone on which my back rest and the moist dirt that soaks my pants. Eyes flutter open awaking to a blurry light. The world seamed to spin slightly, not doing the ice-pic head ache going through my temples.

“Hello?” Darkness floods my vision for a second before wafting back.

My eyes are burning as if someone has sprayed bear spray from an inch away. I flop onto my side, accomplishing little but soaking myself in more cold mud now encasing half my body. The sudden switch of temperatures makes my sight spin even faster, swirling the world like soup and the trees helpless vegetables trapped within.

“Pearl? You haven’t left, have you?” Their voice is wobbly like waves in an ocean, or also soup if you shake it enough.

The voice also washes the world further in the flavor of disorder. I cover my ears so the sound won’t make me nauseous, yet my ears still pick up a ring at a dog-whistle pitch, well not really because you can’t hear those frequencies, but I imagine this is pretty damn close.

“Be a real shame if I had to pilfer your chest!”

I try to rebuttal; however, my stomach threatens with backwash. Something screeches not helping anyone. The vibration of footsteps strafe over making me sicker.

“What happened here?”

I throw myself up into a sitting position but the force to move my head makes my brain bounce about in my skull. I return my hands to covering my eardrums. The world fades indecisive if I should be awake or not. Something taps my arm, but I elbow it away. It refuses to leave me to my headache.

“It will only get worse if you don’t eat.” The world returns for a moment to show me the bread that an overtly scared hand is providing me.

“Not… hungry.” My brain almost burst from the concentration talking requires. He insist that I at least take the bread.

Fine! I’ll do anything for this shouting to stop. I relax my hand out, but he hesitates in turn.

“What happened to your hands, and your arms?” He takes my other arm inducing my head to slump.

While he inspects my hands, I try to eat the bread I mistakenly soaked in mud.

“Oh, here you go.” He let go of my hands and shoves it into my mouth, how kind, nevertheless Scar isn’t wrong the food helps me reanimate.

“Why are you here?” Is the only comprehensive sentence in my mind.

“For a deal of course!” He pickers back up.

“Why do I have a craving for soup?” The sun was low in the sky, almost setting. When had I last eaten?

“No clue. Anyways I came up with a brilliant way to make our soulmates miserable!”

“Did Scott feel that? Is he okay?” I waver a bit trying to stand so he rests on the tower and lends me his cane, which does not help with the vertigo of grief.

“Stay focused, I need iron.” His voice stays smooth.

“Are you trying to scam me right now?” I had lost my manners in the ice-picked part of my brain.

“No, no! Pearl I would never try and scam the sick and unfortunate! In fact, it’s for your benefit!”

“Scar I think I need an actual medical doctor.”

“A surprise will fix you all up, just wait and see!”

I gage on air motivation my lungs to lurch.

“Okay, since you want to ruin it, wanna torture our soulmates?”

“My soulmate is dead. “

“… I haven’t seen any death messages; do you mean emotionally?”

“Tilly fell of the tower.” The tears build behind my eyes in tandem with the tsunami in my stomach that sieges.

His silence stings, was I too blunt? The fire-ants in my blood stream say otherwise; I just lost my dog who cares if I’m not the most hospitable.

“… All I need is a bucket, it’ll make a great distraction.”

“Just steal the iron already!”

He stumbles out a few excuses that he has never stolen a thing, yet he gives up and takes his cane and the iron from my disorderly chests.

“I promise it is not a scam! I will return to you with a chill distraction.” At least he is being quieter.

“Oh, and Pearl? Just remember I helped you, okay?” He dawdles into boscage leaving me to sprawl out on the floor.

I massage my face to trying to regain the control of my mind, praying for a moment of peace, so naturally my teeth prod out a bit farther than I remember. Opening my mouth, I tap a canine, pricking my finger bloody. I click back into a normal-ish head space during my rummage of the woods for anything reflective. A pond cradles displaced leaves and other muck not too far from the tower. Water swirls around my hand, only a little contaminated by blood, providing me with a mirror.

My eyes were mis figured, for one; red taints my once clear vision and the green of my eyes, polluting them. Not fully as if I was on my last life, but they will still frighten. My teeth are dog-esk, skin translucent, nails long and hardened like claws, most concerningly are the hearts on my arm. They were shattered. Little sprinkles of green, yellow, and red dot my forearm.

With no better retort, I crumple back into a pitiful heap cursing whatever cruel specimen disfigured my face to resemble a tyke. Some cosmic joke to make me look like my prized. My lives are literally broken, hearts shattered! My face all kinds of wrong too. I pat my head looking for ears and I can see no tail, so I suppose I did not get any of the benefits of dog aesthetics.

I throw my hands to hide my eyes with the cost of tearing a gash in my forehead. Lovely. Really! The blood stains look nice with the tear trails, pleasing I dare say.

I only mutter that for the intention of a giggle however my reflection poses a ghastly figure. A little red riding hood wearing the face of a wolf. The claws of a killer but the scars to prove I am not equipped to deal.

Scars. Scabs, hopefully, otherwise I have to fight Scar for is namesake, they overreach my entire hand, emphasis on the center of my palms. Little bits of tissue reopen forming a blood trail from me clenching my hands a mere minuet ago, or any of the other acts I may have committed with my hands. Would this ever heal or would it just get shoved to the background with the ringing in my ears; never enough to get mad over but plenty to constantly be annoyed by.

Adequately to drown out hooves trampling brush.

“Pearl, we heard of your skirmish!” Yet not adequate at muting dogs.

I try and clean up the little I have to present however the calvary have already decided I’m a charity case.

“Where did all this blood come from?”

The only pink left of my skin stated to drain, nails grow uncouthly, and that signature ringing sound that just never went away. Never leaves until someone dies. This is a sign that They should pay

Okay calm down what does that even accomplish? Oh me oh my this seems what being a red life feels like. That cant be good. Scott and Cleo had no idea martyn would leave me, and I paid the price of picking him over them. I bet cleo and scott would have never done what I did

Until the decided that I should feel the same pain.

I can not decide if I want A) Pearl and herself bicker B) Pearl and some premortal force bicker D) Pearl believes shes wrong C) pearl knows but doesn’t believe shes in the wrong E) She is right aout everything all the time

Do you see how quickly they let go? They never cared, did they?

The wind rustled the leaves above.

I was never cared for. I was never truly loved.

I couldn’t stop the screams the were leaving me.

I was used! They saw my abilities; they saw me as a threat. Saw.

The wind about my picked up drying out my eyes causing me to weep more.

They do not- They do not Think they need me anymore!

Something ugly boiled in my cortex.

I just handed them a reason to let me go. Their plan was to leave me from the start, I know it. How stupid could I be, no wonder they abandoned me. I am cluelessly pathetic.

My nails returned to digging through my palms. The remorse crept back out, but I smothered it in prodding further.

Pathetic. What a joke, had I not done enough to gain their trust? Pathetic. When he’s the one being so petty. Pathetic, as if. As If! I was an admirable ally, a foreboding enemy. Did he forget? Pathetic. What a joke, had I not done enough to gain their trust? Pathetic. When he’s the one being so petty. Pathetic, as if. As If! I was an admirable ally, a foreboding enemy. Did he forget?

I became overtly aware of my axe holstered on my hip.

Had he dared to forget?

I became overtly aware of my axe holstered on my hip.

Had he dared to forget?

I reached for Tilly to calm me down, forcing reality to flood in. The ends of my nails kept pushing and pushing into my palm even when I released my grip

“Tilly, - “I hic-upped more tears. The poor thing must have been petrified. I was the cause. Why didn’t I tell her sit down. Why can’t I do anything right. Why must the one I love have her life thrown away. Worthless Wor-.

I remembered a fortress underground, wholesome cottages above. Blood spilled in my mouth. The scent of gunpowder as the front door splintered.

I remembered smoke.

A soul being removed from my body and handed to someone else. The kind of faith, kinship one had to feel to be willingly to detach from those. To fight for the loss of said soul after watching one be removed through crude transcutaneous swings, just to do it again, throwing them away like nothing, for a new ally! No, a stranger.

I remembered bloodlust.

Friends laughing as we burrowed to the center of the earth, smiles leading the clueless in. Door locking, the sizzle of dynamite.

Arrows in my spine, running for my freedom just to be shot down from elsewhere. Breathing in new lungs, them being popped seconds later. I swear something else forced me to smile.

I remembered burning.

In the back cascades of my mind formed a Scott running into the woods. The fact that someone else jumped out of a tree a covered me in molten rock. He ran. He ran from me!

What could I do but remind him why?

I chuckled. I remembered hunting down the rest of the yellows. Baiting them with arrows, unaware of my axe. The adrenaline that spilling blood provided. I wanted to feel it again.

I clutched at my hair as my shrieking consumed me, part of me crying for it to stop, the other welcoming the curse to fuel me. The wind breaking branches then throwing them into the ground.

If I wasn’t wanted, I’d give them a reason. Something that causes them to shutter in the night.

“You were looking for powerful things.”

Happens that they were dangerous too. The seared skin on my arm was enough to remind me of that.

“And he felt every second of it with no idea what was happening”

But the resources were worth it!

“They are of no use.”

Of course, they were, theyre from the nether!

“Not in his eyes, they are banned,what was your plan once you got them?”

I-I I had too! Martyn had followed me into the caves I owed him!

“Did he not go down in his own fruition?”

I needed the protection!

“You are a strong fighter, you can fend for yourself, you did that more that enough for cleo and scott.”

Exactly! They should know that I am useful!

“They do. But you hurt them badly. Why would they not leave you alone?”

Because I am there friend! All they need is time they will come around And they didn’t they left me with martyn!

“You chose him over them, why are you sad?”

How was I supposed to know he was going to leave me?

“You didn’t. That’s why you should have left him for people who you knew wanted you.”

… Okay maybe I am in the wrong so what!!

You pay the price

But I was trying! Don’t they see that! I did what I though was best not for me, but for us!

For them? Do you really think anyone would buy it for a second that you were thinking of them?

Of course they will, and cleo and scott will come back around I’ll show them! I’ll be the strongest person here! All I need is my dog!

*Tilly Is Dead*

Tilly!!

You are crying to something that can no longer hear.

Well fuck you too I guess

Is this how youll convince them with tears running down your face

No-

You are the poorest person here, and Scar looted your stuff, you cant fend him off

He took nothing of value cause I have nothing of value!

Then what are you going to show scott and cleo?

… My tears, they will feel bad

That wont deter them further?

What do I do?

Nothing

But I need them

And you completely forgot. Treated them like trash

I didn’t know it was scott!

And if it wasn’t this would be okay?

Well

You are a faluire. You didn’t’t think of anyone else but yourself and now no one thinks of you.

…

Why do you think martyn left? He saw this, saw ho little you cared Anyone who knows how you treated scott will treat you accordingly They may give you pity at first but wait and see.

…

Then I will be something that keeps them up at night.

*Boogie Time*

“Stronger than the rest of them.” The leaves seemed to rustle.

It was true! I’d like to see one of them bounce back after a departure like that. Soul bounded! With someone who I cared about already! Someone who I thought cared for me.

The burns on my arm decided to reintroduce themselves. Anxiety spiked upon realizing that he could have felt that.

“How do you blame him?”

“What happened to ‘never cause that pain to a soulbound’? A soulmate.” The wind picked up, taking my worthless tears with it.

Of course, I couldn’t blame him, not in the slightest. If it was painful knowing a gust of fire was trailing you down imagine randomly. No, no I’d leave the dead weight that caused me all my sanity as well.

“Dead Weight, Dead Weight” Thunder cracked. Rain pelts me soon after.

I cried for it to stop. Not that anyone would hear my pleas. Not that they would care if they did, if they knew what you did.

I fell with the downpour. Why did it hurt me so? Scott was just- was, auhg. They were the first people to befriend me. Him and Cleo the first to take bullets for me. The first that cared.

“And one mistake is all it took.” I tried pulling my hood down farther, breaking some of the seam.

“All that time together worth nothing. Did he not see how useful you could be?”

“The other boy too. He spent the day with you! He should have saw.” Tilly long since had turned around, whining for my attention.

“As if you meant nothing.” My nails dug through the fabric into my palms.

“As if?”

My fist sprang open. I felt that wasn’t the intended response, but I selfishly forgot Scott could feel the piercing sting, could feel my feet ache with the weight of caring something so pathetic.

This bashing was no good for me. I ran into for a cave pleading for serenity, but the whispers howled in the rafters. I bared up the opening, finally muffling them, yet that did not stop their sneering.

“What, is the truth too much to bear?”

Curled into a ball, I desperately tried to change my focus. I reached out in the darkness for my bag finding something cold and wet instead. I recalled my hand before recalling I wasn’t alone. I was never completely alone.

I mustered up the energy to fill in the cave with light, as well fill the other side.

“Scott hurt you. You need to repay him.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Why do you care if you get hurt? Doesn’t Scott warrant it? Does he not deserve to feel a fraction of the harm he caused?” I itched Tilly’s back, thinking that over.

“He didn’t want this.” It was hard to get out.

This was the first time the wind had calmed down in hours. Then my barrier bent to the force pushing it in.

“Didn’t want this? You are Alone, Pearl. Alone in a world of love birds! You are a blight on them, a reminder that it can end. Do you think wants that blemish to stick around? Do you think that you aren’t an easy target? He has killed you, Both of you, in a petty rage.”

The rain was rattling the cave with sound. Turns out I wasn’t nearly as alone as I anI wanted nothing more than to get away.

“I had Martyn.” Do a soulbound’s heart accelerate together? Scott must be so lost with all the minor annoyances I cause.

“Yes! Martyn, what excuse will you give him? That he didn’t know what might find you? He’s been here since the start; he knew the risk. He knew that you would fall to it.”

I took in another deep breath. I hoped Tilly didn’t mind my shake ridden hands petting her.

“Martyn is gone. You are left with us, because you were deemed worthless by three people.”

“That’s not true -

“Why wouldn’t they?

“Well not as bait that is. Wouldn’t that paint a target on his back? You just said he a survivor, so I don’t think that making enemies at the first chance is his style.” I slowed every word to prevent my fear to crack through; every sentence felt it took weeks off my chances of winning.

“I-I was pretty darn hurt after the breakup, bet he was too. Needed sometime alone that’s all.”

“You need to learn to bare your teeth, girl. We will show you how to hone your skills.”

“Despite it all, I do try to stay civil. Maybe next time I’ll consider your offer.” I was baiting death, betting two lives on, something. They were undone no matter how I exited this. Guess this will make a good story at spawn.

“Do you not feel the pain? No one saw you worth the time of talking this out. They came to that clearing with their decision hard set. To discard you. Better off with out you. How many things had you given up for them? You severed souls, all be it enemies or yours, for them. He never would have won if it weren’t for you. And you let that go. Let them whisk away any hope of your survival. You are fine with that?” Maybe the curse had already had its way with me, but I chuckled.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Tilly jumped into my arms. “Have all I’ll ever need.”

“We will see.” Spikes from the celling fell around us while the rain drizzled away. Their rubble forming a perfect circle, and without a helmet an easy grave.

I let Tilly out of my arms and broke down again. What had I done to cause this fate? Cleo and Scott, Martyn too, then the curse drags its claws across my hope. Was a good distraction, however.

Pearl ran from the group. Her memories were quite fuzzy at that point, but they seemed traditional. For you see, Pearlescent Moon had joined a new server. Servers could be many things such as vast worlds where harm had no existence, but infinite resources did, or vast worlds where harm was plenty and resources a grind, or even ones like the one she was in now, where the server was amended for a particular purpose. How Pearl had gotten into this situation (and everyone else) does not matter to our story, only the fact that they were here now, and they were going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Pearl barreled down a hill. She tore into a tree for some basic starter tools and dove into the nearest

“Hello everyone, and welcome to Double life. A Hardcore Server where your health bar is joined with another person. That means, when you or your soulbound get injured, you injure the other. And be careful! You and your soulbound only have three tries at this, and on your last, well you will see what happens.”

All of that drabble got locked into a subconscious she had no intentions of trying to breach. The thing of utmost importance was that someone out there shared a soul with her. A Soulmate for her. Pearl’s smile practically lit up the cave she ventured into better than her torch. No number of senseless zombies and brainless skeletons could keep her down. And at every one of their attempts, she whispered her soul bounded an apology.

This caving was not for nothing, however! Welcoming each into her horde, the mined lumps of iron crafted into armor that would give them a fighting chance. As well she weaved planks together to block incoming attacks, with a complementing iron axe for an offense.

In one of the endless tunnels, she could hear voices. Not like the voice before no, but, a tangible person. Even two tangible people! She crept as close to them as she could without alerting, even breaking the walls quiet enough that the two did not notice.

“Went down to half health!” She took equal controlled breaths.

“No, you didn’t!” Her feet made so little sound she could have been floating.

“Yes! While I was fighting a skeleton! Having a little explore together, are we?”

“Sure we are!” That was her opening.

“DON’T DIE DOWN THERE!”

“Oh, My MODS” She could hear the echo of footsteps on wood, must mean a mineshaft.

“Where are you?!”

A cackle toppled out her mouth.

“Sounds like a witch”

“No, I do NOT like that. This is the same feel as when your comms. pick up something you didn’t.”

“You guys are bound to die in that down here” She called down, tearing towards them, having no reason to hide any longer.

“OOo, it’s a party down here!” She jumped down to their level.

Three others had arrived out of the woodwork.

“Was that a fairy?” Said a man of almost average height with green eyes and a green streak of hair with strange small cylinders coming out of it. Her brain guided her towards an image of Shrek for reference, although she couldn’t place what that was.

“Yes! That’s just Minnie Mouse don’t mind her.” A man dressed to the T was running past with a green tie and copper suit. He was covered in a record number of scars, of which he was appropriately named.

“Jimmy? Do you have any more of these shards, I have copper!” Crouched on one of the mineshaft’s rails was a man in solely light green. His most identifiable traits were his bandana (also green) and his blocky gold hair

“I don’t have any copper…” Said yet another blonde man with green eyes, but look over there could it be?

“That’s an Alley! You have an Alley!” Pearl pointed at the blue spirit. Theroid to have been empathetic players in a past life, they continue their graciousness in death, bringing items requested, having you at least had one. Also, particularly not found underground.

“Yes, yes Minnie Mouse!” Scar waved a hand as if being here for twenty minutes and finding a recent edition to all the servers was nothing.

Pearl traveled into the darkness, trying to get away from the unexpected gathering, only to immediately ram into a chest filled to the brim. Sure, most of it was coal but hidden in the ruff there was a shine. A golden apple. An ancient medicine. A gasp left her, but it wasn’t heard over the other ruckus.

And also banned, are you capable of listening?

She gazed deep into the engraved apple, seeing that her eyes were also green.

Augh! There you go again. Three lives, you remember?

She rubbed her forearm uncomfortably. Not really, but that didn’t concern her right now. She stashed away the apple deep into her inventory as if anyone could see it. No use taking the chance.

“So, what does that mean for us Joel, together forever?” Etho, a man with green eyes, and get this, white hair, (how intuitive) said with a mocking smile.

No, find a new joke.

“Leave that in last season, Martyn” A backward nostalgia stirred in her. Assumed it had something to do with the server hopping, not that it mattered. The group had dispersed after Martyn’s joke, deeper into the mines.

The caves glimmered with old water. Skating through the cave, she thought to herself about goals that needed to be put in place. Well first, going up into a rotting mineshaft when she could die permanently wasn’t the best idea. She grasped at the walls barely preventing a fall. How easy of a goal, don’t die first.

“Oh no, the cave spiders. No, not the cave spiders!” A distressed Jimmy echoed through the halls. She hadn’t gotten as far away as she thought.

“Don’t let the spider getcha, Jimmy” Her weight was supported by her ax as she cupped her ear to listen for the scrambling above. Hazardous, yet enriching.

“Wha-? Pearl! Where are you?!” Jimmy screeched.

“Just giving out a helpful warning!” Her cupped hand moved to her mouth.

“Are you in the walls- No, where are you?!” She had scared him more than the cave spiders.

“Dig down Jimmy, she’s right below us, dig down.” A sudden voice made pearl jump.

“Wait! Don’t do that I’m in a deep cave you’ll die!” She was lying. And for no real reason.

“Well, it will be on your hands!” Jimmy replied confidently.

“I was here to give you otherworldly advice, Jim! No need to be harsh.”

“Dare you to see who gets to Pearl first!” The echo sounded vaguely Martyn.

“Are you at deep slate?” She judged the climb to get up to them first.

“No, not yet. Tons of iron though!” No, take too many resources.

Martyn (Hey she was right!) collided with the floor. “Don’t worry, we’re coming! Gladly take it off your hands!” He eagerly gathered himself.

“Nooo. OOoo!” Pearl tried to chase him but almost tripped in shock. All the comms buzzed.

“Nice Pearl, first diamonds of the server!” Martyn chimed.

“Surprised you checked, the notifs. won’t be quiet.”

“You know what that means” Jimmy’s voice echoed from behind.

“I won’t die?” Pearl broke everything around for the chance of more. Sadly, it was a single.

“Yeah, … I don’t know. Didn’t think that far. At least you’re optimistic!” Jimmy fumbled when trying to get her, falling flat on his face. His wings fluttered in surprise, but they were too small to help.

…

Deeper into the mines Martyn and Pearl went, Jimmy knew better than to test his fate. Ores of plenty filled their pockets as well as the dead’s belongings. Following their trail, a dungeon unveiled itself. Pilfering through chests they did not find much besides rotting flesh and a scrappy saddle. Pearl, to horrify Martyn, attempted to fashion her own saddle out of the flesh, but the rot refused to refuse together.

After throwing her disgraceful amalgamation to the outer reaches of the cave, a mire grew further up the walls. They jumped out of their skin.

“No! Augh! There’s shulk down there.” Pearl ran towards the exit.

“Oh mods, not already,” Martyn grabbed his face. “Like, how far we talking?”

“Like, Right There, dude.” She forced.

“Aha! I’m excited about that!” His leaning over the ledge made it tempting to push him. But that probably wasn’t the best thing to do with your current partner. Not that the drop would kill him, from what Pearl could see, just a good spooking, that is all.

“Don’t think I’m ready to go down there now. How about I Don’t kill my bounded on the first day?” She stated instead.

“The thing is,” Pearl edged towards the ooze. “you get a sheep farm and you’re good to go! Sock up on all that wool, make as much carpet as possible…” Martyn turned away from her and put his hand to his chin, contemplating his idea.

“Can you touch it?” Pearl crouched next to the shulk.

“No worries I- No, Pearl, don’t touch the boat!” He frantically looked back. She dipped a finger into the blue. It subtly tried to pull her further in, so she ripped her hand through to kill that strand.

“Ew! I broke it,” Pearl jumped back up clutching her hand. “I’ve never even seen shulk before. Had no idea if that would kill me, haha.” Her toothy grin appeared.

“Lucky it don’t, glad I didn’t have to feel that ickiness” His tongue stuck out.

“Don’t be a child, it wasn’t that bad!” Pearl retorted.

“I think that’s a good sign we should head back up to the top. Don’t think we’re getting enchants right now.” Martyn stood beside her.

“Oh yeah, I completely forgot!” This season’s enchantment table lay in the most treacherous biome, the Deep Dark. An abandoned city covered in a primal goo that feasted on the dead. But don’t think that means nothing walks there, for the slime will spring up to hunt you down if you are to annoy it. This abomination is known as The Warden. Notably, a new edition to all worlds.

But at that moment every communicator on the server shook.

“Tango Blew Up

Solidarity died ”

Pearl and Martyn exclaimed incoherently, looking at each other for guidance.

“Welp, first deaths of our time so far! Wonder who’s paired!” His hands clapped.

“We know that now, don’t we? First deaths already!” Pearl blankly stared at the screen. People had begun to joke at Jimmy’s and Tango’s (Mainly Jimmy’s) expense.

“What an awkward chat at spaw…”

“Hasn’t it been only half an hour?”

“Like forty-five minutes, yep. Let’s head back, shall we?”

In the walk-up Pearl had quietly decided she was going to get to the base miles before Martyn. She stumbled on the rickety steps of their shabby stairs, but still made it halfway to the surface, and subsequently to the furnaces, with

You want to know who you’re shooting.

“Is that so?” Pearl said beneath her breath. She kept pulling her memories apart for more answers, causing her consciousness to get fuzzier and farther away with each layer of questions. She almost fell back down the cavern on multiple occasions! For ‘Rators sake, the need to get it together before she met her blistering partner at spawn.

But the only thing to pull her back for good was a bark.

They galivanted across the valleys back to where this started, where all their recent memories started. With all their fun, they forgot one simple rule. Their comms buzzed in sequence.

Everything must go.

Their faces tried to keep the good-natured spirit.

“Already? Knew they were paired didn’t we.” Martyn’s shoulders fell.

“Yeah, we did.” Pearl tried not to look solemn as she gazed at her comm. Their brief silence was broken into by a laugh.

“Jimmy?” Pearl got on her tippy toes to see through the foliage.

A pair of golden eyes gleamed back at her. Being in the sunlight it was easier for the details to pop. He wore jeans with a light blue flannel that nicely complemented his yellow wings and blonde hair.

“Did you guys see Joel get recked by that enderman?” He clutched his stomach and pointed behind him where they could not possibly see.

“Oh wait, are you soulmates?” Jimmy stood up straight as they approached.

“Nah, just hanging out.” Pearl dismissed.

“Speaking about soulmates, did you meet tango before you died?” The shine was back in his eyes.

“Right to the point! Jeez,” Jimmy shifted his weight back on his heels. “Yeah, it’s been a wild ride since we last met. On yellow now…” Martyn nodded.

“Did you meet Tango before it happened?” Pearl wondered if it was nice for him to be taller than Jimmy on that donkey because he was not getting off.

“No…”

“Your first conversation was at spawn yelling at each other like ‘Whatcha die for?’” Pearl interjected.

“Yes…,” Pearl and Martyn were beside themselves with laughter. “Went back for my stuff, and it’s all gone so… I’m broke! Officially begging for pity iron,” Jimmy avoided eye contact till it got to the money part where he gave Pearl the sappiest dog eyes for items.

“Oh well Jimmy, here!” she divided out ten irons from her 63. He was utterly dumbfounded.

“Martyn, Pearl gave me stuff!” Despite the wings, he convincingly acted like an energetic dog.

“I’ll set you off with a firm handshake and wish you well.” With that, he took up the reigns and blasted off with Pearl in swift pursuit.

“You didn’t even give me a handshake.” He waved his arms after their dust..

“He’s red by the end of the session,” Martyn smirked.

“I can still hear you!”

…

“Aha!” Martyn paraded down the hill.

“Where did you get a saddle?”

Okay, time to write a fucking outline after writing for a week.

What do I want from this?

We go from happy pearl to break-up pearl to bitter/sadistic pearl, then acceptance.

She starts content

The break happens and she’s broke, it’s her fault shethe problem

Tilly dies

But this just is not fair!

Cleo and Scott will regret leaving her behind.

Let’s get a dog

Pearl, you’re fucked up! I am aware.

Who cares about Scott?

Ep 1

Pearl runs from the group

Goes caving

Finds Martyn

Team Rancher dies

Spends all cave time with Martyn

Leaves cave finds tilly

Boat Boys die

Tilly is named at bubs

Pearl goes off on her own to get a horn

Fails

Martyn appears and invites her to the nether

She agrees fearfully

Blaze rods and nether warts

Acknowledges the fact that this is futile and banned

Return to surface

Scam bdubs (failed)

Invite all of those who soulmates to spawn

Only Scott and Cleo show up, bitterly

Martyn tries to explain his game but a goat rams Scott and pearl figure it out.

You dumb fuck haha

Us dumb fucks? ☹

I’m outta here

Pearl is left with only tilly

Ep 2

Batter tore sad but tilly is here

Red life skin

Base time

Rapunzel tower

Ouchie Scott goes to half health (axe crit)

Jellie pandas are cute

Tilly doesn’t fall

Scar comes over like, utter misery, right?

He goes to find a horse

(tilly falls) Pearl blames herself

S h e I s g o I n g to l I v e

Everyone is making animal friends, Tilly ☹

You scared me dropped my axe

Sell tickets to let people torture your soul mate, gives a bucket for free

Ren and B as Scar leaves

Heard your alone, we want to accept you into our polycule

We have a dog

Scar comes back with the torture device

Wtf Pearl

Hahaha pain is funny

Doesn’t kill scar even tho she really could

Scott OW

Ren and B have a dog let’s go there now

Jimmy time

Give horn or help get us horn

Pearl is a horn expert according to the o rancher duo

SCOTT!!!

He right over there in powder snow, which Scott gave him

Pearl stands in retribution

Bye Bye jimmy

Tickle time

Like your ice bath?

Red skin? YOU BROKE MY HEART

You gave jimmy and tango a horn why wait what his sound so no one will respond

Tells him

Glare at each other in an ice bath

Argue

Martyn trying to woo over Cleo right now! *pan over to horrific heart base*

Me and Pe-Close

HAHA ITS MINE NOW

Crazy x situation, denial

Martyn is creepy, I need tilly

Goes back to Scott bc he said her to come over

No ren did, almost walks the wrong direction

Hello people

Think like a warrior to survive

Last time we saw you you were sacrificing yourself to some fForrestdeity

We won’t fight you in battle, you won’t fight us, this does not includScotttt

Deal! Tilly time

Comes from her insanity, and continues doing it

Need mats

I’m acting weird

Ethos got the encha

Merry Christmas!!!

Tilly sit down here

Cleo your replacement is here and scared of you

No need for fear I have my soulmate

Do you have people around? Yes

Why don’t you make your soul bounds?

Human interaction

House looks good

Sugar cane? Joel and Etho

“Scott is so mad”

Pearl breaks into the box

Not welcome if your torturing people

Okayyyy fiiiine imm soo sad and will leave *steals horse*

Ren sees enderman

Scott and Cleo steal shit

“Intended or not, you came here and caused death. There is something wicked within you. You are banned fromthee ox (like actually)

Ep 3

Wheat farm now

Who knows what’s happening today?

A deep dark time for musidiscssc.

Peace offerings from Impulse and Bdubs, Eth,o anJoelel come with

Searching Searching

Who cares if I die I need to match with tilly!

Doing all this for a music disk jeez

I don’t want to kill Scott, but I do

Sing song time

Pearl the ever-loving fuck is wrong with you.

Bickering

I’m still alone and it’s not even MY fault

Yeah it’s not your fault it’s your demon

Testing fate.

Name tag for tilly 😊

Warden!!

And he’s gone.

For a music disk!!

Up the ladder, we go

Spike needs to enchant

Sike Sike theres a shreaker

Scar is spooky

“Are you the scarlet witch”

Salesmen’s approach to selling paper.

Thanks for the horse

He did nothing about it?

They were hiding in the trees.

Scott asks if a pearl haa s sugar can, scar is lying

Jimmy wants the horse

Tickle? Weirdo

My bridge!

Cleo was pushed off a bridge

You have issues

Everyone leaves me of course I have issues.

Ren is brung my base

Martyn and Ren burn the log pet the dog croak the frog

We are all alone

The dog is alone pity

We are all the same broken hearts club.

Friends! Tilly come meet my friends!

Everyone avoids spawn

Give me my horse!!!

Jimmy do you want a horse? For friendship

Martyn is here.

Give me all your stuff that’s what friends do!

Banned

But I want the horse, for his horn

Deal

Martyn steals the horse

Hey, Jimmy wants a horse!

De ja Vu

I feel bad just take it that’s not me.

I gave Martyn your horn

House on the bridge time

Scott and Cleo come.

Tilly is threatened

Cleo could not care less.

No more disc.

Does Martyn have the disc? G I v e

HaHa tricked Cleo and scott

Joel gave sugar cane for jimmys horn

Dogs on fire with house

That’s not gonna work im leaving

Warden on the surface? Martyn has a death wish

Ren wants to meet at spawn, where the warden is

Warden to the ranch!!!

Scar and grain are there too

Hes in!

Hes out!

To the other ranchwarden kill scotts sheep

Tango almost dies

Warden falls down the cliff

Lets push people down the cliff

Cant wait for that to come back out the river

Ep 4

Did some mining making a thing around her ladder

Tillys collar is yellow

Diamond armour everywhere

Wardens dead

Scar don’t you know that mc pets are family?

Give me your boots, no

We are all friends! (no we aren’t)

I saw a shadow

Someone put a sign watch your back

Martyn has a spooky voice

Annalizes the note

Scar and Bdubs are the most likely and also there

Pool Party!! The dog is on a bloody path

Bdubs has always been there for you

When’s the pool party

Bet in the snow game!

Cleo vs Pearl put all your best stuff in the chest.

Hows it going? We have a problem you almost killed tilly

You have a problem with me?

Pearl wins

Pool party when the pool turns green (never)

Scar got his horse back

Grain? By Bdubs house

Grain asks in chat if its game time

Fishing pole game!

Hurts!

Scar has the enchanment table

Scott backs away slowly

Lets chain Joel and etho

Death, scott called it.

Grain they are our neighbors???

Wait Wait they will understand right?

We are missing something, you don’t steal from red lives

Scarlet pearl has a chest plate

HHAHa we are both reds we are friends

Death, Im even with tilly now!

All her stuff is stolen

We were just playing a game

Second round!

ONE IS ENOUGH JOEL

Ice bath

Axe crit time with bdubs and impulse.

Soup!!!!

Welp that happened

No more pants :/

Can use cleos pants!

Grain and scar are making me nervous, lets scare him back

Lets leave a sign! Almost caught

Another death (bdubs and impulse)

More more more death (Jimmy and Tango)

I was just getting ready foe the beach episode! Too much red

Pool party time!!!

You want a horse?

People are coming

Martyn jumps from the roof to the pool

Im self conscious so im not getting into the pool

Pearl get out f that supiocious pool

Ren dog brings friends

Friends?

Best Pool party ever!

That’s the end Ren do not kill bdubs

Oh boy!

Ep 5

The fuck just happened

I got a tower, Rapunzel style

Im poor :/

Martyn what are you doing?

I thought friends didn’t break into your house

I found two mob spawner

More gold apples

Reds meet at the pool

Im a red!

Lets stay inside actually

Scar Discovery Channel

Scar lives from pull bull shittery. And gets his horse back

Scott Cleo Martyn come by

Scott and Cleo watched the meeting

Red army

We are dead after dessert duo

Spy time

Joel Etho kill pandas find enchantment table

Vultures Quartet

Meet up with joel and etho

Can we use the enchanter red army?

No

Big b I have a cookie!

No (il distract as you go enchant)

Im red I should be aloud in

Big B is suspect, shes running

Ren are we friends?

Frog Dog Log

The second ranch is on fire

I didn’t do it!

Meet up in the tower

Scar and Grain appears

Can we enter we are scared

Did not wait for an answer

Protection, we have been chaced for an hour

Heres a cactus

Sand Grain?

Sure..? No what NO STOP

I was looting your chest you are rich

Are you harboring refugees, Pearl?

We told bdubs we weren’t and now we are

Get out of the window!!!

They are surrounding us

You were harboring refugees for catus??

nOo

heres a pearl pearl.

Scar is slain by a zombie

Jimmys out first

Everyone stole my stuff.

Tilly babies!!

Bye scott.

DOG ARMY

Tilly we match yellow names!!

Scar blew up

Scar spawned in Pearls tower??

He died twice in the span of ten minutes.

We are the last non-red names.

Pearl goes down to ranch 1 for funeral

Ships on fire.

Salute To Jimmy

Ren and big b are watching us

Do we care, that’s not our alliance.

Alliance?

…nooooo.

We are stronger apart!

(spend the rest of the time together)

Im going to check on my house.

Red names?

Bdubs says hi!

All the bases are buring but pearls

Ren big b dead

Okayy Weee will check it out.

Pearl almost blows up

No dogs died so all good!

There are dogs here so im assuming pearl is somewhere

What happened?

Scar killed Scar causes he dumb.

Impulse and co. tried to pincer but failed to cover the fourth side, towards pearl

They are all at impulses

Wow you have a lot of dogs!

OH GOD OH NO

?

Martyn’s taking damage

Ep 6

Cleo waste her pearl by accident

Why dogs?

Shes a mama now!

Yes to ALL the dogs

Is this a dog sanctuary?

Who dies first?

Pearl nominates herself

No kill zone, reds only.

Lets snoop

Can pearl go?

Yes!?

Helllo my fellow reds

There she is, sit in the back.

How do we get rid of yellows?

Welll pearl dies scott dies

NO no killing me

You get no input

Wheres scott and cleo

We will kill you right now if you don’t tell us where scott is

We are friends, maybe, kinda, shhhhh

WAIT I HEARD SOMEONE DIGGING

Pearl is shoot at

Dog army time

One tnt could kill them all

Joel??

Yoojoel you just 100% killed tilly you will regret that

I will kill you

Me too <3

Wait is she dead?

No shes right there

Wait a dog died to a staclite

Scars stealing all her stuff and killing dogs

Lets run

YEAH SCOTT GET RUNNING

Box flee to box

Use the pearl run.

Tilly is still here 😊

Uhh, got a bunker? Yes

Cleo is in the bunker

Aww you are healing the dogs!!

My heart is dead

Lets get a warden!

Sneaking sneaking

No more tower

We have been sneeking for 30 mins

Martyn?

Martyn we are going to the deep dark now.

Room below the portal

I think its safe, sets off shericker

Bickering

Lets fill the warden tower

Im looting my tower now.

Sugar cane!

Yeah place those torches

Joel sees them

They are surrounded again

I killed scars horse!

Joel is climbing up?

Pearl shoots him twice

Run. Water, Now.

They are tagging along

We aren’t going to kill you noooo

*scott dies*

You died really cool with a rocket

Bunker time

Good armour now.

Tilly has a red name!

Youre a great partner and all but…

Lets go talk to the big group.

I wont kill cleo myself….

It was nice as it lasted

“Tilly death do we part”

They didn’t actively kill me before.

Now where are they?

Bomb!

Pearl what are you doing??

Okay youre okay now good bye forever again.

Deep dark time.

There is three wardens

Peal? Why is pearl here?

We need to fracture our group.

Joel kills a dog.

So like, we like etho and well hes tied with joel, sorry its not really a challenge.

You have 30 seconds to run.

Martyn asks about tilly, joel threats tilly, pearl laughs manaically.

Lets go to box

Grain and Scar are dead

A stack of rotten flesh!

Wow I was stupid to think I could be friends with them

Hi pearl, how you feel about the two factions.

Lets trap the nether pearl.

Impulse and Bdibs trapped the portal

Told you you would reget not teaming with me.

They run into a rat hole

Scott says go down

Warden surfaced again?

Let go see the warden!

IM going to search for bdubs and impulse

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Call the dogs of war!

She has dogs, not foe long.

Tilly died, Bdubs you will die today!

Pearl wins a 2v1

Tilly babe you lasted to the end!

Wheres Tilly? SHE CURROPTEDYOU

Martyn was eaten by dogs

The voices of the damn call for blood

Lets return to spawn

Catch up time.

Pearl you deserve this more.

Tilly death do us part!

Explotion

Text I may need later on:

Alone, tsk. Did they not know the power that roamed these woods? They w-

Tilly yipped.

Writing Madness (writing and depicting actual mental health) by Schnee

Mental distress and illness are things most experience, madness is not, we relate to disorder, not madness.

Madness scares us/ Disorder evokes sympathy.

Fear of becoming that/ I have experienced it

Jinx and madness

Scratchiness-emotional overflow, uncontrollable amount

“Nothing ever stays dead”

She says a lot of shit but this one is important bc implications

Dead sister is now back, her family still talks to her, or she cant move on from her trauma, it haunts her. The past will always have its cause in the present

More satisfying conclusions come from asking better questions.

Are we still sisters -> who express themselves like this?

All experience conflict, but most don’t talk to an alternate self to get through it.

She is making statements about her reality

We all live in our reality chambers, but what do they say about us

But it goes further not just self-expression, and understanding, but also her living environment and her creations.

Tea party scene is manifesting her mental understanding of the world into a tangible world.

Externalization.

Its not one person in two worlds, it’s two people who belong in their reality.

Subtle: King stand-in watching his kingdom collapse, the other he dies on the front lines heroically like the character thinks they should be.

Mad World creates conflict

Creates a contradiction hell for the character

Give n take. Continues battle

Jinx telling the voices to be quite, “I should have know (which world was real”, “Nothing stays dead. (Absolutely false, Nothing stays alive), (Gollum loves the ring and hates it, much like himself.)

Celebrates Trauma.

Tragic arc means Conmenintment to the Mad World

Through extreme action that only makes sense in this world

Where does that take us?

The breakage, builds and builds pressure, steadily getting stronger.

Viewer has to believe it if they have got close to breaking but haven’t yet.

Madness hinders perspective.

A Interview with a nazi general (?) but talking to him it’s not like he kicks puppies. He’s charming and intelligent but when asked how would you sum up your experience, instead of acknowledging the atrocities that he is willing to admit to, he said paradise.

Nazis weren’t (aware of how they were) monsters but guided by help.

It’sIts falling into a mad world feels euphoric for the character but horrific with context.

Grief

Justifies to the reader why they would choose madness

Their world is shattered, and they want blood/revenge for it.

Inception

What caused the character to go down this path? (Here it would be betrayal from Scott Cleo Martyn to Scott again)

A similar event to before (Jinx has all her family leave her, then silco leaves her)

OR! Cold be a dark {Whatever the fuck you want} the ring for Gollum, love for Anakin, the prison for the guy in the video, Silco arguably. An influencer

Spiritualtual deterioration

Connection to

Community- people who care and keep us out of these arcs also affect our relationships

Family

Self

Your body

Something Greater

Paranoia

Isolationion

Deterioration of humanity

Agency

Character choices madness, destroys hope for themselves

I disagree here I feel the arc can still be completed if they choose this reality

How Pearl relates to this

Having time on the first episode, only to be left in isolation.

Tilly dies/loses a life

Scar Ren and Big B are examples of people trying to pull her out, but they too leave her

Pearl is broken because scott and cleo thought they were better off with out after they watched her back for a whole season. They were bounded by soul and he went ‘nope not that one’.

Leave me alone

Why? You need to face the truth, you are alone

…

Deemed you a liability and you now eat dust. You were made for eachother, yet he still doesn’t want you. Cleo saw the pain you caused him and went with this. Can you imagine what you must have done to them to sever a bond like yours? Imagine them in a run down house jumping at their shadows on the door because they never know when the damage is from you and when its for them They ate through house and home for you to return safely and yet you still couldn’t ask foe forgiveness. Cleo was there for him you didn’t even think of him, he came walking up to you!

Scotts pov he looks for his soulmate for ours, cleo sticking by his side

Gets set on fire periodically

Everyone else is partnered up but him and cleo

They are both prideful people and wouldn’t take this

Pearl meets people by random and fate pulls martyn to her constantly

She wanted to be safe with another, so she went with him

Rare items mean power, even if banned

Never took damage by intention

Okay so like Pearl is conflicted. Is it my faults or Scotts? There can only be one, Of course its Scott have him burn for it the forest mumbles. …. I don’t know about that…. Whispers At the Door Lets Us In Let Us In…. Boom shes a boogie.

Characters that are doomed from the start and know it but still try.

Pearl is loved. She truly is surrounded by people who enjoy her presemce and wish for that connection to continue. But she breaks. One argument and she is alone. Pearl barely understands what went wrong, and the fact that see was in the wrong!

You left them. They needed you and you were not there.

I was! Or atleast would be. And they needed me? They seem perfectly fine when we met. Physically that is. And now they are perfectly fine leaving me like dead weight.

They needed help because you were on fire.

I had food! If they just waited they would have plenty left.

They do. They have a farm with sheep and cows and food. They made a living while you chased something as frivious as the fountain of youth.

It was power!! The upper hand! I see the potential those blaze rods hold. And with the added benifeit that people saw we went to the nether, and lived! We lived! They wont fuck with us now, because of my efforts.

No one will.

So she knows shes in the wrong and that anger corrupts her into the red form. LiteTm that is.

Shes wearing horse blinders. She is going to do this even if its not the right choice even if it will hurt her she is going to do it.

Doing= Ice buckets, Why? Scott should pay? She blames her slef and hurts scott as a bounus factor?

There is an easier way she just wont accept that she didn’t think of it first she wants it her way.

How do we set this up?

Pearl is new to this. Okay side note im coping the idea from fallout four with the ai. Specifically vault people enter pods that upload their conscious to a computer and leave an ai up to do whatever the fuck it feels like, it really loves the hunger games. The bloodthirst part that is. Why kill in hunger games? Katnis wants funds to support her family maybe I don’t quiet remember and also the “watchers” would kill them if they didn’t comply. How does this matter? Their conciouses arent the only ones in the network. Stealing the hunger games rich peole watch the poor eat each other alive for surrvival and laugh. Rich in this case means you not in the games. I mentioned dead people ghouls ghost whatever? That’s the ‘watchers’ they can interact if they like as mobs or the voices in the wind or whatever the fuck I come up with. They are my favorite variety of character- the setting itself. A personification of it I guess but I love the idea the universe is alive and watching you. Also makes the sever members part of the universe they could also have been mindlessly floating around and causing harm or shit. But the end poem? That was a long time ago. Before humanity decided that it would be best to live like this, the upload your concious thing was a vr bullshit. When the world was just a group of programers fucking about in a sandbox world trying to put shit together. One of them dnated themselves as a geunie pig. Yes this is steve and yes I know that probaly cliché but fuck you. Anyways steve was very aware he was a video game character with infinet lives. Herobrine and other things like alex could be a way they figured out to make the procidure nonperminet and would hop into the system to figure things out for themself then leave. Steve could care less I didn’t take this personally bc whatever she would always be watching him. The end poem is for steve. Steve is and was and once alwas was the universe, the coders were the universe and they loved eachother. But mass exodus to the computer dimention and steve and the coders becomes myth and lore (haha the fnny word) that people would whisper to eachother in the night. Also want to mention time is fucked up.Like this computer has hold of your entire memeory situation and gives you as many lives and chanes as possible. For all the time you are kept alive and substained the ai is giving to something to show for it. Not giving really more like handing you options, billions infact. Also also to have my final point make sense anyone in the network and make/join a server. High Pixel is cannon in other words so people can find eachother. So this is all to say while yes hermitcraft and all the other severs exist! But the computer gives you reincarnation so you don’t remember your past lives untill you are on your death bed thinking about all the things you went through. Traffic series don’t really care when people die because they are somewhat vry little but enough to be ‘certain’ that they will come back aware that the universe will give them more options. So like nonlore heavy servers are aware of all the chances the universe gives them I FORGOT TO MENTION okay they do not know it’s a simulation. They have no recleection of lifebefore computer system, because they tried doing that and all the people were sobbong and crying because their loved ones were out there somewhere. Computer is like” Well I could give you fake love ones but that takes way more effort than whipping them and everything else from your mind. Id like to think the ai is sentient enough to understand that making fake people is messed up and knows that the people will figure out at some point and the stress will cause the machinery to melt their brain out of their ears. I have no coherent way to say that the computer cannot delet your memories from you (unless its convienent for me) because you know subconciously I guess and the computer can never take that from you. So yes some people died when they became code or whatever because they could let go of the fact that the world was dead. They could not move on and the grief consumed them, stress killing them in their little pod.

Pearl bit starts again->Okay now how do I bullshit in the missery, like the brain fungus. (Also its not litteraly a brain fungus I just have fun calling it that, magic is cannon to this world so curses are to) Im going with the tell-tale excuse that if you were sat in a white room for all your life and only was happy, happy would become meaningless to you, dull. The computer saw all these fucks loosing their minds in steriel worlds and gave them sadness to spice it up a bit. I’m starting to realize this feels like im trying to explain my world view on god to a toddler. I do not belive in machine ai earth real but the universe is alive and it breathes. Happiness and sadness gateways in every other emotion ever. How does pearl relate to this? She lives in one of these worlds. And having her memories stripped from her has never been handed such greif before of knowing its your faullt and that you are facing the consiquince but defines her life by repenting and not moving on. Why is everyone else not like this? Honest I cant come up with an answer that feels satisfing. I want to say third life peeps experianced these emotions first in that server, as to why it was so dramatic. Last life they were still figuring out being human, pearl joins them and honestly verything ges her way. Not that she never feels sad or experiances missery but it is stuff she can figure out and move on from especially with the help of friends. Doulble life however it starts with her experiancing something she has no idea how to handle and because of the senerio it happened in she refuses to look for help. Okay so shes beating the shit out of herself and begans to believe that this is on purpose that it is the only solution that she deserves to feel this heart break because she caused it to her friends (which she didnt scott and cleo had seen pearl handle situations they thought to be a lot worse so were like, yeah she will think this is funny isnt the right word. Like going with the theme that sadness is needed and should be experianced and not shamed? Like te he heres something to feel bad about /lh like fuck that sounds so messed up but I don’t know what im saying or how to word it. They thought it would be a tap on the head, not shover her off a cliff and have her break every bone ever.) So pearl decides she will face this alone, she doesn’t immeaditally result to self harm (okay calling the ice bucket things selfharm is stupid i know but also its not just cutting your rist its severing every relationship you have to convice yourself of the ‘fact’ you are worthless. The difference from her and scar is context, Scar is doing it as a pratical joke and can stand to feel a little pain, Pearl is marinating in it, using every morsel of energy to focusing in on it. Feel it in her bones.) she still is thinking of scott andhe doesn’t deserve to feel this way. {Okay like they share physical pain but not mental I feel like I could do shit with that} But she gets resentful because she wants to hurt. Scott can get over it. He was scared before? He can suck my dick in hell bitch. *jumps off clif with one gram of health left* She makes excuses up that he left her he should feel this too someone needs to understand my pain. That this is his fault he should cry into cleos arms over the burn infesting his nerves and be thankful he has a shoulder to cry on. Sure these have genuine belief in them to but nothing in comparison to feeling worthless. Im starting to think this is bad fanfic as in I could take away all the fandom bits and it could stand on it own but honestly I care a lot more about when thinking of it as fanfic. In other Words Pearlescent Moon Is Sad. Very Sad.

TL;DR

Pearl is sad because she has never had to face something so monumental much more alone because of lore reasons. Scott and Cleo did what they did jokingly they didn’t want or expect this to destroy her.

She hurts herself because of thet. Scott is parcially a reason but its not a biggie, the guilt is.

Brain Fungus is depression okay? I just like having fun leave me to it.

Site: Not worrying after being in the wrong would be quite concerning, as your sense of morals may be non-existent.

However, there are some people who worry excessively…obsessively…after they did something wrong. They worry so much that they spend most of their time worrying, at the expense of their job, school, relationships, and self-care. If you spend excessive amounts of time worrying, then not only will you worry after you did something wrong- you will also worry about many other things in your life. Excessive worrying, combined with muscle tension, restlessness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, problems concentrating, low energy, nausea, headaches, sweating, and being easily startled are symptoms that are found in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), an anxiety disorder.