Chapter Text
This eye… It was staring back at the players, facing the sky but strangely still watching them. It meant different things to people, but they all felt like something was wrong.
For Grian, it was fear. Pure unbridled fear. This was the symbol of the things that ripped him away from his friends, molding him into what they wanted. Their prized possession, tangled in the destiny they decided against Grian's own will. But destiny is tricky and fickle, and the road to it tends to be uncertain. Grian had learned this long ago, and had been running from his fate for many years. The idea that his run was up, and that the only path left was to them…it scared him.
For Joel it was disdain and hate. He was all too familiar with this symbol. He and it were one and the same after all. But Joel refused to associate himself with it. Everything it stood for was built on foundations of control, but also passivity and an avoidance of influencing events. Joel hated that part of him. It was why he had helped Grian break free of their control so long ago. He hated them, and refused to bow to them again. No more.
For Pearl, the feeling was a morbid curiosity. For most of her life she had felt the attention of others on her back; phantom whispers in her ear and figures dancing in the shadows, watching her. Judging her. At first she didn't mind, but these strange feelings had become more eerie and sinister over the years, until the mere thought of it left her balancing on a knife edge. Even so, it felt familiar. Pearl began finding comfort and security in watching, spectating and commentating on the actions and events around her. She wasn't quite sure why, but she wanted to know more.
For Jimmy, it was a sense of unease. Ever since Evo, nothing felt right. There were little nuances that just didn't quite make sense. Consistently, he was haunted by the visage of a canary caged in a coal mine of changing appearance and kept alive only by the oxygen boxes provided by those whom he loved. Kept alive but dying inside, aware of how people perceive it yet persistent in its course. It kept him on edge, ever unsure of himself. He couldn't help but feel like he was being given a warning or message, but of what?
Martyn felt overwhelmed. He was always different after Evo, and never knew why. He always needed headphones, finding everything too loud to function. When they came to him he was angry. They took Grian away. They hurt his friends and they hurt him. Not only did they change him, they made him different. A listener. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. He was still new to all of this shit, and now here he was. Being watched like he and his friends always had been. Everything was so confusing and loud, and he had no headphones anymore. It was just…too much.
Mumbo felt incredibly uncomfortable about this. He had only been familiar with this symbol and its meaning for a little while now, having learned it on his own after the consumption of Grian's soul in season 8. That event changed him, and it made Mumbo start to think differently about Grian's little quirks. And now here he was, in a new and unfamiliar world with their eye watching over him. Not even blinking. It was unsettling and made him feel sick.
And then there was Scott. Scott was…confused. Usually he would be excited about a new smp, but usually he was asked in advance if he wanted to participate. No one gave him a warning before he showed up. Not to mention he was an owl hybrid now, which wasn't normal. Looking at the symbol on the floor, it felt familiar; like he had not only seen it before but it had meaning to him. He couldn't quite figure out what- his memory was always foggy, and he tended to have trouble remembering much more than a few key details from the series he was in. Something was off, and Scott couldn't yet tell if it was good or bad…
The small group was gathered, dazed and confused, around this ritualistic symbol of the Watchers. They'd all had their lives flipped upside down forever by these beings, but were hardly aware of each other's struggles. The rules were a mystery- no one knew why they were here or what to expect. All they knew was one thing…
The Runaway SMP had begun.