Ethoslab - Blog Posts

Calm Before The Storm

There were no more Yellows now. Which as a result meant no more mercy, or grace periods. No one would show kindness anymore, not when the entire world was against you. Allies would only be standing in your way. Hindrances to success.

Scott stood at the diving board, staring out upon the server. He could see everyone beginning to head back to their bases clearly. His fingers itched, the way they always did when he was Red, slowly finding his bow and holding it up. An arrow was nocked, aimed and ready for someone's head. He didn't know whose head. It didn't matter in the end. They were all just heads on bodies waiting to be chopped off.

Shaking himself out of it, he lowered his bow and put the arrow back in its quiver.

Gem was sat on the floor with her sword in her lap. A strand of hair fell over her eyes and she hastily brushed it away. She stared at her reflection in the sword, a frown tugging at her lips, tilting it this way and that presumably to find a noticeable change.

Everyone felt different as a Red.

No one knew how. There were no physical differences to before, no changes in demeanour or personality. A player didn't instantly grow cold and calculated with an intense thirst for blood. The bloodlust was always inside of them. It just never arose as a Green or a Yellow. It simmered in their stomachs on a low heat, only to have the temperature rocket up and the pot overflow, teeming with the urge to kill. The need to have blood on your fingers. To feel the weight of a weapon in your hands, or to hold the lever to set off a TNT trap.

Many tried to look for a difference. It was quite common for players unfamiliar with the game to do so. They always believed there to be something wrong with them physically, and resorted to searching for changes in what little time they had on their hands.

They never found anything, sadly, but no one did.

"Gem," Scott began, walking over to her. She lifted her eyes to his for a moment, then looked back down at her sword. "Gem." he repeated, firmer. She paid him no mind. Apparently a reflection was more important than her teammate.

Impulse stepped out of his house and sat next to Gem. He stretched his arms and placed his palms in the grass, running his hands through the blades. Like many other players, his hands were riddled with scars, burns, blisters and callouses. "What's up?"

"That's the problem," Scott replied. "Nothing. Nothing is happening."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Impulse asked. "I mean, that means we have time to prepare for an attack, or a trap." He nudged Gem with his arm playfully. "Right Gem?"

She didn't respond.

Scott leaned in a little closer and sighed. Her eyes had glazed over. Again.

"Third time today." he grumbled.

Standing up, Impulse bent down to scoop Gem up into his arms and made a start for the gate. He gestured with his head for Scott to follow, and follow he did. He opened the gate for Impulse, and the two of them descended down the stairs and walked past the Secret Keeper statue. The mere sight of it was enough to send shivers down Scott's spine and make him want to run.

They stopped by Cleo's first. Unsurprisingly, Etho was there too.

"What is it?" Cleo asked. She whispered something in Etho's ear and he nodded, scurrying off quickly.

Once his receding footsteps were out of earshot, Scott answered. "It's happening again. I'm gathering some of the players."

She nodded, gradually understanding. "Alright, just give me a moment to grab my things." she disappeared.

Scott stood there, impatiently tapping his foot until Etho arrived with Grian in tow. Both of them were holding bundles of blankets with some snacks thrown in there for good measure. Grian yawned, attempting to rub his eyes.

Cleo reemerged a short while later with more snacks and some water.

The group left and headed towards Pearl's, where Scott broke off from the group to retrieve an additional guest. Before he could even knock on the door, Martyn was outside with all his stuff, a small smile on his face.

"Cleo messaged me," he explained. Scott walked alongside him back to Pearl's, where everyone was sat waiting. Some of them weren't able to join them, so it wasn't quite as full a group as usual, but it was still something.

He took some of the blankets from Martyn and laid them out on the floor. Everyone else did the same, then sat down.

Gem was the last one to sit. Impulse had to guide her to an available spot and gently lower her until she was perched on the edge. Her eyes were still glazed, but a fraction of light and normalcy was returning to them already.

Scott sat down beside Impulse, with Martyn's head in his lap. He absent-mindedly twirled strands of Martyn's hair whilst humming a small tune. He couldn't recall where he'd heard it; perhaps in passing, in the space between the games, or maybe it had been playing when he was in a different server. It sounded similar to a drinking song, so maybe it had been from Pirates.

"Now what?" Grian asked. He perched himself far from the others, but close enough to Cleo and Etho to reach them in case of an unfortunate event. His gaze was on Gem, his eyes narrowing mildly.

Etho chimed in. "We hang out. Eat. Talk. And we wait for Gem to come back."

Cleo nodded in agreement, a small smile curling at her lips. Her hand met Etho's, and their fingers entwined.

---

It took a while for Gem to come back fully. She'd return in brief fits, then leave soon after. It was like flicking a switch on and off repeatedly, only more stressful and each wait seemed to stretch on for eternity.

But once she started to ground herself, it became easier.

Her thoughts were a swirling mass of death, flashes of red every time she shut her eyes. Something was wrong with her. Something had changed, but what? What had changed so drastically about her?

She looked the same. Felt the same. Even tasted the same, which she tested herself (although maybe she did taste different and simply didn't notice.)

But something about her must have been wrong.

She was wrong. A freak. A creature of her own design or maybe someone else's.

Whenever she came to, she was surrounded by people. Impulse's hand on her knee, fingers tapping along to a rhythm. Scott humming a tune, playing with Martyn's hair, his hums occasionally turning into snippets of song lyrics. Cleo and Etho holding hands and smiling, Etho's head on cleo's shoulder, eyes shut in contentment. Grian watching warily. Pearl next to him with a calming hand on his shoulder.

A pang struck her heart when she came to.

They were all here for her. They'd dropped whatever they were doing, for her.

She was important to them.

Gem fell back again into that whirlpool of thoughts. They swirled viciously in her mind, growling and barking and biting like a pack of rabid wolves. Their fur was the colour of blood, and Their eyes were pools of purple. A strange black liquid oozed from Their fangs and dripped onto the ground. They approached from all sides, closing in slowly, leaving Gem less and less time to escape.

Panic bubbled in her chest and she balled the clumps of her shirt in her hands, trying to remember how to breathe.

"You're okay," Impulse's voice whispered in her mind. Was she? She didn't feel like it. "I've got you."

She almost laughed at the thought. He didn't. Not only because she was here and he was out there but also because no one could ever truly have Gem secure in their company. There was always that thin line, that tightrope of danger she was obliged to walk on. One misstep and she fell back into that world of blood, wolves and that rising sense of fear.

"Gem, we're here for you. Take your time." Cleo.

"You've got this," was a half-hearted encouragement from Martyn. He yelped, grumbled under his breath, then hastily added, "I believe in you!"

A hand gently squeezed her kneecap. She saw it, saw the hand, but not the hand at the same time. It flickered in and out of physicality, not wanting to be there for too long. Then it settled into reality with a firm determination.

Something else appeared, too. A shaky apparition, a figure bathed in sunlight. His wings were folded against his back, his red sweater worn and fraying. There was a scar on his temple, and a bruise on his cheek. A second appeared closer to her, gently illuminated by small floating stars, his pointed ears sharp and alert. Then came another, in a cloak of woven moonlight, a toothy smile revealing her elongated canines.

Then finally came one surrounded by a thick outline of red. There was a pendant around his neck of a hand grasping an hourglass.

They all smiled kindly at her, their faces coming into visibility slowly. Everything unnatural about them faded away until they were simply Grian, Scott, Pearl and Martyn, all still in their respective positions.

"Welcome back," Etho greeted.

Scott exhaled in relief, his hand falling to his side. Martyn frowned at its absence, sitting up properly. His hand crept into Scott's lap and rested on his thigh. A grin curled at Scott's lips.

Gem leaned into Impulse. "I'm tired." she whispered, not trusting her voice enough to raise it much more. Still, her words carried across to the others and a blanket was tossed her way. She caught it easily - surprisingly enough, but that must've been a good thing if her reflexes were already coming back - and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"G'night," Martyn said, letting gravity push him backwards. Scott fell with him, letting out a displeased noise when his back hit the ground. "Let's all have a five minute grace period before killing each other, yeah?"

They all mumbled their assent.

Gem and Impulse lay down, close but not touching. She couldn't touch him just yet; her body still didn't quite feel as it should. But when it did, she'd hug him.

Until then, she'd have to rest.

A Red Life was many things; vicious, unforgiving, spiteful, vengeful.

But they were also kind, gentle and merciful when the time called for it.

Fields of Green, Rivers of Red

Scott nervously tossed and turned in his bed. The duvet felt itchy, too stifling on such a hot night, and too heavy as well. He kicked his legs, curled them up against his chest, then did some strange poses with them. One arm was tucked under his pillow, the other draped across the other side of the bed.

It was one of those nights when he wanted to shed his skin and fly free again. He wanted to tear himself apart, if only so he could feel the blissful emptiness again.

Anything was better than this.

He shivered despite the warmth, and tore back his duvet to go for a midnight stroll.

Silent, he snuck out of his house, past Gem's, and over to the diving board. He considered it, briefly; it was by far the fastest way to get down, but it was one of the louder ways. Could he risk it?

He glanced over his shoulder. There were no lights in Gem or Impulse's houses, which implied they were asleep, but sometimes that wasn't true. There had been instances where he'd been caught by one of them when he thought they would be asleep. This time, though, maybe he'd get away with it.

Scott shuffled towards the edge of the diving board. He felt as if he'd climbed to the top of a mansion and was about to make a risky jump, but it was either take the risk or die.

With infinitely less stakes than that, Scott stepped into the air.

He felt the air whip at his body as he plummeted down. An image in of himself, with gold-tipped snowy owl wings, falling in almost the exact same way, popped into his head. That happened more and more now, as the games progressed.

He collided with the water. He kicked his way to the top and broke the surface, panting heavily. He was soaked to the bone, and as he clawed his way onto dry land, he immediately regretted his decision. The water clinging to his skin, dampening his clothes and dripping from his hair irritated him.

Ah well. It was too late to turn back now.

Scott began to walk to Spawn, nervously eyeing the statue they went to hand in their Secret Tasks. He felt his very essence begin to pulse like a heartbeat, but multiple laid over each other.

The statue seemed to stare into his soul with its eternal judgement.

He sat down next to the button to reroll for a harder task. Scott pulled out his comm and typed out a message. Very few people would still be awake, but if he was lucky, then maybe he could not be alone tonight.

A reply was sent back. He exhaled in relief, eyes scanning the message, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Scott sat back, all tension leaving his body. He stared up at the moon and watched it make its nightly rounds in the sky. If he squinted, he could make out the vague shape of a howling wolf in the shadows cast across the moon, and a he shut his eyes with a small breath.

He opened his eyes to the sound of footsteps, and spotted four figures approaching; two blonds, one ginger, one brunette. Behind them was a white-haired man walking leisurely beside a man with dark brown hair with a coloured streak in it.

"Hey," he said, lamely. Cleo settled in beside him, slinging her arm over his shoulder. He leaned into her. Cleo was a constant that he could count on, across all the games; she was the ally he was guaranteed to have no matter what.

Martyn sat on his other side, Pearl next to him in turn. Grian perched himself in the centre of the structure, and Etho and Joel eventually arrived. They sat down on the floor against the button that signalled failure.

"Couldn't sleep?" Martyn asked. His cheeks coloured a little after he spoke. "Sorry. Stupid question."

Scott's hand reached out to the blond's and took it, squeezing it gently. Martyn looked down at the gesture with a soft smile.

They could all feel the malice radiating from Martyn; it was hypnotic, a blind lust for blood that caused a tingling sensation to spread through their bodies. It was a very familiar feeling, and it was one they did not fight against. Instead, they welcomed it.

After all, they were already awake.

What did it hurt?

"Crazy day today, huh?" Joel remarked. "I mean, my wife died, for one thing. Mumbo died."

"That's just life now, I guess." Pearl replied.

Scott nodded in assent.

Grian smiled. "Well, maybe in another game we can change it up."

Over the course of the night, the group moved in closer together until they were all huddled up shoulder-to-shoulder, laying across each other.

The night went on. The moon made its rounds with indifference to the collection of mortals beneath it.

Eventually even the Winners could not stay awake. They had all seen life, death and betrayal, and had learned to sleep with one eye open. But here, there was no need. Here they were among friends.

They let the night take their waking worries away.

The Clock Is Ticking

The clock is ticking.

Lightning lights up the sky to mark the players that may never come back. They are remembered by the survivors. The threat of death looms over them all.

Eyes are everywhere. Hundreds of eyes crawling over the lands, the mountains, the bridges and the sea. They see it all. They smile and watch in quiet amusement as players perish. Those that watch know that they will succeed. After all, who can defy a game like this, with these rules, with no loopholes? For once, the players must play to perfection. There is no other option.

Bloodlust hit the players. Waves upon waves of the urge to kill. Hands itching for weapons. Bows and crossbows craving an arrow to fire. Blood pulsing through their veins, bubbling under their skin. The newfound reality of permanently dying only provides incentive. No one wants to die just yet.

Alliances fall apart. The so-called "Bad Boys" have been destroyed. Only one of them remains. And now they have joined a new group. So the name Bad Boys is no more than a memory that time has robbed of them.

The end cannot be prevented. No matter how much blood is shed. No matter how hard the players may try. They will die regardless of any efforts to thwart it.

Scott was taken by the sea, now belonging to its domain. The ocean was his and none could take it from him.

Martyn watched the sand of his hourglass. He knew time was running out and he would protect those he cared for until the end.

Grian lost them. Jimmy and Joel were dead. And now they were gone, and he joined the Nosy Neighbours, he couldn't help but curse those that watch for doing this to him.

Cleo feared for her family. She had not only her own time to take care of, but her boys' time too. There was a duty she'd taken up to protect them. And she refused to shirk it now.

TIES had lost Skizz. Now they were just TIE. Deaths were inevitable here, but the loss of their friend hit them. Skizz, who, despite losing over two hours in the first session, despite those that had killed him and despite the revenge that others would've taken, had chosen to instead be kind to the players. He'd made it his duty to complement and assure the others.

The clock was ticking.

For all of them.

okay fine you can have a few more, as a treat.

part one

(friend birthday special set)

Zombiecleo and etholabs are married in my head

"I'm protecting you"

"I don't think that you are"

What if I killed myself??????

(repost bcz i made a mistake in the previous version)

i finally finished

after like- nearly a month of drawing these goobers, im finally done :D i love them so much <333

nearly done with the life series in your style!!! just gotta color :3

arts! i do traditional a lot so the pictures are very bad lol

heart foundation my beloved

After I made this post, I just had the scenario in mind...

And please read Joel's boxes in his hysteric Voice.

My best B.E.S.T. doodle!!!!

Celebrating my favorite team, now reunited in hermitcraft S10!

I might pen this and color it later but for now this is my little sketch.

Hermitcraft / Life series funnies

I made these at 3:24am this morning (not the original posts of course). I hope you enjoy :333

HERMITCRAFT SEASON 10 LIVE REACTION

Scar's POV:

Nice binoculars

MOB ZOO!!! I literally did this in a single player creative world once.

Why is scar all alone?

THEY ADDED JOEL AND NOT HIS WIFE??!?!!? MASSIVE L!!! also hi skizzleman. Yippeee Mumbo is actually here!!!1 love to see him.

AYO DOC AND ETHO???/ hE'S HITTING THEM BACKSHOTS

Hermitcraft with life series mechanics lmao demise 2

Scar is such a little thief

"It's a corset" LMAO

"We all dig down together" Scar, impulse, and gem did not understand this.

~getting overstimulated by my bf~

Grian learns to never dig straight down. OMG IMP IS A RED LIFE LITERALLY LIFE SERIES!

The Scar and imp duo is going crazy, love their dynamic, I don't ship tho

~it got too hot in my room and am topless from this point forward~

MUMBO! TITS OUT FOR MUMBO!

"Wow, you do have a big crack." Who let him say that? who's writing these scripts??

noooo they all left Scar :< I'll be your neighbor Scar.

nasty vile sound, of course Scar made it.

cute little boat... SCAR PUT SOME DAMN PANTS ON BOY!!!

"Just Bdubs and I!" love it!

My bf's guinea pig really loves Tango apparently...

DUDE IS GOING ON A JOURNEY TO COMMIT DEFORESTATION that's dedication right there.

NO NO NO OH HE he didn't drown. phew!

don't kill the llamas ... WHY IS IT AS SOON AS CUB SHOWS UP SCAR STARTS MURDERING THINGS.

Scar detonating Cubs trap like:

CONVEX IS OVER!!!

omg he goes to Bdubs for help and support in his time of need this interaction is so cute and wholesome... This is why I ship Scardubs literally so cute.

"Maybe I just off myself." BDUBS DON'T DO IT YOU ARE LOVED!

Bdubs showing Squawkers 3 to Scar was so wholesome omfg

"I want you to win." DUDE IM CRYING RN I LOVE THESE TWO.

How do they have crafters already???

"The box in maneuver." how did bro get into this cartoonish scenario?

TRAIN? TRAIN? TRAIN! I LOVE TRAINS! THE SWAGON TRAIN! chat... this is epic.

excellent video scar thank you for blessing my eyeballs today.

Follow my Tumblr or you'll be Scared for life!!!!!

Life Series Lego Minifigures

Here are some of the various custom Life Series minifigures I've made. I've made some artistic interpretations to them and I think they look really cool. Not everyone is here yet but soon they will be, this is what I have so far.

Group photo of what I have so far.

Team B.E.S.T.

Rancher Duo

BigB, Grian, and Mumbo

Renchanting Duo

Pearlesantmoon and Cleo

Mr. Goodtimeswithscar

Property Police (and the big dogs cause secret life)

Finally, the EVO squad.

i drew something but it lowkey looks terrible so i’m just posting the part i like

quick etho art before headed to bed :3 gonna be my friday post on tiktok probably

( reblogs appreciated <3 )

Went on Wattpad after YEARS and I forgot how good (disturbing) the comments can be

Likeee???💀💀

Also I need a new pfp so bad😫

Hey guess what I found more AO3 tags

Personal favourite because same:

Honestly, I'm objectively obsessed with both of them separately, (imagine me obsessively watching Joel from the Crazy Craft days) but like now more than ever I absolutely adore their funky little dynamic and their own individual content, so much so that I'm back to doodling them again!

(Also I'm convinced people are still sleeping on joel videos, and genuinely your missing out on this man's consistent mental breakdowns!)

Gang! It is confirmed! ETHO MADE THE STATUES! He is such a gaslight girlboss it's not fair. Honestly, they are so obsessed with each other it makes me sick /lh

I just

Look, I just wanted to draw Etho

I have no explanation for this other than that

Also here's the sketch because it looks dumb<3 and a close-up:

Truly ethogirl stuff<3

I have yet another update from this post! I recently upgraded to Clip Studio Paint EX so I could animate on my computer instead of my phone, so I've taken the re-vitalized motivation for this project and started it once more, giving a more finished product even though it is very much not finished. I'm planning to change the way that main middle part looks, thats why it is still blank compared to the old versions! Enjoy! I will also be streaming the continuation of this animation over on my twitch channel here soon!

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 7: Midnight Nightmare, Afternoon Patrol

Word Count: 2788

Scythe looked up at Martian from where he was poised on the ground, clutching the deep wound in his right side. The red-clad villain had knocked him down with a powerful blow, and he was now half laying, half sitting against the brick wall of the alleyway they were in. A small pool of Scythe's crimson-violet blood was forming on the rough concrete below him, also scattered across Martian's upper body from their fight.

Scythe tried desperately to crawl away from Martian. He still had his entire life ahead of him. He was scared to die, and he didn’t want to die either, but something told him that Martian wouldn't let him go, even if he was begging on the brink of death.

But he still tried. “Please…” Scythe said, his voice barely above a whisper thanks to his quickly fading strength. As Martian stopped in front of him, Scythe could no longer hold his head up to look at him. “Please… I don’t want to die…”

“If only you had realized that sooner.” Martian smirked, his confidence and hatred oozing out as he spoke. “Too bad, no one’s here to save poor, little…” His voice faded, Scythe seeing his lips move, words forever unheard.

His voice now barely audible to even himself, Scythe’s vision blurred with the tears that now ran down his cheeks,  mixing with the drying blood on his face. Martian squatted down to where Scythe was laying on the ground, and lifted his head with his fingers covered in the Enderian's blood.

In the brits place, a soft, worried voice filled. “...Scythe… Scythe!” The young Enderian’s eyes shot open and he scrambled to sit up. He moved his hand almost immediately to his right side where he swore he still felt the pain of his wound.

Scythe’s heart still raced and his breath still seemed to come a bit short as he looked around the room he was in. He was in his room, in his dorm, in Cursia, and far, far, away from Martian. Taking a deep breath, Scythe took his hand off of his side, the pain from his nightmare still lingering in his mind.

“Scythe, are you alright?” The soft voice said again, somehow filled with even more worry. He looked to the side and saw Ella sitting up beside him, her eyes filled with worry and her wings fluffed in a protective manner. Scythe moved his hand to hers and slowly nodded.

“I think so, now that I’m awake.” He said slowly, testing to see how much she wanted to know, and how much he was willing to share. The worry in Ella’s eyes softened slightly, but she was still very obviously concerned about him.

“I promise, Ella. I’ll be fine. I just need to wrap my head around what happened.” He looked away as he said that, thinking about the dream a moment longer, then looked at Ella one more time. “You don’t have to worry love, I’ll be ok.”

Ella crossed her arms and looked away, fake pouting as she spoke. “I don’t believe you.” she said simply, her wings flapping very slightly on her back. Scythe simply chuckled and pulled her close, resting his head on hers.

“You don’t have to believe me, you just have to trust me.” he said to her, and she took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around him in return. The pair stayed like that for a few minutes longer, simply enjoying the warmth and comfort of the other.

Eventually, Scythe spoke again. “How about we try to sleep again? It's still too early to be fully awake, and I have a patrol to watch for myself at noon.” he had said. Ella took a few moments before responding, her voice quiet and edged with sleepiness. “Fine, but you’re not escaping cuddles.”

Scythe chuckled, his chest shaking and his mood improving immediately, the nightmare temporarily forgotten. “Alright, alright. We can cuddle back to sleep, but we have to lay back down to cuddle properly.”

Ella almost immediately let go and layed back down in the bed, shuffling and adjusting to make room for Scythe to lay next to her, and held her arms out to beckon him down. He chuckled once more under his breath before adjusting himself to properly lay down, Ella pulling him to her as soon as he got situated, and he wrapped his arms around her in turn.

“Now sleep. And no nightmares during cuddles.” Ella said. “Alright, no nightmares with cuddles.” Scythe conceded. The two Enderian hybrids held each other, eventually falling asleep cradled in each others arms with no nightmares or unsettling dreams to be had for the remainder of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scythe woke up a few hours later, the sun shining through the window blinds, the clock by the bed reading 10:40am. As he rubbed his eyes from their sleepiness, realizing that he now had an hour and 20 minutes to get dressed, eat, and get to the Agency building for his patrol.

“Good morning sleepyhead” Scythe heard Ella say from the doorway, not even realizing she had opened it. The sweet and savory smell of waffles met his nose, and he smiled a still-sleepy smile.

“Good morning my favoritest person in the world.” Scythe said, rubbing his eyes once more and getting up from the bed. He walked over to the doorway where Ella still stood, holding his arm out for a hug as he approached. Chuckling, she embraced his hug and after a few moments, let go and led him into the kitchen where the wonderful smell was coming from.

Spread across the kitchen counters was admittedly a mess, but amongst the mess sat two pretty plates of food. One of waffles, and one of bacon and eggs. Scythe’s mouth started to water from the smell and sight of the delicious food, and he grabbed a plate to get himself some breakfast. Ella soon followed, and they sat down at the small table to eat their breakfast/brunch.

It didn't take long to eat considering Scythe had found himself to be very hungry when he took the first bite. Once finished, he and Ella rinsed their dishes, and he helped her to clean up the mess that was spread amongst the kitchen counter. It took a few minutes longer than expected, and once the pair had finally finished cleaning the counter and washing the dishes, it was 11:00.

With an hour before he had to be at the agency, Scythe decided it was about time to get dressed in his Uniform and head out. He figured that if he left earlier than he usually would, he might be able to save some energy by going slower in case anything, or anyone, came up. Him and Ella talked for a bit longer after Scythe had changed.

He ended up leaving at around 11:15, but that still left him 45 minutes to get there. Before long, he pulled out his phone and messaged Joel.

Scythe: Do you want to join me on the way to Patrol?

Joel: Why? Are you lonely without me?

Scythe: Oh shut up! Have you met yourself when it's been a long day and you haven’t had the chance to see Etho or Lizzie?

Joel: …

Joel: Shut up. 

Scythe: Hmm

Scythe: No, I don’t think I will

Joel: Rude.

Scythe: Yeah :D

Scythe laughed to himself, and he was sure that Joel was too at his

house. It was a few moments until Joel started typing again.

Scythe put his phone back away, and started leaping and climbing his way up the nearest easily accessible rooftop. Once up, he looked around to make sure of which way he needed to go in. He realized he needed to go in the opposite direction he was facing, but once corrected, he started heading to the address.

Joel: Where do you want to meet? I have to get changed, but it shouldn’t take too long.

Scythe: How about that one café off of  [xxxx] and [xxxx]?

Joel: Sure, I’m about 10 minutes out, tops.

Scythe: I’m about the same, meet ya there.

Read

Leaping across all kinds of different kinds of roofs, Scythe swiftly made it to the café, making sure to put up an illusion before hopping back down onto the street and walking up to the building’s doors.

After placing his drink order, Scythe found a seat close to the door and a window so he could see Joel when he got here. It didn’t take long before he saw Joel walking up the door, and when he walked through the door, Scythe waved to get his attention. Joel waved back and walked up to the counter to place his own order, then joined the younger man at the table.

“Fancy seeing you here, eh stranger?” Joel said with a wide smile as he sat down in the chair. 

“Oh wow, didn’t know you hang around these parts, stranger.” Scythe responded while trying, and failing, to hold back his laughter

Before long, the two burst out into laughter, and once they had stopped laughing, a worker came by with their drinks. Scythe could swear he recognized her bright orange hair and antlers, with the pointy elf ears to match. Nevertheless, he thanked her for bringing their drinks, and took a drink of his own cappuccino.

Scythe must have been very visible in deep thought about the waitress, and Joel most definitely noticed. “You alright there mate? You’re thinking too much, I can tell.” Scythe perked up, momentarily forgetting that he was in the café in the first place.

“Yeah, sorry.” Scythe rubbed his head before continuing, “I feel like I know that waitress from somewhere else, I just can’t place where from.” He took another drink of his coffee, and waited for Joel to respond.

“I thought so too, but damn dude you think too much.” Joel said after taking a drink of his own coffee. After he took his drink he just shrugged ,”You’ll figure it out at some point, let's just enjoy our drinks until we have to go.”

“Fair enough” Scythe felt himself agreeing. He knew he would figure it out another day, but the girl seemed to stick in the back of his mind until the pair had finished their drinks and had to leave once more.

They had spent about 15 minutes there, and only had about another 15 to get to the Agency building. It would be a close fit, but they would be able to get there in time. Walking out of the building, Scythe turned to Joel with a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Bet I can beat you there without teleporting!” he said as he jumped away from the brunette. He had jumped to the ladder of a nearby building, using it to climb up onto the roof. Once he made it up, he disabled his illusion, revealing his hero uniform and he peered over the edge of the building to where Joel was standing before, only to find him missing.

“Y’know you’re a bit slow climbing things, right?” Scythe heard a voice from behind him, really close to his ear, and jumped. Turning around, he saw Joel there with his wings and hero uniform, smirking even wider than he had been earlier.

“Not fair! You have wings!” Scythe pouted. “You can use your wings to get there either, just like I can't teleport.” he tried to reason.

Joel pondered on the thought for a moment before responding. “Fine, sounds fair enough. But if the time cuts too close I can’t promise I won't fly the rest of the way” The brunette shifted his weight to one leg and crossed his arms. “Deal?”

Scythe stood up from where he was still crouched on the rooftop. “Deal. See you later, slow poke!” and with that, he ran and jumped to the next rooftop, landing well and keeping his momentum to run and leap to the next. 

After landing again, Scythe looked back to find Joel confused for a split second before making a running start and following. Both of them had smiles plastered across their faces as they ran, the lead constantly fluctuating between them. At one point, Scythe had misjudged a jump, landing rough and killing most of his momentum, where Joel had used his wings to help him clear the gap.

Seeing Joel use his wings to help him, Scythe recovered quickly, catching up easily with a small, innocent, teleport forward. “You use your wings, I use my teleporting!” he said as he caught up to Joel, teleporting to a nearby rooftop to gain the lead once more, smiling mischievously the whole time.

Joel, temporarily stunned and confused, launched himself in the air a moment later, zooming up to where Scythe was, now quite a few rooftops in front of him. “It’s not my fault you misjudged the leap! I was only using my resources!” he said before propelling himself further forward and up with his wings.

“If you want to play that way, it looks like I'll just have to use my resources too.” Scythe said to himself, Joel being well out of earshot by now. He teleported to the next few rooftops, closing the gap between him and Joel. Once he was close enough and made sure he had enough energy to teleport again, he teleported a few meters in front of Joel. He had positioned the teleport so that Joel would have to catch him if he wanted to keep flying, and so that he wouldn't crash down onto a rooftop.

And it worked perfectly. Joel saw Scythe falling in front of him and scrambled to catch him and keep flying before he crashed to the ground. After realizing what Scythe had done, Joel looked at the young enderian with a glare that shot all kinds of daggers.

“I used my resources, just like you did” is all that Scythe said in response, earning an eye roll and annoyed scoff from the winged brunette who held him. 

“You’re damn lucky that I care about you enough not to drop you right now.” Joel said after a minute more of just flying. Scythe saw that he was smiling, and he smiled as he replied, “I know, but all that teleporting was getting exhausting anyways.”

Joel muttered something along the lines of “Fair enough, I guess,” and flew the rest of the way to the Agency. It only took them around 5 more minutes to get there, and they spent probably around 12 or 13 getting there in total.

With those few minutes left once they actually arrived, they went inside to see who else was there, and to see if they could find their other 2 patrol members.

It didn't take long at all to find them either. iWork and Voidling were talking with each other just inside of the main doors, looking over at Scythe and Joel as they walked in. Voidling seemed to smile under his mask as he waved the pair over. “Lux, Stratos! Come over and chat for a bit before we go!” He said in a cheery tone.

Scythe smiled and walked over to them, Joel following close behind. “Hey guys!” He said as he got to them, and was handed a cup of water. He shrugged and took a drink, liking the way the cold helped to cool him down from the journey. 

“Safe passage here I hope?” iWork asked after handing Joel a cup of his own. 

Joel took a drink before he replied. “It was, but this child--” he looked at Scythe “-- decided to teleport in front of me while I was flying and made me have to carry him the rest of the way”

“Hey! I didn’t make you carry me! You even said so yourself; you care too much about me to have dropped me!” Scythe replied with a playfully offended gasp.

The winged man’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Oh, shut up! No one asked for your input peanut gallery!” he reported jokingly.

“Alright you two, settle down.” Voidling said, stepping forward slightly to position himself between Joel and Scythe as they stared at each other. The masked hero turned to iWork and said, “It looks like we might have our hands full this afternoon.”

“Hey!” Scythe and Joel said simultaneously, causing the other two men to burst out in laughter, themselves stunned into silence and just staring at each other.

“Did that just happen?” Scythe asked.

“Yeah. Yeah it did.” Joel replied.

And the pair stood in shock as Voidling and iWork died of laughter on the floor.

(to be continued)

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Conflicting Lives- Incorrect Quotes 2

Have some more silly little things lol. from the same website as the last one, here

Lunar: I sleep with a gun under my pillow. Sam: I sleep with a knife. Ella: Both of you are pathetic. Lunar: Oh yeah? What do you sleep with? Ella: Scythe.

Etho: You really believe in Joel? Lizzie: Mmm… Luckily, he believes in himself enough for the both of us.

Ella, turning to Scythe: Stop calling yourself hot, the only thing you can turn on is the microwave.

Tango: Jimmy, you’re in charge! Scott: Jimmy, can we start a fire?

Scott: Tango isn’t answering my messages. Jimmy: Allow me. Scott: I tried 6 times, what makes you thi- Tango: *replying to message* Hello.

Mumbo: *is wearing silk pants* How does this look? Scar: Like its slips on and off really easily. Mumbo: Scar: No, I didn't mean it like that- Grain: We know what you meant.

Cleo: So are you gonna explain how the hell you crashed my car? Pearl: Well we were driving and there was a deer in the road, so I said "Gem, deer!" Cleo: ...And what did Gem do? Pearl: …They said "Yes, Honey?"

Ella: Come on, Lunar. Nobody actually believes that Scythe is in love with me. Lunar, to The Squad: Raise your hand if you think that Scythe is helplessly in love with Ella. *Everyone raises their hand* Ella: Scythe, put your hand down.

Pearl: We’ve been conducting an ongoing study to see what Joel will and will not eat. Sam: Grass? Yes! Pearl: Moss? Yes!! Sam: Leaves? Ohh, yes! Pearl: Shoelaces? Strange but true! Sam: Worms? Sometimes! Pearl: Rocks? Usually nah. Sam: Twigs? Usually! Pearl: Scar's cooking? Inconclusive! Jimmy: How did you… test this? Pearl: You just hand them stuff and say ‘eat this’ and if they eat it, they eat it. Jimmy: ... I don’t know how to feel about this. Scar: IS THAT WHERE ALL MY SPARE SHOELACES WENT?

Scar: Show me Pennsylvania. Scythe: I don’t know Canadian geography.

Cleo: I have a question. Scythe: Shoot. Cleo: Is the S or C in scent silent? Gem: Fuck you, I’m going to be thinking about this all day. Scythe: Okay well, cent is pronounced the same way as scent so I’m gonna say the S is silent. Cleo: Okay, but sent is also spelled the same way. Gem: Google says that the C was added in the late seventeenth century, so I guess the S is silent. Joel: Plot twist, both the S and the C are silent and the E actually makes the sss sound. Gem: Joel is not allowed to talk anymore.

Scythe: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy. Ella: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep. Scythe: I said within reason, Ella. How about I murder that guy? Ella: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't? Scythe: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 5: Panicked Feelings (The Meeting pt.2)

Word count: 2434

TW: Panic attack (warning when happening)

“I would love to share.” Snowfall said, emphasizing his voice on the word love, and Scythe could swear he caught a glare aimed in his direction, as well as Lunar’s. And that's when Scythe realized exactly who Snowfall was. 

The red accents, the cocky demeanor, and the voice. He hated that stupid, British voice, and he knew it all too well. That was Martian standing in front of Scythe, one of the strongest people from Cursia, hero or villain, and he was someone Scythe didn't particularly get along with.

“I was tasked to observe the two villains passively, as a bystander or by other means, and I think that you might want to re-think your… selection of heroes after this, Voidling.” The blond started, looking at Scythe and Joel, Voidling following his gaze with a confused and interested tint to his eyes. “For the last 5 weeks, I have been carefully monitoring the activities in the area affected by these two villains, and not only does it seem as though the pair have planned the decrease of their activities, but I also seem to have noticed the lack of a few specific persons in said area during my observation,” Snowfall then looked towards the other three IOs, and they all returned his stare, each expression conveying something different. 

Lunar looked like they were starting to get annoyed, Etho had a flicker of fear in his eyes for a small moment, and Augustus’ expression was unreadable, partially thanks to his mask. Scythe knew that he himself probably looked very annoyed, and he could tell that Joel's anxiety was starting to build as well.

“Storyteller,” Snowfall turned his full attention to her, “I don't mean to be rude, but your features aren't exactly the most concealable, even in your current outfit. Your horns, skin color, and other appendages seem to make you stand out in a crown.” Lunar narrowed her eyes. “And what do you mean by that, Snowfall?” they said, the tone of their voice betraying their annoyance.

“Oh, nothing at all, it’s just that during my observations, I seem to have noticed you talking to an enderman hybrid who appears to be eerily similar to our young hero in the room.” Snowfall then turns to Scythe. “I don't suppose you have any siblings do you, Lux?” Scythe's breath caught in his throat, but Snowfall continued before he could respond. “Of course, this is simply just a wild guess, what else could it be?” He turned back to Lunar, and continued what he was saying before, “I also seem to have never seen you as often as you claim to have been in our little surveillance area. Don’t you think that's quite odd? You seem to have this information like you have been consistently observing our Enderian villain, yet I haven't seen you as often as you say you were around.

In fact, I am inclined to believe you haven’t been there at all.” Lunar’s tail lashed to each side in frustration, her expression clearly aggravated. “And what proof do you have of your claims? What proof do you have that you were there, and I was not? I do not share my abilities, nor do I intend to, but I can confirm that I have been there as long as I have told with my research. What proof do you have with you to say that I have not?” She retorted, her anger even more evident in the tone of her voice.

Snowfall was silent in the few moments to follow, and the tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a butter knife. “You make a good point, I do not have any viable proof other than my own words, but I advise the gathered heroes to think about all that I will be saying.” he then turned to Augustus. “I seem to have noticed a lack of your presence as well, The Above. Yet again, I assume you are dressed in such a way right now to try and hide your identity. Even so, it feels as though I would have seen a similar style, or at least another outside party observing Ender and Tanuki at some point within the last 5 weeks, and have yet to see such.”

Augustus’ expression was still unreadable, seemingly neutral as he replied, “Of course you wouldn't have seen me, Snowfall. I don't make myself visible. I was only present in the first few weeks with the information I had to gather. Fighting styles do not take long to remember and record, especially for someone who does more forgery and weaponry such as myself.” Augustus kept his tone neutral and steady, his expression never faltering for a second.

Snowfall nodded, “I see. If what you say is true, I apologize for my accusations. You seem to be a man of reason, and I’m sure that you can understand my concerns about what information has been brought up so far.” Augustus nodded, but said no more. Before the blonde could speak once more, Voidling took his own turn to speak.

“Snowfall, I acknowledge your concerns, but my heroes have come here on an incredibly short notice, and I’m sure all of them would like to continue with their own personal lives as soon as they can. I have called you here not to argue amongst your fellow IOs, but to gather information to aid in the defeat of Ender and Tanuki.” The masked hero stood and looked at Snowfall. Scythe could tell that the leader was starting to get annoyed by the undertone of his voice, and his own breath seemed to labor slightly. “If you are here only to accuse my youngest hero, who has worked very hard to be present in this meeting today, then I must ask you to leave, and we will continue without what you have to offer to us. I suggest you choose your next actions very wisely.”

Sitting back down and taking a deep breath, Voidling gave the floor back to Snowfall, but not before shooting a small apologetic look at Scythe. The few seconds of silence that passed felt like hours to him as his anxiety rose evermore. “My sincerest apologies Voidling, I do not mean to take up your time, though I have one last thing that I feel I must add. Doesn’t it seem odd that there is an Enderman hybrid on both the hero and villain sides of our society? And two that seem to look so similar as well? I mean if you think about it, they aren't all too different; they are each around a similar height, they seem to have similar abilities, and not long after you had seemed to have called your heroes together in the first place, Ender and Tanuki seemed to become less and less active.

Don't you think that's odd? As soon as there is a plan in place among the Agency to take down two of the most annoying villains, they seem to just stop their actions and chaos. In fact--” Snowfall looked at Scythe, “-- I think that Lux here may not be as much of a hero as you all seem to think…”

(tw: panic attack)

And that's when it happened. Scythe suddenly felt as though he couldn't get enough air into his lungs.  His ears began ringing, every noise becoming distant and unimportant. The movements of the others in the room seemed to blur, and it felt as though he was in a foreign place, full of hostility. He would be discovered. His life would be ruined. He would never be able to live a normal life again. 

All of his closest friends would leave him, he knew it, he just knew it. His illusion faltered, and strangely enough, he didn't seem to care. The only thing he could think about was the blond at the front of the room, mouth moving but words unheard. Even if Scythe couldn't hear what the red-clad man was saying, he knew what it must have been. Martian had figured him out. He tried to stand up and walk out of the room, but his legs seemed to give way under him, unable to hold up his trembling figure.

Almost immediately, he could feel the presence of more bodies around him, and tried to push them away in his panicked state, feeling as though he would be taken from those he loved and cared for. He couldn't recognize the faces around him. Nothing looked familiar anymore. His eyes could see clearly, but his mind could not. He could not tell if they were friend or foe. He couldn't tell hostile from passive. Were they acting like they cared? Did they really all know? How did he know who to trust when he couldn't recognize the faces surrounding him? He knew that his illusion must have been completely gone by now, but what difference would it make when they all now knew about his lies?

Then, out of what felt like nowhere, three pairs of wings made a circular barrier around him. A pair of brown, white, and maroon wings seemed to enclose him, providing a guard from outside faces on his body, but doubled back as a wall to which his own thoughts could not escape. He curled in on himself, trying desperately to keep his growing anxieties away, tears swelling and rolling down his cheeks as they refused to keep to his eyes.

Then Scythe felt pressure on his shoulders. Looking up, tears never seeming to end their cascade down his cheeks. He knew the face looking back at him, and it was full of worry and pity. The short, fluffy brown hair brought him comfort adorned with a pastel yellow streak. Those chocolate eyes telling him that it would all be ok. With Scythe's ears still ringing and words still not quite being heard, the man in front of him looked up and past Scythe, and said something. Then he turned slightly behind himself to another person, the ringing in his own ears slowing, and he was able to hear some of the words the taller man said.

“Jim...the only … illusion magic…Help Scythe … identity … panic attack…” The words seemed random to Scythe, but at last the man in front of him looked him in the eyes once more, and Scythe was finally able to recognize him. Joel was crouched in front of him. Someone he could trust was there, and not just Joel either. Looking around, his senses slowly returning to him, Scythe recognized the owners of the other two pairs of wings surrounding him. Cuteguy and The Sheriff, wait no… Grian and Jimmy were the other ones there. The three older men were shielding Scythe with their wings, providing a barrier against the others for Scythe to help him feel safe and calm, and so that they can’t see him without his illusion.

“Scythe, are you ok?” Scythe turned back to Joel, and the brunette was looking at him with worry that was unparalleled to anything he had experienced from someone else before. Scythe realized he didn't quite know how to answer; he knew he wasn't ok, but at the same time he didn't really feel not-ok either. So instead of responding with words, he uncurled himself from the ball he managed to squeeze into and leaned forward to give Joel a hug that he very much needed.

The older man almost immediately returned the embrace, rubbing Scythe’s back in comfort as more tears seemed to roll down his cheeks, a morbid insight of the turmoil in his mind. “It's going to be alright. We’re here for you. All of us.” Joel said.

After a few more long moments of just sitting in the hug, feeling safe and cared for, Scythe leaned back and sat up. Joel moved his hands from his back to his arms, holding them gently as a show of comfort. Scythe looked at him, hoping his eyes said all they needed to, and looked around him at the faces and bodies that surrounded him. 

Lunar, Augustus, Jimmy, Grian, Joel, Scar and Etho were all there. Grian, Jimmy and Joel provided the winged barrier from those he didn't know as well, the others providing an extra barrier of comfort from what currently felt like an alien world. Scythe tried to speak, but his voice came only as a whisper, “I… my illusion… is it..?” he managed to get out before Joel finished his thought and answered, “Jimmy. He’s helping keep your identity a secret. He can't hold the entire outfit, but he got your general appearance. The only thing showing outside of an illusion is your clothes.”

Scythe thought about Joel's answer for a moment, then nodded and took a deep breath. He looked up at Lunar and Scar, then back to Joel. “Home?” is all he managed to ask, but he didn't need to say anymore. The three nodded and Scar left the outer circle, Scythe hearing him talk to someone, presumably telling Voidling that he was leaving to take him home.

Scar came back, and Scythe and Joel looked up at him. When Scar nodded, Joel picked the young Enderian up, enclosing his body with his wings to keep his main appearance safe and out of sight from the other heroes. Jimmy  relocated the illusion to the only visible area of his body, those being mainly his head and shoulders.

As he was being carried out of the room, Scythe heard Voidlings last words to the remaining persons in the meeting room. “This Meeting is now over. Thank you for the information each of you have provided. However, you will not be invited back here Snowfall. Good afternoon to you all, and I apologize for any and all inconveniences caused by Snowfall's poor choice of words..”

Scythe heard a scoff and footsteps passing him, assuming it was Snowfall that had passed him on his way out of the building. Joel held onto him a little tighter to let him know that he was safe, and Scythe felt grateful for his friends for making sure he's alright. He turned his head to look at Snowfall, or Martian as he knows him as, and the blonde man turned back with a glare shooting every dagger imaginable. Scythe returned it with just as much hatred and intensity. 

When he looked back up at Joel and to Scar they all seemed to share a silent agreement. This would not be the last they saw of the villain Martian.

AN: I know I've been posting a lot of new chapters, but please do not expect new chapters to always be this quick. This entire AU is one giant hyperfixation, and one that I have no clue how long it will last. I do not want a standard to be made that I know I will not be able to meet, so please dont expect too much from me. I dont have the most free time and to be honest, most of the writing I've been doing as of recent has been during classes that I should have probably been paying attention in instead of writing, yet here we are. I hope you enjoy as always, though!

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Cobflicting Lives- Chapter 4: The Meeting (pt.1)

Word Count: 2050

As he and Scar walked into the meeting room as Lux and Hotguy, Scythe was relieved to see that the only other people that were there other than Voidling seemed to be iWork, Tek, and Cuteguy.

He walked over to where Voidling was talking with iWork, and the two older men looked at him expectantly. “Would I be able to speak with you for a moment Voidling?” Scythe asked after a second or two of silence.

“Of course Lux.” Voidling said, getting up from his chair. The pair walked towards an unpopulated corner of the meeting room. “What did you need to tell me?” the older hero asked.

Scythe took a deep breath. “You know about how I put up an illusion to further keep my true identity a secret from the public,” he looked at Voidling, who was nodding with eyes full of curiosity, “But I didn't have time to grab my uniform from my room before I came over here.” Voidlings eyes opened a bit in shock for a moment, then softened in understanding.

“So the illusion you have right now is for both appearance and clothing then, correct?” he asked Scythe. And he nodded in response.

“I’m not sure how long I can keep one up without revealing the other, either. Even just starting it I can tell that I’m not going to be able to hold both for more than like an hour or an hour and a half, max.” Scythe continued explaining. He didn't know what Voidling was thinking, and just the thought of anything being revealed to other heroes he didn't know well enough to trust very well made his stomach turn over itself.

There were only a few seconds before Voidling responded, but it felt like hours. “I can try to keep it as short as possible, but with what I’ve gotten I don't expect this meeting to be that short.” He finally said, concern filling his eyes as he looked at Scythe. “If you need to leave for a moment during it if you feel like the illusion is falling, by all means take a breather.”

Scythe contemplated for a moment, mulling over the offer that Voidling had given him. “That could work, but I also don't want to miss out on what has happened.” That much was true, but he may have told a small white lie as he continued, “The situation concerning the last meeting has been eating at the back of my head, and I want to try and help as much as I can. It feels like I can't do that if I have to leave because of my stamina capacity.” Well, maybe only part of it was a lie.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” the older hero said in a comforting tone, “But I also don't want you to over exert yourself for the sake of some information that I can get to you at a different time.” Voidling put a hand on Scythe's shoulder, and he looked up at the masked man. “Don't push yourself beyond your limit when you don't have to or aren't comfortable with doing so.”

Scythe took a deep breath and looked down once more, looking back up a moment later. “I… I could just let a little down. Not enough to be super noticeable, but enough to let off some of the drainage.”

 Voidling was silent for a moment longer, and took his hand off of Scythes shoulder. “Just don't push yourself too far. I may not be as close to you as some of the others are, but that doesn't mean I don't care and worry about you.” With that, he turned around and walked back towards the table, where the rest of the heroes seemed to be filing in.

Scythe took another few seconds to recuperate, then walked back to the table himself. As he approached, the last of the heroes to arrive walked through the door. Joel walked in, and it looked like he just got out of bed. Scythe assumed that his messy hair was from flying, as his artificial wings were also fluffed and messy from the air.

The white-winged hero walked over to the area where Scythe sat, and chose a seat next to him, moving his wings farther ti back to drape over the back of the chair. The pair looked at eachother, having a silent conversation of how much it sucks to be rushed.

“It looks like everyone is here. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I do want to start by apologizing for the rush, especially as many of you aren't exactly very close to our building here.” iWork was the one to start off speaking, and he continued on, “however some information we've just received from one of our IOs needed to be discussed immediately.””

Voidling reached his hand under the table where he sat and the small click of a button was heard. A forgotten door in a back corner opened, and everyone's eyes went wide as four people walked out. Two of them looked well dressed and prepared, while the other tel looked rushed and a bit unkempt. And there were at least three heroes in the room that knew at least one of those people. 

Scythe felt like all of the oxygen left his body. He made eye contact with Lunar and Augustus, then with Etho and the fourth IO, his identity unknown, but something eerily familiar about them. The red highlights of their outfit and the blond, unkempt hair definitely belonged to someone he knew, the name just on the tip of his tongue.

He prayed that he hadn't gone too pale as he then locked eyes with Voidling when scanning the room for the others’ reactions. Voidling seemed to be talking to him through the silence, Step out if you need it, Lux, his eyes seemed to say. Scythe knew that he wasn't pale because of the illusion efforts, but because he wasn't expecting to see three of his closest friends infront of him, and in front of all of the other major heroes throughout the island.

Trying to gather his composure, Scythe took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing mind. His head had started to ache from all the thoughts darting around, and he took a few moments to calm them down, steady his breathing, and check his illusion to make sure it hadn’t faltered in the moment of panic.

He turned around to look at Joel, who also seemed to be a bit pale in the face, despite the light pink hue riding on his cheeks. Joel looked back at Scythe, a look of slight fear in his eyes as they both realized the situation, and the pink faded from the winged man's face. The pair then looked at scar and the three exchanged knowing glances, but making sure to look amongst the others as well. Thankfully they all seemed to be as confused as they are, if not a little pale too.

“These are the four IOs that had agreed to gather information for us at the last meeting.” Voidling said once everyone seemed to calm down and gather themselves once more. “These are Storyteller, Snowfall, The Above, and Slab,” they each waved as their name was announced, “and I feel that they each have a very valuable piece of information to give us all.” Voidling turned around to face the four IOs. “Storyteller, would you like to go first?”

Lunar, or rather Storyteller, stepped forward. “Sure. Thank you for inviting me here. I was asked to gather information about the routes that Ender takes at night, from where they split from Tanuki after any chosen activities, and figure out the area where they seem to be located.” She looked around the meeting room, meeting the eyes of a few heroes, sparing Scythe from eye contact in the already awkward situation.

Even though Scythe knew that Lunar knew what she was saying and how they were going to say it, he couldn't help but feel anxious. He was putting an incredible amount of trust in someone he knew very well, but even that didn't stop the farthest corners of his thoughts spiraling. 

“What I have found by slowly trialing Ender is a semi-consistent direction that he travels in. Oftentimes, he heads in a south west direction. This does vary a lot of however, and I've seen him go north and east before for a very long while before he eventually turned back towards Cursia.” Lunar at last looked at Scythe, then back at Voidling who was watching and listening very intently. “This leads me to believe that Ender may be staying somewhere in Cursia, though I have yet to follow him past the border line. Each time I have tried to do so, it has been far too late into the night for me to continue any longer.” 

Lunar had finished speaking at last after what felt like hours, and stepped back to where the others were. Scythe realized he had been holding his breath a bit, and let out a slow exhale. Joel seemed to hold his as Voidling spoke next, “Thank you Storyteller. What you have brought to us is greatly appreciated. Slab, would you please step forward and present what information you have to offer?”

Scythe felt bad for the winged man behind him. Slab, or Etho as Scythe knew him, was one of Joel's two partners. Void knows what he would be feeling right now if Ella was one of the IOs standing up there, so he could only imagine what Joel was feeling.

“Of course. I was asked to provide similar information as the Storyteller was, but about Tanuki instead of Ender,” Etho started. “From what I have been able to gather myself, Tanuki has been seeming to head north more often than any other direction, though I have followed him as far as the Wynnran border a small number of times. What I believe is that he may have a home in a few different cities, though they seem to be mainly in Empyria and Wynnra.”

Etho stepped back into the line, and Scythe heard Joel breath a small sigh of relief. He looked around at the others to see if anyone had noticed, but thankfully it seemed as though no one else did. “Thank you Slab. Your additional information will greatly aid us in our search.” Voidling said.

Then the masked hero turned to the third IO in line. “The Above, would you care to speak next?” Voidling asked, and Scythe could feel butterflies rising once more in his stomach.

“I would be honored,” Augustus said. “Before I present my information however, I would like to make a clarifying statement. I am mainly a weapons developer, and only gather information for others as the need arises. Information gathering is not my specialty, but I was not going to refuse someone that needed help for a good cause.

That being said, I was asked to bring information about the way that both Ender and Tanuki fight. What I have found isn't all too much, either. From what I can tell, they balance eachother out to make fighting others easy at all ranges, Ender seeming to keep a bit farther back and Tanuki seeming to keep closer in.” Augustus looked around the meeting room, pausing on a few people's gaze, including scythes. His look seemed to ask if he was revealing too much, and Scythe quickly blinked once as a way to tell him he's fine. And so the masked IO continued, “I believe they work as a team because they balance their own strengths and weaknesses with the others, proving for a force to reckon with.” 

At last, Augustus stepped back into the line, finalizing what information he could give. It was a few more seconds before Voidling spoke again, and he seemed to be lost in thought for that short amount of time. “Thank you for what you have been able to give us. We now know how we can try to combat both of these villains if it comes to a fight.” He said atlas. “Snowfall, thank you for waiting. Would you like to give us your findings?”

AN: Next chapter is going to have a TW, so enjoy the calm(ish) before the storm

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Conflicting Lives- Character Designs 3/?

Characters Introduced in Chapter 3!

Note: all character designs are made with Gacha Club due to a lack in my own artistic abilities at the current time. Please feel free to interpret my designs in your own style! There is one design from this chapter that CANNOT be changed, and that is Lunar. I do not own this character, that is why it cannot be changed.

Wynnrans

Crusians

If you saw this when it first came out an noticed a few are missing, I did that on purpose. I'm putting them on next chapters characrerbdesigns because they are more met there. Bear with me im still new to the whole writing thing

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 3: Plans Put Into Place

Word count: 2262

It had been about a month and a half since the agency meeting. Scythe and Joel made a plan to slowly stop going out as much, but waited for about a week of usual chaos before they actually slowed down.

Joel had also spoken with his partner, Etho, that was “looking into him” on behalf of the agency, and they came to a sort of compromise about what to give and what not to give to Voidling and iWork; Joel would tell Etho some of his routes and what directions he usually heads in, and Etho would simplify and brief it in a way to seem like he was observing the paths, not being told them.

Scythe spoke to his two friends as well, first to “Storyteller.”

~~~~~~~~~ Five Weeks Prior ~~~~~~~~~

Scythe was waiting on the patio table of the small café, admittedly a bit anxious. He knew Lunar wasn't always the most timely, considering she lives in Wynnra and the small shop was located on the western-ish side of Hermiton. Thankfully, he saw them walking up to the café just as he was starting to get the most anxious, and she sat down across from him at the small metal table.

“So I’m going to assume this isn't just a catch-up brunch?” Lunar asked after the waitress came by and got her drink order.

Scythe sighed, “As much as I wish it was, no it’s not.” He shifted in his seat, nervous and unsure on how to start the conversation. 

“Stop that,” Lunar said almost as soon as he started fiddling, “I know what you do when you're nervous. We’ve known each other for years, Scythe.” He silently cursed himself for being so anxious about such a little thing.

“Void, I really wish you didn't know me that well sometimes,” Scythe said after taking a deep breath. “I do want to catch up, but there is also something that’s come up that I feel like we should probably talk about too.”

The waitress came by to deliver Lunars drink with a smile, and asked if he would like a refill, to which he accepted and she took the cup away. “I’m going to assume this ‘something’ is what V contacted me about a week and half ago?” Lunar asked as she took a drink.

“Yeah, exactly that actually.” Scythe wasn’t very surprised that she knew what he meant. It wasn't all too hard to guess anyways. “Joel has already talked with Etho about what they’ll give to V, but I thought I should probably talk to you and Augustus before things get too far in.” He had turned his head down as he spoke, Scythe realized, and looked back up to Lunar looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite read.

After what felt like days, they finally replied, “Alright. I suppose we can start with the route info. If I could ask though, what did Joel and Etho come up with?” she looked expectantly at Scythe.

“Oh. yeah no problem, I don’t really know everything but i can tell you what I do know.” Scythe said after a few seconds of silence. “If i’m remembering correctly -- and don't quote me on this -- but Joel was going to give Etho our normal routes and what directions he left in after, and Etho would turn it into a sort of way where it was like he observed the info, not asked for it.” He realized that probably sounded strange to a normal person and quickly added, “If that makes any sense at least.”

Lunar slowly nodded, likely making a plan for how she would do something similar to get the information to Voidling, then looked back at Scythe with an expression mostly unreadable, but with a tint of curiosity. “Please dont look at me like that Crystal, come on.” he complained.

And Lunar laughed. Crystal was a nickname Scythe had given to them when he was younger, and lived in Wynnra. The nickname didn't seem to make sense to anyone not close to Lunar, but if you knew her like Scythe did, it made all the sense in the world. When the pair were younger, Lunar would always wander about in the middle of their adventures, and almost always came back with a handful of small crystals. As this kept happening as they got closer to Junior High, Scythe started calling them Crystal, and the name still stuck, 8 years later.

“Damn I haven't heard that in a while.” Lunar said when she finally stopped laughing. “That is exactly how I know it's been too long since we last talked, Scythe, I stopped getting used to Crystal again.”

Scythe chuckled too. “What were you thinking about Crystal? I know you too and that look means you had something in that head of yours about this whole situation.” He looked at them, and she looked down slightly before locking eyes with him once more.

“Maybe we could do a similar sort of thing to what Joel and Etho are doing, but maybe since I’m usually in Wynnra, it’s a bit more obscure. Kind of like I had someone travel to the area for me to scope out the situation, since it's hard to get there myself. Information does change the more it gets passed on after all, so it can't be all too suspicious can it?” She finally said after a few more moments of thought.

Scythe was honestly kind of surprised that he didn’t think of something that seemed so obvious sooner. But yet again he often got that kind of feeling when Lunar was talking, maybe he was just stupid but who knows. “That's… actually really smart. I’m not surprised that you thought of that, I'm more surprised that I didn’t.” he chuckled when he finished, realizing just how stupid that probably sounded.

Lunar laughed too and teased Scythe a bit, making him pout and try desperately not to laugh. They discussed their plan further, and ended up just hanging out for most of the afternoon.

When they said their goodbyes and headed to their own homes, Scythe thought about what he would do as a plan for his other friend, and decided that tomorrow was better than trying to get it done today.

~~~~~~~~~ One Day Later ~~~~~~~~~

Scythe heard a knock on his door, and opened it to reveal Augustus.He had been sitting and watching the TV for the better part of an hour while waiting for him to get there.

“What’s up man? Thanks for having me over!” Augustus said as he stepped in and pulled Scythe into a quick hug. The two guys laughed, and walked further into the dorm room to sit on the couch.

“Not a problem dude, but I only wish I asked you to come over to have fun.” Scythe confessed. That much was true, he did wish that he called Augustus over just to hang out and probably play some video games, but he didn’t. When he looked at Scythe curiously and a bit confused, he continued, “I know you mostly do Weapon Development* stuff, but I’m also pretty sure you got contacted by a certain someone about a week and a half ago.”

As soon as he mentioned being contacted, Augustus’ demeanor very noticeably changed, there wasn't going to be much fun today, at least not without this discussion, and he read the room and changed himself to match (something he did quite often to be honest). “Yeah, I did think that was a bit strange. I wasn't expecting it to be about information, especially from Voidling, but even more so about you.” Augustus said at last.

“Yup. Joel too. I've already talked to Crystal, and Joel has already talked to Etho, but I wanted to maybe try and work out something with you as well.” Scythe said, and Augustus looked back up at him. It took a few minutes for him to respond, but at least he did. “That makes sense. What do you have figured out already?”

Scythe exhaled, not even realizing he was holding his breath a little. He explained once more what he and Lunar went over together the day prior, as well as what Joel and Etho had worked out between themselves. It took a few minutes to clear the couple of questions that Augustus had, but eventually they were able to start making a plan of their own.

“Alright, that all makes sense. V asked me for more of the type of damage and stuff that you guys do, and not so much the routes or anything of that sort. I'm guessing he did some research into what I usually do, and I guess I would be the guy to talk about weapons and fighting styles rather than other kinds of info.” Augustus said.

“That checks out. He did say in the meeting that he had done some research of his own, so I guess I can try and get you that. Maybe we can spar a bit? I have no clue how I would describe the way I fight so maybe just mock-fighting would be more useful.” Scythe reasoned. It made sense to him, and the two often though similarly, so Augustus was bound to get where he was coming from. “If you need, I could ask Joel if he can stop by as well, or we could see if the two of us would be able to convince security into letting you into the training area of the Agency building, and we can spar there. Pretend like we’re training in case we encounter ourselves or something.”

Augustus was silent for a minute or two, mulling over what he could do. “Sparring would probably be best, since I'm usually too busy otherwise to actually go and watch what you guys do. Though, he didn't ask for how you fight per say, but rather what kind of damage you guys do. I'm sure I could maybe fit some sort of fighting information in there, like maybe you argued with each other or something and fought a little bit, but other than that I think I might just tag along in the shadows these next couple of nights. Would that be alright?”

Again, Scythe wasn't necessarily surprised b6 how smart his friends could be. After all, he was kinda dumb most of the time, and thought more in the moment, than thinking ahead. “Yeah I'm sure that’ll be fine. I’ll text Joel real quick to make sure he knows and is good with that too.” And he did just that. Within the next minute, Joel had responded with conformation, and they were good to go.

For pretty much the rest of that entire day, Scythe and Augustus just hung out in the dorm room, playing games and poking fun at each other. Augustus kept going back to fighting games, specifically to absolutely wreck Scythe at them. Scythe would always complain and just button mash his way through them, but it was still a lot of fun for the both of them.

~~~~~~~~~ Present Day ~~~~~~~~~

Scythe walked out of the office of one of his professors. It was one of the days he had his class with Scar, but this professor was for the class after Scars. The one he had missed a little under two months prior because of the sudden Agency meeting. Thankfully, his next class of that day wasn't until several hours later, and he was especially thankful for that when his phone buzzed.

New Message from Spore: All recipients to report to the Agency Building ASAP. Details will be discussed once everyone arrives.

Well, Scythe can’t say that he wasn't expecting it to be an Agency message. Swiping the message away, he pulled up his messages with Scar and asked if he got the same thing, which he did once more.

Scar wasn't always the brightest, but he also wasn't as dumb as Scythe, so he guessed that Scythe was going to ask for transportation there so he wasn't exhausted. Scythe laughed to himself and replied with a “yes please,” then start3 walking towards Scar’s classroom so they could be on their way.

It only took the two men about 5 minutes to get to the Agency building, compared to the 20 it took Scythe on his own. He was forever grateful that Scar knew him as well as he did, but not too well either, and he told him that he owed Scar something, and wouldn't take no for an answer then he was told not to worry about it.

At last they got there, and as they were getting out of the vehicle, Scythe realized he didn't have his outfit or his illusion up, and Scar seemed to notice in the same moment as well. “Oh shoot.” Scar said as he realized. “Is it going to be too hard to put up a skin and the clothes illusion?” he asked worriedly,

“It shouldn't be since I haven't been teleporting, but I’ll have to tell X that it's all an illusion when we get in there. Hopefully I can just whisper it to him.” Scythe said, sighing. Scar mumbled an alright in response before getting out, and Scythe had to focus a little to get his illusion right before he stepped out as well.

Walking up to the building, Scythe could tell that it definitely wasn't going to be easy to put up this illusion, especially for how long the meeting was likely to last, but he’ll get there when it comes to it.

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Conflicting Lives- Chapter 2: Meetings and a Late Night Meal

Word Count: 1477

The meeting was… interesting, to say the least. Scythe had barely made it to the Agency building in time, and when he did he was exhausted from the running and teleporting it took to get there. Spore was waiting to make sure everyone got there in time, and held the door open for Scythe as he walked through.

“Good, everyone’s here.” Voidling said after Spore closed the door to the meeting room. It seemed as though all major heroes from all five cities were gathered in that meeting room. Some of them, like Hotguy and Stratos, he knew from elsewhere. Others he knew from missions and general public services.

“There’s been more villainous activity around the North-Western Hermiton areas,” iWork pointed to the area in the map on the large round table. “Witnesses have noticed more frequent appearances of Ender, Tanuki, and Earth in the areas of the crime, though reports of seeing Earth have lessened in the last few weeks.” he continued.

Scythe looked around the table, making short eye contact with Joel and Scar, but made sure to look at a few more people to not seem too suspicious. Admittedly, he and Joel had been out more often as college and other work got stressful.

Voidling spoke next, “I originally thought of Just increasing night hour patrols and monitorization in the area, but I’ve come up with a different plan that I would like to run by you all.” Leaning forward, he continued,

“I’ve gotten a deal with a few of the largest and most credible Informatives throughout all of our cities. They have agreed to do what they can, and get us any information about the routes and inside information on Ender and Tanuki, but it is a very expensive deal.” By the time he was done talking, his brows were close together in deep thought.

“Does anyone have any other ideas or anything they would like to ask about this plan?” iWork asked the group after a few more moments of silence.

There was a good five to ten seconds of silence and awkward looks around when finally someone seemed to speak up. “How do we know if we can trust the Informatives to give us correct information? They may be the most credible out there, but that doesn't mean they won't provide false information if they get a higher buyer, right?”

Everyone turned towards Cuteguy. After a few more seconds of silence, The Sheriff spoke up. “I think I understand where he’s coming from. Most of these guys work for money or some sort of trade right? How can we be sure that someone else won't come around and out-bid us in a way?” He finished with a look around the large, central table, his gaze stopping at Voidling and iWork.

The two looked at each other, then back at The Sheriff and the rest of the heroes. After what felt like a few moments too long, Voidling finally spoke, “I see where you’re coming from--” he looked at The Sheriff and Cuteguy, “--both of you. There is no way to know for sure, and that is exactly why I wanted to call all of you here so we may discuss this together. I don’t have much more information to give you guys, but does anyone have any questions they would like to ask?”

Scythe definitely had questions, but he only asked one of them. “If I may, who are the informatives? I’ve done my own research in the past about these informatives, and I have some knowledge that might help. Like for instance, they usually refer to themselves as Informative Operators, or IOs for short. 

They talk to eachother alot too, and have this sort of network between everywhere and everyone to make sure they all have the latest news, in a way.” He realized he trailed off a bit, and looked up to see everyone looking at him as both surprised and impressed.

Obviously, he knew this not because of research, but because of his own friends, although the people who don't know already don't need to find out.

“That… is actually really useful, thank you Lux.” Voidling finally said. “Our current ‘IO’s that have provided themselves available to us are Storyteller, Slab, Snowfall, and The Above. I have also done my own bit of research, though clearly not as much as Lux, and have found that they are known to be some of the most timely and trustworthy providers.”

All of the gathered heroes discussed amongst each other for a few minutes longer, and an endpoint was reached. Voidling would ask each IO if they would be able or willing to gather the information that they are looking for, and in turn they would each get paid handsomely.

Scythe did have a little bit of anxiety about this agreement, though he did do well to not show it to the other heroes. Two of the named IOs are close friends of his, and another is one of Joel’s partners. He wondered how Joel reacted to his partner being named as a detective of sorts for a case on himself, and made a mental note to ask him next time they saw each other outside of the Agency.

It was around 2pm when Scythe had finally gotten back to his dorm room, and he felt like he could sleep for a decade. He had exhausted himself getting to the meeting, had to still put up his full illusion for roughly 3 hours, then had to travel back across all of Hermiton to get back to his dorm room. Getting back took almost an hour and half by itself since he was so exhausted.

By the time he got to the city border of Cursia and Hermiton, his illusion was completely gone. He still had about a 20 minute walk from the border to the campus, and another 10 from the campus entrance to his dorm room. He expected to meet Ella as he walked in the door, and wasn’t surprised when he walked in and saw her sitting on the couch, turned towards the door to see who was coming in.

Scythe tiredly smiled at her as he closed the door behind him, and he almost lost his balance as he walked to the couch, though he would never admit it himself. Ella looked at him with worry in her eyes as he sat down and asked, “Are you alright? And don't tell me yes, we both know you aren’t.”

“Then why ask if you already know?” Scythe complained. “I was exhausted by the time I got there, had to hold up for hours, then had to come back while still being exhausted. Take a wild guess as to how I’m doing right now.” Even though his words and tone sounded harsh, him and Ella both knew that he didn’t mean it in a rude way.

Instead of saying anything back, Ella simply put Scythe's head on her shoulder and draped her arm across his shoulder, bringing him into a half-hug, half-cuddle pose. Scythe simply took a deep breath and leaned into the embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around 11pm when Scythe woke up, and he hadn't even realized he fell asleep. He groaned as he sat up on the couch and looked around, finding Ella still asleep on the couch. He realized by the way she was lying that he must’ve fallen asleep on top of her or leaned against her, and he kissed her forehead before getting up completely. Grabbing a blanket, he made sure to softly drape it over her to keep her warm in the chilly dorm room.

Then his stomach growled. And he realized he didn't eat anything other than a very rushed and incomplete breakfast. “Shit…” Scythe cursed quietly to himself.

Making his way to the small kitchen, he opened the fridge and took out some eggs, and pancake mix from the pantry. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he started making pancakes and eggs as a late night meal, but I mean come on. How quiet can you realistically be?

It wasn't very long after he turned on the stove and got the pancakes started that he heard Ella start to stir. He turned around to see her sitting up and rubbing her eyes, trying to get rid of the sleepiness.

“Good morning sleepyhead. You up for a midnight snack?” Scythe asked as he turned back to the stove. She chuckled

“That's rich coming from you, who basically passed out on me as soon as you leaned over. But yeah, that sounds great actually.” she replied, standing up from the couch and walking over to Scythe.

“Sounds good. Could you start the eggs for me? It shouldn't be much longer until I have enough pancakes done.” he asked her, and she nodded and grabbed a pan to start the eggs. The next 2 hours flew by, and after the pair were done eating, they both went to bed, for real this time.

(AN: Scar and Joel are both heroes, and their aliases are Hotguy and Stratos, respectively)

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Progress update from this video