Literally Sobbing Over The Hermits And Friends Working So Hard Together To Put On This Amazing Show And

i couldn't reblog this gem so here you go

(donations)

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!

<<<Previous Next>>>

genuinely if you are scared: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. if you are angry: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. if you are sad: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

this isn't just a mantra of "nothing will change if we do not persist and act", although that's true. nothing will change if we do not act. this is just also a mantra of "frequently the best way to counter despair is to simply take an action, any action at all". it is hard to feel despair when you are moving. it is hard to feel hopeless when you are moving. but you've gotta start moving first. you've gotta.

Conflicting Lives- Character Designs 7/?

Characters introduced in Chapter 7!

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!

Empyrians

Conflicting Lives Masterpost

Scythe tries his best to juggle his three different lives; Hero, Villain, and Student. During the rare times he's not being recruiting by the hero agency, or causing chaos as a villain, he trying to get his college work done. Time management should be his top priority, but unfortunately for him it is not. Friends on all sides help where they can, but can he manage these lives despite their differences? old masterpost

Tags List and Directory

Chapters

Ao3 Version (All Chapters) Chapter 1: Late Start Chapter 2: Information Requested Chapter 3: Possible Collaboration

World Building

Island and Districts Species and Abilities (Coming Soon!) Character Designs Fun Facts! (Coming Soon!)

Extra Random Stuff

Incorrect quotes pt2 Art Stuff

🥺

Reblog if you would be comfortable living in a dormitory with an openly transgender or intersex individual. We’re working on a campaign for gender neutral housing and we could use your support.

will people hear me out on Jimmy/Tango/Skizz...

Tango is hard at work figuring out his redstone, forgetting to eat lunch or dinner in the process, and can only be pulled away by his two dumbass boyfriends physically carrying him away.

Jimmy gets aches in his wings often but luckily he's got Skizz, the master of taking care of others, and Tango, the walking heat pack, to look after him. Tango massages the wings to give him warmth while Skizz cleans and preens them for him.

They're all obsessed with PDA so you can often find them draped over each other, carrying one another, or making out in an alleyway. A small group of other Lifers made a bingo game of the different activities they find them doing in public. Joel always wins, much to his distress.

Technically Jimmy isn't allowed into Hermitcraft, but if Skizz keeps sneaking him in by covering him with his wings and all they do is hide in various bases to cuddle, well, there's no harm in it.

Sometimes Skizz gets a little down about something or other and it's up to the other two to help him. Jimmy and Tango, both awful with emotions, mostly just try to make him laugh. It always works.

They don't cuddle in any particular position, they just all flop onto a bed and entangle every limb imaginable until they're effectively a big ball of yarn.

Jimmy likes picking up Tango and flying him around. Skizz likes picking up Jimmy, who is holding Tango, and flying them both around.

if you have any more headcanons for them please do tell me. they are my dumbasses

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 3: Possible Collaboration

Word Count: 2354

Scythe was sat back down at the meeting table, as were the five district heads and Storyteller. Not many words had been said since they all sat back down, both to Scythe’s gratitude and dismay, the seedling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach only growing as more silent seconds passed by. his gaze moving between the 6 people in front of him. He only hoped that his eyes didn't show what was going through his head.

They were all looking at him, well- almost all of them. The only person who wasn't really looking at him was Storyteller. Of course, they were looking at him like Voidling, Tinkerer, Strawberry, Atlas, and CuteGuy were, but they were more so looking through him instead of actually at him. Whether that was better or worse, Scythe couldn't really decide.

“Storyteller requested that she be able to work along side you in this case, so long as the vote results in a yes.” Atlas spoke up first, breaking the slightly tense air. It made since that they spoke first, being the Survan Hero District head and therefore, Scythe’s boss. His voice was steady outwardly, but Scythe was able to see a the smallest hint of knowing in his eyes.

Storyteller - or rather Lunar - simply nodded along with Atlas’ words, their own eyes giving nothing away. Scythe locked eyes with her for just a moment before looking back at Atlas, the anxiety in his stomach both lessening and growing at the same time.

“I’m sure I’d be able to do that. If i mask ask though, is there any specific reason why Storyteller would like to work with me specifically?” Scythe responded, keeping his voice as calm and professional as he could. Of course, he was pretty sure that he already knew the reason why Lunar wanted to work with him specifically, but thought that it would only be polite to ask anyways.

Atlas simply turned to look at Lunar, gesturing his hand forwards just slightly so that she could say the reason herself. Lunar and Scythe knew Atlas outside of formalities as well, and all three for them being more than just what they appeared to be to the other 4 district heads.

“I believe that your access to all areas of Survas would be beneficial to my part of the.. investigation. I also think that our abilities could work well together in the event of anything unfortunate happening in the process.” Lunar responded, actually looking at Scythe rather than through him now, her voice steady, calm, and carrying a professional tone to it. She had an excellent poker face, and anyone that didnt know them wouldn't be able to tell that there was more to their words then she let on.

Scythe slowly and silently nodded as she spoke, listening to her words carefully. The reason was actually pretty close to what he guessed it would be when said in front of the district heads, surprisingly enough. One of his ears flicked slightly as he thought of how he would respond, though another voice spoke before he could. “So, would you be willing to assist Storyteller in their investigation then?” Voidling chimed in, looking at Scythe from behind his mask with a tone that did leave room for him to refuse if he wanted to, though Scythe was still able to tell that the Hermiton hero head was hoping that he would say yes.

Luckily, he hadn’t planned on saying no, and looked at Voidling with a nod. “Yes, I am.” Scythe said simply, keeping his response short and polite, the tip of his tail swaying from one side to the other before stilling once more.

“Well then, you’re free to go home Lux. Thank you for staying behind, and enjoy the rest of your day.” Voidling responded with a small nod himself, raising his arm to check his communicator for any new messages or alerts. “Of course” Scythe responded with a small and polite smile, standing up from the chair he stood in and walking out of the meeting room. As the door to the elevator closed, he let out a breath of relief that he hadn't even realized he had been holding, his tail flicking from side to side and his ears dropping just slightly.

That was… certainly something, to say the least. He wouldn’t even be surprised if he got a message from Lunar later asking to talk about what happened, that is, if he didn't message them first. Scythe’s eyes closed as he took a couple of deep breaths, the elevator dinging softly as it descended past each floor.

Once the sturdy metal mechanism came to a stop, Scythe’s eyes were open once more, his previous anxieties calmed and his mind focused on going home. He stepped out the elevator calmly once the door slid open, giving a small and friendly wave to employees he passed by on his way out of the building.

Once outside, Scythe opened his communicator that rested on his right forearm, opening his personal messages and finding Ella’s contact, named ‘Sunstone’, sending her a small and quick message.

Scythe: On my way home now, will probably be like 20 or 30 minutes.

He closed his communicator after sending the message, taking a breath of the crisp and cool autumn air before heading off in the direction of his apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~

Scythe fumbled more than he usually did to get the key into the door of his and Ella’s apartment, finally managing to turn the key and open the door after far more attempts than he was willing to admit to anyone.

On his way back, he had taking a tiny detour through a back alley, opening his inventory and retrieving his hoodie, slipping it back over its head and removing his eye mask from his face, letting it sit loosely around his neck like it had been just over an hour earlier. The sky blue cloth sleeve that covered the majority of his tail in uniform had been removed to stored in his inventory until he got changed out of said uniform.

“Hey Sunstone, I’m back!” Scythe said, his raised voice ringing through the small apartment as he closed the door behind him, re-locking it and taking his hoodie off.

Ella appeared from around the corner where the bedrooms were a few short moments later, her long, dark brown hair tied up in a half-loose ponytail, a soft and small smile adorning her face.

“Welcome back, how’d it go?” She asked as she walked towards him, having to tilt her head back quite a bit just to look up at him thanks to their significant height difference.

“It was good. Apparently Sam and I have been attracting so much attention that the heads want to hire reporters to try and get more info on us.” Scythe replied, a small smile appearing on his lips. “And do you, uh, mind if I invite Lunar over for a bit? Her and I need to talk about a few things. They’re one of the reporters that Voidling and the others picked out.”

Ella was quiet for a few seconds, before sighing and shaking her head slightly. She never did like his double, or rather triple life that he had, but she also knew there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it either.

“Yeah, sure, I don't really mind. I’ve got to get ready to go to my classes anyways.” Ella responded, reaching up and grabbing the collor of his hero uniform and pulling him down just enough to where she could plant a small kiss on his cheek.

“And maybe if you didn’t rob important places, you wouldn't be potentially under investigation.” She said, her voice a bit lower this time, not-so-subtly scolding him for his reckless actions. She let go of his collar and turned around, walking back towards her room. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Scythe was still for several seconds, still half-bent over from Ella pulling him downwards by the collar of his uniform, his cheeks dusted a soft pinkish-purple color. He did not expect that, to say the very least, and was left a bit flustered as she walked away, disappearing down the hallway once more.

He blanked several times and shook his slightly to re-compose himself, standing back up straight as his tail flicked to the side and curled slightly at the end. He took a small breath before walking down the previously mentioned hallway and into his own room, closing the door behind him and taking off his uniform into far more comfortable clothing.

When Scythe stepped out of his room a few minutes later he was wearing a simple light gray t-shirt and dark red sweatpants. He saw the bathroom door closed across the relatively small hallway from him with the light on, and the soft sound of water hitting the bathtub and walls met his ears. Ella must already be in the shower then.

He walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch and grabbing the tv remote, turning it on and flipping through channels until he landed on something that looked interesting enough. He then reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out his phone, unlocking it and going to his messages, clicking on the one named ‘Crystal’

Scythe: Hey, you able to come over? Scythe: We should probably talk about the meeting.

After hitting send, Scythe began to mindlessly run his fingers through the tuft of hair at the end of his tail. It was a small subconscious habit he had when he felt nervous or anxious about something, and it was a good few minutes of him just looking at his phone screen before three little dots appeared, signaling that Lunar was typing back.

Crystal: Yeah, I can but I might be a little bit. Just got back to my own place a couple of minutes ago and haven't really been able to eat anything yet today, so I’m going to do that first. Scythe: Alright, sounds good. Take your time.

He responded almost instantly, quickly reading over Lunar’s message before he hit send. He set his phone down next to him on the couch cushion, closing his eyes and taking a small breath. He felt a bit silly for getting so worked up over a conversation that was most likely just going to be like any other time him and Lunar talked about anything relating to villain or vigilante work, but its not like he could exactly change that very easily, so all he did was take another breath.

When he opened his eyes again, Scythe focused on whatever channel it was that he put on the tv, relaxing into the couch just a little more. It seemed to be some sort of cheesy old-time soap opera type movie, a woman dramatically swooning backwards over what was presumably her lovers arm, the latter bending down over her and trying to comfort her.

Scythe scoffed, amused at just how corny the movie really was. How and why he decided on this channel on all things, he didn't really know, and after what felt like no time at all, he heard a knock at the front door. He looked over his shoulder at the noise, his ears lifting slightly before he pushed himself off the couch with a small grunt.

He unlocked the door once he got to it, grabbing and twisting the handle to open the door, Lunar standing on the other side of it in a dark blue turtleneck sweater and black stockings. She seemed to be in her cat-like form, her ears and tail resembling that of a feline hybrid’s, more notably a tabby cat in particular.

Scythe offered a small smile as he stepped aside to let them in, closing the door behind her and walking back over to the couch, the both of them sitting down on it. Lunar looked over at the tv, their head tilting to the side slightly as she looked at what was playing.

“..what the hell are you watching Scythe?” They asked, their voice more curious than anything. Her eyes stuck to the tv screen for another moment before she turned her head to look at Scythe, on of their eyebrows raised.

“Honestly?” Scythe started, shrugging his shoulders and looking at the tv screen himself. “I have no fucking clue.”

Lunar scoffed, but it was more amused than anything, a small smile even appearing on her lips for a moment, her head shaking just slightly.

It was then quiet for a good while, both the enderman hybrid and the cristaline watching the terrible cheesy show on the television. They both knew that they had to talk about the meeting at some point, and the possibility of all too many different outcomes appearing scarily close on the not-so-distant horizon.

“So… about the meeting.” Scythe eventually said, his quieter-than-normal voice breaking the strangely tense air between him and Lunar. He looked away from the tv and at them, looking for any sort of reaction, kind of hoping for one that wasn't negative.

Lunar simply nodded in response, their own gaze remaining on the tv screen for a little while longer before she too turned her head to look at Scythe, her expression unreadable. “I’ve already thought of a couple of different ideas, if you want to hear them.”

His eyes widened just slightly in surprise. Not surprise from Lunar already having an idea already, he knew her well enough by now to know that she always had some sort of plan for anything that came across her plate, but instead surprise from her having multiple different alternatives. That, he had to admit, was something that he wasn't quite expecting.

“Oh, uh- yeah, sure. Might as well, I guess.” He responded after a moment, blinking a few times to re-compose himself, turning a bit more towards Lunar as he waited to hear their ideas.

Lunar nodded, turning towards Scythe as well, her tail curling into and resting in her lap. “So, here’s what I was thinking…”