#atherix

That scene did originally go. Very different. Actually here hold on-

“Well. You don’t have to show us anything then. It’s our vault, and we know you used a chorus fruit to get in. So, we can just do that,” Mumbo said. His tone was a bit colder now and Grian swallowed.

😊 I much much much prefer ‘Grian [neutral]’ I think but man there is something about Mumbo slamming his metaphorical door shut in the original scene too. But also yes the domesticity of storage organization. They’re all so married already its sort of insane.

ITS FINE THEY WERE FINE EVERYTHING’S FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE

I should post the whole minecart scene actually. Not here, I’ll do it later. Shout at me if I don’t do it later klghsdhs But I really love it. I’m like a kid in a candy shop w the redstone mechanics and the minecarts in MC I just. Love. Them. So much. AND YES SCAR TRIPPING which was inspired by the fact that getting into and out of rollercoasters for myself is a fucking time and a half tbh. I love Mumbo using his Vampire powers for like, mundane everyday things like helping scar I am soFT ABOUT IT

Fun fact what you DIDN’T see was the original where Mumbo bit into it – the only reason I changed it is because it was weird having the non-POV character teleport away. The tension of the scene got muddled. Also peacing out w a chorus fruit in the middle of an argument about who should actually use the damn thing seemed like either a very Grian or Scar thing to do anyway sooooo. BUT YES HE JUST. IMMEDIATELY CAREENS ONTO HIS CHIN. Bless his hollow boned ass. They’re all such wet cats.

I picture mumbo as one of those tuxedo cats who just always looks like they are Up To Something. Slinking around. Making a lot of ruckus but then always sitting politely when you go to check on them. Batting at everything and anything. You get the drift. He is. SUCH a wet cat

[Grian would be an orange tabby and Scar would be a tortie, for the record. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.]

One of my favorite like. Bad??? Things?? [Well. Not necessarily always – disassociation and getting lost in your memories can be good for you in certain places for sure] the human brain does is go “Mmm hey there’s this Thing That Happened but instead of thinking about it directly we’re going to make you spiral around it like a bathtub draining and THEN let you remember what it was.” You know? Idk I think it’s a really interesting aspect to like, healing from trauma/how the brain deals with difficult memories. It helps, too, that there’s definitely Weird Magic Things at play too, which is a really interesting way to examine it. IDK one of my favorite aspects of fiction is how we can explode the human condition outwards to utterly ridiculous lengths in order to really peel back the layers of our own experiences and study them and learn from them/how to deal with them. And then the fact that not only is Scar Concerned and Excited but Grian has even attracted Mumbo’s Concern like. Mumbo Jumbo you are not living down the ‘Actually Cares About The Bird’ allegations.

FUN FACT ‘THE ONES WHO CAME BEFORE’ IS SOMETHING I STOLE FROM MY NOVEL- That’s what the people who live in the ‘modern day’ call Human Ancestors [Like, neandertals and homo erectus].  I DO know you love a good ancestor city ruins plot 👀👀👀. I do in fact know this about you. Eyes the recent midnight update. ALSO YEAH ANCIENT MOB FARM DLKGADFG They used to be so much easier to build I miss it. I should go back to alpha for funsies. Also I love mr Wet Cat Jumbo he’s so Scary tm and then he’s not at all in the slightest actually. It’s so funny. Scar has put up with him for so long. TBF He has put up with scar also for so long.

IN HIS DEFENSE, WHICH ONE OF THEM IS LYING TBH. THEY BOTH WOULD CATCH FIRE LIKE MATCHSTICKS LKADFG but also 😊

A little bit of excited to see it again a little bit of lured in. Excited /neg. I guess. Also I too want to see that scene from their POVs so. Uh. We probably will. Rift AU IS self-indulgent first and foremost after all 😊 AND Y E A H I wanted the Rift to get to play with Memories and Dreams in a really funky way for Reasons Revealed Later. I LOOOOOOVE How confusing it turned out to be honest. It is meant to be read as disorienting and not clear when is why is how. BUT THAT SCENE OF HIM ALMOST WALKING IN – I HAVE HAD THAT PLANNED BASICALLY SINCE I STARTED THIS AHHHH

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE PANIC Okay like I didn’t do a lot of description of the room the Rift is in because Grian has got Bigger Fish To Fry and taking time away to describe this MASSIVE PURPLE RIFT IN THE CAVE WALL felt out of place but. Imagine you are Scar. And the Avian you’ve grown fond of who occasionally does work for your lowkey criminal empire is walking towards it and not responding to you screaming his name and you have seconds to act and you GRAB HIM BY HIS WING which is a thing that’s already been shown to be a little bit sensitive [a lotta bit sensitive] and you feel the feathers pull out under your hand but you have to pull him away and as you do TENTACLES OF LIGHT BURST FORTH FROM THE RIFT, REACHING FOR HIM, SEARCHING FOR HIM [their POV is gonna be. Fuked.] AND ITS ALL YOU CAN DO TO GET AWAY BUT THE DAMN THING GRABS ONTO YOU AND YOU CAN FEEL THE SKIN OF YOUR ARM BRUISING AND TEARING AS YOU PULL YOURSELF AND GRIAN AWAY FROM IT I CANNOT BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS SCENE, OKAY? OKAY. AND THEN YOUR BEST FRIEND ALMOST LOVER ISS WATCHING AND ABSOLUTELY TRYING TO GET CLOSER TO HELP BECAUSE, I MEAN, HELLO, AND YOU CANT LET HIM get any closer, you can’t let whatever the hell this is touch him, hurt him, so you start just screaming. And running. Aaaaaugh. AND THE TWO OF YOU ARE RUNNING AND you’ve GOT GRIAN IN YOUR ARMS AND GRIAN IS FUCKING GONE HE’S SOBBING INTO YOUR CHEST AND NECK AND SHOULDER AND YOUR LEGS ALREADY HURT BUT YOU CANT STOP RUNNING AND-- 😊I cannot be normal about this scene okay I CANNOT.

WHAT IS HAPPENING INDEED, MY DEAR BELOVED FRIEND ATHERIX, WHAT IS HAPPENING INDEED.

“Good evening, Scar!” Martyn said. He hopped off his horse, another barrier between the two of them and Grian, and made his way into Scar’s personal bubble. The man had gusto; Scar would give him that.

The elf leaned back slightly, looking at Martyn down his nose. “Evening,” he said.

“And what are you fine gentlemen doing out at this time of night!” Martyn said. His gaze travelled to the shop they’d caught Grian slipping out of,  and Scar’s gaze followed. Well, Grian’s distraction had worked! That was good. Scar’s face broke out into a grin.

“Ah, well, you know. Out for a walk,” he said. A walk that happened to be near Hermit Town’s bank, of course. The diamonds from their little exchange sat quite nicely in his money bag.

“A walk! Yes, oh, of course. The Vampire, I always forget,” Martyn replied. His gaze went to Mumbo, who was looking at the entire court with disdain. “I’d hate for a pretty face to burn up in the sunlight.”

That caught Mumbo’s attention, but he clearly didn’t properly hear what Martyn had said, because he looked to Scar, confused. Scar’s shoulders raised slightly, and he took a step to be right next to Mumbo and took his hand. “Yes! Would be a shame if he were to get a sunburn, you know,” he said. The smile was still on his face, but his slightly sharpened teeth glinted in the moonlight. Mumbo didn’t have it in him to ask what was going on because he was too busy staring at where Scar’s fingers entwined with his claws.

“A sunburn? Scar it’s nighttime – and I put on sunblock before we left-“ Mumbo said, sounding deeply confused.

Scar squeezed his hand a little tighter but didn’t actually explain what was going on. “Well – you know, we really should get going! It is late after all-“ he said, tugging Mumbo along with him. The taller man stumbled and followed, his confused expression going from the back of Scar’s head to Martyn’s face to Grian working on untangling himself from Cleo’s cornering.

Martyn’s eyes narrowed but he looked over to Cleo and with a frustrated sigh, said, “Have a good night then, Scar.”

Prompt – Hugs 16: ‘Not Wanting To Let Go’ Hugs

Grian scrambled to hold onto the back of Mumbo’s dress shirt, feeling his talons rip the cloth under his hand but not really caring. His wings flapping wildly behind him and Mumbo sputtered, saying something to Grian that wasn’t really processing in his bird brain.

The air smelled awful. Burnt and metallic. Grian was pretty sure this is what blood on fire would smell like. The charred remains of a project Mumbo had been working on sat in the yard on the vault, its smoke trailing up into the sky. Grian’s breathing was heavy but still quick as he practically climbed Mumbo, both of them covered in ash and dirt and soot from the explosion.

Mumbo’s claws hands found their way onto Grian’s back and neck, scratching lightly, and eventually the gears in Grian’s brain started turning enough to hear Mumbo saying ‘We’re okay’ over and over, softly. Grian took in a deeper breath and he scrambled again, just slightly, as he felt Mumbo moving.

“’m just sitting on the ground,” he muttered. Sure enough, Grian felt Mumbo sit and adjust how Grian had positioned himself so that it was more comfortable for both of them.

Grian clutched the fabric in his hands a little tighter, hear it rip, before letting go and going to pull away.

“No – no,” Mumbo said, his own grip on Grian tightening. His arm brushed Grian’s wing. “Just – just. Let’s just stay here for a moment.”