En Guard, Xornoth!

Stagelight AU

A modern music Lamplight adjacent AU. (Lamplight adjacent in that it uses the loose format of: guy who is powerful and can't talk + guy who will do anything for him). Thank you @liloinkoink @martynsimp69 @ilexdiapason @kingtheghast @honey-daisies and Bird for collective brainstorming this with me <3

Let's meet our guys in this AU!

Martyn is an aspiring musician, previously with the band EVO (though he left when the band signed with Watcher Records). Years later, he now works a pub called The King's Head, but attends the open mic nights hosted by The Burning Lantern down the road. He begins noticing a reoccurring audience member.

That reoccurring audience member is of course Ren Dog. An older man wearing sunglasses at every open mic night. He always sits through Martyn's performances, sometimes he leaves right after, sometimes he sticks around for a while, but he is always there when Martyn plays. Except that one time Martyn played an old rock song from Red King, the guy had left in the middle of that performance, odd.....

And that's where it starts.

Martyn, of course, immediately has his interest piqued. Originally, because there was a very attractive man staring at him intently, but afterwards because of the mystery. Who is this guy? Why does he only leave after hes had a chance to hear Martyn's sets? Why does he never come up and say something? Martyn is aware he's an attractive guy, and the musician look really does it for a lot of people, so he's no stranger to an audience member coming up for a chat after his set.

This guy never does though, so Martyn ends up taking the matter into his own hands. So he devises a little trap. If that man always waited for him to play, then how about using that to his advantage? Trading out his electric guitar for acoustic that night, Martyn delays his set until he is the last act of the night. The moment his last note finishes ringing out from the stage, he sprints down the steps to introduce himself.

Ren though does not react well to this situation at all, staring at Martyn in startled silence and before turning and walking away without a single word.

He eventually finds out Ren's name by asking the employees of the bar. Imagine his surprise to learn that his name is Ren, just like the Renthedog account that has been consistently liking his posts on AUstagram. Even after the disastrous introduction.

So the next time he reaches out to Ren, he tries to take it a bit slower. Making eye contact from the stage, a little wave. Next time he tries to talk to Ren, instead of offering to buy him a drink, he asks if he can get Ren's AUstagram, and with a laugh Ren hands it over.

A flood gate opens from there. For all that Martyn has never heard Ren speak, he sure has a lot to say when it's in writing. They hang out from there, quickly becoming friends. When Martyn finds out that Ren straight up cannot speak, and it wasn't just shyness holding his voice back, he tries to ask why. Ren just gives the vague answer of:

Stage fright, all the world's a stage

Which doesn't really explain anything.

They have a comfortable, distant, but a bit flirty, friendship. Which is something that changes when Martyn finds the photo.

He finds it when cleaning out an old box of stuff. In a box full of high school knick knacks, one of the photos stands out. It's of himself and BigB, they must be 17 or 18, and they're standing with their arms thrown around eachother at some sort of music festival or concert. That's not what gives Martyn pause on it though, it's the singer performing in the background. The face might be obscured by makeup, and time, and the noise of an old photo camera, but its Ren. Martyn is absolutely certain Ren is the one singing in that picture. It clicks what band that is, Red King, BigB’s favorite. Ren, Ren was the lead singer of Red King.

With some digging, he finds out what happened. Red King, a three man rock band, with Lead Singer/Guitarist Ren Dog, Drummer Skizz Leman, and Bassist/Harmony Singer Scar Goodtimes, was one of the bands of all time. Sold out shows, huge tours, the works. Until it suddenly broke up over a decade back because of a scandal involving the lead singer, involving Ren.

Their tour had stopped where Ren's childhood friend Lizzie lived, famous actress Lizzie Shadow, Lizzie. They had been out for dinner to catch up and Ren was driving her home when he took a corner just a little too fast, the car skids, hits a tree, Lizzie's taken to the hospital and suddenly Ren finds his life crumbling around him.

Lizzie had been fine when the paramedics had arrived, told him it wasn't a big deal and that he didn't need to worry about any bad press from this. Cause why would she want to hurt her friend?

But somehow the press does find out, and the person who tipped them off implied that it wasn't a mutual understanding but instead a cover up.

Someone reports that he was drunk when they wrecked (even though he wasnt) and that gets picked up and run with. The constant pregnant rumors that follow Lizzie also get thrown in the mix and whispers of an affair (which again he wasn't, they weren't) get picked up as fact.

Ren figures out pretty quickly it was Scar who leaked the accident, the initial reports had too many details that he'd only told a couple of people. And when he goes to confront Scar about it? Well, Scar's always been able to put on a good performance, it's why Ren had brought him into the band in the first place. To have that acting turned against him though? Used to manipulate the flashing paparazzi cameras so that it looks like Ren is lashing out against his innocent band mate? It makes him wish he'd never met Scar.

The day after that fight with Scar is flooding across the tabloid, they still have to go onto the stage to performing their show.

Ren steps up on stage and sees a sight that will haunt him for the rest of his days. The giant venue, a sold out show, stands almost entirely empty. He tries to push on, tries to sing, but his words get absorbed into the empty silence. And on that silent stage is the last time Ren Dog speaks.

Lizzie speaks out and clears up the scandal after she's leaves the hospital, but its too late for Red King to recover. Skizz returns home to his family, Scar builds a solo career off the stinking corpse of Red King, and Ren fades into the obscurity of a normal, secluded life.

Martyn takes this knowledge and uses it to help Ren on his journey to gain back his voice. They are drawn together by music and fall in love. In the end, Martyn and Ren go on tour together, The King and The Hand, not to become famous, but to travel around and continue to find the joy in music together. Ren is back in the stagelight, but Martyn is the one in the spotlight, and Ren could not be happier for him.

PLEASE ASK ME ABOUT THIS AU IT MAKES ME INSANE AND I WANNA TALK ABOUT IT MORE!!! THERES SO MUCH MORE I COULDNT FIND A WAY TO FIT IN!!!

Where it started:

guys i’m back after WAYYY to long!! everyone cheer!!

cw// lots of eyes, body horror kinda??, pocession

the wild card

[I need more bugboy Tango. He's so beautifully unhinged, and I love it. This is my favorite hermitcraft au]

[ Thank you and I love him tooooo! Let me use this ask as an excuse to share this vision I had. Do you get the reference?]

CHAPTER 18

Now we are going back to our regular schedule of once a month, every 14-16!! Now, I rest

PREV// MASTERPOST // NEXT

If you like what we do, feel free support me on Ko Fi !

[ERROR] Your messages aren't coming through.

it's all so incredibly loud p3 | previous part

Etho | 4:27 PM

cleo

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:28 PM

our math prof a while ago said you, scar, and joel dropped out?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:30 PM

jimmy also said you didn’t meet him to do your guy’s floral arrangement assignment a while ago

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:35 PM

i know this isn't coming through to you

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:35 PM

but god i wish it did

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:35 PM

please reply soon?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

---

[October 9th]

Etho | 6:04 PM

hey cleo

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:04 PM

lizzie and grian talked a while ago

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:05 PM

on my and grian's behalf, sorry about your parents

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:05 PM

and the whole complications that brought along

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:06 PM

heirs to the company, huh? big deal

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:06 PM

no wonder you three went for your courses

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:06 PM

can imagine scar's excitement and joel's dismay haha

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:10 PM

we still miss yall, yknow?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:10 PM

grian and i miss you

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 6:10 PM

and your cooking

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Typing...

i miss you and

your sarcasm

your smile

your laugh

the moments you allow me to hug you

i love you

i miss you and i love you

i miss you

you're probably busy

Etho | 6:17 PM

you're probably busy with everything going on

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Typing...

don't see a reason why you have to block me though

or grian

or anyone else, really

what's going on?

why couldn't you explain yourself?

why does joel still have contact to lizzie?

"Etho?"

Etho snaps his head up, seeing a concerned Grian standing in front of him, arms crossed. "What are you mad about?"

"I'm not mad?" Etho replies, scrunching his brows.

"Then why are you frustrated?" Grian joins him on the couch, looking over his phone.

"Hey!"

"I see..." Grian sighs.

Typing...

i just

Etho | 6:24 PM

i just really hope you're doing alright

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

"I hope they're alright too," whispered Grian, leaning back.

Etho closes his eyes, and for a second, he can pretend Cleo and the rest are still with them.

---

"Etho?" Grian knocks on his open bedroom door, "There are people outside, and I don't want to face them alone."

Marking his book, Etho asks "People we know?"

"Absolutely not."

An uneasy feeling settles in Etho's stomach, and he can tell Grian's feeling the same.

---

[October 11th]

Etho | 3:58 PM

your uncle and some other guys dropped by asking for you and the other two

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 3:59 PM

said they don't know where yall are and they really need to talk to you guys about family matters

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 3:59 PM

they also looked REALLY anonyed when grian and i said we didn't know where you guys went

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 3:59 PM

is this why you blocked us?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:00 PM

i guess we can't lie about where you guys arw in this scenario

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:00 PM

but we would lie for you three

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:00 PM

heck we'd go through anything for you guys

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Etho | 4:00 PM

we're your friends

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Typing...

and i

love you

care for you

worry about you a lot

and i

Etho | 4:01 PM

will say that they all looked tough

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:01 PM

can absolutely beat me and grian easily in a fistfight

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:01 PM

did you know they tried bribing us too?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 4:02 PM

where are you three?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

---

“Cleo wanted to hand this to you, Etho.”

Etho and Grian perk up, looking at Lizzie holding up a red rose and an envelope.

“Where is she?” Etho asks, sharing a hopeful glance with Grian.

“Somewhere out there, still sorting out family feuds,” Lizzie replies. “And before you guys ask, I still haven’t seen her nor Scar, not even Joel, ever since they left.”

“Then how did you get their message?”

“Letters. This one’s for you.”

Etho takes the rose and envelope carefully, minding the thorns.

"Thank you, Lizzie."

She gives a small smile, then turns to walk away towards Pearl, presumably to their dorm.

"Oh," Lizzie calls out last second, "Happy Birthday."

Etho thanks her, and they split off.

---

[November 3rd]

Etho | 12:43 AM

so i found your old notes on flower meanings while grian and i searched your room

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 12:43 AM

we cried of laughter from your list of flowers to give to make enemies, by the way

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 12:44 AM

and there are some notes here on what flowers you assigned to other people

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 12:44 AM

including me and grian

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 12:56 AM

a red rose for me, really?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 12:57 AM

what’s that supposed to mean?

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

~

“Red roses mean I love you.”

They’re leaning on the fence of a private flower field, one they’re not supposed to be in. A short distance from them stand Jimmy and Joel, arguing about something absolutely mundane again.

“I love you?” Etho laughs. “Can’t see you using that. Ever.”

Cleo laughs back, elbowing him. “I might.”

Turning his eyes to the other, Etho raises a brow. “You?”

“Mhm,” Cleo bites back a smile. “I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I still wouldn’t mind having someone to live out my days with, y’know?”

“So you’ll give them a red rose?”

“Yes. Every year on their birthday.”

“Without fail?”

“Zero failures.”

Etho shakes his head, “Huh, they must be really lucky.”

Cleo snorts, sounding unsure, “Yeah, sure they are.”

~

Etho | 1:04 AM

i love you too

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

Etho | 1:05 AM

i’ll wait on that rose you’ll give in person

ERROR | Message cannot be sent

go to the au's previous part

go to the au's first post

A/N: well this took way longer than expected... then again, am just writing this for fun

spoiler alert !!

cletho's aro spec, but at this point, they haven't realized it yet bc it's there first times falling :] i was kinda conflicted about how to handle their relationship in the story but now i'm like, "yeah they're SO aro coded."

expect them navigating that eventually, but for now, it's angst :')

[Pt 1] [Pt 2] [Pt 3] [Pt 4] [Pt 5] [Pt 6] [Pt 7] [Don’t Let it Reach the Heart]

Doc and Xisuma despairingly endure the fallout of Etho’s violent boot up at the dawn of a new season—but only barely.

[This fic concludes the Destruction short comic series, which follows the chaos and panic that erupts after Doc and Xisuma try to get Etho back online at the start of Hermitcraft Season 9 after a very rough Season 8 finale leaves him glitched and broken. The comic is set to Joywave's Destruction, but this fic is inspired loosely by Overwerk and Jordan Macdonald’s Feedback and Bassea’s fever dreams / by your side.]

jimmy with THE AXE

I tried based off this screenshot :

and @noxlotl jimmy fantasty smp design

PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND:

we, as fans, do not have a right to private information. anything shared with us on this is a privilege. please do not abuse it. the cc's could shut down and never talk about it if we overwhelm them.

also, please keep in mind that ONE HERMIT and THE ENTIRETY OF HERMITCRAFT are NOT THE SAME THING. the entire fandom is not 'ruined' or 'completely unsafe' because of the actions of one person.

PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE OTHER HERMITS KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT WHATEVER'S GOING ON WITH ISKALL. this is not some big conspiracy, it's the consequences of one person's actions. they weren't hiding this from us, that's not how hermitcraft works, they truly didn't know. they probably knew as much as us about this, so making it an 'us against them' situation is immature and shortsighted.

ALSO, I AM BEGGING EVERYONE TO PLEASE NOT SENSATIONALIZE THIS. PLEASE DO NOT TURN HATING ISKALL INTO A MEME OR A JOKE.

mcyt'ers being revealed to be less-than-great people is not a rare thing, sadly, but i've seen it turned into a joke/meme/trend in other fandoms. this both minimalizes the actual people's/victims' struggles, makes the entire situation feel less serious than it is, especially to outsiders looking in, and makes everyone in the fandom look immature, petty, unable to take anything seriously, and genuinely harmful.

this server, fandom, and community are not dying, it is not ruined forever, this is one (major, i'm not trying to minimalize it) issue that we're currently dealing with. it will be okay. we will move on. this is not the beginning of the end. please calm down. i love this fandom, god bless all of you. <3

edit: doc has said on stream that we will likely get more information as time passes. like i said, this is a PRIVILEGE. we are not OWED information. please be grateful for what we're given, and POLITELY ask questions if you must. if a cc doesn't give you the answer you want, or doesn't answer at all, LEAVE THEM ALONE. THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO HARASS PEOPLE. the hermits are likely just as stressed out as us, if not probably more so, so please keep that in mind when contacting them.

don't freak out, we'll be okay, this is not the end of the world, nor is it the end of Hermitcraft. we will be okay.

second edit: please remember that (at least as far as we know) ISKALL AND STRESS WERE NOT KICKED OR BANNED. THEY LEFT OF THEIR OWN VOLITION.

ALSO!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!!

WE. DO. NOT. KNOW. EXACTLY. WHAT. HAPPENED.

PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING SIMPLY BASED OFF OF OTHER MCYT'ERS PAST ACTIONS/SCANDALS. WE DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. WE MIGHT NOT EVER KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. WE NEED TO BE OKAY WITH THAT AND NOT DRAW OUR OWN CONCLUSIONS.

New Challenge!! Is the man on my dashboard

a) Jesus Christ

b) Odysseus

c) Jayce Talis

d) Jonathan Sims

More More More Theories Part.7

So after the events of Evolution SMP, the Watchers as an organisation were and are still perceived as an evil presence that hurt and kidnapped the players of the Life Series. Starting with the indoctrination of Grian into the Watchers at the end of his POV for Evo SMP.

But my theory is that the Watchers aren't inherently evil but just an ethereal presence that interfered too much with the lives of the players. Their actions such as punishing Grian and the other members for thier mischevious deeds during the earlier events of Evo and, indoctrinating Grian into becoming a member of the Watchers could be percieved as evil(and is commonly percieved as evil). But what if their actions were just to help them expand their presence and keep the players they were meant to "watch" in check.

And so because of their actions, they interfered too much resulting in a domino effect of the players discovering and exploring their presence developing in the Watchers being antagonised.

But this also dominoes to effect the Listeners seperate godly beings who deciede to exploit the situation and act as the "good" force by rescuing Martyn from the Watchers' interference and promoting him to be the like a frontman for the Listeners to display their good deeds. Further promoting the idea that the Watchers are evil and the Listeners are the good forces in the world of Evo and further.

Hiding the fact that these etheral beings are neither good or evil or, can be defined by words of mortals because of their actions taken during their lifetime. Their actions that can be loosely described as good or evil depends on the players or others viewing them and with their almost infinite life-span time streches rendering definte adjectives useless.

------

pain this took 5hrs writers block be tought D: