Chapter Text
the familiar pull of the server portal grabs onto him, beams of light growing and blurring as he takes a final look at his building world. he'll see it again, at the end of the season.
a haze of white surrounds him and he feels himself shift. alright bdubs. you got this.
the first thing he feels upon entering the world, is hot. why is it so hot? the second, is uncomfortable. something's wrong. something's so very wrong.
they're starting in the nether for one, but that's not it. he looks himself over. things look normal... though. wait. something about his hands...
"hey bdubs!" oh! it's pearl. she seems a little different too.
"pearl! hi! do you know where everyone is?"
she shakes her head. "nah, but we can find em together? i think i'm a dog hybrid again, i could use my nose, sniff em out."
bdubs notes the new ears, now white with dark spots. "oh, you're a dalmatian! that's fun." he thinks for a moment. "somethin's up with me too but i can't tell what."
pearl hums, giving him a once (or maybe twice) over. "i'm not seeing anything... though you look almost softer? like, wooly."
"i'm a sheep?! oh heavens-" they're in the nether!
"don't worry, you're not a sheep! but you are made of wool though." pearl squints at him before perking up, sniffing the air. "i smell someone! come on!"
"woah-!" bdubs' legs move before he can process, pearl dragging him along the nether brick path. she slows a little.
"you know, if you're worried about being more flammable, i'm gonna be a firefighter this season; i could pop some sprinklers in your base?"
"oh! well, that would be nice. thank you, pearl." something still isn't sitting right with his body, but he ignores it in lieu of being polite. something's really wrong.
pearl acknowledges his discomfort, patting his shoulder with a "you'll be fine." before continuing down the path. bdubs hesitates but follows behind.
eventually they make it to the main room, the hermits there already having stood in a circle. he slots in somewhere by etho, who nods at him, though his gaze lingers.
at some point keralis begins talking, bdubs jokes about paper. the season is introduced and they all run off.
his shoes tap along the dark brick floor as he grins, rushing after everyone else. but something stops him. an internal force scraping at his mind and forcing him to wait.
bdubs almost forgets how flammable he is now, hesitating at the edge of the fortress. though, isn't everyone already? flesh catches fire easily too. they're just as prone to burning as he is.
that reasoning, albeit dark, had been enough to sway his mind. his feet fall over the ledge, landing with a soft thud on the squelching red floor of the crimson forest.
through the trees, the distinct sound of scar yelling quickly fades from earshot. of course, he smiles, making his way over.
"hey guys!" he calls, noticing a few friends. namely mumbo, etho and, he'll assume scar when he gets back. though xisuma and cub aren't far away either.
mumbo turns from his position of peeking over the platform's edge. "hey bdubs!"
etho looks at him a little suspiciously, which is odd but he pays it no mind, continuing. "what's the plan here? you guys trying to find obsidian?"
"yeah, but we need gold first." mumbo's moustache shifts. "and scar keeps falling off with our tools."
"well, no need to fear, the great bdoubleo is on it!" a grin forms as he saunters to a tree, preparing to punch the logs in front of him.
aaand... thunk! his fist hits it. once, twice, pop!. first log. bdubs continues on with the tree, though as he goes on, something becomes more and more apparent.
he looks at his knuckles. they don't appear bruised in the traditional sense; instead it's as though a fabric has been worn and frayed, something white peeking out. he hums.
"hey, uh, guys? something's happening." footsteps round the corner of a netherrack mound, etho's eyes drifting to his hand, taking in the sight.
"oh snappers. welcome to the club, man."
"the club?"
"non-human." he points to the pair of fluffy ears nestled in his white hair.
"oh. huh." guess he really isn't human anymore. and he has to be stuck with- with this. "what even am i?" he turns his hand over a few times.
"i have a theory..." etho comes around behind him. "may i?"
"may you what?"
"i just wanna check something."
"fine, go ahead." he's suspicious but lets it happen.
etho carefully pulls at the collar of his shirt, quietly gasping at whatever it is he sees. "what're you seeing back there?"
"dude you have a zipper."
"what?!" that's insane! he reaches a hand over, feeling at the back of his neck and hitting cold metal. "what."
"shame halloween's passed already," etho returns in front of him. "you could've pretended to be inanimate or something."
though he's probably doing that right now. frozen except for a hand tracing itself down his neck. "please don't tell anyone about this." his voice comes as a hushed whisper, a bout of worry seeping in.
he has a zipper. surely that's a personal thing? he can't let anyone know. what if. what if- "oh god i'm gonna be sick." he covers his mouth, though nothing happens.
does he have stuffing? what about internal organs? is it cotton? feathers? by the injury on his hand it's probably cotton. if he gets injured will it all spill out? does he need stitches? patches?
he doesn't want to imagine what could happen if he- ...let's just say the word empty. it leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
"bdubs?" a hand on his shoulder. he blinks, eyes focusing again.
"yeah, i'm- i'm fine." it's all completely fine. he's gonna be fine. he chuckles. "yeah i'm doing great! and, heck, your idea ain't even that bad. who cares if it's not halloween? i certainly don't!"
maybe it'll make him feel better to embrace it. maybe he can pull off the creepy doll vibe. he doesn't like that word. dolls are usually things carried around by children. he's not a doll.
"so! we should go find obsidian, yeah?" he pivots the conversation, heading to mumbo's crafting table. "i'm gonna craft a pickaxe."
ethos's stare lingers for a few moments longer before returning to his mining. though, bdubs notes, he never seems to go out of radius. always nearby.
that's fine. they can mine for gold together.
Chapter 2: i'm outta here!
Summary:
bdubs leaves the nether and is faced with a whole other problem
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
through their mining, bdubs had caught etho watching more times than he'd consider appropriate. considering their task is to mine gold, etho hasn't been doing much of it.
honestly, bdubs can't blame him. he'd be curious too. besides, it's not every season one of your friends turns into a doll.
actually, it reminds him of something... oh! season nine! jimmy was a toy back during the crossover, wasn't he? at least that means he's not alone, left to deal with a completely new and drastic change by himself.
maybe he'll be able to talk to him about it. grian had mentioned something about a new life series recently... his panic fades a little. only a little. he turns his focus back to mining.
he'd been cautious enough, not running into any lava bubbles. gained a ton of netherrack too. he whacks at the exposed yellow in front of him, it breaks and adds to his total. just under a stack of nuggets.
maybe it'd be smart to get these to the others. the pickaxe returns to his inventory as he turns briefly to etho. "i'm heading back."
etho just hums, opting to follow beside him. he's staring again.
"why do you keep looking at me like that?" bdubs pries.
"like what?" it's that same monotone voice. he knows what.
"like- like that!" etho doesn't flinch when he bursts at him, accusatory tone like lightning in a storm. "like you're worried about me, but i'm doing just fine!"
"heck, you even started when we found out i'm not human anymore."
etho's ear twitches.
"what? are you worried because i'm flammable? cause there's fire everywhere? i'm fine."
the worrying smile on his face wrinkles the fabric around his mouth. is he trying to pursuade etho, or himself?
"trust me." please.
the fox doesn't seem very convinced but begrudgingly he sighs, shoulders slumping. "fine. but i'm sticking with you while we're in here."
sure, he'll take that. anything to get him off his back about this doll-hybrid stuff. he can handle things perfectly fine on his own.
(though, honestly, bdubs is thankful for etho looking out for him.)
-⨷-
for the circumstances given, the nether doesn't go that poorly.
they'd met back up with some of the other hermits, having started a joke about porkenchoppen. though, bdubs had been a little upset over his lack of hunger.
people made out of wool don't need to eat, apparently. he'd learned it the annoying way, red staining his hands as he waited to be hungry. that's not coming out for a while.
and through it all, he'd only died once. etho said that when he'd been sliced open by that piglin, bits of stuffing went everywhere. but he's fine now. the hermits have created the portal and he's going to step through and finally not be at risk of catching fire.
etho wasn't very happy about the death. he never said it but "i told you so" was written all over his face. so was concern, though he'd never admit it.
some others had noticed his... peculiarities along the way. how the blood had stained him not as flesh but textile. he prays that no one will look into it too much; if only to soothe the voice in the back of his mind, telling him no one can know.
thankfully, he'd arrived to his base location rather quickly, finally given the opportunity to breathe and figure out what's happening to him. of course to set up a starter base too, don't get him wrong.
bdubs would rather learn how to eat and heal himself first. plus he totally has an idea of what he wants to build. definitely.
alright maybe he's stalling. but it's for a good cause!
now, he looks at the land around him. where should he start.
the trees around the area are a little obtrusive, he decides, pulling the axe from his inventory. etho had gifted it to him. didn't want him breaking material again.
with a few new stacks of wood in his inventory and area now cleared, bdubs can finally start his experimenting.
he isn't all that convinced that he's barred from eating. there's no way!
how else is he supposed to heal? maybe he's vegetarian. most of the hermits use golden carrots, and wheat isn't difficult to come by. he can make a farm. he drops a crafting table on the ground and gets to work.
now equipped with a hoe, bdubs begins tilling the land. creating a few plots of farmland by the edge of the lake and dropping some seeds into the dirt. now it's only a matter of time before–
something bleats in the distance, causing bdubs to perk up. there's a sheep around here? he checks his inventory. he could try mutton? maybe he had the wrong type of meat.
after crafting some fences, bdubs hurries to the noise. finding a grey sheep casually grazing on the grass.
it's a battle to corral the sheep; but after a mess of fences, he finally gets it trapped; leaning against the wood as he thinks of his next steps.
all he needs now is wheat and another sheep. shouldn't be too hard. he'll need shears too for wool, though he can just kill any excess sheep after breeding.
maybe that's the solution, he hums. bdubs turns his hand over in front of him, fabric skin worn and tattered. the hole in his hand has grown a little, some of the stuffing beginning to fall out.
'uncanny' doesn't even begin to describe it. as someone who had been flesh and blood not even a few hours ago; seeing an injury such as this for the first time perplexes him.
he doesn't even want to touch it. to push the cotton back in. normal blood isn't supposed to leak, let alone return to the body. touching it feels disturbing.
it's something he's going to have to get used to. heck, he can even stitch himself back together with the right tools. he glances up at the sheep.
all bdubs needs is iron for some shears, and he knows the perfect way to get it.
Notes:
hrmmmmmm i wonder.......
(correct guesses win bragging rights)
Chapter 3: mischief and sneakery
Summary:
there's only one way to get iron and it's very very easy
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
bdubs' side presses against the bark of the tree, peeking around the corner. etho hasn't noticed him yet, too busy tending to his donkeys.
wow he's got a lot of donkeys. how did he even have time to breed that many?
he ducks behind the tree again. no distractions; he has a vague plan to follow through with.
a plan that'll get him so much iron ...if etho has any. it'll work flawlessly, you should trust him.
bdubs plans never fail.
he peeks again, eyes scanning the area. though etho is nowhere to be found.
where could he possibly... bdubs turns, yelping as he comes face to face with exactly the man he'd been watching. "heavens etho- don't creep up on a guy like that!"
etho chuckles, folding his arms. "i could tell you the same thing. what're you doing here anyways? you need something?"
"actually, yes. two iron and a sheep." etho knows him so well. "actually, maybe three iron."
"uh huh."
"and also, how do you make a loom?"
"a loom? that's two planks two string." etho notes. "you working on banners?"
"no, i'm working on myself." bdubs holds up his injured hand, still leaking cotton. etho's eyes grow slightly wider.
"that's gotten worse" etho holds his hand gently, inspecting the wound. "does eating work?"
"i've been trying. but i think it's different." the fading red on his hand is suddenly more obvious. "i haven't been hungry all season."
a hum. etho's stopped inspecting but he still holds bdubs' hand in his own. instead looking up at him with those eyes. it reminds bdubs of old times.
"do you want me to try stitching you together?" the fox offers. "i... don't have much experience but it's better than doing it one handed."
"i- i'd appreciate that. yeah." bdubs flusters before separating.
the pair wander off to etho's array of chests, etho picking up a few iron to give to bdubs.
he'd assigned etho to make the loom while he tries to figure out how to craft a needle; hands hovering over the crafting table.
maybe it's nuggets. needles are only small, it would make sense. bdubs breaks down the iron, placing two of the nuggets as he would with sticks of a shovel.
a little hologram appears above the table. a slot showing he's crafted three needles. it worked? somehow he'd gotten it first try. he pockets them into his inventory.
he follows by crafting a pair of shears before turning back to find etho, who is currently throwing wheat at his sheep.
the loom unnerves him as bdubs passes by. he's going to be working with that contraption a lot this season. even as a human, the amount of moving parts was more than a little daunting.
he's going to get it though. to learn how it works. he'll start with banners and work his way up from there.
it's not long before etho comes up beside him, wool in hand. currently it sports a plain grey. all it needs is some dye but they can find some later.
it'll do for now. this is only their first try at this. he turns to the fox, noting the wool in his hands. they meet eyes and it seems they're having the same problem.
"how do we turn this into thread?"
bdubs getting the needle recipe first try had been impressive, turns out. after many many many fruitless attempts, they finally land on an answer;
"alright, i'm calling cleo." etho turns from the crafting table, though bdubs continues to try different options. eventually he too stops and opens his own comms.
<etho> cleo
<zombiecleo> what?
<bdoubleo100> cleo we need your help
<etho> come to mine
<bdoubleo100> it's important
<zombiecleo> do you need me to officiate the wedding?
<etho> ??????
<bdoubleo100> NO
<zombiecleo> i'm busy
<bdoubleo100> please
<etho> :(
<zombiecleo> fine. be there in 10
the two share a look, bdubs can see the faint signs of a smile behind the other's mask. the lines in the corners of his eyes crinkling ever so slightly. eyes returning the stare. has he been staring?
he turns his attention back to the loom.
-⨷-
it's not long before cleo arrives, seated on the back of a horse as it gallops.
almost immediately, the pair notice something off about their appearance. her hands look pale as they hold the reigns, their eyes a bloody red.
"hey cleo!" bdubs smiles politely, noting the fangs as they return the gesture.
they look vampiric. "hi!" they say. "now i only have maybe half an hour to chat, i've got filming in a bit."
"oh, that's right! you have the vampire thing! good job on that by the-" etho nudges him. "right! right."
the vampire raises an eyebrow. the doll thinks about how to word his question.
"cleo," he takes an empty breath. holding out his arm. "i have a problem. and i'd like you to teach me how to fix it."
cleo steps closer to him, taking his arm carefully yet firm. "this is new, i take it?" he nods. "i can give you sewing lessons. teach you how to use a loom as well." she looks to their experiments. yeah, they'll need help alright.
"thanks cleo." bdubs sighs, relief and a growing sense of excitement building in his chest. finally he can stop worrying.
"can you teach me too?" heads turn to etho. he looks confident when he talks. "i want to learn. just in case something happens."
"of course." cleo says. bdubs should be excited. he's finally figuring himself out. the newest piece of the puzzle.
but is this it? is this really how he is to heal? that would take so long. what if he's in a panic? what if there are too many mobs around to thread each individual stitch?
they must've caught him frowning, cleo holding his hand tighter as etho steps closer. "you alright 'dubs?"
"oh. yeah-yeah i'm fine. i'm doing great. thanks for helping, cleo."
they don't press him further. cleo brings them to the loom.
"now, lesson one."
Notes:
this one was in drafts for a while lol
hope you enjoy (and remember to hydrate so you don't diedrate)