Hermitcraft Ship Oneshots

Reprogramming (NPC x Mumbo)

So, this is an idea I've had for a while. Actually, it was going to be a fic of mine. However, while in the process of writing the first chapter, Doctor Siren came out with the SnapShot AU. Obviously ideas can be similar, but it felt a bit too close to me. I didn't want to seem like I was ripping someone else off or stealing their ideas, so I ended up scrapping the story. That was about 2-3 years ago, but this old idea has been on my mind for a bit. I'm gonna try my best to differentiate my story from Doctor Siren's so that they're both unique.

Please please please I beg do not give me the 'it's like snapshot AU' comments I get them on nearly every fanfic I write and I know that I'm gonna get some here if I don't clarify this—

Doctor Siren I swear I didn't steal anything from you don't sue me sobs

—

Light flooded into the closet, the cramped room filled with dust. A figure was sat against the wall, slouched and weak, with coarse bands of rope keeping their wrists and ankles bound together. A flashlight pointed towards the figure, illuminating the poor condition that they were in.

The man was pale, skinny, as if he was on the brink of death. His clothes were tattered, worn out with stains, while parts of the fabric were torn and weathered. The skin around his ankles and wrists were irritated and cut, most likely due to the cheap rope that kept him tethered. His eyes were sunken in, dark bags under them, showing signs of starvation. His hair was a mess, greasy and tangled, falling down his face.

He didn't react as the door opened, neither did he move when the flashlight pointed at his face. He remained still, eyes glassy and unfocused."How does it feel?" The figure in the doorway asked, their voice dripping with pride, as if they had won.

Still, the broken figure didn't seem to react, or even process the voice that spoke to him. "Well?" They spoke out again, stepping into the closet. "How does it feel being locked away, being caged in a box like some kind of animal? How does it feel to spend months hoping for someone to remember you? How does it feel to suffer like how you made me suffer?

Finally, the figure moved his head slightly, his eyes foggy as he locked eyes with his captor. "I'm sorry." He whispered in a voice so quiet that it barely made a sound, his breath rasping through his lungs. Even so, the words rung loud through the silence.

"Don't waste your time apologizing." They said, stepping a bit closer. They knelt beside the broken man, smiling with hatred beaming through their gaze. "I didn't do this for you to feel remorseful. I did this to take everything away from you, Grian."

"NPC, please—" he began to beg, but the robot simply laughed.

"Oh, shut up. You're pathetic like this. It's my turn to be Grian. It's my turn to play with the Hermits. And it's my turn to be with Mumbo." They smiled, rising back to their feet. "I think it would be better if things stayed this way, if I was the permanent Grian, the new Grian. It's not like anyone noticed us switch places."

"W-we can both be on the server, NPC! I'm sure X would make room for the two of us, please, it doesn't have to be like this!"

"Oh, but it does." They said with a sick grin, "To be totally honest, I don't even like most of those Hermits. I don't know how you managed to stand them for three whole seasons. Maybe I'll fix them up, make them more tolerable."

"W-wha...what do y-you mean?" Grian asked, a hint of horror in his voice.

"I just wanna make them a bit more...open-minded, you could say." NPC Grian laughed, walking over to some of the boxes that were tucked away in the corners. They rustled through the contents of the box for a couple moments, before letting out another dark chuckle while pulling out a long strand of iron chains.