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#so I said fuck canon timing
wckdrunners · 10 months
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What if the Gladers spent longer in the maze?
Okay I’ve had this idea for a long LONG time so why not do some ideas? Also might make this into a long fic…?
Thomas
-This man would not give up
-He will continue to run along side Minho and try come up with a bunch of new ideas
-However, he starts to get more and more memories back and eventually figures out he co-created the maze without having to go through the Changing
-Starts to isolate himself because he doesn’t know how everyone will react
-Him and Teresa get closer as the last ever Greenies
Minho
-Try tell me this man would give up
-He has ran for 3 years what’s a couple more months?
-Gets time to get to know Thomas more whilst running the maze
-Feel he would hide the finished model of the maze or just destroy it
-Would try convince people they should stay in the maze overnight again
-Tries to help Newt cope and it puts a lot of pressure on him
-Starts to let the pressure get to him a bit but uses it as a motivator
Newt
-Man’s is not doing so good
-He is struggling to stay motivated after 3+ years and it’s showing
-Spends most of his time with Minho and Thomas but they’re usually always in the maze so he tries to distract himself with growing food since the box isn’t leaving
-Being the new 1st in command put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders that he does not know what to do with
Just so you know this au is not set in stone so most of this might be a bit random and not make sense but it will if I ever write it as a fic!
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puppyeared · 10 months
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personal character design headcanons + brainrot
Note: the re-bound!au does NOT belong to me, it belongs to @chipper-smol I’m just not normal about it lol
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#I SAY PERSONAL BC ITS MY OWN SPIN ON IT. NOT CHIPPERS CANON UNLESS THEY DECIDE TO OR NOT YOU HEAR ME /LH#I made a banner and everything this time. PLWEASE send them your questions not me JAJFHDSF#I thought it would be cool if macaque has two separate forms as a shadow and inside a mindscape. like I wanted his shadow form to reflect#him in his prime and then the mindscape form as what he looked like when he died. or a more vulnerable state at least#based on LBD appearing to MK as the ivory lady when she died in the S3 special. I don’t know exactly what it was but my first thought seein#the white void was she was appearing to MK in his mindscape to talk to him. so I built on that#I wanted to give him a more ‘Smokey’ look as a shadow just based on how he manipulates them in the show like in shadow play. I hope this#makes it look cool and immaterial. and then his mindscape form would be more battered up and tangible#the last couple images are chippers ideas though since they said the monkeys are drawn to MK when macaque is possessing him lol#and the fact that macaque doesn’t have any senses unless he’s possessing someone + literally sniffing out wukong in the scroll 🤨📸#I also have a vivid image of macaque moving from the mindscape to physical form like umm. kind of like when he passes the boundary between#physical and spirit/mind(?) it’s like the shadow covers him like ink. or pulling Saran Wrap over your face and it clings to your skin#so it kind of makes the shadow seem like a sort of shell or covering.. and I love the idea of MK meeting macaque in the mindscape for the#first time too. like the moment mac rescues him from LBD and MK sees him all battered and tired looking brooooooo#I’m not even sure if that would count as a mindscape but it rattles around in my brain like loose marbles#god I fucking love this au. gives me imagination fuel swear to god#my art#doodles#lmk#Lego Monkie kid#Monkie kid#lmk au#re-bound!au#rebound au#lmk sun wukong#lmk swk#lmk macaque#lmk six eared macaque#lmk mk#lmk xiaotian
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how about that uhhhhh Fantasy Julie. she gets her sword <3 no one can take it from her <3
rambles:
SIKE you get an extra, lower quality doodle
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SIKE AGAIN here's the rambles
yeah... i caved and gave her a tail... I'm Not Sorry! it's cute! i wanted to stick with her sorta flower motif - it's stronger in her princess look, since I imagine that when she was part of the royals she was very blatantly flower power based. it was her Thing!
but a Julie free of her noble shackles... she deserves her big sword. like yeah, she has flower magic, but who needs it when she has a Giant Blade??? on the royalty vein, and if we're classifying "rainbow monster" as a species, i feel like horn size/curve would be a status symbol of some kind. maybe Julie would have kept her horns filed short. but if she ran away from that life... longer horns! i like to imagine that they'll keep growing until she has a pair of Extra Weapons attached to her head! curved forward like mammoth tusks maybe!
i imagine that like Frank, she goes with minimal armor - range of movement over protection, yk? some scale mail over her front, a thick leather flower over her chest w/ scalloped leather pauldrons, wrist armor and metal knuckles! i'd think that the faux-suspenders include a back sheath for her sword... i wish i'd thought of that Before i finished the little ref! i don't feel like going back and editing!
i imagine that she was forced to cut her hair when it got caught in something (a gelatinous cube, mayhaps). it didn't look good! don't let anime and Mulan fool you! cutting your own hair with a blade will not look nice! but someone - Eddie, probably, he's good with scissors i'd assume - cleaned it up for her. and hey, it didn't look bad! plus, Julie probably liked being able to just tuck up her long strands into her hat when she's feeling a bit more like a Julius than a Julie!
it's been a fun challenge transforming their canon outfits into a similar variation with fantasy flavoring and twists! i want them to suit the setting but still maintain Themselves! Julie's was tough i gotta admit. i was messing around with the princess look and the fighter look side-by-side. it worked better when i sat back and thought "fighter Julie is Julie unrestrained. that version would be more aligned with her canon look"
i wanted her princess form to look Restrained! she has to be a ~delicate flower~, a noble woman, pristine and poised and very much a princess. soft colors, poofy clothing, bright white gloves that are not to be sullied. carefully bundled up hair! jewelry! that dress must be Heavy and hard to move in! her tail must be so cramped under there!
but Julie Unleashed? violent pinks! rose gold accents! short skirt so that she can sprint and Kick! fun boots that she can be active in and delight in watching them get dirty! her hair is free to whip in the wind and get caught in things! fun straps and Deadly Accessories! a sword that she stole from the royal armory on her way out the window! she has forearm wraps both to match Frank and to support her wrists!
#yessss this was mainly an excuse to draw jules with short hair and a tail. i do not apologize#i like to think that poppy has a bottomless bag that she's too scared to use herself#but everybody keeps things in there#julie keeps her hair-hiding-hat in there and some pants and a cape for that Julius Vibe#(yes i could have gone with julian. but julius makes me think of orange julius and. yum)#i've said in initial rambles that i think that julie has Mild plant magic#I TAKE THAT BACK SHE'S SO FUCKING POWERFUL#i think she could hold her own against wally here tbh!#she wouldn't win if home had the reins but yk! it would still be Close!#but why would she use boring magic when she can slash punch kick#she can definitely talk to all plants. like im carrying that over thats so cool#trees warning her of an ambush... trodden-on flowers pointing her in the direction of her quarry...#roots arching out of the ground to trip anyone about to beat her in a race#scribble salad#wh fantasy au#so in canon julie left The Cave#which. fuck is that supposed to be a reference to plato's cave? ok no now's not the time for speculation#so she left the cave to seek out a life of her own#so i imagine that she left the royal life for much the same reason! she didn't want to sit on a throne in a poofy dress and lead!#she wanted to Adventure! see the world! be unrestrained!#i imagine that her repeated sneaking out is how she met frank - then when she ran she went to him cause she knew he wanted to leave#and she went 'hey im ditching this joint wanna come' and Of Course the answer was yes!#adventuring duo that never regret it for a second!#also as im making refs im adding them to a Lineup. which i'll post when ive collected all the pokemon (neighbors). size refs!!!
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driftingballoons · 1 month
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Some creatures are more difficult to perceive than others
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i have this really stupid idea in my head that im frankly a little obsessed with and the idea is this: trent crimm doing a drunk history episode on ted lasso's first tenure at richmond. is that how drunk history works? i don't think so. do i care? absolutely not. it's a special episode who cares because this image is not only hysterical to me but treasured. i treasure this image. i hold it close in my heart and also laugh and laugh and laugh.
#ted is played by what is very visibly a butch lesbian in a huge fake mustache.#roy is inexplicably played by himself in a wig.#ternt drunkenly and passionately explaining this whole thing. he says his own line and the trent actor (who also has a wig) gets to act it#trent waving his hands as he's explaining all this. the host being like 'not very often we get to have someone include the part where They#come into the story' and trents like [dorkiest finger guns]#also yes i said first tenure bc this scenario lives in post canon fantasy fix it land where ambiguously ted comes back to richmond#at some point. and also both bc my tedependent heart is obsessed and bc it's really funny#marries trent. just bc i want this to end with trent--hammered and pleased as punch--being like AND THEN I MARRIED HIM!!!!!#[falls back on couch happily] :)#also in the line of that great 5+1 social media fic#by jessjessthebest. a sequel thats just like a youtube video like#'we made ted lasso and trent crimm watch that episode of drunk history about them' and trent is just. head in hands the whole time.#ted is DELIGHTED.#anyway i rotate this in my brain fucking DAILY. it's so goddamn funny to me.#ted lasso#tedependent#tedtrent#trent crimm#the line in question being 'is this a fucking joke' i just realized i did not clarify that#no but really im obsessed with this it's so fucking funny#also any image trent had left of being a ruthless ex journalist is thoroughly ruined#all of his former colleagues have seen him and drunk and giggling and fully admitting what he was thinking at the time and oh boy#hes a disaster <3
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oceanwithouthermoon · 2 months
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ive come to realise that i dont actually hate kubokai, i just hate the way people write them
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chayannesegg · 2 months
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honestly I think it’s kinda interesting how phil’s relationships with wilbur, tallulah, chayanne & tubbo are all reflecting back into his view of sunny tbh. like he has such complex delicate interwoven dynamics with all of them and it all gets thrown onto sunny, this poor kid who he loves in theory, but in practice is a stranger to him. 
like wilbur left tallulah in phil’s care and didn’t come back. even now way after he was initially supposed to, wilbur hasn’t returned (that one day aside). and phil, who had already taken on a big commitment watching tallulah, has been left permanently with two eggs in his sole care. and even though he loves tallulah and wil, and won’t want them out of his life, this is a stress for him. it’s a big undertaking for anyone, to care for two kids alone, but especially since tallulah required a lot of changes in his life.
for better or worse, in many ways phil sees chayanne as an extension of himself. they’re similar in a lot of ways, and often on the same page, and it means phil often struggles to catch up when chayanne’s emotions aren’t on the same page as him. we’ve seen this week, phil having such a hard time understanding the depth and breadth of chayanne’s grief. when he catches on, he usually does a good job empathising and talking it through, but when he doesn’t, he really doesn’t and it can be hard to watch. 
the same is NOT true for tallulah. he has, through hard work and practice, learnt how to identify her emotions. he had to. she needed it. she would have been miserable otherwise. she desperately needed asked for the emotional care and birthdays and consideration that chayanne would never ask for. and he’s good at it—tracking her moods, knowing what upsets her & what she cares about in a way that doesn’t come as naturally with chayanne (or sunny or tubbo or anyone else really expect maybe wilbur). but that took A LOT of time and effort, months of work, and I do think he’s a bit wary of the idea of having to do that again, even when it comes to people he loves like chayanne (or god forbid tubbo).
now tubbo is not wil. tubbo is not phil's son. but he’s still not dissimilar to wil in phil’s mind. whatever the backstory is, phil introduces tubbo to tallulah as an old friend of him and wil’s. he makes tubbo his kids’ godfather. he calls tubbo his boy. he looks out for him. but past those first few weeks, their relationship doesn’t progress. they mean a lot to each other bc of their pasts, but they don’t put any work into upkeeping their relationship and phil in particular doesn’t reflect at all on what how that changes their dynamic. and it does change it—this is clear in purgatory, with phil having zero trust in tubbo to protect chayanne and tallulah, and after, with tubbo endlessly poking at phil’s sore spots trying to illicit a reaction he’ll never receive. 
it's also clear in the way phil has no understanding of what’s going on with tubbo. if he’s struggling to grasp chay’s emotions, he’s not even touching what’s going on in tubbo’s head. tubbo’s death makes no sense to him. it’s sudden. it’s random. it’s illogical. it’s stupid. he wasn’t joking about having two lives? he still took a death bet with richas? he’s not come back? he can’t come back? he’s left phil with distraught kids for no reason with no warning. he doesn’t see the erratic suicidal behaviour, the unending depression, the desperation to be loved. he doesn’t want to see it. he doesn’t want something to be wrong with tubbo, but he also doesn’t even know how to see what’s wrong. he’s annoyed he’s having to deal with it and he desperately desperately wants to believe this is all happening for no reason.
bc at the forefront of phil’s mind is still his love for tubbo. of course, phil would drop everything to help tubbo (if he could recognize something was wrong). of course, he would care for sunny as his own. of course, he would make the same sacrifices he’s made for wil. and he assumes he’ll have to. he thought that sunny would now be under his care. that he’d have to figure out the logistics of a third egg to care for. with wilbur, phil was the only person who could ever have taken care of tallulah. the only person he trusted, the only person who knew tallulah enough. now this isn’t true for tubbo. it’s a genuinely illogical assumption for phil to make: three eggs would be a genuine burden on him; they've never spoken about it; there’s a long list of people who would tubbo expects for sunny before; and he doesn’t even know sunny well enough to name these people for her as comfort.
but still in the moment, alone with tubbo’s eggs and dealing with everything he left behind, phil can only think that the exact same thing that happened before will happen: he alone will be left to care for another scared hurt kid of someone he loves.
and here we come to sunny. a kid whose dad he loves. a kid whose dad he doesn’t understand. a kid whose dad is suddenly gone like his son is gone. a kid who would need him like his daughter needs him. a kid who his son needs to protect. a kid he cares for. a kid he can’t afford to care for, a kid he wasn’t expecting to care for, a kid he doesn’t know how to care for, a kid he would care for if he needed to, a kid he doesn’t know why he’s been left to care for. a kid who is somehow a reflection of all these people he loves but not someone he knows at all.
idk i think this tension comes out in the a lot of the comments phil makes of and to sunny. he doesn't know them well enough to distinguish them from his relationships with other people. and as long as no one challenges him on that, we'll continue to hear these misplaced comments from him, that come across so insensitively, even as he tries his best to genuinely help them and their dad.
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dazais-guardian-angel · 8 months
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this torture we're going through with the anime must be divine karma for slandering Bones all this time...... they said "oh, you don't like how we adapt things? you say the manga does it better?? okay then, well now there is no more manga. it's Bones or bust, bitches."
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rexscanonwife · 2 months
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Little messy doodle but I was talking to my friend about how my s/i would be using just every petname in the books on Charles but he...struggles a bit to do the same! Even the smallest effort earns him some lovin' tho 🥺💖💖
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hood-ex · 7 months
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Cass looks like a vampire
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Nightwing #106
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shannonsketches · 25 days
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Why is the anime so weird, it's not even the same series dude?? It's like,
Anime:
GOKU: I have a great idea to bring peace to the universe, and my leadership and compassion alone will unite us all. I have No Flaws and am A True Relatable Everyman :)
VEGETA: NO! I AM THE BEST AND I WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS UNTIL I AM RECOGNIZED AS SUCH!!!!
Manga:
GOKU: Vegeta what's cornmeal made of? I know it's what the corn eats, but what's it made of? VEGETA: Hey Kakarot let's play the quiet game until one of us dies.
#silly hours#I do not understand this writing it's so bad aklsdlkasjd#Toei wants Goku to be Clark Kent SO bad and he SO isn't lmao#they're so good and dumb and rounded and complex in the manga what is the anime so afraid of#Toriyama said 'no no this man is a detached faux-immortal who has a dear pure heart but he's childlike and selfish even though he's kind'#and toei went 'got it goku's never done anything wrong ever in his life'#toriyama said 'Vegeta's gone through a lot and he's finally settling into his more mature leadership role with the confidence he's earned'#and toei said 'got it vegeta has the confidence of a high school bully except now he can interact with his family as a comedy bit'#girl hWHAT#Toei trying to group Goku and Vegeta as two people who would rather train than be with their families and Toriyama said NO Vegeta wants#to be HOME this is the first time in years that he's HAD ONE and it makes him HAPPY to be with his wife and children!!#Vegeta trains so that he can protect the things he doesn't want to lose again and Goku trains because it's the thing that makes him happies#They are NOT the same lmao And yeah Vegeta still wants to beat Goku but he also knows that Gohan could dogwalk both of them if he wanted#He also knows Trunks and Goten are going to surpass them it's not about being the best anymore he's past that he just wants to Not Need Gok#He just doesn't want to have to rely on Goku to save the day he wants to be Enough on his own he just wants to know he can be#because every time it's mattered he WASN'T and people he loved were lost to his inability to protect them and he carries that#Like Whis diagnosed him with anxiety and cptsd out in the open and Beerus said he was self-centered for feeling guilt#+ he lowkey enjoys the rivalry it keeps him goal-oriented so he can't get complacent and lazy which is what triggered his Buu Saga breakdow#realized how Fucked Up it was that having a home and loving family made him feel like he was failing and went 'wait no I won actually??'#now he's chill as fuck in the manga. cool confident leader.#and sometimes he is childish and dumb with Goku as a treat#you know what rocks about his rivalry with Goku in Super though is that it's Playful. Vegeta is learning how to Play.#You ever seen a shelter dog get introduced to a really playful dog and it takes a minute for the shelter dog to understand it's safe here#And then they're both running around the backyard playing hot potato with one braincell?? That's Goku and Vegeta's relationship#and the way the anime sleeps on that dynamic is so fucking criminal especially when it's literally canon it's in print it's out there#you had the playbook how'd you fumble it this bad#anyway that's my 25+ year blorbo thoughts I love Geets a lot okay#And I love Goku in the manga a lot I'd forgotten that he's actually a great character when Toei's not fucking up his whole vibe
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cosmetichorror · 1 year
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My fav head canon is that Time hates swearing not because he sees everyone as kids, but because when he was a kid living with the kokiri, there was a saying that went “Cursing brings curses” and to this day he believes swearing will cause bad luck and is genuinely concerned for those with potty mouths (which, let’s face it, is probably everyone. They all say fuck except for Time)
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pbnmj · 9 months
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never before seen middle part comic noir… I’m obsessed u draw him so nicely 😭😭 so blessed
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NOT THE LAST MIDDLE PART COMIC NOIR I INTEND TO DRAW!!!! age discourse/noir timeline discussions i see on the dash have started to make me think about the overlapping year (1933....) and how that could be tied to the 'canon event'. and specifically the potential of comic!noir having a crazy angsty bittersweet time about itsv noir having longer with robbie because he happens to be born earlier in his universe. but also comic!pete having to grapple with knowing what happened to robbie in his universe and how he can't stand by and watch a version of himself lose robbie when he could change things. which is why i have this draft of a page :)
AND GOD DUDE THE WAY U DRAW COMICS NOIR (baby... baby boy) ABSOLUTELY HAS PLAYED A PART IN HOW I DRAW HIM !!! he is so devastatingly young in your depiction of him and i felt like the way i drew the comic version of him had to change and adjust towards that!!!! i love the comic art but that is not a 16-17 year old kid and i swear if the comic reflected how young he was i would have had the world's worst category 10 woman moment
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cowboybirdie · 7 months
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i wanted to write an angsty normal fic a couple months ago about how i was perceiving his character arc going. i was hoping id be wrong, but i ended up being totally right and im upset!
bc he’s finally seeing how undervalued he is to the team. he’s realizing that linc, taylor, and scary—really linc/taylor and linc/scary—are tight and he’s forgotten. he’s rarely included, his ideas get shot down, they make fun of him for always wanting to be kind and loving hard and wanting what’s best for the people he cares about. linc is like… perpetually putting normal down bc i think he has a morality superiority complex. like none of you, NONE OF YOU! would have made it this far on your “heroes journey” without normal!!!!
he CHOSE to take his sisters place even though he found out the cost, that he wasnt wanted, and that he was just a disappointment for not being special. he CHOSE to stay and support all of you even when he was constantly rejected and put down by friends and crushes and parents. he CHOSE all of them, regardless.
they’re setting up the scary/normal arcs how they set up awakening the doodler and it’s fucking killing me. scary is learning to open up with love, while normal is learning to shut down with hate.
im worried about normal.
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scatterpatter · 6 months
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Huevember Day 4 (a week late but i wont tattle if you dont...)
No I will literally NEVER shut up about these twins and how they were given one of the most horrific backstories in the entire show and it just. NEVER GETS ADDRESSED. Dang. TFA really has the best fridge horror <3
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robanilla-writes · 20 days
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Dreamtale <s>Drabble</s> Part 2: In Which the Food is Good
Part 1 was 700 words. This is 2K. I uhhh. got carried away. Part 3 is done :>
[CW implied past abuse / unwanted touch / creepy adult / bittersweet]
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Nightmare holds Dream's hand, but he's too preoccupied with looking about the village surrounding them to listen to his exact words. Nightmare can feel the way others look at them, the contempt for his existence and the condescending pity for Dream's. He glares at a grown up who won't stop staring at Dream, not knowing exactly what that yearning feeling is, but just knowing it's dangerous; the way a wolf looks at a lamb. Which is further ironic, because this particular monster was a bunny-type.
Nightmare takes a half-step closer to Dream's side.
“Nighty?”
Nightmare doesn't take his eyes off the Grown Up when he nods his head at Dream's call.
“Brother, it's rude to not look at people when they're speaking to you.”
Nightmare’s expression sours just a bit more before he finally focuses on Dream. He hums a question of a note, and Dream sighs, as though exasperated.
“One more time. So, Nightmare, this is Cassandra and Julia. They're twins, just like us! Cassie, Julie, this is Nighty!” Dream says proudly.
“Nightmare will do,” he corrects. He can't stand it when the villagers call him that name. Nighty is reserved for people who mean no harm.
“Hi,” Cassie says, and Julie waves with a shy, small smile. They were a pair of bunny monsters, the main differentiating factor seeming to be the way they wore their floppy ears: Cassie preferred to keep them out of her way, tied back with a bow, while Julie had them free to hang, framing her round face.
Nightmare can feel the slight apprehension at his regard, but that wasn't anything to worry about yet. He glances at Dream again, and he seems excited about this, so-
Nightmare gives a small bow of his head in proper greeting. Color dots his face as he says awkwardly, “Hello. It's nice to meet you.”
“They've been teaching me how to play Sticks,” Dream says. “I think you'll like it, brother.”
“It's better when played with four,” Cassie explains. Her voice is loud. “Dream insisted that you would be the fourth, so now we have to teach you all the rules.”
“It's very fun,” Jullie squeaks, her nose twitching. “when you get the hang of it.”
“Yeah,” Cassie says with a strong nod. “So don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get it at first.”
Nightmare bites his tongue, and with another glance at Dream's pleading expression, he nods his agreement. He promised he'd try. He squeezes his hand harder, and Dream squeezes back a reassurance.
Cassie does most of the explaining, with the odd comment or example coming from Dream and Julie. It's a bit much to remember all at once, but Nightmare has already made the decision that he was going to learn how to play today, so he pays rapt attention.
As much as he can, anyway. The bunny twins grow less concerned about Nightmare's presence the longer they play, which is a small victory. In fact, more kids eventually gathered, seeing the fun and hoping to catch sight of the spectacle that was The Guardian of the Black Apples playing.
The issues were the grown ups watching them.
Nightmare is distracted more than once by disgust and fear. Hatred and anger at their fun was par for the course, though. Nightmare has to keep constant tabs on their tree from the edge of the village, but so far, no one has tried to break through their shields. It's of little reassurance. He keeps getting that weird bad hunger from the Grown Up, and Dream doesn't seem to notice.
When the bunny twins get called in for lunch time, the guardians stay where they are. They don't need to eat like the others do, anyway.
Nightmare taps his arm, and looks at him with a question in his eyes. Dream tilts his head slightly in response, and Nightmare tries to point his attention in the direction of the Grown Up. Dream's eye lights dim slightly, and if Nightmare wasn't looking for it, he wouldn't have noticed it before Dream gave a sweet, closed-eyed smile.
“That's Mr. Bonnette,” Dream says lightly. “He's Cassie and Julie’s guardian- er- father? He's in charge of watching us play. Don't worry, he's nice.”
“Why isn't he going inside to eat?” Nightmare asks with a confused pout. “He feels hungry.”
Dream looks away with a shrug, fiddling with his sticks. “Not exactly.”
“I don't like it.”
Dream bites his tongue. With a stale giggle, he says, “It's okay! He won't do anything with both of us here. Are you hungry?”
“Not really.” Nightmare huffs. “What do you mean? What does he do when-”
“I'm hungry,” Dream cuts in. “Let's see if Cassie and Julie have anything they want to share.”
“Wh- we don't even need food. We already said no-”
Dream stands, pulling Nightmare along with him. “Come ON, Nighty! They asked us and everything! We should be grateful!”
“But-”
Nightmare is dragged to his feet anyway and pulled over to the Bonnette residence. That brings them closer to the Grown Up and away from their view of the Tree, filling Nightmare with a sense of dread. From this close, he can taste Mr. Bonnette's thoughts. They're sour, like buttermilk. Dream passes him, and Nightmare gets a spike of something rotten.
Nightmare doesn't know if he wants to know.
Once inside, Dream announces that they've changed their minds. Nightmare feels something in his bones roil, and his aura, visible only to Dream, bubbles. Dream holds his hand again.
Jullie claps her hands in a gentle show of joy, and Cassie jumps up to call their big brother back over. His face gives nothing away, but Nightmare can feel his annoyance. He doesn't want to impose, so he says nothing, doing his best to take up less space.
Dream pulls him up to sit next to him on the bench of their dinner table. Cassie starts bragging about how good of a cook their brother Joey is, and that this time next year they'll be looking at the bestest chef in the world. Julie nods, nibbling away at her snack of carrots and peas. Joey feels proud, but rolls his eyes anyway.
It's normal, it's nice, it's a family.
Mr. Bonnette looms in, and seats himself down next to Dream with a hearty chuckle, joining in on the fun. He sits too close. Dream laughs along, but something is still wrong. Nightmare isn't very subtle about it when he scoots over and pulls Dream closer, causing Cassie to notice.
“Hah! You're such a kit, Nightmare,” Cassie heckles. “Holding on to Dream like a baby. He's not going anywhere, you know.”
“Don't be mean, Cassie,” Julie says.
Joey steps over with a couple plates, setting them down in front of their guests. Nightmare glances at the meal warily. He picks up a nibble and sniffs it.
“I'd rather not make the Apple Guardians upset,” Joey adds under his breath.
Dream gives a nervous giggle. Mr. Bonnette claps him on the back, making Dream jolt. “It's all jokes anyway, eh boy? Nothing to worry about now.”
Nightmare wants to break Mr. Bonnette's arm. But that would be rude. He can't scoot away any further. Dream's hold on his hand is crushing.
“Please don't touch him,” Nightmare says patiently.
He takes a chance, and bites into the food provided. It tastes good, so he pushes the plate in Dream's direction.
Mr Bonnette rubs down Dream's spine before finally letting go, and Nightmare bristles at the sharp tang of his brother's unease. Dream rattles. The Grown Up is saying something, but all Nightmare hears is static.
“You only have each other,” Julie mumbles. Nightmare glances over at the small bubble of pity. “Do you get enough hugs?”
“Huh?” Nightmare blinks, looking around the table with a confused frown. They're all looking at him.
“Who would want a hug from a demon?” Cassie asks, genuine in her curiosity.
Dream balks at that. “He's not a demon. He's my brother.”
“Of course you would say that, you're the angel!” Mr. Bonnette jokes. “Everyone would be lucky to hug you- you're just so stars-gone cute.”
“Nighty is just as cute if not more,” Dream huffs.
“Dream.”
“He's very huggable!”
“Dream,” Nightmare pleads. “Stop it.”
Dream sighs, and picks up a bite of food to distract himself. Nightmare watches as he does, because the food is good and homely, and Dream likes it when he can taste good intent.
As if on cue, Dream perks up with a happy grin. “Oh, this is tasty, Joey! Thank you so much!”
Nightmare can feel the pride flicker in Joey even if all he does is nod and say, “Of course.”
Dream takes another big bite, wiggling gleefully in his seat.
Mr. Bonnette is watching him, and Nightmare can't bask in his brother's joy because of the rancid hunger that burbles from him. Nightmare decides that after this meal, they were leaving.
That was the plan.
That was the goal.
They weren't safe here. They never were. They never will be.
Dream shares the last morsel with Nightmare, claiming that he had made the perfect bite. Nightmare likes to believe that he's right, because it's good, and he can taste the love put into the meal. He's just a bit distracted, is all.
As soon as it's socially polite to do so, Nightmare stands from the table and pulls Dream up with him.
“Thank you for lunch.”
“It was delicious! Thank you!” Dream says with a nod.
Nightmare bows in staccato, “Yes. And thank you for teaching me how to play Sticks. Unfortunately, it's time for us to go. Right, Dream?”
Dream nods again, and Nightmare thinks he looks silly, nodding so much. His aura shakes, and Nightmare needs them out of these four walls as soon as possible.
“Aw man,” Cassie says with a whine.
“We had fun,” Julie says. “You're not as scary as we thought, Nighty.”
Color dots his cheekbones, but Nightmare doesn't correct her use of his name. “Oh. That's nice to hear. Thank you.”
Cassie leaps up as they start to head towards the door. She rushes over and gives Nightmare a crushing hug. Julie hops over and joins in, and Nightmare freezes in a jolt of fear. He looks at Dream with frantic eyelights, confused and scared.
Dream’s smile is wide and excitable, and he's no help when he follows right along and joins in the group hug.
“You're cool,” Cassie says when they part.
Nightmare clings to Dream, looking away with a full-face flush. “Th-thank you.”
“Woah, they get all the fun? Where's <i>my</i> hug?”
Nightmare's shy flush vanishes at that, immediately turning to a stark glare in Mr. Bonnette's direction. Dream stutters in his step, but when the Grown Up opens his arms expectantly, Dream moves to obey.
Nightmare yanks him back and pulls him out the door. Dream struggles only slightly, trying to reason with Nightmare that it was just a hug.
“Not for him,” Nightmare mutters. “I don't like him.”
“You don't know him,” Dream says weakly.
“He wants to eat you!”
“Not exactly…”
“What does that <i>mean</i>?”
Dream goes along quietly after that, refusing to answer his brother's question.
“Well,” Nightmare grumbles, “That's worse, then.”
Nightmare doesn't know if he wants to know.
Their shields are still in place when they return. Nightmare leads Dream over to their preferred nook in the roots of the Tree and sets him down. Dream looks up at him with tired, hazy eye lights. Nightmare hates it when he cries.
He scoots in close to Dream, who wraps up around him again, burying his face on Nightmare’s shoulder.
“I like Cassie and Julie,” Dream mumbles. “I don't want to stop playing with them.”
Nightmare hums. From his inventory, he pulls out a book.
“Mr. Bonnette tastes bad,” Nightmare says with a grimace.
“I know.”
“Like, really bad.”
“I know.”
Nightmare sighs and leans into Dream's hold. As long as he was safe now, he supposed, then they would be fine.
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