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m0rdantt · 2 months ago

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Zephyrtop is a spin-off from two AUs: Zephyrtale and Undertop. It focuses on Zephyrtale Gaster and Undertop Gaster, an astronomer and a ringleader from two completely different AUs with two completely different roles. They met through unconventional circumstances, became best friends, fell in love, and are now husbands in their own AU.

Undertop Gaster did not always possess the title of ringleader. The first iteration of his universe didn’t even have a circus to begin with, and was no different from that of the classic Undertale. Having spent many years working as a royal scientist under his friend Asgore’s employ, Gaster was often absorbed in his work, studying the boundaries and anomalies of the world in the hopes of providing a new escape from the Underground. His research led him to the study of SOULs, and he worked tirelessly to understand the intricacies and differences of both monsters and humans. At times, he called upon the human child of the King and Queen, who seemed more than willing to participate in the simple, yet vital tests that Gaster had fashioned to test his theories. Eventually, his work led him to create a portal in a hidden space within the CORE, one that proved too unstable to use. Before he could announce its creation–or subsequently gain the approval to tinker with it further–an accident occured. If one could call that kind of shove an “accident”.

Caught between his own world and the void, Gaster was given the self-awareness possessed by any out-code character, though without the means to return to his own timeline. All he could do was watch the denizens of his Underground carry on with their lives, slowly forgetting his existence–save for his two abandoned sons. With no way to contact them, Gaster settled into his limbo and began to take Undertale apart, one string of code at a time. It is then that Frisk, and by extension a Player, entered the confines of the system. In mounting horror, Gaster watched as the pair saved monsterkind, only to return and toy with the outcomes, over and over, searching for any number of odd, sad, and ghastly paths. At last, with seemingly no other stone left unturned, the entities began a Genocide run.

Despite his efforts to halt the Player in their tracks, Gaster found himself unable to steer them off-course. It is only in his panic that he discovered a new string of values–FUN values, buried in the data. As Frisk was driven to the end of the run, the Player hesitated, stalling just before they could enter the church. With no time to ponder the consequences, Gaster mounted a RESET of his own–a total re-roll of events through a change in crucial code. Through the upheaval, the world is rewritten anew, birthing the AU known as Undertop.

Gaster is reunited with his kind, though not without consequences. With his return, Asgore’s death remains permanent, as only one can remain to be the leader of the newly-formed troupe. Abandoned and left waiting for the player’s arrival, Chara remains trapped in a limbo of their own, caught between the AU and an expanse of nothingness, seething as their chance to end it all goes awry. Only Gaster and Sans remember the past timelines, with the latter holding little but contempt for the father that abandoned him for the sake of his work. The animosity builds as they both realize there is no turning back–this new story is what remains of the lives they once had.

As ringleader, Gaster discovers a talent for acting, filled with enough pride and charisma to perfectly execute any number of performances. Renewed by his second chance at life, he takes great joy in amazing others, just as he used to during his time as royal scientist. However, despite the smooth transition, he finds his new accomplishments menial in comparison, leading him to continue his research on the reconstructed world, as well as on the existence of other out-codes. All the while, he feigns ignorance, pretending to be an in-code character to avoid attracting the interest of those who could harm his new AU. Not long after, he meets Ink!Sans, a strange being who shares his views, however cynical and nihilistic they appear to be at first glance. He becomes attached to the newcomer beyond the scope of his studies, connecting to him in a way only two outsiders can. As they grow closer and begin to play off of one another more, Gaster officially takes Ink!Sans under his wing, desperately missing the connection he’d long lost with his own Sans. All the while he continues to slowly repair the relationship with his biological sons, even as it remains stilted.

As a proud and stubborn monster, Gaster seeks to mend his ways, all while looking to curb his once rampant superiority complex. He strives to put his knowledge to use for the betterment of the new world, looking to atone for his inability to ACT sooner in past RESETs. Gaster treats his circus members like family, and maintains a very strong fondness for children, both human and monster alike. He does not hold Frisk responsible for the actions of the Player that manipulated them, and welcomes them into the fold. Though Chara remains a looming threat to the peaceful existence within the circus, Gaster is determined to throw them out of Undertop for good, or to otherwise satisfy their cravings for destruction elsewhere. As ringleader, and subsequent chief of the circus, he aims to set a good example to all that fall in his care, and to put on only the most dazzling, jaw-dropping performances for his audience.

In meeting Aster, Gaster gains a new perspective on the multiverse at large, as well as his own life. He is immediately fascinated by their many differences and similarities, and grows fond of him in their time together. Aster inspires him to appreciate even the small things in his life, and renews his love of scientific research. He admires his other half for how well he carries himself despite his hardships, and in turn recognizes that their difficult pasts need not define what they do as they move into an intertwined future.

[Alt. Ref 1] [Alt. Ref 2] [Alt Ref 3]

Zephyrtale Gaster (Aster) grew up taking on the role of parent for his two little brothers, Sans and Papyrus, in a world where humans had long chased monsters away into mountains on the opposite side of the world. Gaster Blasters are a species of skeleton dragons that monsters have learned to study, tame and mount. A good part of the monster economy, transportation and army begins to revolve around the practice. As the young and ambitious royal scientist of the Kingdom, Aster struggles to handle his responsibility as caretaker, especially with Sans’s declining health over time. During his research, he stumbles upon old remnants of ancient DNA from a Phoenix blaster named Chara, possessing assets that could greatly improve the speed of the kingdom’s medical research. Receiving little support to carry out this initiative due to fear of side effects and fearing for Sans’s life as his condition worsens, Aster begins to test the DNA onto numerous posthumous subjects, then himself so as to swiftly provide a sample to stabilize Sans’s condition. The DNA finds the perfect vessel in him and takes over, resulting in Aster’s own skeleton DNA melding with it. He is found half-transformed into a blaster and in critical condition, and has his title of scientist promptly revoked even after Asgore, King and a good friend, attempts to hide evidence to no avail. Aster is judged guilty for his lack of responsibility and safety unbefitting of a Royal scientist and is sentenced to exile, leaving his two brothers under the care of his childhood friend Grillby, who becomes their caretaker.

Now a pariah with fragile health, Aster lives with a soul corrupted by the DNA of a long gone Phoenix blaster who has just enough power to keep its new vessel alive. He manages to survive in the uninhabited mountains for some time before accidentally coming across a gigantic, wounded and aggressive blaster who doesn’t let him approach. The two flee from one another and meet multiple times over the course of weeks. Aster eventually witnesses its death as it turns to dust, then births back from its own ashes, confirming it to be a Phoenix type. Aster can now understand the blaster through telepathy as he has piqued the blaster’s interest, due to the familiar power of his corrupted soul. The blaster introduces himself as Betelgeuse, and the two decide to stick together.

After months of travel, Aster comes across a tower hidden away in a dangerous area with a high concentration of wild blasters, and finds in that place old remnants of astronomy machinery and tools that spark in him a true passion for the sky and its stars. Given the many twists of his life linked to Phoenix blasters and Betelgeuse’s explanation on the connection between the blaster souls and the stars, Aster begins a decades-long journey of studying blasters and the night sky. He naturally develops a sedentary life there, and takes on the role of caretaker for the blasters that live in the tower with him.

As opposed to his bolder youth, Aster is now a soft-spoken and discreet man who does not enjoy having the spotlight on him due to his lack of interactions with others for many years, as well as his inability to feel legitimate in socializing. He is naturally methodical and down-to-earth due to his scientific qualities, but he also possesses enthusiasm and sensitivity for the world he lives in. Albeit more awkward than he used to be with so few interactions, he remains considerate, patient, passionate and entertaining if given enough trust and time. Aster struggles with guilt, and reminiscing on what he has left behind is a difficult topic he chooses to remain pragmatic about: He believes his punishment was justified and hopes for the best for his loved ones as he devotes himself fully to his life-long work to make his mistake worth it, albeit to a fault.

Gaster helps Aster develop his own sense of self, separated from his self-imposed duty, while also partaking in very interesting, fulfilling conversations on the complexities and burdens of their work as prior scientists, which help him reflect on the priorities of his life. Gaster is also an example of confidence and courage that Aster immensely looks up to and inspires himself from. More intimately, he is very touched by his kindness and well-meaning attitude towards him, and finds true comfort and support by his side.

[Zephyrtale FAQ]

Years ago, a Gaster pile went around online, organized by @stylincheetah, the creator of @under-top. One user, @comyet, added their own Gaster iteration to the pile, Zephyrtale!Gaster, which caught @stylincheetah’s eye. This Gaster pile served as the spark that started their friendship.

However, as this was happening, the codes of certain AUs merged due to this impromptu collaboration, and the incode character Zephyrtale!Gaster–Aster for short–is transported into another AU from the pile called Undertop. Undertop!Gaster, an outcode character playing pretend as an incode, senses an anomaly in his world and goes out to test the waters with this newcomer. After many long discussions, Gaster comes to realize that Aster himself does not pose a threat to him or his loved ones. Despite that, though, the other’s soul is a concern, as any version of Chara is unwelcome. Aster and Gaster still manage to share a lot of their experiences and similarities, leading Gaster to trust him enough to explain the concept of Multiverse and outcodes to his new acquaintance. Gaster chooses to allow Aster to discover his world, meet its inhabitants, and participate in their lives.

After some time, the Chara from Undertop, supposedly long gone, finds in Aster’s corrupted soul the perfect new vessel. Chara attempts to wrest control over it, endangering not only Aster but also Undertop itself. The anomaly is finally detected by Ink!Sans, who brings Aster back to his AU in haste. Having parted with Aster on difficult terms, Gaster uses his knowledge and powers to momentarily enter Zephyrtale and seek the other out. He is led to his tower by Betelgeuse, who has been caught up on the whole ordeal. When Gaster is reunited with Aster, the two of them have a long conversation where Aster confides further about his past, and the complicated feelings it stirs in him. Gaster does the same. Aster chooses to return the favor and introduces Gaster to his research, his observatory and his lifestyle. The two grow so close that feelings stronger than friendship start to bloom between them. During this time, they eventually confess and decide that Gaster should regularly visit his other half in Zephyrtale.

In keeping up this routine for quite some time, Gaster winds up visiting his partner’s AU while one of its possible endings begins to play out. He finds Aster in critical condition. As Gaster disturbs the scripted events, Aster unexpectedly passes away. Ink!Sans brings Gaster to his Doodle Sphere to try and reason with him, but he is inconsolable. He spends the few following days mourning before Ink!Sans invites him to the Doodle Sphere again, this time to introduce him to a new AU that had just been created by his and Aster’s original creators, who assign Gaster as its official creator and moderator. Entering this AU called Zephyrtop, Gaster reunites with Aster, whose code has been brought over to this new AU. After an emotional reunion, Aster and Gaster agree to leave their cycle of timelines behind to continue without them, and live in an AU they could moderate and write together, which in Ink’s words, is a parting gift from their remorseful creators.

Gaster goes on to explain the situation to his troupe, and the majority decide to continue their lives in this new AU, one free of Chara’s interventions. Ink, per Aster’s request, manages to copy and import his tower, blasters, and sky to continue his research out of passion. The group is left with many problems to solve, but one stands out: Aster, having been freed from Chara’s DNA due to Zephyrtale’s ending, is left to reconstruct his soul without the support of Chara’s strength, rendering him incapable of leaving Zephyrtop. Following years of recuperation and fragile health, Aster at last confirms that his soul has healed, and is now glowing white. Gaster finds it to be the perfect opportunity to propose to Aster. They get married on March 5, 2016, during a beautiful day of spring. The two exchange both rings and souls as is the Zephyrtale tradition. To this day, they remain the creators of their AU that exists out of time and out of reach, ever grateful for each other’s company, and eager to satisfy their never-ending curiosities.

[#ztweek]

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m0rdantt · 3 months ago

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CANON FACTS ABOUT DREAMTALE

simply because some people have been pissing me off a little over our wide Internet, I’ve decided to post stuff that is 100% canon about Dreamtale, a beautiful AU which unfortunately not many people know well enough, and for that they think it’s worthless, garbage and/or a blatant plagiarism. so, since most of this info is unknown to many of those who know about this AU, I’m here to open your eyes and relieve you of your stress!

this is just a long, helpful, awfully necessary summary, because all the posts spitting false information about Dreamtale make my blood boil even if it’s not even my AU. here you’ll find stuff you might already know, but it ranges from the basics to “secret” facts only certain people have had access to thus far (aka spanish speakers who know joku has a youtube channel)

remember, all of this is canon unless stated otherwise, no theories included (speculations with enough proof are still valid). thank me later.

* (joku, si por alguna razón estás leyendo esto y no lo quieres aquí por lo que sea, yo lo quitaré. pero no quiero que la gente siga hablando de esta forma tan pésima sobre tu AU y algunos merecen saber más de lo que tienen a su alcance.)

—-

General facts:

- Within the concept of the AU, there are 3 vital trees that keep the balance of the universe: Life, Magic and Feelings, all protected by extremely powerful guardians (Quetzalcoatl, Lanny and Nim respectively). Each tree is in a hidden world; nobody must know where they are in order to keep them safe, though some people have found them, both good and bad intentioned. Because of this, Dreamtale occurs in a world completely unrelated to any place from the original Undertale, since it’s the occult world where the Tree of Feelings resides. This AU, by consequence, breaks the 4th wall several times.

- Dream and Nightmare were created after their subsequent mother was attacked by a human wielding a weapon, a dagger, powerful enough to wound a guardian in an attempt to obtain one of the golden apples. It’s possible this human was one of Quetzalcoatl’s creations, since at the time of the attack there was no life near the Tree of Feelings, and that it might have been deliberate. Dream and Nightmare were originally little fireballs, yellow and purple respectively. Nim was going to give them human bodies to protect their frail forms, but the energy that radiated from the fireballs made them explode as they had very few escape points. They were then given skeleton bodies (based on Swap!Sans), which allowed that energy to flow without trouble - this is why they are not considered Sanses per se. Dream and Nightmare are currently 503 years old (their birthday is the 21st of December).

- The apple incident occurred when Dream and Nightmare were 6 years old, physically, which meant Nightmare went through 6 years of bullying.

- The encouraging voice Nightmare heard before eating the apples was actually the conscience of the man who killed Nim, as he ended up being absorbed by the negative side of the Tree. It hasn’t been specified if he had any more direct influence on Nightmare’s corruption, however.

- Dream can’t touch the black apples, and Nightmare can’t touch the golden ones, otherwise they would invert. It’s unknown what would exactly happen if Dream touched the black apples, and it will remain unknown in canon as he would never do such a thing. It’s also unknown what would happen if both twins touched a single apple at the same time.

- Dream and Nightmare were not true guardians, only replacements. They had to learn how to unleash their true powers on their own.

- At some unknown point, Dream met Ink, who in this instance made him believe he was a kind-hearted protector just like him. Dream thought Ink was hiding his emotions for some reason, until one day he saw him not doing anything to help when some people were in trouble. This caused a heavy argument between them that almost ended in a fight. That was when Dream realized they had immensely different mindsets, given that Ink didn’t care about people’s wellbeing, and felt like he had been lied to. He doesn’t trust Ink anymore after this, even though he’s unable to hate people.

- The villagers that lived in the world of Dreamtale were overcome by negative energy over the years, and turned into zombie-like, depressed beings that will attack and kill anything they see.

Story depth:

Despite his exterior, Dream actually felt overwhelmed about helping people back in the village, but just like Nightmare, he kept it a secret from everyone. He knew everyone counted on him, but he didn’t really count on anyone, and sometimes, after helping people, he snapped and went off to cry somewhere far away from the village so that no one would realize he was internally suffering.

At some yet unknown point before the apple incident, Dream met a homeless cat-monster while he was crying and saying to himself that he “couldn’t do this anymore”. The monster overheard him, but when asked why he was crying, Dream never told the truth.

This cat was Neil, a new character introduced into the story as of February 2018. He once had a family, his wife and his son, but they were caught in an intentional fire that burned their home down and in an attempt to save them Neil lost his arm. He tried to attack the people of the village because they knew what was going to happen and never did anything to help, but his behavior got him exiled. Long after that, he got a hold of himself and began building a house on his own, a little closer to the village. That was when he and Dream met.

Neil was not too fond of people, and because of this he did not want Dream to come back there. But Dream kept trying to help him, silently building the house alongside him, and over time, Neil began to enjoy Dream’s company and they became friends. Actual friends, and not just one more person taking advantage of his altruism. After this, Dream set a routine: help Neil during the day, and stay with Nightmare at night, or earlier.

Neil knew Dream had a brother, however he never visited him, or the Tree, or the village in general, as he could not return.

Dream was with Neil when the incident happened. Neil let Dream run off to the village, but followed him after he heard screams. While not being part of it, he came in time to see all the chaos and destruction Nightmare had created seconds before he disappeared. His heart broke when he saw Dream as a stone statue, and even though everyone was gone, he kept coming back there regularly, as if hoping one day he would find his friend alive and well.

Meanwhile, Nightmare built that dark castle he’s known to have and (maybe?) an army of dark Papyri to help him. However, the comic this was first shown in depicted Dream under their custody – this is no longer canon, as Dream was never taken there and was instead left in the village.

Later on, Lanny, the guardian of the Tree of Magic, traveled over to where Dream was. Being overprotective, Neil threatened her to get away from him, but after exchanging some words they made up their minds to get Dream out of there and find a way to help him together. Lanny told Neil that the magic of the Yggdrasil (aka the Tree of Magic) could heal Dream, however she was only a materialization and couldn’t do anything outside of her world. Neil decided to take Dream there himself, then.

They set up a plan, but when Neil came back for the statue, it was gone. Earlier on, Nightmare had moved it to a deep fissure in the center of the village where the main town used to be to stop Neil from finding it. When he did, he was ambushed by Nightmare and his ‘ally’, Ccino, a Sans from an AU called Fluffytale.

Before all of this happened, Nightmare had found Ccino being beaten up by some undefined people. He enjoyed this at first, but the memories of the real Nightmare about being bullied made him snap and he killed the assailants. When Ccino thanked him, Nightmare only told him that he didn’t do it for him, he did it for him, his ‘real’ self. After that began a toxic relationship between the two, the only canon pairing in Dreamtale thus far. Ccino felt protected with Nightmare, and because he was someone depressive, Nightmare let him stay close; since he fed on negative feelings, he was like a constant charger for him, and he used that to his advantage. He felt nothing for him, and that was the only reason they were together. It was a deal: if Ccino said he no longer wanted to be with him, Nightmare would most likely kill him.

Both of them attacked Neil as he tried to get Dream away from there, but he still made it to the point where Lanny was waiting for him in order to teleport him to her world without Nightmare following. There, Lanny explained that the magic that had turned Dream to stone didn’t actually come from the Yggdrasil but from extremely powerful hatred, and she was no longer sure the Tree itself could do anything for him. After this, it’s unknown what exactly happens to any of the three, though Neil is known to end up dying and Lanny eventually becomes Dream’s teacher and trainer. He was still stuck in stone for 400+ years, though.

Before or after Dream is set free, Nightmare will try to snatch the fruits from the two remaining trees, actually managing to steal one (from which tree is still unknown).

*Note that, since his creator has left the Undertale fandom, Ccino is no longer in Dreamtale and it’s unknown if the parts of the story where he appeared will still be in or if they will be completely reworked.

** There was a comic, probably separate from the ongoing one, that showed Dream finding his brother, just like he used to be, apparently dead. While he mourned him, the little, purple fireball that represented his true form appeared out of nowhere, telling him that he was indeed dead. At some point after that, the corrupted Nightmare attacked Dream, and tore off his cape while he was trying to escape. This is where Dream realized his brother was gone. The cape he wears with his new attire is the same one, except he fixed it up as best as he could.

Endings:

Dreamtale has four endings: good, bad, neutral and true. The upcoming comic revolves around the true ending.

- In the bad ending, Nightmare manages to kill Dream and obtain the last golden apple, making him extremely powerful and filling the world with despair.

- In the neutral ending, Dream manages to kill Nightmare, but saves one last black apple which he then takes back to what’s left of the Tree of Feelings and joins with his own, burying them together like seeds. This ends up killing him, though. The two halves of the apples make the Tree regrow and everything rewind to the day they were born, much like a reset. This ending will keep repeating everything over and over again, and it’s described as the worst one because of it.

- In the true ending, Dream becomes a real guardian after defeating his brother in likely a different way than in the neutral ending. He manages to unleash his full power, this breaking his skeleton body and giving him a more humanoid appearance.

- The good ending is the only one that hasn’t been specified yet.

Character facts:

Dream:

- If Dream had been the bullied one, he would have held on throughout the years. Nightmare, being made of negative feelings, couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by the hatred, even if he used to be the more brash of the two brothers, but Dream wouldn’t have let it get to him.

- Dream always spent a lot of time with Nightmare, healing him when he was hurt and even breaking the presents people gave him to make new ones for his brother after realizing he never got anything. He really looked up to him.

- Dream is very strong, stronger than his brother before the corruption. He can easily lift boulders and other similarly heavy objects without much strain. Dream’s strength is shown in a comical way in, well, the comic, with him easily lifting a stack of heavy concrete bricks while Neil only carried some hay, prompting him to silently say “f*cking kid…”

- The reason why Dream remained clueless after being freed, depicted as having the mentality of a kid, was because he was deprived of his senses for four centuries, and he was physically 6 when the incident happened. He had no way to learn about the world while he was trapped, until Lanny (most likely) told him everything.

- Once Dream gets his new attire, his weaponry changes with him. His arrows are made of positive feelings, which he takes from those around him (this will directly affect them: if someone is really happy and Dream shoots an arrow thanks to those feelings, said person will go from being joyful to just being neutral – never negative in any way). His bow can also split into two daggers joined by the bowstring, however he only uses this when absolutely necessary.

- He has to constantly hop between timelines to stay away from Nightmare and to keep spreading positivity, as his aura is not strong enough to reach every universe if he stays still.

- He has a deep respect for Error, since he knows that if he doesn’t keep the AUs balanced, everybody would die.

- Dream can heal himself, but it’s not an extremely fast process. If a wound takes about 3 hours to heal, it would take Dream about 1. He can also heal other people, but that drains his soul’s energy and tires him out.

Nightmare:

- Before the bullying started, Nightmare was the more cocky and proud of the brothers. He has always been the more serious one, and is always interested in learning - both normal and corrupted, each in their own ways for their own purposes. The corrupted Nightmare still likes to read.

- Nightmare doesn’t actually have 999 souls, just one, the first apple he ate. The rest are that black goo that surrounds him, an extremely powerful shield that renders him invulnerable to most things; if he were stabbed with something, his body would absorb it and there would be no damage.

- Despite shown using one in that outdated comic, Nightmare can’t actually use Gaster Blasters of any kind.

- The corrupted Nightmare never lies, only hides the truth. He also takes deals very personally and will not hesitate to kill whoever backs off from them (even if he rarely attacks people physically, mostly as a threat).

- The real Nightmare is still in the mind of the corruption, reminding him of important things such as Dream being his brother and all the psychological damage he went through because of the villagers.

- His aura can affect the entire universe he’s in, and many others that are close enough. He doesn’t need to move much to spread negativity.

- Unlike his brother, Nightmare has no respect whatsoever for Error or for anyone who protects the balance of the multiverse. He doesn’t care if Undertale and its AUs die off, as he knows there are many other worlds out there. He still would rather not have any massive massacres, as it would take away the negative power he can obtain from people.

** Dream and Nightmare are rather complex characters, as there are certain things they cannot do or feel because they are driven by more negative or positive energy than anybody else has. This limits their actions and gives them a certain way to behave, ie Dream’s incapability to hate people, (non-corrupted)Nightmare’s instant lack of self-esteem when put under pressure, Nightmare’s lack of love or empathy, Dream’s urge to save any world no matter what… All of this is caused by the energy they are made of and what the world has taught them.

Neil:

- He’s 36 years old, though he lives throughout most of the 496 years Dream is trapped in stone since Dream gave him something to make him live longer (not specified).

- After losing his home and his family and being exiled from the village due to his hostility, he headed off to live in the mountains. He was hostile to people because they never helped him, which prompted them to gossip and say things like he was the one who started the fire.

- More than a friend, Neil saw Dream as the son he’d lost, very few times calling him by his own name and rather using words like kid, boy, etc. He becomes very protective of him and would gladly give his life to keep him safe.

Nim:

- She’s never been fond of mortal life, seeing everyone as careless, greedy creatures.

- Nim didn’t entirely die until the corrupted Nightmare destroyed the Tree; she lived within it, and could still reappear every once in a while, though as a spirit. Dream and Nightmare were the only ones that could see her in this state.

- She never bothered having a good relationship with Dream and Nightmare and they barely ever knew much about her.

Lanny:

- Being an elf herself, the village that surrounds her Tree is populated only by elves. She doesn’t like monsters around the village, as they take too much of the magic the Yggdrasil emanates, which keeps her and the other elves young and gives them longer lifespans.

- Lanny refers to Nightmare as a monster, since she hates him with all her heart for destroying the Tree of Feelings, killing all the people in the village, endangering Dream and thus the precarious balance of feelings, trying to steal the fruits, and etc. She’s generally angry for many of the things that have happened.

- Her wings are not real wings; she can fly (maybe just hover), but not thanks to them. They are an aesthetic, used to make her look prettier according to her. They are an extension of her magic that she can shape at will.

- Lanny was actually in love with Nim, though she never reciprocated her feelings. She was devastated when she died and placed the blame on Dream and Nightmare, just to have someone to blame. She treats Dream with hate.

Quetzalcoatl:

- His true form consists of two giant snakes, one that controls life and other that controls death. They can fuse together to create the human-ish form he’s usually depicted in.

Fun facts:

- Before eating the apples, Dream and Nightmare could not feel people’s emotions. At the same time, they didn’t radiate any kind of positive or negative energy, since the power emitted by the fireballs was something that couldn’t be perceived.

- Dream could have a very, very slim chance to bring Nightmare back without killing him, but odds are he would be the one to die in the attempt: there is a chance that if he touches his soul, a black apple after all, he would turn it golden. However, it’s not bound to work with so much negativity surrounding him, and his arm could start to melt if he tried such thing.

- Dream and Nightmare cannot control people’s dreams or nightmares. At max, Nightmare can mess with people’s minds using what they fear or hate the most to his advantage, this way creating hallucinations and making them eventually go crazy until they can’t keep holding on, and Dream can make people feel better and safer.

- The 3 guardians are all based on mythological creatures; Nim is something of Greek origin (not specified, likely a dryad), Lanny is an elf, and Quetzalcoatl is based on the Aztec god of the same name. They don’t have their own names; they simply took them from things that interested them, as they can watch every world that surrounds them.

- The apples of the Tree of Life are not edible; they are made out of glowing blue crystal. When people die, their souls travel inside these apples. Then, when they are thrown to the ground, these souls break free and are reborn into different people, in different worlds. Thus, the circle of life.

- The Tree of Magic seems to be the only Tree whose fruits are not apples. They look like pears and are rainbow-colored inside.

- Reaper (not exactly the same Reaper/Death/Sans from the Reapertale we all know) has been rumored to have a role in the AU, eventually. Killer may be in, too.

- Joku created Nightmare before she created Dream, for another AU completely different from Dreamtale (cancelled for a long time now) called Underflesh.

- Dreamtale’s concept was partially inspired by two movies, these being The Prince of Egypt and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.

(i tried linking to the sources i got most of this stuff from, but that prevents the post from showing up in the tags (thanks tumblr). check the version i posted on deviantart for the links if you want more reliability)

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