#but the older i get the more baby he becomes

[witherby]

Absolutely loving the littlest wayne au 😍😍😍😍. Your most recent post made me think. Damien is relieved that mouse doesn't decided to join the bats, but I'd love to know how the other react when mouse reject the robin title.

Keep up the great work seriously you're super talented✨️.

Thank you so much for saying that! I appreciate it!

Bruce and Damian are relieved. He's getting older, and Gotham still needs protectors right now, but the city is getting better. Slowly and steadily, he hasn't needed to patrol every single night anymore. Gothamites are learning to defend themselves. Rogues are dwindling. Not only are you not particularly needed to defend the city, Bruce wants you to enjoy your life without the burden of that responsibility weighing down your shoulders. Maybe, one day, he'll be able to retire and do the same.

Bruce was going to stop recruiting Robins after Tim, truth be told, but Damian was raised with the League of Assassins and needed a more pacifistic outlet for all that rage that blossomed under Ra's Al Ghul, so he almost had no choice but to pass the mantle down again. Your disinterest doesn't offend him, it brings him peace.

Tim, briefly, considers it a waste of potential. You have the ability to control darkness and shadows. The bats operate exclusively in the night. Are you joking? Why wouldn't you want to protect the city with that? A couple weeks later, though, he comes around when he gets home from a days-long mission and wishes he had the time to just lie in bed and decompress for the foreseeable future. He thinks about his lack of free time, and about how he's always thinking about casework, and updating his suit, and picking up his next round of antibiotics because Damian's grandfather took his fucking spleen, and realizes he really doesn't want you doing all of that. It's bad enough you're keeping the secret of your family's double lives as they run around in spandex beating up criminals. You don't need to live a complicated double life of your own, and he doesn't want you to.

Dick is confused. He loves being Nightwing! He defends the citizens of Gotham and Blüdhaven when they can't defend themselves. Saving lives gives him a great sense of fulfillment. (It's the Parentification making him think he's only lovable if he's useful, actually, but 🤫) Dick will try to convince you to give the vigilantism a shot, just in a small supporting role for a bank heist or something, but if you put your foot down and insist you aren't interested in crime fighting, he kinda becomes a fish out of water. You don't want your big bro to be your superhero mentor? You're just his baby sibling and that's it? What are you guys supposed to find in common, now? How does he remain lovable to you if you aren't partners in the field?

He'll come around, but you gotta give him some time. Having a civilian sibling is going to do him a surprising amount of good.

Jason was rooting on you not becoming a Robin. He was prepared to do anything and everything to talk you out of it, including kidnapping you and taking you to his apartment in Crime Alley if need be so your other family members can't influence your decision. He doesn't want you to collect scars like trading cards. He doesn't want you learning how to apply a field tourniquet to avoid bleeding out from a gunshot wound. He doesn't want you getting a deeper glimpse of Gotham's rotted underbelly than you absolutely have to. He doesn't want you to die saving a city that takes and takes and takes and very rarely gives back. You are worth more than what you can do for others, and he was gearing up to talk that lesson into you until he was blue in the face.

So I'd like you to picture him just sagging in his seat, thanking a god he doesn't believe in that you're already unwilling to join their seemingly neverending crusade. Then he's gonna sit back up and ask if you wanna go play video games or something.

[munson-blurbs]

Single Dad!Eddie x Fem!ReaderSeries

Summary: Going to the library with Harris is a great way to escape the heat. But with Harris and Hendrix? You just might lose your mind.

TW: pregnant!Reader, mentions of postpartum difficulties, just a ton of fluff

WC: 1.3k

Divider credit to @saradika

August 1999

It’s hot. 

The sun beats down on you the moment you step out of your car and begin walking across the parking lot.  

“Wait for me, Har,” you call out from where you trail behind him. 

You used to spend summers lounging by the public pool—usually with a book in hand. Though being a parent to Harris meant that you found yourself donning a swimsuit and joining him, dodging the water that splashed each time he kicked his feet. 

This summer is different, the heat less tolerable now that you’re six months pregnant. Being anywhere without air conditioning for an extended period of time is akin to torture. Which is why you and Harris spend most of your days at the Hawkins Public Library.

Harris slows to a stop, only walking again once you’ve reached his side. 

“Can we take Baby Brother to the library when he’s born?”

You take his hand in yours. “Of course.” A pause, then the necessary clarification. “Well, not right when he’s born. But once he’s a little older, we can definitely bring him along.”

Harris nods, content with the response, as he bounds towards the doors. He holds it open for you, leaning his whole body up against the frame. It was something he’d learned after watching his dad hold doors open for you. If baby brain doesn’t interfere, you’ll have to tell Eddie about it.

The library hosts various kid-friendly activities, and Harris is no stranger to arts and crafts. Since school let out, your home has become increasingly filled with glitter-coated popsicle picture frames and macaroni necklaces. But there’s nothing on the schedule today, which means an afternoon spent reading.

You find a seat in the children’s section, making yourself as comfortable as you can in the small chairs. Harris flits from shelf to shelf, grabbing every book that catches his eye until he has a pile he can barely hold.

“Okay, Mom,” he grunts behind his stack of books. “I’m ready.”

With a wince, you stand up and help him carry the books to the table. There’s the slew of usuals: Green Eggs and Ham (he insists you read each page in one breath), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and The Mitten. But Harris plucks a new one from the stack: Where the Wild Things Are.

“I’m gonna read this one to Baby Brother,” he says, plopping down on the chair next to you. “If I teach him about monsters now, then he won’t grow up to be afraid of ‘em.”

You nod, refusing to argue with his logic. Who knows–he may be right.

Harris opens to the first page, placing one finger on the first word. “The night Max w-w-wore his wolf s-s-s-uh…” He looks up at you, a wrinkle in his brow. “Can you help me? Just with the tricky words.”

His reading has vastly improved thanks to the extra instruction he receives at school, and you’re more than happy to fill in when he needs it. “Suit.”

“Right. Suit.” He starts again. “The night Max wore his wolf suit and mad–made mis-cuh-huh…no, wait, that makes the ch sound…” His little tongue pokes between his lips, another habit he’s picked up from Eddie.

“Mischief.” Your eyes sparkle. “Like what you like to cause.”

He giggles, continuing to read until he gets to the pages where the full pages are illustrations of the wild rumpus. “Is Baby Brother listening?” He peers down at your bump and rests his hand on top. “Hey, are you listening in there?”

You can’t help but laugh at his questioning. “He must be. He hasn’t moved too much since you started reading. And lately he’s been squirming around in there.”

It’s a good enough explanation to Harris, and he picks up where he left off. “Okay, I know you can’t see this, but now the wild things are having, like, a dance party. They’re going stomp, stomp, stomp.” He mimics the monsters’ movements, feet stamping the colorful carpeted floor.

He finishes the book, closing it with a triumphant thwack. “Can you read to me now?” he asks you.

“Of course.” You take Green Eggs and Ham–his favorite. Something about the repetition tickles his brain just right. Before you know it, Harris is doing his jumps, leaning on the table and jumping each time you read a sentence starting with “I do not like…”

It’s the last summer of just you and Harris, and you take an extra moment to cherish it. Next year, you’ll have two sons to read to–what more could you ask for?

August 2000

You’re exhausted. Running on fumes.

Hendrix has been waking up multiple times per night, thanks to the tiny teeth ripping through his gums. Since you’re off of work for the summer, you take the brunt of the night shift. It makes sense, but you still find yourself scowling at a still-sleeping Eddie each time you pad past his side of the bed and into the nursery.

When Hendrix woke up just after 7 A.M., you walked in to find that he’d had a major diaper blowout. How any nine-month-old could produce that much poop was beyond your comprehension.

Once you’d disposed of his soiled pajamas and bathed him, you hit another roadblock: a Harris tantrum. In your sleep deprived state, you had forgotten to pick up his latest go-to cereal at Bradley’s Big Buy. And when Harris opened the pantry and found an absence of Chex, melted down. You finally got him to catch his breath by promising to stop off at the grocery store on the way home from the library–if you ever got there.

Despite the odds, you managed to get both boys into the car. With a baby on your hip and an almost-third-grader by your side, you take a deep breath and push aside the morning’s frustrations. 

Harris places his old books on the return counter and makes a beeline for the children’s section. The moment he’s out of sight, Hendrix begins to wiggle and whine. 

“Okay, buddy,” you murmur, fielding glares from library patrons who had been savoring the silence, “just give Har a second to get some new–”

Hendrix’s shriek pierces the air, filling you with embarrassment and sending you rushing towards Harris to hurry him up.

“Mom, look! It’s the book I read to Hendrix when he was in your tummy!” He holds up Where the Wild Things Are. “I wonder if he remembers it.”

The baby wails again, and you gently shush and bounce him, though your efforts appear futile.

“Maybe. Why don’t you check it out and we can read it to him at home?”

Harris scrunches up his nose. “We’re not gonna read here?”

You shake your head. “Not today. Hendrix isn’t in a very good mood. He’s teething, remember?”

“Yeah, but…” Harris purses his lips. “Can I see something? Can you put him down for a second?”

“Har, he’s gonna crawl–”

“Just for a second, Mom!”

You sigh, defeated, and you place the baby on the carpet. Sure enough, he starts crawling away, under tables and chairs and heading for the bookshelves. But before you can scoop him up, Harris kneels on both knees, book open, and begins scooting after him.  

“The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mis–mischief of one kind,” he reads as he follows his little brother, unbothered at the prospect of being on the move. “And another…”

Hendrix weaves in and out of the aisles, but Harris is right on his tail. Screeching is quickly replaced with baby giggles, and the next time Hendrix peeks his head out from behind the shelves, there’s a smile on his face that shows all five of his teeth.

“C’mon, let’s have a wild rumpus!” Harris glances at you. “Mom, you gotta rumpus with us!”

And who are you to deny your son–and your lifesaver for the day–a wild rumpus?

--

[starstruckloves]

this is gonna be a long one folks mwehehe

1. What are your favorite dates to have with them? Alternatively, what are their favorite dates to have with you?

i think my favorite type of date with Brett (oh yah this is all abt Brett btw bc ofc it is) is just like a little stay at home date maybe ? we'd like binge watch something together, get take out, all that. i feel like we try n have a date night every week on Sundays or if things get too hectic, every other week. but for Brett, i think he'd honestly like anything. i think he would believe he has to like do a lot n put in a lot of effort for it to be a date but then i tell him that we rlly can just sit at home i don't mind (n i'm also very easily pleased so SKHJDH) n he feels like he can chill a little

2. What's the height difference between you and your f/o?

uhh i don't have it exact or anything tbh (bc i rlly don't feel like going through it rn) but i am shorter for sure. my s/i is maybe like,, neck level to him

3. On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most, how much do they like PDA with you?

oh he can do PDA all day baby SKGHSH he will not be shy about the fact that we're together. sling his arm around me in public, brief kisses, holding hands, all the likes. he won't go as far as making out or anything like that (unless i wanted to then maybe he'd consider it) but again, not shy abt the fact that we're together. the real reason he doesn't do it all the time is i just get overwhelmed occasionally

4. What's your favorite feature about your f/о?

his hair aawahbaba but thats very true for most of my f/os i just love their hair

5. What do you think they smell like?

unfortunately, axe body spray SKHJDB i think there was a joke about that in the show ? but yah something like that. n trust i will be actively trying to suggest him different things that maybe he'd like

6. What is your f/os biggest love languages? They don't have to be one of the "five", it can be anything specific they use to show you love.

probably similar to me. words of affirmation at the top n quality time next in line. he really needs to validation that he's doing well n that i love him which, i will be honest, i'm not that great at but i will put forth the effort for him !!!

7. What is the dynamic that you and your f/o have?

okay think of like two very excitable but anxious dogs. thats us SKGHSG but on a fr note, we're just fairly similar. i'm just a bit more confident n assertive while he has more empathy n charm. but we're both excitable, affectionate, (kinda) idiots. it's bimbo n himbo love

8. Do you like to hold hands? If so, what's that like?

we hold hands a lot. anytime a meeting is getting too boring or one of us is secretly having a bad day ? boom hand holding. walking down the street ? we holdin hands. sometimes he even let's me hold pinkies with him bc he knows i like it from the older movies he watches hehehee

9. Do they like to give you little kisses? If so, where is their favorite place to kiss? (Face, hands, etc) and vice versa?

he loves giving kisses whenever he can, mostly when cuddling. he becomes so affectionate when we're by ourselves n he can just do whatever so he will not stop kissing me like ever SKGHDH his favorite places to kiss are like my cheeks n shoulders maybe heehe but for meee hmm i would like kissing his nose n forehead probably just so i can like,, look at him SJGHSH hold his cheeks n look at him with my big ole eyes

10. What's your favorite silly leisure activity to do with your f/o?

absolutely nothing SKGHSH sometimes work is tiring so one of us will just go over to the other's place n just do absolutely nothing together. maybe order a pizza, watch a movie we like, something random just so we can cuddle :]

this was so fun yippee yippee !!! love talking abt f/os

dividers by @/saradika-graphics

I want everyone to have the chance to ramble about their romantic f/os, so I'm gonna make a reblog game where yall can answer the plethora of questions I'm gonna toss down. Any of the questions you want to answer, as little or as much as you'd like!! I'll read them all. PR.O.SHIP DNI!!! AT ALL! GET OUT-

SO!! SELFSHIPPERS! RIDDLE ME THIS:

What do your f/o's hugs feel like?

What are your favorite dates to have with them?

What are their favorite dates to have with you?

Do you have any songs that remind you of them? Do they have any songs that make them think of you?

What's the height difference between you and your f/o?

On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most, how much do they like PDA with you?

What's your favorite feature about your f/o?

What do you think they smell like?

What is your f/os biggest love languages? They don't have to be one of the "five", it can be anything specific they use to show you love.

Do you guys sleep in the same bed? If so, what's it like sleeping with them?

What's your favorite headcanon about your f/o?

What is the dynamic that you and your f/o have?

What does your f/o do for you when you're having a rough day?

Do you like to hold hands? If so, what's that like?

Do they like to give you little kisses? If so, where is their favorite place to kiss? (Face, hands, etc)

Vice versa, do YOU like to give them little kisses? If so, where is YOUR favorite place to give them?

What's your favorite silly leisure activity to do with your f/o?

What is your favorite compliment that your f/o gives you? What is your favorite nickname that they for you, if they have one?

What's your favorite compliment to give THEM? What is your favorite nickname to call them?

Okay I can't wait to see some answers!! Feel free to reblog as many times with as many f/os as you want. ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE! SEEING THIS POST IS AN INVITATION FOR YOU!!

People I'd like to see answer this off the top of my head (but don't have to!!): @moxanji-real @one-winged-dreams @lovesickvalentines @graveluvr @clawingatmy-enclosure @starshakez @jpeg-indulgence @everynya @tropgothships @selfshipping-tboy @amelielovesamaris @pixel-comfort @fl0ralsxgar

[pokemonshelterstories]

Hold on, you can be allergic to a Pokémon but not its pre-evolution? Oh that explains what happened with my aunt and her Lycanrock, baby me was so upset when Rockruff suddenly disappeared a few days after evolution... hope he's doing ok

it's not common, but it can happen due to changes in proteins that can occur upon evolution. it's mostly an issue when a pokemon experiences an extreme morphological shift when it evolves. eevee are prone to this because their genetic makeup is so inconsistent when it comes to their evolutions.

i wouldn't expect something like this with a rockruff evolving into a lycanroc, so i imagine what actually happened was your aunt just wasn't able to handle a lycanroc. it's very common for people to surrender rockruff as they get older, because they become more aggressive and less social. when they evolve, it's even harder to train and provide for them unless you are a seasoned battler and have a lot of experience. lycanroc do poorly in a home setting, so she probably surrendered or rehomed him to someone better suited to care for him.

[rodrickrulezz]

Rodrick has been gigging a lot recently, and you feel neglected.

pairing: older!rodrick × fem!reader

┈⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒˖⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒˖⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒˖⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊┈

Rodrick's band, Löded Diper, had taken off recently. It seemed like all Rodrick did was either band rehearsal or a gig. You were happy for him nonetheless even though you were feeling a tad neglected.

The countless nights of only seeing a glimpse of him before he disappeared off to a gig, sneaking into bed, hearing him re-heat the dinner you made him late into the night. You wanted to come with him. Badly. But, your job, you didn't have the time to go his gigs. So, you decided to support him at home instead.

You had just returned from a gruelling day of work. It feels as if your bags and uniform fall off of you as you dart to the sofa.

You snuggle into it. Blankets wrapped around you tightly, the faint glow of the TV playing the movie illuminating your face. The crumple of a crisp packet is heard as your hand reaches in for your 5th crisp.

The weight of your debilitating day sunk you deeper into the sofa until you lay snugly. The movie had become more and more blurrier as your eyelids felt heavier than you remembered. You gave the clock one final glance, 9:36PM it read. Just a short nap.

A faint click of the door Rodrick emerges, trying to be as quiet as possible. He gently sets his bag down onto the table. He sighs, feeling the late nights getting to him. He glances at the clock, 11:47PM the clock read.

His gaze darts to the foreign lump on the sofa. Curiously, he makes his way to the sofa, seeing a sleepy reader all nestled in.

His eyebrows furrow, tapping you gently. You stir waking up from the touch. "Hey, pretty, girl," he says sweetly, "What are you doing down here? You'll hurt your neck sleeping like this..." he continues, sitting you up.

You rub your eyes, wiping all the sleep from your eyes, you mumble. "I was..I was waiting for you, I wanted to see you,"

His lips curl into an affectionate smile, "Oh baby," he carefully places his arms under your thighs, pulling you into him. Moulding into him, you rest your head on his chest, your arms wrapping themselves around his neck. He starts to make his way to the bedroom with you attached to him.

Feeling the vibration of speech as he continues, "I'm sorry I haven't been here much," his one free hand caresses the top of your head. He plants a warm peck on your forehead.

Your head whips up, a sudden realisation hits you, "I didn't make dinner.." you said with a frown, looking for the disappointment in his eyes, but you can't see anything but love in them. He shakes his head and huffs out a breath, "Shh, that's okay baby, I can eat tomorrow," he whispers as he gently pushes open the door of your shared bedroom. He sets you down carefully, "my girl wants to see me, and I want to see her."

Your lips stretch into a sleepy smile, admiring your gorgeous boyfriend as he tucks you into bed. He mirrors your smile, planting tender kisses all over your face.

All snug, you watch your boyfriend undress. The rings that decorated his long fingers slid off and landed into the already made pile of discarded rings on his nightstand. He slipped off his shirt, which was then followed by his jeans. Leaving him in only his boxers.

His arm extends around you, framing your shoulders. Your head is pillowed by his bare chest. You can't help but look up and enjoy how still and comforting the moment is.

All you can hear is slow breaths and his nails caressing your scalp. Noises you've missed dearly.

The familiar weight on your eyelids return with your newfound comfort.

Rodrick disturbs the silence, he murmurs, "How was work?" He strokes the curve of your shoulder. You could only make sleepy mumbles in return, uttering a "mm..okay.."

He grins, finding you the most cutest thing to walk the earth. "Okay, goodnight, my love."

┈‧·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒˖⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒˖⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒˖⁺‧⋆·:☠︎♱˚₊⭒┈

ahhhh I love him sm!!!

hope you enjoyed this!! I'm open to kind constructive criticism and tell me what you liked so I can improve :33

[grimmcheems]

When the pale flower grows thorns🌸🥀🩸

A SasuHina AU where Hinata later on joins Orochimaru’s group. Everyone still treats Hinata as fragile and docile and her family mistreats her more the older she gets. Sasuke convinces Orochimaru of a vague plan to acquire another member that has rare abilities like him, never telling him it’s someone he personally knew or that she’s from one of the leaf village’s prominent families.

Rather than have her talents wasted and not allowed the proper time and space to grow, Sasuke secretly converses with Hinata while she’s out on a mission in an attempt to have her join him. (‼️⚠️Yapping below⚠️‼️)

She does end up taking his offer later on and leaves her family in disarray because she leaves Neji with family secrets about the family seal and leaves him to be the family heir.

I did have a bit sketched of Itachi making a joke about the two when they were kids and thus leading to them being engaged/betrothed by their mothers decisions but left it out because it was too much to fit in here. I also had a portion where Hinata painfully removes Neji’s curse mark and him fearing her for a moment and seeing her potential in that small moment before being left to pick up the pieces of their family.

They knew/met each other as children in this since they are both part of important clans in the village and their parents maintained connections with them. Hinata was usually too busy to be around/play with Sasuke and Itachi since her father and family used most of their time to train her, resulting in Sasuke mainly watching her train and her even sparring with Itachi at times (and losing, much to her father’s dismay).

Their moms have them be verbally betrothed as a small joke amongst the older members in their families, but Hinata’s father was not happy with it (since he views her unworthy until she can start acting and moving like a proper ninja of the clan) but didn’t care for it and lets them pretend about it. Sasuke’s family just thinks it’s cute and pay it no mind but occasionally feel sorry for Hinata seeing how she’s worked to the bone to become the clan heir. They do have certain expectations for Sasuke as well but view the Hyuuga’s methods as overkill in some areas. Also Itachi is the eldest so Sasuke doesn’t rly understand what the clan heirs have to put up with most of the time as he’s given more freedoms.

ANYWAYSSS

Hinata basically has had enough of the mistreatment and being underestimated and never being taken seriously so she’d rather turn to them so that she doesn’t have anything holding her back from improving herself and no longer needing to seek constant approval from anybody. Yknow, something like, she never gets to do anything she wants and constantly feels suffocated from having no control over anything she can/can’t do. Her family is so controlling that even if she finds ways in which she can get better she can’t use them because the clan is stubborn in the ways they want her to portray herself and act as a ninja.

I did add goofy bits of Orochimaru commenting on their hair. He cuts Hinata’s to be layered to give her a more mature look, and he hates how Sasuke never changes his lmao.

I kinda feel like making a art of Itachi being so big brother coded towards these two that when he sees Sasuke he’s surprised (bc duh he’s with the bad guys now and he was such a kind hearted baby) but upon seeing Hinata he is proud to see her take something for herself and be able to pave her own way. Idk lmao. I had fun drawing this and like the way I used some of the brushes.

Btw I plan to not have these two interact with each other with romantic intentions in mind but have those feelings sort of progress naturally amongst each other. She also does still have her crush on Naruto in this but realizes it’s not rly gonna go anywhere so she decides it’s best to forget about him and move on, especially with the fact that her lifestyle will become different.

[the-fic-baker]

Older Joel Drabble <3

Content warning: fem reader, mentions of erectile dysfunction, old softie!joel, smut, no reader description, 18+ please

The guy is nearly in his sixties, he simply had days his dick won’t listen to him. That doesn’t mean he’s gonna leave his girl wanting. Absolutely fucking not.

He’ll lie with you in your bed, fingers dancing over your clit. The rough pads giving you the most delicious friction. Making your folds ever slicker.

His mouth is pressed against for temple. Whisper tender nothings, quiet enough not to wake up the house's other inhabitants.

“That’s it, just breathe with me, honey. Don’t get too loud now. I know, I know you're close, baby. Can feel those thighs shaking. Wanna come for me? Please?”

He asks so politely, the same sweet but shy southern charm that caught your attention when he came to Jackson. A stark contrast to the gruff demeanour he carries when he’s on patrol.

He smiles when you come against his fingers, hips bucking against his hand.

“Okay, I’ll stop now,” he chuckles softly when you become just too overstimulated. Pressing a kiss to your hair.

“I promise, sugar, next time my cock decides to work we’re not leaving this bed,” Joel tells you before pulling the covers up over the two of you.

Me writing on tumblr after like a year? It’s more likely than you think. It’s just a Drabble but hopefully I can get back into writing consistently.

[ancha-aus]

Is it obvious I love it too?! :D Because i LOVE figuring out LORE! :D

I love that NIghtmare aparently OVERCORRECTS which is so fitting for him. The perfectionist sees what he is doing isn't working or wrong? Fine. complete 180. Lets go. No questions asked.

and true. Nightmare i sMUCH older than these guys so for him it works still. The guys eventually get used to the hovering, I bet it take sthem a while to figure out that Nightmare is PARENTING them at this point. Some crisis for the four for that. (horror is horrified to realise HE is the golden child and favourite.. Killer the absolute menace nods and says 'of course you are! You were the latest of us three so you were the baby and the baby is always the favourite.' Horror sputtering "Cross was brought in later!" Killer nods "I know but he was adopted as teenager at least." Cross decides to NOT interfer and become the target. Same for Dust.)

Okay but Horror having had the chance to truly take care of Killer? Of helping him recover because horror knows what it is like? giving horror the chance to better connect wiht killer and for them to bond instead of horrro keeping a distance to the others? it could ahve worked!

Bt i love the idea of Killer having his own thing ina way. He lost a leg but he has a prostetic that he, with the help of dust, upgraded and now there is a gun in there!! (Nightmare is horrified)

Dust and Reaper <3 they are so much fun!

okay the fact that Nightmar enad Reaper already know one another and nightmare tried to get reaper to join his forces. reaper deciding to stay neutral. Not fight against nightmare but also not fight against dream. It fits! and of course Reaper knows about nightmare and how nightmare treats his henchman. (and ouch on the first dust thing. Though i think it is cooler that they only connected with THIS dust. otherwise dust from now may think he is just a replacement for the one they ACTUALLY wanted and lost. So i think that while reaper may have spoken with all of them he really connected with this dust <3) and of course reaper goes home to his lovely wife- I mean boyfriend to talk about the new minions and how one is just very cool and honestly looks adorable and cute but strong!

Geno gently reminding reaper that nightmare doens't take care of his henchman. Reaper asking geno if they can keep him instead. please! Reaper can deliver him here! Geno stops him mostly because geno doesn't want reaper and nightmare to start a war because he does not want to know what a war between DEATH and NEGATIVITY looks like. Reaper is unhappy and mutters about totally being able to kidnape him sneakily and stuff. Geno just tries to talk it out of reapers head (we often talk about dream and nightmare being odd for being gods but REAPER is also a god. Like. The God. Like older and been there longer than either Dream or Nightmare. there is no way that reaper is normal. Sure he kinda is because he spends so much time with mortals and watching them because death but still. There is some stuff off about him. ((there is a reason reaper found it perfectly normal to keep stalking geno and intruding his space the whole time.)) )

But then as you said. the newest batch isn't dying. Reaper starts to stalk them even more and specifically dust. Dust notices but decides against mentioning it. (maybe before it was nightmare who stalked him, making sure he was okay (dust thoguht nightmare was checking to make sure he didn't make a run for it) )

And as you said. Reaper keeps stalking him. Keeps lightly interacting with him. Dust would huff and look annoyed before walking awya. reaper grows actualyl attached. Geno reminds him to not get attached to those working for nightmare but reaper isn't listening and all of his talking and the little things reaper finds out to share with geno about dust makes geno curious.

reaper keeps shooting his shot. sure dust seems angry now but geno also always used to appear angry! So maybe this is just a thing! (geno is hrorified and tries to get reaper to stop harrassing this stranger) ((Oh what a differnece between them here and in newage okay i will stop))

And dust! Dust is a smart cookie. Sure he thought it was a joke at first. a way to taunt him as dust comes clsoe to death relatively often compared to the others (or as you said just being very tired. the whole death tired thing) and reaper will tease him. Mention how he must be flriting with death, so him, to keep pushing himself this far. Dust is annoyed until he one day actually has a close call.

He straight up feels lighter and like disconnect for a moment. The whole light at the tunnel thing. And he is staring and slowly going towards it. Then Reaper distracts him. pretty much demanding his attention. and he stays. stays the whole time. long enough that his team can find him and safe him (maybe he got knocked by a full front attack from ink and launched somewhere else. somewhere stuck or something so it took time for the gang to find him. they had been so worried and finding dust just kncoked out with his HP VERY low did not help)

Dust wakes up at home- he means at the base. in the first aid room with most of him being bandaged. Everythin hurts. but he remembers what happens... and if death realyl wanted him dead... why not claim him then? especially as he hears how long they search for him and how they are thankful he managed to hold on for so long.

them after a hunt. just chilling. Dust having felt that brush of reaper's magic. knowign DAMN well that none of them moved to kill anyone and none of them are actually hurt to be a reason for reaper being there.

and dust just blurts it out "I think death/reaper has a thing for me." becuase the others TOTALLY met reaper as well, nightmare explained to them not to fight or bother reaper as he IS the god of death.

So the gang KNOWS who dust is talking about even if they don't know him personally like nightmare or dust. and OF COURSE Cross nad Killer go to snitch.

Dust is horrified and rushes after them. Don't fucking snitch to dad on him! Stop that!

Nightmare sitting Dust down and asking him what Killer and Cross meant with 'Dsuty said that death is stalking and flirtign with him!'

Dust annoyed as he mentions he didn't say that. but he explains kinda what is going on. wihtout many details because dust is a private person but also if ANYONE knows what a god could want from him and why a god would act this way towards him nightmare would know.

ngihtmare needs time to consider this but in the ends lets it go. mentions that it is fine as long as it doesn't bother or harm dust. Dust nods and goes to search for cross and killer to HUNT THEM DOWN for putting him through this.

Reaper had enough. He wants his beau and second beau to interact and he wants it now! He snatches dust and drops him right by Geno. The fact that dust doesn't even need to chew reaper out as geno does it for him. Geno going OFF about reaper being irresponsible and what if this endagers him and you don't know how nightmare will react to this!

(reaper probbaly figures that either it is fine. or nightmare will try something and reaper will jsut be near to snatch dust agian to keep him permanently! It is fine! he thought it through :D)

and Dust meets reaper and geno. Dust having to check wtih geno what the fuck this all means. geno just like "yeah he is a god. Yes we are a thing. Yes the flirting was serious. No he doens't just flirt with everyone. Yes I am fine with whatever he does."

Dust is in shock. He does not agree to ANYTYPE fof relationship for a wHILE this is weird. he needs time. but i think reaper would start snatching him more often to give the three of them a moment to interact. (geno once mentioned that he misses dust and reaper is gone and moments later he drops dust next to geno. gneo is mortified)

Reaper really just dropped his new BF off and the protective father appeared within SECONDS! Reaper is so lucky that nightmare was distracted by dust or he would have sensed reaper and reaper can see that protective parent vibe just being a thing at this point. oh boy. maybe he should ahve made a move much sooner.

Dust is very confsued about what just happened but as you said he tells it vaguely. Nightmare is VERY unhappy that reaper just snatched one of his boys and nightmare will make sure to tell him that the next time he gets (reaper does not care. he is wingmanning his mate and dust together so that he can also have dust a smate. he has PLANS!)

After a long time i think dust will agree to try dating... a tiny bit. and that is very comfrotable and he just decides to introoduce them as his boyfriends. Reaper is grinning. Nightmare is glaring MURDEROUS at reaper. the gang is amused. geno is just content to be out and about. Dust is n't sure how to feel about this moment but that is his general vibe so nothing new.

something COMPELTELY else. The post you had about the room situation.

I thinnk that after nightmare grows more attached to round four. He starts to regret the other loses more as well. Maybe he sneaks into the old rooms to search for things of all of them. to keep for himself. his own private collection. (a small wooden cat statue. Maybe a finished project or a sketch of one. A small book with notes to help with someones memory. stuff like that.)

Maybe he will offer killer a new room. saying that he should have done this from the beginning and it was unfair to not offer it to him. Killer may or may not take it. on one hand. fucking aweomse. new room that is ACTUALLY is. on the other... even if it were memories of someone elses life. it helped. because he figured out there were mutliples of him here. But all of them had been slightly different from one another. each of them had been their own person. which means that killer is also his own person and that is nice.

and then horror goes to try and get answers. Why does nightmare tell him? the truth? that ngihtmare is tired of being lonely and alone?

Idea-dumping under the cut ig as a distraction!

(Actually this got like... long, so here's some bonus design visuals!)

So, this is mostly me thinking out-loud about those alt/personal versions of Nightmare's gang.

First establishment: in this version, Nightmare follows the *was* evil but does so poorly with several versions of the group that he decides he's probably the problem and goes searching for answers before finally settling on a few and keeping them alive. (Yes, Nightmare keeps the original 3 sets dust. Most of it was scattered, but the bits he kept all went into an hourglass. He keeps it on a shelf high in his office so no one can turn it over again.)

In this same vein, Dream and Nightmare are battling because Dream believes Nightmare is no longer his younger self and an entirely separate entity. (Is this true? Probably this time? We'll see.) So, Dream has Ink usually on-hand, and has lost a few comrades over the years, Blue being the only one who'd survived to this point. (I think he might've managed to recruit a Color at some point, Night killed both the Color and Killer. Maybe he also recruited a horror of his own, who was executed by the 2nd Dust. Point is, Blue has been around to see these monsters be cycled out and behave different and all die expendable on Night's side, and has lost friends on Dream's side.) Dream nowadays tries to stick to only himself, Ink, and Blue.

So, establishing that, there's the trouble of Nightmare and his mortals.

Nightmare lives in an older Victorian mansion rather than a castle, his domain is an abandoned au set in that time period, where him and his crew have free-reign. (Basically think the streets of London but entirely unoccupied and almost constantly night-time or rainy/dreary/foggy.)

Initially, he used this landscape to torment those he brought to his domain, whether that be chasing a new killer/horror/dust until they were exhausted or bringing au inhabitants back for his men to hunt down and torment for him. It was useful, a lot of left-over objects and items from inhabitants long since dead, and a lot of interesting hiding places. The edges of the au are just a blackness. Eventually there is an invisible wall, and if you reach that, You're easy pickings for Nightmare. he knows.

I think that the way Nightmare finally decides on his henchmen needing better treatment is when the 3rd Horror, the very last surviving one, *let* Dream get a lethal hit in on him. There was no chance for Dream or Nightmare to act, and they'd both retreated in the aftermath. Normally this wouldn't have bothered Nightmare, but that Horror had been his most obedient and resourceful one yet, and he'd actually grown to like his presence. So. The silence in the castle while he recovered from injuries and prepared for the next batch? It was particularly striking for him. It felt *icky* to not have another person there, and it felt icky to have lost that Horror in the way that he had. Not even an honorable death. He decided he needed to figure out how to keep a monster similar, if not *better than* how he'd kept horror.

After about a month of debating, he finally settled on visiting a Ccino. And no, this isn't just because Ccino's been growing on me lately. He knew one of the Killer's he had, the 2nd, enjoyed sneaking off to the fluffytale aus and he figured there must have been a reason. So. Nightmare takes advantage of his shape-shifting and what little sense he has, and finds himself in an inaccurate replication of a passive Nightmare. He goes to a Ccino, though it might as well be one involved in the multiverse, since Night is now shattering that view. He makes several trips, regularly over the course of a few months. Biding his time. The balance isn't tipping yet. Until he can become at least slightly familiar enough with this Ccino to ask the burning question. How does one care for another living being?

Ccino, at this point, is used to his weird British customer and his odd way of asking questions. Asks if he means a pet, like a cat. Nightmare clarifies that, no, he means monsters. And Ccino has to try and figure out what he means by that. Is he expecting? Is he... adopting? He asks the second one, and Nightmare nods. Ccino breathes a sigh of relief, and realizes it must be because Nightmare is a boss monster. They live much different lives from a normal monster, require less to eat, less sleep, rely on their magic a lot more heavily. He suggests Nightmare come by again the next day and by then he might have some advice.

And while Ccino mostly gives him information on how to raise kids, from babies to teens, Nightmare takes in the information. He's still convinced he's learning all this because he wants to make perfect soldiers. Monsters who will obey him through whatever means that last Horror had. So he takes in all the information he can. He focuses a lot on the suggestions for teenagers. Even though the ones he had before were certainly adults, they often had outbursts and these solutions seemed reasonable. And Ccino was kind enough to stay after closing to talk with him on multiple occasions. It became a little club, between the two of them, almost.

And then Nightmare finally went out to find new replacements. 4th time's the charm.

The first one he collected this time was a Killer. The most volatile usually, but also the easiest to coerce into cooperating with his goals. Normally, his first act would be to let the Killer run loose in the streets and hunt him down. A show of dominance and control. This time, he decided he'd show patience. He stole away the Killer like he normally would, and left him out on a street, but with a note in his pocket. Detailing exactly what Nightmare was offering and why, along with the address of the mansion incase he wanted to discuss more.

It only took two days before Killer arrived at Nightmare's doorstep. He was cautious, but Nightmare was cordial. Not subtle, no, he acknowledged that he was actively kidnapping him. That if he made a misstep Nightmare would kill him. That he was replaceable. But, he also explained exactly what he was looking for from Killer, and *offered* work to him. Killer wandered away for a few more days, before coming back and accepting.

The trial runs with Killer were rough the first few months. Nightmare visited Ccino less, and found himself trying very hard to balance authority, Killer's loyalty, and the fragile trust growing between them. Sometimes he'd catch Killer doing something and he'd physically refrain from lashing out and punishing. Other times, though strangely only when Killer was making choices poor for his own health, Nightmare lashed out. Corrective behavior was not kind, but it was for the best in Nightmare's mind.

One thing he had a lot of trouble with was letting Killer explore the domain. He used to restrict all his henchmen inside unless they were hunting or on missions. Killer had an insatiable urge to explore, and several times Nightmare saw it as escape attempts. Dragging Killer back inside with threats of retaliation. Only once he let Killer escape and *watch* what he did, he realized he was literally just looking around, picking up trinkets, once he stole a shirt and brought it back with him. Then he returned, willingly, to the mansion. It was no trick, no escape, just simple curiosity. Nightmare took a page out of the book of the advice from Ccino and actually complimented Killer's shirt when he finally wore it one day. Killer's hackles were raised about it, obviously afraid of punishment, but Nightmare waved it off. As long as he wasn't bringing harm to himself or running away, Nightmare didn't mind.

It was only after Killer proved himself capable of hunting down captives in the city maze that Nightmare went out to find another. The 4th Dust.

Dust was a bit more of a handful than usual. Maybe it was because Nightmare wasn't stern enough. Or maybe it was because this Killer was a lot more friendly than his others had been. This Dust immediately attacked. Instead of aiming at Nightmare, it was aimed at Killer. Normally, it the past, he would've let Killer get hurt. Learn a lesson. This time he tugged his Killer out of the line of fire and forced Dust to listen to him. Held him in place.

Dust did not wander into the city like Night had let Killer do. He was confined to the mansion, mainly because Nightmare knew the previous Dusts had a tendency to curl up and let themselves rot if given the chance. So, Nightmare made sure he was fed, and would dunk him in the pond if he refused to bathe, and was always on the watch for hostile attacks, all while Killer was usually playing antagonist.

Nightmare's actually not sure what it was, but one day Dust simply... stopped disobeying his orders. He was up for breakfast, and didn't make Nightmare drag him out to see Killer chase down a victim. Nightmare did his best to be genuine when he told Dust he was pleased to see him up and about.

(Killer had been part of the change in attitude. He would sit outside Dust's door when Night was out and tell him how good of a gig it was. Nightmare wasn't perfect, but the place was cool and it was better than an empty underground. Killer was right, it was better than an empty underground. He gave it a shot and found he didn't feel awful.)

Dust still had his days ofc. Days where he'd get overwhelmed during a mission and overwhelm his magic. Days where he'd be too exhausted or depressed to get out of bed. Days where he hated being there and wanted to go back to his old au. But, on those days Nightmare would check in on him verbally, and visit with meals, or a small gift, or answer a question. Dust liked it when Nightmare answered his questions. And Nightmare, sometimes, would twitch his tendrils and throw something around when Dust was out of commission... but never infront of him. In front of Killer? Yes. Infront of Dust? No. That was not for Dust to worry about.

Sometime after Dust warmed up to him, he resolved to let them visit Ccino. Ccino had been asking about how things were going, and Nightmare wasn't sure how to express the extent of his frustrations a lot of the time. Ccino had suggested a visit might help if they were antsy. Nightmare had agreed.

After a particularly hard day, Nightmare having run into Dream, Blue, and Ink while on a supply run with the two he had, he decided they deserved a break. He prefaced that they were not to torment. Not to harm. Not to do any damages or there would be consequences. When both had agreed, thinly veiled curiosity, Nightmare took them to the au. Just around closing time. He adopted his shapeshifted passive form and brought the two of them along.

Ccino has been... visibly shocked. These were obviously two full-grown, or at least in they 20s-30s, monsters. They didn't look like they were in the best states either. But he'd held himself strong as Nightmare guided them to sit at his and Ccino's usual rounded table, the two extra chairs now being used up. Nightmare handed them the menu, and it seemed he got hesitant orders from both of them before approaching Ccino at the counter. He ordered. Ccino got to work.

When the drinks were brought out, Ccino was almost pleasantly relieved to find that the two additional monsters had cats swarming them. Nightmare introduced them, and Ccino saw how Killer had one cat cradled in each arm, both purring up a storm. Dust had one in his lap, asleep, with one of his hoodie-strings trapped by the cat's jaws. Night didn't bother with a made-up story. Just vaguely explained that they had come from toxic and unhealthy environments and were staying with him for the time being. Like... roommates. Ccino just kinda has to accept that the other two don't seem to be in any immediate distress and minds his own business.

I think it'd be at least a year or two, Nightmare ensuring he's made Killer and Dust comfortable and loyal. Making sure he knows just how to keep them alive properly, and establishing silently to his enemies (the stars) that he's done using expendable pawns. That's when he finally collects the 4th Horror.

It was a hard choice for him. Something about seeing another Horror's face, especially after he'd finally been making an effort to provide better support and care to this Killer and Dust? He figured it out. His last Horror was only so obedient and relaxed because if he was, Nightmare went softer on the others. When the others were both gone, he lost hope. Nightmare, some part of him, was scared he'd do it all over again. Somehow lose Killer and Dust and be left with just Horror. That was why he focused so heavily on Killer and Dust's wellbeing this time. So this Horror wouldn't have to worry. Would turn out the same.

And the plan worked out. Nightmare brought himself to go find a Horror. One from a collapsing timeline, right in the cross heirs of Error's attacks. He was basically a scrap of code, and Nightmare tugged him to safety at the last second. This Horror was confused, but grateful, until he noticed Killer and Dust. Horror was entirely avoidant of the two for the longest time, willing to do as Nightmare said once he heard him out, saw what was happening, but he did NOT like Dust or Killer. He was cagey, kept to himself, only showing weakness if he was injured in battle or had fallen ill. Night tried to watch out for him, but that wedge between the three of them was troublesome. Night hoped it'd work itself out. It never quite did.

Night doesn't have a favorite. He'll refer to Killer for important tasks, he's been there the longest. He'll let Dust fall asleep on the couch near to him and curl tendrils around him while he haps. He'll find recipe books and new supplies from aus for Horror to try out. He'd willingly get in the way of any attack to improve their chances of survival. Having said this, he pays an extra attention to Horror. Everyone notices it, Horror finds it unsettling sometimes but can mostly ignore it. It isn't until a fight with Dream where Horror chases Ink off to the side and Ink reveals to him the fate of the last Horror that any of them know *why*. Horror takes time to process it, before bringing it up to Nightmare very very nervously.

Nightmare, pained, admits his previous faults. He's not proud of his methodologies back then. He doesn't admit how much he cares about this 4th round of them. He doesn't need to.

Fun bonus! There's a year where Cross comes into the picture. At first he seeks out Nightmare for his help. Like in Underverse, he wants to rebuilt his au. But Nightmare denies him. It wouldn't benefit him or the others, it wouldn't benefit the balance, find someone else. But Cross can't. When he tries to work alone, Cross finds that Dream and the stars intercept him. They assume he'd working for Nightmare, which he denies, and they try to talk with him. Ask what he's doing. Ink and Dream can't allow Cross to keep going, even if he's trying to make himself a new home. They ask if he wants to join them. Defend against evil in the multiverse. And as it is, he has to agree.

So Cross teams up with the stars for a while. But as he's working with them, things don't seem to be lining up. Dream claims Nightmare tortures his followers, trades them out like cheap toys. But... Cross never sees these ones change. And if one gets too injured, Nightmare calls a retreat. The same ones come back each time. Even in the midst of battle Nightmare seemed to keep tabs on all of his players.

Once, Cross isolated Dust from the rest of the fighting. He was wounded and clearly getting more exhausted by the second. When Cross pinned him finally, he asked if he wanted to stop fighting. To go somewhere safe. Away from Nightmare. Dust had always seemed like the most actively dis-engaged fighter of the three. Cross thought he could convince him. But Dust just stares at him and says "Nah." Before getting a second wind and summoning an attack again. Cross tried to knock him out, take him by force, but the hit just dazed him rather than knocking him out, and by then Nightmare had figured out where they were. Seeing, or sensing, Dust's state, he signals for retreat instantly. Cross is forced to move or get skewered by darkness, and he's shocked by how gently Nightmare scoops up the dazed Dust, and how willingly Dust let's it happen. Horror and Killer are right on Nightmare's tail and hop through the portal first. Night through very last.

Cross had never seen Nightmare pick up his men so carefully before. Usually they'd walk through on their own, or he'd lift with tendrils. This time he carried Dust in his own arms. That was... weird.

Cross, eventually, comes to terms with not rebuilding his AU, just being barred from it for so long. But it takes *ages* before he goes to Nightmare. For one reason or another, Cross realizes that the state of his friendship with Dream is unhealthy. I mean, Dream cares for him, but it feels overbearing. And when he asked to visit the omega timeline once, Dream advised against it. Basically placed him on house-arrest unless everyone was going out to fight. He had to stay inside Dream's au, since he was an outcode. A fragile one. (Dream was afraid of losing Cross, like he'd lost many others.)

During a fight, Cross decides he's going to try something new. He's going to get as close as physically possible to the portal at the end of the fight, and lunge inside at the last second. No weapons, no hostility, nothing. That Domain of Nightmare's is untraceable. He needs in there.

And when he enacts the plan? Nightmare actually allows it. On his end, acting like he didn't notice a thing until he steps through.

Ofc, Cross immediately got tackled and pinned by Killer, but Cross doesn't fight back. Night demands he explain himself, abd Cross takes one more hesitant look at the surrounding enemies before admitting. Dream's kept him on a short leash since he joined. No exploring, no harsh training, no visiting friends, nothing. He needed to get somewhere Dream couldn't follow him. Even though it was a suicide mission, Night's domain was the safest choice.

And Nightmare was frankly baffled. Someone had willingly chose his domain over his brother's? It was a bit of an honor. But I'm the sane breath, he couldn't just let Cross leave. If he did, then that wouldn't be just to his three loyal wards.

So, Nightmare gave him an ultimatum. Either he stayed and acted as a teammate, eventually earning privileges just like the others had, or they could kill him. No one can just freely enter the au and expect Sanctuary. Cross knew as much, and as much as it seemed to pain him, he agreed he'd work for Nightmare.

And for Cross? Nightmare decided to reach back into the old days. He told Cross he had ten minutes to go somewhere in the city. Evade for as long as he could. Told him to get running. Only when Cross had confusedly left the mansion did Nightmare tell the group that whoever could scare Cross the most, without intentionally wounding him, would get to choose the next big leisure item he brought back from supply-running.

Boy did the guys torment him! Nightmare kept an eye on it, and there was some excellent restraint from all three of them. It went on for several hours, and Nightmare only cut it short because he'd noticed Cross had developed a limp. Some sort of twisted ankle maybe? (For the record, Dust managed to win. He suggested a projector for movies and stuff.) Back at the castle they all sat at the table, including Cross (though he was wary) and ate. Then they had leisure time. Then curfew. The next morning, when Cross was still limping, he postponed further 'training' to check how truly hurt Cross was.

Basically, Cross figures out Nightmare only does fucked-up stuff because it's part of his nature. He needs to to survive. Outside of that? He's learned to be amicable and borderline kind to those he cares about. Cross is there to witness Killer getting his first cat, he's there to witness the three of them get into intense debates about high-level science and scribble all over a whiteboard, he's there to witness a lot of good moments. Including Nightmare bringing a Ccino for a visit to the house.

This Ccino visit is prompted by him noticing the boys haven't been by with Night lately. Nightmare assures him that they're fine, but also suggests Ccino could come by for a visit? And Ccino, friendly and optimistic Ccino, agrees. Nightmare, upon portalling them, walks a bit with Ccino. Explaining the nature of the realm and why he lives there. Ccino listens and accepts it, even if he is a little spooked. Nightmare then guides him to the mansion and shows him around. The guys are all screwing around in the kitchen, trying to make cookies with Horror. The three are excited to see Ccino and greet him. Cross, who was sitting in the corner trying nit to make things worse with the batter, was confused to find a normal Ccino visiting the domain. A part of him was angry, another was hurt, but he kept quiet. The Ccino was nice and greeted the others, then introduced himself to Cross. Cross did the same.

Ccino, at this point, officially became knowledgeable of the multiverse and unintentionally/intentionally aligned himself with Nightmare. Night seemed to be doing very well despite all the worries he'd had, and also, Ccino considers Night to be a friend. They discuss books together, play newspaper games, etc etc.

After Ccino leaves he starts getting more multiversal visitors, he can always tell, but he has his favorites.

...

Hard cut, day 2 of adding to this ramble post and now I have drawn designs with extra lore!!

Nightmare and Dream's magic from the apple incident has condensed around their skulls like halos! They can't be touched nir damaged by attacks, but they do glow when either is feeding/exerting their magic.

Nightmare did his best to keep the 4th round of the mtt in top shape, but it wouldn't last forever. Dust was the first one to get a major injury, though it wasn't very prominent visually. Shortly after they got Horror, Dust was slashed in the socket by one of Ink's corrosive paints. He fought through the pain, but upon getting back to the base, Nightmare discovered Dust's state. Nightmare's first instinct was to clean the wound like he'd been taught by Ccino, then to ask if Dust could still use the magic in that eye. As it stands, he still can't reconnect to the mana there. Night fought against every instinct telling him that Dust was broken, and to get a new one, and just told him to go rest and recover. Dust has a scar on his bone and his eyelight is missing in that socket. But he's alive, which is a testament to Nightmare's improvement.

Killer lost his leg shortly after they took in Cross. It was a combative fight where Dream wouldn't let up, hunting them down to any au they moved to, not allowing them to make the supply run they'd been on (it was after a period of quiet after Cross ran and was taken in by Night. Dream + the others believe Nightmare killed him.). It was Blue who almost got a solid hit in on Dust, but Killer got in the way to block. Only, he wasn't sturdy enough and his leg-bone practically shattered when he tried to stop Blue's swing. Horror scooped Killer up, and in the wave of negativity and Dust's cursing that followed, Nightmare signaled a retreat.

Under normal circumstances, such a substantial, mobility-altering, injury would prompt Nightmare to just put a follower out of their misery and claim a new one. But. Not anymore. He had to act fast because Killer was fading in consciousness abd Nightmare was never one for major wounds like limb loss. Luckily, Horror was familiar, and him and Night managed to stop Killer's limb from dusting any further up his body. (Dust was furious with Killer for taking that hit. Horror was shocked. Nightmare regretted not taking up the rear in the first place. Cross was mortified to see Killer in such a state and was 1000% sure Night was going to off him.)

Recovery for Killer was... rocky. About 50/50 good/bad days, but he pulled through and learned to use a prosthetic. In the meantime, Cross offered to cover for Killer on runs if he was needed, a good step for Cross and for Nightmare. But, instead, Nightmare asked Cross to focus on making sure Killer didn't hurt himself while the others were out on runs. He couldn't risk revealing Cross' being alive just yet. This leads to plenty of Killer Cross bonding time, and Killer gets to tell all sorts of stories about how much the Boss has been improving. Killer knows he was the pet project, the test dummy to this 'new him'. Nightmare hasn't laid much of a finger on Horror, abd only let them spook Cross, while Killer was tossed around like a ragdoll. And now look! Night was going through the trouble of replacing his limb and nursing him back to health! For Killer it's like watching someone take their first steps. Cross realizes then that Nightmare hasn't always been like this. He used to be worse. He's taking steps on his own to improve. And for what? The sakes of Killer, Dust, and Horror?

Meanwhile, Dream has Blue and Ink, both of whom he extends his positive magic to. Even when they're in their own domains, they can spread his aura to those they interact with and call upon his power.

Unlike those two, he's also allied with Outer and Lust! Those two are from the omega timeline, and they work to help anyone fleeing from destroyed, corrupted, or otherwise uninhabitable aus. They had their own little thing going before Dream entered the picture, but when he approached them about seeing anyone from a destroyed au, they kept in contact. Now they act as a little home-base, keeping track of the battles and the conflicts and making sure the main three fighters don't work themselves into the ground. And! Because the main 3 are always out and about? If you need help with smaller tasks, Lust and Outer are on it. Lust finds it a nice distraction from his past and anxieties, and Outer does it as repayment to Dream (who saved his life from the 3rd Killer once).

Uhhh, one last note I think? Horror is the favorite child from an outsider + inside pov. Night doesn't think that way, but he is actively more careful with Horror than the others. He feels like he failed the last one (he failed all of them but y'know) and he can fix it with this one. This one doesn't understand the treatment and often resents it, but decides not to say anything lest he offset whatever kindness Nightmare is doing for the others. The others don't mind that Horror is effectively the favorite. They know Nightmare was fucked up long before they arrived, and it was just one of his many quirks.

[firedragon1321]

It's funny how young Tai actually is in 02. Like they try to present him and the OG gang as Cool Older Siblings and they're like...13-15. 02 Tai is a fucking baby. I want to pinch his cheeks.

[moeblob]

Rey, who is in my very biased opinion, one of the funniest "girls" I have because she's just a guy, truly. Like Rey is just short for Reynold because he was recruited by a a goddess to help the hero she selected and the hero is conveniently Reynold's younger brother. So he agrees to help under the condition that the goddess gives him a female body for the other world. She's like "really odd flex but whatever" and gives him a female form and he's like "you know. I can't really blame anyone but myself for not specifying 'please don't turn me into a Lisa Frank personification'."

[nereb-and-dungalef]

I keep drinking coffee thinking it's gonna make me Productive and then instead of doing the work I actually have to do I just compulsively make spreadsheets :(

[jrueships]

I WANT WRITING PROOOOMPTSSSSSS

[martyrbat]

im so considerate.... (<- guy not ranting about a thing it hates before its friend is done with the media)

[brunetterightsactivist]

I know this is controversial and gonna sound conservative but like to birth the child of a man you aren’t married to is crazy to meeeeee omg you wanna have a baby when you’re not married head to the sperm bank queen because that’s all that man is let’s be real

[kakusu-shipping]

for princess peach!!

🌟 - how is regression like for your f/o? (eg. agere/agedre or petre/petdre? which age range/pet?)

🐱 - how do they talk to you when regressed (if they talk)? do they call you any special name?

🖍️ - favourite activities to do together when they're regressed?

@i-put-the-s4p-in-s4pphic

Peachie!!! Thankyou so much for the ask!!! She's so so so baby coded to me <3

🌟 - What is regression like for your f/o?

Peach is very small when Regressed, toddling age at most. She's very calm and quiet, mostly enjoying tummy time and watching the people around her. She likes laying in the garden and being held.

🐱 - How do they talk to you when regressed? Do they call you any special name?

Peach never speaks while regressed, she hardly even babbles or cries, she's a poised little princess. At most she'll make grabby hands for certain people, mostly Mario, and make the softest little want noise, but she's yet to speak while little.

🖍️ - Favorite activities to do together when they're regressed?

Like I mentioned Peach is very passive while regressed, she's so very small and quiet, she doesn't seem to have preferred activities. She seems the happiest just laying in the yard, picking flowers, but that's really just an assumption.

Mario understands her better than Luigi and I do, so we both just follow his lead and fill in where we can. She keeps coming back so we assume we're doing a good job as her Caregivers.

[youngpettyqueen]

once again thinking about the post-canon dynamics on DS9