#pogtopia takes up all my brain space

[metrixnos]

“we’re not even outside yet—“ “i don’t care just light it.”

[anarchy-and-piglins]

also (on the recent techno post ) that techno is finally *able* to do these things

hes comfortable enough to not hoard supplies and keep using what he has as protection or as a back up plan or as a “just in case”

hes able to indulge in hobbies again. he feels safe enough to make useless things :3

things that maybe wont protect him. or that he cant use as a weapon, but that he can just make for the fun of it

he can just make them to make them, because it brings him joy :3

OUGH! Radio, my heart is broken-

The people around him (the people who actually care about him and know him well enough to see more than a weapon) are able to use Techno's hobbies as a metric of how well he's doing.

Techno doesn't have time for that stuff during Pogtopia. He's gearing up for the revolution, anything he's crafting is a direct service to the war. He farms potatoes endlessly, a repetitive motion that doesn't take much creativity. He's in survival brain mode for most of that time, grinding and working.

After Nov 16th, Phil goes to the Arctic to visit Techno and help him build the cabin. And he sees all these little projects Techno has been working on. And he hears how fondly his old friend speaks about retirement and becoming a better person. They make Techno's storage space big enough - to fit his arsenal, yes. But also to fit all the random stuff inside Techno picks up for his hobbies. He's jumpy, Phil remarks. But he thinks that in time, Techno will be okay.

Then the execution happens and suddenly all Techno's half-finished creative pursuits gather dust as he sets out on his new mission. Maybe he tries a few times to pick stuff up again and find that peacefulness he so briefly got during retirement, but Techno's on edge and his cabin doesn't feel safe anymore. He feels hunted down and threatened. He's once again preparing for war. Tommy owns a few items from this time, those hapless attempts. A very uneven scarf and a few pages of sheet music that Techno composed and which remind Tommy of Wilbur in an odd sense. He loses some of them in the explosions of L'Manburg.

When Phil moves into the commune post-doomsday, he watches Techno slowly, slowly start up again. The same as retirement and then following through with it. The befriending of Ranboo and Niki and the forming of the Syndicate are accompanied by Techno getting ever more into different activities. Some, he only seems passionate about for a week. And then three months later he comes back to them. But he's always doing something. Techno asks Niki for baking lessons on occasion. All the Syndicate members have Techno's handmade knickknacks all throughout their houses and are always wearing something he made for them.

While Techno is in prison, on days when Phil misses him the most, he sometimes messes around with some of Techno's hobby supplies. He makes a few small gifts for Techno, to give him when he gets back.

There's another lull after Ranboo dies. It's not the same as before though. Techno's not refraining from partaking in his hobbies because he's busy with other stuff. Rather, he's doing nothing. He sleeps a lot. He eats barely. He sits outside with the hounds. He only regains some of his energy when the plans with Tubbo work out and he starts preparing for an altercation with Sam.

Techno doesn't immediately return to his old self after that - his happier self. But one day, when Michael is over at Techno's, he picks up a small wooden figurine from the shelf. A little toy soldier Techno made once. Techno watches him play with it and smiles.

And a week later when Michael has a whole carved wooden army to play with, Phil knows that's a good sign.

[faebriel]

Ur rainduo hunger games au is just chef’s kiss. It’s so good!!!

Like niki and wilbur being friends and then wilbur disappears and she thinks he’s dead but he’s not?? And then she’s like I need to win I need to get him out of here. She’s like I am so angry but I can not show it. Like????? And her burning the forest down really suits her (I’m thinking of her burning down l’mantree) and then she hates fire but her branding is now fire +girlboss and she’s just like noooo no thank u. I’ve seen enough fire in my lifetime.

And wilbur is like a shaken up soda bottle. The lid is on tight but that does not mean that the liquid is calm. All u need is to take the lid off and it will explode everywhere. Yeah.

Anyways i love this au it is so cool!!!!

YEAH niki is such a straightforward character and she doesn't suffer the timewasting and arrogance of politics compared to so many other characters and so when her name gets pulled, she knows her odds of making it are just too low and she can't be bothered bullshitting that. she's not going to get up there and prance around for the cameras and pretend that everything is okay. it's not okay. she's not even a good liar in the first place. she has her parents presumably back home and a few friends in 12 so there's not much she can do, but there's a certain point where she just can't bring herself to participate. and then she finds wilbur, and the entire situation flips.

he is depending on her!! niki made peace with the idea of her own death as soon as her name was called at the reaping but this is an entire tidal wave of emotions that she already cannot compute. like the worst kind of grief and anger and survivors guilt. and if she loses, no one will rescue him. no one will even know he's there. and then that too, that's gonna be her fault. and even then, she gets these flashes of absolute rage...

she's so fucking lucky she has jack as a mentor to remind her of exactly the right way to smile so they can't see how tightly you clench your jaw. hbomb giving her these intricate hand braces so she can't visibly clench her fists when she talks so sweetly about winning the games and going home to her friends and making her district proud. and then she gets back to the tribute living spaces and tears her room apart in a whirlwind of burning anger, and then stays up late putting every stupid knick knack back together in case rumours spread because she needs to keep her reputation as the Sweet, Kind, Nicey Nice Girl from district 12 intact to win over sponsors.

and yea the forest fire is fucking traumatising. i can't remember if this is a canon hunger games thing or if my brain saw some fanon eight years ago and is running with it but i imagine once you win the games they slap all that megahealing shit into you so she wakes up in some private capitol hospital room and, beyond what she even thought was possible, the burns are gone. and she doesn't even know how that works but they must have done a pretty shit job because she can still fucking feel the fire beneath her skin.

you won and you got out! she gets wilbur out. maybe. but it's only really after the games that she realises she's never gonna be able to go home again. she should feel relieved to be alive at least, but all she feels is burning and a miserable, endless pit in her chest instead.

A SHAKEN UP SODA BOTTLE..... you're so fucking right KSHKDHDKD. wilbur is v interesting to me because like.... i think there's a bitter and hurting part of him that still blames himself above anyone else for getting caught. but he's been here for seven years. he has seen some horrible shit happen. wilbur has a tendency for self-hatred but he's not massively easily manipulated until someone is pushing him towards something he already wanted (thinking of how dream treated him in pogtopia.)

i think niki being reaped is a tipping point for him. like, he's not stupid. he's walked into the last seven years of reapings going not niki, and then not niki, not fundy, and then not niki not fundy please god not tommy and so on. and then the worst outcome happens, and niki barely manages to survive but only by swallowing her own voice and going through some terrible shit. wilbur saw that, he got to see it on live TV while pouring wine and retrieving stupidly rich food for stupidly rich people while he remembers arguing with tommy about whether they could eat a possum because at the time, that was their best option. it is one thing for him to be here. he has accepted that as his own fault (even if he probably shouldn't). but shoving niki through the meatgrinder? his kind, clever niki, who (in wilbur's eyes) has done nothing wrong in her entire fucking life? something needs to change, and he will bend steel with his bare fucking hands to make it happen.

now, to figure out how to do all that and actually stay alive.

the thing with wilbur that always stands out to me is that he's a character in motion. he doesn't stop. i think after being captured and having his tongue cut out and being tortured, he would obviously suffer greatly - but he wouldn't stop. his voice meant everything to him, and even though it's physically gone, part of him so venerates its absence that he cannot stop himself from trying to sustain it, to "bring it back", even if it sounds different now. even if it's all locked away in his mind. now, that is where he keeps everything he wants to say. he keeps his mind sharp over those years - reciting the names and birthdays of his friends in 12 so he doesn't forget them, tracing words across the wall when he's supposed to be sleeping so his handwriting stays neat enough to read. he's waiting, he just doesn't know for what.

and then niki is reaped. that's what.

[ayamturd]

brother│sbi family

summary: y/n will always stand by their brothers no matter the hardship or challenges they should overcome in the end.

song: Brother by Kodaline

warnings: angst to fluff(?), cursing, blood/gore descriptions, death, slight spoliers for dsmp

pairing: in-game platonic!sbi family

a/n: i heard this song the other day and knew i had to give it a try (give it a listen!). also, each section/scene change is supposed to show a period of growth for the reader, both in age and confidence wise. as always, pls feel free to comment or give feedback!

wc: (4.1k) - m.list

When we were young we were the ones

The kings and queens oh yeah, we ruled the world

“Techno, wait!” 

“Keep up then, slow poke!” 

Technoblade and y/n were running through the village, laughing like madmen while jumping over the hay bales serving as their mini obstacle course. They were passing the time while Dadza finished his tradings with Wilbur, him volunteering to assist in hopes of exploring the market place. As they continued their chase, Technoblade began to gain a lead; his long limbs giving him a far unfair advantage against his smaller sibling. He was nearing the local well in the town square, and y/n knew they would have to take drastic measure before he could claim victory. 

Quickly assessing their surroundings, y/n grabbed the first product they could snatch off the closest stand. They beamed it at Techno, the potato hitting him on the back of his head, causing him to falter and trip over his hooves. Y/n leaped over him, grin wide when hearing the vendor and their brother yell after them.

“Y/n! What gives?!” Technoblade scrambled up in a hurry, rushing to meet their stride. Y/n only cackled, shouting back, “hey, it’s like you once said, ‘What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.’”

The sun beamed down in the late afternoon, yet y/n was too driven to notice. They reached the center square and rang the bell, signifying their win. “I regret teaching you the ways of Sun Tzu.” Technoblade was panting with his hands on his knees; he had tried to catch up given his fall slowing him down, but ended up running in vain to his defeat.

“Ahh you don’t mean that now, do you?” Y/n climbed up the well and jumped on Technoblade’s shoulders, forcing him to adjust to the sudden weight while they gripped his pink hair. He grunted, “I do if it means you beating me.” Y/n giggled. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll always remember your miserable loss as the origin of my success.” 

“Gee, thanks.” Despite their bickering, the two children held large smiles, snickering while spinning carefree and contently. They tuned out the world, purely existing in the moment while conquering each trivial challenge at a time.

We've taken different paths

“Come on, y/n, you’ve got to let go some time or another.” Y/n clung onto Wilbur’s side, curled into his chest while the lanky man hovered his arms above them.

“Not until you hug me back, you jerk!” Wilbur sighed, pulling them in again. “I already hugged you in the house. We’re not gonna be here for another 10 minutes, right? You know how impatient Tommy can be.”

“Alright, fine you dickhead. I’ll let you go. See if I care the next time you want a hug,” y/n huffed. They pulled away in haste and crossed their arms, turning away from him completely. 

“You’re such a cry baby, s’not like we’ll be gone forever. Can visit and shit,” Tommy spoke up, walking towards the pair with his saddle in hand.

“Shut up, bitch. I won’t miss you anyway, I was talking to Wilbur.”

“Like hell you won’t!”

Wilbur stepped between the two, hand on Y/n’s shoulder and a push to Tommy’s face. “Maybe it’s best that we’re leaving, y/n. Tommy’s obviously influenced you too much.”

“Why the hell you say that like it’s a bad thing?!”

“Ugh, God please no.”

Despite all odds, y/n was the shortest in the family compared to all the boys. They were forced to look up at Tommy while he glared down at their smug face. 

Phil came forward from the house and chose to stand besides y/n. “I’ve only just gotten them to leave, don’t tell me you’re holding them down any longer.” Y/n muttered a small no. Wilbur and Tommy looked offended at the comment, and Phil only chuckled at the sight. “You’ll see them soon, y/n. You know they’ve been waiting for the opportunity to explore, and one day you’ll take your chance too.”

“Yeah, I know,” y/n sighed and leaned into Phil’s side. They were openly pained to have their brothers leave their home, disliking the idea of their family separated, yet they knew they didn’t have the right to stop them from their ambitions.

Phil checked over their supplies once more before patting their shoulders with encouraging words. Giving them room, the brothers mounted their horses and pulled the reins to the East, taking one final glance at their home. They both waved and rode off. 

The sun laid above the horizon, strips of color spread across the sky as night began to fall. Though they were too far to hear, y/n waited a moment before speaking. “Till next time.” 

And travelled different roads

“You can’t be serious.”

“You rather I leave them to die?” Technoblade was packing, grabbing his best weaponry and stuffing rations into his satchel. Although contemplating to bring his armor, he opted out of it in favor of traveling light. Y/n was trailing behind the large piglin, eyes irritated and upset. 

“How can you say that? I’m only concerned on why you think a revolution is what they need right now!” Technoblade spun around at their words, standing above them menacingly. Any rational person would be afraid if it weren’t for the fact that they grew up together. 

“Y/n. You and I both know there’s a reason they called me and me alone. I’m going there to help and do what is ask of me. What else do you expect from all of this?” Technoblade spoke steadily, his chin still raised while his eyes looked down at them. It only angered y/n more. 

“What I expect, Technoblade, is for you to be their brother and help them! Be their brother for once and not just ‘the Blood God’!” Y/n emphasized each point with a jab to his chest. It was rare for the two to fight at all, them being considerably close and maintaining the same idealization for the most part. 

Techno only narrowed his eyes before grabbing y/n’s wrist. “We’ve talked about this, y/n. Don’t act like you don’t understand the difference between ‘the Blood God’ and myself. Don’t act like there is a difference at all.” There was a slight pause as y/n’s eyes widen at their close proximity, Technoblade having had moved closer towards their face.

“… you’re hurting me, Techno.” Glancing down at their hands, Technoblade immediately let go and grabbed his crossbow behind y/n, leaving the room as if the conversation never happened. Y/n was quick to follow him before he left the house. 

They screamed out, “This isn’t right, Techno! For their sakes, you and that tactical brain of yours should realize that at the very least!” Technoblade stopped near the exit and tilted his head to the left, a brief silence before speaking. “If you weren’t so afraid of the world, you could always go save them yourself.”

He slammed the front door close at that, leaving a still y/n in shock at his words. The night was dead quiet as y/n stood there for some time, a ringing silence impeding the air. Phil came down the hallway from his room, tired yet aware of the situation; he was admittedly awake during the argument. “Are you alright, dear?” His voice was soft as he was unsure of y/n’s current emotions, their back to him while facing the front door. Y/n turned towards him with teary eyes.

“No.”

And when you're in the trenches

And you're under fire I will cover you

“Ya’ know what, Wilbur?” Tommy was sitting on a furnace, Wilbur leaning against the cavern walls across him. They were both eating dinner together in the dark, dimly lit and empty space, the only sound coming further down the cave where Technoblade farmed until Tommy spoke up. Raising a hand to chew, Wilbur swallowed before asking a what?

“I’m getting real sick of potatoes.” They both laughed at that, temporarily finding joy in the small joke before fading back into a helpless silence. They were still reeling from their situation; no home, no friends, no government to stand with. While they were in the presence of their brother, Technoblade was focused on their main goal: revolution. Even through perseverance, the brothers couldn’t help but feel exhausted from the efforts, the previous war having taken a toll in spite of the approaching age of a new one.

“I miss home,” Tommy expressed, eyes trained to the ground. Wilbur stared at the boy before looking down at the baked potato in hand. “Me too.” 

A sudden noise came from above, as if someone broke down their stone entrance. Although Pogtopia had gained an underground support from the citizens of Manberg, their location was still undisclosed to the others, secret letters and Tubbo being the only communication. Grabbing his sword, Tommy nodded to Wilbur and headed up the steep stairway. Wilbur briefly looked up and ran to warn Technoblade of a possible intruder. 

Weapon in hand, Tommy creeped up the path determined. Footsteps echoed underground and Tommy paused to push himself against the wall. The light of a lantern glowed ever so brighter with each approaching step behind the corner above. Right as he rose to strike, a familiar voice spoke out. 

“You’re not seriously going stab me now, right?” Tommy’s gaze shot up to see his sibling smirk at his surprise. “Cause that would suck after traveling this whole way to see you idiots.”

Tommy laughed breathlessly in disbelief before shouting their name for all to hear. He ran up to quickly embrace them and pulled them down to meet the rest. Technoblade and Wilbur visibly relaxed at the sigh of the two, weapons dropping to their side.

“You’re here,” Technoblade stated, his eyebrows raised unexpectedly. Expression neutral, y/n only spared him a glance before looking to the side. “I’m here.” 

Wilbur ignored the small tension and walked forward, a soft smile at the sight of them with his arms raised. “Am I still allowed to ask for that hug?” Y/n grinned and let him engulf them in a hug. They squeezed his torso tight while they swayed slightly side to side. Tommy, elated to see his sibling for the first time in practically years, vocalized his excitement loudly behind the embracing pair.

“Are you here to help us fight?!”

Y/n hesitated before turning back to smile wearily, “I’m here to help you in any way I can.”

If I was dying on my knees

You would be the one to rescue me

“You want to be a hero, Tommy?”

The battlefield was suspended in apprehension, everyone amassed on the small platform above the caved in trench. Standing before them, separated by the broken landscape, Technoblade held large, black skulls in each hand. In front of him, two structures of sand guarding his sides. He was perched over them, eyes red in blood-like fury with tusks that pointed in pride and determination. Y/n gaped in horror at the sight, whispering a small no that fell on deaf ears. 

“Then die like one!”

A sudden light blinded the field, Technoblade having had completed the ancient ritual due for destruction. Before anyone could collet their thoughts, a small force pushed everyone back. Strong winds blew as dust covered the the terrain, and from the ashes of white fire rose two mythological beasts with holo eyes and a grotesque body of dark bones. There was a beat of stillness before chaos erupted.

Yelling and panic ensued as some began fighting the monstrosities while others worked to kill those preventing the end. Y/n felt lost as others pushed and pulled them every way. They tried looking for their brothers, crying out their names in the frantic space, but could no longer define anyone in the tumultuous crowd overwhelming them. 

By the time they were able to separate themself from the group, a building hum penetrated from above. Explosions descended around them as they became trapped by the blasts. Arms covered and crouched close to the ground, Y/n was helpless to the wither, and they stared in dread as the creature began to glow to attack once more. 

Before they met their final end, however, colors invaded the sky and erupted against the wither’s side. It roared in rage at the measly ambush and turned to find the source. Y/n was still frozen in the futile position, but was hoisted from behind and dragged up the small crater entrapping them. 

Technoblade let go of their weight once on solid ground again and stepped away immediately. Y/n, wheezing from the realization they could have died, turned to look up at their brother while still laying on the ground. Arms beneath them, they struggled to raise their head to him. 

“Why, Tech,” y/n exasperated, eyes begging for a justification for more destruction beyond that of their recent brother’s death. Tears fell in anguish of the devastation around them. “Just why?”

“Not everyone can be saved. Not everything is worth being saved.”

And if you were drowned at sea

I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe

“Come on Toms, stay with me now.” Pulling with all their might, y/n grappled the thin boy through the water as they fought to swim against the current in the rising dawn. As they crawled onto the sandy shores, the heavy weight of being completely soaked left them restless on the beach. Taking a moment to breathe, y/n gathered their strength before rushing to Tommy’s side.

“Come on, Tommy. You can’t do this to me now.” Y/n laid him completely flat and started to push his chest in rhythmic beats, shoving down as hard as they could to save him. 

He was already incredibly pale from the cold depths of the water, and y/n could only assume he had been in the water for some time before they arrived. 

Every so often they would glance to discern any movement or change but would go back to focusing on reviving their brother entirely. As more time passed and Tommy refused to move, Y/n grew frustrated and speed up their pace harshly, tears clouding their vision despite their resolution. “Please, Tommy. Please. I can’t lose another one of you. Not again.”

With a sudden twitch, Tommy jerked before coughing up water and trembling with the rush of air to his lungs. Y/n looked up to the green horizon and closed their eyes in relief, tears streaming down their cheeks before they reached down to hold the boy close. Gently bring him into their arms and caressing his long wet hair, Tommy continued to draw breaths with his arm hung limply around them. He clutched the fabric on their shoulder, whimpering in a small voice,

“Y/n? Are you really here this time?” Y/n squeezed him tighter.

“It’s really me, Toms. I’m here. And I’m never leaving you again.”

And if we hit on troubled water

I'll be the one to keep you warm and safe

“This is not a trial, Technoblade.” Quackity motioned to the anvil strung above the stage, beaming at the seething piglin through the bars of the cage. “This is an execution. We are going to kill you.” 

Hidden beneath the breath of night while under the effects of the invisible potion, y/n observed from the roof of a nearby house. Although they kept their distance from everyone in their family besides Tommy, y/n couldn’t ignore the apparent ‘Butcher Army’ when they passed through the forest where they were collecting wood, their brother strung behind them as if on a leash. 

Y/n glared at the immaturity of the young boys, despising the belief that more death will create peace in a land built on bloodshed. While their relationship with Technoblade was rough considering their last encounter, they couldn’t deny the fact that he had a right to hold his certain principles and acted out in aggression to the others’ mistreatment; though arguably to an extreme.

Their gaze shifted when the mercenary, Punz, announced his arrival with thrown snowballs and began spreading TNT as an apparent distraction. Deciding to aid in the diversion, y/n pulled arrows out of their quiver and aimed to target the boys when they tried to assault him. 

“Where the hell did that come from?!” Fundy screeched out in revelation after barely managing to dodge an incoming arrow to the leg. Despite all efforts, Quackity realized their intentions and ran to pull the level. As he let out a joyous shout, y/n dropped their bow in fear, eyes trained on the falling anvil before it was meant to strike and scrambled to their feet. To their astonishment and utter relief, a faint, green glow emitted once Technoblade was supposedly killed. The Blood God had escape death. What a surprise.

Y/n watched as Technoblade climbed swiftly out of the cage and followed a green figure mounted on his horse through a tunnel hidden beneath a stone hill. They knew from pass whispers and Tommy’s harsh words that it was the warrior, Dream, having had only seen the daunting smiling face in a blur during the war. They were aware of the torment the man had caused to their family, both in the war and in Tommy’s exile.

Sliding down the tile roof, y/n jumped off the building and maneuvered their way down, ignoring the stare of their imprisoned father on top of the nearby balcony as the potion’s effects started to fade. They noticed Quackity trace the foot steps of Technoblade’s hooves, and stalked behind him as he entered the small hole. Pausing before leaping in themself, y/n looked up to see Dream already staring down at them, arms crossed and in wait. 

He stared at them expectantly, which made y/n’s patience wear thin once hearing Quackity lowly state how he planned to kill Technoblade then and there. Narrowing their eyes in annoyance, y/n gave Dream a final glare and blocked off the entrance once entering. 

They pulled out their axe and treaded quietly down the tunnel before pausing behind the broken wall to an old vault full of chests. 

“—nd I don’t care how long it fucking takes me, or what I have to do to get you, Techno. I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“I just have on question, Quackity.” Technoblade paused as Quackity asked him to continue.

“Do you think you’re enough, to kill me? Even unarmed, with iron armor?” They both ever so slightly gripped their weapons tighter, stance shifted as they prepared to fight.

“You know what? Let’s fucking find out, you son of a bitch!” Their weapons clashed as they dodged the blow from one another. Quackity delivered each blow with blind determination while Technoblade played defense with each graceful side step. Eventually, Technoblade knocked his pickaxe into his face, Quackity yelping in pain and holding a hand to cover the wound. 

When turning his back to move further down the tunnel, Technoblade risked leaving himself vulnerable to the crazed butcher. Quackity stood despite his injury and tried to attack him from behind.

Y/n took the opportunity to run towards him, axe prepared to strike. Before Quackity could turn to defend himself, y/n swung the axe into his neck. Blood instantly pooled at the cut as he struggled to breathe, and y/n ripped their blade from his flesh. He fell to his knees while grasping helplessly at his wound, choking on his blood before falling to the side. 

While they had a distaste for violence, unlike their brother, y/n couldn’t excuse the attempted murder of their family by any means. 

Technoblade stared in reverence, eyes darting between Quackity’s slump figure and his sibling covered in an excessive amount of blood from the attack. Y/n stepped forward and grabbed a lead from their belt, having previously found it abandoned in the snow. No words were exchanged as they silently pulled Carl through the sewer system, blood casually staining the water as they walked through. Technoblade only spoke once they reach the surface.

“Pog.”

And we'll be carrying each other

Until we say goodbye on our dying day

“Are you alright, y/n?”

Broken sobs become shuddered breathes as y/n hears the voice of their late brother. They lifted their eyes from beneath their arms that held their legs together while pushed against the very corner of the room, their current position reminding Ghostbur how small anyone could look when upset. Ghostbur slightly frowned at their lack of response, floating closer to them to observe their tears, lighting the space slightly with a soft glow. 

“What’s wrong?” Despite the innocence behind his echoed voice, y/n couldn’t help the pain from hearing his concern. “Nothing that matters, Ghostbur. Nothing that anyone could fix anyway.”

Ghostbur didn’t like that response, refusing to believe that sadness could exist without a solution to bring an end to despair. He reached into his pocket, hands carefully holding some dye out towards y/n.

Y/n tilted their head in confusion, tears having stopped running but still present. “What is it?”

“It’s blue! Here, here, take some.” Ghostbur placed the colored substance into their cupped palms, explaining its significance with a gentle smile. “See, when someone is very angry or sad, the blue sucks away all your sadness and turns blue! And what you can do, is you can throw the blue away, and that’s all your sadness gone.”

Although strange and futile, y/n couldn’t help the smile form on their face from Ghostbur’s clarification. Ghostbur gasped excessively, causing y/n to chuckle lightly. “It worked! Do you feel better now, y/n? I have more blue if you need as well!” Pulling an incredible amount that began to pile on the floor in front of them, y/n giggled at the sight.

Y/n wiped their eyes with the back of their hand, breathing in and out to recollect themself. “Thank you, Ghostbur. Never change your wonderful self.” The ghost grinned brightly at that.

“Of course, Y/n! Never change your caring self either!”

Oh brother, we'll go deeper than the ink

Beneath the skin of our tattoos

“I have to ask, Y/n. Why choose them?” Y/n stood before Dream in their kitchen, the man having had shown up unannounced at their front door and began asking vague questions. 

“What do you mean?” Y/n was unnerved by his demeanor, never having held a conversation, let alone utter a word, with him before despite small, yet silent encounters. They refused to show discomfort, though they didn’t have a mask to cover every waver in their voice or their jaw visibly tighten.

“Oh, you know.”  He turned to walk around the small living space, hand skimming over a chest surface before continuing to speak ominously. “Time and time again, I’ve seen you run and fall to your knees for your so-called family. Yet as time continues on, I’ve seen them give you nothing in return.” He paused and faced them again. “What’s the point of saving something that does nothing but hold you down?”

Though we don't share the same blood

Y/n crossed their arms in defiance, finally understanding his intentions and glowered at his objective.

“You wouldn’t understand, Dream. Even if you tried.” He looked confused at their response, tilting his head slighting while his masked continued the same haunting smile. Y/n smirked.

“Your seen weakness gives me strength. I fight for everything because of them. Your lack of attachment leaves you nothing to gain.” Dream bent forward in mocking interest, though y/n knew better than to give in. “Is that so?”

“You tell me. Who will come running to your aid when your lies eventually catch up, and everyone realizes the things you’ve planned behind their backs?”

“I have my ways. Ways that insure I’ll have people on my side when I need.”

Y/n scowled before stepping forwards, leaning into his face. “Say whatever you need to say to comfort the idea of your downfall. I don’t care about you or your motives, leave my family alone or I will personally see to it you meet your expected end before its fated to happen.” Dream let out an amused breath in response. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise."

You're my brother and I love you that's the truth

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Guess it’s good brother dream brain rot time now that we’ve pretty much canonized phoenix Tommy in it. I must now do my proper due diligence. Adding in my two cents and furthering the spread of my brand, phoenix Tommy.

When Tommy is a little tiny thing Phil does everything in his power to try and keep it quiet that Tommy isn’t a regular avian hybrid, but a phoenix. Things like phoenixes, dragons, or other mythical avians are extremely rare mutations that happen seemingly without any reason but will often reoccur within the same bloodline more often than not. 

Phil is something mythical. Maybe a dragon, maybe a griffin, maybe even something a little less well known like the zhenniao, yatagarasu, or alicanto. Either way he’s something mythical, it runs in his blood. It ends up running in Tommy’s too. Phil is one of the few mythological avians who doesn’t hide his features because people are usually far too fearful of both him an Technoblade to do anything. Unfortunately, what people weren’t scared of was the idea of trying to kidnap a child.

There were attempts to steal away Wilbur when he was little. Before he started presenting and turned out to be just your regular avian. There were fewer attempts when it came to Tommy. There was unfortunately one attempt that ended up being successful, he was stolen from the cradle and subsequently lost in a skirmish when Techno and Phil caught up to the man who took Tommy. 

Dream found baby Tommy floating along in the river, figured the kid was probably abandoned since he’d heard of orphaned children being floated down rivers and never seen again, and subsequently took Tommy in. 

Everything was fine and okay for a couple years and Tommy was quickly accepted into the family. Unfortunately when Tommy turned five his traits started to come in and he nearly burned down the house. The family didn’t want to abandon Tommy but realizing he was a mythical avian was a problem to say the least. So Dream, having recently become an active admin, gathered up his things and left with Tommy. He didn’t blame his family for their worries but he wasn’t going to abandon his little brother either. Not when he’d found Tommy. Not when he’d been the one to practically raise Tommy. 

Dream and Tommy were very distrustful of strangers still for obvious reasons and Tommy was pretty much stuck wearing the mask in order to protect himself, but Dream did what he could. Dream didn’t originally wear a mask actually, he decided they should match as a way to make Tommy feel bad for always having to wear the mask when he didn’t want to. He found private places that were safe where Tommy could practice flying and stretch his wings since Dream was super concerned early on about them atrophying and never being able to properly carry Tommy. Sure, it was too dangerous for Tommy to actively go flying often, but Dream didn’t want to accidentally ruin Tommy’s chances of ever being able to fly. The most important facet of their relationship is that he wanted to protect Tommy but never cage him.

When Dream first took control of the Dream SMP it was originally so he could make it a safe space for himself and Tommy, only allowing his few friends who knew about Tommy and what he was to join, like Sapnap and George who have a super good relationship with both Dream and Tommy in this au. Dream is still super jumpy and protective of Tommy and Tommy trusts people a lot less, but Tommy also acts as something of an ambassador in Dream’s interpersonal relationships, keeping Dream from becoming too jumpy and letting them decay. Similarly Dream taught Tommy to be a lot more cautious of strangers and this Tommy is a heck of a lot stronger having grown up with a pvp legend like Dream. 

When other people started joining it was still a controlled enough environment that while cautious, Dream let Tommy “play” for lack of a better word. Three canon lives is a rule everywhere that everyone has to abide by, regardless of what admin you’re living under. The admin doesn’t get to decide what’s canon either, it’s something seemingly up to chance. Or maybe the gods. No one knows what makes being pushed off a cliff by your mortal enemy so different from falling off one by your own stupidity, but some people theorize it’s the intention of the action.

Obviously this isn’t a rule that applies to Tommy. They both know it, him and Dream. And here’s the thing. Some legends say that there are no draw backs to a phoenix dying. Others say that too many deaths too quickly will slowly harm the phoenix. Both of these are false. A phoenix needs deaths. Canon deaths. The same way that kids needs to be tossed in the air and spun around to help develop their brains as really little kids, a phoenix needs to die repeatedly for their brains and bodies to properly mature fully and in a healthy manner. It’s an actual necessity for them to die, in fact, too few canon deaths run the risk of a phoenix getting sick and dying permanently. 

So when new people join the Dream SMP, Dream doesn’t hesitate letting Tommy side against him. It’s an unspoken rule between them. Good brother Dream goes pretty similar to canon up until Pogtopia actually. Dream doesn’t hesitate to take those two canon lives and Tommy intentionally misses during their duel. He ends up with way more canon deaths than just two, and he keeps secret what they are from the rest of the SMP, saying the two times Dream killed him were the canon two. Each time he dies his magic gets a little stronger, his feathers taking on an even glossier coat. He still gets pissed at Eret after the betrayal because everyone else doesn’t have unlimited canon lives, but Dream shushes and reassures him that if anyone does die permanently then he’ll help Tommy bring them back.

Phoenixes are creatures tied to the frayed and broken bridge that crosses life and death. Just like they can’t die and have dominance over flames, another power of the phoenixes is that they’re uniquely skilled when it comes to necromancy. Real necromancy. Not the human equivalent that brings back soulless husks with a tendency for destruction and malevolence. A phoenix is the only creature that can bring a soul back from the dead in tact. Tommy knows this by merit of instinct, and did it only once before for the sake of Dream. Regular people know this by merit of books like the one Schlatt tries to trade Dream.

So Dream and Tommy mostly put on an act while the war is happening but then act all buddy buddy and like actual brothers off the battle fields which confuses everyone (besides the already aware George and Sapnap) and mildly upsets Wilbur, but everyone just kinda gets used to it.

Until Pogtopia. Because we need some kind of conflict I’m giving Schlatt a very special role. Schlatt was a hybrid who got captured by poachers as a child and sold into the hybrid slave trade. He was one of the lucky few who turned the tables and managed to earn his freedom, ultimately turning towards being a poacher himself. Schlatt comes to L'manberg and becomes president with the intention of selling every hybrid in the country, in the Dream SMP as a whole, to his traders. The reason he chose the Dream SMP specifically? Well, wouldn’t you know it, he’s heard rumors that apparently there’s a phoenix hiding around somewhere. Not to mention the Dream SMP is absolutely loaded with hybrids because of Dream’s rather public policy about hybrid tolerance (he isn’t a hybrid, but he knows the affect being a hybrid has had on Sapnap and he still fears for Tommy so he tries to make somewhere that maybe one day Tommy can be open about what he is.)

Schlatt can’t immediately tell it’s Tommy who’s the phoenix because Tommy himself is an even rarer variation of phoenix called a soul flame phoenix, which is why his eyes and wings are a soul fire blue. Schlatt came in expecting crimson and our boy is out here with wings that look like the place where the sky meets the sea. Schlatt even dismisses Tommy initially and starts investigating some of the people who look human or avians with orange and yellow feathers. This is also why Phil can’t immediately recognize Tommy when he joins the SMP. While he can hide them with magic, Tommy usually has his wings on display since the Dream SMP is designed to be a safe space for hybrids. This Dream doesn’t have a ban on flying (he thought about it, maybe setting aside specific areas where winged hybrids could exercise, but it was quickly scrapped via Tommy repeatedly throwing himself off cliffs and then remembering he wasn’t supposed to be flying, immediately letting himself drop and die. Some of those ‘accidents’ were even canon and Dream just gave up on the rule.)

For this AU, I imagine that Dream would be a bit more in tune with people and empathetic so he’d probably call in Techno and Phil for help when he sees Wilbur starting to take a dive. Both out of worry for his own younger brother who’s sticking by Wilbur and consideration for the fact Wilbur himself took something of an older brother role. Sure he was a little jealous, but he understand well enough that everyone who meets Tommy either falls into one of two categories. They hate the kid and want him dead or they want to be his older sibling who’d burn down the world if he asked them to. George and Sapnap can both attest to the fact there are only two types of people in this world when it comes to Tommy and people usually start as the first before slowly becoming the second. 

So Techno and Phil show up early which is really good because Schlatt finally reveals his true intentions and neither Techno nor Phil are very chill with them. I dunno how the reveal will go between them and Tommy yet. I don’t even know for Good Brother Dream if we’re having Techno be a family friend or older brother so hard to say.

Anyway, I think that’d probably be where the main plot kinda starts to kick off so I’ll stop there for now. If I go for too much longer I’ll just end up wanting to write it…

[dreamteamspace]

I have a writing idea this is all of ya’lls fault /lh

Tubbo and Tommy speak before the festival, finally adressing the elephant in the room: Schlatt. It’s time to pick a side.

Canon divergence.

---

“And I’m gonna get to hold a SPEECH!”

“That’s great Tubbo.” Tommy’s voice falls flat, walking quickly with a stiff back. Since they’ve reached the forest and are finally out of earshot, Tubbo’s been going non-stop.

“Schlatt put me in charge of the decorations, too. Do you think a game where you can dip yourself in water for refreshment is a good idea? Karl told me it might be a bit much.“

“Sure.” Tommy flatlines back, holding some branches out of the way to let Tubbo deeper into the undergrowth.

Tubbo goes quiet, watching their friend make way for them as they continue on deeper.

The silence between them is filled with the crunching of leaves beneath their feet and the rustling of the trees in the wind. Tubbo stares at Tommy’s hunched back as they follow, trying to imagine the storm that must be contained in the young teen right now. Tommy must be so cold in his t-shirt right now, with autumn right around the corner.

Tommy stops abruptly, and Tubbo almost runs into him.

Tommy turns around to face his smaller friend.

Tubbo expects Tommy to look angry, to get an earful of how bad Schlatt is and how terrible the festival is going to be. Internally, they’re ready to calm Tommy down and tell him it won’t be all that bad, and that they’ll make sure to send back the clothes Pogtopia needs for the winter, and how everything will work out-

but Tommy doesn’t look angry. He looks exhausted. Exhausted and worn down, conflicted, thin frame dressed too lightly for the weather.

Tommy places his hands on Tubbo’s shoulders reassuringly.

“Tubbo, be honest with me.”

“Y-yes?”

Tommy looks down to Tubbo’s green, fluffed jacket.

“Are you... happier?”

Tubbo looks at their friend, unsure what to feel.

“I...”

Tommy looks up at them, firm and determined, trying his best to show that he’s ready for whatever the answer is.

“Please just... be honest.”

Tubbo stares at him. They don’t like conflict. They don’t like seeing their best friend so broken, so cold, so thin-

“I’m... taken care of.“

“Is he... Is Schlatt... better than Wilbur?”

Tubbo can see the way Tommy had to ring the words out of his own mouth, force them out of his chest. There’s a bit of fear in his eyes that Tubbo hasn’t seen in years. Fear that everything they fought for, everything they believed-

Tubbo knows they have to be honest. Maybe, if they can convince Tommy...

“Well, I haven’t know him for very long, but... he’s... kindof nice. He trusts me with all these tasks and makes sure I have everything for them. He said I’m a really good builder.“

Tubbo grows quieter and quieter as he talks, and Tommy listens, taking in the information with a deep breath. He knows Wilbur never gave Tubbo the attention he should have, with how much effort Tubbo placed into everything he helped them with. Come to think of it, they all spent such a long time ringing for Wilbur’s attention, his appreciation, his goodwill, his trust, his respect.

Tommy and Tubbo look at eachother in silence for a moment.

Tommy lets go of Tubbo’s shoulders, taking his hands back as he rethinks everything he knows.

But there’s one thing he knows, more than anything: He’ll do anything to make sure Tubbo is happy.

And that happiness is at stake right now.

“Tubbo.”

“Yeah?”

“You know that... you coming here puts that at risk, right?”

“Well...”

“What if Schlatt finds out that you’ve been helping us? That you’ve been visiting Pogtopia, and giving us stuff? Information?” What if you’re forced to come back to Wilbur to endure the pain you left behind all over again? He can’t bring himself to say that last part, but it hangs in the space between them, thickening the air.

“Tommy...”

Tommy turns his head to the side to hide his hurt face expression. Tubbo deserves better than this. They deserve better than Wilbur.

“Tubbo, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to betray Schlatt for us.” He sounds far more confident than he sounds, trying to convince himself along the way.

He looks back at Tubbo, face softer. “We pulled you into this, but you... you deserve to be happy, okay?“ Tommy’s voice cracks at the last word, and Tubbo can feel the vulnerability of their friend almost like his own.

“Well what about you guys? I can’t just leave you!”

“Tubbo, listen to me. You should get to be happy, and we’ll figure this out somehow. You’re young, and-”

“You’re young too! You’re like, half a year older than me!”

Tommy’s face hardens. “I need to stay with Wilbur. He needs the stability. He needs somebody to stop him from doing something very, very stupid. Tubbo, Wilbur’s going crackers! If I don’t hold him back, he could ruin everything!”

Tubbo raises their voice in protest. “But- what about you?! Tommy, I’m not leaving you alone with this. Do you hear me! I’m not leaving you with... with Wilbur like that!”

Even when they get louder, Tubbo’s protests have something caring, something insistant. Tommy stares back at his friend, and Tubbo’s chest hurts at the water they can see in Tommy’s eyes.

Tubbo steps closer and takes Tommy’s hands, still suspended in the air, holding them tightly. “Tommy, I’m not leaving you alone on this.”

Tommy stares back at them, hurt and vulnerable.

Tubbo sighs, and lets go of his hands to hug their friend.

Tommy returns the hug, squeezing them tightly, face pressed into the warmer jacket. It’s so warm. The wind is so cold.

They stand like that for a while, standing out of earshot of Manburg and out of earshot of Pogtopia, somewhere in the forest, somewhere in the middle between both sides, suspended in their moment of comfort.

They part, and Tommy sees something unsure in Tubbo’s eyes. He stops, looking at his best friend.

“Tubbo?”

Tubbo clasps their hands together nervously. They take a deep breath before letting it out again. Now or never.

“Tommy, what if... you came to Manburg with me?“

Tommy blinks, unsure where this is going. “Wha- What do you mean?”

“Schlatt... okay, listen to me for a minute.”

Tubbo can see Tommy focus, eternally grateful for Tommy’s full attention. “Okay.”

“Schlatt... I don’t know if he’s better than Wilbur. I just know living in Manburg right now is better than living in that ravine. Schlatt doesn’t like Niki, and he exiled you, and he... he already knows, Tommy.” There’s some fear, some desperacy in Tubbo’s voice.

Tommy’s brain goes blank. “What do you mean?”

“He knows about my visits to Pogtopia. He knows. The festival is a test, Tommy.”

Tommy’s eyes grow wide, his voice quiet with disbelief. “What?”

“He wants to test my loyalty. He doesn’t know what, but he knows Wilbur has something planned for the festival, and he wants to see what I’ll do when that happens, and if I’ll try to stop it. If not, then...”

Tommy’s voice shakes ever so lightly. “Then what?”

“...I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be exiled too.”

Tommy’s hands clench into fists on instinct, anger and energy bubbeling up to the surface at the thought of somebody hurting Tubbo.

Tubbo sees their friend’s face expression, hurriedly cutting in, knowing it’s now or never. “But I have an idea. If we both just... go to Schlatt, and tell him we’re on his side, and save the festival, maybe he’ll trust us?“

Tubbo looks at their friend carefully, knowing the chances of that proposal sitting right with Tommy are not high.

“What?! But he’s- He’s no better than Wilbur!”

“I know, but even if we take him down... maybe we can do that from the inside. With Niki. And Fundy. And maybe Eret?”

Even through his anger-tinted glasses, it’s hard to miss the hope in Tubbo’s voice. They just want them all to work together again. To be together again. As a family.

Tommy freezes. He seems to think for a long moment. His voice is quiet, more mumbled to himself than anything. “We would save L’Manburg.”

“What?”

Tommy just shakes his head. L’Manburg wouldn’t be blown up. They’d have Niki again. Fundy is sure to still be on their side once they’re no longer with Wilbur, right? And Eret... anger still coils in his stomach at the thought. Maybe without Eret. Or they’d have to do something damned good to prove themself to them...

“...Tommy?”

Tommy zones back in, knowing deep down there aren’t many other options they could take. What if he can’t stop Wilbur from blowing everything up on his own?

“What about Wilbur?”

Tubbo talks quietly, choosing his words wisely. “I talked to Niki about that, and she told me... Wilbur is an adult. He... he lead the revolution, right? And we... have to take care of ourselves too.” Tubbo looks up at his friend, pleading him with their eyes. “This isn’t just about Wilbur, Tommy. A-and we’re,” Tubbo gulps, “we’re kids. Niki told me that... she doesn’t think we should be responsible for all this. We grew up in a war, and maybe... we need to catch up on some stuff before we’re all grown, and it’s too late, you know?”

Tommy’s shoulders sink, eyes wide and another wave of exhaustion washing over him. He rubs his face with his hands. He doesn’t want to go back to Wilbur. He doesn’t want to have to convince him to stay sane. He doesn’t want to have to listen to Wilbur tell him he’s never going to be in charge of anything.

He feels guilt, immesurable guilt even at just considering this. But if he doesn’t, and he fails, Tubbo will be with them in that ravine, stuck hiding along cold stone walls. Manburg, or what’s left of L’Manburg, will be no more. There will be nothing to fight for.

And he knows, as the only one who knows of Wilbur’s plan, that he’s the only one that can stop this from happening.

He takes his hands down, watching Tubbo patiently awaiting his answer.

His vision blurrs again as a cold wind grasps into his skin, making him shiver. He wants to eat Niki’s pastries again, and make wood swords with Tubbo to play with, and weave flower crowns and get to have his turn at discussions.

He’s tired of hiding. He’s tired of freezing. He’s tired of having to shed blood to get his point across.

He takes a half step towards Tubbo, and Tubbo wordlessly hugs him again.

Tommy blinks his vision back to being clear. He has to stop Wilbur, and he can’t do that on his own.

“Tubbo?”

“Yeah?”

“What if... he says no? A-and I’m still exiled?”

Tubbo pauses for a moment before answering confidently. “Then I’ll come with you. It’s both of us or neither.”

“You’re right.” Tommy squeezes Tubbo tighter, a fresh, new, raw resolve forming within. “It’s both of us or neither.“

---

[atlasfreak]

hell is hot from your mistakes

chapter two; Tumblr edition

The afterlife is a mess of time and space. Dream got the brunt end of that mess, of time, and bad luck follows Tommy even in death. Dream is mere seconds too late reviving him.

Tommy wakes up in a familiar, unfamiliar world in a familiar, unfamiliar body that looks so much like an old friend of his, and yet he remembers everything when really, he shouldn't His brother's voice guides him, the Nether is blistering heat and dust and his hands are hoofed.

ArchiveOfOurOwn link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30073104 or THIS

Life as a piglin isn't so bad. Tommy decided that a week or so ago.

He wakes up in their little cave. Tommy's brother will headbutt him until he gets up and plays - they chase each other around the netherrack. Sometime later the big piglin, their mother, cracks open her eyes with a tired rumble. It feels so childish, Tommy feels so childish, playing games with his brother while he knows that bad things are happening in the Overworld, in his home - that he messes around with a dumb piglin friend while Tubbo and Quackity and Sam Nook and Techno and the DreamSMP have to deal with his mess, his rivalry, his death.

Then his brother barrels into him, and he feels Dream's phantom fist in his face, and he gets up, and he runs faster.

Their mother watches with approval.

That's what she does when they play - she watches. She doesn't move, not even when Tommy is thrown too far and doesn't get up for a moment (not again not again not again I'm not going back there I don't want to die). Then she will leave them there, alone in a big red cave, and she will come back a few hours later with food. She'll watch, watch them eat, then watch them play, and then it's time to sleep and she will watch them sleep always standing guard, protecting.

Sometimes she takes them out into the forest, like the day Tommy woke up. They stick close to her side when she does.

It's not rare that, when she came back to them, she'd be bleeding. They know it's from the hoglins - Tommy remembers the bruises they left across his human body. Their mother always tried to hide the blood from their eyes, but they had seen it before. He was torn - part of himself chastises, a soldier never flinches at blood, and the other is yelling, screaming for mercy, but Dream never showed him mercy. Never.

His brother was equally as desensitized, but that's how it was as a Nether mob. Even a baby like him has seen horrors here.

Their mother brings back hoglin meat and leather and she sharpens her golden sword on a beastly tusk. It makes Tommy feel ever so slightly sick - the hoglins look like piglin brutes and Technoblade is a piglin brute and always, always the worry bubbles up that somehow, somehow Techno was killed. That Tommy will arrive in a very different DreamSMP than he knew, one with more spirits and less living, breathing bodies.

Mama piglin will notice him staring at his food oh-so-blankly. She'll nudge him with silent eyes. He shakes his head and he ignores his worst thoughts and he eats. It's usually raw and tough and chewy, but it's good. When they have a stroke of luck and hoglins step too close to lava or fire, they eat cooked pork. Very rarely does the piglin mother give them rotten flesh to eat and Tommy is glad, but god if he can't help but miss the carrots he was used to in the SMP, or the sweeter golden carrots Techno always gave him, or even the dusty potatoes of Pogtopia.

That's how it always was. He would let himself enjoy something, and then his brain would remind him of what he's seen and done and suffered, of what's waiting for him when he finally finds a way home.

(He wishes this could be home, but he was never meant for safety, he thinks. He has to go back.)

Wilbur always goes quiet when he declares that he will make it back to the DreamSMP, and yet he always whispers "I'm sorry, Tommy " when the once-human boy goes still, lost in thought, in reminiscence - when he misses what he had what feels like eons ago, but enjoys what he has now, here, in a red cave in a red forest in a red world, when he thinks it doesn't feel right, to miss a metaphorical hell but enjoy life here, in literal hell. Wilbur apologizes.

Tommy knows he's lucky. He's never been lucky before, but right now he's lucky, because- because his guardian is kind and skilled and strong. He's seen other piglins die; he's watch her kill them. And still she always brings them food, still they live as well as the Nether allows and it's all thanks to her strength. Without her, Tommy would be dead, and he knows it.

He's so very very lucky and yet he still misses his last life.

So Wilbur apologizes. Tommy doesn't know why, but part of him whispers If he hadn't come to the DreamSMP, you would still have every life. It's his fault. Of course he's apologizing. He decides that he'll never let Wilbur hear that voice

Tommy likes Wilbur now. He liked L'manburgian Wilbur and he hated Pogtopian Wilbur and he likes Ghost Wilbur and he hated Death Zone Wilbur and he likes Nether Wilbur.

Of course, he was nervous - nervous that Wilbur would go mad again, that he would put that final nail in the coffin, that Tommy would be stuck with the ghost of everything bad in Pogtopia murmuring into his ear. But Wilbur didn't - he hasn't. He's as sane as he was when they laughed together, when life was kind. Wilburs leaves when Tommy asks him to go, Wilbur jokes and he laughs and his voice is always fond now. Tommy can trust him, finally. He trusts here, somehow - despite everything, he trusts. He trusts his new mother and his new brother he trusts Wilbur. He trusts him more than he did by his right hand in a revolution built on drugs and blackstone walls, far more than he ever did as a bystander to madness in a desperate hideout, a ravine.

Wilbur Soot has been there always, through everything, but only now does Tommy trust him. Only now does Wilbur act like family does, like a brother should.

(Are they family now? Tommy hopes they are.)

One day he'll ask what happened in those long years Wilbur spent dead. How had he changed so much? But for now, he'll let Wilbur keep his secrets; he doesn't want this to be ruined.

But no matter. Tommy is grateful and he finally, finally trusts Wilbur.

Where is Wil, anyway?

Tommy lets his eyes flutter open. He glances up at the warm red roof. He's curled in on himself - he'd been ready to sleep. He waits for a quiet Tommy? or a groan from the voice in his ears, but Wilbur's gone, he's silent. Probably asleep. (Can you even sleep in the Afterlife? Tommy hadn't tried.)

He looks back down, eyes scanning the cave.

His piglin brother is snoring softly to his right, dead to the world like Technoblade always was when he slept. Tommy thinks about Techno a lot, thinks about how Techno must have done this, too; survived the Nether. He looks at his hoofed hands and he thinks of his old friend.

He's distracted again. Tommy shakes his head and turns to his left.

Mama piglin is laying there, in her spot, watching Tommy and his piglin brother. Her eyes never leave them as she licks a small, bloody gash on her shoulder, cleaning it almost like a cat. Tommy stares at the red as it drips down and stains her soft fur, and he only blinks when she presses hoglin hide to it, soaking up the rest of the crimson, waiting for it to scab. Her eyes are on him purely now, curious.

Tommy moves to lay his head back on the ground. He and his piglin brother sleep on a little patch of soft soul soil, his mother by the entrance but just out of sight of the outside. Wilbur's voice always comes from the right of him, by where the other piglin sleeps. It's cozy; it's nice.

She tilts her head as he shifts, squeaking at him. He still can't quite talk like them - he's got a piglin's body and his human memories and thoughts and those memories and thoughts are wired for English. But he understands what she says.

"Are you ok?"

Tommy grumbles back. She gets up and sniffs at his head, like she always does. Checking that he's ok.

"I fuckin'- I miss my home," he tells her. His English is improving, and he's excited to use it on a person, a player. But for now, he uses it at a piglin; a piglin who doesn't understand. She's used to it by now, her odd son. She's used to his odd speaking and his odd movement and his odd thinking and she still protects him with her life. Still, it's typically tough love, with her. She would sacrifice herself for them, yes, but she so rarely lets them curl up to her.

Right now, though? She lays her head by Tommy's, puffing air at him and quietly murmuring comfort.

"I miss the fuckin' SMP. I want to go back home, but I like it here with you, too. I don't know what I'm gonna fuckin' do."

She licks at his face with a worried warble. It's just a low grunt, and yet Tommy still understands.

"Sleep. Sleep! Worry is not good for piglets. Worry is not good for you!"

Tommy closes his eyes. "Ok. Ok, I'll- I'll sleep. On it. I'll sleep on it. Goodnight, piglin mother. Goodnight."

He hears her get up to go back to her spot, and while she doesn't understand his words, she understands his point.

She rumbles, almost purrs as she goes back to watching.

Tommy could practically hear her voice wish him "sweet dreams."

It's been two weeks since Tommy woke up with hooves; seventeen days, sixteen nights. He takes his mother's sword and cuts nicks in the wall for every day.

Piglins are odd mothers. More protective than anything Tommy's ever seen, and yet so relaxed about when their piglets live or die, whether they're safe or hurt.

Mama Piglin (as Wilbur has dubbed her) watches with an eagle's eye, but she lets him use the sword with little protest.

It's hard to count the days in the Nether. There's no sun to wake him up, and there's no moon to tell him to sleep. There's only his piglin brother to shake his shoulder, wake up, come play! and his piglin mother to croak at him, time for sleep. Wilbur has been telling him when an Overworld day is over and when an Overworld day has started.

Tommy will never admit it, but Wilbur has been his savior, his anchor in this red world. Someone who speaks like him and thinks like him and knows how he speaks and knows how he thinks. Wil's mellowed out, half the madness he had when he died, and he instructs and guides Tommy and god, most importantly, he keeps Tommy company.

And right now, Wilbur is keeping too much company.

I don't see why you want to go back. Wilbur grumbles. It's nice here. Just stay a Nether piglin, Tommy. You have Mama Piglin to keep you safe and Brother Piglin to play with. What's the DreamSMP got?

They're following Mama Piglin through the brush. Tommy fidgets with a red tendril he'd nicked hanging from a small tree while Wilbur's voice saves him from sheer boredom. "Well, it's got Tubbo," Tommy grumbles.

Wilbur sighs. His voice comes from somewhere behind Tommy. Didn't Tubbo exile you?

"Lads on tour, lads on tour," Tommy hums instead, staring at the ground. I'm not heavy enough to leave hoof tracks, he notes quietly. "Do you remember being Ghostbur, Wil?" You changed the subject, but yes. I still am Ghostbur, Wilbur mutters. How do you think I know when it's been a day?

"I dunno. Thought you like, counted."

Counted the seconds in a day?

"Seems like a you thing."

Mama Piglin pauses and Tommy nearly runs into her. She chirps quietly at him and Little Piglin as he appears on Tommy's left, then turns around.

"Stay," she's saying, Tommy decides. He sits. The other piglin glances at him and then copies. When she nods approvingly, Tommy sticks his tongue out at his brother.

Don't be rude, Tommy, Wilbur scolds as the piglin's ears flatten.

"'e's a prick."

So are you.

"Wh- hey!"

Watch Mama Piglin, Wilbur interrupts suddenly. His voice is rapt with excitement. She's gonna try and kill that hoglin.

Tommy glances around, intrigued. He catches the other piglin staring into the trees after their mother, so he follows its gaze. The big piglin is, in fact, creeping up on a grazing hoglin, golden sword unsheathed and held at her side. It's an awful beast, chewing on the red grass, facing away from Mama Piglin (Tommy and his brother, hiding in the thicket.)

"Nononono, wait." Tommy whips his head around, trying to peer through the trees aroudn them. "Wait, she's gonna get herself killed, Wilbur. Wilbur, Wilbur- Wilbur, don't hoglins come in groups?"

Wilbur is silent. Tommy is alone with his thoughts - his worries. "No, mama piglin! You're gonna die!" he screams in his painfully inhuman scream.

She glances over. Almost if understanding, her eyes are wide. Confused, almost fearful. She grumbles lowly, asking "Danger?"

The baby piglin beside him has wide eyes, as if he understood his English.

"Yes! Danger! Mama piglin, lots of danger! Lots of fuckin' danger!"

Tommy, shut up! Wilbur spits, almost frantic. Shut the fuck up! You're gonna alert the hog!

Too late.

The hoglin looks up as Tommy shuts his mouth, eyes wide. Mama piglin starts backing up slow, slowly. The hoglin looks around, searching for the source of the noise, and it locks eyes with her.

Her ears fall flat.

Oh, fuck. Wilbur whispers.

The hoglin rears with a bloodcurdling roar, slamming its front hooves into the ground. Tommy can't feel his legs; he's stapled to the ground, forced to watch the horrible swine as it grunts, as it charges.

The other baby piglin squeals as the hoglin slams its tusks into their mother - the impact sends her flying. The other child smacks at Tommy frantically - "GO! GO!" -and runs towards the hoglin.

"NO! NONONONONO! NO, COME BACK! YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! YOU'LL DIE! NO!" Tommy screams, pain lighting his throat ablaze.

Wilbur is deathly silent in his ears, but Tommy can hear his shaky breaths.

The hoglin roars as Tommy's piglin brother stumbles through the red grass. Tommy and Wilbur both know what awaits him there.

Tommy hears the thud of more hooves, and yet he still can't move. He feels panic shoot through every one of his veins like snow slush under wheels and he can't move. He feels like he's sitting beside himself, watching his hooves shake. They're alien to him - part of him knows that even if they were skin, not fur, he still wouldn't recognize them.

Wilbur's voice finally, finally cuts through the fuzziness.

THESEUS, RUN!

Tommy looks up. Soon there will be blood staining long hoglin tusks. Three more have arrived. His brother is screaming, and Tommy is broken out of his stupor as he feels himself get scruffed.

His mother - she's grabbed him, tugging him away. Her eyes shine with something distant, familiar.

It's grief.

They're leaving the other child behind.

"No, we can't!" Tommy shrieks. "No! Mama, we have to go back! We have to go get him!"

Deep down, he knows his piglin brother is already dead, crushed under dirty hog hooves. That doesn't stop him from sobbing as his mother holds him close, afraid to loosen her grip lest she lose a second son.

"Wilbur!" Tommy's voice shakes. "Wilbur! Wilbur?"

He's silent, and so is Tommy's piglin brother. There are no more heartwrenching screams, only sick silence. Tommy still feels the fear rushing through him as his mother runs, and Tommy knows if water could exist here, he would be crying harder than he had in a very long time.

Dry your tears. Soldiers don't cry.

(But he's not a soldier here, he's just a child. He's always been just a child.)

The cavern he's come to see as his home feels so fucking empty without his brother, and his ears feel so blank without Wilbur's voice, his gentle humming. Tommy hopes that he'd taken the piglin child to the afterlife, and he hopes even more that Wilbur will come back, that he won't be trapped in the dead zone. That he won't leave Tommy alone, so terribly fucking alone.

His mother doesn't place him in his spot on the soul soil today. She instead grabs him and draws him to lay by her side, and she's shaking. God, she's shaking like a leaf. She swallows her sadness down, lifts her head to shake away her pain and Tommy watches her in horror as she turns to him and she puts her effort into comforting him. Sniffing at his head as she always does, making sure he's still alive and well. Holding him close, so nothing will harm him. Reassuring him, reassuring herself. It.. it's nice, Tommy decides. If he has to be a baby piglin, he has a good mother, at least.

"Mama piglin?" he murmurs.

She doesn't respond.

He looks to his right, where his brothers used to sleep - both of them. His piglin brother and his human one - they always sat to his right. Whether soft fur or a quiet voice, they were always at his right.

"Wilbur?"

He doesn't respond.

Tommy sighs and lets his head fall. "Goodnight, mama piglin. Goodnight, Wilbur. Goodnight, Nether." His voice breaks.

"Goodnight, brother piglin."

When he dreams today, it's so much more real. So much more horrifyingly real.

He's back in the prison. His own body lays in a shaky ring of blood, looking broken as it felt to live in it. Dream is sitting against the wall, head tucked behind his knees, hidden behind his arms. He's not wearing his mask, and his knuckles bleed. Red stains the wall above his head as well. Tommy winces as it trickles down, into greasy blonde hair.

Funny. Even after dying, after being reborn as a stupid little pig, Dream still haunts his - well, dreams. Fitting. Tommy could almost laugh at the irony, but he doesn't. Tommy doesn't move at all, actually. He's standing in front of the lava, stock still. He doesn't think he could move if he wanted to; he feels like his feet are glued to the ground. He looks down, as though to check.

He takes a sharp breath. His eyes shoot up immediately, waiting for Dream to whip around and smile at him, waiting for the haunting "Tommy, welcome back!"

But no matter how long Tommy holds his breath, Dream doesn't react.

Tommy looks down again.

He doesn't have the little hooves he's used to, no soft fur. He notices now that there's no tail following him, and he's taller than he should be. Way taller.

He's human.

He's a ghost.

Tommy shakes his head. His hair flops around like his ears used to, and he hates it. Somehow, somehow, he misses being a piglin. There's no more fluff to cover up the bruises on his skin, and it's bittersweet. He doesn't like this.

The splash of water echoes in his ears. He glances up. Food is falling into the water pool at the edge of the cell. They're not raw potatoes, they're carrots.

"Hello, Sam," Dream murmurs, lifting his head out from behind his arms. "I still won't help you."

Immediately, Tommy knows he's missing something. He's an eavesdropper, listening to an old conversation he's new to.

Sam sighs. "It's not a bribe. I ran out of potatoes."

"You didn't."

"I did."

Silence stretches out before Dream yawns. He doesn't move to grab the food, just stares. "You ever gonna come get this?" he says, nodding at the body.

"They're for you."

"Not the carrots. Tommy."

Tommy jolts as Dream says his name, a spike of frantic anxiety, but Dream is glaring at his corpse. Not him, not his apparition, not his face.

"Dream," Tommy calls. Against all his better judgement - he has to know. "Dream?"

No piercing green gaze turns to bore into gray eyes. Feeling returns to Tommy's legs. Shakily, shakily, he creeps forward.

"Dream?"

He nudges his former cellmate - his hand passes through. But Dream jumps and looks around and Tommy's heart drops. Dream's eyes don't find him. He raises an eyebrow, turns away. Tommy sighs. He's safe. Dream can't touch him.

Dream is back to glaring at the carrots. "Sam?"

"Dream."

"So? Are you gonna come take his body, or..?"

"I-"

What are you doing, Theseus?

He nearly jumps out of his skin, Tommy's so startled. "Wilbur?"

Tommy! A grey hand pokes out from the wall. Ghostbur. You're not meant to be here, Tommy. Come with me! Dream can see me, we should go.

Tommy casts one last weary look at Dream, then he sighs and he shuts his eyes and he takes Wilbur's hand. Wilbur tugs.

When Tommy opens his eyes, his hands are hoofed and he sees red again. The red is comforting. Red has never been comforting before.

"Wilbur?"

Tommy! Good morning.

"I dreamt about you. And Dream. And Sam."

A pause. Oh, Tommy.

"I was- I was afraid," he whispers. He doesn't want to wake Mama Piglin, he really doesn't. "I was afraid Dream would see me, so fuckin' afraid."

Ignore it, Tommy. Wilbur's voice echoes in his ears. You weren't meant to see th- you're not meant to have nightmares here, it's safe. No Dream here. Ignore it. It'll only upset you. Ignore it. Go back to sleep.

"..okay," Tommy murmurs. "Ok, Wil."

...

"Wilbur?"

Theseus?

"Will you- nevermind."

No, it's ok. What is it?

"Uh- why don't you sing? I haven't heard you sing in awhile."

There's a moment of silence. Do y- do you want me to sing to you?

"No- no, I'm-"

Awww, Tommy! I'll sing to you, it's ok! Tommy!

Tommy grumbles, but Wilbur's voice drifts around, soft and sweet as ever. He can almost forget the thunder of hooves, the bubble of lava, the roar of explosives - all of it, he could almost forget as Wilbur hums.

Almost.

But when Tommy's eyes flutter closed and his breath evens out, Wilbur Soot frowns.

Somewhere across the map, there's a portal. Through that portal is a stone black room and stone black creeper eyes and a stone black cell and in that stone black cell, Dream could've sworn he felt a hand on his shoulder.

[anarchy-and-piglins]

Fireworks duo stuff for AUs where the sbi family dynamic includes Tubbo:

Given the opportunity, Techno could probably talk for hours about Tubbo and how smart he is.

He would also joke that Tubbo is his favourite brother whenever Tommy and/or Wilbur do one of their more unhinged bits.

When they're all really little, Technoblade is the designated person to nap on. When Wilbur joins naptime he usually does so with his guitar which means there isn't space to sleep on him. Technoblade will often either also nap, or just read while Tubbo sleeps on him and Tommy eventually curls up next to them but he tends to move around a lot in his sleep. This also means that Tubbo's head tends to be within reach when Techno needs to fidget so Tubbo wakes up from his naps with many tiny braids in his hair. (Tommy and Wilbur also recieve braids but like, fireworks duo)

Please also imagine Tubbo rolling up to Tech's like "look what I made" and he's come up with a crossbow that fires enderpearls or something. And he goes on a long explanation. And Techno follows it but could not tell you how it works. Something about blaze powder?

Tubbo having braids in his hair through most of the pogtopia arc and knowing exactly what the little braids in ranboo's hair means during new L'manburg but he doesn't have any himself anymore and later when he and techno have chance to reconcile (whether that's like canon and it's with tubbo moving to the commune after ranboo dies or we fuck with the timeline and have them figure stuff out much sooner) one of the first things Techno does is give Tubbo a little braid because he can't figure out how else to say he still loves Tubbo dearly.

Fireworks duo in sbi family dynamic is basically so important to me and there's hardly any of it out there.

Anon thank you I love these so much <3

The braid thing is going to live in my head rent free now. Techno braiding people’s hair as a non-verbal show of affection... That’s stellar. Philza has at least one at all times, during pogtopia the other members have some too. Tubbo and Techno like to sit together because then Tubbo can infodump while Techno listens and braids and both their neurodivergent brains can go brrrr

Tommy having a few braids from after exile, but taking them out at the green festival

Niki and Ranboo usually leaving the Syndicate meetings with a little braid each. Tubbo seeing that and knowing what it means and being glad at least Ranboo will be protected, will be safe in the commune

Tubbo getting his braids back after reconciliation and just like Phil being one of those people who has at least one in his hair constantly. Sometimes he just has to stop and touch it and feel it’s there; reassure himself things can finally be okay again for them