#the first option is ripe for angst but the second means I can push my drunznoblade agenda...

[bubble-popping]

techno walking dream around in a leash

everyone else: 👁👄👁

hello i am back with more questions :)

- does punz ever find dream? what about sam/quackity? - also, if punz does find him, and tries to convince dream to come back, what will be dream's reaction? - what about The Plan™ - does techno have lima sydrome? - what does dream's daily routine look like after the prison escape? - would techno make dream use the revive book on ranboo? what does niki think?

thank you for answering all my asks <3<3<3

Ah, hello again :D it's nice to see u in my inbox again :>

Answers under the cut, and yes it'd be quite the sight if anyone saw that (remembers the Dream shorts vid where Techno just had him on a leash for Some Reason...)

C!Punz does find him eventually, yes! They track c!Techno to the trophy room and wait for him to leave before breaking in. He's always been an excellent tracker and Techno starts to get a little complacent and less on edge since they haven't shown their face around since that initial visit. They get inside and it's clear neither he nor c!Dream are expecting what they see.

C!Quackity grows less concerned about Dream and the revive book as his main goal of reviving c!Schlatt quickly deteriorated into a simple lust for Dream's blood and suffering. C!Sam, on the other hand, grows much more concerned and looks day and night for him, at least for a while. Weeks pass and everyone is tired of looking, and soon enough so is Sam. The search party is basically called off and many people are left to their own devices. There's an air of the lingering threat that Dream may return, but people more or less get on with their lives. Especially Quackity, who's doing Big Things in Las Nevadas :)

Dream's reaction upon seeing Punz is great confusion, a little fear, and some relief and excitement. Techno said this place was completely safe and no one would find them. That was clearly a lie. But, it's Punz! Punz is his friend! His greatest ally! He's very happy, hugging them and smiling widely. Then, the fear bubbles up and he wonders what Techno would think. Probably not too happy.

And when Punz is insistent that they leave right that minute because this isn't a safe place, this is no better than the prison, Dream resolutely refutes. This place is much better than the prison! He gets good food, warm clothes, a comfy bed, and Techno loves him! Punz doesn't agree. He says they have to return to The Plan asap! Except, by then, as Dream has talked with Techno and explained why he did all he did, Techno poked a million different holes in his logic until he couldn't argue for it anymore. All The Plan got him was bruised and beaten and weak and alone. Techno was very convincing. Dream couldn't justify it anymore, the ends didn't justify the means anymore. Punz is... lost. They're unsure. They set it aside for a moment and instead emphasize that Dream is still very much trapped. He still has no real freedom. And doesn't he want to see his friends? Doesn't he want to get revenge? Dream... honestly hadn't thought about them all that much. He's been quite occupied. But Punz isn't taking no for an answer. Dream's at a critical crossroad. Should he leave and get back his freedom but risk losing everythimg he'd built with Techno? Or should he stay where he's found love and a home and comfort but then have to deal with his adamant ally?

So, had to look that up, but I think Lima Syndrome would describe Techno quite well! It would happen very gradually, but ultimately the connection would be surface level. Deep connections do not come easy to Techno. It took him centuries to be such good friends with Phil. Dream probably won't live long enough for their relationship to become a true, meaningful bond. He says he loves Dream, at first just to placate him because Dream certainly says it first. But then he thinks he means it. He's not really sure what that entails.

The first days in the trophy room are spent mostly exploring for him. Pushing at all the walls to search for any amount of give, though he finds none of course. There's little to do but eat, sleep, and write as Techno generously filled a chest with books and quills. Techno provided him with a lot more comforts than the prison ever had. It has working bathing appliances, a soft bed with blankets and pillows, and ways to cook the food in the storage. But, it's quiet. Quieter than the prison ever was. There's no one around, not until Techno returns. He also spends a lot of time thinking, about everything and nothing. Then, as Dream grows more and more attached to Techno as he's the only person he ever sees now, he does things that he thinks will make Techno happy, that will make him come by more often. He cooks food and takes up knitting (his first creations are... not great. His hands are shaky and his fingers have lost nearly all dexterity. Nonetheless, he tries his best) and just about anything for Techno's attention. To his credit, it works :)

Though the Syndicate did lose a member, Techno didn't think of him as all that valuable. However, things are Happening at Las Nevadas that Techno simply can't ignore, so he does get Dream to use the revive book. Niki, among others that Ranboo is close to, ask questions. Techno just shrugs. He has no idea why Dream would revive Ranboo of all people. Phil knows, he had agreed it was a good course of action, and ultimately was the one to convince Techno. Las Nevadas is getting more concerning with each passing day. They have to do something about it.

[mdhwrites]

i wanted to ask you about some legend of Korra stuff but I know you've said your not a worldbuilding guy so here's my toh ask instead: what is the appeal of camillip (Camilla and Philip)? I'm not asking as a belos hater (I mean I do hate him but more cause I find him un-intimidating- he's not exactly competent) but it's such a crackship. I'm not against it I support most ships so long as pedophilia/incest isn't involved but it's a very odd ship. Same goes for goldric but I actually didn't see as much of that ship like other people in the fandom at the time did. So why do you think people are so drawn to this ship? I know the villain x hero, enemies to lovers dynamic is popular and how there is that corruption vs innocence and bigot in love trope but most people remove Philip's villainy/bigotry? So why do you think people are so drawn to this ship?

So first: I can criticize worldbuilding, I will criticize TOH's after all, but it's just not my strongest suit, especially when it comes to my own fiction. The bigger issue with asking me about Korra stuff is just that I've only seen the first season when it was coming out, and like two episodes of the second, and went "Well, I like the slice of life stuff, didn't like the actual plot stuff and WOW this is bad now. Peace." It's also so long ago I can't actually give any real opinions of my own for something I found mostly forgettable.

Second: I would bet Philip and Camila as a ship actually has nothing to do with Philip being a villain. So a potentially awkward take I have about Belos is that part of why he may appeal to certain parts of the fandom is that, well... He's the only dude with confidence. He's the only one who might ever put his foot down. Everyone else is either too nice or submissive to have a proper backbone and there are going to be fans who strictly don't want that out of the male characters they play with. Belos gives that to someone for TOH and Camila can play against that in many ways. Either you lean into how subservient she is to her daughter's whims and have her second to him, or you have him and her push against each other as peers or you lean into the fact that both theoretically want to temper Luz into being a better human being but have very different ways to go about it, leading to its own push and pull. There's a lot of good, dynamic stuff there just by base personalities.

You also admittedly have another side of him: The Hunter side. Hunter is your edgelord, punk kid with a tragic backstory and as someone who has spent time with Belos enjoyers, one of the REALLY compelling parts about him to them is that he is arguably wronged in many of the same ways that Hunter is. Someone who was raised a certain way and was told by his family to believe in those ideals until suddenly he was betrayed out of nowhere and found himself alone. However, unlike Hunter, the cultural brainwashing actually, you know, was cultural brainwashing and he took the words to heart and committed terrible things because of it. Things he has now doubled down on for centuries as they are all he has to cling to.

That sort of backstory is RIPE for an "I can fix him" mentality and Camila is the perfect sort of character to do that. She is kind, has the patience of a saint, a firm moral code but also a perseverance which means she won't give up. Who better then to pull out the better man in him, the leader and visionary who made the Isles into frankly a damn near utopia besides his one law, than Camila? Mix that with the history he has with Luz, or general conflicts he could have with Luz, and this adds a lot of angst and stakes to anything to do with their relationship.

Camila is also admittedly the only non-squicky option for all of this with him really. I mean... As far as women who are legal go, you either need to age up characters, all of whom should hate his guts pretty vigorously, or you have Camila, Eda, Lilith, Evalyn, Terra, Dora the Explorer or whatever her name was, and Odalia. That's a lot of names... Not a lot of characters. Half of those people are people most of the fandom overlook or just don't really have a character. Odalia loses ALL of the points I talked about here because PURE EVIL according to the fandom and then Lilith and Eda both have big reasons to despise him with every fiber of their being AND they also don't really have the right attitudes to lead to a redeemed Belos, not as a main draw. Camila is the only one with the right storm of traits to tell more sympathetic sides of Belos with.

And that's okay. There's compelling stories to be had there and that's what fanfiction is all about. It is fun to dissect what romance tropes and the like are at play in a given ship though like this, so thank you for that and see you next tale.

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Funny enough: I don't think I've personally seen almost ANYTHING of this ship so all my analysis is just off the theoreticals I can see by my knowledge and instincts. Admittedly, I don't see a lot of TOH content in general nowadays.

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