#they are both the dream team and nightmare duo

[lizzy-bennet]

Clara and Twelve are just like: Why are you like this (derogatory)? Why are you like this (affectionate)? I’m going to murder you. I would kill in your name. We are two unsocialized, feral cats hissing at each other. We are tethered, every version of me in every lifetime has found you and died for you. I can’t stand you. I’d go to hell if you asked. Shut up! I’d rather die than forget our conversations. You’re a needy, game-playing, egomaniac control freak. My love for you is so powerful, it lives on as a melody in the back of your mind. You’re the worst of me. You’re the best of me. We can’t see eye to eye. I would unravel time and burn the universe for you. You’re annoying. I would die every day for 4.5 billion years just for a chance to see you again. 

[pokegalla]

I’ll be honest i haven’t done this in awhile but i hope you enjoy!

Requested by @neko-rose888

Skellies with an S/o kinda like Rapunzel!

Ink:

* At first he actually joked about you reminding him of Rapunzel. With the aloof personality, long hair, that glows when you…sing- wait a damn minute-

* Watch out for ink spewing out his mouth. He’d be so excited seeing such an incredible power. Can he touch your hair? Would it affect skeletons? Are you ACTUALLY Rapunzel-?! Aaand there he goes hurling again- And you being awkward but still kind self, you help him clean up, chuckling at his excitement. Kinda hard to ignore how adorable this little artist is.

* Soon you two end up hanging out a lot just to do a LOT of painting. And stars Ink LOVES your work. If this guy isn’t the reason you leave your tower, I call bullshit right now because he is FILLED with adventures of his own!

* Wouldn’t be surprised if he takes you with him to start your own adventure….with him by your side.

Dream:

* He wasn’t surprised that you had powers. He could…just sense it. He just didn’t know how it worked. He simply thought it was a beautiful power of yours.

* Though despite your abilities, he wants to make sure you will never be forced or ever feel obligated to use your abilities. Especially considering your past. It’s your ability and it’s your choice to use it. But he WOULD feel proud if you use it for healing others. And even feel more special if you heal him too. You fretting over him is so sweet.

* He loves to show you around new places just to see you smile, your positivity shining both in and out. Like a literal sun…it’s so warm and nice to be around. He ends up teaching you how to make flower crowns on a walk in the forest. It was worth seeing your smile beam.

* Literally just two beans with a dash of trauma- you both find peace within each other✨

Blue:

* He probably bumped into you by accident and didn’t realize you were the princess….and when he did, he apologized PROFUSELY- he’s a KNIGHT in training for damn sake and he’s already being a klutz? TO THE PRINCESS OF ALL PEOPLE-

* Luckily for him you don’t find it to be a big deal and quickly tell him it’s fine. You both excitedly introduce yourselves and soon you two become a fun energetic duo.

* Taking you on horse rides, treating you like a lady, you teaching him how to cake (so he doesn’t explode the kitchen again-), and teaching you how to defend yourself. Frying pan wasn’t a weapon he expected but respectfully cool as you show off its power✨

* He vows to be your loyal knight and will always protect you no matter what!

Nightmare:

* He’s definitely heard about you because of your ability and studied about the wither and decay spell? Now THAT can be a very useful weapon! So he sends his team to get you! ….which was easier said than done.

* He knew his idiots were…well stupid but it’s just ONE girl. It can’t be THAT hard. So he goes himself….and finds himself tangled up in your hair, almost getting whacked by a frying pan. He turned into a puddle to escape both your trap and frying pan skills before picking you up with a tendril and taking you away, complaining about the hair you left on him (even though he left goop ALL over your hair- 😑)

* After that you pretty much became swift friends with his team as you hang out with them, heal them, bake cookies, and your bright smile makes them happy. That positivity annoyed Nightmare so much. But…whenever you bring him a black coffee and give him that same bright smile….he can’t help the feeling of warmth deep inside his own soul.

* He may be cold at times but you’re definitely safe around him. Would give you princess treatment….even if he’ll never admit it.

Outer:

* Might be a bit of a unique meeting but I bet you two met under a starry night sky, looking up at the stars together before he starts up a chat with you. Probably a little space pun that goes right over your head making him laugh instead-

* He was pretty chill about your hair although a little surprised at first. He liked showing you his abilities too. It was funny seeing your ecstatic reaction. But he was interested when you one day mentioned the lanterns from your home. He’s never tried something like that before….

* So hell YES you take him to the lantern thing! You even got lanterns for just the two of you to float together. He was in awe seeing your lanterns twirling together to join the VAST other lanterns mixing in with the starry sky. It was…like the city had come to life….and you being here with him made it all the more special.

* That day you gave him a painting you made of the moment just for him to take home. He still has it in his room, on the wall presented proudly✨

Reaper:

* He only visited because there was some odd decay in the area….and he witnessed your wither and decay ability. Definitely….surprising. Hell it was like his death touch. He was the one to snap you out of the trance thankfully. You go to hug him to thank him much to his scare- but….you didn’t die? Huh? But you ARE human so how-? He chuckled though once you realized you’ve literally hugged death-💦

* He took you with him to study up together about how this came to be and it seems the flower you’ve consumed is more powerful then you expected. Even saved you from his own death touch. Fancy that. He ended up sticking around out of pure curiosity. Plus….its rare to have someone he’s able to be around without needing to be cautious…

* Buuut wow you were accident AND trouble prone- seriously how have you SURVIVED this long in life?! Got the poor guy stressed with how much you got him watching over you- but you make it worth it….you always give him headpats and promise him cuddles and cookies. Can he really stay this upset seeing that cute face?✨

* He went from god of death to a sweet loving guardian angel. You simply just had that effect on him!

[kamotecue]

a spooky nightmare ★ k. mccabe

pairing: katie mccabe x fem!reader

summary: you had a spooky nightmare, so you get comforted by your lover.

the shared bedroom was quiet, you would occasionally hear the soft sounds of the pages of a book being flipped, but you weren't really awake - in fact, the recent training had exhausted you. you swiftly walked to the room, collapsing into the bed not minding the soft yet wide smile that was seen on your lover's face. it's been a year since you've been dating the irish captain, the love story began on the football pitch - you with your precise passes and strategtic moves made you a force to be reckoned with - something that caught her eye, as she met her fair share of talented, world class players.

jessie fleming, your national teammate had teased you, as you fumbled over your words - since you had freshly graduated from ucla, jessie was the one to take you under her wing, despite being the shyest player on the team. but that was when everyone who knew you, knew that things would change - together, you both formed a dynamic duo, not just on the pitch but also in your hearts.

the connection was instant in a way, a spark that ignited a love that transcended borders and time zones, you played for a different league - the spanish league was definitely a challenge, having to join real madrid. yet despite the distance between the two lovers, katie and you had found ways to nurture the relationship, often traveling thousands of miles just to be in each other's arms or sacrificing your sleep schedule just to have a simple yet comforting call.

yet one night, as you laid sleeping in your shared bed, katie who sat by your side, engrossed in a book (that was yours) - what was it that fans called you? a booktok girl, someone who'd definitely is a fan of books, the books in this apartment were nothing compared to your mini library in your madrid apartment. the soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the room, casting a warm light on your peaceful face.

katie took a long glance at you, admiring your beauty, the feeling that never faded no matter how many times she looked at you - looking at you was definitely one of her favorite things, but she loved being with you the most. yet her eyes were brought away from the book, as your peaceful slumber was interrupted by a sharp gasp. sitting up abruptly, you placed a hand on your chest - it was heaving as if you had been running for miles. katie immediately placed her (your) book aside and reached out to you, concern etched on her face.

"what's wrong, puddin?" your lover's voice was as soft as ever, despite being known to get carded during a match - katie mccard, the arsenal fans would tease. her voice was laced with worry, as your breathing was ragged as you tried to calm yourself.

"i had this silly nightmare" you managed to say, your voice trembling a little bit.

"do you want to talk about it?" katie wrapped her arms around you, pulling you closer to her as you placed your head on her chest - listening to her heartbeat, trying to calm yourself down.

you nodded, as your voice barely above a whisper. you recounted the dream, a terrifying vision of being trapped in a dark, suffocating space, with no way out. in your dream, youwas back on the field, but this time, every move you made was met with failure and disappointment.

"it was so real, love," you said, your voice filled with fear. "i felt like i was drowning, like i couldn't breathe."

katie hummed, listened intently, her heart breaking for her beloved. she knew how much football meant to you (as she also played), how deeply it was ingrained in your identity. to have such a nightmare was truly unsettling.

"shh, it's okay, puddin," katie murmured, gently stroking your hair. "you're safe now. it was just a dream."

together, they sat in the silence of the night, katie providing comfort and reassurance to you. as the first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains, you felt a sense of relief wash over her, knowing that katie was there to chase away the shadows of your nightmares.

[goldenseresinretriever]

You Catch More Bees With Honey: Prologue

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: Bradley Bradshaw, blindsided by a team he trusted like family has been traded to the San Diego Dogfighters. Across the country from the place he calls home, Bradley feels lost and betrayed. Not to mention the familiar faces and ghosts from his past that he now has to face every day at work. Bradley’s caught between wanting to show his former team the mistake they made in double-crossing him and wondering if it’s time to hang up his skates after one final season. You’re living your dream as the PR representative for the Dogfighters. When Coach Maverick made a bid to bring his godson to the team, you hadn’t batted an eye. Bradley was a good teammate, and a good player. Unfortunately, the Bradley that shows up in San Diego is nothing like your research suggested. He’s moody, irritable, aggressive, and angry, throwing a wrench in all your careful planning. What’s caused such a drastic change in him? And can you figure out how to help him before he makes a mistake you can’t fix?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, dead parents, drunkenness, alcohol consumption, violence, sports violence, blood probably, angst, fluff, eventual smut, age gap (28 and 38), enemies to lovers, suggestive language, hockey inaccuracies etc. There will be individual chapter warnings. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 1.2k

A/N: This is a repost of my completed series, You Catch More Bees With Honey. It was originally posted in November-March 2023, and was lost when my blog was deleted.

Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

“Bradley Bradshaw.” You zone back into the conversation as Maverick offers his suggestion. You sneak a glance at the clock on the wall. Your bones are aching from sitting pin-straight for the last four hours. It’s been thirty minutes since you’ve been actively present in the conversation with the three grown men sitting at the conference table with you. At the head of the table is Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the owner of the newly formed San Diego Dogfighters. At age 64, he’s aged gracefully since his glory days playing for the Boston Bruins and later, more famously, for the Anaheim Ducks, but not quite as gracefully as the man seated across from him. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell somehow still has the aura of pure charisma that he oozed through his lengthy, thirty-one-year hockey career. After an infamous stint with the Philadelphia Flyers in the eighties, he went on to play for the Anaheim Ducks for a whopping twenty-five years alongside both Iceman and the man sitting next to him. Beau “Cyclone” Simpson’s hockey career both on paper and in practice shows off his intense desire to be the next Iceman, but he seems to have fallen short. He followed Kazansky’s footsteps from Boston to Anaheim, taking a brief detour in Dallas on the way. And yet here he sits, the general manager for the Dogfighters.

The three of you are going through potential players who could be recruited, drafted, or traded for to create the roster for the new team. As the team’s PR representative, you don’t have much of a reason to be here but you’ve made yourself useful. One of your specialties is keeping meticulous records of the pasts and presents of your players and that means you run a killer background check. You’re here to evaluate the potential players based on their personal lives. Nobody wants to hire a PR nightmare, especially when you’re a new franchise.

This extracurricular project isn’t without its perks, however, just an hour ago you pitched the defensive duo of rookie Mickey Garcia and seasoned veteran Reuben Fitch currently signed with the New Jersey Devils. Mickey and you have been friends since you met in college at the University of Wisconsin. Ever since Mickey got drafted to the Devils, you’ve been doing your best at maintaining your friendship long-distance, so when you got a job with the Dogfighters, Mickey was your first call, and after several lengthy conversations, he and Reuben agreed to you offering them as a potential trade prospect. You’d presented your meticulously rehearsed pitch to the three men at this table and they’d agreed that the duo would make a good addition to the Dogfighters.

After your pitch, you’d let yourself relax mentally. It wouldn’t do you any good to relax physically in front of your bosses. You’ve already clocked the looks Cyclone’s been giving you since you showed up on your first day in one of your signature pastel suits. Today you’re wearing one of your personal favorites, a baby pink number. You needed the extra burst of confidence that it always gives you. You know what it takes to be a woman in this business but that doesn’t mean you have to become a man. You flaunt your femininity as much as you pride yourself in your poised and polished appearance. Your suits are colorful enough to draw attention to yourself, but not indecent enough to make that attention bad. You stand out and you’re proud to do so. Men may command the room with their deep voices and raging testosterone tantrums, but you can command one just as well without even speaking a word. Curious attention is still attention and that’s what matters most.

“Bradley Bradshaw? From Philadelphia?” Cyclone sounds dubious as he muses over Maverick’s pick. Then again, he tends to sound dubious whenever it comes to Maverick generally. “He’s getting a little old, isn’t he?” His eyes flick to you, prompting you silently. Your perfectly manicured fingers fly across the keyboard as you speak up.

“Bradley Bradshaw, left winger for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was scouted by them straight out of college, and has been playing for them and their AHL affiliate for a total of sixteen years.”

“He’s never played for any other teams?” Cyclone says, raising an eyebrow. He’s right to be surprised, it’s unusual for any one player to stay with a franchise for so long, let alone their first one. Sure, both Ice and Maverick played for the Ducks for over a decade but they signed to other teams first. They established themselves before they established a home.

“His father, Nick Bradshaw played the same position for the Flyers from 1984 to 1986.” You rattle off as your eyes scan the various articles you have pulled up. “At the same time as Maverick,” your eyes flick up from your screen to where Maverick is shifting uncomfortably.

“You played with his old man?” It’s a statement phrased like a question. Cyclone’s piercing green eyes join yours on Maverick.

“I did. Bradley’s my godson, actually.” You can’t stop your eyebrows from raising at that. That particular tidbit wasn’t in any of the articles you’ve been skimming. You want to scoff at how easily Maverick offers up the information. He’s making his intentions clear from the get-go. This is personal for him. You’d kept your cards as close to your chest as you could when you’d pitched Mickey and Reuben. To make it personal was to tank the pitch in your eyes. You were here to be objective and offer objective suggestions for the team. You wait for Cyclone or Ice to chastise Maverick and when neither of them moves to do so, you feel your brow twitch with irritation. The privilege of being a man. Men are rational, and even an emotional decision is still more reasonable than the most rational statement a woman can make.

“Zam, what else do you have on Bradshaw?” Zam, your nickname, is short for Zamboni. You were given it during your first experience with managing public relations for your college’s hockey team. Your job, much like that of a Zamboni, is to smooth things over, both on and off the ice.

“He’s squeaky clean, sir.” Your eyes are back on the busy screen of your laptop, fingers flying across the keys. “He’s known as an enforcer on the ice, but doesn’t seem to be prone to any kind of violence or erratic behavior off the ice. He’s a team player, and his teammates have nothing but good things to say about him.” You rattle off his stats next, projecting them onto the screen at the head of the table. Other than his age being on the older side, as Cyclone had noted, he isn’t the worst pick in the world by a long shot. You know the importance of having senior members on a team, they form pillars for the rookies to build around and Bradley is the model pillar player. He’s well-rounded and the perfect balance between being well-known, and not an outright celebrity. Bradley Bradshaw is an ideal choice for the Dogfighters.

“Alright Maverick, we’ll give the Flyers a call about Bradshaw first thing tomorrow.” And with that, Bradley Bradshaw is halfway to the San Diego.

[pmdaumountainluxio]

Mountain Luxio: Chapter 4

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Having awakened from a burning nightmare, Louise was once more met with Iago, the Floragato from before, who has since split from his team to keep an eye on her while she slumbered. The feline duo set forth towards Camp 1, through the trail Louise is certain to have trodden in her dream. Along the way, the ruins of the fallen Skyreachers Guild unveils itself in its most forlorn form...

Everything feels fine...

Reaching Camp 1 however... a keen Pelipper arrives, and hands over, a letter? What could it be?

And with that, Chapter 4 finally begins today! My apologies for once more posting this chapter too late. I... just ran into the same issue last year with page shortage and things like setting up the Ask MtLu in both Tumblr and Discord.

Uploads will go similarly, once per week. Though the upcoming December, aka MtLu's 2nd Anniversary + Christmas, we will have something special in the works for you.

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[Main Cover] [Previous] [Next]

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You can follow the comic series in the ff:

[Comicfury] [Ko-fi] [Patreon] [Itaku]

You can also leave a tip / support in Ko-fi and Patreon.

Mountain Luxio is a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers AU comic series inspired by the game Celeste. Pokémon and Celeste: (c) respective owners.

Comic drawn by me. Do not repost elsewhere, alter or copy.

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

The Bird And The Man

Chapter Three

Rated: Explicit | Warnings: nightmare, anxiety

Ao3

Chapter Two | Chapter Four

Lakeside Village, the place is chiller than normal as winter settles here too, the crashing of the waves hard against the shore. The echoing sounds of the ciphering before it short circuits as a code is mistyped. The racing of a heartbeat in your chest rings in your ears now as you run and vault through a window to escape the location now compromised.

It's strange. You have had nightmares before about these matches though Lady Nightingale has yet to put you in a real match, you have been shown in a lot of tutorial matches. She claims it is to both prepare and study you. Lady Nightingale uses memories of group one's match and having you participate as a replacement for one of them. ‘Lucky Guy’ would assist in explaining rules and strategies, nothing more as Lady Nightingale limits his interactions with her ‘guests’.

None of your nightmares felt this vivid! Everything you did— Wait, this is not you. The music box you set on the ground, a low beat, says it all. Why are you dreaming about Dancer? 

Dancer, Margaretha, twirled herself away from Ripper. You felt it all through her eyes, ears, and body— It was like you were physically there.

The match goes on, and Ripper is fixated on her/you for most of the match, especially after all the ciphers are completed.

You woke up only when she had been chaired after Ripper used Detection on her. Go for the tie, she shouted at her teams. They did and the rush of a rocket chair launching in the air before the explosion jerked you awake immediately.

Now you lay here in bed, eyes fixated on the ceiling above as your heart settles from the shock of fear, silently you count from ten to one before taking a deep breath in then letting it out slowly. The pain lingers for a bit but you are able to sit up finally, carefully as your head spins from the rush of the rocket rollercoaster seat of death (not permanent at least). You a small stretch and turn your head towards the clock Luca gifted you, the clock next to it reads ten minutes after three o'clock, meaning you once again overslept! Not your fault you are a night owl who stays up late because inspiration hits you at two in the morning.

Yet, you do not remember going to sleep or getting into bed at some point in the night. Hell, you were unable to sleep because you were thinking bout how Nightmare had shown his feelings for you (something that makes you smile right now and touch your lips). After dinner you did feel energetic, but nothing that made you suspicious. With a sigh, you figure this going to put on the growing list of strange things to happen in his house of horrors. You get ready, as usual, and go to the empty dining room where a beautiful breakfast awaits you (food you could never afford if you were living back in the boarding house). The wind is howling as a blizzard is likely to come soon.

After breakfast, you decided to explore the manor a bit more to see where is everyone and just to wander a bit.

You figure to start in the foyer where you see Naib and Norton looking at something, probably the statue of one of the muses is the spot where all the matches scheduled are displayed, and those parts of it (never the hunters though for it is a surprise).

“Good afternoon!” Seeing the two men standing, “Any matches?” Speaking from above as you wave at them. The prospector gives a small wave but his eyes are on the writing on the small table, the mercenary looks up before speaking.

“Not for today,” Naib speaks up as Norton is frowning reading the list, “Though it seems you have a match soon.”

You quickly walk downstairs to see what the list says.

Your first match is a duo match.

“Throwing you into the fire, writer,” Norton says with concern. Duo matches are indeed a lot different than the usual single hunter-hunting survivors. Plus, you have heard the way some combos of hunters are terrifying to go against.

“Shit.” Is all you can say is, “Norton, any advice?”  Figuring to ask, to seek maybe advice to help you.

There is no amount of advice that can prepare you for the real thing.

The duo match happened approximately at four-thirty in the evening. You have been a nervous wreck all day picking both Naib and Norton’s brains all day, yet in the end, it is ultimately up to you to figure out what to do. At the dining table, you sit in the middle staring at the cloth trying to figure out what exactly you are supposed to do. This is some twisted ‘last supper’ looking set up and you frankly hate how the tablecloth looks stained with blood (it is red wine).

“May I switch with you, Ms. Emma?” The voice you recognize draws you out of the inner crisis, “Thank you.” Now the Novelist sits next to you as he places his book on the table, “You appear nervous.”

“Ha, don’t need to be a detective to notice that.” Laughing with a very low amount of humor in it, “I fear I might be the first one to be chaired.”

“Have faith in yourself, Hypons. We all have had our share of bad matches and are new to this twisted game.”

You nod, “Maybe so.” You both turn to see a butler come to the table with a silver platter in hand, “Huh?” They set it on the table in front of you.

“A gift from the Lady of the Manor. She wishes you a good game.” Lifting the cover to reveal a quill. Silver-tipped quill with a raven’s feather. You stare at it with Orpehus. Picking it up to not take up the butler’s time as he takes the tray and leaves.

“What’s that?” Asks the Gardner from two seats away from you.

“A quill.” Examining it then taping the time before reacting with a small ‘ow’. “A sharp one.”

“Perhaps you could stab a hunter.” Says Enchantress who sits next to you.

Orpheus is quiet as he looks over the strange quill that has an aura similar to his book. The whispers of words he could never understand yet can see clearly after using his ability on a hunter.

The match will begin in ten seconds.

The voice of the Lay Nightingale rings in your ears.

“Good luck,” Emma shouts to you. “Find me if you can!” Partnering is said to be a good idea for those new to the game.

You give a thumbs up.

[asukamood]

Surprised Invited (Christmas Special)

***

Merry Christmas everyone!

I kind of did Dreamberry dirty last year at Halloween so I think they deserve some kind of closure this Christmas so have some fluff!

Enjoy your reading!

***

Warnings: Hurt comfort, self-blaming, strong language, brief mention of violence... what else is there actually?

Ships: Kolour and Dreamberry

Synopsis: “Killer, Dust and Horror, while excellent warriors, are but a little obstacle to get through.” He put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow. “Do you see me weak enough to be defeated by them?”

“Of course not!” Blue shot up, almost offended that Dream thought he was underestimating him. “It’s just... wouldn’t it be better if you were to spend Christmas with Papyrus and me?” The idea was so sudden and unexpected that it left Dream speechless, eyes wide.

***

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go back home for Christmas?” Blue asked, a worried frown on his face as he stared at the usual polite smile on Dream’s features. That smile never let anyone know what was actually happening in that head of his but today, it only seemed to underline the idea that something was wrong.

However, the other did not seem to want to talk about it, preferring to nod. “I am certain. You know, way before you and Ink came to my aid, I was perfectly capable of holding my own against Nightmare, so you really have no reason to worry.”

“But now he has a team...” He tried to protest but Dream shook his head before he could further comment on his train of thoughts.

“Killer, Dust and Horror, while excellent warriors, are but a little obstacle to get through.” He put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow. “Do you see me weak enough to be defeated by them?”

“Of course not!” Blue shot up, almost offended that Dream thought he was underestimating him. “It’s just... wouldn’t it be better if you were to spend Christmas with Papyrus and me?” The idea was so sudden and unexpected that it left Dream speechless, eyes wide.

Seeing that he was not going to react to his speech yet, Blue kept talking. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind! Besides, you really do need a break and--” Dream held up a hand while the other was used to rest his forehead. Blue closed his mouth, waiting for his answer.

“... I appreciate the thought.” He began, sighing. “However, I believe it would not be wise to proceed that way. I need to travel a lot to avoid Nightmare finding me and staying in one place for an entire day is dangerous for both the universe itself and its inhabitants. You would not want to put your peers in danger, would you?”

Blue lowered his head. “Well, no.”

“Besides, Christmas is a time to reunite with your family so you really shouldn’t let anyone intrude on that.” He smiled sadly. “After all, you never know when they could be gone or when the next time you’ll have the opportunity to see them again is.”

Blue’s frown deepened as he stood up straight again. “Dream...”

The other patted him on the head. “I appreciate the concern but again, there is no need to worry. I have long since accepted things could not always go in the way I want it to.”

‘It never does.’ Blue wanted to retort but he held himself back.

Dream retracted his hand and that’s when Blue had an idea, he apologized to the other in his head as a wide smile spread on his face. “Then, would it bother you if I were to go back when the party would begin?”

Dream, clueless about the plan Blue just made up, only tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Would it not be better if you were to go back earlier? I heard mortals had a lot to prepare before--”

For once, Blue was the one who cut him off. “I still haven’t bought him a gift and they sell better items around the multiverse than in my world. Besides, I want to wish you merry Christmas too, is that a problem?”

“...” Dream looked away. “Not quite no.”

His smile widened. “In this case, I’ll speak to you again in a few days!”

***

The 24th of December finally turned up.

As discussed, the duo met up again on this fateful day. They both bid each other goodbye as Dream opened a portal to Blue’s home, after this, they would not see each other again for a good moment.

Or so, that is what Dream thought.

Just as Blue turned to the golden rift and was about to step into it, he suddenly pointed to a place behind Dream. “Look out, Nightmare!”

Obviously, hearing that, the other turned around quickly, summoning his weapon at record speed, and already charging an arrow as he questioned how he had not felt the other’s aura yet.

However, there was no one when he turned around. He made a noise of confusion.

“Blue, there isn’t-” The next thing he knew, the latter had grabbed him by the wrist and jumped into the portal, him being dragged into it by default.

***

Blue landed on the snow with a soft crunch, almost gracefully, while Dream tumbled out of the portal and missed faceplanting into the snow by a single step. Dream had placed the portal in a remotely deserted area to avoid causing suspicion, after all, most people were not supposed to be aware of the multiverse’s existence in the first place.

Dream was still in shock when Blue tugged his arm to walk with him toward the main part of the town.

It is only when he felt the first pangs of his empathy acting up and attracting all different emotions that he finally snapped out of it, realizing with horror what Blue was doing. “Blue wait-”

Too late, they had already stepped into the busy street.

Recognizing the man with the bandana, a few people came to greet him. “Hi Sans, merry Christmas! How have you been doing?”

And as Dream tried to discreetly leave the conversation, Blue would hold him by the hand, forcing him still. “Merry Christmas to you too! It has been great; I think Papyrus will like my presents too!”

“That’s great!” Dream could only hope that they would not notice him, too busy talking to the other. Of course, as if on cue, their eyes turned to him. “Oh, who is this? I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve seen you around yet, who are you?”

Dream cursed inwardly. “It’s of no issue, my name is Dream.”

“What a pretty name!” One of them said before turning back to Blue. “Why did you never introduce us to your friend Sans, he seems like a pretty fun person to talk to!”

“He’s my boyfriend actually.” Hearing that Dream choked on air as the two others gasped.

“HE’S YOUR BOYFRIEND?” One of them yelled, attracting other people’s stares. Dream wanted to scream, now that most people had noticed his presence, it was going to be hard to get away without seeming suspicious or alerting anyone to his foreign origins.

The worst part is that Dream could easily tell this was all part of Blue’s scheme.

“Sorry but Paps is waiting for us, see you two around!” Blue quickly dismissed them after the bomb had been dropped, teleporting them both to his house before anyone else could react and try to stop them from leaving.

The guardian of positivity didn’t even try to protest this time, now well aware that any opposition would be in vain.

His subordinate turned back to him with a proud look and Dream could not help but laugh in disbelief at what had just happened and the general silliness of this whole situation.

“Well, if you wanted me to stay that badly you should have just said so instead of kidnapping me.” He said that with a scolding tone but the smile he was showing contrasted vividly with that idea. “I suppose it would not hurt to spend a few hours here...”

“I was hoping you would say that.” Blue grinned, leading him to the couch. Opposing it, a TV decorated with Christmas lights with a little Christmas tree standing a few feet away from it. At the top of that tree was a bright artificial star that switched between a blue and a yellow hue. “Paps shouldn’t take too long to arrive now. You don’t have to worry about anything, I’ll take care of the explanation.”

“If you say so.” Dream leaned back onto the couch, trying not to show how worried he was about this ordeal. Though, even if he did not show any sign of it, Blue must have guessed he was anxious because he responded to his main concern at the moment almost perfectly.

“If you are worried about Nightmare, you really should not. I asked Color to help me with distracting him.” Dream’s eyes widened as he twisted his neck to look at Blue.

“You did what?” He blinked, trying to make sense of what he had just heard.

“Yeaaah...” Blue laughed, recalling the interaction.

***

After parting with Dream, the first thing Blue did was to call Color.

“Hello?” The other picked up after the phone rang twice, a vague voice that Blue assumed to be Delta could be heard in the background cursing out someone’s mother. “What do you need, Blue?”

“Sorry to bother you Color,” He started, fiddling with his scarf. “But there was something that I wanted to ask you...”

“Yeah?” The shuffling of clothes could be heard on the other side of the line. “What’s up?”

“So basically, I want to spend Christmas with Dream, since he desperately needs a break, but I do not want to have my universe being obliterated by Nightmare, so I need you to distract him that day. Is that okay with you?” He finished and a little silence ensued, before being broken by a hum.

“I mean, sure but it’s going to be hard to take him on head on plus--” He was soon cut off, Blue pretending not to have heard him start speaking.

“I heard from Error that Nightmare was planning on messing with Killer’s soul again that day too since that event would bring back good memories for him--” he said, waiting for the other to process his words.

“HUH?! يلعن شكله ان الشرموطة !” He yelled; the outburst was so sudden a terrified Delta could be vaguely heard asking why he was so angry all of the sudden.

“You’ve switched languages.” Blue tried hard to stifle his laughter, barely succeeding. He had never heard anyone use this before and it was both terrifying and absolutely hilarious. Thankfully, it seemed Color was too caught up in his anger to notice anything.

“I’m going to kill that fucking bastard I-” The rest of the sentence was lost, the other speaking too fast for anyone to really understand him. Though eventually, he did take a deep inhale to slow down. “Say no more, I’ve got the situation covered.” He still sounded pissed.

“Alright, thank you!”

***

“It’s a funny story that I will tell you of later.” Dream raised a brow but did not question him any further.

Then, the front door opened to Blue’s brother who just finished stepping on a recently lit cigarette. His eyes locked on Dream before he sent a questioning look to Blue.

***

As the night went on, Dream found himself simultaneously enjoying the change of pace for once and being the victim of a strong melancholy that wrapped itself around his soul and squeezed harder each time Blue and his brother interacted.

Again, he could not help but feel as if he were intruding.

He should not be here.

That held especially true when Papyrus came back from the kitchen with a Christmas pastry and gave him a slice.

Blue and Papyrus should be able to spend their time together as they wished.

Why was he--

Just before he could tell himself anything else, his phone let out a big beep that had him and his hosts jump. He quickly retrieved the device from his pocket, the name Ink appearing in big font on the lit-up screen with a big picture of said man in a circle.

He excused himself from the table, standing up. He picked up the phone, vaguely hearing Ink on the other side of the line.

“Dream we kind of need your help right now Nightmare and Color are having a fight--”

“DIE, YOU MISERABLE SLIMY SON OF A BITCH!” Came a furious Color, his voice somehow being even clearer than Ink’s. The sound of an explosion echoed in the background.

“KILLER!” Then came an equally furious Nightmare. “NOW IS NOT THE FUCKING TIME TO SIMP FOR THE ENEMY.”

“But he’s so cute when he’s mad <3” Killer yelled back, Dream able to imagine the heart-shaped eye lights in the black void that served as his eyes.

“TORTURE CHAMBER WHEN WE GET BACK.”

“No regret <3”

“TOUCH ONE SINGLE STRAND OF HIS HAIR AND I SWEAR TO GOD THAT CRUSTY ASS OF YOURS ISN’T GOING TO BE THE ONLY THING YOU’LL BE LAMENTING ABOUT.”

“E X C U S E Y O U ?!”

“Colooouuur, I love yoouuuu <3”

Dream coughed awkwardly, thinking that maybe he was not supposed to be the witness of that interaction.

“... Anyway,” Ink started, making Dream focus back on the current discussion. “Could you help us out?”

“Of course, I’ll be here as soon as possible.” He said, hanging up just at the right time to hear Error howling from laughter.

He sighed, turning back toward Blue and Papyrus. “I’m sorry I have to leave because--” He paused, just now remembering that Blue’s Papyrus was not aware of the multiverse’s existence.

“Because...” He had to find an excuse and fast.

“I... need to join my brother.” That was the best one he could come up with and while it was not technically a lie, he still felt a pang of sadness squeezing his soul. He could most certainly feel the concern radiating from Blue, but he chose not to pay any attention to it as of now.

His Papyrus nodded, understanding. “That’s completely fine, family should come first after all. It was nice to talk to you.”

“The pleasure was mine.” He hesitated but finally summoned what seemed to be a plasma lamp. In reality, it was an item that diffused positivity in the form of light but of course, that would be too complicated to explain to someone who had no clue how that worked. “I know it is not much, but I at least wanted to thank you two for showing me so much hospitality.

He could not remember the last time someone had treated him so well in the past years.

Papyrus seemed surprised but accepted the gift, nonetheless. “Thank you, even though you did not have to. Stay safe.”

“... I will.”

Blue stood up from his seat. “I’ll walk him out.” He shared a knowing glance with his brother before accompanying Dream to the house's entrance.

Once they were there, Blue stopped him from going any further by grabbing his shoulder. Dream turned around; eyebrow raised. “What is it?” He did not want to sound rude, but his patience was really being tested today, he could not help it.

“During Christmas time, we have the habit of giving people gifts to celebrate.” He began, teleporting two puppets in his hand. The two dolls were holding hands, both wearing Christmas clothes with one of them wearing a golden crown and the other a blue bandana on its neck.

Dream smiled fondly at them as they were passed down to his hands. “Merry Christmas.”

“I appreciate the explanation, but I was already aware of it.” Similarly to Blue, he teleported a little star pin in his hands that he then proceeded to attach to his bandana.

Blue seemed taken aback, staring at the little pin with wide eyes. “Merry Christmas to you too, Blue.”

He attempted to say something, but the words soon got caught in his throat when the other disappeared from sight. He blinked a few times, chuckling.

One of his fingers traced over the garment, looking up at the fake sky above him.

“Thank you.” He then went back inside.

[abhainnwhump]

IMYM Chapter 32: Restore the Balance: Nightmare

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Nightmare stared shocked at the skeleton panting at the door. His shock faded as soon as Blue stepped into view though. Despite having crashed his special day, The dark king was more amused than anything. It impressed him how they broke through the security guards in their poor condition. He also found Blue’s new look interesting. He didn’t recognize him at first, but his aura was unmistakable.

Blue’s look of triumph faded. It was fair given how he embarrassed himself. “Dream? We . . . didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean ‘didn’t make it’?” Nightmare recognized the squeaky voice of his twin, as did his bride. He shrieked and clung to him tightly, his aura radiating tantalizing fear. Ribbon whisper-screamed the word no over and over again. Nightmare wrapped his tendrils around Ribbon and kissed his head.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” He whispered to him. “No one is going to hurt you. I’ll fix this. Just be quiet.”

Dream took a disgusted double-take at the Ribbon, both his white gown and his attachment. Somehow, his brother’s positive aura didn’t affect Nightmare. A closer look and he understood why. Dream’s eye sockets sagged with dark bags and his movements were slower than the other three. He was weak, very weak. His aura was dark, bitter, and stressed.

Horror appeared behind them, clothes destroyed and stained with blood. His eye bled. The side of his face with his red eye was bashed in, destroying the outside of the socket. Besides the injury, he didn’t complain. Nightmare’s eye light widened at the injury. It reminded him of a childhood memory. The one where the villager smashed his eye with a hoe before he ate the black apple. Nightmare growled.

Dust stood up and his stoic expression slid ever so slightly. His tone was laced with sarcasm. “There you are. This is goin’ to be fun.”

“Sorry . . . . I’m late . . . boss.” Horror spoke even slower than usual with the heavy breathing. He coughed up dust.

“I see you gotta little,” Killer clicked his tongue, “held up.” He glared down at the new skeleton, who grinned in response. The circle wound on his skull and blood on his clothes made the incident obvious. Nightmare glared at Blue.

“Horror, you have been excused.” Nightmare told them. He gave Ribbon a gentle push off him and turned to the duo of unwelcome skeletons. “You two, have not. What an interesting team of souls we have here. The fallen Star Sanses, a broken glitch,” he smiled without pleasure, “and my dear brother. Honestly Dream, I thought you were better than this. Breaking in on your twin’s wedding day, for shame. I thought you would be happy for us!”

Dream loaded his bow. “I’ve had enough of your games, brother. You know exactly why we’re here.”

“It wouldn’t be to take away my queen, would it?” A tendril wrapped around Ribbon’s waist to protect him.

“No, a little bird told me to come and wish you the best on this- of course we’re here to save Ink!” Dream snapped. “We’re going to take him back home, help him heal and be himself again, and end whatever this is. It’s horrible.”

Ribbon ran and hid behind Killer. The only reason Nightmare didn’t pull him back was because he was distracted with his brother. Ribbon peeked out from behind Killer as the latter pat his head. “I don’t get it. What do you guys want from me? Why can’t you let me be happy? I love Nightmare and I’m going to stay with him! I’ve made up my mind so you guys can-”

Nightmare raised his hand and Ribbon immediately went silent. A glare escaped Blue. Killer covered Ribbon’s pull-string with his hand.

“Ink, what are you talking about?” Blue asked. “‘Of course we want you to be happy! You’re not thinking clearly right now! Snap out of it!”

“Let me handle the talking, my little doll. You just stand there and look pretty.” Nightmare refocused on the intruders. “You will not lay a hand on him. We have already said ‘I do’, he has my name.”

“So? If we need to force a divorce, we will!" Blue stomped his foot on the ground. "You're not going to win and keep him!

Ribbon remained quiet, looking up at Nightmare for help. He sighed. He couldn't resist Ribbon's big puppy eyes. “You may come back.”

It only took a second for Ribbon to rush into Nightmare’s arms. The mafia guests prepared their weapons for a possible battle. Dream pointed an arrow at Mafiatale's Asgore, Capone, one of Nightmare's closest friends. It didn't please him.

Ribbon shivered in his hold. He looked up at his newlywed with pleading eye lights. “Please don’t let them take me. I can’t go back there! They’re going to try and hurt me again! They’ll beat me and break bones for sure, maybe keep locked up, or worse . . .”

“Shh, I know. I will never let them take you,” Nightmare whispered back. He tapped a loafer on the floor as an idea formed. “Listen closely, I have a plan and I’m going to explain it quick. I will teleport you to a part of the castle and you need to find a place to hide. Stay there and don’t make a sound until I come to find you. Don’t fret. As long as you are on the premises, I will be able to locate your aura. Is that clear?”

“Clear! Crystal clear.” Ribbon gulped. Nightmare slipped off his suit jacket and wrapped it around his tiny shoulders. He held his pointer finger out and created a puddle, slipping him through. Nightmare shut it, though it caused him to feel something. Someone’s aura was at the castle. His gaze flashed between the monsters and humans preparing for battle and the portal. Ribbon was his only worry now. but he couldn’t show it. He had to keep everything under control.

“No, NO!” Dream reached out to the now empty space. Blue caught the hood of his cape; he continued to struggle. “Where did he go? Where is he?”

Nightmare chuckled. With Ribbon absent, he could enjoy himself more. He wanted a calm ceremony, but this may be more entertaining. “Oh, he’s fine. I merely hid him away. Best of luck finding my little doll.”

The guardian’s gaze held more disappointment than animosity. “You are sick, brother. You’ve done some horrible, twisted things over the years, but this? This has gone too far.”

“I’m sick? Bold choice of words coming from someone with a fever of one hundred and six. Or was it one hundred and seven? The sleep deprivation isn’t good for you. I’m impressed you can function as well as you can.”

Dream froze. “That . . . is not important. Ink’s safety is what’s important. Would you accept a deal? I’ll give you something to trade for setting him free.”

“Well, if you had asked me months ago, I would take your life in exchange for his, but I no longer believe that is a fair deal. Ribbon isn’t worth that little. And besides, your friend Ink no longer exists. You could never take care of him as I could. The poor thing wouldn’t even know what to do with freedom. He’d be so scared and overwhelmed that he’d cry in a corner until someone gave him a guiding hand. He needs someone to give him orders. You’ll only be hurting him by taking him away from me. Trust me when I say I’ll take excellent care of him and, hopefully, our future children too.”

Dream stomped closer. “You can have me. You can torture me as much as you want, but you can’t kill me. You also set Ink free and reverse any spell and curse you cast on him! Put me in eternal pain and let everyone else go free!”

“Dream!” Blue argued in disbelief. “Don’t.”

Nightmare tapped his finger against his face. “Mmm . . . I appreciate the offer, but no. Ribbon is worth too much.” He was sure there was a way he could win both Dream’s soul and keep his wife at his side. He needed to mess with Dream’s mind, confuse him, and throw him off guard. Nightmare looked down at his hand and shifted it to a Gaster’s hand, having a hole in the middle. He changed it back to normal and looked at Dream.

“My apologies everyone, but I’m afraid there’s a change of plans.” Nightmare made a motion with his arms and multiple portals summoned across the floor. The guests fell through and Nightmare shut them. The only monsters remaining were Nightmare, Killer, Dust, Horror, Blue, and Dream.

Dream and Blue stood back to back as the guests vanished. Dream shot a nervous glance at Nightmare. “Where did they go?”

“I don’t need you murdering my comrades too. I’ve known some of those men for years. I would lose access to investments and my suppliers. Oh, and friends I suppose." Nightmare increased the size of his tendrils and shot himself into the air. He used the large tendrils to balance as the top two swayed and flickered.

“Blue . . . we can do this." Dream's voice wavered as he watched the Murder Time Trio, though it stayed stern. He wiped the bag under his eye. “T- two against one. Stop him! Save Ink! Save the Doodlesphere!”

“Finally, it’s showtime!” Killer couldn’t wait and threw the first attack at Blue. Red knives surrounded the glitching mortal in a perfect circle. Blue leaped upwards. The other Murder Time Trio members scattered.

Dust rolled his eye lights and snapped his fingers. His multi-colored eye glowed. “You ready, Pap?” He pulled his pistols from their holsters, something Nightmare told him to remove. For the only time, he was grateful one of his subordinates didn’t listen to him. He chose Dream as his opponent. He ran along the side of the hall and fired bullets at him. Dream gasped and blocked them off with a golden shield.

Wanting revenge for his eye injury, Horror charged at Blue. Blue summoned a glitching Gaster Blaster and fired it back. Horror teleported and swung his ax, but he moved and it lodged into the bench instead. Nightmare scowled. Most of the decorations he planned out so carefully were going to end up destroyed. Lovely.

Killer crept up on Blue and slashed his sleeve. The injury glitched and Blue yelped. He turned around and stabbed Killer with a bone. Killer spun and the two engaged in battle, ducking and attacking. They used the benches to hide and gain higher ground.

Nightmare sharpened his tendrils and fired them at Dream. Dream rolled on his side and moved under a table. Before Nightmare could pull back, one of them smashed the furniture. The table snapped and the black rose vase shattered, spilling glass and water. Dream maneuvered his way through the debris.

He sensed the strange aura again back in his castle, making him fear for Ribbon and his safety. He felt his fear too. His poor baby shouldn’t have been feeling these emotions on his own wedding day. Nightmare flicked one of Dream’s arrows away. He would’ve picked him up if he wasn’t needed for Dream. The Lord of Negativity looked around the room and had an idea.

“Killer!” Nightmare called from across the room, gritting his teeth. His tendrils flailed out and wrapped around the skeleton, helping him dodge Dream.

“Boss! What?” Killer’s irritation was clear in both his aura and his voice.

Nightmare furrowed his browbones. “I sense someone is in the castle, so I need you to go and make sure Ribbon is safe. I believe he could be in danger and I need you to find who’s there.”

“You’re not going to freak out again ‘cause I talked to your little doll?” Killer asked. Nightmare ignored him and threw him through a portal he created. Dream spotted the entrance and ran for it, but Nightmare shut it in time.

“Dream! I need backup!” Blue shouted, smashing Dust's arm with his hammer. He summoned a field of bones and used it to pin him down. Horror attacked from the back and Blue blocked him with a glitching shield. Dream ran toward his side and fired arrows at Dust, aiming for his two glowing eyes lights. Dust shot his pistol and knocked both of them out of the air.

Nightmare stomped his foot on the ground and spread a layer of malice across the floor. Dream and Blue were forced to leap onto the benches to avoid touching it. The Murder Time Trio jumped too, but Nightmare was less worried about them. He could clear the malice from an area or a soul whenever he desired.

“Why the hell did you guys have to show up . . ." Dust muttered, firing another round of bullets at Blue. He talked to himself as he fought. "Makin' everythin' more difficult . . ."

"Then stop fighting and let up save Ink!" Blue barely dodged as Horror threw his axe from across the room. The weapon returned to its owner in a second. Blue turned around to face him. But instead of attacking him, he turned around and blasted Dust with a Gaster Blaster.

Dream fired arrow after arrow as Nightmare melted into every shadow of the room. He watched as more arrows littered the floor. His poor health didn't stop him from having good aim, for the most part. Dream shot an arrow as Nightmare leaned against the pedestal. it knocked over a candle holder instead.

Dream breathed faster as he realized his quiver was out of arrows. The Guardian of Positivity groaned and snapped the bow over his knee. He turned it into two sharp sabers. Dream's ripped cape blew behind him. He glared down at Nightmare.

"Surrender. Ribbon is mine. Also, I would like to know who you sent into my castle," Nightmare said.

"I- fine! Fine! Keep him! Just stop everything else! I'm tired of the murder, tired of you corrupting AUs, it's draining my magic, and I will not put Cro-" Dream covered his mouth. The damage was already done. It didn't surprise Nightmare that it was Cross.

"Cross . . . and who else? I can tell you're hiding something. Is it the purple one I've seen him spend time with?"

"I'm not telling you any more! You can teleport there whenever you please. They will have a more successful mission than us. I know-"

"OW!" Blue screamed from across the field. Dream paused and swerved around, gasping at the massive ax in Blue's shoulder blade.

Distracted by his friend, Dream couldn’t register Nightmare shoving him to the ground. Dream touched the blood dripping from his mouth and tightened his grip on the bow piece. The injury was almost black from the malice on Nightmare's hand. Dream and Nightmare tackled on the floor until Dream was on top of him. He held an arrow over his nonexistent throat with a scream. Nightmare thought quickly. Dream would’ve stabbed him in the throat, except . . . it wasn’t Nightmare. Not the one the guardian was fighting.

“Dr-Dream? Dream!” Nightmare’s voice and body trembled with childlike disbelief. His bones were still pitch black, but his teal eye light glowed purple. The covering over the opposing eye turned into an open crack. Lavender tears dripped the same color as the collared outfit he wore. “What’s going on? W-where are we? Were you about to ki-ki-kill me?”

Dream's look shifted from anger to shock, then suspicion, then sorrow and exhaustion. “Oh, my stars . . . no . . . Nighty?" He threw his arrow aside and wrapped his arms around his real twin. Nightmare could feel the wet stain forming on his shoulder. He didn’t let go. He felt his twin's weakness from the way he held him. “I would never kill you, you were just . . . someone else for a while.” The guardian smiled again. “I can’t believe this! I knew you were in there! I gave the idea to my friends and they said it was too optimistic. This is amazing! We came to save Ink but we’ll save you too.”

“Who-who’s Ink?” Nightmare looked over at the battlefield. “And who are they?”

. “The glitching one is Blue, the one in the hood is Dust, we're not allies and- oh I’ll introduce you guys later. You’re alive!”

Nightmare trembled violently, his body dripping more black liquid. h“It’s so dark and cold in here. I haven’t seen the sun in so long.”

Dream slipped some melancholy tears. “You will, I’ll make sure of it. Once we save Ink, I’ll take you to watch the sunrise. We’ll even get some nice cream, any flavor you want. Sound good?”

“Yeah.” Nightmare leaned into his neck. “Dream, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome- wait, what for?”

“For giving me the last golden apple.”

His tendrils stabbed through Dream.

The Guardian of Positivity screamed. It echoed throughout the room as he clutched the bleeding wound in his chest. Nightmare pulled his tendrils out and stared down at his twin. Blue looked up from his battle with Horror and lowered his hammer. He ran to save him, but Horror jumped him, shoving him to the ground.

Dream managed to sit up, shaking. He put pressure on the wound and his eye lights turned into pinpricks. “I don’t know what the final nail in the coffin was, but there are so many contenders. Helping to murder Fresh, helping to turn all those innocents into zombies, crying at the thought of leaving you. But most of all, the torture and trauma you inflicted on him. Sometime during this last year, I knew for a fact that you killed my best friend. But not in the way I thought. When Killer said Ink died, I was horrified, but I could move on as I knew he was safe from harm-"

"I don't have time for a monologue." Nightmare set his hand on Dream’s forehead and his hand glowed blue. Dream fell asleep and collapsed on the floor. Nightmare picked him up in his arms. Not the way he held Ribbon as if he was the most precious thing in the multiverse. Dream’s head lolled to the side and his limbs hung down.

Horror and Dust struggled but eventually managed to pin a kicking Blue to the ground. Horror held down his legs and Dust used his magic to keep his arms behind his back. It satisfied Nightmare to see the confident Star Sans struggling with fear in his eye lights. Nightmare switched out Dream so he dangled in his tendrils instead of his arms. Nightmare placed his hand on Blue's head and put him to sleep too.

The two members of the Murder Time Trio stared down at the Stars. Dust put his hood up as it fell during the action. "So . . . what are we doin' with them now?"

"Imprisoning them, of course." Nightmare considered his next move. He looked into the evening sky out the window. He knew who helped with this, and Nightmare wanted revenge. "Horror, I will send you to the castle so you can help Killer and Ribbon. Lock up Dream and Blue too. Dust, go outside and explain the reception will be postponed an hour and a half. I need to take care of a certain mistake."

"Yes, boss."

Nightmare snapped his fingers and opened a portal for Horror. Dust turned around and left the room. Nightmare made his own portal and strode inside. The malice on his body melted and gurgled. He entered the Anti-void and glared. A certain destruction guardian helped a certain Omega guardian through a portal. Error turned around and stopped when he saw Nightmare.

"Have something you want to tell me, Error?" He held back from impaling him there and now. He needed his soul.

Error gritted his teeth and pulled out his strings. Despite that, Nightmare wasn't phased. He knew what he taught Error to do. As Error screamed and charged at him, Nightmare summoned liquid malice in his hands.

Error hesitated and his eye socket twitched. His one hand trembled as he stared down at it. "Get rid of that. I'm not drinking it like I was in there."

"No, you're hooked. I know you are. There's no point left in fighting. I already have you and all three Star Sanses in my power now." Nightmare closed his eye, his pride expecting Error to collapse for the malice. It didn't work as well as he imagined.

Error wrapped his strings around Nightmare's body, including his tendrils. He swung him around the Anti-void until he hit the floor with a loud crack. Nightmare hissed and flicked his tendril, an easy fix but a painful one.

"That's for my arm!" Error screamed. His eye sockets were blinded with glitches. He grinned and surrounded Nightmare with Gaster Blasters. Nightmare melted into the ground as blinding light took over the void. "That's for Blue!"

Error raised his hand and lowered his puppets down from the ceiling. They contained the souls of the Sanses they embodied. Error never used his Anti-void puppets unless he fought in the specific terrain, and especially as a last resort. The three puppets he chose, Underfell, Seraphim, and G, all had stiff movements and button eyes. Their bodies were stitched over and their mouths held the same uncanny smiles as the rest of the dolls. Error cackled, blazing with new power. His scarf and jacket blew in the wind as he levitated with magic.

Nightmare scowled and stabbed his tendril through the Underfell Sans puppet. It exploded into stuffing and fabric, along with a shattered soul. They fired blasters and bones at him. Nightmare ducked and swerved to avoid being attacked. He melted through the shadows of the blasters' light. Seraphim's purple wing almost knocked Nightmare down, but his goal was too clear. He treated it as one of the games the MTT played, timing out each move to use the perfect amount of light and shadow. He leapt through shadows. Error fired his strings at Nightmare, attempting to wrap up his soul.

Nightmare finally leaped out of the dark and grabbed Error's strings on the ceiling. He dropped down and pressed his foot against his back. He slammed Error against the floor and resummoned the malice in his hand. He shoved the fist full into his mouth.

Error didn't resist the malice. His struggle was too weak. He swallowed it down without a fight. Nightmare kicked him in the skull and cast the sleeping spell. The Seraphim and G puppets collapsed and shrunk back into tiny dolls. Nightmare pet his head with a mocking tone.

"That's a good boy. My, my, what a day . . ." Nightmare dragged Error across the void's floor with his tendrils, not caring about hurting him. He sighed and pinched his nasal bridge. He took back what he thought earlier about this being entertaining. All he wanted to do was dance with the wife he earned. And he now needed to use a spell to fix the chapel.

The dungeon was the same as he left it. However, now two guests took up the cells. Dream and Blue lay in separate cells. Neither of their injuries were patched and Dream's wound bled. Nightmare wasn't bothered, it would scab soon. Anti-Magic cuffs locked around their hands and ankles.

Nightmare threw Error inside a third cage and chained him up. It would be at least a few hours before they all awoke. Nightmare planned to extract his soul as soon as possible, no longer than a month. But a bit of torture would be fun . . . it's what they deserved. Nightmare still needed three more prisoners and to celebrate the rest of his wedding. His honeymoon would come first. The MTT could take care of them. In the moment, Ribbon was his only desire. He left the dungeon to find him.

[lightyearssurrogatedaddy]

I am absolutely IN LOVE with the idea of Nightmare and Shattered Dream teaming up and wrecking the Multiverse together. They both have the resentment towards one another and are constantly undermining and running each other over (like siblings do, "I CAN CONQUER MORE AUS THAN YOU CAN, LOSRR!!") but they still begrudgingly work as a horrific duo. Where good feelings come to die.

I wonder what topics I could pull from that dynamic tbh.

[scavengerssuccotash]

How do Clint and Natasha deal with nightmares?

Ohhh the nightmares! The kinds of nightmares that plague are duo pale in comparison to our own. It’s only natural that their fears would manifest in truly frightening ways.

This will not be a happy read unfortunately. :(

Clint’s nightmares before Loki were a walk in the park. Memories of his foster father and the abuse he dealt jolted him from sleep so many times over the years that he’s had to develop a way to catch sleep wherever he could. Cue the power naps. (Thanks Jeremy!) The aftermath of his Pre-Loki nightmares usually meant a change of sheets since he sweat through them and a quick shower. He always keeps a cup of water by his bed too, getting ripped out from his dreams makes him parched. Once him and Natasha started sleeping together his return back to reality was less of a cinder block to the face and more of a pat on the cheek. Literally. While it’s generally advised to not wake a highly trained assassin in the throes of a nightmare, Natasha’s able to dodge the haymaker and bring him back to the present with a firm and quick, “Clint!”

The after-Loki nightmares are Clint’s own personal hell. His imagination, supplemented no doubt by Loki’s promise to have him kill Natasha “slowly, intimately in every way he knows you fear”, is far too powerful for a slap to the cheek to overcome. They had to get creative as a necessity. Even though she wants to touch him when he cries out she can’t. Of the times she did she ended up on her back and Clint woke with his hands on her. Natasha’s usually able to slip out of his holds, but there’s something about the abject pain in his voice that decimates her and overwhelms her better nature. She has to let it play out, and watch on the other side of the room with her face in her hands until Clint fights out of it on his own. She knows he’s awake by the time he falls out of bed and sobs into his hands.

Eventually, through time, patience and a lot of observation they figure out the triggers that induce these nightmares. It’s usually after a particularly difficult mission, one where he makes a mistake or slips up or the ones where he can’t keep her in his line of sight. After those, and afraid that it can trigger a nightmare they prep him with calming teas, long cuddles sessions and even longer assurances that she’s safe (and more importantly safe with him). They switch the bedding together, all soft sheets and even softer pillows. Calming scented candles are lit and weapons are removed from their bed side drawers. Once he’s asleep Nat waits outside the bedroom for a good thirty minutes, if she doesn’t hear Clint thrashing around it’s safe to say that he won’t be having a nightmare that night. On the good days when he wakes without a nightmare they make very gentle very tender love in the morning hours. It’s painfully tender and breaks Clint’s heard every fucking time. (Yeah, Loki really fucked them up both. I wish this was happier but it’s just not. It’s sad and angsty and it makes me incredibly sad. But they still have each other and that somehow makes it easier to bare)

The aftermath of Natasha’s nightmares is scary at the least and downright terrifying at most. Clint’s woken up more than a few times with her hands around his throat. Clint’s forced to get physical, which he hates because unlike on the mats Nat doesn’t pull her punches when she’s in the throes of her nightmares. She goes for the kill and fights like hell. Gradually though much like what they’ve discovered with Clint’s they find the triggers. Strike Team Delta will only take the child trafficking missions if it’s a last resort, the aftermath just takes too much out of the both of them to be fully operational the day after. They tried the teas, they tried meditations but they aren’t that effective long term. Strangely enough white noise seems to help though they don’t know why. Nat alternates between rain and nature documentary. Natasha’s a crier after, completely soaking her pillow with snot and her eyes are puffy and swollen by the time she’s able to calm down. Before Clint she had no one to talk to so she just bottled it up and let it fester. Now though Clint will force her to talk it through and she’s grateful even if they are both dead tired the next morning. Clint’s always comforting too, all hushed warm tones and hair brushing with the occasional dropped kiss to her forehead. They don’t have sex after but he does shower with her in the morning and help braid her hair.

Sleep doesn’t come easily for either of them, but it gets better with time, patience and most importantly with understanding that their nightmares are just their brains working through the trauma. It will pass with due time and as long as they have one another at the end of it they’d gladly sacrifice their sleep schedule in the meantime.

(Hi, yeah that was sad! But hey don’t worry it gets better I promise, now here’s a tissue. Good. Now blow! Good! See all better!)

[my-omegaverse-academia]

tv news

Inspired by this post by @animeomegas but it's reversed

You tend not to turn on Hero News channels anymore, to spare your young sons from seeing all of the real violence happening. Even though they were big fans of heroes, they'd been fine with just hearing stories and seeing recaps online—once you made sure they weren't showing someone actively dying in front of their eyes.

But there were days that you needed to be kept up to date.

And today was one of those days.

There was something in the air this morning. You could feel it in your bones.

Katsuki made breakfast as he usually does, while you got the boys ready—an arduous task if you do say so yourself, as your children are five and three respectively.

But it was a routine you settled into happily, loving Katsuki and the two little boys he's given you. It was nice—even moreso with your days off, being able to spend as much time as possible with your kids and being able to treat Katuski to dinner when he gets home.

When he left for his patrol, all three of you kissed him goodbye and stayed indoors, as the rain poured down hard.

The boys will get a kick at how wet daddy will be when he gets home, if it continues this way.

But dinner was hours away. And Kirishima delivered a hauntingly short phone call.

"Turn on the news."

Kirishima almost never calls you during work hours. He respects both his work and yours, knowing that you want to be as out of the loop as possible when it came to the dangers of Katsuki's job.

You already have too many stress dreams and nightmares about what could happen to him or the boys, every intrusive thought playing like a loop. You didn't need any more fuel to the fire.

But fuel was coming, whether you wanted it or not.

The boys were down for an afternoon nap. Tentatively, you turned on the tv, switching to the news network. The volume's low and captions scroll across the screen, allowing you to read it and not wake up the boys.

You can see that the onslaught of heavy rain hasn't lifted in the area, making the attack of the villain much more difficult to navigate.

The sky is grey and lit up by lightning cracking and your mate's explosions, propelling himself off of the fissuring ground and towards the villain duo.

He's not the only one there, but all of the heroes around him aren't as well known, aren't as well trained as Katsuki is.

He's leading the charge and it looks rough.

Civilians crowd around him and the news crew are too close for comfort. Casualties have no doubt happened already. The scene looks like it was pulled from your nightmares.

You're watching so intently that your baby boy has to knock you out of it, sensing your terrified scent and his mimicking yours.

In an instant the television is off and you try to force out a sweeter scent. Something that isn't soured, spoiled, rotten. And with sleep in his eyes, your baby asks you what's wrong.

You can't bare to tell him. So, you grab your phone with several missed phone calls and messages, and leads him back into your shared bedroom with Katsuki, letting the boys slip into Katsuki's nest.

He'll probably gripe about it being messed up, but you let yourself take a breather. And your son's scent reacts to your own. In the nest, both of them go back to sleeping. It'll mess up their schedule, but in all honesty, that's at the least of your priorities.

You take to watching the news on your phone, silent, hoping everything is alright.

Kirishima's on the scene now. So is Mina. They've probably been at the agency, rushing as soon as they saw what happened and told you about it.

Slight relief comes, but having Deku would ease your mind more, not that you'd ever tell Katsuki that. You trust him and his team as much as you can. But the more the merrier, in your opinion.

People are liveblogging the event, sharing what's happening in real time. It's a madhouse online, wondering why other pros aren't coming in, why Deku isn't coming in.

Of all the days to start his maternity leave, it would be the one where Katsuki would need him more than ever.

He's fighting like he always does, but the angry smile and vicious glee are gone. No, he's being scrappy, giving it all he's got. He's not showing off, he's not giving up. And you can only watch from your omega's nest as it all goes down.

Some time later, you get a call from Kirishima. He's sent Deku to watch the boys while you meet him at the hospital.

Leaving your boys behind isn't something you'd do in a normal circumstance, but they don't need to see their dad in whatever mess of wires, burns, and cuts he's received from this fight.

Kirishima said he was knocked out cold from a part of a collapsing building and that you should see him. You should be there when he wakes up.

And you didn't even hesitate, getting in the car, dropping off the boys at Uncle Deku's place, and then speeding to the local hospital, lead to your mate's room.

The scentless body of your lover haunts you. Even with supressants, Katsuki's always has something lingering on him. But nothing. Kirishima tries to calm your sent down with his own, but yours is back to being sour.

He's stuck here, healing with a chance of never waking up again. And all you can do is sit here and wait, like you had been doing all day.

[cynnaghoul]

Fineeee I GUESS I'll be a good friend and ask something

Venus's relationships with other utmv characters? :0 like the most important ones?? You can also be silly and put ocs in there tooo

TEEHEE, THANK YOU, HAKUUUU ❤️

Venus actually has a decently important role as The Oracle of the Multiverse, which sounds crazy, but there's lore.

She has the ability to hear everything in the multiverse through her antenna (kind of like a radio signal), this includes future events!! But she can only hear, she can't see.

She only discovered this ability when she was pulled out of her AU, since it's not an ability she's actually born with, it's just her antenna picking up on everything around her.

She does have important relationships with some of the other characters, so lemme give a run down!!

Ink

Ink was actually Venus' first real friend when her AU was destroyed. Her hearing allowed her to hear him all the way in the Doodlesphere, and as someone who was new to the concept of the multiverse (and with scary new hearing abilities), she assumed he was a safe presence.

Ink actually also enjoyed her company as well, he used to draw her a lot, and her hearing abilities were considered helpful to him. However, after so long of being with him in the Doodlesphere, he noticed she wasn't really thriving in the ways he knew she could, so he ended up putting her in the company of someone else. That would be Fresh.

Their friendship is super strained because she misunderstood his true intentions, but they are mostly friendly, and she does cooperate with him when he needs her omni-hearing.

Error

Venus considers him her other coworker alongside Ink. She finds herself between the two on many occasions, but doesn't seem to mind. She actually does find Error pleasant, but they still struggle to actually get along because of their lack of an energy match.

Thanks to being between Ink and Error, Venus had to make a Vow of Neutrality, promising that she would not withhold oracle information from either of them, and they would get the same information. This vow is broken when Ink breaks his truce with Error, and Venus sides with the latter instead.

They get along on the occasion, but she mostly find him to be a fun target for teasing and irriating. When he destroyed those AU's, she was very much angrier with Ink than him.

Fresh

Fresh is pretty much Venus' best friend, and the only person that knows almost everything about her.. aside from Hatter. (More on him another time!!) They're an iconic duo in the Multiverse, almost never being found separated from each other.. unless they're doing their own thing, obviously. Otherwise, they're practically attached at the hip.

They're pretty much a major headache to anybody that has the fortune of being within 30 feet of them. They have an almost perfect energy match and no idea what a volume button is, so they're loud!! Venus has known Fresh since what feels like eons, even managing to escape becoming a potential vessel.. for a bargain, of course.

Cross

This one was actually pretty complicated to get an idea for because I know she didn't like him at first. Venus thought he was a problem thanks to the X-Event and the chaos that followed, however her mind changes.

She realizes that she needs to separate her anger towards Ink's broken promises and recognize that Cross was genuinely going through a lot of internal problems. Some that even she could relate to.

She definitely attempted to speak to him while he was in the Omega Timeline, since she was already there to comfort the poor anomalies that already lost their lives or homes.

Dream

Venus doesn't typically work with Dream, but seeing as they're both emotion based, they probably team up occasionally. Especially where Venus' powers involve emotional projection, she's able to help increase the flow of positive energy to give him a decent boost.

They're friends at best, often having similar opinions on things and even similar ideals!!

Nightmare

Venus has her ears on this guy for sure. In fact, she uses her emotional abilities in The Hub (more lore on that later) to help others get rid of their negative feelings. She wants to ensure that he has trouble causing or bringing harm to anyone under the influence of their own feelings. Unfortunately, she isn't always successful.

Rue

@rainyecho 's OC

Venus actually does like Rue a lot, she considers them a good friend despite the fact that they hang around Error all the time.. but she knows better than to let that dictate her opinions on people!!

She finds them pretty odd, seeing as they're a virus, but she's no better for hanging out with the parasite, so she pushes that aside. As long as Rue doesn't become a real threat towards Venus, she believes they're totally great best friends.. or something.

Null

@hakunakii 's OC

Venus is familiar with Null as the Multiverse's form of transportation, but they don't cross paths often enough to chat all the time. Regardless, in the few times they have stopped to chat, Venus has found them rather pleasant, but confusing. She feels like they have a potential energy match, but she's not too sure.. they seem odd. But once again, she's never let that prevent her from making a friend!! Perhaps she'll have to invite them around so she can get to know them better.

Void

@demifinnyfib 's OC

Venus thinks Void is pretty silly and.. also pretty stupid, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like their company!! She pities them, actually, considering they lost their memories. She believes it's depressing for forget who you are and who you came from, but Void seems so shockingly nonchalant about it. She just can't wrap her head around them. She's very fond of them, even if she feels bad for poor Goldie's loss.

Golden Guard!Sans

@demifinnyfib 's OC

Venus comforted Goldie when he first came to the Omega Timeline with the belief that his friend was dead. She thought it was such a heavy burden for him to have to carry all on his own, especially after finding out that his friend no longer had their memories.

Her heart aches for his situation, but she chooses not to get involved. Only offering her comfort when it's necessary, and sometimes even a piece of advice for him. She's fond of him, but lately his uptight nature has made him the punchline of many of her teasing remarks.

------

That's pretty much the gist of it!!

If there are any more questions, just ask!! It's super fun to answer questions and I definitely have the time to!!

And please lemme know if I missed anyone that you guys are curious about!!

[yourfriendlybi]

The Rage of a God

 He didn’t notice when one of Nightmare's tentacles shot into Dream's chest, taking his apple SOUL and crushing it. He didn’t notice when Horror shattered Blue’s SOUL with his ax. When he did, it felt like time had stopped for Ink. Something snapped in the artist, he felt like buckets of deep crimson red were pouring on him, drowning him in the rich color. All he wanted at this moment was revenge for his family.

 Killer took his chance with Ink still and confused, charging at the artist. What he forgot about Ink was that he was a God, the God of Creation. So when he found himself trapped in inky sharp bone attacks, he really shouldn’t have been surprised. The most surprising thing was the bones were sharp; Inks's bones were usually dull due to his pacifist nature. “VOUS ALLEZ PAYER!!” Ink's voice rang out with so much hatred that Killer's thoughts were shaken out of his head. He finally looked up at Ink, seeing the artist charging at him.

 Killer and Ink locked eyes, Ink only had one eyelight showing the symbol of a crosshair with a skull in the middle. He’s not going kill me, Killer thought smugly, that was until he felt Ink's gloved hands in his mouth, splitting his head horizontally and ripping off his jaw. The sound of the bones being ripped apart was awful, it sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

 Nightmare, Horror, and Dust covered their skull, trying to block out the sound of Ink ripping apart their teammate's skull in half. Nightmare stared at Killer’s dusting body. “FALL BACK!” He yells out to the remaining team members. Everyone scattered in the alternate universe, Dust and Horror went to the snowy woods while Nightmare ran to the abandoned Snowdin of the universe. Nightmare tried to get out of AU but it was futile, his fate was sealed.

 Horror and Dust were running as fast as their legs could take them. “Fuck was THAT!?” Dust pants out as they both continue to run away from Ink. “A furious God is what that was.” A glitched voice called out to the duo. “SHIT!” Dust screeched out, Horror slapped a hand on Dust's mouth. “Error, you GOT to help us.” Horror pleaded to the Destroyer.

 “No, you deal with the consequences of your actions,” Error laughed a little, “You thought it was a good idea to kill his family. Honestly, what made you think it was a good idea?”

 “He’s soulless! He can’t get attached!!” Dust hissed at Error, “For someone who is a Sans, you’re a fucking idiot, ya know that? Yeah, the ink for brains may be soulless, but he still has emotions. They might be an outside source, but they are still there. For example, Killer got dusted because of Ink’s emotions.” Error gave Dust a too-sharp-for-a-normal smile.

 They heard a crunch in the snow, and with that Error left them to their fate. Horror and Dust froze when they saw goop on Ink. “✡︎︎⚐︎︎🕆︎︎ 😐︎︎☠︎︎⚐︎︎🕈︎︎ ☠︎︎✋︎︎☝︎︎☟︎︎❄︎︎💣︎︎✌︎︎☼︎︎☜︎︎ ✋︎︎💧︎︎ 🏱︎︎☼︎︎☜︎︎❄︎︎❄︎︎✡︎︎ ☜︎︎✌︎︎💧︎︎✡︎︎ ❄︎⚐︎ 😐︎︎✋︎︎☹︎︎☹︎︎ ✋︎︎ 👎︎︎⚐︎︎☠︎︎❄︎︎ 😐︎︎☠︎︎⚐︎︎🕈︎︎ 🕈︎︎☟︎︎✡︎︎ ✋︎︎ ☠︎︎☜︎︎✞︎︎☜︎︎☼︎︎ 👎︎︎⚐︎︎☠︎︎☜︎︎ ✋︎︎❄︎︎ 👌︎︎☜︎︎☞︎︎⚐︎︎☼︎︎☜︎︎.” The artist had the jack-o-lantern face on him, and his eyesockets were empty, making them look like pools of abyss. “🕈︎✌︎✋︎❄︎ ✋︎ 😐︎☠︎⚐︎🕈︎ 🕈︎☟︎✡︎ 👌︎☜︎👍︎✌︎🕆︎💧︎☜︎ ☟︎☜︎ 🕈︎✌︎💧︎ 👎︎☼︎☜︎✌︎💣︎💧︎ 👌︎☼︎⚐︎❄︎☟︎☜︎☼︎.” Ink looked disgusted when he said the word brother, “👌︎🕆︎❄︎ ✋︎❄︎💧︎ ❄︎✋︎💣︎☜︎ ☞︎⚐︎☼︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ 👌︎⚐︎❄︎☟︎ ❄︎⚐︎ ☝︎⚐︎.”

 He raised his brush and splashed the two in red paint. Horror and Dust scream in pain as the paint burns them. They tried to claw it off but that only spread the paint. As they cried and begged for mercy from the artist, Ink only stared at them. “What about those who you both have killed? Did you give them mercy? Did you spare them?” His tone was calm and collected but his jack-o-lantern face said a different story.

 The artist walked away from the duo and went back to the battlefield. As he walked his face turned normal but his eye sockets were still empty. Prism tears went down his face, but he didn’t brush them off.

 Once he got to the battlefield, he went over to the place where Dream dusted and picked up the golden yellow circlet, brushing it off and putting it on his skull. Walking over to where Blue had dusted while fighting Horror, picked up the cobalt blue bandana; moved his scarf, and tied the bandana around his neck. Bring up the oversized brush and throw black paint on the ground. He jumped into the paint and vanished from the UnderFell AU, so Error and Reaper or Death could do their jobs.

Translation:

French:

1. You are going to pay

Wingding:

1. You know, Nightmare is pretty easy to kill, I don't know why I didn't do it before

2. Wait, I know why, because he was Dreams brother

3. But it's time for you both to go.

[xaltius]

The Blockchain-AI Symphony: A Powerful Duet Reshaping Our World

The tech world thrives on innovation, but some partnerships truly harmonize to create something extraordinary. Enter the dynamic duo of Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – a powerful synergy poised to reshape our world. Imagine a future where secure, transparent data exchanges are amplified by the analytical muscle of AI. This isn't science fiction; it's the exciting reality on the horizon. Let's delve into how Blockchain and AI are joining forces to revolutionize industries, composing a symphony of innovation.

Blockchain: The Immutable Ledger, the Foundation of Trust

At the heart of this duet lies Blockchain, a decentralized ledger system that acts as a digital fortress for data. Every transaction is meticulously recorded in tamper-proof blocks, fostering trust and transparency – a game-changer for industries plagued by doubt.

Imagine a world where:

Supply chains sing a clear tune: Track goods seamlessly from origin to destination, ensuring authenticity and eliminating counterfeit nightmares. No more wondering if that designer bag is the real deal.

Financial services get a clean bill of health: Secure and transparent transactions become the norm, reducing fraud risks and boosting regulatory compliance. Banks can finally harmonize their operations, leading to a more efficient financial ecosystem.

Healthcare gets a digital diagnosis: Securely store and share medical records, enabling seamless collaboration between healthcare providers and empowered patients. This paves the way for a future of personalized medicine and improved patient outcomes.

AI: The Analytical Maestro, Unveiling the Power of Data

While Blockchain provides the secure platform, AI acts as the brilliant strategist, extracting valuable insights from the vast ocean of data stored on the blockchain. Think of AI as the maestro, conducting the orchestra of data to unlock its full potential.

AI empowers Blockchain by:

Making smart contracts even smarter: AI analyzes data to trigger smart contracts automatically, ensuring efficient and error-free execution. No more waiting for paperwork to shuffle through the system; automated claims processing becomes a reality.

Identifying fraudsters before they hit the high notes: AI algorithms become fraud-fighting champions, analyzing transaction patterns on the blockchain to identify and prevent suspicious activity. Financial institutions can finally sing a sigh of relief.

Unlocking the data symphony: AI acts as a data whisperer, extracting valuable insights from blockchain data. Businesses can leverage this intelligence to make data-driven decisions and manage risk effectively. Imagine a future where every transaction becomes a valuable data point, informing better business strategies.

Beyond the Buzzwords: The Symphony Takes Center Stage

This tech dream team is already making waves across industries, composing real-world applications that are changing the game:

The Internet of Things (IoT) Evolves: Imagine secure and efficient data exchange between connected devices, with AI providing real-time insights to optimize performance. Smart homes can finally become a reality, with intelligent devices working together to create a more efficient and comfortable living space.

Cybersecurity Gets an Encore: Combine Blockchain's immutability with AI-powered threat detection, and you have a recipe for a more secure digital environment. AI can analyze network activity on the blockchain, identifying and mitigating cyberattacks before they can disrupt the symphony.

Democratizing Democracy: Secure and transparent voting systems with reduced manipulation risk become a reality. Blockchain and AI join forces for data verification, ensuring every vote counts.

Challenges Remain: Fine-Tuning the Performance

While the potential of this tech duo is undeniable, there are hurdles to overcome before they can achieve a flawless performance:

Scaling the Mountain: Both Blockchain and AI require significant computing power. Scaling these technologies for broader adoption is crucial, ensuring everyone can benefit from the symphony of innovation.

The Rulebook Rewrite: Clear and adaptable regulations are needed to navigate the legal and ethical considerations surrounding these powerful tools. We need to ensure this powerful duet plays by the rules, fostering a secure and responsible digital future.

Bridging the Gap: Seamless integration of Blockchain and AI platforms is essential to unlock their full potential. Imagine the magic that can be created when these technologies harmonize perfectly!

The Future is a Blockchain-Powered Symphony with AI as the Conductor

The synergy between Blockchain and AI paints a future brimming with possibilities. As these technologies mature and integrate further, we can expect a paradigm shift in data management, security, and even the way we conduct business. The future is not just connected, it's secure, intelligent, and driven by the powerful partnership of Blockchain and AI. Get ready for a revolutionary symphony in the digital landscape, conducted by the brilliance of AI and orchestrated on the secure platform of Blockchain!

[sonicasura]

Traveller's Guardian Nightmare: Night and Hyrule

The second set of headcanons for our dear fairy boy! It's a two in one as I'll be going over Night(Nightmare Luffy) too. Any Night(🌃) or Hyrule(🧚) centric headcanon will be marked with these respective emojis.

You know those siblings who have take care of each other's weaknesses and chores? That's Hyrule with Night right there. Whenever they travel or live in a house, both have a chore list.

🌃 Night can actually cook! He handles all the meals as Hyrule just burns water. Night collects recipes and has a homemade cookbook. He will eat any meal Hyrule makes even if its both burn but also raw at the same time.

They always sleep next to each other, no exceptions as it makes them feel safe. If Night is in his true form, then he either sleeps on his back with Hyrule on top of him or in the big spoon position. Otherwise they hold each other in swapped positions.

Hyrule takes advantage of Night's size to hang on his shoulders or head like a koala. If they need to climb steep cliffs, then the shadow handles the climbing with his brother safely secured. Since his body is rubberlike, he can absorb any impact from a potential fall and keep Hyrule safe.

🧚 Hyrule likes to give gifts to Night. Pretty flowers, shiny gems and even finding fantastic sightseeing spots. He wants to make sure his big shadow brother know he's appreciated for everything.

They both goof around with Night's rubber abilities. Making scary faces even freakier, play games like jump rope or come up with new ways to traverse places. The Gum Gum UFO is probably the funniest technique both Hyrule and Night ever invented.

Training happens quite often with the duo. Night teaches Hyrule various sword and bow techniques that ingrained into his original incarnation. Our Traveller helps the shadow understand magic more but also a few techniques of his own.

🌃 Night sometimes has dreams about his original incarnation. Adventures he never fully experienced but feels too real to be fake. It always makes him wonder about the real person that was once blanketed by his shadowy visage.

Hyrule and Night like to try different things together like new outfits. Both had once dressed up as each other although the shadow had to keep his brother from dying himself blue. Night often alters his Hylian appearance to look like Hyrule albeit with black hair. Twinsies!

🧚 Hyrule was given Night's straw hat! Our fairy boy wears it whenever he can and does his absolute to keep the hat in good condition. He asked Fable(his Zelda) to teach him how to sew and knit so he'll be able to repair. Most likely to punch someone for touching his straw hat without permission.

Hyrule and Night fight in perfect harmony. Both can devastate their opponents with amazing team attacks or counter strikes meant for the other. Their bond is so powerful that they can fuse together to become Elysium, a shadow like Great Fairy who can weave light and darkness to aid him.

Once the Chain found out about Night, both brothers were instantly protective of each other. Nearly everyone was practically walking on eggshells as upsetting one sibling angers the other. Four however is the exception as Night admitted Hyrule could trust him. (I wonder why.)

It takes AWHILE for the Chain to not only patch things up with Hyrule but also trust Night(Luffy to them as only Hyrule can call the shadow his nickname). In order: Four, Twilight, Wild, Wind, Time, Legend, Sky, Warriors. Both brothers don't isolate themselves from the group anymore.

🌃 Night often ponders about the shadow or Dark Link. He doesn't believe all these events where orchestrated by Dink but someone else. The fragments of the shadow used to make him feels the same way.

Shenanigans of two become shenanigans for five. Wind, Wild and Sky get into chaos very often with the two brothers. None of them are allowed to be alone together after the 'Gum Gum Fireworks' incident.

🧚 Hyrule often feels like he is 'out of place' with the Chain. The man is just a simple half fae traveller who has a guardian shadow. It gets worse when a Link discusses something he isn't familiar with yet everyone else doesn't feel loss like he is.

Night and Hyrule do become protective of the Chain once the remaining tension is gone. If one or more Links decide to join the brothers for a nap then they're welcomed. Even when the time comes for everyone to go their separate paths, Hyrule and Night will make it rememberable.

That's it for now! Make sure to vote in the polls right here! Until next time folks, I'll see you back in Hyrule!

[pixiemage]

Teams I’ve contemplated for MCC that are unlikely but I’d love to see happen:

Desert Duo & Dogwarts

(Grian, Scar, Ren, Martyn)

We all love Grian and Scar together in MCC, Ren and Martyn have amazing banter, and frankly I think it would be an all-around good time.

Clone Dads & Crime Boys

(Martyn, Philza, Wilbur, Tommy)

Martyn and Philza were a pleasure to watch during the most recent MCC, absolute mad lads. It would basically be two hilarious Minecraft dads trying to rein in a couple of chaotic teenagers. (Though let's be real, they wouldn't do much reining in at all) Plus no PG streamers - which means Martyn gets to say fuck.

Desert Duo & Ex-Presidents

(Grian, Scar, Wilbur, Tubbo)

Yeah, yeah, back at it again with the Desert boys. But we all want to see Wilbur and Grian play MCC together again and we’ve ALL been waiting for the day when Tubbo gets to team with Scar, because I think if that happened he might just implode. (Alternate possibility: Tubbo swaps for Ranboo, for the same reason.)

[BONUS: The one team we’ll absolutely never see and I think we can all understand why]

Dream, Dreamslayer, & Censorship Challenge

(Dream, Grian, Tommy, Jimmy)

Listen. Listen. I think - okay. I think this will NEVER HAPPEN because frankly if it ever DID, every single person in this group would tear each other apart for different reasons.

From what I've seen Dream likes to take charge, so having to deal with Build Mart Manager Grian would be a NIGHTMARE. (Plus pairing someone who loves Build Mart with someone who hates it is a hysterical concept in and of itself.) You’ve got Tommy who swears constantly being put in the same group as Jimmy Solidarity and Grian, the former of whom IMPLODES when Empires members even BEGIN to make innuendous jokes, and the latter of whom we’ve already seen tear his hair out over being in the same video as Tommy, like, once. Then you’ve got Grian who torments Jimmy (Tim) mercilessly, like, always, as well as the Tommy-Dream combo who are honestly a fairly good matchup but also both tend to talk over each other a lot.

Like I said, never gonna happen, mostly based on the process through which teams are chosen for MCC. Players with similar PG or non-PG content are matched up, as well as people who are either in it to win or in it to just have fun. There's also a decent balance and mix between highly skilled players and those who are more average so no team is too OP, which might be the ONLY category this matchup would fall under but - it was 4am when I thought about this and the entire concept has me giggling like a madwoman.

Nobody would be on the same page, everyone would suffer, and I’d love to watch it all go up in flames.

(They've released half of the teams for MCC 25 and Scar already has a team, but I'm still quietly holding out hope for the third one for MCC 26. We know Grian and Wilbur want to team again and I heard rumors of Scar and Tubbo wanting to do the same. It'd be a really fun team if it happened!)