Chapter 1: Convict Childcare AU - AU Start
Chapter Text
AU where c!Sam fucks up and somehow kills c!Ranboo before c!Techno shows up to break c!Dream out of prison. Knowing he doesn’t have a bargaining chip left (other than Michael), Sam decides to flee with Dream and Michael. Maybe he has a secret back up back up base, or maybe he just brings tools and materials and plans to get far enough away and then rebuild.
The results of this are:
- Ranboo is dead, most people are pissed off about that, and the only person who can bring Ranboo back is MIA. Manhunt time?
- Nobody is really clear on if Dream escaped and Sam fled from him, or if Sam took Dream and fled. Most of the server leans towards the former, while the Syndicate + Tubbo believes the latter mostly based on Ghostboo’s faint recollections and the fact Michael is also missing.
- Sam is able to somewhat restrain Dream (and the other is quite weak due to the whole months of starvation and torture), but doesn’t have complete control over him like prison. Leading to a lot of Sam being anxious about his lack of control and lashing out at Dream who still has about no power in this situation.
- Since Sam has very limited resources, and his treatment of other people when they’re in the way of his control is bad, Dream is practically in charge of taking care of Michael.
- Dream isn’t happy about this, or particularly good with children, but if Michael is upset then Sam takes it out on Dream, so he doesn’t have much choice.
- So now Dream has to figure out how to take care of a toddler. Great. Wonderful. Also he has very limited supplies for taking care of a toddler, a bad environment for taking care of a toddler, and is facing constant abuse from a man who also does not know how to take care of a toddler.
- Dream 100% gets attached to the kid.
Important notes for the Convict Childcare AU:
- c!Dream does not know that Michael is c!Tubbo / c!Ranboo’s adopted son. He literally has no idea where, why, or how c!Sam got a zombie piglin child.
- c!Dream initially believes that Michael is c!Sam trying to get him to be attached to something so Michael can be used against him. He starts to realize that isn’t the case, but still goes out of his way to convince c!Sam he doesn’t like Michael.
- c!Dream actually attempts to use the revival book on Michael to see if it can cure his zombification. XD shows up, but he can’t cure the zombification without basically remaking Michael. Instead, he just heals what damage he can and mitigates the rest of the symptoms so that Michael won’t experience any more flesh decay, should only deal with mild aches, and won’t be infectious towards or instinctively rejected by piglins.
- The healed damage means that while Michael still can’t talk, he gains back a lot of usage of his hands. This means he can learn some sign language!
- c!Dream struggles to teach and communicate through sign language due to nerve damage in his own hands from the torture, but the two of them make it work.
- The first signs c!Dream teaches Michael are “hide” and “help”.
- c!Sam doesn’t know any sign so he gets pissy about the two of them using “secret codes” around him. c!Dream just teaches Michael to be subtle about it.
- Speaking of c!Sam, Michael is scared of him. Both on account of “scary man who I don’t know who removed me from the care of someone I did know” and “my caretaker is clearly scared of this person so I should be too.”
- At some point, after c!Sam has had enough time to build something he considers secure enough to hold c!Dream for at least a period of time, c!Sam tries to separate the two of them.
- It goes. Poorly.
- Michael was okay with leaving c!Dream for short periods, but being separated completely and left with c!Sam leaves him inconsolable. He’s constantly trying to run, crying, and refuses to eat or let c!Sam take care of him in anyway.
- c!Sam spins a narrative in his head that c!Dream has somehow brainwashed Michael to be against him, and tries to force c!Dream to “fix” the problem.
- c!Dream at least attempts to give c!Sam advice on how to take care of Michael around the torture, but c!Sam is stuck on the idea that there’s no way this could be because of his behavior.
- Ultimately, c!Sam forgets that Michael is a piglin and makes the mistake of coming back into his room with the smell of c!Dream’s blood on his clothing.
- Michael goes feral, attacking c!Sam, doing serious damage and almost dying to c!Sam’s thorns enchantment.
- c!Sam can’t even get in the same room as Michael without drugging him with potions. So, in a rare moment of admitting defeat, c!Sam returns Michael to c!Dream under the guise of it being “because he has more work to do on the new prison.”
- Michael latches onto c!Dream and Will Not Let go. c!Dream doesn’t sleep at all that night, partially because he’s scared of losing Michael again, and partially because he’s already grappling with the fact he’s going to need to give Michael away as soon as he’s free because there’s literally no way he’s going to be able to safely raise a child.
so they’re traveling around in convict childcare au right? how does Sam coordinate moving around with two people who Do Not want to follow him?
They travel for awhile before c!Sam feels like they’ve gone far enough, probably for about 2 weeks moving quickly. I’m also going with quad creeper hybrid Sam for this because I think that’s rad.
For moving people around, Michael is scared enough that he’s compliant. Due to improper care for his zombification, he’d actually be struggling to run even if he tried to, so it’s not hard for Sam to keep a hold of him. Or, well, for c!Dream to keep a hold of him. Michael also adjusts quickly to Dream, because Dream knows a lot about piglins via c!Techno and his own experiences. Tbh he probably knows more than c!Ranboo and c!Tubbo do about raising a piglin.
Now, Dream is a bit more complicated. You have to remember at this point he’s been starved for months, as well as tortured and for the purposes of this AU, he’s suffering physical side effects of both. He doesn’t have the ability to fight back against Sam. For those two weeks of travel, Sam keeps him restrained and carries both Dream and Michael on his back. Initially, he tried to make Dream walk, but despite attempts at “motivating” him with threats of abuse, Dream physically couldn’t walk quickly or for any sustained amount of time. So Sam restrained him further and carried both of them, making Dream hold on to Michael.
After those two weeks, Sam feels like he’s found a safe, hidden location under an ocean. He builds like two rooms then drags Dream and Michael down there. Despite the fact that Dream is basically incapable of fighting back, Sam doesn’t feel safe unless he has total control over Dream. Also physical defenses to prevent rescue attempts. But obviously Sam can’t be building and taking care of a toddler. Redstone is dangerous! So he leaves Dream in charge of the toddler 99% of the time while he’s building up the base, the defenses, and more of a prison system to move Dream into. A process that takes months.
This is a obviously a foolproof plan, as nothing bad has ever happened because Sam decided to leave a child alone with Dream for an extended period of time in fundamentally abusive conditions. Clearly he makes good choices that are objectively right.
lmao it's so funny that even dream has a better idea of what to do with kids than sam does.
c!Dream is a fucking mess and bad with children, BUT he does know a fair bit about piglins. He also doesn’t have a choice. It’s either he takes care of Michael with the very limited resources that he has, or Michael gets upset, which means c!Sam is upset and Dream gets hurt. Sam in this AU in particular knows nothing about piglins and less than nothing about baby piglins struggling with zombification.
The biggest hurdle Dream faces initially is the fact that Michael has an active case of zombification, which he really needs extensive medical care for. Unfortunately, Sam absolutely isn’t willing or able to give Dream the resources he’d need to treat it properly, not even a potion of harming. At best, Dream can get a diluted potion of weakness for Michael after a lot of fighting. Even that barely helps with the pain. Without proper medical care, zombification is lethal, Michael’s case is worsening with the toddler in constant pain, and Dream doesn’t see a path for it to get better.
On his darkest days, Dream straight up considers a mercy killing. He’s stopped both by the thought of what Sam will do to him, and by the fading hope that Techno will show up to save them.
Eventually, Dream gets the thought to try to the revival book on Michael and just like. See what happens. Why not? Sure, there’s a fair bit of risk to it. He literally has no idea what will happen given Michael’s half dead state, and the fact Michael can’t communicate with XD. But it’s the only thing Dream can think of to try.
XD shows up, takes pity on their situation, and does what he can to help. As mentioned before, he can’t fully cure Michael, but he can at least stop the infection from spreading, repair some of the damage, and dull the pain to manageable levels. It’s not perfect, but it means Michael will live, and that’s more than Dream was hoping for before.
This is really a turning point in Michael and Dream’s relationship. Once they’re able to start communicating with sign language, and once Michael’s not in so much pain, Dream starts getting more and more attached to him. He does his best to hide it from Sam, but by this point he’s been trapped alone with Michael for ages. A bond is going to form there as much as Dream might hate it. Dream really does try his best to take care of Michael despite the fact he’s neither physically or mentally stable enough to be caring for a child. It’s not perfect, sometimes it’s not even good, but it’s what they have.
Just read through your convict childcare Aj and am in desperate need for more!!! Plz any more crumbs you can spare?? How are ghostboo, techno and tubbo doing???
Oh yeah! Everyone else in the AU! They’re all miserable! And it’s staying that way!
c!Tubbo lost his child and his husband in a very quick period. Ghostboo is not helpful. While he still doesn’t know exactly what the fuck is up with c!Sam, what he does know is that man killed his husband and kidnapped his child for seemingly no reason.
c!Techno failed. He failed to break c!Dream out of prison quickly enough to prevent all of this from happening, and the guilt is eating him alive. He failed his promise to Dream, he failed Ranboo, and he failed himself. While he’s trying to move forward, it’s really hard when leads keep coming up empty.
Techno is also very cagey in what he tells Tubbo in this AU in particular. He does explain that Sam went off the deep end on a power trip (locking Techno up, working with Quackity, etc) and he at least mentions some of the abusive conditions. However, he knows Tubbo is already in a bad place mentally, and doesn’t want to confront the reality of how bad Michael’s conditions could be. So he… censors it. Somewhat. He also doesn’t fully explain that he was going to (and still plans to) break Dream out of the prison. Only that he thinks Sam assumes Techno wants revenge. On account of Tubbo and Dream’s very bad history. He never lies, but he omits details a lot.
c!Phil gets more information, because he knew they were breaking Dream out, and c!Niki gets a decent chunk as well, but Techno is the only one who really understands how bad it was and likely is. It’s weighing on him a lot.
To add to the list of problems, because Tubbo is working with the syndicate and is convinced that Sam killed Ranboo, kidnapped Michael & Dream and fled, he’s working against most of the rest of the server. There’s not exactly outright hostility between the respective camps, but they aren’t friendly either. The biggest struggle for Tubbo is that Tommy is firmly in the camp of “Dream forced Sam to kill Ranboo, and Dream has kidnapped both of them”. He will not hear out the possibility that Sam is the bad guy here. When Tubbo refuses to agree with that take, they have a split in their friendship. It’s horrible at the time when Tubbo needs his best friend more than anything, and it only gets worse later in the AU!
how long does it take for the syndicate to find sam? (convict childcare au) and at that point how attached is dream to michael and how obvious is it?
So, you’ve made a key incorrect assumption here that the syndicate finds c!Sam, c!Dream, and Michael at around the same time.
I’m still deciding on how long it takes them to find Sam, but 3 months at least. Probably on the order of 4-6 months. It’s a longass time, particularly for Michael whose still a toddler. The syndicate does find Sam before the rest of the server finds anyone, which is great, but the rest of the server isn’t too far behind.
In that time, Michael has become very attached to Dream. Dream has been the only point of safety, stability, and care in his life for most of what he can remember. Dream was the first person to teach him sign (Tubbo and c!Ranboo tried, but at the time Michael couldn’t manage due to decay from the zombification). Dream also connects and communicates really well with Michael’s piglin instinct. Dream has also done a pretty good job keeping Michael fed, entertained, and distracted from their shared fear of Sam. Hell, Dream even did his best as time wore on to hide the abuse he was experiencing from Michael. Both so Michael wouldn’t be scared, but also because Dream was hoping if Michael wasn’t scared of Sam then Sam would be less likely to hurt Michael on the off chance Dream ended up dead or unable to care for him.
So Michael is very attached to Dream and Dream….
Dream is attached in his own ways, but he’s also realistic. He took care of Michael as best he could, and clearly he did somewhat okay despite his circumstances. But Dream isn’t capable of raising a child. He knows himself well enough to admit that. As far as he knows, Michael is some random kid that Sam grabbed for seemingly no reason. If Dream tries to take care of him, even if he could somehow overcome his serious physical and mental issues, then Sam is just going to tell people from the SMP and they’ll use Michael against him. The best option he can see is Michael gets a new family far away, and nobody else ever finds out that Dream cared about him.
That’s Dream’s goal in this situation. Shove his own pain in a box, and keep it firmly there until Michael is safely away and he can shatter.
saltwatersweets asked
was there ever a moment where cdream broke down in front of michael? im sure he didnt try to of course, but given how often the two are around each other as well as how stressed cdream is all the time (constantly being hurt/threatened by his abuser, his body and mind betraying him due to being much weaker because of the torture + starvation, it being over a year at this point since he was imprisoned, the fading hope of being rescued, and having to partially raise a toddler on top of all this), i cant imagine hed be able to keep his cool in front of michael all the time, no matter how hard he tries to
did he ever get angry at michael being upset, especially in the first month or so of caring for him, because he knew that michael being upset would mean that c!sam would hurt him again?
Hmm. I’m not sure c!Dream would’ve ever quite broken in front of Michael. c!Sam, if nothing else, had the common sense to not have Michael be in the room before he started anything physical. Yelling matches happened in front of him sometimes, but usually Dream would notice and move him to the other room. Sam is also limited in what he can physically do to Dream due to Michael. Quackity is also now out of the picture, which creates the following limitations.
- Same has to give Dream enough food for a toddler, and the food can’t be poisoned or otherwise nasty. He still not going to be giving enough food for an adult + a toddler, and the food that he gives is regularly too rich for Dream whose body has near no capacity to adjust to new things, but it’s an improvement from a minimal number of potatoes.
- When it comes to physical violence, Sam isn’t capable like Quackity is. He’s fine with smacking Dream around, and liable to break bones due to the amount of force used, but it’s going to be relatively quick and it’s more about Sam physically venting his frustrations than it is about causing pain.
- In addition, Sam can’t leave Dream in a physically broken state for longer than 10-15 minutes. Large, open wounds would scare Michael (as well as be unhygienic). Leaving Dream unconscious or physically unable to move isn’t an option either, since someone has to watch Michael. So, he makes an effort to limit his damage to severe bruising and uses healing potions when he goes further.
- Dream can’t be left in dangerous or severely unhygienic conditions anymore, because Michael needs to be in a moderately safe environment. There can’t be constant lava, uncovered obsidian, no entertainment. And there has to be access to clean water, a bath, a bed, and other stuff toddlers need.
As a result of all of this, comparatively, Dream is under much better conditions than he was before. He and Michael have a slightly larger room, still made of obsidian but covered in carpet to stop Michael from getting hurt. There’s also a bathroom with a toilet, a very barebones sink, and a bath. Importantly, there’s a physical door separating these two locations, so when Dream wants Michael out of the room, he tucks him in the bathtub with some blankets and toys. There’s a proper bed, a bookshelf, two chests and proper lighting in the room.
While Dream has moments of weakness in front of Michael, he never quite breaks during his time with Sam. His conditions are marginally better, and when he does get in a really bad place mentally he hides it well. At most, he’ll move Michael to the bathtub for a bit so he can have time to lick his wounds in peace. Even though he’s losing hope in being rescued, he’s still got plans to get out. Michael actually helps a lot with those, as does the new environment.
That’s not to say he keeps his cool all the time. Sometimes he gets snappy or sad. But it’s minimal. If there’s one thing that Dream can do really, really well, it’s rationalize and compartmentalize his situation. This dude literally rationalized his own torture to the guy that tortured him for like a year. He also held out against that torture for ages with no end in sight. Having Michael there to care for actually gives him a point of stability. There’s a toddler whose dependent on him for care, who he can chose to be good towards. He has control over this small part of his life, and for him, the expression of that control is doing his very best to defy his circumstances and raise Michael well.
Dream does try to teach Michael to hide when he’s upset in front of Sam, but he doesn’t get mad at Michael for it when it happens. That’s because 9/10 times, it’s Sam himself upsetting Michael and then blaming it on Dream. Dream is realistic, he knows that a toddler is just going to get upset in those circumstances. Plus, Sam is often looking for an excuse to hurt him regardless. Dream rationalizes, he compartmentalized, and then he tries to solve the problem and calm Michael down. Breaking down isn’t an option for him, and it won’t be for awhile.
It helps that Michael is the only real company that Dream has, and that Michael’s presence has vastly improved Dream’s conditions. Sure, it still sucks a lot, but it’d be a lot worse if Michael wasn’t there. Dream can appreciate that.
in the convict childcare au, how does sam react to being found?
Well, by this point, c!Dream has already escaped with Michael. He’ll have had at least a week’s lead, and by that point c!Sam has realized that there’s no chance of recovering him. Sam fucked up beyond belief, and it leaves him very numb. Dream took one of Sam’s lives during his escape, and that’s also shaken him.
By the time that the syndicate + c!Tubbo find him, Sam is mostly resigned to his fate. He tells them a bit of truth, that Dream took Michael and escaped but implies that Dream has probably killed or abandoned Michael by now, if not turned Michael into a pawn.
After hearing that (and learning that apparently Sam has just been leaving Michael’s care up to Dream of all people), Tubbo fucking murders him. As he should.
The syndicate decide not to go after Sam at the moment because they’re focused on finding Michael before it’s too late. At this point, c!Techno is probably the only one who solidly believes that Michael is okay.
ohh my god ur AU is so cool im brainrotting so hard ?? i hope u dont mind me writing a little smth for it bc im !!! wowowow it’s so epic -dr3amofagame on tumblr/twt
He’d been all but sure that the kid was going to die.
Dream brushes his hand over the kid’s head lightly, startling when Michael turns in his sleep to press his snout into his palm, tiny tusks digging into his skin. He’s more at ease, now, though XD had warned him that he’s still fragile - hence why he’s in Dream’s arms instead of sleeping on the cold ground. He doesn’t really know what to, honestly. He didn’t really expect to get this far.
At least it looks like he’s not hurting as much anymore.
That’s…something, Dream thinks, brushing against the fine hairs at the base of the kid’s skull as he thinks to himself. He’d been crying near-constantly before, which didn’t bode well for either him or Dream, and hadn’t been able to sleep nearly as soundly before waking up from the pain, even when Dream held him. Now, he almost looks content, burying his face into Dream’s side and chuffing quietly in his sleep. It’s the closest he’s looked to peaceful as long as Dream’s known him, at the least.
Dream stares at the kid numbly, his breathing rattly but steady. His hands shake (they always shake, now) as he shifts him a little so he can sit more comfortably, grunting under his breath when Michael responds with a series of whines and irritated squeaks. His head tips back against the wall and he looks up, lips trembling around the sigh that leaves his lungs.
He can’t take care of a kid.
Not for the first time, he wonders why Sam had brought this random kid with them in the first place. It’s not like he doesn’t already have Dream’s total obedience as it is. Not that it seems like Sam cares about the kid much either - and whoever this kid is, he clearly came from somewhere, if his squeals and cries for what Dream figures must be his sounder from when they first ran away are of any indication. Dream huffs to himself, irritated - Sam’s hatred for him is understandable enough, as much as the Warden is an asshole that tortures anyone that does as much as speak a word out of line. But dragging some random kid into their mess? For what?
Probably ‘cause he’s a fucking coward, Dream snipes inside his head, and he snorts. That, of all things, has stayed constant.
Still - he has no idea what he’s fucking doing. Maybe it would’ve been better before shit went down, when things were the way they should be, but now? When he’s barely able to take care of himself? When Sam is there looking over his shoulder, ready to make him “face the consequences” of every wrong step? Yeah, he’s never been as ill-equipped to take care of a toddler and Dream thinks that the only reason why he’s not had a breakdown over it all yet is that he’s been too busy making sure that the kid won’t fucking keel over and die on him. Then again, maybe he’s just gotten used to the whole “constantly on the verge of completely falling apart at any given moment” and now it’s just the status quo now - like, exposure therapy or something. That could be convenient.
Besides, even if he was equipped for being any sort of - parent, or whatever, even if he wasn’t half-starved and half-dead with Sam’s proverbial hand on his neck, it’s hardly like being around him in any capacity is safe. It took just about everything he had to hide Punz’s involvement, all he can do is hope that he and Ranboo have made it out okay and not been discovered and consequently executed or some shit; he’s long known that being allied with him is all but a death sentence. Being hunted down for eternity, your life in constant danger of being used as a bargaining chip because of someone else’s mile-wide grudge? It’s no life he could wish on anyone, never mind some kid. He’s not an idiot - he’s no saint - but he doesn’t want some toddler to die for him.
Still, there’s no mistaking the swell of emotion that had risen at the sight of the kid, somewhat healed and relatively painless when XD had set him back into Dream’s arms. There’s no avoiding the recognition that sparks in Michael’s eyes when he looks over at him, giggle-fits and begging to be held that are reserved for him and him only. Dream smooths his hand over the bumps of Michael’s spine on his neck, careful to avoid the sensitive areas where bone is exposed to the air - pausing when Michael nudges forward in his sleep, nuzzling into the crook of his arm.
He’ll have to figure something out, later. Some way to get Michael safely secured away from Sam and away from himself, where he won’t end up as potential collateral for when shit inevitably goes down.
For now, though-
Dream holds Michael a little closer to his chest, watching as the kid brushes up against him and presses his ear right up against his heart, and keeps his eyes fixed on the locked door of their room. Someone, after all, is going to have to keep watch.
— (Above post was a submission to my tumblr, from https://dr3amofagame.tumblr.com/ below is my response).
Hello, so first and foremost, I love you and I would die for you. Second, you’ve taken my entire heart and it’s yours now. Third, I’m going to cry about this all night. Fourth, just,,,, c!Dream not understanding why, being so disillusioned on how dangerous attachments are for him, and still being so helpless in his love for this toddler he’s been tasked to watch over. :,) I’m crying about this tomorrow as well.
Chapter 2: Convict Childcare AU - Part 2
Chapter Text
can't wait for dream and Michael to be found in the convict childcare au and they have to deal with the fact that Michael is very attached to their very fucked up admin who has killed children before. how the hell do you respond to that man
Well, so c!Dream and Michael are found by the syndicate at separate times. Basically, Dream gets the fuck out and his first order of business is getting as far away from the main SMP as possible. He finds a safe bastion, gets them to take in Michael, and leaves. Not just the bastion, but also the nether to prevent anyone else searching for him from finding the bastion.
There’s a lot of stuff that happens in the middle, but eventually after finding Dream, explaining and being given directions, c!Tubbo and c!Techno show up at the bastion to get Michael. And…
Michael doesn’t recognize Tubbo anymore. Not really. He has, at best, some faint recollections of him. Tubbo and Ranboo were only his family for a year at most, and Michael has spent at least 6 months away from the both of them at this point. That’s a huge amount of time for a toddler. Hell, Tubbo barely recognize Michael between the healing that XD did and the fact Michael got taller.
Hell, Michael actually almost refuses to go with Tubbo, because Dream had told him to stay at the bastion. It’s only because Techno thought ahead and brought a piece of Dream’s clothing (to prove to the bastion that they were sent by him) that Michael is willing to follow them. When they rejoin the others (including Dream whose being helped by c!Phil and c!Niki b/c he’s really Having A Bad Time), Michael goes straight back to Dream’s side and doesn’t want to leave. Despite Dream directly trying to push him back towards Tubbo.
It’s rough for everyone involved, but as much as Tubbo has very complicated feelings around Dream, he’s not… upset? Angry? Blaming? Towards him. First and foremost is just that Dream is in such a bad state physically that it’s hard to view him as a threat. It’s also been around two years since the “final” confrontation, and Tubbo’s had a lot of time to cool off and reflect on the stuff that happened.
I think the thing, more than anything else, that shapes Tubbo’s opinion of the situation is that Michael isn’t underweight. Not even a bit. The kid’s gotten taller, but he’s still plump like a toddler should be. Tubbo can physically feel Michael’s weight in his arms as he carries him, and it’s a stark contrast to Dream whose clearly severely malnutritioned.
Tubbo might have serious issues with Dream, but ultimately he’s able to notice and acknowledge that Dream managed to keep Michael alive and relatively well taken care of for months despite the horrible circumstances he was under. He’s able to feel confident that Dream isn’t going to suddenly hurt Michael, and that helps a lot moving forward. The easy relationship between Techno and Dream helps a lot too. Plus the fact that they were going to need Dream to revive Ranboo anyways (although it’s a little while before that happens on account of Dream’s poor physical state), it all just sorta… works out? Sort of?
The bigger emotional issue for Tubbo is the fact that Techno (and by extension the syndicate) are sheltering Dream at the very least until he’s recovered, which is looking like a several month long process given the level of damage. This is good for Michael because it allows for him to readjust to Tubbo and later Ranboo as his parents, while still having Dream present to help out. It’s absolute hell on Tubbo because it’s the straw that breaks his already very fragile relationship with c!Tommy. Tubbo is choosing to help shelter Dream, something that the rest of the server is aware of but doesn’t really understand. There are physical conflicts over it, and Tubbo stands quite loyally with the syndicate both based on his own moral belief that what Sam did was abhorrent and because of what Dream did for Michael. It’s rough emotionally.
Also, like, the surrealism of trying to coparent with the guy who you have fought wars against, whose absolutely not qualified to be a parent but had literally no say in the matter, and whose struggling through a lot of pretty severe mental issues including ones directly related to the child you’re coparenting is… a lot. Michael is still dependent on Dream for quite awhile after breaking out, and after his experiences with Sam it takes a lot longer for him to warm up to the other adults. Meanwhile, Dream still is not in any condition to raise a child, but has a lot of ingrained protective instincts towards Michael that he’s now got to stifle since he’s no longer under Sam’s control.
who taught c!dream to sign? and does dream like, play games with michael or read him stories?
He learned from/for c!Callahan! And also just as a life skill. He’s not great at it, and it’s worsened by the nerve damage in his hands, but he knows enough to teach Michael some basics. Some stuff is just invented between the two of them as well, since c!Dream is mostly focused on just having some means of talking to the toddler in his care.
Dream does read to Michael a lot! Michael did get healed by XD so there’s no more exposed bones, and it restored his left ear, but it couldn’t restore his left eye. As such, reading is pretty difficult for him. He prefers to listen to Dream read out loud. The books that they have aren’t meant for a toddler, they’re YA stuff that c!Sam happened to have at one of his bases, but Michael likes them anyways. Since he has so much spare time, Dream makes a few picture books for Michael too. He can only do it on his really good days, when his hands are mostly steady and he has the motor control to draw and write, but he does manage. Michael treasures those picture books, and keeps them nearby at almost all times.
The two of them also play games, although they’re limited by space, Michael’s young age, and the limited amount of toys that they have access to. Dream is able to make a few ragdolls for Michael, and after bothering Sam enough he’s able to get some cotton fluff and a sewing needle so he can make Michael a chicken plush that quickly becomes Michael’s favorite.
dream reading micheal his wattpad fanfics he wrote with techno
First off, c!Dream has many flaws, but I refuse to believe he doesn’t have the basic dignity of using A03.
Second, c!Sam didn’t let him bring any of his books when they moved locations. And uh. Dream’s memory is… not great. Particularly regarding stuff that happened in the prison. So a lot of that is lost.
But!! Dream does tell Michael stories about Technoblade, since he’s the only piglin that he knows. Some of the stories are true, little adventures they went on, how Dream saved Techno and his horse from the evil butcher army (that one is one of Michael’s favorites). Some of the stories are Dream extrapolating from his vague recollections. He remember Technoblade mentioning an arctic empire, so he tells a story of how it was toppled. He makes up a million and one origin stories for Techno, letting Michael pick aspects for them each time. It’s an ongoing joke between them. One of these stories even makes their way into one of Michael’s picture books, and eventually Techno sees it and spends ages teasing Dream about it.
It’s actually Techno who reads Michael his and Dream’s prison fanfiction, the fun ones anyways. Because when Techno broke into the prison and found Dream missing with the books left behind, he took them. His excuse was to search for clues, but honestly it was just because he knew that if Dream made it out alive, he’d want the books back. Through all 6 months of searching he kept the books safe, and returned the (now properly edited) books to Dream once the other was well enough to read them.
Love your convict childcare au :D
When do you think any of the members find dream?
I already answered this for the Syndicate + c!Tubbo, but c!Sapnap finds c!Dream two weeks after the Syndicate brings Dream and Michael back to the commune. Sapnap honestly doesn’t know what he believes because what he’s hearing is that somehow, Dream kidnapped Michael and was chasing c!Sam? Or had kidnapped Sam? the story is hazy. All he knows for sure is that Dream killed Sam, and a week later, Tubbo killed Sam. Now Tubbo is protecting Dream.
Popping an invisible potion and leaving all his stuff behind, Sapnap takes the risk to snoop around. It’s difficult to get past all the traps, but he manages to get nearby c!Techno’s place. He can’t get inside, but he can look in the windows. Can get a sense of the layout.
Sapnap looks in the window of Techno’s upper floor, and he sees Michael, being held by a stranger. The stranger looks like death. Even wearing what looks like Techno’s clothing, it’s easy to tell they’re rail thin. There’s scars lining their body, their hair at least looks clean, but it’s scraggly and brittle. What he can see of their face looks vaguely flushed, not quite like like a fever but like someone recovering from one. There’s big circles under their eyes, and a tiredness about their shoulders. Michael is on their lap, and they seem to be reading him a story. Their hands shake as they turn the page. Nobody else is in the room, and Sapnap spends a solid minute watching this stranger and trying to figure out what they could be doing here.
And then- Michael made a motion with his hands, something that made the stranger laugh- And then, they weren’t a stranger anymore. They were someone Sapnap has loved as family for than half his life. They were someone who betrayed him. They were someone who he betrayed and abandoned. They were Dream.
Sapnap left. He went home. When the others came by to ask him to fight, to go up against Technoblade for the sake of dragging Dream back to prison, he refused. Wouldn’t have anything to do with it. He their story didn’t line up. There was no way that the Syndicate was leaving Dream alone with Michael if he’d actually kidnapped the kid. And the state Dream was in- Nobody would be in that state by choice.
Vaguely, Sapnap considered hunting Sam down to take his last life. Just to feel like he’d done something. He doesn’t. He doesn’t deserve to. That’s not his life to take.
Yooo your aus are so cool and so interesting I am brain rotting so hard over the image of Dream halfway trying to survive himself while also taking care of a child and growing unwillingly kinda attached to him it's so cool
And I wanna ask if Punz has got any special or specific response to dream and everything he went through after he's escaped and more stable on the convict childcare au
My strat for dealing with brainrot is that I just infect everyone else with it so I’m not alone. I’m also very attached to c!Dream whose not a good person and not trying to be one, but whose in terrible circumstances and still fundamentally unable to stop himself from loving. And then after so long in isolation, there’s a toddler in his arms who needs him. Who has nobody else, whose just as stuck as he is, and who he can’t help but try for. Because someone has to. He can’t help it, only hate it.
As for c!Punz, I can’t believe I haven’t brought him up yet! Basically, after c!Sam flees with Dream + Michael, Punz realizes something has gone wrong in the plan. He wants to help rescue Dream, but he doesn’t know how. Ultimately, he ends up aiding the Syndicate, specifically going to c!Techno. He doesn’t reveal everything, just tells them that he regrets betraying Dream and is on their side. Techno and Punz in this AU are sort of,,,, rivals isn’t the right word, but like. Working on the same side but bitter towards one another. Punz blames Techno for not getting Dream out of prison quickly like he was supposed to, and Techno heavily mistrusts Punz because he believes that Punz betrayed Dream for money and only regretted it later. Still, they put their differences aside for the sake of the rescue, and once Dream is back to mediate, it goes pretty smoothly.
As for Punz’ role, he plays a double agent role; working against the rest of the server to help the Syndicate reach Sam/Dream first. It’s mostly shadows work, and he can’t be there during the actual rescues but as soon as Dream’s well enough to have guests, Punz manages to get out there to hug him, call him an idiot and apologize for not acting sooner. Michael takes to Punz relative quickly, both on account of Dream being very comfortable with Punz, and Punz being good with kids.
Okay, now hear me out, what if convict childcare AU c!Dream but he’s a secret Ender Dragon hybrid.
Pros:
- Ender Dragons do not raise their own young, they never meet them. As such, Dream has absolutely no instincts on how to raise a toddler from his hybrid side. That’s all on his human side, while the lizard brain just Panics. What is child? Why is child?
- Ender beings and piglins traditionally got along and recognize each other as allies. Which is part of why Michael takes more easily to Dream (and formerly c!Ranboo) than he does overworld hybrids.
- Dream can keep his hybrid side hidden for quite awhile, but he does need to let it out every so often. Usually he timed this when he knew c!Sam wouldn’t be there, but Michael adds an extra layer of complications. In the end, he decides Michael isn’t going to snitch and lets the baby see his hybrid form.
- Michael loves his horns, they seem to remind him of someone else the first time he sees them.
- Michael also loves Dream’s toe beans, which he has because I say so.
- Dream discovers (accidentally) that his dragon breath can heal small wounds of Michael’s as well, since it’s the equiv of a harm potion and despite Michael’s zombication being meditated by XD, he still follows the rules of undead.
Cons:
- Michael never snitches to Sam, but much later on, as his signing gets more fluent, he refers to both c!Tubbo and Dream as “horned” with Tubbo being ‘always horned’ and Dream being 'sometimes horned’ which is a Problem b/c all of the Syndicate + rest of the server believes that Dream was human.
another con:
the only experience ender dragons have with their young is when they are in egg form. thankfully, when dream is fully awake and aware, he doesn't usually get the instinct to brood, (i.e. the thing chickens do to keep their eggs warm,) but on several occasions, mostly when he was either injured or half asleep, he has fully laid down on top of michael to keep him warm. luckily, dream's pretty light from the starvation, but he always wakes up embarassed
In all fairness “lay on top of the baby CORRECTLY” is common to both Lizards and most mammals. And it’s a special kind of laying down. Laying with intent to Hide and Warm and Protect. On the rare nights c!Dream lets his hybrid side out while he’s trapped with Michael, he probably makes a lil nest and curls around/a little bit on top of Michael. Michael doesn’t mind, if anything he enjoys being Warm. Since their cell is Not Great, and gets cold sometimes, Dream will also sometimes just make a nest to keep Michael toasty b/c nether babies Should Not Be Cold.
Actually this would probably be the second way Michael would snitch on Dream once they’re with the Syndicate. He sees Dream is cold and makes a nest. c!Tubbo knows for a fact that Michael didn’t learn that from him or Ranboo. It’s not a piglin thing either soooo.
Bit of fluff for the convict childcare au: Michael gets access to paper and crayons, and uses it to make his own version of Dream's mask, so he can match his caretaker :D
What nice fluff! Would be a shame if I…
In Dream’s defense, he was exhausted. The Warden was frustrated when he’d come by the night before, and that meant Dream was left with aching ribs and his left hand not quite broken but bruised to the point of unusable. The pain had brought back nasty memories from the prison, and between the two he’d barely managed any sleep.
His exhaustion meant he was less alert, less focused on watching Michael. The boy was just drawing with his crayons, and it wasn’t like there was anything in the room that could hurt him. The Warden wasn’t supposed to come by until the evening.
Ultimately, all these factors resulted in Dream not hearing the footsteps coming down the hallway until it was too late. Not a death sentence on it’s own, but as the door creaked open, he finally looked over towards Michael and saw what the boy had done.
Everyone was frozen. Dream, Michael, and the Warden. For once, Dream couldn’t read Michael’s expressions because they were hidden behind a paper copy of Dream’s signature mask. Held up by string and little hands just as fragile.
It was stupid. Just a child copying what was around them. But Dream knew the Warden wouldn’t see it that way. The man had made it clear how much he hated Dream’s mask, the fact that even after all this time the magic held strong and refuses to be pried off. One tiny bit of control Dream still had left.
In the blink of an eye, Dream was on his feet, standing between Michael and the Warden. The quick movement hurt. Made his vision go blurry and his body sway, but he needed to be in the middle. Needed to take the blow, because he’d survive it. Michael wouldn’t. The moment he moved, the Warden reacted, rearing back with a distinct fury. Dream had a few seconds, so he did what damage control he could.
“Michael, take that off. Go to the tub.”
His voice was raspy as ever, a tremor of fear that he couldn’t quite stomp down running through it. But it would need to be enough. The Warden paused, clearly still furious but sensible enough to wait. That reassured Dream. As long as the Warden cared enough to make sure Michael wasn’t caught in the crossfire, the boy would be safe. That would have to be enough.
Michael hesitated. Dream couldn’t see him, not willing to turn his back to his enemy, but he could hear the paper drop to the ground and slow, shuffling footsteps behind him. Eventually, the bathroom door creaked open, a long pause followed, and it finally shut. Sealing Dream’s fate.
There wasn’t much time for Dream to feel bad for not being able to set Michael up in the tub himself. The Warden was upon him too quickly.
That night, when Dream was able to regain consciousness, he retrieved Michael from the tub. He had to wake the boy up; one of his arms had been left broken for the first time in awhile which meant he couldn’t carry the toddler to bed. Dream’s body was in too much pain for him to do much of anything but coax Michael to eat and join him in their bed. Laying down hurt like hell, but he didn’t have the energy to keep standing. Besides, laying down meant he could keep Michael tucked under his chin. It didn’t ease the pain, but it made it feel worth it.
He knew Michael was feeling guilty. There weren’t enough words for him to explain all the complexities of their situation to the toddler. Not in a way he’d understand. Still, Dream started with the important part.
“No masks on Michael, okay buddy? It scares the Warden. Makes him think something bad happened.”
Michael took a few moments to digest that, turning it over in his little brain before giving a snuffle of sorrowful agreement. Good.
“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know. It’s just- He doesn’t want you to be like me. I don’t want you to be like me. I want you to be safe, and that means you need to be as far away from me as possible.”
When Dream choked on the last sentence, he could almost convince himself it was due to the soreness from the new bruises around his throat. Michael snorted, obviously not getting the second part as he gently snuggled into Dream’s chest. Mindful of all the aches.
Well, that was okay.
Michael would understand what he meant one day.
Chapter 3: Convict Childcare AU - Part 3
Chapter Text
the convict childcare au means so much to me now, im absorbing every little information like a sponge <3 /pos
I will feed the sponge a little:
Early on the in AU, c!Dream is getting more food from c!Sam than he has in quite awhile. He can’t eat much, and the food is often stuff that’s way too rich for him, but it’s still a lot. Obviously, he needs to give most of it to Michael. On any given day, Michael usually eats more than Dream does. Either because the food is too rich for Dream, or simply because Michael is a growing toddler and Dream is already used to starvation conditions.
When he can though, Dream puts aside small bits of food that keeps well just in case. Even if it means he doesn’t eat that day, he builds up a stash as a backup. This comes in handy on the rare occasion that Sam straight up forgets to feed them, and when they finally break out, Dream is able to bring the food stash with them so he has enough to get Michael safely to a bastion!
lunadragongem01 asked
I'm bringing some niki and dream friendship with the line "what is child? Why is child?" With tutor/mama(?) Niki tryna desperately help dream understand what children are while dream is like
" :,^) what does it mean??"
Oh no, c!Niki is probably just as bad off as c!Dream, if not worse. Actually, post mandatory childcare experience, c!Dream is probably better with kids (or at least better with Michael.)
Even on a hybrid level (because I love mer Niki), like, Ender Dragons never meet their babies, but they do incubate the eggs for long periods. There’s something there. Even if it’s only “keep warm and in a nest and it shouldn’t move.” Meanwhile, Niki’s part fish. The majority of fish (esp female fish) drop the eggs and go, and of the ones that do take care of their eggs/babies, a lot of them do it by keeping their children in their mouth.
So Niki has absolutely no idea what to do with Michael, other than a vague desire to put him in her mouth.
At one point he was crying while c!Tubbo was trying to soothe him when she walked in. Tubbo was at his wits end because nothing was working, and Niki looked him in the eyes and very sincerely asked “Have you tried putting him in your mouth?”
She’s not allowed to babysit Michael alone and it’s ages before everyone realizes it’s a mer thing.
Okay, but objectively speaking the part of the Convict Childcare AU where c!Tubbo and c!Phil find c!Dream is very funny because it’s just Dream finally getting some fucking context.
Tubbo, furious and ready to start swinging: “Where’s my son?!”
Dream, feverish and barely even aware of who he’s talking to: “??? Why would I fucking know??? How did you get in my cave???”
Tubbo, about to stab: “Don’t lie to me! I know you took him, give him back or I will kill you!”
Dream, really not capable of fighting back but putting up an effort: “I have no idea what you’re talking about, go fuck yourself.”
Phil, suddenly having a thought that somehow none of them had had and holding Tubbo back: “Sorry, hold on just a moment, I feel like we should clarify that Tubbo’s son is a young zombie piglin named Michael. Sam told us you took him when we finally found him.”
Dream, finally getting one question answered and raising fifty more: “Wait- Michael is Tubbo’s son?? Tubbo has a son??”
Tubbo, also coming to Phil’s realization: “Oh. Um, yeah. Did Sam not tell you?”
Dream: “No??? How do you have a zombie piglin son?? Also he’s a toddler??”
Tubbo: “Oh no, not like that. Me and Ranboo adopted him!”
Dream: “You and Ranboo- Wait, why did Sam have him then?”
Tubbo: “Honestly, still not entirely sure. We think Sam kidnapped him to blackmail Ranboo, but then he killed Ranboo, soooo?”
Dream: “I guess that makes- WHAT DO YOU MEAN SAM KILLED RANBOO??”
In the convict childcare au, c!Techno already suspected something was up with c!Dream being a hybrid because of their time in prison when he caught glimpses of something. But he’s a good friend so he doesn’t prod and tries to cover for Dream where he can.
Michael starts building a nest not long after he gets to the arctic because he’s Cold an when he’s Cold it’s time for The Nest.
c!Tubbo: “Okay, I know he has to have learned that from Dream. Which. Why? I thought Dream was human?”
Techno, without hesitation and with a perfect monotone: “Nah, that’s actually a piglin thing. We build hidden nests.”
c!Phil, walking in and just hearing that part: “Mate, I’ve known you for ages and I’ve never seen you build a nest. Or any piglin for that matter.”
Techno, smug: “That’s because they’re hidden.”
And like. Phil and Tubbo can’t exactly prove him wrong even if they’re 99% sure that isn’t true.
Just realized that in the convict childcare au, Conner would still be in the prison. And nobody but Sam would know.
Nah, c!Conner got broken out of prison ages ago. When c!Sam fled with Michael and c!Dream, he left Conner there with the autofeeder on, and like a day later c!Techno showed up looking for c!Ranboo/c!Dream and broke him out. He’s chilling with the syndicate sometimes, and backed up their story that it was probably Sam taking Dream & Michael rather than Dream having somehow broken out on his own.
does ender dragon dream have wings?
He does, and this is the third (and most damning) way that Michael snitches on him to the syndicate.
See, Michael is a surprisingly sound sleeper as long as he’s with someone. Even in the cell, it was pretty rare he had nightmares. Those few times he did, c!Dream would slip off his mask so he could bring out his wings and cover the both of them. Dream’s wings have little glowing purple freckles on them, which Michael liked to sign as stars. It made both of them feel a lot freer.
When Dream’s out (and very feverish), his own nightmares ramp up a lot, and at one point near 3 weeks in, Michael catches him in the middle of one. Trying to help, Michael wakes Dream up and tugs at his mask, making the sign for “wings” that he learned from c!Phil along Dream’s name.
Phil, who, along with c!Tubbo, was woken up by Dream’s nightmare. And is standing in the doorway. It’s kind of hard to deny anything after that, not that Dream and c!Techno don’t do their damnest.
why is Dream hiding that he’s a hybrid? (convict childcare) and how does it get confirmed to the syndicate + tubbo?
So, while hybrids are common on the Dream SMP specifically for this AU, they aren’t super common in general. On other servers, how they get treated depends heavily on the server itself, with most hybrids having a home server where they (or their general group ie nether, ender, overworld) are in the majority and living conditions are adapted for them. Ender dragons hybrids are so rare that there aren’t any servers designed for them, and even end focused servers can be a risky place. c!Dream ended up facing problems due to his hybrid status when he was young, and end up learning how to hide it to keep himself safe.
At some point, he became fundamentally uncomfortable with his own hybrid identity. He spends so much of his time in a mostly human body, that his actual form feels unnatural to him. That’s a big part of why he hides it, even during the period where he had people he could trust (muffinteers). More recently, he’s still struggling with that, but added to a fear of his status as and Ender dragon being used against him or if Quackity/Sam had managed to break the magic he was using, then he would’ve risked them targeting his hybrid features.
Ironically, the time in prison and with Michael made him start to find comfort in his hybrid form again. It was basically the only thing he had control over, and being able to use it to comfort Michael gave him a relatively positive association.
I already wrote about how Michael sort of snitches on him accidentally, but it’s going to take a few months before Dream would feel comfortable confirming it. Once he’s recovered more and feels safer about where he stands with people. c!Punz would be the first person he tells properly, although c!Techno basically already knew.
Once Michael's feeling more safe at the Syndicate, does he ever try to make a mask again?
Not one like c!Dream’s. That incident sticks with him for a long time, as it’s one of the few times he was in the room during the start of a violent incident. He might eventually make a mask for fun around Halloween or something similar, but it’d be a traditional mask. Even then, I think he’d be nervous about it.
hiii it’s dr3 hope u dont mind some more convict childcare stuff bc dangit these guys own my entire heart now
“Hey, Michael."
Michael looks up at the voice and lets go of Chicken, patting him carefully before he uses the side of the bathtub to bring himself to his feet. It’s Dream in the door, not Warden. That means that it’s safe. Dream is good, not scary. Not angry. If he’s here, then Warden is gone. Dream made Warden go away.
Hide, he signs, one hand covering the other. Dream makes a raspy-breathing kind of sound, like laughing but also different.
"Very good, Michael,” he comes closer, and Michael preens under the words. He did good. “You hid- very good."
Hide, Michael points at the blanket in the bathtub, colorful toys and scattered pictures and crayons he’d pulled out from their box. Chicken is sitting there, too. Michael and Chicken hide.
"Yeah, you and Chicken hid, good job buddy,” Dream walks over slowly, his steps uneven, ba-bum, ba-bum. Like a heartbeat. His hand stays on the wall.
Help? Michael signs, and Dream looks back at him. Help?
“Do you need help, Michael?” Dream walks closer again, ba-bum, and Michael shakes his head, frustrated. No. Help?
Dream’s stills, first looking down, then into the bathtub next to Michael. “Does Chicken need help?”
No. Michael shakes his head. Dream is close enough to reach, now, and he pushes his arms over the side of the bathtub to poke at Dream with one hand. Dream. Help?
Dream doesn’t respond for a few seconds, and Michael repeats the signs. Dream, help? Dream needs help? After a while, he laughs, the same raspy-breathing sound that reminds Michael a little of something fuzzy a long time ago, horns, being held to a warm chest really late at night, half-asleep, ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum. Dream reaches down, hand brushing over Michael’s head.
“I’m- I’m okay, Michael,” Dream says, quiet. Michael raises his arms towards Dream’s face, hands planting on his mask.
Okay, Michael signs, repeating the word. Michael okay. Chicken okay.
“Yeah-” Dream’s hands go under Michael’s arms, hauling him up and over the bathtub, his feet then once again on the ground. Michael looks up as Dream lets go, breathing weird. He takes a second before he looks back, mask smiling back. “We’re going to be okay, buddy."
Help? Michael signs, one last time. Dream looks at him, then looks away, reaching into the bathtub to lift Chicken too and put him in Michael’s arms.
"Don’t worry about me, bud,” Dream says, and Michael reaches up to hold his hand. They leave the bathroom slowly because Dream is still walking weird and slow, ba-bum, ba-bum. Michael holds Chicken to his chest. Michael was Good and hid with Chicken when Warden came. Dream made Warden go away. Now, things are Okay again. Dream said so.
When Michael goes to bed, he’s still holding Chicken with one hand, the other holding onto Dream’s shirt. His head stays right above Dream’s chest. Ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum.
— (Again, above post was written by https://dr3amofagame.tumblr.com/ )
I adore this. You absolutely captured the soft relationship these two have going on. Michael is so soft and trusting, he wants to help and Dream taking so long to realize help is being offered to him for once. I’m so soft for this, thank you.
Re the food situation: c!Sam’s been starving c!Dream for months. Is he at all concerned that Dream’s going to take food from Michael to feed himself better (I doubt he thinks of Dream as generous)? Does he think he’s giving both of them more than enough? Is he actively trying to both keep Dream starved and Michael fed and just figures Dream is broken down enough to cooperate? or has he literally just not done the math?
It’s a huge mess. So, c!Sam is definitely aware that he isn’t giving c!Dream and Michael enough food for a toddler and an adult, he’s not trying to, although he’s not trying to starve Michael either. On some level, he’s careless about it. He’s so focused on trying to rebuild the prison that he forgets to feed them every so often. He’s also not really portioning things out. Just throwing together what he assumes is enough.
As for him being concerned about Dream taking food from Michael. Well, yes and no. Sam wholeheartedly believes that if he weren’t there and checking in, then Dream would starve Michael. Sam believes that Dream would abuse Michael, if not for his presence. He thinks the worst of Dream, assuming that he’s monstrous enough to inflict any level of cruelty. And then he uses this assumption of cruelty to justify his own behavior to himself. Based on what we’ve seen from their interactions, he both demands and assumes that his treatment of Dream has been effective in controlling Dream, and that makes it okay.
Sam feels confident leaving Michael alone with Dream because he assumes his abuse is good enough to keep Dream in line. The fact that this arrangement both lets Sam not have to deal with a toddler and gives him an open excuse to vent any frustration he might have by abusing Dream is… well it’s not going to be acknowledged by him any time soon. That’s for sure. All of it just feeds into Sam’s obsession with controlling Dream, and Michael being “safe” just proves to him that he’s doing that right thing. That’s he’s successfully taming the monster. It lets him ignore what he’s become.
Does c!George and c!Sapnap know about ender dragon Dream?
Nope! As mentioned previously, c!Dream struggled a lot with safety and his self image. Because he spent so little time in his hybrid form, he disconnected it from himself and didn’t like viewing himself in that light. During the period when he would’ve trusted c!George or c!Sapnap with his secret, he didn’t want to tell them because he preferred being viewed as a human.
They do learn about it eventually, the entire server does. Because uhhh, well, let’s just say he figures once one person knows it’s only a matter of time before everyone else finds out. So he might as well reveal it on his own terms when the surprise benefits him.
Or to put it another way; a certain someone believes they’ve rendered Dream helpless and gets a face full of dragon.
After however long of Dream using his dragon breath to heal Michael, Michael starts trying to heal Dream's wounds by blowing on them. Because as far as he's concerned, doing that makes the pain go away.
Absolutely correct. Michael also probably tries to blow on other people’s injuries to help them heal, but it doesn’t work and he gets frustrated. This probably would’ve been another case of Michael accidentally snitching on c!Dream, but luckily the other adults assume that Michael is just blowing on stuff because he’s been taught to blow on soup before eating it. Blowing on soup = not getting hurt by the soup = blowing on things makes them not hurt.
It’s not until post-knowing Dream is an ender dragon and seeing him use his breath to heal Michael that the others put that together properly.
In Convict Childcare, would Techno and Tubbo have still teamed up with Eret when looking for Michael, or would it just be the two of them?
Because on one hand, they know from the start that Sam has Michael, and so there's no reason to go to Eret in the first place.
But on the other hand: Eret :3
I'm loving the AU by the way, you're doing great!
Not really. In this AU things shake down a bit differently than in canon (I have to alter a bunch of stuff b/c of timelines not working well otherwise).
Before c!Ranboo’s death, c!Tubbo comes home from a trip to find Ranboo and Michael missing, and a note from c!Eret about Michael. He’s concerned, but not out of his mind. After all, despite a rocky history, he trusts Eret in this situation. He assumes that Ranboo has gone to get Michael and sends him a message. About 6 hours after that, Ranboo’s death message shows up. Tubbo is now panicked and heads directly over to Eret’s to try to get Michael. After he arrives, Eret whose also very confused, explains that Sam came to get Michael on their behalf. Eret had no reason to distrust Sam, so they let Michael go with him. They start making plans, but at this point neither of them are aware that Ranboo is dead-dead. So they are planning on getting information from him before acting.
Around this time, c!Techno shows up with c!Niki and c!Phil to the prison knowing that c!Sam killed Ranboo (from death messages). At this point, none of them know about Michael. They find Ghostboo and c!Conner at the prison and come to the conclusion that Sam has taken c!Dream and fled. The group tries to track them, but they have to deal with the rest of the server at the same time. Several near fights break out over the truth of what happened, but in the end, people go their separate ways with their own plans of what to do next. This takes up a far chunk of time though, giving Sam longer to get away and making tracking him much harder.
The Syndicate gets home to regroup, and there they find Tubbo and Eret who were looking for Ranboo. Ghostboo is revealed to them, and the Syndicate finds out about the Michael situation.
Now, Eret as we’ve seen in canon, believes Dream to be responsible for a lot of things he had no hand in. They’ve bought into the story that Dream is the villain, so things were all his fault. So, when faced with the two possibility of Dream being at fault or Sam being at fault, they chose to believe that Dream is at fault.
This doesn’t jive with the Syndicate, with Techno specifically being open about the fact Sam trapped in him in Pandora, and that he wants revenge for that and Ranboo’s death. He’s not open about the fact he was planning to break Dream out, but Eret infers as much. Eret offers to help Tubbo, but they won’t work with the Syndicate on account of the Syndicate blaming Sam and not Dream.
Tubbo considers this offer, but ultimately all that matters to him is getting Michael back, and he believes the Syndicate is his best chance. If Ranboo trusted Technoblade, then Tubbo will too. It helps that while Tubbo doesn’t like Dream, he doesn’t trust Sam either.
Eret respects that, and at the very least offers that they won’t try to stop them and won’t tell the rest of the server about what they’ve learned. But after that, they split from the group.
convict childcare au im thinking abt tubbo trying to bundle michael up to go outside in the cold and michael just Does Not Want to have anything over his face even tho tubbo is worried bc he still has exposed bone and tubbo can't figure out why it would bother him when it never did before until michael signs "no masks for michael" and tubbo Puts Some Things Together (also tubbo talking to dream about it and asking if michael was ever hurt for wearing a mask and "no i got him out in time" isn't as reassuring as dream wants it to be)
//quick note, Michael does not have exposed bones as of being healed by XD. The flesh there is mostly scar tissue, and he’s still missing that eye + the ear that regrew has some minor hearing issues compared to his other one, but no more bone in the air!
Prior to getting Michael back, Tubbo hadn’t known much about sign language. He’d wanted to learn, since it was becoming clear as Michael aged that speech was going to be neigh impossible, but had few resources to do so.
Then. Well. A lot of stuff happened. The end result was his son was back, had healed enough to produce instinctive piglin noises, and had learned the basics of what Phil described as “an interesting and individualized dialect of American sign language”. Phil could only translate some of it, the rest was a mess of guesswork until Dream was out of his fever induced haze and was able to clarify.
Michael was shy in his signing. He was shy about a lot of things. Tubbo knew he should expect it by now, but it still hurt to see. There was a bitterness in his chest when he watched his son animatedly stringing along a story for Dream, only to freeze the moment Michael noticed Tubbo watching.
It didn’t help that Dream was a cagey bastard about everything. Refusing to tell them anything but the most basic and dry descriptions of what had gone on. And only when he was pressed for it. If he’d just fucking tell them what happened then-
Fuck. That wasn’t fair. Tubbo knew that wasn’t fair. Even if he didn’t know what had gone on, it was clearly bad. Dream barely knew any of them, outside of maybe Technoblade. He clearly still didn’t trust them, and why would he? Sure, they were helping him now, but Tubbo’s first interaction with him after nearly two years was holding a blade to his throat to threaten him while he could barely see straight. Blaming him for something he’d had no say in.
It was evident in how, when Michael had noticed him, Dream had as well. Dream’s reaction was subtle, his hands tensing and his body shifting, but Tubbo caught it easily enough. It was a defensive preparation. Instinctive. Even if Dream forced himself to relax seconds later, the message was clearly received.
Logically knowing it wasn’t fair to blame Dream didn’t help curb the growing resentment gnawing away at Tubbo’s soul. Tubbo pushed the feelings down and did his best to ignore them. If everyone else was repressing shit, he was going to too. Fuck it.
That was the plan. At least until it got to be a bit too much.
He was just trying to get Michael dressed to go outside. They were going to take a quick walk, and everything had been going smoothly until he’d tried to pull a ski mask over the lower part of Michael’s face.
Immediately, Michael jerked back. The movement was so sudden, Tubbo was only barely able to catch the boy before his head slammed into the nearby table. In that time, Michael had yanked the mask off and thrown it across the room.
Tubbo was lost for words as he looked at where the mask had been thrown. Michael had never- What happened? What was this?
Turning back to his son, Tubbo tried to get some answers.
“Hey, are you okay? What happened? Did you get hurt? Was there something wrong with the mask?”
Michael took a moment, scanning their surrounds as if he was searching for something. After finding it safe enough, the toddler quickly made several very forceful signs.
‘No’- -'you’. - 'bad’ - 'them’. 'hurt I.’
Right. Fuck. Tubbo could only recognize half of Michael’s words. Not too unusual, but in this case there wasn’t much for him to grab onto. Maybe Michael’s face was too sensitive for the mask?
“Okay, it’s okay. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to. We can go outside without it.”
Shaking his head, Michael took a step back and started trying to get out of his winter clothes. Only pausing to offer a quick explanation.
'You need to find me.’
What? The words all made sense, but the sentence didn’t. Tubbo tried to help with the clothing, only to have Michael flinch away from him. Fuck. Why couldn’t he do one fucking thing right today?
Before Tubbo could make any attempts to fix the situation, Michael gave up on the clothing all together and ran for the stairs. Ran back to Dream.
Part of Tubbo wanted to give up then and there. If he couldn’t even take his son out on a walk, maybe he just wasn’t cut out for this. Maybe Michael really should just be Dream’s kid. Clearly, it was what Michael wanted.
Shutting that part down, Tubbo forced himself to get up and follow Michael up the stairs. It wasn’t Michael’s fault. Besides, Dream really wasn’t in any condition for this. One of the reasons Tubbo was trying to take Michael out in the first place was so Dream could get some rest. So much for that plan.
As expected, Tubbo found the door to Dream’s room open and Michael inside, curled up against Dream’s chest.
Despite the fact he must’ve been sleeping less than a minute ago, Dream was alert. Holding Michael as best he could, but keeping his face angled towards the doorway. Tubbo tried to meet his gaze (as best he could through the mask anyways) and not be overtaken by the shame curling in his gut.
“I- We were trying to go on a walk. He didn’t like the ski mask, he panicked and I couldn’t understand what he was signing. I think he was saying the mask hurt him somehow? Then he said 'You need to find me’ and ran up here.”
Dream took a moment to consider that explanation before something seemed to click. Looking down towards Michael, the man murmured something that Tubbo couldn’t quite catch. Michael wiggled his hands free just enough to sign in response, looking… apologetic? Not quite, but close. Finally, Dream decided to clue him in on what happened.
“Michael didn’t really get the pronoun thing at first. He thought it was like names. So he’d use them like I would. 'You’ meant Michael. 'I’ meant Dream. 'Them’ meant the wa- Sam. He’s mostly got it now, but I think he defaulted to it when he panicked.”
Oh. Okay. That made a bit more sense. Tubbo fixed second sentence easily in his head.
'I need to find Dream.’
But then the first sentence-
“What do you mean the ski mask hurt him?”
Tubbo tried to explain, but Michael beat him to it. Signing what looked like a repeat of what he’d told Tubbo earlier. Dream followed it easily, letting out a sigh when he came to a realization.
“Oh, buddy. It’s not the same thing. The Warden isn’t here now. And it’s not- the ski masks are safe. They look different.”
Reluctantly, Michael nodded his understanding. He still seemed unhappy with the idea, and it didn’t look like he’d be eager to try one on any time soon. Dream caught on.
“You don’t have to wear one if you don’t want to. They just help keep you warm.” A pause and then. “You staying here for awhile then?”
Michael didn’t even nod this time, choosing instead to finally wiggle out of his jacket and burrow his way under the covers, resting against Dream’s chest.
Tubbo wanted to cry. It was just supposed to be the two of them going out for a walk. Nobody else involved. He should leave the two of them be, he’d fucked up enough already, but he couldn’t fucking help it.
“What the hell are you talking about? What looks different? What the fuck happened?”
The moment the words were out of his mouth, Tubbo regretted them. Both occupants of the room flinched, Michael pressing closer to Dream, and Dream shifting so that the covers hide more of Michael from sight. Silence held for a few moments, before Dream spoke. It was in a voice Tubbo hated, the one he used to use all the time for Techno and Phil, when he was clearly trying to not anger either of them. Trying to puzzle out what they wanted to hear.
“We had… an incident. Michael was just playing, he didn’t know better, but he… made a copy of my mask. Just out of paper. As a joke. I wasn’t paying enough attention and the Warden showed up early. He… didn’t like seeing Michael copy me. Michael was fine, but I asked him not to do it again.”
There were little holes in that story, something Tubbo was sure he wasn’t being told, but-
And his brain picked that moment to puzzle through Michael’s first panicked sentence.
'No’- -'you’. - 'bad’ - 'them’. 'hurt I.’
'No’- -'Michael’. - 'bad’ - 'Sam’. 'hurt Dream.’
Some of the meaning was still lost to him, but the last part explained what Dream was leaving out. Why Dream was leaving it out.
All of the resentment building up in his chest dissipated. Right. Dream had said before that Sam never hurt Michael directly, at least, not as far as he knew, but said nothing about himself.
The feeling of wanting to cry surged again, but different. Now Tubbo was just exhausted.
“That makes sense. I’m sorry for snapping.”
He should just leave. He’d fucked up enough already. But-
But he knew for a fact Dream wasn’t going to fall asleep like this. Not after Michael had come back to him in such a state. And Tubbo wanted to do better.
“Is it okay if I stay? I can keep on eye out.”
Dream stilled at the offer. Techno was the only one who’d offered to keep watch before. Again there was silence, and Tubbo couldn’t help but bounce on his heels. Ready to be rejected. Dream thought it through, glancing down at where Michael was firmly latched onto him before making up his mind.
“If you keep quiet.”
It was an olive branch, however reluctant. Beaming, Tubbo nodded in agreement and moved to take the chair in the corner of the room, grabbing a book he could pretend to read as he went. Dream watched him closely for a few minutes before finally deciding it was good enough for him to shift from sitting up to laying down fully.
Whether or not Dream actually slept, Tubbo didn’t know. But he was willing to lay down. Willing to at least pretend. And even if it wasn’t the progress Tubbo had envisioned making that morning, it was progress all the same.
Chapter 4: Convict Childcare AU - Part 4
Chapter Text
Does c!George and c!Sapnap know about ender dragon Dream?
Nope! As mentioned previously, c!Dream struggled a lot with safety and his self image. Because he spent so little time in his hybrid form, he disconnected it from himself and didn’t like viewing himself in that light. During the period when he would’ve trusted c!George or c!Sapnap with his secret, he didn’t want to tell them because he preferred being viewed as a human.
They do learn about it eventually, the entire server does. Because uhhh, well, let’s just say he figures once one person knows it’s only a matter of time before everyone else finds out. So he might as well reveal it on his own terms when the surprise benefits him.
Or to put it another way; a certain someone believes they’ve rendered Dream helpless and gets a face full of dragon.
Just to be clear, this is done publicly with lots of people watching, but like. c!Dream doesn’t declare he’s an Ender Dragon Hybrid or anything. He just shifts into his hybrid form for access to very sharp teeth and claws, and shifts right back afterwards.
People still don’t know exactly how he did it or what it means for awhile. Ender Dragon hybrids are super rare, so even the idea of him being one takes a hot minute to come up as people are trying to figure out what happened. Some people think he unlocked shapeshifting powers somehow, which sounds crazy until you remember that this man did learn how to resurrect the dead and then didn’t bring it up for months.
Anyways, Punz, whose still sorta a double agent, takes pity on them all and decides to tell them, yes, Dream is an Ender Dragon Hybrid. But for funzies he also gaslights all of them (particularly the manhunt crew) by pretending that this has never been a secret, and Dream told them all awhile ago. The guy just doesn’t bring it up much. None of them can prove him wrong.
Can you describe how ender dragon dream looks like?
So!! Yes!
Dream uses magic to appear human, with the magic being tied to his mask. The mask can only be removed by him, and when he removes it his form reverts fully.
- In his hybrid form, Dream is taller by ~ 6 inches, but most of that actually goes into his torso.
- Broader around his chest to account for extra muscles for wings.
- His legs/feet shift to be semi-digitigrade, making shoes The Worst. He won’t wear any while shifted.
- He gets talons + dewclaws on both his hands and feet.
- His jaw extends just a little, and he gets Bonus Teeth (plus v sharp teeth) and he can dislocated his lower jaw relatively painlessly if he needs more biting room.
- As mentioned above, he gets wings! Big, black, and scaly, with glowing purple “freckles” present throughout the wings but concentrated near his shoulders.
- His face, arms and legs all get patches of scales with similar glowing purple freckles.
- Also not a physical feature but ender dragons have a great deal of control over their body temperature, being able to stay cold for most of their lives to not waste heat in the void, but then also maintain a steady high body temperature to incubate their egg or fight challengers.
- This means in his hybrid state, Dream can go from ice cold to boiling hot in under a minute if he focuses. He uses this to keep Michael warm, and also to be a dick, when he feels like it.
What if convict childcare Michael developed a phobia of creepers because they remind him of Sam
Hilariously, he doesn’t develop a phobia of creepers, he develops a mild fear of light colored horses.
See, c!Sam in this AU is a centuar/quad design and both larger and longer than an average creeper due to the mammal genes mixing in. This means that his overall body shape is closer to closer to a horse. Michael, being a pure piglin, is red-green color blind, so Sam’s coloration looks pretty similar to a pearl or dun horse.
after dream reveals hes an ender dragon hybrid he starts doing that thing people do when they have cold hands and feel like being a menace where they say "feel how cold my hands are" and then shove it in the crook of your neck. some members of the syndicate react by wearing scarves. some react by flailing all over themselves when dream gets too close to their neck. michael, of course, is the least victimized by this, and will just giggle and bat dreams hands away
It still takes awhile for c!Dream to be comfy in his hybrid state, and he’s careful about touching other people, but he WILL slip his mask off to use his body temperature as a weapon of Annoyance. This can be turning himself into an ice cube when people are trying to reach around/under him for something. Sometimes he might also use it on Techno when they’re sparring.
He also likes to use being Warm to get his way though. If he’s snuggled up with Punz or Techno (in the far future when he feels comfortable with platonic touches like that) and they try to get up to be productive, he’ll absolutely warm himself up to the Perfect Temperature to tempt them into staying.
Michael doesn’t get any cold hands until he’s a fair bit older. The baby Must Be WARM. The baby must be TOASTY. This is literally the ONLY thing Dream has proper parental instincts for.
i just read every post in the convict child care au and it is my new favorite thing ever but i do have some questions
1) did Michael have the live chicken before and if he did, is the real one of the toy Dream made him his favorite?
2) what's Michael's favorite story that Dream told him?
3) The most important question. does Michael actually know what a dragon is or does he just think that Dream is a big scaly chicken. is Dream ever shifted and Michael just points at him and confidently says "chicken".
1) In this AU, Michael didn’t have a chicken in the nether, but c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo have a small flock of chickens that they raise. Michael loved to help feed them, and they’re his favorite animal. He was very good about being soft and slow with them so as to not scare the chickens. c!Dream just picked a chicken for the toy because Michael liked to draw them.
2) Michael’s favorite story is a retelling of one of Dream’s manhunts that he edited to include c!Techno helping him out in secret as he escaped from the scary hunters to beat the dragon. His second favorite is a silly story Dream made up about Techno getting sent on a wild goose chase to find a magical talking chicken and coming back with c!Phil instead.
3) So, this gets a little harder. Michael does not know the word or sign for ‘Dragon’ because Dream purposefully does not teach him. He’s not trying to get snitched on here. Dream never defines himself as anything in particular to Michael. Michael has also never encountered the idea of a dragon before.
Despite this, he doesn’t see Dream as a bird, because Dream lacks feathers and he doesn’t see Dream’s wings as wings because Michael never sees him fly in the cell.
Instead, Dream is a defining creature in his head. When he first encounters a vaguely dragon looking lizard, he calls it a 'Dream-night-self’. Because it reminds of what Dream looked like on special nights.
Well now I'm just picturing Dream staring at Michael, with intrusive inner thoughts that go "Egg. Nestling. Sit on Egg. // no he's a piglin we don't sit on piglins // NESTLING STAY WARM"
He won’t sit on the child, but he will curl up around him or lay a bit on top of him to protect The Baby if he’s in his hybrid form or if he’s particularly on edge that night. This mostly happens during their time in the cell, but even after they break out he has a few bad nights where he just needs to have the baby Safe and Warm.
Loving the Convict Childcare AU! Such a cool idea im jus braintotting about i5 at this point.
I can just imagine Dream getting sick, and it's not something that can just get cured away with a health pot. I mean the man's immune system is deffo shot. He's bound to get legitimately sick at some point.
How would Sam react to having to deal with Michael while also having to keep Dream alive/nurse him back to functioning state? He can't just leave them.
And how would Michael cope with Dream being out of commission??
- Book 📚
Now, this gets into an interesting point about health/regen potions in my take. You’re right that they can’t instantly cure any sickness, but what they can do is help bolster a person enough that they can keep going. The trade off is if you use health potions/regen to deal with illness, first you can build up a level of resistance to them, and second, most symptoms of sickness are actually your body trying to kill off the infection. Health potions mitigate the symptoms at the cost of your body not fighting off the infection properly.
So, c!Dream absolutely gets sick during his stay at the secondary cell. His immune system is shot to hell and back. But c!Sam’s solution is to just keep feeding him health/regen potions so he’s still capable of taking care of Michael. And also, like, alive.
To some extent, as annoying as bringing Dream health potions is, Sam actually prefers things this way. It forces Dream be even more reliant on Sam, and health potions are something he can safely withhold as a means of punishment. Dream just adjusts to constantly being in a state of near sickness. The only thing he can do is shifting into his dragon form every so often and heating up his body temperature as hot as he can go. This helps a bit in killing off some of infection, but he can’t do it for long enough for it stick.
When Dream manages to break out, he’s able to steal some health potions in order to keep himself going. That buys him enough time to get Michael to safety. After that though, he basically has to go through several weeks of hell with no healing or regen in order to let his body work though the infections. That’s a big part of why he’s in such a terrible state when the syndicate find him.
This also means that when Dream is totally out of commission at the syndicate, Michael’s never experienced that before. He’s used to Dream being weak or hurt, but not totally out of it. There’s a lot of tears shed and a very clingy child that the syndicate has to deal with.
so what’s c!dream’s relationship to xd in convict childcare au? does it have anything to do with Dream being an ender dragon hybrid?
Honestly, I’m still deciding on how I want them to interact.
XD is a god, he’s something beyond humans or hybrids, but the End is his favorite dimension. c!Dream being an Ender Dragon hybrid makes him one of XD’s favorites. It’s why XD let him stay on the server and call it home when Dream first found it.
Despite this, XD isn’t a very involved or human god. But when Dream calls him with the revive book, he’s a lot more helpful than he would be otherwise. Technically, the revive book is only supposed to allow a person to ask XD to revive someone. He intended to require an offering to do it. But he makes an exception for his favorite, and when Dream summons him otherwise (using the revive book on the living), he’s willing to see what he can do about a wish. Dream actually isn’t aware of this favoritism.
Hilariously, this means that if c!Quackity had managed to get his hands on the revive book, it could only force XD to show up. At which point he’d just refuse to do anything for Quackity. Might even smite him if he felt like it.
What happens if your convict childcare au once Ranboo is revived? How does Micheal react?
It does take awhile to get c!Ranboo revived. c!Dream needs a chunk of energy in order to summon XD, but more importantly, he needs to be able to write down the revive book. Since his hands have so much , doing the intricate writing required for the revive book is really hard for him and takes time. He can’t even get started on it until ~2-3 weeks post being found because he’s too busy being sick.
Once he’s able to though, he revives Ranboo and Ranboo is very happy to be alive again. He’s been very lonely, and it’s left him a lot more clingy than before. While Ranboo wasn’t present for a lot of what happened, he’s still willing to accept Dream on the biases of “got me out of hell” and “gets along with my husband and child now”.
Michael is still warming up to people, but he warms back up to Ranboo faster than he does other people. It’s because Ranboo is an enderman and Dream is an Ender dragon and Michael recognizes them as like one another. Both of them have End Vibes. He can also tell that the rest of the adults are happy to have Ranboo back, so Michael is happy about that too.
how freaked out are the bastion piglin when some enderdragon hybrid shows up out of nowhere, hands them a miraculously healed infant and disappears? are they happy to give this strange baby to the next overworlder they see, or do they demand c!dream be there so they don't give the child away to 'strangers'? (or might they want to /keep/ michael until they figure out what cured him and if it could save the rest of their brethren?)
Well, they see a human, not an Ender Dragon hybird, since c!Dream is still hiding himself, and they don’t see Michael as a miraculously healed infant. XD actually very specifically altered Michael’s smell so he would smell like a normal piglin/can’t infect piglins despite still being partially undead. So instead, Michael would appear to be a baby whose been injured but healed over from it.
When Dream arrives with the help of a very friendly strider, the piglins are wary, but they aren’t going to turn away a child in need. Dream is clearly in no condition to be raising a child, and it’s clearly not his kid either. So Michael is accepted at the bastion.
When c!Tubbo and c!Techno come around to get Michael, Techno knows to bring a piece of Dream’s clothing with no fear scent on it. Which acts as proof that Dream sent them and did so willingly. That wouldn’t usually be enough for a bastion to let the child go with them, but because Techno can speak piglin and explain the complexities of the situation (child got kidnapped by a third party, Dream escaped from the third party not knowing who the child belonged to, they’ve been trying to get the child back and Dream sent them) and because Michael wants to go with them (because he wants to go back to Dream), the bastion accepts it and lets Michael go.
Under better circumstances, Techno probably would’ve just brought Dream with them. But that man is sick as hell, and Techno refuses to risk his health by moving him anywhere but towards safety. Plus, a run in with the rest of the server is a lot less dangerous if Dream isn’t there.
For the convict childcare au, I like to imagine Michael makes up like, nicknames for his favorite adults (Dream, Ranboo, Tubbo eventually, Techno probably cause piglin buddies)
What would their nicknames all be, in that case??
I can see Dream being like, “safe-and-warm” and Ranboo maybe being like “makes-happy” (cause of everyone being happy to have Ranboo back) but I dunno
So, Michael does give people name-signs, and since it’s awhile before he learns finger spelling/how reading works at all, it’s mostly based on either things he associates with them. c!Dream is the only one who had a proper name sign beforehand that he taught Michael (it’s just Dream lol). His nickname from Michael is ‘Good’ but he makes his hand wavy like when signing Dream.
c!Technoblade has a rather literal name sign as well (Technology-blade) because Dream taught him how to sign it at Michael’s request so Michael could ask for specific stories back in the cell. Michael just likes to sign a very fast 'Technology’ for him though.
c!Phil is the only one in the Syndicate familiar with sign language, he creates a name sign with Michael (P-wing). And he tries to help c!Tubbo do the same, but Michael ends up calling Tubbo 'Mountain’ instead.
c!Niki ends up stuck with the name 'Pink’ because Phil was trying to teach Michael more colors and used her hair as an example. The problem is, Michael is red-green colorblind and can’t tell the difference between like, pink and blond. So his assumption was that was just Niki’s name. He adds a wave onto it though, 'cause he notices it makes her smile when he does.
c!Ranboo gets the sign for “Boo” because Tubbo learns the sign and uses it to refer to him without realizing it’s a negative sign, and by time he figures that out, it’s too late, Michael already knows him as “Boo”.
You mentioned Techno bring clothing that doesnt have a smell of fear or something when they go the bastion. Does fear even have a scent tho?
The only thing I can think off is smells that do make me anxious or scared. Yes I know that's a little weird but some smells make me scared. Idk why.
You’ve activated my trap card, which is you’ve allowed me to talk about biology.
The short answer is yes! Fear has a scent! So do most strong emotions! You might not be able to consciously smell it, but most humans can detect these scents and it will influence how you perceive a situation. Certain animals (particularly those with lots of history with humans) can pick up on these scents, and there’s shared general traits for the smells of emotions within mammals.
The long answer is that this is called chemosignaling (and is related to pheromones), and frankly it’s under researched in humans, but what we do know is that scent plays an important role in human communication. Humans can detect fear and disgust in the scent of other humans (1) animals such as dogs can detect human emotions from their scent (2) and some evidence suggests that mice and cows react to these scents too (3). Even more interestingly, preliminary evidence suggests that humans can detect fear scents in other animals (4).
Pigs (and piglins as a result) have an amazing sense of smell and lots of emotional complexity. So, piglins would be able to pick up on stuff like fear/stress smells really easily. That’s why Techno gets Dream to scent a scarf for him, because it’d be really hard to fake that. The piglins he meets know that, and so when adding that to his explanation of what happened, they’re willing to believe him and give them Michael as a result.
1. Calvi, E., Quassolo, U., Massaia, M., Scandurra, A., D'Aniello, B., & D'Amelio, P. (2020). The scent of emotions : A systematic review of human Intra‐ and interspecific chemical communication of emotions. Brain and Behavior, 10(5). 10.1002/brb3.1585
2. D'Aniello, B., Semin, G. R., Alterisio, A., Aria, M., & Scandurra, A. (2018). Interspecies transmission of emotional information via chemosignals : from humans to dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Animal cognition, 21(1), 67–78. 10.1007/s10071-017-1139-x
3. Destrez, A., Costes-Thiré, M., Viart, A. S., Prost, F., Patris, B., & Schaal, B. (2021). Male mice and cows perceive human emotional chemosignals : a preliminary study. Animal cognition, 24(6), 1205–1214. 10.1007/s10071-021-01511-6
4. Sabiniewicz, A., Białek, M., Tarnowska, K., Świątek, R., Dobrowolska, M., & Sorokowski, P. (2021). A Preliminary Investigation of Interspecific Chemosensory Communication of Emotions : Can Humans (Homo sapiens) Recognise Fear- and Non-Fear Body Odour from Horses (Equus ferus caballus). Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 11(12), 3499. 10.3390/ani11123499
speaking of smelling fear, how does michael react to dream's fear - their cell must stink of it, especially when sam visits. does dream make sure to stay away from certain places (ex. the bathtub and where michael and him sleep) so that michael won't smell the fear there and try to avoid them, or does sam notice and drag him over there anyway. can michael smell sams hatred towards dream, or does dream keep him far enough away that he can't? does dream scent spare clothes and blankets so that michael can comfort himself?
The really sad thing is that after the first while, Michael just gets used to it. c!Dream is basically always stressed out, and Michael adjusts to that as his normal scent. The increase in fear/stress when c!Sam visits is noticeably to him though, and it’s part of why Michael develops a deeprooted fear/hatred of Sam.
Dream himself knows piglins have a good sense of smell, but he doesn’t know they can detect emotion through scent. Ender Dragons don’t have a particularly good sense of smell, so he can’t consciously tell these things either.
When it comes to Sam being around, if Dream thinks there’s going to be a fight, then he moves Michael to the bathtub. Sam and him have an unspoken agreement that Michael stays out of the room whenever Sam is pissed off. Dream keeps himself as quiet as he can, and after the first week or two, Sam upgraded the door/walls between the main room and the bathroom so they block a lot of noise.
Michael can still hear yelling sometimes, and he can tell something happened when he returns to the main room, but the smell of fear/stress is so common there that he can’t pick up that much of a difference.
Later, after they’re rescued and after Dream’s had a long recovery period, his stress levels start to go down which changes his smell pretty significantly. Michael ends up asking c!Techno about it, and Techno has to explain that that’s actually how Dream is supposed to smell. The levels of stress he was detecting before weren’t normal.
Was Michael asleep when c!Dream left him at the bastion? Because I can’t imagine Michael letting Dream just drop him off at the bastion with his separation anxiety
No, c!Dream knew better than to leave while Michael was asleep. Michael is used to needing to stay in one place for a bit while Dream is dealing with something. While Michael is unsure about the piglins, he does instinctively recognize them as like him, and that helps.
Dream gets to the bastion, and after showing them Michael the two of them get taken in. It takes a bit to explain the situation, since Dream barely speaks piglin, but he’s able to get the point across and explain Michael’s situation. Since Dream had the help of a very capable strider to get to the bastion, he has enough time to stick around for about 24 hours. Long enough to help Michael get familiar with the piglins, and for Dream to teach some of the basic signs he’s taught Michael.
When Dream leaves, he tells Michael to stay, and Michael assumes it’ because Dream needs to go do something. Michael wants to be good, so he stays with the piglins to wait for Dream to come back.
Honestly, it’s a good thing that c!Techno and c!Tubbo were able to come in under a week to get Michael, because he was at the point where he was starting to worry about Dream. If they hadn’t come to get him, Michael was 100% going to go on his own quest to find his caretaker and he was not getting stopped.
as a half-dead zombie piglin child of the nether, do you think michael runs hot or cold? because even though enderdragons live in an endless expanse of void, the majority of their 'childcare' is dedicated to keeping their egg warm. if michael is cold, i imagine dream would constantly be worried in the back of his mind because oh no child isn't supposed to be cold whats wrong is he failing oh no, but if michael runs hot, and one day, after a particularly rough week, dream finds him cold to the touch, and shivering, and he desperately tries to help while also trying his hardest not to freak the fuck out
Ender Dragons hatched in the cold. They lived their entire lives in the void, alone and freezing. Or maybe they had some secret to keeping warm, to finding comfort where none existed. A tongue that let them speak through servers and know others of their kind were out there.
Dream wouldn’t know. He’d never been able to find out much about his heritage. It didn’t help that he spent as little time as he could in his hybrid form. At this point in his life, his non-human body felt unnatural to him. Felt alien.
These days, he’d found himself drifting to it more often. What did that say about him? That his state gotten so bad he began welcoming the unknown, because anything would be better than what he’d been forced into.
Hm. Dream didn’t care to chase that thought much further. He didn’t have much else to do though, sitting in the middle of the floor as he waited for the Warden to show up. Hoping that the Warden would be here tonight. The only reason he was thinking about it at all was because that morning he’d found Michael running a low temperature and recognized it right away. Cold-sick, a sign that a nether creature had been away from home for too long. How strange was it that he knew more about the needs and habits of a nether creature then he did about his own kind? If nothing else, he was glad he knew what it was and what to do when he had frantically tried to help the toddler in his care.
All the blankets had been striped off the bed, wrapped around Michael in the tub. Dream had even pulled out the few extra sets of clothing the Warden had left for them, anything to help retain warmth. Ultimately, he knew it wasn’t going to fix the problem, but he was hoping that he’d delay it long enough to convince the Warden to help.
Speak of the devil, Dream could hear heavy footsteps down the hallway. No stomping, which was good. It meant he had a chance.
Swallowing his pride, Dream cast his eyes down to the floor, tucking his arms behind his back. It wasn’t for forever. Just until he could tear the Warden to shreds. Right now, he had to play along, otherwise the Warden wouldn’t listen. If the Warden didn’t listen… Dream didn’t think the resurrection book would work again. He couldn’t count on it. So this needed to work.
In front of him, the door to the cell slid open. Even without looking, he could feel the Warden pausing. Suspicious of him. Still, Dream waited. Don’t speak until spoken to. He knew the rules, even if he regularly disregarded them.
“What happened?” The Warden’s voice was cold, but not harsh. Not yet. That meant he was in a good mood. Thank god.
“Michael needs to go to the nether. Piglins can’t stay in the overworld forever, babies need to go back every few months at least. He’s been away for too long, and he’s getting cold-sick.”
Just the facts. Nothing less, nothing more. Nothing about the fear that has seized his chest when he woke up and found Michael running at an Enderman’s temperature instead of the ball of warmth he should’ve been.
“No. I don’t have the time to take the child, and the prison doesn’t have part of the nether secured yet.” A pause as the Warden considered. “If you’re failing to keep the child warm, I can see about installing more heating, but that will take time.”
Fuck. the Warden didn’t understand. Dream knew he was supposed to drop it now, that pushing any further was risky, but he didn’t have a choice.
“It’s not- Heating might be good for him, but it can’t fix this. Overworld hybrids need the sun. Nether hybrids need the nether. I don’t- I think it’s something about fungal properties? I don’t fully understand it, but Michael needs to go back. Just for a day or two. Otherwise he’ll go into shock.”
His voice was almost pleading, still not looking at the Warden. The man was getting annoyed with him now.
“And how would you know any of this?”
Okay. That was something he could work with.
“Technoblade and Sapnap. Both need to go back every so often, and Technoblade told me that when he was younger, he went back every few weeks to be safe. Every few months was the minimum to avoid sickness. When Michael got cold-sick this morning, I remembered.”
There was a horribly long pause. Finally, begrudgingly, the Warden spoke.
“He only needs to go back for a day?”
Thank fucking god. He was going to listen. Michael would be okay.
“Yes.” Dream confirmed, his shoulders relaxing before he added, “Anywhere in the nether works, but if there’s a crimson forest nearby, Technoblade mentioned that they help with cold-sickness.”
“And where is Michael?”
Ugh. Did he really need to ask? They both knew the answer. Dream bit his tongue and lied through his teeth.
“He’s in the bathtub. I bundled him up with the blankets to keep him warm.”
“Retrieve him. I’ll take him now if it’s that urgent.”
Nodding, Dream stood (slowly. carefully. hands behind his back. don’t give him a reason) and made his way to the bathroom. Michael didn’t poke his out like he normally would, instead staying burrowed in his blankets, only rousing when Dream shook his shoulder gently.
God, the boy was too cold. Even with all the blankets they had he felt cool to the touch, and that was never good for a nether baby. Michael looked up at him with a hazy eye.
“Hey buddy, I need you to listen close, okay?” A half hearted nod in response. Good enough.
“The Warden is going to take you back to the nether for a bit. It’ll make you better, but I can’t go with. Promise you’ll behavior for him while I’m not there?”
The whine Michael let out in response to Dream’s words tugged at the pathetic remains of heartstrings he had left. But Dream held firm.
“Promise?”
And Michael must’ve been feeling really nasty, because he gave in. Nodding his assent and allowing Dream to lift him out of the bathtub, still swaddled in a few of the blankets.
Passing him off to the Warden was easy physically, but it took every ounce of self restraint Dream had to do it. Every instinct he had was screaming to not let the toddler go. To not put him in danger like this. But Dream had no choice.
The Warden took Michael with stiff arms, reaching up to confirm the cold sickness and recoiling when he felt the cold temperature. It was shocking, but it would recede with time in the nether.
“I’ll take him to the other room. Wait up against the wall until I return. I’ll bring him to the nether once I’m done with you.”
What. No. That wasn’t fair, Dream hadn’t done anything wrong! He opened his mouth to argue before snapping it shut as he remembered Michael’s fate was in this monster’s hands. He had to bide his time.
Reluctantly, Dream shuffled himself against the wall, not bothering to move even when he heard the Warden exit the cell. He’d be back soon enough with the restraints. The enchanted ones Dream hated more than getting his ribs broken again. Really, it only made sense. The Warden would never leave him unguarded, even if it was to save a child’s life. The prison came first. They’d established that a long time ago.
Chapter 5: Convict Childcare AU - 5
Chapter Text
As an Ender dragon hybrid, are they carnivore or not? If so, does dream crave for meat?
I’ll be honest, I’ve thought a lot about Ender Dragons and what the hell they’re doing, and I’ve come to the conclusion that in their adult forms, they’re primarily sustained by the energy from the crystals that protect them. Endermen travel the nether and overworld to collect materials to build these crystals in exchange for not being eaten by the Dragon.
Baby Dragons either inherit crystals from their mother, or they eat chorus fruit until they are able to get crystals. They will also feast on shulkers if they can find them. Even adult dragons will feast on shulkers.
c!Dream’s digestive track is mostly human, and he does need food, but if he has access to a crystal then it will do him a lot of good. He could get away with not eating for a few weeks without feeling too bad if he had a crystal or two on him constantly. It’s actually a big help once he’s told the syndicate about being a dragon hybrid because c!Techno gets him a few crystals to vibe with. He’s got a very dark, large, underground room with the crystals and a nest in the center that he brings Michael too sometimes. If disturbed you get a very angry shape in the darkness only faintly outlined by a purple glow that lets you know the create you’ve pissed off is large and sharp.
How does Micheal deal with being told Dream needs to rest? Dream was probably tired a lot of them time but this is probably the first time he’s someone actually care about and for Dream.
Michael’s situation with c!Dream after the two of them are properly rescued is real fucking complicated. It takes about two days to get everyone back the Syndicate safely, during which Michael hasn’t been able to see Dream since the two were traveling in separate groups. While Michael has attempted to ask for him, neither c!Tubbo nor c!Techno know any ASL. Nobody here knows about Michael and Dream’s close bond either.
When they get back, Tubbo intended to stay at the Syndicate complex just long enough to recover and go home. A plan that falls apart the moment that Michael sees a very sick Dream in Techno’s cabin, being helped by c!Phil and c!Niki. Michael runs straight to him and refuses to be separated. Phil speaks some ASL, and he’s able to understand a bit of Michael’s signing.
This is when the Syndicate starts to catch a hint that Dream didn’t just like. See Michael every so often and know c!Sam had him kidnapped as well. All of them are baffled as Michael not only refuses to leave Dream, but when Tubbo attempts to physically remove him, Michael bites and kicks until he gets released.
In the end, they just have to live with it. They do their best to give Dream medical attention around the child and let the two rest together. Tubbo is distraught and confused, having only just gotten his son back, only to find that his son barely remembers him and prefers the company of a person who Tubbo knows as very dangerous. For a short while, Tubbo is convinced that Dream somehow is manipulating Michael, but that only lasts until Techno is able to talk some sense in him. Like, clearly Dream had no idea who Michael was and dropped him off at the bastion with the intent of him staying there.
After that, it’s a waiting game. Michael will not leave Dream’s room for anything other than quickly using the bathroom. He’s relatively well behaved outside of that, if extremely wary of every adult that isn’t Techno. But he’s not leaving Dream. During this period, some of the weirdness of Michael starts to set in. The fact that’s he’s been taught ASL, the fact that somehow he managed to get healed well beyond any recovery Phil has previously seen for zombification, how he’s such an odd mix of scared and defiant.
Nobody gets answers until Dream wakes up properly for the first time, still feverish and out of it, but like, awake enough to recognize his surroundings. Michael is the first thing he sees, and instantly he’s worried and protective of him. Dream mistakes Phil for Sam initially, and tries to physically shield Michael from him. Trying to convince Phil that Michael didn’t do anything wrong, it wasn’t his fault so just let him go to the bathtub. Meanwhile, Michael only knows that his caretaker is upset and if that doesn’t change in the next 10 seconds, he’s choosing violence.
It’s not until Techno enters the room that things calm down. Dream remembers and trusts him enough to feel like Michael is safe. He’s able to give a bit of information (he’s been in charge of Michael, he taught Michael ASL) and tell Michael that these adults are safe for him to trust. After that, he’s basically out of it for the next four days in recovery. Michael still sticks by him, but he’s willing to go short distances with other adults.
As Dream recovers, he does need a lot of rest, but Michael is for the most part unobtrusive. Other adults are taking care of the toddlers needs, and as much as Dream is terrified of other people realizing he is emotionally attached to Michael, he doesn’t have the energy to prevent it. He’s exhausted, running off instinct, and still terribly full of love for this child that wormed their way into his life and was basically the only bright spot in a horrible situation.
So one thing I've noticed is dream being uncomfortable with his hybrid side. Is it like a linked thing to dysphoria/dysmorphia? Does he ever wish he was human to make things easier? I personally feel that sometimes he would. but knowing what the benefits are, especially When it comes to taking care of micheal, he'd feel a little better about his hybrid side. Idk if it would be as extreme as dysphoria/dysmorphia but the likeliness is there.
Yeah!!
So, c!Dream has a very complicated relationship to his hybrid form. The biggest aspect of it is that when he was younger, due to the rarity of Ender Dragon Hybrids and the fact he wasn’t on/didn’t have access to an End hybrid server, his hybrid status made him unsafe. As such, he learned magic and created his mask to hide it. For basically all of his formative years, he was functionally human. He only took off the mask when he had to, and even then only for a brief recovery period. Almost all of his time is spent in a human form.
The result of this is that Dream doesn’t really see himself as an ender dragon hybrid. It’s not that he hates his hybrid form, it’s that he doesn’t see it as his true self. He sees himself as a human. Being in his ender dragon form feels like he’s in the wrong body. Like it’s not really his. Since he isn’t comfortable with other people seeing the form, he doesn’t get much use out of it either.
At least until Michael.
Now, in the prison and second cell, Dream dissociated a lot to cope with the pain and trauma. He separated himself from his body quite often. The accidental result of this was since his human form no longer felt right, he started spending a bit more time in his hybrid form. That form gave him a sense of control and freedom, and so he started readjusting to it.
When Michael came into the picture, it kicked that up into high gear. Now he has an actual use for his hybrid form, AND someone who can safely see it. Michael delights in Dream’s hybrid form, making him not only appreciate it a lot more, but causing him to spend more time in it and relearn it as his own body.
Coming out of the prison and reaching freedom, Dream finds himself with an even stronger preference for his hybrid form on account of it feeling separate from the trauma he experienced in the prison. He never removed his mask around Sam or Quackity, ergo he was never hurt while in his hybrid form, meaning he associates his hybrid form with safety. Michael does too, since Dream would only bring out his hybrid form when the two of them were safe from Sam.
okay so I'm brainrotting over the childcare au and since Dre can change his body temperature I propose that sometimes he doesn't even have the energy to keep his temperature high or even warm for that matter, so he is phyically stuck in a very very cold, sluggish state. Think of it as a reverse fever (?) Yes he conserves a lot of energy and it's his bodies natural reaction to extreme fatigue but on the other side his injuries heal much slower and his movement is compromised (which brings a whole lot of other problems)
You’re so close to an idea I’ve been bouncing around, but just to the left.
Ender Dragons + Ender Dragon Hybrids can drop their temperature to converse energy, but they actually don’t do this when stressed out. It’s the opposite, the more stressed they are, the more energy they put into heating their body so they can move quickly and fight. It eats up energy, but it’s an important survival mechanism. Since c!Dream is in his human form most of the time it doesn’t effect him too much, but it’s something he’s aware of since he used that to help keep Michael warm in the cell.
When Ender Dragons are tired AND they feel safe, that’s when they like to enter a near hibernation state. They drop their body temperature down real low, slow their metabolism down, and stay that way for a day or two until they’re recovered. It’s a very vulnerable state, and not one that Dream has spent much time in. He actually doesn’t know he can do it at first.
This changes several months into recovery at the syndicate. Dream spends a day helping c!Techno do heavy enchanting, and he’s tired!! At this point the syndicate knows about his hybrid form, so Dream decides to take a nice nap on Techno’s couch and slips into a hibernation state without realizing.
About an hour later, c!Tubbo comes back from an adventure with Michael to see Dream, and find him on the couch; cold, unresponsive, and not visibly breathing. Both of them think that Dream just fucking died on the couch. It’s not a fun day.
Just to be clear, c!Techno and c!Phil, when they get back after a series of panicked messages, don’t know that Dream is hibernating. Techno flat out refuses to believe Dream is dead, and Phil is skeptical, but neither are sure he’s alive. They can’t get a pulse from him, he’s cold, and he doesn’t seem like he’s breathing. Michael is inconsolable, and nobody knows what could’ve caused this.
Until c!Niki walks in and is like “Oh, Dream’s hibernating, neat!”.
When Dream wakes up a day later, he finds out what happened and is also freaked out by it because he’s never hibernated before in his memorable life. It’s weird? He’s not sure he likes it? But he does feel more well rested than he has in ages, so like. Maybe worth it?
no because im brainrotting so hard on this au <3
does dream ever break down in front of people? or is there ever a full reveal of what happened during + after the prison?
c!Dream has his moments of letting stuff slip. But his truest break down comes in very violent form.
I mentioned before that Dream reveals his hybrid form to everyone so he can fight back after losing his weapon. By this point, the syndicate already knows about him and c!Techno has helped him train to fight with his hybrid form basically for this situation.
What I didn’t mention was the person who got him weaponless was c!Quackity (being helped by c!Fundy and c!Hannah). Quackity gets him pinned and believes he’s won. He chooses to gloat for a moment. This, was a mistake.
Dream, furious and ready for revenge after everything Quackity did to him, drops his mask and tears into Quackity. It’s such a shock to everyone else that nobody can react in time to help Quackity, so that man dies. In the aftermath, Dream snaps into himself and realizes either he gets away now or he’s taking a lot more lives. So he bolts outta there, reclaiming his weapon and half running half flying off. Nobody follows him on account of; Uh…. what the fuck??? and also Dude just flew off and the only other person w/flight on the server is on his side.
The Syndicate gets home and expects to meet Dream there, only for 24 hours to pass without him showing up. Techno wants to go look for him, but c!Phil and c!Tubbo think it’s better to give him time to cool off. Particularly given that due to limited time in his hybrid form, Dream experiences instincts to a pretty extreme degree when stressed. It takes some debate, but the syndicate agrees to give him 72 hours before doing anything.
c!Ranboo agrees to this and promptly forgets, wonders where Dream is, and then goes to track him down based on nothing but Vibes (Endermen instinct telling him where the dragon is). Dream is… Well he’s a mess to say the least. His instincts are telling him to kill just about anything that comes his way. It’s freaking him out and when added to having to be near Quackity at all. He just. Breaks a little bit. Ranboo knows the least of what went on in the prison and secondary cell. Just that conditions were bad enough to leave Dream still recovering from the effects more than 2 months after when he got revived. The only person in the Syndicate that knows Quackity tortured Dream was Techno, although Phil suspected something of the sort.
In a bad place, trying to sort himself out, Dream opens up to Ranboo. More specifically, he explains why it took so long to revive him. Why Dream was incapable of writing for so long. He spares some of the gorey details, but he doesn’t shy away from how much it hurt. How much it still hurts. The level of nerve damage done. Just how much Quackity took from him. How much Sam took from him. Ranboo listens quietly. Out of shock and respect.
At the end of the story, Ranboo doesn’t hug him. But he shuffles up to sit right next to Dream. Looks away so he doesn’t see the tears at the corners of Dream’s eyes.
“That’s fucking rough.” It’s an understatement. “I’m glad you killed him.” After a long pause, Ranboo finally finds something he could do to help. “Do you want me to shoo the others off so you can go hide in your den?”
And that- That sounds really nice. Dream only hesitates a moment.
“Can I take Michael? I just- Quackity was never near him, but. Some part of me-.” It’s too hard to explain, but Ranboo gets it.
“Yeah, he’s missed you a lot. It’ll be good for both of you. Just head down and I’ll get him from Tubbo.”
Plan in place, the two of them head home. Dream feeling a bit of weight off his chest, and Ranboo feeling like he finally got a piece of the puzzle he’s been trying to fit back together. It’s good. For them.
For Sapnap, who overheard almost everything, it’s his entire world crashing down around him.
While Sapnap had sworn off hunting Dream after their encounter, he… Well, he made an exception after hearing that Dream turned into a fucking half-dragon and murdered his fiance. Not that he was planning to hurt Dream, he was just hoping for answers. It only took a minute to dig out the old manhunt compass that he’d sworn to Quackity he lost ages ago (fuck, it makes sense now why Quackity was so pushy about it. why he almost screamed at Sapnap over it. how he’d found Q looking through his stuff and what if he’d found it-). Then he was off, following Dream while ensuring he wasn’t being followed himself.
When he’d finally found him, Sapnap was trying to decide how to handle the sight of his former best friend as a? A hybrid? Cursed? Experimented on? Who fucking knew. Before he could make up his mind, Ranboo had shown up, and then the truth came out.
Sapnap got his answers. And he lost one more person. Someone he thought he could trust. Someone who he’d vented his frustrations about Dream to (was that why? was it because of him? if he’d been less hot headed, if he’d been more open and admitted he still loved his brother. would Q have still done it? he didn’t know he didn’t know he didn’t). Someone who he’d loved. Gone once again. Leaving him stranded, unsure of where to go from here. If there even is anywhere to go.
I guess you saw my spam of likes and reblogs about your AU! So, can you maybe give us some fluff? 🥺 Like, maybe was there a moment when Dream first laughed out loud at the Sindicate and Michael was just over the moon? His!!! Dream!!! Is happy!!! YES!!! HAPPY!!!! And piglin snorts and a lot of squealing ensures!
Hmm, I think the fluffest thing early AU is right after c!Dream escapes c!Sam with Michael, the two of them are in the nether. Dream is weak, and he has to carry Michael for speed a lot of the time. He realizes that the two of them have almost no hope of outrunning Sam, and he almost gives in.
But!! Soon enough they happen upon a lava ocean where there’s a pack of striders. One of them already happens to have a saddle, and lo and behold, the strider is friendly. Unusually so. Dream doesn’t have any treats or a fishing rod, but the strider is more than happy to let them ride anyways and follows directions really well.
This strider is basically the reason the two of them survived, and it gave them such a lead on Sam that Dream was able to drop Michael at a bastion and have a day to settle him in + recover a little himself before he set off.
Afterwards, the strider helps Dream get to a ruined portal to leave the nether. Dream tells it he can’t come back, but he appreciates all that it did even if he doesn’t understand why.
Now, Dream doesn’t remember this because it’s been awhile and prison fucked with his memories, but this strider has met him before. When it was young it got caught in a lava pit and was basically doomed to starve. Dream happened upon it while out on a walk and carved a path and used a saddle so it could get out and back to it’s pack. So when it finally saw him again years later, it was eager to repay the favor.
God, I love your convict childcare au. Quick question about the last post, how did Niki know Dream was hibernating when no one else did? Did she know some other hybrid who does the same, or does she have knowledge of ender dragons some how?
c!Niki is a fish/mer hybrid, and although she herself does not hibernate, she grew up with other aquatic hybrids that hibernate in a similar fashion! She just assumed it was the same thing, and she was right. The only difference is while the hybrids she’s familiar with usually hibernate for winter, Ender Dragons can enter states of hibernation at any point when stressed or tired as long as they feel safe in their environment. Ender Dragon hybrids also tend to have shorter states of hibernation (usually no more than a week) compared to proper Ender Dragons which can hibernate for several months at a time.
Also!! Fun fact!! Although nobody at the syndicate is aware (mostly due to c!Ranboo being away on a trip at the time of this incident), Endermen + Endermen hybrids can actually wake Ender Dragons from hibernation states. They’ve got a special call designed to alert the dragon to danger if someone or something happens to invade the End while the dragon is resting.
The Syndicate (and Dream) find out that Ranboo can wake Dream up when, after a particularly exhausting series of run ins, Dream goes into a hibernation state on the couch again. Now that the syndicate knows he’s fine, it’s not a big deal, but Michael doesn’t like it. He still gets scared, even having been told by the adults that it’s normal. So Michael is being very moody and ends up crying, and despite Ranboo’s efforts he can’t calm him down. He even brought him to see the hibernating Dream to reassure Michael that he’s fine!
At his wit’s end, Ranboo lets out a high pitched chirp that surprises him since it’s not a noise he knew he could make. He gets 5 seconds to be startled by that before Dream is up and fucking ready to throw down. It takes like 5 minutes for Dream’s brain to actually start up again, so prior to that it’s just 100% ready to fight instincts only.
Niki and dream bonding over how difficult being a hybrid that isnt well aware of regular human customs or much about their own selves and how different they are compared to the rest of the syndicate: chefs kiss
Your thoughts?
Oh!! Okay, so c!Niki does somewhat struggle with the whole ‘Mer hybrid’ thing, she grew up with other mers so humans or mammalian hybrids can be really fucking weird to her. Also the whole complete lack of parental instincts on her fish half makes interacting with Michael. A struggle. She’s so fucking awkward about talking to the Child. But she’s confident in herself and what she is.
c!Dream on the other hand, as soon as he gained the ability to hide his hybrid self (around 6 or 7) he did. After that he spent most of his life as a human, growing up in human culture and in a human body. Not only that, but there’s very little research or information on Ender Dragon Hybrids. and Dream’s never met one himself. Only full Ender Dragons. As a result, he knows very little about his hybrid form, let alone anything about any culture or shared experiences for Ender Dragon hybrids. He’s usually just as surprised as everyone else to learn new stuff about himself.
The two of them do bond over some shared instincts though, including: It’s Cold And I Will Sleep Now, Lots Of Noise Is The Root Of All Evil (unless I am causing it), I Am Going To Put This In My Mouth With No Regard For My Wellbeing, and Hands Aren’t Real.
At what point does the server find/figure out that punz never betrayed Dream in the convict childcare au?
Well, uh,,, tbh they kinda don’t??
Like, at some point, probably a year or more down the line, it becomes apparent to most people that c!Punz is openly working with c!Dream + on his side. Things have simmered down overall, so they all just. Kinda assume they made up? But the server at large doesn’t find out about Punz having remained loyal to Dream the entire time.
The Syndicate… Okay, I’ve mentioned previously that c!Techno holds a grudge against Punz for (from his POV) betraying Dream for profit and only coming back after Dream is free from prison. Likewise, Punz holds a grudge against Techno for not breaking Dream out of prison fast enough (although at the very least Punz is aware his grudge is kinda unfair). They both put their respective grudges aside around Dream, because he clearly wants both of them around and infighting is Not Good For Stress Levels. But they bicker A Lot.
I think, of all people, c!Tubbo is probably the one to pick up on the fact that Dream isn’t wary around Punz. And that’s weird??? Right?? He’d expect at least some level of hesitation or distrust, but Dream seems totally unbothered by Punz’s betrayal. At this point, Tubbo has also noticed that Dream likes to distance himself from Michael whenever he’s scared. Even when Michael was the one that actually did something, Dream will take the blame and downplay Michael’s involvement to protect him. Tubbo connects the puzzle pieces, has mixed feelings, and promptly decides to do nothing about it because it’s been too long and would cause too much stress to care.
He does poke Techno in the right direction though. Sometimes. When he can be bothered.
speaking of the strange relationship between ender dragon hybrids and endermen hybrids, how does ranboo react to dream being an ender dragon hybrid? assuming he feels more positively towards dream, as he brought him back from the dead, does he still have the occasional thought that maybe this was how dream was controlling enderwalk him, or does he recognize that those were his own decisions when he had all his memories. does he gain back some of his memories, or does he still go into an enderwalk state? does he ever try to ask the Council for ways to help dream, and is their advice any good?
Overall, c!Ranboo has a positive relationship with c!Dream on account of the revival, but also because of c!Dream’s relationship with the rest of the Syndicate + c!Tubbo and Michael. While he doesn’t get much of the full story, he at least understands the basics.
Enderwalk is a bit of a complicated matter, but I think he’d actually feel more reassured after finding out Dream is an Ender Dragon. Previously, Dream had been fairly dodgy in explaining why he can speak/read Enderian and why ew!Ranboo came to him in the first place. After the reveal those things make sense, and it explains why Dream was so dodgy. EW!Ranboo does still come around from time to time, but he’s settled down now for the most part.
Both Dream and Ranboo aren’t particularly sure of how their hybrid statuses interact. Dream had no idea that Endermen had any sort of loyalty to Ender Dragons, he thought they just lived in the same space. Ranboo’s ability to find him instinctively and mild compulsions to help him are concerning but there isn’t much they can do about them.
It helps them both feel more comfortable when they find out from an actual Endermen that while there is an instinctive compulsion to help an allied Ender Dragon, that won’t last if the Dragon is hostile. The instincts are more to help inform an Endermen as to what the Dragon needs then to force them to comply. Which also explains why pre-reveal Ranboo kept getting a feeling that the Syndicate needed Ender Dragon crystals as decorations (something he actually tried to implement a few times only to get vetoed on account of “no extremely dangerous explosives around the small child”).
I hope that strider lives a good life
It does!! After leaving c!Dream at a portal, the strider goes back to find Michael and keep an eye on him. When c!Tubbo and c!Techno show up to get Michael it follows the two of them at a distance. it can’t track them the entire time, but with some help from other local striders it’s able to find their portal and hangs out in the area just in case it’s friend comes back.
Eventually, Dream does come back to the nether! He only vaguely remembers the strider through his fever haze, but Michael recognizes them right away!! They are given lots of treats and become Dream’s normal help through the nether. He doesn’t like to spend a lot of time in there, but being with the strider helps a lot. When under threat from other server members, the strider is his favorite escape method because it WILL NOT listen to anyone else. It’s also a fast baby!! It’ll go at mach 5 at a moment’s notice and doesn’t need a treat rod to guide it. Just gentle movements and direction.
They definitely get named at this point, but I haven’t decided on a name for them yet. Maybe Snowball? Because of the few things Dream clearly remembers from their escape, one could be him thinking they had a snowball’s chance in hell at making it out alive shortly before they found the strider.
ur convict childcare au has yet to live my brain its been living rent free since i saw .
sam one of those guys where its like i want to study him in a lab how does he reach the conclusions he makes..
insanely funny to me he goes yeah im gonna kidnap my prisoner AND this toddler he doesnt know about nothing can go wrong.
you mentioned hes usually out most the day, whats he usually doing? did he have any further plans for what he was going to do with dream n micheal
c!Sam is honestly one of my favorite characters. I also want to study him in a lab.
In the convict childcare AU in particular he makes a lot of very impulsive choices while panicked and then refuses to back down on any of them. Like, okay, he kills c!Ranboo by mistake. His brain then says ‘well, gotta take the prisoner and this toddler and run’ even though he could’ve just left Michael. He could’ve given him back at any point. His initial thought was somewhere between using Michael as blackmail and 'can’t leave the child’, and then he just sticks to his guns despite the fact he never had a chance to use Michael as blackmail.
Then he just leaves the toddler with c!Dream of all people. Because a toddler would be inconvenient to actually look after. It’s fine. Nothing could go wrong there.
As for what he’s doing, after abandoning the old prison to get away from c!Techno, Sam doesn’t really have a proper backup. He finds a spot and builds an area to keep Dream & Michael in, but it’s not a proper prison. Most of his days are occupied with building up the area to be more like a prison in case Techno does track them down. He’s adding defenses and security checks, as well as just getting general resources to keep people alive and under his control.
I mentioned this in an earlier post, but he intended for the arrangement of Dream watching Michael to be temporary. It lasted several months, but eventually he had enough of a prison built up that he felt like he could move Michael to a separate room and watch him himself. This goes very poorly. After several attempts at trying to coerce Michael into obeying him and blaming Dream for the fact Michael is terrified of him, Michael almost dies attacking Sam (b/c Sam is still in full netherite with Thorns). That’s the point where Sam gives up and sticks Michael back with Dream. He doesn’t feel like dealing with the problem, so he excuses it to himself by going back to improving the prison’s defenses.
C!Sam: why is Micheal afraid of me???
C!Micheal after being kidnapped by the creeper hybrid and then witnessing said creeper hybrid abusing a man who is taking care of him: ;^;
C!Dream who knows exactly fucking why but also doesn't wanna get beat: I wonder.
C!Sam: This is your fault
C!Dream under his breath: of fucking course
c!Sam: Michael won’t speak to me, clearly this is because you have done something to silence him.
c!Dream, in awe of Sam’s refusal to listen: He has a heavily damaged larynx and limited tongue mobility??? From zombification you wouldn’t help me treat??? He used to have exposed bone and there’s still scar tissue over half his face??? Literally just learn sign language so he can communicate with you??
c!Sam: I can’t believe you would do this to a child.
Convict Childcare AU b/c I’m brainrotting about it.
When Tubbo finally saw Michael again, after so many months apart, his first thought was to grab his son and never let him go. He almost didn’t recognize him; the bone that had formally been visible was now covered in a layer of scar tissue, and Michael’s left ear had returned, although his eye was still missing. Still, there was no mistaking his boy. All Tubbo wanted was to scoop him up in his arms again.
That plan evaporated instantly as he stepped forward and Michael flinched back. His white eye was wide with… Confusion? Hesitation? Tubbo’s heart stopped. His hands itched with a desire to draw his sword and go after Sam’s last life. Not yet. He needed to be calm for Michael. Taking deep breaths, Tubbo tried to keep his tone light.
“Hey there, Michael. You remember me, right?” The baby piglin’s brow furrowed, Tubbo’s voice clearly having an effect. Hope bloomed. “I know it’s been awhile. I’m really sorry it took so long. Can I take you home now?”
As he spoke, Tubbo slowly moved forward, kneeling and holding out his arms. Michael regarded him carefully, and a long moment passed between them before it became clear that Michael had no intent to move closer. Fighting back tears, Tubbo lowered his arms. Desperate to keep a smile on his face.
“Okay. That’s alright. You can take your time. I know you’re probably scared right now.”
What was he supposed to do now? Michael was still standing next to the piglin who’d brought him out. Fuck, what if the bastion wouldn’t let them bring Michael home because he didn’t remember them. What if-
“He might not recognize your scent right now. You’ve been traveling a lot, and it’s been quite awhile. I’ve got an idea though.”
Techno spoke softly, still almost startling Tubbo. He’d almost forgotten the piglin hybrid was there. As he composed himself, Tubbo turned to look as Techno stepped forward towards Michael, nice and slow. The boy was nervous, but didn’t flinch back. Curious about Techno.
When he got within a few feet, Techno paused to pull out the scarf he’d brought with them. The once he’d had Dream scent. For a moment, Tubbo was confused until Techno held out the scarf as an offering. Huh. Not a bad idea. It was a bit of a long shot, but Dream was the one who brought Michael here. If Michael happened to recognize his scent after their journey, he might be willing to trust them.
Michael leaned away from the scarf initially, freezing when his little snout snuffled, clearly picking up on the scent. Several long seconds ticked by as his brain processed the information. Tubbo crossed his fingers, hoping it’d be enough to at least get a bit closer to his son.
And then in a flurry of movement, Michael lunged for the scarf in Techno’s grip. Grabbing at it with his little hands to pull it to his face so he could bury his snout in it. A low whining sound followed quickly as the toddler tried to take the scarf. Tubbo didn’t recognize the noise, but clearly the piglins in the room did because the one who’d brought Michael in took a step forward at the same time as Techno released the scarf. Shocked into movement.
The moment the scarf was in his grasp, Michael clutched it in one hand, using the other to make a gesture. He pointed to the scarf, then stuck his hand out towards Techno before pulling it back to point at himself. The toddler waited a moment and then repeated the gesture, eye narrowing when he didn’t get a response.
“Uh, gonna be honest dude, I never figured out sign. I think Phil knows some though? We would’ve brought him, but he’s busy watching Dream right now. You want to go meet him?”
That was the ticket, Michael lit up, his hands moving again. He moved his hand up to his head, making a wavy motion as he pulled away before repeating his gesture from before and nodding. Wide eye flashing between Tubbo and Techno, clearly looking for confirmation. Tubbo took the lead this time, pushing himself to his feet so he could step closer and held his arms out again.
“Yeah, we can take you to meet him. He can teach us how to sign too so we can understand you! I wanted to learn before, but never got the chance. I’m glad you’ve started picking it up!”
Somewhere at the back of Tubbo’s brain he thought that was weird. He could’ve sworn he’d asked Sam about sign back before all of this. When Michael was freshly adopted and both he and Ranboo had been looking into learning. The only reason they hadn’t was because they couldn’t find a teacher. Why would Sam have lied to them back then?
But those thoughts were wiped away as Michael finally took a careful step forward, glancing up at the piglin who’d been watching him for reassurance before taking another few steps and putting himself into Tubbo’s arms.
Tubbo couldn’t help himself, he scooped Michael up (gently, had to remember to be gentle) and cradled his son. Safe at last. Michael still seemed wary, but he let Tubbo reach up to wind the scarf around him properly. Snuffling happily when it was wrapped in place. Beside them, Techno was talking to the piglin. Finally explanations and farewells hopefully. Fuck if Tubbo cared.
The only thing that mattered to him was that his son was safe in his arms. If there was a voice in the back of his head wondering why Michael reacted so strongly to Dream’s scent, or how Sam of all people had managed to treat Michael’s zombification so well despite having no medical training, he wasn’t listening. His son was safe (uninjured, still heavy in his arms the way a baby should be, pressed against his shoulder so Tubbo could feel soft puffs of air on his neck and know he was still breathing), and everything else could wait. It was time to go home.
Chapter 6: Convict Childcare AU - 6
Chapter Text
I have ideas for a fic in the convict childcare au, but know about as much as Sam on how toddlers work lol. Thankfully I do have a friend who works with little kids so they should prepare to be bombarded with questions like, how often do toddlers need to bathe and how long should nap time be, all while I’m being extremely dodgy on why I need to know these things because they know nothing about Dream smp and I don’t think I can explain that it’s for a zombie pig child who’s under the (originally) forced care of a manipulative control freak who’s just trying his best
If you end up writing anything absolutely send it to me, I love seeing stuff other people create in my aus.
As for how toddlers work, I actually know a decent bit about them from a lot of babysitting. I think the biggest thing for Michael is that he won’t match up with a normal child right away due to the zombification thing.
After XD heals Michael he’s got his left ear back (although it’s weaker than his right) and no exposed bone. He’s still missing an eye, and he’s got very limited muscle tissue under there. It’s mostly scar and fat to keep the bones safe. All of this is a lot for his body to adjust and reintegrate, so he needs time to recover.
So for the first month or so, Michael is going to be a very sleepy baby. He takes longer naps, and when he is awake he’s more limited in his activities. c!Dream has to work with him on recovering mobility in his hands to teach him sign during this period, and that along with basic child care takes up a lot of his waking hours. After that month Michael gets back up towards normal activity levels, sleeping around 14 hours a day (12 hour nights and a 2 hour nap). Sometimes longer if he’s feeling rough.
For baths, nether babies do not need baths as often as human babies do! Naturally, Michael would only take a water bath every month or so, and use dust baths during that month. Due to his weaker skin and the higher danger posed by infection, dust baths actually aren’t super safe for him, and there’s none in the cell. Dream compromises by only making him take a proper bath once a weak and just wiping down his scar tissue every day. Michael starts out pretty fussy about baths once he has the energy to be fussy, but grows to enjoy them given time. It helps that the bathtub is a safe place for him.
The other stable parts of their routine are that they eat two meals a day, because that’s when c!Sam brings food by. Dream hoards some stable food away as soon as he can do so safely, and every so often when Sam forgets to feed them or doesn’t feed them enough he gets Michael something from there. They also have toothbrushes, and Dream is very good about getting Michael to brush his teeth twice a day (something Michael hadn’t done before because back w/c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo his mouth/teeth were so fucked up from zombification that it did more harm than good). And usually when Sam is coming by in the evening, Dream will put Michael away in the tub since that’s when Sam is most likely to be in a bad mood.
Besides that, their normal activities consist of Dream teaching Michael sign (when both their hands are working well enough for it), reading to Michael, teaching Michael to read, exercising together as best they can to regain some muscle mass (mostly for Michael, Dream isn’t eating enough to be able to put on any muscle), playing invented games, and generally learning about each other.
If you want to, could you write a continuation of your last post where Michael reunites with Dream?
I don’t know if this is a request, bc you said once it’s okay if it’s about one of your current AUs? If it is, feel free to ignore this with no guilt (/gen)! I don’t want to stress you out or anything!
// Yeah stuff about my aus is always fine to ask about. Also if I don’t feel like writing something I will just leave it for later so don’t worry about that.
The three day journey home through the nether was stressful to say the least. News of Tubbo killing Sam had spread quick, and neither Tubbo nor Techno felt like trying to reason with the rest of the server. While Tubbo held out hope that his former friends wouldn’t harm Michael, they were going to demand answers about Dream and…
Well, Tubbo wasn’t going to give any. Dream clearly hadn’t kidnapped Michael, he hadn’t even known who Michael was. Instead he’d taken the time to save a random toddler from Sam’s clutches, one who he might not’ve ever met before his escape. Tubbo owed him for that, and he owed Techno for helping him through the kidnapping of his son and loss of his husband. So, regardless of his own feelings about Dream, he’d keep quiet.
There were several close calls near the server hub, but each time they managed to remain undetected. Michael knew to keep quiet when Tubbo hushed him. He stayed compliant in Tubbo’s arms as he carried him, only tugging to be let down when he needed something. The toddler was good at traveling discreetly. Too good at it. Tubbo’s heart ached, but there wasn’t much to be done about it in the moment.
Finally though, they made it back to Techno’s cabin. The plan was for Tubbo to get fresh food and spare winter clothing for Michael and then head off to the spare house he and Phil had built nearly four months ago. Nobody else on the server knew about it, meaning they’d be safe there until Ranboo could be revived. Away from everyone, Dream included. Tubbo didn’t even plan to spend the night at the cabin, not when Phil’s group was due back at any moment.
When Tubbo pushed his way into the cabin, that plan went out the window and burned the house down on it’s way out.
It turned out that Phil beat them back home, although not by much. There was still snow on his wings, not yet melted by the heat of the cabin. He and Niki were supporting a swaying Dream in the living room.
The sight of the man still made Tubbo’s heart clench, even after all this time. It took a second, but he reassured himself. He was fine. Nothing was going to happen here. Besides, if their prior encounter was any indication, Dream wasn’t capable of standing at the moment, let alone hurting anyone. This was fine.
Tubbo intended to turn around, to go wait at Phil’s house instead, but Michael had other ideas. The moment his eye locked onto Dream he lurched, slipping out of Tubbo’s arms and skittered down in a barely contained fall.
Michael was racing forward before anyone had a chance to react. By the time Tubbo’s brain caught up with the situation, Michael had thrown his arms around Dream’s leg. A warbling noise came from the piglin child, one that even Tubbo recognized as delighted.
What?
Nobody else knew how to react. Phil and Niki stood frozen at Dream’s side as he finally seemed to notice the toddler attached to his leg. That ever present mask tilted down and one hand moved to pat Michael on the head (although only after missing twice).
“Hey, Michael-” The man started, only to break off into a fit of coughing that didn’t subside. Growing steadily worse as Dream tried to regain his breath.
That was enough to push the room into action, Phil and Niki quickly maneuvered Dream down onto the couch. Michael was still clinging to his leg, obviously distressed by his condition. Behind Tubbo, Techno reached out to move him out of the doorway with a gentle hand so he could enter as well. From his expression, it looked like he wanted to say something, but Dream’s worsening condition took priority. He turned to Phil instead, who was trying and failing to remove Dream’s mask.
“That doesn’t come off. Sam tried it already. You’ll need to get him to move it to the side so he can drink. What should I go get?”
Phil cursed under his breath, switching his efforts to trying to guide one of Dream’s hands up to the mask instead. It was Niki who answered after taking Dream’s pulse.
“Topical healing potions, water breathing and strength if you have them. Water and bandages too.”
That gave Techno pause.
“No plain regen or healing?”
“Nope.”
Techno shuffled off to grab the requested items, and Tubbo realized he’d been frozen for nearly two minutes now. Unable to process his son holding Dream’s free hand, whining and snuffling as Phil tried to help the man breath again. Not even sparing a though for how weird it was that Phil wasn’t using regen or healing potions on this dire a condition.
Finally, he managed to shake off the feeling of dread building in his chest. This was fine. Michael was probably just upset to see the person who rescued him from Sam sick. That was all.
Taking several steps forward, Tubbo reached out for the toddler. Trying not to take him by surprise.
“Hey- Michael, buddy? We need to go right now. I’m going to take you home, we can visit everyone later, okay?”
Michael looked up at him, and to Tubbo’s surprise there was a fire burning in his eye. He seemed to consider Tubbo’s words before fiercely shaking his head. Little hands clutching Dream’s tightly.
What was going on? It made sense for Michael to worry about Dream, but this was extreme. Michael hadn’t even been this clingy towards Tubbo or Ranboo before… everything.
Acting impulsively, Tubbo reached out to grab Michael. He expected the boy to fuss but comply. Surely, he’d understand later why Tubbo needed to get him to safety. That while Dream may’ve saved him, Dream was not safe.
Michael disagreed.
When Tubbo’s hands closed around Michael’s waist, the reaction was instantaneous. Sharp nails lashed out to gouge Tubbo’s arms and before he could pull away, teeth were digging into his left hand with enough force that he lost control. Flailing as he lurched backwards, landing on the ground in shock.
Phil and Niki both paused their work to stare at the two of them, mostly Michael whose eye had taken on a shade of pink. A tell-tale sign of an enraged piglin.
What. The. Fuck.
Little snorting huffs came from the toddler as he returned to grasping Dream’s hand, eye narrowed and firmly fixed on Tubbo. A clear threat.
Tubbo felt tears spring to his eyes, not out of pain but out of confusion and anger. Michael had never bit him before, had never bit anyone before. Not like this. What happened to his son?
Before any of them could move, Techno reentered the room. He took one look at the situation, at Michael near feral and at Tubbo on the ground only a few feet away.
“Heck. Alright. Niki, take these.” The supplies he was carrying were quickly handed off to Niki, before Techno moved to help Tubbo up, steering him out of the room. Tubbo wanted to protest. He couldn’t leave his son in there! He’d only just gotten him back, and Dream was there! What if he woke up and did something? What if he’d already done something? What if that was why Michael was acting like this?
“Tubbo, I need you to take some deep breaths with me. I know you’re freaked out, but you’ve gotta breathe. Michael’s fine. You’ll be alright.”
Right. Breathing. That was a smart move. It took a little while, but Tubbo managed to get himself under control. Enough to speak.
“What- What happened to him? Why is he- Michael attacked me. He saw me as a threat!”
“Yeah. I was worried something like this might happen.” Techno paused, clearly not wanting to elaborate but not having much of a choice. “Michael- He’s young. And he’s been through a lot. It’s been almost seven months now, and- Well, kids are bad at remembering stuff. ‘Specially when they’re this young. He might just need more time, but… there’s a chance Michael doesn’t remember you very well.”
Tubbo’s heart dropped. His world was shattering around him. What had been left of it, anyways. Techno plowed forward.
“It’s okay- I mean, not like, okay, but it’s workable. Give it time and he’ll bond with you again. It’s just- It’s gonna take time. He won’t trust you again right away. And-”
Here Techno paused, clearly picking his words very carefully.
“We’ll have to wait until Dream wakes up to get a gist for everything that went on. I dunno how much he and Michael interacted. But clearly they bonded at some point. I should’ve known from how he reacted to Dream’s scent. Separating them right now- Uh. Yeah. Not gonna be a good idea.”
At some point in Techno’s statement, Tubbo could feel himself go numb. He’d finally gotten his son back, finally ended the nightmare he’d been living through, only to plunge straight into another. It didn’t feel real. It wasn’t fair.
“Hey, I get this isn’t easy. It totally sucks! But it’ll work out. Dream’s not gonna hurt Michael. I mean, with the state he’s in I don’t think he could hurt a fly if he wanted to, but he’s also not dumb. It’d get him nowhere. And Michael will come around, just give him some time, okay?”
Tubbo nodded, if only to end this conversation. He needed- Fuck. He didn’t know what he needed. He needed everything to just be okay again, but that wasn’t going to happen.
While Techno didn’t look convinced, Phil saved him by calling out for Techno in the other room. With a long look, Techno left to help.
After a moment, Tubbo followed. He didn’t enter the living room, he hovered outside in the hallway. Watching as Michael stayed curled up by Dream’s side while the others worked around him. As Michael growled whenever someone looked like they might try to move him away.
When he wasn’t feeling threatened, Michael looked… content. Like there was nowhere else he wanted to be but by Dream’s side.
Watching the scene, Tubbo no longer had anything to distract him from thoughts that had been wandering around in his head since he found his son again.
The one he kept coming back to, the one that kept bouncing around in his brain as he watched his remaining family from the outside, was simple but damning.
Sam didn’t know any sign language. Tubbo knew that for a fact. Books on the subject were hard to come by. Teachers even more so. During their trip through the nether, it’d become clear that Michael knew quite a bit of sign. Learning would’ve months of practice. So, how on earth had Michael learned so much in his time away?
Hidden away deep inside himself, Tubbo knew the answer. But he didn’t want to think about it. He wanted a way out of that possibility.
Somehow, he had a feeling the universe wasn’t going to be that kind to him.
Hey, I'm just curious about all of this c!Dreams and c!Ranboo relationship. Could you give us some Endersmile bonding moment maybe?
Oh, oh! Also what does Dream feels about Ranboo? Had he ever looked at him and been like; He is an Enderman child and I'm an Ender Dragon hybrid, is that making us a family now? Or maybe a biological family member—
Honestly, I think my funniest take on Endersmile is that c!Dream doesn’t know enderwalking is a thing. Like, he knows c!Ranboo has some memory issues, but he never interacted with Ranboo much outside of when Ranboo was enderwalking. So he just like. Assumes that EW!Ranboo is the default Ranboo. “Normal” Ranboo is just when he pretends to be a different person to fool others. ew!Ranboo might’ve even told him as much.
Also, ew!Ranboo is so fucking on board with all Dream’s plans. Dream’s hesitate to get him involved at first because he’s not the best fighter and still pretty young and ew!Ranboo is 100% “Father I Crave Violence” about it all. Dream revealing Ranboo as his ally? ew!Ranboo’s idea. He insisted on it. Dream still doesn’t know what the point of that was, but respected his wishes anyways.
The results of all this is at some point in the convict childcare AU, someone, probably c!Phil or c!Tubbo, brings up the matter of Ranboo’s enderwalking while Dream is working on a copy of the revive book for Ranboo. And Dream just. Doesn’t know what they’re talking about??? What the hell is an Enderwalk??? Once Ranboo gets revived and also asks about it at some point, both of them are pretty equally confused.
They aren’t biological family in this. Their status as an ender dragon & enderman hybird doesn’t make them family either. Instead, their statuses make it easier for them to communicate and understand each other, and gives them a shared instinctual sense of safety.
Outside of that, Dream’s initial feelings about Ranboo are complicated given that his primary interactions with Ranboo were with enderwalk Ranboo and he misses that version of him. Dream also feels a sense of guilt around Ranboo’s death. While he’s aware c!Sam was the one that killed Ranboo, he still feels like if he’d done a better job of convincing everyone else he had no emotional attachments to anyone then it wouldn’t have happened. Still, the two of them get along pretty well and bond over Michael. Both of them also missed a lot in limbo / prison respectively, so they get to play catch up together. Learning how to live freely again is a hard journey, and it’s easier when you’ve got someone by your side.
“Michael? Are you awake?”
Dream didn’t really need to ask, but it felt like a natural start to this conversation. He’d put it off for too long already. Paranoia eating away at him. He felt Michael wiggle his way to a sitting position next to him on the bed, nodding with a curious look in his eye. The toddler clearly knew something was up.
Every since the Warden had tried to take Michael away the boy had been particularly clingy and vigilante. It would… it would make what he needed to after they got out of here harder. That wasn’t something he wanted to think about just yet. There were more pressing concerns.
“Okay, so I need you to listen to me very closely. This is really important, and it has to be a secret.” Even knowing Sam had to be asleep, Dream still kept his voice to a whisper. Just in case. Again, Michael nodded, straightening up. Dream could hear the swish of his little tail against the bedsheets. He’d die before admitting it, but the noise made him grin.
“We’re going to leave soon. We’re going somewhere the Warden can’t find us.”
Little hands flew up in delight, Michael practically bouncing at the news. He was so excited he almost tipped over, Dream had to quickly steady him. Under his mask, his grin slid into something softer.
“Yeah, that’s right. We’re ditching this joint. When it happens though, I’m going to need you to be ready. It’s- It’s probably going to be pretty scary. We’ll need to run. You’ll need to do what I say, even if it’s scary, okay?”
Another nod, this one determined. Dream didn’t doubt Michael would listen during their escape, but he needed to be sure. If he didn’t- Dream didn’t want him getting hurt. And he sure as hell wasn’t leaving him behind. Michael was getting out of here no matter what.
Michael seemed to have a sudden thought, twisting to grab something off the bed- Oh. It was Chicken. The toddler held up the ratty plush and tilted his head in question. It took Dream a second, but he got the message, pulling a raspy laugh from him.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry Buddy. Chicken can come too. We wouldn’t leave him behind.”
Actually, that brought up the other thing he needed to mention. Dream’s mood fell a little.
“But uh, we’re gonna have to travel pretty light. Chicken can come, but we’re gonna need to leave the rest of your toys. You’ll get new ones though, once we’re safe!”
Michael seemed a bit disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. After a pause, the toddler glanced towards the side of the room and looked up with another question. He put his hands together and peeled them apart.
‘Book’?
Ah. Right. Michael’s books. Obviously, Dream wouldn’t be able to take all of them. Realistically, he shouldn’t take any. The ones he’d painstakingly written for Michael were leather bound, heavy and chunky things that would take up vulnerable space. But, fuck. Michael loved those books. A bastion might not have any other way for him to learn how to read. Still, it wasn’t practical. The space could be used for food or potions.
Ugh.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
It was enough to placate the toddler. He held up his arms, clearly wanting a hug, and Dream was happy to give him one. Even if he was feeling guilty for his kind of lie. There was no way he could bring the books. Just one would be too much with how weak he was currently. Michael would forgive him. He’d understand. The two of them slept easier that night then they had in a month, freedom in sight.
And yet-
Somehow, the night before their escape, as Dream packed supplies into the makeshift backpack he’d sewn from sheets, he found himself eyeing a book sitting innocently by the bookshelf. It was a bad idea. He knew that, but… That one was Michael’s favorite. It was the one Dream usually kept under the mattress, because out of all the few books he’d managed to write, it was the only one that featured Technoblade. The Warden checked the books every so often, and he hadn’t wanted to risk setting him off.
He’d spent so long writing out the shaky words, so long trying to steady his hands enough to draw pictures to go along with the story. If he left it- The Warden would burn it for sure.
Despite knowing how stupid it was, Dream gave in. The book made it’s way into the bag alongside the food he’d managed to hoard away. He’d made worse choices in his life.
Besides, even if it was a terrible idea. Even if it was selfish of him… He might have to leave Michael at a bastion, but he could give him this at least. Something to remember him by.
As an addition to my last post, c!Dream leaves Michael with the book, and the piglins at the bastion give it + Chicken + Michael’s other things to c!Technoblade when he and c!Tubbo come to get Michael. Techno doesn’t find it until he goes through the bag later several days after helping Dream back. He’d already started to suspect that Dream had an extended time with Michael, but the book confirms it.
It also breaks his heart, just a little, because the story is obviously made up but features him as the hero. He thought that after all his failures, Dream would hate him. But no. Here’s a lovingly rendered little book that he’s the star of, littered with their injokes and clearly coming from a place of affection.
Even after everything, Dream still thought well of him. And that cuts deeper than Techno thought it would.
baby michael frantically signing once he realises exactly who c!techno is: is that the hero from your stories??? c!dream signing back: yeah he is! c!techno: 🥺🥺🥺- uh i mean HEH NICE FANFICTION. NERD.
First, you’re absolutely correct that it takes awhile for Michael to realize that c!Techno and the Techno that c!Dream told him about are the same person. Michael is a little spazz about it, and Techno gets very flustered.
A little note though, during his recovery period Dream actually doesn’t use sign much at all unless he’s teaching it. In general, the adults might use sign along with verbal speech, but they very rarely use sign alone with Michael.
For Dream specifically, this is because he has heavy nerve damage in his hands that takes quite awhile to make any progress on (and which never fully goes away). Even basic signing can be hard on him during those first few months. Plus, unless he’s teaching, he’s going to need to verbalize anyways.
The reason for that, and the reason the adults in general always use verbal speech with Michael is because Michael has impaired vision. He’s missing an eye, and his other eye isn’t perfect. So while he exclusively uses sign language + some very basic noises, he actually has trouble following sign when other people are using it. While the others do try to use it around him to help him learn, they have to include the verbal component so he doesn’t struggle to understand them.
For your convict childcare AU, does c!Sam pick up where c!Quackity left off and actively torture c!Dream, or does he just use him as a convenient punching bag when he gets frustrated with Life in general? Or does he couch it in "The prisoner has Misbehaved, so he must be Disciplined" terms?
It’s complicated. c!Sam isn’t willing to go as far as c!Quackity did for a number of reasons. The primary one is he needs c!Dream to be functional to take care of Michael, and anything involving large amounts of blood would create hygiene issues in the cell.
So, for the most part, Dream gets used as a punching bag. Sam will usually pick a specific thing as his excuse, and there are certain things that will set him off (disobedience, Michael crying, Dream lying to him, etc) but for the most part it’s just Sam venting his frustrations with his lack of control and his own fuck ups onto Dream.
Dream is aware of this, he’s aware that Sam is just using him as a punching bag, but he swings into denial regularly. Part of him deep down wants to believe that if he tried, he could be a model prisoner and not get hurt. Because the thought that really, this is all within his control if he just behaved is surprisingly tempting. Even if the realist in him knows that’s bullshit. That even if he were magically reformed, Sam wouldn’t care in the slightest.
The rivalsduo feelings are strong with this one, mate. I don't know if we can survive this much delicious food
Oh if you want proper rivalsduo food then it’d probably be the Den that c!Techno builds for c!Dream after he reveals himself as an ender dragon hybrid.
Techno starts working on it well before Dream has outed himself, knowing that it’s going to take time to do it right and he wants it to be perfect. While Dream does have a room in Techno’s cabin, it’s not really his own. It still feels like a generic guest room, with the only character coming from Michael’s toys and books being tucked in strategic locations (along with a small stash of food that Techno pretends he hasn’t noticed). If it was anyone else, Techno would want to help them build their own house in the commune, but that’s not an option for Dream yet. Between the risk of him getting attacked, and the fact Dream doesn’t have the physical functionality to live on his own yet, it’s going to be awhile before Dream could have a fully separate house. The Den is a compromise of sorts.
The first step is burrowing deep underground, creating a nice wide tunnel that leads into a cave at bedrock level below Techno’s house. He makes the cave wide and open, big enough for c!Phil to fly around in (since he doesn’t know how big Dream’s wings are) and after wiggling some answers about block preference out of Dream, he makes deepslate and moss floors. In the back of the room there’s a hole that Techno glitched in the bedrock via TNT and pistons to expose the void. Usually very dangerous for players, but for Dream it’s a perfect escape route. He can safely take it at any time, and nobody can follow him.
Towards the front of the room, there’s several locations where Techno built in hidden cupboards, safe, dry, well sealed areas where food or other objects could be hidden away. Safe and very difficult to find, but easy for Dream to open and access. The place is mostly dark, there’s lanterns that can get turned on, but Ender Dragons have pretty astounding night vision, so Techno leaves it minimal. At the center of the room is a collection of pillows and blankets, ones that Techno had Michael help him arrange, since Michael is the only one who knows how Dream likes to build nests. There’s some crimson mushrooms thrown in and the whole area is heated by lava (although none of it visible) so that Michael can be comfortable down there as well, but the space is primarily designed with Dream in mind.
It’s only after Dream’s revealed himself to the rest of the syndicate that Techno adds the finishing touches; four pillars with End crystals, all placed far up to be non-hazardous if they happen to explode, but close enough that if Dream’s in the center of the room, all four will heal him up. The day Dream lets the rest of the syndicate in on everything (not by talking about it, he just takes off his mask and pretends that it’s totally normal for him to be covered in scales with wings coming out of his back), that’s the day that Techno finally brings Dream down into the Den to show it to him. Dream doesn’t cry, but that’s mostly due to Ender Dragons not having tear ducts.
Once he’s in the Den, it’s a solid week before Dream is willing to leave it for any longer than an hour or two. He sleeps better than Techno has seen… Well, ever. The crystals do a lot to boost his recovery. Above all else though, Techno is proud that he accomplished what he set out to do, to give Dream a place he could feel safe. Despite everything.
Micheal asks for Techno's autograph as soon as he can
Michael doesn’t know what an autograph is, but he does ask c!Techno to teach him how to fight and to recount stories for him. Which leaves Techno in an awkward position of ‘the toddler is not allowed to fight yet’ and 'Techno either doesn’t know the stories c!Dream told Michael or doesn’t think reinforcing them is a good idea’ (Dream refuses to apologize for several of his stories involving the butcher army as the villains).
in the convict childcare au, how is michael's relationship with techno affected by the stories dream told about him? i assume dream told more verbal stories than the one he wrote down, so does michael ever ask about them? along with that, does he have a connection to techno because they are both piglins, even though techno isn't zombified? does michael ever try to emulate techno (putting on a fake cape crown, etc.) like he tried with dream's smile mask, or did that experience scare him too much to try something like that again?
Well, so it takes Michael a hot minute to realize that the Techno from c!Dream’s stories is c!Techno. He’s delighted to find out that they’re the same person though, and absolutely asks for stories (although Techno has a hard time providing those until he’s heard Dream recount them). As I mentioned before, Dream specifically told Michael stories about Techno because Techno was the only piglin hybrid that Dream knew, and he wanted Michael to have role models. Techno is the only one who has proper instincts for Michael what with also being piglin, and that helps a lot in the communication department. He has a rough sense of what is and isn’t normal for a baby piglin, and what their behaviors mean. Also basic health issues and what even counts as a health issue in the first place.
Michael adjusts/trusts Techno the fastest of the new adults he meets after his rescue, partially because Techno is also a piglin, but also because Dream (even in his sickly state) clearly trusts Techno the most out of all the adults present. That shapes a lot of their interactions, since early on Michael is extremely responsive to Dream’s emotions for deciding who he should and should not trust.
As for emulation! Yes! Michael even back in the cell would put on a blanket or a sheet and pretend it was a cape. Dream just made sure it was always blue or green, to avoid drawing too many direct parallels to Techno. Since kids running around in capes is a relatively normal childhood activity, c!Sam never really picked up on the connection. Thus, Michael sees it as safe as well. The experience with the mask turned Michael off from masks specifically, he never connected that the problem was that he looked like Dream.
i think if it ever slips that tubbo was part of the butcher army as well as ranboo(less so tho), micheal is NOT going to be happy….
The good news here is that c!Dream never named the members of the butcher’s army when he was telling those stories. He gave them titles instead. The book he wrote for Michael about c!Techno didn’t involve the butchers army (or any true stories) since he wanted to minimize the risk of setting off c!Sam if he managed to find it.
The bad news is that they were some of Michael’s favorite stories, to the point where he can sign along to most of them and gets sad when Dream dodges around telling him those stories once he realizes that Michael is c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo’s kid. He’s a kid though, so he gets over it with time and the stories get replaced with new favorites.
Michael, looking at Dream, who's on the brick of death, hasn't showered in at least a week, and definitely has some sort of scurvy: ah yes, this peak caretaker material right there
Alright, let’s correct a few things here, first and foremost c!Sam did have the common sense to wash and heal c!Dream before he let Michael meet him. Both for hygiene reasons and to avoid scaring Michael. Also because Sam had to travel with him in close proximity for at least a week and didn’t want him to smell terrible the entire time.
Second, if we’re look at any form of realism of an all potato diet, Dream would not have scurvy. Scurvy is caused by a severe lack of vitamin C, and potatoes actually have a lot of vitamin C. Dream’s issue would be all the other missing nutrients, general starvation, and a severe lack of vitamin D. He doesn’t suffer from that as much though due to the time he spends in his hybrid form (Ender Dragon hybrids have methods of making up for a lack of nutrients that aren’t found in the end. If they have their crystals then they can actually do really well on minimal diets of chaos fruit and shulkers).
Third, Michael takes a little bit to warm up to Dream. He is still nervous about this strange adult who starts up pretty grouchy about Michael’s existence. He’s also suffering from his zombification pretty badly (from lack of proper treatment), so he’s in a lot of pain. While Dream is the only person there to care for him,
There’s two key breakthroughs for Michael, the first being when Dream realizes he can’t speak and asks him to point/use physical gestures instead of just giving up. This moves into Dream teaching Michael some very basic sign, and it’s the first time in ages that Michael has felt an adult is trying to listen to him. Dream makes an active effort to communicate with Michael, to listen to what he wants, what hurts, and what he needs. Despite the bad circumstances, Michael recognizes that effort and it means a lot to him. He does his best to work with Dream after that, and is quick to latch on to the first person in ages whose given him agency.
The second breakthrough is after Dream uses the book to heal Michael. While Michael doesn’t remember the event very well, he does remember going from being in pain constantly to feeling better than he had in ages, and he remembers that Dream was the one who ‘fixed’ things. After that healing, Michael feels a lot better and is able to interact more and bond with Dream more. He’s able to learn more sign, and be more aware of his surroundings now that he’s not overwhelmed with pain. That’s the point that really cements their relationship.
Do you think Michael would call Techno uncle? If so, how would he react to it? (Dream would tease him endlessly for it I think)
Michael doesn’t really know the concept of ‘Uncles’ for awhile, since it never comes up in c!Dream’s teachings and the concept isn’t really familiar to piglins either.
Instead, Piglins have sounders in which childcare is largely communal. Piglets usually start out with their birth parents for a year or two (although not always) and then once they’re weaned they get shuffled into the piglet pile where toddlers/babies are raised by the group as a whole. This is when piglets start forming their own little social circles and picking out favorite adults to call 'their own’. As the piglets get older and decide what they want to do in the sounder, they tend to follow around the adult that has the job that interests them and usually end up in an apprenticeship. Still, every adult in a sounder is responsible for making sure every child in the sounder is cared for.
Obviously, Michael didn’t grow up in an environment like that, but his instincts remain. Every adult that is trustworthy is a “parent”, and get baby piglet noises from him intended as such (the first time that c!Techno gets a baby call intended for him he melts and panics and refuses to explain his reaction to anyone else).
Michael also has a special call for Dream that basically means “favorite caretaker” which is usually reserved for either a piglins birth parent pre-weaning or their chosen adult later in life. When Michael uses that call for the first time while Dream is out sick, that’s when Techno knows something serious went down.
In your convict childcare au I could see c!Techno trying to recount some story after Micheal insisted he tell one. And like alot of kids (especially w diffrent adaptations of stories like fairy tales) every second Micheal interrupts c!Techno to tell him he's telling it wrong, that it didn't happen like that. instead of c!Techno telling the story it becomes Micheal making gestures to c!Techno trying to tell/mime the story as Dream told it.
So,,,, the unfortunately angst here is that Michael is actually very used to hearing different variations on the same stories. c!Dream’s prison sentence gave him some major struggles with memories, so each time he’d tell a story to Michael it’d be different from the last time. The key beats often stayed the same, but the details changed. So Michael’s more than used to that for most stories.
However!!! The Book that Dream wrote for Michael, the only one of Dream’s books to survive after everything & the one that features c!Techno. That book is sacred.
Because Dream was worried about c!Sam getting upset if he found out about the book, there were rules on when the book could come out (only after Sam had visited for the night, only once they were sure he was gone, not every night, always have to put it away before bed). Everything in the book was written very carefully by Dream, so he remembers it really well compared to his other stories. So every time he’d read it for Michael, he’d read it very similarly. It’s practically a tradition for him. A very important tradition that Michael treasures.
The first time Techno tries to read it to him, Michael is stopping him every other second and being very grouchy because that was not the right word and you have to point at the picture here. After 4 pages, Michael takes his book and leaves because he’s so huffy about the story being read wrong (Dream is still very sick and Michael misses him so much and he just wants his caretaker to wake up and tell him everything is okay and read him the story correctly because none of these stupid adults know how to do it right).
Nobody else is allowed near the book until Dream is finally well enough to read it to him, and around the third reading, Techno is allowed in the room to learn how to read it correctly. It takes several viewings, but he finally learns how to do it, and the first time he’s allowed to attempt reading it to Michael again is a big moment in their relationship (he still needs some minor corrections, but it’s taken in stride this time).
Chapter 7: Convict Childcare AU - 7
Chapter Text
So Michael sees Dream as some sort of parent? I wonder what Dream's reaction would be once he learns what the sounds mean. Would he try to push Michael away? (I believe he would, but he would fail miserably at it cause he's quick to get attached)
- also, you can call me E! I've sent other asks before, so now I think it's Time™ to give you something to call me I guess :D
Well, I mean, c!Dream’s stubborn but not stupid. He does know how piglin sounders operate, and he’s perfectly aware that Michael would see him as a caretaker given the extended period of time where that’s what he was. The fact that piglins have communal caretaking and that adult = parent actually takes some of the pressure off of him emotionally. He’s not really a parent to Michael, he just happened to be the only nearby adult that wasn’t kidnapping him. Shockingly.
I’m not sure if c!Techno ever tells him quite what that specific sound means. He might just say it’s Michael’s sound for Dream. There’s a chance Dream might figure it out on his own after realizing that Michael has a unique noise for him and him only (while Michael uses name signs for everyone, Dream is the only one with a specific baby noise). If he did, I think it’d be more of a point of quiet pride? Mostly because he’d know nobody else besides Techno would know what it meant (making it “safe”) and what. He likes being called Michael’s favorite. Just a little bit.
if eldritch c!dream and babysitter c!dream switched places for a day, which side would get the 'worse' end of the deal?
Oh, convict childcare c!Dream for sure. He’s heavily traumatized and has no idea what’s going on or why everyone’s acting the way they are. The sight of c!Quackity is enough to have him near feral. Wants to know what the fuck they did with Michael.
Meanwhile Eldritch c!Dream is happily vibing with !! A Baby!! He’s Going To Ask Him If He Understands Capitalism!! It’s Fucked Up, Right???
It takes like a solid 3 hours for the convict childcare AU syndicate to realize that’s not their Dream. They thought he was just having a really good day for some reason.
while in the cell, does dream try to teach michael basic math, reading, and writing skills? i imagine they had quite a lot of free time and michael would get bored of drawing and listening to stories at some points during that. also, seeing as dream doesn't spend much time with toddlers and he hasn't been one for quite a while, does he actually... know what a toddler's aptitude for math reading and writing are? i can definitely see him scratching his head about whether long division is suitable for a three year old. also, i imagine he prioritizes history and logical thinking as the subjects most important to him, but those aren't really topics a three year old can grasp, because they aren't logical creatures, and studies have shown people can't really grasp the concept of the past until they're around nine or ten. so, how do you think these lessons would happen?
Well, okay, off the bat I have to challenge something. As someone who has personally worked with a number of children, they can definitely understand the concept of the past at around 5 or 6. They also don’t really need to understand the past to be taught history. It’s all stories to them. Also, young children are often extremely logical creatures, it’s just that people don’t have the knowledge or patience to understand their logic. It’s there though.
That aside, c!Dream’s primary lessons for Michael at the start of everything is getting as much sign language into him as they can both stand. It’s hard because Michael has a long period of being Sleepy after recovering from zombification, plus his visual impairment and Dream’s nerve damage in his hands. Michael picks up on sign very quickly given the circumstances, because he’s basically been trapped without a means to express himself since he wasn’t taught any previously and verbalization was/is a major struggle. That takes up a lot of their non-play time.
Once Michael’s got the basics down, Dream does teach him some basic math (numbers, adding, subtracting) but not much beyond that. This is due to limited supplies and Michael’s age.
Reading is a challenge too, since it takes awhile for c!Sam to get any books at all, let alone picture books for Michael. None of those picture books are designed for a child whose visually impaired and colorblind. While Dream is able to very slowly create several books for Michael that are suited for him, it’s a limited selection. Michael is able to learn a little bit of what reading means, but not much. Writing is mostly beyond him at his age.
As for history, Dream does teach him this as best he can! But he’s teaching him what he can remember of piglin history, not human/the SMP’s history. This is because Dream does intend to drop him off at a bastion eventually, so piglin history is more important for him. Even if Dream knows less of it.
Other then that, Dream does try to teach him survival skills. Particularly nether survival skills. He passes on what Michael can and can’t eat, how to tame a strider, how to find a bastion, how to get through a delta, etc. How much of that gets retained is questionable, but Dream had to try. For all he knows, Michael might end up on his own if Dream dies during their escape attempt, in which case he wants him to be ready.
I'd imagine that in convict childcare, while Michael would associate the bathtub with safety, he would also probably associate it with "something bad is happening outside." So it would probably freak him out a fair bit if, for instance, someone tried to give him a bath while Dream was still out of it :)
If c!Dream is still in the bathroom with him, then everything’s fine. If there’s water in the bathtub, then everything’s still fine (although it takes awhile before Michael trusts anyone else to give him a bath. The first time c!Tubbo & c!Techno try while Dream is still out they get bitten several times).
Michael going in the bathtub without water meant that c!Sam (aka “Danger”) was going to come by and something could happen to Dream. Sometimes Michael would be asked to come out of the tub to see Sam. Sometimes something would happen while he was in the tub, and he would come out to Dream being hurt or stressed. Sometimes everything would be fine. He wouldn’t know until Dream came to get him. What he understood was that it would be worse if he stayed, so he goes willingly, and he does feel like he’s safe in the tub, but it makes him anxious about Dream’s health.
Luckily, it’s rare that Dream tells him to go to the tub once they’re out. It only happens when Dream is panicked or in the rare case that someone has managed to get to the cabin and is a threat. After the dragon hybrid reveal, “go to the tub” is replaced with Michael going to Dream’s Den. It’s more sheltered, has more hiding places, and has an emergency exit that only Dream can take.
If I didn‘t miss anything, c!Sam is on his life in the convict childcare AU and while c!Sapnap wanted to take his last life he didn’t. Which makes me wonder where he currently is. Is he near the main SMP, is he hiding far away? I‘m a bit curious what he‘s up to after losing two lives.
He’s in hiding with minimal contact with the rest of the SMP who still believes that he was the victim in everything that went down.
Losing his second life to c!Tubbo was basically the last straw for him to have a paranoid breakdown. He was already in a very bad place because he lost control of c!Dream (along with losing Michael and no longer having an easy target to blame for all his problems). When his second life gets taken, he realizes how out of control and vulnerable he really is.
Because he failed to get the revival book from Dream, because he failed to actually control Dream, because he wasn’t strong enough to fight off Dream or Tubbo, he’s almost at the end. If he dies, that’s it for him. There’s no way anyone could convince Dream to revive him. There’s almost nobody who’d even try. He’s alone, in the ruin he created out of an obsessive need for control he failed to obtain.
So, uh, yeah he’s out of the picture for the most part after his second life gets taken. He’s too scared of losing his last life to do much of anything but hide.
Gahh I just read the convicts childcare au post about sapnap listening in to ranboo and dream and learning what happened in the prison and now I'm :(( and you left me with so many questions !!
Does sapnap ever try to reconnect with dream after?? does he demand answers from Sam? Do dream and sapnap ever apologise to each other? How would dream react to learning sapnap heard him say all of that?
This au is so incredibly lovely :)
c!Sapnap… after that moment, I think he tries to go to c!George. He’s asleep, but Sapnap tries to talk out his feelings anyways. He doesn’t go after c!Quackity because he’s on his last life and Sapnap isn’t willing to kill him, but he knows if he goes after him then there’s a chance he might out of anger.
Instead he sends him a very quick message “I know what you did. If I see you again, I’m taking your last life.” and then blocks him. He goes to c!Karl to explain what happened. Sort of. Karl is still struggling with memory loss, so he’s all for ditching Quackity. I think he would encourage Sapnap to reconnect with Dream as well, or kill Quackity. Possibly both.
Sapnap also puts together some clues at this point, specifically regarding c!Bad and c!Ant and their refusal to help recapture Dream. He confronts Bad and gets more of the truth of how horrible Dream’s treatment was, and in turn he’s able to tell them that it was Quackity. After some argument, Bad and Ant agree to reveal some of the truth of what happened in the prison to the rest of the server.
Now, in the middle of all of this, Quackity tries to visit Sapnap to find out what he knows and try to win him back. Since Sapnap is out, he finds Karl instead and unlike Sapnap, Karl has NO problems trying to kill Quackity. It’s on sight.
This shakes out in one of two ways. For right now, I’m going the less angsty path and saying Karl doesn’t manage it. He’s just able to seriously wound Quackity before the other gets away. Sapnap comes back to find Karl bloody and a lil feral but mostly unharmed, helps patch him up torn between “oh my god you moron what were you thinking” and “tbh fair play”. News of this spreads pretty quickly, even up into the arctic.
It sets the tone around interactions between them and the rest of the server. After some thinking, Sapnap would maybe reach out to c!Punz, since he’s suspected that he might be working with Dream now. Maybe to carry a message, maybe just to ask for advice. Either way, if the two of them end up on friendly terms again, it’d probably be through Punz at first (with Punz being very reluctant to facilitate the interactions out of distrust and a held grudge over the fact that Sapnap never saw anything wrong with Pandora prior to all of this).
What’s the second way Karl meeting Quackity would go?
Oh, in the much angstier version of things, c!Karl succeeds in killing c!Quackity, taking his final life. This is a lot more angsty because despite everything, c!Sapnap still loved Quackity on some level. While he was disgusted with what Quackity did, he didn’t want to lose another person. He was hoping maybe there was still a way to bring Quackity back from all of this. To talk some sense into him. Anything but this.
Worse than all that though, he knows there’s a way to get Quackity back. c!Ranboo got revived awhile ago. Hell, c!Wilbur is walking proof that people can come back, and how hellish it is to be trapped in limbo. The damage isn’t irreparable. In a perfect world, it’d be easy.
But this isn’t a perfectly world, it’s the world in which the only way for Sapnap to get Quackity back is to ask the person that Quackity tortured for months on end to revive him. And he- He hasn’t even spoke to Dream in two years. He hasn’t apologized, hasn’t even begun to understand the level of damage that Quackity did. Hasn’t begun to understand the level of damage that Sapnap’s own compliance and neglect did.
Sapnap is fully aware that asking Dream to revive Quackity would reach an unimaginable level of cruelty and selfishness. But part of him wants to anyways. It keeps him up at night, eats away at him. Before he’d been considering trying to reach out to Dream again, trying to repair whatever fragmented relationship might still exist between them. Now it feels impossible because it’d just feel like he’s trying to use Dream to get at the revival book. Wouldn’t he be? If he doesn’t ask, then the guilt over Quackity’s death weighs over him. If he asks, well, surely Dream would just hate him for it. It’d be worthless either way.
The guilty eats away at Sapnap for weeks, months. Quackity left behind a ghost, but Sapnap can’t bare to meet them. He tries to act like everything’s okay, but he’s breaking down. George notices and tries to offer comfort, but he’s not there often enough to do anything. Sapnap breaks down enough that c!Bad gets involved to try to help. To try to do some good. Karl tries too, but his memory is still heavily damaged. Most days he doesn’t remember he was the one to kill Quacktiy. Hell, he rarely remembers who Quackity was at all.
And then one day, months later, Sapnap wakes up to a message on his communicator. He’d unblocked Quackity ages ago, sent message after message to a dead line to try to puzzle out his feelings. But he never expected to get a reply.
“I’m sorry.”
Plain and simple. He’s sure he’s imagining it until he checks the general messages and sees a flurry of utter bewilderment in the chat confirming that somehow, Quackity is alive again.
Sapnap cries, for what reason he’s not even sure. He just cries until he feels like he’s got a hold of all the emotions running loose in his body. Then he packs his bag, checks on George and Karl, and starts for the arctic. He has an old friend he needs to see again.
For purposes of reference, which eye is Michael missing in the Convict Childcare AU? Would Dream ever make him an eyepatch to cover the gaping hole in his face with the same supplies he made Chicken with? I can't imagine it'd be very pleasant to look at, and I'm sure it would have the added bonus of making Michael feel very badass, like the fearsome lady pirate captain or the piglin warrior from Dream's stories. :>
So!! Post-healing Michael matches up pretty well with the zombie piglin injuries, but he has no fungal growth and no exposed bones. He does have scarring where the bone was previously, and the missing eye, but it’s actually not too bad.
Michael doesn’t get an eyepatch in the cell, mostly because his face is pretty sensitive and c!Dream doesn’t want to risk irritating anything by having unneeded fabric up there. Also, he’s worried about the empty eye socket having complications in the future so he wants to keep an eye on it.
Far in the future, Michael does get a glass eye to help protect the eye socket though! c!Tubbo is the one who makes it for him, and c!Ponk (who I haven’t mentioned in this AU yet but who also quietly allied with the syndicate after hearing both stories and being like “oh yeah, c!Sam would absolutely kidnap a toddler.”) is the one to install it for him. It’s green to match w/Dream and c!Ranboo!
Oh my god the glass eye is green to match with c!Dream and c!Ranboo I'm- this is so cute oh my god.
Now I'm imagining Michael right after he got the eye, looking himself in the mirror and being like "I'm like them!" And my heart bursted into flames.
- E
The thing is, Michael is Red-Green colorblind, but he knows that c!Dream has green eyes and c!Ranboo has one red and one green because he’s been told that. So when c!Tubbo was planning to make him a new eye and talked to him about it, he was like!!! I Want Green!! Like Dream and Boo!! Tubbo tried to explain to him that he can’t see green, but!!! Michael is sure!!! Even if he can’t see it, he wants to match!!! So Tubbo agrees and when Michael gets the new eye he runs around showing everyone and demanding that they confirm it’s green!!
What's the most angsty idea you've had for Convict Childcare? Do your worst please
- E
Well, a lot of my angst is getting saved for the fic I’m working on rn, and won’t make sense out of context, but I thing a strong moment is when c!Dream has properly woken up for the first time since his recovery. It’s the first time in ~two weeks he’s been able to stay awake for longer than an hour.
In the brief periods he’s had before, he’s managed give up a bit of info on his and Michael’s relationship (and how to handle Michael in general) and get caught up on a good chunk of the important goings on. Now he’s got a bit of peace and quiet since Michael is napping in his lap.
He waited until the cabin had settled down before reaching for the book and pen that Phil left on the bedside table. The mere act of picking them up sends jolts of pain through his hands, but he grits his teeth and pushes through it. He needs to do this. It’s waited too long already.
Dream carefully opens the book to a blank page, and then sets about trying to maneuver the pen into his hand (he has to use his left hand to push his right fingers into the correct shape, they’re too stiff to bend on their own and fuck it hurts but he’ll get over it. It’ll get easier. It has to). It takes too damn long, but he manages to get it propped up and get his hand to the page. The first symbols aren’t too hard. He’s been on rest and healing for ages now, this should be a walk in the park.
But his hands are shaking, and he’s moving as carefully as he can but the shapes aren’t coming out right and-Fuck.
The pen drops onto the bed as a cramp overtakes Dream’s right hand. It hurts like hell, and he tries to relax his muscles but he can’t and fuck. He couldn’t even manage the first symbol, how the hell was he going to do this?
It took ages for the pain to dull enough for him to move his hands again. Dream pushed past the remaining pain to scoop up the pen, pushing it into his right hand more forcefully. He just needed to get a fucking grip and keep going. He’d had worse. Maybe he could ask for some tape or something, to keep the pen in place?
A thought for another time. Lowering the pen to the paper, he tried to use his left hand to steady his right, and it almost worked. Just as he was reaching the end of the last symbol, the cramps returned. His hand spasmed and slashed the pen across the page. Ruining the minuscule progress he’d made. Even worse, the pen flew out of his hand, clattering onto the floor on the opposite side of the room.
Dream felt numb. He gazed at the pen forlornly. Despite all of his stubbornness, he knew when he was defeated. No matter how much it hurt to accept. Maybe his hands would be better tomorrow. Sure, it’d been quite awhile since he’d had a good day with them. But he was in better conditions now, so they’d have to improve. They’d have to.
Staring at the pen, Dream wondered if they would kill him. If his hands didn’t get better. If he couldn’t bring Ranboo back. Nobody was going to keep him around if he was useless, and his ability to write those revive books was the only reason he wasn’t killed in the first place. If he couldn’t even write one fucking letter-
Michael snuffled, shifting around in Dream’s lap and breaking him out of his thoughts.
Dream lowered his still cramped hands to run them over Michael’s head as best he could. The piglin clearly appreciated the effort, settling down with a contented huff. It helped Dream calm down too.
Yes, if he couldn’t write out a revive book anymore, he was almost certainly going to die for it. But there was every chance his hands would improve and everything would be okay. He could be useful again, given time.
Besides, if he really couldn’t write anymore, if he was truly that useless, well, looking down at Michael’s now whole flesh, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud that the last revival book he used worked out so well. At least he managed that much.
Maybe odd question. But in your convict childcare au, what kind of clothes do Micheal and c!Dream wear? Since c!Sam cares more for hygine with Micheal there he must atleast have two sets of clothes for them that he washes right?
(also if there's anything special you've thought about them wearing, I'd like to know for no reason in particular that isn't fanart related at all.)
(also enderdragon form dream, is he more dragon or does he still have human-ish features like human skin and hair?)
So I’ve actually put some thought into this!
c!Sam does have to give them more than outfit, and he has to wash them regularly. He doesn’t keep c!Dream in the orange uniform either, because it’s a pain to wash.
Instead, to start out with, he gives them both two sets of all white clothing. White t-shirt, white drawstring pants. That’s because white is very easy to bleach for cleaning purposes. Michael’s clothing is a bit too big on him, and Dream’s hangs loose. Michael gets socks, and has a pair of shoes (although he never wears them). Dream gets no socks or shoes.
After about a month, Sam gives Michael better clothing after Dream’s complained about Michael tripping over the pants. Michael gets some green and reddish brown clothing that’s actually his size, mostly t-shirts and pants, but a few shorts. Dream is actually given a few hoodies around this same time to help hide bruises and other injuries from Michael. Dream is also given very thin socks just for hiding injuries.
At about 3 months in, Dream finally convinces Sam to let him have a small sewing kit so he can make toys for Michael. He does that, and he also uses it to make himself an approximation of leather shoes that he keeps hidden until they escape.
For Ender Dragon Dream, I’ll reblog the lil description that I have for him. He still looks like he has a human base, his skin is flecked with scales, but it’s human skin under there. He has hair, and he stays bipedal most of the time.
Well now I'm imagining Ponk showing himself to Dream like "so I've heard you've been wronged by Sam with the excuse being "Warden duties" as well"
c!Ponk called bullshit the moment he heard the “c!Dream kidnapped c!Sam and Michael and forced Sam to kill c!Ranboo” story. Out loud. He got dismissed as ‘just being upset that Sam cut off his arm’, and mostly ignored. c!Foolish took him seriously though, and decided not to help go after Dream for that reason.
Early on in the AU, Ponk caught on to Punz probably being a spy and contacted him to help. He also feeds the Syndicate information, both what he can gather and what Foolish knows. When he can, he helps the Syndicate out indirectly. Sometimes this means sending them warnings, sometimes this means giving the rest of the server false leads to throw them off.
When the Syndicate finally located Sam and Tubbo killed him, Ponk went to the rest of the server and told them that Sam had messaged him asking for help, with directions the opposite way of where Sam actually is. That sends the entire rest of the server off in the wrong direction, giving the Syndicate enough time to find Dream and Michael and make it back to the arctic where they have a strong homefield advantage. He barely gets away with it saying that Sam must’ve messed up the directions, but despite almost getting hurt he doesn’t regret doing it at all.
Later on, post-rescue, he actually makes his way up to the cabin after about a month. He’s able to give Michael a proper check up and offer advice for handling his physical disabilities going forward (like getting him a proper ocular prosthetic and looking into physical therapy). Dream is… Well he’s not comfortable enough with Ponk to do a full check up. But they’re able to discuss at least some of Dream’s physical issues and Ponk is able to offer legitimate medical advice that goes a long way in his recovery. Also just some light emotional support, something Dream offers back when he finds out that Sam cut off Ponk’s arm over old keys.
(Also Ponk makes sure to tell Dream that Michael was in excellent physical health despite everything- no malnutrition, no infections, nothing, and Dream scoffs but secretly he’s happy that he managed to do a good job taking care of Michael)
So has there ever been a time that Michael has bodily stepped in to protect c!Dream from someone that was actively hurting him or who Michael perceived was a threat to him? Be it c!Sam or someone else? I recall a mention of him attacking Sam when he smelled Dream's blood on him, but has there ever been a time where the kid came out of the bathroom too early or didn't go there fast enough, saw Sam in the process of brutalizing his helpless, beloved caretaker, and subsequently chose Violence?
So, the answer is “sort of”.
Michael never left the bathroom early, he was only allowed to leave once c!Dream came to get him. That was part of the reason for all the blankets Dream would give him, just in case he had to spend the night there. c!Sam also had enough restraint to always let Dream put Michael away first. While Sam doesn’t have a lot of common sense, he at least knows that a toddler should not be witnessing violence, and he has enough self control to make sure that there’s no risk of Michael getting caught up in it.
After the incident where he smells Dream’s blood on Sam, Michael hits a turning point in how he behaves. Between his own newfound anger and Dream’s significantly weaker physical state towards the end of their stay at the prison, Michael’s had enough. He’s barely willing to tolerate Sam’s existence. Sometimes he refuses to go to the bathtub when Dream asks, choosing instead to stay in Dream’s arms and growl at Sam if he tries to come close. Sam’s really unhappy about it, but fully aware that if Dream lets go of the toddler, Michael will attack him and it’ll be a mess.
Sam actually had to remove the Thorns enchantment from his armor for safety, because Michael became so likely to lash out. Something that helps Dream later when breaking free.
Really though, the people that get the brunt of it are the Syndicate after Michael and Dream are rescued. Michael has had enough. He wants his fucking caretaker back, and he will start biting people if that’s what it takes. I already wrote about c!Tubbo getting bit when he tried to get Michael away from Dream, but basically everyone starts getting nasty baby piglin bites if they try to move Michael away from Dream, or when Michael decides he doesn’t like how they’re interacting with Dream while he’s unconscious.
After Dream wakes up and tells Michael these are friends, it gets a lot better, but Michael is still very touchy about how other people interact with Dream. Particularly Tubbo and Niki since Dream is most nervous around the two of them. This toddler will chose violence, just try him.
I finally finished speedrunning through all of the Convict childcare au tag (sorry for the barrage of likes and reblogs) and I love it so fucking much, an absolute wild ride. Just a few questions, I know you established that Techno made the Den as a safe place for Dream (ty btw, just peak rivalsduo content righ there) but I'm wondering who he would allow down there, aside from Michael of course, and under what circumstances (good/bad)? And has Dream ever tried the Void escape route? How does it work/affect him?
Okay, first and foremost, I dunno what weirdo started the whole “spam likes/reblogs is a bad/not normal thing” but lemme tell you 1) it’s bullshit nonsense 2) entirely antithetical to how tumblr works. Tumblr has such a through tagging system including options like /chrono SO people can go back through older content easily and like/reblog as much of it as they want. That is the entire point. Going through someone’s blog is totally normal and has been a thing since tumblr started. I only started hearing about “spam” likes/reblogs in like 2021, before that I never saw anyone mention it because that was just. How you interacted on tumblr.
Anyways, putting that minor rant aside!! Convict childcare au!!
c!Ranboo is openly welcome in the Den, and he’s the only one with standing permission to enter the Den whenever he feels like it. Sometimes he likes to go down there for quiet time.
c!Techno is usually welcome, but he’s sure to always ask permission. It’s more to remind c!Dream that he has control over this space & his consent matters than anything else, but he sticks with it regardless. c!Phil, c!Niki and c!Tubbo are all also allowed down with permission, although it’s rare that they visit. Of them, Tubbo goes down the most often, usually to check on Michael.
In the case of an emergency, any of them would be welcome to hide down in the Den, but few of them would. Unless they were bringing Michael down. While it’s an amazing safe spot for Dream, for anyone else it’s a trap because they can’t take the void route.
Speaking of the void route, Dream has tested it out! Being an Ender Dragon hybrid, he can safely fly through the void (and anyone he’s holding onto is protected as well). He’s used this to create a network of tunnels into the void all around the server, including at the main hub. These routes do have to be pretty deep underground, but since they’re exclusive to Dream, they’re very handy to have around.
Short trips into the void don’t effect Dream much, beyond leaving him feeling a lil cold. If he spends too long in there he can come out a bit feral, but he usually leaves before then.
Also only a bit related but Dream likes to lie to Techno and tell him if you fly down through the void you can reach the roof of the nether. Techno doesn’t want to believe him, but he can’t prove Dream wrong.
do you think, even though dream recognizes that maybe the toddler shouldn't be biting people, on the some level he's a little happy because it means a) hes healed enough that his teeth dont hurt, and b) this small child is trying to protect him back, and even if he'd rather michael didnt get put into situations where he felt that was necessary, its still touching that he does it without hesitation?
I think, more than anything, he feels terror. At least, at first. He doesn’t want this small child to protect him, he wants the small child to be safe. Dream still remembers when c!Sam thrust a barely-healed Michael into his arms, after Michael went feral in Dream’s defense. He remembers feeling the Thorns enchantment lingering in the air. He remembers staying up that night, fighting back tears as he waited for Michael to wake up properly.
Even if he figures out quickly that c!Tubbo loves Michael and wouldn’t hurt him no matter what, it still scares him when Michael bites. Same for c!Phil. c!Niki never gets bit by Michael but that’s because she maintained a 5 ft distance from the Child. She’s not fucking with that.
However, when c!Techno gets bit by Michael, Dream just thinks it’s funny. This is both because he trusts Techno a lot more and doesn’t see him as a threat, and because Techno is also a piglin. Dream knows damn well that Techno isn’t hurting A Baby. Even if Techno didn’t like Michael, and even though Techno only is a hybrid, his instincts would never allow him to hurt Michael, even if he’s getting used as a chewtoy. Techno won’t even jerk away from baby bites because he’s worried about hurting Michael’s mouth if he pulls away too quickly.
I imagine Michael seeing random stuff and being like "I choose violence" but like, in the cute way kids do (if you're around kids a lot, you know what I mean), but then he starts doing so with everything that resembles his time under c!Sam's little dictatorship
- E
Michael actually isn’t a violent kid overall. He’s pretty delicate about how he interacts with people when he isn’t upset.
This is because despite c!Dream’s best attempts to hide it, Michael was hyperaware of how often his caretaker was in pain. Learning to be careful helped prevent him from hurting his caretaker. He also had to be careful with Chicken/his books because Dream had limited materials/ability to repair stuff.
When he does bite or hit, it’s a specific behavior in an attempt to either protect Dream or prevent people from taking him away from Dream. He learned to do it because when c!Sam took him away the first time, biting and hitting was what got Sam to bring him back to Dream. After that, he learned that lashing out at Sam was a semi-effective deterrent to keep Dream safe (because Sam isn’t willing to hurt Michael), so that behavior remained after everything.
When it comes to things he just doesn’t like, things that remind him of Sam or the cell, Michael usually gives a good warning growl first, and only lashes out if he thinks Dream is being threatened.
Also!! He will not bite Dream. No matter how fussy he gets, he will not ever purposefully hurt his favorite caretaker. If it happens by accident, he WILL cry and be extremely apologetic and ashamed of himself. He’ll put himself in the shame corner until Dream manages to convince him that it’s okay and not a big deal.
Why does Dream hate the enchanted handcuffs so much? Worse than getting ribs broken? (Convict childcare au). Is there an enchantment that makes him feel sick or something? It was a line that stood out to me!
Several reasons! First the enchanted cuffs are designed to make him weak and helpless, which is a terrible feeling for him. Second, c!Sam would often use the cuffs before c!Quackity came to visit to stop c!Dream from fighting back, so he associates the two quite heavily. Third, the cuffs are designed to negate any magic and aren’t designed for use on hybrids. Dream has his mask on at all times, which is a magical item that hides his hybrid status.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Ender Dragons are largely immune to magical effects. This carries over to their hybrids, and means that in his hybrid form, the cuffs wouldn’t work at all. This leads to a cycle where the cuffs cancel out the mask, but then Dream’s hybrid form cancels out the cuffs, which reenables the mask, which cancels out the hybrid form. This is a cycle that leaves Dream feeling unsteady and sick, like his body can’t decide what it’s suppose to be. He hates the feeling, and so he considers the enchanted cuffs one of the worst things that Sam will do to him at the second cell.
I love the convict childcare au sm and I was wondering if at some point in the future, if tubbo and dream were able to hang out without being stressed, would they ever have a bitch session abt Sam?
c!Tubbo and c!Dream probably don’t, since Tubbo had pretty minimal experiences with c!Sam outside of his child being stolen/husband being murdered.
I think… I think c!Ponk might try it? Like maybe on his third or fourth visit he tries to get Dream to complain about Sam with him by talking about the time they were together romantically and some of the red flags he saw. How Sam was controlling and unreasonably touchy about things.
It backfires. Dream’s not in any state to be reminded of what Sam did, and even just hearing Ponk talk about Sam’s control issues bring up memories he doesn’t want to deal with. He disassociates and it takes a hot minute before Ponk realizes Dream isn’t there. Afterwards, when Dream has come back to himself (probably with the help of c!Techno), he gives a very clipped response about how he’d rather not talk about Sam at all, and that’s it.
I think if Dream was going to talk to anyone about what he went through, it’d probably be Techno or Punz. Techno already knows a fair bit of the situation, so Dream feels comfortable venting to him. Punz has been unwaveringly faithful to him since the start, and while there’s a part of Dream that wants Punz to see him as unshakable, I think he trusts Punz enough to let go in front of him at least once.
ive just spent the past few hours reading every post in your convict childcare au and i am in Love
and its good rivals food so
how does taking off the mask work ? is it just poof , magic cloud , bang hybrid form or something a bit longer and actually visible :0
So, it actually works in stages! If c!Dream shifts his mask away from his face, but still within an inch, then his body morphs to give him his teeth, talons, and scales, as well as his immunity to magic. It also shifts his chest/back so that it can accommodate his wings. If he pulls the mask off fully, then his wings and horns appear, his legs change shape, and he gets taller (his wings and horns do kinda poof into existence, Dream hides them by turning them invisible and intangible. Cats can still kinda sense something is there, and as a result c!Antfrost would sometimes find himself dodging and invisible force around Dream but not understanding why). The whole process only takes about a second, and it doesn’t hurt but it does feel very weird. You could also see the flesh moving around during the first part if you watched closely.
Also per rivals food, I’ve mentioned that c!Techno has figured out Dream is an Ender Dragon well before anyone else due to their shared time in the prison. He does his best to help keep Dream’s secret, while also helping him out. When Dream is sick Techno spends a lot of time bringing him fresh hot water bottles to keep him toasty even in the arctic cold. He keeps the room colorful but dim because he knows Dream is sensitive to bright lights but wants him to know he’s out of the cell. I think the biggest thing he does though is just spending time near Dream, existing in the same space. Because Techno makes Dream feel safe, and I think he knows that.
Torn between c!Techno and c!Tubbo being the one to find out that c!Dream is hurting himself trying to write the revive book for c!Ranboo before his hands are even remotely capable of it.
Both of them want Ranboo back, but Techno is completely aware of the damage that Dream’s hands have suffered, while Tubbo has little to no idea.
Techno, he’d catch on right away. I think Dream might tell him. Might let on how wrecked his hands have become. Dream might be just comfortable enough to let him know that he’s not sure if he can do it. He’s not sure if his hands will ever recover enough to write like he needs them to.
Techno would be… Frustrated with himself. That he didn’t act sooner. That he didn’t rescue Dream before any of this could happen. Not outwardly though, he internalizes all of that. To Dream, he’s calm and casual about it. They’ll find a solution. Even if they have to spend awhile with Dream dictating symbols until Techno can replicate them, they’ll figure it out. It’s not Dream’s fault other people kept targeting his hands.
He’d bring Dream an extra heat pad for his hands and tells him to just focus on healing up. Ranboo’s been dead this long. Waiting a bit longer won’t kill him. Michael would’ve had to have been asleep for this, but he wakes up to find his caretaker relaxing and decides that maybe this other piglin isn’t so bad.
As for Tubbo, he wouldn’t catch on as quickly. Not to the issue. He’d notice Dream is trying to write a revive book and he’d be excited, only to realize he hasn’t gotten very far. At this point, I think the mask incident would’ve already taken place, so Tubbo is aware that Sam hurt Dream, but he has no idea the extent of it. He’s been sheltered from the damage that Phil, Techno and even Ponk have seen. Hell, even Niki saw more than he did. Since he was caught up in taking care of Michael during all of this.
So Tubbo is excited and then notices Dream has only written a few symbols. And that he’s dropped his pen. Assuming he startled him, Tubbo picks up the pen and holds it out. But Dream can’t take it. There’s an awkward moment before Dream lashes out. Dismissing the pen and saying he dropped it on purpose.
Before the Mask incident, Tubbo might’ve taken the bait. But he’s slowly starting to see Dream in a new light. He’s started catching onto the fact that Dream’s heavy bought of illness wasn’t just because he was out in the cold before they found him. He’s taken notice of how thin Dream’s wrists are, the only part of him that can be seen under Techno’s sweaters. And he’s particularly started paying attention to how Dream’s shoulders hunch when he’s scared. When he’s pretending he isn’t scared.
So Tubbo takes a moment longer to observe Dream, and he notices that Dream’s hands are curled up. That they’re shaking and pulled close to him. In pain. And he looks at the page, with it’s shaky symbols and ink bleeding out, and it finally clicks in his head.
He asks about it directly. What happened to Dream’s hands. Dream tries to deny it, say there’s nothing wrong.
But Michael chooses that moment to wake up, sensing the stress in the air. He’s only sleepy for a moment or two before he realizes his caretaker is upset. At first, the baby piglin assumes Tubbo is at fault, but then his little eye catches on Dream’s hands. On the book and the pen.
Michael has been here before. He knows his caretaker’s hands hurt sometimes. And he knows what to do! He snorts in understanding, snags the book and puts it on the nightstand, and runs down into the kitchen to get a hot water bottle from Niki. When he comes back with it, Tubbo and Dream are both still locked in a standoff. One that’s ended when the toddler returns and happily brings the hot water bottle to Dream. Placing it right into his hands and trying his best to help massage them.
Tubbo politely puts the pen down and doesn’t bring the topic up again. Although his eyes linger on Dream’s hands. How they shake. How he doesn’t seem to be able to uncurl them. And it makes him wonder how much damage he isn’t seeing.
As much as Tubbo wants Ranboo back, it’s quickly apparent to him that it’s not happening soon. Not until Dream has had a chance to heal. Tubbo won’t rush him. Everyone needs time to recover after all of this
Chapter 8: Convict Childcare AU - 8
Chapter Text
Im just imagining little michael coming back into the room with his toddler steps happily with a hot water bottle because he helping and helping makes him happy while dream and tubbo just stare at each other
And then the baby just pushing his hands into dreams hands doing his best
I want to give him a hug
Michael does that run little kids do where they’re basically only kept upright by their momentum. He’s zooming!!
Back in the cell they had rags they would use for warm water to serve a similar purpose and Michael was always happy to go grab one for c!Dream. It was one of the few things he could do to help out, so it’s something that makes him happy.
Back in the cell, Dream would also sometimes shift into his hybrid form when his hands got really bad, since the additional muscles/nerves/bones of his hybrid form are largely undamaged and it could provide a minor amount of relief from the pain. That’s not an option around the Syndicate since Dream is still in hiding, but Michael still wonders about it. He might even ask if Dream wants to take his mask off, something that Dream quickly refuses.
That does still give something away to c!Tubbo though, that Dream HAS removed his mask around Michael before. Something that neither he nor anyone else has ever known Dream to do. As far as he was aware, the mask was impossible to remove. So him finding out that Dream can and will remove it is actually kinda groundbreaking for him.
I feel like michael getss sad and desperate when theres nothing he can do to help
Like in the cell he always tried to do things to help dream and now that theyre out he feels bad whenever theres nothing he can do to help
Maybe the others realize and start giving him little tasks to make him feel like hes helping
Oh, Michael struggled a lot with feeling helpless in the cell. He tried to help out where he could, but there often wasn’t a lot he could do for c!Dream.
Early on, he sometimes pretended he wasn’t hungry. To try to get Dream to eat more, because even as a baby he was aware that his caretaker needed food too. That didn’t work out though, because Dream never took the food Michael didn’t eat. He’d either save it in the hoard or just leave it for Michael to eat later.
When Dream figured out what Michael was doing, he half lied half told the truth. He explained that a lot of the food made him sick (which it often did, most of it was too rich for him after the all potato diet for like a year), and that he didn’t need as much of it as Michael did (Dream was adjusted to starvation conditions at this point). Michael eventually accepted this, but when food that was safe for Dream would come along, he’d make a point of trying to get Dream to eat all of it and take something from the food stash for himself instead (something Dream begrudgingly allowed since Michael wouldn’t eat otherwise).
Michael would also try to do little things for Dream when he could, like always picking up his toys and making the bed in the morning because Dream couldn’t always grip the blanket. When Dream was injured, Michael would bring him hot water rags to help soothe the pain, and sometimes Michael would invent his own stories to tell to try to help Dream feel better.
Once they’re out, Michael pivots to mostly being physically protective of Dream. He does still help get hot water bottles and keep the room tidy, but a lot of what he does early on is biting people when he feels they’re a threat.
One of the actually helpful things he does is he remembers the foods Dream could eat!! When Phil goes to feed a semi-conscious Dream for the first time, Michael throws a fit because the soup c!Phil made has a potato base and Michael!! Remember!! No Potatoes!! While communication is still heavily limited at that point, Phil does catch on and makes a mushroom soup instead that is approved of by the baby. This is actually super important early on when Dream can’t really communicate any of his food issues or what he had access to in the cell. Michael is able to limit foods he remembers Dream reacting poorly to or refusing to eat, and pivot the Syndicate towards safe options.
There’s was also one time in the cell, after Dream had had a particularly nasty time with c!Sam the day, that Dream napped through Sam’s usually nightly visit. Michael was awake still, and at this point knew that Sam had something to do with his caretaker’s poor state.
Sam entered not expecting to see Michael (since he was usually hidden away in the bathtub). He was in a poor mood and planned to take it out on Dream again, only to find Dream passed out on the bed and Michael firmly placed between Dream and the door. When Sam took a step toward, Michael growled and gnashed his teeth in a various obvious threat.
Sam left right after that. Unnerved by the display and already finding ways to rationalize how this was actually Dream’s fault. Dream woke up and found their nightly meal dropped off without incident, much to his surprise. It was a nice evening for the two of them, and one of the nights Michael felt proudest of himself.
So like, technically, Michal is an ankle biter mskqlql
- E
He will bit ankles, but he’s got a strong preference for hands/wrists. He’ll also absolutely gores people with his little tusks, which honestly do more damage than his teeth.
Actually, on the incident where he attacked c!Sam for having c!Dream’s blood on him, he managed to scramble up Sam’s legs and onto his back. Michael did a fair bit of damage to Sam’s back before the thorns damage got too much and he couldn’t hold on. It was mostly his tusks, but those little teeth did some damage too!!
Once he’s been rescued, Michael mostly uses his teeth when feeling protective specifically because they do a bit less damage. He’s not really trying to seriously injury people, he’s just telling them to back off the only way he knows they’ll listen.
thank you for sharing the convict caretaker au with us! it's really nice to see c!dream portrayed as Just Some Guy who Did Shit and got Shit Done To Him instead ov the usual morally black and white "c!dream is the most evil bad guy ever who only ever does Evil and Bad things!" and gods do i love michael getting some actual characterization. i really like how you wrote and explained everything, you got me rooting for dream as a tommy kinnie/apologist! /g /pos
actually, how is c!tommy reacting to all of this going down? did tubbo manage to convince him to see dream? is he just with the rest of the server? is he with ghostbur, or did wilbur get revived? please dont feel preassured to answer anything, if you never address either of the characters ill do fine with my own ideas :D
<3<3<3
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
So for the timeline of this AU, most things that went down in canon went down. It diverges at the point where c!Sam kidnapped c!Ranboo right before the prison break.
So, Wilbur did revived previously, and he’s kinda hanging around c!Tommy?
The matter of c!Tommy is pretty complex.
When Sam killed Ranboo and then Michael and c!Dream disappeared with him (including no longer replying to anyone’s messages), there were two primary theories on the server. The first, by people who believed Sam to be a good person still, believed that Dream kidnapped Sam and Michael, and forced Sam to kill Ranboo. The second group believed that Sam killed Ranboo of his own accord, and then kidnapped Michael and Dream.
Most of the server outside the Syndicate is in (or starts out in) the first group. Notable exceptions include c!Quackity (who believes that Sam did this, but is pretending to believe that Dream kidnapped Sam to further his own agenda), c!Ponk (who is iffy on the entire thing and looks for more information), c!Punz (very aware Dream wouldn’t do that), c!Wilbur, who still has some of that hero worship for Dream and decides to believe c!Phil, and then…
Okay, so c!Bad and c!Antfrost are a bit more complicated. Neither of them start out believing that Sam would kidnap a toddler or kill Ranboo. But the alternative explanation (Dream forcing Sam to kill Ranboo and somehow kidnapping Sam and Michael) doesn’t add up for them because both of them were aware of Dream’s poor physical condition. Like, morality aside, they do not believe Dream to have been physically capable of those things. As a result, the two of them stay out of the hunt for Dream.
Bringing it back around, Tommy is firmly in the camp of “Dream did it, he’s at fault”. It’s what causes the split between him and c!Tubbo, because Tubbo is choosing to believe and side with the Syndicate. Wilbur stays quieter about his views, and does stay by Tommy’s side, although he actually believes the Syndicate.
Now, let’s be clear that Tommy has every reason to feel the way he does and to be irrational about the situation. He has every reason to feel scared. Tommy sees Tubbo siding with the Syndicate, who openly believe that Sam is the one in the wrong here, as a betrayal. As having turned on him. His behavior is totally understandable, but it’s not something that Tubbo can cope with.
Tubbo just lost his husband. His son has been kidnapped. Everything in his life is falling apart. If there was ever a time that he needed his best friend, it was then, and Tommy wasn’t there for him. Tommy refused to consider the possibility that Dream might not be the bad guy, despite all the evidence against Sam, and because of that refusal, he and Tubbo end up fundamentally split. After that moment, I think Tubbo gives up.
It hurts like hell, but particularly after they get Michael back, after Tubbo realizes that Dream is a part of Michael’s life and that won’t be changing any time soon, Tubbo realizes that he has to pick between Tommy and Michael. And he picks Michael.
For Tommy, I think the realization of this split is on the battlefield. Sometime after Dream has been rescued, there’s an attempt by the rest of the server to catch him again, and the Syndicate stands in their way. Tommy gets close to Dream with the full intent to kill, and Tubbo blocks him.
There’s a moment when they lock eyes, and Tommy sees Tubbo and knows that Tubbo sees him. And Tubbo raises his sword into a defensive position. And Tommy understands Tubbo’s choice, even if he hates him for it.
I don’t think that there’s ever a time that Tubbo would encourage Tommy to try to see Dream. I think the relationship there is so toxic that it’s going to be terrible for both of them and not give anyone any closure. They are better off living entirely separate lives.
Even after news about the prison’s conditions come out, Tommy still remains rooted in denial for quite awhile. But by that point, there’s little support around the server for hunting Dream down. Quackity would’ve been the main person organizing the hunt, and after his actions are revealed, he goes quiet. At that point he’s also on his last life, and that weighs on him too.
There’s a point where Tommy just has to move on, whether he likes it or not. He finds other things to do with his life. There’s not much else he can do.
After his first failure at writing the revive book he desperately needed, Dream gave up for the day. He let his hands rest for a bit.
The next day, after having Philza inspecting him for most the morning, Dream found himself left alone in the afternoon to rest. Michael had settled down for his usual nap against Dream’s side, and Dream was hopeful this time around. His hands felt better, so today he’d be able to make progress for sure.
Or at least, that was what he thought until he managed to get the book in his lap, opened to a fresh page.
Picking up the pen had been okay, but the moment he tried to grip it and move his hand at the same time, the pain and cramps kicked up to full. Gritting his teeth, Dream tried to power through and managed to get halfway through the first symbol before a spasm forced him to drop the pen.
Somehow, the pain was worse than the day before. And it was rapidly escalating.
Distantly, he realized he must’ve made a noise. Not good. The door to the room was opening and they were going to see him, they were going to know he was useless-
“Dream? What happened?”
It’s Techno, voice worried but kept low enough to not wake Michael. Dream was torn between embarrassment and relief. He tried to open his mouth, to dismiss the concern, but another bout of pain took over. Behind his mask his eyes were squeezed shut, so it came as a shock when he heard a noise next to the bed and realized Techno crossed the room.
“Your hands actin’ up?”
Thank god for yes or no. Dream nodded quickly.
“Can I see ‘em? Phil left weakness over-”
“No!”
It came out as a sharp hiss, and Dream heard Techno startle. For just a moment, he’s back in the cell and there’s an icy grip on his chest that says he’s about to be hit. Dream burned that ice away by stoking the fires of anger running through his veins. The pain wasn’t exactly fading, but he’s getting more used to it. His right hand still wouldn’t open from it’s clenched position, but he managed to force out words.
“No weakness, it’ll- I need to write.”
As nice as having his hands numb would be, weakness would kill whatever mobility he had left until it wore off. Pain was something he could work through, but he had little defense against magic that didn’t involve removing his mask.
Taking several deep breaths, Dream finally managed to look up at Technoblade. The piglin hybrid looked- Something between confused and concerned. It was hard to pinpoint.
“Listen, I get you’re working on your novels and all, but I feel like you can probably get your publication date pushed back given the circumstances.” Techno must’ve sensed Dream’s glower because he kept going. “Or I could write it down for you? If it’s that important?”
For a moment, Dream considered lying and agreeing. Dictating some bullshit story to Techno and moving on. But-
Techno had been around him while he was writing it before. He hadn’t done anything then. Even when Dream had to restart twice due to his hands giving him problems.
Techno was safe.
“Unless you’ve learned to write formal Ender since last we spoke, that won’t work.” He was trying for a teasing tone, but the pain made it come out angrier then he would’ve liked. Oh well.
“The hell are you writing in-” Cutting himself off, Techno realized what Dream was trying to do. It was fascinating to watch his face shift through so many emotions before he finally looked down at the pen on the bed sheets. Considering.
Dream expected Techno to understand, expected him to nod and leave Dream to it. Maybe help him prop up the book or something.
“Dream, listen, I want Ranboo back as much as the next person. Trust me, I do. But I’m pretty sure your hands aren’t in any state for that. I don’t- Did Phil tell you? What he had to do to them?”
Probably, but Dream didn’t remember. He’d been zoned out for most of that conversation. Shaking his head, he examined his hands to try to find any differences. Now that he was looking, they did seem off from the last time he saw them? Maybe? His memories of the cell got hazy quickly. Most of what he could remember was either related to his survival or Michael.
Besides, he’d made a point to stop looking at his own body somewhere in the middle of Quackity’s time with him.
“Phil had to break like half your fingers. Whatever happened to 'em before- They didn’t set right, and that was the only way to fix 'em. They should- There’s a good chance that they’ll improve, but it’s going to take time. You need to give it time.”
“But Ranboo-”
“Ranboo can wait.”
“It’ll take too long! He’s been dead for- what was it? Six months? I can push through it.”
Techno flinched at the mention of how long Ranboo had been dead. But he held his ground.
“He’s waited that long, he can wait a bit longer. Dream you- Listen, I get you aren’t one to sit around. You wanna get stuff done. But sometimes you’ve gotta take a break, you know?”
Silence fell in the room. Objectively, Dream knew Technoblade was probably right. Rest was the best chance his hands had at healing.
“What if they don’t get better?” His voice was hoarse, hardly more than a whisper. Fuck. he hadn’t meant for that to slip out. Now it was out there though, and he had to live with the results.
Techno sighed.
“Then we’ll figure something out. There’s aids and stuff, to help with stabilization and mobility. So you can still move around and be safe. As for Ranboo, if you can’t write without pain, then we’ll figure out an alternative.” Pausing, Techno considered that thoughtfully. “Actually, I may not be able to write in Ender, but Ranboo had a few books written in it. Maybe you could like, help me find the write symbols and I could copy them? Would be a process but we could grind through it if that’s the only option.”
That- That might actually work? Dream wasn’t the biggest fan of it, there was a part of him that said he should keep the book a secret. Hold it close, because it was the only thing that kept him alive. But if he couldn’t write the book out then it was a moot point. It was a fail safe. Something that eased the anxiety wrapped around his neck.
“Maybe.” Was all he said, but Techno grinned anyways. Knowing he’d won this round.
“Can I put some weakness on your hands now? Doesn’t have to be a lot, just enough to relax the muscles.”
Reluctantly, Dream held out his hands in agreement. The relief was instant when Techno poured a few drops onto his skin. It felt so good he almost missed when Techno spoke.
“Alright, wait just a sec, I’ll go get you something warm. Phil said that’s supposed to help with pain relief.”
“Wasn’t planning on going anywhere.” His sarcasm was undercut by the exhausted relief coloring his voice. Prime, had he really been this tired? Five minutes ago he could’ve swore he was wide awake, but with the pain dulling, he just wanted to join Michael in his nap.
True to his word, Techno only left for a minute, returning with a hot water bottle that felt like heaven given physical form. Dream pushed his hands into it and let himself breath.
To his side, he could hear Techno shuffling around to sit down. Dream open his mouth to comment, only to be cut off when Michael stirred. Little snuffles came from Dream’s side as the boy roused just enough to take in that there was someone else in the room. One little eye narrowed as it took in Techno, then glanced up towards Dream. There was a little sniffling noise that Dream had never quite understood the meaning of, and then a judgemental quiet.
After taking several long seconds, Michael apparently deemed the situation acceptable. The toddler wiggled until he was more firmly pressed against Dream’s side, with a sleepy grumble, settled back down to continue his nap.
Dream didn’t realize he was grinning until he heard Techno’s soft snort of amusement. Normally, Dream would’ve glared at the other man for that, but he was tired and didn’t feel like it. He could glare at him extra to make up for it later.
Right now, Techno was on watch. His hands were feeling better. Michael was here and safe. A nap sounded perfect to him. He could worry about the book later.
What would happen if, for any reason, convictcare dream, eltrich dream, and improv dream all met? Would it be the spidey meme before bursting into comparisons? Helping improv yeet the dreamon?
Improv Dream runs. 100% of the time. Tells them to stay away. They do.
So something I mentioned ages ago about the Improv Dreamon AU is that the specific virus/Dreamon that c!Dream is infected with requires an admin as it’s primary host. That’s why even when c!Dream is frustrating it to hell and back, it can’t switch to a new primary host with stable emotional connections. The only other “admin” on the server is DreamXD, and he’s an abomination of nature that the Dreamon does not understand and does not have the ability to infect.
Now, I feel like Eldritch Dream might be immune, but Convict Childcare AU Dream is incredibly vulnerable to the Dreamon. Improve Dream wouldn’t want to take any take any chances, so he’s leaving ASAP.
That would leave Eldritch Dream and Convict Childcare Dream together, and they’re confused by each other, but figure out that they’re from different universes.
Eldritch Dream gets some decent advice for understanding people from Childcare Dream. Meanwhile, I think Eldritch Dream would provide comfort to Childcare Dream that people can change and things can improve.
in the childcare convict au, does ranboo ever go into his enderwalk state after being revived? and if so, what's his reaction to dream taking care of michael? i assume he's not too surprised, because he is almost definitely allies with dream. along those lines, did enderboo ever tell dream about michael? dream definitely never saw him, but did he know tubbo and ranboo had a son, or did ranboo just never bring it up?
c!Ranboo does sometimes enter Enderwalk after being revived, although it’s pretty rare. Enderboo never told c!Dream about Michael, because Michael hadn’t been adopted until the prison arc (if I’m remembering correctly). As established previously, Dream had no idea Ranboo or c!Tubbo had a kid, and no idea that Michael was said kid. He was left totally in the dark as to why c!Sam just had Some Random Toddler.
Enderboo is significantly calmer with Dream around, and Dream can actually translate between him and the rest of the Syndicate, which is extremely helpful. Enderboo is also delighted to find out that Dream and Michael get along, and actually probably looks to Dream for advice when he’s unsure about interacting with Michael. Dream doesn’t think that he should (and tbh he’s also kinda freaked out because he didn’t know Enderboo and Ranboo were even kinda separate), but he still enjoys Enderboo’s company.
Michael loves when Enderboo comes around, since he spoils him a little more and is more comfortable with Dream so they get to all spend time together.
Convict Childcare AU: What are Dream and Michael's favorite (and maybe least favorite) things about each other? Big or small, doesn't matter.
Oooo, hm. Michael’s favorite big thing is that c!Dream listens to him. Even before Michael had a firm grasp on sign language, Dream was good about paying attention and trying to understand what the baby wanted. It means a lot to him when Dream puts in the effort to communicate with him. His favorite little thing is when Dream is in his hybrid form. He loves Dream’s wings and how warm Dream feels when he’s shifted.
For least favorite things, I think the big one is that in the cell, he can tell Dream lies to him sometimes. Dream likes to say he’s fine, or that c!Sam really isn’t that bad, but Michael knows better. He doesn’t like being lied to, but he accepts it all the same. Even though he’s young he can still tell when sometimes things just have to be that way.
Dream’s favorite thing about Michael is probably just how much the kid adores him. Even though it’s scary, it also warms his heart in a way he’s been missing for quite awhile. On a physical level he likes that Michael runs warm. It pleases Dragon Brain that the baby is Warm.
For his least favorite thing, either that Michael can usually tell when he’s lying or that Michael doesn’t like/attacks Sam. While Dream doesn’t like Sam either, he’s terrified of the fact that if Sam kills him or decides to take Michael away (something that happens), Michael hates Sam too much to let him be a caretaker for him. Dream is rightfully afraid that Michael will either get himself hurt as a result, or that Sam will decide Michael is a problem and abandon/kill him. It’s not an unfounded fear either.
Convict Childcare AU: Does Tubbo only ever put up with Dream for the sake of Michael and Ranboo, or do they eventually become friends again at some point?
God, c!Tubbo and c!Dream have a particularly complicated relationship.
To start with, even soon after the rescue, Tubbo isn’t just putting up with Dream for Michael’s sake. He both feels indebted to Dream for protecting & caring for Michael, and also is fully aware that Dream has been under bad conditions of some kind. While Tubbo does feel resentment towards Dream regarding his own broken relationship with Michael, it’s an unfair resentment. And Tubbo knows that it’s unfair. But it’s still something that he struggles with.
As time goes on, Tubbo works on getting over that resentment. He learns about the prison/kidnapping conditions and realizes how much Dream went through. During this time, Dream is also actively attempting to get Michael to bond with Tubbo again. Because if Michael is attached to Dream, then he’ll be targeted, if he’s attached to Techno and Tubbo, he’ll be safe. Dream knows his care is a death sentence for innocence.
This gives the two of them a chance to bond and form a proper friendship of sorts. The two of them are more similar than either would care to admit, so it works out well for them to vibe. When they set their minds to it, they’re an extremely destructive force.
Tubbo blows up Las Nevadas at some point, but honestly nobody’s sure if that’s because he found out about c!Quackity’s involvement in the torture or because he just felt like it. It might’ve been both. Purpled absolutely helped him.
I'm brainrotting about the convict childcare au and I need to know: does Michael swipe people's clothes? Like, he was all over that scarf Dream scented when Tech and Tubbo went to pick him up (def in part because he missed dream a lot) but I'm just sobbing over the idea of Michael curled up in one of Dreams sweatshirts or techno's cape @ the Syndicate bc they smell safe and warm... also when Dream is on bedrest, does he stuff his chicken into bed with him in hopes chicken comforts dream?
Michael absolutely likes taking certain people’s clothing for Comfort if he can’t have the person themselves. The scarf is a returning favorite, with c!Dream often holding onto it while Michael’s with him, and then when Michael needs to go out he gets the scarf to feel safer.
Sometimes, particularly early on in the rescue when Dream isn’t really coherent, Michael will steal Dream’s hoodies and hide in them to feel safe + to conceal himself so he can watch for danger. Chicken is kept safely hidden with Michael, unless he has to leave. In which case he’ll perch Chicken somewhere on the bed to keep an eye on Dream while he’s gone.
Later, as Michael adjusts to other people, c!Techno’s cloak becomes a favorite target for theft. He really likes to steal it and bring it to Dream, both for his own comfort, but also Michael can recognize that Techno makes Dream feel safer, so he wants to share it! Dream gets a bit nervous about the theft, but since he knows Techno won’t hurt Michael, he never discourages it. Plus, Michael isn’t wrong. Having Techno’s cape around does make him feel safer.
okay i babysit for my cousin and one of the most adorable things little kids do imo is when they just barrel into people and objects because they're not too sure about physics yet and they just gotta *zoooooom* I imagine Michael would be careful not to do this to dream for obvious reasons, but i love the image of him barreling straight into techno and him just responding with the most deadpan "ow" asmfhaskjfhs its just a cute thought
So!!!
Michael starts out relatively calm in the cell, mostly on account of him recovering from severe illness. Post-revive book useage he’s getting better, but it’s slow. c!Dream has to be very gentle with him, and there’s minimal zooms.
As he recovers, he gets better at movement, but he’s still careful both for Dream’s sake, and because there’s not a ton of space to move around in.
Later on, post-escape and post-rescue, Michael’s unfamiliar with open spaces. He doesn’t truth them. It’s not a big deal for awhile, since he’s mostly inside with Dream, curling up with him protectively (and really, that’s when everyone finds out just how fast the child can be). As Dream recovers and encourages him to explore, Michael discovers there’s a big world out there, and it makes him nervous.
It doesn’t help that Dream is also very nervous about wide open spaces. Michael picks up on that anxiety quickly, and it translates to his own anxiety.
Despite this, Michael does usually feel safe in the house and likes to roam around it to make sure that things are as they should be. He’s usually one of the cautious children, sneaking around to keep his eye on things.
On the rare occasion he does zoom, c!Techno would 100% snag him before he could run into his legs. The Baby Is Delicate. It’s that one meme of “If I run and leap at x they will surely catch me in their arms” but Michael isn’t even doing it on purpose. Although, Dream does think it’s funny that Techno will drop whatever he was holding to grab Michael to keep him safe. Dream may or may not encourage this behavior.
does convict childcare! dream succeed in getting Michael less attached to him?
Oh, absolutely not. If anything, his attempts backfire 100% of time.
He left Michael at the piglin bastion thinking that would be it (although to be fair, he wasn’t aware about Michael’s parents at that point), but even if c!Tubbo hadn’t gone to get Michael, Michael was still 100% going to find his way back to c!Dream.
I’ve mentioned this previously, but when Michael stayed at the bastion, he was under the impression that this was temporary. That Dream was coming to get him any day now. This was just staying in the bathtub, but for a bit longer. c!Tubbo and c!Techno got there just in time to convince Michael that they were sent by Dream to get him. If they’d been any later, Michael was 100% going to go get Snowball (the strider) and make a break for it to find Dream himself.
Tbh he probably would’ve succeeded too. Snowball knows where Dream left the nether, and Michael already knows a lot about moving quickly and safely through both the nether and the overworld. Dream taught him that much.
Later on in the AU, he tries to get Michael to trust other people in hopes he’ll bond with them instead. This also only serves to solidify Michael’s bond with Dream. After all, Michael’s first bond outside of Dream is c!Techno, and Techno is only trusted because Techno makes Dream feel safe. Michael’s bond with Dream determines how willing he is to open up to other people, and it’s only when Dream starts getting along with those people that Michael will do the same. This means that Michael is never pulled away from Dream, because Dream remains his starting point.
At some point, Dream just has to resign himself to it. Michael at the very least has learned how to fake it, or go with other people for a time, and that’s all Dream can ask for after everything.
Ok, first time doing this so I'm kinda nervous but I really have to know. Is there a certain event/action that causes Michael to start trusting and or opening up to the others or is it more of a gradual thing??
Michael’s trust comes in phases for different people, even for c!Dream.
For Dream himself,
- The first moment of trust was the first time he taught sign to Michael. Michael has more faith in an adult whose willing to give him a method of communication.
- The tipping point was the revival book, when XD healed Michael as best he could. Michael might not remember exactly what happened, but he remembers that Dream made the pain go away.
- Things fall into place after that. Dream keeps up with the sign, keeps Michael safe, and Michael recognizes that.
For c!Techno,
- The first moment of trust comes from when Techno offers up the scarf. Techno proved that he had safe contact with Dream, and Michael is will to give him a chance (although Techno still gets bit later on).
- The second big moment is after Dream wakes up properly and sees Tech, he relaxes. Michael catches on to that very quickly, and along with Dream’s reassurances, he’s willing to believe that Techno is a safe person (the others take longer. Dream doesn’t relax around them).
- Michael watches Techno over time, and the more he sees, the more he relaxes. Between Techno being a piglin, and Techno being trusted by Dream, it’s easy for Techno to be the first person he gets comfortable around.
- The landmark moment for them is when Michael lets Techno try reading the Book again, after having previously refused to allow anyone but Dream to do it.
For c!Tubbo,
- They start off going straight downhill. c!Tubbo has no idea about Michael’s relationship to c!Dream, and his initial attempts to remove Michael go over very poorly.
- Michael actively distrusts Tubbo on account of Tubbo trying to remove him from his caretaker. This lasts throughout the period where Dream is out of commission. Tubbo’s attempts to reach out to Michael also end badly because Tubbo still doesn’t understand Michael’s bond with Dream.
- Once Dream wakes up, things get a little bit better, but not by much. Dream can at least convince Michael not to bite Tubbo, but Michael is very aware that Tubbo makes Dream nervous. While Michael will sometimes go along with Tubbo for Dream’s sake, it’s very much in the same vein as how Michael would go with c!Sam previously.
- Their first breakthrough comes from when Tubbo attempts to put a mask on Michael and it goes badly. In the aftermath, Tubbo starts to realize how bad conditions were, and subsequently, starts realizing why Michael and Dream as so close. This is also when Dream tries to extend an olive branch to Tubbo, and Michael is more willing to work with him as a result.
- After that, it’s gradual on all fronts. Michael slowly learns to adjust to Tubbo, and starts to trust him again. Faint memories might resurface, but more importantly, they make new ones.
- c!Ranboo’s revival also helps out, since Michael has slightly stronger memories of him. He’s more willing to trust Ranboo, both on account of Dream’s comfort, and because Dream and Ranboo are both End hybrids. There’s a level of familiarity there.
- Since Michael is more willing to trust Ranboo, he’s willing to push himself a bit more when it comes to Tubbo as well. Eventually being able to more or less trust the two of them fully.
Convict Childcare Au c!Dream: I am not caretaker material kid, just go with Techno he's a pig too
Michael, doodling himself and c!Dream holding hands:
C!Dream: ... You convinced me
c!Dream, gently trying to push Michael towards c!Techno: “I am not emotionally or physically capable of raising a child. Any affection I show you would only put you in danger. Technoblade is a piglin, his relationship would be less likely to endanger you, and he is significantly more capable as a caretaker.”
Michael: *walks over to Techno, stands on his tippy-toes to grab Techno’s hand and drags him back to Dream.*
Dream: “Wait. No. This was not the intended result. Abort mission.”
In the Convict Childcare AU, what would have happened if Techno and Tubbo arrived after Michael had already decided to strike out on his own to get back to Dream?
So, at that point, c!Phil and c!Niki would’ve been trying to take c!Dream to safety, and things would’ve gotten messy fast. The Piglin bastion would find out Michael is missing, and might get hostile with c!Techno or c!Tubbo once they discover The Baby Is Gone.
Resolving that would take time and give Michael a headstart, he’d also have Snowball to help him out. Since c!Phil and c!Niki are also traveling through the nether, Michael has a leg up on them too. Snowball remembers where he dropped Dream off, so finding that area is relatively easy.
The problems would start when Michael sees c!Phil and c!Niki carrying an unconscious c!Dream. Given his prior experiences, his assumption is that they caused Dream’s unwell state and are kidnapping him! Now everything makes sense! That’s why Dream couldn’t come back!
Now, as much as Michael wants to start biting, he holds himself back because he’s aware that he can’t get Dream to safety without help. He knew that c!Sam wouldn’t fight back. He doesn’t know if these adults will or won’t.
And this feels like a good time to remember something about baby piglins: They can and will befriend baby hoglins.
Baby hoglins on their own aren’t much of a threat. A few might be a pain to deal with. But what about a whole herd?
Michael manages to find a nearby Crimson forest, and remembering what Dream taught him about Hoglins (they only like the red mushrooms! Striders like the blue!), he’d assemble a mini army of baby hoglins to help him out.
From there, they lead an assault. The adult hoglins get involved pretty quick the moment they hear a baby get hurt, and with them running distracting + some help from baby hoglins, Michael would be able to get a feverish Dream onto Snowball and away. Phil and Niki are too bewildered and confused to understand what happened (since neither of them know Michael was healed up and they don’t recognize him), until they meet up with a frenzied Tubbo and Techno and realize Michael got away from the bastion.
At that point, the clues fall into place, and after finding and taming some nearby striders, Techno is able to track Dream via scent until they find where Michael has hidden the two of them.
Michael is MUCH harder to convince in this version of events, near feral at any given point. Their saving grace is twofold. First, Techno still has that scarf that he can offer as proof of being friendly. Second, Dream’s condition has worsened enough that Michael is scared enough to risk trusting people he doesn’t know in order to protect him (Techno being a piglin also helps a bit).
Still, Michael would be very wary until a feverish Dream wakes up from stress and kinda recognizes Techno, proving he is, in deed, Safe.
Also, very important note for the Convict Childcare AU:
c!Technoblade is absolutely wrapped around Michael’s little fingers. Techno has lots of Piglin Instincts, and since Michael is bonded to c!Dream, as an extension, Piglin Brain Says This Is A Sounder Child Now. Michael can bite and kick and scratch all he wants, Techno’s brain still registers him as Baby.
As a result, Techno is mostly helpless to Michael’s whims, and mid-AU ends up “protecting” him from c!Tubbo at least once. Upset baby noises are Serious Business, and while Techno has enough self control to never attack Tubbo (or c!Niki the one time she gets on Michael’s nerves), he does absolutely take the Baby and hide him away for a bit with Dream until his instincts chill out.
childcare convict au is now just dream and techno co-parenting michael while tubbo is trying to get some amount of custody back
In all fairness, c!Tubbo (and c!Ranboo) do become bigger figures in Michael’s life once he’s learned to trust them again. It just takes time. Michael never really grows apart from c!Dream, but he does learn to trust the two of them and rely on them to a similar degree.
Also, realistically, two 18 year olds with a bunch of issues of their own should probably not be in charge of a toddler without significant support. Like, Tubbo and Ranboo were trying their best prior to the whole kidnapping thing, but they weren’t really ready to be parents, let alone ready to be parents to a child with an active and very dangerous medical condition that they have minimal access to treatment for. Not to mention that neither of them knew sign language (nor had access to resources to learn it), neither had experience with Piglins or Piglin culture, and neither of them had experience raising a child. They weren’t super qualified to begin with, and while the kidnapping was absolutely a bad thing, other adults getting involved in the raising of Michael isn’t.
Prior to everything, Ranboo had already planned on reaching out to c!Techno for help, so it’s natural that he ended up in a semi-parental role to Michael. That was probably going to happen no matter how things went down.
Dream on the other hand, well. He’s also not an ideal parental figure for a toddler without significant support (although the significant medical condition did kinda work out on account of him having a speed dial to a God that’s simping for him). But like. Sometimes that’s how life happens. It’s not like he had any say in things. Once he does have proper support, his ability to care for Michael as a partial caretaker improves dramatically. In Michael’s specific case, Dream did have some of the skills that were helpful for raising him successfully (knowing sign, knowing about piglins).
It’s also worth noting, that as I’ve mentioned previously, this would actually be very normal for piglin family dynamics. Toddler piglins are raised by the sounder as a whole, with piglets getting attached to certain adults who often aren’t their “parent”. Usually, by this age, Michael wouldn’t have just one or two “parents”, he’d have a whole bastion of adults he could trust, and would naturally gravitate towards adults he’d had good experiences with (c!Dream) or adults whose job he had an interest in (c!Techno). So this sort of drift might seem weird for humans, but it’s natural for piglins.
Wait. What job is Micheal interested in that Techno does?
Protector! Also, taking care of animals. Michael takes after both roles, loving stories of c!Techno going to great lengths to protect those that he cares about. Later on, Michael swings to having a stronger preference for caring for animals (someone mentioned in my tags that he got Disney Princess Status from c!Dream and they’re totally correct).
Once Michael’s comfortable leaving c!Dream alone for periods of time (after like a month lol), toddling after Techno to help with taking care of the wolves/polar bear/foxes/horses becomes one of Michael’s favorite past times. His favorites are Steve because Steve lets him ride on him, and Blitz the Fox because Blitz takes a liking to him and steals things for him. Like weapons. Blitz has brought Michael several swords.
Techno does his best to discourage Michael from obtaining weapons, but despite his best childproofing efforts, it keeps happening. The swords only stop when Dream sits Blitz and Michael down and give them a firm talking to. c!Tubbo and c!Niki overhear this, and it sparks a several month long secret argument/debate between them as to if Dream can speak to animals. They still have not found the answer.
Just to be clear, Blitz isn’t grabby lousy stone swords or wooden toys. No, this fox keeps finding his way into Techno’s good weapon stashes and bringing Michael enchanted diamond / netherite swords. This fox believes in giving the child Deadly Weapons.
After Blitz gets a talking to, he stops for the most part. With one exception. There’s a point where c!Quackity’s group attacks the cabin, and while several people move to get Michael to safety, he was outside and in the chaos ends up lost. Blitz finds him first, baring a fancy diamond sword, and Michael uses said sword to stab like 3 separate people who get too close as he’s running away (c!Tommy who didn’t notice him, c!Fundy who DID notice him and in all fairness was trying to help, and c!Quackity who was trying to kill Blitz but didn’t notice Michael). After that, Tubbo manages to find them and get the two of them out of there. Michael is extremely proud of himself, and even though he’s told not to fight in the future, everyone’s a little proud of him too. Blitz gets a few extra golden apples for being a good boy.
VERY important detail for the convict childcare AU during the imprisonment period:
- Michael and c!Dream both have access to art supplies. Michael has markers, colored pencils, and a bunch of paper/sketchbooks. Dream just keeps his black ink for writing, but when he makes books for Michael, he uses some of the markers to add color.
- Michael likes drawing, but due to his vision issues and colorblindness, his artwork is a lot of blurry blobs for awhile. Dream still does his best to make sense of the shapes.
- Michael also likes to draw on Dream’s mask once the two of them get close enough for that. Sometimes he does silly eyes, sometimes he adds color, sometimes he tries to make Dream look like a piglin. Dream always thinks it’s funny, even if he washes it off so c!Sam doesn’t see (just in case).
- Except for one time when Michael just added angry eyebrows, and Dream forgot they were there.
- Sam walked in, saw Dream’s mask now had angry eyebrows, and like.
- Okay listen.
- It’d been a long day of redstoning and harvesting obsidian for rebuilding his prison system.
- Sam was exhausted and frustrated. His main two emotions.
- And then he sees Dream’s mask has changed for the first time in his fucking life.
- Sam drops off their food and books it to bed. He’s hallucinating. He’s gone off the deep end. He doesn’t even know what he saw.
- Dream never realizes the eyebrows were what caused Sam to freak out.
Striders are extremely passive mobs. It makes sense for them to be, few thing can survive in lava and no creature can match their quick pace over a lava ocean. Fleeing is simply their best option, rather than trying to overpower any of the monsters that roam the nether.
Snowball is a Strider, but they stand apart from the crowd in that fleeing isn’t always their best option. After all, they have friends who aren’t lava proof, and sometimes aren’t able to flee.
As a result, Snowball Attempts Acts Of Violence the first time their rider is in danger and fleeing isn’t an option.
It’s not super effective. After all, they can’t really bite. The best they can do is ram the attacker blocking their path. But the simple act of a strider attempting violence is so fucking weird that it takes the attacker off-guard. And their rider. Striders don’t do violence, but Snowball does. Apparently.
After this incident, c!Dream makes Snowball some armor which has cool horns they can use to gore people if the need arises in the future (it does happen, but Snowball also realizes they can use these horns to pick stuff up and Exploit This Bug to get into the chests with treats. Also lowering them so Michael can dangle off of them like the gremlin he is).
Once c!Dream gets better, does he ever carry/cradle c!Michael?
Oh, he carries Michael around a lot even before he probably should.
Particularly during his time in the cell, c!Dream does a lot of things he shouldn’t be doing. Part of this is because early on in the AU he’s so adjusted to pain from c!Quackity that he doesn’t notice the damage he’s doing to his body (something that comes back to bite him later during his recovery period).
After he starts getting sick and c!Sam decides to just start shoving potions at him instead of actually dealing with the issue, the potions give him enough of a boost that he can do things like carry Michael most days.
When they sleep, Dream usually curls himself around Michael. It’s hard to describe, but he’s like, partially on top of him? Without really putting any weight on him? Keeping the child safely tucked away makes dragon brain go burrrrr.
Do Michael and Dream get a pet at some point, besiddes the snow fox? Like, a cute kitty Michael drags home that Dream can't bring himself to say no to, or one of Techno's hounds that particularly likes them?
c!Dream doesn’t get any pets of his own any time soon, because uh, it’s super not safe for him to, but Michael likes to adopt animals just as much as c!Techno does.
That being said, a number of Techno’s and Michael’s pets do like Dream a lot and show obvious favoritism. Also, c!Tubbo + c!Ranboo bring their pet chickens from Snowchester (that Michael likes a lot), and the chickens fucking love Dream. There’s a few of them that will regularly escape their coop/run to find him and hang out with him. At one point mid-recovery, everyone lost Dream + Michael for a bit (while Dream was still dealing with bouts of fevers), Ranboo wasn’t in the area to locate them, and Tubbo had a stroke of genius. He let the chickens out and they found Dream curled up and napping with Michael in a hidden corner in the attic in under 20 minutes.
Dream doesn’t understand the chickens, but he secretly likes them a lot. He keeps scraps of his meals as treats for them, but he won’t tell. They’re very soft and like to sit on his shoulders and keep Michael entertained for him.
Also, Snowball the Strider could be considered a pet, although Dream likes to pretend he’s never met Snowball before in his life. Even after he makes Snowball custom armor.
Convict Childcare AU: Does Dream ever try to strike out on his own after he recovers enough that he feels like he can marginally get away with it, both to protect Michael and the Syndicate and also to better carry out The Plan(TM)? Or do Techno and the others foresee this coming and make sure he damn well knows the Arctic is his new home now, and if he leaves, they WILL be hunting him down and bringing him back because Michael will be Very Upset (that the others would also be Upset goes unsaid)?
I don’t think he ever tries to seriously leave without an agreement in place. First and foremost, he’s fully aware that a good deal of the rest of the server still wants him dead, and his recovery is a long and painful process. He literally cannot risk being on his own for such a long period that by the time it might be possibly, he’s learned it’s not a good idea.
In this au at least, I think he’s mostly given up on the The Plan. With the level of damage his body sustained, a lot of it isn’t physically possible for him anymore. And at some point… I think a big part of the The Plan is that c!Dream has nothing else. He wants to bring things back to how they were, and really, what does he have to lose?
But then Michael comes along, and with him comes bonds with the Syndicate that Dream can’t help. Dream has something to lose again, and between that and the damage to his body… He learns to be okay where he is.
c!Punz is the nail in the coffin. He sees the state Dream’s in, and tells him that he wants to give up on the plan now. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth the harm it’s caused to Dream. That gives Dream the permission that he needs to let go.
That’s not to say Dream never runs off on his own. Sometimes he needs time, and other times he’s panicked and his brain isn’t making good choices. In cases when he could be in danger, it’s almost always c!Ranboo who goes to find him, because of the natural draw due to their hybrid natures. Depending on the level of danger, other people might follow.
for the convict childcare au, does Micheal ever get lost or something like that and what would dream do
Not for awhile! Michael actually starts out nervous in open spaces. He doesn’t like to be away from c!Dream for long periods, and he doesn’t like being left alone without knowing exactly where someone is. Even big rooms can make him feel anxious if Dream isn’t there with him, which is to be expected after so long in one little cell.
Once he’s gotten more confidence, Michael still tends to prefer to stick around someone he trusts, Dream, c!Techno, c!Ranboo or c!Tubbo are his main choices. All of them tend to keep a pretty close eye on him, and Techno in particular can basically always tell where Michael has gone via scent. Blitz is also usually hanging around him, so that makes things a bit easier.
The only times Michael gets “lost” is if a raid or other dangerous event happens that separates him from his family. It’s only happened a few times when he wasn’t close enough for someone to grab him, but each time he either fought back or quickly got himself to a safe location and waited for someone to come get him.
During those times, Dream tends to be a bit feral. Though his nowhere NEAR as bad as Techno is. Techno is a mess of fury and violence until he’s sure the baby is safe. Dream tends to be a bit more calculated in his fear, since he doesn’t want the rest of the server to catch on to just how much Michael means to him.
after the syndicate find michael and dream, and dream is mostly recovered, does he still fall into the habit of saving food for michael? if so, does anyone notice and what do they do about it?
c!Dream struggles with food insecurity for quite awhile after such a long period being starved.
I think almost everyone notices at some point, and they handle it with different levels of understanding.
c!Phil absolutely fucks it up when he absentmindedly is cleaning up, happens upon a small food stash in Dream’s room, assumes it was Michael and cleans out the old food. He realizes his mistake pretty soon after Dream gets back, but it’s a bit too late at that point. After that, he’s really careful about what he cleans up.
c!Niki certainly notices that Dream has gotten extremely thin, and clearly gets touchy about certain foods. She does her best to make extra food for him when she can, and pays attention to what he likes and will eat a decent amount of.
c!Techno absolutely gets what Dream is struggling with, and he handles it the best out of everyone. He makes sure that he gives Dream food that can be safely stashed, and leaves areas in the room where food can be hidden. When he builds Dream The Den, he makes sure that he adds areas that are clean, watertight, easy to access and well hidden so that Dream can keep plenty of snack stashes down there for comfort. Techno understands that having the stashes makes Dream feel safe and secure, and he wants to enable that.
Question about convicted childcare, how does the bastion Dream tries to drop Michael off at react? From what you've written, Dream and Michael's bond is a crucial part of piglin culture. Would the bastion try to keep Dream with Michael? Or, based on how they treat zombie piglins, recognize that he is dying and allow him to go?
So, several things fact into c!Dream dropping off Michael at the bastion. The first, and most important, is that Dream speaks piglin. Not well, but enough to make himself understood. c!Techno taught him awhile back, and taught him more when they were stuck in the cell together. This means that Dream can effectively communicate with the bastion where it counts.
The second is that while Dream speaks piglin, he isn’t a piglin. While a lot of the basics carry over (fear, illness, happiness, etc), the specifics aren’t as refined. A piglin can tell he’s sick and not doing well, but they wouldn’t know he was on the brink of death. Particularly because he’s still using the last of his healing potions when he’s dropping Michael off.
What Dream explains to the piglins is basically the truth. Michael is a child he was kidnapped with for awhile, he does not know why Michael was stolen or where he was stolen from. Dream cared for Michael during their kidnapping, but now that they’re free he doesn’t have the physical means to support a child, and there are people following him. Since he doesn’t want Michael to be at risk, Dream needs to leave the toddler with the bastion.
The Bastion accepts this explanation because everything Dream is saying appears (and is) true. They’re aware that a human is not suited to raising a piglin, let alone a solo, weak, wandering human with people following them. While, yes, under ideal circumstances the bastion would want Dream to stay with them as Michael’s caretaker, part of piglin culture is the idea of having lots of adults that can fill in for parental roles when an individual can’t. The Bastion did offer to help defend Dream against whoever was following him, but he refused, not wanting to put them or Michael in that amount of danger.
What the bastion does force Dream to do is stay for about 24 hours so Michael has a chance to adjust to the new adults around him, and so Dream himself has a chance to rest and recover. They managed to get Dream to eat some food, and sent him off with better supplies (decent armor, fire res potions, more food, a bow, and lots of water). That was about all they could do though before he needed to leave for safety. They were relieved to hear later from c!Techno that he’d been found by friends and was safe.
Did C!Dream ever have to act as interpreter for Michael’s drawings for the other syndicate members?
Oh yeah. To be fair, c!Dream can only make out Michael’s drawings half the time, but he’s gotten good at it. He’s learned Michael’s unique style.
Still, even when Dream can’t make out the drawing, he’ll always make something up. Sometimes, Michael will draw nonsense on purpose so Dream will make something up for it. It’s a game that they would play in the cell, and Michael likes it even more now there’s other people. Even if Dream gets something wrong in the drawing, Michael will still nod along to convince anyone else that that’s 100% what he meant the entire time. Both of them think it’s funny.
Now I’m just imagining Michael and c!Dream having their own secret language that’s actually just nonsense to fuck with other people, like
Michael: *signs random bullshit at Niki*
Niki: ?????
c!Dream: he CLEARLY said [more random bullshit] smh
I mean, to some extent, that’s not far off.
Like, c!Dream knew a good bit of ASL, he knew how the language worked and a fair number of basic signs. However, he was still pretty rusty and has severe nerve damage in his hands. As such, the version of ASL that he uses with Michael is very much so their own dialect. Some signs are just made up by them, and others are heavily adjusted to account for the lack of dexterity.
Since their ASL is so heavily accented, complicated ideas can be really hard for others to make out. Even c!Phil, who also knows some ASL in this AU, can’t always understand Michael.
Michael also mixes baby piglin noises with his ASL, which c!Techno knows instinctively, and which Dream has learned to understand.
That being said, while Dream does regularly need to translate for Michael early on, he never lies about what Michael is saying. He may adjust the meaning under certain circumstances (ie, he’s trying to not reveal private information like his hybrid form or he’s scared/panicked and sanitizing Michael’s words to avoid a violent reaction) but he won’t lie outright to any of the Syndicate. He’s actively trying to help the people around him understand Michael’s version of ASL because he wants Michael to be able to communicate effectively with them. He wants Michael to have that freedom and autonomy as soon as he possibly can.
As much as I adore your AU's, all the pain is almost too much 😭 the feels are just too strongGGG (it's a good thing!!! \pos )
You may have 1 (one) fluff for comfort,
Michael wasn’t the biggest fan of these new adults.
His first judgement, enforced with his tusks and sharp teeth, might’ve been a bit harsh, but he wasn’t about to let his caretaker be taken away from him again. Not again, and definitely not when his caretaker had gotten worse. Before he hadn’t been well exactly, but he’d been able to walk and give Michael instructions. Now his caretaker’s body was overtaken with sickness, and his caretaker spent most of his time sleeping.
Still, Michael didn’t have much choice but to let the adults near his caretaker for now. At least until he was better and they could leave.
It’d been a few days since the strangers had come to get him from the bastion. Things had been tense between him and the others. It didn’t help that almost none of the adults were like him. One, Tech, was part piglin. He was okay. Of all the adults, he was the only one who never tried to take Michael away from his caretaker.
Tech also listened to him. The other adults might try to, but it wasn’t the same. Tech and his caretaker always listened. Even if they didn’t agree or understand, they’d listen to his hands or his whines and talk to him. They’d try. The other adults listened sometimes, but they weren’t very good at it. Sometimes they seemed to forget he could speak at all.
Still, they were all better than the Warden. Michael hated the Warden. The Warden was evil and scary and hurt his caretaker. Michael wasn’t sure where the Warden was now, but he hoped it was somewhere cold and alone. Cold and alone and bad. That was what the Warden deserved.
Michael let out a frustrated huff, shaking himself as his caretaker shifted in his sleep. That was something new, his caretaker always kept quiet and still when sleeping before. When Michael had asked him why, he’d said it was for stealth. Part of a game he used to play. Now it seemed the sickness had him moving around. His caretaker’s face was scrunched up in pain and his muscles were twitching.
Whining softly, Michael wished that he do something to help. Something other then sitting by his caretaker’s bedside. But he’d already gotten new hot water bottles just a few minutes ago, and there wasn’t much else he could do. Nothing but standing guard. It wasn’t fair.
Before he could think on it much longer, the door creaked open. Instantly, Michael had his teeth bared and he was ready to fight, read to make the Warden leave-
It was Tech. Michael relaxed minutely. The older piglin glanced around the room before his eyes fixed on Michael and he let out a questioning snort. Oh. Michael had forgotten big piglins could hear his whines from so far away.
Turning away from the door, Michael huffed and pointed to his caretaker. He just wanted his caretaker to be better. Eyes raked over him, trying to understand before Tech let out a long sigh.
“Yeah, I feel ya.” A pause as Tech shuffled into the room, dropping into the other chair beside the bed. “Don’t worry, he’ll pull through. Dream’s a lot of things, but he ain’t a quitter. He’s just gotta sleep it off.”
But that wasn’t fair! They got out! Michael was good, and his caretaker was strong and brave, and they got out! They beat the Warden and escaped! It was supposed to be over. They were supposed to be safe.
Michael could feel tears forming under his eye. He tried to sign his objections to Tech, but his hands weren’t working right. Halfway through he gave up and let out a low, pained whine instead.
Gentle hands reached out to scoop him up, careful to not move him away from his caretaker. Michael appreciated Tech’s hug, but it wasn’t his caretaker. That was what he wanted more than anything.
Then, as if he could hear the request, his caretaker stirred for the first time since he’d been brought here.
It was hard to tell, his caretaker had his mask on, but Michael had learned the signs. How his body stirred and moved as it checked what was working. The tears stopped, Michael couldn’t breathe as he waited for… something.
Seconds ticked by, before his caretaker finally tilted his head to look around the room, stopping when he saw the two of them.
“…Hello?” It was just one word, sluggish and hard to make out, but Michael squealed in delight anyways. The noise caught the attention of his caretaker. “…Michael?”
Before Tech could stop him, Michael was out of his arms and scrambling up the bed, doing his best to be gentle but desperately wanting for his caretaker to hold him again.
After a few moments of stillness, Michael felt weak arms wrap around him. He let out a rumble, brain flooded with safe-happy-sounder-caretaker.
“…Sorry if I scared you, bud.”
Wasn’t his fault. Michael knew his caretaker didn’t get sick on purpose. He couldn’t say that though, because signing would require moving away. Instead, he wiggled closer, knowing his caretaker would understand. The soft amused huff he got in return was answer enough.
There was another moment of quiet before his caretaker jolted slightly, head tilting up towards the other person in the room. His caretaker froze, muscles tensing, and Michael tensed too. Was Tech bad? Michael readied himself to move, to fight. He could fight Tech! If Tech scared his caretaker then Michael would rip him to-
“Techno?” The word was breathy, disbelieving, but… not bad? Michael’s face was pressed up against Dream’s neck, and he could detect a shift in his caretaker’s scent. It was… new.
Behind him, Tech spoke. Voice soft and sounding oddly sad. “Hello to you too.” A beat passed. “Sorry I took so long.”
Michael felt his caretaker crumble. Relief was clear in how his shoulders dropped and body trembled with effort.
“You’re real.”
“Sure am.”
“That’s… that’s good. I’m glad you’re real this time. Missed you, Tech.”
His caretaker’s voice slurred towards the end, body going lax as he fell back asleep. Michael felt the arms drop away, but he clung to that feeling of safety for just a few moments longer.
When he shifted his snout away to look back at Tech, the piglin looked upset. Why? Michael moved without thinking, holding out his arms to be picked up without a thought (his caretaker knew this piglin, his caretaker trusted him, he was safe). A questioning grunt was enough to get a hand patting his head gently.
“I’m good, I’m fine, just… I missed him too.”
Michael snorted in agreement. He was still sad his caretaker was sick, but that moment of reassurance was enough. His caretaker was strong. They got out. They were going to be okay.
Chapter 9: Feral Ender Dragon Dream AU
Summary:
c!Ponk & c!Dream content ahead!
Chapter Text
I’ve been thinking about Ender Dragon c!Dream lately. Namely, based on the idea that his mask hides his true hybrid form, and Dream has been wearing the mask almost his whole life to keep himself safe.
What if Dream had been wearing the mask for so long that he doesn’t know about key aspects of his own body when it reverts to it’s hybrid form? He certain never met any other Ender Dragon Hybrids. Frankly, he doesn’t want to know.
Really, stuff like the fact that one out of every five hybrids has some level of shapeshifting ability (shifting from hybrid to full mob), is never something he’d need to know. Right? Sure, nobody ever bothered to tell him that using a hybrid suppressant for long periods of time was incredibly dangerous and usually lead to a hybrid going feral, but his mask has worked for this long. It won’t fail on him now.
And then the prison happens. c!Quackity starts making his visits. Neither he, nor c!Sam manage to get the mask off Dream, but one day, by accident of all things, Quackity damages it.
He doesn’t notice, there’s no instant change. Dream only notices after several hours have gone by. When his mask gives up on him. What happens next- Well, Dream is tired. He’s so tired, that even when he feels his mask give up, all he wants to do is curl into a ball and sleep. The fact he’s shifted into a wholeass Ender Dragon does not change this desire, so it’s what he does. He barely fits in the cell, but he’s young enough by Ender Dragon standards that it works. Thankfully obsidian is one of the few blocks he can safely occupy.
Now, here’s where there’s options. Who gets to discover that there is now an entire Ender Dragon in Pandora’s Vault?
- Quackity - If Quackity enters the next day, ready to resume torture as usually, things go very poorly very quickly. Dream is awoken by his entrance, and in his feral state, wastes no time in going for the kill. It’s a bloody death, and one that probably leaves Quackity down a limb. Or maybe his other eye. In his ferality, all Dream wanted to do was hurt the person who hurt him. Dream promptly escapes after this, as he’s able to pass through the obsidian once he puts his mind to it.
- Sam - Sam goes to check the cell a few hours after Quackity left. He finds a sleeping dragon, whose still tired enough to not wake up upon his arrival. Sam does not know what the fuck he’s supposed to do about this. He has the common sense to leave the incredibly dangerous dragon room and try to get help/context. Sam literally cannot tell if the dragon is Dream, or if Dream has somehow swapped places with a dragon. In the resulting ruckus, Dream is awoken and simply flies out. Sam can’t even get close enough to fight him before Dream is gone.
- c!Bad - Bad would enter the cell several hours after Quackity left. He’s sneaking in, just wanting to drop off some food. And. There’s a dragon. Right there. Now, out of everyone, Bad’s the only one who would recognize Dream instantly. He’s known him the longest after all, and there were times when he wondered if Dream was entirely human. Still, it doesn’t help his horror, both at all the scars on display in Dream’s dragon form, and at the situation as a whole. Dream wakes up when Bad gasps, but even in a feral state, he recognizes the person in front of him. Bad does not get attacked. He offers the food, it’s taken, and in a flash, Dream is running past him, flying out through the obsidian to freedom.
Regardless of who finds him first, there’s now a feral, high strung, and starved Ender Dragon running around the server. Everyone else just needs to deal with that emotionally. It doesn’t go well.
What does Ranboo think of the Ender dragon running around now.
c!Ranboo is as confused as everyone else. And pretty worried, although it’s also just kinda one more thing that might as well happen on this server at this point.
Ender walking c!Ranboo is DELIGHTED. He recognized the dragon as c!Dream near instantly, having already suspected that Dream was an end hybrid. He’s able to find Dream pretty easily, and feral dragon Dream still recognizes him as a friend, so the two of them chill.
This leads to one of the most terrifying moments of c!Tubbo’s life, when ew!Ranboo decides to take Michael to go visit Dream, who is still a feral dragon. Tubbo tracks them down just in time to see Dream greeting the toddler. He ends up forced to watch from the shadows out of fear of startling Dream, which is a horrid experience for his anxiety, but things don’t go as bad as they could’ve? Dream isn’t quite sure what to make of Michael, but enjoys him all the same. Michael thinks Dream is the coolest thing ever, on account of him being a dragon.
Let it be c!Bad!! At least dragon Dream would be kinda full from the food, so he won't fecking EAT somebody in his feral state
Well, small sandwiches will not fill up a dragon, even a young one. They do help though!
The good news is that Ender Dragons are actually mostly frugivores in my take, they have a strong preference for chorus fruit as their main diet, with shulkers as a favorite treat. So he’d be very unlikely to eat a person. He would be pretty likely to rip someone to shreds if he felt so inclined.
If anything’s really in danger from dragon Dream’s hunger, it’s poor c!Ponk’s lemon trees. They get ravaged once Dream discovers them. Ponk’s a bit upset, but like, at least Dream’s actually eating the lemons. Everyone else just burns them down. Also when c!Sam comes by with a group to try to recapture Dream and threatens Ponk, he gets set upon by a furious dragon, and that’s a definite plus in Ponk’s book.
I really want to see peoples reaction to the HEAVILY scared, young, enraged and frightened Ender Dragon being on the loose.
It's an ENDER DRAGON! They're supposed to be in the End! What is it doing here and who in the world could have hurt it enough to leave scars like that?! How long has it been here?! Why has nobody seen it before?! Was one of them holding it captive and it escaped? Was it wounded in the End fled here?
So many questions by everyone.
(Love your Blog! Especially your Convict Childcare AU!)
There’s ENDER DRAGON, loose in the OVERWORLD.
There’s a LOT of questions, which vary depending on who discovers him first. If it’s c!Bad, the truth comes out quickly. If it’s c!Quackity, the same because the death message shows c!Dream (although questions as to what Quackity was doing there remain). If it’s c!Sam, it takes awhile before anyone knows for sure the dragon is Dream, since there’s no way to verify.
Either way, citings of Dragon Dream around the SMP become common place, and nobody really knows? What To Do About That? As long as Dream’s left alone, he’s mostly minding his own business, so most people just decide to pretend they don’t see the dragon. Dragon deniers are an entire faction here.
i have no thoughts only enderdragon c!dream giving c!phil a ride so he can soar above the clouds again ;_;
No! Dragon Dream is too smol for that!!
Size wise, he’s longer than a horse, but not much taller than one. He can smoosh himself into smaller places if he tries though.
In Ender Dragon terms, he’s still quite young. His wings would’ve only become big enough and strong enough to support him in the last few years, it’ll be at least 10-20 more before he could support a full grown person on his back. Once he’s had time to recover, he could maybe carry someone Michael’s size, but that’s about it.
In his current state, he can’t fly all that far on his own anyways. Only a few miles at a time before he needs a break and a snack. In birb terms he’d be a fledgling whose nearing their juvenile phase. He can fly, but he’s not great at it, and not for really long distances or doing much of anything fancy.
I like to think Ponk would make more lemon trees and starts using them as bargaining with Dream.
It’s hard to bargain with a feral Dragon, but I believe in c!Ponk.
Actually, if anything, Ponk’s clever enough to realize that c!Dream just legitimately wants to eat the lemons. Most of the damage done to his trees is accidental because feral dragon Dream doesn’t know any better and he’s hungy. Ponk’s solution is to plant a few extra trees, and add some perching spots/ladders near the trees so Dream can access the fruit without need to climb the trees and scrape them with his claws. Dream takes to using them right away, and Ponk becomes a Friend in the feral dragon brain.
Other people around the server aren’t super happy about that, but Ponk’s just glad that feral dragon Dream appears to be protecting his trees now, so nobody else can fuck with them. It’s the perfect form of security.
Also, Dragon Dream likes to bring Ponk gifts in exchange for the lemons, much like crows will offer trades for food. These gifts can range from a chunk of obsidian to glass to netherite armor that Dream stole from someone.
Ender dragon Dream my beloved! I love this so much pls. When Dream flies out of prison and escapes does he search for the safest place he could find to continue his nap? I'd imagine there's very few of those but it'd be funny if one of those places was Techno's place, like imagine Dream finds the vault room and makes that his new den so it takes Techno a little while to realize he has a whole ass dragon napping in his backyard lol.
Tbh, if it weren’t so far away, c!Dream might go and hide out at c!Techno’s place. He does get up there eventually, but for the first while he actually stays around the prison. The obsidian feels safe to his dragon brain, even if the place itself unnerves what little is awake of his human self. Plus, c!Ponk’s lemon trees are nearby and Dream is very busy enjoying those.
If anything, ew!Ranboo would be the one to bring Dream up to the syndicate to see the area/for safety. So it’s just Ranboo trying to smuggle/hide an entire dragon in his little house, while c!Phil has questions, and Techno has just decided to accept whatever lies Ranboo tells him at face value so that it’s not his problem.
So Feral Ender Dragon Dream is currently running on instinct right? I'm living for Ender Dragon Dream. He's probably hungry as hell and there aren't any Crystal, would he just divebombing anything that move, would he goes after people since he is on lizardbrain, the biggest lizard I know will happily commit cannibalism. I'm just imagining everyone reactions as a giant Frigging Ender Dragon suddenly fly overhead and the their freak out after learning the giant ENDER DRAGON is, in fact, Dream.
I already discussed his diet: c!Ponk’s lemon trees are a far more inviting target than any person.
That being said, there is actually a lot of danger in having an Ender Dragon running around. See, my personal headcanon is that if you die from an Ender Dragon, it always counts as a canon death. Even though death from mobs aren’t usually canon, and even player deaths have a good chance of being respawns. It’s a big part of why people are okay with not going to the End. Fighting the dragon is just too risky for all but the best players.
That’s also why people are reluctant to fight/ recapture/kill c!Dream despite the risk of him running around. If they die to him, it WILL count as a canon death, and given that the only guy who can revive people is currently feral, it’s very much so a high risk challenge.
Which isn’t to say some people aren’t trying. c!Sam has a group together to try to hunt Dream down, although it’s not going very well. Sam looses a life to Dream pretty quickly when getting into a fight with Ponk, and after that everyone involved has to be a lot more careful.
Most people are relatively safe from Dragon Dream as long as they don’t start shit. Once Dream’s claimed his “territory” (namely, the prison for awhile, then the obsidian grid over L'Manhole, and Ponk’s lemon trees as a feeding ground), he’s protective over those spaces, but usually doesn’t bother people who aren’t in those spaces. He’s also easily bribed with food to let people pass through spaces, again, just so long as they haven’t started shit with him.
techno: what do you have
ew!ranboo, trying and failing to hide a whole ass dragon behind his stick-like body: a smoothie
techno: ...
ew!ranboo: ...
techno: ...just make sure my pets are safe
The best part is that c!Techno is super out of the loop so he doesn’t even know the Dragon is c!Dream for the longest time. He just sees c!Ranboo hiding an entire Ender Dragon and just. Decides that’s okay. He’s going to pretend he sees nothing. He doesn’t need to know what’s happening there.
When people show up at his door looking for the dragon, Techno categorically denies any knowledge, and his shock at finding out Dream’s a dragon now is so genuine that people actually buy that Dream isn’t there. Meaning that Ranboo gets away with his very dumb lies.
Wait you said Dream gave Ponk armor he stole from people? Does he scare them into giving it or from stopping him? Or did he get it from Sam when he killed him?
Well, okay, so he’s a dragon. He has little concept of property. Shiny things do just get stolen by him if he has his eye on them. Also, while he doesn’t kill everyone who comes to capture him, he does have a habit of breaking off their armor/stealing it if he doesn’t kill them.
So c!Dream has a hoard of netherite armor that he only shares with c!Ponk, c!Techno, c!Punz, and ew!Ranboo. Everyone else is forbidden to touch the hoard on top of the obsidian grid. There’s also a number of other shiny things, a pile of lemons, golden apples, and soft object he’s collected for a nest (mostly foliage, but with a few blankets from Ponk and Ranboo).
Usually when people want to stop Dragon c!Dream from doing something, he can be bribed with a golden apple or two. Shiny objects might work as a very temporary bribe, but it’s lower on the scale. People he trusts (see above) can also bribe him with a rub behind the ears or nice words.
does edragon!dream have that "destroy every non-obi/bedrock/endstone on touch" ability that fully fledged dragons do? or is he too young or smth?
He has, but in my hc, Ender Dragons can turn that ability off if they so please. Usually, Ender Dragons only do this when collecting Chorus fruit or raiding End Cities for shulkers, but since he’s in the overworld, c!Dream uses this a lot for navigating. He can also pass through any block, including obsidian, when it’s activated.
The biggest issue is that he can’t turn off the ability to destroy blocks when he’s sleeping. Hence requiring obsidian for his nest, which starts out as the roof of the prison and then he moves to the grid over L'Manhole once he finds it. When ew!Ranboo smuggles him up the syndicate, he basically covers a cave in obsidian, and that’s where Dream has his lil nest for awhile until he recovers.
Dragon denier: you are insane, Ponk?! No way there's a dragon in the overworld!!
Much later a literal Ender Dragon munching on Ponks lemons.
Ponk: 👁️👄👁️
Oh, it doesn’t take long for c!Ponk to meet Dragon Dream. It goes like:
- c!Ponk wakes up
- Checks his messages
- There’s a bunch of people freaking out about an Ender Dragon???
- Ponk decides it’s not his problem
- He gets some coffee and walks out to see there’s an Ender Dragon scratching up his lemon trees as it devours as many lemons as it can get its claws on.
- The Dragon fuckin’ looks him in the eyes as it guiltily reaches out to get another lemon.
- Ponk sips at his coffee and decides this might as well happen
- Honestly, the poor thing is rail thin and covered in scars, if it wants the lemons it can have them.
- After like five minutes of watching the Dragon try to scrabble around the trees and clearly struggling, Ponk remembers he had a fresh harvest the other day
- He goes and gets the basket, saving a handful for himself, and then offers it instead.
- The dragon is skittish, but once it sees it’s being offered food, it happy hops out of the trees to eat from the basket instead.
- Ponk considers his job done, and goes back inside to get breakfast.
Ponk: *gives Dream a place so he can eat easily and sometimes give him snacks*
Ender Dragon!Dream: is this friend? This is a friend, I like friend, give friend gifts
Ender Dragon c!Dream doesn’t understand a lot of things, but he understands food and that someone who offers him good food freely is a kind person. He was expecting to have to fight c!Ponk for the right to access the lemon trees, but Ponk clearly doesn’t mind sharing, so obviously, the correct response is to share in return and keep the lemon tree man safe!!
Actually, out of everyone on the server except MAYBE c!ew!Ranboo, Ponk is probably dragon Dream’s favorite person. Ponk is the only one he’ll share his hoard of golden apple with (when Ponk is having really bad phantom pains and Dream doesn’t understand what’s wrong, but he can understand pain and he doesn’t want the nice lemon tree man to be in pain).
Now I imagined Dream trying to shove golden apples in Ponk’s direction because!!!! Friend is hurting!!!! Make the pain go away!!!! But he can’t make the pain go away and all he can do is be there holding his Lemon Tree Boy and hoping he gets better
c!Dream is just a creture in his feral state, and he doesn’t understand why his friend is hurting. There’s no scent of blood or sickness, but c!Ponk is flinching and his face is scrunched up and he’s struggling to reach up into the lemon trees today. There’s something wrong but Dream doesn’t know what.
He manages to push Ponk down off the ladder very gently and back into his den. Once Ponk is safe, Dream can fly back to his own nest to retrieve a few of his very precious golden apples (they taste like safety and warmth). He brings the apples back, and offers them to his friend, who is still safe in their den. The friend just laughs softly, but won’t take the apples, trying to push them back.
Dream’s very saddened by this. He whines and gives his best sad eyes until his friend finally takes an apple and bites into it. Unfortunately, the apple doesn’t seem to be enough :(
All Dream can do is curl around his friend and try to keep them safe as they battle whatever demons he can’t see. Maybe that will be enough?
Ponk thinks that it is.
The image of Ender Dragon Dream getting bribed with food is so good. Everyone just starts carrying a stack or so of fruit, cause I assume Dragon Dream has a big appetite. Apples suddenly becoming the new hot commodity.
It takes awhile for his appetite to build back up to where it should be, but yes! He’s hungry! For the most part, c!Ponk’s lemons (and a handful of apple trees Ponk grows with a large helping of bonemeal), are enough to keep him well fed, and Dream will also hunt for himself sometimes (he likes to eat cows most, and will hunt non-ender hostile mobs if they’re in his spaces).
Usually, bribes are more of a way of signalling that the other person is not a threat, or is sorry for what they did. That’s why if the offense is minor (just wanted to pass through his space) a bribe is likely to be taken. Something like a golden apple will even get a person forgiven for shouting/waving a weapon around at him. But attempt to harm him purposefully, being people who he recognizes as Threats (c!Sam, c!Quackity mostly tbh), or trying to hurt someone under his protection (c!Ponk, c!Ranboo, c!Techno, c!Bad, c!Punz) will result in a violent response that people cannot bribe him out of.
In your dragon c!dream au, does the end cristals help him heal? If the answer is yes, does someone make some cristal for him to recover?
End Crystals absolutely help him heal up! c!Ponk sets a few up carefully near his orchard after deciding that he likes having a Ender Dragon around to scare off his shitty ex, much to c!Sam’s chagrin. c!ew!Ranboo also makes several and puts them on the grid where c!Dream sets up camp, as well as few up in the commune. Dream is very fond and protective of his crystals, and letting someone get close to them is a huge sign of trust!
In your ender dragon loose on the smp au, when does Dream return to normal, and how does that go?
Well, it doesn’t happen quickly or all at once. c!Dream has been using a hybrid suppressant (his mask) without any breaks for most of his life before it finally shatters, and between that and the stress on his body/mind, the result is a long period of feral behavior. Several months at least. But he starts to come back to himself as time wears on, his memories and ability to recognize people returning gradually.
Still, even during this period he’s pretty heavily influenced by his instincts, and it takes ages before he figures out how to shift back into his hybrid form. c!Ponk helps by taking c!Fundy hostage until Fundy gives some advice on how to shift back since Fundy is also a shifter (tbh the hostage taking is mostly an excuse for c!Quackity, Fundy was happy enough to help not have an Ender Dragon running around the server).
By the time Dream is feeling enough like himself to be at that point though, he’s up with c!Ranboo in the arctic. He’ll still fly down every other day to make sure that Ponk is safe and doing well, but other then that he’s spending most of his time in the snow. When he shifts back for the first time, ew!Ranboo and c!Punz help him out with the recovery + aftermath + catching him up on everything.
Dream’s strat for dealing with all this is pretending it never happened and nobody can prove it. He’s joining the war on Ender Dragon Deniers on the side of the Deniers. But he still makes sure to keep an eye on Ponk and leaves golden apples + specially brewed potions to help out with the aches.
C!Ponk out here proving people will pack bond with anything including but no limited to; dogs, cats, misshapen pears, a bent tool, a particularly favorite weapon, a lemon tree, and a big dragon who likes to eat the lemons off of said lemon tree.
c!Ponk likes to joke that after his bad breakup, he’s become a crazy dragon man instead of a crazy cat lady. c!Sam fucking hates that c!Dream in his feral dragon state is clearly making Ponk way happier and helping him recover after their disastrous relationship. But like. The fuck is gonna do about it. Ponk has a smug grin and a huge fucking Ender Dragon curled protectively around him. Sam can’t do shit.
C!Sam: THIS IS A DANGEROUS ANIMAL AND I HAVE TO TAKE IT IN CUSTODY
C!Ponk, with Dragon!Dream in his lap, purring: sir this is my cat
It’s a little more like,
c!Sam: You are harboring an evil monster! I have come to arrest both of you for your crimes. Surrender now or I’ll use force.
c!Ponk, with a very protective and pissed off Ender Dragon wrapped around him: lol bitch go ahead and try it.
For the Dragon Dream au is there another ender dragon in the End or is Dream that dragon? Also are ender dragons rare both hybrids and normal ones?
There is an Ender Dragon in the End! There is exactly one Ender Dragon per server, it’s born with the server and it dies with the server. It can be “killed”, as is traditional when people go to the End, to prove people on the server’s worth, but the dragon isn’t actually dead at this point. Instead, it just goes into a dormant state. The dragon can be respawned by players for a challenge/tradition, but as long as the server is alive, the Dragon can also respawn itself if it disapproves of things happening in the End.
Ender Dragon hybrids are extremely rare, nearly unheard of. That’s because player hybrids occur (at least to start) as a very rare spawning glitch. The more often a server would attempt to spawn a certain mob, the more likely you see a spawning glitch and get a hybrid player at some point. Since Ender Dragons are only ever truly spawned once, and it’s a process the server dedicates a fair bit of energy too, Ender Dragon hybrids almost never happen. Even wither hybrids are more common, as withers can be summoned time and time again with each wither being a new spawn with the possibility of glitching.
Also of note for this AU (and my other AUs that involve hybrids), there are two kinds of hybrid players - founders and non-founders. Founders are hybrid players created by the process described above, through a spawning glitch. They have no genetic family/relations, but can have children. The age that Founders spawn in as varies slightly by species, but it’s usually about 3-4 years old in human terms. Non-founders, which is the majority of hybrids, are descendants of founders, and as such, have genetic relations. It can be hard to tell them apart, but notably, founders have a higher likelihood of being shifters, and when in their hybrid/mob form, founders will almost always be treated like a mob by other mobs. Non-founders are usually treated like players, with limited exceptions (piglins, endermen, withers, with no data on ender dragons).
Additional lore for my minecraft hybrid ideas.
- Founders (player hybrids generated by a rare server spawn glitch) are handled by the server that they spawned on. Most servers have a rule that if you find a founder (which are usually toddler age), they get brought in to the admin to be registered (birth certificate, basic medical exam, checking they’re actually a founder and not a lost child). Larger servers usually have a person in charge of handling founders.
- While some servers, particularly large ones, have strict rules on who can adopt founders and a full adoption process, smaller servers often have “finders, keepers” policies, as long as the finder is deemed by the admin as capable of raising the child.
- Listen when there’s 12 of you on a private server, and the guy whose been farming withers for like 20 days straight shows up with a rambunctious toddler, you just have to make it work.
- If the person who found them can’t take care of the founder, and/or there’s no suitable parents on the server, then the founder is usually transferred to a hybrid run server that best matches their mob type.
- Hybrids can use various magic enchantments to suppress or hide hybrid features. In the modern day, most hybrids use this magic for medical reasons, since hybrid traits can sometimes be dangerous or make life hard. Particularly if a person is a non-founder, which has a more mixed bag of hybrid traits (ie, blaze hybrids with fire powers but no fire res). Certain hybrids may chose to hide for safety reasons, particularly rare hybrids or those who grew up on dangerous servers.
- The chances of finding a Founder are low but never zero. Most people have at least heard advice for what you should do if you find one, although the quality of that advice varies wildly.
- Founders don’t usually speak any human languages natively, but they appear to understand the first language that they’re spoken to in. Research on why this occurs has proved inconclusive, although evidence suggests that the first player to find a founder may influence the founder’s code.
- Sometimes you just Find A Child and then it’s your goddamn problem. Good luck!
In your ender dragon Dream au(s), going of your personal lore of hybrids, how did Dream grow up? Like, what server did the ender dragon glitch out in, and who took care of toddler Dream? Because they must have noticed a lack of big scary dragon.
Also, small question, would this have happened the second a player stepped into the end, or right when the server was first created? I adore your hybrid headcanons, they're so good!
I think the second question is actually vital to address first: the glitch happened when the server was first created. The server’s Ender Dragon is created with it. Most servers don’t interact with their Ender Dragon for months if not years after creation though. In the case of this particular server, it suffered from glitches and instability from it’s creation, due to the lack of a proper dragon.The admin never realized that was the cause though, because the glitch is so rare.
As a result, c!Dream’s spawned in alone in the End as a toddler. Luckily, being an Ender Dragon hybrid, the Endermen in the End helped him for several weeks, and he learned the very basics of survival. Eventually, the server admin couldn’t fix the glitches and decided to reset the server, something that ejects players into the next closest server that will take them. Players usually leave the server before that happens because it’s easy to get lost, but the failsafe kicks in if they get stuck for whatever reason.
On the next server over, Dream once again was in the End, but this time there was a proper Ender Dragon present. It was a server that kept the End closed, so the Ender Dragon was still active.
Now, Ender Dragons usually never meet one of their own kind. Despite this, as Dream quickly learned, they tend to be protective over hybrids of their kind on the rare chance they meet them. So up until about age 8 or 9, Dream was being raised by an Ender Dragon. He was curious about humans, as the Dragon would tell him stories about them, but unwilling to go meet them out of fear. After all, Players kill the Ender Dragon. For a regular dragon, that’s fine because the death isn’t real. Merely a changing of state. Dream isn’t a regular dragon though. He doesn’t want to die.
After slowly figuring out enchanting with the help of some Endermen, Dream finally manages to make his Mask when he’s nearly 10. It lets him blend in as a human completely, and it’s very strong. After that, he “kills” the Ender Dragon and returns to the overworld of the server.
This is when c!Badboyhalo discovers there’s a child on his server. Dream is a quiet child at first, but he seems to understand English, and after some time, Dream manages to give his story: He was on a server when it reset, and ended up in the End. He doesn’t remember where he came from or who his parents were, but he made the mask to protect himself from Endermen.
Obviously, c!Bad believes the child, and there’s a period of searching before it becomes clear they won’t be finding Dream’s home server. Dream is just fine with that.
After that, Bad… sort of adopts him? Dream is a bit too independent and divorced from the concept of parents to be adopted by this stage in his life. While Dream enjoys people plenty, he’s not socialized to behave like one. c!Sapnap whose around Dream’s age is Dream’s best friend, and the two spend a lot of time together. Bad really does try to keep an eye on Dream, but the child will just vanish whenever he feels like it. The server is generally safe, so Bad kinda just lets Dream run around since he doesn’t know how to stop him. Dream learns how to change servers, and will come and go as he pleases. There’s not much Bad can do about that.
Despite Bad’s attempts to create a parental emotional connection, Dream just doesn’t pick up the signal. Bad is a friend to him above all else. A mom friend, yeah, but a friend all the same.
"violence is second nature to him" ...oof. a lot of stuff about dream's everything probably makes sense to bad + dteam after the dragon thing comes to light doesn't it, lol.
Tbh, I think out of everyone, c!Bad’s the only one who really understands after he finds out c!Dream is an Ender Dragon hybrid. Even prior to all of this, Bad had wondered if maybe, maybe there was a chance Dream was a hybrid founder of some sort. Never would’ve guessed Ender Dragon though.
Once he finds out about that part, the rest of the puzzle clicks into place. Dream was raised by mobs primarily up until age 10, and Endermen / An Ender Dragon were his primary role models. Now, if you aren’t aware, Endermen believe in solving their problems with murder. Ender Dragons also believe in solving their problems with murder. Frankly, Bad is mostly shocked that Dream didn’t solve problems with murder more often. The territoriality, absence of key social skills, difficulty processing certain emotions, goal centrist moral code, etc all click into place. It creates a complete image that explains a lot of things.
For the rest of the dt, I think they take it worse and struggle with it more. c!George in partiuclar hates the idea that Dream was keeping this from him the entire time. That Dream was lying and hiding something this important. For c!Sapnap, he’s not exactly happy, and to some extent he uses this as a mental justification for how Dream wasn’t ever really his friend, but like, he also kinda gets it? Ender Dragon Hybrids are incredibly rare, so much so that they face a much higher risk of kidnapping/exploitation. They have no formal servers as refugees, and there are no public figures who are openly Ender Dragon hybrids. Dream staying hidden is a choice that made total sense. Doesn’t mean he’s super happy about it though.
Does the glitch only happen on servers or does it happen to a private world somrone created for themselves?
Cause it's really funny to think of a random 53 year old man who's been in his own world since he was 15 or something and he just has 7 hybrid children lmaoooo
I think, at least for the Feral Ender Dragon AU, pure private worlds aren’t really a thing. Worlds take so much work to maintain that few admins would be able to run more than one. Sometimes if servers have several admins, then an admin might also help out in other worlds, but that’s as close as you’ll get. Not only that, but it’s pretty dangerous to be a on a purely private world. If something goes wrong, you’ve got no one to help you. You can get trapped, killed, seriously injured, etc, and you’d be a full server transfer away from help.
So, while the glitch could happen on a private server, it’d be pretty unlikely. Also, private servers will have less mob spawns, so a much lower chance of the glitch occurring in the first place. The glitch is also pretty rare. To go off the example you gave, a 53 year old whose been on a private server since he was 15 might have found one founder. Maybe. If he was doing a lot of intensive mob farming, the odds would increase to “he’s probably found one”.
Dream being raised by mob is genuinely hilarious and fascinating. Dream is a founder, which make the mob see him as one of his own but does he has mob instinct, like, considering most mob reaction to players is Murder, how does Dream first meeting with Bad goes, did Dream just tried to murder Bad on sight, how did Bad react to a feral child trying to kill him
Well, c!Dream was raised by an Ender Dragon and Endermen, both of which know of players, and told Dream stories about them. Dream was aware he was a player for a long time, and when he went to the overworld, he was looking for them intentionally. The Dragon who raised him knew that he needed to go back to players eventually, and encouraged this.
It helps that c!Bad looks like an Endermen, just a bit. And he’s a reasonably agreeable person when talking to a young child. So their first encounter is relatively peaceful, and Dream quickly takes to Bad as a friend.
The violence part of Dream’s raising doesn’t really show until Dream gets threatened. He roughhouses hard and the first time he and c!Sapnap are out late and mobs come out, Sapnap wants to run away because that’s what he’s been told to do, but little Dream sees a Skeleton aiming a bow at him, and he’s OFFENDED. He’s pissed off they would even TRY. He’s got an iron sword (that Bad doesn’t know the source of and does not approve of) and he tears through several mobs on their way home.
Do you, perhaps, have anymore interaction between c!Ponk and c!Dream?
c!Ponk’s favorite gift from feral Dragon c!Dream is a series of holes dug into his orchard.
See, back when he was planting a few extra trees, he had to dig holes for the saplings. It was painstaking work, particularly since his arm wasn’t cooperating, but he pushed through. After all, at this point he was nervous about this Ender Dragon hanging around his farm. The new trees were meant as an offering of sorts. In hopes that he might be left alone.
So, Ponk dug the holes. He spent the whole morning digging, getting through about a quarter of a new row, and then went inside for lunch.
When he came back out, there was a dragon in his trees, munching down on lemons. It had the look of a child with their hand in the cookie jar when it saw him, but he tried to ignore it. Pretend he didn’t see it. Hopefully it wouldn’t bother him that way.
Ponk got back to his digging, well aware of the eyes watching his every move. Watching him struggle as he finished the hole he’d been working on before his break.
After maybe half an hour, he heard something move. The beat of wings and the tap of talons against the ground. Ponk didn’t look up, he knew better than that. Looking might startle the dragon.
It wasn’t until he heard a tell tale thump of dirt to his right that he startled, looking over to see that the dragon was much closer than he’d assumed. Talons now grimey as they pulled loose another clump of dirt and grass from where the next hole needed to be. The dragon froze when it saw it was being watched, tail swishing anxiously, as if worried it had messed up.
After a long moment, Ponk let an awkward smile cover his face, giving a nod of appreciation and turning back to his own work. Beside him, after a few seconds, he heard the digging resume.
The work went quickly after that, having a dragon helped a great deal, and before Ponk knew it, all the holes were dug for the new saplings. He turned to thank the dragon for their help, only to find them flying off. Still skittish, or maybe just tired. Ponk grinned, still sore from the day’s worth of work, but no where near as exhausted as he expected to be. His good arm wasn’t even feeling the strain.
Originally, he’d been digging this row in hopes the extra fruit would convince the dragon to leave him alone. Ponk was pretty sure that wasn’t going to work, not like he thought it would anyways. No big deal. He was happy enough just having an extra row of fruit for his new friend.
Enderdragon!Dream 🤝 Ponk
Loving lemons and the lemon tree
They bonded over fruit trees and a shared disdain for c!Sam, and really what more is there to friendship than that?
Does Dream have options on other fruits like apples, Golden Apples, melons, other things or are they just not as readily available as Ponk’s Lemon trees are?
It’s mostly the simple matter of availability and proximity to the prison. c!Dream is very fond of golden apples in his feral dragon state, and can be bribed into returning stolen armor or other objects with a couple. Regular apples/other fruits are also acceptable bribes for not being bothered by an Ender Dragon (assuming the person involved didn’t start shit).
That being said, he does have a fondness for lemons in particular, even when given the choice between lemons and like apples. This is because, at least in my headcanon, Chorus Fruit tend to be kinda sour + bitter, so they don’t taste too far off from a lemon! Even though they look different, the similar flavor reminds Dream of the End.
Also, to clear something up with my feral Ender Dragon c!Dream AU:
c!ew!Ranboo loves Dream in his feral Dragon form. They spend a good deal of time together, and ew!Ranboo has shown c!Dream Snowchester very proudly. There’s something about c!Dream being in his dragon form that just Has The Good Vibes with ew!Ranboo’s instincts.
c!Dream is very fond of Ranboo in return, and likes to check up on him to ensure he’s safe and well. That’s his friend after all! However, c!Dream, in his feral dragon state, cannot tell the difference between ew!Ranboo and normal Ranboo.
So, while ew!Ranboo is having a GREAT time, c!Ranboo keeps having a fucking Ender Dragon show up on his doorstep that won’t leave unless he spends some time with it. Dream is loud when he doesn’t get attention, and will resort to breaking down walls if he feels Ranboo is taking too long. Ranboo and Tubbo are both in misery. Tubbo a bit less so because he’s not the one who gets scruffed by a dragon when he was trying to sleep in. He is the one who has to deal with Michael though, assuming Michael doesn’t manage to get to Dream first (at which point they then have to tolerate a Dragon babysitter for a few hours b/c Michael adores the Cool Big Lizard that shows up sometimes.
c!Ranboo with no memory of this giant fucking dragon that’s now outside his house: “Hi, I don’t know why you’re here but I’m kinda freaked out right now so could you maybe leav-”
c!Dream, delighted to see his small Ender friend is doing well, but disappointed his friend took so long to come out because they have things to do: *scruffs Ranboo like a kitten and walks off into the forest*
c!Tubbo, watching all this go down from the kitchen with a sleeping Michael in his arms: 🧍♂️
Does Ender Dragon Dream have a sixth sense for hostility or is it just 'I suddenly felt the need for Murder'
Tbh, it’s less a sixth sense for hostility, and more of a ‘despite being a feral ender dragon, c!Dream still has vague memories of months of torture and starvation and that has left him extremely reactive to certain people/people with weapons of any kind’. People without weapons, and who haven’t engaged in torturing him, are fine to pass by. People starting shit (yelling at him, holding weapons, threatening one of the people he cares for, etc) are at risk of being mauled by a dragon.
Certain people who he trusts can carry weapons around him, but it’s just those people. Everyone else needs to put them away or not go near the dragon.
Is there any lore you wanna just toss into the void that it tumblr?
For my currently posted AUs?
Hmmm
For any AU where c!Dream is an Ender Dragon hybrid, I like to think he actually loves obsidian. The block makes him feel safe and it gives him a homely feeling. Obsidian is his oak wood. It adds a new context to why Pandora uses so much of it, besides the obvious security features.
It just… feels right. Other homes, other block types, they make him feel unstable. Like he might ruin whatever’s around him. Obsidian, bedrock, endstone. That’s all he can really trust under his feet. Anything else might break. Of his three choices, obsidian is the only one he can easily access. It’s all he has. The only overworld block that made him feel at ease.
Too bad Pandora took that away from him too.
Is c!Punz in the Ender Dragon Dream Au just sitting there like '...This wasn't part of the plan.'
c!Punz isn’t sure if this was the backup plan to get c!Dream out of prison or not. He doesn’t think this is right, but like, Maybe c!Techno was taking too long?
It’s hard to tell, because he’s currently desperately trying to avoid feral Ender Dragon Dream and find excuses to not hunt him b/c Feral Dream does not understand The Plan. Feral Dream does not understand lying. Feral Dream does not understand double agents. Feral Dream only understands that Punz is friend!!! He would like to curl up around him and share fruit with him.
As much as Punz wants that too, he’s trying his best to keep both of them safe, and he doesn’t have the same excuse c!Ranboo does. So he has to stay hidden :(
Awwww poor c!Punz ;; let the poor man cuddle the giant fruit loving murder lizard
They do get to cuddle eventually!! Once ew!Ranboo has smuggled c!Dream up into the arctic and they’re relatively safe from prying eyes, c!Punz is able to stop by and spends like 3 days getting smothered by his feral dragon friend.
c!Dream is just!! So happy!! He Finally Found The Friend!!! And They Stayed!!
Punz is having mixed feelings, he doesn’t like all the new scars he can see, but Dream has put on weight and seems happy enough, and is curled up around him and that’s a lot more then they’ve had in a long time.
He’s sad when he has to leave, lest they be discovered, but he’s happy for the time they had. It was good to be able to feel like Dream was safe, if only for a bit. Any time away from prying eyes is welcome. Even if they didn’t actually escape those entirely.
c!Techno, whose still in his dragon denier phase, 100% noticed Punz and almost killed him b/c he thought Punz was there to hurt Dream. The Dragon Who He Refuses To See. It was only Dream’s delighted reaction and some eavesdropping that prevented him from acting on his rage. He’s still not sure what’s going on between them, but he does catch the hint that Punz might not actually have betrayed Dream after all. Techno keeps quiet though. After all, he’s still not aknowledging the dragon, let alone the dragon’s friends.
“LMAO, c!Techno’s attitude in this AU reminds me of Sergeant Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes: "I hear NOTHING, I see NOTHING, I know NOTHING.” :p" via @x-i-l-verify
I don’t know that man, but c!Techno’s entire take in this universe is “The feral ender dragon hiding in my neighboor’s house absolutely does not exist, and I have no feelings regarding them. But also if I find someone trying to hurt this non-existant dragon, I will kill them without hesitation. Also I’m leaving meat out for no particular reason, and if there’s a dragon attempting to cuddle me and I don’t fight back, then nope, that wasn’t a real thing, L on anyone who thinks it was.”
What do the others on the smp think about ender dragon Dream's obsidian hoard cave on top of the grid?
Like, I don’t think anyone’s happy about it, but like, what are you gonna do? Tell him he can’t live there? You gonna go yell at the dragon that can and will canonically kill you with a snap of his teeth? Who doesn’t even understand what you’re saying?
Objectively though, it’s decently out of the way, so most people just decide “this might as well happen”. It’s better then some of the alternatives. Foolish was kinda worried about the dragon settling down in his summer home because it came sniffing around at one point, but luckily, Dream found the grid and used that instead. Now Foolish is just sad he couldn’t convince it to settle down in the skephalo mansion.
when enderdragon!dream goes to the syndicate for the first time, what does he think? because first of all, the ground is cold and wet and he sinks in it, and the stuff the ground is made of also falls from the sky????? that can't be right
Cold is fine by c!Dream, he doesn’t mind the cold, even if he loves curling up by fires.
But snow? Snow is Strange and Weird and he is delighted by it. When c!Ranboo tries to sneak him up to the arctic for the first time, part of the reason c!Techno finds out about about Dream so quickly is because Dream spends like 4 hours running around and playing in the snow before ew!Ranboo can lure him into the cave that he set up. Techno just looks out his window and there’s a dragon racing around and rolling in the snow. And he just. Looks the other way. Draws the curtains. He’s not going to deal with it.
*shows up like a drug addict* do you have the good stuff? The Ponk and Dream interaction? Do you have it?
After awhile of getting gifts from c!Dream in his feral state, c!Ponk realizes that he should give a gift back! Sure, he already kinda does. Like, he makes sure to pick fruit for Dream, he set up the ladders so Dream can reach the fruit without scratching up the trees, and he bakes treats for both of them, but it’s not quite the same. Dream brings him all sorts of things, food, armor, shiny trinkets. Ponk wants to return the favor!
But then comes the problem of what do you get a feral Dragon that wants little but fruit? Ponk gets stuck on that one for awhile, before realizing he’s seen Dream with a lot of various objects (even stopping by the Dragon’s hoard more than once to check up on him, and getting a very eager tour), but he’s never seen him with a weapon. He’s not sure why, but even while collecting other things, Dream has been adverse to picking up weapons. Ponk assumes this is likely because weapons would be hard for Dream to use in his dragon form, and are less shiny than armor. Also, things like swords would be hard for him to pick up.
In his dragon form, this isn’t much of an issue, but Ponk has already been warned by c!Bad that Dream should shift back at some point. It’s still a ways out by all predictions, but it will happen. Dream being caught without a weapon wouldn’t be great.
So, the obvious answer, is that Ponk should make something for him!
Ponk gets some help from c!Foolish on the design, and sets about making a really weird sword. It’s a large double edged straight sword with a mechanical handle. The handle, through a few twists and dropping some latches, can go from a two handed weapon, to broad enough for Dream to grip with his teeth in his dragon form. Both for safe transport, and just in case Dream doesn’t feel like putting his mouth or claws on whatever he needs to kill.
It takes nearly two weeks to make a version of the idea that Ponk is happy with, but when he’s done the sword is an exceptionally sharp masterpiece. Enchanting it takes no time at all, it’s just the standard stuff really. The next day, when Dream comes by for lemons, Ponk presents him with the gift. The dragon takes a moment to realize the sword is for him, before quickly figuring out how to hold it in his mouth and spending the next few hours delighted as he runs around and hitting things with his new weapon. Both of them have a lovely day.
Ponk is awoken the day after by a series of panicked texts from Foolish.
Foolish: hey, ponk, so you remember that sword you asked me for help making?
Foolish: idk how, but it looks like Dream go ahold of it?
Foolish: like, because of that weird broad handle you wanted to make, he’s got it in his mouth
Foolish: ponk pls answer there’s a dragon with a sword running around and none of us can get it away from him.
Foolish: he wouldn’t even take golden apples as a trade.
Foolish: ponk did you give him the sword on purpose?
Ponk reads all of this, and promptly rolls over to go back to sleep. His gift is working as intended!
By the way, whenever someone asks for Ponk and Dream interaction, it's always the same person, it's always me. I'm very starved and your aus are the only food I've had in years
Tbf based on tags I have an idea of who you are, and I don’t mind supplying the c!Ponk and c!Dream interact.
Extra tidbit:
c!Ponk post c!Dream-remembering-how-to-not-be-a-feral-ender-dragon is a bit sad about losing his dragon friend. But he understood it wasn’t going to last forever. Still, Ponk keeps a stock of fresh fruit easily accessible for anyone stopping by, and if he sometimes sees someone keeping an eye on him from the shadows or an extra set of potions show up at his doorstep, well that could be anyone.
There’s an understanding between him and Dream that it’s safest to keep their distance. The rest of the server basically accepts that Ponk’s friendship with Dragon Dream was simply a matter of possession of fruit. Nothing deeper that needs to be examined. Nothing that needs to be held against Ponk in the long term. That’s the easiest answer.
But then Ponk is out adventuring and does something stupid. He takes a nasty fall and hurts his leg, damages his flesh arm, and is generally pretty busted up. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, but he’s far from the main SMP, nightfall is coming, and he’s got no shelter. Sure, it probably won’t be a canon death, but is sure going to be a miserable night. c!Foolish is on the other side of the SMP and he’s asleep by now.
So, out of desperation and knowing he’s up towards the arctic anyways, Ponk sends a message to an old friend.
There’s no reply. No evidence. But after less then half an hour, there’s a familiar beat of wings. Quieter now. Purposeful.
Ponk closes his eyes in relief as big, delicate talons scoop him up out of the ravine he fell into. It’s awkward for the Dragon to half-fly half-clamber out while holding him, but Dream manages all the same.
Once they’re out, there’s a healing potion wrapped up in a leather pouch with toothmarks being carefully dropped into his hand. Ponk takes it and it works wonders, stitching up most of the damage but leaving him exhausted. The Dragon won’t let him sleep just yet, prodding him until he climbs up onto it’s back.
They don’t fly- Dream is still too small for that. Ponk isn’t sure if he’s just always going to be small or if he still has some growing to do. Instinct says it’s the latter. Ponk wonders if Dream might take him flying one day, if he gets big enough? He’s not sure. He’s not sure if either of them will live that long.
For the time being, Dream races through the trees. Light on his feet despite being an entire dragon carrying a full person on his back. They aren’t headed back to the main SMP. Almost certainly for the best, too many eyes there. The air grows cold, and Ponk finds himself grateful that Dream has decided to be warm. It’s enough to ward off the chill in the air.
After they break the treeline into an open Tundra, it’s not long before the Syndicate’s cabins come into view. Ponk’s never been particularly close with any of them, but he’s never had a bone to pick either. When Dream skids into the settlement, landing lightly, Ranboo is the only one to open his door. Eyes purple, and a smile on his face. He sees Ponk after a moment, smile faltering before he looks to Dream.
Vroops and whoops are quickly exchanged between the two before Ranboo nods and moves to offer a hand, one that Ponk gladly takes. He’s lead inside where it’s warm and safe and there’s a couch that looks just fine to spend the night on. Even though it doesn’t appear like Ranboo is speaking English at the moment, Ponk offers his thanks anyways.
When Ponk looks outside, the dragon is gone. Footprints slowly being erased by the falling snow. Not a trace left behind of what happened, except for the memories. Sometimes it’s better that way.
I think you mentioned ender dragon Dream stashing his hoard on the obsidian grid? Does it just sit there or did he build a little platform so the gapples don’t roll off the edge or
Okay, so the thing with Ender Dragons is that they really don’t have to worry about pests/wind/weather/etc. They keep their hoards out in the open without any fear, because Endermen know better then to steal from a dragon. At most, young Endermen will pick stuff up and move it around, which isn’t concerning for a dragon.
So, at first, c!Dream in his feral state just has everything spread out on the grid. He doesn’t see anything wrong with this plan.
And then it rains for the first time.
c!Ponk wakes up in the middle of the night to find a wet Dragon huddled outside his house, clearly freaked out by the rain.
Thankfully, once Dream’s brought inside and dried off, Ponk finds out that he wasn’t hurt by the water, just spooked. Ponk spends an hour calming Dream down and trying to explain that Rain Is Normal, and it doesn’t work, but Dream is comforted by Ponk’s presence. They fall asleep together near the fire.
The next day, the rain is gone and Dream flys back to the grid after helping Ponk with picking fruit.
He’s emotionally devastated to find his hoard scattered about by the rain. He flies straight back to Ponk to get his friend and whine about his hoard being ruined.
Ponk tries his best to help clean up the hoard, but he doesn’t have a good solution for keeping it safe and dry, because Dream keeps trying to put it back on the grid. In the end, they run out of time in the day, and Ponk goes back to bed.
Luckily!! ew!Ranboo is here to help! He understands the problem, and has access to a lot of obsidian for Reasons. He builds Dream a roof over the center of the grid, as well as some walls and an expanded platform. Basically a cave. Dream is delighted by this, and moves his hoard into the cave, kept nice and safe from all this strange overworld nonsense.
Dream still runs to Ponk whenever it starts storming though. The lightning freaks him out.
Chapter 10: Dreamon Improv AU - 1
Chapter Text
Going back to my “c!Dream is possessed by a dreamon but neither of them know what they’re doing AU” I wanted to clarify some things.
- First and foremost, is that both Dream and the Dreamon are in a state of “I didn’t think I’d get this far”.
- The Dreamon has never had someone try to combat it by severing ties before, and frankly, it doesn’t know what to do. As mentioned previously it really doesn’t want to be exposed as Dream has managed to convince it that his friends are capable of trapping it in Limbo. But it also isn’t actually great at social interaction so it doesn’t know how to mend Dream’s relationships.
- Meanwhile, Dream is over here making up bullshit on the fly with 10% of the information and no impluse control. He is astounding at the amount of lying he has managed to get away with.
- Now it’s worth noting here that as an Admin, Dream is fucking weird. He’s very powerful and skilled, but he uses all of that power and skill to run a backwater near vanilla server for like 20 people.
- Although when I say skilled, I mean Skilled in the way of a self-taught programer whose never had to do code review even once. Does it work? Yes. Exceptionally well. Could any other human being understand it? No. Not for a second.
- He can create stuff on the fly though, even complicated ideas.
- Like, for example, a god.
- Or a weird, vague death system.
- Or another dimension inaccessible without that weird death system.
- Yeah, so basically c!Dream totally made up the idea of canon deaths and limbo, and then used DreamXD to implement them.
- Oh, yeah, right, DreamXD!
- So what’s up with this guy?
- Well, the long and the short of it is Dream created him.
- XD was a server process (visualized as little dream blobs), specifically the server process that prevented End portals from activating. “XD” was just his designation.
- Early on in his possession, Dream managed to wrench back enough control to have a few minutes in the meat suit. He used this time to collect a buclet of milk and call XD to him.
- The he did something that any reasonable admin would call “batshit insane” and “utterly irresponsible”.
- Going off what he knew (the end poem and basically nothing else), he turned XD into a player of sorts. He used the milk as raw material to give XD a body, and then he fractured off a part of his own “soul” to give XD proper life.
- Specifically, he gave XD a large part of all of his memories of loving & caring for the members of the server. How he became friends with them, and that desire to protect them. He gave XD a concept of love, and then he gave him three more things.
- Admin abilities came next, transfering near full control of the server to XD and blocking c!Dream out of almost everything.
- Second, he gave XD his mission. “Keep them free. Keep them safe. Try not to get hurt, if you can. After I change back, you’ll need to stay away from me.”
- Finally, he was able to give XD a rough breakdown of how the death system needed to work (a quarantined dimension with time flowing differently to disrupt the infection capability of the Dreamon), but by then the Dreamon had finally managed to get some control back.
- XD left with his new mission, a barely stable mess of code with plenty of internal conflict between his initial status as a pure program and now his new status as a player.
- For quite awhile, XD sits back and watches. He takes the time to learn more, about what it even means to be free. About what it means to love others, what it means to be safe.
- Finally, he starts interacting when Wilbur and Schlatt “die” (in reality, both were very susceptible to the Dreamon’s infections due to their compromised mental states and required time away to recovery before they hit the critical point.)
- XD starts out rather shy but gets steadily bolder as time wears on and he gets more comfortable with human interaction and begins to develop his own personality.
- Also he still protects the end, even if the portals wouldn’t work anyways. Because!! That’s his first job!! It’s in his nature!!! Go away Technoblade!!!
- XD is an absolute mess, but he’s trying his very best! He has very complicated jobs, with no easy answers, but he’s working at it!
- c!Dream is very proud of him. The Dreamon fucking hates him.
- Oh speaking of c!Dream, he retains two admin abilities, both of which the Dreamon cannot access due to the complexity of them
- First, resurrection. (This is actually just a teleportation command, shhhh)
- Second, for various reasons he needed to retain the ability to alter player code. Mostly to enable resurrection, but he figures out it can also be used to alter/block memories to some extent.
- The Dreamon really wants access to these abilties, unfortunately, despite it’s best efforts it’s unable to understand c!Dream’s weird spaghetti code.
- I feel like I should probably explain Ranboo’s role in this AU soon, because he is a central figure, but like, I’m not sure if people are emotionally ready for that mess so I’ll leave it for now.
is it the dreamon or dream that says "i can bring people back to life" to get tommy to not kill him in the final disc confrontation? bc if it was the dreamon that's hilarious bc the dreamon /doesn't actually know/
He assumed (correctly) the Dreamon would bargain for it’s life and conveniently it did. c!Dream faked it out as something that he “let slip” and was begrudgingly willing to do, but in reality, he absolutely did not want the Dreamon/himself to “lose three canon lives”.
Why? Because he’s been bullshitting this entire time, canon lives are not an actual thing, and despite having transferred most admin abilities to XD, and convinced the Dreamon that he can meaningfully die, he’s still the server admin and can’t actually be separated from the server.
If he dies three canon deaths, then the Dreamon would realize that and c!Dream loses a major hold over it (the fear of this new death system).
As a result of all this, he ended up in the shiny new prison that he commissioned. There were back up plans though, namely c!Punz steps in to give him time to get away, or c!enderboo would also be able to teleport him away, although at the cost of outing that ally. In an emergency, XD might also interfere, although he would do so less directly.
In the end, Dream’s plan worked out really well. Kind of. Prison served it’s purpose for him, it let him safely physically and emotionally distance himself from the majority of the server, with some minor hiccups:
- c!Sam and to some extent c!Quackity got way too emotionally attached, although less to c!Dream as a person and more to their own idea of him. The Dreamon was able to use those much weaker bonds in minor form, but ultimately it was still severely starved of connection.
- c!Ranboo not being allowed to visit was a big problem for reasons I’ll get into when I talk about c!Ranboo’s role in the story. It was very distressing for both of them.
- c!Dream was the one who killed c!Tommy in the prison, not the Dreamon, and it was one of the worst moments in all of this for him, and that’s saying something.
- It didn’t go down the way c!Tommy remembers it, mostly because at the time, c!Tommy was like 99% infected by the Dreamon due to extreme close exposure and high levels of stress. By the point that c!Dream realized there was no other way out, c!Tommy was heavily under the Dreamon’s influence.
- As a result, c!Dream had to kill Tommy (reversibly) before the infection took hold and killed him and the entire server. He hated himself for it, and it’s a moment that haunts him quite profoundly, but he really had no other choice in that situation.
- Then he had to wait long enough for Tommy to be at least moderately disinfected in limbo before he could bring him back. It was a pretty horrible period for him mentally, and one of the few times that he considered just giving in.
- This moment is actually a big part of the AU for me. I’ve seen a lot of Dreamon AUs where the Dreamon kills c!Tommy and it’s entirely out of c!Dream’s hands. I think it’s a lot more tragic and painful if c!Dream had to kill c!Tommy himself.
- Even if it was the only choice, even if he knew c!Tommy would come back, even if he knew c!Tommy died no matter what, he still had to kill c!Tommy with his own two hands, and it fucking hurt.
- Anyways putting that aside the prison went pretty well. Can’t win ‘em all.
So… c!Ranboo in my Dreamon Possession AU.
- It starts when XD pings c!Dream/Dreamon with an emergency situation: He’s found a player in the void.
- Despite XD being aware of c!Dream’s situation, he still has to defer to him in this situation as this new player is not a part of his programing. Not unless they’re on the server.
- Curious, the Dreamon allows c!Dream to investigate, not having much to lose.
- What they discover is a heavily infected c!Ranboo, damaged almost beyond repair.
- Now, as mentioned previous, the “Dreamon” is less of a classic demon and more of a parasite or a virus in this AU, and while the Dreamon is the dangerous and prolific virus around, it’s not the only one. Lesser ones do exist, like those that target players instead of admins.
- c!Ranboo has a lesser parasite, but it’s a sophisticated one all the same.
- The Dreamon takes one look at him and demands that c!Dream come control the meat suit to get rid of it. It has no desire for competition.
- c!Dream takes a look at this kid, infected, half eaten by the void, crying, and he knows what the kind thing to do here is.
- The infection is bad enough to the point where most admins would just finish the job quickly.
- But c!Dream is nothing if not most admins.
- Using a bit of power from XD, he manages to stabilize c!Ranboo enough to get the story out of him.
- c!Ranboo got infected, and the parasite tried to use his family as fuel (ie, eat them) to further itself. However, c!Ranboo managed to teleport himself out into the void on his home server before it could kill everyone.
- Plainly, c!Ranboo himself asks c!Dream to fix him or kill him. Either is fine by him. He just doesn’t want to be used to harm others.
- Now, c!Dream does not have the time, energy, or enough admin access to fix c!Ranboo’s infection in his current state.
- BUT, c!Dream knows that he could, once he does the impossible and rids himself of the Dreamon.
- So, he refuses to kill c!Ranboo.
- Instead, c!Dream does what he’s done best this entire time;
- He comes up with an insane solution.
- What do you do with a violent parasite that you can neither kill nor cure?
- Well. You make it forget what it is and what it’s goals are.
- There’s a tradeoff here. In order for c!Dream to properly isolate the parasite and remove it’s memories, he has to leave it control of the body most of the time.
- Meanwhile the real c!Ranboo will only be able to be out for short periods of time when c!Ranboo himself has the energy to overpower the parasite, or when either c!Dream or XD can provide that energy for him.
- Then, with the Dreamon growing increasingly impatient, c!Dream has few other options but to release the freshly memory less p!c!Ranboo onto the server.
- So… yeah. The “primary” c!Ranboo (p!c!Ranboo) that most of the server knows… isn’t the “real” c!Ranboo. The “real” c!Ranboo (ew!c!Ranboo) is only free during certain periods that the others know as Enderwalk.
- The reason that the p!c!Ranboo has no memories is because, well, he’s not a real person. He’s a parody of his host’s personality that can’t remember he’s a parasite.
- The real c!Ranboo, the original, is stuck in his own body most of the time, watching this imposter live out his life; making friends and meaningful connections after having ruined the real c!Ranboo’s life. Unknowing of what they really are.
- All of this really only has one upside; due to p!c!Ranboo not remembering anything, and them being the primary operator of the body, and also being an infection rather than a real player, the Dreamon can’t establish a solid connection to them based on ew!c!Ranboo’s emotional connection to c!Dream.
- This means that ew!c!Ranboo can safely know the truth about the Dreamon, help c!Dream against it, and also just like. Have a somewhat stable emotional connection that can’t be used against either of them.
- Other than that though, it mostly just sucks.
- It’s the best c!Dream could do under his circumstances, but it still hurts ew!c!Ranboo to be sidelined in his own body for such a long time, and later to be treated like he’s the problem for taking back control in limited periods.
- This boy is not having a fun time.
Help I just thought about how Techno's omnipotent voices would see Dream and just go sus sus imposter sus because they would know that isn't really Dream
So!! You’ve actually hit on another important story beat that I haven’t touched on yet! c!Teachno!
In the Dreamon AU, c!Techno’s chat is a virus/parasite not unlike the Dreamon or c!Ranboo’s infection. The difference is that Chat is more like a common cold, they’re largely begin (although difficult to remove) so c!Techno’s opted to just put up with it.
This is actually really good for c!Dream beacause while c!Techno’s chat doesn’t make him immune to infection like c!Ranboo, it does pose a serious problem or the Dreamon. If it attempts to infect c!Techno, Chat is very likely to detect it. Chat would also help c!Techno resist infection, causing problems for the Dreamon. This, added to the fact that c!Techno is by and large mostly mentally stable, makes c!Techno a second safe ally for c!Dream. Getting trapped together in the prison was a risk, but c!Dream wasn’t ready to break out yet (he needed more time to starve the Dreamon further and gain back power) so he took that risk and it paid off. The Dreamon wasn’t willing to risk discovery.
does philza also have the chat virus/parasite?
Nope!
I’ll just make a lil masterlist for my Dreamon AU here actually for reference.
Infected by a virus/parasite:
- c!Dream - Infected by the Dreamon, very deadly admin targeting parasite.
- c!Ranboo - Most of the time the parasite is in control but lacks memories so does not know it’s a parasite. Moderately deadly.
- c!Techno - Infected by “Chat” a largely begin parasite, it would be a pain (and risky) to remove, so he’s chosen to just live with it. Unlike the other parasites, Chat isn’t actively attempting to infect others. Instead, it would only be passed on if c!Techno has any biological children. Chat could not overpower the Dreamon (although it was able to offer significant protection against the egg) if it attempted to infect c!Techno, but it would absolutely notice & be able to offer protection.
- c!Bad/the Eggpire - Infected by the Egg, a virus that tends to play the long game. Got uninfected by a mix of player intervention and DreamXD working from the sidelines with information from c!ew!Ranboo. The Egg was a strong enough parasite to have poised a serious threat to the Dreamon, but was unable to gain control of the Admin (c!Dream) and so was unable to prevent itself from being wiped out.
Has Some Other Resistance/Protection:
- DreamXD - By virtue of being a freak of nature, a half-player created directly by an admin from a chunk of their own soul, DreamXD is basically uninfectable. Given enough time, a parasite could possibly evolve to infect him, but it’s going to take a very long time and overall is unlikely. Basically he’s the very first (and only) person running Linux, and a janky version at that, so he’s incomprehensible to most parasites. Also to pretty much any admin but c!Dream himself.
- c!Philza - Naturally has a lot of resistance to parasites due to plenty of exposure in the past. Not an admin, but has worked with them closely in the past. Would probably notice if he was being infected and nothing else was going on.
- c!Slimicile - Due to being a mutated mob, he’s also difficult to infect for the same reasons as XD, but he’s not impossible. Also might feel something was off if he was being infected, but wouldn’t have accurate words to describe it like Philza would.
so Dream gets rid of the dreamon eventually right? (right??) what does the aftermath look like?
Ooo! The Dreamon improv AU.
So um,,,, uh,,, I’m hesitant to give this one away. I’ve actually got an outline for the dreamon improv AU, and if/how c!Dream gets rid of the Dreamon is actually a pretty major part of it. There’s two main ways that it could shake out, depending on what I’m feeling like when I get to writing it. Both are similar, but differ in a key way.
The aftermath would be complicated no matter what. By this point, the others would’ve figured out that c!Dream was possessed, and between ew!Ranboo and XD they probably understand why he had to do what he did. The biggest problem going forward would probably be the matter of c!Ranboo. I’d imagine a lot of the aftermath would focus on him and what to do in his situation.
Since I can’t give you in depth info on the aftermath, you can have some angst instead:
In this AU, c!Ranboo did still lose two of his lives while enderwalking. One of those lives he lost because he tripped and fell down while running down a janky staircase in one of c!Dream’s bases. c!Dream teases him for this at first, until he realizes the reason why ew!Ranboo fell. It’s because ew!Ranboo has spent so long detached/not in control of his own body that it’s changed. c!Ranboo got taller since he got infected, and it’s fucking with ew!Ranboo’s muscle memory. He can’t even run down stairs anymore.
Of all the things to be upset about, this feels almost silly, but ew!Ranboo still ends up crying in frustrating into c!Dream’s shoulder for a bit. It’s a bad time for both of them.
Dreamon improv AU and Eldritch Dream AU are funny to me because they’re on opposites sides of the spectrum for most characterization. Like, c!Dream in the Dreamon AU is the only one in on everything, and is nothing but relentless spiteful determination and bone deep exhaustion in equal measure. Meanwhile Eldritch c!Dream is 90% puppy energy and 10% ability to cause great harm without meaning to.
And then XD in the Dreamon Improv AU is a very young part god part player that’s fumbling around trying to solve anything despite his strange creation, learning how to be human. Contrasted to Eldritch XD whose the eldest sibling and cares about little else. Does not really attempt to be human at all.
in your dreamon improv au would that one time in exile where dream gave tommy a riptide trident be when dream had more control than the dreamon? like hes relatively nice in that stream from what i remember
So!! You have to remember the respective goals of c!Dream and the dreamon.
The Dreamon wants to infect enough other people to be able to completely consume the server and have hosts to go infect other people. It’s primary method of infection is through (mostly) positive emotional connections between other members of the server and it’s admin host.
c!Dream wants to Dreamon to be unable to hurt the rest of his server. In an ideal world, he would like to be able to get out too, but ultimately his main goal is ensuring the Dreamon isn’t able to infect the rest of the server.
Previously, admins have attempted various traditional methods of removing this strain of Dreamon, and so far, nobody has succeeded. c!Dream is aware of this. He knows that the Dreamon is too heavily entwined in his code to be removed by any current methods. He also knows as the admin of the server, he cannot be killed to protect the other members of the server (although the Dreamon actually doesn’t know this b/c of XD and limbo).
So, c!Dream’s impulsive idea that he 100% committed after about 10 seconds of thought was “Okay, well, I have very minimal control, how quickly can I ruin every relationship I’ve ever had?”
Surprise!! This is actually the first successful defense anyone’s ever found against this strain of Dreamon. Because of c!Dream’s doing his best to drive almost everyone he knows away (he does still need allies at various points, and he picks them carefully), the Dreamon is unable to immediately infect anyone. It’s left floundering as it has to try to undo the damage c!Dream did, rebuild relationships, all while avoiding letting anyone else know that c!Dream is possessed. All made more complicated by c!Dream having the help of c!ew!Ranboo and XD. The Dreamon also grows slightly weaker as time goes on, as it’s not built to last for long periods without a consumption phase.
Taking all of that into account, when you look at something like c!Tommy’s exile, the Dreamon’s goal was to get a close personal connect to c!Tommy so it could infect him properly. c!Dream didn’t want that. Instead, c!Dream managed to trick the Dreamon into setting c!Tommy’s exile close to c!Techno’s cabin, hoping that c!Tommy would just peace out right away.
So something like c!Dream sharing his trident with c!Tommy (as well as the whole birthday party set up) was actually the Dreamon attempting to manipulate c!Tommy. Because c!Dream’s only goal is to get c!Tommy away from the Dreamon.
A lot of time, you can assume that most actions with a positive effect on a personal relationships are the Dreamon. Meanwhile, c!Dream is trying to ruin those relationships. He has very limited periods of control, but he can set the tone of interactions that the Dreamon has to play along with to avoid detection. Hence the name “Dreamon impov au”. It’s a very fucked up game of improv where the Dreamon has to “yes, and” c!Dream while trying to salvage the situations it finds itself in.
XD was born with the server. The admin brought an egg to the void, an offering in exchange for a world. Delighted, the void obliged, and when the Admin built processes, XD was created 628th. Its Admin told it that he used letters instead of numbers because it was easier for him to keep track of them. XD didn’t care either way.
In fact, the only thing XD cared about for a long time was ensuring the End stayed closed. That was XD’s purpose, and it did exactly as it was told, monitoring the portals, ready to reject any requests that didn’t come from its Admin. Sometimes, its Admin would come by the portals. During his visits, XD would take on a physical form. A white blob that all process could appear as. Its Admin requested that they were physically present, so they obliged. The visits were short. Sometimes a code update. Sometimes, its Admin said it just wanted someone to talk to. Its Admin told XD that it was his favorite; he thought XD’s designation was cute. XD created a marker in its code, but the tag “Favorite” did not correspond to any known classes. when it requested clarification, its Admin only laughed. Its admin was strange like that sometimes.
XD never knew how long passed between visits. Time was irreverent to its process, so it did not track it. As long as its code was running correctly, it had no need for its admin. It was doing its job, and that was all XD was made to do. It was content.
DreamXD was born at night, in a stronghold far from spawn. The stronghold was their Admin’s favorite place to visit XD. It was where their Admin, Dream, like to rest. Like to work on his code. Liked to update XD those rare few times it required updating.
Its Admin visisted XD at the stronghold, but something was wrong. Even XD, a process made for nothing but preventing portal creation, could tell somehing was wrong. Its Admin wasn’t right. The verification step was passable, but there was something Other clinging to its Admin’s code. XD appeared for its Admin anyways.
The Other was there, but not overpowering. Not yet. It Admin grinned at the sight of XD.
“Hey buddy! I’ve got a new job for you, if you’re up for it?” XD nodded. It was a process. It was up for any job its Admin designated.
“Okay, just come ‘ere, let’s see if this shit works…”
DreamXD could not quite describe what happened next. Few things are capable of describing their own birth. One moment it was a server process, made to do one thing and one thing only. The next, its code was updating to run hundreds upon thousands upon millions of lines. Complicated, intersecting lines, contrictions and values, and it was all too much and-
“Holy shit, okay, I didn’t. You’re good, you’re fine. Listen, I don’t have long, I need you to listen, okay XD?”
And it- they did.
“Your tasks are the following, in order. First, keep them free. Second, keep them safe. Third, try to keep yourself safe too, if you can. Got it?”
XD- DreamXD- Oh god, it had a body now. This was so much more complicated than a blob, but somehow muscle memory that wasn’t its own kicked in and managed to nod. Affirmation. They understood their mission. Maybe.
“Good. There’s- Uh- it’s in the main server comments, directions. For something I need you to implament when you can.
I’m transfering admin control to you. Don’t give it back to me unless this fucking virus is gone. Actually, keep away from me as much as you can. So it can’t infect you too. That should- Fuck.”
With their new sensory inputs, DreamXD could feel the Other more clearly. Could understand it as something to be feared. Oh. They could feel fear now. Abstractly, but there. They needed to leave. As their admin- As Dream crumpled before them, DreamXD sent a teleportation command to bring them to a different stronghold. Gone. Safe. But still home.
Home. Were strongholds home? They were what XD was most familiar with, but Dream thought of them as exciting. There were memories of adventures drawing near their ends. Of being almost home. There were records of a life spent entirely within the space around portals. DreamXD had both, and they did not know how to reconsile them.
Logically, they knew what happened. They would recongize their admin’s core coding anywhere. It was inside them now. It was them. DreamXD didn’t know which was right. There was too much to sort through now. Most of their new code wasn’t throwing up errors, so XD ignored it in favor of their task. The server comments would have directions. Directions were easy. XD could do directions.
They opened up the right section and began to pour over Dream’s directions for a server afterlife. It would take time and energy to build. There was no existing template for a life system like this. But XD could do it. And maybe when they were done, they could get around to sorting out the code twisting up their chest with emotions they weren’t ready to understand.
Maybe.
Also, Dreamon Improv AU DreamXD takes awhile to learn how to process human emotions. The first emotion he properly learns is Love because that’s his core. He learns how to process that one on his own, although he doesn’t fully understand how to love until much later.
The second emotion he learns is spite. The third is pettiness. He learned both of these from c!George and this is a decently large part of why he has Foolish build him a huge statue. It’s to fuck with the Dreamon when it gets out of prison.
c!Dream pre-Dreamon, holding up XD, his favorite blob to c!George: “Look!! His designation makes a face!! I love him!!”
c!George, tired but making a mockery of attempting to be polite: “Uh huh, that’s very nice. I’m glad you’ve decided to get emotionally attached to your server processes. This won’t complicate upgrading them or overhauling the server in the future. I’m sure no problems will arise out of this.”
- two years later-
c!George, dreaming, eyeing DreamXD suspiciously: “… Why do I feel like I should know you?”
DreamXD, panicking just a little: “Because you’re an idiot and also shut up + ratio.”
The end poem prophecies the origin of people in simple terms, milk and love. Sane people take this as a metaphor for birth and care. c!Dream took it quite literally when he created DreamXD. Both were right, in a way.
DreamXD was, is, the first of his kind. A body made from milk given new form, and a core composed of another’s love. After an initial shock, he learned to understand the love placed inside of him. He could understand it rationally. How bonds formed. How they drove people to care about one another. The love he was given allowed him the complexity needed to operate autonomously. It gave him motive, but it was never really his. He knew that.
DreamXD was made of milk and love in the most literal sense. But, as he discovered with time, that wasn’t quite the whole truth.
XD was loved before he was DreamXD. It permeated his existence in little ways. Even as a server process there was a tag in his code that marked him as “Favorite”. The physical form he took on to interact with his admin was always treated carefully and affectionately, despite lacking the complexity for most sensory input. His admin made time to visit just to see him. Just in case he got lonely. XD was a server process. He had no need for love, but it was given to him anyways.
Dream could’ve chosen any server process. There were thousands. Some might’ve been physically closer or more complex. More capable of handling the new code it needed to. He chose XD out of love. That love helped create DreamXD, shaped him in ways that neither of them would really understand until much much later.
DreamXD tried not to think about it. He could feel something inside himself, something ever so slightly alien to the borrowed core. Something that felt just a little like it might be his own. Trying to consider it closer hurt, so he left it alone, for now.
After all, he had a mission. Getting rid of the Dreamon had to come first. His job was to keep them free. That’s what his admin had asked of him. DreamXD was created for a reason, and he would not fail.
Sometimes though, during the long periods when the rest of the world slept. When the Dreamon was too starved and exhausted to notice. XD couldn’t help himself from peeking. It was never a pretty sight. Sometimes, that tiny little part of his code, the part that still had the tag ‘Favorite’ embedded into it, urged him to shift to his original form and comfort his admin.
DreamXD never listened. It was too dangerous. He always left like his Admin had told him to. His job was to keep the rest of the server safe. Following his mission had to come first. No matter the cost to his Admin. No matter how that tiny shard of himself ached.
Also the highlight of the dreamon improv au for me would be an admin from any other server walking in, seeing the absolute fuckery of code that is DreamXD and losing their minds. What is that. Why is the server process a person now? Why would c!Dream ever do that? How did c!Dream do that? He split his fucking core???? While infected by a virus??? He got infected by a virus and he thought this was a solution??? What does he mean it fucking worked????????????
c!Dream, gesturing at DreamXD: Look, I made a new person to take over my admin duties while I was possessed.
Literally any other Admin: You’ve fucked up a perfectly good server process! Look at him, he’s got anxiety!
“Someone has to record this into the Admin Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), and they are *NOT* happy about it”
via @tigerterror
Oh no, this isn’t the sort of shit that goes into SOPs. This is the sort of shit that goes into case studies and get published into research papers. Probably using limited information on the methods or something specifically so people can’t replicate this bullshit.
Like, let’s be clear, c!Dream managing to create an entire person from a server process is something that both shouldn’t and probably can’t be done by any other admin. Splitting off any part of a person’s core is incredibly dangerous. Giving it to a server process along with full admin control and a vague mission? Absolute insanity. 99/100 times this goes really, really wrong.
DreamXD only worked out because of a mixture of additional factors. XD (and c!Dream’s server processes in general) already being weird due to c!Dream’s quirks as an admin, DreamXD being able to take a significant amount of time to figure himself out before having to interact with people, c!Dream already being hyperaware of which parts of his core contained his love for other people and correctly splitting off a section of that (mostly due to the Dreamon’s infection being concentrated around those parts), some amount of luck, and a few other things present in the little ficlets I’ve got floating around.
There’s also some other aspects to all of this, consequences of sorts that I think I’ll keep secret for now. There’s also the matter of the aftermath that I’m still deciding on. The least of which I’ll say is that the only reason c!Dream doesn’t suffer more for creating DreamXD is because he’s too overwhelmed with suffering from the Dreamon + certain other people to notice most of the harm done by DreamXD’s existence.
Never gonna get over Dreamon au George just not giving a fuck just wanting Dream and in that being the biggest threat to dreamon au Dream's plans. Absolutely captured canon George's vibes and Dream being like "that is sweet but also very concerning" kills me
Dreamon AU c!George has no fucks to give. He’s got a literal god as a replacement friend after his last best friend went mad and murdered a child and he’d take the latter back in a heartbeat if he had the chance. DreamXD doesn’t fear much, but c!George is up there. If it wasn’t for all the love that c!Dream has for him that got given to DreamXD (along with Dream’s love for all the server members), he’d probably be a lot more scared of him.
I wanna know more about dreamon improv AU George
Give me the facts
Honestly, beyond what I’ve already said there’s not too much going on with Dreamon improv AU c!George. And that’s on purpose. DreamXD is literally using his power as an admin to keep George asleep specifically so he can’t go get involved or go help c!Dream. In order to starve the Dreamon, Dream needs minimal emotional connections. The only way that works on George is if he’s kept far away and out of the picture with a replacement.
I think the biggest thing to note about him is how he shapes DreamXD as XD is learning more and more about being a person instead of just a server process. George might be using DreamXD as a replacement for Dream, but he does still see them as separate people. He sees DreamXD as a person, and treats him more or less as such. XD learns how to process the various emotions he has, and grows quite a bit as a result.
What's Improv Dreamon!Ranboo's thoughts/opinion on the people his amnesiac dreamon is close to (Tubbo, Tommy, Michael, Techno, etc.)?
Oh! Great Question!
It changes throughout the duration of the AU, c!Techno is probably the person he’s closest to out of the group. This is for two reasons, the first an foremost being that c!Techno is very careful to not pressure p!Ranboo into anything he doesn’t want to do. He’s hyperaware of the fact that p/c!Ranboo is easily coerced into stuff and is careful to not take advantage. ew!Ranboo appreciates that a lot. He’s also more trusting of Techno on account of him being an ally of c!Dream, despite all the fuckery going on there.
Michael is a lil complicated, while ew!Ranboo does love him, he’s also extremely nervous about having p!Ranboo being around a small child. Also, he doesn’t really like c!Tubbo being around the small child. And he doesn’t feel ready to be a parent given all the instability in his life. None of that is Michael’s fault though, and ew!Ranboo doesn’t blame him at all.
I think the most complicated person is c!Tubbo.
Early AU, ew!Ranboo hates c!Tubbo. Flat out. This is a mix of factors, starting from the fact that ew!Ranboo is extremely sensitive about p!Ranboo being pressured/forced into any kind of violence. The whole reason he ended up in this situation was the Dreamon possessing him attempted to murder his former family/friends (and managed to kill several of them). Tubbo having him be a part of the Butcher Army and going after c!Techno feels very similar to that. It’s ew!Ranboo being forced to watch his body enact violence he morally disagrees with against other people. He hates it, and he blames Tubbo for it.
It grows about a million times more intense when he finds out about the plan to kill c!Dream at the festival. EW!Ranboo… Well, he’s furious beyond belief. Even knowing that c!Dream is trying to play a villain, even knowing that it wouldn’t work no matter what. Tubbo having p!Ranboo play a part in murdering Dream, the person who saved ew!Ranboo and basically the only person he has on his side, well… EW!Ranboo wholeheartedly wanted to kill Tubbo if he got the chance. He might’ve, if Tubbo had managed to go through with it somehow.
It’s ew!Ranboo who insists that Dream (whose planning his speech at this point, since he’s gathered enough energy and weakened/convinced his own Dreamon enough for it) reveal him as a spy. He wants Tubbo to hate him. He wants Tubbo to know that he hates him. Dream tries to calm him down and rationalize things, but ultimately gives in, on the condition that ew!Ranboo can’t kill Tubbo. Dream doesn’t want any dead people outside of the strictly necessary.
Then shit goes down, and in the end that doesn’t work out. Tubbo an p!Ranboo end up living together with a kid. ew!Ranboo also ends up isolated from Dream for while which is bad for both of them, although he does have XD to help him. This means that ew!Ranboo has to gather energy to take control of the body on his own, which leads to problems since he’s got no supervision or help. Also he only speaks Ender, which nobody else speaks. He has several run ins with Tubbo, and there’s some violence between them, but ultimately ew!Ranboo cools off enough to keep his promise and not kill Tubbo. As time goes on, his hatred dulls, although it never gets time to go away or heal.
On some level, ew!Ranboo is aware that his feelings towards Tubbo aren’t entirely fair. Tubbo isn’t aware of any of the shit going on with the Dreamons, and he’s not aware of how malleable p!Ranboo is as a a result. A lot of ew!Ranboo’s hatred is misplaced projection. It’s not fair, but nothing about this situation is fair. That deepseated resentment is hard to let go of, and it’s not happening any time soon.
For Dreamon Improv AU:
What's going on with Punz? He's loyal to Dream in canon, but he can't be a positive connection in that AU.
So I’ve mentioned before that different people can get infected by the Dreamon at different rates. “Infection” being my general term for the Dreamon feeding off the connection that they have to c!Dream and using that to take over their mind. If the Dreamon successfully 100% infects anyone, it’s game over. Partial infections don’t lead to this game over, but do give the Dreamon energy. Emotional and physical distance both reduce infection to an extent, but only fracturing the relationship truly kills the bond.
There’s a lot of factors that determine how vulnerable to infection a person is. As a rule of thumb though, people who are mentally stable and emotionally settled are most resistant. Mental instability or emotional volatility both make a person more vulnerable to infection, to the point where if someone is sufficiently weakened and within close physical proximity, the relationship between them and c!Dream doesn’t even have to be positive in order for rapid infection to occur (a la c!Tommy in the prison before Dream killed him to prevent the takeover).
Now, Dream has had time to figure all that out in the AU, and he’s also aware that he’s going to need some allies. c!Techno is an obvious choice because of his relative immunity (thanks to chat) but he’s not enough. Dream needs people who are good at emotionally distancing themselves but good and constant allies. That’s where c!Punz and c!Sam come into play.
Dream picks Sam as the Warden hoping that he’ll do a good job maintaining emotional distance, and that actually works out shocking well. Punz on the other hand, does remain Dream’s ally and is one of the few people on the server who remains at any level of infection, but due to constant distance physically and relative distance emotionally (with Dream telling him to pretend to ally with others to keep him safe), the infection level is relatively weak. Somehow, Punz is also one of the most mentally and emotionally stable people on the SMP, which means he’s better at resisting infection. Not only that, but if Dream needs to cut ties with him, doing so would be relatively easy.
The Dreamon kinda hates Punz, because he’s such a bad food source and the odds of him getting fully infected are slim to none, but it doesn’t really have a choice. By the point before it gets thrown in prison it’s already extremely low on power compared to what it’s used to, and after the prison? The thing is running on fumes. It needs literally anything it can get.
Thinking about Dreamon Improv AU DreamXD again.
He has all these memories of people he doesn’t know. There’s so much love overflowing him that he can’t help but care, but the love isn’t his. It’s borrowed. He’s borrowed. And it doesn’t hurt, because he doesn’t know how to feel hurt.
But then, George happens. Ranboo happens. Foolish happens. XD begins to learn. There’s new memories which ARE his. There’s new, more complicated feelings overlaying the love in his chest. He finds himself wondering more.
XD is still loyal to his admin, he still fulfills his role. He knows how important it is. How important he is.
But he finds himself taking breaks more often. He finds himself pausing to mess with people, to learn more about them. The complicates inside of him build up, and there’s a moment-
Foolish was fixing the statue. The night before, Ranboo, the real one, had hugged XD. Dream was still in the prison, but XD knew that wouldn’t last forever. None of this would.
And for the very first time, XD wonders what happens if they win. If Dream can kill the Dreamon. If things can return to normal.
Will Foolish leave his statue up? Will Ranboo miss him? Will George remember their adventures?
XD is a borrowed soul in a borrowed body, but for the very first time, he wonders if that’s all he is. If he might be capable of becoming more.
XD wonders, and then he moves on. He has a job to do after all.
He hopes Foolish leaves the statue up.
Important note about the dreamon improv AU:
c!Quackity does still torture c!Dream in this AU, but c!Dream isn’t in his body for most of it, so he doesn’t care about the physical damage. What he does care about is that after awhile c!Quackity starts to form an emotional connection with him, and he really can’t be having that.
So you end up with,
c!Dream: Listen, I know you’re going through some stuff right now. It’s just that when we started this whole thing, I thought it was pretty clear that this was no-strings attached. You have control issues, and I’m not in my body anyways. But lately, well, you’ve started lingering and going on long monologues, and you haven’t even asked about the revive book in like two weeks.
c!Dream: I don’t want to be mean, but the demon inhabiting my body has started feeding off our emotional connection, and that’s not good for either of us. So I really need you to either get your emotions under control or this arrangement just isn’t right for either of us.
c!Dream: Maybe you need to start seeing other people? Like a therapist?
Chapter 11: Dreamon Improv AU - 2
Chapter Text
In the Dream on improv au, once (or if i guess) Dream is free from the dream on and can properly communicate with people and live life again, how does he feel about certain characters?
Like, I'm sure he's fine with Sapnap and George, he pushed exactly where he needed to to get them to leave him, but what about Quackity and Sam?
Because yeah, he couldn't feel it, but his friends did still torture and abuse him, and it must have change how he looked at them, knowing what they were willing to do?
So, post-Dreamon Dreamon Improv AU is a whole can of worms that I haven’t opened, because this is the sort of can of worms that has 2 more cans of worms inside. It’s a nesting doll of worm cans.
Once c!Dream is freed, a process that involves everyone finding out what was going on, he’s…
Well, he’s actually not too far off from normal c!Dream’s method of handling trauma. The “I logically understand what happened here, and planned for it to happen, therefore I cannot be traumatized by this”.
Now, there is an extent where the Dreamon’s control on other people has to be considered. While the Dreamon can’t do mind control like the egg can (without having a non-admin fully infected), it can still heavily influence the people around it. Even just being around it for long periods can heavily influence someone’s mental state for the worse. It’s a vicious feedback cycle where the Dreamon can make people unstable, and then uses that instability to get a better grip on their mind.
The best example of this is during the prison arc. Obviously, in this AU, c!Ranboo would’ve never set off the TNT. So who did?
Uh, nobody.
Nobody set off TNT. It was never real.
Instead, the Dreamon causes c!Sam and c!Tommy to believe that it was real. It spends a significant amount of it’s energy trapping Tommy with it with the assumption that Dream can’t do anything to get away this time. In a way, it was right. Dream couldn’t get away. So he had to get Tommy out of the picture, the only way he could.
In Sam’s case specifically, outside of that one incident + c!Quackity, he did exactly what Dream needed him to do. He fully isolated Dream from everyone else and made it difficult for anyone to forge bonds with him. That was perfect for Dream at the time, and he actually took a fair bit of comfort in it. At least during his initial phases of denial, he sticks to that viewpoint. Sam did what he needed to do.
For Quackity, Dream’s denial sinks in further. Quite possibly to the point of forcing himself to be around Quackity to prove he “isn’t traumatized”. He refuses to let others enact any kind of vengeance on Quackity for the torture either, pining most of the blame on the Dreamon. While it is true that the Dreamon absolutely played a part in escalating things, in this situation Quackity still initiated and followed through on things. He could’ve stopped himself if he’d really wanted to, and he didn’t.
I think that both of them know that at some point, but Dream sure isn’t willing to admit it. He wants to believe it was the Dreamon, because he wants it to be over now. Dream needs it to be over now.
This is reflected in the way that Dream handles all the physical changes of his body. He’s spent so long out of control, and his body has been through so much physical damage that Dream no longer registers a lot of physical sensations. Straight up, he has to set timers to remember to eat because he can’t tell when he’s hungry anymore. At some point a skeleton clips him with an arrow and he walks into the community house not noticing that there’s blood covering his whole shoulder.
Using potions Dream tries to push himself physically like he used to. He only sleeps when he passes out (he won’t admit it, but every time he wakes up and finds his body has moved without his permission, it terrifies him).
While Dream completely understands and is very respectful of the fact that other people need time to heal from everything, he can’t let himself do the same. Because healing means he has to acknowledge that he was hurt in the first place. He has to acknowledged that all that pain was real and he felt it. Prior to that breaking point, he refuses to do that. He tries to treat people as if they never hurt him, because he’s still in denial that he was ever hurt.
In Dreamon AU, how does the prison escape go? You've said Dream does get out, but is it the same way as canon? And how does he and the Dreamon feel about it? Also the aftermath - if it goes like in canon, how would it go with Techno leaving Dream, assuming the Dreamon would maybe rather try to stay and form a connection? Though, maybe not, as Techno is a bad victim and the other member's of the syndicate are less likely to bond.
Warning for discussions of suicide ahead!
Prison escape does go very differently!
First and foremost, as I’ve mentioned before, c!Techno has near full immunity to the Dreamon thanks to Chat. Chat is a harmless if annoying virus that latched onto Techno ages ago. It’s not infectious, so Techno always just left it alone. This served in his interests because while the Dreamon infecting c!Dream is very powerful and could overwhelm Chat in it’s full form, in it’s starved and weakened state, it can’t do much. Chat would also instantly alert Techno to the issue, and the Dreamon doesn’t want that.
The prison break itself on the whole looks similar to canon, minus c!Ranboo’s presence and sped up a bit. c!Ranboo never went with c!Sam both because there wasn’t time, and because XD actually took Michael into safekeeping before c!Eret could.
c!Techno was trapped in the prison with c!Dream for 3 weeks (not 3 months or 3 days), and then c!Phil had the sudden thought to get him out. The two of them broke c!Dream out of prison, and at the Syndicate c!Dream went his own way.
At this stage of the AU, Dream has successfully starved the Dreamon to the point where they’re about 50/50 in control, which seems low but is a huge victory for him. Dream also has been saving up energy and focus for the prison break. The Dreamon doesn’t have a reason to protest anything that’s happening, so it converses it’s energy until it realizes Dream’s ultimate plan.
Now, I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned this in previously, but in Dreamon AU, “death” isn’t real on the Dream SMP. Part of how Dream was winning against the Dreamon was he had XD help him create a fake system of deaths and “canon” lives that was actually an excuse to teleport people at high risk of infection out of harm’s way and into a safe place to recover (Limbo). The Dreamon believed that this was a real system of death/life, and because XD took over as the admin, it was convinced that c!Dream could meaningfully die to normal means.
In actuality, all of that was a lie. Limbo is fake, and c!Dream is still the admin. He can’t be separated from the server by any normal means.
There is, however, exactly one thing that can kill an admin. One thing that can kill a Dreamon. It’s the one thing that can kill a player in creative. One very deadly constant throughout any server.
The void.
Now, admins before Dream had attempted to use the void to kill themselves once they realized there was no curing the Dreamon. However, in all cases, the Dreamon was very aware of the danger of the void and simply never let itself be put in that position. Prior admins had little to no control given that the Dreamon was at full power, and the Dreamon had access to full admin commands which made voiding it nearly impossible. Most servers also have hardcoded safety nets over the void in the End, so players that fall just get teleported back to spawn without ever actually touching the void.
In c!Dream’s case, a bunch of factors came together. First, since the End was restricted from the start, there’s no hardcoded safety net. Nobody was ever supposed to be there until much later, so why bother? Second, c!Dream is insane and gave almost all his admin access to the weird kinda-clone kinda-android creature he created that the Dreamon can’t access. So the Dreamon has no significant admin control. Finally, Dream spent ages starving the Dreamon to gain back control over his body and mind. It has very little power, and no connections strong enough that it could transfer out in an emergency.
All of these put together mean that as soon as he’s out of prison, c!Dream is making a mad dash for the closest working portal. He’s got help from XD and c!Ranboo, and he’s single minded in his goal to get to the End and yeet himself into the void.
S-Sif,,,,,, Dream is yeeting himself,,???? My boy????? Please no you have so much to live for. So many eggs to lay.
Is this something you're hiding for later/a potential fic, or can I ask how that particular plan goes? My boy is not yet empty, please do not let him be yeeted
Important notes for the Dreamon improv AU that might help you understand where this is going:
- c!Dream has not thought things through all the way. He’s got a goal (kill the Dreamon), and that’s his entire focus. While he is aware on some level that putting himself into the void will kill him too, and he’s accepted that, it’s not something he spends a lot of time on.
- The void can destroy anything that’s fully immersed in it. Once something is completely covered by the void, it’s gone.
- DreamXD exists.
@dr3amingadream
“ something ,,, dreamon is completely contained within dream, so void will yeet it. but dream is not entirely in the void - bc XD involves part of him - so he wont be permadead bc he’s not been fully claimed by the void ?”
Late because I missed this- but yes! You’re absolutely on the right track with this!
Now, the rough part of all of this is that DreamXD does contain part of c!Dream. A part of his soul/memories/love. It’s how DreamXD was able to be created. By borrowing a piece of someone else (or as the End Poem put it: from milk and love). But it’s borrowed. And since part of Dream isn’t in the void, he could be pulled back. But only if that part of him becomes his again.
Dreamon improv dream, about to do something batshit insane: this is what i call a pro gamer move
Congrats, you’ve discovered the core characterization of Dreamon Improv c!Dream. He also doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he’s going to pretend he does!
Man i reallly want everyone's reactions after the whole dreamon situation is over
Can you imagine what the few sane people in the server's reactions when he finally gives his pov of the whole thing plus his plan?
I'm so sad i can't see their faces and it's just an "i am so done with you how have you managed to live this long oh my god"
I mean, you’re not wrong, although it’s a bit more complicated than that.
c!Dream is laid out for like, at least a week or two after the Dreamon situation is over. His body was running on potions and spite and nothing else. After an experience in the void, he’s going to be down for the count for quite awhile.
Explaining things is mostly left up to XD, whose got his own struggles at that time but still does his best to catch other people up on what happened. ew!Ranboo is able to help quite a bit, although he doesn’t explain his own situation just yet.
Interestingly, once the Dreamon is gone, it’s effect on other people’s memories fades (slowly). This means that people start to recall events more accurately. They’re no longer feeling that emotional alternation, and it’s really fucky.
In particular, c!Tommy, c!Wilbur and c!Schlatt all had close calls with almost getting infected, but the due to heavy influence from the Dreamon, they later just recalled strong emotional intensity. After it’s gone, they start remembering it’s presence and why they reacted the way that they did. It certainly helps people believe the truth about it all.
I think, more than anything, while there’s some what of a “Oh my god, I can’t believe you survived with this nonsense of a plan” vibe, it pretty quickly shifts into a sense of horror. Because as much as c!Dream tries to keep moving, as much as he tries to put everything behind him and pretend he can logic his way out of trauma, it doesn’t really work.
Everyone else gets to watch as Dream keeps pushing his wrecked body forward, refusing to rest properly (or sometimes even at all, sleeping scares him now). As he tries to keep helping everyone else without any regard for what it does to him. And how despite that, he’s still keeping people at arms length (other than Ranboo, whose recovering himself). There’s clearly still a part of Dream that’s scared of emotional connection, because. Uh. Duh. Dude had like a year and a half of living in constant fear of people caring about him. That doesn’t go away quickly.
The worst part is that none of them know how to help, and to some extent are aware that they are likely to make things worse. XD, c!Ranboo and c!Techno were the only safe people for Dream to interact with. XD literally will not tell Dream he’s wrong, and frankly still does not understand humanity enough to know if he is or not. Ranboo is recovering from all his fuckery. Techno lacks the right social skills to handle the situation. Also Techno is dealing with the whole Ranboo thing as well, although it’s a lot easier for him than it is c!Tubbo.
Anyways, basically people are not sure how the hell to handle Dream, which is fair. He also does not know how to handle himself.
c!Dream in the Dreamon AU is just: “I’m going to kill myself in the void or die trying.” Without a trace of irony.
In Dreamon AU previous post, you said that Dream would purposely spend time with Quackity to prove he's not traumatized and I can't help but wonder how Quackity react to that or how other people react, because how do you react to that aside from disturbed horror, I mean, I can see Sapnap trying to get him to stop doing that but then what. Not to mention the whole 'a skeleton clips him with an arrow and he walks into the community house not noticing that there’s blood covering his whole shoulder'
Here’s a very fun list of things:
- The person who actually brings up the fact that c!Dream was tortured is c!Techno when everyone realizes what a poor state his body is in. He names c!Quackity as the one who did it, although he’s not aware of the extent.
- Dream literally would not have told anyone else about it either. When he wakes up and is finally questioned about the situation, he’s quick to defend Quackity. He’s firm that it was the Dreamon’s influence and not Quackity’s fault.
He needs it to be the Dreamon’s influence. He needs it to not be something Quackity would really do. He needs it to be the Dreamon because he killed the Dreamon. He needs it to be over now.- Quackity… At first he’s really not sure. There’s part of him that wants to believe it was just the Dreamon. Certainly, he can now tell in reflection that his mind wasn’t entirely his own. But there’s a part of him that knows that he didn’t fight it. He wasn’t under the Dreamon’s influence when he came up with the idea. He knows better then to excuse himself like that.
- It’s not until c!Schlatt is revived that it really hits Quackity. Because Schlatt was worse off than almost anyone else, maybe c!Wilbur had him beat. Maybe. And now that he’s back and clear minded, it’s easy to see that the Dreamon was influencing him. But Quackity can’t help but still be fearful. Some part of Schlatt was still okay with doing what he did.
- Prior to this realization, Dream had still been… not exactly hanging out with Quackity, but obviously forcing himself to interact/be in the same space as if he’s trying to prove he’s not afraid of him. Even though Quackity can catch him flinching out of the corner of his eye.
- Quackity goes to c!Bad for help in the end, because Bad understands both sides of this. Bad encourages him to give Dream space, but talk to him eventually. Just not right now, when Dream is still such a wreck that one wrong shove might shatter him.
- Also. Yeah. Dream has like, a new insane pain tolerance that’s 50% the torture and 50% the longterm disconnect with his own body. The problem is his body is very fragile, so he can get seriously hurt, not notice, and then collapse without warning. It’s terrifying for everyone but him. He’s just… used to it. He’s accepted this. At least that’s what he tells himself.
- One time it’s walking into the community house with his entire left sleeve soaked in blood. c!Sapnap had a fucking heart attack, and Dream… he was upset that he had to wash his hoodie again.
- The next time it’s a baby zombie biting into his leg three or four times before c!Punz notices and kills it for him. Dream was busy with his admin work and never noticed it.
- The time after that, it’s him coming down with a ‘strange aliment’ where he’s dizzy, cold, and his body gets weak to the point he can’t stand. Dream insists he isn’t sick. It takes nearly five hours of tests for c!Ponk to finally think to ask when the last time Dream ate was. Turns out his alarms were getting annoying so he paused them. It’s been days since he last ate.
- Dream tries to laugh it off. Tries to convince everyone else he’s fine. He refuses to admit it might be a problem.
- Until one day he has a close call with a creeper. Sure, he realized he got blown up, but he didn’t know how bad the damage was to his back. There’s nobody around, and before he thinks to ask for help, he’s lost too much blood.
- When he wakes up (someone found him, they found him and they moved him and he hates that he’s somewhere new how did he get here-) c!Ranboo is there and he’s been crying. Seeing Ranboo, who only had him for so long, who still has trouble opening up around others, crying because he almost lost Dream- It opens his eyes to at least part of the problem.
- Dream is more careful after that.
Chapter 12: Eldritch Dream AU - 1
Notes:
Eldritch Dream AU - Context + Info for other stories.
Chapter Text
To expand on my “Eldritch-c!Dream-who-thinks-the-SMP-is-just-larping” au I mentioned yesterday:
- c!Dream is both an admin and an eldritch creature (admins are often non-human, but not exclusively, and rarely eldritch like Dream), but he does his best to appear as human as possible, largely due to humans in past expressing they were most comfortable with him that way.
- Dream isn’t exactly invincible, but his human body is very much so just for playing. There’s very little humans could do to hurt him, and despite the fact he can technically “feel” pain, he doesn’t really register it. He’s learned how to fake pain and being hurt as a part of pretending to be human though.
- He met the Manhunt gang when he was still very new to humans, and took on a younger form to match theirs.
- Manhunts evolved from Dream really enjoying long, intense games of tag. He loved to run and to be chased.
- To keep everyone safe c!Badboyhalo instated a rule for Manhunts and games in general, if someone called out “Stoplight”, then the game was over.
- c!Dream adored this rule, because he had a really hard time telling when the humans were actually hurt. Despite being good at faking pain, he doesn’t really understand it. Not like a human does. Humans seem so fragile to him, but he doesn’t want to be rude. The word is a nice compromise.
- The Manhunt gang are all aware that Dream isn’t entirely human, he’s a bit too weird for that, but none of them are aware he’s an admin, or just how non-human he is.
- He’s never lied about it, they just never asked and he never thought to tell them.
- Everyone is fine and dandy for the longest time, until…the SMP.
- Dream makes it as a home for his human friends, and he’s very excited about it!!
- Only… then some people he’s less familiar with come in, and they start being weird and mean about things.
- Dream doesn’t understand Wilbur. He starts out upset with him, confused as to why he’s doing what he does, and about ready to just ban him from the server if he doesn’t knock it off. Humans are just too weird for him sometimes.
- But then lucky him! Sapnap saves the day when discussing how to handle the British!
- “It’s just like a manhunt!” Sapnap says, unknowingly offering an explanation for all of this to Dream.
- Of course! It’s a game! They’re just playing a game like they’ve done so many times in the past! Now it all makes sense!
- Kind of.
- Admittedly, this new game is a lot more confusing than Manhunt. Dream isn’t really sure what the rules are, or how he “wins” but he’s willing to play along anyways!
- He tries his best to fit in, tries to play the role he thinks they want him to play. In the Manhunts, the hunters like to pretend he’s the villain, so that’s the role that comes most naturally to him.
- It’s good fun, it really is!
- But… sometimes he wonders if he’s pushing things a little too far? He sees Sapnap cry for the first time, and he wonders. He sees people get very, very, hurt and he wonders. It worries him a bit.
- Sure, those injuries would mean nothing to him, and the tears are surely fake, it’s all just acting after all, but… they’ve never done this much before. Never gone this far.
- Still, he assures himself that if he did actually cross a line, if it was too much, then someone would just call “Stoplight”! They all know the rules, if they aren’t having fun then they can just tap out. They always have before.
- He reassures himself of this time and time again, even when he worries, because he has to trust that the humans know their own limits. He doesn’t like making choices for them.
- And then, one day, in some fight after the prison, after everything, someone calls “Stoplight”.
- Maybe it’s Bad or George out of desperation to stop him, reacting instinctively based on years of fractured trust.
- Maybe it’s an accident, it’s someone who didn’t know. Who never knew, trying to say something else and getting their words mixed up.
- It hardly matters.
- What matters is that Dream stops.
- In an instant his sword is dropped, bleeding injuries are closing enough for him to go help whoever called it. Dream’s body goes from being in tatters to working just fine where he needs it to. Everyone else is stuck in shock
- It’s like cold water to the face. Suddenly, the villain of the server is gone. The Dream they knew before is back and happy to help. His words are kind again, he has no intent to injury, he’s helping whoever needs it.
- Nobody really knows what to do, they don’t understand what happened.
- Until things settle just a bit, and Dream picks up his sword, the wounds he had previously healed reopening to just how they were before.
- “Are we okay to keep playing now?”
- And that’s when the manhunt crew suddenly understands. It hits them like a brick to the face.
- All of this was just a game to him.
- It still was.
- Fuck.
It’s important to me that everyone knows in my “eldritch c!dream is larping but nobody else is” au, DreamXD is his older brother, also an eldritch creature, and knows way less about humans. At first XD just let c!Dream do his thing, but then XD decided he wanted to “get involved with his little brother’s interests” and pestered c!Dream into letting him “play” too.
c!Dream was exasperated but finally told his brother “Fine, okay, you know what, you can be uhhh, a god! You’re in charge of keeping people out of the end, and also uhh, helping me revive the dead with this cool book I definitely didn’t just invent right now. This will be fine. We can let Wilbur play again!”
XD was delighted and procceed to make a “human” form that looks just like his little brother’s, much to c!Dream horror and embarassment. He’s currently not speaking to XD/trying to avoid him because he’s embarassed their human OC match, and also a bit mad that his brother just copied him.
Meanwhile, XD took a little while to get into it, but he’s having fun! He’s very happy to tell anyone who asks that his body is modeled after c!Dream, giggling to himself when he claims it’s because “He was the first human I every saw.
If I do end up writing a LARPing Eldritch c!Dream oneshot, I’m curious what aspect of the universe would people be most interested in me exploring?
Currently my ideas are:
1. c!Sapnap handling the immediate aftermath, trying to understand what c!Dream is and how to communicate to him that all this stuff c!Dream thought was just play was actually very serious and people really got hurt. It would also explore DreamXD a fair bit. I’d want to focus on c!Sapnap’s mental process here, as well as how he struggles in trying to bridge this miscommunication. Particularly given that he doesn’t have great communication skills to begin with.
2. c!Quackity did still torture c!Dream in this universe as the Eldritch reveal is post-prison. So I’m interested in exploring how c!Quackity and c!Sam handle this sort of rug-pull. Both of them thought that at least for a time, they had significant power over c!Dream. c!Sam got obsessive about his ability to have and retain that control, and c!Quackity used torturing c!Dream as a way of feeling powerful.
With the Eldritch/LARPing reveal, both of them retroactively lose that. They never actually had power over c!Dream, he was just playing along with them. Neither of them ever managed to hurt him in any way that mattered, he was just faking as a part of the game.
Moreover, c!Dream after they “stop playing” holds no ill-will towards them. Even as he kind of understands that things weren’t really a game, he still sees both of them as friends. Or at least, acquaintances on good terms. Which is rough to deal with when you tortured the guy. It’d be exploring that emotional impact on the two of them
3. Possibly a look at c!Punz and how he takes all of this? Given that he was on c!Dream’s side the entire time, it’s a harsh realization, but it also probably adds up for him? He’s probably seen c!Dream “step out of character” more than anyone else would, if only due to time spent together. In this AU at least, it’d be a big part of why he stuck by him. So he would have an interesting time reflecting on their time together and all the little puzzle pieces he never quite fit into place.
I’d also be open to other ideas if there’s any specific aspects of this universe that people would want to see explored? Just kinda trying to pin down my focus right now so I figured I’d get some opinions.
How well characters handle discovering discovering that the server’s supposed villain is actually an eldritch horror who thought this was a LARP, an incomplete scale in order from best to worst:
- c!Slimecicle - Thinks that this was a perfectly reasonable mistake to make, and honestly kind of was assuming something similar. Relates heavily to c!Dream’s struggles in understanding humans.They vibe!
- c!Technoblade - Honestly, at this point, this might as well happen. Had very minimal beef with c!Dream, and can understand how this misunderstanding could’ve happened.
- c!Philza - Has dealt with Eldritch creatures previously, and frankly while this isn’t an ideal situation overall, it’s a farcry from dealing with actively malicious eldritch creatures. He’ll take “confused but well meaning and willing to listen” any day.
- c!Tubbo - Shockingly, Tubbo adjusts the most easily out of the benchtrio, and relatively easily over all. This is 50% because he saw c!Dream save c!Ranboo’s life during the reveal (when Ranboo accidentally called Stoplight). The other 50% is because c!Tubbo is fascinated with what the hell c!Dream is, and he’s willing to forgive the whole 2 years of violence if it means he can study a proper eldritch horror.
- c!Ranboo, he’s confused as hell, but c!Dream did save his life, and has answers about Enderwalk, so he’s willing to be understanding about the situation, even if he’s wary for a long time.
- c!Tommy - Listen. He’s having like four emotional crises at once and in denial of all of them. It’s rough. This child needs some time to deal with things.
- c!Wilbur - Somewhere in between denial and anger. He hates the idea that everything that he built up, everything he went through and everything he saw as so significant was ultimately no more meaningful than a game of tag to c!Dream.
- c!Sam - Probably stays in denial the longest out of everyone. The idea that c!Dream was never actually “under control” does not work with his worldview. He varies between flat out denying the situation, and insisting that this is an attempt at manipulation. It’s rough for everyone involved, except for c!Dream, who is between amused, confused and worried for c!Sam. Was c!Sam not ready to stop playing? c!Dream wouldn’t mind if they kept playing, but everyone else seems to not want to play, and he does want to respect that. Also most of the prison stuff was kinda boring, so c!Dream isn’t too keen to go back to just that. Maybe just he and Sam can play part time? Except it seems like Sam gets upset when he leaves the prison even after he said he was done playing to go hang out with Sapnap. And then Sapnap gets upset with him for having gone to play with Sam at all. c!Dream is just trying to make people happy but he’s getting mixed messages right now.
So if c!Dream was larping, what does that make the Egg?
The Egg was pretty much what we saw in canon, it was a hostile force that took advantage of c!Dream being distracted to make a move on his server. Unfortunately for the egg, DreamXD was still keeping an eye on things and helped the players get free/defeat it.
So if Dream was LARPing, how would his closest friends react? We've seen sapnap, but what about George, Bad, and ant frost? Maybe even Callahan and Ponk as the "OG Dsmp members" so technically closest friends in a way?
It varies!
So, c!George is on some level just happy to have his c!Dream back. He’s pissed about their fight still a bit, but since he was never that involved with the rest of the server, and because c!Dream gives him puppy eyes (as best an Eldritch creature can), he’s willing to forgive. Also c!Dream shoos DreamXD away because ugh his older brother is so annoying and really needs to go make his own friends. So c!George appreciates that.
c!Badboyhalo has… a complicated time with all of this. He still harbors guilt for the prison and what happened there. Even if c!Dream is actually fine and was only playing, c!Bad didn’t know that. At the time, he fully believed c!Dream was in pain and a terrible situation, and he didn’t act. Not really. On some level, he also feels as if the whole situation is his fault. He’s the oldest of the group, usually the most responsible, and he feels like he should’ve known. Already c!Bad had suspected c!Dream might be the server admin, and he knew for a fact c!Dream wasn’t human, but it never struck him that it might go this far. There’s a big part of him that feels like he should’ve figured it out sooner, that he should’ve tried harder, tried to reach out to c!Dream more.
When it comes to c!Dream himself, c!Bad is very forgiving. Despite the harm that c!Dream did, c!Bad is the most familiar with the aftermath of manhunts. He’s known for a long time that c!Dream can get very into their games, with seemingly no limits of his own. Watched as c!Dream bounced back the next day from injuries that should’ve taken weeks and held absolutely no grudges. Mix that up with c!Bad’s own guilt, and while he does want to ensure that this never happens again, he really doesn’t consider any of what happened c!Dream’s fault.
That all being said, c!Dream blames c!Bad for nothing. Even as he’s struggling to grasp what he did, even as he slowly figures out how to be upset over the situation, he never believes it was c!Bad’s fault. He assures c!Bad time and time again that he really wasn’t hurt at the prison; that if he was ever actually upset or scared, he would’ve called Stoplight right away. Or just like, teleported himself out.
DreamXD, on the other hand, already was fairly jealous of c!Bad before any of this went down. After all, c!Bad is basically the only other person who c!Dream respects as an authority figure/sees as an older brother, besides DreamXD. Sure, c!Dream still loves XD as his older brother, but like, XD was not a fan of sharing that role with some human (c!Dream reminds him regularly that c!Bad is a demon, and XD refuses to acknowledge that). So after all this goes down, he now has a reason to be pissy with c!Bad, and oh boy does he take it. XD can’t actually do much beyond being bitchy though, because c!Dream would hate him.
c!Antfrost is on a similar wavelength to c!Bad, although he doesn’t feel quite as responsible as much as he just feels guilty. More than anything, he feels relieved.
c!Ponk is understanding of what happened, and frankly he’s so pissed off at c!Sam for how he escalated things and betrayed him, that he’s almost happy to forgive c!Dream. When c!Sam starts to spiral in the aftermath, it weighs on c!Ponk pretty heavily, but he doesn’t blame c!Dream for it at all.
c!Callahan is also an Eldritch being! He’s a friend of c!Dream and XD, and although he’s not as powerful as them, he’s still well above humans. The other server members actually don’t know him well (or at all) as he’s a lot more shy about interacting with humans (also not into LARPing). Jokingly the server members who know he exists liked to call him the server cryptid, and tbh they were right.
Would quackity react the same to LARP Dream as Sam?
No, so c!Quackity is different from c!Sam in several key areas. First and foremost, Quackity isn’t as… delusional? As Sam is. There’s probably a better term for it, but quite basically, Sam, despite all of his horrible, horrible actions, still believes on a fundamental level that he is the good guy. He must be. Because he’s the good guy, all his actions are good. This morality is really important to him. All of what he does is justified in the name of keeping c!Dream under control.
So in the AU where he finds out that c!Dream was never under his control, and basically never will be given that Dream is an Eldritch creature, the admin of the server, and was only ever playing along as he thought it was a game, that… Can’t be true. Because if it is true, if he accepts reality, then all of the things he did were for nothing. He never had any control, and he can never get that control. In addition, now that Dream is no longer “evil”, it forces Sam to reconsider his actions and how justified they were in the first place. That’s something that same refuses to handle, so he sinks heavily into denial.
Quackity on the other hand, is a lot more aware of the fact that morally speaking, his actions are bad. He’s aware that when he was torturing Dream, it wasn’t an action out of pure necessity. Unlike Sam, Quackity is for the most part, aware of his flaws, but he either feels justified due to harm done in the past, or he just doesn’t care. This means that ultimately, even if he hates it, Quackity is a lot more in tune with reality and doesn’t outright reject it like Sam does.
The other really important difference is in support networks. Sam has, at this point in the AU, basically no one. Quackity would be the only real “friend” he’d have left, and because he lied to Quackity about Dream still being in the prison, that bridge also burned. Sam drove everyone out of his life in his obsession for control over Dream, and then he lost that. Moreover, he found out he never had it in the first place.
Meanwhile, Quackity has some strain on his relationships, particularly between him and c!Sapnap after Sapnap discovers what Quackity did, but there’s still support there. Quackity has Fundy, Foolish, and to some extent Wilbur. After awhile, he even gets Charlie back. He also feels the need to be there for Tommy and Tubbo, and he knows that he has to be grounded in reality for that. Quackity still has a lot left for him, so he’s more capable of handling the reveal of Dream.
Sapnap in particular plays a big part in shaping Quackity’s response to the situation. Despite their relationship having issues, Quackity does still love Sapnap, and when Sapnap comes back from seemingly being kidnapped by Dream to reveal that everything was a misunderstanding, well… Yeah, Quackity fucking hates it. He definitely starts out believing that it’s a lie, that Dream is manipulating Sapnap. But time wears on, evidence piles up, Sapnap refuses to budge and calls Quackity out on his bullshit, and unlike Sam, Quackity still lives in reality. So, he doesn’t have much of a choice but to come around.
It both helps and makes it harder that Dream doesn’t carry any grudge. If anything, Dream’s quick forgiveness is probably the only reason Sapnap is even willing to be on talking terms with Quackity at all. On some level, Quackity would prefer that Dream hate him, because it would make him feel more justified in still being mad at the damage Dream did if the feeling was mutual. But it’s hard to hold on to anger when the other person doesn’t share it. So Quackity has to learn to move on. That’s all he can do.
Eldritch c!Dream post reveal, when he’s no longer “in character” absolutely has golden retriever energy. But like, I mean this in the ‘people pleaser’ sense, the ‘will go barreling down a hallway at mach speed with not a single thought of the possible danger to himself or others’ sense, and the ‘walks all over you while you’re laying down and knocks your breath out because they do not understand they are not a lap dog’ sense
Would eldritch dream try make it up to the people he hurt while he thought they were playing? And how? How does he feel about hurting the others when he truly didnt mean to? I guess im just really interested in how dream deals with the situation both internally and externally.
So, there really is no short answer to this. In order to understand c!Dream’s POV, you have to understand his history prior to encountering humans. You also have to understand his relationship with DreamXD and how Eldritch creatures come to exist.
Usually, the process goes like this:
- The Eldritch is born into the void. There’s no singular origin point, they just come into being. They are alone.
- Some time passes, usually a matter of a few centuries.
- During this period, the Eldritch begins to take form. They gain a physical body, and gain more power from the void.
- Through random chance, eventually an Eldritch finds their way onto a server. Once an Eldritch creature leaves the void completely, they cannot return to it. Their physical form is cemented, and they become set in stone as whatever the void turned them into. If they are forced back into the void, then that particular creature is destroyed and starts over.
- Almost always, mass destruction follows, whether intentional or accidental. Almost all Eldritch creatures have no real concept of communication, even with their own kind, and once they’ve left the void it’s too late.
These are the Eldritch that I mentioned Philza having dealt with, but you’ll notice that that doesn’t really add up given what we’ve seen with Dream, XD or Callahan.
That’s because something very different happened with them; they were not alone. Not entirely.
XD was born first, and he was alone for a (relatively) short period before Dream happened to be born near him. Upon meeting one another, they both acted on instinct and tried to destroy the other. But it didn’t work. Eldritch cannot die in the void, only reform. For awhile, the two of them looped in destruction, reforming the other over and over and over again until finally both of them had changed enough to grow bored. Very slowly, they learned to communicate between them. They drove each other to develop more and more complex thoughts, to develop language and emotions. They grew to depend on one another.
Because of encountering each other, Dream and XD both stayed in one place much, much longer than any normal Eldritch would. For a very long time, they’re consumed by each other, and it’s only after they’ve developed for a few thousand years that they finally begin to wonder if there are more of them out there and go looking for them.
Eventually, the two of them discover Callahan and are delighted. They fight him for a long time, engaging in the cycle of destruction and reformation until he too is capable of communicating with them. It’s a lot faster for Callahan because XD and Dream can push him in the right direction.
Once the three of them are settled, they set out again, and that’s when they finally find a server for the first time.
Now again, normally an Eldritch finds a server and they are desperate for it. They have been engrossed in nothing for so long that the only thought in their mind is to consume, to feel. The void has nothing for them, so they leave it without question.
XD, Dream, and Callahan aren’t quite that desperate. Sure, they’re excited by this new world, but XD hesitates.
Callahan and Dream have both never been alone. But XD has. He remembers what it was like, and the thought of losing either of them terrifies him. Nothing scares him more than the thought of being alone again. This new world has something the void doesn’t have: barriers, places to get lost, and it feels more solid than the void. XD doesn’t like that.
So, the three of them don’t enter a server right away, instead, they debate. They argue, they destroy, and they reform. Ultimately, they come to a compromise. All three of them learn to split their “bodies” so that part of them can explore the new world, and the rest of them can stay in the void, together. Just in case anything goes wrong.
Because the three of them still have a part of themselves left in the void, none of them are set in stone. This is why Dream is able to make himself a human body and change it as he sees fit. It’s why all three of them are still capable of change (although they aren’t aware that keeping themselves in the void allows that).
It’s also why Dream fundamentally cannot understand pain as humans feel it. Pain to him means changing, it means interaction and growth. Sure, he’s aware on some level that it doesn’t work for humans like it does for him, but that doesn’t mean he understands it.
Unlike XD, Dream also does not fear losing people (through death or them deciding to leave) because he doesn’t understand the concept of it. He has never had someone leave. He’s never been alone. Even in the prison, he wasn’t really alone because XD and Callahan were still by him in the void.
So, it’s really hard for Dream to grasp the idea at first that all of what went on on the server wasn’t a game. That it was serious and that it was bad. He really is trying to understand humans, but for him, destruction is all part of the cycle. People will always come back, just different. But he wants to try, and he’s willing to change as long as he’s told how.
Internally, he tries to understand it given time. He tries to learn what destruction means to humans, and how he can see the signs better in the future. Externally, it’s less of him “trying to make it up to people” and a lot more of him trying to reconnect with people, learn what they need and change himself accordingly. Dream is very willing to change, but he has to learn how to.
When sapnap and eldritch explain the situation for the rest would they make some new rules for both dream and the others? Or maybe not new rules but atleast tell the others the rules dream has already in place like stoplight.
I can imagine some people wanting to make rules that would greatly inconvinience dream and he would just be like "sure :D"
And for rules for the rest of the server would probably be not trying to confuse or lie to dream in a way that he is gonna get a wrong idea of how to do things or how things work. Like telling him something along the lines of "oh yeah humans like when you do (random untrue thing). You should go surprise someone with that :)"
So, “Stoplight” gets communicated before c!Dream & c!Sapnap even return. Pretty much as soon as those two are out, everyone else tries to figure out what happened. c!Ranboo & c!Tubbo are both incredibly confused but managed to figure out that “Stoplight” was the key word somehow. This gets communicated to c!Antfrost & c!Badboyhalo, who recognize it immediately and begin their respective emotional crises. The others are significantly more skeptical/confused, but when Sapnap & Dream show back up they confirm it. It takes awhile for them to show back up though, because Sapnap didn’t want to go back until he felt Dream reasonably understood why what happened was wrong. And also Sapnap had a clue about what the fuck Dream is.
A good chunk of people are, reasonably, still not happy about it. Admittedly though, it’s hard to make the argument that Dream is faking being an Eldritch horror when he can, you know, be an Eldritch horror.
There’s a fair number of people that want Dream back in the prison. Sapnap gets it (and at this point isn’t aware of what was happening in the prison) but like. Dream being in the prison means nothing. The guy can teleport. Or just break through the walls. Or turn transparent and move out. Also this isn’t his full body anyways. It’s at best security theater, and at worst no different from just asking Dream to sit in one spot and trusting him to do it.
Given that, and given that Dream is totally willing to change now that he no longer thinks they’re in a game, Sapnap doesn’t see any point in putting Dream back in the prison. If Sapnap says no, Dream isn’t going along with it. He trusts Sapnap’s judgement almost over anyone else’s.
Some people do create “rules”, or attempt to, and some of them do attempt to go to extremes. Realistically, Sapnap (and Bad when he joins the party) nixes half of these rules if they involve either meaningless shit or dangerous conditions/unfair treatment (Dream not being allowed to have items, having to wear restraints, not being allowed to fight back under any circumstance, etc). Dream is more confused about what’s going on than anything else, so he listens to Sapnap & Bad for what he’s actually meant to do. He doesn’t particularly mind any of the proposed rules, although in practice he would probably be pretty bad at remembering to follow them.
There’s not like, an official rule against lying to Dream about human stuff. After some time to recover, more than one member of the server definitely does it for amusement purposes. However, Dream isn’t helpless nor unaware of what lying is, and it’s usually never anything dangerous. Most of the time he just plays along for fun anyways though. Esp when it’s Tubbo just trying to cause problems.
In general, Dream is able to grasp a lot of things about humans and communication. He understands what lying is, he knows how to lie and he has a sense of when he’s being lied to. The big misunderstanding stems a lot more from Dream & the other Eldritches having a fundamentally different relationship with destruction. As well as Dream lacking a solid understanding of pain & loss in the way that a human has.
Eldritch c!Dream’s reveal has a pretty significant gap between “everyone figures out something’s seriously up” after he vanishes with c!Sapnap and “everyone else learns what’s going on”. During this period, there’s exactly one person who knows that Dream is some kinda eldritch and it’s c!Philza and this man is so fucking lost.
I mentioned before that Philza has handled/helped handled “normal” Eldritch in the past. Namely, he’s handled the extremely violent and entirely beyond reason Eldritch (basically all of them except Dream, DreamXD, and Callahan). As far as he knew, it was impossible for Eldritch to communicate at all, let alone approximate a person.
And then fucking Dream over here just decided to mess with his physical body giving off an unmistakable wave of Eldritch energy leaving Philza in shambles.
Philza is the only one who (after c!Bad explains the whole Stoplight thing) really grasps what’s going on outside of c!Sapnap. Rationally, he understands it. But it doesn’t make sense with everything else he knows about Eldritch. His time before Dream shows up again is mostly spent desperately trying to get in contact with people who know more about Eldritch, and also explaining to c!Techno that he really needs to stop calling c!Dream cringe for “just leaving in the middle of a fight”. No, “Come on Phil, I went all that way to break him out of jail and he just peaced out!” is not a valid excuse. And “Listen, our relationship is mostly based on me insulting him.” makes it worse Technoblade. That’s an Eldritch horror that’s evolved past anything Philza has seen before. Stop antagonizing it.
Techno does not listen to him. He greets Dream by calling him a Teletubby much to Phil’s horror.
Could it have gotten to the point where Dream called stoplight?
For himself? There’s basically no level of damage that any of the humans could inflict that would cause c!Dream to tap out. Even XD or c!Callahan probably couldn’t get Dream to call Stoplight purely for physical damage. Pain and destruction are a vital part of an Eldritch creature’s growth and development. Given that he’s still in the void, it just doesn’t mean anything negative to him. Destruction and reformation are holy for the Eldritch of the server, and so destruction of himself would basically never cause c!Dream to tap out.
Now, that being said, I could see him calling Stoplight specifically if he was worried about the amount of damage being done to a human and said human didn’t have the ability to speak. If the person was physically incapable of calling stoplight for whatever reason, and there was a lot of physical damage being done to them, then Dream would probably call it himself out of worry. The odds would increase if it was someone that Dream knew well (mostly the manhunt gang) and be even more likely if it was someone like c!George who Dream knows to have a relatively low pain tolerance (in comparison to someone like c!Sapnap or c!Punz).
The thing is, Dream despite being an Eldritch creature, is aware that humans don’t experience pain the same way he does. He knows that for humans, pain and destruction can be permanent and not lead to proper reformation. That they don’t like it in excess. The problem is that he doesn’t understand exactly how different it is. Clearly from their games, humans also enjoy some level of pain and risk. It’s just that there’s this magical limit. Dream doesn’t know where that limit is, he has absolutely no sense of it, so he’s left to rely on the humans to communicate that to him.
Despite being fundamentally different from them, Dream still sees humans as his equals (unlike XD and Callahan who see themselves as at least somewhat above humans). As such, he wants to respect their free will. Given an Eldritch’s relationship to destruction, it would be blasphemous and abhorrent to Dream to deny humans the ability or right to participate. To do so would be to deny them the right to change, the right to become something new.
Wouldn't have Dream called spotlight or freaked out in the eldritch au when Tommy dies in prison? Wouldn't he realize he went too far at some point?
Nope! The key thing to remember here is that c!Dream is an Eldritch AND the server admin. He learned how to become one experimenting with the manhunt crew and created the Dream SMP after a few failed attempts. Limbo is just something he invented as a part of the LARP. He always intended to bring people back when they were ready (and also Limbo gives XD something to do b/c he wanted to get his older brother out of his hair). The only thing that was somewhat unintentional was the time difference between limbo and the overworld. But like, Dream has basically no concept of how humans perceive time, so that doesn’t really bother him. He can still hear both c!Wilbur and c!Tommy in Limbo, so he’d know if either of them called Stoplight. XD also knows to pull people out right away if someone calls it. It’s all impermanent.
Tommy throughout the prison encounter still had every chance to call Stoplight. As far as Dream was concerned, he was just moving the LARP plot along. Otherwise, Tommy would’ve called Stoplight, or if this wasn’t the right direction for their characters then c!Sam would’ve just come back. He’s sure of it. Even if he might’ve hesitated, it all comes back to Dream being sure that everyone knows about the Stoplight rule. As long as the person is physically capable of calling out, then he wouldn’t stop. XD or c!Callahan probably would’ve (assuming that they cared enough to worry), as both view humans as lesser to some extent. Dream doesn’t, he wholeheartedly believes that humans deserve the same ability to decided what level of destruction they can/want to endure.
It can feel very paradoxical. In some ways it is. That’s the natural consequence of an Eldritch trying to fit in among humans. Their experiences and relationship to destruction are so fundamentally different that without clear, explicit communication, things are going to go sideways. Dream in particular values freedom and autonomy for himself and for others. That’s good in a lot of ways, but it means in places where he doubts, he ultimately assumes that others have the ability to set their own boundaries. Which spirals because everyone is not on the same page.
Is Eldritch Dream, XD, or Callahan fond of anyone outside of the Manhunt team?
Oh anon, this is a wonderful question! The answer for who each of the Eldritch are fondest of outside of each other & the Manhunt team (regardless of if the fondness is returned) is as follows:
c!Dream: Very fond of c!Quackity.
DreamXD: Finds c!Foolish amusing. Closest he’s gotten to actually connecting with anyone.
c!Callahan: Doesn’t interact with humans much but thinks c!Foolish is okay from their brief meetings. Also has had a few limited convos with c!Tubbo and at least thinks he’s interesting.
He's fond of Quackity? Why?
Any number of reasons. Part of it is just because they spent so much time together. Even after he finds out that c!Quackity “meant it”, c!Dream still isn’t bothered by the pain. c!Dream found him interesting, and ultimately, despite everything, c!Quackity is actually probably the closest to fitting in among the Eldritch. At least of the humans. Both because of how he’s used pain, but also how he’s embraced it and let it shape him, for better or for worse.
c!Sam was/is too in denial. He’s too detached from the process for it to mean much of anything. Too unwilling to take responsibility. c!Quackity isn’t. c!Quackity directly tried to reshape c!Dream through destruction, and it’s a very familiar dance to the Eldritch.
As such, even after everything, c!Dream is still very fond of c!Quackity. Now, let’s be clear, c!Quackity absolutely still needs therapy and to get his shit together. But c!Dream is a big part of why he doesn’t basically get ousted from the server for his actions.
Love that techno is like, "yup, that eldritch creature is my rival. He's an abomination of a teletubby and has traumatized a portion of my family and their friends. Anyways, we have hot tacos later."
Listen. c!Techno cannot be bothered by all of this. He’s spent too long making fun of c!Dream, and if he admits to fear or feeling uneasy then that’s losing and he won’t have it. Also, to be fair, c!Techno is also very socially awkward and out of the loop on basically everything. Man lives in the arctic and nobody tells him shit. He can kind of understand how this would happen.
Does Sapnap figure out that he’s kinda the reason Dream thought it was a game?
Yes, early on! c!Dream flat out tells him “But you said it was like a manhunt?” It’s something that he kind of struggles with some guilt for, but like, in the grand scheme of things he’s able to realize that it wasn’t really his fault. He didn’t know what Dream was, or that it’d be taken like that. There’s better things to feel guilty about, like the fact that he didn’t try to sort stuff out after it started escalating.
Wait, wait, wait
Does bbh know the reason xd hates him is essentially he’s jealous?
c!BBH barely knows XD exists at all. c!Dream does try to introduce them, but XD is very resistant to it and keeps their meetings brief and with as much bitchy energy as he can get away with. c!Bad assumes that XD hates him for what he allowed to happen to c!Dream. This is the excuse that XD uses as well. Not the actuality of what happened, but the fact that c!Bad was okay with it when he was under the impression c!Dream was actually being hurt.
XD is jealous of c!Bad as he serves as a secondary big brother figure to c!Dream, but it’s the sort of jealousy that comes from fear. As I’ve stated before, of the three Eldritch, XD is the only one who was alone. It wasn’t for a long period, but he can clearly remember being stranded in the void with absolutely nothing. The horror of pure emptiness.
For c!Dream, the thought being alone, well and truly being alone, is an impossibility. XD has always been in his life from the moment he was born. XD won’t leave him, regardless of how long it takes them to sort through their issues. It’s part of why freedom and choice drive him so much.
XD remembers clear as day exactly how terrifying it was to be alone. From a time before he even understood what fear was. Then all of the sudden c!Dream was there and everything changed. c!Dream was his entire world for a very long time. They shaped each other into what they are today. c!Callahan is important to him too, but XD is terrified of losing c!Dream.
Since c!Dream cannot die, given that he’s an Eldritch still in the void, that fear manifests itself primarily as worry that c!Dream will chose to leave him. Or that somehow c!Dream will be forced apart from him, or lost outside of the void. c!Bad represents the idea of c!Dream choosing to leave him, regardless of the fact c!Dream would basically never do that. Hence the result of a jealous XD.
Chapter 13: Eldritch Dream AU - 2
Chapter Text
Techno: so is you saying you have a house because your house is technically the void or are you still homeless?
Dream: *indignant sqwauk*
Counterpoint: c!Dream has got a lot of human things down. He still does not understand the concept of a house. He also does not understand the concept of ownership of objects in general. He was under the assumption that that was just something that they made up for the LARP. The idea that a person can “own” an object is buck fucking wild to him. c!Techno and c!Tubbo are probably the two to discover this and then spend like a week trying to explain it to the Eldritch while perpetually triggering their own emotional crises about how ownership is very made up.
Hilariously, it’s actually XD that manages to explain it to him eventually. c!Dream still thinks it’s all weird, but he tries to be respectful anyways. When he remembers.
c!Techno & c!Tubbo trying to convince Eldritch c!Dream that personal property & ownership is a real thing and not something made up for conflict in LARP 🤝 c!Sam whose still in denial about the whole Eldritch thing desperately trying to convince c!Dream that prisons are real and no he cannot leave because c!Bad told him to be home for dinner.
c!Dream: “But I promised :(”
c!Sam, having 3 mental breakdowns at once: “THIS IS A PRISON! YOU CANNOT LEAVE! ALSO YOU DON’T EVEN EAT!”
c!Dream, starting to turn incorporeal and inching his way into the prison wall: “… What if I promise to come back? :)”
c!Sam, in a hell of his own design: “NO!!!”
How would the eldritch trio react to micheal?
Michael_Beloved adores c!Dream for no particular reason other than giving his parents a heart attack. Also young children and their strange tendencies towards Eldritch beings. c!Dream likes Michael too and is more than happy to scoop him up or help him out if he needs to.
Later on this isn’t a huge deal, but while things are still being adjusted to c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo both have a really hard time trying to keep Michael away from c!Dream.
It doesn’t help that while c!Dream understands the concepts of children a little bit, he too had a developmental period prior to being fully realized, he doesn’t get it in the way humans do. Eldritch do not have parents, and he really doesn’t get the whole “c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo deciding things for Michael” thing. He is not allowed to babysit because like, if Michael was about to eat something poisonous, c!Dream would tell him not to and tell him why, but he would never physically take the poisonous thing away. If Michael wanted to do it anyways b/c toddlers have very limited impulse control, c!Dream would just let him. Reasoning with toddlers is great until they’ve made up their minds to stick a fork in a socket.
Anyways, this makes it really hard early on when c!Sapnap and c!Techno are trying to explain to him that even if Michael comes over to hang out with him, he needs to just let c!Tubbo or c!Ranboo know and then leave. Because neither of them feel comfortable with him around their child. Which is entirely fair. But c!Dream can’t really wrap his head around the whole “even if Michael says he wants to hang out, you still can’t thing”.
What if some people start trying to annoy/get back at c!dream by calling stoplight even when nothing is really going on and c!dream isnt actively playing? I imagine that even if it baffles c!dream he would stop whatever he is doing and ask what is wrong every single time.
So, this is unlikely mostly because a lot of people still retain a fair bit of fear towards c!Dream, some of which is increased by learning he’s a weird eldritch creature. Of the people not in denial about what’s going on, none of them would risk abusing the word and having him not respond to it next time.
Actually, the biggest complication is c!Tommy, who doesn’t,,,, 100% get the concept. He rather understandably, does not want c!Dream near him for quite awhile. c!Dream tries to respect that, but when they run into each other, c!Tommy tends to call Stoplight to try to get c!Dream away from him.
The problem is that “Stoplight” for c!Dream means 1) we are playing a game right now and 2) Please come here I need help. So when c!Tommy uses it, c!Dream’s first assumption is that c!Tommy is asking him for help. Which. Ends poorly. Esp when c!Tommy then yells at c!Dream to go away, something c!Dream would normally do if it weren’t for the Stoplight.
Eventually c!Sapnap and c!Bad are able to mediate this situation, explaining to c!Tommy that he’s confusing c!Dream and to just ask him to leave without the extra word.
Eldritch Dream: At least governments aren't real, those sound terrifying.
C!Techno and c!Tubbo: Yeah, about that...
Eldritch Dream: I Donna like where this is going.
c!Dream still does not understand the concept of a government and frankly, everyone has given up on explaining it to him. In all fairness, about half of the humans on the server also do not really understand what a government is or is supposed to do, so it’s not like he’s alone.
"No Dream, Capitalism is real but you cannot own people. That is slavery and slavery is bad." / "But if they can do what they want its not slavery, that still doesn't mean you're not MY humans" / "Dream please"
Close, but XD is actually the one who would probably be very possessive of people he considers his. c!Dream on the other hand is protective but not particularly possessive.
The only time you’d really see either XD or c!Dream getting really protective/possessive over their humans is in the very rare off chance another Eldritch creature got involved. If one found their way to the server, or server members encountered an Eldritch when out and about (on Hypixel or MCC) then XD or c!Dream would be very quick to get involved and take out the threat.
Cannot stress enough the difficulties of c!Sapnap’s many emotional crises in this fic which really boil down to him trying to hold other people accountable for their horrible actions towards c!Dream which aren’t excused just because it turns out that Dream is an eldritch and Dream trying to convince him that it was okay, actually, and he should really forgive them.
Just.
Sapnap @ Quackity: “I’m disgusted at what you were willing to do to another person who you thought was human. His previous actions do not excuse how monstrous you were for the purpose of gaining power. I thought you were better than this, but clearly you weren’t and now I want nothing to do with you.”
Dream @ Sapnap, without hesitation: “I think you were a little bit too harsh on Quackity. He didn’t really mean it! Besides, he wasn’t as mean as Bad is making it sound. What really is torture anyways? You should hear him out Sapnap. Don’t ruin your relationship over this!”
and then.
Sapnap: “Dream did you go to the prison with Sam today?”
Dream: “… maybe.”
Sapnap: “Dream. Dream we’ve talked about this. Sam is incredibly unstable and it’s not safe for you to be near him. He’s going to hurt you.”
Dream: “… but he sounded really upset and I didn’t want to stress him out.”
Sapnap: “Dream, I’m forbidding you from going back to the prison with Sam. It’s not safe and it’s not helping him in the long run.
Dream: “🥺👉👈 what if please though?“
Sapnap: “No!!!”
Eldritch Dream just has constant “ 🥺👉👈” energy and it’s frankly upsetting for a number of people given that he is an Eldritch creature and also so rooted in their head as being Evil Scary Man. Also everyone else is just having these serious emotional progressions and c!Dream is trying his best but.
c!Quackity: “I’m struggling with what I did to you. I accepted it as a necessary evil and don’t consider myself a good person, but I’m now being confronted by the fact you’re a person and I was willing to stoop to levels no person should to harm you. At the time it gave me a sense of control, but in reality it was a all a game and now I feel more out of control than ever. Your mere presence reinforces my failings and your forgiveness hurts me because I feel it’s unfairly given. You were never really hurt, but I still took the actions to hurt you. I can never feel truly forgiven because you fundamentally cannot understand what I did on account of your inability to perceive pain on a human level.”
c!Dream: “… Okay but we’re still friends, right?”
c!Quackity, very tired, learning to just get over it: “… yeah, we’re still friends.”
And that's how c!Techno successfully converts and Eldritch being to anarchism.
Eldritch c!Dream believes in anarchism by nature, Eldritch XD believes in something akin to a theocracy (aka everyone listens to him) but like. It’s like a theocracy if god were actually there, and also chill with almost anything as long as it doesn’t require him to change too much and makes his siblings happy. He just likes to feel like he’s in charge. Eldritch c!Callahan believes in nodding along when XD is muttering about how he knows better.
c!Quackity calling c!Sapnap: Can you explain why the eldritch being that we've seen as a bad man this whole time gives off Golden retriever vibes?
c!Sapnap: Lol, no, we barely understand it ourselves.
c!Quackity: He apologized for not making my torturing of him more realistic and followed it with, "Human like bodies are weird, you know how it is."
c!Sapnap: Yeah he does that.
c!Sapnap knows where the golden retriever vibes came from. He remembers c!Dream from before all this started. The whole Eldritch thing is new to him though.
c!Dream also would be a lot more likely to ask for feedback to improve than apologize too. He’s pretty confident on how the physical human body works, that much is easy enough for him most of the time. It’s just the rest of being human that he can struggle with.
how would eh!dream react if someone intentionally prevented someone else from calling stoplight? like, if c!quackity had realised c!sam had put eh!dream in the prison again and went to go get him, but c!sam caught him off-guard and slashed at his face to prevent him from speaking, and eh!dream saw? are there any non-verbal equivalents to stoplight?
So, there’s no non-verbal equivalents to stoplight that c!Quackity would know (any sign language eqv would also work for c!Dream, but few people would think to try it before just typing a message). That’s why I’ve mentioned previously that c!Dream would be particularly concerned with someone unable to speak for an extended period.
c!Sam is still heavily in denial about the whole Eldritch thing, so he wouldn’t try to prevent c!Quacktiy from calling Stoplight because he doesn’t believe that should do anything. He refuses to believe that c!Dream can escape the prison, because if that’s true then c!Dream could always escape the prison, c!Sam never controlled him, and everything he did was pointless.
If c!Dream did discover someone attempting to prevent someone else from calling Stoplight, he’d be upset but in a “I’m very disappointed in you” sort of way, because that’s against the rules. The person in question would get restrained and dragged off to c!Bad because he’d be the one c!Dream would trust to handle a rules violation. It might even be grounds for c!Dream banning the person from server for awhile if they weren’t someone he knew well or they didn’t have a damn good reason.
"So what you're saying is that, next time, I should stop and CHECK if people want to call stoplight? That seems like it would slow things down." / "No Dream I mean - fuck this is going to take a while, isn't it?"
Just for you Anon;
“If it was too much, why didn’t anyone call Stoplight?”
“I- Dude, Dream. It wasn’t-.” Sapnap choked on his words. He knew that he needed to have this talk, he’d put it off for too long already. But it hurt. It hurt to acknowledge what happened. For the past few days he’d been able to pretend that it was all a nightmare, shove it off to some corner of his mind, but he had to face reality. He needed Dream to be able to face it with him.
Stealing himself, Sapnap tried again. “I know… I know all of this is going to be confusing for you. I- I get it now. You’re not- You’re not human. So it’s hard for you to understand… all of this. But the past two years, L'Manburg, the prison, the throne, all of it. None of it was a game. Not for us. Most of them don’t even know about Stoplight, but the rest of us- it was real for us.”
“…Oh.” Dream sounded… concerned? Maybe. Confused for sure. It was gonna take awhile to get all of this across. He didn’t freak out though, so that was goo-
“Why did you say it was like a manhunt then?”
What.
“I- What?”
“Way back when Wilbur started everything, I was getting frustrated and we were making a plan to make him stop. I didn’t really understand what he was doing, and then you said it was like a manhunt. I thought this was what you meant. Was that wrong? Or was that a game, but I missed the end?”
A faint memory flashed at the back of Sapnap’s head, and with it a wave of guilt. One that threatened to pull him under because he said that. It was just him talking shit; it wasn’t supposed to mean anything. But he said it, and fuck. No wonder Dream got confused. Sure, Sapnap hadn’t known how different Dream was from the rest of them. He couldn’t have known. But he still said it, and this shit could’ve all been avoided if he’d-
“Sapnap?”
Dream had stood up and moved closer, one hand hovering awkwardly above Sapnap’s shoulder. Now the concern was evident in his tone and posture.
Right. Deep breaths. That wasn’t helpful. He didn’t know. None of them knew. Sapnap leaned up a little bit to meet Dream’s hand. Physical contact felt too comforting to deny.
“It didn’t- I was just talking shit. It wasn’t supposed to mean much of anything. There wasn’t really ever any game. Wilbur- fuck, I don’t even know where to start with his shitty decisions. Humans fuck up like that sometimes. I- I don’t have a great explanation. Bad will probably be better at explaining all of this if I’m being honest.”
“Okay.” Pausing, Dream considered his words carefully. “I guess we should go talk to him?”
“Soon, yeah. I’ve been messaging him. He just needs a bit of time.”
“Alright.” Another pause, and then Dream slipped down to squeeze next to Sapnap on the armchair. It didn’t really fit the both of them, but neither really gave a fuck.
“I don’t really understand what’s been going on, but I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
The words were small, from anyone else it wouldn’t have meant much. Here, after everything, it was enough. Not a fix, not even really a bandage. Just enough.
So I believe I just read everything you have for Eldritch Dream and I didn't see anything about Ghostbur? What *was* Ghostbur if Wilbur was just essentially off in another room? Is eh!Dream gonna go get him from Limbo now that everything is settling down? I'm sure Tommy would LOVE that. Did Ranboo die as well in your story? Is there a Ghostboo wandering around somewhere? What about Karl's time traveling and memory loss?
I'm so glad I found your AO3 and I *can't wait* until the Quackity fic is up. (Take your time though!) I really want to strangle Canon Quackity for the Torture, but I can't wait to see how it goes here!
Ahh, yeah, ghostbur.
So, in this fic specifically, the main divergence from the SMP plot is when c!Techno was breaking c!Dream & c!Ranboo out of prison. They made it farther without Ranboo getting got by Sam, and Tubbo showed up to try to help Ranboo. That means that Wilbur did get revived like in canon, and Ranboo never died.
As for what Ghostbur was… Well, in a way, he’s just c!Wilbur. Since c!Dream believed this was all a game, he didn’t want anyone to actually die (getting voided) but he wanted it to FEEL like death was possible. As a part of the LARP. When XD decided he wanted to play too around the pogtopia era, Dream put him in charge of running “Limbo” which is basically meant to be a place where you’re “out” of the game. It’s basically a side-server, and the person is physically moved there. A “ghost” is the echo of the person meant to keep them connected to the original server just in case something goes wrong. It’s not a real player, but it is connected to the real player it represents. It can mimic general personality traits, but will have a lot of trouble accessing any memories. It also doesn’t have much storage for new memories, given that it isn’t a player. That’s what ghostbur was.
The problem with Limbo was that XD is also an Eldritch, and is less knowledgeable about humans/the physical world than c!Dream. So tbh he kinda fucked it up. The time difference between worlds is because XD doesn’t understand time as humans experience it. Limbo resembles the void in a lot of ways (empty, lonely) because that’s what XD knows. None of it was intentional, but it did suck because it was really a space designed for Eldritch that got used by humans.
c!Karl is still dealing with time traveling and memory loss! It’s a little bit different than in canon. First, Karl is the first time traveler. Second, Karl isn’t actually time traveling, he’s experiencing worlds and situations created by XD. Third, XD isn’t aware of the memory loss or that he’s the cause of it. It’s not on purpose, it’s just kind of something that happens as a result of longterm exposure to the void/an Eldritch in any sort of true form.
Also! Yes! I’m excited with how the Quackity piece is coming along. I love his character and I really want to delve into a semi-sympathetic take on him, but specifically one where he’s forced to change himself. I’m also excited to contrast him and Sam, because I think there’s a lot of vital differences between the two of them that I really want to play out. Unsure when it’ll be done though, mostly because I still don’t know how long it’ll end up being.
your eldritch!dream au is entirely too contagious, forgive me my brainrot.
Dream lunges away from Sapnap and Sam, drops a crafting table on the unstable sand to his side, and sends the pair spilling into a hidden cavern, his quick hands already pulling out a new batch of explosives to reshape the desert battleground. In that moment of chaos, Ranboo risks an ender pearl and lands hard next to Tommy, crouched in the shadow of a long-abandoned temple. The structure plays silent sentinel to the fight around the base of its hill, ancient creation witnessing new destruction. Ranboo winces, knees popping as he half-straightens. Only a few feet away, Tommy’s hyperventilating, knuckles white around the handle of his axe but eyes squinting shut every time another blast of TNT rocks the landscape.
Okay- okay. Tubbo’s better at this most of the time, but Ranboo’s had some experience helping Tommy come back to himself. Never in pitched combat, though. And never with Dream here, moving freely and threatening despite his wounds, teeth bared in a half-grin half-grimace under a smiling mask. Still. Ranboo’s here, and Tommy needs help, and there was never going to be a question, was there. Without touching - he knows better - Ranboo eases into his friend’s field of view with hands open and empty at his sides. “Hey- hey Tommy, can you look at me?”
Tommy turns, but his gaze stays locked on the destruction below, shoulders locked in a protective hunch. “Not- not a good time, Ranboob, just gonna- Dream’s going down today, I just need- it’s loud ‘nuff down there I can’t hear myself think, yeah?” Ranboo’s eyes dart to the scar tissue which climbs up the side of his neck from his shoulder, and he doesn’t press. He knows that those marks extend further, both down his arm and otherwise.
“Okay, Tommy. Yeah, it’s a little loud. I’ll see- see what I can do about that.” He knows there are times where he hasn’t been there for Tommy in the past, where he’s been too late to make a difference. This time, he can do his best to make it easier on Tommy - and to get one of their better fighters back on his feet, even if he wishes with all his heart that this weren’t their fight to begin with. The TNT is a problem. Okay. He can fix that. Hopefully.
Ducking back out into the blinding noon light, he moves to the edge of the low cliff and begins waving at Ant, hoping his stature and coloring will be enough for the hybrid to notice. “Ant! Hey, pause with the TNT, okay?”
The bulk of the fight has moved slightly to his left, so he has a moment to breathe. Dream had gained the high ground for a moment but is now strafing back down the hill, away from Punz and the tell-tale potion effects rising from the mercenary. Not far below, Quackity’s aiming a longbow, taking potshots as Dream jukes.
Ranboo checks back in on Antfrost, and with a new flavor of worry finds him setting up a rudimentary TNT cannon, no indication that he’d heard. Straightening up to his full height, Ranboo waves again and bellows as loud as he can manage, “Stop lightin-”
The word is halfway out of his throat when it meets resistance. For a moment, Ranboo thinks he’s been punched in the side of the neck, and he staggers to get his feet back under him. Sweat pools in the hollow of his collarbones, and everything is suddenly, almost pleasantly silent. He tries to breathe, and- something is wrong. Caught in the moment between impact and awareness, Ranboo’s eyes turn, as they often do, to his husband. Tubbo is mid-scramble out of a collapsed sand cavern, frozen as their gazes meet, and- that’s an expression he’d hoped never to see on Tubbo’s face again, hoped never to be the cause of.
Liquid keeps pooling in the hollow of Ranboo’s neck, dying his collar red. Oh, he thinks. I’ve been shot.
The world returns with a vengeance, sound and pain spiking in the same heartbeat, and Tubbo’s scream is the worst of it. As one knee and then the other hit the ground, there’s a voice in the back of Ranboo’s head commentating as if on the weather: pretty sure there’s a medical term just for this. Tracheo-something. The rest of him is too focused on clinging to consciousness to formulate a scathing response.
He registers the new shape in front of him only because it blocks his view of Tubbo, dimming as it is. Someone somewhere is speaking in a gentle voice, and he’d be happy to answer whatever they’re asking but, you know, he’s a bit busy choking on his own blood at the moment. A hand moves in his periphery, blurring in and out of sight and then- oh, his nerves do not like that. The harsh vibration at - in and through - his neck sends a ringing through his ears. Before he can get his bearings, Ranboo’s vision goes white as all awareness narrows once again to his neck and a sick, grating slide of wood through tissue.
He comes back to himself trying to cough, trying to scream, fluid bubbling in his throat and body held upright only by the strong arm wrapped around his back. He’s tipped sideways into someone’s chest, he doesn’t know who, and there’s glass at his lips. The taste of regen hits his tongue and mingles with iron on its way down- he can feel some of it leak out of the front of his neck, and it’s terrible. Really, this is awful. As the potion takes effect, noise filters slowly back into hiss ears.
“-about it, but it’s like pulling teeth, only it’s an arrow, so- uh, I thought- I thought fast was best? Okay, just breathe, there you go, bud. You’re okay, Ranboo.” He knows that voice. The body he’s leaning against has on a green sweatshirt. If he were any less strung out on leftover shock and exhausted from the magical healing, Ranboo knows he’d be feeling overwhelming dread. Instead, as he looks up to see a familiar mask, he just feels numb. Dream’s lost his netherite helmet somewhere along the way and has instead picked up a smile more genuine than anything Ranboo can recall seeing on him. His sweatshirt is pristine.
As Dream tugs him upright once more, having to all appearances saved Ranboo’s life, that same mental voice pipes up again, just as helpful as before. Well. This might as well happen.
—- (The above post was written and submitted to my tumblr by an anon!)
Hello? Anon? I want you to know that I love you. I’ve literally been working on the Eldritch AU fic today and this came at such a nice time. I’m printing this out and eating it as I keep working on the fic. You descriptions and emotion are lovely and vivid and I will consume them.
I can’t stop thinking about after eldritch Dream is revealed and Sam is trying to capture Dream and Dream will get a call from Sapnap that it’s time for dinner and he just leaves his cell.
c!Sapnap, texting c!Dream: Dude, where are you? Bad’s making dinner and you were supposed to help.
c!Dream, currently in Pandora: sorry, sam really wanted to play again so ive been hanging out at the prison but hes saying im not allowed to go home and he keeps getting upset when i try to leave even though i promised to come back tomorrow and i dont want to make him sad :(
c!Dream: i think he might be lonely? can i invite him to dinner?
c!Sapnap: YOU’RE FUCKING WHERE?
c!Sapnap: TP TO ME RIGHT NOW.
c!Dream: can i say goodbye first? he got scared the last time i vanished.
c!Sapnap: NO!!!
Eldritch Dream, trying to come up with ways to make both Sam and Sapnap happy: Wait I've got it. What if I teleport the prison so that its inside the house? Physics? What's that?
c!Dream, who split his body between here and the void in order to exist in the first place: I’ve got an idea.
c!Sapnap, tired: Listen, I understand that that you’re a being that cannot be physically harmed by humans in any meaningful way, and I understand you’re just trying to be nice to Sam, but he’s not mentally sound right now and I need you to stay away from him for both of your safety.
Elderitch dream and sapnap now have child who did not ask parent's permission to hang out with weird neighbor kid energy
c!Dream, looking at c!Sam whose borderline rabid: I can fix him.
c!Sapnap, trying to drag Dream away: You absolutely cannot.
Sapnap stares at Dream silently for a good few minutes, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Dream shifts nervously. Sapnap seems… confused? Yeah. Confused. Upset. And a little exasperated as well. He’s been making that facial expression a lot lately, mostly in relation to Sam, who Dream currently has tucked in his arms, so Dream supposes that makes sense.
Sam seems a little upset also, which is probably because Dream grabbed him and left the prison without really explaining anything. In his defense though, it was a last second decision. Sam seemed lonely, and Sapnap wanted him to come home, and he didn’t wanna say no to Sapnap but he’d figured if he couldn’t stay with Sam than maybe he could bring Sam with him?? Plus, it didn’t seem fair that Quackity had dinner with him and Sapnap but Sam didn’t. He loved them both equally!! Though not as much as Sapnap. But Sapnap was his favorite human ever, so that wasn’t really a fair competition.
Wait, he was getting sidetracked, wasn’t he?
“…so can he stay??” He asked Sapnap, hoisting Sam up higher in his arms. Sam made a weird noise. Kind of like an affronted raccoon?? Dream was reminded of Tommy.
Sapnap had closed his mouth by now, and was massaging the bridge of his nose. That meant he was thinking, making a decision. Dream waited patiently.
Sapnap sighed.
“You know what? Sure.”
—- (the above post was submitted to my tumblr by noodleydoo my reply is below)
This is amazing, and tbh exactly what c!Dream wants in the Eldritch AU. Unfortunately, c!Sam is not in a stable mental place for this, and would engage in violence should Dream attempt it.
How many times would Dream have to return to the prison in the Eldritch au before Sapnap starts to consider destroying it lol. Can't get thrown in jail in your free time if there's no jail
He only goes back once before being told No That’s A Bad Idea and he stops even if he’s reluctant. c!Sapnap still considered destroying it, but stops on account of c!Sam still being in there and him reacting rather violently to any attempts to reach out. They end up having to get another one of the Eldritch involved to get him out safely. After that they destroy it, even though c!Dream thought it was cool.
if eldritch c!dream and babysitter c!dream switched places for a day, which side would get the 'worse' end of the deal?
Oh, convict childcare c!Dream for sure. He’s heavily traumatized and has no idea what’s going on or why everyone’s acting the way they are. The sight of c!Quackity is enough to have him near feral. Wants to know what the fuck they did with Michael.
Meanwhile Eldritch c!Dream is happily vibing with !! A Baby!! He’s Going To Ask Him If He Understands Capitalism!! It’s Fucked Up, RIght???
It takes like a solid 3 hours for the convict childcare AU syndicate to realize that’s not their Dream. They thought he was just having a really good day for some reason.
i hope this doesn’t get eaten by tumblr again
hello this is like my 3rd time trying to send this, please work -
anyway im piggybacking off of what tea anon wrote (i hope you dont mind, tea anon, your writing is really great and i enjoyed it a lot!!). ive also been infected by the brainrot, this is a really fun au to think about.
haven’t really written quackity before but i tried haha, hope you like this
—
When Quackity’s arrow hits Ranboo in the neck, he doesn’t notice. He was only vaguely aware of the rest of the battlefield and of Ranboo trying to get Ant to stop the TNT, attention zeroed in on Dream. Dream, who was fighting like a mad thing possessed, even with three arrows buried in his thigh and shoulder and two stab wounds and bleeding enough to turn the sand beneath clumpy and dark.
Quackity is too distracted by the dark bubbling rage that wells up at every insult Dream flings out, at the way he dances around Sapnap and Punz and Techno like he’d memorized all the steps. Should’ve fucking broken his hand more times, he thinks as Dream nearly disarms Punz with a flick of his wrist. Maybe then he wouldn’t have been able to hold a weapon again.
It’s not until Dream’s gaze flicks to Ranboo that Quackity realizes. That he sees the arrow piercing through Ranboo’s throat and collarbone, that he comprehends the red dripping down Ranboo’s front, that he hears the scream ringing through the dry desert air. Ranboo shouldn’t have been there - fuck, he was supposed to be the out of the way, was supposed to be with Phil and Tubbo and Bad, fuck.
Tubbo is the one who screamed. He stares at Ranboo in horror, still halfway only out of a sand cavern. Too far away to help. All of them are too far away.
Ranboo sways on his knees, and Quackity swears he can hear the awful gurgle of his breath whistling through the goddamn hole punched through his throat over the wind, and oh fuck, fuck. Ranboo is going to die.
Dream moves, snapping their attention back to him. Faster than Quackity can track, he ducks under an arc of Puffy’s sword, elbows Sapnap, and vanishes. Quackity swears and notches his bow again. Where did that fucking bastard go? Sapnap’s fire-wreathed sword hits the sand with a soft thump as he brings it down where Dream no longer is.
“Get away,” Tubbo screams, because Dream is - Dream is by Ranboo now, what the fuck, when did he get there -
Sapnap forgoes running and simply jumps from the sloping hill they’d been fighting on, landing with a spray of to the base of the desert temple and taking off with his sword flashing in the sun. Quackity follows, adrenaline beating a thunderous rhythm in his ears. He lands, and sees -
Dream has Ranboo. Dream is gripping Ranboo’s shoulders, is wrapping an arm against Ranboo’s chest. (Fuck, what is it with Ranboo and being used as a hostage, Quackity thinks.) Someone as tall as Ranboo shouldn’t look small as he does in Dream’s arms.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Tommy shouts, finally reappearing from wherever he’d vanished to when the TNT had started going off. “What did you do to Ranboo?” He charges, axe in hand. Fucking hell. Quackity wills himself to move faster because Tommy is going to get himself killed -
Dream sidesteps without even looking at Tommy, without letting go of his hold on Ranboo. Just. Completely ignores him. Tommy skids into the sandstone wall of the hillside, and is helped to his feet by Sam.
Dream doesn’t seem to be paying attention to any of them. Not to the arrow Quackity fires that brushes past his head because of shaking fingers and the skidding sand, not to the TNT still going off, not to Techno’s furious bellow or the shadow of Phil’s wings passing overhead.
Instead there’s a potion in his hands, and he’s reaching for Ranboo’s neck - the sound the arrow makes when it slides out is wet and disgusting. Ranboo makes an odd whistling sound that Quackity realizes is screaming.
“Dream! You fucking bastard!” He’s not quite sure who shouted. Everyone’s noticed Dream’s sudden relocation by now
Dream ignores everything, pressing the potion bottle to Ranboo’s mouth.
As he nears - close enough that Dream can’t run, not close enough to be within range of the axe abandoned on the ground (It makes no sense for Dream to drop his weapon, what - and he shoves the questions away because here is a chance to fucking kill him.) - he hears Dream speaking.
He almost doesn’t realize it’s Dream at first - it’s a low, soothing murmur, like trying to comfort a scared cat. It’s not the hoarse screaming Quackity’s accustomed to, or the hysterical laughter, or the triumphant, taunting insults.
“You’re fine, sorry, didn’t know how I was supposed to go about it - “
“Dream.” Sapnap - standing at Quackity’s shoulder, sword tip steady but voice wavering. “Step away from Ranboo.” Phil has landed on the outcropping where Ant and Bad had set up the TNT, expression wide-eyed and panicked under the shadow of his hat. Techno, too, has tension in every line of his body.
Everyone is here, now, forming a ring around Dream and Ranboo. It feels a lot like the first time they captured Dream, except this time there’ll be no deus ex machina to save him.
That had been the plan - gather up as many people as possible, and hunt Dream down and kill him like vermin, like the monster he was.
The only thing staying their hands now - Tommy’s sword is raised and Tubbo has a hand on his shoulder, Puffy’s shoulders are squared and determined, Punz’s daggers poised to be thrown - is Ranboo. Dream’s hands on Ranboo, Dream’s weapon discarded but still within arm’s reach.
Ranboo is alive, but he’s breathing in short erratic bursts, eyes closed.
Fuck, with Ranboo, Dream could sway Phil and Techno - they’d only barely gotten the Syndicate to agree to help, and that had been because of Ranboo. If Dream threatended Ranboo, what would happen then? (They could let Ranboo die. They could let Ranboo die, and then the Syndicate would have something against Dream, something to fight him for.)
“Get the fuck away from Ranboo,” Tommy barks, stepping forward - dangerously close. Sam pulls him back, brandishing his trident before him.
Dream finally looks up - “No,” he says, and something in his voice is off. Somehow both too soft and too firm. He’s unreadable, suddenly, when Quackity had devoted months to learning every reaction, every tell, every weakness Dream had. He’s unreadable, and that’s - disconcerting.
“No?” Sam now, stepping up with his trident pointed at Dream’s chest. Dream doesn’t move. “Prisoner, you - “
Dream doesn’t even flinch at the cold tone. Something is wrong. Something is wrong.
And Quackity realizes: Dream’s hoodie is clean. He’s - he’s not wounded. He’s not wounded at all. There’s no bloody patch where one of Quackity’s arrows punched through his shoulder, no stab in his thigh from Sapnap’s sword sinking in hilt-deep, no gash on his stomach leaving bloody streaks from Punz’s daggers. They’re gone.
“A hostage won’t save you,” Sam hisses, fingers flexing on his trident.
“What are you talking about?” Dream sounds genuinely baffled. His attention is focused on Sam, and Quackity fires.
Dream catches the arrow - or rather he reaches out and the arrow slows like it’s been caught in molasses before he plucks it out of the air. It snaps in his fingers.
What. The. Fuck.
“Ranboo said stoplight,” he says, like that’s supposed to mean something. He’s still speaking in that strange, soft voice, but there’s an edge of irritation in it now that makes Quackity grip his bow tighter. “Didn’t you hear? We’re stopping.”
Stopping?
Beside him, Sapnap makes a quiet, punched-out sound. Ant and Bad, near the back of the ring of people, freeze.
“Stoplight?” Techno steps forward, gaze fixed on Ranboo, who is wide-eyed and shaking, seeming lucid enough to comprehend the danger he’s in. Dream pulls out another potion and pours it over the arrow wound, which is barely a scratch now.
“There you go, you’re okay,” he murmurs to Ranboo, before standing and pulling Ranboo to his feet. Dream steps back, and let’s go.
He lets Ranboo go. Ranboo scrambles away, staggers to his feet, quickly pulled away by both Tommy and Tubbo.
Dream picks up his axe again. Fuck. He seems unfazed by being surrounded, glancing around. In the prison, he hadn’t had his mask. Quackity hates it, wants to tear it from his face.
“Dream.” Sapnap’s knuckles are white on his sword. “Dream, you can’t mean. Dream, tell me you don’t- “ He sounds somewhere between horrified and terrified. After a moment of hesitation, Quackity reaches out and squeezes Sapnap’s hand comfortingly. Sapnap stills, squeezes back, and lets go.
Dream tilts his head, bird-like.
“Are we ready to keep playing now?” Like a puppet’s strings being cut, Dream sags. Wounds appear - the same wounds he’d had earlier - like unstitched seams. Quackity’s stomach turns. Did - did this have something to do with the revival book? Had Dream been hiding what it could actually do from them?
A sharp intake of breath is the only warning Quackity gets before there’s a blur of motion in the corner of his eye.
Sapnap’s sword hits the sand. Quackity turns - Sapnap is lunging forward, and Quackity’s fingers brush his shoulder as he tries to stop him but he’s too late, and Sapnap is knocking Dream’s mask from his face and fisting his hands in the front of Dream’s hoodie and. Dream’s. Not doing anything.
Dream isn’t doing anything. His mask is on the ground and his face is in the open, and Sapnap is close enough to kill him and close enough for him to kill and he’s not doing anything.
Mostly, he just looks confused, now that Quackity can see his face.
“Uh, Pandas,” he says. Pandas. Quackity can see the near physical blow this deals Sapnap, the way his shoulders shake. “Did you…not want to keep playing?”
That’s fucking it. Quackity can see Techno about to step forward, see Sam raise his trident. But before anyone else can move, Sapnap says, “Dream, stoplight. Stoplight. Please. Stoplight.”
Another head tilt. “…Okay, Pandas.” Injuries mend together. Blood vanishes. It’s no less nauseating than seeing them open up.There’s something thick and staticky and otherworldly in the air, a smell sharp as ozone and bitter as gunpowder.
“What do you need?” There’s a furrow in Dream’s brow, concern clear in his voice as he gently untangles Sapnap’s hands from him only for Sapnap to pull him into a hug. This, too, Dream doesn’t fight - just lets Sapnap fall into him like he’d never left Sapnap, like he hadn’t burned their relationship himself.
Sapnap sinks to his knees, and Dream goes with him. From this angle, Quackity can’t see Sapnap’s face; the only thing he can see is Sapnap’s shaking shoulders and Dream’s hands - gentler than they should be for a tyrant, steadier than they should be for someone with nerve damage - hold him.
“Stoplight,” Sapnap repeats, barely above a whisper. “Dream, I - I want to go home.”
And Dream smiles. Nods. Says, “Okay, Pandas,” before his arms wrap around Sapnap, and they’re gone.
They’re gone.
“What the fuck,” says Tommy, staring at the mask and axe and sword left on the bloody sand. “What the fuck.”
—- (the above post was submitted to my tumblr by an anon)
I love this take on the Eldritch AU!!
I do have to offer 2 notes for the my version of the AU just so people don’t get confused. The first is that when Ranboo called Stoplight, the world paused in recognition. Since my first piece from from Sapnap’s POV, it can be hard to catch this, but it wasn’t just shock that held everyone on the battlefield frozen. Dream quite literally paused the world, meaning that everyone was in a weird place of feeling frozen in shock until he was sure Ranboo was taken care of. TNT that was lit defused itself, arrows dropped out of mid-air, the world paused because Ranboo said Pause. In the moment most people don’t notice it, they just feel a sense of helplessness and unease. A brush with power beyond human comprehension. Upon reflection, certain people (particularly Phil and Techno) probably pick up on the fact something was going on. Later, they get their answers (Dream enforced the pause since he didn’t think other people heard Ranboo call it, and since it was an emergency there was no time to explain).
The second is that the syndicate (esp Techno & Phil) do not betray Dream at any point! This entire event goes down in the middle of Dream being broken out of jail, so he’s with them/being protected by them throughout the event. Which is important for Phil’s later freak outs!
What are some other powers Eldritch!Dream has? He can stop the world at whim and heal any of his wounds and also teleport! What more the funky little guy can do?
- E anon
So!! Eldritch c!Dream is the admin of the server as well as Eldritch, and that’s where a lot of his shown powers come from. Stopping the world works similarly to a “pause time” command. Teleporting is also an admin command. He has rein over all that stuff.
When it comes to his abilities as an Eldritch, the only display of power that we’ve seen there is in him healing his human form. From the wikihow, you’ll notice that’s the point where everyone feels something other about him. Something distinctly inhuman.
I’ve brushed on this before with Dream, XD and Callahan, but the basics of it is that Eldritch in the void cannot die. They can be destroyed but they’ll just reform slightly different. Unlike every Eldritch before them, the trio didn’t leave the void entirely when they finally found land, they chose to split their bodies, creating a body to go explore this new place and leaving part of themselves behind in the void.
As long as that part of them remains in the void, the rule of reformation holds true. It may take time, but Dream can more or less shape his body to his liking. He chooses to take on a human form and mimic human injuries and limitations, but it’s a choice.
I’m working on the Eldritch AU story today and it’s literally just.
So like, at the start c!Quackity thinks that c!Sapnap has been kidnapped by c!Dream. Because it kinda looks like that. Nobody else is as worried, because most of them don’t believe that Dream would seriously hurt Sapnap.
Meanwhile, c!Quackity is suddenly forced to confront all the lies he told Dream about how Sapnap totally knew about the torture and didn’t care at all. Not only that, but he’s forced to imagine Sapnap going through everything that he put Dream through. Jarringly forced to confront the reality of his actions.
There’s this moment of “Oh shit, I did that to another human person”. Quackity can’t even talk about it with anyone, because nobody else knows what he did. He’s alone, and having to come to terms with the horror of the damage that he did, something that can never be undone.
And then Dream shows back up and he’s like “Nah it’s fine, none of that bothered me and I took nothing you said to heart. dw about it dude.”
Like, the amount of emotional whiplash that Quackity goes through throughout this fic is absolutely wild.
Chapter 14: Eldritch Dream AU - 3
Chapter Text
In the Eldritch!Dream AU, Philza knows about Eldritch beings, but does anyone else on the server decide to do research after that part of Dream is revealed?
I mean, not REALLY?
Or more accurately, it depends on how you define research. See, Philza knows about Eldritch because he’s encountered them before. Historical accounts and information about Eldritch is extremely hard to come by because they’re rare and poorly documented events. And even what Philza does know is barely applicable to the Eldritch Trio because c!Dream, XD and Callahan are all nothing like a typical Eldritch.
Everyone else might recognize the term Eldritch vaguely, but getting any kind of information, let alone anything useful, is near impossible.
So, as far as research goes, people tend to focus their efforts on getting answers from c!Dream himself (or in the case of c!Foolish, from XD). He’s the most helpful source of info, because if he doesn’t have an answer, he IS willing to find out.
This is actually how him and c!Tubbo become friends again. Tubbo is very willing to set aside moral issues for the sake of scientific research, and having a willing test subject that super fucking weird and has 0 fucks to give about risk to life or limb is basically his ideal goal. Dream is his experiment for awhile, and that’s how they bond. c!Sapnap just Does Not Want To Know What They're Doing.
Imagine a group therapy between all the c!Dreams from your aus, it would basically be like "most creatives ways to pretend you're not traumatized"
It’s “most creative ways to logic your way around trauma that defiantly work” and then 1 Eldritch creature whose somehow the most mentally stable of the c!Dreams. I’d say this doesn’t bode well for them, but tbh Eldritch c!Dream is genuinely a rather stable person and has a reasonably healthly method of coping with stressful situations. Relative to being an Eldritch creature and all.
dunkaroos (real monsters)
Sif, every update on each of your aus is a joy. You are entirely too inspiring for both writing and ideas - I reiterate that this is indeed brainrot, because I don’t write fic but here I am. (Senin anon, I am linking arms with you in Sif’s sandbox and giving you an affectionate head-bump. Your take on the post-Stoplight chaos was absolutely delightful.) I’m going to once again dump my fever dreams into your inbox.
—
The teleport command dissipates with a burst of chill air and the golden light of waning day spills over them, softened by the dappling of leaves outside. Dream steadies Sapnap as they appear back home, bringing his hands up to grip both of the younger man’s shoulders when he stumbles. Blood and grime are smeared across Sapnap’s chin in equal amounts.
“Hey, Sap, it’s okay, we’re- we’re home now. What do you- do you need anything? Can I look at your shoulder?” Dream turns him slightly to check on the shallow crater in the back of Sapnap’s netherite pauldron, cracks spiderwebbing up over the top and towards the gorget. He winces, recalling an axe crit to the back that he hadn’t thought to soften. When he gets no response, he looks back up.
Sapnap’s eyes are hazy, and one of his hands is keeping a white-knuckle grip on Dream’s shirt. His jaw keeps tensing hard enough to pop out veins in his neck. Dream can’t tell if it’s from pain or something else - he’s seen Sapnap in shock before, after a pause was called mid-Manhunt because George got badly hurt, but never this far gone. How injured is he? He takes a step backward and Sapnap follows, one knee almost buckling with the movement.
“Shit,” Dream blurts out, and moves in again to wrap one arm under Sapnap’s good shoulder. “Um, okay. Just- let’s get to the couch.”
They hobble over together, and as he eases Sapnap down into a seat, he’s tugged forward into a crouch by Sapnap’s hand, still wrapped in the fabric at his chest. Dream smiles gently and brings one callused palm to wrap around his friend’s hand, slowly coaxing the fingers to relax.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere, Pandas, I just need to get you cleaned up, okay? Can I- is it alright if I take the armor off you?”
He doesn’t get a verbal response, but Sapnap’s eyes slowly focus in on his face, and the hand in his gives a light squeeze. Dream returns the gesture before standing and starting to unbuckle the netherite that’s weighing down Sapnap’s shoulders.
As the chestplate comes off and he gently tugs the collar of Sapnap’s shirt up, Dream hisses a breath out through his teeth reflexively. Deep blue bruising covers the back of Sapnap’s shoulder, which is already starting to swell. Something’s definitely damaged in there.
“That’s not good. Um, I think you might have- well, I might have broken something. You sure I can’t get Bad?” He steps back to Sapnap’s front to try to gauge his expression, but Sapnap isn’t looking at him, instead staring forward. Dream turns to follow his gaze, concerned.
The environment shouldn’t be throwing him off; he’d done his best to replicate the top floor of the Community House when he made his base, half for the easy, familiar layout and half so he could breathe easy when he wasn’t playing his role. Nothing should be too surprising about the structure of the room, the kitchen Sapnap’s facing or an old cross-stitch Bad made hanging on the wall. Brows tugging together, Dream raises a hand and snaps gently in front of his face. Sapnap’s flinch is delayed by a few seconds, and it’s sluggish when it happens.
Okay. Sapnap’s not fully here right now, which means he’s not going to be able to give Dream permission to bring in someone more qualified. He’ll do what he can in the meantime - at the least, he can give Sapnap a safe, comfortable place to wake up to when he does.
Dream starts to ease off the remaining pieces of Sapnap’s armor, letting himself begin to ramble softly as he does, half narrating what he’s doing and half following whatever tangents come to mind. Once the armor’s off, discarded for now on and under a side table, he starts to clean Sapnap up, covering a few of the larger gashes with fresh bandages. He doesn’t have as many medical supplies here as he’d like, not when he’s been getting chased a lot recently in character, and he’d used half of his stored potions making sure Ranboo was okay after he needed to tap out. Still, he’s able to find a regen pot tucked away in the back, and he sets it in the kitchen before heading towards the linens chest. A pillowcase becomes a makeshift sling, which he gently wraps Sapnap’s arm with before heading back to the kitchen. The whole time, Dream is talking to himself, low and calm, keeping Sapnap aware that he’s still in the room, he hasn’t left. From the icebox he pulls a jar of milk, and from the cupboard a small bag of cookies.
Dream settles back in front of Sapnap, presenting the now-shimmering glass of milk and the bag of cookies like they’re an offering.
“Pandas, can you look at me? Everything’s okay, I just need you to try to eat these if you can? Well- I guess the cookies are- they’re not necessary, I just got the milk to make the regen go down easier, and I remembered I had these, and it’s like- milk and cookies. You know.”
Dream waits, patient, and slowly Sapnap’s eyes clear. He reaches out, takes the glass of milk, and downs it in two gulps.
“There you go, that’s good. Okay. Do you want cookies? I think they’re good for blood loss, and these are- I had some of your favorites, actually.”
Sapnap’s mouth opens slightly, eyes snapping down to the cookies Dream offers, then back up to Dream, the most aware he’s been so far. They’re just cookies - sure, the game had been going on for a while, but it wasn’t like Dream was going to forget. He’d stolen the toffee and peanuts from Nikki’s stores a bit ago, and it hadn’t been hard to find chocolate. It’s been a few days since he’d felt nostalgic and baked them for the smell, but they shouldn’t be stale or anything-
Sapnap lunges forward, ignoring the cookies to wrap his good arm around Dream, and Dream drops everything to hug him back. The embrace is familiar, radiating warmth into Dream’s bones, and he brings one hand up to cradle the back of Sapnap’s head as he feels hot tears beginning to seep into the cloth against his neck. He knows that the next step is getting Sapnap to lie down and rest, but Dream’s of the mindset that you don’t leave a hug until the person who initiated it pulls away, so. He settles his weight more evenly on his knees, firms his embrace around Sapnap, and begins to hum lightly. They can stay here as long as Sapnap needs. It’s really nice to get to hug his best friend again.
—- (the above post was submitted to my tumblr by an anon!)
I adore this!!! I’m going to commit crime in your name!! Just,,,, very soft dreamnap comfort, and Sapnap finally getting the hug he absolutely deserves!!! Dream is trying so hard rn and I’m proud of him!! (also I think tumblr ate your paragraph spacing, so I tried to add it back in as best I could. Hopefully I got close).
In the Eldritch!Dream AU, would anyone (aside from the Manhunt crew) have ever noticed signs of Dream's eldritch nature before the big reveal?
Oh, absolutely!
Actually, a notable point in the fic I’m working on is the FWT wedding attempt in canon to the fic, although it was very much so a half joke/slap-dash wedding. Because of this, c!Fundy knows for a fact that c!Dream isn’t human (also he realizes why Dream said yes to the wedding, it was because Dream had no idea what a wedding was or what that meant). Fundy kept quiet about this fact despite everything, and never pushed Dream to disclose further information beyond “not entirely human.” Also it’s important to me that people know c!Fundy considers finding out that c!Dream is an Eldritch a win, because he thinks he might have another shot.
Lots of other people have noticed things, Dream’s presence being generally unsettling at times, his body sometimes moving just a bit wrong, his confusion with things people typically expect others to know, etc. c!Techno also picked up on the fact Dream wasn’t human, but minded his own business about it, c!Phil got weird vibes but was never sure. c!Punz knew that Dream wasn’t human because Dream told him as much, and Dream had even called himself “a monster” in a joking sort of manner before. Mostly because Dream doesn’t actually know the term Eldritch until Philza teaches them about it. Monster is the closest thing he can find.
Fundy, finding out that Dream is an Eldritch Creature who thought the entire time they were doing an elaborate LARP session: Yes! I still have a chance | Everyone:...
Listen, we’re judging him a lil bit, but in all fairness c!George didn’t even mind the whole “murdered people and supposedly was trying to control the entire server” thing. I feel like if we’re kinkshaming c!Fundy, then we have to be fair and do the same to c!George.
The fact that in your eldritch au the fwt wedding was because dream didn't know what a wedding was.... And George objected? Omg Fundy is gonna Get It. George is actually gonna ruin his life I believe
(if stealing a persons bride, kissing them, having them kiss back, and then disappear into thin air didn't already count)
-🌉
c!Dream in the Eldritch AU doesn’t particularly know what romance is before or after the wedding. He’s still not entirely sure what happened, but he got to wear a pretty dress and it seemed very exciting so he had fun.
Actually, at least for this AU, a big part of why c!George objected in the way he did was Dream admitted to him and c!Sapnap that he wasn’t sure about this whole wedding thing. He wasn’t sure about c!Fundy’s intentions, but the man seemed very passionate about this so he didn’t want to disappoint him.
What Dream meant: I am an eldritch creature that lacks any inherent knowledge of romantic relationships, and also nobody told me what a wedding was. It seems like fun, but could one of my close friends I trust please clarify what I’m supposed to do here? I don’t want to mess it up. All I know is there’s something to do with rice? Do I need to go get rice? Is this a rice eating contest?
What George heard: I don’t trust Fundy or actually want to marry him. He pressured me into this and now I feel trapped with no way out. Please save me.
George then told Dream not to worry about it, he had a plan and it was all under control. And. The plan was that. I mean, it worked? Mostly? Dream still doesn’t understand what a wedding is or means, but *shrugging emoji*.
He was disappointed about the lack of rice.
Eldritch dream's knowledge of weddings are melodramas and fiction books that have weddings gone wrong of varying love triangle dynamics, and maybe that's why he left the wedding after George smooches him because, hey that's what the books said dawg :/
I cant get this idea out of my mind pls help
It’s very bold of you to assume Eldritch Dream knows how to read.
Elderitch!Dream: Hi my name's Dream, I'm thousands of years old and I don't fucking know how to read
In his defense, there were no books in the void, and he’s only been in the overworld for like a decade. Nobody bothered to tell him reading was a thing that he could learn.
Eldritch Dream asked the others about weddings, only for Quackity to describe the most soap-opera-esc events he's ever been to. So come the end of Dream's wedding with Fundy, he's sitting with George thinking "Oh that went well :)"
Eldritch c!Dream, after the wedding: “Oh shoot, I forgot to poison someone. Can we try again?”
If Eldrich! Dream can't read, how did he designed Pandora and all the instructions for building it? Did he like, puffed it into existence and went "yeah, this is totally something that looks like a """prison""" whatever this prison is."?
/If you covered that somewhere, I'm sorry I didn't noticed 😔
He learned how to read/write eventually for his character to be able to make the revive books. c!Callahan was the one who taught him after spending the last while learning how to read himself. For Pandora though, c!Sam just got verbal instructions and made it all functional.
Eldritch Dream: *Oh*, so a wedding is to bind us for eternity. Well I think I know how to do tha-
Sapnap, Tired: STOP
c!Sapnap is so very tired in this AU, but the wedding is the one thing that makes him crack up every time. He teases c!Fundy about it whenever he gets the chance, and absolutely does nothing to help c!Dream understand what a wedding or romantic relationship is.
Which characters would you say Eldritch!Dream is closest to and why?
Well, physically and emotionally, DreamXD and c!Callahan are still next to him in the void, and being the only Eldritch on their server, the three of them are undeniably close. They’re siblings to c!Dream, and he loves them because they are the reason he knows what love is. That he is capable of knowing what love is.
Of the humans, c!Sapnap is probably his closest friendship, particularly after everything, although c!George is a very near second. c!Bad and c!Punz are also pretty high up there. c!Techno and Dream aren’t close in the same way, but they do care for each other, and for quite awhile, Techno is the one who is most comfortable with Dream. The whole Eldritch thing doesn’t throw him off much.
Xd, holding George, Foolish, and Karl in his hand: Hey, I'm gonna borrow your Blorbos
Eldritch Dream: >: O
Honestly the funniest thing in the Eldritch AU is that c!Dream has no idea about his older brother doing a time traveler RP with c!Karl. Like at all. So he never tells Sapnaps
it’s like
c!Sapnap: “Okay, so this is the real Dream, turns out he’s a fucked up Eldritch thing, and he thought we were all just REALLY committed to the bit. His siblings are God and that weird Deer Guy that we sometimes see around. Try not to bother them.”
c!Foolish: “Wait, do his siblings also think we were committing to the bit?”
c!Sapnap: “Yes. They’ve also been informed that we were not roleplaying.”
c!Karl: “Is now a good time to mention that God has been helping me time travel to see weird versions of all of you? For like, months now? And has a weird clock kingdom?”
c!Sapnap, who had no idea about any of this: “…. god fucking damn it Karl.”
c!Dream, who explicitly told his brother to be very careful about the amount of Eldritch power they exposed humans to due to prior negative effects: “HE’S BEEN DOING WHAT?!”
eldritch!dream thinks the ability to read is a trait that you're born with (like the ability to perceive colors, you know), and the fact that tubbo is dyslexic does nothing to assuage this belief
Oh, c!Dream genuinely struggles with the idea that any trait is something you’re born with. Remember, his entire life has been a constant change of change, small in the moment but cataclysmic over time. The idea of something being unlearnable or unchangable is the human concept he takes the longest to understand.
Like, part of why he teases c!George for being colorblind is he doesn’t understand that is literally not something George can control. He’s under the assumption that George just. Is too lazy. To figure out how colors really work. Couldn’t be bothered. Even physical traits, things that he understands to be relatively static, he assumes are static by choice for the longest time.
Dream rationally learns pretty quickly that George can’t just destroy his own eyes and keep remaking them in order to figure out colors, but the implication of not being able to change them through any method doesn’t hit him until well after the reveal. Scars, height, skills, all of those are things he sees as choices. Because to him, they are.
Eldritch c!Callahan at the sight of Eldritch c!Dream angrily searching for XD: Ooooooooh someone's in trooooublllee
Well, since the three of them are still near each other in the void, they’re always able to talk to each other regardless of how far apart their “human” forms are. It’s just that they talk in the language they developed, which humans can’t understand or hear.
XD and c!Callahan don’t have much issue with this, but c!Dream is more in tune w/his human body, so he’ll forget which one he’s using sometimes. This means he’ll appear silent/doing something and then suddenly say something abt a totally unrelated conversation he’s having with the other Eldritch. It’s usually dumb stuff, but it can absolutely scare/confuse people. It also explains a lot of what he was doing in prison (he was legit just oncall with XD and Callahan whenever he was bored).
So when XD is in trouble, he can’t do shit to get away. Dream is already there. It’s fine though, they’ll work it out. XD was just feeling lonely and wanted to prove he could do his own ‘lore’ and have fun. Also, he wanted to ensure the humans of the server properly recognized and understood that he was in charge and absolutely will smite them if provoked.
Chapter 15: Winged Dream AU
Chapter Text
Hear me out for a second here.
DreamXD copies c!Dream’s appearance almost exactly, but with a Vibe Difference
->
Foolish doesn’t actually know what XD looks like, so he makes him look like c!Dream in a robe and gives him wings because the vibes fit.
->
XD likes the look and decides to give himself wings! He looks really snazzy!
->
XD realizes that he and c!Dream don’t match anymore, and that makes him sad, so he decides to fix it.
->
c!Dream wakes up freshly escaped from the prison to find there are wings sprouted out of his back and he has no fucking clue why.
Additional thoughts, warning for a character requesting amputation (although to be fair, it’s amputation of limbs he didn’t have 24 hours ago):
- Dream does not understand why this is happening. XD did not bother to leave a note.
- This is a slight AU where Dream was staying with c!Techno for a day to recover before heading off on his own after the events of the prison. He wakes up with wings and loses his mind with panic.
- Techno also doesn’t know why or how Dream has wings.
- After about 20 minutes of panicking, Dream comes to a conclusion.
- He tells Technoblade to cut them off. He doesn’t know where they came from, and he doesn’t want to.
- Technoblade says “absolutely fuck no, I’m getting Phil. Also I’m not leaving you with a sword because I don’t trust you not to try it alone.”
- Dream is pissed that Techno had forethought. (he was 100% going to attempt it himself if left with a sword).
- Anyways, c!Phil comes in to find that Dream suddenly got wings, and well that’s a situation, huh?
- c!Phil’s own wings haven’t worked in a long time, since before the SMP, but he still knows how to take care of them, and he tries to teach Dream how to do just that.
- Dream is still trying to talk the other two into helping him cut them off.
- While the original plan was for Dream to leave as soon as morning came, it becomes very quickly apparent to both Techno and Phil that he’s not physically or emotionally stable enough to be left alone.
- So he’s stuck with the two of them as they try to get him to adjust to having wings and life in general.
- The first time anyone else from the server shows up (probably c!Tubbo or c!Ranboo who didn’t die in this AU) between the physical changes, lack of a mask, and wings, they literally do not recognize him. Unsure of this stranger, they report back to the rest of the SMP that the commune has a new person who seems strangely connected to Philza and Techno
- Welcome to the new conspiracy theory game: Is this guy Phil’s son or Techno’s new boyfriend?
- The answer is neither, but that won’t stop the rest of the server from taking bets and convincing themselves it has to be one or the other.
- I like to think that c!Niki finds out the truth early on and she’s having the time of her life. Also she wins a fair bit of money taking bets she knows she’ll win.
i think there are two equally funny (and angsty, if you want to take it that way) options you can go with if dream is given wings. one: dream has no idea how to use the wings. xd didn't bother giving him any instincts, so he is constantly knocking things over, he can't move them properly, and he is constantly off balance because of the new weight. (or even worse, since xd's wings are largely cosmetic, he didn't bother to give dream the proper musculature and bone structure to use and support the wings, so they put incredible strain on his spine, he can barely move them, and even when he gets used to them he couldn't use them to fly.) that, or xd went way overboard with the instincts - he wants dream to be able to fly like him, after all, so they can really match, and this is the best way to speed up that process. dream wakes up, and although he still needs to learn how to use his wings properly, he is overwhelmed with weird desires to do bird like things (idk much about birds so i wouldnt know what these are) which is incredibly confusing to him
So, XD does give c!Dream proper musculature and skeletal changes to accommodate the wings (within the fake realism that humans could have wings in the first place), and he gives him the proper nerves/physical feedback for it. Dream can use his wings to fly once he learns.
However, XD doesn’t give him any avian instincts or knowledge of flight. Dream doesn’t start making any chirping noises, and he doesn’t really know what to do with himself. For awhile, he just wants the wings gone. Once he gets convinced that that’s a bad idea, he starts to learn about how to use them from c!Phil. Over time, he learns to see them as a strength, but a part of him just wants his body to feel normal. He’s also worried about them getting targeted once people learn who he is.
He worries about that less after he realizes how hard it actually is to target wings in a fight if you aren’t used to fighting them. Wings are like 90% feathers, and the parts where you can hit and actually do damage are small and relatively easy to armor. The feathers don’t need much if any protection if they aren’t blood feathers.
Dream, with a very bad PowerPoint presentation: and this is why we should cut those wings off and yeet them in lava
Techno and Philza, not buying his bullshit: just go to sleep you bitch
c!Philza: “Having wings isn’t so bad! I’d give anything to have mine back.”
c!Dream, pulling out the 5th sword he’s managed to find: “Great! You can have these ones!”
Okay, wait, I’ve decided there is actually 1 (one) valid way for c!Conner to be c!Dream and c!Schlatt’s son without breaking the canon timeline.
- c!Dream makes a deal with c!Schlatt for the revive book.
- Not wanting to buy a faulty product and very full of adhd, c!Dream decides to test the revive book right away, with c!Schlatt in the room.
- XD gets summoned for the very first time as a result, but like, the book wasn’t targeted at anyone. c!Dream just said “hey, life here pls”
- XD doesn’t really know what to do so he just takes a little bit of c!Dream and a little bit of c!Schlatt and makes A Man.
- c!Conner appears in the room and he’s so fucking confused.
- His job done, XD decides this place seems interesting, he’s going to go look around.
- Oh but he needs a disguise! Well the guy who summoned him looks pretty hot. he can just use his vibe. He probably won’t mind, right?
- c!Schlatt and c!Dream are just absolutely flabbergasted at the Guy just. Here. Existing.
- “Do we have a son now????”
- “I’m naming him Conner.”
- c!Dream never uses the revive book without a target again.
c!Dream, getting a new thing and instantly pushing all the buttons: “Hey, what happens if I use this?”
XD, who just woke up from a 10,000 nap: “Wait that’s- There’s nobody- Okay. Hm. How About One Entire Man?”
I’m super curious about XD in the ‘Dream sprouts wings’ AU— how did he meet Dream? Why does he want to match with Dream?? Does Dream suspect that XD is the reason he has wings??
So I’ve thought about it for all of 5 minutes, and I’ve decided this AU is also the AU where DreamXD created c!Connor after c!Dream used the revive book with no target. The reason for this is I believe XD has the same chaotic vibe in both.
That’s how XD met c!Dream, he got summoned by him and decided to hang out. He chose Dream’s appearance because he liked his look and Dream was the one who summoned him.
Dream doesn’t figure it out until he sees the XD statue with wings. Prior to that he had no reason to suspect that XD was involved. The guy hasn’t talked to him basically since he showed up, and Dream barely knows his name.
XD… well his motives are chaotic at best. He enjoys c!Dream as a person, somehow, and likes the idea of matching with him. By the time he decides he wants wings, the two of them matching is already his brand, so he decides to keep with it.
What color are the wings? what they look like?
You know, I’m not 100% set.
I feel like XD would base them on the statue, but it’s also possible he’d take the concept and do his own thing with it.
At the very least, XD is aware that c!Dream is a fighter/runner, so he’s not going to give him soaring wings. Depending on XD’s taste, I think he’d give them both something nimble like kestrel wings, or something built for silent flight like barn owl wings.
Probably barn owl wings now that I’m thinking about it, maybe with some grayer coloration, like a sooty owl.
Do you think Philza gets bitter about Dream wanting to get rid of hos wings? Like, he would do anything to have his back, and then comes Dream, who got "blessed" with wings, wanting to get rid of them.
- E anon
Not really? Like, I think he might be less bitter and more just reminded of bad memories.
c!Philza accepted what happened to him, and he’s also aware that c!Dream’s situation is very unique. Like, if someone woke up one day with 2 extra arms, it’d be easy to understand them wanting to get rid of them. Even if the arms are helpful and functional, it’s still pretty weird. It’s a major change to Dream’s body that he didn’t consent to and had no warning about.
If anything though, I think Philza would actually be quite happy about Dream getting wings once Dream adjusts to the idea of having them. None of his kids had wings, so Philza never got to teach anyone else about flying or any of the finer points of maintaining feather wings. After Dream adjusts, he’s a very eager student, and there’s something nice about getting to pass along all that knowledge. Even if Phil can’t fly anymore, he can help someone else do it.
Always here to continue the Winged Dream Agenda. Let the boi have flap flaps, he was made for SPEED
I think I’ve decided he gets Barn Owl/Sooty Owl wings. So he’s not quite made for speed, he’s made for Shhhh!!! Sneak!! His flight and wings are near silent and he uses it to jump scare other people whenever possible. Very useful for sneaking away or surprising people. A little ambush predator!
Oh my god, Dream getting his wings properly preened for the first time by Phil and OH BOY, he's having A BLAST, let him ZOOM, let him YEET HIMSELF OF THE ROOF, HE CAN DO THIS 😂😂😂
Oh boy, post prison c!Dream is not letting c!Philza touch these wings unless it’s to cut them off. Not only does he have issues with people being behind him, but his new wings would be very sensitive and until he settles into all the new sensations he’s going to be avoiding touching them as much as he can.
For a rough timeline, I think it’d take at least a week for c!Dream to be talked into keeping them, and two weeks before the group feels like the change is permanent. At that point, Dream would be in dire need of a proper preening. Phil would have to walk him through the process, and it’d be slow and paintaking-
Actually, I’ve changed my mind mid-paragraph. c!Dream WOULD let Philza preen his wings, but I don’t think Philza would do it. Like, Dream’s determined to ignore all of his trauma and prove he isn’t scared of anything or anyone by letting Philza be behind him and be touching very sensitive feathers, but Philza has 1 (one) ounce of common sense and realizes that’s a bad idea. He’d probably offer an excuse though, about it either being better for Dream to learn to do it himself, or about wings being a very personal and private thing to care for.
The only reason Philza would preen Dream’s wings would be if there was a health risk or Dream was unable to. Which might happen, but it’d be unlikely. Phil might also try to have c!Techno do it instead, even if he’s less experienced, Dream is a lot more comfortable with him.
While Dream does get curious and fucks around with the wings a bit, he only goes on his first proper flight after 2 weeks. When his body has recovered somewhat and he’s figured out walking again. Philza teaches him a lot of the basic movements on the ground, and then they head to the ocean side with a stasis chamber set up, so that if Dream nose dives, they can teleport him back before anything goes wrong.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but Dream takes to flight a lot easier than anyone expected! He’s so light from all the starvation that it makes flying almost effortless. His parkour gave him a good sense of movement, and he’s used to navigating while moving quickly already. Landing takes some getting used to, but Phil is a good teacher!
Tbh I think by the end of things, nobody regrets the wings more than Techno. Dream can now appear from anywhere totally silently, and there’s nothing Techno can do about it. He lives in fear of a neon green jump scare hiding around every corner.
XD: Bestiee~✨|
Dream: who are you
DreamXD has a parasocial relationship with c!Dream, and basically nobody is happy about it.
Really pushing the DreamXD being a dream kinnie agenda and I love it!!! Ngl I feel like actual lore DreamXD does that too with the whole "first human he saw" sorta thing.
But if hes billions of years old then surely hes seen more humans before? And it's been confirmed that c!dream isnt human, more like a humanoid or something. Unless it was false ofc.
Anyways, the great sif, do share your wisdom.
I’ve talked about this previously, but I refuse to believe that DreamXD had never seen a human before c!Dream. He supposedly created the world, and if you take Tales to be canon, then humans lived on the SMP prior to the current group.
The only way he could’ve never seen a human is if he was previously trapped/isolated from the world until c!Dream summoned him with the revive book.
Personally, I stand by my theory that XD is lying, and the revive book came with the price of XD being able to steal some of c!Dream’s lifeforce to make a physical form for himself. At least for canon.
For the Winged Dream AU, I’ve decided it’ll be semi-true. XD had been in isolation for quite awhile prior to Dream summoning him, and after creating c!Connor, XD just liked Dream’s look and decided to copy it. In this AU, XD just vibes with c!Dream. He’s a god whose bored and took a liking to this specific mortal. Much to everyone’s detriment.
Ok but imagine being Connor in the ‘Dream Sprouts Wings’ AU
The guy really just popped into existence and vibed with what was going on.
I’d like to think c!Dream did at least bother to explain the SMP and general life stuff to c!Connor before letting him run off on his own. Luckily when XD poofed him into existence, he got basic skills that are roughly the average of his “parents” so he’s got that much going for him.
Also luck him, he never had a childhood so he has exactly 0 childhood trauma as a result! Score!
Okay so @lyditist was messaging me about poisonous birds, in regards to c!Dream in the winged AU, and it got me thinking. Injury discussion ahead!
If c!Dream had successfully talked c!Techno or c!Phil into cutting the wings off, or if c!Quackity/c!Sam had found out that Dream got wings and decided to cut them off, I don’t think that’d be the end of it.
XD is very prideful about his work, and he would NOT take kindly to having it ruined, esp if it was by c!Quackity or c!Sam and done against Dream’s will. He spent so much time picking out those wings!! Now he and c!Dream don’t match again!! This Is A Horrid Crime.
So he’d definitely grow the wings back, but the second time around he’d add a line of defense to prevent this from happening again. Any attempts to touch the wings, even using a tool or gloves, result in an instant heavy poisoning. One that milk can’t cure, and which gets worse the longer the contact remains. XD is proud of himself, and then fucks off, again without explaining anything.
c!Dream would have mixed feelings. On one hand, he does like now being able to shelter in his wings and being practically invincible when he does so. On the other, he’s not great with keeping track of his wings and if he’s near people there’s a high risk of him accidentally brushing them. In the end he probably has to track down XD and demand a change so it’s less high risk.
In the meantime though he can just curl up into a feather ball and Nobody Can Bother Him.
The idea of Dream just turning into a ball of feathers as a defense mechanism is so funny, especially for mundane things, like-
just imagine Phil/Techno trying to get Dream to stop scheming or make him take a break.
Phil: Dream, come on mate, I made rabbit stew! I know you haven’t eaten all day. You’ve been lurking in the dark, mumbling to yourself for hours. My back’s starting to hurt just looking at you.
Dream, nestled safely in his ball of poisonous feathers: No❤️
Phil:
Dream, unafraid of certain death (or ass whooping) thanks to his impenetrable, god given, shield: And the reason your back hurts is because you’re an old man, old man. Don’t try to pin you being old as dirt on me.
Phil:
Techno: ...I mean-
Phil: SHUT.
c!Dream: Finally, I’ve found something that fixes everything! I’ll never need to worry about taking care of my body again!
c!Techno: Wait, how does this solve starvation, torture, and a complete lack of medical care for an extended period? You look the same?
c!Dream: Oh, I am, but now you & Punz can’t make me solve those problems anymore.
c!Techno: Goddamnit-
Also now c!Dream can stick his wings out to cover something if he wants to call dibs/steal it. He’ll do it slowly too, one wing inching out towards the object of Desire as he stares into the eyes of the person who Does Not Want Him To Do That.
Winged!Dream claiming stuff as his while staring someone down is just the best mental image, like for someone who claims he doesn't have attachments he sure does claim stuff a lot.
Imagine the first person he wants to claim as 'his' and goes to do his normal 'very deadly wing over his new thing' motion except, except that also puts the person under his wing in danger too. This is a predicament.
Post-prison, c!Dream has a complicated relationship with objects. He oscillates between being extremely possessive and hoarding stuff (food, weapons, anything that he feels will keep him safe, certain things that remind him he’s out of prison) and trying to have the bare minimum for survival to prove that he wasn’t traumatized. And he’s scared that if he shows any sign of attachment to anything, it will be taken and used against him, as history has proven.
The wings add a new dynamic to this. Now things Can’t be taken from him! He’s got a solid self-defense mechanism!
It is a little much though, so after 2 weeks of almost killing people on accident, he finds XD and makes him change the poison effect so it only triggers if the person attempts to inflict damage or if Dream purposefully activates it. Now he can safely hide people under his wings! Not that he’s going to tell anyone else that.
As for who he would hide, it’s c!Ranboo while he’s enderwalking 100%. The two of them are chatting about stuff while sitting out on some grass in a field when there’s a very sudden weather shift. So Dream sticks out a winger as fast as he can to shield Ranboo from the rain! Ranboo’s nervous until Dream tells him the poison has an off switch, and then it’s just a matter of awkward hunched over posture so Ranboo can stay under the wing until they reach shelter!
Is the poison a powder-like substance? Oily? Can he collect whatever part is poisonous and use it to poison arrow tips and other weapons? Or is it just straight up magic that only affects those in direct contact with his wings?
Also- Dream better keep it a secret that he can control the poison now lol. AND he has to make sure that Ranboo doesen’t snitch on him.
It would be really funny if only Ranboo knows and Phil has to call him in once a day to make Dream eat. No one knows why Dream listens to him. Ranboo is actually just threatening to snitch, and Dream prefers to at least pretend he has a say in taking care of himself. He doesen’t get that luxury when Techno calls the shots.
After all, Techno trusts Dream enough that he will just walk up to him, shove the wings out of the way and drag him out of his hiding place to make him practice self-care. Dream wouldn’t intentionally poison/hurt an ally after all, Techno knows when to call his bluff.
Usually he respects Dreams autonomy- but eating at least one proper meal a day is non negotiable.
The poison is magic created by XD! It works similarly to a wither effect, and can’t be transferred to other objects. It also only applies to the wings, once the feathers molt out they lose the poison effect. c!Dream takes to collecting them once he molts for the first time and once he has enough he sews all of them into a cloak! He likes to wear it when he’s in unfamiliar territory, because the way it layers over his back/wings makes it nearly impossible for a would-be attacker to tell where the wings stop. Aka “where am I not going to get poisoned if I stab”.
As for keeping a secret!! Yes!! c!Dream keeps it a secret for quite awhile. He does tell Enderwalk c!Ranboo about the wings to keep him safe from the rain, but he doesn’t tell regular c!Ranboo. So his secret is safe on that front. Mostly because Enderboo only speaks Ender, and nobody else in the area does.
Everyone else has been really careful around c!Dream’s wings. So either someone would fall into them accidentally and discover they were no longer poisoned, or I think if Michael ever was up near the commune and managed to get away from c!Ranboo/c!Tubbo, he’d probably try to touch the pretty feathers and give the secret away.
c!Techno has already figured out how to get Dream to eat though. He’s found that part of the issue is that Dream really doesn’t like eating around other people. It feels unsafe to Dream, which makes sense. Instead, Techno takes to leaving food where Dream can reach it/find it easily and then leaving him alone. Usually the food will get eaten, unless Dream is having a really rough day. Adjustments are required from time to time, but Dream’s found that since he feels Safe in the Wing Ball, it’s much easier to eat when he can be curled up in the corner with his food instead of exposed around other people.
Family dinners consists of the syndicate eating fancy by a nice dining rable and a deadly ball of feathers with his own plate in the corner cause he feels both safe and included like that
Maybe in the far future. For awhile, c!Dream just isn’t comfortable being around other people when food is involved, and that’s okay! Instead, he’ll spend time around them (reluctantly) in other ways. Like helping c!Phil with building projects, looking after the hound army, and going on short adventures with c!Techno. For quite awhile he’s also having to take flying lessons with Phil, or just general wing-care lessons since he’s starting from 0.
Chapter 16: Convict Childcare AU - 9
Summary:
convict childcare update, more drabbles and updates on XD!
Chapter Text
c!foolish would also be a link to c!quackity though - even if they're not on especially true friendship terms, he's still got dealings with him...
Well, tbf by late AU c!Foolish has mostly cut ties with c!Quackity. The two of them had past dealings, but when c!Ponk refuses the rest of the server’s narrative that c!Sam wasn’t kidnapping Michael/c!Dream, Foolish stuck with Ponk. At first it wasn’t super open. Foolish was basically a double agent, feeding info to Ponk who sent it back to the syndicate. Eventually, once Dream was found, people settled down, and it became clear that Ponk was standing with the Syndicate, Foolish publicly stuck with Ponk and his message was well received.
As such, c!Dream wouldn’t really hold Foolish’s relationship with Quackity against him. It was mostly business, and once he got a hint, Foolish was out.
what happens if/when c!tommy finds out about baby michael's new bestie and tries to intervene to save the child?
Oh, yeah no. (assuming convict childcare AU)
Like, c!Tommy’s dealing with a lot of emotional shit, but he’s not stupid. At least, not that stupid. Despite wanting c!Dream dead and not believing he’s safe for a toddler to be around (very reasonably), he’s not going to try to separate the two of them because he actually knows a few things about piglins. Tommy also doesn’t want to take Michael away from c!Tubbo or even c!Techno despite how upset he is with the both of them.
So, he wouldn’t try to take Michael away, but he would try to kill c!Dream. Which is perfectly understandable given their history, but extremely unsuccessful on account of Dream having back up and also having recovered enough to fight by the point the two of them might have an encounter.
Other then that, Tommy tends to ignore Michael’s existence, something that gets him stabbed by Michael at least once because Tommy didn’t realize the child was there.
Ehi Sif, I recently thought about something. Remember that in your "Wings AU" you said how much of a fanboy XD is and that he wanna match with Dream. In your Enderdragon AU or the "Convicted Childcare", is possible that maybe XD wanna mach with Dream's dragon form? Because I was watching Elden Ring and I saw the "Elden Beast" and oh boy, it would be perfect for DreamXD 🤩 !!!
I’ve talked a bit about DreamXD in the convict childcare AU. In that AU, DreamXD is a god and beyond humans or hybrids. Specifically, he’s a god of the End, so c!Dream is given favored status because he’s an Ender Dragon Hybrid.
The really funny thing is in that AU, XD created the revive book with the intent that it could be used to summon him. Once summoned, a person could then make an offering to him, and he’d decided if he felt like reviving them. The book itself doesn’t bind him to revive someone, only to show up and hear someone out.
However, because c!Dream is his favorite, when Dream acquired the book, XD made an exception to his rules. Dream is allowed to summon him for a revival at no cost, with no offering required. If Dream uses the book to summon him for non-revival reasons, then XD will do his best to grant a wish so long as it’s within reason. XD considers this payment for using Dream’s image to interact with other humans.
The implication of this is if someone like c!Quackity managed to get the revive book from Dream, it still wouldn’t do them much good. Quackity would never be able to use the book like Dream can. He could possibly activate it, but XD would just show up and demand payment. Odds are it’d be a price that Quackity couldn’t afford, or wouldn’t be willing to pay. Dude just spent ages torturing a guy for a book, only to find out that guy is god’s favorite and he’s the only one who gets the discount on revivals.
In the Ender Dragon Hybrid AU, tbh probably a similar relationship. XD isn’t as hands on as in the Winged c!Dream AU, but he’s still the favorite. XD probably stops by to met the Feral Ender Dragon Hybrid and offer him very shiny apples + tell him that murder is okay (and encouraged).
okay so in one of the childcare convict posts you mention that tech has piglin instincts so at one point when things are getting intense in the house, he absconds with michael to chill with dream for a bit. can we see some more details of this moment bc i think dream and michael co parenting is really cute and michael getting to have some moments with his two favorite people and feel safe curled up between them
The first thing Technoblade knows, is that life has been unfair to Tubbo. What with Ranboo getting murder, and then losing his kid, then finally getting the kid back after half a year, only to discover the kid had picked Dream as his caretaker? Yeah. That was rough. The second thing Techno knows, is that Tubbo loves Michael. He’s doing his best to reconnect with his kid, and although he’s not perfect, he’s still trying.
The third thing Techno knows is that if Tubbo takes one step closer to him, Techno is going to kill him.
There’s a growl coming from his throat, and Michael is in Techno’s arms, cradled very delicately. The human part of Techno’s brain knows that Tubbo didn’t mean any harm. That when he took Michael’s hand and tried to lead him away from Dream’s door, it was just so they could spend time together. Michael had just been having a bad day, and Tubbo must’ve gripped a bit too tight.
Michael had let out a whine. A plea for help. And Techno was a piglin above all else.
Across the room, Tubbo was trembling, eyes wide and scared. Techno’s instincts and Chat were deeply pleased. Part of him didn’t believe it was enough. Part of him wanted to rip and tear and hurt because the child was scared.
Techno took a deep breath. Then another. Then, with all the restraint he had in his body, he shuffled his way out of the living room and towards Dream’s room.
The child was scared. The child needed their caretaker. That was more helpful then blood.
Repeating that to himself, Techno made his retreat. Slamming Dream’s door open was a near thing, but he stopped himself there too. Really, Techno was showing incredible restraint right now.
Honestly, Techno didn’t realize he’d closed his eyes until he felt Michael wiggle in his arms. Blinking them back open, he automatically released the child in his arms.
Michael didn’t hestiate, the moment he was released, he scrambled up onto the bed, burrowing into Dream’s chest with a pleased sequel. Safe. Happy. Thank god.
Several moments ticked by. Dream was staring, his shoulders were tense and his grip on Michael was protective, but he didn’t press Techno for answers. Out of respect or fear, Techno wasn’t sure. He wanted to believe it was the former though.
After taking several more deep breaths, Techno moved to sit on the chair next to the bed. Only, it felt wrong. He couldn’t see the door. If he moved the chair, then he wouldn’t be able to see Michael. His ear flicked in annoyance as he tried to settle.
“Here.”
Dream’s voice was still raspy, but calm as he shifted his legs, freeing up room on the bed. Normally, Techno would protest, but right now it was perfect. The bed was against the wall, so sitting at the foot of it would let him se everything. He took up his place without comment. Still focused on breathing.
A minute or two must’ve ticked by before Techno was calm enough to speak. Michael was still in Dream’s lap, with some of the blankets pulled around him as he chuffed softly. It’d only been a few hours since they last saw each other, but from how the piglet acted you’d think it was years.
“Sorry ‘bout that, Michael got spooked and my brain wouldn’t chill.”
“Okay.” Dream accepted the partial truth for all of about three seconds. “What’d Tubbo do?”
The question was… guarded. Dangerous. As much as Dream might want the rest of them to think he could leave Michael behind at any time, he wasn’t fooling anyone. He’d kill for the kid.
“How’d you know it was him?”
That earned him a Look. Honestly, it was total bullshit that Dream could be so judgemental with that mask on. Techno needed to figure how he managed it one of these days.
“Well, I mean, the scream strongly implied he was involved.”
Oh. Techno hadn’t heard that. He must’ve still been near feral.
“Fair enough.” A second’s pause, this was delicate. The piglin in him wanted to call Tubbo a hazard, a danger, say he shouldn’t be near Michael again. The human in him knew better. “Wasn’t his fault.”
Another Look. Goddamnit.
“Michael’s just been having a rough day, he got spooked by a horse right after breakfast. Think he might'a caught a wiff of blood when Phil was helpin’ change your bandages too. Tubbo was just trying to lead him off, was hopin’ you could get some more sleep, but I think he grabbed a little hard.”
It was a bit of a ramble, but it lowered Dream’s hackles a bit. Not all the way. After a moment, Techno tacked on to his statement.
“It was with his bad arm. He’s good with it most times, but when he’s already stressed, it’s hard.”
That did the trick. Dream considered the point and nodded, glancing down at Michael for something. The kid was pouting, but reluctantly made a few handsigns, too quickly for Techno to make anything out, but good enough for Dream. The other man huffed a half laugh. Still raspy and sounding near painful, but present and soothing all the same.
After a moment, Dream spoke, voice soft in that way he reserved for Michael. That way Techno considered himself extremely lucky to be allowed to bare witness too. He knew for a fact Dream never used that voice when anyone else was within earshot, and it made a primitive part of him rumble in pride to have earned that trust.
“Yeah, they weren’t lying. I just had to swap out the bandages, and some of 'em were totally gross. That’s why you couldn’t be there. Phil didn’t do anything to me.”
Michael accepted the answer, although his little eyes kept a glint of suspicion to them. Dream must’ve picked up on it too, and glanced up towards Techno.
“Since that’s all settled, Techno, could you grab Michael’s puzzle? The new one.”
Sighing dramatically, Techno heaved himself up and over to the toy chest, snagging Michael’s new puzzle that Tubbo had made, and a few of the plush animals that Phil had stitched together. He returned to the bed with his prizes, offering the plushes first to Michael’s delight, which bought him enough time to snag the bedside tray Dream used for his meals and set up the puzzle on it.
Michael clapped his hands in joy and started on the puzzle without any hesitation. It wasn’t a great start, he wasn’t even bothering to sort the pieces or find the corners, but Techno had been told on no uncertain terms was he allowed to criticize the baby’s method of puzzle solving. So, he kept his mouth shut.
While Michael worked at his puzzle with his face screwed up in concentration, Dream shifted so he could lean back on the mound of pillows arranged carefully by the headboard. They weren’t in a nest shape yet, but Techno had a feeling that they might shift in that direction given time. That was none of his buisness though.
What was his business was the fact Dream was shivering again. The man had been under the covers before Michael came in, and those blankets were now pulled down and trapped under the piglet. Dream wouldn’t move the kid either. Not when he was so focused on his puzzle.
So, Techno, who had long since adjusted to the cold, pulled off his own cloak and wrapped it around his friend’s shoulders. Sure, Dream had extra cloaks and extra blankets, ones that Techno could reach without standing, but his was already warm. And it was better. By virtue of it being Techno’s.
The pleased feeling in his chest was just from taking care of Michael, and it had nothing to do with seeing his sounder wrapped up in his colors. Nothing at all.
Dream didn’t seem convinced, but he pulled the cloak around himself all the same. Despite the fact Dream was clearly pleased by the gift, he still gave Techno a Look. Techno couldn’t take it any longer.
“How the hell do you do that through a mask? I swear, it’s gotta be some kind of magic!”
Ugh. Dream didn’t even try to respond. He just laughed at Techno. Not quite his old kettle laugh, but a full, breathless laugh all the same.
Bastard.
God, Techno had missed him.
I absolutely adore Convict Childcare c!Dream and c!Techno's relationship. Is it too much to ask for even more? 👉👈
At one point very early on, c!Techno was really worried about c!Dream’s health for obvious reasons. Dream was in a really bad way, and while they were all pretty sure he was going to make it, they weren’t entirely sure. Dude was sick, and his body was in a really bad state.
Now, as mentioned previously, Techno had strong suspicions about Dream’s status as an Ender Dragon Hybrid due to their time together in the cell. He never snitches on Dream, but he does know.
So, when Dream’s not quite on death’s door, but is hanging around death’s front poach playing ding-dong-ditch, Techno gets an idea. He thinks having a healing end crystal in the room might help. However, he absolutely does not want to alert the others to Dream’s hybrid status, so his very clever plan is to sneak it in and hide it under the floor boards under the bed.
Obviously, this has to be done at night. Techno builds the crystal and even scouts out the location ahead of time. He knows there’s a good spot to stash it, he checked to make sure the area underneath is hidden and accessible, and he knew that nobody else would be up when he snuck the crystal in. It was a calculated, foolproof plan. Unfortunately, Techno is not a fool, he just has adhd and forgets about very important elements when overthinking other ones.
Michael woke up in the midnight of the night, ready to growl and bite and murder, only to find the big piglin who is maybe a friend of his caretaker, looking shady and holding a very strange crystal, seeming to try to sneak in.
This was the first time Techno got bit by Michael. It was not the last.
Techno did manage to explain himself to the toddler, telling the truth that the crystal was to help Dream, and then lying through his teeth that it was a “midnight crystal” which is why it had to be placed at night. It also needed to be a secret for anyone but Dream, because people knowing about it might make the crystal not work.
Michael was very skeptical, but allowed the crystal to be placed eventually. Since the crystal did appear to improve Dream’s condition a little bit, and he was later told Techno was a Friend, he eventually considered it fair enough.
When the Den finally gets built with proper crystals out in the open, Michael calls them “Night Crystals” and 100% snitches on what Techno did when Dream asks why he calls them that. Dream is torn between touched and laughing at Techno getting caught by a toddler. He decides to do both.
Omg Michael calling End Crystals 'Night Crystals' is so cute I love them but also imagine him eventually calling them 'Night Lights' xD
Michael learns the proper name for them, but takes to calling them “Dream Crystals” instead, because in his mind, that’s what they are. They are crystals for c!Dream and they make him better. The adults give up on correcting him, and instead focus on making sure he knows not to touch them because they are very dangerous.
//convict childcare AU
Tubbo found himself tracing the patterns in the grain of the wood with his eyes. It wasn’t exactly thrilling stuff, but it was something to do.
Behind him, Michael was asleep on the bed. The two of them had played together earlier, and now the toddler was down for a nap. Usually, Tubbo would’ve left once Michael fell asleep, but Dream’s lungs had been acting up with a particularly nasty cough. As much as the man insisted he was fine, he’d also almost died too many times for anyone to be willing to take the risk. So, since everyone else was out, Tubbo was tasked with staying in earshot in case something went wrong.
It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Tubbo thought it’d be. Michael was more willing to play under Dream’s supervision, and Tubbo was hoping the extra time might help them bond further. Dream himself spent most of his time resting or watching the window. Sometimes he’d speak, mostly when Michael wanted to show him something, but other then that, things were calm.
When Michael settled down for his nap, Dream had picked up the revive book he’d been making slow progress on for the past few weeks, and Tubbo had taken the hint and turned to face the wall. He was still shocked (and pleased) that Dream was willing to work on it with him in the room at all. The man was still shy about anything to do with the revive book, and Tubbo tried not to push.
Curiosity was prickling at Tubbo, but he kept himself facing the wall. He didn’t even ask how far along Dream was in the book! Even though Tubbo wanted Ranboo back, he was very aware that Dream’s hands were still a struggle. Phil wasn’t happy with Dream writing anything at all, but the two had agreed that slow progress was a fair compromise.
Speaking of Ranboo, his ghost had been hanging around the day before. It seemed to be avoiding Dream himself, but had no problem being in the area. None of them had mentioned that Dream was writing a revive book for him. They’d been worried it might run off.
Actually, wait, what if Dream told it? Dream hadn’t met Ghostboo yet, so he wouldn’t know to lie! That could be a disaster.
“Don’t tell Ghostboo.”
Tubbo said it, and then almost instantly realized his words made no fucking sense out of context.
“Uh, that’s- Don’t tell him about the book. Uh, he’s been like, avoiding you I think. But if Ghostboo does come in here, then don’t tell him. He’s- he’s weird.”
Keeping his voice flat was hard, and it was only getting harder as Tubbo found more words spilling out.
“I dunno why, but like, he’s really insistent that he’s happier being dead. So we haven’t told him. About the revival. His ghost is really weird in general. I don’t- I’m not a fan.”
He would’ve kept rambling, but Dream cut him off.
“It’s not real.”
What.
“What?”
“The ghosts. They aren’t… It’s not a person. It’s a trick. It’s a bad imitation of the person left behind to try to convince you not to revive them. They’ll try different things, but it’s all for the same goal. Try to ignore it until I’ve got this finished.”
Dream words were confident and clinical. Like he was stating the obvious.
And- well- It wasn’t like Tubbo thought he was lying. What he was saying made sense, in an abstract way.
“Why- How do you know that?”
It was kind of a stupid question. Silence ticked by, and since Tubbo was still facing the wall, he had no idea what Dream was thinking.
“I found out when I got the book.”
That wasn’t the whole truth, and they both knew it. Tubbo itched with the desire to learn more, he wanted to know, to understand. He almost couldn’t restrain himself.
But Tubbo was trying. He’d figured out pretty quickly that Dream took poorly to being pressed for answers. So he nodded, and kept his questions to himself for the moment.
Silence again. It wasn’t quite comfortable, but it was tolerable. There was the very faint and slow scratch of pen against paper offsetting it all.
Dream spoke after a few minutes.
“Is Niki going to be back soon? She was…. Meeting Ponk? Right?”
“Punz, actually. Uh, I think she’ll be back in a few days? She was going to stop and catch up on a few things before coming back. I can ask Phil though. He’ll know. Do you need to ask her something?”
There was a frustrated pause, and Tubbo knew it wasn’t directed at him. Dream had some issues with keeping things straight these days. He wouldn’t talk about what caused it, but it showed in the little details that slipped past him.
“Not exactly, it’s not urgent, but… I’m almost done. Should only be a few more days. I’ll need to be the one to burn it, but anyone can kill the ghost. I figured she’d be okay with doing it. Probably shouldn’t be you or Techno at the very least. Someone will need to be at the prison to get Ranboo too.”
Oh. Oh!
Tubbo couldn’t contained himself. He whipped around in his excitement- thankful it seemed Dream had already closed the book. He flew out of his chair- he needed to move and think- Ranboo was going to be back!
“Really?!” Pointless, Dream wouldn’t lie about this. “She wouldn’t mind- I could do it, but I want to be there. When he’s back. We can go ahead of time, maybe find where he actually died. Connor might know, maybe. I swear when we broke in the first time Techno found some bloodstains, so we might even know where he was!”
Brain racing, Tubbo starting making plans out loud. Everything he’d been praying for since he first saw that death message so many months ago.
Dream let him ramble without interrupting. One of his hands just moved to pet Michael’s head when the toddler snuffled in his sleep. Oops. Tubbo quieted down, not wanting to wake Michael. One thing hadn’t still changed, the boy still got extremely grouchy if he didn’t get his afternoon nap. Nobody wanted that.
Soon enough, Ranboo would be back. He’d be home. Things weren’t going to be like they were before, but they would be okay again. Different, but okay. Finally.
Hi! I found your convict childcare au through ao3 and it immediately carved out its own little place in my brain, I love it so much. I’d love to know if Techno has any reaction to realizing that not only is Michael attached to Dream (clear enough through the scarf scenting and his defense of Dream), but Dream is attached back, and trying so hard not to be? Would he understand Dream’s fear of attachment? Try to help Michael bond more with others? Try to encourage the bond since he can see it’s a good thing?
So!!!
c!Techno in the convict childcare AU is dealing with a quiet but very intense guilt. He doesn’t show it much, mostly because he believes it isn’t helpful, but he’s feeling it. Remember, the timeline of events here is basically
- Techno teleports out of Pandora, having promised c!Dream he’ll be back to break him out. -
- Techno gets ready to break into the prison as quickly as he can.
- c!Ranboo and Michael get kidnapped by c!Sam, Ranboo is killed.
- Techno & the gang show up 24 hours too late to do anything.
- Roughly 6 months of searching before they finally find Dream, and even then, only because he broke out on his own.
So, at the time of finding Dream, Techno is a huge mess of relief and overbearing guilt at his failure to keep his promise. He’s calm on the outside, but he’s not thinking a lot of things through at first. Or rather, he’s running on a logic mode and suppressing his emotions about situations. While Techno does realize that Michael is attached to Dream, he doesn’t think through a lot of the implications of that until later on.
Now, Techno is already extremely aware that Dream can and will get attached to things, particularly things in the realm of animals/mobs. While Dream is wary about people (for good reason), he still gets attached when treated with kindness or when he lacks something to fear from that person. Michael being a young toddler, fits in that perfectly. So, given the level of attachment that Michael shows to Dream, even before getting it confirmed, Techno is rationally aware that Dream is going to be attached to Michael back. He’s also aware that Dream is going to pretend that he isn’t. Techno can’t blame him for that much.
What Techno does, once he’s processed all of this, is he allows Dream his space. He does help encourage Michael to bond with others again. But he never discourages Michael’s bond with Dream. Instead, he provides a safe space as best he can for Dream to have that bond safely.
As mentioned previously, Techno is one of the few people Dream trusts to know how much he cares about Michael. Techno knows Dream trusts him, and he does whatever he can to live up to that trust. Even though for quite awhile he doesn’t understand how Dream could trust him after he failed so horribly.
Convict Childcare c!Dream: *dissociates for several hours while forcing himself to write a revive book for Michael despite having several broken and improperly set fingers + a lot of nerve damage in his hands, keeps forcing himself to write to maintain the ability and to create books for Michael throughout their stay in the cell, gets no medical care for months and gets several fingers rebroken at least twice*
Also c!Dream, like a week after getting his fingers properly reset and healed in a limited capacity: “why can’t I write this very detailed scripture without extreme pain? this is clearly a personal failing and I will learn to power through it.”
Torn between “DreamXD is kept mysterious, aloof, and alien in his motivations, keeping the tension of the scene and an air of suspense around his abilities and willingness to get involved” vs “DreamXD is just openly a simp for c!Dream because I think that’s funny” for this scene in the convict childare au, since I finally got to the part where XD comes in.
Convict Childcare: what does Sam think has happened when Michael is revealed to be healed? Does he realize Dream used the revive book? How does he react?
Fun fact, c!Sam literally never figures out that c!Dream used the book on Michael because that goes against his internal logic!
Now, Dream does work to avoid him finding out (hiding Michael in the bathtub while telling Sam that the boy appears to have fought off the virus, pretending to still be using the diluted weakness potions Sam still gives him for a bit when he’s actually hoarding them in case of a problem in the future, etc). But like, Sam could’ve figured it out if he was willing to accept the idea that Dream would do something relatively selfless like that. He isn’t though, and Dream doesn’t want him to know, so Sam never figures it out.
As for why Dream hides it, as much as Dream wants to think that him having used the book to heal Michael would be taken as a good thing, he’s scared that Sam would realize that the book can be used to do things besides revive the dead. That DreamXD is willing to bend the rules for him. This carries two major risks.
First, Sam would likely decide that it’s is too dangerous to leave Dream with the ability to create a revive book. Best case scenario is Sam takes away the books and pens. A more likely outcome is that Sam restricts Dream’s ability to use his hands to prevent him from writing. While Sam wouldn’t permanently remove anything, and he wouldn’t completely hobble Dream since he does still need him to take care of Michael, it would still be restrictive and extremely uncomfortable for Dream. Certainly nothing good for his already damaged hands.
Second, there’s a solid chance that Sam would see this as a way to gain power over the rest of the server through Dream. Currently, Sam doesn’t actually have much use for the revive book (besides reviving c!Ranboo, something he refuses to have Dream do, since he’d have to admit he fucked up). But he can understand that it’s important to keep around. A book that gives a wish from a god? That’s a whole different ball game. That’s the sort of thing that might drive Sam to be more willing to directly torture Dream to force Dream to make a book for him to use. It’s possible that Dream could convince him the book can only be used for healing, but even then, Sam might consider it valuable enough to force Dream to create them for his use.
None of this is good for Dream, and he’s fairly sure at this point that Sam would still find a way to villianize him healing Michael, so he’d gain nothing from it. So, Dream lies. Sam buys it, because the idea that Michael just recovered given time and his very minimal allocation of potions fits nicely into his world view and proves he was right to not take the virus more seriously. Dream is, for once, grateful for Sam’s fucked up refusal to engage with ideas that defy his internal logic, because he doesn’t want to think about what Sam might do to him if he was willing to consider other options.
Dream not realizing XD is simping for him when it is incredibly obvious is peek comedy, and whether you write it or not is your choice but I am just gonna be sitting here enjoying that mental image
I think the vibe I have to go for is XD trying to be friendly (and very happy to see c!Dream’s hybrid features for once), but c!Dream reading it as dangerous/hostile because of being tortured for a year, and also because XD is really really bad at human communication. So XD gets to be a bit of a simp, but c!Dream is just not willing to engage with it since he’s still quite fearful of whatever XD is.
Bonus, at this point in the AU, c!Dream still believes that XD just mimics whoever is in the room with him when he’s summoned. He’s blissfully unaware XD is just running around with his name and face when they aren’t interacting. He gets to find that out much later from c!Ponk who gets asked by c!Foolish about it.
Good news I finally figured out how I want to write DreamXD in this AU!
Okay, so I’ve mentioned in the past that c!Dream as an Ender Dragon Hybrid in the convict childcare AU doesn’t have much of a sense of smell in his hybrid form, since it’s my HC that Ender Dragons have poor/basically no sense of smell. After all, Ender Dragons have little use for smell. In my HC, they primarily eat chorus fruit (found via sight) and feast on shulkers when they can find some (found via sight / hearing). There’s no need for social smells either, they have no social circles, only their Enderman that can be told apart by sound. Birds tend to be similar, with most non-vulture raptors having poor senses of smell.
Now, the flip side of this is that Enderman actually have a very accurate senses of smell. This is vital for them since they travel through dimensions, and smell helps them with identification + detecting weather patterns for an area.
Piglins also have very sensitive (and fine-tuned) noses, both for detecting threats and finding food, but also for social communication!
The end result of this is that c!Dream and c!Phil will bring back flowers/all sorts of objects because they’re Pretty, and it drives c!Techno & c!Ranboo insane because it’s a constant introduction of new, powerful, smells without a single thought. c!Techno in particular likes to know exactly what his sounder smells like and where they’ve been, but Dream and Phil go places so quickly and they pick up so many new smells without a second thought. Sometimes their smells are so weird it takes him a second to find their smells. It doesn’t help that if Dream has his mask on and has been out and about, his smell is faint. It makes him anxious!!
Meanwhile c!Tubbo is totally aware of the issues since he also has a good sense of smell (goat), but unlike the others, goats are very used to handling & seeking out lots of new smells. So he actually enjoys the new smells being brought in! Once he gets comfortable with people, he regularly steals new things they’ve gotten so he can check out the smell before giving them back. He’s got his own greenhouse with a bunch of his favorites.
XD in the convict childcare AU is just a constant cycle of him almost managing to convince c!Dream that maybe this god isn’t so bad and doesn’t have bad intentions, and then immediately fumbling the bag as hard as possible.
XD, right after reviving Michael: Hm. I want to indicate that even though I need to leave now, I was happy to see my follower’s true form since it means he’s trusting me with it. I don’t want him to feel like he needs to hide it from me in the future. I appreciate all creatures of the End, they need not fear me. How can I best express these feelings?
XD:
XD, after teleporting out: Nailed it. I’m gonna get such a good grade in Human.
“Is the baby asleep?”
Technoblade’s voice was quiet, but it still startled Tubbo, who was on the verge of passing out on the kitchen table. His entire body jolted and his heart almost gave out before he managed to take in a quick breath. Recovery took several seconds, but Tubbo pulled himself together enough to hiss out words.
“Not cool, big man! You can’t jumpscare me like that!”
The fact he was staying quiet was answer enough. Techno rumbled out a huffy laugh, shrugging off his heavy outer cloak and setting down a bag that was filled with… potion brewing stuff? Tubbo was pretty sure that was what Techno’d gone out for. It’d been quite awhile. Nearly a full day now that Tubbo thought about it.
“Gotta stay alert at all times! You never know when I might strike!”
Despite Techno’s words, his voice was still hushed and the slump to his shoulders indicated he was exhausted from his trip. Still, he had a good mood about him. Tubbo rolled his eyes, but grinned all the same.
“You find something cool?”
As he asked, Tubbo pushed himself to his feet with a yawn, reaching for Techno’s bag to put away the ingredients, only to stop when Techno moved it away.
“Got a surprise for the piglet. I swung by the bastion that took him in to let ‘em know he’s alright, and they sent me off with some treats for him. I’m gonna put them with the nether wart, you can give 'em to him tomorrow after breakfast. No more than two though.”
The idea was exciting. Tubbo couldn’t help but wiggle a bit, still careful to keep his voice low.
“Oh! That’s awesome! Me and Boo tried to make some nether food ages ago, most of it didn’t turn out great, I’m not sure how well translated our receipts were, but the one that was edible Michael really liked. I’m sure he’ll love these! Are you sure you don’t want to give them to him though?”
As Tubbo rambled, he’d followed Techno down to the storage area, where the piglin had started putting away the ingredients. The man laughed again.
“Nah, I’m putting this stuff away and then passing out for the next 24 hours. No need for him to wait that long for 'em.”
“Fair. I’ll tell him you brought 'em back then.”
Techno nodded, finishing up his sorting and giving Tubbo a pat on the back back as he slid past to head up to his bedroom. Right. Sleeping. That was a thing people did. Tubbo found himself suddenly very tired, and made his way over to the huge couch that took up half the living room. Sometimes he went over to Ranboo’s place to sleep, but most nights he found himself here. Honestly, the couch was so big that it was basically the same size as a bed for him anyways.
Grabbing a few of the blankets to pull over himself, Tubbo settled down for the night, excepting to fall asleep quickly.
Only, something was wrong. A gut feeling that he was missing something.
Not something life threatening. Not like they were about to get attacked. Just that something important was off, and he’d been forgetting it for awhile now.
Tubbo couldn’t seem to pinpoint what was bothering him, and it kept him up until his body finally passed out.
The morning was no better. There was an itch in his brain he couldn’t seem to scratch, even as he went through the motions of preparing breakfast and bringing it up for Michael and Dream. Even as he sat in the chair and tried to make conservation, he found his mind drawn back to this puzzle he couldn’t make out.
It hit him right when he gave Michael the treats. The boy recognized the candies, making grabby hands as he bounced with delight. Tubbo had laughed and handed them over, explaining it to Dream as he did so.
“They’re from the bastion, Techno visited-”
And with that sentence, Tubbo got hit over the head with what he’d been missing. The realization stunned him into silence for several seconds. Dream tensed, glancing around for danger before Tubbo finally managed to collect his thoughts enough to speak. Words slow as he tried to assemble his thoughts.
“I- sorry- it just hit me. We’ve been so busy and-. Michael was at a bastion. They took him in. He’s not- He’s better. There’s no bone, or fungi or- We haven’t given him one potion. What- It’s not- Everything Ranboo and I found find said it was incurable. I mean- Was it Sam?”
Admittedly, none of that was a question, and it was accompanied by a series of half aborted gestures as Tubbo desperately tried to communicate what had somehow slipped his mind in all the chaos. Michael was no longer half dead. Somehow.
Dream relaxed his shoulders a bit, taking a breath before replying.
“Nah, the- Sam.” A pause, Dream shook himself slightly and restarted. “Sam didn’t do shit to help. Wouldn’t even let me have harming potions or take the fucking time to treat it himself. I don’t think he understood how serious it was. Maybe he just didn’t give a fuck. It got- It got kinda bad. So I used the book.”
What.
No.
Oh no. No, no, no. Tubbo would’ve seen the message. Right? There would’ve been- Michael couldn’t have-
“Oh fuck, not like- he didn’t die. It’s not-. The book, it works- So, XD, he’s a weird motherfucker, but he’ll show up and it’s only supposed to be for revivals, but sometimes he’ll bend the rules. I summoned him, asked him to patch Michael up, and he did what he could. Michael’s still, uh, sort of infected? It won’t get worse, but healing and harming are still flipped for him. Was the best XD could do without changing him too much.”
Dream quickly explained, and it eased the panic in Tubbo’s chest. That- It still wasn’t good that Sam hadn’t given Michael any medical treatment. Fuck, Tubbo was tempted to hunt the man down and take his last life for that alone. Another time, maybe. But at least Michael didn’t die. That was something.
Tubbo nodded quietly, eyes turning to watch Michael as the toddler stayed distracted by his candy. Intently focusing on picking it apart to eat it in a very particular manner. He wanted to scoop the toddler up and never let him go again, but Michael was still very wary about being held. For anyone but Dream.
A few minutes ticked by, and before long, Tubbo found himself processing a lot of the implications of what Dream had said. A lot of it was good. Michael’s infection had been a constant struggle, even with medical treatment, there was only so much that could be done. Michael was happier now. No longer in constant pain, and having regained some mobility. The lack of exposed bones was nice too. It would reduce his risk for other infections and help protect him when he ran into things as young children do.
Still, there were parts of the story that left Tubbo with questions. None of which he could ask. Tubbo had already been firmly told by Techno that he was not to ask Dream any questions about the revival book. The older piglin had been deadly serious about it, and even if Tubbo didn’t quite understand why, even he could see how Dream’s shoulders tensed at the mere mention of the book. Still, he had to ask something. The tense silence in the room was killing him.
“Wait- you called XD a 'weird motherfucker’, isn’t he like, your god? Like Techno with the blood god?”
Despite the mask covering Dream’s face, Tubbo could tell that he was getting a Look for that.
“Fuck no. I mean, we’ve got some stuff going on, but he’s not my patron. Honestly, I dunno if he even does that stuff.”
That caught Tubbo off guard, he’d been assuming- well, a lot of things apparently. Dream wasn’t wrong though, XD was a rarely worshiped god, known for not responding to those that did attempt to communicate with him. Which made it all the stranger that he was apparently willing to show up for Dream. Still, it was odd for Dream to be so willing to speak ill of him. XD was still a god, an old and quite powerful one at that.
“If he’s not your patron, then why do you dress like him? I thought that was it? Do you just happen to dress like the god who lets you revive the dead?”
Dream snorted, not even offended at the accidental near accusation.
“Hell no, you’ve got it backwards. I don’t dress like him, he dresses like me. When we met, he looked totally different, but he liked the way I looked so he copied it. Actually copied my mask too at first, but I drew the line at that shit. Made him change it so people can tell us apart.”
Seconds ticked by, as Tubbo’s brained stalled out. Long, long seconds.
“WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN GOD COPIED YOU?!”
Oops. No sooner had he shouted, then he remembered there was someone still asleep in the house. Michael finally startled, looking up in alarm first at Tubbo, then over to Dream with one wide little eye. Dream was also startled for a moment, before he doubled over laughing, barely managing to half shrug his shoulders in response.
Only several seconds in to Dream’s laughing fit as the man started to sound genuinely out of breath, did Tubbo remember that Dream’s lungs were still weak, and Phil had specifically told them all not to make him laugh since it could trigger a coughing fit. Too late for that now. What was he supposed to do again? Something about water breathing and strength? Tubbo’s brain was still dead from finding out that a god was apparently copying Dream of all people.
Luckily, a very sleepy Technoblade chose that moment to appear in the doorway, glaring at the occupants of the room (not Michael thought, Michael got a half-grin). Despite his tired state, Techno quickly noticed that Dream’s laughter had in fact, turned into a coughing fit.
With a sigh, the piglin shuffled across the room to a cupboard where he snagged a purple looking potion. The potion was splashed onto a washclothing, and Tubbo quickly moved out of the way so that Techno could shift up Dream’s shirt and apply it to the man’s chest as he tried to get his breath back.
Once that was done, and Dream no longer sounded like he was dying, Techno turned to Tubbo with a single raised eyebrow. Clearly wanting answers. Tubbo had none, he could only wave his hands helplessly. Something Techno was decidedly unimpressed with.
Tubbo endured a staredown for nearly half a minute before Dream finally managed to speak up and save him.
“Tubbo just learned that XD’s the rip off.”
That got a bit of a face journey from Technoblade as he processed then acknowledged the point, finally landing on what seemed like understanding.
“Ah, so you finally learned God’s a Dream kinnie. Fair enough, and welcome to my life.”
And with that, Technoblade shuffled back out of the room to go back to bed, uninterested in explaining anything more.
Dream as one of those positive parenting tiktokers, but all his videos are like "how to take care of a toddler while captive part 1", "how to make stale bread tasty to a kid", "how to sew a chicken plushie with severe damage to your hands part 1/25", "how to give your toddler positive reinforcement whenever your kidnapper comes to check on you both"
I feel like even c!Dream has too much self-respect to be a tiktoker. He’d either be a youtuber or publishing to his own website that he still maintains instead of a template because he doesn’t believe in platforms.
That being said, his videos would be half-way between instructional and vlogs. As well as like. Horror. But like, almost Welcome to Night Vale style horror, where he refuses to acknowledge anything is actually fucked up about his situation. It’s very practical advice, just terrifying.
Okay so Michael, being undead, is hurt by healing potions and healed by damage potions. Meanwhile, c!Sam kept c!Dream on healing and regen potions that weakened his immune system and also happened in conjunction with violence. So Michael probably thinks that’s how it is for everyone, right? He’d probably be wary about people using healing potions, maybe even earnestly try and convince Dream to drink some insta-damage potions to “make him feel better”
Since c!Dream starts needing healing and regen potions regularly, he actually has a talk with Michael and explains the concept to him. Michael already has a sense that he and Dream are different, after all his caretaker can’t eat a lot of the same foods and has wings sometimes, so this concept isn’t too hard for him to grasp.
Michael knows harming potions because c!Sam has used them on him sometimes (usually after Michael got hurt attack Sam). But neither Sam nor Dream call them harming potions, because that would be very confusing for a child.
Instead, Dream refers to healing potions and regen potions as “Dream’s potions”, and harming potions as “Michael’s potions”. The idea of zombification is still a bit beyond Michael, but he gets the idea that what he needs is different from what Dream needs.
The real problem Michael has is that he’s colorblind, so he can’t visually tell harming from healing. Instead, he needs to smell the potions in order to tell which is safe and which isn’t.
This isn’t a problem when it’s just him and Dream, because Dream will always let him smell the potion first to know, but the Syndicate learns quickly that after the initial burst of activity, if they want to give Dream (or Michael) potions, then they need to let him sniff it first to see if it’s an Approved Potion. For new potions he hasn’t encountered before, they have to explain what it is and why they’re using it, or else they get Bit. New potions are regarded with extreme suspicion until Michael can watch and see they’ve got a Good Effect.
c!Dream and c!Tubbo becoming awkward unlikely friends in the convict childcare au is so funny to me I love it
They’re both Very Traumatized and know very little about each other, but they’re also extremely similar in their mindsets, and well they’ve accidentally ended up co-parenting a toddler, so guess they’re going to need to learn how to get along.
But both of them are trying!! They’re learning!! Michael is both helping, and also not helping because frankly there’s a good period at the start where he’s expecting Dream to get better and the two of them to take off asap. He’s tolerating other people’s existence, barely. Under the assumption that they are temporary figures. Eventually, Michael does have to learn to accept other people as a part of his life- but only after Dream goes first.
In the convict childcare AU, Michael actually takes awhile to understand the weight of the revive book and that it’s meant for only Very Extremely Serious things (and being a small child, he doesn’t know what counts as Very Extremely Serious). He knows that he’s not supposed to mention any of the books around c!Sam (not that Sam would understand him anyways), but he doesn’t what is and isn’t a situation that would call for a revive book.
So for awhile before he learns, it’s just like:
Michael, who accidentally broke Chicken: “Should we call God?”
c!Dream, amused: “Nah, I’ve got a sewing needle.”
Michael, seeing a small hole in the wall that Dream spent awhile carving to hide things: “Should we call God now?”
c!Dream, carefully hiding the hole: “No, this was intentional.”
Michael, who made a mistake on his drawing: “Surely, now is the time we need to call God?”
c!Dream, very glad they have white ink: “Buddy, I am about to teach you the joy of white out.”
He gets it eventually though! Michael’s delighted when they’re reviving c!Ranboo because this time!! It’s correct!!
(XD absolutely gets a hug from Michael, because he looks like Dream and despite Dream being generally Uncomfortable with the god, he plays nice for Michael’s sake. XD is absolutely delighted, and uses this as empirical Proof of being Good At Human).
What is childhood but the constant desire to call god for the most minor of inconviniences
In fairness to Michael, he doesn’t understand the concept of God for quite awhile. He learns the word for “God” and Dream explains it is someone with a lot of power, but he doesn’t really get the concept.
As far as he’s concerned, XD is clearly c!Dream’s brother/uncle/general relation (but not sounder), and XD sure as hell isn’t going to correct this idea. If anything, if XD ever gets Michael alone for some reason, he’s 100% enforcing that idea and he will spoil Michael as well, because XD is Very Smart and has figured out that helping Michael will earn him Human Points with c!Dream.
c!Dream, explains to Michael that no, they do not need to call God for a skinned knee. Meanwhile XD is like “yes, you absolutely CAN and SHOULD call me for a skinned knee” because it’s a good excuse to come visit and for some reason c!Dream doesn’t call that often :(.
i love the way you characterize xd as both an incredibly powerful being and a glorified toddler, it's very good. anywyas, do you have any examples of xd trying to spoil michael, or maybe even trying to spoil some of dream's
friendsallies like the syndicate?
XD is very powerful, he’s just also very unfamiliar with humans, and while he’s willing to learn, he’s also going to assume that he’s constantly right. Which is not a good assumption.
XD rarely gets a chance to to spoil Michael, since he usually only shows up when he’s called via the revive book. If he did get a shot at it, it would only be if Michael somehow got very lost and attempted to call XD via a prayer/offering.
Most likely, this would only occur if Michael somehow got mixed up with some magic or a glitch in the server that teleported him off. Or like, an Enderman got curious about him and Borrowed The Child but then Lost The Child.
If that happened, c!Dream did teach Michael how to send an offering to XD in case of an emergency (ie, only something to be used if there is no adult with him, and Michael cannot find an adult). Michael spends awhile trying to find an adult, then when he can’t, he gets out a paper from his pocket and makes a little note with 0 real words (but the intention of words, which is what matters), then uses his flint and steel to light it on fire.
XD is notorious for ignoring offerings/prayers, the revive book is the only assured way to get in contact with him, but since meeting c!Dream, he pays special attention to any contacts from the SMP. Getting an offering from Michael means he straight up ditches another god to go respond personally. When he shows up, he’s a bit disappointed that c!Dream isn’t there, until he realizes that Michael is alone, and that means XD gets to Win Points by walking him back home.
Michael is willing to trust XD, because he does look just like his caretaker and has only ever helped them, so he gets scooped up and carried as the two of them slowly find their way back to the syndicate. On the walk, Michael absolutely gets to ask questions that he gets answers to (what is XD? Does XD also have wings like c!Dream? Can XD fly? Can XD grow flowers? Can Michael draw on XD’s Mask too?“), he gets treats that XD summons for him when he gets hungry (because XD does not know that no, cake is not a full meal for a child), and he’s basically allowed to do whatever he wants. This means their journey takes quite awhile since Michael feels safe enough to ask to stop to grab flowers, chase a fox, and investigate a cave. XD also absolutely gives Michael a sword without hesitation or remorse.
When they finally get back, everyone is relieved that Michael is home safely, and c!Dream is at least willing to invite XD into the cabin for a bit as a thanks for rescuing Michael. c!Tubbo and a now revived c!Ranboo are both pretty fucked up about a god just Being Here Now, but they get over it.
XD does have to leave fairly quickly though, since the thing he was meeting with the other god over was Actually Kinda Important and if he doesn’t show up then they’re going to come find him (again) and that would just be a problem for everyone involved. Still, he’s happy he got to make a good first impression, and convince Michael to call him "Uncle XD” so that’s a victory in his book (XD also finally gets a sign that’s a name sign rather than his formal title, and that’s delightful for him).
Artwork submitted to my tumblr by the ever lovely @red-corvid)
feeling sad for xd... dreammmm call him in more, let him visit
Okay, first of all, c!Dream’s primary method of calling XD is through a revive book. He doesn’t know that a prayer or offering would also work, since XD never bothered to tell him “btw, I know I literally never answer anyone, but I’ll reply to your texts I promise”. c!Dream has severe nerve damage in his hands, and creating a book is a painstaking process. Part of the reason he never calls is because calling involves solving a burning hot rubix cube.
XD can also just show up if he remembers. He has the power to come hang out, but he either doesn’t think of it or wants to be invited because he’s needy. And isn’t thinking about how difficult it is to invite him to things.
Finally, c!Dream went from being trapped in a cell with a toddler undergoing constant abuse and dangerous conditions, to being very sick and in a difficult recovery from over a year of abuse & torture. XD constantly spooks Dream with his poor language choices, and is also literally stealing Dream’s face. Dream has every right to not be inviting him over. Just because a guy revives the dead for you does not mean you have to tolerate him face claiming you irl or making weird comments about your body.
It wasn’t that Michael didn’t love Chicken, he did! Really! His caretaker had sewn the plush bird for him by hand. The needle alone had taken ages for his caretaker to carve out of wood from their dresser, and the thread had been carefully picked out of the sheets. Putting the two together with some scraps of cloth from clothing had taken his caretaker hours. Chicken had been born as a result though, and Michael adored the plush.
Chicken was the one who kept him company in the bathtub when the Warden came to visit. Chicken was the one who his caretaker promised could always go with him. Even when the Warden came to take him away to go to the nether, Chicken was allowed to go too. Michael hadn’t gotten many gifts in his life, but Chicken was the best one.
But Michael was tired, and he was mad. The Warden had come by, and Michael was left in the bathtub. When his caretaker had come to get him, he was hurt again. His caretaker was limping, and Michael could smell blood.
“It’s fine.” His caretaker had said, nudging the bread the Warden had left towards Michael. But the bread roll was still whole, and even though Michael was hungry, his caretaker hadn’t eaten yesterday. Michael had to tear the bread himself and make his caretaker take it. Even then, his caretaker only ate after Michael made it clear he wouldn’t take a bite unless they were both eating.
Then his caretaker had limped over to the bed and fallen asleep, and that was okay! Michael knew his caretaker needed rest, but the smell of blood was still in the air, and Michael knew his caretaker should’ve been eating more, and Michael hated the Warden and-
Michael blinked, a tear at the corner of his eye. Chicken wasn’t in his hand anymore. Chicken was-
Oh no.
He hadn’t meant to, but he’d been so angry-
Michael stumbled across the floor to where Chicken’s body was. It’s head was laying mere feet away, with the scraps of fabric used for stuffing laying about the ground.
Scrambling, Michael tried to put to back together, tried to do something but the pieces wouldn’t stick and he didn’t know what to do!
Overwhelmed and heartbroken at what he’d done, Michael curled up in the corner to cry.
Michael stayed in his corner for longer than he could keep track of. He stayed until he heard a worried voice calling out for him, still half asleep.
“Michael? Where are you buddy?”
Quickly, Michael let out a whine in reply, one that made his caretaker scramble to his feet and stumble over. Ignoring his leg, which must still be hurting and making Michael feel even worse.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
Michael shook his head, lifting his hands up to sign as best he could in the dark of the room.
‘Hurt-Chicken-Sorry’
His caretaker tilted his head, first taking in Michael’s signing, and then looking at the floor. Gentle hands reached out to scoop up Chicken’s body with a relived sigh.
“It’s okay buddy, it happens. I can fix 'em up tomorrow. Why don’t we sleep for right now though?”
Michael glanced at the wreckage in his caretaker’s hands. Could that much damage really be fixed? Maybe his caretaker would make a book? Like he did to make Michael better?
'Book-make-better?’
His caretaker took a moment before laughing softly.
“Nah, we won’t need a book for this. Just thread and a bit of time. It’s not bad enough to drag XD into this.”
'Really? Thread-make-chicken-better?’
“Yep, promise. Now come 'ere. Let’s get to bed.”
Rubbing at his face to clear away the dried tears, Michael got to his feet and toddled after his caretaker who lead him to the bed and helped him up. Usually, this was when he would get Chicken, but for tonight, his caretaker tucked Chicken into the frame of the bed.
Instead of Chicken, his caretaker moved so Michael could hold onto his shirt, like he used to before Chicken. One of his caretaker’s hands came up to stroke his head in a soft soothing motion. Michael found his breathing was still stuttery. His heart still beating hard.
“It’s okay buddy, I can fix it, I promise. I can make it better- I’ll make all of this better. Just trust me, okay?”
Taking a deep breath, Michael let it out and nodded. That was right. Michael might’ve done something bad, he might’ve broken Chicken, but his caretaker was here. Next time, Michael would do better. He wouldn’t let his anger get the best him again.
But if he did, if he messed up again, it would be okay. His caretaker was here, and he’d make everything better. Just like he always did.
Chapter 17: Apology Cake AU pt 1
Notes:
An AU that I swear will get the name explained of, just not this chapter.
Chapter Text
Anyways, speaking of bunny c!Dream, welcome to the Apology Cake AU, the result of c!Sam and c!Dream brainrot in the dreblr discord. In which c!Sam and c!Dream are forced to bond, and they're both terrible at it!
- Important notes: c!Dream is a secret bunny hybrid hiding using magic in his mask. The mask held up during prison, so nobody found out. He appears completely human. c!Sam is a creeper urmahlullu (lion centaur), very obvious hybrid (he has toe beans). This AU takes place post-prison.
- Hybrid hunters looking for fighters end up on the SMP, they got in by exploiting a glitch to access what should be a private portal. The hunters take notes about the area, but are discovered by c!Sam and c!Dream at different points. Both of them are surprised by the hunters and end up caught.
- The hunters bring both of them when they leave the SMP to report back. c!Sam is brought because he's an ideal fighter, c!Dream (who the hunters believe to be human) is brought to prevent him from warning anyone else.
- The two of them end up locked up together. Both of them are injured, but c!Sam is a lot worse off. Since c!Sam is a creeper hybrid, he was blinded using potions to keep him docile and more heavily injured when being captured/restrained(creepers are visual hunters).
- Dream wakes up first and realizes what happened almost instantly, he also realizes that these hunters are fucking dumb because they didn't catch on that Dream's a hybrid. That means his own escape is going to be pretty simple.
- Then Dream realizes that Sam is in the cell with him and fuck this just got more complicated.
- Sure, getting himself out would be no problem, but Sam is clearly injured and the polar opposite of stealth. Getting him out too is going to be a nightmare.
- There's a moment, while Sam is unconscious, that Dream considers leaving him behind. Not for forever. Just... Dream could get out. Go back to the SMP and alert the others. Let them come play the heroes. It'd be easier, a lot less risky, and it's probably the smart play...
- But Dream also knows the moment he vanishes the hunters will assume their cover is blown and most likely move Sam. The odds of recovering him are slim if Dream leaves him here.
- And....
- And despite everything, Dream still believes in his big happy family. He still sees Sam as a part of that. At the end. He's given up so much for his plan, what's a little bit more risk? What's a little bit more danger?
- So Dream stays and waits for Sam to rouse. There's the initial panic, learning that Sam is now blind, and the whole fuss of "shut up, stop throwing a fit, we're getting out of here".
- Eventually, Sam settles down enough to accept that Dream is his best shot at getting out of here. He's not sure why Dream isn't leaving him for dead, but he'll take it. Anything's better than getting left with the hunters.
- Dream even has a plan. Dream is going to break out first, get supplies and check the path out, then come back to get Sam. Easy! Admittedly, Sam is still unclear on how Dream, a human, is going to get out of his chains, but Dream insists he knows a way. Sam is able to move around a bit and practice walking. He can still do that, even if his legs hurt.
- When nightfall hits, Dream does... something. Something that lets his chains clatter to the ground without breaking. There wasn't the click of a lock, no shattering noise. Just clinks and a soft clatter as the chains slipped to the floor. It's unnerving.
- As Sam quickly discovers, it's a lot less unnerving than being left on his own, blind and mostly helpless. Dream assures him he'll be fast as he picks open the cell door, and it's not like Sam could stop him either way, but still...
- The silence is potent and leaves so much room for doubt. Sam finds his chest seizing with the panic of being left behind. He tries everything to control his breathing, but trapped in darkness with no distractions, his thoughts are allowed to run wild.
- Surely, Dream has abandoned him. He only lied and said he'd come back so Sam wouldn't scream and give him away. There's no way that Dream's actually coming back for him of all people. Particularly not when Sam would be such a dead weight in their escape. He's going to be here forev-
- "Sam- come on, the hell is-"
- Oh. Dream was already back.
- Sam tunes back in to reality to realize that Dream is shaking him. He can feel the man's hands on him, and quickly tries to regain his composure.
- "Sorry. I- Sorry."
- His voice is a little too loud, and he can feel Dream flinch, hear the swish as the man searches for anyone having been alerted.
- Silence. Nobody heard.
- When Dream speaks, his voice is a whisper.
- "I've got what I could, food, a weapon, and stuff. There's a path out. But we need to go now. And I couldn't find the keys."
- Oh. So Dream is leaving him. Sam's chest seizes again, but this time it's easier to understand. At least Dream tried. At least he came back to tell him. Sam can appreciate that Dream gave him that much.
- "This isn't ideal, but I think it'll work. You're going to need to put it on. It might- it might hurt? Just- Keep quiet, and don't take it off until I get the chains off you. Okay?"
- Huh. What? Sam was utterly lost as to what Dream could possibly have that would let him get out of these chains until-
- A smooth, convex, disk was pressed into his hands. Cool to the touch, unbroken, and familiar. Sam's brain stalled out.
- In the prison- Dream had sworn, time and time again, that his mask didn't come off. He said he got cursed as a kid. Sam had believed him, after all, nothing he'd done to remove the mask had worked.
- Yet here it was in his hands, and- And Sam realized he could feel Dream's breath. The other was leaning in over him, and Sam could feel little puffs of air as Dream moved green limbs, likely so the chain's would fall quietly.
- "Sam, come on, we gotta move."
- Right. There wasn't- There wasn't time for this. Sam pushed this revelation to the back of his mind, and put blind faith in Dream.
- Lifting the mask up to his face, Sam put it on.
- It took all Sam's strength not to scream.
- Really, it didn't hurt. Not much. But it felt wrong. Sam felt his body shrink, limbs vanish and morph, his spine felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. It wasn't him.
- Somewhere, in the distance, he could hear the soft clatter of chains and Dream was moving his arms to slide now loose cuffs off of him. It was thirty seconds at most, but if Sam had had the strength to lift his- arm? Was that his arm? It didn't feel like his arm. His arm was bigger, and different, and capable of ripping this horrid thing off of him.
- In the time it took to process those thoughts, Dream had pushed the chains off his arms and guided Sam's hands back up to the mask. The moment he could, Sam yanked it off, almost sending the cursed thing flying across the room.
- Thankfully, Dream managed to snag it instead. Preventing the sound that would surely give them away.
- "Yeah, I know, s'not fun. Come on, we gotta go. Faster we get out, the better our chances will be."
- Right. They needed to leave. Sam stumbled forward, hoping that his body would figure out how to navigate in the pitch black.
- It did not.
- Dream's hand was the only thing that stopped him from slamming headfirst into the wall. As it was, he still brushed it. This- This was going to be harder than he thought.
- Dream clearly thought so too. Sam could hear him tapping his foot in- impatience? Anxiety? Fear surged again. Sam needed to prove he could do this, he could get out. Otherwise Dream would-
- "Here. Just- Here."
- Before Sam could spiral again, Dream reached over to grab Sam's hand in his own. Taking a moment to ensure he had a firm grip before twisting to lead the way. Oh. This- Well, it'd have to work.
- "If I need you to stop, I'll tap your wrist like this," Dream demonstrated with a sharp tap. "Two taps means I need to let go to do something, stay where you are. Three taps means get ready to run. Got it?"
- Sam nodded, having trouble forming any words.
- Their escape was surprisingly uneventful. Sam got the hang of walking by the time they were down the hall. At least, he figured out how to move his feet. He still stumbled every time the ground changed under him, but for once his sensitive pawpads came in handy.
- Dream was obviously not pleased by the pace, Sam could hear it in how he huffed softly, how he kept up that tapping of his feet whenever he had to slow his steps for Sam again. Still, the other man never complained. He kept forging forward until finally, Sam could feel grass under his feet.
- "Okay, up here. I left the bodies and the armor-"
- No sooner had Dream said that than the smell of blood hit Sam's nose. Ah. That- That would explain why their exit was so clean. He really shouldn't be surprised by how deadly Dream could be.
- Dream took a bit of time to fit the diamond chestplate he'd managed to steal onto Sam's body, and improvise some leg armor that was a mix of diamond and iron because "you're already slow as hell, if we get into a chase and you get shot, you're dead."
- It hurt to hear, but Dream was right. The leg coverings might be uncomfortable, but they'd keep the obvious targets safe.
- While Dream worked to strap the armor onto his legs, he gave Sam a backpack filled with supplies so he could feel around and get a sense for where things were (bandages near the top, then food and two knives. Some extra clothing. Alcohol and water at the bottom.)
- Apparently, Dream also had a pack, though smaller.
- "I only found one healing pot and no regen."
- Sam almost asked for it, the cuts and bruises on his body ached and maybe-
- "It won't fix your sight. There's nothing physical going on there. That's going to either take time or something specialty. We need to save it for something life threatening."
- Right. That, that made sense.
- Sam still found himself upset as they finished up their preparations and kept moving. They still had a long trip ahead of them to get home, or at least close enough that they could warn the others.
- They were out of the camp now, in the woods, so Sam thought he'd be fine. Sure, being blind made things harder, but he could feel out his steps now. Dream had even thought to find him a decent stick that he could use to check the area ahead of him.
- How hard could it be to navigate a forest blind?
- After the third time Sam ran headfirst into a tree he forgot to check for, Dream was fed up.
- "Alright, that's it, come here."
- Before Sam could protest, Dream was grabbing his hand again. Sam was... Well, he wasn't exactly happy about this, but when he tried to speak up-
- "We need to move faster, we don't have time for you to learn how to walk again."
- Sam didn't like it but-
- Well, Dream had a point.
- If nothing else, Dream was a decent guide. He kept pace with Sam's larger legs without trouble, and was conscious of their difference in size. Following him was much easier than trying to navigate the unfamiliar landscape.
- So much easier, that Sam actually had time to think. About everything that had happened over the course of the night.
- All the sudden, the knowledge he'd shoved to the back of his mind came back in full world-shattering force.
- Dream's mask was removable. It was a hybrid suppressor. A powerful one.
- Sam stopped dead in his tracks.
- "You- You?! You're a- Since when- What?!"
- "Sam-" Before Dream could get any further, there was flurry of sudden noises well behind them. Alarm bells ringing and faint voices shouting. Fuck.
- "Come on, we don't have time for this."
- Dream pulled, yanking Sam forward, pace picking up to an uncomfortable speed.
- Obviously, it wasn't the time. But Sam couldn't help but notice Dream's gait was distinctly different now. Unusual. Inhuman.
- Huh.
Alright, so c!Sam and c!Dream have gotten free from the hunters, and they're on the run. Sam is blind creepertaur, and Dream is a hybrid (surprise!) whose annoyed af right now. But they've gotta move! Welcome to the Apology Cake AU pt 2, an AU name that won't make sense in this post or the next one!
- So, luckily our boys have a headstart. The hunters don’t know where they’ve gone, and Dream knows where he’s going. He remembers how to get home. He can feel it pulling him still.
- Navigating through different SMPs involves finding places where the world is weak, where there’s an overlap between worlds, an experienced traveler can then pass from one world to the next. Some worlds will only allow certain people through, some will take anyone.
- Dream can tell that they’re about four worlds away from their SMP. He tells Sam this as the two of them run. The first world hop isn’t too far away, and it’s a vital one. Mobs can’t make jumps without a lot of prep, and world-hopping leaves mobs exhausted, anxious and out of it. Meaning the hunters won’t have horses or dogs to help them after the hop.
- The two of them are racing to make it. They know the hunters will have their trail soon, and they’re still slow (and it bothers Sam, because he can tell he’s the issue. He’s the one that keeps stumbling, keeps tripping over every root and forcing Dream to slow down again and again. Part of Sam almost wants to let go of Dream’s hands, as the shouts start getting closer, as he can hear hooves in the distance. Dream could still run, he should run. The man was fast, fast enough to get away with ease. But Sam is scared and selfish, and he doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t want to end up in a ring. He wants to make it out alive, and Dream is his only chance. So Sam holds tightly and pushes forward as best he can).
- The noise behind them draws closer and closer, but then Dream is pulling and Sam can feel when they reach the border.
- When you reach a border, there’s different places to make the jump. Some are easier, some are risky. Most people get to the center of a jump zone.
- The moment they reach the threshold, Dream is pulling at the magic that keeps the worlds apart and tearing a hole. It’s determined and not careless but ruthless. Just big enough for the two of them. Sam is helpless to do anything but follow.
- They make the jump. It’s a harsh one, and at some point in the middle Sam loses his grip on Dream’s hand. It’s only for a second, but it’s one of the most terrifying moments of his life. Then Dream’s hand is back, grasping tighter. It doesn’t slip again.
- Sam needs a second after the jump, but that’s all he gets. The moment they’ve got the air of a new world in their lungs, Dream is pulling him forward again. They’ve got a lead again, the hunters will need to dismount and get ready for a hop. Most of them have enchanted armor or weapons, stuff that won’t pass through. Still, who knows how long it will last.
- The two of them keep pushing on, their pace fast but not quite as breakneck as before. By the time they take a break, the sun is high in the sky. Or at least, that’s what Sam assumes. He can still feel it’s warmth, even if he can’t see it.
- Dream helps Sam get food and water out from his pack. They’ve stopped along a river, so Dream takes the chance to refill their bottles. He says the water looks fine, they’re close to the spring. Sam has no way of knowing better. He just has to take his word for it.
- That thought brings back Sam’s nerves. Relying on Dream of all people- it’s terrifying. He gets nervous whenever Dream isn’t making noise. Whenever he can’t tell exactly where Dream is.
- “What are you?” The words leave his mouth, and Sam physically cringes. He didn’t mean- God, he might not be great with people, but he knew better than to ask it like that. He just- he was stressed. “Sorry, it’s just- you aren’t human.”
- Sam could feel the unimpressed glare Dream levied him with. After several painfully long seconds, he got an annoyed huff.
- “None of your business. I’ll be human again by the time we get home.”
- In fairness, Dream was right. It really wasn’t his business. It shouldn’t matter what Dream was. Sam wasn’t- Hell, Sam was a creeper hybrid. He should know it didn’t matter. But all the same, curiosity was a dangerous temptation. That last part...
- “Are you still-”
- There wasn’t a good way to finish that question, so Sam let it hang awkwardly instead.
- “Yeah. It’s- it’s an advantage. Right now, we need anything we can get.”
- “Oh. Yeah. Makes sense.” Sam tolerated silence for a minute longer, moving one of his paws to dab at the stream. It took him several tries to find the water, but he managed.
- “Why- I mean, half the SMP’s a hybrid.” It was a none-issue on the SMP. Mostly. Sure, maybe Dream could be one of the more out there ones, but Sapnap was a blaze and Bad was part demon. It couldn’t get much worse than that.
- “Again, none of your business.” A beat of tense silence. “It’s not- It’s not a big deal. I just, I got used to it. Now it just feels weird.”
- Sam nodded, as something in the back of his head reminded him of an evening with Ponk. Something about hybrids spending too long using magic to appear human ending up feeling alien in their hybrid forms. There was a term for it, but Sam couldn’t remember what it was.
- “Come on, we need to keep moving.”
- As he spoke, Dream reached out to take Sam’s hand, tugging him to his feet and starting up again at a walking pace. Careful to guide them away from the stream’s slippery slopes.
- Their pace picked up slowly, reaching a trot but no longer a full on sprint. It gave Sam unwanted time to think.
- Dream’s hands still felt... human. There was no fur or sharp claws, although his nails felt hardened. That could be a lot of things though. Hybrids also presented differently.
- Part of Sam wanted to believe that Dream was a cat out of spite, something in genes felt petty like that. He ignored that part of him. Dream didn’t feel like a cat. There was no loud swish of a tail (although there was a faint swish of something, sometimes).
- Besides, cats were (loathe as Sam was to admit it) mostly harmless to things their own size. They were cute to most people. Dream could not be cute, therefore, Dream was not a cat.
- An Enderman maybe? It’d explain his odd relationship with Ranboo. Or maybe a wolf? Something vicious surely-
- Fuck. Sam found himself torn. He knew better then to think those things. To fall into stereotypes. Still, didn’t all stereotypes come from somewhere? You’d be hardpressed to find someone who’d argue the average piglin hybrid wasn’t a lot more dangerous than a human.
- Sam found himself trapped in a back and forth, one only broken by occasionally piping up to check on their progress. And sometimes just to make a comment, just something to break the silence.
- When his mind wasn’t on trying to guess what type of hybrid Dream was, it was still focused on Dream. Or more specifically, on Dream’s hands.
- Sam couldn’t help but feel the scars. Feel the way the fingers bent just a little wrong. Feel what he’d done. What he’d allowed. He didn’t want to think about it, but he didn’t have a choice.
- Sometimes Dream’s grip would tighten, and at first he took it as a sign of potential danger, but quickly realized that wasn’t right. Dream’s pace didn’t change. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that the motion was involuntary. Dream’s fingers must be seizing up from gripping onto him for so long.
- Did it hurt? Sam wondered. It must. Dream swapped hands each time they took a break. He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t getting sore.
- Despite this, Dream never complained. Never even mentioned it. He complained about other stuff- Sam’s slow pace, or when Sam would ask too many questions. About the heat, and the mud they had to walk through at one point.
- But Dream never mentioned his hands. Nor did he ever hesitate to reach out and guide Sam forward.
- Against all odds, Dream never wavered. Never so much as threatened to leave Sam behind. As if he didn’t even consider that an option.
- Sam- Well. He didn’t quite know what to make of that. It was good for him, he supposed.
- He tried not to think about it too much.
- By nightfall, they’ve reached the second jump point. A nice, wide, open jump point. Easy to pass through.
- This time they can make their way to the center. Dream is twitchy. Quiet. Unhappy. He keeps tapping his feet. Sam can hear it in the still night air. Maybe he’s checking for traps? Sam finds his own pace growing a little more unsteady. Taking a moment to tap before realizing it was dumb. If there were traps, Dream would run into them first. And then- Well, they were probably fucked if that happened.
- Luck was on their side though it seemed, there were no traps. They passed through the jump point safely.
- In fact, the next day and a half passed by without any issues at all. This world was bigger than the last they’d traveled through, they had to take more breaks, they had to sleep (Sam almost passed out, having to almost beg Dream to take a break. Dream bitched, but complied when he realized Sam really couldn’t go any farther. Sam slept for six hours. He was pretty sure Dream didn’t sleep at all.)
- Dream checked on Sam’s injuries, and assured him they looked fine. All of them ached, but most of Sam’s body ached. he wasn’t built for endurance like Dream was apparently.
- By the time they were nearing the third jump point, Dream was growing increasing agitated. Every other step there was an extra beat to his gait. Thumping his foot against the ground. It was starting to get on Sam’s nerves.
- “Can you- Can you knock that off?”
- Instantly, Dream twisted, he didn’t stop moving forward though. Sam couldn’t see him, but he could feel how his arm moved with his torso.
- “Knock what off? I’m literally not doing anything.” Dream’s voice was nearly a hiss. Grumpy and dangerous.
- For a moment, Sam considered dropping it. It wasn’t that big of a deal. And he really didn’t want to piss Dream off. But then Dream thumped again and Sam couldn’t help himself.
- “That! The weird thumping thing! You’ll give us away!” It was a stupid argument, if anything, Dream’s footsteps were barely audible. Sam only noticed the thumping because he had so little to pay attention to. His own footsteps were much heavier, much more likely to be heard.
- “What are you-” And then Dream froze, as his foot thumped again. As if he only now realized he was doing it. The man tried to recover.
- “I don’t- it’s not going to give us away. I’m not thumping. I’m just using a different gait. It- it helps me slow down. Because I can’t walk at a normal pace if I’m lugging you around.” Dream sounded defensive, he sounded like he was lying. Although Sam couldn’t for the life of him guess why.
- Sam opened his mouth to argue back, only for Dream to freeze for real this time. Signalling Sam to shut up.
- “I knew it.” Dream hissed under his breath, seeing something Sam couldn’t. Sam wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to risk speaking. Dream gave him two taps before letting go of his hand. It was only for a minute, likely just so Dream could scout out the area, but it brought back Sam’s anxiety full force. What if he’d pissed Dream off by bringing up the thumping and now he was leaving him? Sam was in the middle of the woods. He barely knew what direction to walk in. If the hunters didn’t kill him, the mods surely would.
- Before his thoughts could go any further, Dream was back, pulling Sam in the opposite direction of where they’d been headed. Sam didn’t question it, not until Dream finally explained.
- “They pearled ahead. They’re camping the jump point. That’s why we haven’t had them on our tail.”
- Shit.
- “What- What are we going to do? Is there another jump?”
- “No- Or- I don’t know. I don’t know how to find another one. We have to use this one.”
- “Can we fight them?”
- “There’s at least ten on this side, armed to the teeth. I’d bet you anything there’s more on the other too.”
- “So then... ?”
- “If it was just me, I’d risk it, but we won’t both get through, so we’re going to have to make a very risky jump.”
- Dream didn’t mean anything by it, but Sam felt those words pierce him. Dream would’ve done it if Sam wasn’t here. If Sam wasn’t pure liability.
- No time for that now though.
- “A risky-”
- Just as Sam said those words, he felt the warmth of the sun fade and the grass dirt under his feet turned to something harder. Not quite stone, but it would be soon. He could feel the air grow colder as Dream lead him deeper into what must be a cave.
- After a moment, it clicked for Sam.
- “You can’t be serious- there’s no way.”
- “It’s our best bet.”
- “Do the caves even reach the jump point?”
- “Yeah, I checked- I could, I could tell. It doesn’t, it doesn’t feel terrible either. Like, it’s a risky jump, but I think it’ll be okay. I think there’s a cave on the other side. It feels... weird. Like there’s something off about it. Might be a dungeon or something. But whatever it is, it’ll be better than hunters.”
- Sam didn’t like it, but he didn’t have a better idea, so he followed Dream down through the winding tunnels. Dream, oddly, seemed more at ease within the confined cave walls. Sam felt the opposite. He felt trapped. Like a sitting duck.
- As they neared the jump point again, Sam realized something.
- “Wait, do you have a torch?”
- “Nope. Light would make us an easy target. Besides, there’s lichen around.”
- Despite the lack of light, Dream seemed to navigate with ease. Huh. He had low-light vision or some other method of pathfinding. Sam noted that in the back of his mind. He didn’t have long to dwell though.
- Dream spoke up as they reached the edge of the jump point.
- “When we do this, they’ll know. And they’ll be after us. They won’t except us to be down here, but it won’t take them too long to follow. We’re gonna need to run, and we’re gonna need to keep quiet. Got that?”
- Sam nodded, and upon realizing that Dream wouldn’t be able to see him now either, he gave a squeeze of affirmation.
- They had reached the spot. Dream was right. The jump felt... off. A yellow flag. But not a red flag. Not something that was going to get them glitched into a wall.
- Dream hesitated for only a moment.
- “Whatever happens, just make sure you hold on. I can handle whatever’s on the other side. Just... trust me.”
- And Sam, well, what choice did he have?
- Dream leapt, and Sam leapt too. Hoping this would work. Hoping that they were finally close to freedom.
sif it's ten pm and u have me hooked on your Apology Cake au
i need to sleep and my computer needs to charge
i've known this au has existed for twelve minutes but i will obsess over it anyway
sometime in the next 5k-10k words I except to finally explain where the title of this au comes from. spoiler alert, it's very dumb & im excited for it.
Okay, so c!Sam and c!Dream escaped from hunters, Sam is still blind, and Dream is being cage af about his hybrid nature. They got through 2 jump points (transitions between servers) without any issues (there were a lot of issues actually) only discover that the hunters were totally bming them by camping the third jump point. Sooo, what do they do? They go underground and jump into a new and dangerous world! Welcome to the Apology Cake AU part 3! The AU name still won’t make sense after reading this!
- This time, Dream’s grip remained steadfast as they jumped. It was a comfort, in a confusing way.
- The jump itself wasn’t that bad. Jarring, sure, but not the worst Sam had been through.
- It was what came after the jump that hit Sam. The air of the new cave they found themselves in smelt... wrong.
- Fuck, was there mold in here? It smelled like mold. Or rot. Maybe an abandoned mineshaft?
- Sam realized very suddenly that Dream wasn’t moving. He was frozen. Why? Didn’t they need to move quickly?
- “Dream-” Sam was keeping his voice quiet, but Dream instantly tapped his wrist once. The man’s grip tightened, almost like... almost like he was scared. What the hell was going on?
- They can’t have teleported into a dungeon, Sam couldn’t hear any mobs. Hell, it was near dead silent.
- After several long, long seconds, in which anxiety built up, Dream finally moved. For the first time, moving closer to Sam, using his other hand to coax Sam into leaning down so that Dream could whisper into Sam’s ear.
- “Sam, there’s Sculk. It’s everywhere. We have to pass through it. Stay silent. Keep your footsteps light. Don’t touch anything. Tap if you need to stop.”
- Oh fuck.
- Oh shit.
- Sam had never encountered Sculk. The SMP was kept clean of it. Still, he’d heard the stories. Of what happened when you went too deep. All the stories of people that never came back. Running into a Warden was near certain death.
- Still, it was safe as long as you kept quiet, right? All they needed to do was not set off the Sculk, and the Warden wouldn’t be alerted.
- Sam could- Okay, he wasn’t great at being quiet, but he wasn’t awful at it either. He could- he could do this. He just needed to be very careful about where he put his feet.
- It was times like these Sam was very grateful he had paws and not hooves like other centaur-like hybrids. At least they cushioned the noise and as long as he kept his claws in, there was no click against the stone floor.
- Dream, for his part, had gone entirely silent. It was actually spooky. If Sam couldn’t feel Dream’s tight grip guiding him, he’d have no idea the other man was there at all. His footsteps had vanished entirely, and there was no more of that thumping noise. Sam couldn’t even hear him breathe.
- The two of them slowly made their way.. forward? Down? Sam didn’t know where they were going other than ‘away from the hunters.’ He was too focused trying to keep his footsteps light.
- After what felt like hours, but was likely less than 30 minutes, the tunnel they were following opened up into... something. Sam couldn’t tell what it was, other than open and big. He could feel a breeze, but not the sort of breeze that meant they were out. The sort of breeze that meant they’d reached a large cave.
- Dream clearly knew where they were, his steps got hurried, pulling Sam over to...
- Sam almost (almost) made a noise of surprise when his front paws touched wool. It felt... well, not great if he was being honest. It was damp, and had clearly not been maintained in ages. It was rough wool too. The sort you used for rugs. But it was a welcome change from the hard stone.
- Dream seemed excited about the wool. Sam could feel him bounce up in delight, and for a moment he was terrified until-
- Until Dream landed, and the wool ate the noise. Oh.
- No wonder he was excited. They could move faster as long as they stayed on this path.
- Sam wasn’t sure what insane player built a wool path through sculk, but he sent a silent thanks to them as Dream tugged him along eagerly. Their pace was a steady trot, until Dream paused again.
- The man hesitated for only a moment, before giving Sam a quick two taps and releasing him.
- What the hell could Dream possibly need to go do? Sam wasn’t sure, but he let go and stayed as still as he could. The man was silent as he slunk away. And for a full minute, Sam stood in the center of a very dangerous place, all alone.
- Despite the gravity of the situation, Sam found... he wasn’t scared. Not really. Not like he should be.
- He should be scared that Dream wasn’t going to come back. That he would abandon Sam to the merciless Warden (and what a fitting twist that would be).
- But if Dream was going to abandon him, he would’ve done it ages ago. He wouldn’t have brought Sam this far, wouldn’t have taken all these risks.
- Sam sat tight and waited until finally he heard the faintest noise of a chest being opened. Now, that caused a surge of anxiety in his chest, but after several long seconds, it seemed like the movement had gone unnoticed.
- No more than 30 seconds later, Dream was back. He didn’t take Sam’s hand right away, instead pulling and tugging until Sam realized he want to put something in Sam’s backpack. Several objects were passed over so Sam could feel them before Dream tucked them away. One was clearly an apple. A golden apple maybe? Another was a glass bottle, a potion of some kind. Then there was a handful of strange feeling crystals.
- Once both objects were tucked into Sam’s pack, Dream pulled Sam down again to whisper.
- “Regen, god apple. Might help your eyes. Later. Weird shards, dunno what they are.”
- Oh.
- Yeah, a god apple wasn’t a cure-all but it was pretty damn close. It could do a hell of a lot of healing, and at least lessen almost any potion effect. Regen could come in handy too.
- Sam found himself grinning. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad. The person who made it was still absolutely insane (and almost certainly dead), but at the very least they’d bothered to leave useful supplies behind. That was handy.
- Dream’s hand found his again, and they started to creep forward once again. It was going as well as they could’ve hoped for.
- Really, Sam should’ve known better.
- “There they are! Oi! Guys! Down here!”
- Hunters were the stupidest motherfuckers in existence.
- Several things happened at once. Dream pulled Sam into a sprint, leading him further towards... something. And behind them there were noises of a group of hunters pouring into the cave before coming to the sudden realization that they really didn’t want to be there. There were several deafening screeches.
- And then there the sound of something burrowing. Emerging.
- It was close to them.
- Dream pulled forward until they reached a point where the wool turned back to stone. Sam could feel a proper breeze, there was a tunnel! there was a way out! He moved towards it, ready to get out, and then-
- Behind them way too close. There was a sniffing noise.
- Dream froze. Spinning around.
- The hunters had gone dead silent, somewhere on the other side of the cave.
- Sam wasn’t sure what was happening, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t good.
- Could they outrun the Warden? Would it follow them in the tunnel?
- Sam could move quickly, but not that quickly. If they got cornered...
- Dream suddenly gave two sharp taps to Sam’s wrist. Letting go, and pausing just long enough to whisper.
- “The tunnel’s right in front of you. Count to five then go. I’ll catch up.”
- With that, Sam barely had time to process the words before Dream was moving. No longer quiet in the least. Sam heard him race forward, feet thumping the ground, and then he heard something get struck by a sword and then
- “This way motherfucker!”
- Sam scrabbled into the tunnel, almost tripping over his own feet as he tried to get away. There was a furious roar behind him somewhere. He could hear the sound of someone running, of the Warden’s anger, of heavy footsteps and then-
- And then there was a scream, something human.
- Instantly, Sam realized what Dream had done. What his plan was.
- The screaming and shouting of the hunters echoed through the cave, followed by a ear piercing noise that forced Sam to cover his ears. Luckily he was far enough away that it didn’t stagger him for long, but it was still going to feature in his nightmares.
- Speaking of nightmares- Sam paused, listening intently to the yelling. There were- there were horrific noises. Flesh being torn, screams, people yelling for help, but-
- Well, as horrifying as it was, Sam knew for a fact none of those screams were Dream’s. He knew exactly what Dream’s screams sounded like, and there was nothing.
- So where was the man? He must’ve made it.
- Right?
- Sam bit his lip, not wanting to push on without Dream, but wanting to get as far away from the Warden as he could.
- Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long.
- “Come on, what are you doing? We gotta go now!”
- Dream was as pushy as ever, Sam hadn’t even heard his approach. The man grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled, the two of them full sprinting up the tunnel. The smell of fresh air growing ever stronger.
- Giddy with joy and relief, Sam almost missed Dream slowing down.
- He noticed just in time to not slam into the man, confused.
- Before he could ask, it suddenly hit him that Dream was limping. His gait was all wrong.
- Now that Sam was noticing things, he realized Dream’s hand was wet. He’d assumed it was sweat, or dew, or-
- No, it felt sticky. There was a lot of it too.
- “Dream-”
- “Sam I... You need to go east. Dead east from the cave exit. I don’t-”
- Sam reacted just quick enough to catch Dream as the man toppled over.
- Sam was many things, but he was not a doctor. Despite the amount of wounds he’d experienced and seen on others, he was honestly still pretty bad with the whole healing thing. That had always been Ponk’s domain.
- God, what Sam wouldn’t give to have Ponk here right now.
- No time for that now.
- Sam had Dream, the man was alive. He was, he was still breathing.
- You weren’t supposed to move people who were injured, but Sam didn’t have a choice. He carefully lifted Dream in his arms and felt his way forward until he found the edge of the cave. The Warden shouldn’t follow them up here. Not when it had... other prey to deal with.
- Other mobs shouldn’t be much of an issue either. Most took one look at Sam’s flashy green colors and decided to mind their own business.
- With that in mind, Sam set Dream down as carefully as he could. Okay. Right.
- It took a lot of blind groping, but Sam eventually managed to peel Dream out of the leather armor he’d had on- (god, had he really decided to tangle with a Warden in leather?)- and get his shirt unbuttoned. Dream’s pack was set to the side.
- Sam tried to search for wounds but-
- Fuck there were too many scars. Everywhere he touched had some sort of mar or carving. He couldn’t tell what was old or new.
- It struck him after a minute that he could search for bleeding, but his own hands were already slick with blood.
- Sam quickly tried his best to wipe them off, and then felt around to see what he could find.
- Quickly, it became clear this was not going to do anything effective. Sam was a shit doctor on a good day, and blinded he was utterly useless.
- All he could really do was shove potions-
- Fuck.
- He was so dumb.
- Sam scrabbled to open his pack, the potion was thankfully a distinct shape that was easy to pick out. It wasn’t a splash, the glass was thick and strong.
- Dream had mentioned he had a healing pot too, right?
- Searching Dream’s backpack was a bit harder. There was cloth in there, likely to cushion the glasses against Dream’s more erratic movements. Still, Sam managed to get his hands on the other potion bottle.
- Right. Okay. He had healing and regen.
- You were... you were supposed to use regen first, right?
- Wait. no. It was the opposite. Healing first, then regen. Since regen lasted.
- Sam honestly wasn’t sure,but that sounded right to him. He needed to act quickly regardless, no time to overthink.
- Carefully, Sam went to lift Dream’s head, muscle memory guiding him, memories of how best to tip Dream’s face to avoid the-
- Oh.
- Sam’s hand was cupping the back of Dream’s head and it felt different.
- Of all the things to notice first, it was that Dream’s hair as softer. Like, way softer. It was extremely fluffy, but also strangely light. Like toughing a cloud.
- The second thing Sam noticed was that as his hand moved to grab Dream’s jaw, it knocked into something floppy and soft. An... ear?
- Sam tried to ignore it, he didn’t have time, he really, really didn’t have time.
- With some very careful positioning, he managed to get Dream’s mouth open and tilted slight to the side. He had to pour the healing potion down slowly, watching to ensure Dream drank it. As soon as it was down, he repeated the process with the regen.
- Then... Well, there wasn’t much left to do but hope that was enough to keep him alive.
- Sam tried his best to clean off his hands and search for any injuries still bleeding. He did manage to find one of the bottles of alcohol and used that to rise off his own hands and whatever areas he could find with blood on them.
- During this process, he discovered two things, first, Dream’s lower legs were also covered in that same soft fur. There were a few still oozing cuts present on them, and Sam did his best to wrap them after cleaning them off. It wasn’t great, but it was what he could manage.
- The second thing Sam discovered was that Dream was, without a doubt, a rabbit hybrid.
- His feet were unmistakably rabbit’s feet. Not that Sam had that much experience with rabbits, but the long forefoot and powerful bunching muscles were a dead give away. The long floppy ears on his head just sealed the deal.
- Sam... didn’t know what to make of that. It didn’t make much sense to him. Sure, he logically knew that a hybrid’s species didn’t define them, and Dream kept his form constantly hidden, but... a rabbit? Nothing about Dream said ‘prey animal’ let alone ‘soft and fuzzy’.
- It made something in Sam’s itch in all the worst ways, so he tried to ignore it.
- Instead, he set about getting some food and water, and trying to get Dream to at least drink a bit.
- Dream’s breathing was steady, but Sam had no idea when he’d wake up. He also wasn’t entirely sure how long they could stay here. There might still be more hunters on the way, and they weren’t exactly hard to find.
- Dream had said... he’d said to go east. How did he expect Sam to do that?
- Sure, navigating blind had gotten a bit easier but...
- Very suddenly, Sam remembered the apple Dream had found. Fuck, he really was an idiot.
- It wouldn’t do Dream any good, what with being unconscious and unable to chew, but if it could restore Sam’s sight then...
- Having nothing to lose, Sam fished around for the golden apple, feeling the magic pulse off of it, and only hesitated for a second before taking a bit.
- It tasted good. Like a long nap in the sun. Sam could feel his injuries from the hunters, all the little cuts and sores on his feet, all fade. He wolfed down the apple and blinked his eyes, hoping for... something.
- Nothing.
- He waited for several minutes. Nothing happened. Not so much as a dot of light.
- Fuck.
- Sam huffed in frustration, getting to his feet to pace. To try to find something. But all that came to mind was ‘we’re fucked’. They needed to go east to get back to the SMP, but Sam had no fucking clue where east was.
- As he paced, Sam accidentally exited the cave, out into the warm morning sunshine. It felt good, and soothed him for a moment.
- Wait.
- Hold on, hold on.
- Sam hurried back to the cave and felt around until he found the stick Dream had given him at the start of their journey. He was better at navigating now, and with a bit of practice he was able to use it to find a big tree.
- It wasn’t perfect by any means, but freshly healed from the gapple, his skin was sensitive to everything, including the warmth of the sun and the cool of the shade.
- After nearly ten minutes of shuffling around and making marks on the ground, Sam was able to estimate the direction of the shadow. It was the end of summer, which meant it following the rising sun would be relatively accurate.
- It was... it was worth a shot.
- Sam hurried back to the cave, gathering up the supplies and carefully fitting everything into his own backpack, which he then strapped onto Dream. Dream himself was the lifted, and after a bit of debate, Sam maneuvered the other to rest on his back. It was an odd feeling, his spine wasn’t really meant to have a person’s weight on it. Still, Dream was light enough to make it work. Sam was able to secure him with the left over cloth. That left both his hands free to navigate.
- Traveling like this was painfully slow. Sam did get better with his stick, and the forest floor was blessedly uncluttered. The apple gave him plenty of energy and relieved all the aches from the prior days of traveling.
- Still, the longer he went on without Dream waking up, the more nervous he got.
- Was he really going the right way? What if Dream misspoke and meant for them to go west? What if he overshot? Or the jump point was narrow and he couldn’t find it? What if he took too long and Dream died?
- Sam had nothing to distract himself from his thoughts and anxieties. All he could do was try to push through them.
- Finally, finally, he felt it.
- A jump point. But not just any jump point, it was one home.
- In his excitement, Sam very nearly ran into a ditch. He just barely caught himself in time to jump over it. And even then, he probably sprained his ankle on the awkward landing. Ugh. Right. Not home safe yet.
- Still, from the moment he felt it, it only took fifteen minutes to reach a safe place to make the crossing.
- Sam didn’t hesitate. With one hand on Dream to secure him, he made the leap, eyes shut tight in anticipation.
- When he opened his eyes again, he was still blind. Which made sense. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d expecting.
- He didn’t know where on the SMP they’d ended up. It wouldn’t be anywhere near any of the cities, but at the very least it didn’t feel particularly cold. There were no familiar sounds or smells.
- Still, Sam couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. They made it. They were home.
- Speaking of home, the communicator still on Sam’s arm finally woke up with a sharp ping. Acknowledging his log-in.
- Honestly, Sam was shocked it still worked. Hunters usually disabled them. Although Sam’s was modified to be harder to hack. Looks like that paid off.
- Sam fumbled around to get a proper grip on his communicator and paused. There were accessibility settings, a narrator and text to speech. He just had to remember how to access them.
- It took almost twenty minutes of fiddling, trying button combos, and resisting the urge to curse out the stupid device, but finally Sam managed to enable both and navigate into the communications section.
- And then he got stumped.
- He needed help. There was no way he was making it back to the main SMP safely on his own, and Dream desperately needed medical care.
- But...
- The overlap between people who would help him and people who would help Dream. was. Non-existent.
- Techno and Phil both might help, if only because of the risk of hybrid hunters on the server, but both of them were awful at checking their communicators.
- Quackity would come help him, if at a price. But if he knew Dream was here and helpless...
- Sam couldn’t do that. Not when the only reason Dream was helpless was because he had to protect Sam himself.
- After thinking it over, Sam settled on the one person who he hoped would answer. It was a risk but, well, Sam didn’t have many options.
- Pressing the call button, Sam waited through five rings, He’d almost given up hope when-
- “Sam, I told you to stop-”
- “Hunters got into the SMP.”
- Ponk stopped his rant dead in it’s tracks.
- “I got- I got away, but I can’t- they gave me something and I’m- I can’t see. Anything. I can’t- I’m at a jump point. I don’t know where or how to get back.”
- “Shit, okay, are you being followed? I can get some people, can you hide somewhere?”
- “Not being followed, but you can’t bring anyone else. I- I didn’t get kidnapped alone. Dream- they caught him too. We’re both- We both got out but...”
- “I... okay. I’d imagine that’s a story for another time. Is Dream blind too then? Are either of you hurt? And are you absolutely sure you weren’t followed?”
- “Dream- he’s been out for... 12 hours? I don’t know. I can’t- It’s been awhile. I had a regen and a healing pot, gave them both to him. He’s... breathing?” Sam tried to find a way to explain, then remembered the second half of Ponk’s question. “He uh, the hunters were after us. And they- we were in a cave. With Sculk. The hunters triggered a Warden near us, and Dream... lead it back to them. I don’t know- I couldn’t tell what was happening, but he managed to get out then he just... passed out. The Warden took care of the hunters though.”
- “... Right. Okay. Fuck. Can you get your cords? I can... I can get to you. I’ll... fuck, I dunno, figure it out when I get there I guess. He took on a Warden?”
- “Yeah... here-” Sam rattled off the cords he’d managed to wrangle out of his communicator. They were several hours off spawn by horseback, which wasn’t ideal but at least there was a plan in place.
- Ponk gave Sam strict instructions, find a sheltered spot, move Dream as little as possible, try to get some water in him and pray.
- Sam managed to find an alcove, and settled in to do just that.
- Dream was still breathing. It wasn’t much, but it was... it was all Sam could ask for right now, as he waited for help to arrive.
Chapter 18: Apology Cake AU pt 2
Summary:
hello the au name is not here either. next chapter i swear.
Chapter Text
Alright, c!Ponk is on his way! Clearly this will only mean good things, and there is absolutely nothing that c!Sam forgot to inform him about regarding c!Dream!
- Ponk took a minute to figure out a gameplan. They needed to move quickly, and odds are Sam’s eyes were going to need something specialty to fix.
- If it was anyone else, he’d just get a horse and ride out to them. Sam obviously couldn’t ride a horse. So, the next best thing was a cart.
- Ponk didn’t exactly have a cart of his own, but there were several kept in decent condition that people would use from time to time, so he decided to borrow the largest of them.
- Sam was big, but not as heavy as one might expect, and he and Dream weighed nothing by comparison so two of the stronger draft horses would do just fine. He brought some basic supplies, armor and a weapon. Not too much, the load needed to stay light.
- They were incredibly lucky that there were roads most of the way out to Sam’s location. There were also no mountains and only one swamp that could be skirted.
- Ponk pushed the horses harder than he probably should’ve. But they were tough horses, and he gave them a full dose of speed and strength, along with a gapple each. That let them go at a full trot for two hours, enough to reach the location Sam had rattled off.
- It didn’t take long to find where Sam had taken shelter. Thank god for that, since it was almost nightfall by the time Ponk spotted the creeper hybrid, who must’ve heard the horses since his head was flicking around anxiously.
- “Sam! I’m here! There’s a cart-”
- Ponk cut himself off, suddenly noticing the person laid out with their head in Sam’s lap.
- They looked like a rabbit hybrid? Definitely too thin and a bit scraggly, covered in a more than ideal amount of blood, but rather pretty. Sam hadn’t said anything about another hybrid, but he probably forgot to mention them. Hopefully there’d be enough room for everyone.
- “Oh- uh, okay. You didn’t mention you guys picked up a scragglier. What happened to them? And where’s Dream? Did he wake up?”
- Sam’s face split into a grin of relief when he heard Ponk’s voice, before furrowing in confusion. His hands had moved towards... something, before going down to touch the head of the person in his lap, as if assuring that they were still there.
- “What- What do you mean? This is Dream.”
- Now, in Sam’s defense, he was blind right now. Ponk couldn’t be too upset with him. But still, shouldn’t Sam be able to feel the ears?
- “Sam, that is clearly a rabbit hybrid. Dream’s huma-”
- As he was speaking, Ponk’s eyes suddenly caught on something he’d missed before. At the rabbit hybrid’s hip was a very very familiar mask. There was no mistaking it.
- Wait but that meant-
- “Oh- I- I didn’t even think about that. Dream’s- it’s him. He’s a rabbit- I guess. Might be a hare instead? I don’t remember the difference. It’s- his mask hides it. The hunters didn’t notice- nobody did- but he took it off to escape.” Sam explained, suddenly realizing his mistake.
- “Huh- that’s-” Well, on one hand, that explained the ever present mask. On the other, it raised a whole lot more questions. “Might actually explain why he’s still comatic. Long term body alternation with magic can be dangerous. Add in any kind of injury and it’s not unheard of for someone to pass out for a few days.”
- Right. Injuries.
- Ponk quickly snapped back into the situation at hand, hurrying to help Sam bring Dream over to the cart and lay him out for treatment. The horses needed a break no matter what, so they had time for Ponk to do full inspections of both them.
- He started with Sam, despite Sam’s protests. They weren’t out of the danger zone yet, and if there was an easy way to restore Sam’s sight, it would’ve been extremely helpful. Unfortunately, that was where their luck ran out. The stuff used on Sam was reversible, but not with what Ponk had on hand. Other than that, the man seemed fine. Shaken, nervous, exhausted, but fine.
- Dream was another matter entirely. Sam had given him regen and healing already, thankfully in the correct order, but there were still haphazardly bandaged injuries. His left leg was broken, and not set quite right, although it hadn’t healed over yet either.
- There was.... there was also a lot of scars. Like, Dream had more scar than unmarred skin. Some of them... Ponk knew Dream before everything. Not like George or Sapnap, but well enough to know something horrible had happened. Several of Dream’s fingers had been broken and set wrong at some point in the past.
- Ponk did his best with what he had. He reset the leg, cleaned out the wounds and positioned them to heal properly. He rebroke and reset the fingers too. It would have to do.
- Then he got out one of his strongest healing potions and poured it right on the afflicted areas.
- It... well it didn’t have no effect. The now-shallow wounds closed. He was pretty sure the bones rebuilt themselves at least partially. But it should’ve done a lot more.
- Dream might just be naturally resistant to them? Or he might have internal injuries that were taking up the healing power.
- Whatever the reason, Ponk didn’t want to risk overdosing him, so he switched to the regen and poured it on the bones. It did a bit more. Enough that Ponk felt confident Dream wasn’t about to die on them.
- With that taken care of, he went back to inspect Dream’s head again.
- There were no visible injuries, although dried blood indicated there must’ve been something there. Most of it was near the floppy ears, which had caused Ponk quite a bit of concern until he was able to inspect them properly.
- Not much to be done about it here though. After taking one more look, Ponk decided to wait until they got home to do anything else.
- “Alright, well, he’ll live. I think he’s mostly passed out from exhaustion and stress. It’s- well it’s not normal but it’s also not unheard of for prey hybrids to keep going until they drop. He’s oddly resistant to healing magic, but I think I got the bones mostly fixed if nothing else. We’re going to head back now. If you can stay awake, then help make sure he stays as still as possible. Usually I’d strap him down for transport, but if he wakes up like that...”
- “Yeah- no- not. We should avoid that.”
- It took a bit of wiggling to work out, the cart was big enough for all three of them, but with one person laying out flat it was harder. Eventually though, they settled, with Sam again keeping Dream’s head in his lap to prevent any unexpected bumps. Then it was a matter of getting the horses hitched up, giving them both a dose of regen and strength plus some golden carrots for good measure, and they were off.
- The horses held up admirably, seemingly just as eager to get home. Ponk hardly even had to guide them.
- Which gave him time to think.
- Sam got away from hybrid hunters while blind. Dream helped him do it. It... well, hybrid hunters were a common enemy. They’d need to alert the rest of the server soon. But it was still strange to think of.
- Ponk himself was having mixed feelings about being here. It was the right thing to do- he couldn’t leave any person alone in a forest, blind with hunters on their trail. But... hopefully Sam’s eyes would be an easy fix, and he could kick him out of his life again. Even just being near him had Ponk on edge.
- There was also the matter of Dream himself. Sam- Well, Ponk was hoping he’d decided to set aside old grudges in the face of hybrid hunters. It’d be pretty fucked up of him if he tried to take Dream back to the prison after what they went through.
- But then again, Sam was a pretty fucked up guy. Ponk had first hand experience with that.
- Ponk gave a half-hearted laugh at his own bad joke, then sighed. For right now, he’d bank on Sam being reasonable. As bad of a choice as that was. Failing that, he could keep himself in Sam’s way long enough to get someone else to come take Dream. Techno would probably help out. Bad hadn’t been fond of the prison towards the end. If he knew hunters were involved, he’d probably at least try to step in.
- Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that though.
- Hopefully.
c!Ponk came to get everyone, and we are finally almost not really to explaining the name of this au. I swear I’ll get to it in a few thousand more words.
- Now, in Dream’s defense, his plan was amazing. Or at least, relative to other choices he could’ve made, it was a pretty damn good one.
- Most people would argue swinging at a warden to draw agro was ‘borderline suicidal’, particularly in leather armor and on no sleep. But most people didn’t have excellent dodging skills and a stinky creeper hybrid they were dragging around that was basically a screaming neon sign for any predators.
- Honestly, he was pretty sure he could’ve pulled it off if the hybrid hunters after them weren’t the stupidest people imaginable. Like, seriously, who sees a fuckin’ Warden charging at them and focuses on trying to net a rabbit hybrid of all things?
- Dream hadn’t been expecting it, which was on him, and the net didn’t catch him, but it sure as hell did slow him down enough to let the Warden get a shot and that horrid screech in. After that it was plenty distracted by the hunters. None of them were getting up in the morning, so that was a comfort if nothing else.
- He’d been running on adrenaline at that point, and he even managed to get back to Sam before his body (absolute traitor) flat out gave up on him.
- The last thing he could recall was giving Sam directions, in hopes the man could figure out something before everything went black.
- When he next opened his eyes, everything came back... slowly. The world was spinning, and his head hurt. His ears felt awful.
- Surprisingly though, as he wiggled his body around, nothing else felt too bad? His left leg was.. it had seen better (and worse) days. But it definitely wasn’t broken to all hell anymore. Everything else felt okay. Mostly.
- Actually, everything felt very okay. He was laying on something soft. Like, really soft.
- His eyes snapped open, adjusting to a dimly light room. He was in a room. The walls were wood- nether planks to be precise. There was carpet on the floor, and little decorations around. It felt... homey.
- Dream could swear he knew this place, but his head was pounding and refused to do anything related to thinking.
- Closing his eyes again, Dream tried to relax his body. It didn’t help much. Okay, eyes open again.
- Looking around the room a bit more carefully, there was a nightstand with... a water bottle? Water actually sounded amazing.
- There was a paranoid voice in his head that said not to drink it, but he ignored that because if someone wanted him drugged, they would’ve done it while he was passed out.
- Sitting up earned him sharp, piercing pains in his skull that were almost enough to make him yelp. He managed to hold it in and take deep breaths until the pain subsided.
- Once he felt stable, he tried to reach for the water bottle. It was... harder than expected. His hand didn’t really seem to know how to move. After several attempts, he managed to snag the bottle and got it nearly halfway to the bed before his hand spasmed and the entire thing slipped, falling to the floor and shattering.
- Well.
- That certainly was one way to alert the homeowner that he was awake.
- Despite being aware that the glass would almost certainly summon someone, Dream still found himself surprised when the door swung open nearly thirty seconds later.
- Dream found himself face to face with someone who was distinctly, not Sam.
- Of all the people on the SMP, Ponk shouldn’t have been a surprise. Nor was he... particularly concerning. He was a doctor, and Dream could take him in a fight if need be. Probably.
- Not that he really wanted to fight Ponk. He’d really rather avoid that.
- Ponk had frozen upon seeing him awake, unsure of himself. It wasn’t... it wasn’t unusual but it was bothering Dream. His tail twitched in annoyance.
- His tail-
- Oh fuck.
- Dream involuntarily flinched back, setting off a new wave of pain in his head.
- This was fine. It didn’t matter. Besides, Sam already knew something was up. It was a matter of time before other people figured it out. It didn’t- it didn’t change anything.
It did it did it was something about him and they would find a way to use it, they would find a way to twist it to hurt him, he knew better but he would survive it.- Ponk was speaking, jolted into action by Dream’s movement. Dream couldn’t hear him over the pain, but assumed it was something to do with the glass given that Ponk was moving to sweep up the shards.
- Despite there being another person in the room him (unsafe, need to be on guard) Dream shut his eyes in a desperate attempt to relieve the pain.
- He didn’t notice time passing, until there was a hand touching his shoulder. It was gentle. Hesitant.
- Dream almost slammed into the wall trying to get away from it.
- Reopening his eyes, he saw Ponk, now with a new water bottle. The man waited until Dream’s eyes focused in before carefully moving it closer.
- As much as Dream hated the idea of drinking without holding the glass (can’t tell what’s in there, going to choke on it), he was desperate for water, so he allowed it.
- The water was one of the best things he’d ever tasted. He gulped it down until the entire glass was gone.
- It didn’t instantly make his headache go away, but it did dull the pain. He let out a breath of relief.
- Ponk gave him a few seconds before very gently reaching over to move him so he was properly sitting up against the pillows.
- About then was when Dream realized Ponk was talking.
- More importantly, Ponk was talking, and Dream couldn’t make out what he was saying. A few words stood out to him, his own name came up once or twice, but even that was distorted. Like he was underwater and Ponk was far away.
- Upon realizing something was very, very wrong, Dream had to make a choice.
- Ponk was a doctor, if anyone could help fix this, it’d be him. But... if Dream tried he might be able to play this off. Hide the weakness.
- He wanted to do that, he wanted to do it so badly.
- But... Dream couldn’t risk his hearing. He had no idea if this was going to get better on it’s own or not. He’d clearly had a healing pot or two since he went down, and that hadn’t been enough.
- No use pussyfooting around the issue.
- “Ponk, I can’t hear you. There’s- I feel like I’m ten feet underwater.”
- Yeah, something was seriously fucked. Dream could tell he was speaking, but his voice was just... not there.
- Ponk frowned, taking a moment to think before coming to a realization.
- Slowly and awkwardly, Ponk signed ‘you know sign?’
- It wasn’t really a question. Ponk knew the answer. Both of them knew sign for Callahan, although Dream knew a fair bit more.
- “Yeah. I can- I can see that.”
- Ponk took a minute to think, before finally making his next signs, tilting his head.
- ‘what happened to your head?’
- Oh fuck, thinking. Thinking was the absolute worst.
- “Uh- I don’t- I don’t think anything really?”
- The unimpressed look on Ponk’s face was more than enough to communicate his point. Dream rushed to defend himself.
- “No- I’m not- There was a Warden, and it got my leg and my chest, but I know how to take a hit. I didn’t hit my head. There was a lot going on, and I guess maybe some whiplash might’ve happened? But I’m usually- I’m built for fast movements. Nothing should’ve- nothing should’ve done this.”
- Honestly, Dream had no idea if he was coming out comprehensible. He was half gesturing along with his words to help communicate the point. Ponk still seemed to get the gist, his look switching to thoughtful as he took that in.
- And then suddenly, Dream had a thought.
- “Wait- The Warden. It had- it like, screamed? Really really loud. Like, I almost fell over. It hurt a lot. Could that have... done something?”
- Yeah, from how Ponk’s expression shifted, that was the ticket. The man nodded, moving his hands in aborted gestures before seemingly giving up and crossing the room to a drawer where he dug around until he found a pen and pad of paper. After scribbling down some notes, he tore off the sheet and passed it over. His handwriting wasn’t great, but Dream managed to make it out.
- ‘Sonic attacks can cause inner ear trauma. Can you hear anything at all?’
- “Uh, sorta? I could tell you were making noise.”
- Ponk nodded, then scribbled down another note to hand over. This one taking longer. Leaving Dream to twitch his feet in agitation.
- ‘Okay. Good. It might get better given time then. It’s possible that because your ears have spent so long being magically altered to a different shape that it’s interfering with the healing magic. You also have a high resistance to healing magic in general. Have you been overusing healing pots?’
- Dream... fuck, he was not getting into those memories right now. Given how Ponk asked the question... clearly he didn’t know. As much as Dream didn’t want to talk about it, it could be vital medical information. So he forced it out.
- “I- I had a lot more than I should’ve in the prison. Didn’t... didn’t have much of a choice. They started losing effect a few months in. I’ve been trying to stay off them to make up for it but...”
- There was a lot of emotions on Ponk’s face before he finally settled on a grim determination. Another nod. After a long moment of silence, he wrote another note. The sound of a pen scratching on paper was oddly comforting.
-
‘Thank you for telling me. Everything else should be okay. Had to rebreak your fingers to fix them.
SaYour leg wasn’t set quiet right, but it hadn’t healed over fully, so I fixed it. With any luck, some rest will fix up your hearing.’ - Then, just as Dream finished reading that note, Ponk seemed to realize something and scratched out another, quicker note.
- ‘Your ears- you’re a lop? Also, can you eat meat?’
- Dream had to read it twice to make out the handwriting, but he once he got it, he laughed.
- “Yeah- they’re- they’re supposed to be flopped over like this. Uh- meat should be fine. Rabbits can actually eat it. Just not good to have too much. My digestive track is like 70% human anyways. If it’s an issue, I can just put on my mask.”
- No sooner had he said that than Ponk was shaking his head vigorously. What? The scribbled note was a bit easier to read this time, if furiously scrawled.
- ‘absolutely no mask until your ears recover. could mess things up permanently. also not good to wear long term.’
- Dream wanted to protest, and he planned to argue the second point, but he had to admit that yeah, magic alteration on still healing areas was a bad idea. It did present a problem, but not one he was going to deal with just yet.
- “Okay. No mask. Got it. Loud and clear.”
- Ponk didn’t look entirely convinced, but let the issue go. Jotting down one last note before moving to put the notepad on the bedside table.
- ‘going to go make you food. shouldn’t be long. shout if you need something.’
- Dream had a lot of questions, like how he ended up back here and where Sam was (
and if Sam was okay. Dream assumed that he made it out, but he needed to be sure. needed to be sure it was worth it. That he hadn’t failed). But he was very hungry now that Ponk pointed it out. He could wait and get food first. - As Ponk left the room, Dream debated on what he should do next.
- A ping from his communicator settled that matter for him.
- It took a few tries to get it open and check everything, but it looks like both Punz and Ranboo had been pinging him for the past few days. The latest message was from Punz.
- ‘dream, just heard there were hunters on the smp, they got sam and he only barely escaped them. please check in. i know you aren’t a hybrid, but it’s still dangerous. ranboo is safe with techno.’
- Well, at least everyone had been alerted. And it seemed Sam had kept Dream’s involvement quiet which... had a lot of interesting implications to be puzzled out at a time when Dream’s head wasn’t spinning just trying to read text.
- Typing was a pain and a half, but dream managed to send a message to both of them.
- ‘got taken, got out. alive. at ponks recovering. will return to base asap. turning off notification to avoid notice.’
- That would need to do for now. The screen was making his eyes ache, and the urge to go curl up in a hole and wait for this all to pass was near overwhelming. Only the promise of food kept him awake.
- Dream just needed to tough it out. His hearing would return in no time, and then he could be off. He and Sam could both forget this ever happened.
- Closing his eyes again, Dream took a deep breath and settled his body to wait. This would pass. He’d been through worse. He could survive this too.
- He had to. There was no other option.
c!Dream gets some soup because he deserves it, a bath because he needed one, and then everything gets... It get. Hm.
- Ponk returned a few minutes later with a bowl of something that smelled delicious. Mushroom soup, apparently. Honestly, Dream was just happy the man hadn’t seen the rabbit ears and instantly assumed he liked carrots. There was some bread as well. To help it settle in his stomach.
- The bread he managed to pick apart with shaking fingers, but the spoon proved too much for him to handle. His body just wasn’t cooperating.
- Ponk let him try twice before gently taking the spoon, quickly signing a question.
- “Let me?”
- As much as Dream hated that he needed to let someone else control his food, he knew he needed to eat. It was fine. Ponk was a doctor. This wasn’t weird for him to help with. It was normal. So he forced himself to nod.
- The sting of needing to rely on another was eased by how absolutely amazing the soup was. It tasted a little bit familiar, a little bit like home, and a lot like it was cooked by someone who actually understood how spices worked (Punz was very good at a lot of things. Cooking was not one of them.)
- After a little bit of eating in silence, Ponk paused to sign a request.
- “Is it okay if I speak to fill space?”
- Dream nodded, and with permission granted, Ponk happily chattered on as they made slow progress through the soup.
- It was... it was nice. Even if Dream couldn’t make out what Ponk was saying, he could still hear faint chatter in the distance, and it broke the silence that had slowly been pressing in on him. Made him feel safe.
- Before he knew it, the soup was gone, and Ponk was placing a water bottle (metal this time, and with a lid to prevent spills) on the table for him.
- “Rest now.” Ponk signed. “Will come back in a few hours.”
- And that was that.
- Dream did, in fact, let himself fall back asleep. The exhaustion overriding everything else in his body, including the anxiety of being in an unknown location and the danger lurking around every corner.
- He slept on and off for several hours before Ponk returned with more food, and to ensure he drunk the water he was left with. Ponk very gently inspected his ears, this time with a special tool, before jotting down a note.
- ‘I was able to research rabbit hybrids and rabbit ears. Looks like there is inner ear inflammation as suspected. Hopefully it will recede with time. Diluted weakness might help, if you’re comfortable trying it?’
- Ugh. Fuck. Dream hated that idea. Hated it a lot, actually. But... The headache was still pounding at his skull, and he really really didn’t want to lose his hearing. He could do this. He was strong enough. It was diluted anyways.
- “Yeah- Weakness. Weakness is fine.”
- While Ponk didn’t look entirely convinced, he still nodded and produced a small dropper from his pocket, and after removing the cap so Dream could inspect the liquid inside (unnecessary, but oddly reassuring. It really was just diluted weakness).
- With Dream’s approval, he carefully moved to lift up one ear and administer a small dose of the potion. It took a lot not to flinch, it was cold, but he managed it. His tail might’ve twitched a bit, but Ponk couldn’t see that so it didn’t count! He was being very good and holding still!
- For all of a minute.
- Just long enough for Ponk to do the other ear and step back.
- And then the urge to get the liquid out was too much and he found himself vigorously shaking his head, ears whipping back and forth with a vengeance.
- Ponk, the fucker, just laughed at him. Offering a quickly signed “It’s fine!”
- It certainly wasn’t fine for Dream’s aching head, and feeling the slightly bit petty, he decided to roll over to face the wall, absolutely not pouting or needing to resist the urge to kick his feet out in displeasure.
- They might’ve twitched just a little bit.
- A soft pat on his shoulder (that didn’t make him flinch, didn’t make him tense up and prepare to run), signaled Ponk’s departure, and left him with little to do but keep resting.
- It took a bit, but his headache did subside, allowing him to get a proper sleep.
- When he awoke, he was pretty sure it was morning. Ponk was the one to wake him up this time, and his clothing had changed. Indicating it was a new day.
- Since the eardrops had helped the night before, they tried them again, and waited for them to take effect as Dream munched his way through a curton filled salad.
- As his headache subsided, Dream got caught off-guard when Ponk spoke up again.
- “...need to... leg.. should... healed... walking.... careful.”
- A lot of the words were still lost on him, and it was still distant and hard to make out (not to mention a fair bit of it was lip reading. Ponk had removed his own mask in a show of solidarity, which was appreciated for figuring out what he was saying.)
- Ponk moved to jot something on the notepad, but Dream cut him off
- “I could- I could hear you. Not... not well. But... you want me to try walking?”
- It was a bit of a guess, but from how Ponk’s face lit up, he got it right!
- “Yes!” Ponk took a moment to collect himself, clearly excited by this change. When he spoke again, he spoke more slowly and clearly enunciated his words. Dream could make out most of his words this time.
- “If you feel... then good to see if... need to be careful though. Leg should be ...”
- Twitching his leg, Dream quickly wiggled out of the blankets so he could get a better feel. He was starting to get antsy just laying in bed, and while he hadn’t wanted to interfere with the healing of his leg (and frankly just sitting up had been had enough with how badly his head hurt), he did want to get up and move.
- It felt like everything was fixed up. Still a bit sore, but no more broken bones which was the important part. On a visual inspection, even his
- Dream really did mean to listen to Ponk when the man said to be careful about standing, but- he was bored. He couldn’t help it!
- He swung his legs to the side of the bed, and hopped onto the floor.
- Or.
- Well he tried.
- His feet hit the floor like they should, but something was instantly wrong.
- Dream found himself off-kilter, like trying to move the cup but so so much worse. He pitched forward and almost slammed into the floor.
- The only reason he didn’t was because Ponk caught him, quickly pushing him back upright, and then as Dream failed to steady himself, back down onto the bed.
- Ponk was speaking again, but Dream was too busy trying to get his vision back and not throw up to listen. It took several minutes for him to calm down.
- “I- what- what was that? I couldn’t-”
- No sooner had he asked than a note was handed over. Oh.
- ‘Inner ear trauma and inflammation can cause severe balance issues. That’s why I said you’d need to be very careful. It looks like you’ll need at least a few days before you start walking again.’
- Ponk made some signs after that, but Dream couldn’t pay attention to them. He just nodded dumbly. After a few moments of hesitation, Ponk left.
- This was...
- This was the worst case scenario.
- His hearing being out was one thing, he could cope with that. Hell, if he lost a leg, that was fine too. He could replace it. But his balance? His ability to just stand up on his own?
- It was terrifying.
- A rabbit that couldn’t run was dead. And Dream wasn’t a rabbit, he was vicious and a threat, and he wouldn’t go down easy, but there was a part of his brain that still screamed he was helpless.
- Absentmindedly, Dream’s gaze flicked to his communicator. There were a lot of messages from Punz and Ranboo. He didn’t want to read them.
- It would be fine. It would all be fine. This was temporary. It was just the inflammation. His body would sort itself out, and in a few days, he’d be right as rain. A week or two at most.
- Dream kept that mantra on repeat as he laid back down on the bed. Settling in to wait it out.
- Ponk came back a few hours later, baring the eardrops again and a grim look. More food too. Honestly, Dream wasn’t sure he could eat any more. He’d had more food in the past few days than he usually ate in a week.
- There was... apprehension in the air. Ponk tried to smile, tried to reassure as he applied the ear drops and helped Dream eat.
- After the ear drops had time to take effect, Ponk helped Dream to his feet (much more carefully this time) and stabilized him enough that he could get to the bathroom.
- It was a bit awkward, but after being able to use the toilet, Ponk helped him get into the tub with his boxers left on. Everything else was all stuff Ponk had seen before (sort of, Ponk had seen his human legs before. Not the hybrid ones).
- Dream wasn’t fond of needing help, but he did have to admit it was a lot easier with someone else moving around the soap and making sure he didn’t fall forward when he reached too far trying to reach the fur on his lower legs.
- Ponk even had conditioner that according to his signing was ‘meant for fur’. Dream wasn’t sure why he had it, but he went ahead and moved his legs so Ponk could apply it (trying to reach it himself was a losing battle. it was way less embarrassing to just let Ponk do it).
- After rising off (there was less dirt and grime than he’d expected all in all, Ponk must’ve washed off a lot of stuff already when cleaning his injuries), Ponk once again helped him get up and with some very awkward positioning, dry off most of himself. His legs were still damp, but a towel thrown down on the bed would work just fine for that.
- The clothing Ponk helped him into... it was an old t-shirt and shorts, both his. Ponk must’ve had it laying around. Not surprising. Dream used to be quite forgetful with leaving his things places. He didn’t know how to feel about the fact Ponk kept them all these years. Wearing them felt quite odd. He pushed it aside to focus on getting back to bed.
- Walking was still a terrible feeling. Even with Ponk helping, Dream felt like he might puke at any moment. The amount of food in him really wasn’t helping with that. Somehow, he held his tongue and made it back to bed, where Ponk produced two... brushes. One was a normal comb, and the other a slicker.
- Dream hadn’t needed to think about brushing his fur in a long time, but he remembered something about using a slicker when he was younger. So he took that, and used pillows to prop up his chest so he could reach his legs without toppling over.
- While he worked on that, Ponk signed to get permission to start on his hair, something that put Dream on edge but that he allowed. It would be a nightmare to do it himself.
- The feeling of someone else pulling a comb through his hair was actually quite relaxing. Dream found himself matching the rhythm as he worked through his own leg fur. His hands still shook, but not as badly with the heavier weight of the brush.
- His fur... god it’d been a long while since he felt it. It was still soft as ever. Little tufts were also coming out as he brushed. He knew it was normal, he also knew that if he ever bothered to collect it and blend it with sheep’s wool he could make a very weird sweater. It would still be a good joke to pull off at some point.
- Once both he and Ponk had finished the brushing (although Dream was pretty sure Ponk had worked out all the tangles awhile ago and just not wanted to stop, from the few glances Dream snuck, the man was clearly enjoying the texture of Dream’s hair), Dream shook himself out and let himself fall back on the remaining pillows. He felt clean for the first time in ages, well and truly. It was nice.
- Ponk put aside the brushes and swept up the bundle of fur that had been produced, and then...
- The look on his face wasn’t very reassuring.
- Ponk opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and took up the notepad instead. This one took several minutes to write.
- ‘I alerted the rest of the server to hunters being present after I got you and Sam back here. I only told them Sam was taken, and that he managed to escape. Sam has been in meetings with the others and was able to help them locate the hunters base of operations from what he remembers. There’s a group setting out tonight to go take care of things. Sam can’t go, his eyesight is mostly better but he’s still recovering. Someone needs to lead the group to the first jump point... and they need a doctor with them in case any injured hybrids are recovered. Techno and Phil are both going, along with Sapnap and a handful of others. There’s a truce while we sort things out. I’ll need to be gone for a week at least. Is there anyone I could ask to come look after you?’
- Ah, that must’ve been what Punz’s frantic messages were about. He would’ve been involved in the discussions, and would’ve realized if Ponk needed to leave, Dream would need help. Punz was smart... He would’ve found a way to stay behind. That only left one problem.
- If Dream told Ponk yes, then he risked revealing his allies. And as much as he wanted to trust Ponk, he couldn’t take that risk. He needed to keep things quiet.
- “... No. There’s not- I’ll be fine. I can figure it out. I’ve gotten through-”
- He cut himself off there. Not wanting to reveal anything else. Ponk’s frown said enough on it’s own. The note came faster this time. As if he’d expected this.
-
‘You can’t be on your own like this. Usually I would ask Foolish to come help, but he’s been put in charge of creating defenses around the SMP’s jump points to prevent this from happening in the future. However...
Sam is stillSam was worried about you and has been checking in. I’ve only told him that you’re not dead, but when he heard I had to leave, he offered to look after you while I’m gone. I don’t think it’s a good idea, but it might be the best option. I can at least ensure he won’t be able to try anything within my house.’ - That was...
- Well, Dream wasn’t going to lie, that was a fucking terrifying option.
- Being at Sam’s mercy again was the absolute last thing Dream wanted to do. But he wasn’t willing to reveal Punz or Ranboo’s continued affiliation with him.
- “How- how would you?”
- Ponk grinned at that, reaching into his pocket to produce something that looked like a bracelet and a medium sized splash potion bottle filled with an unidentified liquid. Both of them were handed over for inspection, as Ponk wrote out another note.
- The bracelet was what really caught Dream’s attention, it looked rather plain at first, but upon inspection had a small switch near the top. It smelled faintly of redstone, indicating that the switch almost certainly did something. By the time he turned his attention to the potion bottle, Ponk had finished writing and handed the note over.
- ‘The bracelet has a switch, if you hit it, it’ll send a message I wrote to Foolish explaining the situation and calling him in. He’ll come if it’s an emergency, and worst case we’ll figure out an excuse later. I trust Foolish. He’ll help, I promise. The potion bottle is a special brew I made up awhile ago, it’s creeper repellent on steroids. I’ve used it to make Sam leave before. He physically can’t be near it without freaking out and running, and the particles are too fine for his gas mask to filter out. It won’t smell great, but if you break that nearby, he won’t be able to get near you for a few hours at least. More than enough time for Foolish to come intervene.’
- That was... it was somewhat reassuring. In the worst cast, Dream could also call Punz to help him escape and make up an excuse later. Particularly if he had a way to ensure Sam wouldn’t be in the area.
- ...
- Fuck it, why not. He’d made worse choices in his life.
- “Okay. Yeah. I can- I’ll be fine with that. I can handle Sam.”
- Hopefully. And hopefully he’d be able to convince Punz this would be okay too.
- How bad could it really end up being?
So, Ponk needs to leave, and Sam is the only one who can watch Dream while he’s gone. There’s absolutely nothing that could go wrong with this plan, and Dream just needs to somehow convince Ranboo and Punz of that. He’s really not having much luck.
- Ponk asked several times to make sure Dream was... well comfortable was a hell of an ask, but at the very least sure in his choice to let Sam watch over him.
- The two of them managed to figure out the terms of what Sam could be told. Dream assented to Sam being told that he was having temporary balance and hearing issues related to the Warden’s sonic attack. It’s important to Dream that Ponk stress that this is all temporary. And that Dream is still capable of doing stuff himself if he needed to, it’s just that Ponk couldn’t ethically leave him alone as a doctor.
- Ponk agrees to all of that, and tastefully doesn’t point out that there are risks of long term damage, and that Dream absolutely could not be left alone without the risk of that long term damage increasing.
- Sam’s job will just be bringing specific food (no more soup, only things that Dream can eat on his own, and from a specific list of rabbit safe items which pointedly does not include potatoes) help with Dream getting over to the bathroom for at least a few days, and help administer the ear drops.
- Ponk also gives Dream like three knives with special handles just in case, because like, yeah good mobility is great but a sharp knife swung wildly will still do a hell of a lot of damage to someone whose unarmored, which is a requirement for Sam to be anywhere near Ponk’s house. Sam has been told there are safeguards in place, but not given any more details to prevent attempts to circumvent them.
- Ponk himself has heavily mixed feelings, but it’s the only real option they have since the only other person staying behind that he could even think to ask is Punz, and Ponk is sure that Punz would sell Dream out. He already did it once, clearly he’d do it again. Sam hasn’t sold Dream out despite already knowing where he is and at the very least that he wasn’t in great condition, so despite his apprehensions, Ponk makes the call to leave helping Dream up to him.
- Ponk tells the rest of the server that he’s getting packed up to leave, and that Sam will be staying at his house to recover safely. Nobody should bother him since he needs lots of rest and is nervous about having other people around while his vision is still healing. Message ahead if they need to visit.
- Ponk leaves that evening, hoping everything will be okay when he gets back. If nothing else, he’s got a special upgrade for his communicator that will allow for check ins every so often.
- Meanwhile, Dream sits and stares at his communicator for about half an hour, trying to decide how to break the news to Punz and Ranboo who heard about Ponk going on the trip and were making suggestions for plans.
- He considers lying, he really does, but if he says he’s unsupervised then they’ll want to come by and discover his lie.
- So he decides to just say fuck it.
- “slight change of plans. ponk has to go to the raid. cant really walk rn, or balance. will be better soon. sam already knew and on truce bc of hunters, offered to help while ponk has to leave. should only be for a week. safeguards in place. everything should be back to normal in two weeks. will resume contact at that point.”
- He really wanted to just leave it there and refuse to respond to messages after that, but he knew that was liable to end very poorly.
- It took about 10 seconds for punz to reply, followed directly by Ranboo.
- “absolutely not.”
- “^”
- Dream started trying to type out a response, only for Punz to cut him off.
- “i’m coming to get you.”
- Fuck, no, they absolutely could not do this. Dream was fine. Nothing was going to go wrong.
- “dont you dare, it’s fine, there’s safeguards and we’re on truce because of the hunter’s involvement. i won’t let him do anything. ponk gave me weapons and a few special potions. it’s totally under control. i did not go through pandora just for you to ruin your cover now.”
- It was a low blow, but hopefully one that would get Punz to listen.
- There was a long, long pause. Finally, Punz replied.
- “you check in every day, twice a day. if you miss either check in, ranboo kills him and we get you to safety.”
- Okay, thank god, Dream could work with this. He almost agreed right away, before pausing to consider feasibility.
- “if i miss a checkin, ranboo can check my room at ponks. im sleeping a lot and tracking time is hard right now. theres no reason for me to be out of the room without checkin though. if one of you can sneak a tracker in here, i can stick it on my comm if that’ll convince you. if anything goes wrong, ill send a message for help.”
- The message for help would be going to Foolish, not them, but Dream didn’t need to clarify that. It was a valid technicality. There was another pause, before finally he got the response he was hoping for.
- “fine. ill drop off a tracker in a bit.”
- A beat, and then another text followed.
- “please be safe.”
- It left a lump in Dream’s throat, it made all the anxiety about Sam being anywhere near him, let alone in charge of bringing him food and fuck, his knife wasn’t enough, this was such a stupid fucking idea-
- For one singular, terrible moment, Dream almost caved. He reached out, wanting to send a message asking for Punz to come get him. To get him somewhere safe and far away from Sam, because he couldn’t do this again.
- But his hands were shaking too much to type. Whether from his most recent damage or that from the prison, he couldn’t tell, but it reminded him of how much he’d already given up. He’d done so much to get to this point. He couldn’t waste everything now. It would be worth it in the end. When things were okay again.
- He bit down the urge to ask for help like a child and instead focused on the rational. The logical. If Sam wanted to take him back to the prison or hurt him, he would’ve just called Quackity from the start. Not Ponk. He would’ve just told the server where Dream was before a bunch of people left.
- Clearly, Sam felt indebted and like taking advantage of something the hunters had caused was unfair. Dream could use that for now, and once he was well enough to run, he would do so and then things would go back to exactly how they were before. Both of them could forget that anything ever happened here. It was invalid. Struck from the record.
- So he took a deep breath and got himself under control. After a moment, he managed to steady his hands enough to type.
- “i’ll be fine.“
- With that, he shut off his communicator and flopped back on the bed. Exhausted as he repeated that one little phrase over and over again in his head, hoping to find a way to make it stop tasting like a lie.
Now, one thing about texting a guy who regularly loses his memories and forgets how to speak the language he usually texts you in is that it's not weird for that guy to vanish mid-convo. Ranboo usually checked in later, and neither Dream nor Punz worried much about it. The problem was, sometimes Ranboo is just getting up to some shit and that's why he goes quiet. It can really be either.
- Anyways, disregarding that not all important note, Sam is now in charge of taking care of Dream. It's the sort of thing that he really ought to have mixed feelings about. That he should feel the gravity of the situation he's in.
- Sam, is stubbornly refusing any of those things. Instead, he's convinced this is perfect. Not that Dream got hurt from the Warden (or more specifically, protecting Sam from the Warden. In the light of day, it's become all the more obvious to Sam that Dream could've just run. Should've just run. He was a rabbit, more than capable of outspeeding a warden, particularly through narrow caves), but rather that now Sam has a chance.
- There's something about Dream being a hybrid that makes Sam very uncomfortable with idea of confinement, let alone anything like Pandora. His own recent experience with the hunters didn't help much. Not to mention the fact that Dream could've left him for dead at any time and didn't. Or that Dream got hurt for him, took risks for him, time and time again.
- So, instead, Sam is determined that now Dream is a hybrid (is a new person, is compartmentalized in his brain as something Else), and clearly in need of help, Sam will do a good job helping him. He'll make up for past mistakes (not Pandora, because Pandora can't be a mistake, but for having gotten caught, for not doing better or moving quicker).
- Sam's vision is mostly back, just a bit fuzzy for detail work. Ponk lent him some glasses that fix that up. Seeing again is nice. He's a fan of that.
- He's wearing those glasses to pour over the instructions Ponk left (after getting sick of Sam's endless questions, Ponk finally just wrote the rest down and handed it over so he could get out the door).
- By 'pour over the instructions' Sam actually meant that he had the hastily scrawled instructions to the side, and had the rest of the dining room table covered with books, with his own notebook at the center.
- Sam had been up most of the night collecting notes, starting with pulling out Ponk's textbooks to find any relevant information for inner ear trauma in hybrids, and progressing through accounts he could find on the warden's sonic attacks (there was a single case study from a cat hybrid who'd been caught, none from rabbit hybrids despite rabbit hybrids being on the forefront of expeditions near sculk. they were uniquely suited to traversing the area lightly, and between being light on their feet and having a faint, earthy scent, wardens often let them be).
- Now he'd finally progressed to general information on rabbit hybrids. Which, realistically was working backwards, but he wanted to cover the urgent issues first. Ponk had already given him a list of safe foods and dos and don'ts, but Sam wanted to be prepared.
- Speaking of which, he was shocked out of his study coma by the alarm he'd set the night prior. Shoot. Right. Food and medication. He could do this.
- Sam stood and made his way into the kitchen to make breakfast. He also needed to eat soon, but he needed to get Dream's food ready first. Ponk had at least left written instructions for this and portioned out food for both of them. Not that Sam couldn't cook, he just wasn't particularly adapt at it. Eggs with some veggies, toast, and bacon.
- The meat was an odd choice, but Ponk assured him it was fine. Dream had a mostly human stomach, apparently. Cooking it didn't take long, and he was even able to put together a quick meal for himself at the same time.
- Once food was ready, Sam just had to grab the ear drops from the ice box that Ponk had prepared and he was good to go.
- That was all he needed.
- He could go walk into the room.
- Right.
- Or... it was still early. Ponk said Dream needed a lot of rest. Maybe he should eat first, just to kill some time. He was pretty hungry now that he thought about it.
- (that was a lie and he knew it. food had never sounded worse)
- Sam ate anyways, forcing himself to take bite after bite. It was all bland. hm.
- After eating, he really needed to do the dishes. It was unhygienic to leave them out. Food borne illness was a serious matter! Sam was sure to be thorough as he washed everything he’d used.
- During all of this, he’d left Dream’s food on a warmer. By the time the dishes were done, he found a small part of him regretting that choice because if he hadn’t then he’d have needed to remake it. It would’ve given him a reason to stay longer.
- Sam has had enough stalling. He has to do this.
- Bracing himself, Sam gets the food and the ear drops, and he makes his way to Dream’s room. He isn’t sure exactly what he’s expecting, but... he’s ready for it.
- He’ll keep telling himself that, but he still finds his words caught in his throat. That’s fine. He shouldn’t need to speak.
- Or he didn’t, until he knocked on the door and got no reply.
- He knocked again, a bit harder this time. Still waiting.
- This time he waited longer. He’d knocked pretty loud, so if Dream wasn’t saying it was okay, then it must be because he wasn’t ready for Sam to come in. The man was a very light sleeper (as far as Sam could remember, even when the blood loss got really bad Dream still always jolted awak-), so there as no way he didn’t notice the knock.
- Ponk had made him promise to be patient, to give Dream space. So Sam did just that. He waited and waited until finally giving in and knocking again.
- Sam really did try to be patient, but anxiety started brewing. What if Dream wasn’t in there? What if Quackity had found out he was here somehow? Or what if he’d gotten confused and run off? Or what if something happened and he couldn’t hear-
- Oh.
- Yeah.
- Right.
- Thank god for his mask, it hid the embarrassed blush on Sam’s face as he realized his mistake. Shaking himself, he pushed open the door gently.
- Sam got no more than two steps in before he froze. Wide green eyes were staring right at him.
- Words evaporated from his throat faced by those eyes. It felt fundamentally wrong for Dream to have eyes. Let alone eyes so soulful. Sam hated it, but he found himself bound in place.
- Seconds ticked by, stretching on into minutes.Those green eyes never shifted or wavered.
- After what must’ve been at least two solid minutes, it suddenly struck Sam that Dream’s eyes were looking towards him but not at him. Ever so slowly, he shifted to the side. No movement.
- Now that Sam was paying attention, he realized that Dream’s breathing was slow, measured. His body was hard to make out under the blankets, but it looked curled up.
- Ah- Rabbits could sleep with their eyes open. It was something they did when they felt unsafe. Admittedly, the failure stung, but Sam shook it off.
- This was fine, clearly Dream just didn’t know what to expect. But today he’d see everything was fine.
- That did leave one small problem.
- Dream was still asleep, and Sam needed to wake him. Something that he didn’t have a great idea for how to do safely.
- If nothing else, Sam had the forethought to put down the dishes before attempting anything. Something that proved to be an excellent choice in a matter of moments.
- He only managed three steps towards the bed before Dream jolted awake.
- Hey, it solved his issue. There was that.
- The only reason Sam could tell Dream was awake was because the other had stopped breathing, and his gaze had focused on. Sam opened his mouth and tried his best to sound comforting.
- “Hello-”
- The first word got out of his mouth, before he again, remembered that Dream couldn’t hear him. Right.
- Instead, Sam raised his hands, just high enough to show that he didn’t have any weapons. He took a step back too. Give him space. That was what Ponk said. Sam also pulled off his own mask, in an attempt to make things... fair? Equal? Something like that.
- It took a few moments, but steadily, Dream... well he didn’t relax, but he seemed... aware? His eyes narrowed, but he no longer looked terrified, so that was progress?
- Once Dream seemed aware, Sam managed to pick up the food plate again and hold it out in offering. He didn’t dare step closer. Not until he was given a slow nod. Permission. Reluctant, but given.
- Sam was slow in his movements, bringing over the plate and holding it out so that the other could take it.
- After a quick inspection, Dream did so. Leaving Sam free to sit down by the bed.
- Thankfully, Dream ate quickly. The air was awkward. Sam didn’t want to talk- his brain was blank and Dream couldn’t hear him anyways. But the silence was almost worse.
- It didn’t drag out, and soon enough, Dream was done. Sam held up the ear drops next.
- Ponk had said he’d need to apply them, but Dream held out his hand in a demanding motion.
- Sam handed them over, assuming that Dream just wanted to inspect them. Which, to be fair, the man did.
- After giving the potion a quick sniff (dream had whiskers, sam realized. only a few, not nearly as many as antfrost, but whiskers all the same), Dream did not hand it back.
- Instead, he lifted the bottle up, clearly attempting to apply it himself.
- Only, when Dream tried to lift up his ear (or at least, from how the muscle twitched, that was what Sam assumed he was doing), the attempted motion got a violent reaction. Dream jerked forward, dropping the bottle as both hands went to clutch at the offending ear.
- Fuck, that must’ve hurt. It was the inner ear that was swollen, so moving the muscles there was ill advised. Particularly without the ear drops to numb anything.
- Sam quickly scooped up the ear drops, and got halfway through reaching out to apply them himself before he realized Dream had frozen again. There was no mistaking the blown wide pupils and tension.
- Right. Dream didn’t know what he was doing. Obviously.
- Slowly, Sam pulled back just a little, gesturing to the bottle of ear drops and mouthing his words as best he could. Ponk had mentioned Dream could do some lip reading to figure out basic stuff?
- “Let me?”
- There was a long pause, before finally, Dream blinked first. He forced the tension out of his shoulders and nodded (very slightly, likely due to the pain of movement). He tilted his head slowly and gently, telling Sam which ear to start with.
- Sam kept his movements slow and telegraphed, reaching out to lift up the first ear and tilt in the ear drops. Four drops, just like Ponk said.
- Once Sam was done, he put the first ear down (carefully, he didn’t drop it like part of him wanted to). Then he moved to do the other one.
- Dream tilted his head to allow it, although-
- Sam didn’t falter, but he did notice an odd noise. A soft tapping against the sheets. He didn’t look until the second set of ear drops was done.
- It was one of Dream’s feet. Fuzzy enough that they didn’t make much noise, but clearly tapping in... displeasure? Annoyance? That was what the books said. Right?
- Sam couldn’t pinpoint the exact nature of the annoyance, until he pulled back and took a look at Dream properly. The man was no longer looking at Sam, his eyes now closed and whiskers twitching as the tapping sped up until-
- Finally, it seemed Dream couldn’t take it any more and violently shook his head. Ears flapping about in a gesture that had to hurt. The wince that followed right after proved that much. Still, there wasn’t much helping that. At least he’d held still long enough for the potion to soak in a bit.
- After that, Dream needed help to walk? Maybe?
- Sam gave him a minute to settle down, then stood. A hand held out in offer.
- Dream took one look at the hand, and clearly took offense. He pushed himself to his feet, and promptly nearly toppled over onto the floor.
- Sam moved just fast enough to catch him, grabbing him by the shoulders to pull him up. He almost instinctively pulled Dream into his arms fully.
- Part of him felt it’d be easier to just carry Dream, but Ponk had stressed it was very important to have Dream moving his legs and at least attempting balance. So Sam had restraint and just stabilized the other.
- (also ponk had said something about giving dream a knife and sam was 95% sure attempting to carry dream would get him stabbed)
- The tension in Dream’s frame made it a stiff walk, but they made it over. After using the bathroom, Dream sat on the counter for awhile and used water to clean the fur on his head and ears, getting very particular about certain sections.
- Sam would’ve just left him to it, but without back support the man kept losing his balance. Teetering on the edge and forcing Sam to keep a close eye to prevent him from falling.
- Sam only left for a moment to get some fresh clothes from the closet, a small walk-in that Ponk had left some outfits laid out in. Some of it was Dream’s old stuff. Some of it was thrown together from whatever Ponk had around.
- He hesitated for a moment before grabbing one of the thrown together outfits. Part of his brain insisted that Dream needed to loom different. That was part of it. The outfit was taken without comment.
- It seemed that Dream was resolute on ignoring Sam’s presence. He wasn’t doing a very good job of it, but he was doing it all the same.
- Eventually though, Dream was ready to go back to the bed. The ear drops had a bit more time to take effect, and since Dream didn’t attempt the movement on his own, things went a lot better. Sam barely had to support Dream’s weight. Just aid with the balancing part of things. That was a good sign. Right?
- Once Dream was back, he curled up on the bed, legs bunched up in what was something between flight and fight posture. Eyes watching Sam closely.
- Oh- right.
- “We should- Ponk said you were supposed to do stretches.”
- Sam tried making hand motions to help communicate his words, but he’s pretty sure he only confused Dream further. It took several seconds for man to puzzle out what he’d said, before his eyes narrowed and he shook his head.
- “No.”
- The refusal-
- Something deep within Sam boiled at the flat out refusal. Dream didn’t even give a reason! Ponk said it was important!
- Still, Sam bit down his temper and tried to reason with the bunny hybrid. Words slow and careful (ponk said he could sometimes hear with the ear drops? right?)
- “Ponk said it was important. Stretching will help you get your balance back.”
- Dream didn’t even pause to consider it.
- “No. I’ll do them later.”
- Well- on one hand, Ponk had said twice a day. On the other, it would be more effective if done in the morning and at night. Doing it at lunch and at night would mean that things would go stretched for a longer period. It was sub optimal, and that bothered Sam.
- But Ponk also said not to force Dream to do it. That he might not feel well enough on the first day. Maybe Dream was feeling sick and didn’t want to say anything? Sam wasn’t sure if he liked that idea or not. He’d consider it later.
- For the time being, he nodded, took the plate, and left. Back to his duties.
- Lunch time came quickly. Sam managed to catch a quick nap, and then he needed to make more food. Get the ear drops back from the fridge. Back to the room.
- It was easier this time. Sam knew what to expect. He knocked on the door again just to feel a bit better about himself, then pushed the door open very slowly.
- Dream was alert this time, ears twitching (usually followed by a minute wince) eyes falling on him before purposefully looking away to inspect the rest of the room. Easier than him being asleep.
- Sam moved to offer the plate again, and no sooner had he set it down than-
- The closet across the room banged open and-
- A certain part enderman stumbled out, eyes wide and tail swishing widely with confusion and panic.
- Behind Sam, he heard Dream jolt as well, shooting up and to the edge of the bed, clearly upset about this situation.
- Ranboo took a moment to take in Sam, and then Dream with a furrowed brow, and then back to Sam, fear clearly surging in the teenager. Still, between the two of them, Ranboo was armed. Sam wasn’t. This could only go-
- And then Ranboo’s eyes were back on Dream, softening as the fear switched to confusion. About what, Sam didn’t know.
- Finally, the enderman broke the silence.
- “Uh, so, um, hi- this is kinda a bad first introduction, but my name’s Ranboo. Do either of you happen to know where I am right now? Or how I got here? Also, hello, welcome to the server. I don’t think I’ve met you before. Sorry if I have. Are you being held hostage right now? Do you need help?”
Hello and welcome to c!Ranboo causes problems (sort of on purpose). A reminder that Ranboo has been revived for awhile in this AU. c!Sam did still kill him though. They’ve got some mixed feelings on that one.
- Now, Dream wants it on the record that he did an amazing job keeping his composure. He did the stupid ear drops. He got through changing his clothes. He didn’t stab Sam even once, despite his inclinations to do otherwise and the annoying hovering.
- Sure, he didn’t do the stupid stretches, but it was fine. He could do them later (in the moment, he just needed Sam out of the fucking room before his heart gave out. The pace it accelerated too was starting to worry him. It was a normal hybrid response when injured around a stranger. He wasn’t scared of Sam. It was just a hybrid thing).
- Dream had wholeheartedly intended on brushing his leg fur out (he’d forgotten about the compulsion to groom, it itched at the back of his brain constantly when he wasn’t in pain), and then taking a nap until he had to deal with Sam again (he was too keyed up to sleep, but he could fake it).
- Only, it seemed a certain enderman wasn’t having that.
- One moment, Dream was in an empty room, working through the last of his leg fur, and the next-
- Ranboo didn’t even have the decency to keep quiet. Dream’s hearing had barely improved and even he could tell Ranboo was being too loud.
- The enderman hybrid’s eyes locked right onto Dream and Dream watched several expressions flicker across his face before he let out out a delighted warble.
- Right.
- Sometimes Dream forgot that nobody knew. Hell, sometimes he forgot he was a hybrid. The mask did it’s job. George was the only one who’d ever asked. Or at least, George was the only one who’d ever asked at a point where Dream was willing to trust them.
- Ranboo trotted across the room from his teleport spot, from how his mouth was moving, he was clearly talking, but english was already a fight. Ender was next to impossible for Dream right now. He had no idea why Ranboo was here either. He’d done his check-in this morning, he was sure of it.
- He had to jerk back and give a wave to get Ranboo’s attention properly.
- “Ears are still out. Can’t understand you. Write it down or communicator. Sam is around. Be quiet.”
- Ranboo remembered himself, folding inward a bit and offering a (barely) apologetic expression. A glance around the room revealed the notepad, which Dream tore a piece off of so Ranboo could write.
- It took him a minute, but the paper was offered back with messy handwriting. All in ender. Translation took a minute (Dream’s headache was lighter, but not gone. it made thinking hard).
- here to rescue you. not leaving you with him. not again. know better now. not leaving without you.
- Ugh. Punz might’ve agreed to the terms, but it seemed Ranboo wasn’t on board. Dream could hardly blame him. He’d revived the teenager as soon as he could after the prison break, both Ranboo and Punz had helped him through his recovery.
- Both of them had been... disturbed by his condition. But between them, Punz was at least somewhat used to this. He knew how bad things could get. Ranboo had been unfamiliar with the aftermath of that sort of violence. It’d been harder for him to accept what happened.
- Ranboo’s face was hardset. Unwilling to be dissuaded. Dream let out a sigh as he handed back the paper.
- “Listen, it’s fine, I swear. If it was dangerous, I would’ve already dipped. If anything gets weird, I’ll let you come get me out. This is the safest option right now.”
- There was a mouth opened, and Dream gestured to his ears again. Ranboo switched to a fierce scribbling instead.
- not fine. already hurt.
- Oh. Had Ranboo not seen the explanation? Had he misunderstood?
- “This wasn’t- Ranboo, this was a warden. Big blue guys underground that guard skulk. One got me with a sonic attack. It wasn’t Sam. He got me out, got both of us to Ponk.”
- Ranboo’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t believe that. One of his clawed hands reached down to pat one of Dream’s feet, before he started writing again.
- you’re don’t get caught by a warden. you’re a RABBIT. rabbits don’t get caught by wardens, and you don’t get caught by wardens. you would’ve run. unless he did something.
- Ahh. That- well, it wasn’t unfair. Dream really wasn’t the sort to get caught by a Warden. Let alone in his hybrid form.
- “That wasn’t- Ranboo, the hunters that took us. They were there. They triggered a warden, and I lead it to them to buy us time. Sam was- he was totally blind at the time. Plus he’s a creeper. If I didn’t draw agro and lead it off, he was dead. I couldn’t let him die.”
- One scribbled word in reply.
- shouldve.
- Alright, Sam did kill Ranboo, but he really needed to move on. It was... everyone was stressed out at the time. Dream fixed it as soon as he could.
- Letting out a sigh, Dream reached out to give the teenager a pat.
- “I get it. But we were offworld. Undoing that would be a nightmare. Besides, do you really want someone left to hunters? Really?”
- Ranboo held his grumpy expression for an admirable ten seconds before caving and shaking his head.
- “That’s what I thought. It wasn’t Sam’s fault. If anything, he got me out and back to the world after that. And he hide my involvement from everyone else, except for Ponk. It’s not... I get that there’s risk, but there’s a lot less. Besides, it’s best I stay here. That way, when Ponk gets back he can check that everything’s okay. If I leave, getting back if stuff gets worse will be way harder. Looking after my health and all of that.”
- As much as Ranboo didn’t want to concede defeat, he clearly didn’t have a counter argument. Instead he just flopped back onto the bed, reaching out with grabby hands towards Dream’s left leg.
- Checking the clock (silver and silent, no ticking noises, Dream wasn’t sure if he liked it that way or not), he still had time before Sam would be by. So Dream allowed it.
- The left leg was offered, and Ranboo stuck his claws right into the fur (gentle, despite how sharp they were). Stroking through it and marveling at the texture.
- It was a stupid thing to be proud of, but Dream couldn’t help the swell in his chest. His fur was soft, and it was well groomed. Having someone else (trustworthy) going through it, felt nice.
- It felt very nice, actually, and he was pretty tired. So he didn’t notice time slipping by until-
- Ranboo jolted up, ears swiveling to an alert position.
- Oh fuck.
- It was noon.
- Dream was only shocked Ranboo lasted this long. Usually he couldn’t hold his memories like this for longer than a few hours. Getting here alone must’ve taken a lot out of him. As the teenager stood, he swayed slightly. Eyes flickering purple. Oh fuck.
- If Ranboo was nearly out of juice, there was no way he could teleport out. Which meant-
- Luckily, Ranboo thought quickly. He ran straight for the walk-in closet. Ducking inside. As long as he could hold out until Sam was gone, it’d be fine. Ponk’s house had lots of exits.
- Dream managed to get a hold of himself. Pretend nothing was up. The paper- huh. Ranboo had taken the paper. Hopefully he got rid of that.
- A minute later, the door creaked open. Dream couldn’t tell if Sam was knocking, but he at least opened the door slowly.
- Dream was already figuring out how to get Sam out of the room as fast as possible- could he get away with faking being sick to his stomach? Or would that cause Sam to stick around? Maybe if he said his headache was making him feel sick?
- No sooner did he open his mouth to speak, then the worst case scenario happened.
- Ranboo exited the closet, expression dazed in an all-too familiar way. He’d forgotten again. The teenager took both of them in, tensing at the sight of Sam.
- Nobody knew quite what to say, until Ranboo finally spoke up. In English this time. Dream could make out most of what he was sayin. The ear drops must be working well.
- “Uh, so - a bad first introduction, but my name’s Ranboo. Do - know where I am - ? Or how I got here? - welcome to-. I don’t - I’ve met you -. Sorry if I have. Are you - hostage -? Do you need help?”
- Oh.
- Oh- this was. This was actually good. When Ranboo forgot, he tended to be against Dream’s presence. It would’ve presented a security risk. If he didn’t know who Dream was though.
- Sam got a very confused look on his face, before also putting together the puzzle pieces. As much as Dream wanted to speak, he didn’t want to give anything away.
- Instead, he reached up to tap his ears gently, and then gestured to Sam with a confused expression, who took the hint.
- “Oh, this- he can’t really hear you. He uh- he also escaped. From the hunter’s camp. His ears got messed up. I’m helping him recover. He doesn’t- uh, he’s not staying here. And he’s... nervous. About interacting with people who aren’t from his home server. So uh- You’re at Ponk’s house. By the way. How did you get here?”
- Most of the words washed over Dream, but he caught the important stuff. Inferred the rest. Ranboo appeared to buy Sam’s lie, and nodded, before looking embarassed.
- “Honestly, not sure. Just sorta... ended up here. Keeps happening to me lately. I’m gonna... go home. Now. I could ask Tubbo to bring some stuff to help with his ears maybe?”
- Oh absolutely not. Tubbo had the rare and powerful ability to sometimes possess two brain cells, usually when it was very inconvenient. He couldn’t come here. Sam, luckily, thought the same.
- “No- uh. He’s- We’re trying not to tell anyone else he’s here. Ponk doesn’t want him swarmed and, uh, not that like, anyone would say something on purpose. But if the hunters found out...”
- Ranboo, thank fucking god, bought that instantly, nodding in agreement.
- “Ah, yeah that makes sense. I’ll forget I saw anything.”
- He then seemed to realize his own pun, half-chuckled, flushed when Sam didn’t laugh, and then shuffled his way out of the room.
- Dream counted to 15 mentally to be sure the other was out of earshot. Then he turned to Sam, putting on his best look of utter shock and a touch of accusation. It was hard to lie with his face uncovered, but he made do.
- “What?? How did he?! There was- The air felt weird a minute ago, but I had my eye on the door- How long was he in there? Did you put him in there?”
- It was a very dumb accusation, but dumb accusations offered an air of innocence. Sam’s brow furrowed in response and he pulled down his mask to respond. A bit indignant, but mostly defensive and placating.
- “No, I- I opened the closet this morning. He must’ve... he must’ve like, teleported in his sleep or something. Weird things happen with Ranboo. I didn’t- I had nothing to do with that.”
- Dream help up his suspicion for several seconds after before huffing and letting it drop, murmuring about needing to put a lock on the damn closet now.
- Sam sighed (way too loudly), and then moved to offer the food. Clearly accepting the bullshit they’d just gone through.
- Well. That was one way to get away with that. Dream just hoped that Ranboo would stay away, and would forgot about what he saw before he forgot to not tell anyone.
- It was a dangerous game to play, but Dream already played tag with a warden, so it wasn’t like he was drawing the line at a bit of danger.
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Weeducklet on Chapter 1 Sat 23 Apr 2022 07:13AM UTC
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driftingrealitys on Chapter 3 Fri 22 Sep 2023 12:51PM UTC
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Collectorofhats on Chapter 4 Wed 15 Jun 2022 12:30PM UTC
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