Chapter Text

There's a new face in the hollow.

Philza tries not to be annoyed that no one bothered to tell him a new faerie had joined the ranks. It's not like he coordinates the functioning of every faerie or anything.

Still, it's not the new face he's annoyed with, so he greets them with as much kindness as his shriveled heart allows.

"Hello," Philza greets with a warm smile, letting the heated irritation fade into the fire of the hearth he'd taken his vow to be, a safety and center-flame for the youngest of his hollow's ranks to safely settle by.

The new faerie blinks at him, slowly like a cat.

After a moment too long of silence, Philza tries again. "Hello?"

He steps forward, already a bit concerned, and the new faerie twitches unnervingly. Their antlers--an unusual characteristic for an unusual faerie--graze a low-hanging branch and a wince pulls at their face.

"Careful," Philza says, settling a steadying hand on their knobby shoulder. Their dandelion gown seems to hang off of them, draping like an ill-fitting cloak.

The new faerie looks at Philza's hand, brushing their fingers softly against the back of it, and then meets the man's gaze. They look confused, in a way a newly-born faerie should never be.

"Are you alright?" Philza asks. He has half a mind to just pick the faerie up and fly them right to Ponk. Still, that might be a little startling for the faerie's first day in the hollow.

The faerie, again, does not respond.

When they run their hands along the golden trim running down Philza's sleeve, almost entranced, Philza is struck by the sudden thought that their silence might not be by choice.

He's reminded of the whisperings, talk of faeries who grew too late, babies who didn't laugh until years into their lives. There's a chance, as impossible as Philza had dismissed it all those years ago, that this faerie is one of those rumored few. (Or, if one particularly vocal enthusiast is to be believed, one of the rumored many.)

"Can you understand me?" Philza asks and the faerie looks at him, but they make no indication that he's been understood.

Before he can look into it more, a shout rings out through the otherwise empty area of the hollow.

"Callahan!" someone shouts, followed quickly by two other voices all calling the same name.

The faerie--Callahan--perks up, their name already tied to their soul.

"Here," Philza calls, "they're with me."

Dream, George, and Sapnap--the trio of chaos themselves--barrel into the corner of the hollow.

"Oh, thank Prime," Sapnap breathes, like Callahan was half a step from the edge of a higher tree opening. With their dust-shriveled wings, Philza understands the fear.

"I swear, they just disappeared. One minute we were about to find out their talent and the next--" Dream waves his hands. "Poof. Just gone."

Philza nods, his hand still tethered to Callahan's shoulder. Callahan bunches the fabric of Philza's sleeve under their hands, watching the trio of newcomers nervously.

"Where did you even go?" Sapnap asks, exasperated but already undeniably fond.

Callahan, predictably, says nothing.

"Dude?" Sapnap asks, tilting his head like the puppies he still swears he can tame.

Callahan tilts their head in turn, mimicking Sapnap's expression like a Mockingbird of motion.

George looks at Phil, his eyes narrowed.

"What's going on?" he demands, already sure that something is amiss.

"I--" Philza considers the trio. "I'm not certain."

Sapnap, with worried eyes and twitching fingers, asks, "But you have an idea?"

"Oddly enough," Philza agrees, "I do."

---

Callahan--stranger now that Dream can see every line of the antlers spiraling out from their hair from up close--turns their attention from Philza to Dream, reaching for the smooth porcelain of his mask.

Dream's head tilts away instinctively, but he makes no move to pull away from Callahan's hands.

He isn't sure what's going on with the new faerie, but he's certain they don't mean any harm.

Callahan traces the smile of Dream's mask before drifting to the edge. They're visibly confused by the junction of porcelain and skin, their nose crinkling as their eyebrows pinch together. Their curious fingers slip just underneath the mask and Dream grabs their wrist gently.

"Don't," Dream says, but Callahan is right back to it when Dream lets their wrist go.

Dream grabs their hand, interlocking their fingers with his while he pays half a mind to his friend's conversation with Philza.

"--should we do?" Sapnap asks, sounding uncharacteristically worried.

He'd been elated with the new faerie's arrival, grateful to finally see someone emerge after being brought to the hollow by one of Bad's drifting winds a few years ago.

Their hollow doesn't see many additions, a small hollow far from the paths of the central winds.

"I'll ask the other Hollow Minders," Philza says, "see if they have any advice. Beyond that, they should be fine. We'll just have to be careful, and we'll have to be kind."

"Of course," George says like he's offended Philza implied otherwise, which is fair. They're a small hollow and, while that comes with a fair share of drama, they're nothing if not a community.

Callahan tugs on Dream's hand and Dream meets the faerie's gaze. Callahan detangles their fingers and prods at Dream's mask again, this time staying away from the edges.

Whatever happened to them, whatever kept their wings from coming out in the usual shape and gave them a set of antlers, isn't stopping them from drawing their own conclusions.

And, sure. Maybe Callahan isn't learning as instinctively as newly emerged faeries usually do, but Dream can already tell without a doubt that they're going to fit into the Dream Team like they've always been there.

Philza clearly isn't worried, even with Callahan's unusualness, so Dream figures they'll all just have to get used to it.

---

The signing is Sam's idea.

Callahan is quick to pick up on the language they weren't born knowing like they should have, picking up words like "no" and "stop" and "wait" in just that first day. It's a confusing day, being born, but they meet Philza and then their friends before the panic has time to set in.

By the end of the month, Callahan is able to understand most directions and answer most yes or no questions. George calls them a marvel and, when Sapnap explains what it means, Callahan spends the rest of their day with the word running through their head on a loop.

Still, nodding and shaking their head only gets them so far and it quickly becomes beyond frustrating. Whenever they need something, it always takes at least a dozen questions before they finally get what they need, if they ever do get their point across.

Callahan starts to gesture, pointing at things and pretending to do things.

Then, when Sam catches them trying and failing to ask Sapnap to help them find Philza, the man offers the best solution Callahan's ever heard.

Callahan gets to talk to their friends with their hands.

There's already a kind of sign for faeries, Sam says, because sometimes faeries get injured and lose their hearing. Sam learned it when he tinkered in a different hollow and he teaches Callahan at least a dozen words that first day alone.

The first time Callahan's friends sign at them, they almost burst into tears.

Talking, or signing in their case, and being understood is a new experience.

When they call Dream a bitch and make fun of Sapnap for being overly dopey about Karl and Quackity, they know it isn't one they'd ever give up.

Chapter Text

Wilbur's never known a hollow minder who wasn't Philza before. Callahan, who his father only ever speaks fondly of, is a faerie fairly easy to know.

They don't mind Wilbur when he shouts, or when he's soft-spoken. The silence settles over them like a comfortable blanket on the quietest days and Wilbur's words get to flit around the room like they're on a dance of their own on the loudest.

Wilbur thinks there's something special about Hollow Minders, something in the core of their talent that tells them what is needed.

He holds a high and awestruck regard for Hollow Minders and the delicate balances they maintain, though Philza being his father replaces most of that marvel with a deeply fond annoyance.

Still, even if his dad is a bit of a pain sometimes with his lecturing, wonder worms its way into Wilbur's heart every time he watches the Hollow Minder mind.

Hollow Minders are almost otherworldly, in how miraculous their everyday lives seem to be. The headache they save, the joy they inspire just by being there is something Wilbur struggles to wrap his head around, even as he witnesses it firsthand.

It's safe to say, then, that meeting other Hollow Minders was a bit of a shock.

----

Philza finally gets to ask the other hollow-minders about the laughter delay during a multi-hollow meeting.

The first few have never heard of it.

"A delay in laughter?" one asks, "Wouldn't that just kill the faerie right from the beginning?"

Finally, a few have answers, but they tell him that none of the faeries with laughter delays ever make it more than a year unless they're kept somewhere safe.

When he asks, they describe "somewhere safe" as something like a prison cell.

"They're practically mindless," one of the hollow-minders says and Philza scowls.

Before he can even grit out how he'd seen Callahan manage the entire hollow when a flood had taken out their reserves, the man continues, "If we don't keep them safe, they'll die . The one we have now barely even knows his name ."

Philza freezes.

"You have a faerie with a laughter delay?"

It's safe to say that, without a doubt of his hollow's support on his mind, Philza returns with plans to take in a new faerie in the coming Spring.

---

"I'm not fucking apologizing," Tommy spits and Philza raises an eyebrow.

"Okay," the man agrees, still helping pull Tommy off the floor instead of dumping him back to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Philza asks. Tommy scoffs.

"I'm fine , big man," he says, his mouth always faster than his brain, "Are you alright? You're so old; are you sure I didn't break anything?"

Instead of smacking him upside the head like he ought to, Philza Minecraft laughs.

"I'm alright," he says, grinning, "No broken bones here."

Tommy decides, right then, that Philza Minecraft is the only man ever.

Chapter Text

[ hm ] High-Masking individuals are tolerated by mainstream society to a point, but these people usually have burnout/have to unmask and are then exiled.

[lm] Low-Masking individuals are usually not tolerated by mainstream society and are often assumed too unintelligent to make decisions in regard to their own lives/safety. >:(

[lm] Callahan:

• Communication Difference
• Sensory Fascination and Sensitivities

[lm] Ranboo:

• Memory Loss
• Difficulties with Social Cues
• Sensory Issues (Water Bad)
• Shutdowns

[ hm ] Tubbo:

• Dyslexia (Hyper, Time-Blindness, Uncoordinated, Poor Sequence Memory, Visual Thinking)
• Hearing Loss

[ hm ] Tommy:

• Difficulties with Social Cues
• Hyperempathy (ie Spiders are friends too, you guys are mean)
• Emotional Dysregulation
• RSD
• Hyperfixation
• excessive talking
• fidgeting
• poor organizational skills

[lm] Technoblade: [paired with tommy, realizations with Ranboo]

• Emotional Dysregulation
• Difficulties with Social Cues
• Hyperfixations (potato farms)
• Low Eye Contact
• Monotonous Voice
• finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
• seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
• finding it hard to recognize how you feel (alexthymia)
• Shutdowns, more than Meltdowns

[ hm ] Wilbur: [paired w tubbo, realize with tommy]

• RSD
• Hyperfixation
• "what do you mean you don't pretend to be someone else every time you interact with people outside of your circle?"
• easily distracted
• constantly losing things
• excessive talking
• fidgeting
• poor organizational skills
• Meltdowns, usually interpreted as breakdowns or arguments

Philza - realizes that both his kids are a little different, assumes it's the trauma, oops they're neurodivergent

Chapter Outlines:

Chapter 1: Callahan: A Prequel

C2 - Wilbur (w/ Techno):

• Meet Tubbo's shitty hollow minder at the multi-minder thing hosted at Tubbo's hollow
• the minders talk shit on laughter delays, detailing the bad behaviors (sensory issues, meltdowns, shutdowns, hyper-behaviors, low eye contact, communication differences, fidgeting/stimming)
• Wilbur be like are these guys crazy? everybody does that lmao
• go home [foreshadowing about stowaway tubbo who's hiding in their baskets]

C3 - Techno: Does Not Even Consider Himself as a Possibility. Why would he?

• Techno: vibing
• Wilbur: Do you think I could have a laughter delay?
• Techno: Heh? No, you're fine.
• Techno, later that night after reviewing the facts he has: Okay, no, he might be onto something. (thinking about Wilbur's meltdowns)
• Techno, making Karl message the library: I need every book ever written on laughter delays
• Callahan, staring at Techno's lots of books: Why?
• Techno: …because
• Callahan, narrows eyes: …
• Techno, spends 32 consecutive hours reading: huh. did you know 10-20% of faeries have a Laughter Divergence/are Laughter Divergent
• Callahan: stare intensifies
• Technoblade: huh, sure is neat
• Callahan: sighs
• (a mysterious betting pool begins in the hollow)
• Technoblade compiles a resource list for/about LD

C4 - Philza:

• it sure is nice to have two totally normal kids
• looking at techno's resource page
• …hmmmm
• moving on

C5 - Wilbur:

• notice his winter stock has been stolen from
• can't just tell phil because he hasn't been keeping a food stash in a while and he doesn't want to admit that hearing the other Hollow Minders talking made him spiral and his mental health is declining what if I have a laughter delay? what if im just being a bitch about it? aaaaaaa
• wil: tech did you take my food
• tech: no wtf why would i want your food
• wil: its gone
• tech: it was probably a raccoon
• search for thief/critter on his own

C6 - Techno:

• how to convince your dad that your brother is LD
• google search, but faerie (ask karl)
• karl: uhh fuck idk
• ~anxiety~

• techno, with a very loud chat: what if philza disowns wilbur? what if he hates him? what if he stabs him through the chest witha  sword?

• karl: wtf man chill youre fine just go for it
• Uh, Phil? I need to tell you something. And, you might not be ready to hear it. [End]

C7 - Philza:

• philza, sighs: its okay techno i already know
• techno: oh good chat could not figure out how to tell you
• pihlza: it's fine. i love my children no matter if they are LD or not
• tech: so how you gon tell him?
• philza: …what?
• tech: wilbur? how are you gonna tell wilbur he's LD?
• philza: having a life changing realization
• tech: is that not what we were talking about?
• pihlza: i gotta go sit down
• techno: …?
• Actually, now that you mention it, where is Wilbur? [End]

C8 - Wilbur:

• committing great crimes [no hes not]
• runs into great danger (trips and almost falls down a hole to his death)
• stumbles instead into another, smaller hole
• it is Tubbo's secret hidey-hole!
• Tubbo is not home :(
• Wilbur is confused because no critter would make a…is that a bomb? Like from Techno's weird ass weapons book? WTF
• Tubbo come home stabby
• wil: wait no ill give you food if you come home with me
• tubs: wtf ok sure

C9 - Techno:

• tech: how are we gonna tell wilbur he's LD?
• wilbur, bursting out of the wilderness with a child: hey guess what tech i found the raccoon
• tech: that's a weird looking raccoon
• tubbo, offended: ima blow you up bitch
• wil: fight, fight, fight, fight
• philza: groans

C10 - Tubbo: these here fucks are weird

• tubbo meeting people
• callahan, you talk with your hands thats so fucking cool
• sam build explosions with me
•  

C11 - Philza:

C12 - Wilbur:

C13 - Techno:

• Techno is at Big Library
• he needs more LD information
• he REQUIRES it
• Now
• unfortunately, the big library sucks
• and the lights are Too Bright
• Techno takes a break outside
• a small child runs into him, chased by an angry mob
• techno: heh
• tommy, in tears: they trying to kill my best friend
• techno: >:(
• Fight, Fight, Fight
• tech: where tf should i put you
• tommy: i live in the woods
• tech: tubbo 2.0?
• tommy: this is my best friend shroud
• massive spider: shrieks
• techno: i like you.
• tommy: thanks?
• techno: that was a threat
• A Child Has Been Acquired
• So, how exactly are we going to fit Shroud on the boat?

Philza:

• going to different hollow/traveling, holding one thing from each son to carry w/ him as he travels (Callahan is holding the fort while Phil travels)
• flashback to his convo w/ some Hollow Minders after Will and Techno went elsewhere at the multi-thing at Tubbo's hollow
• talking about how they have to keep people w/ laughter delays safe
• philza, feels weird about the way they're talking: uhhh ok?
• see, we would never let our LD faerie go outside
• philza: …. >:(
• philza: im coming for you (still travelling, heading too their hollow in the dead of night like a spy to check if they must kidnap child)

Wilbur:

Techno:

• tech: everything gucci?
• Philza: >:D prepare the armed forces
• techno, grabbing his battle axe: aw shit here we go again at least were not stealing a child this time, right phil
• Philza: …..
• techno: right, Philza?!
• Techno sighs and resigns himself to it. {End]

Philza:

• decides to kidnap a child
• ranboo: :) am vibing with this change in scenery
• techno: huh, whyd they have you locked up
• ranboo: I'm not stupid, I just hate the rain
• phil: ok, no rain then, here's an umbrella and also a jacket
• ranboo: see, sometimes accommodations aren't that hard at all
• also ranboo: is that a water
• phil: its the ocean mate
• ranboo: take me back lmao id rather die
• techno: dw no ocean we have boat
• ranboo: boat?
• techno: anti-water device