You can call me whatever you like. These days, I’m usually called Duck or Ducky, but my blog nickname is perfectly fine too. I’m not particularly concerned about pronouns.
I’m Korean, and I communicate mostly through translators. Sometimes things get translated in ways I didn’t intend, but I try to correct them whenever I notice. At the moment, Tumblr is my main platform, and I’m not publicly active on any other social media.
I enjoy drawing and talking about UT/AU, especially Nightmare. Most of my posts focus on character dynamics, worldbuilding, and my personal interpretations of Dreamtale. My interpretations often differ from the original source material, and I enjoy looking at characters from a variety of perspectives.
The settings and interpretations I talk about are ultimately my own creative reinterpretations. They reflect my personal tastes and ideas, so I care about them deeply, but I don’t consider them more valid than anyone else’s interpretations, nor do I claim ownership over any of the characters.
Unless stated otherwise, all of my posts are written from a non-shipping perspective. You're free to interpret things however you'd like, but I may not be comfortable responding to direct discussions about ships.
I always enjoy reading comments, reblogs, and tags. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! 🥹 Even if I can’t reply to every comment, they genuinely make me happy.
Please do not repost, edit, or use my artwork for AI training or AI-generated content. Personal use such as profile pictures is fine as long as proper credit is given. Please keep it within reasonable and respectful boundaries.
Ask Box
I accept questions and requests through my ask box. However, I may not be able to answer every ask, and I sometimes choose not to respond depending on the topic. Thank you for understanding.
In particular, I’m unlikely to accept requests involving characters I don’t usually work with or ship-related requests. I truly appreciate the interest, but my interests tend to be fairly specific, and I prefer focusing on the subjects I genuinely enjoy rather than branching into areas I’m unfamiliar with.
Please do not attach other artists’ artwork when sending asks. Just as I hope my own work is respected, I would like to respect the work of other creators as well.
Below you'll find my tag guide, which I hope will make browsing the blog a little easier!
I hope my drawings and stories can bring you some enjoyment as well. I hope we can continue enjoying these stories together for a long time.
Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day! 😚💕
Tag guide
I’ve ended up accumulating a lot more posts than I expected, so I reorganized my tags a little to make things easier to browse/search through.
Posts that include drawings are now tagged by character as well. For ideas that started as small doodles but somehow kept coming back multiple times, I also made separate IF tags. In those cases, posts with drawings are grouped under the IF tags, while lighter stories and extra ideas from asks are separated under the talk tags.
I’ll probably keep adding more tags over time, so I’ll pin this post and update it whenever needed. I might forget a tag or accidentally use the wrong one sometimes, but I’ll fix it whenever I notice 😉
Main tags
#my art
#my asks
#Shipping post
#humanization
character name tags
IF tags
#Skeledoggy IF
#Skeledoggy IF talk
#Skelekitty IF
#Cat Dream IF
#Cat Dream IF talk
#Dog Dream IF talk
Hii Nighty~ please please draw more Dream and Nightmare together, regardless of what people say, I think you've already specified a few times that you're focusing on non-romantic relationship in all of your drawings. If people see something different, that's honestly their own problem.
I really love your style, please don't stop drawing them!! Also, can I request cute sweet chibi Dream and Nightmare, please? 🥺
너무너무 감사합니당~ 진짜 최고예요!!💕
Hello! Thank you so much for enjoying my drawings 😚
Oh, I really love the twins, so I don't think I'll stop drawing or talking about them anytime soon. Honestly, I don't find questions about ships particularly uncomfortable, either.
It's just that I naturally tend to think about non-romantic relationships first. Even when I consider romantic possibilities, I usually end up viewing them as an extension of the relationship that already exists. Because of that, I almost always arrive at the conclusion of, "Sure, it's possible, but given who they already are and what their relationship is like, I don't think much would actually change." To be honest, that's probably not the kind of answer people asking about ships are hoping for, either.
On top of that, I never really had any sort of introduction or information post for my blog, so I think it's only natural that the same questions come up from time to time. That's part of why I decided to put together a proper main post this time. It ended up being a little long, but... well, I tend to write everything at great length anyway 😌
When I first started this blog, I honestly never expected it to last this long. I also never expected so many people to take an interest in my work. Because of that, I never felt the need to make an introduction post. But after being here for so long, I started thinking it would be nice to gather everything in one place. In a way, you could say I finally got the opportunity to organize it all properly.
Things have turned out very differently from what I originally expected, but I truly believe it's been a change for the better. Being able to share stories I love and talk about them with all of you has given me so many chances to write and create things I genuinely enjoy. I really treasure that experience, and I'd like to continue treating it with the same care going forward.
That said, yes, of course!
I'm not actually sure if "chibi" means exactly the same thing, but I assume you're talking about SD-style drawings? 🤔 My proportions tend to change depending on whatever I feel like drawing at the time, so my art style isn't always consistent, but I hope you enjoy the drawing!
And thank you so much for writing in my native language! It genuinely made me so happy 🥹 Honestly, when I first saw it in my inbox, I thought I had accidentally left Chrome's auto-translate on. I was so touched when I realized you had written it yourself.
The main reason I've remained in this fandom all this time is definitely my love for these characters, but experiences like this are a huge source of motivation too. Every time something like this happens, it makes me happy all over again, and honestly, it still feels a little surreal.
Thank you as always, and I hope you have a wonderful day! 💕
I don't have a lot to say but in a pretty short time you became my favourite AUs artist and Dreamtale especially🌹
Oh actually i got question. As we know Nightmare can shapeshift. Do you think he ever experimented on his form and what would be his favourite to turn into? Besides sans
Hello! Oh, thank you so much. I'm really happy to hear that 🥹
When I write characters, I try to explore them deeply enough that I can at least convince myself of my own interpretation. Dreamtale is especially the subject I'm most interested in, so I enjoy digging into it from many different angles and expanding on my thoughts. Because it's something I put a lot of effort into, comments like this always feel very special to me.
And the topic you brought up is interesting as well! It's not something I've ever thought about in detail before, so I think I'll just talk about it by throwing out ideas as they come to mind.
It didn't end up that long, but I'll put it under a cut just in case!
Personally, I think he would have used his shapeshifting ability mainly as a way to break people's spirits. Nightmare can delve into the minds of people whose resolve has weakened and read the surface of their memories almost as if he were brushing against them. Most of the time, he uses negative stimuli to draw out the memories he needs, confirm them, and then copy them for his own use.
However, reading memories that way becomes difficult when dealing with someone who has exceptionally strong mental fortitude or very strong positive emotions. In those cases, he first has to provoke negative emotions somehow, and usually he solves that by creating terrible situations. It's rare, but when someone is difficult to reach in reality, he may even interfere through dreams instead.
He's very skilled at encouraging and manipulating the emotions of others, so even the smallest trace of negativity can be amplified and shaped however he wants. To him, other people's emotions are almost tangible, and manipulating them is something he's been doing for centuries.
Surprisingly, simply influencing and manipulating a handful of people can produce a considerable amount of negativity. Perhaps because their lives are finite, mortals possess an astonishing amount of emotional potential. Even so, Nightmare consumed so many apples that the sheer amount of negativity he requires is enormous, and satisfying that demand still takes countless victims.
Nightmare actually enjoys this process quite a bit, and after the chaotic hatred of his early years settled down, there was even a period when he stopped killing altogether and spent his time doing only this. Almost like becoming completely absorbed in a single hobby for a while.
However, he doesn't rely on this method very much anymore. It's efficient, but it's also extremely tedious. Nightmare has already broken far too many people, and unless someone is particularly interesting, he doesn't really feel like putting that much effort into them anymore. Put simply, he's just tired of it.
The reason is different from when he first entered the multiverse, but these days Nightmare generally prefers killing people outright rather than carefully manipulating their emotions. The dead don't produce negativity, but they don't produce positivity either. The people left behind are forced to face terrible situations, and the fear, anxiety, anger, and grief that spread from person to person are an easy source of negativity.
For that reason, current Nightmare doesn't spend nearly as much time carefully manipulating people's emotions as he once did. Naturally, he has far fewer opportunities to make use of shapeshifting as well.
On top of that, Nightmare doesn't particularly like his own appearance, and he tends to act as though he doesn't care about it at all, almost as if he's trying to hide the fact that he does. He's spent so long pretending not to care that I think it almost became genuine at some point.
The "Sans-type" form Nightmare currently maintains is actually one of the most common skeletal forms in the multiverse. In the past, he kept a form that looked much closer to the one he had as a child, but after a certain event he adopted a different appearance. He judged this form to be the most common and least remarkable one available. At the time, he desperately wanted to convince himself that there was nothing special about him anymore.
That said, after keeping the same appearance for such a long time, he's grown accustomed to it as well. It wasn't all that different from his previous form, and since he uses his tentacles far more often than his hands, having somewhere to store those "unused extremities" was actually convenient.
At this point, I think Nightmare's perspective on a body is probably a little different from most people's. He still uses his hands for plenty of ordinary things out of habit, but after spending so long existing as something fluid, individual body parts probably don't carry quite the same weight for him anymore. Since he's essentially a mass of liquid, the sensations he experiences through the forms he imitates are likely very different from what most people would feel.
Oh, and this is just something that came to mind while we're on the topic... Before Dream woke up, Nightmare was actually around the same height as Classic Sans. It wasn't exactly the same since he was mostly just eyeballing it, but it was pretty close.
But after Dream woke up, and sometime after realizing that Dream had become much taller, his form somehow ended up being just a little taller than Dream's. As for why... well, who knows. At the very least, I don't think he even noticed the change himself 😏
Anyway, for all of these reasons, current Nightmare has very little reason to use his shapeshifting ability. Since he's fundamentally made of liquid, I don't think different forms feel all that different to him in the first place.
As much as I enjoy imagining things like that, I also don't think he has much reason to take animal forms... If his goal is simply observation and gathering information, he can just hide inside shadows instead. Unless someone is making a deliberate effort, it's impossible for there to be light without shadows.
Still... personally, I do think there was a time when he first became fully aware that he possessed a shapeshifting ability and found it genuinely fun. I can imagine him testing his abilities with a child's curiosity and using them to play little tricks. In the process, I think he would have learned their limitations as well.
For example, even if he created wings, he wouldn't actually be able to fly. No matter how much he changed his shape, the liquid that made up his body would still contain an incredibly dense amount of magic, and liquid always falls. Negativity tends to settle at the bottom as well. Nightmare probably felt somewhat conflicted when he first realized that. Even after gaining all that power, it probably felt as though the sky and the light still weren't things that were meant for him.
But I think he eventually came to a different conclusion. If he couldn't have those things, then he could simply drag them down and destroy them instead. That way, nobody would even know what it was that he could never possess. After all, something nobody knows about is practically the same as something that doesn't exist.
Well, I feel like my answer ended up being a little vague in the end. Still, I like the idea that Nightmare is fluid by nature, both literally and figuratively, and because of that he doesn't become particularly attached to any specific form. Whenever he takes on a different appearance, there's usually a practical reason behind it. At the same time, when he keeps a form for a very long time, it makes me feel as though there's some kind of fixation hidden there.
I always find it interesting how Nightmare keeps trying to manage his emotions through logic. Emotions aren't really things that can be fully defined, so no matter how much effort he puts into it, all he does is accumulate more contradictions. That's part of what makes him so interesting to me.
This was a really fun topic to think about! Thank you for the ask, and I hope you have a wonderful day 💕
Does nightmare ever bring dream with him anywhere with one of those cat backpacks?
Hello! This is such a cute idea 😆
I think Dream would probably love it. He enjoys being with Nightmare, and he also loves exploring new places. That said, I don't think he'd be very good at staying quietly inside a backpack for long. If there was something interesting right in front of him, he'd probably find it incredibly frustrating to just sit there and watch.
Dream is always active, and honestly, he behaves more like a puppy than a cat. The only times he really seems cat-like are when he suddenly starts acting graceful and elegant in public. It's almost as if he wants to show off and look impressive in front of all the stray cats watching him.
To Nightmare, Dream will always feel like a kitten. Dream loves acting spoiled around Nightmare and is never embarrassed about it. In fact, if Nightmare picks him up and pets him, Dream will proudly snuggle into his arms and glare at everyone around them as if he's showing off.
Dream is incredibly affectionate, outgoing, sociable, and fearless. So if he gets to wander around together with Nightmare, I think he'd have an amazing time. Whether Nightmare would actually want to spend his day that way is another question, though.
It's not that Nightmare dislikes going out with Dream, but unlike most of the things Dream finds exciting... his tastes tend to be much quieter. Nightmare enjoys visiting libraries and exhibitions. Browsing bookstores is probably his favorite kind of shopping, and he doesn't mind spending time carefully choosing furniture or household items either.
Whenever he's buying something, Nightmare prefers seeing it in person rather than ordering it online. He likes checking everything carefully before making a decision. Once he's put effort into something and completed it properly, he always feels a deep sense of satisfaction, like he's spent the day well. You could say he's a fairly goal-oriented person.
Dream, on the other hand, tends to think that if everyone enjoyed themselves, then the day was a success. Their personalities were always complete opposites, and that hasn't really changed even in this cat-and-monster setting. Because of that, I don't think Nightmare could completely adapt himself to Dream's pace all the time.
Of course, Nightmare loves Dream dearly and genuinely enjoys spending time with him, so he would still make an effort to do the things Dream wants to do. And the happiness he feels during those moments would never be an act.
Thinking about them always warms my heart. Considering what their relationship is like in the original story, sometimes this kind of everyday life feels almost dreamlike.
Thank you for the ask, and I hope you have a wonderful day! 💕
You can call me whatever you like. These days, I’m usually called Duck or Ducky, but my blog nickname is perfectly fine too. I’m not particularly concerned about pronouns.
I’m Korean, and I communicate mostly through translators. Sometimes things get translated in ways I didn’t intend, but I try to correct them whenever I notice. At the moment, Tumblr is my main platform, and I’m not publicly active on any other social media.
I enjoy drawing and talking about UT/AU, especially Nightmare. Most of my posts focus on character dynamics, worldbuilding, and my personal interpretations of Dreamtale. My interpretations often differ from the original source material, and I enjoy looking at characters from a variety of perspectives.
The settings and interpretations I talk about are ultimately my own creative reinterpretations. They reflect my personal tastes and ideas, so I care about them deeply, but I don’t consider them more valid than anyone else’s interpretations, nor do I claim ownership over any of the characters.
Unless stated otherwise, all of my posts are written from a non-shipping perspective. You're free to interpret things however you'd like, but I may not be comfortable responding to direct discussions about ships.
I always enjoy reading comments, reblogs, and tags. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! 🥹 Even if I can’t reply to every comment, they genuinely make me happy.
Please do not repost, edit, or use my artwork for AI training or AI-generated content. Personal use such as profile pictures is fine as long as proper credit is given. Please keep it within reasonable and respectful boundaries.
Ask Box
I accept questions and requests through my ask box. However, I may not be able to answer every ask, and I sometimes choose not to respond depending on the topic. Thank you for understanding.
In particular, I’m unlikely to accept requests involving characters I don’t usually work with or ship-related requests. I truly appreciate the interest, but my interests tend to be fairly specific, and I prefer focusing on the subjects I genuinely enjoy rather than branching into areas I’m unfamiliar with.
Please do not attach other artists’ artwork when sending asks. Just as I hope my own work is respected, I would like to respect the work of other creators as well.
Below you'll find my tag guide, which I hope will make browsing the blog a little easier!
I hope my drawings and stories can bring you some enjoyment as well. I hope we can continue enjoying these stories together for a long time.
Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day! 😚💕
Tag guide
I’ve ended up accumulating a lot more posts than I expected, so I reorganized my tags a little to make things easier to browse/search through.
Posts that include drawings are now tagged by character as well. For ideas that started as small doodles but somehow kept coming back multiple times, I also made separate IF tags. In those cases, posts with drawings are grouped under the IF tags, while lighter stories and extra ideas from asks are separated under the talk tags.
I’ll probably keep adding more tags over time, so I’ll pin this post and update it whenever needed. I might forget a tag or accidentally use the wrong one sometimes, but I’ll fix it whenever I notice 😉
Main tags
#my art
#my asks
#Shipping post
#humanization
character name tags
IF tags
#Skeledoggy IF
#Skeledoggy IF talk
#Skelekitty IF
#Cat Dream IF
#Cat Dream IF talk
#Dog Dream IF talk
I just finished reading the "what if nightmare turned passive" description DUDE IM SO HYPED
I got so many questions but the main ones are:
1. Does Nightmare remember what happened in the village? if he does then what does he think Abt it and if he doesn't then what does he think happened?
2.does Dream know that Nightmare turns back into his 6yo passive form every now and then (if I got it right)?
I would appreciate it SO MUCH if u answered these I'm INVESTED
Hello! Oh, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed that idea 😚
Hmm, to be honest, I haven't worked out every detail myself either. I always like leaving parts of my settings open and filling them in with imagination. Some days I'm drawn to one interpretation, and on other days a completely different one feels more interesting.
That said, I can definitely share the version that's been on my mind lately! I don't keep my ideas completely fixed, so I'd be happy if you just read this as a fun possibility.
This got a little longer than I expected, so I'll put most of it under a read-more 😉
To answer your first question, I actually talked about something similar a little while ago, so you might enjoy looking at that as well.
Personally, I imagine that he remembers a point fairly early in that period, long before the apple incident ever happened. People had only recently begun to dislike him, and Nightmare hadn't yet developed any deep resentment toward them. As a spirit, he was still trying not to develop personal feelings toward any particular species.
As always, Nightmare was sitting beneath the tree, reading a book while waiting for Dream. He had already read this book many times before, but he still turned each page with excitement, eagerly waiting to reach his favorite part again.
He became so absorbed in the story that he forgot about every sound around him. Then, at the exact moment he finally reached his favorite line and smiled with a joy that felt almost like relief, he realized that he was no longer beneath the tree. And then... a great deal of confusion followed.
Now, Nightmare has no idea what happened to him. Even the mortals who call him Boss, take care of him, and simultaneously keep watch over him don't seem to know the full story themselves. He can clearly feel their confusion, as well as the anxiety buried deep beneath the surface that they try so hard to ignore.
Nightmare has his own anxieties, of course. He had the apple to protect, and if Dream returned that evening and found him gone, he would definitely be worried. Nightmare never liked leaving the tree in the first place; Dream usually had to beg repeatedly just to convince him to go anywhere for a few hours.
Still, he understands that there isn't much he can do right now. He is a spirit, but not a particularly powerful one, and he knows he would struggle even to fight these mortals. More importantly, he doesn't know how to fight, nor has he ever felt any need to. Spirits aren't meant to live side by side with humans. Harboring hostility toward them would be even more unnatural.
So rather than resisting, Nightmare simply observes and tries to understand his situation a little better. Besides, there are so many strange things about this place that merely examining them is enough to satisfy his curiosity and keep boredom away.
First of all, the emotions of these peculiar mortals who are effectively keeping him confined feel far more chaotic than anyone else's. Some of them feel almost broken. As the guardian of the Apple of Feelings, Nightmare finds emotional states like those fascinating, though he never asks about them directly.
These mortals behave as though they know him, yet at the same time they treat him like a complete stranger. Cross in particular always looks at him with an incredibly complicated expression. Whenever their eyes meet, he visibly flinches and quickly looks away. Yet whenever Nightmare pretends not to notice and turns elsewhere, Cross finds himself staring again, almost as if he can't help it. That didn't seem like the way someone would behave toward a person they'd only just met.
On top of that, this place seems to operate under rules that are both familiar and strangely different from his own. When Nightmare referred to them as "humans," they looked confused for a moment. Once they realized he genuinely didn't know, they corrected him and explained that they belonged to a species called "monsters." Honestly, Nightmare couldn't really tell the difference.
Throughout the castle, Nightmare can find traces of familiar magic. He is still too young to decipher them, but the magical script clearly belongs to a system he recognizes. The craftsmanship is intricate enough to be genuinely impressive. Whoever created magic circles like these must have spent decades studying the art. Rarely does Nightmare become so openly curious, but when he asked about them, the mortals— or rather, the monsters— seemed barely capable of understanding what he was even talking about.
The place they live in is also saturated with negativity to a bizarre degree. To Nightmare, it feels almost like a dense fog hanging in the air. It doesn't affect him directly, but the balance of this space is undeniably unnatural. If anything, it's surprising that these monsters aren't completely crushed beneath it. Taking all of this into account, Nightmare suspects that his arrival here was not simply a coincidence.
As a spirit born with a highly developed sense of self, Nightmare is remarkably intelligent despite his age. He draws conclusions from the information available to him, but he rarely attempts to take direct action. By nature, he is an observer. It's almost as though he believes everything will unfold according to providence anyway. If he has been brought here and must remain, then perhaps there is some inevitable reason why he was called to this place.
At the same time, however, Nightmare still wants to go back beneath the tree. The castle is magnificent. The beautiful rooms, the decorations that perfectly suit his tastes, even the enormous library that left him wide-eyed with amazement when he first saw it— all of it is wonderful. But none of it is better than being with Mother and Dream.
He misses the green fields, the shade cast by the Mother Tree, and the affectionate way Dream calls his name. Even though he believes everything will eventually return to its proper course, he thinks he would struggle to endure the loneliness if this stay lasted too long. He may be a spirit, but he is also a child who misses his family.
I think that's enough for the first question, so let's talk about your second one! 😄
As for Nightmare's white-bone state, I've actually had quite a few different ideas about it. If you're interested in a more detailed explanation, you can check out this post, though you should be able to follow everything just fine without reading it.
The white-bone state basically takes the form of Passive Nightmare and retains the injuries he suffered during the apple incident. It's almost as though his existence was altered by the apple, and that form was permanently preserved before he was born anew.
To be honest... I spent a lot of time thinking about his height in this form. If he had truly remained frozen exactly as he was during the apple incident, he should still be the size of a child. But at the same time, I didn't want him to look completely like a young child whenever he entered this state in the castle. If he looked too young, I felt that the more violent situations surrounding this state would come across as uncomfortable rather than darkly comedic.
That's where this idea came from. He was originally frozen in a child's form, but while Dream underwent physical changes due to the apple's power, Nightmare's "vessel" changed as well.
The twins, in my interpretation, are connected on a spiritual level. They are quite literally each other's other half. So when Nightmare was damaged by the apple and forced through a drastic transformation, Dream instinctively turned to stone as though protecting his own existence. I imagine the changes experienced by Nightmare's vessel were something similar.
Dream preserved himself safely in stone and changed slowly over a very long period of time. Like a caterpillar spending time inside a cocoon before becoming a butterfly. Nightmare consumed far too many apples and was forced through an immediate transformation that came with severe side effects. Dream, however, only possessed a single apple. His body was able to adapt gradually to its new power, and in the end he successfully adjusted without suffering those same side effects.
As a result, Dream's transformation unfolded slowly over the course of centuries. Nightmare's vessel was changing little by little as well, but honestly, Nightmare doesn't spend his white-bone periods checking his appearance. He dislikes looking at himself, and he's usually so exhausted that all he wants to do is lie down, sleep, and wait for the state to pass.
Because of that, I don't think he ever noticed his gradual change in height despite going through the white-bone state countless times. At least until he began living alongside mortals. Once there were people around him whose height he could directly compare himself to, he may have realized that he no longer looked quite the same as before.
Anyway, if we go with that interpretation... Nightmare becomes extremely tired in the white-bone state. He experiences constant pain, and he develops needs that are almost mortal in nature. Because Nightmare views Dream as both his only true enemy and his greatest threat, he would never willingly let Dream discover him in that condition. It is an obvious strategic weakness.
Of course, Nightmare knows Dream would never exploit that weakness tactically. That's simply not the kind of person Dream is. What Nightmare finds unbearable isn't the idea that Dream would use it against him. It's the possibility that Dream might start believing he can return to who he once was, or worse, begin pitying him. As though he had suddenly fallen from a powerful adversary into someone who needs protection.
Nightmare has spent an incredibly long time rebuilding himself. After the apple incident, he was completely shattered, both physically and mentally, and spent years consumed by hatred and destruction. It's true that part of him genuinely enjoys hurting others now. That much is real. But beneath many of his actions lies a defensive mechanism that borders on self-brainwashing.
To receive that kind of gaze from Dream would feel as though all of that effort were being dismissed. It would feel like a deeply personal insult, and more than anyone else, Nightmare does not want Dream to look down on him. Dream always embraced every part of Nightmare, and Nightmare always loved him for that. Even now, when he hates him more than anyone else.
Honestly, if Dream had truly died that day, or remained trapped in stone forever, I don't think Nightmare would hate him at all. In much the same way that the Mother Tree still feels like a kind of sanctuary to him even now.
That isn't to say Nightmare never resented Mother. If anything, he may have resented the way he was created. He was born to shoulder negativity, to see reality more clearly than most, yet was never meant to answer that pain with hatred. Perhaps he resented that design itself.
But Nightmare never wanted to hate the dead. He may be the embodiment of negativity, but even he cannot truly harm someone who is already gone. If no matter how much he resented them, no matter how loudly he cried out, none of it would ever reach them, then he would rather keep only his affection. In the end, all he would have left— all he would carry with him for the rest of his existence— would be his own feelings.
So if Nightmare had truly lost Dream, he might have envied him, resented him, or hated many things about him. But eventually those feelings would have faded away, leaving only attachment behind. Maybe that's why his feelings toward the current Dream are so complicated. For centuries, he believed his brother was dead. The beloved little brother he had come to associate with almost nothing but longing suddenly appeared one day, digging up emotions he had buried long ago and threatening his very sense of self.
For all of those reasons, I think Nightmare would hide this state from Dream as thoroughly as possible. As long as he remains covered in black fluid, the Nightmare Dream sees will always be the Nightmare that exists now.
The thing Nightmare wants least is for Dream to look at him and see the person he used to be. No matter how much he has changed, no matter how badly he has changed, even if the version of himself from the past would despise what he has become— this is who Nightmare is now. Even if the entire world condemns him and rejects him, he believes that Dream, at the very least, should accept him until the very end.
Well, I think I ended up wandering all over the place again. But I really love how complicated and contradictory Nightmare is as a character, and whenever topics like this come up, I can't seem to stop talking about them... Hopefully it wasn't too boring to read 😌
Thank you for the ask! I hope you found it interesting. Have a wonderful day 💕
Personally, I think if they ever met, Catmare would notice pretty quickly that Catdream has a lot in common with Dream. If you ignore the species difference, most of their traits are actually very similar. Though Catdream is definitely more innocent. Well, he is a cat who grew up being loved, after all.
But when it comes to Catmare, the only Dream that truly matters to him is his own Dream. He might recognize the similarities between Dream and Catdream, but that doesn't make Catdream his Dream. Nightmare has always been someone who cares about that distinction, so I think Catmare would be wary of Catdream and treat him almost like a stranger. Much like a cat reacting to another cat entering its territory, Catmare would probably try to chase him off and drive him away.
He might even be harsher toward Catdream than he would be toward most other cats... To him, Dream is already enough. Being reminded of Dream's traits in someone else is an uncomfortable feeling. He has no desire to replace Dream, even a little.
On the other hand, I think Catdream would have a much harder time seeing Nightmare in Catmare. There would probably be small things that feel familiar, like the cold, calculating look in his eyes, but Catdream's Nightmare never turned black in the first place. His eyes are still purple, too.
And even after Nightmare's accident, Catdream was never treated coldly by him. He was always a loved cat, and although Nightmare became more reserved afterward, he still smiled at Catdream. The distant, stranger-like wariness that Catmare shows is simply not something Catdream has ever received from Nightmare, so it would be difficult for him to focus on their similarities.
So if Catmare starts glaring at him and growling as if telling him to leave, I think Catdream would probably assume he's some kind of delinquent cat. Which, honestly, isn't a completely unfair conclusion. Just like he always does during his neighborhood patrols, Catdream would refuse to back down from a cat that's bothering others and would stand his ground confidently. And since even that is exactly like Dream, I can't imagine how annoyed Catmare would be.
The two cats actually getting into a real fight because neither of them is willing to back down would already be funny enough, but I think the most entertaining part would be their owners eventually running into each other afterward. Both cats would probably be covered in scratches and bite marks, yet still stubbornly occupying their owners' laps and glaring at each other as if fiercely guarding them.
Nightmare would be staring at Catmare as though he were his mortal enemy for hurting Catdream, while Dream would be upset over Catmare's injuries but also know that he was probably the one who started the fight. So he'd end up apologizing on Catmare's behalf and trying to make peace.
Normally, Nightmare isn't the type of person to get annoyed at a cat. But Catmare somehow manages to get on his nerves simply by existing. It's the exact opposite of the strange sense of familiarity Dream feels toward Catdream.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Nightmare doesn't particularly like himself... but hmm, I don't think I want to turn this into a much heavier discussion today 😌
It was a fun thing to imagine! Thank you for the ask, and I hope you have a wonderful day 💕
Please please please tell us how the meeting went with Nightmare and bitty Cross' school!! /nf
I'm DYING to know how Nightmare handled it and how the teachers think of him
Hello! Oh, thank you for liking that little story ☺️
Honestly, I hadn't thought about it in that much detail myself, but I think I can talk about the general feeling of how it might have gone. I had a lot of ideas floating around in my head, but they weren't really organized into a proper setting or anything. So please just take this as a lighthearted interpretation.
I think this might get a little long, so I'll put it under a cut!
First, I'd like to talk about the school Cross attends. In my mind, it's a place where people from all across the multiverse can study. Most of the students are either people who can't attend school in their own universe due to personal circumstances, or people who no longer even have a universe to return to.
Because of that, I think the school wouldn't be particularly strict about verifying where people come from, and its administrative procedures would probably be fairly relaxed as well. There are plenty of people who simply can't prove their origins at all. That doesn't mean there aren't concerns about it, but I imagine the belief that children should still be given an opportunity to learn would ultimately outweigh those concerns. In a way, it's a school built on the kindness of many people despite the chaos surrounding it.
Maybe because of that, I think the atmosphere of the school itself would be fairly positive. Not every student would be perfectly well-adjusted after everything they've been through, of course, but there would be dedicated teachers working there who haven't forgotten the purpose behind the school's creation. They would try not to pry too much into the children's pasts while still giving them plenty of care and attention. If necessary, they might even connect them with child psychologists or counselors.
That's exactly why Nightmare chose this school for Cross. Cross knew he wanted to complete his education, but he didn't know much about the multiverse itself.
Nightmare's attention was drawn to several aspects of the school: its somewhat lax administration, the fact that most students came from complicated backgrounds and therefore weren't pressed too hard about their personal lives, and the fact that individuals optimistic to the point of foolishness occupied most of the important positions. They also had a strong dislike for those who advocated strict background screening. Because of that, Nightmare concluded that even if Cross raised a few suspicions, they would be far more likely to protect him than investigate him.
Cross agreed immediately after hearing Nightmare's list of advantages. Nightmare hated positive things. If he described something in such an unflattering way, it usually meant it was probably good news for someone normal like Cross. Of course, Cross probably would have agreed even if Nightmare had somehow managed to pick the worst option imaginable.
Unfortunately, those same qualities also made it difficult for Cross to maintain a cold and distant image at school. Cross was the type of person who got lonely easily and craved attachment, and the teachers always treated him with understanding and offered him sincere praise. They worried about his stiff attitude and lack of social connections, and sometimes carefully asked questions about his guardian. Almost as though they were worried he might be living in an abusive situation.
Cross didn't completely dislike that attention, but it made him uncomfortable as well. The thought that their kindness could easily lead to a serious problem frightened him. Nightmare didn't treat them cruelly enough to raise obvious concerns, but everyone in the castle knew what kind of "games" he usually played outside with Killer.
Interacting with other students was difficult for Cross as well. Most of them had experienced some kind of tragedy in their own universes, and whenever he heard those personal stories, he couldn't stop wondering how many of those disasters Nightmare might have contributed to.
Still, Cross felt relieved that his boss never had to hear the blunt criticism that often accompanied those stories. Even if Nightmare wouldn't care in the slightest—or might even enjoy hearing that negativity—Cross still didn't want him to hear those things.
Cross was an emotionally sensitive person, and because of that, school was stressful for him in a lot of ways. To be completely honest, he seriously considered dropping out more than once. Nightmare wouldn't care either way. But Cross didn't want to quit something once he'd started it. He had always been the kind of person who stubbornly pushed through things out of sheer determination. Besides, studying suited him well enough.
That's also why this particular incident affected Cross so strongly. The bottled-up emotions, the outburst, being called into the office, and now even a guardian conference—it all hit him at once.
After the previous incident, Cross had calmed down for a while, but as the day of the conference approached, he found himself becoming anxious all over again. He was even shaking his leg during breakfast. It got so bad that Killer eventually kicked him and told him to cut it out. Being scolded for fidgeting by someone who could never sit still himself was honestly a little humiliating, but Cross was far too nervous to get angry about it.
Cross had been vibrating like a phone on silent until Nightmare finally appeared to accompany him to school. Half of it was an effort not to embarrass himself in front of his boss, and the other half was simple surprise.
Nightmare looked completely different from usual. He had taken the form of a beast-like monster covered in black fur, dressed in something close to a clean and stylish suit. His pointed ears stood tall, and his long, glossy tail moved naturally as though it were real. He was only slightly larger than usual, seemingly by design. Standing beside him, Cross still looked young, but not so small that he appeared helpless.
Cross almost mistook him for a completely different person at first, but the familiar cold eye turning toward him was enough to bring him back to reality. Nightmare asked if there were any features he should emphasize more, and Cross quickly searched his memory for a few careless comments he had made in the past. Nightmare adjusted his appearance several more times based on those descriptions and checked again to make sure everything matched.
Watching the process, Cross found himself feeling a strangely childish sort of curiosity. At that moment, it genuinely felt like Nightmare would transform into absolutely anything if Cross asked him to. Cross kept reminding himself that this was the sort of thing Killer would do, not him, but he still couldn't stop sneaking curious glances in Nightmare's direction.
Nightmare seemed to notice what he was thinking and rolled his eye, but chose not to comment. Cross wasn't Killer, after all. He had no desire to create a second mortal who spent every spare moment causing trouble.
Even while they were traveling, Cross kept glancing over at Nightmare with obvious curiosity. Every time their eyes met, though, he would flinch. Most of that came from the fact that Nightmare's new appearance looked far more intimidating than his usual one. The bright teal eye visible beneath that form was almost frightening, and after noticing Cross's constant nervous reactions, Nightmare eventually changed his eye color to purple. The calmer shade softened some of the intimidation, and only then was Cross finally able to meet his gaze without startling.
Anyway, after a number of small complications, they eventually arrived at the school. Curious stares followed them wherever they went, and for someone who had always been a model student, simply showing up at school with a guardian felt embarrassingly conspicuous to Cross. At the same time, though, there was a subtle sense of excitement mixed into that embarrassment. Maybe it was because, for once, he didn't have to keep hiding his guardian from everyone around him.
Guardians and children being from different species wasn't unusual at this school. Nobody particularly questioned Nightmare's presence, but there was still something about his appearance that made people instinctively shrink back. When he entered the conference room alongside Cross, Cross's teacher briefly studied him as if trying to gauge what kind of person he was before politely beginning the conversation. Around that point, Cross started to realize that the intimidating appearance had probably been chosen deliberately to establish a sense of control from the very beginning.
The conference itself went surprisingly smoothly. What began as praise for Cross's usual behavior and academic performance gradually shifted toward concerns about his recent actions and careful attempts to learn more about his home environment. Cross shifted uncomfortably in his seat whenever he noticed the teacher directing another concerned glance his way. His boss had succeeded in taking control of the conversation, but in some ways it felt like he had only made their worries worse.
Even so, Cross wasn't particularly worried. He had already reported every detail of the incident to his boss, and aside from that, he had never really caused problems at school. His social life might be a different story, but Cross was fairly certain that was the one topic his boss cared the least about.
What interested Cross far more was the fact that his boss was answering the teacher's questions completely normally. He was somewhat blunt, but not cold, and he calmly explained what Cross was like at home.
Nightmare explained that frequent business trips kept him from spending long periods of time with the children, and that Cross had naturally matured early because he had several younger siblings to look after. Cross had complained about his troublesome housemates often enough before, and even to him, the explanation sounded surprisingly natural.
On top of that, Nightmare casually listed various habits Cross showed around the castle without needing to think about them at all. Things like always being the first one to arrive at meals and setting out the dishes, quietly tidying up anything left lying around, or going for a run whenever he felt stressed.
He clearly knew a great deal about Cross, but he never spoke in a way that suggested constant surveillance. Instead, he sounded like a guardian who paid steady attention to a child despite being busy, without crossing the line into being overly controlling.
Cross gradually realized that Nightmare was carefully controlling exactly how much information he revealed. Killer often came back from outings with the boss talking about how entertaining Nightmare could be when he decided to talk, but Cross rarely participated in those situations himself. In fact, this was probably the longest conversation he had ever heard Nightmare carry on. He had to consciously stop himself from staring and maintained perfect posture instead. Even if he couldn't help, the last thing he wanted was to ruin whatever his boss was trying to accomplish.
Thinking about it, Cross had almost never spent time alone with Nightmare before. Since being brought to the castle, this was probably the longest period they had ever spent together without anyone else around. Because of that, he paid unusually close attention to Nightmare's behavior, and gradually realized that every gesture, every expression, and every word was being chosen with incredible care.
While he was so focused on analyzing Nightmare's speech that it almost felt like studying, Cross suddenly jumped when he heard someone call his name. Looking up, he found his teacher watching him with concern. Fortunately, the concern seemed to stem only from the fact that he'd drifted off, and there was no sign of any deeper suspicion.
When Cross looked up in confusion, the teacher politely asked if he could step outside for a moment so they could speak privately with his guardian. Cross didn't particularly want to leave, but reluctantly agreed and started to stand.
At that moment, Nightmare said, "Sit down, Cross." Cross obeyed almost immediately on reflex and fixed his gaze on his boss. Remaining seated as if nothing had happened, Nightmare continued looking across the table and said, "If it's something I can hear, then I see no reason why my child shouldn't hear it as well." The teacher seemed briefly surprised, but eventually accepted it as a form of respect toward the child and nodded.
After that, the teacher expressed concerns about Cross's relationships with his peers, but Cross barely heard any of it. His entire attention was focused on what his boss had just said.
There had to be a reasonable reason for it. Most likely, he simply wasn't interested enough in this matter to set aside separate time for it. He had no intention of involving himself in Cross's school life, so he probably thought it would be better for Cross, the person actually involved, to hear everything directly. Maybe he simply couldn't be bothered to pass along the conversation later. Boss had always valued efficiency, and this probably wasn't anything special to him at all.
And yet, it felt incredibly special to Cross.
Rationally, Cross knew he was interpreting his words far too kindly. Even so, it genuinely felt as if Nightmare trusted his judgment, and feeling strangely embarrassed by that thought, Cross couldn't bring himself to raise his head for the rest of the conference.
By the time the meeting was coming to an end, everything seemed to have been resolved. Cross's punishment had been settled as a week of light cleaning duty, and the concerns the teachers had about his home life no longer seemed like a problem. His guardian was somewhat stiff, but attentive, and the calm, intelligent way he spoke contrasted sharply with his intimidating appearance. It was the sort of contrast that naturally encouraged relief, leaving people with the reassuring impression that he wasn't nearly as frightening as he had seemed at first glance.
Cross understood that every aspect of Nightmare's chosen appearance and manner of speaking had been carefully manipulated, but he also had to admit that it was effective. In the past, he would have imagined what someone with those skills might use them for and felt uneasy about it, but now, he even felt a faint sense of pride. Calling Boss his guardian still felt strange, but at the same time, the fact that he was under Nightmare's protection was beginning to feel a little more real.
The worst villain in the multiverse, a being who enjoyed bloodshed and slaughter, a truly terrible existence who embodied negativity itself, had come all the way to a parent-teacher conference for the sake of managing a single Cross. Cross couldn't help thinking about how unusual that really was.
Cross was still afraid of Nightmare. He didn't want to participate in Nightmare's games, and he wasn't even sure he could ever hand over all of his values to him the way Killer had. He couldn't think of the castle as home the way Horror did, and he couldn't calmly accept everything the way Dust could.
Cross was still stubbornly rebellious, and he could never truly settle down unless he examined things through his own standards and came to his own conclusions. Maybe his decision to attend school in the first place had been an extension of that rebellious streak. But he was always questioning, always afraid, always anxious, always angry, and at the same time, unable to let go of his attachment no matter how painful it became.
At one point, Cross suddenly thinks that he's completely doomed. Deep down, he had looked down on Killer's dependence, Dust's indifference, and Horror's simplicity, but in the end, he wasn't really any different. The form was different, but all of them were completely tied to Nightmare, and even if the entire process had been manipulation on Nightmare's part, that wouldn't change the result.
Even so, after the conference ended, they exchanged polite farewells, and under the teacher's warm gaze, Nightmare's hand came to rest against Cross's back as if supporting him. The sensation was different from the usual hand made of nothing but bone and liquid, but Cross still felt the same sense of stability.
On the way back, Cross felt strangely awkward. That morning, it had felt as if the world was about to collapse, but now it almost seemed as if nothing had happened at all. Walking around in his school uniform at a time when he would normally be in class felt strange. So did the fact that he was walking beside his boss rather than behind him.
Maybe that was why. Cross slowed his pace awkwardly and couldn't seem to keep his hands still, fidgeting as if pretending to be distracted. When Nightmare sensed his emotional unrest and glanced at him, Cross hesitated for a long moment without even being able to meet his eyes before carefully speaking up. "...Can I get ice cream on the way back?" When Nightmare didn't answer immediately, Cross shrank in on himself a little more and added as if making excuses, "...Um, it's just... Killer kept bragging that Boss bought him some before. ...So I thought maybe."
Nightmare studied Cross for a moment. The narrowed look in his eye was almost suspicious, as if he were genuinely concerned that Cross might start turning into Killer. Cross immediately regretted bringing it up, but after a moment, Nightmare seemed to come to some conclusion and relaxed. "Keep it a secret from the others. It seems Killer isn't very good at keeping secrets." At the unmistakable permission, Cross looked up in surprise, but Nightmare was already looking away. Still, the direction he was walking had changed.
As he hurried after Nightmare with steps that had unconsciously become almost a run, Cross found himself unable to hide how excited he felt. Even while grumbling that he didn't want to be compared to Killer, he walked beside him with an almost childishly embarrassed smile.
Afterward, Killer would take one look at Cross being suspiciously cheerful and immediately figure out that he'd gotten ice cream, then proceed to complain about it endlessly... but, well, that's probably a story for another day. Unfortunately, Cross isn't exactly good at hiding things 😌
The atmosphere ended up a little different from what I originally had in mind, but it was still a fun story to think about. Cross is always someone who worries about a lot of things, and this younger Cross is around that awkward teenage age, so I felt like his thoughts would be especially complicated. Following the way he thinks is always interesting.
Somehow, this ended up becoming more of a story about Cross's mindset than the actual incident itself. Still, I think I like stories like this quite a lot... they're always fun to write.
I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for the ask, and I hope you have a wonderful day 💕
So…I don’t mean to be offensive in any way or make you uncomfortable but I can’t ever tell if you ship Dream and Nightmare or not…so- do you? (As in do you ship Dream and nightmare)
(not forcing an answer lol)
Hello! Oh, don't worry! It wasn't an offensive question at all ☺️
Well, I wouldn't say I dislike the ship, but it's not something I personally prefer. I like interpreting them as family. I think family members can have bonds and emotions that are just as deep and meaningful without necessarily being romantic. The same goes for physical affection.
In general, I treat all of my posts without ship tags as non-romantic. I tend to enjoy ensemble stories where different characters act according to their own perspectives and motivations, so that's usually what I focus on more than romance.
It's not that I don't have any ships I enjoy, but most of the time I'm more drawn to situations that aren't centered around shipping. I really enjoy exploring deep and complicated emotions, but I don't think those kinds of feelings can only exist in romantic relationships. There are many different forms of attachment and love.
Since I talk about the twins' emotional bond quite often, I can definitely understand why it might be confusing. However, the twins I draw are always non-romantic, and I interpret them as siblings with no romantic or sexual interest in each other.
Of course, people are free to interpret my work however they like, but I did want to clarify that this is the perspective I'm drawing them from. 😌
Thank you for the ask! I hope you have a lovely day! 💕
may i please request a drawing of Fell and Dream? i havent seen many drawings of them interacting, id love to see them drawn by you! ♡
Hello! Oh, of course! ☺️
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever really imagined the two of them together before. Personally, Fell never struck me as someone who would be particularly interested in the multiverse, so I had to think a little about what kind of situation would naturally bring them together. Still, they're both characters I really like, so I had a lot of fun drawing them.
Dream has a tendency to overwork himself pretty easily, so I think it's become a fairly normal occurrence for people to report him to Blue whenever they catch him working without taking a break again. Dream knows he'll get scolded if he's caught, so he usually tries to hide and work in secret. Unfortunately for him, he often ends up getting spotted by people who are already sneaking off to quiet corners to smoke.
When Dream has been working for several days without resting, he also develops a habit of automatically asking anyone nearby if they need help. He's usually only half-present mentally at that point, too. By then, the exhaustion is pretty obvious from the outside, so most people can tell just by looking at him that it's time to call Blue.
Seeing Blue come sprinting in while blowing a whistle and arresting an overworked Dream is probably a very common sight... It's cute and funny, but I can't help feeling a little sorry for Dream, too, haha.
Thank you for the ask! I hope you have a wonderful day! 💕
Hello! Hmm, to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about it.
I think I've seen it appear in fanfics and things like that, but my knowledge is limited enough that I'm not even entirely sure where the official setting ends and fan interpretations begin.
From what I remember, it's an AU where tiny skeletons based on various multiverse skeletons are waiting to be adopted, kind of around the size of guinea pigs...? They seem to have personalities similar to their originals, but with different lives and experiences. At least, that's the impression I got from most of the stories I've seen.
Since I don't know the AU very well, it's a little difficult for me to say much about it. But I do think it's a very cute concept. The idea of all those marshmallow-shaped skeletons—who already feel tiny enough—becoming genuinely marshmallow-sized is pretty amusing on its own.
Haha... palm-sized Nootmare. Just thinking about it makes me smile. He'd probably bite my finger off 😌
Thank you for the ask! I hope you have a wonderful day 💕
Ive been thinking about og Dream meeting Nm with cat dream. Like. I feel like he would feel sort of sad? At seeing his brother actually loving a counterpart of himself but not having the relationship with his real brother...
Hello! Ah, that's such a heartbreaking scenario... 🥲
If Dream could somehow look into these kinds of IF worlds, I think he would absolutely be saddened by them. Seeing the twins together would remind him of his childhood and make him think about a future he never got to know. A future he might have had. A future he may have lost.
I think what would hurt Dream the most is Nightmare's condition. The fact that even in a peaceful world like that, Nightmare still couldn't avoid the accident. The fact that Dream couldn't protect him from it. And most of all, the fact that despite everything, he still loves Dream. I think all of that would linger in Dream's mind.
Realistically, Dream would probably believe that Nightmare no longer cares for him the way he once did. They've come far too far for that. Nightmare hates Dream with an intensity that makes it seem as though he can't bear a world where both of them continue to exist. And somewhere deep down, Dream tends to assume that if one of them has to die, it will be him. Despite everything, he doesn't want to kill his brother. For Dream, losing Nightmare again—and especially being the one to do it with his own hands—is something he never wants to imagine, not even in his worst dreams.
Dream constantly wonders what he could have done differently. What if he had stayed beneath the tree that day? What if he had realized what was happening sooner? What if he had simply ignored the village entirely? If. If. And if again. Dream keeps thinking about all those possibilities, but reality never changes. He wasn't there beside Nightmare, and the brother he loved was murdered in a horrific way that day. Even if Nightmare exists now in a different form, that day still feels almost like an anniversary of death to both of them.
At the same time, Dream understands that he can't truly blame his younger self. They were never normal beings to begin with. They were created as spirits, designed for a specific purpose: to guard the fruit of emotions.
Since the topic came up, I'd like to talk a little about their origins. It ties into something I've discussed before, so I'll include a link to that post as well if anyone is interested in reading more about it.
Despite Mother Tree's fear of humans, emotions were never something that could be separated from mortals. The twins were created to protect the apples, but they were also guardians of emotions whose purpose was to guide those emotions in the right direction.
Directly interfering with mortal lives was never the way spirits were meant to operate. As beings of nature, they were supposed to guide others gently, influencing hearts the way a dream or a vision might. Even their names reflect the purpose they were designed for.
Dream represents hope. Through dreams, mortals imagine a better future and find the courage to keep moving forward. Because of that, Dream embodied a pure, almost idealized form of hope. His role was to comfort those on the verge of breaking and offer them a hand to hold.
But mortal hearts are easily tempted into dependence. Ideals are powerful and important, but if people become dependent on dreams, reality begins to crumble. Following something blindly without their own will is not a healthy path. That's why Nightmare exists.
Nightmare represents warning. To keep mortals from becoming lost in dreams and refusing to wake up, he stirs fear within them and prevents them from becoming complacent. Nightmares remind people of the value of reality. They awaken a sense of urgency and give people a reason to keep moving forward.
Because of that, Nightmare was always more realistic and pragmatic than Dream. He was born with a naturally cautious and sensitive temperament, because handling negative emotions requires a great deal of care. In many ways, that's why Nightmare always seemed more mature than his brother.
If Dream's role was to take hold of an outstretched hand and guide it forward, Nightmare's role was to push forward the person who wanted to stop. Both positivity and negativity are necessary to sustain the world, and the twins were created to reflect that balance.
But mortals feared nightmares too much and rejected Nightmare because of it. As a result, his purpose gradually changed from warning to suffering. Personally, I like to describe that change as a form of corruption. He lost the purpose he was originally created for as a spirit, and his emotions grew so overwhelming that he fell closer to humanity than nature.
And Dream, in his own way, has changed as well. These days, he lives according to human standards far more than spiritual ones. In that sense, Dream has also become a corrupted spirit. He can no longer judge the world through the perspective he was originally created to have.
With all of that in mind, Dream understands that this entire tragedy was never truly anyone's fault. Neither Nightmare's caution nor Dream's own naïveté was something they chose for themselves. But understanding something and accepting it are two very different things. His heart refuses to let go, and so he continues revisiting the past, imagining countless "what ifs."
And more than anything else, what Dream regrets most is that he didn't hug Nightmare that morning. The image of Nightmare standing beneath the tree, waving to him with a faintly lonely smile, remains in his memory like a scar that never fully fades.
Like a home he left behind, only to realize he could never return.
Even so, Dream never gives up. He knows that his brother hates him. He knows that this story may ultimately end with someone's death. And yet, he cannot let go. Perhaps part of that is simply because Dream was created to be that way. But unlike in the past, Dream has consciously chosen not to give up. He chose it himself.
And that choice carries even more meaning because it was not made as a spirit fulfilling its purpose, but as Dream himself.
Thinking about the twins is always fascinating, but it's also incredibly painful. Hopefully it's not too much to ask that, at least in some IF worlds, they get to be happy together... 😂
Thank you for the ask! I hope you have a wonderful day 💕
While i was reading for them they asked if the nootnoot had a mini version like the mini gang
At first i thought they meant passive nightmare then they said 'no i mean like..this nootnoot' and it made me pause not knowing if i should answer them yes or no
So ducky please save me- is there a mini nootmare? (I'm dying of laughter)
Hello! Oh wow, this turned into a really fun situation.
First of all, I'm genuinely honored that you've been reading my comics to your cousins. At the same time, I really can't say I've never thought about that idea myself 😏
If I remember correctly, I think I once came up with a short episode alongside a small doodle. Unfortunately, now that I'm trying to find it, I have absolutely no idea which canvas I drew it on anymore... but the attempt definitely existed.
I think it was sometime after I drew the comic where Cross first encountered Nightmare's white bone state. Back then, I was imagining it almost like a small series. The general idea was Cross gradually adapting to life in the castle by witnessing strange changes and somehow learning to live with them.
Not long after the incident where he first encountered Nightmare's white bone state, Cross discovers a black cat inside the castle. It was a fairly large black cat with sleek, glossy fur.
Cross knew that Killer had a soft spot for cats, so he naturally assumed it was either a stray cat or one that Killer kept. Or maybe it was just a cat he occasionally fed that had wandered into the castle after getting lost. He couldn't really imagine the boss allowing someone to keep a pet.
The cat had confidently settled onto the softest cushion it could find and was staring at Cross as though it owned the place. Curious, Cross carefully reached out and petted it. The cat simply looked back at him and flicked its tail, showing almost no reaction, studying him through its single teal eye.
At some point, Cross notices that the cat's appearance is rather unusual. Fur that gleams almost like liquid. A tail that somehow seems unusually heavy, as though it possesses far more mass than it should. A missing ear. A single teal eye watching him with a cold glow.
Cross realizes something with horrifying clarity, but having already touched it, this is now a fact he absolutely must ignore. His fingertips begin trembling and cold sweat starts forming, but it's already too late. He's already touched it, and nothing can undo that choice.
At some point, he's fairly certain the number of tails has increased, but he desperately dismisses it as a hallucination. He's been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe that's why he made such a foolish decision in the first place. He clearly wasn't in his right mind. Hopefully that would be taken into consideration.
While Cross is busy denying reality in a silence that feels little different from death, the door opens and Dust walks into the room. Dust glances at them and casually greets him. "Morning, cat boss." The cat, Nightmare, responds with a simple, "Hmm." Cross practically screams, "Dust!" and Dust simply replies, "What?"
And then, some time later, another incident occurs.
Cross becomes concerned because Nightmare hasn't appeared at the usual time. He can still sense his presence somewhere in the castle, so he knows the boss is there, but for some reason Nightmare simply hasn't shown himself that day.
The others don't seem particularly concerned, but Cross can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Eventually, he decides to check on the boss himself. He subtly gestures for the others to come with him, but they all react with complete indifference, as though he's making a huge fuss over nothing. Cross feels strangely wronged by this, but the annoyance only makes him more determined, and he heads down the hallway without hesitation.
When Cross finally knocks on Nightmare's door, a voice from inside tells him to come in. Relieved, he steps inside while thinking of an excuse for why he came, only to find that the room appears completely empty.
As Cross looks around in confusion, a voice calls out to him from an armchair facing the window. He walks over and eventually finds himself face to face with a tiny version of the boss holding a book nearly the size of his upper body. Not white, either. Just a small sticky black skeleton with all of his tentacles still attached.
To be completely honest, Cross instantly regrets coming here. At the same time, he's convinced this must be why the others weren't concerned earlier. They already knew. They hadn't bothered telling him. Just like they always said, Cross had a tendency to overreact. How entertaining must this have been for them? Were they taking bets on how he'd react this time? Cross would have bet a thousand gold that Killer had already put at least a hundred into the pool.
Seething with betrayal, Cross takes a moment to compose himself before calmly explaining why he came. Another carpet had been destroyed during the gang's latest nonsense in the lounge, and unfortunately that particular carpet had been discontinued. There were no replacements available. Nightmare was notoriously picky about interior design, and in situations like this he usually inspected the room himself before choosing a new design.
Nightmare seems to think for a moment. Perhaps he was annoyed that the gang had ruined yet another carpet he liked. Regardless, he eventually stands up. His stride is smaller than usual, making him a little slower, but otherwise there isn't much trouble getting to the lounge. Cross shortens his own pace to make sure he never accidentally walks ahead of the boss. The entire time, he finds himself wondering whether he should simply carry the tiny boss instead. Internally, he's also cursing Killer for never providing a proper manual for situations like this.
When they finally arrive, Cross opens the lounge door for Nightmare. Three pairs of eyes immediately turn toward him, and Killer in particular grins and waves. As Cross takes a deep breath to calm himself and steps aside for the boss, he finally notices something strange.
The gang, whom Cross expected to laugh at his confusion and tease him mercilessly, simply freezes. The air in the room goes cold, and three pairs of eyes lock onto the miniature black liquid skeleton standing beside him. Their reactions are somewhere very close to complete shock, as though they've never seen anything like this before.
A moment later, Killer lets out something very close to a scream. "What is that, Cross?!" Cross is completely caught off guard and can only say, "Uh... doesn't this happen all the time?" Horror responds with, "No? This is literally the first time I've ever seen this..."
And Dust simply watches Nightmare for a moment, as though trying to determine whether the boss has somehow become weaker, before shrugging. "Evening, lil boss." Nightmare responds exactly the same way as before. "Hmm." Cross, now completely beyond disbelief, can only scream, "Please, Dust!" Dust responds with a simple, "What?" And that's where the story ends.
It was originally an idea I wanted to draw as a comic, but it ended up buried beneath all the other things I wanted to draw and talk about. I really enjoy using repetition for emphasis and then twisting it, so this kind of humor tends to work very well for me.
So, in a way... it's not that I never thought about a mini Nootmare. The idea just got buried beneath a mountain of other ideas. I never really developed any detailed lore for it or anything like that, but I do remember having fun thinking about it because it was such a simple and ridiculous concept.
Your ask reminded me of it, so I figured I'd share the story, haha. Hopefully you enjoyed it! I certainly did. It's nice finally getting the chance to talk about an idea that never quite made it into a finished comic 😌
Thank you for the ask, and I hope you have a wonderful day! 💕
