how would king creativity react to Virgil and Janus being fakimals?
When they were still Daydreams and Nightmares, the twins had an older brother to guide them. While they all mirrored the age of their person, Creativity had existed for longer and therefore took the two underneath his figurative wings. (And in truth, Daydreams and Nightmares were not as much twins as two sides of a similar coin. Nightmares had come first, but the beginning of the aspect forming had been rocky, and he often plays at being the younger twin.)
Creativity hadn't thought of ideas as either good or bad, but simply as fun, and loved his brothers equally. But he was also respectful, and would listen to the input from Caution and Belief (and oh, how he liked Belief, for always fueling his Creativity.)
He would even listen to Knowledge and Emotions, although Emotions could be a bit too controlling (what does it matter how Thomas feels about his ideas, the important part is having them!)
It just came naturally that the aspect that he grew closest to —besides his brothers — would be Belief, and with Belief came Caution. So when Caution discovers something new, he has the honour of being shown.
Seeing Caution turning into a kitten is amazing, and seeing Belief follow as a bunny is even more so, as it means that all aspects are capable of shifting shapes. (Or maybe it does not, but if Caution and Belief can, nothing should be able to stop Creativity.)
So he turns too, to the first thing that he can think of; a dragon!
He then immediately turns back, having accidentally given both Caution and Belief a fright.
And while being a dragon had been amazing, it had felt like a shape he could be stuck in if he were not careful; his Creativity taking to the role until he forgot himself.
He could never forgive himself if he got too absorbed in a role and left his brothers or friends behind.
I'd forgotten about fakimals. Please can you tells us more about Remus looking after Virgil and Janus in their animal forms ~fred
Remus is five years old, and decides to be responsible for two sides that don't represent nice things, much like himself. He is five years old and shouldering more responsibility than he should alone. The two sides have discovered that they don't have to be humans, and so they are not. Remus still treats them as if they are.
Remus is ten years old, and his only company is two sides that don't want to be human ever again. They can't speak with him, but they're still better company than the other three sides. He is ten years old and considered bad by the only other sides that want to be human. Remus won't admit that playing with animals isn't the same.
Remus is fifteen years old, and has to fill the silence himself. Virgil and Janus will make noises, and he understands what they mean, but noises aren't words. He is fifteen years old and growing tired of the sound of his own voice. Remus refuses to complain to the only two sides who want to be his family.
Remus is twenty years old, and he has gotten his first hug from another human in years. Virgil and Janus has slowly started experimented with turning human for short amounts of time. He is twenty years old and crying because he never knew how much they loved and cared for him. Remus finally knows that he doesn't have to bear all the weight.
Remus is twenty-five years old, and he has started bothering the other three human sides. Twenty years is a long time to go without seeing his brother. The other sides like his supposed pets more than they like him. He is twenty-five years old and crying into fur because he's not wanted. Remus lets the two look after him for once.
Remus is thirty years old, and no longer has to be responsible for two sides that prefer living as various animals. The other three sides are slowly opening up to him more, after realising why they never knew that four sides were actually six. He is thirty years old and having a real conversation with the two sides that he considers family, while in the same room as three sides that could become family. Remus no longer has any weight on his shoulders.
Remus has always known his name. Has always known that he was more than just Nightmares.
He has always been different.
Maybe there was a time before he was Remus, but the time before he took shape is unclear. He doesn't remember being black wisps. Not truly. Not in a way that matters.
He can still be black wisps, can still cease to exist. He does, sometimes, when the voices in his head get too much.
When he gets scared that he's not really wanted. Not actually loved.
Gets scared that he could hurt someone.
Maybe that's why he hasn't told anyone his name. If they're forced to remember that he's Nightmares, then maybe it won't hurt so much when their love runs out. Maybe they'll understand when he does hurt them.
Being Remus can be his secret. He's good at those.
He has so many thoughts that he has never shared. That he has kept to himself, even if they hurt, even if they upset him.
Anything to not be the one hurting others, upsetting others.
Remus is loved. He wants to stay that way.
So, yes, Remus has always known his name. But he can't be more than Nightmares.
Remus is the one who suggests that they leave. That they make their own family.
He knows that he's not the first one that Caution and Belief showed their new ability to. He knows that he's probably not their first choice.
(He knows that they've always been a set, like he's a set with Daydreams. He knows that Belief has always been closer with Creativity, just as he's supposedly closer with Knowledge.
Remus doesn't know if he has ever been close to anyone. Not for real.)
He wonders if it's selfish to want to leave his brothers behind. But he's not leaving them alone; Daydreams and Creativity will still have each other! They just won't have him. They won't have Nightmares.
It's for the best, isn't it? Emotions have never liked him. Has never liked Caution all that much either. He has no idea if Emotions likes Belief, but he doesn't think Belief cares much for Emotions.
It's for the best that they leave. That they make their own family.
And isn't it wondrous that they agree? That they want to make a family with him?
Remus has never felt this loved.
(He has. He knows he has. He knows he'll miss Daydreams and Creativity as if they're parts of himself that he has cut off and left behind. He knows that he's making a life where he'll only have animals to talk at, not people to talk to. Not really.
But Caution and Belief will be safer if they're not different, and he would never make them feel like they're different.
It hurts, to feel like you're different. He could never do that to them.)
Remus is the one who suggests that they leave. He'll be the best big brother they could ever ask for, at the cost of himself. And they'll love him and never look at him like he's different, because they're different too.
Emotions, Wonder, and Learning can't tell who came first; they were all so close together as the world was discovered for the first time
Wonder soon wasn't satisfied with just appreciating; they wanted to contribute, and so Creativity was born
No one can quite tell when Nightmares truly became one of them (was it before Creativity, or after?), lingering on the outskirts of consciousness for a while
Belief and Caution followed each other closely, almost hand-in-hand from the very start
Daydreams arrived last, but took so immediately to Creativity that it was hard to remember a time before
Learning turned into Facts and then Knowledge in short order
It took a mere five years to settle into their roles fully: Emotions, Knowledge, Creativity, Daydreams, Nightmares, Belief, and Caution
And then Caution showed Belief that they could shift shapes, and things would forever change
Can you write more about how the Light sides learn more about Virgil and Janus after the reveal? I can imagine they'd fail at being sneaky in their attempts but Roman and Patton would try to be thinking it's less scary than outright asking questions
Patton doesn't mean to be anything but kind and excited over the two new-but-not-new sides (even if he doesn't understand why they would hide from him! isn't he understanding and affectionate? isn't he worthy of their trust?), but his enthusiasm makes him overbearing, and that's putting it kindly. He's too much, as he's very earnestly trying to make them comfortable, but also figure out where he went wrong, and kiddos, why didn't you tell him ":)"
It's no surprise that Patton learns the least on his own, and he will not admit to being jealous.
Roman is curious and fascinated, because how couldn't he be, but he's taking an overly cautious approach instead; his brother will choose the not-new sides over him, and he just got an excuse to seek Remus out! (but he shouldn't ever have needed an excuse, and he's only just now realising how fucked up it is that he didn't feel comfortable going against Patton and visiting his own brother. wouldn't his own happiness have been worth making Patton upset and/or suspicious?)
With that said, he's not necessarily very patient about it, but any interactions with Virgil and Janus come naturally with seeking Remus out; he's trying very hard to balance being respectful of their needs with his desire to repair his relationship with Remus.
He's also flustered around Janus, who has learned a lot about him that Roman never intended to share. He really took a shine to that hummingbird, okay?
(He's actually learning a lot about them just by spending time with them and listening to Remus, but he's not actively trying to, so it kinda surprises him when he realises.)
Logan is content with observing and letting them be the ones to seek him out, not too dissimilar from how he treated them when he thought they were animals with human-like intelligence. He's taking a lot of notes on how shapeshifting affects appearance and behaviour, and is hoping to be able to turn it into a proper study.
His hands-off approach means that Virgil and Janus feel comfortable being around him and asking him questions. You can learn a lot from someone based on what they want to know.
What are Virgil and Janus's views of Questionable Dukesleep? do they are like the human formed ones are entertainment or get annoyed at how they rile each other?
do they act like Remy and Remus are entertainment, like a soap opera, or get frustrated at how they act
Since they left, Caution and Belief and Nightmares have been inseparable; Caution and Belief especially so. Both of them love Nightmares; for being willing to leave for them, for protecting them, for never asking them to be human. It doesn't stop them from being closer to each other.
It doesn't stop them from leaving Nightmares alone.
Not often! And they always make him know that he's welcome! They would never actively exclude him from anything; he's their family, and they love him fiercely. But sometimes they just want to forget about ever having been anything other than animals, and Nightmares doesn't always feel like shapeshifting to spend time with them.
They would stay for him, if he asked. They would turn human for him, if he asked. At least for a little while. At least for long enough to tell him in words how much they love him.
Nightmares isn't all that good a liar. Not when Caution is turning into Anxiety. Not when Belief is sometimes Lies. But they'll pretend to believe him, if that's what he needs.
When Caution almost Anxiety and Belief sometimes Lies come home and Nightmares can't stop talking about having met someone new— about having met a figment! — they're happy for him. How could they not be? They know that he misses Daydreams, and probably Knowledge too. They know that they can't always be there for him. They know that he must be lonely and that he gave up so much for them.
They want Nightmares to be happy. To feel loved. It's good if he gets someone that he's able to talk with instead of to.
Meeting the figment — meeting Sleep — is an experience.
They're not human for it, but they're not in any of their dangerous forms either. It's the best first impression they can make. Nightmares might not have said as much, but it's obvious that he wants it to go well. Obvious that he would choose their happiness over his own if they don't like Sleep.
They can't let him do that.
And meeting Sleep, they don't think Sleep would let him do that.
It sets them at ease when Sleep lets Nightmares ramble, but then there's a lollipop forced into his mouth. Displeased hissing at the rough treatment fills the silence until the happiness on Nightmares' face sinks in and they settle back down, trusting him where they don't yet trust Sleep.
When Sleep effortlessly answers everything that Nightmares had asked, playfully tugging at the lollipop stick whenever it looks like Nightmares will interrupt, they share a bewildered glance but decide that Sleep is no danger. That they can trust them to care for their best friend, their family.
Every glimpse at the relationship between Nightmares and Sleep that they get afterwards is like that. Bewildering.
It doesn't matter what Sleep does; Nightmares always respond positively, and it would have been a problem if Sleep weren't so obviously affectionate in their actions. It's bullying, it's mean, it's schoolyard crush behaviour, yet none of Nightmares' lines are ever crossed for real.
Anxiety is wary of when Sleep will push too hard, when they'll finally overstep and hurt Nightmares, but he knows apologies will follow if it does happen. He doesn't understand what their relationship is, but their interactions can be amusing to watch when they're not confusing or feel too intimate to be around.
(He knows his relationship with Belief/Lies isn't easy to explain either, but he doesn't think what Nightmares and Sleep have can be compared. It's a category of its own.)
Belief (never ready to be Lies) is scared that Nightmares is too eager to please to remember that his feelings matter, but they trust that Sleep will remind him. They trust that Nightmares will be reminded that he's loved, that he won't feel left behind. They trust that Nightmares will be happy, will be safe.
(And most importantly of all, they know that if Sleep ever does anything to mess that up, they and Anxiety will be there to pick up the pieces. But for now, they just try to not walk in on Nightmares and Sleep when they play their games.)
