Complicated. Being the first official member, Killer's had the most to get used to all the unspoken rules that come with living in the castle (through breaking every single one a million times each).
While he is loyalty personified when it comes to missions and other serious matters, he knows exactly how much he can(usually) get away with and loves to tow the line, especially with the others. Before anything and anyone else comes his cat, which has been tested by Nightmare when he first considered Killer, originally as a goon for throwing off Ink and Dream.
Nightmare employs a hands-off approach with Killer, for the most part, and doesn't go out of his way to interact more(or less) outside of missions. He keeps his "employee" in check as needed, though he becomes more lenient over time(as Killer settles down more).
His feelings towards Killer boil down to someone who got a roomba for efficiency.
Dust+Nightmare
Being recruited second, Dust had to settle in with already established dynamics, which wasn't too hard for him, since he didn't care about any of them nor how he's expected to fit into them.
His feelings towards Nightmare are pretty nebulous, but so are his feelings towards everyone(or so he insists).
He sees Nm as his boss and retains a purely professional relationship with him, which the Guardian is more than content with. Dust's loyalties lie with his brother first, and himself second, but surprisingly enough Papyrus and him agree more often than not. He gains, over many years, a sense of belonging and loyalty to the gang, but it's a very slow process.
Nightmare appreciates how quiet Dust is, and his business approach to working for him. He does not appreciate how often he has to pull Dust away from trying to, well, dust Killer.
Horror+Nightmare
Horror comes third, into what is, at first, just shy of a battlefield. He's brought in to mostly be Dust and Killer's keeper, at first, which he's scarily good at. He has his Role, and his home depends on him being good at it, so he does what he's always done and becomes what people need him to be.
He feels equal parts hate and gratefulness towards Nightmare, but regardless of his feelings he does his job without complaining.
He's the strongest physically, but the weakest overall when it comes to magic reserves. His scare factor comes in handy to making the other two skeletons listen.
His loyalty ultimately lies within the bounds of his home, and as such he is willing to do anything to ensure everyone's safety, even joining a multiversal war...against the multiverse.
Nightmare, although he would never admit it, finds Horror to be his favorite, even as the monster hates his guts. He appreciates his work ethic and the fact he can keep his other troublemakers in check. After he recovers enough from his starved state, he finds Horror to be an asset in spreading negativity throughout the aus.
Cross+Nightmare
Cross is the last main addition to the castle. He struggles heavily with finding his place in the relationships and dynamics already set in stone, and is more than a little awkward(which is more often than not read as antagonistic).
Cross swears loyalty to Nightmare and his cause out of a sense of duty, after the latter locates his empty AU through his negative emotions and helps give Chara and him new souls.
His feelings towards Nightmare are not exactly positive, but he carries on with his duties regardless. He mistakenly calls Nightmare "Your Highness" in his little allegiance speech, and the nickname sticks.
Nightmare is amused by this righteous knight, who so clearly hates his job yet does it anyway, in the name of a misplaced sense of debt.
Nightmare – he is a Fossil. The guys got him Mario and it’s now the only game he plays(and he’s damn good at it). Aside from that, he plays dating sims on his phone when he’s bored(which he would never admit to)
Killer – MINECRAFT forever. He is everything your 3 week mc faze was but all the time and at max intensity. It’s his absolute favorite game because he doesn’t have to think too hard about it and can dissociate to it when he’s having a hard time. It helps that there’s no clear objective or timeline of events he’s tied to, so he can have a level of control he doesn’t irl, plus all the mods, shaders and different maps makes for an as close to happy as he could be Killer.
Dust – Mr “video games are for kids” who absolutely destroys EVERY. SINGLE. BEING. At Just Dance, Dance dance revolution and any rhythm game u can think of. But that doesn’t count…….. why? “Because I said so” -Dust
Horror– Stardew Valley, followed closely by Animal Crossing. Why? Pretty simple. Farming games first, and the controlled social aspect of friendships(and romantic interests in stardew). Stardew is not an easy game, but it’s not challenging in a way Horror can’t keep up with. Repetitive tasks and anything relating to food is his forte, after so many years of cooking and managing his own little farm(not to mention the private, quiet lessons from farmtale!sans when he goes to pick up food for his au)
(all i know about stardew i know through youtube and tiktok. keep that in mind)
Cross – used to be Mr “I can’t afford yo waste time on silly things like that” until he chilled tf out and started trying the games he saw others playing on the communal consoles. His favorite game is, unfortunately, CSGO, and he frequently plays with Killer just to absolutely annihilate the latter.
Zerox – Hue! Charming little game that has his whole heart and soul. First game they 100%ed out of pure love for it and desire for it to not end. Perfect mix between a nice, simple story with a happy ending and genuinely difficult puzzles wrapped in a fun concept!
S – He doesn’t play video games, actually. Of any kind. Yeah… not joking. Any free time he gets is spent somewhere out in nature or at Ccino's. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t get much truly free time, but Zero does bring him coffee from Ccino's often enough that it’s bearable.
Bonus
Error – The Talos Principle. Perfect, immaculate, holds up incredibly well years later. (he went against Elohim from the first word he uttered). The only thing on par with his love for this game is Road to Gehenna, so, basically, nothing beats it or comes anywhere near. 100/10, author is planning on replaying it very soon as well.
(as a little aside, Error and Zero actually form a tentative friendship over their shared love for puzzle game, though Zero is borderline bad at them.)
Dream – He’s a phone game kinda guy, let’s be honest. The only games he plays are sudoku, word-related and tetris-like. His most recent favourite is 1010
Ink – Human Fall Flat. Need I say more? Probably. The amount of puzzles he’s skipped by accidentally parkouring around/over/through them is insane, and it makes him feel Good. Plus, it has no story he’d inevitably forget.
Blue – Little Nightmares, despite what you may think at first. He finds horror games therapeutic, and worked out his frustration at feeling so metaphorically small through playing Little Nightmares 1 and 2. While 1 is his favorite by far impact-wise, he loves how the story comes full circle and the lore implications of Little Nightmares 2
Ink and Dream met shortly after Dream is freed from his stone-y prison. They're allies first, united in their shared goal to protect the multiverse, and over time they become friends.
While they love each other, their relationship is not perfect, and there are still secrets and sore spots they struggle with.
Dream feels like Ink wouldn't understand the more somber, self-destructive angst-y parts of himself, choosing to hide them. While deep down he knows Ink is not the type to judge him for it, he can't make himself share his struggles after a lifetime of keeping up the Forever Steadfast and True Guardian of Positivity mask.
His escapes from obligation come in the form on cigarettes, people who don't know(or care) who he is and indulging in the only piece of his real brother he has left: his books(or, more accurately, what Dream remembers him reading)
Zero's apparent betrayal is another heavy hit on his conscience, and following it he throws himself into helping Core with building the Omega timeline and finding quicker ways to intercept Nightmare and Error's attacks.
Ink feels that his job, besides being the Protector of the Multiverse, is being the comic relief, along with downplaying his genuine fear at being so forgetful at times as just being quirky and somewhat of a klutz.
His coping mechanisms include, besides clowning himself, painting his favorite things, moments and people, helping Core build what needs to be built for the Omega Timeline(most often to his own detriment) and seeking out adrenaline inducing experiences(strong emotional reactions help vivid memories take root).
He struggles a lot with his memory, and how awful forgetting makes him feel, attempting to hide his emotions from Dream by only drinking positive paints, unless the situation calls for him not to, but it ultimately doesn't help his anxiety.
Ink+Blue
Ink meets Blue while fighting (alongside Dream) against Nightmare, Killer and Dust. Blue insists on defending his home and takes on Dust, freeing Ink from the barrage of attacks. Ink, Dream and Blue win the battle, and Blue expresses his desire to be part of their team and save others.
Ink accepts Blue into the team readily, but Dream is far more reticent to. Ink helps Blue argue his case to the Guardian, and he relents at last.
Ink and Blue's friendship is immediate, and Ink shows his new friend the Center just a few weeks later(which Dream disapproves of).
Blue is able to see underneath the layer of masks Ink wears and help him open up, and in turn the Protector offers Blue support in his journey to emancipate from his limited role in his au and expand his magic ability to include multiversal travel
Blue is the one to come up with the name "Star Sanses", inspired from an au occupant they saved, claiming that the group was " a little light in all the darkness surrounding us".
Dream+Blue
When Blue first asked to join him and Ink, Dream almost said yes on instinct. He'd been so tired, he hadn't slept the night before and he'd known they needed a new teammate for some time.
But this was a mortal. Moreover, a mortal from a perfectly whole au. He had everything to lose and nothing to gain. He couldn't let the pressure build on the shoulders of someone whose light didn't NEED to be dimmed.
Eventually, he relented. It's a choice he regrets every time Blue gets hurt.
But he does like Blue. He has a vibe to him, as if he just Knows things... and he does.
A few months into being proper friends, Blue manages to get the Guardian talking about it. The pressure, the expectations... the ways he forgets about it.
Blue reciprocates. He tells Dream about his childhood, taking care of Papyrus alone, feeling the weight of the world and faking a smile until it didn't have to feel fake anymore.
They often have "team dates", where they go lay on the soft grass of the Center while playing board games, or, after particularly hard days, just sit in silence, cuddled up under the tree.
