#I can not see him ever being as a Dadmare

[m-to-z-andbackto-m]

(TLDR at the bottom)

(I FORGOT TO POST THIS AND IT'S JUST BEEN SITTING IN MY DRAFTS COLLECTING DUST 😭)

More DreamTale ramble because it's their birthday and I still don't have their gift finished 😭

DreamTale By Joku 🫶

DREAMTALE is about BALANCE correct?

>:)

>:/

>:(

Okay, yeah I'm not too excited about this one but here we go (That's a lie, I'm hella invested):

Original:

Nightmare - Died once, is a pelvis hole, pretty sure he unalived one of Killer's cats or at least attacked it, being of hate, literally no one should be happy around him (He might KILL YOUR CAT if you are smh)

Dream - Was turned to stone once, definition of a cinnamon roll, authentic Disney princess (Reference), way too kind and hopeful for his own good, literally no one should be upset around him

Okay we got this? Nightmare? Super Uncool. Dream? Super Wholesome.

Right okay so DreamTale having this Balance shtick, I think it makes Sans (Ba Dum Tsss) that in versions where Nightmare is actually likable (DadMare), Dream is... Less likable...

Like canonically that's a load of bull shart and super unlikely to be the case, like, ever

But making one likable (In this case, Nightmare), more often than not, renders the other unlikable (Dream), I've seen it, over and over (Examples):

Rehabilitation Multiverse (I 🫶 Them) (Guys go read Little Assistant on Quotev, I beg, it's so cute, they have a blog on here too <3)

BJTBS and more of Dark's content

That one multiverse where Dream is essentially the embodiment of toxic positivity (Crazed? Dream?) and Nightmare has gotta go around fixing up mishaps (Really liked this idea, it takes the whole thing I'm talking about and multiplies it by 20)

I think Shattered Dreams should count too?

Okay actually those are the only ones I've personally looked into myself (I think DreamSwap by Kai might count too but I haven't looked into DS since... 3... years ago... yeah-) but I've seen it mentioned over and over, whether someone's ranting about a fanfic they read or doodles people make

Due to these observations, I conclude:

Common DreamTale Occurrence: To have a likable Nightmare, you need a less-than-ideal Dream. To keep your pure Dream, you gotta have a hateful Nightmare.

Exceptions:

Both Are Unlikable (Rare?)

Both are likable (but don't see eye socket to eye socket if you wanna keep that conflict, or they vibe together neutrally if you don't care for the conflict)

Redemption Variations

Most Truce Multiverses

Petty/Joke/Non Or Semi Serious Versions

Etc...

Examples of each exception except the first one because I haven't seen that yet:

Both Likable: Nightmare may be DadMare, neutral, hold his own morals that from his perspective are understandable, or secretly still cares for Dream. Dream may be angsty, close to canon, naive, or also hold his side of morals that are still valid I've also seen one where he's been manipulated by the village so any toxic (behavior isn't/beliefs aren't) his fault. (I think it was called RoseVerse, found it on YT, really cool stuff!)

Redemption Variations: This mainly revolves around Nightmare redeeming himself, or the group as a whole, possible P!Nightmare.

Truce Multiverses: Self explanatory, The Stars (Or in this case, mostly Dream) and Nightmare's Group (Again, in this case, mostly Nightmare) agree on a truce

Semi To Non Serious Multiverses: Joke comics can follow the observation but also not since they're not canon anyways, like Roxy's overprotective Nightmare (StareMare!) drawings, or The Worst Smile comic (I think... That was the name...)

Summary: DreamTale's Balance shtick and the pattern of having one Apple Brother likable rendering the other unlikable is so common, I propose it as sort of a common occurring rule(?) that has some exceptions because this fandom is limitless regardless of it's patterns

[topazshadowwolf]

soriel brand dadmare. Nightmare overworks himself so Lyra give a back message so he can relax.

Should he get a monocle? After all this time, he couldn’t stand staring at his paperwork for so long. His vision was blurred, and his head was starting to hurt, a rare thing for him. His tendrils thrashed as he sighed and leaned against his desk.

Ever since he decided to start building alliances versus using every AU as a place to generate bursts of negative emotions, his paperwork has increased. What’s the AU? What resources does it have? Who is in charge? How willing are they to trade with others? What deals were made? What contracts were formed? So on and so forth.

He sighed and closed his socket, no longer able to tolerate looking at anything.

This peace was supposed to free up his time. He was supposed to be able to sit in his library and read all day if he so chose. Lately, he has had less free time. And his boys did offer to help. Sanses do, apparently, have a good record of doing paperwork. That whole bit with helping Papyrus as king, and likely Toriel when she becomes queen in a neutral run, is the source of that.

But the four already have enough to do. They are the ones who are scouting these AUs, talking with the leaders… being his voice when he can’t be there, among other tasks. He couldn’t make them do all of this. They would have no time for themselves.

“They said I could find you here,” Lyra said, and Nightmare opened his tired eye socket to look at her.

“Hello, Lyra,” He replied and watched as she walked into the room with a cinnamon roll and a cup of milk.

“I insist you take a break. If anything, let me help you,” She said as she waited for him to move some papers to set the treat down for him.

He sighed and picked up the fork before looking up at her. “I need more than help. I had believed I no longer needed henchman. The fact is, I need more employed. Among their chores and responsibilities, I can tell the boys are stressed.”

“So can I…,” Lyra agreed. She then moved behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “And so are you.”

“Yes… I could use someone who enjoys this tedious work,” Nightmare shook his head. “I need to employ a wide range of help…. The boys hinted at this, but it just seems weird.”

Something was happening. Lyra’s paws were moving. Fingers pressing into tense areas in just the right away. Nightmare hummed as his thoughts seemed to slow with the feeling of relaxation coming over him. “They mentioned it to me as well. You own a castle, Night. It is practically empty.”

“Mmm… yeah… there’s space,” He said, not noticing he shortened ‘there is’ into ‘there’s.’

“Before I left the OmegaTimeline today, Core mentioned that UnderFell Toriel outcode the boys found,” Lyra started. Nightmare hummed again, but this time in question. “She apparently has been saying that she would like to come here.”

That made him pause, and his tendrils grabbed her wrists for a moment as he needed a moment to think. “She has been? For what reason?”

“She doesn’t like it there, Night. It is not what she wants. She said she would do anything to get out of there and be here. Core hesitated but finally came to me and told me about that,” Lyra explained, and then Nightmare released her wrists.

“I see… ooooh…,” He relaxed again as she started in on massaging his shoulders again.

“You can find people. There are outcodes who would be willing to work for you,” Lyra said as she started to move down his back. And words could not describe how good that felt.

His tentacles lowered and relaxed as she worked the tension out just above their connection point. He couldn’t really think. At least not enough to find a point to disagree with this. Sure, he’ll bring in more mortals. Three was his limit, but if she was going to give him back massages, he would change that limit to whatever would get her to do this more.

“... Alright… tell… uh… Core I will… meet tomorrow,” He hummed and he heard her soft laugh.

“I will. Now you just relax. We will find someone to help you sort this all out. As well as make better use of that laptop than a paperweight,” Lyra said with a giggle before she continued with the massage

[utmv-headcanons-for-the-brave]

Headcanon timmmmeeeeee-

I’m. Not tagging this. Because I’m too tired to type out all of those tags. But, all. Haracters here, unless stated otherwise, do NOT belong to me, and belong to their rightful owners. With that out of the way, let’s get right into these wonderful headcanons.

——————————————————————————

Dream and Nightmare don’t hold any grudges against each other(anymore), but they still fight and stuff because the rest of the Bad Sanses enjoy it. And because Ink’s a dumbass and would forget to not pick fights with Nightmare.

Nightmare and Dream usually just mildly inconvenience each other, (mostly Nightmare) but don’t do anything(usually) that would put the other in a life or death situation.

Even in a non-ship kind of relationship between Ink and Error, when the two aren’t fucking with each other, Ink will sometimes try to help Error with his fear of touch. Only sometimes, though, and only when Error isn’t angry at Ink for something. Which, is rare.

When/if Nightmare reverts to his ‘passive’ state, the rest of his gang sorta treats him like a child at first, but then Night proves he can still kill things, and they immediately stop. Likely because Nightmare was like “Hey keep that up and you’re next”.

And there’s gonna be more under the cut I just don’t want this post to be super duper long-

Dadmare. Just. Nightmare takes care of his gang like they’re children. If they’re sad, he tries to make them feel better. If they need to vent, he lets them. If they’re hurt, he takes care of their wounds. I think you get it.

Nightmare likes to bake. Like, just tandom shit. Cookies, cake, brownies, you name it, he can probably bake it.

Everybody Error cares about has a plushie that he made for them. Who all has a plushie, you ask? Well, that’s up to you.

Ink, despite being a bastard man that likes to annoy people, does try his hardest to remember people’s triggers and fears so that he doesn’t fuck up and bring up some trauma or make someone have a panic attack. And, if he forgets, he will apologize profusely because he very much so didn’t mean to.

Chara and Asriel like to have very, very odd conversations. Like stuff like “what is the meaning of life” “does the universe ever end” and so on. This makes Toriel and Asgore very concerned.

Geno is hella touch-starved.

Reaper is also hella touch-starved. But for more obvious reasons than Geno.

Killer is afraid of the dark, because he doesn’t want to look like a target, but, that’s all people will see of him in the dark. A glowing target.

The fandom can’t decide if Sans sleeps too much, or too little, so I’ve come up with a solution. The answer is both. Because that’s what Sans thinks. But it depends on the situation. If it would benefit him to be like “yeah I sleep a lot” then it’s like okay he sleeps to much. But if it would benefit him to be like “oh I don’t sleep” then he doesn’t sleep enough. I personally believe he doesn’t sleep enough though.

Geno and Reaper, even in a non-ship relationship, would probably hold hands, just so they could feel someone else’s touch. Y’know, ‘cause, due to Geno being stuck in the save screen, and Death killing pretty much everyone he touches, neither of them really feel another person’s touch. Ever.

Edge is only an asshole to his brother because he’s like “well I don’t want him to fucking DIE, and he’s fucking stupid so- if I’m mean to him then he’ll realize other people are probably worse” and so yeah. He thinks being a little shit will help his brother not die. And, he’s kinda right, I guess. I mean, Fell isn’t dead yet.

Fresh unironically says ‘owo’ and ‘uwu’.

—————————————————————————

Okay this is all I’ve got but if y’all wanna- request some. I can think of more. I know I sound desperate, but, uh, it would be awesome if y’all could send some asks. I dunno I just like interacting with people ahahahugvjgvgffygfygfugug

[topazshadowwolf]

fuzzynight hurt/comfort

I spent most of the day working on this because YES! Hurt/comfort?! I LOVE hurt/comfort! But you didn't hint as to who you wanted to be hurt, so... I DID BOTH! Two one-shots here. First, is Nightmare getting hurt and Lyra comforting him, and the second is the other way around... aaaaand hints of a major event that will occur in FuzzyNight Dadmare fics.

Nightmare Hurt/Lyra Comfort

“Night?”

Nightmare looked up from where he sat in the infirmary. Standing in the doorway was Lyra. There was so much concern in her garnet-colored eyes. He was about to reply, but it was then that Killer and Horror extracted one of Error’s bones from his shoulder, causing the Guardian of Negativity to flinch. It couldn’t do any lasting damage, and now that it was out of the way, the area was rapidly healing.

“… I heard what happened. Here, boys, why don’t you help Dust with Cross. I brought some wild berry pie that you all are to eat. Especially Cross, it will help heal him up,” Lyra instructed.

“thanks, lyra,” Horror replied.

“take good care of him, alright?” Killer said with a wink. He then grabbed Horror, and the two disappeared.

Lyra moved closer, and Nightmare remembered he had yet to say anything. “Thank you for your help. But his attacks don’t carry positivity to them. I will be fine.”

“That blaster burned away your arm and a tentacle,” Lyra replied.

“The key word is ‘will,’ I will recover,” Nightmare explained. Looking up at her from the chair he was in.

“Of course you will, because I will be helping you,” Lyra stated, her tone of voice hinting she won’t be told otherwise.

“I see,” he surrendered as her paws were placed on his shoulders. The comforting healing magic entered his body, cooling the burns Error’s blasters caused. He relaxed at that feeling and closed his socket.

“You look tired, Moonbeam,” Lyra said softly.

“Mmhmm, feel it too,” he admitted as his face warmed at her nickname. Her one of many nicknames.

“Then you need sleep, dear King,” she replied while placing a paw on his left cheekbone.

“I need to see to my boys,” Nightmare insisted, even as his face increased in warmth. He had learned his face takes a teal hue when his face feels like this. How embarrassing….

“You know I will tend to them, Nightstar,” Lyra did not let up. And that last name he was particularly weak against. It was the first she ever used and the moniker she spoke with such love and respect.

Nightmare was still confused about how these emotions he could detect her feeling for him did not disgust him. And why did he lean so much into her touch? “You win, Lyra,” he surrendered. “Using affection to get your way is unfair.”

“I will worry about the fairness of this when you are no longer missing limbs,” She replied as she picked him up, a feeling he was still unused to. His tendrils curled around her for added support as he leaned into her hold.

“I can walk. I still have both legs,” Nightmare said, looking up at her.

“I will be fine. I need to see to my boys. I can walk,” Lyra sighed and looked at him while holding Nightmare close. “Nightstar, you do so much. You have fought your way, alone, through the multiverse. You tend to your followers dutifully, more fatherly than intended. You secured yourself a place to live in. Build alliances among AUs that look to you and your men. Then it was you, alone, who called for peace between your brother and yourself. But you are not alone anymore. Your efforts have made you allies, your followers are your sons, and I am here to tend to you. So, please, Nightmare, allow yourself to be comforted. I know it means being vulnerable in front of someone, but that is not a bad thing. Not anymore. Now that you have us… you are safe.”

His tendrils decided for him, tightening his grip on her. “Alright, my love. I surrender,” he sighed, and she carried him over to one of the beds.

She then nuzzled his nasal bone, and he was surprised by the sudden act of affection. After covering him up with blankets, she sat down beside him and started to hum a tune. 

“Lyra?”

“Shush, I am singing you to sleep,” she said with a smile and a laugh. Once again, she placed her hand on the side of his face and petted his cheekbone with her thumb. As he turned into her touch, she started up her tune again.

… and soon he was asleep.

Lyra Hurt/Nightmare Comfort

His plan was working perfectly. Dust grinned to himself as he hid the bag of washed laundry behind some loose stones to retrieve later. He then placed the ones washed in an OuterTale laundry mat with their sparkly soap in the machine he emptied.

Horror and Cross will get it, but Killer, the victim of this prank, will jump to the most absurd conclusion. That a wormhole connected this washer to one in an OuterTale AU that sometimes abducts his clothes. Leaving sci-fi articles about wormholes where Killer could see them was some subconscious preparation for this prank.

Grinning away, Dust turned to leave when a portal appeared, and a figure stumbled through and collapsed. Here… in the laundry room. That figure was bleeding out.

Toriel…

What have I…

Toriel didn’t have black fur! Half of her body is black. Lyra, this is Lyra. “NIGHTMARE!” Dust yelled. 

Did he know he could yell that loud?

“dust was that,” Cross looked into the room, carrying his own basket. He must have been on the way in to do his own laundry. “the heck?! what happened?”

Cross dropped his basket and ran over to kneel by her. “lyra! hey, you with us?” Cross frowned, “she’s breathing but… dust! hey! focus!”

Wasn’t he focused? Oh, wait, he wasn’t talking… he hadn’t moved either.

A shadow entered the room next, and Nightmare formed from it. “Cross, attend to Dust.”

“yes, boss!” Cross said before jumping up and hurrying to Dust’s side.

“Lyra… what happened to you…,” Nightmare said quietly, and that was the last Dust heard before Cross shortcut them both away.

---

She was warm… almost too warm, really. With a groan, Lyra started to sit up, but her chest and abdomen hurt so much that she was forced to lie back down. Her head throbbed as the room spun for a moment from her efforts.

“You are awake,” A familiar voice said from beside her. Turning her head, she could see Nightmare sitting beside her. He closed the book in his hands and set it aside. “How are you feeling?” He asked, his eye light looking her over.

“What… what happened?” Lyra asked as she closed her eyes. “And I am too warm... can you take a blanket off?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. You showed up randomly in the laundry room, severely wounded,” Nightmare stated as he pulled off a blanket. In his attempt to take care of her, he must have forgotten she has her own permanent fur blanket. His left hand then moved to her head, and his phalanges moved over the fur of her forehead.

“Oh…, I am sorry. That must have,” she started but squeaked as Nightmare lightly tugged her ear.

“You are sorry? Sorry that you were bleeding out? Likely dying? You are apologizing to me for needing help?” He pressed, and she sighed.

“I meant to go somewhere else,” She explained.

“With better healers?” Nightmare asked. “We both know that, while I have improved my healing arts, they are still lacking.”

“Yeah…,” Lyra lied. That apparently earned her ear another soft tug.

“Do not forget I am an empath, and you are terrible at hiding your emotions when you lie,” Nightmare sighed. “So, you fled a fight, that I would still like to know about, and you intended to go where if not here?”

“... To my home,” Lyra said quietly. A feeling of sadness and resignation to her fate built up too strongly to hide.

“To your… why? You were far too injured to heal yourself?” His socket then narrowed, and his other hand moved to her own, gripping it tightly. He must have felt it. The despair she was feeling. “This is your home now. I don’t know where you lived before, but if you intended to go home, but your magic brought you here, this is your home!” He wasn’t yelling even if his voice was raised. He sounded desperate…

“I would not have died,” She reached her other hand over to touch his face to calm him. “Not to a wound like that.”

His socket narrowed, “Is that how you earned your other scars? By just curling up and waiting for your body to heal them?”

“It is a fate I earned,” she sighed.

Nightmare moved his hands away and sat back in his chair. His hands went to his head in a dramatic display of his frustration. “Why am I surrounded by people determined to punish themselves for things without consulting others?!” 

He sighed and leaned forward, holding his head while resting his elbows on the bed. “I do not care what you think you earned. I think we have established that we love each other. Now that I have felt your love for me, I will not be so easily parted from it. I am greedy, Lyra. That is what I am, Lyra, a greedy lover who wants your affection anytime you can supply it while floundering to figure out how to show my love for you.”

“Night,” She started, and he kissed her. She could feel the cool of his corrupted magic on her lips mingled with the sorrow he was feeling. He had never kissed her on the lips before. A flustered peck on the cheek, sure, but… this… 

Oh, the love… she could feel it now. His hands moved to both sides of her face as he wasn’t done. He intended to share his love for her, smothering any disagreement with his affection. And it was working as she hummed contently, negative thoughts discarded to be replaced with love.

Self-preservation through her need to breathe was thrown out the window of him taking her breath away. Not content to finish the kiss there, he stood for a better angle. Leaning over her, phalanges playing with her fur, ruffling it in the most enjoyable way. His magic danced with hers over her lips as he continued that kiss, pouring out his love for her. But eventually, she needed air; her body demanded it, so she had to pull away.

She gasped for air and then looked at him, about to speak when he shook his head. “I was not done speaking, my love. For as your greedy lover, I wish to know who you feel has the right to hurt you and why they have that right. I have the right to know that, not only as your love but as your friend and ally. You are one of mine. I value my things greatly. And I value those in my care even more.”

“Is that so?” She said, after having the time to catch her breath.

“It is,” he mused.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes. “I love you,” she sighed, “so I surrender. When I have regained my strength, I will explain.”

That seemed to please him, as his tendrils calmly wagged behind him as if they were happy tails. When was it that she found that so endearing? Or started to even understand the various movements they made. Reaching out, she touched one and encouraged it to curl around her hand and arm.

“I suppose you want me to stay nearby,” he chuckled as he looked at her.

“I would like another one of those kisses. So, yes, I do want you to stay nearby,” she smiled and then looked at him. 

Oh my! How cute-. Nightmare’s face was covered with that beautiful, flustered, teal blush. Gently she tugged on the tendril she had ensnared. “Come here, Moonbeam,” she purred, and he obeyed.

[topazshadowwolf]

OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD

This brings up a point for my Dadmare and how he differs from OG Nightmare. In How Nightmare became Dadmare, he is seen preferring hot chocolate. Lots of art and fics I have seen have Noot drinking coffee, but not mine. He prefers the sweeter drink for two reasons.

Hot chocolate is good for starts, plus milk is calming due to its chemical properties He's kept up by other stuff and doesn't want a stimulant.

2. Coffee has caffeine which is addictive. Consider how many people you know who can't operate on without their morning coffee. Dadmare hates, and I mean hates, feeling controlled after he achieved a balance between his true self and corruption. Yes, sugar can also be addictive, but it's not like caffeine. He knows he can relax without the hot chocolate, sleep without it, and can go days without it. Try being a caffeine addict and then not having one. You do get withdrawals.

The nightmare I write about is different than the OG Nightmare. He would not drink coffee and definitely not black coffee.

And I do have my thoughts on how he avoids being as corrupted as other nightmares and is not like OG Nightmare in many ways. But that's for another time. You all were going to see some other Nightmares in chapter 6, but that might be pushed to chapter 7 as I'm adding a new scene to 5.