Dulcamaraze - IM NOT A BOT I JUST LIKE LURKING

handmade warmth

for the @sixteenth-day-event

The cold made Dream’s leg hurt. He rubbed a hand over his residual limb, massaging the scarred flesh and the muscle remained. It was a phantom pain and it annoyed him, that unwanted reminder of what had happened in the prison. He had told Techno that if it was in his mind then he should be able to control it and Techno hadn’t laughed but had given him an oddly tight smile and said he wasn’t sure it worked like that. Leaning forward, Dream held his hands out to the fire. It was low now, as the evening had dragged into night, and that was letting in the chill that caused the aching in his joints.

He thought about calling for Techno, who had disappeared upstairs for something he promised was important, to add another log. He could do it himself on a good day but he was tired and the muscle spasm in his leg when he had moved still hadn’t faded. Some rational part of his mind said it had been barely over a month since he had escaped the prison and it made sense he wasn’t up to much yet. Dream had been studiously ignoring it.

The metal poker was just within reach if Dream tipped the chair over just a little.

“If you fall, I am gonna laugh at you,” came Techno’s voice from behind him.

The chair dropped back to floor with a thud and Dream turned around with the best scowl he could manage, cheeks red and hot.

“I’m not—Shut up, Techno, you’re—you’re the one who left me here for, like, three hours,” said Dream, eyes flicking to the window as he tried to judge how much time had passed. The snow outside, tinted purple by the beacons, made it difficult.

“Bruh, it was not three hours.”

Dream rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, sinking into the chair.

“It felt like three hours.” Dream glanced down. “What’s that?”

The ‘that’ in question was a large package that was tucked under Techno’s arm. It was wrapped in paper decorated with snowflakes and holly and it was lumpy. The bow that had been carefully tied around it was crushed a little. Techno held it out and patted one hand against it.

“It’s a present, Dream,” he said, crossing the room to stand in front of Dream. He set in his lap. “Merry Christmas, man.”

Blinking a couple times, Dream ran his hand over the package and then frowned.

“It’s not even Christmas.”

Techno glanced at the fireplace then reached for a log. He carefully placed it on top, the flames licking at his fingers, and if it burnt, he didn’t seem to notice. Pulling his rocking chair a little bit forward, he sat.

“Eh, it’s Christmas Eve. Close enough.” Techno shrugged. “Beside, that’s as much for me as it is for you. Go on, open it, man.”

In the fireplace, the flames licked up the new log. Dream’s frown deepened. There were half a dozen protests he could make – that Christmas Eve still wasn’t Christmas, that he hadn’t gotten anything for Techno – but he began to carefully tear open the paper.

“Whatever,” he muttered. The embarrassed blush was still on his face.

Once the paper was removed, it took Dream a moment to figure out what it was. He ran his fingers over the soft fabric, a patchwork of different patterns and colors. Flowers and swirls and geometric shapes. Greens and blues and spots of reds. Dream unfolded the quilt partially. The back was three large blocks of fabric, all shades of dark navy that reminded Dream of the night sky in the arctic. He looked up. Techno was watching with a satisfied expression, mouth curved into a smile, tusks glinting in the firelight.

“What d’you think? Now you can finally stop hoggin’ my blanket,” said Techno.

Dream pulled the quilt further into his lap, letting it spill down across his legs. It was thicker than he had first realized. The weight on his lap was surprisingly comforting. It was warm. The mismatch of colors was pretty and Dream knew it’d be prettier once it was spread out. He loved it.

He said, “Heh. Hogging.”

In the chair across from him, Techno groaned and slapped a hand to his face in an over-exaggerated manner that was mostly to hide the grin. He got to his feet.

“Alright, that’s it. I’m takin’ it back, you’re outta here.”

Those words would’ve once caused a flutter of panic in Dream’s chest, would’ve birthed a snarky comment about wanting to leave, but Techno didn’t mean it. He knew that. Dream tugged the quilt up to his chest.

“No, fuck off, Techno. You made it for me, it’s mine.”

Laughing, Techno bent and tucked the blanket up around Dream’s shoulders.

“Yeah, you got me there, man,” he said. “I’m guessin’ you like it, then.”

The phantom pain had subsided. Dream shifted in the chair and rubbed his chin against the soft fabric of the quilt. A smile slowly worked its way across his face.

“Yeah.” A beat. “Thanks, Techno.”

FYI iPhone users!

The prison was meant for dream? I thought it was always meant for Tommy?

Ahh well yes, the prison was in fact never made specifically for Tommy and despite what he says in the disc confrontation, Dream was not planning to put Tommy in the prison but in fact himself.

Why do we know this?

Well, for starters, even if we look just at that conversation, he actually says how the prison wasn’t meant for Tommy. So even if we believe his monologue and what he says about Tommy being the key and yada yada, then we too must also believe that the prison wasn’t built for Tommy [clip]:

Dream: “I’m going to lock Tommy away forever […] the prison, it wasn’t meant for you orginally, but now it is.”

But should we even believe his monologuing?

Is he not talking about putting Tommy in a maximum security prison while there’s just a little cage for Skeppy in the wall right behind him? - Does he not say that Tommy started the trend of attachments and yet Berkerson and Mars and Spirit all existed long before he joined?

These are just some of the things in that finale that don’t make sense. Because the truth is, it isn’t real. He meant to get caught. He meant to lose. He meant to get arrested. I mean otherwise why wouldn’t he have just left after Tommy killed him the first time, after all if he can revive Tommy, then Tommy’s threat to kill himself means nothing to Dream, and that’s even if he was telling the truth about Tommy’s importance to begin with. Tommy’s leverage isn’t real, Dream only came back because he wanted to. Because it was all part of his plan. It was all staged. Punz didn’t lead the others to Dream’s Vault because Tommy paid him more than Dream, because a man casually carrying around 15 Enchanted Golden Apples in his inventory isn’t going to be out paid by someone living in a dirt house.

Punz’s betrayal was staged and we know this because in more than one instance it is confirmed as much.

Just after Techno’s attempted assassination, in the same conversation of Dream saying how he appreciates Punz being by his side from the beginning, he tells Punz that he needs to no longer be on his side [clip]. That they must stage a divide of sorts so no one goes after Punz when they inevitably go after Dream. In the conversation we also see Dream looking at the prison and talking about how he’s going away for a bit [clip]. And this strikes Punz off guard and we see him struggling to process Dream leaving [clip] and more notably no longer being able to even talk to him [clip].

And if their plotting isn’t enough to convince you, then perhaps Punz giving Dream armor right after the jailbreak will as he says [clip]:

Punz: “I thought—I thought the plan was to meet here ages ago. I’ve been waiting for so long.”

But if that’s not enough, there is also what he says to Sam in Daedalus [clip]:

Dream: “Oh, I’m gonna put Skeppy in a two by one box? You think that’s what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna pop him there even though I have this massive prison that I was—I was building? I was gonna throw Skeppy in a little two by one box? Look it wasn’t—it—that wasn’t anything, that was just for show… That was just to—that was all theatre. For Tommy. Okay? I was having fun. I was messing about.”

And then, they straight up confirm it all in the finale [clip] with Punz saying how he was never on clingy duo’s side, and Dream going into detail about how they needed to stage a betrayal to protect Punz.

So ultimately, that disc confrontation was as Dream said all for show and if that’s true then he was planning to put himself in prison, and given that the prison didn’t finish construction till after Punz and Dream’s plotting stream we can say that Dream was literally building the prison while planning to put himself inside, so yes the prison was never meant for Tommy but meant for Dream.

He even hints as much in the funny conversation with Techno about being homeless [clip]:

Dream: “My house is the biggest house on the server.”

Techno: “I believe you, man. I believe you. Everyone believes you.”

Dream: “No, I—I—I prom—promise. I swear though.”

Techno: “Everyone believes you, Dream.”

Dream: “I promise. I’m actually—I’m not even kidding it’s huge—it’s like using redstone and stuff. It’s awesome.”

Which Techno later even highlights is true in the Prison Podcast [clip]:

Dream: “This is… To be fair, I did say I have a giant house. This is pretty giant.”

Techno: “I—I—this—it is filled with redstone. I didn’t think you were telling the truth, but here you are. Here you are…”

But even if you don’t want to believe me, you can believe cc!Dream as he talked about his own character’s reasonings and plans [which dr3 recently provided the transcript for]:

cc!Dream: “But when (c!)Dream—(c!)Dream put himself into the prison. It was, it was thought of as a very—it was thought of as a temporary thing and ended up lasting a lot longer than he had imagined. And also, on top of that, he didn’t expect that Awesamdude would let Quackity into fucking torture him. So that obviously made things a million times worse.”

So when Dream says to Tommy like a maniac as he chases him [clip]:

“They had to lock me up in an entire prison built just for me!”

He’s technically telling the truth.

As he says to Sam in Daedalus [clip]:

Dream: “Eh, I’m—I’m—I feel like I’m… primarily responsible for my imprisonment”

Betrayal.

Speedpaints and close-ups available on my twitter account @/_SakuraSuu_ !!!

Hi! Doomsday trio prompt- The Most Hated Breakfast Food. Not the best. The worst.

this is SUCH a good prompt and i didn't do it correctly :') here's what my brain did instead. at least it was breakfast themed?

part of the doomsday preparation drabbles

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Breakfasts Prepared in The Days Before Battle (aka how do you feed a young man, an immortal birdman, and a piglin in one meal?)

Day 1: Oatmeal and toast. A simple dish, but sincerely one of the most beautiful and put-together meals Dream has ever seen. He didn't expect them to feed him at all, much less prepare a bowl of well-arranged, colorful fruits in a vintage bowl. He stood in the kitchen, frozen. Eating in front of Techno and Phil might mean taking his mask off in front of them, and he was tempted to grab the food and eat in another room, like an anxious dog. He settled instead on tilting the mask up a bit. They saw his mouth, and they didn't make any indication that they even noticed. Techno had three bowls, Phil had one and a half, and Dream had one (he was too embarrassed to ask for more).

Day 2: Avocado toast with pico and eggs. Techno shyly admitted that they were trying to get through this loaf of bread before it went bad. Then, he went on some nonsensical ramble about how it was Dream's sacred mission to help them. "Forget the battle," he said, "we gotta get rid of this bread." Techno had four slices, Phil had two, and Dream had two.

Day 3: Omelettes and yogurt. There was something a bit comical about seeing Techno use silverware. His hands were too big for them, his shoulders hunched forward, and he used them so politely that you wouldn't expect him to be the most feared warrior this civilization has known. After breakfast, he absolutely dominated in a sparring session against Dream. Techno had two omelettes, Phil had half (but two bowls of yogurt. He was "in the mood for it."), and Dream had one.

Day 4: Breakfast sandwiches. Sausage, egg, and cheese, all in a biscuit-like bun. Dream nearly took his mask completely off at the table, and fumbled with the clip as he desperately tried to put it back on without showing more skin than he already has. Techno had his back turned as he was serving himself, thankfully, but Phil sat beside him. The old man didn't even look up from his plate, unbothered by Dream's dilemma. Techno had two sandwiches, Phil had one, Dream had one, and the dog whining softly under the table got two pieces of sausage from Dream's palm.

Day 5: Sausage soup. It was a piglin thing, apparently. Techno mentioned it and then grew quiet, enjoying the meal but never losing a distant, foggy look in his eyes. Dream watched, unable to think of a follow-up question. Between the three of them, he was not the only one with secrets. Techno had five bowls (the most Dream's ever seen him eat), Phil had one, and Dream had one.

Day 6: Pancakes and scrambled eggs. A classic breakfast. Phil seemed nervous about preparing the pancakes a way Dream would like, so he made them plain and provided a variety of toppings. Dream opted for a variety of fruit and the chocolate spread, but he said (with confidence) that he would've eaten whatever was prepared for him. Techno had four pancakes, Phil had two, and Dream had two.

Day 7: Bagels. Somewhere between preparations and trainings, Philza found time to pick up bagels. Dream found it odd to prioritize food with such a decisive battle on the horizon. He sat, he tilted his mask, he ate, and he talked to Techno about horses. Techno had two bagels, Phil had one, and Dream had one.

Day 8: Biscuits with Eggs. Or, as Techno called it, "Biscuit with guts." A poached egg was poured into a hole in the biscuit, making an interesting mix of textures and flavors. Dream wasn't the biggest fan of poached eggs, but true to his word, he ate whatever was served to him. Techno had four biscuits, Phil had two, and Dream had two.

Day 9: Creamy potato soup and sausages. Carbs and proteins for fuel. The battle loomed, and Dream was feeling anxious. He wasn't sure why; he wasn't afraid, per se, he was simply buzzing with energy that had no where to go (He wanted this to go perfectly). He asked Techno to spar with him again. He asked Phil for a refill of potato soup. "Remind me to get you the recipe, mate," Philza said, "If you can make mashed potatoes, you can make this. Good for travel, too." Dream replied stupidly with some comment about how much he liked potatoes. Techno had three bowls, Phil had one, and Dream lost count of how many times he made it while he traveled. Much later, he'd make it again within the prison walls, and he'd run to a nearby chest to vomit.

Reconciliation

Edit: minor mistake, I rushed and drew a line where Dream is saying his own name… he DOES NOT say that XD. Tommy says that once he sees him.

[Part One]

Oh so it wasn't necessary to speak up when the slur slinging slasher called dream slurs, physically assaulted him, and harassed a service worker, but it's necessary to speak up about a tweet?

@rat-rosemary

Hi sorry I lost the ask because i wanted to fix something

“I love faceless dream! Like where it is a void behind his mask” (it went something like that)

Couldn't decide if I wanted prison dream or normal so get both lol

As always send me how you see cdreams design and I'll draw it (eventually)

What are all the lessons in Itwall?

:) well you see...

itwall is just a conversation between cdream's doubts and the universe. in order to convince him to stay in the arctic, i knew i'd have to appeal to dream's sense of logic and convince him that it was his most reasonable option, so i designed the plotline like an argument that would dispel his anxieties about staying. the argument goes something like this:

techno & philza: we want you to be safe. (but does safety mean being trapped?) phil: no, you are never trapped. but we should be prepared. if you're in danger, hide and let us fight. (i don't want them to fight for me. when i'm in danger, i'll run.) circumstance: you will run into the forest and get frostbite. techno and philza will need to save you. (fine. when i'm in danger, i'll hide.) circumstance: hiding works. (but i don't want to be a burden.) techno & philza: we love you, and you aren't a burden. (okay, but i can't trust them to tell me if i'm being a bother. they wouldn't tell me.) kristin: i know my husband, and you aren't bothering him. (but i need to fix the server) kristin: no, you don't. (but sapnap will listen to me if i try hard enough) sapnap: i won't. and ultimately that's where the title comes from. dream has a series of lessons to learn that all teach him the value of staying in the place where he feels most at peace, where people will care for him, and where he isn't a burden.