Another Batch Of Doodles I Made During Exams!!! Woopieee

Rivals Duo Prompt Week

Day 7 : Springtime Revival / Healing

Snippet:

Wilbur noticing more and more similarities between dream and Phil

And/or

Techno doing the same

Wilbur wished his father didn't stash the most interesting parts of his life away in the basement. If Wilbur had thousands of years worth of antiques, he'd display it proudly around his house (in beautiful arrangements with perfect feng shui, he would add), not stuff it all in boxes and pretend it didn't exist.

When the world felt overwhelming, Wilbur would go to his father's house and sort through some of it, and he'd walk away with an armful of ancient books about philosophy and warfare, and Philza would frown at his selection. He'd say he doesn't need those books anymore, and that Wilbur could take them.

Half-ripped, covered in dust, and tucked between some history books, was a painting.

It depicted a young man with long blonde hair tied loosely at the base of his neck. His skin, though pale, was sun-kissed and freckled at the peak of his nose and cheeks. He wore white lace at his neck and an elegant brooch that held dark green robes at his shoulders. He looked dainty yet powerful, with an intelligence in his eyes.

It was Dream.

"Phil!" Wilbur called as he carried the painting upstairs, his boots heavy on the floor. He did his best not to trip on the untied laces. "Phil, you've got some explaining to do, old man."

"Mm?"

"Imagine my surprise when I'm sorting through dusty old history books and I find this," Wilbur said, dramatically displaying the painting to where his father was reclining on the couch. He watched as Phil went through a series of expressions-- first, squinting in confusion, then his head tilted as he searched his memory, then finally recognition sparked.

"Ah," Phil said. "Those were very different times, eh?"

"Different times?" Times when his father kept elegant paintings of the enemy?

"I'd never commission a painting of myself like that anymore," Phil said, "Cringe. To use Techno's words."

The whiplash hit like a punch to the chest. This man was his father? This wasn't Dream?

Dream looks more like Philza than his own son does?

"This is you?"

"That's me, mate. From a time I'd like to forget." Phil stood and headed to the kitchen, and as he walked, he turned the painting away from himself, "You're welcome to keep it, but I'd rather it just stay in a box somewhere. I don't want it."

---

Dream's hair grew out in the Vault, and he tied it loosely at the base of his neck. His eyes took on a half-feral and wild sort of light, like green flame. When he regained some muscle it sat on him tightly, as it would on a wild cat, and his ribcage always looked a bit corpselike. As something of a corpse himself, Wilbur was unbothered by that. What threw him off was the image of his own father, now abused and torn apart by his long-time rival. A man who flinched away from his own image.

c!Dream in the arctic

full pic under cut

If you told me this was cdream when I was younger I would’ve laughed in your face

for daddy issues, id think cwilbur is projecting his own insecurities, because REGARDLESS of cdream looking like dear old dad or whatever, HE wouldve been the son cphil wouldve been proud to have in cwils mind imao

oh totally. and the worst part? cwil is the only one who sees it.

he never needed to do anything special to make cphil proud, but he didn't know that. cdream is so sucked into this role he plays that he can't imagine Anyone being proud of him, let alone The Philza Minecraft he fought alongside so long ago. and his ambition for peace would impress cphil, but he himself is barely aware of what he really wants.

and cphilza is stuck feeling that he failed his son, and he never got to know cdream well enough to know who he really is. all he sees is a reflection of himself, who he doesn't think that highly of.

Merry christmas to whatever these two had going on

If I tell you this is a horror dance number it still won't prepare you. That last move was so terrifying even the judge was like "Let go! Let go!" If you told me they're actually possessed I'd believe you.

One of the most perfectly choreographed and executed dances I have ever seen and comes closest to Shobana's original performance in Manichitrathazhu. Incredible!

Okay so sometimes prisons will let people (as far as I understand) have some sort of religious comfort object or something. Dream was allowed a single mercy by being able to keep his mask. He hides it the best he can when people came to visit, but one day quackity finds it. He doesn’t like that Dream can still hide things from him, even in prision. Perhaps he hangs it on his wall, perhaps he does worse 👀

Oh poor c!Dream :(

warnings: prison arc (pre 14.09 and yes there is a difference), torture mention, dehumanization, starvation (mentioned)

/rp /dsmp

It’s been months.

Or at least that’s what it feels like for the only prisoner of Pandora’s Vault.

It may have been longer. It may have been shorter. Dream wouldn’t know either way.

He began his day (or at least what he assumes is a day) like always - by waking up and trying to wash and dress his wounds from Quackity’s last visit.

Dream tries to do it before falling asleep if he can, but last night’s session left him unconscious by the end.

And now there he is - sitting against the obsidian wall and trying not to think about his situation. About the sharp edges of the wall and the floor. About how hungry he is. About how he is just waiting for the next visit. About how it is his only source of entertainment (if he can even call it that). About how he is just surviving, not living.

But does he have any other choice? It’s not like he can change anything. He has no allies. No friends. No family. No one cares about him. No one cares that he is being tortured.

They all know Dream. They know what is happening. They approve.

The voice sounds very similar to Quackity. He doesn’t want to believe it.

You will understand one day.

He hopes he doesn’t.

He reaches up to tug his mask down.

…

It’s not there.

The mask is gone.

How?!

Where?!

When?!

He looks around frantically. It must be somewhere close! The cell is not big enough for it to be hidden well!

He checks everywhere. Throws the books out of the chest. Digs into the water.

It’s not here.

Where is it?!

Dream is beginning to panic now. How is he supposed to face Quakcity now?! His face has always been too expressive. He has to hide it. He has to.

The lava falls down.

And there he is.

The visitor.

Sir.

No. Not sir. (Not yet.)

Quackity.

With shears in one hand. And… his mask.

(Dream doesn’t get the mask back. He does get to hold it for a bit. Right before Quackity tells him to choose: burn the mask or lose a finger.

He watches the lava for a long time afterwards.)

cwilbur: "dreams basically my dad (in the making) so i'll ruin him!"

cdream: *going off the deep end*

cwilbur: "Ha! Its working! Phil would never ever been and done anything like This...of course...definitely...surely not..."

LOL meanwhile cphilza encounters dream when he's half-beaten-to-death and can't stop trembling and thinks he's the most kissable boy in the world

Stages?

👀

STAGES IS MY BABYYYYY i love writing about grief and loss of self, and how to cope with that. C!Dream is perfect for that type of analysis. It started bc I really wanted a way to explore dream and bads relationship and their similarities. They both lost their families and both believe that what happened to them was mostly self inflicted. there's a lot to explore there. And of course I love rivals duo and also wanted to write a scenario where techno isn't able to repay the favor. And, ya know, healing and growing together is such a good trope.

I already have the first chapter posted on my AO3 but I've written so much for this fic but still never managed enough to finish another full chapter ughhughhuh. I've also posted some of this fic here but there are so many nuggets I've written that I'd love to share (sorry all my excerpts are so long 😭😭)

"I can barely walk, I can't fight-! I'm helpless. I'm at everyone's mercy and I hate it." His hands are shaking, the pencil moving like a record needle— up and down and up and down— in his weak grasp. Dream wants to steady it but can't, hasn't been able since Quackity's first visit, and he hates that too. His body isn't his anymore. It's a malfunctioning tool, but there's no fixing it. No quick repair. There's no fixing him.

Nothing can cure him, not potions, not time, not XD. He's broken, plain and simple. And all that's left is crossed wires.

A hand lays over his own and Dream looks up into Techno's eyes. His hand still tremors underneath the warm grasp, but it hurts less, now.

"You're not helpless, Dream. You're not. You're just changed, and I know that hurts. And I know I can't fix that but let me make it a little easier for you." His voice chokes on the last syllable, the emotion making it crack.

Sweat pools on the back of Dream's neck as he quickly adverts his eyes. A million thoughts run through his head, seeing Techno's care so plainly on display. He can't bring himself to pull away though.

"I don't get it." It's an admission he wouldn't make normally, but Dream wants to understand at least this about Techno, if nothing else. "You've more than repaid the favor, you don't owe me anything anymore."

"Yes, I do." Techno says, so quietly Dream is half convinced he didn't hear it at all, before Techno continues as if he hadn't said anything to begin with. "When are we just going to admit we're friends, Dream? We can be that to each other, you know."

Now, he does pull away, just barely. Their hands touch still, if only slightly, and the contact burns.

"Fine," Techno speaks, not with anger or frustration. "I'm doing it because I'm selfish. I like having you around, and keeping you healthy makes that easier. Not to mention you're skinny enough to be one of Phil's scarecrows. We can hang you out in the fields and you'd scare all the crows off, nice and easy. That's why I'm doing this, for the good of my crops."

Dream furiously ignores Techno's smug smile when that draws a laugh out of him, but it doesn't get rid of the pit in his stomach. Dream knows what happens to his friends.

He doesn't want that for Techno.