#buuverse

Omg I see it

To be honest, I'm a sucker for Killer's cryptic, unsettling attitude towards Nightmare because he's simply outside the norm. He's aware of social norms, he knows them, and he's very good at reading people, but he likes to be creepy with Nightmare in particular on purpose, and I think sometimes he manages to confuse them, haha. It's like, "You're stuck with me," and I say, yeah, damn it ahshsvshs, Nightmare has to deal with the nonsense that Killer decides to do to him. And while some of it is to his liking, others, I'd say, not so much.

Oooh the anon wants to ask the big questions...

I don't think anyone would willingly join Nightmare...although it depends on whether Nightmare knows how to manipulate them into accepting it.

I don't know much about Color, but my impression of him is that he's very attached to his moral compass. He's very loyal to his personal beliefs. The guy loves freedom and seems to try to spread that idea to anyone willing to listen.

Now, if Killer asked to join them... that's a different situation! But possible. Everything is theoretically possible because it's the multiverse. The reasons for this are also infinite. And you can give it whatever reason you like! Isn't that the fun of creating?

If I had to choose...it would be Color giving in for Killer. If Nightmare sees the benefit in having Color on his side to keep Killer, he'll probably make the decision regardless of Color's wishes. But, I think Killer is very good at manipulating others because, unlike Nightmare (who has been alone for so many years without any interaction), he can identify patterns in people very well. He's the type who knows how to say what others want (or need) to hear. He's not immune to lying or manipulating information. Killer knows a lot! And he always uses that to his advantage. It's something I like about the character. His meta-awareness really gives him an edge sometimes. All for the sake of survival.

Getting back to the point. I do see Killer getting Color to stop fighting against the current. Even if that means abandoning some of Color's beliefs about life. Well, if someone else decided they should be together with Nightmare leading the charge, should he fight to change or give in to what's been written? Does Color choose to give in because it's not worth trying or because he doesn't care how things turn out as long as he can be with Killer? Or maybe he thinks something like this might work? What if he gives it a chance? What if he doesn't accept and Killer suffers because of that decision? So many questions!

Oh, and Nightmare is so horribly difficult to handle...my beloved cruel bitch!! <33 . Nightmare makes decisions without asking anyone, that's nothing new. But his dynamic with Color can vary depending on how he ended up under his control. Color is a smart guy...and very strong! But, he probably wouldn't hurt others in his name. So Nightmare will have to break him if the boy wants to earn a place in his ranks. Nightmare might take this as a personal challenge; breaking and putting people back together seems to be the only thing that relieves and takes him away from his personal torment. He'll hurt anyone before he even lets them think about hurting him. Nightmare has fears, like everyone else.

Color will also take it upon himself to lessen this ordeal with as much stability as possible and, in the process, try to understand Nightmare. Perhaps even help him. Everyone is a victim of their own stories! Although Nightmare makes Color doubt this. Maybe he'll teach him to accept that Nightmare is the way he is because someone else forced it upon him? But he can choose whether he wants to continue down that path or try something different. I would so like Color to heal Nightmare, you know? Especially to help Dream as well. There is no healthy Dream without a healthy Nightmare. You can't separate the twins because they share the pain and the trauma. They are complementary.

So where does Killer fit into all this mess and ego clashes? Killer is the gray area. He's an intermediary. My own view of Killer's character is driven by curiosity. Killer acts to make things happen for his own amusement, within his limited freedom, of course. He makes decisions depending on how interested he is in something or someone. In that sense, he adopted the Player's attitude. We players are generally motivated to act and decide out of curiosity! Why do we choose to kill the monsters of the Underground even though we know they have lives, places to go, and friends to meet? Out of curiosity! Because we want to know what happens. And that doesn't make us evil. Killer isn't evil either. He can be cruel, but he can also be compassionate. His character transcends being labeled as black and white. So, just as we wonder what would happen if we killed X or Y, Killer also wonders about the world around him. What would happen if Color and Nightmare were forced to coexist? Well, there's only one way to find out, and Killer is determined to make it happen... can you blame him? What would YOU do? Would YOU like to know? :)

If Color manages to figure out why Nightmare acts the way he does, and even better, penetrates that dome of resentment and hatred... that would be interesting. The old journey of self-discovery, only Nightmare could change for the better and Color the complete opposite. Doesn't that sound delicious? Because to me it does, HELL YEAH it does. Change isn't always good or bad.

I think it depends a lot on how you want to characterize Nightmare, but I do think he would be very resentful for quite some time if his relationship with Killer is prolonged. Or maybe not. Because no one can stop them from finding another Killer and repeating the abuse cycle. An interesting change would be if Nightmare stopped replacing Killer, for whatever reasons you want, and instead dealt with the situation of his freedom. If they ever deal with it. For me, Nightmare runs from the consequences all the time; he learned not to fear them because he convinced himself that what he does is the way. Many of the people he surrounds himself with are products of his own bad decisions (Killer, Dust, Horror, Error, Ink), yet he doesn't seem interested in learning from it. He's smart, but he's still a bastard. I couldn't say whether the trauma conditioned him, or if it was an external factor; I would say it's both, although I'm already talking about my own version of the character.

BUT BACK TO YOUR QUESTION I don't think Nightmare wants to see Killer again if he's free; there could be many reasons. You might think he's been hurt in some way, you might think he's doing something minimally good for him, or maybe he's just not interested!

If I were to write a story like this, I'd go with the second option, although even that's an oversimplification because relationships are much more complex. Well, canon is one thing, what I write is another :D In any case, I like these scenarios, mainly because they're a bit different from what the fandom is used to, which I'm getting a little tired of.

Personally, I prefer to delve deeper into their relationship than just "Boss" and "right-hand man," which isn't really the case because Killer didn't choose this (although I don't hate the idea of him doing this either, but that doesn't erase how badly the poor guy suffers!! And I want to make that clear because people oversimplify things and don't look at the bigger picture. I don't want the stupid waffles vs. pancakes dilemma). Mainly because, starting from their basic concepts, they're a brilliant contrast (an empath and someone who can't feel emotions—it's brilliant from any angle).

I'm not saying the fandom doesn't offer good ideas about them (signanothername, for example, has one of my favorite versions, and my goat Smakonca does too; both are juicy characterizations with a lot of work behind them, and I LOVE THEM), but my view of these characters has matured a lot in the last four years, and I'm more interested in explorations with more nuance, more subtext. I'm fed up with the horny guy and his so-called sexy god. I'm not saying it's bad, lol, but it seems kind of outdated to me. Especially when you have people with great ideas about these losers. They're definitely my favorites.

Very much fan-based! Probably because I got used to that version. (My) Killer is a bit more stoic; he doesn't speak unless he wants to, and even when he does, I have to think long and hard about what he's going to say because he's the type who doesn't give many explanations about what he does or why. He's very cryptic. He's more sardonic and a bit fearless. All of this to maintain that meta-conscious vibe he has. Killer uses information as a weapon because he can't physically resist anything else. He's obsessed with details, so I'd say he's quite methodical in his actions. :D

I also strongly doubt that he and Chara get along; I think they never could stand each other at all. Anything associated with Chara triggers a pretty visceral reaction in him. A silly headcanon I have is that Killer doesn't like the number nine because that's Chara's favorite number. He's the type of person who categorizes things in somewhat rigid ways (like that post where I said he would sort cereal into rows of eight pieces and get frustrated if the number turns out to be odd). He doesn't do anything or take an interest in anyone unless it sparks some kind of stimulus in him, because what motivates Killer is curiosity, just like us.

Killer is very interested in control, and if a situation arises that allows him to have it, he'll take it without hesitation. Being aware of his situation, I'd say, has also led him to develop a rather strong desire for control. That's why, at the slightest opportunity, Killer gets excited about being in charge; it gives him gratification. The way he relates to control is probably unhealthy because nothing in his environment is. Killer exerts control over Dust and Horror because he's much stronger than them in various ways. Although he's not immune to some unpleasant experiences, because Dust and Horror know where to strike (Dust can stand up to him physically, and Horror knows how to mentally pressure others). There is definitely a camaraderie between the three of them, because they have some things in common (I always put Nightmare as the main glue because I can't see them interacting without this excuse).

The infirmary.

I like the idea that Nightmare's castle is enormous, with many floors and rooms. The infirmary is located on the third floor and is very secluded from where everyone else does their usual activities. It's large, with many stretchers set up, a couple of cabinets loaded with supplies, and some pretty old medical equipment. It's a sober, dimly lit place (less than usual), and I think it has a very different vibe from the rest of the castle.

Uh, totally influenced by a little bit of the fear of hospitals and liminal spaces.