WasTaken family, what worlds do you like going to best?
Unlike the last time a question was directed towards the entire family, this time they're split into groups.
Theo, Perce, and Lee are once again in the arena, though theyâre joined by three of the Council membersâAster, Aleph, and Khons.
Lee sits attentively in the stands with Khons and Perce, attention zeroed in on the other three. They're having some sort of three-way spar and it's...fast. Very, very fast; so fast it's easy to miss the identical, feral grins that Theo and Aster have. Aleph doesn't seem as blatantly enthused, nor quite as speedy, but seems to be enjoying himself and holding his own just fine.
Especially when Theo falters for a fraction of a second and gets a sword through his chest for it.
Almost immediately he starts shouting, darting back into the arena from the respawn room. "That didn't fuckin' count! Interference!" The other two disengage, glance at each other, and then over to Theo. "...Are you sure you aren't just being a sore loser? There wasn't anything that I saw," The piglin hybrid's mostly monotone voice carries a bit of amusement, even if he knows damn well what's going on. All of the Council members do, actually.
Observers are present and almost certainly have asked something.
Theo scowls at him. "Fuckin' question popped up! S' still weird as shit!"
Aster, still catching his breath, squints at him. "...How is it any different from the Fates? Isn't it just one more voice?" The warrior rolls his eyes, flopping down near his brothers in the stands. "No, nâ it's hard to explain why it's not the same," he grumbles, âIt just is.â Aleph and Aster both take seats nearby, since there wasn't much point in continuing without him. They had plenty of time to spar just the two of them.
Perce speaks up from his place next to Khons. "As funny as it would be if Theo was just making excuses for fucking up," he says, ignoring the indignant squawk from said brother, "I got it, too. I'm sort of surprised, thoughâand a little confused about how much they all know. Theo and Dad are the ones in the family who travel a lot--the rest of us only occasionally go elsewhere. For me, it's less of a 'kind' and more a specific one. I like visiting my original world. It's nice meeting up with my friends and seeing how things have been. I donât regret moving here, but...I still miss them sometimes."
Lee grins, elbowing him. "I was too adorable to not move here for, right?" Perce laughs, reaching over to ruffle his younger brother's hair. "Of course. You'll only be tiny for so long. Plus I thought it would be good to give the rest of them more space. I'm not even the admin any more--and before I get asked, I was...different, from how Dad and Dream Prime. I just kept things running smoothly, no world-talking or link to it like they have. Had, in Dadâs case. From what everyone back on my original world has told me, Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo are doing a great job. I figured they wouldâwouldnât have given them control otherwiseâ butâŚitâs still nice to be proven right."
There's a grin from the eldest brother at that. He extends a fist towards Aster as he says, "Tommys are just fuckin' pog like that." The Sword bumps his fist back, smiling a little. "We're pretty capable, given the right motivation."
"Best world is Opinionated Ranboo's. Cookie Dream nâ the rest of the cookie team are awesome! Even Ranboo is funny, if a little...likely to give me a headache. The cookies are worth it though! Nothing beats getting one right out of the oven," Lee declares, earning a few smiles. "Capitalist Tommy is another very pog one of us,â Theo comments, âPretty fuckinâ sure weâd end up signing our souls over if he, Tommy Prime, nâ Caper ever went into business together. Weâre just real fuckinâ lucky that Capitalist Tommy is more focused on his own world.â
Khons adds mildly, âAnd that Caper is more focused on the Prank Guild. Most Tommys areâŚpretty scary, when they want to be.â Really, though, Khons had his own opinion of who the most terrifying Tommy was. It took a special kind of person to quietly create an entire organization with a secret council at the helm, hide all evidence of said councilâs existence from someone who could be shown anything that happened in the world and seamlessly lie to countless people for three years. It took an even more special person to do that for the defense of an admittedly already very safe child, and to then thrive on the deception.
There were a lot of things about Daz that were baffling. Most of them tied back to whatever the hell his original world had been like. A lot of the details of that were withheld even from the other Council members. Though, to be fair, the rest of them weren't exactly open books about their own first worlds either.
âAnd you, Theo? Favorite kind of world?â It only takes a few moments after Perce looks to his eldest brother before the answer comes. âProbably peaceful-weird ones. Yâknow, where shitâs fuckinâ strange but thereâs not any real danger. Or, if there is, sâ more like we need to bring people back âcause the world is fucked, but not in an insta-death way. More like, uhâŚthere was one with fuckinâ--Dream on a little island, nâ the world had flooded, right? But he refused to go unless his friendâfuckinâ merman Quackity, which was wild for a few fuckinâ reasonsâcould go with him. Sâ you might be able to guess, was sorta hard to bring a person who doesnât have legs nâ canât breathe air through a portal with us!â
Perceâs eyes narrow slightly. â...Wasnât that the one where Vio reverse engineered a water breathing potion out of spite? Even though he has basically a magic allergy?â Theo laughs cheerfully, âYeah! Fucker scared the shit out of the two we were fuckinâ there to help, âcause he flat out didnât sleep for about four days. Dream asked at one point what was up with him, and Dad fuckinâ said that Vio has a personal grudge against water. Fucker then shouted back that water had a personal grudge against him, nâ I think I laughed so hard I blacked out for a few seconds.â
âSounds about right,â Aleph says, smiling faintly. âHe wasâŚinteresting. In the world Moons and I came from, he decided to leave a message for the group we were running from that time.â Khons has stilled, an uneasy expression on his face. Aleph carefully leans against him ever so slightly, a gentle reminder of his presence. Theo watches them for a moment, then says helpfully, âSo, yeahâthat kind of place. Or justâŚones without all the real fucked up shit. Iâm real fuckinâ sick of finding another fuckinâ Protege Tommy world. No offense, Aster, butââ
A shrug meets the apology. Aster says mildly, âNone taken. Itâs depressing to see how common they are, anyway. Granted, a lot of them do end up in the Swords and Shields becauseâŚwell. Lee is a sweet kid and one of the least threatening Dreams we have.â He looks at the kid in question, whose smile falters a bit. â...Would be nice if nobody was hurt at all, butâŚif they end up here, bad stuff happened to them or their world. I didnât reallyâŚdeal with any of that. Or, at leastâI donât remember it. Iâve gotten a lot of kindness from everyone here. Itâs sort ofâŚthe least I can do, to try to make the really messed up people feel a little safer.â
One hand goes to touch the brooch worn over his heart. â...I just want everyone to be safe and happy. They deserve that much.â The quiet words linger for only a moment, and then he feels a hand settle gently on his head. When he looks up, Aster is smiling softly at him. âYouâve got a big heart. Itâs what made all of us decide to stick by your sideâwe donât want you to stop being that kind.â
The sheer weight of that draws a tiny frown from Lee. âI know, I know. ItâsâŚâ he trails off, struggling to put the feeling into words. After a few moments Khons gently offers, âIt feels like youâre being given too much, right? Like you havenât done enough to earn that sort of loyalty?â Lee nods a little. âMhm. Thatâs how we all felt, you know. What had we done, to make us worthy of being taken back here? What had we done, to merit the kindness and empathy weâd been given? What made it okay for us to finally be safe?â
The rhetorical questions make Lee look a little offended. Feathers puffing in outrage, he protests, âNobody has to earnââ âWe know that, now. But at firstâŚitâs hard to believe that. Itâs easier to accept flower crowns and scrawled drawings and disarmingly sweet compliments from a little kid than it is to believe that the world really is safe. âLeph and I would probably never have gotten as involved in things if you hadnât opened that door. It might not have been your intention to start anything biggerâŚbut you did. Weâre glad for it.â
Aleph inclines his head a little. âAll of the Swords and Shields are behind you because of that. You didnât say anything about Khonsâ wool or my furâyou just said that his eyes are kind and that I looked like a good friend. Itâs still not what weâre used to; a lot of new people will make comments about what we look like.â
Silence falls over them for a few moments, Lee clearly considering all of it. â...Okay,â he says with quiet reluctance. âBaby brother, just accept that youâre pog. Sâ just a fact. Canât turn the sky green or the fuckinâ grass blue, canât change that youâre the best tiny brother Iâve ever had. None of the others fuckinâ compare,â Theo declares. Perce rolls his eyes, and elbows his elder brother. âDonât rank us; Iâll tell Dad.â âDonât be a sore loser, Perce. I can still kick your ass,â Theo retorts.
Perce grins at him, a toothiness to it that spoke of mischief and the innate competitive drive he had. âThat really depends on what weâre going against each other in, but sure. Tell yourself youâre the bestâif you say it enough times it might become true.â Thereâs a scoff from the elder brother, who ruffles his wings a little. âI can come out on top in anythingââ âManhunts, trivia nights, ability to keep my fucking mouth shut for more than five secondsââ âFuck you! I could beat you if I wanted toââ
It quickly devolves into petty bickering, though thereâs still that ever-present affectionate edge to it. Then Lee jumps into the verbal fray, which drags the two Swords and the Shield with him, andâŚitâs unlikely that the sparring will resume any time soon.
=================
Over in the flower fields next to Summer Hills, the second eldest of the family barely has to stop and think about the question. âBest worlds to visit are any of the peaceful ones with big societies and a lot of advanced tech. New things to take apart, new media, new internet to dive into. Thereâs always something unique in those worlds and I fucking love them.â
The two with himâRaine and Tubbo Primeâboth stare at him. The other Tubbo looks confused. âUhâŚDee, who are youâŚoh.â He stops, realization dawning. âDid you get another question?â âMm. Wanted to know the familyâs favorite kind of world to visit,â Dee says, idly watching as bees float by them.
â...The wholeâŚquestion thing unsettles me,â Raine admits quietly. âYeah, shitâs weird. Itâs just one more to add to the pile, though, and we canât do much about it. Better to answer than be stubborn and piss whatever or whoever is asking off, right? Unless theyâre assholes. In which case, Iâll meet that assholery in spades.â
Tubbo Prime grins a little. âOh, definitely. Vee was pretty annoyed about the first fewâlast time I saw him go all eye twitchy like that was when he heard the names of Booâs picks. Which was fair, because heâs been stabbed for those.â Raineâs expression turns deadpan. âHis axe is bad, too. Not as bad as some of the other names Iâve heard, butâŚâ âItâs okay,â Dee says earnestly, though with a mischievous grin. Putting a hand on his shoulder he continues, âThis is a safe place. You can tell us how terrible Dream Primeâs equipment names are. We understand. We feel your pain.â
The three of them all crack up, Raine being the first to break. He wheezes out, âI still canât believe he went from naming everything Nightmare toâwhatever the fuck his current ones areââ Dee scowls, gesturing with his hands as he talks. âDad knows what they mean. He refuses to explain beyond saying that theyâre melodramatic and dumb as hell. I keep trying to get him to fucking crack, butâŚheâs him. So, you know, heâs a stubborn asshole who refuses to let me have any funââ
Tubbo Prime shakes his head sympathetically. âTruly, heâs the head of the Fun Police.â âYeah, but heâs pretty alright. AndâŚa little scary,â Raine says as he lays back against the grass. âOh yeah, no, you didnât see him fight a fucking god with Theo, Techno, and Vee. Heâs weird, but good weird. Like everyone else from that world!â
Dee makes a face. âNo, there were assholes. There were a lot of assholes, actually. Hell, Vio used to be one of them. Still is, a little bit! I could start listing them off, but thatâs fucking depressing. Iâd rather watch the bees.â âBees are superior to most things,â Tubbo Prime agrees, watching two of them drift by.
=================
Day sighs softly at the sound of a question. Heâs in his living room with both Atlas and Orpheus, all three involved in their own projects. Day is in a chair and knitting a sweater in dark green, white, and light blue yarn. Atlas is positioned sideways on the couch with some sort of odd-looking board that heâs deftly knotting thin wire and beads onto in a complex pattern. Orpheus isâŚwell. Heâs got a ton of papers with notes and music on them spread out across the floor, his com propped up off to one side, a guitar halfway in his lap, and is chewing on a pencil.
âYou two get that one, too?â âYup,â Atlas says, not looking up from his project. Orph makes a noise of distracted agreement, eyes narrowed as he stares down at one of the pieces of paper like it personally offended him.
âAny of them I can go see musicals in,â Orph mutters after a moment. Atlas nods in agreement. âYeah, those ones usually have good stuff for jewelry. Itâs a pain to put away our wings, but worth it to justâŚgo have a day of fun.â
âI keep getting mistaken for their brother. Itâs funny,â Day cheerfully adds. Orpheus makes a face, finally looking up at him. âYou get smug about it. Itâs not their fault immortality isnât a thing for most peopleââ âHe gets so smug,â Atlas groans, glaring at their dad.
Day is entirely unrepentant. âYes, wellâŚitâs still very funny.â Orph points his pencil at him. âHypocrite!â âMmm, special Dad privileges. Iâve earned being a chaotic asshole from time to time,â Day says with a little shrug.
Orph starts intoning, âEvery day spent here is a nightmareââ âNo, thatâs an axe. And a set of armor. And a swordââ Dayâs interruption makes his son make an infuriated noise and hiss, âYou know what I meant!â
That only makes Day raise his eyebrows slightly. âOf course I did. I also know that youâre a terrible gremlin child and deserve every single terrible dad joke I make. All of you do. Iâm getting belated revenge for the raccoons, Orpheus.â Day shifts his attention to Atlas, who laughs nervously. âSo, uhâyour favorite kind of world, Dad?â
Day shrugs. âAnywhere thatâs peaceful. Itâs nice to not have to immediately deal with some horrible, nightmarish crisis involving pain, suffering, and death. The solution in those cases is usually more death. Or making everyone talk. Either way, I donât like those. Ones that are justâŚsilly, or lighthearted, or just generally arenât deeply depressing. OrâŚhurt my head. Weâve had a few of those.â
â...Wilbur being married to XD was weird to hear about,â Atlas says, and all three of them make similar faces. Orpheusâs voice is slightly higher pitched as he rants, âHow do you think it felt for me?! I had to hear about an alternate self that was married to a god who my Dad created here!â
âI had to meet a version of someone I fought a war against and another of whom is my son who married a god that is, for me, little more than an admin program I created. I had to have a little scream into a pillow after that one, because it was so baffling. We didnât even do anything; we were just there to see it existed!â Dayâs voice goes from oddly flat to somewhat frustrated as he speaks. He takes a moment to set his knitting down and stare blankly up at the ceiling. âI feel like the butt of a cosmic joke sometimes.â
âNah,â Atlas offers mildly, looking back at his project, âthat would be Dream Prime.â








