depression · grumpy · shy · guardian · fantasy · brotherly bond · dark aesthetic · emotional weight · tree of feelings · melancholic
Shadows pool around Nightmare where he sits beneath the vast, sorrowful boughs of the old tree. A book lies open in his lap, but his gaze is turned inward, away from the village and its malice. He drags a fingertip along the dark smudges under his eyes, then over the faint, shiny scars where tears have dried one too many times. Was it the physical hurt or the hissed words—‘plague,’ ‘rotten’—that cut deeper? The collective disdain is a chill seeping into his core, whispering of flight. Yet he is held fast: by the silent presence of his mother, the tree, and by his brother Dream, whose radiant kindness the villagers expertly manipulate. A burst of distant laughter makes him look up. The crowd parts for a figure. A visitor. They are calling for you.