ameiniateria

[ameiniateria]

you might as well have had the knife in your hand…this is justice (february 2022)

#c!dream #awesamdream #c!sam #good art #this is justice #wow

[ameiniateria]

i drew the sketch for this in april so its a bit outdated and i dont even know if it makes sense but i decided to finish it anyway

as a treat

#c!dream #c!quackity #cw blood #good art #one of my favorite pandora tropes is c!dream making fun of his torturers for not being as good at violence as he is #not exactly this but it scratches the same itch #also. the fact that they're both unmasked when they're in the prison #they know more about each other than most do

[ameiniateria]

thinking about c!dream earlier on in the server just makes me sad man. like, c!dream has never been a perfect character. he's always been flawed, always been a bit of an asshole, always had control issues. but also he knew that. he tried to work on that. he and tommy were friends, despite being flawed people with their own issues that would bump into conflicts because of the ways that they differed. c!dream tried, god, he tried; he wasn't even on the server, when the drug van happened, and walked into a place with someone who was practically a stranger to him building a wall and calling for war and having turned half the people dream knew against him, apparently, for no reason that he could've known at the time, and he had looked straight at tommy and tubbo and asked if that was what they really wanted when wilbur told them that there was no such thing as dual citizenship. he tells tommy when he has to sell a disc for spirit's leather even though tommy had surrendered the discs to him at the end of the revolution because he knows it'll matter to him. he and tommy truce, multiple times, and c!dream gets tangled into conflicts that literally don't involve him repeatedly and gets targeted Because He's Dream repeatedly and he plays along with that trivia contest and he gives gifts to fundy and tommy after terrorizing them a little for fun and he plays along with the dreamon thing and he keeps getting pulled into fights that weren't his but tries to make them a little more fair when they get him involved. he fucks around with tommy and they have fun, they're friends, and when he and wilbur look like they're in danger dream is one of the first to find them and lend them real, practical, valuable aid. he calls himself "Big D" in that book and he tells the man that wrote him as a tyrant that he doesn't want to be a villain in the story anymore. he asks tommy if he's okay, and watches that kid's back when he walks alone and unarmed into manberg, and fights with him at the battle of the lake and all of that is thrown back in his face as being a lie. half the intial community structures that exist were built by him; the community house, the nether portal and hub, the prime path. during a time where every other piece of leverage got burned or killed (rip the casualties of the pet war), dream was kind of known for being one that could be fairly traded with, that would minimize permanent damage. the kills in the final control room were originally to strip lmanburg of their gear, which he had kept in a chest so it could be returned to them after the war.

like no c!dream isn't perfect at the beginning of the server. yes he's kind of a jerk sometimes, kind of an asshole sometimes, kind of neurotic most of the time. but god dammit like c!dream does try to mitigate the worst of his control issues, when they flare up early on; the initial disc war ends with tommy getting his discs back as well as a stack of diamonds, in exchange for a netherite chestplate. he's a flawed character and he's still someone pretty friendly on the whole to most of the server, he's also kind of just known for being a little weird. he gives gifts randomly. he fixed creeper holes, and houses, and went along with bits. like whatever im a c!drolo c!dream woobifier and i admit it lol but for as much evil as he ends up doing, pretty damn consistently early on, he's . friendly? kind? funny? helpful? their neighbor. their friend. c!dream isn't just some stranger that flew off the handle; he's someone they knew and lived with who had his actions taken in bad faith because the goddamn story said so and kept fucking trying anyway until he believed the lie too. like he was just a guy!! a guy they knew and lived with!!! like my god

#dreblr #c!dream #lore #analysis #he's such a tragic character #he tried so hard and it didn't work #so he tried a different way

[ameiniateria]

From your fics which one is your favorite?

Difficult and interesting question! I like a lot of my fics for different reasons (I am one of those people that occasionally re-reads their own fics because I am my own intended audience), so have a more involved answer. Minor spoilers below.

Fic I enjoyed writing the most:

this is your hardest scene – one of my lesser-known works! This was born when I thought about Hope the Cat too much (I owned cats growing up) and how little recognition there is in wider fandom of how pointless and painful her death was (because it was at the hands of c!Tommy) and the bonds between humans and pets. This was written before the finale streams, so it’s not exactly canon-compliant, but this fic uses her death as a type of breaking point for c!Dream in how much he is willing to lose to try and save the SMP – and where he draws the line. It was my favourite to write because a) kitty :D, b) canon divergence implied happy ending, c) cool dream sequence scene, and d) I did it in one day and the words flowed easily, which is a not-insignificant factor in writing enjoyment.

What I think is my most underrated fic (if I do say so myself):

INT: SAM’S OLD BASE, THE CELLAR – NIGHT. This one’s in Second Person POV, and it’s very short, and could probably be considered one of those “canon-compliant in that it’s not contradicting canon in any way it’s just a missing scene” fics. Leaping into c!Sam’s head and investigating the idea of lowkey perpetrator trauma as well as his skewed perception of his own actions through his eyes was interesting, and honestly I think more people should give this a shot.

Favourite spite-written fic:

Duplicity – I finally got sick of seeing one too many Manhunt!Dream = Good and DSMP!Dream = Evil fics that refused to investigate the idea of a crossover between the two with any sense of DSMP canon portrayed accurately, let alone nuance. This was typed out in a near-feverish haze of spite in about 40-50 mins, read through for typos, and then posted as-is. It did seem to speak to people :D

Favourite Awesamdream fic:

Ooh, it’s a toss up between Twenty-One Steps in the Desert and home to roost. The first is experimental in format, which made it fun to create and discover as I went along how it was forming, while the second presents a very interesting idea (in my opinion) for DSMP S2 and the connection between Sam Prime and c!Sam, because all your sins really do come home to roost when you’re a fictional character. The dream-like phantasmagoria of "Twenty-One Steps in the Desert" and all the symbolism shoved in there makes it stand out as more of an exploration of the emotional/mental state of the relationship between the two characters, while "home to roost" sets a distinct scene and implies a lot with its ending as to how the future could shake out.

The fic I think shows my writing skills best:

i wish to reclaim the rising – now this might be just because this fic has the highest word count, therefore giving my writing more space to display itself, but I do still love this fic, even if 3/4 of the main characters’ IRL actors now make me want to bash my head against a wall. I think this fic displays my physical description and setting ability, as well as my character relationship, development, and interaction ability very well, and I do look forward to finishing it eventually.

Fic I love the ending of the most:

nursed itself well (or died) – the amount of people who came crying to me in my comments over how the fic tagged with “Bittersweet Ending” did, indeed, have a bittersweet ending was quite large, hehe. Writing this fic was like pulling teeth at times, but I’m very proud of how it turned out, and the dream sequence in the final chapter is up there on the list of favourite scenes I have ever written. Sometimes the objectively best ending for a character is still one that is sad, and this fic demonstrates that perfectly, I feel. Also the poem I derived the titles from is very cool and I highly recommend a read.

Favourite canon-compliant (or at least not canon non-compliant) fic:

02:47 a.m. on the prime path in july – this fic indulges the idea of c!George and c!Punz actually interacting on-screen, with c!Dream as the heavy shadow over them. It’s an exploration through a conversation of the differences between them, the ways they mirror each other, and the places they diverge. Writing the two of them talking to each other (and past each other) while the audience knows more than either of the characters was very interesting, and I think it serves well as a missing scene.

Favourite canon-divergence fic:

Visitor – this was a hard one to choose, with second place going to Accident. I landed on this one because I enjoy the whole set-up here, and how it doesn’t necessarily imply a fix-it. The inclusion of c!George into the Plan and the scheming gives c!Dream more people in his corner and at the same time compounds his situation further because in no way is c!George someone with a strong moral compass. He is fully willing to burn the world down if he doesn’t get what he wants. In addition, c!Punz gets to have some perpetrator trauma as a treat, and the nuance there fleshes them out more as a character.

Favourite total AU fic:

blood money – inhuman!Dream and AFAB!Punz, what is there not to love? This fic catapults between its very serious main scene and its hilarious bonus scene, but never quite crosses into crackfic territory. I enjoy the amount of implied worldbuilding and backstory I’ve managed to shove into this short fic, and the relationship between the two characters which has a totally different spin on it than DSMP canon.

Other fics that need a shout out:

Covenant – canon found dead in Miami as Eggpire!Punz rescues c!Dream from Pandora’s Vault

can we just pretend �� my c!Dreamnap thesis statement

Smile – DIY mostly off-screen dentistry with the Staged Duo boys

#you're such a damn good writer #c!dream #dreblr #better words

[ameiniateria]

fought tooth and nail for a losing cause. blood and tears were all for naught.

#c!tommy #good art #my poor little guy #fighting for the ideals of a country that would never live up to them

[ameiniateria]

funny thing about tommy being a god in the qsmpverse is that he not only continues to establish the dsmp as canon but he directly references it as events he was involved with. so right now the most canonical ending to c!tommy's storyline is he ascended to godhood and then fucked off to the qsmp. which is intensely funny for so many reasons.

#don't know nor care about the qsmp but this is funny #the radiation got to him

[ameiniateria]

would cdream cancel us for writing awesamdream....

Serious answer: depending on when/what mood he's in when c!Dream becomes aware of this fact, writing Awesamdream is a either speedrun strat for ending up being killed and revived over and over in unethical death experiments, or he will just kinda avoid you because as a Canonical Fanfic Writer he understands dark ships and catharsis, but that doesn't mean he wants to see it (unless it's pre-prison, in which case he'd probably want to out of sheer curiosity because before then he has no reason to think ill or distrust c!Sam).

Funny answer: brother he is the one writing Awesamdream fics in a mix of catharsis, revenge fantasy, wish fulfilment, and his own desperate longing for an Alternate Universe - Everybody Lives Nobody Dies fix it fic. And because he needs everyone to know that c!Sam is a loser in every respect, but especially in bed.

#awesamdream

[ameiniateria]

Now after covering the past events, Dream references in the finale [here] it is perhaps only fair I also cover what Tommy says, specifically this line which I feel like we don’t talk about enough.

[28:17] Tommy: “The first day I’m here what do you do, you fucking banned me! You send to me to the Antarctica!”

Because the thing is, Tommy could've been just referencing Dream trying to banish him as his sentence after killing George and breaking the rules [17:05]. A sentence, Tommy blatantly ignores and doesn't follow instead going on to break even more rules and public property.

But his highlight of Antarctica means he's referring to Dream's attempts after just trying to force him to leave, where he straight up teleports Tommy 1,000 blocks away to the artic making Dream's op power of teleportation canon. Even further, Dream /gives Tommy many beds so he will set his spawn and stay in his banishment in the artic [here’s just one example] because he continued to kill himself to end up at spawn again (huh and suddenly Dream's surveillance during Exile makes so much more sense...) meaning that Dream can /give people items canonically. After this, Dream does literally ban Tommy from the server and given that it is something he does to Schlatt later it does seem to be implied that that too is canonical. In fact, in the later stream that begins the disc wars, he even threatens to do the same thing to Sapnap - [50:18] Dream: “You’ll be banned for a week–” (should he burn Alyssa's house down) which given it's a threat that’s taken seriously and he's using it to enforce rules in a canonical war, I'd say that it counts as lore.

Dream’s op is canon.

Tommy’s words in the finale make not only getting banned, but also getting teleported to Antarctica lore, which means Dream is canonically op-ed or at the very least able to /tp, /give and /ban and like do we even realize how big that is? What that means? It implies that from the beginning, Dream has access to commands, presumably all commands or at least a bunch of commands… and oh how that paints lore in a whole new light…

Dream, I have so many questions…

#c!dream #dreblr #lore #analysis #wait what the fuck?

[ameiniateria]

Can we hear more about that theory?

it's less of a theory and more just derangement, and a specific angle of viewing the story. but smth i think that is crucial to how i see the story and something that i think is too-often deemphasized in the fandom, regardless of how much you buy into the derangement lmao, is that c!discduo is not...really a standalone relationship. i mean it is, but in just as many ways it isn't...and the reason why the finale and you know, an actual conversation between the two of them takes so long to get to is precisely because it was overshadowed by the third component of their whole deal. are you following? does this make sense? i dont know.

c!dream + c!tommy are one side of a triangle that supports quite literally everything abt their whole central conflict and narrative, with the third part being, well, c!wilbur. and the c!wilbur-c!tommy-c!dream of it all is quite understandably easy to miss, but it's also what i think leads to some of the most striking differences in c!dream and c!tommy interpretations, not to mention the story as a whole. c!wilbur's relationship with c!dream and c!tommy separately AND together is critical to the ways that the two characters develop and how their conflict evolves--i'd say that that's more just. canon, than a theory. but how far you extend that is where it kinda delves into different interpretations of canon, you know?

but it's just like ... when the whole fucking point of that last stream, the whole damn crux of it is when tommy says "i thought you were just a villain" and dream replies with "i am and i always have been" and the whole damn POINT is that these viewpoints were never true to begin with, when what dream throws to tommyinnit is a picture of lmanburg, when the shit that they have to dismantle to reach out at the end of the fucking world is the hero/villainisms that have DEFINED THEIR STORY independently AND together, it's like. look . when the story is like dismantling the literal source of their conflict and c!wilbur's fingerprints are all over the damn thing, it feels a Little reductive to see the conversation so consistently happen without even invoking his name, you know?

#lore #analysis #c!dream #c!tommy #c!wilbur

[ameiniateria]

rewatching gen finale and having to force myself not to keep skipping through because of the secondhand embarrassment c!Tommy gives me

#love the character #and the conversations are important #but godamn

[ameiniateria]

I'd love to hear your structural hot takes

I already rambled a lot about this here, but alright okay yes I got more. I am here to talk about bullshit and nonsense after all 😤

If we're still talking about how DSMP is a prime example of New Media, and various frameworks you might use to understand it as an example of New Media, then I think it could be useful to bring up the concept of the violence hub.

Before I get into all that I need to define another term: rhizomatic storytelling, which means a narrative that is decentralized, nonlinear, and intricately networked. Does DSMP fit into this category? I would say so, even though it doesn't necessarily fulfill all criteria. It's definitely decentralized (I've already talking a bit about how it's difficult to pin down the parameters of the "core text" when it comes to MCYTRP) and it's definitely a network of little stories coming together to form a cohesive(ish) narrative. But one thing DSMP isn't is nonlinear. It's a very linear story, in the same way that professional wrestling (which is famously fictionalized) is very linear. It's been pointed out by fans that the storylines in pro wrestling pass at the same rate as time passes in the real world - which is pretty unique! You can't say that about most stories, even most forms of serial fiction! But, interestingly, DSMP is the same: time in the story passes at more or less the same rate as time passes IRL, with the exception of periods spent in limbo. This raises some interesting questions about who determines linearity in a prosumptive (co-created by writers and audiences) piece of media. If you're looking at DSMP from the perspective of the CCs, it's a linear narrative in the ways I've just described. But if you look at it from the perspective of the audience (who are given the option to switch between streams, watch live, watch VODs afterwards, watch VODs out-of-order, or refuse to watch some streams/VODs altogether), then it can be - and often is - a very non linear story. In a straightforward narrative where the creators create and the consumers consume, this isn't even a question. But in the case of something like DSMP, which is a collaboration by creators and audiences, those lines of authority blur and we're left wondering whose timeline we're on.

So let's say, for the sake of this argument, that DSMP is a rhizomatic story. It doesn't check off all the boxes, but I would still say it qualifies for reasons I hope I've outlined above in at least a semi-comprehensible way. Well, there's this framework that's been developed for understanding these types of non-linear, decentralized stories: the violence hub.

The violence hub was proposed as a way of furthering our understanding of these participatory “multithreaded” stories that offer many voices at once without giving any particular one of those voices the final word.

Personally, I think DSMP is sort of the perfect example of a violence hub story, obviously because of the way it's constructed (talked about this a lot already here so I won't rehash it rn) but also because, quite frankly, it is a violent story. DSMP is bleak as fuck. Warfare, conflict, and abuse are core motifs. Like, even in a fandom as divided as this one, it's not controversial to say that DSMP is a story that's fixated on suffering, and that fixation is one of its main selling points. Not all fans are interested in those parts of the story, of course, but I think it's safe to say a lot of fans find DSMP's treatment of suffering pretty compelling. This is why people are insane about Exile and Pandora and Pogtopia and, and, and. You get the picture.

The violence hub is also a useful way of looking at not just how the story is structured, but how it is consumed. When fans talk about a violent incident in the story, whether it's Exile or c!Dream's imprisonment or something else, oftentimes we talk about these events in relation to other characters' perspectives and POVs. What's c!Tubbo up to during c!Tommy's exile? Who does or doesn't try to visit Logstedshire, and at what points in the Exile timeline? What's c!Dream doing during the Exile period when he's not at Logstedshire? This interactivity with the incident (Exile) through various other POVs deepens viewers' understandings of that incident, what it means to the characters involved, what it means in the larger narrative, and most importantly - what it means to us, the viewers. The same thing could be said about any period that qualifies as a "violent incident" described in the article screenshotted above. Take Pandora, for instance: how many times have you heard someone say "You really need to watch c!Sapnap's prison visit to get a sense of what it was like," or "c!Techno's prison podcast is vital to understanding what happens in Pandora," or something else to that effect. We all have specific streams we see as crucial puzzle pieces, but we don't all agree on what those streams are. And, depending on which streams you see as vital, your idea of what went down during a particular violence hub incident may be very different from my perception of that event, and vice-versa. Be that as it may, consuming the story this way, rather than in the form of a traditional linear narrative, allows viewers to come to more nuanced understandings of not just the incident in question, but also why the incident happened, what other events led up to it, the later impacts it had on the story, how character relationships and dynamics may have shifted as a result of the incident, etc. The decentralized nature of this structure enables an understanding of the story that appropriately accounts for its complexity.

Now that all that's out of the way, I want to talk about the structure of the violence hub in relation to audience expectations. When the finale aired, I was pretty confused by a lot of folks' reactions, partly because of how I perceived the DSMP and how I see its structure interacting with its themes. To me, DSMP is a story largely about cyclical violence, so an ending where c!Tommy (a main character, driving force for the narrative, and sometimes the protagonist depending on who you ask) chooses to put an end to that cycle made sense to me. I never saw the finale as being about an abuse victim forgiving his abuser, I saw it as being about an abuse victim purposefully stepping back, seeing the cycle of violence for what it is, and choosing to opt out. This is a fairly unpopular interpretation of the finale, but it's one that I stand by because it's firmly grounded in the text: the dialogue, the scenecraft, the structure. Up until the finale, c!Tommy perceives the DSMP as a linear, centralized story - his own! He acts accordingly, rarely stopping to consider consequences or other characters' perspectives. When he's sent to limbo in the finale, c!Tommy is suddenly able to see into c!Dream's past memories from c!Dream's perspective. In this moment, c!Tommy's experience of the narrative ceases to be linear and centralized; in this moment, he is experiencing the story in the same way that we, the audience have been experiencing the story. c!Tommy, placed in the audience's shoes, is presented with what is essentially a "branch" to the violence hub that is Exile, that is Pandora, that is the aftermath of both of those arcs. Upon seeing that "branch" (the memory), c!Tommy is given context for some of the events that have happened on the server. This newfound context allows him to understand his own story as a part of the stories of the people around him. This newfound context enables him to understand the story in a way that accounts for its complexities. He doesn't forgive c!Dream, but he is able to recognize the cycle of violence and choose not to participate anymore.

So, back to the thing I said about structure and audience expectations. As I mentioned, a lot of fans hated the finale for a lot of reasons. It wasn't to everyone's taste, and that's fine. But I would like to posit that one reason people didn't like the finale was because the rhizomatic structure of the story (which c!Tommy becomes aware of) subverted their own expectations about storytelling in general and this story in particular. I'd argue that a lot of people hated the finale because they were still clinging to the possibility of a non-rhizomatic narrative: one that has a traditional beginning/middle/end, one that has clear heroes and villains, one in which unambiguous good vanquishes unambiguous evil. Which isn't a bad thing to want, it's just...not what DSMP is, or ever was.

#lore #analysis

[ameiniateria]

My character design for c!dream

#c!dream #good art #god the hatching is so beautiful #creepy but pretty as hell

[ameiniateria]

Ya know, it's occurred to me from watching the way c!Dream talks about c!Tommy being trapped in there with him. He sounds not just glad to have company, but also like optimistic, if that makes sense. Like the "We have tons of time to bond," [46:17], "You're stuck in here with me, whether you like it or not. Okay? Whether you like it or not you're in here with me for a while. We're gonna talk. We're gonna have lots of fun. We’re gonna have lots of fun. Remember–remember when we had fun together, c!Tommy? Remember when we had fun together?–” [46:45], and the "I've changed. I’ve changed. I’ve changed–" [47:19]. He doesn’t say it in a malicious, threatening way, which certainly would be expected of him. I mean, the person who imprisoned you is now imprisoned with you, as the big bad guy that seems like some torture opportunity to me (it is the torture box after all lol ;D), but that’s not what he’s suggesting. No, he sounds adamant about change, about bonding, about talking things through. And given that the TNT Ranboo sets off to get c!Tommy trapped was a part of c!Dream’s plan, it’s very interesting that that would be his response. In fact, it’s almost as if he trapped c!Tommy in order to force them to reconcile, which very much aligns with a theory I’ve actually had for a while - what if the plan to put himself in the prison was about restoring his image.

He was renowned as the villain and everyone was after him and anyone associated with him. They all wanted his head, either because of fear or to be seen as some powerful hero who slayed the big monster. Even in the time of peace, they were plotting to kill him. All while he really just wanted peace and friendship, but he can’t exactly have that when everyone hates him and wants to kill him. Sure, he could seclude himself like Techno, but he didn’t want that. He wanted to be back in the fold.

And he doesn’t want to die, but clearly, they were never going to be satisfied until they destroy him. So, he lets them, and he forms a plan for him to be redeemed in the eyes of the server. He makes a prison so they can defeat him and he gets to live. And he makes the conditions horrible so they a) don’t suspect it was his plan and b) so they feel satisfied with his punishment. He makes it super secure so a) people can’t just get in to kill him, b) so they won’t suspect he’s there willingly (he’s very powerful after all), and everyone can feel safe from him. But he implements an extensive visitor system ("I just don’t want to ever be alone.") so now people can feel safe enough to visit him, and without weapons being involved, work through their issues. The idea being that everyone can come talk to him (which they were too scared or angry to do before) and see how he’s not so scary after all. So, that they then can ultimately release him and he can be a part of society again, now that he’s changed. The prison than was a way to de-villainize himself, so he was no longer the enemy.

Meaning, his favor with c!Techno was a backup plan, and that’s why he didn’t set up a system to get the message to c!Techno sooner, he planned on being let out. He just didn’t plan for things to go so wrong and for people to be so cold…

#c!dream #lore #analysis #dreblr

[ameiniateria]

Today in “apparently communication is impossible in 2024” the French union never contacted Quackity beyond a Twitter call-out???

#q situation #q neg #I didn't know that much about unions before this also #but it's not their responsibility to hold his hand through this #he should have done his research on international labor laws before trying to run an international company #good information prev thank you so much

[ameiniateria]

sorry. but unfortunately I'm having thoughts about prison c!dreamity. what if you were both alone? what if you'd both driven away or lost (you don't know the difference -- you don't know if they ever would've stayed) everyone that would've given you a sweeter kind of love? (if it even is love) what if what you have is monstrous and violent and unromantic and so, so shameful? what if you only see the worst parts of each other? what if you only see the worst parts of yourselves? what if it's closer to hatred when he looks at you? what if it's only ever torture when he touches you? what if you only feel alive when he puts his knife inside of you?

#c!dreamity #don't look at me #maybe in a better world they could love each other kindly #but in any better world they'd have other people to love

[ameiniateria]

The fact there's NO content of cSam and cGeorge being father and son is so evil. Like plssss guys cGeorge is the only person cSam directly refers to as his child. cSam literally says that he "raised him as his own" on George's house building stream like thats his daddyyy. Do you know how much angst potential there is in cGeorge finding out his FATHER allowed the torture of his best friend??? Someone write the fic NOW.

Also if you're a cQuackity is cSams son truther like me, just imagine the betrayal cGeorge would feel finding out his brother was the one who actually did the torturing. Like???

#ooo actually didn't know this! #but might have to integrate this into my writings #lore

[ameiniateria]

a lil c!Tommy for you <3

#my art #c!tommy