i understand why ppl don’t believe quackity rlly didnt know abt the working conditions with the admins, it’s his server, he should be overseeing everything, etc etc. but i think many ppl aren’t taking into consideration how massive of a project the qsmp is and how big the team is. on top of the roleplaying admins (eggs, capys, bunnies) there’s likely lots of offscreen admins, builders, mod devs, writers, artists working on the project as well. it makes total sense to me for q to have hired and trusted ppl to handle parts of quackity studios that he a. didn’t have time for b. didn’t have the experience to make the best decisions for or c. that he just didn’t want to do. at the end of the day q is a content creator and yes that means he also is a businessman and yes he owns quackity studios but he’s also shown himself to be INCREDIBLY busy and things like managing finances, vetting, hiring, and paying out employees takes a lot of time and can go super wrong if he didn’t have the knowledge or experience regarding how to do such things. he’s also shown himself to be pretty hands off with a lot of the server administration stuff, afaik he still isn’t op’d on his own server which makes sense bc he does have a team running things behind the scenes. i worked administration in a small office a while back and we had plenty of miscommunication issues bc my boss didn’t handle every part of his business. he didn’t even know how much i was being paid bc he had hired someone else to do the onboarding, offboarding, and payment for employees. even tho our team consisted of like 13 ppl at any given time, there were still miscommunications. and we were all seeing each other in person! we weren’t even dealing with differing time zones or different languages.
at the end of the day, q is young and inexperienced. he trusted the wrong ppl to handle parts of his business. all we can hope for is that things change for the better, the whole quackity studios team gets paid fair wages, have stress loads taken off of them, and feel safe and comfortable continuing with the project. i rlly hope pommes admin comes back bc the qsmp wouldn’t be the same without her even if another admin took the place of pommes character. idk if lea would want to come back but i feel like the door should be open for her too and she still deserves compensation for the work she did in her time working on the team. i have high hopes that things will get taken care of and some restructuring happens within the company
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;3 Anon here! Before I do anything else, I want you to know that I agree with your latest repost, XD!
Like, the irony is huge here.
“Oh! We are the most aware people in media ever!”
(Tommy gets tortured for like the tenth time this week because he said that Dream’s a dick.)
“Get over it Tommy! Man, Tommy’s a freaking Gary Stu! He’s a demon! Dream did this for a reason! A very good reason! Tommy’s the one dividing the server! Dream has this greatttttt plan! Why is Tommy such a brat? Why do inn!ters act like Tommy doesn’t have flaws?”
(Dream gets tortured by Quackity)
“HISSSSSS! QUACKITY IS A MONSTER! HE DID THIS FOR POWER! DREAM NEEDS A HUG!”
Someone who was paying attention: But Dream did the same thing to Tommy and Lazerbeam and Hbomb. Also, Quackity also has a reason other then being a power hungry dick. Dream didn’t deserve torture but-“
“REEEEEEEEEEEE! YOU HAVE NO MEDIA COMPREHENSION! REEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
Oh my god I can't even believe some of the shit takes I've seen like even with the most c!Tommy "sympathetic" ones there's always this implication that any time Tommy expresses how distressed and traumatized and terrified of Dream he is, he's just being a dramatic whiny little bitch abt it and he needs to just get over it and learn to see things from Dream's perspective
Meanwhile canon c!Dream interacting with c!Tommy is like:
"I don't think our story will ever be over, Tommy. I think that... you're just too fun :)"
"And you know I won't kill you, but Tubbo..."
"I lost my friends. And all my stuff. And you."
"That's the Tommy I know :)"
"We can become immortal together, by studying it!"
"And maybe I'll kill you again :) And then I'll revive you and I'll kill you again and I'll revive you and I'll kill you again and I'll revive you and I'll kill you again :) :) :)"
"You're gonna be immortal! You're gonna be immortal just for me to fuck with you every single day, Tommy! :)"
*hides in the walls* *murders him* *murders him* *exiles him, abuses him, conditions him into dependence, drives him to attempted suicide* *stalks him some more* *psychologically tortures him a bit* *traps him in prison with him, more abuse and psychological torture* *fucking murders him again* *breaks out of prison and immediately hunts him for sport* *stalks him some more, this time with psychological torture mixed in*
And that's just what I can remember off the top of my head rn like. How are you going to say with full confidence that c!Tommy being fucking terrified of this guy is at best just a character flaw that he needs to get over and at worst him being obsessed with c!Dream for no reason lmaooo
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maybe it’s copium but i still hope cfiances gets a good ending, or at least for c!sapnap
all three of them have gone through a ton but sapnap is time and time again put in the middle and he keeps getting the short end of the stick in literally every situation.
back a way long time ago he wanted to help & support l’manburg but couldn’t because 1) he was american and 2) dream & george wanted him on their side as a team.
during pogtopia, he watched as his best friend (dream) covered for tommy and even helped tommy to burn down the original eiffel tower build, which was for his and karl’s wedding/honeymoon.
during new l’manburg he’d not only heard his best friend say he doesn’t care about anyone, including him, and when confronted couldn’t be given a straight answer, he was asked to, in the case of tommy not being exiled, to help trap everyone inside new l’manburg which would’ve included his two fiances.
he watched as his best friend (dream) yelled at his other best friend (george) and revoked his kingship he’d been given. he also saw dream nearly kill quackity, his fiancé, because all of them wanted to follow in the footsteps of l’manburg with el rapids and dream gave them shit for it.
he may have been involved in the pet wars, but after the constant shit he’d been given by dream, and some heartfelt talks with tommy he decided to side with him on doomsday and fight dream, techno, and phil. he nearly killed techno after techno started attacking quackity.
after he’d decided to go with george and karl to create a kingdom where they could be safe, and where quackity would also be safe. but karl forgot to invite quackity. meanwhile quackity did the same thing with las nevadas.
cut to the final disc confrontation, where he was already seemingly suspicious of what the hell happened in exile, but he walked in on his ex-best friend almost killing two kids of whom, in his eye, didn’t do anything wrong or near deserving. he jumped in front of them and stood between them. he had to escort him to the prison.
he eventually visits dream in prison, dream refuses to talk to him other than to convince him to send a taunting message to ranboo. and to write in a book about how he’s going to break out. despite all the awful things dream has done, sapnap says he still loves him like a friend/brother but it’s because of that love that he can’t stand to see dream continue to hurt people how he is, so he promises that if dream ever breaks out he’ll kill him himself.
all the while the start of the whole eggpire thing happens. he has his dad (bbh) want to kill or corrupt him as well as he hears word from karl from how bbh almost did so to both quackity and him. they have a small bicker back and forth and he doesnt really talk to his father until he’s invited to the red banquet, he doesn’t show up (and we see from the red banquet that, if the eggheads had not been interrupted, bbh would’ve probably had his own son killed while under the influence of the egg).
while ALL of this is happening his fiancé karl is slowly losing more and more memories and it’s getting really bad. he doesn’t know if it’s living around the mushrooms or some other cause but he doesn’t know what to do. george who is also living with them is asleep most of the time and it concerns him. it makes both of them extremely defenseless at times. he makes it his vow then that he has to protect kinoko and his friends, even if it means he will die trying.
he hasn’t heard from quackity in months at this point and he eventually goes to talk with him, wanting desperately to have him back in his life because he isn’t sure what happened. he finds out there was a huge misunderstanding and tries to set it right only for quackity and karl to get into a massive fight. karl doesn’t remember quackity being his fiance at all and hates him with all he has, and quackity goes on about how all he wanted was to do something good for them. sapnap is caught in the middle where he can’t believe karl and he feels bad for quackity, but he can’t chose a side so he just stands there, and tries to talk to both of them. he’d be accepted in las nevadas so long as karl isnt there, and karl no longer wants to see quackity, and he doesn’t know what to do.
this i think has been retconned but if you want to count it he then gets the responsibility of the death book where he finds out he could potentially end the suffering of people and kill dream (if he manages to steal the revive book first), but it would cost his own life, all his lives. and at the time he was extremely willing to do this.
and NOW his best friend has broken out of prison and got away and he’s actively trying to hunt him down so he doesn’t hurt people, but he finds out he failed anyway because IMMEDIATELY after breaking out he chases down and tries to hunt tommy, and traps his house. he’s one of the only people to believe tommy and agrees to protect him.
c!sapnap has gone through SO much shit with so, so very little wins. and he’s stick in a limbo in between zone of his romantic relationship where he is probably going to be forced to pick a side. not to mention it’s looking like he’ll have to, or he’ll have to deal with his best childhood friend/brother dying and his whole situation with his father doesn’t even seem to be resolved.
c!sapnap needs a vacation and a break and a nap and on everything i hope he gets a good ending.
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thoughts on c!sam and religion im curious... also in regards to prisontrio all three are religious, to varying degrees and varying beliefs
/dsmp rp
okay so we joke that Sam is Catholic but, like, come ON. Sam has a LOT of behaviors that tend to ping me as religious/religious-coded. I don’t really think Sam definitely believes there’s a god… but there’s a very authoritative + spiritual cast to his attitude on life. God may not be real, but Good and Evil definitely are—everybody’s got a devil and an angel on their shoulder.
For one thing, there’s his attitude towards morality, which I’ve gone on and on and on about. How he makes arguments about virtue ethics based in authority, and based on the supposition that there is such a thing as Good and Evil, and more concretely and importantly, Good People and Evil People. Sam projects lots of this onto Dream. Dream becomes an object of his need for the moral world to be a simple one.
His personal relationship to guilt, suffering, and justice is an extremely particular brand of religious: he references purgatory in Daedalus, for god’s sake. There is an element of Sam that wants to see himself as martyred; there is a part of him that sees suffering as redemptive, just as that part of him sees suffering as something delivered only unto the unworthy. This is imo a huge part of his complex with Dream: Dream deserves to suffer, yet… doesn’t suffering elevate him, excuse him, somehow?
He’s got all these superstitious behaviors: think of how he acts post-egg, his relationship to the holy water. I think he prayed, down trapped in the obsidian, with his own flesh. He has all these behaviors that are nearly ritualized: the laws the waivers the protocols, forever and ever amen. Sam derives tangible comfort from following ordained rules. Violate the rules and just punishment follows, the arm of god will smite you. (Sam is happy to act in this capacity. Sam is afraid, on some level, to be on the receiving end.) Obey the rules and you will never be be wrong. I maintain that Sam was shaken far more by letting Quackity violate protocol than by letting him commit horrific violence.
As for Quackity… I don’t see Q as a true believer, founding of the prime church aside. But I think his quiet faith in power could be shaped that way: what are lessons if not commandments? What is a country if not a kingdom, what is a kingdom if not divine? If God is real, God owes him a motherfucking crown.
Quackity is a believer in shattering idols. Heaven is a place on earth. So is hell. Quackity can build them both. Quackity does not think Dream is a god, but he ascribes Dream power when he tears him apart.
I think the most fascinating thing here is that peculiar form of iconoclasm in what he does to Dream, and in how he rips out Schlatt’s heart, and even in some respects how he tries to tear down Wilbur. Quackity will take these false idols and smash them on the sand; he’ll eat what remains and absorb their power. That’s a ritual too.
Dream, I think, has the kind of faith you keep when you’ve met a god and he’s wearing your face. He has the kind of faith you keep in your heart when you wield the power of the gods, you carry it inside you, and you were torn apart for months for it. Everyone Dream ever reveals it to tries to pry it from him and they all fail. The plan Dream keeps is going to save the world and he’s the only one with the guts and the ability to do it.
Dream does not have a god complex, but he is a mortal man willing to tear apart the tools of Olympus. And he knows that’s exactly what he’s doing.
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Trying my hardest to be unbiased about this-
With the whole question of if cwilbur will even bother to say goodbye to quackity (with him still believing negatively towards each other) I think there’s a level of shame though that cwilbur probably feels he has to address. I mean- when all there’s left is broken glass, you can’t just leave it there- you have to clean it up, right?
However, Im not sure cwilbur would be able to confront quackity in person
It’s fucking scary- cause all they know with each other is how to tear each other apart to their cores, and Wilbur certainly doesn’t expect for Quackity to go easy on him if he ever does show his face ever again.
So maybe he finds an alternative solution, maybe a thought out letter mirroring Quackity’s letter that has a newfound meaning of “you were right and I’m making sure not to make the same mistakes again”???
Idk if this makes sense but I’m just wondering you thinks gonna realistically happen if or when there’s a tntduo apology
the copying of quackity's letter is actually a really cool idea
honestly, i dont think cc!tntduo wouldnt choose to not do lore again, so i think we're in luck
BUT thinking it about the way you are, with c!wilbur's pov. i think the shame would get to him a lot, but he would find this new sense of purpose to give c!quackity the proper send off he deserves, because he believes he'll probably never see him again after this 'goodbye'. but he would feel shameful the entire time, they're entire history looming over his head. and also that conflict of admitting to quackity that he's wrong.
and it's not the fact quackity doesnt know he's wrong, its that now quackity knows that wilbur knows that he's wrong. so he'd have shame from both of that, but he'd probably try to think of phil's words and try to push forward to give cquackity that closure
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Analysis 2
This analysis is participating in the Analysis Showdown, click here to rate it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
c!Wilbur and c!Tommy’s confrontation in “Boundless Sands”
C!Wilbur and C!Tommy’s confrontation in “Boundless Sands” highlights how Wilbur was never confronted about his inner motivations, even at his death, and then changes that pattern.
The reason Wilbur was able to get so far during the Manberg/Pogtopia era was because nobody knew how to approach him. Tommy reacted to Wilbur during this time period with confusion and fear, but ultimately he could not do anything more than sometimes walk away from the situation [1]. This was not a shortcoming on his part, as Wilbur had power over him as a mentor figure, and in the past this level of dangerous behavior had not been shown from him. However, it was ultimately ineffective. The one instance where Tommy somewhat managed to prevent disaster was with Quackity in the button room after the festival, but this still seemed to have no effect on Wilbur’s goals, and was simply a setback for him [2]. Maybe Tommy would have been able to prevent Wilbur’s third death initially, but it’s unlikely.
At the end, Philza was also caught unaware, and his inability to react properly was part of what let Wilbur succeed [3a]. I believe Philza failed due to putting emphasis on how illogical Wilbur’s actions were, which Wilbur was too far gone to care about. There was no way Philza could have figured this out, but during Tommy and Wilbur’s confrontation it is shown that the most vulnerable spot for Wilbur is the flaws in how he treats other people.
After he is revived, Wilbur’s dynamic with Tommy continues being one where he primarily gives orders, and Tommy shuts down after an initial pushback [4]. I believe C!Wilbur’s extended isolation in Limbo made it so he was not able to fully reckon with the consequences of his actions. After his role in Ranboo’s death, we do see Wilbur having more self-awareness and wanting to change [5]. But at the end of this, we see his final step in “remedying” things is to leave [6a].
Tommy doesn’t succeed in stopping Wilbur, but I think he achieves one important thing here, and that’s finally holding his ground and confronting Wilbur about his true nature. During Wilbur’s third death, he only was honest when he chose to or when he was (almost literally) backed into a corner [3b]. Here, even though he does not have to, we can see him first cave slightly when Tommy makes the statement that he “deserves to know” [6b].
This line of interactions continues until the breaking point, where Tommy finally addresses the matter of things. Going against the behavior he exhibited in Pogtopia, he bluntly acknowledges that he is someone who has always been by Wilbur’s side with far too little questioning, and that he deserves something in return [6c]. He is not trying to engage in an argument about the general worth of Wilbur’s motives like Philza did [3], but simply holding Wilbur accountable as a person, and that makes all the difference.
The point of this analysis is not at all to be harsh on Wilbur, but to draw attention to how he ended up as the persistently shady character he is due to his lack of honest relationships. I cannot think of an instance when Wilbur has been confronted like this before, and we can sense hesitance in the way he replies, this is new ground.
Wilbur continues to try and dodge the questioning, and Tommy pulls out a sword [6d]. Here we get some very clear fear from Wilbur, and I think it’s important to remember what is probably his biggest memory related to swords [3c]. Tommy has made a breakthrough, he has scared the person who has caused him anguish. I believe that Tommy and Wilbur care deeply for each other, but their relationship is also one with a lot of pain in it, and it was necessary for this pain to be brought to the surface at some point.
The rest of this discussion is the closure, after a touch more bargaining Wilbur comes clean. It is messy, and it is very much a source of controversy in itself, and he still leaves at the end. But the important part is that this conversation showed a weakness that was previously less open in Wilbur. For once, he does not get to excuse himself as a villain or a mastermind, and he faces one of the people closest to him like a human.
sources:
1: https://youtu.be/09ercVF8HgI (1:11:18)
2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb8FXKTLwPc (29:31)
3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq4gphJDUpc&t=4291s (a: 1:15:39 b: 1:14:30 c: 1:16:54)
4: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36682660 (first text chunk)
5: https://youtu.be/8r9GahaP6r8 (7:50)
6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkKLA19QC8s (a: 12:55 b: 13:45 c: 15:15 d: 16:35)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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♠️ ... what do you think charlie 🤨🤨🤨
But also 🦈
Blaze! ...why would you ask this one do you want me to get cancelled 😔 /lh (<- is happily going to answer the question seriously because of c!sam brainrot)
this accidently got kinda long LMAO sorry followers <33
/dsmp /roleplay
♠️ - Do you think c!Sam's sexual attraction towards c!Dream is the result of having a power kink or specific to c!Dream? A mixture?
I'm really answering this question huh!!
Anyways I think it's both, Sam definitely has a thing for power and control. That is fairly obvious when you know of his plan with Q to control the entire server through the bank, his weird violent fantasies involving c!dream and also the extreme way in which he demands every single person to follow the rules he set regarding the prison without questioning his authority.
But c!dream is also the perfect person for him to control. c!Dream was generally regarded by the server as two things when he was imprisoned: an evil & irredeemable villain, and an incredibly capable PVPer and one of the 2 most powerful people on the server.
Then Sam was placed in a position of complete power over Dream with zero surveillance by other people.
I don't think its that crazy to believe Sam got a rush of power and satisfaction every time he made the powerful Dream obey him, made him kneel and listen to his every word or else.
The second factor in his attraction is that with c!dream he has no reason to question his actions and morals when he's behaving in this controlling way. This is because of c!dreams reputation: he is a villain, he is a threat, so in c!Sam's mind he deserves anything c!Sam does to him and he can freely exercise all the power he has over him with no moral qualms.
This is something that he didn't have with c!Ponk; he still feels guilty over ruining his relationship with them by cutting off their arm.
So c!Dream is the only person he doesn't feel that guilt with! In fact he can freely fantasize about torturing him and killing him and kissing him and making him submit and whatever else he wants because c!Dream had it coming! ^_^ so that probably worsens his sexual attraction as well because he's kind of a freak and also very mentally ill 👍
Not to mention c!Dream has a really fat ass so yknow
Anyway moving on second question! ^_^
🦈 - If c!Foolish decides to help c!Dream kill c!Quackity, would he be justified in that choice?
From a c!Foolish enjoyer standpoint yes absolutely he is always justified in every single thing he does and he should murder whoever he likes !
But if I had to answer seriously, I think he technically has more than enough reasons to decide to kill him. This is the man that purposely let him die and manipulated him into joining his country. When he met c!Dream he also learned about the torture, so he knows why c!Dream wants him dead. Knowing this might also make him less opposed to help with that murder.
However, none of those things are the actual main reason why he's considering this deal with c!Dream: he needs someone to die so XD can regain his power. This way he can continue with his plan of becoming an all powerful deity on the same level or even above DreamXD. Which... really isn't the most noble of goals per se :p
So would I say he's justified? Eh. Probably not. But I encourage him to girlboss it up anyways woooo!!!
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heaven only knows, chapter one
pairing:: ::c!quackity x c!revivebur
word count:: ::2.1k
next chapter
synopsis:: ::when one day, quackity has had enough of wilbur's behavior and threatens him, it ends up with one wholehearted love confession, and a very confused quackity.
surrounded by woods, the founder of L’Manberg walked.
surrounded by the wind, wooshing around his ears, he, also thought.
and, lost in thoughts, thinking back to all he’d been doing previously, all his life’s decisions and what went wrong, he hadn’t noticed he was being followed.
that was, until a voice spooked him, at least.
‘i don’t know whether you deserve to love or to die, soot,’ the sharp voice of quackity sounded.
a grin formed on the older man's face, as he took in these words.
‘death. i don’t deserve to live, anyone would see that, taking even just one look at the list of innocent persons I took out. kill me,’ the brunette spoke calmly, having turned around to face his, enemy, who was holding up a gun.
‘die, you say? I could let you live, keep you away from all life known to mankind, force you to insanity. but I won’t, I’m not a monster. meet me in my office. tomorrow, exactly this time. we have some problems if you don’t. not showing up means I’ll hunt down everyone you love, kill them in front of you and finally, i'll kill you. you’d be stuck in an endless loop of death, in limbo, i believe you called it. so, if I were you, I’d make sure to be there.’
the two shared a moment of silence, the younger one having watched wilbur’s face closely, looking for any emotion.
however, he hadn’t expected this reaction: ‘so you’d kill you then? doesn’t make any sense really, how would you kill me if you’re dead already?’
quackity huffed at this: ‘what?’
the other sighed whilst he sent the other a desperate look of, please get the hint already.
but he hadn’t understood the hint and, defeated, the brunette breathed out: ‘you said you’d kill all I love. what if all I love is you, quackity?’
‘quit the bullshit, soot. don’t play your mind games on me, they will not work,’ the younger man yelled out.
wilbur noticed the way the other's confident stance faltered, and the way his finger slowly reached for the trigger, though barely touching it.
when the brit stayed silent, the younger one added: ‘it’s what got us into this mess. your stupid mind games on a stupid drunken night. quit it, neither one agreed to this, to marrying. you were drunk and you made mistakes, I don’t blame you. just cut the crap. stop lying, please. I don’t like being married to you, so we won’t be anymore. I won’t have to take another one of your lies again, not when I’ve killed you.’
‘quackity i know you hate me but i've loved you since, ever since i can remember! and i know this all is forced, but i'd give up forever for it not to be, i'd give up my life if it meant that i'd get to be with you and you'd even slightly love me back! I'm willing to do anything and everything for you, I just, i don't want to lose you. you don't like me, you despise me even, but i just, i can't keep doing this. i can't keep acting like it's all a joke and like i don't care about you. because i do! you mean everything to me. you're the only reason i'm still here and you're the only person i trust! so can you just, please at least act like you don't hate me? please,’ wilbur finally reacted.
'i'm, sorry i didn't know you felt this way,' admitted the younger one.
an awkward chuckle left the taller's mouth, as he took in yet another change of position of quackity's, familiar gun, because now that he wasn't being held at gunpoint anymore, he took in the irony of the situation.
the amount of times that particular gun had been held to his head, should have been worrying to him, instead of feeling strangely safe.
not that he knew quackity wouldn't fire the gun.
hell, he would fire that thing without a reason if it meant he'd get to see the fear on wilbur's face, and he knew that damn well.
'it's okay, really. i don't know how you would've known. i was pretty good at hiding it, if i may say so myself. i know i'm not one to be open about his feelings, but i guess love really does make you do dumb shit. and that, that's what it is. love. i'm in love, quackity.'
he also knew he couldn't stay quiet for too long, because that angered the short male.
'right. you're so drunk, soot. we need to get you home and get you sober so you can say your final goodbyes,' quackity groaned.
wilbur crossed his arms, as if telling the other he has no right to take him with: 'i want to stay here with you!
'so your way of pushing your luck is by pouting like a little kid, hoping i won't take you home,' the black-haired man asked, a small smile having formed on his face whilst he mumbled: 'idiot.'
and, before wilbur could even react the other had already picked him up into his arms and onto his back, the brunette now piggyback-riding his, well, crush, as stupid as that word sounded.
it had stayed silent for a while, but they both found it was a comforting silence, not an awkward one which, thank god for that one.
'hey quackity,' spoke wilbur, suddenly.
'what,' the shorter man spat.
needless to say the sudden change of, talking, quite caught the brunette off guard.
'nothing, i just, i don't know. i wanted to say that i know you don't feel the same way. never have and never will. you've made that clear and i respect that. i made peace with that, even! it hurts, and it keeps me up at night, but i can live with it,' the brunette struggled to get out.
'i didn't,' the sentence got cut off before wilbur could make out what it was quackity was trying to tell him, but he didn't have to wait long, because the other had quickly found another way to word it, it being: 'whoever told you that, that i don't like you?'
a sigh, before: 'are you serious? you've told me, a lot of times. i always laughed it off but honestly, it made me want to die whenever you reminded me. and you saved my life a lot of times too, just like you are now, but i know you'll go back to telling me all sorts of fucked up things. and as much as i love this, whatever it is we've going on now, i don't want that reminder again. of what we are, i mean. friends. it hurts to see that. just, it hurts when you remind me, when you say i mean nothing to you. so if that's what's going to happen, please don't let it be. just, drop me off, but don't remind me again.'
'i guess i'm, guilty of it too. of lying, keeping feelings secret. i don't know if what i feel, is what you feel for me, but i do know that i quite enjoy our conflicts. it's fun. to me, it brings nostalgia with it, from pogtopia. and, i guess i've gotten used to you being around,' quackity spoke.
'so you just, you like the memories then?'
'no. no, not, not just the memories. well yes, memories, but i guess we make some as well. memories, i mean. our arguments, the things i love so much, they stay with me, they're memories. i don't forget that, soot,' spoke the black-haired man.
a soft laugh: 'i find that hard to understand, quackity. why do you love something that's, it's mean. the things we say and do. how can you love that? the same word i used when i talked about what i feel for you, how do you find that one the best to describe what you feel with these arguments.'
'i don't, i don't know. i guess it just feels safe, in a way? even if we throw mean stuff around at each other it doesn't, feel mean.'
'it feels safe,' wilbur asked, having shifted around on the other's back.
'yes, i think so. any normal argument with anyone else wouldn’t be, but with you it's, i don’t know. it just, feels different.'
'i never meant the things i said. well, i meant the part where i always, jokingly asked for sex because, really it's the only way i knew how to say i love you. but the other stuff, i never meant that. you're not annoying, or stupid, or whatever, really. you're amazing, quackity,' wilbur smiled.
'and again it is, that soot robbed me of my words. what do i say, how do i react? i have no idea,' admitted the younger, chuckling.
'that's, understandable. i know we're both not that good at communication. really, i've been watching you closely and know you're more of an actions speak more than words guy. and i appreciate that, i really do! but really, i know it's hard to have serious conversations for you and, if you want to quit whatever this is, we can, immediately! just let me know and, maybe we can have a stupid argument to make you feel safe or something,' said the other man sheepishly.
'no. no, i want to get all of this out. well, what i can, at least.'
'i do too and, i think i got- no, that's a lie, i didn't get all of it out. god there's so much i have to tell you, but i don't know how to.'
'tell me, then, soot,' quackity whispered.
'i'm so scared that you'll change your mind about us, about me. if there even is an us. and, i know you'll just say you won't, to assure me, i know you will. but you have to realise that, that it's hard. it's hard to believe that when all you ever do is just, make fun of me. but then again, i would love nothing more than to believe it.'
a sigh: 'well, it's complicated.'
'i know it is. so is what i feel. for you, i mean.'
'i see.'
'no, wait. i mean, it's not. well it is, but still. i know what you mean to me, i know what i want from you and i know that all i want is you and, and i'm so in love. it's just hard because, i guess we always had that uh, i guess we just hated each other. well, we had to. i mean, nobody told us we had to, but we did and that's how it always was and that worked. but this is, well, this is new. and i like it but it's scary. so, so scary. i've never been so vulnerable, ever. and i quite like it,' wilbur admitted, 'look, i don't know where you stand with your emotions and feelings but, god i'm so in love with you and i just want everyone to know. i could scream it from the top of my lungs right now, i want everyone to know that quackity is the person i love! but before i, go ahead and get too lost in thoughts, i want to ask, what are we? i mean, is this friendship?'
'truth be told, i don't know, soot,' spoke quackity, 'what, do you want this to be?'
'i wish to be more than friends but, i know you're figuring it out and we can, we can wait however long you need. however long it takes to figure this all out. i can wait and, i will wait because i love you and that's what love does to you. it makes you, well, kinda dumb. but it's an amazing feeling, one that i never want to go away.'
silence.
'i suck at talking, i really do, i'm sorry. but what if, instead of insulting each other, we just-'
'we just what,' quackity asked.
'what would you think if, i proposed the idea of you and and me, together, in a room and just, listening to love songs? it would speak everything i want to tell you, but that i can't say,' spoke wilbur.
'i would think, that it's a fantastic idea. and i would think that i would like that, like right now,' quackity said, face having turned red.
'so it's settled, then? you take me to your office, we get drunk and listen to songs,' the brit asked, hope speaking in his voice.
'yeah. it's settled,' the younger smiled.
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Been stewing on this for a few days (might be controversial, but I don't really care)
I think my issue with takes that unironically excuse or downplay the impact of c!Quackity torturing c!Dream has nothing to do with misinterpreting authorial intent; we have no way to be absolutely sure what's going through the writer's head, and even if we did, everybody sees fiction differently.
Nor does it have anything to do with the morality of enjoying a fictional person's suffering. Because once again, that's all very subjective, the people suffering aren't real, and to be fair, sometimes it can be cathartic to watch a villain get everything they've done thrown back tenfold.
It's just that reading c!Quackity's story like that is... boring.
Like, even if you don't give two shits about c!Dream's feelings - and you shouldn't have to - there's so much other interesting stuff to work with!
I want to dig deep into how trauma affects the way a person processes their life and how they judge who is worthy of their trust. How people determine when others have crossed a moral line, how someone can continue to justify themselves even after they cross those very same lines, and what happens when they realize they've become the bad guy and still don't stop.
I want to watch how someone can be desensitized to constant violence, and the way it leaves marks that you can't scrub out. How you can ward off your own trembling at the memories of dead eyes and destroyed homes with slightly different examples of the same. How your gut sinks when you discover that the vicious thing inside you that you thought was given a safe, healthy, cathartic outlet is leaking into the world of the innocent.
I want to understand how you can carry a knife in one hand and wedding rings dangling on a chain from the other, held as far apart as you can reach, because you can't bear to cross those lines and stain something that was supposed to safe and peaceful and good. How you can look the child you're trying to avenge in the eyes and lie to him because you've felt his pain, but you also know he's kinder and better than you, and it's already enough that one person looks at you with fear, and you can't bear to see that fear mix with disappointment. How you can lie awake thinking about blank lines of paperwork and the grime beneath your nails and sly smiles and lost bets and broken promises (and screams and sobs that stopped being soothing a long time ago), and wonder what happens when the same sharp edge is turned against you and the ones you love, too.
I want to see how you can choose to put the blade down, change your plans, and trick your fuming heart into believing that it's not weakness or guilt holding you back. That it's all going to be worth it. That both of you are going to get what you deserve (and you already know what that is, that you're heading to the same place in hell as everyone you despise, that there's no turning back anymore, that you are irreparably soiled by what you've done here, and that your only hope is to leave a message behind and hope that someone, anyone, will remember you fondly-)
I want to question what it really means to "deserve" something, and wonder how much it really matters. I want to see the good, the bad, and everything in between. I want to see somebody go to the darkest depths imaginable, and still choose to return.
The prison arc and by extension the rest of the Las Nevadas arc is the perfect place to explore all of that. So why not?
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💀, 👻, and 🎦
💀 - i think it was a super interesting way to develop dream's character and allow for people to come back and do new stuff (i.e. wilbur and perhaps schlatt someday though ive somewhat given up on that :sob: but maybe connor now lmao)
like i think without it dream's hold over tommy wouldn't have been the same following the disc finale; which, if they wanted to end it there, would've been fine, but since they've continued since it makes it that much worse. exile was awful; but tommy escaped. revival isn't something tommy can escape and it means dream has that much more power over tommy. also i just like revival and necromancy and magical shit! i think it's neat! and i think it had a huge (positive) impact on wilbur's character. his first arc from l'manberg to nov 16 was a fully complete story, but being able to grapple with the aftermath of it has been incredible to watch and he's done such a good job.
and i think it creates a really cool dilemma for everyone. like imo the best way for everything with tommy and dream to end conclusively is for dream to die; preferably tommy or tubbo kill him. but the reason they didnt kill him during the disc finale was bc he had something they needed (and also bc him and punz had a plan with the prison). and that led to really interesting development for quackity and sam's characters and even techno's. so im a big fan!
👻 - i think wilbur is a filthy liar (<3 as he should be) and i think we need to remember that not only is c!wilbur an unreliable narrator but so is cc!wilbur. 1. he likes us to suffer 2. he just likes lying. so i don't fully believe him, but i wouldn't be shocked if ghostbur is in the same limbo wilbur was in BECAUSE i think they are fundamentally the same person, however much wilbur (c and cc) insists they aren't. i've had a pet theory since like. november or something that ghostbur isn't in limbo because either he never existed as a separate entity in the first place or bc he and alivebur combined the moment he was revived. i think ghostbur is everything cwilbur wishes he was, and he thinks hes not capable of the same kindnesses nor of receiving love in the same way. but he is! he is a fully complete person deserving of compassion in and of himself, and i think ghostbur is a reflection of that insecurity. so in my ideal world, theres a reveal that ghostbur was wilbur the whole time, appearing from limbo, or that ghostbur isnt in limbo and never was, that him and wilbur are now the same person. i don't know if that's where wilbur is going with it, but i will say i was very interested in the moments the other day when wilbur kept saying things ghostbur would say. very interesting!!!
ahhhh sorry for the essay i could talk about cwilbur for hours. but yeah i dont think ghostbur's ever coming back bc he shouldnt, in my opinion. also, tbh, i cannot imagine it feels good to have everyone beg you for info about the dead, soft, gentle version of your character rather than the one thats alive and messy and imperfect and hurting. like if i was him id be like yeah ghostburs dead forever bye bye you should like this version of wilbur and you should want that kind of love and kindness for him. but maybe thats just me!
🎥 - i really dont understand what counts as seasons tbh like everyone uses it differently so ill just say my favorite era (although i really love them all). i like the current era a lot, mostly bc ive been here for everything prison-break on (i started watching a little over a year ago) but i would probably have to say pogtopia is my fave (sorry i love angst). the drama of hiding away, of them losing everything just after they'd won it, wilburs character arc there is mwah mwah mwah, tubbos arc is incredible, and SCHLATT gd schlatt is such an incredible actor and character. ive been slowly getting through the backlog of big lore moments and by far ive enjoyed pogtopia above everything else.
ty for the ask!!
ask game
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Tommy not only has been one of the, if not the huge impact that made the Dream smp what it did today.
And while yes, there are multiple amazing ccs there, you have to ask someone on social media who has no clear idea of it. But what they certainly, from what I believe, can tell you, is how it contains some of the biggest moving forces of the newer Minecraft wave. Tommy being next to Dream to be either always shown or mentioned.
And people who say he doesn’t deserve to be there clearly do not know the Dream smp
Like god, the official Dream smp wiki time line has been cut in two two big pieces. The before and after tommy time. If you want more evidence, Tommy named it. Like nobody really used an name or called it something, tommy, from Dream stated, has named it.
And he got many people to join too. It may sound a bit weird or bad, but from some livestream cuts you can see tubbo talking about how tommy decided to invite him to the server, spamming him, or quackity who also mentioned multiple times how tommy was the one to join him. The same with jack, Niki, Wilbur, techno by that, Phil, following his friend group and many more. He, despite constantly trying to be bad mouthed by antis, was one of the biggest impacts of the smp
And that’s not even scratching the surface. The amount of lore and things during this time not only changed the tagging system for us on the Dream smp but made the most analyzing of a block game I have seen. To the tagging, yes I remember when it got introduced. Bth the neg mention and the character, c. His playing changed in how we easily can tag
This is an appreciation towards tommy
I am in no means undermining the other amazing ccs, but I think the amount of hate made us forget what tommy help shape this into and set stones for an actually amazing fan base
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Sssssoooooo it’s been a while !
I’ve finished the dream smp episode’s playlist (282/282) annnddd I also finished the dream smp plot playlist (419/419)
So this is my final update on my thought on the characters ! ( Imma try keep it short…)
c!Tommy : I finally succombed to the tommyinnit charm after his exile 😩 and his death … and wilbur abondonning him ….+the kid’s been through way too much too to keep disliking him + he did mature in someway, it was really nice to see that + I still want to punch him sometime tho + and that him and eryn a childhood friends is so cute
c!Tubbo : I dont know guys + Tubbo has been really confusing to me the whoollee time xD + but I like him ( and pity him..) + It did go throouughht a looottt + I love that he has a child + I dont like that he have to take care of him alone now !;( + I get it that he is still mourning ranboo and is traumatised with what happenned to micheal but I dont know killing aimsey was really uncool
c!Dream : Everytime he opens his mouth im like « why are you lying »+ I kinda had pity for him with the whole torture arc + but the dude seemed really fine as soon has it was out u know + fuck him for manipulating everyone
c!Sapnap : Like how he goes fully against dream for the greater good even tho they were best friends + finally has a good purpose with defending kinoko kingdom, thats cool + poor man trying to bring peace in his love life
c!George : Stayy assleeppp + It might be because I’ve only watched summarized version of what happened + but everytime this man is awake is to whether destroy stuff or kill people which is tiring and annoying after a while
c!Ponk : Pooorr theeemmm dkjngdkgd + I still can’t believe c!Sam took his fucking arm like ??? + really didn’t deserve anything happening to her + is really sweet + and lost:(
c!Foolish : Love Him + love his lore + kinda like how he joins las nevadas
without being dependent on it + his mental breakdown and his reconsideration was super interesting to see + my man just want to try doing his part + and build awesome stuff !
c!Punz : I find it cool when he really was a mercenary and switched for the side who payed more + now he is a c!dream apologist
c!Purpled : I would have said he didn’t do anything wrong if he attacked anyone beside c!charlie + like after what quackity did, the rest of his action were just fair
c!Wilbur : man got resurected + and I still dont know if he was genuine with all his apologies or not. + still dont understand how some people think he changed + tommy deserved better idc + funny how he was flabbergasted people were not pardonning him after just an apology + how does utah fit in the lore…. ??????????
c!ghosbur: I finally see the baby boi material + the final animatic where he reunite with friend really got me
c!Fundy : What is this whole nightmare thing ? + his reunion with wilbur was touching and heartbreaking + man can’t get lower
c!Eret : Love how they really try to make up for their past mistakes even thought it was so long ago + the musuem is an awesome idea + love how he doesn’t have any of the « dream’s not that bad » bullshit
c!Quackity : Oh my fucking god + I cant say I like what he’ve become + but it’s super interesting to watch + his descent into hell is depressing but logic + his relation with c!charlie was super touching :(
c!Nikki : Her hatred for c.tommy was scary. + I’m glad she calmed down after + hope she finded some peace in the syndicate + Really connected with the fact that at first she joined the syndicate to belong
c!Philza : Like how he become wiser + and gives good advices to wilbur and tommy + we see he does care about them + MUMZA ?! She is so cool !
c!Karl : The dilemma he is put into is so horrible AND interesting ( the whole tale of the smp deal is breathtaking anyway ) + I like how he deeply care about people without being totally selfless
c!Skeppy : omg omg + bruh the whole egg deal ? I didn’t recovered from that + his whole lore is so tragic + the fact that he accepted to sacrifice everyone to keep c !bbh safe + what an asshole but at the same time IT’S SO TOUCHING AT THE SAME TIME
c!Badboyhalo : My beloved + I love this character, just so sweet but also has no limit when it comes to his friends + every **terrible** things he did was to be with his friends ( aka skeppy ) + and the whole egglore ?! ( one of my favorite btw ! ) + both of them went down the bad past just to be with each and it’s JUST IM SO WEAK FOR SOULMATE STUFF + Also i’m crying about the fact that he is a father figure, that him and skep raised c !sapnap + and now there is c !eryn omg dmgdm
c!Ranboo : the way he saw life was super interesting + really depressing (in a good way) how this character was always so miserable + like the guy say they were relieved to be dead, no more stress, no more lies … + also im dying for hybrid stuff and cc!ranboo is the one who gived us the more hybrid canon stuff + also loves that he is a ddaaddd
c!Technoblade : I love him I love him + he is the embodiment of « he is technically a bad guy but he deeply care about his friends so it’s okay ! » + he cares so much + he was so ready to defend tommy against the whole world and this bitch betray him 😒 … + the funiest character without breaking the immersion + also very interesting sens of ethics
c!Captainpuffy : PUFFY PUFFY PUFFY my beloved 2 + her whole backstory is so mysterious I want to know more about the pirate stuff ! + also tragic story like she had been fucked up over and over by her friends to end up at the egg sides on hey bd;- ; + AND EACH TIME SHE forgave THEM LIKE + she was such a pure soul that wanted to do good ( especially like how she was one of the few that see how fucked up what happened to tommy AS A KID was and she really tried to help him ) + until it was too much and she was too tired of everything to try anymore ...
c!Awesamedude : Listen guy I’m a c!awesamedude apologist. I really love him. Okay he did some super fucked up stuff but he is not evil.Cause you can see how much he cared about his friends at the beginning, so stressed about them going near the egg and everything + but obviously the stress of being the only one responsible of the captivity of the most dangerous criminal got to him really bad ( obviously it excused nothing of what he done ) + everyone blaming him for everything dream related afterward like it is normal and logical to ask only one man to be everywhere and think about everything…+ and even at this point he was really affected by tommy’s death + ( beside that I can’t believe he has the audacity to be this mean to c!ponk after what he did to him… )
c!Boomer : has potentiel ! I want to know mmoorreee
c!Aimsey : I love the fact that he wants to be non-violent no matter what happen, I deeply respect that in this fucking smp + her backstory is sadddd ;(
c!Seapeekay : same as aimsey , peaceful man just want to be there for his friends
c!Michealmcchill : SO MUCH POTENTIAL WITH THE « FIND SERENITY » THING + love his musics
c!Charlie : I love hhiimmmm, he is so sweet and innocent + But at the same time he litteraly has seen everything and is older than this whole place + this contrast is always a win + also hybrid sttuuffff + the way he turned against quackity was so perfect and gave me goosebump + can’t wait to see what happen for him ? Will he leave Las nevedas ?
c!Eryn : canon 👏 hybrid 👏 stuff + he is really endearing with how he saw bad and was like that’s dad material + was childhood friends with tommy🥺 + tragic backstory + really interesting how he is drawn to death
c!Hannahrose : In love with the fact that she is a sort of nymph / fairies and is directly connected to nature and especially roses like she put so much details about that + her whole arc with the eggs was so cool and creepy + can’t believe she litteraly got mutilated by c!boomer and people ( sam ) were like « isokaayyy chill dude » like ???
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i do hope c!sam at least tells c!tommy that c!dream is still in prison. c!tommy, before anyone else, deserves to know that c!dream hasn't escaped/isn't coming for him
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dsmp and the narrative of 'the ones who walk away from omelas'
or the concept of scapegoats and the peace of the server
cw for mentions of abuse and torture
in the short story 'the ones who walk away from omelas' by ursula k. le guin, the city of omelas is an utopia, a perfect place where everyone is happy and there are no threats, no dark clouds to upset the peace the city and its people know. but to achieve that peace, the city has a secret: a child locked away in the dark, in suffering and misery. everyone in the city knows this child exists, some go to see it, and everyone makes a choice. either they accept this horrific act as the price for the happy life they enjoy or they walk away, refusing to accept one child's pain for their benefit.
exile is the first and most obvious example of this. c!dream quite literally takes c!tommy, a teenager, and separates him from everyone else, making sure the experience is full of misery and abuse. people are aware of this, to some extent. at the very least, they are aware that tommy has been exiled and that the reason for this exile is the peace of the server. 'send him away and everything will be okay', says dream. whether or not that promise is fulfilled doesn't really matter because the server has its scapegoat offered up to them. the idea still exists: this person will suffer and the rest of us will enjoy the peace that comes from it.
so tommy becomes 'the child' of the story, narratively. he's hurt for the good of all, for the peace of the server. it doesn't matter what he says - in le guin's story the child often begs and promises to be good - the exile must continue even if the people don't understand why.
in the end, it fails because the victim was ultimately able to escape. it fails because that was never the solution in the first place.
and that's the difference between our first example and our second; exile is a clear and obvious example of the narrative mechanic of sacrificing one child for the good of others that's found in 'the ones that walk away from omelas'. the victim is a child - c!tommy is almost the perfect scapegoat in this situation - and the reason behind his exile is the same as the reason for the child's suffering in le guin's story.
pandora's vault is our second example and i need to take a moment to state i'm in no way comparing traumas, both exile and pandora's vault are awful and abusive, merely talking about the narrative parallels between the dsmp and le guin's story.
in 'the ones that walk away from omelas', the child is kept in a small room with only the memory of the sun and the outside world. it's starved and sometimes beaten by those who come to see it. this also applies to exile, particularly the latter, where pandora's vault more fully mirrors the conditions of the child in le guin's story.
there is no sunlight in pandora's vault. there is no way that c!dream can free himself from that room. he's tortured and starved and much like the child in the story, promises to be good.
but he's kept in the prison because it's for the good of the server and while some might be able to argue that it's deserved - certainly there had to be something done about what dream did to tommy - it's impossible to say that the torture and abuse are justified.
yet people do justify it.
c!sam and c!quackity justify the abuse and torture while the rest of the server believes that for there to be peace, dream must stay locked up much in the same way that dream believed exiling tommy was the way to reunite the server once more.
the narrative of both exile and pandora's vault as well as that of 'the ones that walk away from omelas' is that the suffering of one is often seen as the price to pay for peace, for that ideal life. it's an injustice but one that a good amount of people have decided that they can live with.
some decided that they could live with c!tommy being scapegoated and abused and exiled. some didn't. some have decided that they can live with c!dream being abused and tortured and imprisoned. some have not.
in the end, pandora's vault will fail because it was never the soluation in the first place.
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Why c!Dream should (and probably will be) redeemed
Hi! I’m bad with intros. You’ve read the title, so, let’s start with the definitions.
In this essay, we are considering the popularized definition of “redemption” instead of the classical one, which is, as per the Oxford Dictionary, “the act of saving or state of being saved from the power of evil; the act of redeeming.” That’s not however the way the word is used in fandom and media.
/dsmp /rp
The definition of redemption I’ll be working with in this essay is not forgiveness by the people who c!Dream has hurt, nor is it removing himself entirely from his past actions, but moreso the decision to change for the better and abandon destructive mindsets for himself and others.
A “redemption” in a narrative sense would be circumstances and a character arc that would allow that kind of healing and betterment.
I’d like to start this off by the fact that being “irredeemable”, in this sense, also doesn’t exist; redemption is a thing of conditions and choice, not of being allowed by someone else. You can’t gatekeep healing from people who seek it, just to be clear, and that even goes for people who have done terrible things.
Since I understand there is a lot of concern for c!Dream’s past actions, here is a post from people who are much more fit than me to speak on the matter, about the way in which they see a possible c!Dream redemption arc.
Another disclaimer, I am not going to be considering c!Dream only from the perspective of c!Tommy in this essay. c!Dream appears in other people’s perspectives and he himself has his own, unseen perspective. As a character, he is an individual person in his own right rather than just the antagonist of c!Tommy’s story, and so I do not have much concern for their narratives intertwining too much should this writing choice occur.
I’d also like to note that redemption is, in this sense, always a positive thing for everyone involved - someone who’s been prone to doing bad things in the past deciding not to do them anymore and try to change, or just simply heal enough to consider it, isn’t going to have a long-term negative effect in any of the characters, but rather the other way around. Healing is an unlimited resource, and the victims do not have to heal first for the person who hurt them to consider being better.
Here’s a well-written thread on Twitter that elaborates a bit to finish off this point, and let’s move on to actually talking about redemption in the context of the Dream SMP, and c!Dream specifically.
Why a c!Dream redemption arc is not only a good writing choice, but in this case the only good writing choice;
c!Dream, as we all know, has been subject to mental and physical abuse to the point of straight up torture by both c!Sam and c!Quackity (to different extents). He has been in indescribable amounts of suffering for the past 74 days at the time this essay will be published. That is six and something times the duration of the entire exile arc in canon.
Whatever the interpretation of his words in prison is, what is undeniable is first of all the fact his mental stability is absolutely crushed at this point, second that no human being could possibly ever deserve to undergo this, and third, his stay in the prison is showing off his humanity and making him out to be sympathetic.
Now, consider this; how would it feel if c!Tommy died at the end of the exile arc? Empty, there would be no catharsis to such an end, especially because of all of the hurt he’d gone through. Objectively, a bad writing choice.
Let’s compare, narratively of course, this situation to the prison arc. Even though I would never say one of them is “better” or “worse” than the other, since both are terrible and undeserved, c!Dream’s current state checks off all of the boxes that would make his death unsatisfying in the storyline; even if people want him gone, there would still be the dissatisfaction at the current build-up and why they even did it in the first place (it really wasn’t necessary to anyone else’s story to make him out as a victim, and yet they did) if they were planning to kill him off anyways. And since the prison arc is naturally meant to induce sympathy, even from an angst perspective it would simply not make sense within the themes and writing of the plot.
So, c!Dream can’t die, and he also can’t stay in the prison forever - the build-up must lead to something, which is logically a breakout. Great… what now?
Well, the Dream SMP prides itself in accurate representation of trauma and mental instability, specifically cc!Tommy and cc!Dream who have pulled it off incredibly during the exile arc.
Now, undoubtedly, after the prison, c!Dream is going to be just terribly traumatized- considering the writers’ past creative decisions, would it make sense for him to play the role of a dangerous, heartless villain in other people’s stories, while completely ignoring the logical fallout of what he’s been through?
In my mind, no. The most possible result is that cc!Dream is going to rightfully portray someone who’s been hurt so much he is broken, scared and tortured into submissions over months of agony and slowly stripping away of his agency, his dignity, his humanity. And that is… not going to be pretty, nor is he going to be in any way the same as before.
After everything, I’d be surprised if he can properly look at shears without shaking. That’s not villain behaviour, that’s the behaviour of someone who needs help.
Which leads me to another point, which is relatability. Believe me or not, there are people out there who heavily relate to c!Dream because they have been through things that allow them to see themselves in the character - abandonment, mental illness, etc. - or who have had destructive mindsets they have struggled to let go of in the past.
To them, as well as to the viewer, redeeming c!Dream could actually be a very good example, showcasing that anyone who has done bad things or has been hurt in the past can learn that it is possible to be better, to move on, to not be stuck in a loop but to actively seek help and then use that support to find the path to healing.
Making c!Dream a better person, who in a way, wins over his past, over his trauma, over the hurt he’s caused, and manages to actually get better… is inspiring, in a sense. It shows that you can abandon unhealthy mindsets, you can find a support group of people who care about you, you can make your life better simply by deciding to be better and then sticking to that, no matter how difficult the process.
This is why I believe that redeeming c!Dream would not be bad writing, but quite the opposite, and that the prison arc is an obvious set-up. Alright, but how does that work with the character? How could someone so widely hated mentally improve in such a seemingly violent and terrible environment? Would it even make sense within the context of c!Dream’s character so far? Well,
Why c!Dream has the capacity for healing and the Dream SMP the ability to provide it;
First of all, let’s remind ourselves that through c!Dream’s entire spiral he wasn’t ever directly given a chance to change. He was regarded as someone to defeat in order to accomplish a happy ending, or as someone who needed to be removed in order to achieve power on the SMP. Ever since the 16th, which is when the corruption of the character is the most obvious, there have been no attempts to reach out or to help him. I do not blame the characters for this - I am simply pointing out that since it has never happened before, we do not know how he would respond, and that, after everything he’s been through, any bit of kindness or compassion towards him will be a new concept he will have to learn to deal with somehow.
This point is especially driven home by the fact that both c!Quackity and c!Sam would often tell him he is a monster who deserves nothing but to suffer, and that what he’s going through is never going to amount to all the hurt he’s caused - basically removing any possibility for ever getting better (because by this logic, he doesn’t deserve support, and he doesn’t deserve to get better) from his line of sight.
He also hasn’t had a support system since shortly after the 16th, when his friends left him over c!George’s dethronement and made no effort to mend their relationship afterwards. c!Dream isn’t used to having allies and people on his side, but to being hated; again, wouldn’t that mean positive reinforcement could very well be all he needs to make the choice?
His bad mindsets - attachments are weakness, ends always justify the means, people will consider you a bad person no matter what you do - have been continuously proven right by his environment, even in prison. Any kind of subversion, plus an explanation as to why they are wrong, could be of great help to c!Dream.
Just another disclaimer; I do not believe c!Dream would change thanks to the treatment in prison, but rather despite it. His mental stability is non-existent at that point, and in order to get better he needs genuine emotional support from the people around him as well as to heal before he can redeem himself.
Alright, but… c!Dream has hurt a lot of people. Who would be fit to help him?
Let’s start off with the worst option and why it’s impossible the writers would even attempt this; c!Tommy.
c!Tommy has no responsibility to help or ever forgive c!Dream - not to say he could. The two, as it is, would drag each other down instead of helping in any capacity, and only make matters worse. The two of them shouldn’t even interact in the best case scenario - the best thing for both of them would be if they got enough healing and support individually that they could live around each other and not get their trauma or toxic habits triggered when interacting for whatever purpose of the plot.
So, if not c!Tommy (and c!Tubbo neither by extension), who could redeem c!Dream?
Well, he can’t do it on his own for sure. Being in nature with animals is nice, but further isolation from other people would merely help with the prison trauma, not with the state of his tendencies when interacting with others. He, once again, needs positive reinforcement from other people for him to heal properly.
There are two main options for this in my mind, and then there’s a few individuals he could also find comfort in, including people from both groups or those unaligned.
1) Kinoko Kingdom
From the people of this new country, c!Dream has never negatively interacted with c!Karl before, he has never hurt c!George and he hasn’t directly harmed c!Sapnap. Although the relationship with his old friend group could be difficult to rekindle, none of them have grudges against him that are too personal, and they have been canonically close friends since the beginning of the SMP, so it would be very much possible to rebuild burnt bridges. They’d be familiar, and with the addition of c!Karl they could be a good source of comfort for c!Dream after he either breaks out or is released from prison - just gotta convince c!Sapnap not to kill him first.
2) The Syndicate
From the Syndicate, c!Dream has never directly interacted with c!Nikki, and from what I know of her character she never seemed to be very affected by his actions - even doing his work for him when he was planning to burn down the L’Mantree. c!Techno is an ally who doesn’t have anything against him, and as for c!Ranboo, here is why I believe c!Dream being in the Syndicate could be positively influential on his character arc as well;
c!Ranboo and c!Philza have had a conversation about change, during which c!Ranboo made it clear he thinks everyone can change except for c!Dream; who, in his mind, is “too deep down the rabbit hole”. c!Philza replied that he thinks anyone can change if given enough time.
… you see what I’m getting at?
c!Dream has been implied to be an ally to c!Ranboo’s enderwalk state (or the state when he has access to his full memory), and hence would most likely not behave negatively towards him at all. While it might make it more difficult for c!Ranboo to deal with his own issues, it might also give him more motivation to get to the bottom of it as well, especially since he now has access to the person who, presumably, started this all. While this is going on, c!Dream would show himself in a much different light than c!Ranboo sees himin, which could lead to confusion, realization of the flaws in his own logic, and hence, positive character development.
Here’s a great post about why c!Techno as a character could be a great asset in c!Dream’s healing process & redemption, and why there is not much need to worry about him not knowing or finding out about c!Dream’s actions.
Of Kinoko Kingdom and the Syndicate, as far as I know, neither c!Tommy nor c!Tubbo have ever been directly involved with these groups, nor are they planning to.
Another important point to make is that, while c!Tommy needs to be kept away from c!Dream in order to heal properly, the same goes for c!Quackity and c!Sam in c!Dream’s case. While c!Quackity has high chances to interact with either Kinoko Kingdom or the Syndicate in the future, there’s an even higher chance, in that situation, that c!Dream would be offered protection, which is also important; there is no healing from trauma without the knowledge of safety, to some degree.
So, this was an essay as to why I think c!Dream’s recovery and redemption (one needs to come before the other, naturally) is not only extremely possible but also could be pulled off well and have a positive impact on both the characters, and the audience.
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/roleplay
Being completely honest, I love (from a storyline standpoint) the idea of Dream being tortured. “Oh but now we have a bunch of dream apologists!!”, “Now people sympathise with him!!” but that’s the whole point of it. It’s supposed to be a polarising thing.
Needless to say, the prison is inherently immoral. Even if Pandora’s Vault wasn’t meant to work as an in real life jail, it also wasn’t meant to work as a torture chamber. It is supposed to raise a moral dilemma. “Does this corrupted, evil person who has done unbelievable things deserve mercy?”. That’s why it’s so good. We see these young, tormented characters who suffered under the hand of this man, needing to decide what to do about it. Do we kill him? Can we kill him? Even locked up, he still has control over us, so what’s it gonna be? Tommy, at the beginning, surprisingly didn’t want to execute Dream. He said that he wouldn’t wish death even upon someone as horrible as him, despite back-padling on that later. Tubbo never seemed that interested in murdering Dream, because he’s just trying to get away from everything, and Ranboo has just recently made up his mind about it. This decision is completely justified, he caused so much pain to so many people, but even then it’s impossible to not question its morality.
This same problem involves so many different characters too. Jesus- Sam it’s directly being affected by this. He built the Vault, he, as of now, owns it. He’s The Warden. He spends most of his time with Dream, who manipulates him, who tells him all the horrible things he’s done—all the horrible things he’s done to Tommy—and watches as Sam's mental health deteriorates, because Dream knows he can’t kill him.
Sam has a Pavlovian response to someone who can’t hold a bell anymore. He is not a decision maker. Warden's Will, the sword, it’s almost a cruel joke.
And then Quackity comes along the way. Oh My God. Quackity is, to say the least, a... complicated character. He has gone through so much (not only because of Dream) and he’s done. He has so much anger and, in a direct contrast to Sam, would sacrifice everything to get what he wants. He’s ambitious to a fault. Is it wrong that he’s gaslighting his friends to get his ways? Yes. Is it wrong that he’s torturing a person? Yes. Can you understand where he’s coming from? Absolutely. I love his character so much because of this.
And I can’t believe I need to say this, but no, you’re not a bad person for wanting c!Dream, a fictional character who’s also a villain to suffer lmao. And no, you’re not an evil person for being an apologist. Yes, call him your meow meow or whatever if you feel like it.
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