#That’s El Quackity on the reflection

[unit-ssn0va]

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

I've given this spiel on Discord already but I'm thinking about it again today so here goes

The reason Las Nevadas worked as pre-recorded, highly polished lore whereas other arcs were better served by improvisation (or, especially later, fell flat in the attempt to be more "cinematic") is because that style of presentation reflected and enhanced the themes of c!Quackity's story.

c!Quackity is a very image-conscious guy. He's performing strength, coldness, and viciousness. He's performing power, wealth, and masculinity. He wants to look respectable and frightening in the ways he's seen respectability and fearsomeness modeled by others.

But in the process, he eclipsed his emotions, his better self, and his very humanity.

Las Nevadas itself is a testament to that desire. It's grand, impressive, and entirely artificial. It's a harsh contrast to the organic awkwardness of El Rapids and the ramshackle simplicity of early L'manberg and the White House. c!Quackity intended it to be unlike any country before it - an improvement, an escalation, his unique legacy.

Even the style of the streams reflects that! They become more and more elaborate as time goes on, and yes, you could say more artificial. There's no improvisation. There's no room for silly mistakes. There's no breaking character. It's flashier, grander, more impressive. It's a bunch of bright, sterile lights, all alone in a cold desert.

...okay, now I have to talk about the face cam.

On the DSMP, there are only a few characters who never streamed from their own perspective. Of these, c!Schlatt and c!Dream are best known, and this lack of first-person perspective is often cited as a reflection of their villainy. However, I would also describe this as symbolic of emotional masking. It's vulnerability, and whether the narratives and the characters allow themselves such vulnerability.

c!Schlatt may very well be the embodiment of stereotypical toxic masculinity. He is obsessed with appearances. He lifts weights, takes steroids, drinks protein shakes, and harshly belittles anyone who doesn't live up to his standards. At the same time, he is a deeply paranoid ruler, who increasingly suspects (not without reason) even those closest to him of treason. His commitment to his "tough guy" persona in spite of his faltering health ultimately kills him, as his heart gives out - alone in a crowd.

c!Dream is also a deeply paranoid man (again, not without reason) who is so afraid of coming to terms with a changing world and his own changing relationships that he cuts himself off from all but a few other people and schemes for a near-impossible reunification. He becomes a caricature of a villain and locks himself in both a literal and metaphorical black box, in which he suffers and, yet again, ultimately dies. As with c!Schlatt, what began as a means of self-protection becomes an avenue for demonization.

(As an aside: c!Techno also never uses a facecam, although he did stream his POV. His arc proceeds in a much different way from other "antagonistic" characters; c!Techno manages to overcome his mistrust of others, refine his anarchist ideals, form a community of friends who help one another, and end his story happy. He's a wonderful foil to c!Quackity, though for slightly different reasons than the other two figures mentioned.)

These two (three with c!Techno) figures, alongside c!Wilbur (their polar opposite, insofar as his penchant for Hamlet-esque soliloquies goes), form c!Quackity's idea of what it means to be powerful.

In the first Las Nevadas episode, Quackity uses the facecam in the same way he did previously. We see every flinch, hear every doubtful thought, feel every change of expression. Where this changes, though, is the final scene: Quackity tears apart El Rapids, the last remnant of his early life and connection to his loved ones, and returns home covered in a prisoner's blood.

Las Nevadas 3 has a much different ratio of facecam to non-facecam scenes. During the confrontations with c!Foolish and c!Purpled, those in which he is at his most expressive and physically vulnerable (as both of these characters could easily defeat him in a fight, forcing him to rely on personal appeal), we see him acting through the facecam. But during his discussion with c!Sam about potential recruits, he's all business and all masked up. In c!Fundy's nightmare, in which he is more a manifestation of insecurity than a character, we only see his smiling skin and a frosty voice.

As for the prison scene... hoooooly moly I gotta talk about the details in that scene a different time. But I think it's fair to say that while c!Quackity is undoubtedly in a position of power here, he also breaks down in a way we haven't seen in this context yet. And by the end… well, he's confident. What reason is there to hide? The only person he might hide from already knows what he's capable of. This is the most honest he's ever been about his motivations for torturing c!Dream, and his straightforwardness and undisguised hatred amplifies the horror of the scene.

Las Nevadas 4, however? This is where the pattern gets really interesting.

The first segment of the stream is made without a facecam. c!Quackity walks c!Slime through lessons on how to be successful and powerful, each of which is challenged and peeled back. c!Quackity never fully removes his mask, even around this person he trusts, because he is trying to be an example for that person to emulate.

But there are two scenes in which the facecam returns. One, during the reunion with his fiances in Kinoko Kingdom, in which c!Quackity lets himself be relaxed and affectionate for the first time in months before pivoting to an outburst of all his resentment, sorrow, and anger. Two, when c!Purpled traps him and c!Slime and he is forced to fight for his life before screaming in grief at his friend's death.

And the final scene of the episode? We see not just the facecam, but full live action. The actor showing his full image, and c!Quackity being completely open and sincere. There's hope! There's a real human person still in there! Perhaps he can trust again and change before it's too late!

And guess what happens in the End of Las Nevadas?

THAT'S RIGHT, NOT A SINGLE SECOND OF FACECAM. NOT EVEN A CRUMB. HE'S GOING MAD (SCIENTIST) WITH POWER AND TERRIBLE COPING MECHANISMS FOR GRIEF. OUR MAN IS FULLY LOST IN THE MOTHERFUCKING SAUCE.

And that persona - no, not just the persona, the very person he tried to squeeze into his own image! - is the one who kills him!

And this is why I never liked the notion that Quackity's lore being so polished set the bar too high for other storylines. Because first off, imagine trying to insult someone by literally saying they're too good. Second, c!Quackity's whole arc in Las Nevadas was about how the pursuit of power and acclaim at the expense of your ability to be sincere will fucking destroy you. This way of telling a story is neither superior nor inferior to the more naturalistic style of other arcs. It all comes down to personal taste and how the medium can enhance the creator's intention.

And if Las Nevadas rings false to you?

Good. You understood.

Learn something from its fall.

[gepm251-blog]

About power in my fic:

El-Quackity kidnaps Tubbo. He does it easily, even though it was stated many times and by Q himself that Tubbo is dangerously strong.

Then how is it possible?

Q made an effort in getting stronger so from a minor god, he became a powerful one and then a Great God. He is not a territory leader because the War Territory has many powerful gods that keep eachother in check and fight often.

Then why is he weary of Tubbo?

Tubbo is not a territory leader because that would mean measuring his power with other powerful people in his territory and he has no interest in that. As he is not an official Great God, he might be slightly less powerful, but he's hard to predict and has many people on his side. That's why he approached him in a way that he knew would lead to Tubbo going "fuck it, yeah, I'll follow you", isolated him and striked when they were in a place favorable to him. It was carefully planned and Tubbo was vulnerable/reckless for reasons clear to the both of them.

How strong are Pac and Fit?

As they are younger and nowhere near being territory leaders, less than Tubbo.

But as Information and Invention are important things to mortals and they are prayed to plenty, they are more powerful than the average god. That is also reflected in how close they are to the leaders of their territory.

Fit is a bit stronger than Pac because he's older and has more experience (being born in the War Territory and all that), but Pac has a power that is more practical for combat. They average out and are very very strong together.

[minecraftrelatedrandomness]

Aqua's Fanfic Masterpost

Fanfic list and overviews are under the cut.

Dream SMP

Kill the Lights, Kill the Actor, Kill the Actress (Or Kill Us All) [AO3]

Canon-compliant one-shot

c!Quackity post-Butcher Army introspective reflection

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #kill the lights (fanfic)

The Ghosts of Yesterday [AO3]

Canon-compliant Toontown crossover (intended to be multichapter, currently a one-shot)

c!Quackity backstory fic

CW: Child maltreatment

Hiatus

Tumblr tag link: #the ghosts of yesterday (fanfic)

Eye of the Tiger [AO3]

Questionably canon-compliant one-shot

Crack Treated Seriously

c!Wilbur meets Tiger + how c!Quackity got animals to Las Nevadas

I don't care if you read this as /p or /r c!TNTDuo because the nuance is not important to the fic

Written for Quackity's victories in the MCYTblr Sexyman Polls

CW: c!Wilbur POV and centric

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #eye of the tiger (fanfic)

Empires SMP

Scleractinian [AO3]

Questionably canon-compliant three-shot

Ocean Empire worldbuilding centred on coral biology

Hiatus/WIP/Outlined; unreleased

Tumblr tag link: #scleractinian (fanfic)

Life series

We've All Been Damned, C'mon [AO3]

Canon-compliant one-shot

Examining traffic!Gem's emotional breakdown throughout Secret Life

Inspired by the animatic "Feed the Machine" by Everen

CW: Canonical character death by assisted suicide, grief; non-explicit blood, eye trauma, mental health issues, etc.

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #we've all been damned c'mon (fanfic)

Pirates SMP

The Morning Falls Nonetheless [AO3]

Canon-divergent one-shot

Ft. Aurelia and Hudson Denholm's A+ parenting (/neg)

Self-indulgent AU written for @/scarletfeisty due to a Project SEKAI phase

Has a writer's cut

CW: Animal cruelty and death

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #the morning falls nonetheless (fanfic)

Tell Me, Did I Do Wrong? [AO3] [Tumblr]

PiratesAITA compilation anthology (series of ficlet one-shots)

Ft. p!Ros, p!Will, p!Krow/Kuervo, and p!El and p!Martyn's rat chats

Written for @/inthelittlewood

CW: Child maltreatment, grief, guns, totalitarianism, trauma, etc.

Completed (at any rate) / Hiatus

Tumblr tag link: #tell me did i do wrong? (fanfic)

Chronica Siderum [AO3] [Tumblr]

PiratesAITA compilation anthology (three-shot)

Denholm Brothers lore: the Abridged Version

Also, there's angst. Pretty much the entire thing is angst. Not my fault canon is Like That

Final chapter has headcanons (not necessarily personal ones)

Written for @/inthelittlewood (kind of)

CW: Child maltreatment, grief, trauma, etc.

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #chronica siderum (fanfic)

Faction Isles University AU [TBA]

Untitled Pirates College/University AU concept

Purely self-indulgent

No fics but an outline exists

Tumblr tag link: #faction isles university au

Blood on the Hillside [AO3]

Canon-compliant continuation one-shot

Chat torments p!Shep post-canon as karma for committing third-degree murder in canon

Self-indulgent headcanon fic

Has a writer's cut

CW: Discussions of homelessness

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #blood on the hillside (fanfic)

Hatchling [AO3]

Canon-compliant missing scene ficlet / one-shot

p!Sausage meets Loki the crocodile

Self-indulgent headcanon fic

CW: Minor injuries

Written as Scosage propaganda for the first @/scottsmajorshipbracket

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #hatchling (fanfic)

and the devil won't know (all the love i just couldn't let go) [AO3]

Canon-compliant character study poem

Shulker Box fic written for the 1st Pirates anniversary

CW: Mentions of blood, child maltreatment, death, grief, and various mental health issues.

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #and the devil won't know (fanfic)

Life is a Railway (I Wanna Rob It All Night Long) [AO3]

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Western AU, multi-chapter

The Kites rob trains and become found family

Has a writer's cut

Written for MCYTblr AU Fest 2024 in collaboration with @/kitefactionofficial (then known as @/philzas-early-gang-society)

CW: Alcohol, fantasy drugging, violence

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #LRAU (fanfic)

Catamount Calls [AO3]

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Western AU one-shot

Nightingale-centric spin-off of Life is a Railway

LRAU!Graecie meets Oz the shadow cat

CW: Discussions of animal death

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #LRAU (fanfic)

Through Blood and Name [AO3]

Canon-compliant prequel / missing scene ficlet / one-shot

p!Owen backstory and naming headcanon fic

Self-indulgent, mostly headcanons

CW: References to canon-typical queerphobia and mentions of miscarriages/stillbirths

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #through blood and name (fanfic)

Tigers on a Gold Leash [AO3]

Questionably canon compliant drabble

Based on a Duolingo sentence I found online

Self-indulgent crackfic

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #tigers on a gold leash (fanfic)

and i can't live in a fairytale of lies [AO3]

Canon-compliant two-shot, in which Chapter 2 is the main fic

Kuervo's final assassination plan does not go to plan, and what happens after his return to Naya

Self-indulgent but is an AU to my personal headcanon

CW: Discussions/Mentions of execution, mentions of eye trauma, paranoia, implicit self-loathing, totalitarianism, trauma

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #and i can't live in a fairytale of lies (fanfic)

Let It Fade Away (But I Still Hold On) [AO3]

Canon-compliant continuation / missing scene one-shot

p!Will post-mortem fic

Self-indulgent headcanon fic

CW: Death

WIP; unreleased

Tumblr tag link: #let it fade away (fanfic)

Rats SMP

The Mushroom Incident [AO3] [Tumblr]

RatsAITA one-shot

r!Will-centric, title says all

Written for @/inthelittlewood's compilation and at @/willowmvp's request

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #the mushroom incident (fanfic)

Stampy's Lovely World

Love [Tumblr]

Canon-compliant art piece and poem

c!Stampy-centric poem about the Love Garden

Written for the Stampytober 2022 event hosted by @/reindash--yuri

Completed

Tumblr tag link: #love (fanfic)

Other

TDMurderer AU

MCSM canon-divergent AU

First created by @/sweetest-honeybee

Has artwork and comics

Tumblr tag link: #mcsm tdmurderer au

Miscellaneous works

Covers either fanfics without their own tags OR non-fics that nonetheless have a creative writing element to them

Tumblr tag link: #unclassified works

[starwither]

quackity lore stream finale (ep.5)

a recap of what happened during quackity’s las nevadas 09/10/22 lore stream finale.

The stream begins with a flashback to September 10, 2020. Quackity meets Tommy and they discuss the upcoming elections and the hope/excitement they both have for the new nation. It immediately cuts to a scene of Las Nevadas, alarms blaring, and on fire.

Chapter 1: Trust

Weeks after the death/disappearance of Slimecicle, Quackity visits a grave he built in his memorial, placing a photo of them together for decoration. The day before he died, he gave Slimecicle a key to Las Nevadas. Before he died, he had told Slimecicle that he wanted him to have Las Nevadas. In the flashback, he mentions that Quackity broke his own rule-- Trust Nobody, but he trusted Slimecicle.

Chapter 2: Open and Closed

It is the grand opening of Las Nevadas-- But there are only three people, Fundy, Foolish, and Skeppy. Underneath the city, Quackity is upset that they could only invite a couple of people because there are tensions due to the war. He misses Slimecicle and how he could always follow orders.

After seeing slimes in the room underground, he comes up with a plan-- He will extract the slime from the ground, grow them in the city, and, using the power of evolution, turn them into human beings.

When the citizens of Las Nevadas are fully created 90 days later, he tells them that their sole life purpose is to serve Las Nevadas. Everyone is their enemy other than him, the one person they can listen to. Their life belongs to Las Nevadas and they will die for Las Nevadas.

Chapter 3: Las Nevadas Down

There is an intruder in Las Nevadas.

In a cave Purpled has been hiding out in, he is approached by Punz. He proposes killing Quackity through torture, mentioning that he tortured Dream for months. He confesses that Dream paid him a hefty amount to investigate and relay the message to him.

At first, Purpled does not believe him.

In a cage, Purpled has Quackity’s one weakness-- Slimecicle. Punz tells him he should him to hate Quackity, and eventually kill him with the help of Dream.

Chapter 4: Death

In Limbo, Ranboo is alone on a single grass block in the middle of a lake of water. Mexican Dream boats to him. Ranboo mentions that he misses his son Michael on earth, and Mexican Dream tells him to get on the boat and they will try to find a way to leave together.

He brings Ranboo to the shore, where El Rapids is. They reflect on their lives on earth. Mexican Dream says that he will bring him to someone (who “used to be a president”) for a party, and maybe he can help him.

He brings Ranboo back to his block. If Mexican Dream can make it back to the mortal realm, is there anything he wants him to tell people? Ranboo tells him to “Remind them of me”.

As Mexian Dream is leaving, he writes in his journal what happened.

Chapter 5: The End of Las Nevadas

In Las Nevadas, Slimecicle is there. Quackity is overjoyed with happiness, and asks him if he remembers what Purpled did to him. Then, Purpled and Dream appear. Quackity tries to run with Slimecicle and hide in the casino, but they break the door open with TNT.

Quackity defends himself, saying.he did what he did to Dream for a reason.

Quackity pulls a lever, which sets off fireworks. Foolish sees them in the distance and goes to Las Nevadas.

Slimecicle puts on netherite armor and confronts him. (“Legacy is what you leave behind, Quackity. So why did you leave me behind?”) He turns on him. (“Im going to dap you up.. With a fucking sword!”).

Foolish sees Quackity surrounded, and pushes a secret button. It lets out his army of human slimes, who flood into the city to come to his aid. They chase Dream out of the city, though he kills most of them. Slimecicle and Purpled chase Quackity to the top of the tower.

Quackity reminds Slimecicle of the lessons and tries to convince him that Purpled is the one who killed him. Slime and Purpled corner him to the edge of the tower, and just as Purpled is going to kill him, Slimecicle pushes Purpled off.

He turns to confront Quackity. He reminds him of the lessons:

Lesson 1: Humans are assholes. (“You showed me that”)

Lesson 2: Politics are the way to power.

Lesson 3: Create no emotional attachments.

Lesson 4: Everything gets destroyed.

Lesson 5: Trust nobody

Lesson 6: Hold your ground against authority.

Lesson 7: Seek successful revenge. If you fail, the consequences will be bitter. (“I will not fail”)

Slimecicle: “We have one thing in common. The same human ruined our lives. Because you are not a good person.”

Lesson 8: Legacy is all you leave behind in this world.

Slimecicle tells him: “I hope you leave behind a good one,” and pushes Quackity off. Quackity dies, losing his second canon life.

Later, in Kinoko Kingdom, the Artic, and Paradise, he leaves them a letter. He wants to end his feud with them and start anew.

He and Foolish are not yet done with Las Nevadas. He has one last chance in life and he doesn't want to waste it.  

[anonymous-dentist]

c!dream doesn’t go after c!quackity. 

not immediately. 

first, observation. who does quackity hold dear to him? once upon a time, dream would’ve said it was karl and sapnap (and sapnap...) but now? now? dream doesn’t know. boner the horse? no, wilbur got to that first, didn’t he? (dream doesn’t know. he was kind of in prison at the time.) wilbur himself? ...no. quackity’s so-called employees despise him at best, are dead at worst. (L + Ratio + Dream’s Followers And Friends Are All Still Alive)

so... las nevadas. it wouldn’t be the first time that dream has destroyed a country. it’s basically a hobby at this point. but is it really a country if it’s home to one sad little man and enough ghosts to fill a cemetery, both living and dead? 

there is no military, no guard. what they had left and doesn’t seem keen on coming back, not for any amount of money in the world. foolish is disillusioned. sam can’t bring himself to look his own reflection in the eyes. fundy is gone. quackity is alone. no sapnap to protect him this time, no backup. no pickax (dream shivers in his sleep as the pick drives itself between his ribs again and again and again and again-) no sam no nothing. 

quackity is alone, and he knows it. 

so... las nevadas. 

las nevadas is a city built on promises and lies. the amount of love that has been clearly poured into a glorified sand castle is enough to rot dream’s teeth (it isn’t fair.) promises of protection. of glory. of power in a dying world, one last shaking breath before the end of it all. the foundations are solid, but the soil they have been built on is cracked and unsound. power? what power? love? what love? that’s the biggest lie of all, the love. and still the only one to still believe the lies being told is the liar himself, stood at the top of the space needle one step away from walking off and doing dream’s job for him. 

(dream watches him, and he waits, just in case. it would be so much easier if he would just fucking die already. it would be more satisfying to tear quackity’s gold-capped teeth out of his mouth himself, but gravity can do what a hundred men cannot.) 

so... las nevadas. 

quackity has been a thorn in dream’s side for so long. the elections, stealing george. keeping manberg alive when it should have been long dead. protecting l’manberg. el rapids, stealing sapnap. stealing george and sapnap. dream has one friend and he is punz, and he has a multitude of pathetic little scared little bitches that follow him around like ducklings and cower in his shadow, but quackity had friends. has friends, somehow, despite everything. he has that weird green guy, the absent one. he has tommy. he has tommy. even alone at the end of the world, quackity has tommy, and dream reckons that the one thing keeping quackity from jumping is the thought of someone he doesn’t trust planning his funeral. 

so... las nevadas. 

there’s a wedding chapel. sometimes dream goes there when he tries to find quackity just as an afterthought. when sapnap haunts the prison scraping his ax along the stone floors and kicking up sparks, dream can hear him rambling. he’s alone. karl is alone. quackity is alone. they were supposed to get married. quackity’s presence is all over the chapel. it’s disgusting. he left his jacket there before disappearing yet again. dream can pick it up and look inside the pocket and pull out a photo of quackity standing in front of the el rapids sign with the other traitors and terrorists and dream can crumple the photo up and toss it under his flint and steel and kick the ashes over with sand. (dream and sapnap made an agreement when they were kids that they would be the best men at each other’s weddings, oh, they sure fucking did that.)

so. las nevadas. 

quackity hasn’t been around for a long, long time. dream bets that he’s sitting underground crying into a pillow about how the world hates him now that he’s become the monster that dream has been calling him from the very beginning. he’s cowering in his little boots, the bastard. 

that’s fine. 

dream can wait. 

[lacystar]

When Tommy died, it was void. It was the flaring, heated hurt all over his body and nothingness. Unable to see, unable to feel anything but pain. Screaming and getting nothing back; not even an echo. Feeling Wilbur and the cards in his hand, and the feeling of the other moving around him, and hearing him painfully close, but being unable to see him. Alone yet trapped.

When Wilbur died, he was shoved rudely off a metro and into a station. He paced it up and down for years, yet the stairs to the outside were firmly blocked off. Trains would pass, but none stopped. Only when Schlatt visited, which wasn't often, and only that time when Tommy came. And only when it came to take him back, of course. But it was close to agony to be passed by so many times. Alone. The world moving without him. His world moving without him.

Schlatt... has no idea what's going on. He's in the gym, but he's corporeal enough for Quackity to visit him. Sometimes he goes to see Wilbur, Sometimes he catches glimpses of the outside. He really, truly has no fucking idea what's up with him and why Wilbur is stuck in a whole other realm while's stuck all Ghostbusters'-future-victim. He knows it hurts though; heart palpitations, killer headaches... his voice has gone so rough on some days he sounds like a scratching record. His lungs are full of lead, and if he doesn't want Quackity to bring him back for the chance to taste power again, he at the very least wants it so he can stop feeling the burn in his throat.

When Ranboo dies...

When Ranboo dies he's dunked in water that's freezing, yet still burns his skin to the point of peeling in a terrible icy-hot hell. The ocean stretches to never-ending horizons without land in sight, and below him the ocean stretches to void, and all he sees is a thousand eyes staring up at him, almost unblinking. Expecting. Their stares burn almost more than the water, and his fear to keep his head above the waves to avoid seeing them is more compelling than the yell of his limbs to quit swimming, accept the burn, and sink. But after enough years... where is he? Why is he swimming? Why does he bother? Who is he, anyways?

When Tubbo dies, he wakes up in a yellow concrete box. It's not quite pitch black, but the walls give him no chance to move as his arms are pressed close to his sides. There isn't room enough to sit or do much more than turn around in place, and he can hear nothing but his own frantic, shallowed breaths as he gulps in air he feels as if he's constantly losing. He spends a few years wondering if this is his coffin and they didn't realize he was still alive when they buried him.

When Sam dies, he wakes up in an obsidian prison cell he's walked past one too many times. Theres a lectern, a clock, a pot of water, and occasionally potatoes drop down for him to eat. He stares at the wall of lava, praying for a visitor, and almost dares to empathize with the man he imprisoned when none arrive. He wonders for years if he regrets building the prison, and can never come up with an answer that doesn't make him feel ashamed of himself.

When Bad dies, he wakes up with his limbs wrapped in red vines, restraining him in a way he used to find comforting but now sees only as the torture it is as thorns dig into his skin. His vision is tinted blood red. Occasionally, a flash of blue teases his vision, but when he turns to call its name, it vanishes. He takes up swearing again; there's nobody there to hear, anyways.

When Eret dies, they wake up in their castle and left to wander the halls. Wander, but barely more than a few minutes at a time; the crown on their head weighs more than the world on Atlas' shoulders, so heavy that they often must return to their throne just to get the chance to rest their head back and let the weight off their shoulders. They wonder if the sacrifice was worth the weight.

When Niki dies, she wakes up in a crowd of people whose faces she can't quite make out. A sea of people, most taller than her, that stretches out for miles. Most smile and laugh, and she's relieved she's not alone. But when she taps on one of them and politely asks for directions to where she can get help, they stare through her. She isn't a ghost; they bump into her all the time as they shove her to walk past, but they don't see her. They don't hear. She screams and not a single head turns. When she collapses against an unlucky stranger to sob, they flick her off like she's a fly. There's not even an excuse she can tell herself to say she's alone.

When Quackity dies he finds himself falling. There is no ground in sight, only sky and clouds as his wings refuse to work and he plummets constantly into nothing. He reflects on the casino and L'manberg and El Rapids and wanting more. His stomach gets used to the lurching as the cold wind burns his cheeks. Maybe his ambition was a little pointless. Maybe he flew too close to the sun.

When Karl dies he awakes to colors that hurt his eyes and a million doorways, each in different shapes and angles. He spends years pacing and stepping through doors he hopes might lead home, that ultimately lead to only more doors. Some are too high up to reach and he stares at them and cries at the fact that he'll never know what's behind them (despite knowing its probably nothing). He doesn't remember everything; just enough to know that anywhere is better than being lost here.

When Phil dies it's a long time coming. Cursed with only one life, the universe goes easy on him. There's a field of rich grass and flowers and trees and skies that beg to be flown through. If only his wings worked. If only he could show Wilbur.

When Puffy dies she finds herself in an endless graveyard. She paces through it for seemingly decades, reading the engravings of her closest friends on each one and spending no less than year knelt at each in mourning, apologizing for her shortcomings. Maybe if she'd been a touch stronger, this wouldn't have happened. Worst of all is when the headstones are blank and she doesn't know who she's mourning at all, forever unsure of the poor soul she let down.

When Hannah dies she awakes to a world rotted away, the air polluted with smog and the seas full of plastic and sludge. Sometimes she sees a rosebush or sapling, tiny and thriving in the distance. Yet whenever she rushes over to coddle and nurture, it dies underneath her fingers. The ground wilts and cracks wherever she steps. She feels as if she's wilting with it.

When Sapnap dies, he wakes up in some sort of cage. A zoo. Figures come and stare at him and laugh as birds pick at his skin until he bleeds, wolves sink teeth into his calves to hit bone, and cows crush his ribs beneath powerful hooves. Each day a new round of animals come to have their way with him. And yeah, he thinks, that's probably fair.

When Dream dies, he's almost relieved to wake up in his SMP. Great, he can get back to business, he thinks. But the more he walks, the more he notices... how quiet it is. It doesn't take him long into his afterlife to realize the people have all disappeared. Vanished. Leaving him alone. No animals or Monsters even appear. Not a friend nor foe, not even a silverfish. The world is his to do anything with without repercussion, yet all he can do for years is sit at an old bench at a cliffside and play discs over and over until the melody burns into his head and makes him want to tear his hair out. All that over a stupid disc. He laughs until he cries.

When George dies... well, it might as well be like any other dream, he supposes.

[aetherknit]

thoughts on tntduo? like not just yes or no approval but what do u think of them cause like u have such good character takes I'd love to hear what u think is going on with them

strap in anon. i've prepared you my thesis.

honestly, i'm pretty shy to try and get too in-depth on c!wilbur's thoughts/motivations/etc. because he is easily one of the most canonically (if not the most) fleshed out characters on the SMP, and many analysts have made many brilliant wilbur meta.

THAT BEING SAID

the gist to wilbur is this: he starts l'manburg as a symbol -- to fight against power, to create a safe haven. i'm of the belief that. yes, wilbur has been charismatic and just the slightest bit manipulative from day one, but his feelings for l'manburg are true. in my opinion, early wilbur (prior to corruption) fell solidly in the category of "good intentions, morally grey means."

at the same time, quackity is the vice president of a guy he really doesn't agree with. c!quackity aims for positions of power -- he's physically weak, but he's charismatic so he uses his words (kind of like -- well...). to me, early quackity seems to rely heavily on survival instincts; at first, he enjoys his position with schlatt, but eventually it goes against his core beliefs. but he doesn't leave. instead, he plays both sides until (eventually) he is more solidly against schlatt, once the odds benefit him a bit more.

all quackity has ever wanted is a place of belonging for himself and others (this has been confirmed by quackity as to why he starts las nevadas later), so he looks up to wilbur. someone with power, someone who fights for a place people can escape to happily.

so quackity shares his ideals with wilbur in excitement. but his mindset appeals to early wilbur, and the wilbur he talks to is far more jaded. so wilbur shuts him down, tells him its not realistic, tells him his dreams require blood.

wilbur dies. quackity reflects.

el rapids rises and falls, and quackitys last vestige of optimism rots.

so once again, quackity falls into wilbur's footsteps -- just a second offbeat. he forms las nevadas, but he does everything necessary for it, just like wilbur said. he's even more aggressive than wilbur was; while wilbur worked in subtleties and deceit, quackity is far more upfront and honest about the fact that he's a manipulator. (in my opinion, this is a reflection of the fact that this is wilbur's nature, but this is quackity's nurture)

his prior idolization of wilbur dies -- he sees him now as someone cut from the same cloth. and by the time wilbur comes back, he sees himself as somebody who succeeded where wilbur did not.

meanwhile, revivedbur is exhilarated by the idea of someone like him, someone who understands him, someone who isn't afraid of him. he wants to join him, but quackity rejects him because of his "unpredictability" -- after all, wilbur destroys what he touches, and quackity is clearly someone who rose against all odds and oppressive powers to stand where he is today. wilbur insists that he join, even claiming that he would work as quackity's servant (which is like -- yeah okay. but it's also probably a manipulation tactic, even if wilbur himself doesn't realize it -- he's been show to yield himself if its advantageous, and wilbur genuinely doesn't seem to care about being a Leader leader as much as he cares about having power).

ultimately, despite claims that las nevadas is a place for everyone, quackity banishes wilbur [insert gatekeeping joke here]. but wilbur isn't deterred; quackity is a challenge. and wilbur loves challenges. no one says it better than THE wilbur soot himself:

quackity loves their rivalry because it gives him a sense of control -- of the power he's always been deprived from. wilbur loves their rivalry because it makes him feel human ("someone is finally looking at me! i'm alive!" will remain one of my favorite tnt duo moments for ages to come). and deep down they both love their rivalry because they are kindred spirits. two people, ground into the dust by power-hungry dictators. both forced to abandon their countries built of love, of ideals. manipulators instead of fighters, who feel genuine care for their friends but are pushed into these deep pits of corruption to get what they want.

they'd never admit that though. i mean, they hate each other -- right?

[quackityupdates]

Quackity tweeted on ElQuackity!

[Image ID: a screenshot of a tweet from ElQuackity that reads “Solamente quiero pedir una disculpa a todos de mi comunidad de habla hispana, considero que después de mucha reflexión no es justo hacia ustedes que yo cargue con el titulo de “el mas nalgon de todos”. Considero qué hay muchos menos afortunados que yo 💔” (”I just want to apologize to everyone in my Spanish-speaking community, I believe that after much reflection it is not fair to you that I bear the title of "the biggest butt of all." I consider that there are many less fortunate than me 💔” in English). End ID]

[balillee]

weird parts of smp lore that people tend to forget (some i've mentioned before)

- Quackity gave birth to El Rapids

- Techno is (perhaps) canonically schizophrenic (thank you everyone who told me that stating this more as a fact has delicate yet disastrous and potentially stigmatising repercussions)

- Wilbur both cannot resist fucking fish, but then immediately eating them

- Wilbur canonically chainsmoked during his time in Pogtopia

- Schlatt can't swim

- Despite his threatening prescence, Dream and Mamacita think to 'Trance Music for Racing Game'

- Continuing that sentiment, when Mexican Dream thinks, 'La Chona' plays

- Karl, Quackity and Sapnap are in a polyamorous relationship, and BadBoyHalo is Sapnap's dad

- Eret might have cataracts

- Wilbur doesn't shower nor does he wash his clothes

- Phil casually started reading up on necromancy and told nobody about it, not even Techno

- Tubbo was a President, a secretary of state, a lawyer, a career criminal, a beekeeper, architect, witchdoctor, necromancer, librarian of an ancient archive, a priest and arsonist.

- Tommy pulled his right shoe out of the void when he changed his skin back after making it to Techno's

- Tommy can canonically sew, and other than Niki, might be the server's only trained tailor, meaning he likely sewed all of the revolutionary's suits, Wilbur's angsty coat, Phil and Techno's matching blue costumes, Tubbo's Presidential suit, sewed his own clothes back together when he was living under Techno's house, and probably sews his own open wounds shut knowing the absolute gall of this idiot child

- Fundy's whole arc is just daddy issues

- If Wilbur and Tommy are canon brothers, then Tommy is Fundy's uncle

- Tubbo just vibed in a box until Phil picked him up, and as soon as Wilbur died started hating Tubbo for no reason whatsoever

- Jack Manifold is an immortal deity who persists out of spite, but channels that energy into being Dr. Evil from Austin Powers

- Schlatt was jacking off in the void n e x t t o s o m e o n e e l s e

- Ranboo's first impression of Schlatt after hearing about how evil he was the fact that he was just jackin off in the void, same with Phil

- The power of DMCA is canon in SMP lore ever since HBomb gave Tommy Pigstep, and now skype and nokia phones are canon

- Quackity was being all serious and reflective after Doomsday whilst riding a horse called Boner

[calamitydaze]

uno reverse card how about u tell us about cq :]

WELL NOW...... i would love to :3c

something i've been thinking about recently is the butcher army and more specifically the moment he runs down in the sewers after ctechno (CTECHNO!!!! someone he's already terrified of, someone he's been hunted by), and he's someone who seeks out allies (manberg, pogtopia, el rapids, las nevadas) but this time he's all alone. and he doesn't knowwwww he doesn't know he's about to know what death feels like (something he was so eager to inflict just earlier), doesn't know how much it's going to hurt, doesn't know he'll never be able to look at his reflection the same way again, all he knows is that he threw himself into an impossibly outmatched fight because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did anything less. this was his chance, to climb the hill and stand on it with his own two feet, and he took it. and he's so much stronger already than he used to be but techno still rips his face open just as easy, kicking him right back down. quackity can put on the apron and pick up the axe but strength always wins in this world and he's still just a prey animal. and doesn't that sting more than anything

[dreamsclock]

ESPEJO CHAPTER FOUR - RAIN (ON AO3 NOW!)

transcript under cut :))

El Rapids looks stupid in the rain. Looks like a pipe dream. Quackity’s hands don’t falter when he notices this, but they do shake, and even when the rain stops, the shake doesn’t.

(Or,

It takes four days to take down El Rapids. Quackity reflects, and commits himself to his legacy.)

[louvibel]

hi can you do a headcannon of quackity with a short gf like 5’2 pls 🥺

also i love your writing so much i’m obsessed

pairing: quackity x gender neutral reader

warnings: foul language

a/n: aww tysm im glad you do!! this seems a bit repetitive so please refrain from sending multiple asks of the same request to different writers. anyways please dont be a ghost reader, i’d love to hear your thoughts!! <33

Quackity never really minded the height difference honestly, it’s not a major issue with you too. 

Though, there are times where he slightly teases you or jokes about it in stream. 

You probably knew eachother as friends long before you decided to date, maybe not close friends but familiar enough with eachother to make Quackity think it was okay to comment about your height which at the time, made you mad. 

You ignored him for like, a week but Quackity immediately apologized after he brought up that and his friends told him about it. 

For example, you’d be walking together in the park or while you’re grabbing dinner, and he’d just comment out of the blue, “Did you get shorter or something?” 

You’d know he would be joking because he snickers right after. 

Or whenever he’s streaming and talking to chat, he’d say something like in between his laughter, “Hey chat, chat, listen,” Probably gets interrupted by his own giggles or a donation. “Chat, you know my partner? They’re like so fucking short, and the other day-” 

He ends bringing up a story that has no correlation to the fact that you’re short; that just turned into an inside joke / meme between the fans. 

In the end, more often than not, you’d reflect his jokes with ones about his own height, el oh el. 

[springatito-moved]

i am Thinking about c!quackity’s reaction to foolish giving him armor... how he reflected on how dangerous it was to be completely unarmed around techno... how he was so unused to having armor that it felt strange to have it... how he was so taken aback by foolish’s kindness that he asked why foolish was being so nice to him after everything he did... how he told foolish before "i take care of those who take care of me. why do you think i have no one around?"

just... quackity is so used to the world being unkind. he’s used to constantly being aware of his physical vulnerability. and having something to protect him & someone to treat him with kindness again? it feels odd to him after so long

genuinely! and like obviously he was safe & happy in El Rapids but he was probs so fucked up going from schlatt right to karl & sap that he was always a little scared of getting hurt. he was always very much the leader of their group and took charge so that he could avoid being hurt or belittled (which sap & karl would never do but. trauma brain go brr.)

having someone just. be so nice? esp after what quack said to him at the summer home? it's gotta be one of the strangest feelings. and im sure he feels that way abt charlie too, someone so genuinely innocent and nice who never intends to cause harm... it's something he's gonna struggle to adjust to for sure.

[sokayisaidiot]

One thing for another

“You and me dream. One last duel. Just like in the first war.” The air was so thick, you would have been able to cut it with a knife. Or a sword, with everyone carrying it around. Tommy, seeing it as the last resort again, burning passion in his eyes, was ready, this was it, he was either falling or standing. He grew in the Times. Fundy and Tubbo inhaled sharply. George, Sapnap, eret and punz turned wide eyed to him. They were there when it happened the first time. They were there, when Tommy and Dream had their first duel. The other ones who just heard of this story, whispered. Philza and Technoblade looked from Tommy to Dream. While Phil had a slight nervous look, Techno remained calm. After all, he respected Tommy by now. Even if he was a fool.

“And the conditions?” “Easy, if I win, I get the disc, full freedom to every land in the dream smp and you will repay for your crimes. If you win, I’m dead and everybody else has to deal with you and your shit.” The silence from the stunned audience was something Tommy stopped caring about. He figured nobody was on his side. Might as well, ignore them for that. “Alright, deal.” It was shaken upon. Two death grips and a promise. Both knew the destination of the duel. The ones to saw the first one too. The rest followed them. The footsteps on the broken ground and sounds of mobs all around them filling the silence and nervousness.

The pathway, Tommy’s place, where he died a second time was a not so rather nice place. But it was more filled. More People. Nobody looked Tommy in the eyes. And why should they? Tommy was the loud annoying child, that was selfish and made dumb decisions. Fundy walked up to Tommy. Nothing no was said and Tommy was suddenly in a tight hug. A silent, good luck came from the other as he passed on the bow. Strangely and funny enough, it was the same bow from the first duel. He cracked a smile. “So were doin it again, hm?” “Ghostbur come over.” Dream said, fully ignoring Tommy. Ghostbur slowly made his way over to them. “Would you do us the honor and count for us again?” Ghostbur looked nervous. He didn’t liked the feeling that was creeping on him. “Tommy will die when he loses this battle... won’t he?”, he brought out, the air getting more and more tense. “Yeah, he will.”, the masked man replied.

“Don’t worry Wil- Ghostbur, I won’t let you down.” Tommy’s smile was big, his shoulder pretty relaxed, though he was just hiding how tense he was. Pokerface, the A+ weapon for a fight. Techno smiled. The child might be dumb and risky, but not stupid enough to forget how to an honorary warrior. Phil, next to him smiled too. Relaxing more from the tension. Even if his last son is in danger and probably getting killed. “Alright then, Tommy. Don’t forget, do whatever-“ “your heart tells me to do. I won’t ever forget it, trust me.” One last warm smile, to Wilbur, to the people he fought alongside with, a snarky smile and tongue out to Phil and Techno and atleast Tubbo, whom he gave a thumbs up and a mouthed ‘you’re clingy’. Then he exes the bottle of poison, immediately feeling the pain washing over his body. Ghostbur wanted to come and help him bear the pain, but Dream put his Arm in between and looked at wilbur stern. The ghost walked up to the position of his earlier spot. The uncomfortable feeling of lost, sad, dark and angry memories returning. The sadness of seeing his brother die by his countdown.

The poison stopped working, leaving Tommy to stand up wanking, rubbing his burning eyes, the dying throat screaming for milk or water. The others looked at the young soldier. Who were they, to let him become him one. But it was all fastly forgotten, when Tommy spit on the ground, cursing. Turning back to back to Dream left the air thick again. It all led up to this moment. All the pain, loneliness and problems he has been through. “1” It began rather slowly, or Tommy thought so atleast. His life was on the line and he has just noticed. He could die here. There was still time to stop it. He still could scream stop, surrender, give it all up and never looked at his family, friends, allies, Tubbo again- Tubbo. It was always him and Tubbo against the world. It started with them. The easier days. The fun chaos...

Tommy took a deep breath, and suddenly, 10 seconds were over. He turned around, made his bow ready and fired. It was silent. The other arrow, hit him. It stung. But... the pain. It just left a scratch. The arrow scratched him on the side. It hit him, but just his side. Dream on the other hand. He puffed in air. He was killed. Tommy did it. He won... he did it! He WON! He let out an shaky breath when fundy and quackity let out an yell of yes. When the two of them run over to him and closed him in a hug. When his allies suddenly let out victorious screams. They won, they actually did it! Phil not seen by the others than just Techno let out an breath of relief. Techno had a tini tiny smile on his face. He just shared his head. Who knew the kid was just a lucky born star. The sun started rising and L’Manburg cheered on that. They won, and nobody died-

“P-punz? W-what are you doing?!”, everybody turned around by the source of this shaky voice. Revealing Punz with Tubbo under his sword. Tommy’s eyes were widen. They were so close. What? “Punz, what are you doing?” “Punz?” “What the hell, Punz?!” They shouldn’t be so surprised.

Tommy could have smacked himself with the axe of peace. He was such an idiot.unz was the traitor. Next to him Awesomedude, who looked uncomfortable. He defiantly didn’t liked the situation either, but why, what happened? Suddenly, Dream appeared in front of him. Him and his stupid admin power. “Well Tommy, you and your stupid fatal flaw... what was it again? Loyalty?” He started. Tommy walked up to him, but stopped when he saw that this just brought Tubbo in further trouble and danger.

“Dream, what the hell are you doing? This wasn’t a part of the deal we made!” Everybody turned to saw Techno and Phil looking rather du, founded. “What the fuck dream? We lost a battle fair and square! They won? What the fuck are you doing?”, Philza, this time spoke up. “Well, I dont like losing, right Tommy? You can’t agree more with me. So I want to make a deal with you. Tommyinnit.” The silence that was there before was nothing compared to now. Tommy looked from everyone else to Tubbo and then to Dream. “What is it for a deal?”, slowly picking out the words, not wanting to do one thing wrong to bring everyone in danger.

“You for tubbo. You come with me, and I will let Lmanburg, el something, the badlands and everyone else have their full on freedom. And Tubbo here will also be free. You just have to come with me. You for the rest of them. And when you don’t want to, I will just end Tubbos last life here and now.” A chorus of no’s and pleads against it was heard. But not for Tommy. His ears started to beep and drown all the other sounds out. He has to sacrifice himself? After everything and he has still to suffer? For people who don’t respect him, who didn’t help him, who left him... for a friend who left him To die... for Tubbo... the best friend he could have ever asked for...

Tommy looked around. In all the faces he was getting to see, all reflecting memories. Good and bad. His eyes wandered to Tubbo who’s face practically screamed part: ‘Tommy, don’t do it!’ And ‘Tommy, help me...’. He saw those eyes once. On Schlatt festival. The time he wasn’t able to safe Tubbo. After everything he has done for him. He smiled at everyone. Letting each weapon fall with a clirr or a loud bong. They looked at him as if just died. Maybe he just died and is just hallucinating. That would been fun. But when he touched his Armour straps to undo them, he knew this was real and suddenly he could hear everyone again.

“Dream, you can’t do this!” “You’ve lost Dream! Fair and square!” “Please Dream!” “Tommy! Don’t do this!” “Tommy!” “Sam, Punz how could you do this!” “You traitors!” He could hear everyone and everything. Nikis crying, Eret’s yelling, Ponk’s whispers, tubbos silent cries. As he undid everything George came over, in help of Sapnap, who’s silent regret is written all over his face. Heavy cuffs connected Tommy’s wrist behind his back.

“Tommyinnit, your hereby arrested for vandalism, murder, stealing, fleeing exile, minor terrorism and many other accords. You will be taken in prison and taken to justice.” “WHAT KIND OF JUSTICE WILL YOU DO RIGHT TO THIS KID?!”, the scream of Fundy, yelling against Dream, anger repeating in the sounds.

Tommy got escorted but Techno stepped in front of the group and Phil behind them, the other taking fighting positions or helping tubbo. “I’m sorry Dream but I have to interrupt. You have to know, Phil and me are people who have honor. So we would appreciate if you let Tommy go and just vanish. Phil and I will do the same.”, the rather monotone Voice had a hint of challenging as he snarled at the masked man and his companions, who had Tommy in his shackles. “Oh Techno, you should know how much of a danger Tommy is to us all. He always starts fight and unnecessary stuff, and we’re the ones who have to take care of it! Tommy is way too much of an danger to run around freely. After all, didn’t some of you knew him earlier?” That was right. All the people who lived in the server named SMPEarth knew Tommy from before. And yes, they knew his chaos like demeanor.

“This soll doesn’t give you right to inprison him!”, Jack Manifold, to everyone’s surprise, spoke up. Even Tommy looked to Jack with bigger eyes than before. “Dream, you have no right to do this.”, Phil spoke up but Dream just tsks. “Phil, why of all people are you talking up for tommy? You aren’t even his father! His father would have helped his son! Not leave him alone on an island to die with the former shell of a brother! Actually, nobody here has a right to speak for him! So if you could all move along, thank you!”

And with that, the group, with Tommy, made their way to Tommy’s doom. The boy who is cursed to never be happy...

[megablade]

One of the things that a lot of quackity antis dont get is that quackity is soft, even if he pretends he isnt. Dream cut hus attachments for power but quackity is gaining power because he thinks that is theonly way he'll get to keep said attachments. He doesn't just want that for himself however he wants that for others but he has such a twisted sense of helping others means because he thinks that his trauma made him tougher so he ends up traumatising others (namely, foolish and purpled). Also look at how he is with Tommy and slime, you cannot deny that quackity is soft for them. Quackity is soft, he only starts to act hostile when he feels threatened and i wish more people would get that.

oh my god you Get™ it and i think you might've just unlocked something in my brain that'll make me Ramble sfdlgkjhdg

you bring up a really good point—it's interesting to see people talk about the origin of quackity's desire for power, and i think it boils down to this: quackity's always wanted a place to belong, and he realized during manberg era that the only way that he could belong was to have power. after being repeatedly stepped on and pushed aside, the destruction of the one build he cared about in manberg, the white house, AS WELL AS the culmination of his mistreatment, was what caused him to defect to pogtopia.

it's true when people say that a major reason why quackity betrayed schlatt was because he realized he wasn't going to have any power, but a lot of people seem to misinterpret that as "quackity was always evil and power-hungry," instead of "quackity might've stayed with schlatt if he hadn't destroyed the white house, but it took the destruction of it for quackity to realize he wasn't ever going to get the respect & authority position he was looking for, and THAT'S why he left"

when quackity first discussed his plans for las nevadas with sam, he described it as a means to gain power over the server by giving everyone gambling addictions. does it sound evil? yeah. is it morally bad? also yeah, and that's something that they acknowledge.

but contextually, the past 2 months had been hell for quackity. he & his fiances had failed to make el rapids officially recognized as a country, and karl lost a life in the middle of it. quackity had led the butcher army, a ragtag team of ex-manberg cabinet members, all with severe unaddressed trauma, into carrying out an execution of someone they perceived as a threat, and quackity lost a life in the process. doomsday happened and the only place outside of el rapids that quackity (and many others) had called a home was destroyed.

it had been 2 months of chaos that quackity had absolutely no control over, despite the fact that he was doing everything he could to get some sense of control. he couldn't control his own country. he couldn't control what happened during the green festival. he couldn't control what happened to new l'manberg during doomsday.

so he made las nevadas into a country that he & his fiances could run together, without any authority telling them what to do, and thus, have power while keeping his attachments (which, i would say, includes his relationships with his loved ones. i think it'd be a pretty safe bet to say that he is very attached to karl & sapnap).

"he has such a twisted sense of helping others means because he thinks that his trauma made him tougher so he ends up traumatising others" is such a good way to put it because quackity is following the textbook guideline of repressing trauma AND he's also trying to convince himself that his shitty actions are justified, despite knowing on some level that his actions are morally reprehensible. (note that trauma =/= an excuse for shitty behavior, though)

and that reflects in his actions: he's all about "las nevadas has no place for emotions" but he's still infinitely kind & patient with tommy and slime. he expresses genuine joy when fundy wears a matching outfit, is very appreciative of foolish when he gets gifted armor, seems genuinely intrigued & supportive when purpled tells him about his building plans. and overall, quackity is always quick to consider their opinions on everything and also encourages them to take the reign in settling conflicts or building things. i won't fool myself and say that they're a true family dynamic because of quackity's initial manipulation, but they're something, and that means a lot quackity.

it's those kinds of small moments that makes me still have hope in quackity, that he's not going to completely cut himself away from everything he cares about. even recently, he wanted to diplomatically settle the outpost conflict with tubbo, who was challenging him, and even took down his own walls "in good faith." we keep getting glimpses of that kind of softness, and the concept of the "cold-hearted person who exclusively wants to manipulate people to earn power" that i see frequently painted on quackity flattens the complex history & nuance that quackity has !! that being said. there is a Lot of karma that's going to catch up to quackity, though, so i'm very excited for that >:)