#but this was addressing specifics and dksfjd i don't know

[simplepotatofarmer]

why techno doesn’t need to apologize (not clickbait) (yes even for doomsday)

normally i always say multiple times through a post about techno that he’s caused harm and i don’t excuse it but this post, this is the only time i’m going to say this because i don’t want to get sidetracked. 

first, we’re talking about apologies in the sense of a verbal apology as in some form of saying ‘i’m sorry, i was wrong’ and that’s important to define for reasons i’ll get into later.

i’m gonna break this down in two parts: character-wise & narratively 

1.) techno doesn’t need to apologize from a character standpoint 

i could just call this section ‘changed behavior is a better indicator than an apology and also we need to stop expecting people to react a certain way’ if i’m being honest because that’s what it boils down to.

c!techno has stated that he has anxiety and finds conversations difficult and therefore avoids them. he says as much in pogtopia after the red festival and it’s displayed in other instances with him actively avoiding or leaving conversations. i bring this up because it’s important re: the idea that techno hasn’t even acknowledged the harm he’s caused. if we’re talking in terms of saying ‘i’m sorry, i was wrong, i hurt you.’ then no, he hasn’t acknowledged it.

but if we talk in terms of techno actively acknowledging he did those actions, then he has. 

when tommy says that he killed tubbo, he agrees. he did that. he acknowledges that for both the red festival and for doomsday. when quackity confronts him, he again acknowledges that he did what quackity is saying he did.

he’s never said that he didn’t do those things.

so why hasn’t he said ‘i’m sorry’ or any variation of?

because chances are he’s not sorry. what i mean is, his beliefs haven’t changed so his actions on the 16th aren’t something he’s going to be sorry for. he still believes that government aka a coalition of a few people who hold power over others (so not just like. a group of friends chilling.) will only bring more harm.

doomsday is a little more complicated because he’s stated that it was a revenge thing rather than an anarchism thing.

but that brings me to the ‘changed behavior’ part

there’s a lot out there that says techno hasn’t been impacted by what’s happened, that he’s static, or otherwise hasn’t changed. i’ve kinda talked about this before but he has. 

after the 16th, he leaves and goes into isolation. for techno, it’s always been that violence is the only thing that gets people’s attention, the only thing that makes people listen to him, but there it didn’t work. it didn’t work and so he leaves and he makes a complete 180: he becomes a pacifist. he swears off violence. (and yes, he gathered wither skulls. i personally don’t see that as him not actually swearing off violence, but a result of his paranoia.) it’s a drastic and undeniable change, a direct result of what happened on the 16th.

but that backfires on him as well. they still come for him. and not only that, but it puts his best friend and horse in danger. then he feels he gets betrayed by a friend and someone he trusted. at that moment, dream offers to team with him to destroy those who hurt him. (and i love dream but it’s important to note that dream points out he hasn’t betrayed techno, something that’s a sore point for techno)

and he does.

and he goes back to his cabin.

and he changes again but this time it isn’t a complete 180. no, this time it’s a lesson learned. when he left for the north the first time, techno says the only way to be safe is to be alone. after doomsday, he tells phil to offer ranboo a place to live. he reaches out to niki. he still holds his beliefs but again he’s changing tactics. 

techno is an emotional person but he struggles with difficult conversations and showing those emotions. i’m not saying that anxiety is an excuse not to take responsibility for your actions. i am saying techno has acknowledged what he’s done and he has changed.

2.) techno doesn’t need to apologize from a narrative standpoint

or ‘he has had growth narratively and expressed emotions and i kinda think some of y’all are confusing agreeing with a character’s motives and beliefs for growth’

i think this is self explanatory, honestly, but one of the big complaints i see is that techno has no emotional growth narratively or no self reflection. and i find this to be incorrect. right now, i’d say his character is stagnant if only by virtue of him not being active, but prior to that he has had growth and self reflection, outlined in the previous section but to expand on that, a good example is in fact the snowchester visit. 

previously, techno has displayed the tendency to react to perceived threats with violence because he believes it’s the only way people will listen and the only way to protect what he cares about.

he doesn’t address anything he’s done to tubbo because he’s acknowledged it previously and narratively him going in to look around in an extremely casual manner not only makes sense for his character (aka someone with anxiety who also deals with paranoia and believes in his anarchist ideals) but is indicative of how he’s changed. 

techno has had self reflection, character-wise and narratively. 

what i think the issue is, his conclusion is that his beliefs aren’t wrong, but his tactics were, hence the reason he’s changed them.