#c!sapnap critical

[thesacredorb]

"it's just a girl harmonizing with her ceiling fan"

No. Thats the sound of Dream's (biological) mother humming him to sleep when he was little, before their village was raided and burned, reduced to nothing but cinders and ash. That's the song Dream would hum quietly to himself when he was curled up in his hiding place, after he just went to check on his village to see if anyone was left, only to find burnt bodies and fresh corpses (friends, neighbors, his parents, and his siblings) and his home in ruins.

That's the sound of Puffy taking the time to search and search for everything she possibly could about Dreamons, a dying species, just so she could find the right lullaby to sing to Dream on the nights he would have nightmares. That is the sound of Dream humming with her because there wasn't any reason for her to learn it, but she did anyways to make him feel better. That's Foolish learning to do the same when he's old enough. That's Dream clinging to his new family, hoping and praying to whatever God is listening to just let him have this. That is Dream wishing the same thing when he first meets George and Sapnap, his two best friends that seemingly came out of nowhere when he needed them, doing everything within his power to keep them as close to him as he possibly can.

That is the sound of Dream occasionally humming that same lullaby to himself in the prison, when he really needed reminders of home, of his Momma, after he just had Quackity come in for the second time this week to try and get the revival book out of him and he refused. That's the sound of Techno doing his best to help Dream relax for once after getting trapped in the prison with him, that's Techno humming with him while fixing up the bandages wrapped around Dream's abdomen chest and arms, making sure they weren't too tight so the wounds underneath them could heal properly. That is Punz doing the same after the prison break, helping Dream come down from panic and anxiety attacks when he couldn't sleep, especially during the weeks he couldn't find Jobi (a young Dreamom -from a village Dream didn't know was in the SMP- who somehow dug through the obsidian walls looking for food, and decided hanging around and bothering Dream was her new favorite thing to do, and Dream got attached to her unknowingly) anywhere and assumed the worst. Assuming that Quackity found her and was either gonna use her against him or was doing something terrible to her that he couldn't protect her from.

That is the sound of Dream humming that same lullaby to Jobi, because she knew it too and missed it just as much as he did and humming it with him after finally getting reunited. After he finally got her back after weeks of thinking there was a possibility that she was gone because they had gotten close and everyone (Sam, Tommy when he got locked in there, Quackity, Techno and Bad) noticed. But she wasn't, she isn't, she's here and she's alright and that's all that matters to him.

That, is what that is.

[calamari-minecraft-corner]

Hey can I pls know more about dnd!Puffy? And like what all went down with her and Dream? How does their meeting again and then later conversation go?

Also, is the syndicate a proper think in this au? And just in general, what're Ranboo and Niki like? Is Steve the polar bear here?

Wow that was an almost completely random assortment of questions, I guess I'm just curious about a lot of things to do with this au :>

Also I just really like the artic commune(my first and most watched pov is Techno's) so I can't help but ask about them :)

Honestly I love random questions like this because I fucking LOVE worldbuilding and character building like YES PLEASE— my Dungeon Master brain goes wild with this so it helps c:

Anyways onto the answers!

1. Puffy is a firbolg Swashbuckler Rogue! Firbolgs are basically half giants and the little thing I have kinda always done with my firbolgs is to make them have more sheep/cow features. Like Caduceus from Critical role

Like this! Also that means she’s like 7 feet tall bc Firbolg are massive.

Anyways— Puffy is Dream’s biological mom in this au- because firbolgs can live to be up to 500 years old! So the math tracks tbh. But yeah she basically raised him on the docks and the ocean, rarely staying in each kingdom for long. When Dream got old enough however he wanted to stay in the Kinoko kingdom because he wanted to help King George (this was before everything) and Puffy let him- she was always supportive of him no matter what.

And when everything happened she was honestly the last one that left him.

Puffy tried to find reasoning for what he was doing- she did. But the more unhinged and more impulsive he got she was obviously worried for her son- and after him breaking his allegiance with George and Sapnap he kinda- went off the deep end.

But he went to her because that’s his mother. And Dream honestly was kinda a mama’s boy back then.

But they got into a big argument when he tried to convince her that the reason why he was doing this was to be beneficial for the continent and that the pain and tragedy would be worth it but she didn’t listen.

He didn’t hurt his mom physically, but he left afterwards and puffy was crushed.

And she joined the final battle to try and stop him- but she didn’t want to hurt him.

She actually went to the prison once to ask if she could see Dream, but Sam told her that he didn’t want to see her- and Puffy believed it and stopped trying.

Fast forward to the current events- Puffy is still a captain, she has no allegiance to anyone and prefers to just make sure the waters are safe. When she firsts sees Dream she doesn’t believe it because he looks drastically different than the last time she saw him/ and she knew something was wrong.

And she heard these new friends (and Fundy) call him Pyre, so she knew something happened.

So she plays it up! Saying that her and Pyre were old friends and that’s why she knew him.

When they’re in private though it’s a lot different. Puffy is worried- concerned on what happened and who did this to him but Dream is too nervous and even stubborn to say otherwise. It takes a bit for him to open up and they do get into an argument one time, him yelling at her and saying why didn’t she visit or at least try and send him something.

But then Puffy tells him that she thought that he said he didn’t want to see her.

And it both clicks for them that Sam was lying to both of them.

After that and the initial shock of the party realizing that’s Dream- things.. simmer. Him and his mom are okayish- they’re rocky but Dream is trying. And Puffy honestly kinda adopts Cala and Spooky since she sees that Cala is trying to help him be better, despite what he’s done and did prior. She hopes it’s a good influence but is worried for all of them. But she still loves her son so so much.

-

2. The syndicate is a thing! But it’s very.. secretive. Like secret secret. Nobody knows about the syndicate, only the monarchs do due to their ways of sabotaging some events as well as going against their laws. But no one knows who’s running it. The Syndicate is a secret faction that works on the belief that there shouldn’t be a monarch system and that these different beliefs aren’t healthy- especially with the restriction of wild magic. So they plan to dismantle it as best as they can and as quietly as they can. Honestly the vibe I get from them is like the Dark Brotherhood from the Elder Scrolls series if that makes sense?

Arctic commune exists though! In the far north is called the “Icebreaker’s Land” which is filled with tundra and Arctic. It’s one of the lands that isn’t run by any kingdom due to how dangerous it is as well as how rural it is. But people still live there! It’s like one of the only options if you don’t want to live in a kingdom, next to the Badlands.

-

3. Niki and Ranboo my beloveds! for Niki, she is a halfling Alchemist Artificer and an Arcane Archer Fighter! Niki was a close supporter of Wilbur back then and they were pretty close friends- but she felt that something was up with him right at the end of the war. And when the war finally ended and he asked her to officially work under his kingdom again- she declined and left. Shes very- conflicted in this au, since she doesn’t know what fully went on with Wilbur but she knows something doesn’t add up. When she’s with the syndicate though it honestly helps her a lot and heals her- but she has her moments. She brings this air of authority around her even though she is a halfling, and Cala honestly looks up to her a lot when they meet.

For Ranboo, Ranboo is a tiefling Aberrant Mind Sorcerer! Ranboo has— been through a lot in this au. He really was only a teenager when the war started and he didn’t realize what was going on.

Dream encountered Ranboo and convinced him to help him- and it resulted in Ranboo being a sorcerer and hating his powers immensely.

Any time Ranboo uses his powers for a long enough time he goes into a blank state, similar to his endwerwalk state actually! And Ranboo was used a lot to help with the battle until Tommy and Tubbo managed to capture him and snap him out of it.

He’s been- coping ever since the war. He’s an adult now- he had a kid with Tubbo and they sadly became distant and they have shared custody. But he’s still unstable, on edge because no one can fix what happened to him except Dream himself. And he does NOT want to see Dream.

It… takes him a while for him to get used to him but he doesn’t forgive what Dream had done to him. He just wants to feel normal but it’s hard- and the course of the au he grows into getting used to his powers after so long.

-

4. Yes Steve the bear is there and he helps a lot, patrolling the commune in general and just being a good emotional support animal for anyone that needs it :3

—

IM SO SORRY THESE ARE SO LONG DHDSJSJ but yes please enjoy this and I hope this answers what it needs to- again I love answering questions like this since I legit planned this au like a dnd campaign HDJDJDKD

[stemms]

It's really frustrating that Dream SMP, a story that carefully approached and evoked such a sensitive subject as child abuse, in the most realistic way possible, as well as gave the real-life abuse victims the representation they deserved, didn't get the proper finale that would be mindful of its impact on real life. Not to mention the poor decisions in character and narrative development that only grew worse as the story progressed.

I have a serious complaint about the duration of c!Dream's imprisonment, in terms of narrative development. Keeping c!Dream imprisoned for a whole year added nothing to the plot and only limited the possibilities for the subsequent lore. The first few months were crucial, indeed, as this is when the key events (such as c!Tommy's, c!Bad's, c!Ranboo's and c!Sapnap's visits, the lockdown, c!Tommy's death and revival, c!Dream's torture, and c!Techno's imprisonment) of the prison arc took place (besides his escape, but it could've been carried out earlier, and it wouldn't have changed anything). But I doubt we'd have lost anything if the rest of this arc had been erased. Obviously, the plot's stagnation was caused by the majority of the CCs losing interest in the lore, and as a result, creating lore solely for the views, rather than with passion, as it used to be in the beginning.

Unfortunately, this lack of interest in lore not only resulted in general disappointment due to the lack of complexity in lore, but it spread the victim blaming, that had been ingrained in this fandom nearly since the beginning.

c!Dream's vulnerable position in the prison arc, especially due to the torture, resulted in c!Dream apologists receiving more content with sympathetic c!Dream, infantilising him to the limit, and using it to shift the blame to c!Tommy in particular, as well as the rest of the server, for allowing this to happen. They completely ignored the fact that c!Dream's behaviour during anyone else's visits but c!Tommy's, was an act; after all, they could always say c!Tommy deserved it for being annoying, so why even try using critical thinking? The constant infantilisation of c!Dream was extremely uncomfortable and ableist, and the escalating portrayal of c!Tommy as the ultimate threat and cause of all problems, was harmful to the real-life abuse victims. We shouldn't forget that fiction greatly influences our beliefs and perception of life, and if one excuses blatant abuse in fiction, they may see no wrong in doing the same in real life, if the consequences allow them to. Obviously, it'd probably be a rare exception, but ignoring this possibility completely would certainly do no good.

[forgetmenotcollective]

➙ The Ghost Town Collective

Hello! We are the Ghost Town Collective, a dissociative polyfragmented system, and this is our blog! We may block semi-liberally for system criticism & discourse being brought onto the blog, but we are open to being corrected on mistakes! This is for system-related posts & reblogs! Our main is @theghosttown & you can find our art on @alltheghosties!

➙ Members + Tags

*Introjects sometimes have labelled sources- "Sapphire" will be in blue text, "Crystal" in yellow, and "Lilac" in purple. No source/unlabelled source will be uncolored.

general host tag ⤵

#host posts

Juno/Mouse (she/love) - c & q!Quackity & q!Ironmouse Introject : #lady under the weather & juno.txt

Eden/Hayley (any pronouns, neos included) - Technoblade & Winter Schnee introject : #still so devoted to you & eden.txt

Selene/Matt/Chora (she/he/lune) - c!Ranboo, genloss!Ranboo, cc!Ranboo, q!Tinakitten & c!Tommy introject: #um it's kind of a lot , sel.txt, matt.txt, & chor.txt

Maia Rose (she/they) - hh!rosie (side eye), q!wilbur, c!wilbur, c!dream introject: #and it is well with my soul & mai.txt

*we as a system do not support cc!Dream or cc!Wilbur. introjects are not chosen.

other freq fronters tag ⤵

#ghost posts

Arryn/Quackity (she/lotus) - Protector, c!Quackity introject: #take you down & q.txt

Charlie (any) - Gatekeeper, c!Slimecicle, genloss!Charlie, Slimecicle Cinematic Universe introject: #got something to lose & slime.txt

Thor (any aside from she/her) - Protector, c!Tommy introject: #help the outcasts & thor.txt

Isabela (they/she) - Head Gatekeeper, q!ElQuackity introject: #praise from a new perspective & #isa.txt

Mayree/Drista (she/they/chor/vex) - Head Gatekeeper, c!Drista, Wiggly (Hatchetfield) & @drista-the-parity-goddess / @forksandchaos introject: #spill blood in the court & dris.txt

Kita (she/he/they/blaze) - Primary Protector, c!Sapnap & q!Jaiden introject: #pa' tipo como tú & jai.txt

Dove/Duvessa (she/he) - Protector, c!Tubbo, cc!Tubbo & @tubbos introject: #you are my achilles' heel & tubb.txt & tubbo.txt

tags for other members will often be "name".txt (examples being sam.txt or michael.txt)

➙ Partner Systems

@thelavendersys - lavender system, partner system of near 2 years!

@cupidcottage - cupid, friends

@blubellsys - bluebell system, partner system of near 2 years!

@sunspellers - sunspell system, besties :bweep:

@bundleofnerium - nerium system, partner system

[bonesandthebees]

If I can give my two cents on this (also obviously /nm, just from like a genuinely place of discussion):

I just think it's not that deep. Most of the people I've seen saying things like "they're my ocs now" are really not coming from any place of malice. There's a lot of serious stuff going on in the fandom with the content creators and it really does not hurt anyone to be like "they're mine now". It's a way for people to be like "I am not writing about the real people in any shape or form. I'm taking the base characters and writing them in aus and such. They're disconnected from what's going on."

People have been doing that for ages in fandom, even this fandom, and it's not some kind of like. crime. It's such a dumb thing to discourse about because like just let people do what they want.

Taking a character you love and writing them differently in a fic or something where they're not their canon counterpart is really really common. Not to mention the many times ccs like Wilbur have said that the characters "belong to the fandom". Also, c!Phil's wings, c!Quackity's scar, c!Wilbur's white hair streak, c!Wilbur's train limbo, c!Skephalo being c!Sapnap's parents, and so many other things in canon have come from the fans. A lot of these characters exist because people made animatics and art which inspired the ccs to keep making the story.

I think as long as you're respecting boundaries when writing them, you're pretty free to call them your oc. Like, within my own fics, I've completely rewritten c!Technoblade for one of my modern aus because of the life that he's lived in it. He's still the same base character at his core and thusly I'm respecting boundaries, but other than that, he could probably pass for an oc. Like I just don't think it's that deep to be like "these are my characters now because I don't like the people who made them."

And I detest the idea of "you hate the media so you have to leave the fandom". It's probably one of the worst takes I've seen time and time again. Like there's a difference between being negative about it every single day and being critical of how it is written. I really love this series even if I hated one part of it. I'm not leaving just because of that.

anyways if this is poorly phrased I am rather tired rn and I wrote this quickly but yeah my thoughts on the whole. I just don't think it's worth fighting over some teenagers wanting to emphasize the fact that their writing is separate from the ccs.

(this entire response is also /nm it's just a discussion)

I think we're just seeing different sides of twitter because I understand saying they're your ocs in a non-malicious way, but I've genuinely been seeing more intense takes on the situation in a way that just irks me. Also, I'm not referring to making them your ocs as in just putting them in different aus and keeping the core of their character, because I do that too! But they're not your ocs in that sense. You're still taking their characterization from canon. They still share the same names and aspects of their appearance with a cc. And again, I'm all for people just having fun in fandom don't get me wrong, I'm just seeing it phrased in certain ways on twitter that's really irking me.

Also of course you can be critical about a piece of media you're in a fandom for. I'm critical of a lot of writing choices in dsmp. That's not what I'm referring to. When I say if you're not having fun then leave, I'm referring to the people who literally hate every aspect of the media and fandom and that's all they talk about. Like, you're just making yourself miserable at that point, y'know?

Overall, I didn't mean to start a discussion on this, but that's my fault for not clarifying when I made my post. I just don't like the discussion going on on twitter right now because it just feels very weird and toxic in a way that's bugging me and I wanted to complain about it. But I'm not trying to attack teenagers for emphasizing their writing is separate from cc's, and that's not really what I was referring to. I can understand why my post might've sounded like that though so I totally get your point here.

Again this is /nm, but I'd rather not make this a whole thing so if anyone else sends me asks on this I'm not gonna answer them unless they have a really good point I wanna speak on.

[peninkwrites]

Lines Drawn in Sand & Concrete - Ch 7 of ?

Sapnap gets a second job, Quackity continues to keep his enemies close, and Connor continues to have a bad time.

[CW: mentions police violence/abuse, c!Dream in the first scene]

crossposted to ao3

Ch 1

Ch 6

Ch 8

Mafia AU

~ Sapnap & Quackity ~

When Sam was hospitalized, things started to change around the precinct, but that was nothing compared to what’s changed since Dream got rid of Sam and took his job.  The first warning Sapnap should have heeded was Dream’s thinly veiled threat,  “if we’re talking about associates of the Badlands, you of all people should watch your step, Officer Halo.”

That didn’t mean Sapnap fully abstained from talking to his best friend, because regardless of these changes, Sapnap isn't going to throw away a lifetime of loyalty over a few disagreements, however concerning they may be.  Captain Taken has gotten reckless, or rather ruthless.  He keeps on sending officers to the East side, which he knows is dangerous.  Every time Sapnap points out a patrol entering gang territory, Dream snaps back, “do you want the police to prevent crime, or not?”  At first Sapnap had tried to argue back, explaining why Sam had never sent patrols across the river at night, the bitter truth that they were meant to do damage control, not win the war, and Dream certainly hadn’t taken it well.

Sapnap thinks Dream is now trying to keep him out of the way.  Sapnap has spent very little time in the precinct and therefore can offer no criticism to Dream’s decision making.  Instead, he joins the ranks of cannon fodder sent across the river.  Sapnap assumes his best friend must still value his life a little as he hasn’t been sent over after dark.  Sapnap also notes that other officers seem to be taking the changes in stride.  Sapnap isn’t used to them acting like this, not merely enforcing, but downright cruel.  Sapnap can’t help but think that Sam would never stand for this, and part of him still hopes Dream won’t either, but he’s been proven wrong on a lot of things as of late.

Sapnap returns to the precinct after another uneasy patrol and heads right for the Captain’s office.  He stops himself from barging in at the last second and forces himself to knock.

“Enter.”

Sapnap does so.  He’s not used to this office being so empty.  When he’d been a rookie, the room had been all rainbows and proud-parent memorabilia, and under Sam’s reign it had been a mess of dog pictures and Ponk pictures and little mechanical things Sam liked to fidget with.  Now, there is nothing.  Just a shiny nameplate center stage reading out Captain Taken.  Behind it, sits the man himself, expression calm and inquisitive at Sapnap’s unexpected arrival.

“Hey, Dream, can I talk to you about something?” Sapnap shuts the door behind him.

“Is it about something personal, or work related?”

“Uh, work related?”

“Then, maybe don’t call me Dream,” Dream says it like he’s teasing, but Sapnap knows he’s serious.

“Sorry, Captain,” Sapnap says reluctantly.  “So, out on patrol today, some of the boys were being really shitty.  Really shitty again, like, this has happened more than once, y’know?”

“Shitty?  Shitty how?  That could mean literally anything,” Dream says dryly.

“Like, harassing civilians kind of shitty.  Like, being dicks to the homeless.  Earlier, Morgan and Grant were pushing around this guy who hadn’t done anything.  That sorta goes against the protect and serve deal, right?” Sapnap folds his arms over his chest, preemptively on the defensive.

“Well, was he loitering?”

Dream's blase nature turns Sapnap's irritation to anger.  “They didn’t just ask him to move, they threw the guy’s stuff in the river!” Sapnap says, antagonism and volume rising.  He forces himself to step back.  “Captain,” he adds bitingly like that will make a difference.

Dream is unfazed.  “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but there aren’t really any rigid laws against littering in the river, especially for a government department.”

“That’s… that’s not the problem with that.  Are you serious?” Sapnap doesn’t know why he’s still surprised by Dream letting him down. 

“Look,” Dream sighs.  “We have bigger concerns than a rookie throwing away some low-life’s garbage.”

“Officers under your control are harassing the homeless," Sapnap still tries, and he still expects reason.  "And that… that doesn’t bother you?”

“Not as much as the rampant violent crime we’re supposed to be dealing with,” Dream says dryly.  "But, fine, I'll... talk to them."

Sapnap tries to accept this, even as it feels like a dismissal rather than his concerns being taken seriously.  He knows it’s not worth arguing any further over, however much he hates it.  Bigger concerns feels like an understatement.  “Yeah.  Fine.  Any more bodies?”

“Always,” Dream sighs.  He scans the folder on his desk wearily.  Frustration bleeds through, his fist slams against the desk.  “The Badlands… there’s no way they’re still active, but if they’re not, why the hell are just as many bodies turning up?!”

Sapnap tries to keep focused and ignore his friend’s agitation, however uneasy it makes him.  “More bodies than before considering the serial killer,” he points out.  “And…” Sapnap frowns.  “Why would the Badlands have stopped?”

“Never mind, it’s just– Frustrating,” Dream sighs.

Sapnap hates it when they talk about the Badlands.  He misses when he wasn’t alone in that, if they have to talk about them.  “I bet Sam would know.”

Dream looks over at him sharply, genuine anger directed at him now.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sapnap scrambles to recover, thrown off by Dream’s defensiveness.  “Just like, the Badlands thing.”

“Shouldn’t you know, then?”

Sapnap feels like he’s been gut punched.  “No.  No, I was… Why would I know something, Dream?” He hates how quiet his voice gets.

“I dunno, maybe because you spent your childhood on the lap of the devil himself huh?” Dream says mildly, Sapnap reads it for what it is, an accusation.

Sapnap’s friendship with Dream was foundationally built on him not judging him for growing up alongside violence he had no control over, and on a dime it’s like Dream wants to revoke that history.  Sapnap defends himself in an old, familiar way, but he had never expected to have to use this line on Dream.  “I was a fucking kid.  I never had a choice.”  Something more personal follows, “you know this.  What’s wrong with you?  Why’re you acting like… like…” Like you see me the same way everyone else did.

Dream smiles.  “Sorry, Sapnap.  I wasn’t trying to make you nervous, it’s just… it’s an asset, actually.”

“An asset?” Sapnap says warily, still deeply unsettled, even more so by Dream calming so easily.

“Yeah!” Dream rummages for a different file.  “You heard anything about Las Nevadas?”

“No, what’s that?”

“It’s a casino.  Or, it’s going to be I guess.  The guy opening it used to work for JSchlatt, and I can almost guarantee it’s not going to be an above the board establishment,” Dream explains.

“Wait, why are we worried about something that’s not even open yet?” Sapnap frowns.

“Because, they were previously affiliated with organized crime, and I doubt they’ve magically turned their backs on it.  You of all people know it’s not that simple.”

“No, no it was turning my back on family, not… not the criminal parts.”

“Jeez, Sapnap, calm down,” Dream rolls his eyes.  “Don’t take everything so seriously.”

“What’s your point, Dream?” Sapnap says irritably.

Dream slides him a newspaper clipping.

LAS NEVADAS LOOKING FOR KITCHEN STAFF, SECURITY, AND CARD DEALERS.

It’s written in an ad in large, black lettering, details in smaller text below.  Dream taps the word SECURITY.  “Do you follow, Sapnap?”

“...No, not at all.”

“I want you to go undercover and pretend to work security at the casino!  Let me know when they fuck up and break the law, y’know?” Dream smiles like he’s offering Sapnap a gift.

“Dude,” Sapnap waits for Dream to admit that this is a joke.  He doesn’t.  “You want me to… to go undercover, which means making it look like I quit my job here, starting a new job at a place that I know nothing about, probably having to move out so we’re not living together just to be safe, and change a bunch of other shit in my life, on the off chance a guy who used to work for JSchlatt is still doing shady shit?”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Dream laughs.  “Come on, Sapnap.  This is some important work.  I wouldn’t be asking you if it wasn’t.  And considering your… troubled background, I think they’ll be more inclined to hire you instead of any old ex-cop.”

“Badlanders and Schlatt’s boys weren’t exactly best friends, Dream.”

“Well, good thing Schlatt’s dead and you don’t associate with the Badlands anymore, right?” Dream replies smoothly.

Sapnap struggles to process.  “Shouldn’t we be focusing on the serial killer?”

“We have people working on it, just not you, Sapnap,” Dream says patronizingly.

Sapnap tries again.  “What if I say no?  Turn down the assignment?”

“You’d rather have desk duty?” Dream responds just as icily.  “I’m your Captain, I am giving you your assignment, I expect you to follow through.  Or you can get out just like Sam did.  You’re not supposed to actually be a Badlander, just pretend to have been one.  Don’t make me treat you like you’re actually a problem.”

“What the fuck is your problem?!” Sapnap says before he can stop himself.

“What’s my problem?!  I’m not the one disobeying orders!” Dream snaps back immediately.

“This isn’t about orders!  You’re not just supposed to be my boss, you’re my friend,” Sapnap wishes he just sounded angry instead of hurt.

Dream sighs.  “Yeah, yeah I am your friend.  And I’m your boss.  This is… this is important to me, Sapnap.  I don’t know why you can’t take that seriously.”

“I am taking this seriously.  I seriously am,” Sapnap says fiercely.

“I don’t know if you are.”

A pause, the two men staring each other down.  Sapnap takes a step back.

“Fine.  I’ll… I’ll try to go undercover.  I dunno if me showing up and saying I’m from the Badlands means they’re gonna roll out the red carpet for me.”

“I mean, I still think it’ll be better than just showing up as an ex-cop.  They hired Sam just fine,” Dream shrugs.

“What?”

“Sam is working there, apparently.  I’m guessing also in security, so I thought that might give you an in.  But you cannot tell him what you’re really doing there, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah I got it,” Sapnap is feeling almost dazed.  He feels like Dream is shoving him toward a past he had tried so hard to abandon, but he trusts him.  If this is important, he’ll do it.

~

Quackity is getting desperate.  He feels surrounded on all sides, and his single shred of security is an ex-cop fresh off crutches.  He wants something more than this, but his reputation proceeds him, and anyone honest or honorable recognizes his name and runs.

Really, he could tolerate having one member of security watching his back, the bigger issue is Karl.  Every day Karl goes to work, leaves his sight, and Quackity watches him go with dread.  Quackity would send Sam to guard Karl, but Sam is meant to be his head of security, which means he needs to be around to help with the planning for Las Nevadas.  He tried to get Karl to take a gun.

“I’ve never used a gun before, and I don’t plan on starting now.  And I don’t think Tina would appreciate me bringing one into her bookstore,” Karl had told him gently.

“What if it keeps you safe?”

“Anyone sent to kill me, Q, is definitely gonna have a faster trigger finger,” Karl explained in the most brutally honest way possible, in that same sweet voice of his.

“Damn you, Karl,” Quackity sighed.  “Can’t you just give into my paranoia for once in your fucking life?”

Karl grinned.  “No, I don’t think I’m gonna, actually.”

So, Quackity continues to hunt for someone who will fire a gun on Karl’s behalf.  Quackity is desperate, but when the scruffy, unsure man, dark hair pulled back and hands in his pockets, comes in and asks Foolish about a job listing, Quackity’s first impulse is to send him away.  Karl is still with him for the morning, and had followed him downstairs to meet this mysterious applicant.  Quackity takes one look at the man, and pulls Karl aside.

“Yeah, no.  No fucking way.  I can smell it on him.”

Karl giggles, eyebrows raised.  “You can smell him from here?  Smell what?”

“Pig!  The guy is a fucking pig.”

“You can smell that?” Karl teases.

“No, no I can’t literally, oh my god, I mean his stupid fucking narc shoes!” Quackity hisses, nodding to the black boots every stupid cop wears.

“His… shoes.”

“Yes, his shoes,” Quackity says grumpily.

“Well, if he’s currently a cop, why is he looking for a job, then?  And if he’s a former cop, I mean, you had no issue hiring Sam,” Karl points out.

“Sam is– Sam is different,” Quackity deigns not to explain the difference being he has something he can hold over Sam.  It wouldn’t be very in line with his promises to Karl to stay out of organized crime.

“You need more security, Quackity.  What’s the harm in just talkin’ to him?  Besides, he’s cute,” Karl nudges him playfully.

“Fine, fuck.  You’re coming with me, though,” Quackity says before sulking across the lobby to where Foolish had kept the man occupied.

“Hi.  I’m Quackity HQ, the owner.  How can I help you?” Quackity smiles and he knows some people can read the threat behind it.  He isn’t sure if this man can.

“Uh, hi.  I saw the… the ad.  For the job.  The security one,” he says with an awkward nod.

“Right, right, what’s your name?”

“I’m Sapnap.  Sapnap Halo?”

Halo.  Interesting.  “Well, Sapnap Halo, do you have… any qualifications?” Quackity keeps up that smile, half hoping to scare the guy off.

“Y-Yeah!  I… I used to work in law enforcement, I mean, your other staff member Sam can… vouch for me?” Sapnap Halo sounds unsure.

“Used to be?  Why’d you quit, Mr. Halo?” Quackity is calculating multiple things at once.  Halo.  Sam.  Narc shoes.  Familiar.

Sapnap shrugs.  “Didn’t like the new management.”

“Is that so?  You could’ve just requested a transfer.” Quackity deigns to ask Sam privately about the guy later.  “So, why are you interested in Las Nevadas?”

Sapnap clearly hadn’t planned out any answers beforehand.  He looks mildly startled.  “Uh, gambling is… fun.  Like, it’s exciting.  And I know private security is pretty boring, so… I thought maybe this place could be cool?”

“I know you,” Quackity says, eyes narrowed.

The man looks almost alarmed.  “You… do?”

Something clicks into place.  “You’re the guy who showed up to harass a teenager after his dad died.”

Sapnap Halo looks offended.  “You’ve gotta be confusing me for someone else, there’s no way in hell I’d do that.”

“No, it was definitely you,” Quackity takes a step closer.  “You and that grumpy little cop turned up and interrogated a barely legal kid without an attorney present, ring any bells?”

Sapnap’s eyes widen.  “You’re… right.  You’re Quackity HQ.”

“Obviously.  You didn’t know that going in?”

“I mean, kind of, but I didn’t like, connect dots I guess–” Sapnap shakes his head.  “But wait, I didn’t… I didn’t harass anyone.  I tried to… to help the kid, he was going through something fucked up.”

“Help him?  Really?  Why the fuck would you want to help someone like him?” Quackity is openly hostile now, shark-like smile gone.

“Cause I get it, y’know?” Sapnap looks deeply uncomfortable, bouncing back on his heels.  “Complicated dads and shit.”

Quackity laughs harshly.  “Complicated.  Right.”

“No, seriously, I…” Sapnap trails off, clearly warring over something.  There’s a pause, Quackity letting him simmer.  “You… you used to work for JSchlatt.”

“I was his lawyer,” Quackity says, voice taut, a warning.

“So, like, you get that businesses like that aren’t… uh, squeaky clean?” Sapnap says awkwardly.  He sighs.  “Look, I’m trying to say I don’t care about the illegal shit.  Especially not whatever some kid got wrapped up in ‘cause of his dad, because, well.”  Sapnap winces, as if bracing himself.  “I’m the son of the leader of the Badlands.  Y’know, Halo?  Does that… does that count for anything in me getting the job?” He asks sheepishly, shoulders raised and tense as he shrinks down, waiting for the fallout.

“You’re…” Quackity is briefly thrown off.

“Ohhh.  Halo.  Duh,” Karl finally chimes in.  “I didn’t know Bad had a kid.”

Quackity elbows him lightly.  He doesn’t want Sapnap to know how well he knows his father.

“Um.  Sorta estranged,” Sapnap mutters.  “Fuck, I shouldn’t have said anything, look, I just… really need this job, alright?”  He stands up straight, as if preparing for a fight.  “I don’t care what you guys are involved in, I’ll… I’ll do good work, and I’ll mind my own business.  Is that an alright offer?”

“Hm,” Quackity eyes him carefully, calculating.  “You got a resume?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Sapnap nods quickly and pulls a very folded sheet of paper out of his pocket.

“Charming,” Quackity accepts it with dry sarcasm.  “Give me a minute to consult with my team,” Quackity retreats to the back hallway, Karl following, and after a wave to flag him down as part of the team, Foolish joins as well.  “Sam!  Get over here,” he drags his head of security into the mix.

“What’s going on?” Sam frowns.

Quackity shoves the crumpled resume into his hands.  “One of your old pals at the swine factory came waltzing in asking for a job.”

Sam’s frown deepens when he sees the name.  “Sapnap?  He quit the force?”

“Allegedly, he did,” Quackity folds his arms over his chest, waiting for Sam’s assessment, Foolish and Karl watching on with far less concern.

“Did he say why?” Sam asks carefully.

“Said he didn’t like the new management,” Quackity huffs.

Sam passes back the resume, shaking his head.  “That doesn’t make sense.  His best friend is the new management.  My guess would be he’s undercover, but I don’t know what Dream’s priorities are if he’s sending his right hand man here.  Last I heard, they were dealing with a serial killer.  And so far, we’re… well, as upstanding an institution as a casino can be.  If you want my advice, no.  Whatever he’s up to, it’s a risk to hire him.”

Quackity nods curtly, mulling it over.  “I mean, I hired you.”

“Yeah, but you know I quit being a cop,” Sam points out.

“What about… what about in general.  Is this guy… decent?” Quackity feels a bit ridiculous asking Sam this, but he doesn’t really have anything else to go on.

“Sapnap?  Yeah.  He was a good kid, and one of the best cops I know,” Sam nods.

Quackity’s lip curls in disgust.  “Well, I’ll try not to hold that against him.”

“No, I mean, he was… he wasn’t always great at being a cop, because, well, in the early days because he was reckless and had something to prove, but in general, he actually took the innocent-until-proven-guilty thing seriously,” Sam says earnestly, before growing gloomier.  “I mean, just ask Ponk.  Sapnap was getting on my case about not waiting on them hand and foot…”

“Yeah, you’d rather break hands than wait on someone, huh?” Quackity says dryly.

Sam clearly wants to make a bitter retort, but he holds back.  “The point is, I trust him.  He’s good to his word, and honestly he’s one of the worst liars I know.  Whatever he’s doing here, you’ll probably figure it out in a matter of days.”  He adds pointedly, “not that I suggest you take the risk considering there’s no way Sapnap would just up and quit the force.  Not even because I think Dream is going to keep treating him fairly, but because I know Sapnap would stick around anyway.  The kid is loyal to a fault, but if you’re going to do it anyway, oddly enough, there’s no one I’d rather hire,” Sam frowns, as if troubled by the thought.

“Hm,” Quackity mulls this over.  He needs security because he needs Karl safe.  He could hire this guy, and keep him well away from their business, and know Karl is protected.  He also would feel better knowing exactly who the plant is, if the police are really set on nosing into his business.  “Thoughts?” He glances at Foolish and Karl.

“I don’t care.  He seems chill,” Foolish shrugs.  “I don’t know him super well, not now at least, but I hung out a bit with him when we were kids, or, teenagers I guess.  Post-kidnapping.”

“You did?” Quackity gives him a surprised look.

“Yeah!  Yeah, my dad and his dad would meet up and would have us like hang out together.  I mean, we mostly talked sports, but he was cool.  Really treated me like one of the guys, which, y’know, at the time meant a lot,” Foolish shrugs.

“I don’t know him,” Karl offers helpfully.  “And it’s your call, Q.”

“Okay, but it’s important to me I get your approval, Karl.  Him or Sam is gonna start following you around,” Quackity points out.

Sam takes issue with this.  “I’m needed here, Quackity, you know that–”

“It’s whatever Karl is more comfortable with,” Quackity cuts him off sharply, looking back to his boyfriend.

“Oh! Uh,” Karl glances at Sam, and then back toward the lobby.  Karl shrugs.  “I mean, sounds like we should keep him away from the business stuff.  And I don’t mind,” he grins. “He’s cute.”

Quackity rolls his eyes fondly, “you’re gonna go flirt with the enemy, huh?”

“Keep your enemies close, right?” Karl waggles his eyebrows at him.  “Maybe I can get him to spill his secrets with some of my good looks and oodles of charm.”

“We’re not marrying the guy, I haven’t even gotten a ring for you yet,” Quackity teases.

“I told you I’d be happy with a ring pop,” Karl says.

Sam and Foolish exchange a glance, used to the couple getting sappy on them.  “You should probably go tell him he’s hired, then,” Sam interjects.

“Oh, right, yeah,” Quackity nods.  “And Karl, actually, if you’re hanging around the guy, and he does anything weird, or you can worm anything out of him…”

“I’ll tell you, Q, obviously,” Karl says, taking Quackity’s hand.  “Let’s go invite him to the polycule.”

Quackity scoffs, “you’re the worst.”

Karl giggles, “I’m hilarious.”

Sapnap has been staring at the casino with unsure curiosity.  The place is nearly finished, in opulent glory, using the original molding of the bank, white pillars trimmed with gold, and marbled tile.  He gives Sam a nod of greeting, focus more on Quackity.

“Welcome to Las Nevadas, Mr. Halo,” Quackity smiles, offering him a hand.

“So, I got the job?” Sapnap seems surprised.

“If you want it?” Quackity says dryly.

“No, yeah, I do,” Sapnap nods.

He accepts the handshake, and Quackity at least commends the man for not holding on too tight in some pathetic macho display.  Karl is right.  Quackity had thought it too, even when the man was still in his stupid uniform, he is handsome.  More so now without the pig suit.

“Sam will get you the paperwork, and you’ll start first thing, alright?  Can you do that?” Quackity asks.

“Y-Yeah, first thing like, now, or..?” Sapnap asks uncertainly.

“Well, today Sam can show you the ropes, but properly you’ll start tomorrow morning.  Do you have a gun?”

“Do I..?” Sapnap trails off.

“Do you have a license to carry?” Quackity says slowly.  “Or did they take that with your badge?”

“I mean, they took my gun that I used on duty, but I… yes, I have license to carry,” Sapnap fumbles out an answer.  Sam was right.  He’s a terrible liar.

“Bring that tomorrow too.”

“Got it, Mr. HQ,” Sapnap nods.

Quackity leaves, Karl follows, and then it’s just Sam and Sapnap.  And Foolish.

“This must be fun, huh?  Old buddies working together again?” Foolish says brightly, nudging the two of them comraderally.

Sam and Sapnap exchange an uneasy glance.  “Right.  Foolish, aren’t you supposed to be picking up the tables for the opening night?”

“Shit, yeah, yep, and I was supposed to be there 20 minutes ago,” Foolish winces.  “Bye, team!”  He leaves.

Now it just Sam and Sapnap.

“So, quit the force, huh?” Sam says dryly, clearly skeptical.

Sapnap doesn’t defend himself outright, scanning the casino as if he’ll find something hidden between the slot machines.  “Dream has kinda lost it.  A bit,” he says carefully.

Not what Sam was expecting.  “Lost it?  Lost it how?”

Sapnap wavers, clearly holding something back.  “He’s sending more guys across the river.  And when I try to report them for acting out on civilians, Dream doesn’t give a shit.  Or… didn’t give a shit, I guess.  Since that’s not my problem anymore,” Sapnap says reluctantly.  “I didn’t want to leave, but Dream was really starting to freak me out.”  Sapnap glances at Sam uneasily.  “He started… he started talking about my… affiliation with the Badlands.”

“What affiliation?  A dad you haven’t spoken to in like eight years?” Sam scoffs.

Sapnap shrugs.  “I dunno.  He… he wasn’t acting like my Dream anymore.”

Sam grows less skeptical and instead more concerned, even more, he’s starting to believe maybe Sapnap had left the force.  “I’m sorry, Sapnap.  I don’t love him stabbing me in the back, but for you, it’s…” Sam doesn’t know how to console Sapnap.  In Sam’s mind, Sapnap had always been wrapped up in Dream, it’s almost difficult to disconnect the two.  “Do you have somewhere to live?  You and Dream were housemates, right?”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be alright.  Gonna get a studio on the East side.  Part of why I… really need a job,” Sapnap once more assesses the casino with something like trepidation.

“Quackity can be intimidating, but don’t let him bother you,” Sam nudges him gently.  “Come on, I’ve been going to town setting up security cameras and such.  It’s a bank, so the layout is perfect for controlling who goes in and out.”

Sapnap follows him and allows Sam’s enthusiasm for systems and mechanisms to fill the melancholy still lingering in his chest.  He still doesn’t want to let Dream down, but he’d meant what he said.  He doesn’t know if it’s the same best friend he’d trusted with his life.

~

Sapnap shows up for work on time and wary at 10 o’clock.  Quackity HQ is waiting for him, cool, collected, wearing a white button down and red suspenders and a few gold rings.  Quackity doesn’t waste time with small talk.

“Now, most of the time, you’re gonna be protecting Karl for me, but forgive me if I want to do a little trial run before I trust you with him,” Quackity says, immediately heading back out the door, Sapnap close behind.

“And… Karl is your partner?” Sapnap asks slowly.

“Yeah, light of my life, my soul, my everything,” Quackity says mildly, as if making an offhanded comment about the weather, but it doesn't make Sapnap doubt that he means it.  “I’ll make sure your priorities are clear later, I’ve got a meeting to get to, which means we've got a meeting to get to,” Quackity nods him to a sleek black car.  “I know you work for me, but I’m driving.”

“Yeah, fine with me,” Sapnap gets in the passenger side.  “Who’s your meeting with?  If… if you don’t mind me asking.”

“The Mayor.”

“The Mayor?” Sapnap blusters.  “I mean, the guy has his own security all over the place, why do you need me there?”

Quackity gives him a look, amused.  “Think of it like training wheels.”

“You think I need training wheels?”

“Haven’t decided yet.  Maybe.  Let’s see how my meeting goes, huh?”

“I dunno how you’re planning on testing my skills.  Are people really trying to kill you that much?” Sapnap retorts in the same half-teasing tone Quackity has taken on.

“This is more making sure you can stay out of my way, how about that?” Quackity replies dryly.  Sapnap huffs a noncommittal reply, and quiet falls for a few blocks.  Quackity doesn’t tolerate the lull in conversation for long.  “So.  You’re a Halo, not only that, but Bad’s only son.  And… you decided to be a cop?”

Sapnap perhaps should’ve expected this line of conversation, considering for the first time in however many years he name-dropped his father, mostly out of a panicked impulse as it seemed he wasn’t going to get the job.  Stupid of him either way.  “Uh, yeah, I don’t… I don’t really talk to my dad anymore.  I didn’t agree with a lot of the shit he was doing, so.  I’d appreciate it if you didn’t hold it against me, or like, casually bring up my estranged family.”

It’s Quackity’s turn to look uncomfortable, even guilty.  He tries to mask it.  “Got it.  I won’t touch the daddy issues.”

Sapnap tries not to take offense to that, and an uneasy silence settles over the rest of the drive.

They do not pull up outside of City Hall, rather, the somewhat tired looking mansion the Mayor has always lived in, old money with a hint of frat-boy chic.  As they approach the door, Quackity is back to business.  “You’ll join me in the meeting, unless the Mayor asks for you to wait outside.  You won’t join in the conversation, got it?”

“Yes Sir,” Sapnap says, sarcasm very poorly contained, earning a look from Quackity that Sapnap almost thinks might be amused.

Quackity rings the bell, and a member of staff answers.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yeah, Mayor Hedge is expecting me.  Quackity HQ?” Quackity’s dry, sharp humor turns to charm the moment the door opens.  He’s all smiles and niceties.

“Right this way, Mr. HQ,” the man nods the pair of them inside.

“Connor!” Quackity greets the Mayor with his first name and open arms.

The Mayor, quite frankly, looks like shit.  His suit is wrinkled, and there are bags under his eyes, and his expression could best be described as miserable and failing at his attempt to look brave about it.

“Hey, Quackity.  Good to see you, man, good of you to come and see me,” Connor hugs him, clapping him on the back with something concerningly desperate in his mannerisms.  “Who’s this?”

“Oh, Sapnap Halo,” Quackity says dismissively.  “He’s my new security, so, he’s sticking with me for his first day on the job.”

“Hi,” Connor says shakily.

“Uh, hi,” Sapnap had low expectations for the Mayor, his reputation proceeds him, but he’s almost impressed that the man in the flesh is somehow even worse, in a sad wet cat sort of way.

“Come in, come in,” Connor waves them into a lounge that must have been quite nice once, and is instead a bit worn down, the occasional modern fixtures clashing poorly with the original furniture.  There’s a foosball table that definitely doesn’t belong.  “Sit,” Connor gestures to the couch across from him.  Quackity sits, Sapnap remains standing, just behind the sofa.  It feels like what he’s supposed to be doing, at least.  On the coffee table, there is a tray with an open bottle of liquor.  Connor starts pouring two glasses.  “D’you want ice?”

“No, I’m good, Connor,” Quackity takes this all in stride.  He does not glance back to his new ex-cop staff member to see his reaction to the Mayor doing something illegal in front of both of them, but Sapnap, as he stares between the two of them, thinks Quackity is smirking.  Sapnap, cop or not, isn’t a saint committed to abstaining from all wrong-doing.  He’s gotten drunk at a speakeasy or two, or three, or more, over the years.  Really, he’s mildly impressed by how casual the Mayor is being.  Maybe Sapnap shouldn't have had a standard for him to begin with.

“You?” Connor waves the bottle in Sapnap’s direction.

“He’s on the clock, I’m afraid he won’t be joining us,” Quackity answers for him.

Connor shrugs.  “Fine,” he takes a swig, ice clinking loudly in his glass.  Quackity takes a much smaller sip, before setting the glass down.  Connor continues, “so, Quackity.  You been doing alright?  Coping okay?” Connor’s concern seems genuine, if messily presented.

“I mean, it’s hard,” Quackity sighs heavily.  “I miss him every day.  I’m sure you can relate.”

“Yeah… relate…” Connor mumbles, and Sapnap realizes his lip is trembling slightly.  Connor sniffs loudly, wiping his nose on his suit jacket sleeve.  “I… I miss him so much, man.  He was such a riot, y’know?  No one else parties like Schlatt,” he says wetly.

“You could say that again,” Quackity agrees smoothly.

Schlatt.  Quackity is visiting the Mayor to talk about Schlatt?  Sapnap briefly, wildly, thinks maybe this information might actually be useful to him, but from the current direction of the conversation, he has doubts.

“No one else parties like Schlatt…” Connor mumbles, taking another sip of his drink.  “Fuck, man.  I think this is hard, but… but what about you, right?  Wasn’t he… wasn’t he like, your husband or something?”

Sapnap sees Quackity visibly tense, but his voice remains calm and friendly.  “No, he definitely wasn’t.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” Connor gives him a tragically earnest and sympathetic look.  “You guys didn’t even get to tie the knot, huh, before he…” Connor gets too choked up to continue.

“How about you, Connor?” Quackity is quick to change the subject.  “I mean, I’d say you were his best friend.”

“Really?” Connor’s eyes are shining with tears.  “Fuck, man, I never told him that I felt the same way!” He’s almost wailing.

If Sapnap recalls correctly, Schlatt died over a month ago.  And Connor is still this broken up about it?  How does anything get done?  Although, if Sapnap really thought about it, he’s not totally sure what the Mayor actually does.  Quackity stands, circling the coffee table to sit beside Connor, a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“He knew, Connor.  I know he did,” Quackity says with such firm insistance, Sapnap can almost mistake it for being sincere.  “I actually… I wanted to talk to you about honoring his memory.”

“Huh?” Connor looks over at him blearily.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s one change that you could make, Connor.  You could use your position for good, and honor Schlatt in a way I really know he’d appreciate,” Quackity says earnestly.

“Something I can do?  What can I do?”

Quackity’s kind smile stiffens slightly into shielded exasperation.  “You’re the Mayor, Connor.”

“True!” Connor points at him amicably.  “True…”

“There’s something we both know was very near and dear to his heart, that the rest of the city doesn’t get to truly appreciate, y’know?  But you could change that.”

Connor sniffs, looking at Quackity hopefully.  “What?”

They stay for another tearful half hour, but the deal was done.  Sapnap doesn’t say a word until they’re halfway down the drive, Quackity striding ahead, hands in his pockets and a skip in his step.

“You just ended the prohibition by… handing the guy a tissue and playing along for an hour?” Sapnap says the moment they’re out of earshot of the house.

“Oh, is that what I did?” Quackity grins back at him, smug as a fox.  “I thought I was just consoling a very dear friend and… making a suggestion.  And maybe it’s also beneficial to myself.  A good casino could use a bar, y’know?  And I don’t think I ended it just yet, let’s see if he can actually pull it off first.”

“Sure, whatever, man, but you…” Sapnap is genuinely impressed.  “You know how to push people around, huh?”

Quackity’s cockiness wanes into something more bristled as he heads for the driver’s side.  He doesn’t care for that wording, it reminds him of someone he’d prefer to stay dead.  “I don’t know if I’d call it that.  More like… guidance.”

“Right,” Sapnap says doubtfully.  “Hey, dude, you did have like, two and a half drinks, and the Mayor is a heavy pour.  I should probably drive.”

Quackity pauses and genuinely listens, if only out of surprise.  “It’s your first day following around your new boss, and you’re calling me dude?” He raises his eyebrows at him.

“Sorry, uh.  Force of habit,” Sapnap says sheepishly.  “Past ten years, my boss has always been kinda a buddy of mine.  Keys?”

Quackity, grudgingly, tosses them to him.  “A buddy of yours…” he mutters somewhat mockingly.  “Well, I wouldn’t call us buddies, Mr. Halo.  Even if I’m letting you drive my car.”

“Got it.  No more ‘dude’s,” Sapnap says dryly.  “I mean, no more ‘dude’s, sir.”

That gets another laugh out of Quackity as he settles into the passenger side.  “You passed the first test,” he says, and he almost sounds approving.

“Huh?”

“You’re not such a buzzkill or a narc that you were gonna tell the Mayor off in his own home.  Low bar, like, exceedingly low bar, but like I said, the first test.”  Quackity doesn't voice it aloud, keeping tally more for himself, that Sapnap also hasn't asked about Schlatt.

Sapnap glances at him, intrigued.  “What’s the second test, then?”

“You not fucking up my car.”

[bugflies00]

seeing dt criticism on my dash i feel the need 2 add. gnf has always been boring & ive always thought of it as to each their own but hes genuinely just unfunny .. i tried to forcw myself to like him at some point bc i thought i was supposed to as a damp fan but like. hes so boring. it numbs my brain his humor's just SCREAMing. thats it.. he needs other people to be funny

sapnap is whatever i enjoyed him in tftsmp. he also yells soosooo much but his val etc stuff also just isn't for me..

but fuck dream. genuinely fuck dream & also How come gnf is friends with drm still like Dont you know.. fucking What the fucl tjats so gross??!!! i donr keep up with dt for aforementioned reasons but im like 90% sure they are still friendly. WHAT!!

i like how my inbox has basically become dteam shittalk nation not complaining lmao (btw for people who dont want to see it bc theres starting to be a lot of these posts, block the negativity tag)

i agree with the george thing i think its also because i need content thats like. pretty high energy or at least more like entertaining than that . but hes just always bored me

im just not really into the games sapnap streamed i liked some of his lore stuff (like c!fiances or the (abandoned) plotline w ctommy) but thats literally it . out of the three hes probably the one that grates the least on me but eh

and oh no yeah the only reason i feel comfortable shitting on these guys is because theyre still full on roommates and bffs with dream lmao like otherwise itd just be like. Eh they bore me but everyones got different tastes yknow. but now i just do not care they suck LMAO

[nonamersxxl]

@cearthduo, I'd like to respond to your post cause I don't quite share your opinion and I think it's fun to discuss things with people who have the opposite point of view, so don't take it as a me being negative or something.

I think the reasons why you think c!Dream apologists criticize c!Sapnap's actions or think he's stubborn or stupid are different from what the people criticizing c!Sapnap actually think or smth. Well, at least me and the people I've talked to, cause I can't look into everyone's head. Like, I can see why c!Sapnap might be upset with c!Dream, he has every right to be, the complaint is more that he actively harms c!Dream much more than necessary in late plot and how those actions change your understanding of earlier events.

I could argue that the difference in views between c!Sapnap and c!Dream could be a valid explanation for why c!Sapnap periodically chooses the opposite side in wars, or rather, I don't even care if he does. On the server taking the opposite side from your allies in minor conflicts is considered almost normal -- the problem is more that c!Sapnap starts the conflicts themselves, despite knowing c!Dream's position on this matter -- I personally would not do something that my friends don't like or that they consider harmful to the place they live in -- in my opinion, this is how a healthy friendship should work. Or even more, he doesn't always try to defend c!Dream when someone starts a conflict against him or slanders him, like, he literally says nothing about all these statements about c!Dream's non-existent tyranny, although you would think that any person would want to defend the honor of a person they consider a friend... But then again, I wouldn't call it my gripe with c!Sapnap, cause compared to how cruel the server has become, this is a small thing and did not harm c!Dream that much. I've seen people use these takes when criticizing c!Sapnap and I don't completely agree with them, but I usually try to understand why people think the way they do and it makes sense.

But I definitely don't agree that asking c!Tommy about their relationship was a normal thing to do. Even if all three of them were best friends and c!Tommy thought only the best of c!Dream, it would still be a pretty questionable move -- you should always talk about your relationship with a person in person, and not discuss them behind their back. But it doesn't even matter, cause no matter how good a friend c!Tommy is to c!Sapnap, he is still c!Dream's enemy and therefore biased. And I mean, c!Tommy didn't tell c!Sapnap the truth, did he? c!Tommy may have his own opinion on this matter and I'm not saying that he lied out of evil intentions (lol), on the contrary, after c!Dream's words and actions, it is logical for him to think badly of him. However, c!Tommy is wrong and we, as viewers, understand this -- c!Dream gave the spirit speech cause he did not want to be blackmailed or hurt, it was a bluff and even if he was telling the truth, he was only talking about his attachment to items, there was no mention of c!Sapnap or c!George -- and even the whole exile conflict in c!Sapnap eyes was started with the purpose of avenging c!George's house, cause c!Sapnap didn't know about c!Dream's secret motives for getting the disc. No matter how you look at this situation, c!Dream did nothing directly harmfull to c!Sapnap, except perhaps distance himself from him for which he, like, has reasons, which he will even tell them later -- he distances himself cause people target him and the things and people he cares about, that's literally a fact, as are his attachment issues.

And I would also argue that c!Sapnap is trying to get c!Dream's opinion or side of things during c!George's dethronement. I mean, what c!Dream says actually makes sense and isn't a blant manipulation or smth, no one listens to him. You can say that dethroning c!George in front of everyone wasn't his best idea and I agree with that, but he's trying to explain himself and his decision and not being evil for no reason. He says that c!Sapnap is trying to "split them apart" not because c!Sapnap asks c!George's opinion, but cause c!Sapnap mentions an event he wasn't present for, which he knows about from a third party, but doesn't know the context of c!Dream being blackmailed with Spirit's skin (which, well, would make a lot of difference, considering that not only does c!Sapnap know about c!Dream's attachment for Spirit personally, but the horse's death was partly c!Sapnap's fault and he could understand why c!Dream would react so emotionally), nor that he was ridiculed, humiliated, and threatened before that, but he still uses it as evidence that c!Dream doesn't care about them or even hates them. I wouldn't call it demonization, cause if something bad happened to me and I had an emotional outburst, and after that my friend, who wasn't there and didn't know shit about what happened, started using that as an argument for why I was a bad person or a bad friend and didn't care about them, I'd be pissed. And I also don't understand what this argument is if not ignoring c!Dream's pov and only considering c!Sapnap's feelings and reasons, which is, well, we kind of planned to avoid that. I agree that c!Dream was dismissive and his decision to make it public humiliated and upset c!George, but c!Sapnap really wasn't much better and certainly didn't try to find out c!Dream's opinion or understand him: It was more "I already got my (negative) opinion on you, confirm it so I can move on" than "let's talk about what you said yesterday, we think you are distancing yourself from us/not caring about us and we would like to discuss this" so yknow.

And I don't think the "c!Sapnap can defend himself so it was worth making him king" argument works, since we know that at that point c!Dream is already starting to get paranoid that the server might gang up on him and kill him and his reasons for dethroning c!George are literally cause c!George might get killed cause of their friendship. But then again, I don't think what c!Dream or c!Sapnap did was particularly bad. It's a fight where everyone had their own reasons for doing what they did, I get that. Although maybe I don't understand the conflict on both sides cause I personally feel like the server king position means literally nothing, but that's a topic for another day lol XD

And also, like, El Rapids committed a terrorist attack, tried to frame c!Eret for it, and take over the throne. It's not like c!Dream just attacked them for no reason, it was a response to aggression. Non-canon (I don't know how to call them) deaths are painful, but they don't have the same impact as canon ones, and it's more a matter of losing all of your items if you die too often -- c!Dream doesn't kill them multiple times or do it canonical. If we're criticizing c!Dream for these actions or for him giving Mars to c!Tommy after c!Sapnap killed Henry, then why is c!Sapnap's help in c!Dream's multiple non-canon spawn-kills in the first discs war considered "well, he started the war, so he had to help c!Tommy no matter what"? It's a bit unfair :(

And like, yeah, c!Sapnap has every right to hate c!Dream after the staged finale, but he shows no reaction to him being canonically killed three times despite c!Dream giving up and doing what they want. It's not just "he agreed to put him in prison cause that is what best to everyone": c!Sapnap didn't offer to hear him out or come up with another punishment, so I personally don't think he cares about c!Dream that much, but then again, it's not something I've ever been mad at c!Sapnap for. Just a little "oh, it's weird that he did it this way and not that way".

And even the promise didn't offended me that much, cause yes, c!Sapnap is threatening c!Dream for a reason and he has every right to be upset with him, even tho, as a c!Dream fan, I couldn't help but feel sad about c!Dream being threatened to be killed if he ever escape the place that is slowly kills him. However, if I were c!Sapnap, I would find it weird that c!Sam would ask me if "the prisoner" said anything suspicious, kill me, and go check on c!Dream when he didn't actually do anything bad during the visit. Yes, c!Sapnap doesn't know that c!Sam is actively abusing c!Dream and it's not his fault that it's happening, but additional visits or an attempt to figure out if something bad is going on would be appreciated and would show c!Sapnap's care. And I don't think telling c!George that the prison is off-limits was such a good decision: c!Dream is clearly not feeling well and asked for more visits, he even admitted that c!Sam hardly ever visits him and I think anyone can understand what complete isolation does to you, so preventing other visits seems a bit harsh, and c!George, like c!Sapnap, needs some closure or at least an answer about what's going on, and like, his decision literally didn't help anyone.

But then c!Dream escapes and c!Sapnap's actions change from a reaction to c!Dream's bad deeds to completely not caring about him and even trying to harm him. In Snowchester, c!Dream is happy to see c!Sapnap, saying that he has changed and that he escaped because he was tortured in prison. Even if c!Sapnap has no reason to believe the first statement, his complete indifference to the second is alarming. It doesn't matter whether he doesn't believe c!Dream's words about torture or doesn't care -- it's equally fucked up. c!Dream does nothing bad to c!Sapnap at that moment, does not attack. Just like you said: "he tries to agitate c!Dream so that he makes the first move" -- he provokes c!Dream into attacking him, even says c!George doesn't care about him, so he can feel less guilty for killing him and yes, it shows that c!Sapnap doesn't exactly fully hate c!Dream and it is difficult for him to commit murder, but it's definitely not a show of caring. Even after c!Sapnap shows absolutely zero care for the torture confession and even asks c!Dream about the book instead (and this is definitely a big trigger for c!Dream and his trauma, he was tortured for that thing), c!Dream just threatens him and runs away -- he does the bare minimum to stay alive and safe. And like, c!Dream doesn't follow through on his threats for months, shouldn't that be a warning sign to c!Sapnap that it was a bluff or that something is wrong? Not to mention c!Tubbo and c!Tommy notice that c!Dream is having a hard time fighting, but c!Sapnap doesn't pay attention to it, even though it should be even worse at the time? I can see why c!Sapnap might be further convinced that c!Dream is evil when c!Dream threatens Kinoko (even if it's essentially a reaction to c!Sapnap's actions) and his "am I really going to kill my own best friend" line is definitely sympathetic, but to me, it's more of "c!Sapnap being used to thinking he's c!Dream's friend" than actually caring about c!Dream, if that's make sense.

And then, I really can't feel any understanding for c!Sapnap trying to kill c!Dream without a second thought, and then agreeing to work with a god, whose intentions he doesn't know, to kill c!Dream at the cost of his own life. And isn't that just the most stupid and stubborn thing ever? c!Sapnap would be willing to kill himself and leave c!George, who is depressed, sleeping or dissociating 24/7, alone? Leave c!Karl, whose memory is getting worse, and c!Quackity alone, even with all of their problems? In fact, he says c!George might kill himself after that???? Dude, there are people there who need you, that's more important than your desire to kill cDream, calm down???? And I would understand if c!Dream was like, a terrible threat and everyone was in danger cause of the chaos he causes on the server, but c!Dream does literally nothing: doesn't try to get revenge or follow through on his threats even after a long time, doesn't try to go back to his plan to take over the entire server. Like, yeah, there's a deal with c!Tommy after c!Dream threatened him right after escaping from prison and c!Sapnap decides to help, but that's it -- after the escape, c!Dream disappears, this is another threat he hasn't carried out for months. He could literally be dead or, I don't know, actually go to a cottage far away from the great smp, and c!Sapnap will still be looking for him.

And then it gets worse cause c!Dream tells c!Foolish that c!Sapnap comes to the prison every day to threaten him and try to kill him. And like, c!Dream has no reason to lie and it's a direct logical consequence of c!Sapnap's deal with DreamXD, so it is true, and it's so senselessly cruel. It's literally daily harassment or even stalking at this point. He can't just walk in and kill c!Dream quickly and painlessly, and instead chooses to psychologically pressure him on a daily basis. I can't find any reason for this to happen, literally what's the point? c!Dream has locked himself in the place where he says he was tortured and not only doesn't harm anyone, he won't even contact anyone. Why doesn't c!Sapnap find this weird? He doesn't even think about it. Whatever harm c!Dream did to c!Sapnap, by this point c!Sapnap has already crossed that line of harm and done much more harm not even in response to c!Dream's bad deed, but simply because he feels it's justice.

And then you think about the first wars, the conversation with c!Tommy or the dethronement and even if these actions themselves could be explained by c!Sapnap's resentment and could be understood, in the big picture it just looks like he never cared about c!Dream and called him a friend... just because he was used to it? Like I don't get it, what c!Sapnap says and what he does literally contradict each other on so many levels that I'm literally sooo confused. I don't even think those actions were bad and I still think his resentment and unwillingness to listen to c!Dream was fine, I just understand why other people might see it as evidence of c!Sapnap's complete indifference. And I don't think c!Sapnap is evil or a complete idiot (although I can call some of his actions stupid at this point), but I really don't understand the complaints about people who don't like him or who prefer c!Punz or c!Techno as c!Dream's friends haha.

"The burden of fixing what remains of their friendship is on c!Dream because at the end of the day, c!Sapnap's only fault was reacting to the things c!Dream did", and I don't get it. I don't get why c!Dream, in his absolute wreck after prison and everything that happened on the server, has to be the one apologizing and fixing everything, just cause he was rude and pushed his friends away at the time while the server turned against him and his worldview was destroyed by the existence of the book. So all of c!Sapnap's threats, attempts to kill c!Dream, harassment towards him and how he only saw the worst in c!Dream are mean nothing? He shouldn't take any responsibility for it? Shouldn't he at least apologize? Seriously? I don't get it, really. I generally believe that everyone should apologize for the harm caused and that relationships are something you build, or in this case rebuild, together, not something that just one person should do because they are "more at fault" so it's their and their only burden. And this isn't just something I don't understand, but something I don't think would have ever canonically happened, even if the creators had chosen a different path and decided to end c!Sapnap and c!Dream's arc. It just doesn't feel right.

And I don't think c!Sapnap is a bad friend, I think he genuinely cares about a whole list of people, it's just that his actions really don't make me believe that c!Dream is on that list. And I mean, c!Dream isn't some supervillain, we know that, and we know that redemption won't be that hard for him -- c!Tommy literally manages to talk him out of his plan with a 15 minute conversation and c!Tommy is his enemy, if c!Sapnap, as c!Dream's stated best friend, had tried to talk to him back when he was just starting to spiraling and distancing himself from his friends, a lot of the bad stuff wouldn't have happened. How can c!Dream repair what's left of their friendship if c!Sapnap doesn't think c!Dream can be a better person or even see any good in him? Like, most of my comments towards him are pretty identical at their core: something happens to c!Dream and c!Sapnap doesn't take the time to find out what it is, just accepts the first explanation, accepts other people's explanations but not c!Dream's, accepts literally anything so he wouldn't have to think about it and then he doesn't think about it, doesn't pay attention, just acts careless. And I don't think it's bad to not think about it, it's just that if my friend started to distance himself and do questionable things, I wouldn't just watch and put up with it, cause I care about my friend and will put in as much effort as possible to find out what the problem is so we solve it. And with other people in his life, c!Sapnap thinks about it and tries to help, but not with c!Dream -- like that time he thought for no real reason that c!Dream blew up El Rapids for no real reasons and only became interested in the said reasons when it turned out that c!Quackity was the one who actually did it and not c!Dream. And yeah, again, c!Sapnap had the right to be upset and not do what I described, he just doesn't have to, really, but it's like, yeah, I get why people thinks they're not friends -- c!Sapnap just doesn't do the things that caring friends usually have an easy time doing and that's okay, no complaints, really.

So I really don't understand why my community has been reduced to the level of inniters simply cause some of us don't like c!Sapnap that much or think he's a bad friend. On one hand we have "I refuse to understand this character, so he's one-dimensional evil mastermind and [all the bad things in the world] and if you like him then you're an abuse apologist", and on the other hand we have "well, this character doesn't seem like the best friend to my fave and his actions seem somewhat stupid and illogical, and overall he's kind of stubborn lol" -- like, this is incomparable, sorry.

And on a higher note, I ended up writing a lot more than I wanted to, so I guess this topic hit me really hard lol. Anyway, I appreciate your opinion and I don't think you're totally wrong or anything, no negativity, I promise. Your post was really interesting to read and it made me change my mind in some things and feel free to correct me :)

tbh I have never seen any cdream apologists call csapnap evil, rather I often see them calling him a stubborn dumbass🤷🏻

I've seen all of the above and not only on dreblr. However, even the take that Sapnap is stubborn or stupid in some way for wanting Dream locked up, or for any other reason is simply incorrect.

A lot of you fail to understand that Sapnap has every reason to dislike Dream and want him out of the way. Dream has personally hurt Sapnap. And people comparing his takes on Dream's imprisonment to those who have NEVER been effected by or even seen the effects of Dream's behavior is unfair.

And of course, as I'm saying this, know I'm not talking about every dream apologist. There are definitely outliers and exceptions to every rule. If this doesn't apply to you or the things you've personally seen that's fine! But there are people who think this way and this post is mostly directed towards them.

Now, from what I've seen, a lot of people don't understand Sapnap's relationship with Dream towards the end of the smp, so let me explain. Sapnap and Dream have never seen eye to eye on really... anything. George has always been a follower, but Sapnap does his own thing. There are times where Sapnap is on Dream's side just out of obligation the L'manberg war is a good example because Sapnap had no issues with L'manberg's creation until Dream did. There's also doomsday, since Sapnap felt wrong going against Dream and his allyship had to be bought by Tommy using Mars. Sapnap goes against Dream directly during the disc war because he technically caused it and therefore felt obligated to help Tommy, since they're also friends.

A lot of people don't know that Tommy and Sapnap have been pretty close friends since the beginning. Out of the Dream Team, Sapnap is actually the only one to not have a hatred for Tommy or his behavior. There was a time or two when he parroted George or Dream's opinions but it's obvious from the beginning that Sapnap feels differently than them about Tommy, L'manberg, and nations in general.

Saying all that to make the point that: Sapnap's disagreement with and fallout with Dream didn't come out of nowhere. Him going to Tommy to ask if he thought Dream actually cared about him wasn't random. He didn't just go up to an enemy and ask their opinion, Tommy is a friend. A friend who also knows Dream well. So when Tommy tells Sapnap that Dream doesn't care about him after the whole Spirit speech, he's obligated to believe him.

And now you're probably saying "Well Sapnap should've just talked to Dream about it." And he does. During the dethronement fallout. During this, Sapnap brings it up in front of Dream and George and Dream is simply dismissive. And he uses all his effort to convince George that he cares all while demonizing Sapnap and claiming he's trying to "split them apart" just for asking George for her feelings and opinions. Sapnap obviously doesn't like the way George or himself is being treated in that moment and it shows. As they're going back to El Rapids, Sapnap even says that he feels left behind by Dream. He feels that Dream is taking power and cutting both him and George out of it. And he absolutely is. When George is crowned king, Dream explicitly says that if anything were to happen to George then Sapnap is next in line for the throne. Yet Sapnap doesn't get the throne.

And now you may claim that "Dream wouldn't make Sapnap king because he doesn't want Sapnap to be targeted like George was." or "Sapnap has a nation, he can't get the kingship" and to that I say, Sapnap can protect himself, unlike George and Dream knows that. George was also king and sitting VP of Manberg at the same time, so Sapnap being part of El Rapids wouldn't have meant he couldn't be crowned. Sapnap wasn't crowned because Dream didn't want him to be. That's all.

Now moving past the dethronement, we can also talk about how Dream killed Quackity, hunted down and tried to kill George, and threatened to kill all of El Rapids (including Sapnap) into the mix. Then you can factor in how after all that, Sapnap still found it weird to go against Dream during doomsday (even despite his fiancés being on L'manbergs side) or lets not speak on the fact dream gave mars to tommy during the pet war.

Then you get to the stage conflict, and really this was the nail in the coffin. Had this only been a rescue mission for clingyduo maybe, just maybe, Sapnap wouldn't have been ok with keeping Dream in the prison. But that isn't the case. Because Dream had to (in Sapnap's eyes, he doesn't know things were staged) once again put power above Sapnap and most importantly George. People like to pretend that they were unaffected, especially saying that Dream had nothing of George's, but that isn't true. In that possession vault, Dream had Beckerson and a place for Mars.

You guys don't seem to understand how devastating this is for Sapnap. Those fish were a symbol of not only the earliest days of the smp, but also symbols of Dream Team's friendship. Beckerson was Dream and George's fish. Beckerson was George's fish. And if there's one thing Sapnap cares about protecting it's George. It's the reason Sapnap doesn't tell George about the things Dream does, and why he seemingly doesn't tell George that the prison allows visitors after Dream specifically requests to see her. Sapnap cares about George above anything and everything on that server. And he was fooled to believe that Dream, his best friend Dream, would've used their fish to try and control her. That's a problem. That's a problem that needs to be detained.

And yes Sapnap believes things aren't going well in the prison for Dream. He thinks he's getting worse, but the only proof of that he's seen is that he wouldn't talk. Dream going mute is in no means worse than Dream getting out and hurting everyone and everything Sapnap cares about. Dream is Sapnap's friend but he does not hold that friendship above everything else he has. Especially since, in Sapnap's eyes, that friendship has been onesided for a long long time.

And this doesn't even mention that after all this, Sapnap still hears Dream out after his escape. He could've easily killed Dream in Snowchester, but instead he lets him talk. He stalls. He tries to agitate Dream so that he makes the first move. Because Sapnap doesn't have the heart to actually lay him down. And while Sapnap immediately tries to kill Dream with the deathbook, Dream dying somewhere random where Sapnap doesn't have to see is much much easier than killing him himself. Something he feels obligated to do just for aiding Dream in getting as bad as he was. After he learns he can't kill Dream he starts daydreaming about how much of a power duo they'd be as a team. Because deep down he still sees them as a team.

And they would be if they communicated better. They would be if Dream saw them as equals. They would be if Dream hadn't put those damn fish in his vault. The burden of fixing what remains of their friendship is on Dream because at the end of the day, Sapnap's only fault was reacting to the things Dream did.

So when I see Dream apologists calling Sapnap stubborn, or stupid, or a bad friend, or a sociopath. I consider that a horrid take, because all Sapnap has done ever is care for his friends. And I won't see Sapnap made out to be the bad guy in Dreamnap's relationship because no matter how you bend it, he isn't. And the fact that a good few of you villainize him and George when it comes to Dream team's relationship ending shows that you ignore the povs of other characters just as much as Tommy apologists ignore the pov of Dream. If you want to blame everyone involved, then do that, but make sure the weight is on Dream. And that's just how I feel about this subject.

Sorry about the rant anon but I do not play about c!Dteams relationship and this has been boiling in my brain for a while. amen.

[carpedzem]

I think one of the biggest trap you can fall into while lore discoursing is to trying to make your fav morally pure. being c!dream apologist for so long and saying that 'well yes i know he is an asshole' over and over made me own his crimes. yes he is an asshole. he is my asshole. i don't need him to be a good person or be always right for me to still call him my favourite character or finding him interesting or tragic. and boy oh boy do I wish we all were like that

c!dream is an asshole. he manipulates and torments and kills people, he is willing to sacrifice everything, others and himself for his goal of 'happiness'. he is also alone, traumatized after months of torture. it's not an excuse for his actions tho, but we know he does things for a reasons

c!george is an asshole. he threw a fit over the throne he didn't even wanted. he thinks that everything is a joke and that everything always should be easy and fun. he also couldn't bear what was going on around him, he prefers to sleep than to face a world where his friends are not friends anymore. we know he doesn't care about the throne and he still took the dethronement so personal. because he has his reasons

c!sapnap is an asshole. no matter the intention he lied about what c!tommy told him. moreover he believed c!tommy over c!dream. he wants c!dream dead, he believed c!dream had to stay in inhuman prison, still claiming to be his friend. but that doesn't change the fact that c!sapnap is one of the most tragic characters on the server. he lost everything - his home, his best friends, his fiances, his dad. he lied, no matter the intention, there is no excuse for that but there are reasons, valid reasons for him doing that because he is allowed to be hurt and he is allowed to be angry and he is allowed to wanting to protect c!george, even if in c!dream's eyes that's an asshole move (and if c!george knew, he might think the same)

none of them is morally pure, all of them did things that should be questioned but all those actions exist in the context of reasons behind actions. they are just humans and humans are flawed

[dyinginlava]

idk why people write c!dteam with c!dream being the manipulative one, if that’s anyone it’s clearly c!sapnap. we have at least 2 situations where he’s deliberately lied to c!george in a way that drives him away from c!dream

[kiuda]

When Sapnap found out Dream was tortured did he implied that Dream should've have liked being tortured? Just can't remember what he said.

Okay so I went back and watched the vod (or at least the part that was uploaded on Sapnap's channel) - below is the transcript of the parts I found interesting.

(everything below the cut is about the characters not content creators!)

Sapnap: I told you to stay in there. Why did you get out?

Dream: What do you... 'why did i get out'?

Sapnap: Why did you get out?

Dream: Oh you want me to rot- I was getting tortured! Do you want me to rot in the prison forever?

Sapnap: Tortured? Who is torturing you?

(break for cc!Techno's loud keyboard lmao)

Sapnap: You are getting tortured?

Dream: Yeah. Quackity was torturing me.

Sapnap: Quackity was torturing you?! What do you mean he was torturing you? Like literally torturing you?

Dream: Yes! He was trying to get the revival book so he was torturing me.

Sapnap: The revival book? What revival book? Do you have it on you now?

Dream (overlapping): It's a long story.

Dream: No I don't. Just give me my stuff!

Sapnap (overlapping): Where is it?

Dream (also overlapping): Look, just give me my stuff and I will leave. I'll be out of your hair.

Later they speak about other stuff and then Sapnap says this when Dream says he is going to be peaceful from now on:

Sapnap: (...) and the fact that you broke out of that prison is a testimony to that.

So. Now that we have the transcript. Did Sapnap imply that Dream should have liked being tortured?

Short answer: No. He didn't ask about it a lot and the information about the revival book distracted him enough to make him change the subject, but he didn't imply that. At least not to Dream.

Long answer: No. But!

When Dream says "Look, just give me my stuff and I will leave. I'll be out of your hair." He sounds... defeated almost. Like he was disappointed about how the interaction went, like he expected something else.

It could be because he was getting tired and he just wanted his armour back. He didn't want to fight Sapnap - the moment he does attack is after he is already running and he doesn't really fight, more like... tries to distract Sapnap to have some time to run away I guess.

But! It could also be his disbelief over how quickly Sapnap moved on from being told Dream was getting tortured in prison by Quackity. Someone that Sapnap is (or at least was from what Dream knows) close to.

I think an important line is also when Sapnap says "Like literally torturing you?". He is doubting Dream, doesn't believe what happened. Does that mean he thinks Dream should be okay with what happened? Not really. But it is a pretty shitty thing to say to someone.

Also Sapnap does tell Dream that he should have stayed in there. Both before learning about the torture and after (but in different words, when he is pointing out Dream is not one for a peaceful life).

[lovemvtt]

HELLO. C!QUACKITY HEADCANONS JUST FOR YOU

His wings are too small to fly, unlike most avians, he’s disabled and struggled with it a lot as a kid/teen but became a lot less insecure when he met sapnap (imp with wings too small to fly!) and felt less alone :)

She really enjoys more ‘exotic’ food (ex: fruits/veg not found in game) and develops an issue with overeating them as an adult since he finally has a decent income (eventually evens itself out, bro is just like… really into mangos)

As a teenager he wrote poetry that she later burned because cwilbur found it and tried to give him constructive criticism

He has bpd. Thats the whole hc.

Also has manic depressive disorder/bipolar disorder

She kept the engagement rings from sapnap and karl, and his old wedding ring from schlatt, theyre kept in a drawer next to her bed

He thinks his scar makes him hotter, took him a long while to feel confident with it but he views it as a prize of sorts now.

YOU DRAW DSMP?? Have you ever drawn c!Quackity ? :D

-(idk how anon works) 🐝

OBVIOUSLY he is my favorite creature i have so many headcanons too im so autistic about her

[ruby-whistler]

/dsmp /rp

"c!Dream was never manipulated or influenced by anybody, he became a villain through his own bad decisions and he deserves what he got."

look me in the eyes and tell me that anyone, anyone on the smp tried to help him. i dare you.

george, who manipulated the public opinion against him for fun? who turned people against dream? who twisted dream's words, guilt-tripped him, made him out to be the bad guy when he tried to protect him? george, who never once visited him, or showed to be of any support, after everything dream had done for him since the very beginning of the server?

sapnap, who never tried to support him? who never told dream they were wrong about him? who dream covered for, again and again, taking the blame for sapnap's mistakes and fixing his mess, just for sapnap to turn against him, and believe the first bad thing tommy or george said, without ever listening to dream? sapnap, who visited him in prison, only to say he deserves to stay there, in terrible conditions, until his death, and that he'll kill him if he won't?

puffy, his self-proclaimed "guardian", who enabled his plans in giving him obsidian to build the walls without him ever saying a word? who never tried to talk him out of it, or to talk to him at all, then proceeded to say he should be in prison and that he doesn't deserve therapy or for her to visit him?

wilbur, who crafted a narrative in which dream was a tyrant for trying to preserve freedom and unity? who spread lies and forced this worldview onto everyone he met? who only ever sided with dream after proclaiming himself evil?

tommy, who doesn't look out or empathize with anyone besides himself and the small group of people that he cares about? who believed wilbur's every word, called dream the ultimate villain of the server, long before dream ever hurt him?

quackity, who condemned dream for seeking out power when he himself was hungry for control? who supported george and sapnap, the only people he had left, in leaving him?

sam, who worked alongside dream as he was spiralling? who tortured dream through starvation and punishment in the prison even before quackity came in? who dehumanized him, called him a monster, denied him basic human rights?

punz, the last person dream was hanging on to? who knew what dream wanted, and knew exactly how far he was willing to take it, but did nothing to stop him or try suggest a different approach? who betrayed him for a better pay with no regrets whatsoever?

don't get me wrong, some of these characters i don't blame for their actions, but the point is that dream was completely and utterly alone.

as much as cc!dream's said himself c!dream is "reserved" and likes to "withhold emotions" (aka he's an emotionally repressed bastard), there were big red flags blowing in the wind for his friends. just the fact that everyone seemed to hate dream just for trying to help and mediate since the beginning. that he isolated himself emotionally and acted so unlike what he was before. that he felt so lost and scared that he became desperate to try and control the situation. that he cut all attachments, accepted he was a "monster".

no one in the entire server of mostly adults, many of whom were older than him, tried to help him in any way, before villainizing, dehumanizing, and attempting to kill him.

when you're trying to do what's right and repeatedly get told you're in the wrong, doesn't that mess with your morals, your perception? when everyone says you're a bad person for trying to keep people from creating division, and no one disputes it, doesn't that make you feel lost and confused?

dream was going through a spiral, even if we didn't see it on screen. the dream from the l'manberg war is so much different from the dream during the disc war finale.

i wish more people realized that people's utter ignorance of that, of all the characters' choice to believe dream's a villain without any proof, until he became one, was in essence what caused him to become as corrupted as he did.

dream's choices were his own, but the reason he was willing to go to such lengths was the product of the environment he was in.

that is why i believe c!dream's a product of his environment, the entire dream smp is absolutely screwed, and every single one of them needs therapy.

thanks for something to my tedtalk.

[cdroloisms]

I really love when people write about c!wilbur manipulating c!dream so I was wondering if you could write on about the smp realizing that c!wilbur manipulated c!dream into being a lap dog for him but a hell lot of trouble for then and if you could add c!wilbur taking advantage of the fact that dream is a god during a fight that would make my day. Hope you have a great day.thank you. Love your work.

ooh yeah - c!wilbur is back and GGG-ing as good as ever, , which Really makes you think abt what it’s gonna be like when he interacts with c!dream again. this ended up being a little more c!sapnap centric than i intended, hope that’s alright haha. (and thank you so much for the kind words!) 

tw: implied abuse, torture, drowning, dismemberment, manipulation, unhealthy relationships, emotional distress, dark content, prison arc/pandora’s vault, c!sapnap critical? not really?, dark portrayal of c!wilbur (typical MAD duo shenanigans)

Sapnap isn’t expecting to find anyone when he storms out in the middle of the night - he’s tense, they all are after the fiasco at the prison, but really his thoughts are filled with Karl once again going inexplicably radio silent for days on end and Quackity ignoring all of his questions with a simple “i’m busy” that he’d failed to follow up even twelve hours later, so Dream and Wilbur and whatever the hell happened that left Pandora’s Vault - obsidian, indestructible, tall and dark and proud - half-crumbled and sunken into the sea are just about the last things on his mind.  

Even so, he’s not an idiot, so he had enough foresight to pack a few potions and gather his armor and weapons before stepping into the summer night - it’s cool under the moonlight, a soft breeze cutting through the otherwise stifling weight of the humid air, and the comfortable night is enough to make his anger die down, just a little. Kinoko Kingdom glows soft and warm from the lanterns Foolish had scattered all over the place, thick with the earthy smell of fungus and flowers, and he takes a deep breath before walking to the city outskirts to hopefully clear his mind.

He’s no stranger to late-night walks; his temper had always been fiery, even as a child, and he’d figured out pretty early on that the easiest way to deal with it was to walk or run until his brain was too tired to think anymore. Walking at night also meant he could take out some of his frustration on mobs as well as the satisfaction of setting a random patch of forest on fire without worrying about burning down someone else’s property, and once he got good enough with a sword and shield to come and go relatively unscathed, Bad had stopped his worrying enough to let him do whatever as long as he came back in time in the morning. Sapnap frowns as he hacks at a random branch in his way with an axe, watching as it falls in a spray of leaves and crashes to the ground; he hasn’t seen Bad in a while, not since he became obsessed with the whole Egg thing. Quackity had mentioned some cryptic things, and Karl was adamant that they avoid the Egg as much as possible, but he probably should’ve at least visited, or something. Bad always knew what to say when it came to messy things like this.

Though - Sapnap laughs wryly - it’d never been this bad, before. Karl distant and absent, Q somehow even more so with a new glint to his gaze that sent a shiver down his spine. George, usually asleep, never around, expression perpetually foggy like he doesn’t know where he was. Dream- evil, insane, awful, somehow so familiar it hurt and too much of a stranger to recognize. He wonders when it all got this bad. He wonders what it says about himself, that he didn’t notice until it was far too late.

“Fancy seeing you out here.”

Sapnap whirls around, sword drawn; the figure staring back at him doesn’t even flinch. His eyes narrow at the sight, stance widening, shoulders tense.

“Wilbur?” He keeps his voice wary, guarded, trying his best to keep surprise from coloring his tone. Wilbur grins at him, tight-lipped, the planes of his face faintly lit by the moon shining over them, facial features only barely visible in the dim light. Without really meaning to, Sapnap cranes his head to look around at the surrounding forest, but nothing moves or makes itself known outside of the figure still staring at him, smirking. “What- what are you doing here?”

And where’s Dream?

Because Sapnap might not know much about what went down at the prison and what Dream’s plans are and the whole mess that he’d been so desperate to put behind him and utterly failed at doing so, but what he does know is that the two of them - Dream and Wilbur, Wilbur and Dream - had been all but inseparable, strangely attached to each other in a way that spelled out nothing but trouble for the rest of them. The rest of the server had been compiling sightings of the two in the hopes of being able to stop whatever it was that they had planned, but Sapnap knows his former friend, brother, and even if he doesn’t know Wilbur, his reputation more than precedes him: the two of them are smart, not to mention paranoid as fuck, and the rest of them have a better shot shooting targets in the dark than figuring out whatever the hell was going on in their heads with the two of them working together. Either way, he knows that they’d never been sighted apart - it was always Wilbur standing on a hill with Dream sitting next to him, or Dream hacking through mobs as Wilbur followed, or the two of them stepping into a fortress and leaving minutes after - until now.

“Could ask the same of you,” Wilbur laughs, just a shade to the left of friendly, and the moonlight scatters through the leaves and glints off his glasses. “Don’t be so tense, man! I’m just going on a walk, thought I’d enjoy the night. Didn’t see anything like this in Limbo, you know.”

Sapnap winces at the reminder, that Wilbur is here and alive in defiance of law and reason and the universe itself, but Wilbur barrels on, seeming unaware of his unease.

“Anyway - how are you doing, man? Haven’t seen you around in a while.” He leans back, hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets, stance loose, relaxed. “I’d ask Dream, but he’s been in prison for a bit, you know? Most of what he knows is pretty - ah, outdated, not that I tell him that.”

“What are you planning?” Sapnap snaps, grip tightening around the handle of his sword. “You and Dream. What do you want?”

“Who’s to say we want anything?” Wilbur seems to grin wider, and the expression on his face is unsettling, makes something cold slither up his spine. He shakes his head to rid himself of the feeling, half-wishing it was brighter so he could better see the other’s eyes.

“I mean-” he stutters. Because Dream always wants, he almost says, bitter and angry, that all-too-familar swell of betrayal rising in his chest at Dream, forever insatiated, forever wanting, forever looking for more more more. Because if he were to escape, and if he were to want nothing, then what did that mean for the rest of them? Because if he didn’t want, if he wasn’t left wanting, then did Sapnap ever mean anything at all? The thoughts stick to his skull like tar, words clinging to the roof of his mouth as it goes dry. Wilbur seems to stare at him, unimpressed, and he feels his face go hot.

“He’s not- he’s dangerous, you know,” Sapnap says instead of answering, because untangling the awful, knotted feelings that make up his remaining ties with Dream, half-frayed and neglected and forgotten, is more work than he can handle and more emotions than he has the energy to bear. It doesn’t matter, in the end, because Dream is still dangerous; he knows that, resolutely, and maybe it’s lucky, that he found Wilbur without Dream whispering plans and manipulations and meaningless words by his side. It’ll give him a chance to warn Wilbur, bring him back to their side instead of risking his life (again) in the company of his friend-turned-tyrant. Dream is dangerous, whether he wants or not, because Dream is Dream and he’s been in too many manhunts to face him with anything less than one hundred percent confidence. “You don’t want to be with him, Wilbur. He’s hurt- so many people.”

Wilbur’s expression doesn’t change, seeming as indifferent to the words as ever; if anything, he looks a little amused. “Really,” he hums, almost to himself. “Dangerous, you say?”

“He’s Dream,” Sapnap insists, because it’s the truth, and it’s the simplicity of it, really. It’s Dream, and Dream is dangerous whether he’s on your side or not, forever ruthless and unheeding as long as he gets what he wants. He’d been in Wilbur’s place, once, convinced that Dream’s strategies and planning and infallible logic had meant they had no way of losing. He knows better, now. “You’ve fought him before! He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about anything.”

And if the words are a little more bitter than they should be when he says that, who but he is going to notice?

Wilbur’s eyes stay on his, completely silent, expression unreadable. The quiet gets awkward quickly, Wilbur’s expression seeming unchanging, nothing but the faint rustling of the leaves around them to break the stillness of the air, and Sapnap feels his gut roll uncomfortably as he looks off to the ground, waiting for Wilbur to react in some way, any way. It’s hard, he knows, to realize that someone you thought was on your side had been using you the entire time, he’s been there before and he gets it, but- it’s still strange, how still Wilbur has become. How he still hasn’t reacted - is his expression going to change?

And suddenly, starting quiet and then swelling in volume, Wilbur begins to laugh.

“Goodness,” Wilbur drawls through his chuckles, voice low and dark and sending chills down his back. “I thought he was exaggerating, man - you really do hate him, don’t you?”

“What- what’s so funny?”

Wilbur smiles, teeth flashing white as the faint light from the moon bounces off of them, “I have to give you my thanks, truly. I’d thought that Quackity did the most of it, or Sam, but you- I really couldn’t have guessed.”

Sapnap’s head is spinning. Wilbur’s expression is positively gleeful, eyes dancing, smile wide and brilliant, bouncing from one name to another with little explanation to how any of them tie together. Sam? Quackity? Nothing is making sense. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh Sapnap,” Wilbur croons. “You really don’t know, do you?”

He twists his hand in a flippant gesture, eyes directed into the forest surrounding them.

“Let’s just say that his, ah- stay, in Pandora, wasn’t exactly what I’d call a five-star experience. But you know that, don’t you?” Wilbur directs a flat smile his way, and Sapnap swallows, throat dry. Briefly, images flash behind his eyes - walls, dripping with crying obsidian, the lava’s heat hard to bear at his back, even for him, mining fatigue pulling at his limbs and making them heavy. How startlingly bare the cell had been, even through the haze of his anger, Dream, slumped in a corner of the cell, barely moving, barely even breathing as it seemed sometimes, sunken-in cheeks and sagging shoulders speaking of nothing but a bone-deep exhaustion. “Apparently, being psychologically and physically tortured for months on end has an interesting effect on the human psyche. Even more so when, say, your best friend comes once in the entire time to tell you that he’ll kill you if you ever try to escape.”

“How-” he trips on his own words, lungs seizing, “how do you know that?”

“He tells me things. A lot of things, really. Did you know it takes one and a half regen potions to reattach an arm after it’s been cut off? It takes three and a half for a leg, he thinks, but the blood loss made it rather hard to remember.” Wilbur steps forward. “Did you know that scars created by healing potions tend to be much thicker and more prominent than those made by regens? Or that he can hold his breath for a little more than two minutes before passing out?” Wilbur smirks, jagged, threatening. “Did you know that I can tell him just about everything, and he’ll believe me because there’s no one else to tell him otherwise?”

“Wh- what?”

“I’ll be sure to tell him what you said; I’m sure he’ll love to hear how his brother is doing.” Wilbur waves. “And when you see Quackity, be sure to give him my thanks, will you?”

“Wilbur, what- come back-”

And with a flash of purple particles, Wilbur disappears, leaving Sapnap alone in the middle of the forest. Stasis chamber. His heart pounds in his ears, breathing all-too-loud, and he stares desperately at the empty space where Wilbur had stood like it’ll bring him back again.

Fuck, he swipes his hand across his face, startled when it comes back wet. What does he do now?

[apple-but-sour]

❤️‍🔥 for the ask game? If you’re still doing it

I'll answer this one, why not.

❤️‍🔥 - Is Sapnap a liar?

Definitely. Tho the only specific instance I can remember off the top of my head is him being told c!Dream doesn't care about him but cares about c!George and then telling c!George he doesn't care about either of them.

[dreamsclock]

C!sapnap really is concerned for every one of his friends and wants to check in on them, except for c!Dream huh. He really doesnt see c!Dream as a person with emotional and mental needs, huh.

he can’t afford to ! god forbid he sees c!dream as a person — if he did that, if he acknowledged c!dream’s capacity for good despite doing bad things, he’d have to acknowledge his own capacity for bad and the fact he wasn’t as good of a friend as he could have been, and the fact the situation with c!dream isn’t as black and white as he sees it.

c!sapnap NEEDS c!dream to be a big bad villain because otherwise that’s his best friend he’s locked away, that’s his brother, and he’s left him to rot in there. if he starts acknowledging c!dream is just as human as he’d been before, then it opens up a whole other can of worms for c!sapnap to deal with that he is already struggling with. /roleplay