#dsmp analysis?

[bleue-flora]

Do you have any analysis on c!techno I have always struggled understanding him

Not sure if this counts as a take or analysis, but here are some Techno and Dream thoughts I’m having this morning after watching old streams the other night. (In general, just as an aside, I don’t often do just blatant character analysis without a jumping off point or angle so giving me something specific about Techno you are curious about is often easier for me to answer :) … ya know, too many thoughts, gotta narrow things down lol <3)

What’s interesting between Techno and Dream is that while both are against oppression and abuse of power, and strive for a society of harmony, Techno is for absolute freedom versus Dream who wants people to be free to do what they want as long as they are being reasonable and respectful to others. What interesting too is I think part of what Dream strives to do especially more so in the beginning is counter any power imbalance, but he ironically does so by projecting an authoritative position therefore being part of the power dynamic. (Hopefully, that makes sense…) I believe Tubbo and Sapnap are ones to point this out, that Dream’s means to remove the tyrant end up with him more so resembling a tyrant. Perhaps this is why he made a king in the first place to shift the heat off of himself but note the king is never given all power sort of preventing him from becoming a tyrant…

Additionally, it is worth noting that Dream is not anti-government like Techno is even if he is anti-tyrant and abuse of power, he even suggests an election back in the early days before they even made a courthouse to settle the disputes [clip]. LIkely some of the reasons he is anti-L’manberg is that they 1) built a their nation on the foundation of pissing off the green boy and 2) their separation as well as the the power they gave Wilbur to enact rules for everyone to follow no questions asked. Had Wilbur wanted to run an election for the whole server then Dream might not have liked it but there wouldn’t have been as much of a problem, unlike the country barring people from entering due to their race. In fact, with Wilbur’s policy of no armor, Dream would have probably been more or less fine with him being the president (if it was more like Eret was as king) because his power is only that which they give him, the moment he starts to abuse his power it can easily be revoked by the people whether via a coop like with Schlatt or just abdication like Eret.

Techno on the other hand is for anarchy and a world without government, where people have freedom to govern themselves. What I think he perhaps realizes after the war of Pogtopia though is that that freedom should perhaps extend to people’s right to form a government. Something he doesn’t agree with, but again he is for people’s right to do as they please even if that is to do something he disagrees with. I think that’s perhaps why he lets Las Nevadas and Snowchester form even though they are nations and he vowed to dismantled any government. But wanting everyone to have freedom for themselves even if it’s to form a government, does not extend to governments taking away people’s freedom like L’manberg did to him by not allowing his retirement.

Though I think when it comes to Doomsday a lot of that was also self protection. I think Dream knew about the plot they had to kill him at the green festival and there’s the attempt they made to kill Techno, so the pair had to take down L’manberg as self defense otherwise what’s to stop the country from continuing to come after them. Though both things can be true, I think going after L’manberg was both self defense as well as destroying something people continued to use as an abuse of power against their citizens as well as others…

[appleflavoredkitkats]

there's something so meta abt the dsmp's narrative theme of legacy and how, slowly but surely, a lot of the fan content that helped develop the dsmp as a piece of media is disappearing. about how many of the characters in the dsmp do not remember where they came from, at the same time posts of what helped others understand the dsmp are being deleted one by one.

[kozzax]

It had to be Jack. Putting aside that the epilogue stemmed from a joke, it had to be Jack. It couldn't have been anyone else, not if we were going to get this much weight out of it.

Yeah, anyone asking Tommy if he was happy would've gotten the same 'getting there' response, but coming from Jack, specifically, makes it feel so much more heavy. There's a finality and a strength and a sheer power to it. Asking if Tommy's happy means so much more when it's coming from Jack.

Jack, who was once such close friends with Tommy, such close allies.

Jack, who hated Tommy and blamed him for so much and tried to kill him.

Jack, who is the only other person still alive on the server to have seen purgatory?

Nobody else on the server has this same dynamic, has this same complex and nuanced relationship that's built on so many layers of love and hate and friendship and enemyhood and understanding. Only Jack can truly and fully understand how much everything messed Tommy up, and how much Tommy misses it anyways, because he's the only other one left who's lost all three canon lives.

It had to be Jack, because anyone else asking how Tommy is would come across as either teasing or normal behavior or pity. But with Jack, it's a profound question. With Jack, it's not 'are you happy?' as a common statement, it's 'are you happy?' with years of baggage on both sides and an underlying current of was it worth coming back.

And it couldn't have ever been from Tommy's point of view. If it was from Tommy's point of view, he'd be back in the narrative. He'd be presenting his own epilogue, and he'd be the vessel for it all again, and more than anything what he's earned is the chance to leave it behind. It couldn't have been from Tommy's point of view, because that would've taken away the softest parts of it.

"I might not see you again" "that's okay. i can deal with that knowing you're happy :)"

[a-moth-called-mof]

You know the dsmp fandom had its several negatives but it's still one of my favourite fandom experiences of all time. It was so chaotic but it was so earnest. It felt like everything was some big fandom inside joke. It was so silly. It was poetic at times. I don't think I've ever seen a fandom with so much literary and metatextual analysis (though some have gotten close). It honestly is what got me into narrative analysis. I just love how some of us made jokes and we all ran with it. It was a mess at times but God it was so fun. DSMPblr. I will always love you.

[charles-simmons]

If there's something I love is seeing how people draw c!Tommy. Especially about his age.

Some people draw him with more childlike features. He looks younger, more "helpless" in a way. You can really see it's a child soldier. Someone who is not ready in any way to be in those situations, but is there anyway with a confident face and a loud voice. It's very visible he should not be there and how wrong it all is.

But other people draw him looking a bit older, looking more like someone who's soon to become an adult. In a way he looks less innocent, even when he's still the victim. He resembles Wilbur a bit more, and he doesn't look as helpless when next to Dream. But here's the thing, he's still a child soldier. He might act like he knows what he's doing, use big words, and act all powerful. And it's not that visible how wrong it all is, but it's still there.

You'll look at him and see this seventeen-ish years old guy, and, in a first glance, it won't feel as wrong. But when you really look at him, that's when you notice how vulnerable Tommy is. Surrounded by people who are more mature, more powerful, and who hate his guts. And you'll start to notice how easily influenced he can be, which seems unlikely for someone who always expresses what he thinks. And you'll start to notice he was never as ready as he says he was. And you'll start to notice how most of the messes he got himself into had completely disproportional consequences to him.

And after all of that, you'll look at him again, and maybe he even looks a bit older, but you can still see it. The child behind the loud voice and the bright smile, holding a sword that is just his size, but will always feel a bit too big for him.

[killin-kel]

second part of my Dream SMP character design analysis because a lot of people liked that in my animatic. and now it's Tommy's turn!

(you can find first part with Wilbur's design here)

[omegamoo]

one of my favorite parts of c!niki’s arc is manburg era because she was the person living in manburg who was most outwardly rebellious. she never stopped fighting - she made it clear that she hated the schlatt administration and everything they stood for, and so she fought back. she didn’t screw around with a “will-i-won’t-i” she just did. and i think people undersell that a lot, especially in favor of the pogtopian rebellion. but c!niki refuses to pay taxes, she sets fire to the manburg flag, she refuses to cater for schlatt and co. she doesn’t stop! when cschlatt exiles ctommy and cwilbur, she’s the one shouting about it. during the festival, she’s the one who shouts while ctubbo’s getting blown up and says from the beginning how much she hates the new country.

also the festival - if you watch the vod from your pov (which you totally should!!!!!) she just sits there and looks So Pissed Off the entire time. like she doesn’t hide how pissed of she is. she’s downright furious during that entire discussion!

and i think the most crucial part of all of this is what happens to her because of this. she is consistently belittled by c!schlatt - frequently in a “omg shut up”/“would somebody shut her up” in a way that feels like how somebody talks about a bug in the house. it’s misogynistic in many ways, i think - she’s consistently invalidated and overlooked, like her rebellion doesn’t even hold weight.

and then when she finally does more - i.e. the taxes - she’s literally hunted. and she runs, and calls c!wilbur, and she is terrified. and he says “can you just hold out a bit longer? pogtopia’s kinda full right now and we can’t take more people” and she’s like, actively unsafe in manburg and has nowhere to go and can’t go home. and she is told “just hold out a bit longer”

and then. the festival. again, she’s in the audience and watches tubbo get blown up and she’s shouting about it! like screaming at him! and finally c!schlatt is like “you’ve been a thorn in my side for too long” and he has ponk kill her! and she runs and he chases her and nobody follows to help, they just tell her to run. and she’s in the call w all of them and the conversation just moves on while she silently runs and silently gets killed. and that’s when she leaves for pogtopia.

anyways. point being: c!niki and overlooked rebellion.

[cupcraft]

To me the central theme of the dsmp was home. Having it losing it needing it wanting it can't get it people are home places are home discs are home journeys are home the prime path is home connection is home. It's how people with home navigate all what encompasses having it, losing it, ans being barred from it. Coping and being disillusioned with it and creating it wrong and right and so much more. It's home It's always been home.

[dykecubes]

I really love the difference between dsmp schlatt and sdmp schlatt, dsmp schlatt is always depicted in fanworks as this menacing, evil figure, he's canonically an alcoholic and is only ever seen in a suit and shouting, on the other hand sdmp schlatt is so much more relaxed in comparison, he's depicted in cozy, warm clothing in fanart, his hobbies include fishing and checking his mail, he's a disgruntled old man, yes, but he's never actively malicious, while I dislike considering the dsmp as canon to any other servers former dsmp members join, I do kind of love how putting the two versions of schlatt's mc character side-by-side implies a sense of healing that his character on the dsmp didn't initially get

[stemms]

I believe that c!Tommy’s kleptomania is one of the most fascinating and heartbreaking parts of his personality, as it adds layers to his character, and explains certain parts of the lore that some people seem to consider a simple bad habit and display of his childishness. I would like to elaborate on that further and explore the way it changed in the exile arc.

To begin with, c!Tommy has been suffering from kleptomania ever since s1, but contrary to popular belief, he had no malicious intentions. From the very beginning of the server, he was already severely traumatised to the point of having PTSD and lacked self-worth. So, understandably enough, he was craving something to make up for his self-hatred, and robbery became that thing. c!Tommy would mostly steal insignificant things because what truly mattered was the amount of things he possessed, not their value or rarity. After all, if he had a large number of objects in his possession, it meant that he was worthy, and nothing else truly mattered.

Since the very beginning of exile, despite his need to acquire items to stabilise his extreme self-hatred, c!Tommy adamantly refused to accept anything from his visitors because he couldn’t help but assume that the gifts in question were “pity items”, and being pitied was one of the things he hated the most. As his exile went on, the belief that no one cared enough to offer him a gift out of genuine care, only grew stronger due to c!Dream’s manipulation, c!Tommy’s severe loneliness, and the heartbreak of the Beach Party. However, with time, the blond has grown to trust someone other than c!Dream — c!Ranboo. Eventually, he allowed the enderman hybrid to offer him things, as long as he promised that his gifts came from the heart. As much as c!Tommy attempted to hide his true feelings, he cherished every single object received from c!Ranboo. These weren’t just objects, like the ones he’d often steal from people to feel worthy — these served as a reminder that there was something to live for, and at least, someone other than c!Dream genuinely cared about him.

Considering that c!Dream has been obsessed with c!Tommy ever since s1 (which included living in his walls and stalking him) and used his kleptomania and “destructive nature” as an argument to get him exiled from L’Manberg, he certainly was aware of the boy’s insecurity, and was looking forward to exploiting it to the fullest to break- no, shatter him :)

The daily routine of discarding his objects hurt c!Tommy far more than we could’ve imagined, because if we keep his deep self-hatred in mind, he didn’t simply find it upsetting due to being stuck in the cycle of obtaining and destroying his items — it was something more than that. Every lost item equaled a tiny shard of c!Tommy’s self-worth, and soon enough, there was almost Nothing left; he was nothing but an empty shell.

Understandably enough, with time, the teenager has grown to believe that he wasn’t worthy to possess anything valuable of his own — he was meant to earn every little thing, and his best friend tormentor couldn’t be more pleased :) :) :)

[simplepotatofarmer]

one of the genuinely most important things about c!techno is his relationship to violence.

because when he says 'violence is the only universal language', he means that violence is what people understand. that he's been shown over and over that violence is what people listen to. he's experienced it firsthand. he doesn't seem to revel in it, it's more like he's resigned to it as a fact.

and on doomsday, it's violence that gets him the 'win'. he succeeds! his goal of destroying the government and making certain there will never be another is complete.

but instead of taking this as proof that violence is the only way, techno still wants to change. he admits to being a bad example and wanting to do better going forward. it's such a great moment showing that techno's desire to change came from himself, not because he was unsuccessful in his goals.

[bleue-flora]

What's often interesting to me, is Dream spells it out in the finale and people often still don't get it, so I thought it'd be interesting to see what he was actually referencing here. To see where it all started.

[24:27] Tommy: “That first war, me and Tubbo versus you–how it should have ended–why’d you take it?” Dream: “Tommy, you ambushed me and killed me. You stole all my shit! You tried ambushing me in a little cave–you don’t remember that? I feel like you just–your memory is just–gone.”

So here is the ambush Dream is talking about, where Sapnap and Tommy basically decide to just kill Dream and then kept all of his shit. [Death 1]

He gets killed again when he tries to take back his stuff. [Death 2]

Tommy kills him for fun right after he respawns with nothing. [Death 3]

Then after Dream gets his stuff back (via our boy Punz) and he takes the discs to get Tommy to stop, he gives Tommy back his items. But unsatisfied, Tommy goes after Dream, gets one of his discs back and hides it in the little cave. Dream tries to find it, while Sapnap and Tommy try to stop him. They are unsuccessful until, Tubbo brings them axes and they sneak up and corner Dream in the little cave, ambushing and killing him. Once again, taking all of his shit, (including, yes, the other disc.) [Death 4]

[27:58] Tommy: “Think about that, we could’ve been friends but no because you have to figure out the reason you have to get–”  Dream: “Yeah we could’ve but you–you ruined the chance of that long ago. It was you.” Tommy: “I ruined it?” Dream: “You ruined it!”

And I don’t think it’s unfair for Dream to say that in the finale, because for Dream it’s this stream early on, these moments that started it all. It’s these instances of Dream getting murdered and robbed and made fun of over and over. Him, trying to not just make peace for everyone, but also reclaim respect and peace for himself. It’s Tommy chasing after Dream when he has nothing to kill him and rub it in his face. It’s Dream, even after all of that, giving back their items. It’s these instances of violence taken too far to the point they clearly pissed Dream off and didn’t care or follow his very simple request of just giving an apology and his belongings back that shape my distaste for Tommy and sympathy for Dream. It’s these moments that I feel like are gone from Tommy’s and our memory that highlight a different story.

[28:34] Dream: “Yeah, we could have been friends if you weren’t a little shit.”

[appleflavoredkitkats]

sometimes i think about l'manberg as meaning-makers.

they are what made the dsmp transcend minecraft as a statistical, skill-centric game into something where meaning is arbitrary. this works in both an in-narrative and meta angle. on one hand, power in the dsmp before l'manberg was centered on pvp and resources (and ultimately, that also dictated how power is gained and lost for the rest of the dsmp's lifetime). that's the main thing they were fighting against, yeah? that people in l'manberg were not as physically skilled in a more strategic, game-like minecraft sense compared to the dteam and their allies.

l'manberg is literally the introduction of power derived from personal meaning and interests, something more supposedly "arbitrary" than, let's say, being able to pvp like techno or dream. it's the one thing you cannot measure compared to physical power (like dream's insane pvp skills) or resources (dream's ability to build the prison with sam, or dream and the emerald duo being able to blow up nlm). l'manberg literally sets the precedent of the dsmp being controlled by! arbitrary means!

it works in good and bad ways, because i mean like. defying the status quo of power is one thing, but how is a completely other thing. how every l'manbergian viewed l'manberg isn't the same with each other, especially wilbur. besides all the principles he designates to the idea of l'manberg, we can't ignore that he literally brings up geopolitical constructs into the dsmp like discussions of economy (salmon being their main produce) or police (his answer of what they'll do abt pet deaths). but of course meaning-making isn't bad, because, i mean, look at the discs! at the pets everyone owns!

i joke about everyone needing to apologize to the dsmp after the minecraft movie trailer dropped because. the dsmp will forever encapsulate the meaning of minecraft better than that movie ever will. there is always a constant discussion of power - entertaining that this game, this server is winnable. the closemindedness people can have when dictating how minecraft should be played (ie. dream on the pvp side, wilbur on the narrative side) versus minecraft being something entirely up to your decision, something that is a shared space of people with varying opinions and thought processes.

yeah i'm crazy about l'manberg actually, and the precedent it set in the dsmp. what it challenges and what it's caused. what it challenged and reinforced. what a crazy nation

[meteor752]

Not to be that bitch and start posting about dsmp in the year of our lord 2024, but like I just explained the entire fucking story to a friend of mine (three hours well spent, thank you), and I need to talk about a thing I just realized, which is the absolute genius of Jack Manifold, and the end of the server

Because, Jack’s whole storyline was that he was a side character. He was a guy who was dragged into the main storylines, dragged into wars and conflicts of the main characters (Tommy, Techno, W1lbur, Dre@m), and died in them. Nothing that he did, or created mattered, because he was always going to be just another casualty, of a conflict he had no part in.

And then the finale happened, and Jack, because of his anger, his spitefulness, his need for revenge, unintentionally sacrificed the server and almost if not everyone on it, just to kill Tommy.

And then they became the casualties. Everyone on the server became him, became the person who was killed by W1lbur during November 16th, became the person dropped into lava for a joke, became the person who was killed during Doomsday, without anyone remembering it.

They became the people who died for someone else’s war.

I have zero faith that it was at all planned, especially with how rushed the ending was, but it’s nonetheless unintentional brilliant poetic storytelling, and I hate the server for it

[a-moth-called-mof]

No actually I'm going to say. I honestly think that was such a satisfying and fitting epilogue for something as unqiue as the dream smp. Maybe its vague about certain things and maybe it wasn't a picture perfect happy ending but it felt so satisfying, not just because of the original shit nuke ending and the way the server originally just slowly faded (although that contributes) but also, because it's a representation of the dream smp itself saying goodbye to its fans. Jack being the point of the view character is so fitting because he's been there since the early days and it makes it so that for once, we get to see C! Tommy from someone else's point of view without his own perspective offered. And that's so fucking impactful. When C! Tommy asked Jack where he'd been and that he hadn't seen him in a long time, he was talking to C! Jack sure but he was also talking to the viewers themselves by extension. The image of C! Tommy silently standing there and treating Jack, the point of view character of the viewers, like an old friend is so haunting and comforting in a way words can't express.

And then there's just the entire theme of grief and moving on that's present throughout the entire thing? C! Jack and Tommy both reminisce about how much the SMP impacted both of them. They look on at C! TECHNO'S HOUSE as they talk about how despite all the shit it put them through, a part of them misses it and longs to be back there again because there were things there that were fun and that meant something to them. It's so fitting on a metatextual levels. The characters are reminiscing about the SMP's old days "before everyone left" and so are the content creators through the characters but also, so is the audience. The viewers. The old fans who clung on. The fans who who didn't. The fans who, despite everything the server put them through, still wanted to tune into a livestream for even a chance of seeing it again.

I just feel like the stream represented so many of us. When C! Jack says he didn't like the person he was back then but that doesnt mean he was bad, I just feel like that encapsulates so many of us during the pandemic. Like many (I think?), I used the dream smp as escapism. I was in a really bad place and I was avoiding most of my irl friends. I hate who I became during those times. But also. I had so much fun. I would tune into streams every day and scroll tumblr and the fandom made me feel so happy and included and I loved the inside jokes and I loved the characters and I loved the streams and I loved everything and a part of me still misses that. I was avoiding everything in my life and I was so isolated but I was so full of excitement and bliss and fun when I would tune into those streams. I've kinda spent the past 2 years lowkey hating who I was. But this stream, C! Jack's line and reflection specifically, genuinely made me realise that maybe I shouldn't idk view my old self so negative and that he (who I was) was probably just trying his best during a tough time even if his choices weren't always the most functional. That I've improved and that that's okay and good even. And that maybe just because I like who I am now doesn't mean he was bad.

Idk there's also something about C! Tommy telling C! Jack he might never see him again and C! Jack telling him that that's okay (also again image of C! Tommy looking at the viewer's point of view and telling them he'll probably never see them again...). There's just something about growing up and how you kind of lose contact with some people and how that's normal and it's okay and it happens and how that ties back into some of the dream smp's themes about growing up. But also there's a bit of grief there and that's okay. Idk there's something so visceral about the last piece of media about the dream smp literally being about grief and moving on and about how the characters literally say goodbye to eachother after everything but also about how that's okay. Idk I wonder how many people feel similarly

To conclude this, I feel like the moment in the stream that hit me the most was CC! Jack being happy he let go of the manishroom (and the server by extension) and that he's moving on but then later saying "I didn't like letting go of the mushroom. Felt like I wanted to cling onto it forever" and something about that just hits. Idk there's something how the characters both feel such a unique pain and longing for the old times in universe and how that reflects how the audience and streamers themselves feel and there's something about how I genuinely don't think something that wasn't as accidental and beautiful and messy and painful and earnest and flawed and unique as the dream smp could ever capture that feeling. And I think I love it for that. And I think I love the epilogue for representing that. And I think the dream smp said I love you and goodbye to its viewers with that epilogue and I think I said it back.

[starlit-bawka]

One of the many reasons I love dsmp is for all the worldbuilding potential it has

We’re given so many places and countries and CHURCHES like there’s religions in this server!! And future generations!

There’s so many different ways you could interpret everything there, so many different cultures you can explore and create and I think that that’s really special