#minecraft roleplay but me when i take it fucking seriously

[mezzmerizd]

Watched Tango's S8 of hermitcraft all in one day today! I am in fucking shambles about all of the implications!!!

[atthebell]

Who's saying the dsmp fandom is better than qsmp fandom? You couldn't even ship people that were canonically married without getting harassed😭😭 you couldn't really ship anyone tbh unless you were heavy into dnf or smthing

crazy people on the confessions blog say it all the time and i see it CONSTANTLY from people it's insane to me

mcytblr is the way that it is because dsmp fandom, particularly on twitter but here as well, was so horrifically toxic, particularly about shipping and about harassing ccs and other fans. the ways that we deal with discourse and the attitudes that we have towards shipping are a direct result of how vitriolic the fandom was at its height. qsmp fandom is less toxic in part because dsmp fandom is so bad-- we've learned from those mistakes.

it's also ridiculous to me to pretend qsmp is somehow worse when the fandom is far smaller and, frankly, the majority of fans are too busy doing breakdowns of fitmc lore or writing guapoduo aus on twitter to get that nasty. it's just not the same. there's not the same eyes on it, there's not the same crazy fans who want to cancel everyone for any perceived slight against tommy or harass any female creator for existing (the female streamers on qsmp are treated LEAGUES better than any woman on the dsmp that is very fucking evident thank gd), people are focused on the frankly insane amounts of lore going on. yes, people can get toxic and harass ccs sometimes and i wish they were less shitty but mcyt fandom has improved dramatically since the height of dsmp, also because the fucking awful insane people got bored and moved on to being toxic elsewhere. minecraft and mcyt is just not as astoundingly popular as it was a few years ago and a smaller fandom means less fucking maniacs.

also the way that dsmp was run (which is to say, it wasn't, it was an unorganized mess at the best of times) did not incentivize positive fandom behavior. meanwhile quackity and many of the qsmp creators speak up for one another and don't let issues get out of hand (for the most part, i do think there's always room for improvement here) and there is the constant reminder that this is roleplay, and taking it too seriously is not encouraged. people in this fandom, while decidedly not perfect, understand far better how roleplay works and that the characters are not the creators, which was far less the case during dsmp's heyday.

shipping in particular is completely normal (with the caveat that mcyttwt will never be actually normal about this sigh but it's still far more common and less fraught) which is a fucking breath of fresh air and is partially as well due to a generally older fanbase & all the creators being adults, most of whom are very clearly down for shipping.

anyway tldr to anyone with an actual brain it's obvious qsmp fandom is not nearly as toxic and it's nuts to say otherwise

[isa-ghost]

Your comment about Sunny's answer being useless is exactly what I was thinking. Sending you an ask so I don't end up dogpiling on the OP of the post, but I felt like that was fairly clear? Cucurucho didn't classify *all* of Sunny's answers as 'useless', only the answer that genuinely didn't hold any use to it. Sunny's the Minecraft egg equivalent of a hyperactive, somewhat spoiled five year old child, her answers really wouldn't provide much to Cucurucho.

Cucurucho's notes weren't a reflection of the eggs themselves, as a whole, but rather the answers that they gave.

Exactly!! But Tubblings have the media literacy of a fucking grape. And bc Tubbo misunderstood what it meant, they took it as gospel that Sunny was being called useless.

I've seen. So much bullshit. I'm so glad they're mostly on Twitter because dear fucking god. It makes me want to invent a name for Tubbo fans that isn't Tubblings because I do Not want to be associated with that shit.

Like I've seen them taking block roleplay waaaaaaay too seriously in general and esp with like. The miscommunication in rp between Phil and Tubbo/Sunny. Tubblings act like Phil is so mean and shit to Tubbo when. They are really good fucking friends. And this is Minecraft roleplay. Oh my god.

Like goddamn, I don't remember Tubblings being so bad in the dsmp days. They are SO AWFUL with qsmp. I wish Tubbo would tell them all to shut the fuck up and chill out, I've seen so much vile shit spewed bc people get way too serious about this shit.

[prisonpodcast]

Ooohh 25 for the ask game

25. Common fandom complaint you’re sick of hearing (ask game)

I got two asks with the same number (lol) so I’ll give two opinions:

Tbh I don’t remember how common either of these complaints were but whatever:

People who complain that Techno dosent care about lore and that he doesn’t take it “seriously” enough because his lore is more lighthearted than the others. When Tommy Tubbo Ranboo etc all got bored of that server Techno was still logging in, doing the prison arc and actually making lore like I don’t wanna hear about how you think he dosent care soley because he prefers to keep his lore sillier and more lighthearted. Also if you struggle to find serious themes in more sillier/lighthearted media then that’s your problem not his. Also it’s Minecraft roleplay omg how dare he not take the fucking Minecraft roleplay seriously 🙄

And it’s always really annoying when people excessively complain about the syndicate lore being lacklustre because we KNOW that Techno was fighting his cancer at the time. Just pisses me off so bad when people try and act like he was a bad writer because of this when we KNOW what he was dealing with at the time :(

Ok both these points are just me being mad because of the way people judged Techno’s writing but a lot of the time it really pissed me off because it felt like they weren’t even giving him a chance 😭

[incarnateirony]

YOU HAVEN'T DEVOTED YOURSELF TO DICK BUT MY DICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT'S NOT CLICKING??????????????????????? FURSUIT FRIDAY AND KIBBLE ISN'T FAITH OR TRADITION

ROLEPLAY AND FETISHES AREN'T DEDICATION SHEA. DELUSION ISN'T DEDICATION SHEA. YOUR FUCKING COPEBABY BULLSHIT OF THE WEEK ISN'T DEDICATION, SHEA, YOU HAVE CHANGED THEM MORE THAN YOUR UNDERWEAR THIS MONTH AND I'VE MADE YOUR COWARD ASS DO IT IN FRONT OF THE CLASS

now

get

your

cult

OFF

MY

DICK

even your fucking dad and sister are building toilet paper tartarus over this shit and you won't look at the truth, just run to the next reblog to disillusion yourself

it's over, shealyn, what's not clicking.

NO SERIOUSLY, YOU ABSOLUTE TWO LEGGED WALRUS, I EVEN POSTED THIS SHIT A FEW HOURS BEFORE YOU DID KNOWING YOUR COWARD ASS WOULD RUN LEFT

you want DEDICATION? Try 25 years. Try me being willing to burn every single fucking follower I have to end your blasphemy and rapey bullshit. THAT is dedication. You rotate your shit like pawns. And the gods are not your pawns. Now, you've made yourself mine, and refuse to let go.

Dedication is me putting every cell in my being into making you stop your horse shit or die. However long it takes. End of. Dedication is the three signs in your minecraft file you still are too coward, or maybe just lost, to open. Dedication is looking reality and life in the face, when the shadow of it shows up begging for one person to listen over the stolen air jordan collection meant for him.

I'm coming for my fucking air jordans.

Three years, Shealyn. Three in general, six months of you stalking John, and you're already wailing after only one month of me exclusively posting on my blog, which you keep checking, because deep down you know the truth and you're trying to figure out what to try to narrate yourself around or prepare for. It's all real, and you fucking know it, and I'm not going to stop until you face yourself. And because of your own karmic hole, and signings, and choices, and altar, and the entire temple you built to me, you literally can't do SHIT to stop it until you do. Face yourself, that is.

I regret to inform you there is no universe in which the dead spirit of your "wife" you insist on misgendering and refusing the face of comes back and adores you, and it's your fault. Coyote hates you, Shealyn. Let that process for fucking once.

My dedication is to my brothers that you insist on torturing with this horse shit while every time they try to show you mercy and lead you to water. I'm just the bullheaded one enough to put you in the dirt. Permanently. Forever. Like no takebacks and no rebirths. Full ego wipe, because you leaned your entire ego on me, and I am literally subsuming you until you cough up the air jordans.

[landofspaceandrainbows]

nice

Ok, i think it’s totally fucking wild that my absolutely favorite “crack” (taken seriously) theory is somewhat coming true ??  like the one i feel kinda actually emotional about! Srsly!

aka the SMP multiverse

Like it’s def. not *my* version of the theory ofc, but *a* version!  it’s the various creator’s version.  but like good for them.  and omg o m g.

cool.

(It’s the one i wrote a few bad double drabbles and the story “on the origins of lives” on ao3 about)

more rambling about “my version” under the cut

and rambling about why i get emotional about, the idea, at least my version (i don’t want to put any weird pressures on the SMP creators or their version) and why i get emotional about the story too.

and yes, i am thinking of a sequel

the story, https://archiveofourown.org/works/40205097

~

so, like, the crack idea (LOSAR’s version) is the idea that all the SMP roleplay servers are linked in a multiverse, though quite loosely.  And also wrapped into my thoughts or ideas are some vague stuff about admin powers and mod powers and viewers - (and watcher / listener lore from Evo and 3rd Life being loosely tied to that)

so the main crack idea that’s kinda grown into this emotional thing, at least for me, (and it is Crack), is the whole joke bit video where Grian and Tommyinnit meet up, aka “I Tried to get Grian to Swear”, also known as “the one where they have a building competition” and also get weirdly posessively desirous about Mumbo Jumbo....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDBeFoZxhIc&t=4s

Anyway, the idea i had is it actually seems to fit well with other stuff with their HC and Dream SMP roleplay characters, and like they actually play off eachother surprisingly well there.  And it’s a chance for both groups to see how “the other half” lives. and they have fun.

~

So the background of these people is that, oh boy, Tl:dr the relevant parts here is that HermitCraft SMP where Grian usually plays is.... you could call it upbeat, cheerful, and pranksterish but friendly, but not romantic at all.  Pretty much anything of that aspect has to be Teen rating.  And that includes explicit “straight” stuff too, btw. it’s like a friend molecule.  Whereas the Dream SMP, where Tommy’s from, does have that aspect, many gay, straight, poly, marriages. and a lot of passion and genuine caring.  also to put what you heard about bluntly, it may not be the worst.... Dream SMP is a hellhole.  This is just to set the scene if you know nothing.

So anyway, (in the joke video i referenced, and in my story) this is a time when the two groups meet.   And see how they live, and swap stories, and yes build a pair of cottagecore cottages for winner’s clout.

And (in my story at least)  they see things in eachother.  Grian sees how scarred Tommy is (and how annoying and weird to be around) but also how *passionate* and willing to express how he feels about Grian and Mumbo Jumbo, even if it’s in a little bit of a yandere stan way lol.  (understatement)

While Tommy sees in Grian and Mumbo.... one: how absolutely power hungry they are.  Like they really like to influence things, really.  and that they are inhuman.  And well... on the Dream SMP, neither fares very well really.  If you’re power hungry (like Dream) you become everyone’s enemy.  and there’s so many inhumans/part humans on the DSMP, but g d do they go through some hard times because of it, and can’t even talk to it with anyone. Ranboo is part enderman and has to deal with Follish killing other endermen in front of him and rain and snow burning hi,m.  Philza is winged, but has his ability to fly stripped due to injury almost immediately upon joining the server.  And yet - to Tommyinnit’s wise eyes - Mumbo and Grian are liked and respected on HermitCraft. wtf.

And ofc, the contest ends with Grian winning and taking Tommy’s prized elytra (a pair of minecraft wings) as a prize (this will be important later)

~

So just like Dream XD is Dream in admin form - a God in the minecraft world.... the two go off into Admin Mode (which side note, in my story is Watcher Mode for Grian)

And they go talk to Mumza.

And For the Third Life/Last Life/Double Life series - Grian institutes a loooot more passion.  and also a LIMITED CANONICAL LIFE SYSTEM like they have in THE DREAM SMP.  And finally gets a chance to cling to Scar and Mumbo (but at what cost? “I don’t feel too good about this”)

And for the ORIGINS SMP - Admin Tommyinnit, Tommy XD, institutes unlimited lives, sure, that dcan’t be understated, but also (maybe more importantly) free use of powers or abilities. yes! Elytras, shulkers, ender pearls, teleportation.  Just like on HermitCraft.  and also * the ability to talk about all this stuff *

(notice any patterns on what species people chose on origins? Tubbo starts as the most highly armed and armored species in the game, Phil has elytra wings, Ranboo is an enderman, Will a ghost, Niki was surrounded by fire, now she’s surrounded by water, Jack had to claw his way out of hell after dying in one of Tommy’s stupid wars on the DSMP and always resented him for it, now he starts in hell on the O SMP and has Tommy come to see him and help him get back.)

Anyway, and Tommy is an Avia, who doesn’t have full elytra and can’t fly but has (cute little) vestigial wings.

And who’s favorite jokingly annoyed phrase is “Phiiiil, i wanna fly like you phil!”

And Tommy’s also said that unlike the Dream SMP the disc thing doesn’t apply here.

~

So....

(now do you maybe start to see where the elytra comes in?)

On Dream SMP, Tommy gives his music discs away to Dream ( XD ) for everyone’s freedom.  and constantly wants them back.

On ORIGINS SMP, planeswalker Admin Tommyinnit XD Gives his elytra to Grian (Watcher) for the ideas of the Origins SMP.  And is like “I wanna fly like you Phil.”

(because if you notice, i think part of the “Tommy” personality in any universe, besides being selfish, and talking about girls, and talking shit to ppl, is being willing to give up things he cares about for his friends ).... (and oh boy, grian will take anything, anything that isn’t nailed down. )

But deep down I think he’s a little “happy” with both cases.

and i know this is a different multiverse thing. And i just like multiverses and planeswalkers in general.

But this is part of why i’m emotional about it, if i am.

~

(and why.... forget grian adopting tommy, how about i ship some Tommyinnit and Grian and Mumbo Jumbo) < 3

~Edit:

P S - and its a bit off topic, but let me tell you about Lifesteal SMP and what happens there since they have an airport to the Dream SMP.

[jefferythejelly]

If leo ever looses her last life, foolishs heart will actually be destroyed. Like we are talking about a guy that is not willing to tell his friends, that he has known for years, he loves them, but will stand in front of this tiny egg and tell her he loves her very much. I think that actually made me almost cry...

anon idk what possessed u to send me a qsmp lore related ask when i haven’t posted abt the server in weeks but… yes and no😭

like i think the relationship between qfoolish and leo is very sweet but also i feel like you’re maybe overestimating here. like maybe the reason he can say i love you to a minecraft egg and not his friends is because it’s roleplay and not as serious

is it still gonna be sad as fuck when the egg shit ends and they inevitably have to separate? yeah. is he probably gonna roleplay his little heart out and make chat cry? probably also yeah. do i seriously think he’s going to be emotionally destroyed irl? no and if you think he is (or if you yourself are) maybe take a step back and realize that all the roleplay shit is fiction, and while it’s okay to feel things about stories at the end of the day it’s still just that. a good story

[allconsumingworms]

This take would get me crucified on Twitter, but I don't give a shit whether or not a content creator (Twitch streamer, YouTuber, whatever) talks about Palestine and Israel. In fact, I would prefer if they didn't, honestly. It is no exaggeration that over 3/4ths of posts I've seen when looking for fanart on Twitter have been about Palestine and Israel.

I don't want to hear about the latest war/genocide/atrocity/whatever from people who roleplay in Minecraft. I don't want to hear about it from people who are entertainers and livestreamers, first and foremost. I get enough information from reading the news every day---the place where, you know, you should be getting your news from. Notably, someone whose career revolves around playing video games isn't someone I'd consider as trustworthy as the numerous journalists I read from various news sites.

And, furthermore, the majority of those Palestine-Israel posts on Twitter? The posters always seem to scream that a content creator "must speak out about Palestine/Israel" or they're "failing their community," or they're zionists, or they're terrorist sympathizers, or they're actually super-privileged-white-supremacist-racist-bigots-yadda-yadda-yadda.

Those posters always are going on about how "disappointed" they are when their favorite person who plays fucking *Minecraft* for a living doesn't bring up the war. They claim that it is the moral imperative of all content creators to "speak up about Gaza" and "retweet resources."

Bitch, speak up and say what? If I wanted to hear more about Gaza, I'd read the news. Or listen to it, from a news station. If I wanted to support either side of the conflict, I could find resources on my own. It isn't too terribly difficult, considering that Twitter hasn't shut up about Palestine/Israel for the past several months in all avenues.

You don't need a content creator to spread the word about a war everyone knows about. If you seriously need or think that a content creator will be a good source of knowledge or resources, you need to step back from the internet and touch grass. Or, grow up. Only a child would think that a content creator owes you their opinion and stance on a complicated, political, international affair that has been going on for decades on the (presumably, for North and South American creators, along with Asian creators) opposite side of the world.

Seriously, people act like content creators not talking about the topic means that they personally want to murder all Palestinians. That a few Twitch streamers not talking about the violence going on means that more people will die, directly because of that. I promise you that they have next to no significant impact on the war, whether they choose to speak about it or not.

[strvingoutorca]

♡ Updated Intro ♡

Cora ▪︎ 19 ▪︎ DID System ▪︎ Physically Disabled

Collective pronouns are He/They, we switch between We/Us and Me/I when referring to ourselves or our Body! Our collective identity is FagDyke, Nebulaaroace, and Zombieautismgender!

VERY Pro Recovery and Pro Harm Reduction

Things we mainly post are Excersice Logs and Vents regarding ED or other trauma/disorders. This is our private account, and a safe space to talk about things like this so it's not an excuse for fakeclaiming or any ableist bullshit.

Outside of this disorder my interests include Marine Life, Minecraft, Apocolypse Media, and Drawing/Writing/Roleplaying ^-^

Please note that we are not in anyway trying to romanticise this disorder with using Aesthetics and saying inherently Pro-Ana shit. We have had Ana since 13 and Mia since 15, and it's an ugly disease that's seriously contributed to our development of Physical Disabilities that limit our quality of life ontop of what was already there. We do not wish this disorder on anyone and highly encourage healthy alternatives because Starving is not 'Easy' and it does not last. It literally Kills people.

Our use of Aesthetics is solely a coping mechanism. If I don't romanticize my life then what do I have to live for yannow? I have to see some kind of beauty in everything or I struggle really hard to keep going. So obviously don't follow if it will trigger you and especially don't interact if you're recovering or recovered.

DNI

- DO NOT FOLLOW IF YOU SUPPORT ISRAEL. FUCK ZIONISTS. ZIONISTS ARE PIECES OF SHIT SCUM.

(And No, being anti Zionist is not anti semitic, take it up with my Jewish Anti-Zionist Partner you heartless dickbags, go rot)

- Basic Criteria (LGBTQ+Phobic, Racist/Antisemitic, Misogynistic, etc)

- Fatphobes

- Endogenics and their supporters

- Note: Anti Good-Faith/Contradictory/Mspec identities, as well as Terfs or Transmeds, count as LGBTQ+Phobic

PS. Fakeclaiming is Inherently Ableist ♡

STATS (In Pounds/LBS)

HW - 200

CW - 187

GW - 120

UGW - 90

LW - 174

[minabombs]

Yeah except that’s not really a good thing when the series is trying to take itself seriously. It’s fine when it’s like Zane being comically evil because how am I supposed to fear a minecraft character doing an evil laugh, but when it’s “this entire tribe of people was just brutally massacred” and you can’t even make me feel bad for the people who died it’s not good.

well i think they really struggled with switching tones in the series bc on one hand there were moments where it was clearly very serious and a lot of effort was put into immersing the viewer into what was going on with minimal jokes (for example, the s1 finale), but at the same time they were self aware that this was a minecraft roleplay that was primarily viewed by kids so ofc it was often silly and you didn't really take the characters seriously (any episode with castor rlly lmao) which is why when there's something fucked up happening you can't even fully?? absorb what's going on i guess??? bc yes this is horrible but. im watching a minecraft roleplay. what's going on.

[teddy06writes]

A Night In Las Vegas

requested by this anon: “I had the BEST idea: CC!Quackity came up with the idea of his Las Nevadas character arc after going to Las Vegas and meeting Reader there. Maybe one night the reader decides to go and twitch and finds quackity doing a lore stream and the reader is like: no way, it’s the guy I met in Vegas.”

{I love this concept, sorry it took so long for me to get out}

Quackity x reader

trigger warnings: some swears

premise: after getting ditched by your friends on the last night of your long weekend in vegas you run into a very interesting guy who doesn’t hesitate to befriend you. But what happens months later when he still seems to be running circles in your mind?

{covid don’t exist here, no sir}

{for the sake of the story, readers favorite color is blue, if its not, either pretend it is, or get over it}

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10:34pm

“You can’t just- you can’t kick me out!” You yelled. 

Your bestfriend laughed, “Just find somewhere to go for a few hours! Me and Hunter want alone time!” 

“A few fucking hours!?! Seriously?!” But your duffle bag had already been thrown at your feet, and the hotel door room was swinging closed, muffled giggles coming from inside.

Groaning, you picked up your bag, where were you supposed to go now? 

“Not that I was like- listening in or anything- but damn that sucks.” 

You jumped turning to see a man with black hair sticking out of his beanie standing in front of the door diagonal from yours. 

“Uh- yeah. Last night in Vegas and I get ditched for a random hook up,” You scoffed, “I should’ve known it would happen.” 

“That’s not cool, uh- I’m Alex.” He stepped forward, offering his hand. 

Somewhat reluctantly, you shook his hand, “(y/n).” 

He nodded, “I was going to head out for a late night wander, find something to do-, preferably away from all the hookups that seem to be happing around us right now. If you want to come.” 

You glanced around, “Seriously?” 

“Oh- god that did sound kinda creepy didn’t it,” Alex scrubbed a hand over his face, “Sorry- I- you can just forget about this then-” 

“No! I mean- You don’t seem like a rapist or anything. I’ll come with.” 

He grinned, “Poggers, you can, leave that, in my room, if you want. Just seems like a pain to lug around everywhere.” 

You bit your lip, “Leaving my belongings in a strangers room while I go with said stranger to find something interesting to do, sure- why not?”

~~

10:57pm

Somehow, you found yourself wandering out of the hotel lobby, and onto the crowded streets along side Alex. 

“So.... whats your favorite color?” He asked as you walked.

You laughed, “What?” 

“We’re like, total strangers- it was a question, to get to know you.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. 

“Oh, well-” before you could finish your sentence, there was a large amount of gasps and yells from the crowd in front of you.

“What’s going on?” Alex asked quietly. 

You craned your neck to look over the crowd, gasping, “The water show! With the fountains outside of Caesar’s Palace!” You grabbed his hand, tugging him with you to push through the crowd, “This was the whole reason I agreed to this trip- but we never got to it!” 

You shoved your way through the crowd until you got to the front, pressing against the barrier to watch the fountain display. 

“Holy shit.” You heard him mutter from beside you. 

You grinned, “It’s impressive right?” 

“Imagine the coding it would take to get those things to stay on time.” 

~~

11:27pm 

After the show had ended, you had kept wandering for a while, up the strip, asking various questions back and forth. 

You had found out that he was a Minecraft youtuber and a law student, though you’d had to admit, you weren’t too knowledgeable on either that subject. 

Now you were both staring up at the Dave and Busters sign, “This is a good idea right?” 

He nodded, “Definitely. Come on, I’d bet I could beat you at skee ball!” 

Laughing, you followed him into the building, and up the stairs toward the arcade entrance, “Your on!” 

After buying the credit cards for access to the games, you grabbed his hand, dragging him over to the skee ball lanes. 

“Lets go!” He shouted, a few minutes later, upon realizing your score was a total of 10 points behind his, “I’m popping off!”

You laughed, “Okay, what game’s next?” 

Nearly an hour later, you had both run out of credits, and laughing, made you way up to the prize area. 

“Do you think its possible to compile our tickets?” He asked. 

“Why?” 

You followed his pointing finger to the large stuffed dragons sitting on one shelf. 

“We need him.” You said immediately.

After picking out a bright red dragon, you began to argue over the name as you made your way to the counter. 

“What about Carl?” You suggested. 

He shook his head, “I have a friend named Karl.” 

“How ‘bout........ Phil?” 

“I also know a Phil.” 

“Hmmmm, what about Sebastian?” 

“He doesn’t look like a Sebastian!” 

You frowned, “Well do you have any ideas then?” 

Alex thought for a moment, “Albert.” 

You looked down at the dragon, “Albert it is.” 

At the counter Alex convinced the reluctant worker to allow you to use both the cards credit totals, and then you went happily on your way out of the building, stopping to take a picture of Albert in front of the sign, which Alex posted to twitter with the comment of, “Look at our son!” 

You’d staid mostly out of frame, but he managed to get about half of your side, since you were the one holding Albert. 

“Do you think any pf the buffets are still open?” Alex asked. 

“I hope so, I’m starving.” You giggled. 

~~ 12:06am

The buffet was somewhat deserted, and you and Alex had grabbed seats in one of the corners after getting plates full of food.

Albert sat on the table between you as you talked. 

“So it’s roleplay- but in Minecraft?” You asked, barley holding back a laugh.

He nodded, chuckling, “It sounds stupid, I know, but it’s like- huge. Especially since technically I’m getting back into the main lore now, with the whole project: vegas thing.” 

“Project Vegas?” You asked. 

He nodded again, “My character, he’s been through almost everything that's happened, and everything always ends to blow up in his face, literally sometimes. He’s built contries from the ground up- as stupid as that sounds- but they always fail, but this one won’t fail.

“I’m partnering with another guy on the server to set up a whole economy, he’s making a bank, and I’m making- well I’m making my own Vegas.” 

You took a sip of your drink, “What’s it going to be called?” 

“I haven’t figured it out yet,” He admitted, “I wanted to just call it Las Vegas but the names already taken.”

With a chuckle you shifted in your seat, “What about....- what about Las Nevada's?” 

He laughed, “I like that.” 

“Tell me more about this server then, I still don’t understand the story.” 

With another chuckle he launched into the story, “Well, it all started when this guy called Wilbur Soot decided he wanted to start a nation....”

~~ 3:18am

“Blue.” 

You were back at the hotel now, still with Quackity, sitting out on the balcony of his room. Some how, you had ended up having some slightly deep talk about life and death and a million other things before lapsing into silence, simply watching the blinking lights of the city. 

“What?” He asked softly. 

“You asked me my favorite color, ten minutes after we met. It’s blue- that's my favorite color.” You shivered against a cold breeze. 

Alex shifted minutely closer, “Why?” 

You shrugged, “It can be so many things. Deep and dark and mysterious but also light like the summer sky and filled with hope. There’s a million shades from happiness to anger, and to everyone it could mean something else.” 

“I like that.” He said quietly. 

~~

7:04am

You yawned, rubbing sleep out of your eyes as the car drew closer to the airport.

Alex tapped on the steering wheel in time with the music, quietly humming along. 

“Oh, I see my friend, they actually waited for me.” You said as the car pulled up to the curb. 

“How considerate.” He chuckled, climbing out of the car. 

You followed suit, retrieving your duffle bag from the back seat. 

“Well, it was cool knowing you Alex.” You said. 

“Likewise.” 

Before you started to walk away you remembered, and quickly turned back to where he was standing, pulling Albert out of your bag, “Here, he’s yours. You spent more tickets on him than I did.” 

He shook his head, “Keep him. I give you full custody of our son.” 

“Oh- okay... bye then.” 

You barley made it a few steps before he was quickly catching up to you, grabbing your arm and spinning you to press his lips on yours. 

“Good luck with your shitty friends.” He breathed, before hurrying back to his car, leaving you flustered and running to catch up to your friend. 

~~

One and A Half Months later

It had been over a month since the Vegas trip, but you still hadn’t gotten Alex out of your head. 

You had clicked, on some level, and the late night conversation you had shared seemed to keep you thinking about him.

Now, you scrolled aimlessly through twitter, checking the trending tags until you came across one called “LAS NEVADAS” 

Now that piqued your interest, and clicking on it, you found posts of people live tweeting an event- no a live stream. And not just any live stream- a Minecraft stream.

Quickly you opened a new tab, pulling up twitch as fast as you could. 

What was the name of his channel? Oh god why did you forget?

Returning to twitter you searched until you found a link, following it to a new twitch tab. 

And there he was. 

The boy who had been doing laps around your mind was actually there, talking to another character. 

“Look Sam, you and me, we could control everything. I need the bank to help fund Las Nevada’s, we can be partners.” 

You sat, watching the stream, enthralled. 

Once it had ended, you still could hardly believe you found him, quickly following another link back to his twitter and opening a direct message. 

Y/n: Um, this is awkward, idk if you remeber this, but we met in vegas, about a month ago, and I had no idea how to find you until the stream today

quackityHQ: uh, hi? 

qusckityHQ: proof?

Quickly you sent him the picture you had taken of him with Albert, 

y/n: uhhh, bam, proof? 

y/n: our son is sitting on my head board right now

quackityHQ: holy shit

[grace13star]

There’s been a recent uptick in posts claiming that “c!Wilbur is a worse villain than c!Dream” or that he’s “more manipulative” and it’s made me think a lot about just....how villainized Wilbur is? Because while he has done bad things, I’ve seen people just making things up or projecting onto him and making him just. so much worse than he is in canon. 

Again, this is all about the characters in the Dream SMP roleplay and are not the actual people. 

Let’s go over the bad things Wilbur is accused of doing. These are arguments I have actually seen people use and defend with their whole chest. 

1. Created a nation. 2. Sell drugs. 3. Talk about rigging an election. 4. Was a dick. 5. Blew up a nation. 6. Died. 7. Manipulation. 8. Neglectful dad. 9. Child soldiers. 10. Dictator. 11. “Threw a fit” over losing. 

Let’s talk about these and break them down a little. Another disclaimer, this isn’t trying to excuse any hurt that Wilbur has caused, because his actions did cause harm, but this is trying to explain and add context to things that are often taken out of context or just wholly misinterpreted.

1. A common argument for why this makes Wilbur evil is that he “stole Dream’s land.” But like...no. L’Manberg was created on untouched land where no one was living, and had a combined area smaller than Purpled’s garden. Dream, until he declared war, didn’t even care about them making their nation. 

I’m also including in here the claim that he “turned Dream into a villain.” ....What are you talking about. Before Wilbur was even on the server, Dream was part of the disc war, where he stole Tommy’s discs, and then kept perusing them even after the initial conflict ended, including griefing Tommy’s lawn. Before war was declared, Dream and his friends kidnapped and killed Tubbo and Tommy. Dream then also declared war on a peaceful nation (Wilbur said “if they try to declare war we will just say ‘no’”). None of that was in any way forced by Wilbur. Dream made his decisions on his own. Just because someone comes in and says “hey you suck,” doesn’t mean you have to actually suck. Dream made his own decisions, and his decision was to become a villain. 

2. Potions (drugs) are an infinite resource in Minecraft and everyone uses them. This is a stupid argument. 

3. Some people act like he actually did rig the election but...he didn’t. He definitely could have! Quackity wasn’t a citizen of L’Manberg, Wilbur could have banned him from the election easily, especially since his running mate was a previous enemy of L’Manberg. But he let him run, and then he let Fundy and Schlatt run as well. The worst he did here was talk about doing something bad. Also the reason he was trying to consolidate power wasn’t just for the sake of having power. There was, at the time, a civil war going on, and Wilbur tried to stop it but no one listened to him. He wanted the power to be able to protect his citizens and stop a war. 

4. Being a dick is not evil.

5. This is by far the worst thing Wilbur did, and though it hurt a lot of people emotionally, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone says it was. Though the explosion caused property damage, it only destroyed the podium and some of the walkway. People’s actual houses- Manifoldland, Niki’s bakery- were totallu untouched. No one even died in the explosion- the worst thing that happened was Quackity being blown back, but he landed in water. (This isn’t to say that characters shouldn’t be hurt by this! Wilbur betrayed them and definitely hurt them, but people acting like the 16th was worse than Doomsday and also blaming Wilbur for Doomsday even though he was dead is weird.)

There’s also the claim that Wilbur blew it up for the sole purpose of hurting people, which is easily disproved by just...watching a Wilbur stream. Like seriously, stop trying to do analysis on Wilbur if you haven’t even watched his streams. Wilbur had multiple chances to blow everything up, but when he had the choice between blowing it up and hurting people or not hurting people and not blowing it up, he chose the latter every time. At the festival, while Tubbo was trapped on the stage, he stopped going for the button. When Tommy and Quackity were in the button room which would have exploded if he pressed it, he refused. Also I’m gonna use the Reddit post that’s confirmed canon again- Wilbur blew up L’Manberg because he saw how much power it had, and he saw how it hurt people. He tried to destroy it to save everyone from the pain and conflict caused by the nation. He didn’t think they would rebuild. 

6. This one is the one that actually makes me angry. Because guys....Wilbur’s death was a suicide. If Phil wasn’t there, Wilbur would have done it himself- he had been planning to do it himself for months, as there was originally TNT in the button room that would have killed him with the explosion. The reason it makes me angry is because suicide is an extremely serious topic. Characters and the fandom framing it as “Wilbur left or abandoned them” is an ableist take that enforces the stereotype that suicide is a “weak” option or that it’s “running away.” 

There’s also people that will villainizing him for “forcing Phil to kill him” but while I empathize with Phil and realize it was a stressful situation, Phil very much made his own decisions here too. Wilbur didn’t force Phil to kill him, he asked him a few times and then Phil did it. 

7. Again, this is not an attempt to excuse, but an attempt to explain. So first of all, people try to claim that Wilbur was manipulative from the beginning. This is false. Persuasion and making sure someone is “loyal to a cause” is not manipulation. And then Pogtopia- he’s never manipulative in Pogtopia, again, he is only persuasive. I have a longer post that goes into more detail, so definitely check that out. After he is revived, he is definitely guilt tripping Tommy in his most recent stream, but (again, not an excuse) it’s clearly from his desperation to not be alone anymore after 13 years of near constant isolation. 

I’ve also seen claims that Wilbur manipulated Techno and that Techno didn’t know they were planning on starting another government, but this is easily disproven by the fact that Wilbur said multiple times that they’re “taking back L’Manberg” and that he wants to be it’s “rightful ruler” again while Techno was in vc. What about that implies they’re not going back to the government. 

Also since this is relevant- he never manipulated Niki. He was always kind and caring with Niki, even through his mental breakdown. He wasn’t able to bring her into Pogtopia at first, but he talked to her and made sure she’d be okay there (and she said yes!), he offered his life for hers at the festival before hitting people around them and yelling at her to run, she was the first person he gave Blue to, he gave her an inspirational speech and showed her the fox that had been left for her, she was one of the few things Ghostbur remembered. He betrayed and hurt her, but it was not manipulation.

Gonna combine this with this point also but Wilbur was not in any way abusive. A lot of people in this fandom for some reason equate “unhealthy relationship” with “abuse”, especially after the exile arc. Wilbur and Tommy’s relationship, while unhealthy, was not abusive. Please learn the difference. 

Also, if you’ve ever said that “Wilbur gaslit anyone” or that Wilbur is “insane” I want you to define those terms for me right now. No looking anything up. Tell me what they mean. Do it.  

8. What about any of Wilbur and Fundy’s dynamic implies any kind of neglect. No, seriously, where did this take come from. Wilbur was canonically overbearing and he babied Fundy. While it definitely wasn’t the best relationship, it definitely wasn’t neglectful. The only times in canon we’ve seen Wilbur be separated from Fundy was when he was exiled and Fundy cheered while he was shot and killed, when Fundy disowned him in front of their enemy, and when he committed suicide. Even before his death, when they were still on rocky terms, Wilbur stepped forward to defend Fundy from Schlatt in the van. 

9. This take is irrelevant. Child soldiers don’t matter. For one, this is Minecraft. Every single person has equal opportunities. Anyone can become powerful no matter what age they are as long as they grind enough. For another thing, at the beginning part of the roleplay no one was trying to make a long serious story about war and trauma, it was just some friends fucking around and fighting each other. Wilbur also revealed that while writing the Revolution arc that he headcanoned Tommy and Tubbo to be about 20- we know these ages aren’t correct because they’ve been reffered to by their irl ages in lore- but it shows that the “these are children” plot point was added way later- no one mentions it at all in season 1. It doesn’t matter. 

10. This is directed at one person. You know who you are. 

A dictator is defined as “one holding complete autocratic control : a person with unlimited governmental power.” Wilbur didn’t have control. That’s the whole reason for the election. It literally takes one google search to prove you wrong. 

11. There’s a difference between “losing” and “being unfairly exiled by your political opponent who is now declaring himself emperor.” Wilbur was totally fine with losing. He said during the election that he was fine with Quackity winning, and when they actually did lose, though he wasn’t happy about it, he encouraged Tommy to calm down and told him “We’re citizens tonight.” He only “threw a fit” after he was thrown out of the nation he built by someone who immediately declared himself emperor. 

So in conclusion, Wilbur Soot is an antagonist, but he is villified way beyond canon and I’m getting tired of some of these takes that I see over and over again that are easily disproved by just using critical thinking skills. 

This is most of the takes I’ve seen- some I haven’t even dignified with a response because of how clear it is that someone is just lying to try and excuse someone else’s actions- but if anyone has anymore they’ve seen that they want me to talk about, my ask box is open. 

[astroninaaa]

This ones gonna be hot so prepare yourself. The whole apologist/critical thing is dumb. It’s easily one of the worst things about this fandom. I’ll try to explain myself so the whole “omg your a dream apologist he’s abusive!!!” thing gets on my nerves. A. This is a block game roleplay (yes this story dealswith big themes but bully a person cause they have a dumb little theory on why dreams a good guy?) B. Morals don’t exist in this server Phil, techno,wilbur,ranboo have all done same LostWords

i agree with the main message of this but i fundamentally disagree with some of its points so okay okay

i agree that apologist/critical discourse is stupid. for one, people can decide to enjoy entertainment however they want, and that includes enjoying it without caring about analysis and problematic behavior coming from the characters. hell, when i was still a the 100 blog i constantly talked about john murphy being my favorite character no matter how fucked up he was- because i just enjoyed watching him. i think it's fair for people to enjoy c!dream or c!techno or whatever other villain. it's just a character, and liking them as a viewer doesn't mean said viewer would be supportive/apologetic of their actions in real life. people who go straight to bullying and get genuinely mad or aggressive towards others because of stuff like that are just- out of their fucking mind like calm the FUCK down, it's not that serious. if you're not willing to have civil interactions with people you disagree with, it's easier to just not fucking interact at all with opinions that go against your own (shit like this is why proper tagging is important but i'm not getting into that), bc bullying and hate are both immature and unproductive. so yes, i completely agree with your main point there.

i think people have the right to analyze the hell out of the smp. it does deal with heavy themes, as you said yourself, and i think it's completely valid and coherent for people to take it seriously. i think it's okay for people to get mad at c!dream or c!techno apologism, for example. i don't condone or agree with sending hate to people bc of shit like this, specially because, as you said, at the end of it all it's just a block game, but... people can have conflicting opinions and healthy debate is always constructive. besides, i don't think there's anything wrong on calling out people who seriously argue that c!tommy deserved the abuse bc he was annoying or such, like has been discussed many times before. at the same time, there's nothing wrong with speculating that c!dream is actually a good guy that made bad decisions. it's all a matter of opinion and analysis and both of those things can be and usually are incredibly subjective.

saying morals don't exist in the server is... debatable. while we don't have any character that is actually moral and everything is really morally grey, the theme of morality is widely relevant to the story, and talking about it is completely fair. the fact all characters have been/are immoral or morally questionable doesn't mean viewers and theorists and people who do analysis can't criticize/be apologetic/discuss one or other character's morality. the fact c!techno has fucked up morals doesn't mean i can't call out c!ranboo's fucked up morals, for these things aren't necessarily connected to each other.

so, basically, tldr: bullying and sending hate to people just because they disagree with your opinions on fucking minecraft roleplay is ridiculous, dumb, and embarrassing, but taking the heavy themes presented by that minecraft roleplay seriously and discussing them in a healthy and productive way is valid and constructive. morals in the smp are gray and questionable at all times, but morality is still one of the story's main themes and bringing it up/debating it and its affect on the characters can also be valid and constructive, if done in a civil manner.

send me a hot take!!!

[raisans-art]

What the Fuck Are these Characterizations: The Essay

Full warning: This is only concerning Tommy's stream made today, 4/29/2021. I know Ranboo has streamed after Tommy but I haven't watched that.

On with the essay.

A lot happened.

Tommy tried to kill Dream, Dream actually killed Ghostbur, Wilbur is back (pog). It's a lot. A lot of plot and a lot of emotions. I will preface this with the usual "holy hell these people are pretty damn good actors for having no formal training as far as I'm aware." They get their emotions across very clearly and that's kinda why I'm making this in the first place. The way some of the characters acted in Tommy's 4/29 stream is a bit odd in my opinion.

Now, I will concede that I have not been diligent with the Dream SMP lore. I've been given broad strokes and have seen various clips but I have definitely not been on top of it. I may have missed streams entirely and you all more avid fans may be able to name scenes that I haven't seen that rationalize some of these reactions that I will be criticizing. If you can, please do so! I'd love to start a dialogue over this!

So, how I'm gonna break this all up is to take a look at Tommy, Wilbur, Ranboo, and Awesamdude and how their CCs characterized them during the stream. I'll sing praises where they are due and point out my criticisms where they arise. Then, I will try to surmise some meta as to why I think these characterizations came to be in the first place.

Tommy

Tommy, to me, has the best characterization in this. CC Tommy clearly has a very good sense of what he wants from his character and has been playing into that line of thought from the beginning of this whole debacle.

Tommy is scared, paranoid, and pissed off. Ever since he left the prison he avoids taking damage like the plague, rambles indecisively, is easily sent into a panic, and is hypersensitive to the people around him. He panics when he sees weapons out and one crucial thing that he made clear from the start was that he wants Dream dead.

Straight out of limbo, Tommy concludes that Dream needs to die. From there he plans this whole mission with Ranboo, Tubbo, and Ghostbur to get in and kill Dream. He says that Dream can't keep living with this power at his fingertips, and from before his final death, Tommy clearly wants to be rid of his abuser, adding a personal layer to his plan. Tommy is stubborn and determined since the beginning, sacrificing his life and disks for L'manberg and refusing to believe that his home is gone until the place is blown to bedrock. Of course, he would stick to his plan to a T.

Now, is this a smart decision to sneak into the highest security area in the entire SMP? Fuck no. It's a stupid idea. Even if Tommy hadn't messed up, Sam would've seen Dream die to a floating axe and kept Tommy and Ghostbur in that containment cell. It would've been a one-way ticket, especially given what we see of Sam in this stream.

But this all makes sense for the character CC Tommy is playing. Tommy isn't thinking about how smart of a decision this is and he hardly ever does when he takes action. He shoots from the hip, takes his first instincts, and acts on them.

It's easy to draw a clear line of progression of Tommy as a character from season 1 to this moment in season 3 and past Ghostbur's death. His hyperventilating as he tries to get his plan to work after it failed, Trying to save Ghostbur from what he went through, lashing out at Sam, and yelling at Wilbur. All of this in line with who Tommy is as a character and how events have changed him. This is a good characterization.

Wilbur

Wilbur has changed a lot since we've seen him last, both alive and dead. Since he's been alive, Wilbur has changed his tune from "I want to die" to "hell sucks, mate." What's particularly interesting is that this sentiment that he has from being alive carried for a long time into his limbo, as evidenced by his appearance in the season 2 finale on the bench. He wanted to "stay dead" at that point. Since we've seen him in limbo, he's gone from content in his situation and understanding why he's there and that he's there forever.

Now we have Revivedbur. Revivedbur is ecstatic to be alive again. He goes from numb to embracing feeling again. The fandom once thought that Revivedbur would be annoyed with or hateful towards Dream for bringing him back turned into joy and reverence. This is quite a drastic leap. Bad characterization.

But it isn't.

I have seen one clip from Ranboo's stream on 4/29 and that is Ranboo telling Philza that Wilbur is alive. In this bit, after mentioning that Wilbur has been in limbo for a perceived 13 and a half years, Phil says "13 years is a long time to be away... he almost certainly isn't the same person... people can change quite a lot in a single year, two years, three years, four years, even five years, Ranboo."

Wilbur has been gone for 13 years. He's been in the same place with no change other than Tommy for 13 fucking years. That's 13 years where we heard from him 2 times. We know virtually nothing about what those 13 years were like for him, but from what Wilbur has said, it was torture to him. He was stagnant, stuck in a fucking tube station for 13 years, unable to leave no matter how hard he tried.

We know so little about how his time in limbo changed him because it's such a long span of time with radio silence. I dare say this is fucking great characterization.

Ranboo

This is where I start having some issues, and this is where I have the least amount of context. From what I've seen, Ranboo is little miss angst who forgets things and is constantly on the verge of having a panic attack (hyperbole). From what I have surmised of his character in various contexts, serious and dramatic scenes and domestic ones, Ranboo really cares about the people around him and is scared of himself and his mind.

So why is it that he straight up just sneers at Tommy, saying "the hell did you do?"

I'm really just focusing on this because it just seems really off to me in the context of his character. Ranboo was in on this plan. It's pretty common knowledge that the only person with revive powers is Dream. Ranboo doesn't know everything that happened within the prison, sure, but why is he so quick to assume that Tommy was the root cause? Is it because he's been hanging out with the world's 2nd biggest Tommy hater, Niki (the character for clarification)? I honestly don't know where this jump-in assumption is coming from. Given what I understand of his character, this line and the implications I'm getting are just a bit out of character. Feel free to explain why I'm wrong because I am not in this loop whatsoever.

Awesamdude

Sam is where I have the biggest issue. How does a man go from living on an isolated island in grief over a death he could've prevented if only he had been quicker, to yelling at that same formerly dead person that he was at fault for the death/revival of another person?

Now, one thing that is strengthened by this characterization is Sam's dedication to the rules. He has his strict protocol and he is not going to let that slip up for anything. He wants to keep Dream in prison and never let him out.

But I'm just having a hard time grappling with a man so quick to blame himself last time something like this happened being so quick to place blame on a child he, from what I've seen, had a good relationship with. It feels like I'm missing something here.

Yeah, Tommy broke into the prison, but why is Sam's first thought that Tommy was trying to break dream out? This harsh turn on Tommy just doesn't come across right to me.

Why Did This Happen?

I do think there could be a meta reason as to why these don't land right to me. These two characterizations are centered around Tommy. How people are reacting to Tommy's actions. Tommy and Dream are the head of the prison stuff right now. at least as far as I know. I'm not sure if Wilbur has come back on as a writer yet but last I heard it's still Tommy and Dream handling their shit. With the writers in mind, I wouldn't put it past them to decide to add more conflict with Tommy and other members of the SMP right now. The Egg is a bit busy with other things, Jack is just running the hotel, and the Syndicate doesn't really have any qualms with Tommy on any level that they would act on. It could be the writers trying to add conflict to the prison storyline by generating conflict between Tommy, Ranboo, and Sam with Wilbur being a fuckin wild card.

I don't know mate, I just wanted my thoughts out there and maybe be fucking pounded into the ground by people more knowledgeable than me.

Have a dialogue with me I'd love to debate. (All friendly debate please I don't feel like taking this too seriously it is Minecraft roleplay after all.)

[mebbrrr]

the worst takes in the fandom to me are p much anything that gets too serious. like bro. this is minecraft roleplay bro. one of the characters fucked a fish and gave birth to a fox. said characters mother was a fridge. we had a dude canonically give birth to a mountain overnight. certainly theres a lot of very good story and lore and i love analyzing things but when u start actually attacking real people over it or if u get so upset over something that happened that ur in a serious bad mental place, maybe take a step back and explore some other bits of the world. dsmp is such a small microcosm in the scale of things.

YEAH THIS LIKE I CANT TAKE THIS FANDOM TOO SERIOUSLY WE LIKE A BUNCHA MINECRAFT YOUTUBERS MAN THIS AINT 2012

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

look idek what warning to put here, but there's like, a novel and a half below the cut that's just... 6 hours of me going on tangents i never finish or clarify. no proofreading. no organization. it's absolutely not worth your time. but... i literally spent so long writing it that if i don't hit post it'll somehow be even more pointless?!?

basically there are no positive outcomes in any scenario with this post but the only remaining tragedy achievement is me writing all this and then deleting it. what proof will i have that i wrote nonsense for HOURS to avoid my research because i double dosed my meds and had too much caffeine?!? i gotta save this for the memories because no one will believe me if i tell them i live a fucking crazy life and use this as an example.

also for the record i'm goin thru it psychologically at the time of writing this. like, mania-turned-psychotic-episode, overstimulated, disassociated, exhausted, and currently procrastinating a LOT of serious things which only adds to my stress and scatterbrained gibberish. so like... please be kind but also don't get all freaked out either; i have enough psychological control rn to assure you i'm fine and this is just how i am sometimes... but i usually don't make extensive posts online during my more unstable periods. i gotta use the internet rn anyways tho so who's gonna stop me from hyperfocusing on the WRONG tasks?!? 🤪

okay, just had to say all that, and if you think my disclaimer is long? honey... you don't even have a big storm coming just keep scrolling and don't look back. don't click read more. it's not just "read more" like, it's MORE. a LOT more. too much. and like, there's literally nothing valuable there it isn't like my usual longposts that have a point or vague coherence. it was simply a huge waste of my time and it'll be an even bigger loss for you.

i can't even recommend mental stability as armour or a requirement since taking that away from you will make me feel bad, so if you're healthy please don't damage yourself with this.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENT: freaks, executive dysfunction regulars, people in boring classes, insomniacs, and sadists can proceed. and i'm STILL sorry to y'all because i didn't enjoy this either.

... so tell me why social media discourse takes itself more seriously than these people.

i've had profs with multiple doctorates and influential publications that changed academic discussions forever who like, roleplay deltarune characters on discord with students to avoid marking papers or cancel the last 2 weeks of class because they don't want to do 9 am lectures and know that we're all busy and probably gonna skip anyways. profs who change their mind and take assignments out of the syllabus since no one wants to do them and they don't wanna mark them. profs who forget their own publication deadlines because they were reading fanfiction, profs who hate the university administration more than you do, profs with mental health issues, queer profs, profs who play video games, or have tumblr, or make spotify playlists for every lecture and think the grading system is stupid, profs who hand out extensions if you ask because they weren't going to mark them all at once anyways, and profs who assign weekly pdf articles instead of big books and 300 dollar textbooks— even their own— because they're exhausting to read and super overpriced.

so many instructors in english literature are shifting away from academic essays and towards multimedia creations and fun writing prompts. "i don't want to read a 30 page research essay when i can read a brief informal paragraph explaining how this video game has the same vibes as this anonymous poem!" and "you can record a podcast or paint a picture or write fanfiction or do a minecraft letsplay as a character or honestly? do whatever you want as long as there's passion with coherent thoughts behind it!" and "word limits are stupid because adding nonsense to drag out your argument makes the paper worse: write whatever comes naturally as long as you sufficiently explain your argument but please don't make me read 70 pages in a 200 level course this is supposed to be easy on everyone"

i'll be real with you: academics are fucking bored. the content is stale. students dismiss profs because they seem like pretentious assholes who don't care about who/what they teach, but 99.9% of the time profs only seem dry and unapproachable because no one reciprocated their enthusiasm, and it was super awkward during classes, so they stopped trying.

some younger profs haven't stopped trying because they understand and haven't gone numb to their own content yet, and it's so painful to watch them put out good vibes and get ghosted by hostile students too focused on marks or checking things off their to-do list when the profs themselves would prefer conversations over the stupid assignments they're required to give you.

we talk about gamers, artists, other freelancers, musicians, thespians, dancers, and so many other career paths that require sacrifices, risks, and prejudice THAT I AM NOT DISMISSING but at least there are people acknowledging the isolation, instability, mental and physical health issues, social-wide neglect, and resilience of these people. to some extent anyways. people who break free from the mold and do something they love in spite of the consequences?

well, haha, if you voluntarily pay a fuckton of money and spend the duration of your 20's in school when everyone around you is actually earning money from jobs or at least enjoying their friday nights THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPLY WRONG WITH YOU!!! even if you get placement, if you don't have tenure (hard to get) the faculty is gonna dump extra shit on you that needs to be perfect or say goodbye to your crappily paid job. do you know how many publications and conferences and deadlines and actual work goes into that crap?!? you're supposed to answer questions no one in your field gives a FUCK about with no guidance or support or outline even though everyone is demanding you get your research done and then they're never happy with it. the elders in your field hate you (a cycle that hasn't been broken yet because those older esteemed people with tenure were in your boat once too) and i have a feeling no one outside the academic world likes you either since you're too hard to understand, pretentious, have no life, etc...

oh and on top of that? you gotta teach a bunch of people who don't wanna be in your class, hate the content because a) another instructor ruined it for them or b) it's a degree requirement and tbh you probably didn't have a choice either since 9/10 times this isn't what you wanted to teach and/or the faculty admin made you include it anyways. all that other work? well now you have to grade shit that a bunch of people didn't wanna write: even if profs have TA's to help with grading they're still required to handle a chunk of it and also deal with TA questions/concerns/regradings/pissed students/policies they're confused about that you're ALSO confused about. oh and a bunch of stupid questions since people don't read instructions and decide blame you for that?

also... do you know HOW FUCKING HARD IT IS TO TEACH??? you have to like, triple understand it and predict/plan for every fucking misunderstanding/question/problem that you can think of. including stupid questions. you'll also get a lot of people who ask things you either don't have the answer for or have the answer for but someone doesn't like it. and even if you're a flawless instructor who can handle every academic/behind the scenes/personal/basic human responsibilities or task (unlikely but i know profs who come close for at least 2 of those) someone is gonna be a dick about it.

... that dick is probably a student who is pissed they had to actually go to at least one lecture, semi pay attention, and read assignment instructions to get a good mark.

... brats who get mad about deadlines because they have other responsibilities and need extensions who go batshit insane when marks aren't released yet

... some y'all aren't gonna like this one: disabled students who say academia is ableist and profs are always evil if they don't accommodate and show sympathy because mental/physical health hinders their performance... but the thought that their prof might be disabled never crosses their mind. just like how you don't need to disclose that information, they don't either! profs can be neurodivergent. they can have conditions you aren't aware of. suffer from chronic pain. are battling an illness you don't know about. they can have mental illnesses. trauma. so many other examples, and this isn't a disability per say but THEY CAN HAVE PERSONAL EMERGENCIES TOO. maybe it's menstrual cramps, executive disfunction, someone close to them died, they relapsed on SH or addiction, are being abused or have been abused in the past, forgot their meds that day, cried all night, couldn't get out of bed, their favourite/comfort character died so they're feeling sick and can't focus on the lesson, didn't have time to eat because a loved one needs them, got triggered by the subject matter and don't know how to teach it, have a surgery next weekend and are worried about giving extensions since they won't he able to grade/put your marks in before THEIR deadline, had a bad interaction or just woke up feeling like crap so they're crossing their fingers the lecture runs smoothly, only to get shitty emails or bullied on rmp?

and y'know what? i don't care if your prof seems like a dick, because we're open minded about those appearing to be rude who are actually victims that didn't receive enough support to to their personal experiences and/or generational/ethical conditioning... until they're a 60 year old white guy who rolls his eyes when someone slyly ask a question or counters something he said to "school him" and "prove he's an overpaid, outdated, problematic bigot." maybe it seems really badass to people who are 2 weeks into the course... but he's been correcting that crappy misinformation for 30 years and your "okay boomer" attitude couldn't be more misplaced; this guy has probably been in the field longer than your parents have been alive and you think he missed this obvious oversight after teaching this course for decades?

if you think for a second that someone like my imaginary prof has it easy because of gender/race/sexuality/religion/ableness there are so many flaws to you logic because a) you can't confirm any of that shit and b) do you think extensions, accommodations, and other resources were available when they were getting their degree or even during most of their lifetime? i mean shit, we're all about helping meemaw understand what pronouns are and how they're used until it's your prof who was beat by his dad and classmates because "university is for devil worshipping snobs and faggots! if you think you're too good for the family business you're dead to me" and thinks this is normal. it doesn't matter if his peers/instructors were all "cishet white men" (since no one else counted as a person and they couldn't be anything else anyways) because if they were all forcefed toxic masculinity and misinformation that literally no one else could correct, embracing the privilege was their only move.

yeah yeah this isn't limited to profs since it's a sloppy and reductive commentary on entire generations that i'm not putting enough effort into, so take it with a grain of salt and try to hear me out in good faith since i'm improvising as i write this in a very unstable state with no intentions of proofreading or ensuring my point is clear. basically, the privileges we acknowledge in others are not the only ones out there because WE have privileges they don't. if you want "privileged people who benefit from the prejudiced foundation of a society that oppresses and profits off of suffering minorities" feat. more social media hot take discourse buzzwords etc etc etc.

"fuck reductive labels because they're inaccurate and build on outdated western mentalities, but also i'm gonna continue to judge someone based on labels i give them because i 100% know a person's race/gender/sexuality/ableness/psyche/religion/other things i consider to be privilege better than they do because they don't know what these things are and if they do it's wrong!!!"

okay, maybe YOU can pick and choose queer content based on if a contributor has a "your fave is problematic" entry or if the representation is approved by the community, take "am i gay?" quizzes in middle school, overcome internal prejudices through social media discourse, learn ethics through fandom trial and error, see enough cancellations to understand what NOT to do, or get enough adhd tiktoks on your fyp to self diagnose/get a formal diagnosis/access medical support/read articles and understand the medical side of things to validate your experiences/practice coping mechanisms and google tips/talk to other people with adhd/work on accepting you aren't a defect who didn't try hard enough/receive accommodations/know you aren't alone even if your current environment doesn't accept you because other places and people do. maybe this segment is too long but you at least has the time and ability to read it, on an electronic device, which you can access almost any time btw, and it'll give you access to endless content (which is somehow even more endless if you download a vpn and switch regions: yeah, infinity plus infinity level shit. oh and that's like 1% of the internet we're using all the maths in this parentheses tangent that's within a tangent within a tangent multiplied by a billion more regressed all inside a whopping procrastination activity. yay me! ok no more meta shit i already forgot where this fragment/sentence/paragraph/section/rant was going 7 times now)

okay. maybe you got this far and are totally lost, and i have no way of knowing how extensive the psychological damage is because I'M not even reading this post, so the real conversation is between you and the words on your screen, i have nothing to do with this experience. my fingers may have typed everything so far but my brain has been playing shrek 2 the entire time, so this is your mental health check since there is no thesis or sense of direction but i'm exhausted despite not being mentally present unlike you. i am just typing words as they appear based on writing patterns and routine from when i'm awake.

^^^ that's not a joke or shitpost btw so even if i've led you to believe it is at some point, so i am gonna be fully transparent in the caplocked paragraph below. it is as close as you're getting to me, bitter-sweet-coffee or whatever name you know me by, being aware and in control of my actions for the entirety of this derailed rant:

OKAY, BEFORE WE RESUME OUR SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING, I AM FORCING MYSELF BACK INTO MY BODY AND STEALING BACK MY SENSE OF SELF JUST TO EMPHASIZE WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY, SO YOU KNOW I AM BEING HONEST. BABES, I AM REGAINING CONTROL OF MY PSYCHE TO ENSURE THAT AMIDST ALL THIS DISASSOCIATED WORDVOMIT, YOU CAN TRUST SOMETHING 100% THAT I ACTUALLY MEAN. A MOMENT IN THIS BITCH THAT MY LESS UNSTABLE SELF WILL ALSO AGREE WITH. CLARITY BURIED IN THE 11TH HOUR OF THIS NEVER-ENDING STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS WALL OF TEXT. MY DARLINGS, i have no fucking clue what this post is supposed to be. there was probably an outline or vague concept 3ish hours ago when i started, but good luck asking me what it is now! some parts read like a viral tumblr psa but there are way too many rushed ideas that branch into tangents and unanswered questions. yeah i know there's no fucking coherence, but even though i'm aware everything i'm putting online this week is extremely concerning, it doesn't make anyone feel better if i say i know or put disclaimers because instability makes people uncomfortable. yeah we like freaks on the internet and y'all expect this shit from me by now, but even this is too much for my shitposting reputation, because at least i typically have enough control over my brain to proofread or follow a train of thought. i mean shit, not even i'm following this and it's my writing, which isn't even the most confusing thing i'm able to decipher, so unless you're god or extremely unstable this is probably the most incoherent thing you've ever read or at least since beowulf... or like, french. or russian cursive. or doctor-handwriting. or flat earth conspiracies. or the code to sonic 06 because NO ONE knows what the fuck happened there. actually, if you've used wattpad or twitter there's a chance you can make sense of this, but if you use either of those apps enough to comprehend their contents you're probably not fluent enough in actual recognized languages to successfully open tumblr and get here in the first place. okay, i can't think of anymore jokes that aren't even good so let's move on! basically, i love y'all, and even if i know this post is a train-wreck of a mistake that will worry people, it ain't gonna stop me. sure i might be goofy, unstable, informal, and hard to understand, but i also have credentials as an academic, well-spoken, published, articulate, accomplished, REPUTABLE person when i need to be in formal settings offline. FOR THE RECORD that's not a flex: we know i don't do labels or ego stroking beyond semi-satirical rarepair supremacy jokes and sonic lore flexes. my genuine intelligence has been my saving grace because i just KNOW if people thought i was some american teen from tiktok with no formal education or career accomplishments who regurgitates misinformation they saw on twitter y'all would REPORT ME!!! I WOULD BE BULLIED OFFLINE! "who's this cunt with the bad takes?!?" followed by "no no dw it's just another bsc moment on tumblr" is so important to bring up rn because it's not supposed to be a brag guys, my educational reputation is all i have to justify the stupid shit i post on here 😭 if i didn't remind people i am smart and accomplished when i need to be you'd think this is all i'm capable of and conclude that my stupidity is my full potential... THIS ISNT EVEN MY FINAL FORM! gah, i'm getting imposter syndrome and this was supposed to be the shorter heart-to-heart in a "brief" intermission that turned into another derailment. alright, even if there are glimmers of big brain theses buried anywhere that just needed an author from a healthier time and place, we know damn well i'd procrastinate/overthink/forget them if i deleted or drafted this monstrosity for another day... also i'm on mobile we know tumblr won't fucking save this LMAO IF THIS DELETES OR THE APP CRASHES (if you're reading this it obviously didn't, so idk why i'm @ ing a nonexist target) I'M GONNA BE SO MAD EVEN THOUGH THIS IS GARBAGE, SO A GLITCH FROM TUMBLR WOULD DO EVERYONE A FAVOUR. ITS MY GARBAGE THAT I WASTED VALUABLE TIME AND ENERGY ON!!!

wow. i discovered the text-block limit, that's embarrassing. at least it forced me to finish a thought (kinda) and complete my moral takeaway from like, 3-5 thousand words ago. SO LET'S GET BACK INTO IT!

okay look, i'm not suggesting it's everyone's job to be a doormat to mean old professors. that was where this was going, right? because even though spent a really long time on privilege and how older generations that are stuck in their ways deserve more compassion, you shouldn't let some dude hatecrime people and torture students. generally speaking, you shouldn't write off bad behaviour as a trauma response because even though i believe everyone is a good person if they have enough support, compassion, resources, and are encouraged to want to change... bitch this isn't a fucking utopia we're living in a fucking death circus. the last thing on people's minds is giving harvey fucking weinstein a redemption arc even if that would fix some shit because awful people learning to be good people teaches growth and self awareness that leads to more accountability and prevents more bad people from hurting others because resources and normalized support and systemic causes for bad people blah blah blah even I'M sick of my own tangents.

actually... this proves my point— the most recent unfinished one that is. YEAH, WE CAN UNPACK THE MORALITY AND PROGRESSIVE IDEAL COURSES OF ACTION AND UTOPIAN TAKEAWAYS FOR EVERY FUCKING SITUATION. NOT EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE. NOTHING YOU SAY CAN EVER BE ALL-ENCOMPASSING BECAUSE WORDS ARE HUMAN INVENTIONS THAT ARE NOT DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE EVERY SCENARIO. YAY, MISQUOTED NIHILISTIC DERRIDIAN HOT TAKES FOR MY GAY SONIC BLOG, RIGHT?!?

we all get it (probably). everything has an exception. but, as i stare anxiously at my clock and try to calculate how many hours i've been typing for instead of working on my actual work that matters, it's kinda obvious:

we don't have the fucking time or energy to do in depth discussions for every conceivable thing. no position will ever be enough, no words will capture truth in its rawest form because humans... have no clue what the FUCK they're doing. language, arts, the scientific method: the tools we use to express ourselves, the very resources we rely on as we try to pinpoint something undeniable, something constant, the way we go about actually PROVING something??? we can't even fucking agree on those! we made maths and sciences and words and arts but we can't even trust them because... well. if WE fuck up a lot and established ways to not fuck up... they're also fucked up.

sure we programmed computers and say they make perfect numbers but girl,,, WE made the computer and the numbers. sure it finishes our formulas better than we do but did the guy making the formula do a good job? maybe, but how do we know it hasn't been warped over time to an unrecognizable degree. there are billions of languages with endless dialects and regional variations for each one. WHO GENDERED THE FUCKING NOUNS IN FRENCH??? YOU'RE TELLING ME THERE ARE WORDS THAT ONLY EXIST IN ONE LANGUAGE? LIKE, THERE ARE NO TRANSLATIONS??? okay, so what the FUCK does that mean if we're the ones inventing translations in the first place? don't make me think about all the dead languages and their secrets or all the lost texts and stories... aight now i'm just sad

sceptic prompts aside, i hope you understand what i mean when i say we're never gonna do a perfect job of explaining shit. that's probably why i started so many things here and got distracted because i predict "what if's" and feel the need to sub-explain every ambiguity. that's not a valid excuse for this literary hatecrime but it's a bit of context i suppose.

where was this going? see my point?!? okay this was supposed to be the quick return to my pre-intermission thoughts that fixes shit, but nah it caused more problems. adding to the never-ending pile of jibberish.

RIGHT THE CRAPPY PROFS. yeah you have bigger things to worry about just don't be a dick and treat academia with a petty attitude but then demand acceptance and understanding because peace and love and social justice mantras. the diversity you're advocating for should extend to those who didn't have it, even if those people are shitty and misinformed as a result of their less progressive upbringing.

BASICALLY, EVEN THE PEOPLE YOU DONT THINK HAVE IT HARD DESERVE THE COMPASSION I WAS PUSHING EARLIER. the sobstory profs and the absolute cunts you want to strangle are both dealing with shit and i don't expect you to "fix them" but if i see people using bad prof anecdotes to justify hating all/some educators i'll eat your skin like it's kfc or something. idk, apparently people LOVE chicken skin! insert a featherless biped joke here if you want and if it'll make sense for you, i just wanted a threat that wasn't gonna be too mean because reading to this point is punishment enough even if you deserve worse lmao. the "privileged" profs still went through hell and the last thing we need are more generalizations based on profiling. mean profs could have been nice once so maybe power through the rbf and dryness by continuing to be nice and attentive: you might just save someone! and future students! and your gpa!

okay, no more lectures. here's some crap i wrote at the beginning that kept getting pushed lower and lower as i went on a billion tangents. it's probably more academic advice and silliness but i'm not gonna bother checking so uh, take it away past me...? yikes, good luck:

so, you don't wanna do that assignment? well, the prof doesn't wanna read it, neither does the TA. same shit new term, no one benefits, and they're marking a LOT more essays than you'll ever have to write

so, you didn't understand the reading and are afraid to say something in lecture in case you don't know what you're talking about? chances are your prof is either in the same boat and has no coherent plan for the lecture and also doesn't know wtf is going on, or this is their special interest they dedicated their career to and they'd rather just infodump the whole class anyways.

"i'm scared to go to office hours" these guys either have no social life and/or family, or they do and none of them understand what the fuck they're saying. do you know how hard it is to have normal conversations or make small talk when 99% of your brain is shit no one but maybe 4 other scholars in the world give a shit about?!? EXAMPLE FOR YOU FANDOM FOLK: IT'S NOT JUST INTERACTING WITH NORMAL PEOPLE, IT'S TRYING TO MAKE FRIENDS IN A DEAD FANDOM WHEN YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS A NOBODY AND YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP HAS NO CONTENT BESIDES YOUR OWN, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE 2 OTHER PEOPLE WHO YOU'RE TOO AWKWARD TO INTERACT WITH BEYOND FRIENDLY TAGS WHEN YOU REBLOG THEIR ART.

short answer to that ^^^ go to office hours. especially humanities profs or weird science profs, not just because you will do a LOT better on assignments but because they're lonely and appreciate it. when i go to office hours my profs are either trauma dumping or incoherently rambling about blorbos from their manuscript or batshit crazy theories no one wants to write/hear about.

like, think about how you feel when you get asks or nice tags or comments on your fanfic/art/videos. even questions about your au or opinions! hot takes maybe?

what about when new people follow you or ask questions about the fandom you've been in for years: when someone asks a silly question about the lore are you more likely to see red and fucking kill them, or use this as an excuse to infodump and excitedly point them towards secondary content and inform/motivate them, even splashing in your own personal theories? i know it's the second one don't lie to me or yourself.

at the end of the day, i just want people to know that the stimulating debates people have online in the 21st century are the fucking green forums, while the "scholars" and esteemed academics that so many people write off as pretentious or too serious are fucking losers. they're freaks. i want every academic to have tumblr because they're SO FUNNY OH MY GOD!!!

when i see y'all talk about blorbo from your shows all i can think is "damn this is more coherent than when i ask my prof a question and she excitedly rambles for 20 minutes without actually answering anything because she's so overjoyed someone finally asked" and am reminded of all the special interest/hyperfixation positivity. researchers are just people paid to get lost in their own thoughts and words because their niche is their universe and it gets lonely when no one else bothers to check in.

oh, and if they're dedicating their entire life to something no one gives a shit about and worker their ass off to make it profitable... they're one of us. probably into fandoms. assigns music to their work. make memes about their theories because no one takes them seriously anyways. absolute fucking LEGENDS

TLDR which i know y'all need:

profs are based as hell fjdksldldlds go talk to your instructors they're lonely like you are and listening goes a long way. the internet is way too serious now to the point our "serious" communities that we believe are more strict are actually the most lax places.

so like... when we talk about tumblr being the worst place ever and brought up it's cursed reputation for YEARS but then actually witness 2022 and go "nevermind.... this is the only fucking place online to exist safely" because what the FUCK are those other places doing???

yeah. that's academia. the tumblr of conversations (aka full of freaks but the fun kind: WAY LESS THREATENING AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY DAMAGING than the "silly sites" which have evolved into... no i don't even have a metaphor or joke for this one. it's just awful lmao)

cool idk how to end this after wasting 1/4 of a day making no sense, here's george: