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lazyliars · 3 years

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The Quackity Meta: a Tale of Two Absolutes

More than anything else, Quackity wants control, and to never, ever lose his own autonomy. And that is why he despises Technoblade.

But wait, how is Technoblade a threat to Quackity's autonomy? Techno is all for individual freedom! He wants to eradicate the government so that no one can be controlled!

There's the question though... How do people exercise control within the framework of a video game like m/inec/raft?

“a person exercising power or control in a cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary way.”

Power on the Dream SMP cannot be translated one-to-one with real life power. In real life, yes, a government had infinitely more power than an individual, for numerous reasons. But on the Dream SMP, the government's power is always directly tied to the power of the individuals who are willing to defend that power.

Technoblade is powerful. This is not debatable. How he uses this power, historically, has been a mix of generosity and self-interest*, although primarily the latter.

Generously, He gains resources and then distributes them to his allies during the Pogtopia Rebellion, gearing everyone up and giving them a fighting chance against Dream. However, in the aftermath of Tubbo's being appointed president, Techno turns on them, swiftly and mercilessly. The moment that it becomes clear** that Pogtopia's interests don't align with his own, he crushes them with the aim to prevent them from ever recovering.

( *I use self-interest as a neutral term here. Everyone on the SMP is selfish to some extent – it doesn't make them evil, and in fact has been treated as a positive at times, as well as a negative.

**I want to note that whether or not Technoblade knew of Pogtopia's goal of reinstating the government is unclear. It would seem that from Techno's POV that he didn't know, or assumed that it was a minority who wanted another government. But on the other hand, no one was actively lying to him about their intent, and people like Tommy and Quackity made their goals very clear. Further doubt is cast on the idea that Techno had no idea when you take into account that he enchanted the Netherite armor in the vault with worthless enchants like Fire Res.

Ultimately, there's no way to know until it is confirmed by cc!Techno himself, and it doesn't pertain that much to this analysis, but I'm aware that it's a hotly debated topic so I wanted to address it.)

It can be argued that Techno's destruction of L'manberg, both the first and especially the second time, was necessary. It can also be argued that it was cruel and a disproportionate retribution against both culpable and innocent parties. Extant of these arguments however, how does it feature into control?

Well, we can’t talk about control without mentioning the most controlling force on the server and the other person on Quackity's hitlist, Dream.

Dream is a tyrant. I don't think anyone can really make an argument against that in good faith at this point. He ticks off every box, no matter how vague or esoteric. This makes the interactions that Quackity and Techno have with him very interesting.

Quackity despises Dream. He's one of the earliest adopters of the hating-Dream-train, to the point that some people have compared him to Cassandra, a priestess who was cursed with the vision of prophecies that would always be true, but never believed. And indeed, Quackity's apprehension of Dream comes in as early as Pogtopia, and grows at a steady pace after the fact.

But despite his rightfully calling out Dream's hypocrisies and his controlling tendencies, Quackity was largely ignored on this front, especially when the time came to exile Tommy and Quackity basically predicted the next arc – If they gave Dream this concession, they would never be able to get out from under his thumb. Flash forwards to the Green Festival, and the moment Tubbo hands over the discs, any illusion of nicety drops and Dream proceeds to destroy them, side by side with...

Technoblade has always had an amiable relationship with Dream. From their first proper interaction on the server being Dream giving Techno some hefty resources, to their snap team-up on Doomsday, they've had a smooth time, with some notable bumps.

Techno fought against Dream during the Pogtopia rebellion, but when it became clear that Dream was more invested in chaos than his other allies, Techno temporarily allied with him to summon the Withers and drive the nail deeper into Manberg’s coffin.

The only time Techno has really bothered to challenge Dream directly is when he came for Tommy in exile. Techno went to great lengths to protect Tommy, hiding him and distracting Dream.

He did give Dream the option to call in his favor and take Tommy, but there are arguments to be made that he did this more as a challenge – that Tommy is worth the favor. Again, we probably wont ever know.

The difference in their relationships with Dream is polarizing. It also reflects the difference in personality – Quackity is an aggressive, ambitious person, whereas Techno leans more towards passivity and caution. Quackity is looking for enemies to challenge, where Techno is avoiding them, people who actually stand a chance against him most of all.

Technoblade is an individual with extraordinary amounts of power. Others have pointed out that he is rarely challenged by other characters or the narrative, and regardless of the merits or flaws in that, it paints him as nearly untouchable. His being in the good graces of Dream only adds to this.

And like with Dream, the only way that people have been able to threaten Techno is when they work together. The Butcher Army, for all it's flaws, managed to capture Techno through numbers – with Tubbo and Fundy (barely) holding off Techno's blood rage while Quackity snuck off to take Carl hostage. And they would have gotten away with it too, if the other most powerful person on the server hadn't stepped in – both by pointing Techno to a totem of undying in the days before the attack, and by getting Punz to cause a distraction and directing Techno to the final control room, where he could escape with Carl.

So, if the most powerful person in the world can only be threatened by people working together, and the most common form of organization is by government, then what does it say about Technoblade, who wants the government destroyed?

People like Tubbo, Fundy and yes, Quackity, all benefit from organizing and working together. They all tend to be less armed, less ready to defend themselves, and completely unable to stand up to titans like Techno and Dream on their own. It's safety in numbers, but it's also control, and control is power.

Ranboo's insistence that Snowchester is a Government is interesting when viewed through this lens. Ranboo is another person who is insanely rich, and able to defend himself and his belongings consistently. Ranboo doesn't need other people to defend him – he's living with Techno and Phil not out of necessity for his survival, but out of need for connection with others.

This seems to be the main difference he finds with Snowchester, which has a more structured environment, geared to defend itself and it's people, if harm should come their way.

Which makes sense, considering it's founder, Tubbo, holds no earthly belongings, and Jack, another prominent member, has made a character trait out of losing his things every other day. The two of them have no conceivable way to defend themselves against people who are stronger than they are. But together, holding the keys to nuclear armaments, they can suddenly play on the field of gods.

The anarchist commune, despite having all members working together and being on good terms, aren't really an organization, they're individuals with common goals and interests. They don't need to live together to be strong, they're all already strong, they choose to be near each other because they want to.

Snowchester is not a government and has no ruler, but together, it's members hold power. They have sway in the world when they work as a collective, and most members have a vested interest in keeping themselves and each other defended because of this. Consequently, the “identity” of Snowchester becomes more prominent, resulting in the flag, the uniforms and the, well, identity.

(Now, the more perceptive among you might have noticed that I basically just compared Techno Phil and Ranboo to the ultra rich 1%, which. Um. Is a pretty serious comparison to make about in a block game rp?

And I wanna say that I don’t think this was necessarily intentional on the parts of either the CCs or the characters, and beyond that, it’s just one way of examining the text. This analysis is by no means the “Right” way to view the story, just a different one.

Regardless...)

Techno uses his considerable power to further his own goals, first and foremost. This is not inherently good or evil, it just is.

Contrast with New L'manberg's cabinet; Four people, pooling their limited power to further their shared goals. Not good or evil, just a way of exercising power.

But power is not static. Power is fluid and changing, moreso now on the SMP than ever before, and Quackity and Technoblade are fighting to define what Power means going forwards.

Techno is fighting for the status quo, knowingly or not. Individuals with power should lead the world, and those without should strive to emulate their betters. He destroys all forms of government, which strip away the rights of the individual in exchange for hierarchy and consolidated power within that hierarchy.

At it's best, this is a very freeing ideology, where nothing and no one can hold back the individual. The world is your oyster if you are willing to work for it.

But at it's worst? “Violence is the only universal language,” is the key phrase. Where does this ideology leave people who aren't strong? Where does it leave those who cannot fend for themselves? If Violence is the only universal language, then the weak have no means to speak.

Quackity is fighting to get a foothold for a contrary ideology – One that prioritizes words over violence and offers alternative methods of gaining and exercising control, such as through currency and conversation. Quackity has tried to varying degrees of success to implement this on the level of his own individual power, such as during the elections, but his attempts at employing this on a grand scale have all been short-lived.

At it's best, this ideology can uplift anyone, regardless of their strength. It encourages more communication, more commerce, and thrives under, you guessed it, strong government.

At it's worst however, it creates a brutally controlling environment. Where a few people gain absurd amounts of power through the complex machinations of a fiat currency, and are then able to use their sway and influence with governing forces to exercise power that they would never be able to hold on their own.

Again, neither of these ideologies are inherently good or evil. They both have flaws and benefits, and benefit no one more than perhaps Techno and Quackity respectively, while hindering the other.

Techno is benefited by anarchy because he holds incredible amounts of individual power. He is the strongest person on the server, he is rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and on a meta level, he's straight up good at the game. The current status quo puts him firmly at the top of the food chain, and this is most obvious on Doomsday, when he and the other two most powerful individuals (Dream and Philza) come together and crush the combined forces of New L'manberg. They are not meaningfully challenged in any way, whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Quackity is deeply hindered by the current status quo. He's not strong, he's poor, and he's vulnerable to anyone who wants to bully him with brute force. On a meta level, cc!Quackity just straight up does not play m/inecraf/t as much as some of the other people that on the server. (To be clear, I do not mention that as a criticism, just to contrast Techno. Neither of their levels of play are better or worse for content, they just add to the experience differently.)

On the other hand, in a government? Quackity “Law Student” HQ is suddenly on top. He's charismatic enough to debate with Wilbur “Can Talk His Way out of Anything” Soot during the elections, and come out of that arena smelling like roses. Back during the days of El Rapids, Quackity held his men back from conflict with Dream, and talked him into a corner of technical truths where Dream had to concede that he viewed El Rapids as an independent nation if he wanted to get involved with their conflicts.

And Techno, while he is brilliant and an English Major, suddenly loses a lot of his intimidation factor if he has to respect laws preventing brutal murder. Techno can certainly debate, but his go to conflict resolution is usually violence, and if you take that away, you take away the threat of challenging him. Because make no mistake, challenging Technoblade right now? Is suicide.

And this duality, this grey morality and clash of ideals, is why Quackity is my favorite character on the SMP. He isn't strong. The power he holds is tenuous and balanced on a knife's edge. It would make more sense for him to stay quiet, keep his head down, and if anything, try to change things from the shadows, where he'll be in the least danger.

But he isn't quiet. He doesn't just challenge authority, he challenges the authority; Dream, Wilbur, and of course, Technoblade.

And in all but one of those matches, he's come out with a concession from his enemy gripped between his teeth. He schooled Wilbur in the debates. He forced Dream to grant El Rapids Independence at a time when he hadn't done so for New L'manberg.

But he failed miserably when he challenged Technoblade. Quackity lost that fight in the final control room before it began. He lost the moment he formed the Butcher Army. He would have lost if he managed to kill Technoblade, and he lost still when he died.

He lost because he conceded that the only way to achieve his goal was through violence. He decided that the only way to establish himself and New L'manberg as powerful? Was to kill Technoblade. And he lost that fight and he always will. There was never a way that he walked out of that fight with the victory; Quackity lost the ideological battle long ago.

But not the war.

As of writing this, Quackity is in the process of introducing an economy to the Dream SMP, on Sam's initiative. There is no action I can think of that is wiser for him to take right now. Now, when Dream has been deposed and there's a vacuum in power; Now, when people are getting tired of endless violence and the loss it brings; Now, when people are looking for something new.

An economy is a direct challenge to Might Makes Right. Trading, supply and demand, politics. It offers a new way for people to obtain resources and a direct alternative to brute force; other methods to pay for slights and breaches of honor and etiquette. No more will pet wars be fought with iron swords and shields, but with money! A healthy sum of cash for the murder of Fungi!

If Quackity can get this system off the ground (and with Sam's help, he definitely can,) the stage would suddenly be tilted in the favor of not just Quackity, but the people who he has associated himself with most closely – Tommy, Fundy, even Schlatt. They're all business men, all scammers. This could be Quackity's world, and he's damn well intending for everyone to live in it.

We’ll have to see what Techno thinks of this - Quackity hasn’t made any moves to start another government, and an economy doesn’t inherently contradict anarchy. But it does hold a potential threat to Techno’s current power.

And as for Quackity? What will he do once he’s at the top? Will he finally become a true tyrant? Will he usher in a new age of equality and justice? Or will he eschew all of that in favor of personal riches. For once, the cards are in Quackity's favor, and we might get the chance to see what he does when he holds real power.

#Dream SMP #Quackity #Technoblade #Ranboo #Dreamwastaken #Dream SMP analysis #lazytext #long post #its done its done i did it its done #ive been working on this for THREE WEEKS #THREE WEEKS OF CHECKING VODS AND WIKIS AND AAAAAAAAAAAAA #If theres typos I DONT CARE #I LIVE MY LIFE AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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forgetful-dorito · 3 years

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Here’s my gift to Bio Anon for the MCYT G/T gift exchange! I kinda took the second prompt and stuck it in a dryer on tumble-dry, then shook it up even more. though, I did have a lot of fun brainstorming ideas for how to use the prompt, so I hope you enjoy my little word vomit :)

(also in this au Tommy never got exiled because screw the green teletubby) word count: ~1.3k

cw: food at the beginning, some very mild fearplay, and so much swearing. So much. It was like I got possessed by Tommyinnit while writing this I’m so sorry

“What the fuck.”

Tommy had just wanted a snack.

It was 2 am and he couldn’t sleep, understandably so considering all that happened in the past few months, so he decided to get up and make himself something to eat. Nothing too heavy or time consuming, but enough effort to distract him from the thoughts that had been bothering him.

He had walked down the dark hallway to the kitchen, turning on the fluorescent lights and yawning. Stumbling over to the cabinet, he pulled out a small loaf of bread, and turned towards the fridge to get the cheese and mayo. Since he was still blinking the sleep from his eyes, it took him a few moments to register the fact that there was a tiny human watching him from the countertop.

A tiny fucking human. Standing with its hands in an open bag of peanuts. Looking as surprised and frozen as he was.

“What the fuck.” Tommy finally spoke up, and that was the cue for the tiny person to start fleeing off the counter.

Sleep gone from his mind, Tommy raced to catch the thief. It wasn’t a very hard battle, the poor thing seemed absolutely terrified. He gently pinned him down, putting as little pressure on the tiny guy as possible.

In the blink of an eye, Tommy found a sewing needle stuck in his thumb. He swore heavily, picking the needle out. He used more force this time, wrapping the escaping tiny in a fist and bringing him up to Tommy’s face.

The Tiny stopped kicking, instead he stared in horror at Tommy.

“Alright, I’m gonna give you three seconds to explain who you are and why you’re in my house stealing my food.”

The tiny pondered for a moment, but gave in after Tommy squeezed a little harder.

“AAH, don’t squeeze me like that! And I thought you’d know already, considering you humans blew our SMP to smithereens!” He spat the word ‘humans’ like a curse word.

Huh?

“Stop fucking around with me! Who are you?” He looked a little closer at the tiny….wait…..was that his shirt? And his pants?!

“Wait….you seriously don’t know?”

~~~~

After internally freaking out and a very long and painful conversation with Phil (he wasn’t really ready to see him yet, but this felt important enough to ask him about. Being the oldest living member on the server has its perks) it turns out, Phil knew what was going on!

Apparently no one bothered to tell Tommy that the myth about “tiny people” that live in the walls and start tiny governments was real. Who just leaves that out of a conversation?! What the fuck Phil?!?

To be fair, it looks like Phil was the only one who knew about these tiny people. They started springing up everywhere around the SMP, and they were always dressed like one of the server members.

Another thing that the myth conveniently forgot to mention, was that these tiny people were the complete opposite of the people they were based off of. Tommy didn’t understand what Phil meant by that, but after remembering the way Tiny Tommy acted he got it. Since Tommy was loud and brash and so, so cool, then tiny Tommy was quiet and careful and a total douchebag. Easy enough!

At one point, he had seen a tiny Tubbo lurking around Snowchester. At first he didn’t recognize him, the little guy had bright blond hair for some reason. But after he realized, he tried to strike up conversation. It was good old Tubbo after all! Except he couldn’t make it past a few sentences of conversation before he realized this was not the same Tubbo he knew.

For one thing, this Tubbo was actually normal. There was no talk of nukes, no mention of some horrific scandal he had committed, nothing! Just some pleasant conversation about the weather and gardening.

It was absolutely disgusting.

Mental note: make sure to tell Tubbo how awful his tiny double is.

Jschlatt’s tiny double was actually really nice.

When Tommy had found him, he was open and kind. Tommy had immediately assumed it was a trap, but after getting to know him, it was quite the opposite. He was kind and caring, and all around an amazing father figure.

He was fine with being lifted up and carried, so they would often be seen together, working on one of Tommy’s new carrot farms with Schlatt perched on his shoulder. Honestly, it was like having a tiny parent hovering over you, worrying over your bruises or if you’ve eaten enough.

Tommy didn’t have the heart to tell him that was the most parental attention he’s received since he can remember.

One day, while working on the garden, Tommy had asked about tiny Technoblade. He didn’t know why, maybe it was all the wanted posters of his former brother. They had started appearing a few weeks ago, and though their last interaction was shit, he was still worried.

“Oh…..Techno?” Jschlatt asked, fidgeting from Tommy’s shoulder.

He grunted, pulling a few grown carrots out of the ground. He loved his farms, but they were hard work.

“He…..oh how do I say this in a nice way….”

“Just spit it out. I’m a big man, after all. I can take it!” Tommy said, piling the dirty carrots onto a wheelbarrow and puffing his chest out dramatically.

“Well…alright I’ll just say it. He died a long, long time ago.”

“…WHAT!?”

As it turns out, Tiny Techno is not very good at surviving. Jschlatt had admitted that before he had lost his third life, he had the survival instincts of a sheet of paper.

“Yeah, one time I saw him fall off a cliff while reading his chat. It wasn’t pretty, I think I used up all my healing potions on him.” He commented as Tommy brang the hose over to wash the carrots off.

That was certainly something he’d never expected to hear. The Blade DOES die, I guess

Later that day, after tiny Schlatt had said his goodbyes to Tommy, Tubbo had come by to visit.

Tommy had expected some news about Snowchester’s government, or maybe a new cookie recipe, but he was certainly not expecting Tubbo to start screaming bloody murder.

“TOMMY, WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!” He yelled, pacing around his little garden.

“ALL I WANTED WAS TO FIND MY FAVORITE PEN, I DROPPED IT BEHIND MY COUCH! I GO TO PICK IT UP, AND MY HAND TOUCHES SOMETHING WARM AND HAIRY. WARM. AND. HAIRY. I LOOK AT IT, AND THERES A TINY BLOND ME SITTING ON THE FLOOR HOLDING MY PEN. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK.”

“Woah big man, calm down!” He handed Tubbo one of his nicer-looking carrots.

“Please, calm yourself, have a carrot.”

Tubbo absentmindedly took the carrot and sat down, munching away while still yelling about how the tiny person in his walls stole his pen.

Tommy, being the absolute dickhead he is, decided to call Tubbo crazy.

”Sorry Tubs, but I think you got one too many hits to the head. Tiny people living in your walls? That’s just crazy.” He shrugged, staring at the clouds above.

Tubbo bristled. “TOMMY WHAT THE HELL, YOU THINK IM LYING?!”

”Nah, I just don’t think you’re telling the truth” he smirked.

Tommy soon found a half eaten carrot thrown at his face, and rightfully so.

(I hope you enjoyed my weird crack-take on your prompt Bio. I had a lot of ideas for the story, including a lot more characters and cool game mechanics, but I didn’t know how to incorporate it all into the fic before the deadline. Im going to be on vacation for the next couple weeks, but if I find time I’d love to edit it and flesh it out more, maybe fix the pacing make it more enjoyable. have a great day! :] )

#mcyt g/t exchange #mcyt g/t #tommyinnit centric #tw swearing #tw food mention

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