YMMV / How to Sex Vol. 4–58

• Alternative Character Interpretation: The comment about "count[ing] down slowly from ten" can be interpreted two ways — the author's intention was a reference to Dream threatening Tubbo for the discs, but since later streams came out, the same method is also used by Tommy and Ghostbur as a grounding mechanism, in reference to the duel for L'Manberg's independence.
• Fridge Horror: The revelation that Tommy didn't even get a trial to be put into prison. Even in canon, despite Dream technically not getting a trial either, half the server showed up to his treasure vault to see his attempt to blackmail the people of the SMP, which is as close to a trial as you can get on a server where the last valid political entity that could hold a trial got recently nuked into a hole to bedrock. In this AU, no one knew what actually happened to Tommy or Tubbo, and would have to rely on Dream's account of the event to know what happened.
  doingmothing (formerly Ochokinode): The part where he's like "I did not get a trial. that is WeirdChamp" implies that either a) the entire server thinks that Tommy killed Tubbo because Dream said so OR b) The entire server (minus Sam and Dream ofc) think that Tommy killed Tubbo and then himself OR c) The entire server thinks that both Tommy and Tubbo are missing and/or dead.
• Funny Moments: Due to the Bathos-esque writing style of the fic, the angst is interspersed with the occasional bit of hilarity.
  • Dream being "misogynistic", or so Tommy claims.
    Why has Dream not murdered any women?
    He must be a sexist.
    Not me. Just killed a woman, feeling good.
  • Tommy doesn't want sex to be copyright-claimed.
    You need to play the right music when you have sex. That is called setting the mood. Cat and Mellohi are the best. But if you don't have those, you can use Able Sisters. That way the sex will not get copyright claimed.
  • The many definitions of the word 'pussy'.
    Sam is such a pussy that he is SCARED of pussies. Cats. Because he is a creeper man.
  • The Big Man's thoughts on PuffyChu.
    There are only two women in this country and they are dating each other. I think that is called passing the Bechdel Test.
  • Tommy redefining the phrase 'marriage fraud'.
    Marriage fraud is when you break out of prison.
  • Tommy claiming that Dream should be imprisoned for cheating on his speedrun.
  • A jab at Dream's Minecraft skin.
    Dream has eyes where his nipples should be and that is stupid. Nipple eyes. Women think that is very ugly.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The fanfic was released in mid-February 2021. A week later, in Dream SMP canon, Tommy would visit Dream in prison for closure, only to be trapped there with his abuser for over a week as the prison goes under lockdown, and then his last canon life is taken by Dream before being brought back to life from a torturous afterlife. Yeah...
  Goldenrayofsunshine (the author): (replying to a comment) i just watched that stream [of Tommy being trapped in prison with Dream] and i literally feel like I'm going to throw up. Dream told Tommy to write How To Sex 9 and I yelled at my screen. How do I tag this to get secondhand clout when everyone starts writing prisoninnit fics?
• Tear Jerker: The fanfic in its entirety has driven readers to tears, with some of the most notable heartbreaking moments being:
  • The many mentions of Tubbo and him being dead.
    Tubbo. Tubbox. Tubbox. Tubbox. Tubbo. Your Tubbo. He is not mine he is gone.
  • Tommy's acknowledgement that inducing Stockholm Syndrome is not how one gets girls, but he gets awfully specific about how to induce it in a person...
  • Tommy recalling himself unintentionally triggering the trap in the Final Control Room.
    Button has the word "butt" in it. I pressed a button once and then terrible things happened. Men came out of the walls.
  • And right after that, Tommy's comments about just wanting to live in peace. Unfortunately for him, the Dream SMP is a Crapsack World.
    Sex, drugs, and rock n roll. It is hard to rock out when somebody steals your fuckin vinyls. Can't have shit in L'Manberg. I just wanted my discs.
  • The highly nonchalant mention to the aborted suicide attempt at Logstedshire during the Exile arc.
    Sex is when you build a big tower all the way up to the clouds, and then say Fuck This.
  • Tommy noting that he can't see the sun again while in jail.
    I can't see the sun. Or hot girl her face is like the sun to me. Especially when I put a candle inside.
  • Tommy's insistence that he's not broken while in Pandora's Vault.

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