Take You Down | Wilbur & Tommy (Dream SMP Animation)

never . ask me to draw backgrounds . again .
i'm so violently out of practice

But it's done! Been working on this off and on for like ... a month? I think? So ignore any character inconsistencies

Dropped in my own little headcanon about their background specifically for the smp there at the beginning (the fact that Wilbur said he named Tommy still circles through my mind like 7 times a day).

And as for revivedbur, I go back and forth on him as a character cause CC!Wilbur has done a really good job at balancing him just being a dude while also being pretty sus.

And because I think he knows himself and what he's willing to do, ultimately doesn't want to drag Tommy back into it. And tries to distance himself, so if it comes to it, he doesn't take Tommy down with him.

Too bad Tommy is a stubborn lil shit

Programs:
- Storyboard/rough animation done in RoughAnimator
- Animation done in Adobe Animate
- Compositing/editing done in Adobe After Effects

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[Tirryna]

I love the symbolism of Wilbur falling off the cliff...like he's going to do something crazy that might hurt Tommy, but Tommy tries to keep him from falling back down to that level, but, with no hesitation and a resolved smile, Will makes Tommy lose grip...as if saying "I'm gonna do what I want...but I don't want to "take you down with me"....

Beautiful.

[firesnap]

The characterization in this feels very on point. Wilbur is ambiguous but guilt ridden, Tommy is stubborn and loyal. The art is great. Good song choice too. Loved it.

[alanamariyam]

I love this!!! The way Tommy tried to save Wilbur, I can't even express my feelings right now. Emotional roller coaster go

[tavrosnitram]

WOW this is great!

I really like your characterization of Revivebur here, it’s clear that he’s got some questionable goals for the future but he still really cares about Tommy.

[inkbubble]

This left me completely speechless. The melody and the lyrics fitting so perfectly with each frames and acting as a showcase of Wilbur’s inner thoughts, the plot—it was absolutely beautiful when Tommy grabbed his hand to stop him from falling and he pulled away, but Tommy followed anyway, but this also showcase Wilbur’s life and how he became insane so accurately—being so beautifully tragic, the animatic itself with each transition and movement being so on point. This is just… amazing.

[nylaxcries]

I seriously cried when it was Tommy and Ghostbur doing a pink promise and then it turned into Tommy and Wilbur handshaking from when they were in L’manburg.

[reggie]

THIS IS STUNNING! The movements are so smooth, the transitions are on point, and the plot, THE PLOT!!! You're amazing.

[lexabexa]

2:02 aww, both of them holding out their pinky remembering the promise they made in in the beginning.
I love this animation

[porb]

I straight up cried when it hit the, "you need to let go of this hand, " lyric. Beautiful and well characterized and very sad. I feel like you really captured how the characters feel about each other.

[forestgranted]

THE WAY I GOT CHILLS SO MANY TIMES WATCHING THIS AMAZING JOB!! I haven't watched a Dream SMP animatic this good in ages

[shiro]

Just came back after the final Wilbur lore stream, this hurts so much more now

[frosthawk]

Dang. Wilbur really fell into Utah huh

[joIton]

oh my god dude this is so stellar

the lyrics fit so well with c!crimeboys' entire relationship shown here (sob /pos) and you do wonders with the composition of the scene where wilbur crouches on his knees and the camera whorls around him to show the buttons on the walls in pogtopia

the lipsync right before l'manberg explodes and the base drops and limbo unfolds is just- AH. dang. gasp. and the detailing of the scratching out of tallies of the :pleading:

the entire cliff after resurrection and reuniting the traumatized boyos is gorgeous ngl, for as much as you mourned the drawing of backgrounds in the description LKASJNDGKASNG, and the entire sentiment of wilbur letting himself fall to not inflict anything on tommy is. sadly rather in character tbf o7 and that little tidbit where wilbur looks up after tommy catches his hand and the light catches his face is SO good

just

fuck

i needed to ramble at you aggressively positively this is gorgeous o7 o7

[occergirl]

I love the way as Tommy grows up, his hair gets more and more angular and less rounded and fluffy, showing his loss of youth and innocence. Just a small detail that shows so much!!

[brickpanther]

Wow you really nailed wilburs entire emotional plot down to his anxiety and his fears. This was really incredible, THANK YOU 🙏

[nekole._.doodles]

That look said that Tommy would grow wings to save Wilbur from falling to his death

[Up_down_and_sideways]

I love how the buttons were a joke from fundy but it ended up helping drive wil mad

[hoppybirdy]

So much of this was beautiful, but something in particular that gets me every time is that Will really seems to think that he is ending his story when going to the cliff, and he seems *relieved* that everything he doesn't want to do and be is going to come to an end at that moment, and he jumps off, and falls with his coat fluttering around him - not fearing the fall and not feeling the hit of reality quite yet and - credits roll. On my first time watching this, I legitimately thought that was going to be the end of the animatic. But then there's this moment of waking up to the fact that his actions and his state of being still has and will continue to have massive consequences on the people around him, like Tommy who would rather follow him down rather than let him fall alone, for pete's sake. And the violent refusal of having Tommy fall to Tommy's death because of Will is what seems to turn Will's dream into a nightmare, causing Will to wake up in a much more literal sense and steel himself against replaying that scenario.
This moment seems to change Will's idea of what it means to avoid taking Tommy down with him. For awhile there, he seemed to think that ridding Tommy of himself would do the trick, only to realize that Tommy cares about him, would grieve him, and has every right to choose both things. Will can't choose for Tommy to be apathetic about him on Tommy's behalf. And in that moment where Will wakes up from the cliff dream/nightmare, Will is forced to confront the fact that not taking Tommy down with him requires him not to jump or fall down at all. And he seems to be frustrated or worried or something like that about the prospect of actually having to put in the effort to stick around and get better, but he has become determined to try - for Tommy's sake.
So yeah, that's why this moment is so beautiful and meaningful to me and a large part of why this animatic is so near and dear to my heart and quite possibly my favorite animatic from dsmp or possibly any fandom ever.

[catherinec.]

THIS IS AMAZING!
This is one of the smoothest, most emotional animations I've seen. I can't describe how much I love this.

[NovaStella_]

Oh my GOD, I love seeing interpretations of Wilbur's character that don't just settle with "did bad things in the past=irredeemably evil" And just looking at the characters, I feel like you drew them with so much love! I'm definitely saving this one, you did so well with it!