The Malicious Compliance Multiverse: When Office Politics Meets Absurdist Storytelling
Ever wondered what would happen if office politics collided headfirst with absurdist British comedy, and then got refracted through a prism of Reddit in-jokes and meta-humor? Welcome to the wild saga of “Please use the proper channels”—a r/MaliciousCompliance post that’s less a story, more a fever dream of bureaucracy, creative writing, and community mischief.
What starts as a classic tale of workplace one-upmanship quickly spirals into a meta-comedy, with the original poster (u/BWMaster) gleefully weaponizing reader requests and confusion for maximum entertainment value. If you’re here for laser fights or steamroller mishaps, you’ll be disappointed—but if you enjoy watching chaos unfold in the most British way possible, you’re in the right place.
When Malicious Compliance Goes Meta (And Multiversal)
At its core, the original post is a pretty straightforward case of classic malicious compliance: Office drones bicker over resource allocation, a team lead (Colleague X) tries to game the system, and the OP responds by following every instruction to the letter, exposing X’s incompetence along the way. As one commenter, u/I_dnt_Need_anew_name, humorously summarized: "Seems he is trying to do some malicious compliance shit this colleague X but failed miserably."
But then things get weird. After the first post, readers clamored for clarity, demanding character names instead of “Colleague X/Y/Z.” Rather than simply oblige, OP delivered three full versions of the update: the “XYZ Format,” the “East Coast Format” (featuring such legends as Bobbybatterbottom and Dumbleskunk Postlethwaite the 7th), and the “ParadoxumFilum Format” (hello, Dieter, Skeeter, and Meeter). The result? A dizzying, hilarious, and intentionally confusing set of alternate-universe retellings, each with more ridiculous names than the last.
As u/McWaffeleisen astutely put it: “The alternative versions of the story are sort of a 'meta malicious compliance' for the people that asked for names in the other thread. Fits the sub exceptionally well.” In other words, the OP didn’t just comply with the requests—he did so in the most over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek fashion possible. MC^3, as one witty chain of commenters dubbed it.
The Comedy of Bureaucratic Errors (and Names You Can’t Forget)
So what actually happened under all those layers of meta-jokes? Here’s the (relatively) short version: Colleague X (or Bobbybatterbottom, or Dieter, depending on your universe) tried to offload his department’s costs by canceling an order and attempting to “swap” for OP’s parts, while passing the buck to his boss in meetings. Unfortunately for him, all his excuses fell apart—especially when OP produced receipts showing the parts swap was always conditional.
Colleague X’s downfall was summed up by u/I_dnt_Need_anew_name: “The good old CYA maxim proves its worth again.” With the help of a more competent colleague (Y, Big Jim, or Skeeter), the situation was resolved, X was removed as team lead, and the project moved forward—albeit with a little embarrassment and a gentle nudge towards “spending more time with family in home office with reduced benefits.”
But let’s be honest: the real stars here are the names. As u/tofuroll observed, “The names sound like they were created for Rick and Morty,” while the inclusion of “Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film” and “Scrumpy Plumpington” had commenters in stitches. The OP even graciously credited u/Proper-Application69 for some of the best invented monikers, inviting readers to show their upvote love.
Not everyone was a fan of the chaos, though. Some—like u/ChimoEngr—found the names “stupid” and the story unreadable. But OP stood firm, cheekily apologizing “for running up to you and forcing you to both see and interact with this.” For many, the confusion was part of the fun, with u/iamafriendlynoot noting, “If you realize the following two are a joke copy you just skip down to the comments to find Reddit has betrayed its own TLDR maxim.”
The Wisdom of Reddit: The Peter Principle, Copyediting, and Jeff
Beyond the name games and meta-humor, the thread is peppered with real workplace insights. The Peter Principle (“Everyone is promoted to their own level of incompetence”) gets invoked more than once, as commenters reflect on how common these office shenanigans truly are. u/Fancy-Pen-1984 even chimed in with nostalgia for “the Dilbert Principal”—because, as we all know, bureaucracy never really changes, just the names.
Other commenters took joy in the writing itself. u/plotthick relished the opportunity to dust off their copyediting skills, praising “the silliness of vowel slipping in Middle Class English Twit names, and very subtle passive-aggression,” while u/coffeebugtravels expressed particular affection for the intern simply named “Jeff!” Because in a world of Wifflesby Wofflesbanes, sometimes you just need a Jeff.
And for those bewildered by the whole spectacle? u/riftwave77 offered the “TOO Obfuscated, Didn’t Read” summation, to which OP responded with a sly, “But you did leave a comment though.” In the end, whether you loved or hated the madness, you couldn’t help but get involved.
Problem Solvers, Problem Makers, and the Joy of Malicious Compliance
So what’s the takeaway from this multiversal office drama? As OP mused in his closing remarks, “the problem solvers solved the problem and the problem makers have less range to make problems for now.” No firings, no wild showdowns—just a gentle shifting of power, a serving of embarrassment, and a triumph for creative compliance.
The meta-mischief didn’t go unnoticed. As u/H1king33k put it, “Meta AF.” The story became not just about workplace politics, but about the joy of bending (and breaking) narrative expectations, all while giving the Reddit crowd exactly what they didn’t know they wanted.
So next time you’re tempted to ask for “different names” or “more explanations” from a Reddit storyteller, be careful: you might just find yourself tumbling down a rabbit hole of Bobbybatterbottoms, Dumbleskunks, and Jeffs. And if you’re lucky, you’ll enjoy every confusing, hilarious minute of it.
What’s your favorite ridiculous workplace story—or the best alias you’ve ever given a coworker? Drop it in the comments below and join the multiverse of malicious compliance!
Original Reddit Post: 'Please use the proper channels' alright bet 👍🏻 UPDATE