#freaking people and exile… yeeeeesh XD

[bleue-flora]

(I may have… gotten a little carried away sooo…. I don’t how y’all do this so concisely… ooof XD)

Ah so many good thoughts… this topic in general is very interesting and actually timeline of c!Dream’s mask is something that has always bothered me (probably something to do with my affinity for canon and not having a concrete explanation… lol XD). Because in lore when does he have it? I like the idea of c!Tommy ripping it off in staged finale (and yo that does line up for the helmet application) but then are we saying it’s gone in prison? Did c!Tommy destroy it (c!Dream destroyed his stuff in exile so it’d make sense)? Or does he get it back somehow? If we are saying it’s a sacred kind of respect then, I feel like he wouldn’t be facing the server in the prison break without it… then again maybe not… but if it is detrimental, does c!Techno bring him one for the prison break? Before the genuine finale, I had the idea that c!Bad put the mask in his inventory on purpose so c!Dream would get it back when he lost the fight and also that maybe c!Dream put a strong unbreaking enchantment on it so they couldn’t break it but not binding because he assumed people would have enough respect to not take it off… but he was wrong because c!Tommy took it off in the staged finale… anyways lots of things to consider, like does he have multiple masks? Has he ever removed it at all? Was it never removed until in the genuine finale?… I don’t know it’s hard to determine what makes the most sense and it’s one of the things that irks me because no matter where/when we choose to believe he has it there are inconsistencies…

However, to your first statements - Can I say neither? Neither just a symbol of influence, nor some prized procession nor c!dream’s identity. Because here’s the thing, I don’t think it’s just a cool and intimidating fashion statement noting his influence, nor a prized possession like spirit or his axe, but I’m not sure c!Dream’s mask has the same importance as cc!Dream’s mask. Or well the same as cc!Dream staying faceless to protect his identity (and to represent other things for cc! but that’s another essay lol). In this case c!Dream doesn’t have or well can’t protect his identity because he is already physically exposed, with everything he loves exposed, they know his address (until he has none XD lol), they know what the rest of him looks like. And because of that, their masks serve different purposes - cc!Dream hid his face but he hasn’t really changed who he is. On the other hand, I think there is more so some serious mask symbolism going on. From what I can tell a huge part of c!Dream’s character, isn’t people not knowing what his physical face looks like. What his nose looks like and what color his eyes are don’t play into the greater plot. C!Tommy doesn’t even compliment on how he looks or note his features in the genuine finale (that I remember), because I don’t think that’s what it is about. It is more so about him being pulled into the role as the villain. The disc finale is staged, he put on a good show and that is part of his character. As the story goes on, he starts hiding and lying more and being who they say he is instead of himself. In this way, the mask isn’t just about hiding his physical identity, it’s about hiding himself - his feelings, his passions, his reasons, his emotions… etc. So, when c!Tommy asks him to take off the mask (helmet), it isn’t about his literal face it’s about him being vulnerably and openly himself, stripped away of the many faces he wears to protect himself and his attachments. It’s about someone going - let me see you - understand you - show me who you are - what is your side of the story……

So yea to me, c!Dream isn’t hiding just his face, it’s a symbol and part of his persona. The privacy and protection of his face, narratively speaking doesn’t mean much so if it is why he wears the mask then I find that to be rather lackluster. And because I feel like it represents more than his literal face being exposed I do think that it is not the same violation to take it off as it would have been to leak pictures of cc!Dream. And I think in general cc!Dream’s mask being timed and directly connected to c!’s is certainly questionable and as you said yourself (at the bottom) the timeline is iffy and problematic and again as I said not necessarily connected in meaning and purpose.

But having said that, if we are saying it is used to protect his face from being seen, then I’m not sure I see your point that it is a higher violation than other cruelties. After all, what makes showing his face more cruel than torture or murder or intense degrading and humiliation? Honestly, I think it’s genuinely interesting that you think it is so sacred in the context of the dsmp or in general, because if so, then why? Why does he feel the need to hide his face and what about that need makes it off limits to other characters from removing it and how is that entail all of his personal respect. Because to be honest I just don’t understand how that violation is worse, more personal or on another scale to what they did to c!Dream or even other characters? Like “anything to gain”? When has c!Tommy or c!Sapnap (to name a few) done anything for gain… the gain is chaos and destructive entertainment and having a fun time… I don’t know. As you said it is subjective, so I hope I didn’t come across too abrasive. I just genuinely don’t understand, feel free to fill me in…

I mean when it comes to the cc!s’ choice in fictional ‘crimes’ I’m not sure there is too much consideration (at least not from all of the cc!’s) for which are more or less forgivable, like *jesters to Pandora’s Vault* as an example (though there are things certainly off limits just in general media)… (I’m gonna ignore the bully comment because there is a lot of bullying and many bullies in dsmp but perhaps you meant in the context of a high school setting…) But “the DSMP doesn’t work with our world’s rules: it works in the fictional world of streaming… killing, burning…etc are things commonly done there” Yes! Absolutely, not hypocritical. It does apply to its own rules. :) But “Exposing c!dream face” is akin to “stripping him naked” I mean maybe? Again I’m not sure I see that…

Regardless, about c!Quackity, this is a guy who spent days upon days torturing c!Dream doing anything he can to get the book… So no I’ll have to stop you there ain’t no way lol. I do not think it’d be out of his wheel house to do such a personal violation to get the book (or for fun and revenge…) assuming Sam didn’t take it first or he even had it anyways. Though I’m kinda dying of curiosity to know what gives you the impression c!Quackity is more respectful and honorable than c!Sam or a furious c!Tommy for that matter. Like…

So, if in the finale c!Dream’s helmet, that he takes off for c!Tommy, represents his mask, does that mean that when c!Sapnap puts on c!Dream’s armor, Nightmare, he is putting on and stealing c!Dream’s mask? - Because I’m not gonna lie that really puts a new perspective on that betrayal… Furthermore, when c!Techno brings c!Dream armor in prison, did he make him a mask and bring it to him… and then take away the mask later? - If so, again that’s kinda screwed up. Though you could argue that perhaps he made c!Dream a mask for the jailbreak so he had one to face the server with and then because they were trying to not seem like allies he took it back, knowing that c!Dream would get another one. Which also begs the question, did c!Punz make c!Dream a mask for after prison or is he simply handing over one of c!Dream’s masks?… When c!Tommy in the minecart skirmish stole c!Dream’s armor, was he taunting him with his own mask? - Because oof that’s some serious violation and disrespect…

In other words, if you think that c!Dream’s helmet in the finale represents the mask (which I’d say is implied by c!Tommy) does that same logic apply across the board or is it just for that moment? And if it does apply to rest of the lore, wow does that have some implications…