The Paradox Of Dream's Powers & Positivity

The Paradox of Dream's Powers & Positivity

There's something very interesting about Dream's powers and internal struggle that I've been aware of for years but never had a chance to properly talk about. There's this paradox that occurs when taking into consideration how Dream experiences his powers and emotions after eating the apple, and it's a paradox of his positivity itself.

Dream is the protector of positivity. It is his goal above all others to protect that and help others be happier around him.

Dream has two very unique powers that shape how he interacts with people. Empathy and a positive aura. On top of this, he gains power the more positive the people around him are, which means the more positive his surroundings become, the more powerful his aura becomes, and the more positive he feels.

This aura, as I've discussed before, is something Dream is not entirely fond of, and something that often causes more problems than good. People become overly attached to, or even obsessed with his aura should he stay near them for too long. If he tries to leave, as he must travel to other universe to continue spreading positivity, people often become jealous, or upset. Negative. Which makes Dream fearful of people growing too attached to him, and conscious of his ability to spread unintentional negativity by merely existing near people, and even more so when he's genuinely happy near people.

Suddenly, we see this limit, in which, should Dream let himself become too happy, his positivity starts to turn things negative around him, and because Dream is an empath, it means he will feel this negativity, and become negative again. Thus, a paradox has formed. One in which his own positivity will ultimately bring about negativity, and the threat of that happening prevents him from being positive.

While I know this doesn't change how Dream outwardly acts, as he's been told his entire life he's supposed to be positive for everyone, and puts on a smile even if it's not real to try to help others smile too, I think these powers create a secondary internal conflict of 'but maybe I should never let myself become too positive because it makes other people upset and that's not something I want to happen'.

An eternal divide of: I need to be precieved as positive for everyone else to help them

But I can never let myself actually become too happy lest I hurt them.

And, because Dream is an empath, the happier people around him become, the happier he does as well.

This would mean Dream is stuck in a position where faking a smile but remaining neutral, or unable to be happy himself, is the best position in which he can continue to help people, despite helping people being a direct way to make him feel happier. And, whenever he becomes too happy, his mind will begin to fear the possibility of making people negative, meaning he either has to internally prevent himself from being too positive, or seperate himself from others when this happens, which would ultimately result in the same outcome.

He has no way of preventing people from feeling things, and no way to prevent these powers from constantly occuring, but an intense desire to help others anyways, meaning he constantly prioritizes others happiness over his own, even when given the ability to be happy himself.

Dream is the ultimate paradox of positivity. His powers of positivity force him to rarely be positive at all.

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reblog dream sans this is so damn accurate and sad

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Now he is in danger XD

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reblog error sans ink sans ink no

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Nightmare not being able to see well at all, because his eyelight has had so much magic forced through it for so long that it basically just broke from the strain.

It's not just blurry either; he sees his own magic loose inside his eyelight- so he sees everything sorta patchy, his vision focuses and unfocuses out of his control, maybe tunnel vision, random 'blind spots', all the weird things.

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Partly because his negative magic might have an effect on his mental state.

Also partly because centuries of being corrupted and having little to no positive interactions with actual people would definitely take it's toll on one's mental health and emotional state. He can probably hardly think straight to reason that the hallucinations can't hurt him. Triple Bonus: Dust finds out about the hallucinations and is very determined to help Nightmare with the issue by any means necessary.

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Error might use string to lay out across the base, maybe just in corners of hallways and such, so Nightmare would be able to sense the magic and know where he's going.

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Visionn't

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saaturday19

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久しぶりにキラーくん

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saaturday19

4 years ago

Among AUs XD

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saaturday19

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Oh noo, this is too adorable. I am so weak for happy families, just look at them at the last panel