(no i will not elaborate on my months long disappearance)
Dream’s appearance is interesting in how uniform it became, where everyone simultaneously agreed that he is a smiley face mask-wearing hunter and nothing else. Well, besides a few exceptions (ie. goat man, smiley-face for a head, blob).
And here I was when the Dream train started chugging along, initially picturing that he was this big iron construct with a glowing green core and a very out of place marker-drawn smiley face. Because a gargantuan juggernaut clawing out of the void via an unfortunately dropped ender pearl before he immediately decimates George was just too cool.
This version of his appearance was immediately retired as soon as I saw the fanart and how people actually interpreted his skin.
At first, I resisted. Out of spite, my interpretation became a white blob who moves around via light green appendages that sprout from his body. It was weird, but I didn’t care, as long as it was different from the crowd. You could do so much with a skin like that, why would I restrict myself to some vanilla hunter guy?
Spite doesn’t usually last long under such overwhelming odds. When even the creator adopts this appearance, it’s time to let go.
Now, my headcanon largely reflects what people generally picture him. Yes, he wears a green hoodie. Yes, he wears a smiley-face mask. Yes, he is (mostly) human.
The Age of Blob is over. The Time of the Masked Hunter has come.
But, I have made slight changes based around it, especially on the nature of the mask. These changes are because I think they’ll be neat when I brainstorm random dsmp stories on long nights. Because of this, notes on his appearance will revolve around his character on the DreamSMP.
General Appearance
Alright, what do people generally agree upon in regards to how he looks? That’s how I picture him. Blonde hair, fair skin, skinny, somewhat average height. Basically how he presents himself in what few times he shows up on video. In most aspects, he looks like a normal guy.
As a seasoned fighter and hunter, he has your typical wounds. Bruises, scratches, scars, his body is littered with them. However, besides a small scar over his mouth, his face is unmarred. This could be attributed to his mask, made up of some unknown, resistant material, covering up a solid three-quarters of his face and, so, protecting it. His hands, in non-anime boy fashion, are covered in calluses and his fingernails are an absolute mess, uneven and crooked from a nervous habit of his.
Most of the time, he wears a hoodie who’s color matches the signature green of his profile picture. Around the pocket area is a large white circle lined with black, reminiscent of his profile picture. That hoodie pocket is enchanted to carry a set amount of things, regardless of weight, and operates as his inventory. Everything externally on him is what he holds in his hotbar. Due to this, the man looks armed to the teeth. Potions are strapped across his chest, weapons and tools are hung at his sides, and his food is in a small pouch tied around his wrist so it can be easily accessed with a flick of a wrist.
As for how he could carry all of this? Who knows, he’s strong or something.
Now, what did I forget… Oh yeah, the mask!
That’s the point of the ma- *gunshots*
His mask looks like how most people portray it, circular and white with a black smile sculpted onto it. It spans from the top of his forehead to his nose (at least where the nose should be). It is extremely durable, as tough as a diamond helmet. But, it’s not completely unblemished, slight scuff marks riddle the surface, almost unnoticeable if you don’t look too hard. Oddly enough, it is not supported by a strap or anything, like it’s attached to his very face.
I also forgot to mention his mask is super cursed. One day, he made a deal with a mysterious entity (backstory things, still fleshing it out), whether out of desperation or power, and, to seal it, he has to put on the mask. From then on, it just never came off.
That’s why I never described his eyes… His eyes have been absorbed into the mask and now are the painted-on dots of it, allowing him to see through the mask without the use of eyeholes and relieving of such restricted vision. So, why he never sleeps is because he, quite literally, cannot close his eyes.
As he usually has his hood up, few ever wonder how the mask could be supported without a strap and few ever question why they never see him without the mask.
And then there’s that curse…
So, this is a little bit hard to explain and is made purely for ‘i thought it was neat’ purposes. When he gets stressed, which does happen often despite his calm exterior, his skin becomes a light green color (the same green color as his minecraft skin) and takes on a glossy sheen. This material is slightly see-through and mildly malleable. Starting around the mask, the more distraught and emotionally unstable he gets the more this material spreads around his body. The extremities, the fingers and the toes, are claimed first, then the limbs, and, finally, the chest and the entirety of his face, essentially how frostbite sets in. A slight advantage to this strange skin condition is that, due to it being a bit stretchy, he could stretch the affected areas to gain a bit more reach or length and, if a limb is taken over entirely, manipulate said part as if it has no bones. He could also contort his mouth and make it more menacing by giving it overly large teeth and the like. (we’re jumping sharks at this point)
He has only revealed the contents of the curse to his closest allies. Given that he doesn’t trust anyone, is no one. (though a few can guess if they spend enough time around him)
It is very rare for this curse to take over his entire body but it has happened on two occasions (you can probably guess which ones). By this stage, his once normal human shape begins to stretch and shrink, becoming uncanny by the second. A far cry from his normal form, he looks all but monstrous. Even his mask begins to change, contorting into hideous visages, as if all his bundled up emotions are presented onto the white surface. (just think flowey and you’re pretty much there)
From this, it’s pretty much implied Dream can’t take off his mask and bare his anime boy face to the world. It’s part of his face at this point and he has long accepted this. Trying to take it off will cause him immense pain and intense migraines. Because of this, he is extremely protective of his face and abhors anyone getting close.
If someone were to somehow successfully pry it off, it'll look like it was connected by green, slimy strings, leaving a green crater where his eyes and much of his forehead should be. Dream’s fate without the mask is unknown.
Just because the mask is durable doesn’t mean it can break. The life Dream lives doesn’t allow something like this to get away with mere scuff marks. Pieces have broken off of it and quite large ones at that. It does heal however, first with a paler version of the green material stretching over the missing areas before solidifying into the familiar mask without so much of a mark. This process also applies if he ever gets injured, only that he needs a few extra calories to make up the lost energy if he were to heal quickly.
Even more wayward dre headcanons to clog your mind with
I have come to the decision that Dream simply ‘memorizing’ the revive book would be too easy. Instead, he inscribes the contents on the underside of his arm in a sort of runic form (whether he simply painted it on using ink or painfully carved it into his very flesh is up to how edgy I feel at the time). They glow when he does necromancy things as an added flair.
dsmp!Dream is aro/ace (tag added for idiot-proofing). Yes, even before he relinquishes all connections and useless worldly possessions. I always believed he just never really saw the point in romance when he has more ambitious things in mind. (*sprints away from dnf-ers*)
He crochets little blobs in his free time :D. Once a pleasant past-time to improve his dexterity, he now views this activity as an anchor to the physical world. It sets his mind at ease, helps him ignore the dark path he has wandered down, and plugs a temporary stopper in the gaping hole of loneliness he has harbored. If he were to give this up, he might as well let all his plans unravel. This can also be tied to the headcanon (is it canon now?) that Tommy honed his knitting craft during exile, as it was one of the few things the Dream allowed him to do.
The completed blobs are kind of left all over the server. Unlike his usual thought process, this scatterbrain dispersion isn’t to remind everyone of his constant presence and nefarious things he is associated with and will do. It’s just that he’s forgetful.
Ran out of headcanons because most of my brain power was spent justifying the mask mechanics :/. Anyways, I hope you like my inane ramblings, because I need to justify procrastinating all of my schoolwork!
If you want me to do more of these with another character, please reply below with your suggestion!
(man this poll strategy is really working out- @DinoBoo 012 @Bunny14Crash @DuckieLuhv @MarianJohnsonLolitaEverett1 @ToastedBagels @Karmaspet)
