#dreamtale analysis

But because Corrupted and Night are two different people, we can still draw entirely on the pain of Dream vs his brother, as only the audience knows he's not. Nightmare can use this to his advantage, take on the role, convince Dream he is, but we know there is a path out of the conflict, and it requires finding a way to come to the same conclusion that he is not, and believing it enough to take a different approach.

Unfortunately, some people analyze this as Dream simply trying to kill an irredemeable figure who murdered Night and I think this also forgets 2 things:

1. Corrupted Nightmare IS negativity, this is very important. Corrupted manifests all aspects of it, but specifically its worst aspects, negativity completely out of control, negativity with one obsession, negativity that justifies the perpetuation of itself, negativity that seeks to eliminate positvity forever.

2. Uncorrupted is ALSO negativity, he was MADE from it, and he's the one Dream loves, the thing Dream is trying to bring back, to help, to restore, to protect. To "kill" corrupted isn't to destroy all it is, but moreso to restore balance and bring negativity back to its equal status between the two. To bring back Nightmare. The negativity Dream was asked to always remember.

They are narratively two sides of the same coin to me.

Dreamtale Theories:

Here's a list of a few theories about the Dreamtale Lore, this story leaving some very interesting gaps to try and fill. Philosophical and scientific thoughts helpt me to concretise these ideas, but although I've been inspired by them, it's not with these points of view I'm going to develop, but rather a purely artistic point of view. Little by little, philosophy and science have been lost in my ramblings, giving way to imaginations that seemed to fit together. Artists imagine. They cheat, they lie, they don't care much for concrete realities. In the end, the only science I get into position on is the elements of the Dreamtale canon, at least those I've managed to pick out. Perhaps I've missed some information that would disprove these hypotheses, in which case it would be courteous of you to let me know.

On a more chill note, say I'm just a teenager with a overflowing mind who loves to come up with crazy theories with whatever I can get my hands on, and I write this mainly for fun ^^

In fact, I don't think for a second I'm right, so I don't know if I can call those theories... Maybe speculation ideas about Dreamtale I wanted to share? Almost headcanons, but still based on concrete elements of the canon.

So let's go, first theory!

☁︎ Canon/Fanon:

For starters, why do I insist so much on canonicity? Because when it comes to Dreamtale, the boundary between Fanon and Canon is not always well understood, given that there are a lot of preconceived ideas on the subject.

The fact is, I see Dreamtale's Fanon and Canon as two completely separate worlds. And yet, understand that I hate adhering to variants of this and that for anything and everything. The idea of viscerally separating the Canon and Fanon sides of an oeuvre makes no sense to me, especially in an open world where each universe is a piece of a larger puzzle, where the world we're presented with is meant to be a huge playground.

And at this stage, if we do that with this universe, we could do the same for all the existing stories, no? Nevertheless, for THIS world and this world in particular, I think it's important.

For there is a crucial difference between C!Dreamtale and F!Dreamtale, a difference that completely alters the interpretation of the oeuvre. Fanon doesn't just make a few interpretative changes... He changes the very nature of a character: Corrupted Nightmare. And that, well... It's a bit complicated not to separate the two, especially when the Fanon version is so popular... Canon, he is dead and his body belongs to another character who has his own personality and background. Fanon, he's alive. Trapped, imprisoned, manipulated, split into two personalities (Night and Mare) or fundamentally evil, depending on the case, but alive.

Night is experiencing a bit of Asriel syndrome: it was because Undertale fans couldn't accept his death that the first AU's were created. And for Dreamtale, there was such misunderstanding about this (Because reading the Prologue, everyone agreed that Corrupted Nightmare was...well... Nightmare), that the majority think this is official. (It has to be said, it wasn't evident let me reassure you...)

To this we can add the fact that most of the time, in very fanon fanfics and fancomics, the other two trees don't exist or are never mentioned, that Corrupted (I refuse to call him "Nightmare" simply because he isn't Nightmare) isn't a real person or doesn't exist at all, that Dreamtale is an AU of Undertale, so made up of codes like the other AU's, but all that still depends on people's interpretation and knowledge of the real Dreamtale.

To put it more bluntly, and if the boundary's still unclear: F!Dreamtale is a part of the Undertale Multiverse, while C!Dreamtale is its own universe.

Since I like both aspects equally, and in order to get everyone on the same page, I've come up with a mini theory:

Dreamtale Fanon, being the Dreamtale developed by fans based on the belief that Corrupted Nightmare is more or less Night, has strayed so far from its original story (it focuses more on the "broken brothers" relationship of the twins, their mutual development and their relationships with the characters of the Undertale fandom), that over time, by putting down roots in the world of Undertale and through the influence of the creators, Dreamtale would have "split." This double would then have merged with the codes of the Undertale Multiverse, because Dreamtale was so well integrated into it that this version of it ended up becoming imprinted on the very core and codes. That's why, in F!Dreamtale, we don't always mention the other trees, since they never joined the Undertale Multiverse. Even we NEVER mention them in Dreamtale's AU's like Swapdream or the alternative Multiverses like Dreamswap, Swapverse, etc. That's why Dream and Nightmare exist in the alternative Multiverses,AU's and not the rest (Vampireverse, Empireverse, Minuscultale and so on).

The result is two Dreamtales:

The Canon Dreamtale, which belongs to Joku,

The Fanon Dreamtale, which belongs to the Fandom Joku too.

Well yeah, it's still Dreamtale, so it still belongs to Joku, no matter what haters want ◖눈ᴥ눈◗

Duh.

Also, this definitely doesn't prevent fanfics from being based on C!Dreamtale, it's even advisable to give it the prominence it deserves. Hence the idea of completely separating these versions, because fans can make fanfics about the Canon, and although it's fanon, it won't be similar to the F!Dreamtale version at all.

Two worlds taking different thematic paths created on the uncertainty of Night's death (like a "Schrodinger's Night" ͡° ͜ · ͡°).

Next theory!

☁︎ Tree of Feelings/Creators link:

This is a question I picked up when wondering about Dream and Corrupted's various attacks. Where Dream needs a body to hold him together, Corrupted has so many black apples that he can physically hold himself together without a body, and more or less correctly. Do positive and negative energies function differently? Is it because Corrupted has more apples that he holds on better? What is positive and negative energy in Dreamtale's Lore?

At the beginning, I'd started from the principle that Energy with a big E, being what makes up absolutely all existing things, humans and monsters alike, could be used by Dream and Corrupted to be converted into either magical energy or physical energy. As Dream only holds one apple and enjoys a body, he'd mindlessly convert his energy into magical energy, which is why he has a soul similar to human's souls and why he's able to heal as green magic does, or cause damage as white magic does. For Corrupted's part, possessing no body of his own and having amassed enough power from his hundreds of apples, he would have to convert negative energy into physical energy. This would require a great deal of power and would therefore explain why, despite he's stronger than Dream, he's not 999X stronger than him. He already uses a lot of his energy simply... Holding on without melting.

I also theorised that if one of them were to acquire all the apples, not only would it have a stable body, but it would also be able to convert this energy as it saw fit. Corrupted could then generate magical attacks AND have a physical body.

The trouble is... Dreamtale isn't actually part of Undertale. So there's no Magic,Physics duality. And even assuming that Dream converts that energy into magical energy because he's unconsciously copying the way his adopted world works, he's still canonically attacking with positive energy and not MAGIC made from positive energy. Energy comes in many forms, but I don't think he can control it in such a pure form...

All this can still hold together, but what bothers me most is that pure Energy would have... A positive side and a negative side? And what's more, related to feelings? Why not, but I'm not really pleased with.

Dream and Corrupted's energy is material, palpable. Of course, we could stop at the fact that it's just a magical energy like we find everywhere in stories and not ask ourselves any more questions.

But I love wracking my brains to find answers to questions that no one wonder, so I'll keep going èwé–

What kind of energy would this refer to? Not energy in the scientific sense, because that's independent of any emotion, whereas in Dreamtale, positive energy, for example, is directly linked to positive feelings.

Because tree of FEELINGS–

The most plausible thing I found with is that positive and negative energies are linked to the spiritual energy: auras, meditation, etc. Proof of its existence is fairly hazy in the world of creators. But in the world of fiction...? What if? This energy of consciousness exists, whether it's real or not. And if it's not in the real world, as long as there are people who believe in it, then it's in the world of fiction. What if the fruits of the tree of feelings were the material manifestation of this spiritual energy produced by the consciousness of the creators? Just as a world is created by a creative mind, what about Dream and Nightmare were the guardians of the feelings of fiction as the direct embodiment of the emotions that creators instil in their work? This could be the reason why Dreamtale isn't made up of codes, because it's the direct embodiment of a philosophy and not just another fictional universe among many.

I can't decide whether it's too obvious or too far-fetched ^^". It was the concept in Underverse that made me think of it... There are references between what Nightmare implies in 0.6 and creators tearing up their own universes because they're filled with negative emotions. Underverse isn't canon, but there's nothing to stop this idea of the creator,feeling link being applied to Dreamtale.

Especially as it allows us to imagine something even bigger that could work in relation to the three trees...

But before that, a little theory about Corrupted, because the more we learn about him, the more this character becomes... Mysterious.

☁︎ Something is rotten in the state of Dreamtale :

Ever since I knew that the three trees were part not of the Undertale Multiverse but of all the other Multiverses, I've been wondering why it should be Corrupted who embodies absolute Evil and not someone else. After all, we know plenty of evil lords, don't we? Isn't it a bit pretentious to claim him to be above everyone else?

But one detail, one nuance, makes all the difference.

By definition, Corrupted does not embody Evil, but negative feelings. He embodies them because he has become their guardian, their bearer. What I'm trying to say is that black apples and evil are not linked... Black apples are not fundamentally evil. They have no conscience; they are neutral, they exist for balance and have a purpose of their own.

No, Corrupted is Evil for another reason. He's Evil because he's simply wicked. If the personification of negative feelings is evil, it's not because the negative emotions or the apples are mean, but because they are themselves corrupted, alienated by a consciousness that manipulates them irresponsibly. Why would the Entity feel hatred? Hatred and not despair or dread? Because he was already filled with hatred, or because he has a fighting personality that allows him to exploit this emotion for its dark projects. Is it a sign that Corrupted isn't worthy of being their carrier? After all, he's not their basic guardian; it was Nim, then Nightmare.

In this way, that doesn't prevent him from being THE allegory on the scale of all dimensions (or of a large area of dimensions, if you don't like the idea that Dreamtale is linked to all fictional universes) , because the role relating to negative FEELINGS in a neutral behaviour is rather original. He's an allegory of negative feelings that doesn't need to be, and that gives a false image of what negative feelings actually are; the pejorative and common image we have of them. In reality, negative feelings are neither good nor bad; they mean no harm to others. The one who wishes them harm is the Entity, Corrupted.

He's a simple villain who has got his hands on power that doesn't belong to him and is out of control with.

...

Maybe not a 'simple' villain either?

Because, another theory, I think that Corrupted is this fourth guardian that Joku mentioned. Firstly because I don't know who else he could be, but also because he knows about the other dimensions outside Undertale. How would he know if he didn't come from outside? Who else would this fourth guardian be, and why would Joku mention him? What's more, a number of elements fit together with this theory, notably his strategy of manipulating Nim (Nim is far from stupid, and he probably wouldn't have succeeded so easily if he didn't already know a little about her), in order to create Dream and Nightmare, dividing positivity and negativity to undermine the pillars of balance, all with the aim of finding a carnal envelope and taking possession of the Tree of Feelings...

Like a plan that has been fine-tuned for years and years... Add to this the anecdote that the tree guardians are not the original guardians and that Nim learnt something awful about them before leaving for Undertale, and you'd think there was a rotten menace already pulling the strings in the shadows, long before our dear twins were born.

So what is Corrupted looking for? What's his ultimate plan? To spread negativity across all dimensions and reign supreme as a Living God?

A fine programme... But what if we took his ambitions one step further?

☁︎ Feelings, Life, Magic:

Why three trees? Why THESE three trees? Why place them at the centre of the Multiverse? Why are feelings, life and magic at the heart of the worlds? What link can we make between them?

Feelings, well ok, that works... Life and death, logical... Magic? Why magic? Magic isn't a necessary element in the Multiverse, sometimes it doesn't even exist... Why a tree of Magic and not a tree of Souls, or a tree of Virtues and Sins, for example? Undertale is very closely linked to magic, but that's not the case for all worlds...

This is where we come back to the idea that apples are the materialised forms of the feelings creators apply to their work... Does this also work with Magic and Life? Yes, it does. Trees don't just take care of Feelings, Life and Death and Magic... They reflect what creators need to create.

Feelings, as we've said, are exactly what it takes to find inspiration, to feed the imagination like maintain fire. As long as the feelings remain, so do the passion and inspiration.

Life, on the other hand, is quite simply what enables a work to exist, to remain. Life is the nest in which the spirit bathes, gathering together the experiences of the creator, housing and preserving them. You could also say that the more lives there are to witness a work, the more real a work is.

Inspiration, yes... The environment, all right... But what is needed to create something out of nothing? To make the unreal real? The immaterial material?

Nothing more than a little magic ✨ !

Not the kind of magic you find in fiction with wizards and pseudo-scientific logic, no... Magic in the sense of believing in something irrational. To believe that these worlds exist, to have faith without needing proof. Accepting imagination. Not in a religious connotation, but in the sense: Magic = Consenting Suspension of Disbelief.

Feelings: The fuel.

Life: The oxygen.

Magic: The spark.

Fire triangle is complete.

What if these three trees were the equivalent of the Triforce of Creation itself? Feelings to stimulate, Life to sustain, Magic to materialize.

What would happen if, by some mischance, an ill-intentioned person managed to seize the power of these three trees? What would be the consequences? In the end, perhaps this mysterious Entity wants more than just the golden apple in Dream's care?

And if these three trees work very well together, what would the fourth guardian be doing?

Would he be the original guardian?

Or the exact opposite of Creation: Destruction and Nothingness?

(Voilà! I hope theses theories will have interested you ^^ And you, what do you think? Do you have theories about what's going to happen in the Dreamtale sequel?)

I remember somewhere that they thought negatively/Neutral about Nim but is that true?

I don't know what post you're referring to, you'll have to find it for me if you remember it.

hard question to answer either way, here's what I do know: Dream and Nightmare were explicitly kept in the dark by her and didn't know much about her. They would almost certainly be fond of her at the beginning, if only confused but solemnly accepting as to why she rarely ever spoke to them.

Lanny was incredibly fond of Nim, so it's possible Dream would be influenced by that view (though Lanny, too, might take a while to tell him about her since she was quite bereaved by her death)

Disclaimer: I’m not Dream’s creator, all these flaws are merely analyses and conclusions made from canon info and confirmations I’ve received! If there is a mistake, I will fix it with sufficient proof that it is incorrect.

Some of the following flaws could probably be grouped with others, as they all tie heavily into one another, but I will keep them separate to properly display the subset/different problems each one can cause for Dream.

Terms:

Character Flaw - a bias, limitation, imperfection, problem, personality disorder, phobia, prejudice, of deficiency present in a character.

Major flaw - a flaw that affects a character significantly.

Minor flaw - a flaw that has minimal impact on the character but still exists as an imperfection.

Fatal flaw - a flaw that causes a character’s downfall.

Personality Flaws

Disregards his own Personal Wellness (Major) - Dream always prioritizes others over himself, meaning he will suppress his emotions and ignore physical injuries in order to keep others safe and happy, which includes his extreme trauma and the weight of the powers and responsibilities that rest on him. This flaw causes many of his other flaws, such as the fact he runs himself ragged, and is constantly overworking himself (workaholic). He disregards injuries so long as he can still stand and puts himself in dangerous situations (reckless). This does not mean he sees himself negatively, but rather puts others at such a high priority that he will always put them before himself, even if it severely harms him.

Refuses Help for Himself/Emotionally Closed Off (Major) - Dream is not open about his struggles and pain. He pushes people who try to help him aside to keep them away from his problems. This prevents him from getting support.

Self Inflicts Loneliness (Major)- Because Dream pushes people away and is constantly on the move, as well as the fact he’s afraid getting too close to people will hurt them, Dream has very few people he trusts or can use as emotional support, resulting in extreme loneliness. He feels this is necessary, but it does not mean it hurts him any less. He thinks he can manage things by himself and will continue to do so. This is also causes Dream to be unable to be there for people he does manage to befriend, because he always has bigger things to be worried about. He doesn't want to let down his friends by making them think he doesn't care enough about them to spend time with them, so he doesn't make any.

Gullible (Minor) - Dream isn’t very knowledgeable, while not an extreme flaw, this means he’s often gullible to believing people when they’re trying to use him. This can lead to a further rationalization his feelings don’t matter.

Extremely Kind/Altruistic (Nearly Fatal/Major) - The flaw that fuels many of the other flaws Dream has. Being extremely kind is not a flaw in itself, but rather becomes one when it is taken to extreme lengths as example with Dream. Dream will often choose the most selfless option over the most rational or Dream will rarely stand up for himself, as he again, prioritizes others happiness over his own. He’s not going to get aggressive with someone even if they’re being terrible to him. This leaves him vulnerable to abuse and being used for his kindness. He will protect and help people who would never do the same for him, which often gets him hurt by the people he’s helping. His overly forgiving nature and self-disregarding mindset puts him at high risk to be hurt by others looking to take advantage of him. This almost becomes a fatal flaw during his battle with Nightmare. It leads to his loss.

Stubborn/Reckless (Major) - Because Dream pushes himself to his limits for others, when he believes something he is doing is right, he won’t back down from it no matter how dangerous the situation is to him, so long as he believes it won’t kill him/put the apple at too great a risk, even if others are trying to deter him.

Quick to Place Guilt on Himself (Minor)- Dream pins problems on himself rather than others, even if he did nothing wrong. He feels morally obligated to help people and feels bad if he doesn’t.

Over Apologetic (Minor) - In tandem with guilt, Dream will apologize very quickly if he thinks he might have messed up and said or done something that would make someone upset, even if what he did is perfectly healthy or normal, such as cry in front of someone.

PTSD/Anxiety (Major) - Dream shows traits of being extremely anxious at times, as well as experiencing symptoms of ptsd. He is sometimes overwhelmed by his job as a guardian and often wonders if he’s not capable of living up to what others expect of him.

Awkward (Minor) - Dream is awkward at properly conversing sometimes, as he has less than perfect English, doesn’t understand jokes or sarcasm, and can often misinterpret things.

Innocent/Naive (Minor) - Working both as a flaw and strength depending on the situation, Dream is extremely optimistic and wants the best for everyone. He takes on some characteristics of a child and often won’t be taken seriously because of it.

Unskilled Socially/Severely Unknowledgeable (Minor) - Dream had no formal education and lacks dozens of basic societal skills, though this remains minor as he rarely requires them.

Physical

Aura (Major) - His aura is a physical attribute that causes Dream a lot of stress, worry, and often, prevents him from being super happy as it grows stronger the happier he is. It hurts others when he stays around them for too long, making them obsessed, clingy, or potentially violent when he has to leave.

Hi! Hello! I'm here to talk about Nightmare's corruption. In canon. Because some people seem to think it 'protects him' and Dream trying to revert him back is Dream 'not acknowledging his trauma'.

So Nightmare! Dream's brother! Everyone seems to know the story! He got bullied. While Dream is away, he tried to take a positive apple to show the villagers he can be good, he corrupts the entire tree, making everyone become severely negative and Dream to come rushing back, and the villagers start going after him! Everyone knows it, right? Great.

'"Get stronger" he heard a voice that came from not the tree, but from the black apples. It was the voice of a man, very different to mother's.' - Page 28 of the Dreamtale comic.

This my friends is your corrupted Nightmare. A being so utterly corrupt, he’d rather watch the entire multiverse die than let it live with positivity. A culmination of the man that killed Nim, Night’s past memories, and potentially memories or fragments of Nim as well, all brought together by a being of pure negativity. This is who you know as corrupted Nightmare.

As Nightmare ate more and more apples, his body began to break as it couldn't withstand the energy of it. The power consumed him, his body snapped and cracked apart. He let this person take control as he promised to protected him from everything. This, of course, was a lie. And with it, the Nightmare Dream knew as his brother was gone.

Corrupted Nightmare is not actually protecting Nightmare. He's a horrible man, who wants every single person in the multiverse to be negative, and erase positive feelings from existence. He killed their entire AU. He uses Nightmare's fear, Nightmare's pain, Nightmare's suffering, manipulates him, and uses him to gain a body.

It is said there is an ever so slight chance to bring Night back, but it would likely get Dream killed. As of right now, the Nightmare Dream knew as a brother is essentially dead. He's not corrupted Nightmare, corrupted Nightmare is only using the body of Night to enact his horrors upon the multiverse.

So... Dream wanting to reverse that?

Is actually a selfless and dangerous thing that would not only, you know, stop a horrible, sadistic negative entity from terrorizing every single person he comes across, but also potentially save Nightmare and actually let him recover from his trauma.

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's not great at keeping friends. As I've discussed before, he rarely makes proper bonds with people, is afraid staying near someone too long with make them grow attached to him, and is constantly trying to help everyone he can meaning he doesn't have the time or ability to care more for a friend than everyone else.

Recently re-released was the info Ink and Dream are no longer friends after Dream goes out into the multiverse. This was first talked about in 2017 but has now been restated for reminders/new people to the story.

And with said release, a multitude of massive leaps in logic conclusions have been made by others, so I'm here to explain why Dream and Ink's falling out makes perfect sense for their characters and is not out of character, ableist, or makes Dream (or even Ink for that matter) a bad person in any way shape or form.

To begin, it should be made very obvious when it is said Dream is no longer Ink's friend it simply means he no longer trusts Ink. He no longer believes Ink will stand behind him or be a proper friend in return. This does not mean Dream hates him, or Dream wouldn't protect/help him. Dream is still an altruistic person and will help even those he doesn't consider his 'friend'. He's still friendly to everyone. Friend just means someone in which you have a mutual bond of affection with, and as I'm about to explain, that's clearly not the case here.

So why isn't Ink Dream's friend anymore? To put it simply, Ink's moral values are in direct opposition to Dream's. Ink believes in the integrity of stories and does not care if the characters of worlds get hurt simply because it is part of the story, as this keeps creativity going. This does not mean that Ink is a bad person, nor means Dream thinks he's a bad person. It simply means Ink has a different outlook on the multiverse, and unfortunately one that actively gets in the way of Dream's ultimate goal and core moral beliefs. This likely causes Dream to feels discouraged or untrusting of Ink to help him to achieve Dream's goal for obvious reasons, and because Dream would rather help everyone than just one person, he's not ever going to sacrifice his beliefs simply to appease Ink. Ink is against what Dream does. Dream does not have the obligation to try to be friends with him, no matter the reason for those beliefs Ink holds.

This isn't out of character for Dream either. As stated, he's not good with genuine friendships in the first place. While he might still try to convince Ink he should care about the literal lives of people (and no, that's not a bad thing to do whether or not you headcanon Ink as neurodivergent. Just because you think he doesn't care because he's neurodivergent does not change the fact that these are genuine people to Dream, and Ink often doesn't take actions to protect them, meaning Dream, a highly empathic person, though potentially understanding why Ink feels that way, can say he still should protect them, or allow Dream to protect them without interference, without Dream being ableist or a bad, uncaring person. Just because Ink doesn't care does not change the fact that it is wrong to let people, which to Dream these very much are, die for the belief it's just part of the story) Ink, as we know, wont care about Dream's concerns. Eventually, even if Dream tried over and over again, after enough trying there's no point in wasting your energy trying to convince a person to take what you see as the morally proper actions. This, on top of the fact Ink is likely disparaging of Dream's work, whether he thinks Dream is naive or wrong, means Dream shouldn't have to keep trying to be Ink's friend, and it is healthy for him to distance himself from that kind of relationship. Sometimes, a friendship isn't worth the effort if you're giving all the compassion and the other person is either doing nothing or actively against things you do or believe in, and considering Ink is against one of Dream's fundamental beliefs, it is in Dream's best interest not to try to continue that friendship.

Again, this doesn't mean he's 'given up on Ink'. Ink's not a bad guy and Dream's not a therapist. There's nothing he's obligated to help with in the first place, and thus can't really give up on anything by distancing himself. It just means, Dream is choosing to follow his own path rather than rely on a support Ink is clearly not there to give.

This is an okay thing to do. This is a healthy thing to do. It doesn't mean Ink's bad person or even that his beliefs are inherently wrong (because we know this genuinely is a story). It just means Dream, someone existing with a very different outlook to this life than Ink, who sees everyone around him as real genuine people and feels their pain and suffering where Ink just sees planned events, doesn't have to be 'friends' with him. And that's okay.

And honestly, because we know this happens later in Dream's story, this is a good example of how he has matured. He's not just going to give up on what he believes in. He's not naive enough to think staying in this friendship is likely to make Ink change his mind. Ink is steadfast in his beliefs and Dream can't change that, and he likely doesn't want to make Ink irritated by constantly trying. This decrease in trust is perfectly in line for both their characters, and it shows the vast spectrum of 'good' itself. Ink has a bigger picture to goodness and sustainability, Dream is focused on the here and now, the individuals, making things better in the moment. They don't have to be friends to both be good people doing good things. That is why I firmly believe their falling out is entirely in character. And that is what I find so interesting about their characters in general.

A lot of people complain Dream has no development in Dreamtale, which I guess is technically true since the comics have yet to go past the beginning of the story and not everyone cares to learn about the rest of the story, but I'd like to discuss the character development we can clearly see occuring outside of the comics, symbolized by Dream's outfit and Dream's weapons.

You see, in the comics, Dream summons a staff. A defensive weapon to fight against Nightmare because he doesn't want to hurt him, or really fight him at all. He's wearing the cape Nightmare gave to him, he's staring the person he believes to be his brother down, in a fight that could very well cost him his life. And his fear, and confusion, and his pacifism dearly cost him.

Beyond the comics, it's pretty common knowledge Dream a. Gets a new outfit and b. Takes on new weapons. These two things happen after he frees himself from stone and if you study the images with him drawn with this outfit/weaponry, you'll see he looks significantly older than in the main comics, which is correct, he is older. This outfit shows him growing older, this outfit symbolizes his advancing maturity as he finds his place among AUs and in his role as a guardian. He never lets go if the cape Nightmare gave him because he's still scared and he's still alone, but he's not as naive, or as powerless as he was during that first fight. He's not going to let go of what's dear to him, even if he is growing older. He's not growing colder, he's growing more mature. He takes on a bow, a more offensive weapon, as he learns how to balance fighting/altruism. He takes on knives after that, once again showing his developing mindset, but even then, he doesn't use those knives to harm people, or be more violent. He uses them as last resorts, to protect himself. He's smart, he's maturing, he learns pacifism only goes so far, but altruism, and a good hearted nature is still integral. He's becoming intelligent without becoming cruel or jaded. It all culminates into someone who'd make the decision to put aside his emotions and kill corrupted Nightmare for the betterment of the multiverse, but, would, at the same time, welcome him back with open arms and tears streaming down his face if he ever turned back to normal. Someone who always puts both the greater good and his own kindness above everything else, while still being smart about his decisions, and not letting emotions get in the way.

His outfit and weaponry symbolize Dream's maturity and character development, and even though it has yet to be shown through a story or animation (though that might change through) it's really not hard to see the character development he does have. In a fandom where half of the stories told about characters are through text posts and side info, this should be no different.

The canon did this with nothing more than a simple yet effective outfit and weapon change, and I'm so sad so many people completely missed it, because I cant think of a character development more interesting than pitting a character against his own emotions, morals, and struggles, without ever turning him evil or cold. Finding the true balance between good-hearted, selfless, and cunningly intelligent.