yay okay, I was thinking about the mask for a while, so do you think c!dream wore the mask since the beginning of dsmp or if he started wearing it at a specific point in time during it? (also if you have any thoughts on why he wears it :0)
HI!! Busy day and i spent half of it thinking about how I'd answer this jfhgkd
Ngl, i am not very creative with headcanons but I do have a bit of a train of thought plotted out for this one.
I think he always had the mask since the start of the dsmp. His backstory revolves around the manhunts with the hunters, right, so I imagine it originally came from the beginning of the those. Before it got Official™, when it was just friends running around and being silly. Maybe they were kids and they each decided to have a little Visual Shtick, as kids do. George had his goggles, Sapnap had his headband, and Dream had a mask, made out of something no better than a paper plate-- costumes to go along with their little games. And over time, they got replaced and polished, etc etc, but I think the mask had always been handmade. Hand carved and painted, something he just became known for and kept up the look.
I don’t think it held much significance besides being something he always had and something people recognized him for. Like someone who wears the same jacket every day. Even back then, he probably just thought it was cool and and silly
In the early days, I'd say Dream took it off more. Like around the OG 7 mostly, but then less-so for new people. But during the later wars and after the prison escape, he never took it off. At that point, it's just to make himself look less and less like a person. Show no weakness.