Dunn Smith headcanon 02 - Beyonder timeline
I'm trying to work out the timeline for Dunn consuming Characteristics and this man is just so bad at Digesting and advancing (even without Consuming).
Facts: He has been a Beyonder for 15 years.
• ~3 years as Sleepless • ~9 years as Midnight Poet • 2 years as a Nightmare (Note: I'm not sure if the length of time for Sleepless and Midnight Poet were stated, I'm only basing his time at Sleepless on the 3-year advancement rule for Nighthawks. He could have stayed at Sleepless for much longer and had a shorter spot through Poet. But maybe he's just not the type that would burn the midnight oil on creative works, hence stalling.)
• 5 Years ago, Daly joined the Nighthawks and that's when she and Dunn figured out the Indestructibility of Beyonder Characteristics rule.
• By this time, Dunn probably stalled at Midnight Poet for at least 6 years.
• 5 years ago is also when Adelaide sacrificed himself in some accident/incident, and Dunn was there to consume his characteristics. So, assuming Adelaide was the first, Hitte and Dwayne were consumed in short order within the next 5 years.
• Whatever the case, it lit a fire under his ass and he got through digesting enough of the Characteristics/potion to finally advance to Nightmare. My head canon is it involved his dreams during the years before Seq 7 dovetailing into doing things that helped quickly digest Midnight Poet.
• If the director's comments on episode 9 of the Donghua is any indication, Dunn's also good at writing eulogies 😢
As another side note, Dunn never 100% digested ANY of his potions. In volume 1 he expressed surprise when Klein explained what potion digesting felt like. (Beyonders can still advance when they feel close enough to completion, and the acting method is what pushes someone to that 100% level)