Your happy thoughts are drenched in Uranium.

You need to be a genius to split your conciousness? I didn't know we had rules for things that we have no idea how they'd work.

why have there been so many pregnant pony pics on derpibooru lately? I even saw one of breaburn! I was not expecting to have to add mpreg to my hidden list!

It depends on whether or not you're copying your mind or dividing it. If you're dividing it, then two of you is only half as mentally capable of as you normally are. Making yourself dumber when you're trying to guide and protect people would be a bad idea, and straight up copies has all sorts of implications.

edited 21st Dec '12 6:57:05 AM by PerpetualLurker

Personally, the kind of mental capability for multi-point perception is limited for creatures without the necessary mental architecture to use it at full capacity, like, say, cyborgs with supplementary computing power to parallel-process all that extra information.

Even the higher-tier Pantheon-class gods I've seen limit their use of this power because it leaves them defenseless when they use it. Even Maia and Valar like Morgoth and Sauron don't exhibit such multi-point perception.

edited 21st Dec '12 6:58:19 AM by AceOfScarabs

But how do we how splitting your conciousness to visit thousands of dreams would work?

The method I reverse-engineered was to leave some kind of reflection of yourself in countless dreamscapes, all linked back to you. If anything catches a Reflection's attention, it will alert you and allow you to take control of the Reflection and personally intervene.

@Bad We don't. Which is why I find jumping to the conclusion that makes the characters as powerful as possible makes no sense to me. All it will do is make things later on make no sense. If the characters are really that powerful, then issues arise when problems that should be easily solvable if they had that level of power are not easily solved.

@Ace: That's not true. manwe sees everything and his partner hears everything. In Dn D, even the weakest deity can sense everything that has anything to do with their portfolio in the multiverse. The stronger ones can sense it before it happens.

@Perpetual: Firstly, as Badwolf says, you're making assumptions about it requiring genius intellect when there's no need for it to do so. Secondly, as I've said before. We watched her literally split herself, away from prying eyes. So they weren't constructs or illusions. The reason that I've been pulling the "other characters can do it card" is not for evidence but to demonstrate that it's hardly unique so I don't get the hesitation to accept it when the evidence indicates it.

EDIT: I accept the interpretation that makes the most sense to me. What I don't get is the insistence on assuming that they are as weak as possible and interpretting the evidence with that light. I've adjusted my assumptions of their powerlevel multiple times based on what I've seen in the show. And generally, the show keeps telling me that I've been too conservative in my guesses.

edited 21st Dec '12 7:21:03 AM by Sereg

Remember dreams usually run on accelerated time. Perhaps Luna keeps jumping her consciousness between them (we only see her twice in an otherwise rather long sequence) and time compression means she gets the conversations that would in the real world take a few minutes down to a few seconds.

@Sereg The evidence does not disprove it, but it does not in any way indicate it. Hence, I assume the easier and lower power solution that raises less further questions.

And why does her creating the Shadowbolts out of sight indicate anything? You don't create your illusions in front of the intended target because then they would know they aren't real. It's common sense.

I've said that several times, and it makes way more sense that near omniscience over dreams.

edited 21st Dec '12 7:23:49 AM by PerpetualLurker

@Sereg: Manwe? Oh yeah that guy.

Spitfire :D

@ Lurker: I fail to see what scenario Luna being able to visit everypony's dreams would inhibit. Every adventure plot we've seen so far as either not been ponies, Luna herself or the most powerful Unicorn/Smoke Monster Sombra.

@Sereg There's a difference between trying to make characters weaker and trying to avoid characters having a Story-Breaker Power.

The ability to read the minds of every single being within the kingdom every night isn't a problem? Sure, it doesn't affect the day-today plot, but it raises questions about how she didn't know about things like the Changeling invasion plan well ahead of time, for a quick example.

edited 21st Dec '12 7:28:07 AM by PerpetualLurker

I made an edit. Also, I have no idea how the power levels I assume would make things any easier to solve. After all, I'm scaling enemies together. And as I said, I interpret by the most literal version. Because that requires the fewest assumptions

EDIT:I don't see how it's a problem either. And things are only a Story-Breaker Power if nopony can counter it. Maybe you need to read some more high-powered and haxverses. There's nothing wrong with them.

edited 21st Dec '12 7:30:28 AM by Sereg

Depends. Being more aware than other persons/ponies doesn't mean jack if you can't do anything about it. Even assuming she can divide her consciousness effectively between several thousand ponies, a mental power doesn't always translate into being effective against threats like Sombra.

@ Lurker: Changelings aren't ponies and Cadance was an Alicorn. I'm going with Alicorns are to powerful to force yourself into their dreams.

edited 21st Dec '12 7:30:19 AM by Badwolfwho

Thread Hop

What are we arguing about now?

I agree with Kegi and Badwolf.

@JT: Whether or not my assumption of the series' powerlevel is impossible based on events of the show.

@Sereg But you are making assumptions. This is the literal interpretation given what we know:

Luna can visit dreams. She is seen in Scootaloo's dreams on two separate nights. She says that it is her duty as Princess of the Night to do so. That's it. Nothing about visiting every dream everywhere at once, even where she is not needed. Nothing about being able to split her consciousness at will with no ill effects. I'm the one not making any assumptions, here.

I'm not saying that it's impossible. Just unnecessary and jumps to too many conclusions without evidence.

edited 21st Dec '12 7:33:44 AM by PerpetualLurker

Oh, this again. All I'm going to say is that the show hasn't given us enough info to definitively state what their power level is, and it's pretty much up to interpretation and headcanon.

As far as Luna goes, my take on it is that she can sort of wander through the dream world occasionally drops in to help ponies who have recurring nightmares.

@JT: People need reasons to argue? News to me.

I'm sorry, who's taking which position here? I thought that Perpetual was the one under the impression that the power was too... powerful.

@Perpetual Lurker: But Scootaloo isn't her only subject. It makes no sense for her to only visit Scootaloo's dreams.

This. Though I prefer "patrols" instead of "wanders". Gives it more of a sense of duty.

Not that kind of duty!