User:15/Archive/Dream SMP

Dream SMP is an invite-only survival multiplayer (SMP) server in Minecraft. Created by the YouTuber Dream, it features extensive role playing with other YouTubers including TommyInnit and Wilbur Soot, collectively referred to as the Dream Team. Their activities are streamed to Twitch and uploaded to YouTube. It is one of the most popular Minecraft online series.

History and plot
Dream SMP was founded by Dream and GeorgeNotFound in April or May 2020 as a small server amongst a few friends. It quickly gained popularity, in part due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and collaboration across various YouTube channels. It features a cinematic-style universe of Dream Team members engaged in lengthy feuds and battles, likened by Wired 's Cecilia D'Anastasio to a "Machiavellian political drama". Most content, apart from major plot points driving a larger story, is improvised.

The Disc Saga, the server's longest-running series, was described by Julia Alexander of The Verge as a "dramatic tale of good versus evil", as Dream and TommyInnit fought over dominance in the server. It began with the destruction of Sapnap's house, causing him to destroy the perpetrator's tree house in retaliation. As fighting ensued, Dream took rare musical discs from both players, promising to only return them if they ceased fighting and TommyInnit handed over a rare chest plate. Another conflict broke out as Wilbur Soot founded L'Manberg, an in-game breakaway state for non-American players which seceded from the Greater Dream SMP nation and was later invaded and destroyed. Players can die up to three times before being permanently dead in-universe and some members play multiple characters.

The server has been visited by a number of guest stars, including Ninja, Lil Nas X, Pokimane, Corpse Husband, Addison Rae and MrBeast, who staged a game on the server by hiding gift cards worth $100,000 for Dream Team members to find.

Cultural impact
Dream SMP has attracted a global following, with hundreds of thousands of live viewers turning up for big, pre-planned events. Its storylines are analysed in documentary-style videos, such as those of MatPat, who describes the series as "narrative storytelling through the lens of gaming", and have spawned fan art, fan fiction and online musicals. Unusual for an online creator, Dream has encouraged fan fiction to be written about him, stating that it ultimately helps his career, according to Aenqa, who is an author of Heat Waves, the second-highest rated fan fiction on the Archives of Our Own website as of March 2021.

Heat Waves focuses on the fictional romantic relationship between Dream and GeorgeNotFound. As the song Heat Waves by Glass Animals became its unofficial soundtrack, the fan fiction's popularity contributed to it advancing to Australia's Hottest 100 in 2020. Some fan fiction were criticised for sexual depictions of underage members of the server and Dream discouraged fans from pairing up underage characters in their works. A minority of the server's following gained notoriety after harassing critics of the server.

D The Server?
Started in April 2020 as survival mode amongst friends. (A)

Started in May 2020 (G)(T)

Private server, IP address only given out to players who were invited (L)

Pandemic helped Minecraft being more popular than ever (D)

Channel grew in part due to collaborations across different youtube channels (D)

Most of the ma jor plot points scripted but some improvisation (A) (H)

Prolonged feuds, collection of endless battles (H)

"Machiavellian political drama" (E)

Marvel Cinematic style universe (D) (attribute due to promo language)

Disc Saga, turning seize the flag into a "dramatic story of good versus evil", Dream vs TommyInnit fighting for dominance (H)

Disc Sage, longest-running and most impactful series. Started with destruction of Sapnap's house, causing him to destroy the perpetrators treehouse. Dream took away rare musical discs and would only return them if fighting stopped and a TommyInnit handed over a rare chest plate (D)

TommyInnit well-known for starting conflicts. War against Dream escalated after Wilbur Soot joined (A)

Soot founded L'Manberg, an in-game breakaway state which seceded from the Greater Dream SMP nation. Later invaded and destroyed (A) (E) For non-American players (G)

One of the most popular minecraft series (C)

Guests stars like Fortnite's Ninja and rapper Lil Nas X (A) Other members of the streaming community have visited, like Pokimane, Corpse and Mr. Beast (A) and Addison Rae (S)

MrBeast gave away 100k dollars by hiding gift cards in the server for members to find (R)

Plenty of lore, factions, terminology etc. (A)

Every player only 3 lives until dying in the server's storyline (G)

Over 30 active members, some playing multiple characters. (A)

"keeping up with the lore and the day-to-day activity is part of the fun." (Q)

D Cultural impact
Fans are interested in both story and characters (A)

Fanfiction, fanart, videos e.g. MatPat and large Twitter following. (A)

Fanart on Tumblr and twitter, fan songs on YouTuber (H) Musical (H)

Fan-made animated episodes and clip accounts (H)

Encouraged by Dream, as it means that more people engage with his content (O)

Heat Waves, a fan story, third most liked work on Archive of Our Own. Glass Animals song "Heat Waves", in part due to the fanfiction, rose into the Hottest 100 tracks in Australia in 2020. (H) (I)

Song became the soundtrack to the fan story of the same name (I)

Heat Waves focuses on Dream and GeorgeNotFound fictional romantic relationship (H)(J)

HW highest-rated work on Archives of Our Own as of March 2021 (O)

Densely layered storytelling with romantic tension (I)

TommInnit compared to Theseus (H)

Fans sometimes a bit extreme, death threats etc. (G) (N)

Some fanfiction criticised for sexual depictions of Dream Team members (H) (N)

Dream discouraged followers from pairing up underage characters in fanfiction (G)

Global following (H), 100s of thousands of live viewers for big events (C)

Documentary-style videos (H)

Fanfiction dominates websites such as Archive of Our Own (H)

Dream SMP Updates, twitter account updating fans (H)

Twitter hashtags occasionally trending as number one in the US (FIND SOURCE FOR THIS!!! WAS BEFORE (O))

MatPat calls it "narrative storytelling through the lens of gaming". (P)