Bowlines
Throw Off the Bowlines is a Dream SMP fantasy AU with art and fics that rest on a solid narrative and a lot of worldbuilding.
In this AU, common people look to our heroes and see immortal beacons of hope—or bringers of destruction. Eret carries the last legacy of an overthrown dynasty. Phil's sons raise crime-ridden slums into a hopeful nation that rises and falls with their love for each other. Dream's bonds and betrayals see empires and gods destroyed in their wake.
Everyone is a protagonist; everyone has secrets; every decision shakes the world to its core.
TLDR
A Game of Thrones-esque fantasy AU where every player is an immortal Dreamon.
Story
Bowlines is a story of Dreamers, and how they shape the world.
There are set to be at least five fics in this AU, mostly written by Thei (@cosmelts, isthei).
The main storyline focuses on the Sleepy Bois, Tubbo, and L'Manberg; and how their fates intertwine with that of the God-King Dream. But, we have stories for every single player on the SMP, and we'd like to tell them as much as possible!
Bowlines' stories aren't told in the same order that they happened; instead, fics focus on specific character arcs or big events. But, each fic contributes to the larger plot and slowly builds your knowledge of the world and its lore. Rest assured, we've planned the lore out thoroughly and we'll make sure that it's easy to follow.
We recommend reading the stories in the order they're listed on our AO3 page. You can view the main cast here. You can read an abbreviated description of the setting here.
Players
Dream
The epitome of a Dreamer. He was a beloved hero who became something else entirely after going to the End, and has been de facto overlord of the Dreamlands for 100 years. Some regions worship him as a god due to the powerful destruction magic only he wields.
Technoblade
Philza's eldest son, who stayed on Old Earth long after his brothers left for the Dreamlands. While he was a renowned arena warrior, he spent most of his time tending to a potato farm, trying to earn enough money to fix their old house. His hatred for governments runs deep.
Wilbur
Philza's middle son, who was a bard on Old Earth. He arrived in the Dreamlands a few years after Tommy, carrying a newborn son and ideals that would upset the political balance of the continent. His charisma carried him to greatness, but it will also be his undoing.
Tommy
Philza's youngest son, who left Old Earth to make a name for himself in the Dreamlands. His older brothers can do no wrong in his eyes, and he most treasures two discs Phil gave him. There are mysterious forces backing him, but he's doing his best to pretend they don't exist.
Tubbo
Tommy's closest friend, found living in a box in the woods. He likes to believe the best of everyone, sometimes to extreme degrees. He somehow managed to get into the Dreamon Hunt without them realizing that he's a Dreamon; and is surprisingly secretive.
Fics
???
Technoblade-centric | 15% (currently at 2000+ words) | pre-canon to S1 finale
Warnings: temporary character death, canon-typical violence
Backstory, Character study, Coming of age, Dadza, Sleepy Bois Inc.
Techno's backstory. Introduces a lot of lore concepts and big players. Sort of fell into becoming a mirror of the monomyth. This one's for you, Mr. Blade!
poet, follow right
Fundy-centric | 3,576 (complete) | post-November 16th
Warnings: past character death, Ghostbur
Angst with a happy ending, Dadza, Family bonding, Grampza, Touch-starved
Analysis of Wilbur and Fundy's father-son relationship, and the early days of New L'Manberg. Philza and Quackity make appearances. The first written fic in this AU. People seemed to like it, so here we are now :]
???
Tubbo-centric | 10% (currently at 500+ words) | S1 finale to start of Exile Arc
Warnings: past character death, canon-typical violence
Character study, Coming of age
A definitive Tubbo apologist fic. In this AU, the rebuilding of L'Manberg takes a decade because we like pacing! An examination of what led Tubbo to exile his best friend.
Dreamons
Dreamon is a slur used for Dreamers.
What's a Dreamer? A Dreamer is a player, an immortal, a chosen one, a nexus for sympathetic magic. They tend to be heroes, diplomats, inventors, or mages.
Dreamers age very slowly. When they die, they return to the last place they dreamed.
Dreamerhood is partially hereditary, and sometimes results in mutations like Fundy's foxhood and Skeppy's diamond skin. Dreamers pick up and handle magic far easier than normal people.
Perhaps the most iconic Dreamer ever is Dream himself: a renowned hero who now serves as the Emperor of the Dreamlands.
The World
Our world has two continents of interest: Old Earth and the Host. It takes about a year to sail between the two of them.
The Sleepy Bois grew up on Old Earth, a vast continent that values tradition. Magic isn't very well-liked, and belongs only to the people in power.
The Host is smaller but far more powerful. It's home to the Dreamlands, an empire with an iron grip on most of the continent. It has been ruled by Dream since he overthrew the Flamingo Court, whose last descendant is the ex-king and great betrayer, Eret.
Every part of the Host which isn't held by the Dreamlands is called the Badlands. It's made up of scattered kingdoms and cities that serve as centers of diversity and the arts. They keep only a tenuous hold over their lands.
Of course, there will be a third faction on the Host; but that's a story for another time.
Art
Chael @meybuyan finalizes the canonical art for this AU. Kei @illuskrator and Tsaacho @techoart make beautiful character designs and illustrations!
Everyone is free to make art for this AU, if they want! Here are some of our character designs:
