Pandora's Vault

Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)	Pandora's Vault
See also	Dream SMP
Fanart of one of the many areas of lava in Pandora's Vault by Thatbeansprout-art.
Related articles on Fanlore.

Fanart of a guard tower at Pandora's Vault by Moonriseoverminecraft.

Pandora's Vault aka Pandora's Vault Prison is a building in the Dream SMP story, and it's main part of the story is that it is the main (high security) prison in the later half of Dream SMP.

There are several elaborate or large builds in the Dream SMP, and this counts as one of them. In canon, it was originally built by Awesamdude (Sam) for a commission from Dream, as far as he knew for those Dream saw as disruptive, and it includes a lot of fairly complicated machinery, moving lava walls, moving doors and floors, key cards, etc. as well as obsidian, blackstone and decorations. Later Dream was locked up there after his threats to Tommyinnit and Tubbo_ and threats of bombings. Awesamdude and Quackity were left in charge and Badboyhalo and Antfrost sometimes acted as guards. In summary, inhumane conditions and torture occurred in Pandora's Vault, directly at Quackity's hands mostly, but with Awesamdude's and occasionally other's knowledge, and Awesamdude's assent. Technoblade, Ranboo, and ConnorEatsPants briefly end up imprisoned in Pandora's Vault as well, and all, including Dream, end up escaping through Technoblade's plans and with Nihachu's (Nikki's) help on the outside.

Fandom

Escape Rooms

Many in the fandom were impressed by the mechanical aspects and mechanisms in the design of Pandora's Vault, this inspired many to have discussions of it as an escape room. This also inspired many similar designs, often named after some ancient Greek god to stay on a theme, such as Poseidon's Vault. These, and the original building were often treated as virtual "Escape Rooms" for fun and as a puzzle of a kind.

Shipping

Gjinkas

As mentioned before, many people found themselves fascinated with the mechanical skill of the building itself, and also found that the specific ways that skill was being shown was suggestive in a mildly BDSM related way, and also many were interested in the decorations used. As is quite common in anime fandoms, and occasionally occurs in western fandoms, some fans were interested, and created art of Gjinkas or humanizations of the Pandora's Vault Prison building. It also became a common cosplay, many designs being roughly based on this art piece. Though oddly many discussions of such remain, but most images of the cosplay itself now have broken links.

Some shipping fanfic was created of the Gjinka of Pandora's Vault, including some gen, readerfic and self insert. It/they/she was also commonly shipped with Church Prime and occasionally with Foolish's ancient Egyptian themed base and Foolish's mansion, all of which were other elaborate buildings in the story.

Other Shipping

Though it is not literally referring to the place, "Pandora's Vault" is often used as a slang or nickname for character dynamics or shipping involving the main inhabitants of Pandora's Vault, this term usually includes Dream, Quackity, Awesamdude, and occasionally Ranboo. Common ships include Awesamdude/Dream, Quackity/Dream, and Awesamdude/Dream/Quackity. Fanworks for these, if they are set in the prison, frequently are either explicit and go into tropes associated with Prison relationships or sex, power and abuse of power, and Non-con, or explore the psychological dynamics involved on both sides in the prison system, or both. One blog that focuses on both fanart and meta of these ships and this situation, often taking a very realistic or dark and researched tone is Theminecraftbox on Tumblr. But there are many others.

Example Fanworks

Fanart

• Another human pandora's vault drawing here by Mellointheory - many cosplays were based off this or roughly similar designs Archived Version
• Pandora's Vault Personified - a trio by Kenjo-arts Archived Version

Fanfiction

• Security Measures by Typical Kiwi, humanized Pandora's Vault/Church Prime fic.
• Walls that do not break readerfic series by Que_sera_sera and Princedemeter.
• We're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine by Penink
• Blood gods polytheistic gods AU fic by Manaishtar

Meta

• Theminecraftbox
• Discussion of humanized Pandora's Vault Prison readerfic Archived Version
• A Small Dreblr (c!Dream fandom) Survey, Archived Version

Links

Pandora's Vault Prison main tag on AO3