History Literature / Anachronauts

** In addition to the ExpospeakGag listed above, which can be seen as a reference to the [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/joseph-ducreux-archaic-rap Joseph DuCreux rap meme]], Turner's preferred battle of choice involves [[Music/{{Beck}} two victrolas and a megaphone]].

* NamesTheSame[=/=]FunWithAcronyms: The ATF is the Anachronism Task Force, not the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Each book has further expanded the cast, but perhaps none more than SA, each chapter of which is a stand-alone story focused on a group of different characters throughout the ages. The [[Characters/{{Anachronauts}} character page]] is a work in progress.

The Earth of the [[http://stefangagne.com/anachronauts/ anachronauts]] world is one of chaos: [[AfterTheEnd two hundred years before the narrative]], something known as the Pandora Event causes Faeries to invade what would otherwise be our world, having taken over most of the Southern United States and Canada. The seas are populated by [[KrakenAndLeviathan kraken]], Latin America is overwhelmed by "[[NotUsingTheZWord Los Muertos]]", and the Western United States [[SealedEvilInACan has been sealed off by the Faerie Goddesses]] [[ForbiddenZone because not even they can control it]]. As far as can be told, the only known human population is "Eastusa," a territory consisting of (most of) the north-eastern quadrant of the United States. This fusion of realms allows for a narrative AnachronismStew, as evidenced by the series tagline, "a web novel series of broomsticks, semiautomatics, and jetpacks."

* ColdOpen: Each chapter starts out with a scene or two before the chapter title is introduced.

* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: [[PerfectPacifistPeople The Orbitals]].
* DividedStatesOfAmerica: Divided between humans and two Faerie courts, with some no-sentient's-land [[spoiler: a GreyGoo city (Seattle) and [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian horror]] city (Anchorage) ]].

** The Perfectea spell that Emily learns in a04 gets used in a06. [[spoiler:Emily uses it as her single spell, [[LethalHarmlessPowers filling Archmagus Lillith's lungs with tea in order to drown her.]]]]

* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler: Una does with Lar at the climax; he falls for it because he's [[GenreBlind seen much less "Earth media" than Una.]]]]
* TemptingFate: a01 starts it off with "Why bother ambushing? A simple human roadblock would be enough for a mere slip of a girl" and then subsequently {{lampshaded}} in the narrative with:

* LotusEaterMachine: [[Film/TheMatrix Happiness]], from fs04. Complete with OrpheanRescue bandits working with and against each other to free people from Happiness. [[spoiler:Happiness is allowing this because [[TheComputerIsYourFriend she believes it makes them happy]].]]

** London's Fog contains a fairly sizable number of shout-outs to popular Internet culture, but this is most evident in lf04, in which we discover the Empire's communications system is a literal series of (pneumatic) tubes, and the protagonists pose as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group) L'Anonyme]], while wearing the [[Comicbook/VForVendetta cape and Guy Fawkes masks]] associated with Anonymous protests. A [[JustForFun/{{Rickroll}} reference to "Never Gonna Give You Up"]] appears in a later chapter.

* RetGone: Oblivion, a large and ornately-decorated revolver which [[BottomlessMagazines never runs out of bullets]], does this to anything it shoots. It's {{lampshaded}} several times in the text that its "edits" are relatively clumsy, as these things go; it's a freakin' HandCannon, it doesn't do "subtle". The full horrific potential of such a weapon comes up a couple of times, such as when [[spoiler:Carrie realizes why the current owner has no parents (an accident; it's implied the thing is more than a little cursed)]], and when [[spoiler:he brings it to school and opens fire in ''an empty library.'']]

* PreviouslyOn: As the Second Age books set the stage for a number of characters in Stars Fall, the latter includes a prelude chapter which functions as an introduction to these characters for people who may only be following the print editions, as Second Age was deemed too expensive for print form.

** London's Fog contains a fairly sizable number of shout-outs to popular Internet culture, but this is most evident in lf04, in which we discover the Empire's communications system is a literal series of (pneumatic) tubes, and the protagonists pose as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group) L'Anonyme]], while wearing the [[Comicbook/VForVendetta cape and Guy Fawkes masks]] associated with Anonymous protests. A [[{{Rickroll}} reference to "Never Gonna Give You Up"]] appears in a later chapter.

The Earth of the [[http://stefangagne.com/anachronauts/ anachronauts]] world is one of chaos: [[AfterTheEnd two hundred years before the narrative]], something known as the Pandora Event causes Faeries to invade what would otherwise be our world, having taken over most of the Southern United States and Canada. The seas are populated by {{kraken}}, Latin America is overwhelmed by "[[NotUsingTheZWord Los Muertos]]", and the Western United States [[SealedEvilInACan has been sealed off by the Faerie Goddesses]] [[ForbiddenZone because not even they can control it]]. As far as can be told, the only known human population is "Eastusa," a territory consisting of (most of) the north-eastern quadrant of the United States. This fusion of realms allows for a narrative AnachronismStew, as evidenced by the series tagline, "a web novel series of broomsticks, semiautomatics, and jetpacks."

* DividedStatesOfAmerica: Divided between humans and two Faerie courts, with some no-sentient's-land [[spoiler: a GreyGoo city (Seattle) and [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian horror city (Anchorage)]] ]].

** Winterhounds (one of them being Scout) are able to teleport through shadows to anywhere in sight.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The Mister speaks with everyone in private (invisible to the person's companions). He offers any one thing they desire, for a nagligible price of being complicit in murder. Not ''killing'' -- just being complicit. Nobody else has to know. The heroes don't take the bait. [[spoiler:In a situational inversion, Lilith does, via teleconference, while Morgana--her sister and victim--is right next to her and fully aware of the proceedings.]]

* DividedStatesOfAmerica: Divided between humans and two Faerie courts, with some no-sentient's-land [[spoiler: a GreyGoo city (Seattle) and [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian horror city (Anchorage)]].

* {{Everything Is an iPod in the Future}}[=/=]{{Zeerust}}: The Orbital aesthetic is a combination of the two ([=iPod=] sleekness imposed on 50's sci-fi design).

* HumanResources: [[spoiler:Orbital Mass Capacitors were powered by aleph radiation, traditionally harvested from dead planets caused by engineered overpopulation and war.]]

* ApocalypseHow: The Pandora Event appears to be a societal disruption of regional ([=/=]multiversal) scope, although inversed: large sections of Earth As We Know It were invaded by {{fantasy}}/ScienceFiction/{{steampunk}} tropes and creatures, leaving only the [[DividedStatesOfAmerica northeastern quadrant of the USA]] populated by humans as we know them. [[spoiler:It's actually an attempted species extinction of a planetary[=/=]multiversal scope.]]

* AnotherDimension: Each different faction introduced in the Pandora Event comes from other dimensions.
* ApocalypseHow: The Pandora Event appears to be a societal disruption of regional ([=/=]multiversal) scope, although inversed: large sections of Earth As We Know It were invaded by other Earths, and only the northeastern quadrant of the USA is populated by humans as we know them. [[spoiler:It's actually an attempted species extinction of a planetary[=/=]multiversal scope.]]
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Aleph radiation powers the Mass Capacitors the Orbitals use in their technology. A significant arc throughout the series involves finding new ways to harvest the Aleph Radiation, as the Orbitals have a limited supply.

* CanonWelding: [[AllThereInTheManual The timeline on the website]] suggests that this and Literature/UnrealEstate share the same universe, but references to the UE world were only introduced in sf02. [[spoiler:The end of the final PrintBonus chapter suggests one of the characters has been exploring the Literature/CityOfAngles.]]

* CreatorThumbprint: Gagne has had one-sided, unrequited lesbian interests in both Literature/SailorNothing and this.

* ExpospeakGag: Orbitals all talk like this.
** HoldYourHippogriffs: Orbital idioms are mostly Expospeak versions of typical American ones.

* InsistentTerminology: A reversal, as Emily insists the word "anachronauts" sounds stupid, and is only a working title.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Each book has further expanded the cast, but perhaps none more than SA, in which each chapter is a stand-alone story focusing on different characters throughout the ages. The [[Characters/{{Anachronauts}} character page]] is a work in progress.

** Some shout outs are acknowledged as such what with the story taking place on an AfterTheEnd Earth with many examples of media surviving.

** Winterhounds (and, by extension, Scout) are able to teleport through shadows to anywhere in sight.
** [[WarpZone The Mirror Realm]] is an alternative way to travel, as long as you have the favor of Esrever.

** Emily is/was Cursed with Awesome to be unable to memorize spells, and has to copy them and read them to cast them, retaining her sanity, and prefers utility spells, which means she has to think tactically in a way that tends to elude the other human witches (sanity loss) as well as the elves who trained them (not very creative).

* EmotionsVsStoicism: Part of a trial each of the main characters has to undertake during their PsychologicalTormentZone in a04, most literally by

* InMediasRes: a01 begins with the three main characters already working together; after the EpisodeTitleCard, we flash back to their first meeting.

* TemptingFate: a01 starts it off with "Why bother ambushing? A simple human roadblock would be enough for a mere slip of a girl" and then subsequently lampshaded in the narrative with:
--> (It wasn't the biggest blunder that these generic thugs could've made, but it certainly was one of the classics. Right up there with "He's just one man! We can take him easily!" and "Surrender? To the likes of you?!".)

* [[CelebrityParadox Metafictional Paradox]]: fs05 is dedicated to a live manifestation of the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, complete with a Nyarlatholep, Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, and a reference to an as-yet-unwoken Cthulhu. They do not like it when Creator/HPLovecraft is mentioned.

* LotusEaterMachine: Happiness, from fs04. Complete with OrpheanRescue bandits working with and against each other to free people from Happiness. [[spoiler:Happiness is allowing this because she believes it makes them happy.]]
* LouisCypher: The Mister, from fs02. While not {{Satan}} himself, he introduces himself to each of the party members with a name beginning with L. (In fact, he introduces himself to Una with the name "Luc.")
* {{Nanomachines}}: Introduced to Seattle in fs03.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: If you're in The Mister's presence, you will receive a private visit from him that nobody else sees. He is willing to grant you any one thing you desire. All you have to do is be complicit in murder. Not kill anyone, mind--just be complicit. Nobody else has to know. The heroes don't take the bait. [[spoiler:In a situational inversion, Lilith does, via teleconference, while Morgana--her sister and victim--is right next to her and fully aware of the proceedings.]]

* ExpospeakGag: Combined with WaxingLyrical, lots of Ichabod Turner's dialogue in lf03 consists of archaic renditions of popular rap refrains:

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: An aversion of this is what triggers the story in the first place: the device which allowed Gilbert to cross the sea in FS has been completed and in mass production, allowing the possibility of invasion; the anachronauts (and the ATF consultant) need to prevent this possibility from occurring.

* Expy:

** sa05, as noted above, is a blog, complete with people making apparently hastily typed first posts, people complaining about them, extremist rhetoric and trolling followed by bannings, etc.

* OddCouple: sa08's Kas and Yew, despite both being Pragmatists, are still pretty much polar opposites, personality-wise. Yew can be considered Kas's ManicPixieDreamGirl, despite her not being a romantic interest.
* RetGone: Oblivion, a large and ornately-decorated revolver which [[BottomlessMagazines never runs out of bullets]], does this to anything it shoots. It's lampshaded several times in the text that its "edits" are relatively clumsy, as these things go; it's a freakin' HandCannon, it doesn't do "subtle". The full horrific potential of such a weapon comes up a couple of times, such as when [[spoiler:Carrie realizes why the current owner has no parents (an accident; it's implied the thing is more than a little cursed)]], and when [[spoiler:he brings it to school and opens fire in ''an empty library.'']]

* BenevolentAlienInvasion: The Ascendancy tries to portray themselves as one of these, while quietly seizing control of Earth's governments and neutralizing political opponents.

** Carrie "Astro Gal" Lane from sa09 is a throwback to the Golden Age of comic book characters; however, she is a -[[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld eternally]]- fifteen-year-old girl with a sort of [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Kryptonian]] powerset, like Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, and she [[PhraseCatcher catches the phrases of]], Franchise/{{Superman}}.

** Carrie "Astro Gal" Lane from sa09 is a throwback to the Golden Age of comic book characters; however, despite her [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld eternally-fifteen status]] and the fact that she is a female, she has lots of the powers of, and [[PhraseCatcher catches the phrases of]], Franchise/{{Superman}}.

::These phrases are, of course, [[BrickJoke used later in the chapter]].: