History Literature / DarkLife

%%* ActionGirl: Gemma
* AfraidOfDoctors: Ty, is terriefied of any medical or doctor related, he does not even trust the Territory's doctor, who is a family friend, enough to go see him for a routine checkup, thought he does mention he would rather he would be the one fixing him up if he got attack by a shark. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] [[spoiler: Give what he has been through after he develop his Dark Gift.]]

* AnAesop: "Don't judge a book by its cover" is a pretty prominent theme.

%%* BattleCouple: Ty and Gemma

* DarkIsNotEvil: Dark Life, Dark Gifts.

%%* DisasterScavengers: The Surfs.

%%* FreakinessShame: Gemma about Ty's Gift.

%%* HeartwarmingOrphan: Gemma.

%%* PluckyGirl: Gemma.

** Closer to the Climax we learn that Dr. Theo Kunze used to go be Dr. William Metzger, the Doctor who wrote the supposedly hoax article on Dark Gifts bae on the studies done on Ty/Akai and his work at Seablite, which was created to test his theory about how they formed and the ‘Wealth discredit him so people would not be scared off from moving subsea.

%%* SonicStunner: Ty, eventually.

* StayInTheKitchen: The New Puritans (who believes that Gobal Warming was God punishment for your sinful ways) believe that woman should [[OldTimeyAnkleTaboo “wear long dress”]] and “practice obedience”.

* TheyWouldCutYouUp: Why Ty makes the younger kids keep their Dark Gifts secret.

%%*TrueCompanions: The Seablite Gang.
%%* UnderwaterCity
* UnderwaterBase: The Poineers live in houses that are shaped like aquatic invertebrates, mainly Jellyfish, because these shapes have give.
* UnderwaterRuins: The remains of the coastal cities of our time.

* WalkingSpoiler: The fact that Dark Grifts are real.

* MisplacedWildLife: [[JustfiedTrope justfied]] as the ocean level rising and the resulting changes to ocean currents as lead to creatures from Pacific to be found in the Atlantic. It is mentioned that even animals that used to live as far away as the coast of Australia can now be found in the Benthic Territory, thus explaining why Red Devil (Humboldt) Squid and [[spoiler: possibly Saltwater Crocodiles]] appear.

* {{Mutant}}: There was a hoax article talking about Children who are raise under the ocean developing “mutant” superpowers due to water pressure effecting their brain development [[Spoiler: turn out it was [[RealAfterAll not a Hoax]]]]

* GovernmentExploitedCrisis: The Commonwealth of State, the central government of the setting, uses the rising sea levels as an excuse to [[EmergencyAuthority keep everyone under Emergency Law and postpone elections for the next 20 years or so.]]

* IGaveMyWord: Shade to Ty.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Zoe, especially given the nature of her Dark Gift.

** Also there is [[spolier: Ratter's]] green Narwhal shaped sub which has[[ThisIsADrill a drill for a horn]].
* CoolShip: The [[FloatingCity Ocean]] [[MobileCity Townships]]. There are Like the main buildings of the pioneer's homesteads they are shaped like sea creatures, thought the old ones are describe as mountains of Metals be Fiberglass.

* DifferentStatesOfAmerica: The Commonwealth of State appears to a successor to (or at least control some territory of) the modern US, but its exact relationship to the US or any other modern North American state is not really clear, though it is mentioned in passing Pennsylvania is a part of it, though its exact status is not clear. [[note]] acrrocding to the first book all states have two representatives, but in Rip Tide where Representatives Tupper mentation that a representative from Pennsylvania, had once been kidnaped by Surf, he refers to him as "the Pennsylvania rep", implying that they have only one, meaning either [[ SeriesContinuityError a continuity error]], a RetCon or that Pennsylvania like the Benthic Territory is not a state.[[/note]] Appears to be some kind of Federal Parliamentary Republic, (through corrupt at best), with its main governing body being the Assembly which is made of two representatives from each state of it Forty-three state plus at least one more from the Benthic Territory (who cannot vote and is choose by the Assembly itself) and is led by the President of the Assembly.

%%* CharmPerson: Pretty's hypnosis.

* MisplaceWildLife: {{Justfied}} as the ocean level rising and the resulting changes to ocean currents as lead to creatures from Pacific to be found in the Atlantic. It is mentioned that even animals that used to live as far away as the coast of Australia can now be found in the Benthic Territory, thus explaining why Red Devil (Humboldt) Squid and [[spoiler: possibly Saltwater Crocodiles]] appear.

* OverpopulationCrisis: Though it is mostly due [[FloodedFutureWorld sea levels rising leaving less land to go around]] than a population boom, most the Topsiders live in one room apartments (some have two) crammed into buildings and Space is considered a status symbol. People even put themselves on a waiting list so they can a more spacious and higher up apartments, and Gemma’s Brother was called a thief, for stealing space when he was catch breaking into a Quality Time Room one night so he could spend some time with his sister. People are also trying to live on/in the ocean, wiether that be reusing old oil rigs turning them into towns off the cost, living on the surface like the Floaters or the [[FloatingCity Ocean]][[MobileCity Townships]], [[SettlingTheFrontier or actually reclaiming the land that is now the ocean floor]][[note]] To put things into persecutive; Gemma, after learning there are only 22 kids living in the entire Benthic Territory remarks that she would consider it private if there are that many girls in the shower room with her and the term Surf (which refer to the people who live on the Township and play the role of Native Americans in this sea western) is literally short for surfeit(surplus) population. [[/note]]

* SpaceCloths: PlayedWith. The pioneers wear specializes FormFittingWardrobe dive suits which has builded-in instruments to monitor their health called Driveskin whey they go outside, but typically wear modern day causal clothing when they are just hanging around. Topsiders on the other hand tend to wear a wide (and exotic) variety of clothing that both suit for higher temperatures place and produce protect from UV rays which include things like sundresses, caftans, sari, muumuus, cossacks, robes, etc. There also Clothing made from sea animal hides, like the cloths wore by the Surfs and Shade’s sharkskin vest; and Sunscreen that come in the form of colorful thick zinc paste.

* TattooedCrook: Shade, through give the [[HollywoodChameleons of his dark gift]] and [[AnimatedTatto the fact that they move]] they are probably not real, not that it matter.

* AfterTheEnd: The Book takes in where future where [[FloodedFutureWorld the ocean has risen due to Gobal Warming and the Eastcoast has somehow fallen into the sea]]. The people who live on land are [[OverpopulationCrisis crammed in tiny apartment in gigantic building and see space as a status symbol]], There are people who are [[SettlingTheFrontier actively colonizing the ocean floor]], as well as people living in repurpose oil rigs along the coast, house boats and [[MobileCity mobile]] [[CityOnTheWater floating cities]] and the Government [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis keep using it as an expect to stay in (and even abuse) it power.]]

* {{Mutant}}: There was a hoax article talking about Children who are raise under the ocean developing “mutant” superpowers due to water pressure effecting their brain development [[Spoilers: turn out it was [[RealAfterAll not a Hoax]]]]

* OverpopulationCrisis: Though it is mostly due [[FloodedFutureWorld sea levels rising leaving less land to go around]] than a population boom, most the Topsiders live in one room apartments (some have two) crammed into buildings and Space is considered a status symbol. People even put themselves on a waiting list so they can a more spacious and higher up apartments, and Gemma’s Brother was called a thief, for stealing space when he was catch breaking into a Quality Time Room one night so he could spend some time with his sister. People are also trying to live on/in the ocean, wiether that be reusing old oil rigs turning them into towns off the cost, living on the surface like the Floaters or the [[FloatingCity Ocean]][[MoblieCity Townships]], [[SettlingTheFrontier or actually reclaiming the land that is now the ocean floor]][[note]] To put things into persecutive; Gemma, after learning there are only 22 kids living in the entire Benthic Territory remarks that she would consider it private if there are that many girls in the shower room with her and the term Surf (which refer to the people who live on the Township and play the role of Native Americans in this sea western) is literally short for surfeit(surplus) population. [[/note]]

* SeaMonster: Of the real-life varieties: Red Devil Squid, giant sharks, Oarfishs...

&&* TheAlcatraz: Seablite Prison.

%%* HandicappedBadass: Gabion (mute).

* OverpopulationCrisis: Though it is mostly due [[FloodedFutureWorld sea levels rising leaving less land to go around]] than a population boom, most the Topsiders live in one room apartments (some have two) crammed into buildings and Space is considered a status symbol. People even put themselves on a waiting list so they can a more spacious and higher up apartments, and Gemma’s Brother was called a thief, for stealing space when he was catch breaking into a Quality Time Room one night so he could spend some time with his sister. [[note]] To put things into persecutive Gemma, after learning there are only 22 kids living in the entire Benthic Territory remarks that she would consider it private if there are that many girls in the shower room with her. [[/note]]

* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: You would think that a government called the Commonwealth of States would be an example of TheFederation. While it does look like they may be an actual federation (you know like the United Sates, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland or Russia), but they are far from fitting [[PropagandaMachine the]] [[CorruptPolitician Trope’s]] [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis definition]].

* ThickerThanWater: Gemma and Richard.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Gemma: Heights. And the ocean, for a while. Ty: Doctors and anything medical.

* TheAlcatraz: Seablite Prison.

* ThreateningShark: At least, when they think you'd make a good meal.

* FakingTheDead: Shade[[spoiler:/Richard.]]

* SuperSenses: Ty's biosonar. Gemma's hearing.

* TattooedCrook: Shade.

%%* TrueCompanions: The Seablite Gang.

%%* ParentsInDistress

* PropagandaMachine: The Commonwealth as an entire department declare to pushing it agenda and discrediting anyone they see as a threaten including the scientist who said the [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis sea levels as stop raising]] or [[spoiler: or the Doc when he published the “hoax’ Article about Dark Gifts]]
* PubertySuperpower: Dark Gifts seems to develop later in life.

* SaveTheVillain: Ty [[spoiler: with Shade]]--Twice!

* AfterTheEnd: The Book takes in where future where [[FloodedFutureWorld the ocean has risen due to Gobal Warming and the Eastcoast has somehow fallen into the sea]]. The people who live on land are [[OverpopulationCrisis crammed in tiny apartment in gigantic building and see space as a status symbol]], There are people who are [[SettlingTheFrontier actively colonizing the ocean floor]] and the Government [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis keep using it as an expect to abuse it power.]]

* KissOfLife: Ty tires this with Gemma after she drowns in at the end of book 1, it does not work. Good this his sister is basically a walking [[[[ShockAndAwe defibrillator]]

* AfterTheEnd: The Book takes in where future where [[FloodedFutureWorld the ocean has risen due to Gobal Warming and the Eastcoast has somehow fallen into the sea]]. The people who live on land are [[OverpopulationCrisis crammed in tiny apartment in gigantic building and see space as a status symbol]], [[SettlingTheFrontier others are trying to colonize the ocean floor]] and the [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis Government keep using it as an expect to abuse it power.]]

* CoolBoat: The Spectre--it's a submarine shaped like a shark!