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* ''Closing Doors'': the final book in the series so far although there are short stories set in the same world.
to:
* ''Closing Doors'': the final book in the series so far far; although there are short stories set in the same world.
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TRS wick cleaning
— They Fight Crime is no longer a trope. While the entry did fit Wunza Plot, I deleted it regardless as it was a quote in place of an example, which counts as a Zero Context Example
— They Fight Crime is no longer a trope. While the entry did fit Wunza Plot, I deleted it regardless as it was a quote in place of an example, which counts as a Zero Context ExampleDeleted line(s) 101 (click to see context) :
* OddCouple: See TheyFightCrime below.
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* TheyFightCrime:
-->'''Rondeau''': "We’re doing the detective thing now? He’s a smooth-talking con man with a past, she’s a no-nonsense dame in a world she never made? They fight crime?"
-->'''Rondeau''': "We’re doing the detective thing now? He’s a smooth-talking con man with a past, she’s a no-nonsense dame in a world she never made? They fight crime?"
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Supernatural Is Purple is no longer a trope.
* PurpleIsPowerful: The inner lining of Marla's [[ArtifactOfDoom battle cloak]] is purple. When it switches places with the white outside, [[EvilCostumeSwitch things]] [[DesperationAttack get]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique serious]].
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* SupernaturalIsPurple: The inner lining of Marla's [[ArtifactOfDoom battle cloak]] is purple. When it switches places with the white outside, [[EvilCostumeSwitch things]] [[DesperationAttack get]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique serious]].
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* ''Lady of Misrule'': A crossover with the author's standalone novel ''The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl''.
to:
* ''Lady of Misrule'': A crossover with the author's standalone novel ''The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl''.''Literature/TheStrangeAdventuresOfRangergirl''.
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* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: At first it seems like the pattern is "Two Words, one being negative / dangerous": ''Blood Engines'', ''Poison Sleep'', ''Dead Reign'', ''Spell Games'', ''Bone Shop'', ''Broken Mirrors'', ''Grim Tides''. Then we get "[Female Noun] of [Negative State]": ''Bride of Death'', ''Lady of Misrule'', ''Queen of Nothing'', and TheLastTitle, ''Closing Doors''.
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[[quoteright:341:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marla_mason.jpg]]
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The page is being cut per TRS.
.Deleted line(s) 28 (click to see context) :
* BiTheWay: Neither Marla nor Rondeau care too much about the gender of their partners.
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The series has nine books so far:
to:
The series has nine ten books so far:
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*''Queen of Nothing''
*''Closing Doors'': the final book in the series so far although there are short stories set in the same world.
*''Closing Doors'': the final book in the series so far although there are short stories set in the same world.
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Woman In White is no longer a trope. Not enough context to tell which of the tropes of the disambig it can go under.
. Not enough context to tell which of the tropes of the disambig it can go under.Deleted line(s) 116 (click to see context) :
* WomanInWhite: Marla is this as long as she's wearing her cloak with the white side out.
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*Glamour: Joshua Kindler's main magical ability, to the point where his presence and touch can become addictive.
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* ''Poison Sleep''
* ''Dead Reign''
* ''Spell Games''
* ''Dead Reign''
* ''Spell Games''
to:
* ''Poison Sleep''
Sleep'': A RealityWarper wakes up in Felport.
* ''DeadReign''
Reign'': [[TheGrimReaper Death]] comes to Felport.
* ''SpellGames''Games'': Marla's brother comes for a visit and a bit of business.
* ''Dead
* ''Spell
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* ''Bride of Death''
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* ''Bride of Death''Death'': Marla explores her new line of work.
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* CanonWelding: ''Lady of Misrule'' incorporates the previously standalone novel ''The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl'' into the Marla Mason universe.
* FisherKing: In ''Lady of Misrule'', [[spoiler:Nicolette uses a spell to become Fisher King of Felport, the titular Lady of Misrule]].
* ImAHumanitarian: Bethany, a Los Angeles sorceress with cannibalism-fueled magic.
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* [[KillTheGod Kill the Aztec toad goddess.]]
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* [[KillTheGod Kill KillTheGod: Marla is occasionally pitted against deities, such as the Aztec toad goddess.]]goddess in ''Blood Engines''.
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* SealedEvilInACan: The Outsider, which was imprisoned beneath Death Valley long ago and is inadvertently released by Marla.
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* UnknownRival: Nicolette is obsessed with becoming Marla's nemesis, while Marla considers her nothing more than a minor nuisance. By ''Lady of Misrule'', several characters outright tell Marla that her refusal to take Nicolette seriously has motivated her to become a far greater threat than she might otherwise have become, as she is now striving to become so dangerous that Marla won't be able to ignore her anymore.
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Added latest novel to list.
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The series has eight books so far, with a possible ninth in the future sometime:
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The series has eight nine books so far, with a possible ninth in the future sometime:far:
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* ''Lady of Misrule'': A crossover with the author's standalone novel ''The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl''.
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Adding several bullets and fixing an error with \"Martha\" instead of \"Marla\"
** In ''Broken Mirrors'', Marla essentially intimidates the god of the multiverse into breaking her rules because Marla is killing every version of her that doesn't decide to help and it's taking a rather extreme toll on her multiplicity self.
** In book five [[spoiler:Bradley]] ends up lucking into a recently vacated position. When he accepts every alternate version of him gets lumped together and his job is to oversee the entire multiverse (our multiverse; not the larger overarching cosmic multiverse).
** [[spoiler:Nicolette]] ends up losing an arm on one trip. Most characters consider this relatively lucky.
* TheMultiverse: This is the reason the plot for ''Broken Mirrors'' happens. Marla goes to another universe to kidnap an alternate version of her dead friend.
** It turns out that it's actually a layered example as well. Our multiverse is a self contained area in a larger set of multiple universes. This comes into play in one of the short stories when [[spoiler:the cloak]] tries to take over and kill everything in every universe of our section of the cosmos. When the gods who oversee the larger multiverse discuss these events one group has a minor breakdown when they realize they exiled the thing to a set of multiverses instead of a single isolated universe.
** It turns out that it's actually a layered example as well. Our multiverse is a self contained area in a larger set of multiple universes. This comes into play in one of the short stories when [[spoiler:the cloak]] tries to take over and kill everything in every universe of our section of the cosmos. When the gods who oversee the larger multiverse discuss these events one group has a minor breakdown when they realize they exiled the thing to a set of multiverses instead of a single isolated universe.
* OmnicidalManiac: The [[spoiler:cloak]]. It's an exile from a different universe and it's goal eventually boils down to "how can I kill everything living and have some fun doing it?" When it eventually realizes there are multiple universes each with multiple versions of itself it does it's very best to break down the walls so it can have it's own eldritch babies with itself and destroy everything all that much better. In one of the short stories it very nearly succeeds and it takes the intervention of entities more powerful than [[spoiler:Bradley's]] god form to stop it.
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* PragmaticHero: Martha's willing to do just about anything to protect her city.
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* PragmaticHero: Martha's Marla's willing to do just about anything to protect her city.
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* SummonBiggerFish: In ''Bride of Death'' Marla is being beaten by a higher dimensional, tentacled monster thing with lots and lots of teeth. She [[spoiler:summons several enormous ghost sharks from prehistoric times and they tear it to pieces.]]
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* [[BadassCape Badass Cloak]] Well...
to:
* [[BadassCape Badass Cloak]] Well...Cloak]]: Marla Marla uses the cloak only as a last resort, but she wears a normal one sometimes, because she realizes that the sight of her in a cloak is intimidating to everyone who knows who she is.
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* BodySnatcher: Rondeau.
to:
* BodySnatcher: Rondeau. [[spoiler: As well as Crapsey, his evil counterpart from another dimension.]]
* CameBackWrong: Resurrecting the dead is usually a very bad idea; Somerset, an unpleasant man while alive and a terrifying monster while undead, is the best example. Marla strongly disapproves of all things undead because of her experience fighting him.
* ChallengingTheChief: How the position of Chief Sorcerer in Felport used to work. These days, the major sorcerers have to vote to approve a candidate, even if they've already defeated their predecessor.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler: Marla, eventually. It turns out that the position of Queen of the Underworld is not symbolic at all.]]
* TheExile: In Dead Reign, Death magically exiles Marla from her city. She's annoyed, to say the least. [[spoiler: In Broken Mirrors, the surviving sorcerers of Felport exile her again. This time it’s permanent]]
* ForWantOfANail: An alternate Marla wasn't able to resist the cloak because [[spoiler: her universe’s Jason Mason died as a young boy, meaning that he wasn't around to protect Marla as a kid or teach her how to defend herself as a teenager.]] The result of this is an evil Marla Mason and a dystopian timeline.
* ForWantOfANail: An alternate Marla wasn't able to resist the cloak because [[spoiler: her universe’s Jason Mason died as a young boy, meaning that he wasn't around to protect Marla as a kid or teach her how to defend herself as a teenager.]] The result of this is an evil Marla Mason and a dystopian timeline.
* LiteralGenie: The Bay Witch. She'll keep her promises to the letter. [[spoiler: She promised Death to hide Marla’s cloak where no one but her could find it. She never promised him it would stay there.]]
* MagicalSociety: Each city has its sorcerers and its chief sorcerer.
* MasterOfOneMagic: Most of the sorcerers in the series qualify. They excel in a certain discipline, and may be able to use it for a lot of different purposes, but they can’t use anything else. Marla herself is a generalist, but her subordinates include a master of sympathetic magic, a wizard of pollution, a sea witch, and a nature wizard.
* MoralityPet: The city of Felport to Marla. She loves the place, would do anything to protect it, and is generally more sympathetic once she's inside Felport city limits.
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* PragmaticHero
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* PragmaticHeroPlatonicLifePartners: Marla and Rondeau. They're very important to each other and their friendship is the great constant of the series. Impressive, considering how they met.
* PragmaticHero: Martha's willing to do just about anything to protect her city.
* PragmaticHero: Martha's willing to do just about anything to protect her city.
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* RulingCouple: [[spoiler: After ''Grimm Tides'', Marla and Death rule the underworld together, six months out of the year. It takes both of them to make one complete god.]]
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* ArtifactOfDoom: The cloak.
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* ArtifactOfDoom: The cloak. It's a magical artifact that can heal its user or make them nearly unstoppable in combat... but it comes with a hefty price. It has a mind of its own, is quite malicious, and will try to overwhelm its wielder's mind. [[spoiler: In this world, it fails--but in other timelines, it has succeeded.]]
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* CharmPerson: Joshua Kindler in ''Poison Sleep''.
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* CharmPerson: Joshua Kindler in ''Poison Sleep''. For a nonhuman example, there's the supernaturally adorable critter in ''Pale Dog'' [[spoiler: which turns out to be a hellhound.]]
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* EldritchAbomination
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* EldritchAbomination EldritchAbomination: The cloak. ''Death'' is scared of it.
* SoleSurvivor: When Marla starts studying with Artie Mann in the prequel ''Bone Shop'', she learns that Ernesto was the only survivor of Artie's last batch of apprentices. [[spoiler: Marla herself is the sole survivor of this group.]]
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* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
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* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanityWithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Chaos magic is not good for the wielder's mind. Nor is immortality. Or using the cloak...
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* WhamEpisode: ''Broken Mirrors.'' [[spoiler: The true nature of the cloak, Marla and Rondeau’s evil twins, spoiler: the deaths of half the recurring characters, and of course Marla’s exile. ]]
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* WhamEpisode: ''Broken Mirrors.'' [[spoiler: The true nature of the cloak, Marla and Rondeau’s evil twins, spoiler: the deaths of half the recurring characters, and of course Marla’s exile. ]]
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* WhamEpisode: ''Broken Mirrors.'' [[spoiler: The true nature of the cloak, Marla and Rondeau’s evil twins, spoiler: the deaths of half the recurring characters, and of course Marla’s exile. ]]
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The series has seven books so far, with a possible eighth in the future sometime:
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The series has seven eight books so far, with a possible eighth ninth in the future sometime:
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* ''Bride of Death''
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* LosingYourHead: Happens to several people, most notably [[spoiler: Nicolette]].
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* LosingYourHead: Happens to several people, most notably [[spoiler: Nicolette]].Nicolette]] in ''Bride of Death''.
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* LosingYourHead: Happens to several people, most notably [[spoiler: Nicolette]].
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* BodySnatcher: Rondeau.
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* BodySnatcher: Rondeau.
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* BodyBackupDrive: Rondeau's ace in the hole. If the body he currently inhabits dies, he can just acquire a new one. [[spoiler:[[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes horribly wrong]] at the end of ''Spell Games''.]]
to:
* BodyBackupDrive: BodySurf: Rondeau's ace in the hole. If the body he currently inhabits dies, he can just acquire a new one. [[spoiler:[[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes horribly wrong]] at the end of ''Spell Games''.]]
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* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace
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* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlaceHyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: Teleportation is dangerous because something might just eat you on the way through.
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* ImmortalityImmorality
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* ImmortalityImmoralityImmortalityImmorality: Not all methods of achieving immortality are immoral in themselves, but they're all bad ideas in the long run. Immortal sorcerers always eventually go crazy, and most do so in catastrophically destructive ways.
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* WizardsLiveLonger
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* WizardsLiveLongerWizardsLiveLonger: Most sorcerers use magic to extend their lives in some way.
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* {{Workaholic}}
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* {{Workaholic}}{{Workaholic}}: Marla's job of ruling and protecting Felport takes up almost all her time, and she has few interests outside of that job.
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* ''Blood Engines'': The first book, which, paradoxically, was set not in Felport but in SanFrancisco. It features frogs. Lots of frogs.
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* ''Blood Engines'': The first book, which, paradoxically, was set not in Felport but in SanFrancisco.UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. It features frogs. Lots of frogs.
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All The Myriad Ways is being renamed to Expendable Alternate Universe. Bad examples and Zero Context Examples are being removed.
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* AllTheMyriadWays: Touched upon in ''Blood Engines''. Drives much of the plot in ''Broken Mirrors''.
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* JustPartners: Marla and Rondeau, without the customary sexual tension.
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* StrictlyProfessionalRelationship: Marla and Rondeau, without the customary sexual tension.
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The ''Marla Mason'' series by T.A. Pratt is an UrbanFantasy set around the Marla Mason [[CharacterTitle character]], the ruling sorceress of Felport, as she struggles
to save her home from insane [[RealityWarper reweavers]], bloodthirsty Aztec gods and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Death itself]].
The series has seven books so far, with a possible eightth in the future sometime:
to save her home from insane [[RealityWarper reweavers]], bloodthirsty Aztec gods and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Death itself]].
The series has seven books so far, with a possible eightth in the future sometime:
to:
The ''Marla Mason'' series by T.A. Pratt is an UrbanFantasy set around the Marla Mason [[CharacterTitle character]], the ruling sorceress of Felport, as she struggles
struggles to save her home from insane [[RealityWarper reweavers]], bloodthirsty Aztec gods and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Death itself]].
The series has seven books so far, with a possibleeightth eighth in the future sometime:
The series has seven books so far, with a possible
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moved to namespace
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The ''Marla Mason'' series by T.A. Pratt is an UrbanFantasy set around the Marla Mason [[CharacterTitle character]], the ruling sorceress of Felport, as she struggles
to save her home from insane [[RealityWarper reweavers]], bloodthirsty Aztec gods and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Death itself]].
The series has seven books so far, with a possible eightth in the future sometime:
* ''Blood Engines'': The first book, which, paradoxically, was set not in Felport but in SanFrancisco. It features frogs. Lots of frogs.
* ''Poison Sleep''
* ''Dead Reign''
* ''Spell Games''
* ''Bone Shop'': The prequel, self-published after Pratt's publisher dropped him. It details Marla's RagsToRiches story as she ascends through the ranks of Felport's magical elite.
* ''Broken Mirrors'': Written in response to the massive CliffHanger of the fourth book.
* ''Grim Tides'': Continues from the ending of ''Broken Mirrors''.
----
!!Tropes:
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Felport's dagger of office is this. [[spoiler:Justified in that it's actually the sword of the angel of death.]]
* AfterlifeExpress: Mentioned in the first novel. [[spoiler:becomes a major plot point in ''Dead Reign''.]]
* AllTheMyriadWays: Touched upon in ''Blood Engines''. Drives much of the plot in ''Broken Mirrors''.
* AllTheoriesAreTrue: Played with.
* TheArchmage: Sanford Cole.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The cloak.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: Bradley Bowman's eventual fate.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: Marla doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit', even when she ''really should be quitting''.
* [[BadassCape Badass Cloak]] Well...
* BiTheWay: Neither Marla nor Rondeau care too much about the gender of their partners.
* BloodKnight: Marla is a little too fond of kicking ass.
* BodyBackupDrive: Rondeau's ace in the hole. If the body he currently inhabits dies, he can just acquire a new one. [[spoiler:[[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes horribly wrong]] at the end of ''Spell Games''.]]
* BodySnatcher: Rondeau.
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: One of the recurring themes is that sorcerers shouldn't rely exclusively on magic but learn mundane skills as well.
* BrutalHonesty: Marla is really bad at diplomacy.
* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler: What happens to Marla at the end of ''Grim Tides''.]]
* CareerVersusMan: In Marla's case, the answer will invariably be her career. [[spoiler:Double subverted and PlayedForDrama in ''Poison Sleep''.]]
* CharmPerson: Joshua Kindler in ''Poison Sleep''.
* ChekhovsSkill:
** [[spoiler:The snake god's power to grow exactly as big as he needs to be to defeat his opponent.]]
** [[spoiler: B's ability to summon an AfterlifeExpress.]]
** [[spoiler: Rondeau's body-jumping.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Elsie Jarrow]], first mentioned in book one, is one of the main antagonists in book seven.
* CombatPragmatist
* CrazyPrepared: Marla claims to have a contingency plan for a black hole coming to Felport.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Reversing the cloak from white to purple.
** DesperationAttack
** Rondeau's [[BrownNote Cursing]].
* TheDeterminator: Marla, full stop.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: An Aztec toad goddess in book one, the incarnation of death in book three.
* DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu: [[spoiler:Marla ends up getting married to ''the god of death''.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything
--> "If you do have any noteworthy nocturnal transmissions, let me know, all right?"
* DomainHolder: Powerful sorcerers can create pocket universes to retreat from the world or to practice the more inconspiciuous forms of magic. Notable examples include Artie Mann's FantasyKitchenSink London, Ernesto's junkyard, and Genevieve Kelley's DreamLand.
* DontFearTheReaper: Death after his (relative) HeelFaceTurn.
* EldritchAbomination
* EnemiesWithDeath: [[DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu Initially.]]
* EnergyBeings: Rondeau is one kind, the [[HolyIsNotSafe Thrones]] are another.
* EntropyAndChaosMagic: The chaos witch Nicolette and the far more powerful Elsie Jarrow.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:[[HumanoidAbomination The Mason]]]] to Marla, [[spoiler:[[{{Bodysurf}} Crapsey]]]] to Rondeau.
* GodJob: [[spoiler:Marla becoming the goddess of death]] is set in motion in ''Dead Reign'' and fully realized in ''Grim Tides''.
* GravityIsAHarshMistress: Flying is accomplished by insulting the forces of gravity.
* HealingFactor: The white side of the cloak can heal anything.
** [[spoiler:Even ''being set on fire''.]]
** [[spoiler:Even ''headshots''.]]
* TheHedonist: Rondeau.
--> "What's the point of staying alive if you don't live a little?"
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace
* IJustWantToBeNormal: [[spoiler: Rondeau after the events of ''Spell Games'']]
* ImmortalityImmorality
* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: Rondeau loves these.
* JustPartners: Marla and Rondeau, without the customary sexual tension.
* KillAllHumans: [[spoiler:The cloak/[[EvilCounterpart the Mason]].]] [[EnemyToAllLivingThings Kill all dolphins.]]
* [[KillTheGod Kill the Aztec toad goddess.]]
* KungFuWizard
* MadeOfMagic: Artifacts are this.
* MarriedToTheJob: Marla. Her relationship with Felport is described in ways that make it appear like a romantic relationship more than once.
* MeetCute: [[BodyHorror Subverted]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy completely]] with Marla and Rondeau.
--> '''T.A. Pratt''': "There has seldom been a less cute "meet cute" in the history of buddy-cop stories."
* NotQuiteHuman: Rondeau, who is actually an [[EnergyBeings energy being]] possessing a human body.
* OddCouple: See TheyFightCrime below.
* PragmaticHero
* PuppeteerParasite: [[BadPowersGoodPeople Rondeau.]] [[spoiler: The cloak.]]
* RapeLeadsToInsanity: Happens to a RealityWarper in ''Poison Sleep'', with disastrous consequences.
* TheRedMage: If you can't be very good at one thing, learn to be decent at a lot of things. Marla's style of magic has been referred to as brute-force-o-mancy in-universe.
* SupernaturalIsPurple: The inner lining of Marla's [[ArtifactOfDoom battle cloak]] is purple. When it switches places with the white outside, [[EvilCostumeSwitch things]] [[DesperationAttack get]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique serious]].
* TheyFightCrime:
-->'''Rondeau''': "We’re doing the detective thing now? He’s a smooth-talking con man with a past, she’s a no-nonsense dame in a world she never made? They fight crime?"
* UnEqualRites: There are countless ways to be a sorcerer and all of them are more or less right.
* UrbanFantasy
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
* WizardsLiveLonger
* WomanInWhite: Marla is this as long as she's wearing her cloak with the white side out.
* {{Workaholic}}
----
to save her home from insane [[RealityWarper reweavers]], bloodthirsty Aztec gods and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Death itself]].
The series has seven books so far, with a possible eightth in the future sometime:
* ''Blood Engines'': The first book, which, paradoxically, was set not in Felport but in SanFrancisco. It features frogs. Lots of frogs.
* ''Poison Sleep''
* ''Dead Reign''
* ''Spell Games''
* ''Bone Shop'': The prequel, self-published after Pratt's publisher dropped him. It details Marla's RagsToRiches story as she ascends through the ranks of Felport's magical elite.
* ''Broken Mirrors'': Written in response to the massive CliffHanger of the fourth book.
* ''Grim Tides'': Continues from the ending of ''Broken Mirrors''.
----
!!Tropes:
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Felport's dagger of office is this. [[spoiler:Justified in that it's actually the sword of the angel of death.]]
* AfterlifeExpress: Mentioned in the first novel. [[spoiler:becomes a major plot point in ''Dead Reign''.]]
* AllTheMyriadWays: Touched upon in ''Blood Engines''. Drives much of the plot in ''Broken Mirrors''.
* AllTheoriesAreTrue: Played with.
* TheArchmage: Sanford Cole.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The cloak.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: Bradley Bowman's eventual fate.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: Marla doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit', even when she ''really should be quitting''.
* [[BadassCape Badass Cloak]] Well...
* BiTheWay: Neither Marla nor Rondeau care too much about the gender of their partners.
* BloodKnight: Marla is a little too fond of kicking ass.
* BodyBackupDrive: Rondeau's ace in the hole. If the body he currently inhabits dies, he can just acquire a new one. [[spoiler:[[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes horribly wrong]] at the end of ''Spell Games''.]]
* BodySnatcher: Rondeau.
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: One of the recurring themes is that sorcerers shouldn't rely exclusively on magic but learn mundane skills as well.
* BrutalHonesty: Marla is really bad at diplomacy.
* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler: What happens to Marla at the end of ''Grim Tides''.]]
* CareerVersusMan: In Marla's case, the answer will invariably be her career. [[spoiler:Double subverted and PlayedForDrama in ''Poison Sleep''.]]
* CharmPerson: Joshua Kindler in ''Poison Sleep''.
* ChekhovsSkill:
** [[spoiler:The snake god's power to grow exactly as big as he needs to be to defeat his opponent.]]
** [[spoiler: B's ability to summon an AfterlifeExpress.]]
** [[spoiler: Rondeau's body-jumping.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Elsie Jarrow]], first mentioned in book one, is one of the main antagonists in book seven.
* CombatPragmatist
* CrazyPrepared: Marla claims to have a contingency plan for a black hole coming to Felport.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Reversing the cloak from white to purple.
** DesperationAttack
** Rondeau's [[BrownNote Cursing]].
* TheDeterminator: Marla, full stop.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: An Aztec toad goddess in book one, the incarnation of death in book three.
* DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu: [[spoiler:Marla ends up getting married to ''the god of death''.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything
--> "If you do have any noteworthy nocturnal transmissions, let me know, all right?"
* DomainHolder: Powerful sorcerers can create pocket universes to retreat from the world or to practice the more inconspiciuous forms of magic. Notable examples include Artie Mann's FantasyKitchenSink London, Ernesto's junkyard, and Genevieve Kelley's DreamLand.
* DontFearTheReaper: Death after his (relative) HeelFaceTurn.
* EldritchAbomination
* EnemiesWithDeath: [[DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu Initially.]]
* EnergyBeings: Rondeau is one kind, the [[HolyIsNotSafe Thrones]] are another.
* EntropyAndChaosMagic: The chaos witch Nicolette and the far more powerful Elsie Jarrow.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:[[HumanoidAbomination The Mason]]]] to Marla, [[spoiler:[[{{Bodysurf}} Crapsey]]]] to Rondeau.
* GodJob: [[spoiler:Marla becoming the goddess of death]] is set in motion in ''Dead Reign'' and fully realized in ''Grim Tides''.
* GravityIsAHarshMistress: Flying is accomplished by insulting the forces of gravity.
* HealingFactor: The white side of the cloak can heal anything.
** [[spoiler:Even ''being set on fire''.]]
** [[spoiler:Even ''headshots''.]]
* TheHedonist: Rondeau.
--> "What's the point of staying alive if you don't live a little?"
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace
* IJustWantToBeNormal: [[spoiler: Rondeau after the events of ''Spell Games'']]
* ImmortalityImmorality
* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: Rondeau loves these.
* JustPartners: Marla and Rondeau, without the customary sexual tension.
* KillAllHumans: [[spoiler:The cloak/[[EvilCounterpart the Mason]].]] [[EnemyToAllLivingThings Kill all dolphins.]]
* [[KillTheGod Kill the Aztec toad goddess.]]
* KungFuWizard
* MadeOfMagic: Artifacts are this.
* MarriedToTheJob: Marla. Her relationship with Felport is described in ways that make it appear like a romantic relationship more than once.
* MeetCute: [[BodyHorror Subverted]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy completely]] with Marla and Rondeau.
--> '''T.A. Pratt''': "There has seldom been a less cute "meet cute" in the history of buddy-cop stories."
* NotQuiteHuman: Rondeau, who is actually an [[EnergyBeings energy being]] possessing a human body.
* OddCouple: See TheyFightCrime below.
* PragmaticHero
* PuppeteerParasite: [[BadPowersGoodPeople Rondeau.]] [[spoiler: The cloak.]]
* RapeLeadsToInsanity: Happens to a RealityWarper in ''Poison Sleep'', with disastrous consequences.
* TheRedMage: If you can't be very good at one thing, learn to be decent at a lot of things. Marla's style of magic has been referred to as brute-force-o-mancy in-universe.
* SupernaturalIsPurple: The inner lining of Marla's [[ArtifactOfDoom battle cloak]] is purple. When it switches places with the white outside, [[EvilCostumeSwitch things]] [[DesperationAttack get]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique serious]].
* TheyFightCrime:
-->'''Rondeau''': "We’re doing the detective thing now? He’s a smooth-talking con man with a past, she’s a no-nonsense dame in a world she never made? They fight crime?"
* UnEqualRites: There are countless ways to be a sorcerer and all of them are more or less right.
* UrbanFantasy
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
* WizardsLiveLonger
* WomanInWhite: Marla is this as long as she's wearing her cloak with the white side out.
* {{Workaholic}}
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