History Literature / Sapphire

%%** BellyDancer: Khina.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Elodie Duchamp's first name was originally written without the accent mark. However, after the author did some research and learned that there is a French name with the accent mark but not without, it has been {{retcon}}ned as such. The only reason it's not written like that on Website/ThisVeryWiki is because the accented 'E' gets corrupted to 'É'.

%%* {{Bishonen}}: Boris Rubanenko, Daisuke Midori, and Nikolai Kitano, to name a few.
%%** Alec Langley could fit into this, but it's a bit of a stretch because EvilIsSexy.
%%** That's subverted with Claude Duchamp, who is good ''and'' beautiful.

%%** Or the Psychics. Or the spies. Or almost everything about it. [[DoingItForTheArt But isn't that the point?]]

%%** BareYourMidriff: The Altair harem outfits.

%%* HotScientist: Wendy Blume.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Elodie Duchamp's first name was originally written without the accent mark. However, after the author did some research and learned that there is a French name with the accent mark but not without, it has been {{retcon}}ned as such. The only reason it's not written like that on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki is because the accented 'E' gets corrupted to 'É'.

%%* {{Meganekko}}: Wendy Blume.

* HighlyVisibleNinja: Aika Akagi has a shiny red SpyCatsuit and [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair green hair]].

%%* YaoiGuys: [[{{Uke}} Nikolai]] and [[{{Seme}} Boris]]. Nikolai was even a WholesomeCrossdresser as a kid.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: A bonus chapter features Alec having difficulty pronouncing Khina's name.
** For those unfamiliar with Persian / Arabic, "Kh" is a glottal sound, like the "Ch" in German or Hebrew, or the "J" in Spanish. It is not (commonly) found in English... [[LampshadeHanging Or French... Or Japanese.]]

* GoodSmokingBadSmoking: {{Subverted|Trope}}: Elodie uses a cigarette holder, not because she's [[TheBaroness an evil Baroness]], but because she's rich and glamorous. That still doesn't stop Alec from trying to make her quit.

* ActionGirl: Michiru.

* {{Animesque}}: The character artwork is done this way by [=SpyHunter=], an American.

* AuthorAppeal: How else do you explain the contortion scenes in Episode III?
** Or the Psychics. Or the spies. Or almost everything about it. [[DoingItForTheArt But isn't that the point?]]
* {{Bishonen}}: Boris Rubanenko, Daisuke Midori, and Nikolai Kitano, to name a few.
** Alec Langley could fit into this, but it's a bit of a stretch because EvilIsSexy.
*** That's subverted with Claude Duchamp, who is good ''and'' beautiful.

* CallingYourAttacks: Psychics do this sometimes, often in their native language. For example, the call for Boris's Blood Rose attack is "''Krov' roza''", [[BilingualBonus which in fact is Russian for]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin its own name]].
** And, of course, Michiru and Daisuke [[GratuitousJapanese call out their Ninjutsu attacks in Japanese,]] ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''-style.
* CampGay: Nikolai and Claude, although they're only bisexual.

* TheCharmer: Alec refueses to fall for more than one woman at a time - even if the woman in question [[spoiler:has been kidnapped for three years]].
* ChineseGirl: Lucia and Lumina Liang.
* CircusBrat: Elodie, Nikolai, and Claude, who contrasts with [[MilitaryBrat Jake]].

* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: Specifically, the later period.
* DamselInDistress: Ivanka.
* DepravedBisexual: Marriage means nothing to [[spoiler:Boris]].

* EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench: Elodie.

* FalseFlagOperation: Boris's evil plans in Episodes I (USA vs. USSR) and II (Japan vs. North Korea).
* {{Fanservice}}: Many, many examples, including the following subcategories:
** BareYourMidriff: The Altair harem outfits.
** BellyDancer: Khina.
** {{Sarashi}}: Michiru wears a bandage bra which she cuts open with a {{Ninja}} knife at one point. [[LampshadeHanging Alec even jokes about how she is able to buy her lingere from the first-aid department.]]
* FauxActionGirl: Ivanka.

** [[{{Bishonen}} That's the point.]]
* GirlOfTheWeek: Ivanka, Michiru, and Elodie.
** Averted in Episode II. [[spoiler:Michiru]] would fit this trope, but [[spoiler:Alec refuses to fall for her, still waiting to be with Ivanka again.]]

* HandsomeLech: Gabriel Garnett and Claude Duchamp. Or perhaps Claude falls more into ChivalrousPervert territory.
* HaremNanny: Khina fulfills this role (in a literal harem, no less) by helping Ivanka with her problems.

* HighlyVisibleNinja: {{Averted|Trope}} in Episode II; the author even makes a point to mention that a grayish ninja suit blends into darkness better than a black one. Aika Akagi, however, plays this trope straight with a shiny red SpyCatsuit and [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair green hair]].
* HollywoodAtlas: A number of subtropes are averted, including:
** BigApplesauce: The Delta Defense Alliance HQ is based in UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} ([[{{Retcon}} formerly]] UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC). Alec and Andrew also live there, but were born in [[{{Joisey}} Cape May]]. Only Gabriel was born in New York.
** GayParee: Elodie lives in Marseille, on the southern Mediterranean coast of France, and has only been to Paris for a circus festival.
** GloriousMotherRussia: Boris and Nikolai call each other "comrade" ("Comrade Alec" is becoming something of a CatchPhrase for the former) and have ties to the Red Army / KGB, but that's about it.
** {{Oktoberfest}}: West Germany, as depicted in Episode I, looks and feels remarkably similar to any old Western-world place. As is the disco scene (this is TheSeventies, after all). Of course, Ivanka and Boris defected here from the Soviet Union.
** {{Qurac}}: The Literature/ArabianNights flavor of this trope is represented a little bit. Khina's backstory had her robbing from the bazaars of her hometown in Iran (before and during the 1978-79 revolution, although this is rarely if at all brought up) for sustenance.
*** Also, the Altair base, although it is technically under the control of the Soviet Union / Omega Order.
*** Bonus points since the actual Literature/ArabianNights took place in Persia (present-day Iran).
** SpaghettiAndGondolas: Fiona Marino (who is not scheduled to appear in the story until Episode V) lives in an uncommonly used part of Italy: the Isle of Capri. And unlike what this trope would have you believe, [[HeroesWantRedheads she is a redhead]] (but then again, [[Film/{{Thunderball}} so was another famous Fiona...]]).
** TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Episode II takes place in cities including Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto - but not Tokyo. Also {{subverted}}: Alec and [[spoiler:Ivanka]] do try to travel to Tokyo on their honeymoon, but only make it about halfway before deciding to fight the BigBad once and for all.
*** Also, Nikolai was born and raised in rural Hokkaido before defecting to Russia.
* HotScientist: Wendy Blume.
* [[IdenticalGrandson Identical Son]]: Alec and Jake were so similar at first, but this was changed when Jake was given a little beard.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: A recent bonus chapter featured Alec having difficulty pronouncing Khina's name.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Especially when it's the detonator for a bunch of exploding throwing stars.
* KaraokeBox

* MarshmallowHell: Happens to Alec by Khina in the Episode I Bonus chapter.
* {{Meganekko}}: Wendy Blume.
* MilitaryBrat: Jake, a little bit. Contrasts with {{C|ircusBrat}}laude.
* {{Ninja}}: See Episode II. In particular, Michiru Murasaki and Daisuke Midori.

** Or Khina during their first encounter(s).
* PaidHarem: The Altair base. And on a small scale, Gabriel Garnett.

** Well, it was over seven years since they last met.
** [[HairMetal But she mistook him for a member of Poison,]] [[RuleOfFunny so that must be okay.]]
* PowerCrystal: On nearly everything Morgana wears. Even on her [[{{Stripperiffic}} more-Stripperiffic-than-usual bikini]].

* RapeAsBackstory: What happens to [[spoiler:Ivanka while she was kidnapped during Episode II]].
* RecycledInSpace: It's ''Film/JamesBond''... with [[PsychicPowers Psychics]].

* RenegadeRussian: Boris Rubanenko. Officially, he pledges alleigance to the Soviet Union. [[spoiler:However, in Episode I he plans to nuke the West AND East indiscriminately, so that both sides will be weak enough for a Psychic takeover.]]
** [[spoiler: Not to mention trying to start ''another'' war between North Korea and Japan in Episode II,]] plus whatever he has up his sleeve for Episode III...

* ScheduleSlip: One of the longest gaps was between Chapters 11 and 12 of Episode II. [[Tropers/SpyHunter29 SpyHunter]] [[SelfDeprecatingHumor even joked about this]]:
--> [[OffscreenInertia THERE'S A BOMB THAT'S SET TO GO OFF TWENTY-SIX YEARS AGO THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS OUR ATTENTION!]]
** Chapters 8-9 of Episode III are set to break that record...

* SpyFiction: Martini, more so in Episode III than the first two. [[PsychicPowers With eye of newt.]]
* SuckMyRose: Boris's 'Blood Rose' attack. Which involves killing the victim ''by teleporting it into his/her heart''.
* TearJerker: [[spoiler:When Boris kills Ivanka.]]
* TheBaroness: Khina and (more so) Morgana both fall into the Sexpot flavor of this trope.

* UnholyMatrimony: Boris married Khina during the events of Episode II.

* YaoiGuys: [[{{Uke}} Nikolai]] and [[{{Seme}} Boris]]. Nikolai was even a WholesomeCrossdresser as a kid.

** ZettaiRyouiki: Somewhat; Morgana's ZR is sandwiched between thighhigh boots and biker shorts that expand below her skirt. If you were a [[PsychicPowers Psychic girl]] who spends a great deal of time [[PowerFloats floating]], you'd be worried about [[PantyShot panty shots]] too.

** OliveGarden: Fiona Marino (who is not scheduled to appear in the story until Episode V) lives in an uncommonly used part of Italy: the Isle of Capri. And unlike what this trope would have you believe, [[HeroesWantRedheads she is a redhead]] (but then again, [[Film/{{Thunderball}} so was another famous Fiona...]]).