History Literature / Twig

* BigBadEnsemble: On the side of the Crown, the Lord Infante is the highest-ranking noble the Lambs face after the Duke of Francis and Baron Richmond are dispatched, overseeing the Crown's efforts to abandon the States to plague. On the side of the rebellion, Genevieve Fray is an ex-Academy Doctor who instigates the war and bolsters Mauer's rebel faction to continuously escalate the stakes, hoping to buck the Academy and Crown's stifling control. [[spoiler:And acting as Fray's [[BigBadDuumvirate partner]] within the Academies is the Lambs' creator, Professor Hayle, who tries to use the war to mold the Lambs into a new generation of nobles that lack the monstrous cruelty of their predecessors.]]

* BigBadEnsemble: On the side of the Crown, the Lord Infante is the highest-ranking noble the Lambs face after the Duke of Francis and Baron Richmond are dispatched, overseeing the Crown's efforts to abandon the States to plague. On the side of the rebellion, Genevieve Fray is an ex-Academy Doctor who instigates the war and bolsters Mauer's rebel faction to continuously escalate the stakes, hoping to buck the Academy and Crown's stifling control. [[spoiler:And acting as Fray's [[BigBadDuumvirate partner]] is the Lambs' creator, Professor Hayle, who tries to use the war to mold the Lambs into the next generation of nobles, free from their predecessor's monstrous cruelty.]]

* NoMacGuffinNoWinner: The Crown does not lose.

* BigBadEnsemble: On the side of the Crown, the Lord Infante is the highest-ranking noble the Lambs face after the Duke of Francis and Baron Richmond are dispatched, overseeing the Crown's efforts to abandon the States to plague. On the side of the rebellion, Genevieve Fray is an ex-Academy Doctor who instigates the war and bolsters Mauer's rebel faction to continuously escalate the stakes, hoping to buck the Academy and Crown's stifling control. [[spoiler:And acting as Fray's [[BigBadDuumvirate partner]] is the Lambs' creator, Professor Hayle, who tries to use the war to mold the Lambs into the next generation of nobles, free from their predecessors' monstrous cruelty.]]

* TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointyEndIn: When Sy does this and it ''doesn't'' happen, he lampshades how cool it would've been if it did. [[KnifeNut Mary]], however, has ''much'' more success with this trope. But, then, she ''is'' ThePerfectionist who practices.

* MismatchedEyes: Gordon's eyes are subtly different shades of brown, betraying the fact that he's been assembled from pieces of multiple people.

* NotSoDifferent: This is what Sy thinks about Fray, given their shared use of Wyvern. [[spoiler:Subverted later after their second conversation, when he discovers that she's been taking a much lower dose than him and that she always considered herself a doctor first and foremost whereas he identifies as an experiment.]]

* {{Transgender}}: Teased. At one point, Sylvester casually tells Jamie that he wishes he were a girl, which the other finds weird. He then proceeds to elaborate on his ''reasons'' for envying the girls: namely, that being female would [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent make it easier]] for him to [[TheFakeCutie manipulate people]]. So, it's ultimately more about being a ManipulativeBastard in general.
** [[spoiler:And of course, after Jamie's mind is reset, Jamie II decides that, lacking reproductive organs one way other the other, she identifies as a girl, going by Jessie from then on, and Lady Jessica in the epilogue.]]

** Late in the story, Hayle tells Sy that the number one cause of death in Professors and other top doctors and scientists is getting killed by their own creations. Given that said creations are often made to be put through horrible circumstances, others are designed to be mutated beyond recognition and turned into monsters, and [[spoiler:many are made from children, some with their brains intact]], it's really not surprising.

** Despite how advanced science is in this world, and how much they've managed to modify the human body, scientists still haven't managed to make humans fly- at the end of the day, the human body is just too damn heavy. Avis could only manage a prolonged glide, and she'd had surgeries done to pare her body down so she'd be as light as possible.

* RealityEnsues:
** The Lambs start out as a group of covert operatives, but a couple of arcs in, the results of their jobs start becoming known, with the effect that they become a known quantity and thus can't be as covert as they were. It doesn't help that as a group of very skilled and intelligent children, they stand out a ''lot''.
** [[spoiler:The Lambs have expiry dates and are sent on very dangerous missions. After the first Jamie suffers a DeathOfPersonality and Gordon and Hubris die, Sy realises that he can't handle seeing any more Lambs die and leaves.]]
** Late in the story, Hayle tells Sy that the number one cause of death in Professors and other top doctors and scientists is getting killed by their own creations. Given that said creations are often made to be put through horrible circumstances, others are designed to be mutated beyond recognition and turned into monsters, and [[spoiler:many are made from children, some with their brains intact]], it's really not surprising.
** Despite how advanced science is in this world, and how much they've managed to modify the human body, scientists still haven't managed to make humans fly- at the end of the day, the human body is just too damn heavy. Avis could only manage a prolonged glide, and she'd had surgeries done to pare her body down so she'd be as light as possible.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Not even the slightest bit subtle about it. Nobles who never killed to rise in the succession are viewed as weak, minor branches subject their children to horrible experiments to gain influence and biological warfare is always a consideration at weddings. In fact one of the purposes of the Lambs project is to develop possible enhancements for royal children.

** The Lambs start out as a group of covert operatives, but a couple of arcs in, the results of their jobs start becoming known, with the effect that they become a known quantity and thus can't be as covert as they were.

* BioweaponBeast: These are the specialty of the Academy.'' TheEmpire that the Academy works for is constantly demanding newer and more exciting monsters for use in its wars of conquest, and over the years the Academy has developed all kinds of methods for making new [[LivingWeapon Living Weapons]], from MixAndMatchCritters to mutagenic cocktails to genetic engineering.
* BigApplesauce: When the Crown States took over the US in the Twigverse, they made New York City their seat of power and renamed it New Amsterdam as a show of power over their new subjects.

* BookEnds: The end of chapter 11 mirrors the end of chapter 12. [[spoiler:At the end of 'In Sheep's Clothing' Sylvester has receded so deeply into his hallucinations that he has trouble telling the real Jamie apart from his mental ghost. Come the end of 'Enemy' the audience is unsure if the Jamie Sy is talking to is 'real' or not.]]
** [[spoiler:He's not, but fortunately the real Jamie survived the plague surgery and is just sleeping off the damage.]]

* CrossdressingVoices: In Universe. When the rest of the Lambs are spying on Gordon's breakup with Shipman, Mary lip-reads and relays Gordon's lines, while Jamie does the same for Shipman.
* CreepyChild: the Lambs sometimes edge into this.
* CreepyBlueEyes: the Headsman. [[spoiler:He was originally a normal human who got blue eyes because they looked cool.]]
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Happens in the very first chapter when the [[NoNameGiven snake charmer]] is EatenAlive by his [[MixAndMatchCritters cat-snake]], which has flesh-dissolving venom. It also eats him feet-first, meaning he survives longer.
** Of course, the [[CrapsackWorld Twig universe being what it is]], there is a laundry list of other, equally horrifying incidents throughout the story.

* DieHardOnAnX: Arc 3, "Lips Sealed." The one holding the Bowels hostage is Sub Rosa, an experiment that run amok that was the creator of the Bowels as a human, but the shoe fits surprisingly well, all told, up to and including Rosa's DisneyVillainDeath.

* HorrorHunger: Helen, kind of. She seemingly has only one emotion, combining her drives for food, affection [[OneOfTheseThingsIsNotLikeTheOthers and to inflict horrible tortures on her prey]].

''Twig'' ended on October 17, 2017, to be followed by ''Worm'''s sequel.

* TheEmpire: The British Empire has apparently conquered a ''full third'' of the globe, surpassing its real-world counterpart.

''[[https://twigserial.wordpress.com Twig]]'' is the third WebSerialNovel from ''Creator/{{Wildbow}}'', following on from his superhero novel ''{{Literature/Worm}}'' and the modern fantasy-horror story ''{{Literature/Pact}}''. The story follows a group of children [[TykeBomb with extraordinary abilities]] from the Lambsbridge Orphanage: Sylvester (AKA Sy, the main protagonist and narrator), Gordon, Helen, Lillian, and Jamie, as they make their way in a world loosely inspired by ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', where the [[FleshGolem dead walk again]], {{Immortality}} is within reach and [[BioAugmentation bio-engineered monsters]] roam the streets. The basic story concept and form thus have much in common with Creator/JohnCWright's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos'' series, although Wildbow takes it in a somewhat different direction.

''[[https://twigserial.wordpress.com Twig]]'' is the third WebSerialNovel from ''Creator/{{Wildbow}}'', following on from his superhero novel ''{{Literature/Worm}}'' and the modern fantasy-horror story ''{{Literature/Pact}}''. The story follows [[TykeBomb a group of children]] from the Lambsbridge Orphanage; Sy, Gordon, Helen, Lillian and Jamie as they make their way in a world loosely inspired by ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', where the [[FleshGolem dead walk again]], {{Immortality}} is within reach and [[BioAugmentation bio-engineered monsters]] roam the streets.

It ended on October 17, 2017, to be followed by ''Worm'''s sequel.

* BelligerentSexualTension: [[spoiler: Sylvester and Lillian.]]

* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Lara and Nora. [[spoiler: Lillian later acquires a syringe version of these.]]
* Blade Spam: Lara and Nora's fighting style.
* BookEnds: The end of chapter 11 mirrors the end of chapter 12. [[spoiler: At the end of 'In Sheep's Clothing' Sylvester has receded so deeply into his hallucinations that he has trouble telling the real Jamie apart from his mental ghost. Come the end of 'Enemy' the audience is unsure if the Jamie Sy is talking to is 'real' or not.]]
** [[spoiler: He's not, but fortunately the real Jamie survived the plague surgery and is just sleeping off the damage.]]

* CreepyBlueEyes: the Headsman. [[spoiler: He was originally a normal human who got blue eyes because they looked cool.]]

* GunsAreWorthless: Against Nobles and Warbeasts, anyway, and they're notably ineffective against many of the threats the Lambs face (like Sub Rosa.) [[spoiler: It's later revealed that the Crown have been deliberately suppressing advancement of armor-piercing rounds to encourage this.]]

* LoveDodecahedron: [[spoiler: Sylvester is attracted to both Mary and Lillian, both of whom reciprocate his attraction while still being best friends with one another. However Mary is also attracted to Gordon, who reciprocates as well, and Sy feels that she would be better of with Gordon than with him. Meanwhile, Jamie has an [[IncompatibleOrientation unrequited love]] for Sy, which Sy is blissfully unaware of... until shortly before Jamie's kind-of-it's-complicated death. For her part, Helen just wants to hug everybody to death -- or, cadge sugary treats from them. Either is good.]]

* NoItemUseForYou: Sy is stripped naked and locked in a room cleared of all objects [[spoiler: by Mauer's men. [[BeyondTheImpossible He still escapes.]]]]

* NoBiologicalSex: Jamie [[spoiler: and Jessie.]]

* PowerArmour: A rare BioTech example in Sub Rosa. [[spoiler: Lillian later develops a smaller version for herself.]]

** [[spoiler: The Lambs have expiry dates and are sent on very dangerous missions. After the first Jamie suffers a DeathOfPersonality and Gordon and Hubris die, Sy realises that he can't handle seeing any more Lambs die and leaves.]]
** Late in the story, Hayle tells Sy that the number one cause of death in Professors and other top doctors and scientists is getting killed by their own creations. Given that said creations are often made to be put through horrible circumstances, others are designed to be mutated beyond recognition and turned into monsters, and [[spoiler: many are made from children, some with their brains intact]], it's really not surprising.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Radham Academy is located within the Crown States of America, an alternate US, but its exact location remains unknown. The only information so far is that it is not on the East Coast, as one of the character referred to the "Eastern Crown States" as a distant place. The constant rain may indicate the Pacific Northwest, but since [[spoiler: The rain is generated by the academy and laced with chemicals designed to keep experiments dependent on Academy medicine]] that is far from certain.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The Academy is a horrible organization that does unethical experimentation and has most of the world under their thumb, whereas the rebellion does more or less the same things in their attempts to free themselves from Academy control, including in the case of the Ghosts [[spoiler:using HumanResources in the form of orphaned children so as to use their brains as as starters or templates. Of course, as the Lambs discover by the end of the story, the academy has been doing the same thing all along. ''That's where the nobles come from.'']]

* BookEnds: The end of chapter 11 mirrors the end of chapter 12. [[spoiler: at the end of 'In Sheep's Clothing' Sylvester has receded so deeply into his hallucinations that he has trouble telling the real Jamie apart from his mental ghost. Come the end of 'Enemy' the audience is unsure if the Jamie Sy is talking to is 'real' or not.]]
** [[spoiler: he's not, but fortunately the real Jamie survived the plague surgery and is just sleeping off the damage.]]

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Not even the slightest bit subtle about it, nobles who never killed to rise in the succession are viewed as weak, minor branches subject their children to horrible experiments to gain influence and biological warfare is always a consideration in weddings. In fact one of the purposes of the Lambs project is to develop possible enhancements for royal children.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Mary end up joining the Lambs after they defeat her. {{Averted}} for the rest of the Bad Seeds, who end up being brutally killed.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: [[spoiler:Mauer defeats the Duke, a Noble with the best augmentations money can buy.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Once the last surviving Twin is fatally injured, Sy realizes that she could still probably kill him, but doesn't care enough to try, since all her sisters are dead and her brother cares nothing for it.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Empire, with its Academies, might have been standing behind the potted plants while morals (and human rights) were being handed out, but it has legal and ethical standards it goes all out in sticking to. As becomes apparent the more you read: LawfulEvil is somewhat less hellacious than ChaoticEvil, and is enforced in preference.

* TheFarmerAndTheViper: In Esprit de Corpse 5.13 a soldier [[WouldNotHurtAChild takes pity on the Lambs]] (Sy, Mary, and Gordon) and doesn't kill them when he has the chance and instead takes them to a doctor to be healed despite likely having direct orders to do so. How do the Lambs reward such kindness? The moment Sy's confirmed okay the Lambs murder him, the doctor, and another soldier in the room before making a break for it.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The interludes for Arc 7, Tooth and Nail, which are from the point of view of the Lambs, excepting Jamie and Sy and divided into boys and girls, hint that [[spoiler:the Lambs will become Sy's enemy in the future as all other interludes have been from enemy perspectives, and that Jamie, who is in neither interlude, is neither male nor female.]]

* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:Mauer's primordials were meant to present the Academy with a potential world-ending threat and thus force it to go to barbaric extremes. This succeeds rather too well as the last primordial to die unleashes a plague to curse Mauer for murdering them.]]

* NotSoDifferent: This is what Sy thinks about Fray, given their shared use of Wyvern. [[spoiler:Subverted later after their second conversation, when he discovers that she's been taking a much lower dose and that she always considered herself a doctor first and foremost whereas he identifies as an experiment.]]

* TapOnTheHead: [[spoiler:After Sy receives one in arc 14, his "Evette" persona fully takes over the the other Lamb hallucinations disappear.]]

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Radham Academy is located within the Crown States of America, an alternate US, but its exact location remains unknown. The only information so far is that it is not on the East Coast, as one of the character referred to the "Eastern Crown States" as a distant place.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The Academy is a horrible organization that does unethical experimentation and has most of the world under their thumb, whereas the rebellion does more or less the same things in their attempts to free themselves from Academy control, including in the case of the Ghosts [[spoiler:using HumanResources in the form of orphaned children so as to use their brains as as starters or templates. Of course, as the Lambs discover by the end of the story, the academy has been doing the same thing all along. *That's where the nobles come from*.]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The Academy is a horrible organization that does unethical experimentation and has most of the world under their thumb, whereas the rebellion does more or less the same things in their attempts to free themselves from Academy control, including in the case of the Ghosts [[spoiler:using HumanResources in the form of orphaned children so as to use their brains as as starters or templates.]]