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added example(s), fixing indentation
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Caitlin Decter has been blind since birth. Her blindness is caused by a rare disorder of the optic nerve that scrambles the information coming from her eyes, so her brain cannot interpret it. Soon after she and her parents move to Canada to let her father work at a top physics institute, a Japanese researcher from Tokyo, Masayuki Kuroda, proposes to have her participate in an experiment with an implant he has developed, sending the information from one eye to an outside device that will correct it, allowing her to see.
to:
Caitlin Decter has been blind since birth. Her blindness is caused by a rare disorder of the optic nerve that scrambles the information coming from her eyes, so her brain cannot interpret it. Soon after she and her parents move to Canada to let when her father work gets hired at a top physics institute, a Japanese researcher from Tokyo, Masayuki Kuroda, proposes to have her participate in an experiment with an implant he has developed, sending the information from one eye to an outside device that will correct it, allowing her to see.
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Meanwhile in China, a massive bird flu outbreak provokes the Chinese government to wipe out the population of a small rural area to prevent its spread. To help cover the atrocity up, they lock down all internet access in their country to the outside. This, however, causes something that they didn't expect. An intelligence that exists in the World Wide Web has an increase in development due to the web being separated and then reconstituted, in imitation of how one scientist referenced in-story believes the human brain first evolved consciousness.
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* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011–2012, given that the President of the United States is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for re-election beginning in the second novel (his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009–2011, but may be based on UsefulNotes/SarahPalin).
* AntiquatedLinguistics: Due to having got most of his initial vocabulary from Project Gutenberg and not really knowing how the English language actually works, Webmind's first few messages to Caitlin were in a decidedly archaic form of English. He soon gets the hang of modern colloquial English though.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: Due to having got most of his initial vocabulary from Project Gutenberg and not really knowing how the English language actually works, Webmind's first few messages to Caitlin were in a decidedly archaic form of English. He soon gets the hang of modern colloquial English though.
to:
* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011–2012, given that the President of the United States is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for re-election beginning in the second novel (his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009–2011, 2009 to 2011, but may be based on UsefulNotes/SarahPalin).
UsefulNotes/SarahPalin).
* AntiquatedLinguistics: Due to having got most of his initial vocabulary from Project Gutenberg and not really knowing how the English language actually works, Webmind's first few messages to Caitlin were in a decidedly archaic form of English. He soon gets the hang ofmodern early-twenty-first-century colloquial English English, though.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: Due to having got most of his initial vocabulary from Project Gutenberg and not really knowing how the English language actually works, Webmind's first few messages to Caitlin were in a decidedly archaic form of English. He soon gets the hang of
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* BigBrotherIsWatching: Invoked in-universe by several characters who are uncomfortable with Webmind's emergence. Ultimately subverted; Webmind does have the ability to observe anything within range of a camera with even the remotest Internet connection, but only uses this ability to help humans. Further subverted by the fact that Caitlin actually uses the phrase 'Big Brother' as a term of endearment for Webmind.
to:
* BigBrotherIsWatching: Invoked in-universe by several characters who are uncomfortable with Webmind's emergence. Ultimately subverted; Webmind does have the ability to can observe anything within range of a camera with even the remotest Internet connection, but only uses this ability to help humans. Further subverted by the fact that Caitlin actually uses the phrase 'Big Brother' "Big Brother" as a term of endearment for Webmind.
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* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is not God. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those who believed that Webmind was God begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually God and then [[spoiler:went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes]].
* DistantFinale: [[ExtremelyShortTimespan Most of the story happens in a matter of days.]] The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonized known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
* DistantFinale: [[ExtremelyShortTimespan Most of the story happens in a matter of days.]] The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonized known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
to:
* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} Played with a bit. On one hand hand, Webmind repeatedly states that [[AGodIAmNot he is not God. God]]. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's there are less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race race, and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those man who believed that Webmind was God begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually God and then [[spoiler:went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes]].
* DistantFinale: [[ExtremelyShortTimespan Most of the story happens in a matter of days.]] The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonized known space, andthe Sun Sol about to go nova.]]
* DistantFinale: [[ExtremelyShortTimespan Most of the story happens in a matter of days.]] The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonized known space, and
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* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - at long, ''long'' last -- after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
to:
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - one, at long, ''long'' last -- last, after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Creator/StephenHawking and Creator/JonStewart are characters in the novel; Hawking is a visiting scholar at the same institute Caitlin's dad works in and Caitlin is interviewed by Stewart on ''Series/TheDailyShow''.
** The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's meant to be UsefulNotes/BarackObama (the real-life at the time of the novels).
** A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and meet with the protagonists (offscreen).
* HollywoodAtheist: Averted by Caitlin and her dad. Both are simply nice, ordinary people.
** The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's meant to be UsefulNotes/BarackObama (the real-life at the time of the novels).
** A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and meet with the protagonists (offscreen).
* HollywoodAtheist: Averted by Caitlin and her dad. Both are simply nice, ordinary people.
to:
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: HistoricalDomainCharacter:
** Creator/StephenHawking and Creator/JonStewart are characters in thenovel; novel: Hawking is a visiting scholar at the same institute Caitlin's dad where Malcolm works in and Stewart interviews Caitlin is interviewed by Stewart on ''Series/TheDailyShow''.
** The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's meant to be UsefulNotes/BarackObama (the real-life officeholder at the time of thenovels).
novels).
** A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, andmeet interact with the protagonists (offscreen).
(off-page).
* HollywoodAtheist: Averted by Caitlin andher dad. Malcolm. Both are simply nice, ordinary people.people.
* HollywoodAutism: Averted by Malcolm; when he's talking to somebody else, the narration describes him as looking a point beyond them, but otherwise he is a loving husband and father, as well as a well-regarded scientist.
** Creator/StephenHawking and Creator/JonStewart are characters in the
** The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's meant to be UsefulNotes/BarackObama (the real-life officeholder at the time of the
** A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and
* HollywoodAtheist: Averted by Caitlin and
* HollywoodAutism: Averted by Malcolm; when he's talking to somebody else, the narration describes him as looking a point beyond them, but otherwise he is a loving husband and father, as well as a well-regarded scientist.
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* JerkJock: Caitlin's first crush in her new school turns out to be this.
* JewishAndNerdy: Caitlin's father (he's an atheist, though).
* LeftFieldDescription: Robert J. Sawyer borrows the first line of ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' --"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel"-- with a TechnologyMarchesOn twist: "The sky above the island was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel — which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue." Some fans take it further: [[http://www.project-apollo.net/headroom/index.html "The sky over the port was the color of a television set tuned to PBS"]].
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky, a genius and an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is also an atheist and autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project, Shoshana, is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
* JewishAndNerdy: Caitlin's father (he's an atheist, though).
* LeftFieldDescription: Robert J. Sawyer borrows the first line of ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' --"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel"-- with a TechnologyMarchesOn twist: "The sky above the island was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel — which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue." Some fans take it further: [[http://www.project-apollo.net/headroom/index.html "The sky over the port was the color of a television set tuned to PBS"]].
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky, a genius and an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is also an atheist and autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project, Shoshana, is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
to:
* JerkJock: Trevor, Caitlin's first crush in her new school school, turns out to be this.
* JewishAndNerdy: Malcolm, Caitlin's father (he's an atheist, though).
* LeftFieldDescription: Robert J. Sawyer borrows the first line of ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}''--"The -- "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel"-- channel" -- with a TechnologyMarchesOn twist: twist:[[invoked]] "The sky above the island was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel — which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue." Some fans take it further: [[http://www.project-apollo.net/headroom/index.html "The sky over the port was the color of a television set tuned to PBS"]].
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky, a genius and an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is also an atheist and autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project, Shoshana, is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
* JewishAndNerdy: Malcolm, Caitlin's father (he's an atheist, though).
* LeftFieldDescription: Robert J. Sawyer borrows the first line of ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}''
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky, a genius and an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is also an atheist and autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project, Shoshana, is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
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* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Webmind, after he watched a girl killing herself online, being egged on by others and not interfering. This happened a second time, after he reintegrated a part of him cut off by the Great China Firewall and discovered the [[EvilTwin part of him that was cut off]] actually [[DrivenToSuicide drove several people to suicide in China]].]]
* NoPartyGiven: Averted: the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him.
* NoPartyGiven: Averted: the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him.
to:
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Webmind, after he watched a girl Hannah Stark killing herself online, being egged on by others and not interfering. This happened a second time, after he reintegrated a part of him cut off by the Great China Firewall and discovered the [[EvilTwin part of him that was cut off]] actually [[DrivenToSuicide drove several people to suicide in China]].]]
* NoPartyGiven: Averted: the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him. Caitlin also reminds herself mentally that Malcolm and Barbara are registered Democrats.
* NoPartyGiven: Averted: the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him. Caitlin also reminds herself mentally that Malcolm and Barbara are registered Democrats.
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* SuicideDare: Webmind observes a girl who's suicidal being goaded online into killing herself, and she does, live on webcam. He later realizes the import of all this, and helps divert other people from this. [[spoiler: When part of him gets cut off, though, it becomes malicious, either doing this itself or manipulating them into suicide.]]
* TechnologyMarchesOn: {{Invoked}} and {{Deconstructed}} in ''Wake'' in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to {{Cyberpunk}} as a whole and technology evolving in ways that authors didn't anticipate, and the entire series serves a as a GenreDeconstruction based on this trope in which integrated technology has a positive rather than negative effect on society. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
* TechnologyMarchesOn: {{Invoked}} and {{Deconstructed}} in ''Wake'' in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to {{Cyberpunk}} as a whole and technology evolving in ways that authors didn't anticipate, and the entire series serves a as a GenreDeconstruction based on this trope in which integrated technology has a positive rather than negative effect on society. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
to:
* SuicideDare: Webmind observes a girl who's suicidal being goaded online into killing herself, and she does, live on webcam. He later realizes the import of all this, and helps divert other people from this. [[spoiler: When [[spoiler:When part of him gets cut off, though, it becomes malicious, either doing this itself or manipulating them into suicide.]]
* TechnologyMarchesOn:{{Invoked}} {{Invoked|Trope}} and {{Deconstructed}} {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''Wake'' in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'': "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - -- which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) originally). According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to {{Cyberpunk}} as a whole and technology evolving in ways that authors didn't anticipate, and the entire series serves a as a GenreDeconstruction based on this trope in which integrated technology has a positive rather than negative effect on society. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] Straight example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black. black.
* TechnologyMarchesOn:
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* TimeAbyss: [[spoiler:Webmind]] in the epilogue. [[spoiler:He's still on Earth when it's about to be engulfed by the Sun's expansion into a red giant. He also still remembers everything that happened when he first came into being. For bonus points, consider that from Webmind's perspective a day seems like an eternity]].
* TuringTest: Subverted; a key part of the second book is Webmind ''failing'' the Turing Test. The fact that he is intelligent and sapient is fairly obvious; him failing the Turing Test served to prove that he wasn't just a human with a really fast Internet connection.
* TuringTest: Subverted; a key part of the second book is Webmind ''failing'' the Turing Test. The fact that he is intelligent and sapient is fairly obvious; him failing the Turing Test served to prove that he wasn't just a human with a really fast Internet connection.
to:
* TimeAbyss: [[spoiler:Webmind]] in the epilogue. [[spoiler:He's still on Earth when it's about to be engulfed by the Sun's expansion into a red giant. He also still remembers everything that happened when he first came into being. For bonus points, consider that from Webmind's perspective a day seems like an eternity]].
eternity.]]
* TuringTest: Subverted; a key part ofthe second book ''Watch'' is Webmind ''failing'' the Turing Test. The fact that he is intelligent and sapient is fairly obvious; him failing the Turing Test served to prove that he wasn't just a human with a really fast Internet connection.
* TuringTest: Subverted; a key part of
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Creator/StephenHawking is a character in the novel. He's a visiting scholar at the same institute Caitlin's dad works in, and they watch a recorded speech he gives. The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's UsefulNotes/BarackObama (which he really was at the time of the novels). A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and meet with the protagonists (offscreen).
to:
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Creator/StephenHawking is a character and Creator/JonStewart are characters in the novel. He's novel; Hawking is a visiting scholar at the same institute Caitlin's dad works in, in and they watch a recorded speech he gives. Caitlin is interviewed by Stewart on ''Series/TheDailyShow''.
** The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's meant to be UsefulNotes/BarackObama(which he really was (the real-life at the time of the novels). novels).
** A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and meet with the protagonists (offscreen).
** The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's meant to be UsefulNotes/BarackObama
** A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and meet with the protagonists (offscreen).
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Added DiffLines:
* LeftFieldDescription: Robert J. Sawyer borrows the first line of ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' --"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel"-- with a TechnologyMarchesOn twist: "The sky above the island was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel — which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue." Some fans take it further: [[http://www.project-apollo.net/headroom/index.html "The sky over the port was the color of a television set tuned to PBS"]].
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None
Changed line(s) 13,14 (click to see context) from:
Not to be confused with R.J. Palacio's ''Literature/Wonder2012.''
to:
Not to be confused with R.J. Palacio's ''Literature/Wonder2012.''
''Literature/Wonder2012''.
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* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011-12, given that the President is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for reelection beginning in the second novel (his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009-2011, but may be based on Sarah Palin).
to:
* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011-12, 2011–2012, given that the President of the United States is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for reelection re-election beginning in the second novel (his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009-2011, 2009–2011, but may be based on Sarah Palin).UsefulNotes/SarahPalin).
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
* DemocracyIsBad: The Chinese President takes this view, believing it threatens his country while also not really existing anyway. [[spoiler: He is forced to cede power, along with the Communist Party, and let China be a democracy near the end of the trilogy.]]
to:
* DemocracyIsBad: The Chinese President of China takes this view, believing it threatens his country while also not really existing anyway. [[spoiler: He is forced to cede power, along with the Communist Party, and let China be a democracy near the end of the trilogy.]]
Changed line(s) 26,27 (click to see context) from:
* DistantFinale: Most of the story happens in a matter of days. The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonized known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded into this by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded into this by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
to:
* DistantFinale: [[ExtremelyShortTimespan Most of the story happens in a matter of days. days.]] The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonized known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded into this by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene- -- from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, Unfortunately, later, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded into this by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene
Changed line(s) 31,32 (click to see context) from:
* FourIsDeath: Li got the call about the bird flu epidemic at 4:44 am.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - at long, ''long'' last - after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - at long, ''long'' last - after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
to:
* FourIsDeath: Dr. Li got the call about the bird flu epidemic at 4:44 am.
a.m.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - at long, ''long'' last- -- after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - at long, ''long'' last
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* IfIWantedYouDead: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume gets captured]] and immediately assumes Webmind wants to kill him. The latter delivers this response word-for-word. It doesn't come off as threatening given Webmind's general benevolence - he's simply pointing out that [[spoiler:Hume's]] worry is misplaced.
to:
* IfIWantedYouDead: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume gets captured]] and immediately assumes Webmind wants to kill him. The latter delivers this response word-for-word. word for word. It doesn't come off as threatening given Webmind's general benevolence - -- he's simply pointing out that [[spoiler:Hume's]] worry is misplaced.
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky, a genius and an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is also an atheist and autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
to:
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky, a genius and an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is also an atheist and autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project project, Shoshana, is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
Changed line(s) 48,51 (click to see context) from:
* NoPartyGiven: Averted-the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him.
* OneWordTitle: The three novels of the trilogy are called, ''Wake'', ''Watch'', and ''Wonder''.
* SciFiGhetto: {{Invoked}} and {{lampshaded}} with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
--> It ''can't'' be science fiction, young lady - if it were, we wouldn't be studying it!
* OneWordTitle: The three novels of the trilogy are called, ''Wake'', ''Watch'', and ''Wonder''.
* SciFiGhetto: {{Invoked}} and {{lampshaded}} with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
--> It ''can't'' be science fiction, young lady - if it were, we wouldn't be studying it!
to:
* NoPartyGiven: Averted-the Averted: the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him.
* OneWordTitle: The three novels of the trilogy arecalled, called ''Wake'', ''Watch'', and ''Wonder''.
* SciFiGhetto:{{Invoked}} {{Invoked|Trope}} and {{lampshaded}} {{lampshade|Hanging}}d with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
--> It -->It ''can't'' be science fiction, young lady - -- if it were, we wouldn't be studying it!
* OneWordTitle: The three novels of the trilogy are
* SciFiGhetto:
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* TuringTest: Subverted; a key part of the second book is Webmind ''failing'' the Turing Test. The fact that he is intelligent and sapient is fairly obvious; him failing the Turing Test served to prove that he wasn't just a human with a really fast internet connection.
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* TuringTest: Subverted; a key part of the second book is Webmind ''failing'' the Turing Test. The fact that he is intelligent and sapient is fairly obvious; him failing the Turing Test served to prove that he wasn't just a human with a really fast internet Internet connection.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: {{Invoked}} and {{Deconstructed}} in ''Wake'' in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson and other authors of the genre didn't anticipate. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: {{Invoked}} and {{Deconstructed}} in ''Wake'' in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson and other authors of the genre didn't anticipate.anticipate, and the entire series serves a as a GenreDeconstruction based on this trope in which integrated technology has a positive rather than negative effect on society. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} in Wake in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson didn't anticipate. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} and {{Deconstructed}} in Wake ''Wake'' in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson and other authors of the genre didn't anticipate. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} in Wake in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson didn't anticipate.
to:
* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} in Wake in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson didn't anticipate. Rather appropriately, this has also become a [[{{Played Straight}} Straight]] example as the color of a television tuned to a dead channel would now likely be black.
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tuned, not turned
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} in Wake in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, turned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson didn't anticipate.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} in Wake in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, turned tuned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson didn't anticipate.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Deliberately {{Invoked}} in Wake in a ShoutOut to the opening line of ''{{Literature/Neuromancer}}'' - "The sky above the port was the color of television, turned to a dead channel - which is to say it was a bright, cheery blue" (as opposed to the dreary gray that line was intended to evoke originally.) According to WordOfGod, this was meant as a response to the {{Cyberpunk}} genre as a whole and technology evolving in ways that Gibson didn't anticipate.
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Not to be confused with R.J. Palacio's ''Literature/Wonder2012.''
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This page was merged with Forum Speak
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* GreaterInternetFuckwadTheory: When Webmind manifests himself to her, Caitlin immediately realizes that if his existence becomes public before he knows how to defend himself, a sizable portion of humanity will make it their mission to bring him down for no other reason than bragging rights. Also what happens when [[spoiler:a girl is threatening to commit suicide on webcam and various other users goad her into following through.]]
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* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
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* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
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* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
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I always thought his opponent was Sarah Palin in the series, I thought that was implied
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* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011-12, given that the President is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for reelection beginning in the second novel (though his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009-2011).
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* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011-12, given that the President is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for reelection beginning in the second novel (though his (his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009-2011).2009-2011, but may be based on Sarah Palin).
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* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: Hobo's speech to the UN.
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* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: Hobo's speech to the UN.UN.
----
----
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* AlternateHistory: The series appears to take place in around 2011-12, given that the President is heavily implied to be the actual UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and he's mentioned to be a Democrat campaigning for reelection beginning in the second novel (though his opponent remains fictional, as the books were released before it, from 2009-2011).
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Creator/StephenHawking is a character in the novel. He's a visiting scholar at the same institute Caitlin's dad works in, and they watch a recorded speech he gives. The US President isn't named, but pretty clearly he's UsefulNotes/BarackObama (which he really was at the time of the novels). A few more actual scientists also get mentioned as being characters, and meet with the protagonists (offscreen).
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* NoPartyGiven: Averted-the US President is mentioned as being a Democrat. He's also clearly meant to be either UsefulNotes/BarackObama or at least an {{expy}} of him.
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* TheInternetIsForPorn: Caitlin is frustrated about never having seen a dick resp "[[{{Spammer}} peeeniz]]" ([[spoiler:she would love her boyfriend's penis to be the first that she sees. When they actually have TheirFirstTime, she takes her eyePod off, though]]), so she uses Google Images, after gaining her sight.
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* TheInternetIsForPorn: Caitlin is frustrated about never having seen a dick resp "[[{{Spammer}} peeeniz]]" ([[spoiler:she would love her boyfriend's penis to be the first that she sees. When they actually have TheirFirstTime, she takes turns her eyePod off, though]]), so she uses Google Images, after gaining her sight.
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* DemocracyIsBad: The Chinese President takes this view, believing it threatens his country while also not really existing anyway. [[spoiler: He is forced to cede power, along with the Communist Party, and let China be a democracy near the end of the trilogy.]]
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At first, it looks like the experiment has failed. However, when she starts downloading an update, she begins seeing shapes that don't match the real world and don't go away when her eyes are closed. They come to the conclusion that an error in the device and her brain co-opting her visual center to help her navigate the Internet have combined to allow her to see the World-Wide Web.
Meanwhile in China, a massive bird flu outbreak provokes the Chinese government to wipe out the population of a small rural area to prevent its spread. To help cover the atrocity up, they lock down all internet access in their country to the outside. This, however, causes something that they didn't expect. A intelligence that exists in the world-wide web has an increase in development due to the web being separated and then reconstituted, in imitation of how one scientist referenced in-story believes the human brain first evolved consciousness.
Meanwhile in China, a massive bird flu outbreak provokes the Chinese government to wipe out the population of a small rural area to prevent its spread. To help cover the atrocity up, they lock down all internet access in their country to the outside. This, however, causes something that they didn't expect. A intelligence that exists in the world-wide web has an increase in development due to the web being separated and then reconstituted, in imitation of how one scientist referenced in-story believes the human brain first evolved consciousness.
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At first, it looks like the experiment has failed. However, when she starts downloading an update, she begins seeing shapes that don't match the real world and don't go away when her eyes are closed. They come to the conclusion that an error in the device and her brain co-opting her visual center to help her navigate the Internet have combined to allow her to see the World-Wide World Wide Web.
Meanwhile in China, a massive bird flu outbreak provokes the Chinese government to wipe out the population of a small rural area to prevent its spread. To help cover the atrocity up, they lock down all internet access in their country to the outside. This, however, causes something that they didn't expect.A An intelligence that exists in the world-wide web World Wide Web has an increase in development due to the web being separated and then reconstituted, in imitation of how one scientist referenced in-story believes the human brain first evolved consciousness.
Meanwhile in China, a massive bird flu outbreak provokes the Chinese government to wipe out the population of a small rural area to prevent its spread. To help cover the atrocity up, they lock down all internet access in their country to the outside. This, however, causes something that they didn't expect.
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* ArtificialIntelligence : Obviously.
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* ArtificialIntelligence : ArtificialIntelligence: Obviously.
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* BigBrotherIsWatching: Invoked in-universe by several characters who are uncomfortable with Webmind's emergence. Ultimately subverted; Webmind does have the ability to observe anything within range of a camera with even the remotest Internet connection, but only uses this ability to help humans.
** Further subverted by the fact that Caitlin actually uses the phrase 'Big Brother' as a term of endearment for Webmind.
* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is not god. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those who believed that Webmind was god begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually god and then [[spoiler:went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes]].
* DistantFinale: most of the story happens in a matter of days. The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonised known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: A [[GenderInvertedTrope gender-inverted]] [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] version of this trope. Shoshana's girlfriend Max is lesbian like her, but claimed playfully that Hari Rhodes is so good-looking, she would almost want to be straight.
** Further subverted by the fact that Caitlin actually uses the phrase 'Big Brother' as a term of endearment for Webmind.
* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is not god. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those who believed that Webmind was god begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually god and then [[spoiler:went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes]].
* DistantFinale: most of the story happens in a matter of days. The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonised known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: A [[GenderInvertedTrope gender-inverted]] [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] version of this trope. Shoshana's girlfriend Max is lesbian like her, but claimed playfully that Hari Rhodes is so good-looking, she would almost want to be straight.
to:
* BigBrotherIsWatching: Invoked in-universe by several characters who are uncomfortable with Webmind's emergence. Ultimately subverted; Webmind does have the ability to observe anything within range of a camera with even the remotest Internet connection, but only uses this ability to help humans.
**humans. Further subverted by the fact that Caitlin actually uses the phrase 'Big Brother' as a term of endearment for Webmind.
* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is notgod.God. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those who believed that Webmind was god God begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually god God and then [[spoiler:went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes]].
* DistantFinale:most Most of the story happens in a matter of days. The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonised colonized known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded into this by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: A [[GenderInvertedTropegender-inverted]] gender-inverted]], [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] version of this trope. Shoshana's girlfriend Max is a lesbian like her, but claimed playfully that Hari Rhodes is so good-looking, she would almost want to be straight.
**
* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is not
* DistantFinale:
* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded into this by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and causes him to vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively drives people to suicide as a way to exact revenge against humankind]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: A [[GenderInvertedTrope
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* GreaterInternetFuckwadTheory: when Webmind manifests himself to her, Caitlin immediately realises that if his existence becomes public before he knows how to defend himself, a sizable portion of humanity will make it their mission to bring him down for no other reason than bragging rights. Also what happens when [[spoiler:a girl is threatening to commit suicide on webcam and various other users goad her into following through.]]
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* GreaterInternetFuckwadTheory: when When Webmind manifests himself to her, Caitlin immediately realises realizes that if his existence becomes public before he knows how to defend himself, a sizable portion of humanity will make it their mission to bring him down for no other reason than bragging rights. Also what happens when [[spoiler:a girl is threatening to commit suicide on webcam and various other users goad her into following through.]]
* TheInternetIsForPorn: Caitlin is frustrated about never having seen a dick resp "[[{{Spammer}} peeeniz]]" ([[spoiler:she would love her boyfriend's penis to be the first that she sees. When they actually have TheirFirstTime, she takes her eyePod off, though]]), so she uses Google Images, after gaining her sight.
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* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky and a genius. Her father, Malcolm, is both autistic and an atheist, and is portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
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* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky spunky, a genius and a genius. an atheist. Her father, Malcolm, is both autistic also an atheist and an atheist, and is autistic, portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
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* SciFiGhetto: {{Invoked}} and {{Lampshaded}} with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
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* SciFiGhetto: {{Invoked}} and {{Lampshaded}} {{lampshaded}} with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
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* TheInternetIsForPorn: Caitlin is frustrated about never having seen a dick resp "[[{{Spammer}} peeeniz]]" ([[spoiler:she would love to be the dick of her boyfriend the first she sees. When they actually have TheirFirstTime, she takes her eyePod off, though]]), so she uses Google Images, after she gained sight.
to:
* TheInternetIsForPorn: Caitlin is frustrated about never having seen SuicideDare: Webmind observes a dick resp "[[{{Spammer}} peeeniz]]" ([[spoiler:she would love to be girl who's suicidal being goaded online into killing herself, and she does, live on webcam. He later realizes the dick import of her boyfriend the first she sees. all this, and helps divert other people from this. [[spoiler: When they actually have TheirFirstTime, she takes her eyePod part of him gets cut off, though]]), so she uses Google Images, after she gained sight.though, it becomes malicious, either doing this itself or manipulating them into suicide.]]
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* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
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* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one - at long, ''long'' last - after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
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* DistantFinale
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* DistantFinaleDistantFinale: most of the story happens in a matter of days. The ending happens [[spoiler:'''five billion years''' into the future with humanity having split into many species and colonised known space, and the Sun about to go nova.]]
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* GreaterInternetFuckwadTheory: when Webmind manifests himself to her, Caitlin immediately realises that if his existence becomes public before he knows how to defend himself, a sizable portion of humanity will make it their mission to bring him down for no other reason than bragging rights. Also what happens when [[spoiler:a girl is threatening to commit suicide on webcam and various other users goad her into following through.]]
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* AIIsACrapshoot: Generally averted by Webmind's utterly unwavering benevolence, but when [[spoiler:he gets split by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller part of his mind sealed within China turns evil immediately, trying to goad people into killing themselves as a form of revenge]]. It eventually becomes a good argument for letting him be: [[spoiler:given that killing him would entail a period of degradation before his destruction, he might well go insane and wreak total havoc in the time he'd have left]].
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* InspectorJavert: Peyton Hume is utterly convinced that Webmind is a threat and responsible for a variety of apparent crimes and goes to great lengths to try to stop him [[spoiler:(Webmind is completely innocent of all these crimes)]].
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* InspectorJavert: Peyton Hume is utterly convinced that Webmind is a threat and responsible for a variety of apparent crimes crimes, and goes to great and increasingly desperate lengths to try to stop him. Not even [[spoiler:Webmind curing cancer]] gets him [[spoiler:(Webmind is completely innocent to reconsider his point of all these crimes)]].view; he doggedly continues his crusade, until [[spoiler:the last acts, when the evidence to Webmind's benevolence ''finally'' becomes incontrovertible even for him]].
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* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on line and [[spoiler:Webmind was watching and not doing nothing (much to his later remorse), later actively done by a rogue part of Webmind in China]].
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* DrivenToSuicide: A girl on line webcam chat threatens to commit suicide and gets goaded by other chatgoers. [[spoiler:Webmind was watching witnesses this, but doesn't intervene - from his point of view, interfering would be going against the person's wish. The girl eventually slits her wrists.]] This ends up being a major source of regret once the obvious is explained to him, and not doing nothing (much causes him to his vow never to let it happen again. Unfortunately later remorse), later on, [[spoiler:when Webmind gets cut in two by the Chinese firewall again, the smaller portion that's sealed within China goes rogue and actively done by drives people to suicide as a rogue part of Webmind in China]].way to exact revenge against humankind]].
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* IfIWantedYouDead: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume gets captured]] and immediately assumes Webmind wants to kill him. The latter delivers this response word-for-word. It doesn't come off as threatening given Webmind's general benevolence - he's simply pointing out that [[Hume's]] worry is misplaced.
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* IfIWantedYouDead: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume gets captured]] and immediately assumes Webmind wants to kill him. The latter delivers this response word-for-word. It doesn't come off as threatening given Webmind's general benevolence - he's simply pointing out that [[Hume's]] [[spoiler:Hume's]] worry is misplaced.
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* IfIWantedYouDead: [[spoiler:Peyton Hume gets captured]] and immediately assumes Webmind wants to kill him. The latter delivers this response word-for-word. It doesn't come off as threatening given Webmind's general benevolence - he's simply pointing out that [[Hume's]] worry is misplaced.
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----
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* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is not god. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those who believed that Webmind was god begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually god and then [[spoiler: went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes.]]
to:
* DeusEstMachina: {{Played with}} a bit. On one hand Webmind repeatedly states that he is not god. On the other, not everyone believes that and, well, there's less accurate things to call a being that knows pretty much everything, can be in multiple places at once, watches over the entire human race and actually listens to and answers people's requests. For instance, one of those who believed that Webmind was god begged him to save his wife who was dying of cancer. Webmind told him that he wasn't actually god and then [[spoiler: went [[spoiler:went and analysed and cross-referenced every single piece of information regarding cancer that was available until he'd figured out multiple cures, wrote an extremely long document explaining all the details, posted it online, and sent links to anyone who would be able to use it. In just over six minutes.]]minutes]].
Changed line(s) 22,24 (click to see context) from:
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: A [[GenderInvertedTrope gender-inverted]] [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] version of this trope-Shoshana's girlfriend Max is lesbian like her, but claimed playfully that Hari Rhodes is so good-looking, she would almost want to be straight.
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] [[InUniverse in-universe]] in ''Watch''. Max thinks the scene in ''Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes'' where the mutants attack the city in a school bus is a metaphor for forced integration, but Shoshana (her girlfriend) thinks she's taking things a ''bit'' too far. She thinks use of the bus was simply because [[NoBudget the film suffered from an extremely low budget.]]
* EvilTwin: [[spoiler: When the Chinese put the Great Firewall back up, the portion of Webmind that interacts with the Chinese portion of the Internet becomes this, due to being enraged at humanity over it getting "wounded" in this way.]]
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] [[InUniverse in-universe]] in ''Watch''. Max thinks the scene in ''Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes'' where the mutants attack the city in a school bus is a metaphor for forced integration, but Shoshana (her girlfriend) thinks she's taking things a ''bit'' too far. She thinks use of the bus was simply because [[NoBudget the film suffered from an extremely low budget.]]
* EvilTwin: [[spoiler: When the Chinese put the Great Firewall back up, the portion of Webmind that interacts with the Chinese portion of the Internet becomes this, due to being enraged at humanity over it getting "wounded" in this way.]]
to:
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: A [[GenderInvertedTrope gender-inverted]] [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] version of this trope-Shoshana's trope. Shoshana's girlfriend Max is lesbian like her, but claimed playfully that Hari Rhodes is so good-looking, she would almost want to be straight.
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory:[[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] [[InUniverse in-universe]] {{Lampshaded|Trope}} InUniverse in ''Watch''. Max thinks the scene in ''Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes'' where the mutants attack the city in a school bus is a metaphor for forced integration, but Shoshana (her girlfriend) thinks she's taking things a ''bit'' too far. She thinks use of the bus was simply because [[NoBudget the film suffered from an extremely low budget.]]
* EvilTwin:[[spoiler: When [[spoiler:When the Chinese put the Great Firewall back up, the portion of Webmind that interacts with the Chinese portion of the Internet becomes this, due to being enraged at humanity over it getting "wounded" in this way.]]
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory:
* EvilTwin:
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Peyton Hume has one after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
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* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Peyton [[spoiler:Peyton Hume has one after Webmind and a group of hackers effectively depose the Communist Chinese government.]]
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each book is a W-word, a verb, and a OneWordTitle: ''Wake'', ''Watch'', ''Wonder''.
Changed line(s) 34,36 (click to see context) from:
* JewishandNerdy: Caitlin's father (he's an atheist, though).
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky and a genius. Her father, Malcolm, is both autistic and an atheist, and is portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler: half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
* MustMakeAmends: [[spoiler: Webmind. In the second book he watched a live video of someone killing themselves because at the time he didn't realize that you're supposed to intervene in situations like that. When it's explained to him he vows that there won't be a repeat of the incident on his watch, a promise he does a pretty good job of upholding. The actions of the EvilTwin created by the Chinese cutting themselves off from the rest of the internet again likewise inspires a vow to make amends.]]
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky and a genius. Her father, Malcolm, is both autistic and an atheist, and is portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is [[spoiler: half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
* MustMakeAmends: [[spoiler: Webmind. In the second book he watched a live video of someone killing themselves because at the time he didn't realize that you're supposed to intervene in situations like that. When it's explained to him he vows that there won't be a repeat of the incident on his watch, a promise he does a pretty good job of upholding. The actions of the EvilTwin created by the Chinese cutting themselves off from the rest of the internet again likewise inspires a vow to make amends.]]
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* JewishandNerdy: JewishAndNerdy: Caitlin's father (he's an atheist, though).
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky and a genius. Her father, Malcolm, is both autistic and an atheist, and is portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is[[spoiler: half-chimpanzee, [[spoiler:half-chimpanzee, half-bonobo]], at the same time something of a savant due to his painting, and the main researcher from that project is a lesbian (and also Jewish, judging by the name).
* MustMakeAmends:[[spoiler: Webmind.[[spoiler:Webmind. In the second book he watched a live video of someone killing themselves because at the time he didn't realize that you're supposed to intervene in situations like that. When it's explained to him he vows that there won't be a repeat of the incident on his watch, a promise he does a pretty good job of upholding. The actions of the EvilTwin created by the Chinese cutting themselves off from the rest of the internet again likewise inspires a vow to make amends.]]
* MagicalMinorityPerson: Many characters fit this trope to a degree. Caitlin has been blind since birth, but is beautiful, spunky and a genius. Her father, Malcolm, is both autistic and an atheist, and is portrayed as being one of the smartest people in the world of physics. Bashira, Caitlin's best friend, comes from a strict Muslim Pakistani family, whose father defected to Canada to get out of working on nuclear weapons. Hobo, an ape in a language-research project, is
* MustMakeAmends:
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* SciFiGhetto: [[invoked]] Lampshaded with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
-->It ''can't'' be science fiction, young lady - if it were, we wouldn't be studying it!
-->It ''can't'' be science fiction, young lady - if it were, we wouldn't be studying it!
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* OneWordTitle: The three novels of the trilogy are called, ''Wake'', ''Watch'', and ''Wonder''.
* SciFiGhetto:[[invoked]] Lampshaded {{Invoked}} and {{Lampshaded}} with Caitlin's argument with her English teacher over whether ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' is science fiction:
-->It --> It ''can't'' be science fiction, young lady - if it were, we wouldn't be studying it!
* SciFiGhetto:
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* [[spoiler: TimeAbyss]]: Webmind in the epilogue. [[spoiler: He's still on Earth when it's about to be engulfed by the Sun's expansion into a red giant. He also still remembers everything that happened when he first came into being. For bonus points, consider that from Webmind's perspective a day seems like an eternity.]]
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* [[spoiler: TimeAbyss]]: Webmind TimeAbyss: [[spoiler:Webmind]] in the epilogue. [[spoiler: He's [[spoiler:He's still on Earth when it's about to be engulfed by the Sun's expansion into a red giant. He also still remembers everything that happened when he first came into being. For bonus points, consider that from Webmind's perspective a day seems like an eternity.]]eternity]].
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* HollywoodAtheist: Averted by Caitlin and her dad. Both are simply nice, ordinary people.
