History Tropers / UmbrellasWereAwesome

Former Whosball player and Dear Leader of East Whonosistan, current bestselling author residing in Werzdat, Republic of Whonosistan.

* BerserkButton: A key thing to remember whenever dealing with Laffey: ''Don't mess with Thorson'' or any of her other friends unless you want her to enter "[[UnstoppableRage Annihilation Mode]]" and start force-feeding you plasma.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: A near-literal case; Laffey may be eccentric and often drunk, but she's one of Thorson's strongest destroyers; during the attack on Pearl Harbor, she's able to shoot down all the Sakura aircraft attacking her while ''fast asleep''.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Zig-zagged. She is generally fine with sharing Thorson with the other kansen, especially after realizing that Thorson will always hold her dearly no matter how large (and sexy) his fleet becomes. However, until Thorson finally sleeps with her as well, she does become vocally jealous whenever she gets wind of the other shipgirls having sex with him, though never with any real venom.

* HatesBeingAlone: After being shunned by her previous [=COs=] and being separated from her best friends for years, Laffey has developed a serious fear of abandonment, having developed her habit of guzzling down bourbon to forget the pain of of loneliness.
* LittleBitBeastly: SubvertedTrope. Her rabbit ears are purely mechanical and not real but for some reason are still able to move regardless. This makes her a bit jealous whenever she sees Kansen that do have real bunny ears.
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: Her absorption of Zed's Red Wisdom Cube not only allows her to gain her Retrofit form but also physically ages her to a slightly more mature form, giving her a height that is on the same level as Zed and Javelin's.
* SleepyHead: Laffey sports a sleepy look on her face, probably because one of her favorite pastimes is taking naps. Once in a while she will request Thorson for more time for them, and if either he asks or the Kansen finds an opportunity, Laffey will sleep with him, which is even better for her.
* TookALevelInBadass: When Laffey obtains Retrofit "Annihilation Mode" AKA "Better find a deep hole or else eat hot plasma"!
* TranquilFury: This is what happens when you mess with any of Laffey's loved ones. At first the Kansen seems to be acting like her normal self, but then you realize that her voice is showing hints of aggression and you hear the sound of her ship growing closer and closer until the big....BOOM!
* UndyingLoyalty: Laffey loves her friends and Thorson so much that she'll march into the battlefield for them.
* UnstoppableRage: When Hiei takes a shot at Thorson, Laffey activates Annihilation Mode and nearly kills Hiei for the act.

A destroyer assigned to Pearl Harbor, Laffey becomes the first shipgirl to join Thorson's side when the two are given orders to reestablish the Pacific Azur Lane base.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Thorson is the first human to ever show Laffey genuine compassion and care. It's no wonder the bunny girl becomes drawn to him.
* BedmateReveal: Having grown so attached to Thorson, Laffey makes it a habit to sneak into his room and sleep with him, with all her clothes but panties off.
** She later convinces Akashi to do the same thing, much to Thorson's disapproval.
* BerserkButton:
** These are four words you have to remember: '''DON'T MESS WITH THORSON!'''
** Harming any of her friends is a sure way for Laffey to enter "[[UnstoppableRage Annihilation Mode]]".
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Thorson [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this sudden change in her behavior.
* BloodKnight: It's revealed that Laffey has a vicious side hidden within her overall demure character. This becomes more prevalent after she receives her Retrofit form.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Don't let her small, cute appearance fool you; Laffey is a highly trained soldier [=AND=] she wears bunny ears too.
* ClingyJealousGirl: DownplayedTrope. She initially is fine with sharing Thorson with others, but as more voluptuous Kansen arrive she comes to realize that any one of them is a potential rival for Thorson's love. Combined with her memories of being cast aside, she fears that Thorson might do the same. Thankfully, Thorson comforts her and tells her that will never happen.
** Laffey gets annoyed that [=Z23=] gets to have sex with Thorson before her but not too upset as she teases her friend a bit about it.
* FromTheMouthsOfBabes: The seemingly child-like Laffey knows a lot more about sex than Thorson feels comfortable with.
* HatesBeingAlone: After being shunned by her previous [=COs=] and seeing her best friends get taken away from her, Laffey develops a serious fear of abandonment. It grew to the point that she guzzles down bourbon to forget the pain.

A destroyer assigned to Pearl Harbor,

* TheAlcoholic: Laffey has a serious habit in gulping down on bourbon. The reason for this is tragic.
* AllLovingHeroine: Despite looking like she doesn't have a care in the world, Laffey's really a gentle soul. She quickly befriends Akashi and Shiranui despite them being part of the same faction that had not long ago attacked her and her comrades.

* AmazonChaser: Naturally, given that his love interests are all humanoid warships; Downes even explictly lampshades how he seems to have a thing for strong, independent women.

* ChickMagnet: A good portion of his fleet is rather interested in getting into his pants; this includes Laffey, Akashi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Fusou, Yamashiro, Arizona, and so on.

* MistakenForPedophile: Zig-zagged. Due to Laffey's clear romantic interest in him, [[RunningGag several members of his fleet suspect that he has an interest in teenage-looking shipgirls]]. He doesn't have that sort of fetish specifically, but he does end up sleeping with Downes, Z23, Laffey, and Javelin.

* NonActionGuy: He has absolutely zero combat experience when he's transferred to the Union shipgirl project; he explictly became a submarine engineer because he wanted to contribute his intelligence rather than his brawn to the war effort (having worked in his father's construction business prior to enlisting), and his reassignment was never meant to be a combat posting in the first place. Even after he learns to be an effective frontline commander, he still doesn't engage in any of the actual fighting, given that his kansen are far more powerful than he himself can ever hope to be.

* UnwantedHarem: Underwent a DeconReconSwitch; Thorson understandably can't handle having a relationship with multiple women due to the societal beliefs of the time. However, he does come around since Kansen are not part of the system.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Make no mistake; Thorson is a legit NiceGuy, but if you're an immediate threat to the lives of either himself or his beloved kansen, he ''will not hesitate'' to end you.

* {{Knighting}}: He is officially knighted by Warspite, with his new title of "Knight Commander" giving him the authority to command Royal Navy shipgirls, including Warspite herself.
* ItsAllMyFault: He takes responsibility for his actions, even ones that were truthfully out of his control.
** He blames himself for not being able to save Arizona from death. That guilt is alleviated once Arizona comes back via resurrection.
** He feels responsible for causing the death of Nachi.
** He also feels he failed in preventing the Sakura Empire from taking over Java Sea.
** The casualties at Midway also weigh on him.
* MeaningfulName: Commander Thorson's name is based on two religious/mythical figures.
** Andrew, the first disciple of Jesus Christ.
** Thor, the God of Thunder. Also, Thorson can mean as "Thor's son".
* MistakenForPedophile: A RunningGag that occurs due to his closeness with Laffey.
* NiceGuy: The main reason why many Kansen either are completely shocked regarding him or fall in love with him is that he is truly kind to them unlike the rest of his {{Eagleland}} jackasses.
* ParentalSubstitute: The little Mutsuki-class Destroyers looks up to him as a surrogate father. Thorson returns the sentiment by refering to them as his "children".
* RedBaron: He is coined as the "Knight of the Union" for taking in stray Kansen and using them as pawns.
* {{CoolGuns/Rifles}}: Thorson carries an [=M1A1=] carbine. The original one he had is lost when he rescues Yamashiro, but he gets a replacement for it.
* SanitySlippage: Thorson shows signs of this as his mind can't handle the bizarre phenomena going around from the Kansen. He gets better in accepting this as the norm.
* TheSmartGuy: He joined Eagle Union because he thought he could use his intelligence to make a difference in the war rather than brawn. His credentials include working in construction in his father's company and also working as a submarine engineer, both of which explain his recruitment into the [=KANSEN=] program.
* SoleSurvivor: With everyone that knew about the [=KANSEN=] program dead, including Admiral Hawkins, [[YouAreInCommandNow he's the only one left in charge]].

* WouldntHurtAChild: He can't stomach the thought of hurting children which is why he is very hesitant in executing the adolescent-looking Akashi and Shiranui.

* {{Knighting}}: He is officially knighted by Warspite, allowing him command over the latter and the rest of the Royal Navy forces stationed at Azur Lane.

* ChickMagnet: He has a long list of Kansen wanting to get inside his pants; this includes Laffey, Akashi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Fusou, Yamashiro, Arizona, and so on.
* CommandingCoolness: He was promoted to the rank of Commander by Admiral Hawkins so that he can have access to Azur Lane and its resources.
* CosmicRetcon: [[spoiler:Turns out that his existence is due to it. In the original timeline, he perished following Pearl Harbor but thanks to the Sirens' TimeTravel shenanigans, he is able to live pass that.]]
* FantasticRacism: [[SubvertedTrope Hugely subverted]]. He has no problems with working alongside Kansen, even cares and treats them as his comrades-in-arms.
** However, he does initially have a problem with the cook being a black person, but Brooklyn's comment about it leads to Thorson learning to get over this.
* GallowsHumor: Cleveland reveals that Thorson makes jokes and quips in order to stay calm during intense situations.

* BenevolentBoss: His ultimate goal may be to defeat the Sirens, but he also genuinely cares about the personal wellbeing of all the members of his fleet, and will willingly go out of his way to ensure their happiness.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Make no mistake; Thorson is a legit NiceGuy, but if you're an immediate threat to the lives of either himself or his beloved kansen, he ''will not hesitate'' to hurt you.
* CharacterDevelopment: He started out green as a Commander but he soon gained experience both in and out of the battlefield, turning him into an effective leader.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Make no mistake; this guy is a legit NiceGuy but if you ever push him too far or harm his beloved Kansen, he'll fight tooth and nail against you.

Originally founded in 1931 as a joint research venture between the world's four major powers, its sole purpose was to find a way to weaponize the power of the wisdom cubes, resulting in the creation of the kansen/shipgirls. However, the organization was disbanded in 1939 after the Ironblood invasion of Poland, with its member nations each opting to conduct their own programs instead. And so Azur Lane would have faded into history, if not for a lone Eagle Union commander and his sole kansen being reassigned to an abandoned Azur Lane base in a last ditch effort to salvage the Union's own shipgirl project...

* AmazonChaser: Downes lampshades this; that Thorson has a thing for strong, independant women.
* ArrangedMarriage: [[spoiler:To Andrew's surprise, Nagato offers Kaga to him to be his bride.]]
* BadassTransplant: [[spoiler:Tennessee implanted Akagi's wisdom shard into Thorson's chest, giving him an even better PsychicLink with his Kansen.]]
* BatmanGambit: Thorson sets up a duel between Laffey and Tennessee to not only reveal the riggings and its advantages to the AWOL Kansen but also to discredit Tennessee so she won't sway the others from leaving Azur Lane.
* BenevolentBoss: Compared to Eagle Union, Thorson is a vast, VAST improvement for the Kansen.