History Webcomic / DivineBells

* FakingTheDead: Happens numerous times throughout the story. First, [[spoiler:Hong-Ryung and Gang-Hui fake their own deaths to allow themselves to escape being killed by Hyun-Joo and operate in secret]]. Later, [[spoiler:Gang-Hui and Mu-Hyang]] uses this to fool the BigBad into exhausting his energy and have him let down his guard. Also, [[spoiler:Ga-Bi]] did this because she was afraid that [[spoiler:her being [[Really700YearsOld nearly immortal]] would cause Do-Ahn and Hong-Ryung problems]].

* HappilyAdopted: This is the case with [[spoiler:Mu-Hyang (by Do-Ahn), and is implied to be case with Ga-Bi (by Baek-Yeom's father). Ha-Hyeon has this as well, the second time she is adopted, this time by Ga-Bi]].

* BadassPrincess: No-Woo is both perceptive and adept at fighting. She is capable to getting a good understanding of the situation with minimal facts, a skill she puts to use both in her insults and course of action (when she isn't being rash). Whenever she is attacked by a bunch of [[{{Mooks}} mooks]], she is certainly capable of holding her ground. Even more impressive is her prowess on the battlefield when commanding soldiers.

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: This is invoked no less than three times. This is played strait when [[spoiler:Hoa-Back dies in No-Woo's arms after his HeroicSacrifice]] and, after Baek-Yeom runs her through, [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon dies in Hong-Ryung's arms.]] This same trope is partially inverted when [[spoiler:Yun dies protecting Guk-Yool; he protects Guk-Yool in his arms whilst expending his powers to a fatal degree]].

* Really700YearsOld/ OlderThanTheyLook: Humans with great amounts of Divine Power stop ageing as long as their power holds out. In chapter 26, Gang-Hui mentions that [[spoiler:Ga-Bi is practically immortal.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Both played strait and subverted because ''all'' of Dae-Hyun's imperial family have red eyes. [[spoiler:The BigBad, both before and after he reincarnates provides this, and this trope may also be considered to be played strait when Baek-Yeom is in a fake body (invariably, in the form of one of his brothers). Hyun-Joo also is an example, prior to realizing that he is being manipulated and faces up to that.]] On the other hand, both Baek-Yeom's father and [[spoiler:Jin-Won]] were apparently good men, which ends up subverting the trope.

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Men with Divine Powers are treated as bad omens that will bring certain ruin to the world, purportedly because they have a lust for power which drives them insane and to kill anyone who is an obstacle to achieving said power. [[spoiler:Baek-Yeom states that merely due to having Divine Power he was constantly shunned, suspected of all sorts of evil, and considered destined to become a murdering maniac, he might as well ''become'' a murdering maniac and seek power through force.]] Lampshaded when Hong-Ryung points out to him that his actions only strengthened that superstition.
* SketchySuccessor: Baek-Yeom to his unnamed father. The change is moving from an Emperor who truly loves his country to an emperor who [[spoiler:hates the world for making him such as he is and sees no problem with slaughtering his own subjects to meet his ends]].

* SweetOnPollyOliver: To despite having a relationship with Guk-Yool entirely composed of BelligerentSexualTension, it takes Yun 97 chapters and Ju-Hie's asking him whether he thinks Guk-Yool is a guy for him to even suspect that she is female. This results in a cross between an EyeTake and a DoubleTake, however, thanks to an ambush, it is never confirmed whether Yun actually knows Guk-Yool is female. It is somewhat implied by a change in how he refers to her and how he treats her ([[spoiler:not to mention his DyingDeclarationOfLove]]) that he does.

* TheMole/ ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon in a really complicated and convoluted way. She ultimately turns out to be a mole acting as [[TheMole a mole]] for Baek-Yeom. In other words, she was "good" and decided to infiltrate the BigBad's circle, and during that infiltration was asked to infiltrate a different group of heroes whom she ultimately betrays for the sake of continuing her initial infiltration to kill the BigBad]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Hong-Ryung gives quite a few of these, the first of which is in chapter 17 to Dong-Hyung. He also gives a long rather scathing one in chapter 100 to Hyun-Joo, that one is ultimately [[InspirationalInsult productive]]. In chapter 127, Hong-Ryung gives one to Baek-Yeom; unfortunately, Baek-Yeom's response to being called insane is "Of Course."

* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:Mu-Hyang for Hong-Ryung, and it's completely justified (not that it needed to be) considering the risks Hong-Ryung takes in keeping Mu-Hyang at the palace by keeping his illegitimacy quiet.]] Also, [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon has this for Ga-Bi.]]

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Invoked several times on both sides. [[spoiler:Ga-Bi feels that she should have killed Baek-Yeom instead of sealing his powers and memories, so that Baek-Yeom would never have reincarnated himself. Hong-Ryung asks himself this very question, realizing that either way he has to kill Baek-Yeom and that he missed several opportunities to do so. Baek-Yeom, regrets no killing Hong-Ryung after draining him of his powers, since Hong-Ryung still gets in his way without Divine Powers; in his previous life, the same also wondered why he hadn't killed people to display his power and get his courtiers to shut up and obey him following his father's death]]. There is also an inversion, since [[spoiler:Hyun-Joo's murder of the deposed Jin-Won on route to his place of exile]] was both unnecessary and ultimately gave the BigBad the space and resources he needed to move freely ahead with his plans.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Hong-Ryung gets this from Yu-Ha and Gang-Hui in chapter 120.

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: No-Woo's feelings for Mu-Hyang began when they were very, very young. [[spoiler:It's mutual and, as it turns out, has been so since childhood, but Mu-Hyang felt that she [[InsecureLoveInterest deserved someone better]] (he was about seven and had just discovered his illegitimacy so it's justified)]].
** If Divine Bells can be considered to have childhoods, then the eternally young Hoa-Back and Sun-Hoa also have this relationship.

* {{Determinator}}: Baek-Yeom is this, starting with the fact that he [[spoiler:reincarnated himself after his plans were thwarted the first time (ironic, since his goal is to die, taking the whole world with him), and again when he is fighting Hong-Ryung, after losing an arm, he declares that he will continue fighting, even should he lose all of his limbs]].

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: This is invoked no less than three times. This is played strait when [[spoiler:Hoa-Back dies in No-Woo's arms after his HeroicSacrifice]] and when [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon dies in Hong-Ryung's arms, stabbed by Baek-Yeom.]] This same trope is partially inverted when [[spoiler:Yun dies protecting Guk-Yool; he protects Guk-Yool in his arms whilst expending his powers to a fatal degree]].

* DisguisedInDrag: Hong-Ryung is forced to dress as a maid at one point to avoid detection while sneaking around.

* FakingTheDead: Happens numerous times throughout the story. First, [[Hong-Ryung and Gang-Hui fake their own deaths to allow themselves to escape being killed by Hyun-Joo and operate in secret]]. Later, [[spoiler:Gang-Hui and Mu-Hyang]] uses this to fool the BigBad into exhausting his energy and have him let down his guard. Also, [[spoiler:Ga-Bi]] did this because she was afraid that [[spoiler:her being [[Really700YearsOld nearly immortal]] would cause Do-Ahn and Hong-Ryung problems]].

* {{Flashback}}: ''Divine Bells'' has many, many, many flashbacks. Sometimes it's a FlashbackCut, other times the FlashbackCut is a FlashbackWithinAFlashback. Most of the flashbacks are extensive cases of HowWeGotHere, telling the past of the characters (e.g. spoiler:Do-Ahn's past with Ga-Bi]], the incident a year before the story starts, Baek-Yeom's first life, [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon's past, and the rest of the major events in Ga-Bi's life]]. All [[{{Flashback}} flashbacks]] are in [[MonochromePast various states of desaturation]], with any [[FlashbackWithinAFlashback flashbacks during a flashback]] completely desaturated.

* GuileHero: Hong-Ryung has elements of this; aside from making him a HiddenBadass, he uses his wits to deceive a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] BigBad and to make all of Chui-Bi's [[AssassinationAttempt attempts to off him useless]], and to create the Covert Corps.
* HappilyAdopted: This is the case with [[spoiler:Mu-Hyang (by Do-Ahn), and implied to be case with Ga-Bi (by Baek-Yeom's father). Ha-Hyeon has this as well, no the first time, but the second time she is adopted (by Ga-Bi)]].

* HeroicBSOD: Hong-Ryung gets this whenever he finds out that his life has resulted the death of others.' Yun also experiences this when [[spoiler:Guk-Yool gets struck by an arrow]] right in front of him.

* HiddenBadass: Hong-Ryung is actually something of a GuileHero and ''intentionally'' has people see him as weak and apathetic, although he decidedly is not, mostly because this is advantageous in the palace and court. What he's hiding this way, apart from [[BewareTheQuietOnes his emotions]], are [[WarriorPrince strength]] and [[GuileHero his guile]].

* HowDareYouDieOnMe: No-Woo pulls this one a lot, generally as a means of encouraging Mu-Hyang, Hong-Ryung, and Hoa-Back to survive. Chapter 83 has a particularly good example. Ji-Eun pulls a toned down version of this at Wi-Jin for his [[spoiler:needing to be rescued from the brink of death]], considering her personality, it doesn't signify any fondness though.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Yun nearly does this, but is stopped by HeroicBOSD. [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon does this to complete her goal.]] This also how Hyun-Joo feels about his more morally grey actions.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/ KnightInSourArmor: Ji-Eun; Wi-Jin at is left [[spoiler:captive]] in chapter 96 wondering whether her personality is good or bad because of this.
* LeaveNoWitnesses: [[spoiler:Dong-Hyung pulls this when Ga-Yu sees him return from battle using Divine Power]].

* LittleMissBadass: Ha-Hyeon.
* LoveConfession: [[spoiler: Yun gives a [[TearJerker tear jerking]] DyingDeclarationOfLoveone to Guk-Yool (remarking on the {{Irony}} of his planed actions) just before preforming a HeroicSacrifice.]]
** Not dissimilarly, when Mu-Hyang believes he is dying, [[spoiler:he thinks that No-Woo is only there in his head, so he ends up [[NotSoFinalConfession explaining himself]] and giving a slightly [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove anguished]] DyingDeclarationOfLove. This is at first somewhat played for laughs, once he realizes that No-Woo ''is'' real, but returns to being something of a TearJerker when he faints.]] Later, in chapter 109, [[spoiler:No-Woo nearly has him give one in direct language, and Mu-Hyang [[InterruptedDeclarationOfLove complies... only to be interrupted]].]]

** The ending implies that [[spoiler:No-Woo and Mu-Hyang]] will be this once they marry (it's a [[MaybeEverAfter probably ever after]]). Their proposal is [[WackyMarriageProposal likewise unusual]] and not simply because they propose ''to propose each other''.

MayflyDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:Ga-Bi has this with Do-Ahn. This is also what the relationship between Yun and Guk-Yool is hinted to be]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Ga-Bi has this when she realizes she is pregnant and that faking her own death took this second child away from Do-Ahn]].

* BadassPrincess: No-Woo is both perceptive and adept in fighting. She is capable to getting a good understanding of the situation with minimal facts, a skill she puts to use both in her insults and course of action (when she isn't being rash). Whenever she is attacked by a bunch of [[{{Mooks}} mooks]], she is very capable of holding her ground. Even more impressive is her prowess on the battlefield when commanding soldiers.

* BewareTheQuietOnes: Hong-Ryung surprises quite a few people with his behaviour once angry -- namely, when his BerserkButton has been pressed or when giving a someone a [[TheReasonWhyYouSuckSpeech tongue-lashing]], although it's partially intentional on his part. Ha-Hyeon also qualifies.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Hyung-Joo shows this whenever someone tries to harm Dong-Hyung. [[spoiler:Mu-Hyang shows this for Hong-Ryung, which Hong-Ryung reciprocates (even though he's younger). Also, when Baek-Yeom tries to attack Yu-Ha, Hong-Ryung [[BerserkButton returns the favour]].]]

* ChekhovsGun/ ChekhovsGunman: ''Divine Bells'' is riddled with this: for starters, such characters as [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon, Yu-Ha]], and Ga-Bi are all introduced this way. Numerous other elements are likewise introduced by subtly including them earlier, only to later pull them out as plot twists and the like, using this as the primary means of Foreshadowing.
** For example: [[spoiler:The significance of the stone which breaks in chapter two is found out during the last twenty-five (or so) chapters, when Yu-Ha speaks of Ha-Hyeon. This turns out to be tied to her BerserkButton.]]
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: No-Woo's childhood crush on Mu-Hyang. [[spoiler:It's mutual and, as it turns out, has been so since childhood, but Mu-Hyang felt that she [[InsecureLoveInterest deserved someone better]] (justified: he had just discovered his illegitimacy)]].
** If Divine Bells can be considered to have childhoods, this trope applies to Hoa-Back and Sun-Hoa.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Dan and Ga-Bi both have moments of this, as do several [[{{Mooks}} mooks]].
** [[spoiler:Ga-Bi has a particularly awful instance of this after she recovers her memory. Not wanting to worry the man she is [[HappilyMarried happily married]] to, she fakes her own death (as if ''that'' wouldn't give him at least as much trouble).]]
* CulturedWarrior: Hong-Ryung has this as an InformedAttribute, and it becomes something of a running gag that he can't draw to save his life.

** Ha-Hyeon doubles as a SnarkKnight, lacking expectations from others and really not considering herself to above the rest of the cast.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Hong-Ryung has this, since both of his parents were GoodParents. His half-brother, Mu-Hyang, likewise has this, although [[spoiler:Do-Ahn [[HappilyAdopted acknowledged him as his son]] (rather than begot him)]] and Chui-Bi is alive and constantly trying to kill the younger brother [[spoiler:Mu-Hyang is so close to]].
* DecemberMayflyRomance: [[spoiler:Ga-Bi has this with Do-Ahn. This is also what the relationship between Yun and Guk-Yool is hinted to be]].
* Determinator: Baek-Yeom is this, starting with the fact that he [[spoiler:reincarnated himself after his plans were thwarted the first time (ironic, since his goal is to die, taking the whole world with him), and again when he is fighting Hong-Ryung, after losing an arm, he declares that he will continue fighting, even should he lose all of his limbs]].

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon's]] goal itself is harmless, the means, not so much.

* HeroicSacrifice: This is pulled by several characters towards the end of the story, including [[spoiler:Ga-Bi (for Hong-Ryung) and all of the bells]], and Hong-Ryung leans towards this trope several times, generally either being convinced to follow a different course of action for the time being or being pulled back at the last minute ([[spoiler:e.g. the last two chapters]]).

* BewareTheQuietOnes: Hong-Ryung surprises quite a few people with this, although it's partially intentional on his part. Ha-Hyeon also qualifies.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold/ KnightInSourArmor: Ji-Eun; Wi-Jin at is left [[spoiler:imprisoned]] in chapter 96 wondering whether her personality is good or bad because of this.

* HotBlooded: Gang-Hui.

* {{Flashback}}: ''Divine Bells'' has many, many, many flashbacks. Sometimes it's a FlashbackCut, other times the FlashbackCut is a FlashbackWithinAFlashback. Most of the flashbacks are extensive cases of HowWeGotHere, telling the past of the characters.

* LoveConfession: [[spoiler: Yun gives one to Guk-Yool just before preforming a HeroicSacrifice; although he remarks on the irony of the situation, it ends up being a [[TearJerker tear jerking]] cross between an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove and a DyingDeclarationOfLove.]]

* BastardAngst: [[spoiler:Averted with Mu-Hyang]].

* BewareTheQuietOnes: Hong-Ryung surprises quite a few people with this. Ha-Hyeon also qualifies.

* FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Dong-Hyung. He tends to affect an AdorablyPrecociousChild, which later results in a fair few CreepyChild moments.]]

* Determinator: Baek-Yeom is this, starting with the fact that he [[spoiler:reincarnated himself after his plans were thwarted the first time (ironic, since his goal is to die, taking the whole world with him), and again when he is fighting Hong-Ryung, after losing an arm, he declares that he will continue fighting, even if he loses all of his limbs]].

* TheMole/ ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon in a really complicated and convoluted way. She ultimately turns out to be a mole acting as [[TheMole a mole]] for Baek-Yeom. In other words, she was good and decided to infiltrate the BigBad's circle, and during that infiltration was asked to infiltrate a different group of heroes whom she ultimately betrays for the sake of continuing her initial infiltration to kill the BigBad]].

* BerserkButton: It is a really bad idea to harm one of Hong-Ryung's subordinates or [[spoiler:his siblings]]. Gang-Hui also reacts like this to evidence of Baek-Yeom. Ha-Hyeon will show this in response someone to choosing death.

* FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Dong-Hyung.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Both played strait and inverted because ''all'' of Dae-Hyun's imperial family have red eyes. [[spoiler:The BigBad, both before and after he reincarnates provides this, and this trope may also be considered to be played strait when Baek-Yeom is in a fake body (invariably, in the form of one of his brothers). Hyun-Joo also is an example, prior to realizing that he is being manipulated and faces up to that.]] On the other hand, both Baek-Yeom's father and [[spoiler:Jin-Won]] were apparently good men, which ends up subverting the trope.

* AdorablyPrecociousChild: Yu-Ha. Also Hong-Ryung, Mu-Hyang, No-Woo, and Jae-Sun in flashbacks to their childhood.

* BadassAdorable: Ha-Hyeon by virtue of her childish appearance and potent powers. Also [[spoiler:Hoa-Back]] when he uses his powers, by virtue of the same.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Most of the royals are ''very'' active in working to gain and maintain power. Some are just not as active as others, others prefer to watch.
* SeeksAnothersResurrection: What turns out to be [[spoiler:So-Hee]]'s motive for following the BigBad, and is briefly the suspected motive for [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon]].
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Men with Divine Powers are treated as bad omens and will bring certain ruin to the country, because their lust for power drives them insane and to kill people in their way to achieve said power. [[spoiler:Baek-Yeom states that since he was repeatedly shunned for having Divine Powers and thought to become a murdering maniac, he might as well ''become'' a murdering maniac and seek power through force.]] Lampshaded when Hong-Ryung points out to him that his actions only strengthened that superstition.
* SketchySuccessor: Baek-Yeom to his unnamed father. The change is moving from an Emperor who truly loves his country to an emperor who [[spoiler:hates the world for making him such as he is and sees no problem with slaughtering his subjects to meet his ends]].

* RoyalHarem: Hong-Ryung's father, Do-Ahn seems to have had his modest harem reluctantly, and he effectively [[spoiler:is never married to his concubine, but for acknowledging Mu-Hyang]]. During Hong-Ryung's rule, Chui-Bi is still present not-so-subtlely trying to [[AssassinationAttempt assassinate]] [[WickedStepMother her step-son]] [[MotherWillMakeYouKing and place her own son on the throne]], which causes many, ''many'' problems.

* SweetOnPollyOliver: To despite th

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Invoked several times on both sides. [[spoiler:Ga-Bi feels that she should have killed Baek-Yeom instead of sealing his powers and memories, so that Baek-Yeom would never have reincarnated himself. Hong-Ryung asks himself this very question, realizing that either way he has to kill Baek-Yeom and that he missed several opportunities to do so. Baek-Yeom, regrets no killing Hong-Ryung after draining him of his powers, since Hong-Ryung still gets in his way without Divine Powers; in his previous life, the same also wondered why he hadn't killed people to display his power and get his courtiers to shut up and obey him following his father's death]]. There is also an inversion, since [[spoiler Hyun-Joo's murder of the deposed Jin-Won on route to his place of exile]] was both unnecessary and ultimately gave the BigBad the space and resources he needed to move freely ahead with his plans.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Invoked several times on both sides. [[spoiler:Ga-Bi feels that she should have killed Baek-Yeom instead of stealing his powers and memories, so that Baek-Yeom would never have reincarnated himself. Hong-Ryung asks himself this very question, realizing that either way he has to kill Baek-Yeom and that he missed several opportunities to do so. Baek-Yeom, regrets no killing Hong-Ryung after draining him of his powers, since Hong-Ryung still gets in his way without Divine Powers; the same also wondered why he hadn't killed people to display his power and get his courtiers to shut up and obey him following his father's death]]. There is also a brief inversion, since [[spoiler Hyun-Joo's murder of the deposed Jin-Won on route to his place of exile]] was both unnecessary and ultimately gave the BigBad the space and resources he needed to move freely ahead with his plans.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Hong-Ryung gives quite a few of these, the first of which is in chapter 17 to Dong-Hyung. He also gives a long rather scathing one in chapter 100 to Hyun-Joo, that one is ultimately [[InspirationalInsult productive]]. In chapter 132, Hong-Ryung gives one to Baek-Yeom; unfortunately, Baek-Yeom's response to being called insane is "Of Course."

* WarriorPrince: Aside from Hong-Ryung, there's Mu-Hyang and No-Woo, all three of whom have significant battle prowess. No-Woo seems to have the most battle prowess of the three [[spoiler:prior to Hong-Ryung regaining his divine powers]], that said, Hong-Ryung's best weapon is long-range and Mu-Hyang is never dragged into a serious battle ([[spoiler:thanks to a role as palace-guardian and getting severely injured before the story's conflict really gets moving]]).

* TheHeavy: [[spoiler:Ga-Bi]] in a rare heroic example, mostly as a result of NiceJobBreakingItHero!, though not everything [[spoiler:she]] does ends so badly ([[spoiler: sealing herself underneath Myung-Joo's palace ended well, for one]]).
* TheMole/ ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Ha-Hyeon in a complicated and convoluted way. She ultimately turns out to be a mole acting as [[TheMole a mole]] for Baek-Yeom. In other words, in her role as spy, she was asked to infiltrate Hong-Ryung's group]].