History Webcomic / GrowthSpurt

* AdultFear: The "Bad" arc is a flashback to the loss of Asriel and Chara, told from Asgore and Toriel's perspective.

* DarkAndTroubledPast:
** Asriel, of course, due to his death as a child and his time as Flowey.
** [[spoiler: Frisk committed a No Mercy route and did a hard reset before the events of the comic, something they apparently don't like to think about.]]

** Sure Asriel acts like a troubled and moody teenager (granted he is this along with his PTSD-like symptoms), but he is still a nice person trying to move on with his life and loves his family.

* PoisonousFriend: Chara to Asriel, as he realizes in a therapy session. Chara would always make him take the fall for things that they did, and manipulated him and everyone around them into shunning him so that Chara would be his only "friend."

* Bathos: Every now and then. Such as when Asriel and Alphys have to go to the LAB and after seveal panels of tension (due to Asriel's discomfort of the area and Alphys' horrific guilt), the mood is considerably lighten when Asriel reveals that not only has he watched Mew Mew Kissie Cutie, but shares Alphys' opinion of the second series being inferior. Alphys' outburst is one of vindication.

** Asriel is moody and grumpy, but he means well and is genuinely trying to get better.

* PersonalityPowers: According to Toriel and Asgore, this is how magic best works. It naturally takes the shape and form reflecting the personality of its wielder. For example, Toriel explains how fire represents comforting warmth and protective light yet also destructive hot-bloodedness, which represents her positive and negative sides (and the same could be said for Asgore.) This includes weapons as Asgore explains tridents being symbols of authority, wielded by Posiedon or Shiva. Trying to shape it in different forms is apparently difficult (and it's implied Asriel only succeeded in doing so because of his near-infinite power as the "God of Hyperdeath."
** Of course, certain events and such will affect it. When Asriel finally lets his magic shape naturally, it takes the shapes of thorns and flowers. Asriel freaks out and cancels the spell. Asriel has to be comforted by Frisk since the implications are understandably terrifying to Asriel.

* PresentTenseNarrative: Frisk's thoughts and "statements" normally take the form of this, such as directly referring to themselves as they ask Asriel to not make them look like a liar because they've told Monster Kid that Asriel can create swords from thin air.

* RealityEnsues: The Maintanance arc runs on this. The CORE is becomign overrheated since it is in a volcano and with everyone going to the surface, there's not many to maintain it, hence it breaking down.
** Also, the CORE needed a way to cool down and maintain proper temperature. Hence explainign why the wolf monster was there with the ice and why it got steamy in one scene. Then it's reveal he's no longer underground.

** Toriel as well. She's still the doting goat mom we all know and love, but as shown in "Magic", she can be fiery and hot-blooded, not to mention her {{Jerkass}} behaivor toward Toriel.

** The "Bad" arc, which follows from "Unpleasant", where Toriel goes to Asgore and both talk about the day their children died and Toriel has a breakdown upon realizing her folly.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Asgore is a gentle and friendly person and a good parent to both Asriel and Frisk. But in the flashback in the "Bad" arc when he declares war on humanity, he's absolutely terrifying.

** The "Unpleasant" arc, where he admits to Toriel he killed while he was Flowey.
** The "Bad" arc, which follows from "Unpleasant", where Toriel and Asgore recollect the day Chara and Asriel died from their point of view.

* TrainingFromHell: Just because Asriel is the prince of all Monsters doesn't mean Undyne is going easy on him.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Asgore is a gentle and friendly person and a good parent to both Asriel and Frisk. But, in the flashback in the "Bad" arc when he declares war on humanity, it's absolutely terrifying.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. Toriel knows full well she's hurting Asgore's feelings when she rubs his moral failings in his face. Unbeknownst to her, however, Asriel was guilty of doing ''even worse'' as [[TheSociopath Flowey]], and now that he has his soul, and by extension, his conscience back, many of Toriel's barbs at Asgore [[InsultMisfire hurt him just as much as their intended recipient]].

* BigBrotherInstinct: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Frisk is implied to have this for Asriel, despite [[spoiler:persumably]] being the younger sibling. In the "Unpleasant" arc, they go out of their way to comfort him after he argues with Toriel.

** The "Bad" arc, which follows from "Unpleasant", where Toriel and Asgore discuss both Asriel's actions, and their own relationship.
%%I'm not sure where this arc is going yet, so this may be premature, but it seems to be going this way.

* {{Dramedy}}: The comic is very comedy heavy, but can get dramatic at times. Unlike most other Save-Asriel AUs, it does not gloss over the consequences of Asriel's past, or his actions. This is especially notable in 3 story arcs:

* ButtMonkey: Asriel is the butt of most, if not all, jokes in the comic.

* {{Dramedy}}: Very comedy heavy, but can get dramatic at times, especially during the "Childhood" arc where Asriel describes to his therapist [[DarkAndTroubledPast the events that lead up to his death]].
** Also the "Unpleasant" arc, where he admits to Toriel he killed while he was Flowey.

* ExactWords: When Asriel asks Frisk if he has any "dark secrets," [[spoiler: Frisk remembers going all the way through a No Mercy route, making a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Chara]], and then not only resetting, but [[FourthWallAwareness deleting the files pertaining to the No Mercy route]] to prevent a HappyEndingOverride]]. Frisk simply replies "None that can be recalled."

* SelfFanservice: InUniverse, the way Catty imagined Asriel to be is quite... different than the way he actually is. Of course, he did get a PlotRelevantAgeUp when he was restored.

!Tropes Present in ''Growth Spurt'' include:

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Asriel is moody and grumpy, but he means well and is genuinely trying to get better.

* TrainingFromHell: Just because Asriel is the prince of all monsters doesn't mean Undyne is going easy on him.