History Webcomic / RubysWorld

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[Franchise/HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WesternAnimation/WolverineandtheXMen2009 Wolvie with Whiskers]].

* ActionGirl: Ruby herself.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Ruby, full stop.

* TheDragon: Pierre Buzarde'.

* GentleGiant: Ruby herself.

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[Franchise/HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WesternAnimation/WolverineandtheXMen Wolvie with Whiskers]].

* TheRainMan: Jiro before his transformation was quite obviously autistic. Though his capabilities have been enhanced far beyond neurotypical humans, he still has his autistic traits (though they're also skewed because of his mechanical nature).

* HairDecorations: Ruby frequently wears headbands, ribbons, and barrettes. This adds to her childish appearance.

* {{Kuudere}}: Alexis, whose feelings are skewed due to her empathic nature, but is ultimately a good friend to Ruby and the others.

* AManIsNotAVirgin: Deconstructed by Jens, who slept with Ruby in the backstory, but looks back on it as a huge mistake (since at the time she was grieving the loss of her mother and extremely vulnerable).

Ruby Harrison, [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent age 17]], is a high school student whose exceptional GPA belies an unhappy life. Her mother commited suicide two years ago for mysterious reasons, her father sublimates any affection into academic pressure, and she has a dysfunctional relationship with her childhood best friend. On top of all of that, a freak accident at the lab her father works for has transformed her into a superhuman giantess, nine feet tall and radiating magnetic power.

Ruby's predicament sends her into a much darker secret history, where she learns that the science that transformed her was not only part of an illicit super soldier program, but one conducted in part by her late mother. Joined with other young people that have received such genetic tampering, Ruby tries to bring to the world the human testing from Beagle Labs to light. But the more she tries to make sense of the world, the more complicated-- and brutal-- her world gets.

The series is concluded as of June 2011, but the storyline continues in [[Webcomic/RubyNation Ruby Nation]], which deals with the titular character building a refugee nation for young super soldier test subjects-- and funding it by doing black ops work for the US Government.

You can read the entire series [[http://www.rubysworldcomic.com Here.]]

* AManIsNotAVirgin: Deconstructed by Jens, who slept with Ruby in the backstory, but looks back on it as a huge mistake (since at the time she was grieving the loss of her mother and extremely vulnerable).

* CrapSackWorld: In which the War on Terror went more effectively, but only because of super-soldiers created by abducting, vivisecting, and brainwashing children.

* GroinAttack: Jens does this to a bully in the flashbacks, justifying it as being [[CombatPragmatist necessary.]]

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[Franchise/HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WesternAnimation/WolverineandtheXMen Wolvie with Whiskers.]]

* HoYay: Blatant in the flashbacks between Evie Harrison and Tori Carcharria, and a frequent joke regarding Jens and Jiro.

* ShoutOut: Jiro is named for [[Kikaider another existentially conflicted teen robot.]]
* StartofDarkness: Evie Harrison's diaries.

* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Played with regarding Jens, in that he did date Ruby for a while, but the relationship was troubled and unhealthy for both parties.

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* AManIsNotAVirgin: Deconstructed by Jens, who slept with Ruby in the backstory, but looks back on it as a huge mistake ( since at the time she was grieving the loss of her mother and extremely vulnerable ).

* TheRainMan: Jiro before his transformation was quite obviously autistic. Though his capabilities have been enhanced far beyond neurotypical humans, he still has his autistic traits ( though they're also skewed because of his mechanical nature ).

* RunForTheBorder: Ch. 6 has the cast camping out in the wilderness of Baja California, avoiding civilization altogether ( except to steal supplies from local markets ).

* TinyGuyHugeGirl: Jiro ( 6' 2" ), though he's only tiny compared to Ruby ( 9' 1" ).
* ThouShaltNotKill: Ruby tries to follow this rule, and feels intense shame over having killed a batallion of US soldiers ( NOT super-soldiers, either ) in self-defense. Her comrades don't bother with this rule, but admire Ruby for following it.

->"We stick by each other and we stick by our principles. That's all we have left."
-->-- Ruby, Ch. 17

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/FRLSpoilerAd_609.jpg

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Ruby's father has a resemblance to another certain [[{{Scrubs}} jerkass patriarch in a labcoat.]]

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[Franchise/HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WolverineandtheXMen Wolvie with Whiskers.]]

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WolverineandtheXMen Wolvie with Whiskers.]]

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WolverineandtheXMen Wolvie with Whiskers.]]

* HairDecorations: Ruby frequently wears headbands, ribbons, and barrettes. This adds to her childish appearance.
* HeroicSacrifice: Ruby's father Hal, subverted in that it was completely unnecessary and was more a suicide than anything else.

[[ItGotWorse And that's just in the first chapter.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: Opal Carcharria.

* HairDecorations: Ruby frequently wears headbands, ribbons, and barrettes. This adds to her AdultChild appearance.

* HalloweenCosplay: Twice in homage to other comic/cartoon characters, [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2009/10/rubys-world-halloween-fan-art-thought.html 2009 ]] and [[http://nitzthebloody.blogspot.com/2010/10/rubys-world-happy-halloween-cosplay.html 2010.]] Characters included range from [[HarryPotter Ginny Weasely]] to [[MetalGear Solid Snake]] to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] to [[WolverineandtheXMen Wolvie with Whiskers.]]

* {{Nakama}}: The only redeeming aspect of Ruby's new life is that she's joined by friends who are unwaveringly loyal to her, sympathizing with her differences and admiring her kindness.

* HimeCut: Ruby, albeit a Western version.

The series is concluded as of June 2011, but the storyline continues in [[http://www.therubynation.com Ruby Nation]], which deals with the titular character building a refugee nation for young super soldier test subjects-- and funding it by doing black ops work for the US Government.

The series is concluded as of June 2011, but the storyline will continue in Ruby Nation, which deals with the titular character building a refugee nation for young super soldier test subjects-- and funding it by doing black ops work for the US Government.

* EveryGirlIsCuterWithHairDecs: Ruby frequently wears headbands, ribbons, and barrettes. This adds to her AdultChild appearance.

Ruby Harrison, age 17, is pretty much your [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent average all-American girl]], getting ready to begin working as an intern at Beagle Labs, a prominent genetics corporation. Unfortunately, what simply seems like the first day at Ruby's new career turns out to be the day her life was turned completely upside down, after she is [[FreakLabAccident bitten by one of the laboratory monkeys]]. Infected with the [[{{nanomachines}} nanobots]] the monkey carried in its bloodstream, Ruby is turned into a 9-foot-tall giant with superhuman powers. At first shocked and dismayed by what's become of her, Ruby eventually accepts an offer from Beagle Labs to become their full-time mascot and corporate sponsor, in essence becoming a superheroine for the company.

Unfortunately, as time goes on, Ruby learns more and more about the ugly truth behind Beagle's twisted agenda, up to and including its experiments on unwilling humans. Horrified by what she discovers, Ruby [[PhlebotinumRebel breaks away from Beagle and becomes a fugitive]]. Now, she struggles to master her bizarre abilities and find a way to strike back against Beagle's evil, even as the company seeks to recapture her and her friends and fulfill their sinister plans.

The series examines a number of themes, among them the nature of idealism in a CrapsackWorld and the ethics of playing God by tampering with human genetics. Possessing a unique art style, the comic can be found online [[http://rubysworld.thewebcomic.com/ here]].
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!!This series provides examples of:

* AbusiveParents: Dr. Carcharria to Opal. ''[[NightmareFuel And how]]!''
* ActionGirl: Ruby herself.
* AGodAmI: Buzarde, after he's cybernetically enhanced in a way that matches Ruby's friend Jens.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Both Ruby's first boyfriend Jens and her second boyfriend Jiro qualify, although it's subverted with Jiro in that the relationship is rather messy and unpleasant.
* AllThereInTheManual: The files compiled by Buzarde and Evie Harrison's journals go a long way towards explaining what's going on.
* TheAtoner: Ruby's parents are both like this in their own way. Hal's trying to make up for abandoning his daughter when she needed him, while Evie tries to atone for helping Beagle establish itself. See XanatosGambit, below.
* BaldOfEvil: Beagle Security Chief Buzarde'
* BadassNormal: While Jens may not possess any of the powers that Jiro, Ruby or Alexis do, he makes up for it with courage and determination, and the ability to think of uses for their powers that the others didn't consider. Subverted when he starts to feel useless and unable to contribute without any special powers of his own.
* BerserkButton: Pierre Buzarde is rather sensitive about the fact that he looks like a buzzard. Being called on it is a particular sore spot with him.
* BettyAndVeronica: {{Gender Flip}}ped with Jiro, Jens and Ruby.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Please don't piss Ruby off. For all our sakes.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: The actions taken by Beagle's leadership are reprehensible. Unfortunately, Ruby's attempts to fight them get a lot of soldiers killed, many of whom simply took the job as a means of supporting their families. Ruby feels pretty lousy about it, as you might expect.
* BoobsOfSteel: Ruby, something she's observed post-transformation and isn't particularly happy about.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: This is what Opal became after Dr. Carcharria got through with her.
* BrokenBad / BrokenBird: Opal Carcharria.
* ChaoticGood: Jiro doesn't take well to authority and is otherwise kind of aloof, but he's still a good guy underneath it all.
* ChaoticEvil: Pierre Buzarde. ''And how''! A more recent example is Griff, a violent racist who relishes in causing suffering to pretty much anyone who isn't white and American.
* ChaoticNeutral: Jens verges between this and ChaoticGood. Opal Carcharria definitely falls into this, once she's freed from her "mother"'s mind control.
* ChildSoldiers: Hey, Beagle's got to get their test subjects from ''somewhere''...
* CoolShades: Jiro, to hide his GlowingEyesofDoom
* CompleteMonster: Beagle security chief Pierre Buzarde and Dr. Tori Carcharria both qualify.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: How and why Beagle Labs went from a standard weapons manufacturer to manufacturing genetically-engineered SuperSoldiers has yet to be fully revealed. What we do know is just how horrible many of the experiments are.
* CrapsackWorld: Kind of obvious, don't you think?
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Ruby's commisserating with her friends at the end of Chapter 13. She does the same thing with her father at the end of Chapter 17.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Ruby, though given her very large shoe size, a JustifiedTrope
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Dr. Tori Carcharria. ''And how!'' Ruby's mother Evie is also a borderline example.
* FacialMarkings: Alexis, another aspect to her mysterious nature.
* FieryRedhead: Ruby. Her father is even more HotBlooded.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble
* FreakLabAccident: Ruby's origin [[spoiler: or so we're at first led to believe]]
* GentleGiant: Ruby herself.
* GeneralRipper: Buzarde certainly has the attitude of one.
* HeelFaceTurn: Opal, Dr. Carcharria's "daughter".
* HeroesWantRedheads: Jiro and Jens both have crushes on Ruby.
* HowDoIShotWeb: It takes Ruby a while to fully get the hang of her powers. Even then, she doesn't fully understand her own potential.
* HugeSchoolgirl: Ruby is turned into one of these after the monkey bite. She's not too thrilled about it.
* {{Kuudere}}: Ruby's friend Alexis. She's cold and harsh on the outside, but she has a tender side underneath that manifests on occasion.
* LawfulEvil: Dr. Tori Carcharria, who uses the idea of making nature more "efficient" and "orderly" to justify everything she does.
* TheLancer: The cybernetic warrior Jiro. Jens could also count.
* LoveMartyr: Opal Carcharria towards her "mother".
* MamaBear: Ruby gets this way whenever her extended [[{{Nakama}} family]] is threatened. It also becomes an example of [[MamaBear Daughter Bear]] when she's protecting her father Hal.
* MindRape: What Dr. Carcharria seems to have done to her "daughter" Opal to make her obedient. This is also what happened to Jiro to turn him into a suitable assassin.
* MissingMom: More is learned about what happened to Ruby's mother Evie as time goes on. Where she is ''now'' is anyone's guess.
* Mooks: Played straight at first, but later subverted as we learn more about them. Some of them really are in for the sick thrill, but many of the others are simply there to earn a living and support their families.
* MoralEventHorizon: Evie Harrison reaches this eventually.
* {{Nakama}}: Ruby is accompanied by her friends Jiro, Jens and Alexis, all of whom have formed almost a surrogate family for her. {{Word of God}} from the author confirms that this is a central theme of the comic.
* NeutralGood: Ruby, Alexis and Hal.
* NightmareFuel: And lots of it, particularly as we learn more about Beagle Labs and the true scope of their operations.
* NonActionGuy: Jens is one of these for not having any superpowers, and he's not happy about it.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Ruby started as one. Jens is still one.
* PapaWolf: If you harm Ruby, ''Jiro will find you.'' A more literal example is Ruby's father Hal, who bravely tries to fight Opal when she attacks Ruby, even though he's completely outmatched.
* ParentalAbandonment: Wondering why Jens has issues? Wonder no more.
* ParentalSubstitute: Hal Harrison seems to be becoming one for Alexis. He and Evie were also this to Jens, whose own parents pretty much abandoned him.
* ParentsInDistress: Hal tries to protect Ruby from Opal, but gets beaten senseless for his troubles. Fortunately, it does make Ruby mad enough to win the fight herself.
* PhlebotinumRebel: Ruby is one of these, refusing to use the nanobots she's injected with for Beagle's evil plans.
* PsychoForHire: Pierre Buzarde, Beagle Labs' security chief. Accent on the "Psycho" part.
* RaisedByWolves: Poor, poor Opal...
* PunchClockVillain: Many of the soldiers working for Beagle just want to feed their families, and otherwise don't care about larger issues.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Evie leaves an important legacy to Ruby before she commits suicide.
* RedOniBlueOni: Jiro and Jens are much like this, with Jens being more emotional and outgoing, and Jiro being colder and more reserved.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: Ruby's friend Jiro. Subverted in that he really ''was'' human before he was transformed into a cybernetic warrior. His emotions still express themselves, albeit in a somewhat awkward fashion.
* SlidingScaleofIdealismVsCynicism: Trying to maintain idealism in a CrapsackWorld is one of the major themes of the strip.
* StartOfDarkness: Evie Harrison became obsessed with biology after she miscarried her first child. {{It Got Worse}} from there.
* SuperSoldier: The whole point.
* TeamDad: CharacterDevelopment is slowly turning Hal into this.
* TookALevelInBadass: Semi-subverted by Hal. He isn't any more powerful than he was at the start, but he's a lot more courageous and willing to protect his daughter.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Not only is Jens frustrated by his apparent inability to help the team out in a fight, but he also hasn't gotten over Jiro becoming Ruby's boyfriend.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Beagle justifies its experiments on humans by claiming that they're allowing humanity to overcome its weaknesses and evolve to a higher state. Doesn't make what they're doing in the here and now any less horrific.
* VillainousBreakdown: Pierre Buzarde has one in Chapter 13. If your {{Nightmare Fuel}} tank is empty, it won't be after this chapter.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Jiro and Jens, mostly because of their unresolved issues concerning Ruby.
* XanatosGambit: It's eventually revealed that Evie Harrison, [[spoiler:horrified by Beagle's experiments, eventually put a circuitous plan in motion to have Ruby injected with the nanobots to give her the means to fight Beagle]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Jiro
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