Line #11 Creator/GraemeBase


1	Graeme Base is an Australian author and illustrator. He writes {{picture books}} with large detailed illustrations that contain many clues and bonus details for the observant.
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3	His books include ''Animalia'', ''The Eleventh Hour'', ''The Sign of the Seahorse'', ''The Worst Band in the Universe'', ''The Water Hole'' and ''Jungle Drums''.
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5	''Animalia'' inspired [[WesternAnimation/{{Animalia}} a TV series of the same name]].
6	----
7	!!Graeme Base's works provide examples of:
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11	[[folder:In General/Misc.]]
12	* AnimalVehicleHybrid: ''Truck Dogs'' features dogs with vehicle body parts.
13	* ArtEvolution: Compare the people in ''Animalia'' to his more recent works.
14	* JungleDrums: ''Jungle Drums''
15	* NarrativePoem: Most of Base's books are written in iambic heptameter in four-line stanzas with an AABB rhyme scheme.
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18	[[folder:The Sign of the Seahorse]]
19	* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: " . . . as Finny freed his friends".
20	* AppropriateAnimalAttire: The amount of clothing worn varies from character to character. Bert sports elaborate officer's attire (complete with boots, epaulettes, and one white glove), Stan and Ted wear suit tops... but not bottoms, and Pearl is usually seen in only a [[PunnyName pearl]] necklace.
21	* CivilizedAnimal: The fish and related undersea creatures have a human-like civilization and customs.
22	* DefeatMeansMenialLabor: The final page shows Groper, The Swordfish, and the Sharks forced into the role of dishwasher, potato-peeler, and janitors, respectively.
23	* TheDragon: The Groper's Swordfish.
24	* DumbMuscle: Stan and Ted, the Groper's shark enforcers of "dubious [=IQs=]". Downplayed as a later page clarifies "Villains they most surely were, but ''stupid'' they were not!"
25	* GangBangers: Subverted. The Catfish Gang, described as "a motley mixture of rough diamonds"...
26	--> . . . looked tough and mean, no manners, no respect.\
27	But deep inside they meant no harm and dressed up for effect.
28	* GoodAnimalsEvilAnimals: As far as we see, all crustaceans are in the military, all catfish are rebellious, all trout are unobtrusive citizens, and all predatory creatures like sharks, swordfish, and moray eels are evil.
29	* GreenAesop: The poison killing the Old Reef is chemicals from human pollution.
30	* InterspeciesRomance: Pearl is a trout. Bert is a crab. Good luck, guys.
31	* LoveAtFirstSight: Pearl and Bert knew the moment they looked into each other's eyes ("first one stalk, then the other"). [[StarCrossedLovers Unfortunately]], he is called away on duty before the two can even speak.
32	* MedalsForEveryone: Bert and Finneus both receive actual medals for their parts in [[spoiler:the Groper's defeat]].
33	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Gropmund G. Groper. Huh. Sounds like a really nice guy.
34	* PunnyName: ''Pearl'', ''Fin''neus, and ''Grop''mund G. Groper.
35	* ThrowingDownTheGauntlet:
36	-->'''Finneus:''' Let's see how you look with catfish claw-marks down your tails!
37	[[/folder]]
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39	[[folder:The Eleventh Hour]]
40	* CuttingTheKnot: The solution to the main, plot-driving puzzle is given in a cipher at the end of the book. If you deduce that the first word of the coded message is [[spoiler:"Congratulations!", it's easy to determine that the cuplrit's name starts with the letter K--i.e. it was Kilroy the mouse]].
41	* ExactWords: Every party guest denies responsibility for stealing Horace's birthday feast, and a clue near the end confirms that they have all told the truth--yet one of them is still the culprit. The final solution explains that [[spoiler:Kilroy the Mouse was correct when he gave his denial in the form 'one mouse could never eat it all' - he let in 111 fellow mice as accomplices and they stole and ate it together]].
42	* FairPlayWhodunit: Although the book is packed with secret codes and messages that offer hints to the reader, it is possible for to solve the mystery simply by paying attention to the evidence that is present in the story and illustrations.
43	* GuideDangIt: The complex puzzles in ''The Eleventh Hour'' provoked many such a moment. Originally you had to send off for an answer booklet, in later editions this was included with the book.
44	* NoNameGiven: The Swan is the only party guest whose given name is nowhere to be found in any of the verses or hidden clues[[note]] although in the card-game vignette, applying the playing-card code to the hand she's holding suggests that it may be "Ingrid"[[/note]]. [[spoiler:In a bit of FridgeBrilliance, she is the only guest aside from the actual culprit who doesn't flat-out state that she wasn't guilty (she merely casts suspicion on Oliver the Pig), but as we don't know her name, it can't be used to decode the final cipher.]]
45	* RedHerring: The illustrations feature many clues, some of which are red herrings. One actually says, when decoded, "red herring."
46	* TryEverything: The final solution is unlocked by decoding a message on the last page using the first letter of the culprit's name as an alphanumeric cipher. The answer book acknowledges it is perfectly possible to brute-force the answer (especially since there are only 11 suspects [[spoiler:and the leap of logic would suggest the 11th letter of the alphabet]]) but both it and several hidden clues near the end of the story advise that the reader will have more fun if they use observation and deduction to find the culprit first.
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49	[[folder:The Worst Band in the Universe]]
50	* AllThatGlitters: [[spoiler:The glowing golden host of the Worst Band competition turns out to be the Musical Inquisitor in disguise.]]
51	* APlanetNamedZok: Parodied with Sprocc's homeworld, Blipp. But then there's Planet Squaag.
52	* AppealToTradition: Blipp is a planet of music, but only the Ancient Songs are allowed. Creation of a new melody is grounds for banishment.
53	* BattleOfTheBands: Sprocc and co. compete in the "Worst Band in the Universe" contest, an intergalactic competition to seek out the ''worst'' band in a rebellion against their worlds' hyper-controlled music conventions. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a government ploy to root out the most disruptive musicians.]]
54	* {{Beatnik}}: Skat sometimes talks like one.
55	* CasualInterstellarTravel: Moving from planet to planet is fairly easy. There's even a [=SpaceBus=].
56	* ChallengingTheChief: Sprocc invokes his "Ancient Right" to challenge the Musical Inquisitor for power.
57	* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority: The [=PowerAxe=]-wielding, junkyard-ruling musical outlaw Skat is quite the stereotypical cool guy (and he knows it, too).
58	* CulturePolice: Every planet has its own strict rules and conventions surrounding music, enforced by the Musical Inquisitor and his [[{{Mooks}} Prodmen]].
59	* DisproportionateRetribution: On Blipp, playing a new song is grounds for banishment. On Squaag, playing any music at all is grounds for execution.
60	* DittoAliens: Averted with the Blippians, who do not look particularly similar to each other at all, apart from their skin patterning and [[UnusualEars giraffe-like ears]].
61	* [[{{Matriarchy}} Enlightened Matriarchy]]: The Eldest One is a wise and benevolent leader, as opposed to her underling and attempted usurper, [[spoiler:the Musical Inquisitor]].
62	* EvilChancellor: The Musical Inquisitor is the villain of the piece, as opposed to the benevolent Eldest One.
63	* EvilWearsBlack: The Musical Inquisitor's outfit is mostly black.
64	* FacelessGoons: The Prodmen are described as "non-sentient techno-organic drones." Their function is to detect non-regulation sound waves and [[SmashMook DESTROY]].
65	* FasterThanLightTravel: How ya get from planet to planet.
66	* FreudianTrio: Sprocc's band.
67	** Ego = Sprocc, the driving force and discoverer of self.
68	** Superego = Breather, the smart one who keeps the others in check.
69	** Id = Stickman, a semi-sentient but emotional BigGuy.
70	* HeroProtagonist: Sprocc.
71	* HumanoidAliens: The Blippians, as well as most of the other species shown in the background, resemble humans in skeletal structure, but not much else.
72	* InstrumentOfMurder: Skat's signature [=PowerAxe=] is more useful for shooting things than actually playing music.
73	* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: Skat is a little bitch to his cohorts, but it turns out his heart's in the right place.
74	* KidHero: Sprocc is only thirteen.
75	* LandfillBeyondTheStars: [=WasteDump=] B19, where the [[spoiler:winners of the Worst Band competition]] are sent to get them out of the way.
76	* MostWritersAreHuman: The Blippians could just as easily be humans.
77	* MulticulturalAlienPlanet: Squaag.
78	* MusicalAssassin: Musical instruments are used as surrogates for weapons throughout the story. In particular, Skat frequently employs his [=PowerAxe=] to fry things with blasts of concentrated sound, and [[spoiler:the Musical Inquisitor]] uses monotonous amplified dead noise as a weapon.
79	* NamedAfterTheirPlanet: The Blippian Tribe.
80	* NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture: Averted. On the ride to Alpha 10, Sprocc's crew watches a "sitcom starring some new band from Alpha 17."
81	* PlantAliens: [=WasteDump=] B19 is infested with carnivorous vine-based life forms that prey on sound.
82	* ThePowerOfRock: Basically the premise. The final battle is a duel of instruments.
83	* RankScalesWithAsskicking: Subverted, then played straight. Everyone assumes the Musical Inquisitor [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership earned his position by being the best at Splingtwanger playing (which passes for combat on Blipp)]], but when Sprocc confronts him, his citizens discover [[spoiler:he can't play at all. He attempts to destroy the temple in revenge, but the Eldest One's talent on the Splingtwanger saves the day.]]
84	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The Eldest one is sympathetic to Sprocc's cause and [[spoiler:eventually saves the day.]]
85	* ShoutOut
86	-->'''Musical Inquisitor:''' I have a dream, a Brave New World, where every note is fixed . . .
87	* TranslationConvention: Unless all the alien species exhibited [[AliensSpeakingEnglish actually are speaking English]].
88	* TwoOfYourEarthMinutes: Sprocc's age is given as "thirteen standard years."
89	* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Sprocc and his crew arrive back on Blipp just as [[spoiler:the Musical Inquisitor]] is declaring himself the new "Ruler of the Universe."
90	* YouCantGoHomeAgain: As Sprocc was boarding the rocket off his homeworld, he "turned and looked at Blipp, his home--it struck a poignant chord-- / Then took a deep, determined breath and boldly stepped aboard."
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Context Creator / GraemeBase