Line #22 DarthWiki/Cadenza


1	''Cadenza'' is a work-in-progress musical cartoon created by Tropers/LilyTheLitten.
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3	The show follows [[{{Keet}} Brio]], an orphan who travels to the country of Talchera to enroll in the [[WizardingSchool Elpharium Institute]]'s [[MagicMusic Music Magic Track]], hoping to follow in his [[MissingMom late mother's]] footsteps. Unfortunately for Brio, he very quickly learns that music magic and its practitioners are the [[NoRespectGuy No Respect Guys]] of the magical world; indeed, most of his classmates wanted to be in different courses, but lacked the test scores to get in.
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5	Undeterred, Brio sets out to have a good time regardless, a goal helped by both the class's CoolTeacher, [[MentorArchetype Aria Canticum]], and his own unbreakable cheer. As the year goes on, Brio's enthusiasm proves contagious, and his classmates start getting into music magic--with the notable exception of the snobbish [[TheRival Ambrose de Auguriel]]. But unbeknownst to anyone, dark forces are at work behind the Institute's walls, and their schemes could change Wreyune forever...
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8	!!From the Source of Tropes:
9	* AerithAndBob: Done deliberately; in general, anyone with a relatively "normal" name comes from Wreyune, while all the Aeriths are from the Aurora Archipelago.
10	* AlliterativeFamily: Professor Aria Canticum and her parents, Alto and Athyll. [[spoiler:Melodia [[OddNameOut bucks the trend]].]]
11	* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: Whoever fathered [[TheDragon Eshann's]] children is never revealed.
12	* AmplifierArtifact: The Seven Treasures of the Silver Emperor.
13	* AnArmAndALeg: Noted to be a possible risk of overchanneling, [[spoiler:and one that both Eluneus (in the show's backstory) and Ambrose (in the Season 3 finale) fall victim to.]]
14	* AnimalMotif: [[BigBad Eluneus]] has [[ButterflyOfTransformation butterflies]]. He wears a butterfly clip in his hair, refers to his EliteFour as the Chrysalis, and [[spoiler:[[RitualMagic the Transcendence ritual]] as a whole]] is likened to a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly. [[spoiler:Hell, his OneWingedAngel form is a [[MothMenace butterfly-like]] HumanoidAbomination, complete with [[PowerGivesYouWings wings]].]]
15	* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:The DistantFinale reveals that Sebastian and Galen adopted a daughter.]]
16	* BetaCouple: [[spoiler:Hyacinth and Orchid, Sebastian and Galen, and Freya and Rychell.]]
17	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:The Iron Knight is under complex mind magic that, among other things, prevents him from disobeying Eshann's orders and forces him to always act to Transcendence's benefit.]]
18	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Brio. [[{{Keet}} Bubbly, energetic, and mildly annoying]]...and also a phenomenal singer and musician, as well as a skilled music mage, a good teacher, [[spoiler:and eventually the Cadenza itself.]]
19	** Amusingly, Eluneus himself is one. A complete {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, rather crazy from all the rituals and overchanneling...and ''frighteningly'' powerful, able to match the ''[[MasterOfOneMagic Savants]]'' in magical combat.
20	* CerebusSyndrome: While it did have several [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Guns]] that would reappear in later seasons, Season 1 is definitely the most light-hearted, consisting largely of episodic misadventures. Season 2, meanwhile, explores the cast's [[DysfunctionJunction various issues]], goes into more detail about [[BigBad the Silver Emperor]] and [[NebulousEvilOrganization Transcendence]], and ends with [[spoiler:a DrunkOnTheDarkSide [[RivalTurnedEvil Ambrose de Auguriel]] blowing the Diamánti Ball to hell and fleeing the school.]]
21	* ChekhovsGun: A somewhat gruesome example; Professor Tidrin explains to [[TheRival Ambrose]] that overchanneling can cause anything from passing out to ExplosiveOverclocking, and a not-insignificant amount of people have [[AnArmAndALeg lost limbs]] due to too much energy. [[spoiler:Come the Season 3 finale, and Ambrose himself overchannels and blows his hand off.]]
22	* ChessMotifs: The rankings of Transcendence's hierarchy are all named after chess pieces.
23	** To start with, there's the Bronze King, the NumberTwo to Silver Emperor Eluneus. In this era, the Bronze King is [[SheIsTheKing Eshann Altorn]].
24	** Next is the [[EliteFour Chrysalis]], who answer to the King (and sometimes the Emperor) directly and are the primary leaders of the Pawns. They consist of Qizyni the Ruby Queen, [[EvilGenius Norielle]] the Emerald Bishop, [[TheBrute Stehagan]] the Sapphire Rook, and [[KnightOfCerebus the Iron Knight]].
25	** After them are the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Heterodox]], named after the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_chess_piece heterodox chess pieces]] (with the exception of the Empress, [[OneSteveLimit for obvious reasons]]). They're largely middle-managers, and tend to be a cesspit of power-grabbing and backstabbing. They consist of [[SmugSnake Lezith]] the Minister, [[OnlySaneMan Vratha]] the Elephant, Nyrex the Camel, Rhihone the Amazon, and [[spoiler:Vemari de Serphent (or, to use her maiden name, Vemari ''Altorn'') the Princess.]]
26	** Finally, there are the [[{{Mook}} Pawns]], the lowly initiates and members of Transcendence without anything special.
27	* CoolTeacher: Professor Aria Canticum of the Music Magic Track. Though in a twist, she's not actually that good at ''teaching''--she got the job because the last teacher quit, and sticks with it because it helps further her own agenda. Brio, despite being her student, is much better at actually teaching, [[spoiler:and has taken over for her in the DistantFinale.]]
28	* DemotedToDragon: Eshann Altorn, the [[NumberTwo Bronze King]] of Transcendence, is the BigBad of Seasons 3 and 4[[note]]While [[SmugSnake Lezith]] and [[spoiler:[[RivalTurnedEvil Ambrose]]]] are the ones ''directly'' menacing the heroes in Season 3, Eshann's [[GreaterScopeVillain clearly the one in charge]][[/note]]. After [[spoiler:successfully completing the ritual to unseal Eluneus, she settles into simple Dragonhood quite quickly.]] Note that this doesn't make her any less dangerous.
29	* DistantFinale: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. The DenouementEpisode takes place five years after the final battle.
30	* EliteFour: The Chrysalis of Transcendence, comprised of Qizyni, Norielle, Stehagan, and the Iron Knight. While the former three occupy leadership roles (albeit all subservient to [[TheDragon Eshann]]) the Knight is effectively her personal attack dog, holding the position solely due to his combat capabilities.
31	* EvilMatriarch: It's revealed in Season 3 that [[TheDragon Eshann Altorn]] is [[spoiler:Vemari de Serphent]]'s mother and [[spoiler:Orchid]]'s grandmother. [[spoiler:Her ''other'' child, Ilius, is both the Iron Knight and ''Brio's'' father.]]
32	* EvilMentor: [[spoiler:Irvut Tidrin, who takes Ambrose on as his personal apprentice, is secretly a member of Transcendence.]]
33	* FamilyThemeNaming: The Canticum family are all named after [[MusicalThemeNaming musical terms]]. There's [[FamousAncestor Harmonia]], her descendant [[GrumpyOldMan Alto]], and his daughter [[CoolTeacher Aria]]. [[spoiler:Aria's sister [[MissingMom Melodia]] and her son [[TheHero Brio]] count as well.]] The [[OddNameOut Odd Names Out]][[note]]Cedric, Athyll, [[spoiler:Ilius, and Ambrose]][[/note]] all married into the family.
34	* FamousAncestor: Quite a few.
35	** Aurelia and Ariadne de Auguriel. The former transformed Wreyune into a livable place and established the Celestrum Court, and the latter founded [[WizardingSchool the Elpharium Institute]] and took on ''dozens'' of apprentices. Every Auguriel feels the pressure to live up to them.
36	** Harmonia Canticum, the first Cadenza and the one who defeated [[TheArchmage the Silver Emperor]]. In the present-day, her descendant [[MentorArchetype Aria]] teaches music magic at the Elpharium Institute. [[spoiler:Her other descendant, [[TheHero Brio]], ''also'' ends up defeating Eluneus and becoming the Cadenza.]]
37	** Rigel Altorn is a less heroic example. Eluneus's NumberTwo and lifelong companion, Rigel dedicated himself to figuring out a way to release him from his [[SealedEvilInACan can]], an objective his descendants have dutifully followed. [[spoiler:Eshann ultimately succeeds, though her own children reject the goal entirely.]]
38	* GenderEqualEnsemble: Class of 16--eight boys, eight girls.
39	* HappilyMarried: Safe to say every married couple was this. [[TheLostLenore Key word there is]] ''[[TheLostLenore was]]''.
40	** Harmonia and Cedric, Alto and Athyll, [[spoiler:Melodia and Ilius, [[OfficialCouple Brio and Ambrose]]]]...if anything runs in the Canticum family besides a love for music, it's this trope.
41	* HereditaryTwinhood: Downplayed--[[FamousAncestor Aurelia and Ariadne de Auguriel]] were twins, as are their descendants Cassandra and Calypso, but outside of a brief joke from the latter, nothing implies it's anything more than a coincidence.
42	* HighSchoolDance: The Season 2 Diamánti Ball has all the hallmarks of one, [[DancesAndBalls though with a much fancier aesthetic]]. A running subplot throughout the second half of the season is the cast's [[LoveDodecahedron romantic plans]] for the ball.
43	* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that "Tidrin" is actually a {{Doppelganger}}, who killed the real Irvut Tidrin and took his place in the Institute.]]
44	* KnightOfCerebus: Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Iron Knight. Much of Season 1 had been episodic hijinks up to that point; the moment he arrives is the moment the series as a whole darkens considerably.
45	* LockedIntoStrangeness: Every Savant has a single lock of MysticalWhiteHair, showing off their connection to the Sources. [[spoiler:Eluneus and Ambrose take it a step further and have ''entirely'' white hair--the former as a side effect from his failed ritual, and the latter due to putting on the [[MagicalAccessory Eventide]] [[AmplifierArtifact Amulet]].]]
46	* LoveTriangle: Season 1 has a [[PlayedForLaughs rather light-hearted and comical one]] between Sebastian Chevalier, Cassia Nox, and Galen Ryne.
47	* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler:Love for their spouses and children turned Ilius and Vemari away from [[EvilMatriarch their mother]] and Transcendence.]]
48	* LukeIAmYourFather: A two-for-one example. [[spoiler:Not only is [[KnightOfCerebus the Iron Knight]] [[TheHero Brio's]] father, ''his'' mother is [[TheDragon Eshann Altorn]].]]
49	* MasterOfOneMagic: The Savants. They can channel a ridiculous amount of energy from whichever Source blessed them, allowing them to perform fates most mages could only dream of. In return, however, [[CripplingOverspecialization they're unable to channel from]] ''[[CripplingOverspecialization any other Sources]]'', so all of their magic ''must'' be of the Source that blessed them.
50	* MusicalThemeNaming: In addition to the FamilyThemeNaming mentioned above, the word "canticum" is Latin for "song".
51	* MysticalWhiteHair: One of the more benign consequences of overchanneling. The [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Silver Emperor]] possessed this, [[spoiler:[[LockedIntoStrangeness as does Ambrose]].]]
52	* NonHeteronormativeSociety: Wreyune as a whole is largely free of homophobia and transphobia. There are several same-gender couples, even among the higher echelons of society, and one of the lords of the Celestrum Court is non-binary and gets no grief for it.
53	* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler:Brio and Ambrose.]]
54	* OnlyOneName: Brio lacks a last name. [[spoiler:At first, anyway. He eventually takes on his maternal family's surname.]]
55	** Everyone from the Aurora Archipelago has only one name.
56	* PhlebotinumOverload: Overchanneling, the term for channeling too much energy from the Sources. It's explicitly noted that the body can only handle so much energy going through it; at best, you'll pass out, and at worst, you'll suffer a ''spectacular'' case of ExplosiveOverclocking ([[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity and that's not even getting into the]] ''[[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mental]]'' [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity effects]]...)
57	* PolarOppositeTwins: Kalliope and Vivian Grove; older twin Kalliope is brash, confident, and loud, while younger twin Vivian is quiet, reserved, and shy.
58	* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: The first half of Season 3 revolves around tracking down the Music Magic students after [[spoiler:the destruction of the Institute]] scattered them to the winds.
59	* RedBaron: All [[MasterOfOneMagic Savants]] are more commonly known by a ''nickname'' that tends to be this. [[spoiler:Aria,]] for instance, is the titular [[TitleDrop Cadenza]].
60	** [[BigBad Eluneus]] is better known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Silver Emperor]].
61	* TheStarscream: As Season 3 goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that [[spoiler:Ambrose]] is unwilling to share power with Lezith. [[spoiler:After Brio and Hyacinth defeat the latter, Ambrose decides that he's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness no longer of use to him]] and [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork kills him]].]]
62	* TangledFamilyTree: The more we find out about Brio's family, the more obvious it is that he's apart of one of these. Let's see...[[spoiler:Brio's mother is Melodia Canticum, meaning [[CoolTeacher Aria]] is his aunt and [[GrumpyOldMan Alto]] is his maternal grandfather. His ''father'' is Ilius Altorn, meaning [[EvilMatriarch Eshann Altorn]] is his paternal grandmother. But that's not all! [[LovableAlphaBitch Orchid's]] mother Vemari is Eshann's ''daughter'', making her Brio's other aunt and her daughter his cousin.]]
63	* TomTheDarkLord: [[spoiler:Eluneus's]] real name, Gabriel Cross, is...not one you'd associate with someone like him. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as he changed his name so as to distance himself from the "fragile weakling" he used to be.
64	* TragicKeepsake: Brio's lute originally belonged to [[MissingMom his mother]], who died to illness years before the events of the series.
65	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: [[spoiler:Ambrose has white hair after being LockedIntoStrangeness, and spends all of Season 3 DrunkOnTheDarkSide. [[SubvertedTrope He recovers, thankfully]].]]
66	** Eluneus, meanwhile, plays it straight to the very end.
67	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: It's explicitly noted that overchanneling does ''bad'' things to one's mental state. [[spoiler:The Transcendence Ritual is a shining example of this: an ''incomplete'' version suffused Gabriel Cross with severe megalomania. The ''complete'' version gives him [[AGodAmI a god complex]].]]

Context DarthWiki / Cadenza