Line #128 FanFic/MassFoundations


1	->''There are universes that diverge from a choice and there are universes that are fundamentally different from one another, forming a vast, limitless multiverse. In these set of universes, there are orbs that manipulate and alter any reality, rip apart the boundaries between them. If left unchecked, they will bring an end of everything.''
2
3	->''Welcome to the multiverse. Enjoy your stay.''
4	-->'''Summary of the series on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn'''
5
6	''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8803708/1/Mass-Foundations Mass Foundations]]'' is a fanfiction series primarily set in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' and the ''{{VideoGame/Fallout}}'' universes, written by Tropers/NordRonnoc. Initially, the series is strongly inspired by ''Fanfic/MassVexations'' and ''Fanfic/MassesToMasses'', given that Tropers/HerrWozzeck and Nord once shared some ideas together on the former.
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8	''Redemption in the Stars'' follows the plot of ''ComicBook/MassEffectRedemption'' (which is set between the [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 second]] game's opening and the main plot) and is centered on Ethan Sunderland, the Courier. In the years after [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas the events of his adventures in the Mojave]], a teleportation experiment has gone wrong, transporting him to [[WretchedHive Omega]]. He soon meets Shepard's former squadmate [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Liara T’Soni]] and information broker Feron, and gets involved in their hunt to recover Commander Shepard’s body before it falls into the hands of [[InsectoidAliens the Collectors]]. ''Redemption in the Stars'' was originally called ''Mass Vexations: Redemption'' and had a degree of involvement from Herr Wozzeck prior to a falling out between the two.
9
10	''A New Day'' is revolved around Eric Grimes, [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent a high school graduate]]. During a vacation with his family, he was transported to the Mass Effect universe when he stumbled upon a strange artifact. He had to adjust to the strange universe he found himself in. Unlike the other characters, [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter Eric]] is shy and mild-mannered and is inexperienced in a fight for most of it.
11
12	''Little Star'' starred Commander Shepard as she found a distress signal on a planet called Acabar, where strange and twisted creatures known as the Merged had wiped out most of the science team. [[WordOfGod Nord]] has likened it to ''{{Film/Alien}}'', ''Film/TheThing1982'', and ''Film/EventHorizon''.
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14	''All the World's a Stage'' stars the [[Creator/PeterCapaldi Twelfth]] [[Series/DoctorWho Doctor]] as he has been brought to the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' universe. He sets out to investigate, meeting up with Jocelyn Song, [[VideoGame/Fallout3 the Lone Wanderer]]. The title references the well-known phrase from Theatre/AsYouLikeIt. Time will tell if additional references to Shakespeare will be made. Like his other works below, you can also find the original version on Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom and Sufficient Velocity [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/all-the-worlds-a-stage-doctor-who-fallout-spoiler.363547/ here]] and [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/all-the-worlds-a-stage-doctor-who-fallout-spoiler.23816/ here]] respectively, which has crossed over with the [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SoulSeries'']].
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16	''Molten Lead'' has a field agent Zachary Turner assessing and scouting for potential candidates for Shepard's squad as depicted in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' when [[ComicBook/MassEffectFoundation Rasa]] turned up missing, struggling with his inner demons as well as external sources manipulating events behind the scenes. It can be viewed on Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom and Sufficient Velocity [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mass-foundations-molten-lead-mass-effect.646430/ here]] and [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/mass-foundations-molten-lead-mass-effect.47773/ here]] respectively.
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18	Currently, Nord has posted forums of the stories, including a rewrite of ''Redemption in the Stars'', on Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom and Sufficient Velocity. On SB, ''Redemption in the Stars'' can be viewed [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mass-foundations-redemption-in-the-stars-rewrite-fallout-mass-effect.313583/ here]] and a New Day can be viewed [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mass-foundations-a-new-day-mass-effect.281544/ here]]. On SV, ''Redemption in the Stars'' can be viewed [[http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/mass-foundations-redemption-in-the-stars-rewrite-fallout-mass-effect.9920/ here]], and the original version of ''A New Day'' can be viewed [[http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/mass-foundations-a-new-day-mass-effect.4056/ here]]. SB and SV threads for the reboot of ''A New Day'' can be viewed [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mass-foundations-a-new-day-thread-2-mass-effect.341636/ here]] and [[http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/mass-foundations-a-new-day-thread-2-mass-effect.18492/ here]] respectively.
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20	Recently, he has released lore entries at the end of each entry in the series, which expands on the lore unique to the series as well as any other setting the fics use. The series also has a [[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2537590 link]] on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn.
21
22	----
23	!!The series provides examples of:
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:The series in general]]
28	* AllThereInTheManual: The main purpose of the Mass Foundations codex entries.
29	%%* AlternateUniverse:
30	* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: So far, each entry in the series (''Redemption in the Stars'', ''A New Day'', and ''All the World's a Stage'', for example) features different protagonists. As such:
31	** ''Redemption in the Stars'' has Ethan Sunderland, aka the Courier, who's a (though implied) multi-ethnic man with a sarcastic and somewhat selfish streak, though he is willing to help his friends out.
32	** Meanwhile, in ''A New Day'', Eric Grimes is also multi-ethnic (half-Hispanic and half-caucasian) and male but gay. He comes off as meek and shy yet intelligent, having many relatives before winding up in the Mass Effect universe.
33	** In ''All the World's a Stage'', Jocelyn Song, aka the Lone Wanderer, is female and half-Asian, half-black. She comes off as a more traditional hero compared to the other protagonists, though she was haunted by her [[MyGreatestFailure perceived failures]].
34	** Commander Shepard, starting in ''Little Star'', is an extremely capable combatant and leader, as demonstrated in the original trilogy. She is alo abrasive towards people that angered or infuriated her, like with Harland's proposal on the orb and her neglect in the situation. She also isn't afraid to interrogate people that comes off as suspicious, even when they're unarmed. But above all else, she is primary focused on saving as many lives as she can, even it includes people she despised.[[note]]In other words, a Paragade.[[/note]]
35	* FanVerse: It's starting to come off as this.
36	* IntercontinuityCrossover: Seems to be the staple of the series so far. ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''Franchise/MassEffect''? Pretty popular crossover if you know where to look. ''Series/DoctorWho'' and ''Fallout''? Okay. The summary of ''All the World's a Stage'' has stated it'll cross over with a third setting. What was it? [[spoiler:''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]]'', of all things. [[{{Beat}} ...]] [[FlatWhat Wait, what?]]]]
37	* TheMultiverse: The bulk of the series' setting. It has several characters travel from one universe to another in some capacity. [[AllThereIntheManual The Codex]] has described the Multiverse as a complicated thing.
38	* TrappedInAnotherWorld: ''Redemption in the Stars'', ''A New Day'', and ''All the World's a Stage'' have this as a basic plotline. Something had caused the protagonist(s) to be transported to another universe and they have to adapt and maybe find a way back. Though in ''All the World's a Stage'', the Doctor and the Lone Wanderer were able to travel between universes thanks to the TARDIS.
39	* WeirdCrossover: What ''All the World's a Stage'' turns out to be. [[spoiler:''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]]'' crossing over with ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''Series/DoctorWho''.]]
40	* WorldOfSnark: Many characters get opportunities to make sarcastic quips, though the more prominent one go to the Courier, Shepard somewhat less so.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:''Redemption in the Stars'']]
44	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Ethan, Liara and Feron snuck into the abandoned mining facility to get Shepard’s body through the wastewater pipe. Downplayed, as mining always produced large quantities of wastewater and the pipes of the size shown (they’re implied to be just large enough to move through) are quite likely to be used. Because the facility processed eezo, the water was radioactive as well; they could only get through because of Ethan’s Rad-X.
45	* ActionGirl: Liara was an obvious one. An unnamed [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Blue Suns]] Commander fits this trope as well, carrying heavy weaponry and efficiently commanding her troops.
46	* AfterActionPatchUp: Much of the epilogue can be summed up as this.
47	* AlienArtsAreAppreciated: The batarian pyro taunts the Courier with a reference to [[Film/ApocalypseNow Apocalypse Now]].
48	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Averted. The Courier couldn't understand any of the alien languages until he purchases a translator from a human-run shop.
49	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Feron expressed doubt about the Courier's origins, even after ''the Courier himself asked about how biotics work''. This was [[LampshadedTrope lampshaded]] by the Courier and Liara. Eventually, he relented after the Courier showed his memories to Liara in a mind-meld.
50	* AsceticAesthetic: The Shadow Broker’s base at Alingon is described as being absolutely grey and utilitarian and with good reason. The building was spliced out of several pre-made hubs so that the dedicated architect wouldn’t have to be employed.
51	* BittersweetEnding: Ethan and Liara were able to recover Shepard's body, but Ethan had to convince Liara to give the body to Cerberus. While Ethan was given the leeway for a project to repair his Transportalponder, a lot of bad things happened to make that happen. Feron was captured by Tazzik and the Shadow Broker's crew, Alan Mark was killed in action, and Christine was critically injured. When Liara asked him to promise not to jeopardize the project to resurrect the commander, he was hesitant, given that their new-found friendship was now on rocky ground thanks to his actions. Worst of all, he made an enemy of the Shadow Broker.
52	* GunshipRescue: Downplayed. The Cerberus frigate [[spoiler:turns the tide at the Alingon base and keeps the attackers at bay for a while, but then Tazzik’s engineers manage to disable its guns, forcing the squad to negotiate.]]
53	* DeadMansSwitch: At Alingon, the squad couldn't destroy the missile turrets at the entrance because doing so would instantly alert the base security. The alert didn't activate when the turret is simply temporarily disabled, however, which leads to the RaceAgainstTheClock below.
54	* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: The Courier taunted the Collector-General to keep it off of Liara while she was taking Shepard's body. Not only did it work, he survived the confrontation against it. Even more impressive if [[FridgeBrilliance one realized that he managed to distract Harbinger, who was implied to be possessing the Collector, with an insult and covering fire]].
55	* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Strongly averted. The Courier used VATS, the Jury Rigging perk, his Pip Boy map, and the Geiger counters. Liara frequently employed various biotic talents during combat and Feron can fix equipment with omni-gel, like the Infiltrator class of [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]]. Even the Blue Suns’ members use the full spectrum of their equipment from [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the second game]], with missile launcher soldiers, flamethrower troops and [[SpaceRomans Legionnaires]] with anti-shield disruptor ammo all present and accounted for.
56	* GroinAttack: A Blue Suns Centurion attempts this on the Courier, but he dodges it due to his close-combat experience in the Mojave. This mistake lets Ethan capture her.
57	* GoryDiscretionShot: Ethan saw Lynch engaging an asari vanguard at the Shadow Broker base before being forced to turn around. The next time he looks at him, [[AlienBlood purple blood]] is dripping off his armor.
58	* HostageSituation: This time it's the protagonist who takes a Blue Suns Centurion hostage, when cornered and needing to get information on Liara and Feron’s coordinates. His demands are rejected, however, as the other Suns call his bluff and attempt to distract him long enough for the back-up to arrive. [[spoiler: He ultimately sees through it and points out that he'll just kill the reinforcements. It works.]]
59	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Downplayed. In the first chapter, Ethan has only a decent chance of hitting the flamethrower gas tank at medium range with VATS.
60	* InsecurityCamera: Played with. The cameras themselves are quite well placed throughout the building on Alingon and on the outside, but they’re absent at the rear entrance since there are already guards and turrets present. Inside, they’re brought down by the terminal located too close to the entrance, allowing the group to hack into it.
61	* InstantSedation: More realistic than usual; a manual syringe is used, the target is restrained, and the hitman, Tazzik, checks the dosage before using the sedative.
62	* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: Ethan made his Transportalponder this by accident when he tried to upgrade it. However, it broke when he arrived to the Franchise/MassEffect universe, leaving him trapped until he can fix it.
63	* LetsSplitUpGang: When the Courier first engages the Blue Suns, a Centurion splits away from the remaining group to deal with him. Justified, as they don’t know his skills yet and Centurions are EliteMooks in [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the game]].
64	** Justified again in the fourth chapter, where only one Blue Suns hovercar out of five is sent to investigate the car left behind by the team and where Ethan is lurking. [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough They didn't expect him to stick around near the facility]] and so the rest are searching for him on the outskirts.
65	* MuggingTheMonster: A batarian thug tries to rob the Courier soon after his arrival. It doesn't work out too well for him.
66	* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: [[spoiler:The Collector-General is a hulking figure of chitin and lava, able to unleash biotic barrages and with inhumanly durable barriers.]] When Ethan ends up fighting it alone, the Shadow Broker’s guards consider him doomed and see no reason to intervene. When the creature finally gets brought to his knees, they fire at him, but it was too late.
67	* OneSizeFitsAll: Averted. Ethan cannot use a translator looted from the batarian thug because his ears are shaped differently, so the earphones simply wouldn’t fit in for him.
68	* RaceAgainstTheClock: The Cerberus commandos and the Courier manages to overheat the missile turrets guarding Shadow Broker's Alingon base. However, the effect only lasts 30 seconds, after which the turrets go back to normal. The resultant race to get to the compound before they activate is punctuated by the automatic countdown.
69	* RockBeatsLaser: Ethan kills a heavily shielded turian Centurion by stabbing him in the throat with his Bowie knife. Justified in-universe as [[DeflectorShields kinetic barriers]] are only meant to work against high-speed objects, either being very ineffective or completely useless against melee attacks.
70	* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:When Lynch received the coordinates for the location of Shepard's body and the comm link in the base on Alingon, he informed the Courier of the opportunity to rescue either Liara or Feron. However, they're unable to save both and they're well aware of it. Ultimately, Ethan [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl chose to rescue Liara.]]]]
71	* ShootTheFuelTank: The Courier did that to the Blue Suns’ Pyro in the first chapter.
72	* ShoutOut:
73	** When Ethan wakes up, he checks to see if his body's in one piece, much like what the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime Eleventh Doctor did after his regeneration]].
74	** Lynch's name and the Courier's remark to it is a reference to the antagonist and Hannibal's reply from Film/TheATeam movie.
75	** The batarian pyro taunting Ethan after setting him on fire, along the lines of:
76	-->"What's the matter? [[Film/ApocalypseNow Don't you humans like the smell of napalm? Or is it too early in the morning for you?]]"
77	** Ethan spotted a [[Series/DoctorWho blue police box]] just floating out in space.
78	** The Courier called the Harbinger-possessed Collector in the fifth chapter a [[Film/{{District9}} prawn]], comparing its appearance to third-degree burn victims and ghouls.
79	** During the fight between Ethan and the Collector, the Collector remarked, [[VideoGame/{{Iji}} "Like a spark to the fire"]], referencing Tor's kill line.
80	** The name of the epilogue--I Need You--references the title of the second half of the [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End of Evangelion movie]].
81	** The name of the fifth chapter refers to the Film/MissionImpossible series. It helps that the protagonist's name is Ethan.
82	* ShownTheirWork: The base infiltration scene on Alingon doesn’t arbitrarily choose the 30 second number [[RuleOfDrama to add more drama]]. That is the maximum duration of the Sabotage ability you can unlock in [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]].
83	* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Most of the interactions between the Courier and Feron come off as this.
84	* TeleportationMisfire: What kicked off the plot of the fic, adopting a pretty common ObviousCrossoverMethod, thus making Ethan's motivation to find a way back home, though it was a self-imposed error in improving the Transportalponder and Big Mountain being Big Mountain.
85	* TheCavalry: The Courier, Liara and Feron are saved from their first engagement with the Blue Suns by a sudden intervention of an unseen sniper.
86	* TheDragon: Tazzik serves as this to the Shadow Broker, who serves as the BigBad of this fic. Since he does most of the action as a bad guy, Tazzik also counts as TheHeavy.
87	* WhatTheHellHero: Ethan gets one from Cerberus agent Lynch when he appears at the scene to find what is essentially a failed mission, with Liara and Feron captured and Shepard’s body still with Tazzik.
88	** And earlier on, when Ethan attempts to bargain for information by taking a Centurion hostage, the other Blue Suns call him out on the unprovoked killing he has done before. Ethan deflects their accusations, calling them out on their MoralMyopia.
89	** [[spoiler: Liara's not happy when Ethan suggest they hand Shepard over to Cerberus. He manages to convince her to see from his viewpoint, but it's clear that she's still upset about his past actions.]]
90	* YourHeadASplode: The Courier finishes off the [[spoiler:the Harbinger-possessed Collector]] by discharging the entire clip of his [[HandCannon M-6 Carnifex]] into his head, with predictable results.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:''A New Day'']]
94	* BlindDate: Luke and Natalie sets this up for Eric, who's been bitter lately. This has him meet Garrett Pitt.
95	* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: While Eric was browsing the Extranet, he found out what games Creator/BioWare had released from 1995 to 2023, one of which was the third game in the Franchise/BaldursGate series called Black Hound. It was obvious they never released Mass Effect. Meanwhile, Franchise/DragonAge was in development at one point but it ended up being too expensive much to make, so it was shelved. VideoGame/JadeEmpire received a sequel on the Xbox 360. Instead, there was the SFX franchise, built on similar premises to Mass Effect. [=BioWare=] had also collaborated with Creator/ObsidianEntertainment on to create some sort of a modern spy RPG called Everything or Nothing, which sounded like VideoGame/AlphaProtocol.
96	* TheCameo: Quite a few characters from the Franchise/MassEffect series were in this fic. Garrus was seen talking with an asari C-sec officer in the fourth chapter while Eric became friends with Suvi Anwar from ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' at the Black Star in the third chapter in a discussion about their religious beliefs.
97	** [[spoiler:Steve Cortez shows up to offer help to Eric and his friends during VideoGame/MassEffect1's endgame while they were sneaking off an Alliance facility on Earth.]]
98	* DoubleMeaningTitle: The first chapter, Arrival. Not only does it refer to Eric and his family arriving at Bangkok, it also refers to Eric's arrival to the Mass Effect universe, a year prior to the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 events of the first game]].
99	* DreamSequence: Occurred in the fifth chapter. Eric's dream consisted of the FacelessMasses save for people he personally knew, all ignoring him. Then he went to a tunnel, with [[SinisterSurveillance large security cameras watching his every move]]. The dream ended with everything going dark.
100	* {{Flashback}}: Seems to be this fic's staple, which starts at the beginning of some of the chapters. All them expand on Eric's past, shaping how he is now, and tends to mirror present events, excluding a WholeEpisodeFlashback.
101	* GiveMeASign: During his first week of training, Eric has fumbled handling a gun. Humiliated, he flees to the bathroom and, in a fit of desperation, asks God to help him in his time of need. DoubleSubverted that it doesn't work, but something unrelated does: a bit of pep talk from Luke, boosting his confidence.
102	* HolidayInCambodia: Eric and his family visited Bangkok, Thailand, then Angkor Wat in the first chapter until Eric stumbled upon the artifact at the aforementioned temple.
103	* QueerRomance: One between Eric and Garrett.
104	* ShoutOut:
105	** In the [[HolidayInCambodia first chapter]], Alfonso and Eric namedrops VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds and VideoGame/BioShockInfinite during a brief discussion about the many-worlds interpretation, as well as VideoGame/FinalFantasyX on another topic.
106	** Also in the first chapter, when Eric and his family arrived at Angkor Wat, Garcia and Alfonso joked about encountering the head-tossing snakes from VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia at the temple.
107	** Eric often calls his brother [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Al]]. The similarity stops there, however, as Eric's brother is older than him.
108	** Eric comes upon an article that has a founder of a club claiming that there are similarities between modern military tactics and VideoGame/GearsOfWar.
109	** Natalie mentioned [[Fanfic/MassesToMasses Ian Shaw turning an elcor serial killer to C-Sec]] while picking Eric up, much to Eric's and Natalie's bemusement.
110	** The third chapter's title, "I'll Carry You Home Tonight", is lifted from {{Music/Fun}}'s We Are Young.
111	** The protagonist Natalie's playing as in [[FictionalVideoGame Redeemer]] is a DistaffCounterpart of [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]], albeit one [[DemonicPossession possessed]], wielding fire-based powers as a result. Even the description of her sword's taken word-for-word from the series' RunningGag. With that in mind, a demon-possessed knight-like character with fire powers also bears a DistaffCounterpart resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Nightmare]]. Even the wording of the sword's description to the Dragonslayer is similar.
112	-->In the warrior’s hands was a two-handed sword, though it was too big to be called a sword. It was massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it was a heap of iron.
113	* SureLetsGoWithThat: When Natalie told Eric that she and the other analysts at C-Sec came to a conclusion that, because of the circumstances of his arrival to the Franchise/MassEffect universe, he either came from the past or from another universe, which wasn't far off to begin with. Naturally, Eric accepted that as the answer.
114	* {{Squee}}: Eric's reaction to jumping through the mass relay while riding on a passenger liner, much to Garrett's annoyance.
115	* TrappedInTVLand: Like the [[FanFic/MassVexations other]] [[Fanfic/MassesToMasses series]] that inspired this fic, Eric was transported to the Franchise/MassEffect universe one year prior to the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 first game]].
116	* VacationEpisode: The first chapter starts out as this in [[{{UsefulNotes/Thailand}} Bangkok]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Cambodia}} Angkor Wat]].
117	* WhamLine: Partway into the seventh chapter titled {{UsefulNotes/Boston}}, there was this line early in the flashback:
118	--->[[spoiler: It would have been nothing out of the ordinary for him, if not for a trial of smoke rising southwest of here.]]
119	--->[[spoiler: '''A couple paragraphs later''': A faint boom and another trial of smoke rose near the same spot. There was never a fire going on over there.]]
120	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The seventh chapter, Boston.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:''Little Star'']]
124	* BittersweetEnding: Shepard and her team [[spoiler:ended the Merged threat, but many of the Acabar crew had died in the effort. While Harland was implied to be put in prison, it wasn't the case months later, now that she was working for Cerberus with the Courier. The facility seemed to be rebuilt by Cerberus, and it wasn't known if the whole process could repeat itself.]]
125	* BodyHorror: The Merged. They were created when two alternate states of each person were mashed together, causing things such as their mouths stretching at unnatural angles, having one body wide enough for two, or even have their head ''split in two''.
126	* CallBack: [[spoiler:Like Miranda back in ''Redemption in the Stars'', Harland questioned the Transportalponder. Unlike last time, the Courier was more irritated than amused.]]
127	* CharacterOverlap: [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas The Courier]] makes a surprise appearance at the end of the fic, meeting with Harland after arriving at the rebuilt facility.]]
128	* DwindlingParty: Not to Shepard and her team. Prior to the events of the fic, there were dozens of people working at the planet's facility. By the time the orb arrived and Shepard's arrival afterwards, only six of the crew remained. [[spoiler: And that number dropped to two: Dr. Harland and a security guard, Chelsey Fayne, who was rendered unconscious due to stress and lack of sleep.]]
129	* FusionDance: A rather gruesome mix of TwoBeingsOneBody and the Composite to anyone becoming the Merged.
130	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:While pursuing the orb, Arthur got injured and opted to stay behind to blow it up, taking his life with it.]]
131	* GoneHorriblyWrong: As soon as the orb arrived, the science team on Acabar did nothing at first. By the time they came around, that was when hell broke loose and the Merged, well, commerce, causing the facility to go into lockdown. [[spoiler: It was exacerbated by Harland, as she ordered the others not to cease experimentation in a chain of emails.]]
132	* ItCanThink: The Merged have lost their sanity but they were able to retain some form of their intelligence. They pick up and use guns as well as open doors and other basic motor actions.
133	* MauveShirt: Most of the surviving research team is this. Witt, Arthur, and Neil have some involvement before [[spoiler: biting it by the end of the story. Subverted with Chelsey, though.]]
134	* MeatMoss: Downplayed. The arm Shepard and her squadmates found was merged on a wall, but no other bits of flesh were found. Later on, Neil became a victim when Merged!Dave threw him against the wall in the armor.
135	* NurseryRhyme: The passphrase required to open the door to the armor, where the surviving members of the science team reside.
136	* TheReasonYouSuck: Shepard to Harland when the scientist announced her plan about the orb.
137	-->'''Shepard''': Dr. Harland, I’m aware your intentions are good. You made that absolutely clear.
138	-->'''Harland''': And?
139	-->'''Shepard''': If you think that excuses for what happened here, don’t bother. You’re lucky I said I would get you out of here. Otherwise, I would’ve kicked your ass the moment I walked in the room and had you arrested. I mean, you didn’t find it odd that it appeared out of nowhere? The moment you found something was off, you went into studying it without containing it until it was too late. You sure do give science a bad rep. Feels great, doesn’t it? Being the mad scientist.
140	* SciFiHorror: Monsters invoking BodyHorror? Check. CorruptCorporateExecutive (or at least down from a lower level)? Check. An experiment that has GoneHorriblyWrong? You bet!
141	* ShoutOut:
142	** The casualty list in the second chapter shared surnames with [[Creator/StephenKing prominent]] [[Creator/HGWells sci-fi]] and [[Creator/HPLovecraft horror]] [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe writers]] [[Creator/GeorgeRomero and]] [[Creator/ShinjiMikami creators]] alongside a [[Franchise/DeadSpace few]] [[Franchise/{{Batman}} fictional characters]].
143	** This line after Dr. Harland announced her intentions with the orb:
144	--->'''Shepard''': [[Film/{{Aliens}} Did IQs just drop]] ''[[Film/{{Aliens}} sharply]]'' [[Film/{{Aliens}} before we got here?]]
145	** Arthur Newton gets his name from both Creator/ArthurCClarke and UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton, much like [[Franchise/DeadSpace Isaac Clarke]]. On that front, Arthur resembles a biotic version of [[VideoGame/DeadSpace3 John Carver]].
146	* TitleDrop: The door to the armor that Arthur led Shepard and her squadmates to needed a passphrase, which was the first part of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. This gets lampshaded by Shepard.
147	-->'''Shepard''': Really?
148	-->'''Arthur''': Wasn't my idea.
149	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:Shepard was tempted to use her Spectre status to shoot Harland after everything she had done, seeing that the courts would let her go. She didn't follow through with it, encouraging the scientist to turn herself to the Alliance. In the ending, she seemed to be right.]]
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:''All the World's a Stage'']]
153	%% * ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:Of the Multiverse Annihilation variety by the orb, as claimed by Nightmare to the Doctor.]]
154	* AdaptationAmalgamation: On the [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]] side of things. The presence of Azwel and Graf Dumas indicated that this fic is combining [[VideoGame/SoulCaliburV both]] [[VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI timelines]]. To what extent is yet to be determined.
155	* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:Soul Edge, obviously, and probably Soul Calibur]].
156	* CallBack: The orb from ''A New Day'' and ''Little Star'' makes an appearance, not only placing the Doctor and Jocelyn in the TARDIS, but also transporting them to the Icarus station, run by [=UNIT=], in the Doctor's universe.
157	** The Doctor demonstrated the concept of bigger on the inside to Jocelyn with two boxes, much like [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E5TheRobotsOfDeath the Fourth Doctor's explanation to Leela]] about how the TARDIS was BiggerOnTheInside. Unlike Leela, Jocelyn started to understand where the Doctor's coming at.
158	** Upon the Lone Wanderer encountering Missy for the first time, the Time Lady recognizes [[spoiler:Kroton]], though she had trouble remembering the specifics, and [[spoiler:the rogue Cyberman]] had to remind her, leading to the exchange between the two that summarized his current role and the [[Recap/DoctorWhoMagazine284to296TheGloriousDead time they've last encountered one another]].
159	%% * ChronicHeroSyndrome: The Doctor and Jocelyn went to the [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]] universe]] to investigate the cause of the Ania in the Fallout world. Instead, they found themselves defending an early 17th-century Hungarian town against a hoard of [[spoiler:Malfested]]. This has brought the attention of [[spoiler:Patroklos, Nightmare, and Siegfried. However, each of them have their own reasons]].
160	%% * RefusalOfTheCall: [[spoiler: Downplayed. While the Doctor and the Lone Wanderer were willing to help Siegfried, the Lone Wanderer refused to carry Soul Calibur after being induced with flashbacks.]]
161	* RotatingProtagonist: The first chapter and prologue goes exclusively from Doctor's perspective. After that, it switches between his and Jocelyn's for most of it.
162	%% * SadisticChoice: [[spoiler: Jocelyn faces one when the Malfested are attacking the Hungarian village. Earlier, she's met a child whose parents are looking for him. Either she rescues the child from a burning-down mansion, leaving the guardsmen vulnerable, or help the guards, which would lead to the child's death. Fortunately subverted, as reinforcements arrived, allowing her to rescue the child without abandoning them.]]
163	* ShoutOut:
164	** One from Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron in one of Jocelyn's flashbacks, with [[spoiler: the Courier]] paraphrasing a line from Hawkeye.
165	--->[[spoiler:'''The Courier''']]: We’re in a city tag-teamed by a bunch of nuclear bombs, we’re fighting an army of robots, and we’re knee-deep in brass. None of this makes sense!
166	%% ** In the epilogue:
167	%% -->[[spoiler:'''Three Dog''']]: [[Film/JohnWick ''People keep asking me about our intrepid friend, and I really don’t have an answer. Yet. But y’know what? I’m thinkin’ she’s]] [[LargeHam BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!'']]
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:''Molten Lead'']]
171	* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the previous entries, having a VillainProtagonist who's fanatically devoted to Cerberus, along with an an unsettling atmosphere throughout the fic. There are also political references to the [[TheNewTens later half of the 2010s]], specifically ideologies such as the alt-right. It even got a Mature rating on WebSite/ArchiveOfOurOwn and Website/FanFictionDotNet due to these depictions, the increased level of gore and violence, and Zachary's AttemptedSuicide near the beginning.
172	* EyeScream: The prisoner that tried to off Zachary Turner with a scalpel in the first flashback was on the receiving end of it.
173	* InterruptedSuicide: Zachary was seconds away from stabbing himself in the throat in his cell during the first flashback, only for Kai Leng to step in just before he did the deed.
174	[[/folder]]

Context FanFic / MassFoundations