Line #119 FanFic/MisfiledDreams


1	[[quoteright:324:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Misfiled_Dreams_Cast.jpg]]
2	''Misfiled Dreams'' is an {{Alternate Continuity}}/{{Continuation}} FanFic series by [=ShadowDragon8685=] based in the ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}''-verse exploring some of the plot lines and relationships not (yet?) taken or explored in the comic itself and exploring the gaps and logical conclusions left by FridgeLogic.
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4	Most notable for the volume of {{Lemon}} material that could never show up in a PG-13 webcomic and for taking the tropes used in the comic and turning them up to eleven.
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6	Starting in September 2004 ([[WebcomicTime the same period the comic was in at the time]]), Rumisiel has a very strange dream which shows a [[NightmareSequence very different path]] reality could take if the Misfile was resolved. As he dreams, Ash and Emily take their relationship to new levels. This forms the basis of the first (and to date only {{stand alone\|Episode}}) episode ''Rumisiel's Lament''. The rest of the series explores the consequences of the actions and decisions made in that, and skips ahead of the comic to December 2004.
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8	[[ScheduleSlip Delays]] have allowed the comic's timeline to catch up and pass ''Misfiled Dreams''' timeline.
9
10	The tales so far are:
11	* ''Rumisiel's Lament''
12	* ''A Midwinter Night's Dream''
13	* ''After the Dream''
14	* ''Concrete Dreamscape''
15	* ''Electric Dreams''
16	* ''Beyond Electric Dreams''
17	* ''Carbon Dreams''
18	* ''Harmony Dreams''
19	* ''Ghosts of His Past''
20	* ''Dreams of the New Year''
21
22	All are available as PDF files [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vlV4sPSK_omkoOpbJrrTUn3Rkp0GZpTxPARcWZV2QLw/edit#heading=h.6vlpwyqejlne]] (requires signing into Google).
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24	[=ShadowDragon=] posted updates on the series and also rambled aimlessly at the series thread, which can be found [[http://www.napalmluck.com/index.php?showtopic=4472&st=0 here]] if you're interested. (You have to register with Napalm Luck to access the forum, however.) In October 2019, [=ShadowDragon=] reported in that thread that they are no longer writing the story.
25	----
26	!!Tropes exhibited in this series include:
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28	%%* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Jenny Senior.]]
29	* AllJustADream: [[spoiler: The ending of ''Rumisiel's Lament''. WordOfGod says it was just a dream.]]
30	** Several other lesser examples as well. Most notable is probably [[spoiler:when Emily had a dream where her mom was dying, and she and Ash got in a car crash trying to go see her. It scared her so much that it caused a RelationshipUpgrade]]. In fact, there are so many realistic dreams that Emily starts wearing a digital watch at all times, which lets her tell the difference between dream and reality ([[ShownTheirWork it's harder for a dream to generate numbers, so the watch ends up showing random symbols instead]]).
31	* AmicableExes: Heartbreakingly subverted, Edward's ControlFreak nature clashed horribly with Marie's free-spirited nature destroying any chance of reconciliation to Edward's dismay. The only thing that keeps them on any sort of speaking terms is Ash.
32	* AlphaBitch: Several, including one of the main characters. [[spoiler: She gets better.]] Also features said {{Alpha Bitch}}es getting the crap beaten out of them or otherwise humiliated in very karmic manners.
33	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Although Marie is courteous enough to talk to Ash about it privately, Ash is still mortified when her mother explains to her the costs and benefits of a ''threesome''.
34	* AscendedExtra: Jenny barely had much of a role in the comic, but she's a main character in the fic.
35	* AutoErotica: "Somehow… I knew we’d wind up doing this in a car."
36	* BavarianFireDrill: Jenny Jr. invokes and justifies this trope in ''Beyond Electric Dreams'' as to its importance in social gallas.
37	* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Jenny, Emily, and Ash, respectively, though Emily and Ash are no slouches in the beauty department as well (see pic above).
38	%%* BigDamnHeroes: Rock, in ''After the Dream''.
39	* BiggerIsBetterInBed: [[spoiler:Ash, as a boy before the Misfile, was ''really'' well-endowed. Interestingly, the characters acknowledge how he was {{blessed with suck}}. Also interesting is that Ash's endowment has carried over into her new form…]]
40	* TheCameo: By many characters, and even some regulars from the ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'' fan community.
41	** There's a cameo of AliceAndBob in ''Beyond Electric Dreams''
42	* CassandraTruth: [[spoiler:Jenny]] doesn't believe [[spoiler:Ash Upton]] when [[spoiler:Ash]] tells her the truth about the Misfile.
43	* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: In which Emily [[LesYay learns as much about herself]] as she does about the other girl.
44	* CerebusSyndrome: While there were signs of a darkening of mood with the end of ''Beyond Electric Dreams'' and beyond, ''Ghosts Of His Past'' really marks a turn, dealing with [[spoiler:suicide, rape, parental abandonment for being gay, war in general and Vietnam in particular, and abusive relationships.]] It's still heavy on the fun stuff, so it's by no means a huge downer.
45	* ChekhovsGun: Subverted with the watch Emily uses to tell if she's dreaming or not. It becomes relevant twice: The first time, she realizes it's a dream, but ignores that fact because it's a ''sex'' dream. The second time, when it's a BadFuture dream, her subconscious has become clever enough to make the watch broken (and therefore useless for her purposes) in the dream.
46	* ChristmasEpisode: All the stories from ''A Midwinter Night's Dream'' onward are set in the days leading up to Christmas, with snow as a prominent feature of the landscape. So, the majority of the fic as a whole could be considered one giant ChristmasEpisode, but the actual day occurs during ''Carbon Dreams''.
47	* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Ash; repeatedly {{lampshaded}} by Em and Jenny.
48	* CompanionCube: The Monster [=XR=]. Trust me, it's a ''very'' CoolCar.
49	* CoolCar: Many from the original comic, plus a whole new selection of even cooler cars.
50	%%* CreatorCameo: A brief and well-handled one.
51	* ADayInTheLimelight: "Ghosts of his Past". After a dozen books and eight "tales" centered on Ash and Emily, Rumisiel and his past are expanded on. [[HiddenDepths Turns out]] he's actually [[spoiler:one of the ''nice'' Angels. He became fascinated by Humanity around the Industrial Revolution, and his bosses started sending him to catalog '''war zones''' hoping to ScareEmStraight. It backfired - instead of developing a properly divine apathy, he instead developed a ''greater'' respect for humans due to witnessing humans repeatedly and increasingly showing morals and empathy in such situations. Said situations also led to him developing his drug habit. By the end of the story, he's gained closure, self-respect, and an EthicalSlut girlfriend.]]
52	* DefeatMeansFriendship: Jenny the Younger.
53	* {{Doorstopper}}: The released chapters run 729 pages, including 2 blank pages in the first chapter and 7 pages of art. The ''unreleased'' (and unedited) chapters run another 324 pages.
54	* DreamSequence: OnceAnEpisode.
55	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''Rusimiel's Lament'' is notably darker than the rest of the series and features Rusimiel and Vashiel as major characters, who are almost entirely missing from the later chapters.
56	* EroticDream: Nearly as often as the standard dream sequences.
57	* EvilFeelsGood: Not exactly evil, but Marie has a little too much fun manipulating her daughter with guilt trips.
58	%%* FanService: Oh GODS yes…
59	* FashionShow: More to show off some cars than women, but some ladies were there to help catching the eye. Ash, Emily, and Jenny got into it as well.
60	%%* {{Foreshadowing}}
61	%%* ForWantOfANail: The CrapsackWorld from ''Rumisiel's Lament''.
62	%%* FutureMeScaresMe: One of the [[DreamSequence dream sequences]].
63	%%* GoldDigger: Suspected of Jenny Sr.
64	%%* HeelFaceTurn: ThePowerOfFriendship lets Jenny The Younger pull one of these.
65	%%* HeroicBSOD: Ash and Jenny Jr. at different points.
66	* HoodOrnamentHottie: Jenny at the FashionShow. Ash and Emily to a lesser extent.
67	* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter]]: [[spoiler:Jenny Sr., once Jenny Jr. is outed]].
68	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: With the exception of the chapters that concentrate on Rumisiel, all the story titles have the word "dream" in them.
69	* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: What Ash got to wear for the FashionShow, as pictured. [[TooManyBelts Tetsuya Nomura would be proud.]]
70	** The designer of the outfit, on the other hand, is actually horrified he even came up with it, saying he must've been completely wasted to even think up such a thing.
71	%%* JerkAss: Both Jennys (before the Younger's HeelFaceTurn), Joshua Jr., and a nasty German.
72	%%* LastKiss: Emily thinks this is happening in a dream.
73	* {{Lemon}}: Very much so, though it's by no means a PornWithoutPlot fic. And IKEAErotica is totally averted; Shadow has reportedly asked that his editor kill him if he ever descend to such a level.
74	* MirandaRights: Emily is reminded that she is 16 again, so the cops ''don't'' have to read her her rights or give her a lawyer.
75	** [[ArtisticLicenseLaw Artistic License: Law]]: It does fall under this, however. Most cops ''will'' read an underage arrest their rights, largely because a minor has most of the same rights an adult does when arrested; the right to avoid self-incrimination and the right to an attorney in particular. It also prevents parents suing because the minor wasn't read their rights when they believe they should have been.
76	%%* NoBisexuals: Averted.
77	* NoPeriodsPeriod: As in [[Webcomic/{{Misfile}} the comic]], averted. "Don't look down."
78	* OpenMindedParent: Mrs. Upton, to the extent that after she discerns the nature of Ash and Emily's relationship, she asks Ash if she needs her to buy any, ah, aids.
79	* PoliceBrutality: Guaranteed to get your blood boiling, and not in the [[HotBlooded good way]].
80	* PornWithPlot: It has explicit sex scenes and plot, the holy grail of FanFic.
81	** It bears repeating that this thing is over 600 pages long, with the explicit stuff taking up a tenth of it at most. So the fic is primarily romance, car races, character development, fashion shows, struggles with gender identity, legal drama, family bonding, and friendship… with occasional girl-on-girl action.
82	* ThePowerOfFriendship: Ash and Emily to Jenny Jr., and Jenny herself towards some of the other models, though it doesn't quite take in the second case.
83	* PutOnABus: Ash's father and Emily's mother, though they are contacted by phone several times.
84	** Well, not really; most of Chapter 3 and everything onwards takes place on Cape Cod, where Ash's mother lives, while her father and Emily's mother are back home in Tempest.
85	** Also, Missi is mentioned and referenced a number of times, but she's nowhere to be seen, except for a brief sighting during one of Emily's {{Dream Sequence}}s.
86	* ThisIsReality: What if ''Misfile'' did take place in this world?
87	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Almacy Sr. and Lt. Grayfield are probably the best examples, though Nathan, Jimmy, and Marie also qualify.
88	* RecklessGunUsage: When Ash reaches under a car seat to confirm the weapon the car's owner just told her about is there, the owner chastises her and tells her the rules for gun handling.
89	* RelationshipUpgrade: But then, seriously, what fanfic that isn't a [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=xo73aobtke79lgy6bygslnyl&page=0 crossover]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=00000000000000000000044s&page=1 series]] doesn't do this?
90	%%* RescueRomance: There are shades of this between Ash and Jenny.
91	* SecondLawOfGenderBending: Already there. [[spoiler:By the eighth chapter, Ash has already admitted to herself that her life is definitely better as a girl and has decided to adapt to it, or at least stop obsessing about getting switched back.]]
92	%%* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Almacy Sr.
93	%%* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Joshua Almacy Jr.
94	%%* ScrewYourself: One of Ash's nightmares.
95	* ShoulderAngels: Discussed. [[spoiler:Jenny says hers is named "Ash."]]
96	* ShoutOut: Too many to count.
97	** One of the many:
98	--->'''Ash:''' [[VideoGame/StarCraft You called down the thunder, now it's time to reap the whirlwind!]]
99	** Ash [[VideoGame/HalfLife takes up a crowbar]] when it looks like a fight is going down.
100	%%** Not to mention VideoGame/DeusEx, and VideoGame/DwarfFortress. Both are subtle, and only to players, but still hilarious.
101	** Ash's gift is a [[VideoGame/ZoneoftheEnders Mecha anime video game]]
102	* ShowerScene: Oh, so many. Many are also [[ShowerOfLove Showers Of Love]].
103	-->'''Emily:''' I guess we should take a shower.
104	-->'''Ash:''' You can go first.
105	-->'''Emily:''' Who said anything about taking turns?
106	* SingleTargetSexuality: Emily wonders if she's attracted to girls in general, or just Ash. [[spoiler:Turns out to be girls in general]].
107	%%* ShownTheirWork
108	* SkinshipGrope: Afterward, Emily wryly notes that she emphatically told Ash this ''never'' happens outside of porn.
109	* SleepCute: All you need is a bit of mental visualization and you got a full ''gallery'' of this in this fanfic.
110	** Mrs. Upton seeing Ash and Emily snuggled up together in bed is what clues her in that they're more than friends now.
111	* SpoiledBrat: And also the AlphaBitch, Jenny Jr. at first and [[GenderFlip a male version]] with Joshua Jr.
112	* {{Their First Time}}s: At least with each other. The plural is due to interruptions and some understandable hesitation on Ash's part.
113	* ThereIsOnlyOneBed: Only a problem in Chapter 2.
114	* ThreesomeSubtext: Buckets. Let's just start with the fact that Jenny has kissed both Ash and Emily at separate times.
115	* TooDumbToLive: Shady area of town, let's go into an enclosed dark place with a really creepy guy…
116	* TookALevelInBadass: Everyone, particularly Ash in the physical combat department. Though, of course, there's really no particular reason to believe she isn't actually that tough.
117	** There is [[http://www.misfile.com/index.php?page=1313 reference]] in the actual comic that she may have broken someone's nose, or at least [[http://www.misfile.com/index.php?page=1315 bloodied it]].
118	** She does [[http://www.misfile.com/index.php?page=171 rough up]] Tom pretty well, too.
119	* UnclePennyBags: Nathan, Almacy Sr., and Marie.
120	* TheUnintelligible: Henri Leroux. His anger comes through loud and clear, but the reader never knows exactly what he says.
121	* UnstoppableRage: Getting Ash pissed at you: bad idea, or ''worst idea ever''?
122	* TheVoice: Again, Henri Leroux. So far, only heard on the phone.
123	* WhamEpisode: Joshua Jr. [[spoiler:trashing Ash's Monster XR]] at the end of ''Beyond Electric Dreams''.
124	* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Ash, what's a Misfile?"]]
125	* WhatAPieceOfJunk: Joshua Jr., not being a real racer, is openly disdainful of the Monster XR.
126	* YoureInsane: "Here we are brandishing weapons at each other, over ''fashion?''"

Context FanFic / MisfiledDreams