Line #38 Fanfic/Everqueen


1	[[quoteright:350:[[https://twitter.com/AZ_Ciam/status/1625241235857510400 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/everqueen_1.png]]]]
2	During the Fall of the Eldar, Isha manages to draw the attention of all four Gods of Chaos. While one might think it will doom her, in reality, it becomes a blessing in disguise because, while the Four are arguing, she manages to slip away. However, the Warp is too insecure, and the Eldar remnants are too weak to hide with. Therefore, she goes to the one place where someone powerful enough to possibly protect her lives.
3
4	Terra.
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6	The ''Everqueen'' is an AU ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' fanfic, started by Ashynarr (first ten chapters), then continued by Skyborne. The [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/everqueen-warhammer-40-000.881555/ main discussion]] is on Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom, with some also on Website/SufficientVelocityDotCom [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/everqueen-warhammer-40-000.72686/ here]], as well as [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13694798/1/Everqueen copies on]] Website/FanFictionDotNet [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26418805 and]] Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn. A {{Sandbox/Patreon}} channel offers a couple of chapters in advance for subscribers.
7	----
8	!!Tropes contained in ''Everqueen'':
9	[[folder: Tropes From Book 1]]
10	* AdaptationalHeroism: From Isha's memories, it seems Gorkamorka, prior to splitting into Gork and Mork, was more of a ProudWarriorRaceGuy than the ChaoticNeutral BloodKnight he's presented as in ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar''.
11	* ArchEnemy: The Emperor, for all he considers ''all'' of Chaos his and humanity's mortal enemies, has a really personal enmity with [[spoiler: Vashtorr]]. This is because [[spoiler: Vashtorr, unlike the Chaos Gods, was born directly from ''humanity's'' sins during the Dark Age of Technology, the same way Slaanesh was born from the Eldar's, something George believes is his fault for being negligent]]. The two battled each other many times during the Age of Strife, and the Emperor suspects him to be behind [[spoiler: the Mechanicum declaring war on Terra]].
12	* BatmanGambit: Malcador suggests to the Emperor that it might be easier to persuade Isha to help with the Great Crusade if he exposed the venture as him searching for his lost children -- Isha being a Mother Goddess would be quite receptive to the argument, after all.
13	* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Jenetia Krole, the first member of what would become the Silent Sisterhood, is so loyal to the Emperor for this reason: as a Blank, she's been rejected and hated by people her entire life; even her own parents abandoned her as a child. The Emperor was the first person she met who was unaffected by her AntiMagic aura (even Isha is a ''little'' affected by it) and showed her kindness. Presumably, the other members of the Sisterhood were in similar situations.
14	* BerserkButton: Isha finds the strength to fight against the Daemonettes once she sees one using her daughter's appearance.
15	* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Happens to Slaanesh once Khaine shatters apart.
16	* BodyGuardBetrayal: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]; [[spoiler: Helioasa's Endymion guards were genetically engineered to be unquestionably obedient to her, no matter what they wanted; when Isha gives them their free will back, they do exactly what they already wanted to do]].
17	* BoringButPractical: Isha tends to see constantly creating healing fruit to combat the enemy bioweapons as a rather boring and monotonous task, but it is the most efficient way. She can adjust the next crop to counter the latest bioweapon they run into, and it makes for simpler logistics and distribution since all she needs is water, soil, and genetic material.
18	* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: After imprisoning the Void Dragon, the Emperor actually ''died'' from his wounds. The result was that he spent thousands of years with ResurrectiveImmortality, and didn't remember much of his previous lives until into the third millennium.
19	* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: The Emperor and Malcador both notice that while Isha has ''vastly'' accelerated their timetable to form the Imperium and has given them a far more stable base to start from, in addition to all of the secrets she holds (such as how to make wraithbone and dreamstones) about things the Emperor dearly wants to use for the Imperium... but the problem for them is, there's no way for them to get any of these benefits without keeping Isha alive and willingly cooperating with her.
20	* ClonesArePeopleToo: Isha absolutely refuses to clone Astartes, remembering too well the WeHaveReserves attitudes of the War in Heaven.
21	* CompositeCharacter: In ''Warhammer Fantasy'', Hoeth was the Elven god of knowledge, wisdom, and learning. In this story, Hoeth is who Cegorach ''used'' to be; it's implied the War In Heaven drove Hoeth insane, causing him to reinvent himself as the [[LaughingMad Laughing God]].
22	* CrapsaccharineWorld: Alaris, the capital of the Pan-Pacific Empire. It is a city pretending to be a CrystalSpiresAndTogas attempt to restore the glory of humanity's Golden Age, but in reality, it [[CreativeSterility merely replicates some ancient architecture with no attempts at originality]], and is built in an extremely colourless, cold fashion. And of course, there is the clear UrbanSegregation along with its leadership serving Chaos towards the end.
23	* CrossingTheBurntBridge: With the established attitude of the Aeldari toward humans, it is to be expected Isha's efforts to seek refuge with the Emperor are met with much skepticism.
24	* DanceBattler: Isha's combat style as she and the Emperor take on the Chaos Androids.
25	* DidNotThinkThisThrough: After the Emperor reveals to Isha that he is technically the Warp GodOfTheDead for the human race, he then noted that instead of crafting an afterlife for humanity in the Warp (potentially forming a cycle of reincarnation and ResurrectiveImmortality as seen with the pre-Fall Aeldari), the Emperor feared becoming akin to the Chaos Gods (in terms of essentially forever stealing human souls for his own use) and instead let human souls meld back into the Warp upon death, basically having them go through a peaceful CessationOfExistence. However, as he has since figured out, this heavily hampered the further growth of his psychic power and also prevented him from creating his own equivalent of daemons (from the souls of long-dead humans, as their potential strength as Warp spirits would be dependent on OlderIsBetter) to combat the forces of Chaos, severely hindering his efforts against the Ruinous Powers. The Emperor himself even admits to Isha that in hindsight, he made a pretty dumb decision.
26	* DefrostingIceQueen: Isha is doing her best to make the Emperor cut down on his pragmatism.
27	* DressingAsTheEnemy: Not an enemy, but when Horus goes to see Isha, he wears a guard's uniform, obtained by convincing a servant.
28	* DrowningMySorrows: One chapter shows an Eldar priest drunk out of his wits after the Fall of the Eldar. He starts to sober up and regain hope upon figuring out that not ''all'' of the Aeldari pantheon was devoured by Slaanesh.
29	* EarthThatUsedToBeBetter: A large part of the fic as of early 2023 is Isha helping the Emperor to heal the war-ravaged Terra.
30	* EvilMakesYouUgly: Narthan Dume, the leader of the Pan-Pacific Empire, used to be very handsome, but when the Emperor meets him after he fell to Chaos, he resembles a zombie with MadScientist manners.
31	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Horus has this impression when he meets Isha, given that she was the "scientist" responsible for "making the machine" that fixed Cthonia's atmosphere. Of course, Isha '''can''' appear as "someone taller", but the Emperor might not like it.
32	* FakeAFight: Horus' gang stages one to give him the chance to slip away and go see Isha against the Emperor's orders.
33	* FallInAngel: During Isha's arrival on Terra, she materializes well above the surface.
34	* FamilyOfChoice: That's how Horus views his gang, Ezekyle included.
35	* FantasticRacism: The Emperor and Malcador have a ''lot'' of trouble believing that Isha genuinely wants to help humans with no strings attached (granted, their main experiences with the Eldar before that were with the ''insanely'' corrupt Eldar Dominion). Isha herself defies this, for the most part.
36	* FloatingContinent: Alaris, the capital of the Pan-Pacific Empire, is a floating DomedHometown.
37	* FossilRevival: Isha brings back a lot of extinct species, or at least ones no longer found on Terra. One chapter has her watching a white tiger family she grew from material and data provided by the Emperor.
38	* GardenGarment: How Isha is dressed when arriving on Terra.
39	* GargleBlaster: Malcador is shown drinking wine meant for the genetically modified nobles of Albia. It would kill any ordinary person and leave said nobles incoherent with a single glass. For a properly augmented Golden Age soldier, even sans his psyker power, it's barely enough for a buzz.
40	* GilliganCut: As Isha starts teaching the Emperor to make Dreamstones of his own, he thinks "I can do this". Then there's a line break, and the next section starts with the words "He couldn't do this" (though as Isha points out, he's actually doing very well, considering it's only been an hour).
41	* GlamourFailure: Blanks, like Jenetia Krole, can see through the illusions and disguises gods and god-like beings can drape themselves in. For instance, she's never seen the Emperor as a golden titan, ancient sage, or any of the other remarkable descriptions people have for him; she just sees a regularly middle-aged man. Isha, likewise, despite appearing human, looks to her like a creature with bark for skin and leaves for hair; presumably closest to her true appearance.
42	* GodIsGood: Isha is easily the most benevolent and moral deity in the ''Warhammer [=40K=]'' universe, at the moment (not that it's very hard to be that, considering her only real competition is Khaine, Cegorach, Gork and Mork, the Chaos Gods, and - sorry, not the Emperor).
43	* GodOfTheDead: The Emperor eventually confesses to Isha that the Shamen of humanity and the last of the Old Ones worked together to craft the Emperor via "god-forging" (similar to the process that the Old Ones uses to shape the Warp spirits worshipped by the ancient Aeldari into the Aeldari pantheon), and that his "divine domain" is that of the afterlife, explaining his immense psychic powers. However, unlike the Aeldari pantheon, who had created a cycle of reincarnation for the Aeldari, the Emperor's AGodIAmNot views had him intentionally allow human souls [[CessationOfExistence to peacefully fade into the Warp upon death]], which he has admitted to being a terrible idea in the present day.
44	* GreenThumb: The spot where Isha fell to Earth is covered in plants within seconds, and she regularly shows a great mastery of plantlife and other forms of life while in the Materium.
45	* HaveYouSeenMyGod: At least three Craftworlds heard Isha's messages to them, and are deeply intent on finding her.
46	* HistoryRepeats:
47	** A recurring theme in the story is Isha noting how uncomfortable she is finding the growing parallels between her work with the Emperor and the work the Old Ones had the Aeldari perform during the War In Heaven.
48	** Isha also regularly grouses about how frustratingly petty the Emperor is and how much of a ControlFreak nature he has, and how much it reminds her of the previous TeethClenchedTeamwork she had with Asuryan, the TopGod of the Aeldari pantheon (and who was basically her ruler/boss).
49	* ImmortalityBisexuality: The Emperor casually mentions [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Enkidu]] as a former lover of his.
50	* InsistentTerminology: The Emperor is not a god, and neither is anyone else.
51	* KilledMidSentence: Khaine is killed by Khorne and Slaanesh [[TemptingFate right as he boasts he is the true god of war]].
52	* MagicMusic: For both Isha and the Emperor, singing is an important part in making Dreamstones.
53	* MyGreatestFailure: One reason Isha tries so hard to help the Thunder Warriors is because their flaws remind her of her inability to prevent the barbarization of the Krork into the Orks, and the resultant insanity of Gorkamorka.
54	* NatureIsNotNice: Isha is the Eldar embodiment of this. Yes, she's a Mother Goddess who's much more empathic than the Emperor and enjoys surrounding herself with greenery and animals, but she's also a ruthless warrior, has no qualms eating bloody raw meat and doesn't bat an eyelash in front of predator beasts hunting and gruesomely devouring prey because it's part of the cycle of life.
55	* NeverGetsDrunk: The Golden Age augmentations Malcador has make alcohol have no effect on him, even without his psyker abilities. He manages to get some GargleBlaster used by genetically enhanced nobility from Albia who themselves suffered from this problem. They could barely withstand a single glass. Malcador gets a bit of buzz.
56	* NiceGirl: Well, as nice as someone can be in the CrapsackWorld that is 40k. Isha is patient and kind, willing to go out of her way to help not only the Eldar but also even those outside of her race with no strings attached. While understandably annoyed with the Emperor's ruthlessness, she does nothing to threaten their agreement and goes along to help him with his plans for the Imperium. Even with many people viewing her with caution, she takes it in stride and attempts to at least not go out of her way to be an aggressor. That being said, she's not without a spine and is capable of feeling anger as well as disagreeing with the Emperor on certain occasions.
57	* OffingTheOffspring: The Emperor mentions he had to do this a number of times in ages past, and might have to do so again.
58	* OhCrap: Isha angrily obliterates a Daemonette who dared wear her daughter's face... and realizes her outburst drew the attention of the Four.
59	* OneWingedAngel: During Isha's battle with the Chaos Androids, Slaanesh takes enough attention in the battle to empower the last one personally. Still not enough to defeat her, of course - him calling Isha ''mother'' does, however, prove to be a BerserkButton.
60	* OvershadowedByAwesome: Amar Astarte is the best biology specialist on Terra and the creator of the Space Marines. When it comes to Isha's work, however, she plain out calls it impossible.
61	* PaintingTheMedium: The scene of Isha healing broken Machine Spirits uses {{WebOriginal/Zalgo}} for a Chaos corrupted one. A broken device has text mixed with binary code and AllCaps.
62	* PerceptionFilter: The Emperor uses such a power both to protect his parked shuttle and to ensure his conversation with Horus isn’t disturbed by outsiders.
63	* PowerLimiter: For a long time, Isha is only allowed to leave her rooms while wearing special enchanted manacles. As she gradually earns the Emperor's trust, she gets less restrictive limiters that are more comfortable to wear.
64	* ThePowerOfLove: A required emotion when making Dreamstones is love, and the Emperor's main problem turns out to be him having forgotten how to feel and express it properly.
65	* PragmaticVillainy: Well, the Emperor is no saint, but he's not exactly villainous (at least not in the traditional manner some of the other factions are ''cough'' Chaos ''cough''). While he is understandably paranoid of Isha, he doesn't try to brute force her into working for the Imperium but is instead willing to enter an agreement. He still calls the shots, but he does allow her some manner of leniency and takes some of her words into consideration. Even someone as ruthless as the Emperor knows that information gained from Isha would be less valuable if it was forced out of her compared to her willingly working with him.
66	* ProperlyParanoid: Malcador is constantly suspicious of Isha's work, believing she has an agenda and might have modified the plants for a purpose not coinciding with the Emperor's. [[spoiler:She modified them to whisper songs of hope to the Eldar, much like what she did in canon as a prisoner.]]
67	* RealityWarper: Both the Emperor and Isha are pretty potent ones, albeit restricted to their "divine domains" (Isha with nature and the Emperor with souls). Isha is actually noted to be probably the greater of the two as she has mastery over Aeldari bonesinging, which in-and-of-itself technically counts as this trope. Most notably, she's able to simply ''sing'' Aeldari Spirit Stones into existence.
68	* ResurrectiveImmortality: After his battle with the Void Dragon, the Emperor was reduced to near-normal human level of power except for being reborn after death. Some reincarnations did have a bit of his power, but none of them were even close to his definitely-not-godhood.
69	* SecretTestOfCharacter: Before giving Isha more freedom, the Emperor deliberately tries to anger her as much as possible, so as to test her self-control.
70	* ShapeshiftersDoItForAChange: There is a mention of the Emperor having been both a father and a mother in past ages.
71	* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: Both the Emperor and Malcador have trouble understanding that Isha genuinely ''wants'' to help people who aren't her children, with no strings attached.
72	* TheSleepless: Isha, of course, doesn't need to sleep, but after her experiences, she is afraid to as well.
73	* SpecialPersonNormalName: Although having held many names throughout the millennia, the one name the Emperor holds dear and recognizes as his own is George.
74	* StreetUrchin: Horus is one on Cthonia, naturally, and leads a gang of such kids.
75	* TakingYouWithMe: Isha's first mission outside the Emperor's capital is a city whose ruler destroyed it with nuclear and chemical weapons rather than surrendering.
76	* UncannyValley: Isha, when not concealing herself behind a {{Glamour}}, is described as disturbingly, impossibly beautiful, looking more like a statue that moves than a real, living person.
77	* UnskilledButStrong: That's what Malcador thinks of the Emperor when he sees Isha healing Chaos corruption and comparing it to his method of burning it away through brute force.
78	* UrbanSegregation: Alaris is a FloatingContinent capital (a CrapsaccharineWorld by itself) with the cities underneath it being the regular {{WretchedHive}}s and suffering serfs of pre-Unification Terra.
79	* WhatIsThisFeeling: The Emperor has become so hardened and ruthless over the millennia that he is genuinely startled and initially unable to properly figure out that he's feeling sympathy and pity for the Aeldari goddess when he sees her basically go through a [=PTSD=] flashback related to Nurgle.
80	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Isha tries to alleviate all suffering, not just that of Eldar, but also of humans and even Machine Spirits. To say the Emperor and Malcador are both surprised by this -- particularly since the vast majority of the Aeldari that they had encountered prior to her were all prime examples of AliensAreBastards -- would be a massive understatement.
81	* WhatTheHellHero: Isha's reaction once she sees what kind of deliberately-FlawedPrototype the Thunder Warriors are. She actually snaps at the Emperor before catching herself.
82	* WhenYouComingHomeDad: With the Emperor busy being, well, the Emperor, his relationship with Horus has a concerningly high amount of this.
83	* WorthlessYellowRocks: The Emperor's attempts to replicate Isha's Dreamstones produce marvelous, near-priceless jewels, which he notices would be enough to elevate a commoner family to the ranks of nobility in terms of sheer monetary cost. Without the soul-protecting aspect of the Dreamstones, however, they are trash as far as he cares.
84	* WretchedHive: Chtonia is a heavily polluted ruin ruled by gangs. Furthermore, most of the remaining settlements on Terra -- with the exception of those found in the Imperium's territory, thanks to Isha -- are ruined Hive Cities, all of which are only ''slightly'' less awful than Cthonia on average.
85	[[/folder]]
86	[[folder: Tropes From Book 2: Reclamation]]
87	* IDieFree: [[spoiler: Bel'akor]] has one option to save himself from [[spoiler: his opponent Isha]], but it would require him to become a slave to the Chaos Gods again. He chooses to let [[spoiler: the goddess Isha]] kill him rather than become their puppet.
88	* MuggingTheMonster: Kelbor-Hal, the Fabricator of Mars, attacks The Emperor, believing he's merely another Terran barbarian warlord and common psyker who got lucky with finding an Standard Template Construct. He swiftly finds out that the Emperor can fight Titans ''by himself'', for starters.
89	[[/folder]]

Context Fanfic / Everqueen