Line #55 Fanfic/ToAruverseRewriteProject


1	->''We are now approaching the C2 junction at Itabashi...This is ideal. I almost take a deep breath. Suppress it. This must be as unexpected as possible.\
2	Then, in one smooth motion, I yank the door latch, shove the door open, and fling myself out of the car...\
3	I hit the pavement arms-first...and skid, leaving not blood and torn flesh but sparks in my wake, as a torrent of stored mana floods all but a few square inches of my skin. I spring to my feet and press myself against the side wall of the highway, just in time for a car to miss hitting me by barely a centimetre...I look down: the drop is nearly twenty metres into the city below. I hope I am not overestimating the strength of this spell as I leap forward.\
4	I have never been skydiving, or ridden a roller coaster, or done anything much more exciting than ride a fast elevator. As I go into free fall, as my entire body floods with adrenaline and my every sense tells me I am about to die, I feel something amazing, something ''indescribable.\
5	Is this what it feels like to be free?
6	-->--'''[[AdaptationalBadass Index Librorum Prohibitorum]]''', "Free; Run"
7
8	The [=ToAruverse=] Rewrite Project is a planned series of {{Fix Fic}}s for ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex/[[Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun Railgun]]'' [[TheRemake that rebuilds the story and setting from the ground up]].
9
10	To explain, the first chapter of the first story is [[TheStationsOfTheCanon much like canon]], where Touma provokes some thugs to try and save them from Mikoto.
11
12	The second chapter has Index leap out of a moving car, jump off a highway bridge, [[ItMakesSenseInContext jury-rig a portable church]], and sneak into Academy City just by using her [[GuileHero wits]], [[AwesomenessByAnalysis analytical skills]], and two magical spells.
13
14	[[InSpiteOfANail And then she falls onto Touma's balcony and eats all his food]].
15
16	The series is written by Shockz. The first story ''In Memoriam'', has been completed and can be found [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9442823/1/In-Memoriam here]] or [[http://archiveofourown.org/series/49420 here]]. A discussion thread for the story can be found [[http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.1540/ here]] or [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.262608/ here]]. The second story ''A Thousand Shattered Mirrors'', is currently in the works and can be found [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12891546/1/A-Thousand-Shattered-Mirrors here]] and [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14206416/chapters/32748321 here]], while a discussion thread for the story can be found [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/45707911/ here]] and [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/a-thousand-shattered-mirrors-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au-sequel-to-in-memoriam.46545/ here]].
17
18	The story had ScheduleSlip for a while and not having updated since 2018, and was ultimately declared a DeadFic by the author in 2021.
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20	----
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:General Series Tropes]]
24
25	* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: According to the Interlude, the year is 2044.
26	* AdaptationalBadass: Part of the point is that many of the characters get a competence boost.
27	** In-universe, Touma is now considered to be a Level 1 esper. This is not because he's more powerful, but rather because the esper ranking system has been changed to make more sense. On the other hand, he doesn't have a natural knack for picking up street fighting skills like his canon counterpart; instead of being completely self-taught, [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman he takes self-defense lessons like everyone else]]. Specifically, Krav Maga.
28	** There are now ''eight'' Level 5 espers. In addition, Meltdowner...err, [[AdaptationNameChange Meltdown]] is now ranked third, Gunha is now ranked sixth, and in an inversion, Mikoto is now ranked fourth.
29	** On that note, Mikoto doesn't have her canon [[HollywoodHacking hacking]] [[{{Technopath}} abilities]]. The in-universe explanation is that she needs to know how computers and programming work in detail, and she's not a computer person. The out-of-universe reason is probably to avoid CastSpeciation with Uiharu.
30	** Index, who in canon was mostly TheLoad, is now a GuileHero who makes use of LoopholeAbuse to get around the restrictions of her {{Geas}} and uses her encyclopedic knowledge of magic to come up with highly unorthodox solutions to her problems, like the creation of a mobile church.
31	** Maika is now a PlayfulHacker...and she says that she's hacked into half the robots in Academy City. Tellingly, Uiharu thinks she might have esper powers.
32	** On that note, Uiharu is much more confident and level headed than she is canon. To the point where she and Maika have created an extremely powerful computer that uses Uiharu's temperature control ability to operate at extraordinarily high speeds without needing a specialized cooling system.
33	** Tsuzuri Tessō, who, in canon, was a meek Anti-Skill officer, is now Saten and Uiharu's teacher and a tough, no-nonsense [=ACPD=]/Anti-Skill officer where she chews out Mikoto for causing property damage during the Seventh Mist hostage situation.
34	** In another inversion, [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.262608/page-26#post-11679441 magical grimoires are safe to read, unless they're specifically protected that way.]]
35	* AdaptationalSexuality: [[spoiler:Motoharu and Pierce are straight in canon. In the fic, Motoharu is bi and is in an on-again, off-again relationship with Pierce...er, the blue haired guy whose name Touma can't remember.]]
36	* AdaptationNameChange: The author has made a point of replacing any questionably translated terms with better English. For example, "An Involuntary Movement", the full canon name for AIM, has been changed to "Involuntary Physical Distortion", or IPD. Other changes include Level Upper becoming Level Plus, Meltdowner becoming just Meltdown, Big Spider becoming the Tarantulas and Skill Out becoming Zero-Sum.
37	** In canon, Anti-Skill is the entirety of Academy City's professional police force. Here, Anti-Skill is the Academy City Police Department's SWAT division.
38	** Combining this trope with a variation of CompositeCharacter, all of the magical Christian groups like Necessarius, the Catholic Church and Annihilatus are now part of an organization named Pax Christiana.
39	** Imagine Breaker actually doesn't have a name in this fic, but [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.262608/#post-11134897 here's Touma's thoughts on the subject]].
40	** Stiyl Magnus has been renamed to Stephen Magnus.
41	* AdaptedOut: According to WordOfGod, Kakine "Dark Matter" Teitoku [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/44565718/ is not the second ranked Level-5 Esper in this fic]], and in fact [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/44566447/ there are no plans for him to appear]].
42	* AgeLift: In the fic series, Touma is about 17-18, Mikoto is about 16-17, and Kuroko, Saten, and Uiharu are about 15-16. [[WordOfGod As the author puts it: ]]
43	-->''I may have had a minor freakout when it suddenly hit me that Kuroko--[[LovableSexManiac freaking Kuroko]]--may be as young as ''12'' in canon.''
44	** For similar reasons, [[OlderThanTheyLook Komoe-sensei]] now looks like she's 15. She's not actually older though.
45	** Stiyl...er, [[AdaptationNameChange Stephen]] is described as looking like he's in his thirties. In canon ''he was 14''.
46	* AwesomenessByAnalysis:
47	** Touma had this in canon, but this fanfic series emphasizes it more.
48	** In canon, Index only had this ability when it came to magic. In this series, [[AdaptationalBadass she has no]] [[GuileHero such limitation.]]
49	* BecauseImGoodAtIt: Why Konori intends to become a police officer once she's old enough.
50	* BigEater: Index. Komoe-sensei had the misfortune of feeding her once and her response was to ask how much she could put away after going through an entire breakfast course.
51	-->'''Komoe:''' "She's...she's so tiny, though...where does it all go?"
52	* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: In this fic Touma has been learning Krav Maga under Yomikawa-sensei for eight years. (Granted, his only ability is AntiMagic, but that's why he's learning self-defense).
53	* ChildProdigy: Uiharu bluntly states Maika is smarter than her.
54	* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Touma as in canon. Mikoto tries to avoid this but ultimately can't look away when there's a problem. Index is eithier this or InHarmsWay - at one point in ''In Memoriam'' she's teleported out of danger only to sneak away to confront another danger.
55	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve[=/=]ReligionIsMagic: Played with. Magical power is tied to organized belief in something, whether it's a mythological deity, Christianity, or possibly even [[PostModernMagik America]]. However, magicians can cast spells without needing to believe in the deity or concept the spell is dedicated to. What's important is that enough people did believe a deity or concept and created rituals dedicated to it's power.
56	* CocaPepsiInc: [=GoogleBaidu=] is the MegaCorp that cyberpunk warned us about, or so some of the more paranoid people in-setting believe.
57	* CompositeCharacter: As confirmed [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/44810434/ here]] by WordOfGod [[spoiler:the fic's version of the AIM Burst becomes the fic's version of Kazakiri Hyouka.]]
58	* DirtyCop: According to Konori, some branches of Judgement are as bad as the gang members they take in.
59	* TheDulcineaEffect: Hi, Touma!
60	* {{Fanservice}}: Averted, as the author has taken a hatchet (or maybe Illusion Breaker) to any instances of this from the original series. There are no AntiMagic {{Wardrobe Malfunction}}s, no [[TokenMiniMoe little girls]] [[{{Meido}} in maid-outfits]] that [[BrotherSisterIncest crush on their brothers]], no PsychoLesbian {{Lovable Sex Maniac}}s that might be prepubescent, etc. etc. etc.
61	* FirstPersonSmartass: Touma. Mikoto to a lesser extent.
62	* FixFic[=/=]TheRemake: Some of the Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn tags used for ''In Memoriam'' include: "Full Rewrite", "Fix-It", "And By 'It' I Mean Everything".
63	-->''[[WordOfGod I'm not so pretentious or egotistical as to say that this will be the story Index should have been, but it's the story I wanted Index to be]]''
64	* TheGreatOffscreenWar: The Second Korean War is mentioned a few times in the story and is the reason why so many Koreans are present in Academy City. Other than the fact that Japan and Academy City were both involved in the conflict, little is known about what happened.
65	* GuileHero: Touma, as in canon. Index, ''not'' as in canon.
66	* IconicOutfit: Averted on two counts. Index does not wear a habit. Maika has also traded in her maid uniform for casual duds as part of the remake's emphasis on smiting violations of common sense...and [[ValuesDissonance Values Dissonant]] {{Fanservice}}
67	* JapanTakesOverTheWorld: As shown by ''In Memoriam[='=]s'' interlude. To be more precise, Academy City means Japan is only the ''second'' largest economy in the world (behind China) but they're catching up.
68	* NoodleIncident: Touma once had a girlfriend which didn't end in good terms. He's now paranoid about meeting his ex-girlfriend who is hinted to be a powerful esper.
69	* NoOntologicalInertia: In contrast to canon, Touma's ability averts this. It stops powers from acting within its area of nullification, but it does nothing to prevent their secondary effects.
70	* PlayfulHacker: Uiharu, as in canon. Maika, ''not'' as in canon. This also makes her a...
71	* PowerEqualsRarity: To an extent, magic works this way - casting a spell through a ritual no-one uses anymore costs a lot less mana than a spell cast through a ritual commonly used by ordinary people. For example, it takes less mana to cast a spell in Latin simply because in the modern day it's an effectively dead language.
72	* SwitchingPOV: At the moment, between Touma, Mikoto, Index, and Saten. Each character also adds their own touches to the narration.
73	** Touma, as noted above, is a FirstPersonSmartass, snarkily bemoaning his bad luck and the circumstances it gets him into.
74	** Mikoto also makes snarky observations, but her narration usually portrays her thoughts as italicized InnerMonologue.
75	** Chapter 14 of ''In Memoriam'' has [[spoiler:Mikoto experience Harumi Kiyama's memories in a PensieveFlashback. Kiyama's narration is fairly straightforward while Mikoto makes parenthetical observations.]]
76	** Index's narration is detailed and straightforward. Even her [[BigEater love of food]] is done in the same tone.
77	** Saten's narration is less formal and sophisticated than the other characters.
78	** Chapter 10 of ''In Memoriam'' has narration from a third grade Saten, which is unsurprisingly childish.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Tropes specific to ''In Memoriam'']]
82	* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: Saten's powers, for the brief time she has them. Instead of Aero Hand she gets electromagnetism like Mikoto. The change is for thematic reasons - she wanted to be like Mikoto, and so gets the same power set.
83	* AffablyEvil CoolOldGuy: Gensei Kihara.
84	* AfraidOfBlood: Mikoto.
85	* AncientConspiracy[=/=]ChurchMilitant: Pax Christiana, the [[AdaptationNameChange renamed Church of Necessary Evil]] ([[CompositeCharacter as well as some of the other Chrstian-themed organizations]]). Loosely affiliated with some of the largest Christian churches[[note]][[AvertedTrope not just]] [[ChristianityIsCatholic the Catholic one]][[/note]] and even some national governments, it's goal is to [[{{Demonization}} demonize]] magic and prevent the rest of the world from learning magic exists. [[WellIntentionedExtremist They have a very good reason though]] - see TheWorldIsNotReady below.
86	* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Kiyama's final fate. She's so brain damaged that all she can do is lie in the hospital and recite her list of names.]]
87	* AndThenWhat: Index planned on escaping into Academy City, but once she's there she realizes that she didn't think about what to do next.
88	* BadLiar: Index is not a very good liar. To be more precise, she's good at misrepresenting the truth, but she can't make up something completely false to save her life.
89	* BaitAndSwitch: At first readers were led to believe Maika won't let Index sleep on her brother's bunk bed due to his masturbation habit, only to reveal that her brother farts a lot in bed.
90	* BargainWithHeaven: In order to stop that IPD monster [[spoiler:Index makes a bargain with a Greek god through a spell. She would stop the current act of vengeance (for the deaths of Kiyama's students) in exchange for seeking justice with the source (Gensei).]]
91	* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: One of Index's grimoires was written by Archimedes, while another was a training manual for the UsefulNotes/{{OSS}}. She later claims TheBlackDeath and both World Wars were caused by magicians.
92	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Index has been given official permission to remain in Academy City and everyone else who had gone through the Level Plus has recovered, but Kiyama is barely more than a vegetable, the fallen children remain unavenged for now, and Saten has to start all over again - assuming she even opts to become an Esper again.]]
93	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Touma's narration at a couple points.
94	* BroughtDownToNormal: The cure to Level Plus [[spoiler:requires reversing the Kiriha Process, which gives the Espers their powers in the first place. They ''can'' retake the process to gain the ability to become Espers, but they have to start over from Level 0 again.]]
95	* BuffySpeak: Mikoto sometimes slips into this in her narration. [[spoiler:The speaker for the hostage takers also isn't the best at public speaking.]]
96	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Both Kuroko and Uiharu put away their personality quirks when they go into Judgement mode.
97	* TheCameo: Sadao and Emi from ''Literature/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'' [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial definitely do not]] appear in the second chapter while Index is at UsefulNotes/McDonalds. (After all, Sadao works at ''[[BlandNameProduct MgRonalds]]''.)
98	* CanonCharacterAllAlong: An interesting case, since it's an example of [[CompositeCharacter one canon character actually being another]]. It is implied in the Epilogue and confirmed [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/44810434/ here]] by WordOfGod that [[spoiler:the fic's version of the AIM Burst became the fic's version of Kazakiri Hyouka.]]
99	* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Literally hours after getting powers from Level Plus [[spoiler:Saten and her friends are confronted by Kuroko and Uiharu, who tell them that Level Plus causes progressive brain damage.]]
100	* CardboardPrison: During the Epilogue [[spoiler:Kanzaki and Steven are being held in jail until someone casts a spell over the phone, befuddling the police into letting them go.]]
101	* ChekhovsGunman:
102	** When Touma is talking about the weird things in Academy City at the end of the first chapter, he mentions "middle-schoolers with robot armies". The next chapter introduces PlayfulHacker Maika, who has hacked into half of Academy City's robots.
103	** In the fifth chapter Mikoto mentions being helped by a redhead in a black coat. [[spoiler:Chapter 7 confirms it's Stiyl...er, [[AdaptationNameChange Stephen]].]] May count as a sort of EarlyBirdCameo.
104	* {{Cliffhanger}}: The third chapter ends with [[spoiler:a bomb going off.]] Chapters 12 and 13 also end in this.
105	* ConservationOfNinjutsu : As an InUniverse superpower. [[spoiler:Kanzaki is always as strong as the sum of all the opponents facing her at any one time. This makes ZergRush and escalation ''very'' bad tactics against her because it only makes her that much stronger -- for example, a SWAT team unloading their automatic assault rifles at her made Kanzaki capable of [[DodgeTheBullet dodging bullets]] and [[ImplausibleFencingPowers parrying them with her sword]]. Touma {{Exploit\|edTrope}}s this by making sure of fighting her alone, limiting her strength to that of a single unarmed (almost) normal person and counting on his AntiMagic hand to deal with surprises. He ends up winning as planned, but Kanzaki was still far from an easy opponent even in that situation.]]
106	* CordonBleughChef: Index makes a meal like this in Chapter 9. Turns out she's a good cook from reading recipe books.
107	* CurbStompBattle:
108	** Chapter 5. [[spoiler:Kuroko versus one of the bombers. Her opponent didn't stand a chance.]]
109	** Chapter 14. Kaori ends up defeating several Academy City police and Anti-Skill Officers.
110	* DarkerAndEdgier: The story itself has become darker than what was canon:
111	** The Graviton Bomber incident: [[spoiler:Actual causalities are a result of the bombing and one of them got shot.]]
112	** Level Upper (Level Plus): [[spoiler:It causes progressive brain damage.]]
113	** The orphans that drove Kiyama to make Level Upper (Level Plus): [[spoiler:All but one dead from brain hemorrhaging, no coma. The last one turns out to be another canon character, and a rather infamous one...]]
114	* DeadlyUpgrade: [[spoiler:Instead of merely putting people into comas, [[DarkerAndEdgier Level Plus causes progressive brain damage]].]]
115	* DeadPersonImpersonation: In the Epilogue, it's suggested [[spoiler:Index's false identity]] may be a case of this, since it's [[spoiler:one of the names on Kiyama's list]]. The character seems unaware of this, however.
116	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Harumi Kiyama's class. It should also be mentioned that Kiyama's class includes Erii Haruue in this fic.]]
117	* DelayedReaction: Mikoto's narration when she first meets Uiharu. After getting over Uiharu's headband, she describes her age, size, hair color, eye color, bare feet, clothing...and then does a mental DoubleTake at the bare feet. It happens again when Uiharu comments on Mikoto's pajamas.
118	* DidntThinkThisThrough: In Chapter 13 Stephen reappears and tells Index he's on her side. When Index asks why she should believe that, he wonders the same thing himself and admits he should have made a better plan.
119	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Mikoto [[spoiler:obliterates most of the IPD entity]] by shooting construction beams at it. [[spoiler:Then Index kills it with what is basically a large dispel magic spell]].
120	* DiscardAndDraw: A subversion. [[spoiler:In Chapter 7, Index learns that Touma has broken her [[PowerLimiter geis]], allowing her to use magic freely. However, the geis was apparently tied to her "quick-lookup array" which let Index search for spells in her mind quickly. The result is that Index loses this ability, but she quickly finds it's not really a problem thanks to her EideticMemory.]]
121	* DiscontinuityNod:
122	** In the first chapter, Touma says he has reason to believe he was going to be ranked at Level 0.
123	** In the third chapter, Mikoto notes that she does not have hacking skills, and actually isn't a computer person.
124	** Touma's complete ignorance of Christianity in the seventh chapter likely refers to the [[ArtisticLicenseReligion liberties taken by]] [[AnimeCatholicism the source material.]]
125	** Chapter 10 establishes that Saten and Uiharu acted more like their canonical selves when they were children. (Saten only stopped flipping Uiharu's skirt when Uiharu showed their seventh grade class Saten's baby pictures).
126	** In Chapter 16 Index thinks about making a choice to run to safety. "But...is that the direction I want to go? Towards safety, and inaction, and irrelevance?" Also in the same chapter, Touma compares memory loss to the death of self, which hopefully isn't {{Foreshadowing}}.
127	* DispelMagic: [[spoiler:Index casts an overcharged one to destroy the IPD entity. Even Mikoto temporarily loses her powers afterward.]]
128	* DramaticIrony: Attentive readers will notice that Kiyama mistakes Mikoto for a clone when they first meet.
129	* EarlyBirdCameo:
130	** In the first chapter Mikoto mentally ticks off some of the other Level 5 espers.
131	** When she arrives in Academy City, Index passes by Accelerator. Maika's introduction later in the chapter can also be considered this.
132	** The third chapter references Konori Mii, though she doesn't actually appear.
133	** In the fifth chapter, [[spoiler:one of the hostage takers complains about hearing names, one of which is Erii Haruue.]] In chapter 14 [[spoiler:it's revealed that Erii was in Harumi Kiyama's class...but see below.]]
134	** Similarly in the tenth chapter [[spoiler:one of the names is Banri Edasaki]]. In chapter 14 [[spoiler:both Banri and Erii appear in the WholeEpisodeFlashback. Said flashback ends in the reveal that Kiyama's students aren't in comas...instead,[[DeathByAdaptation they're all dead.]] (Well one survived, but see below.)]]
135	** In the epilogue, [[spoiler:Othinus and Hyouka appear. Also Accelerator appears again, and it's implied he was Kiyama's surviving student.]]
136	* ElectricSlide: Mikoto does this in chapter five.
137	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Index's escape - which shows you EXACTLY how she's [[GuileHero changed]].
138	** When Uiharu first meets Mikoto she proceeds to unnerve her by using increasingly more respectful UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics until Kuroko [[DopeSlap whacks Uiharu on the head]]...and then Mikoto sees that Uiharu [[TheGadfly was trying to hold back laughter]].
139	** When Saten is introduced Mikoto spends a paragraph describing how [[YamatoNadeshiko traditionally beautiful]] she is...and then Saten promptly [[{{Fangirl}} fan]][[{{Squee}} gasms]] over meeting Mikoto.
140	* EstablishingSeriesMoment: Index's escape is the first true deviation from the series canon, as well as showing the fic's [[AdaptationalBadass premise]].
141	* {{Facepalm}}: Kuroko does this in the fifth chapter after verbally wondering why she can't teleport Touma, and when Mikoto decides to [[spoiler:go after the hostage takers instead of letting the police handle it.]]
142	* {{Fangirl}}: Saten is introduced in this series as a fan of Mikoto herself.
143	* FantasticDrug: Even though it's really a BrownNote, Level Plus is compared to one.
144	* FetusTerrible: As in canon. [[spoiler:Except this time it calls Kiyama mother.]]
145	* FictionalDocument: The Interlude is a news column written by Mikoto's mother.
146	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Overlapping with EarlyBirdCameo, Chapter 14 includes references to the Misaka clones as well as a mention of "Project Radio Noise".
147	* ForScience: [[spoiler:The last words Harumi Kiyama says to any of her students.]]
148	* FromASingleCell: The IPD entity is heavily implied to be physically indestructible; it can take damage but it will eventually regenerate it's physical form.
149	* FromBadToWorse: Touma's group escapes from Kanzaki [[spoiler:and runs right into Kiyama blowing stuff up.]]
150	* TheGadfly: Uiharu.
151	* {{Geas}}: Part of Index's PowerLimiter. There's also a kind of geis that makes the recipient die if they don't complete a specific task. According to WordOfGod, [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.262608/page-30#post-11905170 a geis is unbreakable.]] [[spoiler:Unless Touma touches you with his AntiMagic arm.]]
152	* GetItOverWith: In Chapter 18 [[spoiler:Touma defeats and questions Kanzaki. Kanzaki eventually tells Touma that he should just knock her unconscious. He obliges.]]
153	* {{Ghostapo}}: According to Index, the Nazis had magicians. In fact magicians were present on all sides during World War II. [[ChurchMilitant Pax]] [[AncientConspiracy Christiana]] has actually supported the existence of this trope in-universe, hoping to make [[MagicIsEvil magic look bad]] [[HitlerAteSugar by tying it to Nazis.]]
154	* GilliganCut: In chapter nine.
155	-->"So can we not go anywhere near Garden Street ever please?"\
156	''(Scene break)''\
157	"Now approaching: Garden Street."
158	* TheGlomp: Kuroko's default greeting to Mikoto, who has learned to duck.
159	* GodzillaThreshold: When the Academy City Police and Anti-Skills fails to stop Kaori, [[spoiler:a Level 5 Esper is sent to deal with her]].
160	* GoodCopBadCop: Stephen pulls this on Index with Kanzaki as the "bad cop"...despite Kanzaki not actually being present.
161	* GratuitousLatin:
162	** The title is a small example: ''In memoriam'' is a Latin phrase equivalent to "in the memory of", mostly found in obituaries and epitaphs.
163	** "Pax Christiana" of course. The name is a reference to the [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Pax Romana]].
164	* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Saten's problem.
165	* HeHadAName: [[spoiler:The reason Harumi Kiyama is so insistent on remembering her students names. In fact, she wants everyone to know who they were.]]
166	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:When one of the hostage takers starts to list a series of names, he gets shot by a sniper.]] Touma lampshades how suspicious that is.
167	* HiddenInPlainSight: Index decides the best place to hide herself is in Academy City - where there are plenty of people with unnatural abilities.
168	* HostageSituation: [[spoiler:The Seventh Mist bombings, with Uiharu playing the negotiator.]]
169	* IJustWantToBeFree: Index. Free to jump off buildings in this case.
170	* ImplausibleFencingPowers: Kanzaki, who can use her sword to block bullets.
171	* InHarmsWay: It's suggested Index might be enjoying jumping off high places. Later on, Index is teleported into a safe place to escape Kanzaki...and promptly sneaks out to see if she can help stop Kiyama.
172	* InnocentlyInsensitive: At the end of Chapter 18 [[spoiler:Saten is fully brought down to normal, to the point where she isn't even an esper anymore. Since she can just go through the Kihara process again, Mikoto encourages Saten to work hard to increase her powers. Saten nearly snaps and tells Mikoto she was working hard for ''six years'' already, and the only thing that gave her results kills people.]]
173	* InSeriesNickname: At least one character calls Touma "Nullifier".
174	* ItCanThink: At the end of Chapter 17 [[spoiler:the IPD entity actually starts talking. Unfortunately Index is already casting her spell...]]
175	* ItsPersonal: After [[spoiler:Saten ends up in a coma for treatment from Level Plus, Uiharu takes it personally and has to be talked down by both Kuroko and Konori.]]
176	* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:See HeKnowsTooMuch above.]]
177	* LameRhymeDodge: When Index let's slip to Touma that esper powers and magic are different, she tries to cover it up by claiming she said ''matchsticks'' and esper powers instead.
178	* LastSecondWordSwap: Mikoto does this fairly frequently to try to make herself sound more refined.
179	* LimitedWardrobe: In her narration, Index claims most of her outfits consisted of the same white dress.
180	* LoopholeAbuse: The geis that seals Index's magical knowledge unlocks whenever it senses that she's in danger as a self-defense measure. What it ''doesn't'' sense is whether Index ''[[GuileHero deliberately]]'' placed herself in danger specifically to unlock the seal.
181	* LudicrousPrecision: Touma's narration can sometimes dip into this. Apparently, his ability extends to precisely 6.39 millimeters above the skin of his right hand and forearm.
182	* MacGyvering: To protect herself from searching spells, Index jury-rigs a portable church with a crucifix, a broken music box, a can of grape juice, a water bottle, a serving tray from UsefulNotes/McDonalds, and a piece of a Big Mac's bun. And in the fourth chapter [[spoiler:it gets broken when Touma's arm breaks the backpack Index was carrying it in.]]
183	* MagicalDatabase: Index's mind is almost literally a magical database; she searches for spells by making a mental database query that resembles SQL. [[spoiler:This ability is dispelled by Touma's arm but as Index has EideticMemory this isn't really a problem.]]
184	* MakeoutKids: Answer C of this question:
185	-->Riddle me this. A handsome teenage boy and a pretty teenage girl are standing together on a bridge....They're staring into each other's eyes, faces slightly flushed. What does the girl say to the boy? Is it:\
186	A) "The stars are so beautiful tonight..."\
187	B) "I love you...so much."\
188	C) Trick question; she just starts making out with him.
189	* {{Mana}}: Index actually explains that it used to be called [[LifeEnergy "life force", "vital energy"]] or [[KiManipulation "qi"]], and that the word "mana" is currently in vogue among magicians ''because'' of all the fictional works that use it.
190	* MerchandiseDriven: In-universe, there are trading cards for many of the Level 4 and Level 5 espers. This is news to Mikoto, who wasn't aware she signed away the rights to use her likeness. When she finds out, she makes a mental note to ask her mother if she knows a good lawyer, and then wonders if there will be [[ShoddyKnockoffProduct made-in-China]] [[{{Foreshadowing}} knockoffs next]].
191	* MindRape: It's minor, but the IPD entity screms in people's heads.
192	* MonsterIsAMommy: Inversion, [[spoiler:the monster considers itself someone's child.]]
193	* MoodWhiplash: Chapter 8. [[spoiler:So Saten and her friends are all thrilled with their new powers. Well here come Kuroko and Uiharu, and Uiharu is crying...]]
194	* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler:Kiyama originally planned to expose Kiraha and the corruption of Academy City to the world, but now all she wants to do is kill him to avenge the kids. Justified by the fact that Level Plus induced mental degeneration has caused her to forget what the plan was, and she most likely lacks the higher mental capacities necessary to carry it out anyway.]]
195	* MundaneObjectAmazement: Index is utterly amazed when she gets taken to a mall. Touma then worries that Index is going to start trying to buy everything she sees, but his fear turns out to be completely misplaced.
196	* MundaneUtility: It's implied Uiharu uses her [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway power]] to keep her giant computer rig cool.
197	* MysteriousWatcher: In the Epilogue, [[spoiler:Othinus]].
198	* NotADate: It eventually hits Touma that taking Index to a mall to make up for breaking her backpack and then treating her to lunch afterward might have other people drawing the obvious conclusion. And then Mikoto catches sight of them... [[spoiler:Any shenanigans are preemptively cut off by explosions.]]
199	* NotQuiteDead: In the Epilogue, it's hinted - and confirmed [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/44810434/ here]] by WordOfGod - that [[spoiler:the IPD entity somehow became the "daughter" that visits Kiyama]].
200	* OutOfCharacterMoment: The normally cheerful and nice Uiharu suddenly turns cold on Mikoto and orders her to leave after [[spoiler:the latter becomes InnocentlyInsensitive to Saten when she tries to cheer her up by telling her to work hard to gain espers powers even though Saten has been trying for years.]]
201	* PensieveFlashback: Chapter 14. [[spoiler:Mikoto sees Kiyama's memories and makes parenthetical observations.]]
202	* PlaceOfProtection: Being on holy ground generally protects against magic. Index [[MacGyvering MacGyvers]] a portable church to protect herself from searching spells.
203	* PoliceAreUseless: Not so much useless as outmatched. [[spoiler:Kanzaki took down an entire police station and six Anti-Skills.]]
204	* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:In Chapter 5, Uiharu obliquely warns Saten not to use Level Plus. Uiharu was under a gag order, which is why she couldn't be more explicit, but even then if she had phrased her warning in a better way it might have saved Saten and her friends a lot of trouble.]]
205	* PostModernMagick:
206	** Index uses an {{Invisibility}} spell [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy developed by the]] UsefulNotes/{{OSS}}, which has the incantation "''Let Liberty be my cloak in the night.''"
207	** She later explains to Touma that electric and telephone cables are used in magical rituals because of their modern day use in transferring energy and information.
208	* PowerLimiter: Index's {{geas}} only allows her to use magic when she's in danger. It's sensitive enough to activate just by [[EarlyBirdCameo Accelerator]] looking at her. [[spoiler:Touma inadvertently breaks it.]]
209	* RecoilBoost: A pyrokinetic hopped up on Level Plus uses her fire to jump to the roof a building.
210	* RefusalOfTheCall: An odd variation. Mikoto likes having superpowers, and she doesn't mind helping if she comes across someone in trouble. But she's not going to do something like join Judgement or go out of her way looking for trouble, because she thinks that's a slippery slope to becoming a costumed SuperHero. (She wants to be a particle physicist instead.) Though the call is becoming harder to resist as she gets drawn more and more into the Level Plus situation while trying to help out her friends.
211	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:Harumi Kiyama. She's not trying to save her students - [[DeathByAdaptation they're all dead.]] Instead, she's going to try and make Gensei Kihara pay, and she wants to make sure [[HeHadAName everyone remembers her students' names.]]]] [[spoiler:It's implied the IPD entity was literally born from this desire, making it a physical manifestation of this trope.]]
212	* ScienceDestroysMagic: Touma asks if this happened when Index starts telling him about magic. She explicitly denies this and says that magic really should be considered a science itself
213	* ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder: {{Invoked}} by [[spoiler:Harumi Kiyama, in order to get the attention of her class.]]
214	* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:In a change from canon, Saten gains this ability when she takes Level Plus.]]
215	* ShoutOut:
216	** In the first chapter, Touma comments that "esper" basically means: [[Series/{{Firefly}} person who can kill you with their brain]].
217	** In the second chapter Maika is wearing a shirt with the [[ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld old binary joke]]. She can also set Academy City robots to "[[Series/DoctorWho Dalek]]".
218	** In the fourth chapter, Touma asks Index if she knows the [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow]]. (She does, in fact. And she catches the reference). He also has a copy of the last book of the ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' series, which was unreleased when the chapter was written. %%It's still unreleased, I'm just future-proofing this.
219	** Chapter 7. "What is this, [[Literature/TheDaVinciCode the Da Vinci Code]] or something?"
220	** Chapter 8:
221	-->''"And Akemi, what did you do there?" I ask. "Did you teleport or something?" I frown. "Wait, don't tell me you [[TimeStandsStill time]][[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica -st—]]"''
222	** [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.262608/page-7#post-11240429 A Malaysian poster]] commented that Index's [[MacGyvering MacGuyvered]] church [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/in-memoriam-a-certain-magical-index-scientific-railgun-au.262608/page-7#post-11241492 reminded him]] of the traveling kit his father used as a roaming Anglican priest. In chapter 9, Index offhandedly mentions hearing about a priest in Malaysia who had something much like a mobile church...
223	** Between chapters 9 and 10, the author posted a FictionalDocument titled [[Series/{{Firefly}} Can't Stop the Signal]].
224	** Chapter 10: One of the names is [[VisualNovel/AnalogueAHateStory Kim Hyun-ae]].
225	** Chapter 11 is named "[[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Gimme Shelter]]".
226	** In the Epilogue, [[spoiler:Index's new identity]] is "Jessica Ivy Kincaid", which is a reference to The Archive from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' -- who similarly to Index carries vast amounts of dangerous knowledge in her head -- with her caretaker/bodyguard's surname.
227	* SimultaneousArcs: ''In Memoriam'' roughly adapts ''Index''[='s=] Index arc and ''Railgun''[='s=] Level Upper arc. And simultaneous means [[spoiler:Index is present at the Seventh Mist bombings]].
228	* SinisterSurveillance: Mikoto wonders about this when she sees just what Judgement can spy on. Uiharu makes a shocked SuspiciouslySpecificDenial...and then tells Mikoto her pajamas are adorable.
229	* TheStationsOfTheCanon: While the first chapter hews closely to canon, in later chapters it quickly becomes clear that the trains are coming in from different stations and have new paths [[SimultaneousArcs that intersect with each other]]. By the end, the plot hasn't exactly gone off the rails, but it's been so remodeled that it feels very different.
230	* StealthPun: Chapter 9
231	-->''I have been led to believe that it is something of a Mecca for fans and writers of a certain genre of romantic media. The vast number of [[YuriGenre lilies]] visible in every direction does nothing to disabuse me of this notion.''
232	* StopOrIShootMyself: Index's solution to being dragged back to the Pax. [[spoiler:Because of her vow, she has to remain in Academy City to get justice for the children Kiyama wanted vengeance for. If they try to force her back, Index dies. Now, Touma could remove it via touch, but she refuses since she does agree that justice must be done.]]
233	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Index's attempts to hide the fact that she mentioned magic in front of Touma. Touma sees right through it...but he decides not to call Index out on it, thinking that she's probably both paranoid and delusional.
234	* TakeThat: In the fourth chapter, Touma is reading a book that he thinks is boring. He gets the impression that the book read better in its original language and that its translators got lazy. The author has confirmed this refers to a FanTranslation of the ''A Certain Magical Index'' light novels.
235	* TemptingFate: Touma, at the end of the first chapter.
236	* TrackingDevice: [[spoiler:How Stephen and Kanzaki tracked Index down in chapter 13, rather than using any spell that she could hide from.]]
237	* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Harumi Kiyama]]. While [[spoiler:she]] is already [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge tragic enough]] in canon, in this fanfic, however, it's [[DespairEventHorizon so]] [[SanitySlippage much]] [[AndIMustScream worse]].
238	* UnreliableExpositor: In chapter 9 Stephen Magnus tells Index that he secretly tried to help her escape and that Kanzaki put a completion {{geas}} on him. He goes on to say that he's willing to let the completion geis kill him if it means letting Index go free. Index accepts his words at face value, but Touma quickly sees that it's just an act to make Index go with Stephen willingly. In chapter 13 [[spoiler:Stephen admits that while he was trying to get Index to go with him, what he said still was true.]]
239	* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Touma makes a plan in Chapter 16. We don't see what it is until he puts into practice two chapters later. [[spoiler:The plan was simply that his anti-magic would let him fight off Kanzaki. It works.]]
240	* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Accelerator]], the sole survivor from [[spoiler:Kiyama]]'s class in the past. Even after he TookALevelInCynic, he still manages to mourn for his friends' deaths and cares enough to present flowers on their graves.
241	* VillainHasAPoint: Between Kanzaki and Touma in Chapter 18. Touma asks Kanzaki if she really thinks Index will tell the secrets of magic to the first person she meets. Kanzaki says she already told Touma. Touma concedes the point.
242	* WeakButSkilled: Index produces little mana naturally, but she almost literally knows every spell in the book.
243	* WhamEpisode: The Epilogue. [[spoiler:Accelerator turns out to have been one of Kiyama's students, Othinus was watching the whole thing, and it's implied that the fic's version of the AIM Burst somehow survived and became the fic's version of Kazakiri Hyouka]].
244	* WhamLine:
245	** "With Friends Like These":
246	-->''I get up to try and get a closer look, or maybe just say hi. [[spoiler:That's right about when the first bomb goes off.]]''
247	** "The Other Side"
248	-->''That's the last time we laugh for a long while...''
249	** "Gimme Shelter"
250	-->''It isn't the ex-girlfriend, is it?''
251	** "Breakdown"
252	-->''"It's not Kanzaki," Tessou says. "''[[spoiler:''Kiyama ''god damn'' Harumi is here.'']]''"''
253	** "Echoes", [[DarkerAndEdgier particularly for those familiar with canon]]:
254	-->''Within six weeks, [[spoiler:one student remained alive, though in critical condition and with major brain damage.]]\
255	The rest [[spoiler:were dead]].''
256	** "Labrys, part III"
257	-->[[spoiler:"Please...Why are you hurting me?..."\
258	"...I just wanted to help Mama..."]]
259	** Two from "Epilogue: Watchers on the Wind"
260	*** The first occurs when [[spoiler:Kiyama]] gets a guest.
261	--->''"[[spoiler:Hi, Mama...it's me]]"''
262	*** And shortly after:
263	--->[[spoiler:"...never had...a daughter...but if I had...would have named her..."\
264	"...Hyo...u...ka..."]]
265	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 14.
266	* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Touma actually thinks Index's name is fake at first. When he finds out what it means, his response is basically this.
267	* WorfHadTheFlu: During his fight with Kanzaki, Touma notes that she's tired - presumably from fighting a powerful esper employed by Anti-Skill. On the other hand, Touma points out that he's tired too, and also injured on top of it.
268	* TheWorldIsNotReady: Pax Christiana feels this way about magic. More precisely, they feel the world will ''never'' be ready because magic is a dangerous force that nearly anyone can learn - and many magicians throughout history have used magic to cause death and destruction.
269	* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The IPD entity is difficult to see; Mikoto narrates that her eyes can't really focus on it, leaving onlyimpressions rather than details.
270	* YouWouldntShootMe: In Chapter 18, [[spoiler:Kanzaki tells Touma she won't stop looking for Index unless Touma kills her...but also says that since he hasn't killed her already, she doubts he has the nerve to do so. She's right]]
271	[[/folder]]
272
273	[[folder:Tropes specific to ''A Thousand Shattered Mirrors'']]
274	* ActionPrologue: The Prologue opens with an experiment in progress between hunter and hunted. The catch? [[spoiler:Accelerator is the prey and the Sister Clone is the hunter.]]
275	* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: How the experiment appears from [[spoiler:Accelerator's perspective. He's constantly being hunted down by a Hunter that continues to come back and learns each and every time she's killed, with nothing but cold eyes that are meant to kill.]]
276	-->But nonetheless, the prey flees. For the prey has looked into the eyes of the hunter, and seen nothing--no hate, no fury, no malice--nothing but the cold, unflinching desire to hunt, to kill. The prey saw this, and on that day the prey knew fear.
277	* PerspectiveFlip: The act of one of the experiments has been flipped from [[spoiler:the Sisters' perspective to Accelerator's.]]
278	* TiredOfRunning: The reason [[spoiler:Accelerator]] forces the confrontation at the end of the ActionPrologue.
279	-->The prey turns a corner and stops, out of breath, out of energy, out of time. Better to make a stand here, while it still has strength left to defend itself. It steels itself, knowing it cannot afford to show mercy now, that the briefest instant of weakness could be fatal.
280	[[/folder]]

Context Fanfic / ToAruverseRewriteProject