Line #21 Literature/Outernet


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/outernet.png]]
2	-> ''We are not alone. We might wish that we were... But we're definitely not.''
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4	There are some things that exist solely to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]], [[SubvertedTrope subvert]], [[InvertedTrope invert]], and generally deconstruct any tropes they come across. This series does that for [[TropesInSpace Space]] and ScienceFiction Tropes.
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6	The series follows fourteen year-old Jack Armstrong, his friends Merle and Lothar (Loaf) and two {{Shapeshifting}} aliens trapped in the form of a dog and cat. After Jack receives [[MacGuffin The Server]], an alien teleportation/database system, the three humans are recruited to prevent [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Tyrant's]] evil plan to steal The Server and thus control the Outernet. (Which is just the outer-space version of the internet). It has some surprising plot twists towards the end. There are six books in the series.
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8	!!Tropes present in this work:
9	* AlienAnimals: A lot of cats and dogs are members of two rival races of shapeshifters in disguise.
10	* [[AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome Alternate Universe Loaf is Awesome]]: In one book, Merle travels to an alternate universe where Loaf is a dashing freedom fighter named "Lothar."
11	* {{Alternet}}: The Outernet is a galaxy-wide internet that can teleport people as well.
12	* BigBad: The Tyrant.
13	* BiggerOnTheInside: The gang optimistically suggest that the van-sized Trigger might be this but they turn out to be wrong.
14	* CasualInterstellarTravel: The Outernet can teleport people across the galaxy instantly for free.
15	* DeadpanSnarker: Loaf, Googie, and the Server's interface, known (ironically) as Help.
16	* DeathWorld: The Planet Aaaaaargh (with six A's), home to the eyeball-popping razor-toothed ear-drillers.
17	* TheDreaded: The Tyrant is ''THE'' most feared being in the galaxy. On a less selective basis, his top enforcers the Bugs are these as well.
18	* ElvisHasLeftThePlanet: The gang find an old, fat Elvis performing on Arcadia.
19	* FallenHero: [[spoiler: The books always sadly note that Loaf's GoodCounterpart from a BadFuture universe]] was a brave and heroic freedom fighter. But being abandoned and left to die on an alien planet against the wishes of the cast, [[NecessarilyEvil to prevent the Outernet from becoming a tool of conquest for endless petty wars between warlords]], hardened and embittered him. In the present day, he has become, [[spoiler: well... the Tyrant]].
20	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Throughout the book, when discussing the humans who have the Server, the Tyrant always pauses a bit whenever he has to mention Lothar Gelt. [[spoiler: That's because the Tyrant is actually a Loaf from a BadFuture, who was accidentally stranded decades ago in the past.]]
21	* FunWithAcronyms: The [=FOEs=], the Forces of Evil. Also, Bug, the name of the species who work for the [=FOEs=], stands for "Big Ugly Guy" (Reportedly, the name came from when someone asked, "Who's the big ugly guy?" and it stuck.)
22	* GeniusBruiser: The Bugs, interestingly enough for the standard issue mooks of a series. They're big, hulking mutants larger than normal humans and speak with relatively soft, cultured voices.
23	* LovableCoward: Zodiac Hobo,
24	* MeaningfulName: Zodiac ''Hobo''.
25	* TheMilkyWayIsTheOnlyWay: Seems to be in effect. The only mentions of intergalactic travel are a petulent Halp threatening to teleport itself to one of the Magellanic Clouds and the back cover of the second book mentioning "a wild ride through strange galaxies".
26	* {{Mooks}}: The Bugs.
27	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Lothar "Loaf" Gelt.
28	* APlanetNamedZok: Some planets fit, like Vered II.
29	* PlayingBothSides: [[spoiler: As it turned out, Tracer, the chief informant of the [=FOEs=], is also the Weaver, the leader of the Friends. When TheReveal comes around, he admits that this was the only way he could keep both sides aware of the other's plans.]]
30	* PleasurePlanet: Arcadia is a theme park planet.
31	* TheReveal: Who is the Weaver, and who is the Tyrant? Both answers will surprise you.
32	* ShapeshifterModeLock: Googie and Bitz are stuck in the form of a cat and a dog, respectively.
33	* ShapeshifterMashup:[[spoiler: Bitz uses one in the last book. In his own words, he didn't know how to use his old forms, so he just made something up]]
34	* StableTimeLoop:[[spoiler: They create one... accidentally.]]
35	* TimeTravel: The fourth book.
36	* TranslatorMicrobes: The laptop can translate anything nearby.
37	* YouHaveFailedMe: It's mentioned that anytime the current leader of the Bugs is called to the Tyrant's main palace, the Dark Pyramid, he's typically killed and his second in command is promoted.

Context Literature / Outernet