Line #20 Webcomic/AquaRegia


1	"[[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Che boludo!]] [[ShellShockedVeteran You okay?]]"
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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garoufinal_0.jpg]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350:[[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility "Noblesse Oblige"]]]]
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6	''Aqua Regia'', formerly known as ''Acid Rain'', is an Argentinian cyberpunk comic published through Platform/{{INKR}}, made by Fluhor. The setting is a fairly typical {{Cyberpunk}}, set in a version of Argentina where [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess the dictatorship of the '70s]] never ended.
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8	The year is 2054. Daniel Dietrich, a [[HiredGuns merc]][[OnlyInItForTheMoney enary]] who tries to live as better as [[ForcedIntoEvil he can]], takes [[WhyDoYouKeepChangingJobs odd jobs]] from the most [[{{Courier}} mundane]] to including [[HitManWithAHeart murders]]. [[JustifiedTrope He's not happy with his life]], he's even [[HeroicBSOD shown]] being stressed because of this. [[FromBadToWorse Shit hits the fan]] when he interrupts a robbery in a [[TheConvenientStoreNextDoor local market]], and engages in a fight with a thief that ends with Daniel badly injured and the thief dead.
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10	Moments later he escapes because he doesn't want to end up in jail, because after all, a murder is still a crime. Daniel collapses in a back alley, where he's found by [[RebelLeader Rouge]] and contracted to fight against the country's dictatorship. [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse After deliberating]], he reluctantly accepts.
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12	A few days later, in a hidden base, Daniel starts telling Rouge and the others how he came to be a mercenary. [[WholeEpisodeFlashback The second arc of the story starts with his teenage years and first years as a mercenary, and up until the time of the prologue, apparently.]]
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14	Read it [[https://inkr.com/ik-title-331 here]] and [[https://globalcomix.com/c/aqua-regia here]] in English! Character sheet in progress!
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16	----
17	!!Contains examples of:
18	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: The girl [[AxCrazy César]] was dating when introduced was as much, but it's quickly noted she has problems picking men, the people from "Le Perv" are tired of her giving patrons problems.
19	** Anahí with Daniel is implied to be this, but as the story progress and we get to know them, they're actually good people caught in extremely shitty situations.
20	* AlwaysNight: {{Averted}} in the chapters themselves, most of the episodes are seen mostly set in broad daylight, the covers play this trope straight.
21	* {{Animesque}}: As you can see in the art style, it's influenced by both manga and western art, as a small nod to this, one of the characters is of [[TokenMinority Japanese descent]], but still of [[DownplayedTrope mixed heritage]].
22	* ArtEvolution: A {{Downplayed}} variant, the first three episodes had a crude and somewhat off sense of... [[OffModel Everything]]... Luckily, each passing chapter the art becomes more and more detailed.
23	* BadassLongcoat: Used sparingly by characters to hide PoweredArmor, or somewhat normal that no one comments on. The handlers in Daniel's flashback have them too, playing this trope straight.
24	* BananaRepublic: Argentina has been in a dictatorship over 60 years.
25	* BarbarianLongHair: Daniel's mane, which in-story is considered very odd, according to author notes, is a TakeThat against the overused undercuts in the Western influenced cyberpunk characters.
26	* BattleCouple: Implied first with Daniel and Anahí at the beginning, showing them [[CoveredInScars scarred]], track #10 shows them fighting together for the first time instead of [[LoveAtFirstPunch each other]] like in their conscription days, and winning.
27	* BigBrotherIsWatching: Logically, by the end of the second chapter, Daniel gets confirmation that he's still being pursued.
28	* BigDamnHeroes: Daniel stars one moment when he saves his mentor and friend, [[StraightGay Leo]] from three other soldiers. Which, ends with Daniel's face badly scarred through ColdBloodedTorture.
29	* BilingualBonus: "Machina Revoltare", Machina is self-explanatory, it's for machines, but Revoltare can be translated from Romanian as rebel, but in tandem, it means "Revolting Machine". Fitting for overpowered technology that does more harm than good to the user.
30	* BleedEmAndWeep: [[spoiler: How Anahí and Daniel react to their first time heavily injuring a person, fatally in Daniel's case]].
31	* BodyHorror: What defective and overheated Machina Revoltare does. Courtesy of their fail-safe mechanisms, they only work with registered individuals, illegal surgeries to punks, end up with them having their brains fried and becoming [[OurZombiesAreDifferent drones]].
32	** Better exemplified with César, the serial killer in the flashbacks, ending up as an unholy union of Film/TetsuoTheIronMan and the [[Manga/AttackOnTitan Rogue Titan]].
33	* CombatCueStick: Attempted and failed miserably, to be fair it was used against an ImplacableMan Cyborg. Cue Daniel being [[NeckLift grabbed by the neck]].
34	* CreatorProvincialism: The author is Argentinian, and thus the story is set mostly in Argentina, however, Brazil is also a prominent example in the setting, interestingly enough.
35	* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Whenever Machina Revoltare stars to malfunction, you're good as gone, and turn into a "Drone", which is basically an electric powered zombie full of BodyHorror.
36	* {{Cyberpunk}}: Well, yeah, stars a group of mercenaries, in a decadent Argentina and South America in the year 2054, full of crime and controlled by the military instead of a MegaCorp, it fits because they're using their military prowess to move their economy.
37	** CyberpunkWithAChanceOfRain: The first chapter opens with a cloudy, gray day, and other chapters have rain ocasionally.
38	* {{Cyborg}}: One of the thieves at least, among several other people. Rouge or the robbers have GlowingMechanicalEyes for example. It's been pointed out InUniverse that only the army and very wealthy people can afford them, so cyborgs are not something that's seen much in the city.
39	** Track #8 shows that mercenaries have them, too.
40	* DestructiveRomance: All over the place, even for the heroes...
41	* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Totally {{Averted}}, it's depicted as horrifying, even if there wasn't a rape in the end, it's horrific to Daniel and Leo.
42	* {{Dystopia}}: The entire setting, which is essentially an Argentina where the infamous UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess never fell.
43	* FanArt: The BonusMaterial at the end of Volume 1 has officially submitted fanart with Fluhor talking about it and linking their twitter handles.
44	* {{Fanservice}}: Downplayed, but still present, [[FemaleGaze Daniel taking a shower]] and [[MaleGaze Rouge taking showers]] are totally this, same with sex scenes and bonus art.
45	* ForegoneConclusion: The first pages show a flashback in the year 2052 in which Anahi and Daniel break up. Why? Well, the flashback will tell us how it happens...
46	* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: {{Discussed}}, characters have problems and traumatic experiences, yes, but how they deal with them it's how several things end up happening. GoodParents, their place in society, and love
47	* GoodProstheticEvilProsthetic: Explored, good prosthetics are not only the ones Rouge and the good guys have, but also the ones who work for the government, while look clean and sleek, their users are... Varied. The evil prosthetics are there for everyone, but also are prone to malfunction, even if they're top of the line Machina Revoltare ones, see BodyHorror.
48	* HomeSweetHome: [[spoiler: after his first kill, Daniel goes back with Anahí at his home, they spend a couple of months into hiding, and healing their scars... Until [[ImNotDoingThatAgain Sirio calls him back, much to his displeasure]]]].
49	* HotBlooded: Anahí, combined with her fiery red hair.
50	** However this trope is deconstructed several times when a character acts this way, everything goes wrong.
51	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Let's see, we have a totalitarian government that has people eating on the palm of their hands, but still "safe", a VigilanteMan that means well but it's equally deranged like the people he hunts down, and a CEO that is willing to do sacrifices, even sacrifice herself, for [[TheNeedsOfTheMany the greater good]].
52	* GoodParents: The Dietrich family, amazingly enough for the genre. Daniel had a nice NuclearFamily with a PapaWolf to boot... [[SociopathicSoldier And then the recruiters came for him]].
53	* HandCannon: Daniel is wielding a RSh-12, one of the meanest revolvers in existence, it's yet to be explained, but for now is pure RuleOfCool, that and it looks [[OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture very futuristic]].
54	* HellBentForLeather: All the way due AuthorAppeal, both for heroes and villains, but it still has a practical purpose for defense.
55	* HeroicBuild: Daniel in the flashbacks looks positively buff.
56	** NothingButSkinAndBones: In the present, however, not to this extreme, he looks way less muscular.
57	* InformationWantsToBeFree: One of the goals of Rouge:
58	--->"Use the media to make the truth come out, while people is aware that we live in a dictatorship, [[DareToBeBadass we're pushing them to act]], our greatest weapon is the truth, expose everything, the reality of our world, [[ClosedCircle not only our country]], the people just caught glimpses of it, [[TheOutsideWorld not USA, France, Japan, Russia, among many others]]."
59	* LatinoIsBrown: The entire cast so far is shown to be mixed, while one could argue that the characters are white, they're all Latinos, Argentina is called Melting Pot for a reason. The named characters that play this straight are Anahi and [[RebelLeader Rouge]], so far.
60	* LikeAGodToMe: {{Downplayed}} Daniel thinks of Rouge as a [[{{Valkyries}} Vakyrie]] for saving him in chapter 3.
61	--> "Was it fate to meet her? Was it God? I felt as if a cybernetic valkyrie... Picked me up at that alley...
62	* LowerClassLout: The robbers of the first chapter.
63	* NeckLift: An standard attack by cyborgs in the setting, apparently, with [[RunningGag Daniel usually being the victim]].
64	* NeonCity: Morón in the first episode, but not overtly shown due the fact it's plain day, thus making it a much more CityNoir example. The covers play this trope straight.
65	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: All over the place, good deeds end up badly most of the time, with some people killed, tortured, or traumatized. Sometimes it ends with civilians saved, other times, not so much.
66	* PatrioticFervor: A prevalent theme, [[DiscussedTrope what's patriotism?]] Loving your country despite [[MyCountryRightOrWrong knowing how atrocious it is with their citizens]]? [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized Fighting for freedom]] against the system despite said system being a viable way of [[NecessarilyEvil helping them]]? What if it fails, and power ends up [[FullCircleRevolution corrupting you]] [[AllForNothing the same way]]?
67	** SocietyIsToBlame: This one is also discussed, despite their ups and downs, several characters are influenced by their place in society and where they come from, although FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse is also discussed.
68	* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: A combination of this kind of dictatorship, with applied SchizoTech, selective censorship and fashion, [[PoliceState and state brutality]] against the people who break the rules, even if they don't do anything wrong per se.
69	* {{Pixellation}}: All the nudity is presented this way.
70	* TheQuincyPunk: The punks on the underpass of Flores are designed to look at this, but they don't act any more negatively than any other normal civilian.
71	** Anahí too, as an [[AntiHero Anti Heroic]] example.
72	* RevolversAreJustBetter: While there's a variety of weapons present, revolvers are shown to be of more significance.
73	* SerialKiller: César the cyborg, who ends up with a grudge against Daniel.
74	* SexForSolace: Sex between [[spoiler: Daniel and Anahí]], is implied to be this, the fact that the chapters in which this happens are named after songs based on this trope, it's fitting.
75	* ShockAndAwe: The usual method in which Machina Revoltare works, produces electricity. Also, Daniel's katana used to have a battery to fight drones but it was busted years back.
76	* SociopathicSoldier: The handlers from the flashback. The Captain call himself and his group "[[InsistentTerminology Enhanced Patriots]]".
77	* StreetSamurai: Daniel is inspired by the archetype. He has the long hair, the katana, and is currently serving Rouge.
78	* StillWearingTheOldColors: Daniel still wears his green fatigues, scarf and hat from the army, which shows:
79	** WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: He has long hair, wears combat boots with stars embedded, a red and black jacket, and other complementary colors, showing that despite his military background, he's still in a vendetta against the militia.
80	* TheirFirstTime:[[spoiler: Chapter 8 opens up this way, and although it wasn't Daniel's first, Anahi is happy she's doing it with him for the first time]].
81	* ThroughHisStomach: Food is something shown several times, with both Anahí and Daniel enjoying them most of the time.
82	* UndergroundCity: The tunnels beneath Buenos Aires [[note]]There's underground tunnels that connect different parts of the city, but here they're greatly exaggerated for purely RuleOfCool.[[/note]]
83	* UnlimitedWardrobe: The characters change outfits pretty often, but wear consistent clothing of their own fashion sense, e.g. Rouge wears goth fashion, Anahí wears punk-ish outfits, Daniel is a [[HellBentForLeather fan of leather]], etc.
84	* VillainTakesAnInterest: Both The Captain and Sirio are interested in grooming Daniel and Anahí into killing machines pushing the human limitsr:
85	** The Captain presents himself as an EvilMentor to Daniel since the day they met.
86	** Sirio on the other hand, wants Anahí after she dared to defy him in their first meeting due her fighting spirit, but also [[LustObject wants her]] and then to join his BodyguardBabes.
87	* WouldHitAGirl: One of robbers at the end of the first chapter gropes the poor cashier and then punches her [[PervertRevengeMode because she actually defended herself]]. Same with [[DreadlockWarrior César]] in the flashback.
88	* WreckedWeapon: The katana of Daniel is actually chipped if one takes a look at it.
89	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: They're normal people with cybernetic implants that [[PerpetualMotionMonster constantly produces energy]], but due the fact that they're faulty unless they're keep in check, they end up overheating and start to desfigurate the person in question and frying their brains, only the electric shocks and adrenaline segregations are what keeps them moving, making them walking corpses, the only way to put them out of their misery is the [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain good old zombie cure]]. Daniel states as such in the second chapter:
90	-->"After you're consumed by "MR", you're pretty much a zombie, he's done for, he has no reasoning, only moves by adrenaline injected into his nervous system, he's [[DeadlyEuphemism burned out]]"
91	* UnfriendlyFire: How one of the robbers meets his end.
92	* WallBangHer: The drugged punks are having sex this way in the underground alley of the third chapter.
93	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 4 onwards is a sort of Golden Age akin to Manga/{{Berserk}}.

Context Webcomic / AquaRegia