Line #12 Webcomic/CrimsonDark


1	[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crimsondark_battle.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:240:Explosions. Shiny.]]
3
4	->''"It's a pretty dirty war Nick."''
5
6	''[[https://www.davidcsimon.com/crimson-dark Crimson Dark]]'' is a Sci-Fi webcomic created by David C. Simon. Volume 1 ran from 2006 to 2012, ending when Mr. Simon moved to Austin, Texas to work on ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' for Creator/{{Bioware}}. He came back to the comic four years later, publishing a one-shot story in October 2016, then starting Volume 2 in November.
7
8	Kari Tyrell is a [[SpaceFighter fighter pilot]] in the Republic of Daranir's military, who are at war with the Cirin Alliance. She's become something of a [[FakeUltimateHero hero]] of the Darani military, (supposedly) turning the Battle for White-Rim around singlehandedly. However, her carrier is later unceremoniously destroyed by a Cirin ambush, and she's written of as dead. As she would later find out, she's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness more useful]] to the military as a [[InspirationalMartyr martyr]] rather than a pilot, so she agrees to stay "dead" and join up with a {{privateer}} group under the command of one Vaegyr Ward.
9
10	The comic uses both 3D renders (done in Poser 4) and a heavy amount of Photoshopping on top of them (for example, the clothes are done in photoshop, as are explosions). The author is a big fan of ''{{Series/Firefly}}'', but the comic had an engaging and complex story of its own, with a familiar but distinct setting.
11
12	The main storyline concluded in 2020, though Simon said he might return to the comic sometime for more minor stories within the same universe (but probably won't). Sometime after the comic completed, it was taken down from the author's site with a message that he's planning on reposting it after some formatting changes to better fit his main site.
13	----
14	!!Tropes seen in this webcomic:
15	* AbsentAliens: None have been encountered, and [[spoiler:the Souri have proved that explored space is effectively all of habitable space]], so there probably aren't any in store.
16	%%* AcePilot: Kari.
17	* ActualPacifist: Daniel. He shoots [[JerkAss Hal]] to save Whisper, but still feels horrified by his actions.
18	* AllThereInTheManual: The [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/database/technology.html database.]]
19	* AndYourLittleDogToo: Abraham Mensk threatens to go after the families of Vaegyr and his wife. Vaegyr responds by [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just shooting him.]] This displays either extreme stupidity, overconfidence, or just underestimation of his opponent in Mensk, because Vaegyr was about to let him go.
20	* ArbitraryWeaponRange: Handwaved. Because conventional weapons' ballistic projectiles will keep going until they hit something (causing collateral damage), ballistic weapons are illegal in space. Instead, they use energy or plasma weapons which become weaker over distance.
21	%%* BaldOfAuthority: Vaeger.
22	* BlackAndGreyMorality:
23	** The Cirin Alliance are pragmatic assholes who think nothing of colluding with pirates, sticking AIs in corpses to create suicide saboteurs, or even re-enacting 9/11 on military stations staffed with human shields. However, the Republic of Daranir are [[BlatantLies liars]] who think nothing of ''re-enacting the [[BlitzEvacuees Blitz]]'' to force conquests to surrender, after which they hold {{kangaroo court}}s [[WrittenByTheWinners denouncing the enemy leadership as terrorists.]]
24	-->'''Kari Tyrell:''' Patriots start wars. The good ones end them. But there's nothing safe about those people. It's the patriots who'll get you killed.
25	** The United Terran Coalition gets involved in conflicts as a third party to "liberate" contested planets and use their economic might to bully independent worlds into joining them.
26	* ButchLesbian: It turns out Kari is a lesbian, with a girlfriend named Ren who's also a pilot. Kari habitually has a short haircut and wears masculine-style military clothing.
27	%%* TheCaptain: Vaegyr Ward.
28	%%* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Whisper.
29	* CombatPragmatist:
30	** The Cirin Alliance have this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat.]] From using cybernetically enhanced AI-controlled corpses as saboteurs to hiding out in wrecked ships and using the [[DistressCall distress signals]] to [[DefensiveFeintTrap lure nearby Republic ships into ambushes]], the Alliance is willing to do just about anything if it will give them an advantage. Their ships are also mostly former civilian craft that have been upgraded to warships.
31	** They are also not above dealing with pirates.
32	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Republic ships are blue, while the Alliance ships are red. Even the exhaust colors match up.
33	* ComputerEqualsMonitor: This trope is in full force [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=617 here]] when Kari shoots out an infected workstation. Whisper comments on the implications of the situation [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=618 here]].
34	%%* CoolStarship: Replete with them.
35	%%* TheCutie: Kari.
36	* CyberneticsEatYourSoul:
37	** There are several groups such as the Human Purity Movement that honestly believe this, though out in space they are generally a minority.
38	** The [=JAKs=] used by the Cirin Alliance take this to the extreme, using the corpse of a human that has been implanted with an AI to control it. They are used as saboteurs, where being already dead allows them to more effectively stow away aboard ships and makes them entirely expendable. They are highly illegal, not that the [[CombatPragmatist Alliance]] cares. Of course, [[spoiler: the Republic also uses [=JAKs=] as unquestioning troops for their black ops units.]]
39	** [[spoiler: The Mazikeen or "Wisdom" virus is a ContagiousAI that infects people with Controller-class implants. Either weaponized by the Souri Collective, or the Souri themselves.]]
40	* CyborgHelmsman: Controllers are more commonly plugged into stations and capital ships as cyborg traffic control, technically.
41	%%* DeadpanSnarker: Pretty much everyone and their dog gets a shot at it.
42	* DeusExMachina: There was one news snippet that mentioned the existence of [[spoiler: Souri Behemoths]] before one pulled a GunshipRescue for the protagonists. [[spoiler: The one person who knows they were allies didn't know one was going to show, or why they are helping the Alliance in the first place, and since they refuse to communicate ship-to-ship, the readers never see or hear them until much later.]]
43	%%* DramaticSpaceDrifting: Used in the flashback to the battle at White-Fall.
44	* TheEmpire: The Cirin Alliance, though mainly in their opposition to the Republic of Daranir. They're serious [[CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatists]] who are willing to fight dirty if it means winning. And they frequently do.
45	* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: The Mazikeen virus, aka "Wisdom." One of its victims goes on at length about how its guidance ensures that everyone does the right thing.
46	%%* FakeUltimateHero: Kari. Not her fault though. She was built up into a propaganda figure.
47	* FasterThanLightTravel: Jump drives, which use a mix of AppliedPhlebotinum and {{Hyperspace}}.
48	%%* TheFederation: The UTC says that it's this, the Cirin Alliance thinks it's TheEmpire.
49	* GambitRoulette: Though not used, the idea is roundly mocked.
50	-->''Dan and Vaegyr get caught trying to break Kari out of jail.''\
51	'''Kari:''' This is the lamest rescue ever.\
52	'''Dan:''' Well, we did get you out of isolation.\
53	'''Vaegyr:''' Yes, everything is going according to plan.\
54	'''Dan:''' Except that we didn't anticipate any of this.\
55	'''Vaegyr:''' It's one of those retroactive plans, it only makes sense in hindsight.\
56	'''Kari:''' (to one of the guards) Is it too late to say that I've never met these two men before in my life?
57	* HereditaryRepublic: The Republic of Daranir is officially classified as a constitutional monarchy by the UTC, as the "Chancellor" is a hereditary position.
58	* HollywoodHacking: [[PlayfulHacker Whisper]] can [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=143 lock]] and [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=318 unlock]] doors with her mind, for starters.
59	* HomeByChristmas: At the beginning of the war, the R.A.S.F. proudly proclaimed that it would be over in three weeks, because that's the time it takes to [[FasterThanLightTravel jump]] from Daranir space to the Cirin homeworld. It's been over a year since then.
60	* InsistentTerminology: Kari would like to remind everybody that Captain Ward is a [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=558 "...privateer."]]
61	* InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace: It's used on Kari's space suit when she goes outside ''Wraith'' to investigate [[spoiler: ''Scar'''s]] wreckage. The writer notes this is unrealistic, but says it's necessary or else [[RuleOfDrama you'd be looking at nothing except blackness]].
62	* InstantSedation: Lampshaded along with TapOnTheHead in the footnotes to [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=810 this strip]]:
63	-->Voranisol is an instant-sedation drug that has a low risk of side-effects. Writers all across the galaxy rejoiced when it was invented and they could finally stop pretending that a bonk on the head was a harmless sedative.
64	%%* JerkAss: Hal.
65	* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: {{Subverted}}. Conventional guns and other kinetic weapons ARE quite useful, but have been banned due to remaining effective at very long ranges, or leaving rounds in orbit that effectively become unexploded ordnance. Dissipating energy "lances" are used instead. [[spoiler: The [[https://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=499 Souri]] have no such qualms.]]
66	* LaymansTerms: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=302 this]] strip.
67	-->'''Vaegyr:''' Kari, what's your assessment?\
68	'''Kari:''' Cooooool...\
69	'''Vaegyr:''' Yes. I was hoping for something more tactical in nature.
70	* LethalChef:
71	** Vaegyr. His chili is the stuff of nightmares.
72	** Actually, he's a memetic lethal chef. The other characters give him grief, but some of them like his chili just fine.
73	* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Whisper displays this [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=618 here]], though WordOfGod on the next page indicates that it pretty much '''[=IS=]''' just a flesh wound.
74	* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: Kari is revealed as being a lesbian, and fairly masculine in her appearance. Ren, though she also has {{boyish short hair}}, is the more feminine partner, somewhat girlish in comparison.
75	* MasochistsMeal: Again, Vaegyr's chili. Slightly subverted in that his wife Larissa has grown to like it, though she would rather not tell him that.
76	* MentalAffair: Because of the extent to which Whisper's body has been replaced by cybernetics, this is the only way she and her boyfriend could ever be intimate.
77	* MotorMouth: Ren falls victim to this trope [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=620 when she gets stressed]].
78	%%* MustHaveCaffeine: Kari.
79	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: The JAKS are Illegal Ninja Zombie Cyborgs.
80	* OldSchoolDogfight: UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo style fighter combat, only in space.
81	* OnlyAFleshWound: {{Averted}}. Daniel shoots [[JerkAss Hal]] in the leg, and Hal winds up ''losing'' the leg.
82	* OrbitalBombardment: The Republic has been bombarding the Cirin planet Farhaven for months, claiming that they've only been targeting strategic assets, but the locals have [[https://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=311 a different story]].
83	* PlayingBothSides: Mensk is the secret contact of the pirates with both the Alliance and the Republic.
84	* {{Privateer}}: Vaegyr Ward is quite insistent that he's a privateer, not a pirate.
85	%%* ProHumanTranshuman
86	* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Daranir Republic has this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat.]] They make heavy use of propaganda, and their architecture is cathedral-like to show how the military has an almost religious aspect to it.
87	* QueerEstablishingMoment: Kari reveals she's a lesbian when she introduces her girlfriend Ren. Before, her sexual orientation is not shown at all.
88	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: WordOfGod indicates one of these will appear in Volume 2 as can be read in the comments [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=547 here]].
89	* TheRepublic: The Republic of Daranir, though some of their actions are pretty questionable. The blockade of the planet Farhaven [[spoiler: and using [=JAKs=] to slaughter everyone aboard a civilian ship just to catch two Cirin spies]] are just two examples. Then there is the fact that they use their border military bases as trading ports, putting civilians directly into the firing line of the Cirin Alliance, who are not exactly known for giving a damn about that sort of thing.
90	* RunningTheBlockade: Cirin Alliance planet Farhaven has been besieged by the Republic of Daranir for quite a while. [[TheCaptain Vaegyr Ward]] got offworld on a blockade runner, and in chapter 12 the Farhavenites stage a mass breakout with Alliance military and mercenary support.
91	* SealedEvilInATeddyBear / DeathBringerTheAdorable: Literally ''toyed'' with while being hinted at in [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=430 this]] strip.
92	%%* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: See the picture for an excellent example.
93	%%* SelfDeprecation: A staple of the comic.
94	* ShellShockedVeteran: Kari, though not as severe a case as most. Her experiences at the battle of White-Fall left her with PTSD.
95	* ShoutOut: Space stations named after Jane Espenson and Creator/TimMinear. Also, the captain of ''Kathryn's Glance'', as the crew [[spoiler: prepare to attack Espenson Station,]] says 'Have fun storming the castle.'
96	%%* ShowWithinAShow: ''Walker Wars''.
97	* ShutUpKiss: Whisper gives Dan one of these.
98	%%* SmugSnake: Abraham Mensk. [[spoiler: And his uncle.]]
99	* SpaceIsAnOcean:
100	** If the picture didn't give it away, the comic uses this one quite a bit. Some cases are more justified than others. Ships have a [[TheBridge bridge,]] a noticeable top and bottom, are laid out with decks parallel to the direction of travel, and are named and classified in the usual manner of sailing ships. And that's not even mentioning the [[SpacePirates pirates.]]
101	** Spacecraft also have red and green navigation lights like ships (and planes).
102	** The one exception to this is that fighters are often seen flying upside-down or sideways. Of course, the fighters have their own [[SpaceIsAir physics violations...]]
103	* SpacePeople: One in ten people who were raised in space develop Spacer Syndrome, which causes extreme motion sickness whenever they're exposed to natural gravity. [[spoiler:Kari]] has it.
104	* SpacePirates:
105	** Replete with them. Some are worse about it than others.
106	** InsistentTerminology: Vaegyr is a privateer, not a pirate.
107	%%* SpaceWestern: It flirts with this when not indulging in SpaceIsAnOcean.
108	* SuperSoldier: An actual in-universe classification. Military forces are prohibited by treaty from making their regular soldiers more than 40% synthetic, but Super Soldiers are exempt from that restriction, such as the Republic's Marines [[spoiler: they're also JAKS]]
109	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Completely {{deconstructed}} when [[spoiler: Mensk gets shot from behind while trying to convince his guards not to go rogue.]] Considering the people he'd been openly trying to kill for a long while were right behind him, this may have been a bad call.
110	* TechnologyPorn: Lt. Ren Takagi [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=562 found the ship's manual]].
111	-->'''Ren''': What can I say, I like ship porn.
112	* TokenReligiousTeammate: Daniel is a Christian missionary who leads Bible studies sometimes and gets called a "Bible basher", though he doesn't actually push it on anyone. The author said he added this because he's a Christian as well and wanted to counter the idea that religion would have [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions died out in the future]].
113	* UriahGambit: [[spoiler: Saphira sets Mensk against Vaegyr... with the expectation that Vaegyr will then kill Mensk. Though Larissa is the one who actually pulls the trigger.]]
114	%%* VitriolicBestBuds: Pick any two people who like each other.
115	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: {{Deconstructed}}. You don't do it because his uncle is a pirate warlord. Of course, you can then [[DoubleSubversion just shoot the uncle]]...
116	* WordSaladHumor: When the Nargun Exchange Controller refuses to speak to Whisper, she responds by [[http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php?view=comic&strip_id=737 rattling off a crazy salad of terrorist and advertising keywords]], creating a barrage of low-level alerts that the Controller finds too irritating to ignore.
117	%%* WorldOfSnark

Context Webcomic / CrimsonDark