Character sheet for the fanfic Archetypal.
- Loud Familynote
- Archetype Academynote
- Antagonistsnote
- Othernote
Archetypes in General
"Archetype", in the world of Archetypal, refers to two things: the superpowers that everybody is born with, and the users of said superpowers.
- Action Girl: Any female Archetype is capable of becoming this.
- Adaptational Badass: Unless you're one of the unlucky many to become a Bystander, or the unlucky few who have an Archetype that's even worse than that.
- Archetypal Character: Everybody is one in the setting, as the words written on their soul gives them power related to a specific archetype: Dark Lord, Chosen One, Necromancer, you name it, there's an Archetype for it.
- Aggressive Categorism: Some Archetypes have such a bad reputation that people won't hesitate to throw shade at a person with said Archetype. Lincoln's "Harem King" and Sid's "Assassin" is just one of many examples.
- Always Female: Some Archetypes have their members as purely female, like Amazon and Magical Girl.
- Bad Powers, Good People / Bad Powers, Bad People: Since an Archetype's power doesn't affect the user's personality, it's entirely possible for people to be born with powers nothing short of villainous, and yet be a perfectly decent citizen. Or a prick.
- Beware the Superman: Since only about 9% of the population have actual superpowers, which is a number that could be reduced even further if we ignore the Archetypes whose powers are detrimental to the user, it's a no-brainer that any powerful Archetype is gonna be seen with a mix of admiration and fear.
- Blessed with Suck: Certain Archetypes give their users more trouble than their worth, whether it's because of Fantastic Racism regarding said Archetype, like Assassin, or because the Archetypes have powers that don't make up for it, like Minion.
- Born Lucky: Certain Archetypes are born with an incredible powerset, like Superhero.
- Born Unlucky: On the flipside, it's also possible to be born into this, either by virtue of being born a Bystander, and thus a normal person, or being born into a troublesome Archetype, like Minion.
- Celebrity Superhero: Any Archetype who uses their powers for good long enough eventually garner a reputation similar to a celebrity.
- Combo Platter Powers: If a particular superpower can be tied to an Archetype, it'll have it on its moveset, regardless of how much sense it makes for the Archetype to have it.
- The Chosen One: What the "Hero" Archetype boils down to, though it's not been specified what powers do come with it.
- Demon Lords and Archdevils: The "Dark Lord" Archetype is based on this trope. Unlike most other Archetypes we've seen, this one seems to given physical changes to the user, as evidenced by Stella's horns and tail.
- Differently Powered Individual: As said above, "Archetype" refers to both the superpowers a person is born with, and the person themselves.
- Elemental Powers: Certain Archetypes show control over certain elements, though for the most part, fire is the most common element to be used.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Twofold; not only are the Archetypes named rather obviously, but the different Archetypes have names that leave little to the imagination: The "Vampire" Archetype is about vampires, the "Dark Lord" Archetype is all about Demon Lords and Archdevils, and so on.
- Fantastic Caste System: Not much attention has been placed on it, but one such system seems to be in place.
- Combat Archetypes have powers that primarily work as the main fighting force against the Soulless. Superhero is an example of this type.
- Support Archetypes have powers that fit a supportive role, like healing. No full Support Archetype has made its appearance, but they're confirmed to exist.
- Rarely, an Archetype, like Magical Girl, can have powers that are a mix between both of the above Archetypes.
- Right underneath them is the Bystander Archetype, which is very much just a fancy way to call someone the Un-Sorcerer.
- And then there are Archetypes that could be considered worse than Bystander, either because their powers are more underwhelming than expected, or are outright detrimental to the user. One such example is Minion, which has Blind Obedience as its gimmick.
- Fantastic Racism: Certain Archetypes gather a worse reputation than others, most often because said Archetypes give off dark vibes that prompt people not to trust it, like Harem King or Assassin.
- Henshin Hero: Certain Archetypes need to transform in order to use their superpowers, the most obvious one being Magical Girl.
- Hybrid Power: Downplayed. Certain Archetypes function as hybrids between Support and Combat Types, like Magical Girl. However, while definitely useful in their areas, certain full type Archetypes can be considered more useful, like Superhero.
- Mage Born of Muggles / Muggle Born of Mages: It's entirely possible for a pair of Bystanders, who are basically the muggle equivalent in this world, to father someone with an useful Archetype, just like a pair of people with useful Archetypes can father a Bystander. That's what happens when genetics are left up to a Random Number God.
- Magical Girl: Another possible Archetype one can be born into, and the first to be visibly demonstrated to have multiple people with it. Leni is the top one in Royal Woods, but there are others.
- Magical Girl Warrior: Magical Girl, as an Archetype, is a hybrid between a Support and a Combat Archetype, so a Magical Girl whose powers emphasize the latter aspect fits the trope.
- Randomly Gifted: It doesn't matter if you're a member of a bloodline of one particular Archetype, or if you're born to a Bystander family; it's entirely up to fate what Archetype you get. And if fate is feeling particularly dickish, you could end up in the small pool of people whose Archetype is worthless.
- Random Number God: Who gets what Archetype is completely random unless steps are taken to breed one particular Archetype.
- There Can Be Only One: Averted. It's entirely possible for two people to be born with the same Archetype, like with Renee and Lori, who are both Superheroes.
- Superhero: One of the many available Archetypes one can be born into. Lori's a member of this Archetype.
- Support Party Member: Certain Archetypes have a more supportive role compared to the other Archetypes. Fittingly, their role in society is more about keeping the populace entertained and morale high rather than facing the Husks head on.
- Un-Sorcerer: Bystander is the closest thing on this setting; while allegedly an Archetype, the ones on this Archetype have no powers whatsoever, being just normal people in essence. They also form 91% of the average population, making them the most common Archetype to be encountered.
