Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Namesake

Go To

Tropes relating to the characters of Namesake. WARNING: There are heavy spoilers past this point.

The pictures of the characters are property of the comics' creators, who have given exclusive permission to use them on this site. Do not re-use them anywhere else.

    open/close all folders 

     Main Cast 

Emma Crewe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emma1.jpg

A twenty-something web developer and the protagonist of the story. After a fire at her local library, she winds up being transported to Oz for reasons unknown.


  • Action Girl: Already shows hints of that in Oz, fighting living vines and an odd shadow being. Develops into a full-fledged version after some training with Calliope.
  • Action Survivor: She handles being dumped into bad situations surprisingly well.
  • Amnesia Missed a Spot: Her mind has been wiped several times by the Rippers, but Emma can get all her memories back when she gets hold of her vorpal sword again.
  • All Work vs. All Play: Emma being work to her sister's play.
  • Artificial Human: She's created from a fairy child, a host of literature and the ghost of the "real" Emma Crewe.
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Emma and Elaine are shown together only for one scene in the first chapter before Emma is spirited off to Oz, and most of that is taken up by teasing and bickering. As soon as they're separated, though, this is turned on its head: Elaine drives herself to exhaustion trying to get her sister back, and Emma explicitly tells Warrick that she loves Elaine "more than anything". Their reunion dozens of chapters later is a gigantic, running bear hug.
  • Badass and Child Duo: The badass with Elaine being the child.
  • Become a Real Boy: Despite One's intentions she wound up developing into a real person due to her love for her sister, father, friends and Warrick. Ozma had a hidden hand in her creation as well. Unfortunately if she succeeds in restoring the "real" Emma Crewe (aka "Sleeping Beauty") she'll revert back to her original changeling form.
  • Big Beautiful Woman: She's a bit more on the heavy side, enough to have a bit of a complex about having "a big butt", but she's very pretty and has at least two admirers in-universe.
  • Boxed Crook: Emma isn't a crook, but she is very dangerous. So Calliope gives her the choice: Prisoner or Warrior?
  • Cool Big Sis: To Elaine; Emma can be strict or bossy at times, but Elaine counts on her for every problem and trusts that Emma can deal with whatever disaster is coming their way, and so far, she lives up to it.
  • Cool Sword: She gets one after she frees the spirit in order to save her friends' lives. It's a vorpal blade that goes ZAZAAK, though Alice offhandily mentions in an interiew that it's not pure vorpal. Because it's Warrkick's Heart forged into a blade. Latter gets a second one she makes from her own heart, it doesn't last long though as Warrick stabs himself in the chest with it to absorb her heart, while simultaniously stabing her with the orginal sword containing his, fixing Emma's power issues and lifting his curse
  • Damsel out of Distress: In Bramble Manor, where she's in the hands of the Rippers and not even aware they're a danger to her, but all she needs is to unlock her memories, then she goes straight to bashing her wardens down.
  • Deadpan Snarker: This seems to be Emma's coping mechanism for weird situations.
  • Don't Call Me "Sir": A variation; it really gets on her nerves that every Ozite she comes across calls her "Dorothy" initially, which is more of an honorary title than a name in Oz.
  • Effortless Amazonian Lift: Due to being disproportionately strong, Emma can pull this off.
  • Empty Shell: Subverted. One intended Emma to be an empty vessel filled with others' stories, but she developed a story of her own.
  • Everyone Can See It: Her and Warrick's feelings for each other.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: With several of her Ozite friends (the Scarecrow, Hercilia, Warrick) she bonded after they got into a perilous situation with enchanted vines and fought their way out of it together.
  • Foil: She's one to Nose, a similar artificial human who hasn't been able to escape One's control.
  • Forgotten Childhood Friend: She and Nose used to be friends in childhood, which the Rippers made her forget. By now, it starts coming back to her.
  • For Your Own Good: Emma is hiding some of the more distressing things she's learned on her Hero's Journey from Elaine. It causes some strain in their relationship.
  • Getting Smilies Painted on Your Soul: Done to Emma by Trinket in order to keep her compliant, and it's apparently not the first time, either.
  • Gone Horribly Right: From One's perspective thanks to Ozma's hidden hand in her creation, which resulted in her receiving the heart Warrick intended for Ozma and developing a story of her own. Emma is far too normal for his plans or her own good.
  • Humanity Ensues: As a "Skeleton Key", she is supposed to be more of a golem than a real person. Love conquered that particular hurdle.
  • Ignorant of the Call: She had no idea she was a Namesake. Justified, as she's not really a Namesake and the Rippers have been keeping her from remembering her association with them.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Given this by Nose to make her forget Oz, and later by Trinket to make her forget rebelling against her father. Emma is heavily implied to have been getting this treatment for years to cover times when she's manifested Namesake powers and then given Fake Memories to patch these holes.
  • Knight Templar Big Brother: She is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Elaine, buoyed only by a vague promise that "Sleeping Beauty" will try to save her in the end.
  • MacGuffin Super-Person: She's an Artificial Human created to be a Skeleton Key that can open paths to any Namesake's world.
  • Magic Misfire: Happens sometimes in the training with Calliope, as Emma doesn't seem to have a full grasp on her powers. Once she's in a real combat situation though, she's doing pretty well.
  • Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The physically very strong, hot-headed Action Girl in opposite to Warrick, who's a healer and bookworm.
  • Meaningful Name: Her name means "Universal" which fits her status as a Skeleton Key that is able to travel to all the worlds. Also, her sharing her name with her mother is definitely not a coincidence. Later, it's revealed that all vorpalsmiths take the name Emma, and that Emma Ramos created her with the purpose of becoming a smith.
  • Missing Mom: Her mother who has been confirmed to have been a Namesake too appears briefly in a flashback, but it's unknown where she is in the present day or if she's still alive. It's also implied that Emma has been taking care of Elaine alongside their father who turns out to be a Ripper since Elaine was an infant. Her mother has left a message for Emma hidden in her mind that's supposed to explain her the state of things and her mission in the big game.
  • Nigh-Invulnerable: One of the upsides of her powers is that she's really hard to kill.
  • Oblivious Adoption: She had no idea that she is, in fact, not Daniel's biological daughter.
  • Platonic Life-Partners: Even prior to the beginning of the story, she's been this with Ben; it's why he tags along with her and Elaine to Calliope.
  • The Power of Love: The ultimate cause of the difference between her and Nose.
  • Prefers Going Barefoot: This had to be specified by Word of God, since Emma is required to wear Hercilia in shoe form for most of the Oz arc, but Emma really prefers going barefoot for some reason. Agha actually has to inform her she can't go barefoot before Emma will put the magic shoes on. It could be that she finds shoes simply uncomfortable to wear, since her feet are pretty heavily scarred.
  • Promoted to Parent: Though their father was around, she was an important caregiver and person of trust to Elaine after their mother left. When they go to England to live at the Calliope area and their father is imprisoned by the Rippers, she becomes the legal guardian of Elaine.
  • Psychic Link: Has one with "Sleeping Beauty"; this leads to them communicating via her dreams.
  • Sacrificial Lion: Fully believes she is on a suicide mission but is willing to go through with it for Elaine's sake on the vague promise that someone will try to save her at the end.
  • Secret Legacy: Since she got the name, Emma has the potential to be a vorpal smith.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: She gets prettied up to attend One's "dinner". Nose is stunned.
  • The Snark Knight: See Deadpan Snarker above.
  • Super-Strength: Though she doesn't always have complete control over it.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: She's understandably pretty upset to meet the "real" Emma in chapter 17 though she's gotten past the reveal and is getting on with her life.
  • When She Smiles: Emma's smiles are extremely rare and usually quite small. The largest she's ever been shown to smile was in an early piece of filler art. It's quite lovely.
  • Which Me?: You'd already expect this to come up with the ghost who wears Emma's face and with the relation to "Sleeping Beauty", but then she meets Tom Thumb who claims that another version of Emma sent him with an Ominous Message from the Future.

Elaine Crewe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elaine1.jpg

Emma's little sister. She's quite tech-savvy and more social than Emma. After her sister disappears, she and Ben are introduced to Jack and placed under house arrest with Fred to guard them.


  • Badass and Child Duo: The child to Emma's badass, though Elaine would probably protest as she's meanwhile 16.
  • Badass Bookworm: She reads a lot and is always the first when it comes to asking questions and doing research. Also, her powers can force stories or people to go the way she wants and they're potent enough to oppose a Shadow.
  • Bratty Teenage Daughter: On occasion. Ben affectionately refers to her as the "Tiny Terror".
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: Certainly capable of intense research and cunning thinking when she makes an effort. Not that her schoolwork is much of a testament.
  • Compelling Voice: Default power as a Writer, but she can literally command Travis to live, right after a Shadow told him to die. Elaine proves to be stronger.
  • Cute Bookworm: While she's put in house arrest by Jack, she spends the entire night doing research.
  • Determinator: Willing to stay up all night to find answers on her sister's disappearance; works herself half to exhaustion trying to save Emma and uses up literally all the blank paper in the house; refuses to take cryptic answers from Calliope and DEMANDS to know what's going on and what "Namesake" and "Writer" mean. Seriously, don't come between Elaine and the information she wants.
  • Damsel in Distress: Since she is less of an Action Girl than many of the Namesakes and quite young and small to boot, she needs the help of Fred or Emma more than once when she gets into a perilous situation.
  • Everyone's Baby Sister: Don't go after Elaine, seriously. If it's not Fred, it'll be Emma who kicks your ass, and if Emma's not around, Ben, Jack, and Travis all have at least once shown to have a mentor / big brother-like role towards her — she will definitely be protected by someone.
  • Lima Syndrome: Tries to do this to Fred. It works, kinda, though for other reasons than psychology.
  • Love Hurts: Her heart aches over what she unwittingly did to Fred with her Writer powers.
  • Missing Mom: Different than Emma, she never even met her mother since the latter disappeared shortly after Elaine was born.
  • Older Than They Look: Actually 15, but looks several years younger. She's very much aware of this.
  • Plucky Girl: Like Emma, Elaine handles progressively weirder and more dangerous situations rather well.
  • Power Makes Your Hair Grow: When Elaine's muse powers reveal themselves, her hair grows several feet.
  • Reality Warper: She is a Writer, so she can change things. So far, we've seen her give Fred hair and make him able to speak and understand English. And, apparently, make Namesakes and non-magic people freeze in place, and possibly scrunch up swords before they can kill. According to the djinn, she may create an entire world someday. Finally it's implied her Writer powers helped humanize Emma.
  • Ship Tease: With Fred.
  • True Blue Femininity: Is often dressed in blue.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: She gives Emma quite an earful for leaving their father behind in Bramble Manor. Though this one was really not Emma's fault, as Daniel made her go, using his Writer powers.
  • Youngest Child Wins: In a way. Emma's life was apparently drawn out for her from the beginning, every step of hers controlled and her mind constantly regulated, whereas Elaine is a powerful Writer who can change things according to her own wishes. Writer powers being what they are, this has a bit of Blessed with Suck though.

Ben Kench

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ben1_5.jpg

A friend of Emma and Elaine. After Emma disappears, he and Elaine find out about Jack and Calliope.


  • Arbitrary Skepticism: Even after the weirdness he's seen Ben finds the existence of Captain Hook difficult to accept. "Hook is real?" Note that he is saying this while standing in the throne room of Oz.
  • Berserk Button: Nose, the creepy man with the sword, threatening Elaine — that was bad enough. But when he mentions he also knows Emma, Ben is there with a metal pipe about two seconds later.
  • Big Brother Instinct: He treats Elaine like a little sister.
  • The Big Guy: Taller and certainly heavier than most characters. Rather unfortunate, since he's next to useless in a fight, though he seems to have lost a few pounds after joining Calliope.
  • Buffy Speak: When trying to describe the ghost. "And then the Emma monster got huge and there were teeth and eyes and blood and ohmygod."
  • Embarrassing First Name: Ben is not short for Benjamin. It's Benoit.
  • Just Friends: Emma's best friend from college. They're clearly very close, but there's little to no evidence the relationship was ever romantic. Ben admits he might have had a little crush on her back in college, but that was before they really became friends.
  • Like Brother and Sister: With both Crewe sisters, to varying degrees.
  • Platonic Life-Partners: With Emma. His loyalty to her drives him to leave his home and job behind to join Calliope with her and Elaine, and he has no problems telling her he loves her.
  • Proud to Be a Geek: Seen prominently in a Green Lantern shirt; frequently references geek culture; tries to get Fred to say "The cake is a lie!" when he first begins speaking. Then there's this gem:
    Alice: *explains what Writers are and what their powers can do*
    Ben: Is Terry Pratchett one of you guys?
  • Tagalong Kid: Of a sort. There's really no reason for Ben to be there, other than the fact that he drove Emma to the library at the beginning and then stayed in the house to look after Elaine when things went to Hell. He knows absolutely nothing about fighting and is even more freaked out by ghosts and magic than Elaine is; the few times he's been spurred into action has been when Emma or Elaine was threatened.
  • The Team Normal: Not too normal. Calliope determines that he's got above-average perception of magical creatures and offers him a career in their diplomatic corps.
  • That Came Out Wrong: No, the djinn does NOT grant wishes. He will shut up now.

Warrick Chopper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/warrick1.jpg

The Tin Man's grandson and the Wicked Warlock of the West.


  • The Ageless: Currently, though his aging process will probably set in again once he has his heart back.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: Inherited the green side of his mother Adora's complexion, giving him green skin. He eventually shows Emma that his right knee is purple and tells her his sister, who inherited the purple side of their mother's complexion, has a green knee.
  • Badass Bookworm: He's highly intelligent and quite well-read, and also able to hold his own in a fight.
  • Broken Bird: A rare male example, which makes sense in conjunction with the feminine associations of healing magic. Even after Warrick regains his sanity, Selva points out that he's a frail shadow of his former self unless Emma's around. Turns out there's a good reason for this that goes beyond Emma being a Dorothy and a Skeleton Key, which he learns when they visit Tommelise.
  • Emerald Power: His Healer magic appears as green bubbles and / or flashes of green light.
  • Evil Twin: He and Selva play with this trope. Turns out neither is really evil, just misguided and a bit mentally unstable.
  • Good Powers, Bad People: His reputation in Oz, after losing his moral compass. Warrick's really not that bad, but he does have an "ends justify the means" mentality that can lead him astray.
  • Green and Mean: Green is his skin color, and at first Warrick plays this trope straight. Later subverted when he turns out to be actually a decent guy.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Having no heart makes it hard for him to control his emotions. Emma and Ozma have a grounding effect on him that can keep this in check.
  • Healing Hands: He can cast the spell that Ozma uses to keep the Ozites alive, young, and healthy, but on a smaller scale.
  • Heart Trauma: Removing his heart made him emotionally unstable.
  • Immortality: He removed his heart in order to find Ozma, which had this as a side effect. Though, by technicality, he's not so much immortal as plain undead.
  • In Touch with His Feminine Side: He's by no means effeminate or a whimp (see him wielding his grandfather's axe in battle), but Warrick is a healer, not a warrior, and he looks the part, what with being a skinny, nerdy Pretty Boy. Also, he totally loves cuddly dogs, has a thing for romance novels, and his clothes are rather gender-neutral. Should be noted though that Ozites don't have many gender stereotypes to begin with, neither in clothing nor in occupation or interests.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While he does a lot of bad things without remorse, he's really this, as the lack of remorse was a side effect from removing his heart.
  • Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The more feminine Healer boy to badass Action Girl Emma.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He has a My God, What Have I Done? moment when he realizes that sending his heart to Ozma actually hurt her. Revisited later when he finds out that it was actually Emma who received his heart, as she was closer to his conception of Ozma than Ozma herself.
  • Nigh-Invulnerable: Due to being a healer who constantly heals himself and technically already dead.
  • Older Than They Look: Word of God has confirmed that in the present day Warrick looks noticeably younger than Selva, even though they're twins. The curse locked his body in stasis, so even by Ozite standards he ages very slowly. Right afterwards, he and Selva both looked like teenagers. By the time Renge is overthrown, Selva is clearly a grown woman, but Warrick still looks the same. Warrick's comparative emotional immaturity doesn't help matters any.
  • The One Guy: Among the rulers of Oz, Warrick is this, with the witches of east, north, and south all being women, respectively, and so are the current Wizard of Emerald City (Renge and then Agha) and the Princess.
  • Psychopathic Man Child: Due to having his heart removed, he first appears to be quite capricious and prone to petty vengeance for minor offenses. He mellows out pretty soon thanks to Emma having a stabilizing effect on him.
  • Ship Tease: With Emma. By now, they're an Official Couple.
  • Shrinking Violet: Warrick at parties — he prefers his books.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: Being soaked in water will melt him, as the one weakness in his immortality spell (which is the same one the old Wicked Witch of the West used). In-comic, it's depicted as water burning him like acid, complete with smoke. A spilled glass of wine leaves him with a few burns. And so does Emma's saliva!

Selva Chopper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/selva1.jpg

The Tin Man's granddaughter and Warrick's twin sister. She is the Wicked Witch of the East.


  • Amazing Technicolor Population: She has purple skin. Her brother tells Emma that she also has a green knee, much like one of his is purple.
  • Black Mage: While Warrick is a healer, Selva is much more talented at offensive magic.
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Purple is her color. Emma is almost turned into a purse for accidentally wearing a purple shirt in her domain.
  • Evil Twin: She and Warrick play with this trope. Turns out neither is evil.
  • Genki Girl: Turns out, she's normally just a sweet, energetic young woman.
  • Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She often dresses in purple to go with her skin color.
  • Hoist by Her Own Petard: Her own spell backfires early on, and she accidentally turns herself into a purse and gets carried around for a good eight chapters. Except she could turn herself back at any time. She was just sulking.
  • Insane Troll Logic: Her plan to prevent people from being brainwashed by poppies? Turn them into objects! You can't have a head full of poppies if you don't have a head. She even says "It made sense at the time." To be fair, Warrick's spell had messed with her head a bit at that point.
  • Large Ham: When she's in the grips of the emotional disjunction leaking over to her from Warrick, she gets very hammy. Justified, as she's likely not able to regulate her emotions anymore.
  • Mind over Matter: Her mother describes her powers with these words, as Selva can transform basically everything into objects of her choice and back, with the mass laws being no hindrance for her.
  • Psychopathic Woman Child: Initially, due to her mental unstableness at the time. She flipped a table over Emma daring to wear purple because it's her color, and got pissed over "her brother treating her like a child". She got better.
  • Shipper on Deck: Selva's taken note of the effect Emma has on Warrick and would love to see them grow closer.
  • Ship Tease: Has it bad for Alice.
  • Textile Work Is Feminine: She's a gifted seamstress and supported herself and her brother with it during Warrick's illness.
  • Twin Telepathy: A disturbing variety. Maybe it was simply the emotional trauma or maybe they have some sort of magic link, but when her brother cut out his heart, she went just as crazy. Worse, Warrick's recently learned that if the curse claims his life, it will drain Selva's powers too.

Fred / Keti

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fred1_9.jpg

A Wonderland card soldier — namely, the Five of Hearts — that Jack left to keep an eye on Ben and Elaine. Suddenly began speaking broken English and developing a more concrete personality once Elaine's Writer powers began emerging.


  • Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Fred pats someone's head several times (Elaine's, Alice's, Emma's). Different than other times this trope is played, the gesture has nothing condescending at all; he genuinely means to encourage someone, offer comfort or show acclaim.
  • Badass Adorable: No matter how cute he is, he's still a card soldier and shouldn't be underestimated.
  • Berserk Button: If there was ever any doubt, this page is actually titled "Fred's berserk button".
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Fred is one of the kindest, most caring guys around, and if pushed too far, he fights shadow monsters or attacks people with a pair of daggers.
  • Bloodless Carnage: What he's used to, being made of paper and all. He's extremely confused and scared after he gets thrown through a glass window by the Ghost — not just because it hurts, but because it turns out he has blood now, and there's a lot of it.
  • Cool Helmet: Had a helmet as part of his uniform. He threw it off when the hair started coming in, and it hasn't been seen since.
  • Dreadlock Warrior: For some reason, his hair appears to be in little dreads. This is especially odd considering he doesn't have any hair at all until Elaine subconsciously makes him grow it — why did she choose that style?
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: He's still... figuring out how to have emotions. When he gets angry, it is very sudden, very intense and very frightening.
  • Love Hurts: Cares deeply for Elaine, but also resents her for unwittingly humanizing him. By now though, it seems he has gotten over this and taken on his newfound humanity.
  • No Body Left Behind: "Cards don't bleed. Damaged cards return to the deck." This is literal — when Fred is badly hurt he actually turns into a physical paper playing card, and is transported back to the deck in Jack's pocket. Along with anyone who happens to be along for the ride.
  • Only One Name: Elaine made it up from "Five-Red", simply because she felt they needed to call him something. He also has his original true name (Keti), but it's only been stated in supplementary material so far.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Possibly the shortest humanoid character in the entire comic, not including Munchkins. He seems to grow alongside Elaine, probably because of her Writer powers. He can pick up and carry Alice with little effort.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "How... dare... YOU!"
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Played with. He's a sweetheart, but also very dangerous. The red eyes come from his card-suit coloring.
  • Red Is Heroic: His main color to wear is red, because of his affiliation to the heart soldiers. Can be Red Is Violent sometimes.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Briefly, when Nose straight up impales the rest of his army by stabbing Jack's deck of cards. They'll be fine, though.
  • Skilled, but Naive: Naturally, since his entire existence so far was being a soldier and he has little to no experience with earth or socializing with people.
  • Spider-Sense: Discussed in the comments of this page. It's a card power.
  • Supernatural Sensitivity: Can tell by first glance that Warrick is a healer, and also that Emma is made of magic.
  • Spock Speak: "Miss Namesake! I'm bleeding! Am I going to expire? Humans expire when they bleed!"
  • The Unintelligible: First spoke the indecipherable card language, then tried sounding out English words to little effect. His English is barely understandable until Elaine helps him out.
  • Younger Than They Look: Not that he looks very old to begin with, but Fred has only been in existence for three years.

     Calliope (Present and Past) & The Writer's Guild 

An organization dedicated to helping Namesakes and hunting malevolent ghosts, Calliope possesses a great number of magical items and intel on otherworldly beings and material. They first appear on the story to investigate a mysterious portal after Emma is transported to Oz and end taking part of important events happening in Earth. The current leader of Calliope is former Namesake Jason Crawford.

The Writer's Guild is considered a separate organization despite still being allies of Calliope. Founded in 1912 by L. Frank Baum, the objective of the Guild was to allow writers greater creative freedom while not being restricted by Calliope's laws.

Alice Purcell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice1.jpg

A member of Calliope, and current Namesake for Alice from the Alice in Wonderland books.


  • Abusive Parents: She describes her parents as "gobshite". She was taken to a foster home at age seven.
  • Action Girl: Wields an Absurdly Sharp Blade, has learned fencing when she was still a child, served as a Calliope elite agent ever since and is the kind of person to rather pick a fight than yield.
  • Cannot Spit It Out: Has problems confessing her feelings for Selva.
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: One of her Wonderlander powers and the reason she avoids smiling. On rare occasions she can even appear and disappear like the Chessies.
  • Cool Sword: Has a vorpal sword. OF COURSE its Audible Sharpness goes "snicker-snack".
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: Occasionally.
  • Had to Be Sharp: What with her parents treating her like shit for being a Namesake and other kids in her foster home trying to bully her, Alice developed quite the bite. She showed early on a tendency to go straight for the attack.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: Somewhat. Upon first arriving in Wonderland she sustained serious injuries, and three Cheshire Cats decided to give her an extra life from each of them. This had the result of making her part-Wonderlander and allowing her to open portals at will.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Alice can be snippy and bossy when things don't go according to her plans, especially in the beginning, but once she gets to know someone, she's deeply loyal and caring.
  • The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: Like the other Alice-Namesake, she had her reflection mocking her and fueling her insecurities when she was young.
  • More Teeth than the Osmond Family: The other reason she avoids smiling: her Cheshire Cat grin reveals a full set of triangular Cheshire Cat teeth.
  • Raised by Wolves: Starting at seven, anyway — the Cheshire cats took her in. She now has a huge Wonderland family of magic cats, and considers one of the three that originally rescued her to be her mother.
  • Straight Gay: She offhandedly mentions buying drinks for pretty girls in her "interview" appearance, and probably had a crush on her childhood friend, Suzan. She also dated Vanessa before the latter became a Ripper and currently has a crush on Selva. Confirmed as a lesbian.
  • True Blue Femininity: Often seen wearing blue.

Wendy Shepard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wendy2.jpg

A member of Calliope, and the current Namesake for Wendy Darling from the story of Peter Pan.


  • Abhorrent Admirer: Played for Laughs, her spy colleague Bog who talks to her through the ventilation system and occasionally hits on her, to Wendy's exasperation.
  • Action Girl: She doesn't show it early on, but she's as skilled with a blade as Alice is because Captain Hook trained her to fight with a sword and a hook when she lived in Neverland.
  • Crystal Ball: Uses one at one point.
  • Everyone Can See It: Travis' (requited) crush on her is painfully obvious to anyone.
  • Fish out of Temporal Water: Wendy's time displacement had a profound effect on her — she's just very good at hiding it. There's also the fact that her younger sister by now could easily pass as her grandmother.
  • Friends with Benefits: Subtly hinted at in-comic; she's this with Jack. Confirmed by Word of God.
  • The Heart: Undeniably the sweetest and gentlest of the Calliope members we’ve seen. Gets somewhat deconstructed after Wendy admits to being a spy, and a lot of her actions are revealed to be carefully calculated and pragmatic, rather than results of kindness.
  • Heroic BSoD: Young Wendy had a massive one after her attempt to leave Neverland caused the death of all of her friends and she realized the effects Peter Pan had on the lives of those around him. Goes completely with Thousand-Yard Stare, her attacking Peter, and finally breaking down in hysterical giggling and sobs.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Alice.
  • Jungle Princess: By the looks of her flashbacks, she was somewhat of a child version of this in Neverland.
  • Married to the Job: She claims the reason why she doesn't try and start a relationship with Travis is because she can't afford to be distracted from her job.
  • The Mole: Like Banshee, she works for The Founder.
  • Older Than She Looks: She was born in 1933 (which would make her chronologically 76 years old) but the portal that brought her back from Neverland landed in 1993, making Wendy biologically 26.
  • Only Sane Woman: She's the one who can keep a cool head in every situation, while most of her co-workers are more impulsive.
  • Stepford Smiler: Under her pleasant exterior Wendy feels completely disconnected from the people around her thanks to her personal Time Skip.
    Wendy: "If I felt things like you do... would I finally be here?"
  • Team Mom: Well, she is a Wendy.

Jack Wright

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack1.jpg

A current member of Calliope and a Namesake for the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.


  • Butt-Monkey: Alice and Wendy tend to give him a lot of grief when they hang out together.
  • The Casanova: Downplayed. He casually flirts with every lady he comes across, but doesn't really expect this to go anywhere.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 27 and 28 focus on his Namesake journey and his and Penta's love story.
  • Eagleland: Generally outgoing, sunny and egalitarian: Wendy calls him a "meddlesome Yank".
  • Friends with Benefits: Subtly hinted at in-comic; he's this with Wendy, who knows that his heart "is not available". Confirmed by Word of God.
  • Happily Married: He was married to Penta, a princess from the giants' world. When Jack tries to return there after going back to earth, he finds out that her world is dead, and she likely is too.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Even Fish, who usually has nothing but contempt for other people, comments on his pretty hair.
  • The Lost Lenore: Penta is this to him.
  • Raised by Grandparents: His mother was very young when she had him, so they lived with her father, and when Jack joined Calliope, his grandfather moved to England with him and took on legal guardianship for him while his mother went on to start a new life.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: In the giants' castle above the clouds, he had to wear a dress so he could easily be hidden among the princesses, which he didn't complain about for one second. And he looked good in it, too.
  • Redhead In Green: In colored pictures, he is often seen wearing green. Fits with his ancestry, since his grandfather is Irish.
  • Red Right Hand: His right hand is covered in permanent blood splatters from killing a giant.
  • Sad Clown: Ever charming, ever joking, ever pleasant, which easily hides that he had a highly traumatic Namesake travel at approximately 14-15 years of age, lost the love of his life and stranded in empty space where his second home world used to be for an undecipherable amount of time.
  • Shipper on Deck: For Wendy and Travis, Emma and Warrick, Alice and Selva... whoever it is, Jack probably approves of and supports it.
  • You Can't Fight Fate: Much to his grief, he had to find out that Jacks are giant killers in their Namesake world, and there is no way around this. He got this told by one of the giants who had just become dear friends to him.

Karen Lawson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/karen1_5.jpg

A runaway Namesake. Her death kick-starts the plot.


  • Addictive Magic: Seems to have fallen prey to magic addiction sometime before the story starts. This is what causes her possession by a ghost.
  • An Arm and a Leg: It is shown that her feet were chopped off and replaced by wooden ones due to her being the Namesake of The Red Dancing Shoes.
  • Artificial Limbs: Her feet are wooden. This allows her to wear the red dancing shoes without them affecting her.
  • Broken Bird: Implied to have been this after her Namesake travel; she isolated herself from Calliope and became addicted to magic.
  • Kill It with Fire: Eesh.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: Gets killed in the very first chapter.

Travis Almstedt

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/travis1.jpg

A member of the Writer's Guild, Writer of Wendy Shepard and adoptive brother of the Ripper agent Bird. He agrees to train Elaine and also acts as the main Guild representative in Emma's quest. His complicated relationship with his sister also puts him at frequent odds with Alice, who hates him with a passion.


  • Badass Bookworm: Travis gets called "useless desk monkey" by one of his colleagues, but uses his Writer powers to fight a cockatrice and a Shadow.
  • Brainwashing for the Greater Good: The reason Alice hates him so much is because Travis used his Writer powers on her to make her kill Vanessa after the latter's Face–Heel Turn. However, this could have been more a problem of bad phrasing than his true intent.
  • Butt-Monkey: The Calliope leader Jason makes decisions over his head without much regard for Travis' stance, and Alice occasionally bullies him.
  • Cynicism Catalyst: He used to be much nicer and calmer before his sister's sudden betrayal and defection from Calliope.
  • Everyone Can See It: Doesn't even bother keeping his romantic feelings for Wendy a secret, especially since she also likes him back.
  • Happily Adopted: By Mikaela Almstedt.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His first appearance has him calling Emma a magical item and "not a human" that should be handed over to the Guild for study while also revealing his feud with Alice. However, he later apologizes for his behavior to Emma while helping her and Elaine sort their powers out and also admits that he made mistakes in his past that make Alice's hate of him justified.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Alice stabbed Vanessa because Travis commanded her with his Writer powers to "stop her at any cost". Seeing how guilty Travis later feels about this, he probably didn't mean that any cost would involve Vanessa's life.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: The youngest we get to see him is in a flashback as a small boy where he greets his newly arrived adoptive sister in Russian, which he solely learned so she would have someone she could talk to.

Reverend Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lewis_carroll1.jpg

The author of Alice in Wonderland, a dear friend and the Writer of Alice Liddell. He is a member of Calliope.


  • Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: The real Reverend Dodgson was most certainly not a member of a secret organization of dimensional travelers and reality warpers.
  • Historical Domain Character: A fictionalized version of Lewis Carroll.
  • Mistaken for Romance: Alice's older sister Ina suspects him of having an affair with Alice, and others can see how they are obviously very close, but his feelings for her, while doting, are not of the romantic sort.
    Thumbelina: If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were harboring feelings for the girl. Need I remind you just how unwise that is?
    Carroll: There is more than one way to care for a person, Lina.
  • My Greatest Failure: He feels guilty about not having protected Alice / explained her powers to her in time before she travelled to Wonderland, which was implied to have been a highly traumatic experience.
  • Parental Substitute: He sees Alice as his daughter-of-sorts, and tries to help her after she comes back from Wonderland.

Alice Liddell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice_liddell1.jpg

A Namesake of a former generation of Calliope. After she accidentally sends her sister to Wonderland, she becomes a member of Calliope in order to get better control over her powers.


  • Action Girl: Becomes one with Calliope.
  • Broken Bird: After going through what's implied to be a pretty hellish situation in Wonderland and accidentally causing the death of her sister, Alice grows up to be this. It's even more apparent in her old age, when she has become disenchanted and tired.
  • Historical Domain Character: A combination of Alice Liddell and Alice from Alice in Wonderland.
  • Historical Badass Upgrade: The real Alice Liddell was, by all reliable sources, a fairly ordinary woman as an adult. Namesake's Alice fought Shadows and headed Calliope. Same with her eventual husband Reginald Hargreaves, who in real life was a cricket player but in the story is a weapons instructor for Calliope.
  • I Let Gwen Stacy Die: She accidentally sent her sister to Wonderland, with tragic results.
  • The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: Her reflection mocks her over being responsible for her sister's death. Alice shouts at it that it isn't real, but with her having travelled to Wonderland through a looking glass once, it could be sort of real.
  • Power Incontinence: She can't control her powers at first, leading to a tragic accident.
  • Ship Tease: With Reginald Hargreaves, which is a Foregone Conclusion since in both real life and the world of the comic she wound up marrying him, something that receives a Lampshade Hanging in The Rant for the comic that introduces him by saying you'd already know this if you read the "Calliope Handbook" extra or knew anything about the real Alice Liddell.

Thumbelina "Lina"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lina1.jpg
Click to see how she looks later in life. 

The chief administrator of Calliope in the 1870's, up to 1898. She is very serious about making sure Namesakes' powers don't run awry.


  • Fiery Redhead: She's quite a passionate leader, and not averse to yelling at people in order to get things done. Perhaps justified in that, with her small size, she'd be quite easy to overlook otherwise.
  • Fun Size: She is Thumbelina.
  • Intergenerational Friendship: With her granddaughter Maia, the Fairy Queen, dearly and is always at her side with good-natured bickering, encouraging words or good advice.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: A strict, no-nonsense kind of leader, but she doesn't lack empathy and honestly wants what's best for the people at Calliope.
  • Tiny Tyrannical Girl: More literal on the "tiny" part than most.
  • Too Important to Walk: Justified. She's only a few inches tall, so walking on the ground in the same area as normal-sized people is life-threatening for her.

     Rippers 
A group of former Namesakes who sold their names and now oppose Calliope. Led by the mysterious One, the Rippers have been around for a long time and so far their objectives are unknown. Just what are they planning?

1 / Henry Gale / Jekyll

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/one1.jpg

The supposed leader of the Rippers.


  • Adaptational Villainy: Something happened to kind old Uncle Henry to make him this way. It is implied it has something to do with the death of Emily Gale. This ends up being possibly averted with the intermission of Book Seven suggesting that One's original name was Jekyll, as in Jekyll and Hyde, and he may have purchased Henry Gale's name from the Goblin Market. And that's only if he didn't purchase Jekyll's name first!
  • Bad Boss: One is definitely not above being brutally cruel to his subordinates, or punishing them severely for actions that he pre-ordained them to do.
  • Big Bad: Claims he wants to bring every world under his control.
  • Demonic Possession: It's hinted that he has been consumed by a shadow child.
  • Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Emma's humanity puzzles him; apparently his plans didn't account for the love of a little sister with Writer powers. Or for Warrick's heart finding her.
  • Evil Uncle: He's the original Dorothy's uncle. Also counts in that he says that he raised 37, Emma and Elaine's father, from when he was a small boy. And he introduces himself to Emma as her Uncle Henry.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: More or less literally. In case you had any doubts about whether he was a bad guy.
  • Light Is Not Good: He usually wears white or light grey suits or shirts, apart from being a rather good-looking blond guy. Also, cruel and rotten to the core.
  • Older Than They Look: He raised Daniel from when he was a little boy. By now, Daniel is past 40 and looks the part, while One hasn't aged a day.
  • Smug Smiler: He has the most punchable face when things go according to his plans.
  • Villainous Rescue: Of Daniel Crewe / 37.
  • Wicked Cultured: The interior design of Bramble Manor and him inviting Emma to a fancy dinner certainly have vibes of that.
  • Xanatos Gambit: Tells Nose (fairly convincingly) after Emma's escape that everything is actually going according to his plan.

16 / Banshee

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/banshee1.jpg

A Ripper agent who keeps quite about her past and her intentions. She's the only Ripper so far that has never been shown to be intentionally cruel or manipulative.


  • Affably Evil: Banshee is never seen doing anything bad and is quite polite to everyone she meets. Which makes sense given she's actually The Mole.
  • Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Initially appears to be this. She shows to be more friendly and even humorous later.
  • Healing Hands: She's a healer, and apparently her powers work on emotional pain as well as physical wounds. She also seems to be greatly averse to allowing people's suffering.
  • The Medic: Is this for the Rippers.
  • The Mole: Reveals to Bird that she actually works for a figure called "The Founder" that monitors both Calliope and the Rippers.
  • Token Good Teammate: When compared to the other Rippers, Banshee is quite nice.
  • Trans Nature: It's been shown on various splash pages like this one that Banshee's transgender.
  • White Sheep: Could be this, as she implies she might be related to One.
    Bird: You are as bad as One!
    Banshee: Oh? Runs in the blood, I suppose.

46 / Bird / Vanessa Almstedt

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vanessa1_8.jpg

A runaway Russian Namesake who was originally named Vanessa, she killed Karen and started the library fire that kicked off the plot. As revealed later in the story, she was adopted by Calliope agent Mikaela Almstedt after awakening her powers and lived a fairly happy life before selling her name to One and joining the Rippers for an unknown reason. It is implied that she discovered some sort of secret that caused her to run away, and her past is deeply connected to the darker side of Calliope.


  • An Arm and a Leg: Got her arm chopped off by Alice's vorpal blade while Alice was being mind-controlled, though it was restored almost immediately.
  • Back from the Dead: She was stabbed to death by a mind-controlled Alice, who then used one of her extra Cheshire lives to bring her back.
  • Broken Bird: Implied to have a heavily traumatic past that she's trying to run away from. We finally learn about it in chapter 21.
  • Can't Refuse the Call Anymore: She tried to leave the Rippers and her messy life behind, but Banshee found her and urged her to help saving the universe. Bird is not thrilled.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 21 is all about her origins, her relationship with her adopted family and what she has been doing since the attack on Bramble Manor.
  • Deal with the Devil: Sold her memories to One in order to protect her loved ones at Calliope, namely her girlfriend Alice and her brother Travis.
  • Death Seeker: Bird has been suicidal ever since she joined the Rippers and began giving up her memories, which left her depressed and lost. At least at one occasion, she uttered the wish to get herself killed while fighting something that's worth to be destroyed.
  • The Drag-Along: She's pissed when Banshee takes her with herself to the Goblin Market, because she didn't want to deal with magic adventures anymore.
  • Evil Is Burning Hot: Has fire powers which are vastly destructive. Though how evil she is can be put up for debate.
  • Face–Heel Turn: Like most Rippers she is a depowered Namesake who used to work for Calliope.
  • Happily Adopted: By Mikaela Almstedt, another fire user and the same woman who adopted Travis. Possibly not so happy anymore once she found out that Mikaela was involved in shady shenanigans with the Rippers.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Seems to have made one as of Chapter 21, at least to the extent where she is no longer welcome among the Rippers.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: A peculiar case in that she herself chose to give up some of her memories, and willingly allowed Nase to take more and more of them over time, up to the point where barely anything of her original personality is left.
  • Playing with Fire: Conjures a flame to light a cigarette in her first appearance, and was home in Russia the Namesake of the Firebird myth. (Her first name Vanessa is derived from the greek word phanes, which means "the radiant one".) When she was a child, she also accidently burned a part of a forest down when she fought off an ancient sorcerer who attacked her.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: She's mostly dressed in dark red shades and black, going with her black hair, and at first she plays the trope straight, what with killing someone and setting a library ablaze. Later more and more subverted as we find out that she Used to Be a Sweet Kid before her trust in Calliope was betrayed and she went to the Rippers for help, who stole her memories, derailed her personality and left her as a broken, angry mess. After all that, she still shows regret for some of the things that happened and is willing to protect other Namesakes.
  • Reluctant Warrior: One of the few Rippers who don't seem to enjoy the job one bit, which leads to...
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Bramble Manor was destroyed, Bird left the Rippers in an attempt to get rid of all the magic and the horror she's been through.
  • Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Yes, she has suffered terribly, but still, nearly the first thing we see her do in-comic is murdering a wheelchair-bound girl.
  • You Are Number 6: When she wakes up after her first memory loss, Banshee calls her "46". She reluctantly says "That's not my name", though she doesn't seem to be able to remember her own name, either. By now though, she completely refuses to be called "Vanessa".

37 / Daniel Crewe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daniel_7.jpg

A Writer, 37 was raised by One from childhood and was allowed to keep his real name. However, once familial matters get involved, he begins to question his role and loyalty to One and the organization.


  • Becoming the Mask: Wound up genuinely caring for Emma despite her being a Changeling.
  • Eye Scream: In his backstory as a splitter of the mirror of the Troll King took his eye, and again when One, who originally restored his eye, punishes him for arranging Emma's escape by putting that same splitter back.
  • For Your Own Good: Uses his Writer powers to order Emma to escape the collapsing Rippers' Headquarters.
  • I Am Not Your Father: Confesses this to Emma as she's a Changeling who was put in place of the original Emma, but adds that he loves her just the same.
  • The Lost Lenore: Enrages One by consorting with a Namesake ghost named Gerda; the two of them were (at least) very close friends, and he has also another special bond with her because he was her Writer.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: He is the father of Emma and Elaine. However, he later confesses to Emma that he isn't her father due to her being a Changeling put in place of the original Emma, though he adds that he loves her all the same
  • Papa Wolf: For Elaine and the real Emma, and then seems to come around to being this for the Emma we've followed for most of the story.
  • Parents as People: Has lied to his daughters and allowed the Rippers to do a lot of messed-up stuff to both Emmas, but in worst case, he will bring his children out of the danger zone at any cost, and he gave Emma her sword back and all the information she needs to fight for herself.
  • Perma-Stubble: He sports this.
  • Reality Warper: Par for the course of being a Writer. On one page he threatens Trinket by saying he can unwrite her existence.
  • Secret Legacy: Turns out his second name is Kay, associating him with The Snow Queen in addition to being a Writer. Hence he has gotten tangled up into the story of his friend, the Namesake Gerda.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: He has the same nose as his daughters Elaine and Emma.
  • Walking Spoiler: Once it's made clear he's a Ripper.

55 / Nose / Sahil / Rumpelstiltskin

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nose2.jpg

At first Nose appears to be just an ordinary henchman, but his role in the story is much bigger than anyone could have predicted. Like 37, he was also raised by One and has a deep personal connection to Emma. It is later revealed that he is a prototype Skeleton Key who failed in his role and now is used only "for storage" while being controlled by One under the name "Rumpelstiltskin".


  • Addictive Magic: Nose seems to be kept on a leash by One using addictive magical substances. As of now, it seems this is because of his Artificial Human status — the other Rippers don't need it since they have inherent magical energy, while Nose has to be fed with stories to be powerful.
  • Affably Evil: Generally has a very pleasant and friendly demeanor, even when threatening a teenage girl. Readers frequently confess how difficult it is to hate him the way you generally want to hate a villain.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Calls Emma "habibti", an Arab term meaning "my love".
  • Ambiguously Brown: His exact ethnicity hasn't been specified on page, but the fact that he calls Emma "habibti", an Arabic term of endearment, implies he's from the Middle East. This was confirmed by Word of God.
  • Artificial Human: Implied to be one in chapter sixteen. He's One's prior attempt at creating a Skeleton Key.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: It is clear Nose attempts to subvert One as much as possible whenever he can get away with it.
  • Foil: To Emma. Nose is an example of what happens when One tries to create a Skeleton Key without Ozma's secret meddling.
  • Forgotten First Meeting: Turns out he's met Emma before. She doesn't remember this, also making him a Forgotten Childhood Friend.
  • Horror Hunger: complains that One makes him "eat" people by consuming their stories.
  • I Know Your True Name: Seems to actually be physically hurt when One speaks the name "Rumpelstiltskin" out loud, though it's probably not his true name but forced on him by One.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: His memories have been tampered with by One so many times that Nose doesn't have much trust in them anymore. Whenever he acts rebellious, One wipes his mind.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Seems to have learned the fine art of manipulating people from One.
  • Nigh-Invulnerable: Due to being not actually human; being perforated by several blades doesn't damage him long-term.
    Nose: Well, I'm nearly almost impossible to kill.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: Either because he's not used to normal human interaction, or because he doesn't care. It's ambiguous.
  • Pet the Dog: In the 2018/19 holiday story, he meets and befriends a Moonface Cheshire Cat and, despite having been shown to be rather unstable at the time, treats her kindly. Doubles as Throw the Dog a Bone for himself, seeing how he's genuinely happy to have someone keeping him company without ulterior motives for once.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Granted, he probably followed Emma around in her college time because he was ordered to do so, but he definitely won't complain about being around Emma.
  • Terms of Endangerment: He has a cute nickname for everybody, including those he's trying to kidnap or brainwash — "habibti", his name for Emma, being the most notable, and "little princess" for Elaine.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: To Emma, whom he has known since they both were children. He already had a crush on her back then which he harbors to the present day, but Emma doesn't exactly like him.
  • Villainous Crush: Definitely has a soft spot for Emma.

72 / Fish

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fish1.jpg

A slightly psychotic Ripper agent who enjoys violence and has a prejudice against humans, she was first introduced stealing the red dancing shoes from Bird in order to give them to One herself.


  • Cute and Psycho: Keeps herself amused by using magic to injure innocent bystanders.
  • Badass in Distress: Nose accidentally trapped her in a bottle along with some Calliope agents and now she is currently being held hostage by them in a special vault.
  • The Bus Came Back: She reappears as she is getting taken into custody by Calliope.
  • Jerkass: Will not hesitate to torment anyone, not even her allies.
  • Making a Splash: Her main power.
  • Prongs of Poseidon: Aside from her water manipulation powers, she also handles a trident in combat pretty well.
  • Put on a Bus: We haven't seen much of her ever since getting stuck in a djinn's bottle.
  • Supernatural Sensitivity: She senses when Elaine's muse powers awaken.
  • Villainous Rescue: Escaped her prison, she helps Elaine and Fred fighting a Shadow. This is because she has taken an unspecified interest in Elaine and her muse powers.

27 / Trinket

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trinket1.jpg

A sadistic Ripper agent that has a crush on Banshee.


  • Boyish Short Hair: Cropped approximately an inch short.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In her case, it's Banshee, whose betrayal upsets her extremely.
  • For the Evulz: She seems to think it's good fun to hand sharp glass shards to little kids, magically disguised as plushies.
  • Master of Illusion: Can do illusion spells on a small scale and apparently likes to play games (though her Ripper colleagues know better than to play against her).
  • Memory-Wiping Crew: She gives Emma Fake Memories to keep her compliant for the Ripper's means.

2 / Lorina "Ina" Liddell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ina_liddell1.jpg

Alice Liddell's older sister... or at least she was. Now seems to work for the Rippers.


  • The Ageless: Died officially 1930 as an old woman, yet four years later she shows up to kill her sister, reverted to being a young, attractive woman, which she is to the present day.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Besides the fact that Ina should by all rights have died close to a century ago, she now seems to be part shadow, something that draws disturbing parallels to the spirit.
  • Face–Heel Turn: The death of Edith is implied to have been her Start of Darkness.
  • Historical Domain Character: Another self-explanatory one, Ina is a fictionalized version of the real Ina Liddell.
  • Historical Villain Upgrade: Needless to say, the real Ina wasn't like this.
  • Number Two: Among the Rippers, she only takes orders from One.
  • Sibling Murder: She ultimately killed Alice.
  • Sibling Rivalry: Ina was always jealous of the attention Alice received from Lewis Carroll, Edith's death was just the turning point.
  • Sibling Triangle: A variation; it is hinted that young Ina had a Precocious Crush on Lewis Carroll and reacted very sourly on the latter's close relationship with Alice, despite it being entirely platonic.

Sting and Venom

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stingvenom1.jpg

Two skilled and cold Ripper agents that obey One unquestioningly.


Sleeping Beauty aka Emma Crewe / Briar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/briar1.jpg
Click here to see her actual appearance. 

A young girl who had her name sold to One and Ina as a child and is kept in an induced coma by them due to her importance to the Ripper's plans. It is later revealed she has the ability to talk to Emma in her dreams. The two then form an alliance to set her free and take down One once and for all.


  • Abusive Parents: The person who forced her to sell her name was her own mother.
  • And I Must Scream: Her mind has been awake and aware of her surroundings, but as long as her body is asleep she remains trapped inside her own head. This has been going on for years.
    Sleeping Beauty: (to Emma) Please save me. I've been in the dark for so long. There's never any dreams. PLEASE SAVE ME.
  • Comatose Canary: Begins reacting as Emma starts causing problems for the Rippers.
  • Damsel in Distress: Being in the hands of the Rippers, she seems quite helpless. Though not as helpless as One would like her to be, seeing as she can control the vines around Bramble Manor to such an extent that they destroy the entire building.
  • Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She's dressed in purple, and more traditionally feminine than her counterpart.
  • I Know Your True Name: It seems like her birth name Emma is no longer applying to her, as it was given to someone else, and it's stated that she has to buy a new name to wake up. Later, she's woken up by One when he gives her the name Briar, following up the Sleeping Beauty theme. He uses the name to control her.
  • Jacob Marley Apparel: In Emma's dreams, she always appears in a nightgown and cardigan which she is also wearing in life, laying asleep in her bed.
  • Mysterious Protector: Before we got to know who she was she already ghosted through Emma's mind, talking to her while masked and protecting her from the attacks of a ghost.
  • Out of the Frying Pan: Yes, she eventually is woken up. Chained to her bed, unable to speak, bossed around by Ina, and having a new name, Briar, which One gave her solely to keep her on the leash.
  • Psychic Link: She has one to Emma, allowing them to communicate and work together against One. The link gets severed in chapter 24 to keep One from using Sleeping Beauty to infiltrate Emma.
  • Red Herring: There was some evidence she was actually Emma's mother, including a Motherly Side Plait when she appears partially in one panel, which helped obscure the real twist: that she's Emma herself.
  • Walking Spoiler: Though she's actually more of a lying-in-her-bed-and-sleeping spoiler.

Emma Ramos

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mommaramos1.jpg

Daniel's wife and the mother of the Crewe sisters who disappeared shortly after Elaine was born. She was revealed to have been a Puerto-Rican Namesake in direct contact with One, but so far that is the only information known about her and her current fate is one of the biggest mysteries in the comic.


  • '80s Hair: Has noticeably voluminous hair in a flashback and a photograph.
  • Abusive Parents: Selling your own daughter to be used as a test subject for an evil organization certainly qualifies you as one.
  • Chosen Conception Partner: Daniel implies their marriage was a contractual relationship based on mutual obligation to One. In Emma Ramos' memories, we see them having quite a normal and even affectionate relationship.
  • Establishing Character Moment: Her first full appearance has her callously subjecting a helpless victim to Cold-Blooded Torture.
    Emma Ramos: (while dragging the blade across the girl's face) You're going to die, Su-Ying. And I get to decide how.
  • Mad Scientist: A magic variation. It's apparent she's an utter genius who played through thousands and thousands of potential scenarios the universe could undergo and set up her daughters and circumstances to be in the right place to save the universe, making her a Well-Intentioned Extremist as well: She does genuinely want to save the universe so her children will live, but how she treats her daughters is utterly horrific.
  • Meaningful Name: The fact that her daughter has the same name is definitely not a coincidence. It is later revealed that all vorpalsmiths take the name Emma, and Emma Crewe was forged to become a smith herself.
  • Missing Mom: To Emma and Elaine, though given her nature that might be a good thing.
  • New Child Left Behind: Emma was around 8-9 years when she left, having known her at least for some years, but Elaine was only a newborn and thus has no memories of her mother whatsoever.
  • Parental Abandonment: Daniel tells of her leaving shortly after Elaine's birth in a way that implies she never considered the girls anything more than contractual obligations in her agreement with One. We later learn that isn't quite true; she's very proud of how her daughters, her prime test subjects for an ambitious magical project, have developed. We still don't know why she left though, or where she went.
  • Parents as People: After everything we learned about her, it's quite stunning to see her crying in despair over baby Emma's bed because she as a young mother is completely overtaxed with finding out what her baby wants / needs and feels she must be a terrible parent. It's an oddly human moment that puts her character in more relative terms.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Her ultimate goal. She travelled through multiple timelines and eventually set up Emma with the abilities and tools she needs to save the universe that is running towards its doom since the time the muses were extinguished by the Shadow.
  • Ultimate Blacksmith: By nature of being a vorpalsmith.
  • Walking Spoiler: Pretty much everything about her, especially her name.

    Oz 

Adora Chopper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adora1.jpg

Warrick and Selva's mother, and the Tin Man's daughter. Ozma created her from a purple flower and a piece of the Tin Man's heart, and she has green and purple skin as a result. Her heart was broken at one point, which caused her to become the first Neutral Witch of the West.


  • Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Her aloofness coming from the fact that showing strong emotions quite literally hurts her.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: Green skin on one half, purple on the other.
  • Emerald Power: Half of her body and face has green skin on one side, purple on the other, and is a powerful witch.
  • Love Hurts: So, so much. Her getting her heart broken by the twins's father changed her personality completely, making her unable to feel or demonstrate almost any emotion. Turns out what really happened was massive power loss.
  • Living Memory: The witches of the Order of Roses, with whom Adora associated, banned a memory of hers into a vorpal ring so she would act as a guide to the Skeleton Key.
  • Mama Bear: This ends up leading to her death.
  • Purple Is Powerful: Half of her body and face has green skin on one side, purple on the other, and is a powerful witch.
  • Posthumous Character: Has been dead for a few years by the time the story begins.
  • Wonder Child: Was this to her parents.

Agha

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agha1.jpg

A munchkin who Emma meets soon after her arrival.


  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: When she requests Emma take her shirt off to keep from angering Selva.
  • Fun Size: As a munchkin, she doesn't even come up to Emma's waist.
  • Only Sane Man: For quite a bit of the Oz arc, Agha is Emma's only companion with both the necessary knowledge of Oz and the Dorothy cycle and the mental / emotional stability to do anything about it. This actually makes her a good candidate for becoming the new Wizard.
  • She Is the King: By the time Emma arrives in Oz for the second time Agha has officially been crowned the new Wizard despite not having any magic.
  • Shipper on Deck: For Warrick and Emma.
  • Team Mom: Agha is the one keeping the team together in the Oz arc.

Anlise

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anlise1.jpg

The Good Witch of the North. She greets Emma after she arrives in Oz, believing her to be a new Dorothy.


  • Brainwashed and Crazy: While under the poppy's control.
  • Good Witch Versus Bad Witch: "Some people are just born wicked, dear. It's quite unfortunate." Subverted as Anlise is being mind-controlled by Renge into doing some very questionable things, and Selva was not in her right mind when she tried to take over the East.
  • Love Hurts: Renge's betrayal still weighs heavily on her a year after it happened.
  • Out-of-Character Alert: Her overly sweet and joyful behavior points Warrick rightfully to the fact that she's Not Herself at the time. When she has a full grip on her mind, Anlise is much calmer and more thoughtful.

Chiseri / Chadrick

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chiseri1.jpg
Click to see his human form. 

A flying... thing that follows Warrick around. He hasn't had much importance in the story until much later.


  • Bumbling Dad: He means well, but he wasn't around much for most of the twins' lives, and he appears somewhat self-centered and complacent which makes it hard to see his good intents.
  • Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Though he claims it wasn't his fault, he was forced to flee and leave his children behind after Adora's heart broke.

Hercilia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hercilia1.jpg
Click to see her human form. 

The previous Wicked Witch of the East. Selva turned her into a pair of shoes when she took over the East. Emma picks her up after "defeating" Selva.


  • Jerkass Has a Point: There is a reason she's in charge of the East.
  • Tricked-Out Shoes: Was a pair, due to Selva's magic. She sort of filled in for the ruby slippers on Emma's journey through Oz. Still has plenty of magic. She can explode away poppy vines and push Emma higher when she jumps.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Warrick.

Jinjur

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jinjur1.jpg

A military commandant who once tried to take over the Emerald City but now serves Ozma loyally. When the poppies began to infest the land Jinjur took it upon herself to form an all-female army and march on the capital in hopes of stopping the invasion.


  • Amazon Brigade: Like her sister-in-law Sabion, she's the leader of an all-female army.
  • Determinator: After her husband and her farm get lost in the poppies, Jinjur decides to fix the entire situation herself by building and leading an army of like-minded people, and ends up playing a major role in the battle against Renge.
  • I Have Your Husband: He's trapped in the poppies. Whether or not he is alive is unknown.
  • It's Personal: One of her driving reasons for starting the rebellion is because the poppies overtook her farm and husband, and she's sick of waiting for Renge to do something about it.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With both twins. She's had a lot of quarrel with Selva and especially Warrick the past years due to their erratic nature at the time, but Jinjur actually likes them and wants them to get a chance to clear up with their past.

Ozma

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ozma1_4.jpg

Princess Ozma is the supreme ruler of the land of Oz. An extremely powerful healer who was loved by all of her subjects, her sudden disappearance caused a stir when strange poppies began covering the entire country and the spell she had cast to keep her citizens immortal began to fail. Warrick's search for her is one the major arcs in the first part of the comic. Eventually revealed to be a Muse who was around since the beginning of the universe and has a major role in the current perils.


  • The Ace: An excellent ruler who was skilled in magic and adored by everyone who met her.
  • All-Loving Hero: She loved everyone and everything equally.
  • Amnesiac God: She's actually the last living Muse, but suppressed her own memories to try and live as normal a life as she could. At the end of the chapter 24 when she awakens, she apparently remembers everything and is not happy about it.
  • Comatose Canary: Has been in a coma for who knows how long, and even after being rescued there is no prediction of when (or if) she will ever wake up. Later, it turns out she has woken up, but's strongly implied she chose the magic-induced coma herself and would have preferred to stay like this.
  • Flower Motifs: Always associated with poppies, her favorite flowers.
  • Green and Mean: Initially averted. Ozma always dresses in green, and she is a very kind and sunny person. Later it's revealed she has some highly manipulative and ruthless aspects to her, such as creating Adora as a Skeleton Key for her own use or destroying an entire country to create the Deathly Desert around Oz.
  • Lost Lenore: The Dorothies are this to her, but especially the original one, Dorothy Gale.
  • Love Hurts: Ozma loved all of the Dorothies deeply but thanks to her immortality spell all of them would eventually grow old on the inside while their bodies remained young, eventually killing them and leaving Ozma an emotional wreck.
  • Pretty Princess Powerhouse: A delicate girl who appears quite young most of the time, but she is one of the most powerful magic beings there is.

Renge / Jellia Jamb

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/renge1.jpg
Click to see what she looked like before she became the Wizard 

Ruler of the Emerald City in Ozma's absence and the lover of Anlise, Renge seems to have something against Emma and is determined to stop her on fulfilling her role as the Dorothy. Just what are her motives?


  • Domestic Abuse: She planted poppies in Anlise's head to control her, risking the destruction of parts of Anlise's brain.
  • Foreshadowing: Her real name is mentioned by Anlise during her first non-flashback appearance.
  • Genki Girl: Renge used to be this when she was Jellia Jamb, but this changed in the resulting personality shift from changing her name.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: How she justifies mind control by poppy.
  • I Know Your True Name: She has given her name away to Ozma, who rewarded her with power, but it seems she has lost her original personality in the process. It's not known yet what Ozma wanted the name for.
  • More than Mind Control: To Anlise, whom she controlled by planting poppies into her head, but the chance to do that she got only because they are involved, and even in her moments of clarity, Anlise is still in love with her and will barely believe Renge betrayed her trust like that.
  • Regent for Life: It's implied she's trying to pull this. It's more complicated than that.
  • Sharp Dressed Woman: Renge usually is dressed in elegant suits and capes.
  • She Is the King: She currently bears the title of the Wizard of Oz.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: She believes everything she's doing is to protect Oz.

Top