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Must be Monday...

So. You're walking around in the Post Apocalyptic half-Crapsack World of Neo-Tokyo...uh, Neo-Los Angeles, and you've just been kidnapped by one of several secret organizations that are hellbent on collecting people like you in order to safeguard humanity against people like you.

The worst part about it? YOU are a person like you.

So you transform into a monster and fight them, go on a rampage, devouring and killing as many humans as you can, until The Shop shows up to put the literal smackdown on you.

With over the top combat sequences and an absurd sense of humor, The Generalist is a novella action-adventure, urban fantasy series created by Thomas Duder, Author of the Things.

The series revolves around the titular character, Frank "The Generalist" Todd and his wisecracking Un Grimm Troll-gened partner, Daniel "Dash" Hopkins, the two owners of a supernatural goods and services store known as “The Shop.” Curmudgeonly and ill-tempered, the gruesome two-some stomp about a Neo-Los Angeles of the near future in a world overflowing with secret societies jockeying for power, whole pantheons barely held in check by a lightly-worded pact, the Fae trot out contracts made with the American Government who, in turn, holds contracts with even older, interdimensional forces.

With people undergoing metamorphosis into Monster-Genes on a weekly basis, pandimensional villains threatening to invade on a daily basis, and the Vatican and FBI all over them, the Shop must contend with an ever-increasing and annoying roster of personalities ever seeking to over throw the government, the world, or The Shop itself in an effort to claim their title as the topmost feared killers in Neo-L.A.

The books in the series are, in chronological order:

  • Taboo X: Cliché of Memories
  • Taboo 0: Double Feature Show
  • Taboo 1: Double Down
  • The Omnibus Generalis volume 1


The Generalist contains examples of:

  • Acrofatic: NEVER think Abbacus Keith is just "as wide as he was tall." That's mostly mystically-enhanced muscle and springy sinew.
  • Afro Asskicker: Frank has a well-kept afro.
  • After the End: The entirety of The Generalist takes place after a cataclysmic event (The Havoc of 2012) which resulted in many people dying or undergoing metamorphosis into monsters. If not for the swift action of certain organizations, the resultant rampage of destruction and cannibalism would have destroyed modern day civilization.
  • Alien Blood: Dash bleeds green.
    • "Frank bleeds Angry."
    • Many other monsters, divine and infernal types bleed different colored blood depending on the origin of their energy source.
  • Almighty Janitor: Grease Monkey is exceptionally capable, has golden eyes (denoting a possibly divine background), a genius mechanic, and has demonstrated Ki and Spiritual/Mystic abilities as of Taboo 2.
    • He's also credited towards building the Roadbuster, and does the main upkeep of the car, especially after the harder bashes she suffers in the line of duty.
  • Anti-Hero: Both Frank and Dash will slip from Type IV to Type V in a heartbeat
  • Artistic License: Wordof God is that this is an autobiography, yet the first few pages explains that the reader should ignore that part and accept this as fiction.
  • Badass Longcoat: From Frank’s enchanted leather trench coat to Dash's kevlar-lined, heavily customized and fortified duster
  • Badass Normal: Jude. Holy shit, Jude~! A star athlete from the Detroit FBI who has the chutzpah and skill to hang with the Shop, handling chimera monstrosities and other monstrous types with ease, all with a smile and his array of concealed weapons.
  • Bash Brothers: Frank and Dash, to the point where they even have combinations and special tag-team attacks they utilize with one another. It's been stated before that they can buddy up with just about anyone, but the Shopkeepers are at the most synch with one another.
  • Beautyis Never Tarnished: the females of The Generalist get as down and dirty, bloodied and battered and bruised as anyone.
  • The Berserker: The Shopkeepers BOTH qualify. Between Frank's anger issues and Dash's constant threat of undergoing "Maximum Troll" status, this tends to come up quite frequently.
  • Berserk Button: Certain spells or ki abilities can throw the user into an unstoppable berserker fury.
    • Any time Dash uses the Maximum Troll ability, there's a greater and greater chance that he'll lose himself to his monster side.
    • Any time a human undergoes metamorphosis into a Monster-Gene, they go into a cannibal rampage, hunting down and devouring as many humans as possible, driven completely by their hungers. Not all the time, though, a situation that's kept suppressed by the Vatican.
  • Better the Devil You Know: The Shop is considered an "acceptable evil" in the eyes of the American Government and the Catholic Church.
  • Black Cloak: worn by just about everyone in the series, especially Mooks of various organizations.
    • Frank's leather jacket has a hood attached to it, a massive cowl-like affair.
  • Black Knight: Despite their role as protagonists, Frank and Dash both fill in for this trope
  • Boom Stick: MR. BEEFY The pump-action, belt-fed Artifact shotgun.
  • Brains Evil, Brawn Good: both averted and supported, the Shopkeepers tend to meet most obstacles head-on and with full brawn, relying on brains and skill when most would come at them with baser brawn.
  • Bullet Time: In SPADES and a variety of flavors!
    • The Overdrive can empower Frank's reflexes and speed to the point where everything else stands still.
    • During Symphony of Destruction, Dash is moving fast enough to make time stand still, and it's been mentioned that there are other techniques that do this as well.
  • The Bully: Frank is described as this several times in the series, though Dash has his moments as well.
  • Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Practitioners of magic call the various types of magic "Magia." This is only done by the Order of Magi.
  • Calling Your Attacks: A staple of the series itself.
    • It's explained that kiei are used to either activate the actual attack, help "charge" or prepare the attack, stun the enemy or even complete the attack itself, dispelling residual energy within the user.
  • Car Porn: The Roadbuster, Rhonda F. Buster-Hopkins herself. A good chunk of Round 3 in Taboo 0 was used to describe her highly customized beauty, history, and weaponry.
    • The car has a conceal-carry weapons permit, under the name Rhonda.
  • Casting a Shadow: Obtenebration Magia is the ability to use shadows as part of magic spells. Though simple in nature, they can be devastating against other types of magic. The training for it is so hellish, though, that many drop out of the class with each new trial.
  • The Conspiracy: There is an active conspiracy between the FBI, Vatican, and Scarletti Family to make The Shop's already notorious actions seem less monstrous than they are.
  • Convection, Schmonvection: Heat is just another form of energy, and a properly-prepared mage shield should be able to block it out as of level 1. Anything further than that is just overkill.
  • Cool Car: The Roadbuster, a Aston Martin/Mustang hybrid with hidden weaponry, and is an Artifact herself.
  • Crossover Cosmology: Everyone and everything, ever. "All truths are equally true."
  • Combat Sadomasochist:
    • Frank has taken great delights in hurting people during the action sequences
    • Dash has pointed out in Taboo 2 that this is where he and Frank differs the most
  • Cast from Hit Points: Thaumaturgy, self-inflicted Necromancy
  • Chefof Iron: It's been stated before that no one, not even Frank, can beat Dash in the kitchen. Dash also utilizes two Artifact frying pans (enhanced to be flame-resistant) against a Flame Elemental.
    • Dash:”Yeah, cream freeze~!”
  • Chekhov's Armory: literally, called "The Armory." It's in a place in the Shop that is unlocked by ki energy, and it's where the Shopkeepers store their most powerful Artifacts, whether made by the Shop itself, gifted to them, or taken as spoils of war.
  • The Chew Toy: Dash. Oh lord, Dash. Also Jude Maxwell.
  • Christianityis Catholic: Sure there are plenty of other religions (Frank himself is a Baptist), but Catholics get the brunt of the limelight due to Department 13 Iscariot and Vatican Warlock Assassins.
  • Chronically Crashed Car: The Roadbuster, usually requiring a fix or paint job with each episode.
  • Church Militant: Father Gustav Hunden Von Schlaket, "The Hammerhound."
  • Clap Your Hands If You Believe: both Kinetic Energy and Spiritual Faith relies on this alone.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: The Shopkeepers swear a LOT! People around them or in their confidence swear a LOT!
  • The Collectorofthe Strange: Some of the alchemical reagents the Shop sells number from the mundane to the strangely bizarre and ethereal.
  • Companion Cube: Rhonda F. Buster-Hopkins, C.O.N. Troll
  • The Conqueror: Interdimensional Villainous Overlords, and they're ALL Interdimensional Villainous Overlords!
  • Dark Is Not Evil: the entire series is based on this, with many demons and monstrosities being nowhere near as evil as normal humans
  • Do Not Call Me "Paul": It's "Dash," not Daniel.
  • Destructive Savior: While the Shopkeepers will go out of their way to ensure innocent bystanders aren't harmed, they aren't against dropping a building on someone simply to get their point across.
  • Doom Magnet: Considering what their business is about, Frank and Dash don't just attract doom and destruction, they live for it.
  • The Dreaded: After the founding of The Shop, Frank and Dash are names to still a crying child.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite being some of the strongest men in the world, Frank and Dash are viewed as targets, obstacles "to the top," and challenges to all other societies, organizations, and all those who would covet their position as #1 killers.
  • Elaborate Underground Base: The Order of Magi, which is also mobile~!
  • Emotion Eater: Quite a few creatures, Frank included.
  • Expy:
    • It's been pointed out recently that Frank is Bobobo and Dash is Poppa Rocks. Makes sense considering the Troll Spike and Troll Ball maneuvers.
  • Faceless Mooks: Of various flavors and variety, from the mask-wearing Vatican Warlock Assassins to the full-plate armored Order of Magi guards.
  • The Fair Folk: Several instances of their interactions have occurred.
    • The Windswept Clan Brownies have had the biggest portion of the spotlight, being the caretakers of both the physical and the energy-based version of The Shop. It's because of them that the interdimensional feng shui of the place is kept going, especially noted when they go on strike for a bit in Taboo 1.
    • Titania and Oberon spoiled Frank's breakfast of coffee. Status Quo Is God and Running Gag and such.
  • Fun with Acronyms: "Control" is Shop-speak for C.O.N. Troll – “Computerized Optimized Network" + Troll Brain
  • Fat Bastard: Vorel point-blank calls Abbacus this, and sometimes Frank.
  • The Powerof Friendship: It's stated as soon as Taboo 0 that Frank and Dash were virtual monsters back before the Shop and Dash's metamorphosis...but after they established the Shop, they gained vulgar levels of power. It's also recounted, time and time again, that individually they're nasty, but together they're invincible.
  • Foreign Cuss Word: All over the place~! Neo-Los Angeles is a melting pot of cultures, and it shows in the dialogue.
    • Greasy does this. A lot.
  • Glowing Eyesof Doom / Red Eyes, Take Warning: WHEN DASH'S EYES GO LASERLIGHT, ALL THE THINGS WILL DIE!
  • Goldand White Are Divine: Subverted and reinforced, depending on the personality trait the god in question (and their subsequent people) are just as much given to wearing black, red, and silver.
  • Good-Guy Bar: Lucky's Diner, where Frank and Dash frequent the most.
  • Gratuitous Spanish: Grease Monkey provides much of the heavily-accented Spanglish of the Southern California variety.
    • Grease Monkey:”Ees Greesy, comprende?”
  • Guilt Complex: Averted. Despite having killed people in cold blood, having dealt with (and backstabbed) demons of all levels of Hell, and having done some truly nefarious things, the Shopkeepers live completely without regret, only feeling bothered when their personal code of honor has been crossed.
  • Hammerspace: Enforced and canon as hell, manipulation of reality to allow for pocket dimensions and Hammerspace (not to mention "never-ending hallways") is a staple of Neo-L.A. and The Generalist.
    • The Library Maze within The Shop.
    • The elongating aisle-ways of the Alchemical reagents portion of The Shop.
    • It's mentioned that both of the Shopkeepers have reinforced pockets, and Judas himself has an unusually high amount of weaponry and items secreted about his person, way too much than any normal pocket could carry.
  • Hand Blast: FASTBALL! A combined burst of Ki energy, magical energy, psionic energy, and spiritual faith all wrapped up in a soccer-ball sized blast.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners - Frank and Dash, natch. They live together (for the most part - it's mentioned that Dash has his own leased apartment), train together, and are so in synch that they can pull off combinations and special attacks.
    • Despite the Dating Do-Si-Do of relationships in The Generalist, Dash and Frank have never slept together. Now everyone else, on the other hand...
  • Hellish Pupils: Pretty much any Angel or Fallen Throne will have violet eyes.
    • Dash during Maximum Troll
  • He Who Fights Monsters: It’s been suggested that Frank Todd was once a happy young man, before he became a demon hunter and artificer. This was all before the Havoc of 2012 and The Shop. Now, along with Dash, he’s actively seeking out monster-genes fresh out of metamorphosis in the hopes of saving the more human-minded ones from the unkind hands of the Vatican.
  • Holding Back the Phlebotinum: Ghosthunter, Frank's "greatest artifact," can only be used five times before the bokken explodes. Thusly he keeps it locked away within the Armory, the real reason why the wards are strongest within the Armory.
    • "It's not to keep people out, it's to keep this thing IN!"
  • Hidden Eyes: Frank's red bangs, which are usually swept behind his left ear. He tends to forget once it's time to get serious though.
  • Heroic Fatigue: Frank will sometimes forget to eat or handle mundane day-to-day chores while focused on research, studying, or Artificing. This is where Control and Dash come in.
  • Stacy's Mom: Vorel, mother to 8 and avatar to three different Goddesses.
  • Hot for Teacher: Frank for Rosette Silvers, Violette Silvers for Frank, and reversed with Darkwatch De Ferens for Frank
  • Hot Witch: Vorel Kethend, for all that she's the head of the Asture Cult, associates herself with both Wicca and Paganism in general
  • How Much More Can He Take?: The Shopkeepers get put through the goddamn meat grinder, for all that they're considered the strongest fighters in Neo-Los Angeles. In any given episode they are routinely beaten up before coming back harder than before.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Pretty much anyone who gets with Abbacus
  • Hulk Speak: I KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!
    • Both Frank and Dash bounce between Hulk Speak and Angrish at times.
    • UNPRONOUNCEABLE RAGE!!!!~!
  • Humans Are Special: Greymeat templates that can be combined with ANYTHING else to create powerful hybrids. Basically, they're the Ditto of The Generalist universe.
  • Ignore the Fanservice: In combat mode, Dash simply cannot be brought to care about anything sexual. Averted with Frank - adding sex to violence only triggers his sadistic side.
  • I Know Your True Name: Judas Craig Maxwell~!
  • I Was Young and Needed the Money: Frank was once an Artifact Hunter for the Catholic Church during the days before the Havoc.
  • Inhumanly Beautiful Race: the Fae, quite a few monster-gene templates
  • Invincible Hero: averted, the Shopkeepers are either Crazy-Prepared or it just takes HORRENDOUS amounts of damage to put them down for good. But harming them, decreasing their efficiency, all can be done by normal means (normal for a Troll, at least, for Dash). It's flat-out stated that a Fragmentation Bullet can put either of them down completely, and a shot to the head from a sharpshooter can kill Frank as completely as any normal human. On the other hand, if either are incapacitated in any form but not killed, give them roughly five minutes to an hour and they'll be right back to kick some ass.
  • Invulnerable Attack: Some of the greatest spells and abilities are both defensive and offensive in nature. The Painkiller, Hedgehog Bomb, Symphony of Destruction...
  • Kamehame Hadoken: FASTBALL!
  • Ki Manipulation: Ki energy in this world is explained as “thermal bio-energy that is manipulated and utilized through a combination of the body and mind’s combined willpower.”
  • Left Hanging: each Taboo and arc has Frank tracking down Morrow Kind's involvement with the situation.
  • Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: averted. The Shopkeepers fight nasty, dirty, and downright filthy in order to fulfill their mission parameters. Double averted sometimes when they feel like it.
  • Lightning Bruiser: One of Frank’s favorite things to buff with the Overdrive is his speed. Even without it he can be damn fast, and his punches are faster than a normal humans due to abnormal training.
  • Living Shadow: Gregorio, the Shadow Demon and Frank's medium.
  • Magical Computer: C.O.N. Troll
  • Magic Knight: Considering his background as both a member of the Order of Magi, a swordsman-duelist, and a practicioner of other arcane energy sources, Frank fits the bill for this.
    • Many other Generalists also fit the bill, but none like THE Generalist himself, Frank Todd.
  • Magic Pants: Averted. Apparently, Artificing clothes is considered a hard and virtually useless thing to do due to the weakness of the base material, and can leave one fully nude if used as such.
    • In one example, Frank's clothes burned in various places as artifacts were activated, including the "Power Stones" he kept in his pockets. Though the Maximum Gloves are supposedly made of "sturdier materials," they can still burn up into uselessness upon being activated. Either way he was pretty much fighting in tatters by the end of that particular fight.
    • Triple-averted, Frank's "Tough Jacket" isn't made of anything special, yet has survived more scrapes and death-defying situations than any one of his Maximum Gloves. It also is the only part of Frank's clothing that has never taken damage. There is no real explanation for this, save that it's just tough as nails.
  • Malevolent Mask: Usually worn by Mooks
  • The Mentor: Dash for Williams, quite a few (Omot M., Darkwatch, Rosette Silvers and the Grand Magus, for instance) for Frank in his younger days.
  • Monster Knight: Dash
  • Moral Myopia: In SPADES, yet averted at times. The Shopkeepers live by a moral and honor code all their own, and are able to just as easily kill loved ones should they cross that line.
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Every single Interdimensional Villainous Overlord
    • Father Hunden Von Schlaket supposedly translates to "Hound of Slaughter." He's also known as the Hammerhound due to his incredibly powerful psionic weapon, one of the strongest projections in the world.
  • Nice to the Waiter: Brownies will kill the fuck out of you if you screw with their cleaning or their chosen homestead.
  • Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Frank’s resume reads almost like this, being the only one in The Generalist organization to have been awarded the title of “The Generalist.” All Generalists fall under this category though, and Dash has recently shown to be like this as well.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Each battle. Pure and utter slobberknockers are what this series is built on.
    • In Taboo 1 we go from Frank mentioning how they got everything under control directly to both Frank and Dash being beaten to a pulp by monster mafia goons, literally to death in Dash's case.
  • Nom De Plume: Amongst his many other jobs, Frank is also a writer who uses the name “Thomas Duder.”
  • No One Could Survive That!: Dash: The Trope. Being incredibly rubbery and having regenerative powers help.
    • Frank, thanks to his various potions, powered stones and enhanced capabilities from the Artifacts he wears.
  • Oh, Crap!: Legatus Valken just broke Frank's back. Like, obliterated his spine on a silver throne Artifact. He didn't just get better, he chased the Demonsidhe-empowered magus, world renown as the greatest Illusionist, up the rope ladder and directly into his floating island, cursing and snarling the whole way.
    • Let me repeat: Valken broke Frank's back, and all it did was his piss him off.
  • Our Trolls Are Different: Though Troll-genes exist in the world, they’re incredibly rare. Even rare are the “Un Grimm Trolls,” which bear many similarities to normal Trolls. Sharing the same weakness to fire and energy (magic, psionic attacks, etc), the Un Grimm Troll is stretchier and has a faster regenerative capability, horrifically so. Unlike normal Trolls, the Un Grimm types are also covered in armor-like scales that can flex outwards for shredding and tearing attacks.
  • Physical God: “Yahweh Tetragrammaton’” appears before the protagonist in Taboo 0 and joins him for breakfast. Just about any god from any pantheon can take on physical form or take over other bodies as avatars.
  • The Powerof Rock: “Kind Harmonics” allows energy manipulation to become stronger when associated with something personal to the wielder. Most of the time, songs, lyrics, band names and musician names are considered highest quality of Harmonics since music is considered a stronger force than any other. Ultimately it boils down to willpower though – willpower and the force of personality is also taken into consideration when it comes to two same abilities with the same names.
    • Frank's greatest technique is called "The Painkiller."
    • In Taboo 0, Dash performs a ki technique known as "Symphony of Destruction."
  • Psychic Powers: Frank is highly empathic, and it's mentioned that this is one reason why he's so cranky and flat-out wicked. He also uses Empathy as a weapon, injecting his own will into another person and manipulating their emotions in a way to produce a physical effect upon them.
    • It's been mentioned that Dash has a strange form of natural psionic defense. Since he has no memories, it's hard to pin down why.
  • The Red Mage: Frank qualifies as this, having four (possibly more) Magia to work with, three of them outlawed or restricted by the Order of Magi. Frank, being Frank, had lied the entire time about his fifth, gaining him the upper hand in a critically important battle.
    • It is explicitly stated that "normal" humans can have up to five Magia, even some opposing.
    • Within the Order of Magi, the De Ferens family are noted for having more than five Magia, including the Darkwatch himself.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni : Caramel Oni, Emerald Green Oni
  • Red Right Hand: While Dash is already one of the only publicly-licensed and operating Monster Genes (with no molestation from either the Vatican or the American Government, or any other organization for that matter), he can't go anywhere without being noticed due to his physical characteristics (big, green, scaled, massive claws and feet). Frank's pitch black aura is immediately noticeable to anyone even remotely sensitive, and his aura is practically tangible.
    • Even those who aren't sensitive can still sense the danger of Overkill, Frank's quirk of nature
  • Ritual Magic: While “Ritual Magic” is stronger and longer-lasting, “Instant Magic” is both instantaneous and can still do a tremendous amount of damage, making it more useful mid-combat.
  • Ruleof Cool: Inherently stated as the foundation of the series.
  • Rummage Sale Reject: The Shop gets paid by the millions per year from secret organizations, various governments, and even whole dimensions...yet Frank insists on buying his clothes from K-Mart and the Goodwill, claiming they fit him better.
  • Running Gag: Frank NEVER gets coffee on a Monday Morning. Dash is always the sacrifice. The Shopkeepers are mean, almost always angry, and usually take out their misery on others.
  • Say My Name: Frank and Dash both LOVE this, forcing enemies to submit to them or the Shop.
  • Screaming Warrior: YOU WOULD THINK EVERYONE IN THE SERIES JUST BATTLE CRIES OR USES KI-EMPOWERED KIEI TO PARALYZE THE WEAKER ENEMIES OR SOMETHING
  • Self-Made Shop (from Self-Made Man): it's been pointed out from time to time that Dash and Frank's endeavors, resulting in The Shop, isn't inexactly new...but was done so outside of the influence of anyone else. As such, they have a position of unprecedented power, thus the titles "Kings of Angels" and "Sultans of Swing," where the very American Government lets them do whatever they want lest they invoke their wrath.
  • Shout-Out: pretty much a massive homage to 80's and 90's action movies, anime, manga, manhwa, video games, and literature (especially Steven Barnes)
    • Also, plenty of references and characters from the as-yet unpublished "Darksider" and "Extreme Existence" multiverses.
    • In Taboo 1, Dash asks Frank what the should do about a monstrous Chimera that won't stay down. Frank responds by whistling and yelling out, "WISHBONE CRUNCH ON TWO, HUT HUT!" a la Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the movie.
    • Mr. Beefy, a "Rolling Thunder" pump-action, belt-fed shotgun Artifact is a homage to the very same weapon used by the Phule's Company (by Robert Aspirin).
    • One of the titles the Shopkeepers have acquired are, "The Sultans of Swing."
    • The main car they use is known as "The Roadbuster," a shout-out to Riding Bean's car in both his OVA and Gunsmith Cats.
  • Signature Move: Tons of them. The Fastball and the Hookshot are the two most used by Frank himself.
  • Something We Forgot: Explosive rune in a prank gone oh-so-right!
  • Spam Attack: In Taboo 0, the Fastball was a rather strong attack. By the second Taboo, Frank merely uses it to feel out his opponents, or to fake them out with a different attack.
  • Spirit World: And a Magical Plane, and the Kinetic Field, and a Psychic Space.
  • Status Quois God: Frank MUST never start any given Monday with coffee.
  • Superboss: There's always a chance that Dash will go Maximum Troll, thus forcing a battle between himself in his berserk status against Frank and anyone else close at hand.
  • Tag Team: SO MUCH! Frank and Dash train specifically to pull off devastating combinations and combined techniques.
  • Terror Hero: the Shopkeepers slide from Type 3 to Type 5 depending on whom they're facing.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: When the Shop asks you nicely to leave town, they usually follow it up with outright kidnapping or blowing up a building or two.
    • After being beaten up by mafia goons, the Shop retaliates with an enchanted, belt-fed, pump-action shotgun Artifact handled so fast that it levels an entire casino on them within a few seconds, going through belt after belt of ammo.
  • Theme Music Power-Up: Word of God is that there is an unofficial soundtrack the author listens to while writing out many of the battle sequences, including this very trope, and certain songs are earmarked as leitmotif or power up themes.
  • Theme Naming: the various people of Neo-LA have...quite unconventional names.
    • Ronald Mesmer, Judas Maxwell, Father Gustav Hunden Von Schlaket
  • This Means War!: one of the Shop's favorite catchphrases
  • Time Stop: Once Frank buffs his speed using the Overdrive, he enters into this state
  • Touchof Death: Frank’s quirk of nature, “Overkill.”
  • Training from Hell: both Frank and Dash have undergone this within their lifetimes before The Shop
  • Trash the Set: Mr. Beefy versus a nightclub. Mr. Beefy won.
  • 20 Minutes into the Future: 2017, five years after the Havoc of 2012
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Coffee
  • Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Oh in SPADES! Should the Shop EVER win, expect to be spat upon, kicked, urinated on, and possibly humiliated with a post-victory troll dance. Chest-bumping, shoulder-slapping, and general tea-bagging have also occurred.
  • Wizard Duel: happens twice between Frank and Legatus Valken
  • Wrestler in All of Us: Frank's brawler fighting style has it's roots in traditional Black Dragon School Tae Kwon Do as well as both Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling. Dash has no excuse except that he practices any and all forms of fighting as he comes across them, and absolutely loves pro-wrestling moves. Both are fanatics for pro-wrestling, which doesn't help given their tag team combination attacks.
  • Why Won't You Die?: Trolls (Un Grimm and standard) are notoriously hard to kill (and have a VERY SPECIFIC weak point), but are actually somewhat easy to suppress if you take away their options. Frank, being a normal human Determinator, has no excuse except his Crazy-Prepared-ness and the fact that he can soak a shitton of damage due to his training. Thanks to the various Artifacts he carries and troll potions he imbibe regularly, most of said artifacts granting him Troll Regeneration, he is able to bounce back from things that would normally kill a human being (like the broken back situation) just in time to doggedly pursue, harass, and ultimately destroy his targets.
  • World-Wrecking Wave: It's mentioned that the "Havoc of 2012" resulted in a major enhancement of the Four Basic Food Groups of Energy (Ki, spiritual faith, magic, and psychic) all over the world, as well as a major upsurge in monster-gene metamorphosis. This happens five years before Taboo 0 of The Generalist.
  • Your Mom: Tends to come up with their Unsportsmanlike Gloating.
    • Frank and Dash: "TROLLMOTIONS! SHOP! YOUR MOM!!!"
    • Frank: "AAAAAAAH YER MOM SUCKS THE BEEF! SHE EATS THE BEEEEEEEF!"

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