History Characters / TryingHuman

* PsychicPowers: Greys are both telepathic and telekinetic. The latter can make them appear much stronger than they actually are; indeed, they are physically weaker than humans.

* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: She and Guinea also invert this trope, her being an EmotionlessGirl and him a personable, chatty, quippy guy with lots of energy.

* GenerationXerox: He's basically present-day's version of Walter; Dr. Glasner [[AccidentalMisnaming even calls him]] [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-761 Walter accidentally]].

* TheMenInBlack: At the beginning of the story, Roger gets recruted to Majestic 12, basically the Alien Police on earth. His new job is eating away at him.

* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: She's always getting up into someone's personal space, be it 6, Roger, or Dr. Glasner. However, she reacts very sensitively when it's ''her'' personal space that's being intruded by Magnus.

* VillainousFriendship: Strikes one up with Roger.

* AncientAstronauts: According to the [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-21-815 creation myth]] of the Nordics, they came to earth at some point and planted the seeds of humanity.

* DisappearedDad: Rose's father was depressive and [[TheAlcoholic drank himself to death]] two years ago.

* PajamaCladHero: When interacting with the aliens, Rose is frequently in her nightgown. That's because of the nightly abduction procedure.

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: The intro ends with her shot by the Area 51 staff, dying in [=EBE1=]'s arms under the starlit sky. [[spoiler:Except she survived.]]

** As of chapter 22, [[spoiler:it's confirmed that they were lovers.]]

* MadScientist: He didn't mind hurting [=EBE1=] in the 1940's at Area 51, willingly accepted that Phillis would be hurt in the process, too, and it's strongly implied he has been mistreating Pigment, a female Grey who used to be a test subject on Area 51. Also, he keeps an OnlyMostlyDead woman in a [[PeopleJars glass tank]]. To whom he talks in a very creepy way. [[spoiler: He actually hinted on his plans for Phillis early on when mentioned he wanted to "[[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-748 pick her brain]]".]]

* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Lost his fiancee Abigail due to a landmine, and she was pregnant at the time... either with his child, or with a [[HalfHumanHybrid Grey-bred alien baby]], he isn't sure about that point since she's been abducted several times.]]

* BastardBoyfriend: Roger begins to show shades of this towards Rose, lying to her about what had happened to her, treating her in a condescending manner, and just deciding over her head that he's moving in with her, not to mention that he tosses some of her clothing in the trash without asking her before. Further, he bosses her around and shouts at her when she cannot possibly know why. [[spoiler:Then he slips into outright physical abuse.]]

* GenerationXerox: He's basically present-day's version of Walter; Dr. Glasner [[AccidentalMisnaming even calls him]] [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-761 Walter accidently]].

* SanitySlippage: His paranoia may be grounded in the job as Majestic, but there are also his more and more violent tendencies which culminate in him trying to murder Hue (twice) and lashing out on Rose. [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-19--698 As of now, the sheer presence of aliens]] [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-19-712 is enough to set him off.]]
* TheMenInBlack: Roger was newly recruted to Majestic 12, basically the Alien Police on earth. His new job is eating away at him.

* RescueRomance: She fell in love with Roger when he helped her on the police department (she'd been attacked by Reptoid Magnus) and made sure she and her baby had a place to stay. It's why she suggested him for the job at Majestic, to be close to him. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite seem to take with Roger.

* OrphansOrdeal: As an artificial being made in a laboratory, he doesn't seem to have a family, so he likes to imagine what they could be like.

* DefectorFromDecadence: He went AWOL because he strongly disagreed with the abuse Pigment suffered by the hands of Dr. Glasner, and hence took her with him as he left. [[spoiler: As of chapter 24, which gives his and Pig's backstory, he also took the HalfHumanHybrid Glassner made of their genes (John never agreed to this). And incubated inside Pigment. This was the last straw.]]

* MilitaryBrat: Son of an American general and a French military pilot, career military before he kind of stumbled into Majestic 12.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He gets frequently called [=FJ12=], "Former 'Jestic 12" in-comic. [[WordOfGod The creator's tumblr]] refers to him as John sometimes. In chapter 24 we learn this is his name, and Pig calls him John in private.

* BullyingADragon: After calling Dr. Glasner basically a Nazi and a cradle robber and taunting him about losing his fiancee, he shouldn't be surprised that Glasner reacts... less than enthusiastic.
* TheMenInBlack: He was the first one to be conscripted when Majestic 12 was founded.
* NiceGuy: Seems to be this in the beginning. His development parallels that of Roger though, perhaps because of the job.

* AlienAbduction: They take humans on their ship on a regular basis to examine them and take samples of their DNA [[spoiler:which they need to breed HalfHumanHybrids, a desperate attempt to save something of their dying species.]]
* BigGuyLittleGuy: It seems rather common that one of the tall Greys (about 7 foot) is accompanied by one of the small Greys (less than 5 foot) who assists them.

* NonHumansLackAttributes: [[LampshadeHanging Pointed out by more than one person]], the Greys just have a kinda U-shaped groin. Males and females can't be differed by appearance in any way.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: He feels disconnected from the other Greys because of his more emotional nature, and he gets regularly reprimanded by [=EBE1=] and Shade for his deviations. Also, he's mostly kept away from the examinations of abductees so he won't mess.

* ArtificialLimbs: After his left arm was seriously damaged in the crash of his spaceship in the 1940's and was amputated, Phillis made him a prosthesis from the metal of his ship. Notably, he has full use of the arm thanks to his telekinesis and can even feel sensations with it.

--> '''General Merraine:''' This is Roger. He's joining Majestic 12 soon, so you better watch yourself.
--> '''[=EBE1=]:''' I'm shaking.

** As of chapter 22, [[spoiler:it's confirmed that they were lovers.]]

* TinMan: Appears to be as stoic as the other Greys, but you don't want to be around him when he gets angry.

A small female Grey who used to be Shade's assistant, then a subject of experiments at Area 51 since 1978. Currently, she's with her partner, "Guinea".

* ActionGirl: Very much so in the fight against Roger; she uses her telepathy to make the motorman stop the train and her telekinesis to knock out Roger.
* EscapedFromTheLab: With the help of her partner who would no longer stand by and watch Dr. Glasner treating her like shit. [[spoiler:A [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-759 flashback scene]] shows Pigment with a large, bleeding wound at her abdomen, implying Dr. Glasner cut her open at full consciousness.]] Meanwhile, she and Guinea are gone rogue and helping other alien refugees StartingANewLife on earth in secrecy.

* HumanShifting: Different than the Greys, they don't actually need the ''Trying Human'' circuits to appear ([[HughMann halfway]]) human, as Reptoids can shapeshift. Keeping up a human form over a long time takes them a lot of concentration though.

* DefectorFromDecadence: He went AWOL because he didn't agree with the abuse Pigment suffered by the hands of Dr. Glasner, and hence took her with him as he left.

* InterspeciesFriendship: What relationship he and Pigment have is not explicitly stated, but they are close, trust each other completely, and are partners since they both were test subjects of Dr. Glasner and then escaped together.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He gets frequently called [=FJ12=], "Former 'Jestic 12" in-comic. [[WordOfGod The creator's tumblr]] refers to him as John sometimes.

* EscapedFromTheLab: With the help of her partner who would no longer stand by and watch Dr. Glasner treating her like shit. [[spoiler:A [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-759 flashback scene]] shows Pigment with a large, bleeding wound at her abdomen, implying Dr. Glasner cut her open at full consciousness.]] Meanwhile, she and Guinea are gone rogue and help other alien refugees StartingANewLife on earth in secrecy.

* InterspeciesFriendship: She and Guinea could be either. In any case, they work together excellently and have full trust in each other.

* InterspeciesFriendship / InterspeciesRomance: What relationship he and Pigment have is not explicitly stated, but they are close, trust each other completely, and are partners since they both were test subjects of Dr. Glasner and then escaped together.

* LastOfHisKind: The Greys' home planet burned up in one of its two suns. [=EBE1=] was born / created shortly before it happened as a prototype form for deep space travel.

* InterspeciesFriendship / InterspeciesRomance: She and Guinea could be either. In any case, they work together excellently and have full trust in each other.

Two slightly varying races of TheReptilians, intelligent, tall "lizard people". They appear to be the most aggressive and / or mischievous of the alien species.

* FantasticRacism: Mixed offspring of a Draconian and a Terran Reptoid is considered an atrocity. That could be why the apparent affection between Draconian Gracelis and her Terran servant Quazky is frowned upon by Magnus.

* PluckyComicRelief: Always joking, comically failing in terms of human social norms, and a hopeless chaotic.
* PropertyOfLove: Kinda, to Gracelis, whose personal servant he is. While Gracelis is commanding, she behaves more like a bossy girlfriend who nonetheless does a lot for him, leaves him to a lot of free time, and supports his intentions.

* SubordinateExcuse: The main reason why she chose Quazky as her servant seems to be because the two of them really like each other, and their rank difference would make it difficult for them to be close otherwise.

* TheTwink: Not quite 18 yet, a PrettyBoy, a bit naive and {{Adorkable}}, is gay and deals with (perceived or really experienced) rejection from his family because of it.

* GreenEyedMonster: He goes pretty much [[MurderTheHypotenuse nuts]] when he sees his girlfriend with Hue. Granted, Rose and Hue ''were'' kissing at that point, but [[DoubleStandard Roger has blatantly flirted]] with his colleague 3 (and possibly with 8) during the time he and Rose were apart.

* InterspeciesRomance: He's in love with Rose, and when she has a full grasp of her memories, Rose seems to reciprocate. So far, they have an InterspeciesFriendship, but they already kissed once, and the romantic overtones have been there from the beginning.

* DirtyOldMan: His deceased fiancee Abigail is called his "child bride" by Walter, so she might have been a good deal younger than him, he's pretty intrusive towards Phillis before her catatonia, not speak of the creepy way he talks to her when he's [[PeopleJars preserved her in a tank]]. Also, he has sex with 8 in his laboratory knowing fully well that Phillis is conscious and an involuntary witness. She's visibly disgusted.

* CigaretteOfAnxiety: Longus smokes pretty regularly, but it's apparent that he always grabs for the cigarettes when he's nervous or otherwise stressed. Don [[SmokingIsNotCool asks him to stop it]] though.

* FantasticRacism: [[DownplayedTrope Surprisingly, very low-key]]. You'd expect her to be hostile towards or at least afraid of Reptoids after the war and seeing what Reptoids did to her partner, but aside from using the term "lizard", she treats Quazky politely, though she insists that he cannot enter the Nordic ship (probably so as not to upset other Nordics).

** Also didn't understand that Jacob was not on board with her leaving him for another man on a moment's notice and ''wanting to take their daughter with her'' so he would [[AdultFear never his child again]].

** Also didn't seem to understand that Jacob was not on board with her leaving him for another man on a moment's notice and ''wanting to take their daughter with her'' so he would [[AdultFear never his child again]].

* MercifulMinion: Magnus sent him to hunt down and kill the Nordic woman Fatima, but when he'd found her, Brevis advised her to run away and hide. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, Magnus was close at his heels.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: He [[spoiler:kidnapped a younger Rose for the express purpose of avenging Brevis' death at the hands of her father]]. When Hue tries to intervene, saying he and EBE1 could take her back, Magnus doubles down in a truly chilling way:
-->'''Magnus:''' Oh, I'll send her back. Piece by piece. Or at least the parts that spoil. Either way, she's not getting off this ship alive.

* MadScientist: He didn't mind hurting [=EBE1=] in the 1940's at Area 51, willingly accepted that Phillis would be hurt in the process, too, and strongly implied he has been mistreating Pigment, a female Grey who used to be a test subject on Area 51. Also, he keeps an OnlyMostlyDead woman in a [[PeopleJars glass tank]]. To whom he talks in a very creepy way. [[spoiler: He actually hinted on his plans for Phillis early on when mentioned he wanted to "[[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-748 pick her brain]]".]]

* EscapedFromTheLab: With the help of her partner who couldn't bear anymore seeing her being treated like shit by Dr. Glasner. [[spoiler:A [[http://www.tryinghuman.com/comic/chapter-20-759 flashback scene]] shows Pigment with a large, bleeding wound at her abdomen, implying Dr. Glasner cut her open at full consciousness.]] Meanwhile, she and Guinea are gone rogue and help other alien refugees StartingANewLife on earth in secrecy.

* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: She's always getting up into someone's personal space, be it 6, Roger, or Dr. Glasner. However, she reacts very sensibly when it's ''her'' personal space that's being intruded by Magnus.

Magnus' younger brother, a Draconian Reptoid soldier who died in war.

* MercifulMinion: Magnus sent him to hunt down and kill the Nordic woman Fatima, but when he'd found her, Brevis advised her to run away and hide.

* InterspeciesRomance: Her relationship with [=EBE1=] is a very close one, and Phillis admits that, if he were human, she'd be in love. Whether or not they were actually partners in the romantic sense of the term is left ambiguous as of now.

* InterspeciesRomance: Her relationship with [=EBE1=] was a very close one, and Phillis admits that, if he were human, she'd be in love. If they were actually partners in the romantic sense of the term is left ambiguous as of now.

--> '''[=EBE1=:]''' I'm shaking.

* [[spoiler: OnlyMostlyDead: Despite being shot in the opening scene, Phillis is still somehow alive and conscious in the modern day, albeit imprisoned in a jar by Dr. Glasner.]]
* [[spoiler: PeopleJars: Glasner keeps Phillis' body in one. Phillis can communicate with him through means of a printer, and recently, it seems she has built some sort of telepathic connection to Rose whom she's trying to get to help her.]]

* BullyingADragon: After calling Dr. Glasner basically a Nazi and a cradle robber and taunting him about losing his fiancee, he shouldn't be surprised that Glasner reacts... less enthusiastic.

!! in general

--> '''General Merraine''': This is Roger. He's joining Majestic 12 soon, so you better watch yourself.
--> '''[=EBE1=]''': I'm shaking.

--> '''Shade''': If he wants to play as a human, he can survive as a human.

!! in general

!! in general

* BrokenPedastel: [[spoiler:Rose]] doesn't appear to have a very high opinion of her mother to begin with, and her faith in Fatima is completely shattered [[spoiler: when it emerges that Fatima happily left her family on Earth to return to her people, doesn't seem to care that Jacob was left devastated by her abandonment and drank himself to death, and never bothered to visit her daughter.]]

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Doesn't seem to get what a devastating effect it had on [[spoiler:Rose]] that Fatima [[ParentalAbandonment left her behind]] when she was still a child and now openly shows disinterest in earth, contempt for humans, and total uncaringness about [[spoiler:Rose's]] father and her relationship with him.