History FanFic / OnMissingLimbs

* ContinuityLockOut: Though the earlier parts of the story are fairly accessible to readers unfamiliar with the source canons of the crossover, the later chapters invoke the backstory of Metal Gear Solid heavily enough that they may be difficult to comprehend without either a thorough knowledge of the canon or the author's notes regarding the background. However, as the story ''is'' a crossover with the Metal Gear Solid franchise, this is a difficulty that may just go with the territory.

* DiscontinuityNod: "John South," the pseudonym adopted by Big Boss during his time as commander of FOXHOUND, is a nod toward the non-canonical "Commander South," who is named as Solid Snake's commanding officer only in the game manual to [[DubNameChange the North American localization]] of VideoGame/MetalGear1. In the game itself, Big Boss plays the roles of both "Commander South" and "Vernon CaTaffy," the leader of Outer Heaven.

** According to WordOfGod, the name of the offscreen character M.W. Mond is a reference to the Tezuka manga Manga/{{MW}}, and Mustapha Mond from Literature/BraveNewWorld. At one point, he adopts the pseudonym Matthew William O'Brien. The surname "O'Brien" is a reference to the similarly named character from 1984.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 11, titled "(Reunion) The Patriot." Up until this point, the fic was largely a humorous romp featuring a Taylor with Venom Snake's power-set. However, this chapter recasts events in an open confirmation that the events of the VideoGame/MetalGearSolid continuity are historically extant within-setting. Specifically, it's revealed that Miss Militia was in fact [[spoiler: Sniper Wolf]] [[CanonCharacterAllAlong all along]], and that [[spoiler: Big Boss]] was deeply involved in the shaping of the setting's history. This gives context to the strange historical trivia that frequently came up in the narrative in the preceding chapters.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 11, titled "(Reunion) The Patriot." Up until this point, the fic is largely a humorous romp featuring a Taylor with Venom Snake's power set. However, this chapter recasts events in an open confirmation that the events of the VideoGame/MetalGearSolid continuity are historically extant within-setting. Specifically, it's revealed that Miss Militia was in fact [[spoiler: Sniper Wolf]] [[CanonCharacterAllAlong all along]], and that [[spoiler: Big Boss]] was deeply involved in the shaping of the setting's history.

* These Hands Have Killed: Averted in Miss Militia, as per {{Canon}}. Despite having killed as 9-year-old child, she doesn't feel particularly guilty or traumatized.

* CutAndPasteEnvironments: The Protectorate Oil Rig is described as an in-universe CallBack to the Mother Base offshore platform operated by the Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) in VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker, which was itself a CallForward of Big Shell from VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty in meta. Per the {{Canon}} of VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain, many other organizations ended up imitating the design of the 1970's MSF base. However, the actual physical description of the Protectorate HQ makes it sound like a mashed-up PaletteSwap of the MGSV Mother Base in Seychelles.

* CutAndPasteEnvironments: The Protectorate Oil Rig is described as an in-universe CallBack to the Mother Base offshore platform operated by the Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) in VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker, which was itself a CallForward of Big Shell from VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty. Per the {{Canon}} of VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain, many other organizations ended up imitating the design of the 1970's MSF base. However, the actual physical description of the Protectorate HQ makes it sound like a mashed-up PaletteSwap of the MGSV Mother Base in Seychelles.

* NatureVersusNurture: Averted. Though the debate regarding the relative weight of the named factors on development toward maturity plays as a central theme in parts of the VideoGame/MetalGearSolid franchise, the comparative impact of Nature vs. Nurture on Taylor's [[spoiler: cultivation as the replica of a legend]] is unclear, owing to the fact that she's inherited both the ''genes'' and the ''memes'' of [[spoiler: Venom Snake]]. Arguably, Nuture plays a stronger role, as [[spoiler: Venom Snake]] inherited the memes of [[spoiler: Big Boss]].

* MeaningfulName: The cape name that Dragon chose for Taylor -- Virtue -- is a CallBack to the "Virtuous Mission" in VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater, which itself was a CallBack to the "Virtual Missions" of VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty. Unlike many of the other [[CallBack CallBacks]] that exist within the fic, however, there isn't a clear in-world justification for the naming, aside from the fact that Dragon's creator, Andrew Richter, also worked on [[spoiler: this world's version of The Patriots AI]] according to WordOfGod.

* GovernmentConspiracy: Per {{Canon}}, [[spoiler: Cauldron]] is manipulating the government of the United States. However, they've also subsumed [[spoiler: Cipher and the Patriots]] and acquired all their resources. This gives them twice as much unlimited political power as they canonically possess.

* AllThereInTheManual: The story summary provided by the author claims that the fic is, "Not actually a fic where Taylor triggers with an alternate set of powers," despite the earlier chapters overtly contradicting this. However, [[spoiler: it eventually turns out that Taylor never triggered, and isn't actually a parahuman]].

* MindManipulation: Used by [[spoiler: Revolver Ocelot]] on various cast members as a method of orchestrating his plan. Victims include [[spoiler: Taylor and Armsmaster]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The passages that feature Armsmaster and Taylor as point of view characters frequently feature historical trivia from the 1990's and earlier. The majority of these are actually stealth references to events or concepts from the VideoGame/MetalGearSolid continuity. In context, when the fic was originally released, Metal Gear Solid was not indicated as the crossover canon; aside from being [[CallBack call backs]], these references served as hints that the events of Metal Gear Solid actually occurred within the {{Backstory}} of the fic prior to [[TheReveal the Reveal]].

* CanonWelding: The world setting gives that the Worm timeline [[AlternateTimeline diverged]] from the Metal Gear Solid timeline due to the arrival of Scion. However, events subsequently diverge from the canon of Worm due to influences from the Metal Gear Solid background.

** Armsmaster serves as a major point of view character in earlier chapters. However, his actions are revealed to have been [[spoiler: compromised by MindManipulation]] in the epilogue, which calls into question the reliability of his line of thought as a vehicle for the narrative.

* AnArmAndALeg / ArtificialLimbs: As a result of injuries sustained in the aftermath of her internment to her locker, Taylor Hebert's left arm had to be amputated [[CallBack]] in the same manner as Venom Snake's. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to have been unnecessary; the amputation was intentionally carried out on a healthy limb to grant Taylor cosmetic features appropriate of a DistaffCounterpart to Venom Snake.]]

* NonPoweredCostumedHero: Taylor. She would be a BadassNormal, except for the fact that she actually does have powers; they just aren't of the variety awarded by the Worm setting's SuperpowerLottery. Rather, WordOfGod links them to the more "mundane" powers that existed within-universe prior to [[DawnOfAnEra the arrival of Scion]], such as the PsychicPowers associayed with Psycho Mantis or The Sorrow.

* MindManipulation: Used by [[spoiler: Revolver Ocelot]] on various cast members as a method of orchestrating his plan. Victims include [[spoiler: Armsmaster]].

* DeconstructionFic: A variant, targeted at Alt-Power Literature/{{Worm}} fics. Though early on, the story appears to adopt the ObviousCrossoverMethod of [[FandomSpecificPlot granting Taylor the power-set]] of a protagonist from another work, it is revealed in [[TheStinger the Stinger]] that her [[InstantExpert abrupt mastery of Venom Snake's abilities]] is in fact a consequence of [[spoiler: [[HiddenVillain Revolver Ocelot]]'s MindManipulation and conditioning]]. The project established to implant Taylor with said abilities is known as [[spoiler: VSS]], which [[spoiler: Code Talker]] theorizes to be an acronym for [[spoiler: Venom Snake Simulation]]. This is an explicit CallBack to the "S3 Plan" or "Solid Snake Simulation" from VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty, which itself was a {{Deconstruction}} of the tendency of [[{{Sequelitis}} sequels]] to use RecycledScript. This makes the story a [[WholePlotReference Whole Plot Reference]] not only to MGSV, but to MGS 2 as well.

* DeconstructionFic: A variant, targeted at Alt-Power Literature/{{Worm}} fics. Though early on, the story appears to adopt the ObviousCrossoverMethod of [[FandomSpecificPlot granting Taylor the power-set]] of a protagonist from another work, it is revealed in [[TheStinger the Stinger]] that her [[InstantExpert abrupt mastery of Venom Snake's abilities]] is in fact a consequence of [[spoiler: [[HiddenVillain Revolver Ocelot]]'s MindManipulation and conditioning]]. The project established to implant Taylor with said abilities is known as [[spoiler: VSS]], which [[spoiler: Code Talker]] theorizes to be an acronym for [[spoiler: Venom Snake Simulation]]. This is an explicit CallBack to the "S3 Plan" or "Solid Snake Simulation" from VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty, which itself was a {{Deconstruction}} of the tendency of [[{{Sequelitis}} sequels]] to use RecycledScript. This makes the story a [[WholePlotReference whole plot reference]] to not only to MGSV, but to MGS 2 as well.

* DeconstructionFic: A variant, targeted at Alt-Power Literature/{{Worm}} fics. Though early on, the story appears to adopt the ObviousCrossoverMethod of [[FandomSpecificPlot granting Taylor the power-set]] of a protagonist from another work, it is revealed in [[TheStinger the Stinger]] that her [[InstantExpert abrupt mastery of Venom Snake's abilities]] is in fact a consequence of [[spoiler: [[HiddenVillain Revolver Ocelot]]'s MindManipulation and conditioning]]. The project established to implant Taylor with said abilities is known as [[spoiler: VSS]], which [[spoiler: Code Talker]] theorizes to be an acronym for [[spoiler: Venom Snake Simulation]]. This is an explicit CallBack to the "S3 Plan" or "Solid Snake Simulation" from VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty, which itself was a {{Deconstruction}} of the tendency of [[{{Sequelitis}} sequels]] to use RecycledScript. This makes the story a [[WholePlotReference]] to not only to MGSV, but to MGS2 as well.