History Literature / DownAndDirty

* BuryYourGays: Not killed, but [[spoiler: Jack is rendered comatose by the AIDS virus, which has eroded his control over his form, leaving him stuck halfway into his crocodile form. However, the AIDS virus has no effect on a crocodile, so he may survive.]]

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: The half-man/half-crocodile mash up Jack turns into when he falls into a coma.]]

* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler: Water Lily gets a new Ace power that cures the Wild Card virus by sleeping with the victim. Too bad this makes her the single most wanted person in New York.]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler: Water Lily, again. Poor girl is destroyed by her addiction to Ti Malice.]]

* ConvenientComa: [[spoiler: Jack is left in a coma at the end of his story, and stays that way for the rest of the book, where his friends say he is making a recovery.]]
* CursedWithAwesome: [[spoiler: The Snotman becomes an Ace, which indebts him to the Sleeper, but that's still an improvement over his former life as a Joker.]]

* DroppedABridgeOnHer: [[spoiler: Roulette]] shows up just to show Tachyon the Wild Card virus mutation affects aces, and die.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Roulette.]]
* LeftHanging: At the end [[spoiler: Jack is still in a coma]], [[spoiler: Water Lily is still in hiding]], and [[spoiler: Ti Malice is still at large and tormenting Hiram (and Water Lily hasn't told anyone)]].
* TheMafia: Plays a major role in the book. [[spoiler: Specifically, it gets its butt kicked.]]

* Only the Dead Know Jokertown: Yeoman infiltrate the Shadow Fists just as the gang war heats up. The first real story in the book, and the last story in the book.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Averted. Buddy Holly is a washed up bum who loses the rights to his music rights and ends up covering {{Prince}} in Holiday Inns. By the end of the novel, he's [[spoiler: made a bunch of new material and become a shaman ace.]]

* BuryYourGays: Not killed, but [[spoiler: Jack is rendered comatose, and infected with an AIDS-Wild Card hybrid virus, and stuck halfway through his crocodile form.]]

* LeftHanging: At the end [[spoiler: Jack is still in a coma]], [[spoiler: Water Lily is still in hiding]], [[spoiler: Ti Malice is still at large and tormenting Hiram (and Water Lily hasn't told anyone)]], [[spoiler: and there's no sign that Croyd going to sleep will stop dispersing the Wild Card mutation]].

* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Water Lily]] must now live with this threat ''for the rest of her natural life'', now that [[spoiler: sex with her cures Joker status.]]

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Buddy Holly survived his infamous plane crash [[spoiler: because he's an Ace.]]

* JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler: Rosemary Muldoon.]]

* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Water Lily]] must now live with this threat, ''for the rest of her natural life'', now that [[spoiler: sex with her cures Joker status.]]

* AuthorAppeal: It's very obvious that the author of "The Second Coming of Buddy Holly" Edward Bryant is a big Music/BuddyHolly fan, since so much of the story is spent talking about how
great and influential he is and how many musicians were inspired by him.

* BodyHorror: The half-man/half-crocodile mash up Jack turns into when he falls into
a coma.

* DroppedABridgeOnHer: [[spoiler: Roulette]] shows up just to show Tachyon the Wild Card virus
mutation affects aces, and die.

* AuthorAppeal: It's very obvious that the author of "The Second Coming of Buddy Holly" Edward
Bryant is a big Music/BuddyHolly fan, since so much of the story is spent talking about how

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: The half-man/half-crocodile mash up Jack turns into when he falls into
a coma.]]

* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler: Water Lilly gets a new Ace power that cures the Wild Card virus by sleeping with the victim. Too bad this makes her the single most wanted person in New York.]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler: Water Lilly, again. Poor girl is destroyed by her addiction to Ti Malice.]]

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Roulette.]]

* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Water Lilly]] must now live with this threat, ''for the rest of her natural life'', now that [[spoiler: sex with her cures Joker status.]]

This book contains the following tropes:

* WhatRoughBeast...: Rosemary makes a run for it.

''Down and Dirty'' is the fifth book in the WildCards anthology series, set in the same shared universe as the other Wild Cards novels and collections. It was edited by George R. R. Martin.

The stories in this volume tell of the events in New York City involving two outbreaks; the outbreak of a gang war between the Mafia and the Shadow Fists gangs controlled by Kien Phuc, a war which soon spills out of control into the streets of New York. Against this backdrop, the second outbreak occurs; the outbreak of a new, mutant strain of Wild Card virus, courtesy of the ever-shifting powers of The Sleeper, "Typhoid Croyd" Crenson. This version is different in that it can overwrite the original strain, so that even Aces and Jokers are not safe.

* Only the Dead Know Jokertown: A recurring story that sees Yeoman infiltrate the gang that killed the woman he loved.
* All the King's Horses: A recurring story that sees the Turtle attempt to get his confidence back.
* Concerto for Siren and Serotonin: A recurring story that sees The Sleeper working for the mob and unwittingly spreading chaos.

* Blood Ties: A recurring story that sees Dr. Tachyon help Jokertown defend against the encroaching gang war.
* The Second Coming of Buddy Holly: An AIDS-Wild Card awareness concert in Jokertown has dramatic implications for everyone, most of all fading star, Buddy Holly.
* The Hue of a Mind: An arabic Ace arrives in America within designs upon Hartmann's life.
* Addicted to Love: Ta Malice searches for new mounts in New York.

* Mortality: Modular Man must conquer his fear of death to capture The Sleeper and his deadly new ally.

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Buddy Holly [[spoiler: gets the Wildcard virus.]]
* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler: Water Lilly.]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler: Water Lilly, again.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Rosemary Muldoon]]
** Arguably, [[spoiler: The Sleeper.]]
* CursedWithAwesome: [[spoiler: The Snotman becomes an Ace, which indebts him to the Sleeper.]]
** More particularly with [[spoiler: Hiram and Water Lilly]] who become addicted to Ti Malice's orgasmic bliss-inducing kiss.
* FantasticRacism: As usual, Jokers get a lot of this.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Rosemary Muldoon.]]

* PsychoForHire: The Sleeper, unusually, gets this role.

* JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler: Rosemary Muldoon.]]
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Water Lilly]] must now live with this threat, ''for the rest of her natural life.''
** Specifically, [[spoiler: sex with her cures Joker status.]]
* TheVirus: The Wild Card virus reappears here with horrifying results.

* StraightArrow: Yeoman, of course.

* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Water Lilly]] must now live with this thread, ''for the rest of her natural life.''