History Literature / OnTheEdgeOfEureka

* . BlackAndGrayMortality: Acidalia is the good guy, but she also has a violent cult of personality (and a few actual cults!), regularly produces propaganda that she knows has zero truth to it, uses her beauty and satus to manipulate people in order to get what she wants, and commits war crimes on the regular to ensure a win. The Revolution itself makes frequent use of biological and chemical weapons and breaks the Geneva conventions constantly. But the Nova does all of the above, plus genocide of the lower castes and torturing their prisoners. Their crimes are usually less "war crimes" and more "crimes against humanity."

* ArtificialLimbs: Andromeda is half-artificial due to a factory accident when she was 11. She caught on fire and presumably lost her left leg and arm (and face.)

* SkyscraperCity: Eleutheria, Faraday, and urban parts of Hirani.

* TheUnpronouncable: Raeilya and Cadé. Dalia notes that the vowels in Raeilya are too fast and fluid for her- or any other human- to reproduce, and the C in Cadé has a "guttural" sound. Raeilya is happy with the nickname Rae, but Cadé has yet to offer an alternative. Likewise, the Mira can say Acidalia and Andromeda... but not the letter T, resulting in them calling Atlas "add-lass."

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Aleskynn to pretty much everyone else, though Dalia is pretty forgiving. [[spoiler: She stops being annoying and starts being murderous when she joins the Movement.]]

* ArmorPiercingResponse: "I may be an illegitimate bastard child, but at least my family tree doesn't looklike a Möbius strip."

* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: The Leaders of the Revolution. Dalia and Artemis swap around with beauty and brains, while Andromeda is unquestioningly Brawn.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Most Eleutherian girls, seeing as names are mostly celestial or mythologically themed and include Latinized caste names. Dalia's full name is ''Acidalia Planitia e Alestra, Cipher et Aquilifer, e Eleutheria Terra.'' Cipher et Aquilifer mean that she's one of the most powerful beings in Eleutheria, can manipulate DNA to her whim and she "carries the eagle," or is the figurehead of, the Revolution. This isn't limited to the upper classes, either: Rina's name is ''Carina Nebula e Julia Maxima, Ciencia Astronomica" in full.
** Averted with the soldiers; all their names are taken from serial numbers, so are usually short or just nicknames like Ace and Tee.

** Aleskynn deliberately sounds like "less kin," emphasizing her status as a lesser family member. The beginning also resembled Alestra's, because she is the favorite daughter regardless.

** Cassiopeia is named after a notoriously vain and selfish queen; Cassia mean's "empty headed."

* MulticoloredHair: Prominent, since genetic modification makes it easy to make your hair bright colors without having to dye it constantly. It's also a symbol of the upper-classes to have unnatural hair and skin tones. Dalia sports blue and purple, Athena black and red, Carina varying shades of gray and Aleskynn bright red-oranges (though this is the result of a botched mod. She originally wanted black with red tips.)

* OverlyLongName: The way the naming system works means that this happens quite frequently. If your given name is a two-parter like Acidalia Planitia or Carina Nebula, and your mother is also a two parter like Luna Minora or Julia Maxima, and your caste has subcastes, possibly multiple, and if you have titles, that all gets added onto your name. Carina Nebula e Julia Maxima, Ciencia Astronomica is the name of an ordinary middle-class scientist. Nicknames are used frequently.
-->Athena: Like if you work in viruses, it'd be Ciencia Biologica Virii. And then you have people with double names, like Acidalia Planitia, I guess. So it gets long fast. I knew someone named Ametista Margarita e Seraphina Minora, Ciencia Quantistica Theorica Astrophysica. We called her Amé.
* ParentalBetrayal: Alestra.

* BizarreAlienBiology: According to a post on r/worldbuilding, the Mira breathe through their backs.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Averted in that nearly every Cipher is a blonde woman.

* CoolBigSis: Dalia, biologically to Aleskynn, but in spirit for everyone else in the main cast.
* CoolShip: Dalia's ship is a luxury cruiser, so it doesn't have many military shields or weapons, but what it does have is a lot of fancy bedrooms and suites.

* LoveDodecahedron: Mostly averted. Romance plots are generally resolved extremely quickly, and the main characters all have such different tastes that they rarely chase the same people. Despite the massive cast and huge ship potential, the only love triangle has been slight jealousy on Rina's part over Rune.
* LowCultureHighTech: Arcadian border towns.

* CloseCallHaircut: At the very beginning when the Movement tries to kill Dalia, she feels the lasers singe her hair. Happens again to Lyra when the soldiers find her as a stowaway.

* InSeriesNickname: Many, since the names are so long. Acidalia Planitia is Dalia, Aleskynn is Leski, Dalia calls Andromeda "Andy" at one point, and Athena calls Carina "Rina."
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: No two societies have the same gender roles, so a lot of the male cast are this. Notably, Rune likes his girlfriend's glittery bath bombs, and Seven, Leo, Ajax, and the rest of the Miran squad avert Ciryan gender roles simply but not murdering people on the regular.

* LawOfAlienNames: Averted- Cadé's name is Cadé Maru, and Rae's full name is Raeilya Aliah Æishel. They have meanings, too: Cadé's roughly translates to "warrior of the sea," and Rae's mean's "light-bringer."

It's slated for several sequels and prequels. The books featuring Acidalia and the rest of the crew are ''On the Edge of Eureka, Quantum Entanglement, Theories of Space-Time, The Nemesis Star,'' and ''The Transcension Hypothesis.'' Prequels include ''Enlightenment, Illuminatarion, Atomic Bonds, Beyond Arcadia,'' and several others. Work on ''Enlightenment'' has already begun, and the first draft is reportedly halfway done. ''On the Edge of Eureka'' has since been removed from Wattpad for editing, but the first draft has been completed, and the edited version is near;y done. Thus far, the changes have been minimal.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: "I may be an illegitimate bastard child, but at least my family tree doesn't look like a
Möbius strip."

On the Edge of Eureka is a science fiction novel posted by Wattpad user strange-quark, also known as "Karen Elizabeth Anne," but most often called Rennie or literally any derivative of Elizabeth. She also sometimes goes by Angelica Kirk, which is presumably another pseudonym, as she refuses to release her real name. ''On the Edge of Eureka'' is mostly SpeculativeFiction, with bits and pieces of modern-day technology taken UpToEleven. Set in a grim, dark, CyberPunk MegaCity called Eleutheria, one of its chief themes is the ethics of CRISPR-Cas9 DNA modification as the planet plunges itself into a civil war over eugenics. In the background, DNA data storage, supercomputers, artificial intelligence, and nuclear bombs all come into play, while the backstory seems to hint at a smallpox pandemic that happened far into the past. ''Enlightenment,'' a prequel presumably discussing this more, is in the works.

It's slated for several sequels and prequels. The books featuring Acidalia and the rest of the crew are ''On the Edge of Eureka, Quantum Entanglement, Theories of Space-Time, The Nemesis Star,'' and ''The Transcension Hypothesis.'' Prequels include ''Enlightenment, Illuminatarion, Atomic Bonds, Beyond Arcadia,'' and several others. Work on ''Enlightenment'' has already begun, with the first draft reportedly on chapter 9. ''On the Edge of Eureka'' has since been removed from Wattpad for editing, but the first draft has been completed, and draft 2 is on chapter 11. Thus far, it has a very similar plot, with the only changes being minor or closing plot holes.

* FirstContact: First ''peaceful'' contact, at least. The Mira and the Eleutherians have been at war for decades, but so much time has elapsed between peaceful meetings that neither of the generations that began the war is still around. Dalia, Andromeda and Atlas meeting Rae and Cadé is the first civil discussion in decades, and it's been so long since the last one that both species have never seen the other before and are bemused by each other.
* FutureSlang: "Stars!" is a popular one (or "astra!" or "stellae!," seemingly with no distinction between the two.) "Kyrie Eleison" (meaning "lord have mercy") is used frequently by Athena, though the characters have no idea what it means or the religious connotation. At one point, Dalia thinks "Christ," a phrase she heard from her grandmother, then notes she doesn't know what it references, but it feels like a stronger expression than "stars."

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: So far, we have Acidalia, Aleskynn, Alestra, Athena, Carina, Cressida, Cassiopeia, Tee, Ace, David, TB, Estella, Thea, Atlas, Andromeda, Artemis, Cadé, and Raeilya.
** Counting the characters from other works in the universe, we also have Kate, Taylor, Anna, Scout, Scarlett, Tim, Rebecca, Lillie Anne, Natalie, Kallie, Eva, Jace, and Cosette.
* LoveDodecahedron: Averted. Despite the immense number of characters and ship potential, the only romances thus far are between Thea and David, and Raeilya and Cadé. Ace and Lyra are teased. No one is fighting over relationships, and despite Dalia's status and implied beauty, no one is asking her out, and she doesn't seem to be seeking a boyfriend.
* Though, to be fair, author notes indicate she'll get one in the future.

* OrganTheft: There's an entire black market for organs, which are frequently stolen frpm Cantatores and Labora, expendable "dancers" and laborers. The kicker is that people don't even ''need'' transplant organs; cybernetics are ubiquitous. The upper classes just like "organic" organs better and are willing to pay for them.

* SaveThePrincess: In a nonromantic way. Tee tries to save Dalia, who's essentially a princess in all but name. She makes it out alive, but [[spoiler: he dies in the struggle.]]

** The city of Eleutheria is based on [[StarWars Coruscant.]]
** The author seems to be doing [[MythologyGag in-universe shout-outs]] to the prequel, Enlightenment. The district of Katharos is named after Katherine Davis, Acidalia and Aleskynn's relationship is a foil to Anna and Cosette's, and Esmeralda (Cosette's middle name) is one of the names mentioned by Cressida when she's trying to find Thea.

* SkyscraperCity: Eleutheria.

* StarshipLuxurious: Dalia's ''Revelation''.

* VagueAge: Alestra. According to basic maths, she's middle-aged, but other characters consistantly describe her as looking as young as her 20 year old daughter. Carina says that if she didn't know who it was, she'd assume Alestra was twenty-something. Justified, considering the easy access the rich have to DNA mods and anti-aging therapy.

* WretchedHive: The CyberPunk slums of Appalachia are basically this. Gangs rule everything, there's a massive stim problem, Labora regularly work themselves to death, abandoned orpans are practically as common as air, pollution makes the white buildings gray, and it's not explicitly mentioned (this ''is'' a YA book) but it can be assumed that prostitutes are everywhere.

* UterineReplicator: Dalia mentions those who can afford it passing on their DNA in this way. A rare example in that it's not ubiquitous and no downfalls to it are shown- it's just another option for women who don't want to potentially die in childbirth. (It may be a futuristic society, but medical care and general opinions on the value of human life are not the best.)

''Eureka's'' plot kicks off with an assassination attempt on recently-crowned Imperatrix Acidalia Planitia by the eugenicist group the Novagenetica, intending to force her mother back on to the throne; her mother Alestra supports the Nova, while Acidalia is part of another Revolutionary party that opposes their ideals. She escapes and sends her soldier brother on a wild goose chase to get the right data to a spy in the Revolution, and eventually another leader on Mars. On the way, Immunus AX-C240 ("Ace"), scientists Athena and Carina, the dancer Lyra, and a number of other people from all walks of life get swept into high-stakes political games as Acidalia tries to run a rebellion while keeping the planet from descending into chaos. Eleutheria soon breaks out in a civil war, with everyone stranded in the middle of it. Meanwhile, the Mira, a semi-alien civilization from the same roots as humans, take advantage of the mess to land, seemingly seeking Eleutheria's alliance in an intergalactic conflict and leaving Acidalia forced to choose between a planet of her people and a galaxy of aliens she's never met.

* BadassBookworm: In spades. Athena and Carina are both scientists, Dalia is a "programmer," and Ace and Tee are tech specialists. They manage to hold their own.

* FamilyFriendlyStripper: Lyra pretty obviously works at a strip club or brothel, but Viola is called an "exotice dancer," the actual term "brothel" is replaced with the Latin "lustris," and she doesn't get called a "whore," but a "meretrix." Actual sex is never mentioned or even hinted at despite the fact that it's clearly happening.

* Counting the characters from other works in the universe, we also have Kate, Taylor, Anna, Scout, Scarlett, Tim, Rebecca, Lillie Anne, Natalie, Kallie, Eva, Jace, and Cosette.

* Cassiopeia is named after a notoriously vain and selfish queen; Cassia mean's "empty headed."

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The modern Eleutherian caste system. Loyalists hate it because they feel that the "genetically superior" people are stagnant and not allowed to move up to take the control they deem rightfully theirs, while Revolutionaries hate it because of its inequality, abuse and genocidal tendencies.

On the Edge of Eureka is a science fiction novel posted by Wattpad user strange-quark, also known as "Karen Elizabeth Anne," but most often called Rennie or literally any derivative of Elizabeth. She also sometimes goes by Angelica Kirk, which is presumably another pseudonym, as she refuses to release her real name. ''On the Edge of Eureka'' is mostly SepculativeFiction, with bits and pieces of modern-day technology taken UpToEleven. Set in a grim, dark, CyberPunk MegaCity called Eleutheria, one of its chief themes is the ethics of CRISPR-Cas9 DNA modification as the planet plunges itself into a civil war over eugenics. In the background, DNA data storage, supercomputers, artificial intelligence, and nuclear bombs all come into play, while the backstory seems to hint at a smallpox pandemic that happened far into the past. ''Enlightenment,'' a prequel presumably discussing this more, is in the works.

On the Edge of Eureka is a science fiction novel posted by Wattpad user strange-quark, also known as "Karen Eliza" or "Rennie," in 2017. According to its description on the site, it has made it up to #210 in the rankings of sci-fi, won quarterfinals in a contest called The Perfect Prose Awards, and was the genre winner in The Dawn Awards.

Thus far, it has 20 chapters and is ongoing. The novel follows the story of a woman named Acidalia in a post-cyberpunk Earth called "Eleutheria" as a cold war breaks out between two rival political parties, both of whom oppose the caste system but have different perspectives on how best to change it. "The Loyalist Movement" wants to use the readily-available and ubiquitous genetic modification to elevate themselves and their allies over the common people even more so than the upper-class already is, and the Revolution wants some sort of democracy or republic, with the people having control over the government. Acidalia is part of the Revolution, but is also a Cipher in the old Eleutherian caste system, which is essentially royalty. Her mother and best friend are members of the Movement, which proves disastrous when they plan an assassination attempt against Dalia.

In the mix are the Mira, an alien race Eleutheria has been fighting for decades, who land while the military is busy controlling the riots begun by the cold war. Dalia and several others thrown into the adventure try to evade the Movement and their lackeys, make peace with the Mira, and establish a fairer political system on Earth.

Several sequels and a prequel called ''Literature/{{Enlightenment}}'' are in the works. The story can be read here: [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/106724609-on-the-edge-of-eureka]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: All the swear words people would normally say are just translated into Latin. "Meretrix," "lupa," and all the other things Lyra is called basically just mean whore or slut. When she says she was abandoned in a ''lustris,'' she means a brothel. ''Mori in igni'' means "die in a fire."

* FirstContact: First peaceful contact, at least. The Mira and the Eleutherians have been at war for decades, but so much time has elapsed between peaceful meetings that neither of the generations that began the war is still around. Dalia, Andromeda and Atlas meeting Rae and Cadé is the first civil discussion in decades, and it's been so long since the last one that both species have never seen the other before and are bemused by each other.
* FutureSlang: "Stars!" is a popular one. "Kyrie Eleison" (meaning "lord have mercy") is used frequently by Athena, though the characters have no idea what it means or the religious connotation. At one point, Dalia thinks "Christ," a phrase she heard from her grandmother, then notes she doesn't know what it references, but it feels like a stronger expression than "stars."

* LowCultureHighTech: Arcadian boarder towns.

* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Eleutherian leadership. It used to be strong and powerful, but as time marched on, it became incompetent. Castes meant the proletariat no longer had a voice in the government, the military meant that all men- even political leaders- were drafted, and low live expectancy made the government entirely teenagers and twenty-somethings. By the events of the book, they're relying of genetic modification and propaganda to control an unruly people, the planet it split between two rebel factions, and aliens are on the brink of landing, but no one has any idea what to do about it. The leadership is: Cassiopeia, who's obsessed with TB's approval and gaining power, and nothing else. Alestra, who pretty openly supports one of the rebel groups and is one hundred percent willing to kill her own people over it. And Acidalia: the only ReasonableAuthorityFigure, who still can't get any reforms done because everyone else is trying to kill her.

* [[SceneryPorn Scenery Description Overload]]: Eleutheria's massive buildings, neon signs, gritty slums and utopian penthouses are described in immense detail. This becomes [[FridgeHorror unnerving]] when it's described by Tee, Ace, Atlas or David, because they are implied to have undergone genetic modification during their training as a soldier that resulted in increased nationalism and patriotism.

* WhiteIsGood: Played with but ultimately not played straight. White represents power; it is both Acidalia's ability to change toe world for better or worse and the power of the Revolution to rebuild the system, and the power of Alestra and the Movement to do the opposite.

* BizarreAlienBiology: Not externally; the Mira are odd-looking and Uncanny Valley level, but not EldrichAbominations. However, on a molecular level, they don't have DNA. They use a different system where instead of adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine, they evidently use something involving just two bases.

* BrainyBrunette: Athena has black hair and Carina has grayish-brown.

* BystanderSyndrome: When Lyra is hit by a car, no one cares.

* CityNoir: When Athena is looking for Kalyn in the red light district.

* ColorCodedPatrician: Ciphers wear pure white, as stated above. This could be a Callback to Kate's love of the color.

* {{Cyborg}}: Andromeda. It's implied this is a common treatment for otherwise deadly injuries or diseases: get rid of the sick parts and replace them with robotic versions.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Author's notes on an upcoming project reveal that Alestra was a middle child who [[spoiler: murdered her younger sister Celeste and framed her older sister Anya for it, which led to Anya's execution and Alestra being able to become a Cipher. Alestra also helped incite a riot and indirectly killed thousands. Oh, and she was 15 when she killed a 7-year-old Celeste and a 19-year-old Anya.]]

* DeadlyGas: The ketacyanide bombs released during the riots. [[spoiler: They kill Artemis within minutes.]]
* DividedWeFall: The split in Eleutheria's government into two warring factions, neither of which is really helping anything despite their good intentions,

** Eleutherians look down on Martians as country hicks and rednecks who don't have a place in the castes.
** Martians see Eleutherians as fake and greedy.
** The upper castes look down on preformers as trashy. Middle-caste groups like Incentor and Sollertia are still seen as better than Cantatores, though. Actually, a major point of the caste system is how those in even minor positions of power act corrupt and horrible to everyone below them, simply because society says they can.
** the UncannyValley has not vanished: people like the Mira and anyone with cybernetics are seen by "normal" characters as kind of odd. Cyborgs are usually seen as cheap, with most preferring home-grown (or stolen) "organic" organs.
** The Miramans have something against the "Southern people," which is evidently a group that encompasses Raeilya.

* FreedomFromChoice: How TB views the rest of the world- innocent but dumb sheep who need to be told what to do by someone smarter and more powerful.

* {{Gendercide}}: Played with. There's no specific effort to kill off all the men, but they are the only ones (other than the mostly obsolete Generalis women) forced to fight the Mira in what's obviously a losing battle. A rare variant where this is not used to focus on a romantic relationship primarily; it mostly develops Dalia's relationship with her little brother TB-2115 or "Tee."

* GenreBusting: A {{Cyberpunk}} setting with SpeculativeFiction science and a cast made up of: a princess in all but name, two scientists, a low-class stripper in all but name, a tech-specialist soldier, and a cyborg Rebellion leader. Also, there's social commentary. Lots of social commentary.
* ettingCrapPastTheRadar: Some of the GratutiousLatin translates to somewhat inappropriate things. Meretrix isn't a title, agnus isn't a name, and lupa means something other then she-wolf in this context.

* LawOfAlienNames: Averted- Cadé's name is Cadé Maru, and Rae's full name is Raeilya Aminia Aalyah Imé. This is possibly due to cultural differences among the Mira- Southerners like Rae have more flowery names, spelled like Arabic but pronounced in a fluid, impossible-to-reproduce way.
** [[spoiler: They're similar to humans, because humans and the Mira come from the same origins (according to Word of God, at least.)]

** Aleskynn deliberately sounds like "less kin," emphasizing her status as a lesser family member.

* MirrorChemistry: Whatever genetic system the Mira have is clearly not compatible with humans', seeing as they cannot consume the same food (some, like salt water, is not deadly, but just not tasty and with no value, while the rest is presumably dangerous, as the normally hospitable Rae won't offer Dalia and her companions any.)

* MulticulturalAlienPlanet: According to tie-ins and bonus stories, Mirama. They even seem to have some form of FantasticRacism going on against the "Southern" people, whoever they are.
* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Averted- ''heavily'' averted, in fact. Not only are humans and Miramans not the same species, they don't even share the same genetic information. Humans have DNA, and whatever the Mira have is some other molecule with 2 bases. For this reason, Acidalia concludes that Eleutherian genetic mods won't work on Rae and Cadé.
** In the food, to a degree. Humans can't stomach the excessively salty water and meals of the Mira, because they lack salt-filtering glands.
* NoOSHACompliance: Most factories in Eleutheria. Child labor is everywhere, and workers are expendable, leading to many industrial accidents. Andromeda was nearly killed.

* OffingTheOffspring: Alestra to Dalia.

* With the soldiers too. Noticably, Tee and TB's names are almost identical: TB-2115 and TB-2116. Since they're all serial numbers, most are extremely similar. Like the girls, they come up with nicknames.

* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Aleskynn, being only 13. That is, until she turns on them.

* ThemeNaming: The author likes naming characters after celestial object, gemstones and myths.
** Acidalia Planitia is a plain on Mars, Andromeda, Lyra and Cassiopeia are constellations, and Carina is a nebula. Estella, Seren and Alestra (and therefore Aleskynn) are all derived from stars.
** Artemis and Athena are from the Greek mythos.
** Adamantina is from the Latin adamantum, or diamond. Names like Saphira, Perla, Margarita (also ''pearl''), Esmeralda, etc have gemstone roots.
** Most other names, like Thea, come directly from ancient Roman or Greek names (Theodora/Theodosia in this case) or mean something in one of those languages.

** There was also an Ascentic Movement in the late 2000s to early 3000s focusing on this style.

* IndustrialGhetto: The Terran slums where Lyra comes from.

* RedLightDistrict: Lower Appalachia and Terra, and Lyra's hometown. To innocent soldier boys, it's liberal version. To outsiders like Athena, it's a hostile version, and to natives like Lyra, it's just sad, pitiful, and miserable.

* CloseCallHaircut: At the very beginning when the Movement tries to kill Dalia, she feels the lasers singe her hair. Happens again to Lyra when the soldiers find her as a stowaway.

* OverlyLongName: The way the naming system works means that this happens quite frequently. If your given name is a two-parter like Acidalia Planitia or Carina Nebula, and your mother is also a two parter like Luna Minora or Julia Maxima, and your caste has subcastes, possibly multiple, and if you have titles, that all gets added onto your name. Carina Nebula e Julia Maxima, Ciencia Astronomica is the name of an ordinary middle-class scientist. Nicknames are used.
* ParentalBetrayal: See the above.

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Well, Latin in this case. It's thanks to universal translators. The language they actually speak appears to be more fluid, relying on underwater communication and clicks. (Xhosa is used as a placeholder.)

Several sequels and a prequel called ''Enlightenment'' are in the works. The story can be read here: [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/106724609-on-the-edge-of-eureka]]

[[folder:On the Edge of Eureka]]

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The modern Eleutherian caste system. Loyalists hate it because they feel that the "genetically superior" people are stagnant and not allowed to move up to take the control they deem rightfully theirs, while Revolutionaries hate it because of its inequality, abuse and genocidal tendencies.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Enlightenment/Tigris]]

* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: Rebecca is treated as if she's a government dignitary instead of a school leader. That being said, this is The Academy, where students are treated as smaller and easier-to-control grownups. Based on the work Kate does, a highly prestigious position like the President is justified.
* AdultsAreUseless: Kate, Natalie, Taylor, Rich, Dana, Belle and Lucille are the only people in the lab. There is no adult present. Kate's stepfather is a drunk, her mother is neglectful, and the man in charge of "InfecSec" is useless. The CDC and other US government facilities rely on the Academy to an extent, and are implied to be using Kate and co. as "lab rats" for diseases they don't want to deal with themselves.
** Possibly justified by that last point. The reason no adults are present is because the kids are treated as expendable workers. Adults ''could'' be working on the projects, but that would be putting the life of someone valuable in danger. In the government's eyes, why waste important thinkers when clueless and expendable teenagers could be doing the same work for free?
* AgeAppropriateAngst: In between Kate worrying about her scientists slowly dying of a new virus, there's Taylor and Scarlett talking about friendships, relationships and parties.
* AlphaBitch: Penny, with Leila being her Beta. However, not entirely: she seems to have had a difficult home life.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Kate talks a lot about not fitting in and being a social outcaste, past the point of normal teenage angst. She is also obsessed with microorganisms in a way that suggests some form of autism.
* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: Class 2 to Class 3a. Nearly all of humanity goes extinct; however, they were able to bounce back. Thousands of years later, they've created Eleutheria.]]
* ArcWords: Eureka, as well as Enlightenment and other similar words (''Lumen''osa, ''illuminate''arion, etc.)
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Plenty of literature nerds would love to be named Anna Karenina or Cosette Esmeralda or any of the other Davis girls' names.
** Averted with Kate: it's even made a point of how many people share her name in the first paragraph.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Joe and Sharon openly cheat on each other, drink, stay out late and emotionally abuse their kids.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Anna (and the rest of the cousins) is blonde, Kate's a brunette and Taylor is ginger.
* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: The Academy is one, when you start to think about it. Kate sees it as a way to escape from her neglectful mother and stepfather and her insane family, but the place uses child labor. Kate's casual reaction to corpses and love for the deadliest diseases just show how indoctrinated she is. She, and all the other lab workers, are treated as (and actually call themselves) "expendables." And this isn't even considered ''abnormal.'' It's just how things work, and the kids don't even see it as bad. Kate enjoys every minute of it.
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: The Davis triplets. Scarlett is beauty (though they're all described as pretty), Anna is brains and Scout is brawn.
* BrainyBrunette: Kate, and according to the images, also Belle, Rich, Natalie and Lillie Anne.
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: Many times, along with ArsonMurderAndJaywalking.
-->'''Scout:''' That's the ''point'' of Armageddon, Anna! You start riots, shoot zombies, eat beans!
* CheerfulChild: Cosette Davis.
* CoolCar: Kate's mom's Mercedes, her stepfather's truck, Penny's family's arsenal of sports cars...
* ConspiciousConsumption: Penny and her family go to great lengths to really hammer in the idea that they're rich, including excessive luxury cars, all-designer clothes every day, wearing diamond and gold jewels everywhere...
** Averted with Kate: we see in a bonus story that, even at 10, she was frustrated with her life, antisocial and disliked by her peers.
* ColorCodedPatrician: A downplayed example. Kate wears white quite often, usually in the form of lab coats, showing her status as the unchallenged smartest. Penny also wears white, showing hers as the unchallenged most popular RichBitch.
* CreepyChild: Kate is 16, but the other lab workers are in their early teens. They could fit this due to their carefree joking about how expendable they are, how quickly they expect to die, and their casual conversation over corpses.Especially when Kate threatens to stab the next person who calls her Kitty with an infected knife. Sure, she was joking, but does that really make it any better?
* DeadpanSnarker: Kate.
-->'''Scarlett:''' I thought the end of days wasn't supposed to happen until next week.
-->'''Kate:''' Right, let me just mark that down on my calendar. 'Sorry, Satan, I have a dentist appointment on Tuesday. We're going to have to move [the apocalypse] up.'
* EmbarrassingNickname:Played with. People call Kate "Kitty" in a mocking way, and Kitty would normally be a totally acceptable nickname for someone named Katherine. However, Kate associates it with her grade school bullies and her drunken stepfather, making it embarrassing to be called Kitty for her.
* FamilyEyeResemblence: The Davises have blue eyes.
* {{Fangirl}}: Taylor [=McLean=]. She writes fan fiction shipping together characters who have never met and has cried at Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
-->'''Lucille:''' ...I didn't know they ''had'' sad episodes.
-->'''Kate:''' You're right, and they don't.
* FashionDesigner: Scarlett.
* ForScience: Literally everything Kate does, all the time.
* FreeRangeChildren: Enlightenment starts with teenagers doing an autopsy on a (probably) smallpox-infected corpse. Where are their parents? In the case of the main characters, either dead, drunk or don't care.
* FlatWhat: [[spoiler: Kate when Agent Seymour tells her the world is ending, and they're not going to try and save the people with conventional methods- rather, they're going to save the smartest, richest and most powerful, and leave everyone else to die, in the hopes that the "best" will be able to build a better world.]]
* IdiotSavant: In a way, Kate; she's hopeless at anything related to socializing. When she has to make a speech, she just sounds like a moron. When she has to talk to people, she comes across as cold and uncaring. She's awful at sports, music, and getting along with people. The only thing she's good at is academics, and holy ''hell'' is she incredible at academics. She works full-time in a lab alongside adult members of the CDC, is entrusted with diseases from Ebola to smallpox, speaks many languages despite not even being raised in a bilingual family, and can calculate trigonometry problems in her head. But ask her to talk to a peer like a normal person, and she'll sound completely clueless and inept.
* ImprobablyHighIQ: Averted. Taylor and Kate are considered geniuses: Taylor has a realistic IQ of 118, which is above-average but still not outlandish. Kate is brilliant with an IQ of "150-something," which is very above average but not impossible- Einstein's was 160.
* InSeriesNickname: Katherine is Kate (and she gets pissed if you call her Kathy, Katie, or god-forbid ''Kitty''.) Jean-Louise goes by Scout, even though she's never read the book, and Timothy by Tim.
-->'''Kate:''' The next person to call me 'Kitty" gets stabbed with this infected scalpel.
** The sectors of ANEP, too. In all the tie-in stuff, they have nicknames: The Infectious Disease Sector is [=InfecSec=], which is a division of the Medical Sector ([=MedSec=]) which is a division of the Biology sector ([=BioSec=]) which is a division of the Science sector ([=SciSec=].)
* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Her intelligence isn't the only cause of Kate's isolation, but it's part of it. Either way, she's a TeenGenius with no friends, a family that (for the most part) doesn't care about or worry about her, and a nonexistent social life. She, in her own words, can relate more to deadly bioweapons than actual people.
** Averted with Taylor. Like Kate, she's a science whiz, but she's peppy, bubbly (even in times of stress) and has a thriving friend group, consisting of many Internet friends, all of the lab workers, many others, and Lillie Anne.
* JustBeforeTheEnd: The book begins [[spoiler: a few days before the apocalypse does.]]
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: From Tigris, Enlightenment and all of the extra material: Katherine, Taylor, Anna, Scout, Scarlett, Cosette, Tim, Penny, Leila, Lillie Anne, Natalie, Rich, Joe, Sharon, Dana, Belle, Lucille, Rachel, Amanda, and Pi.
* LonelyRichKid: Kate is rich, and completely isolated. Her money isn't the root of it, though.
* NoSocialSkills: Kate is completely inept at talking to others, empathizing or relating to them. This is even more pronounced in ''Tigris,'' when she finds she can't even cry when the world is ending and her friends are being sent to what might be their doom. She tries to give a speech, and fails miserably- not because she's emotional, but she's ''just that bad at it.''
* NextSundayAD: Enlightenment takes place someplace around 2020.
* NewSpeak: The names of various parts of ANEP invoke this. "[=InfecSec=]" and "[=PolitiSec=]" come to mind.
* NotGoodWithPeople: Kate is great with viruses. She actually loves them. People, on the other hand...
* PromotedToParent: Pretty much all of the Davis-McLean kids to those younger than them. Kate is a driving force in keeping the family together, and prevents everyone else from getting into trouble with Joe. Anna is maternal towards everyone, but especially Cosette, and takes on the role of the responsible adult. Tim is a mentor for Kate and his sisters, and everyone raises Cosette collectively.
* ParentalNeglect: Sharon and Joe could not care less about what happens to their children.
* RichBitch: Penny, Leila, and to a lesser extent, Scarlett.
** Averted with the rest of the Davises, who clearly have money (Sharon is an heiress, Joe is a millionaire playboy, they live in a massive house big enough to have at least seven bedrooms) but don't rub it in people's faces. Maybe it's because the rest of their lives is so awful.
* RunningGag: Scarlett citing classic literature without having any idea what she's talking about.
** From ''Tigris'':
-->'''Scarlett''': I want to be like [[TheGreatGatsby Daisy Buchanan.]] Gorgeous, impossibly rich and sought-after-
-->'''Kate''': You beautiful little fool.
-->'''Scarlett''': What?
-->'''Kate''':... you never read the book, did you?
-->'''Scarlett (snorting)''': No.
* ScienceIsBad: Played with, but ultimately averted. The themes of both Enlightenment and Eureka focus on science's applications and what the people who use it choose to do with it, not the technology itself being inherently good or evil.
* ScienceHero: Everything Kate does is for science. ''Everything.''
* SelfFanservice: Canon Kate is an acne-ridden, socially awkward teenager with a lot of personal issues involving the ethics of her career and the dilapidated mess of a family she belongs to. Fanon Kate is TheAce: nerdy but pretty and much more well-adjusted.
* ShoutOut: Mostly to the books the girls are named after. Joe murmers "so stupid, the shit we do," when discussing Cosette.
* SyntheticPlague: [[ThePlague Tigris]] may or may not be one, but it's implied that it was at least partially modified by humans.
* TeenGenius: Kate, Taylor, and everyone else at ANEP.
* TenderTears: Taylor is extremely prone to this.
* TheDitz: Leila. The author says she's the only one truly happy with her life, because she's too stupid to be upset by it.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Sort of. Kate is brilliant but a social outcast, and everyone outside her family/lab team think she's weird and creepy. Taylor is attractive, smart but nowhere near Kate's level, and a social butterfly. However, they do get along quite well, encouraging each other- Taylor says Kate is lucky because she's a genius, and Kate says Taylor is lucky because she's so likable.
** The triplets to an extent, too. Anna is more intellectual and definitely the most mature, while Scarlett is a party girl and more promiscuous and outgoing. Meanwhile, Scout is lazy and doesn't try in school- or, really, much of anything outside video games. They're all described by Kate as beautiful, but Scout tries to hide it, Anna is more cute and Scarlett tries to be sexy (it comes off as cringeworthy to Kate.)
* ThemeNaming: It's a Karen Eliza Anne book. Naturally, it has this in ''spades.''
** The Davis siblings are as follows: Anna Karenina, Scarlett, Jean-Louise "Scout," Timothy Finn and Cosette Esmeralda. Any of those sound familiar?
** Light, and words relating to it, are used as symbols for when something is hiding something. The "Great Elders" are called Luminosa in the sequel, Kate and Dalia both seek "enlightenment" for their family/their people, there's a chapter called Illuminate and a side novella or novel rumored to be called Illuminatarion, etc.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Ultimately, what [[spoiler: the Tigiris virus]] is.
* TheIlluminati: With the frequency the words "luminous," "illuminating," "enlightened" and "brilliant" are used, combined with the New World Order mentality of the government, this comes to mind quite a lot.
* ThePlague: [[spoiler: The Tigris virus.]]
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: A rare inversion: Joe, Rich and Tim are the only males.
** You can see this in ''Eureka'' too: Ace, Atlas, TB, Cadé and Tee were the only men in the main cast. [[spoiler: Tee dies in chapter 7]], and TB is a villain, which leaves Ace, Atlas and Cadé. Possibly justified by this being a world where the genders are kept apart, generally.
* TheUnfavourite: Scout is Joe's unfavorite. He's threatened to send her to "troubled teen camps" or military school multiple times. He also dislikes Kate, but not as much as Scout.
* TitleDrop: You know some symbolism/connections/conspiracies are about to go down when the books make references to one another. Most notably, Raeilya calls Dalia "an enlightened one" in ''Eureka'', and Kate says she feels like the's "on the edge of something incredible."
* TokenMiniMoe: Cosette is notably the youngest.
* UndergroundCity: The apocalypse bunker is implied to be one.



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