History Literature / ShatteredContinent

* SimpleYetOpulent: Minette's mourning garb is flat black, highly subdued, and hand made by professionals out of top shelf material. [[HiddenDepths She also recognizes]] the Professor's matte gray [[CoolGuns target pistol]] as being tricked out to the point where it's more expensive than the extra-fancy pistol she walked in with.

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Caroline's starting outfit was designed to look good, and that's about it. NavelDeepNeckline, bare midriff, combined with OperaGloves and short shorts. The only parts that stick around are a belt and a pair of boots, which were just [[OffTheShelfFX functional items with skulls hot-glued to them.]]

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Caroline's starting outfit was designed to look good, and that's about it. NavelDeepNeckline, [[BareYourMidriff bare midriff]], combined with OperaGloves and short shorts. The only parts that stick around are a belt and a pair of boots, which were just [[OffTheShelfFX functional items with skulls hot-glued to them.]]

* HalfHumanHybrid: Half-demons. The outcome can vary pretty wildly; of the two seen so far there have been a [[CuteMonsterGirl reasonably normal looking young woman]] with [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes,]] [[UncannyValley square pupils and opaque skin,]] and a [[spoiler: mercenary with [[BeastMan insect features, vestigial wings]] and [[MultiArmedAndDangerous an extra set of arms]]]]

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Caroline's starting outfit was designed to look good, and that's about it. AbsoluteCleavage, [[BareYourMidriff bare midriff]], combined with OperaGloves and short shorts. The only parts that stick around are a belt and a pair of boots, which were just [[OffTheShelfFX functional items with skulls hot-glued to them.]]

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Seth gets one of his eyes knocked out of his head with a 38 caliber bullet, [[UpToEleven and then crushed with a thrown revolver.]]]]

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler: The Sparrow tries to invoke this]] based on The Professor's [[FamedInStory reputation]] as a remorseless killer.

* DamselInDistress: Caroline's abduction sends a pair of FBI Agents racing off into the desert to save her. [[BigDamnHeroes Rushing off without proper backup,]] [[RealityEnsues they fail to properly stop the ritual.]] Further on, Caroline works to avoid becoming this, [[TookALevelInBadass undergoing a crash training program]] on swords and firearms, contributing to the final battle.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The Duke's parties include such deadly spectacles as making teams of peasants fight it out on boats on an artificial lake. [[spoiler: Funding these events has nearly bankrupted the Duke.]]

* MamaBear/PapaWolf: The Captain and the Professor are both protective of Beatrix, to the point of violence.

A DieselPunk/Fantasy series established in 2014, Shattered Continent takes place on Neue Erde, a nexus point between dimensions and dumping ground of the multiverse. The main supercontinental land mass is shared between two nations, the magic-heavy [[TheEmpire New Empire]] in the West, and the highly militarized, tech-heavy Cardenas in the East. Unable to discover a way back off the planet after generations of attempts, they have settled into more pressing affairs, specifically the repulsion of the [[TheLegionsOfHell invasion of extra-dimensional entities]] that happens once every 20 to 30 years. The last time it happened, around 1995, the combined armies of Neue Erde [[GodzillaThreshold resorted to using a thermonuclear bomb]] to crush the final wave of the invasion, [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu killing both nations top-level commanders and rending a large swath of the Empire, including the capital completely uninhabitable.]] As of the year 2017, the two nations have settled into an uneasy peace, with the assorted kingdoms [[BalkanizeMe setting their own policy]] while paying lip-service to the vacant Imperial throne, and Cardenas descending into a level of paranoia that would make Joseph [=McCarthy=] flinch.

* FantasticRacism: Half-demons. In some parts of the Empire, [[WouldHurtAChild infanticide]] is an accepted practice.

* BiTheWay: The Captain off-handedly comments on the attractiveness of one of the mercenaries, has a picture of her in her youth holding hands with a young woman, and is married to The Professor. [[spoiler: The latter is a sham.]]

* SureWhyNot: In-universe, [[spoiler: Sparrow becomes convinced that the trap laid by the Professor was staged from the moment she first met Minette, instead of something they kludged together at the last minute. No one corrects her.]]

A DieselPunk/Fantasy series established in 2014, Shattered Continent takes place on Neue Erde, a nexus point between dimensions and dumping ground of the multiverse. The main supercontinental land mass is shared between two nations, the magic-heavy [[TheEmpire New Empire]] in the West, and the highly militarized, tech-heavy Cardenas in the East. Unable to discover a way back off the planet after generations of attempts, they have settled into more pressing affairs, specifically the repulsion of the [[TheLegionsOfHell invasion of extra-dimensional entities]] that happens once every 20 to 30 years. The last time it happened, around 1995, the combined armies of Neue Erde [[GodzillaThreshold resorted to using a thermonuclear bomb]] to crush the final wave of the invasion, [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu killing both nations top-level commanders and rending a large swath of the Empire, including the capital completely uninhabitable.]] As of the year 2017, the two nations have settled into an uneasy peace, with the assorted kingdoms [[BalkanizeMe setting their own policy]] while paying lip-service to the vacant Imperial throne, and Cardenas descending into a level of paranoia that would make Joseph McCarthy flinch.