History Literature / WhateleyUniverse

* DidNotDoTheResearch: In several stories people use "she-male" as though it were a technical term for a person with a woman's secondary sexual characteristics and male genitalia. The term is actually an insult to trans-people that is most popular in the 9-12 year-old crowd.
** Not in transgender-fetishism parlance, it isn't.
** At one point, Phase refers to the NOFX songs "We March to the Beat of Indifferent Drum" and "Wolves in Wolves' Clothing" as "old NOFX songs" despite the fact that both songs were released five months before the story takes place.
** [[spoiler: Hippolyta]] comes from Afghanistan and was subjected to female genital mutilation, but female genital mutilation is not practiced in Afghanistan.
** In one of the stories radioactive isotopes are used so detailed scans of a body may be done. The character in question is informed that the isotopes are safe because quote: "(N)one of the isotopes they use here have a half-life of even five minutes." Isotopes with a shorter half life are by far MORE dangerous than isotopes with longer half-lives.
** Many of the techniques and attitudes displayed by the faculty would be used as examples of how real world teachers can CAUSE students to shut down and distrust both you and other students.

* AlphaBitch: ''Two'' full cliques of them, actually. The Alphas (gender neutral, [[SoBeautifulItsACurse Exemplar]] focused) and the Martial Arts Cheerleaders. A male version is in the goth squad, who worship [[CosmicHorror Great Old Ones]]. In particular, Tansy Walcutt, an Alpha, stands out; she tormented Ayla ([[GenderBender then known as Trevor]]) at their old school, and carries on at Whateley after they both mutate.

* CosmicHorrorStory: Part of the mishmash setting, complete with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and [[TomeOfEldritchLore Tomes of Eldritch Lore]]; Carmilla is descended from at least one, if not two of these. Seems to run on Derleth's [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks good vs evil]] interpretation of Lovecraft's material as opposed to Lovecraft's more chaotic and amoral world. But we don't know for sure yet, and WordOfGod hasn't clarified it. The school has a special classification for CosmicHorror ''students'', "Class X Entities".

* EccentricTownsfolk: The nearby town is named after a [[LovecraftCountry town from a H.P. Lovecraft story]] and has a high school for mutants, heroes, and {{Cosmic Horror}}s. One doesn't ask too many questions.

* InterspeciesRomance: Again, CosmicHorror does this to people.

* Anna Parsons, aka Aquerna, one of the kids who didn't win the SuperpowerLottery. She is a fairly low-powered avatar who gets her powers from the literal spirit of the squirrel[[hottip:*:The similarities to [[SquirrelGirl a certain Marvel character]] have been {{Lampshade}}d in-story, where {{Marvel Comics}} actually exist as well and have created and copyrighted many of the same characters as in real life, but she's very much her own person.]] and started out as something of a campus joke because of it, but is proving actually pretty competent with what powers she does have as she gets more story time.

** But those guys weren't Cthulhu level. Now the demon in ''Ayla and the Grinch'' might qualify, but Ayla lost that fight[[hottip:*:Sort of.]].

*** Although it should be noted that she's quoting from a famous episode of TheSimpsons[[hottip:* :Marge Versus The Monorail]], and thus may or may not be serious.

** Not only that, but Handmaidens can actually use a dream sequence to see all the different futures that can result from their actions.

* {{Pettanko}}: Lily and Jadis.

** According to older characters, Adults used to not be useless when it came to the bullying situation in previous years. [[spoiler: However Carson has admitted to have committed herself to a Xanatos Gambit involving allowing bullies free reign. What exactly that gambit entails, has not yet been revealed.]]

* GenreSavvy: Ayla and Jadis both have this, along with a good few people. Others pretty much go through the index. When a smile can be explained as a 'Xanatos Gambit' you know you've got this.

* XanatosGambit: Invoked by name. Also, that story pretty much goes through the index.

* HotChickWithASword: Chou Lee.

* Phase (Ayla Goodkind), a density-changer who can become [[IntangibleMan intangible]] or [[NighInvulnerable super-dense]]. [[TheWhitePrince Comes from a very rich family]], but unfortunately that family is the Whateley Universe version of Fred Phelps's clan, and reacted [[MadScientist very]] [[MoralEventHorizon poorly]] to his mutation.

** Also: the Green Witch, Mr. Garrity, and Mr. Donner

* NaughtyTentacles: Carmilla/Sara Waite, who combines them with CombatTentacles and NightmareFuel.

* ShownTheirWork: Anything by Diane Castle, which is parodied in Fractious, her Lit-Chick counterpart. Fractious cannot help doing this, to the point that a 20 page short story becomes a 600 page criminology textbook.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted, as many characters who are becoming female at varying rates have to deal with getting a period for the first time. YourMileageMayVary on how well the authors address the issue, though.

* KarmaHoudini: There are a few. Luckily, it appears to be averted eventually with most villains, but some DesignatedHeroes may qualify.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The team keeps getting yelled at for clogging up their comms in the sims with mindless chatter. While Gunny Bardue is right and this could have bad consequences, Phase is also right in that the chatter has helped them keep tabs on each other and quickly realise when someone's gone down.

* PurpleProse: Toni's narration slips into this when looking around [[EldritchLocation the cave]] in "It's All in the Timing". [[PaintingTheFourthWall It's implied that the cave itself is the cause of this.]]

** Ayla Goodkind [[spoiler: will not only beat you senseless, but financially ruin you, your family, ''and'' your dog. Unless you apologise, strike a deal, and join Ayla's empire.]]

**** Her reaction to getting the crap knocked out of her was "That was fun, let's do that again sometime!". Still, she's gotten beaten again recently, so at the least, she's no longer 'invincible'. And it's established she's realized she can't skate through and does have to work.

** Brute force isn't going to work well because the Goodkinds are rich, famous, and at least moderately {{genre savvy}}. They believe in hiring competent help -- including security, who will be highly trained, motivated, and equipped with the best that money can buy -- and any open attacks on them are apt to result in ''major'' public backlash. Add to that that superpowered individuals in the setting are generally less than 'cosmically' powerful and their community is far from united (to the point that some would legitimately consider it their civic duty to foil any straight-up attacks against the family just as they would if anybody else was the target), and it ''really'' starts to look like the Goodkinds are here to stay.

** Because they've got deadly serious security at all times who are trained in baseline vs mutant combat, humanity first militia, MCO Dropships and powered armor on call, and the intelligence network to detect larger threats before they occur?

* JokerImmunity: In spades, with the most egregious examples coming from Even Murphy's Law Has Loopholes.