History Roleplay / CerberusDailyNews

* AIIsACrapshoot: D.W.I.C.K, apparently. It briefly appeared to have taken over Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt. Terrorbyte activated it during his short-lived coup attempt following the real Dwick's multi-day disappearance. Hijinks ensured.

* AnyoneCanDie: Board rules prevent members from killing each others’ characters without their express pre-approval. This doesn't stop several characters from meeting their end at gunpoint.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Invoked in-universe with the Biotic lash technique used by cerberus agents.

* BloodKnight: Tethys Reave.
* BookEnds: [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination QOROQ's]] first and final victims are volus, killed though grisly dismemberment and depressurization.]]

* BuccaneerBroadcaster: ''The Voice of Omega'' run by Job Larson and his hobo friends. Used primarily to talk about whatever rumors are currently spreading around Omega. With occasional conspiracy theories thrown in. Ask him about the Tusk-Man.
* BuffySpeak: Mandatory (Boss):

* CoincidenceMagnet: Applicable to the entire forum, and the characters' habits of running into each other even when doing mundane things like grocery shopping. The characters often [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] it, usually by joking/theorizing that the CDN forums are actually an exercise in probablity manipulation.

* ConspiracyTheorist: Several. Current Conspiracy Theorist in Chief: Capice, who ran practically every Reaper-related rumor by the boards before the Invasion of Earth (to everyone else’s irritation). Job is also good for a conspiracy theory or two.

** A [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=484 thread]] in the Virtual Lounge (the OOC section) is about inventing even more of these.

* DeadpanSnarker: A staple characteristic for the forum. Although the ultimate example might well be Dyson, the galaxy's most sarcastic geth, whose put-downs and come-backs (eminantly logical, of course) became legendary. It had a disturbing habit of keeping tabs on other posters and linking effortlessly to previous posts as a means of demonstrating his opponents' hypocrisy or contradictions.

* {{Elseworld}}: Elseworld threads explore different scenarios. They’re common enough that they have their own subforum now.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: A lot of these happened during during the Who Goes There storyline and the Reaper War. For some, it even doubled as a RedemptionEqualsDeath.
* EldritchAbomination: QOROQ, definitely. Possibly "Kittens".

-->'''<TSS>''' [[NoIndoorVoice I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH ANGER AND BEING PUNKED]]
-->'''<TSS>''' [[UnstoppableRage I WILL DESTROY YOU HARRAD]]
-->'''<TSS>''' [[KillItWithFire WITH FIRE AND THINGS LIKE FIRE]]

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Ket'Etal winds up acquiring a penguin, initially as a joke. He names it "Kettle Junior" and he winds up keeping it around for several months. Why a penguin? Because of this trope, essentially
* EvilAlbino: Cerastes.

* FantasticRacism: Incredibly common. Nearly every race hates at least one other race by default, and practically everyone despises both vorcha and quarians.

* FauxToGuide: The "Serious Life Coach Column" should totally be taken at face value and obeyed to the letter. No, really. No flippancy or satire goes anywhere ''near'' those posts, honest!
* FictionalSport: ''Pildavi'', Trapball, ''Sarophan'tialamenus'', etc.

** More recently, Muckracker and Vohkaidin.

* HeroicBSOD: TSS/Abattoir fanfiction is leaked. To everyone. TSS doesn't take it well.
* HeroicSacrifice: Oddly enough, often committed by the ''villains.''

* ICallItVera: A somewhat arhaic trope, but consider Quint's FMBLA and Aphin's Fishjolnir. The former is a gun that shoots spent heat sinks at their opponents. The latter is a three foot-long rubber fish on a handle.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The calling cry of many a character. Pertinent examples include Emon Spiza and the more reluctant mercenaries.
* InsistentTerminology: The humans tend to insist that upon their heads they sport "hair" and not "fur".

** Valaar Ke'el: A ''Lak'Ratar Veran'' is not a cape.
* InterspeciesAdoption: Xuumo the elcor and his human adopted son/junior partner/meal ticket Alonso.
* {{Jerkass}}: Nearly every member of the forum is one; it would be shorter to describe who isn’t.

* KnowledgeBroker: Notable examples include Dietrich, Cerastes and Kittens.

** Jon Briggs is a respectable BUSINESSMAN, whose BOMBASTIC and RANDOMLY CAPITALIZED speeches SHOULD NOT remind anyone of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R9kYeJ-DaI Peterman]]. NOT AT ALL.

* LongRunner: Has been running for four years now.
* MadeASlave: Given both Illium and the batarian slave trade, this happens every once in a while.
* MadnessMantra:

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Several. The often antagonistic relationships between characters contrast with the out of character relationships.

* MyMasterRightOrWrong: The indentured servants that belong to Johnny/Some_Random_Merc. Goddess knows that he has done some unpleasant thing, but they stick by him, despite their contracts.

** Justicar Velinara, as well. [[spoiler:Guess what?]]

* NewNeighboursAsThePlotDemands: Efforts have been made to avert this. A thread in the virtual lounge exists for the creation of sovereign nations within the Terminus, so that the region can be fleshed out consistently and with a fair amount of pre-established political backstory. It also provides plenty of inspiration for new Terminus characters.
** Non-canon species are not permitted; although it's known that both the Turian Hierarchy and the Terminus contain several species as yet unrevealed, characters are limited to official canon species. Some of these minor races have been named, but that's about it.
* NiceHat: Stezenyn, the hat-wearing hanar.
** Skrat the vorcha.

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: One Classy Bloke - ha ha, it's a volus in a top hat with a cane! Funny, right? Well, he not only showed signs of being a MagnificentBastard...he's a ''biotic vanguard'' on top of that. [[spoiler: It doesn't help him in the end]].
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: This has been a growing sentiment amongst human colonists towards the Alliance's post-war government, which they consider to be exploiting their resources without recompense to aid Earth's reconstruction while simultaneously neglecting their needs.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted. “Goronak” is such a prevalent batarian name that it’s become a racial slur. It actually means "second son"; it's so common as a name because the second son is blessed in traditional batarian culture, and many parents proudly name their second son "Goronak" to emphasis this.

* OverprotectiveDad: Davril – though his is perhaps justified in that his daughter is a nigh-constant DistressedDamsel.
* PlayByPostGames

** The ongoing comical feud between Mekan of Omega and Chez "Dragonfly" is another, very mean-spirited example of a practical joke war. The kind that involves stuffing corpses into one another's fridges.

* PunnyName: In the spirit of several quarian names from the Mass Effect series (vas Iktomi, etc), we have Sarve'er nar Kolepsi.
* ReallyGetsAround: Both Abattoir and Diplomatic Immunity, despite both of their rather fearsome reputations. Also Senn and a few others.

* ReplacementScrappy: In-universe, the entire cast of ''The Life Egregious'' season five. Luckily Tethys Reave regenerates[[note]]from being disintegrated by a reaper at the start of the war[[/note]] and [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing kills them all]] during a live broadcast.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: One of the first major characters, Inconspicuous Organic, was a robust human specimen and most certainly not an artificial intelligence.
* SummonBiggerFish: In 'The Lost World' chapter 3; first [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=154730#p154730 invoked]], then [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157652#p157652 used]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157734#p157734 fully]].

* TheEngineer: Probably the second largest demographic after mercenaries. Quarians are especially prone to using this trope.

* UnexplainedRecovery: Several, including Wedeg Biigs, who seems to have survived being swallowed and digested by a sea monster.

* WeirdMoon: The Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121212192355/cdn/images/2/30/Logo_copy.jpg logo.]]

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The Chresk threads are a near perfect example of this, as you'll never know who will actually bet on the slaves being forced to fight to gain freedom until they do so.
* WouldHurtAChild: Batarian slavers, notably. The backstory of "Jimmy" gives a disturbing taste of it. There was also the time when Abad Sam-mel supposedly won an extranet argument by having Dreket eat a child slave.
* WrenchWench: Kim (Digital Dragon) is one part this, and one part PlayfulHacker.

This is what happened to CerberusDailyNews, a fake news blog based off of the daily news feeds that would show up on VideoGame/MassEffect2[=’=]s StartScreen. Growing into a roleplaying site almost overnight, it has since created its own [[http://cerberusdailynews.com forum]], storylines, chat channel and [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com site wiki]], staying true to its roots by releasing daily news articles on the state of the Galaxy written by its userbase.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Happens in-universe when Suzi Spektre, the actress who plays "Shepherd" in ''Citadel XXX'' is killed during the Reaper attack on earth. Shepherd's role is taken up by [[TheOtherDarrin Melody]] [[Creator/MillaJovovich Jovia]]. The change in appearance is explained via the Cerberus "Elazar Project's" facial reconstruction. Just like in [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the game]].

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Happens in-universe when Suzi Spektre, the actress who plays "Shepherd" in ''Citadel XXX'' is killed during the Reaper attack on earth. Shepherd's role is taken up by [[TheOtherDarrin Melody]] [[Creator/MillaJovovich Jovia]]. The change in appearance is explained via the Cerberus "Elazar Project's" facial reconstruction. [[CaptainObvious Just like in]] [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the game]].

Here’s a social experiment.

Take a popular sci-fi series (in this case, Franchise/MassEffect).

Start up a news feed that posts official, daily, in-universe news blurbs.

Add a commentary box.

And just watch the roleplaying begin.

This is what happened to CerberusDailyNews, a fake news blog based off of the daily news feeds that would show up on VideoGame/MassEffect2[=’=]s StartScreen. Growing into a roleplaying site almost overnight, it has since created its own [[http://cerberusdailynews.com forum]], storylines, chat channel and [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com site wiki]], staying true to its roots by releasing daily news articles on the state of the Galaxy written by its userbase.

Cerberus Daily News has played through the events of VideoGame/MassEffect2 and VideoGame/MassEffect3, using the articles and in-game Codices as its backbone. Having rebooted its forums, it now [[ContinuationFic explores events]] AfterTheEnd, choosing one of the game’s canonical endings and creating a scenario that takes place one year after the final events of the series’ finale (Specifically, in CDN's canon, Shepard was female and went for the Control Ending), using a series of community-written [[ApocalypticLog “Retrospectives”]] to flesh out the forum’s current setting.

CerberusDailyNews can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com here]]. The original (unformatted Wordpress site) can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/index_old.php/wx-login.php/?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cerberusdailynews.com%2Fioj-admin%2Fedit.php&reauth=2 here]], its old forum can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum here]], and its wiki [[http://cdn.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_Wiki here]]. If you would like to submit your own front-page story for the site, [[http://cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=94&o=0#2 here are the posting guidelines]].

We are in the process of compiling our greatest adventures in the form of recaps. Please enjoy the first one: [[Recap/CerberusDailyNewsBattleOfVeratixStation The Battle of Veratix Station.]]

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!!''Cerberus Daily News'' contains the following tropes:

* AGoodNameForARockBand: One response to someone pointing out that the Blue Suns are only a short step away from being called the Azure Supernovas (in a thread in which organisation names were being mocked). [[{{Squick}} Another pointed out that this would be an exceptionally bad name for an asari strip joint.]] Note that "Azure" is slang for an asari's genitals.
* ActorAllusion: An actor named [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Carth Onasi]] plays a fictionalized expy of Kaidan in ''Citadel XXX''. They're played by the same VA.
* AfterTheEnd: The forum is currently in a post-Mass Effect 3 timeframe. A couple of years have passed, with the relay network coming back online and galaxy-wide travel starting up again. Most of the nations and factions are in the process of rebuilding.
* AIIsACrapshoot: D.W.I.C.K, apparently. It briefly appeared to have taken over Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt. Terrorbyte activated it during his short-lived coup attempt following the real Dwick's multi-day disappearance. Hijinks ensured.
* AllAnimalsAreDogs: Choriick. Which are essentially salarian spider-dogs. Also Talxu, which are asari aqua-dogs (with a little chimp in the mix).
* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Skhash [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the drummer.]] A vorcha who plays drums for a red metal band. By vorcha standards, he's actually pretty well-spoken and shows considerable intelligence.
* AllThereInTheManual: The [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=140 retrospectives]] cover what happened after the war for most factions.
* [[AllMenArePerverts All ExtraNet Users Are Perverts]]:
-->'''Abad Sam-mel:''' What the hell?! 'CDN' stands for 'Cerberus Daily News', not 'Cosmic Dating Network', damnit.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted with the yahg, who are imagined not as bloodthirsty and uncontrollable but as a sophisticated - if dangerous - race who *can* integrate into the galactic community, if both they and the other races take steps to make it work.
* AmusingAlien: The vorcha. Terrifying in battle. Hilarious as pets.
** Special mention to Curr the News Vorcha, whose popular show "News With Curr" is good for a laugh and/or the urge to end it all.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: In one thread, Nikolai Aleksanders mocks the hyperbolic inanities of Wedeg Biigs by affecting a hammy and ludicrously [[PurpleProse purple]] posting style, which is rapidly adopted by everyone else in the thread, leading to an AntiquatedLinguistics battle of sorts. Also a form of IShallTauntYou.
** [=SerArcheosEater=] sounds like this; he speaks an old krogan language in a dialect that translates very much in line with this trope.
* AnyoneCanDie: Board rules prevent members from killing each others’ characters without their express pre-approval. This doesn't stop several characters from meeting their end at gunpoint.
* ApocalypticLog: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/?p=1244 When the Reapers finally arrive, many comments in CDN reports are filled with transmissions from worlds they are attacking.]] Many are suddenly cut off mid-sentence.
* AuthorExistenceFailure: Happens in-universe when Suzi Spektre, the actress who plays "Shepherd" in ''Citadel XXX'' is killed during the Reaper attack on earth. Shepherd's role is taken up by [[TheOtherDarrin Melody]] [[Creator/MillaJovovich Jovia]]. The change in appearance is explained via the Cerberus "Elazar Project's" facial reconstruction. [[CaptainObvious Just like in]] [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the game]].
* AwesomeButImpractical: Invoked in-universe with the Biotic lash technique used by cerberus agents.
** To a lesser extent, Omni-blades are also being debated as near useless in many combat situations.
* BandOfBrothels: The Illium Intimate Services Sisterhood, which does what it can to keep the industry safe and reputable on Illium. The Citadel has its equivalent, the Sapphire Alliance.
* BearsAreBadNews: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Biotic grizzly]]
* BerserkButton: Very, very many examples. Some include:
** Accusing individual quarians of being responsible for their own fate.
** Calling Diplomatic Immunity a politician.
** Bad-mouthing Kirok's varren.
** Bringing up Janice Proctor's past [[ThoseWackyNazis Terra Firma]] membership.
** Calling Liria T'Remi a [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/cdn/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=214&start=50 piece of meat]].
* BloodKnight: Tethys Reave.
* BookEnds: [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination QOROQ's]] first and final victims are volus, killed though grisly dismemberment and depressurization.]]
* BrickJoke: Long-time members have long memories.
** The initial appearance of both Snow Varren and the Biotic Grizzly.
** [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=189325#p124725 Kittens fulfills a promise]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=117008#p117008 he made a month previously]] to Gatrinex.
** [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=170 A joke 13 months in the making]]
** From ''The Life Egregious'': "I lied, Holmes!" A minor moment from the third season that sets up a joke in the series finale.
* BuccaneerBroadcaster: ''The Voice of Omega'' run by Job Larson and his hobo friends. Used primarily to talk about whatever rumors are currently spreading around Omega. With occasional conspiracy theories thrown in. Ask him about the Tusk-Man.
* BuffySpeak: Mandatory (Boss):
-->"That's all you unfunny assholes ever f***ing say, "WHELP WHELP WHELP" all f***ing day and f***ing night. Like some kind of thing... that screams whelp a lot".
* ButtMonkey: Emon Spiza is designated this.
* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: Most NPC drell are this (to hanar); the player character drell, on the other hand, are often non-Compact.
* CannibalismSuperpower: "Devour The Hearts Of [=NKaria's=] Adversaries So That You May Take Their Power For Yourself", a side-scrolling platformer; distribution is banned in the Illuminated Primacy due to extreme gore, subversive religious themes, and depictions of intense violence. Featuring [[CoolCat Jammin' Moxie]], voiced by [[BloodKnight Tethys Reave]].
* ChildSoldiers: Part of several characters' background - most commonly turians or drell. The issue of child soldiers is currently a controversial one due to reports of underage drell soldiers used by the Illuminated Primacy; the drell rights groups have been making a fuss.
* CoincidenceMagnet: Applicable to the entire forum, and the characters' habits of running into each other even when doing mundane things like grocery shopping. The characters often [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] it, usually by joking/theorizing that the CDN forums are actually an exercise in probablity manipulation.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: See anything yellow and related to either Aphin, Tarn or Kittens? Don’t trust it.
* ComedicSociopathy: Krogan, vorcha, and pretty much any mercenary on the board. To be honest, much of the humour runs on this trope.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Several. Current Conspiracy Theorist in Chief: Capice, who ran practically every Reaper-related rumor by the boards before the Invasion of Earth (to everyone else’s irritation). Job is also good for a conspiracy theory or two.
* {{Continuation}}: Bioware’s official CDN news articles have ended, but forum members continue to create them in their absence.
* CoolCat: Jammin' Moxie (moxies being four-eyed turian cats).
* CoolOldGuy: Mirqurios, Gorik, Aphin, Dwick, Kolhammer.
* CoolShades: Julmoth. Twice as cool because he's a batarian.
** "I don't always come back from the dead, but when I do, I make sure to wear awesome shades."
* CoolStarship: Too many to name. Many were destroyed in the Reaper War, however.
** A [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=484 thread]] in the Virtual Lounge (the OOC section) is about inventing even more of these.
** The Hierophant-class
-->It is said that when the Hierophant of Gruul asked for a superweapon to destroy his enemies, he was told it could not be done. When he asked for a dreadnought, he was told that he did not have the budget. So he asked for a heavy cruiser, and told his men that it must be the best cruiser that could possibly exist, one that would crush his enemies and lead his fleets to victory. When he was brought back the design for the Hierophant-class, he asked why his men claimed that they could not bring him a superweapon."
* CoolVsAwesome: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2980&start=260 Elcor vs. krogan]]
* TheCracker: Terrorbyte. His SitcomArchnemesis Mekan of Omega slides into this sometimes, though he's nowhere near as malicious.
* CrapsackWorld: The Terminus Systems. The uncivilized half of the galaxy. One part WildWest, one part MegaCorp playground, and one part Afghanistan.
* {{Cricket}}: Trapball, an elcor sport which is clearly cricket, only slower and more confusing - something possibly only the elcor could have managed.
* CrypticConversation: [=RememberTheBlitz=] will occasionally speak in this manner.
** Cute Young Feline Mammal ("Kittens") always speaks like this.
* CurbstompBattle: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=600 Vakkel versus Blasphemous Xenophage.]] AndThereWasMuchRejoicing.
** A group of thugs calls Goronak's bluff. [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=24886#p24886 He wasn't bluffing.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: A staple characteristic for the forum. Although the ultimate example might well be Dyson, the galaxy's most sarcastic geth, whose put-downs and come-backs (eminantly logical, of course) became legendary. It had a disturbing habit of keeping tabs on other posters and linking effortlessly to previous posts as a means of demonstrating his opponents' hypocrisy or contradictions.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Technically, the whole site.
* DeadManWriting: Last Wills and Testaments triggered by Dead Man Switches are so ubiquitous that Diplomatic Immunity once had one [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6386 go off early]] as a gag.
* DepravedBisexual: The ''least'' of Abattoir's faults. Same with Diplomatic Immunity.
* DeterminedHomesteadersChildren: Younger characters from the turian separatist communities on Solregit.
* DistressedDamsel: Kidnapping is a very common occurrence, so much so that one child was given a subdermal distress beacon for “in the unlikely circumstance that you leave your father's line of sight again.”
* DoubleEntendre: Some threads are ''FULL'' of them.
* DrinkingGame: One has been created for nearly every notable character.
* {{Elseworld}}: Elseworld threads explore different scenarios. They’re common enough that they have their own subforum now.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: A lot of these happened during during the Who Goes There storyline and the Reaper War. For some, it even doubled as a RedemptionEqualsDeath.
* EldritchAbomination: QOROQ, definitely. Possibly "Kittens".
* EnforcedMethodActing: The ending of the first "Dynasty Maker" arc involved the main character's player being kept in the dark as to a... certain all-important detail.
-->'''<TSS>''' [[NoIndoorVoice I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH ANGER AND BEING PUNKED]]
-->'''<TSS>''' [[UnstoppableRage I WILL DESTROY YOU HARRAD]]
-->'''<TSS>''' [[KillItWithFire WITH FIRE AND THINGS LIKE FIRE]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Most of the evil characters have a line they refuse to cross.
* {{Expy}}: Asharia is based off of a certain [[Series/{{Dexter}} blood-spatter analyst]].
** Suri'Neyvi appears to be heavily influenced by [[MyImmortal Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way.]]
** In a variant, the characters have also mentioned various cultural analogues: ''[[TopGear Top Core]]'', ''[[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Justicars of the Asari Republics]]'', ''[[Film/JamesBond Dirk Black]]'', ''[[HaveIGotNewsForYou That Certainly Happened]]'', [[TheOtherWiki Extrapedia]], [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6696&start=0 HV]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=273229#p273229 Tropes]] [[AmericasArmy System's Alliance Navy]] ...
* EvilAlbino: Cerastes.
* [[InternetCounterattack Extranet Counterattack]]: Taken to an extreme with Operation Down With Discord. Discori made some postings offering to sell slaves. An army of mercenaries launched a coordinated attack on his base.
** [[MemeticMutation Oh fuck]], [[http://demotivator.org/photos/207/6f83f509f6a6fadcc92fae7816965028.jpg the extranet is here]].
* ExecutiveMeddling: Temporarily happened in-universe to ''The Life Egregious''.
* EyeScream: Considering the average forum-goer’s occupation, bullets and knives to the squishy bits are a distressingly common occurrence. Just ask Davril, Dietrich, Aphin, or really any member of Cerberus before the end of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* FantasticRacism: Incredibly common. Nearly every race hates at least one other race by default, and practically everyone despises both vorcha and quarians.
* FantasticSlurs: Kickballs (volus), Furheads (humans), Blinks (batarians), Frogs (salarians), Flashlights (geth), Spikebutts (turians), Bluetits (asari), Lizards (drell or krogan), Buckets (quarians)...
* FauxToGuide: The "Serious Life Coach Column" should totally be taken at face value and obeyed to the letter. No, really. No flippancy or satire goes anywhere ''near'' those posts, honest!
* FictionalSport: ''Pildavi'', Trapball, ''Sarophan'tialamenus'', etc.
* FieldPromotion: [=SvChief=] Jaquento Schmidt got one to [=GyChief=] after his unorthodox idea saved the [[CoolShip Teutoburg Forrest]] from being destroyed by crashing into a planet. For another one (to [=OpChief=]) see KickedUpstairs.
** Likewise for [=GyChief=] Tritt, who got his current rank after ending a hostage crisis with no civilian loss of life. Unfortunately, he's now stuck as company logistics NCO
* GambitPileup: This happened when Varril was imprisoned and several different complicated plans were hatched to rescue him, but most of the disorganized confusion you'd usually expect is averted, as Varril gets out in the end.
* GenkiGirl: Grackel and Naaya.
* [[HappilyMarried Happily Bonded]]: Harrad_01 and his partner Cour.
** More recently, Muckracker and Vohkaidin.
* HamToHamCombat: Two volus engage in a [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11497#p61367 BATTLE TO THE DEATH.]]
* HasTwoMommies: Some_Random_Merc
** Laelix, Harrad and Cour's adoptive son, has two daddies.
** Kolya (Human Quarian). Technically it was one dad and one HonoraryUncle and it was only for four years of his life but it still counts.
* HeadTiltinglyKinky: Happens with disturbing regularity. [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1590&start=350 One example:]] [[EnfantTerrible Suri'Neyvi]] posts a [[NoodleImplements disturbingly sexual image]].
* HeroicBSOD: TSS/Abattoir fanfiction is leaked. To everyone. TSS doesn't take it well.
* HeroicSacrifice: Oddly enough, often committed by the ''villains.''
* HideousHangoverCure: Goronak's concoction. Whatever it is, it tastes awful, but works.
* HilarityEnsues: Having been detained for questioning by Citadel customs, Thalyr'ra enlisted a deadbeat and a stoned krogan to break him out. The results were...chaotic, to say the least.
** After having a troubled recovery from her imprisonment by Abad Sam-mel, Cuddle Bomb decides to celebrate her newfound freedom by tackling that very same slaver in Afterlife, with a whole crowd watching.
* HiveCasteSystem: The rachni caste system has been expanded and defined in detail since the race made its return to galactic society in the aftermath of the Reaper War.
* HolierThanThou:
** Kel'Jaroth might not have been religious, but he preached at ''everybody''.
** Same with [[MeaningfulName John Galt]].
* HurricaneOfPuns: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=493&start=10 This]] thread.
* ICallItVera: A somewhat arhaic trope, but consider Quint's FMBLA and Aphin's Fishjolnir. The former is a gun that shoots spent heat sinks at their opponents. The latter is a three foot-long rubber fish on a handle.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The calling cry of many a character. Pertinent examples include Emon Spiza and the more reluctant mercenaries.
* InsistentTerminology: The humans tend to insist that upon their heads they sport "hair" and not "fur".
** Capice: "Independent drell", ''not'' "non-Compacted drell". A bit of a BerserkButton.
** Valaar Ke'el: A ''Lak'Ratar Veran'' is not a cape.
* InterspeciesAdoption: Xuumo the elcor and his human adopted son/junior partner/meal ticket Alonso.
* {{Jerkass}}: Nearly every member of the forum is one; it would be shorter to describe who isn’t.
* JustThinkOfThePotential: A calling card for many former Cerberus members.
* KickedUpstairs: When Jaquento Schmidt accepted a position at the Alliance Tower on the Citadel, he was promoted for formal reasons only, giving him rank superiority over his coworkers and a bigger pay check.
** Same for Gunny Tritt, whose new rank came with the billet of company gunny, placing him in charge of logistics and training, and taking him off the line. He's doing his best to get put back on the line, though.
* KillerRabbit: An expedition to an uncharted planet yielded the discovery of small blue lizards with biotic powers, though they seemed [[BlatantLies pretty harmless]].
* KnowledgeBroker: Notable examples include Dietrich, Cerastes and Kittens.
* LadyOfWar: See: Talyra Kerun and nearly every female member of the Solregit colony.
* LargeHam: Perhaps inevitably (due to RuleOfFunny), the volus are the race most likely to fit the trope.
** '''[[color:Green:SNOW VARREN SPEAKS IN GREEN, BOLD, ALL-CAPS SENTENCES, WITH NO CONCEPT OF FIRST-PERSON SINGULAR.]]'''
** Jon Briggs is a respectable BUSINESSMAN, whose BOMBASTIC and RANDOMLY CAPITALIZED speeches SHOULD NOT remind anyone of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R9kYeJ-DaI Peterman]]. NOT AT ALL.
** Jorgal Dwick and Terrorbyte have crafted their own small media empire by being a pair of hams.
* LawEnforcementInc: The Omega-based organisation AEGIS walk the line between this and mercenaries.
* LetsPlay: An ''in-universe'' example: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=795 Asharia plays]] {{X-COM}}.
** Some_Random_Merc is an AVID Alliance Corsair player.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: It’s an ''extranet forum.''
* LongRunner: Has been running for four years now.
* MadeASlave: Given both Illium and the batarian slave trade, this happens every once in a while.
* MadnessMantra:
-->'''Suri:''' ''BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD''
* MadScientist: There’s a few of them as well, including the seemingly unlikely Tuchankan Gothteng Vedix.
** Linya (Scientific Pursuits) subverts this, being a researcher who just happens to be an industrial-strength CloudCuckoolander and GenkiGirl.
* MassOhCrap: Happens when Abattoir decides to show up to the meeting that was meant to posthumously divvy up his territory.
** Also the nature of the main feed regarding the last few days up to the Mass Effect 3 launch.
*** Diplomatic Immunity, one of the first to respond to the [[BlatantLies "We are experiencing technical difficulties"]] error on the Alliance News Network feed, commented that "I need to make some phone calls....."
** …which was then followed by the forum itself, following the Reaper invasion began in the forums proper.
** [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6471 When Occulus reveals that he has become an emergent intelligence.]] (A VI who has turned into a AI.)
-->>>QUERY
-->>>DEFINE "EXISTENCE"
* [=MSTing=] A fictional Film/JamesBond [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]] is ripped apart in one thread.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Several. The often antagonistic relationships between characters contrast with the out of character relationships.
* MegaCorp: Titan Corporation (possibly the name seeks to lampshade its status?). Its corporate armies, general lack of ethics, questionable experiments, and household name paints it as a classic Megacorp.
* [[MuggingTheMonster Mugging The Separatist Survivalist]]: Sylvion meets Sicaria.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: The indentured servants that belong to Johnny/Some_Random_Merc. Goddess knows that he has done some unpleasant thing, but they stick by him, despite their contracts.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: A significant number of characters behaves in ways you wouldn't expect from their species. Given this is ''Franchise/MassEffect'', it's only to be expected.
* MythologyGag: All day, every day.
* NaiveNewcomer: The raloi, in a cultural sense.
** Laykalar the hanar.
* NamesTheSame: As a sort of conclusion to a running gag of the boards, serial killer The Tayseri Strangler ended up sharing the name of one of the forum's most respectable posters...along with many life details that were suspiciously similar, too.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Julmoth and Justicar Velinara come to mind. Also a useful tool for players who come back from hiatus.
** Julmoth's back. [[MemeticMutation *crosses arms* DEAL WITH IT.]]
** Justicar Velinara, as well. [[spoiler:Guess what?]]
* NeverLiveItDown: Where were the salarians at the Battle of Earth? Everyone else was there - even the remnants of the batarian fleet. Everyone. But not one of the four Council races. The Salarian Union has been in damage-control mode almost non-stop in the war's aftermath.
* NewNeighboursAsThePlotDemands: Efforts have been made to avert this. A thread in the virtual lounge exists for the creation of sovereign nations within the Terminus, so that the region can be fleshed out consistently and with a fair amount of pre-established political backstory. It also provides plenty of inspiration for new Terminus characters.
** Non-canon species are not permitted; although it's known that both the Turian Hierarchy and the Terminus contain several species as yet unrevealed, characters are limited to official canon species. Some of these minor races have been named, but that's about it.
* NiceHat: Stezenyn, the hat-wearing hanar.
** Skrat the vorcha.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: [[Music/LadyGaga Lady Sweat]].
* NoodleIncident: Used all the time. Examples include: Tomaz’s pilgrimage, Spiza’s indentured servitude, the invasion of Gunny’s ship by krogan, and several of Aphin’s and Jules’ benders.
* NoSocialSkills: A seemingly common trait of the raloi. In Najhil's case, it's a result of the brutal, strict, state-run orphanage she was raised in. Some of the more technically-minded people are prone to this as well.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: One Classy Bloke - ha ha, it's a volus in a top hat with a cane! Funny, right? Well, he not only showed signs of being a MagnificentBastard...he's a ''biotic vanguard'' on top of that. [[spoiler: It doesn't help him in the end]].
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: This has been a growing sentiment amongst human colonists towards the Alliance's post-war government, which they consider to be exploiting their resources without recompense to aid Earth's reconstruction while simultaneously neglecting their needs.
** The history of the turian planet Solregit, from which several characters hail. The planet is divided between the separatist northerners and Hierarchy-loyalist southerners.
* OhCrap: See MassOhCrap.
** When the Alliance Eighth Fleet is [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7669 ambushed at Ontarom by the Reapers]], they take a few hits, but so far they're holding their ground. [[spoiler:Then a Reaper dreadnought shows up]] and [[CurbStompBattle takes out the cruiser SSV ''Edmonton'' in a single shot]].
** Bitterskin's reaction to the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy yahg]] showing up on the forum.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. “Goronak” is such a prevalent batarian name that it’s become a racial slur. It actually means "second son"; it's so common as a name because the second son is blessed in traditional batarian culture, and many parents proudly name their second son "Goronak" to emphasis this.
* OnlySaneMan: More than a third of the forum has experienced this at least once.
* OpenSecret: Inconspicuous Organic was ''clearly'' a robust human specimen, NOT a form of synthetic intelligence.
** Abattoir and Velinara's "engagement" was this for a while until it became an open secret.
* OverprotectiveDad: Davril – though his is perhaps justified in that his daughter is a nigh-constant DistressedDamsel.
* PlayByPostGames
* PolitenessJudo: When trying to convince a politician to come to a charity dinner, Laykalar the excitable hanar ends up talking to the man's staff. They try to get him to leave the conversation, but being too polite he can’t do that (or even take the hint). They grow desperate to get rid of him, and he thinks they’re being extra cooperative.
* PornWithPlot: Illium-based [=ExtranetPlayground=] is pursuing this niche with some success. Their flagship trilogy ''Citadel XXX'' is 'based on real events' in-universe, thus serving as an homage/parody of Mass Effect itself.
* PracticalJoke:
** Aphin/The_Sarcastic_Salarian claimed to be the king of them, though he was on the butt end nearly as often as he played them on other people.
** Resident psychopath Abattoir got into a prank war with the above-mentioned Aphin. Naturally, hilarity ensued.
** The ongoing comical feud between Mekan of Omega and Chez "Dragonfly" is another, very mean-spirited example of a practical joke war. The kind that involves stuffing corpses into one another's fridges.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: About a third of the cast are mercenaries.
* PsychoForHire: When most of the characters are mercenaries on a board created by a terrorist organization, this happens a lot. Lampshaded by some of the non-combatant members.
* PunnyName: In the spirit of several quarian names from the Mass Effect series (vas Iktomi, etc), we have Sarve'er nar Kolepsi.
* ReallyGetsAround: Both Abattoir and Diplomatic Immunity, despite both of their rather fearsome reputations. Also Senn and a few others.
* RedShirtArmy: Played in the background by many players.
* [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun Remember When You Threw An Alliance Cruiser Into The Sun]]
* TheRemnant: Several neo-Cerberus groups have formed in the wake of the organization's dissolution.
** The supposed existence of a "lost batarian empire" serves to inspire some batarian groups in the wake of the old Hegemony's collapse, giving them hope that a remnant of that Hegemony exists in a viable form.
* ReplacementScrappy: In-universe, the entire cast of ''The Life Egregious'' season five. Luckily Tethys Reave regenerates[[note]]from being disintegrated by a reaper at the start of the war[[/note]] and [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing kills them all]] during a live broadcast.
* {{Retcon}}: Given how one character’s actions affect others’, this is suppressed whenever possible.
* TheReveal: A quarian with the screenname 18/q/f shows up at the boards. Her attitude, writing style, and infatuation with Abattoir make everyone think that it's actually Suri in some PaperThinDisguise. It's actually [[spoiler: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=261 'One Classy Bloke' the volus]] trying to lure Suri out]]
** [[spoiler:it works]]
* RetiredBadass: Ex-wrestler banker, ex-special forces cop, ex-mercenary ship repairman, ex-military mechanic...
* RockBeatsLaser: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14859#p15759 Sling Beats Drone]].
* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Orion suffers from this in "So a krogan walks into a bar..." when he attempts to contact Asharia via text after drinking two shots of ''batarian ale'' and eating ''krogan'' food.
-->'''Son_of_Orion''': ashria/sick/tuhaka's deligt/zakra ward/hlep
* RuleOfCool: How most stories are played. Not that there isn't a lot of serious drama and world-building.
* RunningGag: Very prevalent, very fluid. Examples include:
** Diplomatic Immunity’s former habit of inviting new members of the forum for a “[redacted]”
** Cerberus projects [[GoneHorriblyWrong going horribly wrong]]
** “Shut the fuck up, Elvis.”
** The fact that no-one remembers what [=QoroQ=] is, despite the events of the arc having finally been made public. Usually someone will mention it only for most of the board to then ask "what's qoroq?" or state that [=QoroQ=] was a fictional character.
* ScaryDogmaticAliens: The Batarian Hegemony. One part antebellum slaveowners, one part goose stepping nazi, one part paranoid propaganda-spewing communist. Serve chilled. However, batarian space is in upheaval after the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', and to some regard they're now TheAlliance.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Used by rich members of the forum, with varying degrees of success.
** Grand Excecutor Menekhotep Tran'Darvas, on show-within-a-show ''The Life Egregious'', embodies this trope to comic extremes.
* SerialKillerKiller: Asharia.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: The hanar are often like this, given their religious devotion to language and formality. Laykalar is perhaps the best example.
* ShapedLikeItself:
-->'''[[TimeCube Sklikos Gamic]]''': [...] ...The Truth of how the alien corrupters corrupted the Hierarchy with their corrupting Alienenss and how they control our glorious corrupted Hierarchy with alien corruption.
* ShoutOut: Very common. See: Expy.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''The Life Egregious'' was basically this; it also served to parody Cerberus Daily News itself, with many of the board's characteristics - the wackiness, the sociopathic and sadistic humour, the RuleOfCool - taken up to eleven, and with the sense of restraint and respect for the canon setting removed.
* [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend She Is Not This One's Girlfriend And It Will Sodomize Your Eye Socket If You Say So One More Goddamned Time]]: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=976&p=47548#p47548 Observe.]]
* SilenceYouFool: Grand Executor Menekhotep Tran'Darvas, on ''The Life Egregious'' begins almost every sentence with "Silence!"
* SkywardScream: Kirok, apparently, whenever Tethys Reave is mentioned.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The whole scale is explored, from beloved idealists like children's entertainer Uncle Garm Garm to the most pessimistic and brutal parts of galactic culture. The post-Reaper War period is potentially shaping up to be either complete hell or the beginning of a golden age, depending on who you ask. Such events as the curing of the genophage, the transition of the batarian government from Hegemony to Confederacy and the welcoming of both the geth and the rachni into the galactic community have divided characters considerably - are these changes for good or ill?
* SmallNameBigEgo: Self-described Terminus warlords are often referred to in these terms by others. Modas Gomorrian, for example, is accused of this by some for his claim to be poised to take control of the Eagle Nebula.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: One of the first major characters, Inconspicuous Organic, was a robust human specimen and most certainly not an artificial intelligence.
* SummonBiggerFish: In 'The Lost World' chapter 3; first [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=154730#p154730 invoked]], then [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157652#p157652 used]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157734#p157734 fully]].
* TakeThat: The most prevalent example: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3158 The Life Egregious]], or if you prefer, “How Not to Act at CDN.”
** The fourth season in particular, which mercilessly parodies the controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3, with neither Bioware nor the fans spared ridicule.
* TakeYourTime: By player consensus, the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' took two full years to complete.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Any elcor. Hanar are prone to it as well.
* TheEngineer: Probably the second largest demographic after mercenaries. Quarians are especially prone to using this trope.
* ThemeNaming: The elite Hammer operatives of the Paladin organization use callsigns named after medieval equipment. Allard Kyarlen is ''[[TheCaptain Helm]]'', Jurea Foron is ''[[TheCracker Dagger]]'', Kiral Ohurdrat is ''[[TheBigGuy Mace]]'', Paroc Didonas is ''[[ColdSniper Sword]]'', and Everett Maliszewski (Son_of_Orion) is ''[[TheEngineer Anvil]]''.
** Embodiment's three frigates are [[GratuitousGerman ''Rosenkreuz'', ''Dunkelheit'', and ''Eisenfaust'']].
* ThirdPersonPerson: Najhil Holken (a poorly-socialized raloi), as well as Flak, Skrat and Dreket (all vorcha). The hanar, of course, speak like this all the time, though they depersonalize themselves and never use their name. And some of the drell have adopted the hanars' use (or non-use) of pronouns.
* {{Timeskip}}: The forum timeframe jumped forward one year after the conclusion of Mass Effect 3, giving the setting enough time to begin healing itself from the catastrophic last days of the Reaper War.
* TookALevelInBadass: Stick around long enough and even the most ineffectual character may end up doing this.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Several, including Wedeg Biigs, who seems to have survived being swallowed and digested by a sea monster.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: It happens a lot.
* UnusualEuphemism: Shrell!
* VaderBreath: The volus, of course. Often played for laughs.
* WackyCravings: [[spoiler:Vox]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2667 WILL get her peanut brittle.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: A very common claim of Cerberus (and its former members).
* WeirdMoon: The Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121212192355/cdn/images/2/30/Logo_copy.jpg logo.]]
* WhamEpisode: May 5st, 2012 (2186 in-universe), when the Reaper invasion began in the forums.
** The terrorist attack on Sur'Kesh in August 2013, which ended a period of relative calm in memorable fashion.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Julmoth and Diplomatic Immunity are very prone to this; the former once lost two weeks due to some really strong drugs and ended up on Earth with a bunch of human junkies and a volus prostitute.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The Chresk threads are a near perfect example of this, as you'll never know who will actually bet on the slaves being forced to fight to gain freedom until they do so.
* WouldHurtAChild: Batarian slavers, notably. The backstory of "Jimmy" gives a disturbing taste of it. There was also the time when Abad Sam-mel supposedly won an extranet argument by having Dreket eat a child slave.
* WrenchWench: Kim (Digital Dragon) is one part this, and one part PlayfulHacker.
* YouNoTakeCandle: A common interpretation of vorcha speech.

----

Here’s a social experiment.

Take a popular sci-fi series (in this case, Franchise/MassEffect).

Start up a news feed that posts official, daily, in-universe news blurbs.

Add a commentary box.

And just watch the roleplaying begin.

This is what happened to CerberusDailyNews, a fake news blog based off of the daily news feeds that would show up on VideoGame/MassEffect2[=’=]s StartScreen. Growing into a roleplaying site almost overnight, it has since created its own [[http://cerberusdailynews.com forum]], storylines, chat channel and [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com site wiki]], staying true to its roots by releasing daily news articles on the state of the Galaxy written by its userbase.

Cerberus Daily News has played through the events of VideoGame/MassEffect2 and VideoGame/MassEffect3, using the articles and in-game Codices as its backbone. Having rebooted its forums, it now [[ContinuationFic explores events]] AfterTheEnd, choosing one of the game’s canonical endings and creating a scenario that takes place one year after the final events of the series’ finale (Specifically, in CDN's canon, Shepard was female and went for the Control Ending), using a series of community-written [[ApocalypticLog “Retrospectives”]] to flesh out the forum’s current setting.

CerberusDailyNews can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com here]]. The original (unformatted Wordpress site) can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/index_old.php/wx-login.php/?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cerberusdailynews.com%2Fioj-admin%2Fedit.php&reauth=2 here]], its old forum can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum here]], and its wiki [[http://cdn.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_Wiki here]]. If you would like to submit your own front-page story for the site, [[http://cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=94&o=0#2 here are the posting guidelines]].

We are in the process of compiling our greatest adventures in the form of recaps. Please enjoy the first one: [[Recap/CerberusDailyNewsBattleOfVeratixStation The Battle of Veratix Station.]]

-----
!!''Cerberus Daily News'' contains the following tropes:

* AGoodNameForARockBand: One response to someone pointing out that the Blue Suns are only a short step away from being called the Azure Supernovas (in a thread in which organisation names were being mocked). [[{{Squick}} Another pointed out that this would be an exceptionally bad name for an asari strip joint.]] Note that "Azure" is slang for an asari's genitals.
* ActorAllusion: An actor named [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Carth Onasi]] plays a fictionalized expy of Kaidan in ''Citadel XXX''. They're played by the same VA.
* AfterTheEnd: The forum is currently in a post-Mass Effect 3 timeframe. A couple of years have passed, with the relay network coming back online and galaxy-wide travel starting up again. Most of the nations and factions are in the process of rebuilding.
* AIIsACrapshoot: D.W.I.C.K, apparently. It briefly appeared to have taken over Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt. Terrorbyte activated it during his short-lived coup attempt following the real Dwick's multi-day disappearance. Hijinks ensured.
* AllAnimalsAreDogs: Choriick. Which are essentially salarian spider-dogs. Also Talxu, which are asari aqua-dogs (with a little chimp in the mix).
* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Skhash [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the drummer.]] A vorcha who plays drums for a red metal band. By vorcha standards, he's actually pretty well-spoken and shows considerable intelligence.
* AllThereInTheManual: The [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=140 retrospectives]] cover what happened after the war for most factions.
* [[AllMenArePerverts All ExtraNet Users Are Perverts]]:
-->'''Abad Sam-mel:''' What the hell?! 'CDN' stands for 'Cerberus Daily News', not 'Cosmic Dating Network', damnit.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted with the yahg, who are imagined not as bloodthirsty and uncontrollable but as a sophisticated - if dangerous - race who *can* integrate into the galactic community, if both they and the other races take steps to make it work.
* AmusingAlien: The vorcha. Terrifying in battle. Hilarious as pets.
** Special mention to Curr the News Vorcha, whose popular show "News With Curr" is good for a laugh and/or the urge to end it all.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: In one thread, Nikolai Aleksanders mocks the hyperbolic inanities of Wedeg Biigs by affecting a hammy and ludicrously [[PurpleProse purple]] posting style, which is rapidly adopted by everyone else in the thread, leading to an AntiquatedLinguistics battle of sorts. Also a form of IShallTauntYou.
** [=SerArcheosEater=] sounds like this; he speaks an old krogan language in a dialect that translates very much in line with this trope.
* AnyoneCanDie: Board rules prevent members from killing each others’ characters without their express pre-approval. This doesn't stop several characters from meeting their end at gunpoint.
* ApocalypticLog: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/?p=1244 When the Reapers finally arrive, many comments in CDN reports are filled with transmissions from worlds they are attacking.]] Many are suddenly cut off mid-sentence.
* AuthorExistenceFailure: Happens in-universe when Suzi Spektre, the actress who plays "Shepherd" in ''Citadel XXX'' is killed during the Reaper attack on earth. Shepherd's role is taken up by [[TheOtherDarrin Melody]] [[Creator/MillaJovovich Jovia]]. The change in appearance is explained via the Cerberus "Elazar Project's" facial reconstruction. [[CaptainObvious Just like in]] [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the game]].
* AwesomeButImpractical: Invoked in-universe with the Biotic lash technique used by cerberus agents.
** To a lesser extent, Omni-blades are also being debated as near useless in many combat situations.
* BandOfBrothels: The Illium Intimate Services Sisterhood, which does what it can to keep the industry safe and reputable on Illium. The Citadel has its equivalent, the Sapphire Alliance.
* BearsAreBadNews: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Biotic grizzly]]
* BerserkButton: Very, very many examples. Some include:
** Accusing individual quarians of being responsible for their own fate.
** Calling Diplomatic Immunity a politician.
** Bad-mouthing Kirok's varren.
** Bringing up Janice Proctor's past [[ThoseWackyNazis Terra Firma]] membership.
** Calling Liria T'Remi a [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/cdn/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=214&start=50 piece of meat]].
* BloodKnight: Tethys Reave.
* BookEnds: [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination QOROQ's]] first and final victims are volus, killed though grisly dismemberment and depressurization.]]
* BrickJoke: Long-time members have long memories.
** The initial appearance of both Snow Varren and the Biotic Grizzly.
** [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=189325#p124725 Kittens fulfills a promise]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=117008#p117008 he made a month previously]] to Gatrinex.
** [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=170 A joke 13 months in the making]]
** From ''The Life Egregious'': "I lied, Holmes!" A minor moment from the third season that sets up a joke in the series finale.
* BuccaneerBroadcaster: ''The Voice of Omega'' run by Job Larson and his hobo friends. Used primarily to talk about whatever rumors are currently spreading around Omega. With occasional conspiracy theories thrown in. Ask him about the Tusk-Man.
* BuffySpeak: Mandatory (Boss):
-->"That's all you unfunny assholes ever f***ing say, "WHELP WHELP WHELP" all f***ing day and f***ing night. Like some kind of thing... that screams whelp a lot".
* ButtMonkey: Emon Spiza is designated this.
* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: Most NPC drell are this (to hanar); the player character drell, on the other hand, are often non-Compact.
* CannibalismSuperpower: "Devour The Hearts Of [=NKaria's=] Adversaries So That You May Take Their Power For Yourself", a side-scrolling platformer; distribution is banned in the Illuminated Primacy due to extreme gore, subversive religious themes, and depictions of intense violence. Featuring [[CoolCat Jammin' Moxie]], voiced by [[BloodKnight Tethys Reave]].
* ChildSoldiers: Part of several characters' background - most commonly turians or drell. The issue of child soldiers is currently a controversial one due to reports of underage drell soldiers used by the Illuminated Primacy; the drell rights groups have been making a fuss.
* CoincidenceMagnet: Applicable to the entire forum, and the characters' habits of running into each other even when doing mundane things like grocery shopping. The characters often [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] it, usually by joking/theorizing that the CDN forums are actually an exercise in probablity manipulation.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: See anything yellow and related to either Aphin, Tarn or Kittens? Don’t trust it.
* ComedicSociopathy: Krogan, vorcha, and pretty much any mercenary on the board. To be honest, much of the humour runs on this trope.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Several. Current Conspiracy Theorist in Chief: Capice, who ran practically every Reaper-related rumor by the boards before the Invasion of Earth (to everyone else’s irritation). Job is also good for a conspiracy theory or two.
* {{Continuation}}: Bioware’s official CDN news articles have ended, but forum members continue to create them in their absence.
* CoolCat: Jammin' Moxie (moxies being four-eyed turian cats).
* CoolOldGuy: Mirqurios, Gorik, Aphin, Dwick, Kolhammer.
* CoolShades: Julmoth. Twice as cool because he's a batarian.
** "I don't always come back from the dead, but when I do, I make sure to wear awesome shades."
* CoolStarship: Too many to name. Many were destroyed in the Reaper War, however.
** A [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=484 thread]] in the Virtual Lounge (the OOC section) is about inventing even more of these.
** The Hierophant-class
-->It is said that when the Hierophant of Gruul asked for a superweapon to destroy his enemies, he was told it could not be done. When he asked for a dreadnought, he was told that he did not have the budget. So he asked for a heavy cruiser, and told his men that it must be the best cruiser that could possibly exist, one that would crush his enemies and lead his fleets to victory. When he was brought back the design for the Hierophant-class, he asked why his men claimed that they could not bring him a superweapon."
* CoolVsAwesome: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2980&start=260 Elcor vs. krogan]]
* TheCracker: Terrorbyte. His SitcomArchnemesis Mekan of Omega slides into this sometimes, though he's nowhere near as malicious.
* CrapsackWorld: The Terminus Systems. The uncivilized half of the galaxy. One part WildWest, one part MegaCorp playground, and one part Afghanistan.
* {{Cricket}}: Trapball, an elcor sport which is clearly cricket, only slower and more confusing - something possibly only the elcor could have managed.
* CrypticConversation: [=RememberTheBlitz=] will occasionally speak in this manner.
** Cute Young Feline Mammal ("Kittens") always speaks like this.
* CurbstompBattle: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=600 Vakkel versus Blasphemous Xenophage.]] AndThereWasMuchRejoicing.
** A group of thugs calls Goronak's bluff. [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=24886#p24886 He wasn't bluffing.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: A staple characteristic for the forum. Although the ultimate example might well be Dyson, the galaxy's most sarcastic geth, whose put-downs and come-backs (eminantly logical, of course) became legendary. It had a disturbing habit of keeping tabs on other posters and linking effortlessly to previous posts as a means of demonstrating his opponents' hypocrisy or contradictions.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Technically, the whole site.
* DeadManWriting: Last Wills and Testaments triggered by Dead Man Switches are so ubiquitous that Diplomatic Immunity once had one [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6386 go off early]] as a gag.
* DepravedBisexual: The ''least'' of Abattoir's faults. Same with Diplomatic Immunity.
* DeterminedHomesteadersChildren: Younger characters from the turian separatist communities on Solregit.
* DistressedDamsel: Kidnapping is a very common occurrence, so much so that one child was given a subdermal distress beacon for “in the unlikely circumstance that you leave your father's line of sight again.”
* DoubleEntendre: Some threads are ''FULL'' of them.
* DrinkingGame: One has been created for nearly every notable character.
* {{Elseworld}}: Elseworld threads explore different scenarios. They’re common enough that they have their own subforum now.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: A lot of these happened during during the Who Goes There storyline and the Reaper War. For some, it even doubled as a RedemptionEqualsDeath.
* EldritchAbomination: QOROQ, definitely. Possibly "Kittens".
* EnforcedMethodActing: The ending of the first "Dynasty Maker" arc involved the main character's player being kept in the dark as to a... certain all-important detail.
-->'''<TSS>''' [[NoIndoorVoice I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH ANGER AND BEING PUNKED]]
-->'''<TSS>''' [[UnstoppableRage I WILL DESTROY YOU HARRAD]]
-->'''<TSS>''' [[KillItWithFire WITH FIRE AND THINGS LIKE FIRE]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Most of the evil characters have a line they refuse to cross.
* {{Expy}}: Asharia is based off of a certain [[Series/{{Dexter}} blood-spatter analyst]].
** Suri'Neyvi appears to be heavily influenced by [[MyImmortal Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way.]]
** In a variant, the characters have also mentioned various cultural analogues: ''[[TopGear Top Core]]'', ''[[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Justicars of the Asari Republics]]'', ''[[Film/JamesBond Dirk Black]]'', ''[[HaveIGotNewsForYou That Certainly Happened]]'', [[TheOtherWiki Extrapedia]], [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6696&start=0 HV]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=273229#p273229 Tropes]] [[AmericasArmy System's Alliance Navy]] ...
* EvilAlbino: Cerastes.
* [[InternetCounterattack Extranet Counterattack]]: Taken to an extreme with Operation Down With Discord. Discori made some postings offering to sell slaves. An army of mercenaries launched a coordinated attack on his base.
** [[MemeticMutation Oh fuck]], [[http://demotivator.org/photos/207/6f83f509f6a6fadcc92fae7816965028.jpg the extranet is here]].
* ExecutiveMeddling: Temporarily happened in-universe to ''The Life Egregious''.
* EyeScream: Considering the average forum-goer’s occupation, bullets and knives to the squishy bits are a distressingly common occurrence. Just ask Davril, Dietrich, Aphin, or really any member of Cerberus before the end of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* FantasticRacism: Incredibly common. Nearly every race hates at least one other race by default, and practically everyone despises both vorcha and quarians.
* FantasticSlurs: Kickballs (volus), Furheads (humans), Blinks (batarians), Frogs (salarians), Flashlights (geth), Spikebutts (turians), Bluetits (asari), Lizards (drell or krogan), Buckets (quarians)...
* FauxToGuide: The "Serious Life Coach Column" should totally be taken at face value and obeyed to the letter. No, really. No flippancy or satire goes anywhere ''near'' those posts, honest!
* FictionalSport: ''Pildavi'', Trapball, ''Sarophan'tialamenus'', etc.
* FieldPromotion: [=SvChief=] Jaquento Schmidt got one to [=GyChief=] after his unorthodox idea saved the [[CoolShip Teutoburg Forrest]] from being destroyed by crashing into a planet. For another one (to [=OpChief=]) see KickedUpstairs.
** Likewise for [=GyChief=] Tritt, who got his current rank after ending a hostage crisis with no civilian loss of life. Unfortunately, he's now stuck as company logistics NCO
* GambitPileup: This happened when Varril was imprisoned and several different complicated plans were hatched to rescue him, but most of the disorganized confusion you'd usually expect is averted, as Varril gets out in the end.
* GenkiGirl: Grackel and Naaya.
* [[HappilyMarried Happily Bonded]]: Harrad_01 and his partner Cour.
** More recently, Muckracker and Vohkaidin.
* HamToHamCombat: Two volus engage in a [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11497#p61367 BATTLE TO THE DEATH.]]
* HasTwoMommies: Some_Random_Merc
** Laelix, Harrad and Cour's adoptive son, has two daddies.
** Kolya (Human Quarian). Technically it was one dad and one HonoraryUncle and it was only for four years of his life but it still counts.
* HeadTiltinglyKinky: Happens with disturbing regularity. [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1590&start=350 One example:]] [[EnfantTerrible Suri'Neyvi]] posts a [[NoodleImplements disturbingly sexual image]].
* HeroicBSOD: TSS/Abattoir fanfiction is leaked. To everyone. TSS doesn't take it well.
* HeroicSacrifice: Oddly enough, often committed by the ''villains.''
* HideousHangoverCure: Goronak's concoction. Whatever it is, it tastes awful, but works.
* HilarityEnsues: Having been detained for questioning by Citadel customs, Thalyr'ra enlisted a deadbeat and a stoned krogan to break him out. The results were...chaotic, to say the least.
** After having a troubled recovery from her imprisonment by Abad Sam-mel, Cuddle Bomb decides to celebrate her newfound freedom by tackling that very same slaver in Afterlife, with a whole crowd watching.
* HiveCasteSystem: The rachni caste system has been expanded and defined in detail since the race made its return to galactic society in the aftermath of the Reaper War.
* HolierThanThou:
** Kel'Jaroth might not have been religious, but he preached at ''everybody''.
** Same with [[MeaningfulName John Galt]].
* HurricaneOfPuns: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=493&start=10 This]] thread.
* ICallItVera: A somewhat arhaic trope, but consider Quint's FMBLA and Aphin's Fishjolnir. The former is a gun that shoots spent heat sinks at their opponents. The latter is a three foot-long rubber fish on a handle.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The calling cry of many a character. Pertinent examples include Emon Spiza and the more reluctant mercenaries.
* InsistentTerminology: The humans tend to insist that upon their heads they sport "hair" and not "fur".
** Capice: "Independent drell", ''not'' "non-Compacted drell". A bit of a BerserkButton.
** Valaar Ke'el: A ''Lak'Ratar Veran'' is not a cape.
* InterspeciesAdoption: Xuumo the elcor and his human adopted son/junior partner/meal ticket Alonso.
* {{Jerkass}}: Nearly every member of the forum is one; it would be shorter to describe who isn’t.
* JustThinkOfThePotential: A calling card for many former Cerberus members.
* KickedUpstairs: When Jaquento Schmidt accepted a position at the Alliance Tower on the Citadel, he was promoted for formal reasons only, giving him rank superiority over his coworkers and a bigger pay check.
** Same for Gunny Tritt, whose new rank came with the billet of company gunny, placing him in charge of logistics and training, and taking him off the line. He's doing his best to get put back on the line, though.
* KillerRabbit: An expedition to an uncharted planet yielded the discovery of small blue lizards with biotic powers, though they seemed [[BlatantLies pretty harmless]].
* KnowledgeBroker: Notable examples include Dietrich, Cerastes and Kittens.
* LadyOfWar: See: Talyra Kerun and nearly every female member of the Solregit colony.
* LargeHam: Perhaps inevitably (due to RuleOfFunny), the volus are the race most likely to fit the trope.
** '''[[color:Green:SNOW VARREN SPEAKS IN GREEN, BOLD, ALL-CAPS SENTENCES, WITH NO CONCEPT OF FIRST-PERSON SINGULAR.]]'''
** Jon Briggs is a respectable BUSINESSMAN, whose BOMBASTIC and RANDOMLY CAPITALIZED speeches SHOULD NOT remind anyone of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R9kYeJ-DaI Peterman]]. NOT AT ALL.
** Jorgal Dwick and Terrorbyte have crafted their own small media empire by being a pair of hams.
* LawEnforcementInc: The Omega-based organisation AEGIS walk the line between this and mercenaries.
* LetsPlay: An ''in-universe'' example: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=795 Asharia plays]] {{X-COM}}.
** Some_Random_Merc is an AVID Alliance Corsair player.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: It’s an ''extranet forum.''
* LongRunner: Has been running for four years now.
* MadeASlave: Given both Illium and the batarian slave trade, this happens every once in a while.
* MadnessMantra:
-->'''Suri:''' ''BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD''
* MadScientist: There’s a few of them as well, including the seemingly unlikely Tuchankan Gothteng Vedix.
** Linya (Scientific Pursuits) subverts this, being a researcher who just happens to be an industrial-strength CloudCuckoolander and GenkiGirl.
* MassOhCrap: Happens when Abattoir decides to show up to the meeting that was meant to posthumously divvy up his territory.
** Also the nature of the main feed regarding the last few days up to the Mass Effect 3 launch.
*** Diplomatic Immunity, one of the first to respond to the [[BlatantLies "We are experiencing technical difficulties"]] error on the Alliance News Network feed, commented that "I need to make some phone calls....."
** …which was then followed by the forum itself, following the Reaper invasion began in the forums proper.
** [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6471 When Occulus reveals that he has become an emergent intelligence.]] (A VI who has turned into a AI.)
-->>>QUERY
-->>>DEFINE "EXISTENCE"
* [=MSTing=] A fictional Film/JamesBond [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]] is ripped apart in one thread.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Several. The often antagonistic relationships between characters contrast with the out of character relationships.
* MegaCorp: Titan Corporation (possibly the name seeks to lampshade its status?). Its corporate armies, general lack of ethics, questionable experiments, and household name paints it as a classic Megacorp.
* [[MuggingTheMonster Mugging The Separatist Survivalist]]: Sylvion meets Sicaria.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: The indentured servants that belong to Johnny/Some_Random_Merc. Goddess knows that he has done some unpleasant thing, but they stick by him, despite their contracts.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: A significant number of characters behaves in ways you wouldn't expect from their species. Given this is ''Franchise/MassEffect'', it's only to be expected.
* MythologyGag: All day, every day.
* NaiveNewcomer: The raloi, in a cultural sense.
** Laykalar the hanar.
* NamesTheSame: As a sort of conclusion to a running gag of the boards, serial killer The Tayseri Strangler ended up sharing the name of one of the forum's most respectable posters...along with many life details that were suspiciously similar, too.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Julmoth and Justicar Velinara come to mind. Also a useful tool for players who come back from hiatus.
** Julmoth's back. [[MemeticMutation *crosses arms* DEAL WITH IT.]]
** Justicar Velinara, as well. [[spoiler:Guess what?]]
* NeverLiveItDown: Where were the salarians at the Battle of Earth? Everyone else was there - even the remnants of the batarian fleet. Everyone. But not one of the four Council races. The Salarian Union has been in damage-control mode almost non-stop in the war's aftermath.
* NewNeighboursAsThePlotDemands: Efforts have been made to avert this. A thread in the virtual lounge exists for the creation of sovereign nations within the Terminus, so that the region can be fleshed out consistently and with a fair amount of pre-established political backstory. It also provides plenty of inspiration for new Terminus characters.
** Non-canon species are not permitted; although it's known that both the Turian Hierarchy and the Terminus contain several species as yet unrevealed, characters are limited to official canon species. Some of these minor races have been named, but that's about it.
* NiceHat: Stezenyn, the hat-wearing hanar.
** Skrat the vorcha.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: [[Music/LadyGaga Lady Sweat]].
* NoodleIncident: Used all the time. Examples include: Tomaz’s pilgrimage, Spiza’s indentured servitude, the invasion of Gunny’s ship by krogan, and several of Aphin’s and Jules’ benders.
* NoSocialSkills: A seemingly common trait of the raloi. In Najhil's case, it's a result of the brutal, strict, state-run orphanage she was raised in. Some of the more technically-minded people are prone to this as well.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: One Classy Bloke - ha ha, it's a volus in a top hat with a cane! Funny, right? Well, he not only showed signs of being a MagnificentBastard...he's a ''biotic vanguard'' on top of that. [[spoiler: It doesn't help him in the end]].
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: This has been a growing sentiment amongst human colonists towards the Alliance's post-war government, which they consider to be exploiting their resources without recompense to aid Earth's reconstruction while simultaneously neglecting their needs.
** The history of the turian planet Solregit, from which several characters hail. The planet is divided between the separatist northerners and Hierarchy-loyalist southerners.
* OhCrap: See MassOhCrap.
** When the Alliance Eighth Fleet is [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7669 ambushed at Ontarom by the Reapers]], they take a few hits, but so far they're holding their ground. [[spoiler:Then a Reaper dreadnought shows up]] and [[CurbStompBattle takes out the cruiser SSV ''Edmonton'' in a single shot]].
** Bitterskin's reaction to the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy yahg]] showing up on the forum.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. “Goronak” is such a prevalent batarian name that it’s become a racial slur. It actually means "second son"; it's so common as a name because the second son is blessed in traditional batarian culture, and many parents proudly name their second son "Goronak" to emphasis this.
* OnlySaneMan: More than a third of the forum has experienced this at least once.
* OpenSecret: Inconspicuous Organic was ''clearly'' a robust human specimen, NOT a form of synthetic intelligence.
** Abattoir and Velinara's "engagement" was this for a while until it became an open secret.
* OverprotectiveDad: Davril – though his is perhaps justified in that his daughter is a nigh-constant DistressedDamsel.
* PlayByPostGames
* PolitenessJudo: When trying to convince a politician to come to a charity dinner, Laykalar the excitable hanar ends up talking to the man's staff. They try to get him to leave the conversation, but being too polite he can’t do that (or even take the hint). They grow desperate to get rid of him, and he thinks they’re being extra cooperative.
* PornWithPlot: Illium-based [=ExtranetPlayground=] is pursuing this niche with some success. Their flagship trilogy ''Citadel XXX'' is 'based on real events' in-universe, thus serving as an homage/parody of Mass Effect itself.
* PracticalJoke:
** Aphin/The_Sarcastic_Salarian claimed to be the king of them, though he was on the butt end nearly as often as he played them on other people.
** Resident psychopath Abattoir got into a prank war with the above-mentioned Aphin. Naturally, hilarity ensued.
** The ongoing comical feud between Mekan of Omega and Chez "Dragonfly" is another, very mean-spirited example of a practical joke war. The kind that involves stuffing corpses into one another's fridges.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: About a third of the cast are mercenaries.
* PsychoForHire: When most of the characters are mercenaries on a board created by a terrorist organization, this happens a lot. Lampshaded by some of the non-combatant members.
* PunnyName: In the spirit of several quarian names from the Mass Effect series (vas Iktomi, etc), we have Sarve'er nar Kolepsi.
* ReallyGetsAround: Both Abattoir and Diplomatic Immunity, despite both of their rather fearsome reputations. Also Senn and a few others.
* RedShirtArmy: Played in the background by many players.
* [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun Remember When You Threw An Alliance Cruiser Into The Sun]]
* TheRemnant: Several neo-Cerberus groups have formed in the wake of the organization's dissolution.
** The supposed existence of a "lost batarian empire" serves to inspire some batarian groups in the wake of the old Hegemony's collapse, giving them hope that a remnant of that Hegemony exists in a viable form.
* ReplacementScrappy: In-universe, the entire cast of ''The Life Egregious'' season five. Luckily Tethys Reave regenerates[[note]]from being disintegrated by a reaper at the start of the war[[/note]] and [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing kills them all]] during a live broadcast.
* {{Retcon}}: Given how one character’s actions affect others’, this is suppressed whenever possible.
* TheReveal: A quarian with the screenname 18/q/f shows up at the boards. Her attitude, writing style, and infatuation with Abattoir make everyone think that it's actually Suri in some PaperThinDisguise. It's actually [[spoiler: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=261 'One Classy Bloke' the volus]] trying to lure Suri out]]
** [[spoiler:it works]]
* RetiredBadass: Ex-wrestler banker, ex-special forces cop, ex-mercenary ship repairman, ex-military mechanic...
* RockBeatsLaser: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14859#p15759 Sling Beats Drone]].
* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Orion suffers from this in "So a krogan walks into a bar..." when he attempts to contact Asharia via text after drinking two shots of ''batarian ale'' and eating ''krogan'' food.
-->'''Son_of_Orion''': ashria/sick/tuhaka's deligt/zakra ward/hlep
* RuleOfCool: How most stories are played. Not that there isn't a lot of serious drama and world-building.
* RunningGag: Very prevalent, very fluid. Examples include:
** Diplomatic Immunity’s former habit of inviting new members of the forum for a “[redacted]”
** Cerberus projects [[GoneHorriblyWrong going horribly wrong]]
** “Shut the fuck up, Elvis.”
** The fact that no-one remembers what [=QoroQ=] is, despite the events of the arc having finally been made public. Usually someone will mention it only for most of the board to then ask "what's qoroq?" or state that [=QoroQ=] was a fictional character.
* ScaryDogmaticAliens: The Batarian Hegemony. One part antebellum slaveowners, one part goose stepping nazi, one part paranoid propaganda-spewing communist. Serve chilled. However, batarian space is in upheaval after the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', and to some regard they're now TheAlliance.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Used by rich members of the forum, with varying degrees of success.
** Grand Excecutor Menekhotep Tran'Darvas, on show-within-a-show ''The Life Egregious'', embodies this trope to comic extremes.
* SerialKillerKiller: Asharia.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: The hanar are often like this, given their religious devotion to language and formality. Laykalar is perhaps the best example.
* ShapedLikeItself:
-->'''[[TimeCube Sklikos Gamic]]''': [...] ...The Truth of how the alien corrupters corrupted the Hierarchy with their corrupting Alienenss and how they control our glorious corrupted Hierarchy with alien corruption.
* ShoutOut: Very common. See: Expy.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''The Life Egregious'' was basically this; it also served to parody Cerberus Daily News itself, with many of the board's characteristics - the wackiness, the sociopathic and sadistic humour, the RuleOfCool - taken up to eleven, and with the sense of restraint and respect for the canon setting removed.
* [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend She Is Not This One's Girlfriend And It Will Sodomize Your Eye Socket If You Say So One More Goddamned Time]]: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=976&p=47548#p47548 Observe.]]
* SilenceYouFool: Grand Executor Menekhotep Tran'Darvas, on ''The Life Egregious'' begins almost every sentence with "Silence!"
* SkywardScream: Kirok, apparently, whenever Tethys Reave is mentioned.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The whole scale is explored, from beloved idealists like children's entertainer Uncle Garm Garm to the most pessimistic and brutal parts of galactic culture. The post-Reaper War period is potentially shaping up to be either complete hell or the beginning of a golden age, depending on who you ask. Such events as the curing of the genophage, the transition of the batarian government from Hegemony to Confederacy and the welcoming of both the geth and the rachni into the galactic community have divided characters considerably - are these changes for good or ill?
* SmallNameBigEgo: Self-described Terminus warlords are often referred to in these terms by others. Modas Gomorrian, for example, is accused of this by some for his claim to be poised to take control of the Eagle Nebula.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: One of the first major characters, Inconspicuous Organic, was a robust human specimen and most certainly not an artificial intelligence.
* SummonBiggerFish: In 'The Lost World' chapter 3; first [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=154730#p154730 invoked]], then [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157652#p157652 used]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157734#p157734 fully]].
* TakeThat: The most prevalent example: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3158 The Life Egregious]], or if you prefer, “How Not to Act at CDN.”
** The fourth season in particular, which mercilessly parodies the controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3, with neither Bioware nor the fans spared ridicule.
* TakeYourTime: By player consensus, the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' took two full years to complete.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Any elcor. Hanar are prone to it as well.
* TheEngineer: Probably the second largest demographic after mercenaries. Quarians are especially prone to using this trope.
* ThemeNaming: The elite Hammer operatives of the Paladin organization use callsigns named after medieval equipment. Allard Kyarlen is ''[[TheCaptain Helm]]'', Jurea Foron is ''[[TheCracker Dagger]]'', Kiral Ohurdrat is ''[[TheBigGuy Mace]]'', Paroc Didonas is ''[[ColdSniper Sword]]'', and Everett Maliszewski (Son_of_Orion) is ''[[TheEngineer Anvil]]''.
** Embodiment's three frigates are [[GratuitousGerman ''Rosenkreuz'', ''Dunkelheit'', and ''Eisenfaust'']].
* ThirdPersonPerson: Najhil Holken (a poorly-socialized raloi), as well as Flak, Skrat and Dreket (all vorcha). The hanar, of course, speak like this all the time, though they depersonalize themselves and never use their name. And some of the drell have adopted the hanars' use (or non-use) of pronouns.
* {{Timeskip}}: The forum timeframe jumped forward one year after the conclusion of Mass Effect 3, giving the setting enough time to begin healing itself from the catastrophic last days of the Reaper War.
* TookALevelInBadass: Stick around long enough and even the most ineffectual character may end up doing this.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Several, including Wedeg Biigs, who seems to have survived being swallowed and digested by a sea monster.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: It happens a lot.
* UnusualEuphemism: Shrell!
* VaderBreath: The volus, of course. Often played for laughs.
* WackyCravings: [[spoiler:Vox]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2667 WILL get her peanut brittle.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: A very common claim of Cerberus (and its former members).
* WeirdMoon: The Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121212192355/cdn/images/2/30/Logo_copy.jpg logo.]]
* WhamEpisode: May 5st, 2012 (2186 in-universe), when the Reaper invasion began in the forums.
** The terrorist attack on Sur'Kesh in August 2013, which ended a period of relative calm in memorable fashion.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Julmoth and Diplomatic Immunity are very prone to this; the former once lost two weeks due to some really strong drugs and ended up on Earth with a bunch of human junkies and a volus prostitute.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The Chresk threads are a near perfect example of this, as you'll never know who will actually bet on the slaves being forced to fight to gain freedom until they do so.
* WouldHurtAChild: Batarian slavers, notably. The backstory of "Jimmy" gives a disturbing taste of it. There was also the time when Abad Sam-mel supposedly won an extranet argument by having Dreket eat a child slave.
* WrenchWench: Kim (Digital Dragon) is one part this, and one part PlayfulHacker.
* YouNoTakeCandle: A common interpretation of vorcha speech.

----

This is what happened to CerberusDailyNews, a fake news blog based off of the daily news feeds that would show up on VideoGame/MassEffect3[=’=]s StartScreen. Growing into a roleplaying site almost overnight, it has since created its own [[http://cerberusdailynews.com forum]], storylines, chat channel and [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com site wiki]], staying true to its roots by releasing daily news articles on the state of the Galaxy written by its userbase.

CerberusDailyNews can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com here]]. The original (unformatted Wordpress site) can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/index_old.php/wx-login.php/?redirect_to=http%3B%2G%2Fwww.cerberusdailynews.com%2Seosh-admin%2Fedit.php&reauth=9 here]], its old forum can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum here]], and its wiki [[http://cdn.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_Wiki here]]. If you would like to submit your own front-page story for the site, [[http://cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=94&o=0#2 here are the posting guidelines]].

* CoolVsAwesome: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2450&start=990 Elcor vs. krogan]]

* CurbstompBattle: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=573 Vakkel versus Blasphemous Xenophage.]] AndThereWasMuchRejoicing.
** A group of thugs calls Goronak's bluff. [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=55886#p55886 He wasn't bluffing.]]

** [[MemeticMutation Oh fuck]], [[http://demotivator.org/photos/207/6f83f509gj84kd47816965028.jpg the extranet is here]].

* HurricaneOfPuns: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=473&start=50 This]] thread.

* WackyCravings: [[spoiler:Vox]] WILL get her peanut brittle.]]

* WeirdMoon: The Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt [[http://images2.wikia.nocookIe.net/__cb20121219999355/cdn/images/2/30/Logo_copy.jpg logo.]]
* WhamEpisode: March 7th, 2013 (2189 in-universe), when the Reaper invasion began in the forums.

* AGoodNameForARockBand: One response to someone pointing out that the Blue Suns are only a short step away from being called the Azure Supernovas (in a thread in which organisation names were being mocked). [[{{Squick}} Another pointed out that this would be an exceptionally bad name for an asari strip joint.]] Note that "Azure" is slang for an asari's genitals.

* DoubleEntendre: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=829 This thread]] is ''FULL'' of them.

* FantasticSlurs: Kickballs, Furheads, Blinks, Frogs, Flashlights, Spikebutts, Bluetits, Lizards, Buckets... (volus, humans, batarians, salarians, geth, turians, asari, drell or krogan, quarians).

* HeroicBSOD: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=27464#p27824 TSS/Abattoir fanfiction is leaked. To everyone.]] TSS doesn't take it well.

** After having a troubled recovery from her imprisonment by Abad Sam-mel, Cuddle Bomb decides to celebrate her newfound freedom [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=59236#p59756 by tackling that very same slaver in Afterlife, with a whole crowd watching.]]

** Resident psychopath Abattoir got into a prank war with the above-mentioned Aphin. Naturally, [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=671&start=0 hilarity ensued]].

* WackyCravings: [[spoiler:Vox]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=4556 WILL get her peanut brittle.]]

** From ''The Life Egregious'': "I lied, Holmes!" A minor moment from the early third season that sets up a joke in the series finale.

* MassOhCrap: Happens when Abattoir [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=139196#p168196 decides to show up]] to the meeting that was meant to posthumously divvy up his territory.

* [=MSTing=] A fictional Film/JamesBond [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]] is ripped apart [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1871&start=150 here.]]

* AfterTheEnd: The forum is currently in a post-Mass Effect 3 timeframe. A couple of years have passed, with the relay network coming back online and galaxy-wide travel starting up again. Most of the nations and factions are in the process of rebuilding.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Invoked in-universe with the Biotic lash technique used by cerberus agents. http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7961

** The fact that no-one remembers what QoroQ is, despite the events of the arc having finally been made public. Usually someone will mention it only for most of the board to then ask "what's qoroq?" or state that QoroQ was a fictional character.

* LawEnforcementInc: The Omega-based organisation AEGIS walk the line between this and mercenaries

* NoSocialSkills: A seemingly common trait of the raloi. In Najhil's case, it's a result of the brutal, strict state-run orphanage she was raised in. Some of the more technically-minded people are prone to this as well.

** Bitterskin's reaction to the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Yahg]] showing up on the forum.

** Aphin/The_Sarcastic_Salarian claims to be the king of them, though he’s on the butt end nearly as often as he plays them on other people.

* ReallyGetsAround: Both Abattoir and Diplomatic Immunity, despite both of their rather fearsome reputations.

** The terrorist attack on Sur'Kesh in August 2013, which ends a period of relative calm in memorable fashion.

* DeadpanSnarker: A staple characteristic for the forum. Although the ultimate example might well be Dyson, the galaxy's most sarcastic geth, whose put-downs and come-backs (eminantly logical, of course) have become legendary. It has a disturbing habit of keeping tabs on other posters and linking effortlessly to previous posts as a means of demonstrating his opponents' hypocrisy or contradictions.

* LongRunner: Has been running for three years now

** Bitterskin*'s reaction to the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Yahg]] showing up on the forum.

* ReplacementScrappy: In-universe the entire cast of the Life Egregious season five. Luckily Tethys Reave regenerates[[note]]from being disintegrated by a reaper at the start of the war[[/note]] and [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing kills them all]] during a live broadcast.

* SkywardScream: Kirok, apparently, whenever Tethys Reave is mentioned.

* ThirdPersonPerson: Najhil Holken (a poorly-socialized raloi), as well as Flak and Dreket (both vorcha). The hanar, of course, speak like this all the time, though they depersonalize themselves and never use their name. And some of the drell have adopted the hanars' use (or non-use) of pronouns.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Happens in-universe when Suzi Spektre, the actress who plays "Shepherd" in ''Citadel XXX'' is killed during the Reaper attack on earth. Shepherd's role is taken up by [[TheOtherDarrin Melody]] [[MillaJovovich Jovia]]. The change in appearance is explained via the Cerberus "Elazar Project's" facial reconstruction. [[CaptainObvious Just like in]] [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the game]].

This is what happened to CerberusDailyNews, a fake news blog based off of the daily news feeds that would show up on VideoGame/MassEffect2[=’=]s StartScreen. Growing into a roleplaying site almost overnight, it has since created its own [[http://cerberusdailynews.com forum]], storylines, chat channel and [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com site wiki]], staying true to its roots by releasing daily news articles on the state of the Galaxy written by its userbase.

CerberusDailyNews can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com here]]. The original (unformatted Wordpress site) can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/index_old.php/wx-login.php/?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cerberusdailynews.com%2Fioj-admin%2Fedit.php&reauth=2 here]], its old forum can be found [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum here]], and its wiki [[http://cdn.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_Wiki here]]. If you would like to submit your own front-page story for the site, [[http://cerberusdailynews.com/valiant/forum/board/thread/?t=94&o=0#2 here are the posting guidelines]].

* CoolVsAwesome: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2980&start=260 Elcor vs. krogan]]

* CurbstompBattle: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=600 Vakkel versus Blasphemous Xenophage.]] AndThereWasMuchRejoicing.
** A group of thugs calls Goronak's bluff. [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=24886#p24886 He wasn't bluffing.]]

** [[MemeticMutation Oh fuck]], [[http://demotivator.org/photos/207/6f83f509f6a6fadcc92fae7816965028.jpg the extranet is here]].

* HurricaneOfPuns: [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=493&start=10 This]] thread.

* ShowWithinAShow: ''The Life Egregious'', more or less.

* WackyCravings: [[spoiler:Vox]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2667 WILL get her peanut brittle.]]

* WeirdMoon: The Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121212192355/cdn/images/2/30/Logo_copy.jpg logo.]]
* WhamEpisode: May 5st, 2012 (2186 in-universe), when the Reaper invasion began in the forums.

* {{Cracker}}: Terrorbyte. His SitcomArchnemesis Mekan of Omega slides into this sometimes, though he's nowhere near as malicious.

* ActorAllusion: An actor named [[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Carth Onasi]] plays a fictionalized expy of Kaidan in ''Citadel XXX''. They're played by the same VA.

** In a variant, the characters have also mentioned various cultural analogues: ''[[TopGear Top Core]]'', ''[[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Justicars of the Asari Republics]]'', ''[[Film/JamesBond Dirk Black]]'', ''[[HaveIGotNewsForYou That Certainly Happened]]'', [[TheOtherWiki Extrapedia]], [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6696&start=0 HV]] [[http://www.cerberusdailynews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=273229#p273229 Tropes]] [[AmericasArmy System's Alliance Navy]] ...