| 1 | ''Warning: This page may contain spoilers!'' |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | |
| 4 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | !!Cass & Company |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[folder:Cassiopeia Quinn]] |
| 9 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cassiopeia_quinn_8.png]] |
| 10 | %%[[caption-width-right:330:some caption text]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | The titular character, a pants-disliking SpacePirate. She hijacks a ship commanded by Madison Vrax, setting off the main plot. |
| 13 | ---- |
| 14 | * AffablyEvil: To the point that her being an outlaw is the only remotely evil aspect of her seen thus far. |
| 15 | * AffectionateNickname: Her friends, and Zeke, tend to call her "Peia". |
| 16 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: Despite her outgoing, goofy demeanor, she's still a pirate and a thief, successfully hijacking a ''heavily-armed Regency warship'' with nothing but a GrapplingHookPistol. |
| 17 | * BlessedWithSuck: Based on interpretations by either Cassiopeia and others in [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-body-snatchifiers-pt-6 this comic]], her entire life in space from her childhood caused her brain development to become more analytical at the price of her being able to focus. |
| 18 | %%* BuffySpeak: |
| 19 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: The very first story arc has her hijacking a ship from Madison Vrax at gunpoint. As the comic progressed, her [[JustLikeRobinHood benevolent tendencies]] have been played up to such an extent that even ''threatening'' to use lethal force during a robbery seems wildly out-of-character. |
| 20 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: When [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-big-leagues taking Darth Vader's]] "no disintegrations" job alongside the other bounty hunters, Cass turns to a cowering and visibly terrified Zeke and cheerfully says that she ''knew'' this job wasn't evil -- he said no disintegrations, after all. |
| 21 | * {{Expy}}: Of Stella Star, the scantily-clad smuggler heroine of the obscure 1970s BMovie ''Film/{{Starcrash}}'', which, [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com according to Gunwild]], inspired the comic. |
| 22 | * FamedInStory: Explicitly referred to as a celebrity and has been featured in ''[[MeaningfulName Smug]]'', the galactic publication for smugglers and outlaws. |
| 23 | * ForTheLulz: Cassiopeia's primary motivation for her piracy is the thrill of the execution rather than the prize at the end. Even the contents of her (impressive) trophy room are "just stuff" to her. |
| 24 | * FriendlyEnemy: She tries to be this to [[InspectorJavert Vrax]]; how much it works is up for interpretation, in large part because, while she likes Vrax, Vrax doesn't like ''her'' (at least, initially). [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/100th-update-special She even bought her a new dress!]] |
| 25 | * GeniusDitz: Despite her perpetual pantslessness and goofy antics, she's a lot [[SmarterThanTheyLook Smarter Than She Looks]] and is rather proficient at engineering, navigation and mathematics -- apparently this is due to [[SpacePeople developmental anomalies caused by living in space]], which improve mathematical abilities while also making one a bit wacky. |
| 26 | * GenkiGirl: Almost perpetually cheerful, bubbly and energetic. |
| 27 | * JustLikeRobinHood: Though she does set a bit of the loot aside for herself, she otherwise fits this trope. She donates the ''Eupalinos'''s Omni-Scrubber[[note]]A device that scrubs radiation from the environment[[/note]] to a group of colonists to allow them to grow crops in irradiated soil, and she enters a high-profile illegal street race intending to donate her winnings to an orphanage. |
| 28 | * LatexSpaceSuit: She starts off the comic in a skintight spacesuit. |
| 29 | * LoveableRogue: Depending on who you ask. On one hand, she stole Vrax's ship while mocking her the whole time and stripped it for parts. On the other hand, she gave parts from the ship to a space colony so that they could grow crops in irradiated soil. |
| 30 | * MaamShock: A variation. Upon [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/an-aunt-is-more-likely receiving a Mother's Day card from Ashley]] (alongside her adoptive mother and the caretaker of her orphanage), Cass is privately dismayed at the implication that she's too old to be considered a CoolBigSis. |
| 31 | * MsFanservice: Quinn's normal attire is a skimpy two-piece and thigh-high boots and her character description describes one of her likes as being "pantslessness". |
| 32 | %%* PirateGirl |
| 33 | * PhantomThief: Played with. Once managed to somehow locate and sneak onto Vrax's (rather small) warship without anybody noticing... [[FriendlyEnemy In order to give her presents]]. |
| 34 | * ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: |
| 35 | ** The action begins with her stealing a ship, but for the most part her "crimes" involve things like robbing a megalomaniac of a mind-control device or "stealing" medicine from doctors trying to circumvent legal red tape. She's never seen to hurt anyone and refuses to guard her "loot" with guns, saying it's not worth killing over. |
| 36 | ** She does fall into kleptomania from [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/new-year39s-2014-part-2 time]] to [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-big-leagues time]]; however, those acts were mostly harmless and didn't partake in illicit activities (like arms dealing). |
| 37 | ** She has an ice-cream factory named after her (run by old theme park androids that she helped liberate) because she's the majority investor. She even pays taxes on it! |
| 38 | --->'''Cassiopeia:''' You think I want them coming after me for a crime as ''boring'' as tax evasion? |
| 39 | * RefugeInAudacity: The ice-cream factory she uses as a front is called 'Quinn's'. Vrax's crew ignores it because they thought it'd be too obvious. The fact that it actually ''does'' function as an ice-cream factory probably helped to sell people on it. |
| 40 | * SpacePirate: Allegedly, her occupation, though the only actual piracy she is seen doing is completed within the first few strips. |
| 41 | * SpacePeople: Due to a majority of her life being spent in space, according to this [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-body-snatchifiers-pt-6 strip]], her mind had adapted to make quick calculations on astronomy and mathematics. |
| 42 | * {{Stripperiffic}}: She wears as little as possible whenever she can, and actively detests the concept of wearing pants. Even when wearing an otherwise fairly sensible (for this trope, anyway) [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-big-race-cover outfit]], she chooses to leave her midriff and [[ZettaiRyouiki thighs]] bare. However, when she's not "on the job", she can be seen wearing normal shorts, shirts, and hoodies. |
| 43 | * TrainJob: She and Zeke met when she was robbing a train to rescue some old-west theme park AIs from getting scrapped -- literally; she flew off with the entire train. |
| 44 | * VagueAge: In-universe -- between different date systems used on different planets, time dilation from FTL flight and one time where she thought a cryogenic chamber was a walk-in freezer, she's not entirely certain how old she is. Zeke snarkily hints that she's actually somewhere in her mid-thirties, and is very quickly shushed for it. For her part, Cass deliberately plays it up in order to act as OneOfTheKids. |
| 45 | * WhatTheHellHero: Quinn gets chewed out by a couple of orphans after her usual reckless disregard for safety nearly gets herself AND the kids killed. She takes the hint. |
| 46 | [[/folder]] |
| 47 | |
| 48 | [[folder:Zeke]] |
| 49 | [[quoteright:223:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zeke_cp.png]] |
| 50 | %%[[caption-width-right:223:some caption text]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | A robotic space cowboy (no, really!) who acts as Cassiopeia's partner in crime. |
| 53 | ---- |
| 54 | * BruiserWithASoftCentre: A rough and tough {{Gunslinger}} and outlaw with a DarkAndTroubledPast -- who is nonetheless a completely sappy romantic. |
| 55 | * ChickMagnet: Perhaps surprisingly, he attracts rather a lot of attention. Besides Cass herself of course, one of the "Vraxopeia" colonists and Dr. Botz have both been rather taken with him. |
| 56 | * CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Frequently plays this role with regards to the hyperactive and quirky Quinn. |
| 57 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: He was suicidal before he met Cassiopeia Quinn, the result of a HumiliationConga that began with him becoming a cyborg. |
| 58 | * TheFaceless: Rather than a normal, if robotic, face, Zeke has a blank expanse of metal with no discernable features besides something like a mouth, though he can see just fine despite not having eyes. Apparently it was so he could wear [[LatexPerfection masks that made him look human]] for his job at a wild-west theme park. |
| 59 | * FullConversionCyborg: He's pared down to a human brain in an otherwise purely mechanical body. |
| 60 | * FunetikAksent: His distinct [[UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents Southwestern/Texan drawl]] is rendered in the text. |
| 61 | * GirlOnGirlIsHot: [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/his-thinking-cap He sure seems to think so]] about Cassiopeia being flirted with by Motor Minx, another girl. |
| 62 | * TheGunslinger: Well-versed in the [[ImprobableAimingSkills fine art]] of [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands faultlessly disarming his enemies]] with a few well-placed shots. |
| 63 | * GunTwirling: He does this during the confrontation with Dr. Botz. [[LampshadeHanging He acknowledges that it's just to look cool]], and he's doing it as a distraction anyway. |
| 64 | * LuminescentBlush: His faceplate actually heats up until it's glowing red hot. He's lost at least one hat to this in the past. |
| 65 | * NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Cyborg cowboy SpacePirate. |
| 66 | * TrainJob: Appropriately for a cowboy, his first robbery. It's also where he met Cassiopeia. |
| 67 | * WeCanRebuildHim: A key element to his aforementioned DarkAndTroubledPast. He was TheSheriff of a frontier colony, who was mortally wounded to the extent that the only way to save his life was to transform him into a FullConversionCyborg. Unfortunately the colonists were prone to FantasticRacism against machines and forced the 'new' Zeke out. |
| 68 | [[/folder]] |
| 69 | |
| 70 | [[folder:skriptkity]] |
| 71 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cq_skriptkity.jpg]] |
| 72 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 73 | |
| 74 | An artificial intelligence Cassiopeia uses to hack into various systems. It communicates entirely in clipped, [=LOLCat=]-styled strings of text. |
| 75 | ---- |
| 76 | * AllLowercaseLetters: Nothing skriptkity says is capitalized, and its own name is always written in lowercase. |
| 77 | * BadassAdorable: A hyper-intelligent [[BuffySpeak cyber-organism-dealie-thing]] capable of making mincemeat out of high-level security systems while talking like a lolcat. |
| 78 | * ConnectedAllAlong: Is somehow familiar with Motor Minx. |
| 79 | * HollywoodHacking: Capable of taking over virtually any system, anywhere. |
| 80 | * LeetLingo: It speaks entirely in lolcats shoutouts and chatspeak. |
| 81 | * PunnyName: Its name is a pun on "script kiddie", a derogatory term referring to amateur hackers who use pre-made computer scripts or code, lacking the expertise to write their own. Doubles as a MeaningfulName when its revealed that Cass didn't create skriptkity herself; she merely found it, and it's Really700YearsOld. |
| 82 | * Really700YearsOld: According to Motor Minx, skriptkity is a centuries-old AI, much to the surprise of Quinn. |
| 83 | * TeamPet: For Cassiopeia and Zeke. |
| 84 | [[/folder]] |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[folder:Beebot]] |
| 87 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_beebot_9.png]] |
| 88 | |
| 89 | A childhood companion of Cassiopeia's, who was found by Madison Vrax while investigating her past and [[FriendlyEnemy returned to her]]. [[CuteMachines Designed from the ground up]] to make you go "[[CutenessProximity Aww]]" and/or cry. |
| 90 | ---- |
| 91 | * BigDamnReunion: Go on. Say that [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/let39s-bee-friends-again Cass and Beebot's reunion]] didn't tug a ''little'' at your heartstrings. We'll believe you. |
| 92 | * CuteMachines: Granted, it's made for kids [[InvokedTrope so the cuteness is obviously by design]], but it's still adorable, especially given that one of its primary functions is to fetch the user flowers. |
| 93 | * EvilDetectingDog: {{Inverted|Trope}} -- Beebot is programmed to give good boys and girls flowers. Hence, Zeke gets an awful lot of them, and the Rathian scientist gets one too (to emphasise that his [[FaceOfAThug menacing looking species]] are ''not'' AlwaysChaoticEvil). |
| 94 | * MyLittlePanzer: Beebot is a rather serious piece of technology that doesn't have much business being a toy. [[InstantAIJustAddWater Its AI is fully sentient]], or something very close to it, being able to display emotion and understand pretty much everything its owner says, while its anti-gravity propulsion system is powerful enough to lift young Cassiopeia quite high off the ground. TheRant of his first appearance actually {{Lampshades}} this, noting that the toys were eventually recalled after kids kept getting hurt trying to use them to fly. |
| 95 | * RobotBuddy: To Cassiopeia. Less actively useful than most examples of the trope, but the emotional relationship is definitely there. |
| 96 | [[/folder]] |
| 97 | |
| 98 | !!Vrax's Crew |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Madison Vrax]] |
| 101 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/madison_vrax.png]] |
| 102 | %%[[caption-width-right:280:some caption text]] |
| 103 | |
| 104 | A HalfHumanHybrid officer of the Prime Galactic Navy. The story begins when Cass hijacks her warship, the ''Eupalinos'', and scuttles it for parts. |
| 105 | ---- |
| 106 | * ActionGirl: Even more action-y than Quinn. |
| 107 | * AffectionateNickname: Quinn calls her "Maddymadz". |
| 108 | * AristocratsAreEvil: {{Inverted|Trope}}. She apparently holds a baronetcy (traditionally ''the worst of the worst'' in terms of this trope), yet is still one of the most honorable and upstanding characters in the whole comic (if a little [[InspectorJavert obsessive]]). |
| 109 | * CherryTapping: After accepting that she can't beat Commander Feti in their professional fencing match, Vrax decides to "enjoy" herself and stop taking the remaining rounds of the duel so seriously. This leads to her dancing around Feti's attacks and responding with leg-sweeps, tossing her sword and catching it as a distraction, and bonking Feti on the forehead with the hilt of her sword. None of these count as scoring, but the {{Large Ham Announcer}}s gleefully point out how ''humiliating'' they are for an ArrogantKungFuGirl like Feti -- enough that the infuriated fencing champion ends up throwing the match by jumping the round timer and drawing blood. |
| 110 | * ChronicHeroSyndrome: She always, always tries to do the right thing, [[ToBeLawfulOrGood no matter the situation]]. Indeed, even once she's [[spoiler:forced into retirement]], [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/cassiopeia-and-page-11 she still can't stop helping people]]. |
| 111 | * ConflictingLoyalty: Joined the Prime Galactic Navy because [[WeHelpTheHelpless she wanted to help people]]. But, as [[GovernmentConspiracy worrying signs of corruption emerge]], she [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/party-all-the-time-part-15 has something of a crisis of faith]]. |
| 112 | * DeathGlare: When a mob boss reveals she is a ShipperOnDeck for Vrax and Quinn, Vrax is very much unamused at the implications. |
| 113 | * {{Deuteragonist}}: She and Quinn are both the stars of the story. |
| 114 | * AMotherToHerMen: [[http://cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/christmas-2014-part-2 These]] [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-prize-page-11 strips]] emphasized her trait as a caring officer. She later advises Kettlehead when he hits xerran puberty. |
| 115 | * FriendlyEnemy: Or at least Quinn ''wants'' her to be this. Vrax is less sure, but she does [[PetTheDog give her Beebot back, no strings attached]]. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, being caught letting her guard down and having a heart-to-heart with Quinn eventually gets Vrax ousted from the navy.]] |
| 116 | * GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: Her blue skin presumably originates from her non-human parent. |
| 117 | * HalfHumanHybrid: Half human and half Xerran. |
| 118 | * HappilyAdopted: Her flashback strips show that she has two human fathers, who presumably can't be her biological parents -- but everything we see of them suggests they had a close and loving relationship. |
| 119 | * InspectorJavert: She pursues Quinn across entire ''star systems'' just to arrest her for hijacking Vrax's ship, even long after the said ship has been dismantled and sold off. The jury is still out whether Vrax is [[LawfulNeutral just carrying out the law]], or if [[ItsPersonal she's seeking revenge for her stolen ship]]; it's implied that the theft may have ''seriously'' damaged her career prospects as well. She only puts the pursuit of Quinn on hold when [[AlwaysABiggerFish bigger threats]] (like [[WouldHurtAChild Old Salt]]) turn up. |
| 120 | * LadyOfWar: She's the captain of a Regency ship, fairly competent at command, and has been shown to be also a fairly competent fighter herself, as a skilled fencer -- all while maintaining an air of military decorum and propriety. |
| 121 | * NotSoAboveItAll: |
| 122 | ** [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-big-race-page-16 Exhibit A]]: her [[GrinOfAudacity smirk]] when realising she [[DynamicEntry has clearance to smash her ship through buildings to get at Quinn]]. |
| 123 | ** According to Russ, Vrax works out with Farring in the gym, and at one point bragged that she's "going to give powerful high-fives." |
| 124 | ** After it becomes clear that she won't win her professional fencing match with Commander Feti, Vrax is persuaded to settle for putting up a fight she'll be "happy" with. The result is Vrax abandoning fencing convention to toy with Feti with a very Cassiopeia-like smile, evading her strikes and humiliating her opponent with non-scoring CherryTapping. |
| 125 | * OddlyVisibleEyebrows: Not consistently, but her eyebrows are sometimes visible through her bangs. |
| 126 | * PetTheDog: When the ''Eupalinos'''s omni-scrubber is found to be in the possession of a community of rural farmers who rely on the device to grow crops on the irradiated soil of their world, Vrax reports to her superiors that the component is beyond salvaging. This serves to demonstrate that while Captain Vrax is hostile to our protagonist, [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist she's a very honorable and well-intentioned person]]. |
| 127 | * RefusalOfTheCall: PlayedForLaughs in this strip, as she [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/at-home-part-5 strenuously tries to ignore]] the presence of [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield the tournament sword]] in her apartment after resigning from the Navy. |
| 128 | * RevengeBeforeReason: Subverted. When Vrax was trying to recover the stripped parts of her ship in hopes of tracking down Quinn, she finds that Quinn gave the ship's Omni-Scrubber to a space colony so they could grow crops in irradiated soil. The comic initially hints that she might take it anyway, but she instead reports that it was in such poor condition that it wasn't even worth recovering. |
| 129 | * RightfulKingReturns: [[spoiler:''Wrenn's Journal'' reveals that Vrax might be the prophesied rightful heir of the Xerran civilization, whom [[AncientTradition Wrenn's family]] has been searching for across generations.]] |
| 130 | * SciFiBobHaircut: She sports a classic bowl cut, with the bangs cut short and straight and the rest of her slightly below her jawline. |
| 131 | * SpitTake: Madison [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/a-periodical-purchase does a spit take, and it is remarked on as a habit of hers]] -- a habit she apparently [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/past-the-edge-page-15 inherited from her father]]. |
| 132 | * SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: Madison's inherent nobility and adherence to the spirit of the law prevent her from becoming an InspectorJavert -- she and her crew may well be more sympathetic than Quinn herself. When under stress she does become ''very'' particular about the letter of the law, but it's played for laughs. |
| 133 | -->'''Madison:''' You forgot to include the viewport wiper fluid top-off, meaning I underpaid! Either you charge us for it, or I speak to your manager! [[HonorBeforeReason I WILL NOT BE MADE A THIEF!]] |
| 134 | * ToBeLawfulOrGood: Frequently faced with these type of situations, and always seems to choose "Good": she lies to her superiors to let a desparate colony keep a stolen omni-scrubber, rejects the Regency's MartyrdomCulture by refusing a customary duel, [[spoiler:and shares her [[GovernmentConspiracy suspicions about her commanders]] with Quinn. Though this last one gets her kicked out of the Prime Galactic Navy.]] |
| 135 | [[/folder]] |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[folder:Alina "Cupcake" Ison]] |
| 138 | Vrax's operations officer. Hails from a planet of peace and prosperity where almost everyone is super nice. |
| 139 | ---- |
| 140 | * BigBeautifulWoman: How she's portrayed in official pin-ups by the artist. |
| 141 | * CutenessProximity: Any time she's around the Vanaa, to the point that Vrax has to remind her to keep a lid on it during official functions. |
| 142 | * GenkiGirl: Excitable and jumps head-first into any situation she's in. |
| 143 | * HardDrinkingPartyGirl: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. She remains professional most of the time, but off-duty it's implied she can ''really'' put away the liquor, to the point of evoking world-weariness in bartenders familiar with her. |
| 144 | * NiceGirl: Kind of her thing. |
| 145 | * SecretKeeper: She deduces that Prince Gleb had deliberately allowed Cassiopeia to steal his prototype medical craft, and sabotaged the pursuit with his tactical recommendations, so that the state-of-the-art medicine on board would be spread throughout the galaxy. Realizing just as quickly that Gleb's motives for doing so were [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight altruistic]], a conflicted Cupcake decides to keep silent. |
| 146 | * StrongerThanTheyLook: She's a sweet and bubbly lady who isn't involved in combat... Yet she can lift the very brawny Farring [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/party-all-the-time-page-11 over her head with little apparent effort]]. |
| 147 | [[/folder]] |
| 148 | |
| 149 | [[folder:David "Kettlehead" Kettering]] |
| 150 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kettlehead.jpg]] |
| 151 | |
| 152 | A young tactical officer assigned to Vrax's crew, David is especially skilled at hacking and cybernetic warfare. |
| 153 | ---- |
| 154 | * AffectionateNickname: Talps likes to refer to him as "my Kettering". |
| 155 | * BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Once he hits puberty he becomes brooding and comically nihilistic, forming this dynamic with the perky and cheerful Talps. |
| 156 | * GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: He's a male version of this trope, possessing blue-grey skin due to alien heritage in his family tree. |
| 157 | * InterspeciesRomance: He's romantically involved with Talps, a Vanaa. |
| 158 | * JawDrop: [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-seat-of-your-pants-page-7 Does this]] when he first sees Talps take her SlimeGirl form. Bear in mind that this was [[LoveAtFirstSight minutes after they met]]. |
| 159 | * LongDistanceRelationship: He and Talps maintain a romantic relationship despite being light-years apart most of the time. Not being able to see her makes him depressed to the point of comical nihilism. |
| 160 | * TheSmartGuy: Part of his role as a cybernetics/systems specialist, especially well demonstrated by his ability to create a security program ("Code Corgi") that's able to give Quinn's [[HollywoodHacking skriptkity]] trouble. |
| 161 | * UnevenHybrid: He's roughly 1/8th Xerran. Madison says that's more or less the average. |
| 162 | [[/folder]] |
| 163 | |
| 164 | [[folder:Theira]] |
| 165 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theira.png]] |
| 166 | |
| 167 | Vrax's chief gunner, Theira joined the Regency for one reason and one reason alone -- access to the best guns in the galaxy and a neverending supply of things to shoot them at. |
| 168 | ---- |
| 169 | * BloodKnight: Theira's default response to problems is to shoot them, preferably with the biggest and most-powerful guns available. |
| 170 | * CuteMonsterGirl: Members of her species are usually typical monstrous space bug horrors, but due to their ability to absorb foreign genetic material into their own genome and the amount of time Theira has spent amongst humans -- and, more relevantly, the enormous amounts of skin cells humans are constantly shedding -- she has developed into what is essentially a human with grey-green skin, fangs, retractable mandibles, antennae, and solid-brown eyes. A flashback shows that she used to look more obviously insectoid, with translucient wings and clawed digitigrade legs. |
| 171 | * FriendlySniper: She joined the Regency to shoot {{BFG}}s, and she's damn good at it. She's also a GamerChick and BloodKnight. |
| 172 | -->'''Captain Vrax:''' Theria, can you get the shot?\ |
| 173 | '''Theria:''' Well, our ship is stuck to the side of a larger ship, and also tailing a moving target. I'll have a window of about 150 milliseconds, at best. So, ''[[BadassBoast yes]]''. Gimmie a gun that can shoot straight, and I'll shoot a Terran buffalo out from between it's wings! (I'm thinking of the right animal, right?) |
| 174 | * GameFace: When she's angry or engaged in combat, her normally human-looking face sprouts mandibles and a fanged mouth. She even uses it to diplomatically -- for her -- defuse an argument with Wrenn. |
| 175 | * GamerChick: Theira enjoys playing human video-games in her spare time, ranging from virtual reality to arcade light-gun cabinets, and is pleased when her latest {{Metamorphosis}} gives her more fingers to manipulate a controller with. |
| 176 | * GunNut: She joined the Prime Galactic Navy to shoot guns and to shoot guns only, both ship's weapons and [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/casinopeia-page-10 firearms]]. |
| 177 | * HeroesGoneFishing: [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/unusual-suspects-page-3 Denied.]] |
| 178 | * JabbaTableManners: {{Implied|Trope}}. She left an awful mess behind at the barbecue wings place. |
| 179 | * {{Metamorphosis}}: She undergoes one partway through the comic as a result of all the shed human skin cells onboard the ship, coccooning herself and emerging in an even more humanoid form... and scaring poor Kettlehead half to death when he comes across her in the process. |
| 180 | * MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: She has a double row of shark teeth in addition to the mandibles that unfold when she's angry, effectively [[NightmareFace splitting her face in half]] when she gets in a rant. |
| 181 | * ShipperOnDeck: She's very supportive of Kettering's relationship with Talps, and is quick to play the role of wing-bug when they unexpectedly reunite on shore leave. |
| 182 | * ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: She has a passion for solving problems through gross overuse of firepower. As Gunwild explains: |
| 183 | -->You know that giant gun you only get to use in a limited way at the end of a shooter game? The one that's super overpowered and basically only there to let you deal with the final boss? Yeah, Theira will never use a gun less powerful than like, half a notch beneath that. Not if she can help it! |
| 184 | * TheWorfBarrage: She's [[LampshadeHanging not fond of this trope]], but unfortunately several of her targets have proven immune to her preferred weapons, either due to superior defences or tricky maneuvers. |
| 185 | -->'''Kettering:''' Direct hits! No effect!\ |
| 186 | '''Theria:''' What's the point of being the best shot in the navy if shooting people doesn't ''work'' half the time!? |
| 187 | [[/folder]] |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[folder:Lieutenant Russ]] |
| 190 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_russ2.png]] |
| 191 | |
| 192 | Vrax's trusted first mate... who is also a mole for those conspiring against her. |
| 193 | ---- |
| 194 | * ConsummateProfessional: Despite having been ordered to sabotage Vrax's career, Lieutenant Russ still does his job as her first officer by-the-books and is often annoyed by the more MildlyMilitary members of Vrax's crew. |
| 195 | * TheComicallySerious: Russ is almost always serious and stoic, but his dismay at the antics of Vrax's crew provide and his own conflicting loyalties provide some humor. |
| 196 | * ConflictingLoyalty: By the time he overhears Vrax and Quinn talk about [[spoiler:working together intentionally]], he's developed a respect for Vrax and has seen the good she's done. He's visibly conflicted even as he's [[spoiler:reporting her to the Regency.]] |
| 197 | * GungHolierThanThou: Played with. While he is competent and generally respected, he's a massive stickler for the rules and has a stick shoved so far up his backside that there's a fair amount of tension between him and [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits the rest of the crew]], which was still the case before he started spying on his captain. |
| 198 | * TheMole: He works for the corrupt higher-ups in the Regency and is tasked with sabotaging Vrax's career. Despite this, he maintains absolute professionalism and takes great pride in doing his job as her first mate. |
| 199 | * TheStarscream: Very rare non-villainous ([[GreyAndGreyMorality sort of]]) example. He begins to view Vrax as incompetent due to her inability to capture or kill Quinn, and ends up plotting with Thekla Rosalba and Lord Admiral Toyn -- who (particularly the former) resent Madison's unorthodox method of being appointed captain -- in order to have her stripped of her position and have himself put in her place. Though as he witnesses the good his captain is doing in the galaxy, [[ConflictingLoyalty his feelings about this become mixed]], [[spoiler:even when he does eventually manage to obtain evidence of her disloyalty (hugging Quinn)]]. |
| 200 | * UnwittingPawn: While his decision to volunteer to spy on Vrax for the Regency's top brass is no doubt motivated by his own rigid by-the-book philosophy, [[spoiler:he's almost certainly advancing Lord Admiral Toyn's conspiracy by doing so]]. |
| 201 | [[/folder]] |
| 202 | |
| 203 | [[folder:Isidor Farring]] |
| 204 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_farring.jpeg]] |
| 205 | |
| 206 | Vrax's science officer. His life before then could be summed up as 'classic pulp space adventurer'. |
| 207 | ---- |
| 208 | * BattleStrip: He flexes his shirt into pieces before a boxing match with a [[MultiArmedAndDangerous Green Man]]. |
| 209 | * GeniusBruiser: As mentioned on the cast page. He used to be a mercenary, has an unbroken winning streak at a bar-slash-fight-club so long that the bartender just pays out in advance, but his position on Vrax's crew is science officer. According to him, he built up his physique [[HadToBeSharp simply to survive the perils of being a scientist in a kitchen-sink sci-fi universe]]. |
| 210 | -->'''Theria:''' You're a science officer? I always thought you were our ''tank!'' You ''[[InvulnerableKnuckles punched]]'' a warbot! |
| 211 | * HadToBeSharp: Attributes his GeniusBruiser status to [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/science-sweet-science necessity.]] |
| 212 | -->'''Farring:''' Before you can study an anomaly or a new lifeform or piece of technology in space, you've got to do one thing... ''(...)'' Keep yourself from getting ''killed'' by it! We call it ''step zero'' of the scientific method. You'll want to ''remember'' it instead of writing it down. Saves time in emergencies. |
| 213 | * HeroicBuild: As befits his classic-space-adventurer image. |
| 214 | * HeroOfAnotherStory: Had a rather colourful past as a mercenary before joining the Prime Galactic Navy, although given that his previous comrades include [[WouldHurtAChild Old Salt]], he may well be a VillainOfAnotherStory. |
| 215 | * ItsPersonal: His very justified mutual hatred of Old Salt, for betraying him and his Red Leaf comrades. |
| 216 | * RetiredBadass: Not ''retired'' persay but his job as a science officer is much more laid-back than his job as a Red Leaf Mercenary. |
| 217 | [[/folder]] |
| 218 | |
| 219 | !!Prime Galactic Navy |
| 220 | |
| 221 | [[folder:Theophilius Toyn ('''Major spoilers!''')]] |
| 222 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_toyn_5.png]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | Lord Admiral Theophilius Toyn, Duke of the Prime Galactic Regency and Admiral of the Fourth Fleet, is the very epitome of [[OfficerAndAGentleman the Navy's honourable military ethos]], with his impeccable bearing, firm yet fair manner, and luxuriant moustache. Or at least that's what he wants you to believe. In reality, Toyn is the kingpin of an insidious GovernmentConspiracy with roots running deep into the Regency and the galactic underworld. |
| 225 | ---- |
| 226 | * AffablyEvil: It sometimes seems as though his friendly and amicable nature isn't ''entirely'' a facade, and even some hints that [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/big-trouble-page-5 he doesn't particularly like making dodgy deals]], but views it as somehow necessary. |
| 227 | * AristocratsAreEvil: He's a Duke, which oddly aren't ''usually'' evil -- but his other title of ''Lord Admiral'' is bound to send shivers up your spine. |
| 228 | * BigBad: Has been the driving force behind the majority of shady shenanigans in the comic from "The Big Race" onwards. |
| 229 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: Presents himself as a fatherly "decent old chap" who doesn't enjoy backroom politics, while actually being part of the efforts to expel Vrax, and later revealed to be the head of a massive conspiracy. |
| 230 | * EvilAllAlong: Turns out he was the one giving Headhunter orders, and the machinations to expel Madison Vrax have something to do with his sinister GovernmentConspiracy. |
| 231 | * GovernmentConspiracy: He's working with Headhunter to build up a private army of mercenaries to actually ''win'' the Regency-Vanaa war, and for some unclear reason this also involves ensuring Madison Vrax is kicked out of the Navy. |
| 232 | * InsaneAdmiral: When you don't like the direction your superiors are taking with regards to a war, the sane and rational response is ''not'' to start building an enormous mercenary army with support from criminal syndicates. |
| 233 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: While not an outright 'evil' name, it's not any sort of surprise that a character named '''''Theophilius''''' would turn out to be some sort of [[ManipulativeBastard scheming Machiavellian bastard]]. |
| 234 | * TheManBehindTheMan: For a while it seemed as though Headhunter was the BigBad of the comic -- then it was revealed that Toyn is his main client. |
| 235 | [[/folder]] |
| 236 | |
| 237 | [[folder:Pierre Senchel]] |
| 238 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_senchel.png]] |
| 239 | |
| 240 | The distinctively-scarred Admiral Senchel, Earl of the Prime Galactic Regency, sponsored Madison Vrax's military training. Beyond that, however, he's a rather enigmatic man. |
| 241 | ---- |
| 242 | * CollectorOfTheStrange: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. When he's properly introduced, he's looking at a giant stasis cube artwork -- a collection of individuals from a long-dead alien civilisation frozen in a medieval-style tavern tableau by their MadArtist leader, who can never be safely revived because of the setting's [[CryonicsFailure flawed stasis technology]], so may as well be corpses. No museum would display such a morbid object, and the stasis field requires extensive maintenance, so Senchel took it upon himself to act as custodian of the device. While this freaks out his son, it's clear that he's still harbouring hope that technological advancements will one day be able to still free the cube's inhabitants. In a way, this serves as an EstablishingCharacterMoment to suggest that Senchel is a mercurial but ultimately decent person. |
| 243 | * DevilInPlainSight: [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}}. He looks like he ''should'' be a villain, but he generally seems benevolent, while the ordinary-looking Toyn is the series' true BigBad]]. |
| 244 | * DuelingScar: [[ImpliedTrope Probably the most likely explanation]] for his facial scars, given the Regency's obsession with duels and sword fighting -- especially if the Regency has ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_fencing Mensur]]'' style culture where these scars are ''desired''. |
| 245 | * MentorArchetype: Used to be this to Madison Vrax, given he sponsored her officer training, but has a much less active role now she's a fully-fledged captain in her own right. |
| 246 | * MysteriousBacker: Despite being a very high-ranking officer, he somehow took it upon himself to sponsor Madison through flight academy, possibly because [[spoiler:he knows [[RightfulKingReturns who and what she is]]]]. |
| 247 | * WildCard: His personal agenda and the extent of his knowledge are both complete mysteries. [[spoiler:He doesn't seem to be involved with Toyn's conspiracy, and anonymously tips off Wrenn to let her know she's being spied on]]. |
| 248 | [[/folder]] |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[folder:Thekla Rosalba]] |
| 251 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_rosalba_6.png]] |
| 252 | |
| 253 | A Captain in the Prime Galactic Navy, relegated to a desk job. [[{{Understatement}} Doesn't like Madison Vrax]]. |
| 254 | ---- |
| 255 | * ArmchairMilitary: She's a Captain in rank, but is stuck in a desk job. And she's ''not'' happy about it. |
| 256 | * GreenEyedMonster: It's pretty clear that her resentment against Vrax stems from her being stuck in what she considers a military SoulCrushingDeskJob while Vrax is an active captain, who she feels is unqualified for the position ''that should rightfully be hers''. Bonus points for actually having green eyes. |
| 257 | * IrrationalHatred: There's no real reason beyond petty jealousy for her to despise Madison Vrax so much. [[spoiler:Unless she's also part of Toyn's conspiracy, given he mentions the "Covert Operations Group" to her]]. |
| 258 | * OutOfFocus: We really don't know that much about her, beyond [[FlatCharacter her hatred of Madison Vrax]]. |
| 259 | [[/folder]] |
| 260 | |
| 261 | [[folder:Paloma Feti]] |
| 262 | [[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_feti.png]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | A Commander in the Prime Galactic Navy, renowned as a duelist and no-nonsense pirate hunter. Following [[spoiler:Vrax's forced resignation]], she's tasked with tracking down Cass. |
| 265 | ---- |
| 266 | * AmazonianBeauty: The BeachEpisode reveals that she's [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/not-the-beach-episode-part-3 very attractive and very muscular]]. This is acknowledged InUniverse, to the point that many outlaws [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence rather like the idea of getting beaten up by her]]. |
| 267 | * AntiHeroSubstitute: For Captain Vrax, when the highly publicized hunt for Cassiopia is given to Feti. She's utterly ruthless in hunting down outlaws, has something of a HairTriggerTemper, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking is very buff]]. She makes it very clear that she wants to ''kill'' Cassiopeia, not just arrest her. This is also [[{{Parodied}} made fun of]] on occasion, if the panel showing her [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/at-home-part-7 brooding in a dark room, in her underwear, clutching her sword]] (while taking a break from pirate-bashing) is any indication. |
| 268 | * ArrogantKungFuGirl: In fencing instead of martial arts, but otherwise she fits this trope to a T. She's introduced as the Regency's fencing champion, with a reputation for aggression and injuring her opponents, stepping onto the dueling arena with extravagant flourishes and crowd-pleasing, which Isidor notes is a breach of Regency ettiquite. When Vrax eventually stops taking their duel seriously and subjects her to some CherryTapping, Feti ''loses it'' and jumps the round starting timer to stab Maddie in the shoulder, costing her a match she had otherwise all but won. |
| 269 | * BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Seems to be suffering from this -- as far as she's concerned, the Regency is ''good'', while outlaws and those that deal with them in any way are ''bad'', and she often seems slightly unstable as a result. |
| 270 | -->'''Toyn:''' It's as though she thinks she'll simply get the last pirate ever at some point. And then we'll all be cured of the bad behaviour, forever. |
| 271 | * CoolSword: A red [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket-hilted_sword basket-hilted Schiaviona]] is her preferred weapon for both chopping up pirates and competing in fencing competitions. |
| 272 | * {{Determinator}}: Once she has her orders, ''she will not stop'' until they are completed to the letter. Thus, when she is assigned to hunt down Quinn, she immediately starts taking out other SpacePirates left and right in a maniacal search for clues. |
| 273 | * FamedInStory: Both for her pirate-hunting exploits and prowess in fencing. |
| 274 | * {{Foil}}: To Madison Vrax. Both characters are [[MasterSwordswoman Master Swordswomen]] and command ships in the Prime Galactic Navy. However, Maddie is an outsider to the system, who is willing to go against the [[MartyrdomCulture harmful aspects]] of the Navy's CodeOfHonor, and better able to spot warning signs of corruption. Paloma, by contrast, [[MilitaryBrat was brought up in the Regency's military culture]], and as such will dutifully follow tradition, including the [[DuelToTheDeath customary duels]], and is blindly loyal, [[spoiler:making an excellent pawn for Toyn]]. |
| 275 | * GlorySeeker: She's got a bit of this in her, judging by her showboating at the fencing championship. |
| 276 | * HonorBeforeReason: She's steeped in the MartyrdomCulture of the Regency military. When she breaks fencing conduct and injures Vrax in a fit of anger, a clearly ashamed Feti tries to remind her that she has the right to challenge her to a DuelToTheDeath over it. Vrax declines and dismisses the mistake, [[TurnTheOtherCheek a magnanimous act that Feti believes only compounds her own dishonor]]. |
| 277 | -->'''Feti:''' [[CaptainsLog Personal log update]]: We will be away within the hour. I have discerned that there is a balance to be struck here. In the noble service of the Navy, sometimes orders aid us in recognizing what we are bound to do. I rashly offended the honor of Madison Vrax in competition. Instead of avenging that slight directly, she has moved on and invited me to do the same. I will not. Her forebearance is a stain on who I am. I cannot face her with the scales so out of balance. Owing a debt to a fellow officer is difficult. To be indebted to her now is intolerable. I've been given a chance to fix this by destroying Vrax's great adversary, Cassiopeia Quinn. It is a duty and a privilage. Most of all, given [[FriendlyEnemy what has passed between them]], it will be an honor. The exact honor I need to even the score. |
| 278 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: While she's enjoying a rare holiday on a ParadisePlanet, two [[MuggingTheMonster really, really unlucky crooks]] try to hold up the resort bar while she's there. She incapacitates one with her drinks, one of which is in a coconut. |
| 279 | * MasterSwordswoman: A legendary duelist who wields her [[CoolSword basket-hilted Schiaviona]] with peerless skill. She easily gives Madison Vrax a run for her money at the Regency's fencing championship, and would've won handily if she hadn't [[ArrogantKungFuGuy lost her cool]] in response to some unorthodox CherryTapping. |
| 280 | * MilitaryBrat: The daughter of a Regency officer, raised on a colony ship. May explain her PatrioticFervour. |
| 281 | * MyCountryRightOrWrong: She's rigidly loyal to the Regency and its traditions, and even though she feels ''awful'' after killing Maddie's predecessor in a duel, she convinces herself that it was only right for him to [[MartyrdomCulture die with honour]]. |
| 282 | * PetTheDog: [[ZigZaggingTrope In a somewhat backhanded way]]. In [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/inescapable-part-5 this strip]], she comments on the Omni-scrubber incident and unequivocally states that Vrax made the right decision to help the colonists and any Regency officer worth his or her salt would have done the same... But at the same time she sneers at the Vraxopeia residents for "having to steal to survive" and not just asking the Regency for help like (in [[PatrioticFervor her view]]) any ''sensible'' person would. |
| 283 | * RammingAlwaysWorks: [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/guest-comic-punchyninja Allegedly]] loves this tactic almost as much as Old Salt does. |
| 284 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: She has red irises, and is obsessive and very frequently violent in her zealous quest to wipe out pirates. |
| 285 | * UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Toyn, at Headhunter's advice, is using her to try and get rid of Cassiopeia for messing up [[GovernmentConspiracy their sinister plans]]]]. Paloma knows nothing about this and believes she's just hunting another pirate. |
| 286 | * WorthyOpponent: Despite Feti's anger and disgraceful conduct during their duel, she seems to have come around to viewing Madison Vrax as this, acknowleging her to be "the finest officer of her generation". [[spoiler:Vrax's resignation from the navy is bemoaned by Feti as as "a waste", and she privately toasts the Captain's retirement with some rum.]] |
| 287 | [[/folder]] |
| 288 | |
| 289 | !!Vanaa Aid Corps. |
| 290 | |
| 291 | [[folder:Prince Gleb Poolg]] |
| 292 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cq_princegleb.jpg]] |
| 293 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 294 | |
| 295 | A vanaa prince (one of five) who is more concerned with running a Red Cross-style aid operation than politics. |
| 296 | ---- |
| 297 | * AristocratsAreEvil: Averted, much like with Madison; royal though he is, he's one of the most empathetic and principled characters in the story. |
| 298 | * BlobMonster: Comes with being a Vanaa, an entire species of living blobs of semitransparent jelly. |
| 299 | * TheChessmaster: In the first arc it is revealed that he was the one who hired Cass to steal the Vaana's prototype medical transport, since the Vaana bureaucracy had forbidden him from sharing it with the rest of the galaxy. |
| 300 | * EarthShatteringKaboom: In pursuit of Cass, who had taken shelter underneath the liquid methane seas of Bemar, Gleb recommends launching a flare to ignite the methane and flush her out of hiding, noting that the planet sustains no life. It works, but the resulting conflagration consumes Bemar's atmosphere. |
| 301 | * TheGoodPrince: He is the heir to the greatest of the Five Houses, though he largely dedicates himself to the Aid Corps against his family's wishes. |
| 302 | * IdenticalGrandson: Thanks to most Vanaa being born through cloning, he's able to use a museum statue of his grandfather as a NinjaLog on a bounty hunter. She falls for it hook, line, and sinker. |
| 303 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He directs the Vanaa Consortium's ''Doctors Without Borders'' equivalent. |
| 304 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: He wants to share the vanaa's groundbreaking medical technology with the galaxy, but was forbidden from doing so by the Five Houses. As a rebellion, he secretly hires Cassiopeia to steal a prototype medical transport loaded with the medicine on the condition that she brings it to a Regency medical firm for reverse-engineering, and then interferes with the pursuit by recommending that his ship deploy a flare to ignite Bemar's liquid methane sea to flush Cassiopeia out of hiding (which has the side effect of blinding his own ship's sensors so Cass can flee in an escape pod). |
| 305 | [[/folder]] |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[folder:Talps]] |
| 308 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talps.png]] |
| 309 | |
| 310 | A young systems operator who joined up with Prince Gleb's crew in order to see the galaxy. |
| 311 | ---- |
| 312 | * GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: She can shape her gelatinous body into a green and transparent humanoid form. |
| 313 | * InterspeciesRomance: She's romantically involved with Kettlehead, a human of Xerran descent. |
| 314 | * LongDistanceRelationship: She and Kettlehead maintain a romantic relationship despite being light-years apart most of the time. |
| 315 | * MsFanservice: She up and admits that this why she likes her human form -- it gets David all hot-and-bothered. |
| 316 | * PowerPerversionPotential: The Vanaa's gelatin-based physiology means that they are formidable combatants, capable of extreme strength, durability, and using their ability to change shape to squeeze through cracks and envelop enemies. Talps, on the other hand, mostly seems to use her physiological abilities to [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-seat-of-your-pants-page-7 make]] [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/easter-2016 her Kettering]] [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/big-trouble-page-7 blush]]. |
| 317 | * SlimeGirl: She's learned that taking a more human shape makes Kettering uncomfortable. So she does it ''a lot''. |
| 318 | [[/folder]] |
| 319 | |
| 320 | !!Vanaa Consortium of Houses |
| 321 | |
| 322 | [[folder:King]] |
| 323 | [[quoteright:346:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1479606524_006_022.png]] |
| 324 | %% [[caption-width-right:346:some caption text]] |
| 325 | Patriarch of the dominant noble house of vanaa society, and Prince Gleb's "father". |
| 326 | ---- |
| 327 | * MirroringFactions: King points this out about the rivalry between humanity and the vanaa. They don't come to blows because they're different, but because they're too similar -- specifically, that they're both [[HumansAreWarriors warlike]]. |
| 328 | -->'''King:''' The Regency is 70.32% human. Most intelligent species are not driven by conquest. Humans ''are''. They instinctively expand into new territory, even fighting one-another. The common vanaa is no different. Conflict is inevitable. It cannot be avoided, only ''managed''. Their species will not change, nor will our people. |
| 329 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: While he understands Gleb's wish to share the vanaa's medical tech with the wider galaxy, King chastises the prince for the wider consequences of doing so. |
| 330 | -->'''King:''' Your kindness has resulted in the Regency accepting greater risks and casualties. You did ''harm''. Their boldness will result in more damage done to the vanaa by their forces. ''Harm''. Our enmities will deepen and the war will turn uglier. ''Harm''. |
| 331 | * StarfishAliens: Most vanaa resemble cute blob people, but [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/for-the-flan-who-has-everything-pt-3 King]] is a hovering ovoid bristling with tentacles, without even BlackBeadEyes to provide humanoid features. The closest he has to a face is a bizarre, constantly changing pattern deep within the central mass. |
| 332 | -->'''Prince Gleb:''' See his control, his efficiency? Even as he recorded this message, he interfaced with other machines, attended to other matters. His form is always like this. Photoreceptors decentralized, seeing all. He does nothing but the business of the State. He ''is'' the State. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | !!Bounty Hunter Clans |
| 336 | |
| 337 | [[folder:Headhunter]] |
| 338 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1474680733_headhunter_4.png]] |
| 339 | |
| 340 | The enigmatic overseer of the galaxy's bounty hunter guilds, the Headhunter has some of the best assassins, mercenaries and guns-for-hire in known space at his beck and call. A powerful, clandestine force in the underworld, no one knows where he's based, and no one even tries to guess what his goals are. |
| 341 | ---- |
| 342 | * CarnivalOfKillers: Siccs a small horde of his mercenaries after Cassiopeia during ''The Big Race'', including Clawlossus, Mercy and Old Salt. |
| 343 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: One of his four eyes has a small scar over it, and the mark noticeably glows with the same [[RedEyesTakeWarning red luminescence]]. |
| 344 | * GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler:Takes a contract from individuals in the Regency to keep Vrax from capturing Quinn at the race, and a later arc reveals that he's apparently got a deeper business relationship with the Regency as well]]. |
| 345 | * KnightOfCerebus: He's the first major indication that something serious is going on beyond "goofy space adventures", and is an integral part of the series' most serious plot-line (the GovernmentConspiracy deep within the Regency). |
| 346 | * MakeAnExampleOfThem: This trope cited by name is [[spoiler:the true reason Headhunter sent a chaotic CarnivalOfKillers after Cassiopeia during the Outlaw Space Race - Madison Vrax was preparing to crush the competition and apprehend Quinn, and Headhunter's clients in the Regency wanted the captain to fail in front of the race's audience as part of their ongoing attempts to stymie her growing reputation.]] |
| 347 | * RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His skin is dark grey, his eyes glow red, and he wears a black suit with a red undershirt. |
| 348 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: Sports four glowing, red-orange eyes. |
| 349 | * TheStarscream: [[spoiler:[[ImpliedTrope Possibly]]. At the very least, he does ''not'' like [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/not-the-beach-episode-part-6 having to answer to Toyn]]]]. |
| 350 | * TheSyndicate: Headhunter's reach is vast, encompassing hundreds of professional mercenaries and criminals, with the events of ''The Big Race'' and ''The Body Snatchifiers'' heavily hinting that [[spoiler:he's actually working for the corrupt Lord Admiral Toyn.]] |
| 351 | * YouAreNumberSix: Refers to his subcontractors exclusively by assigned numbers. Old Salt, for example, is Operative 312, while Mercy is Operative 429. |
| 352 | [[/folder]] |
| 353 | |
| 354 | [[folder:Mercy]] |
| 355 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mercy_cq.png]] |
| 356 | |
| 357 | A xerran bounty hunter in the Headhunter's employ, Mercy is quite skilled at her job... or at least she was until her run-ins with the Vanaa crew and Cass' band shot her success streak. |
| 358 | ---- |
| 359 | * BountyHunter: She makes her living by hunting down people with prices on their heads and delivering them to the highest bidder -- she takes out missions to capture Prince Gleb, Cassiopeia, and Dr. Botz in this manner, and considered seeing if anyone had a bounty on Clawlossus after he was incapacitated. |
| 360 | * CrazyPrepared: In ''The Big Race'', despite being deployed to capture ordinary human Cassiopeia Quinn, she brings a StaticStunGun capable of downing a FullConversionCyborg, apparently having anticipated Motor Minx's interference. |
| 361 | -->'''Mercy:''' What, you think I've never had a cyborg target before!? I'm ready for ''everything!'' |
| 362 | * GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: She's by and large entirely human-like, except with bright blue skin and reddish-purple hair. |
| 363 | * PerpetualFrowner: Her expressions include "bored frown", "annoyed frown" and "determined frown", with an occasional look of shocked surprise. Even her contribution to [[{{Fanservice}} Smug Magazine's pin-up covers]] wears an expression of neutral indifference. The one time she's seen wearing a smirk is in her [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness her very first appearance]]. |
| 364 | * ShotInTheAss: Threatens to shoot Cassiopeia in the rump with a tranquilizer dart, with some help from Clawossus to hold her still. Later, Cass turns the tables by stealing Mercy's tranq rifle and shooting ''her'' in the ass instead. |
| 365 | -->'''Mercy:''' It'll hurt less if I shoot your hindquarters, Quinn. Lucky for you that's a big, fat target.\ |
| 366 | '''Cassiopeia:''' But you'll be vandalizing a priceless wonder! |
| 367 | * ThouShaltNotKill: She has a strict personal code against using lethal force, and specializes in [[IWantThemAlive capturing bounties alive and relatively unharmed]]. Old Salt mocks her for for being "soft hearted". However, she's not afraid to imprison a mark inside a stasis field when pressed, [[CryonicsFailure despite the debilitating effects stasis is known to have on living creatures]]. |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
| 369 | |
| 370 | [[folder:Clawlossus]] |
| 371 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clawlossus.png]] |
| 372 | |
| 373 | A gigantic talking crab who's also in the bounty hunting business. |
| 374 | ---- |
| 375 | * GiantEnemyCrab: A tremendously large, heavily armored crab whose first appearance sees him try to capture Cass for a bounty. He doesn't have a weak spot, so Motor Minx just made her own by stabbing him through a claw. |
| 376 | * HiddenDepths: As it turns out, he's also a shrewd investor and a devoted father. |
| 377 | * HulkSpeak: He doesn't use articles or conjunctions, and always refers to himself in the third person. |
| 378 | * IntelligentGerbil: He comes from a species that's functionally identical to Earth crabs, except sapient and the size of a semi. |
| 379 | * ThirdPersonPerson: ''Clawlossus always refers to Clawlossus as Clawlossus!'' |
| 380 | [[/folder]] |
| 381 | |
| 382 | [[folder:Old Salt]] |
| 383 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_oldsalt.png]] |
| 384 | |
| 385 | A particularly unpleasant and ruthless Vanaa mercenary turned bounty hunter. He and Farring have ''serious'' bad blood between them. |
| 386 | ---- |
| 387 | * AppropriatedAppellation: "[[RedBaron Old Salt]]" was a nickname he was given by the other Red Leaf mercenaries, one which he seems to have adopted. Given [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast what that name means to a Vanaa]], it would seem as though he's a CardCarryingVillain to some extent. |
| 388 | * CombatTentacles: His "Krakenship" has both giant ones for swatting at enemy vessels, and smaller one for grabbing bounties. |
| 389 | * HateSink: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He's yet to do anything ''spectacularly'' nasty (at least on-screen), but is a [[{{Turncoat}} traitorous bastard]] who betrayed Farring and his other Red Leaf teammates, and ''genuinely evil'' without any kind of redeeming features, which, by [[VileVillainSaccharineShow this comic's standards]], makes him an outlier. |
| 390 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Played with. To a ''human'', the nickname "Old Salt" isn't very intimidating and feels like it would be better suit [[FatherNeptune some sort of sailor]]. However, to the gelatinous Vanaa, [[LogicalWeakness salt is an extremely deadly poison]], making it clear that he's not someone you want to mess with. |
| 391 | * RammingAlwaysWorks: To him, it's more or less [[ExaggeratedTrope a personal maxim]]. To the extent that his "Krakenship" doesn't have any guns, but its hull is MadeOfIndestructium so ''ramming can be the primary weapon''. |
| 392 | * RedBaron: "Old Salt" is an AppropriatedAppellation he picked up from the Red Leaf Mercenaries, and his real name has never been mentioned. |
| 393 | * TalkLikeAPirate: Perhaps fittingly, complete with sea chanties and "heave-ho"-ing. |
| 394 | * {{Turncoat}}: He used to run with a crew called the "Red Leaf Mercenaries", but at some point he betrayed the lot of them, leaving Isodor Farring as the only other surviving member. |
| 395 | * VileVillainSaccharineShow: In a generally lighthearted story and setting, he definitley stands out. He not only WouldHurtAChild but immediately does so given the opportunity, knowing that all other parties would be too "soft" to do the same, has legitimately terrified his old crewmate Isodor Farring to the point that he [[FantasticRacism initially thought all Vanaa were like him and was deeply mistrustful of them]], and betrayed all the rest of his ex-crewmates. But what's more significant is he lacks any of the redeeming qualities of the comic's other antagonists. Headhunter [[{{Greed}} appears to be only motivated by money]] and doesn't go out of his way to be nasty, Paloma Feti is a [[NinetiesAntiHero ruthless antiheroine]] who's [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity convinced she's doing the right thing]], and even [[spoiler:[[TheManBehindTheMan Lord Admiral Toyn]] is AffablyEvil and doesn't seem to revel in his scheming]]. |
| 396 | * WouldHurtAChild: When Zeke uses a ship carrying the "space orphans" to intervene in the battle between him and Vrax's ''Cobalt Caroline'', he ''immediately'' targets that ship knowing that everyone else would be "soft", focus on protecting the kids, and result in [[spoiler:Vrax allowing Cass to escape, fulfilling his mission of humiliating her]]. |
| 397 | [[/folder]] |
| 398 | |
| 399 | [[folder:Lark & Skarf]] |
| 400 | [[quoteright:366:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cassiopeiaquinnlarkandskarf.png]] |
| 401 | %% [[caption-width-right:366:some caption text]] |
| 402 | An inept bounty hunter and criminal duo, consisting of a vanaa named Skarf and a triterran named Lark. |
| 403 | ---- |
| 404 | * BoxedCrook: After Commander Feti apprehends them, [[spoiler:Headhunter suggests that they be recruited and trained for the conspiracy's Covert Operations Group, on pain of serving their prison sentences seperately.]] |
| 405 | * CoolSidecar: In ''The Big Race'' they try to catch Cassiopeia with a motorbike and sidecar modified to split apart with a connecting tarp. Presumably they expected it to knock their quarry off her bike, but Cass' high tech ride simply rips through it and causes them to wipe out. |
| 406 | * ImprovisationalIngenuity: They don't seem to have a lot of money to spend, leading to their [[ImprovisedWeapon weapons]] and gadgets all being homemade and improvised. While used to show them as [[StupidCrooks laughably out of their depth]] compared to the more glamorous and high-tech mercs, [[spoiler:Toyn]] claims that they've actually had some amount of success as bounty hunters, and Headhunter himself thinks [[spoiler:they might be worth adding to the Covert Ops Group]]. |
| 407 | * InterspeciesRomance: A GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe and a BlobMonster in a criminal romance. |
| 408 | * MobileSuitHuman: Skarf is a vanaa who has squeezed his gelatinous mass into a humanoid robot body. He ejects himself from it to serve as an emergency landing cushion for Lark's head when their bike wipes out. |
| 409 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: Lark is a [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/xeno-log-003 triterran]], a humanoid race distinguished from humanity by purple skin and an asymmetrical third arm. Lark's extra arm is on the left side of her torso, which in triterran culture carries the same stigma as [[ASinisterClue lefthandedness in some human societies]]. |
| 410 | * StupidCrooks: They've got the spirit, but they aren't very capable at what they do, and don't have much of a budget either. In the big race, they try to catch Cass with a fabric tarp strung between their ramshackle bike and sidecar, which Cass' high-tech racing hoverbike simply rips through. Later, they make the unfortunate decision to stick up a tiki bar that Commander Feti happens to be drinking at, resulting in their arrest. |
| 411 | [[/folder]] |
| 412 | |
| 413 | !!Galactic Criminals |
| 414 | |
| 415 | [[folder:Dr. Botz]] |
| 416 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1474680812_dr_botz.png]] |
| 417 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 418 | Doctor Karla Botz is a renegade cyborg academic who believes robots will ultimately dominate all life in the galaxy. Consequently, she wishes to dominate all robots! |
| 419 | ---- |
| 420 | * AllWebbedUp: Her spider-like combat form in ''The Body-Snatchifiers'' is equipped with web shooters in her forearms, which she uses to incapacitate Motor Minx and disable Vrax's jetpack. |
| 421 | -->'''Botz:''' That old clunker of a body is no match for the power of ''theming!'' |
| 422 | * BreakoutVillain: Initially a comic-relief minor villain that appeared between main chapters, Dr. Botz eventually transitioned into the story proper by having a major role in ''The Body-Snatchifiers'', as well as starring in some of the comic's Patreon-exclusive pin-ups. |
| 423 | * CardCarryingVillain: She plays up the RobotWar and MadScientist supervillain angles for everything they're worth. When captured and forced to work in another villain's robotics lab, she decries them for such things as a lack of creativity in their requested drones and for keeping the railings in their labs up to the safety codes. |
| 424 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: Played with. She's clearly [[BewareTheSillyOnes an absolute genius]] but personally prefers to engage in poorly-planned attempts to TakeOverTheWorld (well, ''a'' world). Especially apparent with her invention of [[MoralityDial an universal robot controller]] that was able to take over any automated system -- and as Lord Admiral Toyn pointed out, ''[[AttackDrone 90% of the Regency's weapon systems are automated]]'', and presumably a similar number of the Vanaa military's as well, making it very capable of having a drastic impact on the galaxy as a whole. People like Headhunter and [[spoiler:Toyn himself]] would do '''anything''' to get their hands on something like that, but she never even bothers to make another one. |
| 425 | * {{Cyborg}}: And proud of it -- Dr. Botz's disdain for the flesh has led her to replace her limbs, her right eye and likely quite a lot more with a variety of mechanical improvements. |
| 426 | * DisneyVillainDeath: Gets shoved off a platform [[BottomlessPit into darkness]] by Cassiopeia and Madison Vrax. However, she's eventually revealed to have [[NeverFoundTheBody survived]] and cobbled herself back together. |
| 427 | * DistractedByTheSexy: Is distracted by Zeke's [[MrFanservice appearance]] and GunTwirling (even inquiring if he's single), which buys time for Cass to steal her robot-controlling remote. |
| 428 | * IneffectualSympatheticVillain: While she has aspirations of conquering worlds, she's too incompetent to make much progress. |
| 429 | * LetsGetDangerous: Towards the end of ''The Body-Snatchifiers'', she reveals that she had been secretly upgrading her body using tech reverse-engineered from Motor Minx and the battle droids Headhunter was forcing her to develop. The result is [[http://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-body-snatchifiers-pt-30 a monstrous combat form]] that Botz can activate at will, equipped with shields and armor powerful enough to shrug off weapons fire and with claws that can effortlessly rend metal. |
| 430 | * MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: She insists on being called ''Dr.'' Botz; claiming that she has grants and published research. |
| 431 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: When she activates her combat form, her arms split into four mechanical limbs with claws capable of shearing through steel. |
| 432 | * NeverFoundTheBody: She's shoved off a ledge into a DisneyVillainDeath, but is eventually revealed to have survived the fall and gone into hiding (albeit with her body severely damaged and repaired with scavenged parts). |
| 433 | -->'''Botz:''' ''BEHOLD!'' [[LampshadeHanging Who survived being thrown into an abyss that would've scrapped anybody else?!]] Me! ''DR. BOTZ!'' See, I'm only ''semi''-scrap, but I'm still ''all''-dangerous! |
| 434 | * OverlyLongTongue: She has a disproportionately long, thin tongue at least a foot or so in length. |
| 435 | * PityTheKidnapper: Is sprung (rather, abducted) from space-prison by Mercy to work for Headhunter. [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/who39s-the-botz Unfortunately for Mercy]], when Botz isn't trying escape the ship, she's talking ''about'' her escape plans ''non-stop''. The weary expression on the bounty hunter's face says it all. |
| 436 | * ProjectileWebbing: Her upgraded form in ''The Body-Snatchifiers''is capable of spraying jets of fast-hardening webbing from its wrists. |
| 437 | * RobotsEnslavingRobots: Despite being obsessed with creating a robot-dominated galaxy, she has no qualms about designing a remote MoralityDial that can reprogram nearby robots to obey her. |
| 438 | -->'''Botz:''' The mindless servants you created will be given ''better'' than free will -- they shall obey ''my'' will! |
| 439 | * {{Robosexual}}: She ends up DistractedByTheSexy upon encountering [[MrFanservice Zeke]], and admits to Mercy that people with "too much meat" aren't her type. |
| 440 | * SpiderPeople: While in Headhunter's captivity, she upgraded herself into a cyborg version of this -- her full form includes eight arthropod-like limbs, four as arms and four as legs, and capable of shooting jets of ProjectileWebbing from her wrists. |
| 441 | * SplitPersonality: Suffers this as the result of damages sustained after ''The Body Snatchifiers''. Running in a safe mode that prevents her from accessing all her subroutines at once, her electronic brain has been partitioned into something resembling a FreudianTrio. One personality is calm and logic-driven, but wrapped up in introspective musings. The next is a GenkiGirl who is "too positive" and excited about everything, all the time. The third persona is based on the "sinister subroutines" that make Botz a CardCarryingVillain, [[spoiler:and hopes to seperate herself from the other two by uploading into a fresh body that has more "space"]]. |
| 442 | * StupidEvil: ''Repeatedly'' prioritizes short-term revenge or [[ForTheEvulz just being nasty]] in situations where this clearly isn't to her benefit -- such as by attacking her lawyer. In addition, she's smart enough to create unstoppable {{Superweapon}}s that could change the course of galactic history, but would prefer to engage in hare-brained schemes in an attempt to take over individual planets. |
| 443 | * YellowEyesOfSneakiness: Her eyes are amber in color, and have gold-colored ElectronicEyes underneath the flesh and blood. In ''The Body-Snatchifiers'' she exaggerates the trope by wearing bright yellow-tinted glasses. |
| 444 | [[/folder]] |
| 445 | |
| 446 | [[folder:Motor Minx]] |
| 447 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/motor_minx.png]] |
| 448 | |
| 449 | An enigmatic cyborg racer with a body composed of some of the most advanced technology in existence, and who also seems to have some sort of acquaintance with Cassiopeia's digital cat. |
| 450 | ---- |
| 451 | * AbsurdlySharpBlade: Wields one which can easily chop speeders into bits. |
| 452 | * BadassInDistress: Her highly advanced body is stolen from her in the ''The Body-Snatchifiers' arc, forcing her to make do with inferior substitutes. |
| 453 | * FamedInStory: Renowned across the galaxy for her racing skills. |
| 454 | * CatGirl: Her body's designed to imitate one, complete with a tail capable of holding up her weight and metallic ears. She adopts a catlike personality, too, at least insofar as she tends to spend most of her time in "sleep mode" in sunny spots. |
| 455 | * DeadpanSnarker: She has a rather stoic personality, so her attempts at humor come off as this... [[GallowsHumor even when her body's been stolen and she's reduced to just a head]]. |
| 456 | -->"Please do not joke. I've tried. Penny does ''not'' take it well." |
| 457 | * FullConversionCyborg: She still has her original head, although that's fairly well-augmented in its own right, with everything from her neck down being fully cybernetic. |
| 458 | * MasterSwordswoman: Due to her cybernetic nature, she's such as fast and skilled swordsman that not even automated systems can keep up with her. |
| 459 | * OffWithHisHead: In ''The Body-Snatchifiers'', she has her head chopped off (she was fine, being a cyborg and all) and her body stolen. |
| 460 | [[/folder]] |
| 461 | |
| 462 | [[folder:Penny]] |
| 463 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc_penny.png]] |
| 464 | |
| 465 | Motor Minx's girlfriend, a genius mechanic and roboticist who designed her state-of-the-art robot body. |
| 466 | ---- |
| 467 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: It's easy to forget, given that she's diminutive, cute and friendly, but Motor Minx's body, which she designed, is at the absolute bleeding edge of cybernetics -- Headhunter stole it specifically to inform the design of his own combat droids, Dr Botz [[VillainRespect fangirls over Penny]] after discovering she was its creator, and Paloma Feti's starship is unable to scan it properly. With this level of skill, it's clear Penny could be a force to be reckoned with if she wanted to be. |
| 468 | * CombatPragmatist: Doesn't have any fighting skills as such, but is still able to use her smarts to intervene -- such as by hijacking combat robots and [[spoiler: [[https://www.cassiopeiaquinn.com/comic/the-body-snatchifiers-pt-34-2 taking out Dr. Botz with a fire hose]]]]. |
| 469 | * GadgeteerGenius: She's a talented engineer who's responsible for creating most of Motor Minx's advanced cyborg body. |
| 470 | * HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She's blonde, kind and friendly. |
| 471 | * RobotBuddy: Her hovering eye-bot follows her everywhere and occasionally helps out with repairs. |
| 472 | * WrenchWench: While her main role is maintaining Motor Minx, she's happy to repair and tinker with anything she can get her hands on -- [[spoiler:She fixes up Zeke when he gets shot in "The Body-Snatchifiers"]], repairs Dr Botz's robot controller to use as a backup plan, and upgrades Cassiopeia's base out of boredom. |
| 473 | [[/folder]] |
| 474 | |
| 475 | [[folder:Luc Antoine Duchance Lefyne]] |
| 476 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lefyne.png]] |
| 477 | |
| 478 | A dashing smuggler and the most ravishing man in the galaxy -- at least to hear him tell it. |
| 479 | ---- |
| 480 | * TheCasanova: He has this rep in-universe, and is quite adept at charming people of either gender and several species. For her part, Cassie's not interested. Her interactions with him are the one time she's all business. |
| 481 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He seems to have a fairly good relationship with his parents. |
| 482 | * ExtremeOmnisexual: He has no hang-ups on gender ''or'' species when it comes to his choice of lovers. Anything's fair game. |
| 483 | * MrFanservice: See WalkingShirtlessScene below, he's incredibly handsome and would very much like everyone to know it. |
| 484 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: He wears an open jacket with nothing underneath. |
| 485 | [[/folder]] |
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