Line #5 Literature/ATLStoriesFromTheRetrofuture


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atvtp_8.png]]
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3	[[http://atl.quinlancircle.com ATL: Stories from the Retrofuture]] is a WebSerialNovel by [=Thedude3445=]. It's all about Morgan Harding, a twentysomething, superpowered [[TheSlacker slacker]] who secretly saves the city of Atlanta from technological disaster with the help of a robot ally and a [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsy best friend]].
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5	Set in the future imagined by the 80s and 90s, it's a {{Science Fiction}}/{{Cyberpunk}}/{{Comedy}}/{{Drama\|tropes}}/{{Action\|Genre}}/{{Detective Drama}}/{{Slice of Life}}... Okay, it's a bit of a mix of genres.
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7	The story updates three times a week, and is divided into various novella or novel-sized stories, each of them covering a different subject in the wild world of retrofuture Atlanta.
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9	----
10	!! This series provides examples of:
11	* AlternateHistory: In a world where robots have been around since the 70s... Let's just say things are different nowadays.
12	* AndroidsArePeopleToo: [[{{ZigZaggingTrope}} Zig-zagged.]] You've got [[RobotBuddy Robot Buddies]] like [=R8PR=] and [=AR73=] -- mere drones to most people, but in Morgan's eyes, definitely people. Then you have [[{{MechaMooks}} Mecha Mooks]], who Morgan will destroy without a second thought. Most robots are [[{{RobotMaid}} drone-like and designed for]] [[{{SingleTaskRobot}} mundane work]], but if a robot gets a name, it will ''at least'' [[{{GrewBeyondTheirProgramming}} straddle the line, intelligence-wise]].
13	* AndroidsAndDetectives
14	* ArtificialLimbs: Yuri Motokawa, the "Mercenary Prince," got three after an explosion in the [[{{AlternateHistory}} Battle of Houston]]
15	* BenevolentAI: [=R8PR=] could have been [[AIIsACrapshoot the realization of humanity's worst fears,]] but he seems to want nothing more than to keep Atlanta safe.
16	-->He’s already a fugitive from essentially every single government agency and corporation you can name for his advanced intelligence; with the right motivation I imagine he could be the end of all of us. Luckily for us he seems content to play a smaller role in human history.
17	* CreativeSterility: [=AR73's=] paintings never turn out well, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint no matter how many art movements it studies.]]
18	* DeadpanSnarker: Morgan. Honestly, Karina gets this way sometimes, too. And [=R8PR's=] aloof, but he can most certainly crack a dry joke from time to time. Honestly, it might be harder to find a character that DOESN'T
19	* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: It's mentioned that James Cameron's famous movie of the 90s was Spider-Man, a SoBadItsGood screenplay he wrote in real life based on the comic of the same name.
20	* DividedStatesOfAmerica: With a dash of Implied-Obliterated States of America. After [[{{GreatOffscreenWar}} the war]], Atlanta became the captial of the Republic of Georgia.
21	* EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture: Averted with great power. Practically all technology in Atlanta is clunky and unfashionable, as part of its {{Retro Universe}} aesthetic.
22	* FirstPersonPerspective: Yep, Morgan's this. A [[{{FirstPersonSmartass}} very special kind of first-person narrator.]]
23	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Our very own Morgan.
24	* LotusEaterMachine: The so-called Dreamtech Helmet that appears in The Social Media Killer is deliberately designed to help its users lucid dream and achieve this. [[spoiler:Of course, its main function was [[SinisterSurveillance somewhat different in reality...]]]]
25	* MechaMooks: With robots as commonplace as they are, it's pretty easy to reprogram them into mindless killing machines. They usually aren't too much trouble, but Morgan's been beaten up by a robot horde before.
26	* OhCrap:
27	->Karina charges towards another guy, gets ready to do another sweep, and then she realizes there’s gun pointed right at her face. “HOLY SHIT!” she yelps.
28	* PostCyberpunk: [=Thedude3445=] has called this story's genre "cybernormal", or the everyday slice-of-life version of a cyberpunk world. It's very much a response to the {{Crapsack World}} themes of most cyberpunk stories.
29	* PrivateDetective: Marge Eisenhower. She's even got the trenchcoat and fedora.
30	* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: At the very start of the story, Morgan's thrown right into a new mystery by way of getting beaten up. Worst part? It's in Morgan's own apartment, right after a full workday. Talk about a drag.
31	* ThirtyMinutesOrItsFree: Karina works for Packard's Pizzas, a company so dedicated to fast delivery they strap literal RocketBoots to their employees. She mentions having to wall jump using her boots to get to an order in time once. It sounds very dangerous, but keeps the pizzas very warm.
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Context Literature / ATLStoriesFromTheRetrofuture