Line #121 Toys/EverAfterHigh


1	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/everafterhigh_1451.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:340: TheEnd [[{{Tagline}} (is just the beginning...)]]]]
3	From Creator/{{Mattel}} comes the FracturedFairyTale spinoff of ''Toys/MonsterHigh'': ''Ever After High.''
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5	In the enchanted world of Fairy Tales, the plot rules the entire universe: every story has a princess or other fairy tale protagonist; an evil queen, a dastardly villain, and/or a terrible monster; and there is always, [[YouCantFightFate ALWAYS a Happily Ever After.]]
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7	To help ensure that this cycle is never broken, Ever After High was established. Run by [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Headmaster Grimm]] (and observed by his less by-the-book brother), staffed by the fairy godmothers and fairy tale personae of old, it ensures that the [[BabiesEverAfter newest generation of Fairy Tale protagonists and antagonists]] follow the [[GenerationXerox exact same route as their parents,]] ensured through a magical ritual called Legacy Day.
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9	Problems start when Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen from Literature/SnowWhite, [[ScrewDestiny doesn't WANT to become an evil queen.]] With the cycle threatened, her fellow characters' tales jeopardized, and Happily Ever After no longer a sure thing, this school year promises to be one to remember... not to mention a [[Characters/MonsterHigh certain extraterrestrial friend]].
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11	In addition to the toys and video content, the series is gaining an ExpandedUniverse with two book series, one by Creator/ShannonHale and the other by Suzanne Selfors. A {{Creator/Netflix}} series premiered on February 6, 2015.
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13	The majority of the franchise was quietly discontinued in 2017 after a few years of disappointing sales, and Mattel re-focusing on the ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' and ''Toys/{{Enchantimals}}'' franchises. Mattel officially announced the cancellation on their Twitter in 2018. Dolls have left stores, and the cartoon series has ceased as well, with only ''Once Upon a Twist'' books being released on an irregular schedule afterwards. The official Youtube channel also uploads regularly as well, but it's only reposts and compilations of previous material.
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15	Direct character-specific tropes to the [[Characters/EverAfterHigh Character Page]].
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17	----
18
19	[[folder: Stories in the Franchise:]]
20	* Literature/SleepingBeauty
21	* Literature/{{Pinocchio}}
22	* Literature/SnowWhite
23	* Literature/AliceInWonderland
24	* Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs
25	* [[Literature/{{Goldilocks}} Goldilocks and the Three Bears]]
26	* Literature/LittleRedRidingHood
27	* Literature/{{Cinderella}}
28	* Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk
29	* [[NurseryRhyme Little Bo Peep]]
30	* Literature/TheFrogPrince
31	* Myth/ClassicalMythology
32	* Literature/VasilissaTheBeautiful
33	* Literature/ThePiedPiperOfHamelin
34	* Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}}
35	* Literature/TheGingerbreadMan
36	* Myth/RobinHood
37	* Literature/{{Rapunzel}}
38	* Theatre/SwanLake
39	* Literature/TheLittleMermaid
40	* Theatre/TheNutcracker (only in the books)
41	[[/folder]]
42	----
43
44	!!The franchise provides examples of:
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46	* AbsurdlyDividedSchool: Students are divided into two groups, Royal and Rebel. The Royal students are intent on following their individual destinies to keep their stories alive, while the Rebel students are unhappy with their destinies and would rather follow their own.
47	* AbusiveParents: For all of the fluff and sweetness in Fairy Tale World, this trope is pretty rampant, with a dose of ParentalNeglect. Honestly, what kind of parent is fine with their children having no say in how to live their lives and, depending on the legacies, forcing them into situations where they could end up imprisoned as villains, or in a cursed sleep, facing deathly perils, and unwanted {{Arranged Marriage}}s as heroes?
48	** Although Raven Queen loves her mother, the latter was quite emotionally abusive to her before imprisonment in trying to make Raven an Evil Queen.
49	** King and Queen Charming enforce a "MenAreStrongWomenArePretty" ideology on their three kids while treating them like fancy trinkets to show off to their royal friends.
50	** ''In Dragon Games'', though she does love her daughter, Snow White clearly doesn't care about Apple's personal opinions, and tells her daughter outright that a good reputation should be valued more than doing the right thing.
51	* ADayInTheLimelight: In the books, Maddie, Kitty and Cedar become the stars after [[spoiler: the Jabberwocky]] incapacitates the main cast.
52	* AffectionateParody: Lovingly [[{{Deconstruction}} pokes fun at the horrible implications of fairy tale universes,]] but is very upbeat and optimistic about it.
53	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Inverted here as Dexter Charming is attracted to the school's [[DesignatedVillain supposed biggest villain]] despite the fact he's suppose to be a standard PrinceCharming.
54	* AlphaBitch: Duchess Swan tries her best to be this, but as her name implies, she just can't usurp Apple as the most popular girl in school.
55	* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: All the girls from Wonderland have names that rhyme with a long "E" sound; Maddie, Lizzie, Kitty, Bunny, and Courtly.
56	* AlternateContinuity: Like its sister series, its books, ''The Storybook of Legends'', ''The Unfairest of Them All'', and ''A Wonderlandiful World'', could count as this as they introduced characters and events not see in the Webisodes. Unlike Toys/MonsterHigh however, the differences are much more subtle. Interestingly though there are a few things in the books that are explained in the show, like how Raven knows Cerise's secret or vice versa, like why Cerise has to keep her true self hidden.
57	** The biggest change is what Raven sees in the Storybook of Legends in the book and the webisode.
58	** [[spoiler: This is further shown in the Thronecoming special where we find that the Storybook of Legends shown was a fake.]]
59	** [[spoiler: ''Spring Unsprung'' shows that there is still one portal between Wonderland and Ever After and Lizzie has the only map to be able to find it. In the books being stuck in Ever After with no way to return home is a big aspect of the Wonderlandians characters, but especially Lizzie.]]
60	** It seems even the books themselves have differing continuities between the two series.
61	* AmbiguouslyRelated: Raven's father is The Good King. Its not a stretch to assume he's also the father of Snow White. [[note]]he's described as having thinning hair and a greying beard, so he's certainly old enough[[/note]] This, in turn, would make Snow and Raven half-sisters and therefore mean Raven is Apple's half-aunt.
62	* AnimalMotifs: The costumes in the Thronecoming line are inspired by an animal, specifically their LoyalAnimalCompanion in the books: Apple's snow fox, Raven's dragon, Blondie's baby bear, Cupid's pegasus, and Briar's unicorn.
63	* ArcWords: "Legacy". "Destiny" also counts.
64	* BabiesEverAfter: All of the main characters are children of the original fairy tale protagonists and antagonists.
65	* BadFuture: The SDDC dolls depict their characters in situations they dread and fear, i.e., Raven becoming the Evil Queen, Cerise being the Big Bad Wolf, and Cedar becoming a helpless puppet forever.
66	* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: The Royals and Headmaster Grimm try to hammer this into Raven Queen as much as possible. It doesn't really work, but that doesn't stop them from trying.
67	** Generally, every child of an antagonist is expected to think this way.
68	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: As part of BeautyEqualsGoodness, those with a destiny as a PrincessClassic or PrinceCharming are more likely to resist getting dirty. Villains and less than squeaky clean heroes are sadly not so lucky.
69	** [[http://teatime-with-maddie.tumblr.com/post/75915138943/eah-im-such-a-mess-fanart-by-desearu This fanart and excerpt from one of the books]] illustrates it nicely. Raven may be one of the fairest in the land, but unlike Apple, one dry leaf on her skirt doesn't qualify as "a mess" to her.
70	* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: A non CharacterDevelopment example. In ''Spring Unsprung'', thanks to [[spoiler:a cursed book planted by the Cheshire Cat]], Ever After High's student become the opposite of their true selves:
71	** Sweet, [[AllLovingHero all-loving]] Apple becomes an AlphaBitch [[spoiler:with omnicidal tendencies]].
72	** Heroic Daring becomes a coward.
73	** ProperLady Ashlynn becomes an apathetic slob.
74	** NatureHero Hunter becomes a brute.
75	** Clumsy Humphrey Dumpty becomes a daredevil.
76	** Poppy the hairstylist shreds all her costumers' hair.
77	** Cedar becomes...[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a liar]].
78	* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The Fairy Tale Universe is held together by the power of the Happily Ever After--endangering it can have [[RetGone unpleasant consequences.]] [[spoiler: Or does it?]]
79	* BerserkButton: Do NOT ever insult Raven's father. She will lose her temper, and case a spell that will end up GoneHorriblyWrong.
80	* BirthdayEpisode: The Birthday Ball line is a very vague example, having no media tie-in and not even stating the birthday guest of honor.
81	* BittersweetEnding: Most of the books have this. Although [[spoiler:not signing the book doesn't cause Raven or Apple to go "poof,"]] there is still the problem of what happens once the Royals have to act out their stories and when the Rebels don't want to.
82	* BlahBlahBlah: In "Maddie-in-Chief":
83	-->'''Raven:''' ''(watching Apple's campaign video on her Magic Mirror)'' Royal bleh, and royal blah, and royal na-na-na!
84	* BlindedByTheLight: Prince Daring advices people to cover their eyes, look away, or have some VERY dark shades on hand whenever he smiles.
85	* BloodlessCarnage: Averted in ''Thronecoming'' when Apple pricks her finger and bleeds. It's nothing major, but many children's works wouldn't show blood at all.
86	* BoardingSchool: Unlike ''Toys/MonsterHigh'', the students all live in dorms.
87	* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Contrary to popular fan belief, the Rebels’ ideas about destiny aren’t completely flawless, and the Royals aren’t all that selfish.
88	** Most of the Rebels want to discard their prewritten destinies because they don’t fit the {{Character Archetype}}s they’re supposed to play in the story. They become seen as delinquents by the Royals and the elders of the realm for wanting to discard centuries of tradition and the well-being of other characters in their destinies to satisfy their own selfish desires. However, what most of the Royals don’t understand is that it’s easy for them to follow destiny because of the positive roles they’ve been born into, not everyone was promised a hero’s quest or a HappyEnding. Many Rebels are at risk of losing their identities and given a DownerEnding to their lives. For most of the Rebels, risking going poof is worth a chance of getting to EarnYourHappyEnding, and many would rather take that risk than pledge themselves to a life of certain doom.
89	** Most of the Royals are {{Prince Charming}}s and {{Princess Classic}}s who have been promised a HappilyEverAfter by birthright. Hence, it’s easy for fans and the Rebels to see them as selfish and out of touch for not understanding that not everyone wants to commit to their predestined story roles and sacrifice their own dreams and hopes just so the princes and princesses can get what they want. However, the Royals also see abandoning tradition as something they could tip the balance of the world as they know it. After all, this has been the system for eons, and no one knows for certain what will happen if they go against it. In their eyes, the Rebels are the selfish ones for possibly putting everyone in danger by ditching their important roles to set off on their own paths.
90	* BrickJoke: Briar jumping out a window is pretty funny. What happens a few minutes later is even funnier.
91	* {{Calvinball}}: Wonderland croquet works this way.
92	-->'''Lizzie''': Apple, Raven, you know the rules: I make them up as you go along.
93	* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Why Headmaster Grimm doesn't [[spoiler:expel Raven following her decision to not sign on Legacy Day, and why he doesn't expel all the students that touched the Jabberwocky prison.]] They have their destinies to fulfill, even if they do not accept their fates.
94	* CassandraTruth: In "Maddie's Hat-Tastic Party" Cerise reveals her wolf ears, but everyone thinks they're fakes for Maddie's tea party.
95	* CastingGag: Cindy Robinson (voice actress of Maddie and Ramona amongst others) was on Broadway. One of her notable roles was Little Red Riding Hood in Theatre/IntoTheWoods. [[spoiler: Considering Ramona's parentage and the parent she has to keep secret, this becomes deeply ironic.]]
96	* CatsAreMean: Zig-zagged. At first, Kitty seems like a typical mean girl who cares more about playing pranks on everyone than having friends. By the end of Spring Unsprung, her tune has changed considerably. Played a little straighter with Kitty's mother, the current Cheshire Cat, but even she isn't all bad.
97	* ChekhovsGun: At the beginning of Epic Winter, [[spoiler:it is made evident that Crystal cannot tie her shoelaces to turn them into skates. She later shows Jackie Frost that she has learned this, thus proving that she's matured for the better.]]
98	* CivilWarVersusArmageddon: In the TV series, most episodes center around the [[OrderVsChaos conflict]] between Rebels (who want to defy their destinies and be free from their fundamentally oppressive society) and Royals (who believe that not following tradition will endanger the world itself). Since everyone's fates are intertwined, this causes a lot of sociocultural friction, but neither side is portrayed as wrong -- unlike the villains of the more action-oriented ''films'', who just want to kill everyone.
99	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: In Book Three, Maddie calls on [[spoiler:the [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou readers]]]] to imagine [[spoiler:the Jabberwocky falling back into Wonderland]].
100	* ClearMyName: In Book Two, Maddie is blamed for [[spoiler:breaking the Jabberwocky's prison]] and Raven and Apple have to consult the [[GodzillaThreshold Evil Queen]] to create a spell of Irrefutable Evidence.
101	* {{Cloudcuckoolanguage}}: Riddlish, the cryptic rhyming language of the usually mad residents of Wonderland
102	*ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Teeangers sign away their lives and in some cases, their own death warrants, and have been doing so for several generations. While there have been those who question the system and rebel throughout, many see this as completely normal.
103	* ContinuityNod: Apple corrects herself and says she is the student council ''co''-president alongside Maddie in ''The Unfairest of Them All.''
104	* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: [[Toys/MonsterHigh Frankie]] is naive and peppy due to a lack of life experience at all, Raven is cynical due to a life where she's been treated as the bad guy. There are other contrasts too, like how the headmistress of ''Monster High'' is the BigGood and the headmaster of ''Ever After High'' is the BigBad.
105	* CostumePorn: Many of even the regular school uniforms are highly detailed. The fancier outfits take it even further.
106	* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Darling [[spoiler: does this to Apple in ''Dragon Games'', though given that Apple wakes up almost instantly after their lips touch KissOfLife is probably more accurate.]]
107	* CrapsaccharineWorld: Sure, it's a fairytale world with happily ever afters around every corner...if you're a character who's supposed to get one. Otherwise you're supposed to fill your role even if it leads to your own personal ruin. The Rebels clearly see it as this and want to change things.
108	* DarkerAndEdgier: Is ironically this to ''Toys/MonsterHigh''. ''Ever After High'' has an overarching plot involving really dark looks at destiny, fate, and the notion of "happily ever after". Look at their first major conflicts. Monster High's is about the Fearleading Squad competition. Ever After High has its main character having to weigh possibly being erased from existence and starting a conflict that may doom multiple stories.
109	** The aesthetic, however, is clearly LighterAndSofter, putting it on both sides of the idea.
110	** The books are a bit darker than the webisodes, which deal in small SliceOfLife stories, though the events of ''Thronecoming'' are pushing the webisodes toward a darker story arc.
111	* DeadlyPrank: The main conflict of the ''Spring Unsprung'' plot in a nutshell. [[spoiler:A prank set by Kitty's mom causes students to act the opposite of their true selves, and that snowballs into [[FromBadToWorse the potential destruction of Ever After]].]]
112	* DeadpanSnarker: Raven, several times.
113	* {{Deconstruction}}: Of fairy tales and the idea of "happily ever afters".
114	* DesignatedHero: Prince Daring InUniverse, by virtue of [[BecauseDestinySaysSo being himself.]]
115	* DesignatedVillain: Raven Queen InUniverse, as she's the daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White. She resents this deeply and wants to be seen as the good person she really is.
116	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: A series about people who want to keep their destiny because they get happy endings and a guaranteed life of contentment, and others who are DoomedByCanon and don't get a chance to express who they really are and want to change the status quo. Is this about fairy tales or about privilege and class warfare?
117	** Cerise Hood ''painstakingly'' hides any physical hint of her relation to her father, has to keep her parents relationship a secret in fear of being kicked out of school, her father losing his job, and her family being run out of town. Best seen when Hood Hollow act viciously prejudice when they find out Cerise's parentage, calling her an abomination and threatening to banish her. Is this about fairy tales, or of racism and the prejudice interracial families face?
118	* DoomedByCanon: In universe, all of the BigBad children, including Raven Queen. This is why she wants to rebel, more so in that she doesn't want to become the person her mother was.
119	** Duchess too, considering that her destiny is to lose her true love, be forever turned into a swan, and forced to live out the rest of her life in solitude.
120	** Briar also invokes this trope, as her destiny is to sleep for a hundred years and wake up missing everyone she used to know and love.
121	* DoNotGoGentle: The majority of Briar Beauty's antics and interactions with others usually involve her "living it up" before her hundred-year slumber.
122	* DontGoInTheWoods: A fairy tale staple, it appears in the form of the infamous Dark Forest. It is not properly featured until the Forest Fest arc.
123	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: In the first book, Apple despite insisting on being Raven's roommate really doesn't see that Raven is a good person, will ''die'' or at least suffer an unhappy ending like Raven's mother, and be compelled to attempt killing Apple who is also a nice person if InnocentlyInsensitive. All Apple cares about is reaching her own happy ending that she's been expecting since birth.
124	* EarlyBirdCameo: You can spot Kitty Cheshire and Lizzie Hearts in the background of the pilot.
125	* ElegantGothicLolita: The outfits here are very fanciful and elegant, due to the fairy tale influence. Kitty sports the gothic version in her signature outfit.
126	* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: The basic premise.
127	* {{Facepalm}}: Raven does this at the end of ''Replacing Raven'', when one of the three little pigs decides [[spoiler:to become a 'balloonatic' instead of evil, thus ruining Raven's chance of getting a replacement for her role in Literature/SnowWhite]].
128	* FairyTaleFreeForAll: The franchise is about the offspring of famous fairy tale characters attending the titular high school.
129	* FamousAncestor: All of the students have these, and the need to take up their roles forms the primary thrust of the story (one way or another).
130	* FantasticRacism: At first, there is a lot of this towards the children of villains, even passively. Best seen in the initial treatment of Raven. Ramona Badwolf even calls Justine Dancer out for it Moonlight Mystery when the latter implies Ramona stole her shoes.
131	* FetchQuest: Apple and Raven go on one to [[spoiler:prevent Maddie's banishment]], gathering ingredients for a spell that has to be completed [[RaceAgainstTheClock before the punishment takes place]].
132	* FlowerMotifs: The outfits from the Spring Unsprung line are full of these. Considering they were created for a springtime festival, it makes sense.
133	* FollowInMyFootsteps: Taken to extreme levels.
134	* TheFourLoves: Explored in ''Heart Struck''. The effects of Cupid's love arrows are irreversible since "love is a force of nature", but there's many kinds of love such as friendship, romance and "meant-to-be-together".
135	* FracturedFairyTale: Oh so very much. A prime example would be Cerise, daughter of Red Riding Hood. Her father is [[spoiler:the Big Bad Wolf)]], and Charming's [[TwinkleSmile floodlight-grade smile]] has some... [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent interesting effects]] on her.
136	* FriendlyEnemy: Unless dealing with the issue at the heart of the matter, that is the nature of their destinies, the Rebels and Royals can get along quite well. Apple is actually more disappointed that her "frienemy" Raven isn't acting "enemy" enough.
137	* FunnyForeigner: The Wonderlanders sometimes serve as this, due to not being native to Ever After. Maddie is a prime example.
138	* GenerationXerox: The point of Ever After High. Descendants are to relive their parents' stories, whether they like it or not, and this has happened over and over.
139	* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen:
140	** Raven Queen's mother has [[TheDreaded quite the reputation]] in Fairy Tale Land. Raven will inherit this if she accepts her destiny.
141	** Appropriately, Lizzie Hearts is shaping up to be this. Her mother is even worse, having gone completely off her rocker even for a Queen of Hearts and causing their world to be declared a hazard area. [[spoiler:Though it's actually Raven's mother's fault.]] Lizzie later realizes that she can still be the Queen of Hearts while having some compassion.
142	* GoKartingWithBowser: Despite being designated enemies and having fairly heated debates about destiny, Apple and Raven are also portrayed as being perfectly capable of hanging out and generally being friends. One FunnyBackgroundEvent in "Poppy The Roybel" is the two of them playing video games together while Poppy is thinking over which group she prefers.
143	* GoodPrincessEvilQueen: The franchise, being a FairytaleFreeForAll focusing on the children of various fairy tale characters, has this.
144	** The offspring of fairytale heroes and heroines run the gamut of personalities and high-school archetypes but the main princesses are generally sweet and good. For all the entitlement of Princess Apple White, Snow White's daughter, she is seen as a PuritySue InUniverse, is genuinely kind and generous, and wants to be a good PrincessClassic.
145	** Meanwhile, Queens are at least jerks. Raven's mother is the Evil Queen from Snow White's story; she is still trying to manipulate the world of Ever After. Wonderland's Queens aren't ''quite'' evil, but the Queen of Hearts was poisoned into madness by the Evil Queen and her co-ruler the White Queen is a SternTeacher who has no problem with publicly humiliating students. Snow White herself, now Queen, gets a dose of AdaptationalVillainy in the cartoon -- she is portrayed as a narcissist who tries to get Raven to follow the story.
146	* GoodVersusGood: Particularly in the books, BothSidesHaveAPoint is often presented to keep one side from being favored by the narrative too much. Raven's situation is obviously unfair, and she is depicted as being in the right to change it, but Apple's points about the fallout of that decision are portrayed as equally valid in the books. The Royals and Rebels are both depicted as being genuinely good people having a philosophical disagreement about the future rather than good vs bad. The only characters that aren't really portrayed as good people are Headmaster Grimm, who is heavily implied to be a WellIntentionedExtremist trying to keep the stories just as they are so nothing ''unexpectedly'' bad happens, Duchess Swan, who is a JerkassWoobie on account of genuinely getting a raw deal from her destiny but taking it out on others instead of trying to change it, and Raven's mom, who is depicted as an AbusiveParent in the books and intended to destroy the world.
147	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Both the Rebels and Royals are not shown as evil or unjustified. Both sides have valid points in their argument about destiny.
148	** This is further shown by people on one side of the debate leaning toward the other for different reasons. Briar Beauty and Cedar Wood being the best examples.
149	** Further explored later in season 2 of the webisodes, with some Royals like Blondie Lockes and Lizzie Hearts deciding that they're still Royals if they follow the ''intent'' of their story and plan to go with their destiny in the end, even if they're taking slightly rebellious actions now.
150	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Dexter Charming is officially a Royal and ''tends'' to support them, but when Raven is involved he seems to skew more Rebel.
151	* HighSchoolAU: Main premise.
152	* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: "Queen," "Hatter," "Huntsman", "Piper", and the like aren't just titles or job descriptions like they were in the original fairytales, but the students' surnames.
153	** And there's multiple families with the last name "Charming" who produce princes. "Blondie Branches Out" even involved Dexter listing all of the various Charming families he and Daring aren't related to.
154	* HowWeGotHere: Both Raven & Apple's first webisode starts with them at Legacy Day before abruptly stopping and taking us back to their first day at school.
155	* ImprobablyFemaleCast: While there are a number of male characters, the cast is heavily skewed in favor of female characters, especially when it comes down to who is considered important.
156	* IncrediblyLamePun: When four students find themselves at a frozen yogurt stand, they all get scared away by a spider who wanted to make the girls acknowledge that there is "web access".
157	* InnocentlyInsensitive: Apple's idea of cheering up Raven after the latter's BerserkButton is pressed by Duchess is to bring her a goblin decoration in the hopes that something evil would help.
158	* {{Irony}}: Kids from Wonderland, a world that literally runs on nonsense, have the more normal, commonplace names than ones from in Ever After.
159	* ItsAllAboutMe: Apple's main concern about Raven going off-script is that it will cause them both to go RetGone. Never mind that Raven is feared by the school because of her destiny, and that her magic tends to go horribly wrong. Admittedly, that does make it somewhat more justified- while she is thinking about herself, the consequence for her is ''death.''
160	* KickTheDog: In this case, transform the dog. Raven had a cute puppy that her father gave her, and her mother then turned it into a [[ForcedTransformation bone rat]]. Raven since then decided to never be evil.
161	* KissingUnderTheInfluence: In ''Heart Struck'', Hunter gets his hands on Cupid's love arrows but he's unaware that the arrows seek for hearts to strike. Because of his pride as an accurate hunter, he tries to shoot all arrows at some targets, causing a love frenzy in the school.
162	* LighterAndSofter: The fairy tale theme is much "happier" than the horror theme of Toys/MonsterHigh. The plot, [[DarkerAndEdgier on the other hand...]]
163	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The male narratoris on Raven's side and the female one on Apple's. It's a large source of humor. Thankfully if they bicker too much [[BreakingTheFourthWall Maddie can call them on it.]] [[spoiler:it turns out they ''are'' a married couple. Their daughter, Brooke, is training to be a narrator.]]
164	* LoserSonOfLoserDad: Woe to you if you were born outside of royalty, or ones who married into royalty--even more woe if you ARE royalty, [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen but of the evil variety.]] On the other hand, some 'evil' royals, like Lizzie Hearts, are exceptions to this.
165	* LowerDeckEpisode: The ''Epic Winter'' Netflix special stars Crystal Winter, a brand new character, as well as characters that have usually been sidelined in the bigger adventures. Apple and Raven are at best background characters.
166	* MadOracle: Giles Grimm has, in addition to being trapped in the Vault of Lost Tales, been cursed to speak only in riddles that make no sense. Naturally, Maddie knows what he's really saying.
167	* {{Magitek}}: Magic mirrors fulfill the same function as the internet, called the [=MirrorNet=] here. Students are regularly seen with [=MirrorPhones=] and [=MirrorPads=], and have "Mirror blogs" which look a lot like Facebook feeds.
168	* ManipulativeBastard: Milton Grimm. To ensure that Raven accepts her destiny in ''The Storybook of Legends'', he creates a series of clues that lead Raven to believe that [[spoiler:Bella Sister died alone, with regret]]. [[spoiler:Maddie undoes the scheme without blinking an eye.]]
169	** Also, in the book Next Top Villain he reveals that [[spoiler: the reason he put Duchess Swan, a princess, in the villainy class is because he is hoping that if Raven doesn't sign Duchess will take over her role as evil queen. He knows how desperate Duchess is for her own happily ever after and figures that she would be willing to become the next evil queen as a means to get access to dark magic that could undo her swan curse.]]
170	* ManInTheIronMask: Milton Grimm trapped his brother Giles in the basement and cursed him to be unintelligible, because they disagreed on whether or not destiny is meant to have the final word.
171	* MeaningfulName: A lot of these for the students: "Apple" White (referencing the poison apple), "Briar" Beauty (a reference to Briar Rose), "Ashlynn" Ella (a reference to ''Aschenputtel'', the Brothers' Grimm version of Cinderella), etc.
172	* MythologyGag: Quite literal. Plenty of elements from the original stories are incorporated into the characters as jokes. Examples include:
173	** Baba Yaga's office having chicken legs.
174	** Mr. Piper's playing summoning a swarm of rats.
175	** Professor Rumpelstiltskin's "extra credit" being spinning hay into gold for him.
176	** Coach Gingerbread Man emphasizing the importance of knowing how to run properly and quickly, especially if someone is trying to eat you.
177	** In the novel, Maddie ends the Wonderlandian pet summoning dance with "[[{{Literature/Jabberwocky}} Oh, frabjous day]]!"
178	** Poppy and Holly being the twin daughters of Rapunzel is accurate to the original story, where Rapunzel actually ''did'' have twins (though in the original tale they were a boy and a girl).
179	* NecessaryEvil: It's literally necessary that certain students turn out evil for the stories to go on as planned. Raven's whole plot is that she doesn't want to be evil while Apple's is about how without Raven, her story lacks a villain and therefore cannot go on as planned.
180	* NoEnding: Due to the toyline being discontinued, the storyline has no real resolution.
181	* OfficialCouple: Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman. They're so official that their dolls come together in the same package. You literally can't have one without the other.
182	* OnlySixFaces: In both dolls and animation, the facial designs are rather unvaried- the original lineup of dolls all used the same facial sculpt, and few characters since have gotten their own.
183	* OppositesAttract: A platonic version with Raven and Apple. The two disagree on almost everything and season three spends a good amount of time showing the two as [[{{Foil}} polar opposites]]. That said, they both try their hardest to remain friends and even their biggest disagreements can't break their bond.
184	* PaintingTheFourthWall: When the [[spoiler: Jabberwocky]] works its madness magic in Book Three, even the Narrator gets affected and starts to spout nonsense with pink and purple letters. Maddie has to take over.
185	* ParentsAsPeople: We see some of the students' families in the books. For the most part, they are all GoodParents with the exception of Raven's mother, whose attempts to teach Raven to be evil were often downright abusive, and Lizzie's mom, who adores her daughter but gave her advice not to make friends and generally throw her weight around like a good Queen should. Apple's mother is a kind and reassuring figure, but she's helpless to advise Apple how to deal with the situation at school beyond believing in herself and believing in Raven. [[spoiler: Dragon Games gives us an entirely different take on The Fairest of Them All.]]
186	** Even Raven's mother, as horrible as she is, shows signs of this. Despite being the biggest bad the fairy tale world has ever seen, her main concern seems to be getting her daughter to finally be like her so that they can bond, something she fails at spectacularly.
187	** In Raven's SDCC doll letter it is revealed that [[spoiler: the reason she decided to expand beyond her story and take over all other fairy tales is because of Raven. She loved her daughter and thought it was unfair that she would be hated and feared because of her evil destiny. Her solution was to take over and ''force'' everyone to love the both of them.]]
188	* PimpedOutDress: During specials, several if not all the girls get new gorgeous dresses. Legacy Day, Thronecoming, Spring Unsprung and Way Too Wonderland all feature this trope in all its splendor. Though Way Too Wonderland [[LampshadeHanging notes]] that the dresses are somewhat ImpracticallyFancyOutfit[=s=].
189	* PortmanteauCoupleName: Blondie refers to Ashlynn and Hunter as "Huntlynn" In-Universe.
190	* PunnyName: It's a ''Monster High'' spinoff, so this is inevitable.
191	* RaceAgainstTheClock: Apple and Raven's quest in ''The Unfairest of Them All'' involves gathering ingredients for a quest that will prove Maddie's innocence, before she is permanently banished.
192	* RageAgainstTheReflection: Apple does this in Dragon Games on [[spoiler:the Evil Queen's Mirror, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently freeing her.]]]]
193	* RashomonStyle: The two-part pilot, with one episode from Apple's POV and one from Raven's. Interestingly, the scenarios change in the intros. For instance, in one, frog!Hopper is kissed and turns back into his human form, while in the other, he is rejected and turns back into a frog.
194	** Also after Legacy Day, when we first see the split between the Royals and Rebels take hold. The Royals seemingly remember Raven as ranting about how if she doesn't get the story she wants nobody should, while the Rebels recall Apple sounding borderline dictatorial about how everyone ''has'' to do what the story tells them. Neither is what actually happened, but it does a great job is illustrating both groups' standpoints.
195	* RetGone: According to Headmaster Grimm, an UnreliableExpositor if there ever was one, failing to pledge your destiny means your story-and everyone in it-ceases to exist and is forgotten. Raven calls his bluff, but Apple and many of the Royals are concerned their stories-and their family and friends-will cease to be if the traditions aren't followed.
196	* RoyalSchool: Not only about a half of the students are princes and princesses due to the fact their parents were this before them, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1JcWRqBq9c but they call themselves "Royals",actually.]]
197	* RunningGag: Throughout all of ''Replacing Raven'', the little pig says 'DUN NUN NUN' every time he does something 'evil'.
198	* ScrewDestiny: A major point, and the Rebels' ultimate goal. Unofficial leader Raven just doesn't want to be evil. Runs into BothSidesHaveAPoint because there are (possible) consequences for this.
199	* SealedEvilInACan: Implied with a mirror in the Headmaster's office.
200	** Raven's mother herself is also trapped in a magic mirror, as revealed in her e-book.
201	* SequelHook: [[spoiler: The end of the Thronecoming special shows the Wishing Well portal transported the Storybook of Legends to Wonderland, presumingly setting up the tale of ''Spring Unsprung''.]]
202	** SequelEpisode: ''Spring Unsprung'' starts up where ''Thronecoming'' left off.
203	* ShipTease:
204	** In ''Apple's Birthday Bake-Off,'' Raven says that she will make Apple's birthday cake with sugar, and cinnamon and [[InsubstantialIngredients a little bit of ''love'']]! Then in ''Thronecoming'' there is Apple telling Raven that she considered her a loved one. This is further emphasized in ''Spring Unsprung'' when Raven tells the [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis corrupted Apple]] she's not acting like the Apple she knows and loves.
205	** Daring and Lizzie get some of this in the third book, as do Dexter and Raven. Lizzie and Daring in ''Next Top Villain'' get quite a lot of teasing, if mostly one sided.
206	** In Thronecoming, the popular Daring/Cerise ship finally gets some of this.
207	** Dexter and Raven get some in "Cupid Comes Clean...Kinda". [[note]] The fact that the seem to be getting a two-pack in the doll line titled "Date Night" certainly doesn't hurt either. [[/note]]
208	** ''Dragon Games'' gave Apple/Darling huge traction, as Darling is the one to save Apple from the curse, not Daring.
209	** ''Epic Winter'' gives so much ship tease to Daring and Rosabella that they're practically an official couple by the end.
210	* ShipSinking: Apple and Daring's couple status took a huge hit in ''Dragon Games'' when it turned out Daring was not Apple's destined prince. ''Epic Winter'' further hits the nail in the coffin when Daring in turned into a beast and Apple can't turn him back with a kiss.
211	* ShoutOut: Apple White's comments about sending the Rebels to their own Evil School in Maddie's flash back are a nod to the book series ''Literature/TheSchoolForGoodAndEvil'' which separates Fairy Tale characters in such a fashion. Another occurs in ''Spring Unsprung'', when one of the Wonderland kids throws the apparently "useless beans" out of the dumpster and the beans grow into a huge beanstalk, an obvious reference to ''Jack and the Beanstalk''.
212	** When Ramona Badwolf made her webisode introduction, her first words were: "[[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hello Cerise]]."
213	** While Rosabella Beauty is obviously the daughter of [[Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast Beauty and the Beast]], her design and name imply a connection to a different [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast version]] of the famous couple.
214	* SiblingYinYang: The Grimm brothers couldn't be more different. Besides being on opposite sides in the Royal/Rebel conflict and their [[OrangeBlueContrast conflicting colour schemes]], Milton is stern, plump and well-groomed, while Giles is scruffy and thin, but very friendly. This is even reflected in their bases of operation: Milton's office is in a high tower and immaculate, while Giles' Vault of Lost Tales is underground and a chaotic mess.
215	* SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsDestiny: This is pretty much the main source of conflict between the Royals and the Rebels.
216	* SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty: The show is on the shiny end of this. Few things aren't clean and pretty.
217	* {{Spinoff}}: From ''Monster High''.
218	* SpannerInTheWorks: Maddie in ''The Storybook of Legends'', given her ability to hear the Narrator and to communicate with Milton Grimm, which gives Raven [[spoiler: the true story of what happened to Bella Sister]].
219	* StylishProtectionGear: In the winter episodes, the girls have fancy winter dresses [[PrettyInMink trimmed with fur]].
220	* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Raven does this in one episode when the [=MirrorNet=] is down and points out they can talk about what they wanted to post. It gets [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when Apple points out there's an online test that day for their SadisticTeacher.
221	* SwappedRoles: In ''Thronecoming'', the girls go inside a huge Storybook of Legends, in order to find missing pages of the real one. To do that, they have to look for them inside different books, but not knowing which story is which, they end up with jumbled roles:
222	** Apple becomes Sleeping Beauty, and falls prey to the sleeping curse. [[spoiler:Fortunately, Briar comes to her rescue.]]
223	** Ashlynn becomes Pinocchio, strings and all.
224	** Blondie becomes the Mad Hatter, just in time to be chased by the Queen of Hearts' Court.
225	** Cupid becomes Cinderella, just as she loses her slipper and her carriage turns back into a pumpkin.
226	** Cedar becomes Goldilocks, just when the three bears are returning home.
227	** Maddie becomes Cupid, but is poor with a bow and arrow.
228	** Briar becomes the Evil Queen, and finds the poisoned Snow White (Apple) in the glass coffin.
229	** Raven becomes Snow White, and witnesses just how evil her destined role is, while the Evil Queen in disguise tries to force the poisoned apple on her.
230	* TerminallyDependentSociety: The kingdoms rule Ever After according to the cycle of stories, guaranteeing people are who they are destined to be and nothing new or unscripted happens. The Evil Queen's conquest and Raven's rebellion, however, shake up this status quo. Headmaster Grimm can only double down on the legacy system, and no other adult figure can comprehend characters not following the fairy tales. In the book ''The Unfairest of Them All'', Apple looks to the previous generation's royalty for solutions to the Royal/Rebel conflict, and is discouraged to realize they are kind of stupid and can't help her.
231	* ToylessToylineCharacter: Happens quite a bit, oddly enough. Between some excellently-designed Backgrounders (who aren't even ''named''), and the occasional named character with some importance (Melody Piper went two years without a doll; Hopper Croakington and Humphrey Dumpty ''still'' don't have them (and won't anymore, given the line's cancellation)), you'll find a lot of fans clamoring for dolls. Male characters especially suffer from this -- Daring Charming was a character of great importance to the plot from the beginning (he was the most high-end of the male Royals, Dexter's brother, and believed to be Apple's betrothed in the future), yet didn't get a doll for the first three years of the franchise. Key villains like The Evil Queen, The Cheshire Cat and The Red Knight also go without dolls.
232	* TransformationSequence: In ''Way Too Wonderland'', when Lizzie, Maddie, Kitty, Raven, Apple and Briar are transported to Wonderland after Raven tries to undo her mother's curse, their dresses all turn into Wonderland-inspired fashion for no apparent reason (other than to sell toys, of course).
233	* TwiceShy:
234	** Dexter Charming [[CannotSpitItOut has a lot of difficulty]] telling Raven he has a crush on her, even though she appears to return his feelings. His attempt to write Raven a love note ended up with her wrongly believing [[PoorCommunicationKills that Dexter is in a relationship with Cupid]].
235	** The trope is also in full swing in regards to Bunny Blanc and Alistair Wonderland.
236	* TwinSwitch: An unorthodox example happens between fraternal twins Dexter and Darling Charming in the book, ''A Semi-Charming Kind of Life''. When Dexter gets sick, Darling secretly takes his place in a Heroics Class where a suit of armour is required, partially to save her brother's face with their [[StageMom Stage Parents]], and partially so she can live her secret dream of being a KnightInShiningArmor.
237	* UncannyValley: Cedar's dolls normally suggest her puppet heritage with her lipstick, but her 2016 "total puppet" SDCC doll gives her wide eyes and a functional dummy-style jaw, which is much creepier than it probably should be. The donkey ears and long nose don't really help matters, either. There appears to be a slightly broken base between fans who love the doll and appreciate all the references to the original Pinocchio story, and those who think it's simply creepy. Since Cedar's situation is presented as a ''bad'' thing, it's possible that the uncanniness is intentional.
238	* WhamEpisode:
239	** ''The Tale of Legacy Day'' where Raven refuses to sign the Storybook of Legends, and the official split between the Royals and the Rebels occurs.
240	** ''Thronecoming'' where it's revealed what was wrong with the Storybook of Legends. [[spoiler:Turns out it has been a fake since the beginning. Raven's mother stole it while in school and hid it in her old room (now Briar and Ashlynn's), meaning that actually, none of those who signed the book are chained to their destinies yet. Oh, and Briar finds the real book, throws it into the Wishing Well and it landed in Wonderland.]]
241	** ''Way Too Wonderland'': [[spoiler:The Evil Queen gives to Courtly a book on black magic, which is so powerful that can even surpass Raven. Because of this, Raven has no other option than to sign her page in the ''real'' Storybook of Legends to acquire her full powers, meaning that she bound herself to her destiny. On the bright side, Raven magically tears the pages of the book and fuses them with the students so, if any of them wants to follow their destiny they can, while those that don't now can't be forced.]]
242	** ''Dragon Games'': [[spoiler:''Apple'' frees the Evil Queen from her mirror prison, and she almost manages to destroy Ever After High. It is revealed that Daring is ''not'' Apple's prince (and it's implied that it's actually ''Darling'') and Apple understands that in order to find who she actually is and her place in the world, she needs to let go of her legacy and follow her heart.]]
243	* WildCard: Quite a few characters are neither Rebel nor Royal. Dexter ''is'' officially a Royal, but expresses some rebellious attitudes in his mirror texts, and so is classed with neither on the character page. The Frog Prince is often seen with the Royals, but likewise tends to go along with Rebel plans like Cupid's True Hearts Day party. Kitty is also often shown with the Rebels in group shots but is really TheGadfly who will mess with either side as she wants. Courtly Jester is a literal wild card, daughter of the Wonderland court's Joker. She lacks a destiny altogether, and desperately wants to have a greater part.
244	* TheWorfEffect: In Book Three, the [[spoiler: Jabberwocky]] incapacitates most of the main cast, all of whom belong in a WorldOfBadass, so that Maddie, Cedar, Kitty and Lizzie have to take over and save the day. It shows how dangerous [[spoiler: the Jabberwocky]] is.
245	* WorldOfPun: In a similar vein to ''Toys/MonsterHigh'', if there's a fairy tale or magic-related pun to be made, they'll make it.
246	* WouldHurtAChild: Headmaster Milton Grimm. He's perfectly willing to condemn unwilling teenagers to fates that they don't want, all to preserve order. He was also going to banish Maddie to Neverland, even though it would RetGone her story and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking trigger her allergies to pirates]].
247	* YouCantFightFate: The reason Ever After High exists in the first place is to ensure even the children follow their parents' legacies.
248	* YouMeanXmas: The world of Ever After has True Heart's Day for Valentine's Day and New Chapter Day for New Year's. EAH's Spring Fairest seems to be based on May Day.
249	** A rare example of a ''school'' holiday is present as Thronecoming is a stand-in for Homecoming.
250	* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Ashlynn starts questioning her True Hearts Day choice because not only are her friends concerned about her choice, but ''Duchess'' thinks it's a great idea. [[spoiler: In the end she decides it doesn't matter and goes Rebel anyway.]]
251	** Raven feels like this every time her mother shows pride in, or approval for, Raven and her actions.

Context Toys / EverAfterHigh