Line #9 WebAnimation/RatboyGenius


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_mk63mp2Qly1r1c70so1_500_5287.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Ratboy Genius goes for a ride in his little red buggy with his friends Happyman and Green Monster.]]
3	->''"Knock, knock![[note]]pronounced "Nark, nark!"[[/note]] It's me, the Ratboy Genius!''
4	->''I just came over to say 'Hi!'''
5	->''I'm the little Ratboy Genius!''
6	->''I hope we have a happy time!"''
7	-->-- '''The theme song'''
8
9	[[https://www.youtube.com/user/ratboygenius Ratboy Genius]] is a Website/YouTube channel full of videos that are [[DerangedAnimation better seen for yourself than described.]] The channel is run by Ryan Dorin, a musician and animator who you might know as the six-fingered piano player from the movie ''Film/{{Gattaca}}'' ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer no, seriously.]]) There are several ongoing series on the channel that are interconnected. The first and foremost is ''Ratboy's Kingdom'', which follows the adventures of titular character Ratboy Genius and his exploits throughout his kingdom. Next came ''Happyman on the Red Planet'', an exciting opera starring some new characters. It is currently unfinished, but the author has promised to end it someday. Written as a prequel to that series is the trippy space opera ''Galactic Superheroes''. Although it's only three episodes, Galactic Superheroes sets up a lot of information for future plots. The two series ''Little King John: The Flood'' and ''Starship Genius'' then began to release at the same time, opening up the universe even farther.
10	[[foldercontrol]]
11	----
12	!!This series provides examples of:
13	Note: For convenience, these tropes have been split up by series.
14	[[folder:Tropes Relating to the Series in General]]
15	* AerithAndBob: Most of the characters have names that describe who they are essentially (e.g.: Ratboy Genius is a rat-boy who is a genius; Little King John is a little king; then there's Green Monster, Happyman, Very Tall Friend, Mr. Big Arms, The Big Fish Boss...). Some character names are simply absurd (e.g.: Summer Solstice Baby; The Hoo-Hoos). Then we have Fred, George, Sue, Clyde, and Bob.
16	* CharacterTitle: ''Ratboy's Kingdom'', ''Happyman on the Red Planet'' and ''George'', ''Little King John: The Flood''
17	* DarkerAndEdgier: While the earlier episodes were mostly short slice-of-life adventures, ''Ratboy Genius Dreams Minecraft'' has an actual antagonist in the form of Little King John and a more adventurous plot, which hilariously, grew the fanbase. The sequel miniseries ''The Flood'' continues in the same vein.
18	** ''Starship Genius'' kicks off with Big Fish Boss and his army devouring an entire planet, Galactus-style.
19	* DerangedAnimation: Particularly when Little King John's around.
20	* FunnyAnimalAnatomy: As one of the comments pointed out, Ratboy Genius looks nothing like a rat. Could be justified, though, seeing as it's unclear whether "Ratboy" implies that he's supposed to be an anthropomorphic rat or part of some species of ratlike people. Along these lines, Ratboy Genius and Little King John are both examples of FurryEarDissonance and InexplicablyTailless.
21	* InsufferableGenius: Ratboy Genius sometimes falls into this territory.
22	* InterspeciesFriendship: Happyman and Green Monster are the main one. Almost every friendship in the series is this, though.
23	* InterspeciesRomance: Ratboy Genius and Little Summer Solstice Baby.
24	* ItsAllAboutMe: Ratboy has a tendency to steer conversations, and entire videos, toward himself.
25	* {{Leitmotif}}: Ratboy Genius is often accompanied by snippets of his theme song, while Little King John is likewise associated with his VillainSong "Potato Knishes".
26	* MediumBlending: The series started out with hand-drawn static images on photographs. Eventually Ratboy Genius turned into a 3D model, but it's been taking a while for the others to catch up, so much so that 3D characters revert to their 2D designs when forced to converse with non-3D characters.
27	* NightmareSequence: An entire video from The Flood arc is dedicated to one of these. [[spoiler:LKJ dreams fitfully of his villainous past-- since he is implied to live exclusively in Ratboy Genius's dreams, that might make this sequence a DreamWithinADream.]]
28	* RecurringRiff: The theme song is woven into many of the compositions.
29	* RhymesOnADime: Sometimes.
30	* RubberMan: Little King John's neck is constantly stretching and twisting around. He sometimes stretches his arms and legs as well. [[spoiler:Ratboy Genius has traits of this as well, as revealed in ''The Flood''.]]
31	* ShowWithinAShow: ''Happyman on the Red Planet and George''
32	** Which then gained it's own prequel in ''Galactic Superheroes''
33	* StylisticSuck: Maybe.
34	* SyntheticVoiceActor: Ratboy Genius and Little King John, while Summer Solstice Baby, Happyman, and Green Monster are all voiced by Ryan Dorin.
35	* ThoseTwoGuys: Happyman and Green Monster are rarely seen apart from one another.
36	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Little King John loves potato knishes.
37	* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Little King John is really unnerving, if you don't look at the [[LargeHam hilarity of his personality]] and his insane level of OffModel. Or perhaps, the insane level of OffModel [[NarmCharm is what makes him more unnerving.]]
38	** Big Fish Boss in Galactic Superheroes. In episodes before his apperance, the superheroes would mainly deal with minor disputes that were easily solved. Then Big Fish Boss appears in episode three, invading the entire [[IncrediblyLamePun GalicSEA]] with his Fish Legions and tearing his enemies to pieces. "Nobody's safe! Peril in the galaxy! Big Fish Boss is a threat to us all!"
39	[[/folder]]
40	[[folder:Ratboy's Kingdom]]
41	* ActionFigureSpeech: Used in the earlier episodes, for the hand-drawn characters before the 3D models with moving mouths were used.
42	* AuthorTract: One episode is all about how awesome Abraham Lincoln was (enough that there's an entire course dedicated to him at Kingdom University). Another episode describes Lincoln's assassination in somewhat disturbing detail.
43	* CatchPhrase:
44	** "It was another beautiful day in Ratboy's Kingdom..."
45	** "Knock knock! It's me! The Ratboy Genius!" This eventually evolves into a MadLibsCatchphrase for the cast, depending on who's talking to RBG.
46	** "[=WHEeEeEeEeEeEeE=]! I'm the Ratboy Genius! [=WHEeEeEeEeEeEeE!=]"
47	** "Yay for me, the Ratboy Genius!" Usually followed by Summer Solstice Baby chiming in with "Yay for Baby!"
48	* CoolBoat: Ratboy's yacht, the boat on the Ratboy Canal.
49	* CoolCar: Ratboy's little red buggy.
50	* CoolShades: Ratboy occasionally dons these in later episodes.
51	* {{Egopolis}}: The Ratboy Genius lives in Ratboy's Kingdom, near Lake Genius and the Ratboy Canal.
52	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Quite a few characters fall into this, including the titular character. Leaping Friend is Ratboy Genius' friend who's always leaping, Very Tall Friend is his friend that's very tall, and Mr. Big Arms has big arms.
53	[[/folder]]
54	[[folder:Happyman on the Red Planet]]
55	* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: None of the characters have any trouble breathing in space. Happyman and Green Monster ride through space while sitting on the top of a car.
56	* CoolBoat: The little red boat in the underground tunnel.
57	* CoolCar: Happyman's car.
58	* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:George]].
59	* DarkerAndEdgier:The story of the Happyman Opera gets pretty dark, especially once the connection between George, Fred and [[spoiler: Sue]] is explored.
60	* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler:Fred]].
61	* NiceGuy: Happyman.
62	* NonMaliciousMonster: Green Monster
63	* OneSteveLimit: When Happyman discovers that a man named Bob ended up on the same planet earlier in the day, he immediately knows it's his friend Bob, and not anyone else by that name.
64	* RememberTheNewGuy: Bob.
65	* SiblingRivalry: Fred and George
66	* TearsOfJoy: [[spoiler:George]].
67	* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:George]].
68	[[/folder]]
69	[[folder:Galactic Superheroes]]
70	* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: In the third episode, everybody pronounces "Galaxy" as "Galic-SEA." [[IncrediblyLamePun considering this episode involves a giant fish out to take over the galaxy, this can't be coincidence.]]
71	* BigBad: Big Fish Boss
72	* GeniusBruiser: [[spoiler: George is revealed to be this before ending up on the Red Planet.]] He's the navigator for the Galactic Superheroes' space ship and he's also the muscle of the group, doing both with great pleasure.
73	* GoodIsNotNice: While trying to mediate things between Old Fingerhead and the Hoo-Hoos, they straight up tell Old fingerhead that [[NoSympathy they don't care what he thinks or what his problems are]] as long as he's disturbing the peace. They then come up with a solution that heavily favors the Hoo-Hoos and nearly completely ignores Old Fingerhead's issues.
74	* GrumpyOldMan: Old Fingerhead
75	* JerkassHasAPoint: Old Fingerhead's main grievance with the Hoo-Hoos is that [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave they stow away in his ship without him knowing and refuse to leave or even apologize]], which he finds very creepy and frustrating. The Galactic Superheroes' solution to this is to [[ComicallyMissingThePoint ask the Hoo-Hoos to tell Fingerhead when they're there]], [[AesopAmnesia which the Hoo-Hoos immediately ignore.]]
76	* LargeHam: The Big Fish Boss. A giant rainbow strobe light fish in space with a voice that sounds like it came out of the most trippy of acid dreams.
77	* MookHorrorShow: It's implied that this is what the Fish Eater is doing when he chows down on the Fish Legions in the beginning of the third episode.
78	* MultiArmedAndDangerous: George, back when he was a Galactic Superhero, had four arms. [[spoiler: [[BodyHorror They were destroyed during the crash that landed him and his siblings on the Red Planet.]] ]]
79	* PowerTrio: The Galactic Superheroes fall into several subcategories of this trope, including FreudianTrio (George as the impulsive and excitable Id, Fred as the calculated and diplomatic Ego, and Sue as the healing, cautious Superego), BigThinShortTrio (George is big, Sue is thin, Fred is short), and TwoGuysAndAGirl.
80	* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: After being beaten down by George, talked down to by a bunch of freeloading Hoo-Hoos and told that nobody cares how he feels and that his issues won't be listened to or resolved, Old Fingerhead just goes along with what the Galactic Superheroes have planned and leaves without another word.
81	* SiblingTeam: Fred, George, and Sue, back when they were the Galactic Superheroes.
82	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The Fish Eater. [[BigEater His gluttonous]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal fish feeding frenzy]] enrages Big Fish Boss, causing him to kick his plots for world domination into high gear after having his Fish Legions [[BodyHorror rip the Fish Eater to pieces.]]
83	* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Sets off the conflict in the third episode. After Fish Eater snacks on a school of fish, the survivors report the incident to Big Fish Boss, Who's sent into a rage, saying that he needs every last fish for his master plan.
84	[[/folder]]
85	[[folder:Ratboy Genius Dreams Minecraft]]
86	* ActuallyQuiteCatchy: After Little King John's VillainSong, Ratboy describes John as "frightening and infuriating, but... full of catchy music."
87	* CreepyCentipedes: Little King John [[VillainSong sings about]] turning little black worms into centipedes.
88	* DarkerAndEdgier: While the earlier episodes were mostly short slice-of-life adventures, ''Ratboy Genius Dreams Minecraft'' has an actual antagonist in the form of Little King John and a more adventurous plot, which hilariously, grew the fanbase.
89	* DarkReprise: The pilot episode of features the main theme in minor and at a slower tempo.
90	* DefiantCaptive: Summer Solstice Baby isn't at all happy about Little King John kidnapping her, and she insults him every chance she gets.
91	* EvilCounterpart: Little King John to the Ratboy Genius. He's even a PaletteSwap of him with a crown, and kidnaps Little Summer Solstice Baby to try and make her fall in love with him. Also, unlike Ratboy, he is way more OffModel then he is.
92	* KnightOfCerebus: Ratboy's life was all beach parties and operas until Little King John came along. Even if it is AllJustADream.
93	* MilkingTheGiantCow: Little King John does this whenever he sings. [[WordOfGod He flows with the music.]]
94	* PerpetualSmiler: Happyman is constantly smiling, even when he finds out Little King John has taken over his factory.
95	* PsychopathicManchild: Little King John seems unable to comprehend anyone's feelings beyond his own, exemplified in his immature selfishness when taking over Happyman's factory as well as his denial that Summer Solstice Baby dislikes him despite her repeated insults.
96	* PunchClockVillain: Clyde works for Little King John, but when he's not at the castle he willingly helps Ratboy on his quest.
97	* TakeYourTime: Ratboy Genius's girlfriend had been kidnapped, yet he spends a day riding roller coasters.
98	* VillainousBreakdown: Little King John has one at the end of Episode 5.
99	* VillainSong: Little King John sings two in ''RBG Dreams Minecraft'':
100	** After kidnapping [[DamselInDistress Summer]], he sings the creepy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFfLCuHSZ-U Potato Knishes]] song, although it's more about the things he makes in his factory than about how evil he is.
101	** However, he later got [[https://youtu.be/efjjmpOVzRg?t=1m1s another one]] in the first Interlude, largely about stealing Happyman's factory for himself.
102	[[/folder]]
103	[[folder:Little King John: The Flood]]
104	* AnotherDimension: In the later series, different dimensions come into play.
105	* ApocalypticLog: Little King John's diary is The Flood's main storytelling device.
106	* BecomingTheMask: As seen in ''Starship Genius'', Sneezy/[[spoiler:Dodger was really [[TheMole a mole]] made to assist and watch over Little King John in his journey. He even flat out admits to Ratboy that he [[HateSink is disgusted by Little King John]].]] However over the course of the series, the two genuinely bond and Sneezy comes to actually see him as a close friend. Later episodes after the series still show that Sneezy follows John; almost acting as his NumberTwo.
107	* BigFun: Though he seems like an antagonist at first, the Caveman is revealed to actually be a fun, friendly guy who just wants to play ball! (With stones)
108	* BigStupidDoodooHead: "What a stupid plan! Whoever is in charge in your world is a complete idiot!"
109	* BreatherEpisode: The two interlude episodes "Victory Lap" and "NIGHTMARE" are silly musical pieces taking place inbetween [[WhamEpisode major episodes]].
110	* ByronicHero: JLK's selfishness is one of his key character traits, and his arrogance persists even after his redemption arc is complete.
111	* CanonWelding: In Little King John: THE FLOOD 6, [[spoiler: Sneezy is revealed to be from another dimension, and to have been one of the many friends of the Galactic Superheroes.]]
112	* CharacterNameAlias: [[spoiler: Sneezy is Dodger's cover name.]]
113	* DarkerAndEdgier: The tone of this series is much more moody and somber compared to ''Dreams Minecraft''. Justified, given that its about Little King John trying to survive an apocalypse.
114	* DarkReprise: The song "Meet the Caveman" includes segments of "Potato Knishes" redone in a minor resolution.
115	* ForeShadowing: In the fourth episode, [[spoiler:Sneezy is able to understand the Hoo Hoos. This is because he once knew the Galactic Superheroes]].
116	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: The first six parts are about Little King John and Sneezy searching for dry land to build a new kingdom. Once that is accomplished, the remaining six episodes [[spoiler:delve deep into a more cosmic story that deals with the origins of the world and how it connects to ''Starship Genius'']].
117	* HeelFaceTurn: Over the course of the series, Little King John becomes more altruistic, even rescuing other survivors and building a new island for them to inhabit.
118	* LargeHam: Little King John tends to be this a lot.
119	* MilkingTheGiantCow: Little King John does this whenever he sings. [[WordOfGod He flows with the music.]]
120	* TheMole: [[spoiler: Sneezy/Dodger claimed he simply wanted to help the villainous Little King John build his new kingdom, but he's revealed to actually be working for Fred.]]
121	* MoralityPet: In the second episode, Little King John befriends Sneezy, which marks the beginning of his kinder demeanor.
122	* NonIndicativeName: A variation with The Caveman: he's a humanoid creature who lives in a cave, although other than that he doesn't seem to have anything to do with cavemen in a traditional sense.
123	%%* PortalDoor: Little King John discovers one of these, [[spoiler: and visits a nearby location. He later learns how to use it, and travels to another planet.]] %%What is "one of these"? You must describe the trope
124	* ReformedButNotTamed: Little King John slowly becomes a better person throughout the series -- but he still has his [[{{ItsAllAboutMe}} moments where he dips back into his old self]]. When reuniting with Old Froggy after what has likely been ''months'', Little King John's first reaction is to tell him that [[NoSympathy he has many things for him to do]]. In part 10 he almost snaps back to his old self upon [[spoiler:realizing that Ratboy Genius was behind the flood]] but thankfully calms down after a bit.
125	* StalkerShrine: In ''The Flood'', the inside of Little King John's yacht is decorated with pictures of Summer Solstice Baby.
126	* TheAllegedSteed: Little King John rides on Sneezy's back while they take a tour through his new kingdom. [[DudeWheresMyRespect Sneezy isn't particularly happy about this.]]
127	* TheGreatFlood: This is where the arc gets its name. The result is that LKJ's world is turned into [[SingleBiomePlanet an ocean planet]].
128	* VillainEpisode: ''The Flood'' is about Little King John trying to find a new land to rebuild his kingdom after a flood destroys his home.
129	* WhamShot: The very end of the ''The Flood'' Part 3: [[spoiler:Ratboy Genius' hand stretches like Little King John's.]]
130	* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Little King John berates Ratboy Genius for being directly responsible for the flood]]. Notably, Ratboy doesn't really try to defend himself and instead tries his best to help Little King John.
131	[[/folder]]
132	[[folder:Starship Genius]]
133	* CanonWelding: In Starship Genius 5, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world Little King John exists in is an entire dimension created from Ratboy Genius' dreams, linked to that of the Galactic Superheroes through the flooding waters, and that the mysterious structure he found is Starship Genius, after years of decay.]]
134	* [[IncrediblyLamePun Genius]] [[GeniusBonus Bonus]]: This series likes to delve into the subjects of astrophysics and cosmology a lot, even featuring a chapter dedicated to the gang discussing things such a dark matter and theories about the true nature of the universe.
135	* KnightOfCerebus: Big Fish Boss quickly becomes this. For comparison, [[EarthShatteringKaboom he orders his army to destroy an entire planet]] during his very introduction. Even Little King John was nowhere near that level of vileness.
136	* LargeHam: The Big Fish Boss. A giant rainbow strobe light fish in space with a voice that sounds like it came out of the most trippy of acid dreams.
137	* ShockAndAwe: Space fish are able to gather electricity for nourishment and to ride the solar winds between star systems. The [[EarthShatteringKaboom Cosmic Thunderbolt]] is what happens when they join forces and weaponize that electricity.
138	* TwoFaced: [[spoiler: Old Fingerhead and Young Mouthbottom. They share a body, but have faces on the front and back of their head.]]
139	[[/folder]]
140	[[folder:Miscellaneous and One-Off Episodes]]
141	* ItKindOfLooksLikeAFace: One video has Ratboy go to Mars and talk about how he sees faces and other objects in the formations. This convinces him that there used to be life on Mars.
142	* OminousPipeOrgan: The creator made a music video of Little King John playing an original composition, simply titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzRKyaniuAo Fugue in D Minor]], on a pipe organ decorated with lightning bolts. As if this wasn't enough, while John plays, he constantly does his signature [[BodyHorror neck-stretching]], even moving his head disturbingly close to the camera at one point.
143	[[/folder]]

Context WebAnimation / RatboyGenius