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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/namesake___the_journey_begins_by_secondlina_d7kcq5l.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:Going down the rabbit hole and beyond.]]
3
4
5->''Oz? Like Australia? Wait... the road is yellow. Oh HELL no.''
6-->-- '''Emma Crewe''', Chapter 2
7
8''[[http://www.namesakecomic.com/ Namesake]]'' [[FantasyWebcomics fantasy webcomic]] by Megan Lavey-Heaton and Isabelle Melançon, published by Platform/{{Hiveworks}} (of which Melançon was a founder).
9
10Emma Crewe discovers she can visit other worlds, which are places she already knows – fantasy and fairy lands made famous through the spoken word, literature and cinema. Her power as a Namesake forces her to act as a protagonist in these familiar stories as she figures out how to get home.
11
12But as she travels, she discovers that those controlling her story have their own selfish goals in mind – and her fate is the key to everyone’s happy ending.
13
14The comic is chock full of fairy tale references ranging from the [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardofOz obvious]] to the [[Creator/HansChristianAndersen obscure]]. Now has a [[{{Characters/Namesake}} Character Sheet]].
15
16----
17!!''Namesake'' provides examples of:
18
19* AbuseMistake: A justified one, on the part of both Emma and the (very concerned) concierge she spoke with after Emma [[spoiler:woke up in a hotel she didn't recognize with ripped clothing, a note thanking her for a fun night, and [[LaserGuidedAmnesia no memory of how she got there.]]]]
20* AdaptationExpansion: Oh so much. Namesake was based on an unfinished series of comics (called the "Oziad") posted on the artist's live journal. The Oziad was a parody of The Wizard of Oz, featuring main characters who were [[SelfInsert dopplegangers of the author, her friends]], and the main characters of ''{{Literature/Slayers}}''. In Namesake, the Oz story is now one part of a journey through a much larger fairytale multiverse; the cast and scope of the story are greatly expanded, original characters have replaced those based on real people and copyrighted characters, and the tone of the story is more serious and far less parodic.
21* TheAgeless: It's explained that this is the case for Ozites, but since Dorothies are not born in Oz they will remain externally young but retain a natural human lifespan. At the time of the original Dorothy's death she still appeared young despite actually being very old woman. This seems to be the case for people who allow the Shadow to possess them, such as [[spoiler:Ina Liddell and One.]]
22* AliceAllusion: Wonderland exists in the story, and Alice Liddell and Alice Purcell have been there. They have vorpal swords that go snicker-snack, and Purcell is part Cheshire Cat.
23* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Adora had green and purple skin, and her children Warrick and Adora respectively have green and purple skin.
24* AmbiguouslyBrown: Emma and Elaine are drawn in a darker shade then the Caucasian characters, and WordOfGod is that Emma's appearance is in part inspired by Creator/MichelleRodriguez. Eventually it's stated that they are [[http://savvyliterate.tumblr.com/post/47007769105/it-sounds-really-interesting-but-ive-just-never-been Latina and French]] (Having a Puerto Rican mother and a French Canadian father).
25* AmbiguouslyEvil: It’s up in the air what's motivating the “ghost”, but so far it’s been painted in a fairly ominous and at times even sinister light.
26* AndIMustScream:
27** Selva, The Wicked Witch of the East, turned the Munchkin King into a hat box, [[spoiler:and Selva herself is turned into a purse]]. Later subverted when [[spoiler:Warrick says she's only still a purse because she wants to be and is just sulking. She changes back once he apologizes]].
28** Subverted with [[spoiler:Hercilia, the former Wicked Witch of the East. Selva turning her into a pair of magic shoes doesn't stop her from keeping up a running commentary as the action unfolds.]]
29* AnyoneCanDie: Boy, that character didn't even last the first chapter.
30* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Almost word for word.
31-->"You..you murderer! Arsonist! Book Defiler!"
32* ArtEvolution: Pointed out frequently by the artist herself. As is the case with most webcomics, the art is always evolving for the better.
33* AuthorAppeal: The artist's blog and past works reveal a strong interest in literature, fairy tale adaptations, creepy monsters, adorable magical children and strong female leads with large noses.
34* BadassAdorable: Fred. One moment he's excited about how stretchy grilled cheese is, the next [[spoiler:he's yelling at Ben and Elaine to escape as he fights off the ghost single-handedly.]]
35* BodyHorror: All the pretty red flowers you see in people's hair...yeah, they're actually ''growing out of'' their ''heads''.
36* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:If Anlise wasn't before, [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/don39t-forget-your-hat/ she certainly is now]]]].
37* CatsHaveNineLives: Cheshire Cats do. When three of them found a dying Alice P. on the forest floor of Wonderland, they each gave her one of their lives, letting her live again.
38* CheshireCatGrin: Alice, being part cat, can do this, both on purpose or accidentally.
39* CompellingVoice: Writers and those who steal / borrow their powers can do this.
40* CurseCutShort: After being restrained by a card soldier, Ben is none-too-happy with an apologetic Jack. Also, Alice when she's locked into the djinn's bottle by Nose.
41--> '''Alice''': You SONOFA ''BIIII''...
42* DeathGlare: [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/strange-looks Ben and Elaine are more than capable of pulling this off.]]
43* DimensionalTraveler: Namesakes, who leave their dimension to go to a fantasy one. Alice P. has kept her powers and can still open up portals.
44* DirectLineToTheAuthor: This comic uses the idea that some people travel to parallel worlds and famous real-world authors are just writing the stories of those travelers.
45* DistantPrologue: ''Namesake'' starts off with the Reverend [[Creator/LewisCarroll Charles Dodgson]] and [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice Liddell]] on June 27, 1863.
46* DownTheRabbitHole: The main caption of the comic. The portals to other worlds also look a lot like rabbit holes, and it's being sucked into one of these that starts Emma's adventure.
47* DramaticIrony: Any scene where Warrick talks about his sister while holding Emma's purse is this, [[spoiler:since Selva ''is'' the purse. Subverted in that he already knew]].
48* MrFanservice: Jack and Warrick, each a PrettyBoy, appear shirtless at least twice in the comic.
49%%** And Ben. If you like geeks.
50* EldritchAbomination : The “ghost” that was haunting Emma has flavors of this when the reader finally sees it up close.
51* TheEveryman : The main character, Emma, is a milder version of this. She's a quiet introvert who gets thrust into a situation that gets her in way over her head. [[spoiler:Later [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when she turns out to have been anything but that from early childhood on.]]
52* ExpositionDump: Chapter 24 finally explains what's going on and why, both regarding the Earth and on the cosmic scale. Chapter 29 has some of this too, with Emma Ramos and vorpal smith. Chapter 20's [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/namesake-relationship-chart relationship chart]] is also quite handy.
53* EyeScream: [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/wake-up This]] page features a character with empty eye sockets.
54** The unfortunate fate of [[spoiler:Emma and Elaine's father, Daniel.]]
55* FairyTale: Fairytale references are basically the framework on which the whole plot is built.
56* FeministFantasy: Appears to be heading this way, which makes sense given Oz itself was an early example of such. Makes sense since Baum was married to a Suffragette and let the Suffragettes serve as inspiration for the character of Jinjur.
57* ForTheLulz: [[spoiler: The fourth Emma is said to have let vampires bite her because it'd be funny. Somewhat less funny for the vampire, who'd get a mouth full of story instead of blood. Ink and vorpal are probably less nourishing than plasma.]]
58* FracturedFairyTale: The tales featured in the comic don't always conform to their storybook versions.
59* GenreSavvy: Emma knows she's in [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz]] just from seeing the yellow brick road, though the creators have stated that [[Film/TheWizardOfOz the movie]] is the only source of knowledge she has. [[spoiler: Justified later when Emma is shown to be an ArtificialPerson created by stuffing a changeling with literature. So she's practically ''made'' of Genre Savvy.]]
60* GilliganCut
61-->'''Emma''': You can't force us to obey you.
62-->[[[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/sulking Five minutes later]]]
63-->[Cut to Emma and company tied to a tree]
64-->'''Emma''': [[VisibleSilence ...]]
65-->'''Hercilia''': Great plan, Dorothy.
66* GoryDiscretionShot: Oh, blood and gore are just fine, don't worry about the stab wounds and arrows poking through bone, [[spoiler:but when Emma [[https://www.namesakecomic.com/comic/snack eats a shadow]],]] the panel cuts away to the horrified reactions of everyone around her.
67* {{Grimmification}}: The stories seem to go from fractured, to re-told, to canon, to darker... It's very cut-and-paste. And awesome that way.
68* HealingHands: In a rare male example, [[spoiler:Warrick]] is capable of healing Emma [[spoiler:and restores most of Anlise's ''brain'']]. It seems he can also heal scars.
69* HeroesPreferSwords: Alices have their vorpal swords, and Emma gets a pretty cool sword too.
70* HistoricalDomainCharacter: The Calliope flashbacks future the likes of Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, L. Frank Baum, and some more, which also doubles as a little BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy.
71* HopeIsScary: [[spoiler: Vanessa/Bird]] starts ''[[InelegantBlubbering sobbing]]'' on [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/healer-tricks/ this page]] when [[spoiler: Banshee]] tries to give her [[TakeAThirdOption a third option]].
72-->'''[[spoiler: Bird]]''' Stop that healing... ''bullshit!'' I'm just... I'm done with all this. You can't give me ''hope'' again. *sobs* You're as cruel as [[spoiler: Nose]].
73* HumanityEnsues: Fred undergoes a very gradual form under Elaines influence, which proves she has writer powers.
74** [[spoiler: Emma turns out to an ArtificialHuman MacGuffinGirl who became her own person with the help of the love her family and friends gave to her.]]
75* IKnowYourTrueName: Considering the name of this webcomic is "Namesake" and a character seems to have sold her name, this is only bound to be more fitting as the story progresses.
76** This also proves to be important with [[spoiler:Renge, formerly Jellia Jamb, who gave her name to Ozma for an as-of-yet unspecified reason, and the name change essentially had the effect of {{Retgone}}-ing people's memories of Jellia, as well as resulting in an apparent personality change for Renge]].
77** Also turns out to be very important for Nose, as [[spoiler:One reveals he has given Nose the name Rumpelstiltskin, which grants One power over him.]]
78** Emma finding herself in Oz as ''a'' "Dorothy" despite not being actually ''named'' Dorothy turns out to significant.
79** This is One's modus operandi for taking control over people in general: step one, steal their name, and then, when they're in a state of absolute shock, offer them a new one under his control as a Writer. Many of the Rippers prefer to go by their numbers or handles instead, because of this. [[spoiler: He nearly gets away with this with Emma, which for various different reasons wouldn't have gone well for ''anyone.'']]
80* InsaneTrollLogic: Selva lampshades the trope after explaining that her plan to [[spoiler:save everyone from the poppies was to turn everybody into objects.]] In her own words, [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime "It made sense at the time."]]
81* InTheBlood: It's been heavily implied that both Namesake and Writer powers are at least partially hereditary, best exemplified by [[spoiler:the Crewes, since Emma and Elaine and their mother and father are respectively Namesakes and Writers]].
82** [[spoiler:Banshee is related to One, and mentions this trope by name when Bird says she's just as bad as him.]]
83* ImmortalProcreationClause: WordOfGod is that this affects Ozites, and while not sterile per se there's not the same need to have them since people don't age unless they want to. The Tin Man and his wife were considered strange for wanting children.
84* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Scarecrow, something Emma is particularly upset about since as she points out, he's technically not even alive]].
85* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Nose does this to Emma, making her completely forget about Oz.]]
86* LawfulNeutral / TrueNeutral: Adora became the first and only Neutral Witch of the West, [[spoiler:after her heart was both literally and figuratively broken.]] [[invoked]]
87* LegacyCharacter: "The Dorothy" and every other Namesake fits the bill as well.
88* LightIsNotGood: Hinted at first with Anlise, the Witch of the North. There's a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy good reason]] for her initial suspicious behavior, and she does genuinely care about the welfare of Oz.
89%% * LongHairedPrettyBoy: Jack.
90%% ** And the Djinn and Thunderdell. [[spoiler:YMMV with Nose.]]
91* LooseCanon: The creators have stated that their Oz only follows that of Baum's first six books. Anything seventh book and onwards is basically cut-and-paste/mix-and-match. For example, [[spoiler: [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/the-maiden the Tin Man and Nimmee Ammee got married in Namesake.]]]] [[spoiler:There is a InUniverse reason for this: Baum wrote past Dorothy's adventures, causing the fight between Calliope and the Writer's Guild.]]
92* MagicalLand: The main character is expected to go to many famous magical lands, starting with OZ.
93* MacGuffinGirl: [[spoiler: Emma]] learns to her horror that she's an ArtificialHuman created to serve as a "skeleton key" capable of opening all of the various Namesakes' doors between worlds.
94* MeaningfulName: Not surprising, given the comic's title. Several main characters share the same name as well-known fairy tale protagonists and fill the same roles.
95** Subverted with Hercilia: her name means "Tender; delicate." She is anything but, so it's probably meant to be ironic.
96** Warrick is derived from Warwick, which means "dam" or "weir". Considering the type of powers he has (to heal, so to stop pain and bloodflow), it works.
97** Also interesting to note that the last names seem to have meanings. In the case of the Chopper twins : they got their family name from their grandfather (who was the Tin Man, and as such, a lumberjack). The last name still applies to the Twin's respective functions, since Warrick is a healer (a form of magical doctor and/or surgeon) and Selva is a seamstress.
98** Emma means "whole" or "universal" which, given her apparent status as [[spoiler:a "Skeleton Key" who can [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/find-someone-else/ move between all linked worlds]], certainly fits]] The creators picked the name on purpose.
99* MindControl: The poppies do this.
100** [[spoiler:Writers have this power over Namesakes and mundanes, which also leads to [[MindControlEyes the eyes of the controlled individual]] [[OccultBlueEyes glowing blue]].]]
101* MissingMom: There's no sign of Emma and Elaine's mother in the present day, though there's a photo of [[http://www.namesakecomic.com/comic/so-serious/ Emma holding a baby Elaine]] along with Ben's comment that Emma has always been very serious. On [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/fragments-of-memory/ this]] page we get a memory of young Emma yelling for her mother. In [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/emma-and-her-father/ the next]] we see a family portrait including her mother in the background, and when her father brings her up to Emma she [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/find-someone-else/ starts]] to refer to her as a "bitch", [[CurseCutShort but gets cut off]] before she can finish. And it's been [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/the-skeleton-key/ confirmed]] that [[spoiler:her mother was a Namesake too]], and [[spoiler: she is a vorpalsmith.]]
102* MonochromePast: Played with. Although the DistantPrologue was introduced in color, the intermissions continuing the story are rendered in gray and gray-browns, with pops of red. Even when pictured with other characters in colored art, Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell remain in black and white.
103%% * MoveAlongNothingToSeeHere: "Time for my best shocked bystander face."
104* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Surely a group of people called "The Rippers" can't be up to any good, but they still insist they're the real good guys, probably because they are all either psychopathic enough to expect you to believe it or sociopathic enough not to care.
105* OneSteveLimit: ''Very averted.''
106** We have main character Emma Crewe, the real Emma (SB Emma), Ghost Emma, and her mother, Emma Ramos. [[spoiler:Emma Ramos even says all vorpalsmiths take the name Emma, implying she named her daughter such with the purpose to make her a vorpal smith once.]] Auntie Em later tells the heros about [[spoiler: her twin Sister, who was also named Emma. The two of them were vorpalsmith trainees]]
107** By the nature of this comic's premise (people with certain names go to relative worlds) this must be averted. For example, there's Alice Liddell from the past (the one Creator/LewisCarroll wrote about) and the current Alice Purcell.)
108** Past Dorothies are mentioned many times in Oz, to point there land has a set of procedures in place whenenver a new one shows up.
109* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Rippers, each of whom has some short nickname that's more or less related to who they used to be before they became Rippers, such as Bird, Fish, Mountain etc. It's either that or [[YouAreNumberSix their numbers]].
110* OnlySixFaces: Somewhat averted. The cast is very diverse in both body types, hair styles and faces, especially when it comes to noses. But there are complaints that some characters still look the same regardless and this can be especially problematic during action moments. [[spoiler: And when the Emmas split in half]].
111* TheOphelia: As of the book 2 intermission, Alice's family believes that she's this, and she herself [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/highly-improper doesn't even realize that she's jumped into the pond]].
112* OriginalGeneration: Besides canon Oz characters there is also Adora, Selva and Warrick, who are new additions to the cast.
113* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The weird female figure that seems to be following Emma through Oz is referred to in story as a ghost, but so far it's unclear exactly what it is, though it's briefly implied to be [[spoiler:Dorothy, as in the original]].
114* RealityWarper: [[spoiler:[[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/the-truth-about-elaine Elaine]]]] can do this, [[spoiler: as a "Writer". It's hinted that Alice could do a different sort of something similar to reality-altering, though not under her control.]]
115* RedRightHand: Jack has a literal red right hand. The trope is averted as he is not evil in any way.
116** [[spoiler:Recently revealed to have been caused by giant's blood being splashed onto it during his journey. It gives him minor telekinesis.]]
117* RegentForLife: It's implied Renge is trying to pull off something like this, [[spoiler:given the reveal that she's the one who's been keeping Ozma asleep]]. There's also one point where another character refers to the Emerald City as "Ozma's city" while Renge calls it "''my'' city."
118* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: [[spoiler:Both Renge and the Scarecrow have apparently held the "Hole in the World" in their own bodies]].
119* SheIsTheKing: Even though she's a woman, Renge's official title is still The Wizard of Oz, but another character [[http://www.namesakecomic.com/comic/where-is-it does refer to her as a "Witch"]], suggesting a Type II, but it's also implied that the "Wizard" title refers to her being the successor of the original, who was a man, rather than her gender, making it a Type III. [[spoiler:The title is later passed on to Agha.]]
120* ShipTease: There's been some slight moments between Emma/Warrick, and Elaine/Fred, but the 2015 [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/be-our-valentine/ Valentine's day cards]] plays it up more, and teases a pairing that has hardly interacted with each other yet, Alice/Selva. Later strips [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/happy-to-help/ confirm]] that Selva has a ''big'' crush on Alice.
121* ShoutOut: In the [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Christmas]] [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/it39s-a-good-idea-really strip]].
122* SkeletonKey: [[spoiler:Emma is a living embodiment of one, being able to visit any world.]]
123* SplashOfColor: Because the artist does not have time to make the comic fully in color, she limits colors to significant scenes/element, like red for the poppies in Oz. WordOfGod has stated that it started off as a time-saving technique, but the creator team liked the effect so much, it became more of a style past chapter 4.
124* StatuesqueStunner: Penta, who is a head taller than her husband, Jack.
125* SuperpowerLottery: Emma won the jackpot. [[spoiler: Emma is not only a Namesake, she's a Skeleton Key, has latent Writer powers, may also have Muse powers, and is potentially a vorpal smith.]]
126* ThinkingUpPortals: Though Namesakes can open portals, most of them actually don't have this power, having lost it after completing their mission. Alice Purcell does still have portal powers, and uses them often (even to get a cup of coffee). Being a [[spoiler:Skeleton Key, Emma has this power too.]]
127* TimeTravel: [[spoiler:The vorpal blacksmiths can do that, travelling through various worlds and timelines to take and fulfill commissions. We even get to see Emma Ramos on the job.]]
128** Tom Thumb strongly implies [[spoiler:he met a time-travelling Emma Crewe who sent him to deliver a message for her.]]
129* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening: Portals can be opened by triggering events. For Emma, it was the library fire, for Jack, it was getting shot.
130* TrueCompanions: "Team Bulldozer", and by extension their new friends, the Crewe sisters, the Ozite twins, and Ben.
131* TwiceShy: Warrick and Emma both have feelings for each other that are painfully [[EveryoneCanSeeIt obvious to everyone else]], but think that the respective other doesn't want a relationship with them (Emma because she thinks Warrick is still in love with Ozma, Warrick because he's kind of an undead and thinks Emma doesn't want to be with someone llike that).
132* TwiceToldTale: That's how Namesake stories work; the heroes, though different people, are always of the same name and go through variations of the same story. [[spoiler:This also turns out to be an extreme problem; because the Muses are gone, the stories aren't processed anymore, hence the same story gets repated over and over ad nauseam instead of getting reworked into new stories, until they run out of energy and their worlds cease to exist. If not helped, this will lead to the end of the universe.]]
133* TwinTelepathy: Warrick and Selva seem to have a degree of this, since Warrick [[spoiler:losing his heart]] affected Selva enough to lead to the InsaneTrollLogic above.
134* UltimateBlacksmith: Vorpalsmiths, who work with the very valuable metal. [[spoiler:Emma Ramos is the current one.]]
135* TheUnintelligible: Fred, [[spoiler:before Elaine fixes this.]]
136* UnreliableNarrator: [[WordOfGod The creators]] have stated that just because a character is telling their backstory doesn't necessarily mean everything about it is true.
137* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Renge turns out to be this, having done everything apparently under Ozma's orders to control "The hole in the world", including taking it into her own body]].
138* WhamLine:
139** "You can change things. You are a writer, Elaine." [[spoiler: spoken by Fred, formerly {{the Unintelligible}}]]
140** "Do you ''seriously'' think One would take any risks with his creation? You'd do well to remember who [[spoiler: your daughter]] is. It's not that thing in the other room."
141** [[spoiler: "Without those stories, you're nothing but a ghost. My ghost. The ghost of Emma Crewe. The one they call 'Sleeping Beauty'."]]
142** "We must discuss one last thing. [[spoiler:Your mother, Emma Ramos]]."
143** "Banshee... you... you're [[spoiler: not a Ripper anymore]]?" "[[spoiler:Never was.]]"
144** "You're still here because of a gift. [[spoiler:A sleeping heart.]]"
145* WhamShot: [[http://www.namesakecomic.com/comic/the-scarecrow/ The last page of book 2]], which shows that [[spoiler: something is VERY wrong with the Scarecrow]].
146** [[http://namesakecomic.com/comic/not-the-selva-you39re-looking-for This page]], where the person Emma thinks is Selva is revealed to be [[spoiler:Adora, Warrick and Selva's dead mother.]]
147* WholesomeCrossdresser: To save the princesses from Thunderdell, Jack dons a dress to appear as a princess.
148* WickedWitch: Considering this is a fairy tale theme comic, this is only natural. Although the Wicked Witch of the East can be argued to be a HotWitch. The Warlock of the West could count as a male example of both as well.
149* WorldOfBadass: Every person who appears in this comic is either a Namesake who fought their way through dangerous adventures, a Writer with the power to change reality, magically gifted to cast spells or shields, or just [[BadassNormal kicks ass in a battle]].
150* YouAreNumberSix: The Rippers, having given away their names, have titles like One, 2, 55, 46, and 37.
151* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Once Emma and Elaine got tangled up in the events around Namesakes and Rippers, it becomes clear that they can't simply return to their old lives; instead they move to England to join Calliope.
152* YoureInsane: Selva to [[spoiler: Warrick after he removes his heart and talks about how great it is.]]
153--> Selva: "Sweet Oz...You're mad!"

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