"Guardians of Gaia, AWAKEN!"
A parallel world to Earth called Gaia, which is tied to the natural elements of the world, is facing disaster. The Dark Zones of said world have been taken over by a powerful being called Dradarius, who is looking to conquer all of the other zones, cities, and locales of Gaia. Its ancient protectors, the Guardians of Gaia, disappeared millenia ago, and the source of their miraculous powers, the Gaian Crystals, with them. However, the crystals weren't lost, instead passed down through the Guardians’ bloodlines...who wound up on Earth. As such, when five of them are brought back together by five college students, said students are brought to Gaia to protect it, not only as the newest Guardians of Gaia, but as the newest team of Power Rangers.
That's the jist of a two 'season' Power Rangers fanfic written by J.A.Phillips, which can be read here
and here.
Recurring Power Rangers tropes include:
- Action Girl: Nikki, who is the Red Ranger and leader of the team, though Layla and Madilyn get plenty of awesome moments as well.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Of course, the Monster Of The Chapter, and the team's Zords.
- By the Power of Grayskull!: "It's Morphin Time! Guardians of Gaia, AWAKEN/Indigo Power!"
- Combining Mecha: Naturally, the team's primary five Gaia Zords combine to form the Gaia Megazord.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Nikki's Heat Sabers.
- Home Base: The Ancient Library, a large stone building in the middle of a giant forest. Was used as the training grounds for wizards in Gaia.
- In the Name of the Moon:Nikki: Guardian of Fire! Red Gaia Ranger/Ruby Ranger!Patrick: Guardian of Wind! Green Gaia Ranger/Emerald Ranger!Layla: Guardian of Water! Blue Gaia Ranger/Sapphire Ranger!Dirk: Guardian of Earth! Orange Gaia Ranger/Amber Ranger!Madilyn: Guardian of Lightning! Violet Gaia Ranger/Amethyst Ranger!Jowar: Guardian of Light! Wizard Ranger!Drayden: Guardian of Darkness! Indigo Ranger!
- Magic Staff: Jowar's Unimax Staff (hilariously, the writer neglected to give it a name until Chapter 19).
- Make My Monster Grow: Said word for word when Walker uses his Dark Staff of the Wyvern on monsters to make them into giants.
- Mecha-Mooks: The Mecha Blots, standard Blots with cybernetic enhancements and a chemical called Ebony Venom running through them that makes them even stronger.
- Mooks: The Blots, Heartless-like humanoid blobs of darkness. They eventually become more and more pathetic as time goes by.
- Mythical Motifs: The team's Zords are based on mythical/legendary animals, or in some cases, ordinary animals that are related to various mythologies, legends, and religions. The same goes for the Monster Of The Chapter, with a few exceptions.
- The Psycho Rangers: The Doppelganger Lightless turns itself and four Blots into copies of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers in the aptly named 'Ten Rangers Enter, Five Rangers Leave'.
- The Smurfette Principle: Averted. Three of the first five Rangers are female, and one is the Red Ranger.
- Super Mode:
- Powered-Up Mode. Gives them enhanced powers in the form of Dragon Ball Z-esque auras.
- Mineral Mode. Gives them whole new, shinier Ranger colours. Fear not, though, they aren't JUST sparkles, they have armoured parts too.
- "Super Sentai" Stance: Complete with back explosions.
- Sword and Gun: Crystal Blast Morphers (double as Morphers) and Gaia Sabers. Like in Super Megaforce, the Rangers can swap them, with Patrick and Madilyn preferring twin sabers and Layla and Dirk favoring dual blasters.
- Transforming Mecha: The team's three Auxiliary Zords transform into weapons for the Gaia Megazord, and even combine together to form the Gaiamax Staff.
- Transformation Trinket: The Crystal Blast Morphers. Also double as the team's side-arms.
- The Crystal Gauntlets. Used to access Mineral Mode.
- The Unimax Staff. Doubles as Jowar's weapon, and is used a standard wizard's staff.
- The Dragomax Morpher. The only one that doesn't do anything extra.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Somewhat averted, in that Patrick and Madilyn don't have romantic feelings for each other, but it is proven that, despite spending most of the story bickering, they DO care about each other as close friends. Can actually be extended to the entire team, really.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the two parter 'Into Darkness', the team opts to use a whole new Zord combination because it was "getting kinda late in the season".
- Cliffhanger: Because of a decision to split the story into two 'seasons', 'Season 1' ended on a cliffhanger, with the Rangers being sent back to Earth with no way back while Dradarius looks to take over Gaia, after which he plans to take over their world as well, and the team is powerless to stop him.
- Continuity Nod: Layla mentioning that the Morphing Grid can't sustain two of the same Ranger in the same place for very long, much like what happened with the White Ranger clone in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder. Also, just the fact that they acknowledge past Ranger teams, which you would think would be a given, but then there's the Power Rangers Ninja Storm pilot...
- Curb-Stomp Battle: When Dradarius finally shows his face, the resulting encounter almost can't even be called a fight due to how one-sided it is in favour of Dradarius.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Darkness, in this story, is just one of seven basic elements. It's actually the one who usurped control over it that is using it to do evil. Given further emphasis when, after Drayden is freed from Dargoon, he stays away from the team and his father because he still feels darkness in him and thinks he's evil, but is made to realize that he isn't (proven by him sending his Zords to help the team), and thus he embraces his own darkness and officially joins the Rangers.
- Dumb Muscle: Sphantis.
- Dying Declaration of Hate: When Sphantis is created, Darkea and Walker, thinking they're about to die, admit they hate each other. The two parter 'Into Darkness' seems to contradict this, though...
- Ear Ache: Nikki ends "the wimpiest slap-fest she had ever seen" between Madilyn and Patrick like this.
- Enemy Mine: During the latter half of the Indigo Nightmare Saga, the Rangers and Walker have to put their differences aside to defeat Dargoon before he utterly annihilates Gaia, which would leave nothing for the forces of evil to take over.
- Epiphanic Prison: The Well of Regret, which forces the Rangers to overcome inner fears, personal trauma, and deep regrets in order to obtain the Crystal Gauntlets.
- Imprinting: Sphantis, a hybrid monster that Walker accidentally creates from the Sphinx and Mantis Lightless, immediately imprints on his creator. Hilarity ensues.
- It's the Best Whatever, Ever!: Madilyn declares the day her and friends became Power Rangers to be the best day ever.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Jowar. Revealed to the Rangers in 'Revelations of Light and Darkness' that he's really Walker's father.
- Mythology Gag:
- Dirk constantly noticing the various recurring tropes in Power Rangers, like the colour-coded casual wear or the back explosions.
- The Rangers' call for their Zords oftentimes resembling that of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Season 3's calling of the Ninja Zords, AND when they enter the Zords, they log on like in MMPR Season 1, complete with Madilyn once admiring her Zord's stereo.
- The Megazord formations themselves are written to resemble various ones seen in PR. The Gaia Megazord itself, if drawn, would likely resemble the Ninja MegaFalconzord.
- Indigo Nightmare Part 1 features a Megazord battle with two giant monsters, one with a griffon motif, and one that has elements of a sphinx. This was actually meant to be a tribute to 'A Pressing Engagement', the first episode of Power Rangers that J.A. Phillips ever watched as a child.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Madilyn's "BEST! DAY! EVER!".
- Punctuated Pounding: Dirk's "NEVER! USE! MY! FAMILY! AGAIN!".
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Blots all have a single red eye in the middle of their heads. Although, this may be their biggest detriment, since one good whack to the eye will take them out instantly.
- Right Behind Me: Layla remarks to the other two ladies that they should get going before more Mooks arrive. Cue the other two looking over her shoulder and Layla quickly realizing that it's time to start running.
- Ship Tease:
- Patrick/Madilyn: Probably the most teased one. Made no better by the fact that Patrick is the Kyon to her Haruhi Suzumiya on a number of occasions.
- Nikki/Madilyn: Their alternate reality Super Sentai counterparts are apparently lovers.
- Patrick/Darkea: In Indigo Nightmare, it's suggested that Patrick might harbour feelings for Darkea, or is at least regretful that she never had a chance to be anything more than what her father wanted. In their final battle, he even spares her rather than destroy her. One could take that to mean their banter back in forth in combat is actually flirting.
- Take That!: Always A Ranger, the three-part beginning of 'Season 2', is intended to be a case of this toward the two-part Once A Ranger team-up from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive.
- Tempting Fate: During the final battle against Walker, they ask if he might be done a few too many times.
- Two Girls to a Team: Gender-Inverted. Unless you count Jowar and Drayden joining the team later on.
