
Heartcore is a web graphic novel by T.L. Welker
about Amethyst Lashiec, a Fiendlord and princess of Asgar that grew disdainful of her father Royce's methods and decisions ever since the end of the demons' war against the beastmen. Royce, likewise, becomes fed up with his daughter's rebellious attitude and strips Ame of her rank and inheritance and promises the other Fiendlords that the one to bring him the ex-princess' head will become the new heir to the throne, before Ame can try to overthrow him.
As of late 2013, the first few chapters are being remade since the author wants to make improvements to the story both in terms of writing and drawing. Many of the older pages can be found in her DeviantArt page linked above.
Has very little to do with Heart Drive.
Tropes used include:
- Abusive Parents: Royce probably didn't pay attention during parenting classes...
- A-Cup Angst: Teodora. Being surounded by far bustier women than herself (including Ame, the one woman she hates the most) doesn't help this fact in the slightest.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: For the remade first chapters, Suko has recived a darker shade of pink for her hair and dress. Her horns has also grown much taller and gone from red to black.
- Alien Blood: Carval's blood, and likely the blood of other salamander demons, is a very dark shade of navy blue. They also have the ability to form bombs using said blood.
- All There in the Manual: The side story known as "History of Niefelheim"
explores many events that happened before the start of HeartCore, sutch as the death of Lilium, the birth of Ame and the war between demons and beastmen. Some of the events in the story has been stated to appear in the comic.
- Anime Hair: Considering that the webcomic has an artstyle based on anime, this shouldn't be a suprise to anyone.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Among the charges Royce brings against Ame are disorderly conduct, harassment, vandalism, conspiracy to commit treason, extortion, and three counts of grand theft (one of those counts involving Royce's birthday cake)."But grand theft? You have a birthday cake every day!"
- Art Evolution: Compare 2009 with 2013 and you are sure to see some differences
.
- Compare Royce's old design
to his new design
. He's gotten buff!
- Also compare Goristro pre-
and post-redux
.
- Compare Royce's old design
- Asshole Victim: It's hard to feel sorry for the first humans that Ame killed in New Ayers while in disguise, considering that they were not only going to mug her, but also rape her. And since it was mentioned that they were killed in an area where these things are not too uncommon, one can consider this proof that this wasn't their first time doing something similar to other people.
- Ass Kicking Pose: A rather alluring one
at the end of the first remade chapter.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Demons have two weak points, their brain and their Heartcore. Destruction of the former or removal of the latter is the only way to kill them.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: To quote the author, "...Trying to get Carval to pay attention...an exercise in futility .
"
- Author Appeal: Pretty much all the tropes related to female figures.
The author has admitted that Ame was created to be her ideal woman, but also put everything "cute" she liked within Teodora.
- In addition, the author is a big fan of paizuri, which features prominently in her adult-themed donation incentives.
- Also, docking. Lots (NSFW)
and lots (NSFW)
and lots (safe)
of docking.
- A couple of the adult-themed incentive image packs also confirms Welker to be a fan of tentacles.
- She also likes drawing Pimped-Out Dresses, which can be displayed on the amount of detail she puts into them.
- Author Avatar: Once again, Ame
- Bad Ass In A Nice Suit: To this point, Volsater seems to be the one who fullfills this trope the most.
- Battle Amongst the Flames: One young beastman attempts to do this against Volaster during his rampage in the Beastman Capital. It doesn't last long for the poor mortal or anyone else who tried to fight the Salamander Demon.
- Beam-O-War: Ame/Lilium has one of these against an empowered Royce.
- Be Careful What You Say: When Ame is locked up in a dungeon in Asgar, waiting to be escorted to a court martial, Asmodai appears. She says she would rather have anyone but him to escort her, but he then reminds her that the one who was originally meant to pick her up was Slade. Her reaction clearly shows that having Asmodai around is for the better.
- Berserk Button:
- Royce is set off when Ame blows up the blood storage.
- Royce really likes his birthday cakes. Stealing his cakes is considered grand theft.
- Also worth noting that commenting on Emerald's weight might lead to a fist to the face.
- And Ame won't stand for her entertainment being insulted. And may God help you if you decide to harm Suko.
- Unless you want your forehead to have a date with Teodora's warhammer, don't remind her about the fact that she has the smallest breasts in the entire cast.
- Goristro does NOT take it well if anybody hurts Emerald, even if it is an opponent that he stands no chanse in hell against.
- When Volaster is telling a story, you better damn listen to every word he has to say! His "son" learned it the hard way!
- Beware the Silly Ones: Carval might be a childish nutjob, but that doesn't mean that he can't set an entire city block on fire all by himself.
- BFS: Goristros weapon of choise is a massive sword that he can pull out of his body.
- Bicep-Polishing Gesture: Ame, after getting healed up by Heartcores
. (Warning: NSFW)
- Big Eater: Emerald has shown to be this, considering her MASSIVE order at a fast food joint.
- Royce as well, but he's more into fancy foods. Hell, the man has a birthday cake every day and is constantly served one-man buffets.
- Big Fancy Castle: Fitting for
any demon king
. The interior
is pretty sweet too.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Lashiecs, full-stop. Royce and Ame used to get along swimmingly, until Royce forcibly drained Ame's power and scarred her. Suko and Ame get along well, but while Suko doesn't quarrel with Royce like Ame does, he's doesn't care much for her either. He also forces a brainwashed Ame to nearly kill her, which did jack-diddly to improve Ame's opinion of him. Her mother, Lilium, is not a fan or Royce, either. Not to mention, Carval is her half-brother, being created from Royce's union with Volaster; and he's certainly not above blowing Ame into smithereens.
- Big "SHUT UP!": In chapter 8, Ame has started to get enough of Volaster's constant talking.
- And then there was that one time where Carval unleashed a massive one against Emerald and Goristro so that he could play with his Happy Meal toy in peace.
- Big Sister Instinct: It's made rather clear that Ame is very protective of her sister Suko.
- Bizarre Alien Reproduction: According to Volaster
:
"...a demon never truly dies...but they never truly reproduce either. It's rare, but when a demon decides to renounce their life, an egg with their reincarnation appears...This egg will also have attributes from another demon they've been in contact with. Within two years' time, the new demon will require the originator's Heartcore, effectively relieving them of duty." - Black Eyes of Crazy: The whites of characters' eyes turn black when fighting or when they get enraged. Particularly powerful demons like Lilium and Volaster have permanently black eyes, even when calm.
- No love for True!Royce in that list?
- As it turns out, Lilium and Volaster's eyes only became permanently black after they pass on, as demonstrated in this flashback
.
- Averted with Nyx: her glasses become opaque instead, and sometimes give off a flaming glow.
- Blank White Eyes: Asmodai should have been more careful
about where he was placing his fingers.
- Blood Magic: Played with. Salamander demons such as Carval are said to have fire flowing through their veins, and...well,
Word of God says you shouldn't make them bleed.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Royce is guilty of this. Considering his power, he could have easily killed Ame at the very beginning of the first chapters, but he thought sending his weaker servants against her in order to make them compete for a position of power would be more entertaining.
- Bouncing Battler: Along with Flash Step, this is one of Slade's powers.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Ame, after having had a spell cast on her by Royce.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Teodora, Lutz, and Carval.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: During the trial of the first remade chapter:Royce: The charges are as follows. Various counts of disorderly conduct. Continuous harrasment of the Demon King, other Overfiends, and castle staff. Vandalism by defacing several priceless treasures. Conspiracy to commit several acts of treason.
- Wich is then followed instantly by a case Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
Royce: ...Extorting the castle staff, wich lead three seperate counts of Grand Theft...Ame: Waaaait a minute! I only recall two things that could've landed me Grand Theft.Ame: But GRAND THEFT? You have a birthday cake every day! - Breaking the Fourth Wall: Lutz
ends up doing this to keep the comic's content from getting risky.
- Bribe Backfire: During the trial, it is revealed that Ame tried to bribe Lutz with a game console in order to get out of Asgard. Sadly for her, he took the bribe, but then ratted her out in an instant without living up to his part of the deal.
- Bridal Carry: Knowing that Slade is after them
, Ame decided that the best way to get Suko out of harms way was to carry her like this.
- Bullying a Dragon: So, Ame. You thought that the best course of action in order to take on Carval/Volaster in his One-Winged Angel form was to press every Berserk Button that he had to offer? That's a bold move, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for her! The result was a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown where Carval/Volaster nearly killed Ame with little effort.
- Teo also loves to mock Ame, especially when the older demoness is locked in a cage. One Death Glare from Ame is enough to make her back off, though.
- Butt-Monkey: Lutz as well as Asmodai in the remade chapters.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Has there ever been a day since that painful ritual that Ame hasn't done this? She pretty much dedicates all of her time in the castle just to piss off Royce in any way possible, whether it includes stealing his cakes, ruining his artwork, or trying to overthrow him.
- Calling Your Attacks: Spells in Heartcore require one to call out its name to execute. More powerful and elaborate spells require long incantations followed by the spell's name.
- The Cameo: The characters in the RPG that Lutz plays on page 221
are actually from another webcomic called "Pirate Madeline"
- Also, remember the poor guy who
was tossed in the sky
by Emerald for not being Royce? That would be Marx
, also created by Emerald's artist.
- Also, remember the poor guy who
- Catchphrase: Lutz's line, from which the page quote comes.
- Cel Shading
- Censor Steam: Expect this to be seen in nearly any shower/bathscene/Mind Rape scene.
- Character Tic: Ame likes to lick her chops a lot.
- Chick Magnet: Asmodai. Considering that he can satisfy a handful of ladies without taking of his clothes
, that should say something.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Asmodai. He is an incubus, afterall.
- *Click* Hello: Ryo does this to Emerald on page 301.
- Clothing Combat: Ame has the ability to use her loincloth as a weapon.
- Combat Sadomasochist: Slade; oh god, SLADE.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Asmodai has this problem with Ame and Royce. In one hand he still has great feelings for Ame, but on the other hand, he has to be loyal to Royce if he wishes to keep his status and life. A fact that Royce makes very clear
.
- Continuity Reboot: Dissatisfied with how the comic was originally going, the author restarted the comic from the first chapter in 2013.
- Cross-Popping Veins: Ame gets one of these
when Emerald insults her for liking Royal Jelly Complex.
- Cute Bookworm: Considering that she is a princess and that her muse is books, Suko seems to fit this trope pretty well.
- Cute Bruiser: Teodora. Adorable little girl who fights with a giant crystal hammer!
- Cute Little Fangs: All characters thus far, except Ryo and Gimlett.
- Cute Monster Girl: This applies to many characters so far, but mostly Theodora.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The only two Overfiends other than Royce that actually managed to put up a fight against Ame during her escape from Asgard were Teodora and Slade. The rest of them stood little to no chanse.
- Wile on the topic, the only thing that saved Ame and Suko during their fight with Royce, was the fact that Lilium possesed Ame, giving her the power to make it an even fight. Even then, it served mostly as a distraction just to give them the opening to flee once and for all.
- And then there was Volaster vs the entire Beastman capital. Guess who won.
- Daddy's Girl: Ame thought she was this towards Royce. Boy, was she wrong.
- Suko on the other hand, seems to be much more favored by their father. Then again, he's perfectly ok with punishing her for things that Ame did.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Having his mother die of illness, growing up poor, and getting his ass kicked for stealing while only being a mortal child was enough to cause Volaster to blow up his home, which in turn caused him to become a demon and getting found by Royce. Not that Ame cares, of course.
- Darker and Edgier: Would you believe that the characters trying to brutally murder each other used to be part of a comedic, gag-a-day webcomic? Or that even before THAT, Ame used to be a Sonic The Hedgehog fan-character before being remodeled into a succubus?
- Dark Is Not Evil: The heroes of Heartcore, although you may say otherwise at some points.
- Deader than Dead: The only way to kill a demon is to either destroy its head or rip out their heartcore.
Word of God says the latter is easier.
- Deadly Gas: The atmosphere outside of domed cities such as New Ayers is invariably lethal to humans. Demons and beastmen, however, are immune.
- Death Glare: Ryo hands these out like candy.
- Death Seeker: Ryo is implied to be this, considering how she jumped from the top of a skyscraper, only to be annoyed when saved by Syranon. In fact, she has done this many times without dying.
- Demonic Possession: This happens a lot; for example Lilium possessing Ame and Volaster possessing Carval.
- Royce, as well. His most well-known form is just him possessing the dead body of a beastman.
- Demon Lords And Arch Devils: The Overfiends. Most of the characters we have seen from Asgard are this.
- Domed Hometown: New Ayers, since the atmosphere of most of the world is poisonous to humans.
- Dope Slap: Volaster gives one of these to Carval when he doesn't even recognize that they are related and claiming that Volaster had stolen his last name.
- The Dreaded: Slade. Even Ame fears
the mere thought of even being escorted by the guy!
- Drop the Hammer: Teodora's weapon of choice is a giant, blue spiky crystal warhammer.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Subverted and Played for Laughs when Goristro thinks that Ame has mortally wounded Emerald. Ame snaps him out of it with a kick to the back of his head.
- Egopolis: The different realms are named after the demon that founded each realm. The ninth realm
, where most of the story takes place, is named after Lilium, Ame's mother.
- Elemental Powers: Magic is divided into eight schools: fire, ice, electricity, nature, earth, psychic, holy, and dark.
- Enfant Terrible: Teo and Carval are the youngest of the Overfiends and among the meanest.
- Erotic Eating: Ame likes BBQ Sauce. And we mean she REALLY likes BBQ sauce.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Asmodai is slightly appalled by Slade's battle tactics. In fact, none of the other Overfiends like Slade.
- Ame has a philosophy in procuring Heartcores: "Pick someone they won't miss". She demonstrates this when she kills some would-be rapists for their Heartcores.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Lutz appears to have this problem, with people merely referring to him by his title rather than by his given name.
- Everyone Is Bi:
Word of God states bisexuality is common among demons.
- Every Scar Has a Story: How the webcomic begins. It shows how Ame, once a happy and cheerful princess, was forced into a permanently scarring ritual by her father, costing her much of her powers and leaving her with large scars on her face and arms that never healed.
- Evil Redhead: Royce. Are you really suprised by that answer?
- Eyepatch of Power: Royce gets one after his battle with Ame/Lilium.
- Eye Scream: Slade doesn't hesitate to puncture one of Ame's eyes during his fight with her.
- Facial Markings: Goristro sports some in his redesign
.
- Fangs Are Evil: Again, the vast majority of characters thus far are demons.
- Fanservice: Considering that one of the main characters is a succubus, this trope is bound to happen a couple of times through the series.
- Fantastic Nuke: Volaster turned himself into one to destroy the Beastman capital and wipe out most of the Beastman race.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: The Lashiecs, Asmodai and Teo, and Slade.
- Fish out of Water: Ame has some trouble adjusting to her exile in human society. It's also been said that demons are easily overwhelmed by human sights and sounds, which is why Beastmen are practically required to assist them as tour guides and bodyguards.
- Flash Step: Slade is very good at this
.
- Flat "What": Ryo's reaction when she discovers that Ame doesn't remember her.
- Food Porn: Considering that Royce's muse is food, then of course he would be eating stuff that you wish you could gorge into
.
- For the Evulz: Royce using Ame's body to attack Suko. There is literally no reason for him to have done this other than that he simply wanted to. It seems to be purely for extending Ame's suffering.
- Slade, full stop. He once tried to coax a fellow demon into surrendering to him their Heartcore so he could eat it. Why? In his words, "Try ae spot o' fun! See wha' it does!
"
- Slade, full stop. He once tried to coax a fellow demon into surrendering to him their Heartcore so he could eat it. Why? In his words, "Try ae spot o' fun! See wha' it does!
- Freakiness Shame: A fandom example. Though Ame isn't directly ashamed of her scars, they still serve as a reminder of what Royce did to her so many years ago (though she isn't too comfortable of showing them off too much, especially the ones on her arms). Most fans seems to think that she's prettier with them, often mistaking it for regular body paint due to the artsytle of the comic.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Volaster, from a common thief in a small town to Overfiend.
- Frying Pan of Doom: Suko tries to use this against Slade when he is beating down Ame. It does nothing but a small cut on his face wile giving him a new target to attack.
- Funetik Aksent: Slade has a Scottish accent, for whatever reason.
- Gem Heart: The eponymous Heartcores are created by using demonic powers to corrupt a human heart, changing it into a crystalline mass that demons can eat to replenish and strengthen their own Heartcores. It is the source of their power, and their weakness: its destruction or removal will kill the demon.
- Heartcores can be found in other creatures as well, such as mice, but they are often of a far lesser quality in terms of power when compared to that of humans.
- Gemstone Assault: Teodora's giant crystal hammer has a tendency to lodge sharp pieces into whatever she strikes.
- Ghibli Hills: Nifelhiem
appears to be as such.
- Glass Cannon: Teodora. She sure knows how to swing a giant hammer crystal around, but considering her young age (well, by demon terms at least), this trope is to be expected.
- Goggles Do Something Unusual: In Emerald's case, they detect the true forms of people and can be used to find demons.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Amethyst's face/arms are not covered in red paint as some may belive.
- Good Wings, Evil Wings: Demons have wings of various shapes and sizes, from Ame's itty-bitty little red wings, to trueform!Royce's badass prismatic wings.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Sukina's face gets seriously messed up by Ame while she is under Royce's spell. We never see the injury, though, as the afflicted side of Sukina's face is cleverly hidden behind Ame's head after she picks her up.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: In the remade chapters, Suko seems very fond of applying this color to her attire and appearance.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Emerald becomes an example of this trope when Ryo ignores her at the sight of Ame.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: The team of Ryo and Syranon. While Syranon is a paladin who prefers swords and holy magic to do the trick, Ryo relies on a wide variety of guns.
- Hartman Hips: Most members of the female cast tend to have this, including Teodora.
- Having a Blast: Carval, who appears to be able to make bombs with vials of his blood.
- Heart Drive: The epynomous Heartcores.
- The High Queen: According to Histroy Of Nifleheim, things were a lot more stable around Asgard and the sorounding lands when Lilium was around. Take a guess how everything went once Royce killed her and took complete control.
- Hot as Hell: Applies to Royce, along with Evil Is Sexy applying to most of the cast.
- Hot Witch: Lilium
, in addition to being one of the most powerful women to have ever lived in the demonic realms, is also amongst the most beautiful. Two good reasons as to why Royce married her before mortally wounding her in an attempt to eat her Heartcore.
- Hunter Of Her Own Kind]]: It is heavily implied that Ryo is a demon, considering how Emerald refered to her as a "Dretch" and how she seems to have powers beyond that of most mortals.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Between Lutz/Suko and a Royce-possessed Ame.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each chapter is named after video game music. To wit:Chapter 1: Sinful Rose
Chapter 2: Cashmere Cannonball
Chapter 3: Wounded Warsong
Chapter 4: Nostalgia in Solitude
Chapter 5: Alien Power
Chapter 6: Neocity
Chapter 7: Dangerous Zone
Chapter 8: Outride a Crisis
Chapter 9: Force Your Way - Important Haircut: Ame cuts her hair short when she becomes her current personality.
- It Amused Me: The reason to why Royce nearly crashed a giant chandelier
over Asmodai's head before the trial.
- Invocation: Magical spells in Heartcore require an invocation to use. For simple spells like Ame's Fireball, this is as simple as saying "Fireball!" For more complex spells like Devil Drive, the caster needs to recite the spell's incantation first, then call its name.
- Jerkass:
- Royce, oh dear GOD, Royce.
- Slade
seems to be competing for Royce's Jerkass throne. The guy is willing to kill his own allies just for the sake of fun and curiosity.
- Kangaroo Court: In the remade chapters
, Royce decides to put Ame infront one of these with all of the Overfiends watching.
Royce: I, Royce Lashiec, Demon King of The Ninth Realm, shall be both the prosecution and the final judgement in all of this as our law decrees.Royce: Glad you understand! - Know When to Fold 'Em: At one point, Emerald has Ame in a good position to shoot her in the head with a shotgun and does think highly of the possibility to do so. However, once Ame reminds her
that there is a good chance that she will shrug off the shots (considering how she just survived an encounter with an Overfiend Salamander Demon) and retaliate horrifically, Emerald takes the option of leaving instead.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: "What better way to introduce the rest of the cast?
A real trial must be witnessed by your peers".
- Leg Focus: Many recent pages in the remade chapters have begun to focus a lot on Ame's legs. One guess as to why.
- Little Bit Beastly: Lutz, Syranon, and pretty mutch the enitre Beastman race seem to be this.
- Love Martyr: "... why I reincarnated? Well...
... it was out of love."
- Mad Bomber: Carval's as mad and as bomb-tastic as they come.
- Volaster, even more so
.
- Volaster, even more so
- Magical Girl: Parodied in the second guest comic made by Holland R W.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Ryo and Syranon. While Ryo is far more serious and stern, Syranon on the other hand is more naive, friendly, and sensitive.
- Master of Illusion: Ame has shades of this. Exhibit A
: assuming the form of a helpless human about to be harassed by a couple of thugs, then opening a can of whoopass on them.
- Meaningful Name: Subverted with one of Ame's spells, Devil Drive: the name is derived from the idiom "Needs must when the devil drives", which means that when you're desperate, you'll do things you'd normally wouldn't do. Since Devil Drive is Ame's go-to spell, the idiom loses some of its meaning.
- The Merch: In-universe, Syranon Glaed is famous enough in New Ayers to have merchandise based on him due to his popularity.
- Mind Rape: The Devil Drive spell doesn't only deal fire damage, but it also causes damage to the mind as well. And then there is the Dominate Demon spell, that can take control of even the strongest inhabitants of the demon worlds.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: The Meefus are an adorable combination of bees and cats. And possibly vampire bats considering how they drink blood.
- Mook Horror Show: The first chapters can be summed up like this for Teodora, Emerald, Carval, and Goristro. Sure, they might be powerful demons, but let's see YOU try to fight the daughter of the demon who rules Asgard without crapping your pants!
- Morphic Resonance: Even though Ame has the power of shapeshifting into other women and can shape her clothes any way she pleases, her hair must have the same shade of pink or green that she normally has. Also, her clothes must be either the same shade of black, red, or white that her normal outfit has. Thankfully for her, she can mix these colors in any design she pleases.
- Mr. Exposition: Lutz and Slade help with this.
- Mugging the Monster: A couple of thugs attempt to have their way with a seemingly helpless woman. They weren't expecting said woman to be Ame in disguise.
- The Napoleon: Carval is shorter than most characters, quick to anger, and all too eager to blow stuff up.
Word of God is that Carval's height is attributed the Heartcore he inherited from Volaster, which was damaged in his Suicide Attack.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Well done, Warlord Karlsen! You just made Volaster bleed so damn much that he was able to cast a massive suicide bombing spell, making sure that the enitre Beastman capital was blown to ashes. Yay.
- Nice to the Waiter: Unlike most demons, Suko seems to be rather kind to her servants, even protecting them from Ame when needed.
- Nightmare Face: Balbons are weaker demons that partake in manual labor. They keep their eldritch faces concealed with masks.
- Oblivious to Love: Syranon seems rather unaware of the fact that Gimlett is a bit of a fangirl for him.
- Official Couple: Ame/Syranon, according to Word of God
(NSFW). Counts as Truth in Television, since the characters' creators are married.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Almost anytime Ame gets pissed or scary, someone is bound to have this expression. Ame has also sported this reaction a few times when in trouble.
- When Ame learns that Asmodai called in a favor to escort her to her court martial because the only alternative was Slade, she has this look on her face, accompanied by a mushroom explosion in the background of the panel.
- The Only One Allowedto Defeat You: It is implied that Emerald stopped Volaster/Carval's rampage in New Ayers just so that she could have the satisfaction of killing Ame herself. Sadly, she didn't have the guts to pull off the kill in case Ame would survive.
- Our Demons Are Different: Demons are capable of Bizarre Alien Reproduction with one another, their exact demonic species notwithstanding. They can also be divided into one of three classes:
- First-class demons were once mortal, but shed their humanity by committing atrocities. Most demons in the story are first-class: Volaster, in particular, became a demon after razing his hometown.
- Second-class demons are children/reincarnations of past demons. Ame qualifies, being the child of Lilium.
- Third-class demons, like first-class demons, are former mortals who were converted into demons by another demon.
- Out-of-Clothes Experience
- The Paladin: Due to him wearing an armor with bright colors and having mastery of holy magic, one can say that Syranon is one of these.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: This is how Ame intends to gather Heartcores now that she is in New Ayers, thinking that nobody will care if she only kills criminals. Too bad for her that investigations were still made after she killed her first victims, leading to Demon Hunters Ryo and Syranon to get on the case.
- Persona Non Grata: We're guessing Ame won't be going back to Asgard anytime soon.
- Psycho Electro: Slade is this in a nutshell.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Suko, as well as younger Ame. Teodora also has one during the remake of the first chapters.
- Pointy Ears: So far, the only character without pointy ears is Gimlett.
- Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Ame, considering how this once happy and cheerful young royal had to fight every overfiend in order to escape Asgard.
- Pyromaniac: Nearly all of Carval's powers include fire in one way or another. To say that he really enjoys using them, even in public areas of the human world where everyone can see it, would be an understatement.
- All this is courtesy of his predecessor Volaster, who was, as Slade put it, "Some firebug from a podunk toun."
- All this is courtesy of his predecessor Volaster, who was, as Slade put it, "Some firebug from a podunk toun."
- Really 700 Years Old: Most of the cast being demons, this comes as no surprise. Also, Ryo.
- Rebellious Princess: Two of them, technically.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Slade. Also Emerald, but only if you make her jealous enough.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Amethyst and Royce are the Red to Teodora and Asmodai's Blue, both in attitude and color.
- Reincarnation: According to Volaster, demons do not die, but come back as a different form. When demons decide to give up living, an egg carrying their new form appears bearing attributes of the original demon and another demon the progenitor had contact with. Wait two years, introduce the original demon's Heartcore to the egg and voila! The new incarnation lives on, carrying the consciousness of its original form.
- :In short, Carval is the reincarnation of Volaster, and to an extent Ame is the reincarnation of Lilium.
- Requisite Royal Regalia: Color-coded for each overfiend, no less.
- Revenge: A prevailing theme throughout the story; Ame's rebellion against her father is out of revenge for stealing her life force to complete a possession spell. Same for Volaster, as revenge played a large role in his becoming a demon.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Meefus
, creatures that are an adorable cross between bees and cats. Oh, and they drink blood.
- Ritual Magic: It is used from time to time in the show, mostly regarding the most powerful spells in the comic. The most notable one being the ritual that scarred Ame for life.
- Rule 34: Donation incentives often include porn of Ame, which the author, herself, draws.
- Royal Brat: Let's just say that Teo is rather used with getting things her way and reacting violently when they don't.
- Scars are Forever: Those red marks on Ame's face and arms? Those aren't paint, but exposed muscle that she gained thanks to a ritual that Royce pulled on her. Not even eating Heartcores, something that can even replace missing limbs, will heal them.
- Servant Race: The Balbons are a short race of servants who can best be described as satanic Jawas or grimdark Veigar cosplayers.
- Seven Deadly Sins: According to
Word of God, Ame and the six overfiends each represent a Deadly Sin
; Ame is Wrath, Royce is Gluttony, Asmodai is Lust, Emerald is Envy, Slade is Greed, Goristro is Pride, and Carval is Sloth.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Carval is forced to wear a suit when inside his own mind, where Volaster resides.
- Shout-Out: Royce makes an entrance reminescent of Giygas on page 110.
- Many characters' names harken to classic Sega. The family name Lashiec, for example, comes from the actual translation of the name "Lassic", the villain of the first Phantasy Star. Likewise, Lutz is named after the esper in the same game. Meanwhile, Teodora is named after a character from Skies of Arcadia''. Then there is also the aforementioned Slade...
- Another Phantasy Star shout-out: in Chapter 2, Page 38 of the redux, Ame uses a spell called "Burstroc", named after one of Wren's skills in Phantasy Star IV.
-
Word of God says Carval's shirt
is a three-way reference: one to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the second to Malcolm in the Middle, and the third to Carval's predecessor, Volaster's bisexuality.
- Oddly enough, page 300
vaguely resembles the iconic scene of a certain movie based on a comic
, though Wordof God says it was a coincidence.
- Volaster's greeting to Carval surely will get you started singing along to the song it comes from
.
- The spell incarnation for the "Blast Bomb" is a direct quote from the book The Stand.
-
Word of God is Carval and Volaster are two big walking talking shout-outs to Stephen King. Volaster's line before beginning his incantation for the Blast Bomb spell, "My life for you", is another quote from The Stand: in this case, the Trashcan Man's Madness Mantra from the TV series adaptation.
-
- Chapter 9's cover
. Three guesses as to what the reference is to, and the first two don't count.
- Ame's pet imps are named Rip and Tear.
- Lutz's given name is taken from Ludwig von Koopa, the author's favorite Koopaling.
- Ame's "Summon Suffering" spell takes its name from a technique used by
Ivy Valentine.
- Show Within a Show: Royal Jelly Complex, a saccharine TV show if Disguised!Ame's initial reaction is anything to go by.
- Slasher Smile: A good number of characters have them, but notable mention goes to Carval, who's always sporting one. Also Volaster, Carval's father; to the point where his jaw is dislocated.
- Smoking Is Cool: Ryo, though it is implied that she is only doing it in the hopes that it will kill her eventually.
- Something Else Also Rises: According to
Word of God, the artist has a tendency to make Ame's wings bigger in the more smutty pictures.
- Special Guest: Emerald, Sukina, Ryo, and Syranon were created by friends of the author and incorporated into the story, the very latter being created by the author's husband.
- Here is a list: Emerald was created by Cory Holmes
- Sukina is based off of a character designed by "A Novelty Spoon"
- Ryo was designed by Holland Wilson.
- Syranon was brought to us by Stephen Stewart
- Here is a list: Emerald was created by Cory Holmes
- Spider-Sense: Ryo has the ability to detect demons.
- Spoiled Brat: Teodora is this in spades.
- Suko on the other hand is the kindest person in Asgard despite her luxurious life.
- The Starscream: It's hinted that Slade may be taking this route.
- Stocking Filler: Ame in the Chapter 6 end
.
- Strawberry Shorthand: Ame is usually associated with strawberries, especially in her character portraits which usually have titles referencing strawberries.
- Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!: Ame dares Emerald to finish her
with a shotgun-shell to the face. However, considering that she had just survived an encounter with Carval/Volaster, Emerald was not willing to take the risk of losing her life in case the bullets didn't do the work.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Carval and Volaster's modus operandi.
- Succubi and Incubi: Asmodai is an incubus, and Ame is a succubus.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Lilium taking over Ame's body.
- Also qualifies as a Super-Empowering.
- Super-Speed: Slade, being a Psycho Electro, is as fast as lightning, being able to dash away unnoticed even other people are right next to him.
- Super-Toughness: So the only way to kill a demon is to either destroy the Heartcore or the head. Sounds easy, right? Then keep in mind that Carval, one of the weakest of the Overfiends, survived a headfirst fall from a scyscraper, suffering only a black-out and some bleeding. And also notice that Ryo, implied to be a rather low class of demon (dretch), has survived many falls from a similar scyscraper without dying. Doesn't sound so easy anymore, huh?
- Sweet Tooth: Royce loves his sweets as shown in a panel before Ame blew up the blood storage. God help you if you interrupt it.
- Suicide Attack: BLAST BOMB!
- Taking You with Me: Due to his love for Royce, Volaster did this in the middle of the Beastman capital with his "Blast Bomb".
- Talk to the Fist: Goristro should have known
that trying to reason with Ame during a battle would only end with a fireball to the face.
- Terrible Trio: Emerald, Carval, and Goristro: the Demon Three.
- Thanks for the Mammary: in the old verision of the first chapters, Ame does this to Suko while trying to pull her out of her hiding place.
- In the remade first chapters, Asmodai does this to Ame
.
- In the remade first chapters, Asmodai does this to Ame
- Theme Naming: Amethyst and Emerald.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Well, Warlord Karlsen... If by "works" you mean "making Volaster bleed enough to make him cause a massive suicidal bombing, taking the Beastman capital city with him", then, yes. It worked.
- Throw the Book at Them: Suko's muse is literature; it was bound to happen.
- Token Human: Gimlett is shaping up to be this.
- Token Mini-Moe: Teodora
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Well, Ame isn't exactly tomboyish, but she's definitely an Action Girl, whereas her sister Sukina is demure and generally a non-combatant.
- Took A Level In Bad Ass: Carval by a mile! In his first fight against Ame, he got beaten by one single projectile and didn't even manage to deal any significant damage to her. In chapter 8, he managed to almost kill her until he got caught and strangled by her loincloth and tossed from the top of a skyscraper. But that only led him to take ANOTHER level in badass by fusing with his father, Volaster.
- Too Kinky to Torture:Lilium: Now, if you don't mind, these aren't nearly tight enough.
- Goristro also seems to have a thing for getting punched in the face by Emerald, motivating him to mock her weight.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Potato chips for Lutz, and barbecue sauce for Ame.
- Trenchcoat Warfare: Behold
as Carval reveals his shirt full of black blood bombs.
- Unusual Ears: In addition to the Pointy Ears mentioned above, beastmen apparently have animal ears.
- Unwanted Rescue: When Ryo first
met Syranon
, he rescued her from falling from a skyscraper. Sadly for the paladin, this was not what she wanted.
- Vampires Are Sex Gods: Though not entierly a vampire, the incubus Asmodai does have some vampiric themes sorounding him.
- Villainous Breakdown: Volaster didn't take it well when Ame decided to press all of his Berserk Buttons (interrupting his childhood story and claim that Royce doesn't care about him). In fact, he took it so badly that he tried to destroy the dome that protects New Ayers, the last human settlement.
- And in "History Of Niefelheim" Royce had a big one when his arm was cut off, but also had an even bigger one when he found out that Lilium died and gave birth to Ame, making him unable to eat her heartcore and thus putting a stop to his plans for greater power.
- Villain Override: Villain Protagonist Ame temporarily relinquishes control of her body to her mother, Lilium, in order to level the playing field between herself and Royce. Later, Carval does the same, letting Volaster take over during his fight with Ame.
- Virgin Power: After feeling Gimlett's scent, Ame could tell that she was a virgin, wich would lead to her Heartcore being tastier and more powerfull than normal.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: An ability that Ame posseses.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Upon finding out she ate the Heartcores of mice, Ame has a particularly colorful one
.
- Was Once a Man: The demons of Asgard — specifically the Overfiends — were once humans and other various mortal races who committed vile atrocities in their former lives in order to achieve demonhood.
- Wicked Cultured
- Winged Humanoid: Most of the demons we have seen so far have wings on their backs.
- Wings Do Nothing: Depends from demon to demon. Some demons like Teodora have wings, but are next to incapable of any actual flight compared to her father Asmodai. Ame herself can only glide with her wings.
- With Us or Against Us: After Asmodai refused to help Ame overthrow Royce in the fear that he might lose both her (they were in a relation at the time) and Teo, this is what Ame told him nearly word for word.
- The Worf Effect: Ame suffered this when fighting against Slade and Royce.
- World of Buxom: Since demons have a competitive streak and appearance is treated as a kind of power, most of the female characters have breasts at least half as big as their heads. It helps that they know advanced magic and can eat the very source of life itself. Some girls are exceptions, but that's only because they have pre-pubescent bodies.
- Would Hurt a Child: Ame shows little restraint during her fight with Teodora. Same thing goes for Slade who at one point electrocutes the latter to get a good hit at the former.