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LizardBite Shameless Self-Promoter from Two Galaxies Over Since: Jan, 2001
Shameless Self-Promoter
#1: Mar 24th 2010 at 5:58:08 PM

It's easy, just pretend that your setting has its own page on this wiki, and write out some of the tropes that would be included. For example...

TERRAIA

  • Bee People - Goblins
  • Blood Magic - Essentially the only type of true magic, as all magic stems from the flow of life energy
  • Cessation of Existence - There is no afterlife in Terraia. When something dies, its life force simply fades out of existence
  • Complete Monster - The Deus, Set, a serial rapist whose gift to the world was bloodlust and suffering. His younger sister, Necrotia, somehow manages to be even worse.
    • Set's son, Dusk, also counts, as he eagerly follows in his father's footsteps
  • Doing In the Wizard - Played with. Magic does exist, but what the Elves believe are the spirits of their ancestors are actually a type of Psychic power
  • Elves vs. Dwarves - Well, more like Elves vs Humans and Swartel, but same general idea
  • Evil Albino - The Drall, while not necessarily evil, are certainly questionable when it comes to morality. They're all albino.
  • Evil Chancellor - The Vampire, Necat, takes on this role for the Elf King after he loses his Evil Overlord status
  • Evil Overlord - The Vampire, Necat, functions as one when he controls the Western Landmass (which eventually is taken by the Alhites and renamed Alhbrahm)
  • Fantastic Racism - Humans and Elves really don't get along. "Dark Elf" is considered a racial slur regarding the Swartel. Sirens have a deep-seated cultural hatred for Half-Sirens... you get the idea.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture - Lots
    • Alfar: Viking and Native American
    • Appia: Rome and to a lesser extent Eastern Europe
    • Attomia: Western Europe
    • Babulina: China, mostly, though Japanese elements creep in here and there
    • Draconia: Central and South America
    • Sidhe: Celtic with some minor Norse thrown in for good measure
    • Troian: North America
    • Vanaheim: Various Middle Eastern and African influences
    • Vishbrahm: India, if they adopted Ancient Sparta's approach to law
    • Aversion: the nations of Alhbrahm, Haven, and Yggdrasil have no clear Real Life counterpart, for various reasons
  • Half-Human Hybrid - Sirens are the only race capable of successfully breeding with another, though any Siren who participates in such a union is ostracized by her peers, and Half-Sirens are relentlessly slaughtered by pure bloods, who view them as unnatural abominations
  • Heroic Sociopath - Phobis
  • Mad Scientist - The Vampire, Nero
  • Mayincatec - The Duegar were like this, before they were wiped out
  • Medieval European Fantasy - Attomia
  • Our Angels Are Different - Celestians are beautiful, angelic beings. They're also one of the most dangerous types of demon and treat mortals as entertainment
  • Our Demons Are Different - They were created by the rebellious Dei and inhabit their own plane, though they can move to the Mortal Plane when they wish. They come in nine distinct types, called tiers
  • Our Dragons Are Different - For one, they're really just bigger, meaner, greener versions of Real Life Komodo Dragons
  • Our Dwarves Are All the Same - Averted. The Duegar clearly have dwarf elements, but are actually amphibious people who possessed a Mayincatec culture in the tropics of Draconia before they were almost entirely wiped out by disease
    • The Swartel also have some dwarf elements, but are closer to the traditional fantasy elves
  • Our Elves Are Better - The Elves of Terraia are mostly similar to the Wood Elf type of this trope, though with more germanic influnces
    • The Swartel have many similarities to High Elves, but they also contain some Dwarf elements, and their appearances are more in line Dark Elves (though you should never call a Swartel a Dark Elf to his face)
  • Our Fairies Are Different - The Faye are a type of demon and essentially are an entire race of Psychopathic Manchildren
  • Our Giants Are Bigger - Giants are a very rare mutation that occurs in Mother Goblins
  • Our Goblins Are Different - Goblins are little green primates who can throw fireballs and act like Bee People. The males in a goblin village tend to the needs of the female, a gigantic creature known as a Mother
  • Our Orcs Are Different - They're a type of demon
  • Our Werewolves Are Different - They were created by the vampire Nero, as an experiment. Eventually, they manage to get their own country (Haven)
  • Our Vampires Are Different - Vampires are Demon/Elf/Human hybrids. There were once seven, but only three survived the initial century. Those three went on to become legendary monsters
  • Path of Inspiration - Celestianism. The religion is actually quite beneficial, however, it was deliberately designed to instigate conflict and bigotry, so it's best not to get in too deep.
  • Psychic Powers - Elves have a natural tendency toward having psychic abilities, which manifest in the form of the so-called "ancestors". Humans can obtain similar abilities, but the procedure involves what can only be described as a magical lobotomy.
  • Psychopathic Manchild - The Faye are pretty much an entire species of this
  • Rape as Backstory - Somnia was one of the three original Dei, and her rape by her "nephew", Set, is what resulted in the twins Dawn and Dusk. Afterward, Somnia fled to the mortal realm, became temporarily insane, and then began befriending mortals, resulting in her desire to protect the Mortal Plane from the other Dei
  • Religion of Evil - The Order of Necrotia. It's led by the Vampire, Cain, and it worships Necrotia, the Deus and Death and leader of the rebellion against the original Dei, as a god. They also end up starting a world war at one point
  • Secret Police - The Drall— a tribe of Elves who function as the Secret Police for everyone in Alfar; the royal family included. They're philosophy is neatly summed up in their motto: "Serve the nation, never the ruler."
  • Thieves' Guild - The "Night Police" are essentially this
  • Winged Humanoid - The Sirens, as well as the Celestians
  • Wutai - Babulina

edited 30th Mar '10 5:07:01 PM by LizardBite

kuyanJ Since: Jun, 2009
#2: Mar 25th 2010 at 12:36:35 AM

The World Roads:

Six worlds:

Everyone Super:

Everyone Hero:

Reincarnation column

Mechanations

Tropes Are Not Bad.
almyki from Maryland, USA Since: Jan, 2001
#3: Mar 26th 2010 at 4:09:09 PM

This is going to be a very messy and incomplete list...

Magic-Related Tropes:

  • Functional Magic
  • Magic A Is Magic A
  • Summon Magic - The Nam'spri 'spirit self' may count as a 'summon' in a technical way. It is also possible to summon Sumilia, Mirage, and possibly some other entities.
  • Mons - 'Sumilia', artificial life created with a painstaking collaboration of magic and science. Inspired by Pokemon, which I always wanted to make something similar to somehow.
  • Alchemy
  • Language of Magic - An artificial language created by magic-users specifically to universalize and streamline the magic community/communication.
  • Magical Incantation - Any words can be 'coded' to work as a sort of password for preprepared spells, but most professional magic-users employ the Language of Magic ^ for their spells, which allows for some universal and common spell incantations.
  • Magical Gesture - Handsigns and arm gestures are also popular 'passwords' for magic use, great for spacial-based magic or silent magic.
  • Magic Music
  • Magic Dance
  • Geometric Magic - Many shapes such as circles, triangles, and stars are believed to hold significant power and ability to 'organize' and contain magical information. Various runes and signs are commonly used for area spells, charms, and spells on physical objects. The Dagro are especially skilled at this.
  • Elemental Powers - Aether (spirit), Fire (energy), Chill/Void (inactivity), Water (liquid), Air (gas), Earth (solid).
  • Magic Versus Science - Magic and science often work together and collaborate, and find a lot to relate about, but the relationship is as often frustrated and annoyed as it is amicable. The magic-science dynamic is often joked of as a pair of finicky lovers that are constantly 'on-again, off-again'.
  • Magitek - The MTD (Magitek Doll) is one example of a popular magitek product. Often used for curiosities or the more interesting objects, but reliable straightforward technology is used for most things.
  • Magic Genetics - Those that mate with a Nam'spri create Shifani, partial spiritual beings that can shift between an animal and humanoid form. Todechi also have a touch of spiritual energy from their Nam'spri blood. It is believed that The Chosen Kind are somehow special and 'touched by God', but that's currently undeveloped.
  • Religion is Magic - Or 'magic is religion'. The religion is based on the known existence of Aether and The Spiritual Plane, which is what enables magic.

  • Pieces of God - Behind the lore of the origin of the universe. It is said that the first being, 'The Spirit', grew and exploded, shattering into infinite pieces to create The Physical Plane and Everything in it, including life. It is said that a soul is a spiritual essence that eventually rejoins The Spiritual Plane, also known as 'God'.
  • Physical God - Physical incarnations of beings that call themselves 'Gods' and for all intents and purposes are.
  • Our Souls Are Different - The soul is the only thing that stays consistent between reincarnations. What comprises a soul is a mystery that science and magic have yet to puzzle out.
  • Reincarnation - Souls go through cycles of reincarnation based on a system of 'karma'. This is a known truth.
  • The Lifestream - Often called the 'The Aether Plane' or 'The Spiritual Plane'. They were the start of the universe, where your soul goes/becomes when you die, where magic magic comes from, the religion of the universe, etc..
  • Order Versus Chaos - Believed to be how Existence first came to be ("There was no Order. There was no Chaos.") , and the balance or 'Harmony' between the two are considered an ideal. The Chatic and Ordel of The Chosen Kind mirror this dynamic.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture - I plan to have them for sure.
  • Fantastic Caste System - The World is a big place, so it depends where you go, but one example is that elves are often slaves or second-class in some human civilizations.

Races Tropes:

  • Loads and Loads of Races - At least 7 Natural Races, uncountable Nam'spri and Shifani combinations, at least 3+ alien races, and even advanced artificial life forms like Golems and Robots.
  • Fantastic Racism - Oncri, especially younger ones, are justifiably intimidating and dangerous, Velse are often patronized or looked down on, some find Meixa unbearably annoying, etc.
  • We Are as Mayflies - Velse (40-60yr), Meixa (25-35yr), and Fairies (10yr) all have shorter lives than Humans. Oncri have a long natural lifespan of 90-130yr, but they often die of sickness/wounds/idiot moves before 30 yrs. If they survive past that, they often get better at not-dying though.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population - Oncri have grayish cool skin (blue/green/purple), some Dagro have translucent white skin or even pitch black skin, Fairies have fantastic vivid colors, etc..
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair - Most races, if they don't have 'abnormal' hair color naturally, it's popular to alter it anyway. Velse, Meixa, and Fia in particular have some interesting hair colors.
  • Super-Senses - Dagro have the best sense of smell and great night eyes, Velse have the best sight and hearing, Oncri sharply hone all their senses, etc.

'Velse', based on Elves

  • Our Elves Are Different - Though beautiful, peaceful, and close to nature, they are also shy, weak, and flighty.
  • Half-Human Hybrid - Half-Human Half-Velse, Half-Velse Half-Meixa
  • Pointy Ears - Velse of course have pointy ears, of varying size and pointiness, but noticeably bigger than human ears. Gives them great hearing.
  • The Beautiful People - Velse are considered by many to be the prettiest race of People, and take vanity in their personal appearance.

Oncri, based on Ogres and Orcs.

Dagro-ven, based on Dwarves and Gnomes.

  • Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism - Much milder form in the Dagro-ven. Dagrish women are noticeably taller, slightly slimmer, and have a lot less muscle and more fat, very curvy forms.

'The Chosen Kind', a peculiar race of People

  • One-Gender Race - They are androgynous without any obvious 'males' or 'females'.

'The Spirit-Touched', mysterious beings said to occupy a place between the Physical and Spiritual Plane

Aliens, which I haven't developed as well

Fairies

Artifial Entities

edited 29th Mar '10 2:52:33 PM by almyki

My iMood
MajorTom Eye'm the cutest! Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Eye'm the cutest!
#4: Mar 26th 2010 at 4:12:10 PM

Use the asterisk(*).

  • Like so.

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."
LatwPIAT Since: Jan, 2001
#5: Mar 26th 2010 at 4:55:26 PM

—> "Magic" "More Magic" <flip> —> "I love the smell of Mustard Gas in the morning. One time we had a slag bombed for over 12 hours. When it was over, I walked in. We didn't find anyone still alive; not one degenerate parahuman body. That smell, you know that radish smell, the whole slag. Smelled like... ...victory."
  • Deadpan Snarker - Really now. Sarcasm? How original.
  • Epigraph - They're a great way to exposit or explain a concept without having to resort to footnotes or use of the narrative itself - or just to set the mood...
—>We shoot the sick, the young, the lame, —>We do our best to maim, —>Because the kills all count the same, —>Napalm sticks to kids. —>— Napalm Sticks to Kids
  • Frickin' Laser Beams - Developments within the fields of superconductors and battery technology have made personal laser weapons a possibility, although most lasers are support weapons designed to (permanently) blind enemies (something that is highly illegal according to the UN Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons) and the relative cost of a sufficiently powerful laser weapon is much higher than the equivalent (or better) kinetic weapons has left the market small. They also require large amounts of maintenance and don't take well to harsh environmental conditions for obvious reasons. There's also an issue with the energy requirements for a handheld laser weapons being roughly equivalent to a hand grenade, the majority of which is actually stored in a way that can make the battery explode.
  • Genius Bonus - How many references to esoteric programing languages, historical events, physics and chemistry can I throw in?
  • Genius Bruiser - A lot of characters. I don't like stupid main characters.
  • He Who Fights Monsters - ...should see to it that he himself does not become a monster.
—>"Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein." - Jenseits von Gut und Böse, Friedrich Nietzsche.
  • Island Base - Small islands are used as Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers and sub-pens by various nations and NGO Superpowers.
  • It's Raining Men - Paratroopers. HALO-drops. Orbital Drop Soldiers. Power Armor hard-drops.
  • Lemony Narrator - The narration lampshades and goes off on tangents. Often.
  • Master Computer - When did you last see a networked quantum computer? (If you've actually seen a quantum computer, please drop me a message; you're probably a scientist working on one and you could do me a great favour by telling me how they work)
  • MegaCorp - Megacorporations engage in underhanded shadow warfare, industrial espionage and corporate terrorism if it is beneficial to them.
  • Mohs Scale Of Sci Fi Hardness - I work in terms of Apparent and Absolute Hardness  1 I aim for an Apparent Hardness of 5, but Absolute Hardness is probably 2.
  • Motifs - Trains, Sumerian Mythology, Prime Numbers, Eyes, the Moon, Europa (the moon) Ganymede (the moon)
  • Nanotechnology - Nanotechnology comes in many forms, such as nanotech assemblers, cardiovascular support systems and cybrog viruses.
  • No Backwards Compatibility in the Future - A Fictional Document written on an outdated computer that is so old about 4 models of it exist, and the consequent need to find and use those models.
  • Spy Fiction - Radioactive psychic cocktail
  • Spy Satellite - Again, I have no idea why this trope is here. It's not like misdirection while a Spy Satellite is flying overhead in polar orbit will become a plot point or anything.
  • Spy Ship
  • Standard Sci-Fi History - After the industrial colonization of Mars began, bad stuff happens on Earth, leading to mass-emigrations to Mars (the majority remains on Earth, but it's enough to kick-start Mars as a veritable industrial and population centre, rather than a populated rock. Then a large war breaks out again (whether is an Alien Invasion or merely another World War is undetermined at this point) and Mars is pulled into the war much like Canada or Australia/New Zealand was during WWII in relation to the Commonwealth, which proves to shift the balance of the war a lot.
  • State Sec
  • The Virus - A special form of viral STD uses synthetic hormones to penetrate the cells walls with channelrhodopsins; light-sensitive ion channels. When exposed to blue light, the channelrhodopsins allows free flow of ions, depolarizing and activating the neurons. (Another strain of channelrhodopsins react to yellow light, hyperpolarizing the neurons, which prevents them from firing.) A networked micromachine-cluster then fires blue lights inside the brain of the infected, controlling them.(Video & Explanation and Open-Source Project)
  • Weapon of Mass Destruction - In addition to the standard NBC arsenal, there are also micrological and nanological weapons. Nanological weapons are air-dispersed, and other nanites are also dispersed into the air as counter-agents, resulting in a war between nanites in the air. No, you don't get any point for guessing where that idea came from.
  • World Half Empty
  • World Half Full

Pending hardness:

  • Esper Registration Act
  • Psychic Powers
    • Precognition
      • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy - Tzetze proposed a prophet that predicted that his own prophecies were wrong and I went and played with the idea (it's highly unlikely that I'll feature precognition in the story (How Unscientific!!) but I like metatroping) - one idea was that prophecies suffered from indetermination - if someone a prophecy concerns gets to know of it, the "waveform collapses" so to speak and the prophecy becomes only one of many possible outcomes; when the prophet predicts the failure of one of his prophecies, he's collapsing that waveform before it comes into play  3
  • Humongous Mecha - As an aspiring physicist, son of a theoretical physicist, both of whom associate with friends who are physicists or aspiring physicists, I am well aware of the many unsolvable engineering challenges that face 'mechs of any size. However, I am also a writer and must equally recognize the unparalleled narrative potential.

...can't be bothered to list any more.

Things I like: Ghost In The Shell |Serial Experiments Lain |Eden: It's an Endless World! |Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri |Aeon Natum Engel
almyki from Maryland, USA Since: Jan, 2001
#6: Mar 26th 2010 at 10:15:05 PM

Ah, thank you very much =D !

<3 ali

My iMood
Kaxen Since: Jan, 2010
#7: Mar 27th 2010 at 12:44:23 AM

The Object of War

krrackknut Not here, look elsewhere from The empty Aether. Since: Jan, 2001
Not here, look elsewhere
#8: Mar 28th 2010 at 12:34:11 AM

Troper Works/Peacemaker in whatever order comes to mind:

  • Kill It with Fire: Arizoni Slayers looooooove fire. They serve as shock troopers, chaplain-storytellers, and dragon-slayers, wielding scimitars, heat-resistant armor, and flame-throwers. Also, Wayfarers of the Mind's Fire have telepathy in addition to pyrokinesis, and the Salamander species of dragon also have fire breath (but the straight-line blast furnace kind).
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Everywhere is America!...mixed with other stuff.
    • Arizon is mostly India with sprinklings of China and storybook Arabia.
    • Knox is Sparta as a mercenary corporation mixed with a bit of Rome.
    • Laskan is Russia, Siberia, with Nordic influences.
    • Californ is piratical Venice with Corstair merchants.
    • ...And a bunch of others I haven't fleshed out yet.
      • Gophi society is a mix of the English countryside and Native American animism.
  • I'm not sure where this goes. The Arizoni air is always dusty, which is why the moon is always red and they wear gas-masks.
  • Evil Overlord: Acheron Tiyer, the Silver Lord.
  • Fantastic Racism: Cheyeraflim and humans don't go together very well. Nor Cheyeraflim and Sauri, or Cheyeraflim and Gophi...let's just say that the Cheyeraflim are mostly very unpleasant.
  • Mad Scientist: The Mechanics are in-between this and wizards. And cyborgs.
  • Our Angels/Elves Are Better And Different: In a nutshell, this describes the Cheyeraflim. Imagine a race of winged humanoids with psychic powers, extremely varied appearances and personalities, all with bi-polar disorder. Now imagine them totaling at most one million. Now picture them raising cities in places already inhabited with the wild temperaments that they have. Suddenly, messengers of god with wings don't seem so cool anymore. Which leads us to:
    • We Are as Mayflies: Because of their intensity, Cheyeraflim only live for up to fifty years of age.
  • Our Demons Are Different: They're actually Internet help-bots corrupted by viruses who take control of a special morphing metal to make bodies so that they can wrack havoc on the world.
  • Our Dragons Are Diffent: There are five kinds of Dragons. In the South is the Salamander, which resembles your typical dragon except that their fire breath is a thin, armor-melting straight line. In the North is the Wyrm, snakelike and able to vomit a flash-freezing mucus. In the East is the Leviathan, seafaring dinosaur-like and have steel-ripping water cannons on their noses. In the West is the Basilisk, with eight legs and feathers, which shoot a fast-drying cement from something that looks like their eyes (they're blind). And everywhere else is the Wyvern, which two legs, two wings, and breathe toxic pollen.
  • Our Dwarfs/Giants Are All The Same And Bigger: Once again, same thing. Giants number a mere one hundred, are expert craftsmen, are sky-scraper tall, are made of living rock animated by psychic energy, and live alone.
  • Secret Police/MIB: The Constables, secret police of the Concordance. They all wear the same suit and have an undeserved reputation for torture.
  • After the End
  • Take Over the World: Acheron's goal.
  • The Gunslinger: A lot of people, but most notably Mnemon Silver: he's a martial artist with bayonet-pistols.
  • Supernatural Martial Arts: This is the Duelists in a nutshell. The training that Sauri undergo to refine their elemental and psychic abilities is also very similar to martial arts.
  • Big Bad: Acheron Tiyer.
  • Big Good: Gene Mairon, the Iron Brand.
  • Humongous Mecha: The Black Tower and the Silver Factory.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Iason Sanguine has an Internet demon within his cyborg body.
  • Elemental Powers: The Sauri.
  • Psychic Powers: Every race has at least access to it. The more populous the race, the weaker in power they are.
  • Spirit World: The Aether, which is incidentally the internet.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: The Cheyeraflim are as different from each other as the day is the night, or the lightning with the trees.
  • Pointy Ears: Some Cheyeraflim have this.
  • The Beautiful People:
  • Everythings Better With Dinosaurs: The Sauri: super-intelligent, superhuman, elemental and psionic powered humanoid dinosaurs that can individually crush mountains.
  • Proud Warrior Race Guy: Many of the Cheyeraflim.
  • Energy Being: The Severed, and the root of all psychic power.
  • Magic Genetics
  • Lizard Folk: The sub-race of genetically engineered beings that the Sauri created to serve them. They're quite pleasant, living mostly in peace and building their own towns.
  • Marionette Master: Manuel Quin, Mechanic martial artist and brilliant robotics expert.
  • Meaningful Name
  • Punny Name
  • Steven Ulysses Perhero
  • Prophetic Name
  • Frickin' Laser Beams
  • Genius Bruiser
  • It's Raining Men: The Cheyeraflim hosts do this, as do their Automata counterparts, the Heralds.
  • Weapon of Mass Destruction: The Automata artillery, the Munitors.
  • Private Military Contractors: The indenpendent city-state of Knox is an entire nation dedicated to supplying the world with reasonably-priced and well-trained soldiers, so much so that it resembles a corporation more than a government, with proper employee etiquette and training and selecting soldiers with regards to Knox's image.
  • Gallows Humor: Many Knoxan soldiers.
  • Knight Errant: The Law is basically this.
  • Bounty Hunter
  • Bifurcated Weapon: Every officer of the Law uses these.
  • Circuit Judge: The Judges of the Law. And they carry air-powered stun bolt-guns in their staffs.
  • The Sherrif: Sherrifs are diplomats and small-town officers. They carry magazine-fed flintlock pistols called 'hammers' built to bear immense stress when they pistol-whip crooks.
  • Clerk: The Deputies are never clueless. They always know who, where, and what it is, do the paperwork very well, and carry flamethrower batons.
  • US Marshall: They're seven-foot tall man-mountain defenders in heavy plate with immense strength and shotgun-warhammers.
  • Railroad Baron: Actually a pretty nice guy.
  • Determined Homesteader: Pat Rickman, the Kansan Freeholder (that pretty much means 'king').
  • The Barber: The Order of the Friendly Razors are an entire secret society that quietly listens to political and personal gossip and sell said information.
  • Frontier Doctor: The Coroners are Law's doctors, surgeons, and what-have-you. They carry dartgun-scimitars.
  • The Piano Player: David Booth, secret bouncer and pugilist.
  • Wasteland Elder
  • Undertaker
  • Nicanor Jericho is a Genius Bruiser, a Missionary, a Church Militant, a US Marshall, and a Warrior Poet, all in one.
  • Soiled Dove: Cat Grica Makarov is this, a member of The Cavalry, a Saloon Owner, and a Gunslinger.
  • The Cavalry: The Riders are cavalry horsemen who have rifle-halberds.
  • Sinister Scythe: The Reapers, the Freeholder's personal guard, all use this. Press a button, and the blade flips straight to become a polearm.
  • Chef of Iron: Gareth Knight, cheif chef of the Knoxan Cook Corps. Fear his meat cleaver-shaped sword.
  • Hobbits: The Gophi are basically children's anthromorphic animal stories given multiple levels of badass.

edited 28th Mar '10 12:34:26 AM by krrackknut

An useless name, a forsaken connection.
DialgaX Since: Jan, 2001
#9: Mar 28th 2010 at 8:07:48 AM

Oh boy.

Darwin's Soldiers

  • Achilles' Heel - the back of the neck, for Dragonstorm experiments.
  • Action Girl - Aisha, Dr. Joe, Snow...pretty much all of the female characters. Except Seska.
  • Action Survivor - The surviving scientists from the first RP. After that, they willingly bring pretty much everything upon them.
  • After the End - Card of Ten takes place in a post-apocalyptic antimatter universe. LB&T's upcoming story Ship of State sounds like it's going to be this for Gaman.
  • All the Myriad Ways - Almost the entire team of anti-matter duplicates in Card of Ten is killed, but it has no effect on the main storyline.
  • Anti Matter - The Antimatter universe, duh. Interestingly, the series states that antimatter and matter only annihilate each other if they're identical objects in contact, which is wrong but at least shows they checked the research.
  • Ascended Extra - Zachary originally didn't even have a name; he was just James' assistant, and was originally intended to get killed off. It never happened, however, and he's now a fully established main character.
  • Air Vent Escape - Played straight with Shelton and Ridgeway in Schrodinger's Prisoners, but subverted in the third RP when Hans suggests this as a way to get into Pelvanida and James points out how that wouldn't work.
  • All Germans Are Nazis - Subverted with Hans and Werner.
  • Alternate Continuity - The rebooted Darwin's Soldiers RP on Furtopia (not the first incarnation) takes place in a totally different continuity than the trilogy and the original first RP. In turn, the trilogy is a totally different continuity than Furtopia RPs.
    • Almost. Card of Ten gives them a very little bit of crossover.
  • An Arm and a Leg - Two of MrDrake's characters have lost limbs. Aimee's back story involves having both her arms amputated. Jayden recently got his hand cut off by an intruder.
  • Applied Phlebotinum - Anti-Matter, for the Einstein-Rosen Bridge.
  • Awesome, but Impractical - Before the RP, Kozlov was attempting to build a flare shotgun. Lampshaded when someone mentions his funding had been cut.
  • Back from the Dead - Zenarchis.
  • Badass
  • Badass Bookworm
  • Badass Furry - Almost every nonhuman character.
  • Berserk Button - Don't call Aimee a cripple.
  • Beware the Nice Ones - Alfred, the massive construction worker, is explicitly described as not "the kind of person to pick fights". And it takes a lot to provoke him into physical action but if he is sufficiently angered or forced to act in self defense, pain will ensue.
  • Big Damn Heroes - In the first RP, when terrorists are attacking the control room, Shelton is saved by Cobalt Squad busting through a window.
  • Bio-Augmentation - The Pelvanida and Dragonstorm experiments
  • Black Like Me - Accidentally meta-invoked in the third RP of Darwins Soldiers, when author Mirumoto_Kenjiro mentioned a black woman exiting a car and calling herself Dr. Joe (one of his characters). Everybody else's characters reacted skeptically, since everyone had always assumed Dr. Joe was white. Kenjiro later admitted that he'd never mentioned beforehand that Dr. Joe was black.
    • This begs the question of how all the characters fought alongside Dr. Joe for three RPs without noticing her ethnicity.
  • Blackmail - Ricky does this to Hans, Cale, and Kerzach in Pavlov's Checkmate. It works with two of them.
  • Bond One-Liner - Shelton, when Delta Leader has him cornered.
  • Bookcase Passage - Averted. Dr. Joe expects to find one of those in the Gaman library, but doesn't.
    • Played straight with the passage in the walk-in freezer.
  • Bottomless Magazines - Averted. There are many cases of characters having to reload weapons.
  • Bring My Brown Pants - Lupis from the rebooted Furtopia RP wets himself out of fear several times. Luckily, he spends a fair portion of the RP in diapers. Justified by the fact that he is four years old and not fully toilet trained.
  • But Not Too Foreign - Shelton has mentioned that he's not American, but other than a few odd colloquialisms and the use of "zed" instead of "z", he's pretty much the same as the rest of the team.
  • Car Fu- Done several times in the second RP.
    • Alfred uses his truck to smash through a locked gate and run over some soldiers trying to shoot down an allied helicopter.
    • Lab101 (on an armored truck) runs Alfred off the road and into a cafe.
  • Carnivore Confusion - avoided in the first RP, present in the second RP and semi-avoided in the third RP.
  • Chase Scene - Most of the 2nd RP cast, through Las Vegas.
  • Chekovs Gun - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.
  • Chef of Iron - Dean Nixon, the Pelvanida chef, joins in the chase through Las Vegas.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome - As an online role-playing series, characters belonging to writers who disappear between RPs are generally never heard from or mentioned again. Examples are Siberys after the first RP and Sgt. Clyco after the second RP. Averted with Shelton, whose author requested that his disappearance be explained  *.
  • Collateral Damage - Las Vegas in the second RP, and pretty much anywhere the heroes go in the third.
  • Combat Pragmatist - Pretty much everyone fights dirty but Dr. Kerzach seems to fight the dirtiest.
  • Contractual Immortality - Inevitable as each character is played by a different person.
  • Cowboy Cop - Arguably, Jayden. As he is helping the group without his superior's knowledge or permission.
  • Creator Backlash - Serris has explicitly stated that he hates the rebooted Furtopia RP. When asked what he hated about it, he had this to say:
—> Serris: One of the characters is a Fur-dragon in a diaper! Scenes of diaper changing and baby care do not fucking belong in a dark high octane RP! And of course, it under-emphasized the role that the terrorists played in the invasion and gave too much spotlight to the rogue scientists.
  • Crew of One - Averted. Every Humvee that fires a weapon has a crew of at least two.
  • Critical Research Failure - Turning a wardrobe into antimatter would not result in it disintegrating. It would result in a massive explosion as the antiparticles of the wardrobe and the atoms of the air around it annihilate each other in a burst of gamma rays.
    • This becomes a Voodoo Shark when the writers try to Hand Wave it by saying it was actually turned into antienergy, not antimatter. And thus completely ignoring what the problem was.
  • Crowning Moment Of Awesome - At least one per story/RP.
  • Curiosity Killed the Cast - The expedition team in Card Of Ten.
  • Curse Cut Short - When Shelton and Tinner were communicating from opposite sides of a freezer window.
—->Tinner: Congratulations. You survived Scenario #2. Now can you tell me where the gas originated? —->Shelton: F...U...C... —->Tinner: {cuts him off} Luckily...
  • Cut Lex Luthor a Check - Dr. Tinner. If he had just worked around the flaws in his virtual reality machine rather than using it to hide illegal projects in a big "screw you" to the world, he'd be a rich man.
  • Cybernetics Eat Your Soul - Played straight with Dragonstorm experiments. Subverted with Hawkeye.
  • Dead Pan Snarker - Shelton
  • "Die Hard" on an X - The first RP could be described as "Die Hard in a secret military base".
    • This is lampshaded in the third RP.
  • Disney Death - Cale and Neku at the end of the first RP.
  • Drives Like Crazy - The chase scene in the second RP. Everything from making U-turns in the middle of the highway to going 150 mph on a 65 mph zone.
  • Easy Amnesia / Laser-Guided Amnesia - Shelton and Eddie in Nietzsche's Soldiers. Almost became Amnesia Danger at the end.
    • Also appears to have happened to Aimee in the third RP.
  • Elaborate Underground Base - A large portion of Pelvandia is underground.
  • Electric Boogaloo - The RPs only.
    • The first RP was simply titled Darwin's Soldiers
    • The second RP was titled Darwin's Soldiers: Survival of the Fittest
    • The third RP was titled Darwin's Soldiers: Disruptive Selection
  • Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting - many, many characters are quite proficient with firearms. Justified in that firearms training and basic marksmanship are mentioned as being mandatory or that the employee in question enjoy recreational shooting.
    • And yet Shelton got in somehow.
  • Everyone Went to School Together - Averted for the most part, but Shelton and Tinner were in the same dorm at ETH Zürich. Also the core Dragonstorm cast met at the fictional UC3R (University of California Three Rivers).
  • Evil Versus Evil - Averted. Dragonstorm never encounters the terrorists in the first RP, except for a single (later retconned) terrorist in the lab shootout. The heroes merely alternate between fighting the terrorists and fighting Dragonstorm.
  • Exty Years from Now - Pavlov's Checkmate, set in 2010, jumped back to 1990.
  • Fictional Counterpart - Partial example. The fictional University of California campus UC3R (University of California Three Rivers).
  • Five Bad Band
  • For Science! - Kain's rationale for experimenting on Aimee.
  • Frickin' Laser Beams - A Humvee used in the second RP mounts a powerful experimental laser cannon. Also, laser rifles have been used on occasion.
    • However, lasers in this RP behave like real ones. They cannot be dodged and the beam is invisible.
  • Genius Bonus - there are some references that make little to no sense unless one has an understanding of science.
  • Genius Bruiser - Zachary, Kozlov, O'Neill.
  • The Ghost - Dr. Kyle. See Running Gag below.
  • Go Look At The Distraction - During his MacGyvering phase in the second RP, Shelton used a battery, propane tank, and steel wool to distract and slip past a Dragonstorm experiment guarding Lab 101.
  • Good Guns, Bad Guns - Averted. "Good guns" are frequently used by the bad guys and the "bad guns" are used equally by heroes and villains.
  • Healing Factor - Neku is implied to have at least a mild healing factor.
  • Heel–Face Turn - Hans and Cale in the first RP. Eddie in Nietzsche's Soldiers and Reynolds in the 2nd RP.
  • Heroic Bystander - The loggers in the 3rd RP help the heroes fight off a Dragonstorm ambush.
  • Heroic Sacrifice - Eddie in Nietzche's Soldiers and Hawkeye in Card of Ten. Ridley dies destroying a helicopter in the second RP Chase Scene.
  • Hero Stole My Bike - In the second RP, after Alfred's pickup truck gets rammed through a cafe, Nixon steals a Lamborghini Gallardo, Alfred steals an expensive convertible.
    • Later, Dr. Zanasiu steals a Chevy Corvette from Pelvanida's parking lot.
  • Hey, Catch! - In the first RP, O'Neill throws a burning flare at his captors, giving him time to run away.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja - Kagetora doesn't spend much of his screen time hiding.
  • Hollywood Healing - Werner gets injured over and over in the first RP, but he still manages to kick ass, and recovers in time for the finale. He's also fully recovered in time for Card of Ten, which took place just days after the first RP. This happens with other characters sometimes, but Werner is the biggest case.
  • I Just Shot Marvin in the Face - sarcastically used by Cobalt Leader in the 3rd RP when he intentionally shoots a disarmed and incapacitated rogue soldier in the throat
—>Cobalt Leader: Oops. Safety slipped.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy - The bad guys never hit anybody. If they do, the person is usually just injured. Justified because every main character is being played by someone else, and they rarely have NPC backup of any kind.
  • Improvised Weapon - This has occurred occasionally.
    • Nietzsche's Soldiers:
      • Eddie kills someone with a mop handle.
    • The first RP:
      • James' team shorts out Cale with saline solution.
      • Zachary kills a terrorist by ambushing him and beating him to death with a pipe.
      • Sharon kills a terrorist by ambushing him and beating him to death with a steel rod.
      • Arguably, Shelton's use of Lockdown's hand to disintegrate a rogue soldier counts.
      • Joey (an unspecified experiment) uses a piece of rebar to attack terrorists in the final battle.
    • The second RP:
      • Shelton and Dr. Kerzach use a waterlogged mattress to temporarily disable two guards to escape from prison.
      • Dr. Rawlson/Dr. Jeston tries to kill Dr. Zanasiu with a crowbar.
      • Kerzach kills Dr. Gallo with a letter opener.
      • Only the aftermath is seen but two construction workers beat a Dragonstorm scientist to death with a chunk of concrete and a piece of rebar.
    • The third RP:
      • Alfred uses a table then a chair to knock out some punks who decided to pick a fight with the group.
      • Aimee kills two soldiers with a sharp stick during an ambush on a lonely Oregon road.
      • Zachary kills another soldier with a chunk of concrete during that same ambush.
      • Hans uses a MRI machine to trap Subject 19.
      • Subject 19 kills someone with an operating table. She also has the habit of using nearby large items like tables as projectiles.
      • Alfred throws a metal trolley then an oxygen tank at Trinity.
    • Fool's Gold:
      • Dr. Kerzach sprays lubricant into an assailant's face.
      • A rogue worker attacks Dr. Kerzach with a fire axe.
  • Interquel - Nietzche's Soldiers and Serris' story Fool's Gold. Card of Ten doesn't qualify, because when it was started the sequel hadn't yet been conceived.
  • Interspecies Romance - Neku and Snow. Stern seems to be hoping for one of these with Aimee.
  • It Works Better with Bullets - Shelton holds Hans at gunpoint before learning that Hans was on his team, and only afterward realized that his gun had been out of ammo.
  • Ivy League for Everyone - Dr. James Zanasiu is a graduate of Columbia University. Zachary Steven Johnson is a graduate of Cornell. Sharon Varma is a graduate of MIT. Shelton and Tinner were in the same dorm at ETH Zürich.
    • Dr. Yuri Kerzach is an exception: he is a graduate of Rutgers University. Also the core crew of Dragonstorm came from the fictional University of California Three Rivers.
  • James Bondage - Shelton gets chained to a chair by a security team in the second RP. Unlike in normal James Bondage, however, he gets himself out, which also makes this Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard.
  • Lampshade Hanging - Shelton in Schrodinger's Prisoners, which takes place before the RP:
—>Shelton:This simulation is a little unrealistic, isn’t it? —>Tinner:What do you mean? —>Shelton:Some enemy army invades the base? There’s no way that would ever happen.
—> Cpl. Thomas Stern:Its as if someone is watching us and giving us what we need in order to get through our problems. That's very odd. Too much like 'deus ex machina' for me. —>James:Thank you. Zach, Shelton, Cale, Neku, Sharon, Ædelwulf, Kagetora, Snow, Dr. Joe, Siberys, Cale, Slash, Agito, the Cobalt Squad. thank you all.
  • And that was just from the first RP!
  • Locked in a Freezer - James in the first RP, Shelton and Ridgeway in Schrodinger's Prisoners.
  • Locking MacGyver In The Store Closet - Not, as you might expect, either of the examples above. In the second RP, Shelton gets himself out of a locked laboratory where he had been imprisoned. Kerzach does much of the same in Fool's Gold, though this time it's actually a closet.
  • Long-Lost Relative - Hans, to Werner
  • MacGyvering - Shelton does this for a time once he arrives in the second RP, using mundane items to unchain himself from a chair, then escape the locked room, then get past a Dragonstorm experiment and into Lab 101.
  • Magic Genetics - stated to be the reason for the psychic powers.
  • Magnetic Weapons - a Humvee used in the second RP mounts a fairly powerful railgun. Also, handheld coilguns (in rifle form) have been used as well.
  • Missing Backblast - Averted and played straight. In the second RP, a rogue scientist takes out a light tank with a RPG and the backblast was specifically mentioned as scorching the paint on the vehicle behind him.
    • Played straight in the handheld prototype antitank rocket launchers used by the rogue scientists against some pursuing tanks. However, it is justified by the fact that they used small plastic balls as a countermass. They were still dangerous, as one of the plastic balls knocked out a scientist who was too close to the launcher.
  • Mission Control - This is basically Shelton for the entire first RP. He never leaves the control room.
  • My Name Is Not Durwood - In the first RP, Kagetora mistakenly refers to Victor Summers as Vincent. Vic politely corrects him.
  • Named After Somebody Famous - Rudyard Oscar Shelton.
  • Never Found the Body: Stern is too Genre Savvy to fall for this when Trinity is presumed dead.
  • Night-Vision Goggles - Used by Hans and James in Pavlov's Checkmate.
  • No Body Left Behind - Lockdown's genetic modifications allow him to turn objects or people into anti-energy. This causes them to instantly vaporize.
  • Nobody Poops - Averted. Pelvanida Base has all the facilities of a real military base. Bathrooms and all. And of course, in the third RP, Cpl. Stern avoids getting caught up in a massive fight because he had to go to the bathroom.
  • No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup - Subverted by the terrorists, or at least justified. The point of the raid was to gain the supplies necessary to build the bridge, and they brought a backup generator.
  • Non-Action Guy - Shelton and Kerzach both start as this, but Kerzach is slowly morphing out of this. Shelton, however, still sucks with firearms. Bailey from the third RP plays this straight.
  • Noodle Incident - In the 3rd RP, Alfred mentions that he can easily tip over a 3 ton pickup truck. How he knows that is never mentioned.
  • Not That Kind of Doctor - Shelton in the first RP, when Hans is injured and no one else is around to help.
  • Plot Threads - Every RP has a primary plot and secondary Plot. In the first RP, the terrorist invasion is the primary plot, and Dragonstorm is a secondary plot. In the second RP, Dragonstorm is elevated to main plot, and the actions of Crimson Base serve as a secondary (if related) subplot. In the third RP, Dragonstorm is still the main plot, and Aimee's investigations into Trinity Facility are the secondary plot.
  • Omnidisciplinary Scientist - Dr. Shelton sort of fits this trope. He does know a lot of things technicians normally don't.
    • However, LB&T has stated that almost all of it is things that he himself knew from years of reading Wikipedia in his spare time. Indeed, a lot of it is trivia that just happens to be useful or relevant to the given situation.
  • Only a Flesh Wound - Mostly averted as characters tend to aim for the head and body. But two very notable aversions are in the second RP, Hicks gets shot in the knee and dies. A sniper takes a bullet to the leg and bleeds to death in the second RP.
  • Opening a Can of Clones - Averted. James Zanasiu has been seen in at least four different forms (regular, anti-matter, Furtopia regular, and AI) but they never interact, and so are easily distinguished.
  • Orphaned Series - The two Furtopia R Ps were never finished.
  • Pants-Positive Safety - Aisha keeps a pistol in her purse. Alfred kept a pistol in the glove box of his truck. Averted by Dr. Zanasiu, Zachary, Cpl. Stern and Cobalt Squad (Dr. Zanasiu and Zachary use a pump shotgun and an assault rifle, respectively; Cpl. Stern and Cobalt Squad have holsters to keep their pistols in).
  • Pistol-Whipping - How Shelton generally uses a gun, since he's not trained for firearms.
  • Police Are Useless - the reason Shelton feels safe walking around Culeston in part of his Dragonstorm uniform.
—->'Shelton: "The cops haven't proven themselves to be very observant in the past."''
  • Portal Splat - This is what the main characters think happened in Card of Ten. In reality...
  • Potty Failure - Lupis from the rebooted Furtopia RP occasionally wets himself and spends a fair portion of the RP in diapers. Justified by the fact that he is four years old and not fully toilet trained.
  • Pre Mortem / Pre Ass Kicking One Liner - Cale in Pavlov's Checkmate, right before going apeshit on Ricky and his men.
  • Powered Armor - Powered exoskeletons have been seen the second and third R Ps as well as in Fool's Gold but only for carrying heavy loads.
  • Prequel - Schrodinger's Prisoners.
  • Private Military Contractors - Pelvanida guards are explicitly stated to from an unnamed private security company.
  • The Professor - Invoked by name for an otherwise unnamed character briefly encountered in Card of Ten.
  • Psychic Powers - The Psi-Experiments can wield a multitude of psionic powers.
  • Rebel Leader - Werner, on Gaman.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent - Pretty much averted. In the entire continuty, there are at several reptilian protagonists: Dr. Keith Bailey (Austrialian Monitor Lizard), Neku (an unspecified lizard), Cale (chameleon), Neville Ivers (iguana), Sgt. Larry Masters (bushmaster) and Spc. Mitchell Crota (rattlesnake).
    • However, played straight in the 3rd RP where some people visibly flinch around Sgt. Masters and Spc. Crota. Corporal Stern is mentioned as having a dislike for snakes.
  • Ring World Planet - Gaman.
  • Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies - the end of the second RP features a mild version of this when Crimson Base levels Pelvanida with a massive airstrike.
  • Running Gag - Shelton's ambiguous nationality. Also, a Dr. Kyle is mentioned in every RP, but never seen.
  • Screw The Rules, I Have Plot! - In the first RP, scientist player characters weren't allowed to carry heavy weaponry. For some time in the first RP, Zachary got to wield a bazooka and he wielded a RPG in the final battle.
    • The rule about "no heavy weaponry for scientists" was rescinded for the second and third RPs
  • Seen It All - Vic's response in the first RP upon hearing about Dragonstorm.
  • Self-Defenseless - Averted. Dr. Kerzach wields pepper spray to great effect in the second RP when he he escapes from a prison cell. Dr. Landon in the third RP uses pepper spray and a medical dictionary to fend off some punks who pick a fight with the group.
  • Shout-Out - Oh so many. The writers reveal themselves to be major fans of video games, science, and classical music...
    • So many that it now has its own page.
  • Shout-Out to Shakespeare - A creepy clone of him is briefly seen in the first RP. He posthumously plays a huge role in Card Of Ten.
  • Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism - Between Petting-Zoo People and Funny Animal. Yes, they act and think like Humans but they have some obviously nonhuman traits.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend - Aimee corrects newcomer Shakila when she assumes that Aimee and Stern are dating.
  • Shown Their Work - It is rather obvious that "Serris" is pretty damn well versed in science.
  • Sole Survivor - A running theme in the series is battles that leave a single individual alive on one side. See the tropes page for a more extensive list of examples.
  • Space Is Noisy - Twice averted: There's no sound whenever the shuttlecrafts from Card of Ten or Ship of State are out of Gaman's atmosphere, and when Ricky whispers to James inside a wormhole, James can't hear him because there's no medium for the sound to travel through.
  • Staying Alive - Kagetora blew himself and Murakami up in front of the entire cast, and subsequently appears with no explanation given for the final battle. Apparently he got better.
  • Stockholm Syndrome - Cobalt Squad accuses Shelton of this after they meet him in the third RP. Shelton waffles between saying yes or no.
  • Storming the Castle - The main characters, in the second and third RPs.
  • Super Soldiers - what Pelvanida's research is intended to create.
  • Super-Strength - Aimee has some degree of this (demonstrated when she crushes the barrel of a pistol)
    • Alfred is an interesting example. He is shown to be capable of bending an expandable baton with his bare hands and claims that he is strong enough to tip over a 3 ton pickup truck with little effort. But since he is not Human, he may be superhuman in relation to human-level strength but for an anthropomorphic bison, he may just be strong but not "superbison".
  • Techno Babble - Shelton seems especially prone to this.
  • Terrorists Without a Cause - Averted. The terrorists were originally concieved as this but later an ulterior motive was devised for them.
  • The Big Guy - Alfred Byford, a construction worker, from the second and third RPs is the largest of the cast. He stands at roughly seven feet tall and weighs about 420 pounds. And he is the strongest of the cast as well.
  • The Medic - Vic and Dr. Joe. Dr. Landon appears to be filling this role while they're gone.
  • The Password Is Always "Swordfish" - Dr. Tinner's password on his virtual reality machine. Also Montgomery on his computer files, though at least he tacked a number onto the end.
  • The Tropeless Character - From the Darwin's Soldiers discussion thread on the Gang Of Five:
—->Caustizer: Hmm I must have done my job with Clyco pretty well... he was so atypical that he doesn't have any tropes attached to him. —->LettuceBacon&Tomato: Tropes Are Not Bad... —>Zachary: Hans, do you think this was a good idea, try to disguise ourselves as staff? —>Hans:It seems like a good idea but I was thinking about going in through the areas not covered by the security cameras and cutting the power long enough for us to get in and disguise ourselves like base personnel. —>Zachary:Also works but remember that the fusion reactor is in the basement and protected quite well by autoturrets and cameras. Also, few areas are not covered by cameras. —>Aisha:Uh, yeah this isn't like the Oceans 11 movies
  • Throw-Away Guns - Averted. The characters (both good and bad) rarely discard firearms and will usually reload them instead.
  • Title Drop - The final post of the first RP.
  • Tomato in the Mirror - Anti-James in Card Of Ten.
  • Took a Level in Badass - Shelton starts off as a control room admin in the first RP, and by the third RP he's living as an undercover spy within the Dragonstorm ranks.
  • 20 Minutes into the Future - It is set in the early 2000s but yet laser weapons, railguns, gauss guns and fusion reactors exist. Not to mention advanced cybernetics technology.
  • Vigilante Group - The heroes in the second and third R Ps.
  • Villainous Crossdresser - in the third RP, a female Dobermann bystander who calls 911 to report someone breaking into a car is actually a male German Shepherd spy working for Dragonstorm.
  • Western Terrorists - the villains in the first RP.
  • What An Idiot - in the 3rd RP, a police officer opens a "suspicious package" in Aimee's room. Said "suspicious package" was a a bomb and it destroys the Redwood Inn and kills quite a number of people.
  • What Could Have Been - The first RP was planned to feature an interdimensional battle but it was scrapped after Serris decided that the potential for narm outweighed the potential for coolness.
  • White Void Room - One of these plays a major plot point in Card of Ten.
  • Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him? - Ridgeway suggests this as a way to get past AI Zenarchis in Schrodinger's Prisoners. It turns out that's pretty much what they do.
  • Would Hit a Girl - Done on both sides. The heroes have no problem killing female enemies. Likewise, the rogue guards, terrorists, assorted bad guys have no problem trying to kill Aisha, Aimee and Sharon.
    • Likewise Dr. Shelton killing Delta Leader.
  • Would Not Shoot a Good Guy - Averted in the second RP's chase scene. One of the Humvees driven by the group rams a police cruiser off the road. Hans slices a SWAT truck in half with a Humvee mounted laser cannon after it tried to run him off the road. He cuts off part of a police helicopter's landing gear with the same weapon after a sniper on the helicopter tried to shoot him. Dr. Greene grenades a bunch of civilians who mistake his vehicle for a Dragonstorm escort vehicle and start shooting it.
  • Write Back to the Future - Anti-Shelton realizes they can do this in Pavlov's Checkmate, when the team trapped in 1990 needs to contact Shelton in the present day.
  • X Meets Y - the first RP is basically Die Hard meets X Men meets Half Life meets Resident Evil meets furries
  • You Fail Nuclear Physics Forever - Averted and played straight.
    • In the second RP, when a commando team plants explosives on the fusion reactor and detonates them; nothing happens except the fusion reaction. except the fusion reactor shuts down because the magnets have been destroyed
    • In the first RP, the soldiers are worried that a stray bullet could cause the small fusion reactor to explode in a mushroom cloud. Dr. Zanasiu tells them that it won't happen but using explosives will scatter radioactive material across the grounds of Pelvanida (However, do note that he mistakenly thinks that the reactor a fission reactor).
  • You Wake Up in a Room - Happens to the Card of Ten away team, and to Shelton and Eddie in Nietzsche's Prisoners.
  • Zeroes And Ones - Shelton incorrectly refers to binary as BASIC in the first RP.

Ettina Since: Apr, 2009
#10: Mar 29th 2010 at 11:03:06 AM

Most of my worlds don't have names, so forgive the dumb names here:

the EmotionEaters world:

the zombie world:

the Masquerade world:

  • The Masquerade - a fairly light one, caused by humanity signing a neutrality pact awhile ago

  • Our Vampires Are Different - they are made of magic, with a magnetic 'empty shell' rather than an actual physical form, and they're basically a variant on ghosts

  • Our Ghosts Are Different - they are spirit beings that may be Doppelgangers of dead people, and most of them are telekinetic

  • Elemental Powers - an unusual version, since spirit beings each have some degree of control over one of the fundamental interactions, as well as other powers that only work on magical beings

  • Our Elves Are Different / The Fair Folk - the elves are a mix of both archetypes, with illusion magic, useless fairy wings, and varying relationships with humans

  • Our Werewolves Are Different - it's an inborn trait, they are possessed by a spirit that has the power to reshape matter using the strong nuclear force, and after they die they become a variant on vampires

  • Fantasy Kitchen Sink / Monster Mash / Meta Origin - the spirit beings are extremely varied, with things based off of many different legends appearing, and they interact with each other (this is the world I tend to toss in ideas that don't fit anywhere else)

  • Religion is Magic - human magic runs on our emotional attachments to objects and places, so religious artifacts such as crosses can become enchanted, and the few humans who train in the conscious use of human magic are often religious leaders

  • What Measure Is a Non-Human? - played with, since most of the races value their own kind above the other races

  • Grey-and-Gray Morality - not everyone is safe for humans to hang out with, but they all have their reasons and their actions make sense from their perspective, and there aren't really any good guys or bad guys

  • Perspective Flip - a couple of stories I'm working on tell the same (or overlapping) plot from different perspectives, and many started out as PerspectiveFlips of other stories I've read/watched

If I'm asking for advice on a story idea, don't tell me it can't be done.
Cojuanco Since: Oct, 2009
#11: Jun 22nd 2010 at 3:00:33 PM

My fictional country, Hesperia:

  • British Political System - Generally; even the Senate is really a House of Lords with commoners.
  • Christianity is Catholic - Heavily used in the non-Anglophone provinces and St. Brendan's Province. Also referred to by a Labour Party activist as why abortion won't be completely legalized soon.
  • Council Estate - Ubiquitous in the inner-city parts of the country. Generally avoided by anyone who isn't white and English-speaking.
  • Barsetshire - The Province of Gloriana, at least sterotypically. Having an obvious Oxford-Expy doesn't help.
  • Capital City - The Capital District is the political capital, but it only became the largest city in 1980, Lancaster City having been larger for most of the country's history.
  • Friendly Local Chinatown - Eauze and Lancaster both have them, seeing as they were the historic immigration targets.
  • Irish Priest - Ubiquitous in the Anglophone areas of the country. Not so much in the French- and Spanish-speaking areas, though, as they have their own clergy.
  • Urban Warfare - Buen Puerto turns into this when a bunch of right-wing radicals launch a guerilla campaign. They get better, though.
  • Urban Segregation - Landfall, the country's richest county, is located north of the Holliman section of Lancaster City, the third-poorest county in the province.
  • Red Light District - The Carthago Nova section of Hesperia City is the liberal version. For an Alternative Character Interpretation, it is [1]. Note that this only applies at night - much of the area during the daytime is the headquarters of the country's major lobbies - in a twist, the headquarters of the Catholic Bishop's Association is right next to a brothel.
  • City Noir - Hafnia, Jacobia and South Orange, Capital District, which were once maufacturing centers. They still are, to an extent, but they're also pretty crime-ridden.
  • City Of Weirdos - The Capital District.

edited 22nd Jun '10 3:17:48 PM by Cojuanco

NateWinchester Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Sinking with my ship
#12: Jun 23rd 2010 at 9:45:45 AM

This does make me wonder... it is a faux-pas to add your own stuff to tropes (assuming it ever reaches professional status enough to be worthy) or should you just let the fans fill it in?

Buddy and I were discussing that the other day since this place will probably be around for future writers.

Yej See ALL the stars! from <0,1i> Since: Mar, 2010
See ALL the stars!
#13: Jun 23rd 2010 at 12:17:52 PM

If it's publically available, I don't see why not.

And I have a list, but it is not a little list. Anyone still want to see it, despite the enormousness? tongue

edited 23rd Jun '10 12:18:09 PM by Yej

Da Rules excuse all the inaccuracy in the world. Listen to them, not me.
NateWinchester Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Sinking with my ship
#14: Jun 23rd 2010 at 1:11:51 PM

And I have a list, but it is not a little list. Anyone still want to see it, despite the enormousness? tongue

At that point maybe you should just do your own page for the work and link it. evil grin

Yair-Jeger from Be'er Sheva, Israel Since: Feb, 2010
#15: Jun 24th 2010 at 6:47:57 AM

Posthumous (in order more intended for reading)

  • After the End: While it's clear that something like this happened, it's not known what. It involved the destruction of history and knowledge, meaning that space is both full of the creations of Earth's descendants, and an unknown frontier.
  • Lost Technology: Although the actual technological level is much higher than ours', there is A LOT of older technology lying about that is not understood. That includes the people themselves.
  • Scavenger World
  • Decade Dissonance
  • Loads and Loads of Races: Countless of them, almost all created before the fall.
  • Absent Aliens: All life in the galaxy originates in one place.
  • All Planets Are Earth-Like: Many of them, terraformed before the fall. Complete with low-gravity planetoids that can be lived on, but not well, to get stranded on when your starship fails.
  • Aliens Speaking English: Not English(or true aliens), but most will speak a variation of the common tongue, even if you're making first contact with a civilization that was isolated since the fall and had no idea other life existed.
  • No Biochemical Barriers: It's usually easy for different people to coexist, even mate and reproduce. Still, physiological differences are a common issue in all but the most enclosed communities. Most travelers carry food scanners. There are differing customs of sharing physiological information; Some carry a complete guide on them for emergencies and convenience, and some try to keep this information secret so that it couldn't be used against their race, or perhaps to hide the fact that there's a chance they'll explode into a swarm of ravenous offspring with little warning. Or something. Asking for information other than what's in the carried guide when not necessary is rude.
  • The Milky Way Is the Only Way: The infrastructure that allows superluminal travel doesn't reach other galaxies, and no one is able(or if able, willing) to expand it. There is a tunnel(see below) that reaches a considerable distance into intergalactic space, but stops long before getting anywhere.. that has anything. Nice view, though.
  • Faster-Than-Light Travel: Two methods, both entirely dependent on what's left of the precursors' infrastructure. One is a network of wide  * "tunnels" that overlap with normal-space locations, and require a device to enter. Inside most of the tunnels, space is stretched so that distances are shorter. It is not easy to block(I still need to work out the details on why). While the network allows one to cross the galaxy without dying of age in the process, there are areas it doesn't reach, and areas it doesn't reach in a comfortable manner. Some of the tunnels are actually compressed space for some reason. There are also "roadstops" aside the tunnels where it's easier for things to settle(often at intersections), areas where directions either don't correspond to normal space or work very differently, and places that can only be entered by setting the network-access-device to the right code.
  • Portal Network: The second method is wormholes, objects or more fixed points where things enter one and instantly exit another, regardless of distance. Most are two-way, some are one-way. Some can be moved, but only within a certain area. They range from planet-sized to submicroscopic, and can be flat or spherical.
  • Subspace Ansible: Also done with a fixed normally-intangible network that overlaps with normal space, one that only moves information.
  • Sufficiently Advanced Aliens: Hypereans. Extremely intelligent, with "bodies" that make the ultimate tools.
  • Abusive Precursors: It's pretty clear that many races were made with no regard for their well-being. Or for others around them.
  • Everyone Is a Super: The physical standard is superhuman, and many have more unusual abilities.

Some tropes fitting the protagonist, Karen of Earth:

Yej See ALL the stars! from <0,1i> Since: Mar, 2010
See ALL the stars!
#16: Jun 26th 2010 at 2:07:42 PM

One trope list + premise.

Da Rules excuse all the inaccuracy in the world. Listen to them, not me.
Anaheyla Since: Jan, 2001
#17: Jun 26th 2010 at 2:24:36 PM

It'd take forever for me to remember them all. Just off the top of my head and with no regard for organization.

  • Functional Magic: Runs the gamut depending on the user.
  • Black Eyes of Evil: Subverted. Black eyes are typically a sign of possession, but one Luthor has solid black eyes and is one of the good guys(and is not possessed. :P).
  • Might Makes Right: Lots of people ascribe to this idea, justifying their actions by the fact that they are stronger than everyone else.
  • Jerkass Gods: Most of the gods can stray into this.
  • God of Evil: Though actually a pretty nice guy, all things considered.
  • Katanas Are Just Better: The greatest swordsman in the world wields a katana because he thinks it's cool.
  • Oubliette: At least two.
  • Order Versus Chaos: The goddess of Chaos is always at odds with the god of Order. Neither alone are particularly beneficial to mortals.
  • Hidden Elf Country: Very very few Elves ever leave their country, nor do they allow anyone else to enter.
  • Drop The Hammer: One of the Oubliette prisoners.

edited 26th Jun '10 2:25:26 PM by Anaheyla

This is still a signature.
Leadman sup from Ruff Raleigh Since: Jun, 2010
sup
#18: Jun 27th 2010 at 11:40:45 AM

Alternate Universe The Empire Super Soldier Dystopia Cute Monster Girl Big Bad

TheFreeWind The Charismatic Stallion from U-to the-S-to the-Here Since: Aug, 2010
The Charismatic Stallion
#19: Aug 21st 2010 at 11:19:50 PM

Right here...

edited 21st Aug '10 11:20:11 PM by TheFreeWind

Never Seen, only Heard. Never There, only Here. Never Restricted, only Free!
Sen Sen from UK Since: Jan, 2001
Sen
#20: Aug 22nd 2010 at 5:29:36 AM

Well, I've made a habit of making trope lists because it kinda helps me stay focused and visualise exactly what will happen and all that (yeah, I'm a visual thinker - blame TV and movies if you want, but it's cool, even if I have to waste tons of paragraphs exactly detailing an image in my head).

So, an universe I've been pondering for a bit now. I've kinda written down the following tropes:

And of course at the start of the list there's a huge note saying "Rule of Cool + Rule of Fun reign supreme". Just because, y'know, I sometimes tend to overthink things and forget to have fun with writing.

edited 22nd Aug '10 5:29:49 AM by Sen

Probably should get working on that essay now...
PumpkinLore I spy with my little eye from YOU STALKER! Since: Aug, 2009
I spy with my little eye
#21: Sep 2nd 2010 at 6:36:05 PM

One premise and trope list. Liable to changes, as it's still in development.

edited 12th Nov '10 1:41:32 PM by PumpkinLore

Say it once! Say it twice! Take a chance and roll the dice! Ride with the moon in the dead of night!
RichM90071 Mission Control from Inside TV Tropes Since: Jan, 2001
Mission Control
#22: Sep 6th 2010 at 11:44:40 AM

I originally started this as a Show Within a Show for another project I'm working on, but it got...big. Even worse, I'm starting to think the setting and characters might actually be more interesting than the original project. So now I'm wondering which one I should work on, as I only have time to develop one. Anyway, here's Evil MacEvil:

An Animesque animated series produced by the Mac Collective. Set in The Multiverse, this series follows the dimension-hopping adventures of ParaForce as they seek to stop the "evil plans" of the Mad Scientist, Evil MacEvil.

Characters:

ParaForce

edited 6th Sep '10 12:25:42 PM by RichM90071

I'm reaching for the random or whatever will bewilder me. —Tool, "Lateralus"
NateWinchester Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Sinking with my ship
#23: Sep 9th 2010 at 1:21:40 PM

I am starting on mine...

dragonmaster from Behind you ... Since: Jun, 2009
#24: Sep 29th 2010 at 2:42:51 PM

D-Lolita ... or Clockwork ... it's a Work In Progress at the moment. In fact that's half the reason I'm doing this, so I can brainstorm more ideas than the ones I already have.

  • After the End: The story takes place four years after an event that left most of the Earth a barren desert.
  • Apocalyptic Log: The story is written like this. In-Universe it's explained as the main characters keeping a record of what's happening in case someone finds them but it's badly kept, some pages are missing, others are explained as being torn out after someone got angry, some entries are cut off, but most are in very good shape.
  • Clock Punk: The aptly named "Clockworkers" are dragon shaped robots that were involved in the event that happened four years ago. They run on clockwork and they have to be wound up before they can be used.
  • Elegant Gothic Lolita: Almost everyone living in the world wears some kind of Lolita outfit for no reason other than Author Appeal.
  • New Eden: Earth appears to be turning into this as parts of the world, mostly the cities and small sections of desert, are starting to brighten up and grow.
  • Noodle Incident: The event that happened four years ago, different people call it different things but most refer to it as "It".
  • Noodle Implements: The Clockworkers were involved in the apocalypse that struck Earth in some way, some see them as devils, others praise them as Gods so it's not entirely clear what their role was.
  • Ragnarök Proofing: Played with, the electricity and water are going off because there isn't anyone working at Power Stations any more, one character also theorises how there could now be an excess of fuel and coal because there is less demand for them what with much less people alive, buildings are starting to lose their structural integrity.
  • Shout-Out: The Clockworkers are a sort of Clock Punk hybrid of Zecters and Memory Gadgets.
  • The Stars Are Going Out: Several characters notice that there are less and less stars each night.

I knew you would read this line, because I am just that awesome.
Noaqiyeum Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they) from the gentle and welcoming dark (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they)
#25: Sep 29th 2010 at 4:39:03 PM

Vagary

  • Awesome, but Impractical - It's common for Oracles to be able to enumerate all the pros of their latest idea and miss some of the major cons completely.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis - Oracles tend to use battlefields as testing grounds, including taking notes and making improvements - and unraveling the workings of enemy superweapons to destroy them most efficiently - in the middle of a hail of arrows.
  • Black-and-Gray Morality - See World Half Full below.
  • Crapsack World - The Empire has spread itself too thin and become decadent, making it an attractive target for the barbarian hordes. Their troops are withdrawing to fortify the borders of the homeland, leaving their territories free to fracture into the feuding city-states they were before they were conquered, but now with more people than can be fed without Imperial trade. Perinth, the Empire's final conquest, is better provided-for economically than most, but had the keystones of its theocracy broken during the invasion and is now left with eight factions competing for control while the city is being flooded by refugees fleeing the hordes...
  • Doing In the Wizard
  • Earn Your Happy Ending
  • Fantastic Caste System - Nothing formal, but citizens who have particular occupations tend to belong to the church of their patron god; and, thanks to the feuds of the churches, they tend to avoid associating with each other.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture - to a degree, not exceptionally so.
    • Perinth is a mixture of classical Greece and pre-revolutionary France.
    • The unnamed southern empire is based on Great Zimbabwe and Rome in the 300s-ish
    • Most of the other nations are based on the fractured German states, pre-Holy Roman Empire.
  • Genius Bruiser - Oracles come in all forms.
  • Götterdämmerung - Your average Perinthian's view of the world.
  • Lost Technology - Happens all the time. Only an Oracle has a chance at fully comprehending how another Oracle's devices work, and they're all paranoid of each others' plagiarism.
  • MacGyvering - The reason it's important to keep imprisoned Oracles either unaware or very well-guarded.
  • No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup - Oracles don't necessarily know what they're doing or why until they're finished, and it's already trouble enough getting the parts for the first experiment together...
  • Omnidisciplinary Scientist - Averted. Each Oracle tends to be really, really good at only a limited field.
  • Schizo Tech - Most of the world is in the Iron Age; some of the Oracles are just a step or two beyond that. (The metallurgist Sedecla Dian, for instance, has recently invented vulcanized steel.)
    • An Oracle's psychological profile will prove that this is also a horrible pun.
  • Science-Related Memetic Disorder - The Oracles.
    • This world's population, the Vagyars, are human for all intents and purposes save for their psychology - the way that their cranial nerves interconnect means that a person with more abstract and analytical intelligence is likely to experience auditory and visual hallucinations, and to experience their own thoughts as if they had heard them, through their ears.
  • Secret Police - Oracles make good inventors but bad leaders. Relationships between the local government and the Oracle(s) that it patronizes can be very icy at times...
  • Storming the Castle - The barbarian hordes.
  • Thieves' Guild - One of the Perinthian churches has elements of this.
  • Weapon of Mass Destruction - Plenty of Oracles have at least one.
  • We ARE Struggling Together - Most of the Perinthian churches are convinced they'll be able to deal with the barbarians quite handily, as soon as they get all of their stupid, interfering rivals out of the way...
  • World Half Full - It's a Crapsack World, but there are people struggling to make it better, fingernail by bloody fingernail. Too bad so many of them are on different sides...

The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable

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