The Paladin Protocol

A fanfiction written of The Big Bang Theory, this work is primarily a Fix Fic, due to the author really disliking the direction that Season 3 took. It is also written to conform quite rigidly to the narrative structure of the Monomyth, or Hero's Journey.


 * An Axe to Grind : Penny has a Slayer scythe, which is really a Blade on a Stick.
 * Badass Bookworm: Sheldon turns out to be quite dangerous with weaponry. Implausible Fencing Powers are averted, since these are only LARP weapons, though.
 * Battle Couple : Penny and Sheldon. Also Beth and Sven.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Checkhov's trebuchet, in this case. Initially mention in ch8, it makes an actual appearance in ch35.
 * Chess Motifs: In a case of Smart People Play Chess, Sheldon covertly declares war by means of a game. Also a Shout-Out to the TV Western series 'Paladin - Have Gun, Will Travel'. Described as a 'knight without armour', this gentleman gunslinger had a chess-piece as his calling card.
 * Cool Sword: Penny gives Sheldon a LARP version of Stormbringer.
 * Fan-Preferred Couple: The author is a Penny/Sheldon 'shipper.
 * Hero's Journey: The premise of the entire fanfic.
 * Heroes Prefer Swords: Though it is also established show canon that Sheldon can 'shoot close enough to a raccoon that it craps itself', and owns a crossbow. 'Excalibur' is an actual make of crossbow, and the author had to put that in, once discovered.
 * Knight in Shining Armour: Sheldon. He even gets a night-time vigil in full (plastic, paintball) armour before he accepts his destiny.
 * LARP: The Stormfist War-Guild are a bunch of people who have decided to move on from dice and debate to actually smacking each other around with fake weaponry.
 * Rule of Three: Beth, Deena and Raquel function as a variation on The Hecate Sisters, a version of the Triple Goddess as Warrior-Goddess. Also, in a more straightforward way, when Sheldon's sister, mother and grandmother all ask Penny to take care of him.
 * Smooch of Victory: Also doubles as the Call to Adventure.
 * Tarot Motifs: The Sword, the Spear, the Cup and the Coin.