Girl Genius/Tropes P-T

Tropes A-E | Tropes F-J | Tropes K-O | Tropes P-T | Tropes U-Z

Girl Genius provides examples of the following tropes:
"Boris: You see, Herr Baron. Entertaining, but harmless."
 * Pardon My Klingon: When Klaus meets Zeetha.
 * Parental Hypocrisy: The moment when Gilgamesh jumps in to play corrida with what amounts to a small locomotive with legs and arms, giving his father time to analyze its structure. Klaus roars at him for taking an unnecessary risk, but Jägermonsters eagerly express approval when they see a Badass performance, so right at the next page a Jäger sergeant quietly tells Gil that Klaus himself "doz crazy schtupid sctoff like dot all de time." Of course, as they both are mad scientists with chronic anti-hero syndrome, it wasn't likely to be the craziest for either.
 * Parrot Pet Position: Agatha's little clank, sometimes -- and not necessarily when she wants it to.
 * Pass the Popcorn
 * Boris and Gil are having tea and pretzels while sending a Jäger to test out a rogue clank.

"Agatha: I believe another forty-five point three seconds, and I would have exploded or something. [...] Oh, yeah... I have got to try that again!"
 * Snaug enjoys watching Gil and Tarvek fight.
 * And later, so does Zeetha: "AGATHA! You're missing the show."
 * People Jars: Dr. Beetle in Beetleburg put criminals into giant glass jars to perish.
 * Pet the Dog
 * The Baron stops in the middle of chasing Agatha just to make sure Zulenna gets revived (DuPree stabbed her when she was defending Agatha). When questioned, he bluntly states that it was his fault, and that the girl didn't deserve to die. He has several other moments like this, to demonstrate that even though he's a major antagonist, he is still a good man.
 * Lucrezia does seem rather fond of her nephew DuMedd... at first.
 * Bangladesh DuPree was apparently devastated once the Baron was presumed killed at the hospital seeing as the mere memory causes her to burst into tears.
 * Phlebotinum Overload
 * After downs a vial of Movit 11, which is basically a supercharged energy drink, Violetta's solution to stop the rampage is to inject her with more Movit 11, which will apparently lead to a complete nervous collapse (or possibly cause her to combust).
 * Pie in the Face: here and here.
 * Pimped-Out Dress: A number show up, for various reasons.
 * Planet of Hats: Somewhat. The Jägermonsters' hat is not only the prominence of literal hats, it's also that these hats are to them as a sword is to a samurai.
 * Playboy Bunny: During the Weasel Queen Omake, Zeetha and Agatha evoke this trope with their "rabbit costumes".
 * Plot Armor: While named characters do die, it's still a rare occurrence, compared to the casualty rate of the Mooks. To show that this is not due to the characters following the What Measure Is a Mook? trope, they often try but fail to kill their significant enemies. It's become a minor Running Gag for characters to complain their gun pulls to the left just after they only wounded their opponent with it.
 * Politeness Judo: Getting Moloch to help in the kitchen.
 * Poor Communication Kills: Subverted in some cases, played straight in others.
 * is set up as a big secret that could cause all sorts of problems, but Zeetha goes out of her way to mention it to Gil at the very first opportunity. However, Klaus is not aware of the true situation, and is unlikely to be willing to talk about it.
 * Subverted again, and significantly, here. Dimo has just informed the Jägergenerals and Klaus's leadership about the situation, which will presumably reach Klaus's ears presently. Whether they believe him remains to be seen.
 * Power High: When Agatha is subjected to the effect of Dyne water plus electroshock for the first time and feels godlike. Later the Castle implies it's a normal reaction:
 * Power High: When Agatha is subjected to the effect of Dyne water plus electroshock for the first time and feels godlike. Later the Castle implies it's a normal reaction:

"Agatha: Ahahahano!"
 * Power Limiter: The Heterodyne locket Barry gives Agatha is meant to subdue her sparkyness. She eventually outgrows this, and the locket has found a new use in keeping the Other contained.
 * The Power of Love: A minor case -- at one point when Agatha

"Gil: It looks like a toaster. Agatha: ... well, it is a toaster. Sort of. Gil: Sort of? Agatha: Oh yes. It could toast the whole town."
 * Power Walk: Jägermonsters pull one here. Subverted slightly since most of them are already inside the city and the walk is just to fool enemies.
 * Power Perversion Potential
 * "D'Omas' taste in women was, well... Let's just say it was lucky for him he could build his own."
 * Castle Heterodyne is full of restraints.
 * His and hers.
 * "Look, I'm a girl with needs.... They have tool belts?" (From the Mad Scientist version of Cinderella.)
 * Lucrezia seems well aware of the possibilities inherent in her
 * Back on Sparks in general, Sparks, especially in places like Mechanisburg, can practically take over someone's mind with their voice and not a lot else (strong-willed humans can resist it, but some people are just "natural minions".) Easy access to minions, the uses of the control voice, and the "tools" a Spark can make....
 * Power Trio: Maxim, Oggie, and Dimo, colloquially known as "Da Boyz".
 * Primal Scene: Possibly parodied in the novelization, where we learn that the young Agatha was deeply traumatized when she walked in on her adoptive parents recharging each other with generators.
 * Projectile Toast: Death Ray toast, anyway...

"Phil Foglio: Maybe we just won."
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Jägers in general, with varying degrees of "proud" and "warrior" for individuals. For example, when Boris beats the crap out of a Jäger messenger to find out where the generals were meeting, their response was surprise and respect, saying that he'd "earned" the right to talk with them.
 * Psycho Serum
 * The waters of the River Dyne.
 * Movit #11 is no joke either.
 * Public Secret Message
 * Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
 * "What. Do. You. WANT."
 * This! Was! Not! My! Plan!
 * Punctuated Pounding: Tarvek to Zola. Not explicit, but he's just got to be timing his punches to his exclamation points.
 * Punny Name: Doubling as Bilingual Bonus. Dr. Beetle's first name, "Tarsus", is the insect equivalent of the foot. Not a particularly meaningful pun, but it's there.
 * Rage Against the Author: In this filler strip, Agatha can't be convinced that Phil and Kaja Foglio have legitimately earned the Hugo Award, suspecting some mind control at work.

"Gil: Kill everyone who enters. DuPree: [Man] [Woman] [Child]? Gil: Yes, everyone. DuPree: [Knife] [Gun] [Axe] [ Cheese]? Gil: Yes, however you want. DuPree: [World's Best Boss trophy]!"
 * In 2011 they decided to shut down the mind control device and resign from the category.
 * Randomly-Gifted: Sparks run in families but also develop among normal people.
 * Real Is Brown: The first volume. Not so much "brown is real" as "the world is dull when your mind is damped down". For anyone who's reading the archives, going from the last page of volume one to the first page of the next is quite jarring.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: For a guy who conquered a continent, Klaus is surprisingly open to other people's ideas. Sure, he's still the final authority, but at least he'll hear you out.
 * Rebus Bubble
 * Bangladesh DuPree, when her jaw is broken. "Gil = nut?"

"DuPree: Oh my Gosh! I'd know that girlish scream anywhere!"
 * The Dingbots as well, particularly in their internal war in Castle Heterodyne.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * The Monster Horse
 * Ferretina, the Weasel Queen
 * Also, the Dingbots in Bomb mode.
 * Reed Richards Is Useless: The occasional machine gun is seen, but this weapon and the enormous amounts of dakka it can provide seem not to have changed the face of war as they have in Real Life.
 * Relationship Reveal: For a long time, it was hard to tell if Theo and Sleipnir were a couple or just really close friends. Then came this strip.
 * Relationship Upgrade: This may count as one. Higgs is pleased.
 * Religion of Evil: The Geisterdamen worship the Other.
 * Retired Badass: An old Mechanicsburg sandwich-maker shows up in one of the side stories. He is nicknamed "Old Man Death" -- by the Jägers. Turns out he used to run with them back in his youth -- and never lost a fight. He still can forcibly boot one out of his shop now, leading to the "three tries" rule.
 * Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Klaus Wulfenbach despises traitors, as Merlot humiliatingly learns.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: Agatha's little clanks (clinks?) she builds as assistants, practically the unofficial mascot of the comic. Mimmoths also qualify.
 * Right Hand Versus Left Hand
 * Right in Front of Me: Agatha in front of Klaus, and Gil in front of Zola.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge
 * is normally calm and unflappable, even when everything is going to hell. But and, well, things might get ugly.
 * Agatha, after dies.
 * Rodents of Unusual Size: The Sturmhalten guides' description of "normal" sewer rats. There are also giant bunnies in one of the side-stories.
 * Romanticism Versus Enlightenment: A theme of the series is finding the balance between the two. With the Knights of Jove and Baron Wulfenbach representing the extreme sides of those movements.
 * Royal Blood
 * Royally Screwed-Up: Tarvek's entire family.
 * Running Gag
 * Othar yelling "Foul!" everytime someone drops him from high up.
 * Burgermeister Zuken of Mechanicsburg's irrelevance.
 * At least somewhat, Gil's insistance on the fact that Beetle threw that bomb at him.
 * Sparks trying and failing to command their own creations: "that never works."
 * When the Foglios have something to show you, they'll show you with an "Elegant and finely crafted link".
 * People are generally more likely to recognize Gilgamesh for his authority or power when he wears his "mighty nize hat".
 * Schizo-Tech: And how. Telegraph, radio, telephone? Nope. Motor cars? Unheard of. Heavier-than-air aircraft? Two prototypes. Strong AI, lasers and resurrection are perfectly possible, though.
 * Schmuck Bait: The tantalizingly labelled buttons in the last panel of this strip.
 * Science Hero: Damn near everyone.
 * Science Is Bad: All through the story and backstory, the most reckless applications of science are performed regularly by those most educated and talented at it. However, it's Played for Laughs often enough to parody the Aesop; when Science Is Really Bad, it's Crazy Awesome!
 * Science-Related Memetic Disorder: The Spark condition. Though even non-Spark scientists and engineers are a bit off-kilter, probably because that's how everyone expects them to act. Those usually have to assist or use stuff of Sparks. It's either become a Mad Scientist or go insane from this all anyway.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl
 * Professor Tiktoffen often screams like this, and the castle thinks it's funny.
 * Also Tarvek, at least according to DuPree.

"Jäger 1: Ho! Leedle recoil problem there, sir! Jäger 2: Pretty neat though, ya?"
 * Screw Gun Safety: Panel 4.
 * And earlier, the Jägermonsters, though it's pretty in-character for them to try.

"He was a dirty fighter, what with all that 'winning' all the time."
 * Scrub: Invoked in Othar's log:

"Zeetha: What about this? Agatha: No way - can't even tell you're a girl."
 * Secret Test of Character: When we first see Gil, his father is asking him to figure out what's wrong with the machine he ordered built -- except he's really testing to see if Gil is honest (or brave) enough to tell him it isn't actually possible for it to work the way Klaus said it should.
 * Self-Deprecation: Phil Foglio's Author Avatar shows up at a hospital telling stories to sick kids... because they end up so bored that they easily fall asleep without the need for medication.
 * Self-Destruct Mechanism: 's secret lab has one, and she activates it. The cancellation of self-destruct is double subverted.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Tarvek & Gil to a degree.
 * Seppuku: Expected of Jägers who break the Oath -- but only if they get caught.
 * Serial Escalation: How many more "distractions" will Agatha, Gil and Tarvek go through before they reach their goal? The whole Castle Heterodyne arc appears to follow the old Hollywood maxim "start with a volcanic eruption, then build to a climax."
 * Serious Business: The Jägermonsters really love hats. Nothing more needs to be said.
 * Shaggy Search Technique: Subverted by Agatha and Tarvek. These are super-genius Mad Scientists, after all!
 * Sharing a Body: have had the antagonistic version of this relationship since the latter's mind was transferred into the former. It was supposed to be a Grand Theft Me, as mentioned above, but it wasn't totally successful.
 * Shipper on Deck
 * Moloch (and practically everyone else) ships Agatha×Gil; Violetta ships Agatha×Tarvek (cue Ship-to-Ship Combat).
 * Then there are Zeetha, "Jäger girls", Jägers, the crowd...
 * Castle Heterodyne appears to ship 'em both. Really, it ships Agatha×Anything with a viable set of male reproductive organs, though it prefers guys who are strong, violent, and sparky.
 * Tarvek ships Higgs×Zeetha. Higgs' blush in the 2nd panel argues he's right.
 * Ship Tease: We get one between Zeetha and Higgs. Hell, they're even lampshading it!
 * Shirtless Scene: A fair number with Gil and Tarvek, and a few others (the Baron comes to mind). Tarvek did one long one wearing but a bedsheet, and Gil did a shorter scene wearing first just that, then... less. The battle of most skin exposed continues.
 * Shoot the Dog: Tarvek disabling and deactivating . Wooster nearly does this to Klaus but is interrupted.
 * Shoulders of Doom: Zeetha approves.
 * Shout-Out: Loads of them.
 * Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire - The very first page contains The Winslow. The plushie Winslow. Another encounter with The Winslow. Poiled Slurgs. Buck Godot T-shirt.
 * The wiki has a whole list of the ones to other Web Comics. In Mechanicsburg, there are signs advertising for "exotic Wapsi Square", an inn called Gunnerkrigg Court, Professor Milholland's "Something Positive" tonic, a certain Dominic Deegan ("Sees all, tells all") and "The Devil's Panties" lingerie, among others...
 * Baba Yaga and "we need the eggs".
 * Moxana is a shout out to both Moxon's Master and The Turk.
 * Castle Heterodyne is equipped with Happy Fun Balls.
 * This strip has several soldiers are attacked by a toothed trunk on legs with the words "The Amazing Pratchett" written on it.
 * Another Discworld shout out is in the commentary: "...kicking and screaming into the Century of the Fruitbat", hmm?
 * "Don't drink the wine!"
 * A fairly unsubtle reference to Gil rescuing Zola from "some overly dramatic maniac who lived in the Paris Opera House."
 * A skeleton of a giant spiky beast inside Castle Heterodyne was apparently a pet named Towser.
 * The Unstoppable Higgs' cap indicates he's a crewman on the ship Rozen Maiden.
 * When posing as Agatha's parents, Punch and Judy went under the names Adam and Lilith Clay.
 * Turning a dread castle into... a Dread Gazebo?
 * Martian Tripods in the Baron's flashback and one of Heterodynes' "My Vacation" picture.
 * One strip mentions an electric game with the little man and the gorilla. It also mentions a boat ride with singing dolls. What a small world it is.
 * One scene shows a sign for both an X-ray and a Purple Ray.
 * Crazy A.I. with SHODAN-like Dramatic Stutter.
 * "You don't expect a knife to sing opera, y'know?"
 * When Zola first shows up claiming to be the new Heterodyne daughter, Agatha complains about her being a terrible, cheesey actor. Zola's very next line? "Yonder lies the castle of my father!", allegedly a quote from The Black Shield of Falworth, which is generally considered one of the worst-delivered lines ever as the original actor had a very strong Bronx accent.
 * In this strip, Phil Foglio is shown singing The Beatles' "Ob-la-di, ob-la-da" with modified lyrics talking about oubliettes. Then, when the Jäger comes up through the floor, he asks "Nov shmoz ka-pop?"
 * "Ahoy there! Major Resetti, first subterranean mecha mole brigade!
 * One of Gil's paper doll outfits has a triforce symbol on the gauntlet.
 * Gil's valet shares a last name with the employer of the most famous gentleman's gentleman in fiction.
 * If one looks closely, it appears that Doctor McNinja has an office in the hospital at Mechanicsburg. Which... explains a lot.
 * Benjamin Rat appears in that same panel - and "Dr. Rothfuss" obviously goes by Patrick. (The Wise Man's Fear was published three days after that comic.)
 * A poster at the Science Fair here: "Planet Earth: A Scary Go Round we live on."
 * Klaus can kill you with the power of his mind.
 * Is that Teal'c?
 * Sir Dan?
 * Nod, the big-nosed caretaker.
 * A very obscure one: "I'm a genius! Ha! Take that, Brillat-Savarin!"
 * When Zeetha and Agatha check out armors, some of them look kind of familiar...

"Lapinemoth: A shovel? Ah! What can you do with a - *BWONG!*"
 * In the novelization, when Rivet shows Agatha her collection of tools, Agatha finds a sonic screwdriver.
 * "The Unseen Empire" - The Phantom Empire?
 * The Corbettite train "Wyrm of Limerick" is "the engine that made the Konigsberg Run in less than twelve kilometers!"
 * A recently introduced character is Lady Margolotta Selnikov. If the name isn't enough, her rather pale skin may make one think of a vampire....
 * Zeetha comes from the Lost City of Skifander. Remove one letter and shift another two spaces and you have "Iskander." One of Robert E. Howard's stories was first published under the title (not Howard's) "The Lost Valley of Iskander."
 * T'Otheron, Dragon King of Mars may be the Void Dragon (on Mars) from Warhammer 40000.
 * X the destroyer - possibly to this? After all, Teen Titans seem to visit a large bullseye on the ground without any obvious reason to do so.
 * Shovel Strike: Zeetha can do.

"General Zog: Ve haff a team of Jägerkin, Lackya, clenks and crew at each entry. Klaus Wulfenbach: Excellent. I'm pleased at the lack of rivalry. General Zog: Sir -- dere iz a time to twit nancy-boy feetsmen und a time to crush bogs."
 * Show Some Leg: Here, though apparently subverted on the next page.
 * Shutting Up Now: Two-part example involving Agatha and Moloch, in this strip.
 * "Shut Up" Kiss: here.
 * Sigil Spam
 * The Wulfenbach family signs everything, from their airships to their war machines to the smallest mechanical parts of Castle Wulfenbach.
 * The trilobite symbol of the Heterodynes is pretty much ubiquitous in Mechanicsburg.
 * It's the same with the Sturmvoraus family symbol in Sturmhalten.
 * Signed Up for the Dental: The lapinohemoths in the Weasel Queen filler.
 * Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids
 * Skewed Priorities
 * Locking children in vats and letting them out only for Christmas is a terrible thing, but only if you let the control group out.
 * Jägers with their Nice Hats. Subverted in that the Jägers (or at least their generals) know when to stop clowning around, as evidenced by this exchange:

"Krosp: Is this one of those situations that involves "ethics"? 'Cause I'm a cat, you know. I've never been very good at those."
 * Skilled but Naive: Vole claims that are this.
 * Sky Pirate: Any time pirates are mentionned in the story, they are of this kind, airships being a widespread commodity. Notably, Bangladesh DuPree and her crew.
 * Slasher Smile
 * The Jägermonsters' mouths open literally from ear to ear and are full of very big fangs.
 * Most Sparks pull off magnificent examples of this at least once when they're in their element.
 * Bangladesh DuPree seems to wear it professionally.
 * Zola develops an impressive Slasher Smile after taking the Movit #11.
 * Sleep Mask: Mama Gkika wears one at night.
 * The Smart Guy: Practically all of the characters are pretty smart. Krosp is an example of the rare GG smart guy who's also the Only Sane Man of the group.
 * Smooch of Victory: Agatha's idea of a fine way to celebrate exploding a giant writhing slug.
 * Snarky Non-Human Sidekick: Krosp

": But he's been missing for years. He's no threat-- (Beat) (nervous glances)
 * Soft Glass: Here.
 * Something Only They Would Say: Gil learns there are two alleged Heterodyne heirs in Mechanicsburg. One has made several speeches and then entered Castle Heterodyne. The other is in a coffee shop rebuilding their coffee machine (and causing several explosions in the process). It doesn't take him long to realize which one is Agatha.
 * Speak of the Devil: Discussed Trope.
 * Do you want him to show up?!
 * Ooh... So sorry, dear. I can't think what came over me!"

"R-71: Tsk. Even I know that was stupid. Wrenchman: Requiescat in pace and all that rot. Dibs on his boots!"
 * The Speechless: Punch ("Adam"). An early construct of the Heterodyne Brothers, he was unable to speak.
 * Spit Take
 * Agatha drops the bomb. Tarvek reacts accordingly.
 * Doctor Sun in the flashback panel.
 * Spontaneous Human Combustion: There's a disease (probably engineered by some Mad Scientist), "Hogfarb's resplendent immolation", that causes this effect. The body is filled with an incendiary substance, and in the end the victim will "go up like a torch".
 * Squick: An in-universe example of this is used by General Khrizhan to explain why Gil and Agatha being together is for the best: they can't exactly get their mad science on as long as Nobody will ever work as fast as those two will when they eventually twig on that. Incidentally, this also serves to keep the Unresolved Sexual Tension nice and unresolved, just the way the writers like it.
 * Later the sentiment is expressed by Tarvek, to the Jäger Generals' amuzement.
 * Squishy Wizard: Averted. For no explained reason, Sparks appear to be stronger, faster, better coordinated (okay, this one is more understandable), and tougher than any normal human. This isn't counting Sparks that may have modified themselves.
 * Staged Populist Uprising: The Knights of Jove conspirators like to claim they're doing it for the people.
 * Standard Female Grab Area: Subverted. "Snapper" Boikov tries it on Sanaa. Hilarity Ensues.

"Agatha: THANK YOU. For your HELP. Moloch: I-I'll just... Agatha: Shut up...? Moloch: Yes..."
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Violetta is of the opinion that Gil and Agatha's romance has a huge chance of going down in flames. Tarvek realizes she may have a point.
 * Steampunk: Everywhere. The authors prefer to call it "gaslamp fantasy" though, because of the presence of Frankenstein-esque constructs, giant slugs that produce zombie-making wasps, resurrection procedures, death rays, and time travel. Also "calming pies".
 * Stop Helping Me!
 * Gil as his friends "creatively" explain his plans and motivations to the people of Mechanicsburg, as seen in the fourth panel here, almost word-for-word.
 * And Agatha to Moloch, as seen in the last panel here.

"Bang: ...Seriously pathetic. Gil: I assure you, that table is purely for medical purpose. Bang: That's what I meant!"
 * Storm of Blades
 * An insane secondary kitchen in Castle Heterodyne uses this against Agatha twice. The storm includes not only knives, but forks, corkscrews and skewers.
 * Castle chases after a fleeing Zola with several sharp and dangerous implements, including a cheesegrater, candelabra, and a shoehorn.
 * Strapped to An Operating Table: Various incidents here and there -- this is a world run by mad scientists, after all.
 * Othar, by Klaus.
 * From a Heterodyne play: "You! Minion! Why am I strapped to this table? And WHERE ARE MY PANTS?!?
 * Tarvek and Gil have to be strapped to a table in this strip.
 * Gil does it to DuPree to have his hands free while doing Mad Science.

"We wish to extend our most sincere congratulations to Mr. Munroe! This is a heartfelt approbation! It is in no way any kind of attempt to lull him into a false sense of security -- as he jauntily strides about what he believes to be the oh-so-solid ground of your placid surface world!"
 * Stripperiffic
 * While a great many female characters don't seem to have a problem showing a little skin, the "Weasel Queen" shows a lot of it.
 * Zeetha spent some time roughing out in Mechanisburg and the Castle while wearing just a leather bikini and boots. But then again, it wasn't her fault.
 * Stuff Blowing Up: Sooo much shrapnelly goodness... Making things blow up that by all rights shouldn't seems like a mandatory side-effect of being a Spark.
 * "Hee hee. Death Ray go BOOM!"
 * Super Fun Happy Thing of Doom
 * Castle Heterodyne has several of these, including The Happy Fun Ball of Death and Fun-Sized Mobile Agony and Death Dispensers.
 * The Radio Theater Break has one, in the form of Ferretina's lightning generator, labeled "Zappy Fun Box MK 1."
 * Super Soldier
 * The Jägermonsters, who were created by the old "bad" Heterodynes as shock troops but then had to obey the "good" Heterodynes due to the oath of loyalty they take very seriously (though are still capable of breaking; look at Captain Vole). One of the ingredients of the Jägerbrau used to transform people into Jägers is water from the river Dyne, which Heterodynes are known for drinking and gaining superhuman strength as a result.
 * And don't forget Von Pinn. Or else.
 * And  is looking mighty super, recently...
 * Super Speed: The various Moveit tonics, while not exactly granting super speed, give people temporarily increased speed and energy with some implied physical toll later on. Half a bottle of Moveit #6 got on his feet for hours though he was fatally ill, and a few sips of Moveit #11 turned  from a reasonably good fighter into a crazy battle goddess.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Sheesh, who's adolescent slave-girl fantasies are we indulging here anyway? Not mine!
 * A page was devoted to the artists' visit to the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, and congratulating xkcd's creator Randall Munroe on beating them out for the best Graphic Story Hugo Award. The representation of colorist Cheyenne Wright proclaims:

"Agatha: Oh. Lars gets hysterical after a fight. It's hard to calm him down. (BONK!) Oggie: No, it ain't!"
 * Synchronization: Gil and Tarvek, thanks to the Si Vales Valeo procedure.
 * Take a Number: Part of the psychological torture room. "The torturer is now serving victim number 03." In a subversion, the distributor is out of numbers... Othar doesn't take it well.
 * Take a Third Option: Try an incredibly risky procedure with only stuff made for killing someone or take him to another hospital, which may or may not have the requisite stuff anyway? Alternatively...
 * Take Our Word for It: The titillating plot of The Socket Wench of Prague.
 * Take Over the World: Baron Wulfenbach has already taken over the world -- or at least the bulk of Europe, where the story is set -- by the time the story starts, and he never wanted to. There's a conspiracy that seems to be trying to do this for themselves, using as figurehead.
 * Taking You with Me: "... And even if it does, I won't go alone!"
 * Talking Is a Free Action: Gil takes a panel to rant about not being taken seriously -- in the middle of his fight with Vole.
 * Subverted later on. It turns out Vole remembered and decided not to let talking be a free action this time.
 * Tall Tale: The Heterodyne Boys tales.
 * Tap on the Head:

"Oggie: Dose tings? Dey don't look like much. Maxim: Oh, now hyu iz just asking for it."
 * Violetta administers one to Agatha to keep her from charging a juiced-up.
 * Tattooed Crook: DuPree's second-in-command
 * Tears of Remorse: Barry, in the flashback where he gave Agatha her locket.
 * Tempting Fate: Many instances here and there.

"Tarvek: Ah! Violetta! My little cloud of doom! Even you cannot dampen my spirits right now."
 * "It's just one little clank."
 * "Somebody's coming out! To surrender, I imagine."
 * "How much more trouble could it be?"
 * "Whelp, the day can't get any weirder!" For future reference, that is something you simply do not say in this story. Ever.
 * Tarvek should really know not to say such things, but:

""Well, then. A device he doesn't know about- hidden where he will not find it- in a safe he cannot open? I have more pressing things to worry about. Besides, if it was in hands, do you really think he'd just hand it to her?""
 * Clank!Anveka tempts fate rather horribly only two pages after the Author Avatar's "Whelp, the day can't get any weirder!" above.

""The castle spoke to him. It demanded to be repaired. One of the team members spoke against the idea. And the castle made it clear that it wasn't a request. It was then that they realized just how far it was to the door.""
 * Next page starts with handing the device in question to
 * Tenchi Solution: This is how the Castle thinks the love triangle should be solved. This may have been a Heterodyne pattern. "The Master's bedroom only sleeps six."
 * That Wasn't a Request:

"Tarvek: --loyal vassal?! Gil: ...and we're both "on Agatha's string!" Tarvek: Well... that I can live with!"
 * They Called Me Mad: Seems to be a Catch Phrase for mad scientists.
 * Parodied in the Cinderella omake, in which Agatha "showed them, showed them all."
 * Later, Agatha inspected herself in a small mirror which read on the back "You Will Show Them All."
 * And one of the shirts available says "FOOLS! I will destroy you all! Ask me how!"
 * They Look Like Us Now: The "stealth" revenants, only now being discovered.
 * This Is Gonna Suck: Often -- like this.
 * This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: ...or not.
 * Threesome Subtext: Agatha×Gil×Tarvek, ever so much, culminating in this exchange:

"DuPree: (zaps Abner) Now, are you going to cooperate, or... Payne: What do you want?! DuPree: Oh, right."
 * Through His Stomach: Snaug, on Moloch.
 * Throw a Barrel At It: Although it isn't technically "thrown", this is proof that even a Barrel can be Axe Crazy.
 * Too Dumb to Live
 * "Hello clank, are you a flowerpot?"
 * Special mention goes to X the destroyer who decided a big X on the ground within range of enemy ordnance was a good place to set up his tent. Admittedly, it was inadvertent Schmuck Bait in that case...
 * Sure, Mechanicsburg is a great place to grab a "pair of innocent hostages". Whom the pair promenading while the invaders are still surrendering should be.
 * Took a Level In Badass
 * Gil got lessons from Dr. Sun, Agatha from Zeetha, and Ardsley Wooster apparently had a few well-hidden under his belt.
 * Boris Dolokhov goes from being the Baron's amanuensis and being insulted by Jägermonsters to beating a Jägermonster until it was willing to give up classified information.
 * And Agatha has been steadily grinding her way up to a 20th level badass too.
 * Even Mauve Shirt Moloch has been doing well in Agatha's presences.
 * Too Kinky to Torture
 * Considering Von Pinn's suitors treat her beating the hell out of them as a come-on...
 * The one exception thus far may be Dolokhov's beating a Jäger until he talked.
 * Too Much Information: Tea cozy... only one spoon...
 * Torture First, Ask Questions Later: Oh, Bang.

"Gil: I'm the prince! I'm all tortured and driven by love! Tarvek: Feh. I'm the misunderstood one with the mysterious agenda. Muy sexy."
 * Training From Hell
 * "Thank you, Zeetha!"
 * Dr. Sun suggesting Gil needed a thrashing visibly scared him.
 * Tranquil Fury: The Oct. 18th, 20th, and 25th updates..
 * Translation Convention: Word of God and incidental writing in the background says that everything is actually in German and Romanian, translated for the benefit of the audience. Except, one presumes, when we're privy to Wooster's thoughts as English is presumably still the language of Britain.
 * Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Sparks during the "breakthrough" usually go crazy in a destructive way. Due to her uncle's tampering, in Agatha's case the "awakening" part happened when she was technically asleep.
 * Trope Overdosed: The comic actively uses genre conventions, and from more than one genre. Just look at the length of these pages. And it's still growing.
 * On a micro scale, this page of the comic is linked to about 7,000 times from TV Tropes. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it's a great page that nicely encapsulates the appeal of the comic as a whole.
 * Troper Critical Mass
 * Troubled but Cute: Lampshaded at the start of the Cinderella filler, when Gil and Tarvek argue over who's playing the story's prince:

"Moloch: Uh... that never works, you know..."
 * Truth in Television: Moxana is based upon the Mechanical Turk, an eighteen-century chess-playing automaton. The Turk was a hoax, operated by someone inside it, but
 * Truth Serum: The old Prince Sturmvoraus may have given Agatha a bit too much
 * Turned Against Their Masters: This happens every once in a while with Sparks' creations. The Sparks then inevitably order them to stand down, which ends as expected.


 * All the Tropes Wiki Drinking Game: November 2th's issue features Egregious Heterodyne. No, really.
 * Twisted Echo Cut: If the Mistress were here, she'd say... She really could.