Lost in Time Series

Lost in Time: Origins is a fanfiction series set in the Ice Age world by thelonemongrel.

The series begins with the fittingly titled Lost in Time: Origins, which sets forth the events of the main characters Frank and his wife Claire, their son Ben, and his sister Sam and her husband Terry, along with a few minor characters as they find themselves stranded in the Ice Age, coming across the herd as they try to escape the clutches of the villainous Not Quite Dead Soto as their bonds deepen with their new animals friends and revelations come to the surface, threatening nearly everything Frank and Manny hold dear.

The sequel to the first story released on February 6th, 2012, and is called Lost in Time: Yesterday's Child and it details what has become of the herd twelve years later and what has happened with them since the events that made them national and across timelines heroes in Origins but a new threat - and one that hits close to home, especially for Manny - has struck as they return to the Bredelands, Manny's old home that was foreshadowed in Origins since the humanity of the original film has fled south, into the Bredelands and is causing trouble for the animal residents. The herd soon finds themselves trapped on the verge of war, forced to choose between their own survival... and the survival of the human race. Stay tuned for further developments and more additions to its folder on this page as the story really gets into the action!

An anticipated five other stories are due to become a part of this series, starting with Lost in Time: Yesterday's Child (now released and with four chapters), which is then to be followed by To Kill a King and then the fourth story, Ghosts of Future Past and then after that, the fifth story, Harbinger, and then the sixth story and the finale, Journey's End. Come along on the journey and experience an adventure filled with sacrifice, loyalty and excitement!

Lost in Time: Origins

 * Action Fic Quiet Drama Scene: The scenes of chapter twenty-eight
 * Action Girl: Sam Howard is implied to be one in Origins and the spin-off Destiny confirms it.
 * Action Mom: Claire, even though she is not comfortable with guns or warfare at all, she will come to the aid of her family if needed in that way if worst comes to worst. See her actions in
 * And This Is For:
 * Alternate Universe Fic:
 * Apocalypse Wow:
 * Arc Words: "A herd will survive."
 * Anachronism Stew: The bases - fusion-powered trucks yet levers for lifts.
 * Ascended Extra: Hudson, the dire wolf.
 * Author Catchphrase: "Brave New World" has become a refrain as the story reaches its climax. Also doubles as a Shout-Out/To Shakespeare.
 * Badass: Frank, Terry, Buck, Diego... even Sid takes a level in badass!
 * Battle Couple: Terry Daniels and Sam Howard.
 * Big Bad: Soto in Origins. Another Bigger Bad is already being foreshadowed though...
 * Big Badass Battle Sequence:
 * Big "What?": Diego says this after he asks why Frank had this expedition come here, and
 * Big No:
 * Breakout Character: Hudson, and to a lesser extent, Sam and Terry.
 * Character Development: All of the major characters (Frank, Terry, Manny and Sid especially) have grown during their experiences in the story.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Over and over again, but for some reason readers don't catch them.
 * A blatant Chekhov's Gun that everyone missed is the fact that the dire wolf James Hudson has
 * Chess Motifs:
 * Cigarette of Anxiety: Terry Daniels does this when he's feeling the strain of his choices and so he smokes to try and relieve his nervousness about them in chapter ten before Frank confronts him to learn the truth about why he sided with Soto.
 * Crapsack World:
 * Cliff Hanger: Many, and done very well.
 * Curse Cut Short: Frank in chapter twenty-nine "Minutes to Midnight pt 2" as he is cut off from saying "sh-". Terry cuts short another curse as he shoots his gun into the cave where his nephew Ben and Peaches are hiding, realising his mistake and trying hard not to injure them.
 * Creator Provincialism: All of the main characters, bar one, are English, and the major background to the story that is detailed below is set in England/London, and the creator's knowledge of London and England actually lends a strong sense of realism to the story and one of the reasons why you eventually bond with the characters because their backstories in "the Troubles" have made them very human to readers.
 * Cryptic Background Reference:
 * Darker and Edgier: In comparison to much of the Ice Age fanfiction fare available, which is Lighter and Fluffier.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Frank, Sam, and Hudson. Mark also counts.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Hudson, and how. Also Frank and Terry, and at times, Sam.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: Fort Halstead translates to "Fort Fortress."
 * Description Cut: In chapter twenty-three "The Tunnel" this occurs between Manny and Ellie in a conversation, wondering how the others are doing. Ellie responds that they must be doing fine.
 * Determinator: Frank Howard and his sister Sam. They will let nothing discourage them from their purposes, whatever they may be.
 * Doorstopper: As of chapter 35, the fanfic is now the equivalent of a 500 page novel - and the story isn't even finished yet! Currently, the fic is 197,174 words long complete, definitely a short Doorstopper but still the longest story in the archive. Word of God intends for the sequel Lost in Time: Yesterday's Child to be shorter in length (though still long).
 * Drowning My Sorrows:
 * Evil Plan: Soto, Soto, Soto.
 * Family-Unfriendly Violence: This story has loads of it, with events like two young children nearly being killed in an ambush led by Terry, and the implications of genocide as
 * Family-Unfriendly Death:
 * Famed in Story: The Sub-Zero Heroes's herd.
 * Fan Art: The story does have some - namely a movie-poster creation and concept art which doubles both as fanart and as material for the fanmade animation (made with the same animation equipment that helped create the first Ice Age film!) that is in production currently.
 * Fanfic: And there is a Fanfic of the Fanfic, something that has never ever happened in the Ice Age fandom archive before.
 * Fever Dream Episode: Frank has at least two.
 * Fire-Forged Friends: This is what happens after Terry and his group mutinies against Soto and joins the herd...
 * Flash Back: Used to show the disastrous effects of the Troubles, and was one of the first times to actually allude to them, creating a Cryptic Background Reference.
 * Foreshadowing: Loads of it, notably with the character of Hudson.
 * Future Me Scares Me: Inversion, it's Frank's earlier self that he encounters during his FeverDreamEpisodes that scares him, not his future and/or present self - although he still carries with him the guilt of
 * Genre Busting: This story could be categorized as sci-fi - adventure - spiritual - action - mystery - fantasy - drama - suspense - hurt/comfort, but since the site only allows two categories, it is only classified as sci-fi/adventure, although it clearly is not just that. This story is in fact a major Genre Busting story for the Ice Age fandom in and of itself. It has also had major influence in creating a subgenre of sci-fi stories taking place within the Ice Age in the fandom archive, but this story still remains the best out of all of them.
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: The incident with the time machine, the Troubles.
 * Gosh Dang It to Heck: Terry averts this trope to hell and back.
 * Happily Married: All the main couples, from Frank and Claire to Sam and Terry to canon couple Manny and Ellie. (Known within the fandom as "Mellie.")
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * Held Gaze: Twice in Chapter thirty, "The Wages of Sin".
 * Hidden Depths: Terry once he makes his Heel Face Turn. For one thing, his Sickeningly Sweethearts behavior in relation to Sam becomes all the more prominent.
 * Hypothetical Casting: If this were a live-action film, Clive Owen would be Frank Howard, Marion Cotillard would be Claire Howard, Adam Baldwin would be Terry Daniels, and Sam Daniels would be Keira Knightley.
 * Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Terry Daniels and the petite Sam Howard.
 * Insistent Terminology: Provides much of the humour with Manny, especially the Callbacks to the movies that involve his statement, "I'm not fat. It's this fur."
 * Likewise, Frank seems to keep using phrases that mean "It can wait"
 * It Gets Worse: The latter half of Origins.
 * The phrase is actually stated by Manny in chapter twenty-seven "The Best-Laid Plans of Mice And Men."
 * Jerkass: Terry before his Heel Face Turn.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Terry and Hudson.
 * Lampshade Hanging:
 * Literary Allusion Title: Several, notably chapter twenty-seven "The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men" taken from the Robert Burns poem, chapter thirty-two, "Once More Onto the Breach" William Shakespeare, Henry V, "Faust" mentioned in chapter seventeen, and
 * Loads and Loads of Characters: Just in the main cast, there is the canon characters, Frank and his wife Claire and their son Ben, Sam and Terry, Hudson, Nigel and Charlie, and don't forget Mark.
 * Made of Explodium: The bases, and how!
 * TV Tropes Made of Win Archive: Most definitely!
 * Meaningful Name: Samantha, Sam's Howard's full name, means "Heard by God" and is the feminine version of the name Samuel, and tis a good indicator of the type of person she is - the sole Christian in the cast . Her husband Terry, short for Terrence, also has a name fraught with import: his name means "maybe soft, maybe tender," a hint at his Hidden Depths and kindness beneath the Jerkass Facade that he shows the audience at first.
 * Mind Screw: The time travel element is well thought out, causing some readers' heads to spin...
 * Mood Whiplash:
 * More Than Meets the Eye: Sid, Terry, Sam, Claire.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Terry, Frank, Manny, Diego.
 * Mysterious Past: Hudson.
 * My God, What Have I Done?:
 * Narrative Profanity Filter: Occasionally used, more often than not averted.
 * Non-Linear Character:
 * Not Quite Dead: Soto, and he's back for Revenge. Or so it appears...
 * Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Both versions of the trope have been employed at least twice.
 * Oh Crap: Said by Frank in chapter nineteen "The Complex pt 2" of Origins. And several times after that chapter, and a bit before... doubles as another Author Catchphrase.
 * One of the Boys: Sam Howard, who is obviously more comfortable in the company of her husband Terry and the other men, and is not afraid to stand alongside her husband in battle, and who is certainly not adverse to handling weaponry, unlike her sister-in-law Claire Howard, who only uses weapons to defend her family, whereas Sam likes the feel of a gun and is much more comfortable employing them. She even is upset that she wasn't with Frank's half of the herd because if she'd been with them, she would have had the opportunity of being part of a gun fight!
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner:
 * Opposites Attract: Terry and Sam, and to a lesser extent, Manny and Ellie (at least according to Canon).
 * Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Sam Daniels and Claire Howard both have dark hair and light skin, making them this trope.
 * Recursive Fanfiction: The spin-off story Lost In Time: Destiny written as a birthday present for the author of Lost in Time: Origins.Tis still in progress even though Origins itself is now complete.
 * The Reveal:
 * Revenge: Soto's shtick, or so it seems...
 * Retcon: Quite a few examples, both in-universe and out.
 * Rounded Character: Frank, Terry, Sam, Claire.
 * Rule of Cool: Well, it's a valid reason for why a truck can still run despite it
 * Running Gag: Frank's Insistent Terminology of "It can wait," which he uses to avoid giving straight answers. This also provides some humour for the middle of the story when things beginning turning dark to alleviate the tone somewhat.
 * Sickeningly Sweethearts: This is how Sam and Terry usually act around each other, although they are rather restrained about it despite their touchy-feely behavior around each other, in comparison to Frank and Claire, who are not as open with their feelings as they are. It might have something to do with Sam and Terry being a Battle Couple, though....
 * Show, Don't Tell: A notable aspect about Origins, with very clear-cut, "see-able" images that are reminiscent of watching a movie instead of reading a fanfiction.
 * Shown Their Work: One valid reason why the time travel elements in the story are so MindScrewy.
 * Shout-Out / Call Back: There are many references made to the Ice Age movies along with many historical/literary allusions.
 * One line has a reference to Back to The Future, a movie notable for its emphasis on Time Travel, as a subtle nod of sorts. One mustn't forget the notable LiteraryAllusionTitles as well.
 * Word of God credits the film V for Vendetta for being a major inspiration for the dystopian London of the Troubles flashbacks.
 * Something That Begins With Boring: Diego and Buck play this game to pass the time while they wait it out in chapter twenty-nine "Minutes to Midnight Pt 1".
 * Spirited Young Lady: Sam Howard.
 * Sure Why Not: Word of God has admitted that the characters got Retconned after Fanon saw them as a different nationality, altering them slightly from being American to British.
 * Time Travel: A major plot point in fact, and Timey-Wimey Ball is even allowed to be employed to truly
 * Time Travel Tropes:
 * Tempting Fate:
 * Took a Level in Badass: Sid, and how! It even causes him to return back to the Sid of the original movie, which is a pleasant, and refreshing surprise.
 * Tomboy: Sam Howard.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Sam Howard and Claire Howard. One is a biologist who hangs out often with the men, whereas the other is a botanist who derives pleasure from standing along her husband supportively and taking care of their son, Ben.
 * Those Two Guys: Nigel and Charlie.
 * True Companions: The humans eventually form one with the herd, starting with Frank and his family and later the herd (with Claire and Ben) forge a bond
 * Troperiffic: And this is only the beginning!
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: This trope typifies the relationship between Terry and Frank.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Frank and his father, Christopher Howard.
 * What Could Have Been: Word of God says that these are only a few of the WhatCouldHaveBeens
 * 1. Terry was intended to become a Complete Monster, who came completely under Soto's thumb after Sam is killed/he kills Sam/he engineers it so that Sam is killed (ideas vary)
 * 2. Time travel as a plot was non existent in the original draft of the plot, nor was the Meltdown Valley. Whilst Glacier Pass still featured, it bore no resemblance to the hellhole it had become, and in fact was completely untouched.
 * 3. Hudson and Mark didn't exist in the original draft.
 * 4. The story was initially intended to be, at most, about 19 chapters and about 20,000 words.
 * 5.
 * 7. One early draft for chapter eighteen "The Complex pt 1" had a massive argument break out between Manny and Frank that tore the herd and the expedition apart from each other. This was dropped after Word of God couldn't find a reason why they would ever reunite.
 * 8. Hudson was originally intended to be a One-Scene Wonder, appearing in chapters seventeen-eighteen, and then appearing at the end briefly...this was promptly dropped as Hudson proved too...interesting...to assign to such a minor role.
 * 9. An initial idea for chapter twenty-two "Escape from Meltdown Valley" had the roles reversed for the two parts of the herd; the truck would have stayed topside whilst the rest would have jumped into the ship, plunging into the depths. this was very quickly dropped after it became obvious that no one would survive such a fall without many serious injuries...
 * 10.
 * Wham! Line:
 * Tempting Fate:
 * Took a Level in Badass: Sid, and how! It even causes him to return back to the Sid of the original movie, which is a pleasant, and refreshing surprise.
 * Tomboy: Sam Howard.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Sam Howard and Claire Howard. One is a biologist who hangs out often with the men, whereas the other is a botanist who derives pleasure from standing along her husband supportively and taking care of their son, Ben.
 * Those Two Guys: Nigel and Charlie.
 * True Companions: The humans eventually form one with the herd, starting with Frank and his family and later the herd (with Claire and Ben) forge a bond
 * Troperiffic: And this is only the beginning!
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: This trope typifies the relationship between Terry and Frank.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Frank and his father, Christopher Howard.
 * What Could Have Been: Word of God says that these are only a few of the WhatCouldHaveBeens
 * 1. Terry was intended to become a Complete Monster, who came completely under Soto's thumb after Sam is killed/he kills Sam/he engineers it so that Sam is killed (ideas vary)
 * 2. Time travel as a plot was non existent in the original draft of the plot, nor was the Meltdown Valley. Whilst Glacier Pass still featured, it bore no resemblance to the hellhole it had become, and in fact was completely untouched.
 * 3. Hudson and Mark didn't exist in the original draft.
 * 4. The story was initially intended to be, at most, about 19 chapters and about 20,000 words.
 * 5.
 * 7. One early draft for chapter eighteen "The Complex pt 1" had a massive argument break out between Manny and Frank that tore the herd and the expedition apart from each other. This was dropped after Word of God couldn't find a reason why they would ever reunite.
 * 8. Hudson was originally intended to be a One-Scene Wonder, appearing in chapters seventeen-eighteen, and then appearing at the end briefly...this was promptly dropped as Hudson proved too...interesting...to assign to such a minor role.
 * 9. An initial idea for chapter twenty-two "Escape from Meltdown Valley" had the roles reversed for the two parts of the herd; the truck would have stayed topside whilst the rest would have jumped into the ship, plunging into the depths. this was very quickly dropped after it became obvious that no one would survive such a fall without many serious injuries...
 * 10.
 * Wham! Line:
 * You Shall Not Pass:
 * Walkie-Talkie Static: Shows up in
 * Walkie-Talkie Static: Shows up in

Lost in Time: Yesterday's Child

 * Arc Words:
 * Bad Liar: Regent William is seen by the herd as one as he poorly tries to make up a reason for why he was late in meeting them to show them the history of the Bredelands.
 * Chess Motifs:
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome: The herd members - Manny, Ellie, Frank, Claire, Ben, Diego, Mark, Buck and Sid and the possums have had to take on a lot of responsibility within their own valley that they live and as the Guardians, but because of  the sequence at the Barrowboy and The Banker illustrates how much of a toil this is causing all the herd members, human and animal alike.
 * Cool Old Lady: Justice Helen Johnson.
 * Cool Old Guy: Manny's best friend from his earlier days, now Regent of the Bredelands, William.
 * Continuity Nod:
 * Drowning My Sorrows:
 * Famed in Story: The actions of the  in Origins have turned them   as of the opening of Yesterday's Child. Frank, however, is still not comfortable with this, and neither is Manny himself.
 * Foreshadowing:
 * Genius Ditz: Sid, who
 * Grammar Nazi: Frank is implied to be one when thinking to himself that he should also teach the members of the herd grammar along with basic economics when Ellie fails to understand what a "tab" is.
 * I'm Standing Right Here: Sid says this with annoyance both in chapter two and in chapter five when the herd is returning home to the Bredelands.
 * In Medias Res: How the story opens, with all the events taking a back seat to the fact that Frank and Mark and the herd is being called upon to testify at a military tribunal about the events that occurred in the Bredelands.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure:
 * Nightmare Sequence:
 * Sequel: To the popular Lost in Time: Origins. How do you know this story is popular in the Ice Age fandom? It's the only one with Recursive Fanfiction and Lost in Time: Origins has a record 224 reviews with more coming as fans finish reviewing the story before moving on to the Sequel. It also has fanart and a fanmade animation set up for it. (For more details, see above at Fan Art) You can bet like hell that this story is popular for its well-written characterisations and intricate plot hinged upon mature themes, and the sequel should soon gain the same story and popularity mass as the original did, since these stories have quality.
 * Shout-Out: Manny being tossed off the side of a cliff by  for seeing and overhearing something he wasn't supposed to know is an obvious Shout-Out to the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. In fact the scene is inspired by   in book one, A Game of Thrones.
 * Time Skip: The Sequel takes place a decade and two years after the events that transpired in Lost in Time: Origins. By this time, the younger members of the cast, i.e. Peaches, Mark, and Ben, are much older, with Peaches being around the age of twelve, and Mark and Ben around the age of twenty-two or twenty-three, as confirmed by Word of God.
 * Title Drop: In the second chapter "Cordially Invited", as a bird - a messenger - repeats these words verbatim of Regent Elder William to the herd.
 * Shout-Out: Manny being tossed off the side of a cliff by  for seeing and overhearing something he wasn't supposed to know is an obvious Shout-Out to the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. In fact the scene is inspired by   in book one, A Game of Thrones.
 * Time Skip: The Sequel takes place a decade and two years after the events that transpired in Lost in Time: Origins. By this time, the younger members of the cast, i.e. Peaches, Mark, and Ben, are much older, with Peaches being around the age of twelve, and Mark and Ben around the age of twenty-two or twenty-three, as confirmed by Word of God.
 * Title Drop: In the second chapter "Cordially Invited", as a bird - a messenger - repeats these words verbatim of Regent Elder William to the herd.