Girl Genius/Tropes P-T

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

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Girl Genius provides examples of the following tropes:

P

• 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.

Boris: You see, Herr Baron. Entertaining, but harmless.

• • 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 Agatha drinks from the Dyne (when Higgs offers a cup of "water" to her.) She stops it before she explodes, however, by channeling the extra energy into the dying Gil and Tarvek, revitalizing them in the process.
  • After Zola 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.
• Pocket Protector: To the "Immortal Library" and its personnel, books are the ultimate in Serious Business, so they'll invert this.
• Politeness Judo: Getting Moloch to help in the kitchen.
• Poor Communication Kills: Subverted in some cases, played straight in others.
  • Agatha's possession by the Other 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 now that he's been wasped, and knows that talking would allow her to control him.
  • 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:

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!

• 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 is under the control of the Other, it becomes obvious that Gil will die without her help. So Agatha shrugs off the possession long enough to get the locket (mentioned above) on.

Agatha!Lucrezia: Ahahahano!

• 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 mind control devices.
  • 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....
  • Martellus' labs have multiple potential uses.

Agatha: (frantically straining against her restraints in an attempt to strangle Martellus) Martellus: (sarcastically) 'Oh Martellus, why does every laboratory you design have so many shackles?' I swear, people ask the stupidest questions.

• 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...

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.

• 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.

R

• 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.

Phil Foglio: Maybe we just won.

• • 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?"

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]!

• • 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
  • Airman Higgs is normally calm and unflappable, even when everything is going to hell. But stab his kinda-maybe love interest in the stomach and, well, things might get ugly.
  • Agatha, after Lars dies.
  • Don't let Tarvek even think that his cousin Violetta is dead, or something like this is going to happen.
• 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".

S

• Schizo-Tech: And how. Telegraph, radio, telephone? Nope. Motor cars? Only in Paris. 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.

DuPree: Oh my Gosh! I'd know that girlish scream anywhere!

• Screw Gun Safety: Panel 4.
  • And earlier, the Jägermonsters, though it's pretty in-character for them to try.

Jäger 1: Ho! Leedle recoil problem there, sir! Jäger 2: Pretty neat though, ya?

• Scrub: Invoked in Othar's log:

He was a dirty fighter, what with all that 'winning' all the time.

• 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: Lucrezia's secret lab has one, and she activates it. The cancellation of self-destruct is double subverted.
  • Queen Albia has generously provided a lavishly-equipped undersea laboratory dome for the Sparks of her College of Mysteries. It's self-contained and has every feature you could possibly want!

Agatha: The whole [dome]? Impressive. Is that to help concentrate resources and encourage interdisciplinary communication? Lord Womble: Oh yes, of course. But mostly it's so that if you Sparks come up with something insanely dangerous, we can blow the dome and get you all at once.

• • At the end of the arc the self-destruct is activated. The trope is subverted in that our heroes learn the hard way that escaping the dome "just in time" means you're still within the blast radius when the countdown ends. What you want to do is escape at least a minute before just in time.
• Seen It All: Hanging around Sparks for too long gets you this way. For example, this is Violetta's only reaction to realizing that Agatha's escape plan involves a swan-shaped sleigh hooked to a mechanical reindeer with concealed machine guns, and with the entire assembly intended to be airlifted to safety by flying robot pigs.

Violetta: You know what? Fine. Viva la weird. Let's go! Agatha: And if that doesn't work, I've got- Violetta: Beyond caring now! Let's go!

• • Or the reactions of those around when Agatha is maniacally rushing off towards a laboratory specifically devoted to producing "Abominations of Science".

Lord Womble: And that is my cue to get well away from here. Jolly good luck to the rest of you! Oggie: (wearily) Tenk hyu. Ve is used to it.

• 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: Agatha and Lucrezia 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 Anevka's clank. Wooster nearly does this to Klaus but is interrupted.
• Shoulders of Doom: Zeetha approves.
• Shovel Strike: Zeetha can do.

Lapinemoth: A shovel? Ah! What can you do with a - *BWONG!*

• 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.
• Side Bet: Volume 21, page 118:

Tarvek: Message from England. Martellus has slipped his leash. Gil: Already? Blue Fire! Tarvek: You know what that means -- Gil: Yes, yes! You win the bet!

• 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.
• Signature Colors:
  • Tarvek usually wears dark red and white.
  • Bang wears bright red (presumably to not look bad with blood, except in this case not her blood) and white.
  • Martellus has at least one light golden piece on him, sometimes clothed almost entirely in such hues.
  • Albia usually wears white, except her gardening suit (this may also serve to underscore the "unofficial" status of that audience).
  • Princess Neena may be in her pajamas, fancy dress for a theme ball or in pants, blouse, corset and jacket when going about her daily business… but the cloth is always slightly greenish blue, and accessories (if any) are bright golden.
• 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:

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.

• Skilled but Naive: Vole claims that Gil and Tarvek 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

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.

• 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.

Lucrezia!Zola: But he's been missing for years. He's no threat-- (Beat) (nervous glances) Lucrezia!Anevka: Do you want him to show up?! Lucrezia!Zola: Ooh... So sorry, dear. I can't think what came over me!

• • Even Gil gets into the act.

Gil: (walking down a hallway in Castle Wulfenbach and ranting) I've obviously made some miscalculation. But until I know what it is I'm missing, well... [Agatha] could be anywhere!. I mean, theoretically, she could be hiding right behind this door!. (Gil and Bang look at each other for a wordless beat, then Gil turns and yanks open the closet door.) Bang: This girl is so messing with your head.

• The Speechless: Punch ("Adam"). An early construct of the Heterodyne Brothers, he was unable to speak. Until Gil extensively repaired both Punch and Judy, granting Punch speech.
• Spit Take
  • Agatha drops the bomb. Tarvek reacts accordingly.
  • Doctor Sun in the flashback panel.
  • One of the most awesome of all time, when Aldin Hoffman blasts through the bottom of the mug he was drinking from. Maybe it was a paper cup, but even so....
• 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 the Other, Agatha's mother, is still inside Agatha's head and possibly sensate. 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.

R-71: Tsk. Even I know that was stupid. Wrenchman: Requiescat in pace and all that rot. Dibs on his boots!

• 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.

Agatha: THANK YOU. For your HELP. Moloch: I-I'll just... Agatha: Shut up...? Moloch: Yes...

• 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.

Bang: ...Seriously pathetic. Gil: I assure you, that table is purely for medical purpose. Bang: That's what I meant!

• 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 Airman Higgs 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 Tarvek on his feet for hours though he was fatally ill, and a few sips of Moveit #11 turned Zola from a reasonably good fighter into a crazy battle goddess. And then Airman Higgs shows us all what super speed really is.
• 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:

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!

• Synchronization: Gil and Tarvek, thanks to the Si Vales Valeo procedure.

T

• 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...
  • Did your attempt to bluff through an embarassing accident backfire and now you face the dilemna of either disobeying a royal command or showing up looking like an idiot? Why not hire the most skilled confectioner in town to create a much better-looking version of 'candy hair' instead?
• 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 Tarvek 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:

Agatha: Oh. Lars gets hysterical after a fight. It's hard to calm him down. (BONK!) Oggie: No, it ain't!

• • Violetta administers one to Agatha to keep her from charging a juiced-up Zola.
• 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.

Oggie: Dose tings? Dey don't look like much. Maxim: Oh, now hyu iz just asking for it.

• • "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:

Tarvek: Ah! Violetta! My little cloud of doom! Even you cannot dampen my spirits right now.

• • Clank!Anveka tempts fate rather horribly only two pages after the Author Avatar's "Whelp, the day can't get any weirder!" above.

"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?"

• • • Next page starts with Tarvek handing the device in question to The Other.
• 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:

"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."

• 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.
  • Not that it doesn't end up happening that way, anyway.
• Threesome Subtext: Agatha×Gil×Tarvek, ever so much, culminating in this exchange:

Tarvek: --loyal vassal?! Gil: ...and we're both "on Agatha's string!" Tarvek: Well... that I can live with!

• 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.
• Title Drop: It only took eighteen years (real time) to get one in the main story line.
• 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.

DuPree: (zaps Abner) Now, are you going to cooperate, or... Payne: What do you want?! DuPree: Oh, right.

• 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. Though, with that little slip, it might be a matter of time before Higgs goes nuclear.
• 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.
• Trash Landing: Eotain here.
• 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:

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.

• 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 Moxana is a real version.
• 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.

Moloch: Uh... that never works, you know...

• 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.

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