Jewel of Darkness: Difference between revisions

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An [[Alternate Universe Fic]], it diverges from canon when Raven is banished to Earth not as a teenager trained in her powers, but as a child who has only just come into her powers and has next to no control over them. Treated with disdain by humanity and forced to live on the streets, she eventually catches the interest of Slade, who takes her in and raises her as his daughter and apprentice. Years later, the newly formed Teen Titans find themselves facing the threat of the mysterious villainess known as Midnight...

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=== This story provides examples of: ===

* [[Achilles Heel]]: Razor is very vulnerable to Cyborg's sonic attacks, due to her heightened sense of hearing.

* [[Affably Evil]]: Guerra is a pretty friendly person when he's not hired to fight you, and even then he's rather polite, complimenting people who he views as putting up a good fight.

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* [[The Chessmaster]]: The leader of the White Glove conspiracy is a literal one, as we at one point see him playing with {{spoiler|[[Vandal Savage]]}}, who reminds him to be careful, because people aren't as predictable as a chess game.

** Meanwhile, in a flashback of Beast Boy's, it's shown that Mento has a great distaste for people like this.

* [[Cold Blooded Torture]]: {{spoiler|Midnight captures Robin and sticks him in a "pain matrix" in order to psychologically break him beyond even Batman's ability to heal him.}}

* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: {{spoiler|Midnight captures Robin and sticks him in a "pain matrix" in order to psychologically break him beyond even Batman's ability to heal him.}}

* [[Collapsing Lair]]: After Midnight is defeated at the end of the first story arc, {{spoiler|Slade rescues her}} and triggers the lair's [[Self Destruct Mechanism]] to cover their escape. Beast Boy lampshades it as it happens.

* [[Collapsing Lair]]: After Midnight is defeated at the end of the first story arc, {{spoiler|Slade rescues her}} and triggers the lair's [[Self-Destruct Mechanism]] to cover their escape. Beast Boy lampshades it as it happens.

** This gets a [[Call Back]] in the first chapter of the second arc, when the mine they're fighting in starts to collapse from Terra's power overload, and Beast Boy complains about them not having even beaten her yet (of course, Midnight's quick to point out that it's not her doing).

* [[Combined Energy Attack]]: The Titans finish Midnight off in their climatic fight by hitting her with a combination of all their ranged attacks (Beast Boy complains about not being in on it).

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* [[Crazy Prepared]]: After the Red X incident, Cyborg calls Robin out on having a way to take down each of the Titans, comparing it to how Batman supposedly has ways to take down every known hero.

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: Midnight vs the Titans, every time they fight, is always in her favor, including the climatic one in her lair, {{spoiler|until Starfire's [[Berserk Button]] is pushed, at which point Midnight ends up on the receiving end}}.

* [[~~Daddys~~ Little Villain]]: Raven's attitude towards Slade.

* [[Daddy's Little Villain]]: Raven's attitude towards Slade.

* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: We get a glimpse of Jinx's in the "Fear" chapter; apparently, she fell in with a gang that tried to sell her talents to some villain group, and when it failed the gang leader cut her eye out for messing up his reputation.

* [[Dark Fic]]: Not quite yet, but well on its way to becoming one.

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* [[Flying Broomstick]]: Jinx eventually settles on one of these as her method of transport, after enchanting literally everything else and having it blow up her face.

* [[Gadgeteer Genius]]: Cyborg, naturally. And Midnight, of the [[Evil Genius]] variety.

* [[Green Eyed Monster]]: This is setting up to be a major source of conflict between Mindnight and Terra.

* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: This is setting up to be a major source of conflict between Mindnight and Terra.

* [[Go Karting With Bowser]]: Raven and Cyborg's car races; of course, as [[Friendly Enemy]] above shows, only one side is aware of it.

* [[Government Conspiracy]]: Mad Mod was originally the head of the British Institute for the Prevention of Metahuman Crisis, a secret agency dedicated to "[[Brainwashing for The Greater Good|rehabilitating]]" Meta- and Super-criminals in order to prevent them from threatening British society. Then his peers found out he was planning on doing the same to key members of the government in order to take over the country, forcing him to go on the run.

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** Cyborg also brings this trope up when the Titans are considering walking into what appears to be a trap; Beast Boy doesn't seem to quite get it.

* [[I Lied]]: {{spoiler|After Midnight's defeat, Slade tricks [[The Starscream|Ai]] into thinking he'll let her serve him, then runs her through; this is his response to her final protest.}}

* [[~~Its~~ Personal]]: Surprisingly averted between Cyborg and Midnight; he refuses to get his feelings over her killing his father involved in their fight, and is mad at Robin for making things personal.

* [[It's Personal]]: Surprisingly averted between Cyborg and Midnight; he refuses to get his feelings over her killing his father involved in their fight, and is mad at Robin for making things personal.

** Interestingly, Midnight is the one who insists on making her rivalry with Robin personal, since she views them as [[Not So Different]], and wants to prove she's better than him.

* [[Just Between You and Me]]: Midnight explains to Robin exactly what she's been planning throughout the first story arc, but she makes sure he's completely at her mercy when she does so.

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* [[Mega Corp]]: The ARES Group, Slade's weapons manufacturer company, that he and Raven run under their public identities.

* [[The Messiah]]: Superman's status as the world's savior has apparently reached the point where people are actually ''building religions around him.''

* [[Mid Season Upgrade]]: At the beginning of the second arc, Midnight gets a new set of armor made from {{spoiler|Ai's remains}}, which seem naturally capable of reflecting Jinx's hex magic.

* [[Mid-Season Upgrade]]: At the beginning of the second arc, Midnight gets a new set of armor made from {{spoiler|Ai's remains}}, which seem naturally capable of reflecting Jinx's hex magic.

** After their encounter with Mad Mod, Jinx decides to upgrade her magic skills, as she's starting to see herself as [[The Load]]. This apparently includes a new costume.

* [[Mind Rape]]: How Mad Mod's "reeducation" skills are presented in-universe, especially when he's probing Jinx's mind {{spoiler|for information on the White Glove.}}

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** Robin realizes that despite his attempts to be different from Batman's stricter method of heroism, he's really still very much like him.

* [[Oh Crap]]: Robin's literal reaction when he realizes Midnight's returned at the beginning of the second arc.

* [[One Man Army]]: Guerra, Susano, Mammoth, Starfire, and arguably Midnight and the other Titans.

* [[One-Man Army]]: Guerra, Susano, Mammoth, Starfire, and arguably Midnight and the other Titans.

* [[OOC Is Serious Business]]: At the end of the first story arc, Beast Boy, of all people, rallies the Titans together to {{spoiler|save Robin from Midnight}} on their own, without having to ask the Justice League for help. Afterwards, he wonders if he can still get away with being the [[Comic Relief]] after the display of seriousness.

** There's also Starfire when she gets mad (especially during the big fight in Midnight's lair) -- when this normally happy-go-lucky girl gets pissed at you, ''run.''

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* [[Punch Clock Villain]]: Guerra only fights the Titans because Midnight pays him to. As soon as their contract expires, he loses all interest in them (except [[Worthy Opponent|Cyborg]])

* [[Punny Name]]: Ai, which is obviously [[AI]] pronounced as a single word.

* [[The Reason You Suck Speech]]: Cyborg and Jinx each give one to Robin after the Red X incident, though Jinx's is a bit more poignant, as she's calling Robin for his hypocrisy -- he doesn't trust Jinx because she isn't completely forthcoming with her past, and then he goes and lies to and uses the Titans.

* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: Cyborg and Jinx each give one to Robin after the Red X incident, though Jinx's is a bit more poignant, as she's calling Robin for his hypocrisy -- he doesn't trust Jinx because she isn't completely forthcoming with her past, and then he goes and lies to and uses the Titans.

* [[Red Eyes Take Warning]]: As per canon, Raven's eyes turn red whenever her demon side takes over. {{spoiler|Likewise with Ai.}}

** Starfire's eyes (and starbolts) turn red when she enters an [[Unstoppable Rage]].

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* [[Robot Me]]: Like Slade, Midnight creates duplicates of herself, including one that develops self-awareness (that would be Ai).

* [[Sanity Slippage]]: Midnight starts to suffer from a mild case of this at the climax of the first arc, due to a combination of stress, nightmare/vision-induced insomnia, and {{spoiler|Ai's prodding}}.

* [[Sarcastic Clapping]]: After Cyborg gives Midnight a brief [[The Reason You Suck Speech]] just prior to the big fight, she replies with a slow, mocking clap and a promise to put his heartfelt speech on the Internet in memoriam. {{spoiler|The mock clapping Slade gives the Titans when they beat her puts her clapping to shame.}}

* [[Sarcastic Clapping]]: After Cyborg gives Midnight a brief [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] just prior to the big fight, she replies with a slow, mocking clap and a promise to put his heartfelt speech on the Internet in memoriam. {{spoiler|The mock clapping Slade gives the Titans when they beat her puts her clapping to shame.}}

** Mad Mod does this as well {{spoiler|in his "[[We Will Meet Again]]" message to Robin.}}

* [[Self Made Orphan]]: It seems Terra accidentally killed her family when her powers emerged, in response to her stepfather's abuse.

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** During one of the [[World Building]] chapters, we see the President talking with his advisors. One of the things they discuss is the case of a Metahuman girl with spider-like abilities, who is the daughter of a Congressman. The Congressman's name? [[Spider-Man|Parker.]]

** There are several references to [[Grant Morrisons Batman (Comic Book)|Grant Morrison's run on Batman]].

** The title of the chapter where Mad Mod first appears contains a reference to ''[[A Clockwork Orange (Film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', which was the [[Star Making Role]] for Mod's voice actor [[Malcolm McDowell]].

** The title of the chapter where Mad Mod first appears contains a reference to ''[[A Clockwork Orange (Film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', which was the [[Star-Making Role]] for Mod's voice actor [[Malcolm McDowell]].

* [[Skeletons in The Coat Closet]]: {{spoiler|Following Ai's betrayal, and subsequent execution by a vengeful Slade, Midnight takes to wearing her remnants as armor.}}

{{quote| {{spoiler|"It used to be a backstabbing friend of mine. I think it's put to better use here," Midnight remarked, extinguishing the aura and stepping back to turn and face both Titans.}}<br />

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* [[Superman Stays Out of Gotham]]: This trope is deliberately invoked by the Titans, who absolutely refuse to ever call the Justice League for help, as they figure doing so would mean they can't take care of themselves and need the big time heroes to take care of them. The only times they consider asking for help is when the HIVE trio seemingly kill Robin and take control of the Tower, and when {{spoiler|Midnight kidnaps Robin}}. The first time, Robin comes back and regroups them, and the second time, Beast Boy rallies them together (see [[OOC Is Serious Business]] above).

** After the latter example, Robotman calls Beast Boy out on this being a stupid attitude to have for a superhero.

* [[Super Powered Evil Side]]: Well, more like Superpowered ''Eviler'' Side. It seems that without having been trained to control her emotions, Raven has less control over her demon half, and it occasionally manages to take over, if only for a few moments at a time.

* [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]: Well, more like Superpowered ''Eviler'' Side. It seems that without having been trained to control her emotions, Raven has less control over her demon half, and it occasionally manages to take over, if only for a few moments at a time.

* [[Sword of Damocles]]: The original story is used in one of Slade's lessons to Raven.

* [[Teen Genius]]: Raven's public identity is viewed as one -- and she is, to the point that she builds a robot (in her own image, no less) that develops from A.I. to an actual living being.

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* [[We Will Meet Again]]: {{spoiler|Slade subtly promises this to the Titans on behalf of himself and Midnight at the end of the Jump City Arc.}}

** When {{spoiler|Mad Mod}} escapes from the Titans in his first appearance, he leaves behind a message for Robin, mocking him and promising to return.

* [[What the Hell Hero]]: Jinx actually says this word-for-word -- ''twice'' -- in the "Fear" chapter. First, in Beast Boy's nightmare, to Dream!Mento, who was about to kill Beast Boy. Then, to Robin after he wakes from his nightmare and nearly strangles her.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Jinx actually says this word-for-word -- ''twice'' -- in the "Fear" chapter. First, in Beast Boy's nightmare, to Dream!Mento, who was about to kill Beast Boy. Then, to Robin after he wakes from his nightmare and nearly strangles her.

** And then of course there's everyone's reactions to the whole Red X situation.

* [[Whip It Good]]: Midnight [[Dual Wield|Dual Wields]] a pair of metal whips that she channels her power through. They're alluded to a couple of times during the story, but are only actually used during the fight in her lair {{spoiler|until Jinx blows them up}}.

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** She then ends that second situation with a classic [[Batman Gambit]]: she tells Robin that one of the Titans is a traitor, knowing that Robin will either a) waste his time and energy searching for a nonexistent spy, leaving him vulnerable to her, or b) alienate the other Titans, thus dissolving the team and removing them as a threat.

* [[You Killed My Father]]: Subverted. At first it seems like Cyborg is going to have this attitude towards Midnight, but ultimately decides it's not what his father would have wanted.

* [[You're Insane]]: Robin says this to Midnight when she unveils the Chronoton Detonator.

* [[You're Insane!]]: Robin says this to Midnight when she unveils the Chronoton Detonator.

* [[Your Worst Nightmare]]: In one chapter, an [[Eldritch Abomination]] traps the Titans in their worst fears: Starfire and Jinx relieve their [[Dark and Troubled Past|Dark And Troubled Pasts]]; Cyborg is transformed into a killing machine; Beast Boy transforms into a mindless beast; and Robin's fear isn't [[The Un Reveal|revealed]] but is bad enough that when he's woken up he nearly instinctively kills Jinx.

* [[Your Worst Nightmare]]: In one chapter, an [[Eldritch Abomination]] traps the Titans in their worst fears: Starfire and Jinx relieve their [[Dark and Troubled Past|Dark And Troubled Pasts]]; Cyborg is transformed into a killing machine; Beast Boy transforms into a mindless beast; and Robin's fear isn't [[The Un-Reveal|revealed]] but is bad enough that when he's woken up he nearly instinctively kills Jinx.