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The Teraverse: Difference between revisions
replace redirects/disambiguation links, fix tropelist alphabetization
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{{quote|''Oh, and Alex looked like she'd just gotten out of the shower, done her hair, and put on a new uniform. Alee needed to learn to do that.''}}
* [[BFG (weapon)|BFGs]]
* [[Big Eater]]: This is a common story element, affecting just about anyone who has been exposed to GC-161. Though in one scene in ''Incubation Period'', an unaware character jokes that in Sister Marie's case, it's just that "French girls don't get fat".
* [[Big Brother Mentor|Big Sister Mentor]]: Rinkin Mueller is this to Cate Baltimore.
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** [[Averted]] in ''Operation Eternal Flame'', in which critical information was intentionally kept offline.
** Also averted in ''Speedloader Dynamite Dance Party'', because Roanapur's entire telecommunications infrastructure is built on electromechanical equipment from the 1930s.
* [[Everything Sounds Sexier in French|Everything Sounds Menacing in German]]: In the in-universe fantasy film ''Amazon Warrior DeeDee'', the evil troll Helga Headbanger speaks with a thick German accent, despite there being no German ethnic group in the film's imaginary universe.
* [[Everything Sounds Sexier in French]]: Jay Jones the Merman learns Italian in an attempt to sound more romantic.
* [[Evil Overlord]]: Pierre L’Grenouille-Dévoreur has ambitions to be one -- but possesses neither the skills nor the minions (nor the competence) to actually accomplish his goal.
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* [[Former Child Star]]: Harmony Kendall, as well as her friend and former co-star Allegria Kuzma.
* [[Full Name Ultimatum]]: Several examples; perhaps most plot-prominently, one of the teenage protesters in ''The Hornet's Nest'' chapter one.
* [[Fun
** The Coalition for the Liberation from Ichthyo-Terrorism (CLIT).
** Mentioned in passing in ''Incubation Period'': an "architecture-and-engineering" firm called Brown, Uchida, Ingraham, Lister, Tankersley, and Associates (BUILT).
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{{quote|“I see that you have noticed Ronda's tireless work in international relations,” Minerva said from behind her.
Hermione turned and gave Minerva a raised eyebrow. “International relations? Is that what they're calling it now?”}}
* [[The Jersey Devil]]: In chapter 1 of ''Almost Heaven But Not Quite'', a character argues that the Jersey Devil is no less likely than the real creatures -- like Gojira! -- which have appeared since Terawatt went public.
* [[Kaiju]]: Cthulhu, Gojira, Kraken.
* [[Karmic Death]]: {{spoiler|For Pierre L’Grenouille-Dévoreur and his flunkies in ''The Lady and the Detective'' -- transformed into centipedes and eaten by frogs the moment they escape from the cave in which they had been trapped. In L’Grenouille-Dévoreur's case, it's also [[Death by Irony]] -- see ''Meaningful Name'', below.}}
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* [[Last Rites (trope)|Last Rites]]: [[Averted Trope|Averted]] ''and'' [[Discussed Trope|discussed]] in ''It's Just A Habit''. At the start of the story [[Narrator|POV character]] Marie O'Neill is a Catholic Eucharistic minister -- a variety of Catholic lay-clergy with a very limited remit -- and in one chapter she remarks on the difference between the movies and reality when it comes to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
* [[Leet Lingo]]: In ''The Hornet's Nest'', General O'Neill intentionally schedules a videoconference for 13:37, then includes Acid Burn in it.
* [[Legacy Character|Legacy Hero]]: Spring-Heel'd Jackie claims to be a descendant of (or at least the heiress of sorts to) the figure of Victorian folklore known as [[w:Spring-heeled Jack|"Spring-heel'd Jack"]].
** Shade from the story of the same name is the latest in a long line of [[Batman|Bats]] protecting New York City.
** The British "Double-Ohs" have a lineage which includes traditional code names.
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** Waylon "Croc" Jones
** The Professional Alligator Wrestler (and sometime hero) James "Leatherback" Collins.
* [[
* [[Lower Deck Episode]]: Several stories shift the focus to the less-prominent members of the SRI, and let us see just how badass they can be on their own. And one plotline in ''Incubation Period'' follows Sister Marie's best friend, intrepid reporter Maddie Sabatino-Taylor.
* [[Loyal Phlebotinum]]: Inverted. Anyone can use the [[Death Ray]]s created by Lord Deathstrike on any target they like -- but they are keyed to his DNA and will blow up if they are turned on him. (Harry Potter had a sample of Deathstrike's DNA injected into him as an infant, which was unfortunate for Deathstrike...)
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** [[Truth in Television]], in that California adds a colored stripe for drivers under the age of 21, for alcoholic beverage control purposes. Young drivers' licenses are usually set to expire on their 21st birthday, and the renewal license is then issued without the stripe. Marie's birthday has been cited as February 11, 1979, so she would have turned 21 in 2000.
* [[Mind Control]]: Lord Deathstrike developed and used a mind control system composed of two parts -- a [[Mind Control Device|bulky "chair" in which the actual mind control is accomplished]], and a coin-sized disk which is implanted behind the ear of the controlled victim and is basically a radio receiver for verbal commands from a handler. The "chair" is large enough that it requires a good-sized van or truck to transport it, and it takes several hours to subdue and subvert a victim.
* [[
* [[Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot]]: Frequently used in batzulger's caper-based stories.
* [[Mistaken for An Imposter]]: During a visit to the bar which inspired ''[[Cheers]]'' in ''Buckeroo Bonsai'', Daniel LaRusso is mistaken for a [[w:John L. Sullivan|John L. Sullivan]] impersonator, and Peter Valentine for a "Cliff Clavin" celebrity look-alike.
* [[Mr. Smith]]: The agents of [[The Men in Black|ISERB]] use boring and anonymous names as their cover IDs constantly.▼
* [[Mix-and-Match Critters]]: Winged monkeys in Vermont
▲* [[Mr. Smith]]: The agents of [[The Men in Black|ISERB]] use boring and anonymous names as their cover IDs constantly.
* [[Must Have Caffeine]]: Orangutan Suzanne MacGregor is addicted to coffee, and also feels guilty for supporting coffee plantations that replace her native habitat.
* [[My Card]]: Spring-Heel'd Jackie actually says this line while giving an actual physical card to a thug at the door of a criminal hideout she and Batwoman are about to crash in ''Bat by the Bay''. In case you're curious, it reads:
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* [[Of Corsets Sexy]]:
** Faith Delabruzzi and Carla Fiori wear corsets as needed for their current... [[If You Know What I Mean|assignments]].
** Debbie Thornberry generates a telekinetic corset for herself as part of her "Mary Poppins" persona.
* [[Older Than They Look]]: There are strong hints that retarded aging is one of the common effects of GC-161 exposure: we know for a fact that Terawatt looks like a twenty-something well into her 70s (plus stories set in the distant future note that she was an active hero for over a century), and Daniel LaRusso's first impression of Beatrice "Wink in Pink" Thompson is that she looks too young to be the mother of a teenager.
** In stories set in the far future, Cate Baltimore, Jack Ryder, Sebastian Haff, and Eddie Tyrgyvssen are known to be hale and hearty well into their fourth century of life.
* [[One Name Only]]: Lampshaded, as Faith ('just Faith' in the BuffyVerse) is clearly named Delabruzzi to conceal herself.▼
** And inverted with actress Cherilyn Sarkisian (Cher) who uses her full name when playing Marci Castrati, Gunther Shtepple's ex-wife.▼
** Various nuns in ''It's Just A Habit'' and ''Incubation Period'' are mentioned as having temporarily used (or are seen while temporarily using) one name only, when they first entered the convent as a 'postulant' (a trainee-like status), later earning the right to augment it with the title of 'Sister'. This also applies to Marie-Therese for {{spoiler|almost}} the entirety of ''Operation Eternal Flame'' and portions of ''Incubation Period'' {{spoiler|(but ''not'' the other stories in which she appears)}}.▼
* [[One Riot, One Ranger]]: Recognized in-story by anybody who's met Cesca Santana.
* [[One Steve Limit]]: Averted several times over, especially in ''Incubation Period'', in which there are several cases of it being averted by minor characters appearing within the same chapter.
** Averted ''twice'' in ''The Hornet's Nest'' chapter 5, in which Sister Marie rescues a small child who has the same name (Maisie) as her custom-made phone AI (which keeps responding every time Marie addresses her). The second aversion is that the story also contains two recurring characters named Shannon.
▲* [[Only One Name
▲** And inverted with actress Cherilyn Sarkisian (Cher) who uses her full name when playing Marci Castrati, Gunther Shtepple's ex-wife.
▲** Various nuns in ''It's Just A Habit'' and ''Incubation Period'' are mentioned as having temporarily used (or are seen while temporarily using) one name only, when they first entered the convent as a 'postulant' (a trainee-like status), later earning the right to augment it with the title of 'Sister'. This also applies to Marie-Therese for {{spoiler|almost}} the entirety of ''Operation Eternal Flame'' and portions of ''Incubation Period'' {{spoiler|(but ''not'' the other stories in which she appears)}}.
* [[Opera Gloves]]: Several women in the setting wear long formal-style gloves to hide practical functions: the modern Madam Fatale to control her psychometric power, Spring-Heel'd Jackie to deliver electric shocks, and Black Scorpion to disguise her armor.
* [[The Order]]: The Order of Sainte Jeanne d'Arc.
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* [[Phony Psychic]]: The modern Madam Fatale pretends to have psychic powers for her clients. Lampshaded in that her psychic powers are actually real but not supernatural in origin and require no ritual or cold reading. Fatale is a closeted meta with psychometric power.
* [[Pinkerton Detective]]: Sherman 'Scut' Willoughby is a retired Pinkerton agent.
* [[
* [[Playful Hacker]]: Zane Donovan (AKA "Crash Override" once he joins up with Ultraman).
* [[Posse]]: "Jackie's Boyz" AKA San Francisco's "Bay Area Meta Operations Task Force", who have fallen into a comfortable partnership with Spring-Heel'd Jackie, and hover somewhere between the classic use and the modern use of the term.
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* [[Powered Armor]]: Numerous examples, ranging from the powered diving hard suits employed by Schubert's goons; to the Black Scorpion's mix of armor and magnetic fields; to Spring-Heel'd Jackie's convincing but bogus alien guise. After biochemical manipulation, this is the number two way of becoming "super" in the Teraverse.
* [[Power Incontinence]]: The modern Madam Fatale can't turn off her Psychometric ability.
* [[Precognition]]: Drusilla and Pyre occasionally gained flashes of futures.▼
* [[Psychic Link]]: [[The Champions]] possess one of these between the three of them.
* [[Psychic Powers]]: [[Mind Over Matter|Telekinesis]], [[Playing With Fire|Pyrokinesis]], [[An Ice Person|Cryokinesis]], and [[Shock and Awe|Electrokinesis (Fulgurkinesis for the pedants)]] are powers frequently granted by GC-161 exposure. In addition; [[Telepathy]], Empathy, [[Psychic Link]], [[Living Lie Detector]], [[Mind Manipulation|Illusion and Mind Control]], [[Clairvoyance|Remote Viewing]] and even limited [[Precognition]] have been manifested.
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** Several chapters of ''Incubation Period'' include postings from various Internet sites or blogs, including users identified by screen names.
* [[Secret War]]: A subset of the stories deals with the organizations and people that allowed something like Harworts and the other intelligence academies to be created, and in fact necessary. Due to the nature of a multi-author megacrossover, elements of this story arc are leaking into other plotlines in the Teraverse.
* [[Separated at Birth]]: Charani and Hanna.
* [[Shared Universe]]
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* [[Super Speed]]: Both Sister Marie and BeeDazzle have telekinetic flight and [[Required Secondary Power|shields]] allowing them to travel at supersonic speeds in atmosphere.
** Wink in Pink, Ultraman, and Konneycha can all run at well over 100 kph.
* [[Human Popsicle|Suspended Animation]]: Jonathan Lowe and Drusilla Keeble survived for 170 years deep beneath London thanks to immersion in a liquid created by [[Fu Manchu|the man who would later be known as "David Lo Pan"]].
* [[Sweet Polly Oliver]]: Performed by Wanderer in her "Strannik" ID and BeeDazzle as her "Mr. Unknown" persona. Wanderer is good enough and has practiced this identity so thoroughly that she has currently been able to fool {{spoiler|[[Great Detective|the World's Greatest Detective]]...[[Batman]]}}...so far.
** Jonathan Lowe has lived most of her life as a man.
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* [[Teen Superspy]]: Graduates of Harworts (or any of the other [[Spy School|academies]]) all qualify as they will be still in their teens at the time of the graduation ceremony.
** Others that qualify for this trope are "Homeschooled" or "Independent" types such as Dana Tasker, Marcie Ross to some extent, Alexi Mundy or any of the Mundy children, and of course Cate Baltimore. The Kid from Department Six is also one of these at the start of his career.
* [[That Mysterious Thing]]:
▲* [[Telekinesis]]: One of the classic abilities granted by exposure to [[Super Serum|GC-161]]. Of the five most powerful characters who possess it (Terawatt, Samantha Carter, Sister Marie, Dani Atron, and BeeDazzle) there is a significant difference in strength, range, and versatility in the manifestations. And late in ''The Secret Return of Alex Mack'' it's shown that many of the other "standard" GC-161 powers -- even the silver morph -- are actually variations on telekinesis.
▲* [[That Mysterious Thing]]: the unspoken 'Mr. Potato Head' incident at the Hasbro Factory that made gregarious teen Pisces Caldwell into the laconic 'Silent Piss'.
* [[Theme Naming]]:
** [[In-Universe]], the [[Our Zombies Are Different|cyborgs]] Tucker Wells has created are all named after classical Greek gods in ''Speedloader Dynamite Dance Party'', and the later models are named after Shakespearean villains.
** The Tyrgyvssen family (from ''It's Just A Habit'' and other stories) intentionally named their four children after the Pevensie children in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', ''and'' they're somehow in the correct age order. The family also owns a yacht named - what else? - the ''Dawn Treader''.
** Most of the devoutly Catholic characters have first names taken from Catholic saints. In ''Up In Smoke'', two nuns are identified as having been encouraged to take on unofficial assumed names in order to ''intentionally'' align themselves with this theme.
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