History Fanfic / TheMorrigan

* InnocentlyInsensitive: A spacian named Earlton once told Chuchu that he genuinely prefers the cities of Earth to Spacian colonies because of their grittiness, thinking it was a compliment. Chuchu punched him in response.

* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: The Dawn of Fold's goal is to make Earth independent of the CAUL. [[spoiler:They succeed over the course of the second book, liberating Earth and a number of near-Earth colonies, and establishing the Near Earth Union as a new provisional government]].

** Nika has gained the nicknames "Architect", "Silverhand", and "Bluebird of Victory" for her ability to plan and manage the entirety of Dawn of Fold, and her permet-encrusted hand.

** Suletta is associated with hounds. Her cane has the head of a dog, her callsign is Barghest (a black hound of ill omen from Celtic mythology), and many within the CAUL think of her only as Miorine's dog who goes wherever her master tells her to. Suletta herself doesn't mind this comparison, but is frustrated as being dehumanized.

** The Morrigan [[spoiler:Rebuild is painted in dark colours, wears a feathered cape (actually felchettes), has a cry reminiscent of a crow or raven, and is created from pieces salvaged from other mobile suits similar to a carrion bird feeding on the dead, all of it giving it a corvid motif]].

* ChekhovsGun: In chapter 24, Miorine mentions a few unusual permet types, namely Lonely Permet, which seeks out bonds with standard permet. Come chapter 31, and we see this in action with [[spoiler:the Nemain's primary weapon, the Gae Bolg]].

* IdenticalTwinIDTag: Some of Ericht's repli-children of the coven have started styling themselves to look differently than the main Ericht, including one who styles her hair like Sabina.

* In chapter 35, Ericht says ominously "[[Literature/TheShining We all float down here]]". [[spoiler:Morrigan]]] doesn't get the reference.

** [[spoiler:Chapter 31 ''strongly'' implies that the mind of Elan #4 was uploaded into the Pharact]].

* HellIsThatNoise: When the Morrigan uses it's water-based cooling system, it causes a sound that's usually described as banshee-like. [[spoiler:The Rebuild upgrades it to a crow-like cry, almost musical but still unsettling]].

** [[spoiler:Both Sabina and the Morrigan are at severeal points described as Nika's lovers, plural. ''Their Fond Pageant'' shows that Nika and Sabina are happy to include the Morrigan in their sexlife, and it's even tagged "Sophie/Nika/Sabina" and "Polyamory", with Jerkus describing Nika and Sabina as Sophie's wives]].

* TheReveal: While it was previously hinted at, chapter 11 makes it clear beyond doubt that the Morrigan [[spoiler:contains the mind of Sophie Pulone]].

* SecondLove: After Sophie's death, Norea struggled with moving on for a long time but has now grown close with Elan.

** Yaya's mobile suit, the Glaistig, is an absurdly well-armed modified Dilanza Sol with four legs intended to resemble something from ''VideoGame/ArmoredCoreVIFiresOfRubicon''. More directly it's inspired by [[https://twitter.com/konkatsubaron/status/1707660496605004140/photo/1 this]] Lfrith Ur kitbash by @konkatsubaron

* SoleSurvivor: PlayedForLaughs: When Ericht [[spoiler:destroys the Peil facility, one of the people in her chat (going by the handle Replyguyver) was really excited about being killed, only for Ericht to avoid the part of the facility he was in. He types a disappointed "damnit" in the chat afterward]].

* SuperPersistentMissile: The Dullahan's missiles can be directed by its Lantern Drones, allowing them to trace targets with impossible accuracy.

* WistfulAmnesia: [[spoiler:The Morrigan remembers being ''something'' before, and has vague recollections about what she likes and what's important to her, but doesn't remember that she was Sophie Pulone. She seems to remember when she sees Norea, though immediately after when she meets Ericht she admits that she's not sure who she is]].

** The Glaistig has four legs and can only fight in proximity to its home station, like a spider guarding its web.

** The Gleistig has four legs and can only fight in proximity to its home station, like a spider guarding its web.

** The Gleistig is named after a ghost or faerie in Scottish folklore, also known as a Green Lady, known for haunting and guarding a single location.

** The Beguir-Dearg Du is read, reflecting how it has VampiricDraining.

* FlippingTheBird: Ericht does a hillariously elaborate one when [[spoiler:Suletta chops off the Aerial's arm; She tells her sister to look at the lost arm, only to flip her off with it]].

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Chuchu and Felsi defect to the Dawn of Fold in the time between book 1 and 2. While they had grown disillusioned with the CAUL for a long time, they make the decision after being captured and getting the chance to talk to Nika]].

* InternalReveal: Suletta learns [[spoiler:the true nature of the Elans in chapter 23]].

** [[spoiler:Both Sabina and the Morrigan are at severeal points described as Nika's lovers, plural. ''Their Fond Pageant'' shows that Nika and Sabina are happy to include the Morrigan in their sexlife, and it's even tagged "Sophie/Nika/Norea" and "Polyamory", with Jerkus describing Nika and Sabina as Sophie's wives]].

--'''Felsi:''' And what constitutes ‘Earthian’ is an ever-shifting subject position based not on geography but on the-” ''Gets food shoved in her mouth by Petra.''

->At the end of hope, a mechanic and a Valkyrie make the choice to run. A Witch from Earth rushes on to her death and revenge, only to find her Thorn destroyed; its sister stolen. The students at Asticassia academy endure another day of classes and little else.\\

The Three Witches' War has begun.

*** Chapter 32 opens on a few stanzas from Creator/PercyByssheShelly's ''To the Men of England''.

* RhetoricalQuestionBackfire: Shaddiq sarcastically asks if Guel isn't having his servants cook for him. Guel, aware that it was meant as an insult, doesn't let Shaddiq get to him and instead responds sincerely that he enjoys cooking.
* RichKidTurnedSocialActivist: Felsi, after she started dating Chuchu, dedicated herself to understanding the oppression of Earth and social situation Chuchu grew up in. Thanks to some lessons and reading reccomendations from one of Chuchu's more politically inclined fathers, she's now firecely anti-capitalist and pro-Earth.

--"With your shield or on it, and all that."
* SecondLove: Elan is this to Norea, the only person she loves aside from the late Sophie. Though she insists on being tsundere about it.
* SeinfeldianConversation: During the war meeting in chapter 20, Elan and Norea have a short discussion about wether the enemy flagship resembles a cow or horse more.

* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Felsi develops a tendency to launch into lengthy complicated rants about Earthian oppression thanks to some literature recommendations from one of Chuchu's dad.
--'''Felsi:''' And what constitutes ‘Earthian’ is an ever-shifting subject position based not on geography but on the-”
* ShadowArchetype: The Valkyries are this to Norea, representing who she could have been if she let anger and vengeance consume her to the point of not caring what lives she took as long as she could make someone pay, their [[spoiler:attack on Quinharbour]] meant to echo Norea's rampage at Asticassia in the canon events of the show.

* SharedUniverse: Jerkus' earlier fic, ''Put Up Your Dukes'', about Felsi and Chuchu's relationship is canon to this fic up until the PointOfDivergence. Chapter 25 directly references several events from that fic.

** WordOfGod is that the scene of the Morrigan clinging to the side of a skyscraper was inspired by the scene in ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' where the Count climbs down a sheer castle wall "In lizard-like fashion".
** Guel has an apron with a cartoon chicken and the text "Behold, a man!", a reference to an anecdote about Diogenes the Cynic.

---[[Film/ThePhantomMenace A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.]]

** Elan at one point considered using Snorri as an alias, presumably in reference to the Icelandic poet and scribe Snorri Sturlasón.
** The people in the stream chat in chapter 21, with the exception of Go-Between-Queen nad Birdwatcher2, are characters from previous ''Gundam'' anime.

* ShrinkingViolet: Sophie, of all people, used to be this as a kid, hiding behind Norea when she was scared.
* SigilSpam: The Aeriali Cult stamps Ericht's handprint on all of their mobile suits.

* SophisticatedAsHell: Sabina, as part of being TheStoic, tends to use very precise and proper manner. She does occasionally slip up and swears, much to Nika's delight.
* SoleSurvivor: PlayedForLaughs: When Ericht [[spoiler:destoys the Peil facility, one of the people in her chat (going by the handle Replyguyver) was really excited about being killed, only for Ericht to avoid the part of the facility he was in. He types a disappointed "damnit" in the chat afterward]].

* StealthHiBye: PlayedForLaughs. Chuchu's giant hair pompoms give her a massive blindspot behind her, meaning that Felsi can sneak up on her with impunity. She generally uses it for harmless pranks, but in one case shows up next to her girlfriend without Chuchu realizing she was there.

** Sabina was raised by Grassley to dissociate and be as cold and emotionless as possible. She is making a conscious attempt at unlearning that to be with Nika.

* StopWorshippingMe: Some people on Earth has started worshipping Ericht as a deity, which she doesn't really like because she doesn't want to lose her humanity, but answers their prayers when she can.
* SuperPersistentMissile: The Dullahan's missiles can be directed by its Lantern Drones, allowing them to trace targets by impossible accuracy.

* SupersticiousSailors: Gundam Pilots actually. Sabina, despite her serious and stoic demeanor, is actually quite superstitious, using rituals to ward off bad luck and fully believing that Morrigan is sapient. [[spoiler:Not that she's wrong on the second count]].
* SurvivalMantra: Guel has used "One foot, then the other. I can do this." ever since Earth.
* {{Synchronization}}: A bit of a motif.

* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Elan managed to talk Norea down from killing herself during their first few days in Peil custody by telling her that he needed her if he was to kill them all.
* TeensLoveShopping: Chuchu, of all people, found herself greatly enjoying trying on clothes that Petra bought her, and has since greatly expanded her warderobe.

* TranquilFury: When Miorine ''doesn't'' shout in anger, that's when you know she's ''really'' angry.

* TrueCompanions: The Valkyries certainly have a very close relationship, seeing each other as their only family and willing to [[spoiler:give up their individuality to keep each other safe]]. Since Maisie's death and Sabina's defection, the remaining three has become borderline codependent.
** the Earth gang

* {{Ubermensch}}: Delling fashioned himself a "Nietzschian Overman beyond the trivialities of human emotion" before his death.

--'''Norea:''' Get your own, asshole!
* VirtualYouTuber: [[spoiler:On Suletta's suggestion, Ericht has taken up streaming as a hobby, using a cartoon bunny as her vtuber avatar. She uses that same streaming platform to livestream her destruction of the Peil facility to the world]].

** [[spoiler:Sophie still "lives" as the personality in the Morrigan, though she can't communicate with anyone.]]

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Chuchu and Nika were at least close to friends at one point. Then the whole thing with the Morrigan happened, and there's little good blood between them anymore. When they meet again, their fight consits mostly of Chuchu calling Nika a terrorist and liar, while Nika calls Chuchu an oppressor and class traitor, and they genuinely want to kill each other.

* WholeFlashbackEpisode:

** Chapter 11 recounts the events after chapter 5, as they made their way to Earth, with the slight twist that it's all told from Lfrith-Ur/The Morrigan/[[spoilerSophie Pulone]]'s perspective.

* TheAtoner: Guel, having seen the oppression and exploitation of Earth firsthand, wants to return his company from weapons manufacturers to its roots as a manufacturer of construction equipment who treats its workers fairly.

* MidSeasonUpgrade: [[spoiler:Following the second Quinharbour attack, and with input and advice from Prospera, the Morrigan is retrofitted and upgraded from its bulky and mishmash heavy-duty design to the much more sleek and agile Morrigan Rebuild, using gundvölva parts. It also comes with some nifty new abilities, like using its sword to block beam weapons, a temporary cloak, and bit-staves in the form of guided flechettes]].

* MundaneUtility: Similarily to Ericht in the show, [[spoiler:Sophie can cause permet burns on anyone piloting the Morrigan. Unlike Ericht, however, Sophie uses it for sex with Nika and Sabina, causing a very small and localized permet burn to imply touch across her pilots' skin]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Once [[spoiler:Felsi stops them from killing each other, Nika is horrified as the realization sets in that she had been trying to kill one of her best friends]].
* MysteriousStranger: A figure who calls themselves Goodfellow has twice provided advice to characters (first Miorine, then Nanami) just before they are attacked by a mysterious black-clad faction. Their advice consists only of the word "RUN" repeated over and over.
* MythicalMotif: Loads and loads to Myth/CelticMythology.

*** [[spoiler:The Nemain, rebuilt from the Calibarn, is named for the goddess or personification of the frenzied havoc of war. Nemain's pilots, the Valkyries, are also a HiveMind of three girls, which fit with how Nemain is sometimes thought to be an aspect of Badb Catha, another war goddess. Its primary weapon]].

** Nika has a silver arm (covered in permet growths). An arm made of silver is a trait of Nuada Airgetlám, the first king of the gods the Irish pantheon. Like Nuada, Nika fights a being called Balor, though unlike Nuada, she survives the battle. She does have the nickname Silverhand among the Dawn of Fold, which is what ''Airgetlám'' means.
** The Morrigan is meant to represent a RevenantZombie or Frankenstein's Monster, to go with the Aerial (vengeful spirit) and Calibarn (savage beast).

** Sabina accuses Norea of having deserted from the Dawn of Fold, conveniently ignoring the part where Sabina and Nika destroyed her gundam and stole the only other available mobile suit before leaving her in the dust. Norea correctly deduces that she's projecting her own guilt for doing nothing to help Nika earlier onto her.
** Shaddiq seems chronically incapable of admitting that he fucked up, always acting like everything was part of the plan and he's on top of things even when they ''clearly'' aren't.
* TheNothingAfterDeath: Assuming [[spoiler:Ireesha's vision was true, the Ad Stella afterlife consists of floating in a frozen ocean, packed like sardines, with no understanding of time and unable to do anything but see. Forever]].
* NotSoStoic: Sabina generally keeps a very stoic face through any situation, including ColdBloodedTorture. Once she's in private, however, she lets herself go and throws up. Also, she enjoys playing rock music.

* OfficialCouple: Suletta and Miorine are married, of course, going by each others' last names. Sabina Fardin-Nanaura and Nika Nanaura-Fardin have also tied the knot, and Felsi and Chuchu are together.
* OldGuardVersusNewBlood:
** The battle in chapter 14 pits Norea, a first-generation enhanced human piloting the two or more years old Pharact, against three recently modified transhumans piloting top-of-the-line Beguirs.
** In chapter 18, it's the [[spoiler:Schwarzette, the most advanced mobile suit Jeturk could come up with using technology borrowed from Shin-Sei, against Aerial, a 20-year-old mobile suit piloted by a ghost. It's only because Suletta is one of the world's best pilots that she can even keep up]].
* OminousWalk: The Morrigan takes its time approaching a downed Demi-Barding in chapter 9.

* TheOneThatGotAway: Renee Costa and Lilique had a brief relationship, but it ended poorly, and Renee still has feelings for her.
* OnlyFriend: Shaddiq remarks that Guel is probably the only person who's happy he's not hurt. Guel admits that it's true, though he brought it on himself.
* OocIsSeriousBusiness: Suletta is usually a sweet and forgiving ingénue. So when she openly says that she dislikes Shaddiq, and later has to keep her temper in check when addressing him, it's obvious that he's gone over the line.
* OpenMouthInsertFoot: Norea's first words to Nika are "You broke your arm again?" The mental Elan standing in for her conscience immediately admonishes her for it.

* ParentalFavouritism: Like in the show, it's not hard to see which of her two daughters is Prospera's favourite. Suletta is perfectly aware of it and tries to not let it bother her, [[spoiler:but it boils over when she's fighting Ericht and adds to her many grievances]].
* ParentsAsPeople: Naji Geor-Hija is arguably the best father in the fic, but he is shown to have many ''many'' flaws in his parenting. In particular, as the leader of a freedom fighter organization, he had to allowchild soldiers, either directly (Sophie and Norea), or simply as a consequence of their life (Nika).

* Polyamory:
** [[spoiler:In ''Their Fond Pageant'', Nika and Sabina's relationship with the Morrigan, aka. Sophie Pulone, is distinctly romantic, as they are both okay with her being part of their sexlife and the narration describes Nika sleeping with Sabina in the Morrigan's cockpit as being embraced by her lover''s''. The fic is even tagged "Sophie/Nika/Norea" and "Polyamory", with Jerkus describing Nika and Sabina as Sophie's wives]].

* PoorCommunicationKills: Lilique and Renee broke up because Lilique said she couldn't stand seeing Renee be mean to her favourite person. Renee reacted to this with jealousy, whereas Lilique had actually meant to imply that ''Renee'' was her favourite person, and she wanted her to stop her self-deprication.
* PosthumousCharacter: Delling Rembran died from the injuries he sustained at Plant Quetta, and has been dead for a while by the time the fic kicks off. Likewise, Kenanji Avery and Maisie May died at the PointOfDivergence.
* PretentiousLatinMotto: The Dawn of Fold use "Nemo me impune lacessit", None may strike me with impunity. Except [[spoiler:it's not their motto, but a codephrase used by Elan and Norea. It's actually the motto of the House of Montressor from ''Literature/TheCaskOfAmontillado'', one of Norea's favourite novels]].

** Ericht [[spoiler:attacking and destroying the Peil HQ with everyone inside causes Suletta to finally snap and attack her with the intent of taking her out for good, all of her previous grievances like Prospera's ParentalFavouritism and Ericht's tendency to treat everything like a game adding to her anger. While Ericht tricks and defeats her, TheReveal of Elan's true nature causes her to snap again and violently beat up Shaddiq for keeping it secret]].

* RaisedInALab: Sophie and Norea spent their formative years in an Ochs Earth lab being made into enhanced humans. Norea's memories of it does not paint a pretty picture.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Suletta gets one from [[spoiler:Ericht in chapter 22, with Ericht calling her out for treating the war like a petty squabble and never comitting to anything or accepting kwhat needs to be done. Suletta is too furious to answer]].

* RedRightHand: Nika's entire arm is covered in permet growths that react when she uses the Morrigan's permet scores. The exact reason is unclear, but it first happened when it got hurt during the escape from Asticassia, and the numbness and pain decreases when in contact with the Morrigan.

** The Beguir-Sidhe is named after the Celtic term for faeries, the Beguir-Dullahan after the original headless horseman, and the Beguir-Dearg Du was supposed to be after a creature reminiscent of a vampire, but due to CriticalResearchError does not actually exist.
* TheRemnant: Cathedra is not entirely defunct as an organization quite let, being still dedicated to their mission of eradicating gundams under the command of Sarius Zenelli, but they have been reduced to little more than well-funded space pirates.

* RevengeIsSweet: Discussed. Prospera is of the opinion that whoever said that revenge is meaningless was a liar, and that revenge is both cathartic and stops further harm. That said, she also warns that revenge only soothes the pain of loss as much as any other distraction, and one should always put their survival loved ones first.

* JavelinThrower: [[spoiler:Nemain's primary armament, the Gae Bolg, has is a beam rifle in one end and a hollow permet spear on the other, and is meant to be thrown as a ranged weapon. It was refitted from the Variable Rod Rifle of the Calibarn, replacing its thrusters (which were moved to the Nemain's back) with the spearhead]].

* KilledMidSentence: Maisie May wanted to tell Ireesha that she loved her. She didn't get to finish the sentence.
* LadykillerInLove: Renee has gone through a steady line of boyfriends, but it's obvious that she only has eyes for Lilique, who dumped her.
* TheLastDance: [[spoiler:Norea and Elan's battle with the Pharact is certainly treated as one, as they somberly realize that they might not be making it out of it alive, and confess their love for each other before deciding to go out fighting]].

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The titles of each chapter is taken from a play by Creator/WilliamShakespeare. Chapters in book 1 are taken from ''Theater/{{Coriolanus}}'', a theater about an exiled Roman politician who goes to war against his homeland, while book 2 is taken from ''Theater/RichardIII''. In addition, each chapter opens on a quote from a poem, play, or work of literature.
** Chapter 1 opens on a quote from ''Coriolanus''.
** Chapter 2 opens on a few stanzas from Creator/EmilyDickenson's ''One Need not be a Chamber to be Haunted'' .
** Chapter 3 opens on a line from Creator/WilliamBlake's ''Proverbs of Hell''.
** Chapter 4 opens on a line from Creator/BertoltBrecht's ''Notes on Philosophy''.
** Chapter 5 opens on a stanza from William Blake's ''Jerusalem''.
** Chapter 6 opens on a few stanzas from Emily Dickenson's ''I'm Nobody! Who are you?''
** chapter 7 opens on a stanza from Creator/AEHouseman's ''Terrence, This Is Stupid Stuff''.
** Chapter 8 opens on a stanza from Creator/HenryWadsworthLongfellow's ''The Village Blacksmith''.
** Chapter 9 opens on a stanza from William Blake's ''A Poison Tree''.
** Chapter 10 opens on a stanza from Bertolt Brecht's ''The Rope Torn''.
** Chapter 11 opens on a stanza from Creator/WilliamWoodsworth's ''To my Sister''.
** Chapter 12 opens on a stanza from Creator/RobertBrowning's ''Love Among the Ruins''.
** Chapter 13 opens on a line from Bertolt Brecht's ''Christmas Legend''.
** Chapter 14 opens on a few lines from Creator/FrancisThompson's ''The Hound of Heaven''.
** Chapter 15 opens on a stanza from Bertold Brecht's ''To those that Follow in Our Wake''.
** Chapter 16 opens on a line from ''Coriolanus'' again.
** Chapter 17 opens on a stanza from Creator/SylviaPlath's ''Full Fathom Five''.
** Chapter 18 opens on a couple stanzas from Creator/JohnKeats' ''Hyperion''.
** Chapter 19 opens on a stanza from Creator/WBYeats' ''The Stolen Child''.
** Chapter 20 opens on a paragraph from Creator/MarkTwain's ''Literature/AConnecticutYankeeInKingArthursCourt''.
** Chapter 21 opens on a stanza from Bertold Brecht's ''Svendborg Poems''.
** Chapter 22 opens on a stanza from Creator/LordByron's ''The Destruction of Sennacherib''.
** Chapter 23 opens on a stanza from Sylvia Plath's ''Two Sisters of Persephone''.
** Chapter 24 opens on a stanza from William Blake's ''The Lily''.
** Chapter 25 opens on a quote from ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers''.
** Chapter 26 opens on a quote from Creator/DorothyParker's ''The Veteran''. The chapter is about Chuchu's conflicted loyalties, and the poem is about an old soldier looking back at the foolish bravado of his youth.
** Chapter 27 opens on a quote from Emily Dickinson's ''The Rat is the Concisest Tenant''. The chapter continues Chuchu's AnimalMotif of a rat, as well as shows [[spoiler:that her father was squatting at Folkvangr]].

** The remaining Valkyries (Henao, Ireesha, and Renee) see each other as their only family and will go to great lengths to keep each other safe and supported, though their relationship gets steadily more disturbing due to the [[spoiler:TAT turning them into a HiveMind]].

** Sophie is this to both Suletta and Norea. Suletta blames herself for her death and thinks of her as her would-be little sister, while Norea couldn't find cause to move on after her death, only saved from suicide by a desire for revenge.
** Ireesha clearly didn't take the loss of Maisie well, having gone from TheCutie to a sharp and hard woman who's thin to the point of starvation. Nearly every chapter from her perspective shows how much she misses her and is barely able to go on without her.
* LoveConfession: In chapter 29, while Elan is on the run from law enforcement, Norea jokes that he'll love her fo the escape advice she's giving him. He responds that yes, he does love her, much to both their shocks.

* MakeAnExampleOfThem: The Peil hags executed Enhanced Person #6 by incinerator, and had the others watch to show them what happens to those who act disobedient.

** Shaddiq repeatedly calls Suletta "Mercury" instead of her married last name Rembran, as a way to insult her and take petty shots at her marriage while claiming it was just an accident. Suletta eventually has had enough and threatens him with violence if he doesn't stop.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In the third intermission, [[spoiler:Ireesha enters the datastorm fully and perceives it as an ocean containing everyone who has ever died, even interracting with the souls of Maisie May and Naji Geor Hija. While the datastorm ''has'' been known to contain the spirits of dead witches, it's unclear if what Ireesha saw was the actual hereafter, or simply a hallucination brought on by the pain]].

** The Beguir-Dearg Du is read, because it's vampiric.

** The mysterious Goodfellow takes their name from ''Theater/AMidsummerNightsDream'''s Puck, aka. Robin Goodfellow.
** Each of the Morrigan's subsystem names are taken from history or mythology. The sword is Fragarach, the sword of high king Nuada Airgetlam; It's beam vulcan wrist-shooters are Tathlum, after the slingstone of the god Lugh; and the [[spoiler:the vampiric blades taken from Beguir-Dearg Du is Weregild, after an old judicial system in Scandinavia where the perpetrator of a murder could pay money equivelant to the dead person's value, to prevent blood feuds]].
** [[spoiler:The Nemain's subsystems also have similarily meaningful names; The bladed Trichome bracer is named after hairs and spiky growths on plants; The Cliona drones after Clíodhna, the queen of the Banshees; the Ochain shield after the shield wielded by Cu Chulainn's uncle; the Neit lash after a war god married to the mythical Nemain; Catha's Eye after Catha, the Irish word for carrion crows; and the Gae Bolg primary weapon after Cu Chulainn's spear]].

** The Morrigan is a Celtic god of war and fate.

* GenreRefugee: The Felsi Rollo in this story is the same one as in ''Put Up Your Dukes'', a much less serious fic. As a result, she's essentially a character from a romantic comedy in a grim and gritty war drama. [[https://twitter.com/jerkus110/status/1701936710064468077 Jerkus has stated]] that they write Felsi to be one degree cartoonier than the rest of the cast, such as appearing out of nowhere without rhyme or reason.

* TheHedonist: Norea has spent most of her life being TheStoic, denying herself even the smallest of life's pleasures unless Sophie dragged her into it. After Elan talked her out of suicide, she resolved to start living, enjoying every pleasure and temptation she can in gratitude to Sophie and Elan.
--''Why had it taken her so long to realize that life was lived in moments like these? That she was here to fuck around first and work second?''
* HappilyAdopted: Naji adopted Nika as a child and cares about her deeply, and she does not appear to have anything bad to say about him. He wanted to adopt Norea and Sophie as well, but Ochs Earth would not allow him, and Norea would rather kill spacians.
* HappilyMarried: Both Suletta and Miorine and Nika and Sabina are married, and while the circumstances they live under can hardly be call happy, they love each other greatly.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Chuchu and Felsi defect to the Dawn of Fold in the time between book 1 and 2, having already grown disillusioned with the CAUL]].

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Shaddiq may have wanted to save Earth once, but that goal is long gone and by now he only plays lipservice to it while ordering attacks that kill thousands of Earthians.

** [[spoiler:The Valkyrie attack on Quinharbour is the second time that a reneage Spacian with a vendetta attacks the city behind Miorine's back, and the blame is pinned on Miorine and the Benerit group]]. Norea notices the parallel and takes great pleasure in being able to do something about it, whereas last time she simply had to sit by.
** InUniverse, Shaddiq states that taking out the SAL would require purging their entire leadership, thousands of people, comparing it to the [[UsefulNotes/RomanovsAndRevolutions murders of the Romanov family]] or the [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution French Reign of Terror]].

* HiveMind: [[spoiler:The TAT system developed by Grassley and tested on Henao, Ireesha, and Renee, while intended to grant combat telepathy, functionally makes them a hivemind. While they all retain individual identities, their personalities start bleeding into each other, physically as they start talking with each others' mouths, and mentally as their memories and emotions start bleeding over]].

* HonoraryUncle: Miorine calls Rajan, her father's NumberTwo, uncle.

* HypocriticalHumor: At one point Norea remarks that she thought Nugen's name was Nougat. Elan admonishes her before misnaming her the same way (most likely intentionally).
--'''Elan:''' Norea, please, show some respect. Anyway Nugget is still alive.
* IJustWantToBeLoved: Renee Costa just wants someone who loves her and sees her as the most important person in the unvierse. Sadly, she ruined her relationship with Lilique, who ''did'' see her that way.
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: Downplayed since it can't actually cry, but whenever [[spoiler:the Morrigan sees Sophie's grave it feels the need to]].
* TheImmodestOrgasm: Nika is rather loud when she finishes, which is part of why Nika and Sabina mostly do it in the Morrigan's soundproof cockpit. [[spoiler:This is a trait shared by the Morrigan herself, which shrieks and releases its SuperSmoke when Nika finishes]].
* InnerCircle: Miorine's circle of agents and confidantes consist of the old Dueling Committee, minus Elan but including Suletta.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: A spacian named Earlton once told Chuchu that he genuinely prefers the cities of Earth to Spacian colonies because of their grittiness, thinking it was a compliment. He got punched for it.

* InternalReveal: Suletta learns the true nature of the Elans in chapter 23.
* {{Irony}}: It's noted several times the irony that Guel, the son of the CEO of a company that manufactures weapons for oppressing Earthians, is far more dedicated to saving lives and sparing Earth as much devastation as possible than Shaddiq, who grew up in the middle of that devastation.

* FlippingTheBird: Ericht does a hillariously elaborate one when Suletta chops off the Aerial's arm; She tells her sister to look at the lost arm, only to flip her off with it.
* ForcedToWatch: During the NEAR attack, the Morrigan turns a destroyed mobile suit's head so that its cameras can view the ensuing massacre, presumably so CAUL high command can watch it later.

* GenerationXerox: In a flashback, Miorine realizes that her treatment of Suletta during their breakup was not so different from how Delling treated her; Ignoring her agency, making decisions on her behalf, and refusing to explain or give a reason, all in the service of supposedly protecting her.
* GenreRefugee: Felsi Rollo's characterization carries over from the much more comedic fic ''Put Up Your Dukes'', making her effectively a character from a romantic comedy in a dark and serious war story. [[https://twitter.com/jerkus110/status/1701936710064468077 Jerkus stated on twitter]] that they intentionally writes Felsi to be slightly cartoonier than the rest of the cast, such as appearing out of nowhere or [[spoiler:resolving a grim and deadly conflict between former friends by calling them both stupid]].
* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: Felsi hits Chuchu (or rather her mobile suit) in the head to stop her from [[spoiler:killing or getting killed by Nika. She then apparently knocks her out cold to take over command and surrender to the Dawn of Fold]].

** Miorine describes the dueling system as glorified huma trafficking with random bits of latin thrown in, in reference to the Alea Iacta Est[[note]]"The Die is Cast", attributed to Gaius Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon[[/note]] used to initiate duels.
** PlayedForLaughs when Elan confesses that he considered the name Nemo, causing Norea to be surprised that he speaks Latin. Elan admits that he doesn't, but liked ''Literature/20000LeaguesUnderTheSea'', ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo'', and ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' as a kid. [[spoiler:They end up using the word "Nemo" as their codephrase]].
* GroinAttack: It's mentioned that Felsi at one point kicked a guy in the crotch so hard that he got "testicular tortion" because he was racist to Chuchu.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: Chuchu's Demi-Balor has pistons in its arms that enhance its punches, fitting with its very punchy pilots.

* EyeLaser: The Demi-Balor, Chuchu and Felsi's mobile suit, has an array of lenses on its head that can fire powerful energy beams.
* TheFaceless: InUniverse. Suletta has a sort of holographic projection that displays a dense mesh of junk data in front of her face at all times which hides her face behind a black veil. Unlike other examples of the trope, she can't see out through it either, rendering her effectively blind.

** The Morrigan is described as an undead revenant, to form a trifecta with the Aerial (vengeful ghost) and Calibarn (savage beast).

* FashionableAsymmetry: Elan and Norea wear one earring each. [[spoiler:They actually contain data drives they use to smuggle information in and out of Peil, along with a virus that knocks out Peil Grade for a short while]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: How Shaddiq describes Grassley; They act nice, but in reality they're just repackaging old atrocities in shiny new wrapping. Of note, the orphanage Shaddiq grew up in was marketed as a humanitarian effort to bring Earthians out of poverty, but was in reality basically a eugenics program.
--But that was Grassley's ethos, writ-large; an opulent facade over clinical violence.
* FictionalDisability: Spontaneous Permetic Growth, named in ''Their Fond Pageant'', is a rare condition where humans develop permet growths across their body, causing paralysis. Prospera suffers it in both her legs, and Nika has an unusual benign case in her arm.

** [[spoiler:Chapter 31 ''strongly'' implies that the same is true for Elan #4 in the Pharact]].

* ChaseSequence: The middle part of chapter 29 consists of Elan escaping the Asticassia police [[spoiler:after tazing Secelia because she realized he was a fake]].

* CombatPragmatist: Once it becomes obvious that Suletta [[spoiler:might be good enough to beat Ericht in a fair fight, Ericht distracts her with an AwfulTruth before chopping all of the Schwarzette's limbs off]].
* ConflictingLoyalty: Chuchu believes in Miorine and that she has everyone's best interests at heart, which is why she fights for the CAUL. If it wasn't for Miorine, she would almost certainly join the Dawn of Fold since she's Earthian and knows spacian oppression first hand.

** Ericht's worshippers grow into one of these at some point between book 1 and 2, calling themselves Aeriali. As their [[spoiler:Dawn of Fold allies grow into a proper government, the Aeriali grows into a proper church]].

* DisappearedDad: Chuchu's Papa Nanami was working in space when Quiet Zero's blockade struck, and has been unable to get back to Earth. [[spoiler:She eventually finds that he's working with a crime syndicate operating out of Fólkvangr that has been supplying Cathedra]].

** '"I am going to fucking beat you to death," Secelia said brightly.'

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Over the course of the second book it becomes steadily more apparent that he valkyries are not fully under Shaddiq's control. Though their exact goals are so far unknown, they include [[spoiler:making Shaddiq pay for letting Maisie die due to his arrogance]].

** The reader learns way before anyone else that [[spoiler:Sophie Pulone and the Morrigan are one and the same. Sabina and Nika suspect that the Morrigan is sentient, but signs of it are infrequent enough that they could be coincidence (implied to be Quiet Zero suppressing her), and they have no idea it's Sophie]].

** The dawn of fold focal characters are four; Nika, Sabina, [[spoiler:Chuchu, and Felsi]].
* EmbarassingNickname: Norea specifically decides to call the original Elan Ceres "Nolan" because he hates it.
* EmpatheticWeapon: [[spoiler:The Morrigan is on some level sapient, containing a personality that sees Nika and Sabina as its family, and can feel their sensations at times, especially Nika's permet-covered arm]].

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: After Guel and Shaddiq's makeout session, the tension between them is so obvious that even the blind Suletta can tell.

* EyeLaser: The Demi-Balor, Chuchu and Felsi's mobile suit, has an array of lenses on its head that can fire off a powerful energy beam.

->At the end of hope, a mechanic and a Valkyrie make the choice to run. A Witch from Earth rushes on to her death and revenge, only to find her Thorn destroyed; its sister stolen. The students at Asticassia academy endure another day of classes and little else.\
\
And the Witches of Quiet Zero begin their work, unimpeded.\
\
A year later, Suletta Rembran tries to understand her sister, in the hopes that they can make peace. Two Enhanced Pilots take the first steps to make good their escape and revenge. And Dawn of Fold's new leaders use the only Gundam that works within Quiet Zero's sphere of influence to take back their home from any who would claim it.\
\
The Three Witches' War has begun.