History Literature / IlivaisX

* YuriGenre: Doesn't start off having really any subtext at all, but once Mille and Iriana's relationship gets going it becomes quite central to the overall plot.

* WeaponOfChoice: The Specialized Weapon Units all make use of a single multi-purpose weapon.

* RedOniBlueOni: Mille is the Red Oni (despite having [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-ish hair]]), as she's more passionate, impulsive, and quite HotBlooded. Iriana's the Blue Oni, who at least tries to be calm and composed, but is strung up VERY tightly and prone to completely losing it in all sorts of ways.

[[CompletelyMissingThePoint Obviously, the single most important part about the entire story is that it doesn't use dialogue tags at all.]]

* FiveManBand:
** Heroes:
*** TheHero- Iriana ([[AntiHero well]]...[[VillainProtagonist sooooorta]])
*** TheLancer- Mille
*** TheSmartGuy- Essen
*** TheBigGuy- Sura
*** [[spoiler: TheSixthRanger- Seyne]]
** The Aztec Commanders.
*** BigBad: Anosa
*** TheDragon: Seyne[[spoiler: , at least until he defects.]]
*** TheBrute: Sycine
*** TheEvilGenius: Omnes
*** TheDarkChick: Noille
** The STRUQ Team under Noille also counts.
*** BigBad: Noille
*** TheDragon: Primo
*** TheBrute: Lau
*** TheEvilGenius: Kolme (he even serves as something of a direct EvilCounterpart to [[TheSmartGuy Essen]])
*** TheDarkChick: Dia

* {{Expy}}: A lot, considering that this is a darker reprise of almost every mecha anime ever. The eponymous mech is pretty much {{Manga/Zeorymer}} (and the GEKICOM Elementals are based off the Hakkeshu as well), many of the characters are incredibly similar to those from other sources, etc.

* MeaningfulName: "Espada" is Spanish for "sword", and indeed, it serves as the basic weapon of the Iberians. "Avespia" is a portmanteau of "avispa" and "espia", or "bee" and "spy", since they have a bee motif and are mostly used for recon. "Oberos" means "to work", as it's a basic labor-type unit. And "Ilivais" is an alternate spelling of "elevais", or "to ascend", fitting since those who possess an Ilivais tend to "ascend" to importance.

* [[RealRobotGenre Real Robots]]: The Iberian Empire mostly uses the Espada, which is a basic, cheap, but functional weapon that stands at a simple 6 meters tall. The Avespias fall into this as well.

* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness and [[SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism Versus Cynicism Versus Idealism]]: The main dynamic between Iriana and Mille. Iriana fits in much with a heavy-handed, dramatic story of angstiness, while Mille practically views sillier old SuperRobotGenre shows as her holy manuscript, and as such, it shifts all over both scales. It even spills into each others' characters as time goes on- Mille has much less optimistic depths to her, while Iriana harbors a bit of a lighthearted DeadpanSnarker side on occasion.

* [[SuperRobotGenre Super Robots]]: The Aztec Ilivais units are very showy, dynamic, and not very plausible en masse.

* FiveBadBand: The Aztec Commanders.
** BigBad: Anosa
** TheDragon: Seyne[[spoiler: , at least until he defects.]]
** TheBrute: Sycine
** TheEvilGenius: Omnes
** TheDarkChick: Noille
** The STRUQ Team under Noille also counts.
*** BigBad: Noille
*** TheDragon: Primo
*** TheBrute: Lau
*** TheEvilGenius: Kolme (he even serves as something of a direct EvilCounterpart to [[TheSmartGuy Essen]])
*** TheDarkChick: Dia

** TheHero- Iriana ([[AntiHero well]]...[[VillainProtagonist sooooorta]])
** TheLancer- Mille
** TheSmartGuy- Essen
** TheBigGuy- Sura
** [[spoiler: TheSixthRanger- Seyne]]

->''Why do you fight? Why do you exist?''

''[[http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2997974/1/Ilivais_X Ilivais X]]'' starts fairly standardly, where Iriana Estchell, a [[TheOphelia serenely disturbed]] and [[OlderThanSheLooks childish-looking]] girl escapes her Aztec rulers in the eponymous [[SuperPrototype Ilivais X]], only to be captured by three members of the [[TheKingdom Gaia Forces]]: [[HotBlooded Mille Chanteau]], [[FriendlySniper Essen Dywell]], and [[GeniusBruiser Sura Verandis]], who quickly become her main allies and her only friends (despite what she says).

[[OutOfGenreExperience Then it becomes quite likely]] [[FreudWasRight one of the most sexual]] HumongousMecha tales formulated.

* SuperRobot: The Aztec Ilivais units are very showy, dynamic, and not very plausible en masse.

* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness [[SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism Versus Cynicism Versus Idealism]]: The main dynamic between Iriana and Mille. Iriana fits in much with a heavy-handed, dramatic story of angstiness, while Mille practically views sillier old SuperRobotGenre shows as her holy manuscript, and as such, it shifts all over both scales. It even spills into each others' characters as time goes on- Mille has much less optimistic depths to her, while Iriana harbors a bit of a lighthearted DeadpanSnarker side on occasion.

* RealRobot: The Iberian Empire mostly uses the Espada, which is a basic, cheap, but functional weapon that stands at a simple 6 meters tall. The Avespias fall into this as well.

* {{Expy}}: A lot, considering that this is a darker reprise of almost every mecha anime ever. The eponymous mech is pretty much {{Zeorymer}} (and the GEKICOM Elementals are based off the Hakkeshu as well), many of the characters are incredibly similar to those from other sources, etc.

* SuperPrototype: All 26 of the Ilivais prototypes are capable of annihilating entire Iberian armies with ease singlehandedly. A bit subverted in A's case- it doesn't have amenities such as an End Code, wings, or capable weapons, and needs to utilize a lifter jet to practically get around. Seyne just manages to hold his own due to basically being [[SuperRobotWars Sanger Zonvolt]].

The Spanish [[AlternateHistory have failed to conquer the Aztecs]], whose empire expands faster than any power in previous history. War between the two nations powers an exponential LensmanArmsRace, and soon neutral nations are forced to retreat, leaving the map completely dominated by the [[ModernMayincatecEmpire Aztec Empire]] and the rivaling Iberian Empire. The fighting only escalates as weaponry becomes more and more powerful, and it soon seems the world will be plunged in war forever.

[[OutOfGenreExperience Then it becomes quite likely]] [[FreudWasRight the single most sexual]] HumongousMecha tale written.

''[[http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2997974/1/Ilivais_X Ilivais X]]'' (or [[http://ilivaisx.blogspot.com/2011/10/prologue.html here]] where it is farther along but worsely written) starts fairly standardly, where Iriana Estchell, a [[TheOphelia serenely disturbed]] and [[OlderThanSheLooks childish-looking]] girl escapes her Aztec rulers in the eponymous [[SuperPrototype Ilivais X]], only to be captured by three members of the [[TheKingdom Gaia Forces]]: [[HotBlooded Mille Chanteau]], [[FriendlySniper Essen Dywell]], and [[GeniusBruiser Sura Verandis]], who quickly become her main allies and her only friends (despite what she says).

The story is more focused on CharacterDevelopment than mecha [[StuffBlowingUp blowing each other up]], and shifts in personal motivations are just as important, if not more so, than the outcome of battles. It's something like ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' or ''SpaceRunawayIdeon'' set in a ''CodeGeass''-like plot, what with the robots being highly empathetic (while actually being robots) and the cast's dysfunctionality being heavily exploited. It can be seen as a {{Deconstruction}} of [[RealRobotGenre Real]] and [[SuperRobotGenre Super]] robot traits, presenting a conflict between the two and their usual standards. It also has a large amount of anime flavor and takes a hell of a lot of cues from other mecha shows- if it's well-known within the genre, chances are you can probably find some element of that played with or referenced at some point.

* AffablyEvil: The ONLY inherently evil people are Sycine, Arteya, and MAYBE [[BloodKnight Lau.]]. The majority of the Aztec and Iberian empires are made up of fairly decent people, and the fact that they've essentially created two utopias divided by a somewhat harmless war gives their ideologies far more merit than the Gaia Forces'. It's not a stretch to say Iriana's more villainous than the better part of the people she's exacting revenge upon (then again, it's MOSTLY Sycine's fault).
* AllNationsAreSuperpowers: The Aztec Empire encompasses all of North and South America, while the Iberian Empire has Europe, Russia, and Africa. The Gaia Forces are left with Australia, Antarctica, and a "useless" sliver of Russia.

* AlternateHistoryWank: Maybe. While the Aztecs conquering all of North and South America is fairly plausible, the Iberian Empire isn't as much. It could be explained by multiple-point attacks organized in secret and coming out of the blue for Spain's neighbors, but it would need to be fairly sudden and well-planned to succeed against Britain or France. The point of divergence isn't well-explained either- the Aztecs may have somehow acquired Spanish weapons, or Montezuma could have been a wizard.

* {{Animesque}}: The setting establishes itself with as many anime quirks as possible, essentially so the "dark reprise of all mecha anime" part is more effective. Though it has no artwork with it, the entire point is to picture everything looking like an anime.
* ArcWords: The quote at the top, used quite a bit by several characters. The way it's put in most scenarios, to "exist" is to make life, both in the context of love and creation, and it intertwines with fighting, or both violence and destruction, encompassing the themes of the story in a nutshell.

* BetaCouple: Subverted with [[spoiler: Churi and Sycine]]. They broke up well before the start of the story but they did [[spoiler: give Iriana the idea of being attracted to girls]].
* BlackEyesOfEvil: Any time someone initiates an End Code. This is usually accompanied with a mild BerserkerRage or AxeCrazy state.
* BoringButPractical: The Espadas are stated and described as being somewhat bland (aside from the cockpit being on the shoulder), and they do tend to drop like flies, but they've shown themselves fully capable of using swarm tactics effectively, and even managed to bring Iriana in a few close scrapes in the early chapters.
* CerebusRollercoaster: Some chapters are bleak, depressing and dark in general. Some would make you think that the story is a massive parody of pretty much everything. Some go through both at once. There's not really any rhyme or reason to this.

* DesperationAttack: The End Code, which varies for its users. It's a last-resort move for GEKICOM units, where they put forth the full power of their element in a final attack at expense of most or all of their energy (unless they have a recharging source, as E was capable of continuing due to being powered by a storm). For the Specialized Weapon Units, it's a full assault technique using a bit of everything in their arsenal, and they can use it as many times as their ammo/energy will hold out. For the STRUQ units, they just transform into whatever part of the combined mecha the unit is and attack that way. A has Soul Blade which isn't an actual End Code, and the Phonos Weapons get various [[SphereOfDestruction Spheres of Destruction]].
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Seyne gets an End Code in the face, and A is trashed beyond repair. The Aztecs are pretty sure he's dead, but about 25 seconds after they say that, Mille is shown to have rescued him for some reason.]]
* DysfunctionJunction: Almost every character has some kind of big issue in their way. Considering that there's 26 Ilivais pilots, 6 Iberian commanders, and the three Avespia pilots, and we have a MASSIVE pileup of personal issues coming back almost every other minute.

** TheHero- Iriana

* {{Foil}}: Mille and Iriana. Mille is warm, motherly, accepting, a little hot-headed, and has a build fitting of such a person. Iriana is cold, lonesome, walled-off, overly logical, and has a thin, fragile frame. Seyne and Iriana count as well, Seyne being an experienced and noble warrior in a weak mech, while Iriana is in an incredibly powerful machine, but she has no idea what she's doing and isn't above playing a little dirty as a result.

* LaResistance: The Cycle Squad and the Gaia Forces (though the latter is more of a neutral area with a military solely for self-defense)
* LovecraftianSuperpower: Whatever the hell it was that happened on Day 13. Iriana at first it was some sort of metaphorical mindscape thing, and believed tearing off Alice's skin was an analogy for the Drive Core. Then she returns to reality. Guess who had been essentially flayed? A bit of FridgeHorror when you realize Iriana was a second away from unintentionally doing the same thing to Mille.

* MagneticPlotDevice: Ilivais X, specifically its Cyclic Engine. If Iriana had run away in anything else, it would eventually be recaptured anyway, since the Gaia Forces would've been unable to acquire the exclusive energy source that powers the Ilivais units. Since she DOES have the Cyclic Engine, she constantly has to fight off the Aztecs and she can't really live a normal life (though considering she can't leave the Ilivais for extended periods of time, she couldn't do that no matter what she did).
* MeaningfulName: "Espada" is Spanish for "sword". "Avespia" is a portmanteau of "avispa" and "espia", or "bee" and "spy", appropriate given its nature. Ilivais is an alternate spelling of "elevais", or "to ascend", though this was entirely coincidental.

* MindRape: What happens when [[spoiler: Iriana tries to throw away all caution and hastily merge with Mille.]]
* MiniMecha: The Oberos units, which are unarmed utility mechs the size of a Smart. For being mundane civil service machines, they sure proved effective at reclaiming Ilivais X.

* MonsterOfTheWeek: A different Ilivais prototype shows up nearly every day, though recent events have kinda made that prone to change. The amount, not the fact that fighting the empires is the Cycle Squad's daily job.
* RealRobot: The Iberian Empire mostly uses the Espada, a small, fragile, yet cheap and effective machine that stands about 6 meters tall. The initial prototype proved to be so successful that the current models are hardly changed from the original, in direct contrast to the Aztec army. The Avespias that Mille, Essen, and Sura pilot count as well.
* RedOniBlueOni: Mille is the Red Oni (despite having [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-ish hair]]), as she's more passionate, impulsive, and a little HotBlooded. Iriana's the Blue Oni, who at least tries to be calm and composed, but is strung up VERY tightly and prone to completely losing it in all sorts of ways.

* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler: Mille decides to bring the mostly-dead Seyne with her after he and Casud destroy the original base.]]
* SchoolgirlLesbians: Though neither of them are actually in school, both Iriana and Mille are the right age for this. It started off as a ''somewhat'' ambiguous RomanticTwoGirlFriendship, but it quickly developed into a relationship. Granted, not a PRETTY relationship, but still.

* SquareCubeLaw: Averted, to an extent. Most of the mecha are designed explicitly for flight, considering most Ilivais units simply use the legs as close-combat blades, and the Avespias and Espadas simply do not have feet. Ilivais A wasn't capable of true flight, and could only support itself from a combination of backup thrusters and Seyne's abilities, and F/J can walk about on land, but also possess flight capabilities.
* SuperPrototype: All 26 of the Ilivais prototypes are capable of annihilating entire Iberian armies with ease singlehandedly. A bit subverted in A's case- it doesn't have amenities such as an End Code, wings, or capable weapons, just pointed legs it can barely stand on and inferior bladed arms. The only reason Seyne's able to stand up to everyone is because he's THAT good.

* SuperRobot: The Aztec Ilivais units, composed of 26 OneManArmy [[SuperPrototype Super Prototypes]] and they're 25-30 meters tall. The MP units are manufactured in the mere dozens as opposed to the swarms of Espadas, simply because the Aztecs rely on the prototypes so heavily.

* WeaponOfChoice: The Specialized Weapon Units, which make up every other prototype until Q.

* YouWillBeAssimilated: Both the Null and Drive Cores [[spoiler: and Mille's Infinity Drive Core]] have the side-effect of taking a fragment of the opponent's soul, allowing the pilot of X to use some of their abilities.

* AffablyEvil: Basically the ONLY inherently evil people are [[CompleteMonster Sycine, Arteya]], and MAYBE [[BloodKnight Lau.]]. The majority of the Aztec and Iberian empires are made up of fairly decent people, and the fact that they've essentially created two utopias divided by a somewhat harmless war gives their ideologies far more merit than the Gaia Forces'. It's not a stretch to say Iriana's more villainous than the better part of the people she's exacting revenge upon (then again, it's MOSTLY Sycine's fault).

''[[http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2997974/1/Ilivais_X Ilivais X]]'' (link is WAY behind, but it's not in a very presentable format anywhere else) starts fairly standardly, where Iriana Estchell, a [[TheOphelia serenely disturbed]] and [[OlderThanSheLooks childish-looking]] girl escapes her Aztec rulers in the eponymous [[SuperPrototype Ilivais X]], only to be captured by three members of the [[TheKingdom Gaia Forces]]: [[HotBlooded Mille Chanteau]], [[FriendlySniper Essen Dywell]], and [[GeniusBruiser Sura Verandis]], who quickly become her main allies and her only friends (despite what she says).