History Literature / ParanoidMage

** Turns out that combining mundane weaponry with magical portals is incredibly effective. Callum's combat debut is [[spoiler:firing guns through tiny portals to [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] an entire nest of vampires ''and'' their supporting mage, without them seeing him coming despite their SuperSpeed]]. He only gets more dangerous from there.

* EldritchLocation: The portal worlds don't quite have the same physics as Earth. Upon Callum's first visit to one, he finds himself on a cliff overlooking an apparently ''endless'' empty expanse, with no sun and yet light coming from the whole sky. Which may be partly a result of the fact that the portal worlds are overflowing with mana.

* DeathOrGloryAttack: Without having learned any of the usual mage skills, Callum can't fight directly and openly, so he figures he needs to put everything into his first strike.

''Paranoid Mage'' is an urban fantasy WebSerialNovel, by the author of ''Literature/BlueCore'', available on [[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/49879/paranoid-mage RoyalRoad]], and [[https://www.scribblehub.com/series/417236/paranoid-mage/ ScribbleHub]].

* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Because GAR treated Callum West like a criminal slave, dragging him into a "test" that was just shy of torture, tattooing him against his will when he was unconscious, and pushing him around like a moron, demanding he end his civilian life or be declared Rogue and face execution, Callum West '''went rogue'''. He bolts at the first opportunity, destroying GAR infrastructure to punish them every time they try to get a handle on him, and when GAR decides to mess with someone he likes or turn a blind eye to mundanes suffering thanks to supernatural shenanigans, ''that's when he gets mad.''

* EntertaininglyWrong: For the better part of a year, GAR is convinced that Callum Wells is just the front man for a larger unknown organization, and once that has been debunked, various factions are utterly convinced he's a secret pet project for some unstated Archmage house that slipped his leash -- because the alternative, that he is precisely what his dossier says he is, is far, far more terrifying. Even Lucy Harper, who ''likes'' Callum West, has that mindset, until she meets him in person.

* HateCrimesAreASpecialKindOfEvil: One of the things guaranteed to get Callum West on the war path is when supernaturals treat mundanes like livestock or wild game, to hunt for sport. He considers GAR an evil organization because they either turn a blind eye to it, citing unstated "quotas" before it becomes a crime, or '''actively participate''' as was the case in Winut.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Callum West has no qualms about using his enemies' weapons, tactics, or strategies against them.

* JoinOrDie: As explained to Callum West by Agent Jahn, when a mage awakens among the mundanes and is brought before GAR, they either bow and scrape, complying with GAR's policy, to the letter, and obey every order given by their Master, which has a 30% mortality rate, or be declared a rogue and face certain death. Callum, not looking forward to conscription at best, outright slavery as a distinct possibility, and clearly not happy with the prospect of the 30% mortality rate, bolts first chance he gets and has been a thorn in GAR's side ever since.

* MagicLand: All magic and supernatural races come from one of the many portal worlds that are connected to Earth.

* LawfulStupid: The GAR's Department of Acquisition has standard operating procedure to put mundanes who are exposed to the supernatural under the care and responsibility of the group who thus exposed them.