History Literature / ThisUsedToBeAboutDungeons

* FantasticRacism: Chrononauts are often viewed with suspicion due to their ability to reset events, even among other chrononauts. They have a confusing reputation for both caution and recklessness.

* BlessedWithSuck: Verity is a chosen one of the god of infinity, and she ''really'' wishes she wasn't.

* KillItWithFire: The Burners are responsible for clearing out bad dungeon escape events. No points for guessing their main tool. They're a popular bogeyman, but they haven't had a full scale mobilization in decades.

** Isra: A {{druid}} [[RaisedByWolves orphaned at a young age]] who didn't realize her natural abilities weren't shared by others.

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: The main job of Chrononauts is to serve as an early warning system in case of natural disasters or dungeon breakouts. They're only able to go back a day, but it's far better than nothing.

* ArcNumber: Six. There are six gods, each with six groups of six groups of six chosen ones to serve them, and the basic unit of land is called a hex. A notable break from this pattern is that the limit for party size is five.

* JumpedAtTheCall: When Hannah heard an adventurer had been asking about her in town she immediately started making arrangements to drop her duties at the local temple. By the time Alfric showed up she was all packed and ready to go to the dungeon immediately. Partly this was because she's always wanted to try dungeon diving, but mostly so she could leave an unwanted position she had been given [[ReassignedToAntarctica to keep her out of the way]].
* KillItWithFire: The Burners are responsible for clearing out bad dungeon-escape events. No points for guessing their main tool. They're a popular bogeyman, but they haven't had a full scale mobilization in decades.

* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: The party members are all a little out of step with the rest of their peers in one way or another.

** Mizuki: An aimless young woman whose status as a [[RealityWarper sorcerer]] makes her something of a pariah among other mages.
** Isra: A {{druid}} [[RaisedByWolves orphaned at a young age]] who didn't realize her natural abilities weren't shared by others.
** Hannah: A Cleric whose true-believer religious convictions are viewed with disfavor by her more bureaucratic superiors in the church.

* BenevolentPrecursors: The Editors, a mysterious group from far in the past who created the dungeons, codified classes, and established the criteria to determine someone's elevation.

** Verity: A [[MagicMusic bard]] chosen by a god for unknown purposes that [[BlessedWithSuck resents the distraction]] from her music.

* RPGMechanicsVerse: Downplayed, with the only overt RPG elements being a party and guild system.

** Oeyr, God of Emmergence, aka God of Disorder, aka God of Asymmetry

The story can be found [[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/45534/this-used-to-be-about-dungeons here]] on Royal Road and updates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

** Mizuki: A lonely young woman whose status as a [[RealityWarper sorcerer]] makes her something of a pariah among other mages.

** Hannah: A Cleric whose true-believer religious convictions are viewed with disfavor by her more beurocratic superiors in the church.

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Dungeons get more powerful from nearby magic, be it from mages, magical items, or natural features of the environment, making it easy to find one of an appropriate level. Just starting out and need a relatively risk free test of your abilities? Find an out of the way town and clear out the nearby dungeons. Have some experience and looking for something more lucrative? Head to a larger town or find an area naturally high in magic. Repeat as many times as you like, with the only complication being that you can go into each dungeon only once.

* BlessedWithSuck: Verity is one of the chosen ones of the god of infinity, and she ''really'' wishes she wasn't.

* {{Druid}}: Isra is one unintentionally, thanks to the circumstances of her birth and her father's disinterest in his new community. She spent most of her life unaware of the fact and mostly used her abilities to hunt more effectively.

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Dungeons get more powerful from nearby magic, be it from mages, magical items, or natural features of the environment, making it easy to find one of an appropriate level. Just starting out out and need a relatively risk free test of your abilities? Find an out of the way town and clear out the nearby dungeons. Have some experience and looking for something more lucrative? Head to a larger town or find an area naturally high in magic. Repeat as many times as you like, with the only complication being that you can go into each dungeon only once.

* WhiteMage: Hannah is one in the service of the god of symmetry, whose priests are known for their facility with healing magic.

** Verity: A [[MagicMusic bard]] [[BlessedWithSuck chosen by a god]] for unknown purposes that resents the distraction from her music.

* RealityWarper: Sorcerers are a downplayed version, with an emphasis on warper. They're able to affect the magic around them, but they can't produce any on their own and need some pre-existing magic to work with. This makes them generally unpopular with other mages whose workings they harvest and alter.

* {{Druid}}: Isra is one unintentionally, thanks to the circumstances of her birth and her father's disinterest in his new community.

* RealityWarper: Sorcerers are a downplayed version, with an emphasis on "warper". They're able to affect the magic around them, but need some pre-existing magic to work with and can't produce any on their own. This makes them generally unpopular with other mages whose workings they harvest and alter.

* SliceOfLife: The story is much more down to earth and character driven than his previous works, with the plot largely concerning the drama and day to day practicalities of setting up a new adventuring group.

''This Used to be About Dungeons'' is an ongoing slice-of-life adventuring story by Alexander Wales that occasionally features dungeons.