History Literature / TimeScout

* CostumePorn: You really don't want to stand out when you go downtime, and clothes really do make the man. Connie Logan's "Clothes And Stuff" is ''the'' place to buy your outfits. They're always top of the line, and usually very expensive. They often look '''very good'''.

*** Margo Smith: LittleMissBadass, ActionGirl, BoobsOfSteel, ActionGirlfriend, DistressedDamsel, TookALevelInBadass, DareToBeBadass

*** Skeeter Jackson: AlmightyJanitor, ActionSurvivor [[note]]as a child[[/note]], [[LittleMissBadass Little Mister Badass]], BadassUnintentional [[note]]just to survive in ancient Mongolia[[/note]], {{Ambadassador}} [[note]]representing the downtimers[[/note]], {{Determinator}} [[note]]do '''not''' mess with his adopted family. He will spend days hunting you down without sleep. He will travel to the ends of time.[[/note]], BadassBoast [[note]]an odd thought makes him laugh, and he takes advantage[[/note]], [[BadassBoast Badass War Song]] [[note]]a Mongolian ditty that freaks out his opponent[[/note]]

** BadassBookworm: All the scouts and guides have the equivalent of multiple degrees in history, language, mathematics, and ass-kicking. Kit Carson is the UrExample in-universe.

* NoEqualOpportunityTimeTravel: Women cannot be scouts. ''Period.'' When Margo insists, [[spoiler:she ends up tortured and gang-raped by downtime Catholics and is almost ''burned at the stake.'']] They ''can b''e guides. Guiding and scouting are wildly different professions; guiding is a fairly safe if high-compentence profession strictly limited to well-explored times and places where a woman can learn to blend in. Scouting is an extreme-risk profession where one is operating without a net and all but guaranteed to die horribly - Kit Carson is the only professional scout to ''retire''. The race issue is never brought up.

* NoEqualOpportunityTimeTravel: Women cannot be scouts. Period. Until Margo insists. They ''can'' be guides. Guiding and scouting are wildly different professions. The race issue is never brought up.

* SexTourism: Some people go downtime to have sex with downtimer whores. This is viewed ''very'' negatively and explicitly referred to as rape. They're called "zipper jockeys".

* ExcellentAdventure: In order to psych Margo up and get her interested in her difficult historical research, she's given a few tours downtime. First to Victorian England, then to Ancient Rome. She makes some serious mistakes each time, but also experiences some of the joys of learning.

* DeadLittleSister: Several Margo lost a twin infant in The Accident. Malcolm lost a younger brother.

* DrowningMySorrows: Margo eventually muses that his may be part of her father's problem; she has a DeadLittleBrother.

* TheArcher: Khynan prefers a Welsh longbow, being a Welsh longbowman. Skeeter prefers the Mongolian recurve of his youth.

*** Malcolm Moore: BadassInANiceSuit, BadassInCharge [[hottip:**:of the Ripper Watch Team]], BadassInDistress[[hottip:**:After Keaderman shoots him.]]
*** Anne Vin Mulhaney: ActionMom, PregnantBadass
*** Sven Bailey: MemeticBadass [[hottip:**:in universe, widely recognized as the deadliest person on TT86]], KnifeNut
*** Skeeter Jackson: AlmightyJanitor, ActionSurvivor [[hottip:**:as a child]], [[LittleMissBadass Little Mister Badass]], BadassUnintentional [[hottip:**:just to survive in ancient Mongolia]], {{Ambadassador}} [[hottip:**:representing the downtimers]], {{Determinator}} [[hottip:**: do '''not''' mess with his adopted family. He will spend days hunting you down without sleep. He will travel to the ends of time.]], BadassBoast [[hottip:**:an odd thought makes him laugh, and he takes advantage]], [[BadassBoast Badass War Song]] [[hottip:**:a Mongolian ditty that freaks out his opponent]]
*** Jack the Ripper: [[spoiler:DeadlyDoctor]][[hottip:**:John, not James]], CulturedBadass, CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, [[LikeABadassOutOfHell Like A Badass Out Of Temporal Water]][[hottip:**:He goes a little crazy... a little '''more''' crazy in Shangri La, comparing it to hell.]], SubmissiveBadass [[hottip:**:James, not John.]]

-->'''Malcolm:''' Malcolm was reminded of some lines from his favorite poet. [Creator/RudyardKipling] [[hottip:*:His favorite poet is actually Creator/WilliamButlerYeats, and the poem is misattributed to Yeats in the book]]

* TitleDrop: Rather gratuitously in the epilogue of the last book. ''Time Scout'' is dropped every time someone talks about scouting. ''Wagers of Sin'' only makes it to the cover. ''Ripping Time'' is an actual period of time in universe[[hottip:**:The period of time during which the Ripper murders occurred.]] and is mentioned several times.

* CareerKiller: In the last two books, hordes of these chase the heroes through time.

** They put {{CareerKiller}}s on baggage crews to hunt down and murder people running from those same CareerKillers.
** They get a SmugSnake CareerKiller head of evil security placed on the search and rescue mission going after those same people.

** Well, an explanation of ''how'' it doesn't happen is provided, but not ''why'' the universe is set up that way in the first place.

* EpilepticTrees: Some of the theories about Bloody Jack are really far out there.

* AlasPoorVillain: Poor Lupus Mortiferus. Granted, he wanted to murder the crap out of Skeeter, but he ended up stranded in ancient MesoAmerica. In-universe, Skeeter pities him.

-->'''Malcolm:''' Malcolm was reminded of some lines from his favorite poet. [Creator/RudyardKipling]

-->'''Malcolm:''' Malcolm was reminded of some lines from his favorite poet. [Creator/WilliamButlerYeats]

* DarkMessiah: Jack the Ripper. And [[DidNotDoTheResearch Aleister Crowley]].

* AuthorAppeal: Generally, the critique of the BadPresent. The present has gone LawfulStupid with regard to gun control, political correctness, and requiring things like a class in etiquette instead of a much desired math class. The residents of La La Land all prefer simple, practical approaches like carrying weapons when you're in a dangerous place, being forthright about the flaws of both past and present, and thinking etiquette is stupid and useless.

-->'''Malcolm:''' Malcolm was reminded of some lines from his favorite poet. [WilliamButlerYeats]

** While investigating JackTheRipper's occult connections, the Ripper Watch Team runs into Malcolm's favorite poet, WilliamButlerYeats. He can barely restrain from soiling himself.

* ''The House That Jack Built'' (2000): The first direct sequel, Jenna's still on the run and Shangri La's mired in chaos. And then Jack the Ripper starts killing downtimer whores in Victorian London.

* ''Time Scout'': Margo Smith is desperate to become the first female time scout. She's on a deadline, and she's not taking no for an answer.
* ''Wagers Of Sin'': Skeeter Jackson is a thief, a con man, and all around scoundrel. He's got a dark and troubled past, a dark and troubled future, and he's just made a very deadly wager.
* ''Ripping Time'': Jenna Cadrick is on the run from a murderous organization. She has no friends and no experience, but she's fighting for her life and running through time. Shangri La's about to get hit, hard, by enemies it didn't know it had.
* ''The House That Jack Built'': The first direct sequel, Jenna's still on the run and Shangri La's mired in chaos. And then Jack the Ripper starts killing downtimer whores in Victorian London.

* GraysSportsAlmanac: Sort of. It's possible to go back in time and gamble on past sporting events. But it's illegal.

Set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, the Time Scout books follow the lives of the residents of Time Terminal 86, Shangri La Station, La La Land. Much of it involves time travel.

* GuiseWillBeGuise: Skeeter takes Armstrong's place.

* ArabianNights: The newest gate leads to ancient Arabia and is named ArabianNights. This is the theme for the commercial area being built around it.

** They have downtimer terrorists working construction on the new ArabianNights gate, perfectly placed to start riots and murder their enemies.