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Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
Changed line(s) 33,34 (click to see context) from:
** The first few pages alone introduce BRAD as ‘Big Reject And Doofus’, ‘Blatantly Ridiculous Armpit Dork’, ‘Brown Rabid Alligator Dung’, ‘Beaver Ripple Ashtray Drink’, ‘Buffalo Rectum and Drainhole’, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers ‘Bright Responsible and Delightful’]].
to:
** The first few pages alone introduce BRAD as ‘Big Reject And Doofus’, ‘Blatantly Ridiculous Armpit Dork’, ‘Brown Rabid Alligator Dung’, ‘Beaver Ripple Ashtray Drink’, ‘Buffalo Rectum and Drainhole’, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers ‘Bright Responsible and Delightful’]].
Delightful’.
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Misused What An Idiot
* TheDitz: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time.
** There were also numerous NoodleIncidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. This is the second time Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
** There were also numerous NoodleIncidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. This is the second time Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
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* DysfunctionalFamily: Well, let’s see… there’s the BumblingDad Graham, the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] [[WomenAreWiser mother]], Narelle, the BrattyTeenageDaughter [[TheDitz Jess]], DeadpanSnarker [[CoolBigSis Cool Middle Sister]] Sal, and the [[DeadpanSnarker equally snarky]] [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] narrator. Not to mention Jess’s boyfriend, [[WhatAnIdiot BRAD]].
to:
* DysfunctionalFamily: Well, let’s see… there’s the BumblingDad Graham, the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] [[WomenAreWiser mother]], Narelle, the BrattyTeenageDaughter [[TheDitz Jess]], DeadpanSnarker [[CoolBigSis Cool Middle Sister]] Sal, and the [[DeadpanSnarker equally snarky]] [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] narrator. Not to mention Jess’s boyfriend, [[WhatAnIdiot BRAD]].
BRAD.
Changed line(s) 66 (click to see context) from:
* TheGhost: BRAD, to a minor degree in the first book. Apart from three texts from his phone (and one of which was not even sent by him), he has no direct communication with the characters [[spoiler: until he manages to call Jess in order to explain he had been banned from his phone because of a [[NoodleIncident call to Greenland]] and had not been kidnapped at all]]. The only way his characterisation is shown is by the way the other characters react to him. One could be forgiven for assuming they were exaggerating his stupidity. As the [[AscendedExtra next two books]] prove, [[WhatAnIdiot they were not]].
to:
* TheGhost: BRAD, to a minor degree in the first book. Apart from three texts from his phone (and one of which was not even sent by him), he has no direct communication with the characters [[spoiler: until he manages to call Jess in order to explain he had been banned from his phone because of a [[NoodleIncident call to Greenland]] and had not been kidnapped at all]]. The only way his characterisation is shown is by the way the other characters react to him. One could be forgiven for assuming they were exaggerating his stupidity. As the [[AscendedExtra next two books]] prove, [[WhatAnIdiot they were not]].not.
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* WhatAnIdiot: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time.
** There were also numerous NoodleIncidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. This is the second time Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
** There were also numerous NoodleIncidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. This is the second time Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
Changed line(s) 71 (click to see context) from:
* WhatAnIdiot: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then [[UpToEleven not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time]].
to:
* WhatAnIdiot: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then [[UpToEleven not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time]].time.
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. [[Up to eleven: This is the second time]] Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
to:
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. [[Up to eleven: This is the second time]] time Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
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Outnumbered Sibling is being disambiguated, example does not fit other tropes
Deleted line(s) 59 (click to see context) :
* OutnumberedSibling: The youngest child is also the only boy.
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None
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* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: In the third book, Marcie and Marshall are suspected to be murdered by their son (drawing this instalment into DarkerAndEdgier territory, although still pretty light hearted). Narelle came to this conclusion by… a muffled voicemail and the fact that Marshall changed their answering machine message to something admittedly ominous.
to:
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: In the third book, Marcie and Marshall are suspected to be murdered by their son (drawing this instalment into DarkerAndEdgier territory, although still pretty light hearted).lighthearted). Narelle came to this conclusion by… a muffled voicemail and the fact that Marshall changed their answering machine message to something admittedly ominous.
Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* WomenAreWiser: Narelle is one of the sanest members of the family, especially in contrast to [[BumblingDad Graham]]. While Sal also has OnlySaneMan tendancies, it’s averted big time by [[TheDitz Jess]]. The male protagonist is also shown to have taken more after his mother in the brains department.
to:
* WomenAreWiser: Narelle is one of the sanest members of the family, especially in contrast to [[BumblingDad Graham]]. While Sal also has OnlySaneMan tendancies, tendencies, it’s averted big time by [[TheDitz Jess]]. The male protagonist is also shown to have taken more after his mother in the brains department.
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None
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* EasyAmnesia: BRAD in the second book. After falling out of a car, he lost all of his memories. [[{{Cloudcukoolander}} Jess]] tries to reverse it by [[TapOnTheHead beating him]] with a cushion. [[AmusingInjuries Sal and her brother are quite willing let it happen.]]
to:
* EasyAmnesia: BRAD in the second book. After falling out of a car, he lost all of his memories. [[{{Cloudcukoolander}} [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Jess]] tries to reverse it by [[TapOnTheHead beating him]] with a cushion. [[AmusingInjuries Sal and her brother are quite willing let it happen.]]
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None
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* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Implied to be the case with every relationship, but as [[ButtMonkey BRAD]] is the one who gets into the most trouble, [[BoundAndGagged there are]] [[EasyAmnesia several moments]] [[LostAtSea where the]] protagonist sincerely worries about him throughout the series. [[spoiler: Admittedly several times BRAD was revealed to be safe all along, but it’s the thought that counts]].
to:
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Implied to be the case with every relationship, but as [[ButtMonkey BRAD]] is the one who gets into the most trouble, [[BoundAndGagged there are]] [[EasyAmnesia several moments]] [[LostAtSea where the]]
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*DrivesLikeCrazy: Jess apparently ran over the letterbox the first time she got behind the wheel. Justified in that she was a sixteen year old who has barely had a few minutes experience, although the fact that apparently she lost the road during the first book suggests she was unskilled as well as inexperienced.
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--> '''Jess:''' You can’t – you WON’T – you refuse to feel my pain. You’ve never been in love like this, Mother. Not ever. Not like the love I share with BRAD. I’ll never love again. Not now. I can’t. I WON’T. My reason for LIVING is gone. I can’t go on without him. I can’t. I WON’T. My only one, my soul … he’s gone. GONE! Now I’m alone. Helpless. Helpless and alone. Alone and helpless, facing a lonely, helpless BRAD-less life. I just can’t bear the thought. I can’t. I WON’T. Like without BRAD would be…’
to:
--> '''Jess:''' You can’t – you WON’T – you refuse to feel my pain. You’ve never been in love like this, Mother. Not ever. Not like the love I share with BRAD. I’ll never love again. Not now. I can’t. I WON’T. My reason for LIVING is gone. I can’t go on without him. I can’t. I WON’T. My only one, my soul … he’s gone. GONE! Now I’m alone. Helpless. Helpless and alone. Alone and helpless, facing a lonely, helpless BRAD-less life. I just can’t bear the thought. I can’t. I WON’T. Like Life without BRAD would be…’
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None
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''UFO: Unavoidable Family Outing'' is a light-hearted children’s book series written by Dave Hackett. The main plot of each book is a Dysfunctional Family going on holiday together, with [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity Ensuring]] and Wacky Hijinks galore.
There are also boy bands, attempted murders, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs attempted murders by boy bands]], amnesia, giant piles of cheese, fictional cats solving real-life crimes, lots of fun with acronyms, creepy bearded drivers, unusually catchy ransom notes, threatening lions, juggling, and two very [[BlatantLies impressive]] concerts in a row.
----
!! '' UFO: Unavoidable Family Outing '' contains examples of:
* ActuallyIAmHim: Several times. In the second book, the handsome stranger who BRAD accidentally hurts in the elevator is in fact [[spoiler: TeenIdol Brandon Brenton Brantley]], and then in the third book Chunk is [[spoiler: [[BigBad Ronnie B]] ]] because as it happens [[spoiler: ‘Reuben’ is Marcie and Marshall’s son, Chundrance]].
* ArtShift: The unnamed narrator is aspiring to be an author, and occasionally the books give extracts of his current works. His writing style is significantly different from his narrating style. The most obvious was during the third book, when he decided to write a graphic novel (and apparently [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed casted real actors]] ).
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Implied to be the case with every relationship, but as [[ButtMonkey BRAD]] is the one who gets into the most trouble, [[BoundAndGagged there are]] [[EasyAmnesia several moments]] [[LostAtSea where the]] protagonist sincerely worries about him throughout the series. [[spoiler: Admittedly several times BRAD was revealed to be safe all along, but it’s the thought that counts]].
* BrotherSisterIncest: Teased as an in-universe {{squick}}, but thankfully averted. [[spoiler: Sal had indeed written in her diary that [[BlatantLies BRAD was their long-lost brother]], but only because she realised [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling someone]] was reading her diary. The narrator’s panic that his eldest sister was dating their long lost brother was all that Sal hoped for and more.]]
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: In the third book, Marcie and Marshall are suspected to be murdered by their son (drawing this instalment into DarkerAndEdgier territory, although still pretty light hearted). Narelle came to this conclusion by… a muffled voicemail and the fact that Marshall changed their answering machine message to something admittedly ominous.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Although still pretty cheerful, the third book does have a subplot of being convinced Narelle’s friends from the second book had been murdered by their son. [[spoiler: And although that turned out to have been jumping to conclusions, there was also someone legitimately trying to kill BRAD the whole time.]]
* DysfunctionalFamily: Well, let’s see… there’s the BumblingDad Graham, the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] [[WomenAreWiser mother]], Narelle, the BrattyTeenageDaughter [[TheDitz Jess]], DeadpanSnarker [[CoolBigSis Cool Middle Sister]] Sal, and the [[DeadpanSnarker equally snarky]] [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] narrator. Not to mention Jess’s boyfriend, [[WhatAnIdiot BRAD]].
*{{Eagleland}}: UFO in the USA.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: A few days before the series starts, Narelle commented that BRAD was ‘bright, responsible and delightful’. She is somewhat less flattering directly having to deal with him, although in all fairness the second book might have been the first time she had to deal with him for an extended period of time. [[spoiler: She only really begins disliking him after he and Jess attempt to get married in the second book.]]
* EasyAmnesia: BRAD in the second book. After falling out of a car, he lost all of his memories. [[{{Cloudcukoolander}} Jess]] tries to reverse it by [[TapOnTheHead beating him]] with a cushion. [[AmusingInjuries Sal and her brother are quite willing let it happen.]]
* {{Elopement}}: [[spoiler: Jess and Brad attempt it twice. First is a spur of the moment Vegas wedding, and the third book kicks off with them running away for a boat trip.]]
* ForeignQueasine: Mentioned several times in UFO in the USA, with the Aussies being startled at some of meals available, including cough medicine-tasting Cherry drinks, highly cheesy lasagne, and serving sizes that would probably last the whole week.
** Inverted, too. When [[EasyAmnesia amnesiac]] BRAD can’t remember what vegemite is, the protagonists inform him it’s his favourite topping, having it on everything including smoothies. The narrator reflects if he gets his hands on some, BRAD would be in for the smoothie of his life. [[note]] - for anyone who isn’t entirely familiar with the Australian brand of vegemite, a smoothie using Tobasco might make a similar reaction[[/note]].
* FunWithAcronyms: Beyond the ‘UFO’ title itself, BRAD is a good example of the trope. After he started spelling his name in all capitals, Sal and the protagonist made it their mission in life to work out what the letters B-R-A-D stand for.
** The first few pages alone introduce BRAD as ‘Big Reject And Doofus’, ‘Blatantly Ridiculous Armpit Dork’, ‘Brown Rabid Alligator Dung’, ‘Beaver Ripple Ashtray Drink’, ‘Buffalo Rectum and Drainhole’, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers ‘Bright Responsible and Delightful’]].
* GeniusDitz: Surprisingly, Jess. Despite believing that bacon is made from the nice pigs who consciously choose to be bacon (other pork products are made from ‘loser pigs’), she has a mental encyclopaedia of boy band facts. This comes in useful in two major plot points in the series, when they have to disguise BRAD as Brandon Brenton Brantly, and when [[spoiler: they’re trying to work out the pattern of attacks on BRAD]].
-->'''Sal:''' Wow. Jess’s knowledge of all things boy band is quite disturbing.
-->'''Narrator:''' It’s no wonder she doesn’t have any room inside her head for anything else.
* ILied: [[spoiler: Turns out, Sal’s claim that BRAD was their brother is a complete fabrication. Granted, she was writing that in her personal diary in order to discourage her brother from reading it, and if he’d kept his nose out of it he would have been fine.]]
* IResembleThatRemark: Not even needed to be said explicitly.
--> '''Sal:''' ''(about BRAD)'' There’s no taming him – he hasn’t even been fully house trained.
--> I didn’t need to look over at BRAD. I knew that whatever he was doing, it would back up Sal’s comment without question.
* LandDownUnder: The protagonists are Australian.
--> '''Jess:''' Y’know, [[TruthInTelevision nobody calls it Down Under]].
--> '''[[EasyAmnesia BRAD]]:''' They don’t?
--> '''Jess:''' Nope. Only people in America.
* LanguageBarrier: Almost.
--> '''Graham:''' Hey, mate, where can a bloke find the crapper?
--> '''Airport Worker Angel:''' *blank stare*
--> '''Graham:''' I’m lookin’… for… the dunny. The bog. The shouse… where’ya hidin’ it?
--> Angel discusses with his coworkers.
--> '''Angel''' ''(trying TranslationByVolume)'': I’ve asked around, sir, and I’m sorry, but no one here seems to speak your language. What you might want to do is go to the international help desk on level two. You can take the stairs, or you can make a right at the travelator and keep on walking. You’ll find it right beside the rest rooms.
-->'''Graham:''' Dunnies.
-->'''Angel:''' Oh, you don’t have to thank me, sir. It’s all part of the service.
*LargeHam: Jess, but Brandon Brenton Brantley is also very dramatic. Everyone has their moments, really.
--> '''Jess:''' You can’t – you WON’T – you refuse to feel my pain. You’ve never been in love like this, Mother. Not ever. Not like the love I share with BRAD. I’ll never love again. Not now. I can’t. I WON’T. My reason for LIVING is gone. I can’t go on without him. I can’t. I WON’T. My only one, my soul … he’s gone. GONE! Now I’m alone. Helpless. Helpless and alone. Alone and helpless, facing a lonely, helpless BRAD-less life. I just can’t bear the thought. I can’t. I WON’T. Like without BRAD would be…’
--> '''Narrator:''' A relief? A joy? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
--> '''Jess:''' [[MoodWhiplash Hey, jam it, pimple-boy. If I want your opinion I’ll ask for it.]]
*NoNameGiven: The protagonist. It gets to the point where [[{{Troll}} Sal]] introduces him as Neville whenever he meets someone new, despite his protests.
*OutnumberedSibling: The youngest child is also the only boy.
* RefugeInAudacity: Apparently Chad K. Tevate was willing to feed Brandon Benton Brantly [[spoiler: / or BRAD]] to his lions for failing to perform the world’s best concert. [[spoiler: Possibly an empty threat, since the only thing he seemed legitimately prepared to do was throw BRAD in jail on justifiable charges of fraud.]]
* RoadTripPlot: The first book is about a drive from Sydney to Cape York.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: BRAD takes being threatened with a lawyer well.
--> [[spoiler: '''Brandon:''' The last I heard, it’s not especially legal to impersonate a highly successful and beautiful pop-boy! And you’ll be hearing from my lawyer, you can be sure of that!]]
--> '''Brad:''' Yeah? Well… you’ll have to catch me first, hey!
* SixthRanger: BRAD only starts tagging along after the first book.
* TheAllConcealingI: See No Name Given.
* TheGhost: BRAD, to a minor degree in the first book. Apart from three texts from his phone (and one of which was not even sent by him), he has no direct communication with the characters [[spoiler: until he manages to call Jess in order to explain he had been banned from his phone because of a [[NoodleIncident call to Greenland]] and had not been kidnapped at all]]. The only way his characterisation is shown is by the way the other characters react to him. One could be forgiven for assuming they were exaggerating his stupidity. As the [[AscendedExtra next two books]] prove, [[WhatAnIdiot they were not]].
** Also, [[SatelliteLoveInterest Sophie Malone]]. Apart from a short cameo at the ends of USA and Afloat, she doesn’t really turn up.
* TheReveal: After spending half of the first book trying to wheedle out a massive secret from [[{{Troll}} Sal]], the protagonist finally hears what she has to tell him: [[spoiler: BUUUUURRRRPPPPPP]].
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: [[spoiler: Mack]] and Sal. Granted, Sal was presumably average size for a fourteen year old, but her love interest was not.
* VivaLasVegas: The second book’s climax takes place in it, [[spoiler: complete with Vegas wedding]]
* WhatAnIdiot: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then [[UpToEleven not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time]].
** There were also numerous NoodleIncidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. [[Up to eleven: This is the second time]] Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Averted. BRAD might be a moron, but Jess isn’t that far behind either. Played straight with [[AmicableExes Sharona]], who seems to have nothing in common with BRAD. The story hints that it was a ChildhoodFriendRomance.
* WomenAreWiser: Narelle is one of the sanest members of the family, especially in contrast to [[BumblingDad Graham]]. While Sal also has OnlySaneMan tendancies, it’s averted big time by [[TheDitz Jess]]. The male protagonist is also shown to have taken more after his mother in the brains department.
* WorldOfHam: You are either a DeadpanSnarker or a LargeHam in these books.
----
There are also boy bands, attempted murders, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs attempted murders by boy bands]], amnesia, giant piles of cheese, fictional cats solving real-life crimes, lots of fun with acronyms, creepy bearded drivers, unusually catchy ransom notes, threatening lions, juggling, and two very [[BlatantLies impressive]] concerts in a row.
----
!! '' UFO: Unavoidable Family Outing '' contains examples of:
* ActuallyIAmHim: Several times. In the second book, the handsome stranger who BRAD accidentally hurts in the elevator is in fact [[spoiler: TeenIdol Brandon Brenton Brantley]], and then in the third book Chunk is [[spoiler: [[BigBad Ronnie B]] ]] because as it happens [[spoiler: ‘Reuben’ is Marcie and Marshall’s son, Chundrance]].
* ArtShift: The unnamed narrator is aspiring to be an author, and occasionally the books give extracts of his current works. His writing style is significantly different from his narrating style. The most obvious was during the third book, when he decided to write a graphic novel (and apparently [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed casted real actors]] ).
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Implied to be the case with every relationship, but as [[ButtMonkey BRAD]] is the one who gets into the most trouble, [[BoundAndGagged there are]] [[EasyAmnesia several moments]] [[LostAtSea where the]] protagonist sincerely worries about him throughout the series. [[spoiler: Admittedly several times BRAD was revealed to be safe all along, but it’s the thought that counts]].
* BrotherSisterIncest: Teased as an in-universe {{squick}}, but thankfully averted. [[spoiler: Sal had indeed written in her diary that [[BlatantLies BRAD was their long-lost brother]], but only because she realised [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling someone]] was reading her diary. The narrator’s panic that his eldest sister was dating their long lost brother was all that Sal hoped for and more.]]
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: In the third book, Marcie and Marshall are suspected to be murdered by their son (drawing this instalment into DarkerAndEdgier territory, although still pretty light hearted). Narelle came to this conclusion by… a muffled voicemail and the fact that Marshall changed their answering machine message to something admittedly ominous.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Although still pretty cheerful, the third book does have a subplot of being convinced Narelle’s friends from the second book had been murdered by their son. [[spoiler: And although that turned out to have been jumping to conclusions, there was also someone legitimately trying to kill BRAD the whole time.]]
* DysfunctionalFamily: Well, let’s see… there’s the BumblingDad Graham, the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] [[WomenAreWiser mother]], Narelle, the BrattyTeenageDaughter [[TheDitz Jess]], DeadpanSnarker [[CoolBigSis Cool Middle Sister]] Sal, and the [[DeadpanSnarker equally snarky]] [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] narrator. Not to mention Jess’s boyfriend, [[WhatAnIdiot BRAD]].
*{{Eagleland}}: UFO in the USA.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: A few days before the series starts, Narelle commented that BRAD was ‘bright, responsible and delightful’. She is somewhat less flattering directly having to deal with him, although in all fairness the second book might have been the first time she had to deal with him for an extended period of time. [[spoiler: She only really begins disliking him after he and Jess attempt to get married in the second book.]]
* EasyAmnesia: BRAD in the second book. After falling out of a car, he lost all of his memories. [[{{Cloudcukoolander}} Jess]] tries to reverse it by [[TapOnTheHead beating him]] with a cushion. [[AmusingInjuries Sal and her brother are quite willing let it happen.]]
* {{Elopement}}: [[spoiler: Jess and Brad attempt it twice. First is a spur of the moment Vegas wedding, and the third book kicks off with them running away for a boat trip.]]
* ForeignQueasine: Mentioned several times in UFO in the USA, with the Aussies being startled at some of meals available, including cough medicine-tasting Cherry drinks, highly cheesy lasagne, and serving sizes that would probably last the whole week.
** Inverted, too. When [[EasyAmnesia amnesiac]] BRAD can’t remember what vegemite is, the protagonists inform him it’s his favourite topping, having it on everything including smoothies. The narrator reflects if he gets his hands on some, BRAD would be in for the smoothie of his life. [[note]] - for anyone who isn’t entirely familiar with the Australian brand of vegemite, a smoothie using Tobasco might make a similar reaction[[/note]].
* FunWithAcronyms: Beyond the ‘UFO’ title itself, BRAD is a good example of the trope. After he started spelling his name in all capitals, Sal and the protagonist made it their mission in life to work out what the letters B-R-A-D stand for.
** The first few pages alone introduce BRAD as ‘Big Reject And Doofus’, ‘Blatantly Ridiculous Armpit Dork’, ‘Brown Rabid Alligator Dung’, ‘Beaver Ripple Ashtray Drink’, ‘Buffalo Rectum and Drainhole’, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers ‘Bright Responsible and Delightful’]].
* GeniusDitz: Surprisingly, Jess. Despite believing that bacon is made from the nice pigs who consciously choose to be bacon (other pork products are made from ‘loser pigs’), she has a mental encyclopaedia of boy band facts. This comes in useful in two major plot points in the series, when they have to disguise BRAD as Brandon Brenton Brantly, and when [[spoiler: they’re trying to work out the pattern of attacks on BRAD]].
-->'''Sal:''' Wow. Jess’s knowledge of all things boy band is quite disturbing.
-->'''Narrator:''' It’s no wonder she doesn’t have any room inside her head for anything else.
* ILied: [[spoiler: Turns out, Sal’s claim that BRAD was their brother is a complete fabrication. Granted, she was writing that in her personal diary in order to discourage her brother from reading it, and if he’d kept his nose out of it he would have been fine.]]
* IResembleThatRemark: Not even needed to be said explicitly.
--> '''Sal:''' ''(about BRAD)'' There’s no taming him – he hasn’t even been fully house trained.
--> I didn’t need to look over at BRAD. I knew that whatever he was doing, it would back up Sal’s comment without question.
* LandDownUnder: The protagonists are Australian.
--> '''Jess:''' Y’know, [[TruthInTelevision nobody calls it Down Under]].
--> '''[[EasyAmnesia BRAD]]:''' They don’t?
--> '''Jess:''' Nope. Only people in America.
* LanguageBarrier: Almost.
--> '''Graham:''' Hey, mate, where can a bloke find the crapper?
--> '''Airport Worker Angel:''' *blank stare*
--> '''Graham:''' I’m lookin’… for… the dunny. The bog. The shouse… where’ya hidin’ it?
--> Angel discusses with his coworkers.
--> '''Angel''' ''(trying TranslationByVolume)'': I’ve asked around, sir, and I’m sorry, but no one here seems to speak your language. What you might want to do is go to the international help desk on level two. You can take the stairs, or you can make a right at the travelator and keep on walking. You’ll find it right beside the rest rooms.
-->'''Graham:''' Dunnies.
-->'''Angel:''' Oh, you don’t have to thank me, sir. It’s all part of the service.
*LargeHam: Jess, but Brandon Brenton Brantley is also very dramatic. Everyone has their moments, really.
--> '''Jess:''' You can’t – you WON’T – you refuse to feel my pain. You’ve never been in love like this, Mother. Not ever. Not like the love I share with BRAD. I’ll never love again. Not now. I can’t. I WON’T. My reason for LIVING is gone. I can’t go on without him. I can’t. I WON’T. My only one, my soul … he’s gone. GONE! Now I’m alone. Helpless. Helpless and alone. Alone and helpless, facing a lonely, helpless BRAD-less life. I just can’t bear the thought. I can’t. I WON’T. Like without BRAD would be…’
--> '''Narrator:''' A relief? A joy? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
--> '''Jess:''' [[MoodWhiplash Hey, jam it, pimple-boy. If I want your opinion I’ll ask for it.]]
*NoNameGiven: The protagonist. It gets to the point where [[{{Troll}} Sal]] introduces him as Neville whenever he meets someone new, despite his protests.
*OutnumberedSibling: The youngest child is also the only boy.
* RefugeInAudacity: Apparently Chad K. Tevate was willing to feed Brandon Benton Brantly [[spoiler: / or BRAD]] to his lions for failing to perform the world’s best concert. [[spoiler: Possibly an empty threat, since the only thing he seemed legitimately prepared to do was throw BRAD in jail on justifiable charges of fraud.]]
* RoadTripPlot: The first book is about a drive from Sydney to Cape York.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: BRAD takes being threatened with a lawyer well.
--> [[spoiler: '''Brandon:''' The last I heard, it’s not especially legal to impersonate a highly successful and beautiful pop-boy! And you’ll be hearing from my lawyer, you can be sure of that!]]
--> '''Brad:''' Yeah? Well… you’ll have to catch me first, hey!
* SixthRanger: BRAD only starts tagging along after the first book.
* TheAllConcealingI: See No Name Given.
* TheGhost: BRAD, to a minor degree in the first book. Apart from three texts from his phone (and one of which was not even sent by him), he has no direct communication with the characters [[spoiler: until he manages to call Jess in order to explain he had been banned from his phone because of a [[NoodleIncident call to Greenland]] and had not been kidnapped at all]]. The only way his characterisation is shown is by the way the other characters react to him. One could be forgiven for assuming they were exaggerating his stupidity. As the [[AscendedExtra next two books]] prove, [[WhatAnIdiot they were not]].
** Also, [[SatelliteLoveInterest Sophie Malone]]. Apart from a short cameo at the ends of USA and Afloat, she doesn’t really turn up.
* TheReveal: After spending half of the first book trying to wheedle out a massive secret from [[{{Troll}} Sal]], the protagonist finally hears what she has to tell him: [[spoiler: BUUUUURRRRPPPPPP]].
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: [[spoiler: Mack]] and Sal. Granted, Sal was presumably average size for a fourteen year old, but her love interest was not.
* VivaLasVegas: The second book’s climax takes place in it, [[spoiler: complete with Vegas wedding]]
* WhatAnIdiot: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then [[UpToEleven not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time]].
** There were also numerous NoodleIncidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
** Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. [[Up to eleven: This is the second time]] Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Averted. BRAD might be a moron, but Jess isn’t that far behind either. Played straight with [[AmicableExes Sharona]], who seems to have nothing in common with BRAD. The story hints that it was a ChildhoodFriendRomance.
* WomenAreWiser: Narelle is one of the sanest members of the family, especially in contrast to [[BumblingDad Graham]]. While Sal also has OnlySaneMan tendancies, it’s averted big time by [[TheDitz Jess]]. The male protagonist is also shown to have taken more after his mother in the brains department.
* WorldOfHam: You are either a DeadpanSnarker or a LargeHam in these books.
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