History Webcomic / FreakAngels

* CameBackWrong: Mild but still there. [[spoiler:Mark's first "death" saw him tumble face down into a river with a bullet hole in the back of his head. He spent the healing process immersed in filthy water - so he was brain-damaged in addition to being paranoid and megalomaniacal.]]

* ButtMonkey: Luke. In one day, he gets punched and [[GroinAttack crotch-stomped]] by Kirk, pistol-whipped by Jack, and Arkady {{Mind Rape}}s him (see BewareTheNiceOnes above), leaving him crying in the fetal position on the floor in a puddle of his own urine. A week later, he gets whacked in the face by Alice, [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] by Sirkka and Caz, chained up in Kait's dungeon, shot in both legs by Kirk, blasted by Alice's shotgun, and finally [[spoiler:''shot through the head'', which he recovers from.]] [[MoralEventHorizon Not that he didn't deserve it.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: Mark is a rather tragic example. [[spoiler:In flashbacks he's an idealistic forteen year old boy who wanted to use the package to help mankind. In the present he's a psychopath who got exiled for mind controlling dozens of helpless civilians]]. Luke also seems to have had one sometime in the past (though admittedly he had some JerkAss tendencies in the flashbacks).

* HeterosexualLifePartners[=/=]HoYay: Kirk and Karl seem to only be able to stand each other, [[spoiler:tried to murder Mark]] and kept the secret to themselves, and despite their many interactions have the rare accomplishment of never fighting with one another. Though they don't get much focus, it's implied rather heavily they share a strong bond.
** As of episode 139, it's heavily implied that they're either an item or are at least considering it.

* HumansAreWhite: A side effect of the "package" is pale skin and purple eyes, which even Carolyn (black), Miki (Asian), and KK (possibly part Islander) have. They retain other racial characteristics, but people often have to look twice before figuring out what they are.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:The [=FreakAngels=] had initially wanted to simply cause a huge, showy, but not really lethal disaster, for the sake of getting the army off their back. Their ''severe'' underestimation of just how powerful they were, plus the amount of pain and frustration they poured into their efforts, along with Mark steering their efforts while his mental state was so unbalanced, caused them to instead bring about an immensely destructive disaster which pretty much ended civilization, at least in Britain.]]

* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening

* AGodAmI: Luke's general attitude towards the package, believing that he is part of the "master race" and that having power means he should be able to use it on "lesser souls". Connor hints that this attitude is the primary reason behind his JerkAss tendencies. [[spoiler:Though after being shot in the head his attitude seems to be shifting away from this.]]
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: All the [=FreakAngels=]' names contain the letter K or at the very least a hard C.
* AnythingThatMoves / {{Polyamory}}: Sirkka

* [[spoiler:AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence]]: The ending heavily implies that [[spoiler:the Freakangels ended up somewhere outside of time, and this was where their future selves were communicating with themselves in the present. [[MindScrew Or something]].]]

* BackFromTheDead: Mark was thought dead early on, and came back. Two characters[[spoiler:(Luke and Connor) come back after being shot point-blank in the head.]] Another may have done it more than once. In fact, some characters posit that [[spoiler:none of the [=FreakAngels=] can actually die.]]

* TheBeautifulElite: The [=FreakAngels=] are all fairly attractive with their perfect white skin and exotic eye & hair colours. The otherworldly look makes them even more distinct from everyone else, additional to their powers and own moral code. That most other humans are often starved or otherwise ill helps too.

* BerserkButton - KK's real name sets her off like nothing else.

* {{Bishounen}}/{{Bifauxnen}}: Most of the [=FreakAngels=] are fairly attractive, and it can be somewhat hard to tell their exact gender for some of them. Arkady and Karl are even hard to tell apart in a couple of panels, despite being opposite genders, due to their shaved heads(and Arkady's general flat-chestedness).
* BrainBleach: This is one among the many [=FreakAngel=] powers. It is applied (usually by Sirrka) to the traumatized people they encounter in Whitechapel. In the case that happens "on-screen" she doesnt even ask if the girl actually WANTS her brain bleached. In this case and others it seems the FreakAngels apply brain bleach not just out of mercy, but also to keep their powers secret.

** This is also poor Connor's reaction to reaching his TooMuchInformation limit for one day. This scene came very soon after a very similar reveal concerning his Mother. [[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=605&page=3 "No No NO That is not an interesting fact and I dont want it in my head"]].
** [[spoiler: Luke and Mark]] both get their brains, if not Bleached, then at least thoroughly laundered. It makes them less crazy, but not much more pleasant.

* BullyingADragon: Hunting down a group of teenagers, who can blow up stuff with their minds and deflect artillery strikes, was bound to end up badly. Especially if said children would love to be left alone. Cue [[spoiler: a disaster that left Great Britain in ruins.]]

* ButtMonkey: Luke. In one day, he gets punched and [[GroinAttack crotch-stomped]] by Kirk, pistol-whipped by Jack, and Arkady {{Mind Rape}}s him (see BewareTheNiceOnes above), leaving him crying in the fetal position on the floor in a puddle of his own urine. A week later, he gets whacked in the face by Alice, [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] by Sirkka and Caz, chained up in Kait's dungeon, shot in both legs by Kirk, blasted by Alice's shotgun, and finally [[spoiler:'''shot through the head''', after which he walks it off.]] [[MoralEventHorizon Not that he didn't deserve it.]]

* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler:All of the Freakangels have this ability.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: Mark is a rather tragic example. [[spoiler:In flashbacks he's an idealistic 14 year old boy who wanted to use the package to help mankind. In the present he's a psychopath who got exiled for mind controlling dozens of helpless civilians]]. Luke also seems to have had one sometime in the past (though admittedly he had some JerkAss tendencies in the flashbacks).

* {{Gorn}}: Forget the below-mentioned YourHeadASplode - We've got Your TORSO A-splode! Not to mention the loving rendition of shattering bones and tearing flesh...

* HeterosexualLifePartners / HoYay: Kirk and Karl seem to only be able to stand each other, [[spoiler:tried to murder Mark]] and kept the secret to themselves, and despite their many interactions have the rare accomplishment of never fighting with one another. Though they don't get much focus, it's implied rather heavily they share a strong bond.

* HumansAreWhite: A side effect of the "package" is pale skin and purple eyes, which even Carolyn (black), Miki (Asian), and KK (possibly part Islander) have.

** An alternative explanation is that this foreshadows a future plot line. In the scene were Arkady says she doesn't remember visiting the market, she also talks about how she's considering the possibility of time travel. The implication seems to be that the Arkady who made the predictions in the marketplace might have been Arkady traveling back from some point in the future.

* {{Neologism}}: "Wazzock", via Arkady.
** Actually, that's just a Briticism.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:The [=FreakAngels=] had initially wanted to simply cause a huge, showy, but not really lethal disaster, for the sake of getting the army off their back. Their ''severe'' underestimation of just how powerful they were, plus the amount of pain and frustration they poured into their efforts, caused them to instead bring about an immensely destructive force which pretty much ended civilization, at least in Britain.]]

* OnlySixFaces: The [=FreakAngels=] all look a ''lot'' alike. This is a deliberate facet of the story; Ellis has stated that the core idea of the comic is "what if the Midwich Cuckoos survived, grew up, and then fucked up?". The Midwich Cuckoos are famous for, among other things, all looking ''exactly the same''. That being said, some of the character designs have changed noticeably since the beginning. Compare [[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=23&page=6 KK then]] with [[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=563&page=5 KK now]], for instance.

* PersonOfMassDestruction: Any single [=FreakAngel=] can completely dominate a person's mind or tearing them apart telekinetically, and can shield himself against small arms fire. Two or three working in concert can demolish buildings, blast apart small armies, and cause large explosions, as well as protecting themselves from heavy machine guns and artillery. [[spoiler:All twelve of them were able to strike the planet so hard that it caused catastrophic earthquakes, flooded Britain, disrupted the Earth's geomagnetic field and seem to have broken time and space.]]

'''Kait:''' [lip bite]... And then Quincy walks in.\\

* SteamPunk / OceanPunk: KK has a [[ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines steam helicopter]], not to mention the steam-powered, crank-operated ''[[GatlingGood Gatling gun]]''.
* TearsOfBlood: These start showing up [[spoiler:as the [=FreakAngels=]' reconstruction of Whitechapel becomes more and more advanced.]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Played with. Sirkka is the local equivalent of a psychologist and helps abuse victims and people {{Mind Rape}}d by Mark. Her own love life, on the other hand, is a total mess. Other [=FreakAngels=] [[DysfunctionJunction are not much better]] with the group consisting of TheOphelia, an IneffectualLoner, a KnightTemplar, a guy [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone driven crazy by his own guilt]], AGodAmI wannabe and a few other dysfunctional personality types. Some hide it better than others. At the end they all get a quick therapy from [[spoiler:Arkady]] of all people. and [[spoiler:Luke]] is [[HeelFaceBrainwashing fixed]] on his own request. Even [[spoiler:Mark]] seems to be much more sane. It is implied that their problems [[EpiphanyTherapy didn’t magically disappear]], but they will eventually get over their issues with some [[PowerOfLove love]] and hard work. FreakAngels are TrueCompanions after all.
* ThroatLight: Although the FreakAngels have [[GlowingEyes glowing eyes]] whenever they use their powers, at the times that they're really doing something powerful, usually together, this trope applies.

* TrueCompanions: FreakAngels before the catastrophe. After this event most of them [[DysfunctionJunction got their own issues]] and the group broke apart. [[spoiler: At the end, they are together again, even if not completely healed.]]
* UnexplainedRecovery: "I don't want to say 'I got better' because it's a rotten cliche, but..."
* WebcomicTime: In the first 13 months of its run, the comic covered a grand total of one day. Then there was a one-week TimeSkip, and the following two years have covered another day.
* WeWillUseWikiWordsInTheFuture: Or at least our psychic twentysomething overlords will.

* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: KK's "bike" helicopter, Jack's steam-boat and the steam-powered Gatling Guns.

* ComboPlatterPowers: Every [=FreakAngel=] can use telepathy to talk to the others, read minds, see through someone else's eyes, and project their own thoughts and memories. They can use telekinesis in a variety of ways, from deflecting bullets to causing [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]]. They regenerate from serious injury and can go for weeks without food, water, or sleep. Together, they can freeze time, reshape wood on the cellular level, reverse the chemical reaction of expended gunpowder on the ''molecular'' level and build time moats.

** [[spoiler:It's also possible that they can't be killed]], considering that Mark survived having an ice pick driven into his brain, [[spoiler:and Luke and Connor have both survived fatal headshots]].

*** [[NeonGenesisEvangelion AT Fields?]]

--> '''Arkady''': Do you know what that was, Luke? That was exactly one second of [[NightmareFuel my overdose experience when we were fifteen]]. If you ever do something like this again, I am going to give you ''five minutes'' of that.

* BerserkButton:
** KK's real name sets her off like nothing else.
** Also, insulting Arkady's best friend when he's [[spoiler:[[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=449&page=4 lying on the floor with a bullet in his head?]] And then ignoring the resulting DeathGlare and [[TooDumbToLive insulting him "again"?]]]] Given that Arkady is a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mentally unstable]] CloudCuckooLander who has repeatedly demonstrated what she's [[MindRape capable]] [[YourHeadAsplode of]] in the past (see BewareTheNiceOnes below), Jack was lucky just to get off with a short, sharp ReasonYouSuckSpeech.

* [[EmbarrassingFirstName Embarrassing First]], [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Middle]] ''and'' Last Name: KK, or should I say [[spoiler:[[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=41&page=3 Kolfinnia Kokokoho]]]]? [[ItGotWorse It Gets Worse]] - [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude Who The Fook Names Their Kid]] [[spoiler:[[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=41&page=4 Kolfinnia Kokokoho Titching]]]]?

** [[ItGotWorse It gets worse:]]

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Played with. Sirkka is the local equivalent of a psychologist and helps abuse victims and people {{Mind Rape}}d by Mark. Her own love life, on the other, hand is a total mess. Other [=FreakAngels=] [[DysfunctionJunction are not much better]] with the group consisting of TheOphelia, an IneffectualLoner, a KnightTemplar, a guy [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone driven crazy by his own guilt]], AGodAmI wannabe and a few other dysfunctional personality types. Some hide it better than others. At the end they all get a quick therapy from [[spoiler:Arkady]] of all people. and [[spoiler:Luke]] is [[HeelFaceBrainwashing fixed]] on his own request. Even [[spoiler:Mark]] seems to be much more sane. It is implied that their problems [[EpiphanyTherapy didn’t magically disappear]], but they will eventually get over their issues with some [[PowerOfLove love]] and hard work. FreakAngels are TrueCompanions after all.

->23 years ago, twelve [[CreepyChild strange children]] were [[BizarreBabyBoom born in England at exactly the same moment]]. 6 years ago, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the world ended]]. This is the story of [[AfterTheEnd what happened next]].

* BullingADragon: Hunting down a group of teenagers, who can blow up stuff with their minds and deflect artillery strikes, was bound to end up badly. Especially if said children would love to be left alone. Cue [[spoiler: a disaster that left Great Britain in ruins.]]

* BullingTheDragon: Hunting down a group of teenagers, who can blow up stuff with their minds and deflect artillery strikes was bound to end up badly. Especially if said children would love to be left alone. Cue [[spoiler: a disaster that left Great Britain in ruins.]]

* IGotBetter: "I don't want to say 'I got better' because it's a rotten cliche, but..."

* HimeCut: [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101210200127/freakangels/images/1/10/Sirkka.png Sirkka]].

* FridgeBrilliance: The recurring 'k' sounds in their names make sense for a group of psychics with some level of HiveMind - they were broadcasting the sound from the womb.
* FridgeLogic: So, where do [[TheMerch all the clothes with "FreakAngels" screenprinted on them]] [[ProductPlacement come from]]?
** Screenprinting just isn't that hard - you can do it with a ruler and a pair of stockings if you want... but it's probably easier still if you're all psychically powerful and all. Y'know, like the [=FreakAngels=] are?
** How the hell are they generating steam?
*** I think there is water and things to burn in abundance around Whitechapel. As for the technology itself, it is easily found in many books....or minds. That giant ferris wheel stuck in the river is a nice hint there.
** How in all the years they've been in Whitechapel has no-one figured out they're all psychic? They're not exactly quiet when holding their telepathic conversations to each other, aren't particularly subtle with their telekinesis and ''openly discuss their powers''.
*** The only explanation seems to be that, like their unashamed mind-reading, they are regularly [[MindRape mind-wiping]] ''everyone'' in Whitechapel so they don't realise what they are. [[NotSoDifferent Exactly how are they different from Luke or Mark again?]]

* TheBeautifulPeople: The [=FreakAngels=] are all fairly attractive with their perfect white skin and exotic eye & hair colours. The otherworldly look makes them even more distinct from everyone else, additional to their powers and own moral code. That most other humans are often starved or otherwise ill helps too.

* BrainBleach: This is one among the many FreakAngel powers. It is applied (usually by Sirrka) to the traumatized people they encounter in Whitechapel. In the case that happens "on-screen" she doesnt even ask if the girl actually WANTS her brain bleached. In this case and others it seems the FreakAngels apply brain bleach not just out of mercy, but also to keep their powers secret.
** Due to having a partial HiveMind, the FreakAngels are often treated to TooMuchInformation from their friends, invoking this trope. See the Perverse Sexual Lust entry below.
** Luke and Mark both get their brains, if not Bleached, then at least thoroughly laundered. It makes them less crazy, but not much more pleasant.

* OnlySixFaces: The [=FreakAngels=] all look a ''lot'' alike. This is a deliberate facet of the story; Ellis has stated that the core idea of the comic is "what if the Midwich Cuckoos survived, grew up, and then fucked up?". The Midwich Cuckoos are famous for, among other things, all looking ''exactly the same''. That being said, some of the character designs have changed noticeably since the beginning. Compare [[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=23&page=2 KK then]] with [[http://www.freakangels.com/?p=303&page=6 KK now]], for instance.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Played with. Sirkka is the local eqivalent of a pychologist and helps abuse victims and people [[MindRape mind rapped]] by Mark. Her own love life, on the other, hand is a total mess. Other Freakangels [[DysfunctionJunction are not much better]] with the group consisting of TheOphelia, an IneffectualLoner, a KnightTemplar, a guy [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone driven crazy by his own guilt]], AGodAmI wannabe and a few other dysfunctional personality types. Some hide it better than others. At the end they all get a quick therapy from [[spoiler: Arkady]] of all people and [[spoiler: Luke]] is [[HeelFaceBrainwashing fixed]] on his own request. Even [[spoiler: Mark]] seems to be much more sane. It is implied that their problems [[EpiphanyTherapy didn’t magically disappear]], but they will eventually get over their issues with some [[PowerOfLove love]] and hard work. FreakAngels are TrueCompanions after all.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Played with. Sirkka is the local eqivalent of a pychologist and helps abuse victims and people [[MindRape mind rapped]] by Mark. Her own love life, on the other, hand is a total mess. Other Freakangels [[DysfunctionJunction are not much better]] with the group consisting of TheOphelia, an IneffectualLoner, a KnightTemplar, a guy driven crazy by his own guilt, AGodAmI wannabe and a few other dysfunctional personality types. Some hide it better than others. At the end they all get a quick therapy from [[spoiler: Arkady]] of all people and [[spoiler: Luke]] is [[HeelFaceBrainwashing fixed]] on his own request. Even [[spoiler: Mark]] seems to be much more sane. It is implied that their problems [[EpiphanyTherapy didn’t magically disappear]], but they will eventually get over their issues with some [[PowerOfLove love]] and hard work. FreakAngels are TrueCompanions after all.