Line #62 Fanfic/AvantasiaProtagAU


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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_6483441_7.JPG]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350:The four main characters stargazing. From left to right, Aaron, Gabriel, Scarecrow, and Entity. Art by the author on instagram account @starsirrah]]
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6	Avantasia Protag AU is the name given to a series of fanfics set in the same universe, based on the albums by the RockOpera project Music/{{Avantasia}}. The original albums are separated into four (so far) "stories" that each contain a different protagonist and his adventures involving several other characters. Each character is portrayed by a different vocalist, usually the creator Tobias Sammet's personal idols and friends, and the protagonist is always portrayed by Tobias Sammet himself. This AU asked the question "What would happen if all four protagonists (shortened to "protags") found themselves living together as roommates?" and quickly expanded out to include chapters on how they met each other, how they handle each others' idiosyncrasies and mental illnesses, supernatural occurrences, and family bonding. This AU is primarily written by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starsirrah Starsirrah]] and is on-going.
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8	!!This fanfic series uses the following tropes:
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10	* AbusiveParents: Scarecrow's father. Seen in flashbacks, he would throw bottles at the child Scarecrow, insult him, and force him to clean the house. Child Scarecrow had no toys or proper care either, and was only allowed to eat leftover food his father or older brother didn't eat first.
11	* AcquaintedWithEmergencyServices: The protags and their friend, Jim the cop. Whenever they get the police called on them, Jim shows up. And whenever they need the police, they call Jim directly. It's almost like he's their private officer.
12	* ADogNamedDog: Entity is "The Entity", a half-human being creature. An entity of some sort. He usually goes by the shortened nickname Enty though.
13	* AesopAmnesia: Aaron and his experiments. No matter how many disasters these experiments lead to and a pledge to improve, Aaron finds himself working on more in the next chapters and more disasters occur with the same frequency.
14	* AlternateSelf: There is an alternate dimension with alternate protags and alternate Elderane.
15	* AlternateUniverseFic: In canon, none of the protags interact since they're from separated stories. In this fic series, they live together as roommates.
16	* AmazonChaser: Aaron really likes strong, tall women who are mildly (or more) threatening. He's usually too awkward to talk to them though.
17	* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: Entity doesn't remember anything about his past and is childlike and innocent.
18	* ApologisesALot: Gabriel, even if something is not his fault.
19	* AristocratsAreEvil: The Nobleman, who appears in "Death Is Just A Feeling", wants Aaron to work on the god-machine and doesn't care if Aaron actually wants to (he doesn't). He doesn't care if Aaron or anyone else even ''dies'' while working on it, referring to deaths as simply unfortunate sacrifices.
20	* BadassInDistress: Scarecrow on multiple occasions.
21	* BadLiar: Aaron, Entity, and Elderane.
22	* BandOfBrothers: The protags.
23	* BashBrothers: Scarecrow and Elderane.
24	* BearHug: Most of Entity's hugs are these.
25	* TheBerserker: Scarecrow.
26	* BestFriendManual: Aaron to Scarecrow.
27	* BigBrotherMentor: Scarecrow to Gabriel.
28	* BigDamnReunion: Gabriel and Elderane towards the start of the series after being separated for a month and a half.
29	* BirthdayBuddies: The protags all decide to celebrate their birthdays on the same day.
30	* BirthdayEpisode: The aptly named chapter "Birthday". The protags realize none of them know the days they were born, for all different reasons, and decide to celebrate all together on one day. Then they prepare and have a movie night.
31	* BornUnlucky: Gabriel, often has bad things happen for no reason.
32	* BoundAndGagged: [[spoiler:Elderane in "Anywhere".]]
33	* BrilliantButLazy: Alternate dimension Aaron. He's just as smart as the original Aaron, but instead of working on experiments all day he prefers sleeping.
34	* BunglingInventor: Aaron's inventions and experiments almost never work right the first time, although he's always able to fix his mistakes.
35	* CallBack: All fics fit into a timeline and past events are often recalled.
36	* TheCavalry: If one protag is in danger, expect the rest to swoop in for the rescue.
37	* CannotSpitItOut: Scarecrow with his inner emotions, he has trouble showing his softer side.
38	* CatchingUpOnHistory: In the "Departure" chapter, shortly after arriving in the modern day, Aaron finds the local library and spends all his free time for several weeks at least catching up on everything. Not just history, but modern mechanics and science too. He follows this trope so closely that it's lampshaded when some of the library workers start gossiping about him and joke about him being a time traveler, not realizing it's the truth.
39	* CerebusSyndrome: Very much so, as the series starts out episodic and lighthearted before progressively turning darker as more canon elements like the demons and ghosts start to appear and implied mental health issues start to come to the surface.
40	* ChastityCouple: Gabriel and Elderane. They don't even kiss after they confess, and though they sleep in the same bed (when Elderane visits the protags) they do nothing but actually sleep.
41	* CheerUpEpisode: The others with Scarecrow often, notably in the "Recovery" prompt, where he is isolating himself due to guilt, and the others help make him feel loved.
42	* ChristmasEpisode: "Another Winter's Night". A whole four-parter, the first three chapters for three days before Christmas and the last chapter on Christmas Day.
43	* {{Claustrophobia}}: Scarecrow. In the "Elevator" chapter, he starts panicking in the stuck elevator and tries to climb out through the ceiling.
44	* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Scarecrow to sleep-deprived Aaron, as he helps keep him safe while sleep-deprived.
45	* CloudcuckooLanguage: Aaron speaks this way when sleep deprived enough, often smart-term gibberish.
46	* CryIntoChest: Happens to all of them at some point.
47	* CoincidentalBroadcast: Protags at home sometimes happen to see the others on the news.
48	* CoolGate: The portal to Avantasia underneath Rome. Not only is the door itself cool with magical designs, but it opens into a blinding light no matter which direction you're going.
49	* CoolStarship: The protags ride in one belonging to The Captain from Music/{{Ayreon}} after he's brought to their dimension via mechanical mishap.
50	* CourtroomEpisode: Gabriel in "Wicked Memory", where he is forced to face his past in his old world.
51	* {{Crossover}}: There are "non-canon" chapters where the protags meet The Captain from Music/{{Ayreon}} and the Forever Captain.
52	* DealWithTheDevil: Scarecrow did it in the past with Mephistopheles.
53	* DeathByChildbirth: What happened to Scarecrow's mother. His father hates him for it.
54	* DeclarationOfProtection: Scarecrow to Gabriel in "Isolation" prompt, and throughout the series, as Scarecrow is overly protective of Gabriel.
55	* DemonicPossession: Acedia possesses Gabriel and Aaron at different times.
56	* DistressBall: All of them at some point.
57	* DistressedDude: Gabriel. Also zig-zagged with Entity, who often believes he can't escape from the distress and simply cries or freezes, but eventually forgets his beliefs and successfully runs away or fights blindly due to his strength and supernatural capabilities.
58	* TheDitz: All of them.
59	* DoesntKnowTheirOwnBirthday: The protags realize none of them know their birthdays, for all different reasons. They decide to make that day their collective birthday.
60	* DontCallMeSir: Elderane, despite being a prince, doesn't want the protags to call him anything formal.
61	* EverybodyCries: All the time, especially in dire situations.
62	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Gabriel and Elderane are totally oblivious that they love each other, but literally everyone else who sees them together know instantly.
63	* EverytownAmerica: Subverted because the protags live in a specific small town - Boston, Ohio.
64	* ExhaustionInducedIdiocy: Aaron all the time. He has attempted to put his hand into a toaster resulting in minor burns, driven into the garage door, wandered outside and getting himself lost (twice!), poured coffee onto the floor instead of into his mug, and in an alternate reality vision of what the protags would be like without Scarecrow [[spoiler: he works on dangerous experiments without sleeping until he blows himself up]].
65	* FamilyOfChoice: The protags. They are unrelated and come from different times and dimensions, but after meeting each other they decide to stick together. Over time they bond and actually refer to each other as family or brothers. They maintain this relationship no matter if they're fighting or having a good time.
66	* FireMeansChaos: Happens fairly often, especially caused by Scarecrow setting random things on fire... somehow.
67	* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: Scarecrow's past love interest rejecting him breaks him so badly that he doesn't even consider looking for romance anymore. Fortunately, he has his family instead.
68	* FirstFriend: Scarecrow had no friends and didn't particularly mind being dropped into a new dimension. Then he runs into Gabriel who won't leave him alone and before he knows it, he's letting Gabriel stay with him. He soon ponders to himself about how Gabriel was the first person to ever genuinely like him.
69	* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Gabriel, Aaron, and Entity, although Gabriel has it the worst due to being from the furthest back in time.
70	* FiveFingerDiscount: Scarecrow supposedly did this in his times wandering the streets before meeting Gabriel in "Isolation", and then in that prompt he steals a new church robe for Gabriel from a church (of course, Gabriel never found out he stole it). Scarecrow attempts shoplifting medicine for the sick Gabriel in "Weakness" but is caught by [[spoiler: Jim the cop]], who pays for it because Scarecrow has no money.
71	* FountainOfYouth: All the protags are turned into kids at one point, but Gabriel on several occasions.
72	* FriendlyRivalry: Scarecrow and Elderane. They argue over who's better at video games and card games and sometimes try to one-up each other, but they both like each other and team up often for a greater purpose, for example protecting Gabriel.
73	* FriendsAreChosenFamilyArent: The protags treat Scarecrow like family, while his old blood family abused him heavily.
74	* FriendshipMoment: The protags, often.
75	* GeniusLoci: Avantasia has a bit of a mind of its own, shifting its gates to make it either easier or harder for someone to get in or even leaving food and water sources conveniently accessible to lost souls in need.
76	* GiveMeASword: Elderane often shares his daggers with Scarecrow when in a fight.
77	* GhostlyChill: Whenever a ghost grabs Aaron's wrist, it feels freezing cold.
78	* TheGoodKingdom: Avantasia. Largely peaceful with Elderane as the kind and wise ruler, even the weather is nearly always mild. Citizens are left to their own business with little interference. Elderane is able to leave for days or a week at a time to visit the protags and there is never any trouble. The rare inhabitants who oppose Elderane as Prince are portrayed as followers of the evil Tower.
79	* GreaterNeedThanMine: Gabriel puts his family above himself always, as does Elderane.
80	* GroceryStoreEpisode: The chapter named "Shopping". The protags all go to the store and end up wreaking havoc.
81	* GroupHug: Happens often.
82	* {{Guyliner}}: Scarecrow rarely shows without his heavy eyeliner.
83	* HalfHumanHybrid: Entity is half human. What the other half is? No one knows.
84	* HalloweenEpisode: "Down In The Dark". Scarecrow takes Entity out trick or treating and then shenanigans happen.
85	* HandsOnApproach: When Elderane is teaching Gabriel how to throw daggers.
86	* TheHeart: Entity, and also Gabriel often.
87	* HelloAgainOfficer: Whenever Jim the cop shows up unexpectedly, but the best example is in "Down In The Dark" when the protags' car is pulled over for swerving erratically right after they leave the jail. The policeman looks in and recognizes Scarecrow, who says sheepishly "Hi Jim".
88	* HomemadeInventions: Aaron creates these in his basement. He builds them from random parts and household items. They rarely act as intended, and examples of functions include stopping time, turning someone into a child version of themselves, pulling in people from alternate realities, and jumping dimensions.
89	* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Scarecrow to Gabriel, whom he does pester, but would both kill and die for.
90	* ImprovisedWeapon: Scarecrow sometimes. Examples are a pipe ripped off a building and a baseball bat.
91	* InelegantBlubbering: Happens often, most notably in [[spoiler:"Change Pt.3", when Gabriel is in the hospital and Elderane and Aaron can't handle it, "Self-Sacrifice" when Elderane is in the hospital and Gabriel can't handle it, and in "Wicked Memory" when Gabriel tells the others about his past.]]
92	* InterspeciesFriendship: The protags and Elderane.
93	* InterspeciesRomance: Gabriel and Elderane.
94	* IntimateArtistry: While Gabriel draws all his friends, the most detailed and numerous are of Elderane.
95	* ISeeDeadPeople: Aaron can see ghosts, mostly just in his own world, but he starts seeing them in the "real" world too.
96	* ItsAllMyFault: All the characters tend to blame themselves heavily if something goes wrong that is their fault.
97	* ItsAWonderfulPlot: There's a chapter literally called "It's A Wonderful Life" and the trope is played straight when Scarecrow has a bad mental health moment and thinks the other protags would be better off without him. Conscious appears afterwards and shows him what would have happened to the others if he didn't exist. It's not pretty.
98	* JoinsToFitIn: Entity to the other protags upon meeting them.
99	* LackOfEmpathy: Acedia.
100	* LazyBum: Acedia. What else would you expect from a demon representing the sin of Sloth and Despair?
101	* LimitedSocialCircle: The protags, whose only friend besides Elderane seems to be Jim the cop.
102	* LimitedWardrobe: Gabriel almost always wears a church style robe and shawl. He has multiple though so he can still do laundry.
103	* LonelyTogether: The protags.
104	* LonerTurnedFriend: Scarecrow upon meeting Gabriel.
105	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Gabriel and Elderane.
106	* LookBothWays: Gabriel in "Change Pt.3".
107	* LoveConfession: Gabriel and Elderane finally confess to each other (at the same time!) at the end of [[spoiler:"Wicked Memory" after Gabriel narrowly escapes being burned at the stake]].
108	* MagicalLand: Avantasia, a spiritual land at the core of the human spirit.
109	* ManipulativeBastard: Acedia accomplishes his goals by manipulating his targets into doing bad things to themselves.
110	* MaternalDeathBlameTheChild: Scarecrow's father blames him for the death of his mother.
111	* MayflyDecemberFriendship: Gabriel, a human, and Elderane, an elf.
112	* MeaningfulEcho: ''"Family. Through Anything."''
113	* MisfitMobilizationMoment: The protags when working together.
114	* MoodSwinger: Scarecrow, due to his mental health issues.
115	* MundaneLuxury: When Gabriel first meets Scarecrow and is brought to a simple hotel, he thinks Scarecrow must be insanely rich because of the soft hotel beds and shower.
116	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Aaron when he tests new inventions and something goes horribly wrong, as they usually do.
117	* NakedFreakOut: When Gabriel is turned into a werewolf in the prompt "Inhuman Pt.1", his clothes rip off. As soon as he realizes, he runs to the living room and uses a big blanket to cover himself, despite the others saying his fur covers everything.
118	* NearDeathExperience: All the protags at least once.
119	* NeverHadABirthdayParty: None of the protags, until they pick a day and celebrate together.
120	* NewFriendEnvy: Scarecrow about Gabriel when they met Aaron, or Scarecrow about Gabriel when Gabriel met the Captain from Music/{{Ayreon}}.
121	* NonNudeBathing: Aaron once tries to take a shower while sleep deprived and ends up being found two hours later asleep in the shower with all his clothes still on.
122	* NoSenseOfDirection: Entity, who gets lost often.
123	* OddFriendship: The protags.
124	* OhMyGods: Elderane says Oh Stars!
125	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Entity always goes by simply "Enty". Also technically Scarecrow, since nobody knows the name he was born with.
126	* OnlySixFaces: The four protags all have the same face because they're modeled off their creator/vocalist. It's lampshaded in-series because everybody can tell they have the same face and they have to tell other characters they don't know why. Besides for the protags themselves, other characters from the albums also have the faces of their vocalists and so there are more cases of same-face, all pointed out in-series, for example Elderane and Acedia.
127	* OppositesAttract: Gabriel and Scarecrow.
128	* PimpDuds: [[spoiler:Alternate dimension Elderane]] wears this.
129	* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: All the protags to each other.
130	* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Gabriel to Scarecrow when they first met Aaron, and Scarecrow thought Gabriel wouldn't need him anymore. He was wrong.
131	* PointyEars: Elderane is an elf, so of course his ears are pointy.
132	* PositiveFriendInfluence: All the protags, but most notably with Scarecrow.
133	* ThePowerOfFriendship: The protags use this power all the time.
134	* ThePrankster: Scarecrow, who enjoys messing with the others.
135	* PrecisionFStrike: Gabriel in "Change Pt.4" does this to the consternation of everyone except Scarecrow, who is proud.
136	* ThePresentDay: This is when the series is usually set.
137	* PrincessesRule: Or an elf Prince. For some reason, despite Avantasia being a kingdom (not a principality) and Elderane's late father being known as the king, Elderane himself is still called Prince.
138	* ProneToTears: Entity, with his heightened emotions.
139	* {{Pyromaniac}}: Scarecrow commits arson recreationally.
140	* RascallyRaccoon: The protags discover a family of raccoons living in their attic. When Gabriel mistakes them for cats and tries to pet them, they react just like you'd expect wild animals to react.
141	* Really700YearsOld: Elderane. He is an elf, after all.
142	* RescueArc: "Wicked Memory", "Death is Just a Feeling", "Anywhere", many angst prompts.
143	* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: Aaron in "Death is Just a Feeling".
144	* RippleEffectProofMemory: The chapter "Forgotten" starts with Elderane arriving at the protags' home for a visit. He sees Aaron arguing with Scarecrow because Aaron accidentally erased [[spoiler:Gabriel]] from existence and Scarecrow no longer remembers [[spoiler:Gabriel or Elderane]]. We soon find Entity doesn't remember them either. Aaron is able to remember because he was holding the dimensional-time device and Elderane remembers because he was still in Avantasia when it happened and supposedly the device doesn't reach there.
145	* RomanticWingman: Aaron asks Scarecrow for dating assistance.
146	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Elderane does a lot.
147	* SandInMyEyes: Scarecrow often denies or tries to hide that he was crying.
148	* SceneryGorn: In the Music/{{Ayreon}} {{Crossover}}, the description of Planet Alpha hours before it blows up.
149	* SceneryPorn: Most of the setting descriptions are detailed and colorful, especially the beautiful Avantasia and any supernatural space-like worlds.
150	* SecurityCling: Happens often in dire situations.
151	* SelfHarm: Scarecrow does this on occasion when having a depressive episode or flashbacks to his past.
152	* SeriesFic: This AU sprawls over many non-sequential individual chapters in "angst" and "fun" collections and several multi chapter stories. An official timeline is provided to help readers understand the order of events.
153	* SevenDeadlySins: Acedia is one of them very literally.
154	* ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing: When Gabriel is turned into a werewolf in "Inhuman Pt.1" his clothes are ripped apart.
155	* SignificantBirthDate: Subverted in that the protags simply choose the random day it happens to be when they realize none of them know their birthdays, however that day is a SignificantReferenceDate - their creator's real life birthday.
156	* SleepDeprivation: Aaron does it to himself by being too focused on his "projects" to go to bed.
157	* TheSleepless: Aaron's mechanical part of his brain never turns off and he's able to take apart and put together any machine even after not sleeping for an entire week.
158	* SourOutsideSadInside: Scarecrow. He often pushes his family away and acts unpleasant, but he also has depressive episodes and is actually mentally ill.
159	* StaircaseTumble: After not sleeping for several days, Aaron tries to climb the basement stairs and falls down them. Played seriously because he has to be taken to the hospital.
160	* StupidGood: Entity, with his overflowing optimism and trust.
161	* SummoningRitual: Scarecrow does this in "Possession Pt. 1" to summon Acedia in order to get back at him.
162	* SurpriseCarCrash: This happens multiple times, notably in the "I Can't Walk" prompt.
163	* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Elderane does this for Gabriel]] in the prompt "Self-Sacrifice".
164	* TearfulSmile: Gabriel in "Stars" prompt.
165	* TearsOfFear: Happens often to everyone, notably Aaron in the "Ghost" prompt, Gabriel in the "Trembling" prompt, or Elderane in the "Seizure" prompt.
166	* {{Teleportation}}: Some of Aaron's inventions teleport the protags to other dimensions.
167	* TenderTears: Gabriel in the "Isolation" prompt, where Scarecrow shows him genuine kindness and friendship after Gabriel [[spoiler:had been living in the woods alone for a month with hardly any food.]]
168	* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Gabriel with [[spoiler: Regrin and Vandroiy in his past, both of whom died for Gabriel's cause.]]
169	* TimeTravel: All four protags are mysteriously taken from their respective worlds and times and brought into 2017.
170	* TooCleverByHalf: Aaron, who is outlandishly smart, but lets his genius blind him from the obvious, causing him to fail often.
171	* TraumaButton: Gabriel with [[spoiler:guns, as he was shot in the "Human Shield" prompt and developed PTSD regarding the event.]]
172	* TraumaticHaircut: This happens to Gabriel once while being assaulted.
173	* TrueCompanions: The protags.
174	* TuckAndCover: Scarecrow protects Gabriel [[spoiler:to save him from being burned alive at a witch trial as they escape,]] in "Wicked Memory".
175	* UnbrokenVigil: When any of the guys are in the hospital, the others are always there by their side through it all.
176	* UnstoppableRage: Scarecrow, especially if someone hurt one of the others.
177	* VitriolicBestBuds: Aaron and Scarecrow.
178	* WarriorPrince: Elderane.
179	* WoobieFamily: The protags.
180	* WouldHitAGirl: Scarecrow, particularly in "Errant In The Dark" where he brutally beats [[spoiler: Eleanor]] with a metal pole. He's definitely of the "good guys who don't discriminate" variety and doesn't care what gender you are if you threaten and harm his family.
181	* YouAreNotAlone: Gabriel, Aaron, and Entity with Scarecrow.
182	* YourMakeupIsRunning: Whenever Scarecrow cries, his signature black eyeliner often runs or smears. Scarecrow also applies his makeup in drippy lines underneath his left eye to look like tears in the first place.
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184	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ljse5650_min.PNG]]
185	[[caption-width-right:350:The protags (Gabriel, Scarecrow, Entity, and Aaron) enjoying the day.]]

Context Fanfic / AvantasiaProtagAU