Line #97 Literature/TheCaseFilesOfIbrahimHelsing


1	->''"The character of Ibrahim Helsing is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Ibrahim Helsing, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed."''
2	-->--The license for Ibrahim Helsing
3
4	''The Casefiles of Ibrahim Helsing'' is an ongoing WebSerialNovel by [[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2503849 Matt Eldritch over on Ao3]], inspired by such work as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wold_Newton_family Wold Newton Universe]] by Creator/PhilipJoseFarmer, Creator/KimNewman's ''Literature/AnnoDracula'' series, and Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' series.
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6	The titular protagonist is Ibrahim Helsing, one of the many, many, many members of the Van Helsing family tree. A young queer Palestinian-Canadian [[WanderingTheEarth world traveller]], he's recently taken lodge in Ticky Tack Estates and renting a room from Cassandra Cartwright, a woman who, while thankful to him for saving her life, [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave often wishes that he'd move out due to attracting villains to the neighbourhood]].
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8	Wherever Ibrahim goes, trouble always seems to follow. Whether it be vampires, Lovecraftian deities, malicious time travelers or a self described paladin and religious fanatic hellbent on "divine retribution" towards the supernatural, Helsing won't back down from a fight.
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10	[[foldercontrol]]
11
12	!!Tropes about the series as a whole:
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14	[[folder:A-Z]]
15	* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The series takes place in 2019.
16	* AllThereInTheManual: The final chapters in each story detail every reference used within them.
17	* UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}}: Ibrahim's canon orientation.
18	* BigBad: Mason Frogg and his bride serve as this in ''The Vampyre Apostles''
19	** The trio of cultists, Pater Zutter, Frater Felix and Soror Kaitlyn are this for ''The Miskatonic Affair''
20	* CrypticBackgroundReference: Frequently pop up through the series.
21	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Both Ibrahim and Cassandra are alluded to have these.
22	* HandicappedBadass:
23	** Ibrahim has a prosthetic right leg and still is able to fight the forces of evil.
24	** Cassandra's no slouch here either, as she has clinical depression and is able to [[spoiler:kill Mason Frogg by herself]].
25	* LastNameBasis: Used often towards Ibrahim.
26	** Also used with Abba Kaatz in ''The Miskatonic Affair''.
27	* ShoutOut: The neighborhood Ibrahim and Cassandra live in is taken from the song "Little Boxes" by Melvina Reynolds.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	!!Examples specific to ''The Vampyre Apostles'':
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32	[[folder:A-Z]]
33	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Ibrahim's sister, [[SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome Aminah,]] if the Bride's taunting of Ibrahim is anything to go by.
34	* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:Mason tries to weasel his way out of danger when he knows he's about to lose, going so far as to pin all the blame on his bride, who had been doing all the work for him]].
35	* DragonTheirFeet: Downplayed; [[spoiler:Mason is killed first, while the bride is almost killed, but manages to get away]].
36	* HeroismMotiveSpeech: Subverted. Hesling tries to give one out, but the Bride laughs at him, due to being "the idiot brother" of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Aminah Helsing.]]
37	* HypercompetentSidekick: The Bride is this to Mason Frogg, kicking off the events of the story [[BeleagueredAssistant while never so much as receiving a "thank you" from her master.]]
38	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Mason Frogg and his bride use ContractualGenreBlindness akin to [[ClassicalMovieVampire old vampire movies]] as part of the rules of their religion.
39	* NeverMyFault: As [[spoiler:Mason lies dying from being staked by Cassandra, he uses his final words to blame everything on his bride, even though he tried to sacrifice her to save his own skin]].
40	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Mason Frogg. [[spoiler:He [[YouAreACreditToYourRace essentially calls Cassandra a credit to her race]] in hopes of flattering her enough to spare him. Doesn't work in the slightest]]. He also displays a very traditionalist patriarchal view towards his bride.
41	* ReligionOfEvil: The Ruthvenians of "The Church Of Our Father In-Darkness", [[Literature/VampireCity located in]] [[{{Uberwald}} Selene, the Vampire City.]]
42	* SequelHook: [[spoiler:The now widowed bride of Mason is out swearing revenge and there's someone spying in on Cassandra and Helsing through a surveillance van]].
43	* ShoutOut:
44	** Ibrahim's (attempted) HeroismMotiveSpeech is [[WesternAnimation/ReBoot taken directly from the opening of Reboot.]]
45	** When [[spoiler:Cassandra kills Mason]], the narration calls her a [[Film/TheFearlessVampireKillers "fearless vampire killer"]]
46	** Crossing over with [[ShowWithinAShow a type two example of show-within-a-show,]] Cassandra watches ''[[VideoGame/SaintsRow Nyte Blayde,]]'' ''[[ComicBook/YoungJustice Wendy the Werewolf Stalker]]'' and ''[[Series/{{Baywatch}} Rescue Bay: Moonlight.]]''
47	** Mason twice quotes ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' while scheming up a plan to get into Cassandra's home;
48	-->"We need an idea that’s tricky, [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E2122ShortFilmsAboutSpringfield delightfully devilish and]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E2CapeFeare fiendishly clever in its intricacies...”]]
49	** Mason is [[CompositeCharacter composited]] [[Franchise/{{Lego}} from various Lego vampire minifigures]], such as ''Monster Fighters'' Lord Vampyre.
50	** "The Church of Our Father In-Darkness", comes from [[Literature/AnnoDracula the Anno Dracula series,]] derived from the term for when an elder vampire turns a mortal into a new-born vampire. The congregation being called "Ruthvenians" comes from [[Literature/TheVampyre "The Vampyre",]] written by John William Polidori, the author who introduced a multitude of modern vampire tropes before [[Creator/BramStoker Bram Stoker]] [[Literature/{{Dracula}} wrote Dracula.]]
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	!!Examples specific to ''The Miskatonic Affair'':
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55	[[folder:A-Z]]
56	* AuthorTract: Chapter five contains a lengthy discussion on Ableism towards the mentally and physically challenged.
57	* BadBoss: Pater Zutter physically assaults Felix and Kaitlyn for annoying him with their arguing in chapter two.
58	* CoDragons: Frater Felix and Soror Kaitlyn are these to Pater Zutter.
59	* ContinuityNod: The staircase is still damaged from the fight with the vampires from ''The Vampyre Apostles''
60	* CovertPervert: Downplayed. Cassandra assumes that Ibrahim is into sexual bondage due to how he'd tied up Abba so provocatively.
61	* CrypticBackgroundReference: Ibrahim claims to have learned knot tying from his parents after they fought [[{{Expy}} The]] [[Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera Phantom of the]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Nashville}} Opry.]]
62	* DrowningMySorrows: Cassandra does this with red wine in chapter three, after realizing [[spoiler:how the world may come to an end and how billions of children and animals would be graphically slaughtered]].
63	* EatingTheEyeCandy: Ibrahim and an employee of the Miskatonic University campus store do this to Abba in chapter four.
64	* GroinAttack: [[spoiler:Frater Felix gets one, courtesy of Ibrahim, in chapter five]].
65	* {{Homage}}: The story serves as this towards [[Series/TheManFromUncle The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]
66	* INeedAFreakingDrink: Cassandra recites this trope at the end of chapter two.
67	* InMediasRes: The story begins this way, with [[spoiler: Ibrahim and Abba about to be sacrificed by a cult]] [[HowWeGotHere before flashing back hours earlier]]
68	* InnocentlyInsensitive: Ibrahim spends chapter two ignoring how [[spoiler:Cassandra is clearly uncomfortable with him putting so much trust towards Abba instead of realizing how his very presence is a trigger to her]].
69	* LovecraftCountry: Takes place in Massachusetts, specifically, Miskatonic University.
70	* MomentKiller: A cab driver does this to [[spoiler:Ibrahim and Abba]] in at the end of chapter three.
71	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
72	** Cassandra ruminating over the apocalypse has her mention that she's glad there's no televangelists blaming scapegoats for the disaster only a few days later, clearly referring to Jerry Falwell Senior who did such a thing two days after [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror 9/11.]]
73	** Shifting Points USA does this for the American political conservative group, Turning Points USA.
74	* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
75	** Abba's {{Determinator}} attitude to recruit Ibrahim at the beginning of the story (going so far as to threaten to break down the door and barge in) triggers Cassandra's panic attack.
76	** Ibrahim's steadily crumbling relationship with Cassandra falls under this, as he's far more supportive of Abba over his own landlord/roommate, even after she's had a panic attack. Definitely not helping matters is [[spoiler:stealing money from her to cover his expenses]].
77	* TimeSkip: Some weeks have passed by after the events of ''The Vampyre Apostles''.
78	* TooKinkyToTorture: Played with; As a professional spy and masochist hobbyist, Abba found Ibrahim tying him up to be barely effective at containing him.
79	* ShoutOut:
80	** Abba introduces himself as coming from [[Series/TheManFromUncle sector three of a secret command of law enforcement.]]
81	** Chapter five, Abba is able to trek undetected through Miskatonic campus [[VideoGame/MetalGear while hiding under a large cardboard box.]] Specifically, [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E12BartGetsFamous a double-corrugated, eight-fold, one 4-gauge cardboard box that had been assembled in Flint, Michigan.]]
82	** In chapter four, a campus conservative political group has a booth about how [[Franchise/IndianaJones Doctor Henry Jones]] is innocent of some non-descript wrongdoing and challenges the students on campus to debate them over it.
83	** Abba uses standard issue [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill pocket sand]] to blind his enemies.
84	** During [[spoiler:Ibrahim's fight with Abba over Abba's ignorance towards the disabled]] in chapter five, Ibrahim cites ''[[Film/TropicThunder Simple]] [[ShowWithinAShow Jack]]'' and ''[[Film/ForrestGump Forrest Gump]]'' enforcing the [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged "inspirationally disadvantaged"]] stereotype.
85	** The narration describes emotional validation [[Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews as a dangerous thing that would make]] [[WaxingLyrical a grown man weep and another man sing.]]
86	** Frater Felix, a live streamer, plays ''[[Webcomic/EnnuiGo Pro-Ass Fishing]]'' and claims it brings in lots of subscriber money.
87	** In chapter one, Cassandra pours herself [[Series/BrothersAndSisters a]] [[Series/GreysAnatomy bowl]] [[Series/{{Chuck}} of]] [[Series/InPlainSight Nuts]] [[Series/{{Suburgatory}} & More Cereal]] for breakfast.
88	** Chapter three has Cassandra drinking some [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Chateau Picard red wine.]]
89	** Ibrahim mentions that [[BuryYourDisabled because two disabled men got murdered over]] [[Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974 in Texas]] [[Film/FridayThe13thPart2 and in New Jersey,]] people are reluctant in hiring him to fight the paranormal.
90	** Ibrahim says that his father was trained by [[ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} Conrad van Helsing.]]
91	** Pater Zutter's introduction has him [[WholeCostumeReference wearing]] [[WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters a periwinkle robe with a blue cowl]].
92	** Ibrahim muses that the brick walkways of Miskatonic University [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz was built by mischievous Munchkins]] to keep people from getting to the Emerald City.
93	* ShowerShy: Cassandra was and continues to be this, due to having vitiligo and being bullied over not having a typical feminine body.
94	* SpyFiction: The story takes a stale beer flavoured approach, owing to its inspiration (see the Homage entry).
95	* TakeThat:
96	** Ibrahim regards [[Film/ForrestGump Forrest Gump]] in poor taste for playing into ableist stereotypes.
97	** A larger one exists towards conservative political groups with [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Shifting]] [[WritingAroundTrademarks Points USA,]] [[spoiler:especially when they're the villainous cult out to destroy the world]].
98	* WillTheyOrWontThey: Abba and Ibrahim spend the story as this.
99	* WritingAroundTrademarks:
100	** Abba's spy agency is referred to as [[Series/TheManFromUncle the secret network command of law enforcement.]]
101	** Shifting Points USA is a non-trademark infringing version of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Point_USA Turning Points USA.]]
102	** And the leading villain of the piece, Pater Zutter, AKA [[spoiler:Zutter Caine, [[Film/InTheMouthOfMadness is Sutter Cane from the John Carpenter film, In The Mouth of Maddness.]]]]
103	** An in-universe example comes from Frater Felix's bootleg [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} Dethklok]] t-shirt (here spelt "Death-Klock").

Context Literature / TheCaseFilesOfIbrahimHelsing