The Spectrum Game - Ocean of Hues
is a book written by Iceaura39 on Wattpad.
In the magical world of Laeterra, there exists an invisible force known as Natura, harnessed by its inhabitants to cast spells and perform feats of derring-do. These are done thanks to the machinations of the twin gods, Deus Spero and Deus Luctus.
Our protagonist, Inigo Lenahan, is an amnesiac thief who wishes to regain his lost memories. In doing so, however, he finds himself in the crosshairs of the villainous crime syndicate, Libera, who have assigned him a Code Name and are gunning for his live capture. Couple that with his learning of the crimes his past self committed, and he gains a new determination - to find out the truth about just what kind of horrible person he used to be.
This book contains examples of the following:
- Adaptational Wimp: As a way of differentiating between the three groups of Natura-wielder more, they each have their own strength level of Natura shield, with Adepts getting the short end of the stick to compensate for their versatility. While sufficiently strong Adepts like Kotoba can reach Natural levels of shield strength, the majority of Adepts are relatively frail.
- Background Magic Field: Natura can be found in everything, being a part of nature that exists and permeates the entire world.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: The protagonist of the story is a self-serving thief going up against crime groups that are much more evil than he is.
- Competitive Balance: There exist three types of Natura-wielder. Primes have the strongest shields and the highest physical capabilities, but they cannot use elemental powers. Naturals have the widest variety of Natural powers, totalling out at three. Adepts have two elements, but a third, non-elemental ability, which is balanced out with a weaker Natura shield.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The concepts of Chaos and Darkness are treated just as neutrally as Order and Light, and Deus Luctus is just as revered as Deus Spero.
- Dramedy: The story is generally too serious to be a comedy, black or otherwise, with topics such as organised crime and suicidal thoughts being treated with plenty of gravity and seriousness. But the comedic moments are simply too consistent for it to be a full-on drama, too, with several larger-than-life characters, the often smarmy narration, and the sheer abundance of snark.
- Fire/Water Juxtaposition: The characters of Scarlett and Inigo are associated with fire and water, respectively. In addition to wielding said elements in battle, Scarlett frequently makes reference to a “fire” in her heart, while Inigo’s narration segments often brings up the ocean and swimming. The two are contrasted with one another in many ways, but this one is the most apparent.
- Flashy Protagonists, Bland Extras: Downplayed, but main characters are generally given more detailed descriptions compared to the extras.
- Fragile Speedster: To compensate for their weaker-than-average Natura shield, most Adepts have very nimble fighting styles and are skilled at dodging, minimising the number of hits they have to take in the first place. Inigo, Scarlett and the Ravener are excellent examples of this. Makoto, also an Adept, subverts this, being more of a Glass Cannon with noticeably less mobility.
- The Great Flood: Inigo, Scarlett and Makoto’s Enemy Mine is done in order to save Caerulus, which has flooded.
- Lemony Narrator: Iceaura39’s narration style shines strongly in this story, but it’s noteworthy because the narration changes ever so slightly depending on which character’s perspective is being followed. Inigo, Valerie and Minori’s perspectives are the most notably smarmy.
- Lightning Bruiser: Primes are this; they are incredibly strong, fast, and have the strongest Natura shields to make up for their lack of elemental abilities.
- Low Fantasy: While there are many fantastical elements, the setting is a touch more grounded than the author’s other works, and the struggles are generally more mundane and character-driven in nature.
- Morality Kitchen Sink: All over the place. There are genuinely heroic characters like Silas and truly evil characters like Grant, but most characters are in some dubious place in-between, with anti-heroes and anti-villains galore.
- Power Crystal: Natura crystals can either be made with conscious effort from humans or found in nature - albeit, they are rare, because of Coronus Crystallus hunting them down for the sake of business.
- X Meets Y: Octopath Traveler meets Like a Dragon, with a touch of Persona 5.
