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Yeeting out character tropes. More spoiler tags.
Deleted line(s) 26,28 (click to see context) :
* ActionMom:
** Sergio's mother, Irene Johnson, was an active-duty CIA agent.
** Nikki is a MagicalGirl, a pilot and more.
** Sergio's mother, Irene Johnson, was an active-duty CIA agent.
** Nikki is a MagicalGirl, a pilot and more.
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* AdoptivePeerParent: Thanks to characters being taken from various points in their timeline, or resurrected in a young age, this happens multiple times:
** Nadeshiko Kinomoto is resurrected as a 27-years-old, and she adopts the 20-years-old Nikki.
** Sergio (23), Nikki (20) and Ami (20) adopt Sergio's future daughters Keiko (whose mother is Nikki) and Hajime (whose mother is Ami), who are both 16.
** Nadeshiko Kinomoto is resurrected as a 27-years-old, and she adopts the 20-years-old Nikki.
** Sergio (23), Nikki (20) and Ami (20) adopt Sergio's future daughters Keiko (whose mother is Nikki) and Hajime (whose mother is Ami), who are both 16.
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* AnAlienNamedBob: Dar, who comes from the far future, has a fairly mundane (if somewhat uncommon) Hebrew name that means "nacre".
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* AlternativeSelfNameChange: There are three OC versions of Sakura Kinomoto in this 'fic, and they have all chosen different names for various reasons: Nikki Cherryflower, Hanami Fujimoto and Saki Cherryflower.
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* AuthorAvatar: Gino Scribetto is quite explicitly the World One person responsible for Sergio et al, which makes him an Author Avatar of the fic's author.
* AuthorPowers: It used to be the case -- authors in World One, created (and changed) Word Worlds by creating fiction; but the only author we see in-story -- Gino Scribetto -- doesn't have any special powers, just some meta knowledge (and his mundane skill in fixing aircraft).
* AuthorPowers: It used to be the case -- authors in World One, created (and changed) Word Worlds by creating fiction; but the only author we see in-story -- Gino Scribetto -- doesn't have any special powers, just some meta knowledge (and his mundane skill in fixing aircraft).
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* BloodKnight: Dar is definitely in it for the fight itself. For example, in the first chapter of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" she tells the villagers she'd help them -- for free, if their enemies would prove a challenge, or for a single interesting thing from their village if they won't. Her reaction to her Warframe being downed and having to use Last Gasp to resurrect it and escape is telling Nikki that "she's fun".
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dar is a Tenno, TheDreaded in-universe, but she's also quite quirky, not above back-handspringing her way through a building out of boredom, giving large amounts of cash to random people, or cackling madly and quoting [[MemeticMutation/{{Warframe}} the Corrupted Vor speech]].
-->'''Chris, to the Professor:''' "You're the one who understands her, Dad. I'm trying, but I'm also still trying to wrap my head around the fact your favorite weirdo looks like a cyborg samurai and a hyperactive grade schooler rolled into one."
* ButtMonkey: Things rarely go right for Yui Takeno. She's a Third Lycoris, which makes her a {{Mook}} ChildSoldier. She gets captured by the Black Organization and interrogated by the Professor. After the Professor uses her as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Direct Attack, she's part of the group of Lycoris that gets humiliated by Sergio and Chris in a mock fight -- Sergio uses her as a human shield, to boot. Then, during a mission, she runs into Dar and gets knocked out cold. Afterwards, she catches a break -- she gives the Professor enough information to identify the Tenno, which in turn makes it possible for him to save Suteji's life -- but then Suteji gets killed by Dar to fuel the latter's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]].
* CallARabbitASmeerp: Dar mistakes a shamisen for a Shawzin twice.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dar is a Tenno, TheDreaded in-universe, but she's also quite quirky, not above back-handspringing her way through a building out of boredom, giving large amounts of cash to random people, or cackling madly and quoting [[MemeticMutation/{{Warframe}} the Corrupted Vor speech]].
-->'''Chris, to the Professor:''' "You're the one who understands her, Dad. I'm trying, but I'm also still trying to wrap my head around the fact your favorite weirdo looks like a cyborg samurai and a hyperactive grade schooler rolled into one."
* ButtMonkey: Things rarely go right for Yui Takeno. She's a Third Lycoris, which makes her a {{Mook}} ChildSoldier. She gets captured by the Black Organization and interrogated by the Professor. After the Professor uses her as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Direct Attack, she's part of the group of Lycoris that gets humiliated by Sergio and Chris in a mock fight -- Sergio uses her as a human shield, to boot. Then, during a mission, she runs into Dar and gets knocked out cold. Afterwards, she catches a break -- she gives the Professor enough information to identify the Tenno, which in turn makes it possible for him to save Suteji's life -- but then Suteji gets killed by Dar to fuel the latter's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]].
* CallARabbitASmeerp: Dar mistakes a shamisen for a Shawzin twice.
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** Hitman Squadron (from ''VideoGame/ProjectWingman'') and AWACS Galaxy made it past the Unravel. They are joined by Hitman 4, TAC name Cuirassier, who is Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline.
* CoolPlane:
* CoolPlane:
to:
** Hitman Squadron (from ''VideoGame/ProjectWingman'') and AWACS Galaxy made it past the Unravel. They are joined by Hitman 4, TAC name Cuirassier, Cuirassier[[spoiler:, who is Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline.
* CoolPlane:timeline]].
* CoolPlane:
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* TheDreaded:
** In ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion, the Belkan pilots name Sergio "Mongoose".
-->'''Svafnir 4:''' "Sir, that guy got us like he got Grabacr! If we are snakes, well he sank his teeth into us like a pissed-off mongoose, and that other pilot who was with him was as good as him!"
** Skystreaker Squadron is renowned as "the White Birds". In chapter 26, Efi is bummed out that she managed to avoid getting killed by them, only to get killed by Dar.
** In ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion, the Belkan pilots name Sergio "Mongoose".
-->'''Svafnir 4:''' "Sir, that guy got us like he got Grabacr! If we are snakes, well he sank his teeth into us like a pissed-off mongoose, and that other pilot who was with him was as good as him!"
** Skystreaker Squadron is renowned as "the White Birds". In chapter 26, Efi is bummed out that she managed to avoid getting killed by them, only to get killed by Dar.
to:
* TheDreaded:
** In ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion, the Belkan pilots name Sergio "Mongoose".
-->'''Svafnir 4:''' "Sir, that guy got us like he got Grabacr! If we are snakes, well he sank his teeth into us like a pissed-off mongoose, and that other pilot who was with him was as good as him!"
**TheDreaded: Skystreaker Squadron is renowned as "the White Birds". In chapter 26, Efi is bummed out that she managed to avoid getting killed by them, only to get killed by Dar.
** In ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion, the Belkan pilots name Sergio "Mongoose".
-->'''Svafnir 4:''' "Sir, that guy got us like he got Grabacr! If we are snakes, well he sank his teeth into us like a pissed-off mongoose, and that other pilot who was with him was as good as him!"
**
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** Dar elicits this reaction in Strike Dove once they figure out that she's a Tenno. Sergio notes that he'd be wary of her even if he'd encounter her while piloting his Galahad. Said Galahad is a suped-up AceCustom version of a ''Macross'' Variable Fighter TransformingMecha. After the mall fight, he notes that even that might not be enough:
--> Sergio pointed at the Galahad with his chin. "The only way is to sic on her a squadron of these... assuming it is even enough," he said before storming off.
--> Sergio pointed at the Galahad with his chin. "The only way is to sic on her a squadron of these... assuming it is even enough," he said before storming off.
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** Dar, being a Tenno, finds herself well-suited to the life of a wandering mercenary. She takes jobs from anyone -- random villagers, the Yakuza, the Professor, the Alan Institute -- and doesn't seem to care about the target too much.
** A couple of Brigadors show up in chapter 26 under the employ of the Black Organization.
** A couple of Brigadors show up in chapter 26 under the employ of the Black Organization.
to:
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* IHaveManyNames: Many characters fall into this category, owing to multiple nicknames, callsigns, TAC names and so on.
** Sergio Turbo (the protagonist, not the author) is Skystreaker 1, TAC name Lightning, and (in ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion) is known as "the Mongoose". In chapter 29, Dar nicknames him both "eater of snakes" and "Sarge", though he doesn't like the former.
** Nikki Cherryflower used to be Sakura Kinomoto. She's Skystreaker 4, TAC name Starlight. She also used to fly as Spare 18.
** The Professor's name is [[spoiler:Marco Leone (as opposed to his unambiguously evil counterparts, which are all named "Marc''us''"). He also possesses the CodeName "Grappa" in the Black Organization]].
** The only Tenno present introduces herself as "Tenno" to the Professor. When Ami asks her for her name she answers with "Octavia" (ItMakesSenseInContext, which is a musical performance). Her real name, as the narration indicates, is "Dar".
** Sergio Turbo (the protagonist, not the author) is Skystreaker 1, TAC name Lightning, and (in ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion) is known as "the Mongoose". In chapter 29, Dar nicknames him both "eater of snakes" and "Sarge", though he doesn't like the former.
** Nikki Cherryflower used to be Sakura Kinomoto. She's Skystreaker 4, TAC name Starlight. She also used to fly as Spare 18.
** The Professor's name is [[spoiler:Marco Leone (as opposed to his unambiguously evil counterparts, which are all named "Marc''us''"). He also possesses the CodeName "Grappa" in the Black Organization]].
** The only Tenno present introduces herself as "Tenno" to the Professor. When Ami asks her for her name she answers with "Octavia" (ItMakesSenseInContext, which is a musical performance). Her real name, as the narration indicates, is "Dar".
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* MeaningfulName:
** Gino Scribetto's last name means "writer", and he's the author of Sergio et al. Fitting, as it's not his real name.
** Sakidzume Suteji's last name is written with the kanji for "boring", while her first name is spelled with the kanji for "throw away" and "second". Fittingly, she's an uninteresting BitCharacter with barely any characterisation. [[spoiler:She dies unceremoniously as fuel for Dar's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ''after'' the big fight in the mall.]]
** Gino Scribetto's last name means "writer", and he's the author of Sergio et al. Fitting, as it's not his real name.
** Sakidzume Suteji's last name is written with the kanji for "boring", while her first name is spelled with the kanji for "throw away" and "second". Fittingly, she's an uninteresting BitCharacter with barely any characterisation. [[spoiler:She dies unceremoniously as fuel for Dar's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ''after'' the big fight in the mall.]]
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* TheNicknamer: Dar named Chisato "Useless Girl" (for her ThouShaltNotKill principles), Sergio "eater of snakes" (after his "Mongoose" nickname) and "Sarge" (after his name), and Colonel Johnson "Space Mom" (after [[Characters/WarframeTenno The Lotus]]).
* ObliviouslyEvil: Dar's reaction to being hired as part of (what seems like) a terrorist plot to hold a whole mall hostage is suspicion... because easy low-level missions don't usually give good loot (like the custom-made APU parts her payment is). She doesn't bat an eye at killing three people to power her [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ability, and her reaction to taking a lot of damage in her fight against Nikki, Corolla and Ami is telling Nikki that she's fun. Nikki's feelings after the mall fight sum it up pretty well:
-->Nikki found herself frozen in shock. There was no doubt about it - that girl clearly had no grasp at all of the consequences of her actions.
* OnlySaneWoman: Chris is this as far as the Professor and his allies (temporary or otherwise) go -- he's obsessed with his Dream, Pixy is a revolutionary [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized with no qualms about using nukes to "reset" civilisation]], the Grey Men are extremely revanchist nationalists, DA kidnaps orphans and turns them into {{Child Soldier}}s, and Dar is a BloodKnight BunnyEarsLawyer with a faulty moral compass. Chris spends a large portion of the story exasperated by the antics of the people around her.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Dar's reaction to being hired as part of (what seems like) a terrorist plot to hold a whole mall hostage is suspicion... because easy low-level missions don't usually give good loot (like the custom-made APU parts her payment is). She doesn't bat an eye at killing three people to power her [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ability, and her reaction to taking a lot of damage in her fight against Nikki, Corolla and Ami is telling Nikki that she's fun. Nikki's feelings after the mall fight sum it up pretty well:
-->Nikki found herself frozen in shock. There was no doubt about it - that girl clearly had no grasp at all of the consequences of her actions.
* OnlySaneWoman: Chris is this as far as the Professor and his allies (temporary or otherwise) go -- he's obsessed with his Dream, Pixy is a revolutionary [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized with no qualms about using nukes to "reset" civilisation]], the Grey Men are extremely revanchist nationalists, DA kidnaps orphans and turns them into {{Child Soldier}}s, and Dar is a BloodKnight BunnyEarsLawyer with a faulty moral compass. Chris spends a large portion of the story exasperated by the antics of the people around her.
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* SoleSurvivor: Any character that's the only surviving one from their canon, such as Dar being the only Tenno around or B-312 being the only ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' character around (until his run-in with Dar, anyway).
to:
* SoleSurvivor: Any character that's the only surviving one from their canon, such as Dar being the only Tenno around or B-312 being the only ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' character around (until [[spoiler:(until his run-in with Dar, anyway).anyway)]].
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* TitledAfterSong: The chapters of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" are all named after ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' missions, which are in turn named after songs.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The "half-twins" Keiko and Hajime play this trope straight in some things, like Keiko being a race car driver and Hajime being a very excitable fan of MagicalGirl series, but also subvert the trope's expectations in other aspects: the tomboyish Keiko has Magical Girl powers (frilly dress included, much to her chagrin), and the girly Hajime is planning on a military career (and was overjoyed at the opportunity of flying a Variable Fighter).
* TragicKeepsake: In all of her appearances since the death of her timeline's Sergio, Hanami is shown wearing glasses. According to WordOfGod, [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/15th-anniversary-of-our-madness/ they are indeed his, with the lenses swapped out for fake ones.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Professor does not hesitate to lie, betray his allies, raise {{Child Soldier}}s for Direct Attack or use [=WMDs=], all for his Dream of a world where nothing can hurt his family.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The "half-twins" Keiko and Hajime play this trope straight in some things, like Keiko being a race car driver and Hajime being a very excitable fan of MagicalGirl series, but also subvert the trope's expectations in other aspects: the tomboyish Keiko has Magical Girl powers (frilly dress included, much to her chagrin), and the girly Hajime is planning on a military career (and was overjoyed at the opportunity of flying a Variable Fighter).
* TragicKeepsake: In all of her appearances since the death of her timeline's Sergio, Hanami is shown wearing glasses. According to WordOfGod, [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/15th-anniversary-of-our-madness/ they are indeed his, with the lenses swapped out for fake ones.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Professor does not hesitate to lie, betray his allies, raise {{Child Soldier}}s for Direct Attack or use [=WMDs=], all for his Dream of a world where nothing can hurt his family.
to:
* TitledAfterSong: TitledAfterTheSong: The chapters of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" are all named after ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' missions, which are in turn named after songs.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The "half-twins" Keiko and Hajime play this trope straight in some things, like Keiko being a race car driver and Hajime being a very excitable fan of MagicalGirl series, but also subvert the trope's expectations in other aspects: the tomboyish Keiko has Magical Girl powers (frilly dress included, much to her chagrin), and the girly Hajime is planning on a military career (and was overjoyed at the opportunity of flying a Variable Fighter).
* TragicKeepsake: In all of her appearances since the death of her timeline's Sergio, Hanami is shown wearing glasses. According to WordOfGod, [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/15th-anniversary-of-our-madness/ they are indeed his, with the lenses swapped out for fake ones.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Professor does not hesitate to lie, betray his allies, raise {{Child Soldier}}s for Direct Attack or use [=WMDs=], all for his Dream of a world where nothing can hurt his family.songs.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The "half-twins" Keiko and Hajime play this trope straight in some things, like Keiko being a race car driver and Hajime being a very excitable fan of MagicalGirl series, but also subvert the trope's expectations in other aspects: the tomboyish Keiko has Magical Girl powers (frilly dress included, much to her chagrin), and the girly Hajime is planning on a military career (and was overjoyed at the opportunity of flying a Variable Fighter).
* TragicKeepsake: In all of her appearances since the death of her timeline's Sergio, Hanami is shown wearing glasses. According to WordOfGod, [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/15th-anniversary-of-our-madness/ they are indeed his, with the lenses swapped out for fake ones.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Professor does not hesitate to lie, betray his allies, raise {{Child Soldier}}s for Direct Attack or use [=WMDs=], all for his Dream of a world where nothing can hurt his family.
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* WildCard:
** The Professor worked with Belka, but ditched them when he realised they were going to lose their war with NATO. He started working with the Black Organization but betrayed them for Direct Attack once the Organization's fortunes took a turn for the worse. And if his plans to make the Lycoris he's offered to train for Direct Attack more loyal to him than to them are any indication, he's already preparing to betray Direct Attack once they are no longer useful to him.
** Dar, during her stay in Tokyo, takes a contract from the Yakuza. The Professor convinces her to ditch them and work for him instead. Then she takes a mission that pits her against DA, with whom the Professor is (currently) allied. Once she's paid she has no qualms about spilling the beans to the Professor. She notes this herself:
-->'''Tenno:''' "Neither contracts, nor control, nor a moment of art engender loyalty, Professor."
* TheWisePrince: Prince Frederick of Bedwig fits this trope to a T, being the decent actual monarch of Belka. Of course, the Grey Men imprison him in Stier Castle -- the same place they held President Harling of Osea during the Circum-Pacific War -- before they start the war with NATO; once he's rescued by the Skystreakers and Razgriz he promptly he broadcasts a speech ordering the Belkan forces to stand down and deeming any who do not do so traitors.
** The Professor worked with Belka, but ditched them when he realised they were going to lose their war with NATO. He started working with the Black Organization but betrayed them for Direct Attack once the Organization's fortunes took a turn for the worse. And if his plans to make the Lycoris he's offered to train for Direct Attack more loyal to him than to them are any indication, he's already preparing to betray Direct Attack once they are no longer useful to him.
** Dar, during her stay in Tokyo, takes a contract from the Yakuza. The Professor convinces her to ditch them and work for him instead. Then she takes a mission that pits her against DA, with whom the Professor is (currently) allied. Once she's paid she has no qualms about spilling the beans to the Professor. She notes this herself:
-->'''Tenno:''' "Neither contracts, nor control, nor a moment of art engender loyalty, Professor."
* TheWisePrince: Prince Frederick of Bedwig fits this trope to a T, being the decent actual monarch of Belka. Of course, the Grey Men imprison him in Stier Castle -- the same place they held President Harling of Osea during the Circum-Pacific War -- before they start the war with NATO; once he's rescued by the Skystreakers and Razgriz he promptly he broadcasts a speech ordering the Belkan forces to stand down and deeming any who do not do so traitors.
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Spoilers, oops.
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* AnyoneCanDie: Being a named character, a canon character, or a counterpart of the protagonist won't save you from death. So far, the list of casualties include Cuirassier (the Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline), [[spoiler:all of the surviving Sicario Mercenary Corps save for Prez]], Marcus Leone (one of the evil MadScientist versions of the Professor), Chianti of the Black Organization, the Brigador Efigenia Tseng, and [[spoiler:the Second Lycoris Hibana Kagari]].
to:
* AnyoneCanDie: Being a named character, a canon character, or a counterpart of the protagonist won't save you from death. So far, the list of casualties include Cuirassier (the [[spoiler:(the Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline), [[spoiler:all all of the surviving Sicario Mercenary Corps save for Prez]], Marcus Leone (one of the evil MadScientist versions of the Professor), Chianti of the Black Organization, the Brigador Efigenia Tseng, and [[spoiler:the Second Lycoris Hibana Kagari]].
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* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Dar notes that Sergio's Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel rifle is "underpowered, not nearly moddable enough and poorly named to boot".
to:
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Dar notes that Sergio's Barrett M82A1 [=M82A1=] anti-materiel rifle is "underpowered, not nearly moddable enough and poorly named to boot".
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** The Professor's name is Marco Leone (as opposed to his unambiguously evil counterparts, which are all named "Marc''us''"). He also possesses the CodeName "Grappa" in the Black Organization.
to:
** The Professor's name is Marco [[spoiler:Marco Leone (as opposed to his unambiguously evil counterparts, which are all named "Marc''us''"). He also possesses the CodeName "Grappa" in the Black Organization.Organization]].
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Copied from offline. Still a draft.
Added DiffLines:
-> Retired. That's what former Protector of the Plot Continuum agents Sergio Turbo and Nikki Cherryflower thought they were, until they found themselves whisked to an unknown world. Sergio is picked up by Hayate Yagami and her ship, the Wolfram, from Lyrical Nanoha, as lost and confused as he is. Nikki meets Alvin Davenport from Ace Combat 5, who shouldn't really be alive.\\
Forced to pick up arms once again, they can only rely on their skills and the new allies they make along the way to find a way back to their world... or at least each other.\\
-->-- '''Author's Summary'''
''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/28669917/chapters/70282617 The World Without Authors]]'' by [=SergioTurbo=] is a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover FanFic set AfterTheEnd of his [[WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum PPC]] spinoff.
To be exact, with World One gone, all fictional worlds have Unravelled, disappearing into nothingness. Now Sergio, Nikki and their friends must brave the remnants of the world and, at first, find each other; but war looms, and other threats lurk in the shadows.
Has two spinoffs:
* [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40142448/chapters/100535679 "London, Unreal"]] by Huinesoron is a LighterAndSofter ElsewhereFic dealing with the exploits of retired PPC Agent Constance Simms and her twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine Simms.
* [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/41284041/chapters/103509891 "And This is the Gate of Heaven"]] by Tropers/{{Desdendelle}} shows some of Tenno[=/=]Dar's earlier adventures.
----
!!''The World Without Authors'' contains examples of:
* AceCustom: if Corolla isn't busy having mock fights with a Tenno in her Variable Fighter, she's working on ''something''.
** Strike Dove purchased a B-1B Lancer which Corolla plans to modify into an AWACS plane for Long Caster, as his E-767 simply can't keep up with Strike Dove's Variable Fighters.
** AWACS Bandog's E-767 was captured by Strike Dove and modified with ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' tech to ease up on crew requirements and free up space for people and cargo.
** Corolla not only installed Electronic Warfare equipment on her FB-22, she also converted it to a rudderless configuration.
** Hiro's GAT-42S Destiny Gundam, supposedly a pre-production example of an attempt to mass produce the original Destiny Gundam, was later upgraded into the CMS-42HS Knight Destiny Gundam, the most notable modification being Corolla's unique Minotaur Drive as its power generator.
** Sergio's VF-0SD Phoenix already rolled off the assembly line as an unique example, being a VF-0D fitted with the VF-0S head and electronics and thus being the only delta wing VF-0 built to squadron leader specifications (a role reserved in canon only to the swing-wing Phoenixes). On top of that, Gino fitted it with experimental magic-driven pods and Corolla fitted additional systems to the airframe, including a neural link control system.
** The SF-26A Blaze is a custom-made variant of the VF-25A Messiah manufactured for Razgriz Squadron.
** The SF-32 Galahad is a custom variant of the VF-31A Kairos manufactured for Skystreaker Squadron. Those have different parts depending on the pilot -- for example, Corolla's Electronic Warfare C variant carries a foldable radar dish in its multipurpose container, lacks a gunpod and has only one barrel on its "head turret", while Nikki's melee-specialised N variant carries multiple Beam weapons and high-mobility packs.
* ActionMom:
** Sergio's mother, Irene Johnson, was an active-duty CIA agent.
** Nikki is a MagicalGirl, a pilot and more.
* ADeathInTheLimelight: The first time we see Fireteam Orange -- Efi and "Lucy" -- is chapter 26, which is also the chapter where they are killed by Dar.
* AdoptivePeerParent: Thanks to characters being taken from various points in their timeline, or resurrected in a young age, this happens multiple times:
** Nadeshiko Kinomoto is resurrected as a 27-years-old, and she adopts the 20-years-old Nikki.
** Sergio (23), Nikki (20) and Ami (20) adopt Sergio's future daughters Keiko (whose mother is Nikki) and Hajime (whose mother is Ami), who are both 16.
* AfterTheEnd: the whole multiverse collapsed in the Unravel, and the Unravelled World is a mishmash of whatever pieces of worlds are left over.
* AnAlienNamedBob: Dar, who comes from the far future, has a fairly mundane (if somewhat uncommon) Hebrew name that means "nacre".
* AllThereInTheManual: Some technical information, such as aircraft specs, is found in [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/category/behind-the-scenes/ blog posts]] and author's notes.
* AlternativeSelfNameChange: There are three OC versions of Sakura Kinomoto in this 'fic, and they have all chosen different names for various reasons: Nikki Cherryflower, Hanami Fujimoto and Saki Cherryflower.
* AnyoneCanDie: Being a named character, a canon character, or a counterpart of the protagonist won't save you from death. So far, the list of casualties include Cuirassier (the Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline), [[spoiler:all of the surviving Sicario Mercenary Corps save for Prez]], Marcus Leone (one of the evil MadScientist versions of the Professor), Chianti of the Black Organization, the Brigador Efigenia Tseng, and [[spoiler:the Second Lycoris Hibana Kagari]].
* ApocalypseHow: Anything and everything that didn't find itself in the Unravelled World is gone completely due to World One vanishing.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Dar notes that Sergio's Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel rifle is "underpowered, not nearly moddable enough and poorly named to boot".
* AuthorAvatar: Gino Scribetto is quite explicitly the World One person responsible for Sergio et al, which makes him an Author Avatar of the fic's author.
* AuthorPowers: It used to be the case -- authors in World One, created (and changed) Word Worlds by creating fiction; but the only author we see in-story -- Gino Scribetto -- doesn't have any special powers, just some meta knowledge (and his mundane skill in fixing aircraft).
* BadassFamily: Sergio's family members are all competent fighters, pilots and the like.
* BloodKnight: Dar is definitely in it for the fight itself. For example, in the first chapter of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" she tells the villagers she'd help them -- for free, if their enemies would prove a challenge, or for a single interesting thing from their village if they won't. Her reaction to her Warframe being downed and having to use Last Gasp to resurrect it and escape is telling Nikki that "she's fun".
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dar is a Tenno, TheDreaded in-universe, but she's also quite quirky, not above back-handspringing her way through a building out of boredom, giving large amounts of cash to random people, or cackling madly and quoting [[MemeticMutation/{{Warframe}} the Corrupted Vor speech]].
-->'''Chris, to the Professor:''' "You're the one who understands her, Dad. I'm trying, but I'm also still trying to wrap my head around the fact your favorite weirdo looks like a cyborg samurai and a hyperactive grade schooler rolled into one."
* ButtMonkey: Things rarely go right for Yui Takeno. She's a Third Lycoris, which makes her a {{Mook}} ChildSoldier. She gets captured by the Black Organization and interrogated by the Professor. After the Professor uses her as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Direct Attack, she's part of the group of Lycoris that gets humiliated by Sergio and Chris in a mock fight -- Sergio uses her as a human shield, to boot. Then, during a mission, she runs into Dar and gets knocked out cold. Afterwards, she catches a break -- she gives the Professor enough information to identify the Tenno, which in turn makes it possible for him to save Suteji's life -- but then Suteji gets killed by Dar to fuel the latter's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]].
* CallARabbitASmeerp: Dar mistakes a shamisen for a Shawzin twice.
* ChildSoldier: Various characters, such as Dar and the Lycoris are child soldiers, while others were ones in the past (e.g. some of the protagonists and some of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' characters). {{Discussed|Trope}} by the Yakuza in chapter 26, who ironically end up hiring ''another'' child soldier to solve their child soldier woes:
-->'''Mr Kiriake:''' "Evidently the government in this new world has a secret child soldier program going on."
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: In chapter 12, Nikki gets shot down by a Grabacr pilot, having taken a hit meant for Sergio. He proceeds to eviscerate the opposition, pushing his plane way past what it should be able to do.\\
This is treated as a bad thing, as it shows that he's returning into his Suvian roots, and (in a SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome) gets him chewed out by both his commanding officer Johnson (for murdering parachuting pilots) and Corolla (for going Stu again).
* CodeName: Considering that this is (also) an ''Ace Combat'' military 'fic, there are many, many characters with TAC and code names:
** Skystreaker Squadron consists of Skytreaker Leader (Fisherman, Leroy Johnson), Skystreaker 1 (Lightning, Sergio Turbo), Skystreaker 2 (Comet, Ami Tanegashima), Skystreaker 3 (Robogirl, Corolla), Skystreaker 4 (Starlight, Nikki Cherryflower) and Skystreaker 5 (Mermaid, Ai Minase).
** Razgriz Squadron of ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat 5|TheUnsungWar}}'' fame, sans Blaze, make an appearance, as do their kind-of counterparts from ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvUnlimitedTheDayAfter'', Wardog Squadron.
** [[VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown Spare Squadron]] also makes an appearance.
** So does Sol Squadron, though since Wit, Seymour, Hermann and Roald didn't make it past the Unravel, Sol 2 is Miksa Shilage, TAC name Cherub, Mihaly's uncanonical grandson, Sol 3 is Nemesis, Chris [[spoiler:Leone]], and Sol 4 is none other than [[Characters/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Solo Wing Pixy]].
** Haro Squadron consists of Haro 1 (Knight, Hiro Shirogane), Haro 2 (Tsunami, Keiko Turbo) and Haro 3 (Thunderbolt, Hajime Turbo).
** Hitman Squadron (from ''VideoGame/ProjectWingman'') and AWACS Galaxy made it past the Unravel. They are joined by Hitman 4, TAC name Cuirassier, who is Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline.
* CoolPlane:
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: As Sergio notes, Dar, like him, was raised to be a weapon; but, unlike him, she seems to be completely fine with her lot in life.
* TheDreaded:
** In ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion, the Belkan pilots name Sergio "Mongoose".
-->'''Svafnir 4:''' "Sir, that guy got us like he got Grabacr! If we are snakes, well he sank his teeth into us like a pissed-off mongoose, and that other pilot who was with him was as good as him!"
** Skystreaker Squadron is renowned as "the White Birds". In chapter 26, Efi is bummed out that she managed to avoid getting killed by them, only to get killed by Dar.
-->'''Efi:''' "I can't believe I dodged the White Birds only to die here."
** Dar elicits this reaction in Strike Dove once they figure out that she's a Tenno. Sergio notes that he'd be wary of her even if he'd encounter her while piloting his Galahad. Said Galahad is a suped-up AceCustom version of a ''Macross'' Variable Fighter TransformingMecha. After the mall fight, he notes that even that might not be enough:
--> Sergio pointed at the Galahad with his chin. "The only way is to sic on her a squadron of these... assuming it is even enough," he said before storming off.
* EasilyForgiven: Strike Dove goes from attempting to take down Dar with all their might to trying to get her to join up in the matter of hours. {{Justified|Trope}} in various ways: Sergio sees it as RecruitingTheCriminal and notes that "If you can't beat them, join them... or make them join you" while Nikki sympathises with Dar, since she sees her as the same sort of "person that considers themselves a weapon" that Sergio used to be.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: ''The World Without Authors'' tells the story of, well, the world that exists without any.
* HadToBeSharp: The Professor explains the idea behind this trope to Yui Takeno after he convinces Dar to switch her allegiance from the Yakuza to him.
-->'''The Professor:''' "Understand this, miss Takeno: in this world, the victor will be he that fights smarter, not harder. If a person like you or me turns the fight into a contest of strength, then he's already lost before firing the first bullet."
* HiredGuns:
** Strike Dove, the company that employs most of the main characters, is a mercenary outfit.
** Sicario Mercenary Corps exists [[spoiler:until Monarch, Comic and Diplomat are shot down by Pixy and the Belkans kill Galaxy in order to get the Briefcase. Afterwards, Prez joins Strike Dove]].
** The ''Macross''-verse [=PMCs=] Xaos and Strategic Military Services are employed by the Coalition.
** Dar, being a Tenno, finds herself well-suited to the life of a wandering mercenary. She takes jobs from anyone -- random villagers, the Yakuza, the Professor, the Alan Institute -- and doesn't seem to care about the target too much.
** A couple of Brigadors show up in chapter 26 under the employ of the Black Organization.
* HyperspaceArsenal: Exploited; in chapter 5, Corolla installs ''Ace Combat''-verse pylons on some of Strike Dove's planes, allowing them to carry a ridiculous amount of missiles in "some kind of dimensional pocket".
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming:
** The first eleven chapter names all refer to ''Ace Combat'' missions.
** Chapter 13 is named "Lasting Damage I". This is a reference to two relevant PPC interludes, "Lasting Damage" and "Lasting Damage II"[[labelnote:explanation]]It's a reference to Literature/TheCulture book ''Literature/LookToWindward'': The ''Lasting Damage'' was a GSV that was destroyed in the Idiran War; the ''Lasting Damage II'' was a GSV that housed the same Mind, restored from backup; and the ''Lasting Damage I'' was the GSV that housed the original Mind, which was at first thought destroyed.[[/labelnote]].
** The chapters of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" are all named after ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' missions.
* IHaveManyNames: Many characters fall into this category, owing to multiple nicknames, callsigns, TAC names and so on.
** Sergio Turbo (the protagonist, not the author) is Skystreaker 1, TAC name Lightning, and (in ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion) is known as "the Mongoose". In chapter 29, Dar nicknames him both "eater of snakes" and "Sarge", though he doesn't like the former.
** Nikki Cherryflower used to be Sakura Kinomoto. She's Skystreaker 4, TAC name Starlight. She also used to fly as Spare 18.
** The Professor's name is Marco Leone (as opposed to his unambiguously evil counterparts, which are all named "Marc''us''"). He also possesses the CodeName "Grappa" in the Black Organization.
** The only Tenno present introduces herself as "Tenno" to the Professor. When Ami asks her for her name she answers with "Octavia" (ItMakesSenseInContext, which is a musical performance). Her real name, as the narration indicates, is "Dar".
* ItIsDehumanizing: Sergio refers to Dar as "that thing" and "a monster" instead of "her". He stops once he realises that [[CommonalityConnection she, too, was raised as a weapon]].
* LampshadeHanging: When Dar attacks Nikki while she's in the middle of [[FusionDance Unisoning]] and coordinating with Corolla, the narration notes that it is "staggeringly bad manners" to do so (TalkingIsAFreeAction, after all).
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** In the fourth chapter of "And This is the Gate of Heaven", Dar notes that, in the Origin System, most interior rooms have no more than four exits. This is, of course, true for tiles in ''Warframe''.
** When discussing Conan Edogawa in chapter 23, Chisato asks, "Are we in an anime now?"
** When Dar is reminded of the Lephantis in chapter 27, her internal monologue complains about it being a bullet sponge. It's also one in-game, especially in Sorties and on the Steel Path.
** When Dar explains her motives to the Skystreakers, she notes that some Tenno stop fighting relatively early, others after accomplishing everything there is for a Tenno to do, and that she herself fights for fighting's own sake. This is similar to how some people don't click with ''Warframe'', others do everything there's to do in-game and go on hiatuses broken by short periods of farming new content, and people that play the game for its own sake.
* LighterAndSofter: "London Unreal", a SpinOff by Huinesoron, is an ElsewhereFic dealing with the exploits of retired PPC Agent Constance Simms and her twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine Simms. It leans more towards comedy than drama and so far none of the various "darker" characters have made an appearance.
* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "And This is the Gate of Heaven" comes from Genesis 28:17:
--> And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: As of chapter 28 the 'fic features 110 characters from 14 different media.
* MeaningfulName:
** Gino Scribetto's last name means "writer", and he's the author of Sergio et al. Fitting, as it's not his real name.
** Sakidzume Suteji's last name is written with the kanji for "boring", while her first name is spelled with the kanji for "throw away" and "second". Fittingly, she's an uninteresting BitCharacter with barely any characterisation. [[spoiler:She dies unceremoniously as fuel for Dar's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ''after'' the big fight in the mall.]]
* MookHorrorShow: Dar tends to "star" in those.
** Chapter 3 of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" shows her escape from a crashed Corpus base from the [=PoV=] of a Corpus Tech-Sergeant. She blows up the base by overloading its reactor before she leaves.
** Chapter 26 shows her attack on a Black Organization factory from the [=PoV=] of one Mr Gubei, the security supervisor of the factory, and her fight with Fireteam Orange through the eyes of the Brigador, Efigenia Tseng. She curbstomps both the factory's security team and Fireteam Orange.
* MumLooksLikeASister: Because members of Sergio's family were taken from different points in time, the mothers (Nikki and Ami, both of whom are 20) look like the older sisters of the daughters (Keiko and Hajime, both of whom are 16). Taken to an extreme with Ami and Hajime -- Ami is petite enough to look like Hajime's ''younger'' sister.
* TheNicknamer: Dar named Chisato "Useless Girl" (for her ThouShaltNotKill principles), Sergio "eater of snakes" (after his "Mongoose" nickname) and "Sarge" (after his name), and Colonel Johnson "Space Mom" (after [[Characters/WarframeTenno The Lotus]]).
* ObliviouslyEvil: Dar's reaction to being hired as part of (what seems like) a terrorist plot to hold a whole mall hostage is suspicion... because easy low-level missions don't usually give good loot (like the custom-made APU parts her payment is). She doesn't bat an eye at killing three people to power her [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ability, and her reaction to taking a lot of damage in her fight against Nikki, Corolla and Ami is telling Nikki that she's fun. Nikki's feelings after the mall fight sum it up pretty well:
-->Nikki found herself frozen in shock. There was no doubt about it - that girl clearly had no grasp at all of the consequences of her actions.
* OnlySaneWoman: Chris is this as far as the Professor and his allies (temporary or otherwise) go -- he's obsessed with his Dream, Pixy is a revolutionary [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized with no qualms about using nukes to "reset" civilisation]], the Grey Men are extremely revanchist nationalists, DA kidnaps orphans and turns them into {{Child Soldier}}s, and Dar is a BloodKnight BunnyEarsLawyer with a faulty moral compass. Chris spends a large portion of the story exasperated by the antics of the people around her.
* OperationBlank: Unsurprisingly, for a military 'fic.
** The rescue of Prince Bedwig of Belka is called "Operation Birthday Party Invitation" -- as Corolla notes, it takes place the day before Sergio's birthday, and since everybody is invited to the party, nobody is allowed to die.
** The escort mission for the broadcast of Prince Bedwig's surrender speech is called, appropriately, Operation Messenger Pigeon.
* OtherMeAnnoysMe: The longer Marco Leone's meeting with Marcus Leone goes on, the more exasperated he gets. When Marcus attempts to kill [[spoiler:Chris (then an embryo)]], he goes PapaWolf and shoots Marcus in the back.
-->'''The Professor's thoughts:''' Clearly, this other version of him was one of the deranged ones - one of those that went by "Marcus".
* OverlyLongName: Mihaly Shilage has thirteen given names. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the Sergio, who notes that this is worse than many a Suvian he's encountered as a PPC agent.
-->'''Sergio:''' "I've used 'having a ridiculously long name' as a charge against Suvians for names much shorter than that."
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Because of the way Kaito's time magic works, individuals with time manipulation abilities, such as Kathleen (a genetically-engineered psychic), have this (at least with relation to the loops he's running).
* ShoutOut:
** The barkeep in Falcon's Nest -- the narration notes that EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep -- is clearly based on [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineMajorCharacters Agil]].
** The description of two of the three Yakuza in chapter 26 is lifted wholesale from ''Yakuza My Brother''.
* SoleSurvivor: Any character that's the only surviving one from their canon, such as Dar being the only Tenno around or B-312 being the only ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' character around (until his run-in with Dar, anyway).
* ThouShaltNotKill:
** {{Discussed|Trope}} between Shinichi Kudo and Sergio: Kudo stuck to this code; when they meet again in Tokyo, Kudo is disappointed to learn that Sergio abandoned it a long time ago.
--> '''Kudo:''' "I understand, but I'm still disappointed that you no longer agree that a detective should strive to protect everyone's lives... even those of criminals."
** {{Discussed|Trope}} in chapter 29; Chisato adheres to this, Nikki would like to (but doesn't), while Dar thinks it's a good way to lose more people down the line.
* TitledAfterSong: The chapters of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" are all named after ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' missions, which are in turn named after songs.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The "half-twins" Keiko and Hajime play this trope straight in some things, like Keiko being a race car driver and Hajime being a very excitable fan of MagicalGirl series, but also subvert the trope's expectations in other aspects: the tomboyish Keiko has Magical Girl powers (frilly dress included, much to her chagrin), and the girly Hajime is planning on a military career (and was overjoyed at the opportunity of flying a Variable Fighter).
* TragicKeepsake: In all of her appearances since the death of her timeline's Sergio, Hanami is shown wearing glasses. According to WordOfGod, [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/15th-anniversary-of-our-madness/ they are indeed his, with the lenses swapped out for fake ones.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Professor does not hesitate to lie, betray his allies, raise {{Child Soldier}}s for Direct Attack or use [=WMDs=], all for his Dream of a world where nothing can hurt his family.
* WhatTheHellAreYou: After Dar deflects a Divine Buster cast by Nikki, the latter wonders what will it take to defeat the former:
-->'''Nikki's thoughts:''' What the hell does it take to bring this thing down?
* WildCard:
** The Professor worked with Belka, but ditched them when he realised they were going to lose their war with NATO. He started working with the Black Organization but betrayed them for Direct Attack once the Organization's fortunes took a turn for the worse. And if his plans to make the Lycoris he's offered to train for Direct Attack more loyal to him than to them are any indication, he's already preparing to betray Direct Attack once they are no longer useful to him.
** Dar, during her stay in Tokyo, takes a contract from the Yakuza. The Professor convinces her to ditch them and work for him instead. Then she takes a mission that pits her against DA, with whom the Professor is (currently) allied. Once she's paid she has no qualms about spilling the beans to the Professor. She notes this herself:
-->'''Tenno:''' "Neither contracts, nor control, nor a moment of art engender loyalty, Professor."
* TheWisePrince: Prince Frederick of Bedwig fits this trope to a T, being the decent actual monarch of Belka. Of course, the Grey Men imprison him in Stier Castle -- the same place they held President Harling of Osea during the Circum-Pacific War -- before they start the war with NATO; once he's rescued by the Skystreakers and Razgriz he promptly he broadcasts a speech ordering the Belkan forces to stand down and deeming any who do not do so traitors.
----
Forced to pick up arms once again, they can only rely on their skills and the new allies they make along the way to find a way back to their world... or at least each other.\\
-->-- '''Author's Summary'''
''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/28669917/chapters/70282617 The World Without Authors]]'' by [=SergioTurbo=] is a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover FanFic set AfterTheEnd of his [[WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum PPC]] spinoff.
To be exact, with World One gone, all fictional worlds have Unravelled, disappearing into nothingness. Now Sergio, Nikki and their friends must brave the remnants of the world and, at first, find each other; but war looms, and other threats lurk in the shadows.
Has two spinoffs:
* [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40142448/chapters/100535679 "London, Unreal"]] by Huinesoron is a LighterAndSofter ElsewhereFic dealing with the exploits of retired PPC Agent Constance Simms and her twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine Simms.
* [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/41284041/chapters/103509891 "And This is the Gate of Heaven"]] by Tropers/{{Desdendelle}} shows some of Tenno[=/=]Dar's earlier adventures.
----
!!''The World Without Authors'' contains examples of:
* AceCustom: if Corolla isn't busy having mock fights with a Tenno in her Variable Fighter, she's working on ''something''.
** Strike Dove purchased a B-1B Lancer which Corolla plans to modify into an AWACS plane for Long Caster, as his E-767 simply can't keep up with Strike Dove's Variable Fighters.
** AWACS Bandog's E-767 was captured by Strike Dove and modified with ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' tech to ease up on crew requirements and free up space for people and cargo.
** Corolla not only installed Electronic Warfare equipment on her FB-22, she also converted it to a rudderless configuration.
** Hiro's GAT-42S Destiny Gundam, supposedly a pre-production example of an attempt to mass produce the original Destiny Gundam, was later upgraded into the CMS-42HS Knight Destiny Gundam, the most notable modification being Corolla's unique Minotaur Drive as its power generator.
** Sergio's VF-0SD Phoenix already rolled off the assembly line as an unique example, being a VF-0D fitted with the VF-0S head and electronics and thus being the only delta wing VF-0 built to squadron leader specifications (a role reserved in canon only to the swing-wing Phoenixes). On top of that, Gino fitted it with experimental magic-driven pods and Corolla fitted additional systems to the airframe, including a neural link control system.
** The SF-26A Blaze is a custom-made variant of the VF-25A Messiah manufactured for Razgriz Squadron.
** The SF-32 Galahad is a custom variant of the VF-31A Kairos manufactured for Skystreaker Squadron. Those have different parts depending on the pilot -- for example, Corolla's Electronic Warfare C variant carries a foldable radar dish in its multipurpose container, lacks a gunpod and has only one barrel on its "head turret", while Nikki's melee-specialised N variant carries multiple Beam weapons and high-mobility packs.
* ActionMom:
** Sergio's mother, Irene Johnson, was an active-duty CIA agent.
** Nikki is a MagicalGirl, a pilot and more.
* ADeathInTheLimelight: The first time we see Fireteam Orange -- Efi and "Lucy" -- is chapter 26, which is also the chapter where they are killed by Dar.
* AdoptivePeerParent: Thanks to characters being taken from various points in their timeline, or resurrected in a young age, this happens multiple times:
** Nadeshiko Kinomoto is resurrected as a 27-years-old, and she adopts the 20-years-old Nikki.
** Sergio (23), Nikki (20) and Ami (20) adopt Sergio's future daughters Keiko (whose mother is Nikki) and Hajime (whose mother is Ami), who are both 16.
* AfterTheEnd: the whole multiverse collapsed in the Unravel, and the Unravelled World is a mishmash of whatever pieces of worlds are left over.
* AnAlienNamedBob: Dar, who comes from the far future, has a fairly mundane (if somewhat uncommon) Hebrew name that means "nacre".
* AllThereInTheManual: Some technical information, such as aircraft specs, is found in [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/category/behind-the-scenes/ blog posts]] and author's notes.
* AlternativeSelfNameChange: There are three OC versions of Sakura Kinomoto in this 'fic, and they have all chosen different names for various reasons: Nikki Cherryflower, Hanami Fujimoto and Saki Cherryflower.
* AnyoneCanDie: Being a named character, a canon character, or a counterpart of the protagonist won't save you from death. So far, the list of casualties include Cuirassier (the Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline), [[spoiler:all of the surviving Sicario Mercenary Corps save for Prez]], Marcus Leone (one of the evil MadScientist versions of the Professor), Chianti of the Black Organization, the Brigador Efigenia Tseng, and [[spoiler:the Second Lycoris Hibana Kagari]].
* ApocalypseHow: Anything and everything that didn't find itself in the Unravelled World is gone completely due to World One vanishing.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Dar notes that Sergio's Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel rifle is "underpowered, not nearly moddable enough and poorly named to boot".
* AuthorAvatar: Gino Scribetto is quite explicitly the World One person responsible for Sergio et al, which makes him an Author Avatar of the fic's author.
* AuthorPowers: It used to be the case -- authors in World One, created (and changed) Word Worlds by creating fiction; but the only author we see in-story -- Gino Scribetto -- doesn't have any special powers, just some meta knowledge (and his mundane skill in fixing aircraft).
* BadassFamily: Sergio's family members are all competent fighters, pilots and the like.
* BloodKnight: Dar is definitely in it for the fight itself. For example, in the first chapter of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" she tells the villagers she'd help them -- for free, if their enemies would prove a challenge, or for a single interesting thing from their village if they won't. Her reaction to her Warframe being downed and having to use Last Gasp to resurrect it and escape is telling Nikki that "she's fun".
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Dar is a Tenno, TheDreaded in-universe, but she's also quite quirky, not above back-handspringing her way through a building out of boredom, giving large amounts of cash to random people, or cackling madly and quoting [[MemeticMutation/{{Warframe}} the Corrupted Vor speech]].
-->'''Chris, to the Professor:''' "You're the one who understands her, Dad. I'm trying, but I'm also still trying to wrap my head around the fact your favorite weirdo looks like a cyborg samurai and a hyperactive grade schooler rolled into one."
* ButtMonkey: Things rarely go right for Yui Takeno. She's a Third Lycoris, which makes her a {{Mook}} ChildSoldier. She gets captured by the Black Organization and interrogated by the Professor. After the Professor uses her as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Direct Attack, she's part of the group of Lycoris that gets humiliated by Sergio and Chris in a mock fight -- Sergio uses her as a human shield, to boot. Then, during a mission, she runs into Dar and gets knocked out cold. Afterwards, she catches a break -- she gives the Professor enough information to identify the Tenno, which in turn makes it possible for him to save Suteji's life -- but then Suteji gets killed by Dar to fuel the latter's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]].
* CallARabbitASmeerp: Dar mistakes a shamisen for a Shawzin twice.
* ChildSoldier: Various characters, such as Dar and the Lycoris are child soldiers, while others were ones in the past (e.g. some of the protagonists and some of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' characters). {{Discussed|Trope}} by the Yakuza in chapter 26, who ironically end up hiring ''another'' child soldier to solve their child soldier woes:
-->'''Mr Kiriake:''' "Evidently the government in this new world has a secret child soldier program going on."
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: In chapter 12, Nikki gets shot down by a Grabacr pilot, having taken a hit meant for Sergio. He proceeds to eviscerate the opposition, pushing his plane way past what it should be able to do.\\
This is treated as a bad thing, as it shows that he's returning into his Suvian roots, and (in a SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome) gets him chewed out by both his commanding officer Johnson (for murdering parachuting pilots) and Corolla (for going Stu again).
* CodeName: Considering that this is (also) an ''Ace Combat'' military 'fic, there are many, many characters with TAC and code names:
** Skystreaker Squadron consists of Skytreaker Leader (Fisherman, Leroy Johnson), Skystreaker 1 (Lightning, Sergio Turbo), Skystreaker 2 (Comet, Ami Tanegashima), Skystreaker 3 (Robogirl, Corolla), Skystreaker 4 (Starlight, Nikki Cherryflower) and Skystreaker 5 (Mermaid, Ai Minase).
** Razgriz Squadron of ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat 5|TheUnsungWar}}'' fame, sans Blaze, make an appearance, as do their kind-of counterparts from ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvUnlimitedTheDayAfter'', Wardog Squadron.
** [[VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown Spare Squadron]] also makes an appearance.
** So does Sol Squadron, though since Wit, Seymour, Hermann and Roald didn't make it past the Unravel, Sol 2 is Miksa Shilage, TAC name Cherub, Mihaly's uncanonical grandson, Sol 3 is Nemesis, Chris [[spoiler:Leone]], and Sol 4 is none other than [[Characters/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Solo Wing Pixy]].
** Haro Squadron consists of Haro 1 (Knight, Hiro Shirogane), Haro 2 (Tsunami, Keiko Turbo) and Haro 3 (Thunderbolt, Hajime Turbo).
** Hitman Squadron (from ''VideoGame/ProjectWingman'') and AWACS Galaxy made it past the Unravel. They are joined by Hitman 4, TAC name Cuirassier, who is Sergio Turbo from Kathleen's timeline.
* CoolPlane:
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: As Sergio notes, Dar, like him, was raised to be a weapon; but, unlike him, she seems to be completely fine with her lot in life.
* TheDreaded:
** In ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion, the Belkan pilots name Sergio "Mongoose".
-->'''Svafnir 4:''' "Sir, that guy got us like he got Grabacr! If we are snakes, well he sank his teeth into us like a pissed-off mongoose, and that other pilot who was with him was as good as him!"
** Skystreaker Squadron is renowned as "the White Birds". In chapter 26, Efi is bummed out that she managed to avoid getting killed by them, only to get killed by Dar.
-->'''Efi:''' "I can't believe I dodged the White Birds only to die here."
** Dar elicits this reaction in Strike Dove once they figure out that she's a Tenno. Sergio notes that he'd be wary of her even if he'd encounter her while piloting his Galahad. Said Galahad is a suped-up AceCustom version of a ''Macross'' Variable Fighter TransformingMecha. After the mall fight, he notes that even that might not be enough:
--> Sergio pointed at the Galahad with his chin. "The only way is to sic on her a squadron of these... assuming it is even enough," he said before storming off.
* EasilyForgiven: Strike Dove goes from attempting to take down Dar with all their might to trying to get her to join up in the matter of hours. {{Justified|Trope}} in various ways: Sergio sees it as RecruitingTheCriminal and notes that "If you can't beat them, join them... or make them join you" while Nikki sympathises with Dar, since she sees her as the same sort of "person that considers themselves a weapon" that Sergio used to be.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: ''The World Without Authors'' tells the story of, well, the world that exists without any.
* HadToBeSharp: The Professor explains the idea behind this trope to Yui Takeno after he convinces Dar to switch her allegiance from the Yakuza to him.
-->'''The Professor:''' "Understand this, miss Takeno: in this world, the victor will be he that fights smarter, not harder. If a person like you or me turns the fight into a contest of strength, then he's already lost before firing the first bullet."
* HiredGuns:
** Strike Dove, the company that employs most of the main characters, is a mercenary outfit.
** Sicario Mercenary Corps exists [[spoiler:until Monarch, Comic and Diplomat are shot down by Pixy and the Belkans kill Galaxy in order to get the Briefcase. Afterwards, Prez joins Strike Dove]].
** The ''Macross''-verse [=PMCs=] Xaos and Strategic Military Services are employed by the Coalition.
** Dar, being a Tenno, finds herself well-suited to the life of a wandering mercenary. She takes jobs from anyone -- random villagers, the Yakuza, the Professor, the Alan Institute -- and doesn't seem to care about the target too much.
** A couple of Brigadors show up in chapter 26 under the employ of the Black Organization.
* HyperspaceArsenal: Exploited; in chapter 5, Corolla installs ''Ace Combat''-verse pylons on some of Strike Dove's planes, allowing them to carry a ridiculous amount of missiles in "some kind of dimensional pocket".
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming:
** The first eleven chapter names all refer to ''Ace Combat'' missions.
** Chapter 13 is named "Lasting Damage I". This is a reference to two relevant PPC interludes, "Lasting Damage" and "Lasting Damage II"[[labelnote:explanation]]It's a reference to Literature/TheCulture book ''Literature/LookToWindward'': The ''Lasting Damage'' was a GSV that was destroyed in the Idiran War; the ''Lasting Damage II'' was a GSV that housed the same Mind, restored from backup; and the ''Lasting Damage I'' was the GSV that housed the original Mind, which was at first thought destroyed.[[/labelnote]].
** The chapters of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" are all named after ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' missions.
* IHaveManyNames: Many characters fall into this category, owing to multiple nicknames, callsigns, TAC names and so on.
** Sergio Turbo (the protagonist, not the author) is Skystreaker 1, TAC name Lightning, and (in ''Ace Combat'' protagonist fashion) is known as "the Mongoose". In chapter 29, Dar nicknames him both "eater of snakes" and "Sarge", though he doesn't like the former.
** Nikki Cherryflower used to be Sakura Kinomoto. She's Skystreaker 4, TAC name Starlight. She also used to fly as Spare 18.
** The Professor's name is Marco Leone (as opposed to his unambiguously evil counterparts, which are all named "Marc''us''"). He also possesses the CodeName "Grappa" in the Black Organization.
** The only Tenno present introduces herself as "Tenno" to the Professor. When Ami asks her for her name she answers with "Octavia" (ItMakesSenseInContext, which is a musical performance). Her real name, as the narration indicates, is "Dar".
* ItIsDehumanizing: Sergio refers to Dar as "that thing" and "a monster" instead of "her". He stops once he realises that [[CommonalityConnection she, too, was raised as a weapon]].
* LampshadeHanging: When Dar attacks Nikki while she's in the middle of [[FusionDance Unisoning]] and coordinating with Corolla, the narration notes that it is "staggeringly bad manners" to do so (TalkingIsAFreeAction, after all).
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** In the fourth chapter of "And This is the Gate of Heaven", Dar notes that, in the Origin System, most interior rooms have no more than four exits. This is, of course, true for tiles in ''Warframe''.
** When discussing Conan Edogawa in chapter 23, Chisato asks, "Are we in an anime now?"
** When Dar is reminded of the Lephantis in chapter 27, her internal monologue complains about it being a bullet sponge. It's also one in-game, especially in Sorties and on the Steel Path.
** When Dar explains her motives to the Skystreakers, she notes that some Tenno stop fighting relatively early, others after accomplishing everything there is for a Tenno to do, and that she herself fights for fighting's own sake. This is similar to how some people don't click with ''Warframe'', others do everything there's to do in-game and go on hiatuses broken by short periods of farming new content, and people that play the game for its own sake.
* LighterAndSofter: "London Unreal", a SpinOff by Huinesoron, is an ElsewhereFic dealing with the exploits of retired PPC Agent Constance Simms and her twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine Simms. It leans more towards comedy than drama and so far none of the various "darker" characters have made an appearance.
* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "And This is the Gate of Heaven" comes from Genesis 28:17:
--> And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: As of chapter 28 the 'fic features 110 characters from 14 different media.
* MeaningfulName:
** Gino Scribetto's last name means "writer", and he's the author of Sergio et al. Fitting, as it's not his real name.
** Sakidzume Suteji's last name is written with the kanji for "boring", while her first name is spelled with the kanji for "throw away" and "second". Fittingly, she's an uninteresting BitCharacter with barely any characterisation. [[spoiler:She dies unceremoniously as fuel for Dar's [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ''after'' the big fight in the mall.]]
* MookHorrorShow: Dar tends to "star" in those.
** Chapter 3 of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" shows her escape from a crashed Corpus base from the [=PoV=] of a Corpus Tech-Sergeant. She blows up the base by overloading its reactor before she leaves.
** Chapter 26 shows her attack on a Black Organization factory from the [=PoV=] of one Mr Gubei, the security supervisor of the factory, and her fight with Fireteam Orange through the eyes of the Brigador, Efigenia Tseng. She curbstomps both the factory's security team and Fireteam Orange.
* MumLooksLikeASister: Because members of Sergio's family were taken from different points in time, the mothers (Nikki and Ami, both of whom are 20) look like the older sisters of the daughters (Keiko and Hajime, both of whom are 16). Taken to an extreme with Ami and Hajime -- Ami is petite enough to look like Hajime's ''younger'' sister.
* TheNicknamer: Dar named Chisato "Useless Girl" (for her ThouShaltNotKill principles), Sergio "eater of snakes" (after his "Mongoose" nickname) and "Sarge" (after his name), and Colonel Johnson "Space Mom" (after [[Characters/WarframeTenno The Lotus]]).
* ObliviouslyEvil: Dar's reaction to being hired as part of (what seems like) a terrorist plot to hold a whole mall hostage is suspicion... because easy low-level missions don't usually give good loot (like the custom-made APU parts her payment is). She doesn't bat an eye at killing three people to power her [[ResurrectiveImmortality Last Gasp]] ability, and her reaction to taking a lot of damage in her fight against Nikki, Corolla and Ami is telling Nikki that she's fun. Nikki's feelings after the mall fight sum it up pretty well:
-->Nikki found herself frozen in shock. There was no doubt about it - that girl clearly had no grasp at all of the consequences of her actions.
* OnlySaneWoman: Chris is this as far as the Professor and his allies (temporary or otherwise) go -- he's obsessed with his Dream, Pixy is a revolutionary [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized with no qualms about using nukes to "reset" civilisation]], the Grey Men are extremely revanchist nationalists, DA kidnaps orphans and turns them into {{Child Soldier}}s, and Dar is a BloodKnight BunnyEarsLawyer with a faulty moral compass. Chris spends a large portion of the story exasperated by the antics of the people around her.
* OperationBlank: Unsurprisingly, for a military 'fic.
** The rescue of Prince Bedwig of Belka is called "Operation Birthday Party Invitation" -- as Corolla notes, it takes place the day before Sergio's birthday, and since everybody is invited to the party, nobody is allowed to die.
** The escort mission for the broadcast of Prince Bedwig's surrender speech is called, appropriately, Operation Messenger Pigeon.
* OtherMeAnnoysMe: The longer Marco Leone's meeting with Marcus Leone goes on, the more exasperated he gets. When Marcus attempts to kill [[spoiler:Chris (then an embryo)]], he goes PapaWolf and shoots Marcus in the back.
-->'''The Professor's thoughts:''' Clearly, this other version of him was one of the deranged ones - one of those that went by "Marcus".
* OverlyLongName: Mihaly Shilage has thirteen given names. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the Sergio, who notes that this is worse than many a Suvian he's encountered as a PPC agent.
-->'''Sergio:''' "I've used 'having a ridiculously long name' as a charge against Suvians for names much shorter than that."
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Because of the way Kaito's time magic works, individuals with time manipulation abilities, such as Kathleen (a genetically-engineered psychic), have this (at least with relation to the loops he's running).
* ShoutOut:
** The barkeep in Falcon's Nest -- the narration notes that EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep -- is clearly based on [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineMajorCharacters Agil]].
** The description of two of the three Yakuza in chapter 26 is lifted wholesale from ''Yakuza My Brother''.
* SoleSurvivor: Any character that's the only surviving one from their canon, such as Dar being the only Tenno around or B-312 being the only ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' character around (until his run-in with Dar, anyway).
* ThouShaltNotKill:
** {{Discussed|Trope}} between Shinichi Kudo and Sergio: Kudo stuck to this code; when they meet again in Tokyo, Kudo is disappointed to learn that Sergio abandoned it a long time ago.
--> '''Kudo:''' "I understand, but I'm still disappointed that you no longer agree that a detective should strive to protect everyone's lives... even those of criminals."
** {{Discussed|Trope}} in chapter 29; Chisato adheres to this, Nikki would like to (but doesn't), while Dar thinks it's a good way to lose more people down the line.
* TitledAfterSong: The chapters of "And This is the Gate of Heaven" are all named after ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' missions, which are in turn named after songs.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The "half-twins" Keiko and Hajime play this trope straight in some things, like Keiko being a race car driver and Hajime being a very excitable fan of MagicalGirl series, but also subvert the trope's expectations in other aspects: the tomboyish Keiko has Magical Girl powers (frilly dress included, much to her chagrin), and the girly Hajime is planning on a military career (and was overjoyed at the opportunity of flying a Variable Fighter).
* TragicKeepsake: In all of her appearances since the death of her timeline's Sergio, Hanami is shown wearing glasses. According to WordOfGod, [[https://rc1587.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/15th-anniversary-of-our-madness/ they are indeed his, with the lenses swapped out for fake ones.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Professor does not hesitate to lie, betray his allies, raise {{Child Soldier}}s for Direct Attack or use [=WMDs=], all for his Dream of a world where nothing can hurt his family.
* WhatTheHellAreYou: After Dar deflects a Divine Buster cast by Nikki, the latter wonders what will it take to defeat the former:
-->'''Nikki's thoughts:''' What the hell does it take to bring this thing down?
* WildCard:
** The Professor worked with Belka, but ditched them when he realised they were going to lose their war with NATO. He started working with the Black Organization but betrayed them for Direct Attack once the Organization's fortunes took a turn for the worse. And if his plans to make the Lycoris he's offered to train for Direct Attack more loyal to him than to them are any indication, he's already preparing to betray Direct Attack once they are no longer useful to him.
** Dar, during her stay in Tokyo, takes a contract from the Yakuza. The Professor convinces her to ditch them and work for him instead. Then she takes a mission that pits her against DA, with whom the Professor is (currently) allied. Once she's paid she has no qualms about spilling the beans to the Professor. She notes this herself:
-->'''Tenno:''' "Neither contracts, nor control, nor a moment of art engender loyalty, Professor."
* TheWisePrince: Prince Frederick of Bedwig fits this trope to a T, being the decent actual monarch of Belka. Of course, the Grey Men imprison him in Stier Castle -- the same place they held President Harling of Osea during the Circum-Pacific War -- before they start the war with NATO; once he's rescued by the Skystreakers and Razgriz he promptly he broadcasts a speech ordering the Belkan forces to stand down and deeming any who do not do so traitors.
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