YMMV • Radar • Quotes • (Funny • Heartwarming • Awesome) • Fridge • Characters • Fanfic Recs • Nightmare Fuel • Shout Out • Plot • Tear Jerker • Headscratchers • Trivia • WMG • Recap • Ho Yay • Image Links • Memes • Haiku • Laconic • Source • Setting |
---|
Somewhere after 22nd Century, Colony Ship Motherlode caught in a strange, borderline unscientific accident that kill most of it's occupant... and those who alive stranded in unknown planet filled by miracle and monsters.
Enter Aleph Bartlett, a space engineer, as the main POV amongst the survivor. meeting various figurehead and solving their problem (with SCIENCE) as he embark in a quest to find his reason to stay alive, and how.
the Main quest thread is aviable here, the story only thread can be read here.
There's also character sheet.
Provides examples of:
- Ace Custom: Arata's Mirage Babylon, non standard modification of LED Mirage.
- Ace Pilot: Everyone in Royal Knights supposed to be one, Aleph himself to lesser extent.
- Action Girl: Every female characters in the quest.
- Action Survivor: Aleph himself, he claimed that almost everyone in Motherlode would be this due to their rigorous training as Astronaut.
- Alchemy is Magic: In the vein of Fullmetal Alchemist and Atelier.
- All Myths Are True: Hilariously subverted with magical horses, Unicorn is literally everywhere and not magical in the slightest, and Shizuka dismiss the existence of Pegasi as too ridiculous to exist. This is a world where Phoenix and Dragons exist and worshipped as Gods.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Seems to be the trend within the scope of quest.
- Awesome But Impractical: Buster Rock, it's basically a Weapon Of Mass Destruction in the shape and size of a Knightframe Rifle. Using it taxed the pilot's body and depending on the yield, can shorten the lifespan and even kill the pilot after firing. It's also highly inaccurate, has a long charge time, and can only be used by Galardia descendant.
- A World Half Full: And how. Everyone is a badass and competent because that's what it takes to survive. Humanity is under constant threat of extinction from Behemoth. The existence of behemoth never stop the war to break out AGAIN between Empire of Galeon and United Kingdom of Tristania. Even so, people banded together and put their difference to ensure humanity and its civilization can stay intact, and living within the confinement of a well guarded city is fairly mundane and comfortable.
- Badass Bookworm: Every single State Alchemist are respected as much for their scientific accomplishment as their physical prowess.
- Badass Normal: Arata and Sugimoto can kick a lot of ass in their knightframes.
- Aleph think Shizuka is this, he began to doubt it after she singlehandedly fought the elephant sized alchemy monster and critically wounded it.
- Badass Princess: Princess Irisdina Galardi Tristania, who actively involved with combat against Behemoth with her trusty Knightframe Mirage Destiny/Knight of Gold. There's also Princess of Shihou, Shikikagura Suzushirou, who possess superhuman strength and capability of changing the battleground as she wish.
- Bad Liar: Aleph, while he is more than capable of bluffing and keep his emotion in check, anyone who seen his eyes never fell to it. The only exception to this is Edy.
- Battle Couple: Arata and Princess Iris, Prince Chris and Princess Suzushiro.
- BFB: The makeshift thermobaric bomb Aleph use to kill the behemoth.
- BFG: Buster Rock, it's a Knightframe weapon with firepower of a nuke.
- Big Good: There are few of them, but especially King Tristan the Second.
- Chick Magnet: Aleph is very handsome, and everyone knew it.
- Child Soldier: Borderline case with Kazuhiro, definitely the case with Prince Chris.
- Christmas Cake: The angst part is averted big time, as every female Alchemist Aleph meet is over 25, single, and independent woman all around.
- Played with Bianca, she's lonely, and sexually frustrated. But it all stems from her childhood trauma more than her age.
- Cliche Storm: The entire quest is basically shameless mix of Action Adventure, Japanese RPG, and Sci Fi mecha stories blended into one package.
- Colossus Climb: Usually how Knightframes fought L-class behemoth, by destroying it's God-eyes.
- Com Mons: Unicorns, as literally every single horse on the planet has a horn.
- Competence Zone: Downplayed. The core main cast are composed of young adults in their twenties and early thirties, with various hyper-competent teenagers and invariably aged mentor figures mixed in.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Downplayed with Princess iris, appear to be naive and trusting, but far more clever than she appear.
- Her lover Arata isn't much different, he's extremely casual outside his job, but extremely competent whenever he's serious.
- Alicia, don't let her cheerful, childlike innocence fool you. And then there's Cain, which IS a moron to a T, but extremely competent fighter on his own.
- Diesel Punk: The world literally ran on advanced diesel engine to harness electricity, called Torch Engine. Aleph noted that those engines are just one step behind nuclear fusion in both technology level and capabilities.
- Doing In the Wizard: Everything Alchemist do can be explained by their natural capability of using Prana/Mana to suit their cause, this also explain the existence of various monsters that grew beyond the scope of normal biological limit, such as how Lake Dragon shares genetic similarity with salamanders.
- Drink Order: In Day 15, Elvira, Bianca, Aleph and Alicia went to a bar. Elvira drinks beer, Bianca drinks black beer, Alicia drinks wine cooler, and Aleph drinks (non-alcoholic) ginger ale.
- Driven to Suicide: Lisa didn't take rejection very well.
- Dynamic Entry: Cain's first appearance is to punch the Behemoth that almost kill Aleph.
- Eldritch Abomination: the Behemoths. Every monster on the planet has their DNA traced back to fairly mundane animals. Behemoths didn't.
- Animalistic Abomination: Curiously, most of them tend to be appear as quadrupedal reptile with pitch black skin.
- Four Star Badass: Arata, Supreme Commander of Tristanian Knights whose authority upon Tristania military force only topped by none other than King Tristan himself.
- First Girl Wins: Surprisingly averted, as the first girl already has a lover. Lampshaded repeatedly by several characters, usually to tease Aleph about it.
- Frickin Laser Beam: Behemoth's body are covered by lens-like organ called God-eyes, their existence means humans are denied of ar power. it also serves as their Achilles Heel.
- Hand Cannon: Subverted with Bloody Rose, a heavy frame handgun loaded with very mediocre cartridge.
- Head Pet: Blaze the little phoenix really, really likes to sit on Aleph's head.
- Olympus Mons: Blaze is a newborn Phoenix, meaning it will eventually grow into God of All-consuming Fire. Aleph decide to treat is as a pet regardless.
- Hopeless War: Prior to arrival of Aleph, no one able to kill L-class Behemoth.
- Humongous Mecha: Borderline with Knightframes, usually around 8 meters tall or so. More clear example being AUGE, easily twice as tall as Knightframes which is it's own descendant.
- Hundred Percent Adoration Rating: Princess Iris, due to being shameless martyr figure that will gladly sell her life if it means she can save Liberta from destruction.
- Hundred Percent Heroism Rating: Aleph and Princess Iris in Liberta. Oh so averted in Tristania, where absolutely few people recognize his talent and potential, realistic considering all his accomplishment are confined to the smaller, neighboring country.
- Innocent Cohabitation: Aleph stay in the manor for several days alongside Princess Iris, she doesn't care about the rumor brewing, and Aleph knew she already has a lover soon enough.
- Immune to Bullets: Alchemy monster in general can take more punishment than their size can imply, such as how the monster boar can shrug rifle barrage, and Large Behemoth that can do the same to Artilery division.
- Kaiju: The behemoths, specifically the L-class Behemoth. Whereas M-clas Behemoth die in droves to artilery and knightframe weapon, the thick skin of L-class behemoth No sell everything short of tactical nuke or equuivalent.
- Kill It With Fire: Plasma Torch, Aleph killed the first Behemoth with thermobaric bomb also count.
- Blaze can turn ordinary bullet into hot armor piercing slag, For Massive Damage.
- People of Liberta and Tristania seems to have aversion of using this against other human and Knightframes, makes sense considering how brutal the result can be.
- Low Fantasy: The Planet as a whole entering the age of Diesel Punk, where the existence of Physical Gods and abnormal creatures are explained by the existence of Functional Magic. The world also very, very dangerous.
- Magitek: Alkimia Drive/Solar Furnace, from the perspective of the Planet's resident it's literally powered by magic particle. From Aleph and possibly other colonist? Less so.
- Martyrdom Culture: The entire shtick of Liberta/Tristania royal family, especially Princess Iris.
- Married to the Job: Dr. Pamela Ibis, she's the only female alchemist not to shown any attraction toward Aleph, and extremely dedicated to her job to the point of suicidal.
- Misapplied Phlebotinum: Averted, technology that allow the existence of Knightframes can be used to improve various other vehicles. This include the suspension of a horse carriage.
- Played straight with YOLONA, every single equipment it carry can be used as devastating weapon by the planet's standard.
- Normal Fish In A Tiny Pond: YOLONA Gernsback, a space engineering and exploration machine, is far and away more powerful than any military machine the planet can muster.
- Further cemented by the existence of AUGE, which is a fairly mundane gladiatior mecha. Aleph consider it more powerful than even YOLONA because it's made to fight.
- Nuclear Option: Buster Rock is basically Fantastic Nuke, and used only when things went sour due to being incredibly costly weapon.
- Older Than They Look: Dr. Pamela Ibis, looks like a young teenager, but actually 31 years old.
- One-Man Army: Every State Alchemist are implied to be one.
- Politically Active Princess: Princess Irisdina, she wish to suceed her mother as Duchess of Liberta.
- Psycho Prototype: the unknown golem that massacred the research staffs in Professor Bianca's backstory.
- Rags to Riches: Arata, Shizuka, and Kazuhiro was originally a lowly peasant before joining Tristanian Knights.
- Arata is especially resented for it because his relationship with Princess Iris.
- Randomly Gifted: Potential to become an Alchemist is neither genetic nor inheritable, it's just something you born with. This is a stark contrast on how traits of Alchemy monsters are definitely inheritable, as they continue to breed (albeit slowly).
- Retired Badass: The current King of Tristania, Tristan the Second, apparently a former Knightframe Cavalier as well.
- Schizo-Tech: The technology of mysterious planet, ranging from 19th century breechloading rifle to humongous mecha and reactor that runs on hyperspace magic.
- Lampshaded by Aleph, their diesel engine is just one step less advanced than nuclear fusion.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Almost every female Aleph meet, in one way or another, is a variant of one. The odd exception to this are Alicia and Edy Nelson.
- Shaggy Dog Story: Alicia's pursuit of Cain is ultimately doomed when he purposefully surrender to Liberta authority and then prove himself to be innocent.
- Space Does Not Work That Way: Heavily lampshaded in the very first chapter of the quest.
- Space Filling Empire: Played straight and subverted, while the main continent are mainly composed of three supernations, multiple, smaller nations exist.
- The Alliance: United Kindom of Tristania, sort off. It was technically a Hegemony lead by the descendant of King Tristan of Soldia to fight against the Galeon decades ago, and the nobles all over the country possess actual influence and political power on their own. Outside of the main continent, Trade Union might be count as one.
- The Empire: The Empire of Galeon, which is self explanatory. It's also the largest superpower in the entire planet.
- The Federation: Oceanic Federation of Lestanza, located deep in the south separate off the main continent, close to the polar region.
- The Kingdom: Dukedom of Liberta, with shades of The Republic thrown for good measure. Played more straight with Jewel Kingdom of Shihou, which is the planet's equivalent of Feudal Japan. There's also Principality of Gallia, located south of Liberta.
- Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Averted. While usage of Alchemy and it's effect on materials and living organism is a well understood part of science, no one knows where potential to become an Alchemist comes from.
- Super Prototype: AUGE is the source of inspiration for creation of Knightframes, and still more powerful than anything that come after it due to the sheer difference of technology level.
- Super Speed: Downplayed with Prince Chris, his movement are often described as turning into a blur. He still much faster than Aleph, who is de facto peak human.
- There's No Kill Like Overkill: Hugely averted, Arata wanted to kill the trapped L-class Behemoth and ordered Liberta to dump half of it's stock in explosive on it. Aleph with Pamela's help assure him it's a wasteful and impractical action.
- The Untwist: The climax of Day 17, yes Cain
- Unskilled, but Strong: In theory, everyone in the Motherlode is a peak human with enhanced survivability. In practice, many of them doesn't even know how to fight properly, as expected of civillian.
- Wham Episode: Day 16 where literally everything head south. Aleph realized that Alicia had been emotionally unstable from her loneliness and supressed anger, Cain suddenly appear and surrendering on his own volition, and Shizuka reveal her inner monster who enjoy killing things.
- Day 17, being climatic closure to Cain/Alicia conflict, is downright depressing.
- Wake-up Call Boss: The unnamed Royal Knight that defeated Aleph effortlessly in a mock battle.
- Weirdness Magnet: Aleph has tendency to meet politically important people, or weird magical stuff, and knows it.
- Averted once during the ceremonial blessing ritual, he get absolutely NOTHING because he's the chosen master of Fire God, whereas the ritual focused on water dragon spirit.
- Witch Species: Alchemist are capable of freely manipulating mana to enhance their body as well as create/enhance something out of raw material with bare hands, this trait is not hereditary.