Tropes [#2]

School, as always, was boring.

Garren did his best not to catch anyone's attention- according to his knowledge and his [Trope Master] ability, the series he was in the area of was called [The War at Home] and that they were in the... 1st Season. He didn't really know anything about this series, so he did his best not to be involved, but every day that passed his [Mysterious Aura] seemed to pull more and more attention to the lack of attention he had. Mostly, it drew attention to his appearance at first, then- because this clearly was a teen Sitcom -it drew attention to the fact that he was single, and because the glorious year of 2002 (yeah, he checked the date... it sucks), it drew attention to his... Character?

He became the "cool loner" guy without doing shit.

What do you mean you saw me stab a guy? I wouldn't hurt a fly!

I hooked up- what the fuck? What is this obsession with sex? Why does it matter if he is a virgin or not? Holy shit, people are suddenly really interested in his sex life and that's creepy as shit! So, as he avoided other teens and their talks about his sexuality and sexual life- slurs were thrown around for some reason? -thanks to his [Lonely] trope, he was able to avoid a lot of weird encounters with other people.

Yucky, yucky people.

"Mr. Maverick." A voice broke him free from his thoughts, and when he lifted his head to look up at the teacher who called him- Miss Andenstain -he was suddenly faced with all eyes in a class room. He felt their gazes on him like predatory animals and only thanks to his [Chill or Kill] that he was able to keep a cool head, and he suddenly saw a screen appear before his eyes-

[Cliche Event Triggered!]

[Pay Attention!]

Description: As a student, you should always pay attention in class and to what your teacher is saying!

Objectives:

- Answer your Teacher's question and get it right!

Rewards: 1 [Nerd] trope to choose from a list.]

'Oh, a new trope?' He was about to think what they were going to offer him when a shrill and sharp voice called him out again: "-Mr. Maverick!" He sighed and turned to look at the angry shorty Enligsh teacher who was has been trying to teach the entire class about a bunch of random books for the past week, and today they were doing tests. He didn't really care because they were books about Languages and he spoke, like, 3 different languages! Spanish, English, and Portuguese! Plus, he could also read Korean and a bit of Japanese. Oh, and a few sprinkles of Latin here and there because he found the Roman Empire fascinating, like every single men, ever. "Please lay attention."

"Uhm? Sure... I'm paying attention." He almost rolled his eyes- He has read all the books, he has a migraine, and he needs to close his eyes before he kills somebody!

"Oh, if you're paying attention, then what is the main theme of-"

"Which book? The Great Gatsby? Lord of the Flies? To Kill a Mockingbird? Frankenstein? Fahrenheit 451? Night? Animal Farm?" He just wanted to get this over quickly- His head was killing him, and he didn't want to kill anyone! "In order then- Great Gatsby: None of us are saints. We will all face ethical conundrums at one point or another. It's okay to not be perfect, but it's important to be honest about these dilemmas when they occur, if only to ourselves. Don't try to be a superhero. Sooner or later, you'll crack under the pressure. Lord of the Flies: Kids stranded in an island- an attempt to describe how despair makes people go crazy and violence is an instinctual response. Also, kids are crazy. To Kill a Mockingbird: Tried to be about how bad racism is, but it is a book that was written by a white woman, from a white perspective, about white characters, for a white audience. This book is a pat on the back for the white middle class. This book gives comfort to the white middle class. Comfort that they, especially back in the 1960s, didn't need, and allow me to be so bold, didn't deserve... Do I need to go on?"

Okay, maybe he had some... opinions.

But, in his defense, he has a headache, and pain makes him angry- and when he's angry? He doesn't really care about his words. "No... That is enough, thank you Mr. Maverick."

"Sure." He then allowed his head to lay down on the table, trying to will away the headache he had- It took a few moments, but class resumed as it had been, the teacher trying to make people read the book... Which just happens to be To Kill a Mockingbird. He found that book boring, sure it had a few nuggets here and there, but he didn't really care about it. Some people might, but he doesn't. But, as a Latino guy, he felt that Harper Lee's focus is purely white. While the white characters in this book are the subjects, who take action into their own hands, who suffer and make sacrifices, the Black characters in this book are objects. They have little to no agency. Things happen to them. They are harmless, defenseless, and just there – waiting for the white knight hero, Atticus Finch, to save them.

But that might be his trauma with women speaking.

Anyway, he doesn't like the book a lot.

[Event Cleared!]

You didn't even let the teacher speak! Good for you. Can't answer a question if it was never asked!

Due to being considered attractive and having expressed your smarts, you received the trope: [Nerds are Hot]

> [Nerds are Hot - You, unlike other people who think Nerds are either weird or dorky, find them attractive.

Effect: This trope allows you to ignore most negative effects of [Nerd] tropes used on you or used by you. If the trope is strong enough, it still affects you but to a lesser degree

Side Effects: Well... it's in the name.]

——

After class, his head still was killing him- it was a bit annoying to have your head kill you, but it was more annoying to learn the effect of his new trope. It was a defensive trope, yes, but it made him feel weird... He could see how some Nerdy people had this effect on others every time they said something smart that made them... weird? He doesn't have any other [Nerd] trope to test and see if his [Nerds are Hot] trope would negate their negative effects, but he actively saw it happening.

Take this kid, dorky and rather cute, who won the Chess Club presidency- when people heard that, they physically recoiled. Some even whispered things akin to "what a loser" and other things like that. But he? He felt... weird. His mind seemed to latch onto the information, but he didn't react like the majority.

Instead, he felt himself freak out because all he could think was- holy fuck, that's adorable. So, he watched as the LaCrosse team- he didn't even know they had one -moved after class, going after the kid... They picked him up and, I kid you not, hung him from his underwear in a flag pole! Garren didn't react and stopped it because he was shocked that something like that was even real and was happening before his very eyes, but while the laughter of the Jocks echoed out like a haunting and mocking melody, he moved.

Look, he didn't like when people were picked on, it made him feel icky and wrong- especially cute guys! So he power walked towards the flag pole, looked up, and with a single pull he let the kid fall from the flag pole's rope right into his arms. The boy looked afraid, but he relaxed once Garren picked him- He looked like he was going to cry, and Garren didn't know what to say so he opened his mouth and let the first thing he thought of to be said aloud: "Huh, I didn't know it was raining angels today? Must be a new type of weather."

...oh, his [Nerds are Hot] trope makes him firty with them too. I mean, the guy's cute- like, really cute? "...Ramik Malek?" What the fuck!? He's holding a young, extremely cute Ramik Malek. He was one of his first ever crushes when he watched Night at the Museum and when he played Until Dawn. Him saying his name must've snapped him out of his stunned stupor as he wiggled and Garren lowered the boy to the ground. His pants were a bit of a mess and his underwear was showing, but it was much better than to hang from a flagpole by it. "Oh, sorry." He chuckled a bit awkwardly, having only noticed then that he had flirted with a young Ramik Malek.

It seems his crush hasn't died at all.

"Th-thank you...?"

Oh fuck, he's adorable!

"Hey, new kid-" A hand touched his shoulder and panic gripped his throat.

Well... his parents weren't good people. He was adopted by this generic white couple, they wanted a child, and they got him. He has darker skin, they were very racist but adopted him to prove to the media they weren't. They were, after all, pretty influential people- long short story, they abused him. Physical abuse was a constant from his father, while mental abuse was a constant from his mother. They were trying to mold him into the perfect son! So that's why he rebelled. Got interested in weird shit, started weird hobbies, and was generally a menace.

He was spiteful and lived out of spite. He refused, refused to become what they wanted him to be- a rich, snob little bitch. So, amidst all the "proper lessons" about politics, influence and how to use it, money management, piano and horse riding lessons as well as- I kid you not -fencing (he wanted boxing, but apparently it is a "barbaric sport" or whatever), he was also teaching himself skills he wanted. Drawing, writing, and crafting! He considered himself good enough of a cosplayer to make great cosplays and even hold the fake weapons made after he managed to convince his then father that he wanted shooting lessons.

Besides his rather geeky and nerdy side, he was pretty much a complete loner. He spoke only to people his parents allowed, to "make connections early" they'd say... he always found them boring as fuck. Although he didn't have a rapier to use, Garren knew enough about fencing that he could dodge the first punch- It was a reaction one, seeing as elbowed the guy who touched his shoulder so hard in the nose that he started bleeding!

Garren moved- his [Chill] changed to [Kill] and he could feel it. His body was full of adrenaline pumping high, and he felt his body enter a defensive stace not unlike that of a swordsman. He pushed forward without a weapon, using his fist to punch where he knew would knock someone out for a few moments from experience. The solar plexus! The hit was hard, the guy went to his knees immediately as he threw up.

"Listen closely, I'll say this only once." He could feel his body radianting with sheer rage- He stood still, his [He's Just Standing There. Menacingly] activating as soon as he did. Unknown to him then, a very deep and primal fear that was... uncanny. He didn't look completely human- there was something off about him. "You will leave this boy alone... Or else- well, I don't have to say it. You know exactly what I'll do... Got it?" Even his words registered wrong, like not completely human, and yet the fear was real. Nods were changed, Garren gained a new trope for his impromptu involvement, and everything was good.

Though, his actions, unknwon to him at the time, thus pushed the narrative that changed the world itself. So, many of you readers would be familiar with a concept that has been used by many series: The Hidden World.

The idea that there's a world beneath our own- literally or figuratively -where things live. The most common usage of this trope is the Urban Fantasy one. Garren, with his actions, started the change of the world from a simple Sitcom world into a horror world with an urban fantasy trope, with layers of romance.

He's gonna be so pissed when he learns about this.