Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Bimbos of the Death Sun

 Bimbos of the Death Sun
type
TVTItem
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
label
Bimbos of the Death Sun
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
page
BimbosOfTheDeathSun
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
comment
Award-winning 1988 Whodunit by Sharyn McCrumb which combines a serious murder mystery with the scariest world of all — fandom.James Owen Mega is just an ordinary guy, a professor of electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. What very few people realize is that he is also Jay Omega, one-time science fiction author — and that's exactly how Jay wants it. His novel was a serious, hard SF story, but by the time the second-rate publishing house got through with it, it was saddled with a Frank Frazetta-esque cover and the title Bimbos of the Death Sun. Though he attempts to bury his Old Shame, his girlfriend Marion Farley, the college's assistant professor of English, books him as a guest at Rubicon, a local SF convention. There, they meet the onerous Appin Dungannon, author of a Conan-like series of novels and owner of an incredibly short fuse and colossal ego. Some time between the costume contest and the celebrity Dungeons & Dragons game, however, Dungannon is murdered, and Jay and Marion do a little investigating of their own.Five years later, McCrumb wrote a sequel, Zombies of the Gene Pool. It has Jay and Marion learn that one of their fellow professors is a member of the Lanthanides, a group of SF fans who fancied themselves up-and-coming legends and buried a time capsule before parting ways in the late 1950s. They accompany him to the reunion/opening of the capsule, where the Lanthanides' prodigal son has apparently come Back from the Dead and threatens to expose devastating secrets about his former friends. He is murdered that night, and once again Jay and Marion attempt to investigate.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
fetched
2024-04-15T17:45:56Z
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
parsed
2024-04-15T17:45:56Z
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
processingComment
Dropped link to Aesop: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
processingComment
Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
processingComment
Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
processingComment
Dropped link to Troll: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
processingUnknown
Aesop
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1282bf4f
type
No Celebrities Were Harmed
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1282bf4f
comment
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Malone threatens to reveal the skeletons in the Lanthanides' closets, which leads to the entire group being potential suspects in his subsequent murder. To a lesser extent, Erik Giles shows some embarrassment at his own past as a Lanthanide. Near the end of the book it's revealed that several Lanthanides had drunken sex with a female friend, only to find out later that she was underage. This is naturally something they're not proud of and would rather forget happened.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1282bf4f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1282bf4f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1282bf4f
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1d18887f
type
Pay Evil unto Evil
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1d18887f
comment
Pay Evil unto Evil: During an autograph session, one con-goer comes up to his table with multiple books; Dungannon points out how inconsiderate this is, but the guy just responds "They'll be worth a lot when you're dead someday." invoked Dungannon signs the books... and a few minutes later the fan rages because he signed with J. R. R. Tolkien's name, ruining the books' value.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1d18887f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1d18887f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1d18887f
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1fa5ae07
type
The Prima Donna
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1fa5ae07
comment
The Prima Donna: Appin Dungannon, although, while he does possess an over-inflated ego, he's more interested in screwing with people because it's one of the few things that brings him joy. At the start of Bimbos he sends the con staff on a wild goose chase by demanding that they find him British candy on short notice, while it's pretty clear that he even didn't want the candy in the first place and just wanted to see them sweat.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1fa5ae07
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1fa5ae07
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_1fa5ae07
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_21718ffc
type
Deep South
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_21718ffc
comment
Deep South: Subverted; Jay thinks that he and Marion are in this kind of restaurant, and even gets harassed by a big redneck-looking man... only for Marion to reveal him as a fellow literature professor, who explains to Jay that the locals are tired of being treated like Deliverance was a documentary.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_21718ffc
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_21718ffc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_21718ffc
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_226b9785
type
Revenge via Storytelling
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_226b9785
comment
Revenge via Storytelling: Played With in Bimbos. A famous writer is found murdered and the heroes, in passing, eventually discover that the writer was completely and utterly fed up with his greatest character, an Expy of Conan the Barbarian, but he kept making the books because it made him rich and famous. to the point that in order to vent his hatred, he always added a (non-canon) epilogue to his stories in which the character died an incredibly brutal and humiliating death and that would be the end of the series, forevermore, which his editor always made sure to remove before going to print. This ends up becoming more important than the heroes expected it to be when it turns out that the killer is a Loony Fan of the character, who snuck into the writer's hotel room, found the unedited finished manuscript of the series' latest book, and decided to "protect" the character when he read the epilogue.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_226b9785
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_226b9785
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_226b9785
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_246c5b47
type
Ascended Fanboy
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_246c5b47
comment
Ascended Fanboy: Several of the Lanthanides went on to become famous.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_246c5b47
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_246c5b47
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_246c5b47
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_27690f66
type
Literary Allusion Title
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_27690f66
comment
Literary Allusion Title: C.A. Stormcock's novel is titled The Golden Gain; at the start of Zombies, Marion accidentally ends up with Erik Giles' book of Rudyard Kipling poetry and realizes that he is Stormcock after reading the poem "Mine Sweepers" and seeing the line "Sent up Unity, Claribel, Assyrian, Stormcock, and Golden Gain,� which Giles had highlighted.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_27690f66
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_27690f66
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_27690f66
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_28a5213a
type
Small Name, Big Ego
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_28a5213a
comment
Small Name, Big Ego: Appin Dungannon acts like one. Partly a subversion, since Dungannon himself harbors no illusions about himself and his books; he just enjoys being a pain in the ass.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_28a5213a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_28a5213a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_28a5213a
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2a73577e
type
Fur Bikini
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2a73577e
comment
Fur Bikini: The woman on the cover of Jay's book is noted to wear a rather skimpy fur ensemble.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2a73577e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2a73577e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2a73577e
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2dc0d2bf
type
Hidden Depths
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2dc0d2bf
comment
Hidden Depths: Dungannon is actually quite knowledgeable when it comes to Celtic mythology and fantasy; he works references into the Runewind books but they tend to go unnoticed by the fans. During the guest dinner, he and Marion converse briefly about the subject; she's mildly disturbed that she actually enjoyed the experience, even if it was mostly for the opportunity to deflate his ego.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2dc0d2bf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2dc0d2bf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_2dc0d2bf
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_326a740c
type
Scatterbrained Senior
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_326a740c
comment
Scatterbrained Senior: Brendan Surn, one of the more successful Lanthanides, suffers from an unspecified mental ailment (possibly Alzheimer's), and spends much of the book being vague and distant. He actually gives a major clue referring to Erik Giles as "Peter", his original name, but at the time it's implied to be dementia. Near the end of the book he gets a period of lucidity where he acknowledges his problems, and works out a plan to visit Angela Arbroath so his overworked assistant doesn't have to spend her whole life caring for him.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_326a740c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_326a740c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_326a740c
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_360aa1f
type
Fan Disillusionment
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_360aa1f
comment
Fan Disillusionment: Pat Malone suffered this and tried to open peoples' eyes with his manifesto/farewell novel, The Last Fandango. The book has a subtle Aesop about building up unreasonable expectations of creators. Brendan Surn's assistant is a young woman who loved his novels and sought him out in hopes of finding an intellectual equal, only to discover an old man with Alzheimer's who couldn't take care of himself. She discusses this with Angela Arbroath[[note:]]A friend of the Lanthanides and an unofficial member of the group [[/note]] who had a similar experience in her youth and offers to help out.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_360aa1f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_360aa1f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_360aa1f
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_38718ea8
type
Beautiful All Along
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_38718ea8
comment
Beautiful All Along: Marion was chubby in her fandom days, but started exercising and taking more care in her appearance. When she first met Jay, he was similarly afflicted (though weedy rather than chubby), and with her help he turned into quite the dish himself.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_38718ea8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_38718ea8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_38718ea8
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_3a781509
type
Most Writers Are Male
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_3a781509
comment
Most Writers Are Male: In Bimbos, Marion offers to review the entries in the convention's creative writing contest. She ends up setting aside a pile of stories whose authors she wants to personally hunt down and beat senseless, mostly for writing trashy sex scenes or otherwise treating women as objects.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_3a781509
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_3a781509
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_3a781509
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_43a045de
type
Dropped a Bridge on Him
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_43a045de
comment
Dropped a Bridge on Him: In-universe example: during the celebrity D&D game, Jay hits Tratyn Runewind with a number of minor indignities before having him get curbstomped by a Viking warrior, who even wields the Evil Counterpart to Runewind's sword (which gets shattered in the fight). He did this deliberately because he suspected Runewind fanboy Clifford Morgan of being the murderer and figured it would be the best way to rattle the young man.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_43a045de
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_43a045de
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_43a045de
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_44606d14
type
Becoming the Mask
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_44606d14
comment
Becoming the Mask: Professor Erik Giles is actually Peter Deddingfield and vice versa; the two switched names decades ago because each had something the other wanted. "Giles"/Deddingfield ended up murdering Malone because he feared that the ruse would be revealed and he would be discredited. The victim himself also had a case of this: his real name was Richard Spivey and he had been in the same mental hospital as one of the ex-Lanthanides. Apparently he began to believe the ex-Lanthanides' reminiscences were his own.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_44606d14
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_44606d14
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_44606d14
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4885c04b
type
Road Trip Plot
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4885c04b
comment
Road Trip Plot: The future Lanthanides planned to make a road trip to an early fan convention, only for their Alleged Car to give out on them partway there.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4885c04b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4885c04b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4885c04b
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_48d94bb8
type
Creator Backlash
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_48d94bb8
comment
Creator Backlash: invoked Dungannon writes every Runewind novel with an "extra" chapter in which the hero is killed or humiliated (usually both), which his editors remove before publishing; the murder occurred because a crazy fan broke into his room, read the chapter, and acted to "save" the fictional hero from an ignoble death.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_48d94bb8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_48d94bb8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_48d94bb8
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_49f6a9e4
type
Most Writers Are Writers
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_49f6a9e4
comment
Most Writers Are Writers: Besides the obvious fact that the protagonist is a writer, the winner of the writing contest turns out to be an English teacher who entered because there was no rule against professional writers.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_49f6a9e4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_49f6a9e4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_49f6a9e4
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4b17763f
type
Technology Marches On
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4b17763f
comment
Technology Marches On: At one point, Jay logs onto Virginia Tech's message board for help with solving the murder. He types up his first post in all caps and has to be informed of proper netiquette by the sysop, who's one of his students.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4b17763f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4b17763f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4b17763f
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4cf9fe88
type
Clueless Mystery
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4cf9fe88
comment
Clueless Mystery: To some extent, as the motive for the murder (see the above spoiler) isn't revealed until The Summation.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4cf9fe88
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4cf9fe88
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4cf9fe88
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4d044580
type
Motive Rant
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4d044580
comment
Motive Rant: Erik Giles admits that he's actually Peter Deddingfield, and that the two of them traded identities many years ago because they each had something the other wanted (Giles had a Ph.D, and Deddingfield wanted to get out of the fandom and "go legit"). The other Lanthanides agreed to keep the secret since both men were happier, but when Malone turned up and threatened to expose the group's dirty laundry, "Erik" worried that his entire life would be destroyed.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4d044580
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4d044580
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_4d044580
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_540eb459
type
The Killer Becomes the Killed
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_540eb459
comment
The Killer Becomes the Killed: "Erik" takes a lethal combination of alcohol and medicine when The Summation makes it obvious that Jay and Marion are onto him, only revealing the fact after his Motive Rant.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_540eb459
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_540eb459
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_540eb459
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_61a84258
type
Deleted Scene
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_61a84258
comment
Deleted Scene: In-universe, Dungannon's publisher reveals that, at the end of each book, he would write a chapter or two where Tratyn Runewind is killed and/or humiliated, in order to vent his frustrations about being chained to the series; these chapters would always be removed before the book saw print. However, a psycho fan broke into Dungannon's room and found the chapter without realizing the context, which led to the murder.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_61a84258
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_61a84258
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_61a84258
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_63fac3d4
type
Obviously Fake Signature
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_63fac3d4
comment
Obviously Fake Signature: Fantasy writer (and Asshole Victim) Dungannon deliberately signs books he wrote as "J. R. R. Tolkien" when an obnoxious fan admits he only wants the autograph for the resale value.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_63fac3d4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_63fac3d4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_63fac3d4
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6662563a
type
Mistaken for Misogynist
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6662563a
comment
Mistaken for Misogynist: Jay is afraid that this will happen if anyone learns about his novel; Marion (who is actually feminist) made absolutely certain that it wasn't demeaningnote Jay chose to have women be affected simply because some diseases are linked to sex, but that's little reassurance for the man who wrote a book called "Bimbos of the Death Sun" with a Frank Frazetta-wannabe cover. When Jay takes over the celebrity D&D game following Dungannon's murder, it's mentioned that one of the players dropped out because she didn't want anything to do with the author of "Bimbos of the Death Sun"... but the narration also remarks that she's trying to get her own book published and thought such an association would hurt her chances, so she comes off looking fairly silly.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6662563a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6662563a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6662563a
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_66ce8a39
type
Fake Memories
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_66ce8a39
comment
The victim himself also had a case of this: his real name was Richard Spivey and he had been in the same mental hospital as one of the ex-Lanthanides. Apparently he began to believe the ex-Lanthanides' reminiscences were his own.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_66ce8a39
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_66ce8a39
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_66ce8a39
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6bda9a30
type
Meaningful Name
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: Wall Hollow, Tennessee, was founded by German immigrants, and was originally Valhalla. The Lanthanides' name came from the fact that said elements are known as rare earth metals, and they considered themselves to be rare geniuses. They also started the group in 1957, the Lanthanide series of elements have atomic numbers 57-71.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6bda9a30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6bda9a30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6bda9a30
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ce41758
type
Mistaken for Junkie
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ce41758
comment
Mistaken for Junkie: When Dungannon first arrives at the con he demands "Smarties and Yorkies", which makes one of the con's staff worry that these are slang names for drugs. His Canadian fellow staffer explains that they're British candy.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ce41758
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ce41758
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ce41758
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6d7026fa
type
Punny Name
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6d7026fa
comment
Punny Name: One of the Lanthanides was said to have considered writing a story about "the Time Being", a play on the phrase "for the time being".
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6d7026fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6d7026fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6d7026fa
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ea95fc4
type
Killer Game Master
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ea95fc4
comment
Killer Game Master: Jay becomes one to ferret out the killer; his suspicions are confirmed when he kills Tratyn Runewind in a terrible way, which causes fanboy Clifford Morgan to go berserk and spill the beans.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ea95fc4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ea95fc4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_6ea95fc4
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_739cd809
type
Fandom VIP
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_739cd809
comment
Fandom VIP:invoked Monk Malone is a big-name fan, the kind who knows all the filk songs, attends all the conventions, and is only slightly less a big deal in fandom circles than the authors. Con co-founder Diefenbaker actually describes him thus when Jay asks what he did to earn such adulation.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_739cd809
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_739cd809
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_739cd809
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_83445b04
type
Pun
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_83445b04
comment
Pun: The narration mentions an animated adaptation of the Runewind novels called Dungannon's Dragons.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_83445b04
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_83445b04
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_83445b04
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8a6423b6
type
Cosplay
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8a6423b6
comment
Cosplay: Rubicon includes a costume contest; other than Clifford Morgan incurring Dungannon's wrath by appearing in Runewind costume, we get a Klingon with stage fright and a young girl in a really nice Dragonrider costume, with a handmade plush dragon. However, since Dungannon is judging, the prize goes to a Goodwill Galadriel whose only apparent talent is being hot note Which causes an angry Marion to promise to buy one of the Dragonrider's plushes and throw in the value of the contest prize on top of the asking price. Additionally, Marion spends a good portion of the book dressed as Emma Peel.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8a6423b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8a6423b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8a6423b6
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8d0785d5
type
Didn't Think This Through
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8d0785d5
comment
Didn't Think This Through: After the killer gives his Motive Rant during the climax, Jay points out that they really weren't thinking clearly when they did so: Clifford Morgan claims that he killed Dungannon in order to "save" Tratyn Runewind, after seeing a chapter in the next novel where Runewind dies. However, Jay observes that without Dungannon, there won't be any more Runewind novels; the character is truly "dead", and there's nobody to blame for it but Morgan himself. The realization causes him to charge Jay in a blind fury, which results in his death.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8d0785d5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8d0785d5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8d0785d5
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8ed5c6e4
type
Asshole Victim
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8ed5c6e4
comment
Asshole Victim: Both of the victims are portrayed as arrogant jerks, but both get little moments that make them look slightly more sympathetic; more so in Zombies, where it turns out the man was quite likely suffering from mental illness.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8ed5c6e4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8ed5c6e4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_8ed5c6e4
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: Clifford Morgan, the murderer, after Jay kills Tratyn Runewind in the D&D game and rubs it in in order to test his theory.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_957e5fc2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_957e5fc2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_957e5fc2
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_98a19d7f
type
Money, Dear Boy
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_98a19d7f
comment
Money, Dear Boy: invoked Appin Dungannon's reason for still writing Runewind novels long after he got sick of the character.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_98a19d7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_98a19d7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_98a19d7f
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: There are several moments where various Lanthanides, especially Surn, need to be subtly or (occasionally) not-so-subtly reminded what Erik's name (officially) is, and/or that Peter is dead.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_9d12bbc1
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_a4f2570d
type
Muggles
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_a4f2570d
comment
Muggles: The text occasionally gives the perspective of Donnie McRory, a Scottish folksinger who just happens to be staying at the same hotel as the convention. He mostly stays out of it, although he ends up getting roped into playing Scotty at the Star Trek wedding and joins in on the filk singing at one point.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_a4f2570d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_a4f2570d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_a4f2570d
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_aabe2fb
type
Deliberate Values Dissonance
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_aabe2fb
comment
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Happens a lot in reference to the Lanthanides in Zombies. One scene in particular has Erik Giles reminiscing about a local gas station that had a bear cub in a cage as a tourist attraction, and how he and the other kids would give it bottles of chocolate soda. Marion quietly remarks that if those were the "good old days", she's glad to have missed them.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_aabe2fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_aabe2fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_aabe2fb
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae136edf
type
Plagiarism in Fiction
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae136edf
comment
Plagiarism in Fiction: Plays a major role in the end: Marion points out the similarities between various old stories written by the Lanthanides; Reuben Mistral brushes it off by saying they lived out of each others' pockets in those days and were bound to have hung onto a few ideas from the old times. But then Marion reveals the real point, namely that Erik Giles' writing style in the stories is nothing like his supposed Pen Name C.A. Stormcock's, but it is very similar to the late Peter Deddingfield's writing...
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae136edf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae136edf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae136edf
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae3d6438
type
Deadpan Snarker
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae3d6438
comment
Deadpan Snarker: A minor character is a "squatter" who doesn't say much throughout the novel, but gets in a couple of good zings, usually when it's just him and one other person in the room; the narration notes that you got a lot more out of him when he was alone.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae3d6438
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae3d6438
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae3d6438
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae8038f1
type
Collective Identity
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae8038f1
comment
Collective Identity: Chip Livingstone is eventually revealed to be a Pen Name shared by six or seven people (including a couple of the con's organizers). When the police detective says that Livingstone is the prime suspect in Dungannon's murder, the men behind the name publicly drop the masquerade because they don't want to hinder the investigation.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae8038f1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae8038f1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ae8038f1
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase: The lead investigator, who's never seen anything remotely like a sci-fi con before, can't help but exclaim "I love this case!" each time yet another example of fan-weirdness is brought to his attention.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b01abe4f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b01abe4f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b01abe4f
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b53077b3
type
Take That!
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: Internal example: one of the Lanthanides' time capsule stories is about a "mad wizard" who has sex with a demon. Two of the others get flustered when this is brought up, suggesting that it's an allegory for their homosexual experimentation in the past.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b53077b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b53077b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_b53077b3
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ba236071
type
It Makes Sense in Context
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ba236071
comment
It Makes Sense in Context: Marion teases Jay for having a radio in his refrigerator. Jay explains that the radio has a problem that only shows up intermittently when it warms up; by chilling it, he's trying to make the problem permanent so he can fix it. The person to whom they're speaking admits that Jay's explanation makes sense... but then Marion teases him about having "lemons old enough to vote" in the fridge too (Jay shrugs and admits "I eat out a lot").
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ba236071
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ba236071
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ba236071
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bc74ef27
type
Berserk Button
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bc74ef27
comment
Berserk Button: Appin Dungannon despises fans of his Runewind novels already, but Heaven help you if he catches you wearing a costume of Runewind...
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bc74ef27
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bc74ef27
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bc74ef27
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bf828517
type
I Am Not Spock
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bf828517
comment
I Am Not Spock: invoked Appin Dungannon really doesn't like being associated with the Tratyn Runewind series; he'd much rather become a more serious fantasy author, but is firmly ensconced in the Sci-Fi Ghetto, and he certainly doesn't help his case by cranking out more Runewind novels to pay the bills. He actually has written a serious fantasy novel, but no publisher wants to take it; the fans want Runewind.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bf828517
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bf828517
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_bf828517
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ca2ebf44
type
Saw It in a Movie Once
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ca2ebf44
comment
Saw It in a Movie Once: In the closing chapter, the police discuss the killer hiding the murder weapon in a toilet tank and say this is probably the case; a con-goer who overhears the conversation thinks to himself that it was The Godfather.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ca2ebf44
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ca2ebf44
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ca2ebf44
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d46ddfa2
type
CloudCuckooLander
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d46ddfa2
comment
Cloud Cuckoolander: Uber-fan Clifford Morgan is only really happy when he's at conventions, cosplaying Tratyn Runewind and making use of his encyclopedic knowledge of the series. McCrumb's narration points out that, when he's working his day job, customers sometimes catch him muttering under his breath in the style of speech used by the novels and assume he's an unassimilated immigrant.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d46ddfa2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d46ddfa2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d46ddfa2
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d8696817
type
Torch the Franchise and Run
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d8696817
comment
Torch the Franchise and Run: A rare In-Universe Invoked Trope, and an important plot point to boot: Dungannon was so fed up with writing Tratyn Runewind stories that he made a little in-joke for himself of always writing an additional epilogue in his novels which Runewind gets an Undignified Death and the series ends (understandably, the editor always removed this epilogue before going to print). This gets him killed by Clifford Morgan trying to "protect" Runewind, and he does not takes it well when Marion points out that murdering Dungannon killed the book series too.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d8696817
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d8696817
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_d8696817
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_da9131af
type
The Baby Trap
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_da9131af
comment
The Baby Trap: Brenda contemplates deliberately getting pregnant from a guy she meets at the con when she learns that he's a computer engineering major, since that's usually a good ticket to well-paying jobs.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_da9131af
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_da9131af
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_da9131af
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_de5f028b
type
Barbarian Hero
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_de5f028b
comment
Barbarian Hero: Tratyn Runewind is a parody of this trope, being a generic Conan the Barbarian copy in the form of a tall, strapping, broadsword-swinging hero traipsing around a fictionalized version of early Medieval Europe.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_de5f028b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_de5f028b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_de5f028b
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e150c4c7
type
Manchild
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e150c4c7
comment
Manchild: One of the Lanthanides never gave up on the fandom despite growing up, still publishing a mimeographed fanzine in addition to being a grade school teacher.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e150c4c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e150c4c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e150c4c7
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e277967
type
What Is Evil?
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e277967
comment
What Is Evil?: When Marion is explaining the concept of Dungeons & Dragons to Detective Ayhan, she mentions that players can be Thieves. He asks if they can also play as Murderers, and she starts to explain that the morality in these games isn't as cut-and-dried before the detective interrupts and says that he gets the idea.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e277967
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e277967
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_e277967
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6b2bfb7
type
Gold Digger
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6b2bfb7
comment
Gold Digger: Brenda Lindenfeld, a minor character, is an overweight woman who doesn't want to enter the "real world" and hopes to use the promise of sex to land a successful husband so that she can continue her hobby instead of having to attempt to get a job (for minimum wage, out of sight of the public). Unusually for the trope, she's neither a villain nor particularly unsympathetic — as the book points out, she doesn't actually have that many other options in life.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6b2bfb7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6b2bfb7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6b2bfb7
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6f6adeb
type
Railroading
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6f6adeb
comment
Railroading: Done intentionally by Jay in Bimbos, where the celebrity D&D game is set up to kill off Tratyn Runewind in a demeaning and soul-crushing fashion. This has exactly the desired effect, causing loony Runewind fanboy Clifford Morgan to snap and confess to killing Dungannon in order to "save" Runewind from him.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6f6adeb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6f6adeb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f6f6adeb
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f9876f7e
type
Faking the Dead
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f9876f7e
comment
Faking the Dead: Zombies mentions the fandom concept of GAFIA-ting, "Getting Away From It All"; Malone says that he did this when he turns up at the Lanthanides reunion. Furthermore, the very end of Zombies implies that the real Malone is still alive and gave Jay a fake obituary when Jay is trying to identify who the "Malone" who showed up at the reunion really was.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f9876f7e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f9876f7e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_f9876f7e
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ff7f34c5
type
Pet the Dog
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ff7f34c5
comment
Pet the Dog: Pat Malone gets a brief one-on-one conversation with Jay, which paints his lashing out at the sci-fi community as "growing up" and pointing out the hypocrisy of it all rather than being a spiteful Take That!.
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ff7f34c5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ff7f34c5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_ff7f34c5
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_name
type
ItemName
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_name
comment
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_name
 Bimbos of the Death Sun / int_name
itemName
Bimbos of the Death Sun

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
A Tankard of Moose Urine / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Artist Disillusionment / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Collective Identity / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Covers Always Lie / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Expy Coexistence / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Fan Convention / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Girl Scouts Are Evil / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Intentionally Awkward Title / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Invented Individual / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Kill and Replace / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Killer Game Master / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Leg Cling / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Men Can't Keep House / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Mistaken for Junkie / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Nemesis Weapon / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Obviously Fake Signature / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
One-Book Author / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Phlebotinum-Induced Stupidity / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Sock Puppet / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Straw Fan / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Sue Donym / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
The '80s / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
The '80s / int_410c7225
 Bimbos of the Death Sun
hasFeature
Unwinnable Joke Game / int_410c7225