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Nation

 Nation
type
TVTItem
 Nation
label
Nation
 Nation
page
Nation
 Nation
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On an island in the Great Southern Pelagic Ocean, Mau has just finished the rite of passage to go from a boy to a man when a volcano creates a tidal wave that crashes down on the island, killing everyone and leaving him the sole survivor of his people, the Nation. At the same time, the ship Sweet Judy has crashed, with Ermintrude "Daphne" Fanshaw as the only one alive. Her father is 138 places from being king and her grandmother has raised her to be a "Proper Young Lady Who Has Been Taught To Maintain Standards." Scared and alone, she witnesses Mau sending the dead off into the sea.Soon, other survivors begin to arrive and more things are stirring. There will be trials, terrors, and secrets revealed, and always the forever danger of Locaha, the God of Death.A non-Discworld book by Terry Pratchett, Nation is about survival, the power of truth, lies, science, and faith.A stage version, adapted by Mark Ravenhill, debuted in 2009. According to Rhianna Pratchett, it was one of her father's favourite books.
 Nation
fetched
2023-08-16T18:29:06Z
 Nation
parsed
2023-08-16T18:29:06Z
 Nation
processingComment
Dropped link to NightWatchDiscworld: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Nation
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Dropped link to TheLightFantastic: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Nation
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Dropped link to TheMenInBlack: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Nation
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Dropped link to TheScienceOfDiscworld: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Nation
processingComment
Dropped link to WatershipDown: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Nation
processingComment
Dropped link to WitchesAbroad: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Nation
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Nation / int_11e0d645
type
Arc Symbol
 Nation / int_11e0d645
comment
Arc Symbol: Mau's alaki axe, doubling as a Chekhov's Gun. When Mau rams it into a tree during his rite of passage into manhood, he reflects that the next boy to pull it out would really be a man. But Mau never got to finish the passage before a tsunami devastated his whole world. He lost the soul of the boy he used to be and didn't get the soul of the man he was supposed to become, leaving him soulless. As more survivors begun to wash up on his island, Mau in turns lead and saved and enriched them. Out of the ruins, he started to restore the Nation. In the climax, running out of breath underwater and cornered by the bloodthirsty Big Bad, Cox, who threatens to destroy his home, Mau spots a trunk... the trunk with the axe in it. The boy who would pull that axe out to become a man was Mau, and this was his new rite of passage; he had become a man by protecting what was his. He pulls it out, climbs up from behind and swings it at Cox, killing him and his threat to the Nation once and for all.
 Nation / int_11e0d645
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1.0
 Nation / int_11e0d645
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_11e0d645
 Nation / int_1439161f
type
Heroic BSoD
 Nation / int_1439161f
comment
Heroic BSoD: Mau goes through a pretty extreme version of this when he's sinking the bodies of his tribe in the ocean. Basically, his body's moving, but his mind isn't there any more. He doesn't even notice Daphne standing directly in front of him. He only wakes up just before drowning himself. Daphne gets a beneficial one via the Grandmothers to help her birth a baby.
 Nation / int_1439161f
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1.0
 Nation / int_1439161f
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_1439161f
 Nation / int_1440584e
type
Heroic RRoD
 Nation / int_1440584e
comment
Heroic RRoD: Happens to Mau after saving Ataba's life and facing down a shark.
 Nation / int_1440584e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_1440584e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_1440584e
 Nation / int_15448489
type
Ancient Tradition
 Nation / int_15448489
comment
Ancient Tradition: Less on the Grandmothers, more on the Grandfathers; the grumpy old men can't even hear someone respond, while the grannies are more sanity and helpfulness.
 Nation / int_15448489
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_15448489
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_15448489
 Nation / int_17501df2
type
Cool Old Guy
 Nation / int_17501df2
comment
Cool Old Guy: In flashbacks, Grandad Nawi, who, in spite of a crippled leg, was the best hunter and fisherman in the Nation, and knew a magic word to scare sharks away. Even though Mau learns that it's just a trick, it's no less awesome.
 Nation / int_17501df2
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1.0
 Nation / int_17501df2
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_17501df2
 Nation / int_17a45ff5
type
Misplaced Wildlife
 Nation / int_17a45ff5
comment
Misplaced Wildlife: In a rare justified example, several new bird species converge on Mau's island after the tsunami, presumably because their native isles were completely inundated and they had nowhere else to go. The Fowl-Mouthed Parrot, also a foreign species, was shipwrecked along with Daphne.
 Nation / int_17a45ff5
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1.0
 Nation / int_17a45ff5
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_17a45ff5
 Nation / int_17b72e30
type
Continuity Porn
 Nation / int_17b72e30
comment
Continuity Porn: Daphne explaining Nation's history to her dad at the end.
 Nation / int_17b72e30
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1.0
 Nation / int_17b72e30
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_17b72e30
 Nation / int_1c2b6ac8
type
Soft Water
 Nation / int_1c2b6ac8
comment
Soft Water: Averted, just like in real life, water can stop bullets.
 Nation / int_1c2b6ac8
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-1.0
 Nation / int_1c2b6ac8
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_1c2b6ac8
 Nation / int_1c79ae8c
type
Those Two Guys
 Nation / int_1c79ae8c
comment
Those Two Guys: Foxlip and Polegrave, Cox's cronies.
 Nation / int_1c79ae8c
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1.0
 Nation / int_1c79ae8c
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_1c79ae8c
 Nation / int_1e05d069
type
Saved by the Coffin
 Nation / int_1e05d069
comment
Saved by the Coffin: Invoked. A ship's cook prepares for the possibility that his vessel might sink by bringing a coffin on board for himself ... and outfitting it with fresh water, fishing gear, and a small collapsible sail. In the wake of the tsunami, he's found sailing his coffin by a rescue ship.
 Nation / int_1e05d069
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1.0
 Nation / int_1e05d069
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_1e05d069
 Nation / int_1e95dd12
type
Adam and Eve Plot
 Nation / int_1e95dd12
comment
Adam and Eve Plot: Subverted. More people arrive to repopulate the Nation, and Daphne returns to England with her father.
 Nation / int_1e95dd12
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-0.3
 Nation / int_1e95dd12
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_1e95dd12
 Nation / int_1edfa2c7
type
Royals Who Actually Do Something
 Nation / int_1edfa2c7
comment
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Daphne's father, who works all night in his role as a Foreign Office minister, shows every signs of becoming one of these. The chiefs of the island civilizations are implied to have a large role in all of the island's battles.
 Nation / int_1edfa2c7
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1.0
 Nation / int_1edfa2c7
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_1edfa2c7
 Nation / int_22071825
type
I'm a Humanitarian
 Nation / int_22071825
comment
I'm a Humanitarian: The cannibal Raiders. Cox joins forces with them, but claims not to have adopted the diet.
 Nation / int_22071825
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_22071825
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_22071825
 Nation / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Nation / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: The Gentlemen of Last Resort crowning Daphne's father king. The axe, (a Double Subversion). The recipe for making beer is a Chekhov's Skill, as is Grandad Nawi's secret word for scaring sharks.
 Nation / int_22cf536c
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1.0
 Nation / int_22cf536c
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_22cf536c
 Nation / int_22f6000b
type
Everybody's Dead, Dave
 Nation / int_22f6000b
comment
Everybody's Dead, Dave: Not only with Mau being the last survivor of the Nation, but with Daphne, too. Europe (and America, it is hinted at) is also being ravaged by the "Russian Influenza".
 Nation / int_22f6000b
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1.0
 Nation / int_22f6000b
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_22f6000b
 Nation / int_254fb9cb
type
Anti-Climax
 Nation / int_254fb9cb
comment
Anticlimax: Originally, Mau and Daphne's tale ends this way with Mau going fishing after he says goodbye to Daphne. The children listening demand more, however, and receive a Bittersweet Ending.
 Nation / int_254fb9cb
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1.0
 Nation / int_254fb9cb
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_254fb9cb
 Nation / int_259064d9
type
Fowl-Mouthed Parrot
 Nation / int_259064d9
comment
Fowl-Mouthed Parrot: Implied to be invoked by First Mate Cox, who taught the ship's mascot to say things that would infuriate Captain Roberts.
 Nation / int_259064d9
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1.0
 Nation / int_259064d9
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_259064d9
 Nation / int_28cd01ca
type
Disappeared Dad
 Nation / int_28cd01ca
comment
Disappeared Dad: Daphne's father went off to be the head of a colony. She was going to follow him a few months later, but then the wave happened...
 Nation / int_28cd01ca
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_28cd01ca
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_28cd01ca
 Nation / int_2a02e5c9
type
Guile Hero
 Nation / int_2a02e5c9
comment
Guile Hero: Daphne and Mau are this, and Mau's strength also makes him a Genius Bruiser.
 Nation / int_2a02e5c9
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1.0
 Nation / int_2a02e5c9
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_2a02e5c9
 Nation / int_2b8295a1
type
Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce
 Nation / int_2b8295a1
comment
Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce: Daphne is given a pepper which makes her "lie down with her head in a stream for three minutes" after eating it.
 Nation / int_2b8295a1
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1.0
 Nation / int_2b8295a1
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_2b8295a1
 Nation / int_2d4fa515
type
Ax-Crazy
 Nation / int_2d4fa515
comment
Ax-Crazy: First Mate Cox. There's a reason that if a ship already has a first mate, they'll quickly ask to be second mate if First Mate Cox comes aboard.
 Nation / int_2d4fa515
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1.0
 Nation / int_2d4fa515
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_2d4fa515
 Nation / int_2eac5753
type
Narrative Profanity Filter
 Nation / int_2eac5753
comment
Narrative Profanity Filter: The parrot says a lot of words that girls Daphne's age shouldn't know, although the words she really doesn't know concern her even more. The last few chapters also contain a lot of "Cox swore" — but then, he is the one who taught the parrot.
 Nation / int_2eac5753
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_2eac5753
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_2eac5753
 Nation / int_2f94135c
type
Thou Shalt Not Kill
 Nation / int_2f94135c
comment
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Subverted by Daphne, who kills one the mutineers by poisoning. She did warn him, but she knew he wouldn't listen, and so she begs to be put on trial by the Nation. They find her innocent.
 Nation / int_2f94135c
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-0.3
 Nation / int_2f94135c
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_2f94135c
 Nation / int_319e4a2f
type
Even Evil Has Standards
 Nation / int_319e4a2f
comment
Even Evil Has Standards: Cannibals don't like First Mate Cox because he kills for no reason. Vice-versa: he won't eat their diet...
 Nation / int_319e4a2f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_319e4a2f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_319e4a2f
 Nation / int_31da1e24
type
Shipper on Deck
 Nation / int_31da1e24
comment
Shipper on Deck: A good percentage of Nation's population are implied, offscreen, to ship Mau and Daphne. Ultimately their hopes are averted.
 Nation / int_31da1e24
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-1.0
 Nation / int_31da1e24
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_31da1e24
 Nation / int_330841a2
type
Burial at Sea
 Nation / int_330841a2
comment
Burial at Sea: The islanders' funeral rite involves dropping people into a particular riptide, where they're carried out to sea.
 Nation / int_330841a2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_330841a2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_330841a2
 Nation / int_3318a1cb
type
Distant Finale
 Nation / int_3318a1cb
comment
Distant Finale: The entire book takes place in 1859 or '60, except for the Epilogue which is the "Present Day".
 Nation / int_3318a1cb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_3318a1cb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_3318a1cb
 Nation / int_34dcfc96
type
Kick the Dog
 Nation / int_34dcfc96
comment
Kick the Dog: First Mate Cox is the embodiment of this trope.
 Nation / int_34dcfc96
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_34dcfc96
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_34dcfc96
 Nation / int_38d02d44
type
Batman Gambit
 Nation / int_38d02d44
comment
Daphne claims that Foxlip is this when her Batman Gambit kills him. She's crying as she says this, though, so it's hard to see if she's saying that objectively.
 Nation / int_38d02d44
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1.0
 Nation / int_38d02d44
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_38d02d44
 Nation / int_3c0a4666
type
Noodle Incident
 Nation / int_3c0a4666
comment
Noodle Incident: 137 out of 138 ahead of Daphne's father in the line of succession fall victim to the Russian Influenza, but "Uncle Bernie"'s death is only known to involve something to do with lions.
 Nation / int_3c0a4666
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1.0
 Nation / int_3c0a4666
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 Nation
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Nation / int_3c0a4666
 Nation / int_3d4d3dc9
type
Humans Are Bastards
 Nation / int_3d4d3dc9
comment
Humans Are Bastards: Daphne's proof that no Westerners had been in the Islanders cave before her (and thus could not have planted the artifacts she found there) stems from this trope. Specifically, the fact that there was a door made from eight tons of solid gold in there, and nobody had stolen it.
 Nation / int_3d4d3dc9
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1.0
 Nation / int_3d4d3dc9
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_3d4d3dc9
 Nation / int_3ebc57ac
type
Going Native
 Nation / int_3ebc57ac
comment
Going Native: Lampshaded by Daphne in the text when she starts to wear less petticoats and make beer on the island. Inverted by Mau and the members of the Nation when they start to use more "trouser-men" tools. Missionary the Rt. Rev. Toppley, who turns down a chance to be Archbishop because "they'd make me wear shoes".
 Nation / int_3ebc57ac
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1.0
 Nation / int_3ebc57ac
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_3ebc57ac
 Nation / int_3fba06fe
type
"Far Side" Island
 Nation / int_3fba06fe
comment
"Far Side" Island: Referenced, and justified in a footnote: there's a species of palm that poisons the nearby soil to keep competitors from shading it.
 Nation / int_3fba06fe
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1.0
 Nation / int_3fba06fe
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_3fba06fe
 Nation / int_3ff156fa
type
Nay-Theist
 Nation / int_3ff156fa
comment
Nay-Theist: Mau claims not to believe in the gods, but he also hates them. For not existing. A line relatively early in the book hints that Daphne's father is also this, due to what happened to his wife and son:
 Nation / int_3ff156fa
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1.0
 Nation / int_3ff156fa
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_3ff156fa
 Nation / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 Nation / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: The Nation survives and flourishes as members of the royal society. Daphne's father is crowned king. However, Daphne leaves the island and only sees Mau one more time. Although the girl who's being told the story insists that two dolphins were seen swimming together immediately after both Mau and Daphne died.
 Nation / int_40cc0c7e
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1.0
 Nation / int_40cc0c7e
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_40cc0c7e
 Nation / int_4127eb1
type
Shut Up, Hannibal!
 Nation / int_4127eb1
comment
Shut Up, Hannibal!:
 Nation / int_4127eb1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_4127eb1
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_4127eb1
 Nation / int_413e6726
type
Deliberately Cute Child
 Nation / int_413e6726
comment
Deliberately Cute Child: Although it doesn't happen onscreen, it's hinted that Daphne is not above pulling this when she has to. There's an interesting flashback when, as a child, she corners a particularly-Jerkass cousin, tells him to stop his antics, and promptly bursts into tears when the adults arrive. (The narrative also notes that her family could never have survived as long as it did without a mean streak.)
 Nation / int_413e6726
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1.0
 Nation / int_413e6726
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_413e6726
 Nation / int_42a055ac
type
Happy Place
 Nation / int_42a055ac
comment
Mau goes through a pretty extreme version of this when he's sinking the bodies of his tribe in the ocean. Basically, his body's moving, but his mind isn't there any more. He doesn't even notice Daphne standing directly in front of him. He only wakes up just before drowning himself.
 Nation / int_42a055ac
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1.0
 Nation / int_42a055ac
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Nation / int_42a055ac
 Nation / int_4482e1ef
type
Divided States of America
 Nation / int_4482e1ef
comment
ReUnited States of America.
 Nation / int_4482e1ef
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1.0
 Nation / int_4482e1ef
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 Nation
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Nation / int_4482e1ef
 Nation / int_449584c
type
Giant Wall of Watery Doom
 Nation / int_449584c
comment
Giant Wall of Watery Doom: The Nation's fate at the beginning of the story.
 Nation / int_449584c
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1.0
 Nation / int_449584c
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_449584c
 Nation / int_476a08e3
type
Women's Mysteries
 Nation / int_476a08e3
comment
Women's Mysteries: Which include the secret of beer, which is for when a woman has had "too much husband" (needs to get him out of her hair for a while). This causes problems for Mau when the Grandfathers demand their beer. On the Men's Mysteries side, there's the... thing with the knife where you must not scream, heavily implied to be a ritualized circumcision.
 Nation / int_476a08e3
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1.0
 Nation / int_476a08e3
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 Nation
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Nation / int_476a08e3
 Nation / int_4cfd9825
type
Colourful Theme Naming
 Nation / int_4cfd9825
comment
Colourful Theme Naming: The Gentlemen of Last Resort- Mr. Black, Mr. Brown, Mr. Amber, and Mr. Red.
 Nation / int_4cfd9825
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1.0
 Nation / int_4cfd9825
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_4cfd9825
 Nation / int_50f66629
type
Crazy-Prepared
 Nation / int_50f66629
comment
Crazy-Prepared: Cookie, who always takes his coffin with him on sea voyages, in case he should die at sea... but has also made sure that the coffin can double as a lifeboat, and that it also includes supplies and fishing equipment. Daphne thinks that if there's any justice in the world, Cookie survived the tidal wave and managed to save himself with his coffin-lifeboat. In the same chapter, it's revealed that he did.
 Nation / int_50f66629
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1.0
 Nation / int_50f66629
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_50f66629
 Nation / int_53407671
type
Action Survivor
 Nation / int_53407671
comment
Action Survivor: Everyone to some extent.
 Nation / int_53407671
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1.0
 Nation / int_53407671
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_53407671
 Nation / int_567e7c4d
type
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
 Nation / int_567e7c4d
comment
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Daphne got away with considerable mischief when she was younger, by virtue of being a 9-year-old girl with blonde curls- such as breaking the fingers of her cousin for mistreating animals, then bursting into tears when the adults came running.
 Nation / int_567e7c4d
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1.0
 Nation / int_567e7c4d
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_567e7c4d
 Nation / int_57541097
type
Near Misses
 Nation / int_57541097
comment
Near Misses: Justified and then subverted: Cox has guns which he uses in his duel against Mau. Mau is just smart enough to dive into the water, where bullets don't have as much effect. He does get his ear shot off, though.
 Nation / int_57541097
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-0.3
 Nation / int_57541097
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 Nation
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Nation / int_57541097
 Nation / int_5a3b8032
type
The Un-Reveal
 Nation / int_5a3b8032
comment
The Unreveal: Daphne's question is never answered, if her grandmother managed to kill 138 people to make her father king. It's unlikely, but you never know . . .
 Nation / int_5a3b8032
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1.0
 Nation / int_5a3b8032
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_5a3b8032
 Nation / int_5b4573b1
type
Near-Death Experience
 Nation / int_5b4573b1
comment
Near-Death Experience: Both Daphne and Mau. Daphne does it on purpose to save Mau from Locaha.
 Nation / int_5b4573b1
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1.0
 Nation / int_5b4573b1
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_5b4573b1
 Nation / int_5db59a03
type
Brown Note
 Nation / int_5db59a03
comment
Brown Note: Cookie refers to a Dramatic Gun Cock as being one of these: "the two-pound noise" Mau realizes that Grandad Nawi's trick for scaring sharks is one of these; sharks don't like loud noises underwater, so it doesn't matter what word you yell at them as long as you scream your lungs out.
 Nation / int_5db59a03
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_5db59a03
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_5db59a03
 Nation / int_62b65869
type
And I'm the Queen of Sheba
 Nation / int_62b65869
comment
And I'm the Queen of Sheba: Mr. Cox quotes this exactly when Daphne tries to bluff that the rest of the Judy's crew is still alive and covering them.
 Nation / int_62b65869
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_62b65869
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_62b65869
 Nation / int_63cad64b
type
Threatening Shark
 Nation / int_63cad64b
comment
Threatening Shark: Mau confronts a shark while trying to raise the god anchors; Cox is eaten by several of them later on.
 Nation / int_63cad64b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_63cad64b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_63cad64b
 Nation / int_6537cc1a
type
All Girls Like Ponies
 Nation / int_6537cc1a
comment
All Girls Like Ponies: Averted. Daphne's mother suggested a pony as a present for her 9th birthday. Daphne asked for a telescope instead and received it.
 Nation / int_6537cc1a
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Nation / int_6537cc1a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_6537cc1a
 Nation / int_66dfe36a
type
Missing Mom
 Nation / int_66dfe36a
comment
Missing Mom: We are given massive hints that Daphne's mother and little brother died (most likely through Death by Childbirth). She was completely traumatized by the sight of the "little coffin."
 Nation / int_66dfe36a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_66dfe36a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_66dfe36a
 Nation / int_67c0ef1a
type
Hidden Backup Prince
 Nation / int_67c0ef1a
comment
Hidden Backup Prince
 Nation / int_67c0ef1a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_67c0ef1a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_67c0ef1a
 Nation / int_6ef6417b
type
Disney Death
 Nation / int_6ef6417b
comment
Disney Death: The parrot. Just before the climatic battle with Mau, Cox shoots it for annoying him, and everyone assumes it died. However, it turns up again a few days later, missing a toe and a lot of feathers, but still as lively as ever.
 Nation / int_6ef6417b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_6ef6417b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_6ef6417b
 Nation / int_6fc192ef
type
Jerkass Woobie
 Nation / int_6fc192ef
comment
Ataba, a priest, who believes that since Mau doesn't have a soul he must have a demon, especially when Mau claims he doesn't believe in the gods. Slowly becomes a Jerkass Woobie as the story goes on, culminating in his death.
 Nation / int_6fc192ef
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_6fc192ef
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_6fc192ef
 Nation / int_6febad04
type
Sibling Seniority Squabble
 Nation / int_6febad04
comment
Sibling Seniority Squabble:
 Nation / int_6febad04
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_6febad04
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_6febad04
 Nation / int_7142b38a
type
The Grim Reaper
 Nation / int_7142b38a
comment
The Grim Reaper: Locaha, and he's not as nice as Pratchett's other Grim Reaper. He acts cruelly uncaring, though some or even all of this might be a ploy to make Mau figure things out himself. He's also more eager to claim lives than Discworld's Death. However, the "Just So" Story that opens the book depicts his creation as a necessity to avoid overpopulation and shows him taking a stand against Imo when Imo wants to wipe out the already-populated world and start over.
 Nation / int_7142b38a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_7142b38a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_7142b38a
 Nation / int_71e514b5
type
Don't Try This at Home
 Nation / int_71e514b5
comment
Don't Try This at Home: There's an afterword discussing the truth behind some implausible-sounding things that happen in the story, like bullets moving more slowly underwater; most of them are accompanied with warnings that you should not try this at home. The last one ends, instead, with "Whether you try it at home is up to you."
 Nation / int_71e514b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_71e514b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_71e514b5
 Nation / int_7464705c
type
Arc Words
 Nation / int_7464705c
comment
Arc Words: "Does Not Happen" is said by more people than just Mau and "End of the World" is referenced: geographically (Nation/England), mythologically (the flood from the time when things were otherwise), and culturally with Daphne's new life, Mau's with the wave and Locaha's other worlds.
 Nation / int_7464705c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_7464705c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_7464705c
 Nation / int_7919a45b
type
Duel to the Death
 Nation / int_7919a45b
comment
Duel to the Death: Between Mau and First Mate Cox.
 Nation / int_7919a45b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_7919a45b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_7919a45b
 Nation / int_7921ad77
type
Actually, I Am Him
 Nation / int_7921ad77
comment
Actually, I Am Him: All of the survivors of the wave treat Mau as a boy, since he doesn't have his tattoos, and it takes a while for them to realize he is the chief. He has to play this straight when Cox is the Raiders' champion.
 Nation / int_7921ad77
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_7921ad77
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_7921ad77
 Nation / int_81ae2774
type
Evil Matriarch
 Nation / int_81ae2774
comment
Daphne's grandmother, who nearly becomes an Evil Matriarch. Fortunately once Daphne's father is crowned, he takes Grandmother down a peg.
 Nation / int_81ae2774
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_81ae2774
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_81ae2774
 Nation / int_829b958e
type
Embarrassing First Name
 Nation / int_829b958e
comment
Embarrassing First Name: Daphne, who is not Ermintrude.
 Nation / int_829b958e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_829b958e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_829b958e
 Nation / int_85debad9
type
Plucky Girl
 Nation / int_85debad9
comment
Plucky Girl: Daphne, Blibi.
 Nation / int_85debad9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_85debad9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_85debad9
 Nation / int_8a817c2a
type
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
 Nation / int_8a817c2a
comment
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: First Mate Cox believes this; cannibal-leading, dolphin-shooting, racist, psychopathic mutineer Cox.
 Nation / int_8a817c2a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_8a817c2a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_8a817c2a
 Nation / int_8b442f50
type
Did Not Get the Girl
 Nation / int_8b442f50
comment
Did Not Get the Girl: The two leads don't end up together, though it's suggested they reincarnate as paired dolphins after their deaths.
 Nation / int_8b442f50
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_8b442f50
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_8b442f50
 Nation / int_8ec0abf
type
The Voiceless
 Nation / int_8ec0abf
comment
The Voiceless: The Unknown Woman and some of the other survivors. They have good reason.
 Nation / int_8ec0abf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_8ec0abf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_8ec0abf
 Nation / int_94680696
type
Shaped Like Itself
 Nation / int_94680696
comment
Shaped Like Itself: Pilu is telling the story of a shark encounter.
 Nation / int_94680696
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_94680696
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_94680696
 Nation / int_950bbfa7
type
Take a Third Option
 Nation / int_950bbfa7
comment
Mau learning about the Royal Society also helps him Take a Third Option for the Nation.
 Nation / int_950bbfa7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_950bbfa7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_950bbfa7
 Nation / int_95428daa
type
Rite of Passage
 Nation / int_95428daa
comment
Rite of Passage: The men of Mau's tribe take boys on the verge of manhood to a small island some way away from their home island, and leave them to find a way back home. Because the tribe values cooperation alongside individual achievement, stashed on the island for the boys to find - and later leave behind for later generations - is a multi purpose tool than can, if the boy is skilled and diligent, be used to make a boat. After the wave, the rite of passage changes to a night spent on the beach with a spear, guarding the Nation as Mau once did.
 Nation / int_95428daa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_95428daa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_95428daa
 Nation / int_9adcd93a
type
Bizarre Alien Locomotion
 Nation / int_9adcd93a
comment
Bizarre Alien Locomotion: The sailfin crocodile, mentioned in a footnote.
 Nation / int_9adcd93a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_9adcd93a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_9adcd93a
 Nation / int_9c73b5b2
type
Let Them Die Happy
 Nation / int_9c73b5b2
comment
Let Them Die Happy: Mau inadvertently allows this for Ataba after they open the Grandfathers' Cave; because Ataba saw the stone statues of the gods, his faith is restored right before Foxlip kills him.
 Nation / int_9c73b5b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_9c73b5b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_9c73b5b2
 Nation / int_a00c13e0
type
Awesome Moment of Crowning
 Nation / int_a00c13e0
comment
Awesome Moment of Crowning: Played with: Mau is already the Chief of the Nation, it's Daphne's father who is crowned King.
 Nation / int_a00c13e0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_a00c13e0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_a00c13e0
 Nation / int_a3f6fcb0
type
Action Mom
 Nation / int_a3f6fcb0
comment
Action Mom: The Unknown Woman and a cannon.
 Nation / int_a3f6fcb0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_a3f6fcb0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_a3f6fcb0
 Nation / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Nation / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Though the story is Darker and Edgier than most of Pratchett's fare, Daphne and Mau develop a sweet friendship in rebuilding the nation and saving each other's lives. They find the idea of marrying hilarious, since they're only kids. Then they have to say goodbye for real, not only sinking the ship but also ending their friendship. Both are saddened while they understand why this has to happen. With that said Daphne makes one more visit and insists on a Nation burial when she dies.
 Nation / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_a4c37cbe
 Nation / int_a7acd9aa
type
ChekhovsLecture
 Nation / int_a7acd9aa
comment
Chekhov's Lecture: Daphne's time spent with Royal Society members was well spent, as she uses the science to perfect the method of making beer and uncover the nation's importance to the world. Mau learning about the Royal Society also helps him Take a Third Option for the Nation.
 Nation / int_a7acd9aa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_a7acd9aa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_a7acd9aa
 Nation / int_a836a9b5
type
Character Witness
 Nation / int_a836a9b5
comment
Character Witness: Milo and Pilu serve as two for Mau when Ataba tries to destroy the fourth godstone and Mau saves the old man from drowning and sharks. Milo points out the flaws in Ataba's arguments and how Mau risked his life and is on the brink of death. Pilu's declaration that Mau "wet himself" showed that he was an ordinary man who felt fear but nevertheless faced the shark. When Daphne's father comes, Daphne serves as this on behalf of Mau, which stops her father from colonizing the Nation.
 Nation / int_a836a9b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_a836a9b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_a836a9b5
 Nation / int_a86069f
type
Alternate History
 Nation / int_a86069f
comment
Alternate History: It's hinted at in the beginning with the "Russian influenza", but by the end, you know what it is. Pratchett even calls it in an Author's Note "The great big multiple-universes get-out-of-jail free card..." Not to mention the two Australias on the map, the continent not having been circumnavigated yet, so they don't know it's one whole landmass. ReUnited States of America. Or the fact the monarch killed off by the epidemic was the king — at a time when, in our history, Victoria had been ruling for at least 22 years. French history is revealed to be different too: according to Mr Black the last thing the French government want to see is a Frenchman on any throne, anywhere, but in the real world there was indeed a Frenchman on the French throne at the time: Napoleon III on the imperial throne of France. Also Captain Samson notes that the French killed the last king they had, which is not true in our world since there were in fact three more kings after the Great French Revolution,note Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis-Philippe I. none of whom were killed.note No comment on Louis XVII since technically both his actual kingship and his fate are somewhat controversial.
 Nation / int_a86069f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_a86069f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_a86069f
 Nation / int_aabe2fb
type
Deliberate Values Dissonance
 Nation / int_aabe2fb
comment
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Daphne and Mau are no older than thirteen at the most — Daphne is thirteen— and yet the Nation's people acts as a large Shipper on Deck for the two of them. Daphne tries not to laugh when the Nation's women suggest she would make a good wife for Mau. The sailors like Cox and Foxlip invoke I Have You Now, My Pretty whenever they see Daphne, which makes them more disgusting since they are grown men. No wonder Daphne's father congratulates her when she confesses to killing Foxlip.
 Nation / int_aabe2fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_aabe2fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_aabe2fb
 Nation / int_aaff69d0
type
Unexpected Successor
 Nation / int_aaff69d0
comment
Unexpected Successor: Daphne, to the throne of England. Her father was 139th in line for the throne. The improbability is Lampshaded when her father gets the news. We only hear his side of the conversation, but...
 Nation / int_aaff69d0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_aaff69d0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_aaff69d0
 Nation / int_abe1e24e
type
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil
 Nation / int_abe1e24e
comment
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Daphne has a hard time explaining Cox's behavior to the islanders. They can cope with cannibals, but not someone who shoots people and dolphins because they're there. Mau himself worries that if he starts to understand Cox, it'll mean he's becoming him. He eventually gets over this fear, reasoning that a hunter can understand how prey thinks without becoming an animal.
 Nation / int_abe1e24e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_abe1e24e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_abe1e24e
 Nation / int_acecb17d
type
Chekhov's Skill
 Nation / int_acecb17d
comment
The recipe for making beer is a Chekhov's Skill, as is Grandad Nawi's secret word for scaring sharks.
 Nation / int_acecb17d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_acecb17d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_acecb17d
 Nation / int_acf33d00
type
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
 Nation / int_acf33d00
comment
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Cox impulsively shooting twice at the parrot after it annoys him by announcing to the islanders that "Cox is the spawn of the devil!", and giving it a Disney Death alerts Daphne to the fact that his gun is a 6-shot revolver, allowing her to forewarn Mau of his advantage prior to their Duel to the Death, with Mau exploiting Cox's need to reload the gun to surprise attack him with the axe he finds lodged in the debris washed up on the island reef they's fighting upon. It's Downplayed however, as Mau knowing about Cox having 6 shots still doesn't outright negate his advantage at the start of their duel, especially since it's taking place in a wide-open beach, and it's only through trickery on Mau's part that he can dive into the ocean to get some cover from Cox's attacks.
 Nation / int_acf33d00
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_acf33d00
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_acf33d00
 Nation / int_add931af
type
I Choose to Stay
 Nation / int_add931af
comment
I Choose to Stay: Near the end of the book, the Locaha dubs Mau worthy to join the Perfect World, but Mau turns him down, believing it's more important to try to make this world perfect. Which is exactly what makes him worthy in the first place, Locaha revealing with pride that everyone he's ever given the offer to has made the same choice. Also towards the end of the book, Daphne decides that this is what she will tell her father when he finds her, as she has built a role for herself in the Nation where she is useful and helps people - if she went back to Port Mercia with him she would go back to being a useless high society girl not allowed to do anything. She realises she must accompany him back to England once it is revealed he is the King, as she will be the only person who knows him as himself, and not just 'the King'. And a small tropical island on the far side of the world isn't where the heir to the throne can live.
 Nation / int_add931af
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_add931af
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_add931af
 Nation / int_afc6df04
type
What You Are in the Dark
 Nation / int_afc6df04
comment
What You Are in the Dark: Ataba found the Nameless Woman and her baby on a raft while making his way to the Nation. It was a hard enough journey for an old man alone, but there is never any indication that he even considered not bringing them with him to what he thought was safety. When he realises this, Mau becomes a lot less angry with the old man.
 Nation / int_afc6df04
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_afc6df04
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_afc6df04
 Nation / int_b1dde8fd
type
Loophole Abuse
 Nation / int_b1dde8fd
comment
Loophole Abuse: Defied. The Magna Carta (the ratified version) states that the heir to the throne must set foot on English soil within a year of the death of their predecessor, or forfeit the crown. Captain Samson guesses the boxes that the Gentleman of Last Resort are loading aboard his shop are filled with English soil which the heir will step on while still in the Pelagic Ocean. Unfortunately, Magna Carta specifies that the English soil must be firmly attached to England, though Mr Black complements Samson on his cleverness.
 Nation / int_b1dde8fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_b1dde8fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_b1dde8fd
 Nation / int_b1e8a3b3
type
Coming of Age Story
 Nation / int_b1e8a3b3
comment
Coming of Age Story: Quite literally for Mau, as he was in-between being a child and man. In fact, he thought he lost his "child soul" and would gain a "man soul" when he got back to the Nation... but when he did, everyone was dead. So afterwards, the other survivors call him the Boy Without a Soul.
 Nation / int_b1e8a3b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_b1e8a3b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_b1e8a3b3
 Nation / int_b2c737e8
type
Klingon Promotion
 Nation / int_b2c737e8
comment
Klingon Promotion: What Daphne's afraid may have happened after 137 people die, leaving her father as king.
 Nation / int_b2c737e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_b2c737e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_b2c737e8
 Nation / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 Nation / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: The only coronation shorter than Henry's was that of Bubric the Saxon, who crowned himself with a very pointy crown on a hill during a thunderstorm and reigned for one and a half seconds. Daphne claims that Foxlip is this when her Batman Gambit kills him. She's crying as she says this, though, so it's hard to see if she's saying that objectively.
 Nation / int_b58b4e3c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_b58b4e3c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_b58b4e3c
 Nation / int_b8e38fc5
type
Metaphorically True
 Nation / int_b8e38fc5
comment
Metaphorically True: When discussing the notion that the 'spirit' of the beer goes to the Grandfather's when the actual beer is drunk by the Grandfather birds, Daphne suggests this, but Mau is having none of it.
 Nation / int_b8e38fc5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_b8e38fc5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_b8e38fc5
 Nation / int_b9e8ad28
type
The Multiverse
 Nation / int_b9e8ad28
comment
The Multiverse: As explained by Locaha:
 Nation / int_b9e8ad28
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_b9e8ad28
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_b9e8ad28
 Nation / int_bd2812b5
type
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence
 Nation / int_bd2812b5
comment
Near the end of the book, the Locaha dubs Mau worthy to join the Perfect World, but Mau turns him down, believing it's more important to try to make this world perfect. Which is exactly what makes him worthy in the first place, Locaha revealing with pride that everyone he's ever given the offer to has made the same choice.
 Nation / int_bd2812b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_bd2812b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_bd2812b5
 Nation / int_be94b160
type
SmiteMeOhMightySmiter
 Nation / int_be94b160
comment
Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter: Mau is angry not only with the gods (which he refuses to believe in), but the Grandfathers, who shout in his head.
 Nation / int_be94b160
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_be94b160
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_be94b160
 Nation / int_bfad4265
type
I Have You Now, My Pretty
 Nation / int_bfad4265
comment
The sailors like Cox and Foxlip invoke I Have You Now, My Pretty whenever they see Daphne, which makes them more disgusting since they are grown men. No wonder Daphne's father congratulates her when she confesses to killing Foxlip.
 Nation / int_bfad4265
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_bfad4265
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_bfad4265
 Nation / int_c3e4a2f0
type
Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo
 Nation / int_c3e4a2f0
comment
Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo: Foxlip suspects Daphne of trying this, but it doesn't matter which bowl he takes; they both contain poison that turns into beer when you do the ritual, and she knows he won't.
 Nation / int_c3e4a2f0
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1.0
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featureConfidence
1.0
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Nation / int_c3e4a2f0
 Nation / int_c4240537
type
Moral Event Horizon
 Nation / int_c4240537
comment
Moral Event Horizon: In-universe examples, presented by the Nation. Foxlip shoots Ataba for shaking a stick at him. Daphne makes Foxlip pay with a Batman Gambit. Of course, Daphne wonders if she has crossed the horizon and asks the Nation to judge her. In his backstory, Cox crosses it for the Nation when Daphne describes how he shot a dolphin. For the Nation, dolphins are the souls of people who have yet to reincarnate, and if you kill a dolphin, you are killing a soul. Even the Raiders don't stoop that low.
 Nation / int_c4240537
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1.0
 Nation / int_c4240537
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1.0
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hasFeature
Nation / int_c4240537
 Nation / int_c59cfa2e
type
Felony Misdemeanor
 Nation / int_c59cfa2e
comment
Felony Misdemeanor: Part of the reason the crew of the Sweet Judy mutinied was Captain Roberts' habit of singing every hymn from The Antique and Contemporary Hymn Book while he was on watch.
 Nation / int_c59cfa2e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_c59cfa2e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_c59cfa2e
 Nation / int_c6074d96
type
I Am Spartacus
 Nation / int_c6074d96
comment
I Am Spartacus: Subverted; when the Raiders come, Mau considers having Milo face one of the Raiders in hand-to-hand combat, posing as the Nation's chief. When the Raiders choose Cox, however, who will just shoot the champion, Mau (who is a twelve-year old boy) reveals himself as the chief and reveals his Guile Hero skills.
 Nation / int_c6074d96
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-0.3
 Nation / int_c6074d96
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_c6074d96
 Nation / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Nation / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: To Moby-Dick. The Distant Finale also mentions various modern scientists visiting the island and doing pretty much what they've done in our world; Richard Feynman playing drums, Dawkins being harassed by an intelligent tool-using animal, Carl Sagan filming for Cosmos: A Personal Voyage... Mau's first conversation with Locaha is reminiscent of El-ahrairah's's attempt to bargain with the Black Rabbit of Inle. Likewise, his letting the brothers address the Raider chieftains in his stead resembles how Bigwig was mistaken for the Down rabbits' leader, because who would expect a teenager or a lamed buck to be in charge?
 Nation / int_c75df49a
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1.0
 Nation / int_c75df49a
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_c75df49a
 Nation / int_cb70651c
type
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
 Nation / int_cb70651c
comment
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Locaha and the ancestors are described as speaking to other characters, but always within their own subjective experiences, and Mau's struggles with religion are a major theme.
 Nation / int_cb70651c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_cb70651c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_cb70651c
 Nation / int_cf1b706e
type
Flat-Earth Atheist
 Nation / int_cf1b706e
comment
Flat-Earth Atheist: After the wave, Mau steadfastly refuses to believe in the gods ...even as the ghosts of the Grandfathers shout in his ear. Even as he talks to Locaha, the God of Death. In the end, it is said that he believes "Imo made us smart enough to realize he didn't exist." Lampshaded when priest Ataba points out that Mau needs the gods to exist just enough so that he can be angry with them for not existing. Daphne gets a few shades of this too.
 Nation / int_cf1b706e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_cf1b706e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_cf1b706e
 Nation / int_d05cf3f
type
Footnote Fever
 Nation / int_d05cf3f
comment
Footnote Fever: Relatively restrained for a Terry Pratchett novel, but there are a few footnotes about (entirely fictitious) wildlife like the tree climbing octopus.
 Nation / int_d05cf3f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_d05cf3f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_d05cf3f
 Nation / int_d11a344d
type
Refusing Paradise
 Nation / int_d11a344d
comment
Refusing Paradise: Locaha, the god of death, offers Mau the chance to ascend to the "Perfect World". Mau refuses, preferring to make his own world a little more perfect. Locaha notes with pride that everyone he's chosen has made the same choice.
 Nation / int_d11a344d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_d11a344d
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1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_d11a344d
 Nation / int_d243518d
type
In Spite of a Nail
 Nation / int_d243518d
comment
In Spite of a Nail: Despite the Alternate History aspects of the story, the present day epilogue suggests many major scientific figures still exist and work in the same fields. It's established in The Science of Discworld III that in the Pratchett Multiverse Richard Dawkins is always a Darwinian biologist, whatever happens to history.
 Nation / int_d243518d
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1.0
 Nation / int_d243518d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_d243518d
 Nation / int_d2b59903
type
Cool Old Lady
 Nation / int_d2b59903
comment
Cool Old Lady: Mrs. Gurgle (called so because Daphne can't pronounce her real name). Her name may be a call back to an earlier Pratchett character: Mrs. Gogol from Witches Abroad, another witchy/shamanic woman.
 Nation / int_d2b59903
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1.0
 Nation / int_d2b59903
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1.0
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Nation / int_d2b59903
 Nation / int_d332bf54
type
Lampshaded
 Nation / int_d332bf54
comment
Her father was 139th in line for the throne. The improbability is Lampshaded when her father gets the news. We only hear his side of the conversation, but...
 Nation / int_d332bf54
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_d332bf54
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_d332bf54
 Nation / int_d4bb4e51
type
Walking Shirtless Scene
 Nation / int_d4bb4e51
comment
Walking Shirtless Scene: Mau and everyone on the island except Daphne, even the women. Some pull it off better than others.
 Nation / int_d4bb4e51
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_d4bb4e51
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_d4bb4e51
 Nation / int_d934b1c7
type
Small, Secluded World
 Nation / int_d934b1c7
comment
Small, Secluded World: the main character's world only includes a few islands since no one in his tribe ever sailed far enough to see the continent.
 Nation / int_d934b1c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_d934b1c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_d934b1c7
 Nation / int_dae5c997
type
Action Girl
 Nation / int_dae5c997
comment
Action Girl: Daphne, but not in the "fighting" sense of trope, in the "she doesn't sit around waiting to be rescued" part. She's the one who insists that Mau move the big stone in front of the Cave of the Grandfathers, which ultimately saves the Nation. Oh, and she doesn't take anybody's crap. Especially considering the bit about her relative who is/was much like Cox and how she dealt with him.
 Nation / int_dae5c997
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_dae5c997
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_dae5c997
 Nation / int_dca70c44
type
Reasonable Authority Figure
 Nation / int_dca70c44
comment
Reasonable Authority Figure: Daphne's father, more so when he becomes crowned king.
 Nation / int_dca70c44
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_dca70c44
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_dca70c44
 Nation / int_dd5faec5
type
Only Mostly Dead
 Nation / int_dd5faec5
comment
Only Mostly Dead: Mau in Chapter 8, causing him to briefly meet Locaha, his people's God of Death. Daphne helps him get better.
 Nation / int_dd5faec5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_dd5faec5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_dd5faec5
 Nation / int_e02630c1
type
Witch Doctor
 Nation / int_e02630c1
comment
Witch Doctor: Mrs. Gurgle
 Nation / int_e02630c1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e02630c1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e02630c1
 Nation / int_e11b003d
type
Translation Convention
 Nation / int_e11b003d
comment
Translation Convention: Mau's language is rendered as English. So, obviously, is Daphne's English. This makes it a bit odd when they both appear to speak the same language but can't understand one another.
 Nation / int_e11b003d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e11b003d
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1.0
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hasFeature
Nation / int_e11b003d
 Nation / int_e294a0be
type
Our Souls Are Different
 Nation / int_e294a0be
comment
Our Souls Are Different: The island people believe that male children have a "boy soul" that they leave behind on the island where they live for a month as a coming-of-age ceremony. Once they return to the Nation, they receive a "man soul" via ritual tattooing and (implied) circumcision. As Mau left the Boy's Island but found no one left alive to perform these ceremonies, it's assumed by most that he has no soul.
 Nation / int_e294a0be
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e294a0be
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e294a0be
 Nation / int_e407c52e
type
Double Subversion
 Nation / int_e407c52e
comment
The axe, (a Double Subversion).
 Nation / int_e407c52e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e407c52e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e407c52e
 Nation / int_e4ba33fc
type
Disaster Dominoes
 Nation / int_e4ba33fc
comment
Disaster Dominoes: The destruction of the Grandfathers, in a literal domino effect.
 Nation / int_e4ba33fc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e4ba33fc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e4ba33fc
 Nation / int_e5421161
type
Expy
 Nation / int_e5421161
comment
Expy: First Mate Cox has a lot in common with Carcer Dun, being a sadistic Ax-Crazy psychopath wearing the mask of a cheeky, jovial rascal. Mrs. Gurgle resembles the old steppe-tribal necromancer from The Light Fantastic.
 Nation / int_e5421161
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e5421161
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e5421161
 Nation / int_e567510d
type
Determinator
 Nation / int_e567510d
comment
Determinator: Mau. See Survival Mantra.
 Nation / int_e567510d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e567510d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e567510d
 Nation / int_e596f27b
type
Star-Crossed Lovers
 Nation / int_e596f27b
comment
Star-Crossed Lovers: As soon as people on the island learn that Daphne and Mau are working together, they assume the two will make a perfect couple. Daphne finds it amusing but keep reminding the locals that she's only thirteen, and Mau as the de-facto chief just can't marry a random girl. Mau agrees, telling people that the bigger focus is rebuilding the Nation and staving off the threat of the Raiders. And then it kicks in sadly when Daphne has to leave the island as her father's heir to the crown, so she has to go back to England. She and Mau say goodbye and only see each other once more. The narrative confirms they never got together in their lifetimes, and maybe not even in death.
 Nation / int_e596f27b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_e596f27b
featureConfidence
1.0
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hasFeature
Nation / int_e596f27b
 Nation / int_e88e8a8f
type
Writer on Board
 Nation / int_e88e8a8f
comment
Writer on Board: A little bit of this towards the end, when the whole "Science vs. Religion" debate that's been going on in the background of the story is subtly but definitely tipped towards "science". The way the whole story plays out, it seems to say this: There is nothing wrong with faith and worship, but it's much better to put time and effort into tangible good (Science in this case, but it also uses food and hard work as examples). The priest who gets on Mau all the time isn't shown as a bad guy, just annoying and counterproductive at times, and in the end Mau, who got the brunt of the priest's lectures and negative faith, still forgave him in the end, knowing the priest only did what he thought was best. Which is consistent with the "Here and now we are alive, so make the effort to do real good here rather than in some intangible heaven" message from Small Gods.
 Nation / int_e88e8a8f
featureApplicability
1.0
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featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_e88e8a8f
 Nation / int_ea7e3be8
type
Dramatic Gun Cock
 Nation / int_ea7e3be8
comment
Cookie refers to a Dramatic Gun Cock as being one of these: "the two-pound noise"
 Nation / int_ea7e3be8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_ea7e3be8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_ea7e3be8
 Nation / int_eb2eb10f
type
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
 Nation / int_eb2eb10f
comment
Istanbul (Not Constantinople): The Great Southern Pelagic Ocean is the Pacific under an assumed name.
 Nation / int_eb2eb10f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_eb2eb10f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_eb2eb10f
 Nation / int_eb8ec7c8
type
Jerkass
 Nation / int_eb8ec7c8
comment
Jerkass: A few characters Ataba, a priest, who believes that since Mau doesn't have a soul he must have a demon, especially when Mau claims he doesn't believe in the gods. Slowly becomes a Jerkass Woobie as the story goes on, culminating in his death. Daphne's grandmother, who nearly becomes an Evil Matriarch. Fortunately once Daphne's father is crowned, he takes Grandmother down a peg.
 Nation / int_eb8ec7c8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_eb8ec7c8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_eb8ec7c8
 Nation / int_ee19033d
type
Atlantis
 Nation / int_ee19033d
comment
Atlantis: One possible interpretation.
 Nation / int_ee19033d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_ee19033d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_ee19033d
 Nation / int_eef35d8d
type
A Handful for an Eye
 Nation / int_eef35d8d
comment
A Handful for an Eye: Mau does this during his duel against Cox.
 Nation / int_eef35d8d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_eef35d8d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_eef35d8d
 Nation / int_f0864fd9
type
Combat by Champion
 Nation / int_f0864fd9
comment
Combat by Champion: The Raiders force Cox to undergo this.
 Nation / int_f0864fd9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_f0864fd9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_f0864fd9
 Nation / int_f2e13990
type
AintNoRule
 Nation / int_f2e13990
comment
Ain't No Rule: The rules of the Duel to the Death between Mau and Cox say that the fight begins as soon as one of them picks up their chosen weapon from off of the beach. However there are no rules about what that weapon can be... Mau's real choice isn't his spear, it's the beach itself. He already picked up his weapon when he put his spear down, a handful of sand that he uses to blind the unprepared Cox.
 Nation / int_f2e13990
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_f2e13990
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_f2e13990
 Nation / int_f4a3140c
type
Survival Mantra
 Nation / int_f4a3140c
comment
Survival Mantra: When Daphne is caught by an undertow and Mau pleads with Locaha for her life, he is told that there is no pleading with Death; there is only what happens and what does not happen. When he pulls her back to the shore, he calls back with a defiant "Does not happen!" From then on, the phrase is repeated throughout the book as Mau continues to stave off death.
 Nation / int_f4a3140c
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1.0
 Nation / int_f4a3140c
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_f4a3140c
 Nation / int_f64a9cf7
type
Earn Your Happy Ending
 Nation / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: The heroes just go from one trial to the next before the story's resolution, and they avoid the typical fate that hit most native nations in the Pacific.
 Nation / int_f64a9cf7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_f64a9cf7
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_f64a9cf7
 Nation / int_f6624c30
type
Together in Death
 Nation / int_f6624c30
comment
Together in Death: Discussed by the children in the Framing Device, who insist that the "proper" ending to the story is that two dolphins were seen swimming in the lagoon after Daphne and Mau's funerals.
 Nation / int_f6624c30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_f6624c30
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_f6624c30
 Nation / int_fabef10f
type
Don't Explain the Joke
 Nation / int_fabef10f
comment
Don't Explain the Joke: Daphne's father makes the critical mistake of trying explain an Incredibly Lame Pun, only to have the Gentlemen of the Last Resort tell him it wasn't funny. Of course, he's king now, so they tell it to him in a more polite manner.
 Nation / int_fabef10f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_fabef10f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nation
hasFeature
Nation / int_fabef10f
 Nation / int_fdc1e848
type
Will They or Won't They?
 Nation / int_fdc1e848
comment
Will They or Won't They?: Daphne and Mau. They don't, much to the disappointment of the children listening to the story in the framing narrative.
 Nation / int_fdc1e848
featureApplicability
1.0
 Nation / int_fdc1e848
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1.0
 Nation
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Nation / int_fdc1e848
 Nation / int_fe0330fb
type
Brick Joke
 Nation / int_fe0330fb
comment
Brick Joke: At first glance Mrs. Ethel J. Bundy’s Birthday Island seems like the sort of Snipe Hunt parents send their children on, its only relevance being that trying to find the tiny place is why Daphne studied the Mothering Sunday Islands so closely. Then Cookie later shows up and mentions his survival coffin washed ashore there.
 Nation / int_fe0330fb
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Nation / int_fe0330fb
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ItemName
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Nation / int_name
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Nation

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

 Nation
hasFeature
Action Survivor / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
And I'm the Queen of Sheba / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Bizarre Alien Locomotion / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Brain Food / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Cannibal Tribe / int_c88ea794
 Carnegie Medal
seeAlso
Nation
 Nation
hasFeature
Challenging the Chief / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Chekhov's Boomerang / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Combat by Champion / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Defensive Failure / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Deliberately Jumping the Gun / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Disaster Dominoes / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Dissimile / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Distant Finale / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Don't Explain the Joke / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Double Subversion / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Eaten Alive / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Embarrassing First Name / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
English Literature / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Everybody Hates Hades / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Flatline Plotline / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Fowl-Mouthed Parrot / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Giant Wall of Watery Doom / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Heroic RRoD / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
I Choose to Stay / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Indestructible Edible / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
It Belongs in a Museum / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
"Just So" Story / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Last Breath Bullet / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Last Grasp at Life / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Loincloth / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Mandatory Motherhood / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Mentor Archetype / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Near Misses / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
"Not Making This Up" Disclaimer / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Ocean Madness / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Pacific Islanders in Media / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Pardon My Klingon / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Playing Pictionary / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Rasputinian Death / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Rite of Passage / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Sleep Cute / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Small, Secluded World / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Soft Water / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Sole Survivor / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Survival Mantra / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Tastes Like Friendship / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
The Aloner / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
The Grim Reaper / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
The Last Man Heard a Knock... / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
The Mutiny / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Threatening Shark / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Underwater Kiss / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Unexpected Successor / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
You Kill It, You Bought It / int_c88ea794
 Nation
hasFeature
Young Adult Literature / int_c88ea794