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The Areal
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Year 1991. During the final days of USSR, a meteorite large enough to end all life on the planet almost hits Moscow, only to explode mid-air, with shards falling all across Siberia. But, in the ongoing chaos, bare minimum of efforts gets put into investigating it, and the strange and anomalous events which occurs around the epicentre — even when people and animals starts disappearing, running away to taiga after discovering weird yellow rash, or when people starts suffering from unexplainable injuries.Year 2008. After a head injury he sustained during counterterrorist operation, captain Ivan "Mist" Beryozov is forced to quit his job at "Alpha" group of special forces, but then he gets invited to work on the highly secretive object "Areal", the anomalous zone, resources of which are used to produce unique equipment and X-type oil; and not just as a desk jokey: they need him specifically due to his field experience, as they have a special task for him. He accepts, not yet fully believing in all the rumours about the "magic artifacts", mutants and dangerous anomalies; not knowing yet that this would change his life forever...The Areal is a series of sci-fi novels by a Russian writer Sergey Tarmashev, which, just like the other works by him, is a part of larger multiverse and connected to the other series by him, in one way or another. It takes many themes from both Roadside Picnic and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but explores them in its own way. | |
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The Areal / int_10cdfe4b | type |
Fall Guy | |
The Areal / int_10cdfe4b | comment |
Fall Guy: Prokopenko tries to set Bear up as "coconspirator" of Nikolaeva and Stepanov, who allegedly tried to steal X-type oil which was provided for their experiments, so he may deal with all three in one strike. Bear was already set up as Firz's "accomplice" back in the previous book, but now X-Ray decides to pretend that he fell for it in order to provoke the real accomplice to reveal himself. Until then, Bear and both scientists (who were arrested for "stealing" Type-X oil) would remain in a jail. | |
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The Areal / int_115d318 | type |
And Then John Was a Zombie | |
The Areal / int_115d318 | comment |
In search for something which may help dying Vodyanoy, Ras finally finds the way into the old research centre, only to notice that it was partially consumed by the Areal, with side effects including zombies (blind and deformed due to the lack of contact with the psi-field), zombification-inducing water in what was once the pool... and newly-formed Source met. That is exactly what Vodyanoy needs (the Source would give him infinite amount of water), but to obtain it, Ras gets forced to go inside. He makes it back, just like his father once, but Ras himself gets zombified and runs into the Epicentre. | |
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The Areal / int_121476bd | type |
The Millstone | |
The Areal / int_121476bd | comment |
The Millstone: Failure of the operation to apprehend Bear and his team during Nail's extraction gets attributed solely to Hunter. What little success that operation actually had (capturing Nail herself) was only due to his much more competent subordinate. | |
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The Areal / int_1282bf4f | type |
No Celebrities Were Harmed | |
The Areal / int_1282bf4f | comment |
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Another appearance of the president Crabsky (pretty obviously based on Vladimir Putin, with surnamed taken from his infamous internet nickname), this time in person; he's the one whom Lord Brindelberg forces to go down on X-Ray and stop his investigation by force, under threat of cutting Russia away from the global resource market. | |
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The Areal / int_129749df | type |
All Men Are Perverts | |
The Areal / int_129749df | comment |
All Men Are Perverts: Nearly all men with whom Volodina interacts sees her as the lust object at best, or outright threats to rape her at worst. | |
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The Areal / int_12e8e69b | type |
Jekyll & Hyde | |
The Areal / int_12e8e69b | comment |
Jekyll & Hyde: We finally learn why Swell and Liker anomalies look so similar, yet act so differently — they are the two forms of the same anomaly; first form is a defensive mechanism, while the second may act like a teleport when required. They switch between modes depending on what the Fragment currently needs from them. | |
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The Areal / int_13c1fec8 | type |
Dragon-in-Chief | |
The Areal / int_13c1fec8 | comment |
Dragon-in-Chief: Prokopenko starts realising that he relies on Firz a bit too much, and that it's him who needs Firz, not the other way around. Now, Firz is perfectly able to destroy everyone related to the lab, Prokopenko included, while Prokopenko is powerless to do anything but to ask Merkulov for help. He can't even involve Belov, since Firz is technically his underling, not Prokopenko's, and making him aware would cause further problems. After attempt to assassinate Firz results in nearly all bandits being wiped out without achieving anything, the rest of the book is dedicated to conflict between Mist and Firz, without further Prokopenko's involvement. | |
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The Areal / int_14ed6ab7 | type |
Does This Remind You of Anything? | |
The Areal / int_14ed6ab7 | comment |
Does This Remind You of Anything?: The whole situation with "Nonals" and their mutant children (having to care for sick and crippled from birth children without much resources for it, while facing constant prejudice, fear and outright hate) is very similar to what the real-world parents of "wrong" children face all the time (with common reaction being "why you didn't abort them / put them in the orphanage?"). Considering Tarmashev's love for using his fiction as metaphor for the real world and its problems, it's very likely intentional. | |
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The Areal / int_1522d74 | type |
Technically-Living Zombie | |
The Areal / int_1522d74 | comment |
Technically-Living Zombie: Any person going into the Red zone becomes zombified either immediately or soon afterwards, and falls under control of Areal's psi-field. Areal uses them to attack people in the Yellow (rarely Green) zone, since they keep all their skills — and weapons — intact. They are not dead, though this can't be called "life" either, and even if they do get killed, one trip to the Epicentre, and they swiftly gets resurrected and healed. Since they are still alive, in order to sustain themselves, they consume living flesh, including from humans they kill. | |
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The Areal / int_15b2cab3 | type |
Tempting Fate | |
The Areal / int_15b2cab3 | comment |
Tempting Fate: Everything seems to go fine, but where's that Millstone anomaly they just successfully avoided? And sure enough, Vodyanoy tells everyone to run: it's right behind them! | |
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The Areal / int_178ca149 | type |
The Worf Effect | |
The Areal / int_178ca149 | comment |
The Worf Effect: The aliens who arrives to help the heroes are capable of suppressing Ifarshe's technologies, including Areal: They prevents Areal from (permanently) shifting the border of the Red zone past the railroad, shifting it back right after the latest emission, shocking Lavender when she discovered it: it must be something truly powerful if it can defy the rules of Areal. Because any Zone other than Epicentre always has exactly same size, other zones can't expand as well. This effect turns out to be permanent, with any subsequent emissions going the same way. They managed to stale the emission for entire book, to allow the plot to unfold, and only then Areal was allowed to continue functioning as usual. | |
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The Areal / int_18cb78a2 | type |
You Are Already Dead | |
The Areal / int_18cb78a2 | comment |
You Are Already Dead: The Cobweb would outright kill anyone rushing through it, but if you shrug it off with a stick, nothing would happen when you cross it... at first. Then you would suddenly drop dead due to a heart attack at unpredictable moment; no one has ever survived for more than six months — including one guy who was actually reanimated after initial heart attack right in the Green zone. This is because you can't really destroy the Cobweb (it just becomes invisible) — only reduce its strength, but not nearly enough to make it harmless. The Shackle wouldn't kill you. It merely bonds you to the ground, without a chance to break out on your own. Unless you have the Lockpick met, or couple of friends able to drag you out, you are doomed to die slow and agonising death. Unless you would get caught by animals or Emission; then it would be quick and agonising death. | |
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The Areal / int_18d15922 | type |
Title Drop | |
The Areal / int_18d15922 | comment |
X-Ray goes into despair when he realises that everything he worked for was for nothing, because even his own command just betrayed him. He quietly, in defeated voice, whispers only three words: "Divided we fall..." | |
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The Areal / int_198bef8 | type |
ManBehindTheMan | |
The Areal / int_198bef8 | comment |
Man Behind the Man: Piece is so pathetic and talentless, Anna easily becomes his de-facto boss, with him only nominally being one in command, solely because locals wouldn't be as aggressive that way. | |
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The Areal / int_19da8a03 | type |
Incurable Cough of Death | |
The Areal / int_19da8a03 | comment |
Incurable Cough of Death: Downplayed; experiments Bolt suffered in futile attempts to exploit him for curing Lozinsky and Belov did damage his lungs to the point he would've likely died shortly after, but he reunites with SOT in time to take some cure, though it still takes him time to rehabilitate completely. | |
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The Areal / int_1b590025 | type |
Dead All Along | |
The Areal / int_1b590025 | comment |
Dead All Along: When they finally meets the aliens, main characters gets informed that most (if not all, the statement was made in general, without going into any specifics) of the main characters were actually killed at one point or another, but resurrected to give them another chance to redeem their past sins (since they started caring about them too late to do much). We actually witnessed the deaths of Bear and his team, and Mist remembers the exact moment when he was saved (his "death" under emission in the second book), but for the others we can only guess. | |
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The Areal / int_1c21e3fb | type |
The Place | |
The Areal / int_1c21e3fb | comment |
The Place: The series is named after titular location, the Areal — massive anomalous area filled with dangerous anomalies, mutants and valuable artifacts. | |
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The Areal / int_1c445e86 | type |
Poor Communication Kills | |
The Areal / int_1c445e86 | comment |
Poor Communication Kills: Lozinsky's people didn't check Vlad's father (who, unknowingly to them, turns out to be Afghan war vet), because whatever info they have, was received from Belov — an actual general of special service here. The kicker? All info they have was taken as granted from X-Ray, of all people, and never re-checked afterwards. By the point they stopped arguing who's fault it is, it was already too late to prevent the guy from escaping with Vlad's daughter (whom they wanted to use for blackmail). Belov has plan "B" in order, but it still would be much harder (and longer) than their original plan. | |
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The Areal / int_1c7cc36d | type |
Welcome Back, Traitor | |
The Areal / int_1c7cc36d | comment |
Welcome Back, Traitor: Even taking into account that he's in dare need of people, Lozinsky let Prokopenko get away with his scheming surprisingly easy, with bare minimum of punishment. Of course, for Prokopenko, being stripped of access to dirty money is Not So Harmless Punishment, but still. | |
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The Areal / int_1d18887f | type |
Pay Evil unto Evil | |
The Areal / int_1d18887f | comment |
Pay Evil unto Evil: Turns out that two years ago the Fragment actually managed to finish the evacuation (and leaved Earth itself) — but, just as it warned, to buy time and energy for evacuation, it switched Areal into its current mode. With more time, it was possible to deactivate and set remutation in motion, but with nuclear strike incoming, Fragment had neither time nor motivation to do so. The second Fragment (yes, there were two surviving Fragments) was abandoned due to the time restraint, and still operates the Areal's growth. | |
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The Areal / int_1daa7fce | type |
In the Back | |
The Areal / int_1daa7fce | comment |
In the Back: Lemur shoots Wind in the back when he least expected it. When it fails to kill him and Wind tries to grab his gun, Lemur finishes him off with another burst, this time in the head. | |
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The Areal / int_1dacdb4f | type |
Senseless Sacrifice | |
The Areal / int_1dacdb4f | comment |
Senseless Sacrifice: It seems that Mantrap's attempt to cover for escaping civilians was for nothing, because they were ambushed on the way out. | |
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The Areal / int_1dd14f5a | type |
I Surrender, Suckers | |
The Areal / int_1dd14f5a | comment |
I Surrender, Suckers: When Mist offers Firz to surrender (he has no chance to escape anyway,and this way at least he would be caught without crippling injuries), Firz pretends to accept... and then tries to kill Mist the moment he opens the door. He misses, and then Mist shoots him couple of times; unfortunately, he hits Ducat instead (who was then shot several times more by Lemur to ensure that he wouldn't be caught alive and interrogated), and then Firz detonates the bomb he hid in the wall (killing Lemur and knocking out Mist), and escapes. | |
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The Areal / int_1e584efa | type |
Cruel and Unusual Death | |
The Areal / int_1e584efa | comment |
Cruel and Unusual Death: Most anomalies would kill you very quickly, but some are particularly gruesome and painful: The Jelly would slowly melt you into more Jelly. It would take around half an hour to finally kill the unfortunate victim, and all this time they would scream in agony, until their upper body would jellyfy as well. The Heat boils you alive right in your gear. The Shackle wouldn't kill you by itself. It would merely chain you to the ground, with no way to escape, where you would live for just long enough to die from Emission, which would destroy your body with the brutal vibrations. Unless some animals would find you first and just eat you alive. Or you die from thirst. | |
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The Areal / int_1e5df5 | type |
Heh Heh, You Said "X" | |
The Areal / int_1e5df5 | comment |
Heh Heh, You Said "X": Russian word for "member", depending on context, may be used as euphemist for dick. One of characters, the girl named Julia, makes fun of Prokopenko being called "Member" (capital letter is intended, which, for Julia, only adds up the fun). | |
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The Areal / int_1e7affed | type |
Amputation Stops Spread | |
The Areal / int_1e7affed | comment |
Amputation Stops Spread: After Jelly starts consuming you, the only way to stop the spread is to cut off the infected body part. | |
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The Areal / int_1fdc1aa | type |
See the Invisible | |
The Areal / int_1fdc1aa | comment |
See the Invisible: Grishka somehow can see Cobweb without any outside help. Or so he claims. It does him no good in the end, though. | |
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The Areal / int_20c11a5c | type |
Second Episode Introduction | |
The Areal / int_20c11a5c | comment |
Second Episode Introduction: Scientists Nikolaeva and Stepanov arrived to study Areal back in the first book, but due to limited place available (with much of the first book dedicated to introducing setting and main characters) were not properly introduced until now. | |
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The Areal / int_222dc873 | type |
Black Comedy | |
The Areal / int_222dc873 | comment |
Stalker Syoma Sniff somehow managed to avoid being zombified in the Red zone, but lost both legs to the Jelly, and one arm to Sieve. He survived only because he found the Ariadna somewhere and managed to keep it in his teeth. Just how he survived all this is a mystery. The in-universe "joke" about "3,5 people" making it out of the Red zone refers to him. | |
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The Areal / int_22725d56 | type |
Nom de Guerre | |
The Areal / int_22725d56 | comment |
Nom de Guerre: Due to high secrecy surrounding anything going on in the Areal, all local personnel must use callsigns, including scientists. While using given names in conversations is acceptable (mentioning surnames is strictly forbidden), all official documents address them only by callsigns. We don't even learn the real names for many of the characters, or at least their last names. | |
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The Areal / int_22a60f6a | type |
Nepotism | |
The Areal / int_22a60f6a | comment |
Nepotism: Nearly all members of the board of executives (save for Vorontsov) are distantly related to each other; they prefer to not announce that fact, of course. Lieutenant Levein (callsing "Hunter")Â is actually Belov's nephew (and, as we later learn, the son of security team's colonel, though by that point his father would be already dead); the only reason he is here to begin with is because his uncle plans to set him as his successor, and place like the Areal would be great for his career, even if he wouldn't make it outside main base. | |
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The Areal / int_22cf50f9 | type |
Chekhov's Gag | |
The Areal / int_22cf50f9 | comment |
Chekhov's Gag: Any readers who remembers how easily the Licker (completely harmless) can be mistaken for the Swell (one of the most lethal anomalies out there) would suspect just what is wrong with the lab the moment Firz shows it to the investigation team. They would be proven right the instant Mist revisits the lab by himself. | |
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The Areal / int_22cf536c | type |
Chekhov's Gun | |
The Areal / int_22cf536c | comment |
Chekhov's Gun: Several details, including certain anomalies, established earlier (both from this and from earlier books), finally comes into play during the Last Stand: Remember "Toxy", which was introduced all the way back into the fourth book, and was swiftly forgotten about? It allows Baykal to sneak out of the base undetected. It also forces the enemy to retreat several times, assisting Bear. The Vortex (which manifested over the roof) and the Tearer (which blocked the main entrance) helps a lot with consuming incoming missiles, which prevents the enemy from blowing up the base too early. That insane idea to set up a "mine field" consisted of the tree stumps with Solenoids attached? It doesn't work in full force, due to the enemy attacking earlier, but it still wipes out enough soldiers to worth the efforts. Remember that Bald which manifested near the secret entrance, and the plan to just jump over it? Well, the plan actually works when tried. Bear though that the scientists wasted too many resources of reinforcing his armour, considering that he's a deadman anyway. In the last battle, it allows him to survive enormous amount of shots, which would be fatal for anyone using the standard model. He still doesn't survive, but it allows him to put up a fight. | |
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The Areal / int_23153741 | type |
Suddenly Significant City | |
The Areal / int_23153741 | comment |
Suddenly Significant City: Ukhta was relatively small, little-known town in Siberia, but due to close proximity to Areal, it suddenly attracted countless new people interested in trying to earn some money by becoming stalkers. Of course, it's illegal, but when it stopped Russians from doing anything? | |
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The Areal / int_24321e44 | type |
Only Sane Man | |
The Areal / int_24321e44 | comment |
Only Sane Man: Mercenaries, of all people, particularly colonel Liman (who's the PoV character for the first chapter, and stands out even amongst them; for example, he's one of the few mercs who refused to trust Prokopenko, seeing him for who he is) are the only people outside of SOT and their friends, who understands that "Areal" corporation has stopped doing any meaningful researches of the Areal, right when everyone needs them most. Why mutants just keep and keep reproducing, no matter how many of them dies? Why they becomes more and more dangerous and blood-hungry? Why old, time-proven methods suddenly stopped working, and new dangers have emerged? All of this must be found out to prevent even more deaths, yet no one cares about anything aside from earning more money! Mercenaries even plans to set up their own research base just to do something. Unfortunately, even within them, not everyone agrees on this. Mercs also generally understands that they shouldn't trust anti-SOT propaganda all that much, because SOT is just that useful for everyone else. | |
The Areal / int_24321e44 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_24321e44 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_24321e44 | |
The Areal / int_245cb69d | type |
Changing of the Guard | |
The Areal / int_245cb69d | comment |
Changing of the Guard: After Mist's disappearance, Bear replaces him as the "lead" character from now on. | |
The Areal / int_245cb69d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_245cb69d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_245cb69d | |
The Areal / int_25dc6ef5 | type |
Apathetic Citizens | |
The Areal / int_25dc6ef5 | comment |
Apathetic Citizens: One of the main themes of the series. Countless problems could've been solved had people ever bothered to just stand up and do anything, be it about the Areal, or rampant corruption of the Corporation. | |
The Areal / int_25dc6ef5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_25dc6ef5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_25dc6ef5 | |
The Areal / int_26ac510e | type |
Mythology Gag | |
The Areal / int_26ac510e | comment |
Mythology Gag: Bear thinks "truth is eternal", then starts wondering why he even had such weirdly-worded thought. "Areal" originally was supposed to share universe with Tarmashev's earlier series, The Ancient One, which had these words as catchphrase of the one of "good" alien races. | |
The Areal / int_26ac510e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_26ac510e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_26ac510e | |
The Areal / int_272abb98 | type |
Shoot the Shaggy Dog | |
The Areal / int_272abb98 | comment |
Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Merkulov won nothing from his alliance with the Corporation; with scientists being killed on Belov's orders, all their researches being destroyed during assault on the SOT base, and secret of producing electricity in the Yellow zone no longer being a secret, he has nothing to offer to his old bosses, and, judging by them doing nothing to prevent Belov from hunting for him, he's essentially sacrificed by this point. Then he gets backstabbed by Fixa, and dies in very gruesome manner. | |
The Areal / int_272abb98 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_272abb98 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_272abb98 | |
The Areal / int_27b83210 | type |
Hufflepuff House | |
The Areal / int_27b83210 | comment |
Hufflepuff House: Out of five major factions formed after "Disinfection", three (Mercenaries, Oil-miners and Obshyak) have bare minimum involvement in the plot. While Mercs were eventually expanded upon, the other two were not so lucky: Despite being even stronger gang than Townsfolk, Obshyak's only major contribution to the plot is their slave-trafficking business, which helps kickstarting Volodina's plot; past that, they drop out almost completely. Pretty much the only thing known about the Oil-miners is that, true to their name, they are prime oil-traders in Areal. They are powerful enough to being offered to join the Alliance, but not story-important enough to ever appear on-screen. | |
The Areal / int_27b83210 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_27b83210 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_27b83210 | |
The Areal / int_2854b56d | type |
Uncertain Doom | |
The Areal / int_2854b56d | comment |
Uncertain Doom: Just what happened with Mist, X-Ray and Lavender during the "Disinfection"? Did they survive, or did they perish? We have no way to know; the last quarter of the book follows Bear. | |
The Areal / int_2854b56d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2854b56d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2854b56d | |
The Areal / int_2864490b | type |
Gravity Screw | |
The Areal / int_2864490b | comment |
Gravity Screw: Full spectrum of gravity-related anomalies: The Shackle, instead of flat-out killing you, pins you to the ground (with enough force to knock you out if its catch you on the move). Unless you have a Lockpick met (which disables it), or at least two friends who are ready to drag you out of it, you are doomed to die from starvation, the local fauna or from the Emission. The Grava (short for "graviconcentrate") represents the zone of gravity increased to so ridiculous level that anything trying to cross it would be splatted across the ground. The Vortex sucks everything in, then mangles whatever it catches into incomprehensible mess. | |
The Areal / int_2864490b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2864490b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2864490b | |
The Areal / int_2882c8c1 | type |
Career-Ending Injury | |
The Areal / int_2882c8c1 | comment |
Career-Ending Injury: First post-prologue chapter depicts protagonist, Mist, participating in operation to save hostages (several women and children) from a group of islamists who threatened to blow them up. The last surviving one blows himself up, with Mist caught in the blast. While Mist survives, the head trauma he received forces him to retire from "Alpha" (elite spetsnaz team). Fortunately, he gets recommended as a new recruit for "Areal", with his head trauma actually ending up more of an asset than a burden. | |
The Areal / int_2882c8c1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2882c8c1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2882c8c1 | |
The Areal / int_28cd01ca | type |
Disappeared Dad | |
The Areal / int_28cd01ca | comment |
Disappeared Dad: Ras' father was a stalker himself. One day, he promised that he would be on his son's birthday, but disappeared for almost entire day and returned at the very last moment. He brought a weird met (which turns out to be the Spring, metamorphite which works by providing the body with water out of nowhere), and then disappeared again, this time forever. Ras believes that he is in the Red zone now, and that there's a way to save him (mythical "Living water" met, which can cure zombification). This is why his reaction to meeting Mist, whom he mistook for non-hostile zombie, was to ask to escort him to the Red zone. | |
The Areal / int_28cd01ca | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_28cd01ca | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_28cd01ca | |
The Areal / int_295087bf | type |
Non-Indicative Name | |
The Areal / int_295087bf | comment |
Non-Indicative Name: There're no boars in the Boar forest, because bears came in and wiped them out. People still call it that out of habit. | |
The Areal / int_295087bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_295087bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_295087bf | |
The Areal / int_2ae29c0d | type |
The Dreaded | |
The Areal / int_2ae29c0d | comment |
The Dreaded: Thanks to Firz, Bear has terrible reputation amongst local stalkers, because he allegedly never takes prisoners and is just a bloodthirsty maniac in general. By the time the reader learns about this, it would be already obvious that this is Blatant Lies, since his previous actions are anything but "maniacal" (with Mist pointing several cases directly contradicting the rumours). | |
The Areal / int_2ae29c0d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2ae29c0d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2ae29c0d | |
The Areal / int_2bdae2ae | type |
Awesome, but Impractical | |
The Areal / int_2bdae2ae | comment |
The Sixth Sense allows you to sense any life form nearby, how far away it's from you, and how to reach it... and allows those life forms to sense you in the similar way. Including local monsters and zombies, which attacks any intruders on sight. People rarely risks using it outside of the rescue operations, or brief reconnaissances. | |
The Areal / int_2bdae2ae | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2bdae2ae | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2bdae2ae | |
The Areal / int_2cbaa888 | type |
Empty Shell | |
The Areal / int_2cbaa888 | comment |
Empty Shell: Ever since meeting his father, Ras (who used to be the soul of the company) feels nothing but sadness — and this sadness transfers to everyone around him. Vodyanoy (whose wife is kept captive in the Satellite) and Tatiana (heartbroken over Bear) feels no better. Bear knows that this is wrong, but not the way how to fix that. | |
The Areal / int_2cbaa888 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2cbaa888 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2cbaa888 | |
The Areal / int_2cd22076 | type |
Fantastic Drug | |
The Areal / int_2cd22076 | comment |
Fantastic Drug: Goldenlocks, mutated Areal cannabis (called that due to its weird look, which resembles, well, golden hairs), became popular after "Disinfection". It has no harsh post-high effects, and is "stronger" than heroin, but has 100% addiction rate, and has one small, but unpleasant side effect — each time it's used, there's a random chance that its user would feel sudden impulse to go into Areal, only realising what's going on after crossing the barrier and becoming Addicted. Since it happens at random, and due to junkies being, well, not the sanest people alive, it never stops anyone. | |
The Areal / int_2cd22076 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2cd22076 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2cd22076 | |
The Areal / int_2d4fa515 | type |
Ax-Crazy | |
The Areal / int_2d4fa515 | comment |
Ax-Crazy: The moment she shows her true colours, Anna, overloaded with hatred, goes into murderous rage against her former friend (whom she beats up) and comatose Rustle, whom she injures further and nearly kills. | |
The Areal / int_2d4fa515 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2d4fa515 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2d4fa515 | |
The Areal / int_2dc3e97c | type |
Ghost Town | |
The Areal / int_2dc3e97c | comment |
Ghost Town: Rasp and Merkulov abandons Sosnogorsk and Ukhta, respectively, due to them being fully consumed by the Yellow zone, thus rendering them completely uninhabited. | |
The Areal / int_2dc3e97c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2dc3e97c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2dc3e97c | |
The Areal / int_2dddd99d | type |
False Flag Operation | |
The Areal / int_2dddd99d | comment |
False Flag Operation: Merkulov causes Rasp a lot of troubles by attacking Oil-Miners (who were protected by Mercs at the time) while masked as Obshyak's gangsters. | |
The Areal / int_2dddd99d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2dddd99d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2dddd99d | |
The Areal / int_2de7bbf1 | type |
Nominal Hero | |
The Areal / int_2de7bbf1 | comment |
Nominal Hero: One of the last five "volunteers" still there by the point Bear meets them asks Bear why they didn't just negotiated with the Corporation (instead of giving shelter to the outlaws, because who cares about these guys?), setting up some peaceful coexistence until they can accumulate enough power to betray them. He also presumes that their plan was to capture Satellite, execute Corporation's leaders and set up their own rule over it (he would gladly join in). After hearing him out, Bear just tells him that he would provide food and water, and escort them out. | |
The Areal / int_2de7bbf1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2de7bbf1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2de7bbf1 | |
The Areal / int_2e0c6c38 | type |
Eskimos Aren't Real | |
The Areal / int_2e0c6c38 | comment |
Eskimos Aren't Real: Fragment stubbornly refuses to believe that Bolt is a real man, insisting that he's either a hallucination or a local myth. When Mist insists that he knows him personally, he receives an answer that "Bolt" was just a scammer. This reactions is due to Fragment being unable to sense Bolt through his surveillance system, and arrogantly believing that if it can't sense something, it doesn't exist. | |
The Areal / int_2e0c6c38 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_2e0c6c38 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_2e0c6c38 | |
The Areal / int_3126c34a | type |
Insufferable Genius | |
The Areal / int_3126c34a | comment |
Insufferable Genius: Turns out that Lavender, prior to meeting Mist, was so toxic to everyone except for the other scientists around her, that not even Baykal (resident Cold Sniper) was able to tolerate her for long. | |
The Areal / int_3126c34a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3126c34a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3126c34a | |
The Areal / int_313e9485 | type |
Hero with Bad Publicity | |
The Areal / int_313e9485 | comment |
Hero with Bad Publicity: They were outlaws even prior to this, but now people believes that Bear and his men are outright maniacs, zombies or both. While obviously not everyone believes in this, this creates a lot of problems with dealing with the other people, especially since they only survives via trading. | |
The Areal / int_313e9485 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_313e9485 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_313e9485 | |
The Areal / int_31898188 | type |
Recurring Dreams | |
The Areal / int_31898188 | comment |
Recurring Dreams: Both Lozinsky and Belov keeps seeing certain nightmares every night; they see different dreams, but both involves Kugelstein, and signals that something bad is gonna happen — something related to their crimes. For the very first time in the long, long time they feels... fear. | |
The Areal / int_31898188 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_31898188 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_31898188 | |
The Areal / int_319e4a2f | type |
Even Evil Has Standards | |
The Areal / int_319e4a2f | comment |
Even Evil Has Standards: Not even Obshyak would assault trading caravans: since trading is so crucial for everyone's survival, it would put absolutely everyone at your throat (attacking people anywhere else is the fair game, but even then they would rather take them alive). The sole person who doesn't care about this is Merkulov, who has no standards whatsoever. In fact, his shameless attempt to attack Vodyanoy right during trading was yet another clue which pointed Quartz to him. | |
The Areal / int_319e4a2f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_319e4a2f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_319e4a2f | |
The Areal / int_31da1e24 | type |
Shipper on Deck | |
The Areal / int_31da1e24 | comment |
Shipper on Deck: While everyone clearly sees that something starts between Bear and Tatiana (they already started making bets on where Bear would realise this himself), only Basalt actually tells this to Bear, saying that he shouldn't wait for long, since they are clearly made for each other, just like Lavender and Mist prior to them. | |
The Areal / int_31da1e24 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_31da1e24 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_31da1e24 | |
The Areal / int_322426f8 | type |
Not Good with Rejection | |
The Areal / int_322426f8 | comment |
After Tatiana Volodina refused his blatant advances, Prokopenko "punished" her by hiring bandits to abduct her and smuggle into Areal. Now, when she's Addicted, whether she survives or not, she can't return home ever again. | |
The Areal / int_322426f8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_322426f8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_322426f8 | |
The Areal / int_33db913f | type |
Open Mouth, Insert Foot | |
The Areal / int_33db913f | comment |
Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Pretty much all Grishka's problems are related to his inability to think before saying something. He vouched for his pal who was in debt to Syoma Rasp, and since this pal is now under arrest, paying this debt is up to Grishka. He bragged about having (non-existent) Stealth met, which made Rasp interested in using him as a guide, only to find out that this was bullshit. Then, during operation, he brags that, had he have the equipment Corporation's personnel uses, he may take mets even from the Epicentre... and gets promptly called dumbass for never learning on his mistakes, since at this point bandits very well may force him to do exactly that. | |
The Areal / int_33db913f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_33db913f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_33db913f | |
The Areal / int_3490a19b | type |
Please Dump Me | |
The Areal / int_3490a19b | comment |
Please Dump Me: Bear intentionally acts like a jerk to Tatiana in hope that she would leave him alone, partially because he still isn't sure whether he can trust her, and partially to suppress his own feelings. He changes tactic and starts outright avoiding her after passing the Cobweb. | |
The Areal / int_3490a19b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3490a19b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3490a19b | |
The Areal / int_34dcfc96 | type |
Kick the Dog | |
The Areal / int_34dcfc96 | comment |
Kick the Dog: Anna brutally beats up Tatiana and tries to kill already injured Rustle, just because. | |
The Areal / int_34dcfc96 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_34dcfc96 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_34dcfc96 | |
The Areal / int_362461f6 | type |
Sex Slave | |
The Areal / int_362461f6 | comment |
Sex Slave: Obschyak (Rasp's new gang) now, amongst other things, deals in women trafficking. They can even capture specific women as a "special order", like Volodina for Prokopenko. | |
The Areal / int_362461f6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_362461f6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_362461f6 | |
The Areal / int_38d02d44 | type |
Batman Gambit | |
The Areal / int_38d02d44 | comment |
Batman Gambit: Nail gets released from captivity, "due to the lack of evidences", and forced to leave the Satellite. All of this solely to provoke Vodyanoy into attempt to retrieve her, so he may be captured, in one way or another. Fortunately, Quartz explains this to him before he falls into the trap. | |
The Areal / int_38d02d44 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_38d02d44 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_38d02d44 | |
The Areal / int_39297f53 | type |
Bigger Is Better | |
The Areal / int_39297f53 | comment |
Bigger Is Better: The bigger a met is, the stronger its effects would be. | |
The Areal / int_39297f53 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_39297f53 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_39297f53 | |
The Areal / int_39b8d3d6 | type |
Boring, but Practical | |
The Areal / int_39b8d3d6 | comment |
Boring, but Practical: Several mets have rather utilitarian functions, often essentially replacing various tools you can't normally use within Areal, and wouldn't even make you good money if you sell them, but while in Areal, they are no less (if not more) valuable than more exotic and "cool" ones: The Lockpick has exactly one function — it gives you immunity to the Shackle anomaly. Considering that if you get caught in it without a couple of friends ready to rescue you, You Are Already Dead, this is still very valuable. The Primus can boil water... and only water. Even snow wouldn't be affected, nor it can heat you or your gear. It's valued for ability to prepare food in Areal's conditions (it's impossible to start a fire here, as it quickly extinguishes), but has no other uses. The Firefly acts as a light source. In absence of (working) flashlights, and torches being borderline useless, they may be your only source of light in the Yellow zone (which has extremely dark nights). The Bug somehow prevents food from spoiling just by being nearby. In absence of freezers, especially with how hard it's to obtain food in Areal post-"Disinfection", it suddenly becomes rather valuable in the everyday life, especially for those who spend a lot of time in the Yellow zone. The Compass just tells you direction towards the Epicentre. Since normal compass wouldn't work here, and there were cases when people crossed the border between zones purely by accident (entering the Red zone is instantly fatal), it can be very useful. | |
The Areal / int_39b8d3d6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_39b8d3d6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_39b8d3d6 | |
The Areal / int_3ac2a3e3 | type |
Deadly Gas | |
The Areal / int_3ac2a3e3 | comment |
Deadly Gas: Amongst the other things, there are gas anomalies. They work like invisible, concentrated mist of toxic gas which somehow maintains its form even while moving. The one and only clue that you must put on a gas mask is the quiet "pshh" sound; miss it, and you would die in extreme agony: depending of anomaly type, either from suffocation, or from being dissolved alive; that last one would also kill anyone unfortunate enough to have holes in their equipment (like from bullets). | |
The Areal / int_3ac2a3e3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3ac2a3e3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3ac2a3e3 | |
The Areal / int_3aec9e5e | type |
Properly Paranoid | |
The Areal / int_3aec9e5e | comment |
Properly Paranoid: Nail intentionally avoided learning various secret of the SOT and their base (with sole exception being usage of the shards to offset electricity not working, which was unavoidable), including its exact whereabouts; this greatly reduced the amount of information the Corporation was able to obtain from interrogating her when she was eventually captured. | |
The Areal / int_3aec9e5e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3aec9e5e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3aec9e5e | |
The Areal / int_3c3f28a5 | type |
Blessed with Suck | |
The Areal / int_3c3f28a5 | comment |
Blessed with Suck: Turns out that Vodyanoy's abilities were caused by botched zombification. He can't become a zombie, but the process never stopped and now slowly destroys his brain instead. It can be postponed by consuming water, but resumes instantly the moment he stops drinking, making it impossible to stop completely. | |
The Areal / int_3c3f28a5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3c3f28a5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3c3f28a5 | |
The Areal / int_3c7d0418 | type |
Doom Magnet | |
The Areal / int_3c7d0418 | comment |
In general, any people with Addiction must stay within Areal, or ever growing Itch would kill them when it reaches the life-threatening (or sanity-ruining) level. Treatment exists, but is extremely expensive and is highly impractical (for starters, it has to be done in Germany, while Areal is in Siberia). And any such person is constantly pursued by weird effect called "poltergeist", which causes disasters constantly occurring around them at random, so soon people started recognising them, and trying to force them to leave, if not outright lynching them; it also makes it hard to actually reach Germany to get treatment. Combination of Itch, "poltergeist" and near universal hatred forced all such people to move closer and closer to Areal, and eventually even staying inside. Lucky ones now lives within "Satellite", others must build their own shelter right in the Zones and hope for the best. | |
The Areal / int_3c7d0418 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3c7d0418 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3c7d0418 | |
The Areal / int_3cb1d38d | type |
Bad Boss | |
The Areal / int_3cb1d38d | comment |
To provoke the president into allowing the "Disinfection", as additional argument they hacked the detectors of several rangers in order to lure them close to the water (leading to them being zombified), and set it up as a "zombie assault". | |
The Areal / int_3cb1d38d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3cb1d38d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3cb1d38d | |
The Areal / int_3d2c6d30 | type |
Skewed Priorities | |
The Areal / int_3d2c6d30 | comment |
Skewed Priorities: Back in the days of Mist's trainings, drill instructor confronted him about taking speed over stealth during stealthy movement trainings. Mist tried to defend himself by saying that he tries to meet the standards... and received an answer that these "standards" were created by morons, familiar with war only by printed reports: it doesn't matter how fast you can crawl, if you get busted and immediately shot to death. He later forced him to undergo additional training, but it paid for itself more than once later, and now Mist feels nothing but gratitude for his old instructor. | |
The Areal / int_3d2c6d30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3d2c6d30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3d2c6d30 | |
The Areal / int_3d4d3dc9 | type |
Humans Are Bastards | |
The Areal / int_3d4d3dc9 | comment |
Humans Are Bastards: The aliens are willing to help us with what we can't manage, but doing entire work in our place (like destroying the Areal) is out of question. Most humans are perfectly fine with living in such crappy conditions, perfectly fine with being ruled by the corrupt tyrants, and perfectly fine with killing the ones who wants to help them. People like these don't deserve to be saved. | |
The Areal / int_3d4d3dc9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3d4d3dc9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3d4d3dc9 | |
The Areal / int_3d897748 | type |
Do Not Go Gentle | |
The Areal / int_3d897748 | comment |
Do Not Go Gentle: X-Rays was completely aware that he has almost no chance to survive his attempt to reveal the Corporation's crimes to the world, but he still must to at least try. He only loses hope completely when he learns that even his own agency is in league with villains, when they backstab him. | |
The Areal / int_3d897748 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3d897748 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3d897748 | |
The Areal / int_3dc1e273 | type |
Not Enough to Bury | |
The Areal / int_3dc1e273 | comment |
Not Enough to Bury: To make absolutely sure that nothing of their knowledge can be retrieved, Nikolaeva and Stepanov were not just killed, but thrown into the Tearer anomaly. | |
The Areal / int_3dc1e273 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3dc1e273 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3dc1e273 | |
The Areal / int_3dcc914f | type |
Took a Level in Kindness | |
The Areal / int_3dcc914f | comment |
Took a Level in Kindness: When Mist proves himself different from local guards with "soldier sees, soldier kills" mindset and points her own flaws which she can't deny, Lavender changes her behaviour to the best, not just to him (with whom she, presumably, fell in love), but in general. | |
The Areal / int_3dcc914f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3dcc914f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3dcc914f | |
The Areal / int_3e95582f | type |
The Greatest Story Never Told | |
The Areal / int_3e95582f | comment |
The Greatest Story Never Told: Thirteenth somehow made it out of the Red zone, bringing back zombified counterintelligence agent (now un-brainwashed), and the important databank from a fallen satellite. He refused to tell Bolt any details about what and how he did there, and never appears in the story afterwards. Just how stalker Syoma Sniff managed to survive the journey from the Red zone with only one hand left (even if he had the Ariadne)? For that matter, how he avoided being zombified? | |
The Areal / int_3e95582f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3e95582f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3e95582f | |
The Areal / int_3ed17fe0 | type |
Wide-Eyed Idealist | |
The Areal / int_3ed17fe0 | comment |
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Firz believes that Wind was too naive and idealistic, due to his stubborn believe in the Corporation indeed being as incorruptible as it's advertised; for this reason, he didn't even try to recruit him, and set everything up to kill him alongside Mist. | |
The Areal / int_3ed17fe0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3ed17fe0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3ed17fe0 | |
The Areal / int_3ed23024 | type |
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome | |
The Areal / int_3ed23024 | comment |
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: After Mist so easily ignored his head trauma while in Areal (that one which was allegedly bad enough to reduce him to the office work at best), you would expect the same for Volodina's spine trauma. Nope. Turns out that making highly dangerous and and potentially traumatic jump while already being two steps away from a wheelchair would be extremely painful and traumatic; she barely avoids gravely injuring herself, but renders herself unable to walk after that for some time just due to sheer pain alone, and even two months later, she still suffers from the side effects. | |
The Areal / int_3ed23024 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3ed23024 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3ed23024 | |
The Areal / int_3fe2b13f | type |
Ungrateful Bastard | |
The Areal / int_3fe2b13f | comment |
Ungrateful Bastard: Bear and his friends are regularly warning people about upcoming emissions (lethal to anyone caught outside), and providing various hard-to-find goods, including fresh water in huge quantities, and unique medicine. The only thing they asks for in return is to help them against people who are trying to kill them. No one answers the call. | |
The Areal / int_3fe2b13f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_3fe2b13f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_3fe2b13f | |
The Areal / int_4023b8c8 | type |
First-Name Basis | |
The Areal / int_4023b8c8 | comment |
First-Name Basis: Justified for the Corporation's personnel. Using last names within Areal is strictly forbidden due to secrecy concerns. Official documents mentions people only by callsigns, but in personal conversations it's allowed to use the first names (but never surnames). In general, characters (including unrelated to the Corporation) mostly gets referred to either by a callsign, nickname or first name. It's rare for them to even have their last names revealed. | |
The Areal / int_4023b8c8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4023b8c8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4023b8c8 | |
The Areal / int_40bb59d0 | type |
Blatant Lies | |
The Areal / int_40bb59d0 | comment |
Volkonskiy was assassinated on Belov's orders, when he stepped into the "accidentally" unmarked anomaly. His team was set on the various missions, and were killed en-route because Belov sabotaged detectors on their buses, allowing them to run into an anomaly. | |
The Areal / int_40bb59d0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_40bb59d0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_40bb59d0 | |
The Areal / int_40d15d7a | type |
Spoiler Cover | |
The Areal / int_40d15d7a | comment |
Spoiler Cover: Book's cover spoils the fact that there would be non-hostile encounter with Veteran in this book. | |
The Areal / int_40d15d7a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_40d15d7a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_40d15d7a | |
The Areal / int_41d5f145 | type |
Fluffy the Terrible | |
The Areal / int_41d5f145 | comment |
Fluffy the Terrible: How SOT called the lethal toxic anomaly which regularly visits their base (and which saved their life at least once just because they can operate around it, and enemies can't)? "Toxy". | |
The Areal / int_41d5f145 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_41d5f145 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_41d5f145 | |
The Areal / int_41dd77d | type |
Zerg Rush | |
The Areal / int_41dd77d | comment |
Zerg Rush: Mercs' Blue-harvesting plantation regularly gets attacked by mutants in so ridiculous numbers, by all logic they are supposed to go exstinct by now, yet they reproduces absurdly fast, ensuring that there always would be enough for another round. Mercs' commander, colonel Liman, finds that to be weird even by the Areal standards. | |
The Areal / int_41dd77d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_41dd77d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_41dd77d | |
The Areal / int_420081bf | type |
Alien Sky | |
The Areal / int_420081bf | comment |
Alien Sky: Amongst the other things being wrong with the Yellow zone, it has a green sky with blue sun, while grass suddenly becomes blue. It becomes even worse in the Red zone and especially the Epicentre, but only few people ever managed to see them, given that entering the Red zone means instant zombification. | |
The Areal / int_420081bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_420081bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_420081bf | |
The Areal / int_423f5a19 | type |
Killed Offscreen | |
The Areal / int_423f5a19 | comment |
Killed Offscreen: The scientists were killed by Belov's men during evacuation from the base, then their corpses were thrown into an anomaly. Lavender, who escorted them, barely survived thanks to the Living Water still attached to her body, and even then, only because she fell too close to the water, making it impossible to come close to her, which convinced the assaulters that they may check up later, and allowed Asya to go and drag her out. We learn that Anna was killed after the battle, when Veteran and his Dog investigated the ruins; Dog bit her in half. Some characters were killed between the last chapter and the epilogue, with their deaths being mentioned in the passing: Firz indeed died from his tumour; Belov did nothing to speed up things: his death was swift and cruel as is. Merkulov made a mistake when he attacked Belov's men in (futile) attempt to capture Vodyanoy, giving his enemy enough information to know where to hunt for him. Soon afterwards, Fixa backstabbed him, brought his head (what was left of it) to receive a reward, and usurped the gang. Volkonskiy was assassinated on Belov's orders, when he stepped into the "accidentally" unmarked anomaly. His team was set on the various missions, and were killed en-route because Belov sabotaged detectors on their buses, allowing them to run into an anomaly. | |
The Areal / int_423f5a19 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_423f5a19 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_423f5a19 | |
The Areal / int_42c9f1ec | type |
Downplayed Trope | |
The Areal / int_42c9f1ec | comment |
Downplayed with the Sixth Sense. While it had some use prior, it was so deep in the Awesome, but Impractical territory that no one risked to use it anyway outside of the very specific circumstances. Again, Nikolaeva and Stepanov managed to find a great use for this met: it turns out to be a key component to... reverse Areal's expansion. | |
The Areal / int_42c9f1ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_42c9f1ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_42c9f1ec | |
The Areal / int_43a045de | type |
Dropped a Bridge on Him | |
The Areal / int_43a045de | comment |
Dropped a Bridge on Him: After all this setup, Lemur gets caught in the blast of Firz's bomb and dies. | |
The Areal / int_43a045de | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_43a045de | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_43a045de | |
The Areal / int_446c5792 | type |
Villainous Rescue | |
The Areal / int_446c5792 | comment |
Villainous Rescue: Merkulov's attempt to capture Vodyanoy for himself results in him sabotaging Belov's attempt to do the same, and them starting fighting each other. When Merkulov eventually wins, it's too late to capture Vodyanoy and his friends, who used this time to run away. | |
The Areal / int_446c5792 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_446c5792 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_446c5792 | |
The Areal / int_44bed14c | type |
Hostage Situation | |
The Areal / int_44bed14c | comment |
Hostage Situation: When the hidden cameras which he installed reveals that Mist is alive, Firz takes two his trusted underlings, abducts Lavender (he lied to her that he knows where to find Mist, and that they need her help) and escapes to the Yellow zone (he dropped the heigh to ensure that they would survive the crush when crossing borders). He later uses her to ensure that he can escape alive into the Red zone. | |
The Areal / int_44bed14c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_44bed14c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_44bed14c | |
The Areal / int_454b2f2b | type |
Secretly Dying | |
The Areal / int_454b2f2b | comment |
Secretly Dying: While we were already aware how Vodyanoy received his abilities, we only now learn just how bad his condition truly is; turns out that not only he's dependant on water to postpone his death — as time goes on, more and more water is required just to survive on a regular basis. His death is not just inevitable — process gradually speeds up. | |
The Areal / int_454b2f2b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_454b2f2b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_454b2f2b | |
The Areal / int_474e3977 | type |
You Have Failed Me | |
The Areal / int_474e3977 | comment |
You Have Failed Me: Even if Crunch makes it back alive from his engagement with Mercs, Fixa would still execute him for this failure, especially because he volunteered to lead his group for this mission in the first place. Because betraying your people like this is frowned upon even amongst bandits, he lies to his men that Crunch volunteered to distract the Mercs. | |
The Areal / int_474e3977 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_474e3977 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_474e3977 | |
The Areal / int_4aa98555 | type |
Evil All Along | |
The Areal / int_4aa98555 | comment |
Evil All Along: Anna states that she never was Tatiana's friend to begin with, only playing that role because Grey had some plans for her. Given her condition at the time, it's unclear whether it's the truth, or her trying to justify the betrayal for herself. | |
The Areal / int_4aa98555 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4aa98555 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4aa98555 | |
The Areal / int_4c709317 | type |
Useless Useful Spell | |
The Areal / int_4c709317 | comment |
Useless Useful Spell: Mute shares Bolt's distrust to the new detectors, thinking that with their effective radius being so pathetic, it may be safer to go without them at all: all they can do is to give you the false sense of security. | |
The Areal / int_4c709317 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4c709317 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4c709317 | |
The Areal / int_4c798fd5 | type |
Shock and Awe | |
The Areal / int_4c798fd5 | comment |
Shock and Awe: Two anomalies works by zapping their victims to death: The Solenoid attaches itself to an object standing above ground, and zaps things moving too close. It hits hard enough to outright blow up your head (which actually happens to one of characters). The Cloud alters between two states, distinguishable by colour. The black cloud is perfectly safe, while the green cloud would zap anything going too close to it. Unlike the Solenoid, it's not picky when choosing a location. | |
The Areal / int_4c798fd5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4c798fd5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4c798fd5 | |
The Areal / int_4e3d253b | type |
Downer Ending | |
The Areal / int_4e3d253b | comment |
Downer Ending: Bear and the rest of SOT dies, fighting hopeless battle; no one comes to help, despite all the benefits the SOT provided them with. Evacuation fails, with scientists likely perishing. The only characters still alive are Mist (who's stuck in Epicentre with zombified and aggressive X-Ray), Quartz and Vodyanoy (who are stuck in the Satellite, on the brink of being revealed and without water for Vodyanoy), and Ras. | |
The Areal / int_4e3d253b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4e3d253b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4e3d253b | |
The Areal / int_4e52a624 | type |
Screw the Money, I Have Rules! | |
The Areal / int_4e52a624 | comment |
After owner of "Metronom Plus" reacted with utter disgust to revelations that, despite all claims, "Areal" is just as corrupt as any other structure in Russia, and refused to cooperate even if it means losing contract, Prokopenko realised that this guy may be dangerous, and organised for his assassination; he made it look like an accident — guy's personal driver had a heart attack and car crushed into the truck — but it still attracted unwanted attention. The new owner, Merkulov, is much easier to work with — and even harder at the same time, due to having his own agenda. | |
The Areal / int_4e52a624 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4e52a624 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4e52a624 | |
The Areal / int_4fafed32 | type |
Higher-Tech Species | |
The Areal / int_4fafed32 | comment |
Higher-Tech Species: First appearance of the ancient race (who suspiciously resembles the ancient Varyags). They helps with destroying the (second) Fragment and wiping out every zombie in the Epicentre at the time, thanks to their tech being vastly superior to even Ifarshe, and takes the heroes from Earth, to fight on the new battles where they can really help humanity. They would later be expanded upon in the prequels for Tarmashev's other series, The Ancient One. | |
The Areal / int_4fafed32 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_4fafed32 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_4fafed32 | |
The Areal / int_5037b961 | type |
Et Tu, Brute? | |
The Areal / int_5037b961 | comment |
Et Tu, Brute?: While he was completely aware that his chance at success was slim, X-Ray still didn't expect that he would be betrayed by his own agency, which is very painful for him. | |
The Areal / int_5037b961 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5037b961 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5037b961 | |
The Areal / int_504a1991 | type |
Body Horror | |
The Areal / int_504a1991 | comment |
Body Horror: "Lovely" description of ulcers-covered, half-naked dogs and cats, devouring remains of mutilated corpses of Ukhta victims. | |
The Areal / int_504a1991 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_504a1991 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_504a1991 | |
The Areal / int_508d91a2 | type |
Pre-Mortem One-Liner | |
The Areal / int_508d91a2 | comment |
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: When Wind realises that something is wrong, Firz says that "Lemur would explain"... and then Lemur shoots Wind in the back. | |
The Areal / int_508d91a2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_508d91a2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_508d91a2 | |
The Areal / int_50f66629 | type |
Crazy-Prepared | |
The Areal / int_50f66629 | comment |
Crazy-Prepared: Firz set up a bomb in the lab "just in case"; this allowed him to blow up the wall and escape when he seemingly was cornered. | |
The Areal / int_50f66629 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_50f66629 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_50f66629 | |
The Areal / int_523977ba | type |
Delaying Action | |
The Areal / int_523977ba | comment |
Delaying Action: Mantrap's last action during Last Stand is to try and provide cover fire to ensure that scientists would make it alive, while he and the rest of SOT are doomed. He dies for nothing, as they gets ambushed. | |
The Areal / int_523977ba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_523977ba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_523977ba | |
The Areal / int_52cd5b94 | type |
Elite Zombie | |
The Areal / int_52cd5b94 | comment |
Elite Zombie: Ever since the "Disinfection", two new types of zombies started appearing, Professors and Guards. Both are bonded to specific buildings where they were zombified (and mutated), and are much more dangerous than standard zombies, due to unique abilities only they possess — for example, Professors have psychic powers. Names came from whom they were prior to mutation. | |
The Areal / int_52cd5b94 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_52cd5b94 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_52cd5b94 | |
The Areal / int_54ec2f0c | type |
Not Completely Useless | |
The Areal / int_54ec2f0c | comment |
Not Completely Useless: "The Dud" met turns out to have some purpose after all; it gives you perfect underwater vision (even in the murky or dark water). The reason why no one noticed it is because it's of no use when in Areal. | |
The Areal / int_54ec2f0c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_54ec2f0c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_54ec2f0c | |
The Areal / int_5539b84f | type |
Corrupt Church | |
The Areal / int_5539b84f | comment |
Corrupt Church: Greedy and corrupt church is one of the main tools Lozinsky and his friends uses for money laundering;Â church isn't required to pay taxes, has great reputation, and no one can just go and check them without looking like an asshole. The main base in the Areal has one church right on its territory, with a local priest Eulanthius being part of the scheme. The scheme died out with Eulanthius himself in the third book, during Disinfection. | |
The Areal / int_5539b84f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5539b84f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5539b84f | |
The Areal / int_5542b3ad | type |
BookEnd | |
The Areal / int_5542b3ad | comment |
Bookend: Ras' history as a stalker started when, at his tenth birthday, his father gave him the Source met, in hope that it would help his family to survive — at the cost of his own zombification, due to contact with Areal water. Ras' history as a stalker (and human being, for that matter) ends with him becoming a zombie himself in the similar manner, this time to save Vodyanoy. | |
The Areal / int_5542b3ad | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5542b3ad | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5542b3ad | |
The Areal / int_569a95e9 | type |
The Teetotaler | |
The Areal / int_569a95e9 | comment |
The Teetotaler: No one who works in the Zones drinks before, or especially during their stay in the Areal, not even criminals. Justified, since the local fauna (and zombies) somehow smells alcohol (and, to lesser degree, tobacco, tea and coffee)Â from the very large distance, and, given how aggressive the locals are, results of doing so would be not very pleasant. That being said, alcohol still has its use... to lure zombies to attack someone. | |
The Areal / int_569a95e9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_569a95e9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_569a95e9 | |
The Areal / int_5798bfbf | type |
Reassigned to Antarctica | |
The Areal / int_5798bfbf | comment |
Reassigned to Antarctica: Bear's superiors have plans to get rid of him by reassigning him outside of the Areal. Since he would be likely discharged afterwards anyway, X-Ray suggests him to join counterintelligence afterwards. | |
The Areal / int_5798bfbf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5798bfbf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5798bfbf | |
The Areal / int_581f6468 | type |
Hero of Another Story | |
The Areal / int_581f6468 | comment |
Hero of Another Story: Ras and Bolt have a lot of stories to tell, but it's not the place, nor the time for them. | |
The Areal / int_581f6468 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_581f6468 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_581f6468 | |
The Areal / int_586624e5 | type |
Genius Loci | |
The Areal / int_586624e5 | comment |
Genius Loci: The closer to Epicentre, the more dangerous anomalies becomes, and not just in power. In the Green zone, they are static. in the Yellow zone, they may react to you when you are too close and move a little, or just wander aimelessly. In the Red zone, assuming you survive even crossing the border, they would actively pursue you. Scientists working in the Areal are speculating that the Areal may have a mind of its own, and increasingly harsh conditions and violently aggressive animals are its reaction to humans being so violent and destructive. They ended up being partially right, as the third book reveals that the Areal is run by an alien AI. | |
The Areal / int_586624e5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_586624e5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_586624e5 | |
The Areal / int_5989e3b6 | type |
Enemy Mine | |
The Areal / int_5989e3b6 | comment |
Enemy Mine: Merkulov secretly cooperates with Corporation against the SOT, which helps them to set up the final assault. | |
The Areal / int_5989e3b6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5989e3b6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5989e3b6 | |
The Areal / int_5ad80bf8 | type |
It's All My Fault | |
The Areal / int_5ad80bf8 | comment |
It's All My Fault: Quartz tells Vodyanoy after they gets stuck together in the Satellite, with initial rescue plan being essentially failed, that he considers himself to be responsible for the Nail's capture, because it was him who wanted to obtain more info, disregarding safety risks. Vodyanoy doesn't follow up on that — but also doesn't object. | |
The Areal / int_5ad80bf8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5ad80bf8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5ad80bf8 | |
The Areal / int_5b0eaf89 | type |
Upgrade Artifact | |
The Areal / int_5b0eaf89 | comment |
Upgrade Artifact: Areal-born artifacts, called "mets" (short for "metamorphites"), gives their wielders various new abilities, though not all of them would work outside of Areal, or at least would reduce in effectiveness. Several of them works by amplifying your abilities or giving you the new ones: The Energiser works by amplifying one's stamina. As the side effect, it consumes user's internal resources, so it must be used with caution. Another similar met, Adrenaline, is weaker, but is usable outside of Areal. There are several "medical" mets, though only three were mentioned: the Leech, the Nurse and the Cups. Leech speeds up one's metabolism, allowing to quicker get rid of negative elements at the cost of consuming more body resources; the other two were not described. The Owl gives perfect night vision when attached to the back of your head (it requires contact with skin specifically, not the hair, so have to shave that part first). It was quickly adapted as the element of the new night vision googles, but just strapping it to your head would work too. As additional bonus, it can see Jelly regardless of time of the day, and completely counters effects of the other met, the Stealth. The Stealth hides you from any optics, scanners, radars, etc (there are even rumours that it protects from animal smelling you) — pretty much anything, except from being spotted visually. For this reason, people use it during the night, when it's much less of a problem. It has limited power, so large object must be covered with several such mets, but for personal use one would be just enough. The Ariadne gives you ability to see anomalies. After some time, you would learn to distinguish them, because each one has unique look. It's very hard to find, with only three being known by the start of the first book: one belonged to professor Lavrentiev and was lost with him; one was brought by Bolt and now belongs to Firz; and the one was brought by stalker Syoma Sniff and eventually expropriated by bandits. The Sixth Sense allows you to sense any life form nearby, how far away it's from you, and how to reach it... and allows those life forms to sense you in the similar way. Including local monsters and zombies, which attacks any intruders on sight. People rarely risks using it outside of the rescue operations, or brief reconnaissances. The Spring (somehow) feeds its wielder with water while worn, essentially removing any need to drink. Only known met of this type was brought by Ras' (now-zombified) father in his last expedition, and was subsequently sold, because without him, the family had no income. The Living Water, so rare that it's ambiguous whether it's even real, or just an urban legend, gives its wielder complete immunity to zombification or the Call. The only catch is that it slowly wears out outside of Areal, requiring "recharging" it with the Areal's water — something which normally causes the instant zombification just by going close. | |
The Areal / int_5b0eaf89 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5b0eaf89 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5b0eaf89 | |
The Areal / int_5ce7dbb9 | type |
Central Theme | |
The Areal / int_5ce7dbb9 | comment |
Central Theme: Apathy. The main reason why the world is such a hellhole is because we do nothing to improve it. The villains are allowed to thrive because no one bothers to stop them. We have everything we need to save our world, but chose to just sit on our ass and whine about "injustice", rather than stand up and spread justice ourselves. No one would fix everything for us if we wouldn't. | |
The Areal / int_5ce7dbb9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5ce7dbb9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5ce7dbb9 | |
The Areal / int_5ed1b6d3 | type |
Limited Loadout | |
The Areal / int_5ed1b6d3 | comment |
Limited Loadout: In-Universe. It gets stated that it's not possible to use more than six mets at once; any extra wouldn't work. The reason behind that is unknown. | |
The Areal / int_5ed1b6d3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_5ed1b6d3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_5ed1b6d3 | |
The Areal / int_61996785 | type |
Sacrificial Lamb | |
The Areal / int_61996785 | comment |
Sacrificial Lamb: To demonstrate how dangerous Addiction is, three (least developed ones) members of the board of executives gets killed off before this book even started — Linder, Shumelkina and Zilbermann. | |
The Areal / int_61996785 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_61996785 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_61996785 | |
The Areal / int_61c683d2 | type |
We Have Reserves | |
The Areal / int_61c683d2 | comment |
We Have Reserves: Merkulov is perfectly okay with letting all people who went with him to die (save for Fixa and Mute, who disapprove it);Â they can always recruit new ones. Turns out that the mutant attacks on Firz's group wasn't accidental; he intentionally used Sixth Sense to provoke the attacks, all to scare off the counterintelligence group sent to investigate the illegal lab. The group suffers two casualties because of that, but it's just "collateral damage" for Firz. He also endangers the group by leading them into a Heat anomaly, though thankfully no one dies from it. | |
The Areal / int_61c683d2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_61c683d2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_61c683d2 | |
The Areal / int_6259dfa3 | type |
Grey Goo | |
The Areal / int_6259dfa3 | comment |
Grey Goo: Whatever gets in contact with the Jelly, becomes Jelly itself (but it wouldn't touch any materials surrounding its spawning point). If you step into one (and it's very easy to do so, since it only becomes visible during the night), you can say your leg goodbye — in the best case scenario. Fortunately, it's rather easy to predict where it would appear, since it only spawns in the various holes. | |
The Areal / int_6259dfa3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6259dfa3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6259dfa3 | |
The Areal / int_6293c185 | type |
Sequel Hook | |
The Areal / int_6293c185 | comment |
Sequel Hook: Last line about weird "itch" Vlad started feeling after leaving Areal just screams that something seriously changed with the Areal, and changed to the worst — and that it wouldn't take long to find out what. | |
The Areal / int_6293c185 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6293c185 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6293c185 | |
The Areal / int_634c5775 | type |
Came from the Sky | |
The Areal / int_634c5775 | comment |
Came from the Sky: Everything started when a meteorite (huge enough to wipe out all life on Earth) almost crushed in Moscow, but suddenly exploded in the air while above Siberia. Then all kinds of crazy things started to occur around the place now known as Epicentre, with weird injuries, pieces of rock with anomalous properties, and people running away to taiga soon after finding weird yellow rash, never to be seen again (that rash later gets revealed to be the sign of you being about to zombify). While no one knows exactly what is going on, everyone are certain that it's somehow related to meteorite. | |
The Areal / int_634c5775 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_634c5775 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_634c5775 | |
The Areal / int_63557923 | type |
Death World | |
The Areal / int_63557923 | comment |
Death World: Simply put it — while you are in the Areal, you would always be at danger. Deadly anomalies comes in great varieties, and regularly change their location, disappearing in one places and appearing in others. Local fauna has heavily mutated and became extremely hostile. If you get caught during emission, you likely would die from internal organs being destroyed by extreme vibrations, unless you find a shelter quickly (and it must be the underground shelter, or at least some deep hole, or you may mutate), and if you get caught by emission while in so called "step" (estimated area which would be consumed by the next zone), you have a great chance to be killed by a new anomaly which just spawns right under your feet. Plus, stalkers, bandits and soldiers are constantly at each other's throats, so no matter on which side you are, you would have enemies. And then there are zombies, who shoot them all on sight. The further into zones you go, the worse it becomes, with new anomalies and mutants, new restrictions, and new rules; the Yellow zone disables any electrics, including detectors, and adds mobile anomalies into mix. The Red zone, assuming you even manage to resist its attempt to brainwash you (there were only "3,5" documented cases of people doing so), makes anomalies not just moving, but actively pursuing intruders. It somehow became even worse post-"Disinfection". | |
The Areal / int_63557923 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_63557923 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_63557923 | |
The Areal / int_6439de78 | type |
Heroic Sacrifice | |
The Areal / int_6439de78 | comment |
Heroic Sacrifice: Quartz's original plan how to rescue Nail involves them taking her before she goes into the forest (where Hunter's men are planning to ambush them), and try to mask him as Nail, so they wouldn't notice until it's too late to do anything; Ras points that Quartz is two heads taller than Nail, and that he would fit better. Vodyanoy immediately recognises that this plan would be a one-way ticket, and rejects it, insisting that they must come up with something which wouldn't involve anyone of them sacrificing himself. In search for something which may help dying Vodyanoy, Ras finally finds the way into the old research centre, only to notice that it was partially consumed by the Areal, with side effects including zombies (blind and deformed due to the lack of contact with the psi-field), zombification-inducing water in what was once the pool... and newly-formed Source met. That is exactly what Vodyanoy needs (the Source would give him infinite amount of water), but to obtain it, Ras gets forced to go inside. He makes it back, just like his father once, but Ras himself gets zombified and runs into the Epicentre. | |
The Areal / int_6439de78 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6439de78 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6439de78 | |
The Areal / int_6500e9cc | type |
Fighting from the Inside | |
The Areal / int_6500e9cc | comment |
Fighting from the Inside: Ras meets his zombified father (who now leads the squad of zombies); he picks up the Sixth Sense, and then looks his son directly into the eyes. When Ras, losing any sense of self-control, rushes to his father, every zombie starts shooting him... every one, except for his father, which may mean that there's still some hope for him left. | |
The Areal / int_6500e9cc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6500e9cc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6500e9cc | |
The Areal / int_6501c092 | type |
Impartial Purpose-Driven Faction | |
The Areal / int_6501c092 | comment |
Impartial Purpose-Driven Faction: Non-aligned ("Nonals" for short) refused to join any group, even become Free Ones (who, while not a part of specific group, still abide established "rules", like paying bandits, or, more or less, enslaving their women, and at times only differentiate from bandits by being less violent and chaotic). As result, while they are "free", they now have the worst lives out of everyone: they live in the middle of the Yellow zone, with bare minimum of... well, pretty much anything, and are in constant danger of being wiped out. They are often considered to be the greatest losers in the whole Areal, and this is saying something. We later learn just why they chose such life: they are the only people who refused to abandon their mutated children (Addicted always give birth to mutants), which also put them in danger, since many people would take their children away, by force, in hope that they can predict the Emissions, despite their ability to sense Areal being very unreliable (some can sense the Emissions, others can't even see anomalies and gets killed). | |
The Areal / int_6501c092 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6501c092 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6501c092 | |
The Areal / int_65acf9db | type |
He Knows Too Much | |
The Areal / int_65acf9db | comment |
He Knows Too Much: To avoid any risks of him spilling anything (he already started in the previous book), Belov terminates Prokopenko, setting it up as a suicide (he, allegedly, pierced his throat with a broken spoon). Firz gets put into prison, where he dies from Itch between last chapter and the epilogue. Nikolaeva and Stepanov were terminated during failed evacuation, specifically on Belov's orders. | |
The Areal / int_65acf9db | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_65acf9db | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_65acf9db | |
The Areal / int_6654b17b | type |
Facial Horror | |
The Areal / int_6654b17b | comment |
Facial Horror: When their generator malfunctions, Nikolaeva and Stepanov gets seriously injured. While Stepanov, as usually, injures his arm (this time seemingly to the point it's no longer usable), Nikolavea's face gets horribly burned, with no chances to heal. Fortunately, that same incident also leads to creation of Essence — medicine with regenerative qualities strong enough to reverse both traumas. | |
The Areal / int_6654b17b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6654b17b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6654b17b | |
The Areal / int_666648a3 | type |
Hostile Terraforming | |
The Areal / int_666648a3 | comment |
Hostile Terraforming: Turns out that Areal is indeed an alien terraforming tool. The Fragment of an alien spacecraft, which crashed on Earth years ago, slowly changes Earth to "multi-dimensional" space which would be fitting for aliens — but lethal to humans, even zombies. | |
The Areal / int_666648a3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_666648a3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_666648a3 | |
The Areal / int_66755d29 | type |
Author Avatar | |
The Areal / int_66755d29 | comment |
Thirteenth somehow made it out of the Red zone, bringing back zombified counterintelligence agent (now un-brainwashed), and the important databank from a fallen satellite. He refused to tell Bolt any details about what and how he did there, and never appears in the story afterwards. | |
The Areal / int_66755d29 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_66755d29 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_66755d29 | |
The Areal / int_6760ff37 | type |
Secret Secret-Keeper | |
The Areal / int_6760ff37 | comment |
Secret Secret-Keeper: Fixa and Mute already realised that their "Master" and foreign spy Merkulov are the same person, but chose to keep that info to themselves, since for now, "the Master" with his skills is more useful than whatever reward they can get for Merkulov's head. That doesn't last long, however. | |
The Areal / int_6760ff37 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6760ff37 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6760ff37 | |
The Areal / int_676e942c | type |
We Hardly Knew Ye | |
The Areal / int_676e942c | comment |
We Hardly Knew Ye: New member of the Bear's team of the SOT survivors, Tantal (survivor from Ducat's team who was not corrupt, unlike his commander) gets introduced... and then the next time we hear about him, it turns out that he'd lost his legs to the Jelly (detector malfunctioned and failed to warn him), and was finished off by bandits. | |
The Areal / int_676e942c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_676e942c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_676e942c | |
The Areal / int_67711aa | type |
Company Town | |
The Areal / int_67711aa | comment |
Company Town: Corporation creates Underground City "Satellite", specifically for its workers (and high-ups) stuck in the Areal. In return for staying there with living conditions as good as possible within Areal, people must become employees. | |
The Areal / int_67711aa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_67711aa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_67711aa | |
The Areal / int_6b05b601 | type |
Jerkass Has a Point | |
The Areal / int_6b05b601 | comment |
Jerkass Has a Point: Despite all toxicity, Fragment is still right at some points. Most humans out there are too corrupt, greedy and selfish to even try to interact with them, people just keep going into the Red zone and becoming zombies over their greed, and humans indeed tries to nuke the Epicentre into oblivion the second they learns about what's going on there. It's the choice of words which nullifies all sympathy either Mist or the readers may have. | |
The Areal / int_6b05b601 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6b05b601 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6b05b601 | |
The Areal / int_6b2b3b59 | type |
The Reveal | |
The Areal / int_6b2b3b59 | comment |
The Reveal: While Vodyanoy's anomalous ability to consume water in ridiculous amounts was known for the long time, we finally learns (through Aybolit's attempts to revive him) just what his body does with it, and where all that water goes, if stomach normally just has not enough place to put it in; turns out, Vodyanoy's entire body somehow sucks out water he consumes just as he drinks it, but just where it goes, he doesn't know, tough he has a theory that it's somehow related to his brain (Vodyanoy often drinks water when he starts complaining about brain "burning", particularly near anomalies). | |
The Areal / int_6b2b3b59 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6b2b3b59 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6b2b3b59 | |
The Areal / int_6c553873 | type |
Private Military Contractors | |
The Areal / int_6c553873 | comment |
Private Military Contractors: One of the groups is explicitly called "Mercenaries", and can be hired to protect anyone (though their prices aren't cheap); as additional bonus, any wandering mercs would gladly help you if you encounter them in the Zones, while being protected by one of their friends. | |
The Areal / int_6c553873 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_6c553873 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_6c553873 | |
The Areal / int_716c0b1b | type |
And the Adventure Continues | |
The Areal / int_716c0b1b | comment |
And the Adventure Continues: Most of the main characters chooses to go with the aliens, to fight new battles somewhere else to protect their homeworld from enemies even more dangerous than the Corporation. Vodyanoy refuses to go, since he still must find his daughter and father (who are desperate enough to attempt to enter Areal), and save Ras, who became a zombie to save him (fortunately, he has two Living Waters, taken from X-Ray and Lavender who no longer needs them, so he can save not only Ras, but his father as well). Nail wouldn't leave her husband, so she stays, too. | |
The Areal / int_716c0b1b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_716c0b1b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_716c0b1b | |
The Areal / int_72e0023f | type |
Invoked Trope | |
The Areal / int_72e0023f | comment |
Dull, called that for not only showing no useful abilities, but also looking plain and ugly, still didn't reveal its effects (and, considering how rare it became, it would be even harder to reveal it now), but Ras is sure that it's just as useful as everything else, they are just yet to find it. | |
The Areal / int_72e0023f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_72e0023f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_72e0023f | |
The Areal / int_735b4101 | type |
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience | |
The Areal / int_735b4101 | comment |
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Each zone has its own colour palette. The Green zone at the first glimpse looks almost normal, if not counting for the weird blue spots on the local plants. The Yellow zone has blue grass (with yellow spots) and green sky and blue sun. The Red zone recolours many things into orange and purple (even Blue, omnipresent insect from the first two zones, suddenly becomes purple). The Epicentre mixes black soils and grass (what's left of it) with red skies and sick white sun which can't even blind you if you look directly at it, being too pale. The Cloud anomaly alternates between two modes, distinguishable by its colour. While it's black, it's safe to walk around. While it's green, it would zap to death anything coming too close. | |
The Areal / int_735b4101 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_735b4101 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_735b4101 | |
The Areal / int_7360806f | type |
In-Series Nickname | |
The Areal / int_7360806f | comment |
In-Series Nickname: Since all SOT's members uses callsigns, Volodina receives her own: "Bambi". | |
The Areal / int_7360806f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7360806f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7360806f | |
The Areal / int_73733868 | type |
Awesomeness by Analysis | |
The Areal / int_73733868 | comment |
Awesomeness by Analysis: By analysing what small information he has, Merkulov comes to conclusion that cataclysm was caused by the Corporation — and that SOT wants to reveal their crimes to the world, with the Bolt's help. He also (correctly) guesses that X-Ray is still alive, and was in league with Bear all along. Now, he plans to become first to obtain that information for his superiors, to not just redeem himself for his failure, but actually become their favourite. | |
The Areal / int_73733868 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_73733868 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_73733868 | |
The Areal / int_74828aea | type |
Killer Rabbit | |
The Areal / int_74828aea | comment |
Killer Rabbit: Wrapper turns out to be badass enough to keep injured Aybolit secured (killing any approaching mutant) until help arrives. | |
The Areal / int_74828aea | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_74828aea | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_74828aea | |
The Areal / int_74d9d78f | type |
Hate at First Sight | |
The Areal / int_74d9d78f | comment |
Hate at First Sight: Bear immediately recognised that Firz is no better than his first commander. He is certainly smarter, but he is no less of an asshole to his men. Firz, in turn, immediately realised that he can't trust Bear (who's too honest to involve in his schemes), and used his team as a "dump" for any other people he can't rely on. | |
The Areal / int_74d9d78f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_74d9d78f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_74d9d78f | |
The Areal / int_754df088 | type |
Put on a Bus | |
The Areal / int_754df088 | comment |
Put on a Bus: Quartz is sure that X-Ray (and by extension, Mist) survived the "Disinfection", because X-Ray, knowing full well what's going on, ordered him to wait, not just run, which means that he had a plan prepared to survive. But until the right time comes, Quartz would be on his own. Bolt once again becomes the sole person to not being harmed by Areal's side effects. Once again, he gets locked in the medical facility due to this, this time in desperate attempt to find out how to transfer his immunity to Lozinsky and his people. | |
The Areal / int_754df088 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_754df088 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_754df088 | |
The Areal / int_75f38750 | type |
Kaizo Trap | |
The Areal / int_75f38750 | comment |
Kaizo Trap: Serious problem when fighting a moose; if it manages to accumulate enough speed, it may still hit you even posthumously, which, considering it weights half-a-ton, wouldn't end well no matter how good your gear is. For that reason, when encountering a whole pack of them, Bear decides to just avoid them entirely. | |
The Areal / int_75f38750 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_75f38750 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_75f38750 | |
The Areal / int_7870735b | type |
From Bad to Worse | |
The Areal / int_7870735b | comment |
From Bad to Worse: Post-"Disinfection" Areal is now as deadly as never before. Mutants somehow became even more aggressive to humans. Entire Green zone is now "infested" with bandits who attacks everyone on sight and fights with each other over resources and clear places to live. Green zone is partially contaminated with lethal radiation. Emissions are now much weaker (in terms of how much land they consume), but occurs much more often, and now would instantly zombify you if you didn't hide (previously, you had a small chance to hide before vibrations take you). And worst of all, anyone who ever contacted with Areal in any way (mets, meteorite shards, certain byproducts) or crossed its border, now feel ever growing Itch whenever they are outside of it, which gradually becomes pain, then insufferable pain, and then you just die in agony. Treatment exists, but it's extremely painful, very expensive, can be done in only one place on Earth (in Germany — which is a... little to far away from Siberia) and lasts for very limited time, after which you must wait at least a month to take another dose. And then there's "poltergeist" effect, when near such people bad things occurs so often and with so destructive effects, they becomes the outcasts. | |
The Areal / int_7870735b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7870735b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7870735b | |
The Areal / int_796bffea | type |
Mistaken for Racist | |
The Areal / int_796bffea | comment |
Mistaken for Racist: Kugelstein's (a German) comment about Itch treatment failing on Linder (a Jew) due to genetic incompatibility gets mistaken by Lozinsky (a Jew himself) for antisemitism (he only resisted to call him a nazi due to him being the sole source of treatment). Considering Tarmashev's heavy use of genetic memory in nearly every his work (including villainy — and heroism — being In the Blood, regardless of other factors), it's very likely that Kugelstein meant something else besides Linder being a Jew (especially since that same formula worked on Lozinsky and the others, with sole difference being anaesthetics used). | |
The Areal / int_796bffea | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_796bffea | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_796bffea | |
The Areal / int_79e07b47 | type |
Lecture as Exposition | |
The Areal / int_79e07b47 | comment |
Lecture as Exposition: Mist attends briefings to learn more about the Areal. Just as he learns how to survive there, the reader learns more about the Areal. | |
The Areal / int_79e07b47 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_79e07b47 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_79e07b47 | |
The Areal / int_7a555627 | type |
Honest Corporate Executive | |
The Areal / int_7a555627 | comment |
Honest Corporate Executive: Owner of "Metronom Plus" reacts with utter disgust when Prokopenko offers him to participate in a money laundry scheme, and angrily refuses, despite all the possible benefits it may give him. | |
The Areal / int_7a555627 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7a555627 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7a555627 | |
The Areal / int_7b80226d | type |
GoodCounterpart | |
The Areal / int_7b80226d | comment |
Good Counterpart: There are two anomalies, the Swell and the Licker, which looks very similar at the first glance. The first one is large, fast (if it catches you off-guard and attacks, you can't outrun it) all-consuming mist of acidic gas, while the second one is one of the few non-hostile anomalies in the Areal, which smells like fresh buns and acts weirdly similar to little puppy ("licks" you and plays with you by gently throwing things back). By the time you realise the difference between the two, it would be too late. Mist presumes that whoever discovered the Licker, was already prepared to die when he encountered it for the first time. There's actually a good reason why they look so similarly: they are actually two different modes of the same anomaly. The only difference between rangers and stalkers is that rangers works for the Corporation, helping collecting mets and acting as pathfinders for the field squads, while stalkers work only for themselves (selling mets on the black market) or for the bandits. In fact, some rangers are the former stalkers, while some stalkers are rangers gone rogue. It stopped mattering after "Disinfection", as government stopped prosecuting stalkers due to countless people being now forced to live within Areal, all stalkers included. | |
The Areal / int_7b80226d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7b80226d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7b80226d | |
The Areal / int_7c48b272 | type |
Summon Bigger Fish | |
The Areal / int_7c48b272 | comment |
Summon Bigger Fish: The mutants can smell alcohol, tea, coffee or tobacco (especially alcohol) from a far away, and instantly drop whatever they're doing and attack. This was eventually weaponised (the idea is to make zombies attack your opponent), albeit this tactic is risky, as mutants and zombies would attack all humans on sight. | |
The Areal / int_7c48b272 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7c48b272 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7c48b272 | |
The Areal / int_7c862b8a | type |
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder | |
The Areal / int_7c862b8a | comment |
Merkulov lampshades how naive Prokopenko is in his belief that he may just backstab his "partner", and get him replaced by someone "easier to deal with"; more likely scenario would be Merkulov's bosses just stopping working with Prokopenko altogether because he's too unreliable. | |
The Areal / int_7c862b8a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7c862b8a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7c862b8a | |
The Areal / int_7cda47b | type |
Dying Declaration of Love | |
The Areal / int_7cda47b | comment |
Dying Declaration of Love: Just before dying, Tatiana tells Bear that she loves him. They even tries to kiss each other, which works rather clumsy due to their injuries. | |
The Areal / int_7cda47b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7cda47b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7cda47b | |
The Areal / int_7e6c0522 | type |
Off with His Head! | |
The Areal / int_7e6c0522 | comment |
Off with His Head!: After Merkulov made a mistake and revealed himself as "the Master", Belov put such high price for his head, that Merkulov got betrayed Fixa, who tricked him into going close to the Solenoid, which beheaded him, and then brought his mutilated head to Belov for reward. | |
The Areal / int_7e6c0522 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7e6c0522 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7e6c0522 | |
The Areal / int_7f38c0cd | type |
An Offer You Can't Refuse | |
The Areal / int_7f38c0cd | comment |
An Offer You Can't Refuse: Either Volodina becomes Prokopenko's concubine and lives in VIP conditions (at least, until he gets tired of her), or he would give her away to bandits to be gang-raped and possibly killed. | |
The Areal / int_7f38c0cd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7f38c0cd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7f38c0cd | |
The Areal / int_7fbb2a3 | type |
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! | |
The Areal / int_7fbb2a3 | comment |
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Abramov turns out to be completely corrupt and just delivers Volodina's letter to Prokopenko. This results in him resuming actively trying to kill Bear and his team, since Lozinsky wouldn't tolerate another screwup. Attempt to recruit doctor Volkonsky to help with researches attracts attention of security service. While Hunter is just as stupid and incompetent as always, his subordinates are smarter. This results in Volkonsky being revealed the moment he returned from the SOT base, Nail being captured and interrogated (which, in turn, revealed everyone not yet on the wanted list, including Ras, and gave Corporation info how to make detectors work in the Yellow zone), and Mantrap being seriously injured, while everyone else barely escapes with their lives. This also indirectly leads to Bear being forced to crossing the Cobweb to survive an ambush. | |
The Areal / int_7fbb2a3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7fbb2a3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7fbb2a3 | |
The Areal / int_7febc23b | type |
Establishing Character Moment | |
The Areal / int_7febc23b | comment |
Establishing Character Moment: Hunter's behaviour during security briefing tells us everything we should know about this guy. His is insufferable, arrogant dumbass with overblown ego, who exploits his connections to get away with bullying almost anyone he wants, or breaking secrecy rules such as never mentioning anyone's last names. And yet he's a coward, who never picks a fight with anyone who can't be scared by his connections. Prokopenko's behaviour when he goes to casino shows his true colours: he's not just corrupt, but also extremely prideful, and sees everyone who has less power and money than him like dirt. | |
The Areal / int_7febc23b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_7febc23b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_7febc23b | |
The Areal / int_80251be3 | type |
How We Got Here | |
The Areal / int_80251be3 | comment |
How We Got Here: First chapter starts with Lozinsky attending regular Itch treatment in Germany. The rest of chapter explains backstory behind that, and what happened with Areal and those who were there during "Disinfection", switching back to Lozinsky at present only at the very end. Second chapter (which spans almost the entire book, with only around last quarter remaining for the third and last one) starts with bandits trying to find out more details about how SOT organises their tradings, so they may exploit it later during another attack. Shortly after plot switches to SOT themselves (discussing what just happened), then story jumps back again (this time, from Bear's PoV), to explain how SOT even ended up here, with not only scientists, Vlad (now known in Areal as Vodyanoy) and ex-ranger Ras, but also Quartz (Sole Survivor of X-Ray's team), and goes like this for almost entire book, only switching to the "present" at the last quarter. | |
The Areal / int_80251be3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_80251be3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_80251be3 | |
The Areal / int_8409a385 | type |
Exactly What It Says on the Tin | |
The Areal / int_8409a385 | comment |
The Sieve would cut you up into small pieces, like razor-sharp sieve, the moment you come in contact with it. | |
The Areal / int_8409a385 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8409a385 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8409a385 | |
The Areal / int_874201dc | type |
Inside Job | |
The Areal / int_874201dc | comment |
Inside Job: Multiple characters are suspecting that someone provides information to the bandits, as the only possible explanation for previous book's failures. As the readers already knows by this point, they are completely right: the traitor is Firz himself. | |
The Areal / int_874201dc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_874201dc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_874201dc | |
The Areal / int_87854c3d | type |
The Usual Adversaries | |
The Areal / int_87854c3d | comment |
The Usual Adversaries: Blue is the local insect called that for, well, being blue. Blue are too small to cause major damage, but they sure as hell would try to make you suffer: they have extremely painful bite, biting out the small pieces of your skin each time (all Areal's fauna is hostile to humans, and insects are not an exception) and causing the wound which would take a lot to heal afterwards, leaving ugly, swollen scars. They are omnipresent in the Green and especially in the Yellow zone, and are universally hated by anyone who ever went into the zones. They can be collected to be used as the material for various technologies, but are very easy to accidentally kill, and, when they reach the critical mass, start emitting psi-signals (like any other local animals), causing every other (much more dangerous) mutants to go out of their way to attack you while you are struggling to escape the Areal with your trophies, so most people prefer to not even bother; only mercs and nonals risk to deal with them: the former managed to set up entire plantations, keeping them under heavy guard, while the latter know now to collect them quietly. | |
The Areal / int_87854c3d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_87854c3d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_87854c3d | |
The Areal / int_87b8f581 | type |
Refusal of the Call | |
The Areal / int_87b8f581 | comment |
Refusal of the Call: Bolt, Vodyanoy and Nail refuses to go with the aliens; Bolt thinks that someone must stay and look over Russia, since it's his homeland, after all (plus, he's the only one who can operate the car which allows the safe travel within Areal, including Epicentre), while Vlad and his wife must find their daughter and Vlad's father first, not to mention find and save Ras. | |
The Areal / int_87b8f581 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_87b8f581 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_87b8f581 | |
The Areal / int_87bb6874 | type |
Villain with Good Publicity | |
The Areal / int_87bb6874 | comment |
Villain with Good Publicity: When human rights activist Ilya Abramov tried to use interview with Prokopenko (who was sent to represent "Areal" Corporation) to put "Areal" and its leadership in a bad light, Prokopenko actually manages to reverse the situation, making himself look like just yet another victim, who's undeservedly insulted. He even mentions his family, who perished in the "Disinfection"Â (his wife lived in Ukhta). | |
The Areal / int_87bb6874 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_87bb6874 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_87bb6874 | |
The Areal / int_88fa35e0 | type |
Walking Techbane | |
The Areal / int_88fa35e0 | comment |
Walking Techbane: Amongst other effects of the Addiction is so-called Poltergeist — invisible aura which increases chances of various incidents (especially if any tech is presented) to absurd levels, to the point that things just breaks out of nowhere. Common test to bust any Addicted trying to sneak on board of plains or trains, endangering other people, is to force people to wait two hours between registration and going on board, in a room full of tech (TVs, cameras, etc) — if at least one Addicted is presented, something would break before long. | |
The Areal / int_88fa35e0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_88fa35e0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_88fa35e0 | |
The Areal / int_899f4b24 | type |
HeelRealisation | |
The Areal / int_899f4b24 | comment |
Heel Realisation: After learning that Mist is the same hero who risked his life to save several women and children from terrorists not long ago (she watched reportage about it when it just happened), Lavender clumsily tries to apologise, realising whom she just insulted. Mist doesn't accept her apologise, since she only regretted insulting a hero, not insulting people at random in general, and points out that in any different situation she would've continued insulting him, as usually. After this, she changes for the best for real, dropping her Insufferable Genius attitude. | |
The Areal / int_899f4b24 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_899f4b24 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_899f4b24 | |
The Areal / int_8ab096bd | type |
Dehumanization | |
The Areal / int_8ab096bd | comment |
Dehumanization: Prokopenko discusses with his "friend" some new "goods", which are already packed and ready for shipment. The thing is, the "goods" in question are new sex slaves whom Prokopenko ordered to be delivered from the "Big Earth", and his "friend" is a human trafficker and drug trader. | |
The Areal / int_8ab096bd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8ab096bd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8ab096bd | |
The Areal / int_8ace85ef | type |
Audience Surrogate | |
The Areal / int_8ace85ef | comment |
Audience Surrogate: Mist is a complete newbie in the Areal, so the book introduces the readers to how things works in the Areal through his actions and interactions with other characters: Mist browsing through internet in futile attempt to find useful information about the Areal before starting working there; rather large part dedicated to briefings, both about anomalies and about local fauna; Mist's interactions with Bolt while already in Areal; etc. | |
The Areal / int_8ace85ef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8ace85ef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8ace85ef | |
The Areal / int_8ae880f7 | type |
Deconstruction | |
The Areal / int_8ae880f7 | comment |
Deconstruction: Of the idea of using bolts to check for anomalies, like it was done in both S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Roadside Picnic, on which Areal is based upon. Mist asks how people checks for anomalies when in the Yellow zone, where detectors are unavailable, and presumes that they are throwing bolts. Ras says that at first, some "morons who read too much Sci-Fi" have indeed tried to use bolts, but soon stopped (those who survived), after realising that several anomalies works by throwing objects back at the sender with lethal force. Not to mention, bolts are too heavy to take a large supplies of them (more weight means more energy spent, and thus more risks). In the Areal, people use shells instead: still painful if thrown at you, but it's not gonna kill you, and you're highly unlikely to run out of them. | |
The Areal / int_8ae880f7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8ae880f7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8ae880f7 | |
The Areal / int_8afadb7e | type |
Department of Child Disservices | |
The Areal / int_8afadb7e | comment |
Department of Child Disservices: Lozinsky and Belov deciding to use Vodyanoy's daughter to blackmail him, by staging the excuse for taking her away from grandparents for "negligence" and putting her into orphanage (as parents would be relived of their duty as her guardians for "gross neglect"). Things don't go as planned, because, as we already know, Vlad's father is Afghan war veteran, who reacted to this by straight up abducting his granddaughter and going on the run, with guards being too scared to intervene. | |
The Areal / int_8afadb7e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8afadb7e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8afadb7e | |
The Areal / int_8b568cb7 | type |
Posthumous Character | |
The Areal / int_8b568cb7 | comment |
Lieutenant Levein (callsing "Hunter")Â is actually Belov's nephew (and, as we later learn, the son of security team's colonel, though by that point his father would be already dead); the only reason he is here to begin with is because his uncle plans to set him as his successor, and place like the Areal would be great for his career, even if he wouldn't make it outside main base. | |
The Areal / int_8b568cb7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8b568cb7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8b568cb7 | |
The Areal / int_8cb1a369 | type |
Took a Level in Jerkass | |
The Areal / int_8cb1a369 | comment |
Took a Level in Jerkass: Prokopenko was always a jerk, especially when he needs not to hide his ugly personality (like casinos' personnel, who are forced to tolerate him because casinos are technically illegal in Russia, and he may shut them down), but post-"Disinfection", with all the "nice" Addiction-related additions to his life, he became even more of a jerk than before, openly antagonising everyone and mocking their fear of "poltergeist", even after someone actually got hurt. | |
The Areal / int_8cb1a369 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8cb1a369 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8cb1a369 | |
The Areal / int_8cb844c6 | type |
Mr. Exposition | |
The Areal / int_8cb844c6 | comment |
Mr. Exposition: Several characters (instructor, Lavender, Ras, Bolt) mainly serves the purpose of explaining how things goes in the Areal, though Bolt also acts as the guide during Mist's first field mission. | |
The Areal / int_8cb844c6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8cb844c6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8cb844c6 | |
The Areal / int_8d0785d5 | type |
Didn't Think This Through | |
The Areal / int_8d0785d5 | comment |
Didn't Think This Through: Prokopenko's decision to backstab Merkulov by trying to frame him was a really bad decision, for more than one reason: Merkulov lampshades how naive Prokopenko is in his belief that he may just backstab his "partner", and get him replaced by someone "easier to deal with"; more likely scenario would be Merkulov's bosses just stopping working with Prokopenko altogether because he's too unreliable. Prokopenko chose Hunter, of all people, to arrest Merkulov, hoping that since he's too incompetent, he would be easy to manipulate. But Hunter is aware that he's too incompetent for that... and asks his uncle, Belov, who is amongst the last people Prokopenko wants anywhere near Merkulov, since he may learn about his betrayal. Even Prokopenko himself realises eventually how bad this idea was. | |
The Areal / int_8d0785d5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8d0785d5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8d0785d5 | |
The Areal / int_8d718b9e | type |
Bears Are Bad News | |
The Areal / int_8d718b9e | comment |
While all mutants are dangerous to some degree (particularly bears), dogs are universally feared by everyone, no matter how good they are equipped and armed. Why? Because they are bigger than a rhino, tougher than a tank and can cut you in half with one bite. Some are just as aggressive as any other local creature, while others are friendly... but with their size it makes little difference, since their attempt to "play" still results in traumas and deaths. Fortunately, they all live in the Epicentre and nearly never go into zones. Nearly. | |
The Areal / int_8d718b9e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8d718b9e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8d718b9e | |
The Areal / int_8e04fdd7 | type |
Dragon with an Agenda | |
The Areal / int_8e04fdd7 | comment |
Dragon with an Agenda: Fixa remains on Merkulov's side, but only because Merkulov is still more useful alive than dead, giving him and Mute the stable income. And as long as he gets the money, he's perfectly fine with (officially) being only the number two. | |
The Areal / int_8e04fdd7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8e04fdd7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8e04fdd7 | |
The Areal / int_8e20979 | type |
Wham Episode | |
The Areal / int_8e20979 | comment |
Wham Episode: Operation "Disinfection" massively changes status quo, destroys both "Areal" base (with most inhabitants perishing) and Ukhta (again, with most people dying or becoming zombies), and makes Areal even deadlier than it used to be, with only small portions of changes being shown right now, and some others being teased for upcoming sequels. Not to mention actual revelation just how Areal appeared in the first place. | |
The Areal / int_8e20979 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8e20979 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8e20979 | |
The Areal / int_8ed5c6e4 | type |
Asshole Victim | |
The Areal / int_8ed5c6e4 | comment |
Turns out that the botched process of Firz's de-zombification (Fragment had too little time to do it properly) resulted in him not having Itch... but now he has the tumour in his head, which would kill him within two months at best. Not that anyone cares about his health, but he's a valuable witness in this case. | |
The Areal / int_8ed5c6e4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8ed5c6e4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8ed5c6e4 | |
The Areal / int_8ef5ae81 | type |
Lethally Stupid | |
The Areal / int_8ef5ae81 | comment |
Lethally Stupid: Some dumbass from Corporation's personnel thought that it would be a good idea to brink vodka in his flask on the work. As even dumbest crooks know, alcohol smell attracts Areal animals and zombies — and you don't want to attract Areal animals and zombies... This guy didn't survive the emission, but his flask was later found by Bear who searched for some water for injured Stepanov — and was nearly killed by the zombies when he opened it up without knowing what's inside. | |
The Areal / int_8ef5ae81 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8ef5ae81 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8ef5ae81 | |
The Areal / int_8f612013 | type |
Token Good Teammate | |
The Areal / int_8f612013 | comment |
When Vorontsov learns about the crimes of the rest of the board of executives from X-Ray, he tries contact with Moscow. Not risking to just assassinate him, Lozinsky tries to arrest him and pass him as either a zombie or psychically unstable, to justify locking him up. Belov later outright orders to kill him on sight. | |
The Areal / int_8f612013 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_8f612013 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_8f612013 | |
The Areal / int_90965cc7 | type |
Hive Mind | |
The Areal / int_90965cc7 | comment |
Hive Mind: All mutants are connected to the Areal's psi-field, which gives them, amongst the other things, ability to telepathically give each other information. Ability to use that connection varies greatly amongst different species, and they only do this when this wouldn't conflict with their interests (why warn the others about something you want to eat yourself?), but any pack animals can be expected to use it on regular basis. | |
The Areal / int_90965cc7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_90965cc7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_90965cc7 | |
The Areal / int_90c018ac | type |
Justified Trope | |
The Areal / int_90c018ac | comment |
Justified for the Corporation's personnel. Using last names within Areal is strictly forbidden due to secrecy concerns. Official documents mentions people only by callsigns, but in personal conversations it's allowed to use the first names (but never surnames). | |
The Areal / int_90c018ac | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_90c018ac | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_90c018ac | |
The Areal / int_90d44f44 | type |
Karmic Death | |
The Areal / int_90d44f44 | comment |
Karmic Death: In absence of Kugelstein, Lozisinsky and Belov dies in agony from their brains literally rotting away in mere minutes. This is ultimate payback for causing the cataclysm in the first place. | |
The Areal / int_90d44f44 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_90d44f44 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_90d44f44 | |
The Areal / int_90e31482 | type |
Laser-Guided Karma | |
The Areal / int_90e31482 | comment |
Laser-Guided Karma: When, after main events, emission finally hit, it was unusually strong (though not nearly the Cataclysm level); the people, grown accustomed to receiving warnings about upcoming emissions, were caught off-guard, causing massive casualties, with only one third being due to emission itself, the rest were killed by resulting zombies, who started hunting for their former teammates. It's entirely their fault that it ended like this: they used Bear's help for so long, yet when he asked for help, they let him die; now, there's no one to warn them anymore. | |
The Areal / int_90e31482 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_90e31482 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_90e31482 | |
The Areal / int_9141fba3 | type |
Fountain of Youth | |
The Areal / int_9141fba3 | comment |
Fountain of Youth: Bear's main clue that Mist did, in fact, visit the Red zone back in the previous book is him being rejuvenated, looking at least five years younger than before. | |
The Areal / int_9141fba3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9141fba3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9141fba3 | |
The Areal / int_91697559 | type |
Half the Man He Used to Be | |
The Areal / int_91697559 | comment |
Half the Man He Used to Be: Turns out that Anna was killed after the battle, when Veteran arrived with his Dog, and said dog cut her in half with one bite. | |
The Areal / int_91697559 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_91697559 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_91697559 | |
The Areal / int_91e894b4 | type |
Apocalypse How | |
The Areal / int_91e894b4 | comment |
Apocalypse How: Class X-3; the galaxy from which Fragment's ship evacuated, was utterly annihilated almost momentarily by unknown cataclysm, with not even local physics surviving intact; knowing that Mist can't comprehend it, the Fragment doesn't go into details, but it involved such concepts as space and time "switching up". | |
The Areal / int_91e894b4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_91e894b4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_91e894b4 | |
The Areal / int_9245d989 | type |
Sinister Minister | |
The Areal / int_9245d989 | comment |
One of subordinates of the local corrupt priest learns too much about the schemes of his boss, who steals most of the money which were supposed to be used to help people. Thanks to Firz, he didn't make it out alive from his latest visit to the zones. | |
The Areal / int_9245d989 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9245d989 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9245d989 | |
The Areal / int_927b2f11 | type |
The Bus Came Back | |
The Areal / int_927b2f11 | comment |
The Bus Came Back: After being absent since third book, Mist, Lavender and X-Ray returns and rejoin the cast, with the help of Bolt. | |
The Areal / int_927b2f11 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_927b2f11 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_927b2f11 | |
The Areal / int_928ca2cc | type |
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness | |
The Areal / int_928ca2cc | comment |
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Merkulov's bosses no longer have any use for him; and because of Itch, they can't even take him out of the Areal. All this, combined with him being hunted for by the Russian government, makes it much easier to just let him die. Capturing scientists was his last chance, but their death at Belov's hands ruined even that. | |
The Areal / int_928ca2cc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_928ca2cc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_928ca2cc | |
The Areal / int_952d21ec | type |
Bus Crash | |
The Areal / int_952d21ec | comment |
Bus Crash: Three members of the board of executives (least established ones) died during Time Skip between third and fourth books for various reasons related to them now being Addicted: Linder died when attempt to treat Itch horribly backfired at unknown time; Kugelstein stopped using advanced anaesthetics ever since, just in case. Shumelkina's helicopter exploded right in the air soon after "Satellite" was established, with no survivors. Zilberman died in the train crush, with what's left of his body being horribly mutilated. This is despite everything allegedly being "fail-proof". It's confirmed that a crooked priest Eulantius (whom we didn't see since the second book) perished during "Disinfection". | |
The Areal / int_952d21ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_952d21ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_952d21ec | |
The Areal / int_967fb42a | type |
Prolonged Prologue | |
The Areal / int_967fb42a | comment |
Prolonged Prologue: While the story's actual prologue isn't that long, first half of the story mostly consists of Mist attending briefings, and Prokopenko doing business (or wasting money at casino). The actual action, as well as any significant plot development, wouldn't happen until halfway into the book. In a sense, this entire book is one for the series, as it mainly serves to provide exposition, introducing characters, and setting up the future events, but has very little place left for its own action. | |
The Areal / int_967fb42a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_967fb42a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_967fb42a | |
The Areal / int_96a33f11 | type |
Riddle for the Ages | |
The Areal / int_96a33f11 | comment |
Riddle for the Ages: The answer what's happened to Thirteenth was ultimately never given. Was he offered to join the aliens as well? Or he was an alien to begin with? We would never know. | |
The Areal / int_96a33f11 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_96a33f11 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_96a33f11 | |
The Areal / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
The Areal / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: The moment Belov joins the game as the new main villain, he shows himself as much more dangerous to the heroes than Prokopenko ever was. He actually nearly wipes them out, with them being only saved by Fragment's intervention. | |
The Areal / int_970c790a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_970c790a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_970c790a | |
The Areal / int_9b04a8d1 | type |
This Is Not a Floor | |
The Areal / int_9b04a8d1 | comment |
This Is Not a Floor: Stalker Grishka, who assisted bandits during stealing Type X oil, dies by jumping into the large anomaly, demonstrating how the Call actually works. In his delusions, he believed that he was perfectly safe and not in the Areal at all. | |
The Areal / int_9b04a8d1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9b04a8d1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9b04a8d1 | |
The Areal / int_9b76b81 | type |
Evolutionary Levels | |
The Areal / int_9b76b81 | comment |
Evolutionary Levels: The further into the zones you go, the further mutations progresses. All species seems to follow specific pattern, with the same animals mutating into the same kinds of mutants, all the time, with further mutations being more advanced and dangerous. The only revealed full chain is the Porcupine (called that for its poisonous needles; likely former hedgehog), who mutates into the Octopus (drops the needles in favour of more mobility and ability to just spit its poison) and then into the Squid (wasn't described). | |
The Areal / int_9b76b81 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9b76b81 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9b76b81 | |
The Areal / int_9bcd82c0 | type |
Took a Level in Badass | |
The Areal / int_9bcd82c0 | comment |
Took a Level in Badass: Rasp managed to survive on his own without Merkulov, and now his new gang is one of the strongest in the Areal (alongside Merkulov's gang, with which they have perpetual war). | |
The Areal / int_9bcd82c0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9bcd82c0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9bcd82c0 | |
The Areal / int_9bee1a7f | type |
Eldritch Location | |
The Areal / int_9bee1a7f | comment |
Eldritch Location: The deeper into Areal you go, the less Earth-like it becomes. The Green zone already looks weird, but the Yellow zone paints the sky green, and the grass yellow. And then there's the Red zone, which is even weirder, and the Epicentre, which no longer resembles Earth at all, being closer to some alien planet. There's a good reason for it: Areal is actually the alien terraforming instrument, which AI of the fallen alien spacecraft uses to prepare survivable environment for its inhabitants. | |
The Areal / int_9bee1a7f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9bee1a7f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9bee1a7f | |
The Areal / int_9d12bbc1 | type |
Foreshadowing | |
The Areal / int_9d12bbc1 | comment |
Foreshadowing: Vlad's new ability to sense where not to go to avoid anomalies, just instinctively, and constant headache like something tries to fry his brains, uncomfortably strongly resembles zombies. | |
The Areal / int_9d12bbc1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9d12bbc1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9d12bbc1 | |
The Areal / int_9d92f84b | type |
Danger with a Deadline | |
The Areal / int_9d92f84b | comment |
Danger with a Deadline: There's so-called "No-fly weather" — a grace period after the recent Emission, when mutants are still very cautious and inactive. Once it ends, they resume their usual activities, becoming fully dangerous once again. And when it comes close to another Emission, the mutants becomes increasingly aggressive, because they feel the upcoming danger, and thus are even more nervous than usual. Several anomalies can vary in their lethality depending on the certain conditions: The Cobweb can be noticed without outside help during twilight. During the other times, the only way to check for it is to either use a lighter (its sparks would briefly reveal the Cobweb), or pock it with a stick and listen for specific cracking noises. And if you so much as touch it yourself (even if you already pocket it), You Are Already Dead. The Jelly can be easily seen during nighttime, because it emits the ghostly blue light. During the day, it's completely invisible, and if you step into it, you would be lucky if you lose only a leg. The Cloud alters between two modes, distinguishable by its colour — the completely docile black cloud, and the violent green cloud, which would zap you to death if you go too close. | |
The Areal / int_9d92f84b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9d92f84b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9d92f84b | |
The Areal / int_9def1a92 | type |
Reformed, but Not Tamed | |
The Areal / int_9def1a92 | comment |
Reformed, but Not Tamed: Ras is no longer an illegal stalker, but he still secretly escapes to Areal from time to time during his free time, keeps secret stash of mets for his own needs (he needs to survive in Areal somehow, and receiving them officially is usually out of question), and has several hidden routes to avoid guards. This all comes in handy when he encounters Mist, who desperately needs to sneak into the base without being caught. | |
The Areal / int_9def1a92 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9def1a92 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9def1a92 | |
The Areal / int_9e062ca3 | type |
Suicide Mission | |
The Areal / int_9e062ca3 | comment |
Suicide Mission: Because Fixa needs Lavender's "Ariadne" that much, he would send slaves to the lake in hope that they would grab it before being zombified; then they can just drag them via the rope attached. Slaves were, obviously, not informed about what's awaiting them. | |
The Areal / int_9e062ca3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9e062ca3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9e062ca3 | |
The Areal / int_9f970427 | type |
Secret-Keeper | |
The Areal / int_9f970427 | comment |
Secret-Keeper: Mist joins the circle of people aware of Bear's condition: Bolt warned him preemptively, knowing that otherwise he would notice this with his Ariadne, and potentially reveal this to everyone. | |
The Areal / int_9f970427 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_9f970427 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_9f970427 | |
The Areal / int_a0f6ab07 | type |
Nicknaming the Enemy | |
The Areal / int_a0f6ab07 | comment |
Nicknaming the Enemy: "Zombies" isn't the official term, it's how stalkers (and later "Areal" personnel, who chose to not reinvent the wheel) chose to call them. The same applies to all anomalies and mets. Whatever force which zombifies people in the Red zone was nicknamed "the Dark Lord". | |
The Areal / int_a0f6ab07 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a0f6ab07 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a0f6ab07 | |
The Areal / int_a1b0c1c2 | type |
Revealing Cover-Up | |
The Areal / int_a1b0c1c2 | comment |
Revealing Cover-Up: Mercs never takes metamorphites with them while on duty, to not reveal themselves as mercs (who're known for being rich and well-equipped). According to Ras, this is, ironically, what actually reveals them, since literally everyone else, including bandits, would use at least some mets. | |
The Areal / int_a1b0c1c2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a1b0c1c2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a1b0c1c2 | |
The Areal / int_a5adbbe7 | type |
Unreliable Expositor | |
The Areal / int_a5adbbe7 | comment |
Unreliable Expositor: It's impossible to separate truth from presumption in regards to Grey, since Anna is obviously biased against him, and always expects worst from him, often at no provocation whatsoever. | |
The Areal / int_a5adbbe7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a5adbbe7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a5adbbe7 | |
The Areal / int_a679184b | type |
Due to the Dead | |
The Areal / int_a679184b | comment |
Due to the Dead: After killing Guard, Bear asks Vlad to help him with putting his body in the nearby Bald, as a funeral of a sorts, since it's not his fault that he was zombified and mutated. Even more so, Bear actually used to know that guy back when he was still alive. | |
The Areal / int_a679184b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a679184b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a679184b | |
The Areal / int_a8357dc2 | type |
No Woman's Land | |
The Areal / int_a8357dc2 | comment |
No Woman's Land: Areal is so predominately male, with almost no women in sight, that many societies started forcing what few they have into living with some of them (in return for food, shelter and protection, but still). Then there are bandits, who either rapes them on sight, or forces them to work in their brothels. Even normally "safe" position of Resellers are not exception: while they wouldn't blatantly attack you, since it violates the treaty, bandits would happily request you to "pay" for your license in... some other way. At least one woman fell victim of this in the past, and barely managed to reach Satellite. | |
The Areal / int_a8357dc2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a8357dc2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a8357dc2 | |
The Areal / int_a836a9b5 | type |
Character Witness | |
The Areal / int_a836a9b5 | comment |
Character Witness: That same bandit whom Aybolit saved couple of books ago drags him out of the battle zone, hides him as much as he can, and gives him the first aid (as repayment for being save before). Thanks to him, Aybolit survives. Asya (the "monkey" girl whom Aybolit and Lavender helped earlier), when everyone stops watching, drags injured Lavender out of danger, preventing Fixa from retrieving her and giving her enough time to recover. | |
The Areal / int_a836a9b5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a836a9b5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a836a9b5 | |
The Areal / int_a86069f | type |
Alternate History | |
The Areal / int_a86069f | comment |
Alternate History: The meteorite, which caused the Areal to appear, fell in Siberia all the way back into Nineties, right when USSR started falling apart. Eventually, the Russian government realised that the oil extracted in the Areal has extraordinary properties, and started exploiting it. They also managed to extract the other Areal-born resources, giving them major advancements in developing both weapons and protecting equipment. This, of course, did nothing to improve the quality of life for common people. | |
The Areal / int_a86069f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a86069f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a86069f | |
The Areal / int_a861560f | type |
The Friend Nobody Likes | |
The Areal / int_a861560f | comment |
The Friend Nobody Likes: Moneybag is the valuable ally for Bear, but he's shameless merchant who only cares about money, which is exactly the type of people Bear hates. When asked whether their plan (smuggle Tatiana's letter through him) would endanger Moneybag, Bear outright states that he doesn't care. | |
The Areal / int_a861560f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a861560f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a861560f | |
The Areal / int_a8a4b41e | type |
Not So Stoic | |
The Areal / int_a8a4b41e | comment |
Not So Stoic: When Bear shoots Professor with an RPG, forcing it to blindly run out screaming, usually cold, composed and not exactly talkative Baykal gets so shocked when it run just past him (death missed him by that much), he goes into long and passionate "holy shit, what was that?!" speech — much longer than everything he said prior to that, combined. | |
The Areal / int_a8a4b41e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a8a4b41e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a8a4b41e | |
The Areal / int_a8a9d045 | type |
Super-Scream | |
The Areal / int_a8a9d045 | comment |
It's presumed that Unks (from the word "Unknown", in English) are infants who died during the very first emission, but were immediately resurrected, and subsequently developed into some weird and highly deformed kind of zombies. They normally don't leave Epicentre, but reacts to strong negative emotional emanations, particularly someone dying. This is very bad, since they are very hard to put down, and starts screaming at first provocation. And you really don't want them to scream... They are not violent, unlike the "normal" zombies — they died at too young age to learn hatred; they reacts this way due to fear. | |
The Areal / int_a8a9d045 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a8a9d045 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a8a9d045 | |
The Areal / int_a90f0639 | type |
Entitled Bastard | |
The Areal / int_a90f0639 | comment |
Entitled Bastard: People soon started taking whatever SOT makes for them for granted, without ever trying to help in turn; quite opposite, in fact. Bear often questions why they even bother, but never has heart to quit, because as long as there are some decent people, it's not in vain. | |
The Areal / int_a90f0639 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_a90f0639 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_a90f0639 | |
The Areal / int_aa30e350 | type |
Sole Survivor | |
The Areal / int_aa30e350 | comment |
Sole Survivor: Turns out that Aybolit was injured, but not killed during the SOT's Last Stand in the previous book, making him the sole survivor of the final battle, and one of the last three alive members of the original SOT (the other ones being Mist and Firz, with the last one being doomed anyway). | |
The Areal / int_aa30e350 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_aa30e350 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_aa30e350 | |
The Areal / int_aa42306e | type |
Totally Radical | |
The Areal / int_aa42306e | comment |
Totally Radical: Fragment offers Mist several possible speech patterns he may use for communication, numbering them. Type 3 is a slang-tossing youngster... or at least how author imagines such youngster would speak. | |
The Areal / int_aa42306e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_aa42306e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_aa42306e | |
The Areal / int_abd29ad8 | type |
No-Sell | |
The Areal / int_abd29ad8 | comment |
No-Sell: The bandits hired former kick-boxer to lead them into ruins of research complex. When he tried to use his combat skills on Guard, he just shrugged it off, then beheaded the guy with one hit. | |
The Areal / int_abd29ad8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_abd29ad8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_abd29ad8 | |
The Areal / int_abe1e24e | type |
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil | |
The Areal / int_abe1e24e | comment |
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Quartz dismisses Merkulov's involvement in several schemes they previously dealt with, because with casualties like this, it just looks implausible that Townsfolk had any hand in it. Unknowingly to him, Merkulov indeed values the lives of his men just that low. | |
The Areal / int_abe1e24e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_abe1e24e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_abe1e24e | |
The Areal / int_ac320c0e | type |
Nuke 'em | |
The Areal / int_ac320c0e | comment |
Another radiation-related metamorphite, "Dosimeter", which becomes warmer as radiation level increases. It was considered to be completely useless, similarly to Warmer, until "Disinfection" caused massive nuclear pollution, instantly making it into one of the most desirable mets; unfortunately, by now, they became just as rare as any other mets, since most of their supplies were either lost or delivered to now defunct Institute. | |
The Areal / int_ac320c0e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ac320c0e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ac320c0e | |
The Areal / int_ad1db87c | type |
Oh, Crap! | |
The Areal / int_ad1db87c | comment |
Oh, Crap!: Grey feels weirdly familiar smell. Then he realises that it's vodka, which means, all local zombies would soon be here. | |
The Areal / int_ad1db87c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ad1db87c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ad1db87c | |
The Areal / int_aed65980 | type |
All for Nothing | |
The Areal / int_aed65980 | comment |
All for Nothing: Ras and Vodyanoy barely infiltrates into the ruins of the research center, avoiding bandits and anomalies, and almost gets killed by a Swell (fortunately, they don't agitate it), all in hope to find documentation which would show the secret (safe) passage here. Turns out that the scheme they need is in the same room with the Swell, right on the wall... with a part about passage being destroyed with paint which someone just threw at it right above the Swell. | |
The Areal / int_aed65980 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_aed65980 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_aed65980 | |
The Areal / int_af3ea0e3 | type |
Face–Heel Turn | |
The Areal / int_af3ea0e3 | comment |
Face–Heel Turn: Piece, one way or another, was recruited by the people who now seek for Volodina. He refuses to share this with Anna (knowing that she's Tatiana's best friend), but she just eavesdrops them, and later warns Bear (after secretly going with another caravan) to not return Tatiana back, for her own safety. | |
The Areal / int_af3ea0e3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_af3ea0e3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_af3ea0e3 | |
The Areal / int_b0a91b69 | type |
Convection, Schmonvection | |
The Areal / int_b0a91b69 | comment |
Convection, Schmonvection: Inverted. When Mist gets briefly caught by (very border of) Heat anomaly, he feels so much heat, he thinks that his gear would melt, and his body with it (and it's even worse in the epicentre, where no gear would protect you — it would just boil your brain)... yet grass and even insects on it remains perfectly intact. He gets told that the Heat anomaly specifically affects only complex life forms, like humans, and their gear, and makes no harm to "lesser" beings. How it works, never gets explained. | |
The Areal / int_b0a91b69 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b0a91b69 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b0a91b69 | |
The Areal / int_b26e05d2 | type |
No Cure for Evil | |
The Areal / int_b26e05d2 | comment |
No Cure for Evil: So-called "Kugelstein's paradox", when, even knowing full well how certain technology works, some people can use it, and others can't, no matter what. All such technologies just so happen to be related to either medicine or free resources. Exact criteria for being eligible for usage of such technologies is unknown, but every person who actually managed to make them work is someone who sincerely wants to help the other people (Dr. Kugelstein, Ludmila Nikolaeva and Nikita Stepanov), and most persons who consistently fails are someone working for Lozinsky and Belov, with everyone in between actually producing something, but with the vastly inferior results. | |
The Areal / int_b26e05d2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b26e05d2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b26e05d2 | |
The Areal / int_b3bdf232 | type |
Alien Geometries | |
The Areal / int_b3bdf232 | comment |
Alien Geometries: As was revealed in the latter novels, several anomalies are only 1-2 dimensional (humans are considered to be 4-dimensional), which is exactly the reason why they are so lethal — this verse follows the rules that contact of the higher-dimensional entities with the lower-dimensional ones would be fatal for the former, assuming they are alive to begin with. Two such anomalies are known: the Cobweb (1-dimensional), which serves to block the passages, and the Bald (2-dimensional; looks absolutely fla All metamorphites have more than four dimensions, with the "Ariadne" specifically being twelve-dimensional. | |
The Areal / int_b3bdf232 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b3bdf232 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b3bdf232 | |
The Areal / int_b43dfc8d | type |
Your Days Are Numbered | |
The Areal / int_b43dfc8d | comment |
Your Days Are Numbered: For unknown reason, any contact with the Bolt's car provokes whatever entity grows within Bear's body to grow faster, thus bringing his remaining time to the mere twenty six days. It was two months when Bolt first witnessed it. Turns out that the botched process of Firz's de-zombification (Fragment had too little time to do it properly) resulted in him not having Itch... but now he has the tumour in his head, which would kill him within two months at best. Not that anyone cares about his health, but he's a valuable witness in this case. | |
The Areal / int_b43dfc8d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b43dfc8d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b43dfc8d | |
The Areal / int_b4a6ae4c | type |
Everyone Has Standards | |
The Areal / int_b4a6ae4c | comment |
Everyone Has Standards: Rasp rejects an offer to join newly formed Alliance, because no self-respecting criminal would ever work for — or align with — government, no matter how dire the situation is. | |
The Areal / int_b4a6ae4c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b4a6ae4c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b4a6ae4c | |
The Areal / int_b58b4e3c | type |
Too Dumb to Live | |
The Areal / int_b58b4e3c | comment |
Too Dumb to Live: Some dumbass thought that it would be a great idea to shoot Veteran (legendarily lethal entity) from the cannon. This obviously did nothing, and provoked his Dog to attack, resulting in the whole mortar team dying and cannon itself being bit in half. | |
The Areal / int_b58b4e3c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b58b4e3c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b58b4e3c | |
The Areal / int_b5b4b077 | type |
The Ace | |
The Areal / int_b5b4b077 | comment |
The Ace: Ras, when using his Val assault riffle against bandits, remembers that Rustle was able to "do miracles" with it, with only Mist being better than him with that gun. | |
The Areal / int_b5b4b077 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b5b4b077 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b5b4b077 | |
The Areal / int_b64b1fc1 | type |
Left for Dead | |
The Areal / int_b64b1fc1 | comment |
Left for Dead: Firz and his accomplice traps Mist in Shackle anomaly, with Sixth Sense attached. Their obvious intention was to induce cruel and painful death on him, but then emission happened and they run away without making sure that the plan actually worked. It didn't: Mist was taken away by Veteran, healed by Polina and, rearmed, returned back to the forest, now ready to find them and avenge himself and everyone who died due to their machinations. | |
The Areal / int_b64b1fc1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b64b1fc1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b64b1fc1 | |
The Areal / int_b64e1024 | type |
Evil Smells Bad | |
The Areal / int_b64e1024 | comment |
Evil Smells Bad: Some anomalies have specific smell associated with them, which experienced stalkers can use to detect them: The Grava has very specific smell of ozone, which instantly tells you about its presence. It became much weaker post-"Disinfection". The Solenoid has heavy salty stench, which can be noticed just before you enter its area of effect; that smell is the source of its name, actually. Inverted regarding the Sieve; the key clue of it being nearby is the total lack of smell (any smell, bad or good, even where it should normally be), in combination with the grass being unusually flat. Noticing that can save your life or at least your limb. Inverted with the Licker, one of the few non-hostile anomalies, which smells like buns. The problem is, it looks just like the Swell (the deadliest anomaly), and by the time you can smell it, if it's indeed the Swell, it would be too late to run. | |
The Areal / int_b64e1024 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b64e1024 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b64e1024 | |
The Areal / int_b729794a | type |
The Little Detecto | |
The Areal / int_b729794a | comment |
The Little Detecto: Yet another of the Corporation's inventions, the Universal Measuring Contraption (UMC). This detector can scan the territory around you, noticing most anomalies before you just step into them. The newer model is, the better it works, with newest models being able to memorise anomalies and use satellite to quickly update its memory with fresh information. Unfortunately, it wouldn't work in the Yellow zone, which is where you need it most. | |
The Areal / int_b729794a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b729794a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b729794a | |
The Areal / int_b8e3f20a | type |
Demoted to Extra | |
The Areal / int_b8e3f20a | comment |
Demoted to Extra: Without his right-hand man Firz, Prokopenko swiftly lost any powers to affect the current situation. And then he gets arrested by Belov's men due to (correct) suspicion that he plays his own game, and disappears for the rest of the book. | |
The Areal / int_b8e3f20a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b8e3f20a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b8e3f20a | |
The Areal / int_b983a56b | type |
Came Back Wrong | |
The Areal / int_b983a56b | comment |
Came Back Wrong: When Areal has reached the old graveyards, it reanimated the corpses buried there as slow, half-decayed zombies (called "walkers") who, well, walk around (not even the Areal can restore tissues which are too decayed). They are too slow and weak to be of real danger, though if one tries to catch them "alive" (scientists are always in need of live specimen), they may cause problems due to risks of catching infection when scratched or bitten. It's presumed that Unks (from the word "Unknown", in English) are infants who died during the very first emission, but were immediately resurrected, and subsequently developed into some weird and highly deformed kind of zombies. They normally don't leave Epicentre, but reacts to strong negative emotional emanations, particularly someone dying. This is very bad, since they are very hard to put down, and starts screaming at first provocation. And you really don't want them to scream... They are not violent, unlike the "normal" zombies — they died at too young age to learn hatred; they reacts this way due to fear. | |
The Areal / int_b983a56b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_b983a56b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_b983a56b | |
The Areal / int_babc974 | type |
Sadistic Choice | |
The Areal / int_babc974 | comment |
Sadistic Choice: Prokopenko gives recently abducted Tatiana two choices: she may willingly submit to him... or he may give her to the bandits as their personal sex toy. Fortunately, he makes a mistake of giving her time to think this over, which results in her escaping. | |
The Areal / int_babc974 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_babc974 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_babc974 | |
The Areal / int_baef3d1a | type |
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil | |
The Areal / int_baef3d1a | comment |
Slavery Isa Special Kind Of Evil: Even Nikolaeva, who has not exactly good history with Prokopenko, gets shocked by him being involved in the women trafficking, previously thinking that not even him would step so low. | |
The Areal / int_baef3d1a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_baef3d1a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_baef3d1a | |
The Areal / int_bb10f0d3 | type |
Thieves' Cant | |
The Areal / int_bb10f0d3 | comment |
Thieves' Cant: Fragment offers Mist several possible speech patterns he may use for communication, numbering them. Type 4 talks like a bandit, with speech consisting solely of mix of criminal slang and profanities. | |
The Areal / int_bb10f0d3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bb10f0d3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bb10f0d3 | |
The Areal / int_bb18a227 | type |
It's All About Me | |
The Areal / int_bb18a227 | comment |
It's All About Me: Bear sees most of the Areal's inhabitants as lazy egoistical bastards. They always expect the best treatment, free food, water and shelter, but wouldn't do anything to at least try and improve the overall quality of their lives; and the moment something goes wrong, they would blame everyone but themselves. Make a mistake of helping them, and they would start thinking that you must do so again and again, thinking that you have betrayed them once you stop or fail to continue, but they never would repay you for your help, preferring to continue existing as parasites. Despite this, Bear still keeps believing that not all of them like this, and they can convince at least some people to change their ways if they continue their work (in contrast with Quartz, with whom he had an argument about that earlier, and Ras, who outright suggested to exploit the Epicentre's time-conversion effect to "skip" ten years and return once everyone forget about them). Naturally, no one comes to help in the end. | |
The Areal / int_bb18a227 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bb18a227 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bb18a227 | |
The Areal / int_bbb44d94 | type |
Cast from Calories | |
The Areal / int_bbb44d94 | comment |
The Energiser works by amplifying one's stamina. As the side effect, it consumes user's internal resources, so it must be used with caution. Another similar met, Adrenaline, is weaker, but is usable outside of Areal. | |
The Areal / int_bbb44d94 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bbb44d94 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bbb44d94 | |
The Areal / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
The Areal / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: Baykal was so enraged by bandit mistreating SVD sniper rifle, he shot him dead without even bothering to take him alive, despite him being amongst the least threatening combatants. | |
The Areal / int_bc74ef27 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bc74ef27 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bc74ef27 | |
The Areal / int_bcac7f63 | type |
Distant Prologue | |
The Areal / int_bcac7f63 | comment |
Distant Prologue: Prologue takes place back in the days of USSR's fracturing, in early nineties. Main plot starts in 2008. | |
The Areal / int_bcac7f63 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bcac7f63 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bcac7f63 | |
The Areal / int_bcd27e37 | type |
Improbable Aiming Skills | |
The Areal / int_bcd27e37 | comment |
Improbable Aiming Skills: One of SOT snipers shoots the knife held by bandit, breaking it without harming the bandit himself. Other sniper does the same with other bandit's SMG. This scares the bandits enough to not escalate the conflict further. | |
The Areal / int_bcd27e37 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bcd27e37 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bcd27e37 | |
The Areal / int_bd2812b5 | type |
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence | |
The Areal / int_bd2812b5 | comment |
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Almost entire main cast (with exception for Ras and the scientists) receives an offer from the aliens to join them and continue fighting enemies of their kind, just on... different battlefields. It's also highly implied that Kugelstein received a similar offer, alongside his entire team, since his clinic was clearly visited right before he had a chance to treat Lozinsky and Belov. | |
The Areal / int_bd2812b5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_bd2812b5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_bd2812b5 | |
The Areal / int_c145f69b | type |
Subverted Trope | |
The Areal / int_c145f69b | comment |
Quartz's original plan how to rescue Nail involves them taking her before she goes into the forest (where Hunter's men are planning to ambush them), and try to mask him as Nail, so they wouldn't notice until it's too late to do anything; Ras points that Quartz is two heads taller than Nail, and that he would fit better. Vodyanoy immediately recognises that this plan would be a one-way ticket, and rejects it, insisting that they must come up with something which wouldn't involve anyone of them sacrificing himself. | |
The Areal / int_c145f69b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c145f69b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c145f69b | |
The Areal / int_c2676b00 | type |
Jurisdiction Friction | |
The Areal / int_c2676b00 | comment |
Jurisdiction Friction: Hunter involves his uncle, general Belov, in Merkulov's apprehension. Besides forbidding local police forces to interfere, they also ruins X-Ray's own plans for Merkulov, since they either would botch apprehension (which is what ultimately happens), or would lock him up over something insignificant and either allow him to go free, or just provoke Merkulov's own bosses to assassinate him. | |
The Areal / int_c2676b00 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c2676b00 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c2676b00 | |
The Areal / int_c2d6bd47 | type |
Redemption Earns Life | |
The Areal / int_c2d6bd47 | comment |
Redemption Earns Life: Several main characters gets resurrected by the aliens (in Mist's case, it happened all the way back into the second book, though he only now becomes aware of this), to give them the second chance to properly atone for their past sins (mainly, serving the hopelessly corrupt government against their people, until very last moment), by fighting for their people on the different wars far away from here; alternatively, they can reborn to relive their lives anew, this time properly. At least in Bear's case, it was done explicitly due to his rebellion against the Corporation, with his prior life being shameful and unremarkable. | |
The Areal / int_c2d6bd47 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c2d6bd47 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c2d6bd47 | |
The Areal / int_c39846a3 | type |
Pride | |
The Areal / int_c39846a3 | comment |
Prokopenko's behaviour when he goes to casino shows his true colours: he's not just corrupt, but also extremely prideful, and sees everyone who has less power and money than him like dirt. | |
The Areal / int_c39846a3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c39846a3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c39846a3 | |
The Areal / int_c3c18143 | type |
Hope Spot | |
The Areal / int_c3c18143 | comment |
Hope Spot: At first, it seems like they have won: Corporation's crimes are revealed, Lozinsky, Belov and Prokopenko (with latter one already breaking and starting betraying former associates left, right and centre) are under arrest, people in Satellite are rioting (with Hunter being unable to take the situation under control). Then Lord Brindelberg gives the president an ultimatum (take situation under control, or their alliance would end), and everything goes to hell. X-Ray gets captured and framed for the very crimes he wanted to uncover, and would soon die from the combination of torture and Itch, while Mist must run; Quartz and Vodyanoy gets caught during operation to save Nail; the SOT goes under heavy mortar bombardment (which nearly fatally injures Rustle), and united army of Satellite and Merkulov's gangsters is already en route to attack their main base. | |
The Areal / int_c3c18143 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c3c18143 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c3c18143 | |
The Areal / int_c5ccf60f | type |
Internal Reveal | |
The Areal / int_c5ccf60f | comment |
Internal Reveal: Before sending Tatian to evacuate with scientists, Bear explains to her how "Ariadne" works. As result, she notices the signs of the Cobweb's influence, and learns the real reason why he was so cold with her — to protect her... She can't help but cry. | |
The Areal / int_c5ccf60f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c5ccf60f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c5ccf60f | |
The Areal / int_c6b8d37a | type |
Cliffhanger | |
The Areal / int_c6b8d37a | comment |
Cliffhanger: Book ends just when Volodina manages to run away from bandits' captivity, into Areal. | |
The Areal / int_c6b8d37a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c6b8d37a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c6b8d37a | |
The Areal / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
The Areal / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: According to Bolt, the Licker was named after a monster from one old movie. | |
The Areal / int_c75df49a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c75df49a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c75df49a | |
The Areal / int_c86a6f38 | type |
Cannon Fodder | |
The Areal / int_c86a6f38 | comment |
Cannon Fodder: Rasp's favourite tactic is to send forward expandable newbies to the dangerous locations, like former institute, in hope that at least some of them would make it back with valuable loot. | |
The Areal / int_c86a6f38 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c86a6f38 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c86a6f38 | |
The Areal / int_c8c968c3 | type |
The Alliance | |
The Areal / int_c8c968c3 | comment |
The Alliance: Inverted; it's the bad guys (represented by Prokopenko) who unites with Mercenaries and Oil-Diggers to form the Alliance, with Obshyak and Townsfolk being invited, but refusing (Rasp insists on maintaining independence, while Merkulov either wants to remain secret, or just doesn't care), with only good guys remaining out (not counting so-called Free people, who are not even considered to be a political power, and expected to submit by themselves sooner or later). | |
The Areal / int_c8c968c3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c8c968c3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c8c968c3 | |
The Areal / int_c92cf19a | type |
Undead Child | |
The Areal / int_c92cf19a | comment |
Undead Child: Unks are the result of newborn babies dying during the first Emission in what is now Epicentre, and being reanimated and mutated by the Areal. | |
The Areal / int_c92cf19a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_c92cf19a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_c92cf19a | |
The Areal / int_ca9c252f | type |
This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself | |
The Areal / int_ca9c252f | comment |
This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Aliens wouldn't solve all our problems, despite being able to do so, because it's our homeworld; they can help where we can't handle by ourselves, but they can't do the work for us — because it would encourage parasitism. | |
The Areal / int_ca9c252f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ca9c252f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ca9c252f | |
The Areal / int_caf89e54 | type |
Taking You with Me | |
The Areal / int_caf89e54 | comment |
Taking You with Me: Once it becomes clear that help wouldn't come, Bear spills vodka around the base, provoking massive numbers of zombies into attacking the Corporation's soldiers from behind. This actually forces them to retreat, but then zombies attacks Bear himself. Though ultimately it's bombardment (which never stopped) that gets him and Tatiana killed. | |
The Areal / int_caf89e54 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_caf89e54 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_caf89e54 | |
The Areal / int_cc7e9502 | type |
Humans Are Insects | |
The Areal / int_cc7e9502 | comment |
Humans Are Insects: The Fragment can't shut up about humans being insignificant, non-sapient creatures, always using the comparison to ants: just as humans can't be concerned with accidentally killing some ants (or even entire anthill), the Fragment can't be concerned with wiping out all life on our planet — not because it has any motive to do so, but because it's unavoidable side effect of preserving the children under its watch. However, if Mist assists in contacting the other survivors, the evacuation can be made, allowing to just disable the Hostile Terraforming systems as no longer needed. As the Fragment insists that lying is "below the sapient species", it may actually be true. | |
The Areal / int_cc7e9502 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_cc7e9502 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_cc7e9502 | |
The Areal / int_cce399 | type |
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman | |
The Areal / int_cce399 | comment |
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: We finally learns what "the Dud" met is supposed to do; it gives you... the perfect underwater vision (even in murky or dark water). The problem? The only water in the Areal is the water you absolutely don't want to be close to. However, it just so happened that the guy who agreed to smuggle Mist, X-Ray and Firz out of Areal acts as his settlement's designated smuggler, and uses combination of "the Dud" and aqualung to pass the river underwater without being spotted. | |
The Areal / int_cce399 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_cce399 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_cce399 | |
The Areal / int_cdd835ce | type |
Dude, Not Funny! | |
The Areal / int_cdd835ce | comment |
Dude, Not Funny!: Ras reacts badly on the pretty harmless joke about Areal water (not even directed at him), due to his father being zombified after contact with water. | |
The Areal / int_cdd835ce | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_cdd835ce | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_cdd835ce | |
The Areal / int_cdfe12c3 | type |
Nothing Is Scarier | |
The Areal / int_cdfe12c3 | comment |
Nothing Is Scarier: How exactly the Peacekeeper kills its victims was never described. The only thing known for sure is that when you go close to it, you die. | |
The Areal / int_cdfe12c3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_cdfe12c3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_cdfe12c3 | |
The Areal / int_ce767e6f | type |
Co-Dragons | |
The Areal / int_ce767e6f | comment |
Co-Dragons: Firz entrusted two of his underlings to become his main accomplices in his crimes — Ducat, and Lemur. | |
The Areal / int_ce767e6f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ce767e6f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ce767e6f | |
The Areal / int_cff9745d | type |
Regularly Scheduled Evil | |
The Areal / int_cff9745d | comment |
Regularly Scheduled Evil: Post-"Disinfection", emissions mostly follows a weekly schedule, with first two days being particularly dangerous (due to increased animal hostility), following with several days of the relative peace (called "no-fly weather"), when even anomalies are losing most of their aggression. This gradually dissipates, with aggression stabilising to the "normal" level... and then suddenly another emission comes. | |
The Areal / int_cff9745d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_cff9745d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_cff9745d | |
The Areal / int_d028e0da | type |
An Arm and a Leg | |
The Areal / int_d028e0da | comment |
An Arm and a Leg: Attempt to bombard SOT position mostly fails, but it nearly kills Rustle, putting him in coma, damaging his spine and cutting out half of his palm. Basalt loses his arm to machine gun fire during last battle. | |
The Areal / int_d028e0da | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d028e0da | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d028e0da | |
The Areal / int_d129e13e | type |
"Eureka!" Moment | |
The Areal / int_d129e13e | comment |
"Eureka!" Moment: If Magnet anomaly requires a lot of free space (like a bear road) to spawn and move, and there's barely enough place to spawn one, let alone four in the short time spawn, it means that firstly, the SOT was pursued by the same anomaly all along, which was trapped here after cataclysm, since its current location obviously would never produce that type of anomaly (each anomaly has special "requirements"); secondly, the secret entrance the SOT is looking for must be nearby, since it may be the only place where it initially spawned, before being trapped; thirdly, there are only few roads the Magnet can move through, so they only need to search for them, not the entire forest. With that in mind, the SOT is very close to find the lost research complex and all the mets and shards it contains. | |
The Areal / int_d129e13e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d129e13e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d129e13e | |
The Areal / int_d2c0e2ed | type |
Schmuck Bait | |
The Areal / int_d2c0e2ed | comment |
Schmuck Bait: One particularly cunning Octopus exploits a small mouse (too small to be useful as food) as a bait for the bigger prey, while remaining in ambush itself. It works well enough to not even bother with changing location. | |
The Areal / int_d2c0e2ed | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d2c0e2ed | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d2c0e2ed | |
The Areal / int_d397657d | type |
Hoist by His Own Petard | |
The Areal / int_d397657d | comment |
Hoist by His Own Petard: Played With. On the one hand, attempt to summon zombies results in them killing Bear himself after dealing with everyone else. On the other hand, without zombies, battle would've ended much earlier, with Bear being killed by someone else anyway. | |
The Areal / int_d397657d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d397657d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d397657d | |
The Areal / int_d41832cc | type |
Written by the Winners | |
The Areal / int_d41832cc | comment |
Written by the Winners: Now, with the SOT gone, Corporation is free to spread ugly lies about them. Soon almost everyone started believing them, completely forgetting everything good they did for them. | |
The Areal / int_d41832cc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d41832cc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d41832cc | |
The Areal / int_d45ad2f5 | type |
Imported Alien Phlebotinum | |
The Areal / int_d45ad2f5 | comment |
Imported Alien Phlebotinum: Many new technologies are based on materials obtained from the Areal: "Membrane" suits, "Knight" armor, "Puncher" ammo (strong enough to reliably pierce aforementioned armor), Type X oil... the list can go on. And then there are metamorphites, some of which are greatly useful even outside of Areal. | |
The Areal / int_d45ad2f5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d45ad2f5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d45ad2f5 | |
The Areal / int_d45c0b86 | type |
Refuge in Audacity | |
The Areal / int_d45c0b86 | comment |
Refuge in Audacity: Quartz's plan how to rescue Nail: just grab her under their noses, and run. To buy some time, he would mask himself as her. Plan gets rejected by Vodyanoy, who's not fine with any of them sacrificing themselves. | |
The Areal / int_d45c0b86 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d45c0b86 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d45c0b86 | |
The Areal / int_d64c3cd4 | type |
Living MacGuffin | |
The Areal / int_d64c3cd4 | comment |
Living MacGuffin: With Vodyanoy being the sole remnant of the SOT's "miracles", he becomes the main prey for essentially everyone — Satellite, Obshyak, Townsfolk... The sole good point is that they can't risk killing him, so they would be more careful with their shots. | |
The Areal / int_d64c3cd4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d64c3cd4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d64c3cd4 | |
The Areal / int_d73e0f7f | type |
"Ray of Hope" Ending | |
The Areal / int_d73e0f7f | comment |
"Ray of Hope" Ending: Otherwise bleak ending has many light spots which tones down or negates most negative moments. Sure, most heroes are dead... but the aliens gave them another life off-world — and a chance to fight for humanity somewhere where they can actually change things. With Nikita and Ludmila being dead, it's impossible to remutate the Areal, but with the Fragment being destroyed, it can't expand past its current borders either. Ras is zombified, and Vlad's father is stuck in Areal along with Vlad's young daughter, but thanks to his new abilities, Vodyanoy has a chance to save them. Meanwhile, Prokopenko and Merkulov were killed, the former assassinated by Belov who wants him to keep his mouth shut, the latter backstabbed by Fixa; and then Belov himself, along with Lozinsky, dies from the Itch, because doctor Kugelstain is nowhere to be seen (very likely also taken away by the aliens, which means that he would finally help someone else other than amoral moneybags). | |
The Areal / int_d73e0f7f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d73e0f7f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d73e0f7f | |
The Areal / int_d75a1703 | type |
Year Outside, Hour Inside | |
The Areal / int_d75a1703 | comment |
Year Outside, Hour Inside: Due to being stuck with (re)zombified X-Ray in the Epicentre (where time runs much slower than outside), Mist spends almost entire book offscreen, with Ras taking the lead role instead. Plot switches back to Mist only towards the end. | |
The Areal / int_d75a1703 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d75a1703 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d75a1703 | |
The Areal / int_d9e9ad7e | type |
The Cavalry | |
The Areal / int_d9e9ad7e | comment |
The Cavalry: Asya, due to her Areal-granted sensitivity, was able to feel Lavender being in trouble, and arrive just in time to hide her, and then lead to (still dying) Aybolit to give him more medicine. Bolt arrives just in time to break the stalemate and help Mist to strangle X-Ray and finally de-zombify him. | |
The Areal / int_d9e9ad7e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d9e9ad7e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d9e9ad7e | |
The Areal / int_d9fe8277 | type |
I'm Standing Right Here | |
The Areal / int_d9fe8277 | comment |
I'm Standing Right Here: Ras starts ranting about corrupt police, until Quartz reminds him that he's kinda policeman, too, being a counterintelligence officer. | |
The Areal / int_d9fe8277 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_d9fe8277 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_d9fe8277 | |
The Areal / int_da12bcfb | type |
You Can't Go Home Again | |
The Areal / int_da12bcfb | comment |
You Can't Go Home Again: In general, any people with Addiction must stay within Areal, or ever growing Itch would kill them when it reaches the life-threatening (or sanity-ruining) level. Treatment exists, but is extremely expensive and is highly impractical (for starters, it has to be done in Germany, while Areal is in Siberia). And any such person is constantly pursued by weird effect called "poltergeist", which causes disasters constantly occurring around them at random, so soon people started recognising them, and trying to force them to leave, if not outright lynching them; it also makes it hard to actually reach Germany to get treatment. Combination of Itch, "poltergeist" and near universal hatred forced all such people to move closer and closer to Areal, and eventually even staying inside. Lucky ones now lives within "Satellite", others must build their own shelter right in the Zones and hope for the best. After Tatiana Volodina refused his blatant advances, Prokopenko "punished" her by hiring bandits to abduct her and smuggle into Areal. Now, when she's Addicted, whether she survives or not, she can't return home ever again. | |
The Areal / int_da12bcfb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_da12bcfb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_da12bcfb | |
The Areal / int_dabc7a46 | type |
Sixth Ranger | |
The Areal / int_dabc7a46 | comment |
Sixth Ranger: Tatiana refuses to evacuate, instead staying (and dying) alongside Bear. Thanks to her, he actually manages to fight for a little longer, because by this point, he's too injured to even move, while she acts as his spotter and reloader. | |
The Areal / int_dabc7a46 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dabc7a46 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dabc7a46 | |
The Areal / int_db33bc7e | type |
Ludicrous Gibs | |
The Areal / int_db33bc7e | comment |
Ludicrous Gibs: Sole surviving stalker from the squad wiped out by the zombies almost makes it out alive, successfully avoiding several anomalies... and then he gets himself sucked into Magnet and explodes into the red mist. | |
The Areal / int_db33bc7e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_db33bc7e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_db33bc7e | |
The Areal / int_dbd2c15e | type |
Everyone Can See It | |
The Areal / int_dbd2c15e | comment |
Everyone Can See It: Everyone can see that Tatiana (who by now received nickname "Bambi", thanks to Quartz) feels attraction to Bear, and now making bets when it would become mutual. The sole person in denial is Bear himself, and even he quickly accepts that there's something between them. This, however, results in him facing dilemma: either allow feelings to overthrow him, or reject them, and potentially risk the rest of the team starting competing over Tatiana. | |
The Areal / int_dbd2c15e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dbd2c15e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dbd2c15e | |
The Areal / int_dc1a6b76 | type |
Reality Is Out to Lunch | |
The Areal / int_dc1a6b76 | comment |
Reality Is Out to Lunch: The Areal doesn't abide the normal rules of the outside world. Electricity works weirdly in the Green zone, and doesn't work in the Yellow one. Open fire extinguishes itself shortly after starting. Open water suddenly disappears without a trace, despite looking perfectly normal outside. When you reach the Yellow zone, the sky suddenly becomes green, and the grass blue. And that's before mentioning metamorphits and dangerous anomalies. | |
The Areal / int_dc1a6b76 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dc1a6b76 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dc1a6b76 | |
The Areal / int_dc579c91 | type |
Contrived Coincidence | |
The Areal / int_dc579c91 | comment |
Contrived Coincidence: Zilberman's death happened due to so many improbable things going wrong at the same time, no adequate explanation was ever provided just how "absolutely safe" system malfunctioned so horribly. Just by sheer luck, Bear and his team, while in the forest, encounters bandits beating up several stalkers. After saving them, it turns out that those "stalkers" are... Ras, Vlad, Nikolaeva and Stepanov. Low probability of such encounter gets immediately lampshaded. | |
The Areal / int_dc579c91 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dc579c91 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dc579c91 | |
The Areal / int_dc8ba6d5 | type |
The Scapegoat | |
The Areal / int_dc8ba6d5 | comment |
The Scapegoat: To calm down bandits who are not too eager to work with Rasp again after latest operation ended in bloodbath (they were ambushed by the Veteran), Merkulov and Fixa sets up Nanai as a scapegoat, since he was the one responsible for supplying bandits, and they wanted at least some respite after losing so many of their friends. The next time Nanai would be mentioned posthumously. | |
The Areal / int_dc8ba6d5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dc8ba6d5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dc8ba6d5 | |
The Areal / int_dca6a9d | type |
Start My Own | |
The Areal / int_dca6a9d | comment |
Start My Own: To counter criminals, who restarted their "business" in Green zone and organised massive black market of metamorphites and X-Type oil, Prokopenko legalised stalkers and allowed them to sell whatever they find in "Satellite". | |
The Areal / int_dca6a9d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dca6a9d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dca6a9d | |
The Areal / int_dca70c44 | type |
Reasonable Authority Figure | |
The Areal / int_dca70c44 | comment |
Reasonable Authority Figure: Both Bear and X-Ray quickly accepts that Mist may be innocent (especially since Firz's story had many holes even before Mist's sudden return), and gives him a chance to prove it, by going with him to the lab and trying to catch Firz red-handed. | |
The Areal / int_dca70c44 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dca70c44 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dca70c44 | |
The Areal / int_dda99fa8 | type |
Despair Event Horizon | |
The Areal / int_dda99fa8 | comment |
Despair Event Horizon: Quartz sees no hope for winning, and by this point he basically lost any will to struggle anymore, or do anything, for that matter, just lying here and waiting death (he doesn't even bother to undress before going to sleep). He still suggests plans when asked, but makes it clear that he doesn't believe in their success; it's just that if they are gonna die anyway, may as well die fighting, they have nothing left to lose. | |
The Areal / int_dda99fa8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_dda99fa8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_dda99fa8 | |
The Areal / int_e0c3f8bf | type |
Punch-Clock Hero | |
The Areal / int_e0c3f8bf | comment |
Punch-Clock Hero: Amongst other people who answered to the call for volunteers for upcoming battle were some often rather... questionable guys, who clearly expected that Bear hires mercenaries. When it turns out that he isn't, all such people leaved on the spot without caring for the cause. | |
The Areal / int_e0c3f8bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e0c3f8bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e0c3f8bf | |
The Areal / int_e0e8cce6 | type |
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids! | |
The Areal / int_e0e8cce6 | comment |
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Quartz tells Bear that while they can (and must) convict the Corporation's leaders, it wouldn't miraculously solve all world's problems, because there would still remain some other villains (they always do) — not in the last turn because people just allows them by being so apathetic. | |
The Areal / int_e0e8cce6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e0e8cce6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e0e8cce6 | |
The Areal / int_e28f88b8 | type |
Last-Name Basis | |
The Areal / int_e28f88b8 | comment |
Last-Name Basis: Most villains are consistently referred to by their last names (except in personal discussions), namely:Â the Corporation's leadership, Merkulov, Levin (also known as Hunter or "Darkwing") and Salmatsky (also known as Firz). The good guys usually calls themselves by first names or callsigns. | |
The Areal / int_e28f88b8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e28f88b8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e28f88b8 | |
The Areal / int_e316fa51 | type |
Magnetism Manipulation | |
The Areal / int_e316fa51 | comment |
Magnetism Manipulation: Appropriately called the Magnet anomaly sucks inside most metallic object passing nearby. It's dangerous for humans, too, due to iron in our blood, but exact effect was never elaborated upon, other than that result is messy. Unlike other anomalies, it can actually be useful during shootouts, since it consumes shots directed at you. | |
The Areal / int_e316fa51 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e316fa51 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e316fa51 | |
The Areal / int_e409de66 | type |
Manipulative Editing | |
The Areal / int_e409de66 | comment |
Manipulative Editing: Recordings of X-Ray's discussion with Mist (combined with recordings of X-Ray's helicopter being shot down by Belov's men) were heavily edited to pass them as zombie attack on "Areal's" personnel and Vorontsov himself. | |
The Areal / int_e409de66 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e409de66 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e409de66 | |
The Areal / int_e431c24c | type |
Not Quite Dead | |
The Areal / int_e431c24c | comment |
Not Quite Dead: Grey actually managed to survive the attack on his caravan (though it's unclear whether he was in league with attackers, or just was lucky enough to escape), with Vortex acting as a perfect coverup. He's the one who sent Anna to abduct Tatiana. Anna's presumably dead daughter turns out to be alive, though it's unclear where she's now. Giving her the better future is the Anna's motivation to betray Tatiana. | |
The Areal / int_e431c24c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e431c24c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e431c24c | |
The Areal / int_e50818aa | type |
Normally, I Would Be Dead Now | |
The Areal / int_e50818aa | comment |
Normally, I Would Be Dead Now: When Ras blindly rushes to his (zombified) father and receives thirty three bullets (with last two actually piercing through his armour and injuring him), Vodyanoy manages to take him out and run almost all the way to the base with him, with the help of four stamina-boosting mets. The problem is, all of them consumes body's internal resources, and even one would be potentially fatal after such marathon; Vodyanoy used four, yet he still survived, since the water he consumes actually gives him enough resources to counter energy losses. And even then, he eventually loses conscience and falls into coma, with Aybolit barely taking him out of it. | |
The Areal / int_e50818aa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e50818aa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e50818aa | |
The Areal / int_e563bf09 | type |
Insistent Terminology | |
The Areal / int_e563bf09 | comment |
Insistent Terminology: When asked whether they are all dead, one of the aliens answers that they were killed, but it was not "death"; most likely, she means "death" in a spiritual sense, rather than physical. | |
The Areal / int_e563bf09 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e563bf09 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e563bf09 | |
The Areal / int_e63228a7 | type |
InfoDump | |
The Areal / int_e63228a7 | comment |
Info Dump: The explanation for how church ended up as a part of Lozinsky's scheme, including backstory of otherwise extremely minor character, crooked priest Eulantius, takes several pages. | |
The Areal / int_e63228a7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e63228a7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e63228a7 | |
The Areal / int_e68b72 | type |
The Load | |
The Areal / int_e68b72 | comment |
The Load: Amongst the other people who answered to the call for volunteers for upcoming battle were some pretty useless guys, who didn't bother to bring either food or ammo, or brought bare minimum, either expecting to see that everything would be provided for them (never noticing that SOT is essentially a partisan team by this point, and has not that many resources by itself), or never thinking just what they are getting themselves into. They all leaves before it could have resulted in the bloodbath. | |
The Areal / int_e68b72 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e68b72 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e68b72 | |
The Areal / int_e78e4ba1 | type |
Black Site | |
The Areal / int_e78e4ba1 | comment |
Black Site: "Areal" is a government-controlled area, any humans there either work for it, or are illegals seeking some profit (either stalkers or bandits). It becomes more complicated once the "Disinfection" permanently changes the way Areal behaves. | |
The Areal / int_e78e4ba1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e78e4ba1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e78e4ba1 | |
The Areal / int_e9e35e8f | type |
Exact Words | |
The Areal / int_e9e35e8f | comment |
Exact Words: Ras was not killed (he was zombified), so he can't be resurrected. | |
The Areal / int_e9e35e8f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_e9e35e8f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_e9e35e8f | |
The Areal / int_ea08e9 | type |
The Team | |
The Areal / int_ea08e9 | comment |
The Team: Bear recollected few survivors of the SOT into his new team. Besides Aybolit, whom he met in the end of the previous book, new SOT also included Rustle, Mantrap, Baykal, Basalt and Tantal (sole survivor of Ducat's team, and also sole decent man from it; unfortunately, he didn't last for long). Additionally, sole survivor of X-Ray's team, Quartz, joined in and now uses his professional skills to analyse any information they obtain. | |
The Areal / int_ea08e9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ea08e9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ea08e9 | |
The Areal / int_ea480f92 | type |
Simple, yet Awesome | |
The Areal / int_ea480f92 | comment |
Simple, yet Awesome: So-called "doggy" — an empty shell with a string attached — allows to navigate within the Yellow zone, by throwing the shell to check for anomalies, and just pulling it back when it misses. It saved more lives than all detectors combined, especially in the Yellow zone, where detectors are unusable. People are using the empty lighters (they can't be used the intended way, due to Areal suppressing open fire) to search for Cobwebs, due to the sparks they create. Otherwise, the Cobweb requires the very specific light (or detector, which wouldn't work in the Yellow zone anyway) to be noticeable. | |
The Areal / int_ea480f92 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ea480f92 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ea480f92 | |
The Areal / int_eb81c601 | type |
Big Damn Heroes | |
The Areal / int_eb81c601 | comment |
Big Damn Heroes: When X-Ray gets captured and tortured, Mist, with the help of his old friends from "Alpha", who actually believed their transmission over official propaganda, manages to free him from the "hospital", and escape back to Areal, where he restores him via old scheme — at Epicentre (Living Water was exhausted by this point, but it can be restored through Areal water). | |
The Areal / int_eb81c601 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_eb81c601 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_eb81c601 | |
The Areal / int_eb8ec7c8 | type |
Jerkass | |
The Areal / int_eb8ec7c8 | comment |
Hunter's behaviour during security briefing tells us everything we should know about this guy. His is insufferable, arrogant dumbass with overblown ego, who exploits his connections to get away with bullying almost anyone he wants, or breaking secrecy rules such as never mentioning anyone's last names. And yet he's a coward, who never picks a fight with anyone who can't be scared by his connections. | |
The Areal / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_eb8ec7c8 | |
The Areal / int_ed2bbf8a | type |
You Are in Command Now | |
The Areal / int_ed2bbf8a | comment |
You Are in Command Now: With three members of the board of executives dying, Lozinsky is in dare need of people, so he promoted Prokopenko, effectively leaving him in charge of newly founded Satellite. | |
The Areal / int_ed2bbf8a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ed2bbf8a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ed2bbf8a | |
The Areal / int_eddfe7e5 | type |
Underground City | |
The Areal / int_eddfe7e5 | comment |
Underground City: Shortly after "Disifnfection", since Addicted can't survive outside Areal for long due to ever-growing Itch, Lozinsky (who is Addicted himself) financed creation of the small underground city right in the Green zone — "Satellite". It has everything people need to live, down to and including internet, while also remains perfectly safe due to being deeply underground. | |
The Areal / int_eddfe7e5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_eddfe7e5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_eddfe7e5 | |
The Areal / int_ee19d278 | type |
Blob Monster | |
The Areal / int_ee19d278 | comment |
Bolt, when outnumbered by Amebas, gets rescued by the Vet's Dog. | |
The Areal / int_ee19d278 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ee19d278 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ee19d278 | |
The Areal / int_ee7a60e9 | type |
One-Steve Limit | |
The Areal / int_ee7a60e9 | comment |
One-Steve Limit: The word "Areal" is both the name of the anomalous territory, and of the government-funded corporation trying to control it. To not mistake the two, the corporation either gets addressed by the full name ("The Areal Corporation"), or simply as "the Corporation". | |
The Areal / int_ee7a60e9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ee7a60e9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ee7a60e9 | |
The Areal / int_eedee4d | type |
The Starscream | |
The Areal / int_eedee4d | comment |
The Starscream: When reward gets high enough, Fixa finally backstabs Merkulov, receives a bounty for his head, and usurps his gang. | |
The Areal / int_eedee4d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_eedee4d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_eedee4d | |
The Areal / int_f01a1b71 | type |
Insignificant Little Blue Planet | |
The Areal / int_f01a1b71 | comment |
Insignificant Little Blue Planet: Meteorite which nearly wiped us out years ago was actually an alien spacecraft. Its sudden explosion was a self-destruct sequence, which it only initiated because scans showed that Earth is one of the rare planets suitable for most living forms, which are prohibited from being destroyed like this; before that, its AI was perfectly fine with wiping out all life on the planed during crash landing: human lives worth nothing, and aliens aren't interested in this planet, at all; for the same reason, the aliens are willing to shut down the Areal if assisted in evacuating. | |
The Areal / int_f01a1b71 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f01a1b71 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f01a1b71 | |
The Areal / int_f09ac6a6 | type |
Chekhov M.I.A. | |
The Areal / int_f09ac6a6 | comment |
Chekhov M.I.A.: Anna started suspecting something shady going on early in the previous book, and run away into Areal halfway into it, when people started hunting for her, thinking that she may lead them to Tatiana. She reappears in this book, now working for Grey, and tasked with retrieving her former friend, whether she likes it or not. | |
The Areal / int_f09ac6a6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f09ac6a6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f09ac6a6 | |
The Areal / int_f1d3f0c9 | type |
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness | |
The Areal / int_f1d3f0c9 | comment |
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Fragment offers Mist several possible speech patterns he may use for communication, numbering them. Type 1 is a hard-to-follow mess of science terms and overly complex sentences. | |
The Areal / int_f1d3f0c9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f1d3f0c9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f1d3f0c9 | |
The Areal / int_f3d5d15f | type |
Creepy Child | |
The Areal / int_f3d5d15f | comment |
Asya (the "monkey" girl whom Aybolit and Lavender helped earlier), when everyone stops watching, drags injured Lavender out of danger, preventing Fixa from retrieving her and giving her enough time to recover. | |
The Areal / int_f3d5d15f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f3d5d15f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f3d5d15f | |
The Areal / int_f651b980 | type |
Forbidden Zone | |
The Areal / int_f651b980 | comment |
Forbidden Zone: So-called "neutral territory" around the Areal is off-limits for outsiders, unless they coordinate everything with Federal Security Service and cross it officially. It's still more freedom than before. | |
The Areal / int_f651b980 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f651b980 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f651b980 | |
The Areal / int_f6624c30 | type |
Together in Death | |
The Areal / int_f6624c30 | comment |
Together in Death: Tatiana refuses evacuating, and returns to fight alongside Bear, who by that point was too injured to even reload by himself. They goes out fighting, admitting their feelings at the last moment. | |
The Areal / int_f6624c30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f6624c30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f6624c30 | |
The Areal / int_f6f2ff1 | type |
Insult Backfire | |
The Areal / int_f6f2ff1 | comment |
Insult Backfire: When Mist jokes that with her attitude (she clearly prefers Areal's violently aggressive fauna over people who works here), Lavender should have joined Greenpeace, Bolt confirms that she already had. | |
The Areal / int_f6f2ff1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f6f2ff1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f6f2ff1 | |
The Areal / int_f7b57d62 | type |
Enforced Technology Levels | |
The Areal / int_f7b57d62 | comment |
Enforced Technology Levels: Electronic tech starts working worse while in the Green zone, and shuts down completely while in the Yellow one. So, no transport or detectors. And anything working during emission would be destroyed beyond repair, even if indoor. | |
The Areal / int_f7b57d62 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f7b57d62 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f7b57d62 | |
The Areal / int_f7cee9b | type |
Last Stand | |
The Areal / int_f7cee9b | comment |
Last Stand: Last chapter depicts Bear and his team fighting hopeless battle against "Areal's" people sent after them — and dying one by one: Rustle, too injured to change position (it's a miracle he even awoke in time to join the battle), dies first, killed by two machine gunners; Mantrap dies next, covering for escaping civilians, when his position gets blown up by mortar blast; Baykal goes outside and attacks enemy from behind, killing several "Sixth Sense"-wielding officers before being revealed and mortally wounded, falling in coma with no chance to recover; Basalt, despite being mortally wounded, continues firing till the end, until enemy finishes him off with the mortar fire; Aybolit presumably dies under bombardment, too; and last ones to go are Bear — and Tatiana, who refused to escape, and chose to die with her loved one. | |
The Areal / int_f7cee9b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f7cee9b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f7cee9b | |
The Areal / int_f8ec3418 | type |
Someone Has to Die | |
The Areal / int_f8ec3418 | comment |
Someone Has to Die: Subverted. After long run while under various mets, everyone were exhausted to the point of barely resisting falling asleep right here and now. Aybolit volunteers for the first watch, and continues using mets, despite being perfectly aware that this can outright kill him. When Bear awakes prematurely and forces him to go to sleep, Aybolit was already on the brink of coma, requiring first aid (in the form of chocolate) just to survive removing the mets. His justification for this was that better one than the whole team. | |
The Areal / int_f8ec3418 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
The Areal / int_f8ec3418 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f8ec3418 | |
The Areal / int_f91d1d4f | type |
Darkest Hour | |
The Areal / int_f91d1d4f | comment |
Darkest Hour: By the start of the book, everything seems to be lost for the heroes. The SOT is essentially wiped out, with only Mist and Aybolit still alive, with the former being stuck with the zombified (and ready to fight to the death) X-Ray, while the latter is on the brink of death from his injuries. Scientists were killed during evacuation, with Lavender barely surviving almost by accident. X-Ray's mission ended in fiasco, with very trace of the evidence against Corporation being destroyed and X-Ray himself being framed as Prokopenko's coconspirator. Quartz, Ras and Vodyanoy are still stuck in the Satellite, without any meaningful chance to save Nail or, by this point, even themselves. Things wouldn't go any better from here. | |
The Areal / int_f91d1d4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f91d1d4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f91d1d4f | |
The Areal / int_f9c17447 | type |
The Remnant | |
The Areal / int_f9c17447 | comment |
The Remnant: Bear and his team are essentially what is left from the SOT; everyone else are dead, zombified or MIA. | |
The Areal / int_f9c17447 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_f9c17447 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_f9c17447 | |
The Areal / int_ff6ae1f6 | type |
Evil-Detecting Dog | |
The Areal / int_ff6ae1f6 | comment |
Evil-Detecting Dog: Veteran's Dog Chernysh instantly recognised Anna for who she really is, and killed her on sight, despite her being unarmed. | |
The Areal / int_ff6ae1f6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ff6ae1f6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ff6ae1f6 | |
The Areal / int_ffd816e7 | type |
Everything Trying to Kill You | |
The Areal / int_ffd816e7 | comment |
Everything Trying to Kill You: Any animal, no matter how small, had mutated into a killing machine and became extremely hostile to any outsider. Even sparrows developed razor-sharp poisoned talons and attacks en masse, to the point that people started taking shotguns with them specifically to deal with the birds, because nothing else would work. And then the anomalies comes in, in great variations: gravity anomalies, heat anomalies, gas anomalies, acidic anomalies, "just-what-the-hell-is-that" anomalies, and so on. The deeper into the Areal you are, the more dangerous it becomes. Starting from the Yellow zone, anomalies becomes mobile (while your precious detector no longer works), and in the Red zone they are actively pursuing you, though most people wouldn't experience that, since they would be zombified the moment they cross the border, or soon afterwards. As if that's not enough, there are periodical Emissions, which spreads the Areal further while wiping out anyone caught in the open and creating new anomalies. This became even worse post-"Disinfection", with many things being changed to purposely harm people, and even animals close to Areal (but not yet inside it) starting acting aggressive, probably being already assimilated into its psi-field. | |
The Areal / int_ffd816e7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_ffd816e7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_ffd816e7 | |
The Areal / int_fff371b4 | type |
Death Seeker | |
The Areal / int_fff371b4 | comment |
Death Seeker: Quartz shows signs of no longer wanting to live, barely caring about his own survival even after being convinced to continue struggling, and repeatedly suggesting to sacrifice himself to let his friends escape. Ras rejects such plans every time. | |
The Areal / int_fff371b4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_fff371b4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_fff371b4 | |
The Areal / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
The Areal / int_name | comment |
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The Areal / int_name | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Areal / int_name | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Areal | hasFeature |
The Areal / int_name | |
The Areal / int_name | itemName |
The Areal |
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