...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Obelisk Gate

418 statements
82 feature instances
3 referencing feature instances

The Obelisk Gate	type	TVTItem
The Obelisk Gate	label	The Obelisk Gate
The Obelisk Gate	page	TheObeliskGate
The Obelisk Gate	comment	The Obelisk Gate is a 2016 novel by N. K. Jemisin and the second book of The Broken Earth Trilogy.
The Obelisk Gate	fetched	2024-03-10T15:45:54Z
The Obelisk Gate	parsed	2024-03-10T15:45:54Z
The Obelisk Gate	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Obelisk Gate / int_106f1a77	type	A Form You Are Comfortable With
The Obelisk Gate / int_106f1a77	comment	A Form You Are Comfortable With: Hoa reveals that this why he chose to appear to Nassun in as human a guise as possible. It's heavily implied that his injuries in his fight with "Steel" mean he can't take that form any longer.
The Obelisk Gate / int_106f1a77	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_106f1a77	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_106f1a77
The Obelisk Gate / int_109b036e	type	Abusive Precursors
The Obelisk Gate / int_109b036e	comment	Abusive Precursors: Alabaster went to a city on the other side of the world after Antimony rescued him from Meov. What he witnessed there has him convinced that the humans who built the Obelisks are the ones who started the Seasons.
The Obelisk Gate / int_109b036e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_109b036e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_109b036e
The Obelisk Gate / int_13d7a65e	type	The Artifact
The Obelisk Gate / int_13d7a65e	comment	The Artifact: Essun's point of view being narrated in second person made sense in The Fifth Season due to there being multiple timelines in play. This convention continues here, mostly because it would be jarring to suddenly stop.
The Obelisk Gate / int_13d7a65e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_13d7a65e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_13d7a65e
The Obelisk Gate / int_14ed6ab7	type	Does This Remind You of Anything?
The Obelisk Gate / int_14ed6ab7	comment	Does This Remind You of Anything?: The dynamic between Jija and Nassun is a pretty clear analog for a queer child and a parent who refuses to accept them, with orogene standing in for sexual orientation. It also has similarities to how autistic children are sometimes treated by their parents, with orogeny becoming clear in childhood, giving people a different sensory awareness of the world, and adults using abusive techniques to control their behavior and stop them from melting down, as well as the rhetoric of the "real" child being lost to the orogene and wanting a cure and some parents even killing their children over it. And it has similarities to how racist parents of children who are mixed-race or who are of another race may act.
The Obelisk Gate / int_14ed6ab7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_14ed6ab7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_14ed6ab7
The Obelisk Gate / int_18d15922	type	Title Drop
The Obelisk Gate / int_18d15922	comment	Title Drop: The Obelisk Gate is a method of using the obelisks to restore the Moon to Earth's orbit.
The Obelisk Gate / int_18d15922	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_18d15922	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_18d15922
The Obelisk Gate / int_1b9df446	type	Wrong Context Magic
The Obelisk Gate / int_1b9df446	comment	Wrong Context Magic: Ykka is able to do things with orogeny that Essun has never seen before and doesn't understand, like subconsciously attracting other orogenes from hundreds of miles away and developing an instant Touch of Death without any other physical effects. Ykka declines to explain, saying she'd rather keep a few tricks up her sleeve.
The Obelisk Gate / int_1b9df446	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_1b9df446	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_1b9df446
The Obelisk Gate / int_1ce428b5	type	Cold Equation
The Obelisk Gate / int_1ce428b5	comment	Cold Equation: Familiar to everyone in the setting and specifically invoked by Tonkee when she models Castrima's food supply and how long it will be until everyone dies of anemia.
The Obelisk Gate / int_1ce428b5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_1ce428b5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_1ce428b5
The Obelisk Gate / int_1e584efa	type	Cruel and Unusual Death
The Obelisk Gate / int_1e584efa	comment	Cruel and Unusual Death: During a season, boil bugs attack people by injecting scalding water into their body, leading to a horrifying death when they swarm someone.
The Obelisk Gate / int_1e584efa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_1e584efa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_1e584efa
The Obelisk Gate / int_21d70919	type	Crapsack World
The Obelisk Gate / int_21d70919	comment	Crapsack World: Not that it was great before the massive continent-splitting earthquake, but between the roving gangs, the impending collapse of most of society, and the ash blocking out the sun, things have gone even further downhill.
The Obelisk Gate / int_21d70919	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_21d70919	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_21d70919
The Obelisk Gate / int_21f60711	type	Good Is Not Soft
The Obelisk Gate / int_21f60711	comment	Good Is Not Soft: Ykka is a genuine idealist who cares for the people in her comm and believes in making a community where orogenes can be accepted and live without persecution. However, this does not make her naive; when tensions are rising due to the people of Rennanis offering to accept the people of Castrima only if they abandon their orogenes, she is willing to coldly kill Cutter in response to him killing a still, so that all of the people's anger is directed at him instead of orogenes in general and they see that she's on their side.
The Obelisk Gate / int_21f60711	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_21f60711	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_21f60711
The Obelisk Gate / int_22071825	type	I'm a Humanitarian
The Obelisk Gate / int_22071825	comment	I'm a Humanitarian: With the lack of wild animals for meat, Tonkee states that this is inevitable for the survivors.
The Obelisk Gate / int_22071825	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_22071825	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_22071825
The Obelisk Gate / int_2285ca79	type	Random Power Ranking
The Obelisk Gate / int_2285ca79	comment	Random Power Ranking: Orogenes are graded from 1 to 10 rings at the Fulcrum although the system is subverted/highly rigged to ensure that they are easier to control.
The Obelisk Gate / int_2285ca79	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Obelisk Gate / int_2285ca79	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_2285ca79
The Obelisk Gate / int_25bc8511	type	Generation Xerox
The Obelisk Gate / int_25bc8511	comment	Generation Xerox: Nassun has apparently inherited Essun's powers, self control, has the same Fulcrum training due to her mother and meets her mother's Guardian and loves him like a parent just like she does. It gets lampshaded by Schaffa.
The Obelisk Gate / int_25bc8511	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_25bc8511	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_25bc8511
The Obelisk Gate / int_2f36d97	type	Older Than They Look
The Obelisk Gate / int_2f36d97	comment	Older Than They Look: The Guardians are all centuries old.
The Obelisk Gate / int_2f36d97	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_2f36d97	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_2f36d97
The Obelisk Gate / int_302d0881	type	I Am What I Am
The Obelisk Gate / int_302d0881	comment	I Am What I Am: Nassun ultimately concludes she's proud to be an orogene despite the world and Jija's views on such things, leading to her confronting her father.
The Obelisk Gate / int_302d0881	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_302d0881	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_302d0881
The Obelisk Gate / int_308ac24f	type	Fantasy-Forbidding Father
The Obelisk Gate / int_308ac24f	comment	Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Jija to Nassun.
The Obelisk Gate / int_308ac24f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_308ac24f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_308ac24f
The Obelisk Gate / int_334e48a1	type	After the End
The Obelisk Gate / int_334e48a1	comment	After the End: While "dead civ" ruins leftover from previous Seasons appear in the first book, they feature much more prominently in this one. This trope is also played unusually because the reader is seeing this cycle end.
The Obelisk Gate / int_334e48a1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_334e48a1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_334e48a1
The Obelisk Gate / int_363f94c9	type	Awful Truth
The Obelisk Gate / int_363f94c9	comment	Awful Truth: 'DID THEY BREAK YOUR HAND'
The Obelisk Gate / int_363f94c9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_363f94c9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_363f94c9
The Obelisk Gate / int_36c94bed	type	Person of Mass Destruction
The Obelisk Gate / int_36c94bed	comment	Person of Mass Destruction: Essun has destroyed—intentionally or otherwise—no fewer than four comms including one of the largest cities to survive the Rifting over the course of her life. Nassun has also racked up quite the body count by the end of the book.
The Obelisk Gate / int_36c94bed	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_36c94bed	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_36c94bed
The Obelisk Gate / int_3b5fcbb7	type	Artifact of Doom
The Obelisk Gate / int_3b5fcbb7	comment	Artifact of Doom: Castrima's control center seems to be a place where Obelisks are made. It also houses some decidedly more dangerous moving parts. The titular Obelisk Gate also seems quite finicky, prone to killing orogenes who try to use it improperly and turning those who do use it correctly to stone.
The Obelisk Gate / int_3b5fcbb7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_3b5fcbb7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_3b5fcbb7
The Obelisk Gate / int_3d455888	type	Then Let Me Be Evil
The Obelisk Gate / int_3d455888	comment	Then Let Me Be Evil: Nassun in the last chapter.
The Obelisk Gate / int_3d455888	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_3d455888	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_3d455888
The Obelisk Gate / int_3f11ef74	type	Parental Substitute
The Obelisk Gate / int_3f11ef74	comment	Parental Substitute: The Guardians. They're not especially nice ones.
The Obelisk Gate / int_3f11ef74	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_3f11ef74	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_3f11ef74
The Obelisk Gate / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
The Obelisk Gate / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: Nassun kills Jija by turning him to stone and is told that she will end up killing everything she loves. On the other story arc, the Obelisk Gate is opened, meaning the world has a chance, but the same thing that happened to Alabaster is happening to Essun. On the smaller scale, the people of Castrima are saved but their home is irreparably damaged, making them commless.
The Obelisk Gate / int_40cc0c7e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_40cc0c7e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_40cc0c7e
The Obelisk Gate / int_4108bb3e	type	Doomed Hometown
The Obelisk Gate / int_4108bb3e	comment	Doomed Hometown: Every place Essun has ever lived in has been destroyed because of her, either indirectly or by her own hand. The exception is the Fulcrum, which Alabaster destroyed for his own reasons at the start of the first book. Nassun's story implies that she is headed down the same path.
The Obelisk Gate / int_4108bb3e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_4108bb3e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_4108bb3e
The Obelisk Gate / int_479d4e5a	type	Would Hurt a Child
The Obelisk Gate / int_479d4e5a	comment	Would Hurt a Child: A disturbing amount of people, if that child is an orogene. Special mention goes to Jija, who killed his son and tries to kill Nassun. There's also a woman in Castrima who attacks an orogene child while drunk.
The Obelisk Gate / int_479d4e5a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_479d4e5a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_479d4e5a
The Obelisk Gate / int_4e7c4536	type	Wham Line
The Obelisk Gate / int_4e7c4536	comment	Wham Line: â€œMy name is Schaffa.â€�
The Obelisk Gate / int_4e7c4536	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_4e7c4536	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_4e7c4536
The Obelisk Gate / int_537dd8fe	type	Affably Evil
The Obelisk Gate / int_537dd8fe	comment	Affably Evil: Schaffa, although to what extent he is the same person in the first book remains to be seen
The Obelisk Gate / int_537dd8fe	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_537dd8fe	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_537dd8fe
The Obelisk Gate / int_558f5da6	type	Cryptic Conversation
The Obelisk Gate / int_558f5da6	comment	Cryptic Conversation: Alabaster is this to an infuriating degree. Schaffa also seems to be prone to this but in a more roundabout manner due to some retrograde amnesia as well as being potentially untrustworthy
The Obelisk Gate / int_558f5da6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_558f5da6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_558f5da6
The Obelisk Gate / int_586624e5	type	Genius Loci
The Obelisk Gate / int_586624e5	comment	Genius Loci: Father Earth is speculated to be sentient and hateful to Orogenes because they took his only child from him, the Moon. Restoring said Moon to its orbit may be the only way to stop the Seasons.
The Obelisk Gate / int_586624e5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_586624e5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_586624e5
The Obelisk Gate / int_6114a875	type	Lost Technology
The Obelisk Gate / int_6114a875	comment	Lost Technology: Dead civ ruins are this. Given that the book takes place primarily in Castrima (a comm built inside a dead civ ruin) and largely concerns the harnessing of the Obelisks (dead civ artifacts), this trope is particularly relevant in this book.
The Obelisk Gate / int_6114a875	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_6114a875	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_6114a875
The Obelisk Gate / int_613ca729	type	Request for Privacy
The Obelisk Gate / int_613ca729	comment	Request for Privacy: Essun tells Ykka that they need to speak alone about a sensitive topic. Ykka refuses: first, to emphasize that she is the sole authority in the community; second, to show that she trusts her advisors; and third, because the topic has to do with orogeny, which she's trying to de-stigmatize by being open and up-front about it. They speak in the advisors' presence instead.
The Obelisk Gate / int_613ca729	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_613ca729	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_613ca729
The Obelisk Gate / int_63557923	type	Death World
The Obelisk Gate / int_63557923	comment	Death World: The Stillness becomes this during a season, as its people and animals become meaner in order to survive. Boil bugs are this book's iconic harmless-turned-deadly monster.
The Obelisk Gate / int_63557923	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_63557923	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_63557923
The Obelisk Gate / int_643618e5	type	Replacement Goldfish
The Obelisk Gate / int_643618e5	comment	Replacement Goldfish: Although Essun isn't dead, Schaffa considers Nassun this.
The Obelisk Gate / int_643618e5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_643618e5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_643618e5
The Obelisk Gate / int_6c10c5d3	type	Secret War
The Obelisk Gate / int_6c10c5d3	comment	Secret War: Hoa reveals that there is a great conflict going on between Stone Eaters unknown to humans. All factions want Essun on their side for her ability to open the Obelisk Gate, some to end the seasons by returning the moon, others to destroy the world entirely.
The Obelisk Gate / int_6c10c5d3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_6c10c5d3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_6c10c5d3
The Obelisk Gate / int_71e8a5c5	type	Trauma Conga Line
The Obelisk Gate / int_71e8a5c5	comment	Trauma Conga Line: And how.
The Obelisk Gate / int_71e8a5c5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_71e8a5c5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_71e8a5c5
The Obelisk Gate / int_7464705c	type	Arc Words
The Obelisk Gate / int_7464705c	comment	Arc Words: Every character seems intent on making as many cryptic references to the moon as will fit. From Schaffa's 'Found Moon' to Nassun's wish to 'catch the moon' to Alabaster's wistful thoughts about the moon, it's known early on that the moon is no longer there but the exact reasons for its disappearance and consequent impact on the seasons is unknown.
The Obelisk Gate / int_7464705c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_7464705c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_7464705c
The Obelisk Gate / int_77e8d49d	type	Clingy MacGuffin
The Obelisk Gate / int_77e8d49d	comment	Clingy MacGuffin: Essun's spinel floats precisely one foot behind her head except when she's actively using it.
The Obelisk Gate / int_77e8d49d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_77e8d49d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_77e8d49d
The Obelisk Gate / int_7831b670	type	Gaia's Vengeance
The Obelisk Gate / int_7831b670	comment	Gaia's Vengeance: Folklore says that Father Earth hates humanity because they stole his only child. Evidence suggests that the Stillness' tectonic instability was caused by the planet losing it's moon. Whether it's an angry Genius Loci or simple physics causing the Seasons, this trope applies.
The Obelisk Gate / int_7831b670	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_7831b670	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_7831b670
The Obelisk Gate / int_7b6e47a5	type	Armor-Piercing Question
The Obelisk Gate / int_7b6e47a5	comment	Armor-Piercing Question: "Did they break your hand?"
The Obelisk Gate / int_7b6e47a5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_7b6e47a5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_7b6e47a5
The Obelisk Gate / int_7bc90010	type	Hearing Voices
The Obelisk Gate / int_7bc90010	comment	Hearing Voices: All the Guardians can hear the voice of Father Earth. They aren't supposed to listen to it, like Schaffa—the ones that do are usually killed. It is implied that orogenes, even those without the ability to perceive magic, can tell which Guardians are which. The confrontation at the Antarctic Fulcrum has one of the senior orogenes declaring, "You're both tainted!"
The Obelisk Gate / int_7bc90010	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_7bc90010	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_7bc90010
The Obelisk Gate / int_83a903f6	type	Stepford Smiler
The Obelisk Gate / int_83a903f6	comment	Stepford Smiler: Partly subverted. The Guardians smile to release endorphins which interact with receptors in their brain to reduce their pain.
The Obelisk Gate / int_83a903f6	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Obelisk Gate / int_83a903f6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_83a903f6
The Obelisk Gate / int_868409c	type	Broken Pedestal
The Obelisk Gate / int_868409c	comment	Broken Pedestal: Nassun used to look up to Jija. Not anymore.
The Obelisk Gate / int_868409c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_868409c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_868409c
The Obelisk Gate / int_87bb6874	type	Villain with Good Publicity
The Obelisk Gate / int_87bb6874	comment	Villain with Good Publicity: The Guardians. To the extent that Schaffa comments that they were too good at encouraging fear of untrained Orogenes in the human population.
The Obelisk Gate / int_87bb6874	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_87bb6874	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_87bb6874
The Obelisk Gate / int_8967e17f	type	Back from the Dead
The Obelisk Gate / int_8967e17f	comment	Back from the Dead: It is heavily implied that whatever killed Alabaster actually turned him into a Stone Eater.
The Obelisk Gate / int_8967e17f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_8967e17f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_8967e17f
The Obelisk Gate / int_8ed5c6e4	type	Asshole Victim
The Obelisk Gate / int_8ed5c6e4	comment	Asshole Victim: Jija. He is warned twice once by Schaffa and once by Nassun and still tries to kill her.
The Obelisk Gate / int_8ed5c6e4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_8ed5c6e4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_8ed5c6e4
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f0dc93c	type	Dangerous Forbidden Technique
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f0dc93c	comment	Dangerous Forbidden Technique: As he's drowning off the coast of Meov, Schaffa makes a bargain with Father Earth that all Guardians are wary of. He lives, but loses substantial chunks of his memory and personality in the process. Ironically, this makes him less abusive. Similarly, use of the titular Obelisk Gate grants the user world-spanning awareness and terrible power, but turns them partly to stone and poisons their orogeny so that using it makes the stone spread.
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f0dc93c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f0dc93c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_8f0dc93c
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f37b	type	Medieval Stasis
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f37b	comment	Medieval Stasis: Averted, hard. Sanzed civilization looks to have been somewhere between World War One and World War Two tech level, with things like electric light, antibiotics, and telegraphs. Some of the dead civ ruins are closer to Crystal Spires and Togas level. It's implied that each Season knocks civilization back by several centuries.
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f37b	featureApplicability	-1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_8f37b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_8f37b
The Obelisk Gate / int_93399c3c	type	Patricide
The Obelisk Gate / int_93399c3c	comment	Patricide: Nassun kills her father after he tries to kill her in their final confrontation, unable to accept her as an orogene.
The Obelisk Gate / int_93399c3c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_93399c3c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_93399c3c
The Obelisk Gate / int_9591377d	type	Heel Realization
The Obelisk Gate / int_9591377d	comment	Heel Realization: Zigzagged with Schaffa. He realizes what a horrible person he has been for all of his life, only to proceed to kill several innocent people for reasons unclear even to Schaffa himself. Although he tells Nassun that the Fulcrum's way of raising orogenes was horrific and that he means to atone for his part in it, Schaffa proceeds to train her to be a living weapon. Essun has a few as well, notably in her dealings with Ykka. Like her judgment of Ykka as a poor orogene for not being able to move a pebble, the Fulcrum's method of measuring precision. When it counts, Ykka is incredibly precise, in some ways beyond what Essun can do. It's just that she had never learned to move pebbles because why the hell would she?
The Obelisk Gate / int_9591377d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_9591377d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_9591377d
The Obelisk Gate / int_99ddfcec	type	Unwitting Instigator of Doom
The Obelisk Gate / int_99ddfcec	comment	Unwitting Instigator of Doom: A few days prior to the beginning of the trilogy, a lorist named Renthree visited Tirimo, and Nassun spotted her on the way home from creche. The next day, Nassun skipped creche to see her, and gave her a diamond that she had found with orogeny to try and buy an apprenticeship, unaware of its value. After thinking it over, Renthree visited Nassun's house and gave the diamond to Jija, assuming that he knew about it from the start. In turn, Jija thought about where and how Nassun could have found it, bringing his already-present suspicions about Essun and their children to a head. Then Uche woke up from his nap, sessed the diamond in Jija's pocket, and innocently asked him about it, confirming those suspicions and pushing Jija over the edge.
The Obelisk Gate / int_99ddfcec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_99ddfcec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_99ddfcec
The Obelisk Gate / int_9c45b5a2	type	What Measure Is a Non-Human?
The Obelisk Gate / int_9c45b5a2	comment	What Measure Is a Non-Human?: A central theme of the books, where the characters debate whether Orogenes and stone eaters count as humans.
The Obelisk Gate / int_9c45b5a2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_9c45b5a2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_9c45b5a2
The Obelisk Gate / int_9f63d4f1	type	Our Vampires Are Different
The Obelisk Gate / int_9f63d4f1	comment	Our Vampires Are Different: We learn here that the Guardians, who are the children of orogenes, aren't just not orogenes. They invert it. They feed on magic. Without it, they go insane and kill. They can feed off of the magic produced by people, but they can really only get their fix from orogenes.
The Obelisk Gate / int_9f63d4f1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_9f63d4f1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_9f63d4f1
The Obelisk Gate / int_a1b141f4	type	My God, What Have I Done?
The Obelisk Gate / int_a1b141f4	comment	My God, What Have I Done?: Nassun after turning Eitz into stone.
The Obelisk Gate / int_a1b141f4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_a1b141f4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_a1b141f4
The Obelisk Gate / int_a633a438	type	Really700YearsOld
The Obelisk Gate / int_a633a438	comment	Really 700 Years Old: As in the first book, Hoa looks like a child at first but is millennia old. This book also elaborates that Schaffa is several hundred years old, though his damaged memory makes him uncertain of his exact age.
The Obelisk Gate / int_a633a438	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_a633a438	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_a633a438
The Obelisk Gate / int_a65288e2	type	Ascended Extra
The Obelisk Gate / int_a65288e2	comment	Ascended Extra: Nassun and Jija are only mentioned in the first book, but Nassun becomes a main character.
The Obelisk Gate / int_a65288e2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_a65288e2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_a65288e2
The Obelisk Gate / int_ab5eea65	type	Dramatic Irony
The Obelisk Gate / int_ab5eea65	comment	Dramatic Irony: Essun is unaware of exactly what happened to Nassun
The Obelisk Gate / int_ab5eea65	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_ab5eea65	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_ab5eea65
The Obelisk Gate / int_abcb9af1	type	Eaten Alive
The Obelisk Gate / int_abcb9af1	comment	Eaten Alive: Hoa gets partially eaten in a fight with a rival Stone Eater, which he recovers from with some difficulty. Also, as Alabaster is slowly petrified by his powers, Antimony eats the stone parts; subverted when this is revealed to be part of the process of transforming him into a Stone Eater.
The Obelisk Gate / int_abcb9af1	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Obelisk Gate / int_abcb9af1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_abcb9af1
The Obelisk Gate / int_b11ac9f5	type	Abusive Parents
The Obelisk Gate / int_b11ac9f5	comment	Abusive Parents: It turns out that Essun was this to Nassun, since she broke her hand in order to teach her control - just as Schaffa did to her so many years before. Also, Jija, who wants to subject Nassun to the orogene version of conversion therapy.
The Obelisk Gate / int_b11ac9f5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_b11ac9f5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_b11ac9f5
The Obelisk Gate / int_b1619b3c	type	Omnicidal Maniac
The Obelisk Gate / int_b1619b3c	comment	Omnicidal Maniac: There are three factions struggling to survive Father Earth's restlessness. One of them wants to snuff out life forever. The gray Stone Eater that Nassun dubs "Steel" seems to be this faction's face.
The Obelisk Gate / int_b1619b3c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_b1619b3c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_b1619b3c
The Obelisk Gate / int_b25104bd	type	Have You Tried Not Being a Monster?
The Obelisk Gate / int_b25104bd	comment	Have You Tried Not Being a Monster?: Jija was somehow convinced that Found Moon is a place for "curing" orogenes of their magic. As it becomes more and more apparent that this isn't the case, he gets angrier and angrier at Nassun for not trying hard enough.
The Obelisk Gate / int_b25104bd	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_b25104bd	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_b25104bd
The Obelisk Gate / int_b38b6147	type	Science Fantasy
The Obelisk Gate / int_b38b6147	comment	Science Fantasy: A mixture of both genres.
The Obelisk Gate / int_b38b6147	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_b38b6147	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_b38b6147
The Obelisk Gate / int_b3eecaae	type	Colony Drop
The Obelisk Gate / int_b3eecaae	comment	Colony Drop: The moon is coming back. From what Schaffa says to Nassun at the end of the book, it appears the Earth plans to have her make it crash into the planet.
The Obelisk Gate / int_b3eecaae	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_b3eecaae	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_b3eecaae
The Obelisk Gate / int_b4a44588	type	Tough Love
The Obelisk Gate / int_b4a44588	comment	Tough Love: Essun took this approach when teaching Nassun to control her powers. Too bad it made Nassun all the more willing to get away from her.
The Obelisk Gate / int_b4a44588	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_b4a44588	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_b4a44588
The Obelisk Gate / int_bb2d4227	type	Cast Full of Crazy
The Obelisk Gate / int_bb2d4227	comment	Cast Full of Crazy: From the trauma and tragedy experienced and witnessed by the Orogenes, the horror that humankind faces when confronted by the brutal environment of the Stillness and the traumatising process used to make the Guardians no one quite makes it out mentally intact.
The Obelisk Gate / int_bb2d4227	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_bb2d4227	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_bb2d4227
The Obelisk Gate / int_c267c2b4	type	Cataclysm Backstory
The Obelisk Gate / int_c267c2b4	comment	Cataclysm Backstory: Alabaster reveals that the reason the Earth is angry and that there are so many apocalypses is that a society of orogenes accidentally ruined the moon's orbit. And Hoa was one of them.
The Obelisk Gate / int_c267c2b4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_c267c2b4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_c267c2b4
The Obelisk Gate / int_c26ebed4	type	Finagle's Law
The Obelisk Gate / int_c26ebed4	comment	Finagle's Law: Essun kills Corundum rather than let Schaffa take him in the first book and by the second book Nassun has ended up with Schaffa.
The Obelisk Gate / int_c26ebed4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_c26ebed4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_c26ebed4
The Obelisk Gate / int_c335b9ec	type	Irony
The Obelisk Gate / int_c335b9ec	comment	Irony: Orogenes are seen as the servants of Evil Earth, and are discriminated against and persecuted as a result. In actual fact, it's the Guardians, created to control and dominate the Fulcrum trained orogenes, who have fragments or corestones of the Earth placed into them, and become its People Puppets when they inevitably become corrupted.
The Obelisk Gate / int_c335b9ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_c335b9ec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_c335b9ec
The Obelisk Gate / int_c868a42a	type	Freudian Excuse
The Obelisk Gate / int_c868a42a	comment	Freudian Excuse: Jija hates and fears orogenes because he witnessed one of his cousins accidentally (and brutally) killing another cousin by icing them.
The Obelisk Gate / int_c868a42a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_c868a42a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_c868a42a
The Obelisk Gate / int_d1e5d45c	type	Cynicâ€“Idealist Duo
The Obelisk Gate / int_d1e5d45c	comment	Cynicâ€“Idealist Duo: Ykka is an idealist who wants to build a society where orogenes, who are victims to a lot of Fantastic Racism, can be accepted members of society, while Essun is cynical and feels such a society cannot last and the other people will eventually turn on the orogenes.
The Obelisk Gate / int_d1e5d45c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_d1e5d45c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_d1e5d45c
The Obelisk Gate / int_d53acc8a	type	You Are Not Ready
The Obelisk Gate / int_d53acc8a	comment	You Are Not Ready: Alabaster considers Essun this initially. Essun counters by calling him a piss-poor teacher who doesn't know how to help her become ready, forcing her to figure things out on her own.
The Obelisk Gate / int_d53acc8a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_d53acc8a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_d53acc8a
The Obelisk Gate / int_d782bd52	type	Equivalent Exchange
The Obelisk Gate / int_d782bd52	comment	Equivalent Exchange: Alabaster and Essun's opening of the Obelisk Gate occurs at the cost of turning to stone.
The Obelisk Gate / int_d782bd52	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_d782bd52	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_d782bd52
The Obelisk Gate / int_de9047ac	type	Gambit Pileup
The Obelisk Gate / int_de9047ac	comment	Gambit Pileup: An extremely confusing and obscured pileup is going on in the background of the novel with factions which include Orogenes, the Guardians and the Stone-eaters. However, the book is vague about where the loyalties of the characters lie and this is especially unclear of Schaffa and the contaminated Guardians
The Obelisk Gate / int_de9047ac	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_de9047ac	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_de9047ac
The Obelisk Gate / int_e003c829	type	History Repeats
The Obelisk Gate / int_e003c829	comment	History Repeats: Civilization in the Stillness seems to follow a general cycle where it builds up over time and is then set far back by a Season. Sanzed looks to be unusually prosperous at its height, perhaps owing to the node maintainers keeping the equatorial regions free of shakes.
The Obelisk Gate / int_e003c829	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_e003c829	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_e003c829
The Obelisk Gate / int_e16d7741	type	No Immortal Inertia
The Obelisk Gate / int_e16d7741	comment	No Immortal Inertia: The Guardians are kept alive for centuries by their corestones. Remove the stone, however, and a Guardian will age and die in a matter of months.
The Obelisk Gate / int_e16d7741	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_e16d7741	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_e16d7741
The Obelisk Gate / int_e3b0cd87	type	Morality Pet
The Obelisk Gate / int_e3b0cd87	comment	Morality Pet: Nassun deliberately makes herself one to her father, in order to keep him from murdering her like he did her brother, and later becomes one to Schaffa.
The Obelisk Gate / int_e3b0cd87	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_e3b0cd87	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_e3b0cd87
The Obelisk Gate / int_e5700c89	type	Reluctant Psycho
The Obelisk Gate / int_e5700c89	comment	Reluctant Psycho: Schaffa is half-controlled by the Earth and has impulses to kill people that he doesn't understand, like when he kills Eitz's family. However he tries to suppress these urges and take care of the children in Found Moon as best as he can.
The Obelisk Gate / int_e5700c89	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_e5700c89	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_e5700c89
The Obelisk Gate / int_e75be4b3	type	MacGuffin Super-Person
The Obelisk Gate / int_e75be4b3	comment	MacGuffin Super-Person: Essun is sought after or sometimes attempted to be killed by all factions of the stone eaters, due to potentially having the power to use the Obelisk Gate. She herself is unaware of the conflict or the gate at first and gradually learns the backstory of the setting.
The Obelisk Gate / int_e75be4b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_e75be4b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_e75be4b3
The Obelisk Gate / int_e7b0229a	type	Laser-Guided Amnesia
The Obelisk Gate / int_e7b0229a	comment	Laser-Guided Amnesia: Schaffa loses many of his memories after he draws upon the source of the Guardians' power to survive the destruction of Meov.
The Obelisk Gate / int_e7b0229a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_e7b0229a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_e7b0229a
The Obelisk Gate / int_f9cf12b2	type	Love Cannot Overcome
The Obelisk Gate / int_f9cf12b2	comment	Love Cannot Overcome: A familial version with Jija, who is torn between seeing Nassun as his beloved daughter and as a vile orogene. Ultimately, when he realizes that she's not interested in "curing" her orogeny, he tries to kill her and gets Taken for Granite for it.
The Obelisk Gate / int_f9cf12b2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_f9cf12b2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_f9cf12b2
The Obelisk Gate / int_fd4f8299	type	Well-Intentioned Extremist
The Obelisk Gate / int_fd4f8299	comment	Well-Intentioned Extremist: Alabaster created the Rifting not only to destroy the Fulcrum, but to provide a power source to use the Obelisk Gate to restore the Moon to Earth's orbit and end the seasons forever.
The Obelisk Gate / int_fd4f8299	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_fd4f8299	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_fd4f8299
The Obelisk Gate / int_fdad625e	type	Was Once a Man
The Obelisk Gate / int_fdad625e	comment	Was Once a Man: Stone eaters are made from humans. It would appear that the turning-to-stone effect from using the Obelisk Gate is the process for creating them, since Alabaster has returned as one by the end. Although according to Hoa, they still consider themselves human.
The Obelisk Gate / int_fdad625e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_fdad625e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_fdad625e
The Obelisk Gate / int_name	type	ItemName
The Obelisk Gate / int_name	comment
The Obelisk Gate / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Obelisk Gate / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	The Obelisk Gate / int_name
The Obelisk Gate / int_name	itemName	The Obelisk Gate

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

The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	Patricide / int_a63a5c0e
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	Request for Privacy / int_a63a5c0e
The Obelisk Gate	hasFeature	Unnervingly Heartwarming / int_a63a5c0e

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.