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Unsong

820 statements
161 feature instances
40 referencing feature instances

Unsong	type	TVTItem
Unsong	label	Unsong
Unsong	page	Unsong
Unsong	comment	In 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 crashes into the crystal sphere that surrounds Earth. The logic of the world as we know it falls apart, the Names of God become magical spells, and all of Judeo-Christian theology is suddenly true. The Messiah reads Peter Singer and founds a kingdom in Colorado, The Legions of Hell rise from a lake in Siberia and ally with Henry Kissinger against Soviet Russia, Silicon Valley giants research esoteric Jewish mysticism through brute-force algorithms, and the Unitarian Church leads a secret underground in opposition to the United Nations Subcommittee on the Names of God.Unsong is an Alternate History Postmodern web-published epic based on a Magic A Is Magic A interpretation of Kabbalah, where metaphors, homophones, and seeming coincidences reveal (and allow control over) the hidden structure of the cosmos. It follows an Ensemble Cast through the fifty years from 1968 (where it diverges from real-world history) to the apocalypse in 2017: Aaron Smith-Teller, a mathematical genius working for a kabbalah sweatshop in Silicon Valley. He discovers a new Name of God that has the potential to tip the balance of power and quickly ends up on the run. Ana Thurmond, Aaron's unrequited crush, an academic focused on the question of just what the heck God has been doing all this time. The Comet King, who everyone (including himself) believes is the Jewish Messiah. He decides that since the eternal torments of Hell are the most unethical thing possible, Hell must be destroyed. And as his Catchphrase goes: "Somebody has to and no one else will." Sohu West, the Comet King's daughter. She's the greatest human kabbalist and learns at the feet of archangel Uriel, whose Magitek machine maintains what little mundane logic is left in the world (and whose portrayal conspicuously averts Hollywood Autism). Dylan Alvarez, a Genre Savvy anarchist fighting corporate and government control of the Names of God.The nature of Unsong's magic system means that trivia, history, linguistics, and narrative have physical significance within the world, leading to a tone reminiscent of Douglas Adams or Neil Gaiman by way of Umberto Eco. It also includes heavy doses of Author Appeal exploration of utilitarian ethics under extreme circumstances, humanist philosophy (including a look at a really disturbing humanist version of Hell), and terrible, terrible puns.
Unsong	fetched	2023-09-24T13:10:07Z
Unsong	parsed	2023-09-24T13:10:07Z
Unsong	processingComment	Dropped link to CantGrowUp: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Unsong	processingComment	Dropped link to Downplayed: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Unsong	processingComment	Dropped link to Facebook: Not a Feature - ITEM
Unsong	processingComment	Dropped link to OmniscientMoralityLicence: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Unsong	processingUnknown	CantGrowUp
Unsong	processingUnknown	Downplayed
Unsong	processingUnknown	OmniscientMoralityLicence
Unsong	isPartOf	DBTropes
Unsong / int_135c6de7	type	Cannot Tell a Joke
Unsong / int_135c6de7	comment	Cannot Tell a Joke: Despite his unmatched skill at finding obscure verbal connections, Uriel has an extremely hard time making the leap to pun-based humor.
Unsong / int_135c6de7	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_135c6de7	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_135c6de7
Unsong / int_137f2d7	type	Card-Carrying Villain
Unsong / int_137f2d7	comment	Card-Carrying Villain: Thamiel, and demons in general. Among (what are presumably) humans, the Other King ( he's the Comet King Jalaketu, so half-human at least) and Dick Cheney.
Unsong / int_137f2d7	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_137f2d7	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_137f2d7
Unsong / int_14dc8ba9	type	Weaponized Landmark
Unsong / int_14dc8ba9	comment	Weaponized Landmark: During Hell's invasion of the collapsing United States, Rabbi Schneerson saves New York by transforming the Statue of Liberty into a Golem.
Unsong / int_14dc8ba9	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_14dc8ba9	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_14dc8ba9
Unsong / int_14ed6ab7	type	Does This Remind You of Anything?
Unsong / int_14ed6ab7	comment	Does This Remind You of Anything?: Theonomic corporations (like Countenance, Gogmagog, eLeshon (eBay) and UNSONG are a thinly-veiled allegory of the real-world software industry. The Unitarian choir corresponds to the free software/open-source movement; in particular, Reverend Raymond E. Stevens is named after Eric Steven Raymond (although his character seems to bear more resemblance to Richard Stallman). Kabbalah is mathematics/programming, while klipot is DRM. Archangel Uriel himself references (quite anachronistically) the Gale-Shapley algorithm, a "part_sea function", and Ruby on Rails. Ensouling a computer is basically creating an Artificial Intelligence. Many more parallels like this can be drawn, and the point is driven further by quotations from a Tumblr blog populated with the output of a Markov chain mixing the King James Bible with, among other things, Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs.
Unsong / int_14ed6ab7	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_14ed6ab7	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_14ed6ab7
Unsong / int_1599db45	type	Ritual Magic
Unsong / int_1599db45	comment	Ritual Magic: Played With. Kabbalah runs on a combination of this and Words Can Break My Bones, but "ritual magic" is entirely made-up rituals that seem impressive and convince the universe that this is a magic ritual.
Unsong / int_1599db45	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_1599db45	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_1599db45
Unsong / int_1777688d	type	Genre Savvy
Unsong / int_1777688d	comment	Genre Savvy: Dylan Alvarez prides himself on this and goes to great lengths to stay on the right side of narrative tropes. In fact, the entire art of placebomancy hinges on bending reality toward the most dramatically satisfying outcomes.
Unsong / int_1777688d	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_1777688d	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_1777688d
Unsong / int_1869b4b1	type	Unreliable Narrator
Unsong / int_1869b4b1	comment	Unreliable Narrator: Aaron goes on at great length about how coincidences don't exist and there are hidden meanings in everything. It's heavily implied and eventually confirmed by God himself that he's wrong, and his confirmation bias blinds him to coincidences all around him.
Unsong / int_1869b4b1	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_1869b4b1	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_1869b4b1
Unsong / int_1e7c47ab	type	Stealth Pun
Unsong / int_1e7c47ab	comment	This also provides an example of a Stealth Pun, because the means of his death is consumption by holy fire, as he speaks to the nation. A Burning Bush indeed.
Unsong / int_1e7c47ab	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_1e7c47ab	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_1e7c47ab
Unsong / int_1ee0948e	type	Artificial Human
Unsong / int_1ee0948e	comment	Artificial Human: What Sarah becomes after Gadiriel builds her a body that looks exactly like Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Unsong / int_1ee0948e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_1ee0948e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_1ee0948e
Unsong / int_1fc8335e	type	Deal with the Devil
Unsong / int_1fc8335e	comment	Deal with the Devil: An unusual example: President Richard Nixon establishes a strategic alliance with Hell; the latter later becomes a member of the United Nations. See also Thanatos Gambit, below.
Unsong / int_1fc8335e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_1fc8335e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_1fc8335e
Unsong / int_21d70919	type	Crapsack World
Unsong / int_21d70919	comment	Crapsack World: The Legions of Hell have enslaved all of Russia and Canada and are actively working on making sure that everyone everywhere becomes as evil as possible, so as to ensure that they face eternal damnation after they die — said damnation, by the way, being both unspeakably painful and carefully documented so that everyone knows what's waiting for them. Most of western America has fallen to a necromancer who commits war crimes terrible enough that even his hardened mercenaries get uncomfortable. Mexico is a Hive Mind controlled by an Aztec god looking to spread his reign north. The few parts of the world that still have something resembling a regular government are controlled by massive corporations who holds the copyright to the sacred Names of God and by the brutal international organisation devoted to stomping out all resistance, while the politicians nominally in charge range from merely corrupt and incompetent to horrifically and gleefully evil. And all of this is about to get even worse, because the celestial machine that maintains some semblance of natural law and keeping supernatural forces from running unchecked is quickly breaking down. All of this is slightly balanced out by the undeniable existence of divinity and goodness, but even that is either so Stupid Good as to be all but useless or so overpoweringly holy that it will devour you if you get too close to it.
Unsong / int_21d70919	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_21d70919	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_21d70919
Unsong / int_22cf536c	type	Chekhov's Gun
Unsong / int_22cf536c	comment	Chekhov's Gun: Angels can't speak Aramaic.
Unsong / int_22cf536c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_22cf536c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_22cf536c
Unsong / int_26d2817c	type	Russian Reversal
Unsong / int_26d2817c	comment	Russian Reversal: Explicitly in-text a couple of times. Chapter 15 has a few: Ana invokes the "Party can always find you" line when she attempts to find UNSONG's detention facility by getting UNSONG agents to track her down. In America, Mohammed goes to mountain. In Soviet Russia, mountain comes to you. Or whatever. Hell's legions are nonplussed by Russia's willingness to throw its soldiers' lives away. "In Soviet Russia, demons shocked by atrocities of you!"
Unsong / int_26d2817c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_26d2817c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_26d2817c
Unsong / int_27ab0123	type	Offing the Offspring
Unsong / int_27ab0123	comment	Offing the Offspring: There is a prophecy that the Comet King’s children will all die in agony, cursing his name. Killing his own children is the last evil deed the Comet King, in his guise as the Other King, has to do before he will be absolutely certain that he has become evil enough to go to Hell when he dies.
Unsong / int_27ab0123	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_27ab0123	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_27ab0123
Unsong / int_28f170e9	type	Whatevermancy
Unsong / int_28f170e9	comment	Whatevermancy: In-Universe example: Robert Anton Wilson writes a book called Placebomancer! about Ritual Magic and the term catches on.
Unsong / int_28f170e9	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_28f170e9	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_28f170e9
Unsong / int_295087bf	type	Non-Indicative Name
Unsong / int_295087bf	comment	Non-Indicative Name: The names given to... well, to the Names of God sometimes describe their effects in a quite oblique manner. For example, the Wrathful Name, which creates nuke-equivalent explosions.
Unsong / int_295087bf	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_295087bf	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_295087bf
Unsong / int_2bdae2ae	type	Awesome, but Impractical
Unsong / int_2bdae2ae	comment	Awesome, but Impractical: The Bulletproof Name takes five seconds to pronounce, and stops exactly one bullet before it must be pronounced again.
Unsong / int_2bdae2ae	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_2bdae2ae	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_2bdae2ae
Unsong / int_2f72ded5	type	Husky Russkie
Unsong / int_2f72ded5	comment	Husky Russkie: In 1969, Russia is invaded by the Legions of Hell. Most countries would have been taken aback by this, but:
Unsong / int_2f72ded5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_2f72ded5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_2f72ded5
Unsong / int_319e4a2f	type	Even Evil Has Standards
Unsong / int_319e4a2f	comment	Hell's legions are nonplussed by Russia's willingness to throw its soldiers' lives away. "In Soviet Russia, demons shocked by atrocities of you!"
Unsong / int_319e4a2f	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_319e4a2f	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_319e4a2f
Unsong / int_31da1e24	type	Shipper on Deck
Unsong / int_31da1e24	comment	Shipper on Deck: Sohu is very enthused about the idea of her father and new stepmother becoming genuinely romantically interested in each other, as opposed to just marrying for political reasons.
Unsong / int_31da1e24	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_31da1e24	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_31da1e24
Unsong / int_334e48a1	type	After the End
Unsong / int_334e48a1	comment	After the End: The breaking of the sky might count as an apocalypse in and of itself, but the death of the Comet King left the world — or at least the Untied States — a complete mess. The Midwest is ruled by petty warlords with names like "Paulus the Lawless" and "the Witch-King of Wichita", Hell has established colonies, and there's an ongoing guerrilla war in the Appalachians.
Unsong / int_334e48a1	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_334e48a1	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_334e48a1
Unsong / int_34f8ef33	type	Mass Super-Empowering Event
Unsong / int_34f8ef33	comment	Mass Super-Empowering Event: "Thirty years ago, when the sky cracked, the assortment of hermeticists, Wiccans, and uncool teenagers practicing magic noticed that their spells were starting to actually work."
Unsong / int_34f8ef33	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_34f8ef33	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_34f8ef33
Unsong / int_38d02d44	type	Batman Gambit
Unsong / int_38d02d44	comment	Batman Gambit: Thamiel is the king of this trope. It's one of his favourite devices for getting people to commit sin.
Unsong / int_38d02d44	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_38d02d44	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_38d02d44
Unsong / int_3a5c70a3	type	Script Swap
Unsong / int_3a5c70a3	comment	Script Swap: Dylan Alvarez hacks Bush's teleprompter to add the name "Sonja Horah" to a list of thank-yous he was delivering, thereby tricking him into speaking the Mortal Name and dying as a result. This also provides an example of a Stealth Pun, because the means of his death is consumption by holy fire, as he speaks to the nation. A Burning Bush indeed.
Unsong / int_3a5c70a3	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_3a5c70a3	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_3a5c70a3
Unsong / int_3cb6468e	type	Bad Liar
Unsong / int_3cb6468e	comment	Bad Liar: Sataniel, when he first fell. Fortunately for him, angels are incredibly gullible — they can't even comprehend that lying is a thing.
Unsong / int_3cb6468e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_3cb6468e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_3cb6468e
Unsong / int_40212a27	type	Broken Angel
Unsong / int_40212a27	comment	Broken Angel: "Fallen angels", who are neither demons nor evil — they're angels who have crossed the Despair Event Horizon and lost their ability to fly. Because they can never become cynical enough to cope with the human world, they're plunged into a never-ending cycle of disappointment and despair.
Unsong / int_40212a27	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_40212a27	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_40212a27
Unsong / int_41acc7e	type	A Hell of a Time
Unsong / int_41acc7e	comment	A Hell of a Time: "The Broadcast" promises that the very worst sinners get less torture in Hell, because Thamiel wants to encourage people who think they're going to be damned anyway to sin even more in the hopes of getting better treatment, rather than sin less — and knowing that people like Hitler, Beria, and Delphine LaLaurie get off relatively easily makes Hell that much worse for everyone else.
Unsong / int_41acc7e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_41acc7e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_41acc7e
Unsong / int_4482e1ef	type	Divided States of America
Unsong / int_4482e1ef	comment	Divided States of America: Now the "Untied States of America" (sic). The release of the Broadcast caused, among other things, the collapse of the American federal government. The United States proper still exists, but controls only the east coast. Independent countries include the California Republic, the Texas Republic, the Salish Free State, and the Oklahoma Ochlocracy. The Midwest is an anarchic land ruled by feudal warlords. The American Southwest and northern Mexico were ruled by the Comet King, and have since been mostly usurped by the Other King.
Unsong / int_4482e1ef	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_4482e1ef	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_4482e1ef
Unsong / int_44a1dd10	type	King Incognito
Unsong / int_44a1dd10	comment	King Incognito: "Jane" is actually Jinxiang West, daughter of the Comet King.
Unsong / int_44a1dd10	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_44a1dd10	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_44a1dd10
Unsong / int_44fc28e8	type	Honor Before Reason
Unsong / int_44fc28e8	comment	Honor Before Reason: Discussed. Most of the major characters agree on the fact that this trope is the way to go, because "they enslave their children's children who make compromise with sin." However, rather than solving anything, that just raises the question of what is the "honourable" thing to do that you should abandon "reason" for — for instance, is it "honour" to follow the course of love and loyalty and Always Save the Girl and "reason" to perform the cold calculations and look to The Needs of the Many, or is that just a way of rationalising your own selfishness (reason) instead of carrying out a harsh moral duty (honour)?
Unsong / int_44fc28e8	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_44fc28e8	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_44fc28e8
Unsong / int_481f9c8	type	LegionsOfHell
Unsong / int_481f9c8	comment	Legions of Hell: Hell is ruled by Thamiel, and populated with fallen angels and creatures created from their corpses. They've invaded and occupied eastern Russia and have a seat in the United Nations.
Unsong / int_481f9c8	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_481f9c8	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_481f9c8
Unsong / int_4977559e	type	Our Angels Are Different
Unsong / int_4977559e	comment	Our Angels Are Different: Angels live in Fluffy Cloud Heaven and are Always Lawful Good on a deep and fundamental psychological level — they're almost completely incapable of understanding concepts like "deception". Angels who are exposed to the harsh realities of the world eventually lose the ability to fly. On the other hand, they're really good at killing demons with flaming swords. Angels falling after being exposed to humanity eventually became such a problem that the United States government had to establish a "Strategic Angel Reserve" to preserve what few uncorrupted angels were left.
Unsong / int_4977559e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_4977559e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_4977559e
Unsong / int_4a852458	type	Big Good
Unsong / int_4a852458	comment	Big Good: The Comet King was seen as this while he was alive.
Unsong / int_4a852458	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_4a852458	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_4a852458
Unsong / int_4c798fd5	type	Shock and Awe
Unsong / int_4c798fd5	comment	Shock and Awe: Presumably the Fulminant Name used in Chapter 15, as "fulmen" in Latin means "thunderbolt" and "fulminatus" — "[striking] like lightning".
Unsong / int_4c798fd5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_4c798fd5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_4c798fd5
Unsong / int_4c8e8078	type	All of the Other Reindeer
Unsong / int_4c8e8078	comment	All of the Other Reindeer: Uriel among his fellow angels.
Unsong / int_4c8e8078	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_4c8e8078	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_4c8e8078
Unsong / int_4cecb933	type	Signs of Disrepair
Unsong / int_4cecb933	comment	Signs of Disrepair: When Aaron first meets Ana, she's just stolen two letters from a "Cash for Gold" sign to turn it into "Cash or God" in what she claims is a kabbalistic protest.
Unsong / int_4cecb933	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_4cecb933	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_4cecb933
Unsong / int_511728ae	type	Magic Versus Science
Unsong / int_511728ae	comment	Magic Versus Science: Science is still around (computers are still being made and used), but the Names of God are effectively magic spells and undeniably real and powerful.
Unsong / int_511728ae	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_511728ae	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_511728ae
Unsong / int_5313c266	type	Bookends
Unsong / int_5313c266	comment	Book Ends: The Comet King's reign began and ended with a duel with a massively powerful evil supernatural creature — Thamiel at the beginning and the Other King at the end.
Unsong / int_5313c266	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_5313c266	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_5313c266
Unsong / int_54ec2f0c	type	Not Completely Useless
Unsong / int_54ec2f0c	comment	Not Completely Useless: The Mortal Name kills anyone who speaks it. As magical spells go, that's pretty useless. Unless of course, you're clever enough to put a row of syllables that are phonetically identical to the Name in a written message that you know one of your enemies will read out loud. Dylan Alvarez is clever enough.
Unsong / int_54ec2f0c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_54ec2f0c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_54ec2f0c
Unsong / int_5541da8c	type	Lotus-Eater Machine
Unsong / int_5541da8c	comment	Lotus-Eater Machine: The entire city of San Francisco is continuously experiencing a connection to the divine mediated by LSD in the water supply.
Unsong / int_5541da8c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_5541da8c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_5541da8c
Unsong / int_567beeb6	type	Theory of Narrative Causality
Unsong / int_567beeb6	comment	Theory of Narrative Causality: Placebomancy is all about this.
Unsong / int_567beeb6	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_567beeb6	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_567beeb6
Unsong / int_58a7abae	type	God Was My Co-Pilot
Unsong / int_58a7abae	comment	God Was My Copilot: The ship “All Your Heart” was built by the Comet King to chase down and catch up to Metatron, Voice of God. He was on the ship all along, serving as the Comet King’s nameless first mate and later becoming the nameless Captain. The purpose of the ship was not to find the Metatron, but rather to show that one is worthy of receiving an answer from him.
Unsong / int_58a7abae	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_58a7abae	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_58a7abae
Unsong / int_59788b2c	type	Hiding Behind the Language Barrier
Unsong / int_59788b2c	comment	Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: Angels can speak every language except Aramaic, so learning to speak Aramaic is useful for hiding things from them. Or for spotting an angel who's impersonating a human.
Unsong / int_59788b2c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_59788b2c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_59788b2c
Unsong / int_59d599ec	type	Unexpectedly Real Magic
Unsong / int_59d599ec	comment	Unexpectedly Real Magic: Chapter 8:
Unsong / int_59d599ec	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_59d599ec	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_59d599ec
Unsong / int_59fe174d	type	Devil, but No God
Unsong / int_59fe174d	comment	Devil, but No God: Thamiel takes a very active role in worldly affairs. God does not.
Unsong / int_59fe174d	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_59fe174d	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_59fe174d
Unsong / int_5cb9b6b2	type	Gag Censor
Unsong / int_5cb9b6b2	comment	Gag Censor: In interludes where Richard Nixon appears, profanity is replaced with [expletive deleted]. It goes on to ridiculous lengths at times: in a transcript of him talking with Kissinger about his alliance with Hell, the word "Hell" is censored. The real-life Watergate transcripts did indeed censor "hell", among some other relatively mild profanity, which made it an unintentional example of Censored for Comedy.
Unsong / int_5cb9b6b2	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_5cb9b6b2	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_5cb9b6b2
Unsong / int_5db59a03	type	Brown Note
Unsong / int_5db59a03	comment	Brown Note: "The Broadcast", a documentary about Hell, filmed in Hell, which shows just what those damned to Hell are going to experience. Unlike most examples of this trope, there's very little Take Our Word for It here — just be glad you're only reading about it instead of watching it yourself.
Unsong / int_5db59a03	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_5db59a03	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_5db59a03
Unsong / int_5e751f8	type	Fallen Angel
Unsong / int_5e751f8	comment	Fallen Angel: "Fallen angels" aren't actually this; however, actual demons do show up in Hell.
Unsong / int_5e751f8	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_5e751f8	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_5e751f8
Unsong / int_60fa92ac	type	Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Unsong / int_60fa92ac	comment	Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Some of the theonomic corporations have relatively reasonable names, like "Countenance". But then there's one called "Gogmagog".
Unsong / int_60fa92ac	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_60fa92ac	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_60fa92ac
Unsong / int_65acf9db	type	He Knows Too Much
Unsong / int_65acf9db	comment	He Knows Too Much: Diplomats at a UN-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace conference flip out when Uriel admits that Africans aren't being given souls, because there isn't enough divine light getting through to Earth to keep up with human population growth and Africa is the geographic region with the most suffering. Their reaction is so intense that Uriel panics and blows up the entire city rather than let the secret get out.
Unsong / int_65acf9db	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_65acf9db	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_65acf9db
Unsong / int_65bc92fc	type	Four-Temperament Ensemble
Unsong / int_65bc92fc	comment	Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Comet King's children. Jinxiang is Choleric, Sohu is Phlegmatic, Nathanda is Sanguine, which leaves Caelius as Melancholic.
Unsong / int_65bc92fc	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_65bc92fc	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_65bc92fc
Unsong / int_6a0297a8	type	What Do You Mean, It's Not Didactic?
Unsong / int_6a0297a8	comment	What Do You Mean, It's Not Didactic?: Pervasively so, as the author explains.
Unsong / int_6a0297a8	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_6a0297a8	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_6a0297a8
Unsong / int_6bc0b4c3	type	Parody Magic Spell
Unsong / int_6bc0b4c3	comment	Parody Magic Spell: Placebomancers can do this for real. “Canis est in culina!”
Unsong / int_6bc0b4c3	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_6bc0b4c3	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_6bc0b4c3
Unsong / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
Unsong / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Goes with the World of Pun. There's a recurring bit of narration where the given meaning of a word is provided, and then the kabbalistic interpretation of the same word is provided, usually derived from the acts of a famous person whose name was similar to the word in question. Names given new meanings in this way include "Teller", "King" (by way of Martin Luther, Jr.), and "Kissinger", among others.
Unsong / int_6bda9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_6bda9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_6bda9a30
Unsong / int_6de71c57	type	Disc-One Final Boss
Unsong / int_6de71c57	comment	Disc-One Final Boss: The story initially looks like it's going to be about the heroic singers fighting against the oppressive bureaucracy of UNSONG and its Ambiguously Human leader Malia Ngo. The fact that the story is literally named after it doesn't do anything to offset that impression. However, after the first quarter or so of the story, the stakes rise considerably higher than intellectual property rights and UNSONG fades into the background, to be replaced by the likes of Thamiel, the Other King and the Drug Lord. And in the end, UNSONG turns out to be a Necessary Evil run by a literal Noble Demon.
Unsong / int_6de71c57	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_6de71c57	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_6de71c57
Unsong / int_6eeba1cb	type	Shut Up, Kirk!
Unsong / int_6eeba1cb	comment	Shut Up, Kirk!: Simeon Azore is entirely unmoved by Ana's well-rehearsed "Reason You Suck" Speech against him and the industry he represents. Justified in that none of her arguments are new to him — he's heard them all before, including from his own family members.
Unsong / int_6eeba1cb	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_6eeba1cb	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_6eeba1cb
Unsong / int_6eec6377	type	Soapbox Sadie
Unsong / int_6eec6377	comment	Soapbox Sadie: The Comet King's plan to breed an army of his superhuman children is met by widespread protests, with critics accusing him of trying to create a blonde, blue-eyed master race and of exploiting women for their wombs. The Comet King releases public statements to the effect that one, he's Asian-Indian and thus unlikely to produce any blonde and blue-eyed offspring, and two, being The Messiah and a Universally Beloved Leader, he's already got thousands of women volunteering to bear his children so the protestors' wombs will not be required, thank you all the same. Subverted in that after the birth of his oldest daughter (and learning about the prophecy about his children’s fate to die cursing his name), the Comet King decides that fathering children as a means to an end is morally abhorrent, making the protestors Right for the Wrong Reasons.
Unsong / int_6eec6377	featureApplicability	-0.3
Unsong / int_6eec6377	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_6eec6377
Unsong / int_7464705c	type	Arc Words
Unsong / int_7464705c	comment	Arc Words: "None of this is a coincidence, because nothing is ever a coincidence." Seen most prominently in the page quote above. Also, "They enslave their children's children who make compromise with sin." "Somebody has to and no one else will." "This is the kabbalah. The rest is just commentary." "A Singer is someone who tries to be good."
Unsong / int_7464705c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_7464705c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_7464705c
Unsong / int_770107f9	type	Coconut Superpowers
Unsong / int_770107f9	comment	Coconut Superpowers: In-Universe example with Ritual Magic. "The sudden appearance of flames would have broken natural law, but there was nothing impossible about five sleep-deprived people in an unusual emotional state seeing the gleam of a chalk line a little differently."
Unsong / int_770107f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_770107f9	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_770107f9
Unsong / int_776a06eb	type	All Myths Are True
Unsong / int_776a06eb	comment	All Myths Are True: Well, all Judeo-Christian myths, anyway. A few other bits and pieces of other religions and mythologies do show up in distorted form, however.
Unsong / int_776a06eb	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_776a06eb	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_776a06eb
Unsong / int_7febc23b	type	Establishing Character Moment
Unsong / int_7febc23b	comment	Establishing Character Moment: A few characters get them. Uriel is introduced apologizing for the "Groundhog Day" Loop he caused trying to fix the universe and giving every human the ability to play the piano as compensation. Thamiel spends much of his first chapter torturing a little girl. Dylan Alvarez is introduced tricking a magical pendulum that was supposed to trace his location on a map of the Untied States into instead tracking his literal location in the basement below the map.
Unsong / int_7febc23b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_7febc23b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_7febc23b
Unsong / int_808cbaeb	type	Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Unsong / int_808cbaeb	comment	Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
Unsong / int_808cbaeb	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_808cbaeb	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_808cbaeb
Unsong / int_82d2715f	type	Magitek
Unsong / int_82d2715f	comment	Magitek: "You can still run a car on internal combustion, if for some reason you don’t trust the Motive Name."
Unsong / int_82d2715f	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_82d2715f	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_82d2715f
Unsong / int_8319aaea	type	Compensating for Something
Unsong / int_8319aaea	comment	Compensating for Something: Being an angel, Samyazaz lacks genitals. That, for reasons he isn't exactly sure of himself, makes him feel bad. Also for reasons he can't quite articulate, building really big, tall, pointy ziggurats makes him feel better.
Unsong / int_8319aaea	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8319aaea	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8319aaea
Unsong / int_834420aa	type	BFS
Unsong / int_834420aa	comment	BFS: Sigh, the family sword of the Cometspawn.
Unsong / int_834420aa	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_834420aa	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_834420aa
Unsong / int_83f3983b	type	Necessarily Evil
Unsong / int_83f3983b	comment	Necessarily Evil: Most of the villains would say that they fall under this category. Even Thamiel.
Unsong / int_83f3983b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_83f3983b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_83f3983b
Unsong / int_8411ab92	type	Red Oni, Blue Oni
Unsong / int_8411ab92	comment	Red Oni, Blue Oni: In chapter 20, Uriel is the Blue to Gabriel's Red. He later develops a similar dynamic with Sohu.
Unsong / int_8411ab92	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8411ab92	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8411ab92
Unsong / int_86b21114	type	Badass Boast
Unsong / int_86b21114	comment	Badass Boast: Several people make them, but the most badass one of all surely comes from the Comet King — while he's speaking to the devil himself, no less.
Unsong / int_86b21114	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_86b21114	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_86b21114
Unsong / int_86eea0e5	type	World of Pun
Unsong / int_86eea0e5	comment	World of Pun: Quite literally. One effect of nothing ever being a coincidence is that puns are absolutely vital to the study of Kabbalah.
Unsong / int_86eea0e5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_86eea0e5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_86eea0e5
Unsong / int_8738b454	type	Signs of the End Times
Unsong / int_8738b454	comment	Signs of the End Times: The crystal sphere around the earth has been cracked, and when it did, things were definitely a little... off. Eagles pecking out the Pope's eyes, unattended babies rolling uphill, that sort of thing.
Unsong / int_8738b454	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8738b454	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8738b454
Unsong / int_8b682bd5	type	The Magic Comes Back
Unsong / int_8b682bd5	comment	The Magic Comes Back: Apollo 8's collision with the crystal sphere broke reality bad enough that Uriel had to move in personally to fix it. The Names of God can now work miracles, the Devil is now real, and there's something called "placebomancy" that works on weaponizing narrative tropes to convince the universe itself that you ought to win. The Magic Goes Away: At the same time, the old laws of physics no longer work consistently, meaning much of what humanity has built is no longer functional.
Unsong / int_8b682bd5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8b682bd5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8b682bd5
Unsong / int_8b68d9a7	type	Stalker with a Crush
Unsong / int_8b68d9a7	comment	Stalker with a Crush: Sarah is obsessed with Aaron.
Unsong / int_8b68d9a7	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8b68d9a7	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8b68d9a7
Unsong / int_8c4b72dd	type	United Nations Is a Superpower
Unsong / int_8c4b72dd	comment	United Nations Is a Superpower: At the very least, the UN is responsible for policing the use of Names.
Unsong / int_8c4b72dd	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8c4b72dd	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8c4b72dd
Unsong / int_8cb259f4	type	Overshadowed by Awesome
Unsong / int_8cb259f4	comment	Overshadowed by Awesome: Aaron, Ana, and Erica are all fairly smart and capable, and even have a few special abilities that are, if not completely unique to them, then at least not available to a regular person in the Unsong universe. However, given the kind of people they quickly get tangled up with, their role is frequently reduced to keeping their head down, doing as they are told, and trying not to get caught in the crossfire.
Unsong / int_8cb259f4	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8cb259f4	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8cb259f4
Unsong / int_8cf6aa	type	Literal Metaphor
Unsong / int_8cf6aa	comment	Literal Metaphor: The Drug Lord is a supernatural entity that controls the Hive Mind that you join if you take peyote cactus extract, and the Drug War was a literal war fought between the Untied States of America and the Drug Lord-controlled Mexico.
Unsong / int_8cf6aa	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_8cf6aa	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_8cf6aa
Unsong / int_90965cc7	type	Hive Mind
Unsong / int_90965cc7	comment	The Comet King single-handedly won the Drug War by taking peyote cactus himself and convincing the Drug Lord that he really, really didn't want the Comet King inside the Hive Mind. Twenty years later, Aaron, Ana, and Jinxiang West do it to him again.
Unsong / int_90965cc7	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_90965cc7	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_90965cc7
Unsong / int_9203bf6	type	Arc Number
Unsong / int_9203bf6	comment	Arc Number: The kabbalistically significant numbers 4, 10, 22, and 72.
Unsong / int_9203bf6	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9203bf6	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9203bf6
Unsong / int_92e0fc5c	type	Hotline
Unsong / int_92e0fc5c	comment	Hotline: Played with — shortly after the sky is broken, Richard Nixon starts getting calls on the red telephone. Not the actual link to the Kremlin, the plastic prop he keeps on his desk.
Unsong / int_92e0fc5c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_92e0fc5c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_92e0fc5c
Unsong / int_95afab6	type	Black Cloak
Unsong / int_95afab6	comment	Black Cloak: The standard uniform of the Other King's undead soldiers.
Unsong / int_95afab6	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_95afab6	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_95afab6
Unsong / int_970c790a	type	Big Bad
Unsong / int_970c790a	comment	Big Bad: There are three serious candidates for the role: Thamiel, the Other King, and Malia Ngo, the Director of UNSONG.
Unsong / int_970c790a	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_970c790a	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_970c790a
Unsong / int_9918518b	type	Press X to Die
Unsong / int_9918518b	comment	Press X to Die: The shortest effective Name of God is the Mortal Name, which kills the speaker. It was the last Name of God to stop working before the crystal sphere cracked, which is why Jewish law forbids saying "Jehovah" out loud.
Unsong / int_9918518b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9918518b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9918518b
Unsong / int_99c49c21	type	Villains Blend in Better
Unsong / int_99c49c21	comment	Villains Blend in Better: In general, demons are better at understanding and interacting with humans than angels are.
Unsong / int_99c49c21	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_99c49c21	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_99c49c21
Unsong / int_9bee1a7f	type	Eldritch Location
Unsong / int_9bee1a7f	comment	Eldritch Location: Any place with strong Kabbalistic significance seems to turn into one, especially the Panama Canal. Uriel additionally turned Israel into one by creating separate superimposed holy lands for Jews and Muslims, with unpredictable results for anyone else.
Unsong / int_9bee1a7f	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9bee1a7f	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9bee1a7f
Unsong / int_9c62918d	type	Archangel Uriel
Unsong / int_9c62918d	comment	Uriel is introduced apologizing for the "Groundhog Day" Loop he caused trying to fix the universe and giving every human the ability to play the piano as compensation.
Unsong / int_9c62918d	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9c62918d	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9c62918d
Unsong / int_9c6da41b	type	Spot the Imposter
Unsong / int_9c6da41b	comment	Spot the Imposter: Made extra hard because the possible imposter can read minds.
Unsong / int_9c6da41b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9c6da41b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9c6da41b
Unsong / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
Unsong / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: There are both subtle and heavy-handed examples throughout the story, and fittingly so, given the emphasis on kabbalah as a method of predicting the future from hidden hints in the past.
Unsong / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9d12bbc1
Unsong / int_9d1fa121	type	Alien Catnip
Unsong / int_9d1fa121	comment	Alien Catnip: Holy water has an intoxicating effect on fallen angels, enabling them to fly again, as it brings them closer to God and thus their divine powers.
Unsong / int_9d1fa121	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9d1fa121	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9d1fa121
Unsong / int_9e1eef4c	type	Always Lawful Good
Unsong / int_9e1eef4c	comment	Always Lawful Good: Angels, on a deep and fundamental psychological level.
Unsong / int_9e1eef4c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_9e1eef4c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_9e1eef4c
Unsong / int_a426ae28	type	Multiple-Choice Past
Unsong / int_a426ae28	comment	Multiple-Choice Past: Dylan's stories of his childhood seem to be tailored to whatever narrative he's currently trying to sell.
Unsong / int_a426ae28	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_a426ae28	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_a426ae28
Unsong / int_a5cc15c8	type	Mystical Hollywood
Unsong / int_a5cc15c8	comment	Mystical Hollywood: Hollywood is the way it is due to the Angel of Creativity having elected the area as her temple.
Unsong / int_a5cc15c8	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_a5cc15c8	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_a5cc15c8
Unsong / int_a5d92fce	type	Celibate Hero
Unsong / int_a5d92fce	comment	Celibate Hero: Ana, since she's asexual. Also Aaron, who doesn't particularly want to be this, but he's in love with Ana, and... well, see above.
Unsong / int_a5d92fce	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_a5d92fce	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_a5d92fce
Unsong / int_ab031997	type	Underdogs Never Lose
Unsong / int_ab031997	comment	Underdogs Never Lose: "Now an entire guild of people who prided themselves on remaining on the right side of narrative tropes had to deal with a devilishly handsome rebel with a cause who had sworn to dismantle their entrenched oppressive bureaucracy with fire and sword."
Unsong / int_ab031997	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_ab031997	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_ab031997
Unsong / int_ac5054d4	type	Wound That Will Not Heal
Unsong / int_ac5054d4	comment	Wound That Will Not Heal: The Other King is said to have received one in his battle with the Comet King.
Unsong / int_ac5054d4	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_ac5054d4	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_ac5054d4
Unsong / int_af19229b	type	Plant Person
Unsong / int_af19229b	comment	Plant Person: The Drug Lord manifests as a cactus-person.
Unsong / int_af19229b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_af19229b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_af19229b
Unsong / int_b01abe4f	type	Catchphrase
Unsong / int_b01abe4f	comment	Catchphrase: The Comet King repeatedly says that he does the things he does because "someone has to, and no one else will."
Unsong / int_b01abe4f	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b01abe4f	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b01abe4f
Unsong / int_b21ddb6b	type	Content Warnings
Unsong / int_b21ddb6b	comment	Content Warnings: The interlude chapter "The Broadcast" has one, as well as every other chapter where the horrors of Hell or Thamiel make significant appearances.
Unsong / int_b21ddb6b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b21ddb6b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b21ddb6b
Unsong / int_b3bdf232	type	Alien Geometries
Unsong / int_b3bdf232	comment	Alien Geometries: The Midwest is challenging to navigate, since the South Dakota landmark Wall Drug has become a black hole-esque attractor — anyone who travels too close to it finds they can no longer travel away from it.
Unsong / int_b3bdf232	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b3bdf232	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b3bdf232
Unsong / int_b53077b3	type	Take That!
Unsong / int_b53077b3	comment	Take That!: In "Cantors and Singers", Aaron explains that the kabbalistic meaning of "singer" is "one who tries to be good". Later in "War and Peace", he explains that the kabbalistic meaning of "kiss" is "to betray divinity". "The yetzer ha-tov, the inclination to do good in every one of us, is divine in origin. When we stifle it, we betray divinity. [...] So somebody who betrays the divine urge toward goodness inside himself again and again, playing Judas so many times that his own yetzer ha-tov withers and dies – such a person might have a name like -"
Unsong / int_b53077b3	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b53077b3	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b53077b3
Unsong / int_b5ac90ac	type	"Groundhog Day" Loop
Unsong / int_b5ac90ac	comment	"Groundhog Day" Loop: Earth goes through one as part of Uriel's attempts to fix the damage done to the sky, with the same day being repeated three times (although with everyone in the world having Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory).
Unsong / int_b5ac90ac	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b5ac90ac	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b5ac90ac
Unsong / int_b82ca416	type	Rage Against the Heavens
Unsong / int_b82ca416	comment	Rage Against the Heavens: Uriel tells Sohu a version of the Talmudic story of Elisha ben Abuyah, also known as "The Other One", a rabbi who saw a boy breaking a Torah law go unpunished while another who followed that same law fell out of a tree and died — and reacted to this injustice by becoming an enemy of the God who allowed it to happen. The present-day Other King is speculated to have once been this rabbi in ancient times.
Unsong / int_b82ca416	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b82ca416	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b82ca416
Unsong / int_b8dde2	type	Evil Overlord
Unsong / int_b8dde2	comment	Evil Overlord: The Other King. To a lesser extent, the Drug Lord.
Unsong / int_b8dde2	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b8dde2	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b8dde2
Unsong / int_b9d11ad6	type	Self-Insert Fic
Unsong / int_b9d11ad6	comment	Self-Insert Fic: In-Universe. Sarah mentions that Aaron's hard drive contained stories about him having kinky sex with someone named Buffy Summers.
Unsong / int_b9d11ad6	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_b9d11ad6	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_b9d11ad6
Unsong / int_bd2812b5	type	Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence
Unsong / int_bd2812b5	comment	Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Neil Armstrong, in a very literal sense.
Unsong / int_bd2812b5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_bd2812b5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_bd2812b5
Unsong / int_be8cb2da	type	Missing Episode
Unsong / int_be8cb2da	comment	Missing Episode: In-Universe, Uriel accidentally forgot to give humanity the Book of Jezuboad, which was meant to be The Torah's Mind Screwdriver chapter.
Unsong / int_be8cb2da	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_be8cb2da	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_be8cb2da
Unsong / int_beca6919	type	Empty Chair Memorial
Unsong / int_beca6919	comment	Empty Chair Memorial: The Comet King's throne stands empty, even as his children continue ruling (what's left of) his kingdom. It's a handy visual reminder of how entirely irreplaceable he was.
Unsong / int_beca6919	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_beca6919	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_beca6919
Unsong / int_c05de85d	type	Mindlink Mates
Unsong / int_c05de85d	comment	Mindlink Mates / Psychic Link: Played with. The protagonist has this with Ana, but she's asexual and they set one up purely for the side-benefits. She also has a weaker one with Erica, their housemate. Eventually, psychic links proliferate to the point that most of the main characters either have mind links with each other or are linked to someone who has a link with another main character.
Unsong / int_c05de85d	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c05de85d	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c05de85d
Unsong / int_c25c7890	type	Fun with Acronyms
Unsong / int_c25c7890	comment	Fun with Acronyms: UNSONG stands for "United Nations Subcommittee On Names of God". The haMephorash is an acronym for the first letter of every chapter and Metatron's explanation of the existence of evil.
Unsong / int_c25c7890	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c25c7890	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c25c7890
Unsong / int_c3182167	type	Golem
Unsong / int_c3182167	comment	Golem: Naturally, since this is a story that centers on Jewish mysticism, there are several.
Unsong / int_c3182167	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c3182167	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c3182167
Unsong / int_c3963bc4	type	No Place for Me There
Unsong / int_c3963bc4	comment	No Place for Me There: Uriel's plan to convert the universe from running on divine light to running on logic and the laws of physics eventually erased even him from existence, which he was well aware that it would. He came back along with the other angels and demons once the celestial machine broke, though.
Unsong / int_c3963bc4	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c3963bc4	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c3963bc4
Unsong / int_c3bafbce	type	Satan
Unsong / int_c3bafbce	comment	Satan: Notably, Satan and the Devil are two different characters. The Devil is Thamiel, the Left Hand of God and personification of evil. Sataniel was a high-ranking angel whom Thamiel corrupted, and who then deceived a third of the Heavenly Host into following him.
Unsong / int_c3bafbce	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c3bafbce	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c3bafbce
Unsong / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
Unsong / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: One of the ways Hell tortures its victims is by providing them with a neverending stream of these. The world had a collective one with the rise of the Comet King, who defeated Thamiel's previously unstoppable army and promised to conquer Hell and repair the universe. And then... he tried to do just that, and failed. At the start of the story he's been dead for many years, and the world is heading steadily towards its end.
Unsong / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c3c18143
Unsong / int_c5b47b36	type	Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Unsong / int_c5b47b36	comment	Offscreen Moment of Awesome: We never actually do get to see the Comet King laying waste to Hell with the Explicit Name and rescuing all the souls of the damned, but Aaron has a vision of it in the last chapter and it's treated as a certainty that it's going to happen.
Unsong / int_c5b47b36	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c5b47b36	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c5b47b36
Unsong / int_c85adb75	type	Semantic Superpower
Unsong / int_c85adb75	comment	Semantic Superpower: Both Kabbalah and Placebomancy can resemble this at times. How do you open a broken water lock? With sand from the Florida Keys, of course!
Unsong / int_c85adb75	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c85adb75	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c85adb75
Unsong / int_c868a42a	type	Freudian Excuse
Unsong / int_c868a42a	comment	Freudian Excuse: The motivation for Dylan's terrorist crusade is that he resents the world for not giving him one of these. He claims that if something, anything, had ever gone seriously wrong in his life, he could have settled down into comfortable mediocrity, but the guilt of being one of the few people in a Crapsack World who never suffered at all drove him to extreme lengths to try to awaken his similarly pampered peers to the real horrors of the world.
Unsong / int_c868a42a	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_c868a42a	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_c868a42a
Unsong / int_cb0743c0	type	Lame Pun Reaction
Unsong / int_cb0743c0	comment	Lame Pun Reaction: Erica has several of these to Aaron and Ana's terrible whale puns.
Unsong / int_cb0743c0	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_cb0743c0	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_cb0743c0
Unsong / int_cb1fe02e	type	Magic by Any Other Name
Unsong / int_cb1fe02e	comment	Magic by Any Other Name: Kabbalah. Probably because "Ritual Magic" is a heavily-regulated thing In-Universe.
Unsong / int_cb1fe02e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_cb1fe02e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_cb1fe02e
Unsong / int_cb54721a	type	Fun with Palindromes
Unsong / int_cb54721a	comment	Fun with Palindromes: Another type of plot-relevant wordplay. When Ana and the All Your Heart cross the Panama Canal, Ana is completely unaffected by any of the nominative shenanigans that incapacitate most of the crew and permanently disappear Lin, because her name is a palindrome, and thus reversing her name has no effect.
Unsong / int_cb54721a	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_cb54721a	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_cb54721a
Unsong / int_cb83d23b	type	I Just Want to Be Special
Unsong / int_cb83d23b	comment	I Just Want to Be Special: Aaron. He admits early on that he's with the singers not out of any idealistic zeal but because among them he gets to have some of the importance he lost when he was expelled from college and therefore denied a career in the theonomic industry, and that he'd sell out to the establishment so fast that it'd make their heads spin if they ever showed any indication of being willing to let him back in.
Unsong / int_cb83d23b	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_cb83d23b	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_cb83d23b
Unsong / int_ce555c91	type	Post-Modern Magik
Unsong / int_ce555c91	comment	Post-Modern Magik: One Name allows you to teleport, but the situation you end up in is always complementary to the one you left. If you were being accosted by a certain band of hooligans in one bad neighborhood and spoke the Name, you would end up in a different bad neighborhood being accosted by a different band of hooligans. How, then, do you make this name useful? Well, you create a setting that is so specific that when you speak the Name in that setting, you will certainly end up in the only other complementary situation that exists, which is one that you have personally set up. For example, standing in a pentagram with purple Beanie Baby dragons at each corner.
Unsong / int_ce555c91	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_ce555c91	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_ce555c91
Unsong / int_ce75a983	type	Screw Destiny
Unsong / int_ce75a983	comment	Screw Destiny: The Comet King receives a prophecy from the Dividend Monks, stating that all his descendants "would die screaming in horror and agony, cursing their father's name". However, he later tells his daughter Sohu: "You will be a celestial kabbalist. You can stand above prophecy." The trope is ultimately Downplayed, even to the point of Subversion: Sohu still dies, as do her siblings, but she doesn't curse her father's name.
Unsong / int_ce75a983	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_ce75a983	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_ce75a983
Unsong / int_d028e0da	type	An Arm and a Leg
Unsong / int_d028e0da	comment	An Arm and a Leg: Sohu loses her left hand to an anglerfish.
Unsong / int_d028e0da	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d028e0da	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d028e0da
Unsong / int_d02a0c91	type	There Are No Coincidences
Unsong / int_d02a0c91	comment	There Are No Coincidences: The work's overriding ethos; see Arc Words
Unsong / int_d02a0c91	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d02a0c91	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d02a0c91
Unsong / int_d17d7135	type	Death by Genre Savviness
Unsong / int_d17d7135	comment	Death by Genre Savviness: Dylan Alvarez lives by the narrative trope and eventually dies by the narrative trope. He may or may not have planned it that way.
Unsong / int_d17d7135	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d17d7135	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d17d7135
Unsong / int_d243518d	type	In Spite of a Nail
Unsong / int_d243518d	comment	In Spite of a Nail: Lots of things turn out like they did in reality in spite of all the crazy stuff that happened; for example, the same people became President of the US. Or at least, what appear to be the same people become President of the US.
Unsong / int_d243518d	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d243518d	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d243518d
Unsong / int_d2ce1cbd	type	Reasoning with God
Unsong / int_d2ce1cbd	comment	Reasoning with God: Henry Kissinger assures Richard Nixon that an alliance with hell against communism, despite any celestial opinions, is rational.
Unsong / int_d2ce1cbd	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d2ce1cbd	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d2ce1cbd
Unsong / int_d2ddb362	type	ReasonYouSuckSpeech
Unsong / int_d2ddb362	comment	"Reason You Suck" Speech: Malia Ngo delivers one to Dylan as part of her Motive Rant.
Unsong / int_d2ddb362	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d2ddb362	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d2ddb362
Unsong / int_d3b02ffb	type	I Know Your True Name
Unsong / int_d3b02ffb	comment	I Know Your True Name: Erica pulls off a subverted version of this during the "placebomantic duel" with Malia Ngo — she attacks Malia with the metal nameplate on her desk. The Comet King’s children attempt this on the Other King, but it doesn’t work. They were wrong about who the Other King really was.
Unsong / int_d3b02ffb	featureApplicability	-0.3
Unsong / int_d3b02ffb	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d3b02ffb
Unsong / int_d3f33049	type	Blasphemous Boast
Unsong / int_d3f33049	comment	Blasphemous Boast: When Nixon sees a broadcast showing what Hell is really like and begins regretting his decision to ally with Thamiel, Kissinger assures him "We did what we had to do. If the good Lord disagrees with me, I will be happy to point out His tactical errors."
Unsong / int_d3f33049	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d3f33049	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d3f33049
Unsong / int_d46ddfa2	type	CloudCuckooLander
Unsong / int_d46ddfa2	comment	Also, Uriel, who is a Cloud Cuckoolander even by angelic standards.
Unsong / int_d46ddfa2	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d46ddfa2	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d46ddfa2
Unsong / int_d5d976dd	type	I Have Many Names
Unsong / int_d5d976dd	comment	I Have Many Names: Discovering the many, powerful names of God has been commercialised, and thousands of sweatshops across the world are dedicated to finding and patenting as many as possible.
Unsong / int_d5d976dd	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d5d976dd	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d5d976dd
Unsong / int_d7b34c31	type	Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Unsong / int_d7b34c31	comment	Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The captain of the Not A Metaphor is only known as "the captain." Back when he was first mate of the All Your Heart, he was only known as "the first mate." He's actually the Metatron.
Unsong / int_d7b34c31	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d7b34c31	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d7b34c31
Unsong / int_d848560f	type	Unusual Euphemism
Unsong / int_d848560f	comment	Unusual Euphemism: Ana literally says "euphemism" in place of just about every swear word.
Unsong / int_d848560f	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d848560f	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d848560f
Unsong / int_d8dde631	type	You Are Worth Hell
Unsong / int_d8dde631	comment	You Are Worth Hell: The Comet King is actively trying to be damned to Hell so he can rescue his wife from her eternal torment. Subverted in that once he's in, he's planning to use the Explicit Name to make Hell a lot nicer.
Unsong / int_d8dde631	featureApplicability	-0.3
Unsong / int_d8dde631	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d8dde631
Unsong / int_d91d0365	type	The Magic Goes Away
Unsong / int_d91d0365	comment	The Magic Goes Away: At the same time, the old laws of physics no longer work consistently, meaning much of what humanity has built is no longer functional.
Unsong / int_d91d0365	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_d91d0365	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_d91d0365
Unsong / int_db71d717	type	Thanatos Gambit
Unsong / int_db71d717	comment	Thanatos Gambit: Robin West, the Comet King’s wife, sold her soul to Thamiel in exchange for... nothing. After the Comet King failed to reform Hell while still alive, she wanted to go to Hell herself to inspire the Comet King to find a way to save her. It worked. The Comet King couldn’t be sure he’d go to hell “naturally” as long as he only had good reasons for doing evil deeds — but being willing to hurt others for his wife’s sake gave him an “evil” motivation for being evil, and once he got to Hell he could then reform it anyway.
Unsong / int_db71d717	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_db71d717	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_db71d717
Unsong / int_dc1a6b76	type	Reality Is Out to Lunch
Unsong / int_dc1a6b76	comment	Reality Is Out to Lunch: When the Apollo mission crashed into the crystal sphere, it broke physics, and things were rather weird until Uriel managed to get things fixed enough to stabilize the world in its current state, although most of the higher-level applications of the laws of physics like air travel and internal combustion engines don't work anymore.
Unsong / int_dc1a6b76	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_dc1a6b76	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_dc1a6b76
Unsong / int_dc579c91	type	Contrived Coincidence
Unsong / int_dc579c91	comment	Contrived Coincidence: Lampshaded and ultimately averted as a trope and invoked as an in-universe event. The universe in which Unsong takes place only exists because those coincidences must happen, because only these coincidences allow it to ultimately be a good universe. As Metatron puts it, the Unsong-verse is in the middle of a "vast waste" where no other universes were created, presumably because one of the many For Want of a Nail events fails to happen in those universes and thus Hell would never be destroyed.
Unsong / int_dc579c91	featureApplicability	-1.0
Unsong / int_dc579c91	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_dc579c91
Unsong / int_dc791d50	type	Words Can Break My Bones
Unsong / int_dc791d50	comment	Words Can Break My Bones: Kabbalah.
Unsong / int_dc791d50	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_dc791d50	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_dc791d50
Unsong / int_dd082289	type	A Million Is a Statistic
Unsong / int_dd082289	comment	A Million Is a Statistic: Uriel will happily delete entire countries from existence if it's necessary to keep the world from crashing. He'll even kill specific humans if they're causing him enough trouble. But he can't bring himself to kill a little girl who can wiggle her ears.
Unsong / int_dd082289	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_dd082289	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_dd082289
Unsong / int_dfe120e5	type	Functional Magic
Unsong / int_dfe120e5	comment	Functional Magic: There are two broad types of magic in the Unsong universe. Kabbalah is a form of Rule Magic based on the Names of God, each of which is effectively a magical incantation that has a predictable and consistent effect when spoken by a sentient being, or when read from a carefully prepared scroll. Placebomancy, which apparently includes all magical traditions aside from Kabbalah, is a form of Wild Magic that depends on effectively fooling the universe into believing that the practitioner has magic powers.
Unsong / int_dfe120e5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_dfe120e5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_dfe120e5
Unsong / int_e074002	type	Technology Erasure Event
Unsong / int_e074002	comment	Technology Erasure Event: As the Divine Machine suffers malfunction after malfunction, the archangel Uriel has to gradually turn off various concepts, including the Internet and airplanes.
Unsong / int_e074002	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e074002	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e074002
Unsong / int_e0e12e67	type	Hell Seeker
Unsong / int_e0e12e67	comment	Hell Seeker: The Other King is actively trying to be so horrifically evil that Thamiel can't deny him entrance into Hell when he dies. Because he's actually the Comet King, trying to get into Hell to destroy it the old-fashioned way after his attempt to storm its gates failed.
Unsong / int_e0e12e67	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e0e12e67	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e0e12e67
Unsong / int_e132a621	type	Fluffy Cloud Heaven
Unsong / int_e132a621	comment	Fluffy Cloud Heaven: Angels are capable of shaping clouds into castles and cities. Uriel lives in a more plain and utilitarian hurricane.
Unsong / int_e132a621	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e132a621	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e132a621
Unsong / int_e54326a2	type	Hell
Unsong / int_e54326a2	comment	Hell: It exists, and is quite literal. To quote Thamiel:
Unsong / int_e54326a2	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e54326a2	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e54326a2
Unsong / int_e82bc849	type	Milkman Conspiracy
Unsong / int_e82bc849	comment	Milkman Conspiracy: Aaron Smith-Teller belongs to an ancient cabal and a religion that's outlawed in every civilized society on Earth: the Unitarian Universalist Church.
Unsong / int_e82bc849	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e82bc849	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e82bc849
Unsong / int_e9327f58	type	Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth
Unsong / int_e9327f58	comment	Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: The Comet King single-handedly won the Drug War by taking peyote cactus himself and convincing the Drug Lord that he really, really didn't want the Comet King inside the Hive Mind. Twenty years later, Aaron, Ana, and Jinxiang West do it to him again. Hell had difficulty taking over the Soviet Union, because the Russian government's willingness to throw away its own citizens' lives to defend its territory was so fanatical, even the demons attacking them were shocked.
Unsong / int_e9327f58	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e9327f58	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e9327f58
Unsong / int_e993da98	type	Equal-Opportunity Evil
Unsong / int_e993da98	comment	Equal-Opportunity Evil: Part of Thamiel's pitch to the United Nations is pointing out that unlike other nations, Hell enjoys perfect equality of race, orientation, gender, and creed. Everyone gets horribly tortured for all eternity, without discrimination.
Unsong / int_e993da98	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e993da98	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e993da98
Unsong / int_e9e35e8f	type	Exact Words
Unsong / int_e9e35e8f	comment	Exact Words: Dylan Alvarez is fond of this. When he's involved, it's important to learn the difference between a bomb squad and a bomb removal squad. Thamiel also has his moments, such as when he mentions that he "helps blind children" (that is, he helps to make children blind).
Unsong / int_e9e35e8f	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_e9e35e8f	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_e9e35e8f
Unsong / int_eb5b71fe	type	Clingy Jealous Girl
Unsong / int_eb5b71fe	comment	Clingy Jealous Girl: Sarah to Aaron. Not only is she furiously jealous of any other girl he pays attention to, she's threatened by any other computer she thinks might be faster, sleeker and more elegant than her as well.
Unsong / int_eb5b71fe	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_eb5b71fe	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_eb5b71fe
Unsong / int_eea93c96	type	Blow You Away
Unsong / int_eea93c96	comment	Blow You Away: The Tempestuous Name has this effect, as tempests are a type of wind.
Unsong / int_eea93c96	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_eea93c96	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_eea93c96
Unsong / int_eece5183	type	Have You Seen My God?
Unsong / int_eece5183	comment	Have You Seen My God?: Most appearances by God in the Bible are apparently the work of Uriel, and Uriel himself is a Deist.
Unsong / int_eece5183	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_eece5183	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_eece5183
Unsong / int_eff83d77	type	Mundane Utility
Unsong / int_eff83d77	comment	Mundane Utility: All the time. The "Wakening Name" is a Name of God derived from Kabbalah that has much the effect of a cup of coffee, for example.
Unsong / int_eff83d77	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_eff83d77	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_eff83d77
Unsong / int_f1993b4c	type	The Messiah
Unsong / int_f1993b4c	comment	The Messiah: The Comet King. Possibly.
Unsong / int_f1993b4c	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_f1993b4c	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_f1993b4c
Unsong / int_f2877d9e	type	IncrediblyLamePun
Unsong / int_f2877d9e	comment	Incredibly Lame Pun: Wordplay is a central part of uncovering the secrets of reality, and something the lead character and his significant other have spent their lives doing. They really like their puns.
Unsong / int_f2877d9e	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_f2877d9e	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_f2877d9e
Unsong / int_f46fb603	type	Pungeon Master
Unsong / int_f46fb603	comment	Pungeon Master: It's practically a job requirement for Kabbalists.
Unsong / int_f46fb603	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_f46fb603	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_f46fb603
Unsong / int_f788b2c5	type	Love Makes You Evil
Unsong / int_f788b2c5	comment	Love Makes You Evil: Turns out to have been the Other King's Start of Darkness. When the Comet King's wife "sells" her soul to Thamiel, it solves his dilemma about how to get damned to Hell on purpose: he stops caring about the rest of the damned, and if becoming the worst Evil Overlord the world has ever seen is what it takes to see her again, well, that's just too bad for the world.
Unsong / int_f788b2c5	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_f788b2c5	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_f788b2c5
Unsong / int_fab3235a	type	Easy Evangelism
Unsong / int_fab3235a	comment	Easy Evangelism: When humans first make contact with angels, the angels turn out to have no concept of lying and also to have never heard of any human religions. Religious leaders immediately take advantage:
Unsong / int_fab3235a	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_fab3235a	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_fab3235a
Unsong / int_fab3b838	type	Everything Is Racist
Unsong / int_fab3b838	comment	Everything Is Racist: In the Unsong timeline, Barack Obama wasn't required to prove his humanity before getting elected because the idea was considered racist, even though Clinton and the Bushes had also been subjected to the exact same test.
Unsong / int_fab3b838	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_fab3b838	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_fab3b838
Unsong / int_fb7cc1ff	type	Master of the Mixed Message
Unsong / int_fb7cc1ff	comment	Master of the Mixed Message: Ana Thurmond. On one hand, she refuses to go on a date with Aaron and insists that she isn't his girlfriend or wife. On the other, she had no problem joining him in a Psychic Link ritual which she herself named "kabbalistic marriage" (in a universe which practically runs on Meaningful Name and Clap Your Hands If You Believe, to boot), of which she doesn't hesitate to remind him when he is kidnapped by Jane.
Unsong / int_fb7cc1ff	featureApplicability	1.0
Unsong / int_fb7cc1ff	featureConfidence	1.0
Unsong	hasFeature	Unsong / int_fb7cc1ff
Unsong / int_fd4f8299	type	Well-Intentioned Extremist
Unsong / int_fd4f8299	comment	Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Comet King was one, and the Cometspawn are trying to take over where he left off. Aaron aspires to be one. Dylan is certainly one. On a much larger scale, so is Uriel. So, as it turns out, is Malia Ngo. And Simeon Azore. And freaking Thamiel. Really, it's a running theme of the story that everyone thinks that they're the unsung hero of the story, simply doing what must be done, and that everything they do will be worth it in the end. The ending implies that most of them, if not all, were quite right — everything all of them did was part of God's plan from the start.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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Unsong	hasFeature	Alien Catnip / int_d537677b
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