Damsels and Dirigibles

There is no hope, no idealism, no raison d'etre...but there's damsels and dirigibles, and that's good enough for me.
—Color Copycat, the creator of the Damsels and Dirigibles thread.

An Alternate History timeline posted on AlternateHistory.com. Taking place after a much bloodier World War I, a much more powerful League of Nations maintains a massive airship armada for the purposes of peacekeeping. Since the vast majority of the military age male population died in the Great War, the airships are crewed mostly by women. However, the League Armada finds itself over extended on many fronts as it tries to stem the rising tide of conflict. Meanwhile an expedition to Antarctica returns with news that could change the world forever... Can be read here if you're a member of AlternateHistory.com.

This timeline is primarily designed to bring hot chicks and airships together in an interwar (1918-1939) setting. Along with gas masks, ridiculously conspicuous uniforms, and sabers, Damsels and Dirigibles intends to create a unique aesthetic style that is chock full of fanciful anachronisms and all around pulpy fun. Although this timeline has a rather dull point of divergence (the Hague Convention of 1899, where sniper rifles were banned instead of gas warfare, leading to a bloodier World War I), the plentiful (albeit amateur) illustrations and harrowing tales should nullify any historical boredom you happen to come upon. Original illustrations, whether they be sketches or fake newspaper clippings, periodically accompany updates, and naturally they heavily feature the titular damsels and dirigibles.

Tropes used in Damsels and Dirigibles include:
  • Action Girl: Armada Air Marines, Valkyrie-Vixens, and much more. Not so surprising when 4 out of 5 League Armada personnel are female.
  • Alternate History: The Point of Divergence is the Hague Convention of 1899, where sniper rifles are outlawed instead of chemical weapons.
  • Allohistorical Allusion: Karla's application to Vienna's Academy Of Fine Arts is rejected by Hitler, now the Academy's Director Of Admissions
  • Break the Cutie: Karla, complete with verbal and physical abuse and the never-ending fear of execution. She got better
  • Butterfly of Doom: played completely straight with the Great War, where casualties were much larger due to greater chemical weapons stockpiles. Inverted with Hitler: he gets shot in an accident.
  • Cool Airship: Thousands of them.
  • Death by Disfigurement: Averted with Group Captain O' Malley
  • Eldritch Abomination: Hinted at in the Antarctic expedition arc, along with the Call of Cthulhu inspired arc.
  • Fish Out of Water: Armitage, when it comes to violence.
  • Gendercide: The Great War killed most military age men in Western Europe and North America.
  • For Want of a Nail: Or rather, for want of sniper rifles.
  • Gender Rarity Value: Understandably, the League Armada doesn't put male recruitment as their top priority.
  • Hidden Depths: Invoked and cruelly subverted by Fregattenkapitan von Arnauld. At first, he looks like a decent soldier unjustly branded for serving as a U-boat captain in the war, strongly associated with war crimes and general Dirty Coward attitude even though he claims to have never torpedoed a civilian ship. apparently Took a Level in Jerkass by sexually exploiting Karla and then trying to off her
  • Katanas Are Just Better: played straight when Veronique wears one to look impressive at the negotiations. Averted hard when hundreds of Japanese troops are shot down in a banzai charge.
  • Lady in Red: Veronique. She's most likely The Vamp and shows some elements of The Baroness too.
  • Lame Excuse: "For the ten thousandth time, he fell out of the fucking window!"
  • Les Yay: Karla and Elise have some undertones of that.
  • Manipulative Bitch: It's real hard to decide when, if ever, Veronique is honest with Armitage.
  • Mind Rape as Redemption: Played with. Veronique is still a very malevolent villain after the incident with the Eldritch Abomination Old Ones. Well, mostly.
  • Multinational Team: The League Armada and the Valkyrie-Vixens.
  • Punk Punk: Somewhere between Steampunk and Dieselpunk
  • Rule of Cool: mostly averted, the Cool Airships are there for a good reason, and are quite vulnerable to AA guns
  • Villain Protagonist: Veronique .
  • Took a Level in Badass: Karla, at this point, appears to overcome her Woobieness and start to act as a competent officer.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds : If Karla isn't already this, then she's moving at full speed towards it.
  • Woman in Black: Group Captain O'Malley.
  • Woman in White: Flight Lieutenant Karla Glauser.
  • Zeppelins from Another World
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