History Webcomic / CheapThrills

''Cheap Thrills'' was a [[NotableFurryWebcomics furry]] slice-of-life/romance webcomic created and drawn by S. E. Case. Published between 2006 and 2012, it is still featured either [[http://cheapthrills.xepher.net/ here]] or [[http://www.furaffinity.net/user/vivisectionbob/ here]] (the latter link includes sketches and preview art).

* OverProtectiveDad: [[http://cheapthrills.xepher.net/comics/comic264.html Anna]] thinks Erik is this for her, despite him being the same age as she is.

** Inverted with the ContinuityReboot as ''Rigsby, WI''. The cast is now entirely in human form, but the author has gone out of her way [[https://rigsbywi.tumblr.com/post/179371261289/affluent-frank to continue drawing Frank as his original chihuahua self when presented the opportunity]].

* FurryDenial: The author states that, despite appearances, [[InterspeciesRomance everyone is technically the same species]], and thus no one would have a reason to say they weren't "human".
** During the third and fourth chapters of ''Cheap Thrills'', S. E. would completely redraw select pages of the comic with the characters in human form. At the time, her reasoning for keeping them as furries is because [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter the characters were more endearing that way]], especially Jeordie.

--> '''Frank:''' Oh really? *[[KnifeNut flicks out a knife]] [[SlasherSmile and grins]]* ''Well you should be.''

* RaisedCatholic: Bethany's entire family.

* TheStoner: Jeordie and Bethany smoke weed together in one of the early pages of chapter one in a forest. Jeordie's parents were also hippies in the late '60s and upon finding his weed stash, his father says he'll flush it down the toilet. He and Jeordie's mother proceeded to [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments smoke it themselves]].

* YourCheatingHeart: Bethany's dad, [[HarmfulToMinors as she and her mother traumatically found out]] [[http://cheapthrills.xepher.net/comics/comic137.html when she was a child]]. It's hinted that Gladys wasn't quite as much of a {{Jerkass}}, at least to Bethany, prior to this discovery.

%%* {{Adorkable}}:
%%** Jeordie.
%%** Mirza.
%%* AlphaBitch: Sally.

%%* PettingZooPeople

* DomesticAbuser: Bethany's mother, implied with Frank's mother, and a few of Jeordie's ex-girlfriends' boyfriends.

* GreenEyes: Mirza and Jeordie have these, which carry over into their human forms.

* CrapsackWorld: The second half of Chapter 3 and much (if not all) of Chapter 4; even bright moments don’t last long (Bethany gets an out-of-state university scholarship [[spoiler:but turns it down to be closer to Jerodie]]; Pam and Erik become unexpected parents [[spoiler:out of wedlock and Erik’s father kicks him out of the family home]]).

Following a prolonged five-year absence, a teaser graphic for "Rigsby, WI: 2019" was [[HesBack quietly uploaded onto the dormant website for ''Cheap Thrills'']], featuring Bethany and Jerodie in human form. Since then, the artist - now revealed as S. E. Case - [[CareerResurrection re-emerged]] [[https://rigsbywi.tumblr.com/post/175291680919/honestly-how-have-you-been-its-been-so-long-and with intentions]] to ContinuityReboot the comic under the ''Rigsby, WI'' title on January 1, 2019 (featured [[https://rigsbywi.com here]], [[https://www.patreon.com/rigsbywi/posts here]] and [[https://rigsbywi.tumblr.com/ here]]), this time with the characters in human form.

** The author has the ability and has completely redrawn several pages of the characters as humans. The reason they are furries is because [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter the characters are more endearing this way]]. Especially Jeordie.

* PeriodPiece: ''Cheap Thrills'' takes place during the '90s, between 1994 and 1997. The ContinuityReboot as ''Rigsby, WI'' is expected to move the timeline several years ahead out of the decade entirely.

The story starts out with a teenage rabbit named Jeordie Maaltajik, living a high life of booze, drugs, and girls... until he finally settles down with a childhood friend of his, Bethany O'Hearn, a tabby cat who has her own problems with her broken and abusive family. On the sidelines with their own subplots are Erik Volta and Anna Lee Jensen, Jeordie's other childhood friends; and Frank Solomon, Jeordie's and Anna's drug dealer with a messed-up life of his own.

Following a prolonged five-year absence, a teaser graphic for "Rigsby, WI: 2019" was [[HesBack quietly uploaded onto the dormant website for ''Cheap Thrills'']], featuring Bethany and Jerodie in human form. Since then, the artist - now revealed as S. E. Case - [[CareerResurrection re-emerged]] [[https://rigsbywi.tumblr.com/post/175291680919/honestly-how-have-you-been-its-been-so-long-and with intentions]] to ContinuityReboot the comic under the ''Rigsby, WI'' title in early 2019 (featured [[https://rigsbywi.tumblr.com/ here]]), this time with the characters in human form.

* DrugsAreBad: ZigZagged. Jeordie avoids drugs for the most part, but he still acts as drug dealer for a couple neighborhood scum. When his parents discover a stash, they merely give him a lecture on personal responsibility [[HypocriticalHumor and then smoke it themselves]]. Played straight in the WhamEpisode.

* HeteronormativeCrusader: Gladys. She also refers to Jeordie as a "sand rat" and makes ham when he comes over for dinner since she's under the (incorrect) impression that he's a Muslim.

** Jeordie’s mother Elizabeth spent her late teenage years in San Francisco... even frequenting Haight-Ashbury in 1968, at age 18, after leaving foster care.
** Bethany’s aunt/legal guardian Alice attended the original Woodstock festival in 1969 (but doesn’t remember any of it). She later gives Bethany her old Volkswagen Micro-bus when Bethany gets her drivers license.

** The relationship between Bethany and her mother Gladys deteriorated in Chapter 1 to the point they set each other’s off simultaneously multiple times. It got to the point Alice Morgan (Gladys’ sister and Bethany’s aunt/court-appointed legal guardian) had to play peacemaker between them multiple times.

* BerserkButton: Bruce [[http://cheapthrills.xepher.net/comics/comic272.html hits Jeordie's]] when he repeatedly insults Erik and Pam, in addition to the fact that Jeordie [[TraumaCongaLine has not been having a good time lately]].

* HippieParents: Jeordie’s mother Elizabeth spent her late teenage years in San Francisco... even frequenting Haight-Ashbury in 1968, at age 18, after leaving foster care.

The story starts out with a teenage rabbit named Jeordie Maaltajik, living a high life of booze, drugs, and girls... until he finally settles down with a childhood friend of his, Bethany O'Hearn, a tabby cat who has her own problems with her broken and abusive family. On the sidelines with their own subplots are Erik and Anna, Jeordie's other childhood friends; and Frank, Jeordie's and Anna's drug dealer with a messed-up life of his own.

* ArtShift: Two notable examples:

** [[spoiler: Jeordie’s meth-fueled nightmares towards the end of Chapter 4 almost qualify as paintings]].

* ShootTheShaggyDog: S. E. Case had planned early in the comics' run [[spoiler: to kill off Elizabeth and Faris]] but put it off until the third chapter. But by then, they had become established as both fan favorites and favorites of S. E., so much so that she [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150512041814/https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1381313/ posted a cryptic Foreshadowing apology on her FurAffinity page]] and [[https://web.archive.org/web/20171123134015/http://www.furaffinity.net:80/view/4548773/#cid:33904537 openly expressed regret]] [[spoiler: for their deaths]].

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: WordOfGod says Rigsby is based on cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota, with early refs to places in Oregon.
** The ''Rigsby, WI'' reboot obviously subverts this; Rigsby is now firmly placed in Wisconsin, of course fortified by the TitleDrop.

* CrapsackWorld: The second half of Chapter 3 and much (if not all) of Chapter 4; even bright moments don’t last long (Bethany gets an out-of-state university scholarship but turns it down to be closer to Jerodie; Pam and Erik become unexpected parents out of wedlock and Erik’s father kicks him out of the family home).