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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tomska.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:''[[CatchPhrase "Hey, you! My name is Thomas 'TomSka' Ridgewell."]]'']]
3%%
4[=TomSka=] (real name: Thomas Ridgewell, born June 27, 1990) is a UK-based web filmmaker, producer, vlogger and actor known for his live-action and animated productions, most notably the {{WebAnimation/asdfmovie}}s.
5
6He also gained prominence as a part of ''WebAnimation/{{Eddsworld}}'', voicing an AuthorAvatar character named Tom and, after Edd Gould's passing, working as the series' main showrunner. He eventually departed from the role in 2016, finishing his tenure with the two-parter "The End", after which he passed control over the series to Gould's family alongside Matt Hargreaves. He also served as one of the executive producers on ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'' from episode three onwards.
7
8His main Website/YouTube channel is [[https://www.youtube.com/user/Tomska here]]. His second channel, titled [=TomSka=] & Friends (formerly [=DarkSquidge=]) and containing several comedy series as well as vlogs and behind-the-scenes material, is [[https://www.youtube.com/user/DarkSquidge here]]. He also has accounts on [[http://twitter.com/thetomska Twitter]], [[http://instagram.com/darksquidge Instagram]] and [[http://thetomska.tumblr.com Tumblr]].
9
10His animated series ''WebAnimation/CrashZoom'', his comedy challenge series ''WebVideo/TryHards'', his short film ''WebVideo/HitIt'', and his mock children's book ''JustForFun/TheFlibbityJibber'' all have their own pages.
11----
12!!Tropes present in his works or otherwise related to him:
13
14* AbsurdPhobia: The premise of "Bad Singer," where Tom plays a singer who is secretly afraid of music.
15* AchievementsInIgnorance:
16** Parodied in ''I Don't Know'', where one of Big Jimmy's mooks dies from asphyxia after being told she doesn't know how to breathe, another somehow got himself stabbed in the chest after being told he doesn't know how to use knives, and Big Jimmy himself [[PuffOfLogic instantly vanishes when he realizes he doesn't know who he is]]. All of this happened during a game of poker where the infiltrating spy protagonist doesn't know how to play poker, and apparently neither does Big Jimmy, with both of them saying to "go fish".
17** The villagers in ''Wizzo the Wizard'' don't know what magic is, and thus are utterly unimpressed with [[EvilSorcerer Wizzo]]'s wizardry.
18* ActionBomb: [[spoiler:Tom himself is revealed to be one at the end of "HOLY SHIT CATS".]]
19* ActorAllusion:
20** In "Bible Time", he drunkenly insists on a series of "corrections" to the Bible, which is being written here by WebVideo/HBomberguy. His final insistence before being cut off is "And then Donkey Kong says 'Trans Rights!'", a reference to Harris' famous Mermaids charity stream.
21* AffablyEvil: Tom as an assassin who kills a man named Khyan and cheers up Khyan and tells him to man up and go talk to his wife in a really friendly manner, only for it to be part of his plot to kill him.
22* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Well, if you consider "HOLY SHIT CATS" to be idiotic.
23-->'''Tom:''' I was really drunk when I wrote this film.
24** Zigzagged in "Drunk Science". Tom and Chris get drunk, and in the midst of more typical drunken antics (riding a pig down the stairs, giving a beer to a raging bear), they invent a working time machine. By the end of the video, they've crashed the time machine through a wall and stranded the bear at the north pole 150,000 years in the past.
25* AlterEgoActing: He usually plays an exaggerated version of himself.
26* AmbiguouslyGay: Not Tomska, but in his "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrkErsZ80iY&list=PLU74Y_bNwfvTEP9pUTuDmOiuSbBc8trLk Big Fat Monster]]" video, his mom is crushed by a tank, causing him to say, probably rhetorically
27-->'''Tom:''' That was my favorite mum!
28* ArmiesAreEvil: The "Big Fat Monster" sketch is about Tom being confronted by a group of soldiers who think he's a giant monster.
29* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The content warning in the description of “Magical Dream Bed” states that it contains, “Suicide, graphic violence (towards children), gore, torture, and showtunes.”
30* AsideGlance: In "Meanwhile 2," the Tom from the universe where the letter M doesn't exist gives one after saying "video gaes."
31* AskAStupidQuestion: From "PIZZA TIME":
32-->'''Tom:''' When do I learn to time travel?\
33'''Future Tom:''' In the future.\
34'''Tom:''' Yeah, I guess that makes sense.
35* TheAtoner: He's said several times that he was kind of a horrible person growing up, especially towards women and part of his sex-ed videos are basically him making sure that other people don't make his mistakes.
36* AndIMustScream: Of sorts, near the end of "What Happened?" [[spoiler:The video is based around someone who has committed suicide, but whenever someone asks what happened, another person will take the gun and shoot themselves in the head. Tom is the OnlySaneMan in this situation. There's a particularly [[SlasherSmile diabolical]] officer who asks the question and forces Tom to shoot himself, screaming all the while.]]
37* AppropriatedAppellation: "[=DarkSquidge=]", the former name of his second channel, was derived from Tom's first online username, with which he made the most of a nickname given to him by school bullies for his weight -- "Thomas Squidgewell".
38* AscendedExtra: The character of Wizzo the Wizard first appeared as a side character in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-LP-dTjOR4 MAGIC SPOON]]", only being revealed in the very end. He then became the focal point of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwXJcQkvRa4 his eponymous video]].
39* AuthorAppeal: Tom [[GunNut really likes guns]], and half of his sketches use them in some shape or form.
40* BabyTalk: The gag of "Where's the Baby?" is that everyone talks like this when discussing the missing baby.
41* BadBoss: Tom is sort of one to his coworkers in the ''[=KatataK=]'' vlogs, and it gets PlayedForLaughs.
42* TheBadGuyWins:
43** In "What Happened?", [[spoiler:a psychotic police officer got Tom to commit suicide.]]
44** In "Le Alien", [[spoiler:Antoine Daniel the French alien and Sammy, who both turned out to be literal French Aliens, manages to [[AlienInvasion take over the world]].]]
45* BadSanta: In "Secret Santa"[[spoiler: , a little girl catches him deposing the gifts under the Christmas tree, he utters the sentence [[LeaveNoWitnesses "No witnesses."]] to her, and [[DisproportionateRetribution shoots]] [[WouldHurtAChild her dead]]. Then he [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill pushes her corpse down a garden shredder]].]]
46** The Santa in "Sam Kills Christmas", who [[spoiler:(accidentally or not) killed Sam's parents by clogging up the chimney]] and shows NoSympathy when Sam confronts him about it in the present.
47** Possibly the Santa in "Christmas Demolition". While he is never seen doing any evil, he has an army of {{Mooks}} who attack Tom as he storms into the movie set and then attacks him with a candy cane gun.
48* BaitAndSwitch:
49** In "Any Regrets?", Dodie admits to never having seen Star Wars while Sammy admits to [[spoiler:getting bitten]]. Daniel is shocked; that Dodie had never seen Star Wars. When a zombie starts to break in, Daniel states that there is still time… for Sammy and Deepraj to role-play Star Wars.
50** In "PIZZA TIME", Tom ordering a chicken barbecue pizza will lead to a chain of events that causes him to have a robotic left arm… which his future self agrees is awesome. The problem is instead that he gets AIDS.
51* BigNo:
52** Tom in "Takeout Robbery" when he realizes that [[ItMakesSenseInContext the phone robber isn't going to let him leave]].
53*** From the same video, the phone cop lets out one when [[spoiler:his co-worker, Bob, is shot and killed by the robber]].
54** Tom also does one accompanying a key change in "Musical Suicide" when the woman confirms that she plans to commit suicide.
55** Tom does one at the end of "Literal Drinks" and "Christmas Demolition".
56* BittersweetEnding: "Sniper Pug". [[spoiler:While Sgt. Pugsley does pull a DeusExMachina and save the team from meeting a death at the hand of their enemies, they realize a bit too late that they forgot about defusing the bomb that was the basis of their mission. Just as they have their MassOhCrap moment, the bomb goes off.]]
57* BlackComedy: One of his fortes.
58** In "OH NO SPACE CATS":
59--->'''[=TomSka=]:''' So I always hear, "[=TomSka=], you're so attractive! Why aren't you making a game?" And to that I always say, "Oh no, [[HearingVoices the voices are back]]. I should take stronger meds." ''[internal whispers]''\
60''[cut to Tom laughing with his coworkers]''\
61'''[=TomSka=]:''' [[LampshadeHanging I've started this off making a joke about a mental illness. This is going well.]]
62** The "fake suicide prank" in "EPIC GIRLFRIEND PRANKS". Immediately after said prank, [[spoiler:Tom suddenly shoots himself through the chin]].
63** In "PIZZA TIME", when Tom decides to order chicken barbecue pizza, Future Tom appears with a robot arm...and full-blown AIDS.
64* BlameGame: "The Blame Game" has a very exaggerated version of this trope. Tom seeks to enact violent revenge on the kid Brian, who bullied him in school, who blames Sammy for forcing him to copy the cool kids or else she beat him up, who blames her father for his drinking problems that caused a toxic home life that caused her to lash out, who blames the store clerk for selling him the alcohol (even though it's his job), and ''then'' blames his drinking on the state of the country, Miss England, who blames the death of her mother, which leads back to the store clerk (as he was also a hitman) that blames capitalism, who blames Lady Luck, and then its to a point where MotiveDecay is down to the point where Brian gets investigated for eating Miss England's lunch, who lastly blames Tom for making him stressed (he eats when he's stressed).
65* BlessedWithSuck: Fire Man in his eponymous video is a super hero whose ability is to... well, [[PlayingWithFire create fire]], but he is a ''[[{{Irony}} firefighter]]'', and as his chief points out, fighting fire with fire just makes more fire and has to ''[[{{Pun}} fire]]'' him.
66* BondOneLiner: Many examples, usually at the end of a video and accompanied by Tom putting on his pair of sunglasses and subsequent dubstep music.
67** "Salon Shootout" has two:
68--->"Sorry, kid. I don't make the ''condition..ers.''"\
69"I'm glad we...''straightened that out.''"
70** In "Guitar Bandit":
71--->"You're a little ''flat''. ''Don't fret about it.''"
72* BookEnds:
73** One of the first events of "HORSE" is [[spoiler:Mrs. Johnson killing Tom with a knife]]. One of the final events is [[spoiler:Mrs. Johnson killing a husband and wife with a knife]].
74** After the first gag in "The Confession", Tom says "I think that went well." After the final gag, Jenny says the same thing.
75* BoomHeadshot: Tom has a special liking for this trope.
76* BottomlessMagazines: Especially in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGBanqGBJ_I ''Rejects'']]
77* BottomlessPits: The titular hole in "The Hole", possibly.
78* BreadEggsBreadedEggs:
79** Sort of.
80---> Here are some top tips for passing the time waiting for an ambulance: Read a book. Write a book. Book a holiday for your book.
81** In "PIZZA TIME":
82--->'''Future Tom''': The Nazis are back!\
83(''Present Tom chooses another pizza'')\
84'''Future Tom''': The dinosaurs are back!\
85(''Present Tom chooses another pizza'')\
86'''Future Tom''': Nazi...dinosaurs!
87*** Earlier in that short, Present Tom chooses a pizza that creates a future where [[CastFullOfGay gay marriage is mandatory]]. Later on, Tom chooses a pizza that creates a future full of...
88---->'''Future Tom''': ''Gay'' Nazi dinosaurs!
89** The drilldo in "Tell Me Something I Don't Know". It’s exactly what you think.
90** Coupled with AddedAlliterativeAppeal in "BEARD":
91--->'''Tom''': This is a beard!\
92(''Zoom on Tom's beard'')\
93'''Tom''': And this is a beer!\
94(''Zoom on the glass of beer Tom is holding'')\
95'''Tom''': And that is a bear!\
96(''Shot of a bear in a field'')\
97'''Chris''': Yeah, but-\
98'''Tom''': And that is a bearded bear bearing a beer with a beard!\
99([[DontExplainTheJoke ...]])
100* BreadEggsMilkSquick: The "Buy Some Shirts" song.
101-->Buy some shirts!\
102Buy a lot!\
103Buy some shirts so I can buy a-\
104[[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion BOAT.]]\
105Buy some shirts, '''''and nobody gets hurt'''''.
106** He mentions in "I'm Bad At Meeting Fans" that he keeps a box next to him at conventions for gifts from fans, like art, letters, [[TimeBomb mysteriously ticking packages]], and other gifts.
107* CallBack:
108** "The Hole" appears again in "The Orb".
109** The "Magical Dream Bed" song is the same as the "Magical Pony" song from [=asdfmovie6=], with "pony" replaced with "dream bed" in the lyrics.
110** The Robot Arms gag from "Robot Wars" returns in "The Impostor".
111* {{Calvinball}}: The killer from "The Blame Game," given the hated bullying nickname of "Ham Man," tries to find the one responsible for the bullying of his childhood. He starts with one of the bullies, Brian, but he tells Ham Man to take it up with Sammy Smith, who then tells him to blame her abusive and toxic father, and it all starts to fall apart from there. Ultimately, the killer decides to take it up with God. [[JerkassGods Apparently God was also in on the bullying, identifying the killer as Ham Man.]]
112* CarefulWithThatAxe: The result of Tom's "music phobia" in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk0ZBfbe2fY "Bad Singer"]].
113* CatchPhrase:
114** Mrs. Johnson has "I love it!"
115** Tom has "Hey, you!" (formerly, "Hello, turbofans!"), accompanied with a little two-finger salute and usually followed by "My name is Thomas "[=TomSka=]" Ridgewell".
116* ChaosOfTheBells: In "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpY4ym5fspQ Christmas Demolition]]", Tom uses [=LilDeuceDeuce's=] bassy dubstep version of "Carol of the Bells" in his video, which sees his character violently battle Santa and his elves because Santa brought him nothing for Christmas when he was a child.
117* ContentWarnings: Tom started using these for his videos 2015 onward. Some are a parody of said warnings ("Spy Guys"'s content warning is simply "Bit Gay"), while others are genuine ("Magical Dream Bed" has a content warning that reads "Suicide, graphic violence (towards children), gore, torture, and showtunes").
118* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Happens quite frequently in Tom's videos.
119-->'''Wizzo:''' There, you're flying now.
120-->'''Villager:''' I'm probably just on a rope.
121-->'''Wizzo:''' A ROPE? WHAT'S THE ROPE ATTACHED TO?
122-->'''Villager:''' Well me, obviously.
123* CurseCutShort:
124** In "Edd's Birthday", when Tom realises he's forgotten Edd's birthday.
125--->'''Tom:''' OH SHI - ''[title sequence]''
126** Also happens in "HOLY SHIT CATS", when he faces off against an army of cats.
127--->'''Tom''': COME AT ME, YOU PUSSY MOTHERF- [[spoiler:''([[ActionBomb explodes]])'']]
128** Also happens at the end of "The Hole" when Tom accidentally drops a DVD in The Hole.
129--->'''Tom:''' (holding up a DVD copy of ''Film/SeventeenAgain2009'') Oh, wait, here it is. (dramatic sting and brief cut to black, Tom then drops the DVD case) Oh, sh- (dramatic sting and cut to black)
130* DawsonCasting: Played for laughs. The "little boy" selling the "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode" is played by Tom himself, despite the fact that Tom clearly has a full beard. The illusion is somewhat helped by the fact that he's been digitally shrunk down and using larger props than the rest of the actors.
131* DeadpanSnarker:
132** Tom has his moments
133--->'''Danisnotonfire:''' What are all these dead bodies doing here?!\
134'''[=TomSka=]:''' Honestly, not much.
135** In "Sniper Pug," Tom says that he's not comfortable with Sgt. Pugsy being on the team because he's a dog. This alarms his CO:
136--->'''Officer:''' How did you find out?!\
137'''Tom:''' It's kind of obvious.
138* DeathAsComedy: You know it's a [=TomSka=] sketch when the punchline is death.
139* DeathOfAChild: A lot of it.
140** Where's the Baby stands out as just one long dead baby joke.
141** In the "Next Time" segment on Magic Spoon, Tom asks Wizzo "[[UnusuallyUninterestingSight What's with all these dead kids?"]]
142* DelayedReaction:
143** Tom made a skit based off of it and named after it. It has a criminal that is about to be thrown off of a building, and when he is thrown off he actually lands on his two feet without a scratch. His reaction then kicks in, begging for his life, and as he tops it off with a BigNo he suddenly throws himself into the ground.
144** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngJ2ZwfHtjw Any Regrets?]], Tom initially doesn't catch up the fact that Sammy said he got bitten by a zombie, [[SkewedPriorities he is instead surprised that]] Dodie never watched [[Franchise/StarWars Star Wars]], and it's only near the end of the video that Tom realises what Sammy said. Cue [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie Sammy turning into a zombie]].
145* DeusExMachina: Sgt. Pugsley's rescue in "Sniper Pug".
146* DisproportionateRetribution:
147** [[spoiler:Chris stabs Tom in "STABBED" with a salty knife laced with tiny bees, then programs Tom's phone to order a mushroom pizza filled with more bees when Tom calls for an ambulance, all because Tom ate Chris's sandwich.]]
148** A wizard turns Ben into a cake for saying he had a funny hat.
149* TheDon: Tom plays one named Big Jimmy in "I Don't Know" and "Delayed Reaction".
150* DownerEnding:
151** "Memories": [[spoiler:The young boy destroys the titular VHS tape after he noticed he took the place of another baby and realised his family isn't really his own.]]
152** "What Happened?": [[spoiler:Tom is forced to kill himself with the gun, and 10 years later his son inadvertently inflicts this same fate upon his mother.]]
153** "STUPID JUSTIN BIEBER PARODY": [[spoiler:Justin travels back in time to the Achterhuis when Anne Frank is hiding in it. He sings her a song and then leaves. The Gestapo most likely hear the song and decide to check behind the bookcase.]]
154** "Where's the Baby?": [[spoiler:Someone in a search party manages to find the baby, but it's buried in the ground. It then cuts to a headstone with "The Baby" written on it.]]
155** "Musical Suicide": [[spoiler:TheStinger reveals that the girl did go through with her suicide, as we hear a crash and a car alarm.]]
156* DrivenToSuicide: Tom tries to talk his lover out of this in "Musical Suicide", which is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what it sounds like]]. [[spoiler:It turns out that Tom had mistaken her for someone else (after all, he ''had'' been looking at her from behind).]]
157** [[spoiler:The ending of "EPIC GIRLFRIEND PRANKS" has Tom saying "I love you" and shooting himself through the chin.]]
158** Played For Laughs in "Big Fat Monster" when a team of soldiers start shooting themselves after mistaking Tom for an obese monster. [[spoiler:As does the ''actual'' obese monster that appears in the video who seemingly pulls a giant handgun out of nowhere.]]
159* DullSurprise: Tom throughout "The Hole". Alice even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it.
160* DyingMomentOfAwesome: In "My Dream Funeral", Tom talks about how he wants to go out in this manner, such as in a bear fight...or from heart failure.
161* EEqualsMCHammer: Parodied in "Cake". The whiteboard Tom used for "science" ends up filled with nonsense like a dollarsign, the infinity-symbol, the pi-symbol on a sticky-note, the phrase "A* in mafs", a pentagram, and crude drawings of - among other things - a cake, a cat, Earth, a cube, [[Series/DoctorWho the TARDIS]] and a penis.
162* EpicFail:
163** In "I Don't Know", Johnny Knives threatens to use his knives against [[TheMafiya Vladimir Stratosphere]] during a dispute, to which Vladimir replies that he doesn't even know how to use them, and at which point Johnny somehow gets a knife planted right into his own chest.
164** In "Baby with a Gun", Tom ends up threatening the titular baby with a gun of his own. Realizing how mean he sounded, Tom proceeds to ''give the baby his gun'', and only then does he realize his massive fuckup.
165-->'''Tom:''' Now it's a baby with ''two'' guns.
166* EveryoneHasStandards: In the "1 Man, 27 Impressions" video, Tom is willing to perform the various imitations the announcer has him do, ranging from different nationalities to [[ItMakesSenseInContext a scientist realising that they're trans]], some of which potentially offensive, but draws the line at imitating a sexist. [[spoiler: Not that the announcer cares, as he tricks Tom into saying something sexist anyways.]]
167* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The bar in "Literal Drinks" seems to serve nothing but drinks that create whatever circumstance or behavior they're named after.
168* ExactWords: "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode!" "Which is just it's name. It won't make your head explode." [[spoiler:It doesn't, but the Jewish sniper who shoots people in the head when they drink it does.]]
169* ExpendableClone: In the "Rejects" sketch, Tom creates and murders clones of Dan to relieve the stress of hiding the fact that [[spoiler:the Dan he's talking to is a clone and he turned the real Dan into a chair]] and doesn't want to hurt Dan's feelings by telling him this.
170* FacialHorror: Tom in the ''Russian Roulette'' cartoon repeatedly shoots himself in the head [[MadeOfIron but remains alive]], making his face increasingly more gory and emaciated and becoming more and more incoherent.
171* {{Fingore}}: Somehow shoots off his friend Abi's pinky with a shotgun in ''Friendship''.
172* {{Foreshadowing}}: In "[[https://youtu.be/K-nDfVIVhsM?si=aJU5mRKcbDQVNVyW Musical Suicide]]", Tom apologizes for shooting Jenny's brother, but she says "I don't recall." [[spoiler: Because the woman he's singing with ''isn't'' Jenny.]]
173* ForcedTransformation: In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWJu8DvFMk "Cake"]], Ben is turned into a cake by a wizard, and Tom and Kathryn try to help change him back (and resist the temptation to eat him).
174* FriendlySniper: [[spoiler: The Jewish sniper at the end of "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode" is rather amiable for someone who just murdered several people.]]
175* FunWithSubtitles: There's some fun to be had with some of the subtitles on Tom's videos. For a really good example, see "Sniper Pug".
176* GallowsHumor: According to Tom's "dream funeral" video, he encourages this ''ten-fold'' with his death, wanting his friends to make the most crude and tasteless jokes under the sun.
177* GambitPileup: On [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXHe7rEQrvQ Valentine's Day]], of all things.
178* GoryDiscretionShot: Whenever [[spoiler:Mrs. Johnson stabs someone in "HORSE"]].
179* TheGrinch: Being raised as a Jehovah's Witness left him with a bit of a distaste towards Christmas, which he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpY4ym5fspQ exaggerates in his works]] from time to time.
180%%* GunNut:
181* GuyOnGuyIsHot: For some reason, during their Stars Wars and Breaking Bad cosplaying in "Any Regrets", Sammy and Deepraj make out, to Dodie's delight.
182* HatsOffToTheDead: The lead soldier in "Big Fat Monster" removes his hat after a Big Fat Monster AteHisGun from seeing Tom.
183* HeelRealization: Has this at the end of "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" after brutally torturing LetsPlay/NerdCubed.
184* HughMann: Inverted in ''Robot Wars'', where at some point, Elliot and Eddie disguises themselves [[PaperThinDisguise with fake mustaches and cardboard box]], pretending to be robots to try to get past a giant evil laser firing robot. Needless to say, the actual robot isn't convinced in the slightest.
185** It happens again in ''The Impostor'', where Tom pretends to be a robot to infiltrate an army of warmongering robots, this time though, it works.
186* HurricaneOfPuns: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjK-LzkekCU "Rock Bottom".]] Unsurprisingly, starring [[PungeonMaster Edd Gould]].
187-->(Edd and Tom are stuck in a sunken house)\
188'''Edd:''' Hey Tom, I got my grades back today.\
189'''Tom:''' What are you talking about!?\
190'''Edd:''' They're below ''C'' level!\
191''*LaughTrack plays*''
192* IconicItem: The dubstep sunglasses.
193* IdiotPlot: Deliberately invoked in "I Don't Know" and taken to its extreme logical conclusion. Nobody involved has any competence or even knowledge in any relevant skills, and one person dies from ''[[BeyondTheImpossible being reminded that they don't know how to breathe]]''.
194* IKnewIt: In-universe; Tom at the end of "Needles", when the time stopper finally appears.
195* IncendiaryExponent: The second Banned University of Lincoln advert is nothing more than a lecture, where everything is on fire.
196* InformedJudaism: [[spoiler: The sniper at the end of "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode."]]
197* InsaneTrollLogic: In "Bite Me"
198-->'''Chris:''' Tom I thought you were smart.\
199'''Tom:''' Einstein was smart Chris, and he's dead.
200* InstantSedation: Tom does this to himself in "The Confession".
201-->'''Tom:''' [[LampshadeHanging I chloroformed myself, didn't I?]]\
202'''Jenny:''' Yeah, you did.\
203(Tom holds chloroform up to his face, but Jenny slaps it away)\
204'''Jenny:''' Don't do it again!
205* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: In ''Tell Me Something I Don't Know'', Tom subjects [[LetsPlay/NerdCubed Dan]] to rather painful torture methods to get him to [[ExactWords tell him something he doesn't already know]].
206* JugglingLoadedGuns: The premise of the "What Happened?" sketch:
207* KilledMidSentence: "What happened?" "Y'see, they took this gun, pointed it to their head, and--" ''['''BANG''']''
208* LameComeback: "You are original insult!"
209* LargeHam:
210** [[PunnyName Wizzo the Wizard]] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwXJcQkvRa4 his eponymous video]], courtesy of Eddie "Eddache" Bowley.
211--->'''Wizzo the Wizard:''' '''[[EvilLaugh Hahahaha !]] I am Wizzo the Wizard ! Bow before me and my magical mastery ! Ahahaha !!!'''
212** Tom himself on a few occasions:
213*** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=masJatBOsMU The Confession 2]], he suddenly acts insane as a Mad Cop while trying to be a Bad Cop.
214--->'''Tom''': Also, '''I am a Jelly Bean! Have you seen my penguins?! THE GOVERNMENT IS BEES!'''
215*** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOH_N9nTvCo Tell Me Something I Don't Know]], he manages to be legitimately [[NightmareFuel terrifying]] by yelling at [[LetsPlay/NerdCubed Dan]] and physically abusing him.
216--->'''Tom:''' '''''[[TitleDrop TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW !!!]]''''
217* MoodWhiplash:
218** In "The Confession":
219--->'''Tom:''' See, Chris, the thing is--(pulls out gun)--I'll just kill him.
220** A rather shocking one at the end of "EPIC GIRLFRIEND PRANKS". We see Alice arriving at home, telling Tom that he has to stop pranking her. She goes into a dark room, turns on the light, [[spoiler:''and finds Tom hanging.'' It turns out to have been yet another prank.]]
221** He starts "My Dream Funeral" by saying, "Hey you! ''We're all gonna die.''"
222* MotorMouth:
223** In the "Rejects" sketch:
224-->'''Tom:''' Well, you know when [[DarkSecret you want to tell someone something]], [[GoMadFromTheRevelation but you don't want to hurt their feelings]], [[KeepingSecretsSucks so you just bottle it all up inside]] [[CannotKeepASecret until it slowly but surely develops into]] [[RageBreakingPoint an overwhelming urge to kill them?]]\
225({{Beat}})\
226'''Dan:''' [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey Obviously]].\
227'''Tom:''' [[ExpendableClone I cloned you so I could kill you.]][[note]]DAN DAN HAM![[/note]]
228** As highlighted in his [=#CONTENT=] video ''Hardcore Drawnography'':
229-->'''Tom:''' whatdoyoumeanwhatthefuckisabongocat!!!
230* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: At the end of [[spoiler:"Designated Driver", Tom confusing "dead" for "drunk."]]
231* MyFutureSelfAndMe: Tom gets visited by his future self (from an hour into the future) while ordering pizza, who warns him of some apocalyptic scenario or crippling injury that will happen if he orders a particular pizza.
232* NakedPeopleAreFunny: In "Edd's Birthday", Tom goes around asking his friends for present ideas. Matt suggests nudity as a present, and is naked when the camera turns back to him.
233* {{Nepotism}}: The reason why so many of the cops in the "What Happened" sketch are twins.
234* NoodleImplements: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTV2fWuXmMQ "Picture Perfect"]] has a variant. Police arrive on the scene [[spoiler:of Chris and Tom's double-suicide.]]
235-->'''Officer 1''': They must've painted [[spoiler:their killers]] before [[spoiler:they died]].\
236'''Officer 2''': So we're looking for a centaur, an antisemitic cat, and the alphabet.\
237'''Officer 1''': My god! ''They're back!''
238* NotQuiteDead: Despite the numerous times he shoots himself in the head in "Russian Roulette", Tom doesn't die. Not even when he [[{{Squick}} removes his brains]].
239* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Yes, Sgt. Pugsley does take out all those enemies in "Sniper Pug", but we never do see him behind the rifle.
240* OhCrap:
241** In "Takeout Robbery".
242--->'''Customer''': Hi there, I'd like a cheese pizza, a bottle of cola, and ''[[MoodWhiplash all the money in the register]]''.\
243'''Tom''': Hehe, what?\
244'''Customer''': ''(DramaticGunCock)'' This a robbery.\
245'''Tom''': '''''Oh, God.'''''
246** The end of "Sniper Pug". The team is celebrating Sgt. Pugsley's gallant sharpshooting that saved them from their enemies, [[spoiler:only to realize that they never took care of the bomb that was the basis of their whole mission. And it's about to detonate.]]
247* OneCurseLimit: In "Bite Me", Tom cancels out Chris being bitten by a zombie by making a vampire bite him instead. Then a werewolf. Then the skit descends to madness as usual.
248* OneManArmy: Tom in "Christmas Demolition".
249* OneSteveLimit: Discussed in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBtpRb59dD8 Meanwhile 2]]'' and brought up again in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOH_N9nTvCo Tell Me Something I Don't Know]]''.
250* OnlySaneByComparison: In "The Blame Game", Tom is crazy enough to kidnap people and threaten to kill them. Meanwhile, everyone else in the skit is crazy enough make fun of Tom, cheerfully deny responsibility for his childhood bullying, then put on a mask and join Tom in threatening someone else. Tom is also the only one who notices that the people he "kidnaps" are popping out of nowhere, and that they somehow kidnapped Lady Luck and the embodiment of Capitalism.
251* OnlySaneWoman: In "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode", the first woman is the only one who doesn’t get tricked and drink the juice. [[PoliceAreUseless Even the police and forensics fell for it]].
252* OrphanedPunchline: At the beginning of "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode", a man is telling a woman a story that ends with "So then I said, 'That's not my wife! I don't know who's body that is!'" The woman laughs with him for a moment, but then becomes confused.
253* PaperThinDisguise: Tom visits Alice at work dressed up as a delivery man in "EPIC GIRLFRIEND PRANKS". However, she actually falls for it.
254* PoliceAreUseless:
255** In "Baby with a Gun" the police are unconcerned that a minor wielding a firearm has broken into Tom's apartment.
256** The cops in the "What Happened" sketch keep shooting themselves while explaining the situation.
257** In "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode", everyone [[OnlySaneWoman except the first woman]] drinks the juice— even the police and forensics.
258* PrecisionFStrike: In "Fire Man", the titular character played by Tom sums up his feelings towards Water Man in one sentence.
259-->"I fucking hate you."
260* PreMortemOneLiner:
261** In "Christmas Demolition", Tom says [[ShapedLikeItself "Christmas pun."]] before shooting Santa with his own candy cane cannon.
262** In "Salon Shootout", Tom says "No need to make this hairy!" before shooting an [[HumanAliens alien disguised as a female barber]].
263* PsychicAssistedSuicide: The end of "What Happened?" [[spoiler:The basis of the video is that a suicide has taken place. Whenever someone asks what happened, another person will take the gun and, while explaining, shoot themselves in the head. A particularly diabolical officer forces this fate upon Tom by asking the question. It turns out that Tom had a wife and a son. His son then asks what happened. ''[[OhCrap And you know what that means...]]'']]
264* PropellerHatOfWhimsy: In [[https://youtu.be/E77R0e5bzIs "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode"]], Tom plays a small boy running a [[LemonadeStandPlot Juice Stand]], and wears a multicoloured cap with a propeller.
265* {{Pun}}:
266** The climax of "Guitar Bandit" features the line "Drop the bass!", as in [[spoiler:Tom dropping his bass guitar]].
267** "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode!" ends with one as a punchline, specifically [[spoiler:"Jews That Make Your Head Explode!"]]
268* TheQuisling: Tom plays one in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPTISdvyPiU this]] sketch, as a human who immediately dresses up as a robot and switches side in the face of an upcoming RobotWar. When the aliens invade at the end, he also immediately dresses up like an alien.
269* RacialFaceBlindness: Parodied in the "Rejects" sketch. After Tom kills "Secretly Asian Dan", Dan comments that "they all look the same to me" before clarifying that he was talking about the clones.
270* RapidFireComedy
271* RearrangeTheSong: One of his scrap'd videos, "The [=TomSka=] Song" (made from a collab between Tom and Music/TheLivingTombstone), would later be released as "Tom's Dog", with all of the video samples extracted.
272* RecurringExtra: Ever since "Mrs." Johnson appeared in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI2AbCy1NVw The Fallen]], the horse-headed person has appeared in many future sketches, [[RunningGag always giving a thumbs-up and announcing "I love it" to whatever event is occurring]]. According to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBtpRb59dD8 Meanwhile 2]], she's also an exile from a parallel universe for unexplained crimes against her country.
273* RogerRabbitEffect: "Imaginary Friend" plays this straight, with Mr. Tibbles, his parents, and Dr. Unicorn Duck being 2D cartoon characters in a live-action setting.
274* RunningGag:
275** His hatred of Christmas.
276** The "dramatic sting" in "The Hole".
277** The fact that the party serves free drinks in "XBOX RUINED ME".
278** The aptly named [[LampshadeHanging Recurring Gag]] is one in "Literal Drinks".
279* SadistTeacher: In ''1 Man, 27 Impressions'', one of his impressions is of a teacher singling out a student named [[PunnyName Paige]], telling her no one likes her and smacking her with a sheet of paper.
280* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: In "The Omega Diet", one of his "scrap'd" videos.
281-->"I don't care if the rules contradict each other! I make the rules!"
282* ScrewYourself: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmokqDrIBKg Wants to practice kissing with himself.]]
283* SelfDeprecation: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xV_pzqeSBQ How I "Make" Cartoons.]]
284** A much more serious case in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P17SG_wU7g The 7 Flaws of TomSka]].
285** And yet another example in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrkErsZ80iY Big Fat Monster]], mixed with YouAreFat.
286* ShowerOfAngst: The penultimate scene in "XBOX RUINED ME" is of Tom taking one. It comes out of nowhere as well.
287* SigningOffCatchphrase: ''"[=TomSka=] OUT!"''
288* SlasherSmile: The officer in "What Happened?" who [[spoiler:forces Tom to shoot himself after asking the titular question.]] He's in the video thumbnail, no less.
289* SpreeKiller: Mrs. Johnson in "HORSE" goes around randomly killing people.
290* StraightMan: Tom plays this role in many of his videos.
291* StylisticSuck:
292** "TOMSKA'S OLYMPICS EMPORIUM" uses a badly drawn recreation of the Olympics symbol, has gratuitious use of stock photos and clipart, a [[SpecialEffectFailure very noticeable use of chroma keying]], along with Tom wearing a torn off shirt and speaking in BuffySpeak.
293** "Super Good Impressions", a video made for [=YouTube=]'s Lo-Fi Week, was made to look like it was made earlier than it actually was.
294** The comedy sketches in his ''Last Week'' series, they involve BadBadActing, cheesy editing, several [[{{Blooper}} bloopers]] left in, a few instances of SpecialEffectFailure, are made with [[NoBudget whatever Tom and his crew have access to]], and are always recorded in his office.
295* SubvertedKidsShow: “Magical Dream Bed” starts out innocently enough, with the boy flying on the titular bed as they sing a {{Disneyesque}} showtune [[note]]which is actually the same song as the Magical Pony song from WebAnimation/ASDFMovie, except with the word “Pony” replaced with “Dream Bed”).[[/note]] That is until [[spoiler:the airforce shows up, frightening the boy. The pillow (voiced by LetsPlay/PewDiePie) then says [[NeverGoingBackToPrison he's not going back to jail]] and [[DrivenToSuicide shoots himself]]. The boy (who is clearly suffering emotional trauma, not understanding what is going on) is then caught and interrogated by the police, who also killed the bed (with an axe, no less) shortly after he was caught. This revelation causes the boy to freak out even more, prompting the interrogator to restrain him and [[WouldHurtAChild violently break his arm]] as he screams in agony.]] ''Yikes!''
296** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPVC-WhCoHs "Imaginary Friend"]], which starts with Lily and her cartoon cat friend Mr. Tibbles in a setting that is absolutely saccharine. [[spoiler:Problem is, Lily is ''insane'' and has made a bomb as a gift for her friend, who is desperately trying to convince her to ''do something other than use it to blow up people''. Also, it isn't made very clear just ''who'' the imaginary friend is...]]
297* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: "Buy some shirts! Buy a lot! Buy some shirts so I can buy a '''''boat'''''."
298* SurrealHumor: One of his fortes. Take [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L46iCN6MBFM HORSE]], for example, in all its sociopathic glory.
299* SurroundedByIdiots:
300** [[TheDon Big Jimmy]] (played by Tom) in "I Don't Know", immediately after all three of his subordinates kill themselves through extreme incompetence ([[BeyondTheImpossible not knowing how to breathe]], [[EpicFail stabbing oneself with a knife by accident]] and [[TooDumbToLive playing Russian Roulette while thinking that's the way to play poker]]).
301-->'''Big Jimmy''': GOD DAMN IT! [[LampshadeHanging Why do I even hire you idiots?!]]
302** The titular character in "Wizzo the Wizard" has to deal with multiple dumb peasants who clearly don't know ''actual magic'' when they see it, which frustrates him ''immensely''. It takes ''a mundane number-guessing trick'' to convince them.
303* TakeThat: One against ''Film/TheHangover Part II'' in "I Got Drugged".
304-->So I don't really remember anything from the night, but little bits kind of came back to me over the next couple days, including flirting with an assortment of people. I'm very sorry if that was you, I don't remember who you are, though, 'cause I got roofied, and it wasn't good, it wasn't like ''The Hangover 1'', it was like ''The Hangover 2''... forgettable.
305* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Or rather "''[[ParodiedTrope Singing]]'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-nDfVIVhsM Down The Suicidal]]".
306* TeleFrag: Happens in "Meanwhile 2".
307** MANY TIMES in "Time Trouble".
308** And a few times in "Bible Time".
309* TemptingFate: The guys in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVe32VcQ3d0 Cover Up]]:
310-->'''Guy''': I'll save him faster than you can say 'Wait, don't do that, you'll die'!
311* ThatCameOutWrong: In the description for "The Hole".
312-->Holes. Everyone's got one. Wait [[TitleDrop that came out wrong]]...
313* TheyCalledMeMad: Pretty much [[spoiler:Lily's]] entire character in ''Imaginary Friend''. [[spoiler:To the point where she builds a bomb for the express purpose of "proving" her friendship with Mr. Tibbles is real by blowing people up. Bonus points for the line "To show them, Mr. Tibbles! To show them all!"]]
314* TheStoic: During The Hole, Tom is completely stoic and deadpan about there being a hole in his floor, his favorite mug being thrown into the hole and shooting a hole person. [[spoiler: Turns out he's more worried about the space octopus.]]
315* TheTalk: He has a series of videos where he discusses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfYtEy1Ovo sex]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehyw9Br3J08&feature=youtu.be foreplay]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_879HMK_Nc puberty]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE5-RWDqUkk porn]].
316* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: Despite his best efforts to convince his friend to go away in ''Le Alien'', the frantic message for help he left on the friend's phone specifically mentioned that it was ''not'' a joke and that his friend shouldn't let him smash his phone (which Tom is in the process of shooting).
317* TheyKilledKennyAgain: Tom dies a lot in his videos, but he's always fine by the next one.
318* TimeStandsStill: The "Needles" sketch has Tom trying to catch a timestopper by filling a room with tiny needles.
319* TooDumbToLive:
320** The cops in ''What Happened?'' keep shooting themselves while explaining what just happened.
321** Vladimir in ''I Don't Know'' ends up killing himself by playing Russian Roulette, thinking it's an acceptable game to play. Oh, and he also thinks it's the way to do [=CPR=]. Granted, his two colleagues aren't any more competent, considering one of them literally lies of asphyxia immediately after being told she doesn't know how to breathe and the other one somehow got himself stabbed in the chest after being told he doesn't know how to use knives. And their boss isn't much better, considering he literally disappears in a PuffOfLogic after he realizes he doesn't know who he is.
322** Everyone who drinks the titular juice in "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode!" Including the police and forensics. The third person to do it literally looks at the headless corpses to his left... And then asks about the ''price''.
323* TradeSnark: A now common occurrence in the subtitles is that any original proper noun has TM on the back of it.
324-->'''Tom (In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNSuYQ0mYUE The Orb]]):''' Oh, yeah. That's The Orb™
325-->'''The Orb:''' *The Actual Sound Of Death Itself*
326* TriggerHappy: Just ask Bing, [[spoiler:whom he shot at the end of "The Confession"]].
327** In "Needles", he reveals that his preferred method of washing the dishes is shooting them.
328--->'''Jack''': That explains what happens to the dishes...\
329'''Tom''': Yeah I was...poorly raised.
330* TroubledButCute: Has admitted to being depressed and having a drinking problem, and comes off as a bit of a SadClown. He's still a good looking guy, however.
331* TrueArtIsAngsty: InUniverse; in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTV2fWuXmMQ "Picture Perfect".]]
332--> ''Chris paints a picture of a cat.''
333--> '''Tom''': I-- Actually, that's pretty good.
334--> '''Chris''': ''(Laughs)'' He's thinking about the Holocaust!
335--> '''Tom''': Ha-ha-- Now I hate it!
336* TranquilFury: Displays this in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpY4ym5fspQ Christmas Demolition]].
337* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: [[https://thetomska.tumblr.com/post/159684123528/tomska-is-sad-the-cycle-illustrated-by-sophie TomSka is Sad: The Cycle]], a minicomic he released on Tumblr.
338-->It’s also all true. Well, in one way or another. Everything that happens in the comic was based off of a real event or conversation. I really did shoot myself - but it was in the leg (and in 2011); I really did have that nightmare - but it was a lot longer than implied (and in 2014); and I really did play Smash Bros - but… Actually that one’s pretty straight forward.
339* VerySpecialEpisode: [[https://youtu.be/DEwDXVrH_Cc Uploaded a video listing tips for protecting yourself and others during the coronavirus pandemic.]]
340* VocalDissonance: Parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwKnlB-DoLY "Bad Voice Actor"]].
341* VomitIndiscretionShot:
342** The first gag in "The Confession", supplied by Tom.
343** Happens twice in "Imaginary Friend", both depicted as RainbowPuke. Mr. Tibbles pukes in shock upon Lily revealing she built a bomb as a present for him. Later, when Mr. Tibbles' parents barge into Lily's room and see him holding the bomb, his father also pukes in shock.
344* WallOfWeapons: Standard background for his vlogs. Interestingly, the guns on the wall are replicas, and because he is a registered filmmaker, he doesn't need a licence for them.
345* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: In "Guitar Warfare", Jenny plays a ukulele that summons an aura of hearts. She is kicked out almost immediately.
346* WishingForMoreWishes: {{Defied|Trope}} in "The Wish" as the genie makes it perfectly clear you can't do this, can't use a loophole to get around it, and in fact reduces the amount of wishes he'd grant to one for being pestered about it. The girl who found the lamp however is determined to get infinite wishes, by [[BlackComedy any means necessery]]
347* WrongNameOutburst: PlayedForLaughs and heightened to the extreme in "Musical Suicide".
348-->'''Tom''': I LOVE YOU!
349-->'''Woman''': (turns around, finally revealing her face to him) I love you too-
350-->'''Tom''': Wow, I don't know you!
351* YoureDrinkingBreastMilk: In "Baby With A Gun 2", the titular baby has a flask on him. Tom takes a sip and finds out that it is breast milk. He's later seen actually enjoying the taste.
352* YourHeadAsplode: The "Juice That Makes Your Head Explode" sketch.
353----

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