Line #78 WebComic/BrokenPlotDevice


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/broken_plot_device_4138.jpg]]
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3	->'''Narrator:''' You are a comic artist now! The path is before you. Now you just have to do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next... On a schedule. On '''time'''. With you eager readers hungry to digest and dissect every word, every pen stroke.
4	->'''Lizardbeth:''' [[UnusualEuphemism Oh sweet mother of pie!]] Why am I infested with terrible!?
5	->'''Narrator:''' [[BlatantLies It's these moments that you'll treasure for years to come.]]
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7	''[[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com Broken Plot Device]]'' is a MundaneFantastic UsefulNotes/{{Furry\|Fandom}} comic created by Lis Boriss. It takes place mostly within Byron Factory apartments, which is in turn located in an unnamed east-coast city. The comic takes place on a parallel version of Earth, as is evidenced by ninjas and giant fighting robots existing in "normal" society.
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9	The comic mainly centers around the lives of Lizardbeth, an [[CloudCuckoolander easily]] [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny distracted]] webcomic artist with a [[MustHaveCaffeine massive coffee addiction;]] Maxine, a [[TheSnarkKnight rather blunt]] and [[DeadpanSnarker overly sarcastic]] woman who nevertheless seems to have Lizardbeth's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold best interests at heart;]] and Sid, the [[IncrediblyLamePun lionhearted]] friend of the previous two. Other characters that often appear include Zig, the slightly withdrawn robotics engineer; and Sylver, a man who considers himself god's gift to the ladies [[CasanovaWannabe (the ladies, however, tend to find his company a bit unpleasant).]]
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11	''Broken Plot Device'' often parodies various popular video games and other things generally associated with nerds, sometimes through use of the games "[[BrandX Realm o]][[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft f Warquest]]" and [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Warmillenium 40k]].
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13	However, due to the creator's stated dissatisfaction with the comic over the last year, and a messy personal incident, the comic was discontinued in 2012. In March 2015 it came back as a Patreon-sponsored project, available to non-subscribers [[http://lizzie-bean.com/comics here]].
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15	----
16	!!Broken Trope Device:
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18	* AIIsACrapshoot: Zig attempts to create a robot dinosaur toy that'll be the Next Big Thing. He ends up with... a robot dinosaur toy that thinks [[AllMenArePerverts with the penis]] it doesn't actually have. Most of Zig's time is spent trying to debug Rex, with mixed results.
19	%%* ApologizesALot: Oh, Zig.
20	* ArtEvolution: Character designs have become more refined over the length of the strip.
21	* BarefootCartoonAnimal: Lizardbeth and some of the other characters.
22	* BerserkButton:
23	** Don't take Max's cigarettes.
24	** Don't harm Sid's friends. He WILL [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat you within an inch of your life]].
25	* BizarreSexualDimorphism: Liz and Zig are both iguanas, but they look radically different, Zig looks more like a real iguana while Liz's spikes resemble hair.
26	* BodyHorror: Shedding is [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2008/06/23/that-time-of-the-month/ not]] [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2010/08/12/pardon-my-shedding/ pretty]].
27	* BoisterousBruiser: When Sid ''isn't'' in PapaWolf mode, he tends to respond enthusiastically to a fight, deliberately setting up a Ninja Trap out of boredom. When Scissors reports to his boss, Sid is visible in the background having the time of his life against Rock.
28	* BondVillainStupidity: Dr. Washe created a DeathTrap that looked like a game of Trouble (Yes, really.). Not only was he busily explaining how it would work, he left the victims unsupervised when a minion called for his attention.
29	* BrandX: "[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft Realm of Warquest]]". [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Warmillenium 40k]].
30	%%* BrutalHonesty: Max is full of this.
31	* TheCameo: Creator/JayNaylor (drawn as his ''Webcomic/BetterDays'' character Fisk) in [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2011/04/01/brain-diarrhea/ this strip]] (as Nay Jaylor). Boriss insists that it's ''not'' a TakeThat towards Jay.
32	%%* CasanovaWannabe: Sylver.
33	%%* CloudCuckoolander: Lizardbeth, all the way.
34	* ComingOutStory: Zig was in the TransparentCloset to begin with, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Even so... [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2010/10/13/the-liar-will-reveal-his-truth/ Poor guy]].
35	* DamselInDistress: Not so much. Max escaped with no trouble, and freed the villain's main target while she was at it. ''Offscreen''.
36	%%* DeadpanSnarker: Max.
37	* DeathTrap: Of the GasChamber sort. As per the trope, easily escapable.
38	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Shedding is clearly a parallel for menstruation.
39	* DramaticWind: Inix seems to summon one up in [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2008/09/29/a-messy-situation/ panel 4]].
40	* EmbarrassingTattoo: Zig wasn't exactly in the [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2009/07/13/double-dragon/ best state of mind]] when he got his.
41	* EverybodyKnewAlready: It was made fairly clear that Sid and Max knew Zig was in the closet. Apparently, they thought it was cute, or were at least waiting for him to talk about it.
42	* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: Sid, in his El Rey persona, gives a mugger a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown... while the guy is begging for mercy.
43	* FemaleGaze: Er... More like "Homosexual Male Gaze". Sid repeatedly caught Zig staring at his butt. Zig was clueless.
44	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Well, Rex's SingleTargetSexuality now makes a lot more sense, considering who built him. And, uh, [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2010/03/04/watch-for-the-gemini/ this]].
45	* FunWithFlushing: One story arc has Liz locking herself in the bathroom with Max's cigarettes in an effort to get her to quit smoking. Max eventually calms down and talks with her on the other side of the door and says that Liz is right, but hears flushing, which she assumes means Liz flushed her pack down the toilet (she was actually flushing a spider) and angrily busts the door down.
46	* FriendshipMoment: Averted. Sylver apparently is too wrapped up in posturing and ego to realize what Sid's trying to tell him.
47	* GadgeteerGenius: Zig makes [[RobotBuddy robots]], a [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman combat-ready suit of technologically advanced armor]], and a [[WhatWereYouThinking nuclear-powered, self regulated hoodie]]. And those are just the things we've seen.
48	** As of now, he also completed a working Portalgun.
49	* TheGlomp: [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2010/10/11/awkwaaard/ D'awwwwwwwww]]...
50	* HighlyVisibleNinja: Phil, mostly because he is a very, very bad ninja.
51	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Dr. Washe kidnaps Max to get back at Zig who beat him in a Franchise/{{Pokemon}} competition. Zig was there because he's a bit of a dork. Dr. Washe was there to get back at kids for destroying the arcades of the doctor's youth. As Max puts it, "oh my god, you're the lamest villain ever!" After his plan is thwarted and he's in tears, he's placated by an offer of a game of Skee-ball.
52	* {{Jerkass}}: Sylver. He's in a relationship with a girl he doesn't seem to care about because he was threatened with physical harm if he ''didn't'' date her. Plus he thinks cheating on her (if he could actually ''get'' another date) to "not count"... because she's a fat chick.
53	* LastSecondWordSwap: [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2008/10/23/showing-her-age/ My Gods! I haven't seen one of these in cennnnnnn... decades?]]
54	* LeyLine: The Byron Factory apartment complex is built on top of one.
55	* LovableLizard: Protagonist Lizardbeth is a lovably eccentric iguana.
56	%%* MustHaveCaffeine: Lizardbeth.
57	%%* MustHaveNicotine: Max.
58	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Sid singlehandedly tracks down a mugger who attacks Liz and beats him until he's helplessly begging for his life.
59	* NonMammalMammaries: Lizardbeth and Inix. They (and Zig) also have navels.
60	* NoodleIncident: Bagel Incident -- "[[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2010/04/05/the-bagel-incident/ ... I don't think I'll ever be able to eat bagels again.]]"
61	* OlderThanTheyLook: Inix is stated in her bio to be hundreds of years old.
62	* OmniscientMoralityLicense: Inix seems to think this justifies what she does to the other people in the apartments. Her higherups have an ''even more'' widespread license, which they used to revoke ''hers''. We have yet to see if any of it is actually justified, though Inix at least is ''doing'' something to help the people around her.
63	* PapaWolf: Don't tick off Sid. Really, ''don't''.
64	* PetTheDog: Scissors makes an attempt to cheer up his boss.
65	* PoweredArmor: Zig made some once, for a project that got cancelled. Of course, he still has it lying around, which comes in handy when Max gets kidnappped.
66	* PsychoForHire: Scissors apparently takes "alotta pride in my work". Dr. Washe apparently "still [has] stains on the walls". And this is the guy who described Sid as "a total psycho... He's like a flying murder machine!" Dr. Washe is disturbed.
67	* PunnyName: Doctor [[Platform/GameAndWatch Gaiman Washe]].
68	* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: Dr. Washe has a trio of minions. In order...
69	** Rock, TheBrute. An armadillo, has not yet vocalzised more than grunts or screams. Easily outsmarted by "El Rey" and a HallOfMirrors.
70	** Paper, TheEvilGenius. A gazelle, or possibly antelope. Attempts to assault Zig with a replica sword, and is out-trivia'd by him. This resulted in a SkywardScream as Zig snuck past him.
71	** Scissors, the one who does ColdBloodedTorture, enthusiastically. A rather snarky ferret. Is freaked out by Sid's enthusiasm for combat. This, in turn, freaks out his boss.
72	* RobotBuddy: Rex the cyber-apatosaurus was supposed to be one. He's still a bit buggy, starting from "massive egotism", to "hitting on every girl on sight", "cringing in terror at being touched", and currently "hitting on ''[[SingleTargetSexuality Sid]] and [[HoYay drawing him naked]]''". He's getting a bit better as Zig recodes him again and again.
73	* ShipTease: [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2010/10/15/we-like-to-move-it-move-it/ Sid's just being pragmatic in a dangerous situation]], but still...
74	* ShoutOut: Zig's powered armor, according to [[{{Geek}} Paper]], looks more like ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man\|Classic}}'' than a [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 Cylon]].
75	%%* ShrinkingViolet: Zig, yet again.
76	* SmallNameBigEgo: Sylver. He's a jerk who thinks he's God's gift to ''everything''. And so far shows little to no actual competence. When things go sour - [[HoistByHisOwnPetard often by his own actions]] - he typically responds by slouching off and angrily demanding "why can't everything be ''cool''?"
77	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Take a good look at the outfit Inix wears in earlier strips.
78	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Max plays a game of [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2011/02/07/theres-got-to-be-a-better-way/ 'Angry Chickens']].
79	%%* TheSnarkKnight: Max...at least so far.
80	* ThemeNaming: Dr. Washe's minions are named Rock, Paper, and Scissors.
81	* UnknownRival: Dr. Washe to Zig. Later becomes known. [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Still isn't that dangerous]].
82	* UnusualEuphemism:
83	** '''ARTGASM!!!'''
84	** "God is pissing in my Cheerios."
85	* UnstoppableRage: For your own sake, do not [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2009/05/21/i-think-playtime-might-be-over/ fight dirty]] with Sid. It only serves to anger him, and he's really scary when he's [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2009/05/25/uh-sid-i-think-you-can-stop-now/ really angry]].
86	** For that matter, don't [[http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/2009/11/19/nicotine-swirlies/ take Max's cigarettes]], either.
87	* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: Rex recently had a Wi-Fi chip installed. The [[ExtremeOmnisexual horny]] little robot now has full access to the web.
88	%%* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: The strip's setting.

Context WebComic / BrokenPlotDevice