Line #58 Webcomic/TrixieSlaughteraxeForPresident


1	[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trixie_slaughteraxe.png]]
2
3	->'''Trixie:''' What is wrong?\
4	'''Lyndon:''' Is it not blindingly obvious? You said, in front of a large audience, that you wished your fiancé's uncle would get killed.\
5	'''Trixie:''' Yes. I am really embarrassed about that.\
6	'''Lyndon:''' I don't think embarrassment is quite the right emotion here. Might I suggest panic?
7	-->-- ''[[http://trixie.thecomicseries.com/comics/134/ Page 134]]''
8
9	''[[http://trixie.webcomic.ws/ Trixie Slaughteraxe For President]]'' is a webcomic by Creator/OyvindThorsby. The titular Trixie Slaugheraxe is running to be president of the democratic nation of Diabolica. Just one problem: the Traditionalists have won every election so far, thanks to their massive funding. Since the rich will not finance the Democratic Socialists, Trixie needs a way of raising money herself. So, she and pacifist wizard Lyndon Painatorium set out to find treasure to sell, helped by hired mercenary Audrey Gravescreams and her sister Klara, animal expert. Will they find what it takes to defeat the Traditionalists and win the election?
10
11	----
12	!!Tropes:
13	* AerithAndBob: Each character is a self-contained example of this trope, with a generally ordinary first name (Trixie, Audrey, Hank) coupled with a very violent last name. (Slaughteraxe, Gravescreams, Genocide)
14	* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler: Being turned into a tree would certainly extend Lyndon's life, and therefore the simulation, by thousands of years... at the cost of possibly being entirely conscious throughout.]]
15	* AssholeVictim: It's hard to argue Julius Saunamassacre didn't deserve his fate, considering [[spoiler: his [[HeteronormativeCrusader bigoted views]] towards Trixie and his niece's marriage.]]
16	* AxCrazy: Audrey tends to be ''very eager'' to swing her scimitar around, or use it to dismember bodies, or stuff those dismembered bodies into briefcases to dump off in the woods.
17	* BadassPacifist: Lyndon ends up very noticeably ripped [[spoiler: in the simulation]], with at least thirty-two different spells that he can cast at will.
18	* BerserkButton: The one thing that sets Trixie off into a [[PrecisionFStrike swearing rage]]? A closed-minded HeteronormativeCrusader.
19	* BizarreAlienBiology: Diabolica is filled with all sorts of strange races and creatures, no doubt with complicated evolutionary backstories. Jousters in particular are an entire race of TwoBeingsOneBody - consisting of a deaf, highly intelligent upper half, and a much simpler, doglike lower half. [[spoiler: The Impossible Ones take this to the extreme, with incredibly surreal bodies that can never exist within reason.]]
20	* BuryYourGays: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Barbara refuses to assassinate Trixie specifically ''because'' she is a lesbian, though not out of the goodness of her heart. She believes a non-lesbian replacement candidate will be more popular, and thus will have a better chance at winning the presidency.
21	* CerebusSyndrome: The comic takes a sharp nosedive once [[spoiler: president Zoozo is assassinated, Trixie goes missing, and Klara dies of [[ThePlague malachite fever]]. Thankfully, it's all just a BadFuture inside a NestedStoryReveal.]]
22	* ChekhovsGun:
23	** Skyggemyrian wine is illegal, though the prison sentence for possessing it is only a single day. [[spoiler: Since a candidate in prison cannot run for president, Barbara uses it to arrest every other political opponent just before the election results are declared. This allows Zoozo Zlen (who wasn't drinking any) to become president.]]
24	** After finding out that Trixie's BerserkButton is homophobia, Barbara hires three people to ask Trixie blatantly homophobic questions during the inquisition, hoping to send her into a rage and harpoon her image with the voters. [[spoiler:Trixie manages to keep her cool through all three questions. However, she loses it when Julius Saunamassacre, her fiancée's uncle, launches into a completely unscripted tirade, insulting her for being a lesbian and threatening to disinherit his niece unless she breaks up with Trixie.]]
25	* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler: Ivar Mowinckel, whose desire to thwart a democratic revolution in Skyggemyr drives his attempts to manipulate the Traditionalists and destabilize Diabolica.]]
26	* CorruptPolitician: Barbara Everdark, though the rest of her cabinet isn't much better.
27	* CrazyPrepared: Lumskhund Castle [[spoiler: inside the simulation]] is built with snakes hanging from the ceiling, doors rigged to kill trapped animals, and [[spoiler: impossible ones chained to the walls]] to counter Lyndon's pacifist magic.
28	* CutAndPasteComic: A staple of Thorsby's work.
29	* DeathbringerTheAdorable: All the human characters have over-the-top evil-sounding last names, despite being more or less decent people. Even the bad guys (Barbara Everdark, Marlon Corpseparade and Hank Genocide) are {{Corrupt Politician}}s and not ''quite'' as bad as their names suggest.
30	* DistractedByTheSexy: Lyndon has a lot of trouble keeping his illusion magic ''[[NakedPeopleAreFunny presentable]]'' whenever Audrey is around.
31	* TheDragon: Marlon Corpseparade to Barbara Everdark. Marlon manages the campaign trail and presents Barbara with most of her schemes.
32	* EncyclopaedicKnowledge: Klara can name just about every plant and animal she sees, as well as give specific facts about their habits, biology, toxicity, and more.
33	* EvilChancellor: Lilith Megascythe to Zoozo Zlen, who isn't smart enough to realize he's being manipulated. [[spoiler: At least, not at first.]]
34	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: After the TimeSkip [[spoiler:in the simulation]], Audrey has longish hair and Lyndon has lost most of his hair. This helps distinguishing them from their main timeline selves.
35	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Audrey takes a comfy position in the Traditionalist cabinet in exchange for destroying the last Organgrinder cupcakes, sabotaging Trixie's campaign. When Lyndon finds out, she offers to marry him if he helps her cover it up. [[LoveMakesYouEvil He does.]]]]
36	* GagNose: Snoutelves have such big noses, they're often just as long as their bodies. It also gives them their uncanny sense of smell.
37	* GildedCage: Lumskund Castle, which entertains Lyndon, makes sure he is in top physical shape, and tells him nothing but good news about Diabolica. [[spoiler: They don't want him getting depressed or committing suicide, as his death would end the universe as they know it.]]
38	* GirlOnGirlIsHot: After Audrey points out that [[RoyalBrat Princess Helverdeev]] is pretty hot in her wedding dress, Lyndon's illusion of the princess changes into her and Audrey making out, naked. Since they are surrounded by Helverdeev's courtiers at the time, this becomes a problem.
39	* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: A lot of Lyndon's spells, in addition to not being for offensive purposes, seem fairly weak, but he tends to come up with clever ways to use them:
40	** The spell that turns anything into candy? Perfect for breaking through a locked strongbox to get the artifact inside.
41	** Another spell turns his body (and clothes) elastic. Not so that he can [[RubberMan stretch to grab something far off]], he can only be stretched if something pulls him. However, it turns out that the spell makes him invulnerable to impact from any blunt object. [[spoiler: And if his team members have been wrapped around him at some point, the spell covers them as well, on account of them having been his "clothes".]]
42	** The spell that makes a person or thing fall in a different direction is already pretty useful, making it possible to walk on walls, but it shows its true usefulness when [[spoiler:Lyndon is able to [[{{flight}} fly]] by holding on to an object and constantly changing the direction it's falling, to take him where he wants to go.]]
43	** Outside of Lyndon, [[spoiler: Ivar Mowinckel]] repeatedly uses the Sceptre of Death to [[spoiler: gain vital knowledge of the future by a scenario where he commits suicide right after telling himself the salient information, so that it will be picked up in the vision by his present-day self. Towards the end of the story, this makes him nigh omniscient about the moves of his enemies.]]
44	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The witch working for the Skyggemyr embassy has a signature spell to bring the closest weapon to her instantly - usually by pulling it right out of her adversary's hand. [[spoiler: Her untimely demise comes when Trixie tricks her into teleporting an ''entire trebuchet'' [[LudicrousGibs right on top of herself]].]]
45	* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace:
46	** Subverted with the protagonists' homeland of Diabolica, which isn't a particularly bad place, though it is run by a [[CorruptPolitician rather nasty political party]], and the countryside is home to various dangerous monsters. It does seem to suit the human population's [[DeathbringerTheAdorable evil-sounding surnames]].
47	** Played straight with Hopeless Asylum, which turns out to have been [[spoiler: overrun by {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and their mortal henchmen, with plans of WorldDomination]].
48	* InstantSedation: The venom from a yellow snirl can knock a person out with a single bite.
49	* InvisibleToNormals: A variant. [[spoiler: The Impossible Ones quite literally live and die by the rule of PlausibleDeniability. Since they cannot logically exist, being perceived by a conscious individual kills them. They can only be safely observed by those who are either insane or on drugs; in both cases, their presence can be explained as a hallucination.]]
50	* LethalHarmlessPowers: Discussed and [[DefiedTrope defied]] with Lyndon's pacifist magic. It actively rebels against being used offensively; if a spell harms a creature (other than microbes), the wizard will permanently forget that spell and be unable to learn it again. However, events usually force Lyndon to use his spells to kill enemies (and promptly forget them) anyway.
51	* LoveConfession: Lyndon to Audrey, when he asks for her to marry him. On a smaller scale, when Trixie directly asks Klara if she's in love with her.
52	* {{MacGuffin}}: Pretty much every magical artifact that Trixie's group targets is meant to be sold off as a curio. [[spoiler: The Scepter of Death is an exception.]]
53	* MoneyFetish: Audrey's main motivation in life is to make loads and loads of money. [[spoiler: She's not immune to bribery, either.]]
54	* ObviousRulePatch: Pacifist magic can safely harm small creatures, such as germs. As Lyndon points out, these spells would be impossible to use otherwise
55	* PlausibleDeniability: The aptly-named school of magic exploits this trope. A spell only works as long as it can be "plausibly" explained with non-magical origins, such as a band of ninjas suddenly tying someone up in the dark. If this is ever definitively disproven, the spell instantly dissipates.
56	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Barbara has no qualms against using Trixie's sexuality as a political weapon - see ChekhovsGun above.
57	* PowerPerversionPotential: One of Lyndon's spells allows him to create illusions. Audrey's immediate assumption is that he's going to use it for "hot naked ladies". Guess what he does once he's left alone?
58	* RedOniBlueOni: Audrey is a wildly passionate BloodKnight with immense combat prowess, while Klara is TheStoic who uses her EncyclopaedicKnowledge to assess danger from afar. They're even [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color-coded in their clothes and chat bubbles!]]
59	* RedShirt: Being a vice president under Barbara doesn't come with a very high survival rate, to the point of being a RunningGag.
60	* SceneryCensor: Lyndon's illusory version of Audrey has her chest and crotch covered by either conveniently-placed clutter, or strangely-shaped statues.
61	* SerialEscalation: Barbara's plan to disrupt the Democratic Socialists is to split the vote by running a puppet candidate with very similar views. If this doesn't work, she simply installs another one... then two... then four more. [[spoiler: In total, ''forty-six new candidates'' end up running for president, just because they can!]]
62	* SirSwearsALot: Barbara is quite fond of dropping a few [[ClusterFBomb Cluster F-Bombs]] whenever the Traditionalist party falls behind in ratings.
63	-->'''Barbara:''' This is fucking bullshit! Fucking stupid fucking voters! Fucking socialists! Fucking fuck fuck!
64	* SleazyPolitician: Hank Genocide, resident FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit, isn't afraid to strongarm his candidate into exactly the position to split the socialist vote.
65	* TheStarsAreGoingOut: Five years and 318 days after using the scepter of death, every star in the sky suddenly vanishes, as the ambassador of Skyggemyr notes in his journals. [[spoiler: This is because the simulation can only replicate a small section of the known universe. Once the world has existed for that long, the last light from surrounding stars will no longer reach the planet.]]
66	* StupidGood: Zoozo isn't exactly the brightest star in the sky, but his heart's in the right place. [[spoiler: Once Trixie confronts him about the Traditionalist legislation he's been blindly signing into law, he's horrified, and he [[CharacterDevelopment resolves to learn more about the government.]]]]
67	* TechnicalPacifist: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the case of Lyndon's pacifist magic. If it ever causes harm to a living creature, the effects end, and he permanently forgets how to cast every spell he knows.
68	* ThanatosGambit: The entire purpose of the Scepter of Death. When used, it will show the user a vision of the final moments of their life, providing information to help change or prevent their own BadFuture. [[spoiler: It does so by creating a [[AlternateTimeline branching simulation of the universe]], which is destroyed as soon as the user dies. This also kills every sentient, conscious being in the simulation at once. Because of this, Lyndon founds an entire secret order dedicated to looking after the scepter and limiting its use.]]
69	* ThinkOfTheChildren: Zoozo's entire platform is built upon ensuring the sickly children of Diabolica will have access to medicine - which is how Lilith initially convinces him to run.
70	* TokenEvilTeammate: Audrey is a greedy BloodKnight [[spoiler:and sabotages Trixie's campaign after the Traditionalists offer to make her Minister of Foreign Affairs. She [[HeelFaceTurn comes back to save Trixie in the end, though]].]]
71	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Despite their regressive economic policies and rampant corruption, the Traditionalists consistently secure a sizable portion of the public vote. It helps that Barbara is a good public speaker.
72	* TheVirus: As the Scepter of Death foretells, a disease known as the "malachite fever" is set to ravage Diabolica's human population. [[spoiler: Whether or not it's contained depends on if the president has socialist policies in place, so that free healthcare will prevent its spread.]]
73	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Said almost verbatim by Ivar before [[spoiler: Michelle is turned into a tree.]]
74	* XanatosSpeedChess: [[spoiler: Ivar's constant usage of the Scepter of Death allows him to predict any plan Audrey and Lyndon try to come up by learning their tactics, then repeatedly committing suicide. The only way they can defeat him is with an unpredictable GambitRoulette of their own.]]

Context Webcomic / TrixieSlaughteraxeForPresident