Line #3 Webcomic/AModestDestiny


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amd.gif]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350:The first two panels of the first comic.]]
5	''[[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/ A Modest Destiny]]'' is a PixelArtComic by Sean "Squidi" Howard. Unlike sprite webcomics, the pixel art used in AMD is created by Squidi himself. This led to some copyright issues early in the comic's run with people using his intellectual property the same way people typically use sprites ripped from games. His reaction to this then-controversial event led to a lot of {{hatedom}} directed at Squidi.
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7	The comic is also infamous for having been canceled, then uncanceled, then canceled, then uncanceled, then canceled yet again, then uncanceled. Squidi once said he would not finish it, as he didn't like [[CreatorBreakdown the direction it had taken]], but in a 2010 ''[[http://www.squidi.net/blog/2010/2010.06.php#06.10.10 blog entry]]'' he claimed that he would be reviving it once again. The fourth chapter was concluded in 2011, and [[http://www.squidi.net/blog/2011/2011.10.php#10.28.11 the fifth chapter was stated to be "coming one day".]] As of 2022, the comic remains an OrphanedSeries.
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9	The comic consists of four arcs which follow the adventures of Maxim, a young man seeking his fame and fortune by joining a guild. Thanks in no small part to his unusual heritage, he winds up saving the world. Not only once, but twice.
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11	The comics themselves are well executed, with good characterization, genuinely funny moments, and, in spite of a sudden shift in mood halfway through, a remarkably consistent myth arc. Tropers will probably enjoy the occasional lampshade hung on various {{RPG}} and {{Fantasy}} cliches.
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13	----
14	!!This webcomic provides examples of:
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16	* AdvancedTech2000:
17	** The [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=108 DiveMaster 4000]].
18	** The [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?ep=1&id=52 BoltMaster 5000]]
19	** The [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=118 AirMaster 4000]]
20	** The [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?ep=1&id=266 Escape-Master 4000]]
21	%%* AffablyEvil: The Vampire Lord Fluffy
22	%%* AfterTheEnd: [[spoiler:All of arc three and four]].
23	%%* AlmostKiss: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=222 Here]] and [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=224 here]].
24	* AmbidextrousSprite: Everyone, made especially obvious when the character has an eye patch.
25	%%* AnimatedArmor: [[spoiler:Hechter]], The Guardians
26	%%* TheAlcoholic: Hubert
27	* ArtEvolution: Early strips used pixel art backgrounds, but arc 3 started using drawn backgrounds instead.
28	* BadassBoast: When [[spoiler: Crimson Blade]] attempts to stop a robbery. [[spoiler:Subverted when Gilbert takes him down almost immediately without any difficulty.]]
29	-->[[spoiler: '''Crimson Blade''':]] I am the terror that strikes at night! I am the sweat on your pillow after a nightmare! I am the darkness that your nightlight can't extinguish! I am the thing you see just out of the corner of your eye, but aren't sure if it is real or not! I burn with the light of righteousness! I am [[spoiler:CRIMSON BLADE]]! In the name of JUSTICE, I will PUNISH YOU!
30	* BigBad: Gilbert in the first arc, the Black Knight in the overreaching plot.
31	%%* BlackComedyRape: Implied in this [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=2&id=97 strip]] with Hubert.
32	* BlobMonster: Maxim's pet slime, Snot
33	* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: St. Bob's School for the Criminally Befuddled and Chronically Unlucky
34	%%* BoisterousBruiser: Gustav
35	* BrickJoke: A [[RunningGag running joke]] has the characters musing of how their sparse (see: Unlivable) conditions in their room, prison cell, etc, could use a throw pillow. Fluffy finally, thoughtfully delivers [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=4&id=51 here.]]
36	* BunglingInventor: The professor. You know things are desperate if you're willing to strap on one of his gadgets.
37	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Jeebs. he's a bartender who happens to be an alien.
38	%%* ButchLesbian: Lucile
39	%%* CampGay: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=34 The jewelry store owner, Red]].
40	* CerebusSyndrome: Although the series always had an overreaching plot, the jokes grow fewer and the situation gets grimmer as the series progresses. WordOfGod in the form of a [[http://www.squidi.net/blog/index.php#06.10.10 self-critiquing blog entry]] says it is not because it was always planned to go in this direction, but by our definition it still counts.
41	* ChekhovsGunman: The guy who's Team Evil exam Gilbert [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=16 copied]] shows up later [[spoiler:to help Jenny escape from Team Evil's dungeon.]]
42	* [[ChekhovsSkill Chekhov's Skill]]: Maxim learns the ancient art of controlling his shadow. [[spoiler:This comes in handy in the final battle against the first arc's BigBad when he's completely immobilized.]]
43	%%* CollectiveIdentity: Crimson Blade.
44	%%* CompanionCube
45	%%* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?ep=1&id=70 This strip]]
46	* DarkerAndEdgier: Around the last part of arc two, the series becomes a great deal darker.
47	%%* TheDitz: Hechter and Bart.
48	%%* DumbMuscle: Gustav
49	%%* EatsBabies: Fluffy
50	%%* EyepatchOfPower: Played straight with Maureen and Maxim, parodied with Morris.
51	* EvilTwin: Lampshaded in the prologue, where Maxim states that this was before it was fashionable to have an evil twin. Ultimately subverted when it turns out [[spoiler:they aren't twins at all but rather SplitAtBirth]] and justified when we learn [[spoiler: Gilbert is evil because he lacks a soul since Maxim stole it.]]
52	%%* ExpressiveMask: Hechter
53	%%* FantasyContraception
54	* FantasticRacism: Anyone with [[spoiler:blue eyes]] is discrimated against, believed to be innately evil.
55	* FluffyTheTerrible: The dreaded vampire Lord Fluffy.
56	* FromBadToWorse: From the second chapter on, things have steadily gotten worse and worse, leading to a DarkestHour which is more like a Darkest Episode.
57	%%* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion
58	* GrammarCorrectionGag: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?ep=1&id=48 This exchange]] between Maxim and Shadow:
59	-->'''Maxim''': You misspelled "Dismemberment".
60	-->'''Shadow''': Luckily, i'm better at doing it then spelling it...
61	-->'''Maxim''': [[OhCrap Uh oh.]]
62	* GrandTheftMe: Played with as a key plot point: following the final battle of the first arc, [[spoiler:Maxim possesses Gilbert's empty body]]. This is deconstructed in the later episodes, as it reveals that [[spoiler:his wife is secretly uncomfortable with this, worried that any children they have will be evil like Gilbert]].
63	* GroinAttack: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=11 This strip]].
64	** And [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=56 this one.]]
65	** And again [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=2&id=90 here]]
66	%%* GrumpyOldMan: Grandpa Maxim
67	%%* {{Hammerspace}}: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=266 Lampshaded]].
68	%%* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler:Maureen and Bart]]
69	%%* HeelFaceTurn: Hechter
70	* HideousHangoverCure: An inversion with Hubert when it turns out that alcohol actually helps him recover after receiving serious injuries
71	* ICallItVera: Maxim's initial weapon, the stick "Lucille".
72	** Hubert's cloak, which Hechter named Steve.
73	%%* ICanSeeMyHouseFromHere
74	* IsThatWhatHeToldYou: The secret of [[spoiler:Maxim's true nature]], according to the Black Knight.
75	* LameRhymeDodge: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=2&id=107 Your shroom awaits.]]
76	* LookBehindYou: Maxim is rather fond of using this in the first arc. Vanishes as things become more serious.
77	* LivingLabyrinth: Fluffy's automatically rearranging dungeon.
78	* MadOracle: Morris as of the third story arc.
79	%%* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Hechter
80	%%* MoodWhiplash: Halfway through the "Lord Fluffy" arc.
81	%%* MorningSickness
82	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Towards the end of the first arc, Maxim discovers that [[spoiler:the reason Gilbert's so evil is because Maxim stole his soul]].
83	** According to the [[WhamLine big]] [[TheReveal Reveal]] of Episode 4, [[spoiler:Maxim didn't just steal Gilbert's ''soul'', he stole his ''destiny'']]. And attempting to ''fix'' this has been a major part of [[spoiler:the Black Knight]]'s motivation.
84	%%* NinjaLog: Maxim's "Escape Dummy", first shown [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=3 here.]]
85	%%* NoKillLikeOverKill: Good God, [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=2&id=59 Gustav]]. Also, Ruby on one occasion.
86	* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:Deo-Deo]], Snot [[spoiler:[[ItMakesSenseInContext when he eats Maxim.]]]]
87	* OurSoulsAreDifferent: Losing one's soul makes it impossible to experience emotion and one ceases to exist after death.
88	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampirism is theological in nature. [[spoiler:Being bitten by a sufficiently holy man]] can reverse the effects.
89	%%* PaperThinDisguise: Subverted.
90	%%* PixelArtComic
91	* PlaygroundSong: Hechter kept himself occupied this way for the five years his head was buried in the desert.
92	%%* PortraitPaintingPeephole
93	%%* PreMortemOneLiner: Shadow, in this [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?ep=1&id=93 strip]]
94	%%* RagtagBunchOfMisfits
95	* RapeAsBackstory: [[spoiler:Jenny]] was almost raped as a child, and the consequences of that act scarred her for life.
96	%%* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:Shadow, in this [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=100 strip]]]]
97	* SanitySlippage: Inverted in Morris. He ''completely'' loses it after an incident in the earlier arcs, but has been growing gradually more lucid of late, becoming a bit of a MadOracle in the process.
98	* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: The elderly Maxim, whom his grandkids call 'Uncle Cranky'.
99	* SecretIdentityApathy: There's actually a [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=51 company rule]] in Team Evil against unmasking KO'd heroes. Besides...
100	-->'''Gilbert:''' Maybe he wears a mask because he's grotesquely deformed like you?\
101	'''Hechter:''' Oh...that's a good point. Don't want to get nightmares...
102	%%* ShadowPin: See ChekhovsSkill.
103	%%* SignedUpForTheDental: One of the main draws of Team Evil
104	%%* SleepingDummy: Maxim's escape dummies.
105	* SplitAtBirth: [[spoiler:Maxim and Gilbert. It turns out that Maxim is a magical artifact that copied the infant Gilbert exactly, but was unable to copy his soul and thus stole it.]]
106	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Apparently, Maureen and Lucile's marriage lacks mayonnaise.
107	* ThanksForTheMammaries: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=100 This]] incident in which Maxim finds out that [[spoiler: Shadow is a girl]]
108	* ThievesGuild: A textbook example and the first guild Maxim tries to join
109	* TitleDrop: In Episode 4, paired with TheReveal [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=4&id=77 here]]:
110	-->'''Black Knight:''' [[spoiler: Gilbert's]] modest little destiny.
111	%%* TongueOnTheFlagpole: In [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=242 this strip]].
112	%%* TrainProblem: [[http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/view.php?series=amd&ep=1&id=15 This strip]]
113	%%* {{Tsundere}}: Jenny, Maureen, Ruby... Heck, just about every adult female in the cast. We may be seeing some AuthorAppeal here.
114	* WhamLine: A series following the Black Knight's reveal in Episode 4, including this exchange:
115	-->[[spoiler: '''Maxim:''']] No! It's a lie! I didn't! I couldn't! I'd remember...
116	-->[[spoiler: '''Black Knight:''']] Like you remember the ''other'' destinies you've stolen?
117	* WhipSword: The Crimason Blade has a weapon like this.
118	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The entire story save for the first few pages is a flashback on the part of Maxim, telling the story to his grandkids.
119	* WithThisHerring: When Maxim joins the Fighters' Guild, the only weapon they give him before sending him out on jobs is a hyped-up stick. [[ICallItVera He names it Lucile.]]
120	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Gilbert. He wants to [[spoiler: resurrect an evil god and rule the world, but only because a jewel, which sensed danger, turned itself into an exact replica of him, and took his soul because it was the one thing it couldn't replicate...so now Gilbert doesn't feel any emotions and when he dies there will be nothing except emptiness...which is why he is raising Deo-Deo to grant him eternal life so he won't cease to exist.]]
121	* ZombieApocalypse: Actually an undead apocalypse, [[spoiler: which happens as a TimeSkip between arcs two and three.]]

Context Webcomic / AModestDestiny