Line #1 Webcomic/Cloudscratcher


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cloudscratcher.jpg]]
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3	''Cloudscratcher'' is a webcomic that takes place in a WorldInTheSky where civilization rests atop the highest mountains and broadest plateaus, which chronicles the adventures of a [[LaResistance resistance]] movement who fly the airship Cloudscratcher in their fight against the serpentine [[TheEmpire Margoth Empire]]. The main characters are the [[{{Keet}} easily-excitable]] cat mechanic Felix O'Connel and the [[ChildSoldiers child soldier]]-turned-defectee snake Ixia, with the rest of the crew consisting of The Captain... [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname The Captain]], first mate and "trump card" Alice Harper, pilots [[ChivalrousPervert Burt Haggerty]] and [[TheAce Jacques Le Roux]], CommunicationsOfficer [[CoolBigSis Delia MacNamara]], chef and [[SuperStrength primary muscle]] Sally-Jean Peterson, priest/doctor and fellow Empire defectee Sogaat and "apprentice mechanic" [[CoolOldGuy Scotty]].
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5	Up till now their main opponents have the overall ineffectual [[QuirkyMinibossSquad West Bravo]], but when the Empire's so-called "hero" [[AxCrazy Borzax]] is placed in charge of West Bravo to whips things into shape and finish off the Cloudscratcher crew once and for all...
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7	''Cloudscratcher'' is written to be a GenreThrowback to the TalkingAnimal cartoons of the 80s and 90s from the likes of Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/DonBluth, with ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' being the clearest influence. Speaking of high-flying DieselPunk stories, the comic also draws heavily from the ''TabletopGame/CrimsonSkies'' series.
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9	Join the adventure [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/ here]].
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11	!!This webcomic provides examples of:
12	* AcePilot: All of the Cloudscratcher crew, though especially Alice. Even the captain, though not a fighter pilot, is one of the few airship pilots [[spoiler: who can handle the turbulence below the cloud cover.]]
13	* AirborneAircraftCarrier: The ''Cloudscratcher'' has a hanger bay for their biplanes.
14	* BarefootCartoonAnimal: Felix, most of the time. There's a slowly growing list of times he does wear shoes. It still seems odd that he wears shoes about the city, but on the same day, goes barefoot on a mission to sabotage a bomber. WordOfGod is that he PrefersGoingBarefoot in the same way a human might.
15	** It was also presumably common in the old Avian Empire. Of the three birds whose feet have been in frame, only one was wearing sandals.
16	* BewareTheNiceOnes[=/=]PsychopathicManchild: Agathoth is described like so.
17	* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/comic.php?page=566 New Elysium]] is a city built inside a giant aircraft, which is pretty tame by these standards, except for the upside-down skyscrapers hanging from the ceiling.
18	* BulletCatch: Ixia manages to [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/comic.php?page=267 catch the bullets]] sprayed by a machine gun.
19	* TheCaptain: Take a wild guess.
20	* CaptainErsatz: Future character Valentine is confirmed to be one of "Smooth Criminal"-era Music/MichaelJackson.
21	** The Avians are obviously [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} the Chozo]]; a race of bird-like superscientists driven to extinction by a substance that drove them violently insane.
22	* CarnivoreConfusion: Jacques is a pig, but Ixia eats bacon like it's nothing. It's likely that all meat in this setting comes from the CartoonCreature wildlife.
23	* CartoonCreature: The wildlife. We have WaddlingHead things, a creature that looks kinda like an ostritch with a human face, and beakless owls.
24	* ClassyCatBurglar: Nina, who is also literally a cat.
25	* CoolShip: Borzax's ship, the ''Berzerk''.
26	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Ixia's super strength comes from her TrainingFromHell.
27	* ChessMotifs: To a small extent. Alice has a quite a few similarities in role to the Queen, naturally making The Captain the King, Burt and Sally being Rooks and Sogaat a Bishop.
28	* ChildProdigy: Felix in regards to machines, to the point where CoolOldGuy Scotty is ''his'' apprentice.
29	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Umof. His favourite passtime is poking himself in the eye, for one thing. For another, Borzax punches him across the room and he responds with pistol fingers. Lastly, his character page is an ASCIIArt picture of an apple.
30	* CoolBigSis: Delia is an adoptive one to Felix.
31	* CuteLittleFangs: Ixia, being a cobra.
32	* DefectorFromDecadence: Ixia's defection sparks the plot.
33	** An unnamed black cobra betrayed the Empire (and Major Noggos personally), and heads a resistance army.
34	** Sogaat is the ship's chaplain and doctor.
35	* TheDragon: Narkethoness to Borzax and Agathoth to Emperor Vox, almost literally considering they're serpents.
36	* EasterEgg: The sheet music that appears when Ixia cranks her music box is for "You Are My Sunshine". This entails some FridgeBrilliance when one considers [[spoiler:how hard her parents took it when she was drafted. "Dont you DARE take my sunshine away!"]]
37	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Captain. The crew don't refer to him by name and the cast page doesn't give him a name, just "The Captain". Though General Leon refers to him as [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/comic/chapter_4/cs_comic%204-06c.html "O'Connell".]]
38	* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Frogs are Brits, pigs are French, and cows are Texans. Dogs and cats seem to be type 1 EagleLand. Serpents are Nazi Germany with shades of North Korea.
39	* FantasticRacism: The Serpent Empire discriminates heavily against "Furballs", conversely General Leon thinks that "good" serpents like Sogaat are the exception rather than the rule.
40	* FurryReminder: Ixia expresses her desire for pancakes by flicking her tongue.
41	** When Felix fanboy squeals over meeting Veronica Scarlet, only the canines can hear it.
42	* GadgeteerGenius: Felix, as stated above.
43	* GenderEqualsBreed: Milla, a bovine/feline hybrid, looks like a cat but also inherited her bull daddy's strength.
44	* GodEmperor: The Serpent royal family has the surname "Margoth", the name of their deity.
45	* HatePlague: The effect of the "Toxic Toast" chemical weapon that wiped out the avians.
46	* HeelFaceTurn: Ixia at the story's beginning (though this was always her intention) and Sogaat prior to its beginning. Nyx might be headed this way.
47	* InterspeciesAdoption: Felix (cat) was adopted by the Captain (dog).
48	* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: a variant. Any serpent charged with treason has 72 hours to turn themselves in or the government goes after their family.
49	* KnightOfCerebus: Borzax, though having the courtesy to make his mark relatively early in the story.
50	* LuminescentBlush: Ixia [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/comic.php?page=212 glows like a traffic light]] when Delia tells her that Felix plans to take her on a "date" for her birthday.
51	* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Major Noggos' character.
52	* NoSell: The [[SuperStrength strong, even by Bovine standards]] Sally Jean can only manage to briefly knock Caxtur off his feet.
53	* PortmanteauCoupleName: InUniverse. Serpents name their children with blends of their given names instead of having surnames.
54	* PreacherMan: Sogaat.
55	* {{Precursors}}: The Avians, wiped out in the 1500's by the Serpents.
56	* ShoutOut: Two citizens of the once great Avian Empire resemble [[WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros Jose and Panchito]].
57	** The chapter cards are fanart of album covers.
58	** Many of Wolfsbane's minions are named after singers. His henchmen, for example, are Simon and Garfunkel.
59	** When Ixia ditches her military uniform, the first thing she changes into is a pink shirt that says "NYAN", whose previous owner was a cat.
60	* PunnyName: The feared sky pirate [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/comic.php?page=335 Hev E. Meowtal]]
61	* SkyPirates: Wolfsbane and his crew. As well as TheDreaded Captain Blackheart.
62	* SpeciesSurname: More of a species-sound surname, [[PunnyName Hev E. Meowtal]].
63	* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'', and by extension to all the works that inspired that series.
64	* SuperSoldier: Ixia went through TrainingFromHell from the age of 10 and was given drugs that allow her [[http://www.cloudscratcher.com/comic.php?page=280 accelerate her perception of time]] at will.
65	* SuperStrength: Sally, even in comparison to regular bovines.
66	* SuperStrongChild: Ixia, though mainly as a result of her Child Soldier status.
67	* TeamDad: The Captain, especially towards his actual adopted son Felix.
68	* TeamPet: In episode four, Ixia forms a bond with a stray Toosu and names it Pitterpat.
69	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ixia is deeply into any kind of breakfast food, although she has a special place in her heart for eggs, calling herself a "connoseur." You know, snake and all...
70	** Sogaat and potato chips.
71	* TrainingFromHell: Ixia was exposed to this by Agathoth. He might live to regret it ...
72	* UglyCute: Toosus are like a cross between a spider and a puppy.
73	* AVillainNamedZrg: Serpent names have lots of X's and Z's. Some even have names more suited to Elder Gods than regular people.
74	* WaddlingHead: one CartoonCreature. They're kept as pets.
75	* WaveMotionGun: Agathoth built a weapon that ''drains'' an otherwise inexhaustable energy source to fire a huge beam of energy powerful enough to liquify a mountainside.
76	* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: So far we've seen dogs, cats, snakes, cows, and pigs. No humans have appeared so far.
77	* XtremeKoolLetterz: Serpent names have a lot of these.

Context Webcomic / Cloudscratcher