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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cucumber_quest_cover_dc1.png]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} "A comic about bunny kids going on adventures and having fun."]] [[note]]Counterclockwise from top-left: [[TheChooserOfTheOne The Dream Oracle]], [[{{Outlaw}} Saturday]], [[CowardlyLion Carrot]], [[PrincessClassic Princess Parfait]], [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Baguette, Tartelette]], [[MadScientist Cosmo]], [[TheLancer Almond]], [[ReluctantHero Cucumber]], [[GoodParents Bagel]], [[AbusiveParents Cabbage]], [[GalacticConqueror Cordelia]], [[TerribleTrio Bacon, Tomato, Lettuce]], and [[TheDragon Peridot]].[[/note]]]]
3
4->'''Almond:''' Awesome! I've always wanted to fight a real monster.\
5'''Cucumber:''' ''I haven't!''
6
7Tomorrow's the first day of school at [[WizardingSchool Puffington's Academy for the Magically Gifted and/or Incredibly Wealthy]], and Cucumber's all packed up to move in. Before he can tuck into his last dinner at home, a letter arrives: Cucumber's father, Lord Cabbage, has been kidnapped and imprisoned by the henchmen of the evil Queen Cordelia, who plans to TakeOverTheWorld! Despite being meek and studious and having a little sister who ''[[BadassAdorable probably would do a better job]]'', saving the world is ''[[ItsUpToYou strictly]]'' the duty of Cucumber. Cucumber sneaks into the Caketown Castle dungeons to speak with his father, who tells him Cordelia's plan: [[GottaCatchEmAll to amass]] the [[MacGuffin Disaster Stones]] and awaken the [[SealedEvilInACan Nightmare Knight]]! Cabbage tells Cucumber to meet with the Dream Oracle, who will grant him the legendary Dream Sword, an invaluable weapon against the Nightmare Knight.
8
9[[TheQuest And so begins Cucumber's quest]].
10
11''Cucumber Quest'' is a webcomic by Creator/GigiDG of ''Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}}'' fame, and reads like a [[AffectionateParody snarky love-letter]] to classic SNES-era video games, presented with a ''VideoGame/PaperMario''-style sense of humor. It can be read [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/ here.]]
12
13Has a slowly filling [[Characters/CucumberQuest character sheet]]. Put character-specific tropes there.
14
15[[AC:Spinoff Works:]]
16* ''Cucumber Dressed'' (2015): A fashion artbook collecting illustrations of the characters in various outfits.
17* ''Game Masterz'' (2017): A zine about Noisemaster and Rosemaster running a LetsPlay channel.
18* ''The Rise and Fall of Super Peridot'' (2019): A minicomic about Peridot and the Nightmare Knight.
19
20The comic has spawned some detailed FanWork, among them a (now discontinued) [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHACfIDFF66q8-3Bhs54XKHPB4m1wB5mj fan dub]] made by the same people who made WebAnimation/WelcomeTo and WebAnimation/SoThisIsBasically and complete with [[http://www.last.fm/music/pLasterbrain/Cucumber+Quest!+Prologue soundtrack]]
21([[https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ysyucrvh16ywy9/Cucumber%20Quest%21%20Prologue%20%28Soundtrack%29.rar Rar file]]), a [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKKwWJlsyS0OcHMV0tb5p5cOEZlUhBvu4 music album]] (made by the same person behind the ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' album), a [[http://hellowinter.tumblr.com/post/65522578545/cucumber-ace-attorney-game fan game]] in the style of ''Franchise/AceAttorney'', and a [[http://labusquedadecuco.blogspot.com Spanish translation]].
22
23On July 3, 2019, Gigi [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/important-announcement/ announced]] a significant revamping of the comic's format, stating that due to a myriad of factors in their personal life, they no longer have the time or energy to continue the comic in its original form. Consequently, following a lengthy hiatus, the remainder of the comic's story will appear in the form of an illustrated script.
24
25----
26!!''Cucumber Quest'' demonstrates examples of:
27[[foldercontrol]]
28
29[[folder:A to C]]
30* AbhorrentAdmirer: Sir Tomato really fancies Princess Parfait, but she already loves Carrot and is disgusted by Tomato's behavior. Even Bacon agrees with her [[spoiler:which got him kicked out of the BLT trio]].
31* AbusiveParents: [[{{Jerkass}} Cabbage]] sort of toes the line with this trope; [[PetTheDog while he does have a few kinder moments and helps the gang out on occasion]], Cabbage does things to Cucumber that a good father wouldn't do, such as putting a drab cucumber flower on Cucumber in chapter 3 just to watch the beauty pageants (including his own younger daughter, Almond) beat him up, snidely dismissing Cucumber's wishes to go to magic school and pressuring him to go on a quest he doesn't want, and generally putting Cucumber down for not being the heroic son he wanted, while [[ParentalFavoritism favoring Almond]].
32* AccidentalMisnaming: The Dream Oracle calls Cucumber a bunch of names ''other'' than his real name, [[{{Foreshadowing}} Although she may have been]] [[spoiler:[[ThemeNaming confusing his name with the names of some of the previous Legendary Heroes.]]]]
33-->'''Dream Oracle:''' Listen, Zucchini--\
34'''Cucumber:''' ''Cucumber.''\
35'''Dream Oracle:''' Camembert, that's what I said.
36* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Every Disaster Master's defeat so far has been rather hard on them. Splashmaster loses a game he can't stand a chance in, Noisemaster plain ''gives up'' after his weapon fails and doesn't even try, and Mutemaster decides to follow Noisemaster, since they're always together. Rosemaster knows that the Masters' efforts are doomed to failure, but is at least able to end the battle on her own terms and GoOutWithASmile.]]
37* AfterActionPatchup: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/chapter-0-bonus-3/ Parodied with Tomato, who whines over a paper cut]].
38* AlternativeCalendar: A glimpse at [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-313/ characters' journal entries]] shows that they list months and years with wingding symbols, although the days are numeric.
39* AlliterativeFamily: Cabbage and Cucumber, father and son. And possibly Calabash if they're descended from him instead of Walnut, of their great-great-unknown-greats ancestors / Legendary Heroes pair.
40* AllThereInTheManual: [[http://gigidigiarchive.tumblr.com/ Gigi's Tumblr]], formerly. Later, their [[http://ask.fm/gigideegee Ask.fm]] (now deleted).
41* AmplifierArtifact: The Hocus Crocus is a type of flower rumored to multiply anyone's magical power by the number of years it took to bloom. Since a Hocus Crocus ordinarily blooms every year, this is effectively useless. But [[spoiler:Cucumber happens to arrive in the Flower Kingdom at the same time a Hocus Crocus of 2 years has bloomed. Rosemaster sought its power to defeat the heroes, while Glitchmaster planned to use it to usurp the Nightmare Knight. Rosemaster initially agreed to give the Crocus to her, but upon obtaining it, decided to use it for herself.]]
42* AndThisIsFor:
43-->'''Almond:''' '''This''' is for sinking our boat! '''This''' is for kidnapping me! And '''this''' is for being a jerk! And this is... [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking for being bad at limbo]]?
44* AprilFoolsDay:
45** ''[[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2012screencap.png Cuke or Die II: Cuke Harder]]''.
46** The following year, not only was [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/b327.jpg everyone in the current strip]] and [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/baconquest.jpg the overhead banner]] altered into Bacon lookalikes, but [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/bacon/ all the portraits on the Characters page]] were redone and given new commentaries from Bacon's point of view.
47** 2014 gave us ''[[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/banner.png Kukobu Quest]]'', the equivalent of the strip if it was done by a 14-year-old weeaboo girl (complete with painful in-text Unicode emoticons).[[note]]The comics and portraits are actually just [[SelfDeprecation early art from the very first draft she did as a teenager]].[[/note]] Once again, the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/kukobu-quest-characters/ character profiles]] were redone to fit the new theme, and we got the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pg1.png first]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pg2.png two]] pages and the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1title.png Chapter One title page]] done in the same style as well (although page 2 is incomplete).
48--->"Welcome to Kukobu Quest, my new webmanga! n_n;; It follows the story of a boy named Kukobu who leaves his hometown of Cupcake to visit his father, only to learn that he’s been captured by the evil Lady Cordelia, who plans to take over Doughnut Island, and soon all of the Dream Islands! (Oh noes!!!1 XD)\
49\
50Kukobu learns that the only way (according to his father, who’s one pencil short of a Crayola pack in most cases, O_o) to stop Cordelia is to defeat her with a legendary sword. Kukobu’s quest lands him in the forest in search of the sword, but just as he finds it, it’s stolen by Satu, TEH MASTER THIEF wanted worldwide! And so the story actually begins. W007! XD\
51\
52No critiques please!"
53** In 2015, the author posted [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/april-fools-2015/ fake character cards]], among them being cards for the orange crabster, the Blueberry Mailman, and a joke Noisemaster card that had nothing on it but a grave stone inscribed with "RIP-So ill they put me in a hospital". Ouch.
54* ArcVillain: The Disaster Masters serve as these for every kingdom the heroes visit - Splashmaster was fought in the Ripple Kingdom, Noisemaster and Mutemaster in the Melody Kingdom, Rosemaster in the Flower Kingdom, and Quakemaster in the Crystal Kingdom.
55* ArmorPiercingResponse: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-747/ After Almond gets confrontational]] about a previous encounter that went south, Cucumber shuts her down:
56-->'''Cucumber:''' Almond, calm down--\
57'''Almond:''' ''Shut up!'' I guess ''EVERYTHING'' is just ''MY'' fault, huh?!\
58'''Cucumber:''' [[BluntYes Yeah. I guess so.]] If you hadn't [[FunctionalGenreSavvy treated this like a game]] back when we had the chance to prevent it, we wouldn't even be here at all, [[BrutalHonesty so, yeah. I guess it is your fault.]]
59* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-12/ page 12]] to [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-264/ page 264]] -- and compare again with [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-535/ page 535.]] In general, the art started out as with more fluid characters, and rougher edges, almost crayon-like, and are now more streamlined and smooth. For another example, compare the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/profile-cards-set-1/ old profile cards]] to the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/characters/ new ones,]] or even the old volume covers (see main image) to the [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/1626728321 newer versions]].
60* ArtShift:
61** Cabbage's explanation of the background of the Nightmare Knight is accompanied by a shift to paper cutouts.
62** A presumably less deliberate example: some stylistic elements like the crayon-style outlines are used inconsistently from page to page.
63** The paper cutouts appear again in Princess Nautilus' explanation of the Disaster Masters.
64* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: A lot of the characters have some kind of character design element that is perfectly in line with their name. For example, Bacon's hair is wavy and greasy and looks like bacon while Peridot's is boxy and resembles green gemstone.
65* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite their constant sibling squabbles, Almond and Cucumber's reunion during the battle with Splashmaster is genuinely adorable and heartwarming. [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-573/ Later on,]] [[spoiler:after [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath Carrot convinces the Nightmare Knight]] to spare Almond and Cucumber, and Almond admits to Cucumber that she was afraid that he was going to get himself killed]], it's absolutely heartrending.
66* BadBoss: The Dream Oracle made Chardonnay her errand girl while she kicks back and watches TV, and she could do nothing but suppress her feelings. [[spoiler:When she's far away from her boss, Chardonnay [[RageBreakingPoint does not mince words]]]].
67* BandLand: The Melody Kingdom, sporting features such as a treble clef tower and a range of harp-shaped mountains.
68* BeachEpisode: Starting in earnest [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-264/ here]], with all present cast members morphed into swimsuits for the duration.
69* BearsAreBadNews: A bear "attacks" Carrot when the baker sisters ask him to retrieve some special sugar. His name is Grizzlygum, and he has no teeth or claws.
70* BearyFriendly: Turns out Grizzlygum's actually just doing his job as Gumdrop Forest's guardian (Guarding the Oracle's "private woods"). He doesn't like to hurt people, he was only going to give Carrot a stern talking-to, and is quite welcoming after finding out that Cuco is the legendary hero.
71* BehindTheBlack: Somehow, the group failed to notice [[spoiler:the real Commander Caboodle BoundAndGagged in the corner of his spaceship]] in the Chapter 2 interlude.
72* BeYourself: In Chapter 2, [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-444/ Nautilus provides some helpful advice]] to [[spoiler:Panpipe, who was bullied in school for being a nerdy kid]].
73-->'''Nautilus:''' You can't make the world like you, [[spoiler:Panpipe]]. All you can do is be true to your heart. [[ParodiedTrope And then, some people still won't like you!]] ''Ever!'' ...But if you like yourself, it's really not so bad.
74* BigGood: The Dream Oracle is touted as one for Dreamside as a whole, and appears to be the closest thing to a "God" that Dreamside has. She sealed the Nightmare Knight away thousands of years ago, and she sets Cucumber on his quest to get the dreamsword and collect the disaster stones. Though it's gradually subverted as she's revealed to be [[{{Jerkass}} rather rude, dismissive, and lazy]], which causes all who see her in person to [[BrokenPedestal lose faith in her]]. It's also saying something when [[spoiler:Gigi herself sarcastically notes that purple would be a good color for her in response to the Dream Oracle lying about the purple shield that suddenly appeared over the Melody Kingdom, and purples are usually associated with ''[[BigBad Nightmare Knight]]''.]]
75* BiggerStick: Cucumber becomes significantly more helpful in a scuffle upon gaining a better wand.
76* BigNo:
77** Cucumber delivers one as Sir Tomato brings his sword down on him.
78** Carrot gets one when [[spoiler:Splashmaster takes and snaps his spear.]]
79** All of the main characters (minus Nautilus) do so when it's revealed that [[spoiler:[[MadScientist Cosmo's]] driving the Sea Train.]]
80** Bacon when [[spoiler:Tomato kicks him out of the squad.]]
81** Princess Piano when [[spoiler:it looks like [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-464/ Nautilus has been blasted by Noisemaster.]]]]
82** Almond gives one when [[spoiler:she [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-571/ is about to fall into the void Nightmare Knight created.]]]]
83** Hilariously, Peridot gives one in the Chapter 4 interlude, when [[spoiler:Nightmare Knight makes her a warm purple jacket to wear before they leave for Silver Studios, and it completely clashes with her outfit]].
84* BigShutUp: Uttered by Peridot [[spoiler:[[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-556/ when accused of gatecrashing the Flower Kingdom beauty pageant just to see Almond.]]]]
85* BloodlessCarnage: While fighting the Splashmaster, [[spoiler:Almond cuts off two of his tentacles, then slices his entire body in half]]. Instead of blood, there's an explosion of light and water.
86* BreakingTheFourthWall:
87** The Dream Oracle rushes through the end of Chapter 2 and cuts off the narration after a rather unsatisfying ending.
88** In the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-64/ prologue]], Almond rushes to attack, exclaiming that "We haven't had a decent fight this whole chapter!"
89* BreatherEpisode: What Chapter 4 ends up being, thanks to [[spoiler:Thebestmaster]] providing no real threat to our heroes and Cucumber and Almond beginning to patch things up with each other. It's also more lighthearted than the previous chapter.
90* BriarPatching: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-253/ Splashmaster falls for it beautifully.]]
91* BrokeTheRatingScale:
92** Cabbage's {{Jerk|ass}} stat is at least 6 stars out of 5, and it shows in his character.
93** Splashmaster's Attack is also over 5 stars.
94** The Nightmare Knight's stats break the rating scale in EVERY category!
95* BrokenPedestal: The Dream Oracle is played up to be a wise and all-knowing mentor figure for the heroes, as well as the BigGood for Dreamside, but the more Cucumber's party interacts with her, the more her unsavory traits start coming out, such as her dismissive rudeness, her willingness to take credit for something someone else has done, and her using Chardonnay like an errand girl. As a result, everyone who meets her starts losing respect for her. [[spoiler:Carrot speculates her involvement in the cycles, and Chardonnay leaves her job for good]].
96* BrotherSisterTeam: Cucumber and Almond, with Almond cutting everything in front of her while her brother supports her with his magic.
97* BurningWithAnger: Peridot is so frustrated over her slip-up [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-738/ here]], she appears to be breathing fire.
98* ButThouMust: Everyone's response to Cucumber's attempts at RefusalOfTheCall. Played for drama, as it forces a lot of responsibilities and expectations on poor Cucumber (who only wanted to go to magic school), [[spoiler:and it perpetuates the ViciousCycle the Disaster Masters and the Nightmare Knight are trapped in]]. [[{{Jerkass}} Cabbage]] and the laughably incompetent Dream Oracle aren't helping matters.
99* ByNoIMeanYes: Cordelia in [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-821/ this exchange]] with the Nightmare Knight, in which she is so confused that she doesn't know anymore what she wants from him.
100* CallBack:
101** The [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-280/ Evil-Vanquishing Almond Slicer]] appears again, although [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-606/ this time]] Cucumber [[RedundantRescue had everything under control]].
102** Saturday [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-207/ returns the Dream Sword to Cucumber]], convinced that it's a fake. [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-719/ Later on...]]
103--->'''[[spoiler:Azalea]]:''' ''[[OhCrap ...So it's the real one, huh.]]''
104* CallingYourAttacks: Almond loves to do this, having been influenced by cheesy TV shows.
105** In chapter 3, Caboodle [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-543/ subverts this]] by calling an attack as a feint, only to not attack. "Just kidding."
106* CardiovascularLove: {{Heart Symbol}}s are used to represent love, like how [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-612/ Peridot's crush]] on Almond is represented by one.
107* CartoonBomb: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-328/ Put on the Sea Train by Cosmo]]. [[spoiler:It was hidden underneath the snack cart where Nautilus and Carrot were eating]].
108* CelestialDeadline: Every 5000 years, the Nightmare Knight and his Disaster Masters will appear to terrorize Dreamside, necessitating a Hero to defeat them. There doesn't seem to be any particular reason for it; that's just when it happens.
109* CerebusSyndrome: While it's hard to pin the exact moment, Noisemaster almost destroying Trebleopolis after rejecting Cucumber's peace offering is when the series stops being a lighthearted adventure and both the heroes and villains start taking a critical eye to everything that's happening.
110* CharacterDevelopment:
111** Due to being pushed into the "Legendary Hero" quest instead of going to magic school, Cucumber started off behaving quite meek and reluctant to fight, preferring to come up with logical solutions to things. Gradually, he becomes more assertive, and begins seeking to resolve the entire conflict through kindness [[spoiler:and break the endless cycles that left the Nightmare Knight and the Disaster Masters trapped in misery]].
112** Sir Carrot starts off as a chivalric and well-meaning FailureKnight whose common sense is often overridden by his crippling cowardice, causing him to become TheLoad as he's unable to contribute in most combat situations. But in Chapter 3, [[spoiler:thanks to [[LoveLetter Parfait's letter]], the Nightmare Knight's intervention, and receiving a [[ThePowerOfLove boost of magical love and faith from Parfait]], Carrot gains his courage and transforms into a MagicKnight who's able to impress Rosemaster with his newfound skills]].
113** The Nightmare Knight [[spoiler:was initially an OmnicidalManiac that wanted to consume Dreamside during the first cycle, but seeing everyone celebrate his defeat caused him to develop feelings he didn't have before. In the second cycle, he tried offering peace to Calabash and Walnut, but Calabash's distrust caused the Nightmare Knight to give up and continue being the villain of Dreamside. Yet despite his deepest desires, he can't break out of it, causing him to become cynical and weary. He also grew too attached to his Disaster Masters, who he initially created to help him carry out his villainy, and needs the fear of Dreamside to keep them alive. The kidnapping and imprisonment of Princess Parfait led to Nightmare Knight befriending her, and is gradually opening up]].
114* ChekhovsGun:
115** As it turns out, that [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-235/ stupid bathtub plug spell]] actually [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-274/ has a use]]. The look on Cucumber's face shows he doesn't quite believe it either.
116*** Parodied in [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/guest-comic-4/ this guest strip]].
117** This is also the case with [[spoiler:Nautilus' spell that allows her to [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-237/ order a pizza from anywhere]], but only if [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-512/ nobody is in the mood for pizza]].]]
118* {{Chiaroscuro}}: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-363/ The night view of the castle]]
119* ColorCodedStones: The 8 Disaster Stones have each a color, symbol and element.
120* ColorMotif: Anything related to the Nightmare Master tends to colored with a starry purple [[spoiler:such as the barrier that shielded the Melody Kingdom from the Noiseblaster, the chest containing Parfait's desserts and her letter, and the knocked-down gate at Intermezzo Wall]].
121* CookingDuel: Princess Nautilus challenges the Splashmaster [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-261/ to a limbo duel]].
122-->'''Cucumber:''' Uh, Nautilus, I kind of think we have more important things to--\
123'''Nautilus:''' [[SeriousBusiness NO, CUCUMBER]]
124* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: The Nightmare Knight's choice of punishment when [[spoiler:Bacon]] stands up to him in the chapter 4 interlude? [[spoiler:Make her deal with Peridot, who's in full FanGirl mode. Bacon doesn't mind in the least, though, and thinks it's touching]].
125* CosmicKeystone: The Disaster Stones, which, if all gathered, can be used to resurrect the Nightmare Knight. [[spoiler:Almond ignoring Cucumber's advice to destroy one of them in Chapter 1 caused the adventure in the first place]].
126* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Deconstructed. [[spoiler:A lot of the events in the story happened because Almond decided to give Nightmare Knight's orb to Peridot in Chapter 1, ignoring Cucumber's advice to destroy it from the get-go]]. It's later brought up in Chapter 4, where Cucumber bitterly informs Almond that [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-747/ it is Almond's fault that the whole Nightmare Knight conflict started]].
127* CrystalLandscape: The Crystal Kingdom, despite being a HailfirePeaks land, is filled with and made out of crystals. Fittingly, its king, queen, and princess are named after gemstones.
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:D to G]]
131* DatingCatwoman: Almond (a hero) and Peridot (a villain) have a rivalry with romantic tension. After being bested by Almond in their first encounter, Peridot becomes fixated on beating her and develops [[VillainousCrush a crush]], which takes the form of {{Tsundere}} behavior and concern with looking cool in front of her. Almond, meanwhile, enjoys teasing her. They enjoy [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-430/ facing]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-559/ off]] against each other and become friendlier over time, [[FriendlyEnemy while still maintaining their rivalry]]. Peridot's romantic interest is very blatant; she'll go beet-red and turn into a flustered mess. Almond's is usually a lot more subtle, but is also apparent, such as [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-799/ the two]] blushing at each other with hearts around them when bonding over a common interest. Also, the moment Peridot realizes Rosemaster's Unpersoning power has caused Almond to forget her, she immediately destroys its vessel.
132* DeadpanSnarker: Gigi, ''constantly'' in their author notes. [[WorldOfSnark Also Peridot, Almond, what little we've seen of Saturday, the two cake ladies, Saturday's butler...]]
133* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the prototypical video game villain archetype: a scary monster that desires world conquest and constantly comes back no worse for wear no matter how many defeats or setbacks they suffer, such as [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] and [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganon]]. ''Cucumber Quest'' takes that concept and applies realistic consequences to it: [[spoiler:the Nightmare Knight and his crew have been defeated almost a hundred times by this point, and one of the main goals of the comic is examining the physical and psychological effects so much defeat can have on somebody. The Nightmare Knight simply doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore, and is stuck trying to make sure Dreamside fears him while secretly preventing his Disaster Masters from causing any real damage. The Disaster Masters, meanwhile, showcase varying reactions to their predicament (Rosemaster hates hurting innocents, Quakemaster worries about his physical health, Noisemaster has grown to resent the Knight for his failure to lead them, etc.), but there is one constant: they are sick and tired of losing, and [[NoNonsenseNemesis are willing to do absolutely anything]] to finally score the sweet taste of victory.]]
134* DeliberatelyMonochrome:
135** The heroes run into some trouble trying to cross over Intermezzo Wall after their blimp is attacked by an odd haze that washes out the comic's color and prevents the contents of their speech bubbles from being seen, symbolizing that everything has suddenly fallen silent. [[spoiler:Later on we find out this is because of Mutemaster. His power is to freeze everything around him by turning them monochrome, and he uses it again against the heroes once Almond presses his BerserkButton.]]
136** A more comedic version happens to [[spoiler:Peridot]] when they discover that [[spoiler:Almond has no idea who she is, shattering her heart]].
137** RedFilterOfDoom version happens when [[spoiler:Rosemaster absorbs the Hocus Crocus and attacks]].
138* DistinctionWithoutADifference: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-98/ Has Saturday really managed to steal that much?]]
139-->'''Cucumber:''' Don't... tell me '''all''' of this [pile of treasure] was stolen from Caketown Castle.\
140'''Carrot:''' Don't be ridiculous! All of '''that''' [even larger pile of treasure] was stolen from Caketown Castle!
141* DistinctiveAppearances: The rabbit-people have different ear-styles depending on what kingdom they're from:
142** Doughnut Kingdom: Plain, rounded ears that stick straight up.
143** Ripple Kingdom: Rounded ears that are thinner at the base and bend outwards like a [[http://images.clipartpanda.com/dunk-clipart-water-splash-md.png cartoon water splash]].
144** Melody Kingdom: Bent at the top like a [[http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphiclarge/musical_note_clip_art_7530.jpg musical note]].
145** Flower Kingdom: Round ears that typically have three round tufts similar to a [[http://web.archive.org/web/20160131085106/http://www.herrinhs.org/Teachers/EricJohns/CHA07/Noah%20Quinton/Prickly%20Pear/flowering%20cactus.jpg blooming/fruiting cactus]].
146** Crystal Kingdom: Squared-off ears, to resemble cut gemstones.
147** Sky Kingdom: Thick round ears that curl at the top like a [[http://www.asiaphotostock.com/itemimages/totem22375.jpg stylized, swirly cloud]]. Gigi's concept art of Princess Sunshine also shows their [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/cucumberquest/images/8/86/Tumblr_n7f5sezGb11qd62wro4_1280.png/revision/latest?cb=20150815170931 pupils change depending on the time of day]].
148** Space Kingdom (Assuming Cosmo's appearance isn't unique): Rounder/wider ears with crescent moons and stars.
149** Cordelia and Caboodle's have ears that are more cat-like, which is a tell that they aren't from Dreamside.
150* DoWrongRight: Peridot has a nightmare where Cordelia accuses her of being unable to be properly evil.
151* DoubleStandard: Satirized with the whole "Little sisters can't be heroes!" subplot. Traditionally, the younger sister of the Legendary Hero is the DamselInDistress that he must rescue, but Almond decided to buck tradition and take up the sword, while her older brother, Cucumber, is the {{Non Action|Guy}} mage.
152* DrivingQuestion:
153** What are the Nightmare Knight's motives? What is perpetuating the cycle? [[spoiler:They were eventually answered in Chapter 3, when Glitchmaster reveals the truth to Rosemaster and the Nightmare Knight confesses to Princess Parfait in the Chapter 3 Interlude: The Nightmare Knight has been secretly sabotaging the Disaster Masters' efforts to take over Dreamside because he came to realize that he didn't have to be a villain, and that it was possible to change his ways and make peace with the people he was terrorizing. But he is forced to perpetuate the cycle because his own power relies on fear, and since the Disaster Masters were created by him, losing that fear would mean losing them, whom he came to see as his "children"]].
154** The Driving Questions are now: How will Cucumber end the cycle [[spoiler:in a way that allows the Disaster Masters to continue on without thriving on Dreamside's fear of the villains]]? And how is the Dream Oracle involved in all this?
155* DrowningPit: Splashmaster drags Nautilus and Carrot under the water, and even deflects the underwater breathing spell that Cucumber tries to cast on them to ensure that they drown.
156* EarAche: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-442/ Page 442]]: Mandolin has his ears pulled by his mother, Lute [[spoiler:for bullying Panpipe and causing the whole Legato situation to happen]].
157* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Almond's complaint of not having a decent fight for a whole chapter. While powerful characters still ''lean'' on the fourth wall (usually by RealityWarper powers causing {{Odd Shaped Panel}}s or similar), it hasn't been outright broken like this since then.
158* EasilyConqueredWorld: Justified; due to King Croissant's too-trusting nature and his low standards in knighthood, Cordelia was able to invade and conquer Caketown with the aid of a single ChildMage. Peridot turned the king and all the good knights save Sir Carrot to stone. The rest of the knights turned traitor.
159* EdibleThemeNaming: Applies to every named character who lives in the Doughnut Kingdom, except for the Oracle. In a more specific example, Cordelia has a trio of goons named Bacon, Dame Lettuce, and Sir Tomato.
160* ElementalPowers: ZigZagged with the Disaster Masters: while each one of them is themed after elements (Splashmaster with [[MakingASplash water]], Noisemaster with [[MakeSomeNoise sound]], etc.), they don't seem to actually have the elemental powers in question (we never see Splashmaster attack using water spells, and Noisemaster is only seen using laser blasts). Their Disaster Stones, however, do have these powers, as demonstrated when Cucumber uses the Stones with his wand.
161* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: Almost every single villain has at least one person that they genuinely care about and are adored by in turn, and noticing this is what gets Cucumber to start wondering if they can't come to a peaceful agreement. See EvenEvilHasLovedOnes for specific examples.
162* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
163** Cordelia and Peridot seem attached, [[spoiler:which can be noted when [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-498/ Cordelia is concerned if Peridot is hurt]] after she comes crying after being beaten by Almond, comforts her, and offers to watch some of her favorite show with her.]]
164** [[spoiler:Noisemaster and the other Disaster Master of the Melody Kingdom, Mutemaster, were [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-458/ created at the same time and share a unique bond]], a fact that's been amply demonstrated by their interactions, between how delighted Noisemaster is to see Mutemaster, the hugging, and how distressed Mutemaster looks when [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-466/ cradling an injured Noisemaster.]]]]
165** Out of the first four Disaster Masters, Rosemaster seems to have the closest bond with the Nightmare Knight, and expresses hope that he'll enjoy watching her latest scheme play out.
166** In Chapter 3, Rosemaster also expresses familial love to [[spoiler:Glitchmaster. It ends up being an ArmorPiercingResponse, as she's left with nothing to say in return, save for a relenting farewell]].
167** [[spoiler:As Princess Parfait learns, Nightmare Knight is only continuing to play the villain to keep the Masters alive, because they were all created by his power, which is fueled by Dreamside's fear of him]].
168** In Chapter 5, Quakemaster is [[spoiler:in a [[OfficialCouple loving relationship]] with his right-hand man Obsidian]].
169* EvenEvilHasStandards: In the Chapter 1 interlude, even the Nightmare Knight is disgusted by the BLT trio's harassment of Princess Parfait.
170* EvilIsNotAToy: The Nightmare Knight warns Cordelia that he is ''not'' one of her subjects, and advises her to watch her tone.
171* EvilOverlooker:
172** Cordelia, Peridot, and the BLT Trio on the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/prologue/ Prologue splash page]].
173** The Nightmare Knight on the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-0/ Chapter 0 splash page]].
174** Splashmaster on the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-1/ Chapter 1 splash page.]]
175** Noisemaster on the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-2/ Chapter 2 splash page.]]
176** Subverted with the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-3/ Chapter 3 splash page;]] [[spoiler:neither Azalea nor Mr R. turn out to be evil, but they do spend most of the chapter under Rosemaster's thrall.]]
177* EvolvingCredits: The artwork at the top of the comic's page has been changing as the story goes on.
178* ExcitedTitleTwoPartEpisodeName: Parodied in TheRant on pages [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-381/ 381]] and [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-390/ 390]].
179* ExpressiveAccessory: The Oracle's wand-eyeball and turban-like head wear each make the same expressions her normal eyes do.
180* EyesAlwaysShut: Cabbage. Well... [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-34/ not always,]] but he still fits the trope.
181* FaceHeelTurn: When Cordelia and Peridot took over Caketown and [[TakenForGranite turned most of the knights into statues]], the rest turned traitor and joined the villains' side, either out of fear or, in the case of the BLT trio, loose morals.
182* TheFaceOfTheSun: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-515/ Dreamside's Sun]] is Princess Sunshine's sentient hot-air balloon that has a really adorable face.
183* FailedAttemptAtScaring: The Forsaken Master is a Disaster Master who has the ability to [[PsychologicalTormentZone make one's greatest fears manifest]], but due to him constantly misinterpreting the fears of other characters around him, the attempts always fail to genuinely frighten people, and the protagonists treat him as an IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
184* FlashbackEcho: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-568/ Apparently this isn't the first time]] [[spoiler:someone tried to make peace with the Nightmare Knight and a skeptic stopped them.]]
185* FlatWorld: Dreamside was revealed to be flat when we see a map of Dreamside in Saturday's hideout with the ocean ending off the sides like a cliff. When someone asked Gigi how this was supposed to work, they responded with [[AWizardDidIt "Wizards"]].
186* FictionalCounterpart: A bonus strip mentions a restaurant called Burg-N-Out, a punny reference to In-N-Out Burger.
187* FissionMailed: Used as a joke to the audience in Page 375 on its website commentary and over twitter. [[spoiler:The page depicts the Nightmare Knight tossing a wave of fire at Cucumber and Nautilus after Nautilus seems to [[FinalBossPreview provoke the final showdown early]], with the author's note saying how much she enjoyed sharing the story. The following page shows that no, it isn't the end.]]
188* {{Foreshadowing}}:
189** During Chapter 1, the reveal that [[spoiler:Nightmare Knight has been resurrected and defeated 100 times before is foreshadowed by Splashmaster keeping tally of his boatwrecks. He says he's hoping to beat his record, referring to the 99 other times he's done this]].
190** "[[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-371/ Miracles]] tend to happen [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-470/ when you least expect them.]]"
191** In Chapter 3, much of [[spoiler:Rosemaster]]'s plan relies on [[LaserGuidedAmnesia tampering with peoples' memories]]; several hints are dropped throughout the chapter pertaining to what (and [[{{Unperson}} who]]-- namely, [[spoiler:Aster, Sunflower, and Azalea]]) has been omitted. One case is a bit more subtle, and only pays off after the chapter's end; when Cucumber is asked [[spoiler:where he obtained his wand]], he can't answer, implying that he couldn't remember [[spoiler:Saturday]].
192* FreakyElectronicMusic: Noisemaster is a villain who terrorizes the [[BandLand Melody Kingdom]]. Fittingly, in contrast to the kingdom's orchestra motif, he has the mannerisms of a rowdy DJ. His lair and weapons are covered in lights like those on a DJ's sound equipment.
193* FrothyMugsOfWater: Cordelia's wine is described in her second character portrait as "juice for grown-ups". This apparently extends to all alcoholic beverages in Dreamside, as Gigi [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/84405744556/ even refers to beer as "malted wheat juice"]].
194* FunctionalGenreSavvy: Pretty much everyone besides Cucumber is this. They are all absolutely sure things must play out a certain way (ie. Cucumber being TheHero and using the Dream Sword to fight the Nightmare Knight) even when they make absolutely no sense (ie. Cucumber a rather rubbish hero and there are other, less exciting, ways to stop the Nightmare Knight).
195* GenerationXerox: Portrayals of past legendary heroes look nearly identical to Cucumber. A past legendary hero even had a little sister with the same ThemeNaming as Almond. There are a few key differences however. All of the previous legendary heroes were courageous swordsmen. The current legendary hero, Cucumber, is a cautious wizard, whereas his little ''sister'' takes more after the role of the legendary heroes. [[spoiler:Cucumber intends to avert this by breaking the cycle that's trapping the Nightmare Knight and the Disaster Masters in constant misery and defeat]].
196* GlassCannon: In [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/characters/ Gigi's character stats]], Almond and Splashmaster are each listed with 5 or more stars in attack, but only 2 stars in defense. It's justified with Almond, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome who's a little kid]].
197* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The semifinalists of the Princess R contest sport these when they're encouraged to "remove" Cucumber from the contest by [[{{Jerkass}} Cabbage]] sticking a cucumber flower on him, [[ButtMonkey despite Cucumber not actually being a contestant]].
198* GoldfishPoopGang: Saturday and her manservant Brambleby, who appear to be becoming recurring nemeses throughout the story.
199* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler:Quakemaster, and possibly Mistmaster before him, when they discover that Nightmare Knight was sabotaging their own efforts]].
200* {{Goth}}: Dahlia, semi-finalist in the Princess R contest, is called one on many occasions...
201* GothGirlsKnowMagic: Dahlia is also apparently a magician. She is the only one of the candidates who comes close to posing a threat to the rest [[spoiler:when she's taken out by Peridot]].
202* GrowlingGut: Sir Carrot, and Nautilus, when looking at the snack tray on page 326. They forgot to eat before leaving on the seatrain. [[spoiler:Staying behind was what allowed them to find Cosmo's bomb]].
203* GreyAndGrayMorality: A LighterAndSofter variant. The Nightmare Knight and Cordelia have shown that they are not as evil as a Spirit of Evil and a Tyrannical ruler should be. While the Oracle, the supposed BigGood, is apathetic at best, and several "heroic" characters like Cabbage have been portrayed as complete jerks.
204* GrumpyOldMan: Grizzlygum gets rather grumpy toward whippersnappers who trespass on the Dream Oracle's private woods. He doesn't want to hurt anyone though; just give them a good talking-to.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:H to J]]
208* {{Hammerspace}}: Almond's pocket is where she keeps her sword, according to a bonus comic and [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-333/ page 333]] of the comic proper.
209-->'''Cucumber:''' [[LampshadeHanging How...?]]
210* HeroicSecondWind: [[spoiler:After falling off a cliff and going through a HeroicBSOD over his own cowardice, Carrot is given Princess Parfait's LoveLetter by the Roselings. Reading how Parfait still loved him despite his faults gives Carrot the courage he needs, and he transforms into a KnightInShiningArmor just in time to fight Rosemaster and rescue Almond from her brainwashing]].
211* HostileShowTakeover: Bacon takes over the website for April Fool's 2013, and modifies much of the site to resemble himself. Including the banner, the latest page, and the character page and their descriptions.
212* {{Hypocrite}}: Almond. She criticizes Cucumber's decisions to sympathize and help the villains, when [[spoiler:the entire hero's quest happened because Almond willingly gave Peridot a Disaster stone, since she wanted to have an epic adventure instead of a quick solution that could get rid of the villains permanently. Cucumber eventually calls her out on her behavior, saying that if she hadn't treated the adventure as a game, no one would have to deal with the Nightmare Knight again]].
213* HypocriticalHumor:
214** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-794/ Nautilus]] remarks that Cucumber has never been much of an actor. As TheRant points out, Nautilus isn't much of one, either.
215** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-3-bonus-1/ In Chapter 3's bonus material]], Carrot assures Cucumber that name-matching hair really doesn't matter, and reveals that King Croissant's "hair is actually a hat. Then Almond points out that Parfait's hair doesn't actually resemble a parfait, which gets Carrot on the defensive.
216* IdenticalStranger: [[spoiler:Steve, who looks oddly like the Nightmare Knight, but acts nothing like him at all]].
217* IdiotBall: The long-standing question of whether Almond's decision to simply [[spoiler:''hand over the last Disaster Stone because she felt the quest wouldn't be epic enough if they didn't'']] was this, or simply the [[FunctionalGenreSavvy usual genre enforcement of the world]]. [[spoiler:(Initially the latter, but boy did it get hammered in as the former.)]]
218* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Peridot [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-738/ refuses]] to give her name, but then immediately responds to Almond calling her by name.
219-->'''Queen Sapphire:''' Intruder! Who are you?!\
220'''Peridot:''' Heh. I don't give my name to ''losers''.\
221'''Almond:''' ''[smiling and waving]'' Hi Peridot.\
222'''Peridot:''' ''[taking off her hood and returning the smile]'' Oh hi Almond-- ''[realizes]'' [[BurningWithAnger BAAAAAAH!!]]\
223'''Almond:''' ''[smile unchanged]'' Loser.
224* InadvertentEntranceCue:
225-->'''Nautilus:''' I challenge you to a '''limbo duel!'''\
226'''Limbo Group:''' [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-262/ Did someone sayyyyyyyyyyyy...LIMBO?!]]
227* InsistentTerminology:
228-->'''Nautilus:''' It's not a ''cell phone'', Cucumber. It's a ''Royal Instrument of Summoning'' [[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist that's been passed down through my]] ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist family]]'' [[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist for]] ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist generations]].''
229* InstantArmor: [[spoiler:The shiny suit of armor Carrot receives in Chapter 3 was the result of ThePowerOfLove magically transforming his Caketown knight uniform into something else. It was intended to reflect his CharacterDevelopment from a cowardly FailureKnight to a (literal) KnightInShiningArmor]].
230* IntergenerationalFriendship:
231** [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/56394353960/blueskyesandberets-asked-you-umm-when-the Some of the princesses have these,]] since they vary in age from child to adult.
232** Peridot and her ParentalSubstitute Cordelia, who act more like daughter and mother, respectively.
233* InterruptedCooldownHug: [[spoiler:Cucumber tries to just talk to the Nightmare Knight, and actually seems to be making some headway until Almond interrupts. Which also reminds the Knight of the last time someone tried to talk to him]].
234* IronicEcho: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-571/ Are you not]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-626/ a knight?]]
235* ItsUpToYou: As much as Cucumber attempts to avert this, no one will let him off the hook about this world-saving business. Understandably, it gives him a lot of stress.
236* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Lettuce has a crush on Tomato, but wants to help him win Princess Parfait's love because it'll make him happy. It would work better if Lettuce cared that Parfait doesn't want to be happy with Tomato.
237* {{Jerkass}}:
238** Tomato. He treated Bacon like crap [[spoiler:and even kicked him out of the BLT trio for daring to suggest that Princess Parfait doesn't like him]], and makes very unwanted advances towards Parfait, despite knowing her heart was already taken by Carrot. [[KickTheDog He nearly threw away Parfait's carrot pendant]], but the Nightmare Knight stopped him out of disgust.
239** Cabbage, Cucumber's father. Despite having a few PetTheDog moments, he borders on being an [[AbusiveParents emotionally abusive father]], considering how snide and dismissive he is towards his son for not being a hero like his ancestors, and constantly insults him in front of his favorite child, Almond. He also slapped a drab-looking cucumber flower on Cucumber during a beauty pagent, just so he could watch his son get beat up by Almond and the other contestants.
240** The Dream Oracle is gradually revealed to be rather rude, dismissive, incompetent, and lazy, and would not hesitate to take credit for others' actions to make herself look good. As a result, Cucumber and his friends in turn gradually lose trust in her [[spoiler:and Chardonnay, her assistant, quits her job for good]].
241* JerkassRealization: In Chapter 4, [[spoiler:after Cucumber gives her a WhatTheHellHero speech about how the entire adventure was her fault]], Almond realizes how hypocritical she is [[spoiler:in dragging her brother into her actions and criticizing him for trying to make peace with the villains]], so she makes amends with Cucumber and tells him that she'll support him no matter what he does.
242* JustEatGilligan: Cucumber mentions it would make more sense to destroy the disaster stones twice. Sir Carrot even agrees with him. But the other characters think that's a boring idea, and are insistent on sticking to the genre. Almond even gleefully gives the last disaster stone to Peridot to prevent Cucumber and Carrot from breaking it, so that the villains can summon the Nightmare Knight. [[spoiler:Cucumber eventually calls Almond out on this, pointing out that all the trouble in Dreamside could've been avoided if Almond hadn't been treating everything like a game or wanting to go on a fun, epic adventure]].
243* JustToyingWithThem: Rosemaster has the heroes outmatched for her entire battle, but never moves to finish the job. Only after the fight do we learn why: [[spoiler:she never intended to win in the first place; once she's satisfied that she's given "the performance of her career", she concedes the fight and allows Carrot to [[AttackItsWeakPoint put an arrow through her weak spot]]]].
244[[/folder]]
245
246[[folder:K to N]]
247* KillTheCutie: Done with the ''villains'' funnily enough. Cucumber Quest has a tendency to make its villains into really adorable and playful losers, and the audience loves them so much because of it that they don't want the heroes to have to defeat the villains, or see them suffer.
248* KingIncognito: Who would've thought that [[spoiler:Princess Azalea was Saturday all along? And that Brambleby was Mr. R]]?
249* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
250** Carrot argues this; it's quickly undercut when Baguette retorts that the monster he was faced with had neither claws nor ''teeth''.
251** Noisemaster admits defeat and gives up after having his base broken into, [[spoiler:Mutemaster's ability]] being negated, being mangled by Liquus, and having [[spoiler:his laser blocked by the Nightmare Knight's barrier]]. Quite the conga line.
252* KrakenAndLeviathan: The reason the ferry service wouldn't let them go by sea to the Ripple Kingdom. A giant squid (Splashmaster) attacked a cruise ship on the way there, and their boats were out of service because it was too dangerous.
253* LadyAndKnight: Of the 'Bright Lady and White Knight' variety with Princess Parfait, the lady, and Sir Carrot, the knight. It's subverted in that while both Parfait and Carrot dearly love each other, Carrot is afflicted with crippling cowardice, [[MyGreatestFailure which resulted in his beloved being captured and locked away by the villains]]. [[spoiler:Eventually double-subverted in Chapter 3, when Carrot, after being encouraged by Parfait's love and faith through a letter, levels up to a literal KnightInShiningArmor, allowing him to become the knight he really wants to be]].
254* LampshadeHanging: The comic ''runs'' on this. Even the author gets in on it occasionally, when she isn't snarking.
255* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: With the set of things being visual and placed in a circle, it doesn't really fall specifically under any of the subtropes, but it's immediately apparent that the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-30/ Disaster Stones]] have some sort of generic elemental theme, with the orbs having pastel colorings with symbols on them of a cloud, fire, water, flower, [[ThePowerOfRock a music note]], a musical "rest" symbol [[note]] Representing "Silence" StatusEffects[[/note]], and... a pitch black orb with a bright red power on/off symbol on it.
256* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
257** The Disaster Master parody in ''Punisher Pumice'' has three Masters with their identities hidden; Quakemaster with their form omitted, and the last two Masters devoid of name (due to the [=Punisher!Knight=] forgetting them) ''and'' a clear form. In-universe it can be chalked up to poor production, but at that point in the story three of them haven't been properly introduced.
258** From TheRant of [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-837/ Page 837]] about both the comic and the ShowWithinAShow ''Punisher Pumice'', because the comic had been going on for over six years by the publishing of that page on June 13, 2017. The comic had been running since [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-1/ April 3, 2011]].
259--->'''Gigi D.G.:''' the real nightmare is this show running for 7 seasons.
260* LeeroyJenkins: Almond's solution to everything is run at it with her sword. Luckily for her, she has Cucumber and Carrot to keep her from running into danger. [[spoiler:Eventually deconstructed when she unthinkingly interrupts Cucumber's attempt to reconcile with the Nightmare Knight, leading to them nearly getting killed]].
261* LegendFadesToMyth: Nightmare Knight returns approximately every 5000 years and causes problems among the royal families, needing the current hero to stop him. And yet, the Dream Oracle and her servants are the only ones to remember this. Everyone else can only remember the very first time he attacked.
262* LevelAte: [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/4952014795/welcome-to-the-doughnut-kingdom-this-is-cucumber The entire Doughnut Kingdom is made of food]]. Even Princess Parfait's tea set is made of sugar!
263* LiteralMinded: [[spoiler:The Forsaken Master takes common fears and interprets them extremely literally]].
264* LittleBitBeastly: The main characters all have rabbit ears, but human bodies.
265* LoopholeAbuse: Almond is allowed to enter the Flower Kingdom's competition because she's "technically a flower". She, Cucumber, and Carrot [[spoiler:are susceptible to Rosemaster's influence]] under that same logic.
266* LoserGetsTheGirl: How Cucumber's parents fell for each other. Cabbage tried and failed to protect Bagel from a group of bullies, who beat him up. But Bagel fell in love anyway because it was the thought that counted.
267* LoveDodecahedron: Carrot and Parfait love each other. Tomato loves Parfait, and Lettuce loves Tomato.
268* LuckyCharmsTitle: Page 313 shows off four diary entries written on the date [fish symbol] 18th, year ♥♪☺☆.
269* MacGuffin:
270** The Disaster Stones required [[SealedEvilInACan for reviving the Nightmare Knight.]]
271** In Chapter 3, the trophy for the Princess R contest, [[spoiler:actually an AmplifierArtifact known as the Hocus Crocus.]]
272*** MacGuffinDeliveryService: [[spoiler:Once the "trophy" is obtained, it goes directly to Rosemaster.]]
273* MadScientist: Cosmo is one, given that their inventions usually have pretty big consequences when put into use. They also point out people call them mad.
274* MagicKnight:
275** Despite being called the Nightmare ''Knight'', the guy mostly uses magical attacks to intimidate and harm his foes.
276** [[spoiler:Carrot post-Chapter 3 is a straighter example, using magical weapons in tandem with his fighting skill]].
277* MakeAWish: On a shooting star. Accidentally.
278* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent:
279** During the second interlude, Cucumber futzes around with his wand while the others are talking to the Dream Oracle--and with a "!" sees that he can equip the Disaster Stones to it for PowerCopying. (He had done this by accident with Splashmaster's stone earlier, but this confirmed it.)
280** Cabbage can be seen taking the trophy and sneakily putting it in Almond's pocket on pages 590-591.
281* MediumAwareness: In the Prologue:
282-->'''Almond:''' We haven't had a decent fight this whole chapter! Put up your dukes, Grandpa!
283* MegaManning: The wand Cucumber [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-114/ acquired from Saturday's stash of loot]] seems to absorb the abilities of defeated disaster masters, a fact which surprises even the Nightmare Knight.
284* MissingMom: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-227/ Princess Nautilus returns home]] to find that her mother was taken away by Splashmaster. Thankfully, she is rescued and returned.
285* MoodWhiplash:
286** The boss fight with Rosemaster is the darkest yet. She's much more powerful than the heroes, [[spoiler:disables everyone but Almond, and then terrorizes Almond to the point where she starts crying and runs away. Then they see Carrot hiding and Rosemaster brainwashes Almond to attack him, driving him off a cliff. Then he falls into darkness, ruminating on being an utter failure. ''Then''... he lands in the Guardener's garden, where the Guardlings are pigging out on the cakes, cookies and pastries left with Princess Parfait's letter, leaving Carrot totally dumbfounded.]]
287--->"uh"\
288"hey dude"
289** The interlude after Chapter 3 has Peridot dreaming that she's finally marrying Almond, her totally-not-secret. Then it devolves into a nightmare as Cordelia appears and shames her for not acting like a proper villain.
290** Interlude 4 is mostly lighthearted, having the Nightmare Knight and Peridot visit the set of ''Punisher Pumice'' and some of the main cast finally catching up with [[spoiler:Bacon]], but the very end of it cuts to [[spoiler:Carrot apparently defeated by Quakemaster]].
291* MyFriendsAndZoidberg:
292** We don't talk about Bacon.
293** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-282/ Greetings, legendary hero! ...and other people!]]
294* NeverMyFault: When Cucumber calls Almond out [[spoiler:for giving a Disaster stone to Peridot in Chapter 1 because she just wanted a fun adventure]], Almond escalates the situation by trying to shift the blame on her brother, but Cucumber replies that [[BluntYes yes]], [[BrutalHonesty everything was her fault]]. [[StunnedSilence She has no words for that]].
295* NoPunctuationIsFunnier:
296** Not as frequently as in ''Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}}'', but it's there. [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-318/ At one point]] the party even pulls off a BigNo like this.
297** Probably one of the funniest cases of this comes from the ''Nightmare Knight'' of all people. [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-490/ His reaction when Parfait calls him a friend.]]
298--->[[FlatWhat a what]]
299* NobleDemon: Nightmare Knight doesn't approve of the BLT trio tormenting the princess when they're supposed to be guarding her room.
300* NoblewomansLaugh: Peridot on [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-785/ this page.]]
301* NonstandardCharacterDesign: The Guardener, whose nightmarish, nigh-CosmicHorror-fying visage is [[spoiler:a realistic rabbit's head]]. Funny, until the Guardener [[spoiler:tries to use cartoony expressions with a realistic animal's face]].
302* NoSell: Rosemaster casually shrugs off Liquus' attack and Mutemaster's ability.
303* NotCompletelyUseless: The Extremely Specific and Pretty Much Completely Worthless Capsule Spell Machine grants Cucumber "the power to place a comically oversized bathtub drain on any surface." It proves surprisingly useful against Splashmaster, doubling as ChekhovsSkill. Zack Morrison of ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' demonstrates several potential uses for the bathtub drain spell in [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/guest-comic-4/ this]] guest comic, turning it into a LethalJokeItem.
304[[/folder]]
305
306[[folder:O to R]]
307* OhCrap:
308** The heroes' first encounter with [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-134/ Splashmaster]]
309** Likewise, their reaction when [[spoiler:Commander Caboodle]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-506/ is not whom he seems to be.]]
310** After Mr. R reveals himself as [[spoiler:Brambleby]], Cucumber [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-719/ puts two and two together]] and realizes that [[spoiler:Princess Azalea is Saturday]].
311* OminousVisualGlitch: Glitchmaster causes this wherever she goes:
312** Even before she appears in person, she causes [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-478/ some ominous effects]] on, and seemingly outside of, Noisemaster's computer monitor.
313** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-508/ And soon after]], when she [[spoiler:derezzes Cosmo.]]
314** When she reveals to Rosemaster that [[spoiler:the Nightmare Knight has been helping the heroes]] the web address at the bottom becomes "cucumber.gigidigi.[[VillainousBreakdown nononononononono]]", then it's in [[VoiceOfTheLegion ALL CAPS]], then it's "[[EvilLaugh cucucucucucucucucu]]cucumber.gigidigi.comcomcomcomc".
315** When [[spoiler:Rosemaster decides to use the Hocus Crocus to fight the heroes herself rather than give it to Glitchmaster as planned, Glitchmaster is a screaming, glitchy mess, her speech font corrupting the comic pages themselves]].
316* PaintingTheMedium:
317** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-298/ This page]] actually uses the IPA phonetic alphabet.
318** All the Disaster Masters get their own custom-shaped speech bubbles. Splashmaster gets water drops hanging down from them, Noisemaster gets jagged ones ([[spoiler:though they turn into regular speech bubbles when he drops his hype-man persona]]), Mutemaster gets cloud-like ones, Rosemaster gets flower stems around hers (that grow thorns when she gets angry) as well as the first letter of every speech bubble being in cursive ([[spoiler:which get upgraded to a super fancy script when she's in her Crocus-powered giant mode]]), and Glitchmaster gets text boxes akin to old [=RPGs=] like ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}''.
319* ParentalSubstitute: Cordelia is a loving mother to Peridot and spoils her rotten. Peridot loves her because she lets her do whatever she wants. [[spoiler:Later on, the Nightmare Knight gets on it, acting like the stern father to counteract Cordelia's indulgence]].
320* PerilousPlay: Count Legato kidnaps the people of Organetto, and later Cucumber and company, and forces them to be extras in his "magnum opus", Prince Crescendo, which mainly consists of them singing his praises.
321* PerpetualFrowner:
322** Baguette's always frowning.
323** Brambleby's always silently frowning. [[spoiler:He averts this with his 'Mr. R' alias]].
324* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Caketown's knights aren't exactly the proactive sort.
325-->'''Carrot:''' Oh, we in the Royal Guard have known about this tower for ages.\
326'''Cucumber:''' You... have? Why didn't you ever come raid the place, then?\
327'''Carrot:''' Well, it's such a long walk... And it's so ''hot''...\
328'''Cucumber:''' Never mind.
329* PlayingTennisWithTheBoss: At one point Almond defeats Peridot by deflecting her [[TakenForGranite petrification spell]] back at her with a sword, Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda-style, which she dodges, but falls off her broomstick/wand thing and is left disarmed in the process.
330* PocketDimension: The "Limbo Zone".
331* PokeThePoodle: Insulting Legato in any way gets you saddled with a bad role in his play.
332* ThePowerOfLove: The catalyst for [[spoiler:Carrot]]'s HeroicSecondWind. [[spoiler:The [[MementoMacguffin locket]] Carrot has is magically connected to Parfait's. When Parfait realizes that Carrot finally got her letter, she puts her faith in him, and the love they shared transformed Carrot into a MagicKnight with shiny, heart-shaped armor]].
333* PrepareToDie: The BLT to Cucumber.
334* PretentiousPronunciation: Peridot's name is Peri-DOH, not Peri-DOT.
335* ProductionThrowback:
336** During one of the backstage conversations Cucumber has in the Legato arc, a harp says "[[Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}} Don't tell anybody we said this, buuuuuuuut...]]"
337** Also the use of the [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-19/ standard Gigi-comic reaction]] to negative incidents.
338--->'''Cucumber:''' ''aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa''
339* ProlongedPrologue: The comic opened with a prologue ''and'' a "chapter zero" before finally starting chapter one over nine months into its run.
340* PumpkinPerson: Thebestmaster has a dark greenish jack-o-lantern for a head. Fittingly, his modus operandi revolves around scaring people, though [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain he's not very good at it]].
341* PunnyName: "Nautie". [[BerserkButton Don't call her that]].
342* PuppyLove: Peridot's adorable fixation with Almond. [[{{Tsundere}} She'll try to deny it]].
343* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The BLT Trio.
344* RabbitMagician: The species of Bunny people featured possess magical abilities. Most notable is Peridot, who has the outfit and spellcasting abilities of a WitchClassic.
345* RackFocus: Used in the first two panels of [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-307/ this page.]] As the Nightmare Knight turns to leave and Parfait turns to look at him, the "camera" appears to change focus from Parfait in the foreground to the Nightmare Knight in the background.
346* RainbowSpeak: Phrases occasionally show up in a colored font, adding to the video game feel.
347* TheRant: Each page usually has a facetious little comment underneath. When it's not there, you know things are serious.
348* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The Dream Oracle subverts this; as the BigGood of Dreamside, she's expected to be wise and all-knowing, but behind closed doors she's rather rude, dismissive, and lazy. [[spoiler:The fact that she's disappointed about someone else defeating Nightmare Knight instead of someone from Cucumber's family implies something else]].
349* RedEyesTakeWarning:
350** Nightmare Knight's eyes glow closer to red when he's angry. They glow orange in chapter 2 when he's [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-375/ provoked by Nautilus]], and they glow red when he was [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-497/ insulted by Cordelia]]. In the Chapter 2 interlude, [[spoiler:Glitchmaster creates a hologram of the Nightmare Knight to communicate with the heroes; he has red eyes instead of yellow, and is significantly more ruthless than the real deal.]]
351** Rosemaster typically has HiddenEyes but she shows one bright red eye while dragging her claws down the surface of a mirror.
352* RedheadInGreen: Cucumber and Rosemaster, though the latter is [[PlantPerson a more literal example than most]]. Inverted with [[spoiler:Peridot disguised as "Marigold" (actually orange but close enough).]]
353* RefusalOfTheCall: Cucumber thinks he's probably the least qualified person to save the world and wants to go to magic school and become a wizard. [[ButThouMust No one will have any of it]].
354* RhetoricalRequestBlunder:
355** Cucumber absentmindedly wishes that he could know where Saturday is--and Saturday is immediately teleported right in front of him. Nautilus realizes what's up:
356--->'''Nautilus:''' We didn't see it, but a star must have passed by right when you made that absentminded wish just now!\
357'''Cucumber:''' Huh?! If I'd known that, I would have made a ''good one!''
358*** RetroactiveWish: He immediately begins making more wishes, unsuccessfully.
359** In one of the FourthWallMailSlot segments, Cucumber is asked if he would ever act again, following his "performance" at Legato Manor:
360--->'''Almond:''' Picture this, Cuco: You and me on a big stage... me as the brave heroine, and you as the helpless damsel! It works, right?\
361'''Cucumber:''' Wouldn't you have to carry me or something?\
362''[{{Beat|Panel}}]''\
363'''Cucumber:''' That [=waSN'T=] A CHALLENGE
364* RolePlayingGameVerse: All significant characters have stat distributions on the site's Character page and Gigi had released inventories for [[http://i.imgur.com/Nh1iZ.png Cucumber]] and [[http://i.imgur.com/E6Idq.png Almond]] on their Tumblr. However, while the comic resembles an RPG in presentation and story, actual gameplay elements like stats or MP haven't made an appearance in the work itself.
365* RubberForeheadAliens: Despite looking vaguely feline in appearance, there's nothing to suggest Cordelia is anything but an [[SpikesOfVillainy exceptionally pointy-eared rabbit]], until Nightmare Knight outright says she's from another world. Cosmo, however, is a bit easier to recognize as being from the Moon.
366[[/folder]]
367
368[[folder:S to V]]
369* SceneryPorn: Gigi's done some [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-138/ pretty,]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-176/ captivating]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-312/ backgrounds]] during their run of the comic so far. It really adds to the fantasy world the characters live in.
370* SchizoTech:
371-->'''Gigi:''' Well...the people of Dreamside have television, electric lighting and space travel, but they’re still fighting with swords. I probably decided on this because I’ve always liked cartoons and comics that blend old-timey fantasy stuff with modern technology for the sake of humor or whimsy or whatever.''
372* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: "Puffington's Academy for the Magically Gifted and/or Incredibly Wealthy" would imply that to get in you need either magical skill or enough money for lack of skill to not matter.
373* SealedEvilInACan: The Nightmare Knight. [[spoiler:Being summoned and defeated again and again took a toll on him]].
374* SeriousBusiness: Limbo in the Ripple Kingdom. Heck challenge someone to a [[CookingDuel Limbo Duel]], and they have a [[PocketDimension limbo dimension]] prepared so that they can "[[ChewingTheScenery battle for]] [[{{Melodrama}} limbo supremacy]]".
375* ShooOutTheClowns: On the rare moments when the comic takes a more serious tone, Gigi has been known to stop providing witty commentary in TheRant, such as [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-463/ here]] and [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-568/ here.]]
376* ShoutOut:
377** One of the spells in Cucumber's repertoire [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire lets you breath underwater by]] [[WesternAnimation/PeterPanAndThePirates putting a bubble around your head.]]
378** The first few lines to the ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' opening are uttered when [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-183/ Captain Bubblebeard launches Cucumber and Nautilus to their next destination.]]
379** Chardonnay crashing onto Nautilus's head while searching for Cucumber is incredibly reminiscent to Twink landing on Mario's head while searching for him in ''VideoGame/PaperMario''.
380** Captain Caboodle pretty much quotes [[Franchise/ToyStory Buzz Lightyear]] upon meeting Cucumber and Nautilus.
381** When Saturday and Brambleby are blown up and turned into ATwinkleInTheSky, the footnote says "[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Looks like Team]]--[[DefiedTrope no. No, never mind.]]"
382** In Comic 345, Noisemaster begins his evil plan revealing by practically channeling [[VideoGame/ParappaTheRapper MC King Kong Mushi]].
383** The balloon-blimp in Comic 356 looks almost exactly like the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Fairy Ocarina]].
384** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-2-bonus/ Hyper The SpeedSword]] seems to be a parody of mascots with attitude - mainly of the [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Blue Dude With Tude]] guy. [[TakeThat It was cancelled after two episodes]].
385** The footnote where the pizza bunnies leave in depression is "''[[Anime/CowboyBebop See You Pizza Cowboy]]''".
386** Resident goth Dahlia's [[GothGirlsKnowMagic incantation]] uses lyrics from {{Music/Evanescence}}'s "Bring Me To Life".
387** [[spoiler:The giant, living "statue" of Rosemaster that menaces Almond is posed like the giant, living statue that houses [[ComicBook/TheSandman Desire of the Endless]].]]
388** On [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-675/ page 675]], Peridot is shown wearing fluffy slippers that look like [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Toriel]]; Creator/TobyFox even used a screencap of them as his Twitter profile pic for a while.
389* SiblingYinYang:
390** Cucumber and Almond (also a case of MasculineGirlFeminineBoy)-- Cuco is a thoughtful, somewhat cowardly mage, while Almond is a rash and headstrong swordswoman. For a more subtle comparison, look at [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-313/ their handwriting]]: Cucumber has very neat script handwriting, while Almond's looks like she used crayons.
391** Baguette bakes bread and is cynical and brash, while Tartelette bakes pastries and other sweets and is polite and pleasant.
392** [[spoiler:Gherkin and his sister, Peanut, had the personalities of Cucumber and Almond, except reversed. In a flashback, Gherkin distrusts the Nightmare Knight and believes his offer of peace was a trap, while Peanut was willing to believe that the Nightmare Knight genuinely meant what he said]]/
393* ShowWithinAShow: ''Pretty Protector Punisher Pumice'', a MagicalGirl show that Almond likes. She's also a fan of ''Hyper the [=SpeedSword=]'' (a CaptainErsatz of Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog), but that one was cancelled after two episodes.
394* SimilarSquad: [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/7259953752/the-first-legendary-hero-gherkin-defeated-the Gherkin and Peanut]], the original brother/sister pair who fought the Nightmare Knight, to Cucumber and Almond.
395* SingleTear: Shed by the pizza guys when Cucumber and friends reject the pizza guys' arrival.
396* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Justified by the fact that Nightmare Knight created them in that order as he himself grew in power. Perhaps further justified by the fact that [[spoiler:someone is manipulating events to make sure the heroes win]].
397* SortingAlgorithmOfThreateningGeography: The heroes' travels through the various kingdoms of Dreamside seem to be following this order to a tee, at least so far. (Which is appropriate, since the comic is an affectionate tribute to the sort of games that traditionally employ such algorithms.) To date, they've started in [[{{Arcadia}} their home village]], traveled through the [[LevelAte Donut Kingdom]] and its [[GreenHillZone candy woodlands]], then visited (in order) the [[PalmtreePanic Ripple]] [[UnderTheSea Kingdom]], the [[BandLand Melody]] [[BigBoosHaunt Kingdom]], and the [[TheHedgeOfThorns Flower]] [[RuinsForRuinsSake Kingdom]]. After a [[BonusStage slight]] [[JokeLevel detour]], they moved on to [[CrystalLandscape the]] [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Crystal]] [[LethalLavaLand Kingdom]], and they seem to be headed for the [[LevelInTheClouds Sky]] [[FloatingContinent Kingdom]] and the [[SpaceZone Space]] [[{{Tomorrowland}} Kingdom]], before presumably facing the final boss...[[SubvertedTrope in one sense or another]].
398* SpeechImpediment: Grizzlygum has a lisp.
399* SpiritualSuccessor: Minus the fact that it's not a video game, the comic's tone, humor and plot make it a classic ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' game in all but name. Gigi has stated that the first two ''Paper Mario'' games were a major influence.
400* {{Squee}}:
401** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-118/ Queen Cordelia and Peridot share one]] after [[spoiler:Peridot brings her the last Disaster Stone]]. It's surprisingly adorable after Cordelia had finished chewing out her henchmen and threatened to turn them into stone.
402** After she first meets Cucumber, Nautilus [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-149/ is elated]] when she gets to fill the role of his MrExposition.
403** Peridot gets ''really'' excited in the Chapter 4 interlude [[spoiler:when she gets to meet Bacon, who starred in her favorite TV show, ''Punisher Pumice'']].
404* StatingTheSimpleSolution:
405** Cucumber suggests that he simply destroy the Disaster Stones instead of going on a long-winded quest. Cabbage panics and says it would make him the most boring legendary hero ever.
406** Cucumber does this again when [[spoiler:he, Almond and Carrot are exploring Saturday's hideout for the Dream Sword and discover the last Disaster Stone. Cucumber considers holding onto it and not even bothering to grab the sword. Surprisingly, Carrot agrees with him, putting the safety of the kingdom over the adventure. Unsurprisingly, Almond finds that idea boring, which later proves disastrous in the long run, and earns her a bitter WhatTheHellHero from Cucumber, who blames her for treating everything like a fun adventure]].
407** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-497/ Cordelia asks the Nightmare Knight]] why he doesn't [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just]] "defeat the hero yourself? Right '''now'''?" She narrowly escapes being punished for her insubordination.
408* StayInTheKitchen: Regarding Almond and her desire to be a hero: "When's the last time you ever heard of a little sister becoming a legendary hero?"
409* StealthPun:
410** Grizzlygum is a bear with no teeth, just gums. In short, he's a GUMMY bear.
411** The limbo zone. It's made for playing limbo, obviously. It's also a ''state'' of limbo.
412** Nautilus's Instrument of Summoning [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-154/ isn't a cell phone]] - because it's a shell phone.
413* TheStoryteller: Princess Nautilis, as part of her role.
414* StunnedSilence: Happens in Chapter 3; [[spoiler:after waking up from a nightmare about Cordelia,]] Peridot hears strange noises and wanders into the kitchen, [[spoiler:where she finds the Nightmare Knight dressed in a pink cooking apron, ''making cookies''. Cue awkward silence]].
415* StylisticSuck:
416** Legato's [[CringeComedy truly awful play]] ''Magnificent Prince Crescendo'', most of which revolves around [[SmallNameBigEgo how beautiful the character he wrote for himself is]].
417** The fourth Intermission has the Nightmare Knight and Peridot watch ''Punisher Pumice'' together again, and like the last times we see glimpses of the show it's everything you'd expect from a subpar MagicalGirlWarrior series. But then the apparent BigBad appears, and he's a terrible parody of the Knight himself and his Disaster Masters, with all of them {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed into hilariously stale caricatures of themselves (save for [[TookALevelInBadass Splashmaster]], of all people) and instantly [[AdaptationalWimp defeated]] by Pumice. That fact that this kind of scene could happen at ''all'' makes the Nightmare Knight want to travel to Silver Studios.
418* SubvertedTrope: Many, since ''Cucumber Quest'' is built around the idea of poking fun and even satirizing many hero fantasy tropes.
419** The Dream Oracle subverts the idea of a person being an AllPowerfulBystander and the BigGood who mentors the heroes and keeps the world safe. She's played up to be all-powerful and wise, but it turns out she's rather dismissive and rude, and constantly uses her assistant Chardonnay as an errand girl [[spoiler:which causes her to quit the job for good in Chapter 5]]. She's also willing to let the heroes do the world-saving for her, and take credit for things others had done, and would rather watch TV instead of doing things herself. Her behavior causes her to become a BrokenPedestal for Cucumber and his gang, who gradually start to distrust her and her motives.
420** The Nightmare Knight, being the final villain the heroes must face in the end, subverts the BigBad trope. [[spoiler:He was once an OmnicidalManiac, only caring for power and destruction, but seeing the people of Dreamside celebrate their first hero's victory caused him to gain a conscience. He tried giving the Legendary an offer of peace in the second cycle, but the Hero's distrust caused him to assume that there's no hope for him or the Disaster Masters. Countless cycles of being summoned and defeated again and again made him grow sick of it all, but he must continue being the villain because losing Dreamside's fear of him would result in the Disaster Masters dying, as they thrive on fear in order to live]].
421* SugarBowl: The comic's world is notably [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/4952014795/welcome-to-the-doughnut-kingdom-this-is-cucumber VERY reminiscent]] of TabletopGame/CandyLand.
422* SuicideByCop: How [[spoiler:Rosemaster]] goes out. [[spoiler:Even with Carrot's [[ThePowerOfLove love-powered]] transformation, Rosemaster could've chosen to wipe the floor with him, but instead takes a magical arrow to the chest to spite Glitchmaster]].
423* SupremeChef: [[spoiler:Later, Nightmare Knight is revealed to be one, having taken up the hobby after he became curious about Dreamside. Discovering this is what allows [[SweetTooth Peridot]] to bond with him]].
424* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
425** Almond gets hit with this hard at the end of chapter 3 and throughout the beginning of chapter 4. Sure, a grand adventure to save the world might sound fun from an observer's perspective, but actually being in one requires the person to experience the suffering of all the hardships that those people have to go through. [[spoiler:This especially gets hammered in when Cucumber bluntly states that Almond could have avoided all that suffering if she actually considered this from the beginning, instead of just giving the villains the ArtifactOfDoom that they needed to kick start their evil plan just because she wanted to go on a "fun" adventure]].
426*** Similarly, her criticizing Cucumber for [[spoiler:trying to make peace with the Nightmare Knight]] comes off as hypocritical when she's already on friendly terms with Peridot, who's also a villain. [[spoiler:After Cucumber calls her out, she has a JerkassRealization and later tells her brother that she'll stop nagging him about sympathizing with the villains and she'll support him no matter what]].
427** As mentioned above, Nautilus spent so much time reading and studying history that she often forgot crucial information until it's too late, exasperating her friends. To counter this, Nautilus keeps a diary with her so she wouldn't forget what she learned.
428** Carrot's cowardice caused his friends to lose faith in him a few times, and came to a head in Chapter 3 [[spoiler:when Rosemaster exploits Almond's shock and heartbreak at seeing Carrot cowering behind a bush by manipulating her into believing that cowardice made Carrot a villain, so she could brainwash Almond]]. Fortunately, [[spoiler:a sweet LoveLetter and ThePowerOfLove gives him the confidence he needs and transforms him into a MagicKnight]].
429** The Count Legato incident in Chapter 2 happened because [[spoiler:Mandolin, the mayor's son, bullied the nerdy Panpipe at school behind his mother's back, driving Panpipe to try taking revenge against his tormentor when he finds the original Count Legato's contact lens. When Mayor Lute finds out, she is ''furious'']].
430** Being defeated again and again by the heroes can inflict a severe toll on one's psyche [[spoiler:as shown with the case of Nightmare Knight and the Disaster Masters. The Nightmare Knight wants the cycles to stop, but can't because not being feared means the Disaster Masters will die, so he results to sabotaging the Disaster Masters' plans in secret so no lasting harm could come to Dreamside. The Disaster Masters themselves end up taking desperate measures to take over or destroy Dreamside, either because they lost faith in Nightmare Knight as a villain, or they also want the cycles to stop]].
431** [[TakeYourTime Heroes often take their time on their quests, only saving the world and defeating the villains at the last minute]]. [[spoiler:Noisemaster decides to do things differently and destroy Trebleopolis with his Noisecannon right then and there before the heroes could do anything... until the Nightmare Knight directly intervenes by summoning a protective barrier]].
432* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: Nautilus tells Cucumber to be on his guard, as Splashmaster could be anywhere. Gigi's end-of-page text discusses it:
433-->''But you haven’t hit a save point yet, so I think you’re okay.''
434* TakeThatAudience: The footnote at the bottom of [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/chapter-2-bonus-2/ this comic]] is likely a subtle jab at the kind of people that pester Gigi Digi about continuing Hiimdaisy.
435* TakeYourTime: The TimedMission to stop Noisemaster's KillSat is played with in two ways:
436** Parodied:
437--->''I'm so very sorry, but there's really '''no time left'''! The Noise Blaster could fire at '''ANY SECOND'''! [[LampshadeHanging ...is what I've been saying for a few hours...]] but the truth is it seems to have stopped charging at 99%.''
438** Deconstructed:
439--->[[spoiler:Heroes, man. Think they can mess around, maybe take care of some sidequests, [[AlwaysClose roll in here at the last second like it's all cool.]] This ain't new. Know something, Cucumber? You were right. I am sick of the same thing. That's why this time, there's gonna be some changes.]]
440* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Cucumber tries this on Noisemaster. It doesn't work.
441* TalkToTheFist: Tomato wastes his time boasting at Almond. She takes the opportunity to whack him in the face.
442* ThemeNaming: The theme varies based on the kingdom.
443** Doughnut Kingdom: [[EdibleThemeNaming Foods]]. Princess Parfait, King Croissant, Cucumber, Almond, Carrot.
444*** The names of the known Legendary Heroes and their sisters also have a theme: The hero is named after a gourd (Cucumber, Gherkin, Calabash), while the sister is named after a nut (Almond, Peanut, Walnut)
445** Ripple Kingdom: Sea life. Princess Nautilus, King Kelp, Queen Conch.
446** Melody Kingdom: [[MusicalThemeNaming Music and musical instruments]]. Princess Piano, Queen Cymbal, King Clarinet, Lute, Panpipe.
447** Flower Kingdom: [[FloralThemeNaming Flowers and other plants]]. King Aster, King Sunflower, Princess Azalea, and Rubus [[spoiler:Brambleby]].
448** Crystal Kingdom: [[RockThemeNaming Gemstones and other minerals]]. Princess Ametrine, Queen Sapphire, King Ruby, Peridot, Obsidian.
449** Sky Kingdom: Weather and types of clouds. Princess Sunshine, Cumulo Puffington.
450** Space Kingdom: Presumably [[StellarName celestial bodies and other space-related terms]]. Cosmo is the only citizen of the kingdom known so far.
451** The only character this doesn't seem to apply to is Saturday, and it's implied that's not her real name in her character profile on the comic's website. [[spoiler:Her real name, Azalea, fits right in with the theme of her home kingdom.]]
452* ThisCannotBe: Cordelia pulls this one off after Splashmaster's defeat, and the Nightmare Knight {{lampshades}} it.
453* ThresholdGuardian: The BLT squad. Grizzlygum.
454* ThrowTheDogABone: Bacon gets [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-446/ a standing ovation!]] [[spoiler:And why wouldn't he? His performance as Witch-Queen Xylophonia was amazing!]]
455* TimedMission: The entirety of Chapter 2 quickly turns out to be one after [[spoiler:Noisemaster reveals his plan to destroy Trebleopolis with a space cannon he calls the Noise Blaster. It's already charged to 33% by the time Cucumber and his friends even know it exists.]]
456* TorchesAndPitchforks: The fourth Intermission has the crew of Silver Studios ''immediately'' raise them in fear against Gary, the actor portraying the Nightmare Knight, after his costume breaks and he reveals himself as [[spoiler:the Guardener from the Rose Kingdom]].
457* TrainingFromHell: How Nautilus became a [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/chapter-1-bonus-2/ "limbo master"]]
458* TrappedInVillainy: [[spoiler:The Nightmare Knight. He doesn't want to be a villain, but he has no choice but to perpetuate the cycles because he doesn't want to lose his "children", the Disaster Masters]].
459* TwinkleInTheEye: The contest contestants [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-548/ here.]]
460* ATwinkleInTheSky: [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-183/ Here]] and [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/archive/page-330/ here.]]
461* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: [[spoiler:Princess Azalea and Mr. R turn out to be the real identities of Saturday and Brambleby, respectively.]]
462* UnsoundEffect:
463** Doors closing with the sound effect "shut" appears to be becoming a minor RunningGag.
464** Readers of ''Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}}'' will already be familiar with the all-purpose sound effect "PFFT."
465* UnusualEars: The Dream Oracle's resemble membranous wings.
466* VagueAge: Gigi has stated a couple times that pretty much all the characters have vague ages. Cucumber and Almond are "just kids", Almond's "a slightly younger kid", Carrot is an adult, etc. You can read all about it on [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/75358888766/princesskaiju-asked-you-if-you-had-the Gigi's Tumblr]] and on the trivia page.
467* ValleyGirl: Arguably [[TerribleTrio Lettuce]], and Tulip of the Princess R contest.
468* VerbalTic: Baguette has a tic, man. Tartelette does too, hon. Lettuce, [[LikeIsLikeAComma like]], probably counts, too. As does Crabbro, bro. As well as the Crabsters, see?
469* VerbalBackspace: Cucumber does an impressive one while being introduced to Princess Nautilus:
470-->'''Cucumber:''' Oh, or how about I call you [[InnocentInnuendo Nautie]] for sh--\
471''[Nautilus glares at him]''\
472'''Cucumber:''' ...how about I call you Nautilus.\
473'''Nautilus:''' That would be wonderful!
474* ViciousCycle: [[spoiler:It's revealed that the Nightmare Knight has been summoned every 5000 years or so. His legend is 500,000 years old, which means he's been sealed and summoned again 100 times.]]
475* VillainDecay: InUniverse and related to ViciousCycle-- [[spoiler:the Nightmare Knight's constant resummonings have left the heroes despairing with no known way to permanently stop him, but the villains also take it as a sign that they can never win.]] Demonstrated with the Disaster Masters:
476** Noisemaster had lost faith in his leader because of this trope, and tried to leave some mark on the world, [[spoiler:only to be foiled by the Nightmare Knight himself]].
477** Rosemaster's conversation with the Nightmare Knight is about how they seemed so powerful when they started, but now they were just going through the motions. [[spoiler:Rosemaster herself lost her drive for victory (finding it pointless to torment innocent Dreamside denizens whom she had no personal quarrel with), but pushed herself anyway under the assumption that it would help the Nightmare Knight get out of ''his'' VillainDecay.]]
478* VillainousCrush: A rather obvious one from Peridot, on Almond. Supported by WordOfGod, and {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by [[{{Jerkass}} Cabbage]] very publicly [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-556/ here]].
479* VillainousFriendship: An apparent type I between Cordelia and Peridot, as well as an IntergenerationalFriendship.
480* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption:
481** DoubleSubverted with Saturday in chapter 1. It seems like they're going to have to fight her for the dream sword - then she hands it over, because she thought it was fake when the sword wouldn't come out of it's scabbard. Then she gets upset when she learns that she's stranded far from home and starts attacking, only to be flattened by a spaceship out of nowhere.
482** A tragically straight example with [[spoiler:the Nightmare Knight. He doesn't want to terrorize Dreamside and be defeated over and over again, but he has no choice but to keep doing it because he needs the fear to keep his Disaster Masters alive]].
483[[/folder]]
484
485[[folder:W to Z]]
486* WallOfBlather: Grizzlygum, complaining, gets this.
487* WhamEpisode:
488** Chapter 2:
489*** [[spoiler:Noisemaster's plan to destroy the Melody Kingdom is sabotaged when the Nightmare Knight directly intervenes by erecting a purple barrier to protect it.]]
490*** [[spoiler:Glitchmaster shows up in Nightmare Knight's form and nearly kills the heroes by hurling them towards Dreamside's sun]].
491** Chapter 3:
492*** [[spoiler:Rosemaster usurped the true rulers of the Flower Kingdom, King Aster and King Sunflower, and put everyone with a flower-related name under her MassHypnosis]].
493*** [[spoiler:Rosemaster actually doesn't want to be the villain because she didn't want to hurt innocent people who had no grudge wit her, but is bound to her role and wanted to defeat the heroes to break the Nightmare Knight out of his funk. While she's angry her "father" betrayed them all, she's mostly pleased that he did so]].
494*** [[spoiler:The Nightmare Knight was initially an OmnicidalManiac driven by instinct to destroy, but seeing everyone celebrate his first defeat caused him to develop feelings he hadn't before. When the hero Gherkin refused his offer of peace, Nightmare Knight gave up and continued terrorizing Dreamside because he felt trapped in his role. He also grew attached to his Disaster Masters, but because they're living extensions of his own power, they will cease to exist if Dreamside no longer fears the Nightmare Knight]].
495* WhamLine:
496-->'''Chardonnay:''' We just have to be sure [[GenerationXerox every hero]] is clear on this stuff, y'know?
497** Also done straight from [[WordOfGod the author herself]]:
498--->'''Gigi:''' [[https://twitter.com/gigideegee/status/548929336263192578 i wonder if anyone identified the flowers on]] [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-559/ page 559-560...]] ([[spoiler:They're [[LaserGuidedAmnesia forget-me-nots]]]])
499** When the Nightmare Knight reveals that [[spoiler:he's only playing the ultimate villain so he can have enough power to keep the Disaster Masters alive.]]
500--->'''Nightmare Knight:''' [[spoiler:Losing my reputation, giving up this role as Dreamside's enemy ... would mean losing the power to sustain them.]]
501** During Intermission 3:
502--->'''Mr. R:''' Listen darling. People here know me as Mr. R -- but the "R" is short for my real name, [[spoiler:Rubus. Rubus Brambleby.]]
503* WhamShot:
504** From [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-470/ Page 470]]: The blast from [[spoiler:Noisemaster's cannon]] being stopped by a [[spoiler:starry, purple]] force-field...
505** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-637/ Page 637]]: [[spoiler:Carrot has finally gained his courage, and has upgraded into a MagicKnight with a shiny set of armor]].
506** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-680/ Page 680]]: The strange noises Peridot heard in the kitchen [[spoiler:was actually Nightmare Knight making cookies]].
507** An in-universe example in [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-840/ Page 840]]: [[spoiler:Bacon's character, Pancetta, performs a fatal HeroicSacrifice for Punisher Pumice by TakingTheBullet with "Nightmare Knight"'s attack, and all hope seems lost... until Pancetta is revived through ThePowerOfLove as another magical girl, Punisher Pancetta. [[{{Squee}} Peridot reacts as one would expect]]]].
508* WhatTheHellHero:
509** The Nightmare Knight gives one to Cucumber in Chapter 3 [[spoiler:after Rosemaster is defeated, assuming that he and the heroes would treat Rosemaster's Disaster stone like a trophy to parade around like one would a corpse. This influences Cucumber's decision to give it to the Roselings instead, who are happy to look after her]].
510** Cucumber gives Almond one in Chapter 4. [[spoiler:As much as it pained him to say it directly, the entire hero's quest could've been avoided if Almond hadn't treated everything like a game by giving Peridot the last Disaster stone or messing up Cucumber's attempts to offer reconcilation to Nightmare Knight. But nooo, she just wanted to go on a fun adventure. [[NeverMyFault When Almond escalates the situation by trying to shift the blame somewhere else]], Cucumber replies that [[ArmorPiercingResponse yes, it really is her fault]]]]. It makes Almond realize what a {{Hypocrite}} she was, so she resolved to stop it and support Cucumber [[spoiler:in breaking the Cycle]] no matter what.
511* WidelySpacedJailBars: Cucumber's dad's cell. Lampshaded in the description text.
512-->''What do you mean, I could probably slip right through the bars? I know you can’t tell, but [[BlatantLies I’ve gained a lot of weight in here, son]].''
513* WeirdSun: The sun of Dreamside is basically the cheerful sentient envelope of a hot air balloon piloted by a princess.
514* WineIsClassy: Cordelia in [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/4549186733/cat-planet this]] bit of artwork.
515* AWizardDidIt: [[http://gigidigi.tumblr.com/post/12320870982/whurfbuilding How a flat planet physically works.]]
516-->''Wizards, wizards, wizards, wizards, wizards, wizards, wizards, w''
517* WorldOfSnark: Pretty much every named character has some snarky moments, whether it be as a DeadpanSnarker or another type of snarker.
518* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: Exotic hair colors are commonplace among Dreamsiders. Their hair will often be the shape and color of the thing they're named after; for example Cabbage's hair resembling a cabbage, or Peridot's box-shaped hair resembling green gemstones.
519* WouldHitAGirl: Tomato threatens Almond, saying he has no qualms about hitting a girl. [[BadassAdorable Almond never gives him the chance]].
520* WouldntHitAGirl: On the other hand, [[spoiler:Carrot refuses to fight Almond even if she did nearly kill him, because he recognizes that Rosemaster made her BrainwashedAndCrazy. So he only restrained Almond with a magic arrow to keep her from fighting before moving on to Rosemaster]].
521* WreckedWeapon: Carrot's spear was bent by Splashmaster when he tried to rescue Almond. He apparently found it again, and fixed it, or he got a new one before they left the Ripple Kingdom since he had it again later.
522* YouCantThwartStageOne: Cuco would ''very'' much like to avert this trope by preventing the Nightmare Knight's summoning, but the enemy--and even some of his ''allies''--are determined to have it played straight. The fact that Cucumber is the only one who even considered the possibility of this trope being averted really plays into his role as OnlySaneMan. [[spoiler:Apparently averted [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-724/ in the past, when Cabbage was nearly named the hero.]]]]
523* YouMeanXmas: According to WordOfGod, Dreamside has some of the same holidays as our world, but by different names. For example, Halloween is Candy Corn Day, Christmas is Candy Cane Day, and Valentine's is Bouquet Day.
524* ZigZaggingTrope: Many, since ''Cucumber Quest'' is built around the idea of poking fun and even satirizing many hero fantasy tropes.
525-->'''Gigi:''' I don’t think Cucumber Quest is subversive in any revolutionary way; I’d just call it a story about people who are bad at filling the roles they’ve been assigned by others. Sometimes in funny ways, sometimes in difficult ways.
526** Both Cucumber and his sister Almond play with the KidHero trope. Cucumber wanted to go to magic school, [[ButThouMust but his parents and the Dream Oracle forced him to go on the heroic quest]] solely because of his HeroicLineage, and spends most of the story feeling understandably freaked out by the things he encounters. Almond on the other hand is enthusiastic with going on an adventure and being a hero, but despite her skill in swordsmanship, she's still a naive kid who's way in over her head, and her strong BlackAndWhiteMorality [[spoiler:foiled Cucumber's attempts to reconcile with the Nightmare Knight, and nearly got herself, her brother, and Carrot killed]]. Not to mention, as Cucumber pointed out, [[spoiler:[[WhatTheHellHero the only reason why they're all going in the first place was because Almond was dumb enough to give Nightmare Knight's orb to Peridot]], [[WhatTheHellHero for the sake of having an epic adventure]]]].
527** Sir Carrot plays with the KnightInShiningArmor trope, in that while he has the behavior and chivalric ideals, he's actually not cut out to be a knight because of his crippling cowardice, and all of Caketown's knights are little more than glorified servants of the king anyway. [[MyGreatestFailure His cowardice even led to Princess Parfait's capture and imprisonment]]. He ''knows'' what his fault is, but he ends up running away more than he fights, causing a lot of problems for himself and his friends who are counting on him, and making him develop self-loathing for who he is. [[spoiler:It's eventually played straight in the climatic battle against Rosemaster in Chapter 3; having been encouraged by Parfait's love and faith through a sweet LoveLetter, Carrot gains the confidence he needs and lets ThePowerOfLove transform him into a courageous knight, upgrading to a shiny suit of heart-themed armor and giving himself the ability to wield magic]].
528** Nautilus plays with MsExposition by often forgetting crucial information until it's too late.
529** Princess Parfait plays with the DamselInDistress trope. Being betrayed by her own knights and having her father turned to stone by Peridot was bad enough. While in captivity, Parfait had to deal with constant, unwanted advances from [[{{Jerkass}} Tomato]] and harassment from the BLT trio, which made her feel lonely and wanting for companionship as she waits for her true love, Sir Carrot, to rescue her. [[spoiler:It results in her befriending the Nightmare Knight, who gradually grows fond of Parfait the longer he interacts with her]].
530[[/folder]]
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