Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Webcomic / EightBitTheater

Go To

1%%
2%%
3%%Zero Context Entries are not allowed on wiki pages. Weblinks are also not examples. Please add context before removing comment tags
4%%
5%%
6
7[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eightbitCast.jpg]]
8[[caption-width-right:173:[-Clockwise from the top: [[OmnicidalManiac Black Mage]], [[{{Munchkin}} Red Mage]], [[MiserAdvisor Thief]], [[DumbIsGood Fighter]]-] ]]
9
10->''"That is ''not'' how we do things around here, buddy. First we have to argue incessantly over semantics. Then one of us has to hurt one or all of us."''
11-->-- '''RedMage''', [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/08/05/episode-1021-open-with-a-joke/ summing up the comic]]
12
13''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/8-bit-theater/ 8-Bit Theater]]'' is a [[BlackComedy Spite]]... er, SpriteComic by Creator/BrianClevinger that ran from [[WebcomicsLongRunners 2001 to 2010]]. Its plot, an AffectionateParody of the first ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Final Fantasy]]'', follows the four Light Warriors (who really aren't the best for the job): Fighter [=McWarrior=], an [[TheDitz astoundingly stupid]] sword-obsessed warrior; BlackMage [[MeaningfulName Evilwizardington]], an AxCrazy homicidal sociopath who is only held back by the RuleOfFunny and a [[ButtMonkey tendency to get hurt]]; [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Thief]], a fugitive prince of elf clan [[PunctuationShaker Khee'bler]] armed with extreme greed and an expertise in [[MiserAdvisor manipulative contracts]]; and RedMage Statscowski, a so-called [[TheStrategist strategist]] who considers life to be a [[TabletopGames tabletop game]], is [[{{Munchkin}} obsessed with his stats]], and was tricked into liking [[CrossDresser cross dressing]].
14
15The strip's humor comes mostly from the [[SadistShow violent nature]] of its protagonists, the absurd situations they find themselves in, and [[PlayingWithATrope a little screwing around with videogame tropes]] (mainly {{RPG}} tropes, but others do come into play). It is one of the original sprite comics, having started the year after ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' and eventually outstripping it in terms of popularity (at least partly because the latter comic ended in 2007). It also defined the dysfunctional party dynamic that would go on to fill every single other fantasy webcomic that came after it.
16
17At various points over the years, the comic also featured {{Character Blog}}s[=/=]{{Fourth Wall Mail Slot}}s for Red Mage and Evil Princess Sara.
18
19After nine years, two fake endings, well over a thousand strips, and (at least) two of the longest-ranged {{Call Back}}s in the history of the webcomic medium, ''8-Bit Theater'' finally ended. A few months after the last proper comic's publication, Clevinger published [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/06/01/the-epilogue/ a long epilogue to wrap things up]]; it was written by Clevinger and drawn by Matt Speroni (''Webcomic/HowIKilledYourMaster'').
20
21In 2021, as a 20th anniversary celebration, [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bclev/8-bit-theater-20th-anniversary-book-wait-20-years-son-of-a a crowdfunded annotated script]] (because, as highlighted by the subtitle "Do Not Sue Edition", printing a comic based on video game sprites is just begging for the attention of "the brilliant and attractive lawyers at Square-Enix"... and also, the original pages are too low-resolution to be worth printing) was announced, to be released on both PDF and DoorStopper editions.
22
23----
24!! ''8-Bit Theater'' contains examples of:
25
26[[foldercontrol]]
27
28[[folder:A to M]]
29* AbortedArc: Clevinger played with this to help create the AntiClimax. [[spoiler:Each Light Warrior has an avatar of some sort trying to prepare each of them for their [[TheChosenOne large and important destinies]]. However, they all eventually get fed up and leave, unable to take all the insanity and stupidity. None of them are ever mentioned again and don't have anything to do with the story's ultimate resolution.]]
30* AccidentalIncantation: The Warriors of Light discover that a cult is intending to summon a monster, but interrupt them before they succeed. Black Mage realizes he could summon the monster to do his own bidding, but [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/05/episode-752-its-all-fun-and-games-until-everything-dies/ can't pronounce]] the monster's [[IKnowYourTrueName true name]] (which is required to summon it). Thief and Red Mage also join, but can't figure it out either. Then Fighter happens to {{sneeze|OfDoom}} while looking at it... [[SubvertedTrope which turns out to be just a harmless sneeze.]] Except then Fighter immediately makes a lucky guess as to the monster's name and ends up summoning it.
31* AchievementsInIgnorance: Both Fighter and Black Belt can break the laws of physics simply through being too stupid to understand them.
32** Fighter ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/08/episode-1170-happy-landings/ blocks the ground]]'' to prevent falling damage, since he can "block anything."
33** There was also the time where he believed they had ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/12/11/episode-490-going-up/ "slain" gravity and could now fly,]]'' and then actually flies away.
34** Black Belt has NoSenseOfDirection to the point where he can literally warp space-time.
35* ActuallyAGoodIdea: The Light Warriors (minus Fighter) come up with a plan to defeat Chaos, after Fighter ruins their previous attempt by selling the legendary weapons Thief stole. They'll send Fighter over to literally talk him to death. Fighter instead has a friendly conversation with Chaos (and convinces him to transform into his OneWingedAngel form). Red Mage sadly laments that it was a great plan up until Fighter was involved.
36* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/19/episode-1129-there/ admits it]] at one point.
37-->''[Black and Red Mage flash back to Black Mage being used as a hood ornament on an airship]''\
38'''Red Mage:''' We thought it'd be funny.\
39''[two beat panels]''\
40'''Black Mage:''' Heh. That was funny, wasn't it?
41* AdaptationExpansion: Boy ''howdy.'' Around the first ten minutes of the game are covered over about 135 strips.
42* AdaptationalHeroism: Garland is the main villain in the original game. Here, he's a MinionWithAnFInEvil... [[spoiler:and ends up as the FakeUltimateHero.]]
43* AdaptationalVillainy:
44** Sarda, an insignificant and helpful figure from the source material, is the BigBad.
45** The Light Warriors pretty much define HeroicComedicSociopath.
46* AffablyEvil: Garland, he's certainly more affable than evil since he is completely hopeless at doing anything actually evil.
47* AGodAmI: Sarda goes off on a god complex for most of his appearances, acting like he's the creator of the universe or something.
48* AllJustADream: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/12/11/episode-1070-what-were-you-expecting/ One of two fake endings involve Thief telling Fighter that it's time for bed and then someone waking up complaining about the quality of the dream.]]
49-->'''Thief:''' What if you're the imaginary one?\
50'''Fighter:''' If I was then that'd mean everyone I ever knew or cared about, everything that ever was, was a lie.\
51'''Random real life woman:''' ''[turning off alarm clock]'' That dream was like 80% filler.\
52'''Title card:''' The end!
53* AllThereInTheManual: Red Mage's last name "Statscowski" has only been mentioned in forum posts [[WordOfGod by the author]], never in the comic itself.
54* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse, Black Mage thinks ComicBook/LexLuthor, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/17/episode-1106-from-a-certain-point-of-view/ is the hero of the story]] because ridding the world of Superman will restore humanity's agency.[[note]]Amusingly, this ''is'' how certain depictions of Lex see themselves as.[[/note]]
55* AlwaysLawfulEvil: Each and every single elf is elitist, selfish, duplicitous, bellicose, and genocidally racist, but they live and die by (absurdly complex) laws and (fine print-riddled) contracts.
56* AmbiguousSyntax: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/12/04/episode-359-flawless-victories/ When the Light Warriors are impersonating the Bearded Warriors.]]
57-->'''Dwarf King:''' ''(seeing Black Mage blow up the obstacle course)'' Wow. No one's ever tried ''that'' before.
58-->'''Red Mage:''' That's because they weren't Bearded Warriors like us.
59-->'''Dwarf King:''' That's a point.
60-->'''Red Mage:''' [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Yes, and one with no veiled meanings either.]]
61* AmusingInjuries:
62** Black Mage stabbing his comrades, usually in the head. At least to Black Mage.
63** Black Mage getting pummeled in return either by White Mage or Dragoon as comeuppance is also hilarious.
64* AnalProbing: As part of Red Mage typically not thinking through what he says.
65-->'''Red Mage:''' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/16/episode-1141-how-deep-does-the-a-hole-go/ So deep are we]] (within my A-hole) that [[spoiler:Sarda]] will '''''never''''' find us no matter how thoroughly or how vigorously he probes. My A-hole.
66* AndTheAdventureContinues: While Red Mage and Thief decide to go do other things, Fighter and Black Mage continue adventuring because they honestly have nothing else to do.
67* {{Angrish}}:
68** A RunningGag, since the whole cast are alternately enraging or stupefying each other.
69** After traveling through a poison swamp, poison tundra, and plains of poison, the Light Warriors finally return to the entrance of [[TheOmnipotent Sarda]]'s cave. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/04/20/episode-685-the-final-straw/ He immediately teleports them inside.]]
70--->'''Black Mage:''' Wait one ''damn'' second. [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot Could you have done that]] at ''any'' time?\
71'''Sarda:''' No, not at any time. Don't be so stupid. Just any time I ''felt'' like it.\
72''[snap!]''\
73'''Black Mage:''' '''''YEARGHBLEBLE!'''''
74* {{Anticlimax}}:
75** Brian Clevinger loves these jokes. For example, the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/06/21/episode-298-a-natural-response/ fight with Astos]]:
76--->'''Black Mage:''' "Astos"? Mo' like, "Yo ass ''is'' toast!"\
77''[[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath [Astos pauses, then falls over, dead]]]''\
78'''Thief:''' I don't think he's breathing.\
79'''Black Mage:''' Well! That was easy!
80** The defeat of Chaos is even ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ worse]]''. [[spoiler:He gets killed offscreen (not even a good distance away, just ''[[BehindTheBlack barely]]'' offscreen) [[NonProtagonistResolver by one character who had been missing for a while and three characters who had had cameos of only a few panels before that]].]] This was done to resolve a BrickJoke that had been set up ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ nine years earlier.]]''
81* AntiVillain: Garland just cannot do anything truly villainous to a ludicrous degree.
82* ApocalypseCult: The cultist, being a parody of Creator/HPLovecraft's works, wants to provoke the apocalypse because it's cool.
83* ApocalypticLog: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/03/03/episode-522-the-descent-into-sanity/ Parodied]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/25/episode-724-somewhere-beyond-the-sea-my-elder-god-stands-on-golden-sands/ twice]] as Black Mage provides an overly dramatic and largely false commentary on the situation.
84-->'''Black Mage:''' We have always lived in the ocean. There is no before. There will be no after. There is no place for time here among the dark. Among the alien things that crawl and swim in a sea without light. We are one of them now. We have always been one of them.\
85'''Red Mage:''' Black Mage? You're narrating again.
86* ArcNumber: Four. Since the original ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}'' had 4 Light Warriors, Fiends, and orbs/crystals, the comic plays on this by adding 4 Dark Warriors, 4 "Other Warriors", 4 "true" Light Warriors--making a total of ''4'' warrior groups ([[spoiler:although the pattern is broken during the big finish by introducing a fifth "all White Mages" team]])--and 4 patron avatars. Also, the average strip is 4 rows.
87* ArmyOfLawyers: Thief's Law-Ninjas are a group of lawyers who are also ninjas. They are conspicuous.
88* ArsonMurderAndAdmiration: Black Mage will usually pause to admire anything even ''more'' evil than what he was planning.
89* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/10/episode-427-its-not-their-fault/ "I traveled a thousand miles away from anything like civilization, moved into the innards of an unpredictable volcano, set up dozens of pitfalls, hell, I even put up a sign!"]]
90-->'''Fighter:''' ...After we brutally murdered her son, banished her husband to hell, and tore up her driveway.
91* ArtifactTitle: Originally, the comic was to have consisted of a rotating series of sprite comics based on various NES-era games, hence the title ''8-Bit Theater''. As it turned out, the ''Final Fantasy'' comic was the only one that ended up actually getting made. He created [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/08/01/field-of-battle-chapter-1/ one other]] he used as filler.
92* ArtShift: Happens multiple times over the course of the series, often for one panel gags: Thief sneak attacking an orc, Black Mage laughing at Thief when he thinks he's escaped his contracts forever, Black Mage experiencing the Goblin Punch, Sarda [[MindRape Mind Raping]] the Dark Warriors, whenever Black Mage contemplates the hotness of White Mage, and finally, the entirety of the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/06/01/the-epilogue/ epilogue.]]
93* AscendedExtra: Sarda had a very minor role in the original game (he gives you a [[PlotCoupon key item]]). His role is expanded in the comic.
94* AscendedMeme: When a [[http://nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?p=941207#post941207 particular bit]] of InsaneTrollLogic took off like a rocket in the ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' forums, the author decided to honor it in-comic with [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/14/episode-1152-not-the-best-comeback/ the only character suited for the job.]]
95-->'''Red Mage:''' Trust me. Inverting all of reality into this null-zone is the best idea. I have two relevant degrees.
96* AssShove:
97** White Mage threatens to do this to Black Mage with her ''hammer'', for what he does in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/11/episode-718-necronomisutra/ this strip.]] [[note]]He doesn't help matters by suggesting White Mage have sex with him on top of the corpses.[[/note]]
98** Fighter tries to turn Red Mage's A-hole (i.e. the portable hole that he'd labelled "A") inside out with his swords. Unfortunately, he misunderstood what was meant by "Red Mage's A-hole". [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/21/episode-1154-epilepsy-warning-no-seriously/ Poor Red Mage...]]
99* AsymmetricDilemma: This is one of the most frequent joke templates in the series.
100-->'''Red Mage''': Wait! That is ''not'' how we do things around here, buddy. First we have to argue incessantly over semantics. Then one of us has to hurt one or all of us. Also, you're a villain.
101* AtomicFBomb: Black Mage drops one [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/03/27/episode-400-not-safe-for-work-school-or-anywhere-you-can-get-in-trouble/ here,]] the first uncensored F-bomb in the comic. It's so big that it has to be split between two comic panels.
102* AuthorityInNameOnly: King Steve is a king but all of his power is wielded by his daughter, Princess Sara, and his advisor.
103* AwesomeButImpractical: Black Mage's Hadoken can destroy anything, but only when he properly aims it, which never happens . One example is [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/17/episode-430-very-long-range/ here]], where Black Mage misses a volcano.
104* AWizardDidIt:
105** In his own words, Sarda is the Wizard Who Did It. He is responsible for any and all weirdness. [[spoiler:He is also secretly responsible for setting the events of practically the entire strip into motion]].
106** Played straight in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/01/15/episode-108-garland-just-dont-get-it/ strip 108]].
107--->'''Garland:''' Where'd you get all this high-tech equipment?!\
108'''Evil Princess Sara:''' A wizard did it. Anyway that's not important now.
109* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
110** The Dark Warriors (wrongly) assumed this [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/02/07/episode-1092-the-rule-of-three/ when they found Light Warriors]] [[ThereIsOnlyOneBed sharing the bed]]. They were so moved by what they saw that [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/02/12/episode-1093-night-of-murder/ they couldn't bring themselves to kill the sleeping Light Warriors]].
111** In a bizarre example, there is Thief and Red Mage [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness comforting]] Black Mage that he contributed to the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/09/episode-1209-pep-talk-of-doom/ world's imminent destruction.]]
112* BabyTalk: Black Mage does it to some cute bats: "Aww, hims got fwends!"
113* BackFromTheDead: All four Light Warriors died separately over the course of the comic but they all came back for different reasons.
114* {{Backstory}}: Red Mage spent [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/11/03/episode-915-cult-of-stupidity/ two]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/11/06/episode-916-getting-to-know-you/ strips]] discussing how important it is for a character to have a backstory.
115* BadassArmfold: Due to the way the sprites look, Thief after his class change and [[spoiler:Sarda]] can look like they have this.
116* BadassBoast:
117** Fighter delivered one in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/01/episode-011-the-great-black-mage-hype/ this strip.]] In a subversion, instead of boasting about his own achievements, he praised Black Mage... who wasn't happy about this.
118** Fighter does make his own boast later on:
119--->'''Fighter:''' Also, I can block any attack and kill anything that bleeds.
120** Black Mage himself [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/05/03/episode-024-shes-a-white-magic-woman/ once]] wanted to deliver a Badass Boast that would double as a pick-up line... but what he came up with was this:
121--->'''Black Mage:''' '''I AM THE BLACK MAGE! I CASTS THE SPELLS THAT MAKES THE PEOPLES FALL DOWN!'''
122*** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/03/15/episode-261-do-not-meddle-in-the-affairs-of-lawninja/ In a later strip]] he delivered a Boast that was played straight... until it was interrupted by Thief 'stealth-suing' him.
123---->'''Black Mage:''' But you're out of your league here. Forces you can't even pronounce, let alone understand, are at my beck and call. You continue to breathe only because your existence is amusing to me.\
124[...]\
125'''Black Mage:''' Hey! You can't sue me for being "a stupid, smelly jerk".\
126'''Thief:''' Can't I?
127*** Then there was the time BM got fed up with [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/04/11/episode-683-pimp-my-bird/ Red Mage's crimes against nature]], and told him what was waiting for him in hell. The scary part? Black Mage isn't bluffing.
128** Garland's attempt at giving a Boast (or rather reading out loud one prepared for him by Evil Princess Sara) failed miserably when [[NotSoImaginaryFriend Forest Imps]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/02/11/episode-116-the-ol-switcheroo/ stole the scroll with the text of the Boast]]... [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/02/16/episode-118-you-knew-hed-say-it/ thus forcing Garland to improvise]].
129*** That quote is also a ShoutOut to the original game, as that line was lifted directly from Garland's actual dialogue.
130** Far later, [[TheOmnipotent Sarda]] gives one:
131--->'''Sarda:''' I am Sarda. And I am older than time. I possess a power '''beyond''' mortal imagination. My plans will not be undone by such [[SophisticatedAsHell amateur-hour horseshit]] as [[PhlebotinumOverload absorbing too much power and exploding]]. I am Sarda. [[AGodAmI My will be done.]]
132** Chaos delivers one, too. The kicker? [[spoiler:This is his response to Black Mage asking if he could give the Light Warriors a minute.]]
133--->'''Chaos:''' I am the yawning chasm from before the before; the darkness after the end of all things. I am nothing and no thing is eternal.
134** Thief has one for the whole group here, even it turns out to be TemptingFate.
135-->'''Thief''': We're light warriors, dammit. I bet he can't hurt us worse than we hurt each other every day.
136* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Black Mage can generally be relied upon to throw immensely destructive magic at a life-threatening problem. ... with the side-effect that he's not very accurate and has [[NoKillLikeOverKill very limited understanding of the word "subtlety"]]. In short: the protagonists have probably reaped a higher death toll than the antagonists. Although this doesn't make moments [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/03/18/episode-396-hes-back/ like this]] any less awesome.
137* BaitAndSwitchBoss: [[spoiler:Chaos replaces Sarda]] after the latter absorbs too much energy and allows himself to become a conduit for the former.
138* BaitAndSwitchTimeSkip: [[https://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/25/episode-724-somewhere-beyond-the-sea-my-elder-god-stands-on-golden-sands/ While in a submarine,]] Black Mage gets a long monologue on GoMadFromTheIsolation, how his shipmates are now babbling incoherently and there is nothing but the endless ocean around them. Said shipmates point out it's been less than three hours.
139* BallisticDiscount: Black Mage tries the magical equivalent of this when he runs into a NoHeroDiscount at the ultimate magic shop. Unfortunately...
140-->'''Black Mage:''' What I learned today is that really old wizards don't get that way by being easy to kill.\
141'''Red Mage:''' So you didn't get any spells?\
142'''Black Mage:''' In the sense that being stabbed gets you a blade, man, I got spells.
143* BatDeduction: Ranger's team tracks down the Light Warriors in Leifen, despite their only clue being [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/02/06/episode-805-old-news/ a rumor in a language they don't speak]].
144-->'''Berserker:''' And so, thanks to Ranger, we learned that the Lefeinish people were posed to do something to, with, at, or possibly ''on'' something or some''one'' else.
145-->'''Ranger:''' Naturally, we thought of you.
146* BattleAura:
147** Black Mage, after absorbing the evil of the fiends. Later, he lost it after destroying the Temple of Fiends. Then [[spoiler:Sarda got it.]]
148** Black Mage ''again'' after he absorbed the evil of '''HIMSELF'''. ItMakesSenseInContext
149* BattleDiscretionShot: Used many times, with the action (usually Fighter beating up a villain or Black Mage beating up a bystander) shown offpanel for comic effect, and taken to its ultimately absurd conclusion in the FinalBattle with Chaos.
150* BeatPanel: This is often used by Black Mage to process something stupid that Fighter or Red Mage has done or said.
151* BeleagueredAssistant: Both Princess Sara and Left-Hand Man Gary are hyper-competent to moronic King Steve.
152* BestialityIsDepraved: King Steve's messenger says to Drizz'l that he's "on the lam", making Drizz'l think that he's getting involved with a sheep. And then there's Red Mage watching Chocobos mate for three hours just because he felt like it.
153* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Sarda has literally lived for billions of years to set in motion his EvilPlan to strengthen the Light Warriors so that he could kill them all at the height of their power, just to rub their insignificance in their collective faces. Best served cold indeed. Though as the CosmicPlaything example indicates, he probably did not intend to have no choice but to wait that long]].
154* BewareTheNiceOnes:
155** White Mage is the healer but is the most capable killer of the bunch including [[spoiler:killing Chaos.]]
156** Fighter is a well-meaning buffoon but he is capable of single-handedly defeating a fiend when the chips are down.
157* BewitchedAmphibians: Matoya tends to turn people into frogs if they annoy her.
158* BigBad: Sarda ultimately is the last and most powerful foe to be face by the protagonists.
159* BigDamnHeroes: Black Mage, Red Mage, and Dragoon each killed one of the four Fiends from out of nowhere.
160* BigStupidDooDooHead: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/05/episode-1124-king-bad-ass-of-evil-mountain/ The best insult that Black Mage can come up with here is "Yeah well... Your face... Is ugly."]]
161* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The villains threatening the world are defeated, everybody is saved, the Dark Warriors are hailed as heroes throughout the land, and Thief becomes the new king of the Elves. However due to the events of the comic the Light Warriors aren't given ''any'' credit for all the crap they went through and the group disbands. Afterwards, Red Mage and Dragoon set out to create a "sole-survivor of secret sects" club while Black Mage and Fighter just disappear, with nobody knowing what happened to them (they're actually right back where they were when the comic started). White Mage is trying to find a way to give them the credit they earned but it's left ambiguous if she'll succeed. Still, they were ''also'' prevented from achieving their largely-unsavory post-quest plans, and their various de-powerings have mellowed them out a little, to the point that all of them seem fairly happy about where they've ended up.]]
162* BizarroApocalypse: {{Discussed|Trope}} in the strip's climax: Black Mage argues it might not actually be so bad for Chaos to win (because he might set the world on fire, but he might also turn it into cake, [[InsaneTrollLogic and there are more kinds of cake than there are fire so the odds are in cake's favour]]) and Chaos overhears and decides to start the "pastrylogical singularity".
163-->'''Chaos:''' I mean, that's the kind of crazy, 'oh, man, look at that embodiment of chaos go nuts' thing people expect out of me. But they don't expect ''that''. But they should. But can't. But should.
164-->'''White Mage:''' Chaos, we ''will'' stop you.
165-->'''Chaos:''' You know, I'm talking about turning your world into pure confectionary strata. It's a little ''beyond'' your ability to influence.
166%%* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: The "new" Temple of Fiends.
167* BlackAndGrayMorality: The protagonists are three sadistic bloodthirsty killers (plus a TokenGoodTeammate who's just too stupid to notice his comrades are AxCrazy)... but the BigBad [[EvilerThanThou manages to be worse!]] The only "hero"(ine) per se mostly falls under GoodIsImpotent, but wins in the end because of a nine year-old BrickJoke.
168* BlackComedyRape: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/08/23/episode-1028-the-beauty-of-nature/ Poor Red Mage.]] Followed by [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/08/30/episode-1031-sole-food/ poor monster]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/09/02/episode-1032-damn-yankees/ exposed to Red Mage's "Animal Husbandry".]]
169* {{Blackmail}}: One of the 999 ways that Thief manages to rip people off.
170* BlahBlahBlah: Used a few times but especially once by Black Mage as he skims through one of Thief's absurd contracts.
171* BlatantLies: It's a RunningGag that every lie the Light Warriors tell is one of these. They usually get away with it because everyone they lie to is incredibly stupid.
172** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/03/31/episode-827-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do/ Thief claims that the Light Warriors' legs are broken while they're standing on them]].
173** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/08/18/episode-588-on-the-other-side/ Thief and Red Mage say that they were possessed by ghost aliens from space.]]
174** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/09/01/episode-593-a-three-way-tie-in-the-stupid-race/ Red Mage says that he wrote "a jillion" instead of "a million" is because he had a cold that made him write all his "m"s as "j"s]]
175** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/06/20/episode-710-benny-and-liscoe/ Black Mage tells a series of these in order to explain away the fact he tried to sell an old lady some shoes made out of a human face.]]
176--->'''Guard''': That's a stupid lie and no one's going to believe it.
177--->'''Black Mage''': Dang.
178** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/11/12/episode-1190-the-most-complete-quest-ever/ The Light Warriors try to pass off a baby as a fairy by gluing some wings to its back.]]
179** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/11/21/episode-1194-the-importance-of-teamwork/ Black Mage stabs a random guy, tries to claim to his companion that he was a monster in disguise, and then try to prove that by carving his "mask" (actually his face) off.]]
180* BlockingStopsAllDamage: Fighter decides he can block damage caused by falling in the same way he would block an attack... and proves it by [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou surviving a fall at terminal velocity]] thanks to AchievementsInIgnorance.
181-->'''Fighter:''' The way I figured it, the ''fall'' doesn't kill you. The ''ground'' does. So I blocked it.\
182'''Thief:''' You blocked the Earth.\
183'''Fighter:''' Why not? I can block magic and fire and all kinds of stuff.\
184'''Thief:''' I hate it when the things he says that don't make sense ''make'' sense.
185* BloodyHilarious:
186** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ One example]] is when White Mage attempts to revive a petrified, decapitated Black Belt. The results are [[spoiler:Black Belt being revived but spewing HighPressureBlood from where his head would be.]] She did not find it hilarious.
187** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/05/03/episode-841-permission-to-speak-freely/ Another example]] comes from Red Mage complaining about the wanton murder of an [=NPC=] who is also spewing blood from his headless neck. Twice.
188* BodyHorror: BM's face is of non-Euclidean geometry.
189* BodyInABreadbox: Viciously parodied in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/02/03/episode-1090-not-sunny-d/ a literal case of]] StuffedIntoTheFridge regarding Ranger's [[DisposableLoveInterest wife]], .
190-->"Dinner is in the fridge. -Your wife." How strange that she would not use her name or handwriting. Oh well! [[BreadEggsMilkSquick O.J., purple stuff, my brutally murdered wife...]]
191* BondOneLiner: Black Mage in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/04/30/episode-840-new-guard/ this comic]].
192-->'''Thief:''' I don't think he heard you, BM.\
193'''Black Mage:''' He got the message though.
194* BookEnds: Fighter and Black Mage are alone together, lost. Fighter ends the entire series on a BrickJoke:
195-->'''Fighter:''' Y'know what we should do?\
196'''Black Mage:''' Oh, ''this'll'' be good. What? ''What'' should we do?\
197'''Fighter:''' We never did find that Armor of Invincibility...
198* BoozeFlamethrower: Drizz'l's platypus has a lighter and a bottle of vodka taped to it, in an attempt to create one of these.
199* BoringButPractical: Feather Fall spells. Red Mage and Black Mage learn this [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/03/episode-1168-might-come-down/ the hard way]] when neither of them set aside the magical resources to actually use the spell.
200** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/03/episode-368-power-level-80-bazillion/ "Fighter, sword, door]], '''go.'''" Fighter summons half a dozen swords that aren't normally visible, then walks over and knocks on the door. "She'll be right out." (Next page, she is indeed.)
201* BrainBleach: In-universe, Black and Red Mage's reactions to [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/12/20/episode-637-an-unhealthy-imagination/ Matoya getting enthusiastic about Bahamut eating rat tail soup]] - "I would settle for the power to stab out my mind's eye." "Can we get a full round of that? ". After all, as Black Mage puts it a few strips later, "we were promised incredible power and all we got was a brain full of [[InterspeciesRomance traumatic images]]."
202* BreadAndCircuses: Thief stages a match between Fighter, Fighter, Fighter, and Fighter as a distraction so he can concoct a new scheme.
203-->'''Thief:''' That's the whole point of gladatorial events.
204* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Some of Red Mage's skills on his character sheet are "Pick locks, pick friends, pick friends' locks"
205* BreakTheCutie:
206** White Mage begins the comic as an idealist but eventually she becomes cynical enough to [[spoiler:kill Chaos and give the Dark Warriors the credit.]]
207** Onion Kid is a chipper young kid until multiple sets of his parents are murdered and he suffers so many other atrocities that [[spoiler:eventually gets blasted back to the birth of time and space and grows up to become Sarda.]]
208* BreathHoldingBrat: The others won't let Black Mage destroy the Temple of Fiends so he threatens to hold his breath until they let him. In response they just walk off and leave him.
209* BrickJoke:
210** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/01/21/episode-651-thief-of-time/ Thief explaining]] his class change.[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/19/episode-1174-oh-thats-what/ It later comes]] full circle.
211--->'''Thief:''' Hm? Oh, I stole it. From the future.
212** A much more obscure example: In a [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/16/interlude-00-hes-a-fighter-not-a-webcomic-artist/ very early episode]], Brian mentions that Alabama is hell. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/03/30/episode-401-civility-before-hostility/ 350 strips later...]]
213** Quite possibly one of the longest ever is set up as a throwaway gag [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/29/episode-010-it-had-to-happen-sometime/ in the first few panels of the 10th strip ]] only to come back [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/07/episode-1208-what-fighter-did/ almost 9 years and 1,200 strips later.]]
214** An even longer setup: Remember that ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' magazine [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ Black Mage was reading during strip 7?]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ Neither did anyone else (beware, there be spoilers ahead).]]
215*** Speaking of that setup, do you remember the "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/07/01/episode-050-time-to-say-good-bye-almost/ secret cabal of healers]]"? Or [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/12/27/episode-102-and-its-always-there-just-waiting-to-suck/ BB and WM's secret plan]]?
216*** Brian [[http://www.nuklearforums.com/showpost.php?p=1018036&postcount=121 confirms]] that he was planning this all along. [[spoiler:When he said he had the end of the comic in mind since the beginning, ''he meant it''.]]
217** Remember when [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/25/episode-020-the-quest-to-assault-the-elderly-continues/ Black Mage slaughtered a senile old wizard at a retirement home?]] 731 strips later it, apparently, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/03/episode-751-the-evil-that-men-write-down-with-sloppy-handwriting/ turns out he's not the only one who uses Square Summoning Circles]]
218** Remember King Steve's ridiculous plans to drill for mana that always ended in ruin? Check out the article in the bottom right of the newspaper article in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ this comic]].
219** Here's the ''longest'' setup in the entire comic: [[spoiler:Armor of Invincibility. Mentioned in the very first strip, only to come back in [[BookEnds the comic's very last panel]].]]
220** Another one from the epilogue: In the first panel, we see that messenger that King Steve ordered to be killed, ''still'' being pursued by the guard.
221*** In the same panel we can also see [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/12/episode-067-give-em-the-ol-fire-poker-in-the-eye/ an old man in the blue robe]]. And Jeff.
222*** The epilogue is ''full'' of them.
223*** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/12/15/episode-635-secret-ingredient/ Don't eat the Rat Tail Soup, Dragoon.]]
224** Not to mention the small joke here about [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/09/07/episode-076-fighter-and-red-mage-are-back/ harsh language.]] [[spoiler:And how did they defeat Astos...?]]
225** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/10/18/episode-908-the-life-draconic/ Fighter theorizes the existence of the dagger shark.]] And later, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/26/episode-1214-the-shark-of-the-sea/ its natural mimic.]]
226** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/26/episode-434-wouldnt-you-like-to-know/ This]] is a flash-forward to [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/19/episode-1129-there/ this]].
227* BringMyBrownPants:
228** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/05/08/episode-989-like-riding-a-bike/ Red Mage apparently wet himself when confronting Warmech.]]
229** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/04/episode-1113-yeah-right/ Black Mage jokingly says he's going to 'shit Thief's pants']]. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/07/episode-1114-look-who-came-to-murder/ Then when Muffin turns up he follows through with it.]]
230--->'''Thief''': What the- goddammit, ''my pants!''
231* BrokeTheRatingScale: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/29/vacation-2003-5-chromatic-discussion/ In one guest strip]], Red Mage makes a pun that gets him an average of -2.5 out of 10.
232* BroughtDownToNormal:
233** Sarda eventually decides to take away the Light Warriors' class changes, and revert them all the way back to level 1 as well. Except for Thief, whose past self stole his class change from his future self somehow.
234** Also Black Mage when [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/03/25/episode-399-the-unbearable-meatiness-of-being/ he commands the Leigons of Hell]].
235* BrownNote: Listening to any of the Light Warriors speak for any length of time can be hazardous to your health. Fighter regularly makes listeners too stupid to think (including the omnipotent Sarda), but Red Mage is almost as bad, talking with Thief for any amount of time will likely end with you having no money, and Black Mage once came out with an insult so awesome (or perhaps so lame) it killed a man.
236%%* ButForMeItWasTuesday:
237%%** "Oh, we've ruined millions of lives. They're just being babies about it."
238%%** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/28/episode-1133-pretty-obvious-really/ "Like, was this recently? Last week? A month ago? Help a guy out, will ya."]]
239%%* ButHeSoundsHandsome: More than once, actually: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/25/episode-071-sometimes-he-should-really-keep-quiet/ Black Mage]], [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/02/28/episode-122-a-chromatic-experiment/ Garland]] and [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/06/21/episode-566-spelunkd/ Fighter]] do this while in disguise.
240* ButtMonkey: [[CrapsackWorld Almost everyone]]. More specifically:
241** Black Mage, though he really deserves it.
242--->'''Black Mage:''' Does the universe exist only to rob me of any joy? It'd be nice to have confirmation on that.
243*** This assessment is basically ''true'', as its implied that his continuous suffering is essentially the universe's immune system reacting to the abomination that is his every thought, action, and very existence.
244** Fighter is frequently insulted and assaulted by Black Mage ([[IronButtmonkey but he can take it]]).
245** Red Mage had his '''skeleton removed from his body''' and was later turned into a one-eyed monster (he got better).
246** Thief was mauled by Berserker, had all his accumulated treasure smashed, was torched by Bahamut, and was shaken to oblivion by Muffin. And he stole his class change from ''himself'' in the future, just before Sarda got to the final part of his revenge.
247** White Mage can only watch in sorrow as the Light Warriors slaughter innocents, each other, and generally ignore their "responsibility" as heroes, and that's on top of her best friend dying.
248** Onion Kid's main purpose is to go through various torments that usually relate to Black Mage. [[spoiler:And become Sarda. Then get possessed by Chaos]].
249** Garland went through this briefly before he founded the Dark Warriors.
250** The "real" Light Warriors. Every bad thing imaginable happens to them. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/05/16/episode-696-finally-catching-a-break/ Even when they catch a break, it usually ends up backfiring.]] Barry, the only member of the group whose name we know, gets the worst of it.
251** The town of Onrac is constantly getting destroyed by the Light Warriors and rebuilt only to get destroyed yet again.
252* TheCaligula:
253** King Steve, the psychotic, bloodthirsty, [[TheDitz retarded]] ruler of Corneria.
254*** He was drilling for mana. You can't drill for mana. YOU CAN'T DRILL FOR MANA! [[spoiler: Then it turns out, you actually [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ can.]]]]
255---->'''Newspaper headline text:''' I hate this ridiculous fantasy setting.
256*** Not to mention that his right hand man is a coffee stain named Rodney.
257** The Dwarf King is also monstrous. In order to shorten the amount of paperwork the bodies of the giant monsters that Black Mage slays will bring, he has the coastal reserve murdered in front of their families and blames the event on the elves.
258* CainAndAbel: Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/02/22/episode-518-iced/ murdered his own brother via an uneven room laced with knives and tiger pits.]]
259--->'''Red Mage:''' Wait. You murdered your own blind brother?\
260'''Black Mage:''' It would have been cruel to let him live after what I did to his eyes.
261** It's suggested that this wasn't the only instance. When asked if he has a sister, Black Mage says he wouldn't use present tense to describe any of his family members, while the panel shows just Black Mage talking against a bloodsplattered background.
262* CallBack:
263** A late comic in the series is appropriately titled "Longest Set UP in Webcomic History"
264--->'''Brian Clevinger:''' All I can tell you is that, yes, the whole point of [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ this comic]] was to do [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ this comic]] much later. I didn't intend for it to be ''nine years'' later, but around year five or so it occurred to me it had already gone from being a long range call back to probably the longest ranged call back attempted by a webcomic.
265** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/25/episode-020-the-quest-to-assault-the-elderly-continues/ This]] was called back in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/03/episode-751-the-evil-that-men-write-down-with-sloppy-handwriting/ this]] in another very long CallBack, but not quite as long as the one above.
266* CameBackWrong: White Mage's attempt to revive Black Belt ended horribly.
267* CantCatchUp: You know how the Fiends eventually come back more powerful than ever. Remember how it was really difficult to kill the Fiends the first time around? Remember how the other Light Warriors are constantly mocking Black Mage's cowardice, ineffectiveness and [[TheChewToy large amount of bodily harm]]? [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/28/episode-1122-changes/ Maybe]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/30/episode-1123-endgame/ they shouldn't]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/05/episode-1124-king-bad-ass-of-evil-mountain/ have done]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/14/episode-1128-guns-blazing/ that]].
268* CaptainErsatz: Minor character The Sulk, cameo characters [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/05/22/episode-151-excelsior/ Arachna-Dude, Alloyed-Guy and The Mediocre Four]].
269* CarcassSleepingBag: Black Mage suggests doing this to Fighter (and then Red Mage and Thief) in order to make sure the remaining Light Warriors (i.e. himself) don't freeze. Later, Garland and the Dark Warriors actually do this to a Yeti.
270* CardCarryingVillain: The Dark Warriors are evil. They proclaim their evilness to far and wide! Yet they are really bad at being evil.
271* CasualDangerDialogue: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/11/26/episode-219-drowning-your-sorrows/ While]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/04/05/episode-269-sir-webs-a-lot/ this]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/02/07/episode-381-dead-hate-living/ is]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/10/28/episode-476-red-mage-in-the-cradle/ normally]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/09/05/episode-739-the-depravities-that-ended-the-century/ the]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/02/09/episode-953-heartburn/ Light]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/09/episode-1138-use-your-words/ Warriors']] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/17/episode-1173-oh-whats-the-worst-that-could-happen/ schtick]] (comic-wide spoilers!), ''hugely'' subverted with the eventual revelation that while they were ignoring Chaos and arguing amongst each other about cake, [[spoiler:White Mage and three other healers destroyed Chaos, [[AntiClimax off-panel]]]].
272* CerebusSyndrome: The strip loves to set-up serious and dramatic plot developments...[[SubvertedTrope then immediately undercut them to annoy the reader.]]
273* CharacterDevelopment: Deliberately averted with the Light Warriors, who never really learn a lesson and never improve upon their flaws.
274* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Drizz'l was initially portrayed as [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/04/05/episode-269-sir-webs-a-lot/ stupider than Garland]], but has since become a StraightMan for the sake of the Dark Warriors having at least ''one''.
275%%* ChekhovsArmoury: Have a look around this page for examples.
276* ChekhovsGun:
277** ''Longest Set Up In Webcomic History''. In comic 7, there's a throwaway joke when Black Mage is reading a strategy guide. [[spoiler:"Four White Mages? It'll never work!"]] In the end, Chaos is killed by [[spoiler:White Mage, Shaman, Priest, and Healer.]]
278** Not quite as big a setup as the prior one, but the dialogue in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/26/episode-434-wouldnt-you-like-to-know/ this]] comic returns to [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/19/episode-1129-there/ haunt us.]]
279%%* ChekhovsGunman: The Onion Kid is just a CosmicPlaything who's there for laughs, right? '''DEAD. WRONG.'''
280* ChekhovsSkill: Zig-zagged. The Light Warriors each pick up a skill when they class change. Thief uses his throw ability several times, and while Fighter only uses his block ability once, it's an important factor in his confrontation with [[spoiler:Black Mage]]. Red Mage never effectively uses his Mimic ability, and Black Mage never picks up any useful spells.
281* CherryTapping: The first attack to hit [[TheOmnipotent Sarda]]? Bikke throwing the Water Orb at him. It didn't do much, but it was the only time anyone (besides himself) was able to do ''anything'' to him.
282* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Remember Queen Jane? She appeared beside King Steve in his earliest appearance, but once Princess Sara returns to the castle she is never seen again, in part because Sara filled the straight man role.
283* ColourBlindConfusion: Referenced, when Red Mage produces a blue "golden Chocobo" Black Mage asks him if he's colourblind. He's not, he just made the Chocobo think it was golden through brain surgery.
284* ComedyAsAWeapon: Black Mage kills [[spoiler:Astos]] using bad puns.
285* CompensatingForSomething: After [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/02/27/episode-254-elven-envy/ hearing Dr Malpractice]] making AccidentalInnuendo Black Mage, Red Mage and Fighter briefly wondered whether this trope applies to them.
286* ComicallyMissingThePoint:
287** Among other examples--[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/11/11/episode-481-black-belt-walks-into-a-bar/ "Man, she must like me a LOT!"]]
288** Not surprisingly at all, the point is something that Fighter comically misses on a frequent basis. From [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/09/13/episode-329-peaceful-transfer-of-power/ Episode 329]], right after Thief says he is leaving the group and Black Mage appoints himself the new leader:
289--->'''Red Mage:''' You know, Fighter and I have superior numbers. We could overthrow your demented regime easily.\
290'''Black Mage:''' We can do this one of two ways. The easy way... or the excruciatingly painful death for Red Mage way. I suggest the former, m'self. You're welcome to ''try'' the latter of course, but I assure you it's a wasted effort. You are up against a knife-wielding {{sociopath}} just ''looking'' for an excuse to hurt you even if he has to make one up.\
291'''Fighter:''' Surely this maniac will slaughter us all!\
292'''Black Mage:''' If given half a chance...\
293'''Fighter:''' He doesn't know we're ''here'', does he?!
294%%* ConflictKiller: Happens again... and again... and again during the end game.
295* ConnectTheDeaths: When Light Warriors rampaged through Dwarves' kingdom, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/11/18/episode-354-its-funny-to-hurt-the-innocent/ Thief took the opportunity to spell out a message to Dwarves]] (the intended recipients didn't realize that, though).
296* ContinuityCavalcade: The WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue. [[RunningGag Elite Guard Hank is still chasing the messenger.]] The Dark Warriors' Restaurant contains the heads of the werewolves encountered by the Light Warriors early on in the comics run, as well as one of Garland's motivational posters, Dr. Malpractice, the fake prince, Princess Sara, Left Hand Man Gary, Mrs Von Vampire and the Sulk. The menus in the restaurant have options like [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/06/10/episode-1003-not-up-to-code/ Twelve Dragon Nachos,]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/03/09/episode-670-gettin-tchaikovsky-wit-it/ Goblin Punch,]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/12/13/episode-634-you-were-right/ Rat Tail Soup,]] Orbs of Water and foods named after the Four Fiends. Some law ninja are visible outside of Thief's palace. Akbar is still in business in whatever town we see Fighter and Black Mage in. He also appears to be selling [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud's Buster Sword]] -and- [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall's gunblade]]. Also in the town are [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/04/03/episode-828-backfired/ the legitimate businessman and his lackey,]] and a cultist. Fighter is equipped with his regular swords and some sword chucks [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/05/24/episode-286-the-gangs-all-here/ named Stabby and Slashy]]. Finally, the entire series ends with [[spoiler:a reference to the Armor of Invincibility.]]
297* ConversationalTroping:
298** About the UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny--Black Mage and Red Mage discussed who would win in a fight between Batman and Dr. Doom, as well as in a fight between Green Arrow and Bullseye. Several hypothetical matches were also discussed in the column "Twinkin' Out with Red Mage".
299** Black Mage and Thief [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/17/episode-1106-from-a-certain-point-of-view/ once]] passed time by conversing about other interpretations of ComicBook/LexLuthor, with Black Mage suggesting that he is actually the hero of the DC universe.
300* CoolButStupid: Every character except Fighter is aware of how stupid an idea sword-chucks are. They work perfectly anyway, thanks to White Mage making it slightly less dangerous.
301* CoolSword: In Fighter's opinion, every sword is cool.
302-->'''Fighter:''' I like swords.
303* CopycatMockery:
304** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/10/episode-1103-flattery/ Black Mage steals Red Mage's hat and does an impression of him: "Hey, look at me! I'm an ugly jackass who talks about stats!"]]
305** Thief asks Black Mage "After ''everything'' you have done since we met, do you think I need new reasons [to want you dead]?" Black Mage repeats after him "myamya myamya ''new'' reasons?"
306* TheCorruption: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/15/episode-720-a-lesson-is-learned-but-the-damage-is-going-to-take-forever-to-clean-up/ It's]] strongly implied that ''Black Mage himself'' is this and that his presence is the reason that the other Light Warriors (excluding [[TokenGoodTeammate Fighter]]) behave like they do.
307* CosmicPlaything: Black Mage, White Mage, and just about everyone else in the comic, at the hands of the nigh-omnipotent Sarda. In turn, Sarda is himself a ''victim'' of it thanks to the Light Warriors, in a wonderful example of TimeTravel inspired recursive causality.
308* CosmicRetcon: Sarda does this a few times to Black Mage, using his magic to alter Black Mage's protests into acceptance.
309** In addition to that Sarda once did a {{Rewrite}} [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/06/26/episode-300-the-house-always-wins/ on a much bigger scale, supposedly by accident.]]
310** When Black Mage tries to do the same thing, the end result is causing Sarda to add "you moron" onto what he was originally saying.
311*** Considering that Sarda personalizes his spells, the spell Black Mage cast was likely "Rewrite Reality According to Sarda's Wishes".
312---->'''FFFFFFFFFFFF--'''
313* CrapsackWorld: Nearly every ruler is either evil, incompetent, or both, FantasticRacism runs rampant, wars and monsters ravage the land, and the planet seems doomed to die. And that's ''before'' you account for every single thing the Light Warriors do over the course of the comic.
314%%* CrashIntoHello: This is how Black Mage met both Fighter and White Mage.
315* CrazyEnoughToWork:
316** Every single plan Red Mage has ever come up with is bonkers. Occasionally they are also successful. They culminate in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/29/episode-1215-so-stupid-its-brilliant/ this]], which doesn't quite work out.
317** Fighter's plans tend to work the same way if his sword obbession and stupidity aling just right for the proper situation.
318* CreateYourOwnVillain: Subverted. [[spoiler:The Light Warriors' constant direct and indirect torture of Onion Kid ends up causing him to become Sarda, but [[StableTimeLoop Sarda was the one who deliberately allowed them the opportunity to do so to begin with]] (in order to get payback for everything they did to him) so Sarda really has no one to blame but himself for all the bad things that happened to him.]]
319* CreativeSterility: At one point, Red Mage decides to counter Thief's usual bragging about how awesome elves are by pointing out that, despite elves having been around much longer and supposedly being much smarter, their civilization has been stuck in MedievalStasis for longer than most races have even existed, and the young races took relatively little time to catch up. Thief isn't able to come up with an answer better than elves just prefer it that way.
320* CreepyCamelSpider: Drizz'l temporarily defeats Fighter [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/04/26/episode-277-oh-thats-not-good/ by putting a camel spider in his hair]], listing out a grandiose description of these creatures' danger and aggressiveness and sending Fighter in a screaming panic.
321-->'''Drizz'l:''' The dreaded camel spider is such a horrible creature that it's often cited by atheists as proof that there can be no such thing as a kind and loving God as long as it roams the Earth. Camel spiders are not technically spiders. Rather, they're an unholy hybrid of the most awful aspects of both spiders ''and'' scorpions. [...] They are without fear, they never sleep, and they viciously attack anything that they perceive as a threat, which is anything they perceive.
322* CripplingOverspecialization: Most of Sarda's spells are designed to only work with a specific target in mind. Subverted, because this was used in order to prevent Blue Mages from using his spells against him. Played straight by Black Mage, who by way of PowerCopying has learned "Spell that hurts Black Mage" and the "rewrite reality according to my (Sarda's) whim" spell.
323* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass:
324** Fighter is dumber than a bag of rocks, but he's also a practically unstoppable swordsman.
325** And Bikke, [[TheDitz useless though he may be]] at piracy and villainy, is the first person in the comic to actually hit ''Sarda'' with an attack. A useless attack, granted, but it impressed Sarda enough to spare him... for now.
326%%* CrowdedCastShot
327* {{Crunchtastic}}: Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/06/23/episode-567-paralinguistics/ once]] concluded that his hatred of Fighter is so great that there is no word strong enough to express it. So--with Red Mage's help--he made up a new one: ''omniloathe''. Obviously Fighter [[ComicallyMissingThePoint missed the point]] and was overjoyed that he and Black Mage had "got best buddy codewords now".
328* CurbStompBattle:
329** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/09/30/episode-464-victory-for-some-doom-for-others/ Light Warriors vs. Kary's minions.]] Later [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/04/17/episode-834-world-war-rock/ Black Mage vs. M.A.R.T.A.N.s]] [[spoiler:and even later [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/30/episode-1123-endgame/ Black Mage vs. four Fiends]].]]
330** Even later, Black Mage against [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/12/episode-1127-invincible-sword-technique/ Fighter]] and [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/14/episode-1128-guns-blazing/ Thief]].
331* CutenessProximity: Black Mage, of all people, falls victim to it in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/07/03/episode-1012-1000-away-from-the-mayan-apocalypse/ this strip]]. As usual, it doesn't end well for him.
332* CuttingTheKnot:
333** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/10/15/episode-612-mind-over-matter/ "My brain said this was faster."]]
334** Black Mage also makes a reference to the Trope Namer when [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/08/07/episode-450-knot-my-problem/ confronted with a door unlocked by a puzzle written in a language of 379 consonants and four vowels that makes reference to a value existing before time itself]]:
335--->'''Black Mage:''' Okay. I seem to remember some old dead king guy who, when faced with a problem of unsolvable perplexity, would blaze a path to victory via stabbity means. ''[draws knife]'' Therefore!\
336''[[[SubvertedTrope TINKTINKTINKTINKTINKTINK]]]''\
337''[[[DoubleSubverted CREEEEEK]]]''\
338'''Black Belt:''' Hey, I heard you knocking. Come on in. It's toasty.\
339'''Black Mage:''' [[MST3KMantra I am comfortable with taking full credit for the feat of entrance because then I get to ignore how or why he is here.]]
340* CycleOfRevenge The Light Warriors go after Sarda for torturing them, who's after the Light Warriors because Black Mage ruined his childhood, and Black Mage likely commits his acts of evil because the universe hates him, which is frequently due to Sarda's influence, who tortures Black Mage because of the aforementioned ruined childhood, and so on. A very literal cycle, considering Sarda is "stuck" in a StableTimeLoop.
341* DamselInDistress: Invoked but averted. Princess Sara plays the part with Garland, but is very obviously more in control of the situation than he is.
342* DarkIsNotEvil: The [[CardCarryingVillain Dark Warriors]] are much less of a threat to the world than [[NominalHero their counterparts]]. (As much as Garland tries, he's really too much of a softie for true villainy.)
343* DeadpanSnarker: When Black Mage isn't in a state of temporary insanity [[note]]read: state of LeaveNoSurvivors bloodthirst while trying to take out everyone in a hundred-mile radius[[/note]], he is ''incredibly'' snarky and sarcastic, particularly about the frequent flaws in logic and common sense that all the other "Light Warriors" seem oblivious to [[note]]read: too stupid to see, or [[BystanderSyndrome just ignore]][[/note]]. And the more he gets annoyed and frustrated, the more bloodthirsty and less clever he gets. So you know when Fighter makes a cleverer quip than Black Mage that there is going to be a lot of destroyed real estate in his vicinity.
344* DeathIsCheap: All of the Light Warriors have died some way or another, but they've always come back because without them there'd be no strip. It's usually a result of Sarda resurrecting everyone just after Black Mage has finally managed to kill them.
345* DeathSeeker: Following Black Mage's takeover of hell, and hell subsequently kicking him out, he's very happy whenever he's about to die because he knows he'll be able to take over hell again.
346* DeliciousDistraction: Red Mage is supposed to be supervising Fighter but leaves to get a snowcone. Of course, Fighter wanders off and by the time the others find him he's sold all their weapons.
347* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Used to the point of becoming a RunningGag.
348** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/03/04/episode-256-one-backstab-after-another "Meanwhile, in the royal room of royalty..."]]
349** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/05/25/episode-421-a-wizard-did-it/ "You're just some crazy homeless crazy bum in a cave!" "And he's crazy, too!"]]
350** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/10/14/episode-470-good-intentions/ "She seems reasonable. Let's reason with her using our reason"]]
351** Black Mage: "Why do I smell sulfur and brimstone?" They're different words for the same thing...
352** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/26/episode-1109-continuum-vs-quantum/ Can I take my fire helm off yet? It's a little on fire.]]
353* DestructiveSaviour: When they're saving, the Light Warriors are still destructive.
354* DetectivesFollowFootprints: Fighter shows off his tracking skills by describing the footprints he's following. [[spoiler:They're his and Black Mage's own trail.]]
355* DevilComplex: Black Mage temporarily becomes King of Hell, gaining extremely destructive powers in the process. However, he's very shortly overthrown by Lich.
356%%* DiabolusExMachina: Personified in Sarda.
357* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Red Mage tells Black Mage how he got away from Warmech but forgets to leave out the part where he [[BringMyBrownPants wet himself]].
358-->'''Red Mage''': Next time I tell this story, I'll ''also'' skip the part where I said that.
359%%* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/01/06/episode-1079-verbal-flanking/ Thief outwitting a trickster god.]]
360%%-->'''Raven:''' Oops.
361* DieLaughing: Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/07/12/episode-869-the-best-medicine/ puts himself into a coma]] laughing when Fighter asks him if he (Fighter) is dumb.
362* DisguisedInDrag: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/01/16/episode-237-light-warriors-queens-of-the-desert/ Upon crashing into female barracks, the Light Warriors emerged dressed as women]].
363* {{Dissimile}}: In [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/06/17/episode-1006-too-many-dragons/ this strip:]]
364-->'''Gas Dragon:''' Y'know how most dragons have firebreath attacks? Well, it's like that. Only [[{{Gasshole}} it's not breath]]. And there's no fire. But it ''will'' [[{{Fartillery}} feel like you're roasting alive]].
365* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Played for laughs when Fighter comes last in a drownball tournament (due to not drowning) but is still given first prize (due to being the only surviving participant).
366* DistractingDisambiguation: Everyone loves this sort of argument. One strip downright has the Light Warriors pointing out that their method of dealing with threats is to implement a brilliant plan from out of nowhere after incessant bickering over semantics.
367* TheDitz: A lot of people lack brain capacity, like King Steve (tried to drill for ''mana''). Bikke counts, too. Fighter is a ''[[SubvertedTrope subversion]]'' in that he's truly stupid but actually the most effective and competent of the Light Warriors.
368-->'''King Steve:''' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/19/episode-1206-the-royal-treatment/ Now, how about those sno-cones.]]
369%%* DividedWeFall
370* DontExplainTheJoke: Red Mage does this a lot when no one laughs at his jokes. Of course, this just makes things worse.
371* DoomyDoomsOfDoom: Doom comes in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/01/episode-1198-spellmart/ Light Doom, Greater Doom, and All The Dooms Of The Rainbow.]]
372* DualWielding:
373** Fighter and Drizz'l dual wield swords. Then this trope is taken to ludicrous extremes when Fighter begins quadruple-wielding through sword-chucks. Scary part is, it ''works''.
374** And Ranger can quad-wield ''bows'', to fire twelve arrows at the same time! ...Not that it helps against an omnipotent wizard.
375* DudeNotFunny: Fighter calls this InUniverse on Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/11/11/episode-481-black-belt-walks-into-a-bar/ shortly after Black Belt's death,]] in both the poor taste and the objective lack of comedy.
376-->'''Fighter:''' I mean, really. Ignoring the gross display of insensitivity these remarks represent and looking at them from a strictly structuralist perspective, they just aren't funny.
377* DudeWheresMyRespect: Invoked by Thief in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/03/15/episode-820-interview/ this strip.]]
378-->'''Red Mage:''' This is why I keep insisting that Thief shouldn't conduct these interviews.
379* DumbassHasAPoint:
380** Every so often, Fighter will say something genuinely insightful.
381%%** [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]] in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/05/episode-752-its-all-fun-and-games-until-everything-dies/ this strip.]]
382* DumbIsGood: Fighter is dumb and he is also the only mortal teammate of the Light Warriors, simply because he is too dumb to think of anything outside of "swords-chuck yo", and not even in the homocidal way that Black Mage would. Or perhaps it's "Dumb isn't absurdly selfish, utterly disconnected from reality, or an OmnicidalManiac." Dumb is... ''relatively'' good.
383* DungeonBypass: Black Mage once completed the [[DeathCourse obstacle course]] consisting of '''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/12/02/episode-358-qualifications/ four hundred bearded trials of strength]]''' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/12/04/episode-359-flawless-victories/ with a single Hadoken]].
384-->'''Black Mage:''' Obstacle course? Mo' like Ka-Boom course.
385* DyingDeclarationOfHate: Thief delivered one to Black Mage when BM turned on his teammates late in the series. Though once Sarda intervened to revive everyone, the "dying" part didn't apply.
386* DysfunctionJunction: Let's face it, the Light Warriors are their own worst enemies. That says something when their rogues' gallery includes demons, eldritch horrors, deities, and reality warpers. [[http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?t=13920 From the man himself]]: "I'm not sure why the Light Warriors worry about obstacles or monsters standing in their way. They are nothing compared to the obstacles and monsters ''within'' the party."
387* EarlyBirdCameo:
388** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/06/26/episode-300-the-house-always-wins/ Episode 300 shows the party after they've changed class]], something they wouldn't do for more than 300 more comics. The picture of the Light Warriors at the top of this page is the panel from said comic that the cameo occurs in.
389** Sarda also appears in Episode 300 as "the wizard who did it". His proper introduction comes over 100 strips later in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/05/25/episode-421-a-wizard-did-it/ Episode 421]].
390* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first sixty or so pages have characters regularly using game terms like "HP" in their speech and talking about stats on their character sheets. These quickly became something exclusive to Red Mage (and Vilbert to a lesser extent), dismissed by other characters as his mad ravings.
391* EatMe: Unintentionally done by Red Mage to Kraken. He is devoured by it, but once managing to cut Kraken from inside, claims it was his plan along!
392* EldritchAbomination: Ur and the Eye-stalk are alien tentacle creatures worshipped by doom cults. Ur's ''real'' name would drive you mad just by hearing it.
393* EldritchOceanAbyss: Subverted. [[https://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/25/episode-724-somewhere-beyond-the-sea-my-elder-god-stands-on-golden-sands/ Despite Black Mage's impressive narration about the horrors of the deeps,]] they don't actually encounter anything particularly mind-breaking.
394-->'''Black Mage:''' We have always lived in the ocean. There is no ''before''. There will be no after. There is no place for time here among the dark, among the alien things that crawl and swim in a sea without light. We are one of them now. [[CosmicHorrorStory We have]] ''[[CosmicHorrorStory always]]'' [[CosmicHorrorStory been one of them]].
395-->'''Red Mage:''' Black Mage? You're narrating again.\
396'''Black Mage:''' My companions succumbed to sea madness weeks ago.\
397'''Thief:''' [[NotSoDire Dude, it's been two and]] ''[[NotSoDire a half]]'' [[NotSoDire hours]].\
398'''Black Mage:''' I alone maintain a gimmer of humanity. I fear it is fading fast.\
399'''Red Mage:''' What kind of dark wizard in league with nameless forces of primordial evil ''are'' you that you can't even make a successful sanity check versus ''boredom''?\
400'''Black Mage:''' I ignored the pitiable babbling that issued from their misshapen lips. Their wet gurgles, a noise that had once been words, came to an end when one of the ''things'' outside assaulted our craft. I welcome death.
401* ElvesVsDwarves: Exaggerated; Thief, like all elves, despises dwarves to the point of wanting to see every last one of them killed. This makes his rampaging march through their kingdom much more enjoyable for him. The dwarves, for their part, would love nothing more than to see the ''elves'' all killed off.
402* EmbarrassingDampSheets: Implied, when Black Mage "epiphinates" in his sleep, Red Mage asks him if the needs to change his robes. Black Mage hurriedly gives him a RapidFireShutUp.
403* EmergencyTransformation: Inverted when Red Mage uses Polymorph to turn himself human, to prevent him from dying from blood loss as a monster.
404* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/04/01/episode-133-if-you-did-see-it-coming-you-might-be-psychic-joke-comic/ One of the comic's fake endings.]] It's also the ultimate goal of Black Mage and, apparently, of Chaos as well.
405* EnslavedTongue: Sarda uses a rewriting reality spell against Black Mage, making him agree with what Sarda just said. Black Mage, who can copy spells used on him since he is also a blue mage, tries it on Sarda. Turns out, its effect is actually "rewrite reality as Sarda wishes".
406* EpicFail:
407** Red Mage thinks that Black Mage critically failed hitting a large target because there is a 1-in-20 chance of critically screwing anything up.
408--->'''Thief:''' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/17/episode-430-very-long-range/ Not that I'm complaining about it, but...]] ''HOW DO YOU '''MISS''' A VOLCANO?!''
409** After being de-powered, Fighter tries to use his swords but ends up stabbing himself in the head with them.
410* EpiphanyComeback: Fighter's final lesson at Fighter Camp '86 is a simple question: "How many schools of Zodiac Kenshido are there?" When Fighter gives the obvious answer, 12, his master kicks him out. Much later, when fighting against Kary, he realizes there's another answer - "There aren't any. It's all in here." and starts fighting with sword-chucks.
411* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Parodied, since the Light Warriors' original classes ''are'' their real names, and remain so even after they change classes.
412* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: In-universe example--In the Castle of Ordeals, each character fought a personification of his greatest flaws, symbolically overcoming them (or at least, that's what they were ''supposed'' to do...). The final ordeal was to symbolize the team uniting to become more than the sum of their parts and transcend individuality and whatnot. When the final ordeal turns out to be "defeating a zombie dragon", Red Mage complains that the boss doesn't fit the theme.
413-->'''Red Mage:''' I fail to see the significance of a zombified dragon vis-a-vis our externalized struggles with our own internal demons.\
414'''Fighter:''' Maybe the bone dragon represents our ''skeletons''. Those are inside of us. Like skeletons.\
415'''Black Mage:''' Thanks, Fighter. It's a treat that '''every''' day of my life is also the '''stupidest''' day of my life.
416* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
417** The {{Villain Protagonist}}s, Thief and Black Mage in particular, are not only confused by Good, they are confused by [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/02/08/episode-806-relief/ any plan which does not include murder or theft]]. And apparently, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/11/22/episode-1063-post-emptive-strike/ they cannot comprehend why the Other Warriors don't hate each other, either]].
418** When Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/05/29/episode-423-not-so-apt-pupil is told by Sarda that "there cannot be power without sacrifice"]], he takes it to mean he must make a HumanSacrifice... and does so with his "allies" (it didn't stick). Then Sarda tells him that Black Mage must be ''close'' to that which is sacrificed... so Black Mage slaughters them ''again'' (still didn't stick), and Sarda says that the sacrifice must ''mean'' something to Black Mage (who again misinterprets it as the sacrifice being the ''means'' to an end). Once Sarda [[TimeStandsStill stops time]] to spend ''seven hundred years'' trying to explain it to Black Mage, he finally says that Black Mage must ''care'' about what is being sacrificed... which completely stumps Black Mage.
419%%* EvilChancellor: "It's an Elven court. It's ''all'' Viziers and they're ''all'' assholes."
420* EvilerThanThou: The Dark Elves were once the rulers of Elfland until the Forest Elves overthrew them, stealing their national anthem in the process. Please note, said national anthem was "Elf Land, and Fuck You Too", which included the line "We're a race of total Bastards", and when Thief said that he didn't kill Drizz'l's father, merely let his allies do the dirty work then took credit whenever politically expedient, Drizz'l admits that's practically defending him under Elf law.
421* EvilLaugh: Sarda's "muhuhaha". He pulls off an absolutely epic one [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/08/15/episode-1163-the-best-medicine/ here]].
422* EvilPlan: Garland supposedly had something nefarious planned for Princess Sara after he kidnapped her, but it is less harmful then being poked in the ribs. He's nefarious, not cruel.
423* EvilSorcerer: Black Mage, whose BlackMagic is mostly used to slaughter anyone, and Sarda, who tries disguising himself as a TricksterMentor but is actually an EvilMentor who is more than willing to exact damage on the Light Warriors and the rest of the world.
424* EvilVersusEvil:
425** The author once claimed that "no matter who wins, the villains win." Though in the end it was one of the few more or less "good" characters, White Mage, who won.
426** In a world where the "heroes" are worse than the villains (except [[spoiler:Sarda and Chaos]]) and single-handedly responsible for most of the world's suffering; the people in charge of things are insane, megalomaniacal, or both; and any attempts to bring any sort of peace or happiness seem to fail by default, the only thing preventing it from getting too dark is seeing just how over the top the BlackComedy gets.
427* EvilVizier: According to Thief, the court of the Elves is "all viziers. And they're all ''assholes''." Not that Thief is much better himself.
428* EyeBeams:
429** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/11/13/episode-353-last-one-i-swear/ Used by Black Mage]] to annihilate one of the Dwarves' cities (and to piss off Red Mage).
430** He also uses them to destroy Fighter's dreams [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/07/01/episode-302-that-was-a-mistake/ here]].
431* ExactWords:
432** Sarda's spells run on this principle. The spell he casts to hurt Black Mage is a spell that ''hurts Black Mage'', regardless of who is casting it, as Black Mage learned the hard way when he learned it via Blue Magic.
433** Sarda in general runs on this. When he "fixes" Black Mage bleeding all over the floor he simply teleports him to anywhere in the universe; a wide and infinite range of possibilities that also includes [[{{Anticlimax}} right outside Sarda's cave]].
434** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/10/25/episode-911-its-a-conspiracy/ Dragoon describes all the "parrots" he's seen]] and Black Mage can't take the stupidity. He asks Thief to "kick someone for me" and so Thief kicks Black Mage.
435--->'''Black Mage''': Y'know, I thought I'd be madder but it's my own fault for not being specific enough.
436** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/05/27/episode-997-kind-of-like-awakenings/ Red Mage tells Black Mage to wake up because he has a magazine filled with "huge knockers". They're door knockers.]]
437** Drizz'l's dungeon guardian is a creature with an impossible biology, claws, poison and fire. It turns out to be a [[PuzzlingPlatypus platypus]], with claws for burrowing and little poison barbs on its legs. As for the fire, there's [[BoozeFlamethrower a bottle of vodka and a lighter]] taped to its belly.
438* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Used for humor, especially with character names. The four protagonists most obviously, but also [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor Malpractice]], [[EvilChancellor Chancellor Usurper]], and many others...
439* {{Expy}}: Chaos is a transdimensional, extratemporal demon of the void that emerges from Sarda's head and threatens to undo the universe, just like the Shadow from Beyond Time in Clevinger's own ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo''.
440* FaceHeelTurn: Black Mage has attempted to team up with antagonists five times throughout the story, though as he points out, "that'd imply there existed a time I wasn't on team Evil."
441* {{Facepalm}}: One of Drizz'l's standard ways of [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/08/07/episode-1022-divine-right/ expressing]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/10/28/episode-1052-like-a-living-diebold/ displeasure]]
442* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner:
443** Thief: "My only regret is that I didn't hate you '''more'''."
444** Also, Onion Kid, being faced by a barrage of arrows. [[DoomMagnet "Guess I ran out of parents."]]
445* FaintInShock: Red Mage does this once [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/07/13/episode-055-meanwhile-back-in-corneria/ when presented with a fantastic opportunity for min-maxing]], and then again [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/12/11/episode-490-going-up/ when Fighter "slays gravity" and learns how to fly]].
446* FalseReassurance: Black Mage sets Red Mage on fire but assures him that it'll put itself out- after all, all fires stop eventually.
447* FanFiction:
448** A Franchise/FinalFantasy fanfic no less.
449** In-universe example: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/08/13/episode-586-this-is-for-like-three-of-you/ apparently Fighter writes]] Franchise/StarTrek / Franchise/{{Transformers}} {{crossover}} fanfics.
450* FantasticFightingStyle: A few sword based ones courtesy of Fighter. The Twelve Schools of Vargus-do Zodiac-Style Swordplay, which includes the Two Fisted Monkey Style and Ram Style described by Black Mage as “breaking your opponent’s equipment with your head before your opponent breaks your head with his equipment”. Another one is ‘The Glorious Chainsaw Method’ created by Red Mage for Fighter described as “Make your swords become like things unto chainsaws.” And then there’s Fighter’s use of Swordchucks.
451* FantasticRacism:
452** See ElvesVsDwarves above. The elves also have a lowered perception towards humans and basically anything that isn't an elf.
453** Dragons think rather poorly of anything that isn't a dragon.
454* FakeUltimateHero: ZigZagged [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ with.]] [[spoiler:Black Mage, Thief, and Red Mage were pretending to take the credit for destroying Chaos, [[DefiedTrope so in order to prevent that]] White Mage [[InvokedTrope set up the Dark Warriors]] as "The very real Light Warriors"]].
455* FastballSpecial:
456** The ''Fighterdoken'' attack.
457** As well as Fighter's ''Medoken''. However that works.
458* FateWorseThanDeath:
459** Sarda's decided that killing the Light Warriors over and over again isn't as fun after dozens of times. So he's decided to just let them do whatever they want and only make life miserable for them when he's bored. This is subverted, however, because the Light Warriors actually prefer it to certain death.
460** Also, Chaos' plan for the world is to lock everyone in the plane of eternal torment between the worlds. Which, due to Sarda and White Mage's time traveling, would create a paradox where [[RetGone the universe will never have came into being]]. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/17/episode-1185-paradox/ Chaos apparently wants both to happen]], somehow.
461** Also, [[spoiler:[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/01/22/episode-1085-hardly-knew-ye/ Berserker's fate]] and presumably [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/01/24/episode-1086-shit-just-got-realer/ Cleric and Rogue's unknown fates]].]]
462--->'''Cleric:''' What does that mean?\
463'''Sarda:''' It means there's not much point in talking about him.
464* FauxAffablyEvil
465** Black Mage, on those occasions he's not consumed with omnicidal rage, is rather cordial. He's been known to discuss [[WhoWouldWin super hero deathmatches]] with Red Mage (in which it can be noted that Black Mage always picks the villain to win while Red Mage always chooses the hero of the matchup).
466%%** Chaos.
467* FeigningIntelligence:
468** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/14/episode-1152-not-the-best-comeback/ Red Mage has degrees in "escapology" and "escaponomy". Both are in his handwriting. Doesn't mean they're not degrees though!]]
469** In a strip Red Mage and Black Belt [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/09/25/episode-334-car-talk-and-retribution/ pretended to know anything about repairing airships]].
470* FetchQuest: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/01/04/episode-498-pre-quest-quests/ Red Mage tries to complete a chain of fetch quests to get a guy to make him free sandwiches]]. The problem is, fetch quests don't exist in this universe.
471--->'''Sandwich guy''': Are you on the dope, son? Get out of here before I call the cops on you, punk.
472* FictionalColour: Fighter tells Swordopolis [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/12/20/episode-1074-firstname-megabucks/ "You're just a pigment of my imagination. Like bleen or gurple."]]
473* FinalBoss: Chaos is the final enemy of the comic (after a lot of bickering over whether it should be Sarda, Black Mage, or the Light Warriors as a group.)
474* {{Flanderization}}:
475** Black Mage used to be at least selective about what he stabbed and/or nuked. Gradually he got to the point at which he just kills everything at all times.
476** Fighter got considerably dumber over the years, where he was once just kind and easy to trick in the early comics. However, given the number of times he's been stabbed in the head, this might technically count as CharacterDevelopment.
477** Red Mage's cross dressing and "animal husbandry" have become the [[IncrediblyLamePun butt]] of jokes centered around him.
478* FlatWhat: Black Mage and Sarda use this more often than the rest of the cast because of the outraged anti-logic of people like Red Mage, Fighter and, at least one time, Ranger. And once more by Lich, after Black Mage's NotNowKiddo moment.
479* FluffyTheTerrible: 'Muffin', a huge dragon responsible for the death of all the Dragoons but the one who mistook him for a parrot.
480* FoeTossingCharge: Judging by the looks of Black Mage and Fighter, Thief did an ally variant after spotting the golden chocobo in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/03/28/episode-678-skys-the-limit/ this strip.]]
481* {{Foil}}: The Light Warriors are self-proclaimed heroes who do horribly amoral things, while the Dark Warriors are self-proclaimed villains who end up doing nice things for others. Additionally, each of the Warriors has a Foil among their opposites:
482** Black Mage is one to Garland. Both are {{CardCarrying Villain}}s, but while Black Mage plays the part of an OmnicidalManiac held back only by his ButtMonkey status, Garland is a MinionWithAnFInEvil AntiVillain who gets somewhat less fairly punished by the universe for existing, at least until he switches to less destructive hobbies. Furthermore, while Black Mage readily turns on his teammates if he gets the chance, Garland at least tries to be AFatherToHisMen, and is more held back by his team not reciprocating than anything.
483** Fighter is one to Bikke. While both are somewhat stupid masters of the blade, Fighter is notable among his group for being genuinely good-hearted but incredibly naive, while Bikke has a genuine mean streak but gets too easily distracted to be much of a threat.
484** Thief is one to Drizzl. Both are elves in a leadership role on their team, but while Thief gets by on trickery, Drizzl leads more by direct force of personality.
485** Red Mage is one to Vilbert. Both are strong adherents to their respective systems, but while Red Mage is a stat-obsessed {{Munchkin}} with a dash of RulesLawyer, Vilbert is TheRoleplayer who adheres more to RuleOfDrama.
486* ForgotToFeedTheMonster: Bikke's pirate crew and Thief's Lawninja all suffer from the neglect of their masters.
487* ForbiddenChekhovsGun: Red Mage's [[Creator/KurtVonnegut Ice-9]] spell takes away all the heat in the universe. It's cast inside a BagOfHolding that he's just stuffed Kary into (along with all the riches that Thief stole), theoretically putting her [[IncrediblyLamePun on ice]] until the Light Warriors have sufficently leveled up. However...
488-->'''Red Mage:''' We've locked Kary in an inescapable prison where she will remain until such time as we are powerful enough to defeat her. Quite simple.\
489''an [[{{Revenge}} enraged]] White Mage crushes the bag and its contents to bits''\
490'''Red Mage:''' ...or there's that.\
491'''Thief:''' ''[having just seen "more riches than actually exist" destroyed]'' can't...''gasp!''...breathe...
492* ForcedTransformation: The eye monster reproduces by transforming other creatures into more eye monsters against their will. Red Mage gets hit with this, but he gets better.
493* {{Foreshadowing}}:
494** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/26/episode-434-wouldnt-you-like-to-know/ Episode 434]]. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/19/episode-1129-there/ Five years later...]]
495** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/01/21/episode-651-thief-of-time/ Thief's class change]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/19/episode-1174-oh-thats-what/ 523 chapters from the future]].
496** Remember the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/07/30/episode-062-weird-philosophical-tangent/ original task]] the Light Warriors were given? Well, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/06/episode-1181-of-loyalty/ 1119 chapters later...]]
497** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ "Four white mages? It'll never work...]][[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ Oh, goddammit it [sic]."]] Yes, that's over 1200 strips and nearly nine years' worth of foreshadowing.
498** Another, slightly more subtle, example...[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/03/09/episode-125-its-not-surprising/ Red Mage sure is smart.]]
499** Easily missed, but [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/01/episode-011-the-great-black-mage-hype/ Fighter has no idea how right he is. Probably.]]
500* FourIsDeath: The Four Fiends, though this could be applied to the Light Warriors themselves.
501%%* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The Light Warriors.
502%%* FreakyFashionMildMind: Garland, possibly Vilbert.
503* FriendOnTheBlackMarket: Rogue has "I know a guy" as his catchphrase. One of said guys (perhaps even the ''only'' guy) is [[spoiler: Thief]].
504* FrivolousSummoning: {{Subverted|Trope}}. After Drizz'l summons Lich and the two begin arguing, Lich protests that he wasn't summoned to argue semantics with an elf, and compares it to summoning a demon to get help with homework. The subversion comes in as Drizz'l actually summoned Lich to kill the other Dark Warriors and just got sidetracked.
505* FromACertainPointOfView:
506** Any claim that Brian Clevinger ''isn't'' a LyingCreator hinges on these. Just see the justifications below.
507** In comic, a fairly common joke is for characters to have to grant a point for being technically true, such as Fighter having never seen an invisible castle due to them being very rare, or Black Mage not needing his heart to pump blood if he's dead.
508* FunnyBackgroundEvent:
509** There is, for example, Black Mage trying to ask White Mage out in the second half of [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/29/episode-435-hes-a-fighter-not-a-diplomat/ this strip]] or Red Mage's battle with dragon in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/08/26/episode-455-self-fulfilling-stupidity/ this one]].
510** Also, the screen in the background of [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/01/15/episode-108-garland-just-dont-get-it/ this one]].
511** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/12/13/episode-1071-hook-line-sinker/ Red Mage and Bikke bouncing on Black Mage's bed together.]]
512* GagSeries: Far too continuity-heavy to count as a [[GagPerDayWebcomics Gag-Per-Day Webcomic]], but supremely zany and joke-driven none-the-less. [[spoiler: Black Belt's death]] is probably the only plot element in the whole comic that's actually taken somewhat seriously...for about one page, before immediately being milked for BlackComedy afterwards. Any other serious moment in the strip exists just to build up to an AntiClimax.
513* GainaxEnding: Faked in a strip claiming it was AllJustADream.
514%%* GambitPileup: The second Temple of Fiends arc.
515* GeniusDitz: Arguably Red Mage, who, despite being obsessive about stats and whatnot, occasionally makes good (enough) plans. Fighter might be too, since he has a Bachelor's degree in dead, completely overcomplicated languages (not verbatim).
516* GISSyndrome: Brian Clevinger admits on just taking what he finds in image searches for his backgrounds.
517* GlassCannon: Black Mage is one of these, and [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/04/10/episode-977-moving-as-hell/ in one comic refers to himself with that exact phrase]], before [[{{Metaphorgotten}} getting a little weird with the metaphor]].
518* GoldfishPoopGang: A rare real-life example--if the ConRecap news posts are to be believed (from all three parties), then Clevinger, [[Webcomic/CtrlAltDel Tim Buckley]] and [[Webcomic/DominicDeegan Michael "Mookie" Terracciano]] have all the trappings of one.
519* GoMadFromTheRevelation:
520** Surprisingly invoked on ''[[spoiler:Chaos]]'' of all people, when White Mage points out that [[spoiler:a universe completely ruled by entropy would be as dull and boring as a world completely ruled by order.]]
521** When the Light Warriors discover that Matoya and Bahamut are a couple, and the rat tail is for a virility potion. Let's just say that Black Mage tries to choke on his own vomit and leave it at that.
522--->'''Black Mage:''' Oh, god. Now I'm ejecting things I haven't eaten yet.
523* GoodAngelBadAngel: Parodied--when Black Mage faces a moral dilemma (whether he should let Fighter die or let Fighter die '''and''' destroy all of reality in the meantime) two miniature versions of himself that appear [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/08/14/episode-186-everyone-has-a-good-side-sorta/ represent his evil side... and his atrociously evil side]]. ([[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/11/16/episode-770-mage-vs-self-vs-worse-self/ The distinction blurs a little more every day, though]].)
524* GoodHurtsEvil: The True Light Warriors' holy weapons can only be wielded by good people, so on the main team only [[TokenGoodTeammate Fighter]] can use them. This provides an idea of how evil each of the Light Warriors are relative to each other: Fighter isn't hurt at all, Red Mage is burnt a little but can still hold them, Thief immediately drops the knife he picks up and Black Mage bursts into flame.
525* GoryDiscretionShot: When any huge explosions or impacts occur, the panel in which they would happen is replaced with stock photos of nuclear blasts (or in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/04/17/episode-834-world-war-rock/ one case]], of an asteroid impact). Also, when BM solves problems through stabbity means, all we see is blood [[TheFourthWallWillNoTProtectYou splattered on the fourth wall]]. Both are [[BloodyHilarious hilarious]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ when you]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/04/12/episode-832-character-is-what-you-are-in-the-dark/ actually]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/03/11/episode-671-kick-off/ see them]].
526* GreaterScopeVillain: Chaos is an evil EldritchAbomination and embodiment of decay that is the whole reason behind the Light Warriors' quest. Although he ''does'' desire to end (''and'' eternally torment, however that works) existence for no real reason, he does not come into play until the real BigBad, [[TheOmnipotent Sarda]], accidentally brings him about. Who was himself indirectly created by Black Mage.
527* GroinAttack: One of the few blue magic spells learned by Black Mage is this. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/03/09/episode-670-gettin-tchaikovsky-wit-it/ "Inna NERTS!"]]
528%%* GrandfatherClause: Like ''Webcomic/{{Bob and George}}'', only in regards to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI''
529* GuiltByAssociationGag: The arch-villain [[spoiler:Sarda]] explains that while ItsPersonal in the case of Black Mage, he's going to destroy all of them because they are [[WalkingWasteland atrocious beings that need to be annihilated for the safety of everything.]] Black Mage then raises a point that leads directly to this trope:
530-->'''Black Mage:''' Wait, even [[DumbIsGood Fighter?]]\
531'''Arch-Villain:''' Except Fighter.\
532'''Fighter:''' Yay!\
533'''Arch-Villain:''' Fighter's a casualty.\
534'''Black Mage:''' [[TakingYouWithMe Yay!]]
535* HandBehindHead: Occasionally characters will use this gesture after an awkward moment, for example Red Mage does it [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/09/13/episode-1037-wherein-red-mage-is-totally-fine/ here]] after undergoing an involuntary transformation, and Thief does it [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/12/episode-1203-maligned/ here]] when he finds that [[GoodHurtsEvil he can't hold the holy weapons]].
536* HandBlast: Black Mage's blasts are usually cast from a hadoken-like double palm strike.
537* HandPuppet: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/04/episode-716-we-built-this-city-on-rock-and-roll-and-mortar-and-bricks-and-cobblestones-wood-too/ Fighter has one of Black Mage]].
538* HarmlessVillain: The Dark Warriors survive to the end largely by being ineffective at everything.
539* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:Sarda.]] For all his talk about how horrible the Light Warriors are, he's just as bad (well, as bad as Red Mage and Thief). He kills off the [[spoiler:Other Warriors, not to mention Ranger's wife]] over what he knows is a simple misunderstanding.
540* HealingShiv: Cleric used one to bring Thief back from the brink of death.
541* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: The demons of urine and bad haircuts [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/06/26/episode-1009-demon-stration/ give Black Mage nightmares]].
542* HeelFaceTurn:
543** Drizz'l briefly joins the Light Warriors, although this is due more to frustration with the Dark Warriors' incompetence and being voted off than a change in morality. Then again, the Light Warriors are not exactly pillars of morality. In fact, when Black Mage was on their team, the Light Warriors were more evil than the Dark Warriors.
544** Princess Sara is arguably an example of this, at one point taking over her own kidnapping and trying to help Garland dispose of the Light Warriors, who have come to rescue her. However, after Garland is defeated, she returns to her previous life and does not continue to pursue the evil path to any noticeable degree.
545** Black Mage, despite being a "hero", almost pulls these a few times, but something always distracts him back to his own ways before long.
546* HeelRealization:
547** The Light Warriors persist in believing they're heroes until [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/26/episode-1132-whos-the-end-boss/ Sarda finally clues them in on the truth]].
548** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/15/episode-1204-chew-on-that/ Jammed in their faces]] again (although they still don't realize it).
549* HehHehYouSaidX:
550** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/08/08/episode-1160-game-face/ "That's enough boobery for now." "Heh, boob"]]
551** Earlier; "You mean booby traps." "Heh heh..." "Oh, real mature, man!"
552* HellHasNewManagement: After Black Mage is killed by Lich he goes to Hell, and realizing that he no longer has any fleshy weakness to hold him back he usurps the Devil and removes the spines of every other demon so they can't stand up to him. But then he [[DraggedOffToHell drags Lich down]] and the master necromancer reverses all the spine-ectomies and becomes the new boss, tossing BM back into his body.
553* HellSeeker: Black Mage wants to get to Hell to rule it. He succeeds... for a very brief time. Once he gets returned to mortality he tries to dig his way back.
554* HeroicBSOD: Black Mage after watching Fighter use his new "Wood-in-steak".
555-->'''Red Mage:''' Years of exposure to Fighter's, shall we say, point of view, has rendered Black Mage a sputtering vegetable.
556* HeroicComedicSociopath: The Webcomic. Although the phrase 'hero' used to describe any of the "Light Warriors" is... inaccurate.
557* HighlyVisibleNinja:
558** Thief's law ninja, who wear bright red.
559** But not Thief himself, who has [[{{Retcon}} never worn red or imagined himself as a ninja wearing red]].
560* HighPressureBlood: Violent spurts of red liquid are the usual bleeding.
561* HighVoltageDeath: Black Mage electrocutes a group of old men to death in an old folks home with a Bolt 2 spell just for the [[ForTheEvulz sake of killing them]]. Well he also wanted to find an old man that took their gold, but he makes it pretty clear prior to that that he's mostly going there to cause mayhem, and only asks someone about the gold ''after'' he kills them.
562-->'''Black Mage:''' ''Eat electric death old man!!!''
563* HiredGuns: Black Mage's comment in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/15/episode-016-the-quest-to-assault-the-elderly/ this strip]] implies that he Fighter were mercenaries the events of the comic.
564* HoldingOutForAHero: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/05/08/episode-843-the-superman-complex/ Discussed.]] Truth is the Light Warriors just killed all the city guards so there is no one to fight back. Other people are unaware about the threats to their world except the four idiots who steal and murder them.
565%%* HonestJohnsDealership: Used straight by Akbar, totally subverted by Jeff.
566* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Fighter thinks that the Light Warriors are heroes; true, noble, and effective heroes. Yes, really. Somehow he misses all the violence, murder, theft and general mayhemthat his party members do.
567-->'''Fighter:''' We're heroes.
568* HughMann: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/06/03/episode-1000-i-cant-believe-someone-was-asshole-enough-to-make-1000-sprite-comics/ Here;]]
569-->'''Black Mage:''' Oh, Lord. Why does the robot [[PaperThinDisguise have a mustache?]]\
570'''Warmech:''' I grew it with my human lip.\
571'''Red Mage:''' Is... is that a fact?\
572'''Warmech:''' Oh yes. I love to grow hair all over my body in between acts of defecation.\
573'''Thief:''' Well he ''sounds'' human.
574%%* HybridMonster
575* HyperspaceMallet: The White Mage wields a large hammer that she pulls from nowhere. She uses it when Black Mage ([[spoiler:or Kary]]) sufficently [[BewareTheNiceOnes pisses her off]].
576* {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler:Sarda]] is no better than Black Mage. He will say Black Mage is a horrid monster who commits all manner of evil for selfish purposes, but that is also what he does.
577* HypocriticalHumor: After Thief outlines one of his tyrannical moneymaking schemes...
578-->'''Black Mage:''' That's... hold on.\
579''[Red Mage, who [[DisproportionateRetribution sat on Black Mage and got immolated by his unwitting chair]], has finally burned out, so BM sets him on fire again]''\
580'''Black Mage:''' That's really sick, Thief.
581* HypotheticalFightDebate: Black Mage and Red Mage argue on who would win between Batman and Doom, and between Bullseye and Green Arrow.
582* IAmSong: Red Mage suggests creating theme songs for the group, but Thief isn't amused.
583-->'''Red Mage''': [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/29/episode-378-its-kinda-catchy/ He'll get your wallet, look out for him, it's ''Thief!'' Yeah! It's Thief! It's ''Thiiieef!'']]
584* IDontLikeYouAndYouDontLikeMe: Thief attempts this on Bikke in order to try and persuade him to talk, but it merely confuses Bikke and Thief concedes he doesn't really know much about conversations that don't end in backstabbing.
585-->'''Bikke:''' Ye don't like me? But we don't even know each other. I bets we have a lot in common. Treachery and such. Yar.
586%%* IgnoredEnemy: "You shut the '''goddamn hell up''', super-monsters."
587* IgnoredEpiphany: Black Mage has had a few moments of clarity, which he prompty ignores. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/05/31/episode-289-a-change-of-heart/ This one here]] being the most notable. Later, he becomes cunning enough to fake having an Epiphany.
588* IllogicalSafe: Played with, only with an armoire instead of a safe falling on Fighter. Fighter emerges from the middle of it and Red Mage launches a convoluted explanation that states that Fighter survived because his knowledge of CartoonPhysics warped reality itself. Then Fighter reveals that the bottom just was cheap particle board.
589* ImmortalImmaturity:
590** Seems to be the rule for folks like the elves. All of them appear to be selfish, short-sighed with the emotional range between " sue you" and "steal that".
591** Sarda's got a very bad case of magical dickery that is as long as hte universe is old.
592* ImpossibleThief: Thief can steal anything that's not on fire and nailed down at the same time. Emphasis "'''and'''" and "'''anything.'''"
593-->'''Thief:''' I've stolen things that weren't even ''there''. This soul exists, so that helps.
594* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: The sword-chucks are impossible, even in this world... Until they aren't.
595* ImprobableWeaponUser: Fighter has his Sword-Chucks, and no less than four swords on his person at any given time. And then there's this line:
596-->'''Fighter:''' ''You'' try balancing a cow on the end of a fence post to wield it like a club. ''That's'' a physical damn challenge!
597* IncrediblyLamePun:
598** Fighter searches for the Armor of Invincibility and ends up with the Armoire of Invincibility by mistake.
599** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/31/episode-763-going-for-the-hi-score/ Fighter likes to play Breakout.]] Actually, it was supposed to be [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/21/episode-759-space-invaders/ Arkanoid]].
600** "He must be in Ur base. Killing all Ur dudes." The author[[http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?p=439508#post439508 states that]] the character was named Ur ''just'' for the sake of that joke.
601** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/07/22/episode-443-whats-ur-sine/ "I couldn't bear my role in it."]]
602** Because he's a vampire, the only way to kill Vilbert is with a wooden stake through the heart. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/22/episode-375-thinking-outside-the-box/ Fighter proceeds to rip one of the posts off of a wooden fence, impale a cow on it]], and then [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/24/episode-376-four-hundred-pounds-of-flavor/ burn it to a crisp]]. Why? Because he now has wood in steak. It's worth noting that the pun is so lame it actually causes Black Mage to go temporarily insane. Er.
603** After deciding to break the three Light Warriors who aren't Black Mage out of their icy prison, Drizz'l comes up with an idea that he knows he'll hate himself for after it works. He tells this joke: "How do you get 200 Canadians out of the pool? [{{Beat}}] [[CanadaEh Say 'Please get out of the pool.']]" The ice shatters and Thief asks what he just did. "I... broke the ice..."
604** At one point a minor antagonist is killed while the Light Warriors are mocking him and Black Mage makes a pun of such extraordinary terribleness that it causes the antagonist to drop dead on the spot.
605%%* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Drizz'l.
606* InfernalRetaliation:
607** The legitimate businessman encountered by Light Warriors after they became "a city guard" had a rather delayed reaction to being set on fire.
608** On the other hand, Red Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/02/05/episode-951-when-life-gives-you-firelemons/ attempted to invoke this trope]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/02/12/episode-954-nonviolent-solutions-to-stupid-problems/ and failed miserably]].
609* InnocentInnuendo: Red Mage seems to be able to make anything sound like a double entendre.
610* InsaneTrollLogic:
611** Almost every plan that Red Mage makes up runs solely on this. He has once claimed that [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/01/15/episode-942-cross-eyed-traffic/ his plans were more likely to succeed, due to the fact that they were less logical, and thus, logic wouldn't screw them up.]] You can't unread that.
612** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/11/10/episode-1189-back-in-action/ Black Mage has gotten in on the action, too.]]
613** Ranger's reasoning after 2 of the 4 members of his party have been erased from existence.
614--->'''Rogue:''' This is an alarming trend.\
615'''Ranger:''' Is it? Only people who aren't us have disappeared, Rogue. Should this pattern continue, we ought to be fine.\
616'''Rogue:''' Why does that make more sense than I think it should?
617** Sarda's reasoning for sending the "Light Warriors" on their journey is [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/04/episode-1136-that-is-not-a-predictive-model/ shaky as hell.]] Not that Red Mage logic that it's not their fault they kill everyone they meet along the journey sound either.
618** The comic is so filled with this that the LogicalFallacies [[Quotes/LogicalFallacies quote page]] has a whole section dedicated to ''8-Bit Theater''.
619* InsultBackfire:
620** Clevinger, in keeping with his philosophy that the best joke is the one on the reader, wrote a comic that ended with the entire strip AllJustADream, as a fake NoEnding. Rather than the cavalcade of abuse he expected from pissed-off readers, he got ''fan mail'' complementing him on writing the [[GainaxEnding perfect ending]] for his [[DeconstructorFleet comic]]! Needless to say, he was peeved that his master plan was ruined by kindness.
621** He seems to have tried it again [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/21/episode-1130-so-close-yet-so-far here]]. And again, after the initial shock, the readers began to compliment him.
622** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/12/12/episode-100-white-mage-makes-it-all-better/ In-universe example]]:
623--->'''Black Mage:''' Yo.\
624'''White Mage:''' You are simply a horrible little monster and I pray for your quick and merciful death.\
625'''Black Mage:''' Flirt!
626* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Lampshaded in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/08/episode-1201-the-thing-about-wizards-is/ strip 1201]], "These are the prices and like a fence or short hedge, there is nothing you can do to get around that."
627* InterspeciesRomance: Bahamut and Matoya - and learning this is outright traumatizing for the Light Warriors, highlighted by quotes such as "Quickly. The less we learn about reptilian reproduction, the better." Also, Ranger's complex heritage implies he's "half Elven, one-fourth Lefeinian, and one-eighth Orc".
628* INeverSaidItWasPoison: When the Light Warriors get their class changes, Thief [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/01/24/episode-652-solidarity/ absolutely doesn't]] [[{{Retcon}} wear red]], but he ''does'' play with this trope.
629-->'''Black Mage:''' And '''YOU''' were wearing red just a second ago!
630-->'''Thief:''' No I wasn't. Besides, what kind of ninja wears bright red?
631-->'''Black Mage:''' Ha! I never said it was ''bright'' red!
632-->'''Thief:''' Neither did I.
633-->'''Black Mage:''' Ghk!
634* InTheLocalTongue: Drizz'l is mocked for his goofy-sounding name, until Thief tells them it actually means "The Relentless Scourge." Black Mage still mocks him anyhow.
635%%* IronicEchoCut: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/05/01/episode-023-enter-magic-shop-guy/]]
636* IronicHell:
637** After being severely beaten by Berserker, Thief ends up in his personal Hell where he owns everything. Thief is overjoyed... until a trickster god called Raven points out to him that there's nothing left to steal in this Hell. Realizing that, Thief starts begging the god to revive him. [[spoiler:However, it's revealed later that Thief didn't actually die -- Berserker only knocked him unconscious -- and his personal Hell was probably an illusion created by Raven, who wanted to take advantage of Thief's desperation.]]
638** The real hell, too.
639--->'''Head Hell Guy:''' This is hell. We're big on irony here.
640* IronButtmonkey: Fighter and Black Mage--the former is repeatedly stabbed in the head with no ill effects (it made him smarter once), while Black Mage more or less always survives what's thrown at him (the Goblin Punch and Australia come to mind) and when he's killed, he gets brought back in fairly short order [[FateWorseThanDeath so as to continue suffering]].
641* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne:
642** When Black Mage calls Red Mage and Thief ugly, Red Mage says that Thief isn't ugly.
643** Red Mage calls Thief a "creepy evil elf" and Thief responds "I'm not creepy. Uh. Or evil".
644* ItsAlwaysSunnyInMiami: This trope is used in this work, as it never gets dark until the characters enter the inn.
645* ItsTheJourneyThatCounts: White Mage asks Red Mage if he's annoyed with her for [[spoiler:setting up the Dark Warriors as the saviours of the world instead of the Light Warriors]]. Red Mage says that he isn't, because having the adventure is more important than people knowing about it.
646* IWillShowYouX: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/14/episode-1152-not-the-best-comeback/ In this strip.]]
647-->'''Sarda:''' That's adorable, really.\
648'''Garland:''' Oh, we'll show '''you''' adorable!\
649''[shows Sarda a photo of a bunny]''\
650'''Sarda:''' Yes, you sure did.
651%%* {{Jerkass}}: Thief, Black Mage, Sarda.
652* JokeExhaustion: After [[spoiler:Black Belt's death]], Black Mage spends an entire strip gleefully firing off jokes mocking it.
653* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:The Light Warriors (especially Black Mage), after all the atrocities they commit, ultimately escape any kind of formal punishment. The upside is that White Mage keeps them from stealing the credit for saving the world... by making sure it goes to the Dark Warriors. Also, they got a lot of un-official punishment. ]]
654--> [[spoiler:They've all been [[BroughtDownToNormal drastically de-leveled]] to their base classes, and Black Mage seems to be destined to forever wander the world with Fighter (a reward for Fighter, a punishment for Black Mage). Sarda himself pointed out there's nothing he could've done at that point that they hadn't done to themselves already, to say nothing of what HE had already done to them. They got off lightly (and Thief and Red Mage seem to be doing decently well), but it's "lightly" in the sense that [[ShaggyDogStory they'd already been thoroughly punished for the length of the ''entire comic'', culminating in being robbed of their power and (wholly undeserved) glory at the last moments.]]]]
655* KarmaMeter: The weapons that can only be wielded by good people establish a rough estimate. Fighter can wield them without issue, they hurt Red Mage but he can still hold them, Thief immediately drops the one he touches from the pain, and Black Mage is set on fire just from touching the hilt of one.
656* KarmicButtMonkey: Black Mage, who's a ComedicSociopath. As [[WordOfGod Brian Clevinger]] said (paraphrased); "The universe exists to hurt Black Mage".
657* KidWithTheLeash:
658** Surprisingly enough, this trope is applied to Thief and Black Mage. Black Mage is a nightmarishly insane killer easily able [[PersonOfMassDestruction to cause ridiculous amounts of mass-destruction]], and whose gut reaction to any situation is KillItWithFire. Thief may be a ManipulativeBastard whose idea of morality is as flexible and self-rewarding as any one of his contracts, but he can ''control'' (or at least direct) a lot of Black Mage's indiscriminate destruction. If he's not there to lead the group, Black Mage tends to take charge and things tend to go downhill pretty damn quick.
659** A good part of Thief's control over Black Mage involves the fact that [[spoiler:prior to absorbing his SuperpoweredEvilSide, at least]] Black Mage is ''terrified'' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/01/13/episode-502-technical-mumbo-jumbo/ of him.]]
660--->'''Red Mage:''' I can't believe 'Thief' was the moral compass that kept us from becoming a pack of roving murderers.
661* KillItWithFire:
662** The Light Warriors' solution to most anything is have Black Mage nuked it.
663** While looking for excuses to kill dwarves:
664--->'''Thief:''' Beard-shaped parasites are eating their faces!\
665'''Black Mage:''' Burn them all and let the fire sort it out!
666* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Black Belt]] is dead. He is totally and completely dead, and never coming back. Anyone with the power to revive him doesn't want to, and [[spoiler: his time-space warp duplicate is also dead]].
667* KillingYourAlternateSelf: In the Castle of Ordeals, the only thing the castle could find that was evil enough to represent Black Mage's own evil was Black Mage himself. After pointing out various other evil deeds the castle had missed and turning his doppleganger into a world ending threat,[[spoiler: BM dispatches him with deceit and application of his trusty stabbing knife through the back and out the heart.]]
668* KleptomaniacHero: Thief will steal ''everything'' from your house regardless if it's nailed down or not.
669* KnightOfCerebus: Played with. Black Mage would have ''loved'' to turn the entire comic into a series of gruesome atrocities, but things never work out for him.
670* LamePunReaction:
671** Once Fighter says [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/09/28/episode-749-murder-by-numbers/ "He's in Ur base. Killing all Ur dudes"]], Thief and Red Mage prefer to go after a vicious Black Mage than risk hearing any further.
672** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/06/21/episode-298-a-natural-response/ Red Mage tries to make a pun out of "Astos" and "ass toes", which quickly weirds out everyone else. Black Mage then makes the "Yo ass is toast" pun, which is so bad that Astos immediately drops dead.]]
673** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/29/vacation-2003-5-chromatic-discussion/ In one guest strip]] Red Mage makes a pun about "getting grounded", the others rate it an average of [[BrokeTheRatingScale -2.5 out of 10]].
674%%* LampshadeHanging: Lots of it.
675* LastOfHisKind:
676** Red Mage and Dragoon are the last survivors of their respective orders. They have a support group!
677** Muffin wants to be the last dragon, but when pointed out there are a fair number of dragons still out there despite her claims, she grudgingly admits she wasn't quite as thorough as she'd like.
678** Barry of the real Light Warriors is apparently a Red Wizard, meaning that Red Mage is either wrong or lying for roleplaying EXP. Knowing him, it's likely both simultaneously.
679* LazilyGenderFlippedName: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/01/18/episode-238-a-light-warrior-by-any-other-name/ When captured]] while DisguisedInDrag as elf women, Thief tries to introduce the team as "-ica", "-ina" and "-a" version of their own names: Thiefica, Fighterina and Black Magia.
680-->'''Thief:''' And-\
681'''Red Mage:''' I'm Debora.\
682'''Elf:''' Well, those ''are'' girls' names. Their story checks out.\
683[{{beat}}]\
684'''[[WholesomeCrossdresser Red Mage:]]''' Don't look at me like that. I've always thought Debora was a pretty name.
685%%* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Black Mage and Fighter in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/10/12/demo-01-unwisely-pissing-off-the-fanbase/ this strip.]]
686%%* LetterMotif
687* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Said word for word by Black Mage after the [[NoodleIncident nightmare-poison-induced shenanigans]] that resulted in the Light Warriors waking up stark naked in the woods.
688* LevelDrain: Happens to the Light Warriors near the end of the comic.
689-->'''Sarda:''' The irony is that there's not much left for me to do to you that you haven't already done to yourselves.\
690[...]\
691'''Thief:''' Pff, what could he ''possibly'' do?\
692'''Black Mage:''' Oh... please don't say that out loud.\
693'''Thief:''' No, think about what he said. We're Light Warriors, dammit. I bet he ''can't'' hurt us any more than we hurt each other every day.\
694'''Red Mage:''' Thief kinda has a point. We're our own worst enemies. What can ''he'' do?!\
695'''''POIT!'''''\
696''[The Light Warriors are reduced in levels and class]''\
697'''Red Mage:''' ''[turns to Sarda] What if'' I said it was a rhetorical question?
698* LevelGrinding: After being [[spoiler:deleveled by Sarda]], the Light Warriors must engage in a frenzy of this in order to (maybe) stand a chance against Chaos
699* LeyLine:
700** Mentioned as running through the land.
701** It is stated that Black Mage is a living Nexus. His mind/soul ''itself'' is the Nexus, such that his physical body acts as a RestrainingBolt. Hence when he dies and gets rid of his physical body, ''his powers increase'' (vis a vis [[spoiler:RULING OVER HELL)]]. He is ''not'' happy that the universe is trying its very hardest to keep him alive (probably so he doesn't end all creation.)
702* LightIsNotGood: For a group of "heroes" called "The Light Warriors", they are probably the world's greatest mortal perpetrators of atrocities. Sarda flat out tells them this. Then again, the Light Warriors only got the title by tricking King Steve with their "Orbs of Destiny", which were in fact light bulbs, and the Real Light Warriors were unable to find a job.
703* LightningCanDoAnything: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/08/21/episode-883-its-not-quite-brain-surgery-either/ Including making Fighter smart.]]
704-->'''Thief:''' I think you ''stabbed'' the stupid out of him.\
705'''Red Mage:''' That makes no scientific sense. The knife channeled the lightning directly to his brain which then experienced electrical activity for, perhaps, the first time ever.
706* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: Parodied by the "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/31/8-bit-theater-1-gold-foil-embossed-collection-edition/ 8-Bit Theater #1 Gold Foil Embossed Collection Edition!]]", which is only a "lame" {{Filler Strip|s}}. [[invoked]]
707* LimitedUseMagicalDevice: Referenced when the "Light Warriors" come across Chancellor Usurper while he's monologuing and he attempts to defend his actions by claiming he was reading from a letter that disappeared like a scroll. To which Black Mage states that scrolls don't disappear, just the writing on them.
708* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Although by the 1000 comic mark, Fighter can block anything in creation (including fire and ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/08/episode-1170-happy-landings/ the ground]]'') and Thief can steal anything in creation, they still aren't anywhere near matching the raw destructive power that Black Mage has access to. Red Mage is a special case because although he can instantly mimic Black Mage's attacks when they are used on him (for about 30 seconds afterwards), his wizarding skills in general are not geared towards brute force but practicality (well, what ''he'' thinks of as practicality). The best example of this trope, though, is Sarda, who gets phenomenally more powerful the older he gets. Anyone even want to ''know'' what Black Mage and Red Mage are going to be capable of if they exist that long?
709* LineOfSightName: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/06/27/episode-713-give-me-a-sign/ Black Mage comes up with the false name "Mos Anted" from a "Most Wanted" poster.]]
710%%* LivingCrashpad: "You're standing on my kidneys..."
711%%* LogicalFallacies: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/12/19/episode-784-this-is-canon/ This strip]] is a wonderfully [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] example.
712* LogicBomb: Red Mage uses one to kill a dinosaur. He tries it again while confronting his own Hubris, but it doesn't take for obvious reason.
713-->'''Red Mage:''' For that would be a flaw. Well, explode already!
714* TheLoinsSleepTonight: Thief describes Black Mage as "quivering with impotent rage" and Black Mage responds "Who told you?"
715* LoveMakesYouDumb: Black Mage's intelligence is inversely proportional to one of two things: how close he is to White Mage, or how angry he is. When neither of those two factors are in play, he's the most intelligent of the group (except perhaps [[MagnificentBastard for Thief]]). [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/05/31/episode-289-a-change-of-heart/ Anger seems to obliterate all his ability to think rationally.]] This is ''really'' a problem because he has a HairTriggerTemper.
716[[/folder]]
717
718[[folder:N to Z]]
719* {{MacGyvering}}: [[NoodleIncident We'll never know how he did it]], but Red Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/16/episode-320-extrications saved the day]] with [[NoodleImplements a portable hole, an immovable rod, a bag of holding, and an ice spell]].
720%%* MadeFromRealGirlScouts: The Giant Cannon.
721%%* MadeOfExplodium: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/01/18/episode-504-tis-a-good-question/ This strip.]] Lampshaded brilliantly by Black Mage.
722* MadeOfEvil: When Black Mage enters the Castle of Ordeals, he has to face the physical embodiment of his worst flaws in order to overcome them. Black Mage's physical manifestation is himself. Because there is nothing more evil out there. However, when he keeps remembering the increasingly evil things he has done, the manifestation starts to shake reality. See [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/10/20/episode-614-escalations/ here]] and the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/10/18/episode-613-mirror-master/ comic before it]].
723* MadEye: Black Mage gets one for several strips after White Mage kisses Fighter.
724* MagicAIsMagicA: If Sarda devises a spell to hurt you, he devises a spell to hurt '''you''', as demonstrated by Black Mage several times.
725* MagicVersusScience: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ The comic ends]] with a newspaper declaring the "very real Light Warriors save the world!"; next to the picture of the Dark Warriors, there is an article about a mana vein which baffles scientists.
726-->'''Newspaper headline text:''' I hate this ridiculous fantasy setting.
727* MajorInjuryUnderreaction:
728** Whenever the main cast is attacked by Black Mage they'll usually just shrug it off as if nothing even happened. For example, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/12/episode-1172-portents/ here]] Red Mage keeps talking despite having three knives lodged in his head.
729** Black Mage also does this himself, his reaction to catching fire was a bored "I appear to have come aflame".
730* ManOnFire:
731** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/05/07/episode-550-observations/ Red Mage deliberately sets himself on fire to protect himself against freezing to death.]]
732** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/02/05/episode-951-when-life-gives-you-firelemons/ Then when Black Mage torches him for landing on top of him, he deliberately stays on fire so he can hug people to death.]]
733** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/14/episode-1105-wide-range-of-uses/ Later, Black Mage sets him on fire once again just for the hell of it.]]
734-->'''Black Mage''': [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/28/episode-1110-safer-than-artillery-strike-alley/ Red Mage is the]] ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/28/episode-1110-safer-than-artillery-strike-alley/ best]]'' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/28/episode-1110-safer-than-artillery-strike-alley/ damn kindling this team ever had!]]
735** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/12/episode-1203-maligned/ Black Mage himself bursts into flames when he tries to wield a holy weapon.]]
736* MathematiciansAnswer:
737** After Dragoon had knocked Black Mage unconscious by using him as a landing point, and Red Mage took advantage of the opportunity to jump up and down on Black Mage's unconscious body for a while.
738--->'''Black Mage:''' Now, if Jumpin' Jack Ass and Red Moron are done, we DO have a quest to finish up.\
739'''Thief:''' Since when do you care about quests?\
740'''Black Mage:''' Since it's a convenient excuse to butcher Sir Hopsalot for revenge.\
741'''Dragoon:''' You mean Red Mage or me?\
742'''Black Mage:''' '''YES'''.
743** The Dark Warriors tell Sarda to get out of the way so they can go conquer the world: he says it's not going to happen. When they ask which part he meant, he replies, "Yes."
744** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/11/14/episode-1191-redistribution-of-xp/ On Red Mage's character sheet, under "Religion" he wrote "Okay".]]
745%%* MesACrowd: "I was right. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/12/23/episode-1075-would-you-believe/ That didn't make sense.]]
746* MeaningfulName:
747** Other than Black Mage's last name, Evilwizardington, there are characters with names like [[EvilChancellor Chancellor Usurper]] and Doctor Malpractice.
748** Just about everyone's last name.
749* MedievalStasis: The Elves, as pointed out by Red Mage despite having a 9,000 year head start are at the same technology level as humans. Thief, at a loss for a proper explanation, tells them that they like it that way.
750%%* MediumAwareness
751%%* {{Metaphorgotten}}: Used constantly. Especially for Black Mage, whose metaphors tend to take very [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/02/22/episode-518-iced/ disturbing]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/16/episode-1220-hypothetical/ turns]].
752* MemoryWipeExploitation: Garland knows that Bikke is planning to hold a meeting with the other Dark Warriors, as they are unhappy with Garland's leadership. Garland not only supports the idea - he even offers to cater them lunch. Just after serving lunch, Drizz'l approaches Garland and asks why Garland is being so supportive of Bikke's efforts to overthrow him. Garland says he has two reasons: the first is that [[SkewedPriorities he wanted a chance to try out a new taco recipe he found.]] The second is that he views the plot as a non-issue, because Bikke is grossly incompetent, Vilbert is a poser, and Drizz'l has been a broken shell of a Dark Elf ever since Fighter beat him and took his swords. When Drizz'l points out the possibility that Garland might be getting overconfident, Garland reveals his secret third reason: he put amnesia peppers in the tacos, meaning he can freely mock the attempts to depose him. In an hour, everyone will have forgotten the entire affair anyway.
753%%* MindRape: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/21/episode-1154-epilepsy-warning-no-seriously/ "So, was that a goat or...?" "Y'know, I've never asked."]]
754* MistakenForClown: After Black Mage's [[PrestigeClass class change]], his new outfit proves to be less than impressive. It getting him mistaken for a circus performer becomes a running gag.
755* MistakenForJunkie: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/01/04/episode-498-pre-quest-quests/ Red Mage's insanity once caused a guy to ask him whether he was on drugs]].
756* MixAndMatchCritters: "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/04/10/episode-406-and-badger-snakes/ I'm sorry, no I won't take it. If we accept orc zombies, then we open the gate to all kinds of crap. What's next? Centaur dragons? How about demon fairies? Maybe buffalo elves? Heck, why not whale vultures?]]"
757* MixedMetaphor: Fighter creates a very impressive one: "Needs a sword fight in the middle, but we can burn that river when we cross a bridge over the bush with two birds in glass houses."
758* MoodWhiplash: Compared to both preceding and succeeding strips, the strip about Black Belt's (first) death [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/10/16/episode-471-first-attack/ is surprisingly serious.]]
759* MoralityPet: Fighter to Black Mage - for all the good it does. This leads to many instances of KickTheMoralityPet.
760* {{Multishot}}: Parodied by Ranger, demonstrated at first when Black Mage questions [[TemptingFate whether shooting several arrows at once is plausible]], only for Ranger to pin him to a wall doing just that. Sarda also redirects the one intent to hit him to both Ranger and his wife through magic.
761* {{Munchkin}}: Red Mage, who is so worried about multi-maxing that it doesn't make him realize he's both delusional and [[MasterOfNone very incompetent]].
762* MookDepletion: When the Light Warriors invade her lair, Kary demands to know where her minions were, with her accountant revealing that she killed them all on a whim because she was bored. In a rage, [[ShootTheMessenger she killed the accountant]] and [[LeaveHimToMe decided to deal with the Light Warriors personally]].
763%%* MundaneUtility: Parodied and played straight at different times. Mostly with Black Mage's [[NoKillLikeOverkill ridiculously powerful magic]].
764* NeverMyFault: As Red Mage points out [[spoiler:Sarda is just as responsible for his suffering as the Light Warriors are, since he wastes all his time getting petty, childish revenge on them when he could easily use his godlike powers to prevent their actions from ever happening. Not only that but he was the one who sent them on their quest to begin with, so he really has no one to blame but himself for his problems.]]
765%%* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/05/31/episode-289-a-change-of-heart/ Fighter]], of course.
766* NiceJobFixingItVillain: If [[spoiler:Sarda hadn't [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/21/episode-1130-so-close-yet-so-far resurrected Black Mage's victims]] after his rampage]], then the actual ending of the comic could never have happened.
767* NinjaPirateZombieRobot:
768** Fighter's idea of combining swords and nunchucks.
769** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/04/08/episode-405-lets-face-it-hed-starve/ Orc Zombies]]
770* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Earlier strips had King Steve serving as a George W. Bush parallel, though done in an extremely [[RefugeInAudacity over the top]] Strawman representation; drilling for Mana in wildlife preserves, bit of a warmonger, and low popularity.
771* NoFourthWall:
772** In [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/03/24/episode-531-time-for-a-new-space/ this]] strip, the Light Warriors can see themselves as in the comic. Even Black Mage comments on something he says at a later point. Justified, since they're in void where space and time are meaningless.
773** Red Mage often leans very heavily on the FourthWall. Considering he's a {{Munchkin}} this isn't much of a surprise (his entire order lives on the basis of manipulating the FourthWall). When he does say something with a meta-context expect Black Mage (if he's currently not in possession of the [[SanityBall Insanity Ball]] and trying to kill everything in sight) to remark on it with either suspicion or frustration.
774* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown:
775** Black Belt's core martial arts philosophy, as taught to him by his master.
776--->'''Black Belt:''' My master believed that an opponent whose body was too broken to move was an opponent who was defeated.
777** What happens to anyone who triggers Barbarian's Berserker Mode. Thief knows what it is like to be beaten down by that.
778* NoKillLikeOverkill: Black Mage. He likes summoning the raw powers of the universe to do his bidding (apparently). This usually comes (also apparently) with a malleable sense of scale... as in "off of the". As a running gag, his love of killing things in as over-the-top a fashion as possible often leads to his attacks backfiring on him (luckily for him, he learns Feather Fall eventually).
779-->'''Black Mage:''' I found out what zombies are weak against.\
780'''Red Mage:''' Oh?\
781'''Black Mage:''' Point blank annihilation.
782* {{Nominal Hero}}es: The Light Warriors.
783-->'''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/11/15/episode-920-we-could-be-heroes/ Red Mage:]]''' According to a loose enough definition of 'hero', we qualify. Well, more or less. The point is that good deeds were '''done''' and '''we''' were nearby.
784* NonCombatEXP: Discussed by the [[LightIsNotGood Light Warriors]]--Apparently, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/08/02/episode-180-headin-to-pravoka/ sidequests are the primary source]] of an adventurer's EXP gain, and are what separates noble adventurers from roaming bands of thugs.
785%%* NonSequiturThud: Black Mage in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/04/17/episoe-409-corrective-measures/ this strip.]]
786* NoodleImplements: Using ([[InterchangeableAntimatterKeys up]]) a portable hole, an immovable rod, a bag of holding, and an ice spell to escape from an exploding [[CoolAirship Deathtrap]], then [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/16/episode-320-extrications in the same strip]] [[InventoryManagementPuzzle requiring]] a portable hole, an immovable rod, a bag of holding, and an ice spell to get Black Mage out from under a Giant.
787* NoodleIncident:
788** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/06/25/episode-568-i-need-an-adult/ Whatever the cool kids did to Red Mage's "bathing suit area".]]
789** Black Mage murdered his brother because [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/02/22/episode-518-iced/ "It would've been cruel to let him live after what I did to his eyes."]] He also had a sister, but he refuses to talk about any of his family members in the present tense.
790%%** In the Field of Battle series, "I have no idea what that means, and that only makes it worse."
791%%** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ "Because you weren't here when White Mage, Priest, Shaman, and Healer KILLED Chaos."]]
792%%*** "Oh goddammit [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment it]]."
793* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Basically said in more words by Red Mage in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/01/episode-1167-what-goes-up/ 1167]]. [[spoiler:[[GenreBlind Of course]], Sarda survived.]]
794* NoOneShouldSurviveThat:
795** Fighter, all the time (much to Black Mage's chagrin). So much that the other Light Warriors count on him somehow being able to survive random situations.
796** Black Mage also qualifies. Among other examples, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/06/09/episode-856-its-a-shadow/ Sarda dropped Australia on him]] and he survived.
797--->'''Red Mage:''' Where's he going?\
798'''Sarda:''' To hurt.
799*** Qualifies as an IncrediblyLamePun, since he is sent to Hurt, Australia.
800** At one point, Sarda locked Black Mage perfectly still while the rest of the universe kept moving, shifting him outside the cave. Of course, all the other molecules kept moving and shredded him at a sub-cellular level, but Sarda kept him alive out of spite.
801--->'''Black Mage:''' Huh. I think I'm insane now.
802* NoOSHACompliance: When the Light Warriors enter Garland's fortress the second time, Black Mage points out that Garland is an idiot with delusions of grandeur, and that the worst they'll have to deal with are stairs without adequate railing. When they get ambushed by a bunch of dragons, they are forced to flee... and fall down a flight of stairs that don't have enough railing.
803* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Invoked in a NoFourthWall manner by Red Mage. He's not the {{Determinator}}, he doesn't have SuperToughness... he just 'forgets' to write down any damage he takes.
804* TheNoseKnows: Red Mage can sniff out turtles, while underwater, while in an airtight submarine. Somehow.
805* TheNoseless: Normally nobody's nose is visible anyway due to the sprite nature of the characters. But in the epilogue, White Mage, Thief and Fighter still don't have noses while Red Mage does.
806* NoSenseOfDirection: Fighter's not good at directions. In Black Belt's case it's practically a DisabilitySuperpower.
807* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: Fighter [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/09/episode-1138-use-your-words/ believes]] that Black Mage is/was this. He is, of course, [[MadeOfEvil comprehensively]] [[ForTheEvulz wrong.]]
808* NotNowKiddo: Black Mage is guilty of this on several occasions. A few times to Fighter, but once to Lich, while he and the rest of BM's party discussed the plan to kill Lich's son, Vilbert right in front of Lich. Black Mage didn't even bother to look at Lich while he said that.
809* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:White Mage ends up giving the Dark Warriors credit for the few good things the Light Warriors did out of petty spite, just like something the Light Warriors themselves would've done. In the epilogue she acknowledges that what she did was just as childish and mean-spirited as their behavior, and is trying to give them they credit they earned to make amends (though none of the Light Warriors particularly care).]]
810* NotTheFallThatKillsYou:
811** Done in one of the weirdest ways possible.
812--->'''Fighter:''' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/08/episode-1170-happy-landings/ The way I figured it, the fall doesn't kill you. The ground does. So I blocked it.]]\
813'''Thief:''' You blocked the Earth.\
814'''Fighter:''' Why not? I can block magic and fire and all kinds of stuff.\
815'''Thief:''' I hate it when the things he says that don't make sense '''make sense'''.
816** After being shot to Dragoon's flying island, Thief avoids crashing via DoubleJump. Meanwhile, Fighter [[StoneWall crashes but tanks the damage]], Black Mage casts Feather Fall, and Red Mage... just crashes horribly. And then [[GeniusDitz a healing potion he left behind in midair crashes on]] ''[[GeniusDitz him]]''.
817* NotWearingPantsDream: Red Mage has a dream that he's naked and all of his stats are low except his [[DumpStat Charisma]].
818* NoYou: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/11/22/episode-1063-post-emptive-strike/ Thief calls all Black Mage's ideas dumb and Black Mage responds "You're the dumb idea!"]]
819%%* ObfuscatingStupidity: Garland is clearly an idiot. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/01/02/episode-790-its-where-the-powder-comes-from/ Right?]]
820%%* OceanMadness: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/07/25/episode-724-somewhere-beyond-the-sea-my-elder-god-stands-on-golden-sands/ Played with]].
821* OddJobGods: The demons of urine and bad haircuts. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/06/26/episode-1009-demon-stration/ Who are far more dangerous than ones of pain, darkness, and anger]].
822* OddNameOut: During the DisguisedInDrag scenario, the Light Warriors went by the names of Thiefica, Fighterina, Black Magia, and... Debora.
823%%* OffhandBackhand: Thief does it to Dr. Malpractice [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/02/22/episode-252-wham-bam-thank-you-thief/ here]].
824* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: An intentional DoubleSubversion. The climactic fight with Chaos is [[BattleDiscretionShot shown offpanel]] to keep the identity of who defeated him secret as long as possible. Then comes a {{flashback}} sequence in which we see that scene, only to have the battle skipped over a second time.
825* OhCrap:
826** The look on [[spoiler:Sarda's]] face just before undergoing PhlebotinumOverload is astoundingly evocative for an 8-bit sprite.
827** Also [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/10/16/episode-907-animal-companion/ the look on Black Mage's face]] when he discovers that "Muffin", Dragoon's "parrot", is actually a [[spoiler:dragon]]. Extra points for Fighter and Thief completely ignoring what's right behind them.
828** According to White Mage, here's what happened after Black Mage became the ruler of hell and gained limitless power:
829--->'''White Mage:''' Did you feel that?\
830'''Black Belt:''' What?\
831'''White Mage:''' A great disturbance in the order, as if millions of voices cried out to say "Oh shit."
832** And Matoya, trying to use her crystal eye for [[MundaneUtility lottery numbers]], keeps getting "THE DESTROYER IS MANIFEST". Basically, the entire universe went OhCrap when BlackMage took over hell.
833%%* OlderThanTheyLook: Vilbert and, of course, all the elven characters.
834* OmnicidalManiac: Black Mage always did want to be ruler of a dead universe. However, he never showed he actually had the power to pull it off until late in the comic.
835* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:Sarda]] might have [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/03/episode-1180-the-next-stage/ went and did this]] to set up the climatic battle. It is a new form to be sure [[spoiler: but Chaos is now running the show]].
836* OnlyAFleshWound:
837** Black Mage stabs his comrades, usually in the head, and they always survive.
838** Subverted when Black Mage actually kills Ranger this way, and gloats over it as his previous victims survived. Of course, he is then [[DeathIsCheap resurrected]] by his friend Cleric.
839** Black Mage regularly survives injuries such as losing his arms or being impaled by a spear, usually without proper healing. It's implied the Universe doesn't want him to die again since his fleshy body is what prevent him from destroying the world so it keeps him alive.
840** Pretty much everyone in the main cast, at one time or another, goes through this.
841* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: apparently, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/05/27/episode-7001-ripped-from-todays-headlines/ the Onion Kid's real name is Rex Crockett]] (check left bottom corner).
842** [[http://www.nuklearforums.com/showpost.php?p=760484&postcount=8 Clevinger said this isn't his real name]]. It was never revealed.
843* OnlySaneMan:
844** White Mage. Black Mage is when he's holding the SanityBall (If you can call it that).
845** Thief, Princess Sara, Left-Hand Man Gary, Drizz'l, and Rogue are this in their respective groups.
846*** Though among those listed above, ''only'' Left-Hand Man Gary has not shown overt signs of either willfully dangerous ignorance (White Mage and Rogue), [[KnightTemplar willingness to use extreme methods]] (White Mage again), BlackAndGrayMorality (Thief, Sara and Drizz'l), or sociopathic, psychopathic psychosis (need you even ask)... although even Gary once [[IdiotBall lost a card game against a piece of string]].
847** [[spoiler:Sarda]] might also count, since he's [[spoiler:one of the few who sees the Light Warriors except Fighter as the horrible threat to the world they actually are.]]
848** When Black Mage isn't in an omnicidal rage, he is typically the OnlySaneMan, and will point out flaws in logic, be the only voice of reason, and will even lean heavily against the fourth wall. However, whenever he ''is'' sane, one of the Light Warriors (usually) will do or say something stupid or frustrating, and there seems to be only a certain level of this he can take before he feels the "need to destroy." The stupider the idea (which happens to be proportional to the amount of participation Fighter has in its conception for some completely bizarre reason), the more likely he'll just snap all together. There's a slight problem [[PersonOfMassDestruction when that happens...]]
849%%* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Clevinger satirizes the living ''hell'' out of this trope.
850%%* OurElvesAreDifferent:
851%%* OverlyPrePreparedGag: The comic's biggest BrickJoke.
852* PaedoHunt: "Note: very few elder gods have erupted from carnivals. Mostly, it's just pedophiles."
853* ParrotExpowhat: When Red Mage refers to [=NPCs=] Black Mage repeats after him [="NPwhatsa?"=]
854* PerfectlyCromulentWord: Black Mage runs out of words to describe how much he hates Fighter, so Red Mage suggests "Hateriffic, Meganger, Anathemalice, Ragenomic, Omniloathe, Abhorrination". Fighter is thrilled that they now have "best buddy codewords" and comes up with "Friendlicious" and "Ultrabuddy".
855* PerpSweating: Parodied. When Red Mage "interrogated" Bikke, the pirate claimed he didn't steal Matoya's crystal. Red Mage simply replied: "No? Or... '''Yes?'''". Confused Bikke immediately incriminated himself [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/12/12/episode-224-whats-wrong-thief/ and accused Red Mage of using "black ops mind games".]]
856-->'''Bikke:''' I just wanted to feel like a big evil man! Is that really so wrong?
857* PersonOfMassDestruction: Black Mage and [[spoiler:Sarda]] both excel at making the peoples fall down.
858* PetTheDog:
859** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/12/02/episode-486-fell-down/ Black Mage's letter to White Mage]] in which he apologizes for being a {{Jerkass}} and tries to comfort her after Black Belt's death definitely qualifies as one of these moments. Obviously, that only proves that one can pet the dog once or a few times and still be irredeemably evil.
860** Much later [[spoiler:Sarda gets a PetTheDog moment [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/23/episode-1155-very-good-reasons-too/ when he decides to spare the Dark Warriors' lives]].]]
861--->'''Sarda:''' Look, I don't do this... Uh, ever. But you guys are basically like kittens stuck on a leaking lifeboat in a typhoon. Just run.
862** And he gave Fighter [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/06/16/episode-859-wave-goodbye/ candy]].
863** Well, he gave Black Mage candy too. He just happened to place the candy in ''[[ForTheEvulz Black Mage's lungs]]''
864** Black Mage refuses to tell Fighter he went to Hell since even he doesn't have the heart to crush his idealistic view.
865* PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/17/episode-430-very-long-range/ This happens]] when Black Mage completely misses a volcano with his hadoken. The spell flies to another planet "where giant lizards rule".
866-->'''Fighter:''' Where's ''that'' thing going?
867* PhlebotinumOverload: This happens to [[spoiler:Sarda, after he absorbs the power of the Orbs, the Fiends, ''and'' Black Mage's SuperpoweredEvilSide.]] As it turns out, [[spoiler:he's still alive, [[GreaterScopeVillain just not Sarda anymore]].]]
868* PillarOfLight: When [[spoiler:Sarda]] explodes.
869%%* PlaceWorseThanDeath: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/16/interlude-00-hes-a-fighter-not-a-webcomic-artist/ "...Alabama is hell."]]
870* PleaseWakeUp: Fighter when Black Mage's spine is broken and dies.
871* PlotAllergy: Invoked by Thief. When White Mage calls him out for laughing at the idea that the Light Warriors will save the world, he claims that he wasn't laughing, his allergies were just playing up.
872-->'''White Mage''': You have allergies?
873-->'''Thief''': [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/08/14/episode-880-truth-is-what-you-make-of-it/ Insofar as this conversation is concerned, yes. Yes, I have allergies like a bastard.]]
874* PlotArmour: Referenced, when [[spoiler:Sarda]] shrugs off a Hadoken Black Mage asks him if he's "made of plotanium".
875* PokeThePoodle:
876** White Mage's attempt at a FaceHeelTurn results in this.
877** Garland tries desperately to be evil and just can't get the hang of it.
878** Used by ''Black Mage'' of all people, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/08/09/episode-878-vg-mages/ he gets so annoyed that he urinates on an anthill. ("Die, ants, die!")]]
879* PolarMadness: Parodied in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/03/03/episode-522-the-descent-into-sanity/ this issue]]. Following their capture by a Yeti in the arctic region, the Light Warriors end up getting trapped in its lair when Fighter accidentally causes an avalanche that blocks the cave entrance. Being trapped under the ice with his allies takes a toll on Black Mage's already-limited sanity, causing him to believe that he's actually the protagonist of a Creator/HPLovecraft story - complete with an ApocalypticLog. By the end of day 5, he perceives himself as hiding in a stone fortress from Lovecraftian monsters, [[CuttingBackToReality when in reality]], he's just sitting in a pile of ice while the rest of the team try to get his attention
880* PottyEmergency:
881** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/02/08/episode-806-relief/ Black Mage keeps suggesting that they urinate on people for the sake of it]], which turns out to be because he needs to go.
882** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/08/09/episode-878-vg-mages/ Later, Black Mage gets so angry that he makes himself "tinkle". He takes out his frustration on an anthill.]]
883* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Black Mage sacrificed nine orphans to get the Hadoken. And that's not counting the orphans he sacrificed for fun. Furthermore, the spell is powered by love. That is, the universe has a finite amount of love, and BM burns some of it up every time he casts the spell.
884* PowerCopying: Black Mage becomes a blue mage, gaining the ability to use the powers of those that attack him. Unfortunately, the only spells he actually learned this way were: 1) a spell to make the target puke his guts out (except the target is hard-wired to Black Mage); 2) a spell to let [[JerkAss Sarda]] rewrite reality; and 3) a "spell" that allows him to [[GroinAttack kick people in the nuts]].
885* ThePowerOfLove: Subverted, as Black Mage's most destructive attack is powered by draining love from the universe.
886* PrecisionFStrike:
887** Upon [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/06/10/episode-1003-not-up-to-code/ their first visit to the New Temple of Fiends]]:
888--->'''Dragon RandomEncounter:''' BLARGH! I'M A DRAGON!\
889''[Eleven more appear with him]''\
890'''Dragon Random Encounter:''' [[ActuallyFourMooks OR TWELVE!]]\
891'''Red Mage:''' Impossible! Only a maximum of nine enemies may be onscreen!\
892'''Dragon Random Encounter:''' FUCK YOU.\
893'''Red Mage:''' [[OhCrap Run.]]
894** Again, a little later, against Sarda.
895--->'''Sarda:''' I was going to give you '''illusion''' of a fighting chance. But now I'd rather your final moments were ones of complete '''despair.'''\
896'''Black Mage:''' Mission accomplished, Sarda.\
897'''Sarda:''' [[ButForMeItWasTuesday I haven't done it yet.]]\
898'''Black Mage:''' Oh.\
899'''Black Mage:''' Fuck.
900** And a [[AtomicFBomb rather big one]], by [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/03/27/episode-400-not-safe-for-work-school-or-anywhere-you-can-get-in-trouble/ Black Mage]]. It's precise but takes up multiple panels. Pretty in character for Black Mage.
901* PresentCompanyExcluded: Red Mage gets no respect.
902-->'''Thief:''' I hate wizards.\
903''[beat]''\
904'''Thief:''' What?\
905'''Red Mage:''' I'm waiting for you to say "present company excluded".\
906''[beat]''\
907''[Red Mage then waits an hour for Thief to say it]''
908* PuffOfLogic: At first [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/05/29/episode-154-it-was-a-nice-try-as-usual/ subverted,]] then [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/10/11/episode-610-logic/ played straight.]]
909* {{Pun}}: Drizz'l says that due to taxes his people are "revolting". Thief says that he has too much class to make a joke out of that.
910* PunctuationShaker: Drizz'l, the Cultists with names such as Mrr'grt and L'zlhe, pronounced "Margret" and "Leslie".
911* PunnyName: The names of the two principal elven clans, Khee'bler and Sahn'ta.
912* PursueTheDreamJob: After Black Mage is left behind by the other Light Warriors and White Mage on accident, separating him from Fighter for the first time since he was kicked out of wizarding school he announces that he is finally free to indulge in the only thing that can bring him joy in this life, and promptly takes up a job as... [[spoiler:a cobbler.]] Even managing to deal with an extremely difficult customer without resorting to his usual [[AxCrazy methods.]]
913* PushPolling: King Steve holds a popularity poll, asking if the subject would like to be ruled by King Steve forever, or get a sword through their head. The survey had a [[ComedicSociopathy 52% fatality rate.]] [[note]]His daughter wasn't kidding when she said he's less popular than a hole in the head.[[/note]]
914* PuzzlingPlatypus: Drizz'l orders a dungeon guardian with an "impossible biology" and ends up with a platypus, because a mammal with a beak should be impossible.
915* QuirkyMinibossSquad: All 4 Dark Warriors are based on or take the place of actual minibosses from the source material, and they are ''very'' quirky.
916* RaceAgainstTheClock: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/20/episode-1186-more-or-less-timeless/ Chaos gives Light Warriors 24 hours to accomplish the goal of Red Mage's latest plan.]]
917* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/03/17/episode-821-early-edition/ Red Mage: We're a roving band of armed misfits looking for something to do, and we thought you might fit the bill."]] The woman he's talking to thinks they're going to gang-rape her.
918-->'''Red Mage:''' I can't help but think the conversation would have ended differently had my pants stayed ''on''.
919* RapidFireShutUp: Black Mage "epiphinates" in his sleep and Red Mage asks him if he needs new robes. Black Mage responds "Shut up, shut up, shut up!".
920%%* TheRashomon: Parodied in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/11/18/episode-483-clue-waynes-world-and-rashomon/ this strip.]]
921* ReadTheFinePrint: Don't: Thief has rights over them that will charge you on top of scamming you with it.
922%%* ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud: Black Mage invokes it for one of [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/11/26/episode-219-drowning-your-sorrows/ Red Mage's hated plans.]]
923* RecoilBoost: Black Mage uses his Hadoken to propel the party's ship.
924* RecurringExtra:
925** Onion Kid, the little kid whose new family is constantly killed. [[spoiler:Except he's far more than that.]]
926** The Real Light Warriors, a party who is supposed to be the actual destined Light Warriors but MissedTheCall due to the main characters having taken the position while they were busy LevelGrinding. Every so often we see them just a few steps behind the protagonists or having their lives made miserable due to their actions.
927* {{Retcon}}: No, Thief's ninja outfit has always been black. Why would it be red? He's always imagined himself as classing into a black-clad ninja, not a [[https://web.archive.org/web/20020804223541/http://www.nuklearpower.com:80/comic/160.htm red one]]. What do you mean "It was red when he first appeared in it"? Bah. You're as crazy and confused as Black Mage.
928* {{Retconjuration}}: Sarda, when he's not being a straight-up RealityWarper.
929* RetconningTheWiki: One strip implies that Black Mage vandalised Wikipedia to win an argument with Red Mage.
930* RetGone: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/03/29/episode-972-department-of-un-history-item-d-36/ There was never a fifth Light Warrior named Bard.]]
931* ReviveKillsZombie [[spoiler:Chaos is ultimately defeated by being blasted with white magic from four White Mages]].
932* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: Red Mage asks Sarda what he can do to the Light Warriors that's worse than what they've already done to each other. In response, Sarda depowers them all.
933-->'''Red Mage''': ''What if'' I said it was a rhetorical question?
934* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Fighter goes berserk on Lich after [[spoiler:Lich kills Black Mage.]]
935* RolePlayingGameVerse: The entire original plotline of the strip, not to mention Red Mage's constant stat references at the start of the series.
936%%* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Unfortunately.
937* RPGMechanicsVerse: This too, although for extra [[RuleOfFunny humor]], exactly which RPG mechanics are in use in any given strip seems to vary according to the author's whim. ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'', ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', and ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' rules have all been seen... and mocked.
938* RuleOfFunny: Basically every single page and plot point runs off of this alone. As one example, Red Mage's {{Munchkin}} tendencies being either InsaneTrollLogic or GenreSavvy is a flip of the coin.
939* RuleOfThree: [[spoiler:Onrac is destroyed by the actions of Sarda in response to Black Mage three times. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] with a sign outside the town saying "Where lightning never strikes thrice".]] Guess what happens.
940* RunningGag: The guard chasing the hapless messenger. [[RefugeInAudacity Who is still chasing him in the Epilogue.]] Three years later.
941* SanityBall: Each of the Light Warriors has their own eccentricities, and so each one gets their turn with the ball. Black Mage is a sadistic psychopath, but also has the most common sense and so gets his turn whenever things get too crazy or illogical. Thief is amoral and pragmatic, so he reins in the others when they get too off task. Red Mage is divorced from reality but his delusions of being in a video game also mean he's the most devoted to actually accomplishing their quest of saving the world. And Fighter is a complete idiot, but still the most normal of the bunch and the only one who tries to act like a hero.
942* SarcasmBlind:
943** Black Mage's sarcastic comments usually fly over the heads of Red Mage and Fighter.
944** Black Mage suggests his own version of SarcasmMode to "help" Red Mage.
945--->'''Black Mage:''' We're going to have a code. When I stab you in the ear, that means I'm being sarcastic. Got it?\
946'''Red Mage:''' I have reservations about that, vis-a-vis the stabbing and also my ear.\
947'''Black Mage:''' I'll take that under advisement. ''[stabs Red Mage in the ear]''
948* TheScapegoat: Once the police arrives to investigate Lich's death, Sulk gets there with Music/{{The Cure|Band}} albums... thus the cops arrest him because "No emotionally balanced, healthy person would listen to that. This is obviously our perp."
949%%* SchizoTech
950%%* ScrewDestiny: "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/04/episode-1136-that-is-not-a-predictive-model/ OK, I have a theory.]] [[spoiler:It's called, '''I NEVER KNEW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO CARE LESS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL.''']]" Cue [[KamehameHadoken the Dark Hadoken]].
951%%** [[spoiler:[[YouCantFightFate It didn't work.]]]]
952%%*** No, but [[spoiler:Sarda exploded anyway, thus fate was screwed by accident.]]
953%%*** [[spoiler:Unless, of course, [[StableTimeLoop that's exactly what was supposed to happen.]] After all, the world wasn't destroyed and the Light Warriors have mellowed out (somewhat, mostly owing to the de-powering.)]]
954* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/21/episode-1130-so-close-yet-so-far/ attempts to do this]], but Sarda [[CosmicRetcon rewrites his statement]] into satisfaction over an {{anticlimax}}.
955* ScrewYouElves:
956** "If you elves are so great, why is your technology on par with humans even though you had a nine thousand year head start?"
957** "Your race's history is one long love poem dedicated to bloodshed. And to yourselves."
958* ScrewYourself: It's implied that Black Mage, after killing the manifestation of his evil (which happened to look exactly like him), used its corpse to [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/10/29/episode-618-tough-love/ turn self-love into atrocity]]. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/03/episode-620-the-end-of-ordeals/ Then Thief managed to photograph the whole thing and blackmail BM with it]].
959* SelfAbuse: Implied by Darko in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/01/27/episode-801-its-like-a-hobby/ this strip.]]
960-->'''Darko:''' What have you been doing with yourself all this time?\
961'''Black Mage:''' Well the... see, y'can't... I didn't...\
962'''Darko:''' You can skip the self-atrocities.\
963'''Black Mage:''' '''Whew!''' I took a nap. Er, um... sinisterly.
964* SelfDeprecation:
965** Strip 1,000 was called "I can’t believe someone was asshole enough to make 1,000 sprite comics." Strip 1,001 was called "I can’t believe someone was asshole enough to make more than 1,000 sprite comics."
966** The second fake ending has the comic turn out to be AllJustADream of some random woman, who says "That dream was, like, 80% filler."
967* SenseLossSadness: Black Mage after losing his position of hell king.
968* ShaggyDogStory:
969** Pretty much every story arc. [[spoiler:Not to mention the series as a whole]].
970** And just as readily subverted with all the horrible stuff that happens to [[spoiler:the Onion Kid.]]
971* ShapeshiftingHealsWounds: Black Belt ends up TakenForGranite early on and gets the top of his head sheared off after landing upside-down in a pool of Mountain Dew for a long time. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ once the petrification effect is reversed]], and he quickly empties himself of blood.
972* ShortCutsMakeLongDelays: Implied. Thief thanks Red Mage for his "inciteful" short cuts and Black Mage corrects him to "insightful", but Thief says that he meant exactly what he said.
973* ShoutOut: Several; see [[ShoutOut/EightBitTheater the page]] for examples.
974%%* SilenceYouFool: Drizz'l, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/04/08/episode-270-fighter-morissette/ here.]]
975* SmallNameBigEgo:
976** Black Mage, Red Mage, all Elves.
977** Black Mage is an odd case. He admits straight out back in the beginning that he knows he's "vile" and evil. He's rather proud of it, in fact. He even knows that his one-liners are horrible and that he annoys White Mage into almost UnstoppableRage. What's ''strange'' is that he thinks '''''that''''' ''is charismatic and appealing to women.'' So, this trope still applies as he thinks that he is the ultimate ladies' man. His idea of what that ''is'' is just really very...er... distorted.
978** King Steve probably has an over-inflated image of himself as well. Seriously, if he thinks of himself [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/09/04/episode-889-masterpieces/ that way]]...
979* SoftWater: Subverted. After everyone is blown into the air, Thief thinks that the ocean will break their fall, but Red Mage points out that hitting the ocean at the height they're falling from will be like hitting the ground.
980* SpannerInTheWorks:
981** Many examples, but the biggest one is [[spoiler:Sarda, to himself. Sometime in the present, he teleports White Mage into a "pocket dimension" because she was annoying him. It turns out this "pocket dimesion" is actually the beginning of the universe... and a younger version of himself arrives there a few seconds too late to mold the universe to his will.]]
982** He also probably didn't expect [[spoiler:Black Mage's evil to cause him to suffer a PhlebotinumOverload--or that said overload would allow Chaos to possess his body.]] Not even gaining godlike power can prevent [[spoiler:Black Mage from ruining Sarda's life.]]
983* SquishyWizard: Black Mage, of course.
984** Although, BM has shown surprising ability to take beatings for a supposed {{Squishy Wizard}}. Not to mention he is apparently strong enough to kill a bunch of sea monsters using only his dagger.
985* StableTimeLoop:
986** Sarda [[spoiler:is tortured by Black Mage as Onion Kid, is taken in by his older self, watches said older self try to get revenge on the Light Warriors, grows up to become a powerful mage, goes back in time to the origin of the universe, goes insane taking TheSlowPath back to the present, decides to take revenge on the Light Warriors, repeat.]]
987** And along the way, he [[spoiler:sends White Mage to the beginning of time to keep her out of the way, where she creates the universe. Wrap your head around ''that'' predestination paradox.]]
988** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/03/26/episode-532-20-power-loaders-vs-20-alien-queens/ A smaller example]]: when they are at some weird space-time singularity, Thief has an idea to use the hundreds of instances of the Light Warriors to form an army. When Red Mage asks him how he got the idea, Thief says that he saw the future Red Mage doing it. Red Mage [[LampshadeHanging comments]] on the fact that he wouldn't have done it if Thief hadn't told him, and that Thief wouldn't have told him if he hadn't seen him doing it.
989** A smaller-scale example: Sarda in the past got the idea to grow a mustache from White Mage, who got the idea from seeing Sarda with his mustache in the present day. So who came up with the idea in the first place?
990* TheStarscream:
991** Black Mage repeatedly betrays the Light Warriors, and has tried to gain control of the group at least twice. [[spoiler:Drizz'l, meanwhile, usurped Garland for all of a day before getting kicked out of the Dark Warriors]].
992** Despite being the leader, Thief gives Black Mage a run for his money. Red Mage is getting tired of how many betrayal sub text there is at one point.
993--->'''Thief:''' Now, now, there'll be plenty of time for ruthless backstabbing after we get the Earth Orb. ''[beat]'' [[DidIJustSayThatOutLoud Er, I should have said that in whisper-mode.]]
994* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Lava instead of ground, ventilation rust-holes, cold fusion devices, explodable amnesia dust, "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/19/episode-1206-the-royal-treatment/ a]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/05/episode-1207-a-king-steves-kick-ass-publication/ stube]]"... the list goes on.
995* StunnedSilence: Black Mage has quite a few of these, usually accompanied by a FlatWhat when he's confronted with something so stupid or illogical that it renders him speechless. However, it has also happened when he has been simply ''horrified'' into stunned silence. There are few things [[EvenEvilHasStandards so horrible that they can horrify]] ''[[MadeOfEvil Black Mage]]'' into silence. One of these things is Red Mage's [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/03/23/episode-676-supernatural-selection/ chocobo breeding experiments]]. Black Mage even promises to devise a special hell just for what he's done.
996* StupidSexyFlanders: Fighter thought that Legolas was cute.
997%%* StylisticSuck: The guest comic written by Fighter.
998%%* SuckinessIsPainful: An IncrediblyLamePun turns out to be fatal.
999* SuddenlyFluentInGibberish: Subverted. Fighter seems to have figured out the Lefanish language, but he still hasn't [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/01/13/episode-795-language-barrier/ quite got the hang of it]]. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/02/15/episode-809-office-party/ Or has he]]?
1000* SurroundedByIdiots: Black Mage's temper and remaining sanity are continuously frayed by the rampant illogical insanity, stupidity and lack of all reason that tends to crop up in Red Mage's and Fighter's vicinity (which isn't exactly conducive to the good health of the group). Thief also makes the same claim, but he gets far too much enjoyment out of screwing everyone out of everything they currently or ''will'' own, to be more than [[BystanderSyndrome occasionally annoyed by the irrationality.]]
1001-->'''Black Mage:''' I shall die as I lived. ''Completely'' surrounded by morons.
1002** Poor Drizz'l gets this too: every time he thinks that he's ''finally'' pinned down the stupidest person in the room, someone, ''anyone'' opens their mouths, and he has to start all over. Of course, that's not to say that he doesn't have his IdiotBall moments too, for comedy's sake.
1003* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial:
1004** "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/05/21/episode-032-sometimes-hes-not-so-smart/ No I am not undressing you with the power of my mind!]]"...and too many other examples to list them all.
1005** Shifty shopkeep Akbar makes it an art form.
1006** Fighter will often [[CloudCuckooLander make completely innocent statements to this effect]], often believing a far too specific lie that Black Mage has told him. See the below conversation for exhibit A, case in point.
1007--->'''Fighter:''' You told me Red Mage was dead.\
1008'''Black Mage:''' Oh, we've all been dead. His return is no surprise, really.\
1009'''Fighter:''' But you said he'd turn into the walking dead any minute and we had to make haste so he couldn't feast upon our delicious living flesh.\
1010'''Black Mage:''' Look, I say a ''lot'' of things. Now, we can stand here and argue about who fed who obvious, completely incongruous, fabrications and lies. But are you prepared to risk the unrelenting hunger of the undead?\
1011'''Fighter:''' All the senseless talking about a subject no one can remember, much less, uh, ''remember'' is getting us nowhere and zombies are hot on our heels. We must move forward and onward!
1012** Black Mage also has a rather introspective one while he is [[spoiler:the only one still stuck inside the web of a giant spider]]
1013--->'''Black Mage:''' They're the dumb ones, why am '''I''' still stuck here? '''I'm''' the smart, sassy one. My condescending demeanor certainly has '''nothing''' to do with a barely hidden anxiety about my actual worth as a person, a mage, or a member of this team. Stupid Fighter and stupid Red Mage and stupid Thief, makin' me introspective. I suppose it'll give me even '''more''' emotional turmoil to squeeze into a ball of seething rage focused at the center of my being.
1014** Red Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/09/13/episode-1037-wherein-red-mage-is-totally-fine/ gets into the act too]]:
1015--->'''Red Mage:''' Whatever it was, I bet it WASN'T a backlash from gross abuse of the laws of magic!
1016* SweatDrop: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/05/28/episode-035-there-can-be-only-one-plus-three/ Appeared a few times]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/06/20/episode-045-no-extra-title-for-survivor-8-bit-style-part-10/ in the early days]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/11/16/episode-095-black-belts-got-a-problem/ of the comic.]]
1017* TalkingInYourSleep: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/01/16/episode-796-its-a-horse-thats-been-bejeweled/ Black Mage has a dream where all the Light Warriors are hung, at which he giggles and murmurs "Muzza wuzza died last"]].
1018* TakeAThirdOption: When White Mage becomes evil, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/07/17/episode-871-moral-complications/ Red Mage asks her to heal Black Mage]], and she's not sure what to do. She doesn't want to heal him as that's what a good person would do, but Black Mage is one of the most evil people in the universe so helping him would most certainly have negative consequences down the road. She decides to...
1019--->'''White Mage:''' ...hurt Red Mage.
1020* TemptingFate: Lampshaded. Thief asks of [[spoiler:Sarda]] "Pff, what could he possibly do?". Black Mage tells him not to say things like that out loud.
1021* TerriblePickUpLines: Black Mage tries to start a relationship with White Mage by using pick-up lines such as "Do you come from Venus? Cuz your ass is OUTTA THIS WORLD!", resulting in White Mage hitting him with a giant hammer again and again.
1022* TheChosenZero: Played with. The main characters ''aren't'' the real chosen ones, but they do (sort of) save the world, and the real chosen ones don't do anything important to the plot.
1023* TheFellowshipHasEnded: [[spoiler:The final fate of the Light Warriors. After their quest is over they all just sort of split apart (with the exception of Black Mage and Fighter)]].
1024* TakenForGranite: Black Mage can also do this to people apparently, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/04/10/episode-137-quick-decisive-action he did it to stop a temporal paradox]].
1025* ThatCameOutWrong: Red Mage is a MACHINE at this.
1026* ThemeNaming: Khee'bler and Sahn'ta elves.
1027* TheoryOfNarrativeCausality: Thief tries to invoke this [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/02/19/episode-957-bargain-bin/ trope]] in order to trick Muffin.
1028%%* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:Sarda, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/01/episode-1179-everything-will-be-fine/ here]].]]
1029* ThisIsGonnaSuck: The party gets one of these after Sarda weakens them.
1030-->'''Red Mage:''' Sarda de-leveled us, but we don't know how many levels we lost.\
1031[...]\
1032'''Black Mage:''' Well, ''cast'' something!\
1033'''SFX:''' Fweee\
1034'''Black Mage:''' What was that?\
1035'''Red Mage:''' The sound of us dying in one round.
1036* ThoseTwoGuys: Depending on how smart/stupid everyone is acting, Thief and Red Mage. They'll often act saner/smarter in contrast to Black Mage's OmnicidalManiac tendencies and Fighter's...well...[[DumbIsGood Fighter tendencies]]. This usually means trying to screw over everyone else for some temporary advantage. Then again, this depends on a number of factors coming together.
1037* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: A couple of panels show what the world looks like from Red Mage's point of view. In one of them [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/09/18/episode-193-altered-perceptual-states/ it's a RTS]], and in another [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/05/22/episode-849-wherein-no-ones-power-level-is-9000/ it's an FPS]].
1038* ThrowTheDogABone:
1039** White Mage, and possibly the ''entire world'' get thrown one when [[spoiler:White Mage kills Chaos.]]
1040** [[spoiler:And now it seems that, after countless failures and humiliations they suffered, Dark Warriors will get their happy ending because [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ White Mage made everyone believe that they are real Light Warriors and that they saved the world.]]]]
1041* TokenGoodTeammate:
1042** Black Mage and Thief are a omnicidal maniac and a kleptomaniac, respectively. Red Mage is a fairly amoral {{Munchkin}}, though he did redeem himself a bit when he [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/14/episode-1128-guns-blazing/ saved White Mage's life]] at (what would probably have been) the cost of his own. Fighter, although [[TheDitz not too bright]], is the only one who consistently displays a moral compass.
1043** According to Red Mage, he's really [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/11/14/episode-1191-redistribution-of-xp/ Lawful Amazing]].
1044** It has [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/12/12/episode-1203-maligned/ hereby been proven]] that Fighter is Good. Or possibly that Red Mage is also evil, if it turns out that Neutral characters can wield the [[spoiler:Light Warriors']] weapons as well.
1045* TooAwesomeToUse: Played straight by Red Mage constantly, then {{Lampshaded}} when he can't save Black Mage because he ''just'' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/16/episode-320-extrications/ used those items]].
1046* TooDumbToFool: Fighter in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/05/06/episode-281-helpin-a-buddy-out/ this strip.]] When Black Mage uses his Hypnovision on Fighter, he claims that it wouldn't work because he's "not smart enough to be affected".
1047* TooDumbToLive:
1048** Red Mage is the last of the Red Magi because they had a tendency to hold elaborate sacred meetings when other mages were out reproducing, combined with a nasty track record of killing each other/themselves in order to more accurately calculate the effects of spells and weapons on people.
1049--->'''[[strike:Tiamat]]Muffin:''' Oh, I see. You '''stupided''' yourselves into extinction.
1050** Completely inverted with Fighter. He's too dumb to ''die''.
1051* TravelMontage: Parodied--[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/02/22/episode-811-visual-shortcut/ Red Mage once used Travel Montage as an actual means of transport]]. To Black Mage's confusion, it worked.
1052* TricksterMentor: Sarda... with far more emphasis on the trickster part.
1053* TropeCodifier: For sprite, fantasy, and RPG-based webcomics.
1054* [[TwoOfYourEarthMinutes Twenty Four of Your Earth Hours]]: The amount of time Chaos gives to Red Mage to complete his plan.
1055* TwoWordsAddedEmphasis: How Red Mage survived the encounter with the tentacle monster: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/08/30/episode-1031-sole-food/ "Two words for you. Animal. Husbandary."]]
1056%%* UndeadAuthor: The Cave of No Return.
1057* UnfortunateNames: Red Mage doesn't understand why naming his support group "Sects Buddies" is a bad idea.
1058* UnholyNuke: Black Mage mentions that he gained his Hadoken Attack (essentially a all-purpose Nuke) through sacrificing children to his wanton gods of evil. [[ComedicSociopath This surprises no one]].
1059* UnsoundEffect: From "BOMBASTIC CLASSICAL MUSIC! [[OminousLatinChanting Ominous Latin Chorus! Ominous Latin Chorus!]]" to "Orgy of Violence!" to "REALLY LOUD SUMMONING AND RUMBLE NOISES!", and many others besides.
1060* UnspokenPlanGuarantee:
1061** Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/15/episode-429-several-birds-one-hadoken/ described in detail]] his plan to kill the rest of the group by blowing up a volcano with his Hadoken... and then his plan failed miserably because somehow [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy he managed to miss a volcano]].
1062** Lampshaded [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/02/episode-1147-the-big-plan/ in this strip: "And now I've described the plan in full, nothing can possibly go wrong."]] [[spoiler:Needless to say, the plan in question didn't work.]]
1063* UnstoppableRage: Fighter went into this when Black Mage was killed by Lich.
1064* UseYourHead: "The main tactic of the Ram Form of Zodiackenshido is to break your opponent's equipment with your head before he breaks your head with his equipment."
1065* VerbalBackspace: When allied with the cultists Black Mage tells the others "It was our- their plan to kill you guys in this summoning circle."
1066* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Well, to the extent they can be considered villains, anyway, [[spoiler:[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ Garland and co. get this on episode 1224]]]].
1067* VillainProtagonist: The Light Warriors. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/26/episode-1132-whos-the-end-boss/ They are the story's ''official'' villains]] (except for Fighter)[[note]]He's a casualty[[/note]].
1068* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption:
1069** "[[MurderIsTheBestSolution I solve my problems through violence]]"; all of the Light Warriors qualify at one point or another.
1070** Black Mage ''actually'' [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/04/06/episode-404-comic-not-found/ refers to it]] as his [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Final Solution]].
1071* VisualPun:
1072** "I just checked the navigational log. A few things occur to me. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/12/06/episode-631-what-goes-around-comes-around/ One: this is not a very good ship.]]"
1073** The [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Shockwave]] will send us [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/15/episode-429-several-birds-one-hadoken/ into the atmosphere]].
1074** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/05/27/episode-997-kind-of-like-awakenings/ It's too bad you're in a coma when there's a magazine filled with huge knockers right here]].
1075* VitriolicBestBuds:
1076** Fighter is so consistently unaware of Black Mage's hate for him that it actually becomes a jaw-dropping plot point when Thief and Red Mage finally decide to kill Black Mage (for good reason), and Fighter [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/12/11/episode-930-turnabout/ stops them]] with:
1077--->'''Fighter:''' ...friends look out for one another and ''we're'' friends, but Black Mage is my ''best'' friend. Also, I can block any attack and kill ''anything'' that bleeds. '''Hint.'''
1078** Black Mage and Thief are another good example. Though the two often claim to hate one another (and have each proven it more than once), they also respect each other's evil ways, and have on occasion shown some great synergy. To wit, just check pretty much the entirety of the Dwarfland arc.
1079* VomitIndiscretionShot: Black Mage is the king of this... usually projectile vomiting style. Thief's comment that he saw "darker wood in elf porn" made this happen spontaneously. His discovery of the [[InterspeciesRomance true nature of Bahamut and Matoya's relationship]] and just what the [[MacGuffin Rat Tail]] was used for made him eject things he hadn't eaten yet.
1080* WackyWaysideTribe: The arcs involving a trip to the Arctic and another where the Light Warriors take control of a city.
1081* WallsOfText: Not ''all'' the time, but sometimes something like [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/07/13/episode-441-crescent-fresh/ this]] happens. Brian just gets carried away in his dialogue.
1082* WeaponsGradeVocabulary: Lethal puns against Astos.
1083-->'''Black Mage:''' Astos? Mo' like your ''ass'' is ''toast''.\
1084''[Astos promptly dies]''
1085* WebAnimation:
1086** The official (Brian-approved) flash version by [[http://www.newgrounds.com/collection/8bittheater.html TLF]]. Discontinued, though the animators say anyone else is free to continue on from there.
1087** There's also a motion comic series on youtube, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwgPqCadw6M 8-Bit Theater Chaos]], which is currently sitting happy at 52 episodes and six seasons, with consistent improvement as it goes on.
1088* WebcomicOfTheGame: Follows the plot of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI''... kinda. The comic's contents often venture far outside the realm of the game, making this more of a "very loosely-inspired by" series rather than a faithful adaption.
1089* WhamEpisode:
1090** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/07/episode-1125-unexpected/ Insert a dead-baby-comedy euphemism for intercourse.]]
1091** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/09/episode-1126-impasse/ Fighter and Black Mage both blow your mind.]]
1092** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/12/episode-1127-invincible-sword-technique/ Wait....WHAT?]]
1093* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Mentioned various times, either in naive stupidity by Fighter and Red Mage, or sarcastic snarkery by Black Mage. Thief can bring it up when the occasion arises though:
1094-->'''Thief:''' ''[to Black Mage]'' Maybe you shouldn't be holding the keys to the apocalypse.
1095* WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately: When Black Mage asks [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/02/24/episode-812-and-he-has-a-lovely-singing-voice/ what Red Mage has ever contributed to the team]].
1096-->'''BM:''' Why do we listen to Dork Mage? What has he ever done for us that worked?\
1097'''Fighter:''' He makes a killer salad.\
1098'''Thief:''' He's a wiz at laundry too. Look how clean my little ninja booties are.\
1099'''BM:''' Yes, okay, fine. But salads and footwear do not decisive tactical thinking make. What's he ever done for us that was of any actual value?\
1100'''RM:''' My stratagems defeated all three fiends thus far faced, and I'm the one who discovered how our class changes work.\
1101BeatPanel\
1102'''BM:''' Today. What has he done for us today!\
1103'''Thief:''' He's pissed you off, that's '''always''' aces in my book.
1104* WhatTheHellHero: The comic and the people in it do not pull any punches in pointing out that our protagonists are deplorable people. Except Fighter.
1105* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Used as the last strip for the series. The strip picks up three years after the previous strip [[spoiler:with White Mage tracking down the Light Warriors to give them ''some'' credit for all they did, Red Mage and Dragoon starting up a support group for sole survivors of mysterious sects, Thief becoming the king of Elfland through unknown means, and Black Mage and Fighter having disappeared, with no one knowing where they are (ironically we find out in the last scene that they're right where they were at the start of the comic).]]
1106** It's also a very loving recreation of Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come, right down to the interesting names for the dishes at the restaurant.
1107* WhiteMagicianGirl: White Mage is the only female member of the six light warriors and is the White Mage.
1108%%* WhosOnFirst: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/09/02/episode-738-completely-original/ Rather literally, actually.]]
1109* WhyAreYouLookingAtMeLikeThat: Fighter accidentally volunteers himself for a plot this way.
1110-->'''Red Mage:''' We're going about this whole Chaos '''thing''' the wrong way.\
1111'''Black Mage:''' Why break with '''tradition''' now?\
1112'''Red Mage:''' No, no. Seriously. We '''can't''' out-fight him, we can't out-'''cast''' him, and we can't out-think him. But we '''can''' out-stupid him.\
1113'''Fighter:''' How?\
1114''[the others turn and look at him]''
1115* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: As seen in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/04/episode-064-the-poor-sap-falls-for-it-every-time/ this]] early strip, spiders freak Fighter out. So you can just imagine what's going through his mind when [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/04/26/episode-277-oh-thats-not-good/ this]] happens later on.
1116* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: Black Mage sometimes does this when he's scared, such as [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/07/episode-1114-look-who-came-to-murder/ here]].
1117%%* WithThisHerring: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/01/episode-063-fighters-got-a-point-i-think/ Parodied.]]
1118%%* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler:Sarda, after we learn his backstory.]]
1119* TheWorfEffect: {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/09/18/episode-895-the-punching-bag/ Black Mage is stated to suffer from this effect by Red Mage, referring to his use as a target by Dragoon.]]
1120* YankTheDogsChain: [[spoiler:Black Mage finally succeeded in killing Fighter and Thief and was about to do in Red Mage. Then Sarda showed up and brought them back to life.]]
1121* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Lampshaded in the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/15/episode-016-the-quest-to-assault-the-elderly/ sign]] that advertises the palace is looking for the Light Warriors.
1122* YouAlreadyChangedThePast: In dealing with White Mage, Sarda manages to cause the event he was trying to prevent.
1123* YouAnsweredYourOwnQuestion: Never ask "what the Hell is this?" [[spoiler:after dying.]]
1124%%* YouAreAlreadyDead: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/08/18/interlude-02-nor-does-the-fighter-like-the-ninjas/ In one of the strips]] [[ShowWithinAShow Fighter made.]]
1125%%* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/06/episode-1181-of-loyalty/ Chaos to Black Mage, apparently.]]
1126%%* YouKilledMyFather:
1127%%** [[spoiler:And raped his mind. And burned down his orphanage. And killed his foster parents. And the second set of foster parents. And the third.]]
1128%%** They killed Astos, Drizz'l's father.
1129%%* YouWereTryingTooHard: The ordeal of Pride.
1130* YouWillBeSpared: Upon being hit with the only successful (if ineffectual) attack on his person to date, Sarda says this to the perpetrator: "You're a quick thinker ''and'' spiteful. I can respect that. You won't be killed, Bikke."
1131[[/folder]]
1132----
1133''Suckers!''

Top