Line #40 Webcomic/Flipside


1	[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flipside.jpg]]
2
3	''[[http://www.flipsidecomics.com/ Flipside]]'' is a long-running webcomic written and illustrated by Brion Foulke.
4
5	The comic is about four characters and their quests:
6
7	* Bernadette, a LadyOfWar and Maytag's long-time companion and friend.
8	* Crest, a young skilled rogue and the son of a famous knight.
9	* Maytag, a [[GoodBadGirl nymphomaniac]] in a jester costume.
10	* [[TheApprentice Regina]], a wizard-in-training, who later abandons her wizard education to become Maytag's protege.
11
12	Together, they take on the challenges of a world ruled almost entirely by sorcerers, where dark magic and abuses of power run rampant. Their greatest obstacle, however, may end up being their conflicting natures.
13
14	The comic contains female nudity and therefore external links may be NSFW.
15
16	Has a [[Characters/{{Flipside}} Character Sheet]].
17
18	No relation to the town between dimensions in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario''.
19	-----
20	!!Tropes related to both comics:
21	%%* {{Fanservice}}: Plenty.
22	* PowerLevels: Mages are ranked by how many of the three seals they've broken. [[RankInflation Rumors exist of a fourth seal.]]
23
24	!!Tropes related to the main comic:
25	%%* AbsurdlyCoolCity: Eschelon. [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1026 From its outskirts]] [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1027 to]] [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1028 the city]] [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1031 itself]].
26	* TheAce: Suspiria. She has awesome magical powers, but she usually is less helpful than Bernadette and Maytag, and as a result is more as support.
27	* AerithAndBob: Bernadette is the daughter of Grant, friends with Maytag (nee Veranda), travels with Crest, is sometimes annoyed by Suspiria, used to work with Polymer Lyrica (who understandably prefers Polly), and was once hired by Seraph. It goes on.
28	%%* {{Aesop}}: The depictions of Marvallo are particularly {{Anvilicious}}...
29	* AllDeathsFinal: Subverted. There are a set list of rules for resurrection magic (done because the author felt it was a copout). First, it's very expensive, so not everyone can do it. Second, the body returns in a similar state when they died (minus a few wounds), meaning some curses and diseases will almost immediately kill the body again. Third, not said, but implied, this means old age and having had a few years to decay are both conditions that probably invalidate the effect. Fourth, the brain must be in good shape (brain damage is not really recoverable by resurrection). And fifth, there has to be an actual body to come back to, so a body cut into sections or burned/disintegrated is not an option.
30	* AlphaBitch: Mistral and Moby are accepted into Eschelon University to become part of the Phalanx and possibly the Conclave. Moby then starts bullying Mistral, [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=4753 and is promptly expelled.]]
31	%%* AmbiguouslyGay: Danzig
32	* {{Antimagic}}: The power of the sword Bernadette has. She can't use it effectively without its twin, however.
33	** Deconstructed, however, due DoingInTheWizard below. It doesn't counter magic so much as act as BlockingStopsAllDamage and AttackReflector due to MirrorsReflectEverything. It's more complicated than this, though, but the basic is that if the swords are uncrossed, even physical punches have their power transferred from one sword to the other. If two "spells" target the sword, they will come out the other sword, and hit each other's target. If the swords are crossed, BlockingStopsAllDamage.
34	* AntimagicalFaction: The knightly order that Bernadette wishes to join eschews magic, which puts them at odds with the prevailing culture. Bernadette doesn't like it either and her personal quest involves finding a legendary pair of magic-nullifying swords.
35	* ApocalypseMaiden[=/=]BarrierMaiden: Of sorts for Eye. She has a black cloud follow her wherever she goes, that causes fear, then pain, then outright memory loss and despair, depending on how close people get to her. [[spoiler: She is the source of the Dark Cell.]]
36	* ArtifactOfDoom: The Xibulba collar grants you a large collection of powers along with bringing out your basic instincts, and not in a good way. In [[spoiler:Voulger's]] case, it makes him a homicidal rapist. In [[spoiler:Derricks']] case, he turns into a revenge-obssessed psychopath. In an [[{{Omake}} intermission segment]], its possible effects on the other characters (including the author) are PlayedForLaughs.
37	* AuthorAppeal: It seems that the author has a dismemberment fetish. First Maytag [[spoiler:cuts off her own finger]]. Then later she [[spoiler:gets her arm ''eaten off'']]. And the villain is a scar-covered girl who can [[HealingFactor regenerate any severed limb]], which means that her limbs are ''frequently'' severed during battle. He lampshades it in [[http://www.flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=664 Intermission 12]].
38	* AuthorAvatar: The author is frequently portrayed as a giant lobster.
39	* BadassNormal: The knights strive to be this, with their rejection of sorcery in a world where sorcery-boosted psychopaths run rampant.
40	* BagOfHolding. Maytag's purse.
41	** Warp Boxes are simply incredibly large versions of these.
42	* BetterThanSex: Maytag knows a restaurant with food so good, it gives you figurative orgasms. She also knows one with food so good it gives you ''literal'' ones.
43	* BlackBugRoom: It's heavily implied that the Dark Cell is one of these, as it is a chamber filled with fear (and other things).
44	* BodyHorror: The Thin Man & Melter's experiments are full of this for their victims. Just look at what happened to [[spoiler:Suspiria]].
45	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: An effect caused by the "Xibulba" collar.
46	* BreakTheCutie: [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1115 Here]]. Maytag has just found out she needs a ton of money for her dream of being an entertainer, and she gets screwed over in gambling right away.
47	* BrickJoke: Literally, in the intermission strips, which often have variations on Bernadette throwing a brick at Maytag. Later, the brick got thrown at other characters that stole the show, and once it was a Toaster instead. Bernadette claimed she was out of bricks.
48	* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Bernadette is quite disappointed to find out that her father Grant is pretty much a loser]].
49	* TheBusCameBack: Regina gets put on the bus near the end of Book 0, and comes back only after they reach Eschelon. [[spoiler: Blackbird, Bernadette's old flame, comes back after a brief mention in chapter 20.]]
50	* CloudCuckoolander: Lehm, [[spoiler: the Thin Man]] is basically part this and part TheChessmaster. He has advanced plans to share "the truth" with the world, but is also a goofy man who likes plush toys (including dressing as one) and elaborate pranks.
51	* DoingInTheWizard: Magic is [[spoiler:actually nanotech called "qualia."]] Some characters are aware of this but do not understand how it works.
52	** In terms of how effects work, this is PowersAsPrograms. [[spoiler: The qualia effectively generate fire through a machine whenever a "fire spell" is cast.]]
53	* DoubleStandard: The ongoing relationship drama between Maytag and [[spoiler:Bernadette]] is based on both a straight use and {{subversion}} of this, as while Maytag wants her lover to accept her GoodBadGirl act, she ends up compromising her own nature in order to please her monogamous and conservative partner. Thus, it's also an apparent subversion of the stock BeYourself {{Aesop}}: sometimes it's ''worth'' giving up your freedom for the person you love... maybe. It has yet to be seen whether their relationship can survive this conflict in the long term.
54	* EmotionlessGirl: Veranda Kingfisher as a child. She took on the [[spoiler:Maytag persona]] as a way to get people to like her, meaning that ''both'' sides of her personality are an act.
55	* ExpressiveHair: Suspiria has enchanted hair that changes shape in accordance with her moods.
56	* FantasticAesop: It's still possible [[ThePowerOfFriendship to be friends]] with someone while they are [[spoiler:eating your arm]].
57	* FlashStep: For someone with no magic, Bern moves in an almost superhuman speed. [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=2483 Seen here]]. And [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=113 here]] she counters someone with magical SuperSpeed.
58	* GirlfriendInCanada: Maytag tells Crest (and others) she can't be their full-time lover, since she has a boyfriend, and he gets jealous. But you never seem to see this boyfriend. [[spoiler: Her "boyfriend" is Bernadette.]]
59	* HealingShiv: Crest's new sword heals when it strikes an opponent rather than injuring them.
60	* HeteronormativeCrusader: The knights' devotion to the natural order leads to their opposition to sorcery and homosexuality.
61	* HonorBeforeReason: The Knights' shunning of all thing magical - despite the clear disadvantage this puts them at.
62	* HornedHumanoid: [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1669 Suspiria, as pictured here.]]
63	* HorrorHunger: Bloody Mary is forced into cannibalism by the painful demands of her body.
64	* IdealizedSex: Crest and Mist have TheirFirstTime with each other and the first thing they say the next day after "good morning" is how much they both enjoyed it.
65	* IRejectYourReality: Suspria is convinced Qtalda killed her parents, even after her parents are brought out to prove they were alive.
66	* KaleidoscopeHair: Suspiria can change her hair's color and style based on her emotions. [[spoiler: Until she has her hair cut.]]
67	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Surprisingly averted, given the prominence that [[spoiler:Bernadette and Maytag's relationship has within the story]], as the author is ''extremely'' careful never to mention it in the chapter summaries or book jackets.
68	* MagicAIsMagicA: The intermission segments expand on the world's formalized rules for sorcery and spellcasting.
69	* MagicFeather: Maytag's costume appears to be the key to her confidence; take it away and she's painfully shy. [[spoiler:Subverted in Chapter 30, in which it's revealed that ''both'' personalities are an act -- see EmotionlessGirl.]]
70	* MaliciousMisnaming: The Warden of the Colosseum [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=2123 calls the administrator by his predecessor's name]]. She later [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=2943 reveals she killed said predecessor]].
71	* MaskOfConfidence: Maytag is outgoing and freethinking when in her jester outfit, and extremely shy and neurotic without it. [[spoiler: Except not]]
72	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The Thin Man's claims towards magic. He says it's actually microscopic machines doing everything.
73	* MundaneUtility: Magic can be, and is, used for everything.
74	* {{Nanotechnology}}: The Thin man believes that [[SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology sorcery]] is actuated by "qualia".
75	* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: "Morioh Mortis", which conjures a flesh eating virus. [[spoiler:Somehow, Bloody Mary survived. And now there's three of her.]]
76	* NothingIsScarier: The Dark Cell's contents, whatever they may be, are protected by an aura of absolute terror in a realm of apparent nothingness.
77	* TheNudifier: "Thread Reaper", a particularly vile weapon Voulger uses against Maytag. In addition, Confringo appears to be a spell that destroys the clothing of anyone hit with it.
78	* {{Omake}}: the "Intermission" segments. In later chapters these are done in {{Yonkoma}} style.
79	* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: The author insists that it is the prettiest webcomic about a bisexual ninja/jester you'll ever read.
80	* {{Retool}}: The story is a sequel of sorts to the (less well drawn) original story, which is collected on the site as "Book 0".
81	* RageAgainstTheAuthor: Sort of. Melter boils and eats the AuthorAvatar (a lobster) during the intermission.
82	* ShipTease: The first six chapters focus on Crest, who is being strung along by Maytag as some sort of demented sociology project. It doesn't help that Maytag is an GoodBadGirl who would happily hop into the sack with him and anyone else who asked, but has a little problem holding her back: [[spoiler: she's in a monogamous relationship with Bern.]] The ShipTease is not purely on the reader's part, as poor Crest can attest to.
83	* SingleTargetSexuality: [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=1583 Regina]].
84	* {{Stripperiffic}}: When Bernadette and Polly [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=2099 are forced to fight in the colosseum]], they're forced to wear skimpy clothing.
85	-->'''Bernadette:''' Ugh... I can't stand being forced to wear these ''awful'' clothes! This is completely impractical for battle! No real warrior would wear this!
86	-->'''Polly:''' They don't care about "practical," Snowpatch. They care about catering to the audience desires, and that means bare flesh. At least they're fair about it. The men aren't allowed to wear much, either.
87	* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Not quite. [[spoiler: Suspiria claims she doesn't actually feel any different from the transformation, though she did have a nasty case of ReunionRevenge.]]
88	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: When Bernadette and Polly are imprisoned in the colosseum, the administrator explains [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=2065 his predecessor was a rapist]], but [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=2067 he is not]].
89	--> I do not condone rape. I do not support rape at all. I've never raped my friends... or anyone that I know... And I don't plan to rape anyone in the immediate future.
90	* ThatCameOutWrong: "[[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=18 Did you enjoy that Maytag girl?]]"
91	* TheirFirstTime: In Chapter 60, Crest and Mist (both virgins) decide they want their "memorable experiences" with each other to include sex.
92	* UtilityMagic: There are spells for everything from regrowing limbs, to raising the dead (though the author says the circumstances of death are important, brain death or similar is impossible to raise), to very mundane activities, like keeping clothing clean and such. This is lampshaded in one scene, where two of the wizards are doing things like chopping wood with their hands, and setting fires.
93	* UtilityBelt: Spells can be packaged and prepared in advance by another caster, so even someone without magic, like Maytag can use them.
94	* WebFirst: So far, the comic has spawned 5 books, each one comprising 4 or 6 chapters and their respective intermissions, if those chapters have one, plus some extra content. (Book 1 comprises chapters 1-4: Book 2 comprises chapters 5-10; Book 3 comprises chapters 11-15; Book 4 comprises chapters 16-20; and Book 5 comprises chapters 21-26)
95	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks: No garbage about responsible use of power, wizards can use [[MundaneUtility magic to do such things as cut wood, start fires, regrow limbs, and even raise the dead.]]
96	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: On the other hand, Noventia and Seraph became suspicious of each other to the point where it ruined their relationship, Suspiria is the strongest known sorceress yet believes Qtalda killed her parents despite them being alive, and there seems to be in general a much higher chance of sadistic and paranoid behavior among magic users.
97	** Chapter 49 appears to be implying that not only does magic make users crazy, but it may also affect bystanders.
98	* WordsCanBreakMyBones: Basically how all magic works, except purely mental.
99	* YourMindMakesItReal: Suspiria was experimented on by the Thin Man, resulting in her growing horns and her eyes turning black. [[spoiler:Except not. All the Thin Man did was unlock her potential, allowing her to become a Level 6 sorceress, verging on Level 7. She just assumed they changed her physical appearance (like with Bloody Mary), and due to her high powers, she is now a RealityWarper and changed the world around her.]]
100	%%* YuriGenre
101
102	!Tropes related to Book Zero:
103	* DidTheyOrDidntThey: Regina and Lucient. [[spoiler:They did not, as she's still a virgin in the comic proper.]]
104	* FirstKiss: Regina and Lucient.
105	* OrphanedPunchline: Maytag' [[http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic/book0/fs01pg14.html introduction as a jester]] is narrated via punchlines rather than meticulously telling each joke.
106	* ShipTease: Maytag and Regina.
107	* ShrinkingViolet: Regina, who is so painfully shy that Maytag has to take over her body via magic to get her to loosen up.

Context Webcomic / Flipside