Line #151 Webcomic/Footloose


1	''[[http://www.footloosecomic.com/ Footloose]]'' asks "What happens to the children of former adventurers?". If you're Keti Jones, you try to cope with the excesses of your mental half-fey mother and excitable half-werewolf father in the real world, then get sent off to train in the world of Fey, where you discover that a lot of things that occurred before you were born, a secret identity or two, and the nature of Fey are going to make your life ''complicated''.
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3	The first few chapters deal with Keti settling in at the dojo, making friends (and enemies) among her classmates. Then the plot threads begin to weave, intrigue and theft creep in, some of the {{Backstory}} is acknowledged and her Primary Protagonist Syndrome starts to make itself felt...
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5	There is an update-for-donations side comic called [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/cherry/cherry_main.php?page=1 Cherry]] that follows the origin of Steve, the crossdressing magical 'girl'.
6
7	Not to be confused with the movie Film/{{Footloose}}.
8
9	!!Tropes
10	* ActionMom: Keti's mother, [[RetiredBadass Beansprout]], [[spoiler:who later on starts teaching the Indiscriminate Whacking classes.]]
11	* ActionSurvivor: Keti seemed doomed to be a "loser" due to her heritage and primary protagonist syndrome. Fortunately she has caring and effective friends.
12	* AllMenArePerverts: Even ''[[WholesomeCrossdresser Cherry]]'' has his moments.
13	** [[spoiler:Apparently this even applies to women who are using magic to look like men, as Daniel recalls An sticking around in the men's changeroom, despite not changing at the same time as the rest of the guys.]]
14	* AllThereInTheManual: invoked in-story and the manual in question is [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=66 remarkably specific]]
15	-->'''Keti''': "Where did they get a photo of me from?" (and it's literally a photo of Keti ''holding that book at that moment'')
16	* AlphaBitch: Sparkle.
17	* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Played with: the kids completely forget about rescuing Sparkle during their quest to retrieve the sword and don't even realize they'd forgotten about her until she shows up weeks later to complain about it. Sorta-kinda played straight with Keti, though the other kids were as much interested in saving the whole world from her insanity as the were in saving Keti herself at that point.
18	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Dan used to be first in his class in Indiscriminate Whacking until An came along. Now he's second, and ''hates'' it. However, he just can't seem to [[AlwaysSecondBest ever beat An]]... A one-sided rivalry, as An doesn't really seem to feel the same way Daniel does about it.
19	* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Although color strips are rare some faeries [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/cherry/cherry_main.php?page=52 actually]] have green or blue skin.
20	* AscendedFanboy: The entire class of The School of Overrated Destructive Metal Robots qualifies.
21	* AsideGlance: A given, due to the variable opacity of the fourth wall to Fey.
22	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Jin, and possibly Liame.
23	* BetaCouple: Jin and Cherry.
24	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Don't get Jin angry at you. I repeat, ''[[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=211 do not get Jin angry at you]]''.
25	* BigBrotherInstinct: [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=172 Dan]] to his Sister Jin.
26	* {{Bifauxnen}}
27	* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[AlphaBitch Sparkle]], upon first meeting Keti. Daniel ''did'' try and warn her though...
28	* BlatantLies
29	* BodyHorror: "Prunusalvium."
30	* BondOneLiner: "[[TalkingIsAFreeAction Attacks are best kept concise.]]"
31	* BlessedWithSuck: Keti suffers from "Primary Protagonist Syndrome", meaning she'll always be drawn into the story even if she's not ready for it.
32	** Jin's werewolf hearing allows her to hear all the mean things the magical girls say about her behind her back.
33	* ButtMonkey: Jimmy, Daniel to a lesser extent.
34	* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: The story finds Keti, despite her mother's efforts to hide her in the mortal realm.
35	* ChekhovsGun: [[FunnySchizophrenia Multiple Generic-induced Sanity Dysfunction]] is mentioned in several pieces of literature that Keti reads, while [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement The Sword of Slayskull]] is mentioned when Keti's family first arrives at the Dojo and in the tavern before the fight between An and Daniel. It's this latter conversation that clues the faerie pirates into where the Sword is kept and some of the defenses.
36	* ChekhovsExhibit: The Sword of Slayskull goes one step further in being a gun by the elaborate protection set up around it at the dojo (and the James Bond-esque [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=248 heist]] enacted by Kitty and the Pirates to steal it).
37	* ClosetKey [[spoiler:An, for Keti, with the added bonus of awakening her nymph heritage, as well.]]
38	* CombatStilettos: The basis of the martial art in which Keti and Jin are training. It's called... Kung Shoe. 1st kata: {{Groin Attack}}s with pointy heels.
39	* {{Crossdresser}}: Steve (AKA Cherry) the crossdressing magical 'girl' who absolutely hates it when people equate his transvestism with homosexuality -- thought he's perfectly willing to exploit that misperception [[AllMenArePerverts to get into female changing rooms.]]
40	** Or bath houses, for that matter [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=74]]
41	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Jin, especially at the beginning of the comic.
42	* CuteLittleFangs: Keti and the other hybrid weres.
43	** [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=373 Though lately]] [[SlasherSmile it's been decidedly less cute]].
44	* DamselInDistress
45	* [[DarkActionGirl Dark Action Mom]]: Dee West, Jin and Daniel's werewolf mother.
46	* DeadpanSnarker: Daniel.
47	* DoctorJekyllAndMisterJackDaniels: The half-were twins [[GenkiGirl Jin]] and {{D\|eadpanSnarker}}aniel flip-flop their personalities when they get drunk. Cue Daniel launching [[TheGlomp glomps]] on Keti and Jin being sarcastic.
48	* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Daniel seems to get attacked by women a lot, mostly his own sister.
49	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Lars]] is unceremoniously and permanently turned into a terrier, [[spoiler:then killed setting off a trap for the pirates]].
50	* DumbBlonde: Jin and Keti at [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=229 times]]
51	* ExtranormalInstitute: The Dojo clearly qualifies.
52	* FacePalm
53	* FloatingAdviceReminder: Dan and Jin become these for Keti, popping [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=92 up]] [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=222 at]] [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=260 odd]] [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=333 times]] to make a running commentary on what's going on, even when she's inside her own [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=403 head!]] The people around her tend to take note of her odd behavior when this happens...
54	* ForcedTransformation: One of Flibbage's favorite methods of dealing with people, and one of the many spells protecting [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement The Sword of Slayskull]].
55	* FrameBreak: There's a spell that lets one fire cannonballs through the sides of panels.
56	* GroinAttack: Referenced when Keti passes her first test and Jin excitedly says to Keti, "Prada-sensei said that kick would have castrated any normal man!" Daniel shudders.
57	* GrowsOnTrees: There are croissant trees in Faerie.
58	* {{Half Human Hybrid}}s: Loads and loads. Keti is half human, a quarter nymph and a quarter werewolf, while Liame is half human and half imp. Other Fey hybrids exist, but the risk of mental instability rises the more species are involved.
59	* HealingFactor: Werewolves and half-weres have this. Jin is at one point injured by a HumongousMecha, and is up the next day, though still covered with bruises.
60	* HenpeckedHusband: Both Yakky (Keti's father) and J (Jin and Daniel's father) [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=23 fit]] this description rather well:
61	-->'''Daniel:'''That's simple, my mother is a violent, touchy, manipulative bitch who would rather eat ground glass than show any sign of affection.\
62	'''Keti:''' Mine too! And I bet your dad is passive, hen-pecked, and spends most of his time apologizing for her?
63	* HeroicSacrifice: Iordan allows Keti to run him through in the hope that it will bring her back to her senses. He succeeds but the grief nearly breaks her.
64	* HonoraryUncle: Honorary Aunt, in Princess Flibbage's case.
65	* HumiliationConga: Sparkle after the "Falium" incident, ''beginning'' with Jin tying her up in the dragon pen and going downhill from there.
66	* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Keti's mom Beansprout has a rather odd way of expressing maternal love.
67	** Dan interrupts Keti's attempt at an apology by hugging her while telling her to "Shut the hell uyp."
68	* HypercompetentSidekick: Daniel and Jin, for Keti. Explained in that Daniel and Jin have been going to the Dojo for four years, while Keti is new and was a sheltered child.
69	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each chapter of ''Cherry'' - not counting the prologue - is a reference to a song Music/DavidBowie has performed.
70	* IHaveNothingToSayToThat: [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=268 Keti to Beansprout.]]
71	* IJustWantToBeNormal: Keti, after her ordeal: "I used to think my life was boring. Now I wish it was."
72	* InstantRunes
73	* InVinoVeritas: Dan and Jin
74	* IfItsYouItsOkay: [[spoiler:Keti regarding An, after she is revealed to be female.]] Although it could be argued that [[spoiler:Keti's]] sexuality hasn't been established either way - and indeed, at the end of the Emerald City arc, Iordan seems to have [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=440 the idea]] that ''she's'' the rule and ''he's'' the exception - her anguish over liking [[spoiler:a now FEMALE An]] at least indicates that she is not comfortable with the idea of being attracted to another female. She seems to at one [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=328 point]] reach a sense of acceptance, just in time to witness [[spoiler:the growing attraction between An and Daniel]]. Possibly related to EvenTheGirlsWantHer.
75	* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: Keti's occasional conversations between her human, fae, and wolf aspects.
76	* JumpingTheGenderBarrier: [[spoiler:An and Daniel]].
77	* KickChick: "Kung Shoe" seems to be comprised mostly of thrown shoes and kicks to the head (or groin).
78	* KilledMidSentence: An AI (a literal Plot Device) is shorted out [[spoiler:by Fey!Keti]] just before it's about to reveal the solution to their latest predicament.
79	* TheKlutz: Keti, though she's slowly getting better.
80	* LadyLand: A very mild case, but it's repeatedly stressed that men do not [[WriterOnBoard and should not]] have equal social standing in Faerie. Even the weakness of men's magic is artificially induced as social policy, not inherent.
81	* LectureAsExposition: Fails nearly every time Flibbage tries it - non-fae tend to have LaserGuidedAmnesia when it comes to Genrerics, the physical laws of the Faerie Realm, comparable to how physics rule the human world.
82	* LikeBrotherAndSister: Keti and Dan. Keti is [[BlatantLies blatantly lying]] when she [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=154 actually says so]], but they really do interact like bickersome siblings, and quite sexlessly.
83	* LockedIntoStrangeness: Keti, after her experience with the Sword of Slayskull, now possesses dark stripes in her blond hair.
84	* LoveDodecahedron: Keti likes An, [[spoiler:even after finding out "he" is a girl]], and Sparkle wants to seduce An due to taking it as an affront Keti should have a boy she [[ManipulativeBastard can't control]], having also had a relationship with Daniel in the past, who's [[spoiler:developing a crush on An]] but concerned following through on it will hurt Keti, while Iordan ''definitely'' has strong feelings for Keti.
85	* MagicalGirl: The School of Marketable Magic. A subversion of normal magical girl tropes in that all of the students except the male crossdresser are despicable.
86	** Cherry/Steve, in particular, loves to subvert normal magical girl tropes.
87	--> '''Cherry:''' You know how the magical girls never use their best attack first when you fight them, they just flutter around doing nothing much to build up dramatic tension?\
88	'''Keti:''' Yeah?\
89	'''Cherry:''' (Glowing with power)'' I think that's stupid.
90	* MediumAwareness: The Fey, allowing them create "intertextual cannons" [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=350 capable of firing directly from one comic panel into another]] and a teleportation spell that [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=319 beseeches the comic's creators]] to [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=320 transfer them directly from one panel to another to speed the plot]] (incidentally revealing the fourth wall to Keti, who isn't quite ready for such things). Mortal characters [[LampshadeHanging are often perplexed]] when fey characters reference specific incidents by chapter or page number.
91	* MistakenForGay: Cherry, by ''everyone'' except Flibbage and Jin at first; confirming it to Sparkle [[AllMenArePerverts to get a glimpse of the girl's locker room]] didn't help. Most of their travelling companions catch on when he starts blatantly flirting with Jin.
92	* MoodWhiplash: It's all played for laughs right up until [[spoiler: Keti stabs Iordan.]]
93	* NoFourthWall: Well, okay, there ''[[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=320 is]]'' technically a fourth wall, but it's really not that concealing, especially to Fae.
94	* NoodleIncident: "You are ''not'' flashing a pirate. It was bad enough with the sailors."
95	* {{Not H\|imself}}erself: Keti, in Chapter 8.
96	* OddShapedPanel: used primarily for action sequences
97	* OldShame: Emily Brady [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=397 posted her old InubuYAKasha artwork]], mercilessly critiquing her past self's drawing skills.
98	* OurDragonsAreDifferent
99	* OurFairiesAreDifferent: [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=65 This link sums it up nicely]].
100	* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Half-weres cannot shapeshift, and often lack several other traits of full-blooded werewolves. [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=66 Weres are described as creatures of logic and technology, contrasting the fae]].
101	* PaintingTheMedium: Keti freaks out when Sylphia's teleportation spell allows her to discover the FourthWall.
102	-->'''Keti:''' THERE'S A- A WALL HERE!\
103	'''Iordan:''' Yeah, that's the fourth wall. Come away before you break it.
104	* PassingTheTorch: Subverted: Keti's mother raised her in the mortal realm as a (somewhat) normal child hoping that Keti would avoid all the [[strike:trauma]] adventures she had to endure. Once in Faerie Keti's aunt packed her off to the dojo to learn some skills sharpish in order to avoid the classic [[DamselInDistress fate of non-combatant]] [[NeutralFemale children in stories]].
105	* {{Pirates}}: Really more terrestrial fences and bootleggers (at least until [[spoiler:banished to a more piratical alternate universe]]), but they certainly ''act'' like pirates. Arr, Cap'n!
106	* PolarOppositeTwins: [[GenkiGirl Jin]] and [[DeadpanSnarker Daniel]] rather nicely illustrate this twin trope (which is flipped when [[DoctorJekyllAndMisterJackDaniels drunk]])
107	-->'''Daniel:''' I seek refuge in ennui and sarcasm. Jin just goes to the happy place in her head.
108	** An and Kitty are a much darker take on this trope.
109	* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a genuine occupational hazard for people who suffer from both Primary Protagonist Syndrome and MGSD. Flibbage appears to have invested a lot in turning Beansprout's protagonist centered morality; into a relatively mild case of ItsAllAboutMe, if only for the good of the realm. Keti appears to have avoided this so far, having spent days crying over the price her friends (and Iordan in particular) paid to rescue her from her own insanity.
110	* RedShirt: Jimmy is determined not to be the team red shirt even though Princess Flibbage practically states that's the major reason he's being sent on the quest, and Jimmy's own AI actually agrees with the assessment.
111	* RelaxOVision
112	* RobotBuddy: Played with - all the PoweredArmor [=AIs=] are a bit flaky, but [=M3H-13=] takes every opportunity to rip his owner's self-esteem to shreds.
113	-->'''[=M3H-13=]:''' [[AC:ha ha, you're a {{red shirt}}.]]
114	* RookieRedRanger: Keti, as the newcomer to the Dojo (as compared to the others like Jin and Daniel, who have already been at the dojo for four years.)
115	* {{Sequel}}: Strictly speaking, this comic is the SpinOffspring of the authors' [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/Inubuyakasha/main.html InubuYAKasha]] myth-mash crossover fanfiction. It's not necessary to read it, though; there are two or three {{infodump}}s to explain the setting and backstory.
116	* SheFu: [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=351 If Jin's anything to go by]], Kung Shoe has a couple of units on Exceedingly Balletic Dodging.
117	* SomethingThatBeginsWithBoring
118	* SpeechbubblesInterruption
119	* SplitPersonality: Increasingly, Keti.
120	* StrawMisogynist: Lars, earning him a HumiliationConga followed by a swift and painful death.
121	* {{Subtext}}: lampshaded by Iordan:
122	-->'''Iordan:''' Oh great. Well while we're all talking in subtext, I hope Keti's OK because "''[[JustFriends she's my friend]]''"
123	* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Keti under the influence of the Sword, though her "superpowers" are really her protagonist, nymph, and werewolf powers unfettered by any inhibitions.
124	* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The Sword of Slayskull that Faerie Pirates steal and the heroes have to retrieve.
125	* SwordAndGun: [[PirateGirl Kitty]] fits this {{Pirate}} associated trope nicely, especially after stealing the Sword of Slayskull.
126	-->'''Fey Keti:''' This is the pirate woman... First of all, she's a pirate! She has a sword AND a gun!
127	* TakeThat: The authors get their little digs in at GratuitousJapanese and HumongousMecha.
128	* TalkToTheFist: Subverted when [[spoiler:Fey!Keti]] begins talking, then attacks in the middle of [[spoiler:her ''own'']] speech.
129	* TemptingFate: invoked on at least two occasions:
130	--> '''Iordan:''' But now you guys are here too, [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong what could possibly go wr-]] ''(is promptly knocked down, bound, and gagged)''\
131	'''An:''' ARE YOU INSANE!? Don't say that kind of thing!
132	** Later...
133	--->'''Kitty:''' Oh, please. I've got the sword! No power in the multiverse could stop me.\
134	'''An:''' I was hoping you'd say something like that...
135	* ThatCameOutWrong: After their attack on Kitty and the pirates fails, Iordan, Sylphie, Daniel and An are thrown in the brig. An is attending to Daniel's wound from Kitty slashing him across the face with the Sword of Slayskull and responds to distracting questions from Iordan by saying:
136	--> '''An:''' Right now all I care about is Daniel! ...Umm... ... [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou because he's my rival]]. (No one is [[BadLiar convinced]], not even Daniel, who points out that actually, she's HIS rival, and Iordan mocks this attempt.)
137	** Another example, from Keti's early crush on An:
138	--> '''Keti:''' ...I'm always open to offers -- suggestions! I meant suggestions!
139	* TheNoseKnows: Weres and half-weres like Jin and Daniel have an exceptional sense of smell (as well as good hearing); Jin used hers [[http://footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=155 to find a missing party member]].
140	* TheReveal: Dun Dun [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=198 DUN]] [[spoiler:An is female!]]
141	* TheRival: An, at least to Daniel. An's arrival at the Dojo upset Daniel's place as first in his class, not to mention the fact that all the girls (including Keti) swoon over An's good looks.
142	* TheoryOfNarrativeCausality: A physical law in the world of Faerie; the world ''is'' a story, and anyone living there is caught up in the Plot, especially children of former adventurers. Anyone who knows the laws of "generics" can manipulate the Plot, if they dare - because the Plot eats people.
143	** Princess Flibbage deliberately tries to steer the narrative towards comedy for Keti's sake, and is very apologetic to Beansprout when her first attempt fails.
144	** For extra added meta, Fairy Godmother Flibbage tried to invoke a romantic comedy setup... by setting up a play.
145	* ThickerThanWater: Jin and Dan, Keti and her mother (surprisingly) averted with An and Kitty: An loves Kitty, but Kitty is too much of a sociopath to have true loyalty to her sister in return.
146	* TransformationSequence: Lampshaded when Cherry doesn't quite complete the incantation in time to stop himself falling.
147	-->'''Keti:''' I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often.
148	* TransparentCloset: Keti ''would not'' admit she was in love with a girl, until her [[FunnySchizophrenia nymph personality]] forced her hand.
149	* TwinTelepathy: Jin thinks she has a psyshic link with Dan, [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=309 she doesn't]]. They can however talk [[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=54 without ]][[http://www.footloosecomic.com/footloose/pages.php?page=260 speaking]]
150	* UnresolvedSexualTension: [[spoiler: An and Daniel, immediately after her true gender was revealed and neither party was really sure how to handle it]].
151	* UnsettlingGenderReveal: [[spoiler:An, on Keti... who is shocked to discover she's still attracted to her.]]
152	* UnusualEuphemism: 'Folk' takes the place of another F word.
153	* WallOfBlather
154	* WholesomeCrossdresser: Cherry is ''by far'' the most sympathetic member of the School of Marketable Magic, and probably the most competent male character in the series.
155	** [[spoiler:Not to mention An before her big [[TheReveal reveal]]!]]
156	* WoundedGazelleGambit
157	* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Near the start of Chapter 1, the MIB arrive to arrest Keti and her parents for their non-human blood. They're given sanctuary in Faerie.

Context Webcomic / Footloose