Line #50 Webcomic/LastRes0rt


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/last_res0rt_v1_cover_web_3644.png]]
2
3	->''"It's not about how it starts feeling normal.''
4	->''It's about how you stop feeling helpless."''
5
6	Staged around the BloodSport / DeadlyGame RealityShow of TheFuture, ''[[http://www.lastres0rt.com Last Res0rt]]'' features a RoguesGallery of {{Condemned Contestant}}s along with some volunteers who signed up for the ride. If they want to earn their freedom (or fame and fortune, in the case of the volunteers), they'll have to survive the season.
7
8	There's numerous characters, but the comic's main focus is on the show's pair of LovelyAngels: Jigsaw, a furry violinist turned vampire ([[OurVampiresAreDifferent the only nonhuman vampire in the galaxy, in fact]]), who signed up for the show to save her friend, Daisy, a MadScientist CEO with a [[SwissArmyAppendage robotic leg]].
9
10	Several subplots brew underneath the surface of the reality show, currently centering on Jigsaw and her latent vampire nature (and the trouble that could stem from it), not to mention:
11	* her HelicopterParents road-tripping across the galaxy and otherwise threatening to pull Jigsaw off the show,
12	* a decades-long simmering feud among the remaining members of a MagicalGirlWarrior [[TheChosenMany Program]],
13	* and of course, regardless of whatever else happens, TheShowMustGoOn.
14
15	The comic itself is surprisingly well done, working months in advance to avoid Main/ScheduleSlip (although at a comic a week, it's arguably a little slow-paced).
16
17	The first few years' worth of comics have been compiled into a Trade Paperback, [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/store/books/ available here]]. There's also an RPG in progress, the beta of which is available [[http://eepurl.com/wGSF though signing up for the mailing list]], and contains some additional info not included in the comic itself.
18
19	A kickstarter to put volume 2 in print [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/265017938/last-res0rt-volume-2-print-and-reprint-drive has been funded.]] -- and more books are on their way!
20
21	There's also a [[Characters/LastRes0rt Character Sheet]]. It needs a lot of work.
22
23	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with the popular song by Papa Roach, the Platform/NeoGeo [[VideoGame/LastResort game]], or the Series/LastResort military drama on ABC.
24
25	Unfortunatly the webcomic has not updated since December 2020.
26
27	----
28	!!Tropes featured or appearing in this work:
29
30	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, since GET (Galactic English Terth) is used as a business/high-class language, with some alien languages and even a little Hebrew thrown in for flavor.
31	* AncientAstronauts: Earth / Terth was part of the old Celeste Empire as recently as the 1st century AD, but they lost contact during the Otherworlder war.
32	* AnimalStereotypes: Well, come on, it IS furry.
33	* ArtEvolution: Painfully obvious, especially in the first dozen strips to the point that it's almost easier to start with the second arc instead of the first.
34	* BadassBoast: Slick pulls off a rare post ass-kicking boast, although part of it is thanks to having to first deal with a CombatPragmatist who wouldn't have let him get away with it if she were still alive.
35	* BilingualBonus: There's an awful lot of [[GratuitousForeignLanguage Gratuituous Hebrew]] and YiddishAsASecondLanguage going on, and at least one major secret concealed by it. (We won't spoil it for you, but y'know how Jigsaw refers to Daisy as ''Kvaterin'' sometimes?)
36	%%* BloodSport
37	* BreakingAndBloodsucking: Jigsaw is unwilling to feed on a sleeping Daisy, until she remembers that it's supposed to be harmless, "like bloodwork". After some initial hesitation, both Jigsaw and Daisy are starting to enjoy it a bit too much, at least until Jigsaw freaks out and bites a little TOO hard, going from KissOfTheVampire to VampireBitesSuck in only a few panels.
38	* CallASmeerpARabbit: Sunny is a "dog". With metallic legs and a mane.
39	* CastOfSnowflakes: Having so many intelligent races helps keep people straight, but so does the number of variants within each species (especially noticable between all the Talmi characters)! While the arena crowds may be FacelessMasses, the only two characters you MIGHT mix up are Vince and Nate (although that's getting better thanks to adding on Nate's new eyepiece).
40	* CensorBox: One found in [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2011/02/that-pun-was-dead-on-arrival/ this page]].
41	* ChurchOfHappyology: The Church of the Endless, they've even got a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Org Star Org]].
42	* ClarkKenting: Lampshaded by the newsreader [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/but-she-has-totally-different-glasses/ reporting]] on the potential link between Daisy and the renegade Scout Arael.
43	--> ''[[SarcasmMode Personally? I never would've guessed.]]''
44	* CombatMedic: Dr. Qin Xu, as well as (current) Scout Arael.
45	* CompellingVoice: All Celeste are capable of using an ability called "Tone" that lays a subliminal message (represented as a Wizard font background to their speech bubbles) into their audible speech, which most people cannot help but obey. In the RPG only other Celeste, Touched, Light Children, and species with good hearing like Anyr and Talmi even get a saving throw; characters who fall into two of those categories (like [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/wingspan-of-an-albatross-brain-of-a-barn-swallow/ White Noise]]) get two rolls.
46	* CondemnedContestant: Lots of 'em, really.
47	* CrapsaccharineWorld: Our players are condemned criminals and a few of their new friends on a deadly RealityShow where their every move is recorded 24/7, with aliens that have a CompellingVoice as a standard feature, and the protagonist's lieutenant was not only tortured into coming on the show, pictures of her torture (and the audio confessions thereof) are plastered on the news... [[MoodWhiplash oh, and like 90% of the cast is either furry, female, or otherwise cuddleworthy.]]
48	* CreepyCrossdresser: Kurt "Geisha" Striaeta.
49	* {{Cyberpunk}}: The plot is punky, the setting is less so; the technicolor palette and [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom furry population]] aren't standard fare, that's for sure. Given how many {{Cyberpunk}} works are the same RecycledScript, ANY deviation from that is going to be "unusual".
50	* DarkIsNotEvil: The Dead Inside are "supposed" to be evil according to the Celeste, but we've not seen proof of that in the story. See also LightIsNotGood below.
51	* DeaderThanDead: Complete with in comic references to the ChunkySalsaRule. Lampshaded in ShoutBox discussion as "Dead to the Nth Degree".
52	%%* DeadlyGame
53	%%* DistressedDude
54	* EvenEvilHasStandards: There's two standards, actually.
55	** Among the contestants, the only criminals shown as being wholly beyond redemption (so far) are Geisha and Arikos. What exactly do they have in common (besides ridiculous body counts)? [[RapeAsDrama Both their crimes involved rape.]]
56	** Geisha and Arikos' being beyond redemption (or at least appearing to be) doesn't seem to be as much because their crimes involved rape as it seems to be because, if given a chance to go back in time and do it all over again, they appear to be the only two criminal contestants who would behave ''in exactly the same way they did the first time''. They don't get why people consider what they did to be wrong and without that understanding, they can't be redeemed.
57	** Even ''Veled'' seems to have standards, with a special axe to grind against the [[ChurchOfHappyology Star Org]].
58	* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies
59	* {{Expy}}: Jigsaw seems to resemble [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank Ratchet]]. Whether it's a coincidence or a deliberate {{homage}} is not known.
60	* FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo: [[https://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/that-explains-trying-to-get-him-neutered/ Jigsaw suggests]] that [[spoiler: Jason's sister Melissa is actually his daughter. Though, the way she said it sounded like she was implying he slept with his mother. She was thinking it was the neighbor's dog.]]
61	* FirstContact: The Celeste made contact with Earth, or rather re-established it, in 2012, only to find that it harbored enough djinn-si to tear their empire apart.
62	* FourIsDeath: The number four repeats itself a LOT in Last [=Res0rt=]. Sixteen contestants with Four of those being Executioners, four teams of four contestants, four members of the Vaeo Family, four members of the Forte Family, not counting Jigsaw... and speaking of "Four"-te...
63	%%* FourthWallMailSlot: Used in a bonus segment.
64	%%* TheFuture
65	* GenreBusting: It's a sci-fi vampire furry comic about a DeadlyGame RealityShow, with some supernatural elements, a MagicalGirl squad, and even a little ComingOfAge (well, coming of vampire age) thrown in for good measure.
66	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Part of the fun in reading the story is trying to figure out which is which. Even Adharia, who should have the cleanest hands of the lot, [[spoiler: is in cahoots with Veled]]!
67	* HandOrObjectUnderwear: Jason has been "''convinced''" to remove his clothes.
68	* HotSkittyOnWailordAction - The Celeste's gimmick in a nutshell.
69	** To wit: Species can't crossbreed with each other, but they can crossbreed with a Celeste (regardless of which species the Celeste is made out of), and produce a viable HybridMonster from that.
70	** In Arikos's BackStory, it's revealed that he's had dozens of children... with ''Talmi'' women. [[{{Squick}} Y'know, Jigsaw's species.]]
71	* HeinzHybrid: Some Celeste, such as Veled, can have several different species in their genomes.
72	* HybridMonster: What comes out of all that HotSkittyOnWailordAction with the Celeste.
73	* IAmWho: Jigsaw doesn't even figure out she's a vampire until about eighty pages in. Of course, Veled tops this when telling her that she's not only [[spoiler: the only known non-human vampire in the galaxy, but that this is supposed to be a sign of a massive Apocalypse about to occur]].
74	* ImprobablyFemaleCast: Currently the story consists of: a powerful vampire girl, female mad scientist/genius ex-con, female centaur warrior princess lesbian, huge four winged super powered planetary military leader woman, among others... while the males are fewer and generally ditzier/shallower/less important than the females. Possibly because the creator is also female.
75	** White Noise is the obvious choice for a male protagonist, Arikos and Geisha have been played up as quite evil (despite the fact we haven't seen them since, oh, Page 60-ish, though that may just be a case of them being out of the spotlight), etc. There's not a real shortage of ''men'', just a shortage of male main characters.
76	* IntelligentGerbil: Many, many, [[CharacteristicTrope MANY]] of the 'alien' species.
77	* InvisibleAliens: It is revealed that there are laws against interfering with developing civilizations and limitations on interacting with them. Adharia is from such a planet, and ([[spoiler:with help from Veled]]) volunteered to compete on Last Resort so she could [[spoiler: ascend her kingdom's throne]].
78	* IWasToldThereWouldBeCake: Referenced [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2008/09/say-nothing-about-the-cake/ in this page]].
79	--> '''Melody:''' Since when did YOU love surprises? I didn't even bring a cake.
80	* JediMindTrick: Jigsaw figures out that her ability to read minds and speak telepathically also allows her to give people suggestions; it's probably not as effective as the fabled JediMindTrick ''should'' be, but it works.
81	* LargeAndInCharge: Veled in a nutshell.
82	* LightIsNotGood: One of the two Celeste we've seen so far is a mass ''mass'' murderer, and the cast is dead scared of the other).
83	** We've seen three more Celeste since then (not counting "Touched"): a [[AmoralAttorney lawyer]], a [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Ministry of Joy official]], and an [[TooDumbToLive idiotic kid who threatened an efreet with an]] AerosolFlamethrower.
84	** The RPG in development goes further: [[spoiler: when the Celeste found earth/Terth they tried to [[CompellingVoice tone]] humanity, and we only survived because of Terth's massive population of Dead Inside.]]
85	* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: Y'know, for a comic that calls itself furry, it's sorta odd that half of the players on the Excutioner's teams are humans... Except two of those humans are Dead Inside (including a Vampire), and Daisy's also a light child to boot.
86	%%* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: Closely related to the LoadsAndLoa dsOfCharacters - practically every other character is its own species. Then again, it IS an intergalactic event here... In fact, WordOfGod also refers to a catch-all race -- Wanderers -- that includes characters from worlds outside the Connection (like Adharia) who are often the only representatives of their species we happen to see.
87	* LovelyAngels: Jigsaw & Daisy of Team Andromeda. Course, they're not the only characters around, either...
88	* LukeYouAreMyFather: Veled tells White Noise that she is his daughter. At first, he [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2014/07/shes-serving-tea-secret-bonus-comic/ doesn't believe it]]. A few pages later, [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2014/07/believe-it-or-not-what-else-is-there-secret-bonus-comic he's properly convinced]].
89	* [[{{Animesque}} Mangaesque]]
90	* TheMilkyWayIsTheOnlyWay: All of ''Last [=Res0rt=]'' takes place in an unnamed Galaxy that is implied to be the Milky Way, and there's nothing else worth talking about outside of it, apparently.
91	* [[MistakenForGay Mistaken for Lesbians]]: Jigsaw and Adharia, especially after [[spoiler: Jigsaw's caught feeding on her]]. This said, Adharia is most definitely not mistaken.
92	* NamedAfterTheirPlanet: Zig-zagged, some species have homeworlds with similar names to their species, others don't. Anyr are from the Aniya system, Vidians from Nurovidia, and the Zillan homeworld used to be called Ziligo before the Celeste took over and renamed it Celigo. But Humans are from Terth[[note]]a corruption of "Planet Earth"[[/note]] and the Talmi claimed Arael as their world.
93	* NeurodiversityIsSupernatural: Light Children in a nutshell.
94	** Notable in that this isn't portrayed as "good" or "bad" -- most light children are simply "untrained" compared to their Celeste breathren (and it's implied the Celeste keep it that way), which is where the real problems come from.
95	* NonMammalMammaries: Well, sort of.
96	** Reptilian creatures (Zillans, Vidians, Kendrils) don't have them as far as we know -- Cypress is utterly flat, at least.
97	** However, if Veled's any indication, being a Celeste who's part-reptile means you can have these.
98	* NotThatKindOfDoctor: Dr. Daisy Archanis, not that she gets treated with any respect for it. Dr. Qin Xu, however, is That Kind of Doctor, and it's not like he's treated any better because of it either. Maybe respect is just in short supply?
99	* NotUsingTheZWord: Jigsaw refuses to say the word [[spoiler: furries]]!
100	* NotWhatItLooksLike: After [[spoiler: Jigsaw's caught feeding on Addy]], the Vaeo Family immediately assumes Jigsaw and Addy are in a relationship... of course, since Jigsaw can't just say she's a vampire, she's forced into a SureLetsGoWithThat situation.
101	* OneHourWorkWeek: Well, one hour broadcasted live each week, anyway; the rest of the time is implied to be recorded for security feeds and Pay-Per-View content.
102	* OurGeniesAreDifferent: Practically InNameOnly compared to the wish-granting, lamp-residing kind. Rather djinni-si is something of an official term for the Dead Inside. Many of which take on elemental qualities and can sometimes become EnergyBeings called Efreet.
103	* OurSoulsAreDifferent: Explained [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/bonus-comic-a-robot-explains-souls/ here]]. Souls in this setting are scientifically verified to exist and can be tapped for energy, however most living beings have a "stable" 1 [[FantasticMeasurementSystem sterling]] soul that resists any change.
104	** Celeste and the "Touched" are born with more soul than usual, hence their wings and various powers.
105	** Dead Inside, or djinni-si, are mortals who've artificially "cracked" their souls, allowing them to tap into its' energy and absorb additional soul.
106	** So-called "light children" have a little more or less soul, which can give them powers but is often accompanied by [[NeurodiversityIsSupernatural mental disorders]].
107	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Jigsaw's whole plot seems to revolve around this, vampires are a class of contagious parasitic djinn that were believed to only occur in humans.
108	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: They usually result when someone's soul cracks just before they die, seemingly especially if their death itself shatters their soul, and tend to be more of a {{Revenant}}.
109	%%* PersonOfMassDestruction: Veled.
110	* PowerIncontinence: Jigsaw suffers from this [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead with her mind-reading]]. Of course, given that she's only just discovered her powers (and has no idea if she can even turn it off, let alone how), it's {{Justified\|Trope}}.
111	* ProphecyTwist: The [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/and-the-punchline-is-a-real-killer/ prophecy's]] "Dead Inside where none should be" could refer to Jigsaw, [[spoiler: or it might be the [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/how-to-break-it-right-over-your-head/ zombie Star Org]] Veled accepted as her personal guard.]]
112	* PsychicAssistedSuicide: When Chairman Viage starts to suspect the [[spoiler: Star Org outside his door ''aren't'' for his protection]], he Tones them all to [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/arent-you-worried-about-suicide-effects/ DIE!]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: that seems to qualify as a soul-shattering death.]]
113	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/?p=64 "I have no clue if she's a Djinn, and you know what? I. Don't. CARE!"]]
114	* RealityShow: The titular ''Last [=Res0rt=]'', where condemned criminals compete to win their freedom while entertaining the masses.
115	%%* RealityWarping: The effect of [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2010/12/why-talking-is-still-a-free-action/ Whimsy]].
116	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Jigsaw, when she gets really irate. One of the signs that she's a vampire. She also seems to receive a power-boost when they show. All Dead Inside have this; Jigsaw's eyes just happen to be easily hidden since she's a vampire.
117	%%* RedIsHeroic: Andromeda's outfits, in contrast to...
118	%%* RedShirt: ... the outfits for the Players' Mob, complete with SigilSpam right over their (assumed) hearts.
119	* RoguesGallery: Arguably subverted, depending on whether you're rooting for the criminals or not.
120	* SapientFurTrade: The reason leather is banned on Arael is because back when the native Talmi were a Slave Race they were often, well... Let's just say that one of the exceptions to the ban is recovering ancestral remains.
121	* SarcasticConfession: [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2009/03/ask-a-stupid-question/ Jigsaw's got to hide her powers somehow...]]
122	-->'''Jason:''' Tell me where Daisy went already! You should know!
123	-->'''Jigsaw:''' Sure, because we all know I'm a mind reader. After this we're planning a magic act. Think you'd look good in sequins?
124	* ScienceFantasy
125	* ShippedInShackles: The condemned players arrive under heavy restraint and guard in the beginning this way.
126	* ShoutOut:
127	** On the third page, Vic notes that Jigsaw's name "has that nice "killer" tone to it already." This could probably be a shoutout to the Saw movies, considering they feature a killer named Jigsaw.
128	** Daisy suggests that the Star Org considers [[spoiler: Gabriel Damascus]] to be like a necromancer becuase he's a Celeste psychiatrist (considered a "dark art"), he corrects her, he's a "Literature/{{Neuromancer}}".
129	** [[https://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/maybe-with-some-added-jokes/ "The truth"]] ... Maybe with [[Creator/AlFranken some added jokes.]]
130	** A sextet of familiar-looking [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic poni...]] -er, [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/dropping-anvils-like-its-hot/ kyunn]].
131	** Celigo's totalitarian government uses abbreviations for its' ministries like [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour MinJoy]].
132	** Another ShowWithinAShow is [[Series/RuPaulsDragRace RuP4u1s Frag Race]].
133	* SpaceJews: Inverted. Most of the Talmi really ARE Jewish! (So what about it?)
134	* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Jigsaw as seen [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2010/05/she-learns-fast/ here]], just after she was shot.
135	* SureLetsGoWithThat: Half the crew now thinks Jigsaw and Addy are lesbian lovers, and Jigsaw can't very well prove otherwise at the moment, so...
136	%%* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Team Tomboy and Team Girly Girl]]: Team Andromeda and Team Gemini in a nutshell.
137	* ThemeNaming: Most of the Forte family (Jigsaw, Cypher, Slider and Sudoku) are named after puzzles.
138	* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/?p=64 "Ta, bitch."]]
139	%%* TrueBlueFemininity: Andromeda's uniforms.
140	* TheUnmasquedWorld: Played with, as the Celeste walk around openly among the populace, but the Dead Inside are forced into hiding.
141	* VampireDoctor: Qin Xu was a doctor, citing it as a profession where his long lifespan would be an asset. His coworkers also gave him a reliable source of blood.
142	* VampireHickey: Daisy is left with a noticeable bite mark (seen [[https://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/upset-because-she-cares/ here]], complained about [[https://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/showering-is-honestly-very-important/ here]]) after Jigsaw feeds on her.
143	* VomitIndiscretionShot: Sedja uses this as [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2010/10/ride-that-rocket/ a nonviolent alternative]] to dealing with the Children of Gabriel.
144	-->'''Sedja:''' Come back! I even left your friend alive!
145	* WhamEpisode: At the end of the first arc in the second volume, [[spoiler:Cypress is badly injured, and Jason makes the situation worse by shooting two of the few people left to carry her to safety. As a result, Jigsaw can't use one hand, Daisy's insides are showing, and they've been left behind with a tone'd Team Corvus while the rest of the crew grab Cypress and leave on the shuttle.]]
146	* WhatDidIDoLastNight: [[https://www.lastres0rt.com/comic/getting-to-know-better/ Here]] between Jigsaw and Binary:
147	-->'''Jigsaw:''' I don't ''recall much'' after... ... Um, did we ''do''-
148	-->'''Binary:''' '''''Jigsaw!''''' I'm your ''cousin!''
149	-->'''Jigsaw:''' ''Twice removed!'' Right now, I assume ''nothing!''
150	* WingedHumanoid: Along with Winged Anything That Moves for that matter.
151	* WritingForTheTrade: The comic doesn't drag, but "one-page-a-week" can be a long time to wait.
152	** Actually works to the comic's advantage; after putting together Volume One, the comic started mixing panels that take advantage of FullBleed alongside those that don't as part of its ArtEvolution.
153	%%* WrittenSoundEffect
154	* YouAllMeetInACell: Some of the characters knew each other from before, but the show itself is the first time we see all the contestants together.
155

Context Webcomic / LastRes0rt