->''The 503''
->''written by: stuart richards''
->''In defiance of: the laws of god and nature''
-->-- Header notes for the proof-of-concept installment of ''The 503''

''[[http://www.the503comic.com The 503]]'' is a rendered photograph/line drawing webcomic about several friends who move to Portland, Oregon together and the various events that transpire throughout the course of that journey.

WordOfGod [[http://www.invisionplus.net/forums/index.php?mforum=foraaugusta&showtopic=5476 says]] that the strip is based on the real-life experiences of the author and his friends, so the comic is at least somewhat autobiographical in nature.

Currently, the strip is dealing with AuthorAvatar [[AuthorAvatar Philip Archibald Stone]]'s journey to Portland, and the various people he meets along the way.

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!!This webcomic utilizes the following tropes:

* AuthorAvatar: Philip Archibald Stone
* BreakingTheFourthWall: In the [[http://www.the503comic.com/?pageID=12 proof-of-concept strip]].
* BarBrawl: Initiated by Demitri Kalinin and John Flatt in [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=53 this strip]], and continued [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=55 here]], with appropriate music ("London Calling" by The Clash).
* ClusterFBomb: Demitri's response to being HoistByHisOwnPetard in [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=62 this strip]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Phil obviously has one of these, first referenced [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=5 here]] and then made more explicit with a [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=40 dream sequence]] to the point where [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=41 other characters]] [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=31 noticed it on their own.]]
* DeathByOriginStory: [[spoiler:Dawn Rachel Mcallender, Phil's girlfriend, dies in a wildfire in 2006.]] This is what motivates Phil to move to Portland and fills him with grief at the beginning of the strip.
* FunetikAksent: The Australian owners of the Jolly Swagman speak in a strong bogan accent represented as such and even lampshaded in [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=89 Strip 70]].
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Demitri asks Phil to prove his (Phil's) existence. Given that Demitri has a black eye as a result of an earlier BarBrawl, [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=62 the outcome is fairly predictable]].
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In Phil's conversation with Demitri in [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=62 this installment]]:
-->'''Phil:''' Okay, then, let's take your overly-skeptical approach to everything. Prove to me that ''you'' exist.
-->'''Demitri:''' Don't pull that Descartes crap. I'm right here in front of you, you can see me. Don't be ridiculous.
-->'''Phil:''' [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall You could just be a figment of someone's imagination, for all I know. A character in a story, or something.]]
* PrecisionFStrike: The bouncer, [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=57 when he kicks John and Demitri out of the bar]].
* OhCrap: When Phil Stone realizes he's . . . [[UnusualEuphemism become romantically involved with]] [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=10 the girlfriend of a Huskers lineman]]:
-->'''Phil:''' I. Did. '''WHAT'''. With. A. Husker's. Girlfriend.
-->'''Phil:''' Christ on a crutch.
-->'''Cindy:''' Or you, if he ever finds out!
* RailEnthusiast: Ryan Sangiorgio, who improbably [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=52 gets the girl because of it.]]
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: As noted above, the webcomic is partly inspired by the author's life in Portland.
* RiddleForTheAges: The fairy which shows up in [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=40 this episode]] - is it a figment of Phil's imagination, or [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=60 is]] [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=61 it]] [[http://www.the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=62 real]]?
* SexForSolace: Averted when Shellie backs away from a kiss [[spoiler:with Phil after learning about the death of his girlfriend three years ago]] in [[http://the503comic.com/index.php?pageID=212 Strip 189]].
* SliceOfLife: See "RealLifeWritesThePlot".
* [[TricksterArchetype Trickster]]: Demitri Kalinin
* WriteWhatYouKnow: Based on the author's experiences in Portland.
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