[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WW74Complete_1646.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Elly and the reason she never says "It could always be worse."]]

->'''Sam''': When exactly did we stop pursuing happiness and start avoiding unhappiness?
->'''John''': Probably the minute we entered our early 20s.

''[[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com The Word Weary]]'' (sometimes called ''The Word Weary Comic'') is a StickFigureComic webcomic about [[http://twulasso.com/?p=522 disappointment, loneliness and love]] centered around John Kossler, an AuthorAvatar, and his friends.

The author, John Kossler, makes light of his depression and his position as the [[TheWoobie omega male]] in his group of friends. When the comic begins, the audience is introduced to Yorick Kingsley, a performance artist who is [[ComedicSociopathy somewhat mean]] to John, Jason Kirkwood, a hard drinking [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero misogynist]] philosopher and the only member of the group who was in a relationship when the comic started, and Sam Kirkwood, Jason's younger brother and the voice of reason in the group. Soon the characters meet Harry the Hipster and his girlfriend, Elly, an independent FieryRedhead, to whom John finds himself instantly attracted. Later introduced are Lillith, a girl who plays Dungeons and Dragons and thinks NerdsAreSexy, her friend, Grace, who prefers being alone to having to deal with immaturity (while still deeply wanting to love and be loved), and Lillith's socially awkward stalker, Nick Trotmann (who's ALSO implied to be an AuthorAvatar).

The comic is heavily SliceOfLife (almost to the point of being a JournalComic) and much of the humor comes from the friction between the character's personalities. Kossler makes use of puns, BlackComedy, sarcasm and the occasional BottomOfTheBarrelJoke. Strewn throughout are [[WhamEpisode Wham Episodes]] in which all pretense of humor is dropped and the emotions of the characters are explored... but these are pretty rare.

The Word Weary is notable for its tight narrative (issues #4-#79 comprise one day in WebcomicTime) and attention to continuity while maintaining the humor. Kossler has also mentioned numerous times that he tries to make the female characters in the comic as realistic and relatable as possible- while still featuring misogynistic male characters. The comic updates on the 10th, 20th and 30th of each month at 6:00pm Eastern US time.


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!!Tropes used include:

* AbusiveParents:
** John mentions off-handedly that his parents were abusive alcoholics.
** The Mayor seems pretty abusive to his family.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Though initially annoyed at Yorick's shirt with his face on it, John later remarks to himself that he thinks it's funny. He eventually decides to use it as the punchline for the next issue of the in-comic comic.
* AffectionateParody: Of ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/10/8-october-2011.html this "guest comic."]]
* TheAlcoholic: Jason. As stated in [[http://www.wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/12/24-december-2011.html this issue]], his drinking is driving a wedge between him and his girlfriend.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: ''Subverted'' with Elly (who's dating a man who cries after being made fun of) and Lillith (who "has a boner" for nerds.) ''Played straight'' with Grace, who admits she's really attracted to self-involved men.
* AllMenArePerverts: John sure does like Elly's breasts. He does his best not to show it, though.
** Elly's breasts seem to attract a lot of attention- John, Mike and little Emile all seem fascinated by them.
* AllWomenAreLustful: The female characters are just as interested in sex and intimacy as the male characters.
* AlternateUniverse: In which Sam is a Ranger (with Assassin levels), Jason is a Paladin of Tyranny and Yorick is an Elven Rogue. And John is Vladimir Lenin.
* AltText: Usually just another joke or John's feelings about the comic in question. '''Usually.''' We've seen:
** An overly detailed personal history of a minor character.
** Algebraic notation of Scholar's Mate.
** A long-winded story about the Russian response to the Napoleonic invasion of Austria that happened to take place in a Dallas bar.
* {{Angrish}}: Elly's breakdown in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/15-november-2011.html this comic.]]
* AntiClimax: The last two issues of the Day 1 arc (comics #4-#79) bring most of the comic's plots together [[spoiler:until John takes a shot of a Four Horsemen, an extremely alcoholic drink, and blacks out before they can be resolved.]]
* ArcWords: Comics [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/15-june-2011.html 40]], [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/16-june-2011.html 41]] and [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/21-june-2011.html 42]] all end with the same words: "There's no way this can end badly."
* ArtEvolution: Prior to strip 80, all the Caucasian characters were #FFFFFF white. After the beginning of the second arc, Kossler gave them actual skin color and began shading them.
** One commenter wondered if he were trying out new styles and layouts during his "Guest Strip" week, which immediately preceded that comic.
* ArtShift:
** During the parts of the series that take place in the Dungeons and Dragons game the characters are playing, the normally bright color palette is replaced with black and white. The monsters featured in the game are also drawn more realistically, with the notable exception of the White Satyr.
** It's subtle, but the color palette becomes much more drab after the start of the second day. (See DarkerAndEdgier).
** During the "Guest Comic Week" that John Kossler admitted he had authored himself, there is a [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom furry]] comic, a PhotoComic and a [[AffectionateParody parody]] of Peanuts.
* AscendedExtra: Once a minor character, Mona Byrnewald has become a focal part of the main story.
* AuthorAppeal: John fits his interest in history (the Dungeons and Dragons game), the occult (Claude and some of the tapestries in The Abbey restaurant) and indie music (many of the titles) into the comic.
** And Russian culture. Lots and lots of Russian culture.
* AuthorAvatar: The [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/p/about.html About section]] states that five of the characters are based on the author and his friends.
** Kossler has written in comments that Grace and Poor Trotmann are also avatars.
%%* BeatPanel: John is... [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/04/5-april-2011.html sad.]]
%%* BedmateReveal.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: The concept behind the Dungeons and Dragons game, except it applies to the entire Russian Revolution, not just one person.
* BewareTheNiceOnes:
** Sam is a lot nicer to John than Yorick and Jason, but flies off the handle when provoked enough.
** John is usually obsequious and quiet... right up until you get him drunk.
* BigNo: Elly unleashes one of these to Lillith.
* BilingualBonus:
** The White Satyr and John speak French shortly before the Satyr viciously murders the party. The hypertext in that comic contains a French pun.
** The girl's shirt in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/08/13-august-2011-48-hours-late.html this comic]] doesn't actually say "air" in Japanese. [[spoiler:Because it says "fart."]]
%%* BingeMontage: [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/10/1-october-2011.html The first season finale.]]
* BitchSlap: Delivered by [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/09/13-september-2012.html Elly to Yorick.]] Not that he didn't have it coming.
%%* BluntYes: Invoked often in many different ways.
* BoisterousBruiser: Jason likes to give unsolicited advice and kick people's asses for refusing to call him by whatever name he happens to be calling himself at the time.
* BottomOfTheBarrelJoke: Issues [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/2-june-2011.html #35]] and [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/09/10-september-2011-sort-of.html #72]] fall into this category; the former being a gay joke and the latter a fart joke. The author lampshades this in both instances.
* BreakOutCharacter: Invoked by name... by Captain Scrotumbutt.
* BrickJoke: Jason went on a long, strange rant in [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2011/08/27-august-2011.html this issue]] that finally paid off in [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/09/27-september-2012.html this one]]... thirteen months and 105 comics later.
%%* BrutalHonesty: Quite a bit of it.
%%* ButtMonkey: John and Poor Trotmann.
%%* CannotSpitItOut: Hey, look! It's Poor Trotmann again!
%%* CannotTalkToWomen: Poor Trotmann personifies this trope completely. John is a little better at it, but chickens out of asking them out on a date.
* CarpetOfVirility: When Jason and Harry were shown shirtless, they have a little chest hair. John however is COVERED in hair.
** John said in post that he's even hairier in real life.
* CatchPhrase: Jason answers "Who cares?" in response to any question asked about another character's emotional state.
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: Customers walking in on employees masturbating has become a bit of a [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/07/21-july-2012.html problem.]]
%%* ChekhovsGag: Yorick's infamous shirt. Which comes back HARDCORE in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/10/15-october-2011.html this issue.]]
%%* ChewToy: John for Jason and Yorick.
%%** Although it appears they have adopted Poor Trotmann as their new one.
* ChristmasEpisode: Appropriately named [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/12/christmas-comics.html "A Very Word Weary Christmas."]]
%%* ClingyJealousGirl: ''Inverted.'' Harry the Hipster.
%%* CloudCuckooLander: Jason.
%%* ClusterFBomb: See {{Angrish}}.
%%* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In the Peanuts guest comic.
%%* ContinuityNod.
* ContinuityPorn: ''Justified'' since the comics all take place close together (see WebcomicTime), but some of the jokes tend to fall flat if you haven't read the whole comic.
* TheCorrupter: Jason and Yorick to John. They try, at least.
* CrapsackWorld: As John said in the comments section of [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/19-november-2011.html this issue]], the main philosophy of The Word Weary is "when it rains, it pours and also you get struck by lightning and one of the paramedics who revives you steals your shoes."
* CrazyHomelessPerson: Though a little off-kilter in his conversations with Carolyne, Mona and Harry, Robert seems like a good man who's down on his luck.
* CulturePolice: The Mayor has a Grand Jury indict [[spoiler:Yorick for his performance art piece.]]
** Considering the show itself involves copious amounts of blood and Yorick playing a timpani with his dick, it was really only a matter of time before ''any'' kind of police got involved.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The plot of the second day is a lot darker than than the first. There were hints throughout the first that the plot was about to take a dark turn, so it's ''justified.''
* DeadpanSnarker: Yorick. Pretty much all of his lines so far, in fact.
* DerailingLoveInterests: ''Played with.'' John was ecstatic when he got Lillith's number, but uses [[spoiler:Poor Trotmann's lie that she had a boyfriend as an excuse not to pursue her.]]
* DeusAngstMachina:
** John much? On his [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/p/characters.html character page]] John meets and unnamed girl. When she passes him by, he remarks that it was wrong of him to hope. That may have been his ex-girlfriend, who he describes more in the post on [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/07/12-july-2011.html this]] comic.
%%** Poor Trotmann. So very very much.
* DidTheyOrDidntThey: Neither [[spoiler:John nor Elly]] remember having sex, but considering they woke up naked together, she believes they did.
* DidYouJustHaveSex: Ostensibly Sam and Lillith in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/6-november-2011.html this issue.]]
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Jason opens a bottle of beer on the goddess queen of the sun's face during a dream.
%%* DoesNotLikeMen: Grace seems to be turned off by immaturity.
%%** [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/09/20-september-2011.html "Why can't I just be gay!?"]]
%%* DoggedNiceGuy: John and Sam.
%%* DyingAlone: Apparently a concern of Grace's.
* EasterEgg: When a person clicks on the comic, most will just take you to the image file by itself. Some however lead the viewer to a different website.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Elienne goes by Elly.
* EntitledBastard: Doesn't come up so much in the comic, but Kossler said in a [[http://twulasso.com/?p=522 newspaper interview]] that this is how he sees every character.
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: ''Played straight'' in the comic's narrative as John, Yorick, Elly, Sam and Lillith all get some nookie within hours of meeting their respective partners, but it's stated that actually getting laid is a relatively rare occurrence for John, Sam, Lillith and Mona.
* EverybodyIsSingle: Out of the nine main characters, only three are in relationships when the narrative starts.
* EverybodySmokes: Most of the main characters- John, Harry the Hipster, Grace and Poor Trotmann- smoke. Some of the smoking is justified by the fact that John works at a hookah lounge.
* EvilDebtCollector: ''Played with:'' In [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/31-may-2011.html this comic]] Stan Becks calls Elly and tells her she has to pay back her recently deceased mother's credit card debt, which Morris later reveals is illegal. Though the debt collection ruins Elly financially, the comic implies Stan is just doing what he has to do to save his job.
* FacePalm: Many, many times in reaction to Yorick and Jason's douchebaggery.
* FanDisservice: The detail on John's ass hair in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/05/24-may-2012.html this comic.]]
* FeatheredFiend: [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/05/10-may-2012.html Jake the blue jay.]]
* FiveStagesOfGrief: ''Parodied'' as the five stages of drinking.
* FlippingTheBird: John does this when he angrily announces he refuses to do the comic anymore.
* FortuneTeller: ''Played with'' by Claude- he reads Tarot on the street even though he doesn't actually put any stock into prognostication.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: All of the characters have MonochromaticEyes, but Harry is the only character with glasses whose lenses are opaque. Considering he's a manipulative sociopath, he fits this trope nicely.
* FourPhilosophyEnsemble:
** '''The Cynic'''- Jason
** '''The Optimist-''' John
** '''The Realist-''' Sam
** '''The Apathetic-''' Yorick.
* AFriendInNeed: Lillith can see how lonely Grace is even though they just recently became friends.
* FriendlessBackground: Poor Trotmann, most definitely. Grace has a small but tight circle of friends before they had to move away.
* FromBadToWorse: Despite trying to stop the universe from punishing her further in the first arc, the second arc dumps a whole new load of crap onto Elly.
* FurryBaldness: John has more hair on his chest than his head.
* GirlishPigtails: Lillith.
* GoodAngelBadAngel: John's brain and his penis have an argument about Elly.
* GratuitousFrench: Mais oui!
* GuestStrip: ''Inverted'' when John Kossler wrote his own guest strips and posted them under different names.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: John, Yorick, Sam and Jason.
* HoldingHands: John reveals that he hasn't held hands with a woman in five and a half years.
* HumansAreFlawed
* HurricaneOfPuns: [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post_12.html This strip's]] alt text has a flurry of penis jokes based on how John draws his characters.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Ida to the Mayor.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming:
** Most titles are names of songs or albums, but the three issues that end with the phrase "there's no way this can end badly (see ArcWords) all end with a variation on "No Way..."
** [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/29-november-2011.html Issue 96]], in which John and Elly have a conversation but their dialogue isn't written, has no title.
** The title of issue 61 is the number 61 written in binary and the title of issue 64 is simply called "Nintendo."
* IdiotHair: The three children featured in the comic all sport it.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: Grace, when she's not getting in her own way.
* TheImp: Yorick.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Grace's roommate, Gary, muses that [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/09/13-september-2012.html they would be a good couple]] if he were straight.
* IncrediblyLamePun: Oh my yes.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: John goes from TheTeetotaler to this because of a particularly bad day.
* IWroteOurStory: John Kossler is writing a webcomic about John Kossler writing a webcomic.
** While trying to think of ideas to write his next issue (to be released the next day), it's mentioned John has already completed three. Later at the bar he talks about stealing Yorick's shirt as the punchline for his joke- which was indeed the punchline of issue four of the series.
*** Thus Day One of the comic takes place on March 14, 2011.
* JerkAss: Yorick. So very much so.
*** Tears are vitamins for Yorick!
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Yorick's constant berating of John is usually met with gentle good humor... right up until John starts drinking.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Here, homeless guy! Have some [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/12/3-december-2011.html cat food!]]
* LampshadeHanging: Grace gets chewed out by her boss for her recent tardiness and points out that she called in the previous Thursday. Sort of like how the comic had been going up late often the week previous to it and John did indeed miss the previous Thursday's update.
** The title of [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/10/27-october-2011.html that issue]] hangs a lampshade on LampshadeHanging.
* LapPillow: Lillith lets Elly rest in her lap after she discovers her passed out on a bathroom floor.
* LetsSeeYOUDoBetter: Emile's mother says as much to Elly after she criticizes her parenting.
* LonelyTogether: ''Averted'' when [[spoiler:Poor Trotmann]] declines to go on a date with Grace.
* LongPants: One of the defining features of the art style.
* LoveMartyr: Elly sticks by Harry even though she's unhappy with being tied down to anyone.
* MadeMyselfSad: Happens often.
** Invoked [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/08/2-august-2012.html by name]] by Yorick.
** [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/24-june-2011.html CHEER THE FUCK UP.]]
* MaleGaze: Though the comic never frames a scene around women's breasts, it's mentioned many times that John pays attention to little else when talking to women.
** [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheWordWeary "Look! You can see her boobies jiggle!"]]
* MenActWomenAre:
** ''Subverted'' with Grace and Elly, who are as much agents of the story as the male characters.
** ''Played straight'' with Lillith, who has much less character development than the other two and seems to do little more than react to situations.
* MisanthropeSupreme: Many, many of the characters.
** "Why bother cultivating this girl if you're not going to plough her?"
** "Just imagine everyone you know disappointing you monumentally! That way you get the satisfaction of being right when they inevitably do and you've gained an important skill! It's called 'foresight!'"
** "Yeah, buying shit I don't need with money I don't have to make myself feel better when I have no reason to do so. Fun."
* {{Misogyny}}: In The Word Weary? NEVER.
* ModestyBedsheet:
** ''Parodied'' when Elly finds [[spoiler:John]] lying naked on her floor and covers herself in a towel. He wonders to himself why she would bother covering her body if they've had sex.
** This is ''justified'' since she doesn't remember having sex with him and thus wouldn't feel comfortable being naked around him.
* MomentKiller: [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/04/18-april-2011.html This issue]] would have been LoveAtFirstSight had it not been for the inappropriate interjection.
* MonochromaticEyes: None of the characters have pupils.
* MonsterClown: Yorick's rogue character in the D&D game dresses like a jester. And he's just as acerbic and mean as he is in real life.
* MoodWhiplash: So there were 33 joke-a-day comics and then [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/31-may-2011.html WHAT THE HELL?!]]
* NerdsAreVirgins: ''Subverted.''
** Despite playing Dungeons and Dragons, Jason is in a committed relationship when the comic starts. And John has apparently had sex with someone's girlfriend.
*** [[spoiler:Scratch that, TWO people's girlfriends.]]
** Lillith really likes nerdy guys.
* NietzscheWannabe:
** A surprising number of characters have made nihilistic tirades:
*** Jason is the most prominent example as the majority of advice he gives seems to be based on a wholly pessimistic worldview.
*** Harry also fits into this trope as he believes everyone he knows will end up disappointing him monumentally.
** The author may be ''playing with'' the trope as all of the Nietzchian monologues are made for comedic effect, possibly signaling that he finds the viewpoint absurd.
* NoDialogueEpisode: Used sparingly but effectively in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/29-november-2011.html this issue]] and [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/09/3-september-2011.html this one.]]
* NoSocialSkills: John is constantly referring to his inability to talk with girls (except, apparently, for Lillith and Elly). Jason and Yorick managed to get the group kicked out of a restaurant.
* NotGoodWithRejection: Grace is visibly angry after [[spoiler:Poor Trotmann rejects her offer for a date.]]
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: The author flat out stated in his About section that he is willing to make major changes to the characters.
* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: John has said in many newsposts that much of the content in the comic is based on real life... even when he ordered pizza in the guise of a Dungeons and Dragons character.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The Mayor ruins a man after claiming a building the man had renovated was historical AFTER the man had spent $150,000 to renovate it.
** The author stated in a NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer in the comments section that he read an article about something similar happening in Dallas, so it has a little TruthInTelevision value.
* OffScreenBreakup: ''Played with'' in [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/08/9-august-2012.html this comic]] when Gary makes up amusing stories of how he and his boyfriend broke yp to spare Grace the boring details of what actually happened between them.
* OffTheWagon: ''Subverted''- Mona is a recovering heroin addict. Though she hasn't fallen off the wagon, Harry goes out of his way to protect her from bad news for fear she will.
* OneDialogueTwoConversations: John and Madeline have one of these discussing "roaches." HilarityEnsues.
* OneSteveLimit: ''Subverted'' with Sam and Sam 2.
* OppositesAttract: Jason and Yorick are dynamic and brash while Sam and John are quieter and more reserved.
* PetTheDog: It's been revealed Yorick feeds stray cats on his way home from work. [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/26-november-2011.html Yes, really.]]
* PlayingDrunk: John tries this in order to get Jason to stop plying him to have more alcohol.
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Jason worries about their CircleOfFriends after Sam declines going to lunch.
** ''The GROUPACALYPSE!''
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: ''Parodied'' and ''played straight'' in [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/09/4-september-2011.html this issue.]]
** My God... WHAT HAVE I DONE?!
* TheRant: The comics in which characters go off on tirades or monologues tend to outnumber the comics in which they don't.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Branden, a friend of the group who works for Yorick, gives one to Yorick after he decides not to fight the injunction on his show.
* RebelliousSpirit: Elly.
* RedOniBlueOni: Most evident in the relationship between Gary and Grace, but also between Elly and Harry. Sam and John are also blue onis to Jason and Yorick's red.
* ReluctantFanserviceGirl: Elly. She's been naked or nearly naked twice and [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/03/20-march-2012.html both]] [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/10/13-october-2011.html times]] she seemed mortified at the experience.
* RockBottom: With her relationship on the rocks and her underpaying job keeping her from getting a car, Elly muses that she's "run out of things to go wrong in her life."
* SecretPolice: Morris refers to Harry as "the Gestapo of Upstate New York."
* SeenItAll: Ida, the Mayor's assistant, isn't phased at all when he trashes his office and [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/03/24-march-2012.html defenestrates his phone.]]
* SelfDeprecation: LITERALLY THE ENTIRE COMIC.
** The three guest comics John Kossler wrote himself, as they all poke fun at comic.
* ShrinkingViolet: Lillith and John. But John's getting better, it seems.
* ShoutOut:
** Many of the comics' titles have their names taken from songs. Another is lifted from a William Faulkner novel.
** Chris mentions employees named [[Webcomic/QuestionableContent Jeph]], [[Webcomic/GirlsWithSlingshots Danielle]] and [[Webcomic/SomethingPositive Randy]] and says they work more than Grace does and manage to be on time. (See LampshadeHanging above.)
* ShownTheirWork: The panels that take place in St. Petersberg are all photos of the city.
* SiblingYinYang:
** Sam and Jason Kirkwood.
** Even more pronounced with Harry and Mona Byrnewald.
* SilenceIsGolden: [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/29-november-2011.html This issue.]]
* SirSwearsALot: Nearly every character. Jason especially.
* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: A very rare Type 5 as the male and female characters are portrayed with the same amount of agency- that being said, there are many more male characters than female.
* SlutShaming: Openly ''subverted.'' Mona and Lillith hook up with men shortly after meeting them, but none of the characters who know about their trysts think anything of it. When [[spoiler:Elly sleeps with John]] after knowing him for only a day, she's more concerned about cheating on her boyfriend than the fact that she slept with him.
* SmokingIsCool:
** ''Played straight:'' Grace is the only character introduced so far who smokes cigarettes regularly. She seems more relaxed and at peace with the world than the other characters. She also has a nerdy white friend who looks up to her.
** ''Inverted:'' Poor Trotmann is the opposite of cool and he smokes hookah at the lounge in which John works.
* SophisticatedAsHell: The characters are all pretty fucking articulate.
* StalkerWithACrush: When Poor Trotmann is introduced, he's staring longingly at a picture of Lillith. Later he [[spoiler:tells John she has a boyfriend even though she doesn't.]]
* StylisticSuck: ''Inverted.'' It's a stick figure comic (the female characters' breasts are... interesting) but when the characters are playing D&D, the monsters and villains are drawn more realistically.
** In the comic in which John apologizes for missing [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/04/so-jason-sam-yorick-i-spent-last-two.html two weeks of updates]], the monsters again show a level of sophistication that doesn't appear in the comic proper.
* SuddenlySober:
** Lillith seems pretty drunk when she's talking to Grace during the bar scene, but sobers up pretty quickly when she finds Elly passed out drunk on the bathroom floor.
** Elly gets so drunk she throws up and passes out in the woman's restroom but seems quite sober when she and Lillith start their conversation.
* SympatheticAdulterer: Elly feels awful about cheating on her boyfriend, but definitely [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/21-june-2011.html has her reasons.]]
* TakeThat: Even though he claims to appreciate the novel, the author says in the AltText of [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-comics.html this comic]] that half of John Updike's ''Rabbit, Run'' is just the author talking about how much he "likes blowjobs and dry humping."
* TalkingToThemself:
** John and Poor Trotmann refer to themselves in the second person during their one-man conversations.
** Sam takes this to the next level by talking to one of his [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/08/11-august-2011.html hallucinations.]]
** A very meta example: During the infamous first guest comic week that John [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/10/9-october-2011.html authored himself]], each comic was prefaced with the correspondence between him and the person making the guest comics. Since he wrote them himself, he was literally talking to himself.
** Elly when she's trying to console herself.
* TitleDrop: ''Played with.'' The title of the [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2011/03/blog-post.html first comic]] is used as a punchline in [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2014/01/30-january-2014.html this comic.]]
* ToiletHumour: Used sparingly.
** To show that women do indeed think [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/09/10-september-2011-sort-of.html farts are funny]].
*** Even Rebecca Cohen of the overtly feminist comic GynoStar agrees.
** To show that even villains have to [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2012/01/17-january-2012.html let one rip]] sometimes.
* UnsoundEffect: Often used to explain actions that may be difficult to see because of the art style.
** Wring!
** Knead! Knead!
** An audible '''SNAP''' is heard when [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/04/7-april-2011.html Sam]] and [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/11/15-november-2011.html Elly]] break down.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: It's an ensemble piece, but all of the main characters have been douchebags during some point in the comic.
* VitriolicBestBuds: John, Yorick, Sam and Jason. They're close.
* WallOfText: The comic can get verbose, but [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/06/14-june-2011.html comic 39]] takes this trope up to eleven.
* WebcomicTime: Every comic from issue four until 79 WAS ONE DAY.
** Issue five indicates it's 3:30 in the afternoon and issue 29 states it's almost 9 at night. That means that, in the six weeks that passed between their release, it's only been a few hours.
** The trend continues in Day Two. As of this writing, it's about lunchtime the day after the story proper starts... which means that, in 140 comics and over a year of updates, it's only been about 24 hours.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: In the second season premier, John wakes up naked on a floor and has no clue how he got there.
* WhiteMaleLead: Out of the nine main characters, six are male, eight are white, all nine are heterosexual.
* YouAreNotAlone: Judging by one of the [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/07/12-july-2011.html comments the author left in response]] to a fan who took the comic's themes of loneliness and alienation to heart, John Kossler views his entire comic as one reminder to people that he too feels alone and alienated but finds humor in his situation. YMMV on how effective he is at this.
* YouNeedToGetLaid: Jason on why John shouldn't pursue Lillith just as a friend.
* YouWakeUpInARoom: John wakes from the night of heavy drinking with no clue how he got there.
* ZombieApocalypse: ''Parodied'' in this [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2012/08/19-august-2012.html non-canon comic.]]
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