Life
is a story about a strange young woman by the name of Felicia and the people she meets and met. And the people they meet and met, including a strange young woman by the name of Natalie. The story begins with Felicia's senior year at her high school, although there are some flashbacks to earlier points in Natalie's life — before she began to become Felicia.
First update was sometime after September 8th 2011 and before April 7th 2012. Last update was in 2013. Site suspended since November 2016. Appears to be a Dead Fic.
Tropes:
- Alt Text: Frequently snarky.
- Analogy Backfire: The conversation between Felicia and Madison following Felicia's complaint that her webcomic hasn't had any hits has Madison turning Felicia's the-Internet-is-like-a-magazine metaphor around.
- Chekhov's Gun: The song and its video.
- Deadpan Snarker: Madison is more on the cynical endcontext , and Video Game Guy a fairly traditional example.VGG: You're being awful observant.
Edward: I'm just sharp like that, I guess.
VGG: Absolutely. It took you a month to notice one thing. - Dream Sequence: Felicia has a few, this one being one of the longer ones (and one of her Recurring Dreams).
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Edward's roommate Lex.Lex: And yes, I am a guy.
- Evil Laugh: In "Good End", Felicia breaks out with one of these.
- Exhausted Eye Bags: Five days into her twenty-day mission to complete a portfolio for the graphic design major at college, Felicia develops an impressive pair of these.
- Extreme Doormat: Edward's method of getting through life is something he calls "Chaos". Which basically consists of simply going along with anything that happens and not putting much effort in.
- Face Framed in Shadow: When Lex calls Felicia, his face is wreathed in shadows ... because he's shielding himself from the lightbulb with an umbrella.
- Face Palm: As Felicia's friend, Madison is reduced to this on several occasions.
- Innocent Innuendo: Felicia walks in at the end of Madison's story about being banned for using bots in an MMO.Madison: I was never able to pull off the 25-man ... and I never got my money back for any of them.
Felicia [thinking]: W-what did I just walk into? - Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Felicia puts one on when she starts brainstorming comic ideas on her whiteboard.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
- Felicia is about to go live with her webcomic site when she realizes the comic doesn't have any color. Guess when the Life archive switches to full color?
- After the calculus final.Felicia: Now I just have to wait until report cards to see how I did... when do they usually come out?
Madison: Two weeks from now, I think...
Felicia: Bleh... I wish I could just skip ahead two weeks...
Madison: That's a little...
[two weeks later!]
Felicia: I got a 76!
- Felicia is about to go live with her webcomic site when she realizes the comic doesn't have any color.
- Limited Wardrobe: Felicia is almost always seen in either her school uniform (even though her high school doesn't have a uniform) or a red t-shirt over grey clothes.
- Love Triangle: Felicia decides that such a triangle exists with her roommate Madison interested in "Edward" interested in herself. She immediately starts plotting to resolve it by setting up Edward with Madison instead.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- Felicia is an unusually well-meaning example, to the point that the idea that she's being one bothers her a bit.
- Edward's roommate Lex soon proves himself to be one as well.
- Eden's roommate Emily, on the other hand ... isn't.
- Felicia is an unusually well-meaning example, to the point that the idea that she's being one bothers her a bit.
- Meaningful Rename: Natalie renamed herself Felicia because Felicia means "happiness".
- Mirthless Laughter: Felicia laughs out of nervousness on occasion.
- Not So Stoic: Approximately the only time Edward has a major reaction to anything is when Video Game Guy tears up one of his drawings.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Edward is not named Edward — that name was a guess Felicia made that he rolled with.
- Recurring Dreams: Felicia has a few, one of which she later uses to inspire a drawing.
- Sarcastic Clapping: The success of Felicia's plan to maneuver Edward into asking her to prom elicits halfhearted applause from Madison.
- Show Within a Show: Felicia's webcomic, Innocence Academy.
- Spanner in the Works:
- Madison sabotages one of Felicia's gambits by telling Edward what she's up to.
- Edward's roommate Lex sabotages another by acting directly rather than simply reacting.
- Springtime for Hitler: To Lex's consternation, when he sends 'Edward' to go ask Madison out, and Madison doesn't say no.
- Stepford Smiler: Felicia's happiness is largely a mask she adopts to force herself to be happy.
- Talking to Themself: Felicia/Natalie finds herself doing this on a few occasions, such as during the second comic meeting, after Madison has left.
- Techno Wizard: Madison can solve almost any problem with her programs. Take, for example, her approach to a calculus test.
- Waking Non Sequitur: Early on, when Madison's phone call wakes up Felicia/Natalie:Felicia: Hey... don't— don't throw out my CDs. The database is in the ... hotel?
