Life Sketch is a Massively Multiplayer Crossover Webcomic with MapleStory sprites. It contains elements and characters from Code Geass, Princess Tutu, Doctor Who, A Witch's Tale, and others. It was created by Shygirl, a contributor.
A little girl named Koneko Tachimachi uses her magic sketchbook to bring her favorite anime and video game characters to life. Only she and the Eleventh Doctor know that the characters are just characters, however, and must keep the secret from them or else have them Go Mad from the Revelation. On top of that, they have to deal with Dr. Crackenstien and his band of supervillains trying to steal the sketchbook and use it to take over the world.
And, as the fates would have it, Hilarity Ensues.
The first issue can be read here
on DeviantArt, or here on Smack Jeeves.
Life Sketch contains examples of:
- Affably Evil: The Crackenstien family.
- All Just a Dream:
- Anticlimax: Audrey's capture is entirely offscreen, and she is quickly Geassed away. This didn't go unlampshaded.
- Applied Phlebotinum: The sketchbook.
- Art Initiates Life: The entire premise is based on this.
- Bald of Evil: Eliott.
- Berserk Button: Loue's is making biased judgments towards vampires, apparently.
- Beta Couple: Myuto and Rue.
- Bifauxnen: Justin Bieber, apparently. Notice how the name of the image file is if only...
- Bill... Bill... Junk... Bill...: And something about a shoe.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Lampshaded in the April Fools special.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: A particularly strange example. According to
Word of God, the White Space where Jandoe and Zenith reside exists inside the fourth wall. - Brick Joke: Loue challenges Rue to a fight here. In the very next issue, he is seen with a black eye.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Crackenstien and company.
- Cat Girl: Koneko is always seen wearing a cat costume.
- Cerebus Syndrome: Seems to happen on and off.
- Character Development: Myuto, who has had absolutely no personality in the series of his origin due to not having a heart, has been slowly developing since the comic began.
- Chekhov's Gag: What's green and hops from bed to bed? Cause it sure ain't a prostitoad...
- The Chew Toy: Zenith always get embarrassing costumes in holiday specials.
- Clothing Switch: In the Couch Gag of the April Fool's Day issue.
- Continuity Nod/Mythology Gag: The author seems to enjoy these.
- Credits Gag: Two original characters, Jandoe and Zenith, appear in the otherwise blank panel for the disclaimers and have some sort of a witty banter. Sometimes this involves Jandoe singing a little song.
- Dawson Casting: Koneko, despite being eight, started out about as tall as all of the older characters around her due to the limitations of using of MapleStory characters as sprites. This problem was fixed in issue 30.
- Deadpan Snarker: C.C..
- Death Is Cheap: When threatened with death by Lelouch, C.C. merely winks and says it wouldn't be the first time.
- Depraved Bisexual: Implied. See Prison Rape.
- Drop-In Character: The Doctor. Specifically, the Eleventh Doctor. Apparently someone couldn't wait for series 5 to start.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: C.C. initially mistakes the Doctor for a female in issue 4. In the Valentine's Day special he shows up with a different hairstyle, claiming that he tried to make himself look "less girly" (and failed). It wasn't permanent.
- Dynamic Entry: Dr. Crackenstein and his sons introduce themselves by crashing through the roof of the OK Cafe.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Dr. Crackenstien has been shown to genuinely care for his cloned sons.
- Fun with Acronyms: The P.I.T., which stands for People In Tuxedos according to Jandoe.
- Heavy Sleeper:
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Jerimiah.
- Important Haircut: Loue is getting one in issue 46.
- Incredibly Lame Pun: Q: what's green and hops from bed to bed? A: a fucking leprechaun. Thank you, Myuto.
- In Medias Res: The comic starts with C.C. and Lelouch being given a tour of the household. The explanations are given later on.
- Jumped at the Call: The green-haired girl in the cafe flat-out asked to be taken to the villains' hideout.
- Kaleidoscope Eyes: Eliott. Actually, it's more like Kaleidoscope half of his face.
- Mad Scientist: The aptly named Doctor Crackenstien.
- Madwoman in the Attic: Loue subverts this, as he is neither Axe-Crazy nor The Grotesque. Just don't ask what he was doing locked in the basement in the first place.
- Meaningful Name:
- Koneko Tachimachi. See the comments for issue 7.
- Also, Doctor Crackenstien. He's a parody of Frankenstein, only ten times crazier. And his glasses are broken.
- Koneko Tachimachi. See the comments
- Meido: C.C. when she becomes Koneko's slave for a week.
- Mister Seahorse: The Doctor apparently
gets pregnant along with Rue, C.C. and Koneko. Averted, however, since it was All Just a Dream. - Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Dr. Crackenstien.
- Mr. Exposition: The two newscasters.
- Noodle Implements:
- The events described whenever Koneko's parents show up.
- Also, if Loue's Waking Non Sequitur is to be believed, how did Myuto go from talking about Taylor Swift to talking about The Land Before Time when he was the only one talking?
- Oh, Crap!: Crackenstien's reaction when he turns around and sees everyone pointing guns at him.
- Our Vampires Are Different: All Vampires Are Different: The moral given at the end of the three-part arc that introduced Loue.
- Our Zombies Are Different: Lump, the little girl zombie who's a friend of Koneko. She's vegan, her expression never changes and she can only say the word "Ungh..." which everyone else can apparently understand perfectly well.
- Parental Abandonment: Koneko's parents are currently on a mission around the world, and apparently have been for a few years. She doesn't seem too upset about it.
- Issue 15 seems to imply that it has something to do with a glacier bombing...
- Issue 15
- Prison Rape: Spike seems to have this in mind when Loue is incarcerated, but doesn't go through with it, claiming he has a girlfriend.
- Psychopathic Man Child: Elliot.
- Punny Name: The setting itself. The city of Hannah, in the state of Montana. Ring a bell?
- Red Shirt: Lampshaded in the mouse-over comment here.
- The Reveal: The green-haired girl in the cafe is Audrey. Or at least they have the same name.
- Schedule Slip: Has happened a couple times: The author was taking care of a pregnant stray cat.
- Shout-Out:
- Plenty. The title itself is a reference to Death Note.
- Koneko and her friends listen to The Protomen in issue 45.
- Spell My Name With An S: The real spelling of Myuto's name is Mytho. Myuto offers a better pronunciation guide.
- Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: Every verse in Duck's song has one.
- This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: DO YOU WANNA FIGHT ME?!
- Those Two Guys: Spike and Edward, two vampiric friends of Loue whom he met in prison.
- Vapor Wear: C.C. doesn't wear underwear. Unless she has to. We never quite find out why.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Duck can turn into her human and duck forms.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Both Eliott and Jerimiah.
- Who's on First?: Issue 3, which not only alludes to Doctor Who, but also the Witch Doctor.
- Younger Than They Look: Jerimiah's two weeks old. And he's already lost his virginity.
