History Webcomic / LeftoverSoup

* TheAllegedComputer: Jamie has a "Linux clusterfuck" of three laptops that were supposed to act as one machine but in practice didn't work without all three active at once and was much less powerful than even one of them by itself. He apparently bought the mess for $50 and the original creator had died without leaving any documentation. Professional computer geek Ellen tries for a full day and night to make it work with one laptop, [[spoiler: but eventually just wipes them and buys him a new laptop]].

* TheAllegedComputer: Jamie has a "Linux clusterfuck" of three laptops that were supposed to act as one machine but in practice didn't work without all three active at once and was much less powerful than even one of them by itself. He apparently bought the mess for $50 and the original creator had died without leaving any documentation. Professional computer geek Ellen tries for a full day and night to make it work with one laptop, [[spoiler: but eventually just scraps them and buys him a new laptop]].

* ThemeNaming: When Jamie makes up pseudonyms for his [[spoiler:investigation of Richard Knight's death]], all of the names he chooses are Richard plus a chess piece: Rick Bishop, Dick McQueen, Richie Pawn.

* InfernalRetaliation: During Max's RPG session, Nicole somehow gets set on "unfire" and decides, rather than use her turn to extinguish herself, [[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=411 to hug one of the monsters they're trying to dispatch]], thus setting it on unfire as well. Max rewards her with a Mayhem Point for her CrazyAwesome thinking.

* CrazyAwesome: [[invoked]] Max is a fan of this trope. When she invents her own RPG system, it involves a lot of this. In particular, the GM (her) can reward "Mayhem Points" (action points, essentially) to players for doing Crazy Awesome things.
** [[spoiler:Turns out, she is this in real life...and it's deconstructed. She is on a LOT of pills.]]

--> "Seriously, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments did a fraction kill your father or something?]]"

* GoodBadGirl: Max, to the... [[MeaningfulName max]]. She'll sleep with just about anyone and her only requirement is that her current steady lovers approve of the person. However, she will also care for and nurture just about anyone ([[FriendToAllLivingThings or anything]]) in any other way she can, as well.

* ShaggyDogStory: The entire arc of the comic is one. [[spoiler:Jamie makes a personal crusade out of finding Not-Richard-Knight and doing ''something'' about him, despite being told by several other characters that there's nothing he can reasonably do. He finally finds Not-Richard... just after he's apparently killed himself. Jamie monologues that his plan was to force a HeelFaceTurn on Not-Richard, and Not-Richard suddenly turns out to be just barely alive. Jamie gets him to the hospital and declares that the plan is back on. Then Not-Richard dies in the hospital without regaining consciousness. The end. Jamie accomplished absolutely nothing, and [[LostAesop nor does he seem to have learned anything.]]...Until you realize that this put him into contact with someone who tells him what he needs to learn...and all the character growth is shown in a montage. Which is still pretty anti-climaxy]] Tailsteak just generally seem to enjoy a surprising anticlimax.

* RealMenCook: Jamie is shown to a talented cook and enthusiastic about food in general, his room mate Ellen, not so much.

** Any time a character doesn't know how to spell something, it's misspelled in their speech ballons as well:

* MistakenForRacist: [[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=62 When Jamie meets Wallace after his scuffle with Richard Knight.]] He quickly discovers that the newspaper has published a rather ''creative'' interpretation of the events, casting Jamie as a white supremacist who assaulted a minor unprovoked. Later, Jamie discovers that [[spoiler:Cheryl]] holds this conviction as well, and he doesn't manage to completely convince her of his side of the story.

* VomitDiscretionShot: In this issue: [[http://www.leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=949]] Nicole tries to throw up some pills she took into the toilet because she's worried they'll hurt the baby she's pregnant with. Her husband suggests she thinks up something gross but she can't. So he makes a gross suggestion for her which works.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Ellen and Jamie. [[http://www.leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=12 Ellen says, "Absolutely not, never, no way."]] [[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=25 Max has twenty bucks on "will".]] [[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=28 Odds may or may not be in Max's favor.]]

* PaintingTheMedium: Nobody knows how to spell "Florenovia" at first besides Lily, so the spellings in their speech balloons represent their respective best guesses until they see it written down.
** The same thing happens when the chef tells Cheryl to make mirepoix. "Right. Meerpwa." Doubles as a pronunciation guide for the French-disinclined.

* AnalogyBackfire: Discussed in [[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=501 501]], a bit in the comic and more in TheRant.

* AuraVision: Some characters claim to have it and [[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=183 that Jamie doesn't have a aura]] or a very scary one.

* SupremeChef: Jamie can turn Rice Krispies back into rice, and make bread pudding without bread or eggs. [[spoiler:Though the rice turned out to be from a homemade hacky sack. Which is actually nearly as good.]]

Much like Tailsteak's previous comic ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'', the strip is notable for delving into many philosophical and political issues, though with more breadth and realism than its predecessor. The characters are highly prone to [[ContemplateOurNavels navel-gazing]] and engaging in spiraling discussions about their wildly diverse personal philosophies. The author says his primary purpose in making the story is to encourage thought and discussion in his readers, and often goes into a lot of depth in TheRant.

* TheAllegedComputer: Jamie has a "Linux clusterfuck" of three laptops that were supposed to act as one machine but in practice didn't work without all three active at once and was much less powerful than even one of them by itself. He apparently bought the mess for $50 and the original creator had died with no documentation. Professional computer geek Ellen tries for a full day and night to make it work with one laptop, [[spoiler:but eventually just scraps them and buys him a new laptop]].

* RealMenCook: Jamie is shown to a talent cook and enthusiastic about food in general, his room mate Ellen, not so much.

* ShaggyDogStory: The entire arc of the comic is one. [[spoiler:Jamie makes a personal crusade out of finding Not-Richard-Knight and doing ''something'' about him, despite being told by several other characters that there's nothing he can reasonably do. He finally finds Not-Richard... just after he's apparently killed himself. Jamie monologues that his plan was to force a HeelFaceTurn on Not-Richard, and Not-Richard suddenly turns out to be just barely alive. Jamie gets him to the hospital and declares that the plan is back on. Then Not-Richard dies in the hospital without regaining consciousness. The end. Jamie accomplished absolutely nothing, and [[LostAesop nor does he seem to have learned anything.]]]] Tailsteak just generally seem to enjoy a surprising anticlimax.

* SharpDressedMan: Wallace believes strongly in being well-dressed and well-groomed. That makes him the first port of call for Ellen when she has to arrange an emergency makeover for Jamie, who is... ''[[{{Understatement}} not]]'' this trope.

* ClueEvidenceAndASmokingGun: How Jamie "[[http://leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=7 deduces]]" what kind of WoW character Ellen plays.

* GameBreaker: InUniverse, Max's amateur tabletop game system is easily broken by the fact that Mayhem Points can be used to double the outcome of a roll -- with ''no {{cap}}''. Ellen hoards her Mayhem Points throughout the entire game, only using them when they meet the adventure's FinalBoss to {{retcon}} a "test shot" she took several scenes ago into {{One Hit Kill}}ing him with a modified attack roll in the millions.