City of Dream
is a try on modern fantasy webcomic made by Mauricio Rodriguez, also known as mauri. The premise is to take some of the ideas of magic in a modern scenario through the eyes of Those Two Guys, even putting them in deadly situations just for added fun. However, as a few Crossover files have shown Death Is Cheap due to resurrection spells being available, it doesn't mean that Death isn’t taking puns when called for.
Some of the newer pages are hinting to the Masquerade and a possibility of a Cerebus Syndrome.
Currently hosted at The Duck here and in ComicFury here.
This work provides examples of:
- Art Evolution: The "recalling" provides numerous examples of it, as it is a section where old art is stored.
- Atomic F-Bomb: At the end of the Noob Cave, where it is censored with a soap bubble that ends up covering a large part of the city.
- Battle Discretion Shot: The shot cuts to the mugs of Mission Control, with a mention of the Media Watchdog.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Called out by a member of the Otaku horde.
- Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce: Mentioned at the end of the undead crossover with a Jhut Bolokia sauce jar, to get George the Dragon to drain a lake.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Mizuiro's reaction to a work-related letter on her day off, with hints of Ridiculous Procrastinator, depending on the reader.
- Butt-Monkey: Mauri, after receiving a one hit knock out technique, a couple of punches to the head, and a tea kettle all in the course of a Cat Fight.
- The Cameo: The author is fond of these and Shout Outs.
- Some of the pages include characters like Risa Ohki.
- Phil Foglio gets in a couple of times with his hat while selling a copy of Klaus Wulfenbach’ Monograph to communicate in the workplace.
- Winston Churchill is one of the historical figures hidden in the time passing moments.
- In solely the scene where they change to Japan, there are references to The Beatles, Doraemon, Doctor Who, Nodwick, Darkwing Duck, and Supercreep.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Some pages are dedicated to showing why it's a bad idea to use magic without any training.
- Combos: In closed spaces, combining the echo and a few common items (such as alcohol and a lighter) can be dangerous.
- Cross Dresser: One male was forced to wear a Miko outfit. Bonus points since the guy looked decent in it.
- Crossover: Bobby and Steve show up when there is an actual death.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male
- On the clueless side while delivering a safety Aesop.
- This is the implied modus operandi of the team.
- Duck Season, Rabbit Season: Addressed in Non Canon Theater in an attempt to deconstruct it, using a Parody Sue, with a set of Enterprise insignias - making the MS (
Mary Sue) sign.- The first time, it is analyzed with the ultimate realization that Failure Is the Only Option.
- In the second take, there is a third option, with a hope to distract the shotgun and get the rabbits while running away, only to have Bugs Bunny be an outright villain and almost reenact the infamous scene in “Hare Ribbin”. This time Bugs pulls the trigger.
- The first time
- Durable Deathtrap: There are auto-reloading ones in an Ancient Monastery. It still needs to be explained why those still had ammo despite all the years.
- Enemy Summoner: During the Crossover there are lich-summoning skeleton mooks...including reviving a little skeleton cat.
- Friendship Denial: Kitsune gets a lot of this during the comic until the realization. Bonus points for her “father aligned” sister giving her some perspective. She eventually admits it while in a crisis, asking for books to be delivered to her home.
- Gargle Blaster: Used with the four horseman, and taken further when the bar tries to mimic Mizuiro's drinking feat. The barman uses the wheelbarrow to move them out.
- Genius Ditz: Mizuiro is viewed as one by her peers and superiors, being scolded for some of her procedures as well as her refusal to fill in Obstructive Bureaucrat forms. She is proven as a good theorist but never showing a good combat capacity when checked by her peers.
- Gratuitous Latin:
- Casualis Viator, which means Accidental Traveler.
- Ezeru Gitmalu, which means Perfect Curse in Sumerian.
- I Want Grandkids: This is a possible interpretation for why Kitsune's father wants his daughters to be dating and get a boy who can inherit all the fighting techniques.
- Jerkass: Kitsune’s father to his ex-wife. She leaves him because he refused to let her grow. It is implied that she asked someone to look after her daughters in her stead to avoid Parental Abandonment issues.
- Kent Brockman News: Just Niki the chef, Niki in the betting scheme, and Niki doing the news.
- Large Ham: Played literally with an enchanted item that resembles a piece of ham. The warning tag is literally made for Large Hams, such as Tim Curry, BRIAN BLESSED, William Shatner, and Jonathan Pryce.
- Lethal Chef: Making a section of the city wear gas masks when you cook is definitely an indicator you are this.
- Loading Screen: This is a non-video game example, thanks to the placeholders under the “Please Wait” title.
- MacGuffin: Mentioned as the cause of the Crossover cause: the possible items are a winged bacon, a faced egg, a Tanuki doll, and Hello Kitty. Gee, what may have angered the dead into waking up?
- Mission Control: Taken as part of a cruel joke on a certain Star Wars addict.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Discussed when it comes to hair.
- Non-Combat EXP: A small spoof: vandalism nets experience per piece destroyed and ignoring the slime makes the slime go to the shrink friend.
- Noob Cave: Mentioned as a hangover cure, a place where people have a test to keep their Adventurers' license and where you have to keep on Bribing Your Way to Victory. Nothing cures a hangover like
Nightmare Fuel. The last part however lands with a Soap Punishment - Noodle Incident: People inside of canned chicken cans.
- Offscreen Rebuilding: Explained by the rebuilding crews.
- Oh, Crap!: Mauri shows this when in a test the teacher gives the assignment of beating down an entire Rugby team, the Paladins. This is done as part of an exam.
- One Size Fits All: Spoofed with the old forge after the Noob Cave parody.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: Of the bearded flavor.
- Put on a Bus: Brandalyn and Sergio. Sergio’s feats are still used to bill Mauri when they cleaned the telekinetic tapeworms and the damage of the high teach saber.
- Rapid Hair Growth: Acknowledges this trope in many strips as an off-screen cure for all the fire spells misfiring. The one who prepares and sells these is owner of a The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday.
- Red Shirt Army: Mentioned with the red shirt squad that is vaguely aware of their status as a Red Shirt, especially considering that the Butt-Monkey mentions it.
- Shout-Out
- The author is fond on these and the Cameos. The character Jessica was found cosplaying Momo and nicknamed until she is asked to come back to her sense after the Lethal Chef knocks her down with just the smell of the meal.
- Another example is for Kung Fu Panda with the same weakness: stairs.
- Or the Girl Genius one, on the Chapter "Truth and Puppets". That one is sneaky unless you recall the Klaus Story and notice the poses.
- Indiana Jones gets a not-so-stealthy one near a pot in the philosophy corner at the end of "Viewing History". But considering how important stuff gets treated archaeologists tend to smile on that ending.
- It gets interesting when some philosophy rants bring Negima! Magister Negi Magi and historical figures to analysis.
- The Lifby soap is a direct call to A Christmas Story.
- Some of the T-shirts are for certain programs and games. One in particular is calling Futuretech.
- There is to some degree a "Love Letter" to the whole Magical Girl genre in terms of getting one that is possibly starting to become terribly Genre Savvy.
- Spit Take: Pulling it from inside an animal costume.
- The Big Damn Kiss: Analyzed on how it can get annoying on some media.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: Written inside the trope and Justified: The traffic of special goods requires that the shop to be mobile and if the shop is interested in buying it sends someone of trust to get it. It also makes refunds near to impossible to get.
- Those Two Guys: The intended take on the Point of View of the story, since taking from The Hero is a bad option.
- Trash of the Titans: The usual off screen work for Those Two Guys.
- Victory Pose: Taken a couple of times after some fights, but the non worded one looks more worked on the characters.
