Altermeta

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Altermeta is a slice-of-life webcomic with fantasy overtones, made evident by the fact that all the characters are dragons. Started in November, 2001 Altermeta seemed to have disappeared into the bowels of Abandoned Webcomic Hell, until it was revived a short while ago, first as a full-fantasy reboot of the original comic, then rebooting again as a direct continuation.

This webcomic includes examples of:

• Anachronism Stew: As Cavris is an alternate world, it does not mesh nicely with any given time period. 64-bit graphics are new and their neighbors recently invented the Internet, placing it roughly into the equivalent of the late 1980s or so, but then Josephine gets a fifth-generation Ford Mustang.
• Archive Trawl: You will not understand what's going on without reading the original comics.
  • A few recap strips have helped this along.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking

Josephine: No, um, you don't understand. He's come to devour little kids too! And... and... birds, and the number 4, and to scare the elderly, and make fun of weak ankled people, and become a Republican, and make everyone just really really sad!

• All There in the Manual: A huge amount of background material has been explained on the forum.
• All Just a Dream: The events of the (rather suggestive) comics near April first were revealed to have taken place in D'Shea's head. This went over better than the author had expected.
• Animated Actors
• A Pirate 400 Years Too Late: T-Square lives for this trope.
• Art Evolution: Though to be fair, the original art was pretty good, too.
• Berserk Button: Rutherford when he doesn't get his coffee.
  • T-Square about being, well, square.
• Big Eater: Boo.
• Bishonen: Sasha. Big time. Even the Guys Want Him... or at least D'shea does.
• Brain Bleach: Sasha needs some.
• Catapult Nightmare: Sasha has one in "Nemesis".
• Catch Phrase: Sasha's "Th' hell?" is arguably an example.
• Cerebus Syndrome: The author has announced here that the comic will be taking a slight dip in this direction.
• City Guards: In the first reboot.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Averted with Sasha. The scrunchy WAS talking to him...
• Code RED (film)
• Crash Into Hello: Used here.
• Crazy Prepared: Everyone around Ruth has a backup supply of coffee. Even if one of them is a hypodermic needle and another is an apple.
• Crystal Spires and Togas: The first reboot has some of this.
• Deadpan Snarker: Ruth.
• Deus Ex Machina: Played with with Plot In A Box.
• The Ditz: Josephine and Sasha.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: Sasha. Toss on some makeup, and he's a hair away...
  • Even more bishonen in the new version than the previous incarnations. Giving him markings that resemble eyeshadow probably didn't help.
• The Dung Ages: Ruth's perception of the Renaissance.
• Everything's Better with Princesses: Jo seems to think so.
• Fan Nickname: Kuvvies.
• Foreign Queasine: Kuvrahk food could be like this us - they like really raw meat.
• Funny Foreigner: T-Square's Aunt Binki.
• Gag Boobs: CC.
• Gorgeous Period Dress: In the Renaissance story.
  • Lampshaded when Rutherford points out the myriad historical inaccuracies in the costuming he can see.
• Hot Shojo Dad: Sasha's dad.
• Kuvrahks Are Bastards: Ruth, at least, believes that if his society ever advanced faster than at a crawl, it would trigger an apocalyptic war with the other sentient race on the planet. And then there would be no more coffee beans.
• I Call It Vera

Ruth: And I shall call you... Abigail...

• Iconic Item: Tabitha (aka T-Square) has... well... a t-square. Guess where the nickname comes from.
• Incendiary Exponent: CC's new outfit seems to count.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: Lampshaded in this update, which starts the "Ruler of the World" arc.
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: "I have to uh... um... go uh... color my hair, yeah... That's it."
• I Shall Taunt You

Rutherford: Don't you walk away while I'm talking! I've not even begun to make you feel bad, you tubby bitch!

• Judge, Jury, and Executioner:

City Guard: We are the law in this city.

• Lampshade Hanging: On this page. The lampshade hanging is then lampshaded in the page's notes.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!
• Male Gaze: Played with here.
• Massive-Numbered Siblings: CC's family.
• Mind Control Eyes: Sasha gets them when he gets possessed by the scrunchy (no, really).
• Mr. Fanservice: Didier; Sasha.
• Must Have Caffeine: Rutherford, who has never been seen not holding a mug of coffee.
• Mundane Fantastic: The comic focus on the life of several high school students, and yet there are things like random ninja attacks, possessed scrunchies, and the warehouse from Raiders of the Lost Ark being in Sasha's shed.
• My Beloved Smother: Sasha's mom.
• New Transfer Student: Boo; possibly subverted in that she did go to the school, moved away, then moved back.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: T-Square, a ninja-slaying artist pirate.
• No Ending: Hapened twice so far, once for each orphaning.
• No Fourth Wall: The characters would often address the artist or the audience.
• Nosebleed: Sasha gets one here.
• Only a Flesh Wound: Played straight then subverted in the same page.
• Orphaned Series: Orphaned twice, and resurrected twice.
• Our Dragons Are Different: For one, they are called Kuvrahks.
• Panty Shot: Of the Anime Transformation Sequence variety.
• The Precious Precious Car: Jo's convertible Mustang.
  • She's still too young to drive it.
• Rouge Angles of Satin
• Sealed Evil in a Can: The scrunchy.
• Schedule Slip: Tends to happen before the Orphaning. Also associated with technical difficulties and the artist moving.
• Serious Business: Ruth and coffee.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Rutherford.
• Shout-Out: "THE MATRIX HAS YOU, BIATCH!"
  • Also, TV Tropes. (here, in the notes)
  • And Lethal Weapon.
    • Most likely a coincidence, as the author doesn't seem to think so.
  • The government warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Series Hiatus: The end of 2009 and start of 2010 marked a notable one while Caz worked out the next few plot arcs.
• Small Town Boredom: Star Rock Falls.
• Super-Deformed: Used here.
• Take That Us: This comic.
• Transformation Sequence: Starting here.
• Unusual Euphemism/Oh My Gods: "Thank Canas!" (Canas is not a god)
• Wall Jump: One, two, three, four!
• Wall of Text: The introduction for the short high fantasy reboot of the comic.
• Weapon of Choice: Tabitha's aforementioned t-square.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Sasha post-makeover.
• With My Hands Tied: T-Square.
• Wings Do Nothing: The first reboot gave the Kuvrahks tiny little wings.
• You Have No Idea Who You're Dealing With: The City Guards in the first reboot give this line.
• Zeppelins from Another World: Used in the first reboot.