A Beginner's Guide to the End of the Universe



A Beginner's Guide to the End of the Universe is a completed Interactive Comic by Crippledvulture, originally created as a MSPA Forum Adventure.

The protagonist, Everyman, wakes up in a typical everyman bedroom one day, only to find out that he is trapped in an apartment complex hovering in the middle of endless white void. With the help of a growing entourage of allies and the ability to modify the world using raw power of CREATIVITY, he sets out to find out the true, mysterious nature of this place--and of himself.

The comic mimics Role Playing Game mechanics, giving the protagonist a number of numerical stats which are an important element throughout the adventure.

It can be read here. (The original two forum threads are here and here.)

Now has a "sequel", Chairman Jack Emerge

The comic features examples of:
"''You tell him you increased your AGILITY, which increased your total HIT POINTS. "You know what? Forget I asked."''"
 * Abnormal Ammo: An upgraded AUTOFLINTLOCK can shoot anything that fits even halfway into one of its barrels.
 * Bond One-Liner: Subverted and Invoked. The Everyman tries to think of one during the first few combats, but fails.
 * Clockwork Creature: A number of these are among the enemies encountered.
 * Cool Airship: The Flying Brick
 * Creative Sterility:
 * Cyborg: Snuffy and Chairman Jack gradually become more and more of Cyborgs as their COMPLEXITY increases.
 * Robot Dog
 * Deliberately Monochrome: Played straight for the most part; Snuffy is the exception that proves the rule.
 * Dreaming the Truth: The signs are there for all to read and understand, especially in hindsight.
 * The End: Done rather cleverly.
 * The Everyman: The main character is literally called that.
 * Fourth Wall Observer: The Everyman, sort of. He's not aware that he's in a webcomic, but he's the only man aware of the game mechanics behind the RPG Mechanics Verse. All other characters get confused whenever he brings them up.
 * The Everyman: The main character is literally called that.
 * Fourth Wall Observer: The Everyman, sort of. He's not aware that he's in a webcomic, but he's the only man aware of the game mechanics behind the RPG Mechanics Verse. All other characters get confused whenever he brings them up.

"It almost seems to have a mind of its own, transforming into whatever sword is appropriate for the situation."
 * Frickin' Laser Beams: The BLAZING HOT BETTY can do this when fully charged, although it eventually breaks from the stress this puts on it.
 * Future Imperfect:
 * GIS Syndrome
 * Grows on Trees: The miscellanopod trees have random artifacts growing on them.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:.
 * Hyperactive Metabolism: The Everyman can recover Hit Points and remove TOXICITY by spending NUTRITION.
 * Food's healing power is dependent on how healthy it is. Potato Chips are so unhealthy, they actually hurt him.
 * Hyperspace Arsenal: The Everyman's inventory.
 * I Call It Vera: Each piece of equipment has a specific fancy name, but the electric sword BLAZING HOT BETTY is the straightest example.
 * Item Crafting: The Everyman can use his CREATIVITY powers creatively for that.
 * It's Raining Men: With the Everyman in his floating armor as the parachute, no less.
 * Lawful Stupid:
 * Light Is Not Good: The appearance of void beasts is heralded by the room brightening.
 * Metafictional Title:
 * Mook Face Turn: Chairman Jack, originally just an ordinary enemy giant sparrow before he was imbued with COMPLEXITY to become more than a mindless monster.
 * Mordor: The surface of the Black Star: a bleak place with nothing but mountains that literally keep growing out of nowhere.
 * More Dakka: Snuffy gains a built-in minigun once she's upgraded to COMPLEXITY 3.
 * Non-Human Sidekick: Snuffy the Pooch and the sparrow Chairman Jack.
 * Not Quite Flight: The various armors the Everyman creates weaken the effects of gravity on him.
 * He propels himself by manifesting nearby bursts of air.
 * Ontological Mystery
 * The Power of Creation: Spending CREATIVITY points allows the Everyman to create objects out of thin air.
 * Present Tense Narrative
 * Psychic Link: The Everyman has this with his pets - the more useful the stronger his RAPPORT with them is. Initially he is just able to sense vaguely when they are in danger, but later this changes into full-blown telepathy.
 * Punch Clock Villain: Ryan the office worker, who is basically a normal, confused guy, rather upset to be Mind Controlled into wanting to kill the Everyman.
 * Reality Warper: CREATIVITY, in addition to The Power of Creation, also grants the Everyman the ability to modify existing objects in any way he wishes.
 * Rousing Speech:
 * RPG Mechanics Verse
 * Hit Points
 * Mana Meter: The CREATIVITY stat is more or less the equivalent of mana in RPG games.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: Hinted at about the chinese food... but then you
 * Second Person Narration
 * Shout-Out: Chairman Jack is a sparrow.
 * Sinister Geometry: Things like Cubes and Tetrahedrons pop up out of some enemies, with invariably malefic results. And then there's the Stone Icosahedron.
 * Over the course of the story the Everyman fights all five platonic solids and a sphere.
 * Splash of Color: Snuffy the Pooch, who is purple.
 * Stick Figure Comic: All people look like stick figures.
 * Swiss Army Weapon: The EVERYSWORD.
 * Splash of Color: Snuffy the Pooch, who is purple.
 * Stick Figure Comic: All people look like stick figures.
 * Swiss Army Weapon: The EVERYSWORD.


 * Talking Animals: Well, they're not talking (just communicating telepathically), but are as intelligent as any other Talking Animal.
 * Tank Goodness
 * Spider Tank
 * Theme Naming:
 * Time Dilation:
 * Also near the end,
 * Trauma Inn: Catching a good nap restores 1 hit point.
 * True Art Is Incomprehensible: In-universe, the "works of art" created by the Everyman.
 * Weapons Kitchen Sink: Justified in that
 * Your Days Are Numbered: