The Whiteboard: Difference between revisions

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''[http://www.the-whiteboard.com/ The Whiteboard]'' is an unusual paintball-themed [[Furry Comic]] about an Alaskan airsmith polar bear named Doc and his animal friends (all of them [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]]s) as they play paintball, deal with ornery customers of Doc's shop, and [[Hilarity Ensues|cause crazy stuff to happen]] by building machines '''[[Up to Eleven|way]]''' more powerful than is necessary.

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* [[Animal Stereotypes]]: Most of the non-human characters display some obvious stereotypical behavior from time to time.

* [[April Fools' Day]]: Many April Firsts since the beginning have had a special strip, on the general theme of [[Fan Service]].

* [[Art Evolution]]: Okay, so it's a bit hard to tell, but Doc's appearance, along with the other regulars, has been refined since the beginning strips.

* [[Artifact Title]]: And how! The first five strips were doodled on a whiteboard. Between strips #11 and #12, there's a sixth for the 4th of July. He now uses the computer for his comic-drawing needs, so strips on the titular medium now account for less than 0.5% of all strips, and that percentage gets smaller every update.

* [[Author Avatar]]: Doc is more or less the author as a polar bear.

** The 2010 [[Zombie Apocalypse]] story arc featured an apparently up-armed version of the APC from ''[[Alien]]'', its firepower consisting in part of an [[Macross Missile Massacre|ungodly amount of guided missiles]] as well as [[More Dakka|several machine gun turrets]].

** Before that, Doc fitted a regular M2A3 Bradley IFV with a hot tub, complete with girls and probably an entertainment system, as a gift for the Army after the [[Real Life]] capture of Saddam Hussein, in 2003.

* [[Awkward Father-Son Bonding Activity]]: [[Playing with a Trope|Played with]] by Jinx who has convinced his dad to buy him a chain saw. As well as doing... other [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1425.html things].

* [[Barefoot Cartoon AnimalsAnimal]]s: [[Lampshaded]]:

{{quote| '''Swamp Fox:''' ". . . why do I even ''own'' [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb825.html socks?]" }}

** ''Paintball'' guns! Most would be illegal in the sport, especially the railgun and rocket-launcher.

** And then there's [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/sketchbook/gunex.gif this] beauty, from the real 2005 [[April Fools' Day]] strip. <ref> Which one is the "beauty" is left as an exercise for the audience.</ref>

* [[Big Ball of Violence]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb559.html Nobody outshops Doc on] [[wikipedia:Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday.]]

* [[Big Eater]]: Doc, granted he is a polar bear but once he ate an entire deep-fried ''walrus''.

* [[BigNon LippedSequitur Alligator MomentScene]]: To celebrate [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1500.html the 1500th strip,] a big can-can line appears out of nowhere on Red's paintball field with most of the main cast, leaving behind some debris in the last panel along with a very confused Pirta.

* [[Bland-Name Product]]/[[Brand X]]: Khil and [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1427.html Khil Jr.] [[Chainsaw Good|chainsaws]].

* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]] - Leaving the frame, [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb972.html here].

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Swampy regularly gets stapled to the ceiling, among other things.

* [[Caffeine Bullet Time]]: Done fairly realistically in one arc. Doc has to wear goggles in order to see in the wind-tunnel-like air friction, and causes objects he exerts force on to blow to pieces. He even accidentally plows through several buildings. Of course, it's started by a quart mug of energy shots.

* [[The Cameo]]: Nearly every Halloween, other comic characters show up for Doc's party. The list is extensive.

* [[Carnivore Confusion]]: [[Averted Trope|Averted]]. Rainman wanted lettuce on his half of the pizza. Swampy wanted fieldmouse and ground squirrel while Jinx wanted lemmings.

* [[Cast of Snowflakes]]: The furry cast is easily identifiable. The humans... [[Only Six Faces|not so much.]]

* [[Cheshire Cat Grin]]: Bandit gets one of these when Doc [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb129.html upgrades Bandit's firepower] in one game.

* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: Bandit is forced, via [[Duct Tape for Everything|being duct taped to a couch]], [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb389.html to watch a Martha Stewart show marathon after pulling a prank on Doc and Roger].

* [[Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon]]: Sandy threatens Doc that she will [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1370.html cut off his ears with piano wire and staple them to his knees.]

{{quote| Run Swampy! It's a trap!}}

* [[Don't Ask, Just Run]]: Doc's "oops" [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb440.html "tend to have a minimum safe distance"]

* [[Dope Slap]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb171.html Doc, delivering one to Roger.]

* [[Duct Tape for Everything]]: Doc uses duct tape to fix anything, as well as using it to remind people not to take off their helmets during a paintball match. Usually because he can't find the stapler instead.

** Doc, Swamp Fox, Bandit, Snowshoe, and Rainman are all primarily referred to by their nicknames. Rainy's mother once called him Daniel but most of the others' real names are unknown.

** Jinx's real name is Jimmy, as revealed when he introduces himself to Doc. [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb107.html Let's hope that's an antonym.]

* [[The Faceless]]: Swampy, who is almost never seen without his face obstructed by his hat or some object, and almost every human character, by virtue of having indistinct circles-for-heads.

* [[Failsafe Failure]]: Thing blow up regularly in this webcomic. One of the reasons for this is that the fail-safes never work in this comic.

* [[Fan Service]]: [http://the-whiteboard.com/autoaf05.html April] [http://the-whiteboard.com/auto040106.html Fool's] [http://the-whiteboard.com/autoaf07.html Day] tradition!

* [[Fastball Special]]: Doc [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb155.html tossing Jinx as a scout] and [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1351.html launching Kasi at Jinx].

* [[Foreign Queasine]]: No, not the moose-burgers. Those are pretty tame. Try ''deep fried '''walrus'''''. Then again, Doc ''IS'' a [[Animal Stereotypes|polar bear]].

* [[Four-Fingered Hands]]: In the first few strips, Doc was depicted with 5-digit hands, but shortly after the strip's name became an [[Artifact Title]], the character design was changed to have 4-digit hands, with a note by the author explaining the change.

* [[Furries Are Easier to Draw]]: The humans are drawn as people with floating heads. The [[Funny Animal|non-human cast]] is drawn somewhat better, but only somewhat.<ref>The animals mouths are seldom seen, even when they're talking. They're usually only seen if they're shouting.</ref> The technical and mechanical devices though, oh-ho, they're drawn exquisitely! According to several posts by the author on the TWB forums in August 2011, however, he's using more detailed humans to get more practice with drawing them, and moving away from the "floating bubble heads".

* [[Gadgeteer Genius]]: Both Doc and Roger are very good at what they do. When they work together, they make very dangerous machines.

* [[Gale Force Sound]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb024.html Doc using new speakers]

* [[Girls Have Cooties]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1354.html "Ew! I'd rather kiss a chainsaw!"] Of course, she's also [[Cats Are Mean|the reason for all those band-aids]], so it's sort of an appropriate comparison.

* [[Genius Bruiser]]: Doc easily qualifies, being built like one would expect of a polar bear, and who builds things like pizza teleporters, mecha, and reality-altering devices (as a paintball gun!) as a hobby.

* [[The Grim Reaper]]: The standard skeleton in a cloak showed up a couple times in one-shots to pick up a marker, while Doc came face to face with a [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1088.html somewhat less traditional psychopomp] at the end of the "Doc ODs on caffeine arc".

* [[Halloween Episode]]: There's almost always has a Halloween-related story around October. Mostly it's just parties where [[Cameo|Cameos]]s from other webcomics abound, but on occasion it's a full story arc, like with the 2010 [[Zombie Apocalypse]] story arc.

* [[Hand or Object Underwear]]: Used in [http://the-whiteboard.com/autoaf07.html this] strip.

* [[Hot Mom]]: Mrs. Cheetah.

* [[Humongous Mecha]]: Apparently Doc is building one [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1154.html here].

* [[Hyperspace Mallet]]: Often used by Doc against customers. Sometimes appears [[Drop the Hammer|much larger]]. Subverted in some instances where Doc's mallet is seen in a glass case behind his desk.

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: [[Lampshaded]] in [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1340.html this] strip.

{{quote| '''Doc''': I'd say it's too early for puns...but that presumes at some point there's a correct time for them. }}

* [[Infinite Canvas]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1206.html This strip.]

* [[Is That What They're Calling It Now?]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb821.html Pirta, to Jake.]

* [[It Came From the Fridge]]: Twice, both times it was a tentacled monstrosity.

* [[I Take Offense to That Last One]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1344.html "Oh, my mom doesn't have anything against caffeine."]

* [[Kill Sat]]: Roj used one in a game [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb139.html once].

* [[Kiss of Distraction]]: Kasi uses [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1358.html a smooch of distraction] to beat Jinx in a video game. His reaction [[Girls Have Cooties|wasn't quite blissful]], however.

* [[Klatchian Coffee]]: The crew of ''The Whiteboard'', after (or in the middle of) a particularly interesting New Years' party (and that's saying something), manages by accident to create a coffee strong enough to cure astigmatism, boost intellect, and [[Breast Expansion|add a cup size to women]]. The effects are temporary.

* [[Long Runner]]: The comic has been on the net since June 2002.

* [[Loophole Abuse]]: Cross-country skis are perfectly acceptable on a Paintball Field.

* [[Luminescent Blush]]: Sandy shows one of these when the usual crowd is cheering Swampy's having slept with her the night before.

* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: seen in [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1283.html this] strip, as a response to a zombie outbreak.

* [[Mad Scientist]]: Doc and Roger, Roger slightly more so.

* [[Magnetic Weapons]]: Roger's [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb121.html paintball rail gun].

* [[Massive -Numbered Siblings]]: Jinx's [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1345.html reason] for spending so much time at Doc's is his eight sisters.

* [[Meat Versus Veggies]]: "Vegies are what food eats". Poor Rainman, who is a rabbit in a cast full of carnivores.

* [[Misapplied Phlebotinum]]: Multiple cases. Doc uses a teleporter to get pizza delivered to his shop, and Roger once built a Tokamak fusion reactor into an Autococker.

* [[More Dakka]]: [[DanceZig-Zagging Trope Dance|Lampshaded, averted, played straight, mocked, and wholeheartedly indulged in many times.]]

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: Pirta, in-universe at least. The fact that she favors scanty clothing (even in Alaska) and her feline anatomy means she's always walking on her toes (and therefore looks like she's always wearing ''very'' high heels) may imply this for real life readers as well, or at least [[Author Appeal|for the author]]. (Considering Doc is at the very least... ''fascinated''... with her, this is not likely unintentional.)

* [[Must Have Caffeine]]: Goes to ridiculous levels when the refrigerator full of Mountain Dew is crushed, the coffee machine wasn't fixed from its ''last'' misadventure, and Doc resorts to drinking energy drinks. By the [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1058.html 5-gallon bucket].

* [[Near-Death Experience]]: Starting [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1084.html here], though a bit unusual as the manifestation is telling him he ''should'' have died. A long time ago.

{{quote| "Son, you use high explosives just to make breakfast. We're amazed you made it past puberty." }}

* [[The Noseless]]: Every human lacks a nose in the strip (see [[Furries Are Easier to Draw]], above).

* [[Not That Kind of Doctor]]: "Doc" isn't actually one, in spite of his nickname, [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb380.html but it beats having the ER staff laugh at you again].

** Come to think of it, [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb221.html Doc's medical skills were probably why the ER staff laughed at him].

** Though that raises the question, [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb995.html what's with the boxes of med school stuff?]

* [[Oh Crap]]: Every now and again, like when [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb689.html Sandy and Pirta find out about Doc's webcam].

* [[Only Known by Their Nickname]]: Doc, Swampy, Shoey, Bandit, Rainman, Jinx.

** Now that she's gotten a proper arc, Tawny is in this role too as the counterpoint to Snowshoe.

** Jake, in almost every situation, is far more level-headed than his friends, and is often frustrated by their extremes (see Roger dragging him off during the [[PvP]]/The Whiteboard crossover).

* [[Only Six Faces]]: The humans (for the most part) only have ''one'' face. [[Cast of Snowflakes|The furry cast is more varied.]] Doc Nickel isn't above a bit of a [[Take That Me]] on the subject, as seen in [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwbaf10.html this] [[April Fools' Day]] strip .<ref> see both right-hand corners of the grid</ref>.

* [[Open Mouth, Insert Foot]]: Swampy, [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb591.html here].

* [[Paintball Episode]]: The author knows the game inside-and-out. He makes markers for the game!

* [[Percussive Maintenance]]: All over the place. It actually works every once in a great, long while, like in [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1373.html this strip].

* [[Powered Armor]]: Roger once improvised one for reffing, but scrapped it after he fell over and needed a can opener to get back up. Some later strips suggest he might be trying a [[Mini-Mecha]] design.

* [[Punny Name]]/[[Bilingual Bonus]]: Pirta is Inuit for "snowpack," the pun comes from the fact that she's a snow leopard, at least according to her.

* [[Puppy Love]]: Kasi towards Jinx. At present the feeling is somewhat [[Girls Have Cooties|one-sided]].

* [[Ring Ring CRUNCH]]: Subverted. [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb428.html Alarm clock rings.] Doc's paw comes out from under the covers with what looks like a Colt 1911. [[Shutting Up Now|Clock promptly shuts up.]]

* [[San Dimas Time]]

* [[Scenery Censor]]: Used straight [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb966.html at least] [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb970.html a few] [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb689.html times].

** Not for the comic itself, but Doc's work orders in-universe. One (unfinished) order was apparently chiseled into a [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb348.html clay tablet] when it was placed, [[Don't Explain the Joke|the implication being it was sent in several millennia ago]].

** Happens to the strip, from time to time. Usually accompanied by a strip in which Doc and Roger both look like flounder with both eyes on the same side of their heads. Also accompanied by an explanation for why that day's strip isn't up. The flounder strips never appear in the archives.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Quite a few of them are for fairly old movies and old TV series:

** [[Dirty Harry]] gets a nod [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb578.html here].

** In the alternate version of [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1142.html this strip], found [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1142-1.gif here], ''[[Myth BustersMythBusters]]'' gets a nod.

** The [[wikipedia:Siege of Bastogne|Siege]] of [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1186.html Bastogne].

** There's also the "Webcomic of the Week" footnotes beneath the comics, which give shout out's to other webcomics that Doc reads.

** Strip 1152 has a sign on the counter saying "Beware of the Leopard". Likely a [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|H2G2]] reference.

* [[Shown Their Work]]: In [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/auto4th05.html this July Fourth] strip, take a close look at Roger's shirt. "Red legs" is the nickname for US Artillery personnel, from the red stripe along the leg of their uniform pants during the [[American Civil War]].

* [[Snowball Fight]]: An ''indoor'' fight breaks out in Doc's office, in the story arc where Kasi was introduced, starting [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1182.html here].

* [[Spam Attack]]: Doc and Roger are worshipers in the Church of The [[Spam Attack]], particularly the varieties involving high explosives.

* [[Stable Time Loop]]: Starting [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1368.html here] and confirmed [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1371.html here], Doc and Roger have created a time-traveling wormhole that goes back about a week.

** Roger, starting [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb117.html here].

** [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb828.html Swampy, too.]

* [[Sure, Let's Go with That]]: The earliest example is [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb160.html here].

* [[Take That]]:

** [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb319.html Taking a swing at journalists who claim paintball is a war simulator.]

** [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb417.html The password to Doc's e-mail account] is "[http://www.pbnation.com/ pbn] suxxors".

* [[This Means War]]: Kasi (the young cheetah girl) says to Doc, after he dumped a bunch of snow on her, "[http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1184.html You realize, of course...] that this means '''War'''."

* [[Through a Face Full of Fur]]: [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb567.html Sandy]

* [[Time for Plan B]]: When surrounded by the other team at an "outlaw" paintball field,<ref>basically no real rules</ref>, in [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1262.html this strip], the team goes through their options, including [[Attack Pattern Alpha|Attack Plans B, Delta, and Zero]] (the last involving [[Noodle Implements|two zeppelins and a smoke machine]]).

* [[Time Machine]]: The product of a drunken night of inventing.

* [[Toilet Humor]]: Poked fun at in [http://the-whiteboard.com/autowb905.html this strip].

* [[Tomboy]]: Kasi, apparently one of the reasons she and Jinx get along so well.

* [[Trademark Favorite Food|Trademark Favorite Drink]]: Mountain Dew! Which Doc has his own brewing plant for, and makes several times stronger than the commercial variety.

* [[Up to Eleven]]: Doc and Roger often build very dangerous thingsthings—usually -- usually weapons -- togetherweapons—together. This even applies to the coffee, which smokes, sparks and melts glass pots.

* [[Viewers Are Geniuses]]: Some shout-outs are fairly old or obscure (or both) and there is some science which can be difficult to understand, such as Doc's explanation of teleporter physics.

* [[Visual Pun]]: Like many a [[Time Travel]] story, a time travel arc in May 2011 contains a [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1368.html pair o' Docs].<ref>Play on "parodox", for those who missed the "pun" part.</ref>

* [[Walking Techbane]] - [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1041.html This] [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1042.html customer] [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1043.html qualifies].

* [[Weirdness Magnet]]: Doc's shop, [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1173.html according to Jake], qualifies as one of these. ([http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1099.html Pirta] agrees.)

{{quote| [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb360.html "Integrity means doing what's right, even if nobody is looking."] }}

* [[Wrench Wench]]: Apparently, Tawny -- sheTawny—she's a better paintballer than Snowshoe, to the point of being responsible for taking care of his equipment.

* [[Write What You Know]]: The author's [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/misc/latod.html biography] makes it pretty clear that he knows what he's talking about (he even owned a paintball field for a couple years).

{{quote| '''Jake:''' [http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb737.html "If past experience is any indication, we'll be better off not knowing."] }}

[[Category:WebcomicWeb Comics]]