Line #63 Webcomic/OffWhite


1	%% As the site has been taken down, potential work needs to be done to fix dead links.
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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/off_white_cover_by_tanathe_d6ubtwq.jpg]]
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5	->''"There are many stories about the origins and the forthcoming of the end of the world. I'm not here to tell you all of them. I'm going to tell you only one. The one I witnessed."''
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7	''Off-White'' was a fantasy webcomic by Anna Podedworna and Katarzyna Redesiuk, artists for Creator/CDProjekt. The world in which the story took place is a mixture of an interpretation Myth/NorseMythology mixed with original ideas. The comic revolved around a pack of wolves led by their alpha to meet a mysterious sage, who will decide the destiny Iki, the group's youngest member.
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9	In this world, among all living beings is a white spirit and a black spirit. Their purpose is to keep the balance between the other spirits of their species. The humans of this world have lost their white spirit and are now seeking the wolves' as a replacement, after trying various other animals, which all ended in failure. Albert and Seven are the agents sent to track the wolves and capture the white spirit wolf.
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11	After the end of Book 1, the comic was put on indefinite hiatus. With the original website (off-white.eu) having been taken down, the comic is officially cancelled, although it's been archived on [[https://www.deviantart.com/off-white-comic the official DeviantArt page]] for anyone who missed it.
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13	----
14	!!Tropes:
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16	* AffablyEvil: The bishop seems quite polite and even cheerful when not sacrificing cats and speaking in voices of dragon spirits.
17	* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Hati goes from [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-192 a hellish red masked form]] to [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-194 something more normal and less fierce]] for Iki when its clear the true form scares him too much.
18	* AfterTheEnd: Unlike most stories with this trope, the focus is not on the remnants of humanity (though they do play a part) but on the wolves, the "brother species" of humankind.
19	* AintTooProudToBeg: Jara's normally a very proud wolf, but [[spoiler: when Raigho is killed, she puts aside that pride to tearfully beg Sköll to bring him back to life.]]
20	* [[SlidingScaleofAnthropomorphism Animalistic Animals]]: The physique of wolves (and other animals) in the comic is displayed in a realistic way.
21	* AnimalTalk: Averted. Birds normally don't talk the same language as wolves, if they even talk at all. Iki is shocked when he can understand Hati's raven servants.
22	* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler: Pups and main characters are not immune to death in this comic.]]
23	* ArtEvolution: [[http://off-white-comic.deviantart.com/gallery/?set=24872379&offset=120#/d1j2d3e And]] [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/gallery/4769272?offset=24#/d4aobk7 how!]] Just compare [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/off-white-old-page-94425873 this]] and [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/off-white-pg-37-and-38-REDO-255338733?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=103 this.]]
24	* ArtShift:
25	** The old pages are done in a different style.
26	** [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/off-white-cover-103291106?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=141 The]] [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/chapter1-The-pilgrim-clan-91450434?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=133 covers]] are [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/chapter-2-104070587?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=107 done]] in [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/chapter-3-107070389?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=70 a]] [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/chapter-4-123426876?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=43 different]] [[http://akreon.deviantart.com/art/chapter-V-204212832?q=gallery%3Aakreon%2F4769272&qo=9 style.]]
27	** [[http://tanathe.deviantart.com/art/off-white-pg149-252630706 Jera's little wolfaboo moment.]]
28	** There is a [[EasterEgg hidden page]] that is done in a different style compared to the rest of the comic.
29	* ArtisticLicenseBiology
30	** A conversation between Othala and Raigho seems to suggests that a female leading a pack is unusual. In reality, a wolf pack has two leaders, the mother and father of the other wolves, and according to some sources the female is more likely to be dominate over the male than vice versa.
31	** Raigho bites a caribou on the shoulder, and blood sprays everywhere. Canine jaws and teeth are designed to crush, so this would not happen regardless of where he bites the deer, especially in the bony shoulder area where there are few blood vessels. It makes for a very nice dramatic shot [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools though,]] and who would want there to be no blood splatter whenever they bite something?
32	* BilingualBonus: The runes that appear when a character casts a spell mean something, they are not there just for show. For example, [[spoiler:when Sköll attacks Hati]] he says "Burn in my flames, [[spoiler: Hati Hróðvitnisson."]]
33	* BizarreSeasons: The winter has lasted for over three centuries for as yet unrevealed reason.
34	* BodySwap: The humans want to transfer the white spirit wolf's spirit into a human body to bring back the balance that was lost when the human white spirit disappeared. The reason they chose a wolf is because the only thing they have to go by is an old legend that pairs wolves and man together as being created at the same time.
35	* BreadEggsMilkSquick / ImagineSpot: Things that Seven wants include [[AllWomenLoveShoes pretty shoes]], comic books, frag grenades and a [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-93/ anti-tank rocket launcher]].
36	* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: Sköll and Hati.]]
37	* CameBackWrong: At least according to Skoll's rant, resurrecting [[spoiler: Raigho]] would result in him becoming an abomination.
38	* CanineConfusion:
39	** A conversation between Othala and Raigho suggests that a female wolf leading a pack is unusual. In reality, wolf packs are a nuclear family structure, and having the eldest female parent lead a pack is not at all unusual.
40	** The pack is shown hunting a bull elk. This is possible, but unlikely, because wolves, like most predators, usually target the sick, [[WouldHurtAChild the young]], the weak and anything else less hard to catch than a healthy adult animal.
41	** Iki, a wolf, has blue eyes. Young wolves have blue eyes, but they change color as they get older. This is intentional, it indicates the color of his spirit.
42	* CatsAreMean: A snow leopard causes trouble for a group of sledders,
43	* CreationMyth: Elaborated in the prologue.
44	* CreepyCrows: Ravens are Hati's minions.
45	* DeathOfAChild: Wolf pups die from exposure during a harsh winter as well as from [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-127/ hunters' bullets]]. Also [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]]:
46	-->'''Albert''': "They even killed the puppies. How could they kill something that cute?"
47	-->'''Seven''': "Are you kidding me? Cute? So What? [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Is cuteness of something a good enough reason not to kill it]]?"
48	* DemonicPossession: The bishop is possessed by twin dragon spirits, although it's unclear whether it's willing possession or even if he's possessed all the time, or only during his rituals.
49	* DualityMotif: The bishop has one grey eye and one brown and is possessed by two opposite dragon spirits.
50	* EasterEgg:
51	** There used to be a hidden page but it was removed. The page was accessed by clicking on a glowing spell next to the page were [[spoiler:the white spirit Raven]] dies. The main things it revealed are that [[spoiler:Hati and Raigho are brothers, Hati was banished from his pack by their mother because of a superstition, and Raigho chose to leave with him despite the pleadings of their father.]]
52	** Before Hati appeared in the comic, if you clicked a certain area a picture would appear of him with the words "coming soon."
53	* ElementalPowers: The white spirit snow leopard summoned a snowstorm on a whim.
54	* EndangeredSpecies: There are no more humans being born because of the human white spirit's death. The comic implies this may also lead to the fading away of good because he was the guardian of good, and the extinction of wolves, because they are a brother species.
55	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The premise of the whole comic is that the balance of all things has been upset, thus everything is slowly going down the drain.
56	* FantasticRacism:
57	** A snow leopard refers to humans as "wretched apes."
58	** Some of the humans really don't like wolves.
59	* FingerWag: Albert does this with both hands at some hunters that were threatening him and Seven.
60	* FirstNameBasis: Iki with his adoptive mother.
61	* {{Foreshadowing}}: The cover for "Chapter VI – Fangs of Steel" is of a [[http://off-white.eu/comic/chapter-vi-fangs-of-steel/ wolf skull being pierced by broken sword blades,]] [[spoiler: two of which are going through the eye sockets.]] It's probably not a coincidence that [[spoiler: a important character loses a eye in this chapter.]]
62	* FreudianExcuse: She's not a villain, but the tragic death of most of her litter is at least partly to blame for Jera's attitude.
63	* GlowingEyes: All the black/white spirits have this along with ethereal markings around their eyes, though the markings can be hidden and the eyes don't glow all the time.
64	* GodInHumanForm: Iki is actually the mortal from of Sköll, the white spirit wolf.
65	* GoodColoursEvilColours: Subverted. The black and white spirits are not inherently good or evil, and are not always completely white or black (Iki, the white spirit wolf, is off white, and the white spirit raven is black feathered).
66	* GoodScarsEvilScars: [[spoiler: Raigho receives a glowing scar over his right eye after he had it gorged out by Seven, and one on his right side when he was accidentally stabbed in the gut.]]
67	* {{Gorn}}: Feeding wolves don't have the best of [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-143/ table manners]].
68	* GreyAndGrayMorality: The [[spoiler: black spirit Wolf Hati]] is trying to save the world, but he's willing to kill [[spoiler: Sköll/Iki's innocent pack mates]] to do so. Meanwhile, the [[spoiler: white spirit wolf Sköll]] wants the world to die, but the world is going to get rotten anyway because the guardian of good died so goodness is dying with her.
69	* {{Hellhound}}: The [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-192 form]] [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-193 Hati]] takes on in the realm he takes Iki to [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-194 evokes]] this.
70	* HowlOfSorrow: The wolves do this after [[spoiler: Gebo's old pack is killed.]]
71	* HumansAreCthulhu: Gebo interprets a human with a gun on a horse as a two headed elk with a voice like thunder.
72	* IdenticalStranger: A wolf pelt that looks like Iki except with orange eyes.
73	* InterspeciesFriendship: [[{{Hellhound}} Hati]] and the two ravens. One raven even [[spoiler: sacrifices himself for Hati.]]
74	* [[NearlyNormalAnimal Largely Normal Animals]]: The wolves talk and reason very similarly to how humans would, but in regards of their motivations, instincts and sophistication (or lack thereof) they are still depicted mostly quite close to what one would expect of real wolves.
75	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: The self imposed kind. [[spoiler: Iki forgot his life as Sköll.]] It took a encounter with [[spoiler:his brother Hati]] for him to remember.
76	* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The black and white spirit humans are this in some concept art, but like all white and black spirits they both can change gender upon reincarnation, so this only applies some of the time.
77	* LightIsNotGood:
78	** The white spirit snow leopard is very malevolently territorial at the very least.
79	** The [[spoiler: wolf Sköll,]] a white spirit, wants the world to "die in darkness."
80	* TheLoad: Iki is a BigEater that is bad at hunting, is clumsy, and slow. The revamp gives him a excuse; the constant traveling leaves him little time to practice hunting.
81	* LockedInAFreezer: The snow leopard caused an avalanche that trapped the sledders in.
82	* MoodWhiplash: It abruptly goes from a shocking and sad scene of [[spoiler: a entire pack dead]]to a humorous scene with Seven. Not that long after we have the {{Narm}} of Kaya's magnificent eyelashes immediately followed by [[spoiler: Kaya finding her entire pack dead.]] On Website/{{deviantart}}, this is make worse by the author posting a {{Self Parody}}ing TakeThatMe image right under the page.
83	* MultipleHeadCase: The black and white spirit dragons are are joined at the sides.
84	* MyBelovedSmother: Jera [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-145/ towards Isa]] while crossing over towards WickedStepmother with Iki.
85	* NightmareFace: The last panel of [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-263/ 263]] has Skoll putting on a {{Slasher Smile}} when a grieving Jera pleads with him to bring [[spoiler: Raigho]] back to life. Commentators below even photoshopped it onto a pic of [[CreepyPasta Smile Dog]].
86	* NobleWolf:
87	** The wolf Jera is a firm believer in this trope. This is played for comedy.
88	** The wolves in this comic are portrayed as flawed, but ultimately mostly good.
89	* OccultBlueEyes: White spirits have this paired with glowing eye marks as a identifying characteristic.
90	* OhMyGods: Jera swears by Fenrir's (the monstrous Norse wolf god) name at the sight of Iki's disgusting appearance after eating.
91	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler: When Seven darts Sköll, Jara (who has just recently witnessed Iki's transformation into him) tells him "Don't worry, Mommy will handle this." Jara normally singles out Iki as not being one of her pups, but if she's acknowledging herself as his adoptive mother, it marks the instant she's accepting him, if belatedly.]]
92	* OurSoulsAreDifferent: All spirits are shades of gray, except for a single white spirit and single black spirit to keep the balance between the other spirits. The white and black spirits can be [[{{Reincarnation}} Reincarnated]] and even the bugs have souls.
93	* PetTheDog: Downplayed. [[spoiler: While Sköll does agree to carry out Jara's desperate plea to revive her mate (regardless of the stakes), he precedes this good deed by laughing maniacally and letting her know (complete with [[SlasherSmile unsettling grin]]) that he's only doing this on the nihilistic whim that there's little left for him to do except "pretend to be one big happy family".]]
94	* PlotHole: After [[spoiler: Raigho]] is [[spoiler: healed, Seven's blood on his mouth]] disappears. Why is not explained. Perhaps the blood was sucked back into the wound?
95	* PrecisionFStrike: Seven's "Well, fuck."
96	* PropheticNames [[spoiler: The white spirit wolf Sköll]], whose name means "Treachery," betrays [[spoiler: his brother Hati.]]
97	* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty[[spoiler:[=/=]WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The sledders had to resort to eating the dogs. Considering in this world the dogs are intelligent (although they can't communicate with humans)...]]
98	* {{Reincarnation}}: The white and black spirits can be reincarnated, but apparently they also can die a [[CessationOfExistence final death, one in which they don't rejuvenate.]] Apparently being eaten alive by another black or white spirit is one way for this to happen, going by what Sköll said.
99	* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler: The entire pack from chapter 2. Yes, even the puppies.]]
100	* Really700YearsOld: Sköll and his brother Hati are at least over 300 years old.
101	* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The black spirits from have red eyes and TronLines. The evil part [[DarkIsNotEvil is frequently averted]], however.
102	* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: The names Fehu, Jera, and more derive from the old Runic alphabet.
103	* {{Retcon}}: Raigho's face markings were changed slightly. Also, the [[spoiler: dart that hits Sköll in the ass was changed, probably because it looked like a flower had sprouted out of his ass.]]
104	* RoarBeforeBeating: The wolves are shown growling at an elk before killing it.
105	* TangledFamilyTree: [[spoiler: Raigho, Hati, and Iki/Sköll's]] relationship is complicated. [[spoiler: Hati, Sköll's sibling since the dawn of time, was reincarnated into Raigho's mother's litter, making Raigho Hati's blood brother. When Raigho became an adult, he adopted Iki/Sköll. So Hati is both Iki/Sköll's brother and uncle.]] It's weird, but no actual incest is involved.
106	* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Munin does this for Hati.]]
107	* SavageWolves:
108	** [[spoiler: Raigho]] eventually reveal himself to be one of these. He just keeps attacking Seven for a stupid reason, even after she [[spoiler: gorges out his eye.]]
109	** Jera is probably one of these, considering her volatile temper.
110	* SavingTheWorld: The attempt to do something about the cosmic imbalance created by the loss of the human white spirit.
111	* SceneryPorn: Lots of really gorgeous landscape backgrounds.
112	* ShoutOut:
113	** Iki at one point hopes that there are no [[Franchise/WinnieThePooh woozles]] or [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons werebadgers]] around. Jera asks him if he's [[WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.]]
114	** During one of Seven's [[IfIWereARichMan If I Were A Rich Woman]] daydreams, ''ComicBook/TheBlackBloodAlliance'' and ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' comics can be seen.
115	* ShrinkingViolet: Gebo, the white wolf.
116	* SinisterMinister: The first we see of the bishop is him sacrificing a cat and drawing runes with its blood.
117	* SlasherSmile: Skoll puts on a particularly [[http://off-white.eu/comic/page-263/ nightmarish grin]] when he agrees to [[spoiler:resurrect Raigho]], even if [[spoiler:he comes out an abomination,]] so he and his pack can continue playing happy family before the end of the world.
118	* SterilityPlague: No human babies have been born in the last 3 years.
119	* SternChase: The pack is being chased by humans.
120	* StrawNihilist: [[spoiler:[[LightIsNotGood Sköll]]]] is the "fuck the world, it's rotten anyway" variant.
121	* SuperPersistentPredator: Unlike most other examples of this trope, the SuperPersistentPredator is a main character, though we probably aren't supposed to sympathize with his actions. Said character, the wolf [[spoiler: Raigho,]] doesn't stop attacking the human Seven after he misunderstands and thinks she is impersonating a god like figure. Even after she [[spoiler:''[[EyeScream gorges out his eye.]]'']]
122	* SweatDrop: Raigho, in response to Iki's GrowlingGut.
123	* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Kaya, the female wolf Iki [[LoveInterest takes a liking to,]] had eyelashes for a while, but these were quickly removed after they received backlash.
124	* RedEyesTakeWarning: The black spirits. While they are not inherently evil, they certainly can be sinister and menacing.
125	* WalkingTheEarth: Iki's pack is on a long journey.
126	* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Said word for word by Seven's father.
127	* WhiteWolvesAreSpecial: Played with. There are entirely mundane white wolves in the setting, but white wolf + blue eyes ''always'' means you're looking at Skoll reincarnated. Othala is appropriately freaked out when she realizes one of her territory's visitors fits that criteria.

Context Webcomic / OffWhite