A webcomic created by Katie Sweet.Part one, "One Way or Another", was finished in 2007 and is, aside from several color panels, in black & white. Thanks to the frequency of updates (5 times per week) it counts 854 strips in just 2 1/2 years. Part two, "Gatecrash", is ongoing and full color, and currently counts more than 400 strips. Sadly full color means "only" three updates per week — which is still as much as most webcomics.Part one follows the wandering of Faevv, a young outcast that goes to live on the Raft, a ship the Juathuur ("true wanderers", humans with powers bestowed by the gods a long time ago) use to move around. Having an outsider look on the Raft, however, she realizes that life there is not what it seems, and it is far from the freedom she longs for. Politics and intrigues are everywhere, old grudges still lurk in the mind of the leader, and her group splits for lack of cohesion. So when she meets Weijuaru, a young king who wants to challenge the gods themselves to find absolute freedom, she is quick to get away from the path set for her. And that is just the beginning of the journey.Part two takes off after a timeskip. Faevv is now in service of the gods and travels between other worlds in search of her way. Meanwhile, other characters have problems of their own and the plot thickens again...The comic starts here, the second part is here, and this is the most recent strip.
This series provides examples of:
Action Girl: Faevv, Mijuu, Sojueilo, Aelisseveryone but Shugasi, Neilli and Tokal.
Breaking the Fellowship: Faevv's group? Dejoru follows Veithel, Faevv goes to speak with the gods and Ratheel gets left behind. When they reunite, there act slightly hostile with each other. Expect to read "a lot happened after you left!" frequently.
Bring It: Rowasu is pretty confident in his swordmanship (and rightfully so).
Broken Pedestal: sort of. Arvval is the same as always, his bigotry is just more manifest after Faevv goes to the 'dark side'.
Brown Note: Rowasu's disctinctive screech is used in battle to distract and confuse enemies.
Bullet Dodges You: actually, the 'bullet' is unraveled. The first manifestation of Faevv's powers.
Bullying a Dragon: Faevv grew up despised by normal humans for being juathuur. Despite being of a very important, very powerful Juathuur bloodline.
Chickification: averted, and Faevv strongly feels against any accusation of this. In Dej's words, she is being charmed by Juar. Her reply to this?
Faevv: You make it sound like I'm some naive pushover. You made a choice, didn't you? Why can't I do the same? I have my own mind. I can make my own decisions.
Con Lang: Juathuuvei, the Juathuur language. Mainly used for written signs, honorific titles and character names.
Die or Fly: see Bullet Dodges You, above. Also, for a while Faevv's powers work only according to this trope. Juinn, to, first manifest his powers in this kind of situation.
Dirty Business: Meidar is the queen of this trope. Juar has his moments too.
Driven to Suicide: Neilli. Meidar, having decided that healing sucks, tries to train her as a torturer. It doesn't work. Possibly a Secret Test of Character directed at her boyfriend, Thomil.
Due to the Dead: Inverted. Rowasu respect Maerril's death with the Luduuth Lo, nine days in which he will spill no blood. Before coming to get revenge. Meanwhile, Faevv's team makes a funeral cart explode.
Enigmatic Minion: Veithel. Until the end, it's unclear if she cares for Ratheel and Dej or if she is willing to betray them for her father's benefit. Both, actually. And she will sacrifice to save Dejoru AND follow her father's wishes for her.
Facial Markings: and body markings. Most juathuur have them, and they tend to be similar in a family. Also Thomil adopted Neilli's, and Dej adopted Mijuu's.
Faking the Dead: Veithel, before the beginning of the story. Neilli, too.
Green Thumb: Soveshei and Veithel. The latter actually turns into a tree! And, well, Merlu.
Green-Eyed Monster: Beisaru is convinced that Meidar killed his lover out of jealousy. He's wrong. But she is jealous all right. Also, Veithel has signs of this. And Dejoru. Oh god, Dejoru.
Grey and Grey Morality: A major point of the series. On one hand, Meidar always works to protect people and stop war, while Weijuaru longs for absolute freedom for everyone. On the other hand, Meidar is a Control Freak and The Chessmaster, while Weijuaru is a manic Visionary Villain. Beisaru is a Jerk Ass, but he acts like he does partly because he thinks Meidar killed his lover. Rowasu is an Ax Crazy psychopath, but reunites Juinn with his father, kills Meidar for her crimes and decides not to kill Sojueilo. Thomil is a genuinely Nice Guy, but spineless. Soveshei drugs Faevv and Ratheel, and had an hand in the killing of Dej's parents, but he cares for their kids. Veithel is... complicated.
Hoist by His Own Petard: All the juathuur who deserted the Raft did so because Meidar screwed with them in one way or another (hey wait...). So basically, the whole conflict she is fighting is her fault. She ends up getting killed for it, too.
Informed Ability: Thomil is a great healer. In theory. In practice, we see him doing more harm than good. (Admittedly, it was Soveshei's fault, but when he confesses, Thomil doesn't lift a finger to save the girl until Dejoru calls him).
Invisibility: Thomil can become invisible, but rarely use this power.
Just Following Orders: they are on the same side, but this is the main problem Thomil has with Sojueilo: she blindly follows Meidar's orders, and he doesn't.
The Magic Versus Technology War: Sev'vil's dream is to use technology to effectively give magic powers to everyone, even normal humans. Thanks to him, the Burnt Country is full of technology mostly based on lots of electricity.
The Medic: Faevv lampshades and subverts the tendency of females to be healers. On the other hand, Neilli is one.
Mêlée à Trois: technically Aeliss vs Sojueilo+Thomil vs Rowasu, but the latter is already on the brink of death.
Morph Weapon: Beisaru's staff can get longer. And sharper.
Morton's Fork: what should Dejoru do? Follow his not-so-dead not-so-girlfriend into the unknown land of his enemies, or be loyal to his crumbling team?
Naïve Newcomer: Faevv grew up among humans, and is new to the juathuur way of life.
Names to Run Away From Really Fast: the salamander king, if salamander's weren't such cute critters. And the shrieking sky, for sure. Also, Mordth.
Never Bring a Knife to a Fist Fight: played with. Both Bivv and Mijuu try to disarm Rowasu, the latter succeeding, without realizing that the sword is actually a handicap.
No Social Skills: Faevv has been shunned all life and seems incapable of forming a decent relationship with another human. When she arrives of the Raft, she is downright hostile to everyone. As someone said in the shoutbox, "Faevv seems a bitch. I hope it isn't a core element of her character". I'm afraid it is.
Order Versus Chaos: most of the conflict boils down to Meidar's need to control people versus Juar's longing for absolute freedom.
Orphan's Plot Trinket: the main reason for the juathuur's tattoos is to recognize children. Notice that tattoos in a given family tend to be similar (eg: Dejoru's and Mijuu's).
Physical God: all of them. Merlu, Lok and Moire (so far) have human form. The others are humanoid. It seems that a long, long time ago thy were human beings.
Play Along Prisoner: Thomil. Soveshei even dares him to escape. But it's the fastest way to reach Erab Adur... it doesn't work because they get rescued, except for Dej.
Red Shirt: Neimal's squad. There are consequences.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Dejoru is dark-haired, calm and compassionate, with the talent to become a healer. Ratheel is loud, fun-loving, has red hair and fights by making stuff explode. Partly inverted in the end as Dejoru is capable of releasing an enormous amount of raw energy. Ratheel, on the other hand, is completely useless in each and every fight we see.
Rip Van Winkle: A minor version. A short talk with Merlu took three days in the juathuur world.
Spoiled Brat: Isheil. If you drink (a small dose of) poison just because your father won't come to your birthday, you deserve to die. apparently Soveshei and Veithel agree.
Superpowerful Genetics: affinity to shadow, shift or shard magic is inheritable. People of other bloodlines (like Thomil) can learn a few tricks, but that's it. Juinn is identified as Juar's son because of this trope.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Juoira, Renuuth and Ushaed bicker a lot, but still care for each other and function as a group. Contrast with Faevv's, that gets divided soon after the beginning of the story for general lack of cohesion. In the sequel, this 'team' idea is definitely abandoned.
Telepathy: standard way of communicating in long distances between juathuurs. Both participants must be willing to "connect".
Tell Me About My Mother: became a fish. Or, actually, Solluu queen Ishalluu. Faevv too shows signs of this.
True Companions: Dejoru tries to inspire a sense of family in his original group. He tries with the second and fails again. He then loses faith in this kind of ideal.
Two Guys and a Girl: Faevv, Dejoru and Ratheel (unusual, as Faevv is the main character). Ushaed, Renuuth and Juoira. Ivitho, Ojuaro and Lif...
, the second part is here
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