Webcomic / Realta

"Find the Realta. You must...or all will fall to chaos."

Realta is a fantasy webcomic by Rachel Eaton.

The comic is set in a fantasy world where the spirits of the Western Zodiac once lived among humanity and fought the fae alongside them. Before they departed, they each empowered humanity with the power of the stars. Fourteen chosen humans, the Realta, went on to found the twelve clans, the clann na réaltai, and acted as leaders and oracles using guidance from their Signs.

Elowen, a young Virgo, has been raised in isolation by their kindly grandfather. After their grandfather dies, they learn that the world is very different from what they were led to believe: the clans are now obsolete and humans have outlawed magic in favor of technology. After befriending a young Capricorn archaeologist named Amelia and a group of underground magic users (a Leo named Kasiran, twin Gemini named Fletcher and Milo, and a clairvoyant Scorpio named Ava), Elowen learns that they are Realta. The group aims to find the other Realta and find out what caused the outlawing of magic, lest their world falls to the fae.

The comic began on Webtoon Canvas in March 2020 before moving to Webtoon Originals in July 2022. It was put on hiatus after the Season One finale was released. Season Two premiered released on March 26th, 2024, at 9 PM EST.

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Tropes:

• Cold Iron: True to myth, the fae are repelled by iron, and Amelia rebukes Elowen for traveling in the woods without some.
• Elemental Nation: Variation — the four kingdoms are organized by the elemental affiliation of their Zodiac signs. Cúlra is home to the Earth signs (Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo), Aeráil is the Air sign kingdom (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), Gléigeal is kingdom of the Water signs (Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer), and Tosaigh is the Fire Sign kingdom (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius).
• The Fair Folk: The fae were the antagonists in the prologue and still haunt the four kingdoms today. They appear as silvery spirits who attack travelers. They can normally be warded off by Cold Iron, but characters note that it is becoming less and less effective.
• Genre Savvy: Elowen, having been raised alone, had a lot of time to familiarize themselves with tropes from in-universe fiction that reflect ours:
  • After getting a weird dream and seeing a mysterious creature:
    Elowen: Prophetic dream...magical creature... this is just like The Adventures of Temperance Morrow: Into the Forest of Dreams Volume 3!
  • After being shown one bed to share with Amelia:
    Elowen: What kind of romance novel tomfoolery...
• Horned Humanoid: The comic is set in a world where humans have attributes of Zodiac signs.
  • Elowen and their grandfather, being of the Virgo clan, both have antlers on their heads.
  • Amelia, as a Capricorn, has goatlike horns.
  • Tauruses, like Oryn and Eden, have bulllike horns that extend from the sides of their heads.
  • Aries, such as Rune, have curled ram's horns on either side of their heads.
• The Marvelous Deer: Elowen gets a vision of needing to find the Realta, then awakens to see a magnificent winged stag outside their home.
• Mermanity Ensues: When Capricorn like Amelia submerge their legs in water, they transform into fish tails, a nod to the classic depiction of the mer-goat.
• A Minor Kidroduction: The first issue introduces Elowen as a child, establishing their fear of the Mist that surrounds their home. They grow up in the second.
• Ms. Exposition: Amelia is the one who exposits the setting to both Elowen and the audience.
• Myth Prologue: The webcomic's first chapter opens with Elowen's grandfather telling her about how the Zodiac spirits fought the fae alongside humanity and gave them powers, which would develop into the twelve Realta-led clans. Shortly afterwards, Elowen learns the truth of the world now and that they are Realta themself.
• Non-Heteronormative Society: In the Zodiac-inspired fantasy world of Realta, everybody introduces themselves with their pronouns and nobody bats an eye at Elowen being nonbinary or that they might be in a relationship with Amelia, who identifies as female.
• Our Mermaids Are Different: Pisces are born fully as merfolk, and always as fraternal twins - corresponding to the twin fish of the constellation. Pisces twins share emotions and know what the other feels. They also have a natural affinity for sea life.
• Past-Life Memories: Inside the Virgo ruins is a crystal that can access any memory from any time period of a Realta (since they continuously reincarnate).
• Polar Opposite Twins: The Gemini twins. Fletcher is cheerful and gregarious, while Milo is more serious and solemn.
• Raised by Grandparents: Elowen was raised only by their grandfather and never ventured outside their cottage.
• Really 700 Years Old: Elowen thinks they're 24, but they're actually a millenium old thanks to the spell cast by their grandfather.
• Scorpion People: Ava is a Scorpio, so she is humanoid with an extra set of arms and a scorpion tail.
• Ship Tease: Elowen and Amelia are teased constantly, with the two frequently blushing at each other and getting flustered at the suggestion that they're a couple - despite everyone assuming they are.
• Shout-Out: Two of the people seen in the crowd in episode 6 are horned versions of Korra and Asami.
• That's What She Said: While Elowen is being introduced to the underground hideout:
  Elowen: How deep does it go?
  Fletcher: That's what she said!
  Kasi: [pushes him out an alcove]
• There Is Only One Bed: Ava mistakes Elowen and Amelia for a couple and prepares only one bed for them.
• Time-Passes Montage: In the second issue, Elowen ages into a young adult through a flute-accompanied montage covering several years.
• Winged Humanoid: Female Virgo are horned humanoids born with white wings and Gemini are born with wings (colours and patterns are varied, but all of them have certain real-life bird plumage).
• Zodiac Motifs: All the humans in the setting have attributes of a Western Zodiac sign, depending on which clan they originated from. For example, Capricorns, Aries, and Tauruses have horns corresponding to their respective animal signs, Leos have catlike ears and lion tails, and so on.
• Year Outside, Hour Inside: Thanks to her grandfather's spell, Elowen only experienced 20 or so years in their cottage while 1000 years passed outside it.