1 | ->''"ItWasADarkAndStormyNight, not fit for man or beast, when someone who was neither of these slunk out of the woods."'' |
2 | |
3 | Emelind is a [[ChangelingTale changeling]], a stranger to the world she’s been cast into – and she desperately wants to go home. However, as she works towards her goal, it becomes apparent that everyone cherishes a wish for something… and every one of those wishes has its cost. |
4 | |
5 | A story of mangled folklore, broken promises, and belonging, ''Whither'' is an UrbanFantasy webcomic by Danie. Its current version launched in January 2010. |
6 | |
7 | It can be read [[http://www.whithercomic.com/ here]] or on the author's Website/DeviantArt [[http://whitherling.deviantart.com/ page]]. |
8 | |
9 | Spoilers ahoy! |
10 | ---- |
11 | !! Within Wither the following tropes are hidden: |
12 | |
13 | * AngerBornOfWorry: Well, vanishing for the entire day is bound to make your doting friend a bit angry, right? Especially if she has {{Tsundere}} tendencies and is distraught already. |
14 | * AnIcePerson: Some faries are these. [[spoiler: So is Finn, as he discovers a couple of chapters into the story]]. |
15 | * ArtificialHuman: Of the [[RewritingReality magically-created]] by the guardian witch sort. We meet two of them, both are very nice (presumably until the witch tells them to end you). |
16 | ** Later on, it turns out [[spoiler: the entirety of Finn's world, him included, has been created - written - by the original Winnifred, who was Nora's mentor, not grandmother]]. Also, she threatens him with a rewrite if he doesn't do her bidding (as in, she'll rewrite him into someone who does)... |
17 | * AwfulTruth: The dark secret about Emelind is given to her freely enough - after she's bound herself with a promise to not use it until a condition has been fulfilled. |
18 | * BadassBookworm: Finn has his moments ([[spoiler:like rushing at a (were)wolf with a knife]]). He's much less of a pushover than he seems at the first glance. [[spoiler: Of course, since he had been written as a guardian of his world...]] |
19 | ** BewareTheQuietOnes: And now [[spoiler: in chapter 16]] he decides to fight. |
20 | -->'''Finn''': I'm not helpless anymore. |
21 | * BadVibrations: The arachnid-ish creeps [[spoiler: destroy Celia's building]]. |
22 | * BeneathNotice: What better cover for a shrewd, experienced magic user (who might be the mastermind behind quite a chunk of the plot) than [[spoiler: the guise of a little girl]]? |
23 | * BestServedCold: [[TheFairFolk Frost]] is of this opinion. Surprised? |
24 | * BigDamnHeroes: If you doubted the usefulness of having a werewolf friend, Darcy would like to point at [[http://www.whithercomic.com/comic/chapter-6-page-16/ this page]]. |
25 | ** Also the elves in [[spoiler: chapter 15]]. We hope. |
26 | * [[BigFriendlyDog Big Friendly Wolf]]: [[NiceGuy Darcy's]] [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent wolf form]]. |
27 | * BlankBook: "TheFairFolk" becomes one, but only for Emelind. So she has to have Finn read it to her. [[spoiler: Then the book goes blank for him, too.]] |
28 | * BloodKnight: The one elf who actually befriends the group has shades of this - she collects worms' heads. |
29 | * {{Bookends}}: For chapter four, "If you keep making a face like this, it will stuck." |
30 | * CannotCrossRunningWater: TheFairFolk can't, or so Finn thinks. [[spoiler: Darcy has no more problems dragging Emelind across a stream than he would have with a regular girl]]. |
31 | * CassandraTruth: Emelind [[http://www.whithercomic.com/comic/chapter-7-page-15/ sums up the story so far]]. |
32 | --> '''[[MuggleBestFriend Celia]]''': Ems, honey... You know I love you, right? If you don't want to tell me the truth, you don't have to. |
33 | * ChangelingTale: Emelind is at TheFairFolk end of this trope, although she has misplaced [[GoodParents her human family]] whom she loves and wants back. |
34 | * ChildMage: Nora. [[spoiler: But she's ReallySevenHundredYearsOld and the guardian of Finn's hometown]]. |
35 | * CleverCrows: One is a (speaking) character. Less [[CreepyCrows spooky than he should be]]. And [[VoluntaryShapeshifting able to turn into a humanoid]]. |
36 | * ClothesMakeTheSuperman: [[spoiler: Emelind is given a cloak imbued with knowledge (she already got a magical ''ability''-imbued hoodie, but now she'll know what she's doing).]] |
37 | * ColdIron: The people of Finn's hometown use it for anti-TheFairFolk barriers. |
38 | * ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: Emelind has a heart-to-heart with [[spoiler: the real Emelind]], who tells her that [[IAmAMonster declaring herself a monster]] and [[WhatTheHellHero quitting would solve nothing]]. |
39 | * CreepyCrows: And creepy ''things'' that resemble [[MixAndMatchCreatures arachnid legs attached to a scorpion sting]]. Probably Frost's minions. |
40 | * [[CreepyChangingPainting Creepy Changing Book]]: In a MagicalLibrary, apparently following Emelind, entitled "TheFairFolk". Yup, a creepy book all right. |
41 | * {{Curse}}: There is one on Finn, although we don't know precisely what it does. [[spoiler: Or if it is an actual curse. It might be just him being a construct.]]. Emelind knows quite a lot about how to break them. |
42 | * DealWithTheDevil: Offered and [[SubvertedTrope rejected]] [[http://www.whithercomic.com/comic/chapter-8-page-23/ here]] and [[http://www.whithercomic.com/comic/chapter-8-page-24/ here]]. [[DoubleSubversion But the messenger]] [[SarcasmBlind doesn't get the hint]]. Or is having a MookFaceTurn. |
43 | * {{Dracolich}}: A genuine dragon skeleton, used as framework for a magical train in Finn's world. |
44 | * EndlessWinter: Winter is fairies time, and they can make it last ''very'' long. |
45 | * TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: As of chapter 20, it's still looming over Emelind's world. [[spoiler: Finn's world is, apparently, doomed no matter what they do, but Emelind refuses to admit this.]] |
46 | * EquivalentExchange: There's a lot of trading in this setting's magic. Experienced magic users are quite cynical about prices and [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder cheating]], while the young protagonists quickly grow [[GenreSavvy wary of any deals]]. |
47 | * EvilDoppelganger: [[spoiler: The frosty-looking fairy swaps himself for Emelind to keep Finn's curse in place]]. Darcy isn't fooled. |
48 | * TheFairFolk: Several varieties. |
49 | * FakeMemories: Elves can give you those. [[NoSell Unless]] you've been [[GenreSavvy smart]] and not given them [[IKnowYourTrueName your real name]]. |
50 | * FantasticLightSource: Frequent use of Emelind's magic. |
51 | * FlashbackEffects: Green tint. Rounded corners. |
52 | * {{Golem}}: The guards of Finn's hometown. Witch's creation - they're made of "pages" (literal, written on book pages), and losing some loses them traits like details of their appearance of memories. |
53 | * GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: It's possible for the paper golems, like [[spoiler:Finn, who had no idea he was one]]. |
54 | * HeartTrauma: [[spoiler: The thing Nora stole from Frost is his heart, which she needed to maintain Winifred's world. And she might have done it the [[LiteralMetaphor old-fashioned way]], too]]. |
55 | * HonestyIsTheBestPolicy: Surprisingly, it's only when Emelind ''tells'' him the entire truth (which isn't either very believable or reassuring) that Finn trusts her. |
56 | * IKnowYourTrueName: The basis for at least some magic. [[spoiler: Emelind's was [[TakeAwayTheirName taken from the human Emelind]] and given to the changeling by]] Frost who needed a nameless child for trade with the guardian witch. |
57 | ** Alex is too GenreSavvy to reveal his or Celia's, though. |
58 | * ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: Used ''completely'' straight. |
59 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Emelind puts on a flighty, snarky, not-giving-a-damn façade, but she does care when it gets serious. |
60 | * LandOfFaerie: The town where Emelind and Finn meet might be part of it's border area. It's certainly more fantasy-land than the town she was raised in, but Finn talks about the hills and [[TheFairFolk hill-folk]]. [[spoiler: Actual elves appear later.]] |
61 | * LiteralGenie: [[http://www.whithercomic.com/comic/chapter-10-page-14/ Pink, as specified!]] It's the best he could do, and it's good, right? |
62 | -->'''Crow''': Hey! I'm just the messenger! Don't shoot the messenger- |
63 | * LiteralMetaphor: Bookworms, quite a problem in the library where Finn works, are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent tiny dragons]]. |
64 | * LivingMacGuffin: RareMaleExample - both the town's guardian and Frost want Finn, very very badly [[spoiler: because he has something of Frost in him that Nora stole]]. |
65 | --> '''The town's guardian''': It doesn't matter what he wants. |
66 | * MagicalBarefooter: Emelind, sometimes. [[spoiler: The real Emelind, for as long as she's trapped in the PocketDimension. After leaving, she's given a slightly victorian dress and a pair of boots to go with it, and [[AllWomenLoveShoes she loves the boots]] ]]. |
67 | * MagicLibrarian: Finn is one at the beginning of the story. |
68 | * MagicMirror: Actually, it seems that any reflective surface may be used by TheFairFolk for communication. [[spoiler: And by the ''real'' Emelind - a nameless child is necessary for the making of a magic mirror, since it involves creating a PocketDimension of nameless things]]. |
69 | * MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Only in the next chapter do we learn [[spoiler: that Frost has injured Finn, quite badly at that]]. The SecretStabWound makes them pass out half a chapter later. |
70 | * TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf: [[http://www.whithercomic.com/comic/chapter-13-page-2/ Here]], but [[spoiler: it's AllJustADream]]. |
71 | * TheMultiverse: It appears there are many worlds, and Emelind has unwittingly crossed into the one Finn lives in, right before the story started. Also, there are "worms" [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace in the space between them]] that eat dead or decaying worlds. [[spoiler: Sometimes they eat through good ones, if they stand in the way.]] |
72 | * MyInstinctsAreShowing: Even a magical, shapeshifting corvid is still a bird and likes digging in trash for snacks. |
73 | * TheNameless: The place mirrors lead to is where nameless things reside. [[spoiler: Which is why a nameless child is necessary to create one of these. When Emelind finally gives the real Emelind's name back, she turns into a nameless elf]]. But she's still herself and part of the plot. |
74 | * NiceGuy: Darcy really goes out of his way to be helpful. [[spoiler: He probably was written that way.]] |
75 | * TheNicknamer: Emelind calls Finn "Specs" (to be fair, she didn't know his name back when she started, but she still does after he introduces himself). |
76 | * NightOfTheLivingMooks: The witch's revenants. |
77 | * NoBodyLeftBehind: [[spoiler: Winnifred turns into a pile of paper, because she was a construct made by the guardian witch]]. |
78 | * NotGrowingUpSucks: [[spoiler: The real Emelind]] looks and acts at most eight (she should be sixteen, if not nineteen). |
79 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: Bookworms. They're tiny, nest in paper and mimic sounds. All the others are extinct, according to Finn. |
80 | * OurFairiesAreDifferent: They have a [[AnIcePerson wintry theme]] - Emelind doesn't feel the cold, for example. |
81 | ** In [[spoiler: chapter fifteen]] we get introduced to [[spoiler: elves with [[GreenThumb plant]] powers, though]]. |
82 | * OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: They can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting change forms at will]], but only in the woods. Out of them, it's [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting always wolf]]. |
83 | * ParentalSubstitute: Winnifred the sweet old librarian for Finn. |
84 | * PartingWordsRegret: Emelind's last words to her [[ParentsAsPeople parents]] was coldly chewing them out for WhenYouComingHomeDad. Obviously, she's not proud of this. |
85 | * PlayingPictionary: [[spoiler: Real Emelind's]] only way of communicating with most characters is miming and drawing. |
86 | --> '''Finn''': ...It looks like a sort of wobbly chicken. |
87 | * PlotRelevantAgeUp: Magical [[spoiler: for the real Emelind, once she regains her name and leaves the mirror dimension]], she grows up all at once. |
88 | * PocketDimension: Either that or The Space Between Worlds is where [[spoiler: the real (human) Emelind]] is imprisoned - she can look out into the real world(s) through any [[MagicMirror reflective surface]]. |
89 | ** Also, [[spoiler: Finn's world. All of it.]] |
90 | * PortalDoor: Vital for worlds' health. Portal let the magic flow in and out, preventing stagnation - and if magic stagnates, the world begins to ''rot'' and attract worms. |
91 | * APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: [[spoiler: Nora used to be the real Winnifred's (a powerful witch in a setting where witchery means RewritingReality) apprentice. But it seems her mentor's death drove her over the edge.]] |
92 | * RewritingReality: The guardian witch's power seems to be based on creative writing. Probably why she resides in MagicalLibrary. |
93 | * SaltSolution: Finn tries to use it as ward from the arachnid-ish monsters. |
94 | * SarcasmBlind: The crow guy takes Celia's snarky comments at face value. |
95 | * ShooOutTheClowns: InvertedTrope. The crow guy, who comes into the story rather late, provides more comic relief than anybody else. |
96 | * TheShortGuyWithGlasses: While at the first glance Finn seems [[StoicSpectacles quite bishy]], he really is a phlegmatic, lovable nerd, so fits this trope better. Though he's not particularly short. |
97 | * SpookySilentLibrary: Finn's workplace, a little. |
98 | * StickyFingers: RunningGag - Emelind keeps pilfering Finn's accessories. It's a [[TheFairFolk fairy]] thing. |
99 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Finn is not an elf, it's a {{curse}} making him seem like one, now move along, the library is closing, there's a good troper! |
100 | * TakeAwayTheirName: Emelind. The girl we know by that name is a changeling, and the original owner [[spoiler: has been used by Nora to create a PocketDimension of TheNameless]]. |
101 | * TechnicolorMagic: Both magical cloaks we see are purple, whatever form they take ([[spoiler: Emelind's original hoodie is actually one]]), although they are also made by the same person for the same person, so this may or may not be a trait of all magical clothing. |
102 | * {{Tsundere}}: Emelind and Finn, for each other. |
103 | * UnfazedEveryman: Alex remains unfazed by [[AmicableExes Celia's]] weird guests. Yes, even the crow guy. He seems like a hobbyist OccultDetective, really. |
104 | * UnPerson: Seems to have happened to [[spoiler: Emelind's MuggleFosterParents - until they are found in chapter 23, hidden within trees and in a magical sleep]]. So it's probably WeirdnessCensor at play. |
105 | * WeirdnessCensor: Fairies wreak mayhem. The {{Muggles}} say it's a freak storm. |
106 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Nora, the witch]], for a given value of well-intentioned. She'll do anything it takes to preserve Finn's world [[spoiler: including theft of a fae's heart and of a child's name]]. But the motive of this devotion may be [[spoiler: inability to cope with her mentor's - who created Finn's world in the first place - death]], which, while tragic, is missing some important points. [[spoiler: Winnifred's ghost seems to see Nora's ExcessiveMourning - flavoured preservation of Winifred's work as squandering her potential]]. |
107 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: Besides [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Darcy]], we have the crow guy. He gets a ''huge'' dose of MorphicResonance, though. |
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