A flame to reach across realms...
Fox Fires is a fantasy webcomic by Pipilia
, inspired by Finnish folklore.
The northern lights, or "fox fires", manifest as a gateway to the land of the dead, allowing departed souls to mingle with their loved ones. But when they suddenly stop appearing, an orphaned tanuki named Raate takes it upon herself to journey north and find someone who can return the sky lights.
Can be read here. In 2020, a successful Kickstarter was run to print paperback copies.
Provides examples of:
- Animal Talk: All the sapient creatures are able to understand each other.
- Cargo Cult: The birds guard a magical artifact known as the "Silver Stick". In actuality, it's an ordinary spoon.
- Carnivore Confusion: While the characters normally dine on (apparently) non-sapient fish, other predatory animals are still seen as threats.
- The Fair Folk: A variety of Finnish variations on elves appear in the comic. The forest elves appear as masses of branches and bones that speak Finnish backwards.
- House Fey: A house elf looks like a short shadow wearing a funnel as a hat. Similarly a sauna elf wears a pumice stone.
- The Quest: The story follows Raate's journey to the north.
- Woodland Creatures
