Fey Winds

Fox, Warrior, Elf, Prince.

Sylphe's gifts are now sought out by thieves, kings, and wholesome adventure-type folk... like us!

Kit was a fox until a senile witch turned her not-quite human. Nigel's been cursed to follow someone who is "a girl but not a girl, and neither human, dwarf, nor elf." Thankfully there were no "transvestite hermaphrodite gnomes" around, so instead he's left following a Cute Fox Girl. Larina left a remote elven sanctuary only to have a Possession Stone lodged in her forehead. Now random ghosts can take over her body. It's "kind of a pain, you know?"

This intrepid trio sets out to find ancient relics left over from when a legendary being called Sylphe ended the last great war. Along the way they pick up a loser prince who plays the lute, a clumsy thaumaturge-in-training who looks like a demon, and manage to leave a trail of failure in their wake.

Fey Winds updates every Tuesday and is lushly illustrated and wittily written. Contains that rare, delicate blend of rich backstory, realistic character development, quick action, dry humor (much of it lampshading), tasteful fanservice, and subtle self-awareness to keep the characters intriguing, the fantasy setting fresh, and the story moving at a proper pace, not to mention totally unbiased TV Tropes writeups. Referential jokes show up now and again.

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This webcomic provides examples of:

• All There in the Manual: The character page gives you a fair bit of backstory.
• Art Shift: Aside from the multiple lapses into chibi style, the art has more than once switched abruptly to a very shojo style in parody of particularly shojo-esque moments — notably, the use of "Sid-Vision 5000".
• Bag of Holding: The Satchel Giles Grimsworth Swaggerforth III
• Bandage Babe: In addition to her normal Sarashi underwear, Kit gets bandaged up after being on the losing end of a fight with the Big Bad. And she's so adorable.
• Bastard Understudy: Sigurd apparently was one of these, though he has already has the better of his former master by the time the story starts
• Black Cloak: Sid's brother's advisor, AKA Mister Sinisterly-Cloaked-Guy. AKA Zeph in disguise
• Black Eyes of Crazy
• Bishie Sparkle: See Shout-Out below.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: "Larina's agent called. The lawyers are threatening to sue if we don't give her more screen time."
• By the Lights of Their Eyes
• Cerebus Syndrome: Parodied in the Halloween special here
• Chiaroscuro
• Chivalrous Pervert: Sid and Dorian both
• Collapsing Lair: The tomb.
• Creator Cameo: In the splash page at the academy two of the author's World of Warcraft characters can be seen.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Sid, with the right motivation.
• Cursed with Awesome: "Sid, in what way is turning into a dragon a terrible curse?"
  • "In the way that Dragon Hunter Monthly usually has my dad's face on the cover."
• Cute Little Fangs: Kit.
• Damsel in Distress: Larina, frequently. She's saved from being annoying by her attitude while she's imprisoned, although Hepzibah does claim she has "the personality of a gilded doorstop." That said, even though Hepzibah took over Larina's body, Larina is not quite helpless.
• Disability Superpower: Sid is easily scared or flustered. Upon which he turns into a dragon.
• Dual-Wielding: Kit.
• Enfant Terrible: Hepzibah D'Espayr
• Evil Gloating: Lampshaded and Subverted.
  • Kit sarcastically asks the Big Bad if they should expect a rant, and instead he immediately attacks. After that...

Lord of the Dying Light: No need to get up. Oh wait, that's right, you can't. ...Did you say something? Sid: He was going to ask you what your grand scheme was! So we can... bask in the glow of your evil genius! Lord of the Dying Light: No more explaining.

• Eyes of Gold: Sid.
• Expy: Hepzibah looks and talks suspiciously like a demonic Affectionate Parody of a certain blind earthbender. Extra irony points for being surrounded by floating eyes.
• Failure Knight: Nigel is a war golem who was created to protect the Alchemist. When he failed in his mission, the Alchemist ordered him to find and help Sylphe. He follows Kit for that reason — though since golems are bound to obey the word of their masters, he may not have much choice in the matter.
• Foot Focus: Enjoy. Hell, enjoy the whole chapter. Sylphe, in particular, is always shown barefoot.
• Forced Into Their Sunday Best: here
• Functional Magic: Fey and other creatures of nature tap into "the Song" (Force Magic) directly. Humans, elves, and other mortal races must employ "the Rule" (Rule Magic) a system of formulas and spells. Most of the main cast are also chasing after artifacts (Device Magic) left behind by a strange being called Sylphe when she rebelled against those who wanted to use her in a war.
• Genre Savvy: of varying types.
  • Dangerously Genre Savvy: the Big Bad.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: Sid seems to think he's the Chick Magnet in a Shojo Manga and acts accordingly.
• God in Human Form: Sigurd's plan. Using a number of components (several involving our heroes) he planted a piece of a god into one of his golems. She wasn't happy about it.
• Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!: literally with The Fairy Grandmother
• Gratuitous Japanese: A-are you my ouji-sama*? *Ouji-sama = prince in the language of Omgkawaii
• Hellish Pupils: Sid's are slitted, Zeph's are "+" shaped, Sinisterly-Cloaked-Guy's are also slitted. In this comic, however, weird pupils do not necessarily denote evilness.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Larina's preferred method of exorcism.
• Involuntary Shapeshifting: Sid's Transformation Trinket activates whenever he's sufficiently nervous.
• Lampshade Hanging: Enough to keep things funny, but it never removes Willing Suspension of Disbelief.
• Lens Flare: Invoked by prince Dorian.
• Load-Bearing Boss: After Sigurd flees, the tomb is destroyed.

Nigel: Collapsing ruins. Classic, I guess.

• • Keep in mind it was intentional.
• Meaningful Names
  • Kit is short for Kitsune.
    • Not to mention meaning "young fox" (or other small fur-bearing animal).
  • Nigel is derived from Nathaniel, which means "gift from God". He is a war-golem, animated by captured elementals and a stolen soul. So he is literally powered by spiritual energy.
  • The Sylphe, a powerful spirit, refers to "Sylph," a term for elementals or faeries of the air.
  • The Big Bad is named after the legendary hero of Norse mythology, Sigurd.
• The Mole: Zeph
• My Friends and Zoidberg: "I need your help. Sid's too, I suppose... to a slightly lesser degree."
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Lord of Darkne the Dying Light.
• Odd-Shaped Panel
• Overly Long Name: Prince Sidney Theodorus Cassian Merriweather Findain VIII. Mercifully, he only ever goes by Sid in the actual comic. His brother's name is slightly shorter — Dorian Norwood Anson Findain VI.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: The Minionz!
• Raised by Wolves: Kit, who was raised by foxes.
  • Rather, Kit, who was a fox.
• Reverse Grip: Kit holds her left-hand sword this way.
• Riddle Me This: Played with. Early in their quest for the Sylphe's artifacts, the heroes decide to consult a sage who spoke in riddles. Note the past tense.
• Sarashi: Kit's preferred form of underwear.
• Shirtless Scene: After Kit rips off the dress that was hampering her in battle, Nigel follows suit...

Sid: Why did Nigel take off all HIS clothes, too? Larina: I... don't know. Solidarity?

• Shout-Out: "I know a spell that makes me sparkle in the sunlight!"
  • "Urge to kill... rising..."
  • The Fairy Grandmother
• Spoony Bard: Sid. Not that anyone is happy about it...
  • *breaks instrument* "Well, you're a fighter now." "Congrats on the multiclass."
• Suicidal Gotcha: Kit and Nigel are in on this plan. Sid and Larina are not.
• Torches and Pitchforks: Twice!
• Twincest: Implied between Hansel and Gretel
  • "Are you married, or twin brother and sister?" "Yes!" [everyone else chuck their cookies] "Hey!"
• Upperclass Twit: Sid and his brother, as well as Larina's cousin.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy: Prince Dorian, until he's not.
• The White Prince: Sid again
• Zettai Ryouiki: Kit in Chapter 3.