Juathuur

The magic system rendered in cool symbols.

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.

Tropes used in Juathuur include:

• Action Girl: Faevv, Mijuu, Sojueilo, Aeliss everyone but Shugasi, Neilli and Tokal.
• Actual Pacifist: Neilli.
• Acquired Poison Immunity: Lif is scary.
• And Your Little Dog, Too: Rowasu's promise to Sojueilo.
• Amplifier Artifact: well, the amplifier. Also Soveshei's serum.
• And This Is For: Bivv.
• Anyone Can Die: established with Bivv's death. Used a lot in the final chapters.
• Arcadia: The Lost Oasis.
• A Real Man Is a Killer: Thomil gets called 'spineless' and 'an insult' for being an healer and not, you know, a murderer.
• Attack Reflector: Nice move, Thom. And again...
• Ax Crazy: Rowasu. Sometimes, he's got that itch...
• Art Evolution: most evident at the beginning of Gatecrash, with the passage to full color.
• Badass Cape: fwooosh!
• Badass Long Robe: Beisaru.
• Battle in the Rain: the Fava flashback.
• Blood From the Mouth: cough cough cough
• Blood Knight: Mijuu is willing to push herself to the limits to win a friendly spar. But who fits this trope to a T is Sojueilo.
• The Big Guy: Ojuaro and Ushaed.
• Bloodier and Gorier: the gore content gets upped starting from here.
• Blood Oath: Rowasu does that all the time (hence the scars). he breaks the last one.
• Blood on These Hands: Here. Nevermind that Sojueilo is one of the most bloothirsty characters.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Beisaru can control people with word magic.
• 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.
• Burn, Baby, Burn: Bivv's funeral pyre.
• Cain and Abel: Rowasu and his half-brother.
• Catch Phrase: Rowasu has one, sure as sky.
• Chained to a Rock: Merlu and, literally, Lok.
• 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.
• Conveniently-Timed Attack From Behind: Veithel when Soveshei confronts Rowasu. Soveshei isn't pleased.
• Combat Medic: Thomil.
• Comes Great Insanity: Lok.
• Cool Mask: Weijuaru when he gets to political business.
• Couldn't Find a Pen: Rowasu at the end of chapter eleven.
• Cutting the Knot: and moving the box. Now you're thinking with shadow magic!
• Cycle of Revenge: one of the main points of the story. Thomil is about the only one who seriously tries to break it.
• Daddy's Girl: Veithel. The feeling is not completely mutual.
• Dark Action Girl: at least Lifolei and Thlassa. And Maybe Veithel.
• Death Glare: the local Ax Crazy psychopath seems pissed off.
• Despair Event Horizon: to Neilli.
• 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.
• Disappeared Dad: Faerun.
• Dishing Out Dirt: Maerril is an unusual example, being a slim, passionate, arrogant woman.
• Distress Call: here.
• Dynamic Entry: Sojueilo enters the battle! (and the comic)
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: why is Faevv blushing? Oh!... oh.
  • Also... What are you exactly proposing, Soveshei?
• Dressing as the Enemy: Sojueilo, Thomil and Mijuu.
• 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.
• The Engineer: Sev'vil.
• 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.
• Evil Duo: Maerril and Rowasu.
• Eye Scream: Shuugo, in a flashback. And the hand of the sky.
• Face Heel Turn: Veithel, pre-beginning of the story.
• 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.
• Farm Boy: Juinn.
• Fate Worse Than Death: Merlu, an embodiment of wandering and freedom, is perpetually bound to a tree.
• Fiery Redhead: Ratheel.
• Foot Focus: apparently, the path of juathuurs is walked without shoes.
• Forceful Kiss: How romantic.
• For the Evulz: averted, but discussed here. And in the whole comic.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Sev'vil and his idol, Anira.
• Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Arvval slapping Faevv. It works, but not for long.
• Giant Hands of Doom: Maerril's style of combat.
• Golem: one of Beisaru's many tricks.
• 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.
• The Guards Must Be Crazy: and sleepy.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Thoss and Thlassa are half-solluu, half-juathuur.
• Half-Identical Twins: again, Thoss and Thlassa.
• Heroic BSOD: Dejoru.
• Hidden Eyes: Here.
• 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.
• Hover Tank: Thanks to Fluur rings.
• Human Shield: Rowasu with Juinn.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: Rowasu's sword? A handicap.
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Ratheel to Veithel. It definitely doesn't work.
• I Have Many Names: Merlu (aka the Second, aka the god-in-the-tree... and that's it, for now).
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Ivitho and Mo.
• Interesting Situation Duel: Soveshei and Rowasu, on top of a tower.
• In the Back: sorta.
• Is That What He Told You??: Soveshei to Dejoru. But with the amount of secrets on the Raft, he could have said that to nearly everyone.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Mijuu. On a flower.
• 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.
• Invulnerable Knuckles: Sojueilo's should be bloody stumps by now.
• I Work Alone: Arvval and, in a sense, Faevv. Must be In the Blood. Also Sojueilo, to the point of stupidity.
• Jerkass: Beisaru.
• Just Between You and Me: I really wonder what's written in there.
• 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.
• Knight Templar Big Sister: Mijuu.
• Large Ham: Beisaru usually isn't, but in this strip he finally snaps.
• Lecture as Exposition: Thomil here.
• Loads and Loads of Characters: just check the cast page of part one!
• Loyal Animal Companion: Grael.
• Love Makes You Evil: Maerril's motivation to follow Rowasu around (although she would have probably deserted anyway).
• Macho Masochism: Rowasu and his ritual scarring.
• 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.
• Magic Misfire: Ratheel did.
• Marshmallow Hell: Here, but they are brother and sister.
• Meaningful Rename: Soveshei
• The Medic: Faevv lampshades and subverts the tendency of females to be healers. On the other hand, Neilli is one.
• Melee a 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?
• Naive 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.
• Nerd Glasses: Mo!
• 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.
• Never Mess with Granny: Meidar. Oh, Meidar.
• Nice Guy: Dejoru. It is not clear if it's just a tactic to get laid.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Thomil is the worst healer ever! (it's Soveshei's fault). Also, Ratheel here.
• 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.
• Not What It Looks Like: there is a girl on your bed. (An underage girl).
• Oh Crap: oh crap indeed.
• Older Than They Look: Juar is 33 and looks about 20-25.
• Oral Fixation Fixation: Merlu, with straw.
• 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).
• Our Mermaids Are Different: very, very different.
• Path of Inspiration: the Way.
• The Patriarch: Arvval is this to Faevv, and has lots of traditional values. In the end, they... don't really get along any more.
• Pensieve Flashback: to Faerun's last mission.
• Pet the Dog: not only Rowasu doesn't kill Juinn, but he also doesn't kill Grael!
• Peek-a-Bangs: Lif.
• 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.
• Pietà Plagiarism: Beshren here.
• 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.
• Posthumous Character: Neilli and Dej's parents. But it seems someone is Not Quite Dead...
• Professor Guinea Pig: Soveshei.
• Punch a Wall: Thomil doesn't like patients accidentally committing suicide.
• Rebellious Princess: ehr... Juar. Except for the "princess" part.
• 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.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: specifically, Rowasu's Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
• Sacred Hospitality: Thomil tries to invoke that in the Burnt Country, with no luck.
• Schedule Slip: Sorta. The comic went from five updates a week to three a week, but that's still very regular and relatively frequent.
• Sea Monster: Vriths.
• Shirtless Scene: enjoy it starting from Here. There is one for Thom, too!
• Sibling Rivalry: Oh my.
• Slap Slap Kiss: Mo invokes this trope about Sojueilo. Fists of love!
• Slouch of Villainy: Weijuaru here!
• Sorry to Interrupt: Thom to Bivv and Mo.
• Spin to Deflect Stuff: Sojueilo here.
• Splash of Color: Mijuu's blood in chapter 22.
• Split-Screen Reaction: several times. here is an example.
• 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.
• The Starscream: Beisaru. He even has a goatee.
• 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.
• Tailor-Made Prison: Lok's prison. He still gets visitors, sort of.
• Talkative Loon: Lok!
• Talking to the Dead: Thomil to Neilli. who, apparently, isn't even dead.
• Technical Pacifist: Thomil.
• 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.
• Time Skip: between part one and two.
• Trash Talk: Rowasu loves that.
• Truth Serum: by application of hands. Another cool trick of Thom.
• Turn Out Like His Father: Faevv. Her human mother, Tokal, is heartbroken. Also, Mo's mother fears this (according to Ivitho).
• Theme Twin Naming: Thoss and Thlassa.
• 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...
• Ubermensch: Juar, Juar, Juar.
• Uh-Oh Eyes: whoever is under the effect of Soveshei's serum gets black eyes with white irises.
• Unwanted Rescue: See Play-Along Prisoner, above.
• Visionary Villain: Weijuaru, if you consider him a villain.
• Walking on Water: a basic trick, apparently. Having been stranded on an island her whole life, Faevv is eager to learn it.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Weijuaru. "Let's give absolute power to everyone!"
• What Is Going On?: Mijuu is understandably confused.
• Words Can Break My Bones: the word path.
• Wrecked Weapon: happens to Rowasu's sword. "ts' almost too bad yer alrady dead".