Chasing the Sunset

"How to get a dragon across a stream in six easy steps.

Step 1. Secure a rope around a branch. Use this to make a winch system to put the dragon in the air.

Step 2. Tie the rope to the dragon.

Step 3. Lift the dragon. Dragons are light to help them fly, so this step is actually quite easy (if the dragon cooperates)

Step 4. Tie the other end of the rope to a tree on the other side of the stream. Using two ropes and a person on each side, pull the dragon across.

Step 5. Realize that your first step should have been to tie up the pixie.

Step 6. Panic.

Step 7. Take a bath."

- #34: "How the Dragon Crossed the Stream".

Chasing the Sunset is a fantasy webcomic by artists Mithandir and Alien, set in a universe called The World That Is. Here there be dragons.. and pixies.. and unicorns, fae, elves, and a human or two.

The comic follows the story of a young elf boy, Fallen Leaf ("Leaf" for short), and his friend Ayne as they travel west across the land in search of Leaf's father, who was swept away in a flood many years before. Leaf believes his father may still be alive because a traveling Bard has brought a rumor of an elf man living across the ocean. Joining Leaf and Ayne is Myhrad, a vegetarian drageling (baby dragon with the personality of a lazy housecat) whom Leaf befriended not long after his father disappeared. Another companion, far less welcome, is Feiht, a pixie who joins their quest and 'volunteers' to carry any 'shinies' they might encounter along the way.

As they travel, Leaf and Ayne both acquire strange identities and allegiances. Ayne joins the mysterious blue Amazon tribe occupying No Man's Land. And Leaf, after spending the night in a bewitched tower, is possessed by three Furies -- magical spirits of uncontrollable wrath. They must also deal with tedious matters like old prophecies, monstrous trolls, dragons, bards, sorcerers, escaping the pursuit of family members, and placating the various persons Feiht has 'borrowed' from along the way.

The comic can be found at this address.


 * A Boy and his Dragon.
 * Action Girl - Ayne, Aunt Naiira, all the Amazons. Most of the female cast, really.
 * All There in the Manual - The website contains a great deal of background information.
 * All Trolls Are Different
 * Art Evolution
 * Artifact of Doom - The staff of Magister Malvenicus (kra-ka-toww!). Maybe.
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny - All pixies. The only reason they don't own the world is that they have the attention span of a mayfly.
 * Deadpan Snarker - Myhrad.
 * Disappeared Dad - Leaf's quest to find his father drives the entire plot.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady - And sometimes the other way around.
 * Cute Kitten - The main reason it's difficult to take "Hell's Pixies" seriously.
 * Facial Markings - the Amazons.
 * Fluffy the Terrible - "Fuzzymuzzy".
 * Hermetic Magic - Malvenicus. (kra-ka-toww!)
 * Hot Amazon - Invoked in-world, strangely enough, resulting in the kidnaping of one of the Amazon tribe.
 * Knight Templar - Subverted and Lampshaded here.
 * Lady Land - No Man's Land.
 * Like Brother and Sister - Leaf and Ayne.
 * Limited Wardrobe - There have been a few costume upgrades, but Ayne and Leaf wear pretty much the same thing every day. It's all practical garb, don't get me wrong...
 * Literal Genie - Pixies in a mischievous mood (which is always).
 * MacGyvering - If any of Leaf's plans ever worked....
 * Magic Music
 * Meaningful Name - Feiht ('thief' backwards, also pronounced 'fate'); Rhyme (a bard who speaks only in verse); Sohac (anagram of 'chaos'), etc.
 * Meet Cute - Leaf and Myhrad.
 * Non-Human Sidekick - Myhrad.
 * One-Gender Race - The Amazons again.
 * Our Dragons Are Different - Only in the case of Myhrad. With other dragons, they're about what you'd expect.
 * Parental Abandonment
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni - Leaf's red Furies.
 * Running Gag - Thunder and lightning at the mere mention of the name of Malvenicus (kra-ka-toww!)
 * Shout Out - Word of God says that Geb the troll is named after the Egyptian god of earth, Ayne is an anagram for Irish singer Enya, and King Nebra III of the dwarves is named after long-time commenter Nebra Reppalk.
 * Sticky Fingers - "My name is Feiht, but most people call me 'Hey! Give that back!'"
 * Team Mom - Ayne to the main cast, the Amazon Queen to the other Amazons.
 * The Cat Came Back - Feiht.
 * Tsundere - A bit heavy on the tsun and light on the dere, but Ayne is a near-perfect example.
 * Twofer Token Minority - Lady Cynthia.
 * Unusual Ears - Elves and pixies.
 * Vague Age - Most of the cast.
 * Walking the Earth
 * Wanted Poster
 * You Can See Me - pixies.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair - Ayne is getting there.
 * Your Mind Makes It Real - How pixie magic works. Fortunately they're easily distracted.