Finder's Keepers
Finder's Keepers is an Urban Fantasy webcomic focusing on the exploits of Cardinal, Lord and Aspect of the Primary Directions and some other stuff, and Cailyn Asher, the owner of his Soul Jar through a bit of poor choice of words. Now she's being chased by Living Shadows, meeting The Powers That Be face to face, and discovering that pretty much every myth she's ever heard is true... but not always the way she heard it.
Finder's Keepers is written and drawn by Garth Cameron Graham, also the author of the now-ended Slice of Life webcomic Comedity.
Not to be confused with Finders Keepers, the Nickelodeon game show of the same name.
Tropes used in Finder's Keepers include:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: The Cutting Edge. Remember that "many things on this side [of the Veil] are more literal than you might imagine."
- Fridge Logic: It is the line between theory and reality, between what is defined and what isn't, between open and locked, perhaps between knowing and not knowing. It seems Lady Death has given the key to the answer to all questions right at the start of the story but no-one is the wiser.
- Bazaar of the Bizarre: The Wyrd Bazaar.
- Bigger on the Inside: Morlock's shop. According to Cardinal, "Doors don't have to open to the same place on both sides."
- Bilingual Bonus: Sort of. If you know how to read Tarot, then you can see exactly why it is that the fortuneteller in Chapter 5 reacted the way he did.
- Clap Your Hands If You Believe
- Could Say It, But...: Robin leans on this here.
- Deadpan Snarker: Cailyn, mixed with enough Good Old Ways style Fey terminology that she instantly gets on Robin's good side.
- Exact Words: Cailyn refuses to surrender Cardinal's Soul Jar until she knows exactly what's going on. Now Cardinal can't take it back from her until the Umbra explain why they're after him... something they seem reluctant to do.
- Fantasy Gun Control: Justified(scroll down).
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink: "Every myth, every belief, every dream, every nightmare, they all are residents of this side. The Veil separates the Every-Day from the Every-Daydream. If Humanity has dreamt it up, you'll find it lurking around here somewhere."
- Fiery Redhead: Cailyn.
- First-Episode Resurrection: The story begins with a flashback of Cardinal dying, and Cailyn claiming his soul as a result.
- Forgot I Could Find Literally Anything:
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Cailyn: I can take care of myself. |
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- Genre Savvy: Cailyn. Not only does she pick up on things quick, but she remembers legends and myths told to her by her grandmother that prove quite useful when they start coming true.
- Green Eyed Red Head: Cailyn again.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Cardinal.
- Heroes Want Redheads: &c
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Invoked by Cailyn. Cardinal points out that would be Tempting Fate. Cailyn replies that they're trying to find Fate.
- Literal-Minded: EVERYTHING on the Other Side of the Veil is. Intentionally.
- Living Shadow: The Umbra.
- Meaningful Name / Overly Long Name: Cardinal the Finder, Lord and Aspect of the Primary Directions, second son of the Lord Navigator, great-grandson of The Seeker.
- Nightmare Fuel: Something is just wrong about Robin's "BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!!" face near the end of Chapter Two. *SHUDDER*
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Cardinal. He's flirted with Cailyn, but he's utterly unaffected by Lady Death taking a stretch. On his lap.
- Complete with Unsound Effect.
- Perky Goth: Death. She may seem familiar.
- Powers That Be: So far two have been introduced - Lady Scarring, Aspect of Natural Healing, and Death herself; a possible third, the Earth Mother, has been mentioned, as has a for-sure fourth, Fate.
- And, to be painfully exact, the term "Powers That Be" is used to describe what are apparently the most powerful beings in the comic's setting. There are 9 total, listed in the world description page: Bliss, Suffering, Order, Chaos, Energy, Matter, Life, Death, and Void.
- Shout-Out: Oh where to begin...
- Guardian bears a strong resemblance to The Dresden Files Morgan. Of course, some of that resemblance is lost when Cailyn pisses him off.
- A merchant in the bazaar says to a customer, "We don't sell dwagons, just the regular kind."
- Puck chides Cailyn for assuming he would have humanity by reminding her that he isn't human, and that this wasn't some supernatural teen romance.
- Slasher Smile: Morlock's grin is creeeeeeeepy.
- Soul Jar: Cardinal's compass.
- Swiss Army Weapon: The Cutting Edge can unmake you, relocate you via emergency reality surgery, and lock doors if thrown at them, apparently. It's also a bitchin' bracelet.
- The Fair Folk: Pixies are dicks.
- And Robin Goodfellow is a sly little ******.
- The Grim Reaper: The Reapers fit the trope more than Death herself.
- The Morlocks: Or more accurately, Old Man Morlock, who dismisses Cailyn's inquiry about stalking Eloi as "They're not nearly as good eatin' as you'd think." Runs a weapon shop in the Wyrd Bazaar.
- Trickster Archetype: Robin Goodfellow, the one and only.
- Unflappable Guardian: Boris Alexander Charkov, Canid Guardian of the Earth Mother.
- Unusual Euphemism: Cardinals tend to be navigation-based: "Compass and Cross, Cailyn!"
- Urban Fantasy: At least it started that way. Now that they've moved to the Other Side of the Veil it might become more traditional.