Webcomic / Tinderkell

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Tinderkell is an interactive webcomic created by Yitexity and Jasken. It is a “Quest” style fantasy adventure set in a world during the Early Modern Period.

The story follows Glass, the protagonist of Tinderkell: Siltria. She is a Gnomanyan woman who fled to the burgeoning country of Siltria. Though the circumstances surrounding her flight remain unknown, she’s hinted that she escaped an incident in her homeland that nearly led to her demise. During her journey through Siltria, Glass gets accustomed to a new, if not more stable society, encountering strange cultures, technology, factions, and complex political landscapes.

The comic can be found on its main website.

Tinderkell provides examples of the following tropes:

• Affably Evil: Yenkaran can be incredibly diplomatic and levelheaded. Even after Glass slashes him during their first encounter, he stops his companions from attacking her, and peacefully deescalates the situation. The next time they meet, he holds no grudge about it at all, and is nothing but friendly and gracious. He’s such a nice guy…except for the fact that he is also the leader of a cannibalistic murder cult.
• Apocalypse How: Glass’ homeland of Gnomanya is a “societal collapse” version of this. Gnomanya used to be the world’s most advanced civilization, but it devolved into an impoverished and violent failed state due to the destruction caused by an Eldritch Abomination called The Consciousness.
• Barefoot Poverty: Glass initially starts out walking barefoot for whatever reason. Later averted, as it is actually illegal to be barefoot in public in Siltria, so Zeb buys Glass a pair of boots.
• Costume Evolution: Glass's costumes are constantly changing throughout the comic.
• Didn't Think This Through: Glass — egged on by an outpouring of “you can take her!” reader submissions — decides to try to punch Effi, despite the latter being much bigger, stronger, and a seasoned killer with the scars to prove it. Effi dodges the punch and effortlessly beats Glass up.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: According to the official Tinderkell wiki, Zeb is often mistaken for a woman. This is specifically because he is strayborn — ie, a Bovani conceived and born outside of the normal annual Bovani breeding cycle.
• Exact Words: In the Pasturist faith, there is a religious prohibition against “bedding with a hunter.” Both fans and at least one Bovani have interpreted this to mean that having sex with a hunter is okay, as long as it doesn’t involve sleeping in the same bed.
• Friendly Fandoms: There are lots of Prequel Adventures fans in the Tinderkell fandom.
• Interspecies Friendship: Glass is a Sorrova (a vulpine like species) while Zeb is a Bovani.
• Made of Explodium: The Qothic Empire possesses highly sophisticated vehicles called crank engines that run on the power of coiled springs. The problem is, a misalignment or other problem with the intricate machinery inside the crank engine can result in a catastrophic, spontaneous explosion. One such explosion throws Zeb up into the air and into a forest, where he is improbably saved by foliage. Note that this is an incredibly lucky outcome, and crank engine explosions are usually much more lethal. One Qothic emperor even got decapitated while crank engine jousting.
• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Glass is a predator, while Zeb is the vulnerable prey. A skilled athlete and a member of her city's militia back in Gnomanya, Glass is familiar with survival tactics and weapons. In contrast, Zeb is delicate in build, having long lashes and a skittish, nervous demeanor, often mistaken for a woman. During an ambush, Glass remained calm and took control of the situation, while Zeb, overwhelmed by fear, fainted.
• Mistaken Ethnicity: Glass is a Sorrova, but people keep mistaking her for.a related, similar-looking vulpine species called the Sorya. This causes major problems, because the Qothic Empire is currently at war with the Sorya, and fears of Sorya spies (“Soryanoia”) is at a fever pitch.
• Never Learned to Read: Glass is illiterate.
• Oh, Crap!: After falling asleep in the same bed, Zeb wakes up in the middle of the night to find it empty. He looks up to see Glass standing in the corner, her behavior erratic and unsettling. Fearing she might be a predator intent on devouring him, he hides under the blanket, hoping it’s just a nightmare.
• Playing Drunk: In "topside", after unsuccessfully attempting to break down a door on the ship's lower decks, leaving an axe lodged in it, Glass pretends to be drunk to avoid getting into trouble with the captain.
• Predation Is Natural: Some predators hunt and eat prey, others don't. The ones that do argue that it is simply part of their nature.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: In "topside", while pretending to be drunk to avoid trouble after trying to bust down a door, Glass applies this tactic to gain sympathy from the captain.
• Second-Person Narration: As is typical in interactive webcomics, Tinderkell employs second-person narration, speaking directly to you, the reader, as though you are the character being played.
• Switching P.O.V.: For a few installments at the end of chapter 2, the story shifts the point of view to Zeb.
• Sudden Video Game Moment: There's a few moments where videogame UI elements are drawn and animated:
  • In "Roast Time", a quest log appears reminding Glass of her objectives.
  • In "Elaborate", a skill check text pop-up appears.
• The Alcoholic: Iron Bottle is a drunkard who helped Glass escape Gnomanya.
• There Is Only One Bed: In "Dinner with Zeb," Glass and Zeb share the only bed in his bedroom, as his faith forbids guests from sleeping on the floor. Zeb feels uneasy, fearing that Glass, a predator, might pose a threat to him—though he can’t ignore the conflicting attraction he’s starting to feel toward her.
• Trial by Combat: In Cohv, lawyers are expected to also be capable of settling legal disputes with sharp objects if sharply worded legal arguments fail to do the trick. Zeb’s cousin Janko is a lawyer of this kind.
• World of Mammals: The world of Tinderkell consists of anthropomorphic mammals of original species based off existing species. Glass, the protagonist, is a Sorrova, a vulpine-like species.