“Idiot! Do you think answers come free in this world?”
Now that you mention it…. yeah. The important ones come ‘free’ for the asking-and-paying-attention-for-the-answers. “who am I? who are you? do you love me? (are you my mommy? is that my cow? /obVimes)”
…Come to think, SGV has a lot in common with the Summoning Dark. May it find Shadowchild as hard a morsel to swallow as the Summoning Dark found Vimes!
I definitely had an “Oh shit….” moment in that last panel. Then I started cackling, because if SGV is stretched too thin to do it him/her self, or too weak to do anything but manipulate, then I doubt it can stand up to SC.
Yeah, I’m still wondering what SGV has up his/her dark sleeve–if demons even need sleeves, that is. They’re demons, after all. Definitely in agreement with everyone else: wondering if he/she’s going to pull an Emperor Palpatine on ShadowChild.
…Nobody sees the alternate perspective here- SC has already accepted that he and SCV are the same kind of being, and has just declared that be believes that SGV is evil- so depending on how Ursula swings this, SC might very well believe himself evil now, too.
\o/!!! OH yeah! Get ’em, get ’em, get ’em!!! But man oh man, I just hope that the rest of the party doesn’t wake up and see Fierce!Shadowchild and think it’s after them. AAAARGH TUESDAY GET HER FAST PLEASE.
Does anyone else notice that Shadowchild keeps saying “She”, not Digger? And as all of the others are female I wonder who the other demon thinks Shadowchild is refering too…..
Damn! Go ShadowChild! Seems it has picked up a bit of wisdom along the way. Remember that SGV is stretched out very far (and still at least partially bound also) — if it was able to, SGV would kill Digger and party itself, because it knows what they intend to do. Remember also ShadowChild’s comments on being stretched way out – it couldn’t really do much when stretched, though it looked impressive. So SGV will likely have to cut and run here. A truly epic page.
What a great episode to catch up on. I’m at least a little disappointed that I haven’t been reading this for its entire run… but at the same time, being able to “flip” through Ed’s story (and other multi-episode sub-stories) and experience that much heartwrench in so little time was fantastic.
Keep up the good work, and if anyone tries to drag you out in the backyard and shoot you for doing another webcomic epic, I’ll rattle them off a bridge and pull them back up, and make them reread Digger.
YAY SHADOW!! I would like to hug him in celebration of this fine decision, but he looks kinda scary right now. Perhaps I’ll wait š Still, I hope he doesn’t have to actually fight SGV, but that SGV will just cut his losses and leave before someone wakes up. I really don’t think little Shadowchild is a match for this kind of demon.
Surprising lack of finesse for such an old and accomplished demon. Sweetgrass must be nervous, or impatient for some reason.
Yay Shadowchild! Sharp little adorable teeth!! ^ww^
You do have a point though– especially since SGV has so little interest in/respect for the “worms” he wants destroyed, I wonder if he’s even noticed their gender one way or the other. I wonder if demons even have gender, so SC’s reference to some mortal’s gender as if it was even important to know enough about to refer to could well be a) like gibberish to “him”, and b) further evidence of Shadowchild’s “corruption” (funny thought, that a demon could be corrupted by mortals and their concern over Good and Evil).
But you wouldn’t so much think that a demon, much less SGV, would be very concerned with parenting issues in any case, so perhaps this whole “saving the demon child from corruption” is just … smoke and mirrors… anyway; just another bit of leverage that SGV is trying to use to induce Shadowchild to do what it wants, which remains its most important consideration.
And hey…! Wait a minute!!! “We are born in the black hearts of stars”??? Well, maybe SGV was, but Shadowchild specifically was not— Shadowchild hatched/woke/whatever in the rotting corpse of a white bird.
Does that/can that mean that Shadowchild is as different from a “natural” demon as He-is himself was from the white bird he temorarily… inhabited (which endgendered Shadowchild)?
What is Shadowchild…? I know it looks like a demon and shares some qualities with the only other demon we know, but now that I think about it, I begin to feel that it may be something quite unique…
I just want to say that this is the most engaging, interesting and stylistic webcomic I’ve been able to come across. Nothing else compares! Thank you for a wicked read….
Contrary to popular belief, I’d say Shadowchild is quite able to hold his/its own against most any kind of monster…and is getting ready to do some major demon butt-kicking. ]};-)
The chair of Philosophy would like to present a description of the strange creature Shadow Child as a Hegelian dialectic.
Thesis: Demon creature
Anti-Thesis:Anthromorphic wombat
Synthesis: Shadow Child.
That is all.
“And now, in the red cornah, making a spectac-u-lar comeback attempt after an ages-long retiahment in the Nether Regions – that Epitome of Evil, that Tower of Temp-tation, that Legendary Lord of Lies himself: SWEET- GR-RASS VOICE!”
“And in the blue cornah, making a world premiere appearance on Sup-er-Natural Smackdown, the rookie ev’ryone’s been talking about, the up- and-coming Darling Demi-Demon: the one and on-ly KID SHADOW – CHEIILD!!!”
Then again, Shadowchild might be the only way the heroes can beat Sweetgrass Voice, in any form – otherwise, it’d just eat their shadows, and without the magic swords of the Veiled, there wouldn’t be a lot they could do about it.
Still. If they’re about to throw down with the main antagonist from the creation myth of an entire race, it deserves an epic showdown, or a clever one, and I hope Sweetgrass Voice gets his.
And I’m really expecting that sock to be relevant at some point.
Incidentally, since a lot of people keep saying it, Sweetgrass Voice’s claim that demons are born in the black hearts of stars and Shadowchild’s claim that he was born from a dead bird are not incompatible. They’re both unreliable, and on top of that the former is a known manipulator and the latter is a known ignoramus.
When He-Is was a bird, he was indeed the color of ash, which I guess is whitish (ashen usually means gray or pale, even though I always thought of ashes as black). But, as the Statue of Ganesh pointed out, bird symbolism is very common across cultures. Shadowchild could just as easily have come from anywhere else and not that white bird. (Also, Shadowchild said the bird was dead when he was born from it, no?)
Tangent: I saw a recommendation for _Nurk_ yesterday! In a textbook-to-be!
I work in textbook publishing, and _Nurk_ was included in a list of “suggested trade book titles” for teaching the fantasy genre to fourth-graders. Yay Ursula! š
This is the first time since Ed’s story since I’ve been on the edge of my seat for the next week to roll around. I doubt if Digger and co. will wake up though, what’s the sound of shadows fighting, after all?
YAY *SHADOWCHILD!!!!!!*
*grins* I just very nearly escaped cheering out loud (loudly!!) at my desk at work!
eeeee! *bounces in her chair* I’m so excited every T/TH now just because of Digger updates!
Also?
“Idiot! Do you think answers come free in this world?”
Now that you mention it…. yeah. The important ones come ‘free’ for the asking-and-paying-attention-for-the-answers. “who am I? who are you? do you love me? (are you my mommy? is that my cow? /obVimes)”
…Come to think, SGV has a lot in common with the Summoning Dark. May it find Shadowchild as hard a morsel to swallow as the Summoning Dark found Vimes!
š woooooooooooooooooo! š
…wait, we won’t see what happens next till tuesday!?!?
D: noooooooooooooooooo! D:
I definitely had an “Oh shit….” moment in that last panel. Then I started cackling, because if SGV is stretched too thin to do it him/her self, or too weak to do anything but manipulate, then I doubt it can stand up to SC.
Yeah, I’m still wondering what SGV has up his/her dark sleeve–if demons even need sleeves, that is. They’re demons, after all. Definitely in agreement with everyone else: wondering if he/she’s going to pull an Emperor Palpatine on ShadowChild.
Nice cliffhanger, Ursula. D:
Very perceptive of you, Shadowchild. Now, remember, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Kevinbunny, I do believe you got it spot on. “Crowning Moment of Awesome”, indeed.
I squeed. And made all sorts of other impressed and happy noises.
Have never posted a comment before, but I’m just so excited to read today’s page. I’m loving it!
GO SHADOWCHILD, GO!!!
…Nobody sees the alternate perspective here- SC has already accepted that he and SCV are the same kind of being, and has just declared that be believes that SGV is evil- so depending on how Ursula swings this, SC might very well believe himself evil now, too.
OH SNAP! š
Ursula, This has been an incredible journey. I’m loving Shadowchild. I want my own. I can only hope that my upcoming wecomic is half as good as yours.
\o/!!! OH yeah! Get ’em, get ’em, get ’em!!! But man oh man, I just hope that the rest of the party doesn’t wake up and see Fierce!Shadowchild and think it’s after them. AAAARGH TUESDAY GET HER FAST PLEASE.
*squees for demonic, assertive Shadowchild*
Shadowchild is, like, baby!Guarding Dark. Seriously.
Does anyone else notice that Shadowchild keeps saying “She”, not Digger? And as all of the others are female I wonder who the other demon thinks Shadowchild is refering too…..
Damn! Go ShadowChild! Seems it has picked up a bit of wisdom along the way. Remember that SGV is stretched out very far (and still at least partially bound also) — if it was able to, SGV would kill Digger and party itself, because it knows what they intend to do. Remember also ShadowChild’s comments on being stretched way out – it couldn’t really do much when stretched, though it looked impressive. So SGV will likely have to cut and run here. A truly epic page.
eat ‘im, eat ‘im, eat ‘im!
What a great episode to catch up on. I’m at least a little disappointed that I haven’t been reading this for its entire run… but at the same time, being able to “flip” through Ed’s story (and other multi-episode sub-stories) and experience that much heartwrench in so little time was fantastic.
Keep up the good work, and if anyone tries to drag you out in the backyard and shoot you for doing another webcomic epic, I’ll rattle them off a bridge and pull them back up, and make them reread Digger.
Oh SNAP!
IT’S ON NOW!
…I hope Shadowchild can actually do it, though. Don’t die, kid! ;_;
ysabet: If demons can eat the shadows of old socks, do you suppose ferrets are working for them?
YAY SHADOW!! I would like to hug him in celebration of this fine decision, but he looks kinda scary right now. Perhaps I’ll wait š Still, I hope he doesn’t have to actually fight SGV, but that SGV will just cut his losses and leave before someone wakes up. I really don’t think little Shadowchild is a match for this kind of demon.
Surprising lack of finesse for such an old and accomplished demon. Sweetgrass must be nervous, or impatient for some reason.
Yay Shadowchild! Sharp little adorable teeth!! ^ww^
I’m hoping that the rest of the group wakes up now and helps SC duke it out with SGV!
That’s our boy!! Digger would be so proud of him!
@Rowan: yes, it is true that SC keeps saying she rather than calling Digger by name (did Digger ever introduce herself by name? She must have), but we know that it was specifically Digger who said “Evil doesn’t look like anything, or like a lot of things”, so at least we know which female it means.
You do have a point though– especially since SGV has so little interest in/respect for the “worms” he wants destroyed, I wonder if he’s even noticed their gender one way or the other. I wonder if demons even have gender, so SC’s reference to some mortal’s gender as if it was even important to know enough about to refer to could well be a) like gibberish to “him”, and b) further evidence of Shadowchild’s “corruption” (funny thought, that a demon could be corrupted by mortals and their concern over Good and Evil).
But you wouldn’t so much think that a demon, much less SGV, would be very concerned with parenting issues in any case, so perhaps this whole “saving the demon child from corruption” is just … smoke and mirrors… anyway; just another bit of leverage that SGV is trying to use to induce Shadowchild to do what it wants, which remains its most important consideration.
And hey…! Wait a minute!!! “We are born in the black hearts of stars”??? Well, maybe SGV was, but Shadowchild specifically was not— Shadowchild hatched/woke/whatever in the rotting corpse of a white bird.
Does that/can that mean that Shadowchild is as different from a “natural” demon as He-is himself was from the white bird he temorarily… inhabited (which endgendered Shadowchild)?
What is Shadowchild…? I know it looks like a demon and shares some qualities with the only other demon we know, but now that I think about it, I begin to feel that it may be something quite unique…
YES!!!!
Sorry, but that was my instant reaction. Complete with fist pumping the air and cats looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
I just want to say that this is the most engaging, interesting and stylistic webcomic I’ve been able to come across. Nothing else compares! Thank you for a wicked read….
motub: or else soi-disant SGV is telling pork-pies.
Argent: oh yeah, right. He lies. About anything and everything…. sigh.
“This is complcated!” (and yes, I really did grip my head and shut my eyes just like Shadowchild did when it said that….)
fuck. YEA.
Contrary to popular belief, I’d say Shadowchild is quite able to hold his/its own against most any kind of monster…and is getting ready to do some major demon butt-kicking. ]};-)
*wants to hug ShadowChild SO MUCH*
The chair of Philosophy would like to present a description of the strange creature Shadow Child as a Hegelian dialectic.
Thesis: Demon creature
Anti-Thesis:Anthromorphic wombat
Synthesis: Shadow Child.
That is all.
Ooooooh! It’s on now..
I certainly hope the Shadowchild can hold his own against a fully trained demon.
**DING** (pulls down mike)
“And now, in the red cornah, making a spectac-u-lar comeback attempt after an ages-long retiahment in the Nether Regions – that Epitome of Evil, that Tower of Temp-tation, that Legendary Lord of Lies himself: SWEET- GR-RASS VOICE!”
“And in the blue cornah, making a world premiere appearance on Sup-er-Natural Smackdown, the rookie ev’ryone’s been talking about, the up- and-coming Darling Demi-Demon: the one and on-ly KID SHADOW – CHEIILD!!!”
“Ladies, gennelmen AND wombats —
LET’S GET RREADY TO RRRUMBLE!!!!!!” 7X=E
*sigh* I love Shadowchild…
Unfortunately I don’t think Shadowchild will find SGV thinks he’s particularly scary in that form. And, as he previously explained to Digger, you can’t actually do much when you’re all stretched out like that.
Yee-haaa!
Oh heck yes. š
Eeee! Go Shadowchild! *claps*
Remember what I said last about SC eating SGV’s “shadow”…? I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
The Shadowchild won’t eat him or his shadow.
Sweetgrass Voice can talk.
I really hope a good villain isn’t wasted here.
Then again, Shadowchild might be the only way the heroes can beat Sweetgrass Voice, in any form – otherwise, it’d just eat their shadows, and without the magic swords of the Veiled, there wouldn’t be a lot they could do about it.
Still. If they’re about to throw down with the main antagonist from the creation myth of an entire race, it deserves an epic showdown, or a clever one, and I hope Sweetgrass Voice gets his.
And I’m really expecting that sock to be relevant at some point.
Incidentally, since a lot of people keep saying it, Sweetgrass Voice’s claim that demons are born in the black hearts of stars and Shadowchild’s claim that he was born from a dead bird are not incompatible. They’re both unreliable, and on top of that the former is a known manipulator and the latter is a known ignoramus.
When He-Is was a bird, he was indeed the color of ash, which I guess is whitish (ashen usually means gray or pale, even though I always thought of ashes as black). But, as the Statue of Ganesh pointed out, bird symbolism is very common across cultures. Shadowchild could just as easily have come from anywhere else and not that white bird. (Also, Shadowchild said the bird was dead when he was born from it, no?)
Lucius A.: You missed your calling!! That was awesome.
@Gramina: It goes “HRUUUGGGH!” That is not my cow! That is a hippopotamus!
Go Shadow go! And if you need help, remember your favorite wombat is right nearby, and I doubt she’d be impressed. š
> And Iām really expecting that sock to be relevant at some point.
Oddly enough, I had the same thought. Hmm…
š
Tangent: I saw a recommendation for _Nurk_ yesterday! In a textbook-to-be!
I work in textbook publishing, and _Nurk_ was included in a list of “suggested trade book titles” for teaching the fantasy genre to fourth-graders. Yay Ursula! š
Go Shadowchild!!!
I’m sure I speak for others here when I say: YES!
This is the first time since Ed’s story since I’ve been on the edge of my seat for the next week to roll around. I doubt if Digger and co. will wake up though, what’s the sound of shadows fighting, after all?