We’ve been hearing about this sense of urgency for a couple of weeks now, and it is feeling urgent that they get to Rath, and their frustration over the long trek is shared by us readers who really want to know what sort of catastrophe is taking (or abouth to take) place, but it’s getting to where it can’t really be stretched out longer.
Well the panels seem to be getting shorter, and Digger’s thoughts seem even more ominous, if that’s possible, so we can’t be that far from Rath. I hope nothing happened to the healer, or Ed. I liked them. Also, is it just me or does everyone seem to be looking off in the same direction?
What worries me is what will be there. I expect Rath to be in ruins, and no evidence as to why, but that’s unlikely, given the fact that the sence of IMPENDING doom is still upon us. If Digger feels like the whole world is about to cave in, just like Sabreur said, it’s not going to be pretty.
Man, I feel like that every other day, DIgger.
Hugs help.
Of course in this case, if Rath is a burnt out ruin and Ganesh-the-statue is all broken, hugs won’t help very much at all…! Eeep!
@Hawk: I think Ganesh-the-god would get upset at that point, and become The Remover of Obstacles rather than the God of Compassion. Besides, the Statue had his own premonition – or didn’t you notice that one strip where he sent out messengers to the temples of *other* gods in the region? (or possibly the world….)
It’s hard to imagine Ganesh fighting, but I’m sure, being the God of Compassion, he has a close friendship with the rest of the gods. “Oh, God of Wrath and Vengence, could I ask a favor?”
@JewelWolf
Personally, I’d go talk to the God of War and Destruction, but that’s just me. Of course he might be a little harder to rein back in after winning, but we would win.
@Rowanmdm
That would probably work better. Although, in Greek mythology, there WAS a Goddess of Victory named Nike. She would probably be the most useful out of the three.
Ganesh is, I believe, Shiva’s son. You know, Shiva, Lord of the Dance and Lord of Destruction… So if it really does come to smiting I think Ganesh can do it if necessary.
On the one hand, I hope they get there “in time”… to avert disaster, I guess…. but on the other hand, I almost hope the “storm” “breaks” before they get there, since the whole world feeling like an impending cave-in is a portent of Really Bad Things about to happen, and I can’t bear to wish my friends in the middle of something like that.
In other off-topic, but somewhat Digger-related news, I watched the first two episodes of a new series on the BBC called “Defying Gravity” and was very pleasantly surprised to see Ganesh not only make an appearance (looking just like himself, I may say; as a reader of Digger, I recognized him right off, which was great), but also absolutely “get his props” as remover of obstacles and clearer of the way. The series is about a manned space mission from Earth that is going to 7 planets in our solar system. At the space station before leaving on the actual journey (which will last 6 years) one of the crew– a worshipper of Ganesh– was replaced by his alternate due to a previously unseen, possibly previously non-existent, medical condition, This was, unsurprisingly, quite confusing to the man, especially as a worshipper of Ganesh, having a big “NO! Not that way!!” dropped on him at the very last minute, after Ganesh had presumably helped him clear so many obstacles to get there in the first place. So, being a sensible guy 🙂 , he painted his face in the traditional manner, put on a space suit and he and his Ganesh statuette went for a (space) walk (in Earth orbit) to meditate on the matter. When the shuttle pilot carrying the alternate crew member diverted from docking to pick him up (against orders, but that’s another story, and why you should watch this show if you can), he and Ganesh were sitting on the ship’s hull, having reached no definitive conclusion to their difference of opinion. The alternate crew member was able to convince Ajay to come aboard the shuttle and return to Earth… but not before he did something he “had to do”.
When the ship left a few hours later on the 6-year voyage, the wide angle of the momentous occasion clearly showed Ganesh ensconced on the hull, exactly as he should be (being Ganesh and all). I certainly wouldn’t want to go on a 6 year exploratory space voyage without the explicit protection and guidance of Ganesh, and I’m really glad that the characters in the show didn’t have to, and more glad that the writers and producers not only chose Ganesh to ‘bless’ the ship, but didn’t shortchange him (as so often happens with “other” religions’ holy figures).
And it was just nice to have a little touch of association with Digger unexpectedly in “real life”. No wombats to be seen though (just some rabbit embryos 🙁 )
i got a little smile (as well as a raised eyebrow) out of spotting the rat, complete with apparent mini-tabard, in that linked Ganesh picture. no wings though, darn it, and not white either.
Well TekServer, it depends on which definition of smite Ganesh chooses, and of course he could be lying. Gods are known to lie or at least bend the truth if it serves their interests…
I love how you can come up with metaphors that it seems we shouldn’t be able to relate to, but you still manage to convey exactly a feeling we can all recognise. It’s genius.
@motub, I saw some of defying gravity as well, and the Ganesha on the hull was breathtaking. Although i never saw the end of that program what i saw looked good. At the moment i’m stalking “Being Human” on BBC I-player: A, because i liked the first series and B, on the off chance the will be a mention of vampire squash.
And yes digger. I know that feeling. Ominous anticipation is probably best described as an itch, although i cannot think of an example other that Digger were that simile is used. Neil Gaiman came close in American Gods, but like so many others he used the metaphor of an oncoming storm. That is , provided it is a metaphor. Digger seldom uses metaphor, although her simile is pretty colourful. AS she uses “Like” this is a simile, indicating that her claw literally itch/tingle when impending cave-ins are coming. If so I want: that would be VERY useful in archaeology, especially if you could fine-tune it to detect not big dangerous cave inns, but the point were you should stop trying to get the balk or side wall of a trench smooth because if you take any more off it’s going to collapse a bit and you’ll have to clear up the fallen soil of the nice clan trench floor you were about to photograph and plan-in, and start smoothing the damn wall off all over again if you ever want to get that section drawing dome.
… Unless this a simile pertaining to a metaphor, for example “It was like that time she embarrassed me and i just DIED.” (and people who say “And i literally DIED ” to express acute embarrassment have always annoyed me disproportionately) an her claws do not tingle, but this was like what they would feel like if the aforementioned tingling was not metaphorical, which I doubt it is.
… and what if the oncoming disaster involved a literal cave in? then the “cave in” referred in the feeling that may or may not be metaphorical as discussed above, would be the both the metaphor and the thing itself; such as in the Watership Down chapter “The Thunder Breaks” Where the breaking of the metaphorical oncoming storm of the tension sounding Thlayli and Hyzenthlay’s planed escape from Efrafa culminates in the fight with General Woundwort at the same time an actual summer storm breaks (except that it doesn’t because this is a book), providing an appropriate emotional backdrop, a literary device known as the Physical Leitmotif at the same time proving that according to Richard Adam’s Hampshire is what TV tropes would call an Empathic Landscape. That would be pretty cool… even if it was only a metaphor… or maybe a simile… or maybe real…
Holy snout in the last panel. Also, I get the same itch in between my claws as well.
Given what we know about wombats, that last line is pretty ominous.
We’ve been hearing about this sense of urgency for a couple of weeks now, and it is feeling urgent that they get to Rath, and their frustration over the long trek is shared by us readers who really want to know what sort of catastrophe is taking (or abouth to take) place, but it’s getting to where it can’t really be stretched out longer.
Well the panels seem to be getting shorter, and Digger’s thoughts seem even more ominous, if that’s possible, so we can’t be that far from Rath. I hope nothing happened to the healer, or Ed. I liked them. Also, is it just me or does everyone seem to be looking off in the same direction?
I supppouse thats what impending doom feels like.
That last panel…Digger, Family Guy style?
Aaaand I’m up to date!
Waiting for new pages is going to be torture.
Ursula, you rock. This is definitely one of the best webcomics I’ve seen.
What worries me is what will be there. I expect Rath to be in ruins, and no evidence as to why, but that’s unlikely, given the fact that the sence of IMPENDING doom is still upon us. If Digger feels like the whole world is about to cave in, just like Sabreur said, it’s not going to be pretty.
Digger seems to have gotten more serious since Shadow left…
Man, I feel like that every other day, DIgger.
Hugs help.
Of course in this case, if Rath is a burnt out ruin and Ganesh-the-statue is all broken, hugs won’t help very much at all…! Eeep!
@Hawk: I think Ganesh-the-god would get upset at that point, and become The Remover of Obstacles rather than the God of Compassion. Besides, the Statue had his own premonition – or didn’t you notice that one strip where he sent out messengers to the temples of *other* gods in the region? (or possibly the world….)
It’s hard to imagine Ganesh fighting, but I’m sure, being the God of Compassion, he has a close friendship with the rest of the gods. “Oh, God of Wrath and Vengence, could I ask a favor?”
@JewelWolf
Personally, I’d go talk to the God of War and Destruction, but that’s just me. Of course he might be a little harder to rein back in after winning, but we would win.
@Rowanmdm
That would probably work better. Although, in Greek mythology, there WAS a Goddess of Victory named Nike. She would probably be the most useful out of the three.
I CAN”T TAKE THE ANTICIPATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JewelWolf perhaps this picture will change your mind. Ganesh with an Axe.
http://www.freedompool.org/images/ganesh.jpg
Ganesh is sometimes carries a club as well…
Ganesh is, I believe, Shiva’s son. You know, Shiva, Lord of the Dance and Lord of Destruction… So if it really does come to smiting I think Ganesh can do it if necessary.
“I am not a smiting god.”
– Ganesh
Now Shiva, on the other hand, has been known to deliver some serious Karmic Bitch-Slaps on occasion …
😉
On the one hand, I hope they get there “in time”… to avert disaster, I guess…. but on the other hand, I almost hope the “storm” “breaks” before they get there, since the whole world feeling like an impending cave-in is a portent of Really Bad Things about to happen, and I can’t bear to wish my friends in the middle of something like that.
In other off-topic, but somewhat Digger-related news, I watched the first two episodes of a new series on the BBC called “Defying Gravity” and was very pleasantly surprised to see Ganesh not only make an appearance (looking just like himself, I may say; as a reader of Digger, I recognized him right off, which was great), but also absolutely “get his props” as remover of obstacles and clearer of the way. The series is about a manned space mission from Earth that is going to 7 planets in our solar system. At the space station before leaving on the actual journey (which will last 6 years) one of the crew– a worshipper of Ganesh– was replaced by his alternate due to a previously unseen, possibly previously non-existent, medical condition, This was, unsurprisingly, quite confusing to the man, especially as a worshipper of Ganesh, having a big “NO! Not that way!!” dropped on him at the very last minute, after Ganesh had presumably helped him clear so many obstacles to get there in the first place. So, being a sensible guy 🙂 , he painted his face in the traditional manner, put on a space suit and he and his Ganesh statuette went for a (space) walk (in Earth orbit) to meditate on the matter. When the shuttle pilot carrying the alternate crew member diverted from docking to pick him up (against orders, but that’s another story, and why you should watch this show if you can), he and Ganesh were sitting on the ship’s hull, having reached no definitive conclusion to their difference of opinion. The alternate crew member was able to convince Ajay to come aboard the shuttle and return to Earth… but not before he did something he “had to do”.
When the ship left a few hours later on the 6-year voyage, the wide angle of the momentous occasion clearly showed Ganesh ensconced on the hull, exactly as he should be (being Ganesh and all). I certainly wouldn’t want to go on a 6 year exploratory space voyage without the explicit protection and guidance of Ganesh, and I’m really glad that the characters in the show didn’t have to, and more glad that the writers and producers not only chose Ganesh to ‘bless’ the ship, but didn’t shortchange him (as so often happens with “other” religions’ holy figures).
And it was just nice to have a little touch of association with Digger unexpectedly in “real life”. No wombats to be seen though (just some rabbit embryos 🙁 )
i got a little smile (as well as a raised eyebrow) out of spotting the rat, complete with apparent mini-tabard, in that linked Ganesh picture. no wings though, darn it, and not white either.
Well TekServer, it depends on which definition of smite Ganesh chooses, and of course he could be lying. Gods are known to lie or at least bend the truth if it serves their interests…
{o_O} Ominous! {O_o}
http://cuteoverload.com/2009/10/23/this-just-in-a-baby-wombat-in-a-box/
*heh*
I love how you can come up with metaphors that it seems we shouldn’t be able to relate to, but you still manage to convey exactly a feeling we can all recognise. It’s genius.
Woohoo!
4th pass through the archives completed …
Now that I’ve figured out the RSS feed for new comments, I’ll probably give the archives a rest for a while …
😉
Thanks Morne.
Um, I think Morne’s praise was intended for Ursula …
but, er, your posts were good too …
*shuffles feet*
😉
@motub, I saw some of defying gravity as well, and the Ganesha on the hull was breathtaking. Although i never saw the end of that program what i saw looked good. At the moment i’m stalking “Being Human” on BBC I-player: A, because i liked the first series and B, on the off chance the will be a mention of vampire squash.
And yes digger. I know that feeling. Ominous anticipation is probably best described as an itch, although i cannot think of an example other that Digger were that simile is used. Neil Gaiman came close in American Gods, but like so many others he used the metaphor of an oncoming storm. That is , provided it is a metaphor. Digger seldom uses metaphor, although her simile is pretty colourful. AS she uses “Like” this is a simile, indicating that her claw literally itch/tingle when impending cave-ins are coming. If so I want: that would be VERY useful in archaeology, especially if you could fine-tune it to detect not big dangerous cave inns, but the point were you should stop trying to get the balk or side wall of a trench smooth because if you take any more off it’s going to collapse a bit and you’ll have to clear up the fallen soil of the nice clan trench floor you were about to photograph and plan-in, and start smoothing the damn wall off all over again if you ever want to get that section drawing dome.
… Unless this a simile pertaining to a metaphor, for example “It was like that time she embarrassed me and i just DIED.” (and people who say “And i literally DIED ” to express acute embarrassment have always annoyed me disproportionately) an her claws do not tingle, but this was like what they would feel like if the aforementioned tingling was not metaphorical, which I doubt it is.
… and what if the oncoming disaster involved a literal cave in? then the “cave in” referred in the feeling that may or may not be metaphorical as discussed above, would be the both the metaphor and the thing itself; such as in the Watership Down chapter “The Thunder Breaks” Where the breaking of the metaphorical oncoming storm of the tension sounding Thlayli and Hyzenthlay’s planed escape from Efrafa culminates in the fight with General Woundwort at the same time an actual summer storm breaks (except that it doesn’t because this is a book), providing an appropriate emotional backdrop, a literary device known as the Physical Leitmotif at the same time proving that according to Richard Adam’s Hampshire is what TV tropes would call an Empathic Landscape. That would be pretty cool… even if it was only a metaphor… or maybe a simile… or maybe real…
…wait a second, let me go over this again…
…Is it bad that what BunnyRock said made perfect sense to me?