(no subject)
I was reading more chapters of Digger before bed just before dawn. Something had been niggling at the edges of my brain, but I could not figure out what it was.
As I lay back on my sleeping pad, drifting into sleep, it came to me.
In the past, whenever I read a graphic novel (on-line or a book) I had a difficult time keeping the characters apart. Not just their names, but how that character fitted in to the story I was reading. Same was true for non-human characters as for humans. I simply accepted this about me and chalked it up to the difficulty I have in recognizing people and remembering their names. I guess the quirk ties into my Aspieness, but I do not know for sure.
Digger-Of-Unnecessarily-Convoluted-Tunnels (Digger for short) is surrounded/enmeshed in a very complex and convoluted storyline with scads of characters, only a few of which are introduced below. Whenever a character re-appears, I have no problem whatsoever remembering the character, her or his name, and how that being fits into the storyline.
And that is strange indeed. At present, I have no way to know if the disappearance of my old difficulty has been brought about by improvements in my brain/memory due to youthing brought about by HGA stimulation via my current supplement regime, or something in the writing and artwork by ursulav.
Most curious.
BTW, I really like Shadowchild. In one of the chapters there is speculation on Shadowchild's origins. That really excits me.
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Digger
Digger the wombat is the heroine-nominally-of our epic. She’s a wombat, who took a wrong turn and wound up in a strange land far from home. Her interests include geology, engineering, earthworks, and wondering where exactly everybody else around her lost their minds.
Digger is female, but being a marsupial, only another wombat would be able to tell.
Ed
Ed the hyena is an exile from his tribe. “Ed” isn’t his real name, but a moniker given to him by Digger. His original name was “eaten” by his tribe. Hyenas are a matriarchal society, and Ed’s story is a tragic one.
He lives in a cave in the woods of the Cerulean Hills, and paints things on the walls.
Ganesh
The statue of Ganesh is the deus ex machina of Digger’s fate. It is not, however, the god Ganesh. At least, most of the time. It is an avatar of the god, and as such functions mostly independantly. It seems to delight in sending Digger off on difficult missions, despite being an entity of infinite compassion. It is served by a monastery of monks, including several that wear full hoods, and has a complex relationship with the Veiled, the local order of theocratic police.
Murai
Murai is a former member of the Veiled, a worshipper of Ganesh, and apparently a hero. She is also sporadically insane and has the shadow of a god in her head.
She means well.
Grim Eyes
Grim Eyes the hyena is a member of Ed’s tribe, granddaughter of the matriarch, Boneclaw Mother, and a hunt-leader, a position of good standing among hyenas. While initially attempting to kill and eat Digger, she came around after the wombat saved her life, and is now a stalwart, if obnoxious companion.
Shadowchild
The oddest of Digger’s compatriots (and believe me, that’s saying something) is the Shadowchild. Born from a white bird (for a value of born) the Shadowchild is-probably-maybe-a young demon. Largely amoral and extremely powerful, it has latched onto Digger as its primary source of moral guidance.
It eats shadows, which can be fatal to human victims, and describes the shadows of things like oak leaves and fish with the air of a gourmet sampling wines. It tends to appear and disappear without warning. It also seems to mean well, although it’s hard to tell.