Line #12 Webcomic/Shadowgirls


1	[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shadowgirls_1764.jpg]]
2
3	"Creator/HPLovecraft [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''Series/GilmoreGirls''" -- Possibly with a dash of Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer in the mix.
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5	Fifteen-year-old Charon [=McKay=] mysteriously disappears from the small coastal town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts and returns several months later, naked, delirious, and pregnant with no memory of anything that happened during the time she was missing. The mystery is considered solved when her post-return medical exam uncovers an operable brain tumor, but her best friend, Jackson Snow, is still sufficiently freaked out about it to ditch Charon for RichBitch Christmas "Chrissy" Banks, Charon's local tormentor and rival for Jack's affections. Seizing her opportunity, Chrissy seals her victory by using her family connections to permanently ruin Charon's reputation. After undergoing treatment for her tumor, Charon eventually gives birth to a daughter, Rebecka, who she endeavors to raise as best she can despite the situation.
6
7	Fast forward fifteen years. Charon is an (in)famous figure in Innsmouth society, but lavishes love and care on her daughter, who has turned out remarkably well considering the circumstances. However, a chance meeting with Jack (now married to Chrissy and with a daughter of his own) stokes old memories and rivalries between Chrissy and Charon, while Chrissy's daughter Misty is proving that she's her mother's daughter, albeit more devious. While Chrissy ambushing Charon outside a bar with a baseball bat and Misty setting Becka up for a fall at a local party may seem like dramatic antics, the bloody murder of Chrissy's posse by fish monsters and the monsters' own gory deaths thanks to Charon's [[TheBerserker triggered powers]], at the same time as Becka's own powers trigger and draw more monsters to her, hint that all is not right with the world. Especially as the monsters repeat one theme over and over. "Shadowchild. Find. Shadowchild. KILL."
8
9	On the run from the police (thanks to Chrissy's post-traumatic blaming of Charon for the murders), mother and daughter must now confront the eldritch powers that are lurking in the shadows of Innsmouth, as an AncientConspiracy's plan just hit high gear and the duo are the only ones that have a chance in hell of stopping it.
10
11	''Shadowgirls'' is a webcomic created by David Rodriguez and Dave Reynolds. Hitting every point from horror to action to comedy to {{Fanservice}}, ''Shadowgirls'' is a unique but excellent work. Sadly, it ended in 2011.
12
13	It has since been taken offline, to be sold in physical form.
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15	----
16	!!Provides Examples Of:
17
18	* AbusiveParents: Subverted.
19	-->'''Becka:''' I'm not worried about the party, I'm worried about my mom. If she finds out I left your house to come to a rave, she'll beat me unconscious.\
20	'''Lin:''' Please. Your mom never laid a hand on you.\
21	'''Becka:''' And yet I'm still terrified. Doesn't that say something to you?
22	* ActionGirl: Charon, Becka, Lin.
23	* ActionMom: Charon
24	* AdultsAreUseless: They're not. At least [[spoiler:those that don't need to be rescued from a FateWorseThanDeath. Or the ones working for the bad guys.]]
25	* AlphaBitch: Misty, again. [[spoiler:Christmas starts out as one but gets better.]]
26	* AltText
27	* AttemptedRape: Becka was lucky her powers [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening chose that moment to activate]].
28	* BadassFamily: Charon and Becka [=McKay=].
29	* BadassNormal: Lin. [[spoiler:Christmas appears to be one after she TookALevelInBadass, until a flashback reveals she's got powers instead]].
30	** Jack Snow is definitely no slouch as the high-powered attorney with the body of a high school linebacker. [[spoiler:Sawyer taking out the EOD guy sent to off him from his hospital bed in a short-range firefight]] would also qualify.
31	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Becka's grandmother... a.k.a. the Master of the Order of Dagon. Ouch.]]
32	* BerserkButton: [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/the-drywall-blues-2/ Do NOT tell Jackson Snow that he spent the past 93 hours awake and away from his family for no reason.]]
33	** Say an unkind word about Becka when Charon is within earshot. Go on, [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-1-broken-dreams/all-grown-up/ try it]].
34	* BizarreSexualDimorphism: Is [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/posters/the-little-deep-one/ she]] supposed to be the same species as [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-3-best-friends/edge-of-reason/ these guys]]?
35	* BrickJoke: Remember Chip and his friends? [[AssholeVictim The guys]] [[DateRape who tried to rape]] Becka? [[spoiler:Charon [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-8-epilogue/epilogue-part-two/ wasn't]] [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-8-epilogue/epilogue-part-three/ quite finished]] [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-8-epilogue/epilogue-part-eight/ with them]].]]
36	* {{Brainwashing}}: The order "speeds up" recruitment and indoctrination by using a very... disturbing method to do it.
37	* CannonFodder: Mother Hydra used [[spoiler:the Slaads this way, knowing they couldn't resist]]. This leads [[spoiler:[[NobleDemon Deep One Prime]]]] to lead [[spoiler:his fellow Deep Ones in a [[CurbstompBattle short-lived rebellion]].]]
38	* CarFu: Lampshaded.
39	-->'''Deep One prime:''' You need only say the word, and it will be done.\
40	'''Becca:''' Vehicular Homicide.
41	* ConservationOfNinjutsu: One Deep One or Progenitor is incredibly dangerous, a whole army of them [[spoiler:[[CurbStompBattle end up getting mowed down by the Shadowchild and the Master]].]]
42	* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:The end result of Robert and the other Deep Ones attempting to stop Mother Hydra.]]
43	* CuteMonsterGirl: [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/night-of-the-progenitors/cold-comfort-part-one/ Chrissy's mother]].
44	* DarkIsNotEvil: When two female protagonists have shadow-based powers, and the primary antagonist is light-based, this one is obvious.
45	* DateRapeAverted
46	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Charon [[spoiler:realizes the Shadowchild is trying to mind-control Becka. She rips her out of her daughter's mind with her bare hands.]]
47	* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:The Master]] is taken out by [[spoiler:Chrissy when she goes MamaBear]] regarding Mother Hydra's [[spoiler:possession of her daughter]].
48	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In the "Tantrums" arc of book 2, the [[spoiler:[[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/tanrums-part-vi/ mysterious spider-creature's assault]] [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/tantrums-part-vii/ on Becka]] seems to resemble a rape.]]
49	* DoggedNiceGuy: Deconstructed [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-2/flashing-back-part-three/ in]] ''Flashing Back'', where Jackson decides to stand up for himself instead of just being Charon's best friend, on the advice of the "jerk" Charon is seeing, named Gage, who keeps trying to manipulate her into sex. Note that when he does tell her, [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/flashing-back-part-thirteen/ she reveals that she knew already]], and uses the same manipulative techniques [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/flashing-back-part-four/ Gage used earlier]][[note]]Attempting to put the blame on the target for not wanting to do what the manipulator wants, and using "if you really loved me" ultimatums[[/note]]. Gage wanted sex from Charon, and Charon wanted emotional intimacy from Jack. The DramaticIrony is, we know that Jackson ends up falling in love with, getting married to, and having a child with the AlphaBitch, Chrissy, even though he still loves Charon to some extent, and Charon becomes the town bicycle.
50	* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Mother Hydra]], especially in her true form.
51	* EnemyMine: Chrissy and the [=McKays=] in the first season, when faced with Missy/Mother Hydra and their [[OmnicidalManiac threat to all of reality]].
52	* EvilIsEasy: Give the fifteen year old girl a microphone:
53	-->'''Becka:''' If you have two choices, you can usually tell which one is right. Because it's the hardest one.
54	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Robert]].
55	* {{Fanservice}}: Charon has so much that when when the creators announced a contest involving drawing the best Halloween costume idea for her, Becka [[BreakingTheFourthWall begged readers not to go overboard]] because her mom can barely keep her clothes on already.
56	* FantasyKitchenSink: [[spoiler:Apparently, not only is this is a world of Franchise/CthulhuMythos, but also vampires, werewolves, and aliens. And Lovecraft was a part of an organization dedicated to passing the knowledge of how to fight them to the rest of humanity, masked as a fiction.]]
57	* FishPeople
58	* {{Foil}}: Charon and Christmas, Becka and Misty, Shadowchild and Mother Hydra.
59	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Misty's speech bubbles are [[AltText subtly outlined in yellow]], indicating that there's more to her than meets the eye...
60	* FusionDance: Done by [[spoiler:Charon and Becka to form/summon the true Shadowchild.]]
61	* GlowingEyesOfDoom
62	* GoneHorriblyRight: Removing Charon's "tumor" before she gave birth prevented the full shadow powers from being passed to Becka.
63	* GoodOldFisticuffs: Charon is apparently quite skilled at this, although it helps that she carries around a set of brass knuckles with the word [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch "Bitch"]] imprinted on them in reverse, so she leaves "Bitch"-shaped bruises where she hits.
64	** After [[spoiler:the fusion dance]], the Shadow Girl is carrying a set of eldritch knuckles with runes covering it. Three guesses what they translate to, first two don't count.
65	* GoodIsNotNice: Played straight; one of the better examples is after [[spoiler:Paul stops Lin from killing the Bloodwatch member and then hooks them up to their own brainwashing equipment before leaving. Said equipment is described to leave the victim in a frenzied drugged-out state.]]
66	* GirlPosse: And guess who's leading them (or just look at the AlphaBitch category above).
67	** The AlphaBitch's Mom also has a (former) GirlPosse: [[LaserGuidedKarma They get slaughtered.]]
68	* GroinAttack: Becca kicks Chip so hard in the balls that [[BloodFromtheMouth he vomits blood]].
69	* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Christmas "Chrissy" Snow, though she doesn't know it..]]
70	* HeelFaceTurn: Lin betrayed Becka, but [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realized what she did]] and went back to try to save her. They eventually reconcile. [[spoiler:Deep One Prime/Robert and his two best friends, after they saw Mother Hydra use their Progenitors/the Slaads as CannonFodder]]. It turns out a [[CurbStompBattle bit less successful]].
71	** [[spoiler:Christmas]] in season 2, in a big way.
72	* HoldMyGlasses: In Book/Season 1, Chapter 4, after Charon regains her lucidity.
73	* HollywoodCyborg: A few secondary characters.
74	* HunterOfHisOwnKind: [[spoiler:The Shadowchild is not very different from the beings she fights]].
75	* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Played straight with [[spoiler:Paul]], who stopped [[spoiler:Lin]] from killing [[spoiler:the Bloodwatch member that almost {{Brainwashed}} him]].
76	* IKnowYourTrueName: Immensely important, given the value of "true names" in the setting. Becka being willing to tell [[spoiler:TheDragon]] her full name without any fear is regarded as an immensely brave act. Similarly, knowledge of the being the Shadowchild is a fragment of's true name ([[spoiler:Nodens]]) allows her to be summoned [[spoiler:the first time]].
77	* IncrediblyLamePun: Christmas "Chrissy" and Mistletoe "Misty" Snow, by [[WordOfGod the author's own admission]].
78	* InterspeciesRomance
79	* JerkJock: Chip. [[spoiler:But Charon gave him a good lesson]].
80	* KickTheDog: Misty is good at it, before and after [[spoiler:DemonicPossession]].
81	* LighterAndSofter: 'Shadowgirls' might not come across as all that cheery, what with the rampant carnage and monsters... until you compare it to the stuff that Lovecraft himself wrote. This series is ''vastly'' more idealistic than most works that connect to the Franchise/CthulhuMythos.
82	** Case in point: the most honorable creature Becka met "looked like... well... a giant lobster thing". Also, [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/posters/the-little-deep-one/ The Little Deep One]].
83	* LightIsNotGood: Mother Hydra.
84	* LoserSonOfLoserDad: Becka and Charon.
85	* LovecraftCountry: The action takes place in Innsmouth. Yes, ''that'' Innsmouth.
86	* LovecraftLite: The webcomic is set in Innsmouth, involves the Esoteric Order of Dagon, and has shoutouts to [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft's]] "Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth". You also have other things [[spoiler:and people]] working against the Old Ones [[spoiler:who manage to pull off a pretty solid win at the end of the first season]].
87	* LoveTriangle: Even though Jack married Christmas, it took him ''fifteen years'' to make a real decision between her and Charon.
88	* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:The Master of the Esoteric Order of Dagon is actually Charon's mother, Moira. Charon and Becka are currently unaware of this fact.]]
89	* MamaBear: Charon. Also, [[spoiler:Chrissy]] has her moments.
90	* MadScientist
91	* MeaningfulName: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_%28mythology%29 Charon]]
92	** Not quite, as it's pronounced [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/health-care/ differently]] in the comic.
93	* OddFriendship: Christmas and Charon.
94	* OmnicidalManiac: Misty/Mother Hydra.
95	* ParentalAbandonment: Charon was raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her by faking her death in a fire.
96	** Chrissy has most likely never met her mother, based on her backstory.
97	%%* ProductPlacement: Is there ''nothing'' that [[Advertising/HostessFruitPies snack cakes]] can't solve?
98	* ReallyGetsAround: Charon is well-known around town for this.
99	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Robert and his friends.]]
100	* RedemptionPromotion: [[spoiler:Christmas Snow.]]
101	* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler:Becka regrets that she couldn't save Misty, even though she's aware of the possible AlternateCharacterInterpretation.]]
102	* SharedUniverse: With other webcomics like ''Starkweather'', and with the Franchise/CthulhuMythos.
103	** And with the RP that exists in the forums. Whenever you see characters like Hera and Tain popping up, that's a forumite crossover.
104	* ShockParty: Becca almost gets gang-raped in one of these.
105	* ShoutOut [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] SelfDeprecation when one of ''Starkweather'' characters insults ''Shadowgirls'' and its creators [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/a-hardcover-sorta-thang/ here]]. Also, the artist tends to sneak in little {{Shout Out}}s to his friends in the art.
106	** Becka's ringtone [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-2-imprisoned/ambushed/ appears to be]] the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' theme.
107	* TellMeAboutMyFather: very awkward, when you don't actually know.
108	* ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Lampshaded by two Deep Ones [[http://www.shadowgirlscomic.com/comics/book-1/chapter-3-best-friends/edge-of-reason/ here]].
109	* TomatoInTheMirror: Played with for [[spoiler:Christmas Snow]], who gets the moment of revelation but it doesn't seem like it has sunk in yet.
110	* TookALevelInBadass: Every important female character.
111	** Any character that has run into the [[spoiler:fish people or the EOD]] and isn't dead, specifically [[spoiler:Sawyer and Paul]].
112	* TownWithADarkSecret: Well, it ''is'' Innsmouth...
113	* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening
114	* VillainyDiscretionShot: Deep Ones. We know they used to raid and kidnap humans, but don't see much of this. Especially [[spoiler:Christmas Snow's mom]], who visited the beach with the intent to kill some humans twice, but both times was sidetracked by running straight into the people she doesn't ''want'' to harm.
115	* WhatHappenedtotheMouse?: [[spoiler:Christmas Snow being revealed as a half-human half-progenitor hasn't come up since the ritual near the end of Season One.]]
116	** [[spoiler:That was true until just recently.]]
117	* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: Fides.

Context Webcomic / Shadowgirls