SHADOWBROOD

A spooky adventure webcomic with some magic n stuff. Written and illustrated by Anisopterror. Trigger warning: Contains body horror, blood, and the occasional butt sculpture. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: RUSSELL: [approaching Glenn with a stern expression] Look Glenn, you can't keep running from this. Please just take the letter, read it, and figure this out yourself. I understand you're busy, but surely you can take a little time tonight to at least write a response. GLENN: [backing away, visibly anxious and scanning his brain for some kind of excuse to get out of this] Err...y-yes, of course! It's just...um...s-something very important has come up! something I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT reschedule...you see, I was going to...uh... [he glances over his shoulder at Axel and Waylon, watching the whole conversation unfold with confusion. Instantly he smiles, running over to stand in-between them with his arms outstretched] Take the kids camping! You know, for being such...good, well-behaved boys. RUSSELL & ASTRID: WHAT?! AXEL & WAYLON: [happily] REALLY? ASTRID: Oh Glenn! How thoughtful of you! RUSSELL: [scowling] Yes, how...convenient. GLENN: [snatching the paper out from Russell's hands, a smirk on his face] Sorry, Russ. Hate to prolong this situation any further myself, but we all have life and important matters to attend to. I’m sure she’ll understand! In the meantime, I’ll take this off your hands! I’ll keep it niiiice and safe, trust me. [he throws it on the floor] RUSSELL: [off-screen, meanwhile Waylon examines the letter] I...hope you realize what you might be getting us into, Glenn. [Waylon picks up the letter, holding it closer to the screen] You expect me to stand before the council with another half-baked excuse as to why you can’t turn up a progress update, even though it’s been months, and you expect everything to just go smoothly? GLENN: [striking a sassy, arms-crossed pose with a shit-eating grin] Family dilemma. WAYLON: [dropping the letter] This is so exciting! We can identify and study various species of indigenous birds! AXEL: And chase rabbits! [zooms in on Glenn's face, showing his grin beginning to fade into more of a nervous expression, sweating] WAYLON: And go stargazing! AXEL: And get all muddy! [zooms in even closer on Glenn's face, his smile completely gone and replaced with a look of absolute dread] WAYLON: And spend time with Father! AXEL: Yeah!! This is gonna be GREAT!

[shadowbroodcomic]

💙 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/anisopterror 💜 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/anisopterror/ 💚 deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/anisopterror

*Some backgrounds were flat colored by @mechanicalanakal to help the process go faster! Thank you!! <3

TRANSCRIPT:

ASTRID: [smiling] Here, come on in and get comfy! We’ll clear away all this ouchie glowy stuff! won’t we, Agnes? [With her back to the door, Astrid faces the flames in the living room, holding  up a third child--a small, beige-colored hatchling that resembled her mother and big blue eyes like her father--and uses her ice breath as a fire extinguisher to allow Russell to enter the house the safely. She then proudly holds up her child, her long reptilian tongue drooping happily from her mouth as she smiles widely.] There, all better! [to Russell] Oh, you wouldn't BELIEVE how long it took to get Glennypoo cozied up to the idea of having another one! It's a miracle he finally agreed! RUSSELL: [cringing] Ah, that's...information I didn't need or ask for. AXEL: [appearing atop his head, removing his hat and placing it on his own. Russell flails his arms upwards, desperately trying to grab it away from him.] Uncle Russ! You know magic too?! Your hair is disappearing! [Russell enters the house, and we get a view of Glenn looking over the banister on the second floor.] RUSSELL: [grumbling] Hell, if I knew magic, you’d be seeing quite the opposite, lad. ASTRID: [leading him deeper into the house] Come to the kitchen! I made some chocolate spaghetti bagels! GLENN: [mustering enough courage to confront Russell, he descends the stairs, a nervous smile on his face] Russell! My ol' chum! So kind of you to stop by this lovely morning! Unfortunately I’ve come down with—err—abdominal throat foot, and it’s...contagious! yes, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS!! So you might not want to stick around! Just saying! RUSSELL: [glancing over his shoulder, through the perspective of the stair railing] Glenn! There you are! [he unfurls a scroll from his back pocket, presenting it to Glenn. A strange, illegible text can be seen on its surface, and Glenn smiles nervously, backing away from the letter.] Mrs. Ocasio wanted this expedited to you. She's expecting a response no later than tonight—your position in the council depends on it. GLENN: My position in the council?! She can't be serious! I've given her plenty of progress updates thus far. I’ve stated numerous times that my work has been delayed due to a family dilemma! Look, maybe you can tell her that I’m almost finished with my next progress report, and I just need a few extra days. That’s all. RUSSELL: [angered] I can’t keep doing this, Glenn! i’m tired of being a messenger for you! I’m tired of keeping this whole mess under wraps for you! The council is GROWING SUSPICIOUS! I can’t keep using the same excuses over and over again! This is YOUR JOB! You need to do your part! [As the two argue, Waylon gazes up at them in curiosity, attempting to piece together what's being discussed. Axel, on the other hand, is seen off-screen snickering and admiring his new hat.]

[shadowbroodcomic]

💙 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/anisopterror 💜 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/anisopterror/ 💚 deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/anisopterror

TRANSCRIPT: Downstairs, while the children and their mother play, there's a knock at the door. Their living room looks refurnished since the last time we've seen it; the walls are painted blue with white borders, there's a small dresser stationed at the front that houses an open can of pink paint, brushes, papers, and other art supplies. A broken, lopsided statue of Glenn stands on the opposite end next to the door; a ruined project of Astrid's that now served as a coat hanger. Above, the old, broken ceiling lamp has been replaced by a black chandelier, designed to look like small dragons breathing fire in a circle. ASTRID: [opening the door] Oh! Hey Russo! RUSSELL: Err...it's Russell. Anyway, is Glenn awake yet? I was sent to deliver a letter on behalf of the council. I can't read it, obviously. It's written in those strange...mumbo jumbo hieroglyphics they always use— [his eye grows huge as he spots the interior of the house. Astrid continues to stand obliviously at the doorway, while behind her, the entire living room is ablaze.] ASTRID: Oh, I was just playing with the kids! I tend to get a little too 'in character' at times. RUSSELL: ...'In character'? ASTRID: [turning her bonnet upside down to resemble a pirate's handkerchief] Oh yes! Today I got to ravage the seven seas as the fierce, bloodthirsty plunderer—Ingar the Unsightly!! [she pauses, turning away to recollect the character's name in a moment of confusion] Or was it...Ingar the Insufferable... [she turns back to Russell with a smile] I like snowmobiles. RUSSELL: Astrid, please! Let's stay on track here! Can I speak to Glenn? [Meanwhile, Glenn has his head against the door in the bedroom, listening intently to their conversation. Y'know, despite the fact that there's a gaping hole in the wall he could just listen through, but naw your girl only remembered that AFTER everything was already drawn so we're not gonna talk about that ok] ASTRID: Oh, yes yes! He was upstairs in the bedroom last I checked. He's a busy bee, you know! RUSSELL: I'm aware, but the council seems to be getting a little...impatient with his lack of progress updates. Especially Meredith. I may not know the contents of this letter, but from what I was able to gather from her...dramatic entrance this morning, she's not...entirely pleased. GLENN: [to himself, putting his hands on his head with fear] Shit. [he quickly darts away from the door, frantically pacing around] SHIT. SHIT. SHIT. Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

💙 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/anisopterror 💜 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/anisopterror/ 💚 deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/anisopterror

TRANSCRIPT:

There's a large hole in the door from page 13, now boarded over with haphazardly-placed wood planks, and a note taped to the mess that reads: “Dear Astrid, I just finished fixing this door. Please do not break it again. -Glenn.” The very next panel pans to the wall beside the door, where Astrid smashes on through, chunks of drywall cracking and breaking in all different directions in her wake.

ASTRID: [looming over Axel and Waylon evilly] My my, such a pitiful sight! Tell me, how do ye propose to succeed with your weapons all damaged and your crewmates all dealt with? You’re nothing but helpless hatchlings! I've battled CLAMS stronger than you!

WAYLON: [he and Axel position themselves, ready to strike] If that's what you think, you've GREATLY underestimated us!

The two children “attack”, climbing on top of her. Axel nips and tugs at one of her ears, and Waylon grabs hold of her curly black mane. With her head still sticking through the broken wall, she smiles and laughs at their roughhousing.

ASTRID: Aahahaha! You'll never...ahahaha—defeat—AHAHA! [she throws her head back, launching the two boys off of her head and crashing onto the floor of the hallway.]

AXEL: [groaning in pain] Oof...ouch...my a-absolute head... [he then proceeds to die]

WAYLON: [standing over Axel's body] NO! Axel!! Speak to me!

AXEL: [is dead]

WAYLON: [he stands up, points at Astrid and shouts at the top of his lungs] YOU...YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! MURDERER!

ASTRID: [standing on her hind legs, laughing manically] AND YOU'RE NEXT! FIRE THE CANNONS!

WAYLON: [sudden realization, and even Axel looks terrified in the background] Wait what—

ASTRID: [unleashes a huge gust of fire at the two children, and they scramble into opposite directions to avoid the flames]

[shadowbroodcomic]

💙 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/anisopterror 💜 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/anisopterror/ 💚 deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/anisopterror

TRANSCRIPT:

GLENN: Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I have WORK to do, and every second you stand here asking me to play with you is a second I lose in figuring out this accursed—

AXEL: YUCK! That wasn't jumbo shrimp...

GLENN: [slamming his hands onto the desk] AXEL!!!!

AXEL: [poofs away]

GLENN: [gets up from his seat, towering over the boys with a stern look on his face. A silhouette standing in front of the early morning light of the window] What did I tell you two about interrupting my work? MUST we have this discussion again?

AXEL: Alright, alright, yeesh! Just figured you could use some, y'know, fresh air! Especially after being cooped up in this dump all the time.

WAYLON: [bending over to fix up Glenn's papers into a nice stack] Well, at the very least, let's make it a bit LESS of a dump! We can help you spruce up a little!

GLENN: You two can help me by leaving. And closing the door behind you.

A VOICE OFF-SCREEN, BUT LET'S FACE IT WE ALL KNOW IT'S ASTRID: MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Bold of you to assume anyone would EVER come to your aid!

[shadowbroodcomic]

💙 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/anisopterror 💜 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/anisopterror/  💚 deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/anisopterror

TRANSCRIPT: 

An unspecified amount of time has passed since the last page. The scene opens with an early-morning view of the Wexler house through the trees. A second panel shows a faint light pouring through the pink curtains outwards from the bedroom window. Finally, a third, larger panel reveals a very exhausted and defeated Dr. Glenn Wexler, his desk now surrounded in tons of papers, books, and a mess of notes and boxes of files scattered haphazardly all over the floor of the bedroom. He's fast asleep at his work station, resting his chin on his arms. The scientist slowly shifts and opens his eyes, a piece of paper stuck to his cheek. Sitting up, he peels it away from his face, sluggishly skimming the page. The next panel shows a back view as he hopelessly rests his head back onto his arms, his messy hair draping over his face. GLENN: Day...2,753. No noticeable developments in data for quite some time now. No new findings, no new objectives...still stuck in the same place where I started... WAYLON: Day 2,753? That's about seven years, six months, two weeks and around 33 hours-- GLENN: WAYLON! [Waylon is seven years old now, dressed in a small periwinkle suit with a red bow tie and darker blue pants. He smiles up at Glenn with big blue eyes, his small, clawed hands against the stack of books by the leg of his chair.] WAYLON: [excitedly] Axel and I are trying to bring an evil pirate to justice! You want in? GLENN: I think I'd rather receive open heart surgery from a garden snail. [he turns back in his chair to resume his work, but Waylon is still speaking to him from behind. Glenn looks over his shoulder smugly.] WAYLON: Oh WOW! That's very oddly specific, Father! What led you to such a unique response?

[shadowbroodcomic]

SHADOWBROOD IS GOING ON A TEMPORARY HIATUS AND WILL BE RETURNING LATE JANUARY-EARLY FEBRUARY 2020!  Thank you to everyone for all of the support and feedback thus far! I'm super excited to get a move on with the story! I will be busily working on new pages behind the scenes and taking my time to make sure everything's ready to go! TRANSCRIPT: We get a montage of Axel continuing to grow and wreak havoc over the years. The first panel shows Axel using his powers to make his and Waylon's birthday cake levitate high in the air. While Astrid seems to be laughing and having a grand old time, Glenn has his hands balled into fists angrily as he yells "AXEL!!" In the next panel, Axel has knocked over the potted plant and turned it into a large, gross mess of various animal and plant parts. Glenn has stumbled and fallen to the floor, his research book landing beside him. As he cowers in fear of this hideous biological mess, he shouts "AXEL!!" A third panel shows Axel stationed in the bathroom, where he's watching curiously as Glenn's crumpled up notes flush down the toilet. The research book is laying behind him on the rug, random pages torn out. Glenn's loud voice can be heard coming from somewhere off-screen; "AXEL!!" Lastly, Glenn is standing in the living room shouting at his son once more; this time his son's antics are off-screen. GLENN: AXEL!! ASTRID: [standing beside him, confused by his frustration.] Wait. What's he doing this time? The last panel reveals Axel fast asleep on the couch, curled up like a puppy. Glenn continues to stare at him angrily. GLENN: I...I was going to sit there. Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

OKAY so the next few pages will be off-schedule just so I can get this 'growing up' sequence done in a timely manner. Pages are being started the WEEK OF and it's been stressful because they take way longer than one week to complete. So I'll be taking another hiatus soon! The reason I try to keep a weekly upload schedule with the comic is so that the story doesn't drag out for too long. This whole sequence of Axel growing up is really only a few pages long, but due to how spaced out uploads have been, it's gone on for months. This will give me time to organize things so that I'll be able to post casual art more frequently, keep a weekly upload schedule, and POSSIBLY do art trades, commissions and full-shaded work again on the side! TRANSCRIPT: Glenn and Russell are driving through the forest at night, on their way back to their homes. RUSSELL: What day are we up to, five thousand? GLENN: 518, actually. RUSSELL: Day 518. Another unsuccessful search for the...snake-creature-thing. Would have probably gone better if Glenn was a little less of a paranoid pissbaby about everything. GLENN: [sarcastically] What's that? You want me to drop you off by that tree over there? Oh, no trouble AT ALL. RUSSELL: No doubt raising a boy with crazy shadow powers has taken a lot out of you, but hallucinating that you're seeing him everywhere? Don't you think that's...a bit excessive? [As he says this, Glenn notices something in the rear view mirror, and can just barely make out the shape of Axel, looming in the shadows with glowing, soulless eyes.] GLENN: [panicking] Err...speaking of which-- RUSSELL: You're driving, Glenn! Snap out of it! [to himself] My word, I'll be damned if I ever have kids... [Axel suddenly appears with a magical POOF! directly in front of them on the road, still staring blankly into space, unflinching as the vehicle continues to speed towards him.] RUSSELL: WHAT THE-- GLENN: Nooooo, you're just HALLUCINATING! [with a loud SCREEEEECH, he sharply turns to the left to avoid colliding with his son, causing the vehicle to tip over and crash onto the ground, shattering the windshield and left side windows.] [Axel is now levitating directly over the mess, still staring blankly into space. The door squeaks open, revealing a very tired and aching Glenn and Russell. Angrily, Glenn reaches up to grab Axel, but he disappears in YET ANOTHER POOF!, leaving Glenn empty handed and shaking with rage and frustration.]

Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

boi this was supposed to be up last week :’)

apologies, I'm running a bit behind with progress on this, so HUGE sorry if story progression has kinda been dragging a bit! I'm slowly getting back on track so things should be getting a move on soon!

Also I’m going to stop using the First/Previous/Next links for the tumblr version, it’s all on one blog so there’s no need for it! But let me know if you feel otherwise!

TRANSCRIPT:

Astrid is out in the garden sculpting statues. She has a bust of a demon (featuring @mechanicalanakal ‘s character Cerestrino! ) and is currently in the process of making an angelic statue of Glenn to go with it. Meanwhile, the REAL Glenn is busy whining to her (as usual) about their rambunctious child and his spooky magic abilities.

GLENN: I'm serious, Astrid! He made Waylon teleport out of my hands, he snatched my pen away from across the room...doesn't any of this sound familiar to you? He seems to have this...innate ability to harness The Shroud's chaotic energy, but HOW? How could this be happening A SECOND TIME?! This is far more urgent than any of us anticipated. If we're not careful, he could be just as dangerous as...as... Meanwhile, the twins are in the garden. Waylon has a small bundle of picked flowers in his hands, and Axel observes him curiously. He sits down to tug at a flower that he can't seem to pull out of the ground, and so he sits there struggling for a bit, stretching it far over his head, to no avail. While he struggles, a cloud of his shadow magic accidentally erupts from his hands, encasing the flower in the black magic and beginning to mutate it. An audible CRAAACK! can be heard as different, larger features begin to shape around its tiny figure. The ground begins to rumble as it grows, and Axel takes a step back, looking completely bewildered. Once the transformation has ended, the flower now looks like a mess of roots and leaves, shaped into various different animal features with an octopus-like head, fin-like extremities, and insect legs along its snake-like body. It has hundreds of tiny eyes protruding from the inside of its mouth, and it lets out a deafening ROOOOAR that shakes the bushes behind it. GLENN: [frozen in horror as he observes this hideous creature that his son just created] ASTRID: [strolls up beside him, a big, dopey smile on her face] Oooohh! I see what you're saying!! GLENN: [with a loud PLOP!, he faints] Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

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BACK TO POSTING THE COMIC! Things got a little hectic on my end so had to take a break for a while. We should be smooth sailing from here! Thank you for your patience!

TRANSCRIPT: More time has passed and Glenn is sitting at his desk reading his notes out loud to himself. He has three insect tanks sitting in front of him, presumably his "experiments". GLENN: Day 204. Group A is remaining untreated and under heavy observation should any health complications arise due to their mutations. So far, they seem to be performing well, although... [it pans to a clearer view of the insects in the first tank, which have morphed into completely unrecognizable creatures. There's a brown owl-like one with goat eyes, its right arm appears scaly and bird-like, and its left arm is nothing but a large, tree-bark-like vessel branching around its back to the other side of its body. The second one is larger and dull blue in color; it has a long proboscis made of solid bone and four faceted red eyes, long human-like grey hair jutting from its "neck", and its strange insect-like legs are bent funny and end in horse hooves. The third one is a much tinier creature that resembles a caterpillar, but sporting at least 10 eyes from its ape-like skull. The Shroud seems to have messy, unpredictable effects on any living creature it infects] ...These were all ladybugs when I started. [Glenn is broken from his train of thought when his pen suddenly flies out of his hand and levitates into the air above him. It shoots across the room toward the chalkboard, where we see Axel using it to scribble all over his father's notes, various crayons sprawled out around him on the floor.] GLENN: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! [he races over and picks up Axel, his pacifier flying right out of his mouth] I KNEW IT!! I KNEW I WASN'T JUST SEEING THINGS! ASTRID: [suddenly breaks through the wooden door with her face] Glennypoo! I finished that painting I was working on! Come look come look come loo-- [There's an awkward silence as Glenn looks over at her, still holding Axel high in the air after having been shouting at him. He chuckles bashfully and lets him down. Axel only glares up at him.] Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: Glenn is sitting on the couch in the living room, angrily flipping through his notebook. Astrid is lifting up the couch with one hand in order to vacuum underneath it with the other. She seems to be going about her life as if nothing happened and she ISN'T a giant purple dragon. GLENN: Day 129. Group B died, again. It's as if the Shroud attaches itself to the very atoms of the host-- [BONK! Axel leaps onto Glenn's head, causing him to drop the book. He bounces off of him onto the floor where he and Waylon are playing. Glenn rubs his head angrily.] GLENN: That's it! Get over here! [he leans down to scoop up one of his sons. Astrid takes notice of this and walks up beside him.] ASTRID: [trying to sooth Glenn] Hey now, they're just playing! GLENN: [holding Waylon in his hands] And wreaking havoc in the process! [As he's speaking, Waylon suddenly disappears in a quick POOF! of strange black smoke, and Glenn is left there gawking in disbelief.] GLENN: HUH?! [Waylon reappears beside Axel in ANOTHER POOF!, who has his tail raised and a similar-looking aura of black matter surrounding the furry tuft, as if he'd been able to somehow teleport Waylon out of his father's grasp and back onto the floor beside them. The two of them then take off up the stairs, and Glenn is sitting in complete shock.] GLENN: DID...DID YOU SEE THAT?! AM I LOSING MY MIND? Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: The colors are much brighter now, and Glenn is scribbling away in a notebook with all sorts of strange, mutated insects drawn inside. He is in the bedroom laying on a fuchsia-colored carpet on the floor, looking rather frustrated as he speaks his thoughts aloud. As he speaks, it's revealed about 3 months have passed, and he's still unsuccessful in his journey to reverse what's happened to his wife. GLENN: Day 94. So far, there doesn't seem to be a way of...EXTRACTING the Shroud. Perhaps using the magic to nullify itself will need further examination. After running a few tests, symptoms have only seemed to worsen upon further exposure. But maybe there's another-- [He is interrupted by a CHOMP! as his book slides out from under him. A tiny, pale-purple dragon hybrid has a page of his journal in his mouth and is tugging at it and growling playfully, like a puppy. He has a yellow baby onesie, and his face resembles that of a human child but with big pointy dragon ears and a long striped tail. He has two blue horns on his head and appears to primarily walk on all fours.] GLENN: [annoyed] Darling, a little help here? I'm trying to concentrate. [Astrid is stationed in front of the mirror, where she's curling her mane. She's wearing a pearly necklace, in some sort of attempt to still dress in her usual fashion despite being a dragon. There is a second hybrid child sitting beside Glenn; this one has more of a dragon face, with a snout that somewhat resembles Glenn’s big rounded nose. He has a pale green onesie and appears to have a bipedal structure, opposite of his twin brother. Instead of having a long, striped tail, he only has a tiny stump. He appears to be a bit more calm than his brother and examines a torn-out piece of paper curiously. The sound of a loud RIIIPPPPPPP can be heard, and the more rambunctious hybrid child skirts away with the tattered page in his mouth.] GLENN: AXEL!! Astrid--he has my notes! Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: GLENN: [looking up at Astrid, examining her] How do you...feel, Astrid? ASTRID: Me? I feel GREAT! Now I can finally scrape that gum off the ceiling! GLENN: [he walks closer to her and puts his hand on her chest, rigid underbelly plates having replaced what was once smooth skin.] Oh dear...how could I have let this happen? My beautiful wife... [he turns away from her to face the window, powered by a sudden surge of determination.] Astrid, I swear to you--I am GOING to figure out a way to reverse this horrid curse. I'll do whatever it takes, my love. Things will be back to normal in no ti-- The man pauses when he hears a sudden, strange popping noise behind him. When he turns around, he notices Astrid looks a little alarmed, and laying right behind her are two smooth, dark-violet dragon eggs. Wait. Dragon eggs?! In THIS economy? (sorry I couldn't help myself feel free to punch me in the cornea) ASTRID: [looking just as confused as him] Uh...whoopsies! GLENN: [staring at the eggs, unsure of what to make of this] GLENN: [the camera gets a little closer to his wide-eyed face, as he's slowly piecing together what this means.] GLENN: [finally realizes that The Shroud has also affected the development of his children, and is overwhelmed with horror.] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror -- ATTENTION: I am going to a con this weekend and will most likely be skipping next week's page to catch up on time I lost. I like to be a few pages ahead so that I'm not rushing them out too fast and I have enough time to look over any mistakes and fix up some things if need be before posting. Thanks for reading! The comic will continue as normally on September 1st!

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: GLENN: [dangling from Astrid's grasp] Listen to me! We haven't shrunk! You're...you're a... ASTRID: What? Is something wrong? GLENN: [scowls] The claws? The scales? The WINGS? ASTRID: [takes a painfully long moment of silence to examine herself and her new dragon-y features] GLENN: [letting out a sigh, trying to clear his head after everything that's happened] Alright. I...I just need to think. RUSSELL: Need to THINK?! How the HELL do you propose to FIX this? More bandages? GLENN: ENOUGH! [the two are off-screen now as Astrid just...kinda...stares into space with her tongue out slightly] I'm aware I've had a lapse in judgement, but THIS is what I've been trying to prove all along! I KNEW exposure to The Shroud would have adverse effects on the human body! RUSSELL: So you went ahead and MADE a creature that BITES and INFECTS people with it! And then you LOSE the damn thing! ASTRID: [still staring into space, her pupils dialate as she starts savagely grooming her hand with her tongue] GLENN: Okay, FIRST OF ALL, I had no idea he was capable of that. Secondly, if we can find a way to reverse this and capture him before he hurts anyone else, we should be in the clear! RUSSELL: Yeeeaahhhh! Easy peasy, right? GLENN: Russell PLEASE! Have a little faith in me! Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

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TRANSCRIPT:

ASTRID: [lifting up the couch with one hand, frantically looking around for something to help Glenn and Russell. In the process, she scattering Glenn's first aid equipment that he dropped all over the floor earlier] DON'T WORRY!! I'LL SAVE YOU!! RUSSELL: [turning to Glenn] Good grief, she's gone mad! GLENN: [still watching Astrid as she looks around] Oh, she's...behaving fairly normal, actually. ASTRID: [holding up a small box] YES!! Bandages always do the trick! GLENN: Astrid-- ASTRID: [dumps the entire box of unopened adhesive bandages all over Glenn] GLENN: [covering his head with his arms angrily] H-hey! Cut that out! ASTRID: [enthusiastically holding up a glass jar of cotton balls] Wait wait! I've got it! Magic beans! GLENN: Those are cotton balls, dear-- [Astrid lugs the entire unopened glass jar of cotton balls at Glenn's face, its magical energy clearly taking no effect] ASTRID: [standing over Glenn's now unconscious body, desperate and hopeless tears in her eyes] AAAAHHHHH! Nothing's working! My husband's gonna be fun-sized forever! Characters/Artwork © @Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: The transformation has finally concluded, and an unrecognizable Astrid now stands in the center of the living room, covered in dark violet scales. Bearing her teeth, she stalks towards the duo with enormous, outstretched black wings. A long, striped tail swishes behind her, and her matted black mane sloppily falls over her carnivorous, reptilian eyes. GLENN: [backing up against the wall with Russell, still desperately trying to get a response out of her, as if in denial that this whole thing is even happening] Astrid! Love! It's...it's me, Glenn! Don't you...recognize me? The two of them crouch down further as she draws closer, and they both erupt in screams of horror. Surprisingly, the dragon jolts backwards as well, and lets out a scream of her own, not sounding very monstrous at all, but like her normal human self. ASTRID: [placing her scaly hands on both of their faces and pressing them together as she examines them] HOLY SMOKES! YOU GUYS SHRUNK!! She releases them and frantically paces around the room, her eyes big and sad with dismay, worried and panicking about what should be done. She seems completely unaware of her own predicament. Russell and Glenn look on in utter confusion. ASTRID: Oh, I KNEW this would happen! I need to do something!

Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror

[shadowbroodcomic]

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TRANSCRIPT: ASTRID, WHO HAS NOW TURNED INTO A GIANT PURPLE DRAGON: [roars] Characters/Artwork © Anisopterror