El Goonish Shive

[Lizard Lord]

The characters have been defined as not all being friends since at least the story arc leading up to Grace's birthday party.

Justin, specifically, didn't seem particularly close to anyone who wasn't already his friend. In fact, Painted Black made him even more reluctant to hang out with Grace.

Hmmm. Perhaps. Though the fact that all those characters were invited to the party makes it seem like Grace at least considered them all friends. Though that wouldn't be too surprising.

[Mando Knight]

I like how fast Tedd called Ellen out on her sudden freak-out, though.

I mean, one minute they're all "lalala, double-date..." and the next Ellen's all "I WILL BREAK YOU." I mean, talk about your mood swings. The girl needs help.

[Vknight]

More then help she is suffering from 3 different lives. 1is her old selves, 1her is a different dimension, and finally who she really is.
Ellen in all cases should suffer from some personality drift, split personality disorder, mental breakdown, increased aggression. She is going to go through a loop. This is because she still does not know who she is and what she wants.
People treat her like her brother because there so similar hell there almost identical. The only variable is she is more spontaneous and hyperactive which is probably an overlay of the diamonds magic.

What she needs is either the ability to prove herself against Eliot or to fight something or someone that points out she is a copy and an irregularity within a system and its not that she's a monster but only one 'Eliot' can exist.

Basically she needs something akin to what happened with are wizardly friend which caused Nanase to lose her magic. And rather then be saved confront the threat herself.

So comfort or confrontation to cause stimulus.

[Lateral]

Is anyone else worried about all of this schedule slip?

[Rappy]

Is anyone else worried about all of this schedule slip?

Nope. Dan's rather infamous for his schedule flubs, but he always ends up being back on track.

[Weimann]

Can't be worse than that multi-month swath of no updates or news whatsoever.

I'm confused by the "you're sexy" part of Ellen's rant here. I thought she was lesbian? Did she mean it in a mocking way, like "oh, you drowned my puppies, how cute?" Otherwise it's a pretty strange thing to bundle up with otherwise negative qualities.

[golentan]

It is a bit confusing, but I thought Ellen WAS bi but was functionally a lesbian because she was conflicted about that side of her sexuality. With that in mind it makes sense because it's one more thing about Tedd that makes her uncomfortable.

[Yuki Akuma]

Ellen has always been bisexual. It's how her body is 'programmed'.

She tries to be a lesbian but she can't totally ignore the V5 programming.

[golentan]

So, if whatsisface continues acting the way he has Nanase may get her wish to see Ellen Hulk Out to Defend Her Woman!™

[Weimann]

By the looks of it, Tedd might do that instead.

And it will be awesome.

Edit: Hulk out, that is, not defend his woman. Or Ellen.

[Gez]

Now Tedd just needs to pull out a TF gun and tell Geralt he's gonna make a supersonic woman out of him.

[fizzybobnewt]

No one will notice the difference.

[golentan]

Gerald has an amazingly expressive face that I find hideously ugly.

Have I mentioned how much I hate people like the way he's being characterized? Cuz I really hate people like that. I'm not sure if that plays into my finding him physically ugly as well as emotionally.

[Mystic Muse]

Whoo! Triple Death Glare!

You don't want to mess with any of those three. When all three of them are looking at you like that?


RUN

[Weimann]

Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with Gerald. It's like he'd trying hard for a faux-androgyny that looks really plastered on, which doesn't seem to fit with his portrayal. Then again, maybe he subconsciously suspects Nanase is actually really into chicks *shock horror* and tries to come off as less manly-man?

I wouldn't call him ugly, as such. He certainly got a style, and I do think it's working for him. But it's just a little bit off... off, but again, that might be the point.

In any case, yes, his face is very emotive.

So what have we got? A shape-shifter, a sorceress and a girl who knows magical kung fu? Yeah, back off, dude.

[Mina Kobold]

You forgot the mad scientist with a TF gun!

And on to the most recent comic, we now have confirmation on a most dire question.

Magical kung fu beats Neanderthals!

What do you mean that's not what Nanase meant? It's the only logical thought-process behind that statement!

[Midnight Lurker]

You forgot the mad scientist with a TF gun!

...And an evil glove.

[golentan]

...And an evil glove.

The glove isn't evil.

It's just hungry.

[Shogo]

The birth of Lord Tedd?

Which I can never hear/say without thinking of Lord Zedd.

[Mewtarthio]

Well, that took a sudden turn for the spooky.

[Calemyr]

And now we see how Lord Tedd may not be the god of all evil.

There are two ways to read this, and I'm not sure which one is correct. The first is that Grace just saved the world by ordering Tedd to go bowling. They've shown nobody in Lord Tedd's dimension who would (or could) snap Tedd out of his obsession mode. I can't remember seeing any Elliot analogue (although that may be the gravestone he was standing before at one point) and Shade Tail isn't likely to ask Lord Tedd out on a date. In short, Tedd is like the Doctor - extremely dangerous to himself and others when he doesn't have friends to reign him in.

The second one is more or less the opposite: this is how Lord Tedd began. A loyalty to friends becomes a sense of protectiveness becomes an obsessive over-protectiveness becomes an overlord who will destroy any threat to those he cares about long before the threat can ever properly manifest.

[Weimann]

The Legend of Celida, hm?

[horngeek]

Oh god, he started that argument.

...however, if we're going to use the analogy, there was a recent handheld game where Celida was pretty awesome.

[Mystic Muse]

This comic was awesome.

[Gaius]

Is a beautiful thing, I agree. ^_^

...however, if we're going to use the analogy, there was a recent handheld game where Celida was pretty awesome.

And she overcame the handicap of death to manage it.

Also, in Gale Galvanizer, Pacu* was pretty cool, even after turning into Celida. A pity she didn't get to do anything in Spectral Sundial, though.

* I am not an expert on small freshwater fish from South America. >_> It felt about right.

[Mewtarthio]

Oh, come on. Celida has a freaking god who wants to kidnap her! Of course she gets kidnapped! I mean, really, she's an extremely obvious, public figure, and he's an unholy abomination of a sorcerer-bandit-king with the stolen power of the goddesses who brought the world into being. And he's invincible to everything except a particular MacGuffin she's not allowed to use. How else could it turn out?

[Yuki Akuma]

...This update makes me fear to go to the official forum.

[Rappy]

...This update makes me fear to go to the official forum.

I did the deed for you.

Most of the commentary seems split between "yay video game parody!" and "boo video game parody!", with some "you are doing it wrong" and "move the plot" mixed in for flavor.

In other words...nothing really novel. *Shrugs* I must agree with some of them that I'm not the hugest fan of the most recent page, but it's definitely not the worst thing EGS has ever done, by far.

[DeadManSleeping]

Man, a good EGS strip can be determined by the following criteria.

Is there good humor?
Is there intriguing/fulfilling character development?
Is there intriguing/fulfilling plot development?

If yes to any of the above, then it was a fine strip and I see no reason to complain.

[Yuki Akuma]

Man, a good EGS strip can be determined by the following criteria.

Is there good humor?
Is there intriguing/fulfilling character development?
Is there intriguing/fulfilling plot development?

If yes to any of the above, then it was a fine strip and I see no reason to complain.

None of those criteria are objective.