onfurtherreview

I too would like to see Magus turn the corner without violence, but I will still be rather disappointed if he harms any of the main characters without strenuous opposition.

I never meant to imply anything about any other person's family, just that given how many people read EGS (and the overall demographics of that audience) that I'm probably not the only one for whom this turn of events resonates.

A lot of real-world people have parents who aren't evil, and are even well-meaning, who try to change who their children are. Does the lack of ill intent justify sending someone through so-called conversion therapy? Just because you brought another person into the world doesn't mean you have ownership of that person's identity. I'm probably not the only one for whom this turn of events hits a bit close to home (my best friend is dead because of this crap).

I am so very tired of people who try to impose their views on others in real life. I read webcomics primarily as an escape from the troubles of real life. Magus is really harshing my vibe right now, and it would take an awful lot to redeem him for me.

I'm so over this dude thinking he knows what's best for everyone. Just totally done. If he were gone forever in the first panel of the next comic, I would consider that a satisfactory resolution to his character arc.

How has he been hanging around observing the Dunkels, without rethinking this assumption yet?

This can only end in tears.

Sadly, no. Male chicks in mass-market white egg factories do not survive their first day; all chicks are sorted after hatching and the males are disposed of. Breeding facilities keep a certain ratio of roosters, but they are generally never allowed to go outside and have no opportunity to taunt a dog.

The main advantage I see is clutch size; a single hen can incubate more eggs than she could accumulate safely on her own, and while she's thus occupied the other hens keep it up so that there can be multiple hens setting (I don't know why it's not "sitting" either, but as wrong as it looks "setting" really is the term) at once. Also, newly-hatched chicks are bad at making body heat; larger clutch sizes improve survival chances through larger fuzzy cuddle piles.

Mass-produced egg industry chickens are specifically bred not to go broody, to the point that Leghorn-based breeds have lost the instinct entirely and are usually hatched in electric incubators. Mass-produced meat chickens are bred not to feel satiated from eating, leading to rapid weight gain. Barnyard/backyard "heritage" breeds are mostly still bred with their instincts intact.

Chickens (and some other bird species, including modern chickens' wild ancestor, the Jungle Fowl) seem to follow the "close relative" strategy pretty effectively. Hens of the same flock lay their eggs in a communal nest, and once a suitable number of eggs are in the nest (usually about a dozen +/- 4 for most breeds), one hen will become "broody" and incubate the eggs, leaving the others free to continue egg-laying. Broody hens pluck their own breast feathers to create a warm, moist environment underneath themselves, and rarely leave the nest at all for the 21 days it takes for the eggs to hatch--she will go almost entirely without food, but will get up to fill up on water occasionally. Once the chicks are hatched, she will supervise and protect them until they're big enough to take care of themselves. The mother hen does not show any preference for her own genetic offspring, nor do any of the chickens seem to care who the chicks "belong" to. It's common to have a broody hen incubate and then raise young of entirely different breeds, and not that uncommon for them to raise young of other species, such as quail, ducks, turkeys, or wild birds.

My point exactly.

We don't really know that the clothes she has produced so far were originals, as opposed to some outfit seen on a classmate or wherever.

"I did see a dress at the mall I sorta liked?" Serious question: will Elliot's conscience allow him to magically copy that dress, or will that feel like pirating to him? Would considering the morality of that possibly lead him to decide not to transform up any clothing he doesn't own, leading to having a wardrobe of girl outfits as transformation reference?

Here you go.