Tom Sewell

Um, they're not real narcs, they're hall monitors. And unlike my old dorm at USF, Moperville North is not three blocks away from the corner of Haight Street and Ashbury Avenue and it's not 1969, so it probably doesn't rate an undercover live-in narc like we had. We actually called him "Narc" to his face. Of course, conditions may change if magic comes out of its closet and stays out. Then I can see something like the Alien Control Officers from R. Talsorian's Teenagers From Outer Space.

Hard to tell since the plus-size narc is facing us. The line of the hips suggested by the two pits of pants (or skirt?) that we can see below the sweater flares, more like a woman. However, the bottom seam of that sweater does suggest a belly that's pushing it out some. I wonder how Dan did this panel. Did he draw the panel first and draw inside it? Or did he draw the narcs separately, full-figure, and then crop-and-paste? I kind of think the second because why show those bits of pants or skirt at all?

Watch out for Oreos. They're a leading cause of man boobs.

Unless you need a man bra. I'm not quite there yet.

Another suspect for the Mysterious Poster: Last panel, narc on the left. Gender?

If I was editing EGS, I'd advise Dan to cut down or cut out what I've seen so far of this part. It's looking to me like an existential crisis too far. The most essential part of Elliot's character is that he helps people he sees in need, but he's not even talking about that post yet. Interesting speculation. It would demand a return to color because there's at least four important characters who'd have rainbow auras representing gender fluidity. However, why now? Exactly what is Elliot's primary role in Sister III? What's he doing to advance the story? So far, the most positive thing Elliot has done is reassure Tedd. He was supposed to support Ashley, but he hasn't actually been seen interacting with Ashley since the end of So a Date at the Mall. He hasn't interacted with Sarah, either. Yes, they've broken up, but Sarah is supposed to be the friend Elliot has had for pretty much his entire life. The new spell seems to be about letting Elliot see something he couldn't see before. I'd bet it has to do with the two battles: With the vampire mercenaries, and with Voltaire. I'd also bet that it will allow him to save Tedd, and maybe Pandora, and maybe even Magus.

I have a few points to make while I can remember them. The time limits for Tedd's transformation devices are arbitrary and optional features of their design. Tedd doesn't need to use his own spell to make a permanent transformation of any characteristic the guns and watches are capable of. Grace can only get pregnant in human female form. She can't in any form that isn't entirely human. Grace doesn't necessarily have the ability to help create an uryuom egg. Ever seen her in an uryuom form? Neither have I. And even if Grace does have the normal uryuom egg-creation ability, that ability normally requires at least two partners. Mr. Guyer was a rarity. Do we really believe that The Government doesn't know everything about Teddtech™? That they would forgo the ability to create doppelganger spies because it would be unfair, unbalancing, and icky? Think about how much money there would be in Teddtech™! Think of all the plastic surgeons out of work! Think about how many women would be willing to go through pregnancy if the uryuom egg was widely available as an alternative. And, if there are any men other than myself who've actually lived with a pregnant woman reading this, how much would you be willing to shell out for an egg that doesn't bitch at you for nine months or send you out for ribs at two in the morning and then eat just one bite before puking?

Anyone remember the Monty Python sketch where a man buys a magazine without noticing the the saleslady is completely naked? Ah, the old BBC! Bare tits on broadcast TV decades before Janet Jackson's nipple. No, the Fashion Police took that stupid little derby into custody. Especially that d30 I used to have.

Ellen can't change the sex of anyone who wasn't male to begin with, and I'm sure she'll remind Elliot of this if the discussion goes into possibly helping the mystery e-mailer. And it's possible Elliot has already thought of this. However, Elliot would also want his sister's opinion before making his decision. This could mean not only exposing Elliot's secret identity, but exposing Ellen and/or Tedd. This situation kind of reminds me of when Nanase was arguing with Ellen about telling Tedd about his mom.

So, is Elliot really considering that he might be transgender? Well, maybe, but I think it's more consistent with his born-wearing-a-boy-scout-uniform nature that what's actually troubling him so much is whether he should try to help whoever made that post. Despite what Elliot told Tedd about magic not changing, Elliot knows it could change soon. It could be too late to help before very much longer. And who could help this supposed transgender pleader change sex? Well, Tedd, of course--but also Ellen. Ellen can change any male into a female and back, and it's kind of an easy step to a Friday comic where Elliot asks his sister whether she'd be up for doing this.

Here's something else Edward may be keeping from Tedd: He just might know about that secret second purpose that Tedd won't be eligible for if he finds out about it.

Maybe Susan's mom knew her husband was cheating all the time, but having a woman over to the house and exposing Susan to his cheating was too damned much. As I think I've mentioned maybe a few times before, we don't know whether Susan's mom knows or ever knew the woman Susan caught her dad with. If Mrs. Pompoms knows that woman was Susan's real mother, it's a whole new and very large kettle of fish.

Justin lives with his parents. He talked to his dad over the phone the night he stayed over at Susan's.

Roster not quite complete. Parents who've actually been shown or heard to speak include: Ashley's mom and/or dad Mr. Kitsune We've had quite a bit of discussion about Tedd's dad in this thread. Here's perhaps another unsolved mystery about Edward Verres: Has Old Blue Hair ever said anything about his ex-wife except this?

I think Dan has matured in more than years judging from EGS. It's pretty obvious a lot of his characters have changed since the early days. But Mr. Verres' character hasn't so much. Edward has some silly elements (Charts, graphs, swamp gas, indifference to explosions in the basement) but he's probably the most sensible, stable, and serious character in El Goonish Shive. He's the dad a lot of us wish we had. Or, if you're as old as I am, the dad I wish I could have been. Why is Tedd so conflicted about his girly looks? There could be a deeper motivations waiting to be revealed. Tedd looks like Nanase. And who is Nanase the spitting image of? Tedd could realize, especially as he approaches adulthood, that he looks so much like his mother that it must remind his father of her, the moreso when he's a girl. And it could make his mother's decision to leave him behind even more hurtful. That could mean those glasses were also there to hide that face from himself. Oh, almost forgot. Tedd doesn't know yet that his mother had at least one other child. I'm betting Edward does know.

Edward Verres, like every character in EGS, isn't real. Sometimes it's easy to forget that because he's been well-fleshed-out over the past fifteen years and because, maybe, we want him to be real. Accusing him of closeted homophobia, or transphobia, or whatever-phobia and getting upset about it is over the top, even if his character is supposed to be so afflicted. Personally, I don't believe Dan has that in mind. I think maybe the comic that can give people the whatever-phobia idea are what look like the flashback panels here. I say "look like" for a reason. They could be instead examples of what Tedd is afraid would happen or would have happened if he was open about his gender-switching. (More to come in my next comment)

Well, if "Ronin" is trans and/or crushing on Tony, I think he would be especially touched believing that Sarah was being so nice about her boyfriend coming out. It would pretty much be what he'd wish Tony would act if Tony found out about him. I've been waiting for some indication that Sam will return. I think the most important things Sam has said so far were in the top two panels of this page. Although Sarah doesn't pick it up, we do, or should. And that's why the right way to go is for a direct conversation between Sarah and Sam. But I don't see how that could really fit the upcoming vampire-wave attack.

Could easily be, but it's more natural to think of the guy-to-girl transformation. But there are other problems with Sam, plotwise. Sam didn't recognize Sarah as the couch-thrower from the webcast, which makes me wonder now how Sam now knows about it. Plus, we don't know if Sam goes to Moperville North. If Sam doesn't, he's less likely to have heard of Elliot's show. On the other hand, Sam's under time pressure because the not-a-date with Sarah is set for Friday. Want to bet against it happening at the mall? This could be a segue to a Wednesday comic with Sam or about that not-a-date with Sam.

h My first guess: Sam. Sam fits the bill except for one caveat: Sam wants to be a guy on the outside as well as on the inside. I was starting at least a paragraph on Elliot's moral quandary, but the Prof has beaten me to the draw. My second candidate is "Ronin", Tony's sidekick, who kind of seems like he might be to Tony what Catalina was to Susan or Rhoda was to Diane. Then again, Ronin could also be to Tony like Justin is to Elliot (which brings to mind the question "Does Elliot know Justin is in love with him?" but that might deserve its own thread.) My third is Tony himself. It would give Tony a somewhat better motivation for all the cruelty to Tedd. But it doesn't fit with Tony making a pass at f!Elliot before the dewitchery diamond. My fourth is Voltaire. Volty did vow not to attempt to kill Elliot, but didn't promise he wouldn't mess with Elliot altogether. Voltaire's obviously spent a lot of time studying Tedd and Elliot, and would know that Elliot would go to Tedd with this, further discombobulating Tedd as Plans A and CM approach the upcoming Brawl at the Mall.

Those odds don't depend on the die at all, but whether the GM wants to kill you now or wait until later.

1 in 20. The bell curve doesn't start forming until you roll more than one die.

Personally, I think this is a conspiracy financed by adult diaper manufacturers.

Apparently I missed a few things while I was living in that hole.

An LCD monitor? Liquiid Crystal Display? I'm picturing a digital watch for the Jolly Green Giant.

Yes, it could. However, the desk in your picture doesn't have the most important feature of any desk: A place for your legs. I know whereof I speak; I'm typing this on a dresser. That slide-out drawer doesn't come out far enough.