ChronosCat

Well, presumably MSHS is the default public school for the part of Moperville she lives in. It might have been difficult for her to arrange for Nanase to go to MNHS (at least without getting Mr. Veres to pull some strings), and she might not have had the money for private school or have been up to homeschooling.

http://egscomics.com/egsnp/assorted-18a-003 [Space for I-don't-know-if-they-count-as-spoilers just to be safe.] So, apparently in non-canon EGS world, it's now acceptable to wander around in public in bathing suits and anthro forms. I mean we've seen Catalina with her cat ears out, and Grace going pretty far playing with change blindness, but just walking around casually this transformed and wearing this little is new. ...Perhaps the TF rampage from Goonmanji caused so much chaos that the people of non-canon Moperville don't care about such things anymore? (Or maybe Dan just decided that in non-canon anything goes... but I prefer my theory.) Incidentally, in case anyone skipped the commentary, that's Tedd there with Susan. I wasn't sure myself until I got to the commentary; it's hard to tell with his face so changed from normal, and it's rather unusual to see Tedd and Susan hanging out together without any of the others.

In my mind, this is the end of the first act of the story - and you're right that what leads up to it is implied well enough. However what would really interest me is a look at the second and third acts. In other words, this picture makes me want to know what happens next more than it makes me want to enjoy the picture for it's own sake.

I've never trusted any mushroom I encountered outside the Mushroom Kingdom (and even there some of them want to kill you).

Ah yes, Circe's fan art; it's been a while since I checked that out. (Anyone who likes this picture should check out her gallery; there's a bunch more pieces of EGS fanart.) Maybe he didn't watch the show? ...There's also the fact that with a few rare exceptions Dan doesn't do cameos or fanfiction of characters or stories owned by other people in EGS. (And I think that aside from that George Lucas cameo, he got permission from the creators/people involved for the cameos we have seen.) It would have had to be EGS characters dressing like KP characters in a sketchbook, or a parody story or scene.

http://egscomics.com/egsnp/assorted-18a-005 [I don't think anything I have to say counts as a spoiler, but it's still probably better to read the comic before my comments, so I'm including a space anyway.] I feel bad for Dan about this, as the 18+ rating will doubtlessly result in some people being scared off from Dan's Patreon and maybe even EGS in general, reducing Dan's income. On the other hand, it would be awesome if Dan took advantage of the situation to go a bit further in the sorts of things he posts. In particular, I'm sure Grace would appreciate being able to walk around naked without being censored.

I've always hated starting in the middle of a story; usually when it comes to webcomics I hit the "first comic" button without even reading the latest comic (though I'll sometimes glance at the "about this comic" page if there is one). Of course, if a comic with a large archive doesn't have a promising beginning I'm not going to spend too much time reading it to find out if it gets better; I've probably missed out on some good comics this way but I'm okay with that - it's not like I have to read all the good comics out there. Of course, given the low quality of early EGS it might seem surprising I stuck with it long enough to get hooked, but I wasn't all that critical of my entertainment at that point in my life, and Dan's humor appealed to me enough to get me through to Grace transforming, which added enough interest to keep me reading through to Sister. And by the end of Sister I had to find out how things turned out for Ellen, and was already well on my way to being too attached to the rest of the main cast to give the series up. It was actually a backup of my entire hard drive; unfortunately I hadn't been keeping up with backing things up regularly. (At the time I just kept track of webcomics via bookmark; these days I have a list in a text document, though most of the list is comics I've heard of that sound interesting that I've never gotten around to check out.) I know there were at least a few comics that I didn't loose the links to due to my finding them prior to my last backup, but many of these I'd either lost interest in or were no longer being updated. I really don't think I'd go so far to call Nazis (or any of the other groups in question) "cultures", but I could see how someone else might. As hkmaly says, there are a lot of different definitions for culture - and some of them are pretty broad. In fact, the term is even sometimes used for the transfer of information between individuals and generations through non-instinctual means in non-human animals (for instance, different bands of Chimpanzees have learned different ways to make and use tools, and as a result some primatologists consider these bands to have different cultures). The term "primitive" itself is often used in a subjective and judgmental manner; it might be possible to compare how advanced one society's technology is, or how complicated their system of government is, but I don't think it's a good idea to call an entire culture/civilization "primitive" without further clarification. So to rephrase your statement, barbarians are people whom the people who called them barbarians consider to be more primitive than (and by implication inferior to) them.

I can imagine what it must be like to jump into the middle of a webcomic, having jumped into the middle of plenty of dead-tree comics in my teens... But I really can't imagine choosing to not start at the beginning of a series when one has the option to do so. (Well, unless I learn ahead of time the series is not in chronological order; I have a tendency to value in-story chronology more than publishing order.) I mean if it worked for you, great, it's just not something I can picture myself ever doing. Well, part of the problem was that shortly after my big exploration of what webcomics that interested me were out there my computer broke. It took me a couple months to get my computer repaired, during which time I was only occasionally able to borrow someone else's computer. EGS was the only comic I bothered to keep up on during that time. When I finally did get my computer repaired, I had to restore the hard drive from a back up, and as it turned out that backup did not include a list of the comics I'd been reading. By that point I only remembered a handful of the comics I'd taken an interest in, and not all of the ones I did remember seemed worth the effort to track down. There were a couple besides EGS I did track down and followed for years, but in every case except EGS I slowly lost interest and wound up checking back on them less and less often until I eventually stopped entirely. (I have however picked up one other comic since then that I've stuck with.) Incidentally, EGS is the only webcomic I ever cared enough about to "search for discussion" about. (Though it wasn't a very hard search, as the forums were linked to from the main EGS site when I first decided I wanted to talk with other people about EGS. Of course those were the Keenspot forums, but luckily I stuck around long enough for the switch to 910CMX, so I knew where to look when I decided I wanted to discuss EGS again last year.)

Well, as it appears on my monitor it's close enough to half-way between blue and green as to be hard to tell to which side it leans (assuming it's not exactly halfway) though despite that my mind still wants to classify it as a shade of green. Incidentally, the shade is actually pretty close to what I was picturing Ellen's hair as before Dan showed it in color, which is why the similarity struck me. It's up to you what colors you use; it's your list after all. (And even if it was a group decision I know I wouldn't care.) If you're asking for opinions, though, I think the new color works fine; to me the different shades of green you're using look different enough to not be confusing.

I started reading because I heard there were "transgender transformations" in it (this was long before any characters were revealed to be trans, of course); Sister and Grace's Birthday Party did not disappoint on that account. (If I had known that it would eventually deal with real-life trans issues that would have been even more of a selling point.) The furry transformations were also a highlight of my archive binge (I'm pretty sure I was unaware of that aspect of the comic when I started reading, so it came as a pleasant surprise). However, what kept me coming back after I'd finished the archive (and long after abandoning all the other webcomics I started reading back then) was and is my attachment to the characters.

Susan's transformation could be Kitty's doing, but Tedd is a male fox here, and (unless I'm forgetting something) as far as we know Kitty can only transform people into (and is only interested in transforming people into) catgirls.

@detrius I don't know, I think this might be more relevant:

I wonder if Rhoda and Catalina would have the numbers to be counted as main characters if we included NP? After "Escape from the Mall" and "Goonmanji 2" they certainly feel like main characters to me. Also, I wanted to point out that it's a neat coincidence that you chose a shade of green for Ellen's entries well before her hair turned green (even if based on the Pinups she's been in it's a different shade of green).

I really hope it wasn't because of the LGBT elements; if they were to admit to that or there was some way to prove it, I don't think I'd be comfortable continuing give them money; I'd probably try to find some other way to support Dan. As for EGS being "squeaky clean", I think as far as the stuff on the main site goes that's almost as true now as it was back then (there have been a few boundary-pushing things here and there, such as MV5, Goonmanji 2, and some of the sketchbooks, but on the other hand there's been the occasional censored nudity in the comic since near the beginning, so not all that much has changed). On the other hand, Dan's Patreon page (which is what was labeled 18+) might not count as "squeaky clean"; at the very least Dan has gone further in some of the Pinups than he ever did with stuff on the main site (including some nudity which just barely covers up the "essentials"). Of course, even the most extreme of Dan's Pinups are tame compared to most "adult" stuff out there; as someone (I think it might have been Dan in a tweet) said, there are probably going to be people who after seeing the 18+ label on his Patreon are pretty disappointed by what's actually there...

http://egscomics.com/sketchbook/2018-021 Previously on Patreon back in February. Still just as hot (IMO).

And yet, if we are to communicate we must somehow figure out what each-other's words mean - and I know osmosis isn't always enough for me (heck, it took this conversation for me to realize that my own definition for the word "agenda" was out of date).

I don't find actual cows attractive, but I do find cow-people attractive - at least the way Dan draws them. I also love the power-exchange element here. Dan doesn't do a lot of art or storytelling which touches upon this (not counting Rhoda and Catalina's interactions, which are really open to interpretation) but when he does it has a tenderness and respect for both characters that I really appreciate.

http://egscomics.com/sketchbook/2018-19 On Patreon back in April. This is another one that I really like.

Thank you for the link, I will make use of it. As for the definitions you quoted, while they do not rule out the possibility of someone being not consciously aware of their own "agenda", if I wasn't trying to see how the way people use "social agenda" could fit with the definitions, the only one that would even lead me to suspect that possibility would be American Heritage (which mentions "motives" without pairing it with "intentions"). Actually, the next dictionary down at OneLook, Collins English Dictionary, comes even closer to how "Social Agenda" is used, with the first definition not even implying that intention is a necessary part of it (though even it doesn't quite match): ...I'm beginning to suspect that this is a word whose meaning has changed without the majority of dictionaries catching on.

I could not find (at least with a very quick search) a definition of "social agenda", but "agenda" itself specifically refers to a plan or list (at least according to wiktionary). This is why I feel a person should have the intention to promote a cause for it to properly be said they have a social agenda. I will admit though that from how I've heard it used many other people do not seem to have such a strict definition of the term. At any rate, as I said to begin with this is just a semantics argument. Even if a writer does not consciously have an "agenda", they can't help but insert their own point of view and opinions into the story, so the end result for the audience is the same.

I have mixed feelings about this one . On the one paw, I agree with the point Dan is trying to make. On the second paw I'm tempted to argue semantics; while it's impossible to tell a story without some political messages to it (intended or not), the specific term "social agenda" implies to me that one is intentionally trying to bring about real-world change, and (keeping in mind I have no idea what comic Dan is referring to or what the story behind its creation is) it seems possible to me that the creators had no greater goal than to tell what they considered fun stories. On the third paw, often people who claim they have no social/political agenda are lying, so maybe they had an agenda after all. On the fourth paw, I also have some semantic issues with panel two. A lie and a truth placed side-by-side do not necessarily a paradox make: strictly speaking a verbal paradox should be a singular statement which contradicts itself; two contradictory statements are an antinomy. (Of course antinomy is obscure enough that my spellcheck doesn't like it, and honestly I just discovered the word myself, but that doesn't change the fact that the situation in the comic does not fit my definition of paradox.) ...Also, that's not how paradoxes work, but I'm willing to let it slide for the sake of humor seeing as this is non-canon. Incidentally, that's a pretty impressive triple-starburst in panel two. I'd cheer for it, but I'm pretty sure it's part of the "paradox" special effect rather than a proper "background".

So, I guess I'll go more-or-less panel-by-panel here to organize my thoughts... Panels 1-2: Diane has a point here, this is how dating traditionally works. (Though I think it's not so much that giving up allowance is meant to show a willingness to sacrifice as the rules of dating as we know them came to be during a time when boys too young to make their own money wouldn't be dating. Some kids are just too anxious to get to romance/sex - though I suppose you could think of it as practice.) I can see the connections between this and what the girls were doing at the start of the comic; I wonder if Diane realized when her priorities shifted? I suspect Lucy was aware of the change. Panels 3-4: Again Diane is right: parenting is work, and parenting young children in particular is a full time job. Some people manage to fit in a paying job alongside it, but those people essentially have two jobs; it's quite disrespectful to stay-at-home parents to say they're not working. That said, Diane's phrasing (particularly the "mommy") is on the more juvenile side; it's very odd to see Diane like this. I think it might be worth noting that Diane calls sex>pregnancy>birth the "icky way" to have children. Is it just because she's so young, or does she have a similar aversion to having sex that Susan does? It's also interesting she has such a detailed plan. I wonder if she's just imagining she'll follow in her parents' footsteps, or if she's actually thought it through and decided that's what she wants? Panel 5-6: Well, here we get back to the idea of "practice", though it looks like Diane is much too optimistic about the likely long-term success of a relationship begun at such an early age. Panel 7: It's really weird to see Diane so innocent; clearly like Susan she went through some rough times to become so cynical in the present. I feel a bit sorry for her. ...Still, I can't resist: Yay for bubbly background! Panel 8: Um, Chad, your sick combo seems to be making Diane feel a bit sick. (It's probably just the weight of the loss of her dream of him being a perfect guy (though if this is the first time he's ignored her like this and she's already this upset she might have set her hopes too high - nobody's perfect, and he is still young enough for inexperience to be a valid excuse)... But I can't help but imagine he's playing Mortal Kombat or a similar game, and the results of that combo are why she's looking so sick.) Well, I would think that many guys assume they will grow up to have a partner and children, they just aren't particularly concerned at the moment about whether that the person they're dating now is going to be that partner. I'm sure there are also some romantic types who do assume their current partner is "the one" - but that doesn't mean they're any more likely to be right than Diane is here. (I know I would have been looking for "the one" if I had ever dated back in Middle School or High School... But while I thought of myself as "male" at the time for lack of awareness of more accurate terms, looking back I see myself as having been just as gender-fluid then as I am now, so it's questionable how much I truly count as an example of a "dude" thinking long term at such an early age.)

Presumably relevant to why Rhoda's hair is so long. Edit: Unrelated, and not much of a surprise, but I figured this ought to be posted here as well:

http://egscomics.com/sketchbook/2018-018 https://www.patreon.com/posts/dans-choice-21194574 [space for spoilers] I don't think the "buff" look really suits Tedd. I mean, sure, a little muscle definition wouldn't be bad (Lord Tedd looked pretty good during his Painted Black appearance), but he just doesn't look right with a broad chest. On the other hand, cat-boy Elliot is cute. Rowr!