ChronosCat

That is in large part due to having a two party system  If we had a multiparty system like most countries do we might get more rational leaders.  I said might, not would.

Heat death is actually the most optimistic scenario, since it allows for life to persist the longest. Even after all stars run out of fuel and there is no longer enough hydrogen and helium to produce new ones, technological species can still produce usable energy by feeding what is left to black holes until protons themselves decay away.
The Big Rip, on the other hand, produces a fascinating symmetry to the universe—the final state of ultra-rapid expansion is mathematically identical to the inflationary stage in the Big Bang. This suggests an eternal cycle, in which inflation slows to allow matter to form, then after a time accelerates again and rips it apart, only to begin again.

I didn't bring this up at the time of the first strip mentioning Nanase's character's backstory because I thought it would be too depressing, but my Grandmother died after falling down her basement stairs. I've been a lot more careful around stairs myself ever since. I also can no longer laugh at jokes about stairs, which makes the lighthearted way this story is handling the matter a bit annoying for me (on the other hand, I do find myself with a lot of sympathy for Nanase's character).

Yeah, I seem to remember a lot of people speculating on Noah's ponytail being antennae.

 
As someone with autism who has experienced degrees of sensory overload, I can see that.

Show of hands: how many people aren't surprised? *raises hand*
Noah's left eye has been seen before, as a normal human eye, so presumably he learned eventually. Or his emotions are affecting his shapeshifting. Or magic glamour. Or something.
Also, is it just me, or are there some parallels here between Uryuom/Seyunolu antennae sensing stuff and autism? What with the whole 'can't handle crowds and everything is loud' thing. Or am I misinterpreting things?

Darth Fluffy already mentioned the backgrounds, but as usual it falls to me to give the traditional cheer (probably because I'm the only one who cares about it anymore).
Yay for bubbly background in panel two!

There are different degrees of immortality. Absolute eternal existence would likely drive a human insane, especially if that means literally outliving the heat death of the universe.
On the other hand, the “no natural decline with aging” kind of immortality could be good—you stay healthy indefinitely, even though mundane injury could still kill you.

The fact that Uryuom/human Seyunolu exist at all is proof that interbreeding is possible, though it apparently requires at least two Uryuom participants in the mix unless you have one of the rare ones like Guyer (Grace’s Uryuom parent) who can produce an unfertilized egg solo.
But if you’re just talking about sexual interaction fir funsies, then yes an Uryuom can morph the requisite anatomy with the help of Cosmetic Morphing Devices such as the one that the TF Gun is derived from.

https://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/2022-013
While I prefer pictures of the main characters (or at least characters I'm more familiar with), I really like how this one came out.
(Incidentally, I'm a little surprised no one started this thread already. I wasn't online all weekend, but I know a few people were on the forums. Did no one have anything to say about this one, or did some of you miss it?)

Nichelle Nichols passed away. 89 years old, not a bad run.
Not a whole lot of TOS cast left, William Shatner, George Takei, and Walter Koenig.
 

If I remember Dan's commentary correctly, he created the Space Turtle as an excuse to get Mr. Verres away from the meeting between Tedd and Arthur. Then once the Turtle had been introduced, Dan decided this would be the news the Turtle brought. So from a meta-sense, giving this info IS the Turtle's secondary purpose.

Intellectually, yes, he would have realized that Edward was not of a politically ruling house, but I think that in his mind-controlled state, he was running more on gut instinct instead.

I'd rather have a sorta sexy NP arc about Ashley's new "OC" characters than another video game based one.

I kinda figured.
Ah, being trans has nothing to do with medical technology. It helps, but the real issue is your identity and acceptance (or lack thereof.)

Elliot sees things far too polarized - this form seems more anti-hero than villain to me. Willing to cross the line for the right reasons.

That's only a problem if the audience of the review show knows that and gets suspicious. After all, Susan's idea is they just act like themselves while transformed, fooling those who don't know about transformation magic into thinking they're acting.

Yeah, and either the main story line or with a canon cannon on it.

So it seems like Elliot has learned how to unleash his inner demons after all.
https://www.egscomics.com/comic/balance-131

"Celebrity Drama" is something that I almost never care about.  I feel no need to get to the bottom of it.

Yay!  This sequence isn't going to be all video game comics!  I has a happy!
 

So, last time I was assuming the Owl-griffin was trying to kill Mr. Verres. However, another possibility has occurred to me, tying in with my theory that Uryuoms and griffins are enemies: What if he thought Grace was a threat to Mr. Verres, and thought he was going to the rescue (not expecting Mr. Verres to get in the way of the charge)?
Either way, unless Grace can fly faster than the Owl-griffin and/or find a good hiding place, this is only delaying a confrontation with him.
...By the way, an interesting bit of speculation I've seen over on Twitter: what if the Owl-griffin is being controlled, much like Voltaire "guided" Dex? This would explain his odd way of saying "royalty", his expressionless stare, and potentially why Grace senses something familiar about him.

As long as the species which replaces us comes from us (either our descendants or engineered by us), is sapient to a degree at least equal to us, and is not morally abhorrent to us, I am not too worried about the future of the universe.

There aren't many circumstances where 100% perfection is possible to achieve. Also, if "good enough" isn't good enough, can you really call it "good enough"?
People who achieve power through means other than inheriting it are always at least "good enough" (often "very good") at acquiring power. It's just that there's no guarantee they have any other qualifications for whatever position they reach.

NP Comic Tuesday March 15, 2022
ChronosCat called it, Grace was just being affectionate.