Don Edwards

No, that page and the previous would require no changes if Damien both parents, or only one. (and the next page - ??? )  His post-Swedekea conversation with Elliot says that both are dead, but nothing that indicates when or how either of them died.
On another note, don't forget that Noriko stayed with Edward and Tedd long enough that Tedd has some memory of being a great disappointment to her. That says to me he was probably at least three or four years old when she left. I seriously don't see Edward telling his preschool son "your mother left because you are such a disappointment".

I hadn't heard about "stale", but there was the little problem that any water not from wells - and water from some wells - was contaminated with whatever sort of bacteria the folks upstream were currently suffering from. And the denser the population, the more of an issue this was. Population was, of course, densest in cities.
Yes, they regarded water as unhealthy to drink, for the very simple reason that people who drank it tended to get sick (not including drunk or hung-over) more than people who didn't. So they drank wine and beer instead. And they also mixed wine/beer (and later rum and other distilled spirits) with water, to reduce the intoxication (and stretch the expensive stuff), but if it had enough alcohol to kill the bacteria they didn't know was in the water...
In China they had the same problem; rather than fixating on alcohol, they drank tea. To make good tea you have to boil the water. Which kills the bacteria they didn't know was in the water.
So China invented the tea ceremony, and Europe invented the "Hold my beer and watch this!" ceremony.

I hadn't heard about "stale", but there was the little problem that any water not from wells - and water from some wells - was contaminated with whatever sort of bacteria the folks upstream were currently suffering from. And the denser the population, the more of an issue this was. Population was, of course, densest in cities.
Yes, they regarded water as unhealthy to drink, for the very simple reason that people who drank it tended to get sick (not including drunk or hung-over) more than people who didn't. So they drank wine and beer instead. And they also mixed wine/beer (and later rum and other distilled spirits) with water, to reduce the intoxication (and stretch the expensive stuff), but if it had enough alcohol to kill the bacteria they didn't know was in the water...
In China they had the same problem; rather than fixating on alcohol, they drank tea. To make good tea you have to boil the water. Which kills the bacteria they didn't know was in the water.
So China invented the tea ceremony, and Europe invented the "Hold my beer and watch this!" ceremony.

I hadn't heard about "stale", but there was the little problem that any water not from wells - and water from some wells - was contaminated with whatever sort of bacteria the folks upstream were currently suffering from. And the denser the population, the more of an issue this was. Population was, of course, densest in cities.
Yes, they regarded water as unhealthy to drink, for the very simple reason that people who drank it tended to get sick (not including drunk or hung-over) more than people who didn't. So they drank wine and beer instead. And they also mixed wine/beer (and later rum and other distilled spirits) with water, to reduce the intoxication (and stretch the expensive stuff), but if it had enough alcohol to kill the bacteria they didn't know was in the water...
In China they had the same problem; rather than fixating on alcohol, they drank tea. To make good tea you have to boil the water. Which kills the bacteria they didn't know was in the water.
So China invented the tea ceremony, and Europe invented the "Hold my beer and watch this!" ceremony.

I hadn't heard about "stale", but there was the little problem that any water not from wells - and water from some wells - was contaminated with whatever sort of bacteria the folks upstream were currently suffering from. And the denser the population, the more of an issue this was. Population was, of course, densest in cities.
Yes, they regarded water as unhealthy to drink, for the very simple reason that people who drank it tended to get sick (not including drunk or hung-over) more than people who didn't. So they drank wine and beer instead. And they also mixed wine/beer (and later rum and other distilled spirits) with water, to reduce the intoxication (and stretch the expensive stuff), but if it had enough alcohol to kill the bacteria they didn't know was in the water...
In China they had the same problem; rather than fixating on alcohol, they drank tea. To make good tea you have to boil the water. Which kills the bacteria they didn't know was in the water.
So China invented the tea ceremony, and Europe invented the "Hold my beer and watch this!" ceremony.

I hadn't heard about "stale", but there was the little problem that any water not from wells - and water from some wells - was contaminated with whatever sort of bacteria the folks upstream were currently suffering from. And the denser the population, the more of an issue this was. Population was, of course, densest in cities.
Yes, they regarded water as unhealthy to drink, for the very simple reason that people who drank it tended to get sick (not including drunk or hung-over) more than people who didn't. So they drank wine and beer instead. And they also mixed wine/beer (and later rum and other distilled spirits) with water, to reduce the intoxication (and stretch the expensive stuff), but if it had enough alcohol to kill the bacteria they didn't know was in the water...
In China they had the same problem; rather than fixating on alcohol, they drank tea. To make good tea you have to boil the water. Which kills the bacteria they didn't know was in the water.
So China invented the tea ceremony, and Europe invented the "Hold my beer and watch this!" ceremony.

I hadn't heard about "stale", but there was the little problem that any water not from wells - and water from some wells - was contaminated with whatever sort of bacteria the folks upstream were currently suffering from. And the denser the population, the more of an issue this was. Population was, of course, densest in cities.
Yes, they regarded water as unhealthy to drink, for the very simple reason that people who drank it tended to get sick (not including drunk or hung-over) more than people who didn't. So they drank wine and beer instead. And they also mixed wine/beer (and later rum and other distilled spirits) with water, to reduce the intoxication (and stretch the expensive stuff), but if it had enough alcohol to kill the bacteria they didn't know was in the water...
In China they had the same problem; rather than fixating on alcohol, they drank tea. To make good tea you have to boil the water. Which kills the bacteria they didn't know was in the water.
So China invented the tea ceremony, and Europe invented the "Hold my beer and watch this!" ceremony.

Unfortunately, it is close enough to true of a sufficiently large minority of men - rarely that they are compelled (and those few have a duty to recognize this flaw in themselves and avoid, not seek out, such situations), but more often that they think they are entitled to take what they see - to make it a reasonable concern. That minority is well under 1% in civilized societies, but there are far smaller dangers that large numbers of people are seriously upset over.
I suspect that genuinely transgender people are vastly UNDER-represented in that minority, but it seems to me that the assh*les who do are also more likely to be the sort to go to, say, a public gym they've never been to before (and probably will never go to again) and falsely claim to be trans in order to gain access to the women's locker room.
And if I were, say, a high-school principal, I wouldn't want a trans kid who's presenting as their gender to undress in EITHER the boys' or girls' locker room - not to protect the other kids from them, but to protect them from the other kids. (This policy would also remove any temptation for other teenagers - who are more prone to do stupid things than adults are - to falsely claim to be trans in order to get some free peeks.)

Unfortunately, it is close enough to true of a sufficiently large minority of men - rarely that they are compelled (and those few have a duty to recognize this flaw in themselves and avoid, not seek out, such situations), but more often that they think they are entitled to take what they see - to make it a reasonable concern. That minority is well under 1% in civilized societies, but there are far smaller dangers that large numbers of people are seriously upset over.
I suspect that genuinely transgender people are vastly UNDER-represented in that minority, but it seems to me that the assh*les who do are also more likely to be the sort to go to, say, a public gym they've never been to before (and probably will never go to again) and falsely claim to be trans in order to gain access to the women's locker room.
And if I were, say, a high-school principal, I wouldn't want a trans kid who's presenting as their gender to undress in EITHER the boys' or girls' locker room - not to protect the other kids from them, but to protect them from the other kids. (This policy would also remove any temptation for other teenagers - who are more prone to do stupid things than adults are - to falsely claim to be trans in order to get some free peeks.)

I assume that all of them know at least the generalities of what happened to any of them unless:
It's very old, from before they were at all aware of each other's magic; or It's very new, they haven't had time to share it; or There's some agreement or expressed desire to not share it. So Ellen and Nanase know things about Noriko that the others (particularly Tedd, Elliot, and Grace) don't know. And I doubt that Sarah has told any of them, except maybe Susan, about her power - even if there has been sufficient time, which isn't clear. And of course most of the group know nothing about the current contact with griffins except maybe what has been on the local news, yet, but they presumably will be told about them soon.
I wouldn't say it's a compulsion, beyond a sense of duty ("these horrible things exist, most people can't fight them, I can, therefore I must" or alternatively "this is the tradition of my ancestors, I must uphold and continue it").
Combine that with Primary Protagonist Syndrome, or alternatively the monsters' ability to detect who might become a threat, and you get a line of monster-hunters.

Unfortunately, it is close enough to true of a sufficiently large minority of men - rarely that they are compelled (and those few have a duty to recognize this flaw in themselves and avoid, not seek out, such situations), but more often that they think they are entitled to take what they see - to make it a reasonable concern. That minority is well under 1% in civilized societies, but there are far smaller dangers that large numbers of people are seriously upset over.
I suspect that genuinely transgender people are vastly UNDER-represented in that minority, but it seems to me that the assh*les who do are also more likely to be the sort to go to, say, a public gym they've never been to before (and probably will never go to again) and falsely claim to be trans in order to gain access to the women's locker room.
And if I were, say, a high-school principal, I wouldn't want a trans kid who's presenting as their gender to undress in EITHER the boys' or girls' locker room - not to protect the other kids from them, but to protect them from the other kids. (This policy would also remove any temptation for other teenagers - who are more prone to do stupid things than adults are - to falsely claim to be trans in order to get some free peeks.)

I assume that all of them know at least the generalities of what happened to any of them unless:
It's very old, from before they were at all aware of each other's magic; or It's very new, they haven't had time to share it; or There's some agreement or expressed desire to not share it. So Ellen and Nanase know things about Noriko that the others (particularly Tedd, Elliot, and Grace) don't know. And I doubt that Sarah has told any of them, except maybe Susan, about her power - even if there has been sufficient time, which isn't clear. And of course most of the group know nothing about the current contact with griffins except maybe what has been on the local news, yet, but they presumably will be told about them soon.
I wouldn't say it's a compulsion, beyond a sense of duty ("these horrible things exist, most people can't fight them, I can, therefore I must" or alternatively "this is the tradition of my ancestors, I must uphold and continue it").
Combine that with Primary Protagonist Syndrome, or alternatively the monsters' ability to detect who might become a threat, and you get a line of monster-hunters.

Primary Protagonist Syndrome: the story is interested in you. It's an aggravated form of the more common Protagonist Syndrome, where it never occurs to you to call the relevant authorities and then go hide while they deal with the problem (and you may even actively go hunting for the story).
Both forms are also known as Player-Character Syndrome and Main Character Syndrome. However these terms also have other, only vaguely related, meanings.

Primary Protagonist Syndrome: the story is interested in you. It's an aggravated form of the more common Protagonist Syndrome, where it never occurs to you to call the relevant authorities and then go hide while they deal with the problem (and you may even actively go hunting for the story).
Both forms are also known as Player-Character Syndrome and Main Character Syndrome. However these terms also have other, only vaguely related, meanings.

I doubt it. The preferred way to get from the top of a waterfall to the bottom is not by riding in a canoe.

 
Everyone knows hair dye in all sorts of colors is readily available and hair is easily restyled. But when that person shows up with their hair in a style far different from normal and dyed that color, it's still shocking.

"I'm basing my theory on the possibility that there aren't any other drains close enough to catch the overflow. "
That isn't theoretically possible unless there's only one drain. If there are two drains then eventually the buildup will reach the other one.
The functional definition of "eventually" matters a lot, though.

 
Everyone knows hair dye in all sorts of colors is readily available and hair is easily restyled. But when that person shows up with their hair in a style far different from normal and dyed that color, it's still shocking.

Here's a little smug, and you can pet it if you like.
x
There's another concern. An area can be very comfortable with a certain flow of water, but if that flow is blocked so there's a buildup and then the buildup is released it can be extremely damaging. (Think of a dam breaking.) Is the same true of magic?
 

Here's a little smug, and you can pet it if you like.
x
There's another concern. An area can be very comfortable with a certain flow of water, but if that flow is blocked so there's a buildup and then the buildup is released it can be extremely damaging. (Think of a dam breaking.) Is the same true of magic?
 

Which is the first half of an apple?

I note that on no occasion has either griffin said anything about their world's human nobility in general, or about magic among humans in general. Just that the royal family is a strongly magical bloodline, and that Nanase's magic is strong enough it's hard to imagine her not being part of that family (which implies that really strongly magical people born outside that family tend to be adopted or married into it).
So maybe magic-users of, oh, Susan's current level are a dime a dozen. This seems likely for the world in general, although not necessarily for humans, considering Tara was able to intimidate an Ancient into temporarily leaving our world - and she's a knight, not a wizard.
As for making the little fairy appear being impressive - in itself somewhat, but the fact of its persistence more so. You see, technically there's nothing theoretically wrong with violating the law of conservation of matter and energy... temporarily. But that violation has to later (and usually not much later) be undone. Ellen's and Elliot's shape-changings get undone. All of Susan's, Dex's, and Abraham's summonings get undone.
Nanase's fairydolls don't get undone, even when cut in half. And creating matter takes a HUGE amount of energy. The energy of the A-bomb explosion at Hiroshima was nowhere near sufficient to create an entire fairydoll.
Flying takes energy too, but vastly less than matter-creation (and far less for a fairydoll than for a human figure or guardian form). That energy could plausibly be tapped from the environment. Or if it is created, its un-creation can be done inconspicuously.
(Oh, and Ashley? Put your phone on speaker... too bad Elliot in his current condition doesn't know how to do the same and possibly can't.)

In Stranger in a Strange Land a certain household had a sign on the inside of the front door: "Did you remember to dress?"

In Stranger in a Strange Land a certain household had a sign on the inside of the front door: "Did you remember to dress?"

I'm pretty sure that was among the twenty or thirty possible explanations we came up with.
I love Nanase's expression in the last two panels.