Dabat

To quote Elliot himself: "She's family, Help her."

You are not alone.

Good Guy Elliot does what everyone on this forum wanted to do for the last week.
 
Seriously, I want to hug Tedd so hard right now...

http://www.egscomics.com/?id=2312
Bless you, Elliot. I knew we could rely on you.

Maybe we need to expand the canon/non-canon system. Tedd Forgot Something can almost fit into canon except for the tail at the end of the tail, and even that isn't that big a departure, given that no one noticed Catalina had a tail except for Rhoda before they both turned into half-scale catgirls. I have some suggestions for the new terminology:
Demi-canon:  Could be canon, but not established yet. NPs about Grace's gaming might be referred to in canon someday. Semi-canon: Magical Comics Store and maybe now Tedd Forgot Something. Some parts may have been retconned out, such as Tedd's tail and Nanase taking five bucks from Duck to use her magic to look like she's wearing a bikini. Also Susan baring her midriff in early comics. Trebuchet:  Unlikely to become canon, but neat, and gives me an excuse to show off that I know how to spell "trebuchet" and what one is, namely a large catapult which was replaced by cannons but still essential for throwing cows at Monty Python. And there's a "Trebuchet" font out there somewhere.

The thing that stands out for me is way back at the end of the first Sister arc, just before Ellen zaps Tedd, Edward comments that it was disturbing seeing one's son as a girl. which I'll agree does sound transphobic. But shortly after we see Edward thinking to himself that maybe he should have picked a gender neutral name when Tedd was born, that doesn't sound transphobic to me, more like feeling it would be easier if the name wasn't awkward to say when referring to a daughter or a son. I just can't imagine someone who's transphobic thinking that.

Edward Verres is many things.  Not the least of which is pragmatic.
Whether or not he likes, understands, or believes what Tedd is doing to be acceptable, Tedd is still Edward's child and Edward isn't going to pretend that nothing is happening.  A gender neutral name would have simplified some matters.
Again I will say that Edward doesn't want to be a bad guy here.  He just doesn't fully comprehend Tedd's emotional and mental state.  And Tedd has a history of withdrawing from the world into the inner mind, so Tedd probably won't be able to start the conversation with Edward.

Here, have one of mine

Yeah, I think Edward is trying hard to give Tedd everything to make up for Noriko leaving, but he's unable to really express his feelings sometimes especially when it comes to not understanding Tedd's interests and behaviour and so his reactions come across negatively to Tedd. Of course Tedd not knowing exactly why she liked being female lead to some awkward responses when Edward questioned it like the claim that it was a vacation. And no, I'm not blaming Tedd for getting in this situation, there's no way she could have known what to say before. She's still scared about what might happen, and I do wonder if Tedd believed it was her fault that Noriko left, like "If mom loved me, she wouldn't have left" and that makes Tedd worry about Edward leaving as well because of this.

The problem here is not what Mr. Verres is. It is what Tedd perceives him as. And from where she is currently sitting, he isn't looking good.
I know this from experience. Had I fully understood my father's position -- or my brother's, for that matter -- I wouldn't have spent decades of my life resenting or even hating them. They did not deserve it. I resented them anyway.
Currently when considering Tedd's position I am thinking of an old Beatles tune. I hope it is not an omen.
Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins
silently closing her bedroom door, leaving the note that she hoped would say more
she goes downstairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
quietly turning the backdoor key, stepping outside she is free
She (we gave her most of our lives)
is leaving (sacrificed most of our lives)
home (we gave her everything money could buy)
she's leaving home after living alone for so many years...

I don't think that Mr. Verres is transphobic, at least not to the degree where I'd actually call it transphobic. I fully believe Mr. Verres loves his child as much as a father can. I've outed myself on this forum before, so I don't terribly mind saying again that I am intersex. Now, maybe I am projecting some, but I feel like I know exactly where Tedd is right now (at least with regards to family and who he can talk to). I know that my parents love me unconditionally, but there were a lot of awkward moments while I was still figuring things out. My parents will, and have, supported me in anything I will do, but at the same time they are not who I turn to for gender advice.
 
Incidently, i recently learned I can't give more than ten likes a day.

I don't think that Mr. Verres is transphobic, at least not to the degree where I'd actually call it transphobic. I fully believe Mr. Verres loves his child as much as a father can. I've outed myself on this forum before, so I don't terribly mind saying again that I am intersex. Now, maybe I am projecting some, but I feel like I know exactly where Tedd is right now (at least with regards to family and who he can talk to). I know that my parents love me unconditionally, but there were a lot of awkward moments while I was still figuring things out. My parents will, and have, supported me in anything I will do, but at the same time they are not who I turn to for gender advice.
 
Incidently, i recently learned I can't give more than ten likes a day.

I said as much in the thread about the previous comic, though not in those exact words. From what little we saw about Tedd before school today, I got the feeling she was actively avoiding Grace and her father (though for different reasons). Normally if someone has been/is/will be interacting with someone else, Dan will give some indication that the other person is there. But if I recall correctly Tedd was drawn to be totally alone.

<3

I understand that, but that raises other questions, all of the non-earthlings we have seen, the Uryuoms and The Deathless Army of Rage, seem to have magic (the Deathless got to earth somehow, and they don't seem like a technological species) seems to point to magic being some form of a universal force. Tedd has certainly been studying it that way. But this indicates that magic is not a universal force, but rather one that changes from species to species. We only know how magic works for for Humans and Uryuoms, but Uryuoms coming to earth, even living their entire lives on earth, don't learn magic the way humans do it would seem to support the "universal force that is expressed differently by different species" hypothesis. But humans losing access to their magic while Uryuoms (and Uryuom hybrids) not doing so would indicate that magic is instead an abnormal force that concentrates itself deliberately. Perhaps it's even that magic is less a universal force, but one where different species have their magic provided by different entities, and Human-Magic-Entity CAN'T give or take away Deathless Army magic and vis-versa. If either of those is true, that indicates that magic is something that can be communicated with, anything communicated with can be reasoned with... Even bargained with. And THAT information would be game changing.
 
Please note. I am not being pedantic here. I am not trying to say "THIS IS HOW DAN MUST WRITE!!!11!". I just can't always turn my 'science brain' off, and if I were in Tedd's shoes (once I calmed down) these are the questions I would be asking as well as the likely hypotheses I would draw from the information at hand. Besides some speculation on my part, meta-wise we know that the a good portion of this is true, but the characters in the comic don't.
 
 
 
 
From what we've seen, it looks like it would affect all humans in one fell swoop, but maybe it could pick and choose, who knows?

We're veering into speculation territory here, but this does come back to what you and I were talking about yesterday. Grace wont be loosing anything if magic gets pissy and changes the rules (though if I were Tedd, the first question I'd ask once I calmed down is *why* Grace wont lose her magic. If magic is an elemental force, even one with a will behind it, shouldn't its change affect everyone equally?). And Grace will likely try and be helpful and point out that Tedd will still have the TF gun even if she looses the rest of her magic... Which likely would have worked on Tedd six months ago, hell, it likely would have worked on Tedd six days ago. But now that Tedd is marked, and understands the concept of gender fluid, she's realized that she's not just some weirdo with a fetish. She need to figure out if she's actually happier living as female with occasional trips to male rather than vis-versa.
 
We're talking foundation of identity revelations here, she has a right to be upset and confused. And all of this isn't even getting into her lost dream of sharing magic with everyone.

I think that Uryuoms being exempt may be due to the Magic Reset being a Terran-local phenomenon--it only affects Earth species. Given the very presence of Uryuoms on Earth at all, coupled with the size of the universe, there are almost certainly millions of sapient species in existence across the universe. (Fermi paradox argument) Assuming that the whole universe does not metaphysically revolve around Earth or humans, then the more species in the universe, the less likely that the whole universe would change just due to the actions of humans on Earth. Earth is just a trillionth of a trillionth of a single universe, and the affairs of the inhabitants of one pale blue dot should not be expected to make a difference to the rest.
Also, note that the Emissary and Pandora spoke of a change in how magic works "for humans". Humans are a species who can acquire the use of magic, but who can also live perfectly well without it. However, some beings (Immortals, Uryuoms, etc.) have magic so incorporated into their very nature that ripping it out would probably mean instant death for them. Given that Magic seems to be deliberately merciful in preventing injury from being inherent to its use (e.g. all of the growth/shrinking/transformation safeguards), it seems uncharacteristic that Magic would rip the life force out of whole species during a Reset.

Interesting point, ijuin.  It does make me wonder, if we'd gotten to the point of space travel, would a reset caused by the actions of humans on Earth affect humans who live on another planet?  Perhaps the more spread out humans become, the smaller a percent any one planet's population would be, and the less likely any one world of humans could do anything to cause a magic reset for the rest -- but the fact that what's happening in NaperMoperville is going to affect the rest of the planet is an argument against that.

"Love" is a strong word.
Arms folded, hunching over, the littlest things make the greatest giveaways.
Since I am not a god, I would not even say in full that Tedd will stay as a girl in the end. Then again, Grace. Also then again, Tedd might be having a critical misconception.

I understand that, but that raises other questions, all of the non-earthlings we have seen, the Uryuoms and The Deathless Army of Rage, seem to have magic (the Deathless got to earth somehow, and they don't seem like a technological species) seems to point to magic being some form of a universal force. Tedd has certainly been studying it that way. But this indicates that magic is not a universal force, but rather one that changes from species to species. We only know how magic works for for Humans and Uryuoms, but Uryuoms coming to earth, even living their entire lives on earth, don't learn magic the way humans do it would seem to support the "universal force that is expressed differently by different species" hypothesis. But humans losing access to their magic while Uryuoms (and Uryuom hybrids) not doing so would indicate that magic is instead an abnormal force that concentrates itself deliberately. Perhaps it's even that magic is less a universal force, but one where different species have their magic provided by different entities, and Human-Magic-Entity CAN'T give or take away Deathless Army magic and vis-versa. If either of those is true, that indicates that magic is something that can be communicated with, anything communicated with can be reasoned with... Even bargained with. And THAT information would be game changing.
 
Please note. I am not being pedantic here. I am not trying to say "THIS IS HOW DAN MUST WRITE!!!11!". I just can't always turn my 'science brain' off, and if I were in Tedd's shoes (once I calmed down) these are the questions I would be asking as well as the likely hypotheses I would draw from the information at hand. Besides some speculation on my part, meta-wise we know that the a good portion of this is true, but the characters in the comic don't.
 
 
 
 
From what we've seen, it looks like it would affect all humans in one fell swoop, but maybe it could pick and choose, who knows?

Elliot is also the one person best suited to understand how Tedd is feeling about this, especially the part about feeling distressed about the potential loss of being able to change sexes more or less at will.

Thank you.
And yes, that last sounds entirely reasonable. I have in fact at times sat down hard on my urge to say things for this exact reason. Calming down and analysing them for later, sober discussion seems like the better idea here. Or alternately, venting at someone you trust who is better able to handle the overflow.

Without trying to take this thread to far off topic, I understand. I've done foolish things out of jealousy too. They are perhaps my biggest regrets. For what it's worth, in all I've seen in all of my lurking, you seem like a pretty good person.
 
Back on topic. Maybe the reason Tedd isn't telling all of this to Grace is because she's worried she'll say something out of jealousy. Once you say things you can't take them back.

I can't say anything besides "Poor Tedd".

Yeah. Sometimes you just can't help that. Jealousy is not an emotion I am proud of, but for a long time I felt it strongly in connection with my older and by far more successful brother. This was also due to certain sibling problems we brought with us into adulthood. And it can poison relationships badly.
It took long years before I was finally able to begin laying the resentment I felt to rest. But when I succeeded, it made a huge difference for me. I truly hope that if Tedd does feel that way, she will find a better way to deal with it than I did.