Illjwamh

All right, where was I? Spent last weekend and most of this week moving and then settling into a new apartment and job, respectively. Should be back on track now. Mon. May 29, 2017 Ellen: 620 (now 4th) Elliot: 881 Wed. May 31, 2017 Ellen: 621 Elliot: 882 Fri. Jun. 2, 2017 Sarah: 620 FULL COUNT:

Friday, May 26, 2017 Ellen: 619 (tied w/ Sarah for 4th) Elliot: 880 FULL COUNT:

I get the impression that this is why the Hammerchlorians arc happened. Dan directly said one of reasons he did the storyline was that hammers were huge plot hole. I remember that, and it's one of the reasons for my current hypothesis. He's done it before, after all.

I remember that, yeah. Still doesn't change my interpretation. I'm not insisting I'm right or anything; that's just how I've always looked at it.

I always considered that leaning-on-the-fourth-wall style joke about the way Dan will visually represent emotions and things. I never once assumed Tedd was literally glowing.

I have to wonder if the entire reason Dan has written this storyline in the first place is that he doesn't like the way he originally set up magic in the comic, but he's a responsible writer who wants to keep things internally consistent and so this is his way to avoid arbitrary changes to suit the types of plots he wants.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Elliot: 879 Ellen: 618 FULL COUNT:

A bit anti-climactic for my first up-to-date posting. Monday, May 22, 2017 Elliot: 878 Ellen: 617 FULL COUNT:

http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=618 The list of changes in the commentary was fun. I was confident throughout the story that I noticed most of them, but there were definitely a few that I'd missed.

Lol. So he did. I don't think I've ever read any of the classic commentaries.

That's amazing. Reminds me of Diane telling Nanase that half the school has seen her floating around.

An excellent summary, though you forgot to mention Grace being far less naive than she later ended up being. It's not so easy to write all this off as non-canon though, since so much of what happened that year did have a very profound influence on the rest of the story. What you are describing is merely Early Installment Weirdness. (Warning: TVTropes Link. Do not click if you have somewhere to be today.)

Are they not? Has Dan said this? I don't remember.

Sounds reasonable to me; I'll probably go with something like that.

I love that this thread is still a thing. Haven't we been doing this since the TWC forum days?

Time to get fully caught up. The next time I post in this thread, it will be with a daily update, just like the old days. THIS YEAR SO FAR: New Characters Heka "The Butler", I'm calling him Returning Characters Magus (Last seen in 2010) Assistant Director Liefeld (Last seen in 2010) Arthur J. Arthur (Last seen in 2011) Li'l Nase (Last seen in 2012, though as Susan has many different fairies now, I'm at a loss as to what to do with them) Appearances Up to and Including Thursday May 18, 2017 Elliot: 29 Tedd: 17 Ellen: 12 Sarah: 9 Pandora: 9 Grace: 6 Susan: 6 Heka: 5 Justin: 4 Diane: 4 Li'l Nase: 3 "New Jerry": 3 "The Old Man": 2 Sirleck: 2 Cheerleadra: 2 Mild-Mannered: 2 Goth: 2 Heidi: 2 Mr. Verres: 1 Mr. Tensaided: 1 Magus: 1 Catalina: 1 A.D. Liefeld: 1 Arthur: 1 Ashley: 1 Magic Emissary: 1 Voltaire: 1 "The Butler": 1 *Nanase is the only major character yet to appear this year. Official, Completely Up-To-Date Full Count

I'm having fun. An important note before I post the 2016 count: this year will include the count from the NP-original story "Question Mark", featuring the story of how Sarah got her magic mark. It originally ran in 2015, but will be part of this year's count for the following reasons: 1. It was placed into the main story archives in 2016, and appears on the main page amidst the 2016 comics. 2. NP storylines aren't normally counted anyway, even if they're canon; the only reason this is being counted at all is because of reason 1. 3. I've already finished 2015, and I don't want to have to go back and change anything. The appearances will be counted by the main story comic format. That is, each comic on the main page is actually made of several NP comics put together, but will count as one comic for the purposes of the list, because, again, main comics are what are counted, not NP. All that being said, let's get on with it. We're in uncharted territory now, folks. Except for a few near the beginning, I've never done 2016 before. Characters Introduced This Year Diane's Empathy Diane's Selfishness Abner Blaike Characters Returning After a Year or More Mr. Brown (2003) Amanda (2013) Goo (2013) Damien (2010) Greg (2013) Dan (2011) Noah (2014) Mr. Raven (2012) "The Old Man" (2013) Sirleck (2013) Jerry (2013) Dex (2014) Mild-Mannered (2012) Goth (2012) Taurcanis Draco (2013) Heidi (2013) Max (2012) "New Jerry" (2013) Magic Emissary (2014) This Year's Count Nanase: 49 Elliot: 40 Pandora: 38 Sarah: 34 Grace: 29 Ellen: 29 Diane: 29 Tedd: 23 Cheerleadra: 23 Andrea: 20 Amanda: 19 Susan: 18 Charlotte: 17 Dame Tara: 17 Mr. Verres: 15 Spider Vampire: 14 Ashley: 13 Magic Emissary: 13 Voltaire: 11 Mr. Raven: 10 Carol: 5 "The Old Man": 5 Sirleck: 5 Noah: 4 Greg: 3 Max: 3 "New Jerry": 3 Abner: 3 Blaike: 3 Justin: 2 Mr. Tensaided: 2 Goo: 1 Damien: 1 Dan: 1 Mr. Brown: 1 Catalina: 1 Jerry: 1 Dex: 1 Mild-Mannered: 1 Goth: 1 Taurcanis Draco: 1 Heidi: 1 Rhea: 1 Diane's Empathy: 1 Diane's Selfishness: 1 *The observant among you no doubt noticed an extra bold name this time around. Diane has appeared every year since her introduction (except in 2009, when Tedd and Sarah didn't appear either), and for the last several years has consistently placed high on the list and played a significant role in various storylines. Based on the direction the comic is headed, that is not likely to change. Also to be considered is that for two years in a row now, supposed main characters (Susan and Justin, respectively), have only appeared twice. Thus, I will now be counting Diane as among the main cast, and will represent her on the list accordingly. **I am also strongly considering doing the same for Ashley, but as she hasn't been around nearly as long, I'm going to give it another year or so for her to truly establish herself (and to make sure she doesn't disappear - having to demote her would be humiliating for everyone). Full Count

Damn. Another year like 2015 and I'll be officially expanding what I consider to be the "main cast". *Please note that my opinions have no bearing on what is actually the main cast - only on how this list is presented. Characters Introduced This Year Dame Tara Voltaire Spider Vampire Characters Returning After a Year or More Jeremy (2013) Demetrius (2010) Helena (2011) Fox (2009) Carol (2011) Matt Cohen's Pal (2012) Rhea (2013) Charlotte (2013) Andrea (2013) This Year's Count Elliot: 93 Ashley: 84 Ellen: 39 Dame Tara: 38 Nanase: 34 Cheerleadra: 33 Diane: 30 Charlotte: 28 Justin: 14 Voltaire: 12 Tedd: 10 Grace: 9 Luke: 9 Sarah: 8 Mr. Tensaided: 8 Rhoda: 5 Helena: 5 Liz: 4 Catalina: 4 Pandora: 3 Susan: 2 Demetrius: 2 Fox: 2 Carol: 2 Andrea: 2 Mr. Verres: 1 Jeremy: 1 Matt Cohen's Pal: 1 Rhea: 1 Elijah: 1 Rick: 1 Good Tom: 1 Sam: 1 Spider Vampire: 1 *Ashley's count is the highest in any single year for a character outside the main cast. In fact, she has more appearances in this year alone than any other non-main character has in total, save two: Mr Verres, and Mr. Raven (whose all-time total beats her 2015 total by one). **The above is actually incorrect, as it failed to take Diane's appearances from 2015 into account. Still, though... Full Count

I explained that higher up when they first appeared, but it doesn't surprise me that it got lost in the swarm. To clarify: All 4 of Elliot's alter-egos receive their own counts, and are listed as semi-characters (italics in the full count list), like Fox, and Susan's personality aspects. They also count as an appearance of Elliot himself. Just one, obviously. That is to say, if Heidi and Cheerleadra were to appear in the same comic, they would each get one, and it would count as one appearance for Elliot. 2014... Good lord, that card tournament dragged on forever. I'd forgotten just how arduous it was. Characters Introduced This Year Tom's Pal Good Tom Magic Emissary Luke Sam Some Guy Characters Returning After a Year or More Tony (2008) "Ronin" (2008) Larry (2010) Liz (2011) Noah (2011) Rich (2011) Dex (2011) Dex's Fairy (2011) George (2012) This Year's Count Grace: 95 Tedd: 91 Sarah: 91 Justin: 72 Luke: 49 Susan: 32 Elliot: 31 Larry: 30 George: 24 Sam: 23 Rich: 21 Ashley: 19 Mr. Tensaided: 16 Ellen: 9 Tom: 9 Nanase: 8 Magic Emissary: 8 Rhoda: 6 Pandora: 6 Some Guy: 6 Dex: 5 Liz: 2 Catalina: 2 Cheerleadra: 2 Tom's Pal: 2 Mr. Verres: 1 Tony: 1 "Ronin": 1 Noah: 1 Dex's Fairy: 1 Elijah: 1 Rick: 1 Chubby Fan: 1 Mullet Fan: 1 Glasses Fan: 1 Cecil: 1 Good Tom: 1 Full Count

I'm wondering how this new revelation fits with Ellen explaining to Nanase that her feelings for guys felt "tacked on" and artificial.

Phill was included in my original count, but that was before the extended cast started to balloon out of control. I try my best now not to include anyone whom I'm fairly certain will not make another appearance. I was iffy on Gary, for instance, and another from the upcoming list, but they're recent enough that it's still possible they might appear again, especially with Dan's penchant for re-using extras (the people at Rhea's party have appeared several times, including in the video store and at the movie theater, but I have never included them). Thus, despite Phill having a name, I was confident he would not be showing up again, and so he was cut. Moving on. 2013 was a big year for a lot of characters - three in particular, as you'll see. It also saw the debut of one of my favorite new characters in years. Try and guess who it is. Characters Introduced This Year The Whale Derek Rhea Elijah Rick Charlotte "New Jerry" Not Tengu Sarah's Chubby Fan Sarah's Mullet Fan Sarah's Glasses Fan Ashley! "Random Crazy Person" Tom Cecil Cecil's Friend Andrea Ashley's Dad Characters Returning After a Year or More Goo (2008) Lucy (2008) Agent Wolf (2009) Bloodgrem (2009) "The Old Man" (2010) Sirleck (2010) The French Aberration (2010) "Old Demitrius" (2010) "Old Helena" (2010) Jerry (2010) Amanda (2011) Jeremy (2011) Greg (2011) Second Life Ellen (2011) Diane (2011) Lisa (2011) Pandora (2011) Agent Cranium (2011) Taurcanis Draco (2011) This Year's Count Elliot: 97 Nanase: 97 Ellen: 97 Susan: 66 Sarah: 55 Diane: 52 Tedd: 45 Grace: 39 Charlotte: 36 Not Tengu: 29 Justin: 22 Catalina: 18 Amanda: 15 Lisa: 15 Rhea: 15 Ashley: 10 Mr. Verres: 9 Cheerleadra: 9 Elijah: 8 Rick: 8 Rhoda: 7 The Whale: 6 Tom: 6 Agent Cranium: 5 Greg: 4 Agent Wolf: 4 Cecil: 4 Mrs. Kitsune: 3 "New Jerry": 3 Sarah's Chubby Fan: 3 Sarah's Mullet Fan: 3 Sarah's Glasses Fan: 3 "Random Crazy Person": 3 Jeremy: 2 Akiko: 2 Jerry: 2 Heidi: 2 Noriko: 2 Cecil's Friend: 2 Goo: 1 Mrs. Dunkel: 1 Mr. Tensaided: 1 Second Life Ellen: 1 Lucy: 1 Pandora: 1 Bloodgrem: 1 "The Old Man": 1 Sirleck: 1 The French Aberration: 1 "Old Demitrius": 1 "Old Helena": 1 Taurcanis Draco: 1 Derek: 1 Andrea: 1 Ashley's Dad: 1 *This is the first time three characters have tied for the top spot. All three of them have taken it individually before. **Diane is the first character outside the main cast of 8 to achieve more than 50 appearances in a single year. ***At #8, this is Grace's lowest place yet. Full Count

No need to apologize. It was, after all, incredibly boaring.

It's what I'm here for. Man, doing 2012 this way was so much better than when I originally did it one day at a time, if only because it started off with what still to this day is what I consider by far the least interesting story Dan has ever done. Effing boar. Characters Introduced This Year Matt Cohen's Friend (a.k.a. Good Tom's girlfriend) Jim Noriko Characters Returning After a Year or More Mr. Tensaided (2003) Susan's Curiosity (2005) Hedge (2006) Susan's Logic (2006) Matt Cohen (2008) Akiko (2007) Inner Tiffany (2008) Inner Susan (2008) Mr. Dunkel (2010) Mrs. Dunkel (2010) This Year's Count Sarah: 64 Grace: 58 Tedd: 56 Elliot: 39 Susan: 37 Mr. Tensaided: 32 Justin: 28 Nanase: 27 Mr. Raven: 20 Ellen: 15 Akiko: 9 Boar: 8 Matt Cohen: 6 Jim: 5 Catalina: 4 George: 4 Hedge: 3 Duck: 2 Bill: 2 Rhoda: 2 Mrs. Kitsune: 2 Mr. Verres: 1 Mr. Dunkel: 1 Mrs. Dunkel: 1 Drake: 1 Inner Tiffany: 1 Inner Susan: 1 Li'l Nase: 1 Cheerleadra: 1 Mild-Mannered: 1 Goth: 1 Heidi: 1 Max: 1 Matt Cohen's Friend: 1 Noriko: 1 *Sarah becomes the fifth character - after Elliot, Grace, Ellen, and Nanase, to take the top spot for the year. Of the main cast, that leaves only Tedd, Justin, and Susan who've yet to do it. Full Count

No, because Sarah actually hit it in 2008 and didn't make any appearances at all in 2009. 2011 was a busy year - especially after the fairly sparse few years that came before it. Characters Introduced This Year Taurcanis Draco Dex's Fairy Heidi Gerald Gary Boar Ranger Simpson Max Characters Returning After a Year or More Vlad (2006) Second Life Ellen (2006) Liz (2008) Lavender (2008) Liz's Ex (2008) This Year's Count Grace: 78 Elliot: 48 Justin: 46 Noah: 46 Ellen: 40 Tedd: 39 Nanase: 29 Mr. Raven: 29 Melissa: 23 Dex: 21 Taurcanis Draco: 21 Greg: 20 Cheerleadra: 16 Sarah: 15 Susan: 13 Amanda: 14 Rhoda: 12 Lisa: 11 Chika: 9 Mr. Verres: 8 George: 8 Catalina: 7 Carol: 7 Heidi: 7 Gerald: 6 Jeremy: 5 Li'l Nase: 5 Boar: 5 Eric: 4 Dex's Fairy: 3 Ranger Simpson: 3 Max: 3 Vlad: 2 Liz: 2 Duck: 2 Bill: 2 Arthur: 2 Brownie: 1 Drake: 1 Dan: 1 Second Life Ellen: 1 Diane: 1 Helena: 1 Pandora: 1 Agent Cranium: 1 Mrs. Kitsune: 1 Lavender: 1 Liz's Ex: 1 Rich: 1 Pigtailed Nerd Girl: 1 Dr. Physics Professor: 1 Longhaired Nerd Girl: 1 Blonde Nerd Girl: 1 Sunglasses Cop: 1 Mild-Mannered: 1 Goth: 1 Gary: 1 Full Count

The adventure continues with 2010 - This is the year that I originally started doing this, as far as I can recall. Characters Introduced This Year Assistant Director Liefeld Chika (Q&A only) The Old Man Sirleck Larry Rich George The French Aberration "Old Demitrius" "Old Helena" Li'l Nase Jerry Eric Cheerleadra* Dex Pigtail Physics Girl Dr. Physics Professor Long-haired Physics Girl Blonde Physics Girl Sunglasses Cop Mild-mannered* Arthur J. Arthur Goth* *As always, Elliot's alter egos will be counted as their own semi-characters, similar to Fox, and Susan's personality aspects, and will also count as an appearance for Elliot himself. Characters Reappearing After a Year or More Mr. Dunkel (2003) Mrs. Dunkel (2003) TC (2005) Dr. Germahn (2006) Greg (2006) Demonic Duck (2006) Dan (2006) Mrs. Pompoms (2006) Noah (2006) Duck (2007) Bill (2007) Drake (2007) Tedd (2008) Sarah (2008) Amanda (2008) Damien (2008) Jeremy (2008) Brownie (2008) Melissa (2006) Diane (2008) Rhoda (2008) This Year's Count Grace: 56 Elliot: 55 Susan: 48 Sarah: 43 Justin: 43 Ellen: 22 Nanase: 20 Tedd: 18 Mr. Verres: 16 Jerry: 16 Mild-mannered: 15 Noah: 12 Li'l Nase: 12 Amanda: 10 Lisa: 9 Carol: 9 Chika: 9 George: 9 Cheerleadra: 9 Greg: 5 Brownie: 5 Rhoda: 5 Magus: 5 Mrs. Dunkel: 4 Catalina: 4 The Old Man: 4 Sirleck: 4 French Aberration: 4 Mr. Dunkel: 3 Pandora: 3 Mrs. Kitsune: 3 Larry: 3 Rich: 3 Arthur: 3 Principal V.: 2 Demonic Duck: 2 Duck: 2 Bill: 2 Agent Cranium: 2 Dex: 2 Pigtailed Nerd Girl: 2 Old Demitrius: 2 Dr. Germahn: 1 TC: 1 Damien: 1 Jeremy: 1 Drake: 1 Dan: 1 Melissa: 1 Mrs. Pompoms: 1 Diane: 1 Demitrius: 1 Helena: 1 Mr. Raven: 1 A.D. Liefeld: 1 Old Helena: 1 Eric: 1 Dr. Physics Professor: 1 Longhaired Nerd Girl: 1 Blonde Nerd Girl: 1 Sunglasses Cop: 1 Goth: 1 *At #5, this is Justin's highest placing yet. Full Count