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* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When Ellen [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-09-20 yells at Tedd]] for never apologizing for the mistakes that lead to her creation, his reply makes it sound more along the lines of an unplanned pregnancy, also tying in with the RunningGag about Tedd being Ellen's father. May also double as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for some.
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* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When Ellen [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-09-20 yells at Tedd]] for never apologizing for the mistakes that lead to her creation, his reply makes it sound more along the lines of an unplanned pregnancy, also tying in with the RunningGag about Tedd being Ellen's father. May also double as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming {{Heartwarming}} for some.
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* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Ellen yells at Tedd for never apologizing for the mistakes that lead to her creation. He in turn refuses to apologize, saying that if they were mistakes, they were "The best mistakes I ever made." Sounds like they're talking about an unplanned pregnancy, huh? Also ties in with the RunningGag about Tedd being Ellen's father.
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* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When Ellen [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-09-20 yells at Tedd Tedd]] for never apologizing for the mistakes that lead to her creation. He in turn refuses to apologize, saying that if they were mistakes, they were "The best mistakes I ever made." Sounds like they're talking about creation, his reply makes it sound more along the lines of an unplanned pregnancy, huh? Also ties also tying in with the RunningGag about Tedd being Ellen's father.father. May also double as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for some.
-->''If you're the result of my mistakes, then they were the '''best mistakes I ever made!'''''
-->''If you're the result of my mistakes, then they were the '''best mistakes I ever made!'''''
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* ArbitrarySkepticism: The cast has dealt with magic, not-aliens, alternate dimensions, immortals, shapeshifting {{Biological Mash Up}}s and lots and lots of GenderBending, but Tedd's claims of an interdimensional space whale that eats magic only gets him an odd look from his father.
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* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2012-08-13 here]].
-->'''Elliot:''' He's doomed.
-->'''Susan:''' He's an ass.
-->'''Elliot:''' He's a doomed ass.
-->'''Elliot:''' He's doomed.
-->'''Susan:''' He's an ass.
-->'''Elliot:''' He's a doomed ass.
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* AccidentalNightmareFuel: What happens to 'Fox' when Nanase is knocked out was, according to Dan, "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-08-18 ...much less disturbing as I originally pictured it.]]"
->'''Dan:''' Those who are easily creeped out would do well to dismiss summons quickly rather than gradually.
->'''Dan:''' Those who are easily creeped out would do well to dismiss summons quickly rather than gradually.
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* AccidentalNightmareFuel: What happens to 'Fox' when Nanase is knocked out was, according to Dan, "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-08-18 ...much less disturbing as I originally pictured it.]]"
->'''Dan:''']]"\\
[-'''Dan:''' Those who are easily creeped out would do well to dismiss summons quickly rather than gradually.-]
->'''Dan:'''
[-'''Dan:''' Those who are easily creeped out would do well to dismiss summons quickly rather than gradually.-]
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->'''Dan:''' Those who are easily creeped out would do well to dismiss summons quickly rather than gradually.
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* AcademyOfAdventure: Two of them: Moperville North and South. Raven mentions offhandedly that South is some sort of haven for supernatural and paranormal children--[[BadassTeacher and he's in charge of protecting them]].
** Not so. Raven states that there are several children of an arcane nature - that could mean 20 in a school of over a thousand. What's more, he never states other schools aren't like this - we might just not have met Raven's Moperville North equivalent.
** Not so. Raven states that there are several children of an arcane nature - that could mean 20 in a school of over a thousand. What's more, he never states other schools aren't like this - we might just not have met Raven's Moperville North equivalent.
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* AcademyOfAdventure: Two of them: Moperville North and South. Raven mentions offhandedly that South is some sort of haven for supernatural and paranormal has many unusual children--[[BadassTeacher and he's in charge of protecting them]].
** Not so. Raven states that there are several children of an arcane nature - that could mean 20 in a school of over a thousand.them]]. What's more, he never states other schools aren't like this - we might just not have met Raven's Moperville North equivalent.equivalent.
* AccidentalNightmareFuel: What happens to 'Fox' when Nanase is knocked out was, according to Dan, "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-08-18 ...much less disturbing as I originally pictured it.]]"
** Not so. Raven states that there are several children of an arcane nature - that could mean 20 in a school of over a thousand.
* AccidentalNightmareFuel: What happens to 'Fox' when Nanase is knocked out was, according to Dan, "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-08-18 ...much less disturbing as I originally pictured it.]]"
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** And [[spoiler: Raven's family as well, with Raven being one of the series biggest badasses, his adopted son/lodger Noah being able to defeat a dragon singlehandedly and has hints of being the child left behind from the experiments that created Damien and Grace. His mother, Pandora, is shaping up to be series BigBad]].
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** And [[spoiler: Raven's family as well, with Raven being one of the series series' biggest badasses, and his adopted son/lodger Noah being able to defeat a dragon singlehandedly and has hints of being the child left behind from the experiments that created Damien and Grace. His Meanwhile, his mother, Pandora, is shaping up to be series BigBad]].
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* AWizardDidIt: the author's explanation for any visual discrepancie, in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-07-07 this page's]] commentary.
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* AWizardDidIt: the author's (word-for-word) explanation for any visual discrepancie, discrepancies in scenery or building layout, in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-07-07 this page's]] commentary.commentary.
** Also invoked in the title for [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-05-05 this comic.]]
** Also invoked in the title for [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-05-05 this comic.]]
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** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-10 Officially, hair does]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-11-19 spontaneously change colour.]]
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** And also whatever the hell this [[http://www.elgoonishshive.com/?date=2013-01-22 "whale" thing is that Tedd encounters]]
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** In the New And Old Flames storyline [[spoiler:Elliot got a superheroine form spell, whi8ch comes with its own alter ego form]] which seems to allow this trope. However, it is subverted in that [[spoiler:in the form Elliot actually [[BlindWithoutEm requires glasses]] and his speech patterns are made mild mannered.]] This means he doesn't really need engage in ClarkKenting consciously; [[spoiler:the form does it for him.]]
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** In the New And Old Flames storyline [[spoiler:Elliot got a superheroine form spell, whi8ch which comes with its own alter ego form]] which seems to allow this trope. However, it is subverted in that [[spoiler:in the form Elliot actually [[BlindWithoutEm requires glasses]] and his speech patterns are made mild mannered.]] This means he doesn't really need engage in ClarkKenting consciously; [[spoiler:the form does it for him.]]
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* DemotedToExtra: Grace hardly ever shows up any more. Tedd also isn't much of a main character these days either, but he does still contribute to the story sometimes.
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** Justified: The TransformationRay wreaks havoc upon a person's sexuality.
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* BiologicalMashUp: Lespuko-chimera can acquire and combine forms.
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It wasn\'t homophobia that Tedd has, especially given that he doesn\'t think too much of certain characters being gay. It was fear of being called gay, especially given how androgenous he is.
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* EpiphanyTherapy: Lampshaded. Tedd gets over his homophobia long enough to kiss [[CharacterizationTags guy!Grace]], but Grace is quick to point out that just recognizing he has a hangup isn't enough to instantly make it go away.
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* EpiphanyTherapy: Lampshaded. Tedd gets over his homophobia [[TransEqualsGay fear of being called gay for liking Grace when she's gender bent]] long enough to kiss [[CharacterizationTags guy!Grace]], but Grace is quick to point out that just recognizing he has a hangup isn't enough to instantly make it go away.
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** The current arc, ''Duel of the Discs'', is pretty much Dan using Justin, Grace and Tensaided to give his opinions on Magic: The Gathering and the Star Wars prequels. And the arc before THAT, ''By the Numbers'', was basically Dan's opinion on movie rating sites like Rotten Tomatoes albeit with a bone tossed towards possible future character development for both Elliot and Susan at the very end.
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** The current arc, ''Duel of the Discs'', Discs'' arc is pretty much Dan using Justin, Grace and Tensaided to give his opinions on Magic: The Gathering and the Star Wars prequels. And the arc before THAT, that, ''By the Numbers'', was basically Dan's opinion on movie rating sites like Rotten Tomatoes albeit with a bone tossed towards possible future character development for both Elliot and Susan at the very end.
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** Again [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2013-01-01 in the sketchbook.]]
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* ChivalrousPervert: Tedd. There are numerous examples of this, but possibly the best one is the first time he meets Grace. When he asks what Grace is wearing under her trench coat and she says she "Nothing," he quickly welcomes her into the house in the most over-the-top way possible, but the first thing he does once she's inside is offer her some of his clothes to wear.
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* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Ellen's creation was eventually revealed as completely avoidable twice over; first when it's revealed that Tedd has a device that can gauge the end result of a transformation beam (the whole thing started when he claimed to zap himself to test the beam because he ''doesn't'' have such a device and the safety for the gun got stuck) and just likes to turn himself into the girl. The second is when Tedd's father reveals that when he turned from his business trip, he would've brought more than enough parts with him to repair the transformation gun, meaning that Elliot would've only been stuck as a girl for two days instead of a month (he left a note on the fridge explaining this, but the message never got across because of his [[TheIllegible "ink blot handwriting."]])
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* AnAesop: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2012-02-07 This]] comic and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2012-02-09 this]] one pretty much sum up the aesop for the Death Sentence arc.
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* TheCameo: Matt and Rat were two characters from one of Dan's previous comics in junior high, who made a handful of appearances in the beginning of the story. [[NoFourthWall They're the only characters who are aware that they're in a comic strip,]] though everyone else just treats them like they're nuts, and WordOfGod says that they were eventually treated for their shared psychosis and are now productive members of society.
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** BroughtDownToBadass: [[spoiler: Nanase, even without her crazy powerful magic is still a very experianced martial artist who can bench press 160 pounds [[note]]which is vastly above average for a 16 year old girl[[/note]].]]
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renamed, moving to F section
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* ButYourWingsAreBeautiful: Grace worried about her "monstrousness", until she discovered that the only reaction Sarah and Elliot ever show is blaming Tedd (due to [[BalefulPolymorph specific experience]]), while Tedd ogles her in hybrid form even more eagerly than in human form. Even after the remark about "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-09 furry fetish and a half-cat girlfriend]]" she [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-02-14 had a fit of concern]] about her three-tailed omega form. As if there ''could'' be any problem.
--> '''Grace:''' I didn't scare you, did I?\\
'''Tedd:''' (visibly spaced out) ''so''... hot...
--> '''Grace:''' I didn't scare you, did I?\\
'''Tedd:''' (visibly spaced out) ''so''... hot...
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* ExtraParentConception: Uryoms reproduce this way, with a variable number of parents.
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* ExtraParentConception: Uryoms reproduce this way, with a variable number of parents.parents.
----
----
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** And now, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2012-10-23 Sarah again]], this time on-panel.
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'''Tropes A-E''' | ElGoonishShive/TropesFToL | ElGoonishShive/TropesMToR | ElGoonishShive/TropesSToZ
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!!!''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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!!!''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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* DeadlyUpgrade: [[spoiler: Nanase's [[http://www.elgoonishshive.com/?date=2009-10-03 Angel spell]] very nearly became this.]]
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* AbortedArc:
** Hints dropped at Ellen taking up drinking were later explained away because the creator didn't like the direction it would take. Thus, the hints are stuffed back in the refrigerator... behind the RedHerring.
** The "Lord Tedd" arc will presumably pick up again some day, but it's more or less indefinitely on hold because the author realized he introduced it too early.
*** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-10-07 It just might be coming back...]]
** Susan's crusade against the school uniform policy dropped out of focus and then ended abruptly not because nobody in the school wanted to wear the uniforms (Even if only Susan was willing to openly act on the matter), but because the parents of the students complained about the increased laundry costs.
*** Averted somewhat in that Dan had always intended to end the arc in a lame way, but admitted he didn't intend for it to be so abrupt.
* AbnormalAmmo: In the movie they watch [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-18 here]], horses.
-->'''Justin:''' I'm not trained in the art of using horses as projectile weaponry.
* {{Abusive Parent|s}}: [[BigBad Damien]] ended up making himself a sort of twisted father figure to Grace and her brothers, but there is nothing "fatherly" about him at all. He is an abuser pure and simple, able to control his "children" through fear and constantly hitting them whenever they displease him. And like any parent whose children are young enough, he's too powerful for them to do anything about it. And the reason he wanted Grace back? [[spoiler: He wanted to breed with her so that he could raise an army. Whether she wanted to or not. (She didn't, by the way.)]]
** Unintentionally done by Tedd's mother, [[spoiler: using a magic analysis wand to see why he had no magical potential, he was frightened by the noise it made until it became a Pavlovian Response.]]
* AcademyOfAdventure: Two of them: Moperville North and South. Raven mentions offhandedly that South is some sort of haven for supernatural and paranormal children--[[BadassTeacher and he's in charge of protecting them]].
** Not so. Raven states that there are several children of an arcane nature - that could mean 20 in a school of over a thousand. What's more, he never states other schools aren't like this - we might just not have met Raven's Moperville North equivalent.
* AccidentalTruth:
** Susan [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-06-27 tells one of these]] about [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-03-11 Justin being gay]]. And [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-10 one more about]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-11-19 spontaneous hair color changes]].
** [[OppositeSexClone Ellen]] and [[HalfHumanHybrid Grace]]'s math teacher pretends to [[AwesomeByAnalysis deduce facts about his new students]], and concludes that "the end result appears to be a duplicate squirrel of some sort." The girls are rather shocked about how close to the mark he is until he says he was just messing with them and it had all been [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-12-17 gibberish]]. Then again, this ''is'' [[AcademyOfAdventure Moperville High]], so he may well have been lying/unknowingly magical.
* ActionGirl: All the girls ([[GenderBender and some of the guys]]) except for [[UnfazedEveryman Sarah]].
* ActuallyNotAVampire:
** A variation. Susan flashbacks to an earlier encounter with an 'Aberration' -- a person who has used magic in order to become immortal through parasitically leeching off the life-force of others. She starts to describe to her friends about how it had some vampire-like characteristics, realizes her description sounds like it is of a vampire, and decides to say it was one. When her friends ask if it really was one she said 'No, not really, but it was a monster that used to be human, hypnotized young women and sucked blood out of their necks. It doesn't matter what I say. You two are going to hear "vampire."' The accompanying comments say no, it's not a 'real' vampire.
** Despite what [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/?date=2009-10-29 some people might think]], Raven assures you that [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/?date=2009-11-03 he is not, in fact, a vampire]]. He also wants you to know that sandwiches are delicious.
* AerithAndBob: Jerry the Immortal thinks you should be glad he's a Jerry, because most immortals go for elitist names from ancient mythology.
-->"Let me tell you, there is ''nothing'' more hilarious than the legendary hissy-fits that result from two or more immortals named Zeus running into each other."
* AirVentPassageway: Noah uses the school's air vents to hunt a magical creature.
* AlienTropes: Several, mostly parodied.
** AlienAmongUs: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-03 They're born on Earth, they're not aliens.]]
** [[TheWorldIsNotReady Humans Are Not Ready]]: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-08-26 Maybe]].
** TakeMeToYourLeader: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-08-27 Greetings, human! Can you take me to your Tedd?]]
** FirstContact: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-02 At least, for Elliot]].
** InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: They made a lot of cool stuff, but... Three words: "[[http://egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-16 Sanctioned Programming Languages]]." After [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-17 banning]] ''OOP'' wholesale out of certain areas, it's no wonder even a little kid on Earth can help them with their technical problems.
* AllCheeringAllTheTime: A sketchbook entry [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2010-11-11 explains]] why "Cheerleadra" is an awful superhero concept.
* AlphaBitch: Subverted. Diane is set up to be this, but she's revealed to actually care for her friends (and be concerned for random crying strangers), [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-02-01 as seen here]], and is thus really a LovableAlphaBitch. Her friend Lucy, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-12-13 on the other hand]], fits the bullying part of the archetype but isn't the leader of the group.
** Susan seemed to be an example of this at first, being portrayed as a snobby mean rich girl... but the moment she was given more screen time she quickly got one hell of a character development. She was also revealed to have a traumatic backstory, so it would be more appropriate to call her a BrokenBird, or, more recently, a DefrostingIceQueen.
* AlternateUniverse: Several. The one where Ellen and Kaoli "met" got Uryuoms and [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2006-08-25 seyunolu]] as an accepted part of Human life [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-01-15 for two centuries or so]]...
** InSpiteOfANail: ...but it ''still'' has Tedd.
** FlashSideways: "Sleepy Time" with Lord Tedd, "Second Life" with Ellen and Kaoli.
* AmazonChaser: Elliot has no problem dating Nanase, a black belt who's the only student at their dojo who's a better fighter than him.
* AmusingInjuries: The end result of a Demonic Duck jumping out of [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-05-03 a moving car]]. They were NOT amusing enough to distract Susan.
* AndCallHimGeorge: Played for laughs [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-06-11 here.]]
* AngerBornOfWorry: The first panel of [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2004-06-30 this strip]].
* AntiClimax:
** Hedge is the King of [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-05-23 this]].
** Unfortunately, the [[spoiler:school uniform]] subplot, one of the few subplots to actually receive a conclusion so far, suffers from this. In the commentary, Shive blames poor planning on the abrupt end, but insists the tone would have remained the same regardless.
* AntiVillain:
** Grace's brothers [[spoiler:[[HeelFaceTurn at first]].]]
** Abraham
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
** The Anime Style Martial Arts dojo is located in the same neighborhood as a strip club, cigarette store, adult bookshop, abortion clinic, and '''ice cream shop'''.
** In the commentary section of one comic, referring to an ObviouslyEvil EldritchAbomination: "It probably ate a puppy for breakfast right before it burned down an orphanage and talked loudly on a cell phone at a restaurant."
** In one strip where Agent Wolf is accusing Lavender (Mr. Verres' Uryuom secretary) of being an alien (again) he says that she has [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-04-11 a tail, bug-eyes, no nose or ears and a]] [[ImpossibleHourglassFigure damn near impossible figure]].
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-03-22 "I know this is a stressful time for you. You just realized you're gay, you're worried your family will find out, you were sneezed on..."]]
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-10-29 "Students fighting, transgender mayhem, wrecked hallways, hairpiece snatchings."]]
* ArtifactTitle: Played with after so many people asked about the title's meaning. It was ''intended'' to be nonsense ("El Goonish" + the author's last name), but to appease the questioners he [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=20030813 introduced]] a "hired goon." In a non-continuity FourthWallMailSlot {{filler}}. For one panel ([[MiserAdvisor do you know what is it worth to hire a really huge goon?]]). There was also [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-02-12 one]] easily missed mention of goons before this.
** There's also repeated references to [[SuperSmashBros "Super Smash Goons Melee"]].
* ArtEvolution: Contrast [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-01-26 this]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-02-26 this]]. Same characters, same artist, 8 years.
** He's also shifted from grayscale to full-color and back multiple times.
** The [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-01-21 first comic]] and [[http://egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2012-01-21 tenth anniversary comic]] are also an excellent example of how the art has changed. Same two characters, nearly identical dialogue with a slight difference in the plot, vastly improved art style.
* AsYouKnow: One of the immortals following Elliot [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=20080825 recaps]] the plot points related to them. When her companion [[LampshadeHanging calls her on it]], she points out that it helps compensate for their EasyAmnesia.
* AuraVision: What makes bloodgrem a useful summon instead of merely obnoxious.
* AuthorAppeal:
** The copious amount of transformation. In-story, Tedd represents this aspect of him. Or rather an exaggerated version, Tedd is more pervy than Dan.
--> '''[[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2012-03-29 Dan]]''': I suppose it's POSSIBLE Sarah won't get transformed at any point while assisting Tedd. Possible, but not bloody likely.
** Also, judging from [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-02-19 this rant]], Susan (and Diane's) "concern for hygiene" is another example.
** The fact Dan thinks goth girls are hot is pretty obvious. Most blatantly with Elliot (who's a bit of an idealized self-insert) getting a goth girl disguise form and liking it because it appeals to his obvious attraction to goth girls.
* AuthorAvatar: Dan's squirrel avatar, though only out of continuity.
** Actually, Dan is a [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-04-17 squirrel-boy character]] in the [[ShowWithinAShow comic strips Sarah draws in her spare time]].
* AuthorFilibuster: The ''Legends of Celida'' arc so far seems to exist for the sole purpose of allowing Dan to rant about the true nature of Sheik from ''Ocarina of Time'' [[spoiler:and whether Zelda is simply casting an illusion or out and out transforms into a male]].
** The current arc, ''Duel of the Discs'', is pretty much Dan using Justin, Grace and Tensaided to give his opinions on Magic: The Gathering and the Star Wars prequels. And the arc before THAT, ''By the Numbers'', was basically Dan's opinion on movie rating sites like Rotten Tomatoes albeit with a bone tossed towards possible future character development for both Elliot and Susan at the very end.
* AuthorGuestSpot: Dan has appeared as himself as he appears in real life as the "super smart" guy in panel six of [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-09-17 this]] strip but as he only revealed that it was him in the commentary and calls it a cameo it is more like a CreatorCameo.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Pandora Chaos Raven. She chose it herself, and claims that it matches her personality.
* AWizardDidIt: the author's explanation for any visual discrepancie, in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-07-07 this page's]] commentary.
* BadassBoast: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-06-18 "No one will care if I kill you."]]
* BadassFamily: The Verres family, including cousin Nanase and resident Grace.
** And [[spoiler: Raven's family as well, with Raven being one of the series biggest badasses, his adopted son/lodger Noah being able to defeat a dragon singlehandedly and has hints of being the child left behind from the experiments that created Damien and Grace. His mother, Pandora, is shaping up to be series BigBad]].
* BadassLongcoat: Hedge, Abraham, and, of all people, [[spoiler:Tedd's dad]].
* BadassTeacher: Endangering students of Mr. Raven is the sort of things insurance companies make a specific exclusion for. Even for wizards.
* BadLiar: Elliot. It proves to be a massive liability when he's being questioned by Damien and Hedge, but later is one of the reasons Mr. Verres leaves him to supervise Grace's birthday party.
** Catalina as well. She just can't seem to hold back that she's dating [[spoiler:Rhoda.]]
* BeatPanel: Frequently, and once [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-04-03 turned into gag in its own right]].
** Used to great effect when Nanase encounters one of the guys she dated before she came out.
-->'''[[HollywoodNerd Gary:]]''' I don't mean to be rude, it's just I used to think you didn't want to go on a date with me because I was too geeky.\\
''BEAT''\\
'''Nanase:''' [[BlatantLies Yes.]] [[SureLetsGoWithThat It was entirely because I am a lesbian.]]
* BeautifulAllAlong:
** Guineas is a rare male example.
** Susan between ArtEvolution and a [[DefrostingIceQueen less strained attitude]].
* BerserkButton: Quite a surprising number of times, for a relatively non-violent series.
** Hurting Grace [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-12-22 makes Tedd]] resemble [[EvilOverlord Lord Tedd]] a bit.
** Speaking of Tedd, well... [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-06-09 this is how Ellen came to be]].
** Grace is wired with [[BewareTheNiceOnes a little surprise]].
** During the battle with Damien's "goons," Ellen merely has a thumb war with Guineas. Then Vlad nearly kills Nanase. He was REALLY asking for it.
** Hurting [[BadassTeacher Raven's students.]]
** Do not hurt Nanase (or any member of the Verres family, for that matter) in front of [[PapaWolf Mr Verres]]. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-11-03 He will break you.]]
** Dan himself admitted in a commentary that while was perfectly fine with people believing in conspiracy theories, you will get on his bad side if you try to convince him the moon landing was faked.
-->'''Dan:''' People worked their asses off, made sacrifices, and some even died in their effort to reach the moon. If someone is going to proclaim we never made it there, they better damn well have really solid evidence or '''kindly shut the hell up.'''
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Grace, who can shapeshift into any number of extremely lethal forms when provoked. [[spoiler:And when she's reluctant or unable to enter close combat she just uses telekinesis instead.]] [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-06-25 Beware, indeed.]]
** Tedd looked like Lord Tedd when he discovered Damien's mistreatment of Grace, which ''wasn't'' one-off event, he learned from this. As "One Way Road" shows, he wants to be able to help his absurdly powerful friends, and is not satisfied with roles of a reclusive ballast or MissionControl. And as a MadScientist he's able to climb the SuperWeight ladder if he really wants... and does, as TheStinger to the same arc shows.
* BiTheWay: Ellen. In general, changing straight people's sex [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody wreaks havoc on their sexuality]].
* BigEater: Nanase and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-05-10 Grace]]. And ''{{Man v Food}}'' FictionalCounterpart in the next strip, but he doesn't count.
* BiggerStick
* BigNo: Played with [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-07-09 here]], [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2006-02-13 here]] and [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2012-06-26 here]].
* BigWhat: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-01-14 Everyone's reaction to Sarah being okay with going along with the theme of Grace's birthday party.]]
* BigWordShout: [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/?date=2009-11-12 "SKIRRRRT!"]]
* BilingualBonus: If you're willing to go [[http://www.ookii.org/egs/uryuom/ here]] to translate Uryuomoco. A couple real examples with French and Japanese though.
** "Verres" in Uryuomoco is "Bolloc" ([[DontExplainTheJoke he is]] a [[TheMenInBlack cover-up specialist]]). It's also the French word for "Glasses" (though technically it only refers to the lenses).
** Pretty much needed for [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2004-08-26 this comic]] to make much sense beyond "ominous dream involving the BigBad."[[hottip:*:Although, ironically, it has typos that make parts of it untranslatable.]]
*** [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-29 In a more recent comic]], the Uryuomoco in the comic was shown translated. In the commentary, Dan stated that it was because he felt it was irresponsible to alienate readers who didn't know how to translate it.
* BiologicalMashUp: Lespuko-chimera can acquire and combine forms.
* BishieSparkle: Justin, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-22 here]].
* {{Bishonen}}: Tedd isn't quite a classic bishie, but he is still both [[DudeLooksLikeALady androgynous]] enough and attractive enough when he takes his [[NerdGlasses glasses]] off to cause homophobic [[JerkJock bully]] Tony to [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2003-05-21 go into full-scale panic.]]
** Also Noah, who makes straight guys see rainbows.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Uryuom reproduction is very... [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-09 complicated]].
* BlackEyesOfEvil: Elliot and Sarah display these [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-05 here]] to indicate extreme anger at Tedd.
** Nanase, Ellen and Grace aren't amused by Nanase's ex-almost-boyfriend interrupting their double date. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-09-29 Could you tell?]]
* BlasphemousPraise:
-->'''Grace''': [[PopculturalOsmosisFailure Who's]] JossWhedon?
-->'''Tedd''': ''[[CreatorWorship God]]''.
-->'''Grace''': [[AmusingAlien Really?]]
-->'''Tedd''': No. That was blasphemy.
* BlessedWithSuck: Sure, Elliot and Ellen will get pretty sweet magic powers, but the PowerIncontinence (especially embarrassing for Elliot) means that for a while, life will be just a little crap for them.
** In Elliot's case it's not helped by people who've read too much ''RanmaOneHalf'' dumping buckets of water on him.
* BlindingCameraFlash: As the title puts it, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-08-24 "Dude, Like, Sarah Just TOTALLY Flashed Female Justin"]].
* BodyHorror: Pandora. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-11-11 Oh GOD Pandora.]]
** Turns out [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-04-09 Aberrations]] can be pretty freaking disturbing too.
* BoobsOfSteel: Nanase, Ellen and (by extension) Female Elliot are the best physical fighters of the main cast, and they also have the largest chests.
* BrainBleach: {{Invoked|Trope}} [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-29 here]]
-->'''Tedd:''' Grace, can your antennae function as BrainBleach?
* BreakTheCutie: Many times, especially Grace.
** Believe it or not, resident DeadpanSnarker Susan as well. She was apparently a literal WideEyedIdealist before [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-05-31 this]] happened.
* BrickJoke:
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-11-19 November 19th]] is a callback to a comic from [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-10 six years before]].
** The [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-07-02 product of Ellen's unhealthy imagination]] is [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-03-12 recalled]] later.
** In another comic, Susan [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-05-26 explains]] "where the hell that sword came from" in a comic from [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-12-05 nearly eight years before]].
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-04-19 Hammer]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-09-22 Joke]].
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2005-12-09 REVIVE]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-01-24 THE]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-01-25 FUND!]]
** Though it's a bit of stretch, "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-07-27 Harry Potter]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-12-29 Stoned Sorcerer]]" still counts.
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-02-13 After]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-03-27 nine years]], the [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-10 COAT OF SOLITUDE]] returns.
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-07-04 Vampiric Hat Double Brick]] with yet another TakeThat on top.
** Another one is from [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-01-20 here]]. Carol, the news journalist, is told by her boss to find a plausible story, like Bigfoot or giant hogs. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-10-27 I guess she'll]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-11-09 cover the current arc too.]]
** Turns out Raven totally [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2012-02-09 does]] get Grace [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2011-12-01 apology ice cream]].
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-01-17 January 2007]]: "You're suggesting that girls just casually [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-06-11 cuddle]] and [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-06-14 fall asleep]] together? Could you imagine Sarah doing that with Grace?" Three and a half years later, we don't need to imagine.
* BrokenBird: Susan, [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-08-05 but getting better]] lately, once she got [[AngstNuke much angst]] out of her system in one big FreakOut.
* BrokenMasquerade: Breaks on a semi-regular basis to individuals. Of late, it's showing more cracks, and may completely break for the entire world.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:Nanase, after "burning up" her magic in order to defeat Abraham. This is, however, temporary.]]
* BullyHunter: Elliot Dunkel has fought bullies in the past to protect their victims, including both Justin and Tedd. He lapses back from time to time when a friend of his is bullied nearby, though circumstances always manage to deal with the problem before Elliot can get started.
** Gerald as well, sort of. He wears gothy outfits and makeup specifically to provoke bullies into picking fights with him.
--> '''Tedd:''' He sounds like a venus fly trap that catches bullies. That's ''awesome''.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Resident MadScientist Tedd is quite brilliant...it's just difficult to recognize when his field of expertise is so deeply tied in with his many quirks.
* ButNotTooForeign: Tedd is part Japanese and ostensibly part Caucasian.
* ButYourWingsAreBeautiful: Grace worried about her "monstrousness", until she discovered that the only reaction Sarah and Elliot ever show is blaming Tedd (due to [[BalefulPolymorph specific experience]]), while Tedd ogles her in hybrid form even more eagerly than in human form. Even after the remark about "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-09 furry fetish and a half-cat girlfriend]]" she [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-02-14 had a fit of concern]] about her three-tailed omega form. As if there ''could'' be any problem.
--> '''Grace:''' I didn't scare you, did I?\\
'''Tedd:''' (visibly spaced out) ''so''... hot...
* CallARabbitASmeerp: {{Averted|Trope}} -- Dan decided to concede and call his not-exactly-a-vampire thing a "vampire" because he knew the readers would accuse him of trying to pawn a vampire off as something else.
* CallBack: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-02-13 Nothing can penetrate]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-10 the coat of solitude.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: What else would you expect from "Anime Style Martial Arts"? Elliot and Ellen do this on several occasions--in GratuitousJapanese no less. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d when Elliot wanted a do-over after he forgot. And [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-02-18 mocked]] once.
* CanNotTellALie: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-06-02 Abraham]].
* CantGetInTroubleForNuthin: Ellen, in her first separate appearance.
* CantedCamera: Abe's sleep bomb causes this for the next page, reflecting how the spell dazed him.
* CaptainSuperhero: Spoofed when they tried to think of a better superhero name than "Cheerleadra."
* CasanovaWannabe: T.C., aka "[[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Playah]]."
* CastOfSnowflakes: Dan's had to come up with lots of new designs for extras recently.
* CatGirl: In various ways, ranging from the [[MeaningfulName appropriately-named]] Catalina, to Ellen's online persona, to Grace's werecat form and the variants thereof to normal form of Nioi and Kaoli (they're skunks, but this looks close enough). Not to mention Elliot's cat''boy'' form....
** At some point in the backstory, Sarah [[NoodleIncident was stuck as one for a day]] thanks to Tedd being careless with the TF gun.
** ...and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2012-01-10 Tedd]], of course.
* CatScare: Parodied and {{Justified|Trope}} at once -- Jeremy defending his territory is not a critter to be trifled with.
** Well, unless you can project your spirit energy into a [[SomeKindOfForceField force field]].
* CatchPhrase:
** "Sexy-awesome!"
** Also "Za?(!)" on occasion.
** "[[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain And we shall never speak of this again.]]" or any variation thereof
** "Yee-Yup."
** Catalina yells "JACKASSES!" enough for it to be one
* CerebusRetcon: Dan is famous for this {{trope}}. Before this series developed CerebusSyndrome, many hyper-zany elements were present in the story, and now that the series has become more serious, Dan is having fun going back and deconstructing lots of the ridiculousness of the earlier strips. The self-deprecatingly titled "[[StarWars Hammerchlorians]]" arc is devoted to one particular instance of this.
* CerebusRollercoaster
* CerebusSyndrome: The Painted Black arc was the turning point. WordOfGod states that he is going to attempt to undo/turn this down in upcoming arcs. Ironically, the "Bringing Silly Back" is (self-admittedly) more serious in some ways than previous arcs.
* ChainPain: In his original appearances, Hedge wielded a chain as a weapon - specifically, the very chain that had once bound him in captivity in the laboratory that created him. Very symbolic. Very quickly forgotten, too. Only really appeared in one scene, if memory serves, though Grace references it again later.
* CharacterDevelopment: One of the strong sides of EGS. It's [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2004-07-07 rather chaotic]] and detail-saving, but profound.
* CharacterisationMarchesOn: Goes hand and hand with ArtEvolution and CerebusSyndrome as the author grows from an adolescent to an adult.
* CharacterFilibuster: Tedd, on occasion.
-->'''Elliot''' and '''Sarah:''' (a synchronized {{Facepalm}}) ''[[OhCrap Aw crap!]]''\\
'''Susan:''' [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-05-05 What? Did I say something wrong?]]\\
'''Tedd:''' They've heard the rant to follow before.
* ChekhovsGun: A lot of 'em. It got to the point that Shive redesigned a character who would have had certain "suspicious" traits (such as an eyepatch) specifically so that nobody would sit around waiting for those to be explained.
** Possibly {{lampshaded}} in the commentary for [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-05-12 this strip]]: "On the plus side, should the fact that there's a photo of Grace on the wall of a pancake place where a TV show episode was filmed ever come up again, the high-res version is already drawn." ''Definitely'' lampshaded in [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-07-07 this page]]'s commentary.
* ChekhovsGunman: Hedge, among others. Noah was even worse -- he showed up, gothic [[UsefulNotes/{{Fonts}} font]] and all, and then... completely vanished. For years.
* ChekhovsSkill: It took nearly eight years to explain how Susan made a sword appear back during the Sister arc.
* TheChessmaster: Pandora. Dan even says in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-10-03 one commentary]] that she's ''not'' someone you want to play at chess. Her desire to manipulate events rather than getting directly involved actually [[JustifiedTrope makes sense]] for two reasons: the other immortals get cheesed off if one of them does anything more than assist people on the physical plane, and she prefers things to be as unpredictable as possible (Chaos is literally her middle name). Doing everything herself would either earn her severe retribution or just make things too boring.
* ChildrenForcedToKill: [[spoiler:Susan and Nanase]] when, during a class-trip to France, they wind up being targeted by an aberration. He's not technically human, but he LOOKS human - mostly - and while [[spoiler:Nanase]] does most of the fighting, it's [[spoiler:Susan]] who ends up having to kill him - with an ax, even. Unsurprisingly, she was somewhat traumatized, and the storyline that featured the flashback culminated in an Immortal decrying the irresponsibility of the two French Immortals who originally equipped the girls for the battle, while giving them no apparent alternative save dying at the hands of the aberration. Apparently, they could have simply informed the French Government's anti-supernatural-creature-squad instead, but elected to drag two pre-teens into a battle in order to 'recruit them for the fight against evil'. OmniscientMoralityLicense, anyone?
* ChildSoldier: After a monster attacked [[spoiler:Susan]] in Paris, two Immortals empowered her and [[spoiler:Nanase]], and instructed how to kill it, though it implied–and in the Hammerchlorians arc, confirmed–that they could have gone to an experienced local magic-user instead. [[spoiler:Susan]]... didn't take it well.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: WordOfGod states he is attempting to avert this. The author did finally properly introduced Noah, a character who was first mentioned (and then ignored) ''6 years beforehand''.
** The best example in this series was likely Sensei Greg. Despite having played a fairly decent role in early arcs, he was reduced to a brief cameo in Painted Black, and only got a short, non-plot critical scene in the party arc before it got into full swing. However, this has been averted as of 8/18/2010, which marks Sensei Greg's re-introduction to the storyline.
* CityOfWeirdos: Moperville, although the citizenry are a little more noticing than the average example of this trope.
* ClarkKenting:
** Tedd can fool Will and Gill without even meaning it -- they call him an impostor when they see him without his glasses. On the other hand, those are really big glasses, they have never seen him without them and they seem not to know what glasses are (instead assuming they ''are'' his eyes) [[FridgeBrilliance which would make sense if, as shapeshifters, they never need glasses since they can shapeshift to correct or modify their vision]].
** {{Exaggerated|Trope}} with an incredibly lame (but apparently successful) government campaign to hide the presence of aliens on earth by such methods as having them wear T-shirts that say "Homo Sapiens."
** In the New And Old Flames storyline [[spoiler:Elliot got a superheroine form spell, whi8ch comes with its own alter ego form]] which seems to allow this trope. However, it is subverted in that [[spoiler:in the form Elliot actually [[BlindWithoutEm requires glasses]] and his speech patterns are made mild mannered.]] This means he doesn't really need engage in ClarkKenting consciously; [[spoiler:the form does it for him.]]
* CloningBlues: Played depressingly straight at first. When Ellen was accidentally created, she freaked out, with good reason. She had all of Elliot's memories, but suffered LossOfIdentity since she could never get back his old life, and all of his friends were now essentially strangers she only knew about secondhand. She was permanently stuck in female form, something the original Elliot was so desperate to escape that he resorted to using a dangerous magical artifact he clearly didn't understand rather than risk spending (at most) a few more weeks in that form. Ellen also had reason to believe she might have less than a month to live, and feared she'd spend that time locked up in a research facility as a test subject. She went a little crazy, and as a coping mechanism, tried being an EvilTwin for a while, which only made her more miserable. However, this trope was heavily subverted in the long run. Ellen learned her fears of an imminent demise or being locked up for study had no basis in reality. Elliot's friends welcomed her warmly and treated her like a normal individual, rather than just an accidental female copy of someone they knew. Elliot became fiercely protective of her, treating her as a cross between a little sister and a daughter, rather than the EvilTwin she had tried to be. Even Elliot's parents accepted her surprisingly easily, given the circumstances. Ellen eventually developed her own personality and became a major character in her own right, as well as an unprecedented solution to an earlier LoveTriangle.
* CobwebOfDisuse: There's a dojo that's [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-08-25 disused]] but lacking cobwebs... then the [[SideStoryBonusArt sketchbook]] [[{{Lampshaded}} explains]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2010-08-26 why]].
* CodeName: Grace originally didn't have a real name, but went by the code name 'Shade Tail'. 'Grace' was the name her Dr Sciuridae gave her, [[spoiler:[[ReplacementGoldfish after the dead daughter]] who had been her gene-parent]].
** Both for Grace and general Tail [[AlternateUniverse variants]], Tail as the last name is ''not'' arbitrary, [[spoiler:it's family name, since their Uryuom parent's name translates to Tail from Uryuomoco]].
* ColorCodedMultiplayer: When Nanase creates one shadow copy of herself, the copy is colored with one of the primary additive colors (red, green, or blue), while Nanase is colored with the corresponding primary subtractive color (cyan, magenta, or yellow, respectively). This actually [[ShownTheirWork makes sense from a scientific standpoint]]: The real Nanase is absorbing the color the fake one is producing.
* ColorFailure: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-08-26 Nanase]] has one at the party when Ellen goes to get her change of clothes.
* ComingOutStory: Justin's, [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2006-06-21 related to Susan during Grace's party]], though it had [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2005-08-16 previously been shown without explanation]]. [[spoiler:Nanase, on the other hand, comes out ''during'' the party, though by then everyone there that night except Tedd already knew. For a while she was only out to the people who were at the party, though.]]
* ConfusedBystanderInterview: There's [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-06-08 one of these]], complete with [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud sound effects]], BuffySpeak, and general [[GenkiGirl hyperactiveness]]. Subverted in that she's actually not a bystander. [[spoiler:''She's'' the superhero that she allegedly saw. And [[GenderBender she's not even a "she".]]]]
* CongruentMemory: Tedd is supposedly better at cooking while female. He seems fully aware of the absurdity of this, however, admitting that it's probably all in his head. Doesn't stop him from doing it.
* ConvectionSchmonvection: Averted. The "fire monster" summons in the New and Old Flames arc aren't really made of fire because they would incinerate themselves. They just look like they're on fire and have fire-related vulnerabilities. It's a beginner's mistake when summoning certain monsters to just go with what looks cool instead of what actually works.
* CovertPervert:
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-01-16 Justin]], of all the crew, is the first to wonder if using the TF gun on a female results in a male form with generous... er... gentlemanly parts.
** Sarah, too. At the very least, she seems to have [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-04-15 lots of]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/?date=2009-10-29 romantic]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-08-20 and possibly sexual]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-05 fantasies]]
* CrazyPrepared: Mr. Verres' party chaperon presentation.
* CreatingLife: PlayedForLaughs -- "[[http://egscomics.com/index.php?arcid=3 Our goo kinda came to life...]]," but later revealed to be [[spoiler:a monster sent on purpose from an AlternateUniverse]]. Also, [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-02-24 in a filler strip]] ''soap bubbles'' came to life as {{Pacman}}-like critters... and promptly attacked Tedd.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Mr. Verres and Agent Wolf. In early comics, the two characters were pretty goofy and usually played for laughs. That changes a bit later on:
** We've gotten hints for some time that Mr. Verres is a very prominent figure in the paranormal area (possibly even enough to qualify him as the BigGood of the EGS world), and his CrowningMomentOfAwesome near the end of the Abraham encounter demonstrates that he has enough skill with magic that you ''really'' don't want to mess with him or anyone he cares about.
** The encounter with Abraham has also shown that, when he's not obsessed with aliens, Agent Wolf is very professional, and Raven has identified him as one of the most powerful wizards in the Midwestern United States.
* CurseCutShort:
** [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2007-04-15 Agent Wolf is such a]]--
** An earlier example from the Goo: [[AC:[[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-10-14 PROCEEDING WITH A PREPARED SET OF CURSE WORDS IN ORDER TO IMITATE ANGER. DAMN. CRAP. F]]--]]
** Elliot explaining Justins coming-out.
--->'''Elliot:''' [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-24 He was MISERABLE and DEPRESSED and it was ALL BECAUSE OF THAT STUPID-]]
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2012-09-24 "Well, f-"]] [[WordOfGod Word Of God]] alleges that Justin was going to say "fudge".
* DamselInDistress: During the "Painted Black" arc, Grace becomes one when she's captured while infiltrating Damien's base... at least until Damien makes her [[BewareTheNiceOnes really, really mad]].
** Elliot, due to his self gender-bending abilities, temporarily becomes a damsel in distress as well, if only to escape.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Magic apparently drain users at various rates. Spells too powerful to handle may overtax even well-trained magic users, possibly even [[BroughtDownToNormal removing their magic for months at at a time.]]
* DawsonCasting: Tedd invokes this in an EGS:NP strip by claiming to be twenty-one outside of continuity due to ComicBookTime. Grace counters the gap ''might'' be up to a year, making Tedd eighteen. She then goes on to say that it doesn't matter anyways since none of them are likely to look any different before they turn 30.[[hottip:* :Though the revelation that he may be under the drinking age causes Tedd to excuse himself so that he can dispose of a keg in the fridge before his dad finds it.]]
* TheDarkSide:
-->'''The Principal:''' So you're saying you ''can't'' make me an army of goo-based hall monitors?\\
'''Tedd:''' Even if I could, I would not give into the dark side so easily.
* DaydreamSurprise: [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2007-05-23 Here]], [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2007-05-26 with hints]], and far more emphatically [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-06-09 here]].
** This has become easier to notice thanks to Dan's consistency in displaying 'imaginary' panels with rounded corners. The last example portrays this perfectly.
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Mr. Raven, sometimes [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-12-10 Susan]], [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-01-08 Mr. Verres]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-06-27 Elliot]]. Ellen in nearly too many instances to cite. Tedd [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-02-05 can do it]] when he wants to.
** Definitely Susan. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-07-26 Dying is usually inconvenient.]]
*** Lampshaded [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-08-05 here.]]
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-05-28 This guy.]]
* DeathGlare:
** "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-01-10 If Looks Could Kill...]]"
** Hello, Lucy. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-01-08 Ellen is just happy to see you]], that's all.
** Nanase [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-09-06 can do this]] too.
** Tedd gets hit with a rather scary [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-05 double whammy]].
** Elliot [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-24 gives a wonderful first impression to]] Melissa.
** Gerald gets a triple dose from [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2011-09-29 Grace, Ellen, and Nanase]].
* DefaultSettingSyndrome: In-universe - [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/?date=2005-06-14 Newspaper arc]] "Dan in the {{MUD}}."
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-07-04 "You could always get hugs, have a second player for video games, get hugs, have help with chores, get hugs..."]]
* DeusExMachina: Subverted or maybe deconstructed mildly with the Dewitchery Diamond. It seems like a plot device at first, but then it solves it in a way completely different from the way everyone expected, and caused more problems than it solved, in the form of KnightTemplar Abraham.
** Magic is stated to have a flair for the dramatic. The characters are actually GenreSavvy enough to expect magic act this way.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Anybody who forgets he's fighting a wizard after having to overcome his spells just to get there ''deserves'' to be [[spoiler:[[MacrossMissileMassacre spammed]] by [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2009-07-04 exploding crows]]]] on the spot.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:Abraham]]. Almost ''everything'' he did at all.
* DiggingYourselfDeeper:
** Abraham's diplomatic efforts. He doesn't tongue-slip, but still manages to annoy one more hell out of [[spoiler:Adrian Raven]] with ''every phrase'', starting from the second.
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-08-26 Tedd]], in his usual style.
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-04-23 Oh, Elliot]]...
* DirectionlessDriver: Referenced after Ellen's "birth," as she deluded herself into thinking she was Elliot's EvilTwin.
-->'''Tedd:''' Careful, she might use tactics that wouldn't even cross our mind.\\
''(cut to Ellen asking a gas pump attendant for directions)''
* DirtyBusiness
* DirtyOldMan: {{Averted}}, but {{lampshaded}}, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-07-20 here]].
* DistantReactionShot: SpaceIsNoisy now -- courtesy of [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-05-07 Catalina]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-12-09 Raven]].
* DistractedByMyOwnSexy:
** A V5-ed Susan gets distracted by her own sudden-sexy in [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-03 this strip]]. [[{{justified|Trope}} Understandable]], as in addition to the [[HelloNurse appearance]] this form has a rather... unusual hormonal status, which she wanted to experience in the first place. She stood enthralled until InsultedAwake... and only from the second attempt.
** Genderbent Sarah also has one of these moments [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-01-09 here.]]
--->NO! BAD Sarah! Stop thinking of yourself as a sex object!!
* TheDitz: Grace on occasion. She learns VERY quickly, however.
** Elliot in his "party girl" form.
* DitzyGenius: The reason for Grace's [[TheDitz Ditzy]] characteristics. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-02-07 Both her ability to absorb information and her lack of common sense are impressive.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Ellen yells at Tedd for never apologizing for the mistakes that lead to her creation. He in turn refuses to apologize, saying that if they were mistakes, they were "The best mistakes I ever made." Sounds like they're talking about an unplanned pregnancy, huh? Also ties in with the RunningGag about Tedd being Ellen's father.
* DoingInTheScientist: At first, the plot was fairly silly all transformation weirdness was due to the Transformation Gun, an invention of [[TeenGenius Tedd's]]. Then it was revealed to come from Uryuom technology. Then ''that'' was revealed to be based on magic, a fundamental form of energy which had already cropped up in earlier storylines.
* DoingInTheWizard: In a way. Magic has actually become ''more'' prevalent after the Sister 2 arc, but it's also become less silly and more systematic. See CerebusRetcon above.
* DontTryThisAtHome: The commentary for [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2011-05-06 this]] comic goes out of its way to inform readers of the potential hazards of using a sleeper hold.
** Also in the commentary for [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-06-11 this]] one.
* DopeSlap:
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-01 Invoked]]
** You normally wouldn't expect someone like Grace to perform this on anyone, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-05-19 but when your friend's been acting like a dummy...]]
** [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Melissa]]? [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-04-04 Your turn]].
* DramaticWind: Susan is particularly good at it. Tedd too as of late.
* DramaticThunder: Happens whenever Nanase's mother says something emphatic. Played seriously the first time, and then for laughs in one of the Q&A comics.
* DreamSequence: An entire StoryArc of them, each revealing something personal about one of the main characters.
* DroppedGlasses: ...revealing that the character [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-21 doesn't really need them]].
* DudeLooksLikeALady:
** Tedd's face is so feminine that he grows his hair out just so he can blame ''that'' on why he looks so much like a girl when his glasses are off.
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-03-29 Noah,]] though he seems completely fine with it.
-->"Regardless of which gender he is at the time, I use the female [plastic] artist model for Tedd. And Noah, now that I think about it."[[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2012-04-11]]
* DysfunctionalFamily: Not only has Tedd's mom gone to Europe and abandoned her family, but when Nanase's mom is asked about her sister, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-01-28 the answer]] sounds much like Pandora-Chaos at her worst.
* {{Eagleland}}: TheGovernment isn't that bad. Even TheMenInBlack (though they have [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-05-09 their moments]]). But ''[[http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-05-26 tourists]]''...
* EatingTheEyeCandy: While not hunky, Sarah ends up considering it [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-01-09 during the Party arc]]. The object? Herself. ItMakesSenseInContext, really.
* EducationMama: Nanase's mother.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: Three times. One is {{Justified|Trope}} in expansion, other is justified in previous development and the last one was built up in more than two years so that it was bound to appear and ''[[PersonalityPowers could not]]'' be anything less than Summon "OhCrap."
* EldritchAbomination: Two of them to date. First off, [[spoiler:Pandora looks like this whenever she's not a CreepyChild or adult woman]]. Then there's [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-04-09 this ... thing]].
* ElSpanishO: The "El" in the name of the comic.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Tiffany Susan Pompoms.
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Tedd ''Drew'' Verres isn't such a bad name, but he makes a big deal out of it. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-03-06 Middle Names are Always Fun!]]
* TheEmpath: Uryuom (and greater chimera) has empathic abilities they use instead of pheromones, as well as low-grade telepathy. Both are related to antennae.
* EmptyPilesOfClothing: Greg [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-07-17 stumbles onto a pile]] after charging into Tedd's house to protect Grace.
* EnhanceButton: Averted.
** In [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-01-06 this comic]], zooming in on a photo and using the brightness command results in visible pixels and artifact.
** Discussed in the commentary of [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-05 this comic]], inclusing a jab at CSI's usage of this trope.
--->Of course, if this was CSI, some dude would magically multiply the resolution of the image, clean it up, and get the license plate of a nearby car from a reflection in Elliot's pupil.
* EnlightenmentSuperpowers: How sensei Greg created Anime-Style Martial Arts.
* EpiphanyTherapy: Lampshaded. Tedd gets over his homophobia long enough to kiss [[CharacterizationTags guy!Grace]], but Grace is quick to point out that just recognizing he has a hangup isn't enough to instantly make it go away.
* EspeciallyZoidberg: [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-04-21 Susan drops one of these.]]
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Female Variant Number 5 is meant to cause this.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Discussed. After [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-24 the furious look]] [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-26 Elliot gave Melissa]], Noah tries to get out of him what was that about:
-->'''Noah:''' Is it jealousy? I have been told I could make straight men see rainbows.
* EverythingsNuttierWithSquirrels: Well, [[http://www.egscomics.com/bg/egs_bg_0007_800x600.gif duh]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2009-11-11 Even Magus]] [[spoiler:won't help Chaos ruin Verres to just to kill Abraham…[[ThePlan just to punish Raven for being a disobedient son]]]]. Though Magus hasn't yet been clarified as "good" or "evil", he had been antagonising Ellen through the arc.
** Also, during ''Painted Black'', Hedge did everything in his power ''not'' to bring women back to Damien, knowing that he only wanted them for breeding.
* EveryoneIsBi: [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-22 Sure]] [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2005-08-13 looks]] [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2006-09-29 that]] way…
* EvilLaugh: Along with PsychoticSmirk, played to the hilt with Raven though he could just be being creepy and weird.
** Definalty just being wierd, considering he's [[spoiler: one of the series most powerful supporting heroes]]. His mother, on the otherhand, plays this one strait...
* EvilOverlord: Lord Tedd, though Nioi insinuates that he's nothing of the sort. Well, ''[[MoralityPet to Nioi and around her]]'' he may be [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-11-07 very nice]] lad indeed. After all, Lord Tedd is the product of Tedd's issues never fixed by the presence of either Elliot or Grace, and it looks like "[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-09 guy with a furry fetish and a half-cat girlfriend]]" again.
* EvilTwin: When she's first introduced, Ellen tries to be one of these for Elliot in an effort to give herself some sense of identity. She turns out to be [[CantGetInTroubleForNuthin spectacularly bad at it.]]
* ExpositionCut: Its frequent use is lampshaded in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-11-14 this]] comic from late in the "Sister" arc.
* ExpositionDiagram: Both Mr. Verres and Elliot's parents have used the Type 2 version.
* ExpositionParty: Gets its own arc, the longest in the series.
* {{Expy}}: Grace definitely has nothing in common with SquirrelGirl... [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-25 oops]]. On the other hand, "{{cat girl}}"-to-"[[PettingZooPeople squirrel]] girl" substitution doesn't leave many options anyway.
** Mr. Raven comes across as [[HarryPotter Snape]] with better style, at least at first. Tell me you don't imagine Alan Rickman delivering some of his lines.
-->'''Raven:''' You are a homicidal wizard invading a public school. No one will care if I kill you.
* ExtraParentConception: Uryoms reproduce this way, with a variable number of parents.
