Strip 861

You know, it's odd, I have to admit. With the start of these strips, it does indeed feel like I've hit a certain...bump. I guess with Nanase and Ellen finally becoming canon, and Magus and Chaos being introduced, it's pretty much like we've been plopped into current egs. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I mean, it's been 4 years since these strips, and we are still with Magus and Chaos. So...what does that tell you, eh?

I mean, it's not like nothing happens, it's just that...well...

Let's go back to the strip.

Content:

• Since I am one of those people who are firmly in the "Ellen is still Elliot, and just tries to act differently" ship (as opposed to the "Ellen is now Ellen from the AU, which doesn't work for many many reasons) I have to wonder why Ellen would not expect Elliot to act in such a way. I mean, really, even if Ellen is not Elliot, she should at least know his traits, she has all his memories and has been living with him for a while now.

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Strip 862

Art:

• Shive's greatest talent: Drawing the inside of a car.

Content:

• Hey look, another plot point that will never be referenced for years. This one I think is a 3-4 year one too.
• Hahah. It's funny because Nanase is invading Susan's personal space. You know if one of them was a guy, there would be LOLHAMMERS involved.

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Sketchbook 060707

The fuck is that?

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Strip 863

Art:

• Oh, Shojo flowers, how I missed thee.
• Hooolieeee crap, Tedd's eyes are huge.

Content:

• You know what? I'm glad I've been taking so many breaks. It lets me know how much this strip truly and utterly sucks.
• Shive has a habit of taking flaws from characters that were never shown, but can be reasonably assumed (Tedd having low self esteem, for example), and then having a really really quick mini-plot about it, before promptly discarding it, to never look at it again.
• The reason I've become painfully aware of this, is because recently, Shive juggled about THREE different flaw plots at the same time.
• So, yeah, he did it with the male grace kiss thing, and now this. Whether you think it's well done or not, is debatable. But you can't ignore the fact that he keeps doing it, and doing it. He's recycling things he really shouldn't be.
• Oh, and Grace. Wish fulfillment. Bleh.

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Strip 864

Art:

• TWO extras? Aw shit, Shive be pulling out the big guns!
• And look at those backgrounds!I am sure Shive will keep up those backgrounds for the rest of his career!
• Ellen and Grace have the same faces.

Content:

• You know, I'm pretty sure I've heard the same lampshade in the Twilight movies, about the couples all being under the same foster parents.
• Also, no, apologizing to all the nice guidance counselors does not make having a bland stereotype of a guidance counselor OK. No one acts like that! Teachers actually want to do their jobs, believe it or not. Some are not very good, but none of them outright don't care about their kids.
• Also, my school has you shadow kids, as well as being able to take a tour of the school before shoving you in somewhere midyear. Just a thought.

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Strip 865

Art:

• Ohp, there we go. Shive got lazy. No more backgrounds for us.
• Also, second panel, Lucy looks like a golem. Look at that head. Meesa haet new girls. Meesa want to eeeat them.
• And I don't know if I said this before, but I'll say it now, no high school girl dresses like this.

Content:

• You gotta love how Shive devotes an entire strip to explaining some absurd logic for a joke. "how do you know?" "why do you care" LET US SPEND THE ENTIRE STRIP EXPLAINING THIS!
• Even though Diane does come up later, meh, this strip is simply not needed.

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Strip 866

Art:

• D:
• THE LAYOUT!
• IT HAS BECOME!
• STANDARDIZED!
• Welcome to modern EGS, where Dan entertains the notion of becoming published. Wheeeh.
• And look, no backgrounds, imagine that.
• And, oddly enough, no side mouths.
• They'll be back.
• Now, despite the uber cool layout, keep in mind, it took Shive an entire month to do this. Talk about uber planning. Or he's just lazy. I think he's lazy.

Content:

• ...
• Lovely.
• OK, this is sort of an ok plot device, I guess.
• Dunno how the mom is going to find out if they do go all lesbian on them, but hey, details.
• Also, they are thinking about this way too literally. Not everyone is going to know they are new students. Many people, even if they do know, are not going to care. Plenty are probably going to assume they met during a tour, or something.
• No one is going to assume "oh gee, I bet they knew each other for some mysterious reason!"
• People do not care enough about you to think that deeply.
• Until you start cuddling in the lunch room, nobody is going to give a shit about whether you know them or not.
• Really.
• I mean, it's not like everyone is keeping track of who goes to the comic shop at what moments.
• Now, ok, Nanase is being paranoid as all hell.
• Pity no one is calling her out on it.
• But to be fair to her, Ellen is being a dick here. Nanase clearly doesn't want that stuff done to her, and Ellen is all "screw you! There ain't nothing wrong with that!"
• If Nanase was just not in the mood to show affection in public, and Ellen did the same thing, she'd come off as a lot less sympathetic.

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Strip 867

Art:

• ...they were in a cafeteria?
• ...that's a school with thousands of kids?
• Yeesh.
• Oh wow. Seventeen whole people. Truly a large number. You'd get more numbers if you just tripped in a hallway and fell down. I mean, my school has 2k kids, which might or might not be less than "thousands" of kids. Yet...somehow their school is barren. What the hell.
• Man, look at all the white people.

Content:

• Nothing much to say, really, except this was a rather long strip to explain one magic trick.

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Strip 868

Art:

• Oh circle gradient, how diverse you really are. I think you are the longest lasting character ever.

Content:

• WHY IS THIS JUSTIFICATION NEEDED?
• SERIOUSLY, WHO ARE THEY TRYING TO FOOL?
• It's not like school is some walled in fortress where it's impossible to know anyone out of it.
• I mean, REALLY.
• What are they trying to prove here?
• It's all just needlessly complicated lesbian drama.

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Strip 869

Art:

• I guess Moperville North took all the dark skinned kids.
• ...so the South school has no black kids...
• And...
• ...you know what? I ain't finishing that joke.

Content:

• DUN
  • DUN
    • DUN!!!

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Strip 870

Art:

• Oh, hi Catalina. She doesn't count as an extra. She's the shallowly characterized lesbian that wants to bone Susan. No. Seriously.
• ...they're allowed to wear hats in school?
• My school doesn't let us wear hats.
• Well, not in class. I guess outside in the hall makes sense.
• Hrm.
• Oh, the school looks like a scary labrynth.

Content:

• That's right, Shive. Keep trying to humanize Tedd. Just keep telling, telling, telling.
• We'll see how well it works for you.
• And you know what? It annoys me that only girls seem to be cute. Guys can be cute too, dammit.

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Wanna know something cool? In two updates of this blog, we'll get to enjoy the temporary *colored* egs pages!

Hoor. Ay.