El Goonish Shive VII: The Comic is 20 Years Old, but the Cast is Still 18

[Fyraltari]

Woah, woah, woah! They've aged! Like...six months?

In a time-skip.

[halfeye]

Woah, woah, woah! They've aged! Like...six months?

I thought they started out at about 14, and now they're almost about 18?

[Fyraltari]

I thought they started out at about 14, and now they're almost about 18?

Nope. Almost all story arcs take place in a single day are very close together.

[InvisibleBison]

The timeline on the wiki says the story has taken about thirteen months so far.

[Pax1138]

They live in a magical world of simultaneous smartphones and video rental places.

[KillianHawkeye]

The timeline on the wiki says the story has taken about thirteen months so far.

Yeah, there's been exactly one winter in the entire story so far.

[Maat Mons]

Maybe the FDA should reconsider its decision to lump 9 different things together under the single term "protein."

[WanderingMist]

Maybe the FDA should reconsider its decision to lump 9 different things together under the single term "protein."

Protein is one thing. There are just multiple ways to acquire it.

[Vinyadan]

The final panel, isolated from the rest, gives me an "German cannibal" vibe.

[Celestia]

Protein is one thing. There are just multiple ways to acquire it.

Also, the FDA did not create or define the word protein.

[DavidSh]

Protein is one thing. There are just multiple ways to acquire it.

I think Maat Mons was talking about the nine essential amino acids, none of which can be substituted for each other. Strictly speaking, nine equivalence classes of amino acids, as there are a few groups within which the acids can be inter-converted, but cannot be synthesized from raw materials outside the group.

[Fyraltari]

The final panel, isolated from the rest, gives me an "German cannibal" vibe.

Why German in particular?

[Vinyadan]

Why German in particular?

Because of an IT Crowd episode based on that famous cannibal that actually asked people if they were OK with being eaten and lived in Germany.

[Windscion]

Okay, I am seeing a problem. Vladia (then Vlad) was the one who most thoroughly drank Damien's kool aid.
If she gets into an older guy, it might end up too extreme?

[Rater202]

Vladia also doesn't get much in the way of praise.

Per Dan's notes from all the way back at the end of Painted Black, Vlad was the kind of person who easily confused fear with respect, and that sort of thing comes from, well, not being used to anything resembling respect.

Until further notice I would assume that the blushing is due to not being used to being told "good job."

...Actually, something interesting when they get to Magus... Vladia might be the sort of situation that MAgus thought that Ellen was trapped in. Valdia started using Female pronouns and a feminine form of her name because people around her were uncomfortable addressing her as male and she stayed in this form even though she should be able to shift through all of her forms at will without issue now because she's afraid of either experiencing the pain of transforming again or being stuck in a non-human form.

[Yuki Akuma]

Shouldn't he know it's not magic? He cast a spell to gain modern knowledge the first time he woke up.

[Maat Mons]

This is a job for triangulation! Just fly to, let's say, Las Vegas and do the direction-finding spell again. You can narrow down the search area to just the overlap between the two cones. Plus, Abraham and Vladia get to go to a casino for probably the first time!

[Vinyadan]

Okay, I am seeing a problem. Vladia (then Vlad) was the one who most thoroughly drank Damien's kool aid.
If she gets into an older guy, it might end up too extreme?

Vladia treated Damien as something of an abusive father he was trying to impress. I think she is simply happy that another father figure -- an older, more experienced magic user used to deal with younger people -- is satisfied with how she did her job.

[Maat Mons]

I don’t really get “father figure” vibes from a man laying on his back in a hotel-room bed stripped down to a tight undershirt that shows off his toned body.

[Vinyadan]

I don’t really get “father figure” vibes from a man laying on his back in a hotel-room bed stripped down to a tight undershirt that shows off his toned body.

Just pretend he's fat, then

[Fyraltari]

I don’t really get “father figure” vibes from a man laying on his back in a hotel-room bed stripped down to a tight undershirt that shows off his toned body.

Just remember that every time a girl calls her boyfriend "Daddy", Freud's ghost becomes stronger.

[Devlerbat]

I don’t really get “father figure” vibes from a man laying on his back in a hotel-room bed stripped down to a tight undershirt that shows off his toned body.

Maybe you don't, but someone could especially if they saw it more as "a man that is tired after a hard day's work and has praised you for doing a good job with your own work."

[Fyraltari]

Ah, the old "pointy ears go through the hood" character design trope. At least in this case, it looks like it would be possible to put the hood on.

Might help keep the hood in a position you like, too.

[Windscion]

Not sure if Elliot's outfit is athletic/team uniform, or superhero, or even trainee.
Susan doesn't know Rhoda is the queen of shrinking, so that's sus.
And Tedd/Grace aren't even pictured. (She couldn't settle on a form for Grace or Tedd?)
If that's what she thinks of Justin, tho ... not cool. But maybe that's just how she sees J&L relating.

[Gnoman]

If that's what she thinks of Justin, tho ... not cool. But maybe that's just how she sees J&L relating.

What's objectionable about her image of Justin?

[Windscion]

What's objectionable about her image of Justin?

Justin isn't about being a strongman or looking flashy. Which I feel that image suggests: Look at me, I'm so hawt/buff/cute.

[Rater202]

Justin isn't about being a strongman or looking flashy. Which I feel that image suggests: Look at me, I'm so hawt/buff/cute.

...He literally has a Shonen Protagonist Batte Aura spell that gives him superhuman strength.

[Fyraltari]

... I still ship Elliot and Susan.

...He literally has a Shonen Protagonist Batte Aura spell that gives him superhuman strength.

And he's got a "Dragon Kicker" shirt. Like, he has to have had that purpose-made.
Not that I blame him. Had I ever kicked a dragon, I'd do the same.

[Anonymouswizard]

Justin isn't about being a strongman or looking flashy. Which I feel that image suggests: Look at me, I'm so hawt/buff/cute.

Shuddup and let me have my manservice Plus he's literally showing off for his boyfriend, who has been established as liking a toned bod (although whether Susan knows that Luke likes it is questionable).


I'm just hoping that Susan ends this storyline as ace as before. It's very, very rare for a major character outside of kids' media to be happily single, and I like that Susan has been presented as such.

ETA: plus we all know that the OTP of this series is 'Grace+Everone'.

[Gnoman]

I'm just hoping that Susan ends this storyline as ace as before. It's very, very rare for a major character outside of kids' media to be happily single, and I like that Susan has been presented as such.

Two comments on this:

1. Give this comic a read. It starts as just character art, gradually turns into a slice of life space opera kind of thing. The blue character fits your stated interests.



2. I'm not at all sure that's really the best characterization of Susan's character arc. She's been shown to have real issues with physical things (except for that one time with Justin while both were genderbent), so categorizing her as asexual might (it could also be part of her other complex issues) be fully appropriate, but I'm not at all sure her thoughts and actions really paint her as aromantic. She seemed really disappointed at turning down Catalina despite a complete lack of physical interest, and there's been hints (though only hints) that she wants her relationship with Elliot to be more than just friendly.

Of course, that would make fitting her into the giant Grace polycue very easy.