9001% Serious is the sixteenth storyline group in the main canon of EGS. It opened with the EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-01 and ended with the EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-03-02, clocking in at 108 pages. It includes the following storylines:
- One Way Road: Grace, who is annoyed by Tedd neglecting her because he focuses all of his attention on his magic research, takes him on a double date with Ellen and Nanase. It is revealed that Nanase used to date many boys while looking for the right one when one of her ex-boyfriends, Gerald shows up to harass her and Ellen. During the double date Tedd realizes that he has been neglecting his friends. Ellen and Tedd talk about how it's confusing to be Ellen, with memories from both Elliot and Second Life Ellen, and how it complicates her friendship with Tedd.
- Legends Of Celida: When Sarah tells Susan about a video game character who turns male to fight, Susan suggests that the character is actually disguised by illusion magic. Sarah asks Tedd, who says that the character is confirmed to actually transform, but Sarah suggests to Susan that she disregard that.
- Death Sentence: Rhoda is attacked by a boar and saved by Catalina. Grace and Adrian Raven try to save the boar from hunters but Raven has to kill it when it attacks Grace.
- What Is Love: When Nanase and Ellen babysit Nanase's sister Akiko, Akiko says that she want to be a lesbian when she grows up and they talk about love and attraction.
One Way Road[]
The arc started with a collection of scenes involving Tedd's work with magic (previously seen in the storyline Indiana Elliot). Tedd was excited because he was starting to make scientific sense of magic. He had discovered a baseline for the transformation gun testing device. He was having trouble keeping track of Elliot's energy build up. After testing on Elliot, Tedd discovered the gun will affect spell resistance without impacting enchantment resistance. He later cracked the enchantment formula. Throughout all of this Grace tried to flirt with him, but he was too focused on magic to notice.[1]
On Wednesday May 1 at Moperville South High School, Ellen was trying to set up a date with Nanase. They decided on dinner and maybe a movie if they could find a good horror one so they could hug each other when it got scary. Gerald interrupted them by saying that Nanase had run out of men in school, which made her angry.[2] Gerald said Ellen was being part of "the great Nanase experiment" and left. Nanase explained that she went on a few dates with Gerald while she was looking for the right guy before she dated Elliot and that she dated lots of guys before Elliot.[3] Ellen asked if there was anyone else she should know about. Nanase said it would take a while to go through all her boyfriends, but Ellen explained she just wanted to know if there was any other "Geralds" to worry about. Nanase was surprised that Ellen didn't care about how many boys she had dated and Ellen explained that that was before her time and now is what matters.[4]
Grace grabbed Ellen from behind and declared that she needed romance.[4] Grace explained that she needed a break from Tedd's experiments, though they were interesting, and that she didn't want to discourage Tedd from making so much progress. Ellen suggested Grace try taking Tedd out on a date. Grace thought that sounded good and decided to go on a double date with Nanase and Ellen.[5] Grace, excited at the prospect, decided that the best date would be dinner and bowling. Nanase and Ellen were reluctant but after looking Grace in the eyes, they decided to go out on Friday.[6] After Grace left, Ellen asked Nanase if she was OK with the double date and Nanase asked if Ellen was ok with the date. Ellen said she was ok with Tedd as long as it was small talk. Nanase said that she didn't really know much about Tedd other than the fact that he was weird and her mom treated him like a sad little puppy. Ellen concluded that only issue they had with the date was Tedd; Nanase said if it were just a date with Grace they would be set.[7]
When Grace arrived at home Tedd was in the basement. When she went to the basement Tedd once again went on about his chart filled with the estimated durations of month long transformations and Grace interrupted him by shouting that they would be going on a double date on Friday with Nanase and Ellen. Tedd reluctantly agreed to the date.[8]
On Thursday, Tedd told Elliot about the date that he and Grace would be going on. Elliot asked if it was going to be awkward and Tedd said that it would since he didn't know Nanase very well and didn't know how Ellen felt about him. Elliot asked if Tedd was going to try and cancel and Tedd said that Grace really wanted the date. Elliot said that he was kind of going out on a date with his cousin and Tedd did not take this joke well.[9]
At Salty Crackers Comics Nanase complained to Justin about Ellen's lack of jealousy. When Justin said that it was good that Ellen did not care about Nanase's past, Nanase said that love is not logical and Ellen should want to club all of Nanase's exes in order to claim ownership. Justin said that it doesn't make sense for a woman be jealous about her girlfriend dating men in the past if she really only is attracted to women. Duck was listening to the conversation then went to his friends and told them that the dream of dating Nanase was dead, but something magical had taken its place.[10]
Tedd asked his father if he could borrow some money for his date with Grace as he had spent all of his money on gaming peripherals that he used for science. Mr. Verres said he that Grace had already borrowed money for the date. Tedd said that he was the man so he should pay, but Mr. Verres said that there is no shame in sharing the cost and Mr. Verres would be the one paying either way. Tedd asked for advice on what to wear.[11]
At the Kitsune house, Mrs. Kitsune asked if Nanase would she going a play date (just like in the storyline Sister II, she was dismissive of Nanase's relationship with Ellen). Nanase said it was a serious relationship and that she would be going out with Ellen, Tedd and his girlfriend. Mrs. Kitsune was shocked to learn that Tedd had a girlfriend and demanded to know if she was nice, and committed to the relationship, or just toying with him. Nanase said that she was very nice and a friend of hers. Mrs. Kitsune was very glad to find out that Tedd had a girlfriend since he used to be so shy. She told Nanase that she had to look after her little cousin. When Nanase said she was barely older than him, Mrs. Kitsune said that Nanase knew more about relationships then Tedd and she must help him and again expressed her contempt of Nanase seeing her relationship with Ellen as more than a phase.[12]
Just before the date (on Friday May 3), Tedd was downstairs watching Mythbusters while Grace was upstairs waiting for the date, as she had decided that the date would begin when they left the house. Mr. Verres thought that they should have been here already since he heard a car drive up but Tedd said that was probably something on the TV or maybe Jeremy. Outside, in the car, Nanase and Ellen were kissing since they thought they would not get many chances to do it during the date.[13] Five minutes later Nanase and Ellen knocked on the door to pick up Grace and Tedd. Grace hugged Ellen while Tedd and Nanase stood awkwardly on opposite sides of them. Tedd was shocked to see Nanase with long hair and Nanase explained that the magical burn out made her hair grow faster then normal. Tedd said that he had some theories on magic and hair and he might be able to help Nanase get unburned faster. Tedd proposed that they go into a lengthy discussion about it, but after seeing Grace's expression he clarified that this would be well after the date.[14]
While the four drove to the date, Tedd was having a tough time trying to stop thinking like one of the science nuts from the Portal games. When Grace asked if she should increase her strength if the bowling ball was too heavy, Tedd wondered how Grace would increase muscle mass without changing muscle tone. Then Tedd thought about Nanase's hair growth. It turned out that their car was playing the soundtrack to Portal.[15]
At the restaurant they met Gary, another of Nanase's exes. He was surprised to see Nanase and find out that the rumors of her lesbian orientation were true. He said he was glad that this was the reason that Nanase dumped him, since he was worried it was because he was too geeky (Nanase's expression made it clear for everyone else that this was exactly the reason).[16] Nanase apologized for coming to a restaurant where one of her ex-boyfriends worked but Ellen did not care since it wasn't another Gerald. Grace asked who Gerald was and Nanase said he was a jerk she used to date. Grace asked why Nanase would date a jerk and Nanase said she used to think he was cool since he stood up for himself and wore androgynous outfits, then she realized he dressed like that so he could get into fights. Ellen was surprised Gerald got into fights in purpose while Tedd said Gerald sounded like a Venus flytrap that caught bullies and thought that was awesome.[17]
When the menus arrived, Tedd quickly picked a hamburger then pretend to read until the rest of the gang picked their meals, and assumed that Ellen would do the same thing. Ellen said that she was going to try calamari which shocked Tedd.[18] Ellen said with a hint of anger that she was not Elliot and she saw something interesting so she was going to try it. Tedd backtracked hastily and said that it was not a problem and that he might try some calamari himself.[19]
Grace talked about her training and said that with Sensei Greg it was nice but he was not teaching her anything "changy" yet, but that made sense since she didn't want to claw people. Nanase talked about a time when she and Ellen were hanging out and two guys started hitting on them. Grace talked about a romance movie that she had watched. Nanase said that Ellen and her should go the city museum next Saturday. They talked about how Grace played volleyball: Ellen said she would either launch the balls into orbit or dive for cover and Grace said that's how she deals with most of her problems. Tedd realized that he had been sitting alone in his basement and inadvertently distancing himself from his friends. When his squid arrived and he sarcastically said "Awesome".[20]
After Tedd admitted he was isolating himself and treating Elliot like a lab rat, Ellen explained that this was typical of Tedd. She gave an example of him modding games until he got sick of it.[21] Tedd realized this was true and noted that it was just like another time when he had a refrigerator box spaceship that he never finished. He said he couldn't afford to get sick of his current work because it was too important. Nanase said that Tedd needed to learn to pace himself more and not spend all of his time focused on science. Tedd said that was easier said than done since he could barely contain himself on the ride to the restaurant. Ellen suggested that he try treat his friendships like science. Ellen suggested that night's experiment could be "Can squid be delicious". Tedd stared at his food a moment then bit into a calamari ring.[22] The first bite was too hot and Tedd had to gulp down water in order too cool it. After a little while, Tedd bit another calamari ring this time with dipping sauce and declared it to be adequate, good but not great. Ellen said she would eat it again and Tedd said he was glad he tried it.[23]
The bowling alley was packed. Ellen suggested that Nanase and Grace go to the arcade while she and Tedd check out the waiting. Ellen angrily warned him not to get Nanase's hopes up about getting her magic back and walked away.[24] Tedd took her aside and told her that they needed to talk as she was like an old friend one minute and ready to jump at his throat the next. He asked if they were friends, if she hated him and what he was to her. Ellen said she was sorry and told him that he was confusing to her and she has a confusing life. Tedd said that they had essentially been friends for years. Ellen said that they hadn't as Elliot's memories and the Second Life Ellen's memories were not hers. She said her memories started three months ago and that the day when she and Tedd met was the worst day of her life.[25] Ellen said that it was confusing to have Elliot's memories of Tedd and Second Life Ellen's memories of Tedd. She said that he had not once apologized for the mistakes that led to Ellen's creation. Tedd said that he screwed up a lot but if he hadn't Ellen would not exist and he was not sorry for Ellen existing. Also during this exchange Ellen said that Tedd was sexy, which surprised Tedd but they passed over it. Ellen said he confused her a lot.[26] Tedd asked if they were good or better and Ellen said they were definitely better. Tedd said he still thought of Ellen as having been Elliot but Ellen said that he shouldn't. She said that she didn't want to dwell on the past but wanted to focus on the present and look to the future. Tedd asked if her future included him. Ellen said yes and hugged him.[27]
Grace joined in, hugging both of them.[27] Nanase extricated Ellen from the hug and told her she heard what she said about looking towards the future, which explained her lack of interest in Nanase's dating past. Ellen added that Nanase's ex-boyfriends were men. Gerald walked up and said "the experiment continues".[28] Ellen told him that she and Nanase have been dating for 56 days. Gerald tried to tell Nanase that she would eventually get bored with Ellen, but Tedd told him to be quiet, that they had been having a good time and that Gerald was ruining it.[29] Gerald asked how big the experiment was (clearly mistaking Tedd for a girl) and Tedd angrily told him they were on a double date. He called Gerald an ex-boyfriend bully who resented Nanase and said that he should just move on. Gerald yelled that he wasn't a bully and said that he just says it like it is. Tedd told him to go away and Gerald asked what army was going to make him but when he saw Nanase, Ellen and Grace's expressions he said he would go.[30]
Tedd expressed disbelief that he used to look up to Gerald. Grace asked if he was OK and Tedd said he was a badass then asked for a hug. Nanase was surprised that Tedd could talk like that. The girls thanked him but told him to not do that again as Gerald was picking a fight and would have punted Tedd into orbit.[31] Nanase told Ellen she was better than a neanderthal and Ellen confusedly thanked her. Tedd said that the queue to the bowling lane looked like the wait was longer than half an hour and Grace told him that Nanase's ex-boyfriend said it looks worse than it really is. Nanase explained it was another ex-boyfriend named Grant who told her as he worked there. Ellen noted that Nanase seemed to like dating people whose names started with the letter "G". Tedd grabbed Grace and said "mine", Grace said she was flattered and Nanase said it was a coincidence.[32]
Tedd thought to himself that he needed this as friendships require upkeep and good intentions only went so far if he ended up neglecting his friends. He also thought that his recent work wasn't all selfless; for him science was addictive and fun. He resolved to find the right balance between researching magic and nurturing his friendships. He finished off by thinking that the next time someone attacked his friends they would stand together and they would make them regret it. Back at Tedd's house, in the basement, a cupboard was revealed to hold a gauntlet similar to Lord Tedd's.[33]
Legends of Celida[]
On Saturday May 4, Susan was at Sarah's house. Susan summoned her fairy doll that she had named "Little Nase", and told her to get a soda for her. Sarah asked if she ever unsummoned the doll and Susan said that it explodes when she does so she just waits until it fades away. Sarah told Susan that they were going to play The Legend of Celida. Susan described her role in the game as fairy duty and Sarah said she thought Susan would like that.[34]
Sarah said that her player character was named Chain and Susan expressed surprise that Chain was a guy since he appeared to have breasts as he kept his extra items there. Sarah explained that Celida was a damsel in distress, which made Susan mildly disappointed. Sarah said Celida is pretty badass in an earlier game, where she turned into a man and was a badass ninja for a while. She added that Celida turned back into a woman later and was immediately kidnapped, which made Little Nase facepalm.[35] Sarah said even though they never specifically say that Celida turned male it is pretty obvious that was what happened. Susan pointed out that the protagonist had breasts so Celida might have simply become more muscular and Sarah said that she studied a lot of anatomy for her artwork and Ninja Celida's hips, shoulders, relative proportions and everything else suggested that the form was male. Susan suggested that Sarah just thought that females couldn't be physically as strong as a man. Sarah gave her a look and pointed out Grace, Ellen, Nanase and that her boyfriend turns into a female to get stronger. Susan admitted that she realized the stupidity of the statement as soon as she said it.[36]
Susan asked if it might have been an illusion and if that would be easier than a transformation. Sarah said she had no idea how difficult an illusion like that would be. Sarah called Tedd and asked him if transformation or illusion is easier. While he was talking Tedd was working on a watch that changed his gender and clothing.[37] Tedd explained that he had not worked on illusions but he did know that simple illusions are easy to do but a full-fledged disguise sounded like it would be difficult depending on how it worked. In order for such an illusion to work the user must turn invisible any part not covered by the illusion, therefore it would be simpler to just turn totally invisible. Tedd also mentioned the possibility of a psychic illusion by bending the truth. Sarah interrupted him and explained she just wanted to know if Celida turns into a man or not. Tedd explained that it was confirmed in the manga that she did indeed turn into a man. While Tedd had been explaining he was constantly testing the watch that changed his gender, hair style and clothing.[38]
When Sarah told Susan about Tedd's answer, she suggested ignoring the manga because the game itself leaves the question open. Susan talked about how she sees the Star Trek; The Next Generation movies as set in a different universe to the TV show because of their inconsistencies.[39]
Death Sentence[]
Death Sentence 1[]
On Sunday, May 12, Rhoda was in a wild area (later revealed to be Moperville Forest Preserve), taking pictures, when she discovered a patch of ground had been dug up. She took a picture of it and then heard some rustling in the bushes. She looked up, was scared,[40] and ran away but tripped and crawled over to a fallen tree. A shadow loomed over her.[41] The shadow turned out to be a giant boar which squealed at Rhoda as she got up and ran away.[42]
Catalina arrived, complaining about photography class making her take photos. She wanted to find something cool when she heard a squeal and saw the giant boar had chased Rhoda up a tree.[43] Catalina blew her whistle and told the giant boar to get away from Rhoda.[44] Both girls used their camera flashes to disorient the giant boar and Catalina blew her whistle as well. The boar was eventually spooked enough that it ran away.[45]
Catalina then asked if Rhoda was OK. Rhoda thanked Catalina. When Catalina asked if Rhoda was going to climb down the tree Rhoda said that she had never climbed a tree before and didn't know how to get down. Catalina complimented her for climbing so well for her first time and offered to help her get down.[46] Rhoda started to climb down but slipped and landed on top of Catalina. She apologized, they both flushed at their physical closeness, and broke the moment by agreeing they should tell someone about the giant boar.[47]
Death Sentence 2[]
Grace was reading a book when Jeremy started meowing at her. She morphed out her antennae so she could talk with him. Jeremy told her that she was in his spot and rejected all Grace's proposed alternatives to her moving.[48] Tedd excitedly rushed in to tell Grace to check the news as Rhoda and Catalina were attacked by a "big ass boar". Grace said that Rhoda was her history tutor in addition to Grace being Rhoda's math tutor. Grace was alarmed that the boar was described as giant. Tedd explained that feral boars can weigh several hundred pounds given optimal conditions. Grace said that Rhoda described Justin as giant so maybe everything was big for her.[49]
Carol was on the news outside of the Moperville Forest Preserve Visitor Centre interviewing Rhoda and Catalina about the hog attack. Carol showed a blurry picture of the hog and explained the photo was too blurry to determine size. She interviewed Ranger Simpson, who said that the fact that the dirt was dug up and that there were hoof prints in it proved a feral hog was in the area.[50] Simpson explained the evidence supported a large hog but not as big the girls claimed. He said that the hog was a danger to the environment and it, along with any others in the area, must be destroyed as quickly as possible.[51] Carol asked if there were other hogs in the area and Simpson said he did not know but since this hog had a scar they could find out easily. He said that boar hunting involves trained dogs grabbing the hogs' ears and holding them down until hunters could catch them but Moperville does not have dogs with the right training. He said he knew some hog hunters in Texas who would be coming Tuesday night to help deal with the problem. Carol said the forest preserve was closed down to everyone but hunters who would only be allowed to hunt feral hogs. Grace worried that the size of the boar meant that during the hunt, dogs and some hunters could die too.[52]
Later that evening, Grace was awake worrying about the pig and dogs dying, when she heard Mr. Verres' phone ring. Edward Verres answered the phone; it was Adrian Raven suggesting that they should save the boar. Edward was surprised that Raven would call after years out of touch, but Raven explained he could disenchant the boar so it would return to regular size.[53] Edward said that it was not his (Edward's) call as Arthur was in charge. Raven said he would not talk to Arthur since he tried to deport Raven to Russia. Mr. Verres said that they government wasn't even looking into the incident since there was not enough evidence of paranormal involvement and no one would care about saving the boar anyway.[54] Raven said that he would save the boar himself and asked Edward to contact someone who could calm or communicate with animals. Edward said that the boar would be dangerous to Raven and anyone who helped him and that it was irresponsible to save the boar since there was no place for it.[55] Raven said that that was cold but Edward replied that it was the reality of the situation. Raven accused Edward of refusing to help him because of how they left things and Edward replied that the greater good outweighed their history. Raven reacted by apologizing for not being a better teacher but Edward ended the call. Grace decided to help Raven save everyone.[56]
Death Sentence 3[]
On Monday morning (May 13), Grace and Ellen arrived at school. Ellen asked why Grace was being so quiet and Grace said she was worried about the boar. They met Rhoda and Grace asked if she was OK. Rhoda said she was fine but also worried. Diane said that the hunters were going to track down and shoot the boar for trying to hurt Rhoda. Rhoda said that it was a wild animal that didn't know any better. Diane said it should burn and took Rhoda to meet with Lucy. Ellen didn't know anything about the boar attack so she was lost.[57]
Later that morning, Raven finished up his class. After Grace had walked out along with most of he rest of the class he found a note from Grace on his desk. The note said that she knew he was half immortal, that she could talk to animals and that she wanted to help him save the boar. Raven was shocked and rushed out to call Grace back.[58] He dragged her back into his classroom, pushed the stragglers out, slammed the door and angrily asked about the note.[59]
Grace explained that she knew he was a half immortal from when he fought the wizard (Abraham's attack happened in the storyline Sister II), that she was an alien-human hybrid who could talk to animals, that she lives with Mr. Verres and that she overheard the telephone conversation Mr. Verres had had with Raven the previous night. Raven was taken aback by all this and Grace followed up by asking if he wanted to save the day.[59] Raven was surprised that Grace lived with Mr. Verres and Grace explained that he took her in a few months ago. When Raven asked about how she knew he was half immortal, Grace explained that his barriers left one person in the hallway, and also that an immortal named Jerry told her about him before dying. Raven said she should not be so forthcoming about thinks like her being half alien. Grace said that Raven already knew something was up about her since, when they were in the principal's office (in the storyline Squirrel In The Classroom, Raven had been angry at her then abruptly changed his mind after he stared at her and Ellen like 'oooo-eee-oooo' for a few moments and said that they were awesome and he must teach them. Raven said that was not how it went. Grace said she liked to pretend he bought her and Ellen ice cream afterwards and was disappointed that he didn't.[60]
Raven said that regardless of the boar they now had much to discuss but could do it at his home after school. Grace was surprised that Raven didn't seem to care about the boar, but Raven said he would not drag a minor into the woods with him to track down a wild animal. Grace said she was eighteen and therefore legally he could do all sorts of stuff with her. Raven said she should not say it like that, gave her his address and said that she should come to his house alone after school and tell no one. Grace said she didn't have a car but Raven said his home was a fifteen-minute walk away from hers and if she couldn't make that she had no business asking to join him on a giant boar hunt. Raven said that in the meantime she must learn to be more careful with sensitive information and Grace pointed out that he had dropped her note to him on the floor.[61]
Later that morning, Grace told Ellen about her meeting with Raven. Ellen tried to press her for details but Grace was conflicted on keeping it a secret.[62] Eventually she decided to tell Ellen that Raven now knew about her (Grace's) knowledge of him but she didn't tell him about the others knowing about him. She said the reason she wanted to keep it secret was to allow her to save the boar and that Raven had acquired some knowledge of her nature during the incident at the principal's office. Ellen said she doesn't care about the boar but offered help anyway, Grace responded to just not tell anyone.[63]
Death Sentence 4[]
Later, at Tedd's house, Grace told Tedd that she was going for a walk, resulting in an awkward conversation with Grace not wanting Tedd going with her and Tedd wanting to experiment with a magical glove instead of going with her but neither wanting to appear not to want to be with the other.[64]
At Raven's house, Raven told Noah, who was going to play basketball with Elliot that afternoon, to call before he came home since he was having Grace over and didn't want her to meet him. Noah fell off the couch when he heard that Grace was coming over. Noah asked why Grace was coming over and Raven didn't answer but said that she knew of his heritage and didn't need a reason to suspect Noah's. Noah told Raven that Grace was the seyunolu that was at the dojo a few weeks ago (in the storyline New And Old Flames and that he was fairly certain Grace was the one that killed Damien. Raven looked flabbergasted for a moment and then exclaimed "WHAT?!".[65] Raven said that Grace ran out of his classroom crying after learning about World War II. Noah explained that he was told that a part-squirrel seyunolu who was a woman of grace defeated Damien (previously mentioned in the storyline The Child Left Behind) and, shortly after that, a furry seyunolu named Grace whose last name is the scientific name for the squirrel family started attending his school. Raven asked whether Noah was sure Grace was part squirrel and Noah answered that Grace was not dominantly squirrel but the form at the dojo had three tails that looked squirrelly. Raven took it to mean that Noah was not certain, but Noah said that he was as Grace's hero alias was "Shade Tail" and the Greek word that the word squirrel came from roughly translates as "Shade Tail". Raven asked why he knew that and Noah explained that he had been studying a lot about squirrels since one of his only two clues regarding who killed Damien was squirrel-related.[66] Noah was excited that he would have a chance to talk to Grace but Raven insisted he go play basketball with Elliot.[67]
Once Noah left, Raven morphed into his elf form and thought about what it would mean if Grace was the one who defeated Damien. He thought that, with her and Noah at his side, they could accomplish great things. He then caught sight of a photo on his cabinet (not decisively clear but potentially of himself with Edward and Noriko) and thought that they must take care not to repeat past mistakes.[67]
Less than fifteen minutes later, Grace arrived at Raven's house. She was surprised by Raven's youthful appearance. Raven took that to mean she did not get a good look at him during his fight with Abraham and Grace didn't tell him that it wasn't she who saw the fight (as it was actually Nanase).[68]
Raven said he was willing to consider the possibility that her helping him would be a good idea but he needed to be sure she could handle the situation and was what she claimed to be. Grace showed him her antennae but Raven said that only proved she was a part-uryuom seyunolu and only furry seyunolus could talk to animals. Raven waited for her to turn into her three tailed form but Grace showed him her half-squirrel form instead. Raven was surprised[68] by her smaller size. Raven asked what kind of animal she was and Grace said she was part-squirrel. Raven said, though her tail was bushy, her face had not changed other then getting furry. Grace ran behind the couch and turned into her full squirrel form.[69] Raven was surprised to find the Grace could change so thoroughly and admitted that Grace was part-squirrel but was concerned for Grace's safety as a normal boar is already pretty fast and with the growth spell it could be faster. Grace, eager to reply to that, turned back into a human and said that she could do more than that but forgot that she would be naked when she changed back. Raven was embarrassed and promptly covered his eyes.[70]
Raven thought about how this meeting had turned into a disaster and wondered if it would just be easier to simply ask Grace if she defeated Damien since he could do it now without exposing Noah. Raven started to ask her about Damien when she showed her Omega form.[71] After seeing the Omega form Raven initially thought Grace could have killed Damien many times over but when she heard a hissing noise, Grace panicked and dove behind the couch. Raven then thought Grace was prone to being startled.[72]
The hissing noise turned out to be coming from a cat with hedgehog spines similar to Jeremy.[72] Grace was glad to see a kitty and talked to it. Grace told the cat that she was a friend to Mr. Raven. Raven said his name was Max. Grace told Max that Raven was her teacher but Max didn't have a concept of teaching beyond hunting for food.[73] Raven was surprised that Grace took Max's appearance in stride after seeing him but Grace didn't understand why, even after Raven explained about his spines. Raven congratulated Grace for proving she could talk with animals and had considerable power. Grace was surprised that Raven didn't need to do his oooo-eee-oooo thing but Raven said that in his true form his ears could taste her power. Raven said she had proven she could safely accompany him.[74]
Raven asked Grace why she wanted to save the boar.[74] He understood her wanting to protect the hunters but didn't understand her desire to save the boar. Grace told him that killing the animal should be the last resort and nobody else was willing to try another option. If there were more boars she would understand wanting to kill them since they destroy everything so humans have to step in to save nature. She continued that this was apparently only one boar so killing him should not be the only option. Raven asked if she was willing to accept that it might be necessary and Grace said that she did. Then she asked why Raven wanted to save the boar.[75] Adrian told her that the boar had no place where it belonged, no one wanted it and its very existence was reason enough to kill it. He felt pity for it. Grace asked if it would be inappropriate to hug him and Raven said extremely, which Grace accepted.[76]
Raven told Grace that they would go hunt the boar the following morning. Raven said that he would bring a gun and would shoot if Grace could not calm down the boar. He believed the boar would be agitated, since it would be trying to break the enchantment by not eating enough if at all.[77] Raven also suggested that whoever enlarged the boar had good intentions as, when the boar charged Rhoda, it suddenly got larger and stopped, giving Rhoda time to get away.[78] Grace said that, since they were not going to go tonight, she had to get home.[79]
Raven asked if Grace told her girlfriend what they are up to, as he thought Ellen was Grace's girlfriend; she and said that Tedd is her boyfriend. Raven was shocked that Grace was dating Tedd and said he couldn't take her.[79] Grace tried to get Raven to take her by saying that lives were at stake but Raven said he could kill the boar and protect people himself but Raven refused to put Grace's life at risk. Grace said that she was not going to sit back and let Raven kill the boar when she could save it. Raven relented and said Grace had to do whatever he said and flee on command even if it meant leaving him to die. He said her objective was to return home unharmed and asked her if she understood. Grace started to protest about leaving Raven to die but Raven insisted on those terms and Grace accepted them.[80] He told her to tell Tedd.[81]
Later, when Grace arrived back at the Verres house, she told Tedd about her meeting with Raven.[82] Tedd said that they shouldn't keep secrets from each other.[83]
Death Sentence 5[]
Next day (Tuesday, May 14) Grace arrived at Raven's house ready to go save the boar. Raven asked her if she talked to Tedd and Grace said she did, and admitted that it was a good idea. When inside, Raven asked if she could sit in a car in her three-tailed form. He told her to change right away as his illusion spell could be disrupted if she transformed after it was cast. Raven handed her an orange vest to indicate to the hunters to not shoot her should the illusion spells fail.[84] Raven asked Grace to be willing and accepting of an illusion spell he would cast, otherwise her resistance would make it end quickly. After the spell was cast, Grace looked down and saw that she was still fuzzy. Raven explained that they could see through the illusion but everyone else would be fooled. When Grace looked in a mirror, she saw she looked just like Susan. Raven explained that he changed her appearance so he could claim that she was her niece. Grace asked if he had any kids and Raven said as an elf he couldn't have them.[85]
When Grace got in the car she found she could not fit normally in the front passenger seat no matter how hard she tried, so she sat in the back seat.[86] Grace asked Raven why he became more concerned for her safety when he learned that she is Tedd's girlfriend and Raven answered that it's his fault that Tedd's mother cared more about her career than her family.[87]
When they arrived at the forest preserve, Raven led Grace in the direction of the boar. When Grace asked how he knew which way to go Raven said it was by the taste of the flavor of the magic in the air. Raven explained that the sweetness of the magic he was currently following probably meant that the boar's growth was functioning in defiance of the square-cube law of biomechanics but that it was a better thing than if the magic was spicy.[88] They came to an area where the boar had been rooting around, which apparently proved Raven's theory about the boar not eating to be wrong.[89] Raven said that he had been taught that theory but had not tested it himself because that would have been cruel.[90]
Meanwhile, the boar had snuck up to them and clicked its tusks together.[90] Grace told the boar they came in peace and were there to help it as hunters were coming for it.[91] The boar wanted to scare the hunters away or kill them. Raven Grace to ask about other boars. Grace told the boar if he wanted a mate he would have to leave. Raven thought about how animals instinctively don't eat when they get enchantments in order to get rid of the enchantment. He realized that the reason the boar was eating was because he wanted to remain big. At that moment, to Raven's horror and the boar's anger, Grace mentioned that they could restore it to normal size.[92] The boar charged at Grace who jumped out of the way.[93] Raven shot it dead to stop it from killing her and its body returned to normal size.[94]
Grace lamented that she did not even try to fly and she might have been fast enough if she was floating. Raven said there was no point in trying to save it.[95] Grace said someone had to try because if everyone accepted the worst possible outcome that is what would happen and complained that nobody considered saving the boar a possibility. Raven said he still believed her to be wrong about the boar but he liked her reasons for being wrong.[96] Raven said that they should not have tried to save the boar since there was nowhere for it to live but agreed the someone had to be willing to try for the better outcome. Raven then said that sometimes there is no better outcome. Afterward, he took Grace out for ice cream.[97]
That evening, Rhoda was reading a news report saying that an anonymous tip led Ranger Simpson to a dead boar which was regular size and had a scar. Rhoda's mother told her to get ready for bed and, while she was changing and thinking about the boar, it was revealed that it was she who made the boar large thanks to the magic mark placed on her back.[98]
What Is Love[]
On Friday May 31, Nanase woke up and remarked that she had to get a hair cut. Akiko, who likes Rapunzel, disagreed.[99]
At school, Nanase asked Ellen if she was worried about the finals and Ellen said that she would be fine as long as she remembered which history went with which universe. Nanase said she was babysitting Akiko and asked Ellen if she wanted to come over. Ellen suggested that they could put on a preschool TV show for Akiko and sneak upstairs. Nanase said Akiko was eight and that that they had to actually keep an eye on Akiko as she took babysitting her sister very seriously. Ellen agreed, despite it sounding like a much more boring evening than her plan.[100]
At the Kitsune house, Mrs. Kitsune said in Japanese that Ellen was allowed to stay as long they watched Akiko and didn't do anything inappropriate in front of her. Mrs. Kitsune left and Ellen said she didn't understand a word that was said. Akiko explained why they spoke Japanese at home but since she did so in Japanese, Ellen had to ask Nanase to translate.[101] Akiko called Ellen Nanase's boyfriend and said that was cool because real boys are weird and gross. Akiko said she was going to date girls when she was older too. Nanase told Akiko that she couldn't just decide she was going to be attracted to girls. Akiko asked what "be attracted to" meant. Nanase was taken aback, and was unsure of how to respond so Ellen cut in answering "magnets".[102] Akiko was skeptical. Ellen tried to demonstrate by feigning she was being pulled towards Nanase but Nanase didn't join in and Akiko remained skeptical.[103] Akiko threatened to just look it up on the internet, but Nanase hurriedly told her to give her a moment to figure out what to say. Akiko told her to just tell her what "attracted to" meant.[104]
Nanase told her it was something you felt when you were older that was a romantic feeling different from liking someone. Akiko asked if she meant love and Ellen said that wasn't always the case as there was a difference between attraction and love. Akiko gave an example of the difference - good guy and girl who like each other and want to be together, but then a bad guy tries to make the girl love him. They are both attracted to the girl but only the good guy loves her.[104] Nanase confirmed that would be one example. Akiko asked why she couldn't just decide to be attracted to girls once she was older and Nanase said that it is a feeling, not a conscious decision. Akiko said that that was consistent with her data. Nanase asked what she was talking about. When Akiko elaborated, Nanase realized that her data came from cartoons.[105] Akiko figured out she will have to wait to find out if she is attracted to boys or girls, but hoped for her attraction to be to girls.[106]
Some time later, Ellen and Nanase were in the kitchen and Nanase expressed worry that Akiko did not understand what would happen to her if she grew up attracted to girls as she would have to face intolerance, family pressure and not having kids of her own. Ellen told her not to worry and related Akiko's reaction to the movie's male protagonist to Nanase.[107] Ellen then asked if Nanase wanted kids. Nanase said she always saw herself with kids and Ellen said that was doable as Tedd had technology specifically designed for situations like this. Nanase admitted Ellen was right but still harbored some apprehension in getting Tedd involved.EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-03-02
References[]
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-01
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-02
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-03
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-05
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-08
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-11
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-12
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-15
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-18
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-19
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-23
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-25
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-29
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-08-30
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-01
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-02
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-07
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-08
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-12
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-14
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-20
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-26
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-27
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-29
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-09-30
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-03
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-07
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-10
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-12
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-14
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-17
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-19
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-21
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-24
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-25
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-27
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-28
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-10-31
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-01
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-03
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-04
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-07
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-11
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-14
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-15
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-17
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-18
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-21
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-24
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-28
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-11-29
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-01
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-02
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-05
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-06
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-08
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-12
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-13
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-15
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-19
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-20
- ↑ 72.0 72.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-23
- ↑ 74.0 74.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-27
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-29
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-12-30
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-02
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-03
- ↑ 79.0 79.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-05
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-06
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-10
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-12
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-17
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-19
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-20
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-23
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-24
- ↑ 90.0 90.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-26
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-30
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-01-31
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-02
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-03
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-06
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-07
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-10
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-13
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-14
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-17
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-20
- ↑ 104.0 104.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-24
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-02-29