Summer

El Goonish Shive Story Arcs
Previous	9001% Serious
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Summer is the seventeenth story arc in the main canon of EGS. It opened March 5, 2012 and ended February 1, 2013, clocking in at 178 pages long. It follows the majority of the group getting summer jobs and includes Tedd's encounter with the Whales. Summer ends in the first and only major timeskip in EGS.

The End of Spring

On Friday May 24, Elliot and Sarah watched a movie set in Paris. Sarah said she's always wanted to visit Paris, but Elliot said he hates traveling and prefers to stay at home while on vacation.

On Monday May 27, Matt Cohen approached Susan when she was grumbling about her recent growth spurt. Susan asked him if the principal had a message for her or something. Matt awkwardly asked if she was doing anything Friday night. Susan was shocked and asked in disbelief to confirm that he wanted to go out with her. Matt said he would. Susan protested that he didn't even know her. Matt admitted he didn't know her that well but said he liked what he knew so far. Susan was flustered, rambled off an excuse, stared at him for a moment then ran off hastily saying "bye!".

At lunch, Sarah said that it wasn't a big deal was and that Matt seemed like a nice guy. Susan said he barely knew her but Sarah said he asked her out so he could get to know her. Susan said all he wanted was to sleep with her, as he didn't know her so his basis for asking her out was that he was attracted to her and Susan was convinced he was thinking of sex. Elliot agreed that it was somewhat weird to ask someone out without knowing them. Sarah protested that it was not weird and said asking someone out is how you got to know them and that it was not a commitment to sleeping with someone.

At Moperville South, Grace expressed sadness at having to pause her attendance of school for the summer in contrast to most of the rest of the students who looked forward to being free. Grace said she liked school, would miss the people and was worried about finding a summer job as she wanted to start contributing to her family since feeding and clothing her was not free. Justin suggested applying for a job at the comic book store since the summer gaming events would require another person to man the register. Grace asked if it would be a problem that she was a "wo-man" and Justin said that her "problem" would probably double her chances of getting the job.

Nanase asked Ellen if she was going to look for a summer job. Ellen said that since it was technically her first summer she hoped she wouldn't need to get a summer job because she wanted to enjoy her freedom. Nanase said her job was going to be babysitting. When Ellen asked if she was using an agency Nanase answered that her mother set it all up for her. Meanwhile, Nanase mother promised her friend that Nanase was responsible, good with children and very smart. She also said that Nanase is a trained martial artist who could defend the children under her care from danger. When her friend chuckled Mrs. Kitsune said she was serious.

Susan's Logic told Susan that Sarah was right that Matt's intentions seemed to be fairly innocent. Susan's Nurture appeared and said that after getting to know men better and seeing relationships that actually worked, she believed they overreacted. Logic asked if someone else would debate against it: Nature said she thought they broke Matt's heart. Susan's Curiosity cried aloud in regret about not knowing what might have been. Logic said it was unanimous: they felt terrible and added that Susan's ego would have to deal with it now. Susan banged her head on a locker and let out a mournful sigh.

Susan asked Sarah how to apologize to Matt without making it seem like she wanted to date him. Sarah was shocked when Susan told her how she reacted to Matt and Susan said that he freaked her out. Matt appeared behind her and said that was not his intention. Susan apologized to Matt and said it was not him it was her, but it might be him as she just didn't know him enough. Susan said she never dated before, she doesn't like being touched, she killed a vampire, her parents are divorced and she has trust issues. When Matt asked about her killing a vampire Susan said it was in a really well acted role-playing game. Matt says it was OK if she didn't want to date him and he never intended to make her uncomfortable and he accepted her apology.

Then Matt expressed surprise that she hadn't dated anyone. When Susan confirmed this, Matt told her that she should ask herself if she really wanted to go through school without dating as she might regret it later. After he left, Susan told Sarah that she couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just trying to get her to date him. Sarah said he was a sweetie. Susan said that Sarah didn't know if he was a sweetie and Sarah said Susan didn't know if he was whatever she thought he was. Susan said she didn't know what she thought Matt was. Sarah suggested giving him the benefit of the doubt but Susan said that was not her policy. Matt's friend asked him if he was rejected again and Matt said he was not cool enough for her. His friend asked him why he turned and made that last ditch effort, but Matt said he was just telling Susan she should go on a date before she left school. His friend confirmed he was not cool enough for her.

That evening, The Dunkels discussed summer plans for their two children. Since it was Ellen's first summer she was allowed to be free as long as she was active. Elliot was told to get a job. Later Ellen asked if Elliot was upset with her summer freedom, but Elliot says it made sense and she technically has more job experience then he does. Ellen told him about working in a clothing store and serving Uryuoms while Elliot told her that he did not want to work at a grocery again. Thinking about the grocery store while turning into a girl caused Elliot to transform his shirt into an apron. As Elliot tried to untie the apron knot, he says that whatever job he got couldn't be worse then what Sarah had gotten herself into.

Earlier that day, Sarah asked Tedd if he needed a lab assistant for the summer. Tedd thought about what it would be like to have Sarah as his lab assistant, first with Sarah and Grace sparsely clothed and him as playboy, then he corrects it to Sarah fully clothed, Tedd as a sparsely clothed woman and Grace in bikini, and all with protective glasses and her actually handling some chemical. Sarah said she wanted to help out with experiments, learn how things work and maybe be a test subject for safe non-creepy experiments. Tedd said he could use the help but when he asked why she wanted the job, Sarah explained that she wanted magic. Tedd said he could only pay with unimaginable power, to which Sarah gladly agreed.

Later, Susan thought about Matt's advice. Susan thought there's no reason for her feel any attractions to any man, given that the prospect of dating requires lust, and most of her romantic interests are more platonic than physical intimacy, but before she could goes any further in her reasoning, Elliot surprised her by asking if he could get a job at the rental video store that she works.

Power Fantasy

Sarah dreamed about a giant Hedge monster rampaging in the city. Sarah turned into a black-belt wizard and smiled. Sarah flew up and used her magic to turn the giant Hedge monster into a small Hedge kitty. Sarah laughed. When she woke up she said that it was a cool dream.

Sarah arrived at Tedd's house and rang the door bell; Tedd answered in a Grace form. Tedd apologized for his "Graceness" and said that he is still working out problems. Tedd told Sarah that Nanase would visit them to work on the mystery of her hair.

Tedd asked Sarah to put on a watch to test something and that she needed to be clueless for the test. Tedd assured her that it was safe. Sarah thought that the watch might turn her into a cat girl or control her mind. Tedd said that the cluelessness was important and that he would reward her with leverage. When Sarah asked what he meant Tedd explains that he knew Sarah did not trust him so he gave her something that would give her leverage over him but she had trust him first. Sarah pushed the button on the watch. Nothing happend and Tedd declared it a success. Sarah asked if the button messed with her memories and if she is supposed to be a woman. Tedd said the button didn't do anything and she had to power it with her own magic. Sarah pressed the button and nothing happened. Tedd declared it a success again. He explained that the watch would cause her hair to increase in length for half an hour. Sarah pressed the button and nothing happened. Tedd told her to press and hold the button while thinking "longer hair" three times then releasing. Sarah stared at him and Tedd assured he was doing this for a reason. Sarah followed his instructions and her hair increased in length.

Sarah asked to look in a mirror. While she was posing Tedd told her that the watches are designed to only work if you know exactly how to operate them. Sarah asks if the watch was her leverage and Tedd said that he would give her a watch with clone forms of him. Sarah asked what Tedd meant and Tedd explained that Sarah could turn into him and publicly humiliate him. Sarah said that is horrible and Tedd said that he wanted her to have the option. Sarah said that he didn't have to do this, but Tedd insisted as he wanted to prove that he was not just bluffing. Sarah says she will never use it.

Tedd's answer was interrupted by a his phone beeping. Tedd revealed he has been Grace for fifteenth hours even though the watch is only supposed to work for half an hour. Tedd assures Sarah that the hair growth would not last fifteen hours unless she wanted it to. Tedd explained that while he was doing experiments with Elliot he realized that the transformation would last as long as he told him it would, regardless of magic resistance, and when he didn't tell him anything the spells lasted a little over half the time they were designed to last. Tedd changed back to his normal form. Tedd left to take notes. Sarah looked in the mirror and thought that Tedd had done more then she expected and she hoped that she would become a wizard.

Rocks Fall Nobody is Hired

At home Elliot transformed into Cheerleadra and the disguise forms in order to use up magic to prepare for his interview at the video shop. At the video shop Elliot thanked Susan for get him an interview and Susan told him that she could not guarantee he would be hired. Elliot asked for tips and Susan told him not to lie about his knowledge of movies and video games because Mr. Tensaided is a huge nerd and would test him.

Tensaided appeared and welcomed Elliot with a Matrix quote but Elliot did not get it. He asked about Elliot's previous working experience and Elliot, remembering bad times, said he could not go back. Tensaided asked Elliot if he enjoys movies and Elliot said he watches at least one a week. When Tensaided said that going to the theater that often must be expensive Elliot explained that he watches them at home and is usually last to see new movies. Tensaided asked about video games and Elliot said that he plays at a friend's house. Elliot said that he watches a little TV with his friends and Tensaided called him an extrovert. Tensaided asked if he roleplays.

Susan saw that Elliot was in trouble and asked to talk to Tensaided. She asked what he thought and Tensaided called him a condemned building inadequate for their sales needs, paraphrasing Ghostbusters. Susan tried to convince Tensaided to hire Elliot but Tensaided said Elliot does not know enough about movies to service the customers properly. Susan told him that Elliot knows Cheerleadra and hiring him was the best chance he would get of meeting her. Tensaided got a joyous face and hired Elliot without speaking.

Susan told Elliot that she told Tensaided about Cheerleadra. Elliot was angry since this could make Tensaided suspect every girl he talked to including his sister. Susan said she called him Lois Lane to her superman so Tensaided should not suspect relatives but Elliot says it would still make Tensaided suspicious of people who have secrets of their own. Susan said that she wanted to help him get hired and Elliot reluctantly agreed that he was not going to get hired. Susan suggested that he not take the job but the memory of the supermarket kept him from leaving.

Elliot said that he had to make sure that Tensaided would meet Cheerleadra, confirming that Susan did not lie to him and keeping him from getting his hopes up for nothing. Susan was surprised that Elliot worried about Tensaided but Elliot said that not showing Tensaided Cheerleadra would be like lying to a child about getting a puppy for them. Susan said that his plan make sense. When Elliot said that Grace or Tedd would pose as Elliot Susan said that his plan was unnecessarily wacky. Susan told him to wait until Tensaided got to overt with questions then "tell" Cheerleadra about it in order to have a few weeks to prepare. Elliot agreed that Susan's plan is better. Tensaided appeared asking if Elliot likes superheroes. Susan said that she would have a plan by Monday.

Nepotism

On June 6, Grace asked Tedd what to wear to her job interview. He told that she should wear normal clothing since the interviewer would probably want a business attitude with a casual appearance. Grace suggested that a tie for business and a baseball cap for casual would work and said that she would like to wear her uryuom outfit since they look comic book-esque. Tedd thought about it and using all his willpower said that would be a bad idea.

On June 7 at the store, George asked Justin if he was getting his uncle to hire one of his harem girls. Justin said that that his uncle would interview one of his friends, basically confirming but objecting against calling his friends a harem. George said he wished it was Susan because she can counter his guff. Justin said that Nanase can too, but George replied that she ignores the guff and guff requires rebuff. Grace arrived and said that she was a little nervous but Justin assured her that she would do fine. George said that she could not take his gruff. Justin told her his name was George and her first task was to not strangle him. Jim Tolkiberry arrived and commented that they were already influencing girls to hit George and George said he was preparing her for the bloodlust. Jim introduced himself as the owner of the Salty Crackers franchise and Grace inadvertently commented on his mustache. He invited into the back room.

In back room, Jim said that this would be different then a regular interview since Justin recommendation was almost good enough for him. So, instead of evaluating her he would be asking if she was going to accept the job. Jim explained that when Justin was going through a hard time, his parents thought working in a comic shop would be ideal for him so Jim hired him without hesitation. Justin resented being hired since he had not earned the position so he set out to prove to everyone that he could earn him place. Jim explained that Grace had the job if she wanted it because Justin put his faith in her. He asked her to turn down the job if she didn't plan to take it seriously. Grace said she wanted to earn money to repay the kindness she had been given and would not be there if she didn't want to take the job seriously. Grace declared with excessive melodrama that she would do a good job. Grace asked if she got the job and Jim said it was hers if she wanted it.

Grace ran to Justin and hugged him saying she got the job. George said to Jim that she seemed too perky, but Jim said she makes up for it in strangeness. George asked if Jim warned her about the male customers and Jim said that warning her would insult her intelligence since she would be used to that kind of thing.

Hair

Still on June 7, just moment after end of Power Fantasy story line, Tedd asked Sarah if she was OK with spending time with Nanase as Nanase was Elliot's girlfriend and Sarah said she had moved on and was also a lesbian so she didn't see a problem. Tedd said he was thinking more about territorial instinct and Sarah said she wasn't the jealous type. Tedd asked why she was so mad at Elliot for giving Sarah's sister a kiss in the cheek while under personalty bending magic, and Sarah muttered that Elliot finds her sister attractive, before saying she was over the kiss.

Nanase rang the doorbell and Sarah went upstairs to answer it, telling Tedd that she has been looking forward to seeing her again. Sarah tried to convince herself that she was fine with Nanase but remembered that Nanase used to make out with and kiss Elliot. She told herself that she has no reason to be jealous of Nanase now. When she opened the door and saw Nanase in a tight outfit she was stunned. Sarah asked her if she walked to the house. Nanase confirmed that she did and Sarah was surprised, Nanase said it was only a few miles so it was no big deal, and Sarah thought about how hard to was for her to run a single mile. Nanase asked how Sarah liked beginning an assistant and Sarah said it was OK and all they had done was make her hair longer.

Sarah and Nanase went downstairs and Tedd commented on Nanase's hair growth. Tedd said he might have a good reason for Nanase not to cut her hair since he had an alternative idea. Nanase said that she would prefer haircuts to the transformation gun. Sarah asked him why Nanase's hair was growing fast and Tedd said he needs to get his lab coat to answer. Tedd explained that magic impacts people physical physiology and that this can explain why Nanase is larger then average. Nanase asked if he was talking about her breasts and Tedd said only from a scientific hypothesis. Nanase was excited that she has magic boobs and Sarah wished she had magic.

Tedd said that no body part is more susceptible to magic than hair, so instead of building up, Nanase's excess magic is being used to grow hair. Tedd asked if Nanase had a spell involving hair. Nanase told him that she had one that could manipulate length, colour and style and Sarah hugged her for her loss. Nanase asked if there was any way to speed up getting her magic back and Tedd said that he didn't but hopefully had a way to keep her hair short. Tedd gave her a watch and Nanase asked if it was the watch the grows hair. Tedd says it was. Sarah asked if he was going to make Nanase go through all the steps and Tedd said the data he has is statistically insignificant. He give Nanase the watch and told her it is like a magic wand and how to use it. Nanase asked him how he made a magic watch and Tedd said science and that he was done explaining. Nanase took off her hairband and said she was ready to try. Sarah thought about the watch making Nanase fat but chastised herself for thinking that way.

When Nanase turned on the watch her hair began to grow. Tedd theorized that when Nanase used the watch her magic made her hair grow rather then cast the watch spell. Nanase asked how to stop it and Tedd said it should stop soon but Nanase's hair continued growing. Sarah suggested taking the watch off and Tedd said it should not matter but Nanase took it off. As the hair kept growing Nanase told Tedd to go get a razor and told Sarah to shave Nanase's head before the hair got heavy enough to hurt her neck. Sarah said she would.

When Sarah started to shave Nanase head, Justin (who was apparently in Comics shop) screamed but he did not know why. Nanase's hair stopped growing just when Sarah finished. Sarah and Tedd apologized but Nanase told them that they shouldn't since Sarah did what she told her to do and Tedd was trying to help. Nanase asks what they should do with the hair but there was a bright flash of light and most of the hair disappeared while Nanase's and Sarah's hair grew.

Nanase asked why Tedd's hair did not grow. Tedd wondered why he was not affected and Nanase suggested he might have resisted it. Tedd said that Sarah should have been the one who resisted it since, compared to Nanase with her magic burnout and himself, Sarah should have been the champion of spell resistance. Nanase asked what Tedd thing was and Tedd said his thing is his business and Sarah snickered. Tedd said they should be focusing on what they should do. Nanase asked how permanent the hair growth was and Tedd said it was entirely permanent. Nanase asked how he knew and Tedd said he could sense it thanks to working with magic so long. They looked at the remaining cut hair on the floor and Tedd concluded that only the new hair disappeared. When Tedd said that Sarah needed a hair cut Sarah suggested a hair zapping since hair cuts cost money.

A bit later after Nanase left, Sarah said she was jealous of Nanase and mentioned imagined her becoming fat. Tedd said that would be funny but that it would be impossible for the watches to fail in this way. Sarah noted that when something did go wrong Nanase took it in stride while Sarah would have been she would have slapped Tedd silly. Tedd said that Sarah was one of the nicest people he knew. He said that he himself was jealous of Nanase sometimes but noted that Nanase has earned everything she has. Tedd said he can't complain since he is spoiled rotten with technology.

Sarah said that if Tedd's dad was any indication Tedd will have magic potential and Tedd said that he doesn't since he is magically impaired. Tedd explains that he reaction to the magic detecting wand was a conditioned response from when he was a baby and his parents tried to figure out why he had zero magic potential. Sarah asked why Tedd said that things didn't add up and Tedd explained that he could resist enchantments after they are cast on him but is not supposed to resist the spells that put them there. Sarah suggest that his parents might be wrong and Tedd said that the thought of his parents being wrong gave him angst.

Tedd said that that was enough science for the day and Sarah should get a haircut before going home. Sarah wanted to use the magic watch and when Tedd said it went haywire Sarah said they had to test Tedd's theory about the watch. As Tedd and Sarah looked for the watch, Tedd remarked that he was surprised Sarah wanted to use the zappy solution and Sarah said she had been fascinated by transformation since watching The Sword in the Stone. Tedd said he ruined it for her when he accidentally turned her into a catgirl, but Sarah said she was only utterly terrified until Grace's birthday party. Sarah found the watch and Tedd insisted on testing it on himself first. Sarah said she was willing to test it on herself but Tedd said he didn't trust the watch and would be testing it under quarantine. When Tedd came out Sarah was surprised to see what he looks like with short hair and commented that he really looks like Nanase.

Tedd returned his hair to normal and Sarah said she appreciated the gesture but that made the incident so horrible was that it was a surprise, she could only say meow and it couldn't be undone right away. Sarah said she volunteered for experimentation and was not going to flip out if something went wrong. but Tedd said that he was more worried about ruining something Sarah finds awesome. Sarah said as long as he was not sneaky, was careful and kept her informed she would be fine. Sarah put the watch on and got her short hair back.

Sarah said she understands why Tedd is absorbed with magic tech since he is sticking it to whatever is stopping him from getting magic. Tedd said that he actually wanted to change the world by giving everybody enough spell resistance so that magic could become well known. Sarah thought that cool. Tedd suggested that they play video games. Sarah asked why Tedd could use watches if he had zero magic potential and Tedd answered that he had a little magic, just not enough for spells.

Many years ago, Noriko, Tedd's mother, continually checked Tedd's magic level with magic analysis wand hoping it will change. Adrian tells her to stop scaring the child since it will not change. Noriko says that Tedd's bloodline should give magic but Adrian tell her the heredity and magic are not straightforward, Noriko said it was always for her family and she doesn't know what to do. Adrian tell her that Tedd might not be her apprentice but he will still be her son.

By the Numbers

On June 11 Tensaided told Elliot that, since he was a cinematic dullard, he had to learn to give critic approval ratings to customers who asked him for his opinions about movies. Elliot tried it out with Dragonliver and found a rating of 45% and Tensaided was mad that a movie with a Scottish dragon got such a low review but told Elliot is it a port in a storm so he had to use it. Elliot told Susan that he was not feeling motivated beyond doing a good job. Susan told him that helping people rent wisely he is protecting the very core of their well being as renting a movie is about rebuilding one's self after spending their weeks hard at work while putting up with all the frustrations of the world. Elliot was amazed and said he was going to do the best job he could. Tensaided commented that Elliot was like a misguided henchman for a charismatic super villain.

Elliot spends the night making recommendations to customers while wearing sunglasses. When Catalina visited the store Susan asked if she wanted to see a movie about robots but Catalina told her she was already going with someone else. When Susan asked who Catalina blushed. Susan realized that Catalina was going on a date. Catalina told her to be quiet. She shouted out loud that she is gay to prove that she wasn't in the closet, but said that her new girlfriend was becase of a friend. Catalina tried to stop telling secrets but accidentally let it slip that it was the girl she helped save. Susan was happy that Catalina had a date but realized that she would become a backup for when her girlfriend is busy and a third wheel if they three would hang out together, just like with Sarah. Elliot came to ask her a question but Susan stared at him until he went away.

On June 13, Susan called Sarah asking her if she wanted to go to the movies with her on Saturday. Sarah told her that she had lab stuff with Tedd. Susan was surprised that Sarah was still working with him, but Sarah said that it was pretty cool. They tried to set up a time to go to the movie but were unable to come up with a time that suited both of them.

On June 14, Elliot helped a customer rent a movie. Elliot checked the online reviews and discovered a rating of 4%. Elliot tried to dissuade the customer from renting the movie but the customer called the critics film snobs who didn't like a comedy movie with a guy in drag and threatened to complain to the manager. After he left Elliot said the customer was doomed and Susan called him an ass.

Susan told Elliot that the customer was correct that he was not supposed to give opinions unless asked. She said that unless he was asked he had to assume that the customer knew what they were doing and he might actually enjoy it. Susan asked why Elliot cared so much and he told her that he cares what happens to people. Susan said that mentality would make his risk his life to save an enemy. Elliot told Susan that she that she would act like that too though she would do it with a grumpy face. Two hours later, Susan was angry that Elliot said she was grumpy when the customer returned. The customer was shocked that the movie was so bad. Susan, who remembered what she had said about the importance of helping customers choose wisely, reassured Elliot that the customer would be fine. Elliot told her he knew that it is not a big deal if people see a bad movie, but it does suck to waste a night on a bad movie.

Susan said that the numbers are usually enough but Elliot wanted to form his own opinions by watching more movies but didn't know where to begin. Susan invited him to watch some movies at her house. Elliot wantede to invite Sarah but Susan told him that she had lab assistant plans with Tedd. With Sarah and Tedd gone, and Ellen on a date with Nanase it would be just the two of them. Elliot wondered why he and Susan have the same work schedule. Susan, thinking back to Tensaided telling her that she had to babysit him, told him that it's not that weird. Susan inwardly cheered when Elliot agreed to watch movies with her.

Duel of the Discs

In the late afternoon of June 14, Grace and Justin were talking about the upcoming card tournaments. Justin asked Grace if she knew about magickal cards and Grace said that she did but that she did not understand why you drew power from lands cards that you play. Justin explained the difference between sealed and modern tournaments: sealed tournaments are made from unopened packs from scratch while modern tournaments are the players own decks from recent sets.

Mr. Tensaided said that they are both inferior to the olde school format as the modern format restricts people to cards that have been printed in the past two years and sealed format always uses the most recent set which misses cool older sets. Justin said that modern and sealed format keep deck building fresh and sealed format keeps entry fees below triple three digits. Tensaided said that olde school is the best because all cards can be used and awesome combos are fun and balance each other out. When he asked Grace for her opinion she says that she zoned out and didn't understand what they were talking about.

Some time later, Grace was amazed by the number of people who came and Justin says some would leave when they realized they couldn't win any packs. He asks Grace what movies they should put on as they play muted movies to give people something to watch on the televisions. He suggested that they show the Star Wars prequels and Grace said that she hasn't seen any of the Star Wars movies. Justin was surprised that Grace had not seen Star Wars and Grace reminded Justin that her upbringing was different then his.

Justin told her that she had to see them as they are a huge part of culture and society. He called Tedd to ask if he had the non-special edition and Tedd said that he only had the special editions. Jimmy explains the history of the special editions to Grace and Justin said that there are things about the special editions that would keep her from enjoying it. As Justin didn't have the originals either he wanted to rent them but Tensaided says that no rental shop has them. He challenged Justin for an olde school magickal card duel to borrow the laser disc editions. Justin said he only has a modern deck and Tensaided quoted the "pray I don't alter [the deal] further" line from The Empire Strikes Back. Justin accepted the challenge.

After the tournaments endend and the store closed, Justin and Tensaided sat down for their duel. Grace imagined it as a real magical duel. Justin summons a tree and an energy bird while Tensaided summoned a mountain and a goblin that attacked Justin for two points. Justin played another tree and used the spell power growth to gain another tree and then summoned an elvish gardener. Tensaided draws and said he doesn't have any land to summon but said that he doesn't need it. Tensaided repeatedly sacrificed monsters with the spell fiery sacrifice to summon a gargantuan cannon. Tensaided sacrificed a life flower to gain enough energy to launch a Literary dragon at Justin, who had the energy bird use scurry. The dragon hit Justin for seven damage but thanks to scurry Justin's monsters remained unharmed. Justin summoned a stompalope. Justin and Tensaided argued the worth of the stompalope until Grace became bored and started talking to the Elvish Gardener. Tensaided launched a Skreevos at Justin and it hits Justin, lowering him down to 1 health point. Grace asked if he was OK as she imagined it landing on him.

Grace told Justin that he didn't have to win as the movies are not important. Justin said that everyone knows Star Wars, the nostagia bind them together and he did not want Grace's experience ruined by the special edition movies. Grace said that the CGI would not matter because she would still watch them with Justin. Tensaided said that speech was beautiful. Tensaided assured Grace that he would loan her the movies either way and he just wanted to beat Justin in a card game. Justin said he was not done yet. Tensaided suggested Justin use the machete order to watch Star Wars and Justin said that might be a good thing for Grace, which confused her. Justin he drew his last card and laughed. He played unstoppable stampede, raising the attack power of all of this monsters by 8/8. The Stompalope and Energy Bird attacked and defeated Tensaided.

Tensaided admits that no matter how powerful a deck is, luck is always an element. He said that he is impressed by Grace's roleplaying as she cried cried out when Justin took a bad hit. Tensaided said that the geek is strong with her though she had a sheltered upbringing and invited her to play a rogue in his new RPG campaign. Grace says she didn't know what he means.

Days later Grace and Justin watched Star Wars. Grace said that the empire is run by crazy people as they keep killing their only leads in their search. She was confused by Evazan and Ponda Baba bothering Luke. After Ponda Baba's arm was cut off Grace was confused about whose arm it is.

There Be Whales Here

When Tedd was sitting in the basement he started to suspect someone was there with him. He look around, but didn't find anyone, while the angle of panels suggest that the comics is shown from point of view of that invisible watcher

On Saturday, June 15, Grace and Sarah were sitting in the basement, Grace apparently there as support for Sarah. Grace talked about why she looked human: clothes on top of fur are redundant, especially in summer, human furniture isn't made with tails in mind and antennae come with extra senses that she likes to turn off sometimes. Then Tedd brought watches for Sarah. She remembered how earlier (on the 12th) she volunteered for experiments on clothing morphs including morphs with furry forms, in order to program them to the TF gun, as Grace couldn't use watches. Tedd wanted Elliot there, but Sarah took it as opportunity to get over that cat morph accident and didn't want Elliot there.

Sarah hesitated before activating the watch. When she finally pressed the button she morphed into a catgirl, She meowed, which prompted Grace to ask if she's ok. Sarah replied that she was, although she hoped to sound more badass. Tedd quickly moved to the computer and started making notes. Grace explained that he needed to make the notes quickly as he can't record what he sees when he watches magic. Sarah went to look in a mirror. Grace again asked if she's ok and Sarah replied that she would be nervous if she shouldn't change back. Then she started to panic and quickly undid the transformation and then transformed again. Grace started to ask again, worrying how she was really feeling, and Sarah explained that she actually had mixed feelings: it was both cool and fun and weird and scary. She also mentioned that clothing on top of fur doesn't feel right, confirming what Grace said earlier.

When Tedd finished writing into computer, he again had the feeling that someone was observing him. He started looking around, and then Sarah startled him. He asked her and Grace if they sometimes get the feeling their being watched. Tedd said that it couldn't anyone spying on them, as he wouldn't be able to notice anything that could get around the defenses his dad set up.

Sarah then asked how furry she needed to be. Tedd explained that ears and tail would need some fur so they don't look freaky, but that they don't even need to be cat-related, as as he could program just about any form imaginable. Sarah seemed to immediately start thinking about some ideas ...

Meanwhile Susan and Elliot were at Susan's house. They had just watched Citizen Kane. Susan handed Elliot popcorn - one bowl for him and one for her, with chopstick, because it's "less messy". She needed to show Elliot how to hold the chopstick correctly, and went wash her hands afterwards (reminding her obsession with cleanliness again).

Back in the lab Sarah and Grace talked about transformations changing size: Grace mentioned that limits is 80% and 126% of normal size. Grace asked Sarah why she didn't want Elliot there. Sarah answered that she didn't want to call Elliot because she waited for him to call her, as it annoyed her that Elliot never took initiative in their relationship.

Grace compared what Sarah wanted Elliot to be to Ellen ... and wondered if Ellen's bigger spontaneousness along with the spontaneousness Nanase got after her near-death experience (in battle with Abraham) would have any impact on what they did together. Meanwhile Ellen and Nanase decided to investigate a theft from a jewelry store, starting their Meddling Teenagers career.

Meanwhile Tedd finished preparing the watch with a modified "non-furry cat form". He mentioned that the new transformation would cancel the old one, which prompted Grace to ask why Sarah's hair was longer even without the cat form. Sarah explained that the hair length she came with was result of another watch and realized that she didn't have those watches with her ... but Tedd had expected that and loaded the short-hair form in TF gun.

There Be Whales Here Pt 2

At the Video Rental Store (presumably while working) Elliot and Susan talked about various movies they watched previously. Other people in the store paid attention and rented those movies to see what they were talking about. Mr. Tensaided noticed and offered to let rent new movies for free, then clarifying that they should do video reviews with the same kind of talk they were doing in the store and put it on website. Susan didn't like the idea of performing before audience, but accepted a trial run.

Susan decided that they should consult with Tedd and Sarah, as they mentioned watching such reviews. Elliot complained that he doesn't like phones. When Elliot mentioned that he didn't remember when he last talked with either his best friend nor his girlfriend, Susan used her "higher level clerk" authority to order him to call her. He called and Sarah picked it in Tedd's lab ... while apparently shrunk by size changing spell. They agreed to hang out together next day. When Susan told Tensaided he was surprised that Susan was'nt Elliot girlfriend.

Next day Tedd was searching the basement in catgirl form, possibly hoping that cat senses would help him find out the unknown spy. He was interrupted (and startled) by the doorbell. He quickly ran to zap himself to normal but noticed that he was already back to normal. This surprised him, as the morph should have lasted at least another forty minutes.

Several minutes later, Elliot and Sarah talked about Sarah's experience with magic. Sarah and Elliot ended their discussion with a hug and Susan was unsure how she felt about that. Then Elliot proposed a date and Sarah told him that he should choose where they would go but Elliot couldn't decide. While Elliot was thinking about it Sarah and Tedd talks about what Susan should name herself, suggesting "The grumpy" something. Susan aggressively replied that they didn't need aliases and grumpily added that she's not grumpy.

After watching the reviews Tedd prepared, they commented about lot of stuff those reviews have in common ... and agreed that they wouldn't have any of that.

Next scene is short example of Ellen and Nanase as Meddling Teenagers: The Mall Goblin appeared, trying to scare them, and they immediately started chasing him.

Just before making the review, Elliot transformed to make sure he wouldn't need to transform while recording. He unintentionally ended about half head higher and commented that picturing exactly what he wants is easy to screw up.

The movie they were reviewing was Sporkman Begins, based on the comics Sporkman (Dan obviously makes fun of Batman here). The movie is a betrayal of the comic, which takes itself seriously but is unintentionally ridiculous whereas the comic is intentionally silly. Susan ended up explaining that she's serious and but she don't like serious movies. She also explained why she likes Star Trek. Elliot liked her rant about Star Trek but Susan said that it's too personal for the review. They ended up deciding to watch Next Generation with the question if and how they finished the review left open.

There Be Whales Here Pt 3

On June 30 Tedd activated his energy-storing gauntlet to see what he has sensed watching him. The gauntlet allowed Tedd to see a huge alien algae-eater or "Whale" floating in his room, phasing through solid objects and walls. Tedd attempts to communicate with it, but it isn't able to reply. The Whale shot a psychic beam at Tedd, who falls back. At this point, time slows down in such a way that Tedd's fall takes multiple pages.

During Tedd's "fall," the Whale was able to talk to him, or rather, think at him. The Whale explained that he is of a species that "eat" abundances in ambient magic. It explained that Moperville had long had more than the usual amount of magic in the air and that it was starting to get out of hand. The Whale also said that Tedd's watches wouldn't work outside of Moperville. This abundance in magic also explained why energy buildups were harder to deal with and why magical artifacts were used with ease within Moperville. The Whale mentioned that creatures of Uryuom descent cannot use ambient magic (instead using innate magic), explaining why Grace could not use the watches either. The Whale warned that beings would inevitably be drawn towards Moperville if this continued. During this conversation, a metaphysical female Tedd is shown talking with the Whale with various fitting background images shown. Lastly, Tedd asked whether he would ever get spells of his own, to which the Whale replies that he is a "far more dangerous rarity."

At this point, the Whale cut off the conversation, causing Tedd to fall on the ground in his normal state, save for a bad headache. Jeremy walked in. Tedd decided to stand up against whatever might be coming at Moperville, so he and his friends could be heroes. However, a jump six months into the future reveals that nothing major happened for half a year.