Comic for Monday, August 22, 2022

[Darth Fluffy 302]

Comic for Monday, August 22, 2022

Comic does not meaningfully advance the story.

Yelling over the phone can apparently distort glasses. Who knew?

I wonder at this point how 'read in' Elliot's parents are. "#%@!" seems to say they know quite a bit of detail.

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

5 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

"#%@!" seems to say they know quite a bit of detail.

Or are just learning something that's gone unmentioned until now. "I'm taking your son to go meet dangerously powerful nonhuman emissaries from a place we know little about." Something like that, for example, might explain such a powerful reaction from people who seem otherwise unnaturally laid back.

[mlooney 3,417]

We finally find what it takes to get a response from the Dunkel adults.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Good to know that Edward continues to refrain from lying to Tedd.  And this all but confirms that the Dunkels at least have need-to-know clearance.

Also, can we get an accurate translation of the Dunklel's incantation?  The ability to warp matter over the phone could be useful.

[mlooney 3,417]

47 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

And this all but confirms that the Dunkels at least have need-to-know clearance.

 

They seemed to have "need to know" clearance as far back as the end of "Sister", when Edward explained where Ellen came from.

[ijuin 572]

One half of a large pizza per teenager does not seem like overmuch to me—now, if Edward had implied that Elliot would be eating as much as “two Nanases”, then that would be comically over the top.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

2 hours ago, mlooney said:

They seemed to have "need to know" clearance as far back as the end of "Sister", when Edward explained where Ellen came from.

It has been implied at the end of the Magus arc that they are more than they seem. TBD.

[mlooney 3,417]

19 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

It has been implied at the end of the Magus arc that they are more than they seem. TBD.

Oh yeah.  The end of Sister III is why my head canon is that they are semi-active agents.  Not DGB agents, CIA agents.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

2 hours ago, mlooney said:

Oh yeah.  The end of Sister III is why my head canon is that they are semi-active agents.  Not DGB agents, CIA agents.

That raises an interesting issue. The existence of magic is generally secret in the EGS universe. How secret?

Is Nanase violating laws by floating down hallways? Why hasn't she gotten a lecture from her uncle about this?

I'd imagine there's a need to know component. A non-magic intelligence operative would likely need to know of the existence of magic to be aware of potential impacts to missions.

Clearly, Elliot's parental units being unfazed by individuals having flight abilities says that they have such an awareness. They might not be aware that Elliot can fly. They are aware that he has a spell book, again, magic awareness, and Ellen's origin, if not in detail, at least that she is literally related to their offspring, Elliot, appeared suddenly, and Elliot's mom did not give birth to her. (I recall a discussion between them speculating on whether Elliot was Ellen's 'mom'.) So far, they do not appear to have their own magic, but appear quite aware of it.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

8 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

The existence of magic is generally secret in the EGS universe. How secret?

Is Nanase violating laws by floating down hallways? Why hasn't she gotten a lecture from her uncle about this?

How secret is a good question.  For intelligence agents I suspect it's known, but not how easy it is to get it. 

I suspect Nanase is, in fact, in violation of some government regulation, which may or may not be a law.  And I suspect that the reason she started being more secretive about magic was due to Edward having a heart to heart with her.

 

 

12 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

They might not be aware that Elliot can fly.

The know that he can fly based on their comments about short skirts and pants.

https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2010-12-10

 

[ijuin 572]

If the existence of magic were formally classified information, then Arthur would not have been able to speak about it on television on his own initiative. 

[mlooney 3,417]

8 minutes ago, ijuin said:

If the existence of magic were formally classified information, then Arthur would not have been able to speak about it on television on his own initiative. 

Of course he's the person that controls if it's classified, so he might have some leeway on the subject.

[ijuin 572]

I thought that decision was made by someone of higher rank than him—Vice-Director Liefeld, for example.

[mlooney 3,417]

There didn't seem to be enough time for that to happen.  I could be wrong, but I think it was Arthur's idea from the start.  At least that's what Edward seemed to think. 

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

It seems AD Liefeld gives senior agents, like Edward & Arthur, quite a bit of leeway and only reigns them in when something goes wrong

 

[ijuin 572]

Probably Liefeld keeps himself on a need to know basis in order to maintain plausible deniability.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

1 hour ago, ijuin said:

Probably Liefeld keeps himself on a need to know basis in order to maintain plausible deniability.

Basic survival when everyone below you on the org chart has their position due to ability or experience and everyone above is due to politics

[ijuin 572]

Probably—a vice-director in the FBI would be the highest position that is not directly appointed by the Presidential administration.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

6 hours ago, ijuin said:

Probably—a vice-director in the FBI would be the highest position that is not directly appointed by the Presidential administration.

I believe that is not true, the rungs assigned to political appointees go several rungs down the ladders. From what I've seen in other agencies, I'd expect the political appointees in the FBI go down to the division level vice directors. Their org chart might have that information.

It is a shame, because the career civil servants know their stuff, know the rules, and generally act professional. The political appointees, not so much. From what I've seen, their main job skill is kissing the right ass at the right time, they think they are above the rules, and in a big sense they are, because a rule you don't enforce isn't really a rule, and these bozos are rarely called out.