Comic for Monday January 17, 2022

[Darth Fluffy 302]

Comic for Monday January 17, 2022

I don't think I recall Nanase being that angry before. She generally thinks before she reacts.

I wonder what Edward's reason is, but I bet it has to do with Nanase's safety. If so, in my opinion, he's being overly protective. He should by now be aware that they've been in the presence of the griffins and survived without him. It could be that he is specifically overly protective of her due to a connection to Noriko, and having let her put herself in danger in a similar situation where they were working together. Recall his reaction to Abraham. In a professional sense, he kind of needs to get over it.

Nanase's willingness to cut the conversation off when she became aware of Edward listening says she is aware that he has some issue.

If she said she would be there, will the griffins be offended if she is not. If Edward is present, and we've seen that he is, will they take his presence as betrayal, having not been introduced to him?

 

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

Experience has shown that Dan and I simply don't think alike, but I would guess that Edward has a lot of frustrations, personal and professional,  on his plate just now. His organization is largely paralyzed by the change in Magic, his ex-wife kept a major secret from him while they were married, whatever the Flying Turtle Creature told him (I'm confused by the timeline, did that happen before or after the meet with the Griffins?), having to leave the conversation about Tedd's lab (ditto), and now, he absolutely has to involve a civilian in his first diplomatic contact with an alien species, with no proper back-up from his agency.  His concern for Nanase's well being is almost certainly only a part of his problems. I don't blame him a bit for not wanting to multiply his difficulties by involving his niece as well as his son's best friend.

Let's hope the Griffins aren't offended by Nanase's and the rest of Charlotte's Scooby Squad's absence.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Is Nanase showing Fangs in Panel Five?

As for the "Out Of Nowhere" part of this situation?  My first thought was that Edward personally called Mrs Kitsune and asked her to find a plausible reason to keep Nanase out of the way

We know that Mrs Kitsune knows just about everything that Nanase is doing, even though Nanase tries to hide it and Mrs Kitsune acts like she denies it

One of these days, we are going to learn the real plan Mrs Kitsune has for her elder daughter

And after we are let into those nearly impossible yet somehow sensible details, we will then learn the horrific truth regarding Akiko

 . . . 

Or something like that 

 . . . 

Has Dan previously displayed a desire to be a Fashion designer?

Between the unusual dress Mrs Dunkle was wearing in the flashback last week and Nanase's sweater with four skirts this week, I think we may be getting hints of what will be on the pages of the next SpiEGSle Catalog (which may still be Chicago based in the Moperverse)

[mlooney 3,417]

1 hour ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

Flying Turtle Creature told him (I'm confused by the timeline, did that happen before or after the meet with the Griffins?),

Before.  He left during the flashback to when Arthur was talking to him and Tedd about the lab, which took place before the party.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

1 hour ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

I'm confused by the timeline, did having to leave the conversation about Tedd's lab and whatever the Flying Turtle Creature told him happen before or after the meet with the Griffins?

That is a good question. I'm under the impression we have not been explicitly told.

This comic is Thursday, two days before the griffins. The tag is in the upper left, I missed it earlier. The Tony stuff, just prior, is general background, long past events, and not specifically recent timeline. The interaction with Arthur, culminating with the Turtle, is just before that, but is long and covers multiple time periods.

The last picture calendar shows Wednesday, Grace just had her dream, and Edward sees her Note in the morning. He has a preliminary discussion with Grace and Tedd. Then the meeting with Arthur, Tedd, and Edward, then a page of Tedd reflecting on the meeting as he walks away. The meeting could be on Wednesday, later in the day. Edward says "I may be gone for several days" as he hugs Tedd. Then Tedd and Elliot have a discussion about trade-offs at school, day not mentioned. Arthur calls Dr. Germahn and asks for a full analysis of Tedd's Notes, then 'Shortly after school' Tedd gets a call from Arthur, the analysis is complete at this point. It could be later the same day. Then Edward meets the Turtle, which may be coincident. The time frame should certainly be close, he rushed out of a meeting.

Then, in today's comic, it's Thursday, and Edward, who rushed off to New Mexico, is already back talking to Tedd. This only makes sense if all the prior events happened on Wednesday and earlier this Thursday, and Edward did not take several days, or if the meeting is yet to come, but then he's risking not being around for the griffins. That seems un-Edward-like. (And it makes even worse hash of the timeline.)

So, Dream night before Wednesday, Verres family discussion Wednesday morning, meet with Arthur later in the day, Edward leaves. Meets the Turtle late Wednesday or early Thursday. Thursday morning, Tedd and Elliot talk about trade offs, Arthur calls Dr. Germahn. He gets the report and calls Tedd, who is just getting home from school. The Tony stuff is thrown in, does not affect timeline. Elliot is talking to Edward the same day when Nanase calls.

It's a tight squeeze, but it fits. I know I don't get things done that quickly.

 

[Darth Fluffy 302]

25 minutes ago, mlooney said:

Before.  He left during the flashback to when Arthur was talking to him and Tedd about the lab, which took place before the party.

Wait, that was a flashback? Never mind.

[mlooney 3,417]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Wait, that was a flashback? Never mind.

It had rounded corners which normally means either a flash back or a dream/private thought sequence.

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

7 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

It's a tight squeeze, but it fits. I know I don't get things done that quickly.

At a guess, Arthur doesn't need to fly commercial when he's on official business.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

3 minutes ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

At a guess, Arthur doesn't need to fly commercial when he's on official business.

 

I suspect he does.  The FBI doesn't have their own jets, so they fly commercial.  Even branches of the government that do have their own planes tend to use commercial air rather than put hours on their birds if they can avoid it.

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

36 minutes ago, mlooney said:

I suspect he does.  The FBI doesn't have their own jets, so they fly commercial.  Even branches of the government that do have their own planes tend to use commercial air rather than put hours on their birds if they can avoid it.

Maybe. The FBI in our world doesn't have to deal with Giant Flying Turtles over New Mexico or other-dimensional worlds. At least, I think they don't. I was more thinking about the magical doorways shown in this comic.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Also, there is no way even the most paranoid and over budget government agency can have every piece of equipment that an agent might need

Significantly more efficient to give every authorized agent a little piece of plastic that can buy or rent what is needed when and where it is needed

Expense Accounts.  They aren't just for high rolling business executives turning a Vegas weekend into a Tax write off.

The only question is, how closely does the auditor check your receipts when you get back to headquarters?

For Arthur, it may be good enough if the charges were incurred on the same continents where he reported traveling

For junior agents and trainees?  They better have evidence that their stay in the cheap motel was mission critical

[ijuin 572]

The use of commercial vs. government/chartered planes also depends on how time-urgent the matter is. If it is so urgent that waiting several hours to a full day for the next scheduled flight affects mission success, then the Powers That Be are likely to spring for a flight to be ready ASAP instead.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

And let us not forget the joys that flow from the option of traveling strapped into a jump seat in the cargo bay of a military transport with the assumption that you will be rested, alert, and ready for duty as soon as you arrive

[ijuin 572]

Yes, but if earliest-possible arrival is mission-critical (e.g. “You’ve got four hours or less to get from Moperville to Roswell.”), then you might even get strapped into a two-seater fighter jet. You may have to make due with some stimulants instead of sleeping.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

Just now, ijuin said:

Yes, but if earliest-possible arrival is mission-critical (e.g. “You’ve got four hours or less to get from Moperville to Roswell.”), then you might even get strapped into a two-seater fighter jet. You may have to make due with some stimulants instead of sleeping.

Meh. In Denmark we just pass whoever it is a Segway and tell them to step on it.

[Don Edwards 548]

13 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Nanase's sweater with four skirts this week

The word Dan was looking for is "pleated". She's wearing one pleated skirt. The cuffs of her sleeves, and her collar, are also pleated (or made to look pleated - e.g. pleated fabric tack-sewn to a non-pleated liner - because, frankly, having them actually pleated doesn't make sense and would be kind of awkward).

[ijuin 572]

3 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Meh. In Denmark we just pass whoever it is a Segway and tell them to step on it.

Yes, but in Denmark you wouldn’t be traveling two thousand kilometers of straight-line distance without leaving the country.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

Just now, ijuin said:

Yes, but in Denmark you wouldn’t be traveling two thousand kilometers of straight-line distance without leaving the country.

Exactly my point. If they are in a hurry, they can rent a bicycle.

[mlooney 3,417]

14 hours ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

I was more thinking about the magical doorways shown in this comic.

Yeah, I forgot that magical doorways are a thing.  I suspect, even if they need a known point to end them in, their is a network of portals to every field office.

 

[Darth Fluffy 302]

21 hours ago, mlooney said:

It had rounded corners which normally means either a flash back or a dream/private thought sequence.

Revised timeline, noting flashbacks:

Wednesday, Edward has a conversation with Tedd and Grace regarding Grace's visit from the Emissary of Magic and Uryoums. Tedd begins a flashback of his meeting with his dad and Arthur. At the end of the meeting flashback, Tedd is packing his backpack, getting ready for school, still Wednesday. Tedd talks with Elliot about tradeoffs at school, still Wednesday. 

 Arthur calls Dr. Germahn, asking for an analysis of Tedd's notes, likely still early Wednesday. It's not shown as a flashback. Tedd arrives home from school and receives Arthur's phone call, with the time tag 'Shortly after school ...', presumably the same day as he was last shown in school, still Wednesday.

Edward meeting the Magic Space Turtle is a flashback. It could have taken several days, as he stated, and still fit in.

Then, in today's comic, it's Thursday, a school day, and Elliot and Nanase are not in school; Elliot is with Edward Verres, so it seems to be after school, but early morning is not out of the question. Pharaoh's "My first thought was that Edward personally called Mrs Kitsune and asked her to find a plausible reason to keep Nanase out of the way." (of the griffin meeting) seems likely.

Edward's eye glasses changed shape to match his expression. They are normally rectangular, but here are trapezoids to match furrowed brows. 

[mlooney 3,417]

36 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Edward's eye glasses changed shape to match his expression.

You heard of a mood ring?  Mood glasses might be a thing with a little magic.

[Don Edwards 548]

3 hours ago, mlooney said:

Yeah, I forgot that magical doorways are a thing.  I suspect, even if they need a known point to end them in, their is a network of portals to every field office.

I wonder if that network is run from a very large library with a very large librarian...

[The Old Hack 2,448]

30 minutes ago, Don Edwards said:

I wonder if that network is run from a very large library with a very large librarian...

I understand she is currently on a vacation sharing the company of an old friend of hers who is also a Librarian and has an undeniable liking for bananas.

[mlooney 3,417]

9 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

I understand she is currently on a vacation sharing the company of an old friend of hers who is also a Librarian and has an undeniable liking for bananas.

Ook

[Darth Fluffy 302]

On 1/19/2022 at 6:13 AM, mlooney said:

Ook

 

Ook!