Comic for Wednesday, September 28, 2022

[Darth Fluffy 302]

Comic for Wednesday, September 28, 2022

As Mlooney said, the story advances rapidly through the miracle of exposition.

Elliot as an agent might be a bad thing, although training could help. Grace seems to be a natural.

[mlooney 3,417]

Elliot wants to train under Edward.  Working for DGB would be the the first step in doing that.  Plus it gives him something to do after he graduates from university other than being a bouncer, which was what he thought was all that he was qualified for.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Edward can not help being a font of exposition, even when he says nothing.  

Arthur knows the bureaucratic art of reading between the lines.  

If Edward sent Arthur a note that read "$  + - !", the senior agent could determine the department's secret budget for the next five years.

[mlooney 3,417]

Just a point of pedantry, but Arthur isn't an agent, he's a director or assistant director. 

[Darth Fluffy 302]

Elliot would be a 'very special agent', like Anthony DiNozzo. I could see Edward doing the head slap thing for him, too.

[mlooney 3,417]

Snort.  I should watch the back catalog of NCIS.  I quit watching it about when Franks was killed.  And yeah,  I can see Edward doing the head slap thing when Elliot is in his male form.  Edward said that it was Elliot's current girlishness that prevented him from slapping them.

[ijuin 572]

4 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Comic for Wednesday, September 28, 2022

As Mlooney said, the story advances rapidly through the miracle of exposition.

Elliot as an agent might be a bad thing, although training could help. Grace seems to be a natural.

Elliot and Grace also want to be protectors, and becoming agents would let them do that.

[mlooney 3,417]

I can see that.  Grace might have as little more trouble with doing possibly lethal violence, but she has said that the world would be better with out some people.  To be honest I'm seeing them as being agents as their best career options, given their skill sets and current training.  Of course that shouldn't take place until after graduation for university, which may or may not happen, given the slowness of comic time in EGS.

[ChronosCat 155]

On 9/28/2022 at 8:40 AM, Darth Fluffy said:

Elliot as an agent might be a bad thing, although training could help. Grace seems to be a natural.

Oddly enough I was thinking that Elliot might make a good agent, but the role wouldn't be a very good fit for Grace - and under a boss like Arthur or that snake-themed-woman (I forget her name) it could be very unhealthy for her.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

49 minutes ago, ChronosCat said:

Oddly enough I was thinking that Elliot might make a good agent, but the role wouldn't be a very good fit for Grace - and under a boss like Arthur or that snake-themed-woman (I forget her name) it could be very unhealthy for her.

True, snakes eat squirrels, so Bishop and Grace might be unhealthy for Grace. I wonder if Bishop is actually part snake. She seems a little off for 'fully human'.

I think Arthur would be OK. He's OK, Edward seems to cope. Grace got along with Adrian, and Adrian can be difficult.

 

[ChronosCat 155]

8 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I think Arthur would be OK. He's OK, Edward seems to cope. Grace got along with Adrian, and Adrian can be difficult.

Arthur is very "the ends justify the means" (except for the part where he doesn't think the "justification" makes it morally right), while Grace is still trying to find a balance between pacifism and an urge to be a ruthless protector. In the short term working for Arthur could lead her to facing moral dilemmas she isn't prepared to deal with. In the long term, working for Arthur or someone like him could lead her to adopt a similar attitude, which I think would be unfortunate.

Of course I'm basing this on her current attitudes and maturity; maybe after college she'd be in a more stable place mentally. On the other hand, is Arthur even going to still be in charge of the paranormal division of the FBI by the time the main cast get out of college? (He seems to want to retire again as soon as possible.)

[Darth Fluffy 302]

2 hours ago, ChronosCat said:

Arthur is very "the ends justify the means" (except for the part where he doesn't think the "justification" makes it morally right), while Grace is still trying to find a balance between pacifism and an urge to be a ruthless protector. In the short term working for Arthur could lead her to facing moral dilemmas she isn't prepared to deal with. In the long term, working for Arthur or someone like him could lead her to adopt a similar attitude, which I think would be unfortunate.

Of course I'm basing this on her current attitudes and maturity; maybe after college she'd be in a more stable place mentally. On the other hand, is Arthur even going to still be in charge of the paranormal division of the FBI by the time the main cast get out of college? (He seems to want to retire again as soon as possible.)

He may be holding off retirement because he does not fully trust Bishop.

[ijuin 572]

1 hour ago, Darth Fluffy said:

He may be holding off retirement because he does not fully trust Bishop.

Bishop is one of those people who is a highly effective worker, while being totally unskilled at managing other people.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

2 hours ago, ijuin said:

Bishop is one of those people who is a highly effective worker, while being totally unskilled at managing other people.

... a flaw with meritocracy, being good at A does not mean you are qualified to do B. Bishop is in line for the directorship based on (presumably) seniority and performance, but she lacks empathy.

I'm not a big fan of the Peter Principle, because people do grow with their jobs, Peter assumes a static worker who never progresses. But in this case, as with many, it is not directly being promoted to the point of incompetence in a linear sense (which may not actually exist, unless the number of levers you have to pull increases with each step), but rather has qualifications beyond prior positions, which is the truly typical case.

And, unfortunately, character is something you learn early in life, I'm not sure where you get it if you don't already have it. I suppose in some sense it can be taught, but I doubt it sticks if you don't invest yourself in the process.