Grrl Power IV: Constantly Expanded Universe

[tyckspoon]

The reason she needs the pay is her rent, that doesn't stop because she's not there. They say they covered that, but presumably they (as private individuals) want to be repaid, and that repayment should come from her wages (how is the rent not coming out of her bank account automatically?).

She may not have had time to set up/confirm the direct deposit, although I'm pretty sure there was an in-comic statement that they were working on that and the support bureaucracy should have sorted it out in the meantime. More likely, even if her landlord would accept payment like that (not all do, especially in the US, where a surprisingly large number of owners insist on cash or money orders, and even if they do accept electronic payments they often charge like an extra $50 'convenience fee') ... She's still very new to being financially stable, even wealthy, and she's probably more used to at least occasionally needing to shuffle other bills around and changing the exact timing of when she manually pays the rent in order to make sure the money going out matched up with her cashflow coming in.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Given the size of the check they gave her when she signed up, the only issue is if she doesn't have autodrafts.

[TaRix]

I think the whole issue was simply an excuse to quickly get back to the Omni-Gal gaming group without everything getting in the way for five years. She just has to have something confirmable so she can "get back to saving the world."

[Traab]

I think the whole issue was simply an excuse to quickly get back to the Omni-Gal gaming group without everything getting in the way for five years. She just has to have something confirmable so she can "get back to saving the world."

Its entirely possible that after this arc concludes with a debriefing and catching her up on whats been going on and what she is allowed to talk about, she will get a couple days off to spend with her friends and we will get something like, "Hey joel, call up the crew, im back and in the mood for a d&d campaign!" And that will be the end of the flashback. Then we can find out why anvil now looks like a were creature monstrosity.

[The Glyphstone]

Its entirely possible that after this arc concludes with a debriefing and catching her up on whats been going on and what she is allowed to talk about, she will get a couple days off to spend with her friends and we will get something like, "Hey joel, call up the crew, im back and in the mood for a d&d campaign!" And that will be the end of the flashback. Then we can find out why anvil now looks like a were creature monstrosity.

And why Maxima goes to the same optometrist as Alucard?

[Traab]

Someone brought up an interesting point in the comment section, namely that arianna is their pr person so why does she have any say over pay? Then i started rereading the comic and remembered she is also the legal representative for arcswat. So it makes sense that she would be involved in figuring out the legalities of this situation. She may be a member of JAG as well as trained in pr.

[tyckspoon]

Someone brought up an interesting point in the comment section, namely that arianna is their pr person so why does she have any say over pay? Then i started rereading the comic and remembered she is also the legal representative for arcswat. So it makes sense that she would be involved in figuring out the legalities of this situation. She may be a member of JAG as well as trained in pr.

Probably just conservation of characters - it might make more sense for the administrative assistant lady (..Beth? Has black hair, gave Sydney her first check, set her up with the financial consultant guy with the implausibly cool/relevant name) to give that detail, but then there'd be an extra body to put in the scene, Arianna is a reasonable enough character to handle the line, and she's already established as there and having an interest in getting Sydney oriented on the current situation.

[The Glyphstone]

I feel like if someone disappears for a thousand years, the odds of there even still being an ArcSWAT for them to rejoin when they "return" are pretty slim.

[Traab]

I feel like if someone disappears for a thousand years, the odds of there even still being an ArcSWAT for them to rejoin when they "return" are pretty slim.

Yeah that could be an interesting legal debate. So long as the nation itself exists she would likely be able to at least make an argument, but even that presumes laws remain remotely recognizable to what they are today. Like, imagine if while fighting against hannibal a roman centurion got sucked into a vortex and suddenly popped up on whatever the modern day name would be for one of the areas a battle was fought in. Would Italy have to take custody of this fellow seeing as how rome is about all thats left?

[HandofShadows]

There is the matter of being declared dead. In that case a govt may say since you were "dead" they don't have to give you anything.

Wish I could remember the name of a sci fi story that I read a long time ago. Man invents FTL and sends an AI/Robot on the first trip. The ship comes back centuries later and demands to be paid. Turns out the guy that made the robot planned for this because he was not a nice person. Well, the payment is more than what the Earth is worth so it end up owning the planet. It's inferred at the end that the robot either enslaved or killed off the human race. Yeah, the guy that made the robot was THAT big a *!^*@$

[Ibrinar]

If the pay doesn't automatically update while they are away, and if inflation averages 1% over the time, 1000 years of pay are worth about as much as 15 days of pay are worth currently.

[tyckspoon]

If the pay doesn't automatically update while they are away, and if inflation averages 1% over the time, 1000 years of pay are worth about as much as 15 days of pay are worth currently.

ARCHON's contracts probably include at a minimum automatic cost-of-living adjustments.

[DataNinja]

I feel like if someone disappears for a thousand years, the odds of there even still being an ArcSWAT for them to rejoin when they "return" are pretty slim.

Yeah, the under-the-comic 'mini-commentary' joke pokes fun at that.

[The Glyphstone]

Yeah, the under-the-comic 'mini-commentary' joke pokes fun at that.

I totally missed that.

[Lapak]

I seem to recall news item triggered by an online discussion of this kind of thing that revolved around Captain America, both with regards to back pay and potential promotions in rank made in absentia. Something along the lines of 'if this actually happened to someone they'd be able to claim $X million in pay and also they may have ranked up from Captain in the interim.'

[Traab]

I seem to recall news item triggered by an online discussion of this kind of thing that revolved around Captain America, both with regards to back pay and potential promotions in rank made in absentia. Something along the lines of 'if this actually happened to someone they'd be able to claim $X million in pay and also they may have ranked up from Captain in the interim.'

Dont you have to pass tests to move up in officer ranks? Also you need time IN EACH RANK to move up. You cant go from captain to brigadier general by falling asleep for 50 years. You have to go through each rank in between, spend x amount of years as that rank, then get promoted again. So captain america might automatically be promoted to the next rank and be major america, but then he would have to work for some years before he could go up again. That doesnt even take into account that his contract with the military ran out decades ago and he never renewed it. So technically he is civilian america once they process the paperwork. And chronologically he is far too old to sign back up. They dont take octogenarians into the military.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Time in grade just determines eligibility for promotion (except for 2LT to 1LT, at least during the war). You still have to pass a promotion board, and if you spend too long in grade without doing that they kick you out. Steve's been a civilian since 1947 at latest.

[Lapak]

Sure, but (and keep in mind I am talking about an item that was meant to be tongue-in-cheek when it was written since they were discussing a comic book character) there is plenty of precedent for posthumous promotion in the US military and a hero of the Captain's stature could certainly have received it. Moreover, I doubt they would trip over themselves in a hurry to reverse it if he turned out not to be dead. (Or claim his term of service had timed out when he's lost several decades due to circumstances that arose while he was serving, just as they issue back pay to recovered POWs.)

Edit: apparently POWs are pretty good precedent for this generally; some POWs in WWII and Vietnam not only got back pay but promotions in absentia as well. So apparently it is absolutely a thing we do.

[Traab]

Sure, but (and keep in mind I am talking about an item that was meant to be tongue-in-cheek when it was written since they were discussing a comic book character) there is plenty of precedent for posthumous promotion in the US military and a hero of the Captain's stature could certainly have received it. Moreover, I doubt they would trip over themselves in a hurry to reverse it if he turned out not to be dead. (Or claim his term of service had timed out when he's lost several decades due to circumstances that arose while he was serving, just as they issue back pay to recovered POWs.)

Edit: apparently POWs are pretty good precedent for this generally; some POWs in WWII and Vietnam not only got back pay but promotions in absentia as well. So apparently it is absolutely a thing we do.

But isnt that specifically because they are prisoners of war? Basically, it makes sense to consider those years of service on active duty. Someone like bucky would qualify under that justification as he spent all those years a prisoner of war, brainwashed into serving the other side. But Cap? He was MIA presumed KIA for all those decades. He wasnt a prisoner, he was just missing. So I can see why they just reinstated him as captain and left it at that.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Well, if you're going that route, we have precedents (again). Shot down fliers recovered off of a jungle island. You stay the same rank, you collect back pay, but then they deduct what they paid out in GI Life Insurance when they presumed you were dead.

Yes, that means most of the men in question were in debt to the government for several thousand (WWII era) dollars.

[Rogar Demonblud]

There's the reaction Dabbler was looking for. Just not from Maxima.

I'm starting to reaaallly want Cora to take Dabbler with her when she goes. It'd be the most organic way to write the character out.

[tomandtish]

I seem to recall news item triggered by an online discussion of this kind of thing that revolved around Captain America, both with regards to back pay and potential promotions in rank made in absentia. Something along the lines of 'if this actually happened to someone they'd be able to claim $X million in pay and also they may have ranked up from Captain in the interim.'

US military actually does cover that. MIAs and KIAs who are later discovered alive are retroactively entitled to all back pay (including allowances) assuming no fraud was involved. They also do not have to pay back any payments that were made (death benefits). Also note that the military is VERY reluctant to declare someone KIA without a body. Generally there has to either be a body or the person has to have been KNOWN to be in circumstances where they weren't recoverable (seen in an exploding tank). There are still over 70,000 classified MIA from WW2, even though odds are the vast majority of them are dead.

From Chapter 34 (summary):

Spoiler

Show

340301. General
A member who enters a missing status is entitled to the pay and allowances to which entitled when the missing status began or to which the member later becomes entitled. The right to a certain pay or allowance is not affected by the fact that the member had not actually received payment before entering missing status.

340604. Change in Date of Death
Payment of an account made following a report, determination, or finding of death may not be recovered and the case may not be reopened because of a later report or determination fixing an earlier date of death. If a later date of death is established, then the account is reopened and settled on the basis of the later date

So while I’m not sure when all these rules went into effect, he would have been paid (or his designated beneficiaries – parents?) till they changed his status from MIA to KIA (if they ever did). Once found alive, they remove the Date of death, and catch up on all the missed pay. Note that he gets any allowances he was entitled to, not just pay.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Steve was an orphan, so under the rules of the time he would have had no beneficiaries (they had to be family members until I think May in 1944, when you could designate religious organizations as well). GI insurance wasn't unrestricted as towards beneficiaries until after the war (I think it was part of the general rebuild of the military in the 1947 National Security Act).

[Onyavar]

I don't read the responses below the comics because they're hard to my eyes.

So has anyone so far commented about Frix' changing fur color around his neck?

This comic and most others have established his neck as blue furred.

Only the newest, 730 and also 725 have it colored in the same white as his muzzle. This time, it's more obvious because it changes from blue fur within two panels.

[Rogar Demonblud]

He probably got some quick highlights so he could make a good impression at the party.

[The Glyphstone]

I don't read the responses below the comics because they're hard to my eyes.

So has anyone so far commented about Frix' changing fur color around his neck?

This comic and most others have established his neck as blue furred.

Only the newest, 730 and also 725 have it colored in the same white as his muzzle. This time, it's more obvious because it changes from blue fur within two panels.

725 has his neck white in panel 1, and blue in panel 5 (in the reflection). 730 has it blue in panel 6/7, and white in panel 9.

Maybe his species is semi-chameleonic somehow?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Or maybe they're like some species here on Earth and subtle changes in the lighting pick out different colors. Although it's usually shades of the same color here.

[John Campbell]

Occam's Razor says artist error.

I mean, Dave's forgotten Sydney's glasses in more than one panel.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Triple Jinx!

I think that means somebody owes Frix dinner. Not Sydney, her idea of food is toxic.

[Dragonus45]

Times like this are when I find Dabbler most annoying. In a lot of ways she can be just as close minded as the prudes she likes to poke fun at, just coming from the opposite direction.