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Grrl Power #871 - Patreon 2x
🕑 Added 2020-08-31 10:01:00 +0000 UTCThanks so much for your support!
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I rarely ever have a characters voice in my head when I'm writing them. It's why I'm always flummoxed when people ask "Who do you see voice acting the Grrl Power characters in the anime?"
But Ray Cosmos 100% sounds like Frank Nelson. Here's another link of him in one of those old ass sitcoms where the audience applauds between every single line, but in this one he's saying something other than "yeeeeees?" So just imagine Ray sounding like Frank when he's rasping in that slightly lower register "I also saw your show." Got it? Now reread the line "Indeed. Everyone has signed a waiver." Can't you just hear Nelson belting that one out? <Jon Stewart doing Art Kern impression>Mmmm, that's good voice casting!</>
Irradon, if you recall, is the Twilight Council's alien seat. He's now upgraded to the official Earth Ambassador. Or... Galactic Ambassador to Earth. Now, of course Earth would have major problems coming to terms with any kind of interstellar trade body, because Earth has roughly 200 countries. A lot of them are economic or military allies, but then there are other countries that are economic allies but military... well, not foes, but, there's a lot of tension. In any case it's a mess. Realistically, I don't know that aliens would really want to deal with the UN because they're a deliberative body that is a nice idea but doesn't have any real power unless everyone is on board with any given action, something which almost never happens. So, maybe they'd convene a meeting of the G8 countries, or just the European Union?
Honestly, they'd probably show up, tell Earth that there's already 9,001 alien civilizations and managing currency and exchange rates between them is hard enough, and they're not going to deal with 8 other currencies from the new guys.
I was also thinking about Irradon's "Every goddamned planet" quip, and at first, I thought, "Well, probably not every planet, because monoculture races like the Klingons or Ferengi would be able to present a more unified government presence," but then I realized that on that first day of meetings, you bet the different Klingon houses would be at each other's throats, and all the Ferengi corporations would be trying to fiscally scuttle each other. There would be some worlds where there was truly one single government, (outside of hive worlds controlled by Unity or the Zerg Overmind or Skynet,) I still think the majority of worlds would have to deal with some major upheaval when suddenly finding themselves dealing with alien diplomats.
Comments
akrasia
IMO, Ray looks a lot better from a side view. It comes off as a 1950's greased up style. Seeing it from head on, honestly it just looks stupid as a mohawk.
Justaguy
Meh, just pick some place that has its shit together (which rules out the US, and a large chunk of Europe) and designate them the new point if contact and "standard" for the planet. If they're not already a super power, and not stupid, they will be THE super power soon enough, by political leverage alone. I nominate New Zealand. (I'm talking from the aliens perspective here, not humanities. If you insist on joining the universal community without having a single political contact point speaking for you. Well designate one for you.)
Erin Palette
Cosmos, no. Cosmic? Hard yes.
John
I wonder if that pompadour mohawk of his is actually a combover? And Yasssss! Frank Nelson! Second time in about three days someone's invoked his name.
Enigma42
so they even have used car salesmen on other worlds. Does Cosmos feel like a used car salesman to anyone else?
PSadlon
Every damn political party, every damn nation, every damn planet, every damn alliance, and every damn galaxy.
DonnieRamesJio
Oh, not Zap Brannigan, he’s Quark with a charisma score.
Oddhs
That guy is the definition of 'smarmy'. LOL.
Foradain
Barring superpowers or other magic? They can't, so either someone does it for them or they are wide open for the Ray Cosmoi of the galaxy.
Thisguy
Also, just because countries are militarey allies, it doers not mean they want to share their technology with them. After WW2, US decided NOT to share it's nuclear tech with the Allies. UK then did its own nuclear program but decided not to share the technology with Australia, despite doing much of the testing in Australia. Though, to be honest, while single government worlds are a nice idea, I think they solely exist in science fiction. And the only reason they exist in Sci-Fi is because it suits the writer to treat planets like countries. Every species on earth fights over territory, why would aliens be different? (Short of a global takeover). That said... it is feasible that if alien diplomats came and said "pick a single currency for intergalactic trade", we could work something out in under a decade. What I worry about is how a non-spacefaring planet can guard it's borders. And who guards it?
Tim
I have a very simple rule: if I have to squint my eyes to see your ”moustache”, then you don’t have a moustache, you have over-ambitious peach-fuzz.
StLOrca
“No one can impose unity out of the blue on a country that has 265 different kinds of cheese.” — Charles de Gaulle
Rens
Hopefully, the Galactic Council (or whatever the primary diplomatic body is going to be called) has at this point enough experience that First Contact does /not/ result in a final extinction-level planetary war nine times out of ten...
Noise
You definitely did your job as an artist. When I saw that last panel, I heard Frank Nelson's voice - before I read the explanation. I think it was the mustache.
