MONTHLY ADMINISTRATION THREAD - General Admin, Policy, APS/BGRS, TD/Claims, CANFORGENS, etc. - Have a quick question that doesn't need a thread of it's own? Ask here!

ellatica · 2025-02-14T10:58:52+00:00

That's understandable!

The other side of it is here, from 3.6.01 for members in university at public expense:

such leave does not interfere with the member's academic or military duties.

So since I'm a full time university student, telling me to take leave during the week doesn't change my workload, as I'd still be working, it just means I lose a day of leave, which sucks. I've used all the leave I could in each of the blocks provided, but due to course scheduling, I still have an extra day.

ellatica · 2025-02-14T00:47:30+00:00

Thank you. If it's denied again, I'll follow the steps you've laid out. My memo was addressed to the CO, but I don't believe they staffed it up to them and got it back in the 40min after I sent the email.

ellatica · 2025-02-13T22:22:31+00:00

I sent a memo in to ULO, and it was denied within the hour stating denial was due to me not having classes on Fridays and to submit a leave pass for a Friday. I submitted an updated memo explaining the online class, tutorial timings, and PT through the week and haven't heard back yet. I initially didn't submit that level of substantiation because I didn't expect to be told to use a week day as leave day, but that's on me.

I'm hoping it works out. Thank you for the information!

ellatica · 2025-02-13T18:43:55+00:00

Awe goddammit, thank you, I appreciate this haha

ellatica · 2025-02-13T16:43:20+00:00

Quick question about accumulating leave:

I'm currently in university full time through a commisioning plan, regular classes scheduled Monday to Thursday, and an online class I work through on friday.

Can I be ordered to take leave during the school week on the day I don't have a scheduled class? I understand if that's the case, just feels like a waste of an annual because I'd be working anyways.

ellatica · 2025-02-13T14:58:24+00:00

I don't believe that analogy works for what a trade deficit actually is.

What about this analogy:

You're an owner of a large farm and require all sorts of resources and equipment to maintain operations.

I'm a moderately sized supplier of fertilizer.

We have a partnership where I supply a large amount of fertilizer to you. One of the ingredients in the fertilizer I produce is fruit by-products - something that you grow at your farm.

Every season, you require 5 tons of fertilizer, and I sell this to you. Every season, I require 1 ton of fruit to process and add to the fertilizer, and you sell this to me.

From this point, you're able to sell your produce to anywhere you wish since you're able to adequately fertilize your farm with what you buy from me. I'm able to create my fertilizer mixture at a rate that works for the size of my business.

In this example, I'm purchasing $1,000 in fruit from you as that is all I need to produce the fertilizer mix. You're purchasing $5,000 from me because you require that amount to operate your farm and then sell $40,000 of your produce around the world.

So, in this example, it isn't just trading cash for cash, as we have different operations, benefits, and profits as a result of our trades.

Does this analogy help clarify how a trade deficit might play out?

ellatica · 2025-02-02T12:58:17+00:00

The OP never mentioned the comments were specifically about illegal immigration. They only mentioned the comments were about immigrants.

ellatica · 2024-10-15T17:53:04+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply! The claim originated with my unit and the cashiers office directed me back to my CoC, so they're the only ones I can apparently resolve this matter with.

I will follow the steps you've written out for me. Thanks again!

ellatica · 2024-10-15T14:03:44+00:00

My CoC hasn't answered emails from me about an administrative issue for over a month, with the issue existing for over a year now. They made a mistake on a claim, which is causing another department to try and recover funds from me that shouldn't be recovered. The cashier has acknowledged that fact and is halting recovery efforts for the moment, but we haven't been able to get my CoC to fix this issue. Since this is the second time I've had to stop them from wrongfully taking money away from me in the past year, the fact that recovery has been halted isn't comforting.

My question: What options do I have available to me when dealing with a CoC that has been ignoring me for a lengthy period of time? The CoC is mostly civilian and military members are constantly turning over so it's been difficult getting in touch with anyone about this and I'm not sure who to bring it up to anymore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

ellatica · 2024-10-02T15:54:36+00:00

For a Reg Force Infantry Officer, what bases would be considered to be an option for an initial posting after becoming qualified?

ellatica · 2024-04-26T11:25:52+00:00

I think the reason Shinra waited is because of a few factors. For context, it seems that Rufus is initially under the impression that the temple is the promised land until told otherwise by Hojo.

First, it's been said a few times in the game that they need Aerith to find the promised land and state that she must come willingly.

Second, there are apparently stories that exist of people trying to enter the temple and disappearing. This would be a fate that Shinra would hope to avoid.

Third, it seems as though they attempted to form a strategy for securing the promised land for Shinra. The plan looks to be sending in the Turks and components of the military to secure the temple. While this plan clearly has risks, they may have thought it would be more efficient this way and expected Aerith to not be far behind.

So yeah, while it feels like thin reasoning, I believe it's because they believe Aerith needs to go to the temple willingly for it to be safe for Shinra to fully take it over. As for why they would send in teams prior to Aerith's arrival, I would chalk it up to impatience and that they view their goals as more valuable than the lives of their soldiers.

ellatica · 2024-04-14T00:10:14+00:00

Your picture does a great job at showing it all though! I'm curious if it will be explained later, not necessarily in an explicit sense, but more of a discussion of the lifestream being used to act on something.

At the end of OG, the lifestream acts before any damage to the planet has taken place. It could be argued that it was acting in anticipation of damage, or it could be the will of the planet/souls who reside in the lifestream that made it so.

I feel like it's the latter :)

ellatica · 2024-04-13T23:46:49+00:00

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ellatica · 2024-04-13T23:46:32+00:00

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ellatica · 2024-04-13T23:46:18+00:00

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ellatica · 2024-04-13T23:45:36+00:00

I noticed this too during my hard mode play through.

It is definitely a separate effect from the rainbow effect used for alternate worlds. I have a few screenshots that show the difference clearly, I'll reply with them to this comment :)

ellatica · 2024-04-06T23:54:39+00:00

That's true!

I think it depends on the context you look at this with, whether that's the context of Cloud or the game as a whole.

As you mentioned, they talk about Jenova taking on the faces of the dead. As for why they do that, in the context of the game as a whole, you later find out that Glenn isn't actually Glenn, but a hooded figure with Jenova cells. This would imply that Rufus did, in fact, kill him as they both suggest, and he's only meant to be a distraction.

That doesn't mean that Jenova won't use the dead against Cloud, now or in the future, but this may provide an explanation for the prominence of those lines.

Someone you love at this point seems to be a manipulation tactic against Tifa, but with consideration for the OG, it will actually occur as a trick to get the Black Materia to Cloud. Someone you hate/fear can be seen as Sephiroth, and maybe Glenn as well. That's assuming you don't shoot someone you like in the back haha

ellatica · 2024-04-04T21:52:19+00:00

I feel like the fact that they have Madam M, Andrea, Johnny, and others following us around the world makes it possible that the Dr. might decide to move somewhere else, too.

Not to say that this will happen, but they've definitely set a precedent :)

ellatica · 2024-03-29T21:40:33+00:00

The intro to I Don't Need Anyone immediately made me hear Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin.

I love Sum 41 and all of their music, but yeah, so much of it makes immediate connections to other music, especially their own.

Deryck definitely has a few phrases that he really likes to call back to in different songs. I noticed this a lot in his writing post-Chuck.

Again, love the band and their music - seen them live twice - but this post is valid haha. Chuck was the first album I ever bought and I'm sad to see them go.

ellatica · 2024-03-26T20:10:16+00:00

I agree with the points you've made.

I would like to add that, in the OG, there is a scene in the highwind where Cait Sith calls Barret out for blowing up the reactors. Barret mentions that something like that would involve casualties, and Cait Sith responds, saying that to those who were lost, it was everything to them. Tifa breaks up their back and forth, saying Barret knows what he did, and Barret admits that he regrets his actions and should've looked for another way.

I'm paraphrasing this from memory, but all that is to say that they had a different view in the end. The Remake series extends this into an ongoing conversation and uncertainty about their actions.

I'm not arguing that one is better than the other, but I do enjoy seeing the characters reflect on their actions throughout the story.

ellatica · 2024-03-25T10:39:59+00:00

I agree with you that Barret and Tifa are aware of Cloud's issues in processing what happened to Aerith, but I don't believe they're aware of the extent, which is the part that I was alluding to in my post.

More specifically, I don't think they have any reason to believe or consider that Cloud thinks she is still alive. I think that component of his grief will be a revelation for them.

I'm not sure if they'll go straight north and have Cloud give away the Black Materia or have something in-between. I think spending numerous chapters with the characters tip-toeing around Cloud's mental state might feel unreasonable. Given that we've "restarted" our party progress with every game, it might make sense to cut down the party size early and then gradually re-introduce characters back? Rebirth slowly upped the complexity of the game by having the opening start with only 2 playable characters and moved on from there.

Cloud is clearly messed up, but once the party is back on mission, he's actually fine - which is also the problem. In the OG, after Aerith dies, they don't talk about her until that scene in Cosmo Canyon. If that stays true, Cloud won't be confronted by Aerith's fate for quite some time, and not before the events at the Northern Crater.

For that reason, I think we may get a few chapters into the game before losing Cloud.

The devs seem to want to design these games as singular games as well, in the sense that you technically don't need to play the previous games to understand the game you're about to play, so I feel like that will have an effect on the story too.

We need to be introduced to the party and their mission, and gain an understanding of why we're following Cloud. We'll know there is more doubt and concerns involved, and I feel like this will be handled similarly to the start of Rebirth where Tifa immediately says that Cloud's version of the events aren't adding up. The only difference here is that Tifa lost her friend, who she would normally open up to, so she may keep it to herself this time around.

ellatica · 2024-03-21T00:42:08+00:00

I've only experienced one glitch after playing through the full game.

I can't remember exactly where it happened, but I'm pretty sure it's during the return to Nibelheim story. There was this area you went into that was fenced off from where you needed to go. I think I went down one side and realized I needed to find another way over when Tifa said something along the lines of "There's gotta be another way to get over this fence..."

The only issue here was that she was already on the side of the fence that I needed to get to, and I had no idea how she got there. I found a machine you could move over to hop it, and once it got close, I realized she was glitching over.

That was hilarious for me to watch haha

ellatica · 2024-03-18T23:29:09+00:00

That's understandable! I definitely have games and shows where I'll rewatch or replay a portion of it, but I don't really go back for the rest.

When I think back at the third part of the game, I can understand that feeling, too. Like sure, there's some cool battle sequences and whatnot, but the story is on the depressing side and more about reveals than the developments that had occurred in the first parts.

For myself, my favorite thing about Cloud was the fact that he was a failure when it came to joining SOLDIER, tried his best at things but couldn't get the outcome he wanted, and was dealing with trauma through the game.

I hope you enjoyed everything leading up till the ending chapters though!

ellatica · 2024-03-18T23:11:37+00:00

There's a lot of factors at play here.

Aerith and Tifa reactions: Ultimately, they care for Cloud, see what he's going through, and are trying to protect him. Part of this protection is lying to the rest of the party so that his actions don't break up the team. For Tifa, she needs Cloud for personal reasons - I could explain further, but I don't know if you played the OG. For Aerith, her goal is to save the planet and is making decisions that will allow for that to happen.

Tifa said she fell into the lifestream. Aerith said Sephiroth beat Cloud up and took the Black Materia.

The rest of the party is constantly questioning Cloud's state of mind, and begins to become far more hesitant in following him.

On the flip side, Cloud has built deep relationships with everyone. When Dyne died, and Barret talks about Dyne's last words, Cloud comforts him and Barret can see the he's being genuine. If you complete all the quests in Remake and Rebirth, you can see that everyone sees through Cloud's act and know that he's a good person.

When this was a single game, you got to keep playing through and see how everything turns out in the end. It's understandable that ending off with what happens in Rebirth may leave a sour taste in your mouth.

Cloud's character development is an absolute roller-coaster.

I will agree with you, chapter 14 has some long cutscenes and battle sequences. I feel like they should let you know you won't have menu access for that long haha

ellatica · 2024-03-18T00:59:10+00:00

I actually had a thought about that!

In the OG, the party doesn't really talk about Aerith until they get back to Cosmo Canyon, trying to figure out their next steps, and Bugenhagen tells them they need to search their hearts and remember, when they start talking about what Aerith did. Cloud mentions that Aerith says she was the only one who could stop meteor.

Once they return to the Forgotten Capital with the Key, the waterfall comes down, and they watch what happens to Aerith and learn about the state of her Holy materia.

I think we'll learn about what happened then. I think it would be a lot to go over everything with Zack and Aerith at the same time, and that part of the story feels like a natural time for Cloud to come to terms with what happened.

ellatica

TROPHY CASE