Original Commentary

I wanted to so something light that wouldn't shake and alter the characters, like the previous arc did. And I also wanted to involve Ms. Taylor, since we haven't seen much of her - Isabel.

Modern Commentary
And on to the next story!

Not much to add here. This establishes the setting, tells you that Kimberly is upset about something (that will be dealt with next comic), and tells a good joke. I like it. No notes. - Terrence

Original Commentary

Is Kimberly that emotional about losing the blazer? No. Is she that emotional about losing something that cost $300? Yes. Admittedly, probably she wouldn't have been this emotional if a goldfish had died. Unless it was a $300 goldfish - Isabel

Modern Commentary
At the time, we were printing the monthly bonus comics at home, as well as handmade books. We were using off-brand ink cartridges (since they were $2 instead of $20). We had a few of them leak on us; we'd get ink all over our hands if we touched them wrong. I don't think we ever had any explode on us, did we? - Terrence

I'm sure we did - Isabel

Original Commentary

This is all true. Go back through the archives and count the number of outfits Kimberly has...if it seems like she has more than a few, it's because she accessorizes. And Brisbane's wardrobe would look much, much fuller if all of his shirts weren't in the exact same cut and style - Terrence

Modern Commentary
If you go back and count the different outfits Kimberly has worn, you'll find...that we don't have much interest in clothing continuity. - Terrence

Original Commentary

Kimberly's original line was "And I only have enough clean outfits to last until Thursday! what am I going to do on Friday?". Then I realized that it implied that she'd wear the same outfit again. And if she was going to just wear an outfit again, then she could just wear any of her other outfits. So it got rewritten so that things made a bit more sense - Terrence

Modern Commentary
It's funny. I've been working from home for the last few years. Most of the time, I'm wearing pajama pants and a video-game-related t-shirt.

Anyhow, dress codes are arbitrary but clothes are a signifier. Kimberly is trying to look professional. And now she can't and she can get in trouble for it.
Or can she. We'll see in a bit.- Terrence

Original Commentary

Originally, this arc was supposed to have only lasted 6 days. But we had some jokes we wanted to fit in there that stretched things out a bit. I didn't expect Kimberly to be in bed this long. I really didn't - Isabel

Modern Commentary
Ms Taylor is the "write down all the rules so you can weaponize them" type.

In Nicole and Derek, Hippedown is shown as a more bureaucratic society, with the rules and expectations clearly written down. I think this is the beginning of that.

Sherup, where Namir Deiter is set, doesn't have nearly as many rules. Or, more accurately, they've got just as many rules but several of them are unwritten expectations that are arbitrarily enforced. - Terrence

Original Commentary

Yes, the sales and marketing departments have been merged. No, the manuals have not been changed. Different departments have different dress codes, of course. No point having Maintenance, Sales, Executive, and Accounting all dress the same - Terrence

Modern Commentary
And the advantage of writing everything down is that one can find exceptions to the rules, edge cases, and other things that weren't planned as well as the authorities might like.

I'm assuming the four hours included a lot of cross-referencing and a dinner break. Those grilled cheese sandwiches weren't going to eat themselves. - Terrence