The Roxanne Conundrum

[jwhouk]

AKA, "What Time Is It In The Wapsiverse?"

At the end of the Anasazi storyline, we knew the following:

1. Monica had just turned 31.
2. Atsali was 15 – probably "just turned" 15.
3. Castela wasn't in kindergarten yet, so she was "presenting" as roughly 4-5 years old.
4. Katherine was "found" as a baby in mid-1970.

So, we can assume a few things:

1. Monica is 16 years older than Atsali, and 26-27 years older than Castela.
2. There's an assumption that Monica is younger – much younger – than Katherine (and not just because of the Chimera thing), so she must have been born after 1970.

We know from the early strips that Monica is a bit younger than Shelly – at least in terms of "certified birth date". It would not be out of order to assume a two-year gap between the two, with Jacqui being perhaps a bit older than the pair. (Amanda is roughly the same age as Monica, but that's just a bonus fact.)

Owen is roughly the same age as Shelly, as the two were in grade school together. Shelly reportedly came to Owen's rescue when some bullies were trying to beat him up.

So let's make some estimates:

At the time Castela first appeared in the strip, Monica was roughly 26-27, meaning that Shel was 29, possibly even 30. We can guesstimate that Owen was about 30 at the same time.

As of the first appearance of our lady Roxanne, Castela was "presenting" as 15 (roughly the same age as Atsali was when she first appeared in the strip). So, the events of today's strip are happening at least 10-11 years after the Anasazi storyline ended.

That would mean that Monica is now 37-38, Shelly is probably 40-41, and Owen is about the same age as well. Hopefully, some alarm bells are starting to go off in your brain right now, but we're going to give it a rest for the moment.

Now, we have to go backwards in time to figure out how old people were when the first three-to-four years of the comic were going on.

Pablo has stated that the comic began in roughly 1994 – about seven years before it actually began on the interwebs. Looking at things in those early strips, we know that Shel and Monica already knew each other at that point – Shelly appeared in the third strip of the comic, after all (as did Owen). By this point, the two of them were in the band "Fermented Banana" together, so they were already around 20 by this point.

The whole relationship thing with Owen and Lakshimi came on shortly after that, and by 2012 they were out of the strip; their last appearance was the "WE ELOPED!" card, which happened before the events of the Anasazi storyline.

Sorry, let me go silence that warning klaxon.

So, "in strip" it appears to us casual readers that Owen and Lakshimi had only been married for a few years by the time of the Anasazi timeline. Which would mean that any kids they had wouldn't be much older than Castela.

Castela, it is presumed from her current status at Gryphon, is roughly 15 years old.

And now the monkey wrench: Pablo has stated that Roxanne is 24 years of age.

And I am truly sorry, but this makes absolutely NO sense.

I would strongly suggest that if anything Roxanne is the same age as our four Naiad girls – a bit younger than Atsali, but not by much.

BUT.

Here's the problem: when is "today" in the current storyline?

If the Anasazi storyline ended at the end of 2013, that would make some sort of sense, timewise, as to ages – but it would mean that "today" in the Wapsiverse is sometime in 2023 (two years ahead of reality).

We have had a few time jumps, true, so it wouldn't be completely unbelievable. It would, however, put Katherine at roughly my current age of 53. Extrapolating out, in the current storyline Monica is about 41, Shelly (and Owen) about 43, Atsali somewhere around 25, and presumably the Starr twins at about the same age.

I'm not even going to try to guess how old Lakshimi is, but she'd have to be somewhere around the same age as Monica – and no older than Jacqui (who'd be roughly mid-forties by this point).

But I would say that Roxanne is likely younger than Atsali – by at least a year or two. And I'd even be fudging that, to be honest.

[AnotherFairportfan]

At the time Castela first appeared in the strip, Monica was roughly 26-27...

Nope. As i remember it, Monica was at least 30, because that's after the Calendar Machine story, which made Monica a Phoenix as well as Jaguar Girl and Demon Shepherd ... and when she dies she resets to 29.

[jwhouk]

Paul has since admitted that she's about the same age as Abbie and Devyn, which would be 24 In-comic Time.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Paul has since admitted that she's about the same age as Abbie and Devyn, which would be 24 In-comic Time.

That doesn't leave enough time in her life for what we know has happened to her.

Also it makes her WW2-vet grandfather's timeline wonky. She looks about twelve in that page of her in grandpa's sidecar.

If we assume that the comic is more-or-less contemporaneous with current time, then that would have been about 2008. He looks pretty spry for ninety or so.

Plus which, since Abbie and Devyn are roughly contemporary with Atsali...

[TazManiac]

'She' in that context wasn't meant for Monica, but for Roxanne...

[AnotherFairportfan]

'She' in that context wasn't meant for Monica, but for Roxanne...

Ah. Sorry - it seemed to be a re

That still makes Monica pushing fifty, since she was somewhere in her twenties when Owen met Lakshmi... If Monica was twenty-five then, and Roxanne is twenty-four then Monica is at least fifty.

[TazManiac]

Monica's been Phoenix'd, how many times?

[AnotherFairportfan]

Monica's been Phoenix'd, how many times?

At least three - the first i know about was spontaneous, the next was when Bud ripped her heart out to prove to her that she really WAS the Phenix now, and then when Phix ripped her face off by accident...