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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:11 am
by Victor_D
Arioch wrote:They're certainly much more common in the Union/Hierarchy/Periphery/Nissek region than they are in the Great Wasteland that is human territory, for the reasons you mention. I'd say they're still relatively uncommon, but it's a large area with thousands of star systems, so there are a lot of them.
Thanks. Is this the reason why the region is called "Great Wasteland" and why the Loroi and Umiak don't seem to be interested in expanding there?

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:04 am
by Jayngfet
CF2 wrote:I think if I'm understanding Arioch correctly, he's saying that their relationships and concepts pertaining to relationships such as "love", are different from our current human norms, but not by so great a gap as past norms of ours have been. So, to put it simply: no the Loroi instincts are not particularly diversified along some sort of biological line that makes them especially alien, they're just different in the simple cultural way.

If our gender division were less evenly split we might find ourselves adopting some cultural norms similar to the Loroi, or if the reverse were true and Loroi more evenly split they might find themselves closer to what we'd see as culturally normal for Humans.
That just kind of leads into the reason the question was asked though. It's not that one group believes this, it's that it's the norm for a culture with both notable physical and biochemical traits that developed seperatley on three different closed off planets worth of subcultures that became the way it is. It's the Loroi norm, through all of that. So it's a valid question to ask if that's just the way Loroi process their instincts and emotions at a basic level, or a cultural norm that arose over time for sociological reasons.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:51 am
by Arioch
There is still great disagreement about which parts of human behavior are biological and which parts are cultural, so I'm not sure this is a straightforward question to answer regarding the Loroi. Three different Loroi populations separated for a significant amount of time developed cultures with some very recognizable similarities, so there's an argument to be made that some elements of their warrior culture may be hard-wired into them. However, each of these societies dealt with local challenges in different ways, so they have the ability to adapt.
Victor_D wrote:
Arioch wrote:They're certainly much more common in the Union/Hierarchy/Periphery/Nissek region than they are in the Great Wasteland that is human territory, for the reasons you mention. I'd say they're still relatively uncommon, but it's a large area with thousands of star systems, so there are a lot of them.
Thanks. Is this the reason why the region is called "Great Wasteland" and why the Loroi and Umiak don't seem to be interested in expanding there?
That's part of it, yes.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 5:02 pm
by boldilocks
The other reason is that the great wasteland is where all loroi frat parties take place.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:00 pm
by Turrosh Mak
boldilocks wrote:The other reason is that the great wasteland is where all loroi frat parties take place.
Thus explaining alien abductions and anal probing.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:52 pm
by CF2
What sort of superstitions do the Loroi have? I'm sure we'll get into some in detail within the comic, if they have any at all, but I'm curious what kind of things have stuck with them as a species growing up in the ruins of an alien empire.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 12:24 am
by Arioch
CF2 wrote:What sort of superstitions do the Loroi have? I'm sure we'll get into some in detail within the comic, if they have any at all, but I'm curious what kind of things have stuck with them as a species growing up in the ruins of an alien empire.
They have a variety of superstitions regarding luck, most of which would be recognizable to any athlete or sports fan: lucky items, "rally caps" and lucky rituals, not wanting to change behavior to preserve a good streak, etc. What's a bit different is their general view that luck is a zero-sum affair, and one person who is "lucky" is making someone else "unlucky."

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:14 am
by CF2
Arioch wrote:
CF2 wrote:What sort of superstitions do the Loroi have? I'm sure we'll get into some in detail within the comic, if they have any at all, but I'm curious what kind of things have stuck with them as a species growing up in the ruins of an alien empire.
They have a variety of superstitions regarding luck, most of which would be recognizable to any athlete or sports fan: lucky items, "rally caps" and lucky rituals, not wanting to change behavior to preserve a good streak, etc. What's a bit different is their general view that luck is a zero-sum affair, and one person who is "lucky" is making someone else "unlucky."
Can lucky items or things include people? This might be getting into in-story material, but do commanders try to hang onto personnel they consider lucky to have around? Can you willingly transfer luck to someone through ritual or passing them an item?

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:01 pm
by Sweforce
CF2 wrote:
Arioch wrote:
CF2 wrote:What sort of superstitions do the Loroi have? I'm sure we'll get into some in detail within the comic, if they have any at all, but I'm curious what kind of things have stuck with them as a species growing up in the ruins of an alien empire.
They have a variety of superstitions regarding luck, most of which would be recognizable to any athlete or sports fan: lucky items, "rally caps" and lucky rituals, not wanting to change behavior to preserve a good streak, etc. What's a bit different is their general view that luck is a zero-sum affair, and one person who is "lucky" is making someone else "unlucky."
Can lucky items or things include people? This might be getting into in-story material, but do commanders try to hang onto personnel they consider lucky to have around? Can you willingly transfer luck to someone through ritual or passing them an item?
You are talking about a mascot I believe our protagonist Alex have become one.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:07 pm
by dragoongfa
Alex is the definition of unlucky by Loroi standards, he is the sole survivor of a ship after all; he has to be the reason for all the others dying since he sucked the luck out of them.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 2:56 am
by harlequin2262
So presumably he is presently laden with an entire ships worth of luck, and should be promptly harvested at first opportunity? Nothing like an alien skull on the bonnet for the favour of the gods. A little dangly humans foot for a keychain.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:21 am
by dragoongfa
I don't believe that Loroi luck works that way :P

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:50 am
by Jayngfet
Of course given he's an alien species with an unknown ability who's only connection is that to him they are an alien species who use superstition as factual power, odds are there's someone out there on the ship who thinks Alex is literally stealing their luck.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:52 pm
by CF2
Jayngfet wrote:Of course given he's an alien species with an unknown ability who's only connection is that to him they are an alien species who use superstition as factual power, odds are there's someone out there on the ship who thinks Alex is literally stealing their luck.
There's probably an active wager on whether he's lucky or unlucky. In fact, given what an enigma Alex is, I'm half-sure that one of the reasons Beryl is so eager to press him for information is that he's making her a small fortune.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 7:36 am
by Jayngfet
Fan theory Beryl sure has a lot of ultreior motives for a species really bad with ulterior motives.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:18 pm
by boldilocks
Jayngfet wrote:Fan theory Beryl sure has a lot of ultreior motives for a species really bad with ulterior motives.
I'm sort of starting to like the idea of Alex' situation being like a hot french exchange student who's accidentally ended up at a school for boys or a boy's summer camp and now the wolves are circling. Pretty soon Beryl's gonna be like "Hey, Alex, watch me chug this entire bottle of soda!" or "Hey alex, watch me do a rad flip!"
I'm guessing he'll end up with Fireblade, the socially awkward jewish kid from new york, probably played by woody allen.
(Script by woody allen. Directed by woody allen.)

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:24 am
by harlequin2262
Jayngfet wrote:Fan theory Beryl sure has a lot of ultreior motives for a species really bad with ulterior motives.
Really bad at concealing and managing them, perhaps. Which is possibly why she went from 'literally falling asleep in front of an audience' to 'scuttling up to the cockpit in a vengeful fury because the goddamn Tenoin is psychically hi-fiving everyone on the ship' in about 30 seconds.

Also, her GURPS sheet? Possessive fits the points cost for that hidden negative quality she has.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:16 am
by CF2
harlequin2262 wrote:Also, her GURPS sheet? Possessive fits the points cost for that hidden negative quality she has.
If we guess those correctly do they get unhidden, or do they need in-story reveals?

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:03 pm
by D1ff3r3nt
harlequin2262 wrote:
Jayngfet wrote:Fan theory Beryl sure has a lot of ultreior motives for a species really bad with ulterior motives.
Really bad at concealing and managing them, perhaps. Which is possibly why she went from 'literally falling asleep in front of an audience' to 'scuttling up to the cockpit in a vengeful fury because the goddamn Tenoin is psychically hi-fiving everyone on the ship' in about 30 seconds.

Also, her GURPS sheet? Possessive fits the points cost for that hidden negative quality she has.
Maybe it is like a high school thing. I mean Beryl is 14 and maybe she just does not want Tenoin getting with him first because she is a year younger.

Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:28 am
by Hālian
Arioch wrote:luck is a zero-sum affair
That explains the Cleveland Browns.