raistlin34 wrote:Not sure if anyone has asked this before (this thread is kinda large) but, how..unsettling is Jardin´s "lotai" to the nearby loroi, used as they are to being able to detect all sentient life around? is he like a robot/golem/zombie for them?
Fairly. This will be discussed shortly.
Rogue1115 wrote:Arioch, you've mentioned in your insider pages about deciding to skip over discussing where the energy for the Loroi telekinesis and other abilities comes from, so maybe that indirectly answers my question already, but I was wondering, do the Loroi generally require more sleep than humans due to higher energy requirements for brain activity? It's been shown (I think anyway) that among humans ourselves, people with ADHD and those who are more intelligent require more sleep since their cognitive functions use up more energy than other people. I would think that a race with telepathic and telekinetic abilities would require a lot more sleep than a human to replenish all the energy they are constantly using.
Use of some psi abilities does cause fatigue, in a similar manner to any mental stress or exertion or extended concentration, but this has to do with the internal workings of the brain, and nothing to do with the actual kinetic energy required to move an object. Normal use of telepathy is no more fatiguing than a human speaking. A Loroi overusing her abilities may become tired and require rest, but I don't think the Loroi in general require more sleep than humans do.
I think we'll never know, as this story will end before Loroi and Humans establish official contact...
(This is what I remember from a previous statement of Arioch.)
But then, he has so many details fleshed out, he might know the answer...
The Ur-Quan Masters finally gets a continuation of the story! Late backing possible, click link.
Arioch wrote:
It's a rare ability, but in terms of "sneaky and disturbing things that Mizol do with their telepathy which distress other Loroi", it's low on the list.
Yeah, those redacted marks on her character sheet provoke any number of questions.
Krulle wrote:I think we'll never know, as this story will end before Loroi and Humans establish official contact... (This is what I remember from a previous statement of Arioch.)
But then, he has so many details fleshed out, he might know the answer...
I think I may have said something to the effect that -- for those whose plans involve Humanity spending decades to catch up technologically, the story doesn't last that long.
Razor One wrote:It's amazing what you've done with a great humorous prompt fic, taking it in directions beyond mere crack and having an honest examination of the events. By all means, keep it up!
Although, reading it, this did pop into my brain.
--
Fleetwide Bulletin System
Under no circumstances are you to come into contact with a Terran aquatic creature called a dolphin without express command level approval. Only Parat Tempo is sufficiently trained to deal with their lies.
In future joint sporting events, usage of telekinetics is strictly forbidden. The USMC table tennis team is eager for a rematch on equal ground.
Entry into Loroi lookalike contests, while amusing, is hereby forbidden after the events surrounding Officer Talons placing merely third.
Terran meals which include 'chilli' and other similar substances are to be avoided in spite of Parat Tempo's insistence that such meals are delicious. The active ingredient is currently being researched for non-lethal weaponisation.
The Terran game 'Shellcrusher' requires a Terran operating system to run. It is not to be loaded onto ships networks even for morale purposes until a certified port has been made available by the developer. Terran electronics, while crude, will have to suffice until then.
Heh, I'll need to go back and re-read that. I need a good laugh.
SpoilerShow
This is my Mod voice. If you see this in a thread, it means that the time for gentle reminders has passed.
Given how catty Beryle surprisingly acted in the last comic (WOO WOO! IT CAME OUT! I'm So HAPPY!), do Loroi feel jealousy for potential romantic partners.
Yes I know they don't treat sex and love in the same way humans do, and mating is mostly to A. progress the species and B. ease the males in their needs.
Yes I know we won't be seeing any babies pop out from this union.
This said it seems she is a bit on the jealous side with the pilot.
Loroi do not pair-bond, and so while they must compete for access to the smaller numbers of males, they must also share them. Attachment between a male and female is considered unhealthy and is discouraged, and so jealously is not regarded as a beneficial emotion.
It's easy to interpret Beryl's reaction as one of jealousy (and that misinterpretation is, of course, a deliberate storytelling device on my part), but that's not really what's going on. Beryl is being protective; Alex is her responsibility, and he has been mistreated by other Loroi in the recent past. He doesn't understand the significance of touch-telepathy to the Loroi, nor the other nuances of his situation (which will be explained shortly).
Arioch wrote:Loroi do not pair-bond, and so while they must compete for access to the smaller numbers of males, they must also share them. Attachment between a male and female is considered unhealthy and is discouraged, and so jealously is not regarded as a beneficial emotion.
It's easy to interpret Beryl's reaction as one of jealousy (and that misinterpretation is, of course, a deliberate storytelling device on my part), but that's not really what's going on. Beryl is being protective; Alex is her responsibility, and he has been mistreated by other Loroi in the recent past. He doesn't understand the significance of touch-telepathy to the Loroi, nor the other nuances of his situation (which will be explained shortly).
I'm more interested in Talon 's reaction. Her interest in Jardín seems more... "nuanced" than Beryl's. Something like "Ok, maybe he is not as cute as an actual male Loroi, but he has kinda the appeal."
If male contact is so sparse, specially for soldiers in the frontlines, is not so far fetched that a male human can be quite the eye candy.
I think in the Loroi perspective, Alex is too "feminine" for most females to be attracted to. Arioch has explained that pair-bonding and attraction for Loroi doesn't follow human norms anyway, but even if there were to be such a thing, he's decidedly not "masculine" from a Loroi point of view.
CJSF
[edit]
P.S.
Those words are loaded and human-centric, I know, but this was the only way I could think to convey the ideas I had.
Arioch wrote:
It's easy to interpret Beryl's reaction as one of jealousy (and that misinterpretation is, of course, a deliberate storytelling device on my part), but that's not really what's going on. Beryl is being protective; Alex is her responsibility, and he has been mistreated by other Loroi in the recent past. He doesn't understand the significance of touch-telepathy to the Loroi, nor the other nuances of his situation (which will be explained shortly).
The logical end-point of this impulse is the vision of a swollen-eyed, sleep deprived Beryl trying to keep from nodding off in a chair while clutching a whore-whacking stick muttering unkind and increasingly vaguely nonsensical things about the entire population of the Loroi race.
Beryl wrote:
Finally got the Human off the ship and into a shuttle, thought I could grab just a few solons of sleep.
Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Immediately propositioned in the next room by a pilot nope.
Not going to make that mistake again. Sleep is for the weak.
500000 Solons: Conclude that enlisting Tempo to preempt Fireblade's inevitable betrayal is unfeasible, Fireblade is required to forestall Tempo's inevitable betrayal.
cacambo43 wrote:I think in the Loroi perspective, Alex is too "feminine" for most females to be attracted to. Arioch has explained that pair-bonding and attraction for Loroi doesn't follow human norms anyway, but even if there were to be such a thing, he's decidedly not "masculine" from a Loroi point of view.
Beryl herself did say that he looks very much like Loroi males, even if a bit large... (emphasis in the actual word bubble, too)
And no, dear readers, get your mind out of the gutter, she might have had a good look at him and have lots of medical scans, but she was just talking about his height and muscle mass. By the looks of it, it is an off-putting trait... though maybe not that off-putting.
I don't know. Amazons are a pretty persistent human literary trope. It might even be a Loroi equivalent of the attraction to tomboys. They have the sort of bits that (in this case) Loroi warrior's like, but he's also got more in common with them than the usual delicate beauties the Loroi ladies would be used to.
harlequin2262 wrote:I don't know. Amazons are a pretty persistent human literary trope. It might even be a Loroi equivalent of the attraction to tomboys. They have the sort of bits that (in this case) Loroi warrior's like, but he's also got more in common with them than the usual delicate beauties the Loroi ladies would be used to.
It depended on the culture when it came to warrior women.
The Greek Amazons were suppose to be a warning to the menfolk of what happens if they let their women do what they want (something Spartans and Stoics thought was awsome). Others, depended on the culture. Germanic tribes in the time of Rome would bring their women to battle, and the women would often fight just to show their husbands how its done. Vikings have tales of "Shield Maidens" with some historical findings of smaller adult skeletons with warrior gear (indicating a warrior woman). Mongol women were allowed to fight on the front lines, and while the great manly art of wrestling was not all that common amongst them (save for one woman that would marry the winner and get 200 horses if he lost...and had a heard of 1000's), But all aspects of horsemanship, and archery were encouraged.
Samurai women were expected fight to the death to defend the home, and often favored the long bow and the naginata.
Even the Bible has it with the Prophetess Deborah and her section in the Book of Judges.