Page 132: Something Interesting

Discussion regarding the Outsider webcomic, science, technology and science fiction.

Moderator: Outsider Moderators

WalexB
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by WalexB »

fredgiblet wrote:Beryl's arm is still around Alex's shoulders~
And she is still sitting on Alex's lap, who is holding her with his arm, and this is
for a human variant where touching is considered extremely uncommon.
Also she is sitting rather comfortably on the lap of a male taller and stronger
than her, another uncommon thing for the Loroi.

Perhaps Talon and Spiral could have mentioned to the escaping ship that
the ambassador was a really hot physically compatible male :-).

WalexB
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by WalexB »

Excellion wrote:Also, five weeks in a row with a new page? Hat tip to that accomplishment!
If you look at the Patreon, "Arioch" had the brilliant idea of incentivizing himself by getting donations per page, rather than per-month, and he is getting a reasonably good amount per-page, so he can devote more time to "Outsider". If he keeps doing a page a week he might even live off it if he lives in a low-cost area.
I think that more comics should get per-page donations, or ideally both a per-month and per-page part.

User avatar
cacambo43
Posts: 301
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2012 11:39 am
Location: The Space Coast
Contact:

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by cacambo43 »

I think our perception of time and events is skewed, as we're waiting several days or so between pages. I don't think even a minute has passed since the unexpected acceleration, and it does look a little in that first panel on this page that Beryl is still a little stunned or at least catching her breath. It does seem odd that the others (Tempo, Fireblade, and Reed) haven't gotten involved or had anything to "say" yet, but hopefully that can be reconciled without too much exposition. When the Umiak began their jumps into the system, I would have expected Tempo to be ordering Alex back to his seat immediately, rather than let him play tactician on their systems.

CJSF

User avatar
icekatze
Posts: 1399
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 8:35 pm
Location: Middle of Nowhere
Contact:

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

Awesome! Cerulean is looking great, but I must admit I'm worried about her long term prospects. ;)

Presumably they know how outmatched they are, but evacuating everyone not required for a fight still seems like a reasonable precaution. It's not like there might be a defensive fleet that would require the station to resupply them after the fight is over. Still, I get the feeling that Gora Relay is now a self-service gas station.

I had wondered if they were planning on putting the Highland-7's inertial dampeners to the test on impact, but they still need to be able to escape afterwards. (Assuming they don't have to abandon ship and fly away in a different shuttle.)
Excellion wrote:I wonder what Tempo, Fireblade and the two guards are currently doing
I suspect the guards are making sure all of their gear is in order. Someloroi's going to need to carry those fuel pods/lines/tanks, right? As for Tempo, she does seem like someone who is capable of working behind the scenes, but I suspect she hasn't really had an opportunity or reason to interject yet. Talon hasn't really made any obvious mistakes in her duties, so there probably isn't much cause for Tempo to give orders. (Assuming Tempo hasn't been calling the shots over Sanzai already.)
entity2636 wrote:They could eject the cargo to lower their mass.
I have a feel that, at least from Stillstorm and Tempo's point of view, it would be better to destroy the cargo than let it fall into Umiak hands as a cloud of debris. But I could be wrong about that.
SVlad wrote:Tilted field? I'm quite curious what Talon were thinking when she said that.
My take is that the field in question is like a playing field, or whatever testing, trial, or combat equivalent is relevant to the Loroi. Like the english idiom about a level playing field, only in reverse, I'm guessing the tilted field is a set of circumstances weighted unfairly against the speaker.

novius
Posts: 654
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 10:33 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by novius »

WalexB wrote:
fredgiblet wrote:Beryl's arm is still around Alex's shoulders~
And she is still sitting on Alex's lap, who is holding her with his arm, and this is
for a human variant where touching is considered extremely uncommon.
Also she is sitting rather comfortably on the lap of a male taller and stronger
than her, another uncommon thing for the Loroi.

Perhaps Talon and Spiral could have mentioned to the escaping ship that
the ambassador was a really hot physically compatible male :-).
Given that there is quite some talking in these pages, starting with pg. 126, we can safely assume that some time between two and five minutes has elapsed. In pg. 127 she still had the "I'm not sure what you're up to, and if I could come to like it or not" look, but in pg. 129 she was still sitting there - comfortably - and that might imply that inertia wouldn't pin her down, too, and lastly in pg. 132 she even shifted her position and put an arm around his shoulders.

Definitely a long way from that infamous elevator scene (pg. 45f.).

Yep, Beryl could count herself lucky that Talon is too preoccupied to notice. I think 'hypocrite' would be the most harmless word coming out of her mouth on seeing these two as they are now. :)

fredgiblet
Moderator
Posts: 983
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:02 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by fredgiblet »

And soon we start with the Loroi competing to see who can sit on Alex's lap the longest before he objects.

User avatar
anticarrot
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 8:45 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by anticarrot »

novius wrote: Given that there is quite some talking in these pages, starting with pg. 126, we can safely assume that some time between two and five minutes has elapsed. In pg. 127 she still had the "I'm not sure what you're up to, and if I could come to like it or not" look, but in pg. 129 she was still sitting there - comfortably - and that might imply that inertia wouldn't pin her down, too, and lastly in pg. 132 she even shifted her position and put an arm around his shoulders.

Definitely a long way from that infamous elevator scene (pg. 45f.).

Yep, Beryl could count herself lucky that Talon is too preoccupied to notice. I think 'hypocrite' would be the most harmless word coming out of her mouth on seeing these two as they are now. :)
Maybe. Maybe not. Beryl's current assignment is to get close to Alex and learn all there is to know about humanity. Which includes to an extent learning and coping human customs, if only to ingratiate herself to Alex. Look how she went from pointing with her thumb to pointing with her finger on p118. Depending on how far she'd be expected to take this study, this may be an assignment Talon might not envy. Especially given that Beryl is in some ways becoming the second most important piece of cargo after Alex, and the second one they murder to prevent that information falling into enemy claws. :roll:

Highlord
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 9:26 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by Highlord »

Hmm. Going ballistic, intending to use the last of her fuel to crash-decel at the last instant?

boldilocks
Posts: 669
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:27 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by boldilocks »

anticarrot wrote:Look how she went from pointing with her thumb to pointing with her finger on p118.
I assumed her first way of pointing was related to what she was referring to on screen, not that she usually points with her thumb, ie, she was referring to the direction of the spin going along the course of her fingers.

If you look at page 22 you'll see stillstorm pointing with her index finger.

On page 42 she's using her index finger to operate the lift, I assume people will point with their "active finger", but that's pure conjecture on my part.

On page 59 tempo points with her finger, as does the construct on page 53

On page 72 Beryl points to the seat Alex is supposed to take, however at this point she would have observed him pointing with his index finger several times, so presumably if it was an adaption she would already have adapted to it by that point.

User avatar
CrimsonFALKE
Posts: 404
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 11:31 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by CrimsonFALKE »

sunphoenix wrote:
fredgiblet wrote:Beryl's arm is still around Alex's shoulders~
I notice she does not seem to mind Alex's hand around her waist either..! 8-)
Oh thank god I am not alone in thinking they look like two teens in the back seat of a car at the drive in.

Sweforce
Posts: 546
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:00 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by Sweforce »

I suspect that the Gora relay are running with a skeleton crew now and only the unluckily ones that draw the short straws are left. My guess is that they would have abandoned the station in it's entirely IF they had the ships to do it since it is a suicide mission to stay onboard. So convenient then that the Highland 7 have ample seating arrangements. It may become crowded onboard!

User avatar
orion1836
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 11:38 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by orion1836 »

Sweforce wrote:I suspect that the Gora relay are running with a skeleton crew now and only the unluckily ones that draw the short straws are left. My guess is that they would have abandoned the station in it's entirely IF they had the ships to do it since it is a suicide mission to stay onboard. So convenient then that the Highland 7 have ample seating arrangements. It may become crowded onboard!
Alex might have to have more than one Loroi on his lap. :mrgreen:

novius
Posts: 654
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 10:33 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by novius »

boldilocks wrote:
anticarrot wrote:Look how she went from pointing with her thumb to pointing with her finger on p118.
I assumed her first way of pointing was related to what she was referring to on screen, not that she usually points with her thumb, ie, she was referring to the direction of the spin going along the course of her fingers.

If you look at page 22 you'll see stillstorm pointing with her index finger.

On page 42 she's using her index finger to operate the lift, I assume people will point with their "active finger", but that's pure conjecture on my part.

On page 59 tempo points with her finger, as does the construct on page 53

On page 72 Beryl points to the seat Alex is supposed to take, however at this point she would have observed him pointing with his index finger several times, so presumably if it was an adaption she would already have adapted to it by that point.
That gesture in pg. 118 reminds me much of the "left hand rule" of Lorentz Force - in this case, the index finger is directed to the galactic core, and the thumb would indicate the "spinward" direction. Or, given how she bent the index finger, it would be the palm pointing corewards, the index finger indicating the "up" direction concerning the galactic plane (facing towards the viewer), but the thumb still pointing spinwards.
Depending on how far she'd be expected to take this study, this may be an assignment Talon might not envy.
That I'm not quite sure of. She warmed up to him pretty quickly, in just a few seconds. Sure, Beryl would really go all out on an assignment such as this, so it seems, but judging by this picture, even Talon wouldn't find that idea too abhorrent. Though in her case she'd get to know him on a different level, as one of equal rank and comrade-in-arms. Definitely a different sort of interest than Beryl has shown.
Last edited by novius on Wed May 23, 2018 3:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

novius
Posts: 654
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 10:33 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by novius »

orion1836 wrote:
Sweforce wrote:I suspect that the Gora relay are running with a skeleton crew now and only the unluckily ones that draw the short straws are left. My guess is that they would have abandoned the station in it's entirely IF they had the ships to do it since it is a suicide mission to stay onboard. So convenient then that the Highland 7 have ample seating arrangements. It may become crowded onboard!
Alex might have to have more than one Loroi on his lap. :mrgreen:
:mrgreen: That's just begging for another writing prompt. Let's see what I can come up with....

User avatar
man_of_foul_tofu
Posts: 39
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:23 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by man_of_foul_tofu »

Never mind the teenage anticipation of blue eared alien warriors encountering a single red blooded male in the middle or a war for survival (1), Please discuss the benefits of docking with a ship station that has been "flushed" and enemies depleted from their deep jump in are en-route to attack - If you cannot find fuel in space, can you find fuel in a flushed station?

(1) Enticing as blossoming romance is, I find Romance in a hard SF plot - or in any SF plot twisting with 'because love' followed by the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ bewildering "now change all our strategies" to be utterly frustratingly stupid. I do not want that here in Outside.

novius
Posts: 654
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 10:33 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by novius »

man_of_foul_tofu wrote:Please discuss the benefits of docking with a ship station that has been "flushed" and enemies depleted from their deep jump in are en-route to attack - If you cannot find fuel in space, can you find fuel in a flushed station?
They flushed out the couriers and support staff. The station is now running with a skeleton crew, but nothing indicates that they removed (or scuttled) the remaining fuel and supplies, too. I guess at that point they could expect a miracle or a friendly fleet showing up, and only if they face with large-scale boarding actions, they'd be considering to either scuttle the supplies or blow up the station in its entirety, going out in a blaze of glory.

Second, I wouldn't say "just because", because love and attraction could be a very strong motivation on how people act (and usually is). Given the situation, the most prudent choice for Alex would be to skip boat and join sides with the Umiak, since the Loroi do seem to be much at a disadvantage now. On behalf of humanity, since his mandate is to actually pick the winning side in the war....

NOMAD
Posts: 457
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:34 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by NOMAD »

OOOOOHHHH good page; Icekatze nice to see your character in the comic.

That last panel, are we about to see Talon pulls some very impressive flying . . . TOP GUN style
I am a wander, going from place to place without a home I am a NOMAD

entity2636
Posts: 339
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 11:53 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by entity2636 »

Sweforce wrote:My guess is that they would have abandoned the station in it's entirely IF they had the ships to do it since it is a suicide mission to stay onboard. So convenient then that the Highland 7 have ample seating arrangements. It may become crowded onboard!
I doubt the station's crew would have evacuated and NOT scuttled the station. There's plenty of intel in it that should not fall into Umiak hands.

So, indeed, they a) either didn't have enough ships to take everyone, or b) they believe they can withstand the Umiak assault or at least do some damage before they ultimately kick the bucket, or c) they have orders to stand their ground. The station is strategically more valuable intact and able to do at least some damage to the enemy before they destroy it than blown up by it's own crew.

We have seen that morale aboard Loroi ships is kind of cr@p, but the station's (acting?) commander seems quite confident, so I'd say they are prepared to make their last stand.

Honestly, at this point I believe the chances of survival are better aboard the station than on a passenger shuttle. The station has very powerful shields, heavy artillery, lots and lots of PDLs and an armored hull, while the shuttle even at full power is slower than Umiak ships and there isn't really any place for it to run even if it could.

I have a feeling we may, after a couple of pages, see some boarding action and fighting in the station's corridors. A possible way out of this mess would be to take over an Umiak boarding vessel and get out on it, I don't see the Loroi navy coming to help anytime soon...

Darroth
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:34 pm

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by Darroth »

NOMAD wrote:OOOOOHHHH good page; Icekatze nice to see your character in the comic.

That last panel, are we about to see Talon pulls some very impressive flying . . . TOP GUN style
What's your problem Alex?

You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you fly, you're unsafe. I don't like you because you're dangerous.

That's right! I am dangerous.

*mutual smoldering looks*.

User avatar
Zarya
Posts: 202
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 2:32 am

Re: Page 132: Something Interesting

Post by Zarya »

It’s totally awesome how the story is developing. The pace has gone up, and Alex’ character is drawn-in. It doesn’t look like he’s an Outsider. The introduction of Cerulean is great and I’m already rooting for her and the Gora Relay station..

(edits - tried to better phrase my enthusiasm)
Last edited by Zarya on Wed May 23, 2018 8:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply