Outsider title analysis

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

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Suttrjac
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Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:00 am

Outsider title analysis

Post by Suttrjac »

Hola mi amigos! Since I’m not sure this topic has been broached before, though I may be mistaken considering how far back the forums go, I would like to devote a few brief lines to our beloved comic’s title and how it encompasses the variety of characters which populate its universe. While it may seem obvious that ‘Outsider’ refers to our intrepid protagonist, Jardin, being that he is alien to the aliens aboard the Tempest, I believe the description may well apply to all the main Loroi characters thus far introduced including the latest introduction of tik-27.

Before proceeding I suppose I should post a disclaimer here that none of my assertions are provable within the context of the narrative, rather I rely upon exposition revealed by the author himself which may, and likely will be, subject to change. Even so given what we can gather from the author’s comments regarding his characters from various forum posts and the insider I dare say we have enough to formulate an understanding of each of the central characters and thereby a better appreciation of the story as a whole. (I should also note that at the time of this writing the search function on the forum was malfunctioning otherwise I would have more evidence to back up my analysis)

To begin, our Ahab like captain Senorita Still Storm (I shall support the Ahab comparison at a later date while acknowledging there is not a perfect parallel between the two though: Beleri) finds herself not just a political outsider (Forum quotations vol. II), due to her opposition to the fourth emperor’s ascension but even amongst her own crew (Forum quotations vol. I) which is staffed with individuals who are decades her junior and to whom she is in all probability incapable of relating. Likewise her (very) near death experience, coupled with her rumored emotional breakdown, spurred on by the loss of her immediate relations and friends during the Semoset campaign has more than likely served to isolate her to a further degree from her subordinates whose age has precluded them from not simply a lengthy exposure to the war but to the gravitas of the war, that being the fundamental challenge of the Loroi’s supposed racial superiority.

In fact even her homeworld of Taben was itself resistant to Imperialistic rule (Loroi Sister Worlds) espousing far more republican views which she herself supported during the brief civil war following the death of the third emperor.

Fireblade is, much like her commander, defined by her loss. She is a latecomer to Loroi society (Forum quotations vol.II) having had the unpleasant experience of losing her home Seren (ibid) in addition to being the sole survivor of not one but two vessels. This alone may explain how she found herself assigned to the Tempest as Still Storm may feel some kinship with this unfortunate soldier however her fellow shipmates feel differently (ibid), though to what extent we are unsure and can only speculate. Her propensity to sleep talk (Character Sheet) would also distinguish her as most Loroi have been taught to seclude their thoughts (Forum Quotations Vol. I), a skill Fireblade apparently has difficulty with.

The evidence supplied for Beryl is I admit substantially less than the prior two however it is mentioned that she, in contrast to her species, is a xenophile (Character Sheet) and in possession of a unique memory system described as eidetic similar to that of a savant (pg. 64). The ominous ‘bad reputation’ (Character Sheet) hints at a certain amount of social isolation though without elucidation it is impossible to speculate with any real certainty.

The latest character Tik-27, whom we have the least amount of information, is recognized (pg. 88) as being substantially different in psychological terms from his counterparts in that he is not suicidal, or perhaps to put it in terms less damning to the species, more inclined towards self-preservation or in possession of a philosophy which differentiates him from his society

fredgiblet
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Re: Outsider title analysis

Post by fredgiblet »

Bad Reputation is a Loroi racial trait, not unique to Beryl. It's cause the Loroi are kind of dicks. I suspect that the only "outsider" feature that Beryl is going to have will be her xenophilia.

Fireblade's Outsiderness is why I have her pegged as a likely love interest later.

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

Re: Outsider title analysis

Post by NOMAD »

Very nice article Suttriac

Their are many different outsiders in the story and for me is one of the main draws of "Outsider" for myself. To see how they interact with each other, in the different contexts on this war should be interesting.
I am a wander, going from place to place without a home I am a NOMAD

CptWinters
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Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:20 pm

Re: Outsider title analysis

Post by CptWinters »

Honestly, I think that in the end, the "Outsider" will be Alex - not in reference to the Loroi, but to humanity.

Suttrjac
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:00 am

Re: Outsider title analysis

Post by Suttrjac »

@fredgiblet I could definitly see the reasoning behind that, what with the whole propensity towards genocide. Even so with only having two data sheets in our hands I think a plausible alternative is that each one simply has a bad reputation, Fireblade for her record at survival and Beryl perhaps for other reasons. Alas as it stands there's no way to be sure either way.

And as far as love interests go I've got my money on Still Storm and Alex, twould make my day :D

fredgiblet
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Re: Outsider title analysis

Post by fredgiblet »

Suttrjac wrote:Alas as it stands there's no way to be sure either way.
Everything from Health +1 up is racial traits, not individual. Part of the way you can tell is the organization where there's a chunk of ads and disads followed by another set of ads followed by disads. Another way you can tell is that it's identical on each, the third way you can tell is that both of them have telepathy 5 in the same spot and then additional telepathy lower and the fourth way you can tell is that the racial modifiers costs are in brackets.

Suttrjac
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:00 am

Re: Outsider title analysis

Post by Suttrjac »

Aye the way you put it does make sense. I suppose I'll defer to your reasoning until we find out more.

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