Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

[Twinkee]

Please do not tumble dry

SpoilerShow

[Arioch]

Please do not tumble dry

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Sounds like good advice to me.

[Mr Bojangles]

Please do not tumble dry

SpoilerShow

Sounds like good advice to me.

Turning a shirt inside out is indeed a good way to protect any printed logos. Sage advice, that.

[GeoModder]

SpoilerShow

Sounds like good advice to me.

Turning a shirt inside out is indeed a good way to protect any printed logos. Sage advice, that.

And, in China, removing the child prior to washing enhances the parents' chances at elderly care after said child joined the workforce.

[GeoModder]

On page 59, where Tempo explained the tactical situation to Alex, we see these two arrow bars pointed towards the Naam system. Assuming the left bar represents strike group 51, does the right bar represent the predecessor groups (appearantly 44 and 6B)?
If so, I wonder if the label "6B" means this particular group was more of a battle formation (the B part), or a subgroup from a normal-sized strike group.

[Arioch]

Yes, the right bar represents the other two strike groups, 44 and 6B.

I'm not sure what I had in mind in regards to the "6B" designation. It's possible that I just selected two random characters, without bothering to remember whether "B" was a numeral. My notes suggest that Strike Group 44 is supposed to be a different group that appears later in the story, which reinforces the "random characters" theory. At the time that this page was made, the pages were still being displayed at the lower 660x960 resolution, and the characters would probably have been unreadable.

[Hālian]

Wherefore the use of the Cancer symbol to represent Umiak forces?

How do they even know what it is if it's a human contrivance?

[dragoongfa]

This is going to be...

Artsy...

So, lets take human art; the definition of art as we know it is 'the expression of someone's creative inner world through their works'.

Loroi are creative, the males are described as philosophical while the militant females have demonstrated numerous times their natural proclivity for having their stuff looking good. Their ships are symmetrical with nice, menacing lines, their armors are form fitting meant to emphasize the superior martial prowess of their bodies (I am not joking here, look at ancient Greek and Roman ceremonial armors and how they emphasized the male body as a comparison) while they certainly have some proclivity for visual art, if we take the tempest fresco into account.

However their natural psychic abilities may have taken art in a different way than what we understand as human.

Let's take music for example, it comes to reason that the Loroi would have musical instruments, all human warrior societies had an advanced musical tradition; however would they have vocal singers or telepathic singers?

Beryl described vocal speech as awkward for many Loroi, so it comes to reason that vocalists wouldn't be seen as a necessary addition to music like our singers. However the direct, sentimental and truthful nature of Sanzai would allow for some heartbreaking telepathic singing when accompanied by musical instruments. I imagine the silent Teidar having a proclivity for such type of art but maybe I want to know if Fireblade has a softer artsy style behind those emerald eyes

With the above in mind, theatrical performances with spoken and telepathic speech come to mind as well. Maybe the Loroi proclivity for hearing the truth would limit their telepathic performances but I think that the Loroi would be more than able to distinguish truth from fiction even when the telepathic lines sound true; perhaps their greatest performers would be so skilled that they would be able to confuse the audience in that regard.

However I doubt that they would have developed cinematographic entertainment (Movies and TV series) because the Loroi don't have a way to pass telepathic speech through machinery and spoken speech is seen as awkward. It would break their suspension of disbelief to only hear spoken speech. I think that lighthearted comedies could take a pass but I doubt it.

Which brings me to the last.

How do the Loroi tell jokes? They laugh and they certainly understand comedy but would the jokes be said in telepathic or spoken speech?

[Zakharra]

I think in music, the Loroi have instruments, and use it, but their singing is limited to maybe some screaming (as in an accompaniment to a musical piece), like a war cry. Nothing like we have with singers. But that said, the Loroi have heard the music of other species that do have singers more like what we know, so they aren't unfamiliar with songs being sung rather than just played. It's just not really a part of their musical traditions.

[Sweforce]

I think in music, the Loroi have instruments, and use it, but their singing is limited to maybe some screaming (as in an accompaniment to a musical piece), like a war cry. Nothing like we have with singers. But that said, the Loroi have heard the music of other species that do have singers more like what we know, so they aren't unfamiliar with songs being sung rather than just played. It's just not really a part of their musical traditions.

Came to think about it. They know about vocal singing even if they avoid to do it themselves but do they enjoy to listen to vocal singing? And how forgiving i Loroi society for sub cultures among their own? Would an individual that have taken to like to listen to Barsam gospels be considered just a bit weird or completely insane or what? Or If Sabaton would make a song about Still-Storm and her ship named the "The Tempest Fury", would it have a chance to become a hit in the empire?

[Zakharra]

Interesting thought, Sweforce. It might take awhile for such a song to be popular. It might be faster if it was an epic poem/saga that is spoken/chanted rather than sung. Of course the current Emperor wouldn't like it (Stillstorm was a supporter of the other contender for Emperor), but I don't think ti would be forbidden, especially if it raised moral. Now what Stillstorm might think about it is something else entirely. She dislike it as an attempt of flattery and she doesn't seem like the type that likes being flattered.

I think there are numerous sub cultures in the Loroi society. There's numerous warrior ones alone. Plus differences between the different worlds and castes. Then the civilians have their own sub cultures depending upon the different worlds and castes, and even age groups(I think). As long as they don't interfere, the sub cultures are tolerated because they help the Loroi way of doing things. Being a telepathic race makes it very easy to keep out traitors and subversives.

[Mr.Tucker]

I think the Loroi are tolerant of subcultures as long as said subcultures are not disruptive to their society, or don't keep their citizens or soldiers from doing their jobs. They already have subcultures from the original sister worlds. At the same time their telepathic abilities would push them towards a greater degree of homogenity. Your average Jane may not want to stand out. And the higher the rank, the more likely social norms are stricter. Civilians? I think they can believe in whatever they want as long as they report to the office.

[dragoongfa]

Minor questions:

Would a mutilated Loroi, someone missing both arms for example, have difficulty in the Telepathic field? Would they have the same telepathic stability?

Do the Loroi have regenerative medical technology? As in, can they regrow limbs?

[Arioch]

The various Loroi cultures do not have much of a tradition of vocal music. There are a few Loroi musical traditions that include some vocals, but most are not "verbal" in the sense of containing lyrics; they are derived from ancient battlefield war chants that are mainly shouts with little or no language content.

As a modern culture, the Loroi are not completely unfamiliar with the concept of singing, as they have been exposed to numerous alien cultures that have song, and many Loroi listen to alien music. In particular, the Barsam have a strong vocal music tradition (Barsam prayers and sermons are sung). There are Loroi converts to the Barsam Church and Loroi who are interested in alien cultures, and so there are no doubt Loroi who sing, or who even compose their own vocal music. But this would be considered a small minority.

Would a mutilated Loroi, someone missing both arms for example, have difficulty in the Telepathic field? Would they have the same telepathic stability?

Loss of a limb does not affect telepathy. Although telepathy is not well understood, it definitely has something to do with brain function. Brain damage can impair psionic function, and psionic amplifiers must normally be worn on the head.

Do the Loroi have regenerative medical technology? As in, can they regrow limbs?

Yes.

[Karst45]

And, in China, removing the child prior to washing enhances the parents' chances at elderly care after said child joined the workforce.

but i save time. i clean the baby AND do the laundry at the same time!


and yes i use the hair drier in the shower

[GeoModder]

And, in China, removing the child prior to washing enhances the parents' chances at elderly care after said child joined the workforce.

but i save time. i clean the baby AND do the laundry at the same time!

The only time you'd save is that you only need to launder the baby once.

[Senanthes]

Sudden curiosity strikes me...

Do the Loroi have large scale, organized crime syndicates akin to the Mafia or Mob? If so, do any stand out? And what about those that are more on the fringe of society like smugglers and bounty hunters? I'd imagine just about anyone has law breakers as well as law makers, but is it on a truly large scale within the Union?

[Mr.Tucker]

If I were a betting man, I'd say no. Organized crime relies on secrecy, and there is very little of it in Loroi society (after all, the DA, the lawyers, the arresting officers, even the jury can hear your thoughts). Also, organized crime does not readily flourish in heavily militarized societies (or societies with a tribal mentality, which is what all Loroi experience in their childhood). What you CAN get is different flavors of corruption (with the exact definition of corruption being dependent on individuals and the society; lobby groups are legal in the US and most western countries, but represent, in essence, traffic of influence).

[dragoongfa]

If I were a betting man, I'd say no. Organized crime relies on secrecy, and there is very little of it in Loroi society (after all, the DA, the lawyers, the arresting officers, even the jury can hear your thoughts). Also, organized crime does not readily flourish in heavily militarized societies (or societies with a tribal mentality, which is what all Loroi experience in their childhood). What you CAN get is different flavors of corruption (with the exact definition of corruption being dependent on individuals and the society; lobby groups are legal in the US and most western countries, but represent, in essence, traffic of influence).

On the hand I think that the above sounds reasonable but on the other I wonder if there are civilian guilds whose members wouldn't mind dirtying their hands a little bit. After all Loroi civilians are considered to be 'failed' warriors and as such second rate citizens when compared to warrior castes.

[Mr.Tucker]

On the hand I think that the above sounds reasonable but on the other I wonder if there are civilian guilds whose members wouldn't mind dirtying their hands a little bit. After all Loroi civilians are considered to be 'failed' warriors and as such second rate citizens when compared to warrior castes.

Well, the Loroi basically live under perpetual martial law, so I'd expect most of the law enforcement to be done by members of the armed forces, and most tribunals to have a military flavor, even in civilian society. Under such heavy scrutiny I'm not sure clandestine dealings of any kind would be possible, at least on the Loroi worlds themselves. If you're thinking about such affairs, the your closest friends would find out, next their friends, and eventually it reaches the, ah... ears of the authorities.
That's actually a pertinent question: are Loroi policing forces military in nature?