You know, I was joking about the nose-hair thing, but I do believe that Arioch one-upped me. Everything in the last two panels sounds like an accidental threat.

You know I've been meaning to ask, do the Loroi know about the concept of personal space? they sure like to get in his face.

I think she's just trying to captain kirk the sexy mysterious alien in her own offbeat way

Jests aside I'm guessing of the Loroi, she has the most vested positive personal interest in him.

The members of the Loroi Navy DO live on ships most of the time, even more so during a war. I would expect that personal space is something that gets drilled OUT of you in Navy training.

...

Or she could be hitting on him.

EDIT: Also this re-enforces my thought that Stillstorm has been keeping him in solitary, probably just because she can.

I have to say, this is an incredibly funny page. Well done Arioch.

God, Beryl is so adorable.

I think you're being awfully unfair to Stillstorm when you say things like that.

My own impression was that it was Tempo who had kept him in solitary, possibly for a variety of reasons (perhaps including his own safety).

Firstly there's the statement that Alex is Beryl's responsibility now; I assume that before now, he was Tempo's responsibility, not Stillstorm's, being a recognized diplomat and all.

One possible reason to do something like that is that separating Alex from everything, taking away any comfort zone he might establish, and then giving him an ally to empathize with who will a lot of time with him, that's a decent recipe for Stockholm Syndrome. Not perfect, but, nothing ever is. That's not something that Stillstorm would come up with, but I think Mizol diplomats are trained for all sorts of circumstances. I do not think it some unintended accident that Alex be put through circumstances that will break down his mental resistance and make him desperate to reach out for some social connection, and then be put together with Beryl. I do not think some blind attack from Stillstorm would serve the purposes of the Loroi Union so well. Though if it is a matter of deliberate design, it could just as easily be Arioch's design as that of the Mizol Parat.

Additionally, if this was done just to hurt him, impersonally ordering him locked up, rather than any variety of direct confrontation (any variety of all) seems a bit cowardly and passive-aggressive to me.

I have seen nothing passive about Stillstorm's aggression.

I think Stillstorm's more the kind to give him free run of the ship so that she could knife him after he trips and falls in her direction.

Which wouldn't serve the Mizol's purposes very well at all.

Furthermore and more importantly, Stillstorm has the best facial expressions and is my favorite Loroi and I will cry like a little girl if you keep being so mean to her you big meanie.



I think she's acting more like she just got a puppy than like she wants to get her Kirk on.
<click here

how can you not like her, she act like a kitten on catnip!

i as close to the reality with my

If Beryl doesn't sound like Starfire, I will be very disappoint.

First things first: Great page Arioch!

I do not think that Tempo was responsible for Alex. The 51st is not on a diplomatic mission and I think they did not expect someone or something like Alex to show up. That region of Space is burnend and lifeless except for the enemy. Its more likely that Stillstorm was in charge of him and she choose the only logical option in this situation: throw this "human" in the brig and examine it later. If its dangerous for Tempest: throw it out of an airlock or cut it open. If not, well lets find out...

It wouldn't be surprising if the Lori don't use an American style personal space. Most *human* cultures stand closer together and touch each other more frequently then Americans. Though not all, in some cultures people stand further apart and touch each other less.

That being said, I think it's just Beryl. I paged back through the whole comic and she's the only one who really gets up in his face. Obviously, several Lori touch Alex when they first try to read his mind, and Tempo does something similar on page 66. I took those intrusions as practical necessity. Likewise the constraints of the comic make people appear to be standing close together. In panel 2 of page 34 Fireblade and Beryl appear to be almost touching, but I think that's an artifact of the artistic style. On page 72 Fireblade is sitting closer to Alex then she'd have to, but we *know* Fireblade doesn't want Alex to touch her so I think she's just trying to stay in frame. In any top down shot, the Lori have the separation between individuals that you'd expect.

However, Beryl clearly gets rather close to Alex on the most recent page and on page 72. Her pose on page 72 looked rather flirty to me and I thought Fireblade was rolling her eyes. But maybe Beryl has the same problem as Jessica Rabbit: she's not bad, that's just the way she's drawn.

Do you guys hear that noise? Do you hear that noise?

If by any chance the noise that you are hearing resembles enthusiastic squeeing and is coming from the Atlantic Seaboard of the United States, the source of the noise is probably me.

Anyhow, Arioch has just proved exactly how awesome he is once again, God bless the man. With so much time together in an enclosed space, I have no doubt that many opportunities to break out the shipping goggles will present themselves. (We really need a "suggestive eyebrows" smiley. Just saying.)

While I am indeed in agreement with the opinion that Beryl is the cutest thing alive, I must say that her way of speaking to Alex doesn't so much resemble someone talking to a canine as a mother talking to a child. Alex is male, and therefore...aw, who am I kidding, that's even cuter. And unfortunately puts a rather uncomfortable twist on all my shipping attempts.

Dammit.

Where did the thing Beryl is holding in her hands in the last panel come from? I've been looking at the page and I can't figure it out.

Edit: Nevermind, looking at page 100, it looks like Eloree must have given it to her off-panel so that she could open the door.

The guards are clearly thinking "I feel sorry for the poor bastard".

I have to admit, if I were in Alex's place, I'd be feeling more than slightly terrified at how Beryl is acting in the last few panels. She's scary cheerful about it.

You make a compelling argument, however I think you've overlooked something. I wholeheartedly agree that Stillstorm doesn't seem like the type who'd be fine just leaving Alex in the brig, however he is a recognized diplomat, which means that that's probably just about the best she can do. As far as letting him roam free and then gutting him when he's out of view she would need to do that personally and when they were alone as it's unlikely that anyone else would do it for her (court-martial ahoy!) and it's unlikely that anyone else would let her do it if they saw her. Even if there are other Loroi who seriously dislike Alex I have to imagine that it's very easy for Loroi detectives to pry information out of people, and it's probably very difficult to get away with crimes in general for the Loroi. Something as serious as the murder of a precursor species diplomat would probably bring the full weight of the Loroi government down on the Tempest for an investigation, and I think Stillstorm's smart enough to not get herself shortened over a personal dislike of someone.

However there's no reason it couldn't be both, and, as I said, you make a compelling argument for why Tempo would want him locked up as well, and given my own position I can't see Stillstorm disagreeing with the decision.



Cry some more!

We should all remember that Beryl is very young, and this is a first contact scenario. She's basically the equivalent of the nerdy young scientist in a sci-fi movie who finds a (sexy) alien, and is told it's his job to find out what makes it tick. That was my first thought about her excitement.

EDIT: Also, if you tilt the emphasis a little bit, "Why didn't you come see me?" makes Alex sound like a jilted lover.

Well, isn't she ever-so-chipper?



That makes sense to me. As to the "jilted lover" bit, Beryl is pretty much the only friendly face that Alex has encountered thus far. Given all that he has been through, he likely wants some sort of contact. Which would tie in nicely with the theory put forth by Solemn earlier in the thread.

Off to Beryl's basement dungeon of love, Alex!

I have read at least one "moustache fanfic" posted on /tg/ involving...well, it didn't quite involve Beryl's basement dungeon of love--the main Loroi character in that one was Fireblade...

It was simultaneously arousing and terrifying. May God have mercy on my soul.

and this one time.. at space camp....

Did she speak?

Yes

hum hum hum . . .. LOL LOL LOL that page was funny. I think Alex is thinking of two possible way this transfer will go:

A) He'll learn alot about the loroi from both Beryl and his Escort ( can't wait for Talon)

B) the following few days are going to a long trip with alot of biological inquiry ( argh)

either way this is going to be interesting chapter.

but does this mean the highland VIP transport has a longer range ( IE interplanetary), if the 51st is at the outer planets ?

I don't think the Loroi are making any assumptions about human psychology. As physically similar as the two species are, mentally (if only by psi) and socially they are clearly very different. I highly doubt given that he's a diplomat that may one day rejoin his people they would risk psychological warfare (unless of course treating him as a diplomat is only a cover... kinda twilight zone esc that twist). Also they don't know what might work and what might not, probably better and safer to play it safe. My bet is it's because they're basically on high alert, don't really have diplomat's quarters and know the Loroi probably won't mix too well with a creature that constantly talks (which is basically a huge insult... I guess sorta like running around arabic countries slapping people with the sole of your shoe, or eating from communal food with the left hand in countries without TP [did I blow your mind there?]).

-O

It was best fanfic ever!