Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

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Jethreuel
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Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Jethreuel »


Luge
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Luge »

If Outsider was a movie, the change in camera angle here to Focus on Beryl and Jardin would have cleverly prevented from us seeing Spiral naked for three seconds.

On the next page she'll be wearing a cocktail dress.

L.

entity2636
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by entity2636 »

Between all the chaff on the foreground, in the background Tempo now looks really angry, question is at whom - the junior officers being too far out of line, or at Alex who might be hiding something from her (the PDA, which, I'm sure, she knows about or at least suspects)...

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Ithekro
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Ithekro »

Maybe Tempo is just worried about having a male in such close quarters with a lot of young soldiers. Like the olden days about having a woman on a ship was bad luck. While I doubt this species would have a similar superstition about having men on a space ship...the other concept of being a major distraction to the crew could still be a factor here. It hasn't seemed like it yet, but who knows.

Krulle
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Krulle »

To me it looks more like Tempo is sanzaiing with the other Loroi next to her, "settling in". But while keeping an eye out for whatever is happening around Alexander.
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charred steppes, borders of territories: page 59,
jump-map of local stars: page 121, larger map in Loroi: page 118,
System view Leido Crossroads: page 123, after the battle page 195

boldilocks
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by boldilocks »

Ithekro wrote:Like the olden days about having a woman on a ship was bad luck.
Sounds like Alex should be going topless to "Shame the seas into calm".
I read that on a webpage once, but searching for "Topless women and the sea" seemed to return a bunch of results that weren't strictly... relevant.

Overkill Engine
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Overkill Engine »

entity2636 wrote:Between all the chaff on the foreground, in the background Tempo now looks really angry, question is at whom - the junior officers being too far out of line, or at Alex who might be hiding something from her (the PDA, which, I'm sure, she knows about or at least suspects)...
I mean someone did go and casually hand Alex a weapon (yes it's only a small blade, but even a small blade can kill). This could have been a gross error in judgement, or it could have been a sort of test. She could also be concerned at how rapidly he would be trusted with even holding a small blade by Loroi who have only been around him a short time. Given her sphere of responsibility, that could be very bad when dealing with a potentially hostile species that cannot be mind-read or mentally detected.

volrath77
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by volrath77 »

Does Tempo really look angry? Seems that she's just focused on Fireblade. Speaking of the latter though, from the angle of the shot though, it seems that she's blocking Tempo's view. It's probably nothing and she was just in the way when she turned to communicate with her superior but it does seem to me as if she's protecting the two behind her by blocking Tempo's view/diverting her attention.

Arent
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Arent »

Overkill Engine wrote:She could also be concerned at how rapidly he would be trusted with even holding a small blade by Loroi who have only been around him a short time.
Humans have +50% diplomacy modifier. In one week, all Loroi and Umiak will love Alex. In two weeks they will volunarily join the human empire :shock:

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Ithekro
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Ithekro »

While not quite that high, if there is a small piece of Masters of Orion in this setting, that is a Human trait that can at least get you some good trade deals and if nothing else get non-aggression pact with the weirdest races...aside from the erratic ones that shift moods on you....or are influenced by spy missions that set you up at the patsy (I seem to recall Humans were lacking in espionage defense by a small amount due to their high Diplomacy trait).

Krulle
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Krulle »

boldilocks wrote:
Ithekro wrote:Like the olden days about having a woman on a ship was bad luck.
Sounds like Alex should be going topless to "Shame the seas into calm".
I read that on a webpage once, but searching for "Topless women and the sea" seemed to return a bunch of results that weren't strictly... relevant.
You were close.
I searched for ("shame the seas into calm" women on ships) and got served a few good results about superstition at sea:
https://www.discover-the-world.com/blog/superstitions-at-sea/ wrote:Women on board ship make the seas angry. (It was once though[t] that women were not as capable as men, and would distract them from their duties. According to the same superstition, a naked woman would shame the seas into calm, hence the female figures carved into the bow of many ships.)
I knew there were quite a few superstitions, but some of them are rather interesting.
I, as modern-times human, simply lack the cultural upbringing to place most of them into context, so it's very nice this page also provides a context for most of the superstitions. :)
https://www.cruise.co.uk/bulletin/13-superstitions-to-be-wary-of-during-your-cruise/ wrote:3: No Women Allowed

Alright, we’ve all seen the music video to ‘In The Navy’. The Village People were undoubtedly one of the most masculine bands of their era and this track perfectly depicted what it was like to be a rough and tough man on the wide open seas. “Come on and join your fellow man!” they sing. Note: no mentions of joining your fellow women. Well that’s because women were said to be a distraction to sailors, and an anger to the seas. On the flipside however, a naked woman would shame the seas into calm. Sounds awfully convenient no matter which way you slice it to us. This is how the tradition of a partially naked female figurehead became so commonplace, apparently!
Vote for Outsider on TWC: Image
charred steppes, borders of territories: page 59,
jump-map of local stars: page 121, larger map in Loroi: page 118,
System view Leido Crossroads: page 123, after the battle page 195

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icekatze
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

Tempo: "Don't let him know that an enemy ship is headed right for us, while the others have him distracted, you go and set up the self-destruct charges where he can't see them." :P

Bless Beryl's heart, "it's a blade." We need to get Captain Obvious her own ship. :lol:

Krulle
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Krulle »

Well, he IS an alien.
Possibly the aliens invented completely different tools to get things done.

But you might easily recognize as a fork is rather unknown in many cultures on Earth...

She has to assume he may need the obvious, which sometimes may just be a vocable, to be able to refer to something.

His second question was the actual much better question anyway.
Vote for Outsider on TWC: Image
charred steppes, borders of territories: page 59,
jump-map of local stars: page 121, larger map in Loroi: page 118,
System view Leido Crossroads: page 123, after the battle page 195

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icekatze
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

I suppose since they are speaking in trade and not english, and that Alex did have some difficulty with translations before, it may be fair to explain the correct word to use. But Beryl did go over the term blade before, with reference to Fireblade's name, and Alex didn't ask what it meant then.

In terms of what kind of tool it is, sure you can use a blade for lots of different things, but form follows function. Regardless of what it is intended for, it is a cutting edge.

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sunphoenix
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by sunphoenix »

LOLS Beryl is the perfect 'straight-man' in this jest! 'snort'
PbP:
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CrimsonFALKE
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by CrimsonFALKE »

What reason was there to take a blade out of a knife instead of keeping a knife for use? Does the military have limits issued on carrying weapons?

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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by kiwi »

And once again, Beryl is stoped part way through handing over some information. I think that Spiral's peeled off the uncomfortable hard armour, left the soft liner on and wants her knife back.

It's possible that Tempo has resting serious face (just 'cause someone isn't smiling doesn't mean they're grumpy), or she might have been telling someone to distract Alex. It's kind of frustrating to see a characters face and have no idea if they're saying anything... and Tempo has cut people off before.

I think Alex might get much more information out of Beryl if Tempo falls asleep first.

EDIT: added link

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icekatze
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by icekatze »

hi hi
CrimsonFALKE wrote:What reason was there to take a blade out of a knife instead of keeping a knife for use? Does the military have limits issued on carrying weapons?
I don't know if there are any limits on carrying weapons. Many of the Loroi on ship were seen carrying blasters, and Fireblade is a deadly weapon in her own right.

In the insider post on Loroi Warrior Rites, there is some explanation of why the handle has been burned off leaving only the blade. They cast the knife into a fire as a ritual when the training-band phase of their training is over and the band is broken up, while the leader is expected to retrieve the blade from the fire before it is entirely consumed. There may also be some spiritual significance as well.

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Arioch
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by Arioch »

CrimsonFALKE wrote:What reason was there to take a blade out of a knife instead of keeping a knife for use? Does the military have limits issued on carrying weapons?
The seii is a ritual totem, that is representative of the fortunes of the diral band (a group of Loroi warrior youths in training). It is usually a tool or knife of some kind, but it can be anything that was made by one of the band members (so long as that class of object is allowed in the band), and it is inscribed with the band’s representative glyph during the band naming ceremony. The band leader carries the seii as a badge of office (usually in a visible location) and is responsible for keeping it safe. Since it is usually a tool and will often need to be used as such, this can be a difficult job. For the seii to be broken or lost is considered to be a significant misfortune to the band.

Upon graduation from the trials, the seii is taken from the leader by an elder and thrown into a bonfire, symbolizing the dissolution of the diral band. By tradition, one of the band (usually the leader) retrieves the seii from the fire before it is consumed (usually with accompanying injury) and keeps it as a totem for the good fortune of the future of the ex-band members.

In this case the seii was a nilnol, a folding knife carved from the tooth of a Taben leviathan. The handle was destroyed in the fire, but the scorched blade was salvaged and made into a pendant, which is worn as a memento of the band and also its previous bearers who have died. It's one of the few personal adornments that ordinary Loroi warriors are allowed to wear, and to bear one is a point of prestige. I suppose someone could have made a new handle for it, but they’re unlikely to use it as a knife, since it’s a ritual object, and a scorched, dull bone knife doesn’t have a lot of uses on a starship or in a space fighter.

(oop, nina'd! :D)

boldilocks
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Re: Page 161: It is called a Diral-Seii

Post by boldilocks »

If she's one of the last of her Diral, the totem doesn't seem very potent.

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