This is actually the 238th page
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Out-of-Placers
A story of inconvenient changes
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Yannit likes to smell the hair/pheromones of ozhers, yes? But since ozhers kinda dislike sitting zhere while Yannit achieves balance, would Kass’s tail poof work for her?
Why inflict unwelcome tail groping on Kass when Ran is perfectly happy to let Yannit mess with his hair all she wants?
Dis is about personal growth for Lady Kass, dat and if Yannit is to be part of her squad, zhen dere needs to be a non-ran way of appeasing Yannit’s needs. Of course Ran may just find a scent zhat does dis, and Yannit be freed from de need to sniff hair, but its like Isher using her as a body pillow, once a habit starts, its hard to shake.
I don’t think it’s scent that calms Yannit down when she’s groping people’s hair. I think it’s a personal idiosyncrasy of hers. Basically, without the right pheromones, it’s hard for an Indrel to recognize people as, well, people – Yannit’s internal dialogue describes them as “storyghosts” that are “empty.” What she likes is to be able to feel their hair – something completely foreign to her experience in the hive – and the fact that they permit her to do so makes them real people in her mind. But there’s no guarantee this will last, and there’s also the risk of her getting stuck in a dangerous emotional state (like when she found out about Kass and Elim getting attacked), so Ran needs to find replacement scents to help her deal with being away from a hive.
I do zhink Yannit does have hair, but it remains to be researched if zhat Indrel do sniff pheromones from each ozher’s hair communally, or what range dey can communicate wizh eachozher. Yannit may feel de ozhers are real, but Kass may be de one dat makes Yannit belong to de Humani hive, even if Kass herself is struggling wizh dat herself currently. De question I have zhough is what effect if any Kass’s Feemale Yinglet pheromones will trigger in Yannit. Will she recognize Kass as some kind of hive queen? Or perhaps just a sister female?
Aww this is adorable.
Yay, time for Yannit to get a uniform!
I notice the characters’ hair’s been particularly well coloured the last couple of pages!
Zhere are two coloring artists now, so the boss eizher has to draw twice as much, or de coloring and shading is about to improve like my mood when escargot are on de menu!
She doesn’t breathe through her exoskeleton, does she…? A full set of clothes might be bad…
Not an expert, but I think it’s organs on the legs for many (real-life) insects. Those could easily be left free. The uniform seems to be mostly a coat, affixed on the torso (thorax) and hanging below the waist. Unsure whether an Indrel could wear a belt, though.
A more tabard-like approach could work, without a “crotch-flap” though, as that would only hang to the floor with Indrel posture.
However, I say just hand-waive the issue of breathing. Assume these alien insect-like creatures breathe through their mouths as well (at least Yannit can use her “breath” to produce the “hyuuman thought-soundsss”)
And really, despite what some people in recent years have said, a thin layer of cloth is not hard to breathe through.
It’s been stated that Yannit breathes with her abdomen.
Yes, via structures called “spiracles” on terrestrial arthropods.
Many of Alan Dean Foster’s books feature the Thranx, a race of upright beings similar to mantids (praying mantises), and there are points where the abdominal breathing is specifically called out, mostly because this means they can drown in a body of water that barely comes up to their “knees” since that would submerge their abdomens. One of the characters even “holds his breath” while wading as a sort of test of courage.
I hope the Ivenmoth tailor remembers to leave sufficient pleats and splits to allow for Yannit to shift into fight-or-flight mode without requiring a return trip for a new uniform every time she “hulks out.”
Like most insects, she breathes through a set of tiny tubes called “tracheae” in the underside of her lower abdomen (which is why most insects are very poor swimmers. Ever been in a swimming pool and accidentally inhaled some water? Now you know how they feel.)
I doubt a uniform would cover her lower body, anyway. Just her upper torso, and probably not even most of that, so she can use her other arms (the ones normally folded against her back).
This was meant to be a reply to Infernal_Translator, but I forgot WordPress’s ideosyncracies.
I am hoping for a cape to allow her second set of arms to be eizher hidden or used wizhout restriction. But lets see what de boss cooks up, besides a custom chitin paint job! (Think Hot rod flames, but wizh “De Red” as its base! or even Yannit painted as a REALLY big Ivenmozh!)
Kass is very cute in today’s comic. I wonder how she would take such complements?
Kassen’s human mind would probably prefer to be considered cool.
Kassen’s yinglet brain, however, probably would feel happy.
So, so pretty Lady Kass did not take it nicely when Patriarch Poak thought her cute, but that was due to Vislet’s deception wizh the reed of carnal beckoning mostly. So far, we have not seen much of Lady Kass seeing her own reflection and commenting on her own cuteness, to admit zhat she looks very fine as a yinglet, or is still disgusted at the change.
So, in her current mood, I do not zhink she’d mind de compliment, zhough she would be confused zhat she would be de one singled out compared to de famcy boi Lopin begging for attention constantly. It would also depend on de source, and how it was said, also. Lady Kass is always being inundated with yinglet zhoughts, and appears grouchy, but it is de only way she so far has been able to blot out yinglet impulsiveness. Zo far, Kass has not had many happy moments as a Yinglet, where she can just accept zhings de way dey are, so accepting de compliment on face value would get a rise of her ears, but it would not be long before dey drooped back down into her normal zhougtful state (unusual for a yinglet, and its dis dat makes the Matriarch Vislet so, so terrifying beyond even being talked to as one NEVER knows what is being thought of!) so a random compliment would not faze her much, I zhink, but in more constant praisings would accumulate in Kass’s mind, so its building up her psyche, one she herself is unsure of, as Vislet basically said she was not pretty, and negativity counts for far more zhan positivity for most of us, as its easier to believe. We as a species may be assumed to not dwell on such zhings, dey do tend to add to de voices when zhings are quiet and dis is when bad zhings happen. A little bit of positivity is a ray of sunshine in Kass’s cloudy mind. so go ahead, its okay to praise her, just know it will take time for it to sink in. I zhink dese things too, dat dere is much good about Kass, but bad zhings happen to her and I am sad, despite wanting to share a clam and talk of better days and perhaps tell her also, dat its okay to be pretty.
I don’t want to step on the author’s toes by trying to predict what’s coming in the next couple of pages, but with Kass obviously gathering recruits for outfitting, and Lopin pondering what his purpose is here in the “Teeth,” I suspect it’s likely they’re going to cross paths in the seamstresses’ workshop pretty soon. That’ll be an interesting and probably amusing encounter.
Y’know, many authors would *prefer* it if their readers speculate and theorize and try to predict things…
Pretty sure de boss don’t mind a bit of speculation, especially if it comes wizh a few coins attached! For de Lopins being zhere at de seamstresses, I zhink he would be trying to get his fancy dress where he can use de bathroom by himself! De dress is a bit too young humani and needs to be more for Yinglets to be worn happily. If Kassen and Yannit comes in during the time where fabric is pinned together only, it could be painful for de Lopin! Ouchies!
Kass might scoff at the silly boi, before reigning in Yannit, who might see in Lopin’s dress a edible fungus from her earlier days, and go partly feral chasing Lopin shedding fabric and pins along the route of escape!