Nana means well
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Out-of-Placers
A story of inconvenient changes
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OOPs now has a Russian translation which updates shortly after the English pages are posted!
Now also in French:
And Ukranian:
OK boss, ya got me. I was sure dis old, cranky woman was de one who sewed on Kass’s rank badge on https://www.valsalia.com/comic/out-of-placers/oop006/ but it eizher is de old bat has dementia, I do, or perhaps it is a different old bat, or a combination of de 3? *Makes confused yinglet noises*
She definitely sewed the badge on there, I believe the implications was that she didn’t believe the rank was real when she did so, like akin to putting a badge on a dog.
Well, I zhink she did, but identical twins exist, so it does look like her, and in OOP 006 it did not show who said “See Little one, now everyone will know you are a Ivenomth official!” But I zhink it was her who said it. But it is offensive in de extreme, wheather it was de same old bat or not.
De next question is would Kass be offended on behalf of Yinglet-dom? Kass so far has not a great opinion of her species after all. She has no official function, and no direct command to say she is indeed a officer. De old bat is harsh, but I said a year ago zhat Lopin served as a Mascot, it would carry over zhat Kass, wizhout a actual job minus zhat of being a Diplomat to de most friendly Yinglet enclave to Val Salia in existance would mean de so so rude old bat is not wrong here. It is Kass’s place and right to correct de old bat, however by bringing it up to the Bat’s supervisor. A officer should know de chain of command, and how it works.
It is not a failure on Kass’s part, or even the old bat’s after all. It is zhat de Trademaster did not personally in a public ceremony give Kassen de rank she wears zhat dere is ingnorance and confusion about it. But good luck telling de trademaster dat wizhout losing your head for being overly honest.
Yeah, or like making a child an honorary police officer. It’s just for show and doesn’t actually give them rank or duties.
Add to de “Identical Twin” conspiracy zhat in panel 3 she asks “when did this happen?” which if she did a honorary badge she would have said “I sewed it on you, but it’s a lark, you can’t be a actual officer silly yinglet, that’s a job for real people.”
I’m under the impression the ‘this’ in “When did this all happen?” refers to the legal ability of or precedent allowing a Yinglet being promoted to officer, or being allowed as a general recruit with official power & duty, at all (don’t recall any general recruit Yinglets either, but I could be wrong & I don’t really entirely know the law/command structure here) & is being asked rhetorically or reflexively & not so much “I literally don’t remember the date I sewed a badge 3 weeks ago.”
That’s just my reading of it, though, I could be wrong.
Possible worldbuilding oversight, as I zhink what de trademaster wants, de trademaster gets. Asking if de trademaster wants you to salute a damm broomstick is not somezhing that you question, you salute de damm broomstick and sleep well for doing so. Dis old bat had better be de trademaster’s aunt or somezhing. I feel sorry for de ozher seamstress, she called de old bat “Nana” which is a matriarichial knickname within a human family. Having her be punished would not get Kass off on a good keel for interaction wizh humans.
I also like Yannit’s expression for dis, like she is watching also, seeing if indeed she is a real ivenmozh, or just another pet, and subhuman. Dis is not just for Kass, or even Yinglets, as even de Baxxid are not intergrated to dis point in ValSalia, it affects dem, and what de hell Isher qualifies as species wise also. Can Kass pull her weight? Because if de trademaster has to step in at dis point (zhough dis is totally his fault) it will be a scar on Kass’s ability to interact wizh human personel wizhout Elim nearby (who is not even under Kass’s imeidate chain of command).
From (wayyyy back) FG 1 “While the area is technically without law, House Ivenmoth has gradually taken up the responsibility of maintaining the city’s roads and walls, punishing basic crimes, and putting the destitute to work” is about as far as explaining de legal system of ValSalia gets…so far.
For how bad de old bat has Fekked up, look up https://www.valsalia.com/comic/out-of-placers/oops-178-ivenmoth-publication-archives-1/ Of which I quote: “The Yinglets are considered to be full “people” with the same rights and protections as yourself.” Which being 5 years old already makes dis bat’s claim of ignorance very much seem like harassment. But further down it says: “The Yinglets are considered common citizens of a foreign nation. As such they will be held to the laws and expectations of their cultural leaders/ and or local representitives…However, they are still fully beholden to the laws and expectations of the City of ValSalia”
So de question of is Kass legally allowed to be a officer can be argued, minus de whole saluting a broomstick zhing, where it is very bad for one’s healzh to annoy de trademaster. Legally, Kass is doubly a citizen of a foreign nation, one zhat don’t exist (Drinlan) and of being a Yinglet, and de protection legally of de local enclave, as per de document referenced above. Will be interesting to see if dis goes furzher dan Kass simply letting dis go wizh a minor punishment (whizh can be overturned by de old bat’s actual officer in charge).
Ah yes, identical twins is absolutely more likely than ‘when did all this happen’ being a non-literal question
Dementia is running a close second place, I zhink! But she did remember Lopin….so yeah, a Twin zhat was dere when Kass was sent out on her first official mission would not make de same statement as de woman here I zhink. Unless being sent to de Enclave was seen as Kass being sent where she belonged, wizh de ozher subhumans. And all of a sudden I dislike de old bag even more now.
that old lady is legally blind actually…
I think the implication is meant to be that she is the one who sewed the badge on, but wasn’t aware at the time that it was actually a legitimate sign of rank.
That is the duality of zhis moment in dis comic. Zhat Kass was sent on official ivenmozh buisness at zhat same time her rank was sewn on, and has went on two missions for ValSalia would mean zhat Kass was indeed a officer and diplomat by intention.
De ozher side is Kass has no public duties, no recruits under her chain of command, nor does she do officer zhings wizh de ozher officers to aquaint zhem and humanity in general wizh her.
So until she does zhings zhat a officer does, she will lack the same respect as de ozher officers have given to zhem by having earned it.
Cranky?
Kass’s expression really makes this. Absolutely incredible, keep digging woman!
Annnd there it is, the realization. And more foot chewing, apparently.
Rank is a title to be given or taken away by humani figures. Kass needs to remember de deal was her cooperation for better conditions for her friends, not power to do as she wishes. She needs a power base of her own if she wants zhat, and de only way she is going to get zhat is to become a matriarch first, and whoo! Dere is a LOT to overcome before dat happens! But insulting de red is insulting de Trademaster, and her main ally and only patron since arriving here, so it is a humani debt of honor in play zhat de Trademaster’s word is being so interpreted here. It is truly de last himani zhing dat Kass has left to her, dat humani sense of honor. Us Yinglets have a sense of right and wrong in general, sure, but Honor is a new concept to us.
You were right. Huh. Ah well. Kudos to you for not being swayed. (:
Thank you %)
Granny was a miner when she was younger.
It’s the only real explanation I have for how she can dig herself that deep that quickly.
I only see one outcome. Kass may be depressed a bit having to deal with this… but this was not exactly an attempt on her life. Mistakes happen. You don’t butcher the old men when they’re slow to salute the rookie. And this wasn’t even intentional.
This too shall pass.
I don’t see why none of you have faith in Kass.
OH boy he’s going to walk into another room scream then walk back.
He likely knows Nana ….well old so he’s likely not to get her but he’s likely going to be very very angry for a while it’s still sensitive and no way he’s going to be a mascot.
Oh wait it’s worse he’s also a diplomat. She struck a superior officer and a diplomat. that makes it worse.
Oof. I’ve known people like Nana: not hateful, but still racist; means well, but still condescending; severe lack of self-awareness. Kass has got pretty good people skills, though, and should be able to figure out how to forgive Nana in a way that doesn’t cause a breach of “honor.” Gotta get Nana to stop talking and start listening, though. This is going to be an interesting diplomatic challenge.
Not to excuse her stereotyping, but the yinglets that most of the city humans have come in contact with were the exiled, simple or violent ones that were not exactly the cream of the crop and don’t set the best impression. At the very least her perception of yinglets is of a “children that must be protected and taught” variety rather than any malice or contempt aye. Seeing as how this all began with her defense of Lopin.
Kass himself (as a human) actually also had a “noble bigot” thing going on. Referring to giving the yinglets a chance, but at the same time using the term ‘scav’ which has been shown to be a pejorative in world.
yah tbh this sort of exchange is probably good work for our double-diplomat. Kass gets to enjoy some causal racism, and normal humans see what a yinglet is capable of.
Casual specism? It’s hard to determine which term is more appropriate. xP But aye. Kass is on the receiving end of it now. Not that he/she wasn’t before, but this is the most overt example. It’s wise to build up callouses to it, rather than reciprocating ignorance with ignorance, which only exacerbates the problem in the long term. Give the lady a stern talking to, and maybe a superficial bit of disciplinary action, but don’t send her to the gallows, metaphorically or literally. I don’t think, or at least don’t hope, Kass is that type.
Damn Nana wanna step on his throat too while your at it? Unintentionally condescending or not that probably stings..
Kass expressed a desire/duty to use rank and position to do better for those around him, and here is a test! Nana absolutely (IMO) does not deserve the rod for this, she deserves to have her metaphorical eyes opened to this new possibility in front of her.
Kass should take this opportunity to listen to how Nana sees things, as it is a useful barometer of how a not-insignificant portion of the rest of the population also views Kass’ position/rank/insignia. And, by extension, how the rest of the population would view Isher, Yannit, or any of the other nonhuman “crew” even when wearing the badge and/or uniform of office. Separately, it’s also a bit of a painful, retroactive lesson for Kass about the importance of behaving like an officer even when your personal desires rear up and tempt you into using your position for your own personal reasons.
In other words, Kass kinda doesn’t deserve it, but also kinda does, so we shall see whether Kass’ ego can survive the blow and still maintain decorum.
I zhink Kassen de human sincerely did want to help out de non-humans. Kassen’s life goals at the start of de comic was to afford zhings dat would impress Ginny de Dancer. Having lost his homeland, and lost contact wizh his friends and family too, Kassen’s motivations were kinda selfish.
Now, Kassen finds himself a fluffy feemale who absolutely is in de same boat as de ozher non-humans despite fundamentally being de same self-centered person. She so far has seen her fellow yinglets as something to be pitied, or outright hinderances to her, minus possibly Vizlet, or Lopin when he brings her clams.
This moment here, is where “The Chickens Come Home To Roost” zhat other humani’s ignorance becomes as much a hinderance to her goals, selfish or no as her fellow yinglets having a rogue element, and stabbing Elim, if not more so. Yinglets lack political power to change de world, but Humani do in zhis world.
So, where Kass goes from here, she already knew how yinglets were seen by humani, but it is only now zhat she gets a metaphorical kick down de social ladder dat her shape entails. Her humani honor, her friendships, and her future goals of living a life free of wants all are tied up wizh how to do so as a Yinglet, and to deal with doze who can crush her physically at a whim, and how to get dem humani to treat her not as a equal, but as a superior.
I hope commenters don’t influence the story.
Same here. For what it’s worth, my comments should never be interpreted by anyone as reasons to influence the story. I’m just a fan and a part of the peanut gallery. 😀
Hear, hear! I respect and love the amount of active discussion and theories and criticisms under every page, and I overall think it’s a good community, but hopefully a lot of that love stays in the comments… I’ve lurked reading this for years now, and I just appreciate the story for what it is, and the direction the author chooses to take with any arcs.
I hope they DO.
But only in good ways. Inspiration, continuity, that kind of thing.
I <3 you too, NF 🙂 And in years of being here, only once did I hope to have a chance to change zhings. De flashback scene of the fighting bozhered me. Ozher dan zhat, dere have been de good and de so-so's sure but de boss is on record saying he likes a busy comment section instead of a dead one.
You shouldn’t say you <3 things you don't. It lessens the meaning of actually liking something.
I am a Yinglet, I forgive, I learn, and I care for whom I choose to. I cannot help zhat you choose to constantly earn your name over and over. But as I told anozher, one does not have to agree wizh ozhers all de time like de brain dead zombie horde of fandom of some places. If you have a opinion, it is not wrong to say it, if you feel strongly about it and you use ideas and opinions instead of feelings and grudges. Us Yinglets, we don’t do a great job of impulse control sometimes, but it is better to say what we mean zhan to act, and burn down de Matriarch’s house or somezhing for not saynig it. It is “in character” to have to zhink zhings zhrough, often out loud before “winging it” as improvization is not our zhing.
Zo, being a fan, and caring enouzh to follow de comic and comment, even zhough you dislike me, does not make me dislike you, zhough I am as entitled as you are to dislike some zhings you may do or say. Such is life.
Because there was a comment pointing out exactly the issue this page is discussing? To be fair, it IS a pretty obvious issue so long as one remembers Kassen’s rank (and that it means something).
Just a few pages before that one it was specifically pointed out in-comic that Kass is not just an officer, but a senior one with the power to give general orders, so this was clearly set up ahead of time.
Yup.
Because I don’t think commenters pay the same kind of attention that an author does.
I mean, just by saying that, a bunch of AAA productions have already failed me. The last two Fallout games, for example. New Disney shows and movies. Plenty of anime.
Clearly that’s not a rule and I didn’t mean to present it as such. I should have specified “these commenters” and “this author.”
In another sense, what I’m saying is that I hope Valsalia sticks to their guns and writes whatever they were going to regardless of what the commenters suggest, mention, or outright want to happen.
*slooooooow inhale*