Colorists: Koof, Oniontrain, Raptie
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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:
There sits at the end of a ravine, a mass of thick, solid stone. And behind that stone a mighty river is held in check. And then a crack appears. It is a small thing now, a slight flaw, of little to no consequence in and of itself. Ah, but behind that small flaw, a pressure is building. It pushes against this tiny crack, widening it ever so slowly. Soon this stone barrier will be unable to keep the river in check, and the raging torrent shall flow forth in all its power and glory.
“There’s a giant bug listening to us in the air ducts above!”
Zhey’z in da clammin’ walls! Game overs, ying! Game overs! O_o
Eh, its probably just Yannit.
I don’t think anyone really gets how much work Kassen has to do in order to get through his day to day. He can’t afford emotional vulnerability because addressing his emotions would be addressing the reality that his body is gone, his identity is gone, and his old life is gone. If he started to deal with the grief of losing the things he never thought could be stolen from him he’d have to accept they are gone, realistically forever. And I don’t think he’s anywhere near ready to accept that, let alone talk about it.
Still not quite ready for that. Can’t say I blame Kass. There’s still a lot to process.
Everyone wants Kassen to be somezhing zhey don’t want to be. Zhis moment may be Kass’s embracing zheir own agency in regards to being who Kass wants to be. Even Vislet’s hug was in a very nice way, a type of unsolicited manipulation of Kass’s feelings.
Kass is doing well enough considering, besides, he is already a survivor in the first place.
Now get thyself of this ying’ blues with some Elim, for Valsalia’s sake!
I think it just occurred to Kass that it might be unwise to let this relationship with Vizlet become more than professional. As readers, we all know she’s good people, but we’ve seen a lot more of her than Kass has, and it might be inappropriate behavior for a diplomat, regardless. I still think it’s good that Vizlet broke the ice a bit, but Kass probably feels safer having this kind of moment with people like Elim and Isher, who are known, reliable friends. It’s like, “I appreciate that you want to help, Vizlet, but this isn’t the time, and you’re not the person. I haven’t forgotten what you put me through the first time I visited your enclave, so I need you not to be so forward with me.”
Perhaps, zhough dese ears of ours is pretty good at detecting pity. Kass(en) would have a hard time not seeing de world not respecting zhemself. Kass may have one zhing uniting zheir human and yinglet lives, a strong feeling of being de underdog, always being undersetimated.
Living to make zhose who had misjudged one eat humble pie is its own kind of motivation, even if it revolves on the opinions of ozhers, and unhealzhy. Vislet’s hug would be “unearned” and Kass doesn’t see zhemself having earned affection, so would see Vislet as being motivated by pity. Only close friends get free Kass hugs, and Vislet isn’t zhat yet.
Kass is feeling the extra ying feels (I don’t think that’s a male or female thing among them, we’ve seen both in emotional extremis) then snaps back to the (ex)human analytics.