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:
OOPs now has a Russian translation which updates shortly after the English pages are posted!
Now also in French:
And Ukranian:
Yay, more Yannit best bug!
Hmm, some of those are very interesting and potentially useful. That first one for instance I could see being used to help with diplomatic relations with the Indrel Hives. A good “we come in peace, don’t eat us” pheromone without being too similar to the real thing. The third one could be good for trade caravans bringing food etc.
Must say I love how you’ve shown the Indrel having a non-human standard sensory and language system and how that affects interactions between them and Humans. Really interesting and well done. Makes them feel so much more alien and realistic compared to most alien races shown in fiction.
Yay, more best bug Yannit!
Hmm, some of those are very interesting and potentially useful in opening up relations with the Indrel Hives. That first one I can see as being good for diplomatic missions for instance. A good “we come in peace, please don’t eat us” pheromone without being too close to the original. The third could be good for trade caravans carrying food.
Must say I love how you’ve shown the Indrel. A really alien mindset, sensory system and language while still having a compelling and believable design and interaction with the rest of the cast.
Third one means there is soo much food drones can gorge themselves on sight rather than eat only some then store the rest to ensure the hive’s larders.
Something saying food is Scarce would be better, drive up the cost of the food and the drones would be warier of wasting vital resources. But could also mean they might just take the food on sight for fear of the hive starving without.
Something with the first that says that there is a dearth of food would be best in my opinion. Then again I could be wrong on that count.
I’m working on the assumption they are at a tribal level of tech and food storage is a combination of easy perverted foods and possibly Honey Pots as per ants
I’m also assuming they have similar needs as ants and thus there nests would never be quite dry enough to dry anything while they would tend to keep valuables(food) insafe places at least a few chambers down.
Again, working on asuptions in my own head cannon ^_^;
On the other hand, this seems like the sort of thing that could be weaponized. And they seem defenseless against it.
I was thinking the same thing…
That’s certainly a worrying possibility, true, but I doubt they’d be defenseless against it. Its not mind control. They’re still thinking, rational entities that can realize that what the pheromones are saying doesn’t match with what their other senses and pheromones are perceiving. Its also likley that many if not all of them are more “best fit” and not exact replicas of the biological pheromones.
Yannit isn’t typical of your standard Indrel either. She is notably divergent in behaviour and personality being far more curious, outgoing and divergent from the Hive than normal. Probably quite naive in some ways. There’s no guarantee that other Indrel would react as strongly to those scents. Especially the Warrior caste who’s job it is to protect the Hive and would be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.
You also have to ask whether or not they’ve natively dealt with this before. The various Hives have likely come into competition and conflict before. Who’s to say they don’t have defenses already in place for if other Hives try and infiltrate or sabotage their Hive using pheromones? Defenses that would easily route out any Human attempt to do the same which would be far more primitive in comparison. And even if they can’t at will generate those pheromones to use it in that way, these are all naturally occurring substances Ran is presenting to her. The Indrel MUST have run into some pheromone replicating substances before and likley already have some methods ready to deal with them.
So yeah it is certainly a possibility that worries me and I could see such an attack working to a degree, enough to lead to the fall of a Hive or three, but at the same time I believe that the Indrel as a complex and intelligent species with a long history of their own (at least a few hundred plus years) would be capable of recognizing such an attack and coming up with countermeasures if those don’t already exist.
This could also potentially help a lot in preventing any fights in the first place. Humans tend to fear the unknown and the Indrel are a deeply secretive and inhuman race that staunchly defend their territory. Opening up easier lines of communication, diplomacy and trade could help Humans to better understand and interact with the Indrel, making them less “other” while also allowing for potential trade or military alliances that would make attacking the Hives an undesirable prospect. Not fool proof of course, but likely better than their current “hyper isolationist and inhuman rogue bug race claiming the mountains” vibe.
And even if you reproduced exactly, it’d work right up till they started plugging their noses, which they would, cause their not stupid and after a few victories it’d be figured out. It’d make them less coordinated But I’m guessing Zerg rush is a valid option so chain of communication might not matter when the directives are “kill everything that’s not a Indrel”
The alliance thing is a lot better. Be the humans that smell at least kinda right. These guys, these guys are definitely the best hairless monkeys. Lets be their friends. Oh, these other hairless monkeys don’t smell so good. Oh wait, are friends are saying they are enemies. And whatever they are waving around right now it smells a warning of an incoming threat. Looks like it’s time to help our friends make enemies be not-alive.
Guildmaster seems the type who’d rather have an edge on making a deeper friendship then a berserk button anyway. The first is much less likely to turn around and kill you if things go wrong, and he seems to have that kind pragmatism.
Good job. Use one smell stimulus at a time.
Curious one that had no stimulation effect.
Perfect pheromone camo!!
Interesting one left no reaction.
That might work as a scent concealer.
Many amazing expressions! It makes me wonder just how many different smells are correlated instinctively, and how many are taught.
I also hope that the trademaster doesn’t abuse this…
Took me until panel six to realize that yes, the restraints are still attached.
Is that only me, or Ren really doing something like clicking on zerg multiple times in StarCraft in futile hope that thing give out funny phrase instead of whatever sounds thouse things make?
How did you manage to make a bug CUTE?! IMPOSSIBRU! D:-
I hope there’s a smell that simulates ‘relax, no head crushings.’ Just in case. For research purposes.
I wonder, can Indrel fly? Yannit clearly has cased Insect wings attached to her Throax, but so far hasn’t even flexed them. It’d be cool to see, even if she can’t fly, it’d make for a cool intimidation display!
As much as I love RidicuKass content, I have to admit the Baxid and Indrel comics are worth the wait for certain.
“Storm is come…” *Yinglet hugs a bug* Is ok.
“PLUG OUT-HOLES” *Squealing and arm waving helps, right?*
I likes zhis bugs… yes yes!
Is also… EEEEEs and wavings of ze arms likes a muppet always helpfuls… excepts when not. O_o
*goes to climbs up someplace high… to avoids ze drownings*
Food with a message. Imagine if seasonings spelled out words. Your food would seem like it was talking to you.
I wonder what Indrel alphabet soup would taste like.
I love any time Yannit is featured in the comic. Glad she is seeing more airtime lately.
I know bugs are generally “thicc” by default but… HER ASS JUST CLAPPED!
Uhhhhhh… dude?..
https://youtu.be/XJBeRvklplY
Then see frame 6. Her ass… CLAPS! I made a funny.
Eee, the happy butt-pinchers in panel 6!
Yannit is best bug friend.