Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

[Cpt. H.L. Rodney]

I never thought I'd say it, but I like that these two are finally going to hook up. Trace and Flora look so cute in that frame there x3

Wonder when we'll get back to those two anyway? At least hopefully Clovis will take his time long enough for everyone to get a proper breather. Tom did say this chapter would be a respite after all, right? (barring that attack from the guardian)

[Technic[Bot]]

Well seems like my prediction was completely wrong.
But I this is one of those cases when you are relieved to be wrong. That does not happen to often!
I still think this was a bit out of the blue and I could not see the supposed "romantic/sexual tension" between those two until in the last two comic strips. But alas this was clearly a planned idea from a long now and I can't say I dissprove. A bit too fast for my liking but not bad at all.

Well this is rather cute. Sythe is smooth as heck, of course, but his obvious sincerity is what makes his reactions kinda adorable. He's not sweet-talking or putting on an act; even if he's pretty clearly taking a lighthearted approach to things it's still his honest feelings showing through. There's no coercion, no disrespect for her, just him honestly admitting his interest and nudging her to face the issue they've both been dancing around. And despite his lighthearted take on things, it's clear it's still not *just* a casual interest on his part either. He may or may not be looking for a 'relationship', but it's clear from the emotional subtext that he cares about her more than as just a prospective casual fling, even if he's not going to come out and say it. Keidran casual cultural attitudes towards sex or not, I think it's obvious from their history that he still cares about her as a person, even if it may or may not be in a deep romantic sense. As Maren (among other characters) has remarked, he's just a decent man. Cultural differences or no, he's not going to just use her or treat her badly, and he's not going to proposition just anyone, or someone he doesn't care about.

But what I really want to talk about here is Maren, because this comic kinda crystallized for me some thoughts I've been mulling over about her character. Namely, why does she adopt this standoffish, cold persona in general, and what does that have to do with her reactions towards Sythe in particular? After all, it's blindingly obvious to everyone, in-comic and out, that she's interested in Sythe, even if she doesn't want to admit it to anyone (including herself). But *why* is she so adamant about not admitting it? Is it just because it's taboo, or because of the anti-keidran prejudices, hers or those of others? I think those could definitely be part of it, but I've been thinking that they can't be *all* of it. Her demeanor about the whole thing couldn't scream 'conflicted' any louder if she had a giant flashing sign over her head. I think the intensity of her reaction is a signal that it's not just that she thinks she shouldn't, not just attraction fighting prejudice, but something more.

It's fear. I think Maren is afraid of the idea of a relationship.

Hints of this have shown up before. Right in her character entry, it makes a point of noting that her relationship with Trace wasn't a serious one, and that both parties were well aware of that. It elaborates a bit on Trace's motivations - that he was still loyal to Saria's memory - but not hers, but it was clear she was fine with the situation - one even almost gets the sense that she *preferred* it that way. Why? And then, of course, there's the big one - Red's little slip here. Who was "Tan-"? A childhood friend, a first crush, or even more? And what happened to them, that Maren is still this afraid of the idea of emotional intimacy, so many years later? It feels to me that she's afraid of getting close to anyone, afraid of opening up for fear of being hurt again, and I think her dialog in this comic confirms it.

She starts off with the usual expected objections, about them being a wolf and a human. But then, when Sythe rebuts that with a reference to Trace and Flora, her attitude changes. There's a beat, a moment of thought, before she violently rejects the idea. What was she thinking about, in that moment? Where did her mind go? I think it's clear from her comments that she didn't just think about Trace and Flora being together physically, but of their actual relationship. She refers to 'the whole world turning upside-down', but *physical* intimacy between keidran and humans is hardly unheard-of - humans breed keidran sex slaves, after all. But Trace and Flora's romantic, emotional relationship, and the idea of her and Sythe having something like that? Now *that'd* be truly worthy of being called earthshaking. And she then follows that up by asking Sythe why he'd want a relationship. She thinks that's what he wants, that's what he was asking and referring to, and it provokes probably the most animated outburst we've ever seen from her. And again, to me it comes across as fear - the angle of her eyebrows and mouth in that panel, the almost-panicked 'No, no, no!', the violent shaking of her head... that's not just reluctance, not just conflicted feelings, it's more intense than that. A part of her wants it, and the rest of her is terrified of the idea.
-snip-

What I loved the most about this is that at the beginning Maren was just a side character meaning to play and artificial barrier between Trace and Flora, and some comic relief. Yet and over time Tom has developed her into quite a deep character, despite her relative little "screen time".
Also, ona relaly tangentianl note, despite being such a prominent lore element, aka Kat. I doubt keidran sex slaves are as common as we the audience are led to believe. I imagine interspecies mingling is non unheard off but definitely uncommon and frowned upon. I also imagine that most people can hardly afford a regular Keidran slave let alone a specifically breed sex slave. Those things must cost a small fortune and I doubt they are even sold at all. What I am trying to say is that it is probably a very niche market.
Anyhow...

Well she did mention if the room had drink summoning available... Only ways I can see that she continues to, at least somewhat logically, deny the possibility of Sythe impregnating her is if she blacks out from drinking or has another fling very very soon...

Edit: And forgot to add if Sythe gets her pregnant in the first place.

It has been common knowledge for quite a while that humans and keidran are not interfertile. The rules have changed, but very recently - no crossbreed births yet.

Maren and company have been in human lands, and avoiding town. I don't know if there has been a rash of inexplicable pregnancies, but even if there has, Maren has not been in a position to observe them. But, let's ignore the lack of observation and consider the likely reaction to such pregnancies:
* humans in general look down on keidran, so human women typically would be reluctant to admit having sex with them
* since it's well-know that keidran can't get humans pregnant, human women who claimed to be pregnant by keidran - or to be pregnant while not having had sex with any humans - would not be believed
* keidran who are slaves would be reluctant to make claims that would cause their owners to punish them - whether that is "that human is the father of my child" or "I'm the father of that human's child"
* pregnant keidran women who claimed to have not had sex with other keidran would not be believed

In short, there is no good reason - yet - for people in general to believe that human-keidran crossbreeds are possible. Only a subset of the females who are pregnant with such crossbreeds, and a probably-smaller subset of the contributing males, have such reason, and I doubt they are sufficiently numerous or sufficiently respected to sway more than a few others.

Therefore, I have no doubt that Maren is confident Sythe couldn't possibly get her pregnant.

Although I have no clue whether that will happen (unless she says something like "after all, there's no chance you'll get me pregnant" - then the odds approach 100% that he will).

I think pregnancy is a possibility. After all there were those sketches were our favorite Guardsman, can't remember his name, falls for our favorite mute tigress Therie, eventually she gets with child and he must desert the town guard I mean their canonicity is still debatable but that means that at least Tom at least has considered the idea of hybrids as a plot line. However I can't imagine there being too many Hybrids in this particular moment. First i doubt there are that many interspecies couples out there and Keidran are not fertile all year around.
But i do hope she does not get pregnant. Yet. They are still fleeing a war, along with blue haired magic ex-hitler all while his former co-conspirators are hot on their heels to kill them or something. It is not clear what any of the antagonist want from Trace and his entourage. Definitely not a good time to have a baby and as pointed out Both Sythe and Maren, nor their fledgling relationship are on a good emotional state to have children.
In any case i think this one will be decided by fans. If Toms see that we do not seem to like the idea of pregnant Maren he wont go for it, else... well maybe Twins?
Then there is the issue of Keith/Nat they we do not know if the ban was lifted only on keidran and humans. But neither them. At somepoint, perhaps even after Flora's child is born. They will have to ask themselves if they want one or not.
That said at the end Tom might be pulling and Arianna and that child is not and Hybrid nor Trace's.

[MuonNeutrino]

Also, ona relaly tangentianl note, despite being such a prominent lore element, aka Kat. I doubt keidran sex slaves are as common as we the audience are led to believe. I imagine interspecies mingling is non unheard off but definitely uncommon and frowned upon. I also imagine that most people can hardly afford a regular Keidran slave let alone a specifically breed sex slave. Those things must cost a small fortune and I doubt they are even sold at all. What I am trying to say is that it is probably a very niche market.

I completely agree that keidran sex slaves can't exactly be *common*. As you quite correctly point out, slaves in general are already going to be expensive, and specially bred sex slaves in particular are going to be a quite niche item on top of that. They are indeed likely pretty expensive and rare, being a luxury item at best.

But, however uncommon actual sex slaves might be, the use of keidran slaves for sex (specially bred or not) is apparently common *enough* to be a known thing in human society, to the point that people automatically make assumptions about Kat based on her appearance. Society may or may not entirely approve of the practice, but it can't be *that* completely beyond the pale if the assumptions are that widespread. To me that says that even if it's not particularly approved of, people know that it happens and that it's not so taboo as to be considered unacceptable. And that's really what's in question here - how unheard-of is the *idea* of human-keidran sex, in terms of how human society sees it. And IMO the existence of Kat, particularly in the context of her comments in that strip, shows that it's not so earthshaking as one might think, certainly not compared to the idea of an actual relationship anyway.

[Emp_Dragon]

Also, ona relaly tangentianl note, despite being such a prominent lore element, aka Kat. I doubt keidran sex slaves are as common as we the audience are led to believe. I imagine interspecies mingling is non unheard off but definitely uncommon and frowned upon. I also imagine that most people can hardly afford a regular Keidran slave let alone a specifically breed sex slave. Those things must cost a small fortune and I doubt they are even sold at all. What I am trying to say is that it is probably a very niche market.

I completely agree that keidran sex slaves can't exactly be *common*. As you quite correctly point out, slaves in general are already going to be expensive, and specially bred sex slaves in particular are going to be a quite niche item on top of that. They are indeed likely pretty expensive and rare, being a luxury item at best.

But, however uncommon actual sex slaves might be, the use of keidran slaves for sex (specially bred or not) is apparently common *enough* to be a known thing in human society, to the point that people automatically make assumptions about Kat based on her appearance. Society may or may not entirely approve of the practice, but it can't be *that* completely beyond the pale if the assumptions are that widespread. To me that says that even if it's not particularly approved of, people know that it happens and that it's not so taboo as to be considered unacceptable. And that's really what's in question here - how unheard-of is the *idea* of human-keidran sex, in terms of how human society sees it. And IMO the existence of Kat, particularly in the context of her comments in that strip, shows that it's not so earthshaking as one might think, certainly not compared to the idea of an actual relationship anyway.

I'd guess it could be viewed a bit like the ancient greeks and romans viewed homosexuality.
Eg, it's only 'bad'/dishonourable if it's percived as an equal relationship as opposed to a buyer/owner vs service worker/slave dependancy, where the human, by definition of the local human culture, has to have the socially and economically dominant position.

[AmigaDragon]

To me that says that even if it's not particularly approved of, people know that it happens and that it's not so taboo as to be considered unacceptable. And that's really what's in question here - how unheard-of is the *idea* of human-keidran sex, in terms of how human society sees it.

what about keidran society? And wouldn't there also be human slaves in keidran possession (however rare it might be in comparison)?

[Bellhead]

I'd guess it could be viewed a bit like the ancient greeks and romans viewed homosexuality.
Eg, it's only 'bad'/dishonourable if it's percived as an equal relationship as opposed to a buyer/owner vs service worker/slave dependancy, where the human, by definition of the local human culture, has to have the socially and economically dominant position.

That sounds more like the Mekkan human society we've all come to know and scoff at..

To me that says that even if it's not particularly approved of, people know that it happens and that it's not so taboo as to be considered unacceptable. And that's really what's in question here - how unheard-of is the *idea* of human-keidran sex, in terms of how human society sees it.

what about keidran society? And wouldn't there also be human slaves in keidran possession (however rare it might be in comparison)?

I would figure it to be about as common as "Ew. You slept with THAT? Gross. How was it?" You know, something with a particular type of 'master' figure at the top; some innate characteristic about them, regardless of race. (cue the link to Sythe, Karen and the boss back when the village burned, "You mated with one of these hairless apes?!") That interaction seemed more exile-y than disgusted to me looking back, but still a bit of both...

[Yastreb]

what about keidran society? And wouldn't there also be human slaves in keidran possession (however rare it might be in comparison)?

Keidran do indeed have human slaves. When Raine first met team B, she told that she had been a slave to some Keidran, and since they believed her, it can't be unheard of.

[Bellhead]

what about keidran society? And wouldn't there also be human slaves in keidran possession (however rare it might be in comparison)?

Keidran do indeed have human slaves. When Raine first met team B, she told that she had been a slave to some Keidran, and since they believed her, it can't be unheard of.

By their responses, and Red's in particular, they didn't have much of a clue about it. I'd also like to add in Laura's comment, "And it's as though keidran don't have their own slave trade as well." Keidran ownership of humans is still likely very rare, if they enslave their own. Remember that keidran slaves are only as common as they are because of the advent of the collars, and we don't know if keidran have a similar device for humans.

[MuonNeutrino]

I would figure it to be about as common as "Ew. You slept with THAT? Gross. How was it?" You know, something with a particular type of 'master' figure at the top; some innate characteristic about them, regardless of race. (cue the link to Sythe, Karen and the boss back when the village burned, "You mated with one of these hairless apes?!") That interaction seemed more exile-y than disgusted to me looking back, but still a bit of both...

Regarding that older strip, remember that that was in response to Karen claiming that Sythe was her father, and that the wolf responded using the word 'mated', which seems to have some significance for keidran. It's important to keep in mind that sex and child-bearing are separate things for keidran. Fertility for keidran females is very predictable, with the result that a keidran couple is generally not going to conceive children unless they're intending to. Given that for keidran the presence of a child reflects a conscious choice presumably made between two people actually committed to each other, I think it's not unreasonable to interpret that wolf's response as not just "Ew, you slept with that?" but "Ew, you took one of them as a mate?!?" - i.e. at least partially entangled with whatever attitudes wolf keidran society would have towards the idea of a *relationship* between a keidran and a human, not just sex, which makes it harder to draw direct conclusions from.

[Emp_Dragon]

I'd guess it could be viewed a bit like the ancient greeks and romans viewed homosexuality.
Eg, it's only 'bad'/dishonourable if it's percived as an equal relationship as opposed to a buyer/owner vs service worker/slave dependancy, where the human, by definition of the local human culture, has to have the socially and economically dominant position.

That sounds more like the Mekkan human society we've all come to know and scoff at..

And so it might be one of Toms sources of inspiration when he modeled the human society of Mekkan.