Idrisah would rather look at wildlife and historical architecture than battle robots.
Edit: I fucked up the post queuing. Enjoy Tuesday's AMA early?
Transcript
Dr. Bongwater asked: Talita, Idrisah, Gillie: other than Dirtball, what other planets have you all been to, if any?
Gillie: (ASL) We've only been to Earth.
Idrisah: (ASL) You've spent more time there than me, with college.
Gillie: (ASL) Yeah, but you've been to more countries than me.
Idrisah: (ASL) How about you, Talita?
Talita: (ASL) Dirtball is my only planet...
Gillie: (ASL) What! You need to visit at least ONE good one!
Idrisah: (ASL) You should come to Earth with us some time! It's beautiful!
Talita: Er...
Talita: (ASL) Earth is difficult. Need to pack all my food. Not many compatible toilets. But I want to visit Mars in the future. See Martian Mech Madness!
Gillie: (ASL) Yeah!! Let's go there!!
Idrisah: Ehhh...
82 thoughts on “RttS Reader Questions 37”
Fallingfeather
Aw I missed this one somehow! I guess my RSS feed had a brainfart, haha. Also YEESH, the stuff they used to call off-models…. yikes….
Belle
Man, that sucks for Talita. At least when I travel, I’ve only gotta worry about how autisum food issues impact me, I can’t imagine how bad it is for someone of her size AND making sure she has *anything* she can eat.
I hope she can visit somewhere with centaur culture one day and experience actual centaur meals!
Starling
Talita having been to no other locale likely contributes to her sense that Dirtball is ‘fine’… for people like Cal, Bip, Idrisah, Gillie, it’s unacceptable and intolerable longterm… they know there are better options out there. Maybe the only way one could find Dirtball ‘fine’, is sheer dearth of experience with otherwise.
I worry for how Talita seems convinced accommodation just wouldn’t exist anywhere else (thus worsen feelings of being a burden or inconvenient, dysphoria..)… I wonder if Mel was overly pragmatic or a worrywart about Talita’s situation behind the scenes, and created this sense that she has no other options, unintentionally boxing her into eternal Dirtball fate?
No sense of her own mobility …
Lilac
Wrrr trying to find ways to relate… I have never been to another country…. which I think is bad and dumb and I should go visit like at least 1 other country sometime… to add to my Experiences… to Expand my Worldview…. but also It will cost money. And also I am scared isuffjdjs. Need to. Also learn other languages…..
EebleDeeble
Man, I kinda get it Talita. I would love to visit Japan but one of the troubles is that I’m strictly gluten free (severe celiac) and the options are really limited there. I can at least purchase and subsist on the bare essentials there, but most restaurant dining is out of the question. Which is a shame, since cuisine is such a big part of travel!
everentropy
Oooh, the soy sauce would make that tough, wouldn’t it? One of my big triggers right now is olive oil so I am *not* going to Italy or Greece any time soon…
Gluten Voted Worst Protein Complex
Same! I’m so glad that Jay has stuck so hard to the idea that aliens cannot share food because on top of being biologically accurate (of course aliens would have unique biochemistry), it really ties into the accessibility themes of this comic and makes them stronger. Celiac disease has essentially banished me from being able to partake in regular food culture. People make trying food when traveling out to be this massive culturally enriching experience but it’s largely inaccessible to me, and travel is always complicated because I have to worry about packing safe food. I’ve noticed that people keep pestering Jay asking them over and over whether there is some way, any way, that aliens could share food, and Jay always tells them no (their FAQ has a huge section devoted to questions of this nature), and I appreciate that because it really does make Talita’s situation all the more relatable. Sorry, everyone, sometimes food that looks good is actually inedible poison for some people! This goes for that stringy centaur “cheese” in this comic and the regular old bread you buy at the store.
IncompleteMachine
Fellow Celiac Detected, Commiseration Initiated
also love the name btw
Common Handle
Ooh the struggle with food is kind of real. My whole family has allergies that make eating out difficult and/or expensive (on top of a couple picky eaters too), so we always have to bring a lot of food with us whenever we go places. Which obviously isn’t As severe as Talita’s problems but it’s fun to see something to relate to 🙂
holly...!
god i would be such a huge MMM fan if i lived in this universe
Cobbington
same
Vinemaple
MMM logo from the poster in Talita’s dream confirmed! (I don’t think it was in Killian’s AMA, was it?)
Thisfox
You should add more questions about it! Even if they aren’t answered this round, they might be next round!
Sparky Lurkdragon
Thank you for the Solstice present. 😉
It’s really going to be something seeing Talita on Naya Pradesh in future books. And I believe there’s a story planned for her visiting the centaur homeplanet and meeting Maulu, but that’s very, very far in the future, I’m sure.
I also appreciate her stilted ASL. Learning a language is hard!
Origamigryphon
As someone who doesn’t know ASL, what about her movements make them look stilted?
Proxy
I think it’s more about the wording itself– ‘Dirtball is my only planet’ instead of ‘I’ve only ever been to Dirtball’, ‘Earth is difficult’ instead of ‘visiting Earth is difficult’, etc.! Shortening sentences down to simpler structures that she’s more aware of how to use correctly, even if they don’t ‘sound’ quite right
Sparky Lurkdragon
What Proxy said. The ASL of all the characters is being translated to English, and Talita’s is being translated as stilted, because she’s still learning. You can see this in the main comic, too. “Have Eid celebration again, small. Maybe?”
Phosphene_eyes
Ooh, seeing the other planets would be very cool! I especially would be excited to see terraformed mars. I always love seeing everyone’s ideas with that planet. I doubt we’ll see it (anytime soon at least) but it’s fun to think about!!
xXGundamfan087Xx
Yeeesss, yeeesss!
ILoveFightingRobots
Please Jay I’m begging you for a side story about MMM someday!
Jay Eaton
I’m so sorry ILoveFightingRobots but in this scenario I am the Idrisah
Vinemaple
This is a fertile subject for RttS fanart and fanfic!
Solidago
Crazy to imagine somebody never seeing an ecosystem… makes you think about how fortunate we are to look up close at a tree and see a spider crawling up its bark! She’s definitely seen photos of Earth, but now I’m also thinking about how many contemporary humans never see mountains, or they’re so urban that their regular access to nature is a constructed park..
Arcstone
I sort of imagined talita if anyone would be pretty used to human toilets actually. Seems like it would have been the most available one in the environment she grew up in.
The tiny stalls in public bathrooms would probably not make it easier though.
AsTheJayFlies
sophonts need different toilets though bc of waste management and their different biochemistries contaminating each others water supplies, iirc
Arcstone
oh yeah, thats right.
Enai
TFW your excrement is classed as hazardous waste, same as the effluvia of a chemical factory…
Deriko
Not To Mention That Humans Are The Only Sophont That Make Pee(as in liquid waste)
Thisfox
OoooooooOOOOooooooh. Hummmmmmmmm. That is really interesting, really.
toyooooo
wait rlly? wheres that stated thats made me awfully curious
Arcstone
Really? Because earth life is sort of unique in that things here have to filter toxins out of their blood and expell them?
JoB
> Really? Because earth life is sort of unique in that things here
> have to filter toxins out of their blood and expell them?
No, because humans (mammals) differ even from other Earth land lifeforms (birds and reptiles) in excreting them in downright liquid form.
petra
god i crave talita going ham on souvenirs on a planet. got that triple M novelty foam hand (shaped like a cartoon retro robot claw). some kind of brimmed hat with drink holders on either side…………. a big dumb jersey……..
bryn
this is a beautiful picture youve painted… now im imagining gillie equally decked out, excitedly cheering at the mech madness, and maybe idrisah looking less excited but still sipping from a triple M brand big cup lol
Amber
Idrisah may not be enjoying the event, but she IS enjoying seeing her loved ones so exited. And okay the drink is tasty and the cup is huge.
JoB
You mean matching merch jerseys (Talita’s been pinned to her actual shirt’s chest with safety pins, of course) that say “I went to MMM and they flattened only ONE mountain!!!”, right?
JoB
[oops, sorry, replied to the wrong post – it was petra who mentioned jerseys]
Common Handle
If she got a big enough one, she might be able to wear it normally! even with how her arms work 🙂
MyUniverseinaBox
Also it’s so cool seeing Talita use sign now in these!!!! Progression 😌
cabbage
I love seeing her use more sign language!
MyUniverseinaBox
If there’s one thing I find not relatable at all abt this comic its that these characters are clearly wealthy enough to travel (and they’re also academically privileged) lol. I’m Talita but it’s about not being able to afford it (plus anaphalaxis to peanuts makes it difficult on top) JDBDJDBD
*This is NOT a slight against this comic
Egg
I feel like Talita at least doesn’t spend a lot on herself outside of necessity. She’s worked on Dirtball for ages, so she probably has a bit saved. And these are non-canon anyway :3
MyUniverseinaBox
Can’t save if it’s all spent on rent and bills! xP
HAL9000
the joys of remote techincal work for certain companies is that accommodations are included in the job. i imagine talita does not pay rent for her unit / its taken from her paycheque as is. she’s also got a pretty comfy position and as mentioned by egg, very little outgoings
HAL9000
*OFTEN included in the job. some employers are more miserly then others
MyUniverseinaBox
*I’m not talking about Talita’s situation, she clearly has enough money to travel lol. That was my point in the first place.
Enai
I suppose companies like Ixion have to provide accommodation to their staff free of charge (or at least not at the prices you’d have to pay if you were to stay there on their own), same as they have to provide the materials and supplies for the actual job.
Adrienne
Suppose it says a lot about the state of the world that imagining a future with multiple alien species and space travel isn’t as jarring as the idea that that travel might be affordable lol
MyUniverseinaBox
AFTFWDTF actually though LMAO
Vinemaple
Well, let’s think about this.
First, the characters are answering a hypothetical question, not planning an actual trip. This is about hopes and dreams and what-if!
Second, stealing the Runaway, with the collaboration of its sapient AI, is a different kind of “travel” than taking a tour or vacation somewhere. They’re essentially going to be moving into the spacecraft that will be their next job.
Third, of the travel they mention: Idrisah has been to Earth at least once, presumably for family gatherings. We don’t know who’s paying for her travel, it could even possibly that her hundreds of relatives will pass the hat for her. Gillie went to college on Earth, possibly it was a big investment for her and her fathers. She moved there for a few years, then moved back to Nexus Jovia. Talita came to Dirtball to work for Ixion. If Ixion didn’t pay that, and guarantee one-way travel back to Jovia as part of a future severance package, it’s plausible that Mel paid, as Talita’s unofficial foster parent. So there’s really no incontrovertible evidence that any of them have disposable income to spend on recreational travel.
I admit that it’s hard to tell whether academics are a privilege in Nexus Jovia and the RttSverse. On the one hand, hypercapitalism is clearly in decline, in favor of more humane economic systems, but on the other hand, places like Nexus Jovia clearly still have a LOT of fossilized hypercapitalist concepts in their society.
I also would guess that fusion power has changed things immensely. The energy economy is going to be some centuries removed from out own, and it’s possible that budget interstellar travel, or at least immigration, exists. It sounds like something the BFGC would build into the wormhole network.
But I can definitely relate to OP’s comment. IRL I often have to stop myself from saying, “Oh, it must be nice to spend a month traveling around Italy” to my fellow community members, especially when their response likely will be, “Oh, well, it only cost us about US$1700!”
Jay Eaton
Hm, these characters are all working specialist labor jobs that kind of suck but pay well (how else could Dirtball keep long term employees), which places them as comfortable middle income working class. Talita’s got greater living expenses than her human peers, and these three aren’t amazingly wealthy, but they are definitely not poor. I don’t think it’s a great insult to find that unrelatable as someone in a worse economic position IRL, economic struggle is just not a primary focus in this story.
Traveling to another planet is more comparatively expensive than modern plane flights, but mostly because it’s a huge time sink. The less you pay, the longer you spend in transit in worse quarters. A middle income Jovian could feasibly afford planning a vacation to another planet every 5-10 years, and the bigger hassle would probably be getting enough time off work to vanish for several months. And if you are hired for a job on a different planet (like Dirtball), it’s fairly common for them to offset some to all of your moving costs. A low income Jovian could feasibly go to a different planet at least a couple times in their life, more if thrifty about transport, either as a job related move or vacation. Remote workers would have an easier time planning this kind of travel either way.
Nexus Jovia is also a socialist majority polity with citizen UBI and social housing that has a far less extreme economic disparity than a modern economic superpower like the USA. Their economy is mostly built around mining exports and being an intergalactic trading hub, and currently their line is going up (for now). It’s not a utopia though, UBI alone is not really enough to do more than prevent starvation and afford a dorm bed in social housing, and arguments about raising or lowering UBI are common between different political parties. It’s also notoriously difficult to gain citizenship and thus UBI in Jovia as an immigrant (Idrisah’s parents would certainly have complaints to make about this). But Jovian poverty and homelessness rates are currently quite low so that’s nice
MyUniverseinaBox
Well, you don’t need to convince me at least that Nexus Jovia isn’t a utopia. Actual socialism wouldn’t need any “line” to go up, and they also wouldn’t care about oppressing immigrants. What you’re talking about is social democracy, which is capitalism, not socialism.
You write some really compelling characters and stories, especially about interpersonal relationships, but I feel you neglect to understand the wider class struggle and how it intertwines with literally everything. You can’t really write about the plights of women, queer folks, and people of colour, without economic struggle as well.
At the face of it all, these characters are very privileged and the type of stuff they’re yapping about here is rather alienating and annoying to someone who isn’t so lucky. I still love this comic, it’s just something I’ve picked up on reading it as someone indeed, not so lucky.
Jay Eaton
I think that your frustration with the characters is valid, and I do think I need to work more on defining the fictional economics and the intersection of class relationships in RttS, I consider it a weak point in my worldbuilding (and unlike military tech, I want to develop it more). But there’s a lot of intersectional struggles RttS isn’t focused on, because inevitably most of the worldbuilding is just a suggestion of a bigger world in service of a narrative with specific parameters.
About the economic worldbuilding I do have: Socialist countries have a GDP and barring extreme isolationism are part of the international economic market, that’s what I meant by the “line going up,” sorry for the vague wording. I’m not sure how you’re defining actual socialism, but xenophobic and anti-immigrant policies are not exclusive to specific economic systems. Jovia’s current economic system could be described as market socialism, with the means of production being socially owned, but allocation is often guided by market economics, e.g., firms operate in pursuit of profit that goes directly to the workers or government as opposed to private capital holders. So in that respect, those firms’ lines can also independently go up. Ixion Recycling Plant is an outpost of the government-owned waste management firm.
Jovia has a variety of political factions chipping away and adding things to policy, with the biggest parties being socialists and communists. They are not one-to-one corollaries with modern concepts of those labels. Broadly, the socialist party seeks to increase free market influence within Jovia’s government-owned firms while lowering UBI to fund targeted social welfare programs; while the communist party seeks to increase government intervention in economic planning, raise UBI, and increase funding to other generalized distribution systems (like food). Neither of these groups are capitalist, they’re arguing over how the government should manage the means of production.
eden
myuniverseinabox, I feel like that judgement is a little unwarranted since jay has stated that the most impoverished demographics rarely get the chance to travel at all, and talita was heavily pressured by the jovial government to work on at the embassy on the centuar homeplanet before she got her job at onion precisely because she would have been one of the destitute residents and jovia was not willing to cover her needs. it’s been stated multiple times how expensive it is to live as a centuar, to the point she has to rely heavily on printed silicon meat to survive, she lives in a shoebox a mile long walk away from her work and she is only moving into a better building becouse the company she works for is bringing in a new set of cheap labor to exploit. her position is so delicate that she cannot afford to advocate for herself from being physically assaulted. I absolutely agree that class struggle is an important issue to talk bout, but jay has been addressing them very thoroughly and isn’t neglecting them because every topic cannot be put at the spotlight at once in 200 pages of a visual medium.
wingedhorror
MARTIAN!!!
MECH!!!
MAAADNEEEESSSSS!!!!
un_pogaz
That sad that Talita can hardly come to Earth, but when her mention the heavy preparation that implie, yeah, that fair.
But now I think about it, she probably can’t go anywhere that not ready to her rare biology, wich means almost every. Erh. Now the Runaway sound like not only than a escape of Dirtball, and all that it is, but more like a true freedom and independance for Talita than nothing before.
40
Is it a pain for people to acclimate to different gravities? Like was Talita really struggling when she first got to Dirtball? Had she felt linear gravity at all before then?
blythe
nexus jovia spins enough to be 1 G, so she actually grew up in higher gravity than homeplanet centaurs
40
Oh no the actual force wouldn’t be the concern, it’s that the rotational gravity is disorienting. Things don’t move how you’d expect them to, and that includes the fluids in your inner ear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ_seXo-Enc
JoB
Please note that that room is small, and that in the video, they’re specifically exploring movements that move through different levels of rotational speeds /centrifugal forces. (Including a “floor” that, once the rotation is on, is not actually “flat” anymore.)
In Nexus Jovia, people move along the circumference (= constant centrifugal force) of their respective cylinder. In Idrisah’s case, that was a diameter of ~6 km – I think I’ve read somewhere that diameters of 100+ m are enough to make the difference to “normal” gravity unnoticeable to humans. (Unless you look waaaaay along the curvature, or try to throw something that far or somesuch, of course.)
Random Clod
Runaway to the… Mars *ba-dum tss*
bryn
i wonder if there are any centaur communities on earth in rtts current day, although this reply implies theyre quite sparse
TheOneAndOnlyVoid
Well you could visit more planets if you ran away to the stars
Scyphi
Heck yeah, Martian Mech Madness sounds way better! 😀
meow town
i like the small differences in talitas speech when shes talking in sign language!
Zidane
was just about to point that out too, it really hits the “i’m just trying to get out the correct words to get my point across” way of speaking that tends to happen when you’re speaking a language you’re not fluent in (or at least it does in my experience)
guest
asl is actually kind of structured like that grammatically actually! asl syntax can be very different from english, its pretty cool.
guest
oh, i found the comic jay did exploring asl syntax, which utilizes expressions to give context! notice the straightforward grammar lacking articles https://www.tumblr.com/jayrockin/676473350654181376/a-visitor-on-the-runaway-spacecraft-shyam-has
Kayjack
Would Talita be inherently immune or inherently vulnerable to earths microorganisms?
one who ponders immunology
Inherently immune one must imagine. Alien doctors might be in high demand!
Avardent
Most sophons could get the relevant vaccines but with centaurs i m not sure how easy that is to get