Awwwkkkwarrrd
Transcript
Ohwitiil: AND YET IT DOESN’T SEEM TO GET FROM YOUR HEAD TO YOUR BRAIN!They gesture between Talita's head and the area between her midshoulders. Another avian walks over, this one crest-less with simple pleated garb and a cap-like head covering.
Cheevwut: Stop having a hernia over dust and negotiate with our aluminum buyer, geezer.
Ohwitiil: Cheevwut. I can hear your disrespect, even if you use Jovian English.
Cheevwut: What, are you gonna dock my pay? Oh wait, I’m in charge of payroll now.
Ohwitiil: I’M STILL YOUR MANAGER!
They scream at each other in Tiiliitian. Talita waves awkwardly to Idirsah, who is peeking over her cubicle wall to see the commotion. She scurries over to Talita and starts gently pushing her towards the exit, smiling politely at her arguing coworkers.
Idrisah: Excuse us!
46 thoughts on “Runaway to the Stars: Page 23”
Boxthing
I dunno why but I’m getting Ferengi vibes from those two…
Vinemaple
Really looking, at second read-thru, at Ohwitiil’s ensemble. That beak ring looks like the kind of really bothersome thing you only wear to flex not needing to worry about the inconvenience it causes you…
Filiya
I like how this swearing subtly incorporates information about Talitha’s anatomy.
Vinemaple
Big Gainax-comedy-shot vibes.
d-hoi
The lil nervous system diagram really reminds me of the puppeteers from Ringworld.
meow
did Ohwitiil fold their hands together to make a “one pointing finger” gesture? or is that just a coincidence? reminds me a little of how little Talita used the same tactic to give her teen bullies the middle finger
Gus
I think they were referencing the shape of Talita’s nervous system but that’s funny too
Origamigryphon
Avians only have two fingers on each hand; in the first panel, they’re “pointing” with the motion moving up to down, referencing that Talita’s brain is not in her head. Is that what you were asking?
Darth Biomech
Ohwitiil’s clothing is so elaborate., love it! Must’ve been hell to draw it ^^”
Filiya
The shape of your raharrs is also very detailed and complex!
Entropy
I know that avians sound awful and I REALLY want to hear them actually speak, or at least an approximate of it. Probs never will, but I like to hope.
winged monkey
Oh.
I… I think my family is avian.
Hmm. Explains a lot.
Joysweeper
another great Talita face! she’s having a terrible time but I’m happy lmao. I see why Calcery was telling her to get out.
Zuorai
THERE’S CHEEVWUT!!!!
40
In my head I read the Tiiliitian as just whistling (birds haha), and this is so much funnier imagining all the arguing as furious whistles.
Jay Eaton
They sound closer to angry cat yowling with musical chords.
dokki
https://youtu.be/0Q8kEA1Gwuo?si=Dj2QNeiNBTqPT5OX like this?
Jay Eaton
Was thinking more like the Oh Long Johnson Cat but with the discordant affect of a red winged blackbird.
hal9000
oh no the girls are arguing! old married couple energy
Trees
Oh, no. I’m starting to see why people can’t stand working here.
Don’t de rude everybody, please, don’t de rude!
.
What was Calcery’s job? I’d unconsciously assumed he was the boss just because he’s a big, disembodied AI and my fictional touchstone for that kind of AI is The Culture series where they are in charge of everything. Unfortunately this vicious little bird seems to be the boss. Oh no.
Jay Eaton
Calcery was a manager but not the head honcho, that’s Mel. He was in charge of outdoors work and programming the automated work cycles for the facility. Talita was his assistant, basically, and helped in the junkyard when equipment broke down that was too tricky to fix with remote control vehicles. Ohwitiil is the administration wing (har) manager.
Trees
Oh cool. I guess that explains why there are suddenly a bunch of inexperienced workers walking too near saw blades a generally making Talita stressed: because Calcery isn’t there to operate the automatic machines anymore? Tch. Companies don’t appreciate a skilled giant bank of servers like they should.
the Inmara
Ah! Ah! That tail friendly chair in the background of panel 3! Yes!
Excellent design. Love it.
Our own starship/world has chairs like that (of various other designs).
Bungle
That moment when your friends recognize you’re in a bad situation and know just how to get the heat off you. Cheevwut, you had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Let the sass flow like wine. Also, Idrisah with the exit to Stage right ftw!!!
Mr. Son
Impressed by that tricky back of the head showing the underside of her face shot. Those kinds of angles are so hard to draw.
Jay Eaton
The perspective on that expression is severely bastardized, but that doesn’t matter because it fulfills the much more important purpose of being funny
Lord Eric
I love the contrast between Ohwitiil’s volcanic rage and Cheevwut’s deadpan dismissal of it. Not even slightly scared of the scary boss.
Peter Jensen
To quote from the character AMA #3: “Fun to bully.”
Lord Eric
it’s also in interesting contrast between the business suit (?) that Cheevwut is wearing and Ohwitiil’s elaborate frippery.
Shane
Actually, that “frippery” is what all “bright” avians wear (they’re the ones with crests, while the “duns” are the ones without).
saturn
really obsessed with both workers in the BG quietly watching the shitshow go down
feesh
CHEEV <3 i wonder how often the office has to listen to the two of them yelling at each other
Sparky Lurkdragon
Oh. Oh, hmmmm…
I have Future Knowledge and it’s making this conversation even more hilarious. Ohwitiil should listen to Cheev! XD
reijnders/sunlight_mana
the switch from jovian english to the avian language to argue more is so funny
junkalopes
what’re ya gonna do? FiRe mE? :V
Origamigryphon
I love the second panel, where Ohwitiil’s tusks aren’t exactly aligned, making them appear to be angrily mid-brux
TotallySomebody
The shark gmh (I forget what they’re called) looking so annoyed in the bg haha
Random Clod
They’re called ‘cetacers’ iirc. And yeah i would hate to be in the same office as Ohwitiil
Liza
god I know that look so well. That is sooo the “can you have your LOUD AS FUCK conversation somewhere other than THREE FEET AWAY from where I’m talking to a client? THANKS” God I don’t miss the call centre.
Septemberdale
Species-specific insults! It is logical that such things would exist, and it really helps make this universe feel more real.
TotallySomebody
Aah okay i knew it was ceta something thank you hah
TotallySomebody
I replied to the wrong person mb-
Septemberdale
It’s fine! We are imperfect beings! We all make mistakes!
Maia
Species specific insults in a way that doesn’t result in an HR call as well. Come to think of it it would probably be SR instead of HR.
Septemberdale
But of course! The English insult “it goes in one ear and out the other” does not make sense applied to an alien with both ears hidden in the front of the head!
Guest
fun workplace lol