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Harbourmaster (Webcomic)

 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
type
TVTItem
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
label
Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
page
Harbourmaster
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
comment
Harbourmaster is an original science-fiction Web Comic by Melissa DeHaan, a.k.a. Wayward Martian (a.k.a. author of the Insecticomics), that draws on the concepts of Theodore Sturgeon. Two centuries into beginning their exploration of the galaxy, humanity encountered a stray Aquaan colony ship, the Aquaans being a much more advanced alien race. The Aquaans, however, decided to voluntarily slow down their advancement in favor of helping humanity acclimate to the needs of spacefaring society.Harbourmaster focuses on the colony world of Tethys, the only known world to have its own landbound species, the entomorphs. The focus of the strip is on how Humans and Aquaans relate to each other. To quote the main site, "Harbourmaster has spaceships and genetic engineering and aliens, but mostly it's about evolution and love."Harbourmaster can be found on the author's "Wayward Martian Graphics" website; the comic pages (along with other art) are also posted in the "Harbourmaster" folder of the author's DeviantArt gallery.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
fetched
2023-08-20T10:45:42Z
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
parsed
2023-08-20T10:45:42Z
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_10416043
type
Dropping the Bombshell
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_10416043
comment
Dropping the Bombshell: Tal explains to Gilou why Anthemys' mother calls her "Marelle": it's because Marelle is their older sister whom Tallifens murdered before she turned five. It gets compunded later on; Falstoph reveals to Gilou that Tallifens killed his first son—Tal's heretofore unknown elder brother—for having too few Monteblanc traits.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_10416043
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_10416043
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1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_10416043
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_115b9907
type
Starfish Language
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_115b9907
comment
Starfish Language: Entomorph language consists not just of vocalizations (which already use mandibles, rather than vocal cords), but pheromone releases. Therefore, they use PDAs to communicate with humans. Although they love PDAs for more than just that (they can more easily communicate over long distances, for one).
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_115b9907
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_115b9907
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_115b9907
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_154aa477
type
Big, Screwed-Up Family
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_154aa477
comment
Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Montblanc family initially seems to have its massive issues — just starting with an aristocratic patriarchy lead by a Smug Snake whose defining moral system appears to be It Amused Me when it's not simply family loyalty. It's not until book 3 that we see just how bad it is. And it's bad. Culling the 'impure' due to left-handedness. Making sculptures out of dead toddlers. Madwoman in the Attic, and yet it still manages to get worse.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_154aa477
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_154aa477
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_154aa477
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_16995d90
type
Right-Hand Cat
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_16995d90
comment
Right-Hand Cat: Perius has several such cats. Unusually for the idea, the cats are very affectionate. Being a cat lover is probably the only good thing about him.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_16995d90
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_16995d90
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_16995d90
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1759af2f
type
Feghoot
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1759af2f
comment
Feghoot: When Tal is so worried about writing a speech that he actually procrastinates until the last day, Nephos helps put his mind at ease by saying that once, Partisah delivered a Founders' Day speech which rambled on for an hour before culminating in an abysmal fish pun, lowering the bar for 'a good speech' right into the ground.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1759af2f
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1759af2f
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1759af2f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1779f10e
type
"Well Done, Son" Guy
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1779f10e
comment
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Played with. Technically, Hurmiz has already earned the respect of Kema, its progenitor. But Hurmiz also wants its parental love—rather difficult when Kema's still struggling to internalize the concept. As a result, it's envious, though not grudging, towards Gilou, who has caused it to begin questioning the fallout of such things as accelerating Partasah's aging to force him to make a choice about the Tethyn Yogzarthu.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1779f10e
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1779f10e
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1779f10e
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_17ce80aa
type
All There in the Manual
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_17ce80aa
comment
All There in the Manual: It's a good idea to look at the DeviantArt postings, just to read Wayward's explanations of minutiae and other bits that the characters would have no reason to immediately speak of.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_17ce80aa
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_17ce80aa
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_17ce80aa
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_195bec23
type
Gender-Concealing Writing
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_195bec23
comment
Gender-Concealing Writing: A curious version of this involves pronouns referring to entomorphs. The entomorph language doesn't have gendered pronouns; pronouns refer instead to an entomorph's caste. Rather than mint new words for entomorph pronouns, humans just re-mapped their own pronouns for new entomorph-specific definitions. For example, "she" is mapped to a member of the entomorphs' hunter caste. So it's completely proper to refer to a male entomorph hunter with "she" and "her". Imagine the confusion if someone completely unfamiliar with this makes Tethys landfall. It is also confusing with the Aquaans themselves. Consider this page, and study carefully. The author admitted she struggled with whether to put a NSFW tag on this page and the ones that follow in that chapter. Why? Because while both characters portrayed are hermaphrodites, and they are not displaying any genitalia to the reader, the lighter-skinned Gilou prefers to identify by a female pronoun, and in several panels you can see "her" chest.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_195bec23
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_195bec23
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_195bec23
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c28faa3
type
Comfort the Dying
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c28faa3
comment
Comfort the Dying: Tal cares for his mentor Partasah throughout his final illness, though Partasah is alone with his husband when he finally dies. Gilou explains how important this is to Aqaans:
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c28faa3
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c28faa3
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c28faa3
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c445e86
type
Poor Communication Kills
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c445e86
comment
Poor Communication Kills: If Kema had at least told Mormo that Tal was going to leave the planet, or had Mormo even asked anyone, Tal would never have learned that the Yogzarthu were on Tethys, and Mormo wouldn't have wound up locked into Seisha-form.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c445e86
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c445e86
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1c445e86
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1e6dfea1
type
Ãœbermensch
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1e6dfea1
comment
Übermensch: Alu sees herself as this, with a teeming dose of Above Good and Evil. She also sees it as the destiny of the Aquaans.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1e6dfea1
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1e6dfea1
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1e6dfea1
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1f4bb5b4
type
Let Me Tell You a Story
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1f4bb5b4
comment
Let Me Tell You a Story: Governor Tal uses the Yogzarthu as a metaphor to explain the motives behind the treaty to Anfre Sovi, who wants him to break it.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1f4bb5b4
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1f4bb5b4
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1f4bb5b4
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1fb440a6
type
Voluntary Shapeshifting
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1fb440a6
comment
Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Yogzarthu. And as this page shows, it's the result of Alu becoming "unlocked".
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1fb440a6
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1fb440a6
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_1fb440a6
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_204a1207
type
Hyperspace Is a Scary Place
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_204a1207
comment
Hyperspace Is a Scary Place: Some folks adapt to it better than others.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_204a1207
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_204a1207
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_204a1207
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2207b002
type
Ambiguously Brown
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2207b002
comment
Ambiguously Brown: Except on Veras, which is obsessed with maintaining all the semblances humanity had before the Unforgivable Years (and earlier than that), most humans are some shade of tan/brown/sepia. This is indeed the result of lineages mixing together during human spacefaring, although there are a few recognizable—and non-Veran—Asian and Caucasian archetypes. Emphasis on "few". Absolute similarity is interdicted not just by planetary genetic localization, but by the fact that a fair number of humans use Aquaan genetic engineering to alter their own semblances—the genetic version of cosmetic surgery.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2207b002
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2207b002
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_267ce120
type
Dirty Old Man
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_267ce120
comment
Dirty Old Man: Javin is not above resorting to this to polish his reputation as the town's official "Public Nuisance".
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_267ce120
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1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_267ce120
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_267ce120
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_294ed981
type
Bilingual Bonus
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_294ed981
comment
Bilingual Bonus: After the first pages of "Pulp", when the story switches to the viewpoint of the Tethyns from that of Fish out of Temporal Water Richard Stevenson, the author shows the reader the actual French that Tal and Richard are using to communicate for a few pages. In the words of one fluent-in-French commenter:
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_294ed981
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_294ed981
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_294ed981
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2af7961
type
Faster-Than-Light Travel
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2af7961
comment
Faster-Than-Light Travel: The A-S drive on humanity's spaceships (and Aquaane ships, after the species met) allows this.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2af7961
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1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2af7961
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2af7961
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2bd44a0f
type
Hermaphrodite
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2bd44a0f
comment
Hermaphrodite: Although individual Aquaans have preferred pronouns, they're all genuine hermaphrodites.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2bd44a0f
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1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2bd44a0f
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1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2bd44a0f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2f36d97
type
Older Than They Look
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2f36d97
comment
Older Than They Look: Even with genetic engineering increasing the lifespans of anyone who takes it, Seisha Dree takes it to unmatchable heights. The Healing Factor from her genetic modifications is so powerful that she ages extremely slowly. If at all.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2f36d97
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1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2f36d97
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2f36d97
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2fc2d6e1
type
Shapeshifter Mode Lock
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2fc2d6e1
comment
Mazair. The whole chapter is just one giant spoiler, befitting of the end of a book. It turns out that Kema imprisoned one of the Qohathoth stragglers in pursuit of a solution to the Yogzarthu's many, many issues. After Gilou discovers her origin, the eponymous Mazair is cured of her Shapeshifter Mode Lock by a Kema who still doesn't quite get the concept of forgiveness or redemption, but still tries its best — and at the end, Mazair reveals her secret to both Tal and the one person on the planet who will most be utterly tormented by not being able to report on her existence.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2fc2d6e1
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2fc2d6e1
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_2fc2d6e1
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_319e4a2f
type
Even Evil Has Standards
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_319e4a2f
comment
Even Evil Has Standards: Perius may delight in being a villain, but he does not approve of Veras's habit of culling children that don't match their families' preferred phenotypes, nor of denying dead children a proper burial.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_319e4a2f
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_319e4a2f
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_319e4a2f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_32c1c899
type
GenerationShip
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_32c1c899
comment
Generation Ship: The history of the Aquaans only goes back as far as their life on one such vessel, prior to discovering humanity. Turns out everyone, human and Aquaan, only thinks it was a generation ship. Kema had created all the first Aquaans directly.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_32c1c899
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_32c1c899
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_32c1c899
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f1b472
type
Mad Artist
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f1b472
comment
Mad Artist: Falstoph. To make memorials to the "defective" children the Monteblancs culled, he acquires the remains of other poor families' deceased children, claiming to be giving them proper burial, only to use the bones as the memorials' raw materials. Even more unnervingly, he was able to get Marelle's remains before they could be disposed of, and memorialized her.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f1b472
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f1b472
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f1b472
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f8042a
type
Gratuitous French
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f8042a
comment
Gratuitous French: The Monteblancs, like most Veran families, have aristocratic pretensions; in their case, this includes fluency in French. This turns out to be unexpectedly useful in "Pulp", when Zefonith runs into a Language Barrier after resurrecting a twentieth-century mountain climber.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f8042a
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f8042a
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_34f8042a
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_36fa0cc
type
Clones Are People, Too
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_36fa0cc
comment
Clones Are People, Too: The conversation about Richard Stevenson's fate in "Pulp" seems based in this trope.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_36fa0cc
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_36fa0cc
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_36fa0cc
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_38f1a7ed
type
Defector from Decadence
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_38f1a7ed
comment
Defector from Decadence: Tal and Anthemys. Also Kema the Myriad.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_38f1a7ed
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_38f1a7ed
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_38f1a7ed
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_3ee690ca
type
Terminal Transformation
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_3ee690ca
comment
Terminal Transformation: Alu's first shift nearly killed her because it forced her to take conscious control of all her bodily processes, including heart and organ function. Yogzarthu can innately handle the cognitive load, but Alu needed emergency help to survive.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_3ee690ca
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_3ee690ca
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_3ee690ca
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_42affc96
type
Under the Mistletoe
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_42affc96
comment
Under the Mistletoe: The non-canon 2013 Christmas bonus strip and the non-canon 2016 Christmas bonus strip.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_42affc96
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_42affc96
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_42affc96
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_44a893af
type
Humans Through Alien Eyes
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_44a893af
comment
Humans Through Alien Eyes: With More, With Less.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_44a893af
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_44a893af
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_44a893af
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4832a3bb
type
Always Chaotic Evil
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4832a3bb
comment
Always Chaotic Evil: The Yogzarthu, although good luck telling them that. Chaotic Evil from a human or Aquaan viewpoint, yes. Ultimately averted with Kema's coterie. Even if Kema has trouble with being moral, it's because of unfamiliarity with concepts largely alien to the Yogzarthu, not any desire to stay amoral.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4832a3bb
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4832a3bb
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4832a3bb
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_485eb589
type
Sealed Evil in a Can
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_485eb589
comment
Sealed Evil in a Can: After their defeat, the Yogzarthu were sealed into a pocket dimension.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_485eb589
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_485eb589
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_485eb589
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4acee1ed
type
Fish out of Temporal Water
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4acee1ed
comment
Fish out of Temporal Water: In "Pulp: Prologue", Zefonith is hired to clone a frozen mountain climber with his memories. In "Pulp", we get to see Richard Stevenson, the aforementioned mountain climber, awaken.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4acee1ed
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4acee1ed
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_4acee1ed
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5009999d
type
Painting the Medium
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5009999d
comment
Painting the Medium: Whenever non-human/Aquaan speech and language are rendered, a different speech bubble type and font are used. Entomorphs, for instance, get speech bubbles like irregular polygons and letters like single scratch mark collections. Yogzarthu get beige, irregularly scalloped speech bubbles with handwritten-like font that connects the tails and stems of letters at various intervals (it's supposed to reflect the fluid qualities of the thought patterns of creatures for whom Voluntary Shapeshifting is second nature).
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5009999d
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5009999d
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5009999d
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5028baf2
type
What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5028baf2
comment
What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: After two thousand years and counting, Kema's still trying to figure out love and other aspects of what Humans and Aquaans would call morality. It certainly wants to have them, but the concepts are still rather slippery. Its spawn Hurmiz has a much better grasp of the idea, at least where familial love is concerned, and among the K’Neth Yogzarthu, Eigonshazar and Aradneth genuinely care about each other, even if their language will only let them name it "madness".
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5028baf2
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5028baf2
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5028baf2
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_515189ab
type
Single-Biome Planet
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_515189ab
comment
Single-Biome Planet: Tethys is essentially an Ocean Planet, although given the emphasis on the creatures above sea level, we haven't yet had much cause to look at all the pelagic biomes there might be.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_515189ab
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_515189ab
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Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_515189ab
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_54321e11
type
Innocent Fanservice Girl
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_54321e11
comment
One of the early arcs has a tourist woman incensed at her entomorph guide's "nudity"—as in, she isn't wearing anything like pants, skirt, etc. Despite the fact that entomorphs are insects, not mammals, and should look armored to humans, as Tal notes. Twinkletoes putting on an ad-hoc skirt mollifies the woman, sure enough. Although one wonders how she'd react when she learns that entomorphs, like dragonflies, have their genitalia bound to the tips of their tails (which aren't covered).
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_54321e11
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 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_54321e11
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hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_54321e11
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5517f7a5
type
Just Think of the Potential!
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5517f7a5
comment
Just Think of the Potential!: Anfre Sovi is all over this in the Disputed Territory arc in his attempts to get Tal to ignore the treaty with the entomorphs in favor of development that would de-backwater Tethys. He's just the latest in a bunch of would-be developers who can't believe the Tethyns are content with being a relative backwater.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5517f7a5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5517f7a5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5517f7a5
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_57b80b45
type
Fantastic Racism
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_57b80b45
comment
Fantastic Racism: The denizens of Veras have an incredibly low opinion of Aquaans. Then again, their opinion of non-Veras humans isn't that much better.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_57b80b45
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_57b80b45
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_57b80b45
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_582564f5
type
The Gadfly
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_582564f5
comment
The Gadfly: Perius not only bedevils the rest of his family with his antics, but plays up the fun kinds of scandals. After all, not only is it the perpetual fashion for aristocratic families to be embroiled in scandal, but also because... well, he finds it funny. And because with the Montblanc history, if there weren't constant, harmless scandals, the citizens would find atrocities instead.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_582564f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_582564f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_582564f5
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5ec15a79
type
Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5ec15a79
comment
Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: The Aquaans have a society strongly built on genetic adjustments, particularly on themselves. In fact, when the humans first encountered them, the Aquaans were built like skinks and crocodiles. They only took on their humanoid shapes to avoid freaking out humans.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5ec15a79
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5ec15a79
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5ec15a79
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5f52cfcf
type
Intrepid Reporter
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5f52cfcf
comment
Intrepid Reporter: Javin's a bit of a bug up everyone's butt, but he's genuinely good-natured, knows how to sniff out a story with just a hint, and has a surprisingly insightful mind when it comes to actually discerning problems. He's also been booted off a few planets in his nearly three Terran centuries of living, undoubtedly for being a bit less than obsequious to the powers that be.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5f52cfcf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5f52cfcf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_5f52cfcf
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_6205320f
type
Trans Tribulations
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_6205320f
comment
Trans Tribulations: Eryn, upon showing up on Tethys after an entire lifetime of abuse, meets the woman from whom he's cloned, and reacts with clear surprise. Saunda is quick to reassure him that just because she's trans, that doesn't mean he is - which does have some interesting implications regarding Nature Versus Nurture and the epigenetic foundation (if there is one!) of being trans in that universe.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_6205320f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_6205320f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_6205320f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_63557923
type
Death World
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_63557923
comment
It's worth noting that their big hint that humans were hopelessly unfit was that they went to the trouble of terraforming. To a Yogzarthu, that's cheating—you don't get to use advanced mentality to come up with shortcuts. Either your body can already happily endure whatever Death World it might run across, or the Yogzarthu who noticed you will cull you ahead of schedule.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_63557923
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_63557923
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_63557923
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_675ff0f1
type
Apologises a Lot
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_675ff0f1
comment
Apologises a Lot: Tal even apologizes for laughing out loud.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_675ff0f1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_675ff0f1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_675ff0f1
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_72cdfc33
type
Big Bad Ensemble
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_72cdfc33
comment
Big Bad Ensemble: Actually downplayed. Technically, Perius, Kema, and Sihuatl are the clearest antagonists, but implying them as truly evil is definitely a bit much. Perius’s threat is really mostly yanking Tal and Anthemys back to Veras, but is still the one to disown them for their benefit. Kema really does think it’s doing what is right; it just suffers from a spotty understanding of ethics and morality. While Sihuatl is the one genuine wide-scale threat, it genuinely wants to reform the Yogzarthu by Kema’s ideas, and it’s still preparing to restart the offensive against humanity.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_72cdfc33
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_72cdfc33
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_72cdfc33
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_734632b0
type
Noble Bigot
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_734632b0
comment
Noble Bigot: Ever since he set foot on Tethys, Tal's been throwing everything he's got at progressing from this (and the influence of his snooty upper-class family) to just plain Noble. He's still good at torturing himself whenever he finds himself partaking of even a little of his old ways and/or thought patterns, though.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_734632b0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_734632b0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_734632b0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7360806f
type
In-Series Nickname
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7360806f
comment
In-Series Nickname: One of the running gags is Gilou calling Tal "Bloodless" — not because he is pale, but because "Monteblanc" sounds like Aquaan for "drained of blood". Clipper explains that she got her nickname from her timber officer job (her real name translates "Far Sight"), and later tells Tal that the entomorphs generally enjoy being nicknamed. Clipper also mentions that the entomorphs give nicknames to the humans and aquaans in their own language.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7360806f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7360806f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7360806f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_77cd56b3
type
Paralyzing Fear of Sexuality
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_77cd56b3
comment
Paralyzing Fear of Sexuality: Tal is deeply uncomfortable with sexuality and physical intimacy, to the point that he can't even offer a perfectly chaste comforting hug. After Gilou notices, she sends him some reference material about asexuality and how it's just one more orientation among many, and when Tal finally goes out on a date with Habynah, he immediately prefaces it by telling her that he's not interested in her that way. She's more than accepting, especially as it's more of a goodbye sort of date.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_77cd56b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_77cd56b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_77cd56b3
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7821f0a8
type
Team Chef
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7821f0a8
comment
Team Chef: Gilou, who tends to cook rich, sweet food, and plenty of it. Even she agrees that sometimes her food is a bit too much.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7821f0a8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7821f0a8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7821f0a8
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7c46c734
type
Common Tongue
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7c46c734
comment
Common Tongue: At the time of the story, humans and Aquaans alike primarily speak a language called Standard.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7c46c734
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7c46c734
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_7c46c734
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_80b57bec
type
Super-Soldier
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_80b57bec
comment
Super Soldier: When fighting the Yogzarthu, many humans were bioengineered into these. Cleverly, the Aquaan responsible for selecting who to enhance (Thalassa Partasah) specifically chose Reluctant Warriors. In fact, Jendolyn hates films with lots of crime and violence; she'd prefer her entertainment to not remind her of the criminal problems Tethys occasionally suffers. (Her non-soldier girlfriend, on the other hand...)
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_80b57bec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_80b57bec
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_80b57bec
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8573ac0a
type
The Social Darwinist
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8573ac0a
comment
The Social Darwinist: The entire Yogzarthu species, full-tilt. That's why they attempted to destroy humanity, but also why humans could defeat them—Yogzarthu really only act individually, teamwork hampered by an innate drive to dominate and/or destroy the weaker/unfit (read: every other creature). Humans don't quite have that problem. It's worth noting that their big hint that humans were hopelessly unfit was that they went to the trouble of terraforming. To a Yogzarthu, that's cheating—you don't get to use advanced mentality to come up with shortcuts. Either your body can already happily endure whatever Death World it might run across, or the Yogzarthu who noticed you will cull you ahead of schedule. It was only when a few, like Sihuatl, fully realized that they were stumbling headfirst into an evolutionary cul-de-sac that the Yogzarthu started to change their tune, bolstered by the knowledge that they no longer have the tools they need to build the tools they'd need to recognize their past.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8573ac0a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8573ac0a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8573ac0a
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8658cd14
type
Agent Scully
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8658cd14
comment
Agent Scully: Richard Stevenson is impressively immune to evidence that he's not on Earth in 1953.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8658cd14
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8658cd14
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8658cd14
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_89b8822f
type
Go Mad from the Revelation
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_89b8822f
comment
Go Mad from the Revelation: When a Qohathoth monument was discovered on Mars, some groups had a hard time believing and/or accepting that there could be sapients besides humans (read: they weren't unequivocally special). At least one group thought they could only be demons—and this group had some rather impressive weaponry.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_89b8822f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_89b8822f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_89b8822f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8b6e8d7
type
Anachronic Order
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8b6e8d7
comment
Anachronic Order: Most of the story is in time order, but quite a few chapters jump back in time to cover earlier events in the lives of the characters.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8b6e8d7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8b6e8d7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8b6e8d7
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8c170cb1
type
Ethical Slut
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8c170cb1
comment
Ethical Slut: Aquaans are naturally polyamorous and uninhibited about sex, but central to Aquaan culture — more so than their language, even — is The Etiquette, which among other things regulates sexual behavior.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8c170cb1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8c170cb1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8c170cb1
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8e20979
type
Wham Episode
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8e20979
comment
Wham Episode: And Earthly Things Be Done. There's a contingent of Yogzarthu under the Sons of Tiamat, they're headed by the same Kema the Myriad that Sihuatl's taking notes from, Kema accelerated Partasah's aging to force him to make a choice about his connection with the Yogzarthu, and those Yogzarthu are currently keeping Alu contained. One Deal is What We Made. In addition to Tal getting waylaid by Mormo, Kema reveals that it created the Aquaans. Mazair. The whole chapter is just one giant spoiler, befitting of the end of a book. It turns out that Kema imprisoned one of the Qohathoth stragglers in pursuit of a solution to the Yogzarthu's many, many issues. After Gilou discovers her origin, the eponymous Mazair is cured of her Shapeshifter Mode Lock by a Kema who still doesn't quite get the concept of forgiveness or redemption, but still tries its best — and at the end, Mazair reveals her secret to both Tal and the one person on the planet who will most be utterly tormented by not being able to report on her existence.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8e20979
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8e20979
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8e20979
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8f900ccd
type
Overly Long Name
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8f900ccd
comment
Overly Long Name: Bretnon Falstoph Perius Tallifens Monteblanc LVII. He never uses the whole thing except to poke fun at his aristocratic past. In every other instance, "Tal Monteblanc" or "Tal" are quite sufficient.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8f900ccd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8f900ccd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_8f900ccd
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_92286f7f
type
Precursors
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_92286f7f
comment
Precursors: The Qohathoth. Their motivation? Loneliness. The reason they terraformed so many planets was that they wanted to at least make sure that succeeding sapient species wouldn't suffer the same torment.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_92286f7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_92286f7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_92286f7f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_9446f847
type
Death or Glory Attack
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_9446f847
comment
Death or Glory Attack: The mechanism of the Last Hunt ritual of the entomorphs. A hunter who feels she's become too slow and/or weak to aid the hive will invite friends to take witness as she assails some predator that even a completely healthy and extremely adept hunter would be in a bind to kill. If the predator wins (the likely result, especially since leviathans are a legitimate option), she enjoyed a worthy end to a full life. If the hunter wins, her self-confidence is heavily revitalized with this evidence of still being competent, and she once again aids in feeding the colony.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_9446f847
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_9446f847
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_9446f847
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_96144372
type
Aristocrats Are Evil
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_96144372
comment
Aristocrats Are Evil: If Perius is anything to go by, this applies to a good chunk of the Monteblanc family—and why Tal and Anthemys are very happy to be away from them on Tethys. Further established during the Maison de Monteblanc arc with Tallifens and Bretnon.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_96144372
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_96144372
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_96144372
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a567f7f2
type
I Want My Jet Pack
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a567f7f2
comment
I Want My Jetpack: Part of Richard Stevenson's skepticism about being a Fish out of Temporal Water is based on a belief that "[t]he future is supposed to be rocket ships and robots, not some primitive fishing village."
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a567f7f2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a567f7f2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a567f7f2
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a56e3cba
type
Language Barrier
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a56e3cba
comment
Language Barrier: In "Pulp", Zefonith doesn't speak English and the resurrected American mountain climber Richard Stevenson doesn't speak Standard. They end up resorting to French, which Governor Tal speaks because of his aristocratic Veran upbringing and Richard speaks barely.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a56e3cba
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a56e3cba
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a56e3cba
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a7e47a11
type
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a7e47a11
comment
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: When Tal's grandfather says he's sure the family will be in good hands when Tal returns to Veras, Tal immediately clutches himself in shame and assumes he'd done something horrible. He'd demanded a clean break from the family for Anthemys in return for information that would completely destroy an aristocrat who'd sponsored piracy, illegal (on Veras) genetic engineering, and raising a clone as a sex slave.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a7e47a11
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a7e47a11
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a7e47a11
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a80027b8
type
Cypher Language
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a80027b8
comment
Cypher Language: Crosses over with Translation Convention on Page 2 of "Pulp", when Richard Stevenson wakes up and Zefonith tries to converse with him: Zefonith's dialogue is rendered as English written out in the International Phonetic Alphabet to represent the fact that Richard can't understand Standard. Page 20 of "Pulp" adds a second cypher, representing Richard speaking in incomprehensible English to Officer Lake; the letters are transformed versions of the usual Latin alphabet.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a80027b8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a80027b8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a80027b8
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a94eaaa4
type
Odd Friendship
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a94eaaa4
comment
Odd Friendship: When Partasah died, Gilou tried to force Tal to abdicate in her favor. Instead, she ended up being hired as his assistant ... only to discover herself beginning to like him.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a94eaaa4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a94eaaa4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a94eaaa4
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a9c7258a
type
Absent Aliens
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a9c7258a
comment
Absent Aliens: Played with. Sapient life is very rare in the galaxy. The tsilok-Shilau were alone, and went extinct, millions of years ago, and the Qohathoth who came afterwards found their own loneliness unbearable—they apparently moved on in some fashion in a comparatively short time before humans became spacefarers, unable to wait for them. The Aquaan Generation Ship encounter was quite a surprise. Then again, considering that the Aquaans were created as unwitting pawns in Kema's scheme to guide humans into essentially becoming kinder, gentler Yogzarthu...Entomorphs, meanwhile, came to sapience comparatively recently, and have yet to find any need to go beyond hunting-gathering.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a9c7258a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a9c7258a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_a9c7258a
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae0f579f
type
De-power
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae0f579f
comment
Depower: Thanks to the way Seisha's Healing Factor works, this is what happens to any Yogzarthu who takes a bite out of her. The end result is the Yogzarthu in question—like Mormo—being indefinitely trapped as a clone of her.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae0f579f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae0f579f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae0f579f
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae3d6438
type
Deadpan Snarker
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae3d6438
comment
Deadpan Snarker: Zefonith.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae3d6438
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae3d6438
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ae3d6438
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b04fdcc4
type
Loners Are Freaks
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b04fdcc4
comment
Loners Are Freaks: Inverted with the Yogzarthu. If you're not a total loner, there's something wrong with you. Exhibit A: When Eigonshazar refers to itself and Aradneth as having a capability for cooperating with others, they only way the Yogzarthu language will let it phrase this as is "being mad".
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b04fdcc4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b04fdcc4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b04fdcc4
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b3eecaae
type
Colony Drop
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b3eecaae
comment
Colony Drop: The Yogzarthu basically announced themselves by bombarding the planet Garden with a swarm of asteroids. Not meteors. Asteroids. The planet's still there, but the same can't be said for most of its life. They later did the same with Earth thinking that would demoralize humanity into truly easy pickings. They got the opposite effect.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b3eecaae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b3eecaae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b3eecaae
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b7c53a22
type
Blood Knight
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b7c53a22
comment
Blood Knight: Thunderfall in Nonsense. He's kind of upset that Partasah passed over him in favor of Reluctant Warriors for the Super Soldier treatment.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b7c53a22
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b7c53a22
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b7c53a22
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b922a720
type
Standard Time Units
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b922a720
comment
Standard Time Units: Both averted and played straight. Days and years are measured by a particular world's rotation and orbit, while minutes and hours are standard across all of known space.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b922a720
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b922a720
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_b922a720
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ba2f9dfe
type
The Paranoiac
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ba2f9dfe
comment
The Paranoiac: Kema. It's terrified both of how humans will react to the current connection between the rogue Yogzarthu and the Thalassa...and distrustful of even its own coterie's ability to keep itself constrained.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ba2f9dfe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ba2f9dfe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ba2f9dfe
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_be8416ea
type
Shrouded in Myth
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_be8416ea
comment
Shrouded in Myth: Earth seems to have suffered this somewhat. Meanwhile, memories of earlier human culture have become muddled enough that the Cthulhu Mythos is now thought to have been an actual (although defunct) religion. Hence planets and geological features getting names like Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Shub-Niggurath.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_be8416ea
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_be8416ea
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_be8416ea
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_bec0417c
type
Happily Married
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_bec0417c
comment
Happily Married: Perhaps Robrecht and Fleurie don't share all of each others' likes and dislikes, but they do care for each other in their own way, something exceedingly rare to see in the Montblanc family. So he supports her in her spiritualism, and she comes along to clap at his bird shows. It might not be love love, but it's more mutual respect and genuine understanding than we see from pretty much anyone else on Veras.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_bec0417c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_bec0417c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_bec0417c
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c2299d6e
type
Cutting the Knot
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c2299d6e
comment
Cutting the Knot: After stressing out over a speech for however long, Tal decides to take the easy way out. To rousing cheers.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c2299d6e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c2299d6e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c2299d6e
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: The title page for "Pulp" has Gilou, wearing a classic men's suit, holding a lollipop in her fingers, presenting the story about to be told in the style and language of ... The Twilight Zone (1959). The Four Winds Bar is likely to be a reference to the Blue Öyster Cult song "Astronomy."
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c75df49a
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c9790040
type
Decadent Court
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c9790040
comment
Decadent Court: Well, not quite "deadly", but Veras seems to run on feuds and machinations between the various major families.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c9790040
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c9790040
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_c9790040
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d028e0da
type
An Arm and a Leg
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d028e0da
comment
An Arm and a Leg: Mormo, during its attack on Tal, rips off and eats his left arm at the shoulder.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d028e0da
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d028e0da
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d028e0da
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5656fbe
type
The Unpronounceable
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5656fbe
comment
The Unpronounceable: Iahutta, Aradneth, Sihuatl, and so on are just the best approximations that vocal cords can come up with for Yogzarthu names. The reason is that Yogzarthu names are actually all just one syllable each—with all the consonant phonemes in question. A sneeze would be more accurate, but still completely distant. Having modular voice boxes is how the Yogzarthu themselves can pull it off.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5656fbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5656fbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5656fbe
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5a84e45
type
Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit"
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5a84e45
comment
Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit": Some of Tethys's wildlife are similar enough to Earth-style life that they get Earth-ish names. A good example being the "wolf shark"—an orca-patterned shark-like fish that hunts in packs...and uses electrical pulses for both communication and attack.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5a84e45
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5a84e45
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d5a84e45
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d705d771
type
Exposed Extraterrestrials
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d705d771
comment
Exposed Extraterrestrials: The entomorphs don't bother wearing clothes over their exoskeletons unless they're placating ignorant human tourists. Ironically, their genitalia are both hidden and nowhere near the region that humans expect to be clothed.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d705d771
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d705d771
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d705d771
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d75a1703
type
Year Outside, Hour Inside
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d75a1703
comment
Year Outside, Hour Inside: Compared to the universe with the Milky Way, time in K’Neth’s universe flows a good deal more slowly. Kema knew the Qohathoth more than two million years ago by human metrics, but because it still spent the vast majority of its existence on K’Neth, it’s really “only” two thousand years old.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d75a1703
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d75a1703
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_d75a1703
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_de0db2aa
type
Crush Blush
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_de0db2aa
comment
Crush Blush: Tal has a rather massive crush (with a bit of fanboy in the bargain) on Habynah, and spends a lot of the time when she's around wearing red cheeks.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_de0db2aa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_de0db2aa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_de0db2aa
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0207930
type
Humans Are Special
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0207930
comment
Humans Are Special: Gets deconstructed in the With More, With Less arc. The entomorphs are aware that humans cannot help but "let" the entomorphs be self-determinate. Not because of anything peculiar to the human psyche or the like, but just because humans are the ones with the far more potent weapons et al. That said, the entomorphs do like humans and a select few of their devices (mostly PDAs with their texting capability), but understand that however benevolent the giant might be, its moments of carelessness, while not malevolent, can easily be malign.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0207930
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0207930
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0207930
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0d0fb13
type
Please Put Some Clothes On
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0d0fb13
comment
Please Put Some Clothes On: One of the early arcs has a tourist woman incensed at her entomorph guide's "nudity"—as in, she isn't wearing anything like pants, skirt, etc. Despite the fact that entomorphs are insects, not mammals, and should look armored to humans, as Tal notes. Twinkletoes putting on an ad-hoc skirt mollifies the woman, sure enough. Although one wonders how she'd react when she learns that entomorphs, like dragonflies, have their genitalia bound to the tips of their tails (which aren't covered). That said, Tal, having grown up on straitlaced Veras, is rather unaccustomed to coping with naked humans or Aquaans.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0d0fb13
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0d0fb13
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e0d0fb13
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e116fedc
type
Play-Along Prisoner
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e116fedc
comment
Play-Along Prisoner: On Page 2 of "Pulp", Richard Stevenson grabs Zefonith by the wrist to drag him out to be ejected from the ship as a stowaway. The author notes on the DeviantArt post of the page that "yes, Zefonith could break his hold easily."
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e116fedc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e116fedc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e116fedc
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e11b003d
type
Translation Convention
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e11b003d
comment
Translation Convention: The language the main characters speak — Standard — is not English, nor mutually comprehensible with English. (Hence the confusion that results when Zefonith finishes reviving Richard Stevenson.) What gets translated how varies from scene to scene.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e11b003d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e11b003d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e11b003d
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e39ce9
type
The Face
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e39ce9
comment
The Face: Many people see this as Tal's actual role in the government of Port Tethys — and whether it is true or not, he's reasonably good at the public interaction parts of his job.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e39ce9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e39ce9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e39ce9
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e7fc5c61
type
Family Honor
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e7fc5c61
comment
Family Honor: A big deal to Verans, like the Monteblancs.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e7fc5c61
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e7fc5c61
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_e7fc5c61
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_eb8e4fa8
type
Jerkass
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_eb8e4fa8
comment
Jerkass: Richard Stevenson.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_eb8e4fa8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_eb8e4fa8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_eb8e4fa8
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ece27800
type
Kill and Replace
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ece27800
comment
Kill and Replace: What Mormo plans to do with Tal in One Deal Was What We Made. Problem is, even without considering the Yogzarthu's poor understanding of Human and Aquaan mores, Mormo could have learned from Kema that Tal was about to leave for Veras anyway.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ece27800
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ece27800
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ece27800
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fd94c4ac
type
Theme Naming
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fd94c4ac
comment
Theme Naming: Yogzarthu don't just choose their own names, but also attach epithets. And epithets that don't suggest multiplicity in some fashion (Flock, Sundry, Plentiful, Legion, etc.) are all but non-existent. This turns out to be a matter of how many forms they've taken on — and, save for the social sorts, how many lives that means they've taken. 'Myriad' means 'over ten thousand.' The one self-described anthropologist and telepath amongst the Yogzarthu has the epithet 'The Few', which implies that it's practically a pacifist.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fd94c4ac
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fd94c4ac
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fd94c4ac
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_feb0e2fe
type
SufficientlyAdvancedAliens
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_feb0e2fe
comment
Sufficiently Advanced Aliens: While humanity for the most part understands that the Qohathoth were just these, there's still a tendency to fetishize them as just short of demigods. The main exception to that is the Listeners, who deify the Qohathoth.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_feb0e2fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_feb0e2fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_feb0e2fe
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fed93e1b
type
Dark and Troubled Past
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fed93e1b
comment
Dark and Troubled Past: Nephos freaks out during a conversation about names when asked what "Caliga", his last name, means — because it's not actually a last name, it's the name of his tribe, and the planet his tribe lived on was wiped out during the war by Orbital Bombardment. (Javin goes to talk to him, in part because he's had to deal with similar trauma in his own life.)
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fed93e1b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fed93e1b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_fed93e1b
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ff17ccf1
type
Innocently Insensitive
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ff17ccf1
comment
Innocently Insensitive: Fleurariel hits this obliquely when she repeats the Veran view that Aquaans don't have souls—right in front of Gilou. "Obliquely" because while Gilou doesn't take offense (she doesn't believe in souls to begin with), Tal does.
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ff17ccf1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ff17ccf1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_ff17ccf1
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_name
comment
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_name
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic) / int_name
itemName
Harbourmaster (Webcomic)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Ambiguously Brown / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Anachronic Order / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Apologises a Lot / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Arranged Marriage / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Bilingual Bonus / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit" / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Clones Are People, Too / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Comfort the Dying / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Common Tongue / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Cypher Language / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
De-power / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Dropping the Bombshell / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Ethical Slut / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Exposed Extraterrestrials / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Family Honor / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Fish out of Temporal Water / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Generation Ships / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Hermaphrodite / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Humans Are Special / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Hyperspace Is a Scary Place / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
I Want My Jet Pack / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
In-Series Nickname / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Intrepid Reporter / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Language Barrier / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Let Me Tell You a Story / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Odd Friendship / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Outliving One's Offspring / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Paralyzing Fear of Sexuality / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Pheromones / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Precursors / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Shapeshifter Mode Lock / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Starfish Language / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Super-Soldier / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Terminal Transformation / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
The Gadfly / int_5d4724ee
 Harbourmaster (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame / int_a7faecce
 Harbourmaster
sameAs
Harbourmaster (Webcomic)