Latest blog post: Redraw of chapter 1 is happening (2024-05-11)

Author's comment:

...Gharr meant "you" as in "the military", but I guess it accidentally struck closer to home than he thought.



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Senior

I'm sure the humans have a tape recorder going. Likely a literal mechanical tape recorder, dug out of a local former KGB field office - on the basis that such old tech is completely unhackable.

Plenty of time to decode languages later.

Also: Ghar? Projection much?

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Senior

If you want "completely unhackable" by someone who carries an implanted radio transmitter that could possibly be turned into a jammer of anything that works with electric current [*cough* microphone *cough*], we're talking about something like the Dictaphone.

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Senior

What was Zane going to do when he next saw Gharr? Oh yes, get the moron to explain himself lest he tear his tail off.

I'm expecting another interception by Iskra but it might help the Major if he has a new Raharr who is completely unaware of the delegation or contact being established... Actually, he should be taking him to the General first and if he directed Iskra to the General they'll all converge.

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Senior

... slowly, I'm in favor of having a lunch bell ring and everyone meets simultaneously in the canteen. It'd be like throwing a binary explosive together, only with six components!

(Gharr, the trio, the other Raharrs, Iskra, major Pronin, and gen. Bahin. The rest of the Protagonistani military present will rather do as NPCs do, and march in formation with one of the latter two. )

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Senior

The Major will just be on the side, wearing a smirk as everything unfolds in comedic fashion.

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Senior

The Major touches Gharr in his expression in panel 6. Maybe there's some real sincerity there, and in the next few panels the Major is possibly becoming a new friend, still without showing all his cards...

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Senior

yes, well spotted. It tells us the Major is not xenophobic (Nea watch out ) and should tell Gharr that the Major must have had prior up-close interaction with alien(s) before meeting him and being able to read his body-language well enough to know Gharr is not in any "aggressive" mode or a risk of any sort. Even the fact its acceptable for Gharr to be touched is not something to take granted.

In a first contact scenario I would not recommend hugging one of those cute little grey´s/ other types of aliens until one is absolutely sure not to trespass any sort of social norms or biomedical risks.

But as in much other things , stuff like that will only be clear in the hindlight.

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Visitor

Okay, the first charisma roll was a failure, but the second was a success! Misunderstandings avoided!

Beside, I think that once Gharr will be in the shuttle and will be out of the atmosphere, the border that all this mess is over, I wouldn't be surprised if Gharr have an emotional breack down because of guilt. Even without having underestimated the humans, it was him who insisted on coming here.

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Senior

And yet , if we analyze the powerdynamic going on here, Pronin walked all over Gharr :

No confirmation of releasing Gharr´s friends.

No timetable set.

No admission of guilt in the incident and deflected Gharr´s "YOU" point by leaping upon the "contact issue" that Gharr handily offered himself up front, that was like his only Ace in the deck.

Gharr will now meet Zane, Nea and the A-team and zane will have other opinions.

I think Gharr will be sidestepped, shipped back to The Dawn in "bad standing" and the 3 stooges will be left behind as is. In a cell. So what will it take to make Zane start demanding their release ?Nothing good , thats for sure. Unless agent Iskra , herself being non-military , will now show her true colors and flex her muscle. Could be the build-up to a "UN special group will talk to them ASAP" to get them out of Protangonistan . We´ll see.

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Senior

Well Gharr tries, but there is no "yes" in panel 5 . "Soon as possible" is not a fixed point in time , so I sort of see where this is heading (jail break?). Gharrs comment about "because of you" certainly hit straight in the Plexus Coeliacus even by pure coincidence since Gharr meant Terran military.

But I do wonder what it feels like to believe, even for a fleeting moment, that one possible have pi**ed of an entire Alien species........they will find out though, just wait until Quantum starts looking : "All your data are belongs to us!"

Also , no Brain Dongle ? ....Gharr you will forget yourself one day and only a pair of 3 toed shoes shall come walking.

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Senior

"𝖄𝕺𝖀!"

OK, so Gharr'll run into his boss without prior warning. Good that they have a language to keep their exchange from prying human ears with ...

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Senior

I'm guessing the "you" in panel two means the Protagonistani military and not Major Pronin himself.

And I'm expecting a twist where the someone in the last panel is agent Iskra.






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The author is against any kind of application of AI to his artwork.

TRIVIA
Before becoming a webcomic, Leaving The Cradle was initially developed as a modification for Source engine, back in 2007. It was vastly different back then, much closer to the usual space opera look and feel, and the plot had nothing in common with the webcomic version, sharing only one character.