The Lydian Option



The Lydian Option is a webcomic about a small group of human prisoners in the Eye - a prison in a hollowed out asteroid run by the Tha'Latta, a species that views any infraction as proof of inherent defectiveness. Located in a backwater system, the Eye is far from human influence and houses a small group of human prisoners. When the prison is thrust into chaos, the humans attempt to escape, confronted by a variety of other species let loose and hostile to humanity.

Read the comic here.

This webcomic provides examples of:

 * Alien Catnip - The blue fruit is a version of this.
 * Aliens Are Bastards - Virtually all of the alien races in the Eye are hostile to humans, resentful over their recent victory in the Spiral War.
 * The Dividual - The Cotyorites (Proxenus, Clearchus, and Nicarchus) appear together, look alike, and speak together.
 * Enlightened Mystic Race - The Cotyorites, a philosopher race who are "not dangerous to anything but your time."
 * Extra Eyes - The Carduchians have rows of tarantula-like eyes.
 * Eternal Prohibition - Janta leaf, considered a "soft drug" and a minor infraction by humans, is punished by permanent imprisonment by the Tha'Latta.
 * Fantastic Drug - Both the Janta leaf and the highly addictive blue alien fruit are examples.
 * Fantastic Fruits and Vegetables - The cafeteria features alien-looking food of cross-nutritional value for multiple species.
 * Fantastic Racism - Hodges is a member of the Terran Brotherhood, and espouses beliefs in a conspiracy to use human genes in the creation of human-alien hybrids and the inferiority of aliens to human genetics.
 * Great Escape - The premise of the comic (that the humans are attempting to find a way to an escape shuttle).
 * Institutional Apparel - The magnetic cufflinks worn by each prisoner.
 * The Old Convict - Doyle plays this role as the "welcoming committee."
 * Penal Colony - The Eye is populated solely by prisoners and guards, with little intervention by the guards unless they're directly threatened.
 * Prison - The comic is set in an asteroid prison.
 * Ray Gun - Carried by pretty much everyone here.
 * Space Clouds - The Eye is visible as an asteroid in the middle of a nebula, and described as similar to looking at clouds on Earth.
 * Stun Guns - Used by the Tha'Latta to subdue prisoners.
 * Translator Microbes - The Tha'Latta implant translators into prisoners, loaded with the languages of all species in the Eye.
 * What Are You in For - A "what are you in for" scene occurs when the human prisoners meet Hudson.