Although on further examination, "sweet Lycurgis on a stick!" seems to be a general exclamatory. (ex. "sweet mother of $%&*!")

I have no complaints, only moderate amounts of laughter and a large amount of interest in what will happen next.

I'm baffled... that people would have trouble understanding the 'time' concepts, especially after such a simple and clear explanation. It's not as though Pete is using any extremely confusing sci-fi mumbo jumbo (and if you think this is confusing, then definitely avoid Schlock Mercenary). Then again, even Schlock isn't that hard to understand, and I certainly hope folks don't get turned off by this, it's not that complex.

In a nutshell:

'Short time' means that it probably won't be long until they 'freeze' in timeless space, 'Big Time' means that they don't have that worry.

'sentient' creatures last longer together then apart, because Whole> sum of parts.

Lycurgus did not so much found Sparta as to broker the constitution for the state that became the paragon of militant agrarianism. He wrote the social contract (per Rousseau).

So while it does not appear that the villagers are Spartans, they probably have a similar patriarch who organised their society into a form that could survive economically, politically and militarily. Insert that name for "Lycurgus" and you have a decent oath for that culture.

Of course, Lycurgus on a stick may be funny to us (who are used to joking/blaspheming about crucifictions) a more apt oath might be "Sweet Lycurgus on a shield", or, more scandalously, "Brave Lycurgus without his shield!"

But if you did that, only the truly eccentric would get the joke.

I would imagine someone who is on 'short-time' can't act much. Actions would probably drain more time than just sitting still.

This adds a complication that isn't needed to understand what is going on. Short time has been explained adequately in the comic -- you gradually lose the time you have and end up a motionless statue like the one Calix saw just outside his village's protective bubble.