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Brendan’s girding his loins for the shitstorm he’s about to face. Little does he know there’s no preparation for what’s to come.

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I don’t believe for a second that being a robot that has to eat and sleep is Al’s first and foremost concern.

It’s interesting to see how this page continues the metaphor of Al’s clothes as a constraint imposed by others. These were the only clothes provided to them, much like their legacy was the only legacy provided to them. No one even gave them the option of being something other than Alastair Sterling.

It must suck knowing that you’re expected to be a living embodiment of a man you hated.

And once again, Sulla’s investment in Bluff pays off. “That seems like a kind of a crappy thing to do”? Well maybe you should’ve given Al a second change of clothes in the first place!

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And there it is! Al just puts it out there that Sulla makes them uncomfortable just by existing as she does. I love that her retort is that she isn’t prepubescent. She’s so oblivious!

I suppose that’s fair, though. While she embraces that she is a girl, she thinks that it was a mistake. Her view of herself as a flawed copy of Al must inform her every interaction with them.

I wish we could’ve gotten a close-up panel of Al’s expression as they ponder Sulla’s existence and what that means for them. There’s gotta be a whole mess of thoughts and emotions in there. Do they even know how they feel about it?

P.S.: Sulla why didn’t you bring toasties for all the robots? Non-humanoid robots have feelings too!

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Al bolts wide awake not when Sulla calls them Mr. Sterling, but Alastair. What was running through their mind before that? What dreams did they have that Sulla pulled them away from?

I’m guessing that, for a precious moment, Al was able to forget who they were and where they were. For the space of a short sleep, Al didn’t have to be Al.

Not sure if it’s better or worse that Sulla’s the one waking them up. I for one would love to have someone as genuinely chipper as Sulla in my life, but we know that Sulla brings up thoughts that are Best Left Alone in Al’s mind.

As a side note, I love how the stairs in panel 3 are drawn without outlines. I dunno why, it’s just a nice effect.

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And Sulla made that breakfast for Al! So precious... my heart melts.

Meanwhile, Al is clearly having a very different morning. Just imagine that they’re in the role of Fujimoto from Ponyo and my BGM selection still works.

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Sulla’s got mad skills. I doubt any human could pull off catching all that food stuff with a tray.

Also, I live to see Sulla’s self-satisfied smile.

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I love that a) Sulla flies around at literally every opportunity, and b) there’s a retail product named Synth Toasties. The existence of Synth Toasties tells me there’s a commercial base for synth food products, and the fact that the toasties are in toasty form (rather than, say, pellets) tells me the product is marketed to the literal consumer.

This is a world where synthetic beings go to the grocery store to buy Synth Toasties. I love it.

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BGM selection: Deep Sea Ranch, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Original Soundtrack

Aaaaaaaaaa, Sulla’s so adorable! She levitates outside while brushing her hair!

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I’m guessing this is Al finding comfort in the space they know best: their work. I hope that robot’s okay with getting open cavity surgery.

And thus, a light shines in the darkest night.

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Al, no.

Okay, I can’t tell. Is this Al reverting to their self-harm habit, or them trying to figure out just how synthetic this new body is?

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[recreator-reads-ohs]

BGM selection: A False Idol, The Expanse: Season 3 (Original Television Soundtrack)

So this is how Al caps off their day - sleeping on the couch of their sort-of-ex, surrounded by robots that worship them for no discernible reason, and holding a multitool that serves as a link to a past best left in the past.

So... a typical Tuesday, I wager.

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[recreator-reads-ohs]

The first of many feet Brendan shall stick into his own mouth. He’s very gifted at saying the wrong things at the wrong time.

At least he has the wisdom to recognize it though.

He’s not wrong though. Not entirely. Brendan’s making the call that Al should stay here, and why not? They’re not comfortable here, surrounded by reminders of a past they want forgotten, but the alternative is roaming the streets of an unfamiliar city at night.

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[recreator-reads-ohs]

BGM selection: The Ball Pit Car (I’m A Good Man), Infinity Train Book 1 Soundtrack [Yes, I know that subtitle is ironic.]

The characters are all highlighted in their own little bubble of light. It’s dark, but it’s not that dark. The darkness merely threatens to encroach here, but it isn’t quite here yet.

...I went to engineering school. I did not expect to spend my life doing graphic novel critiques.

Anyhow.

Here’s the obligatory “Sulla is precious” comment. The way she leads Al in panel 4 especially... she’s so gentle! There’s a good chance I’m going to gush about Sulla in almost every scene with her.

Also, way to bring up the elephant in the room, Brendan. Both of them, in fact. Al and Brendan have 16 years driving a wedge between them, and Sulla’s living a life Al could only have dreamed of (but can’t admit to dreaming of) - a life Brendan made possible.

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Brendan looks so forlorn here, like there’s something he wants that’s almost in reach but not quite. He knows Al’s back, but they can’t just pick up their relationship without addressing the elephant in the room. Well, elephants. These two have a complicated history.

Speaking of history, what’s the poster of the Blue Fairy doing in Brendan’s home? I’m guessing he kept it as a memento of Al, but like most things bearing the Sterling legacy, he doesn’t understand the meaning behind it.

I’m guessing that look Al has in the second-to-last panel is another forlorn look, though inverted. The Blue Fairy here is distant, well out of reach, and possibly forever out of reach, shrouded in darkness.

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Wow, this page is amazing. Sulla’s pose is wonderful. She’s carrying herself with such grace and ease, like she belongs in this world.

And then we get to Al, and we’re grounded again. What a shame, they can’t even appreciate the sights to see. Al needs a hug.

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Al’s Grump, Sulla’s Not-So-Grump.

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BGM selection: Lapis’ Flight, Steven Universe: Season 3 (Original Television Score)

Okay, now I get why I didn’t suspect Sulla from the start. She’s absolutely clueless here. She has no idea yet of what’s going through Al’s mind.

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