I don’t think calling her a weirdo is wrong. He’s telling her what she is doing. If she saw herself from the outside, she would probably see the same thing. It takes the truth from someone you trust and know they don’t judge you based solely on your faults to help you see yourself.
Sulla knows that she’s Allustair, but the replication was imperfect, so it was only a lifeless template that Brendan zapped with a spark of life that evolved it into Sulla.
She has all those memories, in the same way your web browser has cookies; each one links to one single applet, requiring manual editing of the database to index them into the whole.
Naw, I don’t think he’s being mean. First, he’s not calling her a weirdo, he’s saying she’s acting like a weirdo. Those are very different things. Second, he goes on to explain he did the same thing at her age so she understands it’s human to behave this way—also shows how much alike they are even though Sulla has turned into a different person. He gives her really good advice. He doesn’t really tell her exactly what to say to these kids, but tells her to trust herself to take a chance and make mistakes as it’s the only way to learn to socialize. That’s great advice and some good parenting. :)
The thing is I think Al doesn’t think being a weirdo is BAD. It’s not a moral failing to be different and outcast. He’ll recite Radiohead’s “Creep” and mean every word of it literally and think it’s just a fair and earnest assessment of his, and Sulla’s, personality rather than some sort of value judgment.
So I think this is just Al being a responsible adult instructing this child in his charge to the best of his ability, with the implied understanding that she’s literally his clone who’s extremely able to relate to his experiences and to parse his engineer’s way of thinking and communicating. Like, they can both take it as a given that they share a lot of things like being scared of facing people, and really the only difference between them in that regard is Al has had many more years to deal with it, so obviously his experience can be valuable to her. Would that all parenting was this straightforward.
I cried a little when I first saw this page (specifically Al’s lines on the bottom left), possibly the only time I’ve actually cried bc of fictional characters
I last read this comic back in 2014 and I’m still struck by a sense of anachronistic whiplash. AI conferences in 2002 where people have BCI-controlled mechanical prosthetics, and buses running on *hydrogen* in the 2020s…??? Hydrogen costs SO MUCH ENERGY to extract, refine, chill, compress, transport, and then pump that you lose practically 2/3rds of the energy put into it. Armed with the wisdom of the past decade, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re likely to just SKIP the “middle man” and just run things using cobalt-free lithium batteries.
jeez al, calling your daughter a weirdo is probably one of those mistakes you just mentioned
In Al’s defense, I don’t think he realizes that he’s a father figure.
I don’t think calling her a weirdo is wrong. He’s telling her what she is doing. If she saw herself from the outside, she would probably see the same thing. It takes the truth from someone you trust and know they don’t judge you based solely on your faults to help you see yourself.
Eh. You’ve got a point, but they’ve just met and Sulla clearly looks up to him & really wants his approval. That’s gotta smart.
for what it’s worth, al had included himself in that “weirdo” category
also, sulla is allustair.
though i do not recall if sulla realizes this…
Sulla knows that she’s Allustair, but the replication was imperfect, so it was only a lifeless template that Brendan zapped with a spark of life that evolved it into Sulla.
She has all those memories, in the same way your web browser has cookies; each one links to one single applet, requiring manual editing of the database to index them into the whole.
grazi, warp — in my advancing years, my own memory-recall slips a little more and more
that metaphor you’d used, by the way…
…that was beautiful, how you’d managed to integrate internet vernacular like that
♥
Naw, I don’t think he’s being mean. First, he’s not calling her a weirdo, he’s saying she’s acting like a weirdo. Those are very different things. Second, he goes on to explain he did the same thing at her age so she understands it’s human to behave this way—also shows how much alike they are even though Sulla has turned into a different person. He gives her really good advice. He doesn’t really tell her exactly what to say to these kids, but tells her to trust herself to take a chance and make mistakes as it’s the only way to learn to socialize. That’s great advice and some good parenting. :)
The thing is I think Al doesn’t think being a weirdo is BAD. It’s not a moral failing to be different and outcast. He’ll recite Radiohead’s “Creep” and mean every word of it literally and think it’s just a fair and earnest assessment of his, and Sulla’s, personality rather than some sort of value judgment.
So I think this is just Al being a responsible adult instructing this child in his charge to the best of his ability, with the implied understanding that she’s literally his clone who’s extremely able to relate to his experiences and to parse his engineer’s way of thinking and communicating. Like, they can both take it as a given that they share a lot of things like being scared of facing people, and really the only difference between them in that regard is Al has had many more years to deal with it, so obviously his experience can be valuable to her. Would that all parenting was this straightforward.
She really does seem like his daughter. Can we say Sulla has two daddies now?
Brendan = Adoring Protective Dad
Al = Awesomely Manly Grandad
Nah, calling your daughter a weirdo is okay if you admit you’re the same. Al will be just fine.
I love this side of Al. A little harsh, but honest.
Al is pretty good at this mentoring thing. Given that Sulla is kinda sorta him, he might be able to help her out a lot with her various troubles.
ah!
so, al is only aware that sulla has a general interest in the group of shikzas — not that sulla specifically stalks one shikz’r
man, i really can’t wait for alastair’s reaction when he meets elvis brendleigh!
hmm…the possibilities intrigue me. . . . .
I just got linked here from /lgbt/ and aaack I caught up to the current page! Oh no! Now I’m hooked. Can’t wait for updates!
Fear of making mistakes in regard to socialising? Yeah, I can certainly understand that…
… okay, no, *this* page is the one that cements my impression of them both as autistic.
Alistair’s description of his childhood basically describes me for a fair portion of my life.
I cried a little when I first saw this page (specifically Al’s lines on the bottom left), possibly the only time I’ve actually cried bc of fictional characters
Eee! Yay Al for explaining that to her!
I last read this comic back in 2014 and I’m still struck by a sense of anachronistic whiplash. AI conferences in 2002 where people have BCI-controlled mechanical prosthetics, and buses running on *hydrogen* in the 2020s…??? Hydrogen costs SO MUCH ENERGY to extract, refine, chill, compress, transport, and then pump that you lose practically 2/3rds of the energy put into it. Armed with the wisdom of the past decade, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re likely to just SKIP the “middle man” and just run things using cobalt-free lithium batteries.