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I had a lot of fun designing Nat’s Dad’s house, not least because I’m not giving you much conversation to figure out his character from, so how he keeps his house has to count for a lot. He’s a West Ham supporter. When I lived in the UK it became clear that I couldn’t NOT have a team, despite never having watched a full football match, so for various specific but uninteresting reasons, I ended up going with the Hammers.
His house is a real building. It’s not the same now as it will be in 500 years, but, that’s how old it is in this time period. That will only seem strange to non-Europeans. I lived in a very ordinary, 200-year old flat in London.
↓ Transcript
Panel 1: They all sit around a small dining table in Nat's dad's flat. It's a decent sized place, but cluttered with years worth of trinkets, including souvenirs, a sound system, a prominent flag of the Earth republic, football scarves for both England and West Ham United, and some cleaning supplies on a shelf. They're eating salad and some sort of loaf. Maida: "How old is this building?"
Panel 2: Nat, uninterested, asks her holographic assistant. Nat: "I dunno. Amelia?" Amelia: "This building was first erected 511 years ago." Nat: "Pfft. 'Erected.'"
Panel 3: Maida: "That's older than my whole planet!" Nat's dad: "What, you a fugee or somefing?"
Panel 4: Nat, cheering up immediately: "Maida's a Martian. 'Maida Martian' we call her. She don't know anyfing about Earth."
Panel 5: Zaynab, worriedly: "Nat!" Nat's dad, also cheerfully: "This is a grade 2 listed 'eritage building!"
Panel 6: Nat's dad: "Half of London is. Half of the Earth is! We're the only planet with a proper 'istory, so we have to preserve it." We see that this building has multiple postmodernist flats stacked on top of each other, but over time they've been modified by adding solar panels, additional security, or entire new floors.
Panel 2: Nat, uninterested, asks her holographic assistant. Nat: "I dunno. Amelia?" Amelia: "This building was first erected 511 years ago." Nat: "Pfft. 'Erected.'"
Panel 3: Maida: "That's older than my whole planet!" Nat's dad: "What, you a fugee or somefing?"
Panel 4: Nat, cheering up immediately: "Maida's a Martian. 'Maida Martian' we call her. She don't know anyfing about Earth."
Panel 5: Zaynab, worriedly: "Nat!" Nat's dad, also cheerfully: "This is a grade 2 listed 'eritage building!"
Panel 6: Nat's dad: "Half of London is. Half of the Earth is! We're the only planet with a proper 'istory, so we have to preserve it." We see that this building has multiple postmodernist flats stacked on top of each other, but over time they've been modified by adding solar panels, additional security, or entire new floors.
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