In reply to Opus the Poet .

I pronounce it with sort of a hard “ch” sound, like in “Mach 1.”
Machinal comes from an older dictionary at my store. I’ll look it up and give you a definitive answer soon as I can.

I just want to know how you’re supposed to pronounce “humachinal”. Does the ch become hard making the syllable MAK or does the ch stay soft like machine or china?

In reply to Tru .

You’re so right on all counts, Tru.
I really wasn’t sure about Stephanie when she first appeared. The “liver” quote is completely out of character for her. She did have her innocence, and that’s what came through the most.
And you’re right about her sweetness. She’s written a number of strips (sometimes I feel like I’m just reporting what happens), and that’s been the quality she’s shown the most. No wonder she (and Robie) are the two most popular characters, as near as I can tell.
Hmm…maybe I should see if my computer genius friend could make a “who’s your favorite character” poll. I think I know who would show up near the bottom…

You hadn’t quite settled on Stephanie’s personality when this strip started – once upon a time she threatened Larry “If you don’t unpucker up and go away, I’ll show you your liver in daylight” when he offered to kiss her.

She was a bit sarcastic and less affectionate then. Man, how she’s changed. But even then, she was a sucker for kittens. I’m not sure what her “core programming” consists of (Robot take-over?) but she has an innate SWEETNESS that I think has made her reprogram HERSELF, over time. I think it’s safe to say that she’s got lots of fans among your readers. 😀

In reply to Tru .

Sorry about the confusing order, Tru. I think it was the diagonal break between panel 1 and 2 that misled you.
And I’m always glad to lead you to new information! I have some older dictionaries at my store, and they’re always fun to dig into. I learn so many new things.
For example, did you know that one of the many definitions of “vamps” is “volunteer fireman?” I didn’t either.
Victoria seems to regret that they couldn’t change Stephanie’s core programming, and that they felt it best to just tell her that she’s not a-well, what she was, or is, or doesn’t know that she is, anymore. Here’s hoping Stephanie never finds out. But they did make a change or two. Stephanie’s given some clues already, and we’ll discover another one next time.
I’m glad you like her outfit. Thank you again, melaredblu, for designing it! Stephanie loves it. Not only is it comfortable, but it reminds here of all the fun she had with Sir Leopold Gryphon, Royal Plumber to Elysium.
Just between you and me, I think she has a crush on the poor sap.

The internet gets a lot of bad rap – especially in this era of “alternative facts.” But where it SHINES is letting you explore new information quickly and easily. Googling “Burbank verb” got me to some interesting articles, and some fascinating art. Thanks, Charlie.

That said, I have to admit that this particular page confused the bejeebers out of me. Let me clarify the panel order – that might help me. Is panel two BESIDE or BELOW panel one? I originally read it left to right (American convention) but Eleanor’s out-of-frame comment only makes sense if panel two is the one under panel one.

But what, exactly, is Victoria regretting? That they couldn’t ACTUALLY change Stephanie from what I’m assuming is some kind of killer War Robot into a … (blush… never mind)

Also, I love that Steph is still sporting the cross-over clothing – she looks adorable. 🙂

In reply to Hjels .

Yep. When it comes to antique slang, Andy and I are regular gimpers.
I’m glad you like Stephanie’s “trying to decide which clown sex book to get” face. I’m really proud of the way it turned out. Took a long time to get right, I can tell you. Thanks, brother!

In reply to Delta-v .

Oooh…you’re good, D-v. You might find out next time.
I can say no more.

Does “Burbanked” mean that she now has her very own navel, um, ornament ? 🙂

With this and I, Mummy, I’d say there’s not much chance of running out of antique slang any time soon. Love Stephanie’s intensive clown sex search expression, by the way. Even though I could never condone something that horrid and unholy, I can’t be mad at Steph.