Girl Genius III: Nize Thread! [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Porthos

2008-09-30, 11:18 PM

Old Batterd Uzed Thread kan be fonds here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80718)

================

And for people new to Girl Genius :smallsmile::

Link to current comic (http://girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php) and link to the beginning of the strip. (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104)
Wiki Project devoted to to Girl Genius (http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/The_Department_of_Almost_Certainly_True_History)
Wikipedia entry on Girl Genius. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Genius)
TV Tropes page on Girl Genius. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GirlGenius) (because one can never have enough TV Trope love)
The Continuing Adventures of Othar Tryggvassen, Gentleman Adventurer! (http://twitter.com/Othar) (A compliation [and much easier to read if you're just catching up] of the entries can be found here at the GG website (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/fun/twitter_othar_01.php))
Kaja Foglio's LJ Page (http://www.livejournal.com/users/kajafoglio/) and Studio Foglio News LJ Page (http://studiofoglio.livejournal.com/) (Both updated infrequently)
Links to Webcomic Ranking websites. (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/info/rankingsites.php) (Used to have Vote Incentives [sketches, parodies of strips, etc] that were changed daily. Might once again.)
The Secret Blueprints for Vol 1. (http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/The_Secret_Blueprints) Contains background infomation on the GG Universe, so it should probably be read after "catching up" to the newest comic, as it contains many spoilers. (NOTE: should the Secret Blueprints be removed from that page they can be found [sans pretty pictures] here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4272360&postcount=1478).)

Deus_e_Machina

2008-09-30, 11:24 PM

The bird thing looks very familiar - I want to say it's a reference to an old Looney Toons cartoon, or something of the like?

Also, the Eye of the Snake Eater sounds like a potential Chekhov's Gun to me. It merited a reference separate from the rest of the progress on finding the lab, after all.

And this is the first I've heard of the Secret Blueprints, which are now going to guarantee I don't study for the midterms I have this week.

FoE

2008-09-30, 11:26 PM

I didz not expekt vos two to be showink up againk.

TigerHunter

2008-09-30, 11:30 PM

Sleipnir looks so cute in the 4th panel.

Rockphed

2008-09-30, 11:32 PM

What happened to Sleiphner's betrothed? I would have expected her to rassle him up, if only for more firepower. Then again, she might not like said betrothed as much as she said. I am kinda bad at reading into comic character body language.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-09-30, 11:33 PM

Hey, nize first post! :smallbiggrin:

As for Slepnir... while I was Archive Trawling (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArchiveTrawl) for no good reason, I took a close look at Theo on this page (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080716) and noticed the red haired girl in green next to him. Now, while she didn't look much like Theo, and Othar didn't mention her (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050601) it seemed likely that any red head wearing green standing next to Theo was likely to be Slepnir.

Of course, this all occurred to me after it had become obvious (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080926) that Theo & Gil weren't in The Castle... I mean, if Phil was going to throw us one curve ball, why not two?

Particularly when the second curve ball is big on the curves and gives Phil an excuse to put her in some sort of evening-wear Spy Catsuit (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpyCatsuit) :smalltongue:

EDIT:

What happened to Sleiphner's betrothed? I would have expected her to rassle him up, if only for more firepower. Then again, she might not like said betrothed as much as she said. I am kinda bad at reading into comic character body language.

Sleipnir loves adventure (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030910) :smallbiggrin:

I'm guessing she either felt that her betrothed could cool his heels for a bit, or Theo may have just picked up a more permanent partner in crime :smallwink:

Also: Sleipner O'Hara (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030526), for proper spelling :smallsmile:

Nerd-o-rama

2008-09-30, 11:36 PM

Eye of the Snake Eater?

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/8179/350662-big_boss_salute_super.jpg

So that's where that thing went!
Sounds like a reference to me.

chionophile

2008-09-30, 11:38 PM

Hmm... this has been bugging me for a bit. Does anyone else think it's interesting that Sleipnir is named after Odin's eight legged horse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipnir)?

ripple

2008-09-30, 11:41 PM

Tirian

2008-09-30, 11:47 PM

Oh yay. Back when we thought Gil was one of the two people in the Castle, the only reason I didn't want him to be with Theo is because that would mean that Sleipnir wasn't along for the ride.

Nerd-o-rama

2008-09-30, 11:48 PM

Ripple: You see, though, this forum isn't a nuclear reactor. It's the Roland & Rawhide show a private forum.

50 pages is the recommended limit. More than that is possible, but a strain on the server. It's specifically enforced in the play-by-post forums, due to high thread turnovers and post rates there, but they've been keeping an eye on Webcomics ever since one of the Dominic Deegan threads drifted into inappropriate topics somewhere in the triple digits of pages.

TigerHunter

2008-09-30, 11:49 PM

Mauve Shirt

2008-09-30, 11:53 PM

New thread! Hooray! Like the title.

Yay Gil is back! With Theo and Sleipnir! Slightly disappointed that he's not in the castle. Means that there'll be several complications before I get to see him kick Tarvek's ass.
Not that there wouldn't be a bazillion complications if he were inside the castle.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-09-30, 11:53 PM

It's specifically enforced in the play-by-post forums, due to high thread turnovers and post rates there, but they've been keeping an eye on Webcomics ever since one of the Dominic Deegan threads drifted into inappropriate topics somewhere in the triple digits of pages.

Hey, the DD Legendary Thread (Mk II) ended once we reached 300 pages and OVER 9000 posts. Mk III ended because we ended up discussing inappropriate subject matters at about Page 50.

@ripple: It's nothing to get worked up about. Forums are like people's houses - we're just guests here, and it's polite to follow the suggestions of your host.

Plus, with this customary cap, no single thread can surpass the Epic Status of DD Mk II
Muahahahahahaha!

Alex Knight

2008-10-01, 12:00 AM

Zo. De trilobyte insignias Sleipner and Theo are wearing....

Mechanicsburg fashion statement, or a silent declaration of loyalty?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 12:04 AM

Zo. De trilobyte insignias Sleipner and Theo are wearing....

Mechanicsburg fashion statement, or a silent declaration of loyalty?

Well, Theo has some claim to it (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030801), but I'm pretty sure Sleipnir just picked hers up at the local giftshop :smallbiggrin:

Porthos

2008-10-01, 12:07 AM

Okay, so the other thread has been ended at 50 pages, and then has been Sheriff-d into a coma. Funnily enough, I was looking through the forum rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?a=1) rand other things right when the discussion of "50 pages, what will we name the new thread" started, and I never did find a clear statement that 50 pages is the limit...especially given that the forum software can obviously handle a whole lot more (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33589&highlight=pages).

So, pardon my pixieness, but where in the heck is this limit clearly documented? You see, I used to run a nuclear reactor underwater, and in that sort of situation one starts to actually try (sometimes) to read the directions...it's pretty obvious that the mods want 50 pages, but I'd just like to have more clear understanding (and maybe documentation) of the basis.

--ripple

[NOTE: This is a bit of redundantness (I had to step away from the computer) on the topic since a couple of other people posted, but there's some new info in this post]

I help run a large-ish board elsewhere on the net, and I can tell you that thread size makes a huge difference when it comes to server load. Mostly searching threads and archiving them. And since people were constantly complaining about the time it took to load up the board, as near as I can tell, one of the things that the staff decided to do was try to cut off discussion at 50 pages.

So why weren't old threads chopped up? As a person who runs a board, I can say that it just isn't worth the bother usually. Waaaay too tedious to go in and do it. Best just to make sure that people try to not do it again than go back and chop up all the old ones.

As for "official rules" on the subject, it's a policy, not a rule. :smallwink:

Last in-depth discussion I know about the topic can be found here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87671)

Hope this helps. :smallsmile:

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 12:15 AM

*looks around*

I hereby christen this page (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081001) the S.S. Theonir.

(EDIT: Specifically the last panel)

You may now resume your ordinary lives :smallbiggrin:

ripple

2008-10-01, 12:15 AM

@ripple: It's nothing to get worked up about. Forums are like people's houses - we're just guests here, and it's polite to follow the suggestions of your host.

Plus, with this customary cap, no single thread can surpass the Epic Status of DD Mk II
Muahahahahahaha!

Oh, I'm not worked up, I just hate when I can't figure out someone's culture and customs because I never learned the s3kr1t handshake etc.

Now that I know it's all a Vast Dominic Deegan Conspiracy I feel much better.

In other GG news, I'm glad to see that that really *was* Theo and Sleipnir I thought I'd spotted in the parade scene, and that the globular *paf* was from our favorite energy source/lamp/invisibility device. There's still a non-zero chance that it's connected to the time portal. (Anyone else wondering how many more months of calendar time before we find out the story behind the Gilsterdamen outfit?)

So, we're just about due for a Klaus viewpoint, probably raging over the torchmen attack on CW. What additional exposition do we expect from G&T&S before the viewpoint switches? Or do we really expect them to make it into the Kestle in full camera view?

--ripple

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 12:21 AM

So, we're just about due for a Klaus viewpoint, probably raging over the torchmen attack on CW. What additional exposition do we expect from G&T&S before the viewpoint switches? Or do we really expect them to make it into the Kestle in full camera view?

Hmmm... no, I don't expect to see Klaus until they make it to the Castle. I do expect to see Mecha Klaus personally arranging the Rumbletoys & Aetherics to take down the Castle when the S.S. Theonir (plus Gil) arrives outside the Grand Causeway. This will allow for some sneaky business, followed by a dramatic confrontation between Klaus & Gil before the S.S. Theonir slips inside the Castle.

Before then, I expect 1-2 pages of Gil & Theonir catching each other up and developing some emotions.

Also: where the hell is Wooster?!?!

TigerHunter

2008-10-01, 12:24 AM

Also: where the hell is Wooster?!?!
We went over this in the last thread. Or tried to, anyway.

Linky for reference. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4800482&highlight=wooster#post4800482)

Porthos

2008-10-01, 12:26 AM

Kaja's updated the Cast Page with new info tonight. :smallbiggrin:

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/info/cast/cast08.php#gil

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 12:31 AM

We went over this in the last thread. Or tried to, anyway.

Linky for reference. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4800482&highlight=wooster#post4800482)

That was a month ago. I'm still curious where the hell Wooster has gotten off to. Everyone else who is in Mechanicsburg is accounted for (including a bunch we didn't think about)... except for Carson, Oublenmach and Wooster.

Man, I hope we cut to them next. I bet it'd be an epic showdown :smallbiggrin:

Xel

2008-10-01, 12:53 AM

(III) Lost lab in India you say... and related to Lucretzia? I think I've found where Lucretzia's Summer Home is located

Except that the Lost Lab is his father's, while Lucrezia was his mother's sister?

Does anyone else think Theo's new duds make him look like he's wearing a pair of road hazard signs?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 01:01 AM

Except that the Lost Lab is his father's, while Lucrezia was his mother's sister?

Ah yes, but how did Theo's family get familiar with the Mongfish if he was all the way out in India? :smallamused:

In case I'm being too vague: I think that the Mongfish Summer Home (and therefore Geisterdamen... and possibly Skifander) are somewhere near India, possibly in the vicinity of Theo's dad's Lost Lab! Presumably, Lucretzia's sister met up with the charming chap on a vacation sometime.

Xel

2008-10-01, 01:04 AM

Ah yes, but how did Theo's family get familiar with the Mongfish if he was all the way out in India? :smallamused:

In case I'm being too vague: I think that the Mongfish Summer Home (and therefore Geisterdamen... and possibly Skifander) are somewhere near India, possibly in the vicinity of Theo's dad's Lost Lab! Presumably, Lucretzia's sister met up with the charming chap on a vacation sometime.

Ah. Nice reasoning, although a bit light on supporting evidence. But isn't that the way it goes with GG? Speculation rules... :smallbiggrin:

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 01:11 AM

Ah. Nice reasoning, although a bit light on supporting evidence. But isn't that the way it goes with GG? Speculation rules... :smallbiggrin:

I am also the founder of the Tin Foil Hat Alliance (TFHA), a secret society devoted to the creation and preservation of outlandish theories :smalltongue:

Though, in all honesty, I'm thinking Geisterdamen City & Skifander are actually in Africa somewhere... though I have been impressed with the globe-spanning nature of GG. China, India, the Middle East... and apparently America too.

Gosh, it's a shame we're not going to actually see most of those places though. :smallfrown:

Sampi

2008-10-01, 02:44 AM

Hey, the DD Legendary Thread (Mk II) ended once we reached 300 pages and OVER 9000 posts. Mk III ended because we ended up discussing inappropriate subject matters at about Page 50.

@ripple: It's nothing to get worked up about. Forums are like people's houses - we're just guests here, and it's polite to follow the suggestions of your host.

Plus, with this customary cap, no single thread can surpass the Epic Status of DD Mk II
Muahahahahahaha!

Not surpass? But it already has... (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33589) No idea why that one's still going, though.

S.S. Theonir, eh? Not bad. And good work spotting Theo on page 69, I never noticed him there.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-01, 02:50 AM

Not surpass? But it already has... (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33589) No idea why that one's still going, though.

:frown:
Well... the DD thread had 300 pages of Snark though. And it's own Encyclopedia. And blackjack. And hookers. Okay, just forget about the thread!

S.S. Theonir, eh? Not bad. And good work spotting Theo on page 69, I never noticed him there.

I can't take credit for it - it was pointed out to me (and others) while we were speculating on who made Gil go papf. Sleipnir, I basically only noticed last week... but I don't think anyone else mentioned her there.

I take full credit (and blame) for the S.S. Theonir though. Hopefully it'll be able to join up with the S.S. Zeethiggs and some third ship to make the Secondary Character Armada :smallamused:

Tirian

2008-10-01, 03:14 AM

I take full credit (and blame) for the S.S. Theonir though. Hopefully it'll be able to join up with the S.S. Zeethiggs and some third ship to make the Secondary Character Armada :smallamused:

Sanloch, no doubt. Kaja goes out of her way to pimp it on the cast page, after all.

Still, until I hear otherwise, Sleipnir is happily engaged to someone who is not at all Theo.

Alex Knight

2008-10-01, 03:45 AM

Also: where the hell is Wooster?!?!

Cowering in fear at the very thought of running into Gil. Remember what Gil said would happen if his orders weren't carried out?

ripple

2008-10-01, 02:56 PM

I can't take credit for it - it was pointed out to me (and others) while we were speculating on who made Gil go papf. Sleipnir, I basically only noticed last week... but I don't think anyone else mentioned her there.

I could swear that someone pointed out that that was probably Sleipnir along with Theo, but I can't find that posting in Ye Olde Threade the Laste in a quick skim--it may have been several weeks after the comic. I'm pretty sure that someone in another place (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/girlgenius/messages/) noted it almost immediately.

I'm thinking Geisterdamen City & Skifander are actually in Africa somewhere...

I could buy off on Skifander being on GG-Earth but located somewhere relatively unexplored and reachable by airship--so South America and Africa are both quite reasonable.

The land of the Geisterdamen, though, I believe is either 1. in another dimension where time runs at right angles to our own or 2. is in this world, but completely underground. Remember that the reference (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20051230) is to Lucrezia appearing "always in the same lovely aspect", which implied to me that time could be passing for the Geisters while Lucrezia did not age. It's also possible that the Geister world is our world, but in the future or past (since we can postulate time travel, and the choking black arm in the bottom middle panel could be an arm of the maybe-OtherClank in the original time window (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021111).)

The Geisters also refer to GG-Earth as "the shadow world" -- which could be because there are shadows here and not in the dimension/underground cavern system they're from, or for some other reason.

</random speculation>

Heck if I know, but I'll be interested to find out.

--ripple

Occasional Sage

2008-10-01, 03:36 PM

Tirian

2008-10-01, 03:55 PM

But what's this about Sleipnir having a fiancee?

Ask and ye shall receive (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030609).

Edit: A man has a fiancée, a woman has a fiancé.

Occasional Sage

2008-10-01, 04:02 PM

Ask and ye shall receive (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030609).

Edit: A man has a fiancée, a woman has a fiancé.

Thanks for the link!

wtf? There's a spelling difference? Wacky. I'll assume it's one of those French things with a good reason that I just don't understand.

One more question, echoing Deus e Machina: what's with the smoking parrot?

John Campbell

2008-10-01, 04:12 PM

On your reference to the Othar flashback: it's not like the man has a good grasp of facts (like Agatha's status as his assistant), or the obvious (see the Weasel Queen), or... well, or reality for that matter.
Not that I'm disagreeing, but note that the Weasel Queen was originally intended to be a radio play... in that format, the Weasel Queen's appearance would've been kept as a surprise to the audience, so Othar's behaviour couldn't give it away before the big reveal, or it would've ruined the gag.

Also, the radio plays are fiction within the fiction; they're of dubious canonicity.

Edit: A man has a fiancée, a woman has a fiancé.
The S.S. Zeethagatha (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070221) scoffs at your heteronormativity!

Tirian

2008-10-01, 04:15 PM

wtf? There's a spelling difference? Wacky. I'll assume it's one of those French things with a good reason that I just don't understand.

Yep. And knowing is half the battle!

Like "actor" and "actress" are different words in English, there are a whole lot of nouns describing people in French that take different forms depending on the person's gender. In this case, it's the default case of just tacking an 'e' on the end, which usually changes the pronunciation of the word (although in this case it doesn't).

Gez

2008-10-02, 08:29 AM

Thanks for the link!

wtf? There's a spelling difference? Wacky. I'll assume it's one of those French things with a good reason that I just don't understand.

An even bigger spelling difference is, after the wedding, "fiancé" becomes "husband" while "fiancée" becomes "wife". :smalltongue:

Xel

2008-10-02, 02:12 PM

That was a month ago. I'm still curious where the hell Wooster has gotten off to.

It occurs to me on re-reading Wednesday's entry and some of the posts here that:

Gil sent Wooster to protect Agatha (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060306). And he's been separated (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071026) from her.
Agatha sent Zeetha to protect Gil (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071212). And she's now been separated (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811) from him.
Wooster and Agatha have already been shown as a couple (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070416) (although a masquerade).

Interesting parallelism, and potential competition for Higgs. And mayhap you're on to something with a secondary-character showdown...

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-02, 02:20 PM

It occurs to me on re-reading Wednesday's entry and some of the posts here that:

Gil sent Wooster to protect Agatha (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060306). And he's been separated (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071026) from her.
Agatha sent Zeetha to protect Gil (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071212). And she's now been separated (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811) from him.
Wooster and Agatha have already been shown as a couple (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070416) (although a masquerade).

Interesting parallelism, and potential competition for Higgs. And mayhap you're on to something with a secondary-character showdown...

Avast! It seems ye captain the Zeethster! It seems to me that the captains of the Zeegatha and the might Zeethiggs may be gunnin' fer ye (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShipToShipCombat). :smallbiggrin:

It be good fortune that the Theonir kin sail wide of that there navigation hazard :smalltongue:

Porthos

2008-10-02, 04:15 PM

TigerHunter

2008-10-02, 04:20 PM

I don't know how many people are following Othar's Twitter (which apparently is being written by Phil (http://kajafoglio.livejournal.com/146128.html), and not Cheyenne as originally thought), but it was certainly an... interesting twist today. :smalleek:

I didn't see it coming, that's for sure.
http://twitter.com/Othar/statuses/943524952
It would be more shocking if I had any clue what was going on. Othar gets hired to investigate the theft of the Louvre, but people are getting mind controlled, then his friend dies in the fire, and it turns out she was a 10,000 year old suicidal maniac who's doing everything to try and get someone to kill her, then Othar gets teleported into a tree and falls on top of her, and now she's a Geisterdamen? I should probably re-read it...

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-02, 05:05 PM

It would be more shocking if I had any clue what was going on. Othar gets hired to investigate the theft of the Louvre, but people are getting mind controlled, then his friend dies in the fire, and it turns out she was a 10,000 year old suicidal maniac who's doing everything to try and get someone to kill her, then Othar gets teleported into a tree and falls on top of her, and now she's a Geisterdamen? I should probably re-read it...

Oh, close. Man, I knew that Phil was writing this though - he's primarily a writer (according to his interview on Writing Excuses) and the tone just... fit :smalltongue:

But, the plot:
Othar was vacationing in Paris when a member of the Serpents, the Master of Paris's secret police, approach him to investigate the theft of the Louvre. Almost immediately thereafter, his Serpent contact turns on him, and Othar finds himself being pursued by the Master's forces, framed for a crime he didn't commit.

It soon becomes apparent that he's dealing with a Crazy Prepared foe and, after locating the Louvre (it was shrunken, disguised as a cake and stored in a refrigerated warehouse) he tries to figure out who is behind this. Failing that, he gets drunk and wakes up in a tree with a cougar on his head. After flailing wildly, he knocks the cat out of the tree and discovers that it landed on, and mauled, a young girl named Arlene.

Arlene was supposed to be dead, and it later came out that Arlene (a breakthrough spark) had been the subject of a time-stasis experiment which she manipulated to experience 10,000 years of subjective time. She did this to have "time enough" to think, but she soon went insane and focused on figuring out every possible way for her to die, and then how to prevent it - hence the Crazy Preparedness. She was behind the Plot, and had been watching Othar passed out in a tree because she couldn't predict what a drunken Othar would do. Incidentally, her death by cougar was deeply satisfying for her, because it was the first real surprise she had experienced since the experiment.

Right now, Othar is trying to tie up some lose ends for the Master of Paris and discovered that the "extra body" at Arlene's house (where Arlene had faked her death and killed her parents) was apparently a Geisterdamen.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's up to today.

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-02, 09:24 PM

Sneaky gate
Nothing new, I think a recap is imminent.

Ganurath

2008-10-02, 09:25 PM

Sneaky gate
Nothing new, I think a recap is imminent.I think that that was the recap.

eMpTy Kay

2008-10-02, 09:52 PM

Sleipnir looks so cute in the 4th panel.

I have to agree, she is sure good on the eyes, but why are all the cute girls red heads (Agatha - strawberry blonde, now Sleipnir...or is it just me...)

Ramien

2008-10-02, 09:57 PM

I have to agree, she is sure good on the eyes, but why are all the cute girls red heads (Agatha - strawberry blonde, now Sleipnir...or is it just me...)

So Zeetha isn't cute?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-02, 10:09 PM

I think that that was the recap.

SNEAKY GATE
Iz true. I hate ending a week with a recap - it leaves me with no anticipation for the weekend. Kind of a weak recap too... though you can't really top this one (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20051109). :smallbiggrin:

In other news:
New Sleipnir is definitely my favorite female character design in the series (and I do enjoy how Phil draws his ladies... I hope that doesn't sound too creepy :smallredface:). I think Zeetha is my #2 though, art wise.

TigerHunter

2008-10-02, 10:26 PM

Oh, close. Man, I knew that Phil was writing this though - he's primarily a writer (according to his interview on Writing Excuses) and the tone just... fit :smalltongue:

But, the plot:
Othar was vacationing in Paris when a member of the Serpents, the Master of Paris's secret police, approach him to investigate the theft of the Louvre. Almost immediately thereafter, his Serpent contact turns on him, and Othar finds himself being pursued by the Master's forces, framed for a crime he didn't commit.

It soon becomes apparent that he's dealing with a Crazy Prepared foe and, after locating the Louvre (it was shrunken, disguised as a cake and stored in a refrigerated warehouse) he tries to figure out who is behind this. Failing that, he gets drunk and wakes up in a tree with a cougar on his head. After flailing wildly, he knocks the cat out of the tree and discovers that it landed on, and mauled, a young girl named Arlene.

Arlene was supposed to be dead, and it later came out that Arlene (a breakthrough spark) had been the subject of a time-stasis experiment which she manipulated to experience 10,000 years of subjective time. She did this to have "time enough" to think, but she soon went insane and focused on figuring out every possible way for her to die, and then how to prevent it - hence the Crazy Preparedness. She was behind the Plot, and had been watching Othar passed out in a tree because she couldn't predict what a drunken Othar would do. Incidentally, her death by cougar was deeply satisfying for her, because it was the first real surprise she had experienced since the experiment.

Right now, Othar is trying to tie up some lose ends for the Master of Paris and discovered that the "extra body" at Arlene's house (where Arlene had faked her death and killed her parents) was apparently a Geisterdamen.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's up to today.
That makes more sense.

BRC

2008-10-02, 10:38 PM

From ze Gate ov Shneakyness!

Ah, so Gil knew Slepnir and DuMedd while he was in Paris. My, Sparks, Relatives of the greatest evil Europe has ever known, British intelligence agents, Gil really met everybody in Paris.

Also, because I can
Zeethiggs
Zeetmedd
Zeethamesh
Zeethster
Zeethgatha
Zeethnir
Agamesh (Or Gilgatha)
Targatha (Or Agavek)
Agathiggs
Agaster

EDIT: Also, looking through the cast page it appears that Mama is one of the Jagergenerals, which is odd because she is the most human looking Jaeger weve seen, and the other generals appear to be highly monstrous even by Jaeger standards.

dogmac

2008-10-02, 11:02 PM

Kind of off topic, but not REALLY.

We have daylight savings starting this weekend in Sydney. Is it ending anytime soon up there? I need to know exactly when midnight is in GG time.

(at the moment it is 2pm here. Very civilised)

MeklorIlavator

2008-10-02, 11:04 PM

From ze Gate ov Shneakyness!

Ah, so Gil knew Slepnir and DuMedd while he was in Paris. My, Sparks, Relatives of the greatest evil Europe has ever known, British intelligence agents, Gil really met everybody in Paris.

Uhh, I think he knew them earlier. In fact, one of DuMedd's complaints was that he didn't answer any any of their letters (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20031001). Also, is anyone reminded of the baron with that last line, specifically this comic (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060324).

It's midnight here, so I thing you're about 2 hours in advance.

dogmac

2008-10-02, 11:07 PM

That would be 14 hours :D

I think we will either be going to 12 or 16, but I can never work out which.

ChowGuy

2008-10-02, 11:07 PM

From ze Gate ov Shneakyness!

Ah, so Gil knew Slepnir and DuMedd while he was in Paris. My, Sparks, Relatives of the greatest evil Europe has ever known, British intelligence agents, Gil really met everybody in Paris.

Not quite. Gil was raised on CW incognito, and knew Theo, Sleipnir, and the other students before he went to Paris. They however did not know who he was until after his return (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030606), which is why he says "You hadn't seen me in years" and "I guess I let you down first."

dogmac

2008-10-02, 11:08 PM

Normal gate is up now too

Yeah, bit of a meh one. Nothing we didn't really know. But at least they are trusting him. That is a start.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-02, 11:13 PM

Uhh, I think he knew them earlier. In fact, one of DuMedd's complaints was that he didn't answer any any of their letters (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20031001). Also, is anyone reminded of the baron with that last line, specifically this comic (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060324).

Phil does an excellent job of weaving aspects of Klaus into Gil (or Gil into Klaus - your choice :smalltongue:). He really is one of the best writers out there in webcomicry.

datalaughing

2008-10-02, 11:20 PM

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-02, 11:25 PM

Considering that the Gil/Agatha ship is probably the most popular and some might say most likely ship to actually set sail, it has the most awkward words to go with it. Gilgatha isn't too horrible (though the proximity to a biblical reference is somewhat disturbing), but Agamesh? They really fail to roll off the tongue comfortably.

Pah! Agamesh flows perfectly well! Aa-ga-mesh; sounds exotic :smallbiggrin:

Theonir and Zeethiggs also flow nicely, IMHO. Sadly, there's really nothing that can be done with Gikka and far too many which work with Bang :smalltongue:

Xel

2008-10-02, 11:36 PM

New Sleipnir is definitely my favorite female character design in the series (and I do enjoy how Phil draws his ladies... I hope that doesn't sound too creepy :smallredface:). I think Zeetha is my #2 though, art wise.

I was actually a bit disappointed with Sleipnir's upgrade. A bit too much of a sophisticated air as opposed to the geeky-engineer impression I had of her from the old style. Maybe that's just the evening dress, instead of the coveralls (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030526). 'Course I'm also always picturing her with freckles, and have to go remind myself that she never had any, so it's probably just me.

This does sound like a good place for a scene change coming up. Or at least plot direction change to something more forward-looking. Monday seems likely to be a plan discussion by one of our little troops.

Looking at Sleipnir's appearance (specifically her goggles) reminded me of an Agatha discrepancy I noticed a while back: check the difference between these (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071224) two (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071226) pages and the subsequent ones (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080208). Looks like der Kestle knocked them off when it closed the door...

Xel

2008-10-02, 11:45 PM

Sadly, there's really nothing that can be done with Gikka and far too many which work with Bang :smalltongue:

Come now. Surely you can work with Gikkizhan (even some suggestions (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080512) in that direction)? Or Goomikka? Or even Blikkizhog (hyu do not vant to esk). :smallbiggrin:

Ganurath

2008-10-03, 12:05 AM

Agamesh, Tarvezia, Zeethiggs, Theonir, Jaegerchorusgoyls, and Gkika dominates the other three generals on her own. Oh, and Andrepinn.

Porthos

2008-10-03, 12:45 AM

I actually liked today's installment coz it was a nice character bonding moment.

And it also showed, as opposed to telling, why people would actually want Gil to succeed. He can get people to trust him. Which is a quality that I'm not sure that Klaus has. Respect? Yes. Even admire? Perhaps. But trust? I'm not so sure about that.

No matter what that silly KDL has to say on the subject. :smalltongue:

FoE

2008-10-03, 01:01 AM

Because it needs to be said.

THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING! (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GogglesDoNothing)

dogmac

2008-10-03, 01:20 AM

What are you talking about?

They make her look COOL!

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-03, 08:03 AM

I'm sure they do something when she needs them.

FoE

2008-10-03, 09:55 AM

I'm sure goggles can be used for a number of purposes. But it invokes the trope because, at the moment, they're just a fashion accessory, and one that apparently goes with an evening gown. :smalltongue:

John Campbell

2008-10-03, 12:44 PM

Is it an evening gown? We haven't really seen it below the waist yet. Sleipnir being Sleipnir, I'm expecting some kind of off-the-shoulder jumpsuit. She is, after all, the one who introduced Agatha to trousers (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030602).

I'm still wondering why she's got a boy'sstallion's name, though.

Gez

2008-10-03, 01:47 PM

Theonir and Zeethiggs also flow nicely

Theonir sounds like the name of Rohan noble. Here comes Theonir, son of Theodred! (Now you're all going to search for which characters would be involved in a "Theodred" ship. None.)

I'm still wondering why she's got a boy'sstallion's name, though.

For the same reason Pirate Queen Dupree is named after a third-world country. (It sounds cool.)

Ganurath

2008-10-03, 02:46 PM

I'm still wondering why she's got a boy'sstallion's name, though.So Theo has an excuse to sleep near Sleipnir.

Gez

2008-10-03, 02:57 PM

*groan* :smallbiggrin:

ChowGuy

2008-10-03, 04:30 PM

I'm still wondering why she's got a boy'sstallion's name, though.

Well she is an O'Hara. Maybe whoever birthed don't know nothin about naming no babies, either.

Nerd-o-rama

2008-10-04, 01:56 AM

And for that matter, why Gilgamesh is named after an ancient king known primarily for his "bros before hos" attitude and having a ****load of swords. I mean, it's an appropriate name for the heir-apparent of Europa, but it's about as far from German as you can get without crossing the Himalayas.

Matuse

2008-10-04, 03:27 AM

Character update = massive awesome.

Strinbeck - "currently learning to fly". I guess he hasn't quite splatted yet?

Personally, I'm glad to see Theo is even alive. I had it in my head that Othar killed him for being a spark after they ran into each other. I guess since he's related to Agatha, Othar gave him a pass on the whole death business.

TigerHunter

2008-10-04, 10:52 AM

Personally, I'm glad to see Theo is even alive. I had it in my head that Othar killed him for being a spark after they ran into each other. I guess since he's related to Agatha, Othar gave him a pass on the whole death business.
Othar does that a lot with sparks who seem benevolent. He's actually rather good friends with several of them. He seems to be like Light Yagami--he's planning to kill all the sparks/criminals in the world, but he's going to ignore the minor/benevolent ones until all the big bads are gone. (Which makes me wonder why he was so eager to kill Agatha in the first place. He doesn't know anything about how strong a spark she is, and she's been fairly kind to him up until now. One would think that learning she's the last of a family of some of the worst sparks in existence would make Othar more eager to kill her. Though he may simply be planning to use her against the Baron, since Othar seems to consider him the worst spark of all.)

BRC

2008-10-04, 10:56 AM

Othar does that a lot with sparks who seem benevolent. He's actually rather good friends with several of them. He seems to be like Light Yagami--he's planning to kill all the sparks/criminals in the world, but he's going to ignore the minor/benevolent ones until all the big bads are gone. (Which makes me wonder why he was so eager to kill Agatha in the first place. He doesn't know anything about how strong a spark she is, and she's been fairly kind to him up until now. One would think that learning she's the last of a family of some of the worst sparks in existence would make Othar more eager to kill her. Though he may simply be planning to use her against the Baron, since Othar seems to consider him the worst spark of all.)
No, I think it's different.
Light considered killing lesser criminals and law enforcement that got in his way a goal, it's just that he wouldn't kill them until such a time as it would be a good idea.
Othar seems to consider the nice sparks as collateral damage, they must die of course, even if it's just to stop them passing the spark on, but in the meantime there are meaner fish to fry.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-04, 11:14 AM

More importantly, Theo is a big fan of Othar's (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050601) while Agatha has shown no such enthusiasm (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040712). :smallamused:

TigerHunter

2008-10-04, 11:23 AM

No, I think it's different.
Light considered killing lesser criminals and law enforcement that got in his way a goal, it's just that he wouldn't kill them until such a time as it would be a good idea.
Othar seems to consider the nice sparks as collateral damage, they must die of course, even if it's just to stop them passing the spark on, but in the meantime there are meaner fish to fry.
But Light's the same way. Killing Theo and Sleipnir would have cost Othar nothing, but he deliberately spared them. Similarly, killing every purse-snatcher on the news would cost Light nothing more than the time required to scribble down another name. (Though again, Othar may have let Theo and Sleipnir go so that they could help Agatha take down the Baron.)

Rockphed

2008-10-05, 01:57 AM

I'm not sure that Othar realized that Theo is a spark. I also wonder what the baron was doing to Theo. Perhaps Othar and Klaus aren't that different in their goals...

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-05, 03:41 PM

I'm not sure that Othar realized that Theo is a spark. I also wonder what the baron was doing to Theo. Perhaps Othar and Klaus aren't that different in their goals...

Othar knows. (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040116)

I firmly hold that it was because Theo is a huge fan of Othar - and how can one of his fans be a "bad" Spark? :smalltongue:

Porthos

2008-10-05, 05:29 PM

Othar seems to consider the nice sparks as collateral damage, they must die of course, even if it's just to stop them passing the spark on, but in the meantime there are meaner fish to fry.

There's a Word of God post about this buried somewhere in either the mailing list or Kaja's LJ account. The upshot is that Othar considers Theo and Agatha (now) to be one of the "Good Guys" (because they're part of the Heterodyne Family/Legacy) and thus "safe" to ignore (or even help) right now.

In fact, IIRC, in Othar's fevered imaginings, he fully expects Agatha and Theo (and other "Good Sparks" like him) to help him along on his insane quest. Then, when all of the world's sparks are destroyed, they will "do the right thing" and kill themselves.

Othar's a few gears short of a working clock, in case people haven't noticed. :smallamused:

EDIT:::: Ahh Google. Are there no limits to your awesomeness? :smallsmile:

http://kajafoglio.livejournal.com/31847.html

Why does Othar want to kill Agatha when he finds out she's a Spark, but then change his mind when he discovers that she's a Heterodyne?

He doesn't. Agatha has been upgraded from spunky girl sidekick to spunky girl sidekick and love interest. So now the fantasy is that because she's a Heterodyne, of course she'll understand his mission to kill all Sparks. They'll spend their days eliminating everybody else, then have a dramatically romantic double-suicide when their noble goal is reached. Operatic, no?

La la la...I'm just waiting for my files to load and thought I'd amuse myself, and you all.

By extension, Theo is the adorable squire (again thanks to the Heterodyne link) who will help along the way.

Make sense?

Of course not.

But, again, Othar's nuts. :smalltongue:

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-05, 09:53 PM

Sneaky Gate
DRUNK GIL!
Was there anything special about the "tools...and stuff" that I missed, or is he just really messed up?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-05, 09:59 PM

Sneaky Gate
DRUNK GIL!
Was there anything special about the "tools...and stuff" that I missed, or is he just really messed up?

I think he's just still tanked. A little lightheartedness before a scene change, I suppose... though Gil's lament made me think of this Schlock Mercenary (http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20061112.html) :smallbiggrin:

EDIT:
Sleipnir looks freakish in panel 4! Hopefully that'll get touched up later on... but man, that's like Mookie (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/)-level of Art :smallannoyed:

TigerHunter

2008-10-05, 10:00 PM

Sneaky Gate
DRUNK GIL!
Was there anything special about the "tools...and stuff" that I missed, or is he just really messed up?
No, he's got some surprise planned. We'll have to wait and see what it is.

Also, this certainly promises to be disastrous...

BRC

2008-10-05, 10:01 PM

Sparks+Booze=Fun! A simple yet profound equation if I ever saw one.
I love how Gil's response is to build a mechanical shoplifer, rather than to just steal stuff himself.

Occasional Sage

2008-10-05, 10:05 PM

Weird. I can't get the gate open to understand what ya'll're talking about!

TigerHunter

2008-10-05, 10:09 PM

EDIT:
Sleipnir looks freakish in panel 4! Hopefully that'll get touched up later on... but man, that's like Mookie (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/)-level of Art :smallannoyed:
Really? I didn't think it was bad so much as representative of how strong Theo's booze is. At any rate, it's not nearly as bad as Tarvek's face in panel two (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20061027).

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-05, 10:09 PM

Weird. I can't get the gate open to understand what ya'll're talking about!

Well, it iz very Sneaky :smalltongue:

I presume you've cleared your buffer?

Really? I didn't think it was bad so much as representative of how strong Theo's booze is. At any rate, it's not nearly as bad as Tarvek's face in panel two (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20061027).

Um, true. I guess it's the extra lines under her eyes and above her mouth that make her face look like her face is undergoing a terrible muscle spasm. It's pretty disturbing :smalleek:

memnarch

2008-10-05, 10:16 PM

Sparks+Booze=Fun! A simple yet profound equation if I ever saw one.
I love how Gil's response is to build a mechanical shoplifer, rather than to just steal stuff himself.

Well, a mechanical one wouldn't leave any fingerprints and might work much faster, not to mention you can build more than one and work even faster.

That is a very simple equation. Certainly leads to very interesting results too.

@ OS, you have cleared your cache lately yes?

Occasional Sage

2008-10-05, 10:28 PM

:smalleek:

Cache? Buffer?

:smallredface:

't's all good. The Gate comes out of hiding in a half hour.

Porthos

2008-10-05, 10:52 PM

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-05, 11:02 PM

What I really liked about today's strip was the chemistry between the three. You could tell that these were long time friends who were just itching to get the gang back together again.

And I don't think we're up for a scene change quite yet. I think we might skip ahead to whatever they build as they get ready to storm the Castle. Or we might be treated to Mad Science! as stuff gets built.

Either way, I don't think we're done with Gil and crew quite yet.

Nah, whenever someone says "let's get to work" that's the sign for a scene change. I mean, heck, look at when Agatha was building her coffee machine (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070608). Five pages later, it was done :smallbiggrin:

Besides, we have to see what Klaus has been up to... or Wooster! Or, heck, even what Zeetha & Co. are doing now that they've wandered off.

FoE

2008-10-05, 11:08 PM

For some reason, this comes to mind:

Miracle Max: Good luck storming the castle!
Max's Wife: Think it'll work?
Miracle Max: It would take a miracle.
Together: GOOD-BYYYYEEE!

Krytha

2008-10-05, 11:09 PM

So... she fights dirty...

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-05, 11:12 PM

For some reason, this comes to mind:

Miracle Max: Good luck storming the castle!
Max's Wife: Think it'll work?
Miracle Max: It would take a miracle.
Together: GOOD-BYYYYEEE!

Almost certainly a direct homage. Also: Storming the Castle (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StormingTheCastle) :smallbiggrin:

Deus_e_Machina

2008-10-05, 11:14 PM

Three sparks working together, all the supplies needed for a long-term sparky research expedition, and exceedingly potent alcohol...

This will be VERY interesting.

I'm with Porthos - the interactions between towards the end of the strip especially were perfect. These are three friends, three brilliant sparks, and we can feel that from their body language and speech perfectly - the energy of the sequence is overwhelming, and I just wish we'd get to watch them work for a while. Alas, we probably will cut away on Wednesday...

Xel

2008-10-05, 11:31 PM

I get the feeling we'll be seeing a comic chase 'round der Kestle between the various groups.

Tirian

2008-10-06, 12:08 AM

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-06, 12:13 AM

Aside from her "first" appearance (the fourth panel here (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081001)), I am really not into Sleipnir's art upgrade. Today, it looks like three different women trading places in front of Gil depending on the frame, none of whom are Sleipnir (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030602). Not that every woman in the comic has got to have waist-length hair all the time, but it's like Phil can't settle on her face now.

Hmmm... a good point. For me, the abomination in panel 4 is what set me off, but you're probably right about Phil having trouble settling on her face. It probably doesn't help that we haven't seem more than her headshot for three pages :smalltongue:

I guess Phil's just having a bad time with her right now. I'm sure she'll get better over time

datalaughing

2008-10-06, 01:27 AM

I have to say that the spunky redhead's face is starting to freak me out. I miss our old Sleipnir. Also, I too am enjoying the dynamic between these old friends. We didn't get to see much of it on Castle Wulfenbach. I want to sample this hedgehog thing. I guess it's a drink?
I laughed at the idea of the mechanical shoplifter. I don't know if that idea is because he's a bit tipsy now or because he's a crazed spark or both, but I love it.
Fortunately, they apparently have plenty of tools, so no shoplifting necessary. If Mechanicsburg goes all torch and pitch forky at the drop of a hat, they might want to avoid riling people up, especially with how tense things are. Then again, they love Gil. They'd probably give him whatever he wanted, especially if they knew he was on his way to help the mistress (of course they don't know she's officially passed the test yet). Anyway, since the tools are no longer an issue, we can move straight to the storming the castle portion of this exam. Should be very interesting indeed. We may be in for the long-awaited Tarvek meets Gil scene, although we really don't need Agatha running around dealing with potential love interests anymore. We need her fixing the damn castle before the baron's demolition crews show up. At least now she's got another strong spark with her to help, since Gil may be dragging his heels for a bit longer.

Gez

2008-10-06, 02:03 AM

Sleipnir looks freakish in panel 4! Hopefully that'll get touched up later on...

Sparks, and victims of Spark inventions, often go through dramatic facial deformations. Need I remind you of Carson von Mekkan?

Fortunately, they apparently have plenty of tools, so no shoplifting necessary.

He also needs stuff. He needed tools to make the mechanical shoplifter to get the stuff.

Ganurath

2008-10-06, 02:30 AM

Sleipnir looks freakish in panel 4! Hopefully that'll get touched up later on...Excuse: Look at what she's holding. She downed nearly a full glass of Theo's Latest Recipe.

Mute

2008-10-06, 02:36 AM

I get the impression that *dramatic pause* stuff includes two constructs cleverly hidden away on Castle Wulfenbach...

slayerx

2008-10-06, 02:51 AM

Y'know, i gave a little "aw" to teary eyed Gil...
Kinda makes me want to see a flashback of his younger days with him and the other kids staying at castle wulfenbach

Also, i finally noticed the big update to the cast page

A few things in particular that i like about the update
finding out who this guy was...
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/info/cast/bios/faculty/cheyenne.jpg
Always kinda bugged me not knowing who that was and why he was with the Folgio's self-inserts.

Also the cast is now being broken down the cast page by chapter; though it only covers chapters 7 and 8 as of now... doubt they would do the rest though

Also, it seems the foglios came up with "names" for all the prisoners that have appeared... so deep and well thought out... poor, poor veilhat
Though the foglios should really come up with name for the jager girl trio...
They can come up with a name for the old paranoid (though right to be so) airship crew member, but not the ship's captain or the jager girls... the ship captain that tossed that Duke out the ship really does deserve a name...

Xel

2008-10-06, 11:49 AM

I don't know if that idea is because he's a bit tipsy now or because he's a crazed spark or both

I'd say it's due to sparkiness, but not crazed sparkiness. He doesn't sound too tipsy, and the speech bubbles are normal, so not crazed.

Morty

2008-10-06, 11:54 AM

Three drunk sparks on the loose? Mechanicsburg is doomed.

Porthos

2008-10-06, 01:28 PM

Also the cast is now being broken down the cast page by chapter; though it only covers chapters 7 and 8 as of now... doubt they would do the rest though

Kaja plans on getting it done in her "copious free time". I.e. eventually. :smalltongue:

It should be interesting to see if there any nuggets buried in those cast pages, and to see how the character entries change over the volumes

ChowGuy

2008-10-06, 01:48 PM

Three drunk sparks on the loose? Mechanicsburg is doomed.

Only three? And not even Heterodynes? (Okay, to be fair, one is the grandson of Lucifer Mongfish, but still...)

Bah! This is Mechanicsburg (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070516)! They've seen far worse. Heck, they've seen tourists!

CGM3

2008-10-06, 03:01 PM

So... she fights dirty...

Actually, I suspect it's more like, she fights... :eek: dirty :redface:

:biggrin:

Xel

2008-10-06, 07:24 PM

Actually, I suspect it's more like, she fights... :eek: dirty :redface:

:biggrin:

She may fight dirty, but der Kestle fights with a "sense of humor." If they're not careful, Gil will find himself involuntarily draped over a throne in a skull bikini (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080827) when Agatha walks in. :smallsmile:

ChowGuy

2008-10-07, 12:16 AM

She may fight dirty, but der Kestle fights with a "sense of humor." If they're not careful, Gil will find himself involuntarily draped over a throne in a skull bikini (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080827) when Agatha walks in. :smallsmile:
You mean something that accentuates his oversized machinery (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080829)? Oh yeah, no doubt Der Kestle thinks that will impress her.

OTOH we've already had a long sequence of Gil as "the man with no pants (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080418)" so how long do you suppose before we can expect another fanservice of Agatha in her underwear? Bets on her walking in on Gil like that? With Tarvek and his sheet in tow? I'm sure there will be a reasonable explanation of course, like say some overlooked rogue system dumped acid on her, but it won't look that way.

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-07, 08:43 PM

Sneaky Gate
Wait, what just happened? Are they trying to avoid the crowd or bring it along?? They're all three still incredibly intoxicated. :smallbiggrin:

TigerHunter

2008-10-07, 08:46 PM

Sneaky Gate
Wait, what just happened? Are they trying to avoid the crowd or bring it along?? They're all three still incredibly intoxicated. :smallbiggrin:
Bring it along. The plan is to have everyone see Gil walk in.

Also, funniest page in a long time.

memnarch

2008-10-07, 08:48 PM

Apparently they're trying to get into the castle while being seen by a bunch of people, but not get caught in it.

Wonder what they built in the mean time.

Edit; Bleh ninja.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-07, 08:51 PM

Sneaky Gate
Wait, what just happened? Are they trying to avoid the crowd or bring it along?? They're all three still incredibly intoxicated. :smallbiggrin:

Remember, the revised plan (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080716) involves letting everyone see (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811) Gil entering the Castle, so that Klaus has multiple independent witnesses confirming who did what.

Presumably the original plan doesn't work because the Torchmen make Agatha too clear a threat (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080806).

Also: I love drunken Castle Assaults, particularly if they involve Twisted Mockeries of Sciene (TMSes) :smallbiggrin:

MeklorIlavator

2008-10-07, 09:06 PM

TigerHunter

2008-10-07, 09:09 PM

I think the original plan had to be dropped because it relied on Gil and Co. to make their way to the Baron without fan fair. After all, Gil was planning on Drugging Klaus if necessary. The whole parade kinda messed things up there.
That too, but the Torchmen screwed it up further by making it so that Klaus wouldn't believe them even if they had ditched the crowd (as they have now).

Edit: And the Wulfenbach troops at the hospital probably have orders to stun Gil and get him to Castle Wulfenbach (or some other safe place where he can't cause trouble, now that it's been run off) rather than let him see the Baron.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-07, 09:12 PM

That too, but the Torchmen screwed it up further by making it so that Klaus wouldn't believe them even if they had ditched the crowd (as they have now).

I appear to be under the effect of Some Kind of Invisibility Device (SKoID)

:tongue:

TigerHunter

2008-10-07, 09:13 PM

I appear to be under the effect of Some Kind of Invisibility Device (SKoID)

:tongue:
Meklor was responding to your point. I'm backing you up and elaborating.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-07, 09:14 PM

Meklor was responding to your point. I'm backing you up and elaborating.

Fair enough.

I am pleased to have realized that SKoID is an excellent acronym. :smallbiggrin:

dogmac

2008-10-07, 09:46 PM

Aaah, I want some of Theo's drink!

I'm sure it would improve my coding.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-07, 10:01 PM

Aaah, I want some of Theo's drink!

I'm sure it would improve my coding.

A believer in the Ballmer Peak (http://www.xkcd.com/323/), I see? :smalltongue:

Elaro

2008-10-07, 11:09 PM

I think I see bubbles over their heads. Drunken bubbles.

This can't be good. Funny, but not good. I mean, how's he gonna get a crowd? Just waltz into a bar somewhere? Do Wulfenbach troops count as a crowd?

And if he gets into the Kestle, in what kind of state will he be for Agatha? "Hi, Agatha! I know the last time you saw me I threatened one of your circus friends, but I'm okay now! Let's make out! Wait, are you currently your mother?"

Good thing Theo and Sleipnir are there.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-07, 11:12 PM

And if he gets into the Kestle, in what kind of state will he be for Agatha? "Hi, Agatha! I know the last time you saw me I threatened one of your circus friends, but I'm okay now! Let's make out! Wait, are you currently your mother?"

Oh, something tells me a brush with the Devil Dogs will sober him up nicely :smallbiggrin:

I can't wait to see what gear they brought!

and a clear picture of Sleipnir would be nice - what the heck is she wearing?

BRC

2008-10-07, 11:17 PM

Oh, something tells me a brush with the Devil Dogs will sober him up nicely :smallbiggrin:

I can't wait to see what gear they brought!

and a clear picture of Sleipnir would be nice - what the heck is she wearing?
It appears to be a sleeveless shirt that somehow tightens around the collar (though she then has some leather sleeve-glove thingies), a leather corset type thingy, pants, and The Goggles.

slayerx

2008-10-07, 11:19 PM

This can't be good. Funny, but not good. I mean, how's he gonna get a crowd? Just waltz into a bar somewhere?
Well that IS pretty much how he got his last massive crowd of people...

Ah, Gil and his need to make big speeches before he makes a big move; gotta love the showmanship... though i do wonder what he's gonna say before he jumps into the monstrous living death trap

If the bubbles aren't a good enough indication that they are drunk just look at panel 4... that's most likely a drunk walk... using sparkiness to mix stronger and better drinks, is there a better use for it =p

Xel

2008-10-07, 11:28 PM

It appears to be a sleeveless shirt that somehow tightens around the collar (though she then has some leather sleeve-glove thingies), a leather corset type thingy, pants, and The Goggles.

And Sleipnir is actually wearing The Goggles. On her eyes.

Elaro

2008-10-07, 11:31 PM

Well that IS pretty much how he got his last massive crowd of people...

Ah, Gil and his need to make big speeches before he makes a big move; gotta love the showmanship... though i do wonder what he's gonna say before he jumps into the monstrous living death trap

Ah yes, but that was during the day, and the people hadn't already been out celebrating their hero when he ups and disappears just as the soldiers get their move on.

ChowGuy

2008-10-07, 11:54 PM

Oh, something tells me a brush with the Devil Dogs will sober him up nicely

Naw, all they need is some verra good coffee, and everything will be perfect (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070625). Well, maybe not.

slayerx

2008-10-08, 12:12 AM

Ah yes, but that was during the day, and the people hadn't already been out celebrating their hero when he ups and disappears just as the soldiers get their move on.

Actually it was already after nightfall with that last crowd... all this considered i'd say no more than like an hour has pass since Gil disappeared in front of everyone. I mean, when we cut back to Gil at Theo's place the crowd was only then dispersing.

And the thing is, EVERYONE seems to love gil for saving the town... They don't need to be out celebrating to see him and want to start a parade through town. Gil could probably waltz right into a bar say "hey everybody" and the whole bar will be "hey it's Gilgamesh!", and then Gil says "wanna see me do something sparky", and they'll be like "hell yes!"... Alls Gil gotta do is make sure he can get the crowd to the castle gate, make his speech, and jump inside the castle before Wulfenbach troops can stop him.

Afterall, Gil is patting himself on the back enough to say that he thought he couldn't walk 3 meters without a mob forming around him.

Tirian

2008-10-08, 12:30 AM

I'm uncertain. I'm only breaking even on my predictions, but I think they're faking the level of their drunkenness and need for a crowd. I think they only want to get the guards to follow them far enough away from the door that they can get through invisibly.

Maelore

2008-10-08, 07:13 AM

In looking at panel 4 of the comic it seems like they might have reactivated Gil's zappy stick. It seems to have a slight glow around the discharge crystal.

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-08, 08:31 AM

TigerHunter

2008-10-08, 09:49 AM

Ah yes, but that was during the day, and the people hadn't already been out celebrating their hero when he ups and disappears just as the soldiers get their move on.
You kidding? Vanishing into thin air the second mean old Wulfenbach tries to take him into custody will only make him more awesome in their eyes.

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-08, 10:18 AM

In looking at panel 4 of the comic it seems like they might have reactivated Gil's zappy stick. It seems to have a slight glow around the discharge crystal.

Wait, is that the zappy stick or the invisibility device? It's connected to the "lamp".

TigerHunter

2008-10-08, 10:24 AM

Wait, is that the zappy stick or the invisibility device? It's connected to the "lamp".
Both? The lamp is a power source, so Gil could be using it to power the zappy stick. It's still unusable as an anti-tank (or anti-huge freaking clank, as the case may be) weapon, but it'll probably be an even more potent anti-personnel weapon.

Actually, with the improved power source it's probably more than enough to take down the Fun-Sized Mobile Agony and Death Dispensers.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-08, 10:31 AM

Actually, with the improved power source it's probably more than enough to take down the Fun-Sized Mobile Agony and Death Dispensers.

Hey, those Devil Dogs come from a time when "Made in Mechanicsburg" meant something. (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080806) I wouldn't count them out just yet :smallbiggrin:

ChowGuy

2008-10-08, 12:35 PM

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-08, 01:01 PM

I'm more curious as to why the Torchman are returning (and to where). If CW hasn't withdrawn to the requisite ten kilometers (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080825) (and that seems dubious if it's still in plain view) then they must have been recalled for something more pressing.

I think CW must have won the battle - if it were 10 Km away, the Castle guards would've mentioned that it had run away. I don't see anything in Agatha's latest revelations (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080929) that would suggest that she needed them for anything aside from protecting Mechanicsburg Airspace, so I'm guessing that they're just breaking down too fast (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080806) to maintain the attack. After all, Castle Wulfenbach appears to have impressive air defenses (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030630) and The Castle isn't allowed to do lasting harm.

I think Klaus is going to be annoyed, but cheered that time has weakened the Castle's exterior defenses. I'm also fairly sure that we'll see exactly how he's feeling next week :smallbiggrin:

EDIT:
Klaus isn't going to take Gil apart - he's far too proud (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071203) of Gil's handling of the insurgency. Besides, I'm thinking that Klaus is beginning to worry that Gil is slipping beyond his control (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060329).

ChowGuy

2008-10-08, 01:42 PM

EDIT:
Klaus isn't going to take Gil apart - he's far too proud (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071203) of Gil's handling of the insurgency. Besides, I'm thinking that Klaus is beginning to worry that Gil is slipping beyond his control (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060329).
Perhaps, but my point was what Gil may/should be thinking at this point. We've seen those scenes with Klaus, but Gil hasn't. As far as he's concerned, his father still treats him like a half-wit child. (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080229) even after he took down an entire army of war clanks.

Also, Theo at least has recently walked in on and been taken aback by Klaus "experiments" with Othar, despite Klaus standing orders to Boris that students were never to be permitted in that lab, and both he and Sleipnir were witness to Klaus raging that Agatha was a danger simply because people "liked her" enough to stand up for her against himself, a display of his megalomaniacal side even before he decided she was "the other" that I suspect he had also taken pains to conceal from the "students" under his "protection." I have little doubt that they, and perhaps Gil, now assume that Kluas is capable of doing anything to anyone who displeases him for no reason other then that.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-08, 01:54 PM

Perhaps, but my point was what Gil may/should be thinking at this point. We've seen those scenes with Klaus, but Gil hasn't. As far as he's concerned, his father still treats him like a half-wit child. (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080229) even after he took down an entire army of war clanks.

Also, Theo at least has recently walked in on and been taken aback by Klaus "experiments" with Othar, despite Klaus standing orders to Boris that students were never to be permitted in that lab, and both he and Sleipnir were witness to Klaus raging that Agatha was a danger simply because people "liked her" enough to stand up for her against himself, a display of his megalomaniacal side even before he decided she was "the other" that I suspect he had also taken pains to conceal from the "students" under his "protection." I have little doubt that they, and perhaps Gil, now assume that Kluas is capable of doing anything to anyone who displeases him for no reason other then that.

Well, Gil does know that Klaus cares about him (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080808), so he probably isn't fearing for his life.

Theo & Sleipnir... well, they're probably wary of the Baron, but no more so than usual. I mean, the Baron's reputation does precede him (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20041224).

Maelore

2008-10-08, 01:54 PM

I think CW must have won the battle - if it were 10 Km away, the Castle guards would've mentioned that it had run away.

But from what they are saying it could be taken that CW is withdrawing. The Castle my consider that good enough given the current disrepair of the Torchmen.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-08, 01:58 PM

But from what they are saying it could be taken that CW is withdrawing. The Castle my consider that good enough given the current disrepair of the Torchmen.

If CW were withdrawing, I don't think that Wulfenbach Soldiers would sound so excited (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081008) about the outcome :smalltongue:

Aidan305

2008-10-08, 02:06 PM

I suspect that CW is 10km away, hence the referral to the castle being over there, and we're over here. After all, the castle is very big, and 10km isn't a huge distance, especially when not being blocked by things like trees, mountains, the horizon, etc.

Gez

2008-10-08, 02:14 PM

... ten kilometers (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080825) (and that seems dubious if it's still in plain view) ...

For something the size of Castle Wulfenbach, and flying at its altitude? I think it can very well be den kilometres away and still seem nearly above the city from the ground.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-08, 02:16 PM

For something the size of Castle Wulfenbach, and flying at its altitude? I think it can very well be den kilometres away and still seem nearly above the city from the ground.

But why are the Wulfenbach Soldiers excited? Shouldn't they be worried that their support is running away? :smallconfused:

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-08, 02:20 PM

They are worried, but they're living in the moment!

Gez

2008-10-08, 03:13 PM

But why are the Wulfenbach Soldiers excited? Shouldn't they be worried that their support is running away? :smallconfused:

Implied corollary to my above point is that it's not necessarily blatant that the airship is running away.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-08, 03:15 PM

Implied corollary to my above point is that it's not necessarily blatant that the airship is running away.

Wouldn't you say moving from right over the Castle (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080820) to 10 km towards the horizon while being pursued by fiery death is unambiguously "running away."

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-08, 03:27 PM

They're pleased that CW is still up, not that CW's retreating the torchmen are returning. That's what they're saying in the second panel.

TigerHunter

2008-10-08, 03:41 PM

But why are the Wulfenbach Soldiers excited? Shouldn't they be worried that their support is running away? :smallconfused:
As Mauve pointed out, they are. But they're more excited about the fact that their support is not coming down to earth in a fiery inferno of death.

ChowGuy

2008-10-08, 03:57 PM

... trees, mountains, the horizon,...

... multi-story buildings...

They're standing in the street, and while I'll grant you that we can only say for sure what's behind them in panel #1, unless they're at the edge of town or looking down a side street, their angle of view of the sky is likely somewhat limited.

Aidan305

2008-10-08, 04:42 PM

... multi-story buildings...

They're standing in the street, and while I'll grant you that we can only say for sure what's behind them in panel #1, unless they're at the edge of town or looking down a side street, their angle of view of the sky is likely somewhat limited.

Or say, the gates of the kestle (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070321)?

thorgrim29

2008-10-08, 04:47 PM

Wow, I guess I never bothered to take a good look at der kestle, but that is some pretty schizophrenic architecture...
Also, drunk sparks, while hilarious, are probably not good for anyone (well, except us, because we exist outside the world of the comic)

Gez

2008-10-08, 05:04 PM

Wouldn't you say moving from right over the Castle (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080820) to 10 km towards the horizon while being pursued by fiery death is unambiguously "running away."

You must have excellent eye sight and perfect instinctive trigonometry skills to be able to discern between "the ship is moving because it's running away!" and "the ship is moving because it was in a battle and not playing sitting duck".

Xel

2008-10-08, 07:33 PM

I'm definitely in the "CW reached the 10km point" camp. A jet at cruising altitude, while small, is still relatively visible, and that's generally a bit more than 10km. And the soldiers are definitely worried about it being some distance away. I don't see any conflict with their demeanor and their thinking CW retreated -- the fact they seem relieved it's still up at all would indicate they are thinking that.

But the biggest reason: dis iz der Kestle! It would keep the Torchmen attacking until they all fell out of the sky rather than "disappoint" the Mistress!

datalaughing

2008-10-08, 11:45 PM

Actually, it's hard to tell how far away from the city Castle Wulfenbach was when the attack began. I mean, the pink airship was already running. They were running as fast as they could when they crossed paths with CW, and then the torchmen began their attack. We saw things from the ground that made it look like CW was pretty close, but as someone pointed out, that doesn't necessarily mean anything because 10 km is not all that far. CW could have been 7 km out when the attack began. So they would have moved a relatively short distance away before the 10 km limit was reached and the torchmen turned around. I don't think the torchmen would retreat until their mission was complete. They're clanks controlled by a ruthless artificially intelligent clank. I think they would attack until they accomplished their mission or they were all destroyed.

Arbitrarity

2008-10-09, 02:31 PM

When I first saw the last comic, I expected Gil had some sort of plan there, not that he was totally drunk.

"Wait! We forgot the crowd!"

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-09, 02:32 PM

You must have excellent eye sight and perfect instinctive trigonometry skills to be able to discern between "the ship is moving because it's running away!" and "the ship is moving because it was in a battle and not playing sitting duck".

Something tells me that air-to-air combat involving zepplins doesn't involve a lot of jinking. :smalltongue:

Think about it - you're a soldier on the ground, and you just saw CW dive out of the clouds towards Castle Heterodyne (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080804). Hooray!

Then CW gets smacked by a swarm of flaming machines of death, and begins to return fire, right over Castle Heterodyne (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080820). Now, CW is very slow (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030630) so it's not exactly going to be jinking or weaving about to try and avoid a swarm of flaming gnats. So, you see this raging battle, and you notice that CW is drifting away from right over your head. Eventually you lose the ability to tell the exact position of CW, but it is looking really small, and getting smaller all the time. And the Torchmen are now flying back to Mechanicsburg, instead of crashing into the streets (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080806).

I dunno about you, but this seems like "running away" - particularly if you think about how a big, slow blimp like CW usually conducts combat. Dogfighting this ain't. :smallbiggrin:

thorgrim29

2008-10-09, 07:48 PM

Funny thing about blimp combat, I keep expecting to see the Letze Battalion make a guest appearance, only to be eaten alive (undead...) by the jagers...

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-09, 10:27 PM

SNEAKY GATE!
Looks like the crazy bird (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081001) is Mechanicsburg's version of a pigeon. Weird.

I wonder who's there to fight Gil. It can't be Vole... is it Klaus? Is one of my predictions finally coming true? :smalleek:

EDIT:
Ah, finally, a good look at Sleipnir's new wardrobe. It appears to be a stout set of leggings, some serious leather gloves... and a flimsy bit of green fabric which barely covers her breasts. Classic Foglio :smallbiggrin:

dogmac

2008-10-09, 10:30 PM

Love the "build a new crowd" gag. Aaah, drunk sparks, so very literal

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-09, 10:34 PM

Vole would be predictable...I like the Klaus idea. Or someone behind Zola.

TigerHunter

2008-10-09, 10:36 PM

Wooster, perhaps?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-09, 10:37 PM

Vole would be predictable...I like the Klaus idea. Or someone behind Zola.

Can't be Vole - "there you are!" should be "there hyu are!" if Vole said it.

I'm almost certain it's Klaus. We need that showdown. Also, it looks like Gil is looking upwards in the last panel - perhaps at Mecha Klaus (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080523) :smallbiggrin:

EDIT:
It can't be Wooster though - why would he be looking for Gil? And more importantly, if it is Wooster, why would Gil expect a "big fight?"

I don't think it's Oublenmach either. He strikes me as the kind of guy who'd just assassinate Gil without shouting... much less shouting "there you are."

Alternatively, it could be Carson & Co. I'm sure Carson is on the lookout for the young man who helped save Mechanicsburg, and Gil wouldn't know who he is. But who in blazes could Carson be stomping around with that would amount to a "big fight."

Elaro

2008-10-09, 10:38 PM

Sneaky Gate: I believe I mentioned something about the difficulty of obtaining a consecutive assembly of persons. It does seem so.

Didn't expect a second incident, though.

And hey, look! It really is a lamp!

chionophile

2008-10-09, 10:38 PM

Vole would be predictable...I like the Klaus idea. Or someone behind Zola.

Vole was my first thought, but it's not jaeger speak, so it'd have to be an underling yelling. Would Vole allow that?

Zola, I doubt. This sounds like someone who knows and has been looking for Gil. Zeetha is a possibility as the speaker, but she must have brought a few people with her to get that reaction out of Gil.

ETA: Wow, why don't we just all post at the same time? Wouldn't that be fun..

Elaro

2008-10-09, 10:41 PM

It would, wouldn't it?

And I thought Zeetha (plus Krosp, you know, because of the invisibility thing) too.

slayerx

2008-10-09, 11:20 PM

oh god, the build a new crowd joke had me seriously laughing... pure genius that joke

Man i'm really loving the chemistry between those 3... after the weasal queen side story is done, it makes me want to see a side story for those three... maybe a flashback to the old days on castle wulfenbach

Can't be Vole - "there you are!" should be "there hyu are!" if Vole said it.

I'm almost certain it's Klaus. We need that showdown. Also, it looks like Gil is looking upwards in the last panel - perhaps at Mecha Klaus (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080523) :smallbiggrin:

but the "there you are" speech bubble is coming from straight in front, if it were mecha klaus it would be coming from high above... PLus if it were klaus i think Gil would high tail it to the castle... i doubt he wants to fight against his own father, and his father seeing him run into the castle is all he really needs since that would be enough for klaus to hold off from destroying the castle

could be zeetha, but he would have no reason to fight her... plus whoever it is sounds pissed, and i don't think zeetha has a reason to be that angry at gil for suddenly disappearing...

it could be mister i'll eat your ears (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811)... he speaks normally and Gil would have reason to get into a big fight with him since he plans on catching Gil... and the additional wulfenbach soldiers will help make sure it's a BIG fight

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-09, 11:25 PM

it could be mister i'll eat your ears (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811)... he speaks normally and Gil would have reason to get into a big fight with him since he plans on catching Gil... and the additional wulfenbach soldiers will help make sure it's a BIG fight

Well... that does make sense, but isn't that rather boring? Even if the speech bubble fits (and it does) where's the fun in Gil backing into some random mooks off-screen when we could have another fun reveal.

Come to think of it, Phil does a lot of those, doesn't he?

Lord Iames Osari

2008-10-09, 11:30 PM

Could it be Von Pinn?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-09, 11:42 PM

Could it be Von Pinn?

:confused:

That was out from left field. Well, I don't think so, since even when Von Pinn isn't worked up, she talks funny too (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040802).

Xel

2008-10-09, 11:58 PM

Klaus is my first guess, although I'm not so sure after some of the discussion (direction of speech bubble, 'n' all that).

Dr. Sun is my second guess. Gil's reaction fits the way they've interacted in the past.

Lord Iames Osari

2008-10-09, 11:59 PM

Ah, that's right. I had forgotten that.

I was just thinking - who would be angry, looking for "you" (Theo and Sleipnir), and a big fight?

Answer: Von Pinn.

FoE

2008-10-10, 12:05 AM

Can't be. That's a regular voice balloon, as opposed to the weird construct voice that Dom Pinn uses.

Tirian

2008-10-10, 12:09 AM

It's Othar!

dogmac

2008-10-10, 12:50 AM

I think Zeetha.

Or... .I know... .Higgs. He's been carrying that hat all this time.....

Felius

2008-10-10, 12:55 AM

Looking back at this page http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811

I've just noticed on the last panel the invisibility sphere can be noticed if you pay close attention.

Porthos

2008-10-10, 01:23 AM

It's betting on Big Green Hairy Guy.

Why introduce him for a couple of pages if you're not going to eventually do something with him?

SnowballMan

2008-10-10, 05:58 AM

I don't even care who the mystery person is. I just want more mad scientist conversation. Sparks are more fun when they have other sparks to play off of.

Reminds me of a game... Mad University I think it was called, where you are given an goal and an ordinary object. You had to describe how you achieved the goal with the object. I believe at one point someone had mind controlled mice catapulted to the moon to secure cheese.

BRC

2008-10-10, 07:38 AM

"We could build a new crowd"
"WHAT! But that would take weeks!"
Hilarity.

Anyway, this isn't Vole yelling at them. If it was vole he would have said "There HYU ARE"

thorgrim29

2008-10-10, 08:48 AM

Looking back at this page http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080811

I've just noticed on the last panel the invisibility sphere can be noticed if you pay close attention.

Now I may be wrong, but didn't the big green furry guy have a normal speech bubble yesterday, or a few hours ago for that matter?

TigerHunter

2008-10-10, 09:51 AM

Now I may be wrong, but didn't the big green furry guy have a normal speech bubble yesterday, or a few hours ago for that matter?
I think you're right.

thorgrim29

2008-10-10, 10:38 AM

Now then, if I'm right, then there's a possibility that Phil or kaja are reading the thread right? Because there was a bit of wild guessing involving the green guy's normal speech bubble when the comic came online..... Nice, hello there Professors!

John Campbell

2008-10-10, 10:51 AM

]Ah, finally, a good look at Sleipnir's new wardrobe. It appears to be a stout set of leggings, some serious leather gloves... and a flimsy bit of green fabric which barely covers her breasts. Classic Foglio :smallbiggrin:
Don't forget the Goggles!

Rockphed

2008-10-10, 01:58 PM

Don't forget the Goggles!

The Goggles! They look awesome!

Xel

2008-10-10, 04:02 PM

Now I may be wrong, but didn't the big green furry guy have a normal speech bubble yesterday, or a few hours ago for that matter?

I think you're right.

I dunno. I definitely remember thinking the big green guy was shouting at the soldiers, drill-sergeant style. That looks like a shout-style bubble to me.

Raz_Fox

2008-10-10, 04:26 PM

memnarch

2008-10-10, 04:28 PM

Yeah, first thing to do when picking up a new web comic is set aside a day to read through the archives.

Glad hyu like it. :smallwink:

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-10, 05:00 PM

I had heard about Girl Genius before, and like always I was cautious - I don't like just jumping up and reading webcomics. Then again, guys like EvilDMMk3 loved it, so it might not be that bad... Finally, I decided to try this morning.

...Do you have any idea how nasty that Mother of all Archive Binges was?!? And the fact that though my day's work went down the drain through that awesome webcomic? I now love and hate hyu guyz.

...and now I'm speaking in Jagerkin. :smallannoyed:

Heh, I go a Girl Genius Archive Bin every couple of weeks, just because it's so nifty. Heck, I've re-read the "Gil Deals With It (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071116)" through "Vole Arrives To Take Charge (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080225)" a couple of times this week alone. It's just such a good sequence :smallbiggrin:

Well, welcome to the fold, and 'ware the Sneaky Gate. Knowledge of its inner workings just makes you more manic about checking all that is GG :smalltongue:

TigerHunter

2008-10-10, 05:28 PM

Well, welcome to the fold, and 'ware the Sneaky Gate. Knowledge of its inner workings just makes you more manic about checking all that is GG :smalltongue:
The worst part of every Friday is realizing that I have to wait until Monday to read GG again.

Gez

2008-10-10, 05:51 PM

Well, welcome to the fold, and 'ware the Sneaky Gate. Knowledge of its inner workings just makes you more manic about checking all that is GG :smalltongue:

Dunno, I'm in Europe. With a few exception (like when it was more than a day in advance), the sneaky gate isn't opened when I'm going to sleep (and I go to bed late), and the main gate is wide open in the morning when I wake up (yes, I make my daily webcomic check during breakfast).

So it's mostly an irrelevant thing as far as I'm concerned.

slayerx

2008-10-10, 09:45 PM

speaking of archive binging, today i found myself pondering the question that must come up from a few fans for every great webcomic... "animated series"...

i found myself going through like the whole first three chapters to see where it could be broken down in terms of episodes. i was basically trying to figure out how many pages you could cover in an episode, and trying to guess if you could get 20 minutes of girl genius and still end the episode at a good point... sometimes it seemed like it could work other times it didn't. Kinda need some editing to get it to work in episodes...

the concept of a girl genius animated series will probably bug me for sometime... hell if i had the time (like several months...), i'd probably want to animate one of the short fillers myself... like the one with agatha, zeetha, and automatic trainer clank.

Xel

2008-10-10, 11:49 PM

I had heard about Girl Genius before, and like always I was cautious - I don't like just jumping up and reading webcomics. Then again, guys like EvilDMMk3 loved it, so it might not be that bad... Finally, I decided to try this morning.

...Do you have any idea how nasty that Mother of all Archive Binges was?!? And the fact that though my day's work went down the drain through that awesome webcomic? I now love and hate hyu guyz.

...and now I'm speaking in Jagerkin. :smallannoyed:

Here's another welcome from a fellow recently-hooked addict. And, yeah, that is a big binge the first time through. It doesn't seem to get any better over time, though. I've gotten to the point where I'm starting to buy the books (my budget only allows for one per month or so). Must...posses...it ALL... :smallsigh: We just need Agatha to fix that somehow, like she's going to fix Vanamonde's coffee problem.

On the bright side, my WOW addiction is bothering me a lot less these days. :smallsmile:

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-11, 08:51 AM

Jari Kafghan

2008-10-11, 11:59 PM

On the bright side, my WOW addiction is bothering me a lot less these days. :smallsmile:

QFT

Girl Genius the cure for the common WoW.

Jari Kafghan

2008-10-12, 12:18 AM

On the bright side, my WOW addiction is bothering me a lot less these days. :smallsmile:

QFT

Girl Genius the cure for the common WoW.

FoE

2008-10-12, 01:26 AM

You got to take it in chunks. I probably read the first chapter twice before I moved on to Castle Heterodyne.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-12, 01:29 AM

You got to take it in chunks. I probably read the first chapter twice before I moved on to Castle Heterodyne.

Pah! Moderation is for the weak and the gainfully employed :smalltongue:

Hell Puppi

2008-10-12, 05:36 PM

Pah! Moderation is for the weak and the gainfully employed :smalltongue:

I have to agree. Though it still took me a couple days to go through Schlock Mercenary and Sluggy Freelance (well I did have a job. And had to eat. And bathe....but those were my only breaks). Didn't take me near as long to dig through Girl Genius, I think.

dogmac

2008-10-12, 07:55 PM

memnarch

2008-10-12, 07:59 PM

And then there's the sneaky gate and constantly wondering if you should check it or not.

Ramien

2008-10-12, 08:38 PM

Aah, you haven't yet realised the WORST part of being a new GG addict.

It's the waiting for the updates....

Yes, we know EXACTLY when they are going to be, but that is seemingly irrelevant. You still spend all your time going "DAMN IT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!"

(i was lucky enough to discover it when there was still GG Advanced and 101)

I actually just went out and picked up all the early stuff in dead tree editions once I got back into it. It's a lot easier to go through the 'archives' when you can hold them in your hands.

Deus_e_Machina

2008-10-12, 10:05 PM

And then there's the sneaky gate and constantly wondering if you should check it or not.

So I'm sitting there spamming refresh on the sneaky gate and I think "Maybe I should check the GiTP forums in the meantime" and what do I find but this...

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 10:18 PM

Open. There goes my productivity for the rest of the evening.

Looks like I was right about it being Zeetha, even though I thought it'd be Wooster at first and never bothered to mention my new theory.

This Gil v. Zeetha! This promises to be entertaining.

BRC

2008-10-12, 10:22 PM

Ze Gate of Shneakyness

Silly Gil, you may be able to take down Zeetha, but in order to win here you would have to stop Higgs, and you cannot stop Higgs.

Also, Where is the Nize Hat!

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 10:29 PM

Well, we only see Higgs in one panel, so he could have just set it down while they waited.

memnarch

2008-10-12, 10:31 PM

Gil is most certainly drunk, isn't he? Quite funny. :smallbiggrin:

Enlong

2008-10-12, 10:32 PM

uh... what is the Sneaky Gate, again?

chionophile

2008-10-12, 10:34 PM

Vole was my first thought, but it's not jaeger speak, so it'd have to be an underling yelling. Would Vole allow that?

Zola, I doubt. This sounds like someone who knows and has been looking for Gil. Zeetha is a possibility as the speaker, but she must have brought a few people with her to get that reaction out of Gil.

ETA: Wow, why don't we just all post at the same time? Wouldn't that be fun..

Do I get an internet cookie or something? Also, drunk sparks are fun.

dogmac

2008-10-12, 10:35 PM

I, too was right, when I said Higgs! I shall now brag hugely about my knowledge and shall fight loudly and crowd drawingly with anyone who disagrees with me.

I also love the way that Higgs is still looking completely unphased.

And hehe "you are such a dork"

memnarch

2008-10-12, 10:37 PM

Da Shneaky Gate iz ver hyu can see da image ov da comic before dey puts it up.
View image, modify the date, see newest comic.

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 10:38 PM

uh... what is the Sneaky Gate, again?
You don't want to know.Seriously, it will ruin your life.Ok, don't say I didn't warn you.Are you sure?Ok, fine, here it is:Go to the current comic, go to the image url and change the date to today's date.

chionophile

2008-10-12, 10:48 PM

Deus_e_Machina

2008-10-12, 10:48 PM

Everybody, lets have less arguing over who predicted what and more asking the important question -

Is that a Heterodyne popsicle melting all over Zeetha's hand and where can I get one?!

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-12, 10:51 PM

MOAR SNEAKY GATE
So that's why the best Sparks have lots of minions - to assist with rapid changes of armaments :smalltongue:

I wonder who's Death Ray that is? Theo or Sleipnir? I guessing Theo, since he has some Mongfish in him, and Sleipnir said she was more of a mechanic (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030602). Honestly, I'm wondering if Sleipnir is even much of a Spark at this point...

Also: Panel 4 should read "Now we KUNG FU fight!" :smallbiggrin:

Oh, and

Clearly this "battle" goes to Gil. Yes, were Zeetha to fight at full power, I'm pretty sure a Death Ray loses to Swords at the range of 1.5 meters (at best), but Zeetha is going to go easy on him and I'm sure the Death Ray is mostly for effect anyhow.

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 10:52 PM

Clearly this "battle" goes to Gil. Yes, were Zeetha to fight at full power, I'm pretty sure a Death Ray loses to Swords at the range of 1.5 meters (at best), but Zeetha is going to go easy on him and I'm sure the Death Ray is mostly for effect anyhow.
At 1.5 meters, swords have a chance, though. Range is the entire point of making death rays, you know, rays.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-12, 10:56 PM

At 1.5 meters, swords have a chance, though. Range is the entire point of making death rays, you know, rays.

That's what I get for writing poorly. :smallfrown:

Yes, in a straight-up fight Swords > Death Rays at 1.5 meters. However, Zeetha is going to be fighting for fun and I'm betting Gil's "Death Ray" is more of an effects machine which can make a lot of noise and light - which will likely dazzle Zeetha, allowing Gil to "win" and make his way into the Castle.

Probably after the guards from Castle Heterodyne come down to try and stop the fight. :smalltongue:

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 10:59 PM

That's what I get for writing poorly. :smallfrown:

Yes, in a straight-up fight Swords > Death Rays at 1.5 meters. However, Zeetha is going to be fighting for fun and I'm betting Gil's "Death Ray" is more of an effects machine which can make a lot of noise and light - which will likely dazzle Zeetha, allowing Gil to "win" and make his way into the Castle.

Probably after the guards from Castle Heterodyne come down to try and stop the fight. :smalltongue:
Whoops, my bad. I thought you were counting the 1.5 meters in the death ray's favor and was trying to be nitpicky.

I feel shtupid.

Felius

2008-10-12, 11:01 PM

Of course, you all see that the fight is just a ruse to call attention. Zeetha seems to have catched it pretty quickly, and now is just playing along with him.

Although, I might be wrong, that just my guess.

Edit: By the way, I just re-read that and it sounded a bit pedantic, sorry, not my intention.

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 11:07 PM

Of course, you all see that the fight is just a ruse to call attention. Zeetha seems to have catched it pretty quickly, and now is just playing along with him.

Although, I might be wrong, that just my guess.
Gil's intentionally overdramatic (though unintentionally overoverdramatic) speech makes that pretty clear. I think he is serious about winning and leaving her outside, though.

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-12, 11:08 PM

Of course, you all see that the fight is just a ruse to call attention. Zeetha seems to have catched it pretty quickly, and now is just playing along with him.

Although, I might be wrong, that just my guess.

True, but Zeetha has been known to play rough (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060517) :smalltongue:

dogmac

2008-10-12, 11:17 PM

We can unsneak now.

Did you see that they are selling PDF files now on the homepage?????

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-12, 11:21 PM

We can unsneak now.

Did you see that they are selling PDF files now on the homepage?????

:eek:

Most exciting! Still, I'll save up until I can afford a nice bound set of 'em. I bet that GG looks even better when professionally printed into books.

SirSigfried

2008-10-12, 11:29 PM

Now what do we learn from this?

That sparks should avoid both stimulants and depressants at all costs.
Or we all will die from laughter.

TigerHunter

2008-10-12, 11:33 PM

We can unsneak now.

Did you see that they are selling PDF files now on the homepage?????
...wait, why? It's a webcomic, the only reason to purchase the books is, you know, to have the book.

ChowGuy

2008-10-12, 11:44 PM

Silly Gil, you may be able to take down Zeetha, but in order to win here you would have to stop Higgs, and you cannot stop Higgs.
Higgs is a Wulfenbach man, currently assigned to Gil (at least, that's what Gil told him), not one of Agatha's friends (he's never met her). If it comes to taking sides, he's not going against his own boss, anymore then Violetta was..

Sleipnir said she was more of a mechanic. Honestly, I'm wondering if Sleipnir is even much of a Spark at this point...
No "more of" about it. She just says "I'm a mechanic" period. She's also one of the "students," but we know that while of they're all also hostages to insure someones good behavior they're not all known sparks. The Baron didn't realize Agatha was certainly, and I seem to recall it noted somewhere that Her Highness Zulanna makes such a big deal of her title because that's all she has for status in the pecking order. Sleipnir herself likewise says she's there "so my father will stop fighting with King Dunsany." Which is probably why she's the been the most rational (even when tipsy) one in the bunch.

I'm betting Gil's "Death Ray" is more of an effects machine which can make a lot of noise and light
I seriously doubt that. Gil may be drunk, but he's not dumb enough to plan on walking into a known Death Trap with nothing but a light show as defense. A non-lethal force field or time distortion device on the other hand I could see. Otherwise the question is, is he drunk enough to forget that actually using it to effect on Zeetha is likely to make Agatha at least as mad as taking her with him?

Oracle_Hunter

2008-10-13, 12:07 AM

I seriously doubt that. Gil may be drunk, but he's not dumb enough to plan on walking into a known Death Trap with nothing but a light show as defense. A non-lethal force field or time distortion device on the other hand I could see. Otherwise the question is, is he drunk enough to forget that actually using it to effect on Zeetha is likely to make Agatha at least as mad as taking her with him?

His only defense? Did you forget about his Zappy Stick - now hooked up to the SKoID (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081010)? The one he handed off to Theo to get his impressively large Death Ray? :smalltongue:

Besides, it's not his Death Ray - he doesn't have a single one (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040510) - so it probably came from Theonir's Bag of Tools (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081006). Gil wants to make a big show out here to attract attention, and he probably never wanted to kill off his father's men in the first place.

Light Show or Stun Ray - that's my prediction.

Tirian

2008-10-13, 12:21 AM

You can check out the sample pages, the resolution is really sparky. Maybe in the future we'll all have digital projectors in our bedrooms and will be able to splash comic book pages on the wall for our nighttime reading pleasure. I think I'd still prefer to have paper in my hands for the time being, but choice is always a good thing.

(And woo! For some reason I thought that GG books were on the order of $30 apiece, but they're actually so reasonable that I shouldn't feel bad about asking Santa to get me a few for Christmas!)

datalaughing

2008-10-13, 12:23 AM

I think this may be one of my all-time favorite pages. The dialogue, the framing, even the colors, I really love it.

dogmac

2008-10-13, 01:25 AM

...wait, why? It's a webcomic, the only reason to purchase the books is, you know, to have the book.

Well.... you see.... some of us live on the opposite side of the world from the Foglio's and so we have to pretty much double the cost of the book format to get the books in our hot little hands.

PDF format means we can buy that, take it to a printer, and get them to print it at a far more reasonable cost.

Tirian

2008-10-13, 01:27 AM

PDF format means we can buy that, take it to a printer, and get them to print it at a far more reasonable cost.

I'm afraid not. The PDF's have printing and copy/paste disabled.

Ascension

2008-10-13, 01:33 AM

Drunken brawl followed by inevitable team up? It's like Girl Genius has turned into a superhero crossover miniseries.

Awesome.

dogmac

2008-10-13, 01:35 AM

Ah well, damn, eh?

But, it is a lot quicker to have it as a pdf anyway than going page by page.

I did, however, just get suckered into going into their cafepress shop with the result that I now NEEEEEEEED this t-shirt

http://www.cafepress.com/girlgenius.144213037#

I shall obviously have to wait until the exchange rate bounces back somewhat, if it ever does that.

(I need a matching coffee mug too)

Ascension

2008-10-13, 01:42 AM

But, it is a lot quicker to have it as a pdf anyway than going page by page.

Your computer must handle pdf files better than mine does. I declare every other time I open Adobe Reader it crashes. I don't have nearly as much trouble with any of my other programs, it's just Adobe Reader that constantly rebels against me. It has gotten better as of late, but it's still unreliable.

Gez

2008-10-13, 02:21 AM

As far as I'm concerned, high-res PNG/JPG zipped or rared together reads faster and smoother than PDFs. The cbz/cbr format is incredibly simple (as said, it's really just a zip or rar file) but comic book reader applications are -- contrarily to Acrobat -- fast and lightweight.

datalaughing

2008-10-13, 03:59 AM

Yeah, I have every page of GG saved and in cbr files. Makes it really easy to reread and I can rearange it and cut out the filler if I want. Like I just stuck all the weasel queen stuff at the back of book 7. So I can read it or not and it doesn't intrude on a story-intensive archive binge.

Raz_Fox

2008-10-13, 06:49 AM

...Exactly as planned! :smallamused:

I realized this morning as I was getting up that it was probably the crowd that he had abandoned and had decided to hunt him down.

Then I look at GG and see that I'm right! :smallbiggrin:

Next Prediction: Zeetha knows what Gilgamesh is doing. Fairly obvious, from the first three panels. There's gonna be a big fight and Gil's gonna get into the castle.

Either that, or we'll switch to Agatha now.

Mauve Shirt

2008-10-13, 07:42 AM

Aw man, alcohol + sparks is an even worse idea than I thought! Gil, you did not call Zeetha a brazen hussy! :smallbiggrin:
I actually thought as I woke up this morning "Hey, I bet it's Zeetha & friends and not Big Hairy Green Guy."
We won't switch to Agatha just yet, we had her for such a long time. There'll be a big fight and Gil will get into the castle. And they will all probably follow him anyway.

Aidan305

2008-10-13, 07:50 AM

Anyone else find Gil's line slightly creepy? Or maybe it's just the tone of voice I'm imagining it in.

Xel

2008-10-13, 10:24 AM

Gil, you did not call Zeetha a brazen hussy! :smallbiggrin:

I'm not sure Zeetha would object to that one. She might even be first to call herself that, except that, er, Gil actually said it first.

Next Prediction: Zeetha knows what Gilgamesh is doing. Fairly obvious, from the first three panels.

And Zeetha has switched sword hands, so she can't be serious?

Ramien

2008-10-13, 12:17 PM

Considering Zeetha wants to keep Gil safe for Agatha, and Gil doesn't want to make Agatha mad by hurting any of her friends, any fight is likely to be showy, but not dangerous...

Until Zeetha realizes that Gil really isn't going to let her into the castle... then things might get a bit more serious. Either that, or Gil going 'sparky' might make him go a little more over the top than he'd planned originally.

thorgrim29

2008-10-13, 01:16 PM

So.... does Gil have enuff dakka?

FoE

2008-10-13, 01:24 PM

So.... does Gil have enuff dakka?

Dere iz never enuff dakka.

Honestly, I don't know how this is going to turn out. They're pretty well-matched.

I bet Phil is just pulling our leg here. A bunch of soliders and that bastard Vole are going to show up in the next strip just before they start fighting.

sihnfahl

2008-10-13, 01:42 PM

Honestly, I don't know how this is going to turn out. They're pretty well-matched.
Zeetha and Gil aren't being serious. Gil made it clear in his little over-the-top speech that all he wanted was something big, flashy and noisy to get people's attention.

Zeetha's going to give him big and flashy - and she believes Gil can be trusted. So, while she'll throw the fight, it's only going to be after making as much noise as possible.

Wait until she uses Krosp as a flail.

Xel

2008-10-13, 01:47 PM

Hmmm. We're getting some interesting parallels here. Zeetha charged with protecting Gil. And they fight. Violetta charged with protecting Tarvek. And they fight. Bang charged with protecting Klaus. And...they banter? We need a Klaus & Bang combat, right? although I'm not sure Bang knows how to pull her punches. Well, make that I'm sure she doesn't know.

Lesson learned: If you're male and somewhat important in this world, don't have female bodyguards. Or at least don't expect to get along with them.