Girl Genius XXV: It needs work! BUT THE CONCEPT IS SOUND!

[smuchmuch]

Y'know, those last three pages feel a bit like filler (in the sense that the information conveyed there (Mr pointy head bend time around him in weird loops) and what was achieved (tarvek will not feel the lopps anyore) could have been easily presented in more compact form), but this page with Tarvek waxing poetic about ephemerality was hilarious.

[Radar]

Y'know, those last three pages feel a bit like filler (in the sense that the information conveyed there (Mr pointy head bend time around him in weird loops) and what was achieved (tarvek will not feel the lopps anyore) could have been easily presented in more compact form), but this page with Tarvek waxing poetic about ephemerality was hilarious.

I would have to check the page numbers, but maybe they needed to set up a splash page for the summoned creature? So more material than for one page, but two pages would not work for the print version? Aside from that, establishing how Mr pointy interacts with regular timeline might be important later, so some more care here could have been needed.

[Scarlet Knight]

Y'know, those last three pages feel a bit like filler (in the sense that the information conveyed there (Mr pointy head bend time around him in weird loops) and what was achieved (tarvek will not feel the lopps anyore) could have been easily presented in more compact form), but this page with Tarvek waxing poetic about ephemerality was hilarious.

"Are you able to travel through time?"
"What ? No! My English was..is bad and I will have...will have had...have had trouble with tenses."

[Radar]

"Are you able to travel through time?"
"What ? No! My English was..is bad and I will have...will have had...have had trouble with tenses."

This, so very much this.

[Rodin]

Now is not the time to be conjugating verbs in the past and future nevertense!

[RedScholarGypsy]

So the thing being summoned will drive Tarvek insane*, curing him of his waxing about how everything is temporary?

Betting five internet cookies that it's the Winslow.

*Insane being something wholly different than Mad, which he already was. Honestly he seems to be the sanest Spark in Europa.

[Rogar Demonblud]

He also pretty much never Sparks out. The two may be related.

[Hamsandlich]

Klaus rarely had Mad episodes too. And Tarvek's Spark "Style", analysis and reverse engineering, is similar to the Baron's. It might be possible that the way a Spark manifests affects the way and frequency with which a Spark enters The Madness Place.

[PraetorDragoon]

Klaus rarely had Mad episodes too. And Tarvek's Spark "Style", analysis and reverse engineering, is similar to the Baron's. It might be possible that the way a Spark manifests affects the way and frequency with which a Spark enters The Madness Place.

A possibility. Both the baron and Travek are also composed schemers, so that might also be a factor.

[Dukkai]

Hmm... Maybe Tarvek will break out the second time and go "insane"?

I mean, if Agatha is destined to become another queen, maybe this is a setup for a consort who will also be at that level...?

[geoduck]

Hmm... Maybe Tarvek will break out the second time and go "insane"?

I mean, if Agatha is destined to become another queen, maybe this is a setup for a consort who will also be at that level...?

"Destined"? Maybe. We've seen her running Mechanicsburg after the Other War, and she still seems to be a first-stage Spark.

[The Glyphstone]

"Destined"? Maybe. We've seen her running Mechanicsburg after the Other War, and she still seems to be a first-stage Spark.

Are the radio plays/side stories canon? I feel like I remember at least one story where Agatha is digging up a grave for spare parts, which would seem very out of character as the ruler of Mechanicsburg.

[SZbNAhL]

Are the radio plays/side stories canon? I feel like I remember at least one story where Agatha is digging up a grave for spare parts, which would seem very out of character as the ruler of Mechanicsburg.

She's hardly going to become ruler just to sit in a big chair and read reports on cheese production. She probably comes back to Mechanicsburg every so often for recouperation and to oversee official functions and spends the rest of the time adventuring. That's why there's a Seneschal, after all.

[sihnfahl]

I feel like I remember at least one story where Agatha is digging up a grave for spare parts, which would seem very out of character as the ruler of Mechanicsburg.

We are talking about a Heterodyne here, though. Since when has any one of their family been ... normal rulers?

[HandofShadows]

Are the radio plays/side stories canon? I feel like I remember at least one story where Agatha is digging up a grave for spare parts, which would seem very out of character as the ruler of Mechanicsburg.

You mean Agatha Heterodyne and the Electric Coffin. Nope she was not digging for parts but to figure out a con job.

[The Glyphstone]

You mean Agatha Heterodyne and the Electric Coffin. Nope she was not digging for parts but to figure out a con job.

Thats the one, i remembered wrong.

[Radar]

You mean Agatha Heterodyne and the Electric Coffin. Nope she was not digging for parts but to figure out a con job.

Besides, the Heterodynes do not dig graves for parts by themselves - they have minions for this. It's a tradition.

[tyckspoon]

So the thing being summoned will drive Tarvek insane*, curing him of his waxing about how everything is temporary?

Betting five internet cookies that it's the Winslow.

*Insane being something wholly different than Mad, which he already was. Honestly he seems to be the sanest Spark in Europa.

Honestly I'm expecting the summoned creature to be the thing Tarvek and Higgs are talking to right now - it's temporally disassociated, once they activated the device and completed the summoning it was/is/will have always been there. The fact that it's present right now is proof that the summoning was/will be successful, and hence too late to stop it, even if it is technically before it was summoned. It probably just wants help going back home.

.. god I hate time travel stories, keeping track of tenses waswillbe such a headache.

[Fyraltari]

god I hate time travel stories, keeping track of tenses waswillbe such a headache.

The trick is to not think about it.

[Willie the Duck]

The trick is to not think about it.

Not to have thought about it.

[tyckspoon]

Not to have thought about it.

Never willhaven thunk about it.

[SZbNAhL]

Not to have thought about it.

Not to have been going to think about it.

Spoiler: Related

Show

[BannedInSchool]

Yup, one-panel splash page.

[Ellen]

Y'know, those last three pages feel a bit like filler (in the sense that the information conveyed there (Mr pointy head bend time around him in weird loops) and what was achieved (tarvek will not feel the lopps anyore) could have been easily presented in more compact form), but this page with Tarvek waxing poetic about ephemerality was hilarious.

Whether or not it works, I think the purpose of the past few pages were as follows:

1. Instead of focusing on the cliched (and maybe gruesome) sacrifice-and-summoning deal, all that becomes a humorous, background detail to a conversation with a time-alien.

2. Introduction of the time-alien with some background on how it views time (and the people who exist for a long time in it).

3. Possibly future important points brought up: Tarvek anchored to Higgs, Higgs (and possibly other Jagers) useful relation to time, any points the time-alien may let drop about future events.

And, then, we get to switch to a splash page. Please, note, the thing Agatha allowed to be summoned is not wearing a hat. That could also be important.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Good work cultists. You have mildly perturbed Higgs with your summoned colossus. This is a feat that shall be remembered long after you've been eaten and digested.

[Kareasint]

Good work cultists. You have mildly perturbed Higgs with your summoned colossus. This is a feat that shall be remembered long after you've been eaten and digested.

Mainly because they are standing inside the summoning ring.

How exactly were they planning to control this thing? The one cultist on the left has the right idea.

[PraetorDragoon]

Mainly because they are standing inside the summoning ring.

How exactly were they planning to control this thing? The one cultist on the left has the right idea.

A classic. Just because you summoned something doesn't mean it does adhere to your commands.

It always reminds me of the Sacred intro cinematic, where a sorcerer summons a demon, but the binding circle isn't complete and the demon proceeds to kill the sorcerer.

[HandofShadows]

"The wizard smiled as he stepped back from the summoning circle where the huge demon stood. Then he noticed that the demon was smiling too."

[otakuryoga]

awwwww, not the winslow 8(

[factotum]

awwwww, not the winslow 8(

You know, I read that first as "not the Windows 8!" and was a bit puzzled...