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

[Fyraltari]

He already has lightning shooting rods in his hands. He might as well made tiny but incredible effective modifications that werent noticed by anyone including the reader.
The Baron already explained this to his son, the science from Albia (so from the second breakthrough) is so advanced that it looks like magic, but it isnt.
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comi...2#.XLmipOgza70

What in half a second? Without opening it?
I find it more likely that the Baron is wrong. After all, how could he be sure and Clarke’s Third Law is the reasonable guess.

[PraetorDragoon]

Ah, backstabbing loyal minions right after ascension. What are the odds it will backfire?

[Kareasint]

Ah, backstabbing loyal minions right after ascension. What are the odds it will backfire?

I prefer to think of it as disposing of the witnesses and anyone who might try to repeat the procedure. Those with absolute power do not like company.

Speaking of which, how long before the Queen shows up?

[HandofShadows]

What in half a second? Without opening it?
I find it more likely that the Baron is wrong. After all, how could he be sure and Clarke’s Third Law is the reasonable guess.

The Baron spent more than a little time with Albia, ahem, "personally" (He did get around a fair amount didn't he?). He should know what he is talking about better than anyone except someone who has had a 2nd breakthrough and spent time studying it. The powers demonstrated by Sparks that have broken through twice seem more akin to psionics than anything. Now what is Dimitri going to do?

That does bring up the question of how much Klaus knows about the second breakthrough. Also brings to mind a tinfoil hate theory. That Queen Zantabraxus of Skif (Gil and Zeetha's mom) is actually Queen Luheia (the immortal) and just faked her death. Every once in a while she comes back pretending to be a different descendant. As I say though it's deep in tin foil hat territory.

[Fyraltari]

Knowing more than anybody else doesn’t mean much when everybody else’ doesn’t know anything. I don’t think Albia ever explained to Klaus how she does what she does so he would pretty much have to make a(n educated) guess. So he could be wrong.

Psionics isn’t any different from magic in this context. Until now the spark had never clearly given anyone any superhuman ability beyond a heigthened intelligence, senses and know-how. Even the mild super-strength is probably just an adrenaline rush and everybody with any kind of superpower was implied to have gained it through being modified by a madboy. Now it seems that breaking through a second times by itself gives one superpowers.

[tyckspoon]

Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!

What was Moloch's line? Back in Mechanicsburg when Agatha destroyed the clock tower that she was supposed to stand on to hit Der Kestle with lightning? "How is it this could possibly be a surprise to any of you?"

[Willie the Duck]

What was Moloch's line? Back in Mechanicsburg when Agatha destroyed the clock tower that she was supposed to stand on to hit Der Kestle with lightning? "How is it this could possibly be a surprise to any of you?"

If anyone finds the right link for that strip, I'd love it. The artwork on that one was priceless (if I am recalling the right one).

[DavidSh]

If anyone finds the right link for that strip, I'd love it. The artwork on that one was priceless (if I am recalling the right one).

One link coming up. With Moloch's line and everything.

[HandofShadows]

Knowing more than anybody else doesn’t mean much when everybody else’ doesn’t know anything. I don’t think Albia ever explained to Klaus how she does what she does so he would pretty much have to make a(n educated) guess. So he could be wrong.

Psionics isn’t any different from magic in this context. Until now the spark had never clearly given anyone any superhuman ability beyond a heigthened intelligence, senses and know-how. Even the mild super-strength is probably just an adrenaline rush and everybody with any kind of superpower was implied to have gained it through being modified by a madboy. Now it seems that breaking through a second times by itself gives one superpowers.

Just because we don't know much about the 2nd Breakthrough, that does not mean that mean people in universe don't know anything. And frankly just being a normal spark gives some level of super human physical abilities such as with Othar on This Page which is a heck of a lot more than an "adrenaline rush". And we already know they give super human mental abilities.

[tonberrian]

We're just taking his word that this is a second breakthrough like Albia's. It might not be. We'll have to wait and see.

[Lethologica]

Even if it is, it's inevitably setting up either the dangers of a second breakthrough gone wrong, or the vast gulf between a newly broken-through Spark² and, well, Albia.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Well, that's one way to clean up a cultist problem.

[JavaScribe]

I sure hope Albia didn't need her mad science division.

[Teln]

We're just taking his word that this is a second breakthrough like Albia's. It might not be. We'll have to wait and see.

At the very least, it's exactly the same phenomenon that happened to Agatha right before she finished the Si Vales Valeo reanimation. Levitation, glowing pupils, lots of electricity (and not as a side effect, but a requirement), even shouting about how "clear" the world is.

You know what, forget Albia's reaction to this. What's going to happen when Agatha realizes what just happened? ...God forbid, could it even trigger a flashback?


EDIT: I didn't realize this before, but Collete was also doing similar things right when her father passed away. She was keeping a big chunk of her father's energy in herself at the end, perhaps that was what pushed her from the first breakthrough clear into the second. Stopping herself from exploding would've been downright trivial with a municipal power grid literally at her fingertips--one that big would take everything she had and say "More, please!"

[HandofShadows]

Getting juiced up does seem to make spark's eyes glow despite not going through a 2nd Breakthrough. Both Tarvek and Gil were "lit up" here but Albia didn't sense that Gil had hit a breakthrough like Agatha did. One other point is that after Agatha drank the Dyne water the fragment of Der Kastel in the Muse body had to jump start the process by electrocuting her.

[Fyraltari]

Just because we don't know much about the 2nd Breakthrough, that does not mean that mean people in universe don't know anything.

How would they? Do you think Albia let Klaus in on her secrets?

And frankly just being a normal spark gives some level of super human physical abilities such as with Othar on This Page which is a heck of a lot more than an "adrenaline rush".

Comedic exageration asie, I have long suspected that Other has either been augmented himself or inherited some augmentation from his ancestors. This is an universe where even the resident "normal" seems to have as well.

And we already know they give super human mental abilities.

Which ones?

If anyone finds the right link for that strip, I'd love it. The artwork on that one was priceless (if I am recalling the right one).

Here you go.

[Willie the Duck]

Here you go.

Yes, DavidSh already provided. Thanks, though. I also forgot about Franz on his whirligig flier, another visual treat!

[Teln]

Getting juiced up does seem to make spark's eyes glow despite not going through a 2nd Breakthrough. Both Tarvek and Gil were "lit up" here but Albia didn't sense that Gil had hit a breakthrough like Agatha did.

They were hooked up to a spark that was undergoing the second breakthrough, and one who was not in any mood to risk her beaus making a rookie mistake like absorbing too much power and exploding. Especially not after she'd gone to such great lengths to save them in the first place!

One other point is that after Agatha drank the Dyne water the fragment of Der Kastel in the Muse body had to jump start the process by electrocuting her.

Yes, electricity does seem like a key ingredient. I thought I'd said as much in the post you're replying to--sorry for not making it clearer.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I sure hope Albia didn't need her mad science division.

When the building is designed with "We can blow the dome and get you all at once" in mind, I suspect not...

[Myta]

What in half a second? Without opening it?

sure why not? considering the feats the regular sparks already show, and that level2 sparks seem to be so far above normal sparks that their tech looks as magic to them, it should be trivial.
I mean he already has a lightning generator that can affect a large monster, electrocuting a group of people is not really a big step here, basically "make it look like the lightning is from my hands" might be the only step required, and thats something even non sparks like Violetta could probably do.

[Rodin]

Here you go.

One thing I just noticed about that final panel: Gkika and Dimo, being the smart Jagers, are not shocked by this turn of events. Dimo is rolling his eyes, and Gkika is just facepalming. Probably not the first time one of the Heterodynes accidentally vaporized part of the city.

[Grif]

One thing I just noticed about that final panel: Gkika and Dimo, being the smart Jagers, are not shocked by this turn of events. Dimo is rolling his eyes, and Gkika is just facepalming. Probably not the first time one of the Heterodynes accidentally vaporized part of the city.

Honestly the reaction I love the most in that shot was Moloch's. Perfect foil to Agartha.

[HandofShadows]

How would they? Do you think Albia let Klaus in on her secrets?

Klaus is a very powerful spark and who's strength in analysis. He would learn a great deal just by watching her.

How would they? Do you think Albia let Klaus in on her secrets?

Which ones?[/QUOTE]

Do even read the comic???

[Mando Knight]

EDIT: I didn't realize this before, but Collete was also doing similar things right when her father passed away. She was keeping a big chunk of her father's energy in herself at the end, perhaps that was what pushed her from the first breakthrough clear into the second. Stopping herself from exploding would've been downright trivial with a municipal power grid literally at her fingertips--one that big would take everything she had and say "More, please!"

I don't think Colette had a double-breakthrough, instead her initial breakthrough let her interface with Paris the way her father did, and the Master had built Paris into something of a facsimile of the second breakthrough. Without the Parisian systems, she's probably "only" as strong a spark as Agatha, Tarvek, and Gil.

[tonberrian]

The real question: how did van Rijn compare to Albia?

[Rogar Demonblud]

I don't think we have enough data to guess. We're told he's a strong and inventive Spark, but we haven't really seen any of his work intact and untampered with except for Moxana.

[Ailurus]

True, we can't say for sure. But I would say Van Rijin probably had a second breakthrough.

According to Master Payne, even a master spark was more likely to destroy Van Rijin's work than be able to learn from it and Agatha says that in two centuries no one was able to equal his work. Violetta says that the Storm King's two weapons came from Van Rijin and Albia, and if anything it sounds like the Jaegers may have feared Van Rijin's sword more than Albia's mace. And then there's the muses themselves, which are purely mechanical creatures but exhibit full human intelligence and emotion, which is something we've only seen (as far as I can recall) in one other case, that being Castle Heterodyne. (And given that the Dyne water seems to have caused Agatha to have a second breakthrough it's not a that big a stretch to imagine Faustus doing the same thing years back when he made something that has yet to be equalled in Europa).

So, yeah. Even if it wasn't a second breakthrough, Van Rijin was still almost certainly operating at a level well beyond any other spark.

[Rogar Demonblud]

How many clanks have we spent any time with? The only other ones to come to mind are The Beast and Bohrlaika, and we didn't learn much about her.

[Rodin]

True, we can't say for sure. But I would say Van Rijin probably had a second breakthrough.

According to Master Payne, even a master spark was more likely to destroy Van Rijin's work than be able to learn from it and Agatha says that in two centuries no one was able to equal his work. Violetta says that the Storm King's two weapons came from Van Rijin and Albia, and if anything it sounds like the Jaegers may have feared Van Rijin's sword more than Albia's mace. And then there's the muses themselves, which are purely mechanical creatures but exhibit full human intelligence and emotion, which is something we've only seen (as far as I can recall) in one other case, that being Castle Heterodyne. (And given that the Dyne water seems to have caused Agatha to have a second breakthrough it's not a that big a stretch to imagine Faustus doing the same thing years back when he made something that has yet to be equalled in Europa).

So, yeah. Even if it wasn't a second breakthrough, Van Rijin was still almost certainly operating at a level well beyond any other spark.

We've also seen the "sentient mechanical" with Anevka. Tarvek didn't believe her to be on the same level as the Muses, but she was "human" enough to fool everybody around her for years and Tarvek grieved after shutting her down. Since we never knew the real Anevka it's hard to say how accurate the personality was, but it was clearly operating at full human intelligence and emotion.

[SZbNAhL]

The Beast was built using Faustus Heterodyne's technology, which I'm fairly sure (though I can't remember where it was said) was more a case of conciousness transfer than creating a mechanical intelligence. As for Anveka, Tarvek had to reverse-engineer Tinka almost to destruction in order to build her, and even that was seen as a momentous achievement from a very strong spark.