Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

[Scarlet Knight]

"Queen Albia wishes to take control of your Spark. Allow? Yes No "

[wingnutx]

I like this Trelawney!

[eee]

WHOA, that's a good look for her!

It is profoundly interesting that Lu seems to know what's coming. And yet, how could she?

[HandofShadows]

Well this version of Lu has been around awhile and probably has seen this stunt pulled before. If not by Albia then by another queen.

[Traab]

Or it may just be that this is an unexpected development, and those are very very bad to a plotter like lu. Or its not so much that she knows EXACTLY whats coming but she can make a good (and terrified) guess that its going to be very bad for her.

[Rogar Demonblud]

WHOA, that's a good look for her!

Jane: Is that how you usually look?
Thor: More or less.
Jane: It's a good look.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Well, what do you know? It looks like Tweedle was telling the truth in Paris - he wants nothing to do with The Other.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Of course not. If the Other is in charge, then he isn't.

[geoduck]

Plus even if he was interested, he's not a big enough of an oaf to throw in with Lucrezia at this of all moments. (He is an oaf, mind you, just not that big of one.)

Well this version of Lu has been around awhile and probably has seen this stunt pulled before. If not by Albia then by another queen.

We don't know that at all. We have no idea where LuAgatha is on her personal timeline.

[Rodin]

We don't know that at all. We have no idea where LuAgatha is on her personal timeline.

In fact, the indications are that she's fairly early in the timeline. There's an exact copy of the Lucrezia in Agatha's head running around in Clankrezia, and yet we have seen almost no innovation in Wasp technology. The Spark Wasp wasn't developed by Lu, and neither were the smaller versions of the Hive engine. It's as if Lucrezia herself doesn't fully know how the technology works...which would make sense, if it's something she designed years in the future.

[geoduck]

In fact, the indications are that she's fairly early in the timeline. There's an exact copy of the Lucrezia in Agatha's head running around in Clankrezia, and yet we have seen almost no innovation in Wasp technology. The Spark Wasp wasn't developed by Lu, and neither were the smaller versions of the Hive engine. It's as if Lucrezia herself doesn't fully know how the technology works...which would make sense, if it's something she designed years in the future.

This is total speculation on my part, but I bet it turns out that Lu hasn't done any improvements because she can't- except for Agatha, none of the bodies she's currently occupying are Sparks, and so she can't Spark out. (And of course Zola is probably one in charge with The Queen of the Dawn's body, so no improvements from her, either.)

[Vinyadan]

This is total speculation on my part, but I bet it turns out that Lu hasn't done any improvements because she can't- except for Agatha, none of the bodies she's currently occupying are Sparks, and so she can't Spark out. (And of course Zola is probably one in charge with The Queen of the Dawn's body, so no improvements from her, either.)

Well, this is an interesting question, for two reasons. #1 is that the Baron was researching the location of the Spark in the brain. #2 is that Agatha was suspected of having created clanks that have the Spark.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from the Spark.

[Kantaki]

I just hope this isn't permanent.
Albia would go through so many agents otherwise...

[Squire Doodad]

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from the Spark.

That should be pretty much Albia's motto.


So, do you guys think madam Thorpe just has a Power Ranger (from what I remember them as a kid) style narrative arc for her books? I.e. find the monster, fight the monster, last minute intervention from Albia, end of story!

[geoduck]

So, do you guys think madam Thorpe just has a Power Ranger (from what I remember them as a kid) style narrative arc for her books? I.e. find the monster, fight the monster, last minute intervention from Albia, end of story!

You can see one of her adventures here. It doesn't end with her summoning up Albia, but...

[Ellen]

Trelawney may be down for the count after this. I'm assuming "worthwhile," to Albia, means a lot more than a data dump, no matter how useful--although I think we're about to find out what the deal is with the Other, what she's been doing, how she's been doing it, and what her possible goals are. Maybe even how she became the Other.

[keybounce]

Catching up, and a re-read. It looks like Lucrezia took over here http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20190724

Looking at Agatha's facial responses to things after this point, it's pretty clear that it has been Lucrezia completely since this point.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Maybe we'll finally get some answers before Lucy is blasted from existence.

[DeTess]

You can see one of her adventures here. It doesn't end with her summoning up Albia, but...

Heh, thanks for that link! That was a fun quick read, and suggests that there might be a bit of a 'summon royalty' theme going on after all...

[Scarlet Knight]

Trelawney may be down for the count after this. I'm assuming "worthwhile," to Albia, means a lot more than a data dump, no matter how useful..

Why do I imagine the end scene from Young Frankenstein?

Gil: " You know, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. In the transference, the Queen used your body, but what did she give you in exchange?"

Trelawney: "Aaaaah..." [ moans suggestively and approaches the bed]

Gil: "Honey... woah... where did you learn that? Ah...mmmm...oooh... 'Oh sweet mystery of life, At last I found youuuu'!"

[Squire Doodad]

Trelawney may be down for the count after this. I'm assuming "worthwhile," to Albia, means a lot more than a data dump, no matter how useful--although I think we're about to find out what the deal is with the Other, what she's been doing, how she's been doing it, and what her possible goals are. Maybe even how she became the Other.

Albia doesn't know how to fix Agatha harmlessly, but she is an expert in all fields available. Think of it like trying to learn a physics equation: off the top of your head you will draw a blank, but if given a brief framework and a list of formulas you can derive plenty of things. If she so much as looks at Tarvek's blueprints, Trelawney-Albia can probably work out a way to re-fix the device. This eliminates Agatha-Lucrezia and completes the goal (isolate Lucrezia into one thing) in one fell swoop. And it allows an exposition dump.

[factotum]

I'm wondering if this is going to turn into a "self-fulfilling prophecy" sort of thing--namely, whatever Albia does to Lucy here sends her back in time and onto the path for revenge against Albia that led to the memory Gil saw?

[Agi Hammerthief]

I'm wondering if this is going to turn into a "self-fulfilling prophecy" sort of thing--namely, whatever Albia does to Lucy here sends her back in time and onto the path for revenge against Albia that led to the memory Gil saw?

I hope not, that would be too conventional/obvious.

[halfeye]

I'm wondering if this is going to turn into a "self-fulfilling prophecy" sort of thing--namely, whatever Albia does to Lucy here sends her back in time and onto the path for revenge against Albia that led to the memory Gil saw?

Why would Albia make Lucretzia in Agatha a new old style body? There's no need of it having a body to be interrogated.

[factotum]

Why would Albia make Lucretzia in Agatha a new old style body? There's no need of it having a body to be interrogated.

Well, obviously it wouldn't be *intentional*--she's not going to send Lucy back in time with instructions to kill the other Queens, is she?

[halfeye]

Well, obviously it wouldn't be *intentional*--she's not going to send Lucy back in time with instructions to kill the other Queens, is she?

Well yeah, but the Lu in the past had Lu's face, as seen with Klaus when she was only a bit nuts, why would Albia who has her mind trapped, make her an identical body with the same face?

[Spamotron]

You know Albia if the possession is unhealthy for Ms. Thorpe you could just skip the exposition and do whatever you came to do as quickly as possible spare one sentence to tell everyone that they need to talk then release her to minimize damage.

[Agi Hammerthief]

... you could just skip the exposition ...

talking is a free action ?

[Squire Doodad]

talking is a free action ?

Talking is not a free action, but you get 50 Oxygen Coins (tm) per round, each of which can be freely used on talking, singing or whistling. No vocalizing.
Talking uses up 5.876912... Oxygen coins per paragraph/level, with a higher level allowing for more talking at the same oxygen coin cost.

Albia is approximately level [unprintable rune], and so can speak for a minimum of 3 pages without having to worry about the ill effects of the possession coming into effect on poor Thropemite