Girl Genius XXVII: Hoy! Hennybody else not dead?

[BRC]

Orotine specifically refers to multiple "Lines",

We can assume one of them is the line that leads to Tarvek, through his Mother. Presumably, Martellus is somewhere in there too, but that whole family is a giant tangle, and Tarvek appears to have the better claim by that logic (Of course, to quote terry pratchett, the true king is the one who gets crowned).

The only romantic partner we've heard about Andronicus Valois having would be Euphrosynia Heterodyne, so it's possible that the other heir is Agatha, if Andronicus and Euphrosynia had a child who was raised by the Heterodynes (According to the wiki, Euphrosynia's brother was Bludtharst Heterodyne, who is listed as one of Agatha's Ancestors, but it's possible that Bludtharst's "Child" (Agatha's Ancestor) was actually the child of Euphrsynia and Andronicus, thus making Agatha the "True Heir", since Andronicus and Euphrosynia were married, assuming that "Being the Heterodyne" doesn't disqualify you from the line of succession.

If our other option is Gil, we have the enigmatic line from Boris Here where Gil is given the title "Your Highness".


I always kind of assumed that, according to the "Gil is Zeetha's Brother" theory (Klaus gets banished to Skifander by Lucrezia, introduces himself as "Chump", becomes some sort of consort to the queen, has at least two kids, then Escapes before the Skifandari can kill Gil for being a man in the line of succession). But if Gil is also a descendant of the Storm King, it could be a reference to that.


heck, it could be Both. If Andy managed to find his way to Skifander at some point and father a Princess or two, thus making the royal line of Skifandir ALSO a line of succession for the Storm King.

Heck, we could even see a x3 Bloodline Combo. Euphrosynia vanishes when the Shining Coalition fell apart. She could have ended up in Skifander with her and Andy's child, and gotten the child adopted into the royal line of Skifander.

[tyckspoon]

The only romantic partner we've heard about Andronicus Valois having would be Euphrosynia Heterodyne, so it's possible that the other heir is Agatha, if Andronicus and Euphrosynia had a child who was raised by the Heterodynes (According to the wiki, Euphrosynia's brother was Bludtharst Heterodyne, who is listed as one of Agatha's Ancestors, but it's possible that Bludtharst's "Child" (Agatha's Ancestor) was actually the child of Euphrsynia and Andronicus, thus making Agatha the "True Heir", since Andronicus and Euphrosynia were married, assuming that "Being the Heterodyne" doesn't disqualify you from the line of succession.

Jenka taunted Andronicus about his womanizing/presumed infidelity to Euphrosynia during the battle with His Zombieness in Paris; that opens the possibility of quite a few unacknowledged Storm King's kids running around at the time. Their own descendants would then have a claim by blood right, which could compete with a less direct relationship that has more legal backing by way of being an officially recognized Valois descendant, and there could easily be wrangling over which of those claims is more valid.. especially when there's no statement of intent from Andronicus himself over who should be his heir.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I always kind of assumed that, according to the "Gil is Zeetha's Brother" theory (Klaus gets banished to Skifander by Lucrezia, introduces himself as "Chump", becomes some sort of consort to the queen, has at least two kids, then Escapes before the Skifandari can kill Gil for being a man in the line of succession). But if Gil is also a descendant of the Storm King, it could be a reference to that.

If I recall correctly, Klaus fled with Gil because he was a twin, and the Skifandrans are superstitious about twins. From a reddit Q&A thread:

Kaja: It's a matriarchy.
Phil: They don't like twins.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Da Boiz also spent time insulting Andronicus over his womanizing, and way back when Gil met Zola in Der Kessel he pointed out to her that by the stories half of Europa could claim descent from the Storm King. Womanizing is probably too soft a term.

[Thomas Cardew]

I think it's partially the womanizing and partially everyone European's related to Charlemagne

EDIT: Looking at dates, maybe not... The castle arc was in 2012 and that particular article was 2015. I forget how glacial this comic can be.

[InvisibleBison]

I think it's partially the womanizing and partially everyone European's related to Charlemagne

EDIT: Looking at dates, maybe not... The castle arc was in 2012 and that particular article was 2015. I forget how glacial this comic can be.

The time between Charlemagne and today is much greater than the time between the Storm King and the events of the comic, though.

[Thomas Cardew]

They only had to go back 500 years for a common ancestor for most Europeans. My understanding was it's been at least a few hundred years since the Storm King.

[Squire Doodad]

They only had to go back 500 years for a common ancestor for most Europeans. My understanding was it's been at least a few hundred years since the Storm King.

It's been about 200, give or take a few decades.

It would appear the Storm King is Louis XIV, the Sun King, while van Rjin was, of course, Rembrandt himself. Girl Genius ostensibly takes place in the mid to late 1800s, given the general aesthetic and the fact that there is both the Eiffel Tower (1880s) and Polka dance music being "recent", to some extent (mid 1800s).

The point that large swaths of Europe are probably related to the Storm King is an important point though.

[Thomas Cardew]

Ah my mistake, I thought the Storm King was literally Charlemagne putting it at about 800, so ~1000 years.

[Squire Doodad]

Ah my mistake, I thought the Storm King was literally Charlemagne putting it at about 800, so ~1000 years.

Yeah, if he was Charlemagne then all of Europa would have a claim.

[Thomas Cardew]

Yeah, if he was Charlemagne then all of Europa would have a claim.

Not really... Lines of descent matter. But again, I was thinking he was a much more direct Charlemagne and Holy Roman Empire analogue given that when the cast was discussing the last time Europe was united 'you'd have to go back to the Storm King'.

I doubt the point that 'large swaths of Europe' are related to the Storm King will matter. I'd be surprised if will grows beyond Tarvek, Martellus, and the 3rd claimant (presumably Gil). More than that dilutes the both the story and the relevance.


Edit: Assuming Gil really is the Storm Kings heir, that would give this line from Klaus about history repeating more meaning. Since it's possible he's not referring to his and Lucrezia history but the storm king and hetrodyne history. It's also before he knows about the Agatha- Other connection.

[BRC]

Not really... Lines of descent matter. But again, I was thinking he was a much more direct Charlemagne and Holy Roman Empire analogue given that when the cast was discussing the last time Europe was united 'you'd have to go back to the Storm King'.

I doubt the point that 'large swaths of Europe' are related to the Storm King will matter. I'd be surprised if will grows beyond Tarvek, Martellus, and the 3rd claimant (presumably Gil). More than that dilutes the both the story and the relevance.

It seems that The Storm King didn't necessarily, RULE all of Europa, so much as his shining coalition STABILIZED Europa.

Here is the page in question, they talk about how before the Wulfenbach Empire there was The Long War, and then The Storm King.

I think the history goes something like this. The Storm King and his Shining Coalition bring order to Europa, culminating when they defeat the Heterodyne Horde (The Heterodynes didn't RULE Europa, but they certainly enjoyed having it in Chaos).

After he falls, and the Shining Coalition dissolves, you have The Long War, with noble houses and sparks constantly fighting each other, with renegage monsters and sparky bandits and the like tearing things up, and, of course, the Heterodynes, the biggest monsters of them all, having a WONDERFUL time.

This goes on until the Heterodyne Boys show up and bring about some measure of Peace by being Heroes, basically going in and personally solving whatever local problem people are having (Plus, you know, taking the Heterodyne army out of the equation). This is mildly effective, they take care of the big monsters and evil sparks, and in doing so encourage the noble houses to stop throwing armies around quite as much.

Then they go missing, and everything starts up again, up until Klaus returns, raises an army, and is Scarier than anybody else, putting down the big threats, and forcing everybody else to get in line.

But nobody LIKES Klaus, he's a big mean bully who solves his problems with airship bombardments and hordes of monsters.

The implication is that, by claiming the throne of the Storm King, the Conspiracy will control Europa, but I don't think that's because The Storm King ever directly ruled a contient-spanning empire. I think it's more that people would willingly JOIN a new Storm King, especially the noble familes and old royals, who all hate Klaus.

[Thomas Cardew]

Yeah, I think your version is right. Well you seem to have skipped over the Other war before the Boys disappeared. But this fits together nicely especially with the Storm King intro to the novel I just read. The SK didn't rule Europe just a part of it and united the rest of western Europe against the Hetrodyne.

[HandofShadows]

Gil is going to become the Storm King, wed Agatha and then abdicate so Tarvek can have the job.

[Mobius Twist]

Is anyone concerned about the time travel aspect combined with Andronicus thinking Agatha is Euphrosynia?

I can't imagine some Jaegers (her honor guard?) from that era wouldn't have recognized her in the present day, so I'm not sure how it plays out. Sworn to secrecy, maybe?

[Squire Doodad]

Is anyone concerned about the time travel aspect combined with Andronicus thinking Agatha is Euphrosynia?

I can't imagine some Jaegers (her honor guard?) from that era wouldn't have recognized her in the present day, so I'm not sure how it plays out. Sworn to secrecy, maybe?

I'd say dying Andronicus is just delusional and Agatha has the countenance of a Heterodyne. Since they don't have many girls, he made a tenuous connection.

The main flaw with this theory is that Agatha has her mother's hair, while all the Heterodynes tended to have brown or black...

[Mechalich]

Is anyone concerned about the time travel aspect combined with Andronicus thinking Agatha is Euphrosynia?

I can't imagine some Jaegers (her honor guard?) from that era wouldn't have recognized her in the present day, so I'm not sure how it plays out. Sworn to secrecy, maybe?

Andronicus thought Agatha was Euphrosynia based on her voice. He was looking the other way at the time and didn't actually see her. We know that Agatha has Lucrezia's voice. Therefore, this raises the strong possibility that Euphrosynia was Lucrezia, or Lucrezia wearing Euphrosynia's flesh, since we know Lucrezia has traveled through time in many guises. And it would certainly make a great deal of sense for Lucrezia to try and manipulate/destroy the Shining Coalition. Andronicus also accuses Van Rjin of having spirited Euphrosynia away and Voltaire says the Shining Coalition believed she was scheming against them, all of which seems highly suggestive.

[Ellen]

Wouldn't it be crazy if Zeetha's family is related to the Storm King? If legally acknowledged heirs matter, the Storm King could have many descendants but none who have a clearly legal claim. But, a descendant of the Storm King's mother's family could be his legal heir, even if she was from Skifander (I know, just a tin foil hat theory).

[Squire Doodad]

Andronicus thought Agatha was Euphrosynia based on her voice. He was looking the other way at the time and didn't actually see her. We know that Agatha has Lucrezia's voice. Therefore, this raises the strong possibility that Euphrosynia was Lucrezia, or Lucrezia wearing Euphrosynia's flesh, since we know Lucrezia has traveled through time in many guises. And it would certainly make a great deal of sense for Lucrezia to try and manipulate/destroy the Shining Coalition. Andronicus also accuses Van Rjin of having spirited Euphrosynia away and Voltaire says the Shining Coalition believed she was scheming against them, all of which seems highly suggestive.

This seems plausible. The Shining Coalition was a big enough point in time that Lucrezia would have certainly tried to meddle in it to some degree.

Also, I just realized that Andronicus "living" until the Paris incident is a bit of a jab at the Sun King having the longest reign of any European monarch. I should check if that was the case before typing all this, but whatever.

[Rogar Demonblud]

72 years and change. Elizabeth II will pass him if she makes it through 2025.

[factotum]

72 years and change. Elizabeth II will pass him if she makes it through 2025.

Yeah, but he cheated by starting his reign when he was four and a half years old, whereas Lizzie was 25 when she ascended the throne.

[geoduck]

When they did the whole "Andronicus mistakes Agatha for his bride" thing, I have to wonder if the Foglios remembered they had the two of them meet previously, and Andronicus both saw and heard Agatha, without any particular reaction on his part.

[NontheistCleric]

Yeah, but he cheated by starting his reign when he was four and a half years old, whereas Lizzie was 25 when she ascended the throne.

Hey, it's not cheating if you manage to get your predecessor to die that early.

[HandofShadows]

When they did the whole "Andronicus mistakes Agatha for his bride" thing, I have to wonder if the Foglios remembered they had the two of them meet previously, and Andronicus both saw and heard Agatha, without any particular reaction on his part.

I'm sure they did. It was just showing how far gone Andy's mind was.

And Gil is again really quick on the uptake. The Muse seems more than a little taken aback on how fast Gil's mind moved and in what direction. And dump some water on the Storm King rumors. I don't think Albia is trying to help anything, she trying to manipulate and it's going to blow up in her face.

[Willie the Duck]

When they did the whole "Andronicus mistakes Agatha for his bride" thing, I have to wonder if the Foglios remembered they had the two of them meet previously, and Andronicus both saw and heard Agatha, without any particular reaction on his part.

I don't know. Do you have a link for that previous time? I'll go check out what I think.

[Vinyadan]

I don't know. Do you have a link for that previous time? I'll go check out what I think.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comi...5#.XyQZ8SgzaUk

[Manga Shoggoth]

Andronicus thought Agatha was Euphrosynia based on her voice. He was looking the other way at the time and didn't actually see her. We know that Agatha has Lucrezia's voice.

I don't know. Do you have a link for that previous time? I'll go check out what I think.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comi...5#.XyQZ8SgzaUk

This all looks pretty consistent - Andronicus initially identifies Agatha as a Heterodyne servant when he sees her clearly, so she doesn't look much like Euphrosynia.

In the fight he identifies her by voice because he is intially facing away, and although he does see her immediately afterwards, he has just taken a death ray to the face and is dying, so it's not too surprising that he doesn't realise the truth.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Orotine looks like the next thing she'll say is Does Not Compute.

[keybounce]

Here's a crazy idea. What if being Storm King is based on the Muses liking you? If you need all the muses to say "This person", and one of them will not accept so-and-so no matter what, and it's just a matter of getting these mechanical voters to agree on the winner.

[InvisibleBison]

Here's a crazy idea. What if being Storm King is based on the Muses liking you? If you need all the muses to say "This person", and one of them will not accept so-and-so no matter what, and it's just a matter of getting these mechanical voters to agree on the winner.

That doesn't seem likely to me, since there's only been one official Storm King so far, and he had that title before the Muses were made.