Girl Genius XXVIII: Dancink! Ve is here for de dancink!

[BRC]

Notable, "Muse of Time" Lucretzia who Agatha frees doesn't seem to recognize her (We don't know precisely that she doesn't, but her reaction doesn't indicate that she does), which implies either that version of Lucretzia hasn't seen Agatha yet, or that she's so far gone she doesn't recognize her.

Although at this point we also know that the Lucretzia in Agatha's head gets destroyed before she can duplicate herself or pass on her knowledge. There's Clankretzia running around, and she's presumably made more than a few more Lucy's.

[Fyraltari]

We don't have a great sense of Lucretzia's Timeline. My personal theory is that at some point, potentially during the attack on castle Heterodyne, future "Muse of Time" Lucretzia used mind-transfer tech to put a version of herself into her past body. Up until that point, Lucretzia Mongfish lived a linear life as a devious, brilliant woman.

We haven't had a good look at the time travel workings of this universe but we have seen so far point to a "you already changed the past" aka "one timeline only" model which would make this idea impossible.

[Radar]

We haven't had a good look at the time travel workings of this universe but we have seen so far point to a "you already changed the past" aka "one timeline only" model which would make this idea impossible.

Ontological loops are still permitted in that case, but it is something you would not want in your stories. If we consider Othar's Twitter account as canon, then you can actually change the past as

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the stories there start in a different timeline, which results in The Other winning (if I remember how it went) and Tarvek uses a limited time machine to send Othar's mind back to fix things. This results in him being captured by Wulfenbach during the siege of Mechanicsburg and so on.

[Shining Wrath]

Ontological loops are still permitted in that case, but it is something you would not want in your stories. If we consider Othar's Twitter account as canon, then you can actually change the past as

Spoiler

Show

the stories there start in a different timeline, which results in The Other winning (if I remember how it went) and Tarvek uses a limited time machine to send Othar's mind back to fix things. This results in him being captured by Wulfenbach during the siege of Mechanicsburg and so on.

I'm afraid taking Othar's version of events as trustworthy is ... dubious. Even in-strip he's braggadocious.

[theangelJean]

I'm afraid taking Othar's version of events as trustworthy is ... dubious. Even in-strip he's braggadocious.

I dunno. He doesn't take credit for things he hasn't done, or places he hasn't been - Agatha wasn't able to catch him out there when she first met him. His version might cast him in a more positive (central) light, and he doesn't tend to listen to anyone's "no", but he's honest otherwise.

[Rogar Demonblud]

So, she was a Greenclaw. Nice tie back to the Ivo Sharktooth story.

[Manga Shoggoth]

So she's Charlemagne's Aunt? Given the Foglio's, that may or may not be a co-incidence.

A formidable woman indeed, then. It's a wonder that Hadrian came out so well.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Given her stated marriage was over fifty years ago, possibly his older sister.

edit: me no write good.

[TeChameleon]

... Huh.

Another aside from my archive diving; the backup story in the second TPB, "Trelawney Thorpe and the Crown of the Sleeping King".

It's apparently canon, given that the crown appears here, but... how does King Arthur exist in the GG Universe? We know Albia has been around since before Rome, which is well before Arthur's time (the earliest dates for Arthur are around the fall of the Roman Empire, more than a millennium after any time that could conceivably be called 'before Rome').

It'd be... kind of interesting to hear about Ablia's interactions with Merlin, and to know just how long she's been Queen of England for, given that she's been a Second-Stage Spark for a bare minimum of 7000 years.

[Kantaki]

New comic

Are we sure she's not a Heterodyne?
Or at least from Mechanicsburg?
Because she'd fit right in.

[memnarch]

Marrying someone from Mechanicsburg probably takes a certain kind of mindset to happen, so I'm not that surprised.


I'm guessing that Plumm is going to join in as yet another group in the chase, and we'll end this side story with Agatha showing up and winning by making the "capture" as an attempt to rescue her from the townsfolk.

[Mechalich]

... Huh.

Another aside from my archive diving; the backup story in the second TPB, "Trelawney Thorpe and the Crown of the Sleeping King".

It's apparently canon, given that the crown appears here, but... how does King Arthur exist in the GG Universe? We know Albia has been around since before Rome, which is well before Arthur's time (the earliest dates for Arthur are around the fall of the Roman Empire, more than a millennium after any time that could conceivably be called 'before Rome').

It'd be... kind of interesting to hear about Ablia's interactions with Merlin, and to know just how long she's been Queen of England for, given that she's been a Second-Stage Spark for a bare minimum of 7000 years.

Rome apparently existed in the GG universe though, it's been referenced, somewhat ironically by Lady Astarte at the Queen's Henge even. Arthur could be one of Albia's clearly numerous consorts, of Roman origin, who defended Britain as her champion against some sort of outside threat - meaning probably Lucrezia - in the appropriate timeframe. If this Arthur actually married Albia, and why not, then he could justifiably claim to be king, even if the title has no power.

Or, because the British Isles appear to be more like an archipelago in GG, it's possible the GG version of Arthur ruled a different part of Britain (perhaps Cornwall, in the west) entirely separate from territories claimed by Albia.

[Traab]

Marrying someone from Mechanicsburg probably takes a certain kind of mindset to happen, so I'm not that surprised.


I'm guessing that Plumm is going to join in as yet another group in the chase, and we'll end this side story with Agatha showing up and winning by making the "capture" as an attempt to rescue her from the townsfolk.

Think of it like the Addams Family. 99% of people are freaked out and disturbed, but every now and then they find someone who fits right in with the extended family. Like that woman who married cousin It in the first one. They had a beautiful little furball next movie iirc.

[Narkis]

Rome apparently existed in the GG universe though, it's been referenced, somewhat ironically by Lady Astarte at the Queen's Henge even. Arthur could be one of Albia's clearly numerous consorts, of Roman origin, who defended Britain as her champion against some sort of outside threat - meaning probably Lucrezia - in the appropriate timeframe. If this Arthur actually married Albia, and why not, then he could justifiably claim to be king, even if the title has no power.

Or, because the British Isles appear to be more like an archipelago in GG, it's possible the GG version of Arthur ruled a different part of Britain (perhaps Cornwall, in the west) entirely separate from territories claimed by Albia.

Or she was the Lady of the Lake and moved to take power overtly only recently.

Or she went by "Merlin" back then.

[Shining Wrath]

Given the references to Queens and magic mirrors, I think Albia has been reigning as a Queen for a long time. Now, for Arthurian purposes, maybe she went by Morgana de Fey back then, and Merlin was an enemy Spark she had to defeat, while Arthur was an interesting boy toy. And over the centuries the tale shifted as a form of passive resistance to the unimaginably powerful God-like Spark Queen.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Well, it's nice to see the Professoressa getting into the swing of things.

Oh, and it's the Mechanicsberg Ministery of Merriment. We all know what that means^*...


* Fans of Yes Minister, or at least people who couldn't avoid it, will remember the adge that ministries are named for the opposite of their function - the Ministry of Employment, for example, dealt with the unemployed. Came from 1984, I think

[wingnutx]

This is not as good of an idea as she had imagined it would be.

[HandofShadows]

Given the references to Queens and magic mirrors, I think Albia has been reigning as a Queen for a long time. Now, for Arthurian purposes, maybe she went by Morgana de Fey back then, and Merlin was an enemy Spark she had to defeat, while Arthur was an interesting boy toy. And over the centuries the tale shifted as a form of passive resistance to the unimaginably powerful God-like Spark Queen.

We actually have "seen" King Arthur in "Trelawney Thorpe- Spark Of The Realm: Crown Of The Sleeping King". Merlin is also mentioned.

[Radar]

We actually have "seen" King Arthur in "Trelawney Thorpe- Spark Of The Realm: Crown Of The Sleeping King". Merlin is also mentioned.

He seemed a pretty decent fellow. I do not think he would have been at odds with Albia, unless she was up to no good.

[PraetorDragoon]

This is not as good of an idea as she had imagined it would be.

What do you mean? This is the best first-hand experience of a local festival she will ever get.

[wingnutx]

I mean confronting Plumm.

He's going to help the hell out of her.

[PraetorDragoon]

I mean confronting Plumm.

He's going to help the hell out of her.

He'll be as helpful as Der Kestle.

[theangelJean]

And yet, he's the person with the information that we want: What are they going to do with her if they catch her?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Having the information and sharing it are two very different things.

[Shining Wrath]

Having the information and sharing it are two very different things.

Would a Heterodyne minion lie? I now require a fainting couch. But yes, stopping and talking to the person who got you into this mess, on purpose, may not be as productive a use of her time as she might desire.

I'm sure the Castle wants to see the ceremony; therefore, the Castle will ensure she is caught. She just needs to stop and negotiate who will catch her.

[Fyraltari]

Would a Heterodyne minion lie? I now require a fainting couch. But yes, stopping and talking to the person who got you into this mess, on purpose, may not be as productive a use of her time as she might desire.

I'm sure getting the mob to stampede all over his office counts as a win.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Of course, if the mob shows up they have to deal with the Mechanicsburg Mallard Plumm's feeding numnums.

[PraetorDragoon]

Of course, if the mob shows up they have to deal with the Mechanicsburg Mallard Plumm's feeding numnums.

Der Kestle might help with that, if it would want to watch a mob stampede over Plumms office.

[Gez]

I'm sure the Castle wants to see the ceremony; therefore, the Castle will ensure she is caught.

That would imply that the Heterodyne, traditionally, did get captured by the crowd. Dunno if that really fits with their whole mystique.

[Shining Wrath]

That would imply that the Heterodyne, traditionally, did get captured by the crowd. Dunno if that really fits with their whole mystique.

"There's a nice prize for the group that catches you". Happens at least some of the time.