Girl Genius XXIX: A giant corkboard of continuity madness

[Manga Shoggoth]

Bill is presumably either death, lost in time, or lost across the dimensions, since he was never seen after the conclusion of the Other War. The most recent strips imply that it was the raid on the Citadel of Silver Light in which Agatha was saved that also serve as the conclusion of the Other War, in which flesh and blood Lucrezia Monkfish was either killed or sent back in time. Bill being sent with her would make considerable sense both in terms of heroic sacrifice and the 'heroic freestyle' fighting method - one imagines bill grappling with Lucrezia and hauling them both into a malfunctioning Queen's Mirror while shouting various heroic slogans. Barry survived and made his way back, presumably with Agatha and Punch and Judy, and then he went off looking for Bill and/or Lucrezia. He may still be searching across the world and I wouldn't be surprised if he appeared with some sort of key item before all is said and done.

One other thing: Lucrezia is not convinced he is dead and is terrified by the thought of Bill coming back.

EDIT: Nope - it's Barry. Misremembered and then failed to notice it.

The last time we heard this story. Sounds like we are getting more names and faces for the story, but this is the same story Vrin told Agatha.

Is this the first time we see Tarvek speaking Geister?

[f00bar]

Is this the first time we see Tarvek speaking Geister?

No, its not
there are brackets around his text, indicating he's speaking geister.

[eee]

Does the Othar Twitter ever address the topic of Geister children? Or half Geisters, as it might be?

Othar wrote that he and Oslaka never had children, of course. So it would appear half Geisters may not be possible.

[Manga Shoggoth]

No, its not
there are brackets around his text, indicating he's speaking geister.

Ah, so we do. Thanks!

[Rodin]

If I recall correctly, the last canonical (or semi-canonical, as it's from the books) time we heard from Barry is when he was sending letters after he left Agatha in the care of Punch and Judy. The letters started out normal, then stopped. Then they got one final letter from him where he was half-mad and the letter was incomprehensible.

I wonder whether adult Agatha could read it. Either from better knowledge of Sparky code-writing, or from knowledge gleaned about time travel and events that haven't happened yet. Was Barry insane, or had he been time traveling for too long?

[locksmith of lo]

i'm not big on the lore here, and really need to re-read from the start, but i was just re-reading the the fight to get Lucrezia out of Agatha's head and i saw that the clank Lucrezia is the "lady of sharp crystal"

[Rakaydos]

i'm not big on the lore here, and really need to re-read from the start, but i was just re-reading the the fight to get Lucrezia out of Agatha's head and i saw that the clank Lucrezia is the "lady of sharp crystal"

Well, -A- clank lucrenza, but not THAT clank lucrenza. "When would we have had time to build a molecular crystal loom?"

[Fyraltari]

Well, -A- clank lucrenza, but not THAT clank lucrenza. "When would we have had time to build a molecular crystal loom?"

Yes, meaning that clank is made of a molecular crystal loom. That Lu hasn't had time to make one of these is therefore eveidence she hasn't built that body.

[theangelJean]

Oh, and here I thought I was the one that found her: the Muse of Vengeance...

Crackpot theory: what if all the muses were Lucrezia?

Yes, meaning that clank is made of a molecular crystal loom. That Lu hasn't had time to make one of these is therefore eveidence she hasn't built that body.

Actually, I took it to mean kind of the opposite: Lucrezia knows how to make a molecular crystal loom, she would have used it to make herself a clank body, and when she sees Clankrezia she thinks she must have done that. She's dismayed when Clankrezia can't do everything she wanted, and Clankrezia reveals that no, actually, she hasn't done it, it's just the Anevka body.

But the Lady of Sharp Crystal is probably Anevka/Clankrezia. She looks the part, she has a gate now, and in the current comic the Geisters are guarding a gate, which is then broken during the battle. Last time this story was told, Vrin said they "rebuilt the temple" and waited ... and the goddess came back. My guess is that the Geisters at that end know how to build a Gate (although the ones left on this end couldn't fix the one that got broken after they were exiled).

[Mechalich]

Oh, and here I thought I was the one that found her: the Muse of Vengeance...

Crackpot theory: what if all the muses were Lucrezia?

More likely, since Lucrezia apparently was/is the Muse of Time, she has greater exposure to Van Rjin's work than literally any other spark. She seems to be quite good at copying other people's achievements, so it's likely that some of her later clank-based accomplishments derive from his work.

It also appears quite likely at this point that Lucrezia was quite active during the period of the Storm King and the Shining Coalition in some way and was interfering with events, possibly to the point of sabotaging the whole enterprise.

[geoduck]

More likely, since Lucrezia apparently was/is the Muse of Time, she has greater exposure to Van Rjin's work than literally any other spark. She seems to be quite good at copying other people's achievements, so it's likely that some of her later clank-based accomplishments derive from his work.

It also appears quite likely at this point that Lucrezia was quite active during the period of the Storm King and the Shining Coalition in some way and was interfering with events, possibly to the point of sabotaging the whole enterprise.

I'd say it's the other way around, Lucrezia the enhanced genius's erratic time-twisted visits inspired Van Rijn to create the Muses.

[Vinyadan]

Zola told Lu that the Damen are protected against possession from the Other, and they would suffer brain death if such a thing were attempted. It could be just a coincidence, or it could be something she wanted, if she literally made them.

Also, https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20200330 so the British sparks in Rat Island, where there is a mirror and presumably a Dyne*, are likely responsible for the songkeeper going mad. Are they just pumping the water into the sea? Were they hoping it would cause the Cetaceans to really destroy Londinium and kill Albia, or could it have been a secondary effect, while they work at something else?

*that would explain the rats, I guess.

[Fyraltari]

Interesting.
So the Theory here would be, that more or less all the queens draw from something like the river Dyne?
With the source of rat-island beeing lost/corrupted, and flowing into the sea.
With the known effects on the local wildlife.

I played with this thought a while ago, but ultimately waved it aside.
- evil-cultist-leader-whatshisname did not have "a dyne" available.
- Agatha!Lucrezia once did have access to the dyne - but not in the dome.
- We don't know about Albia. Maybe in her Henge? I think there was a spring of some kind.

Not necessarily a river just a power source. Snackleford had one too, that was the whole point of summonning an extra-dimensionnal being.

[Rakaydos]

On a completely different tangent...

I've been rereading the London arc, and the Muse of geomotries said something that got my brain turning.

As we all remember, Martellus is "at best third" in line for the storm king's throne, with Tarvek one of the two leaders. We've all assumed that Gil must be the other one, despite the knights of jove not tracking any of his known ancestors in their bloodlines. (gil's mother's side is unknown, but has been implied to be skifanderan, which is a world away from the storm king's throne.)

But Orodine pretty confidently says that the lead contender for the storm king's throne is in Agatha's party: https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20210308

If we assume that Gil is NOT the second contender (which I admit, is circumstantial at best), than who in Agatha's party would include the generic material of the greatest leader Europa has ever known?

"I would value your insights," the muse asks the Emperor of Cats.

[Shining Wrath]

On a completely different tangent...

I've been rereading the London arc, and the Muse of geomotries said something that got my brain turning.

As we all remember, Martellus is "at best third" in line for the storm king's throne, with Tarvek one of the two leaders. We've all assumed that Gil must be the other one, despite the knights of jove not tracking any of his known ancestors in their bloodlines. (gil's mother's side is unknown, but has been implied to be skifanderan, which is a world away from the storm king's throne.)

But Orodine pretty confidently says that the lead contender for the storm king's throne is in Agatha's party: https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20210308

If we assume that Gil is NOT the second contender (which I admit, is circumstantial at best), than who in Agatha's party would include the generic material of the greatest leader Europa has ever known?

"I would value your insights," the muse asks the Emperor of Cats.

If Orotine's king is in Agatha's party, then it's Tarvek, right? And "king" presumably rules out all the women - a pity, as I'd love to see Violetta telling Martellus that her claim was stronger than his, and the Muse says so.

Another deep thought - how did Andronicus become a monster? Could time-travelling Lucrezia have had anything to do with that? All we know is that the rest of the Shining Coalition had to shut him down fast and hard, and that then Van Rijn hid the body in the catacombs.

[runeghost]

The last time we heard this story. Sounds like we are getting more names and faces for the story, but this is the same story Vrin told Agatha.

Possibly the Professors feel a repeat is in order to bring new readers up to speed and refresh the memories of older readers. It has after all, been fifteen years since the last time we got this story.

(It's occasionally awe-inspiring to realize just how long GG has been going on. It's an epic work and incredibly impressive achievement.)

[Rakaydos]

If Orotine's king is in Agatha's party, then it's Tarvek, right? And "king" presumably rules out all the women - a pity, as I'd love to see Violetta telling Martellus that her claim was stronger than his, and the Muse says so.

Another deep thought - how did Andronicus become a monster? Could time-travelling Lucrezia have had anything to do with that? All we know is that the rest of the Shining Coalition had to shut him down fast and hard, and that then Van Rijn hid the body in the catacombs.

While "King" presumably rules out the women, would a clank see it that way? I already made an argument for Krosp, but could AGATHA be the storm king's heir, as the direct descendant of the storm king's Heterodyne wife?

[runeghost]

This attack looks a lot like the attack on the Castle.



I think she needs the artifact to establish a mirror connection, the way she used the Londinium bedrock to establish a connection with Londinium. Once that's been done, she can just march herself or her troops across the mirror. She lost her original body, so it isn't much of a surprise that she also lost her original Skifandrian artefact that she might have used as a key, if she used the mirror to dispose of an unconscious Klaus.

Barry and Billy could have really ended up more or less anywhere or anytime. The past, the future, trapped in a parallel dimension... They could even be in need of a summoning engine like Lu did.

Alternatively, she may have used an entirely different mechanism to exile Klaus to Skifander, one that she doesn't want to use herself. For example (and just going from memory), if Skifander is Mars, she might have shipped him out in suspended animation on journey that took months or longer. Presumably Lucrezia wants to arrive there on her own terms and time, with forces and gear.

[Traab]

While "King" presumably rules out the women, would a clank see it that way? I already made an argument for Krosp, but could AGATHA be the storm king's heir, as the direct descendant of the storm king's Heterodyne wife?

Keep in mind, the Master of Paris, is a woman now. Yes thats a bit different than King considering the connotations of mistress as a title. It works for agatha but still.

[DavidSh]

Alternatively, she may have used an entirely different mechanism to exile Klaus to Skifander, one that she doesn't want to use herself. For example (and just going from memory), if Skifander is Mars, she might have shipped him out in suspended animation on journey that took months or longer.

Keep in mind, though, that Klaus (with Gil) returned from Skifander through a mirror. There were a few sepia-colored panels showing this, though I couldn't point at it straight off.

[locksmith of lo]

Keep in mind, though, that Klaus (with Gil) returned from Skifander through a mirror. There were a few sepia-colored panels showing this, though I couldn't point at it straight off.

ah, that was gil? i was thinking that it was agatha. i guess i really do need to reread stuff.

[Squire Doodad]

I know it's obvious that Skifander is, strictly speaking, not on Earth, but I have my doubts about Mars. (Though maybe there's something I'm missing).

If I had to guess, Geisters are from the Moon, while Skifander is some sort of satellite or space station in low Earth orbit. A bit like as if the FF1 NES Flying Fortress (giant floating space station) had a bunch of people on it.

[DavidSh]

ah, that was gil? i was thinking that it was agatha. i guess i really do need to reread stuff.

I had always assumed that 20180720 and 20210414 and 20040804 represent Klaus coming back from Skifander with Gil.

Though perhaps the third of those takes place after Klaus had a chance to get a change of clothes.

[BRC]

I know it's obvious that Skifander is, strictly speaking, not on Earth, but I have my doubts about Mars. (Though maybe there's something I'm missing).

If I had to guess, Geisters are from the Moon, while Skifander is some sort of satellite or space station in low Earth orbit. A bit like as if the FF1 NES Flying Fortress (giant floating space station) had a bunch of people on it.

Eh, Skifander is reachable by Airship. We see the ship in question: https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...8#.YTEcEY5KiUk

[geoduck]

Eh, Skifander is reachable by Airship. We see the ship in question: https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...8#.YTEcEY5KiUk

An airship with strangely-oriented propellers. And it's been strongly hinted that Zeetha's illness on the return visit was exacerbated by being in zero gravity.

But if it turns out Skiff is on Earth, then I'd vote for Australia, since the novels include an extra title for the place: Guardian of the Red Mountain.

[Rakaydos]

Eh, Skifander is reachable by Airship. We see the ship in question: https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...8#.YTEcEY5KiUk

A sparky airship. The "fever" panel is consistantly drown with floating objects in all depictions. https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20041101

[BRC]

A sparky airship. The "fever" panel is consistantly drown with floating objects in all depictions. https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20041101

The older one specifically mentions "Hallucinations" as regards Zeetha being in an upside-down room.

Like, it's possible that a feverish zeetha remembered zero-gravity and assumed it was a hallucination, but the way the whole room is depectived as neatly upside-down in that one, I'm not going to call it evidence for zero G. The chair isn't floating so much as the whole room is oriented incorrectly.

The second time we DO see stuff floating, potentially evidence for a stint through zero gravity. Once again, Zeetha was by her own admission feverish and hallucinating, but it's possible they didn't decide to put Skifander on the moon until recently.

The main evidence I have against the Moon theory is that if the Expedition leader had clues that Skifander was on the moon, and built a ship that could go to the moon, I think Lady Steelgarter would have known about that when she funded the expedition. "Buidling a ship to go to the moon" isn't something one can easily keep close to their chest.

The story we're given is that the professor had some clues about Skifander's whereabouts, set out tracking them down, presumably found more evidence en-route, and found the place. That could be done without an airship purpose built to go to some specific place.

[Manga Shoggoth]

From what I can recall, the only evidence to suggest that Skifander is not on Earth is the fact that the Geisters know of it, which could be taken to mean that it is off Earth (or at least, extra-dimensional). But that's a lot of weight for a single panel to carry.

I'm not sure what to make of the airship's engines, but my feeling is that the engines might swivel and reverse to provide thrust in a number of axes - simillar to a certian british fighter. They would certianly make landing easier in an area where there is no provision for airships.

[DavidSh]

Or Skifander could be inside a hollow Earth, if the Professors want to go there. It would explain the gravity issues, sort of.

[Squire Doodad]

From what I can recall, the only evidence to suggest that Skifander is not on Earth is the fact that the Geisters know of it, which could be taken to mean that it is off Earth (or at least, extra-dimensional). But that's a lot of weight for a single panel to carry.

The airship has engines that make it look like it might be using jet propulsion instead of fans, and there are lots of images that imply Zeetha went through Zero-G stuff.
"Guardian of the Red Mountain" makes it fit Mars a bit better, but "Red Mountain" could turn out to be the name of Skifander (perhaps the buildings are all built in red metal), or be in reference to the Dyne-parallel, etc

That the Geisters know of it is because presumably they went there with Lucrezia at some unknown point.

Actually, I'm frankly surprised that Skifander would have a Dyne-parallel, as the Dyne is pretty clearly meant to be where a ley line surfaced. Though that then raises questions about what a ley line is, how it would apply to other planets, etc.

Or Skifander could be inside a hollow Earth, if the Professors want to go there. It would explain the gravity issues, sort of.

Hollow Earth doesn't feel like where this is going to go. We haven't actually seen anything that firmly marks Skifander's climate, let alone location, but I don't think things flying around would fit accelerated gravity.