Girl Genius XXXII: The scientific method at work!

[MPHJack7]

If this is their excuse to go "Well, why doesn't Agatha just ascend to becoming a God Queen" for the rest of the story, I welcome it.

I, too, hope they avoid making Agatha a Queen, and this seems like a perfect way to keep her normal.
Plus, one of Agatha's big struggles in the story is to relate to people despite being unique, and they've already established that being a queen would contradict that. So I'd imagine that Agatha's response to being told that draining her power will delay her ascension is "yes, good! Hurry up, then!"

[BRC]

I don't think there was much chance of them ever making Agatha a god-queen, but now that Ascension has been painted as something deeply achievable (as opposed to a Legendary Lost Thing That nobody Can Do Anymore), and we've seen what it takes (A female spark and access to a Flame), God-Queens run the risk of taking over the story, and we'd be forever dancing around "Why doesn't Agatha just become a God Queen since she's close enough that Lucrezia in her body was able to almost get there at will, and also Ascension would solve so many problems".

[TeChameleon]

Heh. I'm thinking that once again we're seeing that Agatha's most potent ability is her common sense, not her spark

"Delay my ascension? Am I close enough to ascending for it to make the slightest difference in the current set of problems that are trying to kill or enslave me? No? **** ascending, then, let's get on with this, chop chop!"

[tyckspoon]

Heh. I'm thinking that once again we're seeing that Agatha's most potent ability is her common sense, not her spark

"Delay my ascension? Am I close enough to ascending for it to make the slightest difference in the current set of problems that are trying to kill or enslave me? No? **** ascending, then, let's get on with this, chop chop!"

Pretty sure at this point Agatha could 'ascend' - she's experienced it at least twice, seen other people do it, and had somebody do it while operating her body and mind to have an example of where the 'switch' is - but she's also aware that without a stable power source to connect to the ascension is either going to be short lived or suicidal (or possibly both, I doubt repeatedly going into Queen mode without getting linked up to a 'flame' or similar power source is healthy.) And without both access to a claimable power source and the knowledge of how to link up with it to stabilize herself as a Queen, ascending is not a viable solution.

[DavidSh]

... And without both access to a claimable power source and the knowledge of how to link up with it to stabilize herself as a Queen, ascending is not a viable solution.

Unfreezing Mechanicsburg would probably provide a claimable power source, but not the knowledge.

[Kareasint]

Pretty sure at this point Agatha could 'ascend' - she's experienced it at least twice, seen other people do it, and had somebody do it while operating her body and mind to have an example of where the 'switch' is - but she's also aware that without a stable power source to connect to the ascension is either going to be short lived or suicidal (or possibly both, I doubt repeatedly going into Queen mode without getting linked up to a 'flame' or similar power source is healthy.) And without both access to a claimable power source and the knowledge of how to link up with it to stabilize herself as a Queen, ascending is not a viable solution.

She does have access to the Dyne once she solves the time stop. Speaking of which, I wonder if this would be a usable power source for Albia.

[Traab]

Her ascending seems the sort of thing to be involved in the final act. Kinda like in anime where the hero goes through like 4 power ups in the last arc to defeat the great evil whatever. The great evil of clankrezia the muse of time at the peak of her queen killing power appears and agatha goes full queen to overcome her inside castle heterodyne. Something like that.

[Rockphed]

Her ascending seems the sort of thing to be involved in the final act. Kinda like in anime where the hero goes through like 4 power ups in the last arc to defeat the great evil whatever. The great evil of clankrezia the muse of time at the peak of her queen killing power appears and agatha goes full queen to overcome her inside castle heterodyne. Something like that.

And they end up throwing down in an arena with a galaxy literally as the floor.

[geoduck]

Note that we've seen flash-forwards of Agatha after the Other War and she doesn't appear to have become a Queen. If it does happen, it probably won't be anytime soon.

[Traab]

Note that we've seen flash-forwards of Agatha after the Other War and she doesn't appear to have become a Queen. If it does happen, it probably won't be anytime soon.

Dont forget that queens dont spend all their time floating in midair with their hair turned into literal fire. Most of the time, size shifting aside, albia doesnt exactly look all that different from regular people.

[Fyraltari]

I assume Agatha will eventually ascend and then abandon that power at the end of the story.

[The Glyphstone]

And they end up throwing down in an arena with a galaxy literally as the floor.

Only after Der Kestle transforms into a gigantic clank/battlesuit.

[Rockphed]

Only after Der Kestle transforms into a gigantic clank/battlesuit.

I think you mean Mechanicsburg transforms into a gigantic clank/battlesuit.

[Rodin]

I assume Agatha will eventually ascend and then abandon that power at the end of the story.

I'm still of the theory that Agatha is eventually going to change the way Sparkiness works on a fundamental level. The OG time portal at the beginning of the story is the Muse of Time/The Other pointing at Agatha while she's under the effects of the locket and saying "...like THAT!?"

My assumption is that Future Agatha is present on the other side of the portal, prepared to discard not just Queenhood but some greater part of herself that would bring her down to being "normal", like how she was when growing up with her Spark suppressed.

[Fyraltari]

I think you mean Mechanicsburg transforms into a gigantic clank/battlesuit.

I'm not sure there's a meaningful distinction between Der Kestle and Mechanicsburg.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I think you mean Mechanicsburg transforms into a gigantic clank/battlesuit.

I'm not sure there's a meaningful distinction between Der Kestle and Mechanicsburg.

Der Kestle would transform into the mech, and Mechanicsburg would transform into the battlesuit.

[Rockphed]

Der Kestle would transform into the mech, and Mechanicsburg would transform into the battlesuit.

Or, as in Gurren Lagen, Mechanicsburg turns into one mech and Der Kestle becomes a second head.

[Wayson]

New update!

Well.... that's not good.

[Kantaki]

Not what I expected, but I guess "death from getting drained like a juice box" would delay Agatha's ascension. Rather permanently at that.

[Rockphed]

Not what I expected, but I guess "death from getting drained like a juice box" would delay Agatha's ascension. Rather permanently at that.

She just needs a lightning bolt to get back on her feet.

[Laurentio III]

Not what I expected, but I guess "death from getting drained like a juice box" would delay Agatha's ascension. Rather permanently at that.

Death is a slap on the wrist in this world. They have rules to mitigate resurrections controversies.

[FLHerne]

I'm still of the theory that Agatha is eventually going to change the way Sparkiness works on a fundamental level. The OG time portal at the beginning of the story is the Muse of Time/The Other pointing at Agatha while she's under the effects of the locket and saying "...like THAT!?"

My assumption is that Future Agatha is present on the other side of the portal, prepared to discard not just Queenhood but some greater part of herself that would bring her down to being "normal", like how she was when growing up with her Spark suppressed.

I find that idea hard to square with the side stories that appear to be set after the main plot, including the very recent one, where Spark-related shenanigans seem to have continued as normal.

That appears to include Agatha herself, e.g. here https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20220921 - there's probably a better example but I don't know where to look offhand.

[sihnfahl]

That appears to include Agatha herself, e.g. here https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20220921 - there's probably a better example but I don't know where to look offhand.

Bang relays her story to the Baron.

We haven't seen the time window scene yet. So we know Agatha is around.

[geoduck]

I find that idea hard to square with the side stories that appear to be set after the main plot, including the very recent one, where Spark-related shenanigans seem to have continued as normal.

That appears to include Agatha herself, e.g. here https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20220921 - there's probably a better example but I don't know where to look offhand.

I think that Agatha is going to be offered the chance to shut off or alter the source of the Spark. Whether she actually does it is another question.

[halfeye]

Bang relays her story to the Baron.

We haven't seen the time window scene yet. So we know Agatha is around.

That looks a lot like momma.

[Rockphed]

I like to think the original story was significantly shorter so having Moloch be a main character throughout made more sense.

[JavaScribe]

Baron Wulfenbach tried to figure out how the spark worked via lobotomies. It really looks like he approached it from the wrong angle. The spark itself is probably created by leylines. Brain structure and size just determine how good you are at wuxia-style cultivating it.

[Scarlet Knight]

Not what I expected, but I guess "death from getting drained like a juice box" would delay Agatha's ascension. Rather permanently at that.

Somehow I thought a Foglio "F-F draining your essence" scene would be ...sexier?

[sihnfahl]

That looks a lot like momma.

Or an older Agatha. With Gil and Von Zinzer? Yeah, that's Agatha, not momma, in my eyes.

Baron Wulfenbach tried to figure out how the spark worked via lobotomies. It really looks like he approached it from the wrong angle. The spark itself is probably created by leylines. Brain structure and size just determine how good you are at wuxia-style cultivating it.

I read his lobotomies to be more like trying to figure out ways to neutralize 'bad' sparks without having to kill them. If he can do it with a bit of brain surgery, and not lobotomize them, then they can join society safely.

Dr. Dim? Yeah, nobody cared if he got lobotomized to a high degree. He wasn't a danger anymore.

[Rockphed]

Or an older Agatha. With Gil and Von Zinzer? Yeah, that's Agatha, not momma, in my eyes.

I thought Dupree identified Agatha as the woman in her visions of the future to the Baron.