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

[Rogar Demonblud]

Now i wonder if they're going through the time windows to track Bang back to her lair. And then to follow her crew and find where they met Zeetha. And then to track her back to Skifander.

No need to do that. They can just track Zeetha backwards. Of course, before then they need to break the timelock on Mechanicsburg so they can extract Von Zinzer.

That's a pretty interesting theory, I like it. Strange that Zeetha isn't in the windows if that's the case, but that would also give her plot immunity and erase all the tension between her and Bang. That'd be no fun.

There wasn't yet a character named Zeetha back when we saw Klaus and Bang discussing the time windows. She was created with the rest of the circus about the time the wasps got loose on Castle Heterodyne.

[HandofShadows]

There wasn't yet a character named Zeetha back when we saw Klaus and Bang discussing the time windows. She was created with the rest of the circus about the time the wasps got loose on Castle Heterodyne.

Just no. While Zeetha was introduced with the Circus, the Professors had the general storyline, major plot points and characters created a long before the series started. Zeetha was likely created not long after the Baron and Gil.

[Radar]

Just no. While Zeetha was introduced with the Circus, the Professors had the general storyline, major plot points and characters created a long before the series started. Zeetha was likely created not long after the Baron and Gil.

Still, her being present in those time windows would be a massive spoiler of her role in the story. They had to keep the number of people to the minimum there. For the same reason Tarvek was not present either. I would guess von Zinzer was there only because there had to be a reason to look at those specific moments and places.

[Shining Wrath]

Having looked at those old strips, I was struck by Gil calling Agatha ""Mistress"" - with quotes in the original. That almost implies that Agatha has control of Gil in some fashion.

[Fyraltari]

Counterpoint: Castle Heterodyne

That lasted, what, 48 hours tops?

They aren't going to leave England any time soon. They still have to confront Steelgarter and Mawda (or whoever has the Lantern now), have the big showdown with Albia, as well as solve the problem of England's sinking. And yes, I know that Agatha doesn't particularly care about that last one, she's still gonna solve it before she leaves.

Right, so they'll leave in the evening then?

[Traab]

There were clearly looking through the time windows to see if von zinzers buddies survived (it seems they did) Im guessing they are testing how the time lantern (or other device they will eventually discover or create) works by using it to locate specific instances they know about to sort of dial in the controls better. They may try to help zeetha but remember she was totally out of it during the whole pirate thing so it would likely be difficult and time consuming to track an air ship through time when the best they can come up with is a general time frame and the location of the base itself.

[Rodin]

Having looked at those old strips, I was struck by Gil calling Agatha ""Mistress"" - with quotes in the original. That almost implies that Agatha has control of Gil in some fashion.

Unlikely. The quotes around Mistress indicate a sarcastic tone to me. My reading is that Agatha is under cover, pretending to be The Other. Either that, or the Geisterdamen are insisting on proper address. Whatever the reason, Gilgamesh is pretending to be a subservient lackey and is not enjoying the experience one bit.

[HandofShadows]

Unlikely. The quotes around Mistress indicate a sarcastic tone to me. My reading is that Agatha is under cover, pretending to be The Other. Either that, or the Geisterdamen are insisting on proper address. Whatever the reason, Gilgamesh is pretending to be a subservient lackey and is not enjoying the experience one bit.

Yep. Of course that may be from a different timeline. We have yet to see anything like Gil getting "bulked up" like that so far.

[Rodin]

Oh hey, would you look at that...

I got sucked into an archive trawl after re-reading the scene with the time portals. It brought me to this page.

Same tone, directed from Agatha towards Gil, also dripping with sarcasm. Seems like intentional counterpoint given how closely it follows "Mistress" quote.

[Vinyadan]

Oh hey, would you look at that...

I got sucked into an archive trawl after re-reading the scene with the time portals. It brought me to this page.

Same tone, directed from Agatha towards Gil, also dripping with sarcasm. Seems like intentional counterpoint given how closely it follows "Mistress" quote.

And then this https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/com...?date=20040326

The reason that guy (whose name is apparently Rovainen) activated the engine seems to be that he believed that Agatha's words were orders from the Other.

[wingnutx]

Having looked at those old strips, I was struck by Gil calling Agatha ""Mistress"" - with quotes in the original. That almost implies that Agatha has control of Gil in some fashion.

I took it to mean he's pretending to be her servant, hence the out fit and the quotes.

[Kantaki]

New comic

Those three drunk can't end well.
Although... Who of them is actually drunk and who's pretending? And even if they are, how much would it affect them?

[xroads]

Huh. You know, prior to today, if you had asked me if rum cake could make you drunk I would of said it was not possible. That the rum is baked in and thus loses the ability to have that effect.

But 30 seconds of Googling says otherwise. Interesting.

I shall have to make some rum cake and investigate this further. For science of course.

New comic

Those three drunk can't end well.
Although... Who of them is actually drunk and who's pretending? And even if they are, how much would it affect them?

As a pirate, I suspect that Bang has drunken so much rum in her life she's not effected.

Violetta probably has some instant sobriety formula on her. And I wonder if her immunity to poisons even lets her get drunk.

[Kantaki]

As a pirate, I suspect that Bang has drunken so much rum in her life she's not effected.

Violetta probably has some instant sobriety formula on her. And I wonder if her immunity to poisons even lets her get drunk.

Zeetha probably has some way to deal with it too.
Even if it's just “can fight drunk".

But yeah, that was basically what went through my head.
„Those three getting smashed together is not a good thing for anyone involved*.
Wait a moment. How is either of them drunk?”

*Large parts of Europa if they really get going.

[PraetorDragoon]

Zeetha probably has some way to deal with it too.
Even if it's just “can fight drunk".

But yeah, that was basically what went through my head.
„Those three getting smashed together is not a good thing for anyone involved*.
Wait a moment. How is either of them drunk?”

*Large parts of Europa if they really get going.

Europe is lucky Agatha isn't drunk. (yet)

[Shining Wrath]

I think that none of them will get drunk enough to affect their ability to fight. Not in public, not even in Albia’s England. They are all too professional, for want of a better word.

[Sparky]

Bang's neck was recently bare in the comic from 20181003

And also lightly less recently bare back in 20150610

I think the neck scars are new, if not fake. Bang didn't have them before she heard about Zeetha, and I feel like we would have heard about it if she'd been decapitated since then.

[Zazu Yen]

Having looked at those old strips, I was struck by Gil calling Agatha ""Mistress"" - with quotes in the original. That almost implies that Agatha has control of Gil in some fashion.

The quotes could make it sarcastic, implying he's playing a role he's not entirely comfortable with. This just gave me the idea that the entire time window thing was staged to look a certain way. The giesterdamen, the outfits, even making it look like they're checking on Von Zinzer's mates when they're trying do something else. Maybe they want whoever sees them in the time windows to think Agatha is still under the control of her mother.

Or this is all being retconned as the Foglio's evolve the story as they go.

EDIT: Ah, I see Rodin pointed this out too. Well, great minds etc. etc.

[Thomas Cardew]

Bang's neck was recently bare in the comic from 20181003

And also lightly less recently bare back in 20150610

I think the neck scars are new, if not fake. Bang didn't have them before she heard about Zeetha, and I feel like we would have heard about it if she'd been decapitated since then.

I don't think it's new, just the sort of detail that's not always included. Heck in the comic from last Friday 20200925, it disappears in the last panel but was included in the first 3. Some of the middle ones are wash because of angles so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Bang's neck was recently bare in the comic from 20181003

And also lightly less recently bare back in 20150610

I think the neck scars are new, if not fake. Bang didn't have them before she heard about Zeetha, and I feel like we would have heard about it if she'd been decapitated since then.

She had them when she arrived in England on the Mopey Tortoise, well before she heard about Zeetha wrecking her hideout.

[Ailurus]

Europe is lucky Agatha isn't drunk. (yet)

Have we ever seen a Spark trying to invent while drunk? We know Agatha and coffee leads to chaos (and more coffee) so I'm curious what booze would do.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Have we ever seen a Spark trying to invent while drunk? We know Agatha and coffee leads to chaos (and more coffee) so I'm curious what booze would do.

Judging from what happened with the coffee, it will be a very good year.

(There is a footnote in one of the novels based on a scene in the comic about someone who brewed lingonberry liquer, a particularly potent spirit, drank a load of it every day of a very long life, and when they came to cremate him it took them a week to put the fire out. Oddly, he wasn't a spark)

[Imgran]

New comic

Those three drunk can't end well.
Although... Who of them is actually drunk and who's pretending? And even if they are, how much would it affect them?

We can be reasonably certain that Violetta isn't quite as drunk as she appears. Frankly I think all three of them are playing to an extent.

[InvisibleBison]

Have we ever seen a Spark trying to invent while drunk? We know Agatha and coffee leads to chaos (and more coffee) so I'm curious what booze would do.

Since coffee is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant, I'd guess that getting drunk would have the opposite effect on a spark (or at least, on Agatha) as drinking coffee, i.e. it would inhibit her sparkiness for a while.

[Fyraltari]

None of them look drunk, though. Tipsy, yes.

[Scarlet Knight]

Since coffee is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant, I'd guess that getting drunk would have the opposite effect on a spark (or at least, on Agatha) as drinking coffee, i.e. it would inhibit her sparkiness for a while.

The first thing alcohol depresses is inhibition. Thus, tipsy people at a night club or party behave in risky behavior, leading to morning regrets.

Now imagine that with Sparks. "Here; hold my Death Ray."

Fortunately, I don't believe Zeetha, Bang , or Violetta are sparks. But that doesn't mean there won't be regrets.

[HandofShadows]

Fortunately, I don't believe Zeetha, Bang , or Violetta are sparks. But that doesn't mean there won't be regrets.

Zeetha isn't a spark now. But there certainly is a chance she just hasn't broken though yet. Now I rather hope she does not as I don't think she would like being a spark and it wouldn't add anything to the story and would likely take things away.

[memnarch]

Sparks and alcohol.

[Shining Wrath]

Sparks and alcohol.

That's not just alcohol, it's Spark alcohol. And it knocked Gil out.

[Kantaki]

Judging from what happened with the coffee, it will be a very good year.

(There is a footnote in one of the novels based on a scene in the comic about someone who brewed lingonberry liquer, a particularly potent spirit, drank a load of it every day of a very long life, and when they came to cremate him it took them a week to put the fire out. Oddly, he wasn't a spark)

He wasn't.
The guy who build the funeral pyre though...