Girl Genius XIV: A Lightning Arc in All But Speed!

[Brother Oni]

You have to wonder what sort of General (he's got four stars, I assume he's a General) would be underestimating Mechanicsburgers and the Heterodyne at this point. If it were me I'd assume those walls were coming down because something worse is coming out. And I'd be ordering everyone to dig in with the option of running for their lives depending on what happens next.

I believe Girl Genius is set in the equivalent of the late Victorian era?

As amply demonstrated by Blackadder Goes Forth set just a few decades later, competency (or indeed, sanity) isn't a required part of the job description for a general back then.

[factotum]

I believe Girl Genius is set in the equivalent of the late Victorian era?

Maybe, but making real-world parallels based on the time period to a world in which most of the British Isles are underwater, robotic AI is something that's been understood for centuries and people can be literally brought back from the dead so long as their brain is intact isn't necessarily going to work out so well.

[eee]

I believe Girl Genius is set in the equivalent of the late Victorian era?

As amply demonstrated by Blackadder Goes Forth set just a few decades later, competency (or indeed, sanity) isn't a required part of the job description for a general back then.

Yes, but this is Klaus' army. You wouldn't think he'd tolerate incompetence...

Maybe, but making real-world parallels based on the time period to a world in which most of the British Isles are underwater, robotic AI is something that's been understood for centuries and people can be literally brought back from the dead so long as their brain is intact isn't necessarily going to work out so well.

And let's not forget multiple Popes!

Not to mention the Queen of those underwater Isles may be a smokin' hot (perhaps literally: the sketch we've seen of her shows her showing off her blinding curves amid what look like flames) vampiress. Not exactly the staid British Royalty we're used to.

[BRC]

This "wings" theory just plain bugs me every time. Yes, Klaus and Gil's sigils have wings. So do Tarvek's. So, too, do some current Heterodyne sigils -- a recent example can be seen amongst the monsters swarming out of Castle Heterodyne, here: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/ggma...in20130208.jpg. Check the sigil on the purple monster more or less central in the last frame. I believe we also saw a few winged Beetleburg sigils, though I am less sure of that.

In any case, at this point the wing differencing is seen on three houses, and is absolutely on both Wulfenbach and Sturmvoraus sigils. Whatever it means, it does not by default mean automatic allegiance to House Wulfenbach or marriage to that house -- or, if so, it means the same thing with respect to House Sturmvoraus.

Remember that Sturmvoraus and Beetleburg were both subservient to Wulfenbach.

It's also possible that adding Wings to one's sigil is just something people do. Maybe the wings are supposed to be like a Roman Eagle, and so every Spark with dreams of being the next Mecha Ceasar throws some Wings on their sigil.
However, the tricky thing is that Wulfenbach is the only house we've seen to always have Wings on their sigil. Plus it makes sense, a flying castle represents Castle Wulfenbach.

As for the General, he's not necessarily being stupid, largely because he has not actually done anything yet. He's confused that they are knocking down the Dropwalls, depriving themselves of a powerful defensive line. He's confident that Mechanisburg can be taken, because if he wasn't then he wouldn't be attacking it, plus he's got what is probably the most powerful army Europa has ever seen at his back (Lots of numbers+Latest technology).

Plus, Mechanisburg IS known for being fully of crazy people. Knocking down dropwalls so they can get a better view is the type of thing they might do. He's not an idiot until he assumes that's what they're doing.

[GaeasSon]

OK.... I think we're done. Queue the reaction shot from SOMEONE back on castle Wulfenbach, please. Klaus has been out of frame for far too long for my comfort. We know he's watching the battle intently. He knows his people are in a meat grinder. He knows the castle is active. He probably knows Gil has failed and been captured (intentional?). He may or may not understand that Agatha is not the primary threat. He may be intentionally destroying the empires resources to deprive them to Clancrecia, in which case he may even now be preparing to scuttle castle Wulfenbach.

He MAY be powerless in a vat, having been captured by the vigilant and attentive Boris.

Hell, it's been long enough he might have a date with Ferritina the weasel queen for all we know.

[Turalisj]

If this continues on monday, I'm taking a month break from GG.

[VariaVespasa]

If this continues on monday, I'm taking a month break from GG.

Calm yerself down, it may or may not be monday, but it will be relatively soon. Review the last few pages- you'll notice how the castle defenses shots are consistantly moving from the center of the town towards the outsides? Now we're outside the walls. Theyre obviously building to a reaction shot, but since these various events are all happening more or less simultaneously theyre equally obviously going to show the full range of the initial kestle actions before showing said reaction. We've dealt with inside the town, and around the walls and above the town. Whats left to show is defenses under the town (which is what we'll get next if there's going to be one, although the whole mecha-narwhals fleeing from mechanical squids thing earlier may be deemed sufficient for that), a 1-2 page sequence showing the maximum range of the castles chosen influence in the very probable event that the town walls arent it (which could be up to 10 leagues away, to match the rhyme about unauthorised airship safe distances), and a 1-3 page sequence showing anything major in the lands between the walls and said maximum range.

So we've most likely got 2-7 more pages of Kestle defenses activating before we get to non-local reaction shots. Remember, the story has been building to this for a looong time now. Its hardly reasonable to expect it to just gloss over the finale of the arc. Thats like saying you'd prefer the Episode 6 battle for Endor to just be 3 minutes long. Just skip all that boring starship combat, commando raiding, battling imperial troopers and all that and just throw the emperor down the well already. Oh, we could cut the siege of Minas Tirith down to 3 minutes too, I'm sure that'll be fine.

Quite apart from providing a payoff for all that waiting, as a matter of internal consistancy and to keep people from complaining/criticising/nit-picking for the rest of time they absolutely MUST show exactly and unequivocally WHY Mechanicsburg IS an impregnable fortress with NO room for doubt, OR why it WAS and no-longer is, and either option requires a certain thoroughness that covers all the bases. So thats what will happen.

[Giggling Ghast]

Oh, I think the slaughter is just about done.

As Varia pointed out, we've had scenes establishing Klaus' armies being taken down line by line. First it was the forces inside the city, then above it, then the dropwalls and now the army outside of it.

[eee]

Yeah, NOW he runs. Ditz.

[Rockphed]

If this continues on monday, I'm taking a month break from GG.

Farewell. I look forward to your perspective on the coming hijinks seen all at once.

[Aquillion]

You have to wonder what sort of General (he's got four stars, I assume he's a General) would be underestimating Mechanicsburgers and the Heterodyne at this point. If it were me I'd assume those walls were coming down because something worse is coming out. And I'd be ordering everyone to dig in with the option of running for their lives depending on what happens next.

What makes you think Klaus and Clank!Lucrezia want these forces to survive?

They could simply be using the city to purge anyone who hasn't been wasped (and who would be difficult to wasp.)

Of course, the other question is whether Clank Lucrezia has access to a Hive Engine. Presumably that would have been among the stuff she took from Sturmhalten; if so, would that cache be near enough for her to bring one into play here?

Remember, Lucrezia doesn't really care about Pax Wulfenbach and doesn't really need Wulfenbach's giant armies (though they're useful.) She operates on a different paradigm.

(Of course, another possibility is that Klaus or someone else in his hierarchy who suspects what's up -- like Boris -- is resisting her by deliberately appointing incompetent commanders and giving orders that will get his people defeated in order to deny his forces to her.)

[Grey_Wolf_c]

If this continues on monday, I'm taking a month break from GG.

Probably not a bad idea. I won't (because I read comics by "open all shortcuts in tabs" approach every morning, and I'm not about to mess with my shortcuts), but I'll certainly go back and read all the pages at once when the arch is over, so I can establish the proper pacing in my mind. The problem for this battle is that we are feeling it is dragging on forever, and it really isn't. It's just that a massive battle with a dozen fronts can't work on a three-page-per-week basis.

They could simply be using the city to purge anyone who hasn't been wasped (and who would be difficult to wasp.)

Interesting insight. That would be all the sparks, who are resistant to regular wasps (and the spark wasps might be expensive to produce), which is indeed who is being sent against Agatha.

Grey Wolf

[Eldan]

That's why I have eight different bookmark folders, labeled "monday" through "sunday" and "first of the month".

[Doran]

I use rss for everything, except gunnerkrigg which needs to fix theirs

[stsasser]

Calm yerself down, it may or may not be monday, but it will be relatively soon. Review the last few pages- you'll notice how the castle defenses shots are consistantly moving from the center of the town towards the outsides? Now we're outside the walls. Theyre obviously building to a reaction shot, but since these various events are all happening more or less simultaneously theyre equally obviously going to show the full range of the initial kestle actions before showing said reaction. We've dealt with inside the town, and around the walls and above the town. Whats left to show is defenses under the town (which is what we'll get next if there's going to be one, although the whole mecha-narwhals fleeing from mechanical squids thing earlier may be deemed sufficient for that), a 1-2 page sequence showing the maximum range of the castles chosen influence in the very probable event that the town walls arent it (which could be up to 10 leagues away, to match the rhyme about unauthorised airship safe distances), and a 1-3 page sequence showing anything major in the lands between the walls and said maximum range.

So we've most likely got 2-7 more pages of Kestle defenses activating before we get to non-local reaction shots. ...

This is going from defense to counter-attack. Knocking down the dropwalls is opening a path for the 'Electric Veel Tings!'

[eee]

What makes you think Klaus and Clank!Lucrezia want these forces to survive?

They could simply be using the city to purge anyone who hasn't been wasped (and who would be difficult to wasp.)

Of course, the other question is whether Clank Lucrezia has access to a Hive Engine. Presumably that would have been among the stuff she took from Sturmhalten; if so, would that cache be near enough for her to bring one into play here?

Remember, Lucrezia doesn't really care about Pax Wulfenbach and doesn't really need Wulfenbach's giant armies (though they're useful.) She operates on a different paradigm.

(Of course, another possibility is that Klaus or someone else in his hierarchy who suspects what's up -- like Boris -- is resisting her by deliberately appointing incompetent commanders and giving orders that will get his people defeated in order to deny his forces to her.)

But Klaus' army IS needed. There are too many forces (the Jagers, clanks, Sparks) who are immune to ordinary Wasps and would be able to fight back. Lu tried conquering Europa (or whatever she was doing) before, and lost because she didn't have enough forces to neutralize the opposition. Namely, Bill and Barry. I doubt she's going to make that mistake again. No, she'll probably make other mistakes, probably tied to her ego...

And the Geisters took several Hives along with the Summoning Engine with them when they evacuated Strumhalten. I would assume Lu knows where they went, how to communicate with them, and - should that be her plan - how to tell them to meet her at Mechanicsburg for a general Wasp release and enslavement.

[Traab]

What makes you think Klaus and Clank!Lucrezia want these forces to survive?

They could simply be using the city to purge anyone who hasn't been wasped (and who would be difficult to wasp.)

Of course, the other question is whether Clank Lucrezia has access to a Hive Engine. Presumably that would have been among the stuff she took from Sturmhalten; if so, would that cache be near enough for her to bring one into play here?

Remember, Lucrezia doesn't really care about Pax Wulfenbach and doesn't really need Wulfenbach's giant armies (though they're useful.) She operates on a different paradigm.

(Of course, another possibility is that Klaus or someone else in his hierarchy who suspects what's up -- like Boris -- is resisting her by deliberately appointing incompetent commanders and giving orders that will get his people defeated in order to deny his forces to her.)

It is actually highly likely that the baron is sending his worst troops so he can obey clankkrezia without succeeding. At some point ro another it was even talked about how the baron seems to have been sending in the strangest assortment of his daffiest people, or something to that effect. Of course, the random daffy sparks from other factions have been confusing the matter even further.

[Scarlet Knight]

What makes you think Klaus and Clank!Lucrezia want these forces to survive?

They could simply be using the city to purge anyone who hasn't been wasped (and who would be difficult to wasp.)

(Of course, another possibility is that Klaus or someone else in his hierarchy who suspects what's up -- like Boris -- is resisting her by deliberately appointing incompetent commanders and giving orders that will get his people defeated in order to deny his forces to her.)

Well, that would explain why he is using his "Duckiest qvaks".

[Rockphed]

But Klaus' army IS needed. There are too many forces (the Jagers, clanks, Sparks) who are immune to ordinary Wasps and would be able to fight back. Lu tried conquering Europa (or whatever she was doing) before, and lost because she didn't have enough forces to neutralize the opposition. Namely, Bill and Barry. I doubt she's going to make that mistake again. No, she'll probably make other mistakes, probably tied to her ego...

That is very interesting. That Bill and Barry, by themselves or with their small group of friends, kept "The Other" at bay until they defeated her. Imagine what they could have done if they had brought along the Jaegers.

[Turalisj]

But Klaus' army IS needed. There are too many forces (the Jagers, clanks, Sparks) who are immune to ordinary Wasps and would be able to fight back. Lu tried conquering Europa (or whatever she was doing) before, and lost because she didn't have enough forces to neutralize the opposition. Namely, Bill and Barry. I doubt she's going to make that mistake again. No, she'll probably make other mistakes, probably tied to her ego...

Everyone knows that a small, elite or ragtag group, will be able to do far more damage to an evil overlord's plans than all the armies of the world.

[eee]

That is very interesting. That Bill and Barry, by themselves or with their small group of friends, kept "The Other" at bay until they defeated her. Imagine what they could have done if they had brought along the Jaegers.

I doubt they kept the Other at bay. Indeed, based on what we know, she was unleashing Wasps all over Europa. But she couldn't focus her attacks enough to stop THEM before they finally - apparently - reached her. The revenants weren't an effective enough fighting force, and the Boys were too good. Now, think what she might have done if she'd had forces similar to what Klaus has now at her command back then. It would have at least slowed Bill and Barry down to have to fight their way through a whole army, and we don't know how close Lu was to accomplishing whatever it was she was trying to accomplish before she was stopped. A bit more time might have been all she needed. If such were the case, I would assume she's learned from previous failures and will build her defenses up as much as possible this time to prevent further problems...

[factotum]

But if that's what she's trying to do it would make even MORE sense for her to get the Baron to do what I said earlier--e.g. contain Mechanicsburg at a distance. A full frontal assault on the place is just burning troops and materiel to no good end.

[eee]

But if that's what she's trying to do it would make even MORE sense for her to get the Baron to do what I said earlier--e.g. contain Mechanicsburg at a distance. A full frontal assault on the place is just burning troops and materiel to no good end.

Except that Agatha's in there. And Agatha is perhaps the Other's greatest enemy. A STUNNINGLY powerful and active Spark with many of the Other's own abilities, who already knows too much and is learning more. And who hates the Other both as a monster AND as the mother who has turned against her. Agatha HAS to die or the Other is in constant peril. Quarantining Mechanicsburg would just give her time to become more dangerous, she's got to be rooted out now, even if it costs men and material the Other could use for other uses. I'm sure that's what 'Anevka' ordered Klaus to do. Unfortunately for her, he's doing it as ineptly as he can...

[Traab]

Everyone knows that a small, elite or ragtag group, will be able to do far more damage to an evil overlord's plans than all the armies of the world.

Yeah, but you need the overwhelming army to maintain order when YOU are the one in charge.

[ReaderAt2046]

BTW, I think I have confimed that my sister is a Culinary Spark. She displays a number of the signs, including random mental quirks, an intuitive knowledge of the relevant sciences (in this case baking, which is normally a matter of exact proportions), and a substantial charisma. She also has produced bagels and other foods with effects similar to Agatha's perfect coffee. Thoughts?

[Landis963]

BTW, I think I have confimed that my sister is a Culinary Spark. She displays a number of the signs, including random mental quirks, an intuitive knowledge of the relevant sciences (in this case baking, which is normally a matter of exact proportions), and a substantial charisma. She also has produced bagels and other foods with effects similar to Agatha's perfect coffee. Thoughts?

The Spark runs strong in families. Have you displayed any similar signs with regard to another area?

[ReaderAt2046]

The Spark runs strong in families. Have you displayed any similar signs with regard to another area?

Well, I often find myself zoning out for long periods of time while in creative mode, and I've drawn blueprints for a Mars base on the back of a napkin (Only once so far, but still). Also, I've created several Unifying theories of Everything.

[petersohn]

New page.

Spoiler

Show

Still nothing.

[Turalisj]

See you guys in March.

[The Glyphstone]

See you guys in March.

So...Friday?