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

[Qwertystop]

milk chocolate pants.

:hystericallaughter:

[Lochar]

milk chocolate pants.

Hey, that's a pretty good idea, actually. Wonder what a Spark would do with it.

[ReaderAt2046]

Hey, that's a pretty good idea, actually. Wonder what a Spark would do with it.

Probably make it the town's dress code.

On the bigger issue, I really, really, hope Tweedle is a complete moron. Because only a complete moron could think that Agatha could be persuaded to join the rebellion willingly, ergo, if Tweedle is not a complete moron, he'll realize that he's planning on raping and enslaving one of the most powerful Sparks in Europa, and he'll have some plan to do it. I don't want to find out what that plan is.

[John Campbell]

Yeah, you should always take idiots seriously. Because they are likely to do something so stupid that you are totaly unprepared for it. It's like the old saying about the best swordsman in the world not being afraid of the 2nd best swordsman, but the worst swordsman because he has no clue what the worst swordsman was going to do.

Eh. I've never liked that saying. I'm not the best swordsman in the world, but I'm pretty good. I'm always concerned about the next-best swordsman, but unconcerned about the worst swordsman. Because on any given day, as the vagaries of chance intervene, "almost as good" can translate to "better, at that particular moment, under those particular circumstances". And while I don't know exactly what stupid thing the worst swordsman is going to do, I can be pretty sure that it'll be slow, ineffectual, and easily countered, and that he'll have no ability to handle what I'm going to do to him.


Also, milk chocolate pants: terrible idea.

They should be dark chocolate.

[Turalisj]

New Girl Genius.

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OH SHI-

[Forrestfire]

Indeed.

Also, what the heck happened to your spoiler tag?

[stsasser]

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Strobe comic...that was different

[Landis963]

Indeed.

Also, what the heck happened to your spoiler tag?

He put the "large font" tags around the spoiler tag.

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Like this.

[ChowGuy]

Also, what the heck happened to your spoiler tag?

He just put the Bold and Size tags around the spoiler box, instead of inside it.

Waiting for someone with more Photoshop-Fu to separate the two images.

[Turalisj]

Indeed.

Also, what the heck happened to your spoiler tag?

Well I WAS going to claim that the Baron's bomb affected it, but some people had to ruin it

[Forrestfire]

Hmm... I'm bored and awake.

Lemme go separate the comic, brb.

[VariaVespasa]

Oh great, now I've gone blind! :P

[factotum]

So, looks like one image is the Baron holding up the Ball'O'Doom, and the other is Tweedle getting punched out by Agatha. Wonder why they chose to present this particular strip like this? There has to be a reason those two actions are associated...

[Forrestfire]

One is of Gkika trying to get the ball O'doom from the Baron, and the other is Tweedle getting a well-deserved beating.

I moved them to be the right proportions, give or take.

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And here they are scrunched up:

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[Winterwind]

Thank you very much, Forrestfire.

...ah, hell, that looks like

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either they accidentally shoved Tweedle (and themselves alongside him) into the portal, or Tweedle ignores the pain and hurls himself (and them) into it. That can't be good.

[Xel]

Looks to me like Tweedle is lunging through the green portally-thing despite getting a beat down from Agatha and Violetta.

[HandofShadows]

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Nope, while Tweedle may want to go throught the Gate, he is being knocked throught by Kosp. Whatever the Barons' Ball of DooM(tm) does those characters will be out of range.

[ReaderAt2046]

I have to wonder what's going on in the Klaus half of the panel. Why is Gika so panicked when Klaus already surrendered?

[Traab]

I am guessing a massive spark whoopsy when the device klaus has goes off at the same time as they try to go through the portal. Probably setting up the scenario where she eventually does her reality window/time travel thing in an effort to make it back home in the right time frame.

[HandofShadows]

I have to wonder what's going on in the Klaus half of the panel. Why is Gika so panicked when Klaus already surrendered?

Because she is smart enough to know that Klaus is "Up to Zumptink" and is a super dangerouse person.

[factotum]

Yeah, it's a lot clearer in Forrestfire's adaptation--it looks like Agatha and the others are about to get sucked into the portal, and the Baron's device is starting to glow ominously. The implication is that Mechanicsburg is about to get obliterated, leaving just Agatha, Violetta, Krosp and Tweedle to survive it.

If that's true you'd think it will make most commenters here happy--we get to leave Mechanicsburg at last!

[Aquillion]

Yeah, it's a lot clearer in Forrestfire's adaptation--it looks like Agatha and the others are about to get sucked into the portal, and the Baron's device is starting to glow ominously. The implication is that Mechanicsburg is about to get obliterated, leaving just Agatha, Violetta, Krosp and Tweedle to survive it.

If that's true you'd think it will make most commenters here happy--we get to leave Mechanicsburg at last!

Hrm.

Now that I think about it, they've carefully moved most of the important named characters out of Mechanicsburg. Mostly, the thing with Higgs and Zeetha is strangely suspicious in retrospect, since there was no real reason for them to leave the city except to get them out of range of this.

That said, who's still left in the city? Von Zinzer, Tarvek, Othar (although of course he'll survive, whatever it is, and could possibly save a few other people in the process)...?

[eee]

I have to wonder what's going on in the Klaus half of the panel. Why is Gika so panicked when Klaus already surrendered?

Perhaps Mamma knows what the device is and realizes their only chance is for her to smash it?

(I note it's still on '5'. I thought that was a count-down; but maybe cranking the Ball o' Doom up to five is the equivalent of going to eleven with other devices.)

RE Agatha, Tweedle, Krosp, and Violetta: Yes, looks like they're taking a trip and leaving the Abbess behind. I'm surprised Violetta's knife isn't in Tweedle's back, but maybe Krosp's impact combined with Agatha's punch spoiled her shot. The interesting thing, though, is where they're going: You're going to have two extremely dangerous women, one cat king, and Tweedle... somewhere. But where?

The Foglios reportedly said Agatha would be leaving Mechanicsburg soon. But I didn't expect this.

[stsasser]

And here they are scrunched up:

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Liddle Klaus & Gkika, swallowed in grown-up clothes, are hilarious. The Foglios could make another fortune on a 'Junior Heterodyne Stories' spinoff.

[eee]

One is of Gkika trying to get the ball O'doom from the Baron, and the other is Tweedle getting a well-deserved beating.

I moved them to be the right proportions, give or take.

Thank you for your efforts! That is much clearer! And more... ominous...

Still, what a remarkable bit of artwork. I wonder if Mr Foglio drew it like that, or drew two separate pages and combined them in strips...

[Persephone_Kore]

Hrm.

Now that I think about it, they've carefully moved most of the important named characters out of Mechanicsburg. Mostly, the thing with Higgs and Zeetha is strangely suspicious in retrospect, since there was no real reason for them to leave the city except to get them out of range of this.

That said, who's still left in the city? Von Zinzer, Tarvek, Othar (although of course he'll survive, whatever it is, and could possibly save a few other people in the process)...?

Hmm... Moloch survives, because he's in the time windows.

The Foglios once were asked if Klaus and Agatha were going to meet again, and said there would be a big confrontation. Maybe Zeetha's been shuffled out of the way for that?

[Turalisj]

I have to wonder what's going on in the Klaus half of the panel. Why is Gika so panicked when Klaus already surrendered?

Warning, TvTropes link:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...rrenderSuckers

[ReaderAt2046]

Because she is smart enough to know that Klaus is "Up to Zumptink" and is a super dangerouse person.

But he surrendered, which sort of by definition means that whatever he's up to, it's not attacking Agatha or harming Mechanicsburg.

[Ailurus]

But he surrendered, which sort of by definition means that whatever he's up to, it's not attacking Agatha or harming Mechanicsburg.

Unless the device is (all but) guaranteed to go off regardless of what Gkika does. As Klaus said, he's already accomplished whatever he came for. So, if there's nothing Gkika can do to stop it, why not just stand down and watch the results of whatever the device does rather than struggling for no reason.

[chionophile]

But he surrendered, which sort of by definition means that whatever he's up to, it's not attacking Agatha or harming Mechanicsburg.

Do you really believe that? You think he's being honest and not deceptive at all? Considering that he wasn't threatened or captured by Agatha's team, and, in fact, fought his way into Mechanicsburg, the fact that he surrendered immediately is incredibly suspicious.

I probably would have stripped him of all his clothes and tools, tied him up and thrown him in a deep, deep pit if I wanted to even think for a moment he wasn't a threat. And I'd probably be wrong.

Also, see Turalisj's tvtropes link. Surrendering is a tactic.