Girl Genius XV: The Weasel, the Spark, and the Wardrobe

[GaeasSon]

OK.... So my "threatometer" just pegged.

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I'm way more scared of her than I ever was of Pinky, and I'm not sure why. Although I have no idea at whom that threat will ultimately be directed. If I particularly cared about Martellus, I think I'd be terrified for him.

Her eyes look like she hasn't slept in days.

[datalaughing]

Yeah, I'm thinking maybe he shouldn't have let her hug him. Then again, he might have used the opportunity to do something bad as well. I guess we'll find out.

[Cracklord]

This is a family of backstabbers Cousins, uncles, etc kill each other. Their allies the Mongfish sisters are plotting against each other.

So while sister could be ally she also could still be head enemy. Fridays update, Tweedle might not be sure what to expect. She plays friend, he needs others who want to keep him alive, so he may still be in distrust but not profitable to show it mode in case she is really ally.

Well, I thought so at the time, but that expression could also invoke incredulous surprise, or exasperated confusion, or surprised anticipation, maybe even plain good old fashioned self-disgust for not anticipating the obvious. However, he did instantly slip out of the Spark fugue state. Whether this is because he feels he's lost control of the situation, because he needs his wits about hm, or because his megalomania is being pushed aside by genuine familial concern, or even because he's intimidated, well that's not clear yet either.

Are they likely to work together? To a point, I suspect. Tavek and Anvenka were planning a coup together, and showed every sign of acting on good faith with one another right until Anvenka ran out of other scapegoats (then again, Tavek was back-stabbing her the whole time, but the whole situation was well past catastrophe curve at that point anyway). They don't backstab each other just to keep in practice, that would be foolish and squander advantages, and valuable resources. It's all Realpolitik, and they are all loyal to their own interests. We have a good idea of what Martellus von Blitzengaard wants, he wants Agatha firmly under his thumb, and all of Europa grovelling before him or else (under him, I suspect the headsman axe would swing with the regularity of a pendulum). But what does Xerxsephnia want?

The family all want to seize power their own way. It all comes down to how much they want, and what sort of power they want. Judging by her attire, she clearly is setting as great an impression as possible, she expects people to cower and grovel before her, hence the impossibly cool clothes and the suitably dramatic entrance. This is all very clear body language, and demonstrating her position succinctly. She's taken control in the absence of her big brother, and is determined to be taken seriously.

Except she doesn't play it up. Oh, she reinforces the idea that they answer to her, but she acts like a little sister, and doesn't try to put him in his place at all. Quite the opposite if anything. Why not? Brother and sister, it's expected they'd have a certain rapport and camaraderie going, but I think her overall purpose is to make him comfortable and at ease. Again, why?

She's taken over here, and all her cousins, uncles, nephews and other red-headed, blue-blooded relations were all answering to her. Then her brother reappears, there is much slaughter, and he's trying to 'assert' himself. Which answers my question. She wants him to be aware of the new balance of power (that the fortress, and the men, are now hers), but at the same time is genuinely worried about her big brother, who she rushed over to see. He's been missing two and a half years, she probably thought he was dead, and now here he is, and she's glad to see him.

While Martellus gives and impression of gentle pride. Here's his little sister, older and prettier then he remembered, taking charge in his absence. It's good to see her, and he's proud that all his unpleasant family couldn't unseat them from the top of the pile even with his mysterious difference (not knowing about the Baron, he probably thinks it was one of them who was responsible). However he's cautious. There is too much in this situation he can't account for, and so he's still only relaxing too a point. For the first time, he's really aware just how unsteady his situation is, and in a way he's happy about that too, because by the standards of his family that proves his sister has grown up into a sharp young woman. I particularly like the reference to the laughter, you can see the proud gleam in his eye as he thinks about her, grown up into a real mad scientist.

However, perhaps this isn't what it looks like. Look Tweedle in the eye. He's certainly affectionate, but is there a flicker of patronizing condescension there? Is his smile fond but perhaps also dismissive, representative of him underestimating her? Is he foolishly thinking he's safe, or that he's fond an ally, when in fact he should be wondering if she's on his side, or he's on hers… Or is it just the opposite? Is it a touch fawning, is Martellus buttering up a more powerful relative, trying to insinuate himself to someone he knows is dangerous on a level beyond him, the real schemer who engineered Tavek's fall and his own ascension?

Or is it exactly what it looks like? Is the reason for their ascension the fact that they are cooperative, and is Agatha in double the trouble as two of the most dangerous of the Storm King's heirs work together for their mutual benefit?

An excellent strip. I want more already.

OK.... So my "threatometer" just pegged.

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I'm way more scared of her than I ever was of Pinky, and I'm not sure why. Although I have no idea at whom that threat will ultimately be directed. If I particularly cared about Martellus, I think I'd be terrified for him.

Her eyes look like she hasn't slept in days.

Zola was always more a physical threat then anything, even with her scheming, and our heroes always had overwhelming force firmly on their side, if only thanks to weight of numbers.

But Xerxsephnia doesn't look like that kinda of gal at all. No, she seems more the type to plan things, and lets her big strong brother get his hands dirty on her account.

[memnarch]

And.... no one's wondering about the voice harmonics possibly meaning something? I think she's a clank, or at least got robotic parts.

[eee]

Oh my God. I think we're seeing the face of evil on Earth.

And a very stylish dresser, to boot.

This might be the other smart person who needs Tweedle alive. She might want the big lug as her puppet, since I suspect the Knights will only accept a Storm King and not a Queen. That would not mean she might not also be the 'He' who's been trying to kill Tweedle, since after 2.5 years she might have set up another puppet and have been trying to preserve her new plans and only given up when he proved too strong...

On the other hand, if she DID just arrive, it was probably by airship. Down in the hanger. Where Agatha and Vi are headed. To try to find a way out.

[Cracklord]

This might be the other smart person who needs Tweedle alive. She might want the big lug as her puppet, since I suspect the Knights will only accept a Storm King and not a Queen. That would not mean she might not also be the 'He' who's been trying to kill Tweedle, since after 2.5 years she might have set up another puppet and have been trying to preserve her new plans and only given up when he proved too strong...

On the other hand, if she DID just arrive, it was probably by airship. Down in the hanger. Where Agatha and Vi are headed. To try to find a way out.

I assumed he meant himself. It would fit better with his surprise at seeing her, though I suppose it is possible. As to whether she's trying to off him, well it's quite possible, but I doubt it. For one thing, she seems to think that the attempts so far have been laughable, which is most likely true. He certainly was more inconvenienced then threatened by all the attempts so far, and you'd imagine his sister knows him well enough to be able to tell what reasonably constitutes as a threat.

And I suspect she isn't the power behind the scenes type, I mean I'm sure she could if the situation merited it, but if shes anything like the rest of her family she has an understandable addiction to the spotlight, and furthermore there is absolutely nothing about her that suggests 'subtle'. Manipulation, sure, but not subtle.

I think it's a bit more likely that they are brother and sister who feel genuine affection, but they aren't sure how much that has changed, and they aren't sure what the others appearance portents, and so they're making small talk while they figure it out. Tweedle is probably trying to figure out if his sister being the one in charge is going to make assuming his former place more easy, and she's probably wondering if his return is going to upset the plans she put in motion when she took over (she must have had a reason to take over). Luitpold said there isn't another Storm King at the moment, was that her work? And if so, was it a show of faith towards him, or was it her own play for power…

Now, the big question, is she a spark? They might have wanted to keep her around (for breeding purposes), but it's probably more likely that if she was, she'd have been put in the machine. The Order is the reason so many female sparks mysteriously vanish, remember, and they would be unlikely to turn down a suitable test subject near at hand. I mean, Anvenka actually was put through one of the machines by her own father, remember? But then, there's a lot of room for maybe. Maybe her break-through was hidden, and nobody found out. Maybe she's (for some reason) an unsuitable subject. Or maybe she's not a spark (though we just had Zola as a non-spark physical enemy, we don't need another one).

But yeah. Lets hope they remain distracted a bit longer, or Violetta might have to demonstrate how good she's gotten.

And.... no one's wondering about the voice harmonics possibly meaning something? I think she's a clank, or at least got robotic parts.

Really? I'm thinking it's got something to do with imitating Lucrezia's voice to control her machines and constructs. Like Tavek's father, and Anvenka. Possibly using the readings taken from Agatha.

[Calemyr]

Not every Knight of Jove was loyal to Lucrezia. Aarionev was uniquely picked out by Klaus as her pet. Tweedle's branch of the tree may well have never supported sacrificing their own to resurrect a goddess they were never supposed to have sworn fealty to in the first place.

My money? The siblings got along and when Mechanicsburg fell Seph stepped up to the plate. Rather than risk losing what she and her brother built, she took over. And she was darn good at it. And people were willing to tolerate her because she wasn't a potential Storm King and therefore wasn't a threat to their own agendas.

Tweedle is another story. He shows up and everything hits the fan. Why, because the combination of Tweedle and Seph would be more than a threat to their agendas, it would be the end of them.

Of course, Seph has aged two and a half years since he's seen her, and Tweedle has been missing/presumed dead all that time. So now both siblings are circling each other with caution. Is this the same person I remember? Is this my beloved ally or is this now the greatest threat I'll ever know?

[stsasser]

Bang with the ugly Blitzengaard Red hair.

[SirSigfried]

I am more concerned with the mysterious cloaked figure to the right, with the black fedora. I think we found our premature time window activator.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021111

[Lix Lorn]

Say what you like about the von Blitzengaard's, but

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they really know how to dress. Though she is a lot more adorable then I anticipated with a name like that. To me a name like Xerxsephnia suggests a ponderous, stately sort of character, which she certainly doesn't seem to be.

Still, how's that for a twist? Two loving siblings who seem genuinely fond of each other, at least on first impression. Isn't that interesting…

My immediate thought on seeing this strip was 'Okay so how long til she tries to kill him?'

[The Glyphstone]

I'm picturing something like this exchange:
http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2012-05...rma-chameleon/

Among the Blitzengaards, half-hearted assassination attempts are how you express and return affection.

[eee]

She was happy to go to England because it was an excuse not to go to Mechanicsburg.

True enough. Of course there were other factors at work. Klaus was invading Strumhalten, her plans were going up in smoke, and Wooster was offering a quick way out. She was still in 'disguise' as Agatha and thought no one knew different. She knew Klaus; she might not have known much about Albia except that her power over Britain was absolute and outside of Klaus' reach. And she had the Spark Wasp; if she could get close enough to Albia, and it would work on her...

All of which assumes Wooster would have lived long enough to fly her to England. Once out of the danger zone Lu might have changed her mind. And given her lack of scruple regarding murder... And that Wooster would not be prepared for an attack from her...

[choken1]

Now, there must be at least two members of this family that can play nice, for five minutes, without killing each other. Otherwise that bloodline would have thinned out a long, long time ago.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Now, there must be at least two members of this family that can play nice, for five minutes, without killing each other. Otherwise that bloodline would have thinned out a long, long time ago.

I suspect the family existed in a continued state of cold war for years, and it only became a hot, messy and bloody war when Klaus left the picture. At that point, the guy in charge went for Mechanisburg, got himself and a large segment of the Knight's army annihilated, and what is left of the family has been duking it out ever since.

Mind you, as efficient as they have been shown to be, I am quite surprised that a new overlord hasn't managed to assassin his way to the top over the last 2.5 years.

Grey Wolf

[eee]

<snip>

Mind you, as efficient as they have been shown to be, I am quite surprised that a new overlord hasn't managed to assassin his way to the top over the last 2.5 years.

Grey Wolf

Well, you've got the added complication that Gil is apparently waging total war on the Knights and by extension Tarvek's family. They may have all broken down into separate and separated enclaves constantly in agitation. And when a strong man arises in one group and tries to expand, the other groups combine to snuff him...

Now, in the Refuge, it would appear someone HAS risen to the top in the 2.5 years and was in firm control before Tweedle showed up. Naturally we think it's Seffie. We'll see if that's right or not. And if it is, what she intends to do about her brother.

[Cracklord]

…Imagine what we can expect for Tavek's reaction…

[Karellen]

Oh dear. Is the new plan to marry Seffie to Gil?

[Lochar]

With the missing color, Seffie looks like a Geister.

[Grif]

How would Gil even agree to this?

He knows by proxy what the Order has done, and he seemed pretty disgusted by their behaviour.

[petersohn]

The moral of the story: never, ever talk about politics while shaving.

[factotum]

How would Gil even agree to this?

He knows by proxy what the Order has done, and he seemed pretty disgusted by their behaviour.

He might not even *know* until it's already a fait accompli. It just needs a few carefully-placed agitators to declare Gil the new Storm King and then let the word spread as it will...

[HandofShadows]

I think Gil started down the path to being the "Storm King" back on this page.

[sihnfahl]

Oh dear. Is the new plan to marry Seffie to Gil?

No. No more fakes. The story they built up was a union between the Storm King and a Heterodyne.

The only Heterodyne is Agatha. Now that she's back...

[eee]

We have heard of Granny before, I think. Or perhaps Violetta was talking of her other Granny. Regardless, it would appear we now know who the REAL ruler of this family of back-stabbing, power hungry Sparks is. I wonder when we're going to meet her...

Also, Martellus' (I want to keep calling him Tweedle, but I guess his real name is better) comments tell us something. It's clear he's been told what happened to Mechanicsburg and about the 2.5 years. That he considered Zola a option strongly suggests she made it out of the city before whatever happened, happened, and is still available to the Knights. They think. This is really not a surprise; the last time we saw her - flat on her back in the Great Hospital - she'd manipulated 'Anevka' into cranking up the healing devices working on her to agonizingly high levels in a 'cure or kill' move. I'm sure the moment she could stand up on her own she was out of the Hospital and the city like a ghost. But while the Knights may still consider her a chess piece, with that copy of Lu's mind at her command I imagine she's actually aiming at being the chess master, herself.

No. No more fakes. The story they built up was a union between the Storm King and a Heterodyne.

The only Heterodyne is Agatha. Now that she's back...

Well, yes, but she was gone for 2.5 years. During that time I would assume the Knights dropped that aspect of the story and began playing up the Storm King part. And since Gil can summon down the lightning...

If Gil's already mind controlled then all the Knights would have to do was find what the key to that control is, and they'll control HIM.

[Stabbey]

Let me put things in perspective. The Order of the Knights of Jove made their play for power against Klaus Wulfenbach when he was injured. Baron Wulfenbach, the re-uniter of Europa, instituter of the Pax Transylvania (“Don’t make me come over there”), is a really, really scary guy and one you have to think twice about thinking twice about crossing.

So how much scarier has Gil gotten since his death that the Knights of Jove think that he, not one of their own family is their best option?

[Lix Lorn]

So how much scarier has Gil gotten since his death that the Knights of Jove think that he, not one of their own family is their best option?

I dunno, how scary does a spark get when the love of his life is wasped and then presumed dead..?

[sihnfahl]

I dunno, how scary does a spark get when the love of his life is wasped and then presumed dead..?

Wasped? Agatha wasn't wasped.

Ah, you mean his father?

It looks like this was a time-distortion bomb. Presumably Gil would know that, since, after all, it was from Klaus' black vault. He knows that his father will return ... eventually ... but he has to run the Empire while Dad is trapped in the bubble.

[Lix Lorn]

But wasn't he TOLD that she was? I may be misremembering the (labyrinthine) plot.

[Calemyr]

Gil has been bouncing between the sweet, sensible hero and the terrifying, world-rending hero for a while now. Like father, like son, I think. I expect he will have honed his terrifying persona to a killing edge by now, while remaining completely personable when not dealing with idiots.

The old Storm King / Heterodyne Princess scheme won't work anymore. There's no way for a Heterodyne to prove their blood, and Agatha made too much of an impression to sweep under a rug. Oh, and Gil KNOWS Agatha - fake Heterodyne princesses would certainly be dealt with swiftly and severely.

Also, between his weapon of choice, his position, his history with Agatha, and Klaus's story, I suspect Gil is now the "official" Storm King anyway. It would be hard to argue that he doesn't deserve the title. If he is, there's a fair argument to be made that the "loyal" Knights (the ones who resented Lucrezia taking it over) would side with him, especially after their own two candidates for the role went MIA. Better to gain power through following your oath than wither in obscurity and all that.

EDIT: Gil knows the whole Agatha/Lucrezia story. He flat out admits that Agatha is everything his father fears she could be, not that this changes anything for him. He also knows that Tarvek is her best chance at a cure. When Agatha returns, it will certainly take some serious persuasion to convince him that she's still her.

[eee]

But wasn't he TOLD that she was? I may be misremembering the (labyrinthine) plot.

No, Gil was told that HE had been WASPed, probably while in Paris, and that his feelings for Agatha were artificial. Klaus supported this by waving a weasel who was hissing and shrieking the way they do when confronted by the infected at him. Gil was not smart enough to realize Klaus' story had holes in it - not the least being that Agatha had frequently given him orders which he had promptly ignored - and was confused enough by this, and by Klaus' not so subtle "Cooperate or I blow Mechanicsburg AND the Heterodyne girl off the map!" to submit to mind control. After which, it was all academic...