Girl Genius XVII: And Then He Had Pie

[wingnutx]

This is TOTALY the monks ignoring Tweedle being coshed (Love the sound effect since "to cosh" someone is an actual term). Not only to avoid trouble, but because they don't LIKE him either.

Yup.

"I see nothing!"

[eee]

Ah, so it WAS the monks preserving Sanctuary, rather than natural collapse. Well, for everyone else. Since Gil went down first, I still suspect Klaus stressed his body too far...

This does answer why Martellus said he wouldn't impede Agatha's journey to Paris; he intended to take her there, himself, as his prisoner. Possibly imposing further mind control on her along the way.

He doesn't learn, does he?

Ah naive Martellus. Or would that be reverse naivety in thinking that politics alone would get honorable men to go against their life long oath? Especially when those honorable men have already been described as a wild card to your face.

The naivety would seem to be in continuing to underestimate Violetta. For a guy who is supposed to be an almost unbeatable fighter, he seems to have a serious blind spot where his cousin is concerned. Evidently she wasn't really that good at being a Smoke Knight before, and he hasn't fully grasp how much she's blossomed being in Agatha's service.

I wonder how Agatha & Co. are going to get out of the fortress. If the Beast were still functional and would obey her, it would be easy. As is...?

[Nightsbridge]

Didn't Terry Pratchett do something similar in one of his novels where they went back in time to when Lord Vetinari was an assassin? ISTR he walked into his target's great hall dressed in the brightest colours available, walked up to him and killed him without anyone else apparently noticing...

It was hilarious but that's not quite what happened. He was dressed in all black, threw open the door, walked up to the paranoid ruler who was testing everything for poison, killed him and walked out. No one 'noticed' because most of the nobility in the room were in on it.

[Divayth Fyr]

I wonder how Agatha & Co. are going to get out of the fortress. If the Beast were still functional and would obey her, it would be easy. As is...?

I have a strange feeling nothing currently stationed outside the fortress will be able to keep up with the monks' newest train...

[slayerx]

Is there a name for those little knock out club things?

It was hilarious but that's not quite what happened. He was dressed in all black, threw open the door, walked up to the paranoid ruler who was testing everything for poison, killed him and walked out. No one 'noticed' because most of the nobility in the room were in on it.

I'm reminded of a scene from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. It was back when the military was fighting against the ishvalans. The soliders were winning the war but have long since grown sick of the war; the enemy leader shows up to offer surrender terms but their general ignores him and wants his men to keep fighting. His direct subordinate shoots him dead and everyone else agrees that he was killed by a stray bullet. Though there was nothing funny about the scene

[Qwertystop]

This might be tricky - Agatha's knocked out, so there's not going to be any obvious moment of transition from Lucrezia. If she's clever enough to pretend when she wakes up, there could be problems.

[Divayth Fyr]

This might be tricky - Agatha's knocked out, so there's not going to be any obvious moment of transition from Lucrezia. If she's clever enough to pretend when she wakes up, there could be problems.

Shouldn't the locket kick back in at the same time the other devices do?

Is there a name for those little knock out club things?

If I'm not mistaken, they're called saps.

[eee]

If I'm not mistaken, they're called saps.

Or a blackjack (not to be confused with the card game). Or cosh. A lead weight or pellets in a leather pouch. REALLY effective in the hands of someone who knows how to use one.

[Calemyr]

This might be tricky - Agatha's knocked out, so there's not going to be any obvious moment of transition from Lucrezia. If she's clever enough to pretend when she wakes up, there could be problems.

Honestly, I kind of doubt it. Lucy is clever enough, but she simply can't play at being Agatha. Her ego is simply too big to get into the role. Even when she's feigning meekness, it's with a distinctly sarcastic tone that anyone who actually knows the two of them would instantly recognize it as Lucy. She's blind to her own tells (as most people are), and shocked when people catch on to them.

What I expect is something like this:
Lucrezia (Waking up): Ohhh...
Gil (All concerned): Agatha! Are you alright?!
Lucrezia (as Agatha): Ohh... Yes, Gil, darling. I think I'm fine...
Klaus: It's Lucrezia.
* Violetta coshes Lucrezia *
Klaus: We'll see who wakes up next time...
Bang: I love this! It's like mind control whack-a-mole!

Okay, honestly I expect her to wake up on the experimental train, heading to Paris with the monks' subtle blessing. But this version amuses me more.

[Qwertystop]

Honestly, I kind of doubt it. Lucy is clever enough, but she simply can't play at being Agatha. Her ego is simply too big to get into the role. Even when she's feigning meekness, it's with a distinctly sarcastic tone that anyone who actually knows the two of them would instantly recognize it as Lucy. She's blind to her own tells (as most people are), and shocked when people catch on to them.

What I expect is something like this:
Lucrezia (Waking up): Ohhh...
Gil (All concerned): Agatha! Are you alright?!
Lucrezia (as Agatha): Ohh... Yes, Gil, darling. I think I'm fine...
Klaus: It's Lucrezia.
* Violetta coshes Lucrezia *
Klaus: We'll see who wakes up next time...
Bang: I love this! It's like mind control whack-a-mole!

Okay, honestly I expect her to wake up on the experimental train, heading to Paris with the monks' subtle blessing. But this version amuses me more.

Fair enough, but she does have the excuse of having just been drugged - and wasn't Lu leaking in a bit one time in the Castle when she was very tired?

But yeah, definitely not good at it. Still laughing a little when I remember that one attempt - "I am the Agatha girl!"

[Traab]

I am fully expecting a grand breakout scene as the new supertrain just barrels right through whatever paltry clanks and blockades gil and marty have setup. What doesnt get smashed out of the way will get left behind by the new ultra high speed travel speed. What I wonder about is, what will be done with gil? I mean, Bang is REALLY loyal to gil, and I think wants him to get help. Agatha is her best shot at fixing him, but she is also the other. And with klaus in control, I dont think he would LET her try to fix this. (I dont blame him) Perhaps what will be done is, now that agatha knows what is going on, she will work on that as a side project to freeing her town from the time stopper.

Other good news, the fact that both gil and marty are knocked da heck out, means agatha gets a head start, because their people wont just leave them at the sanctuary without orders.

[Calemyr]

Fair enough, but she does have the excuse of having just been drugged - and wasn't Lu leaking in a bit one time in the Castle when she was very tired?

But yeah, definitely not good at it. Still laughing a little when I remember that one attempt - "I am the Agatha girl!"

Leaking, yes. It was coloring Agatha's mind without dominating it. If Lucy had more smarts than ego, that's where she'd focus her efforts - don't dominate Agatha, turn Agatha into Lucy, Jr.

And while she may have the excuse of having just been drugged, she also has to deal with the fact of having just been drugged. This wouldn't leave her on her "A" game if it were even relevant at that point..

marty

Hey! I'll have you know that giving people disparaging nicknames by reducing their exotic names to their common contemporary counterparts is my thing, thank you very much! Uh... also, I fully intend to steal that one, as it's quite good. (Kidding, of course. I'm only mad because I didn't think of it first.)

[HandofShadows]

I'm reminded of a scene from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. It was back when the military was fighting against the ishvalans. The soliders were winning the war but have long since grown sick of the war; the enemy leader shows up to offer surrender terms but their general ignores him and wants his men to keep fighting. His direct subordinate shoots him dead and everyone else agrees that he was killed by a stray bullet. Though there was nothing funny about the scene

That was Basque Grand, The Iron Blood Alchemist. He got kind of an adaptation decay in the animated series.

[BRC]

He were dressed in assains black, and calmly walked up towards his target, the current lord of the city, while everyone ignored him because they all wanted said lord replaced.
(slightly simplified explanation, read Night watch for the full story)

Spoiler

Show

And technically, Vetinari didn't touch him. The patrician was so paranoid that he choked on his cake and died at the very sight of an assassin walking towards him.

[Qwertystop]

Leaking, yes. It was coloring Agatha's mind without dominating it. If Lucy had more smarts than ego, that's where she'd focus her efforts - don't dominate Agatha, turn Agatha into Lucy, Jr.

And while she may have the excuse of having just been drugged, she also has to deal with the fact of having just been drugged. This wouldn't leave her on her "A" game if it were even relevant at that point..

Rephrasing: Those (having been drugged, Lu leaking) are things that, if the body wakes up with Lu in control, Lu could use as excuses for her tells. If the drug doesn't have aftereffects, but nobody knows that (because they've left the monks and Gil and Bang behind by the time she wakes up, and Zeetha is tougher than Agatha), then Lu could claim that lingering effects of the drug -> tiredness -> mannerisms leaking in. It wouldn't hold forever but it might work for a little while, unless they decide to knock her out or lock her up for a few hours just to be safe.

[wingnutx]

Since Gil went down first, I still suspect Klaus stressed his body too far...

He had two pieces of cake.

[Lethologica]

Hey! I'll have you know that giving people disparaging nicknames by reducing their exotic names to their common contemporary counterparts is my thing, thank you very much! Uh... also, I fully intend to steal that one, as it's quite good. (Kidding, of course. I'm only mad because I didn't think of it first.)

Also, this is making me think about a crossover where Marty from QC is replaced by Marty from Girl Genius.

[Emperordaniel]

Proposal:

Girl Genius XVIII: Invisible Hand of the Legendary Smoke Knights

Switching my vote to this!

[runeghost]

Proposal:

Girl Genius XVIII: Invisible Hand of the Legendary Smoke Knights

How mysterious! And appropriate!

[Ionbound]

Proposal:

Girl Genius XVIII: Invisible Hand of the Legendary Smoke Knights

Indeed! Truly, it is a wonder!

[eee]

He had two pieces of cake.

Ah yes, so he did. And they gave Tweedle the biggest slice...

Twicksy, twicksy monks!

[Hurkyl]

The more I read, the more Violetta is my favorite character. She just has this weird and wonderful mix of having moments of awesome and moments of everyone else upstaging her.

[Landis963]

The more I read, the more Violetta is my favorite character. She just has this weird and wonderful mix of having moments of awesome and moments of everyone else upstaging her.

Moloch was the exact same way. Unfortunately, he's currently stuck in time-amber right about now, so Violetta's picking up the slack.

[eee]

Also, this is making me think about a crossover where Marty from QC is replaced by Marty from Girl Genius.

(Starts thinking about that.)

(Starts developing an eye twitch. Twitch gets more pronounced with further thought.)

Jeez, that's... I mean, Martellus von Blitzengaard, Library Assistant? Plotting to take over the Library from Tai? Building Pintsize into a 40 story tall killing machine? Getting into a 'Whose hand is better?" battle with Clinton? And - Holy Cow - Martellus and Claire!!!

On the other hand, Hannelore's daddy might be happy to have a Spark around.

And the flip side isn't much better. Agatha: "My mother tried to enslave all Europa, killed and destroyed in massive numbers, and almost wiped my personality and took over my body. Even now she's camped in my brain, watching everything I do." Marten Tiberius Reed (sadly): "Yeah. Mothers."

But he'd be the COOLEST, most laid back Storm King ever! People would support him just to attend the rock concerts he'd throw!

[The Glyphstone]

Yeah, I'm not sure which universe ends up worse off in this crossover. I love it already.

[Taojnhy]

That is one seriously amazing wig Wooster was sporting there.

[Eldan]

Well, the thing is. It's mentioned in the background that Sparks get stronger the more developed mundane technology is, as a reason why the world was still *mostly* normal before the Renaissance and especially the Industrialization. Unleashing a Spark on a world that already has wholly unsparky robots, space stations and giant laser cannons... and where he is the only spark...

Yeah, not going to end well.

Edit: Looking at the reverse, if Marten actually had Spark powers, he'd develop giant guitars with more and more strings. It seems to be the only thing he's remotely passionate about.

[Qwertystop]

That is one seriously amazing wig Wooster was sporting there.

It seems to have made his sideburns invisible.

[Lethologica]

Well, the thing is. It's mentioned in the background that Sparks get stronger the more developed mundane technology is, as a reason why the world was still *mostly* normal before the Renaissance and especially the Industrialization. Unleashing a Spark on a world that already has wholly unsparky robots, space stations and giant laser cannons... and where he is the only spark...

Yeah, not going to end well.

Edit: Looking at the reverse, if Marten actually had Spark powers, he'd develop giant guitars with more and more strings. It seems to be the only thing he's remotely passionate about.

SANIC WEAPONZ INCOMING tho

[Porthos]

Page 50 is filled up as of this post. New thread started. So go over there and start posting already.

Went with the "Smoke Knights" title because it seemed very popular and doesn't invite complaints from fans of other comics like the "primary" one might have.

Or to put it another way, "I have altered the terms of the title. Pray I don't alter it further."