Girl Genius XVIII: Invisible Hand of the Legendary Smoke Knights

[Grif]

And I bet the Eiffel Tower is one giant Tesla Coil.

Aw, now I'm going to be really disappointed if the Eiffel Tower isn't one giant tesla coil in the comic.

[Traab]

Aw, now I'm going to be really disappointed if the Eiffel Tower isn't one giant tesla coil in the comic.

Could be a giant faraday cage instead.

[The Glyphstone]

Or the focusing point for a giant beam cannon.

[Traab]

Framework for a spark trying to build a space shuttle?

[Aquatosic]

Primitive immaterial construct trap? That's what it was in The Real Ghostbusters

[Landis963]

Ooh, ooh! I know! Time machine! Stationary time machine that makes time windows into places and that people can't go through!

[BannedInSchool]

"It's just a radio tower. I know. I know. It disappoints all the tourists too."

[eee]

"It's just a radio tower. I know. I know. It disappoints all the tourists too."

The Tower WAS originally a showpiece for the 1889 Paris World's Fair. As such, it didn't do much except look good. It's been put to different uses since then, including a radio tower; but it still looks good!

(Actually, I'm not sure we've seen much about radio communications in the GG universe. Heliographs, couriers, semaphores: But not radio or telegraphy. How odd. Apparently that's too 'normal' for Sparks. Or they haven't discovered it yet. Or they have and they're holding it in reserve to show them, show them ALL!)

[Rodin]

If we consider the setup to the Revenge of the Weasel Queen stories to be canon, they do have radio at least since that's how the Foglios are broadcasting it.

Of course, that's a pretty big if.

It would make sense that radio is about though. It just isn't trusted when there's a good chance your radio will try to eat your face, or the soundwaves will melt your brain, or....

[BannedInSchool]

The Tower WAS originally a showpiece for the 1889 Paris World's Fair. As such, it didn't do much except look good. It's been put to different uses since then, including a radio tower; but it still looks good!

AIUI, for a while in Paris, before it was considered a national landmark, people actually wanted it torn down because it was considered an eyesore and being a radio tower saved it from that fate.

[HandofShadows]

AIUI, for a while in Paris, before it was considered a national landmark, people actually wanted it torn down because it was considered an eyesore and being a radio tower saved it from that fate.

Very true. The tower was originally intended only to be around as long at the World Fair was going. Eiffel had other plans though. We have seen at least one other real world genius be a spark in GG. An Eiffel who was a spark would be REAL interesting. Hmmm. I wonder if we might meet him?

[BannedInSchool]

We have seen at least one other real world genius be a spark in GG. An Eiffel who was a spark would be REAL interesting. Hmmm. I wonder if we might meet him?

He could be convicted of fraud (unjustly) like the real Eiffel! Hmm, we've had sparky artists and cooks...no Spark Lawyers? Heheheheheh.

[Aquatosic]

He could be convicted of fraud (unjustly) like the real Eiffel! Hmm, we've had sparky artists and cooks...no Spark Lawyers? Heheheheheh.

You forgot sparky sociologists

[Corneel]

Very true. The tower was originally intended only to be around as long at the World Fair was going. Eiffel had other plans though. We have seen at least one other real world genius be a spark in GG. An Eiffel who was a spark would be REAL interesting. Hmmm. I wonder if we might meet him?

Maybe we'll see him beneath the archway of aerodynamics?

[Porthos]

I... I can honestly say I was not expecting that.

....

would be so proud of it, though.

[Ellen]

Given some of the stuff Agatha's seen . . . what on earth is he doing with that stick to make her look that horrified?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Given some of the stuff Agatha's seen . . . what on earth is he doing with that stick to make her look that horrified?

What, hitting the puppet representation of the most powerful, most short-tempered man in the world is not enough to be horrified? I suspect that those puppets would have been blasted to smithereens approximately two seconds after the first public rehearsal of that new show, if Klaus was still at large.

Grey Wolf

[The Glyphstone]

Which is an oddity in its own right, using a puppet of Klaus when Gil has been the 'Baron Wulfenbach' for 2 and a half years, and whose Empire is fractured. You'd think they would have updated the welcoming play to account for actual current events.

[factotum]

Maybe they don't have the budget to update it? Or else the Master of Paris knows what Klaus did to Gil and thus thinks the puppet doesn't actually need changing...

[Porthos]

What, hitting the puppet representation of the most powerful, most short-tempered man in the world is not enough to be horrified? I suspect that those puppets would have been blasted to smithereens approximately two seconds after the first public rehearsal of that new show, if Klaus was still at large.

Grey Wolf

I don't know. One of the few inarguably good things that even Klaus skeptics like myself will admit is that he allowed all sorts of scurillous stuff to be said about his personage and rule. It's only when that backtalk turned into ignoring Klaus' Laws is when the Jägers were sent in.

In short, you could slag off Klaus all you wanted as long as you obeyed him.

(NOTE: There is also the minor matter that Paris is most explicitly outside of Pax Wulfenbachia and thus not subject to the dictates of Klaus Wulfenbach)

===

As for why it's Klaus and not Gil? Probably for many of the same reasons Klaus was seen as a buttmonkey of sorts in the Old Heterodyne Plays. He's a figure in the past as 'safer' to ridicule. We'll see if the next update shifts to commentary about Gil or not.

It could also be the Master of Paris saying that he was willing to defy Klaus when he was at his height (in the now perhaps seen as Good Ol' Days) and so all of you upstarts out there wouldn't even have a chance - so don't even think about it.

[Rodin]

I think it's most likely because Klaus is the "face" of the Empire. Everybody knows what he looks like because of all the time he spent with the Heterodyne Boys and subsequent appearances in Heterodyne shows.

In contrast, Gil was unknown enough that even people who had known him for years like Zola still didn't know he was a Wulfenbach.

[dogmac]

Certainly more interesting than the customs I've been through.

[Aquatosic]

Maybe it's just that I can't see the jaw lines, but the female puppet looks disturbingly realistic. I'm almost wondering if she used to be a person who was punished for breaking the peace.

[lord_khaine]

It could also be the Master of Paris saying that he was willing to defy Klaus when he was at his height (in the now perhaps seen as Good Ol' Days) and so all of you upstarts out there wouldn't even have a chance - so don't even think about it.

This most likely, Klaus at his height were most likely the most powerful person any regular person or spark could put a face on.

[HandofShadows]

I think the puppet show demonstrates something of the Master's personality. He's petty. As for Agatha's reaction while she might be fighting against Klaus, she never really considered him to be an enemy. (The Other fills that bill.) And when it comes down to it, she really has no problem with how Klaus ran things.

[eee]

I'm speechless! Almost. The idea of a puppet show to explain the customs of a city/nation to visitors: NATIONS OF THE WORLD, ARE YOU WATCHING???

And such good puppets they are. So that's what the Master of Paris looks like.

What, hitting the puppet representation of the most powerful, most short-tempered man in the world is not enough to be horrified? I suspect that those puppets would have been blasted to smithereens approximately two seconds after the first public rehearsal of that new show, if Klaus was still at large.

Grey Wolf

More likely he'd have shrugged it off, or been quietly amused. Klaus is very thick skinned: He doesn't care if he's depicted as the fool in Heterodyne plays, he don't care what people say about him, what he cares about is peace and order. Looking at it objectively, the Master is saying the same thing. "I don't care how powerful you are. MY city, MY rules, obey or you get the stick!"

I wonder how he's going to react to Agatha. It's not that she intentionally causes trouble - usually - but trouble follows her like a deluge.

[Divayth Fyr]

Aside from the Klaus stuff, now we know the Eiffel Tower exists, and it would seem to be the Master's residence.

[Traab]

I just had to be the first to put this here. Anyways, my money goes with, the master now feels more free to spout off about how awesome he is since the baron is gone. I picture it as two rival nations, both powerful enough to cause major problems to the other, so both have to tread relatively lightly around each other. Then the big strong ruler of one nation dies or vanishes and the unknown takes over, and is having his own problems. You no longer truly fear mocking them.

For an example, lets go with braveheart. Noone really wants to mess with England while longshanks is alive and well. Once his rather pathetic son took over though, I bet everyone around england wanted to poke at the borders and see what they could get away with.

[HandofShadows]

The Master IS living in the Tower it seems. (I had not noticed that). That really is a big step towards Eiffel being the Master (not proof yet) as in the real world after the Tower was built Eiffel, lived there for the rest of his life.

[Kislath]

When you see the new movie "Tomorrowland," you'll find out what the Eiffel Tower REALLY does! LOL

"um, this is new." I wonder if this part is REALLY, really new, as in, they somehow know the Baron was coming and changed the show a bit just for him.