Girl Genius XIX: Worth a Third of Your Grade

[eee]

I'm not sure that makes the idea much better. I mean sure, there is this prophecy, that the Knights of Jove might have made up, but they are still recreating the romance that led to their fall.
Somehow that doesn't sound very smart to me.

Actually, they're playing to the myth, not reality. It's like an American politician claiming to have been born in a log cabin, worked his way to the top through his own efforts, and wrapping himself in a flag while waving the Constitution around as he gives speeches. The situation now is completely different than back in the Storm King's day. Then, Andronicus was a mega ruler leading a coalition of most of Europa's power players to try to stop the Heterodyne menace, and Euphrosynia the Trojan Horse who, willingly or otherwise, destroyed that coalition and the Storm King. Now, the KoJ are trying to create another Storm King, and trying to make him legitimate by tying him to Andronicus. It would be like if a Sword in a Stone suddenly appeared today, with the legend that whoever could draw the sword would be the rightful ruler of Europa. As part of this the KoJ are retelling the Andronicus / Euphrosynia story, the opera and myth making it out to be a Romeo / Juliet type love, and if it happens again and goes right THIS time, there will be peace, prosperity, and lots of happiness.

Nations have been forged from lesser myths.

The KoJ are still planning to use military, political, and economic force to create their Storm King (who they apparently want to be a figurehead while THEY actually rule), but the myth is to give them a justification for that.

[Southern Cross]

Of course, if the new Storm King has any sense, he can have them killed, as they conspired with the Other.
And what are the odds that Gil is actually related to Titus Andronicus on his mother's side?
It's a cliche that the new hero-king doesn't know at first he's the rightful heir, after all. (And Agatha certainly fits this trope.) Besides, one of Gil's titles is "Your Royal Highness". Yes, current evidence implies his mother is the Queen of Skifander- but the Storm King DID get around- he could possibly have impregnated a Skifandrian Queen).

[Rogar Demonblud]

Or one of his descendants could have married into the Wulfenbach family. Heck, half the Spark Houses could be descended from him.

[hajo]

Hoffman recommended that they arrange a marriage to end the war...
And it turns out that the king has adopted HIM into the royal family...
Is Hoffman's adoption their solution to the inter-species problem...
(Hoffman) doesn't realize that HE is the one that will end up being married off to end the war?
... Collette

is the daughter of the Master of Paris - that's as 'royal' as it gets, here.

Any bets that the next arranged marriage will be Hoffman & Colette,
to avoid a war against the surface?

I'm pretty sure Hoffman wouldn't mind

[Wayson]

Hoffman recommended that they arrange a marriage to end the war and he said they managed to find a solution to the whole different species problem... And it turns out that the king has adopted HIM into the royal family... Is Hoffman's adoption their solution to the inter-species problem and he doesn't realize that HE is the one that will end up being married off to end the war?

Cause if so, then it sounds like collette might not have to worry about this union lasting too long.

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Mega points to you for getting it exactly right. :O And unfortunately now he's locked into the marriage, because it's the only way to avert the invasion. Good news at least, he may get extra credit for that.

[Kantaki]

Hoffmann aside, did this surprise anyone? The poor guy won't get out of that one. Especially since the marriage prevents a war against Paris.

I just hope our heroes don't have to stay for the wedding. Those things rarely end well. Hums "The Rains of Castamere"

[gooddragon1]

There are only so many thirds in a grade...
He also presumes much in thinking it will get him a full score. If he has one of the harder teachers, they never give full credit.

[eee]

Poor Hoffmann. He's getting it from all sides. How much is a third of his grade worth?

I wonder if Colette is, unknowingly, an adopted member of the Aruguron Royal family and the one THEY are putting up for this marriage? The MoP probably DOES have strange connections... And we don't know who her mother is...

Is that rock in the seventh panel alive or just carved that way???

[factotum]

The thing about Colette seems a bit of a reach, but would be fun to see...

Anyway, new strip doesn't really tell us much other than that we're likely to be seeing the Argurons real soon now, since everything seems to be pointing our heroine in that direction.

[Kantaki]

So far everything is going well with the library-mission. I'm expecting the worst.

[hajo]

Someone is making a serious line of niche products

"Heterodyne-branded, truffle-flavored crown-polish" FTW

[eee]

Agatha! For pity sakes! Copyright your image if you can, you'll become rich enough through royalties you can BUY Europa!

I'm rather liking the Mole King. He seems to be a nice guy. Even if he is selling his adopted son down the river.

Speaking of which, all the reasons for Hoffmann to go through with this marriage are piling up. It's going to take him a real Houdini act to get out of it without sacrificing his grade.

Someone is making a serious line of niche products

"Heterodyne-branded, truffle-flavored crown-polish" FTW

Given the number of rulers we've seen in the GG universe, crown polish may not be a SMALL niche item... Frankly, I think Agatha's image has been plastered on everything people are selling, no matter how ridiculous, Glove oil, crown polish, drinking chocolate... The Heterodyne name and Agatha's face appears to be a major selling point, at least in Paris.

[petersohn]

Agatha! For pity sakes! Copyright your image if you can, you'll become rich enough through royalties you can BUY Europa!

I'm rather liking the Mole King. He seems to be a nice guy. Even if he is selling his adopted son down the river.

I think it was his plan all along. He didn't adopt Hoffmann because he is such a nice guy. When Colette complains that they are not even the same species, Hoffmann says "they said they worked that out". Poor guy didn't really understand how exactly (though I guess he should have seen this coming). A perfect foreshadowing.

[Marcelinari]

Is it me, or does the Master of Paris seem less-than-omnipotent nowadays? Colette was truly concerned about the joint threat of the Argurons and the Talpini united, the Library has to be approached as diplomatically as possible (Colette has no authority to go there), the Blitzengaards are swanning about throwing masquerades (I can think of nothing more dangerous) and there's an opera house full of slaver wasps, presumably with a load of slavered Parisians. I've no doubt he's a force to be reckoned with... but Klaus seemed like a far more successful ruler, if only because all of the infighting around him was openly and deliberately allowed.

Edit: Also, did anyone make anything of Zeetha's comments on this page? That sounds awfully similar to the way Lucretia gained control of the Geisterdamen... add that to the fact that (there's some supposition here) Lucretia was the person who packed Klaus off to Skifander... has there been wild mass guessing about Lucretia's relationship to the Skifandrian royal family? That seems like a fruitful way to pass the time.

[eschmenk]

I'd say that the Master is reasonably close to being omnipotent within his small domain, but his domain is limited to the surface and just a few levels underneath. The library, Argurons, and Talpini should all be considered to be foreign domains just outside his borders just like the surface land that Klaus controls that lies just outside Paris. The Master has no authority in those places because they are all outside Paris.

The Blitzengaards remind me of some of Klaus's troublesome vassals. The solution in both cases is just to keep a close eye on them. That there are wasps in the opera house seems to be a flat-out mistake so clearly the Master isn't omnipotent omniscient. Still, compared to Klaus who was pretty frazzled at times, got wasped, and lost a major battle deep inside his own territory, I'd say the Master is doing reasonably well at keeping his own domain under control.

[Rogar Demonblud]

That is, he is so far. I think that's about to change.

[petersohn]

When we first met Klaus, his empire was strong and he was firmly in control. Then Agatha appeared and things started to fall apart. Similarly, when we first met the Master, Paris was strong and he was firmly in control. However, if we look deeper below the surface, we can see that things are already falling apart invisibly (the thing with these underground people and the Geisterdame in the opera house). Now Agatha appeared...

[eschmenk]

Agatha's ancestors would be very proud!

[sherlock]

Hoffmann is so "Heterodyne-style" in his actions that I wonder if he could be Agatha's cousin or something similar. He reminds me a lot the brothers Heterodyne. Maybe Agatha's uncle had a hidden romantic relation in Paris?

If Agatha should sue everyone who used her name and image without consent in the two years she was absent and ask for the right money back, Mechanisburg will become the richest city in the whole world, no doubt.

I like the mole-men.

[Deliverance]

If Agatha should sue everyone who used her name and image without consent in the two years she was absent and ask for the right money back, Mechanisburg will become the richest city in the whole world, no doubt.

It is a world ruled by mad science, not copyright or trademark law.

...Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing a comic based on a world ruled by mad lawyers battling it out for dominance, and yet it seems such an obvious subject. Can anybody help me out here? Surely somebody must have written something like that.

[Douglas]

...Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing a comic based on a world ruled by mad lawyers battling it out for dominance, and yet it seems such an obvious subject. Can anybody help me out here? Surely somebody must have written something like that.

Freefall has "battle lawyers", but so far they've only appeared in one offhand historical reference.

[Rockphed]

Freefall has "battle lawyers", but so far they've only appeared in one offhand historical reference.

Everything in Freefall is an offhand historical reference.

[petersohn]

Umm. Website seems to be down. Not that it's update time or anything, but still.

[Douglas]

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Well hi there, Mr. Gentleman Adventurer. It's too bad the forums don't have the proper font for that.

[eee]

WHOA! Early update!

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And there's pretty much only one person that could be. Othar Tryggvassen (Gentleman Adventurer) is, I think, about to make his reappearance.

EDIT: Ninjaed!

[Douglas]

WHOA! Early update!

They've actually been pretty good about updating on the dot of midnight (Eastern US time zone) recently.

[Ellen]

Othar's back!

And, is that thing called the Eloi Eater? Guess we just had to get some Morlock jokes in (and I guess we can take it less literally here than we would in Paris).

[Ailurus]

Huzzah! The Special Trousers have prevailed again!

[lurkmeister]

...Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing a comic based on a world ruled by mad lawyers battling it out for dominance, and yet it seems such an obvious subject. Can anybody help me out here? Surely somebody must have written something like that.

Try Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law -- not a comic, but very definitely a world ruled by Mad Lawyers (of which our protagonist is one). And Stephen Colbert provided voice talents!

[HandofShadows]

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Come on didn't anyone notice that Gil isn't sparky and the bags under his eye's are looking better. And there is a VERY pleased with himself Higgs there.