Girl Genius XXIII: Screaming, Ranting and Egregious Violence

[Agi Hammerthief]

someone in the background looks happy, like he barely got away with his life.

[SZbNAhL]

If you've been revising constantly for weeks, does that mean you've grown a nice bear-d?

I've never been one to panda to society's expectations of personal appearance.

[Rogar Demonblud]

So you've gotten a little grizzly?

[tonberrian]

Back on topic, it seems that SOMEONE doesn't like Dr. Dim...

[Ellen]

Unbearable as it is to not join in on the ursine jokes, things are about to get grizzly. Albia's arctic* tones shifted us to the polar opposite of what we expected. I am not pandaing to the crowd when I say we are about to see a big hulla-Baloo. It's going to be a Kodiak moment, if you know what I mean. The almost teddyously easy going queen will wake up from hibernation, like an angry, mama bear. These are real plot complications and not just paddington to draw it out.

Bear with me. It's as big an upset as the Cubs winning the World Series but, what we thought was a simple, honey of a story--Krosp coming to see Agatha--has turned into a real bugbear of a problem. Krosp may be smarter than the average bear, but he has made a big Boo-Boo with his plans.

Excuse me, I need to go practice some Yogi and maybe eat a picnic basket to calm myself down. Maybe, after, I'll be ready for the Jambearee.

Also, don't anyone say I'm only Winnie-ing and Pooh-poo the idea.

*"Arctic" comes from the Greek word for bear, because North was under the constellation of the bear (I mention this because no bad pun should go unpunished).

[keybounce]

"Food lady"?
"Three years"?
That's a cat for you.

[Kantaki]

"Food lady"?
"Three years"?
That's a cat for you.

I was going to say the power went to his head, but yeah being a cat doesn't help either.

And I guess whoever's reacting so strongly to Vapnoodle, it's not good for our heroes.

[geoduck]

I was going to say the power went to his head, but yeah being a cat doesn't help either.

And I guess whoever's reacting so strongly to Vapnoodle, it's not good for our heroes.

Mostly likely Albia. You know she's listening in on all of this.

[Agi Hammerthief]

"Food lady"?
"Three years"?
That's a cat for you.

or is it the Foglios lapshading the time since his last appearence?

[PraetorDragoon]

Unbearable as it is to not join in on the ursine jokes, things are about to get grizzly. Albia's arctic* tones shifted us to the polar opposite of what we expected. I am not pandaing to the crowd when I say we are about to see a big hulla-Baloo. It's going to be a Kodiak moment, if you know what I mean. The almost teddyously easy going queen will wake up from hibernation, like an angry, mama bear. These are real plot complications and not just paddington to draw it out.

Bear with me. It's as big an upset as the Cubs winning the World Series but, what we thought was a simple, honey of a story--Krosp coming to see Agatha--has turned into a real bugbear of a problem. Krosp may be smarter than the average bear, but he has made a big Boo-Boo with his plans.

Excuse me, I need to go practice some Yogi and maybe eat a picnic basket to calm myself down. Maybe, after, I'll be ready for the Jambearee.

Also, don't anyone say I'm only Winnie-ing and Pooh-poo the idea.

*"Arctic" comes from the Greek word for bear, because North was under the constellation of the bear (I mention this because no bad pun should go unpunished).

*snif* This post is a work of art.

Vapnoople looks so happy in this last panel.

[Rodin]

Mostly likely Albia. You know she's listening in on all of this.

My first bet is Klaus. He's watching inside the head of Gilgamesh, and is the one who originally did that to Vapnoople. I'm guessing he isn't pleased that Krosp stole him away.

[Shining Wrath]

Food lady!

Her imperial majesty is displeased by Dr. Dim on her shores.

[Dukkai]

My first bet is Klaus. He's watching inside the head of Gilgamesh, and is the one who originally did that to Vapnoople. I'm guessing he isn't pleased that Krosp stole him away.

Aye, my first bet is him also. I doubt that Albia would react like that. from what we have seen.

[HandofShadows]

I think it could be Tarvek. He knows Dr. Dim used to work for Tweedle.

[Calemyr]

Agreed. My money is on Klaus, as well. Not only was Vapnoodle already a terrifyingly dangerous Spark (far more so than even Klaus guessed), Klaus must have gathered some intel on Agatha's circle by now. The fact that her first and most steadfast ally is a Vapnoodle original and built to be the leader of the previously unknown uberbears... Klaus's threat assessment of Vapnoodle must have just gone up an order of magnitude at the very least. I mean, holly hits, "Dr. Dim" single-handedly created the means that let Agatha not just survive but thrive, and then just armed her with a force of constructs even the Jaegers are uncomfortable fighting! If she goes rogue now, her mother would be a positive treat to deal with in comparison!

And to make matters worse, the clues were there! Klaus had to know about the stuffed bears. He'd probably be intrigued as to what quality fabrication a former Spark would be capable of. Yet Dim treated those blasted stuffed bears like they were some sort of treasured secret. Of course there was more to it, by Klaus just assumed that Vapnoodle's threat died with his Spark. The thought that he never intended to be the one in command of his creations seems antithetical to everything we know about Sparks, after all. But, still, how could he missed it?!

So, yeah. Declaring Dr. Dim as Krosp's daddy would probably result in a minor Wulfenbach rampage. A defused Spark becoming instrumental in his worst nightmare becoming fully realized? Yeah, I'd be yelling, too.

[Fey]

or is it the Foglios lapshading the time since his last appearence?

Has it been three years irl since Krosp was in the comic?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

(far more so than even Klaus guessed)

I'm not disagreeing that the bears aren't a dangerous creation, but is there anything beyond that that makes him specially more dangerous? I have this vague recollection of some expanded back story in the books, but can't quite put my finger on it.

Grey Wolf

[Rogar Demonblud]

I think it could be Tarvek. He knows Dr. Dim used to work for Tweedle.

Other way around. Tweedle studied under Vapnoodle.

[Rockphed]

I'm not disagreeing that the bears aren't a dangerous creation, but is there anything beyond that that makes him specially more dangerous? I have this vague recollection of some expanded back story in the books, but can't quite put my finger on it.

Grey Wolf

Remember the Lakya? They needed a master to function. The Jaegers prefer having someone to give orders, but they also used to be human. My understanding is that creating an intelligent construct that doesn't need a master is a symptom of a very powerful spark. Dr Vapnoople created Krosp and the bears, and probably waged a (mostly successful) war of conquest across Bavaria.

[Calemyr]

I'm not disagreeing that the bears aren't a dangerous creation, but is there anything beyond that that makes him specially more dangerous? I have this vague recollection of some expanded back story in the books, but can't quite put my finger on it.

Grey Wolf

What I meant was that Klaus didn't know about the bears, or Krosp. Dim was enough of a terror that Klaus was willing to lobotomize him without knowing about any of that. I personally haven't read any of the books, so I can't comment on their relevance. The point still stands that Klaus never took his bears seriously, or the feline stowaway. Now both are alligned with someone Klaus considers the greatest threat walking Europa while dragging the person responsible for them beyond his reach. That said, the bears are enough to make Dimo flat out tell everyone to simply run. Anything that scares a Jaeger is worth being scared of.

That said, I would reiterate that Dim set this up so that Krosp would be their leader. Krosp, not Dim. Sparks don't do that. Remove a Spark, their support base crumbles under its own weight, that's how it works. I mean, there are exceptions. The Heterodynes have always lead by example, not by force, so their creations tend to be autonomous. Naturally, Agatha follows suit with her self-directing, self-replicating dingbots. But the Heterodynes are always the exception.

And, beyond anything else, there's Krosp. Krosp has been vital again and again to Agatha's survival and success, as a spy and a tactician and simply as a confidante. Forget the bears, that cat is the most detrimental thing Dim has done to the Wulfenbach regime.

[SZbNAhL]

Has it been three years irl since Krosp was in the comic?

Last seen May 2015. It's been almost exactly three years.

[HandofShadows]

I'm not disagreeing that the bears aren't a dangerous creation, but is there anything beyond that that makes him specially more dangerous? I have this vague recollection of some expanded back story in the books, but can't quite put my finger on it.

Grey Wolf

Should be enough info on the wiki http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Dimitri_Vapnoople

[Shining Wrath]

Should be enough info on the wiki http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Dimitri_Vapnoople

If his creations are more loyal to him than the Jagers are to Clan Heterodyne - well, that could pose a problem. And Agatha ought to wonder whose side Krosp is on, if Vanoople were to give him an order.

[Calemyr]

Should be enough info on the wiki http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Dimitri_Vapnoople

So, he's the original mind behind the Sparkhounds. And his creations were actually loyal to him to the point that they had to be exterminated rather than recruited. And it took a three year campaign to bring him down. Yeah, I can see why he was a prime candidate for Klaus's spark research.

Adds all the more credence to Klaus's outrage, though. It took 3 years to defeat Vapnoodle and he wasn't even using his ace in the hole. Seriously, the guy must have been a terror.

If his creations are more loyal to him than the Jagers are to Clan Heterodyne - well, that could pose a problem. And Agatha ought to wonder whose side Krosp is on, if Vanoople were to give him an order.

His original creations were, yes. The bears revere him as their father but were designed to follow Krosp and Krosp chooses to side with Agatha. As Dr. Dim, Vapnoodle is no longer in a state to be a leader and none of his remaining creations are coded to follow his orders anyway.

I don't think it would go wrong unless Agatha decided to harm Dim. And it's not in her nature to attack harmless old brain-damaged men. She's more likely to protect him, which would only solidify their allegiance to her.

[Shining Wrath]

So, he's the original mind behind the Sparkhounds. And his creations were actually loyal to him to the point that they had to be exterminated rather than recruited. And it took a three year campaign to bring him down. Yeah, I can see why he was a prime candidate for Klaus's spark research.

Adds all the more credence to Klaus's outrage, though. It took 3 years to defeat Vapnoodle and he wasn't even using his ace in the hole. Seriously, the guy must have been a terror.



His original creations were, yes. The bears revere him as their father but were designed to follow Krosp and Krosp chooses to side with Agatha. As Dr. Dim, Vapnoodle is no longer in a state to be a leader and none of his remaining creations are coded to follow his orders anyway.

I don't think it would go wrong unless Agatha decided to harm Dim. And it's not in her nature to attack harmless old brain-damaged men. She's more likely to protect him, which would only solidify their allegiance to her.

I am not certain that the bears are loyal to Krosp over Vapnoodle. Krosp is the Master, but Vapnoodle is the Creator. It seems implausible that a Spark, any Spark, would create minions that were loyal to someone else. It's doubly unlikely that a Spark whose first set of minions were fanatical unto death would forgo that the next time around.
Hypothesis: Dr. Dim has a code word that, when spoken, transfers loyalty from Krosp to him. That would be very Sparky IMNHO.
I agree that Agatha won't attack Dr. Dim - unless someone manages to set it up so that she has to, or so that it appears that she did. Scheming Sparks, are scheming.

[lord_khaine]

I dont think its the Baron yelling. He dont have enough of a reason to do so.
He usually have a decent reign on his temper for a spark. And Doctor Vapnoodle is a foe beaten so soundly that he fell and became a janitor.
Klaus is to pragmatic to react like that.
Is more likely Albia yelling. Perhaps she knew Vapnoodle?

[Traab]

What I meant was that Klaus didn't know about the bears, or Krosp. Dim was enough of a terror that Klaus was willing to lobotomize him without knowing about any of that. I personally haven't read any of the books, so I can't comment on their relevance. The point still stands that Klaus never took his bears seriously, or the feline stowaway. Now both are alligned with someone Klaus considers the greatest threat walking Europa while dragging the person responsible for them beyond his reach. That said, the bears are enough to make Dimo flat out tell everyone to simply run. Anything that scares a Jaeger is worth being scared of.

That said, I would reiterate that Dim set this up so that Krosp would be their leader. Krosp, not Dim. Sparks don't do that. Remove a Spark, their support base crumbles under its own weight, that's how it works. I mean, there are exceptions. The Heterodynes have always lead by example, not by force, so their creations tend to be autonomous. Naturally, Agatha follows suit with her self-directing, self-replicating dingbots. But the Heterodynes are always the exception.

And, beyond anything else, there's Krosp. Krosp has been vital again and again to Agatha's survival and success, as a spy and a tactician and simply as a confidante. Forget the bears, that cat is the most detrimental thing Dim has done to the Wulfenbach regime.

The next comic after that just demonstrates it. They casually send him flying with a "meh, jeager" Showing they are so much stronger than jaegers that they are barely worth noticing in a fight.

[Shining Wrath]

The next comic after that just demonstrates it. They casually send him flying with a "meh, jeager" Showing they are so much stronger than jaegers that they are barely worth noticing in a fight.

And later they find Dimo lying in the snow, unconscious. A creature that can casually one-shot Dimo is something to be feared.

[geoduck]

So, he's the original mind behind the Sparkhounds. And his creations were actually loyal to him to the point that they had to be exterminated rather than recruited. And it took a three year campaign to bring him down. Yeah, I can see why he was a prime candidate for Klaus's spark research.

I contributed to the writing of that article on the GG wiki, and it should be remembered that all of this comes from the print-novel version of the story, and so should be considered semi-canonical at best. But nothing we've seen in the comic contradicts it, either. If it is true in the comic as well, then of course Albia will have heard of this guy, and know what he was capable of.

[PhantomFox]

Oh gracious, I had forgotten about that The Whiteboard Doc Nickel reference with that doctor bear