Girl Genius XXIV: Ask Vit a Bit More Terror

[Rockphed]

I suspect that the only "normal" person on the dome is Wooster.

[Mando Knight]

I suspect that the only "normal" person on the dome is Wooster.

Depends whether smoke knights, amazon princesses, or ex-pirate hired help count or not.

...Zeetha might actually be the best candidate for Gil's treatment anyway, given the hints as to their parentage...

[Douglas]

I'm curious what Tarvek will come up with as an explanation for why Higgs isn't adequately normal for this purpose.

[factotum]

I'm curious what Tarvek will come up with as an explanation for why Higgs isn't adequately normal for this purpose.

He just needs to have abnormal brain chemistry for some reason, and Agatha's clearly too deep in the Madness Place to actually think through any reason Tarvek gives her, so he could say Higgs isn't suitable because he was stung by a jellyfish as a boy or something. I'm more interested in how they intend to deploy this device with the dome on lockdown--will it actually work at long range, so it can affect Gil in the museum?

[SZbNAhL]

I'm curious what Tarvek will come up with as an explanation for why Higgs isn't adequately normal for this purpose.

Doesn't Agatha already know that Higgs is abnormally strong and tough and therefore clearly either altered or a construct, just not that he's a Jäger?

[Deliverance]

Doesn't Agatha already know that Higgs is abnormally strong and tough and therefore clearly either altered or a construct, just not that he's a Jäger?

Given how busy she's been and how most of the things Higgs have done showing him to be abnormally strong and tough were done when she either wasn't present or were present but preoccupied, it is possible that she hasn't given Higgs much thought.

Then again, it is Agatha. It is also entirely possible that she's drawn her own conclusions based on available evidence or conversations with Zeetha offscreen during the train and paris stories. I could see the Foglios play it either way.

[Shining Wrath]

First, disappointed that Agatha hasn't cured herself of the need for the weaselpillar.
Secondly, Agatha doesn't seem to be in the madness place based on speech bubbles. Just ... enthused.
Third, she evidently thinks of Higgs as an ordinary mortal. Whether or not she ought to is a different question, but she's ready to go for his spinal fluid right now. Tarvek will have to think fast, but I'm sure he'll come up with a reason.
Fourth, the staff had to include more non-sparks than Mysterious Pirate Currently Claiming Devil's Prize and the late largely unlamented Mr. Smokes.
Fifth, Zeetha may be a Spark herself, just latent - she is Gil's sister (half-sister?). In fact, the "Zeetha breaks through to Spark" moment, if it occurs, will probably be amazing. I can just see Zeetha trapped, no weapons, and MacGyvering something out of materials at hand and dealing much scathe.

[HandofShadows]

I actually think it would be a bad thing if Zeetha broke though as a spark. Most of the rest of the cast is one already and we need a warrior to help keep things balanced.

[SZbNAhL]

First, disappointed that Agatha hasn't cured herself of the need for the weaselpillar.

Actually makes quite a bit of sense, now that I come to think of it. She's got to do both eventually, so why not start with curing Gil and then he'll be able to help with the Weasel thing? After all, with the possible exceptions of Martellus (probably wouldn't help and even if he did Agatha wouldn't trust him) and Vapnoople (wouldn't be able to help unless he was somehow delobotomised, in which case he'd probably be too evil to want to), Gil's the top biological spark around.

Third, she evidently thinks of Higgs as an ordinary mortal. Whether or not she ought to is a different question, but she's ready to go for his spinal fluid right now.

She was going for Rakethorn's until he reminded her he was a spark. She might just be reaching for whatever spines she can find.

Fourth, the staff had to include more non-sparks than Mysterious Pirate Currently Claiming Devil's Prize and the late largely unlamented Mr. Smokes.

They work in the Spark Dome; I wouldn't be surprised if they've all been experimented on in one way or another. And even if they hadn't, you'd have to really like Agatha to let her get a spinal tap. Those things look painful.

Fifth, Zeetha may be a Spark herself, just latent - she is Gil's sister (half-sister?). In fact, the "Zeetha breaks through to Spark" moment, if it occurs, will probably be amazing. I can just see Zeetha trapped, no weapons, and MacGyvering something out of materials at hand and dealing much scathe.

As fun as Zeetha being a spark would be, I worry that would make her a tinge overpowered. The Wulfenbachs are really powerful sparks, after all. As to the half-sister thing, the Foglios have pretty heavily telegraphed that they're twins, so most liekly full sister unless some really weird spark stuff went down.

[halfeye]

"Floating in mint syrup" isn't sparky mad science, it's just traditional British cuisine.

The other major ingredient is vinegar, so mint sauce isn't typically syrupy (there may be commercial abominations).

[keybounce]

How would I go about letting the Folio's know that trying to select "first page of the new volume" on the drop-down gives an error page that says

Error: no comic for 20170910

[Shining Wrath]

I'm not advocating for the Foglios making Zeetha into a Spark. In the context of having normal cerebral-spinal fluid, though, Zeetha may not qualify.

I guess we'll have to wait and see whose precious bodily fluids Agatha winds up using. I think it would be difficult to retain staff if "serve as experimental subject" was part of the job description, so probably there's at least some cooks or cleaners who retain their original physiology.

Well, maybe not cooks. I remember the commanding general at the Abbey. And maybe not the cleaning staff, as they have to clean the labs.

Uh ... interior decorators?

[Kantaki]

Considering the Girl Genius verse I'd be surprised if there's a „normal” person within three days as the shark swims.

[PraetorDragoon]

Considering the Girl Genius verse I'd be surprised if there's a „normal” person within three days as the shark swims.

Do we even have a normal person in this story? The only person I can think of is Lars.

[The Glyphstone]

The coffee shop ladies? Unless being from Mechanicsburg disqualifies you for 'normal'.

[Kantaki]

Do we even have a normal person in this story? The only person I can think of is Lars.

Unfortunately he's kinda unavailable right now.
And also dead.
Which is ironically the lesser problem.

The coffee shop ladies? Unless being from Mechanicsburg disqualifies you for 'normal'.

Yes. Yes it does.

[Onyavar]

There are lots of normals. Just not that many named ones.

If the spinal fluid from dead persons is viable, there is the body of Mr. Smokes.

[PraetorDragoon]

The coffee shop ladies? Unless being from Mechanicsburg disqualifies you for 'normal'.

Mechanicsburg disqualifies for being mechanicsburg.

[Shining Wrath]

To decide who qualifies as normal we have to know what Tarvek meant by normal. Would Bang qualify? Would Homoloc?

But yeah, we need someone who is part of Agatha's entourage or otherwise trusts her implicitly, and who isn't chemically altered. Or who can be ordered to give a sample.

Wooster might not volunteer. They might decide a Smoke Knight is a good choice, which would lead them to search for Violetta, but I expect Smoke Knights are chemically altered on top of being well trained.

Or ... Zeetha. Since Agatha and Tarvek probably don't know she's Gil's sister. Which could lead to a Big Reveal as adding Zeetha's fluids to Gil's brain Does Something Unexpectedly Sparky.

EDIT: I wonder if a normal needle can even pierce Higg's skin?

[Fyraltari]

Where's Moloch when you need him!?
then again, given what he can stomach, I'm not sure he's normal, either.

Seriously though, that's an awfully big needle to sample spinal fluid, people need that.

[PraetorDragoon]

Where's Moloch when you need him!?
then again, given what he can stomach, I'm not sure he's normal, either.

Seriously though, that's an awfully big needle to sample spinal fluid, people need that.

SPARKS!

[Shining Wrath]

Where's Moloch when you need him!?
then again, given what he can stomach, I'm not sure he's normal, either.

Seriously though, that's an awfully big needle to sample spinal fluid, people need that.

A spinal headache is on the short list of things to not have happen to you. Which reminds me, I should text my friend who had spinal surgery and see how he's doing.

But in Agatha's case - it's for SCIENCE!

[Rogar Demonblud]

Higgs may not know what's going on, but he clearly knows enough to look worried.

[Fyraltari]

Higgs may not know what's going on, but he clearly knows enough to look worried.

Dude works for the Heterodynes. He knows what a smiling spark with a needle means.

[Shining Wrath]

Dude works for the Heterodynes. He knows what a smiling spark with a needle means.

Old-school Heterodynes, he'd be worried about his survival. Agatha, it's probably less worrisome.

And yes, I believe that the Heterodynes of old could and would inject a servant with something that was capable of harming Higgs.

[Rogar Demonblud]

A Heterodyne of ye olden tymes with a needle and a smile would scare the scales off of a dragon.

[Ellen]

The two virtues of the old time Heterodynes:

1. They looked after their own.*

2. They had some respect for loyalty/free will. Every Jaeger, after all, chose to become one.

On the purely Agatha side, she might understand if Higgs claims a deathly fear of needles.

So, Higgs might be able to walk away from this.

*But, when people who don't see a downside to growing scales, fangs, and blowing up large chunks of the landscape are looking after you, that might be worse than having a regular spark wanting to hurt you.

[Shining Wrath]

The two virtues of the old time Heterodynes:

1. They looked after their own.*

2. They had some respect for loyalty/free will. Every Jaeger, after all, chose to become one.

On the purely Agatha side, she might understand if Higgs claims a deathly fear of needles.

So, Higgs might be able to walk away from this.

*But, when people who don't see a downside to growing scales, fangs, and blowing up large chunks of the landscape are looking after you, that might be worse than having a regular spark wanting to hurt you.

Yeah, the old school Heterodynes understood that loyal minions are more useful than disloyal ones. OTOH, we have Dimo's testimony that they'd kill a Jager for a minor mistake, or sometimes no reason at all. I believe "taking care of your own" meant "lots of loot and opportunities to fight" not "you are safe in their presence when they are in the Madness Place".

[halfeye]

Tarvek is being silly about not wanting to be the test subject for this, it probably will be painful, but him being a spark doesn't mean he's not a suitable subject, the object is to cure Gil, who is also a spark, so a spark is exactly the sort of subject who's needed.

[Fyraltari]

Tarvek is being silly about not wanting to be the test subject for this, it probably will be painful, but him being a spark doesn't mean he's not a suitable subject, the object is to cure Gil, who is also a spark, so a spark is exactly the sort of subject who's needed.

It seems like the spark manifests differently in everybody. Tarvek's biochemistry may be closer to Gil's than a normal person's but it may also be significantly more different. It's safer to have a baseline. And even if it wasn't, Tarvek is probably just using the most convenient excuse he has to stop Agatha from draining his brain of that fluid.