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  1. - Top - End - #361
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    Perhaps the Spark is a sort of a Ley Lines thing? Essentially, the Spark is the energy of the planet itself, as manifested in people. Those like the Heterodynes and the God Queens have found a direct link to the actual source of the planet's energy (the Dyne being a naturally occurring Ley Line deep beneath the surface). Hence the "safe power source" being that since the Sparks derive power from the Earth, they won't lose their buffed intellect unless they somehow leave the planet or the relevant aspect of the Earth is weakened.
    Just remember, there's a Mirror in Mechanicsburg, and vague mention was made by the Castle at one point that the original Dyne spring was sacred to a "battle goddess". Maybe there are more of these springs around that didn't get turned into rivers by Sparkish meddling...

  2. - Top - End - #362
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Rodin View Post
    I'm convinced that the final conflict in the story will be the decision over whether to get rid of the Spark or not. The first time window is just too clear - the Muse of Time/Lucrezia/whoever is addressing Agatha and asking if she really wants to return to how she was at the start of the story. The answer to that question should be interesting.
    While that is a good interpretation of that scene in isolation, there are two other window scenes that go with it.

    I grant that the first may not may not be connected with the other two, but if they are then it could simply be our mystery person demonstrating something to someone - Agatha from the context of the following two scenes - how to create and look through rifts in time.

    EDIT: The reason that I am linking the scenes is that the Baron also linked them, and was initially interested in Agatha because she saw the first scene we saw. However, coincidence does not imply causation and all that...
    Last edited by Manga Shoggoth; 2019-09-01 at 07:06 AM.
    Warning: This posting may contain wit, wisdom, pathos, irony, satire, sarcasm and puns. And traces of nut.

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  3. - Top - End - #363
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    OK, this is a bit of a concern. If Albia "burns out" Trelawney holding off the invaders, will that automatically free Lu/Agatha, or are the bounds she's put her in purely physical in nature?

  4. - Top - End - #364
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    I hope not, if there was danger of that the queen should be smart enough to just place her in the chair for the experiment and into physical restraints already.

  5. - Top - End - #365
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Yeah but the queen is already having focusing issues due to the strain, so her rushing off to accomplish something in the time she has left and forgetting a small but important detail would make sense. Also, I do hope trawleny survives. I cant imagine she will be in good shape if the queen abruptly leaves and if she is in the middle of holding off bad guys, well..... Heh, its funny, but ive recently read a fanfiction that had a similar issue here. A ludicrously powerful psychic in england is contacted by a friend in need in new york. He literally creates a construct in new york out of his psychic energy and starts fighting. He is fairly overwhelming to the creatures he fights, but its both only a fraction of his power and a huge strain to maintain it over that distance. Its also risky as he could take some horrible damage if the construct gets disrupted in the right way. Im now wondering if the problem is less trawleny and more albia. You know, because her flame is waning and all that.
    "Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum"
    Translation: "Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe."

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Traab is yelling everything that I'm thinking already.
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  6. - Top - End - #366
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Traab View Post
    Yeah but the queen is already having focusing issues due to the strain, so her rushing off to accomplish something in the time she has left and forgetting a small but important detail would make sense. Also, I do hope trawleny survives. I cant imagine she will be in good shape if the queen abruptly leaves and if she is in the middle of holding off bad guys, well..... Heh, its funny, but ive recently read a fanfiction that had a similar issue here. A ludicrously powerful psychic in england is contacted by a friend in need in new york. He literally creates a construct in new york out of his psychic energy and starts fighting. He is fairly overwhelming to the creatures he fights, but its both only a fraction of his power and a huge strain to maintain it over that distance. Its also risky as he could take some horrible damage if the construct gets disrupted in the right way. Im now wondering if the problem is less trawleny and more albia. You know, because her flame is waning and all that.
    Even if the queen forgets, I would be very disappointed if a room full of smart people (including non-Sparky smart people like Violetta) would neglect simply tying Agatha up.

    I also really hope that we don't wind up with Albia dead. That would make it too similar to the Paris arc and make the whole thing feel like filler. Less sure about Trelawney though.

  7. - Top - End - #367
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Rodin View Post
    Even if the queen forgets, I would be very disappointed if a room full of smart people (including non-Sparky smart people like Violetta) would neglect simply tying Agatha up.

    I also really hope that we don't wind up with Albia dead. That would make it too similar to the Paris arc and make the whole thing feel like filler. Less sure about Trelawney though.
    These are the same people that let "agatha" work on the machine meant to extract lucrezia despite knowing lucrezia was pushing hard to take over this whole time. These are the same people who forgot that agathas necklace would short out when they activated the new train brain. Missing these details is a standard thing in girl genius.
    "Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum"
    Translation: "Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe."

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Traab is yelling everything that I'm thinking already.
    "If you don't get those cameras out of my face, I'm gonna go 8.6 on the Richter scale with gastric emissions that'll clear this room."

  8. - Top - End - #368
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Traab View Post
    These are the same people that let "agatha" work on the machine meant to extract lucrezia despite knowing lucrezia was pushing hard to take over this whole time. These are the same people who forgot that agathas necklace would short out when they activated the new train brain. Missing these details is a standard thing in girl genius.
    Also let Agatha leave the room alone after seeing Lucrezia pushing. To use TV Tropes terminology, everybody's been gripping the Idiot Ball pretty tightly during this sequence.

  9. - Top - End - #369
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by geoduck View Post
    Also let Agatha leave the room alone after seeing Lucrezia pushing. To use TV Tropes terminology, everybody's been gripping the Idiot Ball pretty tightly during this sequence.
    Yeah it seems worse now but its been a running theme from the start. Even as far back as castle wulfenbach when othar escaped from the baron. He took his eyes off the man he KNOWS is stupidly good at this whole heroic adventure thing and othar capitalized on it. Its not even an idiot ball thing its just slipping up and not being perfect. All the characters make mistakes throughout the story, albia is no different.
    "Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum"
    Translation: "Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe."

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Traab is yelling everything that I'm thinking already.
    "If you don't get those cameras out of my face, I'm gonna go 8.6 on the Richter scale with gastric emissions that'll clear this room."

  10. - Top - End - #370
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Traab View Post
    Yeah it seems worse now but its been a running theme from the start. Even as far back as castle wulfenbach when othar escaped from the baron. He took his eyes off the man he KNOWS is stupidly good at this whole heroic adventure thing and othar capitalized on it. Its not even an idiot ball thing its just slipping up and not being perfect. All the characters make mistakes throughout the story, albia is no different.
    It's implied the Baron let Othar escape on purpose because he wanted some fun.
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  11. - Top - End - #371
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Rodin View Post
    Even if the queen forgets, I would be very disappointed if a room full of smart people (including non-Sparky smart people like Violetta) would neglect simply tying Agatha up.

    I also really hope that we don't wind up with Albia dead. That would make it too similar to the Paris arc and make the whole thing feel like filler. Less sure about Trelawney though.
    If Albia dies, then someone messed up the story arc because we did that already. The party makes serious changes everywhere they go, but we almost literally did the "ancient ruler older than the 4 main crew put together dies horribly" bit. That said, there's room for Trelawney to die or someone else, (though I don't want Trelawney to die she's been a fun character so far), just not the several millenia old quart-god.

    Quote Originally Posted by Manga Shoggoth View Post
    While that is a good interpretation of that scene in isolation, there are two other window scenes that go with it.

    I grant that the first may not may not be connected with the other two, but if they are then it could simply be our mystery person demonstrating something to someone - Agatha from the context of the following two scenes - how to create and look through rifts in time.
    That's pretty much how I saw it: while the particular time targeted was probably done to mock Agatha (or to clean up time on the other end), the action itself was most likely to show her how to create rifts and peer through time.

    While we're looking at old comics: Gil became a Spark when he was 8ish, and that's many years before the average Spark, right?
    Agatha technically became a spark when she was 5.
    Last edited by Squire Doodad; 2019-09-02 at 08:38 PM.
    An explanation of why MitD being any larger than Huge is implausible.

    See my extended signature here! May contain wit, candor, and somewhere from 52 to 8127 walruses.

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  12. - Top - End - #372
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    While we're looking at old comics: Gil became a Spark when he was 8ish, and that's many years before the average Spark, right?
    You wanted the previous comic.

    Yeah, she is stronger, it's her comic.
    The end of what Son? The story? There is no end. There's just the point where the storytellers stop talking.

  13. - Top - End - #373
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    While we're looking at old comics: Gil became a Spark when he was 8ish, and that's many years before the average Spark, right?
    Agatha technically became a spark when she was 5.
    Heterodyning may be a precursor to the full breakthrough. Yes, Barry was shocked by how early it was, but for all we know that's because it happens three years before the breakthrough and he started when he was 12.

  14. - Top - End - #374
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by halfeye View Post
    You wanted the previous comic.
    Whoops, corrected it. Incidentally, have we seen Zoing lately?

    Quote Originally Posted by SZbNAhL View Post
    Heterodyning may be a precursor to the full breakthrough. Yes, Barry was shocked by how early it was, but for all we know that's because it happens three years before the breakthrough and he started when he was 12.
    That's a fairly good point, we don't actually know the difference between Heterodyning and a proper breakthrough, though even if it is several years before a proper breakthrough that would put her as about the same age as Gil's breathrough at the latest.
    An explanation of why MitD being any larger than Huge is implausible.

    See my extended signature here! May contain wit, candor, and somewhere from 52 to 8127 walruses.

    Purple is humorous descriptions made up on the fly
    Green is serious talk about hypothetical
    Blue is irony and sarcasm


    "I think, therefore I am,
    I walk, therefore I stand,
    I sleep, therefore I dream;
    I joke, therefore I meme."
    -Squire Doodad

  15. - Top - End - #375

    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    I don't think we've seen Zoing since Gil got back to his lab with Tarvek right before Othar found them both.

    And of course Albia's going to die. Every place Agatha goes, there is a sudden change in the leadership. The only time it didn't involve someone dead or imprisoned was the Corbetites, who had their Pope (Tweedle's Uncle) terminate their independence and neutrality and turn them into his minions.

  16. - Top - End - #376
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Albia wants to keep Agatha forever in her "garden". I'm not sure she'll die, but something's gotta happen.
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  17. - Top - End - #377
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by SZbNAhL View Post
    Heterodyning may be a precursor to the full breakthrough. Yes, Barry was shocked by how early it was, but for all we know that's because it happens three years before the breakthrough and he started when he was 12.
    That's a fairly good point, we don't actually know the difference between Heterodyning and a proper breakthrough, though even if it is several years before a proper breakthrough that would put her as about the same age as Gil's breathrough at the latest.
    One difference between Heterodyning and a proper breakthrough is that it is specific to the Heterodyne clan. It's hinted in the comic (here) by the name and Carson and Van's reaction, but the novels explicitly state that it is peculiar to the Heterodynes.

    Given Barry's reaction it sounds like it is close enough to the breakthrough as to make no odds.
    Warning: This posting may contain wit, wisdom, pathos, irony, satire, sarcasm and puns. And traces of nut.

    "The main skill of a good ruler seems to be not preventing the conflagrations but rather keeping them contained enough they rate more as campfires." Rogar Demonblud

    "Hold on just a d*** second. UK has spam callers that try to get you to buy conservatories?!? Even y'alls spammers are higher class than ours!" Peelee

  18. - Top - End - #378
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Manga Shoggoth View Post
    One difference between Heterodyning and a proper breakthrough is that it is specific to the Heterodyne clan. It's hinted in the comic (here) by the name and Carson and Van's reaction, but the novels explicitly state that it is peculiar to the Heterodynes.

    Given Barry's reaction it sounds like it is close enough to the breakthrough as to make no odds.
    Since it is, yes, particular to the Heterodynes, it would ID Agatha as being one, which would be just as bad as her actively Sparking out.

  19. - Top - End - #379
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Narkis View Post
    Albia wants to keep Agatha forever in her "garden". I'm not sure she'll die, but something's gotta happen.
    Albia probably "collects" Sparks in the same sense that some people "collect" the pigeons that flock to their yard. Far from harmless in this situation, but I doubt Albia will force Agatha to stay simply because Agatha needs to go elsewhere to stop the time freeze (which I think Albia knows is going to have negative side effects if it stays up for too long?).
    An explanation of why MitD being any larger than Huge is implausible.

    See my extended signature here! May contain wit, candor, and somewhere from 52 to 8127 walruses.

    Purple is humorous descriptions made up on the fly
    Green is serious talk about hypothetical
    Blue is irony and sarcasm


    "I think, therefore I am,
    I walk, therefore I stand,
    I sleep, therefore I dream;
    I joke, therefore I meme."
    -Squire Doodad

  20. - Top - End - #380

    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    She didn't show one bit of concern when Agatha mentioned wanting to fix Mechanicsburg during The Interview. In fact, it was after that she stated her intent to make Agatha a permanent addition to her garden. The implication is that she doesn't give a rip for a town half a continent away.

  21. - Top - End - #381
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Rogar Demonblud View Post
    She didn't show one bit of concern when Agatha mentioned wanting to fix Mechanicsburg during The Interview. In fact, it was after that she stated her intent to make Agatha a permanent addition to her garden. The implication is that she doesn't give a rip for a town half a continent away.
    Albia probably has lived long enough to be curious about time and the fabric of all the things. She probably knows that sustained time stops have their own issues, and probably did research when Mechanicsburg first got stuck.
    An explanation of why MitD being any larger than Huge is implausible.

    See my extended signature here! May contain wit, candor, and somewhere from 52 to 8127 walruses.

    Purple is humorous descriptions made up on the fly
    Green is serious talk about hypothetical
    Blue is irony and sarcasm


    "I think, therefore I am,
    I walk, therefore I stand,
    I sleep, therefore I dream;
    I joke, therefore I meme."
    -Squire Doodad

  22. - Top - End - #382

    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    If so, she didn't offer anything resembling advice or even a solution. So, again, signs point to she doesn't care.

  23. - Top - End - #383
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Rogar Demonblud View Post
    If so, she didn't offer anything resembling advice or even a solution. So, again, signs point to she doesn't care.
    She wants agatha to stay. She set up things specifically to try and get her hooked and interested in remaining behind. She wasnt about to just go, "Ok, here is what ive learned, off you go!" So its kinda uncertain. Maybe she does know, maybe she doesnt, maybe she doesnt care. All we know is she DOES care about getting agatha to remain a part of her "garden" and even then we dont know how far she would be willing to go. So far she seems to have just arranged things so agatha would have an excellent lab full of minions and of course a male honey trap in the person of rakethorn in case her hormones might be a handy method of keeping her nearby. We dont yet know if it goes deeper than that.
    "Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum"
    Translation: "Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe."

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Traab is yelling everything that I'm thinking already.
    "If you don't get those cameras out of my face, I'm gonna go 8.6 on the Richter scale with gastric emissions that'll clear this room."

  24. - Top - End - #384
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Oh dear.

    Spoiler
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    I don't trust Martellus. Is he actually trying to help Oggie, or is he (which I feel is more likely) tying to put Oggie in chemical thrall to him so he has his own Jaeger to experiment on?

  25. - Top - End - #385
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Ailurus View Post
    Oh dear.

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    I don't trust Martellus. Is he actually trying to help Oggie, or is he (which I feel is more likely) tying to put Oggie in chemical thrall to him so he has his own Jaeger to experiment on?
    Spoiler
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    Oggie would rather die than let that happen and Tweedle should know that. That concoction is probably a similar to the Jagerdraught that was given to Gil back in Mechanicsburg. Tweedle HAS to help because the assassins would kill him as well and he also needs Agatha alive and intact.
    Member of the Giants in the Playground Forum Chapter for the Movement to Reunite Gondwana!

  26. - Top - End - #386
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Ailurus View Post
    Spoiler
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    I don't trust Martellus. Is he actually trying to help Oggie, or is he (which I feel is more likely) tying to put Oggie in chemical thrall to him so he has his own Jaeger to experiment on?
    Spoiler
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    The likely result of a non-Heterodyne telling a Jaeger "Serve me or die!" would be "You die vith me!". Martellus would have to be certifiable to try messing with one.

  27. - Top - End - #387

    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Martellus is a Spark. Of course he's certifiable. It's a prerequisite.

  28. - Top - End - #388
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Schmott observation, Oggie!

  29. - Top - End - #389
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    Quote Originally Posted by Ailurus View Post
    Oh dear.

    Spoiler
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    I don't trust Martellus. Is he actually trying to help Oggie, or is he (which I feel is more likely) tying to put Oggie in chemical thrall to him so he has his own Jaeger to experiment on?
    Eh, I think in this particular instance he's actually somewhat trustworthy.
    Out of sheer self-interest obviously.
    I mean, even ignoring those infiltrators Tweedle neither needs nor wants Team Agatha as enemies right now.
    Not to mention what Oggie (or any Jäger) would do to him should he try something sneaky.
    "If it lives it can be killed.
    If it is dead it can be eaten."

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  30. - Top - End - #390
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    Default Re: Girl Genius XXVI: Madness is the best possible response

    He also needs Agatha's cooperation, or he dies. There's no way he'll mess with that chance now.
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