Girl Genius VI:Der Pestle in Der Kestle

[datalaughing]

Die schneaky gate ist open fur die schneakings.

Spoiler

Looks like der Kestle isn't going to back down on this one. So, is Agatha thinking the water, or is there another plan? Also, weather vanes? Really? The Heterodyne gives you an opening to ask for anything you want, and that's what you pick? Interesting. I mean, how many different sources do you need before you are satisfied that you can correctly gauge which way the wind is blowing?

[memnarch]

Spoiler

You're surprised that a castle that wants to be a yurt asks for weather vanes?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Originally Posted by datalaughing

Die schneaky gate ist open fur die schneakings.

Spoiler

Looks like der Kestle isn't going to back down on this one. So, is Agatha thinking the water, or is there another plan? Also, weather vanes? Really? The Heterodyne gives you an opening to ask for anything you want, and that's what you pick? Interesting. I mean, how many different sources do you need before you are satisfied that you can correctly gauge which way the wind is blowing?

Spoiler

That assumes that Der Kastle's weathervanes are only for determining wind direction. Off the top of my head, they probably attract electricity as well - which helps with the ambience, of course, but it is also a major security feature for any building.

Grey Wolf

[small pumpkin m]

Originally Posted by datalaughing

Die schneaky gate ist open fur die schneakings.

Spoiler

Looks like der Kestle isn't going to back down on this one. So, is Agatha thinking the water, or is there another plan? Also, weather vanes? Really? The Heterodyne gives you an opening to ask for anything you want, and that's what you pick? Interesting. I mean, how many different sources do you need before you are satisfied that you can correctly gauge which way the wind is blowing?

Spoiler

AHA! Confirmation that Der Kestle is what you get when you give the Jagerdrought to a building. Only a JagerKestle would want that many giant metal hats.

[Ellen]

Ah, metal hats! That really would explain it!

Also, given the kind of reality warping that can happen around der Kestle, I'm betting you get a lot of different results from the weathervanes.

Now, is Agatha faking der Kestle out and she's still going with the original plan or does she have an alternative? And how safe is the alternative, if that's what she's going with?

Gil's plan could cause at least temporary insanity. The water seems to cause temporary and/or permanent nuttiness (or maybe the Jaegers were all like that before they drank the stuff?).

So . . . it's looking like Othar may show up in time to save Gil from Agatha.

[datalaughing]

Why does everyone keep talking about her drinking the water? That is not how you get magically healed. Immersion in the water heals you (if the goddess likes you). There was no indication that drinking it would have any healing effects.

[Mauve Shirt]

Heh. It's true, one can never have too many.
Maybe the water combined with whatever is in the battledraught will turn Gil into a Jaeger.

[Karoht]

Originally Posted by Ellen

Ah, metal hats! That really would explain it!

Also, given the kind of reality warping that can happen around der Kestle, I'm betting you get a lot of different results from the weathervanes.

Now, is Agatha faking der Kestle out and she's still going with the original plan or does she have an alternative? And how safe is the alternative, if that's what she's going with?

Gil's plan could cause at least temporary insanity. The water seems to cause temporary and/or permanent nuttiness (or maybe the Jaegers were all like that before they drank the stuff?).

So . . . it's looking like Othar may show up in time to save Gil from Agatha.

When the Doom Bell Rings, the Jaegers should come forward and offer Agatha a mighty tribute. A hat, big enough to function as a tent, or yurt. With the words SCHMOTT GURL in 8 foot letters. Der Kestle will be visibly offended of course and demand a similar hat.

[Ellen]

Originally Posted by datalaughing

Why does everyone keep talking about her drinking the water? That is not how you get magically healed. Immersion in the water heals you (if the goddess likes you). There was no indication that drinking it would have any healing effects.

First, we know about the healing effects of the water when immersed. We also know that this rarely worked, usually killing and/or driving people mad. Although the variable may have partly been in the water (to give a comparison, the salinity of a given salt lake can vary depending on how much rainfall there's been that year and what part of the lake you're you check [in a wet year, lakes that normally kill any fish that get into them may have large numbers living in the shallows, especially near streams that feed into the lake]. The concentration of whatever substances make the water the way it is may vary.

However, it seems more likely the main variation was in the person. This is supported by the high mortality rate of people taking the Jaegerdraught, since it seems safe to assume the concentration in it would have been relatively constant.

This brings us to the second point. While there's a lot we don't know about Jaegers, they have increased strength, stamina, and longevity. This certainly suggests that some healing ability came with drinking the stuff. This is somewhat iffy, since there were other substances in the draught and since we don't really have a data as to what kind of healing the spring did and how it compares to things Jaegers aren't bothered by or that they recover from faster than regular humans (if Jaegers heal quickly from injuries but were shown to get colds as easily and as often as regular people, it would be important to know the spring's track record on healing illnesses caused by viruses [and if I'm forgetting a previous strip that explained about Jaeger's and viruses, oops, sorry]).

Third, we also know that Agatha's ancestor survived drinking the water. The flashback comic seemed to suggest (but did not cleary state) that he may have gained unusual abilities because of this. If he did, these abilities may or may not have included improved regenerative abilities and/or healing. It would be logical, based on what we know, but we don't have solid data one way or another.

However, it seems logical that the Heterodyne spark (or what became the Heterodyne spark but may have been something different before her ancestor drank the water) is tied to her ancestor's survival. We can assume a unique factor in his make up let him live, and the Heterodyne spark is pretty unique even among Sparks.

If it was another factor, Agatha may or may not have inherited it. In that case we can't say anything about her survival.

But, if it's the family spark, the odds are very good Agatha can survive drinking the water.

Now, it's possible drinking the water gives a more concentrated, direct exposure to whatever it is that makes the water special. This makes it possible that, if Agatha can survive that exposure, it may allow her to recover more quickly than immersion.

The flaw in that theory is that many substances that are beneficial in one form may be deadly in another. Even if they aren't deadly, the effects may be quite different. Alcohol, for example, can be used to sterilize a wound. Drinking it to protect yourself from germs, however, is unlikely to work. I've also never heard of someone getting drunk from having an injury cleaned out with alcohol (doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but it doesn't sound easy to pull off).

But drinking the water seems more dangerous and more likely to result in really wild plot twists than taking a dip in it.

Although, for fanservice purposes, I could see why a bath might be the more likely plot development.

[Brother Oni]

Originally Posted by Ellen

Alcohol, for example, can be used to sterilize a wound. Drinking it to protect yourself from germs, however, is unlikely to work. I've also never heard of someone getting drunk from having an injury cleaned out with alcohol (doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but it doesn't sound easy to pull off).

Actually I find having a stiff drink (or three) does quite well for curing and warding off sore throats and the occasional bout of food poisoning from improperly cooked food.

As I'm a mouth breathing neanderthal (long story), it also keeps away colds and most other airborne lurgies for me.


Given that being drunk is a measure of how much alcohol you have in your system compared to your body mass, that's a LOT of alcohol you'd have to introduce through an injury (you're far more likely to get drunk off the fumes given off by that volume of alcohol).

Originally Posted by Ellen

Although, for fanservice purposes, I could see why a bath might be the more likely plot development.

This is Phil Fogilo. I'd be disappointed if there wasn't a fan service bath scene (replete with high embarassed Gil and Tarvek).

[datalaughing]

Sneaky gate.

Spoiler

Looks like Kaja is getting the Gil/Tarvek fight she always wanted after all. I knew they'd find a way to squeeze it in there.

[dogmac]

Spoiler

Indeed, Kestle, Christmas has come early.....

[Face Of Evil]

Look at dem chompers!

[Darkcomet]

Did anyone notice that Gil is reaching out of the panel at the very bottom?

[tyckspoon]

Originally Posted by Darkcomet

Did anyone notice that Gil is reaching out of the panel at the very bottom?

And looking and sounding rather Jaegerish while doing so. Also, he's either acting much better than Tarvek (probably not hard), or he's taking it a lot more seriously- note the spiky speech bubbles.

[Aidan305]

Yay! Spark Fight!

Of course, since it's coming up to December, we won't actually see why they're distracting der kestle until January.

[Cracklord]

Tavek's had all the kids he wants, huh.
Gilgamesh is very competent in this regard, and Tavek, well, we all remember what Vrin did to him.

[Tirian]

Originally Posted by Aidan305

Of course, since it's coming up to December, we won't actually see why they're distracting der kestle until January.

Good grief, you're right. I figured they'd at least have cleared up the Hogfarb's Resplendant Immolation subplot by the end of Volume 9, but it's hard to see how they would do that. I wouldn't mind a whole year covering four hours of Agatha's life so much if something actually happened in those four hours.

[Mauve Shirt]

My money's on Jaegerified Gil.
I hope we get something good for the December break. Last year's was good. And I hope we get to see some of the other characters in January. Othar hasn't shown up yet, and what are Zeetha and them up to?!

[HandofShadows]

Unless Tarvek has taken a lot of levels in Badass recently, Gil is going to wipe the floor with him. I really don't think that Tarvek realizes how good Gil is in a fight. I wonder if this "fight" is going to be Tarvek running away most of the time and Gil doing amusing things (intentionally) chaseing after him.

[memnarch]

Can't forget the fact that they are still hooked together and so aren't able to move that far apart.

[chionophile]

Originally Posted by memnarch

Can't forget the fact that they are still hooked together and so aren't able to move that far apart.

Yeah, it's likely that this fight will either be a lot of trading blows or grappling.

[datalaughing]

But they're also powerful sparks in the middle of a huge mechanical deathtrap. So it could still get interesting. Gil will use the spare parts lying around to make something almost completely useless yet hilarious to see in action, and Tarvek will build a clank to fight for him and dress it up in a pretty outfit.

[Karoht]

Christmas come early...

"Oh, you better not punch, you better not lie,
You better not leer at Agatha, I'm telling you why,

Jaeger Gil is coming
to Town!"

Yeup, Christmas come early indeed.