Girl Genius

This kinda works actually.

If Agatha flees now, we've established that the castle gets struck by lightning from time to time but it didn't help before due to whatever she just fixed. By drawing the empire's attention away from Mechanicsburg long enough as she flees it can quietly come back online from a natural storm.

(x times, yeah it took me this much of a time) Nice reference hippogrif... should be sleeping here but last day of hamming things up and frankly after it is done I'm more likely to just focus on my bed after I'm done...

In case anyone wonders it has been 8 days (including today and discounting the weekend) preparing 3 hams a day (a few plays got spared due to orders). So if I'm really going to top myself on the last day it may be the Dying Moment of Awesome of the event's run, at least on my side since after doing (on demand, some are past the radar unless someone got plenty of those references, specially day 3 at the end and every asterisk is just one day for easing me to write them):

• Mr Exposition for the house of Bernarda Alba, Hitchcock for the First Fireworks, Renfield
• Mr Exposition (quoting Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead to boot) for Hamlet, a corrupt priest (for Decameron), Hitchcock for "where the heart is"
• Rested for the twelfth night, Hitchcock (again) on Desire under the elms, Dr Who (number 10, David Tennant) giving a rant on "A Doll's House"
• Dr Who (number 10, David Tennant) for Pride and Prejudice, Mercutio, a generic old pirate in a bar (for Peggy the Pint Sized Pirate)
• Lezard Valeth deconstructing Doctor Faustus, ???? on Oval Portrait (not recalling now, was angry at a technical difficulty paired with miscommunication on the auditorium), Mr Exposition for Coraline (needless to say I got some angry faces when I commented that there should be no worshiping any creator, always a bad move when people put some creators on altars)
• rested at Murders rue morgue (due to a caused schedule slip, needed coffee and received a wrong time table on the arrival of the teacher that gives the orders, which saved Dupin from a Deconstruction via Sherlock), Hitchcock for Feathertop, Hitchcock for Baggage unattended

Days with a green card to ham but not rest

• Random Crook for Lazarillo de Tormes, the Clock King from Batman the Animated series for Alice in Wonderland, Troy Maclure (rest in peace Phil Hartman) for "Los Vendidos".
• Today (yes I'm still awake and penciling at moments) the menu is: The Mad scientist monologue for deconstructing Frankenstein (might as well deconstruct with all the ham and prepare for the pitchforks, other than asking for a couple of thunder sounds for the obligatory For Science! that is needed), Doctor Who (10º one, David Tennant) sharing The Wizard of Oz, and finally resting the Vagina Monologues.

And yes I've had to do a ton of Alfred Hitchcock just via what I know of his works and some interviews, and could do better but it is a high standard to keep. Most of them via Ham and Cheese, plenty of voice polymorphism and trying to enjoy a heavy task.But there is a couple of soliloquies that I could have pulled better but no use in crying over spilled milk.

Also sorry if I left another idiotic rant of mine here. At least got sleepy enough but time to see how many details go off in the time it took me to multitask inking and typing this properly.

Edit: Back on topic... If they are going by the similes they must be trying to modify the legend and/or play something before the Lu army arrives

edited 12th Dec '12 12:10:12 AM by Mauri

Well here goes nothing

Goes without saying there's something wrong with Gil, huh? Or am I a little late...

"The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy, paraphrasing Mark Twain.

Meh... something's screwy enough to require underlining...

More likely Agatha is the asset that Klaus requires not falling into the Lu army despite having a possible Lunevka on board (while not confirmed I can guess it is order twisting or Klaus being Klaus).

Well here goes nothing

Didn't he cut a deal with his father for Agatha's safety??

Trump delenda est

Not enough information meets does not compute.

Klaus seems to be doing everything in his power to capture Agatha alive, while the various incarnations of the Other just want her dead so if Klaus is the Other's puppet, what gives? Also, neither Klaus nor the Other should need Gil's cooperation to seriously mess with his mind and body and Klaus certainly knows Gil was not wasp infected in Paris and that was all an act. On top of that, unless Bang hid the notes, Klaus has them now and certainly has the secret to defeating the wasps.

Yep. Just not enough information.

The working theory is that Klaus' contradictory behavior is because being Klaus von Wolfenbach, even being wasped wasn't enough to completely control him so he's going back and forth.

Trump delenda est

Okay. We had a lead up to Agatha leaving Mechanicsburg via that conversation with Franz. As Hippogrif points out this is a nice parallel with the operatic Ogglespoon, so Gil stealing her away makes sense from that perspective. It's also an opportunity for Gil to betray Agatha for her own good, much as Tarvek did with the projection at Sturmhalten, balancing the boys yet again.

Gil doesn't intend to take Agatha back to Castle Wulfenbach, he plans to run to Paris with her, starting the next phase of the journey. Per the opera, I expect Tarvek, perhaps with Tweedle and Othar, to be in hot pursuit. As Gil snatches Agatha away she manages to shoot DK, bringing him back online and able to save Mechanicsburg; perhaps helped by the Wulfenbach forces chasing Gil and Agatha. Agatha and Gil are in a fast little airship so they outrun DK's revival.

Whether this plan is Klaus approved or not, I can't say.

I can't add anything to that, Lighningette. I suspect you've foreseen the upcoming events quite nicely.

If it moves, eat it!

If you're right, though, I would be seriously disappointed at the direction of the story.

I read back through the opera synopsis. Now I'm wondering whether the Knights of Jove destroyed by the Storm King's vow to search for Euphrosynia are the human knights or the clank/mecha knights. Also note the frame of E's abduction - city in flames, lightning above. I was at first disappointed that Gil had escaped off-screen, but this is awesome. I can't wait to find out what's going on.

edited 12th Dec '12 9:32:00 AM by Claudeng

Actually I am a rocket wizard.

I don't think that Agatha will end up shooting Der K. I think the action's going to draw her and the zappy stick away...but that her repair of the lightning rod(s)/charger(s) will allow a fortuitous lightning bolt to still ensure "the spark" is given. Meanwhile Agatha and Gil are going to end up on some other round of critical action, perhaps leading to Agatha in that air gondola...headed who knows where.

If Agatha's hauled away that will leave an interesting question of to whom power descends. Tarvek's heroism and help has earned him some "trusted ally/consort presumptive" status. Tweedle is claiming Storm King status more flashily than Tarvek has. Othar is...well, he's Othar. The Generals have, as usual, their general-ness. Van is the steward. Higgs is Higgs. Zeetha is a Princess and BFF. Then there's Krosp.

Round and round the shells spin: which one is the bean under?

Mostly Harmless.

Don't worry too much Jerry C, my getting it right average for the Foglios is teensy. You can be almost certain that I've gotten it wrong.

BTW, I love your new pic Ori, that's adorable.

Well, Zeetha will take after Agatha, that's near certain, not only does she care for Agatha, but Agatha is both her Zumil and her only path back home. Higgs is clearly involved in making sure of a Heterodyne succession, so he can follow his heart gladly and go with Zeetha. I think Moloch will get dragged along too, despite probably being happier to stay home and fix up DK some more.

The whole point of bunches of Generals is that they all have their own domains, I'm sure that one of them is in charge of Fetching the Master/Mistress Back Home. It must be a common necessity with Sparks. I imagine Da Boyz will either come along or be deputized to do so, they're the ones who found her the first time after all.

Another General is undoubtably in charge of Home Front Wars and will stay, as will Van as Senechal, along with the town council we've seen before.

Krosp will bound after his subject, when one only has one subject, one must keep her safe. Even if one would prefer she stayed in warm dry places instead of out in the stormy night.

Tarvek let Gil steal Agatha away, nope. Not going to happen, he will follow with all his snarky sneaky skills, perhaps with the supervision of Othar and snide commentary from Violetta. I could see this group in the Firefly, a kidnapped Agatha could persuade Tarvek into this untrustworthy clank I'm certain. Admittedly, it could be lots of fun to see Da Boyz trying to fly it...

I think it would be more amusing to have several groups chasing Agatha, if that's what happens, so I suspect that's how it will work.

edited 12th Dec '12 9:56:58 AM by Lightningnettle

I will be seriously annoyed if Der Kestle getting its shit together and kicking Wulfenbach ass gets shoved into an Offscreen Moment of Awesome with Gil and Agatha running off. As someone (forget who, offhand) noted earlier, the Foglios have put a lot of effort into building up a charged DK's capabilities. Not actually showing it would be criminal.

All your safe space are belong to Trump

Well, some of us predicted that Agatha would stay and kick some butt, some of us predicted that she would run to fight another day, but I dont think anyone predicted that she would be abducted away.

So- Gil presumably has struck a deal with his father, who is "allowing" Gil to snatch Agatha and leave the scene. In Klaus eyes, that might appear to be a strategic masterstroke- removing the Heterodyne (and capturing Mechanicsburg) without having to win a destructive and uncertain large scale battle. Plus, if he is indirectly fighting Lu's control over him as some of us suspect he is, then there is the additional benefit of removing Agatha and Gil from the direct threat of an attack by Lu and her forces. It's possible that DK will waken at the last moment to rob Klaus of his victory, but that isn't necessary anymore- everyone may simply surrender when they find out that Agatha is gone. If Gil doesn succeed in snatching Agatha she wont be very happy about it- and I don't see her going voluntarily. The F's may contrive a plot device where she doesn't have any other choice.

Interestingly, no one seems to know yet about Lunevka, and the monsters from Sturmhalten appear to have been forgotten. Boris may yet do something before the action moves away from Mechanicsburg, and CW.

There are going to be a lot of disappointed fans out there, who were expecting an epic battle scene.

"We learn from history that we do not learn from history."

Frankly we are on the same page here... it would be a great fight and a lot of ham to withstand and I really want to see DK hamming that scene.

Edit: I would like to see part of what DK can do if we are not allowed to see all...

edited 12th Dec '12 11:01:35 AM by Mauri

Well here goes nothing

Well, we could also look at the symbolism of Gil as Agatha's downfall and her downfall as the possible salvation of Mechanicsburg.

But Nohbody's scenario makes a lot of sense.

edited 12th Dec '12 12:23:09 PM by GreybeardFan

I truly do think we will get our Der K. battle scene. I'm just not sure when. If nothing else the pacing on this sequence keeps messing with me. I mean, the volume's still not over....and there does not seem like enough time for a complete battle....

Mostly Harmless.

People on the wiki are speculating that isn't even Gil, noting in particular that his left hand looks very wrong, almost like it's not a real hand and we're looking at a doppelganger or some kind of master of disguise.

Given the fact that the Wulfenbach troops managed to disguise an entire battlefield, I wouldn't rule that out.

You are all forgetting that sending in a wasped agent to Agatha is stupid since she can control them just as well as Lucrecia can.

Anevka can because she can synthetize the voice, Zola can't because she doesn't have the same voice Agatha does.

Even if Gil is wasped, the second Agatha is brought to Klaus, she could control BOTH.

What if that is something Klaus is counting on?

One exasperated yell of, "Oh, just act like normal, not this weirdness!"... and, Tada!

edited 12th Dec '12 1:08:59 PM by Euodiachloris

I can understand thinking it might not be Gil; but I still say the attitude that Agatha has to come with him to be saved is pure Gil, and that only a few people could manage to control that airfloat with one foot, and Gil is one of them. I put the odd hand down to Phil's drawing style.

If Klaus wants Agatha fetched, sending Gil wasped is undefensible; as you point out. Even if Gil is unwasped there's a considerable risk of Gil deciding that he alone can protect Agatha better away from Klaus than with Klaus. Klaus would have had to persuade Gil that he was unlikely to kill Agatha. This is why I think Gil has escaped and will take Agatha to a powerful neutral party, the Master of Paris.

edited 12th Dec '12 1:32:36 PM by Lightningnettle

At which point the question becomes how many of the Merry Crew will follow them and how? As we have discussed, the various citizens of Mechanixburg are not likely to, especially if DK is reactivated. They're safer where they are, it's a home to defend, etc. The Senechals have run the city for generations, whenever the Heterodynes were out plundering and pillaging (or saving the world, depending) so there is no need for Tarvek to stay, either. Besides, do we really think Van will give a rat's patootie what Tweedle says? Get real! So Tarvek, Krosp and Zeetha will follow Agatha, Higgs will follow Zeetha (and keep an eye on Gil). Mama and the other Generals will stay and defend. Da Boyz? Probably follow, but I'm not betting the farm on it.

If it moves, eat it!