Other Bear, here's a report on health effects of (normal-fat) dairy: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180711182735.htm
I used to be Ol Bear
They're right. In fact, if the Senate Committee under George Mc Govern had bothered to consult some endocrinologists back in the '70's when their silly-ass recommendations on low-fat diets were initiated, we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic we suffer from now. But no, all they invited to testify were a bunch of nutritional ideologues. And then the writing of the guidelines was turned over to a labor lawyer! It wasn't bad science, it was stupid politics . . . again!
If it moves, eat it. If it doesn't move, kick it—then eat it!
Sorcerer in training
I wonder if the Other was originally an assistant to a Queen, maybe the Queen of the Geister, and decided to do a little light usurping one day.
The question is, did the Queens introduce the genetics for the Spark -or activate them?
And how or if do the Queens tie in with the priestess of the waters of the Dyne? The first Heterodyne drank the waters and married the priestess. Was she originally a Queen, and is that why there's a mirror in Mechanicsburg?
On another note, there's a Danny Phantom/Teen Titans crossover that uses the Ancient Sumerian texts trope (is it an actual trope?) very well. But most of the time, including "professional" writing, it seems to be a lazy way of explaining this really fantastic thing.
Knowing the Foglios, it's either a gag/shoutout, or will be both well used and very important.
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -Terry Pratchett
I believe there was a mirror there because it was located in the cathedral, which was operated by agents of the Knights of Jove, meaning one of them could have smuggled it in there for some contingency plan or secret route into and out of Mechanicsburg.
I used to be Ol Bear
Wednesday's Comic [1]
Holy moly.
So now we are dealing with God-Queens.
Zeetha's mama is one(?).
Lu (or whoever Lu's original conscience is) is another. Perhaps a Lady Heterodyne in her own right will become another (Albia certainly saw it in Agatha), given the chance to grow up without influence from her crossed bloodline (Lu).
Well, I no longer fear for Albia's imminent death. God-Queens are probably super hard to kill.
She's not just a spark.
tho...they do appear to be kill-able. (Lu's former life, and the one in-panel)
Doodles
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Zeetha explicitly noted that no, her mother is not immortal.
And I still wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Albia is dead before Agatha leaves England.
Absent-Minded Professor
While the Sumerian writings is not a trope... yet as far as I am aware it is like how in some other series they use similar stuff as a way to "justify" or give more meaning to what is done. While writing under zero coffee: Evangelion: Dead sea scrolls Yu Gi Oh: Egyptian motifs and some "writings" Some others I don't recall well enough. Most of these make use of some "egyptian" carvings.
Use for symbolism's sake: Terranigma transitions to mankind's revival.
A bit on the joke mode: Adam West's Batman villain King Tut: Egyptian motifs
On the comic it was bound to give the reference to the RAI. I think the Foglios just mirrored the existing institution in this case. And in the case of the scrolls they just needed a mention to something old and the Sumerian stuff is one of the oldest in the book, the Ishtar reference kinda made me chuckle due to the small know how of Sumerian Mythology.
Think of the mooks!
Well, Sumer specifically isn't used often enough that it's a distinct trope apart from Advanced Ancient Acropolis, but it's one of the more commonly used ones I've seen. It's got that nice combo of "people have heard of it" and "people know almost nothing about it" to allow for flexible storytelling.
Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Sorcerer in training
If at least part of the point of the expeditions was to find out the fate of the other Queens, then the Skifander one was ultimately successful in that one aspect.
I wonder if some heritage, memory, record of the Queen business is why a Princess was sent, and not just a high-level emissary of noble blood.
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -Terry Pratchett
@Geoduck I believe I recall a reference (perhaps in one of the novels) about a Great Wall of Fire that makes America all but inaccessible. The Heterodyne Boys managed to get there, somehow.
What interests me more about that globe is the geology of Europe(a). It would seem that Paris may be a coastal city, possibly on a peninsula. Spain and Portugal are just gone, as is most of France, the Netherlands and Belgium, Italy, and Greece. The Black Sea is open to the Mediterranean, and there's a veritable gulf where the Suez Canal would be today. The Americas seem more or less untouched. So perhaps they sealed themselves off to prevent the troubles of Europa and the Long War from crossing the Atlantic.
I wonder if, in the GG universe, America was settled by sparks fleeing Europa and the Long War.
Edited by MagusLucius on Jul 18th 2018 at 10:25:07 AM
"Give sorrow words; The grief that does not speak knits up the o'er-wrought heart, and bids it break." William Shakespeare - Macbeth
Also something's nibbled away at the coasts of Africa. It looks like maybe a third of its normal size.
Think of the mooks!
Well, when there was reference to Sparks causing massive mayhem, with the predations of The Other being particularly devastating, they aren't kidding.
Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
It's also possible that Phil is just being lazy with his geography.
But that's boring and doesn't lend to crazed theorizing about the state of the world, so no, let's not chalk it up to lazy geography.
Filthy casual
It wouldn't surprise me if, when a lot of sparks ended up accidently killing themselves, they altered their local geography considerably.
Edited by TheUnsquished on Jul 18th 2018 at 5:47:59 PM
(Annoyed grunt)
Think of the mooks!
Given the current state of England, it's already canonical what level of destruction Sparks can do accidentally, let alone intentionally. I have to assume that is not an isolated incident. This also illustrates the effectiveness of Gil's threat to Wooster back when Gil ordered the latter to take Agatha safely to England - it's effective in no small part because powerful Sparks have in fact demonstrated the ability to wreak havoc on that level.
Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Though probably not recently. Ability at that level is probably pretty rare—if any spark could do it, then the governments of the world would be regulating sparks even more aggressively than they already do, and I doubt any geography would be recognizable. Nor would civilization have survived.
Re albia's demise:
Geo, I hope you are wrong. This story is DESPERATELY in need of a neutral-to-good mentor that survives to teach Agatha and serve as a positive mother/aunty figure. Holding out for Albia to be that.
Doodles
Agatha had one of those in Lilith. It's a large part of why she turned out so well.
NaNo 4328 / 50,000
Not really a mentor. Yes a mother figure. A construct can't really teach a spark and Albia has implied that Agatha has some further god-like potential.
Albialives
Edited by OriDoodle on Jul 18th 2018 at 9:53:45 AM
Doodles
Think of the mooks!
To combine the questions about regulating the Spark as well as which ones aren't already controlled by them... well, remember what Klaus was working on in the beginning of the story, both in what he did to Vapnoodle and what he really really wanted to do to Othar? And how interested Tarvek's family has obviously been in making sure that they're the ones with the most Sparks? Honestly, I think that Spark regulation is already extremely aggressive, about as much as it possibly could be. As for why there's anything left, let's not forget that, at heart, Sparks are builders. As long as there are powerful Sparks more interested in the building, there will be something.
@OriDoodle: Eh... honestly, not so sure Albia is good or even neutral. She's helpful for now, but I have a feeling that she's playing a game no less dangerous for Agatha than what Klaus, The Other, or the Sturmvoraus clan has in mind for her. To steal a quote from Schlock Mercenary, the enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy, nothing more. While I could arguably see Agatha needing a mentor (I'm not convinced on that point, but I can see the argument), I don't think Albia would necessarily qualify as a morally sound one.
Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Im holding out for Zeetha's mother in that role.
Thoughts on that globe that Moonbark displays: Note the extra hunk of land in the middle of the Atlantic. Also,
I bet that dotted line marks some sort of barrier that is currently keeping Europans from visiting the Americas. (And Greenland, interestingly..)