Girl Genius discussion OPEN SPOILERS

[wavewright62]

Dunno, but it was a durned good use of said cat.

[thorny]

Maybe the Iram Solis only works for dragons? (See the back of the newspaper.)

Maybe Franz broke it somehow before handing it over, or the drenching it got ruined it?

Anyway, it looks like this story is finally winding up. Wonder if the Queen's caught up on her sleep yet --

[wavewright62]

It's tough to tell, but perhaps the side story was happening while our main story was in Londinium and the rat island, which would mean we return to little or no time passing?  Albia will not be able to rejuvenate much while dragging the crippled airship back, and [prediction incoming] contending with Lucrezia who will. not. stay. vanquished.

.
I'm not looking forward to Zeetha's anguish at losing her chance at going back to Skifander and the loss of her boyfriend.  I picture Axel seeing her anguish reflected in the avatar and being impotent to do anything about it.  (Isn't the headband one-way? If not, maybe it will be rendered thus by the schism with Skifander?)

(Also, new GG art in the Forum Art Museum wheeee)

[thorny]

I don't think the side stories are necessarily considered to be coordinated with the main story, even when they have some of the same characters -- I think their time is intentionally left blurry. While this one obviously takes place at some time while Agatha's recognized as the Heterodyne and Mechanicsburg isn't cut off from the rest of the world -- because while Agatha's not available to see Franz off at the beginning of the story she's stated as investigating somewhere "in the woods outside Malebach" and there's no question of them being able to travel -- I don't think it's supposed to be set at some exact moment in the main story.

-- here's the "woods outside Malebach" page:
https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20220921

I'm not sure there was a time prior to Mechanicsburg getting cut off during which this could have happened -- I don't think Agatha got a quiet time at home after she was recognized. And in the main timeline Mechanicsburg is still cut off. So my guess would be that this happens at some undetermined time in the future of the main story, when Agatha's settled back in and things are relatively peaceful. And whatever time we return to in the main story will be determined by the requirements of that story, and not connected with this one.

-- ah. The cover page of this story says "some distant time hence". So yes, some undetermined and deliberately vague time in the future.
https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20220826

ETA: Just looked at the Art Museum. Nice work!

[wavewright62]

Ah, your scholarship is impeccable, thorny!  Excellent.
Now to see whether there is a timeskip involved in rejoining our main story.

[Róisín]

Hmmm…..’some distant time in the future’. Makes me wonder even more about exactly who Lumi is and where she fits in. Could she be Van’s daughter?

[thorny]

While we're wondering -- the page that says Agatha's out of town also says that none of "the family" are there either. Heterodyne family, presumably -- so who, I wonder, does that mean? Agatha's children? her husband(s)? (and if so who is/are they?!) and did her uncles ever reappear?

I'm entirely sure that was left vague on purpose!

[thorny]

Kliban doesn't look at all sure that he wants to go on any more adventures.

[Róisín]

I don’t blame him. Speaking as someone who lived a quite adventurous life, there comes a point when you just want to kick back and do something less dangerous, especially if you have family. I have heard the same from my youngest daughter (a maker of documentaries) and a friend who is a wildlife photographer - both of them also began to scale down their work to be in less dangerous places as they grew older, especially once they had kids. Wonder if Kliban has a family?

[thorny]

Good question. Kittens, Kliban? Littermates? Still hanging out with parent(s), aunts, and cousins when you get a chance? -- looks like they may not get a chance for a while, though; at least, Kliban, unless you run away fast while your human's packing for the next trip! You probably won't even get to climb into the luggage, you'll probably have to carry it again.

And for those waiting for it -- the Main Story is Back. Picking up right exactly where we left off; and not moved significantly from there yet, though it looks like some interesting info's probably going to be given next week.

[Róisín]

Yeah, always figured that the Queens depended on their power source and were in trouble if something disrupted that.

[wavewright62]

Absolutely, now that we've seen queens birthed from a power source. 
It's a little puzzling since there has been strong hinting that Agatha has the potential to develop into a queen.  Does she have to develop a power source to accomplish it? 
Perhaps Lucrezia was attempting to assess and tap the water of the Dyne for this potential - [tangent] a possible motive for her (seemingly) sudden wish to marry Bill Heterodyne?

[thorny]

I do think the Dyne's a potential power source.

I wonder whether it could power both Queen Agatha and the Castle? Would there be a conflict? -- though something must be powering England-under-the ocean; and I'd think that would be at least a big a power draw as the Castle.

[Róisín]

Always figured the Dyne for a power source, but that had never occurred to me as a motive for Lucrezia marrying Bill. You may well be right. And I will be interested to see what happens with Agatha and the Castle. For one thing, if Agatha taps directly into the Dyne, will the Castle still need all those generators and storage batteries in the river? Or can she and the Castle share direct access?

[Jitter]

Woohoo, that’s a development! Hopefully she can recover even with the Dyne unreachable! Or was the river or some of it reachable despite the time bubble?

Remarkably, Agatha has already been aware that she’s on the path to becoming a Queen, or else she has extraordinary poker face, if it occurs to here just now.