Girl Genius/YMMV

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• Alternative Character Interpretation: And how. Let's just say there are very strong reasons the character page is divided into protagonists and antagonists rather than heroes and villains.
• Arc Fatigue: Severe, in the case of the current arc. The "Castle Heterodyne" storyline has been in progress for nearly three years^[when?] with an end now only vaguely in sight; in comic-time, only a day or two has passed. Oggie makes a minor reference to it.
• Archive Binge: Probably one of the most notable in webcomic history. Originally a print comic, when Girl Genius first became a webcomic it had two archives; one consisting of pages from the print comics, one consisting of the new pages produced after the website went online. When the version for people who started reading it online caught up with the version for people who'd read the print comics an awful lot of people read the newer half of the combined archive, the equivalent of four and a half books worth of pages, in one sitting. The website server went down for a long time.
• Complete Monster: The Other is quickly showing just how deserved that title is for her.
  • Where do we start with Lucrezia? Most of her early villainy isn't much worse than the average antagonist around this place, but she's kept evolving beyond that to the point where even Albia now considers her an Eldritch Abomination in human form. Lucrezia's ideal world isn't merely to crush Europa underneath her iron boot, but to forge an eternal hell where free will literally does not exist and all sentient life worships her as their cruel and whimsical goddess. Forever.
  • For a snapshot of everything that is wrong and twisted in Lucrezia's nonexistent soul, here's her infamous conversation with Klaus at the Corbetite sanctuary (it continues for the next several pages). Note that both of them are mentally possessing the bodies of their own children at the time (Klaus far more reluctantly and less brutally than Lucrezia, but still). The climactic wrap-up is:

Lucrezia: Oh Klaus- Klaus: This is not truly me. Lucrezia: Oh, but it could be! Let me help you! (seductively) Listen to me. How many lives have you sacrificed to keep the peace of your Empire? Sacrifice just two more - only these two - and we can have a true peace. Together. And really, one mustn't get too sentimental about children-

• • • There's a reason that the next panel is Klaus piledriving Lucrezia's head through the table. She would literally devour the soul of her own daughter, encourage Klaus to do the same to his son, and legitimately call that peace and love in her warped outlook. Whatever intangible quality makes a human being even remotely human, she ain't got it no more.
    • In addition, the sheer whiplash speed of her emotions in the "only these two" page is terrifyingly unstable. Lucrezia bounces from childish to distraught to shrieking in rage at the world to outright glee to attempted seduction in the space of seven panels.
  • The fourth official novelisation directly Lampshades it:

Footnote #5: Statements like this have helped convince behaviorial psychologists that wherever the original Lucrezia was, she was either incredibly mad or no longer human. A large majority of those questioned opined for "both".

• Crap Saccharine World: Actual science is basically dead, which has effectively halted theoretical study, which means that the development of atomic energy, computers, and decent aircraft is not going to happen. Why bother working on fruitless theories that might become something much later when you can have awesome stuff now? Societal progress has (except for a few things such as the role of women and racism) also basically halted, with most of Europe frozen in the Victorian era. Democracy is unheard of, and the Spark nobility often rule with an iron fist. The distribution of wealth is still largely at the top, with no sort of working-class consumer society developing. Oh, and there are monsters, diseases and devices that will kill you. This is, of course, covered up with a coating of awesome steampunk machines, a noble, chivalric attitude, and cheerful plays and books. The people seem mostly content.
• Crazy Awesome: Jägers are a race of Crazy Awesome individuals.
  • Excited Sparks tend to act this way with an added Genius Bruiser flavor.
  • Snaug may also count. She sees dangerous, potentially-fatal experimentation as fun. This arc has had her smiling a lot.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Everything Bangladesh Dupree does.
• Crowning Music of Awesome: At one point, a flipped-out Agatha directs a small army of Clanks, (including giant Transforming Mecha and Luggage) by playing a calliope. Behold.
• Ensemble Darkhorse:
  • Da Boyz, the Jägermonster trio. To an only slightly lesser extent, the entire Jäger horde.
  • Also the freaking nyar spider, of all things. Possibly because the spider managed to get Zola to shut up...
  • Airman Axel Higgs, due to an effective combination of stoic Seen It All-ness, sheer badassery, and the mystery surrounding exactly who and what he really is.
• Escapist Character: Agatha
• Evil Is Sexy: Largely averted, as the Fan Service comes primarily from Agatha and Zeetha (or Gil and Tarvek, depending on preference) while Bangladesh DuPree, a very attractive Comedic Sociopath, has yet to show so much as a bit of cleavage. This is most likely a reflection of Phil Foglio's philosophy on sexuality from his XXXenophile days, which placed an emphasis on fun and entertaining situations. That said, Lucrezia Mongfish-Heterodyne in any body is HOT (and, unlike Agatha, uses it shamelessly).
  • In a flashback to the past, Klaus and Lucrezia agree on this trope with each other. Unfortunately Lucrezia is Eviler Than Thou, and doesn't need a partner in crime.
• Fan Nickname: Dingbot Prime, Da Boyz, and others.
• Fridge Brilliance: Why is Zola the "Heterodyne" so confident about entering with her entire entourage? Because she's not actually a Heterodyne, so she can enter with as many people as she likes.
• Fridge Horror: Of the Quickthaw variety, and more Fridge Squick than anything else. Tarvek's devotion to giving his dying sister a new life in clank form is sweet, until you consider that the reason that she was dying in the first place is that her father tried to download the mind of Lucrezia Mongfish, a woman to whom he was sexually attracted, into his daughter's body. Given that she appears to return his interest, at least to the extent that she constantly objectifies Tarvek, perhaps it's best that he failed.
  • According to the one of the Jäger Generals, this is why the Other will be defeated.
• Genius Bonus: As befits the title, several strips offer incredibly obscure references. Examples include a flirtatious Jäger referring to a waitress as his little nokedli (it's a type of dumpling), and a scientist complaining about working with inferior coprolitic components (see Unusual Euphemism below).
  • More a "Wisconsinite" bonus but when Agatha was listing Othar's supposed exploits she included "Savior of the town of Mt. Horeb from the rain of Mustard."
  • Brillat-Savarin, mentioned here, was a famous gastronomist and essayist - just the sort that a minor spark would crow about defeating.
• Holy Shit Quotient: Up there with Gurren Lagann. Reaches critical mass around Volume 11.
  • It began escalating with the 'Castle Heterodyne' arc, and the cool-down interludes have come less often, shorter, and cuts away to non-canon side stories. The writers and readers may get a break, but Agatha just keeps getting deeper into Holy Shit.
• Ho Yay / Foe Yay: Gil and Tarvek, in recent comics. Semi-naked, snarky, and walking arm-around-arm? Oh yes.
  • The Foglios have thrown fans another bone. Nobody expects Othar/Gil!
  • There's always been a fair bit of Les Yay between Agatha and Zeetha, but the one-off strip has some fans seeing Agatha/Kaja.
  • Colette Voltaire jokes about Les Yay, telling Agatha that because the Master of Paris dislikes Heterodynes, "our love can never be." Agatha is still too stunned by the Master's hostility to be embarrassed by Colette's wisecrack.
• Magnificent Bastard: Almost every major character has at least one dastardly brilliant scheme worthy of this status, but they all also succumb to periods of recklessness and insanity; no one is magnificent consistently.
  • Professor Tiktoffen was simultaneously working for the Baron, the Order of Jove, a federation of pirates, the Incorruptible Library, British intelligence, Master Voltaire, all seven Popes, an apparent faction of Subterrans, and the "Sons of Franklin" (implying that his patrons went as far afield as North America)... while simultaneously betraying them all and pursuing his own goals. And in the end the only thing that stopped him was being unable to fully account for the Heterodyne, not any of the rest of these extremely dangerous people. Holy shit.
  • Female example: Zola
• Mary Sue: Lampshaded, as part of the story. A character tells a flashback tale of the Heterodynes, and adds her own character.

You always put your own stupid characters in the story... and mess it all up!"

• Memetic Badass: Klaus Wulfenbach and Old Man Death have earned the status a few times over. And Axel "The Unstoppable" Higgs.
• Memetic Sex God: Klaus, among some of his fans.
• Moe: Violetta. Look at the last panel, awwww, she just wants a pretty dress.
• Moral Event Horizon: Zola must die, thanks to what she does after her power-up.
  • The Jägers, based on the third panel here, freely chose to join an army of Evil, and rejoice in that decision.
    • Most of them are still sympathetic characters however, and they still have some pretty good standards. For instance, they are intensely loyal to the Heterodynes, and they absolutely detest Mind Control, as seen with their hate for the slaver wasps. See the strip above.
  • Lucrezia crosses it the moment she enters the story as an active character.
  • Merlot was an unrepentant Jerkass about being thrown into Castle Heterodyne. He threw Agatha out and burned everything, including the cryptographers, related to her importance. And then he got mad at her about it, like he didn't directly cause it all.
• Paranoia Fuel: Stealth Revenants. And Agatha having her evil mother's mind downloaded into her. Never quite know who you're talking to at first.
• Rooting for the Empire: Even if Klaus is not the main antagonist.
• What an Idiot!: Othar. Ferretina. That is all.