Here's another girl genius AU from a few years back. I get to claim Primary Prompting for this one!
[cracks knuckles] Who wants a fun AU idea for us all to take and run away with en masse
So:
Gil wakes up one day, sometime after Agatha escapes CW but before Sturmhalten. Nobody he meets recognizes him. Nobody knows who "Gilgamesh" is. Not Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, not Gilgamesh Holzfaller, not Gilgamesh Teufel. Klaus doesn't know he has a son. Bang doesn't know she has a friend. Wooster doesn't know he has a target. Nobody remembers him.
The exceptions are Zoing, who would not exist without Gil, and Tarvek, for Some Fucking Reason.
Gil has to escape CW under accusations of having snuck aboard, being a spy, being an assassin, etc.
People start finding the holes in their memories. Klaus realizes that he can't remember why he started taking over Europa. Bang realizes she doesn't remember why she spent four years in Paris. Wooster questions why he's on CW.
Tarvek mentions Gil to Anevka one day, gets a confused look from her, and starts pressing. He thinks at first that it's neurological or mechanical damage, and then finds that Aaronev doesn't recognize the name either.
Not sure how, but Gil and Tarvek find each other, start trying to unravel the entire situation.
Klaus finds his own encoded notes about Gil. He starts panicking. This is a bad time for everyone.
Zeetha, notably, remembers that she has a twin, but lacking any specific knowledge on him, doesn't lose the knowledge that she had one. She can, if she meets Gil, put the pieces together again.
[???]
Happy ending.
I don't really know what to do with this as a whole?
I just have snatches of ideas of people slowly realizing, with total horror, that they've forgotten a crucial part of their lives. So many scrambling to fill that gap because the things they've been doing just don't make sense without the missing element.
Some people keep going out of inertia, like Bang and Klaus, because they have daily jobs and partial justifications that can hold water for a bit, if not forever.
Klaus can say "I'm doing this because nobody else will" and take a few hours or days before going "but it feels like I need more to this" because he has layered motivations for everything.
Bang has her stabby job and likes it.
Wooster? Wooster knows pretty much immediately that something is wrong, because he can't remember what his job on CW is. He can't remember his cover story. He can't remember how he got on.
All he knows is that something is horribly, totally, completely wrong.
And Albia needs to know right away.
Alternately, we can swap Tarvek and Wooster's roles around.
So Gil has someone in his corner from the start.
And Tarvek has no memory of how/why he got kicked off of CW, just that he did.
He doesn't know why has so many conspiracy theory books about a nobody he's never heard of in his room. He can't remember why he ran into that pirate lady in Paris so often, or why so many of his dates got ruined.
Something Is Wrong.
Thoughts?
Klaus can't remember why he left Skifander
@firebirdeternal (Birdie):
does he.... does he try to make contact? Does ZANTA remember why he left?
Klaus starts with "call all the people I trust even a little bit, try to figure out what's wrong."
The fact that he's finding paperwork about Gil means something. The fact that a young man Klaus doesn't recognize called him "father" and then looked confused and panicked and ran when Klaus demanded to know who he was definitely means something.
Klaus wants to find the cause first. It's definitely not just a prank, with how thoroughly his memory was effected.
Imagine Klaus saying the whole "I haven't seen my wife in years" line like in the Othar monologue. And then just pausing. He's so used to saying it, and someone is questioning that he even has one, and he obviously has to keep it a secret of why he hasn't seen her...
but he can't remember why.
Luunyscarlet (Luuny):
Oh no Is this the Dreen’s fault?
I was thinking someone pissed off an EGQ, or the Muse of Time. Later on in the plot? And then they just. Jumped back and went "you know what, fuck you in particular, kid, now your dad and all your friends forget you exist, how do you like THAT."
Luuny
When in doubt, blame Lu
@melongumi (melon):
Agatha and Gil starting over with Gil as a nobody? potential with the ship up in the air -- nice friendship times?
The circus is naturally suspicious but Wooster just grifts that Gil got into a fight with his Powerful Father and now there's some filial rebellion going on.
Wooster ends up on stage because, well, spy = acting skills, yes?
Mmmmmm can we reuse the "Gil and Zeetha swordfight on stage for their act, Tarvek jumps the railing to yell at Gil" plot point?
Birdie:
I think we can. Can you imagine the Sheer OUTRAGE Gil would have towards the UNIVERSE when TARVEK was the only one who remembered him? Like, he's been dealing with this traumatic situation, making the best of it, it can't be all bad right? I mean at least he got to find Agatha again? Wait she's been kidnapped. WAIT TARVEK IS HERE. WAIT WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN TARVEK REMEMBERS ME
Gil has two people who remember him: Wooster and Tarvek. Bang and Klaus are deadset on figuring out who stole their memories and how.
Wait no, there are three, because Zoing. Zoing Remembers Dad.
Gil goes to talk to Agatha, and Wooster just grabs the back of his jacket and hisses for him to stop and shut up and sit down before he messes it up again.
@regaldragonempress:
AAAHHHH Do they take Zoing on the run? I hope they do Because if they don't remember Gil, they might not remember where Zoing came from and treat him like the cinnamon roll he is!
They Do.
Also it's really lucky that Tarvek never figured out that Gil is a Wulfenbach? Because that means he jumps the railing to yell "HOLZFALLER" which is the name Gil's been going by again.
Obviously, Gil can't safely call himself a Wulfenbach when [waves hands] SITUATION. So, lucky.
And Gil is just like.
"?????????? HOW DO YOU REMEMBER ME WHEN NOBODY ELSE DOES"
"THAT'S WHAT I'D FUCKING LOVE TO KNOW, I'VE COMPLAINED TO EVERYONE ABOUT WHAT YOU DID IN PARIS, HOW DID YOU ERASE YOURSELF" "ERASE MYSELF? I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU HOW YOU ERASED ME! MIGHTY SUSPICIOUS THAT YOU REMEMBER WHEN NOBODY ELSE DOES, STURMVORAUS."
Half the audience is shaking in their seats because oh god, someone's arguing with the royal family and they're going to see that machine gun set into Aaronev's royal box in use again
Except no, because Tarvek and Gil just keep yelling, they don't even properly fight, and Wooster's coming onto stage to ask Gil if this is really necessary, it's been years and we're doing this again, I thought we left this childish behavior back in Paris and both Tarvek and Gil are gasping in offense and just.
It's a show of its own.
Zeetha, from like five feet away, clearly enjoying this way more than she should: JUST KISS HIM ALREADY
Gil and Tarvek: [offended gasps]
@goddamnshinyrock (micah):
how soon does zeetha put the pieces together in this verse? re: twinsies, that is
Pretty soon, I think?
Gil keeps things Vague but mentions things that are just... relevant enough for Zeetha to put the pieces together? Maybe there are lots of little Skiff techniques Klaus picked up there and taught Gil that Zeetha recognizes.
And they spar a lot to build up a rapport they can rely on safely on stage. Zeetha also notices Gil pining after Agatha, maybe?
Micah:
he is just not capable of being terribly subtle about that
He really isn't. The only person who misses it is Agatha herself... and Lars, who isn't around enough to notice, and is also pining.
Oh man, the jagers. I think Gkika says some stuff in canon about how the jagers can smell some of the changes Klaus made to Gil's body? Maybe they can smell how similar he is to jagers.
Melon:
oh man if they don't remember who he is and how that came about, is there a suspicion that he was like, part of a copycat experiment?
They have questions, yeah.
Wooster is having an ongoing breakdown every time something like this happens, for the record. Except it's less "Gil's going to melt England" and more "Either Klaus is going to kill me for kidnapping Gil after he finally gets his memory back, or Albia's going to do it for letting things go so spectacularly off the rails."
Slightly less fun: Gil and Agatha fugue in tandem one time, and Lars is like "Shit I have no chance."
Except Agatha is still heavily crushing on Lars, and Gil is pining, and the circus is conspiring to make Agatha/Lars happen and kind of getting in Gil's way whenever possible. Then there's a moment where Lars and Gil both watch Agatha do that "bucket of water over the self after training" thing and sigh in tandem and just. Talk about how amazing she is.
And Gil admits that he's pretty sure he's too blunt and rude for her, especially since Wooster's the only reason he hasn't made Agatha angry at him again, and Lars admits to feeling inadequate because he's not a spark.
And I'm not sure where I'm going with this other than that I kind of want Lars and Gil to end up kissing at least once for the sake of... science.
Oh oh oh: Gil and Wooster both know that Agatha's the Heterodyne.
Agatha doesn't know that they notice. But Da Boyz figure it out.
This kid smells half jager and he knows that the Heterodyne is a Heterodyne, there are problems to be addressed.
@scribeprotra (Scribe):
could see them reacting different depending on how Gil sells the 'smells like jager' thing if he insists he honestly has no idea what they're talking about they might shift him over to victim instead of thief and then start like trying to see if he is eligible for being one
Might not bring it up until after they see him being an idiot about Agatha? He's keeping his distance because he knows he stands a good chance of pissing her off so much she'll avoid him for ages, especially since he can't spark out fully when the circus is working so hard on being undercover, but he's clearly very devoted to her well-being, and that's Obviously A Good Sign by jager standards?
They teach him how to steal a Goot Hat
Scribe:
start treating him like a baby jager
Baby proto-jager
@readalong (schefflera):
at least Gil has practice not Sparking out I mean we all know Tarvek's still in the habit but Gil apparently managed to keep it more or less under control in public starting at 8
Miss Nixy, Gay for RoboLadies — 2/22/2019 11:18 PMYep
But since being Super Sparky is what had Agatha interested in him, in large part, and what kept her interest even after he Said Stupid Shit, the fact that she doesn't remember the strength of his spark and has no chance of seeing it in action while he's with the circus unless things go very poorly means that his chances of getting anywhere romantic have lowered significantly.
On the other hand: Gil running into an Othar that doesn't recognize him as a Villainous Wulfenbach
Luuny:
Othar tries to recruit him as his apprentice
He does, and Gil just spends the entire time running away screaming. It does a lot to endear him to both Agatha and the jagers, because Gil isn't fighting him! Gil isn't causing collateral damage! Gil isn't sparking out and endangering the circus or Agatha!
Gil's just yelling "LEAVE ME ALONE" and being an acrobatic little shit.
Luuny:
Does anyone come save him from Othar? Because you know Othar would see those acrobatics as even more reason for Gil to be his apprentice
Da Boyz. Wait no, Jenka shows up and distracts Othar. Gil dodges out of the way, helps Agatha cut the jagers down?
Luuny:
Having Othar like you is sometimes worse than him hating you
Wooster: This is just like Paris. Gil: PARIS DIDN'T HAVE JAGERS OR OTHAR. Wooster, sipping his tea: So?
@whelpthisisawkward (saintpie)
Agatha does wonder why Zoing is with this strange man sometimes
Zeetha giving Zoing shoulder rides, y/n?
[lots of people saying Yes]
Zoing tugs Gil, Agatha, Zeetha, Wooster, and Lars to a small table. Serves Tea. Zoing's dad is gonna have friends! Zoing's gonna make sure of it!
Zoing, the day after the jagers actually Join The Circus instead of just Lurking: TEA TIME
The jagers get tea! Zoing is very offput by the idea of adding bugs to the tea. It is a point of contention.
Scribe:
on plus side, he gets lots of compliments about his very nice hat!
@thisarenotarealblog (Docc):
does agatha ask zoing who gil is
Zoing and Krosp get a double act that consists of Krosp delivering a speech and Zoing "translating" into ZoingSpeech
Zeetha: Holzfaller, I'm stealing your son. Gil: I don't have a son??? Zeetha, holding up Zoing: This is my nephew now. Gil: No??? THAT IS MY BEST FRIEND GIVE HIM BACK.
So Klaus and Zeetha have a conversation and Zeetha freaks out a bit at "Chump" and then turns to Gil and whispers "Is that the powerful dad you were running away from?"
Gil: ??? How did you figure that out, nobody can remember who I am, and-- Zeetha: Because he just told me he's my dad and I was already pretty sure you were my missing twin!
Docc:
Gil needs to take a minute to reboot
Luuny:
Gil.exe has failed to load. Please try again later
Wooster, looking between Gil and Zeetha and Klaus: Albia is going to kill me.
ZOING CALLING LARS A GOOD EGG
Or like. A good man? A good guy? What would actually fit Zoingspeech.
Docc:
He goodboi! Heliketee!
Probably.
Izzagoodboi! While rapidly patting Lars's arm. Lars is... confused and amused, mostly.
Gil, staring: ...yep. He sure is, buddy. Now please stop patting him.
Luuny:
Lars: it’s ok, I don’t mind
Zoing wants Gil to have All The Friends. Including the Verigoodboi!
Zoing, pointing at Lars: Izzagoodboi! Da Boyz: [look at each other] Da Boyz: [look at Agatha, who nods] Da Boyz: Hokay! Ve hear dot he iz a verra goot kinda guy! Ve'll keep him safe for de gorl vot saved us, since she like heem verra much! Agatha, blushing furiously: YOU DIDN'T NEED TO SAY THAT PART
Luuny:
And I just realised because of Tarvek jumping on the stage to confront Gil, it’s possible that the Circus never got to do the Heterodyne Boys show, meaning that Aaronev didn’t get to recognise Agatha’s voice and thus Lu didn’t make a return
Pretty much, yeah!
It's mostly just Gil and Tarvek shouting so much that the show never gets going because they become the show, and Tarvek yells that everything is cancelled because Holzfaller's done something so stupid that it eclipses anything he managed in Paris.
Aaronev is so annoyed by Tarvek making a scene that he just. Leaves. Even if the show does go on, he's gone.
@namesaretoomuchpressure (names):
Ahem, may I suggest jagers are accidentally immune to this because if Albia did it then dyne based immunity? And with this premise, the Generals and Higgs desperately trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and maybe trying to keep an eye on the heir that no one else remembers. And for extra angst, Gil did not run into a jager before fleeing cw so he doesn't know they remember him
I was considering jager immunity but yes that's a good excuse.
@atagotiak (Tia):
If Klaus can’t like. Emotionally connect to Gil even like, conceptually here, still.
Docc:
he barely pulled it off in canon
Tia:
Well, yes. But he’s very invested in Gil as a concept at least Here brain stuff means he can’t be. How would he react, if he figures out who Zeetha is, without all his Anxiety About Gil in the way?
@wherethevoidscribbles (void):
I think he'd either be thrilled or concerned Like wtf is she doing here He's more worried that something is wrong in Skifander
Tia:
Both, but much less concerned than canon Klaus?
Names:
maybe distressed because he is reminded that he can't remember why he left Skifander?
@gelpenss (gel):
That kind of makes sense? Especially if he can brute force the mental connection that it had... something.... to do with his kid?
He's very angry that someone's fucking with his head, mostly
Void:
well that to be expected.
Besides, he already has one grown-ass kid he doesn't know or recognize, what's another
Gel:
Well the problem with that one comes in that the other one does know/recognize/remember him and it’s not a problem of distance, though. Oh. Ouch. I just got an awful idea: if he leaves Gil’s proximity he starts to forget again even if he’s managed to put it together
I was actually thinking that Albia waited until Sturmhalten was at Critical Mass and then made everyone remember again for Maximum Entertainment
Gel:
That’s also very good tbh, if a little creepy of Albia. She’s just going all 🍿🍿🍿
Like this started as a way to punish Klaus and get a little "why did you choose Zanta over me?" shaped revenge.
But now it's just entertainment
And Wooster's probably getting a holiday bonus for putting up with it
Void:
I should hope so. Poor Wooster! RIP wooster you were a good
@syfyravalkyrie (Syf):
Wooster better get a fucking KNIGHTHOOD
Names:
wait, but with the Tarvek leaps from the royal box to fight with Gil on stage thing Strumhaven would be far less awful so what is defined as critical mass here? Would it be when they fall into making out just in time for Klaus to barge in yelling for his son?
I mean, given their lives? Things Just Got Worse
