Wednesday's page ✣ gives us more evidence that the Wulfenbach Spark, of which we have some suggestions ✣ to its strongly hereditary and distinctive nature, is as much marked by a behavioural style of manifestation as with a physical/creative style of manifestation ('their outsized machinery'). The behaviour in question is that of a stability and sanity unusual among Sparks.
The evidence of this starts with the scanty and intriguing reports of the previous Baron and Baroness Wulfenbach. The Secret Blueprints say, 'Klaus' parents were both Gifted scientists who ran their small holdings well, used their talents for the good of their people and for the most part kept out of the politics so common amongst the Gifted.' Now, it is not unusual to find Spark nobles who have a strong grip on their lands and a rich supply of funding, for whatever reason; but with the example of, say, the Duke D'Omas to be held up in comparison, can one say that others run their holdings 'well'? They also 'used their talents for... good', whereas the Spark has a tendency toward creating tunnel-vision and monomania. Most in the grip of creative madness cannot see past their own personal needs to SHOW THEM ALL! The third sign of unusual sanity is their remove from the very politics and interactions which caused the Long War to start. The Wulfenbachs, in fact, did not need to SHOW THEM ALL.
The implication is, of course, that bunic and bunică Wulfenbach, and before them străbunic and străbunică Wulfenbach were of an equal timbre of sanity and stability and taught their children to act in this manner, just as Klaus has taught Gil to be an effective overlord without resorting to massacre ✣ .
The Baron himself has not clearly and identifiably been in 'the madness place' in the histories so far except when driven there by justifiable indignation, violation and rage ✣ . In this particular case, it's indistinguishable ✣ from a non-Sparky long-stoked roaring fury, expressed by someone with immense motivation and great power for that expression. Is he Sparking when he tells Gil about his plans ✣ for an allegedly regrown Agatha-body? He's certainly worked up, but he's also annoyed with Gil for both failing in his task and being disappointing: 'Am I supposed to feel better because the heir to my empire— was duped by a pack of CARNIES?!' In other words - he's not mad ✣ , he's grumpy ✣ .
Gil is learning the Way of the Cranky ✣ himself, but his father may have spared him the worst of it by the time he takes the reins. He does know how to put on the act, but turns it off at will ✣ ; or he leaves the madness place with very little external stimulus ✣ or distraction ✣ . Gil's brilliance and intuitive leaps are the only points in common he has with the Sparks who kept Europa in turmoil for so many decades. He seeks to build ✣ , not destroy. His motivation to 'show them all' is to protect ✣ , instruct and enlighten ✣ , not threaten, terrify ✣ and murder ✣ .
Extrapolate, if you will, the future children of a posited Agatha-Gil relationship. Gilgamesh Wulfenbach and his genetic heritage may just finish what Agatha's beatifiable grandmother started - the civilisation of the Heterodyne Spark.