In the introduction to one of the novelizations (I think), there was a brief bit about how capable Sparks draw others into their orbits, and the fact that within a few months of her breakthrough Agatha had two Storm King claimants, Baron Wulfenbach's heir, an expert swordfighting princess, and a Smoke Knight in her group of sidekicks was an indication of her absolutely terrifying potential.
That got me to wondering, though--Sparks distort reality with their mad science, right? How much do they unconsciously do the same thing? Is Violetta a more capable Smoke Knight now in part because that's what Agatha needs her to be, and Agatha has the power to make her better?
It's reminiscent of what Terry Pratchett had to say about the power of stories, particularly in _Witches Abroad_.
I think Violetta has been either seriously underestimated by pretty much all the smoke knights, or she has been actively sandbagging for years. Consider the various scrapes she has come out on the winning end of, not by luck or overwhelming talent, but through tactics and outsmarting her opponents. She is formidable, full stop.
I'm also waiting for the other shoe to drop about her "death." That squid has been on the mantlepiece for way too long, I need some closure/exposition here!
...that for the longest time, she had no faith in herself - being assigned what to her was scut-work and having to watch over a person she hated can do that.
Since she took up with Agatha, she's been valued for who and what she is, which can do wonders for self-confidence. :)
See the pagemadfilkentist linked above. French Ninjutsu is a complicated skill set. Violetta may be not quite as good as these two at snooping around, but she's clearly better at surviving deathtrap mazes. Also, being underestimated is not even a running gag, it's a hallmark. All members of their clan pretend to be less capable than they are.
She has occasionally been shown to be weaker than other smoke knights. She's also been shown to be very capable. Which allows the Professors to tweak it as necessary. Her actual skill level is "Whatever is convenient to the current plot, or makes a good joke".
Violetta has stated that she specializes in sleight of hand and misdirection. This was a well done misdirection. Attacking Madwa face-on is normally suicide. She made her turn her back. Even if Madwa realized Violetta wasn't in the light immediately, she could only cover one direction with herself now between two foes.
Violetta (and everyone else in the party) has been through an outlandish amount of mayhem and repeatedly pushed her skills to their limits since winding up in Agatha's company. She's racked up a whole lot of practical experience under extreme circumstances. She's earned her power-ups. The inspirational aura of a spark doubtless contributes -- this is important, keep doing your best work! -- but I hope that's more like motivation and dedication and less like reshaping people. The spark aura is already alarmingly mind-control-y in a story that has strong opinions about mind control.
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That got me to wondering, though--Sparks distort reality with their mad science, right? How much do they unconsciously do the same thing? Is Violetta a more capable Smoke Knight now in part because that's what Agatha needs her to be, and Agatha has the power to make her better?
It's reminiscent of what Terry Pratchett had to say about the power of stories, particularly in _Witches Abroad_.
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I'm also waiting for the other shoe to drop about her "death." That squid has been on the mantlepiece for way too long, I need some closure/exposition here!
I think part of it may be...
Since she took up with Agatha, she's been valued for who and what she is, which can do wonders for self-confidence. :)
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French Ninjutsu is a complicated skill set. Violetta may be not quite as good as these two at snooping around, but she's clearly better at surviving deathtrap mazes.
Also, being underestimated is not even a running gag, it's a hallmark. All members of their clan pretend to be less capable than they are.
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Her actual skill level is "Whatever is convenient to the current plot, or makes a good joke".
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