Girl Genius XXXII: The scientific method at work!

[halfeye]

from a „you won’t shoot me - gets shot“ collection on Youtube:
Q: „What are you gonna do? Shoot me?“
A: „I wasn’t going to, but you kinda talked me into it.“
- shoots him

The Goons on the radio many moons ago:

"You can't fool me, that's not a gun, it's a banana.

BANG

You shot me.

Did you think I would threaten you with an unloaded banana?"

My guess is that Hauptworm will be restrained, but survive.

[Divayth Fyr]

So, last time Hautwyrm tried a similiar tactic she had the whole group sorrounded, and it took Humongulous "convincing" Franz for it to work. Now she only really has the cat, and what is stopping Franz from melting her off the face of the planet the moment she does harm it (not to mention Humongulous not being in shape to do much "convincing" this time around)?

[wingnutx]

May she learn all about "cat-like reflexes".

[eee]

She tried this before and it didn't really work. She's got enemies all around her, possibly even behind, and it's been demonstrated she's a sucker for a sucker punch. The cat is FAST. And Franz is REALLY smart. This is dumb.

Well, at this point, i want her dead.

Which happens rarely, but, you know. She earned it.

She deserves to lose her hat.

[PraetorDragoon]

Taking the cat hostage? I have seen better plans from the Jagers.

[Laurentio III]

Starting from "my gun is set to explode killing myself in the process", transited to "I keep trying to reason with a dragon instead of shooting him, and this kinda proves that my gun is not able to kill him anyway", an now arrived at "I keep a ride hostage". The level of villainy descended to Jumba Jookiba's levels.

[Grim Portent]

She's in a sparky state, maybe even gone full mad-girl mode, expecting rational behaviour from her is unrealistic at this point.

I'm kind of expecting Vipsania to go full rage mode on her for threatening her cat myself. I recall the Foglio's being fond of cats, so threatening a cat is the sort of thing that foreshadows a character getting roundly beaten.

50/50 on Wyrmhaut dying or leaving this place in a state of humiliating defeat. Could honestly go either way even if I would prefer her to be dead. She does have students who need her for a passing grade, and GG likes it's academia jokes, so her being rolled out in an impromptu straitjacket made from a tacky tapestry while ranting about her thesis on the Iram Solis or something would be quite fitting.

[Agi Hammerthief]

She does have students who need her for a passing grade,

do they?
Wouldn’t a successor show some gratitude for her position?
Or at least be … motivated … to get rid of the students for self protection.


I‘ve has a professor add half a point to an exam just to get rid of me**


** not me specifically, just one of the 100 students who took the exam that semester, who he would otherwise see again next semester.

[Manga Shoggoth]

She does have students who need her for a passing grade

We've had at least one student give up on their professor (during the re-taking of Mechanicsberg, just after said professor had the misfortune to mug a couple of people who turned out to be Zeetha and Higgs (might have been Violetta, but I can't find the links)), and attempt to sign up with the Heterodyne.

[geoduck]

We've had at least one student give up on their professor (during the re-taking of Mechanicsberg, just after said professor had the misfortune to mug a couple of people who turned out to be Zeetha and Higgs (might have been Violetta, but I can't find the links)), and attempt to sign up with the Heterodyne.

Miss Baumhund.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Miss Baumhund.

That's the lass. And the following page has:

This should be the last of 'em.

Oh, and there's a young lady who wahts to know if tou're accepting grad students.

But there is a happy ending. Although possibly not for Moloch...

[Rockphed]

I propose a thread title or three:

Girl Genius XXXIII: Twenty Princess Pile-up
Girl Genius XXXIII: We Are All Princesses Here
Girl Genius XXXIII: You Are On my List!

[Manga Shoggoth]

Historically noted.

Now that I have torn myself from the archive binge that triggered... I was reminded that the Library really does have a very big cat theme to it...

[Shining Wrath]

The Foglios naming a cat after a cartoonist that does cat cartoons is an immense amount of plot armor. Everyone else may die, but Kliban will live.

Although I think picking that particular hostage may be a cat-astrophic error.

[theangelJean]

The Foglios naming a cat after a cartoonist that does cat cartoons is an immense amount of plot armor. Everyone else may die, but Kliban will live.

Although I think picking that particular hostage may be a cat-astrophic error.

After today's comic, the conclusion above is somehow even more certain...

But I have no idea how.

[geoduck]

After today's comic, the conclusion above is somehow even more certain...

But I have no idea how.

The monk is going to do something, he signaled to Franz to stall.

[Shining Wrath]

Brother Marcus has a plan, and Kliban is adorable in his density. Maybe Hector should ride Kliban into the sunset?

[PraetorDragoon]

Brother Marcus has a plan, and Kliban is adorable in his density. Maybe Hector should ride Kliban into the sunset?

Fool! Ghosts can't ride cats into the sunset.

[Rakaydos]

Fool! Ghosts can't ride cats into the sunset.

Aktually! cats can interact with the dead, so he CAN ride it.

[eee]

Fool! Ghosts can't ride cats into the sunset.

Can cats ride ghosts?

[Shining Wrath]

I believe Lovecraftian cats can leap to the moon in groups, so yes, cats can ride ghosts and vice versa.

Cats can do anything. Just ask them.

I wonder if the Iram Solis will amplify a cigarette lighter to the point where it's dangerous. I also wonder how the real dragon will react to being hit with flame.

Plus "Whoo" may be Hector about to change sides, and Brother Marcus is about to play his card.

EDIT:

It occurs to me that the lovingly Spark-crafted gun would make a fine club. It's large, sturdy, and Vipsania could easily smash Hautwyrm over the head with it.

[Agi Hammerthief]

Plus "Whoo" may be Hector about to change sides,

my bet is on a gun malfunction formthe „whoo“

[sihnfahl]

my bet is on a gun malfunction formthe „whoo“

Or the IS powering up?

In any case, if the IS is keyed towards amplifying only an authentic dragon's flame, and her little lighter isn't configured to mimic a dragon's flame 100%...

Also, she's assuming she's the target. Egotistical people are like that.

[Shining Wrath]

The font chosen for "Whoo" looks ghost-like to me. I will admit that maybe it's the gun refusing to fire, though.

OTOH we don't know what Marcus is doing, that may be another defensive system kicking in and Hautwyrm is about to feel the pain.

[Laurentio III]

The Iram Solis producing particels of light as a charging manga cannon suggest that "Whoom" is how it reacts to flames.
Yet to be confirmed.

[theangelJean]

New comic.

So, err ... Real, or not?

Kliban can definitely see it. But I don't know if that's a point in either direction.

[Shining Wrath]

New comic.

So, err ... Real, or not?

Kliban can definitely see it. But I don't know if that's a point in either direction.

Brother Marcus pushed a button is my guess. The good news is that Hautwyrm is no longer threatening immolation, and Franz could just reach over and grab her.

[geoduck]

Brother Marcus pushed a button is my guess. The good news is that Hautwyrm is no longer threatening immolation, and Franz could just reach over and grab her.

Marcus is the obvious choice, if this is some sort of self-activating defense you'd think it would have kicked in sooner than this.

[theangelJean]

Okay, but if it was part of a defence system and activated by Brother Marcus ... Who made it, and for whom?

[Shining Wrath]

Okay, but if it was part of a defence system and activated by Brother Marcus ... Who made it, and for whom?

The same people, for the same purposes, as the spikes that impaled the FSMADD. Why the dragon had a control panel I do not know, but he did, and Marcus found it. He used it once to activate the spikes, and he was about to use it again last strip.

EDIT: How will Hector respond?