Girl Genius XXXII: The scientific method at work!

[Shining Wrath]

Is "Hector is really a ghost" a theory that anyone actually believes in? Even if ghosts are real in this world, it still seems obvious that Hector isn't one.

Also, Hector's classmates are missing the vital information about Hector's real job.

It seems more likely that Hector is a thief with Smoke Knight level ability to come and go unnoticed. However, I wouldn't put a plot twist of "The guy who claimed to be a ghost and obviously wasn't actually was" past the Foglios.

[Fyraltari]

Is "Hector is really a ghost" a theory that anyone actually believes in? Even if ghosts are real in this world, it still seems obvious that Hector isn't one.

Also, Hector's classmates are missing the vital information about Hector's real job.

They aren't even classmates, he came in with Vispania, he's not related to the university at all.

[Rockphed]

Dense redhead is dense. When the large dragon says "you are doing this" and you aren't a dragonslayer, you do it! He shouldn't have had to come right out and say "fix my clank friend or I will start eating your classmates until you do".

[Shining Wrath]

They aren't even classmates, he came in with Vispania, he's not related to the university at all.

Pretty sure we've seen the students refer to Hector as one of them, that they let him say things that will annoy the Professor.

Dense redhead is dense. When the large dragon says "you are doing this" and you aren't a dragonslayer, you do it! He shouldn't have had to come right out and say "fix my clank friend or I will start eating your classmates until you do".

Yeah, the negotiating position is not according to the rules of the university, but according to the rules of the dragon.

[Kantaki]

Dense redhead is dense. When the large dragon says "you are doing this" and you aren't a dragonslayer, you do it! He shouldn't have had to come right out and say "fix my clank friend or I will start eating your classmates until you do".

Maybe she was trying to get herself eaten?
It's the only explanation I have for this behaviour.
I mean seriously, telling the dragon he didn't actually eat anyone while basically standing in his maw?
Either she's terminally stupid or into stuff like that.

Also, did Franz actually have to eat someone or did the threat get through. We will never know...

[DavidSh]

Maybe she was trying to get herself eaten?
It's the only explanation I have for this behaviour.
I mean seriously, telling the dragon he didn't actually eat anyone while basically standing in his maw?
Either she's terminally stupid or into stuff like that.

She's not used to being talked to with veiled threats. Hautwyrm was more direct. And normal people (i.e., neither sparks nor monsters) could ask politely for assistance.

[Scarlet Knight]

Maybe she was trying to get herself eaten?
It's the only explanation I have for this behaviour.
I mean seriously, telling the dragon he didn't actually eat anyone while basically standing in his maw?
Either she's terminally stupid or into stuff like that.

This is where we use the term "Vore"?

*scribbles note for XXXenophile: Girl Genius edition.*

[Manga Shoggoth]

Is "Hector is really a ghost" a theory that anyone actually believes in? Even if ghosts are real in this world, it still seems obvious that Hector isn't one.

Hector is far from the first dead-then-brought-back character to identify as a ghost. Professor Mittlemind did as well.

[BRC]

Do we have a good sense on Hector's actual loyalty?

My guess is that he's a Thief who joined Vispana's expedition under false pretenses, planning to swipe the Iram Solus out from under her (Potentially without her noticing, she's interested in the books), who later joined up with Hautwyrm as the most likely to get him in the Vault.

He appeared to be an idiot loyal to Hautwyrm, but we don't know if either or both parts of that were an Act. Pretending to be a Dumb yet capable Minion is a good way to infiltrate a group like Hautwyrm's.

My current guess is that he's not dumb, he was just waiting for a sufficiently distracting moment, and grabbed Hautwyrm because grabbing and vanishing with her was easier and more dramatic than taking the Iram Solus off her.

[Shining Wrath]

Do we have a good sense on Hector's actual loyalty?

My guess is that he's a Thief who joined Vispana's expedition under false pretenses, planning to swipe the Iram Solus out from under her (Potentially without her noticing, she's interested in the books), who later joined up with Hautwyrm as the most likely to get him in the Vault.

He appeared to be an idiot loyal to Hautwyrm, but we don't know if either or both parts of that were an Act. Pretending to be a Dumb yet capable Minion is a good way to infiltrate a group like Hautwyrm's.

My current guess is that he's not dumb, he was just waiting for a sufficiently distracting moment, and grabbed Hautwyrm because grabbing and vanishing with her was easier and more dramatic than taking the Iram Solus off her.

OOOOO. Plot twist!
The goal was never the Iram Solis nor the gold nor the books. The goal was Hautwyrm herself; this is a kidnapping, and the Iram Solis was just a bonus. Why kidnap Hautwyrm? Oh, the possibilities! Jilted lover, parent of a student she casually let die, dragon doing unto the monster hunter before the monster hunter can do unto him, someone she flunked who is proving to her that they are more capable than she deemed, ....

[Rockphed]

OOOOO. Plot twist!
The goal was never the Iram Solis nor the gold nor the books. The goal was Hautwyrm herself; this is a kidnapping, and the Iram Solis was just a bonus. Why kidnap Hautwyrm? Oh, the possibilities! Jilted lover, parent of a student she casually let die, dragon doing unto the monster hunter before the monster hunter can do unto him, someone she flunked who is proving to her that they are more capable than she deemed, ....

I still like my "Hector made a deal with Hautwyrm that was technically fulfilled and he is collected his price (which can be her though she didn't think it was)", but having his goal be stealing Hautwyrm herself is a good twist. I think I need more popcorn.

[Lizard Lord]

Hector is far from the first dead-then-brought-back character to identify as a ghost. Professor Mittlemind did as well.

I don't remember Mittlemind at all, but if Mittlemind was also not a ghost doesn't that just reinforce the point?

[Kantaki]

New comic

Yeah, that book should definitely go on Franz's pile.
Vip is a great friend.

[Fyraltari]

I don't remember Mittlemind at all, but if Mittlemind was also not a ghost doesn't that just reinforce the point?

The mad social scientist kept "alive" by the machinery in his innards.

[theangelJean]

New comic

Yeah, that book should definitely go on Franz's pile.
Vip is a great friend.

Should have gone on Franz's pile. Most probably would have been in dispute, as the Corbettites (and probably also the Library) would have wanted to claim it. (ETA, if Hautwyrm hadn't been abducted, she would have wanted it too ... Best not to let it fall into her hands!)

Very quick eye of Vipsania, to pick that one for the sacrifice. And yes, excellent tactical thinking which solved two problems at once.

Not sure why she felt the need to whisper it's title to Franz, though (dotted speech bubbles). The monk had just examined its cover, otherwise what made him say his order would have wanted it?

Phantom of the Opera references continue (underground waterways). I am thinking they're leading up to something.

[DavidSh]

Phantom of the Opera references continue (underground waterways). I am thinking they're leading up to something.

That, and I recall some kind of mystery about wells being dry.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I don't remember Mittlemind at all, but if Mittlemind was also not a ghost doesn't that just reinforce the point?

The point is that someone post-revivication claiming to be a ghost is not a new concept in the story, so the point I was responding to is moot even in the story.

[Kantaki]

Should have gone on Franz's pile. Most probably would have been in dispute, as the Corbettites (and probably also the Library) would have wanted to claim it. (ETA, if Hautwyrm hadn't been abducted, she would have wanted it too ... Best not to let it fall into her hands!)

Should go on his pile. As in, however they end up determinating everyone's share the dragon hunting guide turned ash should count as part of Franz's.

Because that was a serious favour from Vipsana.
I don't want to imagine what the loons from the Library would do to her for destroying a book.
„Lord Scorchmaw claimed it as part of his reward“ seems like a much less risky excuse than „murder cat clank was gonna do murder cat clank things to everyone“.

[Rockphed]

I think the monk had no nefarious plans for the book. He was just going to lock it in a vault (probably with 50 other dragon hunting books).

That book going to the library would have been bad. Librarians seldom work to completely remove books from circulation. They might restrict them a little, but seldom to the level of outright censorship. Hautwyrm would have been able to read that book if she visited the library.

Franz would also have just stuck it in a vault, but he might have let a heterodyne know of its existence. I get the feeling his personal library is not something even the Heterodyne sees very often.

[geoduck]

I think the monk had no nefarious plans for the book. He was just going to lock it in a vault (probably with 50 other dragon hunting books).

That book going to the library would have been bad. Librarians seldom work to completely remove books from circulation. They might restrict them a little, but seldom to the level of outright censorship. Hautwyrm would have been able to read that book if she visited the library.

Franz would also have just stuck it in a vault, but he might have let a heterodyne know of its existence. I get the feeling his personal library is not something even the Heterodyne sees very often.

According to the late Mr. Wooster at least, the Library will "lend any book to any person". Though there have also been indications that you can get on some kind of banned list if you fail to pay your fees and fines.

[DavidSh]

Ooh, explicit Rocky Horror reference. (Or maybe Charles Atlas, but that's not so fun.)

[Pax1138]

Agh! The twitch advertisement below the comic lead me to briefly believe Agatha had arrived to sort all this nonsense out.

[Spamotron]

Given how much care and forethought it's creator demonstrated in the past, I'm betting that the Iram Solis isn't waterproof and is now a fancy paperweight.

[geoduck]

Given how much care and forethought it's creator demonstrated in the past, I'm betting that the Iram Solis isn't waterproof and is now a fancy paperweight.

She's gonna be thwarted somehow, there are all sorts of possibilities. It only works with Dragon fire. Hector is actually working for someone else and steals it from her. One of the giant worms appears and eats her.

[theangelJean]

New comic doesn't exactly say how, but in typical Foglio Easter egg fashion ...

Spoiler

Show

Back page of the newspaper, with illustration: Discredited Academic Fizzles!
Which makes me wonder how Hautwyrm was discredited. Her theory about how to change a dragon was borne out - I'm guessing nobody felt like corroborating her account, though. So what else did she do to lose credibility?

[Rodin]

New comic doesn't exactly say how, but in typical Foglio Easter egg fashion ...

Spoiler

Show

Back page of the newspaper, with illustration: Discredited Academic Fizzles!
Which makes me wonder how Hautwyrm was discredited. Her theory about how to change a dragon was borne out - I'm guessing nobody felt like corroborating her account, though. So what else did she do to lose credibility?

Spoiler

Show

That's the sub-heading, the main article is "Embarassing attack of the week". So it sounds like she tried to use the Iram Solis to attack Mechanicsburg and it didn't work, leading to her getting squashed. I'm guessing the discredited part is because of that? I hope we get more details, anyway.

[DavidSh]

It also looks like Agatha repaired Humongulus, with maybe a few improvements.

[Fyraltari]

And that Franz brought some destructive criticism to Mechanicsburg architectural choices.

[Shining Wrath]

Gotta love The Allseeing Eye, Monster Edition, tying up loose ends.
It looks like Hector really was working for Hautwyrm, and really was an idiot, and I doubt it would have made the Mechanicsburg papers if Hautwyrm had attacked some other city, so she came with the Iram Solis to take on the most fortified city in Europa. Hector may have been an idiot, but arrogance leads to stupidity that idiots can only dream of.

[Grim Portent]

Looks like Humungulous has been given a medal by Mechanicsburg. You can see it in his left hand on the front page of the newspaper. May have come with a knighthood, or the paper is just playing on his aesthetic.

Considering Humungulous was an out of control destroyer before starting to work with the Corbetites it's rather appropriate for him to have a second home among Mechanicsburg.