Girl Genius/Awesome

For all the Awesome Moments in this Gaslamp Fantasy.

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• Gilgamesh Wulfenbach with his zapping stick. OWNED.

Gilgamesh: "This is not a trick! I did not get lucky! I am Gilgamesh Wulfenbach- AND I AM IN CONTROL!

• • • Best part is the chapter title: "Gil Deals With It."
  • Plus the fact that he wasn't even certain it would work, and having the guts to go through with it anyway.
  • Just a bit later, he beats up a Jagermonster who was introduced by tearing a man's arm off.

Gil: Well, you know what? I can do 'Crazy'. I really can.

• • • Said Jagermonster taunts Gil by saying that he only won because he was holding back and not trying to kill Gil. However, later on, when said Jager is trying to kill Gil.....

Gil: We'll make it a game: who's the scariest monster?!

• • Another possibility for the moment of awesome: converting a trained agent into his slave through nothing but sheer force of personality.
  • Let's face it, any time Gil appears is pretty much a Crowning Moment waiting to happen. Especially if someone (besides Zeetha) tries to take him on.
  • HA! AND THAT ONE'S FOR AGATHA!
• "Let me tell you about Airman Higgs.".
• And then there's the arc called Agatha Flips Out (Big Fight). It's Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
  • This troper feels that Agatha's Crowning Moment came a bit earlier, when she took out Vrin, who was wielding a sword at the time, with a broom and some clever applications of her command voice.
  • Agatha Makes Coffee.
    • You're doing it wrong; it's: Agatha makes coffee.
    • The coffee is so good that it stuns a Jager with its incredible taste after she splashes him in the face with it.
  • Agatha walking triumphant from Castle Heterodyne's Chapel, suspended on a bridge built out of pure Awesome.
  • Does it still count if it's in one of the side comics, not the official story? If so, then this page right here.
    • Yes, that definitely counts. That's a Crowning Quote of Awesome right there. People will remember that one.
• Wooster gets an absolutely classic one with just two words.

Bangladesh Dupree: Yesssss...
Wooster: No. * POW!*

• Dr Sun has his moment right about here, wherein he casually indicates that he can easily take out the large battle-mech currently holding him in its clutches, and being piloted by the king of Europe. With his bare hands. He also put the fear of Sun into the gleefully psychotic Bangladesh Dupree.

Dr. Sun: In future, please refrain from damaging more of my staff...or else I will personally rip off your arms and feed them to you.

• • And Baron Wulfenbach's heartfelt sigh of relief upon Dr. Sun's being diverted from this goal would suggest that Dr. Sun wasn't just boasting.
    • For that matter, why hasn't anyone mentioned the fact that a critically injured, nearly immobile Baron Wulfenbach manages to get a giant Hospital Mech up and running, piloted by two lovely nurses? A three-way combo of awesome, badass and pimp.
  • Note that Doctor Sun not only can take out the large battle-mech that were holding him in its clutches, and being piloted by the supreme overlord of all Europa, with his bare hands, but he did so
  • And when Dr Sun has to follow through on his threats, oh boy. It doesn't matter if you're ruler of Europe or not, when Dr Sun tells you that you need bed rest, he means it
  • In his place patients will follow the doctor's advice... The Easy Way or the Hard Way.
• Who is Ol' Man Death? This guy. Looks unassuming didn't you. Well first, he casually blocks a Jager with a breadknife. Then, we find something out about him:

Ol' Man Death: Because I never lost a fight.
Granddaughter: So?
Ol' Man Death: No. Listen to me. I'm just a human. Rode with the Jagers. Never. Lost. A. Fight.

• • Maxim wins by using "sottle!"
• Look at this. Just try to tell me that's not awesome.
  • Okay, it's not. </blatantlies>
• Once again, Agatha makes an entrance.
  • Literally.
• Agatha utterly crushes Zola's confidence, through a combination of giant robot tiger and sheer willpower, after making a pretty scary entrance.

Agatha: I am Agatha Heterodyne. You are in my town. In my castle. And in my way.

• • This whole scene. Just read on. I think that the ending is going to blow our minds.

Agatha: "..."
Agatha: "And you know what? I CAN WORK WITH THAT!"

• • • ...and then she outmaneuvers von Pinn.

Agatha: You're prepared to die to protect me.
von Pinn: Whether I want to or not, so -
Agatha: Fine.
Agatha death-rays the floor...s

• • • • Ending with: "Cross me and die." Said with a smile. Not a wicked smile, a pleasant smile. And it works.
• Return of the Higgs! Higgs take another Level in Badass!
  • Another CMOA for Higgs is his ability to intimidate Tarvek. After seeing that jerk manipulate everybody and get away with it, it is immensely satisfying to see Tarvek loose confidence and actually fear somebody for once.
• Violetta's specialties.
• Agatha: "And that is NOT going to happen in MY castle!"
• The end of the Tarvek gets sick arc. Higgs tricks Agatha into drinking water from the Dyne and Otilia/Der Kestle gives her an electric shock, turning her into this. Before she suffers from Power Incontinence, she splits her new found energy into Tarvek and Gil. Otilia is so impressed by this that she finally admits that Agatha probably is a Heterodyne.
  • Followed by a combination of awesome and funny that sums up all you need to know about the Heterodynes:

Agatha: Oh yeah, i have got to try that again!
Castle: Yesss... most likely in/in/indeed.

• Then there's Master Payne: "A good magician never reveals how a trick was done. An evil magician never leaves any evidence that there was a trick in the first place. So- Which am I going to have to be today?"
• Oh my God, Zola! We knew you'd been Obfuscating Stupidity, but did you really just sucker the Other? You did! You out-Lucrezia'd Lucrezia! You magnificent bitch!
• Von Pinn / Otilia resists Lucretia's voice and scares her away.
  • The best thing about this is that it feels like a Heel Face Turn until you realise the only thing that has changed is the reader's perspective. Von Pinn is as constant as any construct, she is just protecting someone we want protected this time.
    • Case. In. Point.
• The Baron's majordomo Boris Dolokhov beats the location of the Jagergenerals out of another Jager. This actually impresses the generals enough to hear him out.

Dolokhov: We need to talk.
General Khrizkhan: Gospodin Dolokhov. Hod did hyu find us, hey?
Dolokhov: Your messanger told me.
General Khrizkhan: Vot? He vould not-
Dolokhov: Oh- not right away...
[tosses unconscious Jager at their feet]
General Khrizkhan: Whoo!
General Zog: Oho! You haz earned the right to a talk!

• • And a few pages later, Wooster's exit. While reading this, this troper inevitably heard the James Bond theme in his head!
    • Wooster's CMOA trumping of Boris gets better on reflection--they're on one of the dozens of auxiliary airships around Castle Wulfenbach, Boris (who was on the Castle) had to beat the location out of the Jaeger messenger, and since Agatha told everyone she was going into the Castle alone, sending Krosp, Zeetha, and Wooster away, Wooster's been, as far as we know, somewhere on the ground in Mechanicsburg. And he comes in the generals' window. How did he even get up there in the first place? Steampunk Bond.
• This comic shows us that a CMOA doesn't have to be huge or flashy or dramatic. It can be as simple as one word.

Agatha: Are you two fighting again?
Gil & Tarvek: No.

• This comic has pretty much topped everything seen yet. Once again, Airman Higgs comes to save the day. He takes a hit from the Castle-controlled robot of mass destruction and doesn't even break his stride.
• Agatha reviving Gil by SHOUTING AT HIM!
• Showtime!
• Hy vants a "Prince ov Sturmhalten's Big Bet."
• A crowning moment for a vehicle... then again, this is Castle Wulfenbach we are talking about.

Airman: Whoah! Captain! Clouds movin' in fast-- uh, no... Wait... oh, NO.

• • The Castle gets an earlier moment, and is so big she can't even fit on one elegantly-crafted link: Bow > Stern. Latest news is that's one kilometer of Awesome.
• No love for Gil?
  • Especially here.
• This, this (crosses with Funny), and this.
• General Khrizhan stopping the flyer with one hand.
• This. Even though he's pissed as hell and going to punish them, one of the first things the Baron says to the errant students is "Are you all right?!"
• This captain; not only does he try to warn the town of fire, like he should, but he cares much more about his crew than his pay.
• Von Pinn scared Lucrezia away. She's MADE of Awesome.
• Every single appearance of Othar Trygvassen, Gentleman Adventurer. No exceptions.
• Another (potential) one for Higgs. Zeetha has been stabbed by Zola, and the pink banshee is gloating that Zeetha wasn't as good as she thought she was. Higgs' response as he cradles Zeetha? Look upset, look mad as hell, and say this:

Yes, but I vas starting to like her.

• • Higgs just busted out the Jager accent. Prepare for awesome. He's now busted out Zola's knee, as well.
    • Get's stabbed by Zola. Response is a knee and a punch to the face. Trips Zola and gets booted for his trouble. His response to that is "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."
    • And now despite being stabbed, beaten, and otherwise horribly injured, he's up and ready to go.
    • It says something about how badass Higgs is when he turns "standing up and smoking a pipe" into an act of pure awesome.
• "Well, tiny minion, am I not Otilia, the muse of protection ?"
• An enraged Agatha casually zapping the rogue deathtraps throughout Castle Heterodyne. It gets to the point that the castle is begging her to tone down the power on her Death Ray. And it's already on the lowest setting.
• Tarvek flips the hell out.

"I have lost my castle! My Muses! My town! My hand is revealed to those BLASTED! UPSTART! WULFENBACHS! You and Lucrezia have done nothing but destroy my life and my plans, and now you're trying to destroy the one bright spot left - AND THAT I WILL NOT PERMIT!(...) Oh, nononoNO, you do not "Give up!" YOU DIE!"

• The Foglios used a pie-in-the-face gag, a trope so dead, the daisies it pushed up have long since withered. And they made it work!
• Barry Heterodyne got a new one just by existing. In this comic, when his name is brought up in a moment of Tempting Fate, both Zola/Lucrezia(?) and Anevka/Lucrezia realize what they just said and start to panic that he might show up. Keep in mind that this is the Other, one of the cruelest and most evil characters in the series and a candidate for overall Big Bad, and they're TERRIFIED that their brother-in-law might show up and ruin everything. Talk about establishing a rep.
• A difficult obstacle is presented. Gil and Tarvek argue over what to do. Agatha, meanwhile, deals with it.
• Jenka forgives.Once.
• It's harder to break things with a knife.
  • "And I am fond of you, Professor. Which is why I shall do this quickly."
• Maxim has his in a tear-jerking moment that speaks deeply to any combat veteran. "Ve don't leave our own behind." Which becomes even more powerful in the final panel: Maxim gives his hat to Abner so that Lars can be given the funeral rites of a Jaeger.

Maxim: So ven hyu bury him...make sure he gots a hat.

• Moloch von Zinzer has Fraulein Snaug, a bunch of tiny clanks, and some pulleys and leverage. He manages to put the HUGE waterwheel of Castle Heterodyne's Great Movement Chamber back into place.
  • Moloch Takes a level in Alpha Minion
• Gil tanks the Doom Bell. Even Mama Gkika is shocked.
• Jaegers are sottle.
• Gil's third fight with Vole. Vole has just simultaneously beaten him and Tavrek while scolding them for talking during a fight and not taking him seriously. Gil hits him from behind, punches Vole in the face when he starts to talk, starts silently pummeling him with a chain of blows, and ends by putting a gun under Vole's chin and pulling the trigger three times. Too bad it's empty.
• The Castle is fixed, the Doom Bell has rung, what else can Agatha do? Wrong question-- the correct question is, what CAN'T she do?
• Tarvek is in charge. And he got that way by simply glancing at the operations table and determining an entire army unit had been subverted. Being Genre Savvy, the Wulfenbach planners immediately put him in charge of defense coordination.
• The Jaeger Generals put in some work. Authority Equals Asskicking or Asskicking Equals Authority? Either way, a whole lot of people got stomped.