Hold Fast 2016-04-04

[AmriloJim]

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/hold-fast/

Cosplay in the library!

[Atomic]

Apparently, they're not in the children's section!

[lake_wrangler]

I didn't even recognize Shelly... I had to look at the tags below the comic...

And where did they get a cannon like that?

[Skywatcher68]

I didn't even recognize Shelly... I had to look at the tags below the comic...

Same here.

[jeffepp]

I didn't even recognize Shelly.

Who else would it be in this gang of id..., er, eccentric but beautiful and exotic young women.

[jwhouk]

"CORNELIUS! Did you let your granddaughter play with your CANNON again???"

[AmriloJim]

And where did they get a cannon like that?

Checked it out of the armament display?

[Sgt. Howard]

"CORNELIUS! Did you let your granddaughter play with your CANNON again???"

... well, only Miss Phix gets to play with... OH! THAT THING?!? Uh... all my cannon are field mounted, not on Naval trucks... but somebody taught them the use of a Nautical tube... except that you want to fire on the DOWNROLL, as then a water hit will still bounce into the target- I also noticed that the gun is not secured to anything... and the muzzle appears to be giving way... that IS a nice fuse pike she's working with, but I prefer friction primers on a front stuffer, more reliable. Lessee, there's a 12 pounder, a rifled Parrot Six pounder, two Coehorn mortars and the Old Mountain Pack Howitzer... then there's the 155, the four 88's, the little 37mm and an 81mm mortar, hmmm... am I forgetting something...?... do self-mobile units count? 'Cause there's that pair of Priests, but one isn't working... and the Hetzer technically qualifies, except that's anti-tank... I think that's it, but I'm not sure...

[jwhouk]

"CORNELIUS! Did you let your granddaughter play with your CANNON again???"

... well, only Miss Phix gets to play with... OH! THAT THING?!? Uh... all my cannon are field mounted, not on Naval trucks... but somebody taught them the use of a Nautical tube... except that you want to fire on the DOWNROLL, as then a water hit will still bounce into the target- I also noticed that the gun is not secured to anything... and the muzzle appears to be giving way... that IS a nice fuse pike she's working with, but I prefer friction primers on a front stuffer, more reliable. Lessee, there's a 12 pounder, a rifled Parrot Six pounder, two Coehorn mortars and the Old Mountain Pack Howitzer... then there's the 155, the four 88's, the little 37mm and an 81mm mortar, hmmm... am I forgetting something...?... do self-mobile units count? 'Cause there's that pair of Priests, but one isn't working... and the Hetzer technically qualifies, except that's anti-tank... I think that's it, but I'm not sure...

"YOU. Go OVER there. And YOU TELL. YOUR GRAND-DAUGHTER. AND your NIECE. That THEY. ARE. NOT. TO PLAY. With THAT INSIDE MY LIBRARY ever again!"

[AnotherFairportfan]

I didn't even recognize Shelly... I had to look at the tags below the comic...

Once i realised that the "Ms Gilchrist" she was talking to was Pickle, i realised it had to be Shelly. If Atsali had been there off-camera it might have been Cricket, i suppose.

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Tanta Phix! Language in front of the sprout!

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I really hope this isn't just a one-shot; i would love to see where this could be going.

[Dave]

Methinks the Library's self-repair system may just have gotten another opportunity to show how effective it is. I wonder how well it gets black-powder smut off of the walls...?

80,000 years of growing up into wisdom, and Shelly is still just a kid at heart.

(Remind me to get my books turned back in well before the due date, OK? I do not want the Librarian mad at me!)

[Lee M]

Glad to see that after April 1 we're back to canonical stories. (Strolls off whistling nonchalantly.)

[DilyV]

Castela: GRAMMA!!!! SSSSSSHHHHH!!!! This is a library!!!

or

Castela: Aaaaaaaahhh!!! I'm telling... you said Fu...

Shelly: "CASTELA!!!!!"

[Dave]

Glad to see that after April 1 we're back to canonical stories. (Strolls off whistling nonchalantly.)

... and the Pun Jar is walking along behind you, humming the melody from "Dies Irae" in a slightly ominous tone ...

[FreeFlier]

I didn't even recognize Shelly... I had to look at the tags below the comic...

Same here.

Me three.

. . . that IS a nice fuse pike she's working with, but I prefer friction primers on a front stuffer, more reliable. . . .

I always heard it referred to as a linstock . . . and you don't want friction primers on shipboard, since the friction spike is, well, spiky, which doesn't mix will the traditional bare foot sailors of that era when it winds up on the deck. That's why naval pieces normally used slowmatch and/or flintlocks . . . usually both, since you could back up the flintlock with the slowmatch.

Soldiers, OTOH, wore shoes or boots, so they didn't have a problem with the discarded friction strips.

--FreeFlier

[jwhouk]

Glad to see that after April 1 we're back to canonical stories. (Strolls off whistling nonchalantly.)

"YOU GET BACK HERE AND PAY THE PUN VAULT!"

[Dave]

There was a movement for a while, in the British Navy, to compel the gunners to wear boots for just this reason... so they could use friction igniters.

This venture turned out to be a flash in the pan, as it caused too much friction in the ranks.

(Places a gift card into the Pun Jar; it's redeemable at Boots the Chemist)

[lake_wrangler]

Look at that: Castela's face turned into an emoji...

[Gyrrakavian]

I'll just assume Cornelius is from one of the fanfics.

[jwhouk]

I'll just assume Cornelius is from one of the fanfics.

It is. Sorry, it probably helps if you realize that Cornelius = Sarge, who is a big fan of big boomers like the one in today's strip.