February 13th, 2018
13 Feb 2018 · page 772 of 1306
Sidney Malik, the only student to suffer from having too much cash.
Cast: Sidney Malik, Thomas Macavity
Comments (81)
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Don't you just hate it when you get kicked out of school and then magically receive a coatload of cash?
Now that he's completed summoning it and knows what it is, can't he de-summon it?
Possibly, if he had the summon circle still.... which is outside the vault. I suppose he could draw a new one from memory... if he has time... and a good enough memory. (Though I think he did do the one from before from memory, do that might help.)
Actually, it's kind of worse: he made up that circle on the fly. Sid is a terrifyingly powerful sorcerer. He'd be a terrifyingly powerful wizard if he ever bothered to learn anything formal.
Fortunately for the world as a whole, he just wants to do card tricks...
I dont think he knows what it is though he summoned it without knowing and has made no remarks indicating he knows what the magpie is
Anyone remember the big scene at the end of 'Forbidden Planet'?
Oh, it has been SO long sense I've even heard reference to that movie. Thanks you for that.
Uh-oh. Looks like the bird spirit may be an easy prey to Greed's corruption.
Yeah, it's looking distinctly greener...
Very green! Although Sid is still rejecting the Magpie's gifts, so that should help weaken Greed. On another hand, Macavity is there strengthening Greed. (So far, 2 hands in favor of Greed and one against. 3 more of Greed's hands to go.)
It's not taking them for himself, so I'm not sure.
But maybe it is kind of coming under Greed's control...
Greed gaining control of wildlife from Australia? He’s gonna kill everyone!
Must be nice having enough arms to lay back, rub your belly, AND do a finger gun.
Gotta be hell on the "pat your head and rub your tummy" sense though.
AND caress your riches
...Oh dear.
Huh, the magpie is making it impossible for Sidney to reject a deal from greed. Even if Sidney verbally refuses the deal, the magpie will give him the shiny stuff anyway thus accepting the contract.
He always can tear off his clothes :)
It would be a sight :D
But Harry isn't there... :(
Might not be good idea. Birdie might decide to store shinies in hmm places that can hold them IN Sidney.. :)
Where the sun doesn't shine, you mean?
Does that count?
Unsummon the magpie?
Wouldn't that require knowing What the Magpie is thought- Something we still don't have a clue for!
The Magpie seems to grab at anything unusual, shiny- but that would suggest Curiosity, and if that were the case Sid could have recognized it without any help!
the Magpie also seems do do it to draw attention to Sid... so what would you call that?
The spirit of generosity and charity? Or maybe kleptomania?
Hmmm. From Sid's standpoint, still a few bugs in the process.
Magpie: "Shiny! Shiny! More shiny! Must put it all in the nest!"
Let's be honest, how else would the Magpie see poor Sid? ^^; It doesn't listen to him at all, but keeps bringing him shinies.
It's the hair. His wonderful bird's nest of a hair style, the natural bedhead. All avian-kind aspire to be able to possess such a fine abode, but only the elusive buggerup magpie can claim his quaff.
"Quaff" = To drink. (Often to excess. Often confused with "Coif", an archaic skullcap used by it's wearers to denote a position within the Legal profession.)
"Coiffure" = One's hairstyle. (From the French. Often used to denote an elaborate one.) [/pedant]
Thank you for that correction. However, I shall not edit my previous post, as this would detract from the importance of your reply. They are homonyms, right? Or is linguistic drift setting in?
The first two are. "Coiffure" is pronounced something like "Kwa-FOOR" with a bit of a tongue-roll on the "r". Not necessarily so much linguistic drift as "It does not mean what you think it means." There's a reason that Dictionaries were written...
Another word I've seen used for some years is "quiff", referring to a moussed-up male hairstyle. It may have been derived from "coif".
I think Macavity knocked himself out diving into the gold after all
But at least he is happy
Macavity, died doing what he loved.
Hope he drowns.
Having 6 arms for descriptive talking would make any italian so jealous. And Greed rules it.
Also, welp Sid, I guess the only way for you to stop the bird from putting money in your clothes is removing all your clothes ! Go on.
That becomes a problem if the bird doesn't stop, though.
I dunno, if that bird tries to grab gold that Macavity considers to be his, I could see the bird getting shot. Would a full summon be vulnerable to mortal weaponry?
If that were the case, why couldn’t they just execute Lust? Or shoot other buggerups? And I’m pretty sure bullets are kind of shiny.
I don’t think Lancelot qualifies as proper beefcake material. Too scrawny. Harry could probably snap him in half five seconds flat.
How naturally un-greedy can a person be??
Does greed even know about Sidney having a 'pet' problem?
Apparently so. It probably saw the malform back when Sid and it first conversed in a circle; the magpie is connected to Sid, after all, and it's a fellow spirit. As a Deadly Sin, Avaritia may know the magpie's true identity.
Hey! I think I've figured out why the Magpie steals things and puts them in Sid's pockets!
Magpies make food caches in the ground. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wi... "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-billed_magpie#Food_and_foraging_habits)") If this Magpie consumes bright and shiny things, then it would need a suitable cache -- could there possibly be any place better than Sid's front pockets? No, I didn't think so either.
It slipped the Mark of the Thiefking around his wrist, though.
That could be The Mark exerting it's own magical influence once it got close enough to Sid's wrist.
Magpie: grabs Greed's crown and ornaments, stuffs them into Sid's pocket
Greed: !!!!! D-:
Sid: SORRY!!!!!!!! D-:
Magpie: grabs Greed, stuffs it into Sid's pocket
Sid: Um- awkward expression and pose
Greed: HMPH! shrinks until able to turn around, grabs back crown and ornaments There is such a thing as taking it too far! Now, where's the exit?
Magpie: dumps load of treasure into pocket
Greed: Although it is quite cosy in here. Keep it coming! :-)
Sid: Yes sir! glances at Macavity, still rolling around in cash, heads toward door (whisper to self) I do hope we can get this open again...
A while later...
Harry: pulls on pipe Did you just hear a knock... at the door we came in by?
Mal: Aye, yeah... better go an' see who's there. Back me up? walks to Widdershins Anchor door, opens, revealing Sid, with Wolfe, both struggling to support his vastly overstretched pocket
Sid: nervous grin (mouths) Greed! shoots look at pocket In there!
Mal: shoots look at Harry, flexes fingers, straightens gloves, dives hand into Sid's pocket, pulls Greed out, and in through the doorway Greetin's to ye!
Harry: takes pipe from mouth Phasmia permissum de loco isto. Habes ibi nulla libertas...
Mal: glances away from the struggling Greed to Sid, Wolfe and doorway, goes to kick door shut
Sid & Wolfe: wave politely, give thumbs up
Sid's pocket: gives way just as door slams, spilling contents over floor of the Anchor
Sid: Oh... dear. awkwardly inspects ruined pocket, wonders whether he should tidy up the valuables
>:=)>
I fear a worse wardrobe malfunction than a ruined pocket from this scenario...
Isn't it technically the magpie that's greedy? Not Sid.
Yeah, Greed seems ridiculously literal about this. I could sort of buy it previously because I don't think it was making an actual determination there but rather performed a function it was bound to. This? It's as if Wrath took credit for someone stumbling and pushing someone else in the process the same way as if they shoved each other in anger, or if Sloth claimed that someone knocked unconscious was slothful because they're not actively doing anything.
Unless we don't know something about the Magpie's actual connection to Sid.
"Unless we don't know something about the Magpie's actual connection to Sid" -- that's exactly it, where did the malform and how did it get attached to Sid in the first place?
Oh, ha ha. Greed isn't able to exert it's influence directly on Sidney, but thanks to Sidney's problem, he has a loophole.
That's a very lovely green Magpie. And I think this is the first time we've seen the Magpie carrying the items it takes in it's inky spirit trail. Kinda nifty. It looks like it phases through Sid's coat and anything trailing after it is dropped there.
Also, where's everyone seeing green on the magpie? I zoomed in and it still looks normal to me, just different than before thanks to Sid's and Lei's work. Maybe it's the surrounding lighting making it look different?
If you contrast the color of the magpie against the pure black "ink" it it trails behind it, the magpie's grey feathers look greener than the ink. Check out the panel with the coins in the ink. Also, the magpie's white feathers are unaffected; if it was the ambient light, they'd look just as green as the grey.
I'm still not seeing it... thank you tho, maybe it'll be clearer in later panels
It might depend on how you've got your screen set up
Wait, I see it now, I misread your thing - thought you meant the white feathers were the ones affected. Thanks!
I'm not seeing it either. I think the Magpie is "pure" relative to Greed. The magpie's joy is the taking. Greed's joy is the keeping. They aren't the same.
Oops. :/
Does anybody know a good corvid whisperer?
My mental image in response to that is a Sidney who makes friends with the local corvid population if he ends up losing The Magpie, and I don't know if that image is sad or charming. Probably a bit of both.
I just noticed that Greed is starting to influence the magpie in the second to last panel of this strip [https://www.widdershinscomi...](https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/january-30th-2018/ "https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/january-30th-2018/")
Widdershins is at 49 on the top web comics right now (first time I have seen it in the top 50).
Woooo! it deserves to be higher :D
Definitely.
I've seen it at 42 before. Wish I remembered to go to TWC and vote more frequently.
Oh no. OH NO! Is this the end of Sidney's magpie?! Nonononononononono ;_; But yes, but no I... crud.
I really hope Sid doesn't lose the magpie in this. It's really cute and I'd hate to think it was an aspect of greed this entire time.
Quick Sidney, take off your coat!
does he have to. y'know. get naked so spirit won't be able to stuff it anywhere?
uh.
wait.
uuuh.
Poor Sid.
Well, at least he won't have trouble paying his rent next month.
Something just occurred to me. Assuming Lei isn't killed resolving this (God forbid), Sid's either going to have to break her heart or Harry's in the end. I'm 98% sure which way he'll choose, but it's gonna suck regardless. Ah, well. C'est la vie.
I'm sure Sidney will handle it as well as it can be handled; he's kind of an idiot savant in dealing with people.
Sid's already made it clear to Lei that he's with Harry now, though. All it takes is a little romantic confirmation, and ...
Sid may have made it clear, but that does not mean that she heard him and accepted it.
Magpie, no!
(Random question: does anyone here ship Ben/Mal?)
Hm, I'm pretty sure Mal is canonically asexual/aromantic, so it's kind of unrealistic.
Kate has mentioned the fact that Mal is asexual/aromantic several times in the comments, but I believe this strip [https://www.widdershinscomi...](https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/december-22nd-2017/ "https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/december-22nd-2017/") is the first time it has been referenced in the comic itself.
Would be funny if Mag put Greed is Sid's pocket.
"Wait, how? I don't even."
Huh... I did a little research into Magpie Representations- Some things suggest a Daredevil nature while the others suggest a fear of Change or Transitions, a third is supposedly a good omen in Love, as well as bringing an attraction to other magical beings- Fairies Spirits Etc. Etc.
Really the more I'm reading this the more it's Really sounding Very much like Sidney himself!