February 20th, 2018
20 Feb 2018 · page 774 of 1306
Birds can't talk, dummy
Cast: Benjamin Thackerey, Heinrich Wolfe, Lei Feng, Sidney Malik, Verity Cunningham
Comments (60)
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sniff... all he ever wanted...was to be loved
Precious! You go Sid and Magepie! (not a typo ;))
I don't know if this bird can talk or not, but they're really expressive in that last panel :)
Go on, Sid, you're on the way to something great.
I don't know if this bird can talk or not, but even non-magical magpies can talk. If they're so inclined.
[https://youtu.be/Tgh8dfd07X4](https://youtu.be/Tgh8dfd07X4 "https://youtu.be/Tgh8dfd07X4")
I dunno, corvids are about as intelligent and vocally talented as parrots. I wouldn't bet that the magical magpie can talk, but I also wouldn't be willing to bet that it can't.
I mean if the Hippo of happiness can talk, why wouldn't the magpie? Maybe it's just waiting for the O'Malley to show up so that formal introductions can be made.
Not every spirit is the same, I think.
They differ in manifestation, power, and probably abilities.
=== I wouldn't bet that the magical magpie can talk, but I also wouldn't be willing to bet that it can't ===
I think all the talkativeness went to Sid in this couple :)
And all the passion to collect and own things went to Maggie.
Might talk better without the coin in its mouth. But that might be a magpie "monkey trap".
Sid... you are doing what so many people in our world should do think-understand-apologize-make up ... if you survive this you are my hero and ambassedor of humanity!
Gosh. ^_^ That's awfully sweet.
Am I horrible for saying it reminds me of Vaarsuvius and Blackwing in Order of the Stick...? ^^;
No. The two situations are very similar.
Yay, another person who reads Widdershins and OOTS! Also, why is it that I just typed Widdershins for the first time, as proved by my computer trying to auto-correct it to sidewinders?
It is sweet -- a lot of people called this, but it's just because we know Sid so well by now and what a sweetie he is.
Oh Sid, never change.
So apparently he sees it now. I was wondering if that was the case. Now I of course wonder how did he start seeing it...
Here: [https://www.widdershinscomi...](https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/january-30th-2018/ "https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/january-30th-2018/")
How did I miss that... One should always backtrack these things. XD
Thanks. :D
Perhaps Sid has started a new trend in this universe: to have a familiar! I love how respectful Sid is of Magpie.
I am thou... Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new-- ooh, shiny!
... is that an Undertale reference in the description?
Dummy, dummy, DUMMY! Of course it isn't. It isn't in triplicate.
Haha it is a Vegetoid line, though I did use Mad Dummy's lines back when there were a bunch of knives about [https://www.widdershinscomi...](https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/february-14th-2017/ "https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/february-14th-2017/")
Sid, you are a sweetheart.
Dear Magpie,
I'm sorry I called you annoying in the previous update's comment section. I will endeavor to do better in the future.
-Sanjay
What's the matter Greed? Can't you even...?
He can't even 😆
This goes along with my theory about it trying to be helpful (note trying). Prior to this, the only time we've seen it steal money was while Sid was busking and specifically trying to get money. It just didn't realize that maybe just grabbing the lady's purse wasn't a great idea. I mean, it does often steal the thing Sid needs the most, like the keys to the manacles shackling him in a deathtrap.
(And yes, when Sid doesn't need anything in particular, it has a tendency to just go for interesting things, like Thieves' Marks or Liar's Hearts or the like.)
Stealing the screws from that lamp a few pages ago was probably an attempt to be helpful too - it was trying to participate in the fight by dropping the lamp on the bank robbers. It didn't realize that the fight was already over and that a loud crash at this point was not a good thing.
Thinking back on some of the random things we've seen it steal when Sid doesn't need anything in particular, even the less flashy ones are often things that are important to the owner in some way - Ben's glasses and house keys, Vee's hair wrench, the key to the cellar at Eddie and Cat's house - so maybe the Magpie reads "this object matters to somebody" as "this is an interesting thing that Sid would like to have".
Both of your speculations seem quite sound to me. We'll see what happens. :)
Yeah, i think this is a summoning of "need" and the times it's messed up has been due to it being a malform (like the wallet). It's also easy to justify a greed as a need which is why it's been so easily influenced by greed!
Never thought that could be the spirit it's derived (?) from! Perhaps it was originally intended as some kind of blessing? "May this child always find what he needs in life," kind of thing.
ooh I love that!
Sid, you are an utter sweetheart.
Magpie is intrigued.
Birds can't talk. Good thing this is the physical manifestation of a human emotion. If this was an actual bird, Sid would be in real trouble.
I used to have finches. They gave me the same look. So...who knows? :-)
Birds very much can manage wheels within wheels. nods Not for the most abstract of machinations, true. But, just watch 'em go clickitty-click when wheedling extra num-nums out of anybody... xD
Some birds are quite a bit smarter than you'd expect. Part of the reason is that the neurons are packed much tighter in their brains than they are in most other animals. Ounce for ounce their brains are more efficient than for instance ours. So even though their brains may be tiny they pack a lot more in there than you'd think. There are however quite large differences between the species of bird. Crows and parrots seems to be among the most intelligent though.
You clearly have not had much interaction with birds! Many of them can talk, and not only that, but demonstrate and understanding of what they are saying/doing.
Love Sid! He's such a genuine and honest person...with absolutely no filter between brain and mouth. I can relate.
Greed: "What are you doing?"
Isn't it obvious? Recognizing his faults, making amends, and endeavouring to do better.
In short, rejecting a sin and greeting a virtue.
While greeting a friend he didn't know he has.
It's crazy, but this page actually made me choke up a bit. Sid may be a hapless goofball sometimes, but he's also surprisingly wise.
Sid: "Oh, look, gun! New thing! Shiny!"
I can see how he would be tied to Magpie.
can sid save his friend from greed's grasp?
And thus greed is undone by appealing for an act of charity.
I vote for adding a Magpie tag...
Spoilers......
Anyone who really likes this sort of theme should probably go play Celeste after reading today's update.
I love this page -- the colours and the expressions!
I have a feeling that, while accepting the magpie is a big step forward, it's not the whole answer. There has to be at least one more complication coming. Its black feathers are still green-tinged.
The other complication is McCavity.
Greed, friendship was the true treasure all along.
If he "steals" Greed's minion, will Greed appreciate the irony?
When you're sad that no one else likes your favorite comic anymore then you realize that you have to click on the comments button to make them show up.
Aww some of these buggerups are really adorable
I thought the bird was supposed to be a malform? How is it something that's a part of him he needs to accept, rather than a mishap that should finally be desummoned?
Remember that spirits in this setting are manifestations of human traits. The magpie was probably a failed attempt at summoning one of Sid's primary traits, similar to when Nora's courage was summoned to fight Gluttony.
Sure they can. It usually depends on the species, but bird song is a form of communication and therefore talk.
Bird spirit: "But ... I ... like ... shinny .... things."
I like how in the first panel Lei and Wolfe look worried, but Vee and Ben are still wearing their matching glowers (possibly because neither of them is a big fan of Sid, or just because they're fed up with this day).
I do love their expressions! I think they are slightly suspicious of Lei, hence the expressions. After all, she had just been helping Macavity.
Sooooo. The bird is part of Sid - Sid is part bird, Does this mean that Sid can lay eggs?
And thus Sidney falls back on one of his defining traits... TO MAKE FRIEEEEENNNDDDSS!! \\o/