October 17th, 2017
17 Oct 2017 · page 740 of 1306
Pep talk 2.0- Oh God What Do I Do Edition
Thanks to Maria in the comments for noticing that this is the sixth birthday of Widdershins! Looking forward to continuing for a few more years yet. If you've been enjoying the comic, maybe consider supporting it via Patreon, or buying a book, or hitting that donation button there up and to the right, or simply by spreading the word to any buddies who might enjoy it? Thanks for reading!
Cast: Harriet Barber, Jack O'Malley
Comments (54)
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Today is "Widdershins"'s anniversary! Six years ago exactly this comic was born. Congratulations and best wishes, dear Kate! :) [http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/sleight-of-hand-cover/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/sleight-of-hand-cover/")
Ah, well spotted! Thank you!
Congratulations! ^_^
Six more years! Six more years! ...
That's the plan!
No. At least thirty more years - then you can retire.
That's evil and wrist-breaking. I love it! xD
Many happy returns of the day!
Wow, it's amazing that I share a birthday with one of my most favorite comics :3
oh frabjous day
Well, this is a teeny-weeny tiny bit less successful try, than Vee's... :((
Harry's only just gotten started, though!
Let's hope :)
Yes, and it's a test for her as well as him. This is the kind of thing she habitually avoids even attempting because she feels she's no good at it. But there's no-one else to do it, and it needs doing.
We're seeing that everyone has things they feel inadequate about, even very-competent Harry. These shape us as much as, or more than, our strengths. However, the character traits that make her a good Hunter who will not let go of a trail or give up when the going gets hard, will come to her aid here.
I'd also like to point out a couple problems faced in O'Malley that weren't faced in Ben:
1. Sloth has been a long-term habit for him (while Ben's problems with Sloth probably only started when he was tasked to summon it last year). Mal is so used to being slothful by now, it's kind of his default mode.
2. O'Malley was knocked out by the lamp oil right away and has been under the grip of Sloth for a little while now (while Ben never completely succumbed).
Harry sits down backwards on a chair.
"Hey kid. I'm here to tell you about the biggest purple hippo of happiness ever, and that's the purple hippo of happiness...of self esteem."
It'd be awesome if the malforms overcame their terror of the Seven Deadly Sins so they could come and save the O'Malley.
Mal looks like he's fading away....!
Sloth's attack is much more subtle and debilitating than I would have expected. It's surprising - and frightening!
=== like he's fading away ===
Like melting :(((
Harry knows Sid is more comfortable talking than she is, so she wants him here to give the pep talk for her so she won't have to. She probably honestly thinks he would do a better job than she will, but I am not so sure that his tendency towards stream of consciousness spilling out of his mouth whatever thoughts are flowing through his brain would actually produce the correct effect in Mal, particularly since he's a wizard that Mal is not used to dealing with.
I dunno, he could probably get Mal motivated to escape Sloth's trap if for no other reason than to get away from him
Captain Barber would not have had this problem.
Well, of course not. But breaking people's kneecaps may not necessarily be the best way to get them over their slothfulness in the long term. And isn't having an educated, getting-things-done witch of Widdershins the long-term goal here?
Isn't the goal for everyone to kiss?
....Maybe I've been hanging around with the shippers too much.
So thats why Sid's map didn't show mr. Luxuria's position.
He was hiding in the comments section
Actually, a couple pages back there was a commenter going by Lust! So, yeah, keep an eye out, and a tight rein on your shipping tendencies. We don't want to be taken en masse after all this micro-examination of how to avoid falling under the Sins' sway.
It's true!
Or the LDS Singles Wards. XD
(There's a long-running joke that the goal of every Singles Ward bishop is to marry off everyone in his congregation.)
(Thanks for the Cliff's Notes. The entirety of my exposure to LDS in-jokes is through Studio C.)
I meant in-comic... And you certainly have!
Noooo, Mal doesn't want to kiss anyone, so he can have the long-term goal of ending up the grumpy uncle of everyone else's kids. SO there. :P
Oh, yes. Mal for best weird uncle ever.
Kneecaps would be unnecessary police brutality. Breaking his nose should be quite sufficient.
>Breaking his nose
Again? Poor guy.
Perhaps, but that's not what O'Malley expected, remember?
[http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/january-13th-2015/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/january-13th-2015/")
They would probably still be stuck on Wrath right now if it were her
Yeah, Harry, be sure to mention to Sid at some point -- after all of this is done -- that you wished he had been there to help.
Poor Harry - this really isn't her thing!
I like the detail of her ponytail flying up as she slides down to sit on the floor in panel 4.
You DO? I can't stand it. Feeling my hair catching on all that stone... shudder
Well, no, I wouldn't like experiencing it either! I'm just appreciating the level of realism added by little details like that.
I am Jack's bitter perversity.
Sounds like it isn't just Ben who has some pretty deep-seated self-esteem issues here, doesn't it?
"Least this way, I get t' choose." Sounds like Envy's remarks from earlier are still echoing in Mal's head. [http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/february-28th-2017/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/february-28th-2017/")
Well, he's still talking, so the "waken with a kiss" gambit won't work. Not to mention that he has his scarf across his face. What else could Harry try?
Harry: squats down next to Mal grope grope frisk
Mal: Ah! Wha're'ye doin'?!
Harry: Stealing your tobacco. You're not going to be needing it If you're just going to stay here and be nothing. grab Aha! sniff It'll do. Better than let it go to waste.
Mal: Ye give that back! Or I'll bleedin' do ye!
Harry: :-) As long as you do _something!_ walks off
Mal: gripegrumpgrowlmuttersnarl hauls self up and sets off after Harry
>:=)>
Hey, if it works it works ;)
...Of course if it doesn't work it would be the most tragic thing ever....
Appeal to the stubborn: them what stubbornly refuse to do something can be just as stubborn in doing something if it gets presented right.
Spot the tricky bit... ;P
I can't help but imagine this as being animated, because then the scarf would double as an additional sign of sloth...by keeping the animators from having to do lip-flaps.
"We have so much in common..."
"And I can see the Shippers starting past the fourth wall!"
"Shippers? Fourth wall? What are you talking about?!"
"It's... better if you don't know. Just trust me on that. Now let's get rid of Sloth, since he's being a butt."
Six years, on a page featuring Harriet in nearly every panel -- and no pipe in sight.
That's okay. I am smoking mine.
I thank you for keeping alive the literary smoking tradition of Sherlock Holmes and Professor Tolkien. Also C.S. Lewis, J.M. Barrie, G.K. Chesterton, and many more.
Does our Kate ever smoke a pipe?
Maybe Harry has to steal Mal's tobacco first, as suggested above : )
I like how O'Malley's lower face is hidden in the scarf while laying down. He's retracted into it. It's a bit like when the day's gone to hell, and all you want to do is lay in bed, pull the blanket up over your nose and just forget the world for a few hours.
Yes, he's had the scarf pulled over his face most of the time they've been in Acedia's lair. It definitely feels like a defense mechanism - even under ordinary circumstances Mal tends to have as much of himself covered as possible (scarf, fingerless gloves, long coat, etc.), and having to relive what was probably the most traumatic episode of his life calls for another layer of protection.
"Wish Sid was here."
I see what you did there, Kate.
Envy did get to him a little, huh?