August 13th, 2016
13 Aug 2016 · page 626 of 1306
Half jealous, half impressed, all annoyed.
Cast: Benjamin Thackerey, Heinrich Wolfe, Jack O'Malley, Sidney Malik
Comments (96)
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Attending lectures =/= a bit of paper... Or paying for the privilege, does it, wor Sid? xD
Oh man, these four together is a blast! X)
At one end of the scale you have Mal, who is extremely magically inclined yet doesn't want anything to do with it, then you have Sid, who is gifted but doesn't really have the right mindset, Ben, who would really like to be a bit more gifted than he is, and Wolfe, whose only magical inclination is his enchanting personality.
Nothing like a cast of hilariously diverse characters.
Sid totally has the right mindset, he's just an illegal practitioner!
He doesn't have the right mindset to actually get a degree!
Well, the reason he actually ended up not getting his degree is that he got kicked out due to his little sticky fingers magical condition.
Also because he was...perhaps less than adequately engaged in his course of study.
Actually, he basically said it was the magic-pickpocket ability he has, that can snatch even tokens of extreme power from one of the Deadlies from unlikely/impossible situations.
When you can't keep a handle on that...it's kind of hard to do the others, to be honest.
He also isn't that familiar with the summoning rites in general and lacks the mindset to actually sit down and lean what he'd need to be a truly excellent wizard, whereas Ben has that learning, but lacks the gift.
Or, rather lacks SOME of the gift, which deprives him of the self-confidence he needs to wield what he DOES have (Realize he *DID* summon Sloth at the behest of his boss...summoning a Deadly like that? Contemplate what sort of ability, or pure emotion, is required to actually summon one, even at an anchor...)
Voss did it by accident.
I bet the secret he gave it was that he likes Harry. He only thinks it's a secret, though.
likes?
Like, likes likes.
NOW KISS!
In the parlance of ten-year-olds: LIKE likes.
Has a blazing (possibly requited) crush on? Is involved in a blatantly obvious case of unresolved romantic tension with?
Do those work better?
I think the context makes it pretty plain his secret was that he didn't graduate from Widdershins.
I wonder what happens if you "come clean" too early on a secret you just shared with Curiosity... Does it break the contract?
If a secret stops being secret, then it's not a secret any more!
Does Curiosity expect that you won't divulge the secret you just gave to it?
why would Curiosity care? Curiosity was the 1st to learn and that's what's important.
Bingo. Sid's got a real talent for this stuff.
What if the secret was how he ended up with that curse that makes him steal things? After all, he hasn't kept it a secret from everyone how he dropped out of college, and it's so obvious he has feelings for Harry that Curiosity probably wouldn't consider it a secret, but he has NEVER told anyone in the comic (on-screen, at least) how he ended up with his compulsion.
I've never even considered the idea that Sid "ended up" with his curse at all. I'd assumed that it's always been there. However, if he'd had it since childhood/youth, his parents probably would have known, and he wouldn't have needed to keep them in the dark about having been thrown out of university due to the curse. Oh man, that could be one juicy secret. I'm psyched.
Does he actually know how he got the curse? I get kind of a Psychonauts vibe from it, where there's a whole subplot about the protagonist being cursed to die in water that's never explained or resolved -- a whole other story either teased for the future or left for the player to imagine.
I think Sid's curse will play into this storyline somehow. But it could be an entire story of its own for Chapter 8 or beyond.
He said it was a long story when he was asked about it, so I'm assuming he knows, since, "One day I just woke up with this curse no clue how it happened or what the deal with it is" is not a long story or something really worth hiding.
Ah, ok. I couldn't remember clearly (or which chapter it might've been in).
Whoops, he didn't actually say it was a long story, but the two distinct mentions of it that I have are here:
[http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/november-9th-2011/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/november-9th-2011/")
[http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/may-8th-2015/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/may-8th-2015/")
And we can see here that he hasn't had it his entire life:
[http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/december-3rd-2012/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/december-3rd-2012/")
(and that it's probably his own dang fault he has that "magical malady.")
I think this covers mentions of the causes, but maybe I missed some stuff in chapter 1?
I would bet against it for the reason that it's hardly a secret (he definitely knows that she knows. And people harboring secret crushes tend to fear they're being too obvious, anyway), and also for the meta-reason that a secret the audience already knows could be a bit anticlimactic when it's hopefully eventually revealed.
I actually suspect it won't be revealed, and neither will Curiosity's design, because it's a great way to tease the audience's own curiosity. But I wouldn't be disappointed to learn them either.
I wonder how many things will magically appear in Sid's pockets this time?
Oh Sid. Of all the groups you need to cagily lie to in order to appear respectable, Dud Wizard and Hobos Inc is not one.
Ah, Ben isn't so bad.
No, he's not. He's got better abilities than his degree implies, I suspect.
Part of Wizardy in this world is confidence, amongst other things. And Ben has less than he OUGHT to.
Once you realize that any "degree" is just a paper saying you completed <x> study- but it doesn't describe what you can/can't do, really- things go better.
My understanding is simply that while Ben's understanding of magical theory is very comprehensive, it's close enough to being an art that the best wizards require some flair - which is what Sid has in spades. Kate's mentioned the necessity for creativity before, which is what Sid's showing here; thinking somewhat outside the box in deciding to use Curiosity, and quickly thinking up an appropriate (and easy to provide!) offering for it. He's done it before as well, managing to make a bartering with Greed off of a few small coins because of the context. Ben knows the symbols and the words and is certainly very adept at desummonings, but seems to have a harder time thinking up summonings quickly and naturally. The old struggle of Technician Vs Performer.
Confidence does probably play a big part too, aye.
That'll be the name of my new company: "Dud Wizard & Hobos Inc." "We get rid of evil spirits from your house! And maybe your silverware. I'm just saying, lock the kitchen cabinet."
As others have noted, he doesn't normally try to keep the story secret. He's told it to quite a lot of people, sometimes just to get a laugh. But he's just found out that Ben does have a degree. It would be embarrassing to admit to a credentialed wizard that he didn't finish.
Or it might be more than embarrassing. I'm not sure what the law says about practicing wizardry without a license, especially in Widdershins, so near the anchor.
And the credentialed wizard in question is Ben. That's gotta be a kick in the teeth.
In multiple ways and for multiple wizards, I suspect.
Mal's got his digs in all the same. >:-D
He has a provisional license! This.. isn't quite the same as a full one.
Hmm, sort of like a license to sell a certain type of good or service but mostly being an entrepreneur rather than part of a grounded business with offices and other such things that give an air of legitimacy? Something akin to Nick Wilde?
Or like a license to tell people that you're not as qualified as other wizards when they ask for your license with your resume? (And how you get accent marks on a Windows keyboard, anyhow?)
Probably like a UK provisional driving licence. You have one while you're learning to drive but you must be accompanied by a qualified driver and you can't go on motorways. Once you pass your driving test you get a full licence and they let you out on the road on your own.
Hey we have that where I grew up... It's called "being a farm kid" - where you've driven tractors, combines, and large-scale grain trucks (lorries to you Sturzkampf) all over the farm since you were 8, then you go get a license to drive a dinky little automobile when you turn 16....
U.S. has learner's permits for driving, and some states have varying levels with restrictions like "must be accompanied by a licensed driver" or "can't drive after dark", things like that. Makes me wonder what Sid's restrictions are? Can't cast magic within x meters of the anchor, can't summon specific spirits/emotions, can't sell his services as a wizard for money?
darn it, I will never know what the secret was, will I?
I can't even imagine what kind of secrets he would have. I mean...he already has so much upfront to be embarassed about, so what could he be hiding?
You know, Sid is clever. It could be some random and not important thing like how he crumped apples from his neighbor's house as a kid.
Crumped? Means steal?
Definitely scrumped, unless you're referring to how he then made a pastry out of those scrumped apples, crumping (or maybe crimping?) down the edges to form a pleasant decorative effect.
Wait, crumpets have apples in them?
No.
Um, it was a pun?
It does raise some delicious possibilities, though
Crumpets are little fried biscuits.
No. Crumpets are either very thick drop-scone type batter-things, or a form of griddle cake. [Here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumpet "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumpet"). To get fruit and sweet, you have to add jam or a compote. :)
They aren't biscuits, because they don't get baked either once or twice. They're griddle goods, so fried isn't exactly right, either. Waffles are the same kind of deal: they're not exactly fried, not exactly baked. :)
This whole thread is (besides a fun conversation) an exercise in me using the wrong words with the right concepts behind them.
I've made crumpets. I was using "biscuit" as a term for "generic round quickbread," (Although quickbread isn't quite accurate in this circumstance either because crumpets are allowed to rise briefly and quickbreads aren't. But on the other hand, I let my biscuits have a brief rise too.) Anyway, biscuit is the word most likely to evoke the right sort of image around the people I interact with most often. Which is why I used it.
A biscuit can be a quickbread... that's dried out in an oven in a second baking pass. Twice-cooked: literal translation of the Anglo-Norman. :) That's the origin of hard tack >> modern biscuits.
Britain doesn't use the term "biscuit" for anything still in the soft, quickbread/ griddlebread phase, even though modern biscuits are usually only baked to hard in one process, now. They're still dried things to eat with cheese or tea -- with or without yeast (see shortbread and rusks). ;)
Personal confession time: digestives and hot lamb curries are to die for. Obviously, not chocolate digestives, however. xP. Although, they might work with fish or chicken... ponders
Maybe we should start using some kind of tag to identify our dialect when we post.
Dry breads of any sort are not the style in America. We do moist cakes with our coffee. (At least, that seems to be the style as I've observed it. I drink neither beverage.)
And while I know that a "digestive" is a kind of bread, it makes me think of some kind of supplement you might take to aid your digestion. Possibly in a precipitous way. :/ I suppose I should broaden my horizons.
A [digestive](http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/digestive_biscuit "http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/digestive_biscuit") is a wholemeal and, fundamentally, sweet biscuit, no yeast. It uses baking powder for a bit of a rise. Hence, it's not really a bread, not even a soda bread. You don't get a quickbread version of it, at least. :/
It's called a digestive because the higher bran content was thought to be an aid to, well, digestion (particularly for getting port and Stilton or other strong cheeses down during the smoking-and-drinking phase of a social gathering of men after a dinner -- mixing sugar/fruit and cheese goes back to Anglo-Roman tastes). Used to be sold in pharmacies during its early years. Having said that, so was opium, cocaine, a selection of boiled sweets and lozenges (some with medicinal value, most not -- some for a time included radium)... and household rat poisons like arsenic or cyanide. :P
Victorian values were... different. <_<
It's arguably a better dunker in teas or coffees than rich tea or Marie biscuits. :) Hence the popularity during quick tea breaks where you don't have time to break out the cakes, sandwiches and scones. Also good with pâté and other savories for the sweet-salt contrast, as well as epic with chocolate spreads and any jams to double down on the sweet. :)
1. Huh.
2. Well, really, you can tag all of humanity like so: #whatisthat? #Idunnoletseatit
3. Mmmmm. Yep. I want to move.
Got it and thanks for the language lesson.
It's crimping. Just, don't get into the pasty* debate about crimping. Seriously, don't. >_<
* No, not those ones, you heathen. Pasties as in pastry and the oldest meaning of the word being among the oldest kind of pie.
Scrumping: An English word for theft so petty that nobody would bother to prosecute (because a magistrate would laugh you out of court) or even seriously injure. The traditional punishment for scrumping is a swift kick, broom or switch to the backside, or breaking your neck because you didn't look where you were running whilst attempting to scarper from an orchard with a farthing's worth of apples.
Are scrumped apples more scrumptious than ones that are legally acquired?
Maybe he went scrumping in some trees belonging to a hedgewitch (is there such a thing in the Widdershins universe?) and she cursed him. That might explain his magical kleptomania.
I thought the word was apple scrumping...
THAT's the one! I knew I was close, but it didn't feel right.
They should just go straight for Lust, got a feeling he is very close
The Sins have to sealed in reverse order, so Lust would be the last, having hidden successfully for so long. The order would therefore be Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Sloth, Greed and finally Lust.
I think that Harry and Sid might not want to be involved in that last desummoning. Just sayin'
I'm curious to know what Curiosity looks like...
Feather-winged snake with a cheerful face and opalescent scales. Curiosity has a habit of poking her head over your shoulder to see whatever you're currently working on; she always means to politely cough first, in order to warn you, but sometimes she forgets. But she's otherwise pretty good company. And she'll listen to you for hours.
I support this description.
I wanna be friends with Curiosity now
You left out the part about Curiosity and her role in killing cats.
Yeah, but Satisfaction always brings them back for her. He's crazy about her that way.
Like this <3
This inferior University where Mr Thackerey graduated; Oxford or Cambridge?
Edit: Or of course, if he was really scraping the barrel, it could be that new one they opened in Durham a couple of years ago... :-)
I assume he attended Belial College, Oxford.
LOL! Assuming it isn't contradicted by the VOG, can I nick that for my fan fic?
I had no plans to make note of which uni he attended any time soon, so no contradictions here.
It's all yours. Just tell me when it's up so I can read it.
Oh, it's a story that's already up, but I had Mr Thackerey get his degree from that second rate University at Cambridge. Just changed it:
[http://archiveofourown.org/...](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5052862 "http://archiveofourown.org/works/5052862")
Ha! Got it.
Does the fact the he was a scholar at Belial have the same class markings as being a scholar at Balliol would have had in the same era, I wonder?
:P You mean St Andrews, surely... ;P
Awkward university dropout avoidance skillz high-five, Sid!
(and just imagine MS Word's grammar checker having a go at that phrase)
It might not be a secret known to nobody but himself. It might work regardless, though, because it clearly takes a LOT of emotional investment to get him to tell somebody about that.
Sid! You fibber!
I just can't wait until Sid realises that the hug from Wolfe has caused him to acquire both his and Ben's watches and wallets
I love the little parallels between Sid and Mal. For example, they both avoid crowds, one because he is afraid of ending up with ten different wallets, none of them his, and the other simply because it causes him pain.
I mean, not really parallels, but, I dunno, both doing something similar to avoid the consequences of a power they can't control I guess.
I really do love this!
"Half jealous, half impressed, all annoyed." Isn't Ben always kinda like that? :)
Going back to comment: I'd like to see more of Curiosity when we've got more leisure time (i.e., probably when this chapter's over). He/she/it seems entirely adorable.
Aw, we didn't get to see Curiosity?
But what does she look like? I want to know-
WAIT A MINUTE.
awwwww but i wanted to see what curiosity looked like. or is that the deal? "give me something i want to know, and you can withhold something else?" 😂
...aaaand there's that question answered as soon as i bothered to read past the first panel.