July 5th, 2016
6 Jul 2016 · page 615 of 1306
Still got it.
Updated the Widdershins Patreon with a dumb sketch of some of the characters in Dungeons and Dragons mode! Anyone supporting Widdershins for $3 or more a month can see it and a multitude of other development sketches, wallpapers and more right now. If you’re enjoying the comic, it’d really help me out if you’d consider pledging.
Thank you!
Cast: Henry Barber, Isabelle Holt
Comments (68)
Events
ThoughtBubble
14 Nov 2026 – 15 Nov 2026
Harrogate Convention Centre
Manchester Megacon
31 Jul 2027 – 1 Aug 2027
Manchester Central
Awwwww
And luckily it went right through as well. He knows he is fine. Totally trolling her.
No, I don't think he would trifle with her like that. Not about something so heart-breaking.
"Still got it."
I think he's doing the ol' Adventurer's Trick of whatever the opposite of Tempting Fate is. You know, instead of avoiding saying "It couldn't possibly get any worse!" A savvy adventurer type might do a dramatic prolonged suspenseful death scene knowing that Lady Luck loves a good twist.
"Oh, well done, adventurer, you get to be in the sequel. Rescued just in time!"
Oh thank god.
Well, that was adorable. phew.
Anyone call for the cavalry?
Witches do not ride horses.
I was looking for any kind of Air Force vehicle that was nicknamed 'broomsticks' so that I could do an Air Cav joke, but I found
which was more interesting anyway.
True, as far as we've seen Mal rides trains mostly :P
OK, so in this universe, witches ride iron horses. Close enough
In Denmark they do!
[http://satwcomic.com/bitchy...](http://satwcomic.com/bitchy-witchy "http://satwcomic.com/bitchy-witchy")
hah :D
In Scotland they CHASE horses, and snatch off their tails.
{When i get back to the computer i'll see if i can find a photo.}
Here she is - Nanny "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_o'Shanter(poem)"). Not a nice lady.
[http://electronictiger.net/...](http://electronictiger.net/nanny/2.jpg "http://electronictiger.net/nanny/2.jpg")
Geez, Henry, the bullet clearly didn't hit the lung and you can even move the arm. Stop milking it.
Good point. Good point. There is still blood loss, though
Blood loss and the fact that they could not expect any reliable help. For someone Henry's age, that could even much spell out the end of the golden years.
Edit: Originally also cited a fall, but on re-examining the previous pages, Henry took the bullet, then took a knee and Izzy laid him back after presumably to keep him comfortable.
Blood loss, shock, probability of infection in the wound later on...
IRL, Henry's response is right: "I was so lucky to have you as long as I did, love, but everybody's luck runs out sometime."
It's amazing, what a PC can shrug off without thinking twice about it. :)
And shock. :/
On the other hand, it would be just like Henry to have a heartfelt speech prepared for his death, and he wanted to make sure he got to use it :P
It's right next to the romantic picnic lunch for two in his adventuring kit. Never know when you might need it.
Aw Henry you had me all choking up here - but we're not ready to let you go yet! Grandkids and magical colleagues (and violinist) to the rescue!
I think Mrs Barber needs to learn a more effective technique for reviving a dying significant other:
[http://www.girlgeniusonline...](http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100312 "http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100312")
...Well, that ate a half hour of my life. Not that I mind, per se, but I gotta get the kids dressed and out the door.
I've wasted hours trying to think of some summoning Mrs Barber (Ms Holt?) could do to help. Procrastination to stop the bleeding? Fortitude to stop Lord Barber dying? Compassion? She can be the conduit for that. Summon something, even if it's 'Here help me carry him to the Doctor' or even 'press on this wound to stop the bleeding while I go outside and scream for help'.
Well, first off, she'd need a circle. Now the problem is they're already in a circle and it's drawn to summon Wrath, so the question is if she could modify it to summon something less awful or if she'd have to move him somewhere either with enough room to make a new circle, which would probably be outside. Either way, it seems impractical considering.
But Harry and/or Nicola probably have some kind of 19th-century first aid kit on them (maybe Harry makes Sid carry hers, I dunno). If nothing else, O'Malley can probably do witch stuff and save his life in a grumbly sorta way.
Circle. Yes, good point.
Goodness, those shiver lines in panel 4 got to me.
... you had better not get my hopes up then kill him anyway.
Please don't.
Oh, now that he's given this speech it means he can just die unexpectedly at any time without the chance to pick his last words.
I certainly hope so
Allegedly, Pancho Villa's last words were "Don't let it end like this! Tell them I said something - make something up!"
An amusing anecdote, even though it is almost certainly fictitious. (Pancho Villa's assassination involved a surprise attack by multiple people shooting dum-dums into his body at fairly close range. It seems very improbable that there was enough time between when he realized he was being attacked and when he died for him to have said anything.)
Another alleged set of last words: Conrad Hilton is alleged to have said "The chrtain goes inside the tub."
W.C. Fields died kn Christmas Day, 1946. A friend {Gene Fowler? Can't recall} who was sitting with him is reported to have said that he regained consciousness at one point and asked what day it was.
Upon being informed of the date, the story goes, Fields smiled and muttered "Bah, humbug."
I put some credence in the Hilton story, rather less in the Fields one.
Further information: It appears that the legend of Villa's last words may have originated with the 1934 film, Viva Villa, in which Villa, portrayed by Wallace Beery, begs a reporter to tell him what his last words should be.
This has got me wondering: what's medical technology like in this setting? In the "real world" we didn't even have antiseptic until about 30 years after this, but the real world also doesn't have magic either. Do hospitals summon spirits of fortitude to boost immune systems or something?
They maybe have SOMETHING: the streets are ridiculously clean by early-Victorian standards and people seem to largely keep their teeth until they're quite old. Are there spirits associated with sickness? ...See, this is why we need a Widdershins RPG. We could just look up all this stuff, then.
rpg? or wiki?
(not that I would object to a Widdershins rpg...<3)
RPG. Because then Kate can sell it to us for cash money.
Hah, as much as I'd love to, I'd never have the time.
No joke! Schlock Mercenary is doing an in-world RP, and it's tanked their whole print production schedule!
Yeah, good point. Alas.
Yeah! I can't afford to slow down my books, alas. If someone wanted to approach me on signing off on a hack of something (something free-flowing like Dungeon World might work), I'd be interested, but currently I'd never have time to shoulder another full-scale project like that!
So noted. :)
You want to be careful about who you sign contracts with, too. For a cautionary tale, look at THunt's traumatic experience with a company called Evertide Games, who were going to make a Goblins: Alternate Realities card game. (Long story short: Ambitious Kickstarter was wildly successful. Game was partly made, then money ran out and the designer disappeared. There's a sort-of resolution coming soon... maybe... but only at a huge cost to him. Don't let this happen to you!)
Worry not, I have no intention of running any sort of overly-ambitious project!
On the other hand, Dresden Codak fan-sourced the Dungeons and Discourse rpg, and that worked rather well - but was very much a fan project rather than anything paid. Win some, lose some :)
Rubbish takes a long time to draw... Edit: er, if you see what I mean,
:opening mouth:
:sees edit:
:closes mouth:
Yes.
I've half-written a fan fic that explores the medical applications of this magic, but as it also deals with the subject of animal experimentation I'll never dare post it, even if I finish it.
YES BE ALIVE BE ALIVE CONTINUE TO BE.
Hooray!
(I can take direction ;-)
And now I'm imagining Sid's player and the GM
Sid: OK, so I want to play a dual class magic user with specialization in illusion/thief.
GM: No, sorry, Mal already has that covered.
Mal: Hey! Why can't I be the Rogue, then, like I wanted to?
GM: Because the game will be more interesting if I don't have a max-min character with detect traps.
GM: And that goes for you, too, Sid. I'll give you the mixed class, but you've got to give me a real disadvantage to prevent that.
Sid: OK, my character can have a charisma of 15, so I can't just min-max my INT and DEX.
GM: Not enough. You need a motivation for thief.
Sid: OK, I tell you what. I'll take the disadvantage "kleptomaniac"
GM: I can compromise here. You're a magical klepto: you involuntarily steal things magically. Think of it as a Kender in human form.
Sid: [sighs] OK, I can work with that.
And here's Ben's
Ben: I want to be a wizard; here's my sheet.
GM: Another MaxMin? Seriously, what is it with you people? CHA of 4 and INT of 18? Supersquishy and really unpleasant? [With a big evil grin] Is this reeeealy what you want?
Ben: [suddenly alarmed] Um...is there something I should know about this world that I don't know yet?
GM: Welll...let me put it this way. I'll give you this character EXACTLY as he is, min-max and all. I'm totally happy with him. [Puts on a completely "I'm totally innocent here" kind of face.]
Mal, Sid: Hey! We didn't get our charact...
[GM passes each of them a note. Both Mal and Sid erupt in gales of laughter.]
Ben: ...
GM: OK, he's yours. But remember, you're stuck with him
Haha oh harsh, he's not Cha 4, he's 8 at the least :P
A good GM gives players exactly what they settle on. You don't want to know what she's going to do to poor Harry.
"Henry Barber - I swear! If you die now, when *I* die, I am going to track you down in the Afterworld and if there ISN'T a Hell you will wish there was!"
And she can make it stick.
Speaking as a grandfather (though Maggie and Natalie are only ten and eight so far) i can attest that grandchildren interrupt everything just at the most important moment...
And look there is a rage imbued object sitting right over there. I think we are ready to go.
... I'm probably just drunk but,
I wonder if that could somehow be Lust acting?
Doesn't seem possible, but this kind of thought is inevitable when a shapeshifter is involved.
Looking up at that Patreon banner - at first i assumed that you might be reviving "Darken"...
Hehe, outside of a few sketches, I'll never do that, sorry!
Darnit.
I's love to see Harry vs Jill or Nicola vs Mink...
As many have said before me: b'awww 8( I'm glad he's probably-oh-gosh-please going to be alright. Though good lord, what sort of "worse" has Henry bounced back from in the past? Getting shot at point blank range is pretty up there.
It does raise a lot of interest 'verse questions as to whether magical healing is at all possible. I suppose you might be able to influence someone with...determination? For stamina? Hm.
D'awwwww.
Ha! Flipped it on 'im! He'll have to get those dramatic last words in some other time :)