Annotated 11-10
Now it becomes clear why we needed to establish earlier that Syr’Nj was on her last potion. Yes, too bad we can’t resolve this crisis by giving the Berserker a shot of gummibeary juice, sending him bouncing around the room, heading to the next room and just waiting the Madness out. I mean, the Madness does wear off sooner or later, as evidenced by the fact that Byron hasn’t already killed everyone in the world.
On the other hand, a berserker literally bouncing off the walls might be more dangerous, not less.
I’m vamping a little, but there ain’t too much to say here. There was the usual, expected reader conflict over whether and how much to start liking Best for saving Byron and even addressing him with respect when it matters most. I’m more inclined to like him for the look he’s giving in panel 1, when no eyes are on him. There it is, the Basin of Destiny. He’s about to justify his own faith, about to prove to everyone that he’s worthy. Soon, Mom. Soon.
It’s the Polka Polka! Sing along!
For someone whose non-IP-infringing-chocobo mount was unarmored, Best sure knows his barding.
….
*flees for dear punning life*
Buck the system!
*groan* That’s a cheep shot!
Except that Gummiberry Juice doesn’t actually make humans go bouncing, instead it makes them Hulk out (I mean mentally, it doesn’t physically turn them into green giants). Probably still not something you’d want to give to Byron right now, though.
No one is an asshole *all* the time. And really, helping Byron is probably good for his self-image anyway.
Precisely. Best see himself as the central Hero of the story, and as a Good Hero/Folk Hero, not an anti-villain/bad boss. So acting as a leader caring for his trusted followers comes with the territory. It’s not pretend play-acting, it’s what he is supposed to be. It’s what is right to do.
Best’s bad sides derive from his grandiose sense of entitlement and really come to the fore whenever he expects the people around him to treat him as the hero he obviously is. Or whenever the universe in general fails to do so.
(this post is guaranteed 100% free of foreshadowing)
I’m less concerned about Best doing something that might make him likeable than I am about Syr botching her main role with the team by not having enough potions. >_>
As T said, she’s had a rough few days. I assume they were resurrected yesterday and haven’t had the chance to restock their supplies. Gravedust’s resurrection spell replenished their armor and some supplies, but we don’t know how much — perhaps just what they had when they died, and Syr’nj had just used most of her sleep potions on Byron in the arena. And it’s true she had time to make new potions last night, but maybe she didn’t have the ingredients for more sleep potions?
My opinion on Best bounced around the room a lot during the rest of this chapter.
None of the characters in GA are tropes, which is why we love them.