November 21st, 2014
21 Nov 2014 · page 439 of 1306
Charging boldly toward the danger.
Cast: Benjamin Thackerey
Comments (37)
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Ahh this was a scene I was hoping we would get to! I wondered what Ben would make of his reflection now he has the sight. Hah, that expression on his face and that sigh is perfect for what I would expect of Ben confronting his aura. Also I am eager to find out how this round of Ben charging boldly toward danger goes! Everything's coming together nicely towards the climax here and it's exciting!
No Ben don't do it! Get your danger buddies first!
Obviously, Ben has never seen a horror film.
Which would make sense, since they probably don't exist yet.
Unless Alexa's phone still works?
Ummm ... irony? Sarcasm? Smart-ass?
cough right back at you ;)
Ah, the internet. Isn't it so wonderful how it facilitates communication between people around the world? Surely a great tool like this can lead to the elimination of so many errors in understanding!
Ahem, ahem. (That was sarcasm. I think we need an emoticon that means "I'm trying to be humorous but I don't know if it's coming off well." The text equivalent of the bashful-yet-charming smile.)
That -would- solve a great many problems, wouldn't it? XD
Elsewhere, a group used to use fake html, such as <joke> (comment) </joke>, or <rant> (expression of opinion) </rant>.
His FACE! It's the most luscious combination of consternation, surprise, and semi-practical analyzation.
Feh, Ben totally laughs in the face of danger. Hey danger! Look! Look over here! Ben can totally take you on, get him! Hehehe.
There's laughing... And, then there's taunting. I'm afraid of which he's just done... >_<
There's laughing, and then there's taunting, which Sarah up there has DEFINITELY just done. Stop helping, Sarah!
..I feel like O'Malley meant to Run in the opposite direction of the Fox, Ben.
Ben's aura is way smaller that Sid's was, which may mean Sid is the stronger mage, or that our artist was concerned about other matters.
Or does it follow the shonen manga stereotype of power versus control? plotting face So many options to analyze, this pleases me.
Yea dude, go chase after one of the seven deadly sins. You, of all people, know how well that'll turn out without backup. All Envy has to do is knock over a bottle of wine and Ben will be out for the count.
Thanks for reminding me we'd actually seen Sid's aura. I just went back to look and wow yes, quite the difference! I wonder if Ben has seen other mage's auras enough for that aspect to bother him. I suspect that it does have something to do with power, particularly given that a mage's power in part does actually depend on their personality. However, I think Sidney has a lot of power that he can't control as well, whereas Ben has a small amount of it that he is quite knowledgeable in how to wield and can control well, so in that sense I think the power vs control thing applies.
I also feel like there's an element of "being there"ness to auras. Wulfe has a huge aura because he's very involved in, interested in and influential to the world around him. Same with Sidney. Ben keeps his emotional cards much closer, meaning his aura is smaller.
Auras also seem to swell and change depending on the moment's emotions. Case in point: Ben's aura on the last page of "No Rest for the Wicked". It's much bigger than usual (and differently-coloured), probably because he allowed himself to indulge in the triumph of the moment.
It seems to me that auras have much more to do with personality and in-the-moment emotions than with power levels. But I'm still looking forward to an actual explanation on this!
Good points! Especially about the 'being there'-ness and about how Ben's aura was greater during that triumphant moment. However, from the previous Q&A where Ben talked about what makes a good wizard it seems like power in magic and personality are actually linked- or at least, magical abilities were stated to depend on personality.
True. I'm guessing all three - personality, aura and power - are linked and reflect each other.
Also worth noting: Wizards have a different type of aura, so maybe they're under different rules? Though that places people like Lei and other barely-sparked individuals in an interesting spot. Ahhh, so many possibilities :)
I'm Wildly curious about Lei's aura honestly. I've been rereading chapters out of order recently (hello to you, six year old comment I'm replying to) and I'm paying so much more attention to characters like her.
I don't think "run" means what you think it means, Ben.
"No wonder O'malley is always looking at me funny."
Didn't we observe that O'Malley doesn't look directly at Ben?
Don't worry Mr Thackeray. Herr Wolfe has got your back - unless he's in the ballroom seducing married women.
Entirely by accident.
Oh dear
I feel a song coming on
"Green foxy on the corner near the gas lamp
Who's staring into you
Into the little henhouse of your soul"
(kudos on the reflection in Panel 2, by the by. Looks great.)
I wonder what's off about the waiter...
Amusing to wonder! What is that waiter privately feeling while saying "A drink for you, sir?"
If you've ever worked in the service industry, you'll have a fair idea.
I guess cheerful sincerity is pretty rare. Given some customers' behavior and attitude, I suppose I can't really fault my peers for their own.
I'm interested that the last panel is in Mal-vision... er, I guess it's now Ben-vision, hm? It would be lovely to speculate whose eyes we were seeing it through, but I expect it's an artistic decision, to be able to show the change in the colours of Ben's aura. Also, what's up with Envy being only partly visible? Come to think of it, I seem to remember Mal couldn't see Envy all that clearly, either.
Gamer's Rule of Thumb: If you hear some movement or a hissing sound coming out of an air vent, it is not always a good idea to investigate by sticking your head up to check it out.
Of course that is with air vents, which might apply here...
Quick thought, it appears that Ben can't see in color unless it's the
spiritual side of things. Does this mean that for the first time, Jack
is seeing things in color, since he can't see the spirits? And more
importantly, will he now find BBQ wings delicious-looking?
Jack is seeing things in color, but he is having to learn the words. He now knows he likes blue.
I can't tell--is he disappointed because his aura is small, or because it looks so untidy at the moment?
It must be very hard to bluff a spirit. Seeing Ben's aura react with surprise and fear in the mirror and all- Well, we saw Mal's card playing... Naturally accentuated skills. ...Hm, wait, do spirits see auras? Or just Mals?