For mobile readers.
Alt-text: the first symptom of sleep deprivation is overcoming the primal sin of hubris. the second is head hurty
Image source: odd
Finally getting to these ones that I forgot to do for like months
“Do you really think we won’t see any sea people?” Alinua asks. “I’ve kind of always wanted to meet a mermaid.”
“Well, it’s not impossible. Sometimes they come to the surface after dark.” Erin says to her. “But at the rate we’re moving, I’m not sure there’s a mermaid alive that could keep up with us. Thanks to Tarren, Helm might be only three or four days away. Then, with proper transport, the Soulshaper Monastery is only a sef further.”
“I never realized how strange that was,” Kendal comments.
“What?”
“You, seeking out help.”
“… this may surprise you, but I do actually understand I’m not omnipotent.”
“I know,” Kendal says. “But I’m a little surprised that trusting somebody else was your first choice.”
Erin looks at him for a moment, then turns to face the ocean, leaning on the railing. “It would be… wishful to assume that the Monks will fix everything. But if I deny myself their aid, I’d be wasting precious time and squandering a valuable ally.” He turns back to Kendal and Alinua. “Stopping the Dragon is more important than indulging my pride.”
Kendal and Alinua stare at him, Alinua’s jaw dropped. “Are you feeling all right?” she asks, starting towards him with Life magic swirling around her hands.
“THIS IS NOT ODD.” Erin says exasperatedly.
In fairness, his current problem is definitely the most dangerous in terms of stakes – it’s just that Red is good at drawing tension from other kinds of stakes.
You realize stopping the world destroying void dragon that’s currently hitching a ride in Erin’s body is Everyone’s problem right especially considering if they don’t it might you know DESTROY THE ENTIRE WORLD
Good day to you, my Lords and Ladies. (Is there a gender neutral version of Lord or Lady? Count?????? Someone who’s good at history help me here, I just work at the Renaissance faire.)
I think Alinua’s jaw just dropped in shock, not even a gasp of surprise made. She does look like a feather could knock her over before she to heal Erin. Good thing Alinua doesn’t have to think about what effect to do and let Primordial Life do whatever would work. I wonder what Primordial Life would say of Alinua’s assumption about what they/she does?
Please tell me Tess heard that last part.
Alinua’s always wanted to meet mermaids? Aww, that’s cute. I sometimes forget how Ali had a very abrupt end to her childhood, running away at 10 due to her curse. Fingers crossed they get to meet some … and that they’ll be friendly. Typing that, I just got the image of the ship stopped at night, a sea-person emerging from the water, and luring Alinua closer to the edge as a trap.
Erin, for all his ego, recognises the value of allies, especially ones with unique talents and outlooks; half the gang was recruited specifically because of this. If even a tenth of the fan theories about the monks are correct, they would certainly be worth giving a try to solve the problem. Even if they can’t do it, they may have advice or ways to limit the problem.
As funny as Alinua’s reaction on panels 9 and 10 is, I’m very comforted by Erin’s line in panel 8 that caused said reaction. When Erin purged Falst of excess Void energy in the dungeon arc, I was concerned that it may be the first step to him thinking that maybe he could control the dragon. I’m glad to hear he’s still committed to stopping V.D. over his own fame and glory.
She wouldn’t want to meet the kind of feral, deep-sea merpeople I made up, that’s all I can think about right now. Everyone but the Surrish and the Jingoese royal family think they’re a myth…
I love seeing this side of Erin! And I lol’d at Alinua at the end there.
I am also imagining some kind of flying fish Sea Person seeing the speedy boat and going “Oh you think you’re faster than me??? Fuck you you giant shiny tin can!! Nobody’s faster than me!!!” and trying to race them for a while
Better than the gods at humility? He’s unambiguously better than most settings’ gods at it. This setting’s gods seem remarkably humble, on average, but I’d say he’s at least better at it that Zuurith.
I feel like Erin ego isn’t that he thinks he can do everything. But that he doesn’t think he can fail at somthing he can do. He knows all of his maximum outputs, his speed and control, and how long he can maintain it. But he doesn’t account of getting distracted or ever just being a little off. He thinks he can use his skill ot guarantee everything perfect the first time.
He’s been self-aware for a while! One of my favorite things about Erin is that he *knows* about his negative character traits. This was demonstrated waaaaay back in chapter 7– when the Void Dragon calls him arrogant, he points out that he’s also petty and vindictive.
Y’know, Erin low-key reminds me of the original Dr Frankenstein – that could be because of how Red drew him or because of the sheer volume of hubris – but Erin’s still better because he’s self aware and doesn’t create something unethical in the mindless pursuit of science. (Although from what we’ve heard I think the Academy isn’t shy of doing just that 😬)
I’m trying to decipher that look on Erin’s face as he pauses. I suppose you could say asking for help WASN’T his first choice…he first tried to tell Kendal he was the only one who could be trusted to solve this…and then he tried to off himself in the Caves, though that was a last resort.
Poor Erin, his rationality underestimated by his allies again. Erin does know he has limits but his hubris and pride makes him think he can counter obstacles popping up but no one can deal with them all. Erin just thinks that’s very unlikely. Poor Erin.
I consider this page to be shameless fanservice, because the way I read the comic, “Hubris McSicktats” is a meme, not a proper or complete description of Erin! This borders on OOC for the sake of a joke…
But I feel like I kind of called it, that ETA for Helm is +/- 3 days, maybe a couple weeks if there’s a breakdown. We’re not having a long sea-voyage arc, probably just a few encounters.
Reposting this (my first one didn’t register as a reply properly):
Counterpoint: look at pages 1.6.2, 1.6.7, 1.9.1, 1.9.6, 1.10.23, 1.12.11, 1.12.15, 1.12.22, the entire scene that starts at 1.15.10… etc. In recent memory, the whole conversation about whether or not to set sail is another good example. Here’s some direct quotes of stuff Alinua has heard Erin say unironically:
“I don’t NEED help”, “I’m the only person who can be trusted to fix this”, “I’m the elemental magus. What I need, the Academy provides”, “We’re finally back in MY world. With me on your side, you’re untouchable”, “I’ll flash my credentials, march into the archives and learn everything I need to know”, “But, as you can see from my sigil, I am NOT the public”, and so on.
We the audience have seen Erin be more humble and self aware at times, but most of those are stuff Alinua wasn’t there to see. Each character has their own biased perception of themselves and every other character. Just look at how in this page Alinua’s perception of Erin is different than Kendal’s, or how Tess treats Erin in a different way than pretty much everyone else because she knows him best. I don’t think anyone in this page is acting out of character, Alinua specifically has more of a clash with Erin’s hubris than pretty much everyone else.
One of my favorite parts of Erin is how much his hubris is well rooted in his self-awareness. He really is someone who tries to account for his own biases in terms of how he thinks about problems, and yet that same self-awareness causes him to miscalculate the larger picture.
Counterpoint: look at pages 1.6.2, 1.6.7, 1.9.1, 1.9.6, 1.10.23, 1.12.11, 1.12.15, 1.12.22, the entire scene that starts at 1.15.10… etc. In recent memory, the whole conversation about whether or not to set sail is another good example. Here’s some direct quotes of stuff Alinua has heard Erin say unironically:
“I don’t NEED help”, “I’m the only person who can be trusted to fix this”, “I’m the elemental magus. What I need, the Academy provides”, “We’re finally back in MY world. With me on your side, you’re untouchable”, “I’ll flash my credentials, march into the archives and learn everything I need to know”, “But, as you can see from my sigil, I am NOT the public”, and so on.
We the audience have seen Erin be more humble and self aware at times, but most of those are stuff Alinua wasn’t there to see. Each character has their own biased perception of themselves and every other character. Just look at how in this page Alinua’s perception of Erin is different than Kendal’s, or how Tess treats Erin in a different way than pretty much everyone else because she knows him best. I don’t think anyone in this page is acting out of character, Alinua specifically has more of a clash with Erin’s hubris than pretty much everyone else.
You guys realize this isn’t the first time Erin has asked for help/admitted his faults/or not been like I’M INVINCIBLE NOTHING CAN GO WRONG he has shown multiple times he knows he’s not perfect or infallible and that despite his best efforts things can go wrong but he does have confidence that he and his friends can overcome those problems when they get to them.
Okay the random Aurora question has already been asked and by the person who normally does so some pages ago, but I’d liek to reintroduce it.
For anyone who wants to throw in their answer or answers, what song that you listen to do you think fits each character?
I will start with “cygnus books I & II (single) by RUSH to fit for Erin. Specifically where he is now; more powerful than ever, stacked against more than he could ever deal with, conflicted and in flux.
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: the first symptom of sleep deprivation is overcoming the primal sin of hubris. the second is head hurty
Image source: odd
Tumblr text: on god I will get alinua a mermaid somehow
Alinua solo sidequest where she falls overboard?
Twitter text: He too is extraordinarily humble
actually this is not true, the first symptom of sleep depravation i get is usually thinking i can kill god
Finally getting to these ones that I forgot to do for like months
“Do you really think we won’t see any sea people?” Alinua asks. “I’ve kind of always wanted to meet a mermaid.”
“Well, it’s not impossible. Sometimes they come to the surface after dark.” Erin says to her. “But at the rate we’re moving, I’m not sure there’s a mermaid alive that could keep up with us. Thanks to Tarren, Helm might be only three or four days away. Then, with proper transport, the Soulshaper Monastery is only a sef further.”
“I never realized how strange that was,” Kendal comments.
“What?”
“You, seeking out help.”
“… this may surprise you, but I do actually understand I’m not omnipotent.”
“I know,” Kendal says. “But I’m a little surprised that trusting somebody else was your first choice.”
Erin looks at him for a moment, then turns to face the ocean, leaning on the railing. “It would be… wishful to assume that the Monks will fix everything. But if I deny myself their aid, I’d be wasting precious time and squandering a valuable ally.” He turns back to Kendal and Alinua. “Stopping the Dragon is more important than indulging my pride.”
Kendal and Alinua stare at him, Alinua’s jaw dropped. “Are you feeling all right?” she asks, starting towards him with Life magic swirling around her hands.
“THIS IS NOT ODD.” Erin says exasperatedly.
Yeah Alinua, this is just your average SicTatts Mchubris behaviour I dont know what youre talking about
Yeah, Erin thinking HIS quest is the most importnatn and HIS problems the most dangerous is just another version of Self-Centeredness.
In fairness, his current problem is definitely the most dangerous in terms of stakes – it’s just that Red is good at drawing tension from other kinds of stakes.
I mean, to be completely fair, stop the sun-eating, world-ending, caustic black energy-leaking dragon is probably the most pressing issue
You realize stopping the world destroying void dragon that’s currently hitching a ride in Erin’s body is Everyone’s problem right especially considering if they don’t it might you know DESTROY THE ENTIRE WORLD
Alinua: Brain damage detected, must heal immediately!
hey are you sure that this is actually erin?
Erin: No you see this is not odd! Seeking help is very normal behaviour for me!
No No, this is indeed odd for you Erin.
We love you, but you do have the pride of a dragon.
…
Red, you did that deliberatly, didn’t you?
Helloooo
Hiiiiiiiiii
Hi!!
Ello
Greetings!
Hail and well met!
Salutations!
Ahoy!
Bonjour
Holo?
Sawubona
Salutations, sir! May I please enter?
‘Ello, ‘ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!
Good day to you, my Lords and Ladies. (Is there a gender neutral version of Lord or Lady? Count?????? Someone who’s good at history help me here, I just work at the Renaissance faire.)
In modernity the title Milord is considered gender neutral, as a court judge in Canada or the U.K. is referred to as such regardless of gender.
Hiiiiiii 😀
You know Erin probably is better than the gods at humility, but I have a feeling that’s not a very high bar.
Good point.
At the rate they’re moving, Erin says,
They’ll be at Helm in three days,
With the monastery’s help only a sef away,
And their soulshaping ways.
He says, “Stopping the Dragon is more important
Than indulging my pride.”
Alinua and Kendal, concerned, offer healing,
Their eyes shocked and wide.
my face when the character development develops
Erin: I too am extraordinarily humble.
LOL!
FAJK;SLDAFSDKJ;LJFK;L
She really said “O:”
I think Alinua’s jaw just dropped in shock, not even a gasp of surprise made. She does look like a feather could knock her over before she to heal Erin. Good thing Alinua doesn’t have to think about what effect to do and let Primordial Life do whatever would work. I wonder what Primordial Life would say of Alinua’s assumption about what they/she does?
Please tell me Tess heard that last part.
Alinua’s always wanted to meet mermaids? Aww, that’s cute. I sometimes forget how Ali had a very abrupt end to her childhood, running away at 10 due to her curse. Fingers crossed they get to meet some … and that they’ll be friendly. Typing that, I just got the image of the ship stopped at night, a sea-person emerging from the water, and luring Alinua closer to the edge as a trap.
Erin, for all his ego, recognises the value of allies, especially ones with unique talents and outlooks; half the gang was recruited specifically because of this. If even a tenth of the fan theories about the monks are correct, they would certainly be worth giving a try to solve the problem. Even if they can’t do it, they may have advice or ways to limit the problem.
As funny as Alinua’s reaction on panels 9 and 10 is, I’m very comforted by Erin’s line in panel 8 that caused said reaction. When Erin purged Falst of excess Void energy in the dungeon arc, I was concerned that it may be the first step to him thinking that maybe he could control the dragon. I’m glad to hear he’s still committed to stopping V.D. over his own fame and glory.
She wouldn’t want to meet the kind of feral, deep-sea merpeople I made up, that’s all I can think about right now. Everyone but the Surrish and the Jingoese royal family think they’re a myth…
he’s just in total denial
I love seeing this side of Erin! And I lol’d at Alinua at the end there.
I am also imagining some kind of flying fish Sea Person seeing the speedy boat and going “Oh you think you’re faster than me??? Fuck you you giant shiny tin can!! Nobody’s faster than me!!!” and trying to race them for a while
Better than the gods at humility? He’s unambiguously better than most settings’ gods at it. This setting’s gods seem remarkably humble, on average, but I’d say he’s at least better at it that Zuurith.
I feel like Erin ego isn’t that he thinks he can do everything. But that he doesn’t think he can fail at somthing he can do. He knows all of his maximum outputs, his speed and control, and how long he can maintain it. But he doesn’t account of getting distracted or ever just being a little off. He thinks he can use his skill ot guarantee everything perfect the first time.
Watch out he’s self aware
He’s been self-aware for a while! One of my favorite things about Erin is that he *knows* about his negative character traits. This was demonstrated waaaaay back in chapter 7– when the Void Dragon calls him arrogant, he points out that he’s also petty and vindictive.
Y’know, Erin low-key reminds me of the original Dr Frankenstein – that could be because of how Red drew him or because of the sheer volume of hubris – but Erin’s still better because he’s self aware and doesn’t create something unethical in the mindless pursuit of science. (Although from what we’ve heard I think the Academy isn’t shy of doing just that 😬)
I mean, it’s a LITTLE odd…
Alinua.exe has stopped working.
I’m trying to decipher that look on Erin’s face as he pauses. I suppose you could say asking for help WASN’T his first choice…he first tried to tell Kendal he was the only one who could be trusted to solve this…and then he tried to off himself in the Caves, though that was a last resort.
Maybe it’s just the sleep deprivation :p
ERINS HEAD IS DEFLATING! ITS A MIRACLE!
I like how Erin looks offended at the implication that he can’t ask for help even though he then freely admits that he has a pride problem
I feel like “better at humility than the gods” would probably be a paradoxically low bar. Depends on your gods, I guess.
Twitter text: he too is extraordinarily humble
Tumblr text: on god I will get alinua a mermaid somehow
Poor Erin, his rationality underestimated by his allies again. Erin does know he has limits but his hubris and pride makes him think he can counter obstacles popping up but no one can deal with them all. Erin just thinks that’s very unlikely. Poor Erin.
God I just love Alinua going :0
I know, they are from different universes and, more importantly, different stories, but Erin just must be in some way related to Hercule Poirot.
I love Kendal’s look of ‘should I get involved here or just let her… do that?’ in the last panel. Pretty funny.
this has been a chapter with FANTASTIC interaction.
I love Alinua’s stunned look at the end. XD It’s perfect.
This was the first one that actively made me lol. Smash cut to Alinua’s shocked face is the perfect choice for this trope and god I love it!
I consider this page to be shameless fanservice, because the way I read the comic, “Hubris McSicktats” is a meme, not a proper or complete description of Erin! This borders on OOC for the sake of a joke…
But I feel like I kind of called it, that ETA for Helm is +/- 3 days, maybe a couple weeks if there’s a breakdown. We’re not having a long sea-voyage arc, probably just a few encounters.
Reposting this (my first one didn’t register as a reply properly):
Counterpoint: look at pages 1.6.2, 1.6.7, 1.9.1, 1.9.6, 1.10.23, 1.12.11, 1.12.15, 1.12.22, the entire scene that starts at 1.15.10… etc. In recent memory, the whole conversation about whether or not to set sail is another good example. Here’s some direct quotes of stuff Alinua has heard Erin say unironically:
“I don’t NEED help”, “I’m the only person who can be trusted to fix this”, “I’m the elemental magus. What I need, the Academy provides”, “We’re finally back in MY world. With me on your side, you’re untouchable”, “I’ll flash my credentials, march into the archives and learn everything I need to know”, “But, as you can see from my sigil, I am NOT the public”, and so on.
We the audience have seen Erin be more humble and self aware at times, but most of those are stuff Alinua wasn’t there to see. Each character has their own biased perception of themselves and every other character. Just look at how in this page Alinua’s perception of Erin is different than Kendal’s, or how Tess treats Erin in a different way than pretty much everyone else because she knows him best. I don’t think anyone in this page is acting out of character, Alinua specifically has more of a clash with Erin’s hubris than pretty much everyone else.
Holy cow, he held on to the common sense long enough to approach realize his place in the world! This is a rare sight folks, enjoy it while it lasts.
One of my favorite parts of Erin is how much his hubris is well rooted in his self-awareness. He really is someone who tries to account for his own biases in terms of how he thinks about problems, and yet that same self-awareness causes him to miscalculate the larger picture.
Counterpoint: look at pages 1.6.2, 1.6.7, 1.9.1, 1.9.6, 1.10.23, 1.12.11, 1.12.15, 1.12.22, the entire scene that starts at 1.15.10… etc. In recent memory, the whole conversation about whether or not to set sail is another good example. Here’s some direct quotes of stuff Alinua has heard Erin say unironically:
“I don’t NEED help”, “I’m the only person who can be trusted to fix this”, “I’m the elemental magus. What I need, the Academy provides”, “We’re finally back in MY world. With me on your side, you’re untouchable”, “I’ll flash my credentials, march into the archives and learn everything I need to know”, “But, as you can see from my sigil, I am NOT the public”, and so on.
We the audience have seen Erin be more humble and self aware at times, but most of those are stuff Alinua wasn’t there to see. Each character has their own biased perception of themselves and every other character. Just look at how in this page Alinua’s perception of Erin is different than Kendal’s, or how Tess treats Erin in a different way than pretty much everyone else because she knows him best. I don’t think anyone in this page is acting out of character, Alinua specifically has more of a clash with Erin’s hubris than pretty much everyone else.
This was meant as a reply to Vinemaple.
TL;DR: Hubris? Since when?
You guys realize this isn’t the first time Erin has asked for help/admitted his faults/or not been like I’M INVINCIBLE NOTHING CAN GO WRONG he has shown multiple times he knows he’s not perfect or infallible and that despite his best efforts things can go wrong but he does have confidence that he and his friends can overcome those problems when they get to them.
Absolutely no way this only takes three or four days and we don’t see a single mermaid. No. Freaking. Way.
help Erin is so pretty
Btw tess shows up in the wind village in 1.4.25
Dose anyone else remember Tess mentioning Erin’s biggest secret had something to do with the soul shaper monks? Boi is bluffing. C l i c h e.
Mermaids there are, but too slow they tumble
And Erin, too, is extremely humble
Okay the random Aurora question has already been asked and by the person who normally does so some pages ago, but I’d liek to reintroduce it.
For anyone who wants to throw in their answer or answers, what song that you listen to do you think fits each character?
I will start with “cygnus books I & II (single) by RUSH to fit for Erin. Specifically where he is now; more powerful than ever, stacked against more than he could ever deal with, conflicted and in flux.