Storm Tynan mocks the little wizard,
Yet Erin replies almost with laughter,
“You’re not a warrior, a king or any
Of the things you style yourself after.”
Erin, playing to his strengths… I like it. He also just probably enraged one of the strongest gods alive, but eh, he’s dealing with something worse already. And that line at the end? Not only does it out down Tynan, but it lifts Erin up. How does Red come up with these?
hmm, i just realised that i had a dream last night where i was erin, and i did that thing he spoke about—holding back the rain with water magic until his concentration wavered. let me tell you, it was NOT easy. imagine holding a dumbbell in each hand at a right angle to your spine, and also trying to clench every muscle in your body to stop your blood from flowing. sort of like that
TL;DR: You’ve spent a lot of time trash talking my friend, now I will spend some time handing it back to you with a bonus of fire! Now that’s a good deal, right?
Okay, I absolutely love that ‘If you were a fighter, Kendal would’ve beaten you fair and square’ line. Erin has so much confidence in his friend, it’s just heartwarming to see stuff like that!
Hey what gives, it’s almost mid morning and our resident linguistics experts haven’t been forthcoming with the runic translation yet? (Just kidding mates, take your time, although I am always eager to find out what the message in the runes is. Particularly what the message might be in Erin’s big f.u. spell to Tynan. )
@confusedqueer that could be, although a couple thoughts come to mind as to why no other mage did. 1), Erin is already leagues ahead of others in mastery of most elements, and already ventures where most wont dare 2), given the intense ordered structure of Zuurith it’s a big possibility that the population doesn’t tend to things seen as chaotic like the open use of magic. Note the only mages we’ve seen who are native to Zuurith are Shrike and Dainix. Shrike is a state sanctioned mage who herself came up through the arena, and Dainix isn’t even currently supposed to be here. Add to that the A.M. and Shrike were keen to get a new powerful mage for the arena.
Add to that how we don’t see anyone manipulating water, air or stone in the aiding or streamlining of the evacuation. They’re all just plain running.
So I’m left drawing the conclusion for the moment that either there are no natural mages born in Zuurith, or if they’re here at all they’re alive or dead in the gladiator part of the prison, or the ones who do get to walk free are only state sanctioned for very specific roles (think Soviets here). I.e. the fire mage who was only ever legally supposed to bake bread with his fire magic would never conceive of taking on a God with his leavened goodness..
(And as always, thanks again Red, this shtuff gets better every week.)
You know, I’ve been watching the comic since I saw you post it on youtube about a year ago, and I have to say I’m impressed with your use of the dramatics, but also the characters that perform those dramatics. Ya rock. Keep rocking out.
Red, your masterful use of showing instead of telling makes watching Erin fill six panels with scholaroic monologue a real treat instead of a tired trope.
Your work here makes every odd weekday brighter.
There’s such a huge difference between an ordinary mage and the Elemental Magus. He can calm wind and cool the air, then toss off a fireball, casually do a healing spell, then counter lightning with a lightning shield, then light up with fire again.
Beyond that, Erin’s creative, and trained in the controlled use of many different spells.
No one else would have the nerve to stand up to a God. I think if you had many mages of different types who coordinated their efforts, maybe. But even then, they wouldn’t have the sheer firepower of the Elemental Magus.
…he’s still in over his head. But doing better than I expected.
What is the Pratchett Test? I know it refers to Terry Pratchett, annnnnnd… that’s as far as I get.
@veggiesnake
That’s a really good metaphor and a really weird dream. I actually had a dream I was Dainix once, I think, but I don’t remember the details anymore.
Also…
Amazing trash talk by Erin. Just… wow.
I love how Tynan says the gods are all talk, except for him.
And then he’s getting DESTROYED by Erin, because the same ‘all talk’ thing is equally true for Tynan himself.
Notice how Tess is outside the thunder shield?
“Ha ha, I’ve been struck my lightning before! It doesn’t scare me!” *gets struck by lightning five times in a row* “OW”
@confusedqueer and @CrabMasterJack
That was kind of my thought too, honestly. But I think part of why people aren’t manipulating water, air, or stone to help evacuation is that everyone is just panicking. They aren’t thinking about, well, anything.
Also, just wanted to share:
I’ve discovered I’m an asexual demiromantic lesbian.
demi is a slightly less well-known orientation, so let me explain. Basically, I’m partly aro (aromantic), except for a few certain people, when I get to know them very well. Basically I’m destined to fall in love with my friends.
Anyway, yeah.
@crabmasterjack I was thinking more about Tynan’s backstory, as I understand it he destroyed dozens of settlements before Vash stopped him, at least one of those must have had some powerful fire mages
Erin does look particularly wizardly in the last panel (it’s probably the cape and the collar that do it), and having listened to Rolling With Difficulty, I know that wizards are not to be f*cked with.
Goldfinch and sol:
She’ll be fine; Tynan’s attention is focused on Erin and Kendal right now. To him, Erin and Kendal are threats, while Tess is just an insignificant annoyance.
Also, I’d like to join the “what is the Pratchett test” boat; I’ve never read any of Sir Terry’s works, and I just looked up the term on both tvtropes and the internet at large, and found nothing.
on one hand, hubristic erin has been much missed. on the other, ERIN STOP IT YOUR GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED. and even if that solves the void dragon problem, it would still be very sad for one of my favorite characters to die.
Tynan right now: No! My Hubris!
I’m the one who gets to make cool taunts!
Ngl, I’m a bit sad that Erin will probably not manage to blast Tynan out on his own due to the narrative need for a certain red-haired boi’s application to the floof squad.
The PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE SNARK on this PAGE. Is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Every word out of Erin’s mouth felt like a power line, and I’m relating HARD to that last statement. I dont even entirely care if his hubris gets whacked again, he had this moment and I’m PROUD.
Erin’s calm, logical, academic side is showing hard here (or at least he’s projecting it hard here) because that is how he does stuff. He’s NOT a fighter, per say, he’s a mage, and he treats life like a series of academic problems to be solved because he’s comfortable with that mode of thinking. …It feels similar to the final confrontation with Shrike, actually; he was pretty calm and cold during that conversation as well.
Its also interesting because Tynan rules through fear, so Erin’s snark might actually be plot-useful for once XD, giving Tess & Kendal more confidence. It doesn’t do too much since they’re all decently ok in this specific moment and its just them up there… but who knows.
Pratchett test:
Soft version: other characters get to meaningfully interact with the main villain, not just the primary protagonist.
Hard version: That interraction is extra meaningful, either delivering The Reason You Suck Speech instead of the hero or being key to villain’s defeat.
Can we get someone to tell us what the runic circle says? I wanna know if Erin’s planning to burn Tynan as bad as he is now. Also, sorry I’m not as active, school’s been busy since the end of the semester began. I’ll be back in summer, hopefully.
Okay, can someone please answer this?
Why do people think comics aren’t real books? I can’t count how many times i’ve gotten in trouble for reading this comic in class after I finish all my work. I mean, come ON. They might be not be as hard to read as say, the Lord of the Rings, but that doesn’t mean they’re not REAL books. Picture books have 7 pages, but they’re still ‘books’ anyone have any thought?
Huh. Nice to know I’m not the only one who’s had Aurora invade their dreamscape (usually my POV is an anonymous non-canon member of the Floof Squad, though one time I think I was borrowing Erin’s, and another I was seeing through Kendal’s eyes before I hopped back into the anonymous person. That was interesting, because I think they’d somehow managed to save/restore Vash-the-City and were being honored, but I was aware (because semi-lucid dreaming) that this was right before the plot kicked in again–but I digress.) And I definitely sympathize with the difficulty of doing magic–Much as I love the dreams where I am able to fly (or the being I am in the dream can), that shit is hard. Or am I the only one who’s actually got to consciously flap their wings to get off the ground? (Assuming arm/wing correlation–its rarer that I’m someone with extra limbs, mostly because even when whoever I’m “inhabiting” isn’t human-shaped my brain insists on pulling a Quantum Leap where I still see myself as human-shaped even if I’m not supposed to be/not seen as.)
Also, tto completely derail any further conversation on anything, there’s a new chapter cover. And if it’s hinting at what it is, then oh boy, things are about to go south real quick. (And some of the consequences could be…interesting.)
Fighter, Wizard, Monk combo, a classic. Damage immunity, damage negation, damage resistance, coupled with powerful melee, balanced and a ranged combatant. I just hope the boss health bar isn’t too big.
Wow Erin is so determined and badass in this page. I’m sure this is his time to shine and he won’t get usurped by a half naked Ignan who comes in at the last minute to steal the glory.
It’s ok Red, the glowy effects are distinct enough in colour and textures that we can tell them apart. Plus, since this is a potentially chaotic battle, with elemental powers left, right and centre, it kind of makes sense that things might get blurry in the heat of it.
And so the mathematician had done what the mathematician does best: simplify their equation. Going to the storm thus keeping it outside the city, lessening the impact of the rain on said city so they can ignore it entirely and all their forces are together for coordinated attacks. While I expect Dainix to deal the final blow, Erin’s hand in weakening Tynan and mitigating his powers cannot be understated.
That… was a surprisingly accurate description come to think about it.
He does need the attention so people can fear him, so that he can feed on their fear. And it looks like he needs a constant supply to stay as powerful as he is. So yes, you could say he is whimpering for attention with his threats, with the symbols he uses.
That makes me wonder, what if people could ignore the storm no matter how strong he is. Would he wither away if no one feared him? If they did not had to fear for their lives? Their crops? Anything?
Very interesting.
Can’t help it, I’m waving little flags with “Go Erin!” on them right now. And aren’t those just the right words to get at Tynan, eh? Brilliant!
And as always, brilliant storytelling with the pictures and the words!
…sparkly lighting effects are sparkly and I LOVE it.
@youngstormlord: The Pratchett test (for goodness)
“If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you’re going to die. So they’ll talk. They’ll gloat.
They’ll watch you squirm. They’ll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar.
So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.” – Sir Terry Pratchett
I love how Erin just gave Tynan a really good “Reason You Suck” Speech. It’s personally one of my favorite tropes, especially if it’s said to someone who thinks they’re all that.
Speaking of Tynan, when do you guys think he’ll go through a Villainous Breakdown? He’s already sort of going through one, but when is he REALLY going to lose his shit?
On the one hand, I absolutely LOVE when Erin gets his analytical badass hat on. That was a good deconstruction of Tynan, and the whole “if you didn’t cheat Kendal would have kicked your ass anyway, so I’m here to cheat back”, said so matter of factly, says SO much about how much Erin values his party members.
On the other hand, whenever someone gloats like this, it means better than even chances something is going to explode on them sharpish, and I’m a bit afraid Erin is going to get smacked around immediately for Dainix to have to save the day.
There are a lot of people who think Erin will get destroyed next page, so I’m going to put in my two cents:
Erin has shown himself to be extremely capable in a fight, not to mention resourceful. This is a climax, so he’ll probably get semi-murdered anyway, but it’ll take some time for sure.
About to go check the new cover art.
I am excited!
@skye when i dream-fly, it normally ends up just being swimming in the air or i have to flap my arms for it. what ends up usually happening is just dolphin kicking lmao, and when i wake up i realize it would probably look really stupid irl, but in dreams it always feels awesome, like there’s a feeling there besides movement.
i also tend to hop around perspectives!! it’s really interesting, and even if i’m in the dream i tend not to actually be myself, either watching in third person or playing another character. dreams are cool.
Just saw the new cover. It’s very good, but for some reason, I can’t get the image out of my head of Tynan with a big hairdo, melting, with lightning coming out of his eyes. Anyone else see this?
Got here late, thought something horrible was going to happen to Erin with Tynan’s line, but no. Erin’s just as cocky because he’s approaching this like a puzzle not a fight. I appreciate that perspective, but I don’t think Tynan’s going to take the roasting well.
i was rereading past chapters and when kendal and alinua are talking magistrate in windcrest the mural in the background depicts vash’s fight with tynan.
I have translated the runic circle. I got bored and found a runic translation page on the Aurora Wiki. (Honestly, I’m amazed by the people who figured it out, I could never have that kind of patience or skill. So thanks to anyone who was involved, it’s really cool!)
It says:
DIVERT OTHER POLARIZE SHIELD RE(FL?)EKT SELF
I’m not sure where the loop starts because I didn’t bother to think that far. And I’m just assuming the rune means “FL” because “reflect” makes a lot of sense in this situation (GLORB!).
Also, I haven’t commented before, but I’ve been reading the comic for a while now, and the comments are always so nice! Even though I don’t really interact, this is just such a great community.
@SarrissaTeiflingDruid: Way back when we first saw Void Erin, people came up with an unintimidating name and landed on Walter*. It stuck around after we got more info and Red even referenced it HERE
*At least according to TVTropes, anyways. I wasn’t in the fandom back then and I can’t find any comments using the name around that time.
And we all thought Erin was going to burn Tynan with magic.
I’m just waiting for Tynan to reincarnate only for Tess to immediately punch him in the face. It probably won’t happen exactly like that, but I can’t imagine Tess passing up on an opportunity to add “I punched a god in the face” to her list of brags. Why else would she stay out of Erin’s lightning shield? It obviously isn’t because she’s probably immune to lightning…
@chagadog
are you serious? I’m not sure if it is more amazing that there is an actual alphabet or people are willing to spend time deciphering the language.
Fan-name for the Void Dragon (like how Kendal and Co. are the Floof Squad, or the junior archivist is now known as June). Not sure where it came from, since it predates my finding out about the comic.
RED! You have sucessfully created the best charismaniaic in existance! Erin literally went from dispairing to challenging a god within like five pages! And he looks swave as hell while doing it! ERIN EITHER IS A GOD OR CAN KILL A GOD AND I DO NOT CARE IF THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!
loving the magic effects, that last panel is *very cool*. Erin ur gonna get your self electrocuted for like a fourth time though.
Erin with the hard-hitting facts! Look at him go!
When burning your enemy’s physical body just isn’t enough for you
i worry that Tynan is just gonna turn around and go all: “Your fire? It did not burn hot enough.”
something something, erin takes a dive, something something, dainix has to step in
Hubris meets hubris.
What will come when these two clash?
Clever quips and snark.
erin, kendal and kendal are in the bubble, tess doesn’t give a shit
Wow, Erin turned up the metal to 11
I love his stupid little smile so much
Erin out here delivering metaphorical AND literal burns!
Flameo, hotman!
Storm Tynan mocks the little wizard,
Yet Erin replies almost with laughter,
“You’re not a warrior, a king or any
Of the things you style yourself after.”
Get owned cloud guy
Erin, playing to his strengths… I like it. He also just probably enraged one of the strongest gods alive, but eh, he’s dealing with something worse already. And that line at the end? Not only does it out down Tynan, but it lifts Erin up. How does Red come up with these?
“You’re just a problem. I’m not going to fight you…I’m going to *solve* you.”
God, nerdy trash talk is amazing.
I feel like even though what Erin is saying is definetely hitting a nerve, his overconfidence is gonna be a huge problem.
I literally jump out of my seat in excitement, can’t wait to see who Erin fixes the problem
Ooh, Erin has also just passed his Pratchett test! Good Man!
Kendal’s face in panel 5 says it all.
“Uuuh, you suuuure you want to be taunting a storm that ravaged many great cities?”
Erin, your hubris is showing
seriously though I doubt this will work, if it did another fire mage would have done it
@veggiesnake agreed, somethings about to go wrong
@pilgrim could you explain what this “pratchett test” is?
hmm, i just realised that i had a dream last night where i was erin, and i did that thing he spoke about—holding back the rain with water magic until his concentration wavered. let me tell you, it was NOT easy. imagine holding a dumbbell in each hand at a right angle to your spine, and also trying to clench every muscle in your body to stop your blood from flowing. sort of like that
TL;DR: You’ve spent a lot of time trash talking my friend, now I will spend some time handing it back to you with a bonus of fire! Now that’s a good deal, right?
Professor Erin corrects a wayward undergraduate, part 1.
Kendals stay behind me ahsjakoafd he <3
And there it is… Main hero isn’t Mary Sue, but Erin… Sure he does!
Okay, I absolutely love that ‘If you were a fighter, Kendal would’ve beaten you fair and square’ line. Erin has so much confidence in his friend, it’s just heartwarming to see stuff like that!
Hey what gives, it’s almost mid morning and our resident linguistics experts haven’t been forthcoming with the runic translation yet? (Just kidding mates, take your time, although I am always eager to find out what the message in the runes is. Particularly what the message might be in Erin’s big f.u. spell to Tynan. )
@confusedqueer that could be, although a couple thoughts come to mind as to why no other mage did. 1), Erin is already leagues ahead of others in mastery of most elements, and already ventures where most wont dare 2), given the intense ordered structure of Zuurith it’s a big possibility that the population doesn’t tend to things seen as chaotic like the open use of magic. Note the only mages we’ve seen who are native to Zuurith are Shrike and Dainix. Shrike is a state sanctioned mage who herself came up through the arena, and Dainix isn’t even currently supposed to be here. Add to that the A.M. and Shrike were keen to get a new powerful mage for the arena.
Add to that how we don’t see anyone manipulating water, air or stone in the aiding or streamlining of the evacuation. They’re all just plain running.
So I’m left drawing the conclusion for the moment that either there are no natural mages born in Zuurith, or if they’re here at all they’re alive or dead in the gladiator part of the prison, or the ones who do get to walk free are only state sanctioned for very specific roles (think Soviets here). I.e. the fire mage who was only ever legally supposed to bake bread with his fire magic would never conceive of taking on a God with his leavened goodness..
(And as always, thanks again Red, this shtuff gets better every week.)
So cool
You know, I’ve been watching the comic since I saw you post it on youtube about a year ago, and I have to say I’m impressed with your use of the dramatics, but also the characters that perform those dramatics. Ya rock. Keep rocking out.
Red, your masterful use of showing instead of telling makes watching Erin fill six panels with scholaroic monologue a real treat instead of a tired trope.
Your work here makes every odd weekday brighter.
^ *Four panels* ^
There’s such a huge difference between an ordinary mage and the Elemental Magus. He can calm wind and cool the air, then toss off a fireball, casually do a healing spell, then counter lightning with a lightning shield, then light up with fire again.
Beyond that, Erin’s creative, and trained in the controlled use of many different spells.
No one else would have the nerve to stand up to a God. I think if you had many mages of different types who coordinated their efforts, maybe. But even then, they wouldn’t have the sheer firepower of the Elemental Magus.
…he’s still in over his head. But doing better than I expected.
What is the Pratchett Test? I know it refers to Terry Pratchett, annnnnnd… that’s as far as I get.
Okay I love that putdown by Erin. Also love how you’re working that low-key arrogance into his character.
Yes he’s arrogant, because he can back it up 99% of the time.
Don’t worry guys, displays of hubris only turn out well. It’s like the saying goes, “The pride cometh before the fantastic rise”
@Pilgrim what’s a “Pratchett Test”?
@veggiesnake
That’s a really good metaphor and a really weird dream. I actually had a dream I was Dainix once, I think, but I don’t remember the details anymore.
Also…
Amazing trash talk by Erin. Just… wow.
I love how Tynan says the gods are all talk, except for him.
And then he’s getting DESTROYED by Erin, because the same ‘all talk’ thing is equally true for Tynan himself.
Anyway, this is amazing.
But Erin? How are you planning to ‘solve’ him?
@Pilgrim, or anyone else really. @confusedqueer, @PersonMcPerson and I are all curious what the Pratchett test is.
I’ve seen it mentioned multiple times.
Notice how Tess is outside the thunder shield?
“Ha ha, I’ve been struck my lightning before! It doesn’t scare me!” *gets struck by lightning five times in a row* “OW”
@confusedqueer and @CrabMasterJack
That was kind of my thought too, honestly. But I think part of why people aren’t manipulating water, air, or stone to help evacuation is that everyone is just panicking. They aren’t thinking about, well, anything.
Also, just wanted to share:
I’ve discovered I’m an asexual demiromantic lesbian.
demi is a slightly less well-known orientation, so let me explain. Basically, I’m partly aro (aromantic), except for a few certain people, when I get to know them very well. Basically I’m destined to fall in love with my friends.
Anyway, yeah.
all hail the glorb!
@crabmasterjack I was thinking more about Tynan’s backstory, as I understand it he destroyed dozens of settlements before Vash stopped him, at least one of those must have had some powerful fire mages
Erin does look particularly wizardly in the last panel (it’s probably the cape and the collar that do it), and having listened to Rolling With Difficulty, I know that wizards are not to be f*cked with.
Goldfinch and sol:
She’ll be fine; Tynan’s attention is focused on Erin and Kendal right now. To him, Erin and Kendal are threats, while Tess is just an insignificant annoyance.
Also, I’d like to join the “what is the Pratchett test” boat; I’ve never read any of Sir Terry’s works, and I just looked up the term on both tvtropes and the internet at large, and found nothing.
Can’t wait until the whole floof squad is assembled to take down Tynan.
@CrabMasterJack
I imagine the runes are the same as the ones as last time, they’re the ones for the glorb
on one hand, hubristic erin has been much missed. on the other, ERIN STOP IT YOUR GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED. and even if that solves the void dragon problem, it would still be very sad for one of my favorite characters to die.
Tynan right now: No! My Hubris!
I’m the one who gets to make cool taunts!
Ngl, I’m a bit sad that Erin will probably not manage to blast Tynan out on his own due to the narrative need for a certain red-haired boi’s application to the floof squad.
I am 100% sure someone is going to KO erin in 2 frames, tops.
The PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE SNARK on this PAGE. Is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Every word out of Erin’s mouth felt like a power line, and I’m relating HARD to that last statement. I dont even entirely care if his hubris gets whacked again, he had this moment and I’m PROUD.
Erin’s calm, logical, academic side is showing hard here (or at least he’s projecting it hard here) because that is how he does stuff. He’s NOT a fighter, per say, he’s a mage, and he treats life like a series of academic problems to be solved because he’s comfortable with that mode of thinking. …It feels similar to the final confrontation with Shrike, actually; he was pretty calm and cold during that conversation as well.
Its also interesting because Tynan rules through fear, so Erin’s snark might actually be plot-useful for once XD, giving Tess & Kendal more confidence. It doesn’t do too much since they’re all decently ok in this specific moment and its just them up there… but who knows.
Uh oh, it looks like Tynan will be defeated by the great power of:
EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!
alt text: love layering glowy effects on more glowy effects and then trying very hard to make literally anything visually distinct in frame
BEST smug little smile on Erin in panel 4! So very adorable – but now I worry for him even more.
Hot damn erin is literally spitting fire xD
Pratchett test:
Soft version: other characters get to meaningfully interact with the main villain, not just the primary protagonist.
Hard version: That interraction is extra meaningful, either delivering The Reason You Suck Speech instead of the hero or being key to villain’s defeat.
It is a twist on The Chosen One trope.
Glowy effects are the best 😀
Yo when did Erin get Vicious Mockery
New chapter alert! Check the archive!
@youngstormlord
I would like to say, on behalf of at least half of the comment section, thank you for the explanation.
Can we get someone to tell us what the runic circle says? I wanna know if Erin’s planning to burn Tynan as bad as he is now. Also, sorry I’m not as active, school’s been busy since the end of the semester began. I’ll be back in summer, hopefully.
@youngstormlord
I was just about to go look it up to get everybody to stop asking. This is what I get for sleeping in, I guess.
Wait, what will happen to Erin’s already overinflated ego if he actually does succeed in killing a god?
*Tynan cries in a corner*
He’s not a fighter, but he’s awfully good at aggravating people’s pride enough that they made bad decisions and are easier to take out.
TL;DR: Erin causes Tynan to have a crises & his irises changed to reddy-brown when doing fire magic
also they may go to a alternate dimension.just a thought. it could have robots.
Okay, can someone please answer this?
Why do people think comics aren’t real books? I can’t count how many times i’ve gotten in trouble for reading this comic in class after I finish all my work. I mean, come ON. They might be not be as hard to read as say, the Lord of the Rings, but that doesn’t mean they’re not REAL books. Picture books have 7 pages, but they’re still ‘books’ anyone have any thought?
@youngstormlord, THANK you!
Very Exited:
Please don’t copy someone else’s comments thing.
To veggiesnake, SarrissaTieflingDruid:
Huh. Nice to know I’m not the only one who’s had Aurora invade their dreamscape (usually my POV is an anonymous non-canon member of the Floof Squad, though one time I think I was borrowing Erin’s, and another I was seeing through Kendal’s eyes before I hopped back into the anonymous person. That was interesting, because I think they’d somehow managed to save/restore Vash-the-City and were being honored, but I was aware (because semi-lucid dreaming) that this was right before the plot kicked in again–but I digress.) And I definitely sympathize with the difficulty of doing magic–Much as I love the dreams where I am able to fly (or the being I am in the dream can), that shit is hard. Or am I the only one who’s actually got to consciously flap their wings to get off the ground? (Assuming arm/wing correlation–its rarer that I’m someone with extra limbs, mostly because even when whoever I’m “inhabiting” isn’t human-shaped my brain insists on pulling a Quantum Leap where I still see myself as human-shaped even if I’m not supposed to be/not seen as.)
Also, tto completely derail any further conversation on anything, there’s a new chapter cover. And if it’s hinting at what it is, then oh boy, things are about to go south real quick. (And some of the consequences could be…interesting.)
Tynan’s a problem but Erin’ll solve it, climb straight into his cloud and dissolve it
(with ice, ice, baby)
The result is awesome 😀
Fighter, Wizard, Monk combo, a classic. Damage immunity, damage negation, damage resistance, coupled with powerful melee, balanced and a ranged combatant. I just hope the boss health bar isn’t too big.
To Ardent Objection:
Pretty sure Erin’s multiclassed into warlock, so that’s something to keep in mind, especially considering who his patron is…
Dang Erin go off. I love one egotistical wizard here.
As an engineer, I approve of Erin’s stance.
He is probably about to get his ass handed to him, but still, respect.
Wow Erin is so determined and badass in this page. I’m sure this is his time to shine and he won’t get usurped by a half naked Ignan who comes in at the last minute to steal the glory.
It’s ok Red, the glowy effects are distinct enough in colour and textures that we can tell them apart. Plus, since this is a potentially chaotic battle, with elemental powers left, right and centre, it kind of makes sense that things might get blurry in the heat of it.
And so the mathematician had done what the mathematician does best: simplify their equation. Going to the storm thus keeping it outside the city, lessening the impact of the rain on said city so they can ignore it entirely and all their forces are together for coordinated attacks. While I expect Dainix to deal the final blow, Erin’s hand in weakening Tynan and mitigating his powers cannot be understated.
That… was a surprisingly accurate description come to think about it.
He does need the attention so people can fear him, so that he can feed on their fear. And it looks like he needs a constant supply to stay as powerful as he is. So yes, you could say he is whimpering for attention with his threats, with the symbols he uses.
That makes me wonder, what if people could ignore the storm no matter how strong he is. Would he wither away if no one feared him? If they did not had to fear for their lives? Their crops? Anything?
Very interesting.
Can’t help it, I’m waving little flags with “Go Erin!” on them right now. And aren’t those just the right words to get at Tynan, eh? Brilliant!
And as always, brilliant storytelling with the pictures and the words!
…sparkly lighting effects are sparkly and I LOVE it.
@youngstormlord: The Pratchett test (for goodness)
“If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you’re going to die. So they’ll talk. They’ll gloat.
They’ll watch you squirm. They’ll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar.
So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.” – Sir Terry Pratchett
@Skye yeah… that cover art. hm. there are two things it could mean, and neither one is good. both are interesting tho, so i’m excited
Erin: 2 + 2 = You’re a bitch.
I love how Erin just gave Tynan a really good “Reason You Suck” Speech. It’s personally one of my favorite tropes, especially if it’s said to someone who thinks they’re all that.
Speaking of Tynan, when do you guys think he’ll go through a Villainous Breakdown? He’s already sort of going through one, but when is he REALLY going to lose his shit?
On the one hand, I absolutely LOVE when Erin gets his analytical badass hat on. That was a good deconstruction of Tynan, and the whole “if you didn’t cheat Kendal would have kicked your ass anyway, so I’m here to cheat back”, said so matter of factly, says SO much about how much Erin values his party members.
On the other hand, whenever someone gloats like this, it means better than even chances something is going to explode on them sharpish, and I’m a bit afraid Erin is going to get smacked around immediately for Dainix to have to save the day.
There are a lot of people who think Erin will get destroyed next page, so I’m going to put in my two cents:
Erin has shown himself to be extremely capable in a fight, not to mention resourceful. This is a climax, so he’ll probably get semi-murdered anyway, but it’ll take some time for sure.
About to go check the new cover art.
I am excited!
@skye when i dream-fly, it normally ends up just being swimming in the air or i have to flap my arms for it. what ends up usually happening is just dolphin kicking lmao, and when i wake up i realize it would probably look really stupid irl, but in dreams it always feels awesome, like there’s a feeling there besides movement.
i also tend to hop around perspectives!! it’s really interesting, and even if i’m in the dream i tend not to actually be myself, either watching in third person or playing another character. dreams are cool.
Just saw the new cover. It’s very good, but for some reason, I can’t get the image out of my head of Tynan with a big hairdo, melting, with lightning coming out of his eyes. Anyone else see this?
Got here late, thought something horrible was going to happen to Erin with Tynan’s line, but no. Erin’s just as cocky because he’s approaching this like a puzzle not a fight. I appreciate that perspective, but I don’t think Tynan’s going to take the roasting well.
@SarrissaTeiflingDruid:
That is exactly what I thought it was until someone said it was Walter.
i was rereading past chapters and when kendal and alinua are talking magistrate in windcrest the mural in the background depicts vash’s fight with tynan.
I have translated the runic circle. I got bored and found a runic translation page on the Aurora Wiki. (Honestly, I’m amazed by the people who figured it out, I could never have that kind of patience or skill. So thanks to anyone who was involved, it’s really cool!)
It says:
DIVERT OTHER POLARIZE SHIELD RE(FL?)EKT SELF
I’m not sure where the loop starts because I didn’t bother to think that far. And I’m just assuming the rune means “FL” because “reflect” makes a lot of sense in this situation (GLORB!).
Also, I haven’t commented before, but I’ve been reading the comic for a while now, and the comments are always so nice! Even though I don’t really interact, this is just such a great community.
@Stark9865
Sorry, Walter? Did I miss something? (I probably did)
@SarrissaTeiflingDruid: Way back when we first saw Void Erin, people came up with an unintimidating name and landed on Walter*. It stuck around after we got more info and Red even referenced it HERE
*At least according to TVTropes, anyways. I wasn’t in the fandom back then and I can’t find any comments using the name around that time.
Semantics are one of the few fields where gods and mortals are definitionally on even footing.
Unless the god is a god of language or something. Gods always find a way to cheat…
And we all thought Erin was going to burn Tynan with magic.
I’m just waiting for Tynan to reincarnate only for Tess to immediately punch him in the face. It probably won’t happen exactly like that, but I can’t imagine Tess passing up on an opportunity to add “I punched a god in the face” to her list of brags. Why else would she stay out of Erin’s lightning shield? It obviously isn’t because she’s probably immune to lightning…
@chagadog
are you serious? I’m not sure if it is more amazing that there is an actual alphabet or people are willing to spend time deciphering the language.
To SarrissaTieflingDruid:
Fan-name for the Void Dragon (like how Kendal and Co. are the Floof Squad, or the junior archivist is now known as June). Not sure where it came from, since it predates my finding out about the comic.
RED! You have sucessfully created the best charismaniaic in existance! Erin literally went from dispairing to challenging a god within like five pages! And he looks swave as hell while doing it! ERIN EITHER IS A GOD OR CAN KILL A GOD AND I DO NOT CARE IF THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!
man if Erin weren’t ALREADY my favorite character, he would become that now
I’m… I might be swooning right now.
God dammit.
times like this Erin reminds me of Artemis Fowl the Second
its always a good time to argue semantics