Eh, it could be better. He’d need to make some openings here and there in the walls in order to really see properly. Good thing he has this nice supply of stones to throw!
People keep harping on how Erin is the least appropriate person to say this, but I’d say he’s the ONLY person in the cast who gets to say this.
The thing is, yes, Erin has an ego, but he’s also dangerously self-aware. He does know he’s a big deal, but he’s also immediately willing to acknowledge the skills of others and take them into account when making plans. He’s the only person in the entire cast that actually sometimes approaches a positive self-image and who is generally aware of his own ability – that’s what makes this effective.
Kendal telling you off for letting your ego run wild doesn’t *count* – the boy doesn’t know what an ego, or a healthy attitude towards himself at that, even IS. It’d be like getting lectured on proper thumb usage by a cat. Erin telling you off for letting your ego get ahead of yourself counts because he *does* have one and yet he’s immensely smarter about it than Voidy is.
(Oh, right, I forgot Tess just officially joined The Gang. Okay, so that’s *two* people in the party that can have positive images of themselves sometimes and would actually get to say something of this stripe. Amusingly, it’s both the Ruunasers!)
This. Erin’s aware of both his flaws and his strengths. An out of control ego is only aware of its strengths — and will have an exaggerated idea of those. An ego on a path to self-destruction can’t recognize when it’s wrong or ignorant, and he does. Erin’s got hubris and gets in over his head, but not because he exaggerates his abilities or fails to recognize his flaws. Instead, he gets in over his head through 1) going where angels fear to tread, 2) lack of information.
Very well put! I never really thought that Erin was unjustified in his criticism of VD, and agree that he’s actually very aware of his own established limits, even if he can also be a bit full of himself at times. Still, the “glass houses and stones” joke when he calls someone else an “egotist” was too easy not to make, lol.
Thank you for going to bat for Erin. He does have hubris but i think even his word choice is reflective. he’s describing himself as having expertise in being weak or vulnerable. honestly this whole sequence has been an enlightening insight into his character, and the void dragon.
“Getting lectured on thumb usage by a cat” is hilarious and very apt, by the way. Although I’m sure many cats would give that lecture given the chance.
I agree, he’s probably the most self aware character.
I also have to say, just because it seems like this isn’t really occurring to anyone else—Erin definitely has an ego, but I don’t think he’s completely coming from a place of entitlement? His wording here is very specific: “you have no experience being weak or needing help.” Erin’s certainly very powerful and privileged, but from what backstory we have of him—Tess saying that his father was the one with power in their household, not Erin or even his mother; whatever the situation was with Erin needing to go to the monks before—I would say that he may just have experience with being weak and even needing help. Idk, just a thought
Agreed, my read of Erin is that his ego is mostly posturing and playing the academic game, or at least a learned behavior, while the clinical examination, deep introspection, surprising empathy, and caring nature, these are the true Erin, that he mostly keeps bottled up under his Ruunaser mask.
Erin’s empathy even extends to the eldritch abomination possessing him–he’s beginning to understand it better than it understands itself!
I’m not comvinced tbh.
“I could simply kill your allies and slip away before [the paladins] begin their search.”
Or you could just not kill his allies and slip away because none of them would notice right now. VD doesn’t need to know Dainix is in a cave, it’s enough to know that he’s not there, right?
I think Walter noticed that Erin’s body is quite fragile and definately slower that his allies. Navigating the caves is already dangerous, even without the threat of cave corruption (which is why VD didn’t simply run inside the first time; a simple traversing mistake puts Erin’s life at risk). If the others noticed, they would catch up in there, and that fight wouldn’t benefit anyone in the end. They are a patient being, it seems, and won’t take unecessary risks.
You’re right, he did, but I meant not straight up running. Like, literally. You’d think he’d want to reach the adamant core as fast as possible, but
1) Erin’s body isn’t that fast, and it would get tired quickly
2) If he tripped and hit his head, fell, stumbled into poisonous gas or too many cave crawlers, it would be game over for Erin
That is why he walked, despite his excitement. So I think now that he knows that the others can catch up to him like last time, he wouldn’t risk to fight them underground, where the environment is extra hostile. (I know I wouldn’t)
(Scratch that, I *would* do it. And I do agree with you on the logical part, this a rare chance they’re getting. I’m just analysing what I think the reasoning is, not if it is the objectively smarter move)
The way I see it, Erin is in control as long as he’s awake and is able to wrest some control back from VD even when possessed, allowing him to paralyse VD at any moment. Additionally, Dainix is unaccounted for, but presumably patrolling the ruins. There’s a chance that he might notice VD slipping away and pursue in Soulfire mode. Without Kendal to intervene, there’s an even greater chance that Dainix would just kill Erin.
Not to mention that there may not be an entrance to the Singing Caves near enough to make the risk worth it. And if the Paladins could find Erin before he made it into the caves, they’d probably kill him too (Erin would help them with the paralysis trick).
wait but Dainix is down in the underground ruins with Falst right now– neither Erin nor the Void Dragon know that the two of them are missing, like @Rai626 said– Alinua’s exhausted, Kendal is asleep, and even though Tess would have a lot of fun punching him, I doubt it would do much. So Erin’s in a bad spot right now, and doesn’t know it. Like you said, he still has some way to resist the Dragon, but he’s pretty much the last line of defense right now.
The thing is, there is an entrance. Just two pages ago, VD said that. All they’re doing now is arguing about what VD will do once Erin has to go to sleep.
They started at the point where VD had no other choice but to control Erin as soon as he got too tired to fight back, and Erin is trying to argue him away from that point. So far it only seems to work because of Void forgetting his own statement “Now your guards are all gone” (seriously, almost every word of dialogue on this page hinges on the fact that he apparently already forgot this observation).
Half the comments are making better points than Erin has over the past 3 pages, tbh.
I don’t think it hinges on Voidy forgetting. It hinges on Voidy not having time.
Sure, they’re gone. For now. But last time VD ambushed Alinua while Kendall was preoccupied, they caught up to him hours afterward, which was clearly way before VD was in any danger of being able to free himself. Yes, it would take time to notice that Erin is gone, but the party would notice and be able to catch VD. And that assumes that it’s the PARTY who catches him, not the Paladins. The party catching VD would be the best reasonably possible outcome: the Paladins could conceivably catch Erin as well, and they have no interest in leaving Erin alive.
Don’t forget, he’d still have to fight Erin through the caves. While he likely will be more prepared to fight against any paralysis again, he’d need to be constantly on guard to stop any of his shenanigans. Not to mention the fact that Vash’s escape to possess Kendal may have made the Collector become more cautious and create additional, spirit/possession-countering defenses through the tunnels. While VD may be desperate to get to the bottom of the tunnels, he’s still somewhat cautious. After the first escape failed and his truly becoming aware of the weaknesses Erin as a host has, he’s being forced to consider his moves more, lest he risk becoming sealed away for another long period of time, a period the Paladins may use to fortify now that they know he’s still alive and trying to come back.
There, There Mint. I have done far, far worst. Just keep practicing & polishing & keep at it. No being that exists in time is always perfect. Mistakes are just a part of the way we learn. Only those who admit no mistakes are the ones who can NOT learn from them
I wonder if he’s yelling all this or if he’s speaking normally. Quite funny to think about if VD is just speaking in his head and Erin just looks like he’s speaking to no one in the middle of nowhere
His ego getting you killed? That’s a bit much coming from you Erin.
V.D. is unintentionally feeding Erin info; by referring to the Paladins as “her” followers, he’s giving more credence to the fact she’s a “real” god. I think Erin is starting to suspect that after his archive dive, and may be trying to get some indirect answers from V.D..
Not sure how I like Erin’s hypothesis that Alinua may be unkillable. Is that due to her constant connection to Life allowing her to heal all wounds? Or, though she didn’t get as warped as the Collector did when touching life, her biology changed to become that way?
Now begins the juggling game, both for V.D. between killing Erin’s counters to him and keeping the Paladins off him, and Erin between keeping the dragon under wraps, himself alive, and not putting his friends in unnecessary danger. He doesn’t want to send his friends into potentially deadly battle against the Paladins, but may be forced to. We also have no idea what the Paladins would think of Alinua; Life and L.D. may be both against V.D., but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily friends.
Mostly because we learned that the founder of the paladins was immortal, and the only immortal character we know of is the collector, and I’m assuming that there aren’t multiple immortal humans
I don’t think that makes much sense. firstly, LD was active and communicating with her paladins far before the collector awakened life. secondly, wouldn’t Alinua be more connected to the paladins? and what of the white hair dragon eyed stranger at the end of chapter 7- LDs “Champion”? even still, they have vastly different styles of text. your point about the ancient paladin is interesting, what did cause her immortality? my working theory is the creation of the storm did something similar to her to what happened to the collector, but even that is doubtful. thinking about if they were in fact the same is interesting too. it might explain why VD is so terrified of Alinua, but that could also be explained by the nature of life- constant growth and change. perhaps she put up the most fight of all the primordials? It’s going to be delightful to find out more 🙂
Nah the collector is too small. The founder of the paladins was an ancient, and much much bigger than the ‘cave-folk’. The collector was shorter than Vash’s incarnation, which is tall for a human, but not outrageously so. Further, the ancients can’t use magic.
Life is like, the actively growing and duplicating substances like cells, while Light Dragon seems to be souls themselves, which are magically immutable, because they are not comprised of any of the other elements.
And with the mortals you brought up, the timelines don’t fit together. Huracan became ageless over 4,000 years ago after witnessing the creation of The Storm, while The Collector became immortal roughly 300 years ago after invoking Life’s true name. Besides, Huracan was an Ancient, while The Collector is a human.
I apologize if I came off as rude, I simply meant to start discussion. Your theory is interesting, and brings to mind the parallels between these two figures. and thinking about it, it may be true in a way. I think the current working theory is that LD is some kind of soul primordial. If I’m right the mechanism behind elemental magic is that you take an amount of primordial essence, or soul, and release it imprinted with your own will. Perhaps LD controls- or is in a way- that soul. this also brings into the question VD and his role, as it would make sense that if his other had a position within the primordials he would too. perhaps this is why he could kill them- we’ve seen with kendal that while it still hurts void can’t eat you unless you already have it within you. I have my doubts about this theory however, as I haven’t actually seen the primordial essence referred to as their soul, and danix seems neigh indistructable to void. VD did seemed surprised about that however, so who knows! perhaps there is a different balance between him and LD in each of the primordials, making easier or harder to kill them. I don’t know. once again, I do apologize if I sounded condescending. I’d love to hear your thoughts and problems with any of my theories if you have them.
LD and VD are the same being split apart. They got some sorta yin/yang two-halves-of-a-whole going on, with one being destruction, and one being renewal.
I cannot express how much joy it brings me that Erin is actually making V.D. think about the fact that he possessed a person with the constitution of a limp spaghetti noodle. So many good expressions on this page too, BTW. SickTats McHubris strikes again.
While I realize folks in this comment section are using VD to refer to the Void Dragon that’s not where my brain defaults to. I keep seeing VD and thinking Venereal Disease. I’m endlessly amused by the 2 situations of people anthropomorphizing a disease as well as just calling a supernatural horror like the Void Dragon a disease. (hehe) Thank you everyone.
Oops, didn’t mean to do that. Apparently the site doesn’t like when I use the same first line three times in a row. It was saying I had already posted the comment, so I thought it didn’t publish it.
‘You have no experience being weak or needing help.’
I’m adding this page to my theory that something weird happened when Erin was a kid to turn him into the Elemental Magus, and he’s never gotten over the fact that he used to be weedy and powerless.
This and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to Erin’s secret during his convo with Tess, yeah.
My bet is he’s been to the Soul Monks before, and they made him an Elemental Magus.
Like… why’s he got the tattoos? I don’t think they’re there just for show, I think they’re how he’s an elemental magus. They are part of the modifications the soul monks did to him.
No other magic users I’ve seen use their tattoos to do magic. Chimeric plague life mages have a mark, but they don’t channel their magic through it. Alinua usually uses her hands. So did that one chimeric plague kid, I think.
I think Erin used to be someone with a whole host of magical maladies – aka all his elements were ALL out of whack, and the only way he survived was because the Soul Monks gave him a way to balance himself, by giving him magical channels for every element, via those tattoos.
We’ve seen someone change their soul already: Dainix. Granted, it was with the help of a forge god and via magic literally called soul fire, fire being a transformative element… but how was it done? Introspection, reflection, meditation. Therapy. Whatever you wanna call it.
Tattoos, especially back in ye olden days when they were applied by a needle getting repeatedly tapped with a stick, were applied during meditative rituals that required oodles of self control and discipline, to remain still despite the pain.
I think the monks either applied the tattoos in a deliberate, ritualistic manner that reinforced Erin’s meditation, through which he changed his own soul.
Also, the idea that someone can change someone else’s soul seems kinda weird, so I think the soul monks are just experts and they just taught Erin how to do it. Maybe he didn’t need to be an elemental magus to survive whatever ailed him, but he went and made himself into one anyway. Because if you can, why the hell wouldn’t you?
Of course, if he knew how to do it, he wouldn’t need to go back. Maybe he only learned how to open magical soul channels, not how to rip a hitchhiker out of himself?
I wonder if this artificial nature of Erin’s Elemental Magus…ness… will lead to some kind of issue where Void Dragon’s mojo doesn’t quiiiite jive with Erin’s, because VD was expecting a natural EM.
How to become an icon:
Step 1: tell the ancient eldritch abomination to shut up
Predictions:
a) the Void Dragon sputters at this and makes some passing remarks about Erin’s own ego…
b) but angrily accepts this, as he really doesn’t have any other options.
c) maybe one last page for the two of them to wrap up, then transition to one of the others– presumably Falst and Dainix, as young Falst is on the chapter cover.
d) Falst backstory please :3
“You can’t just blast every problem away with overwhelming power and win automatically”
It’s funny because this is exactly how I play video games most of the time.
Void: “Her servants have had mere hours to mobilize against us.”
The Champion, somewhere in the distance: “…I’m getting close, my lady. I have the profound feeling that something is wrong nearby.”
In general, I’m eagerly awaiting the moment that Void’s hubris gets utterly shredded by The Champion.
Speaking of the Champion, do you have any idea how they might work? My first assumption is that they are similar to Erin in that they’ve been marked and possessed by his respective dragon, but even if that’s true that would have been done under very different circumstances I imagine. I do wonder what that could be? also, what is the Champions elemental affinities? is he perhaps an elemental magus from a time long past, rendered ageless and deathless by the account of his lady? does he have any at all? questions upon questions for this mystery man.
I don’t think the Paladin Champion has to be an elemental magus, considering that the whole setup to become Light’s avatar is a lot more voluntary than Void’s elaborate magus trap; as far as we know, any Paladin can become her avatar, even those with no affinity to non-light elements. Additionally, I think Lady Huracan’s agelessness was a unique, irreplicable circumstance, and that The Champion is just the latest in a long line of avatars. But I do agree that Light’s avatars would bear her rune and share their minds with her; The Champion’s eyes are almost exactly like Erin’s when Void controls him, only with a different iris color, suggesting that the nature of their relationship is similar, though definitely not identical, to Erin and Void’s. Light definitely gives The Champion full rein over their body, though, which makes sense; someone who granted free will to their species wouldn’t want to take it away from them.
Yes, that makes sense. it still brings up the question of any elemental connections they might or might not have. if they don’t have any- or even if have more than one, VD would have a major advantage in one on one combat no? but if they do have specific connections then perhaps they could negate that slightly? wait. just got an idea. The soulshaper monks can help open or close malformed links yes? and they do this by guiding people through guided practice meant to reshape the soul, right? what if, as champion of Light Dragon, they could gain an elemental link through manipulation of the soul? that would even a duel between them significantly methinks. then again, this is one on one I’m thinking of. LD has a whole order of paladins to back up the champion, and I doubt VD would be able to defeat them all. interesting thoughts nonetheless!
“I have PLENTY of experience being weak and needing help!”
…I came here to say that as a joke but given the snippets we’re heard about his childhood from Tess that’s, oof. Poor Erin.
1) Erin, while I do appreciate that you are trying to control an evil eldritch void creature, you have precisely zero right to talk about ego. It’s your ego that got you into this mess in the first place.
2) V.D., you are the most foolish of fools. You didn’t even bother to take a look at his character sheet before possessing him! You MORON. His constitution score would’ve been right there.
3) “you can’t just blast every problem with overwhelming force and win automatically” Ha, clearly Erin has never watched me play Pokémon.
Seeing a lot of people saying Erin is being hypocritical, and while I see where they’re coming from, I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Erin might not *like* needing help, but unlike VD Walter, he is capable of recognizing when he’s in over his head. Furthermore, all the on-page examples of his ego coming back to bite him weren’t because he thought he was invincible. For instance:
-getting possessed by VD Walter was a combination of curiosity and CORRECTLY determining he could make it to the center of the storm
-initially being denied access to the paladin archives was, as he himself admitted at different points, more about having the rug pulled out from under him combined with his desperation for the info they had (AKA he needed their help but they said no, and he reacted poorly)
-blowing himself up to fight Tynan was a mix of defiance and self-sacrifice — he did it because he knew he was screwed anyway, not because he thought he’d get away unscathed
Therefore, in addition to correctly assessing VD Walter’s inability to comprehend his own weaknesses, Erin is fully justified in saying he has more experience in relying on the people around him
Being able to ask for help seems to be a common theme in this story. First with Kendal, then Alinua, then Erin, then Dainix, then Zuurith, now VD and Falst
Hey VD, how’s it feel to have someone inside YOUR head, because Erin’s backing you into a corner like you did to him lol
(…Aw no, now I’m thinking about how deep the possession goes both ways. Like, I know all this is Erin’s own smarts, but I’m curious if he gets insight into VD’s emotions or thoughts or whatever approximation a primordial void dragon has to a mind. VD’s in Erin’s head, but does that mean Erin’s is in VD’s head?)
You know, I realize we’re all well familair with Erin’s hubris, but it’s surprising how he doesn’t seem to get credit for his self-awareness. How many times has he subverted expectations by clearly being willing to admit to his own failings and limitations?
I’ve been reading FMA lately and keep getting confused when I switch back from manga and try to read the panels right to left. Does anyone else have this problem?
Hot damn I love it when egotistic characters can actually back up their egos in some manner and Erin is killing it here, hope he is able to explain some of this master plan of his to the many people who will want to kill him in the future
You know, I’d bet money that Red is actually following accurate (accurate to her world) timing for the moon phases. I wonder when we’re getting a full red moon again.
“Defeat the forces of darkness with one weird trick”… I don’t know, making the forces of light aware of the situation has been a standard response to the forces of darkness for a long time. Christianities adore the trope, and I would be very surprisedif Zoroastrianism doesn’t as well. And calling in an opposing and roughly equal force has been a counter to problematic supernatural entities for even longer, well before dualistic religions. Calling in the Army Of Light and then using their looming threat to DICTATE TERMS to the forces of darkness is a uniquely Erin move though, as far as I know. If anyone else has done it I’d be interested to read that story.
god damn, dude
view must be nice in that glass house
It’s a bit fragile and there’s not a lot of privacy, but you can get a lot of natural light, which is nice.
Eh, it could be better. He’d need to make some openings here and there in the walls in order to really see properly. Good thing he has this nice supply of stones to throw!
glass cannon throwing glass cannonballs in a glass house
People keep harping on how Erin is the least appropriate person to say this, but I’d say he’s the ONLY person in the cast who gets to say this.
The thing is, yes, Erin has an ego, but he’s also dangerously self-aware. He does know he’s a big deal, but he’s also immediately willing to acknowledge the skills of others and take them into account when making plans. He’s the only person in the entire cast that actually sometimes approaches a positive self-image and who is generally aware of his own ability – that’s what makes this effective.
Kendal telling you off for letting your ego run wild doesn’t *count* – the boy doesn’t know what an ego, or a healthy attitude towards himself at that, even IS. It’d be like getting lectured on proper thumb usage by a cat. Erin telling you off for letting your ego get ahead of yourself counts because he *does* have one and yet he’s immensely smarter about it than Voidy is.
(Oh, right, I forgot Tess just officially joined The Gang. Okay, so that’s *two* people in the party that can have positive images of themselves sometimes and would actually get to say something of this stripe. Amusingly, it’s both the Ruunasers!)
This. Erin’s aware of both his flaws and his strengths. An out of control ego is only aware of its strengths — and will have an exaggerated idea of those. An ego on a path to self-destruction can’t recognize when it’s wrong or ignorant, and he does. Erin’s got hubris and gets in over his head, but not because he exaggerates his abilities or fails to recognize his flaws. Instead, he gets in over his head through 1) going where angels fear to tread, 2) lack of information.
Very well put! I never really thought that Erin was unjustified in his criticism of VD, and agree that he’s actually very aware of his own established limits, even if he can also be a bit full of himself at times. Still, the “glass houses and stones” joke when he calls someone else an “egotist” was too easy not to make, lol.
Thank you for going to bat for Erin. He does have hubris but i think even his word choice is reflective. he’s describing himself as having expertise in being weak or vulnerable. honestly this whole sequence has been an enlightening insight into his character, and the void dragon.
“Getting lectured on thumb usage by a cat” is hilarious and very apt, by the way. Although I’m sure many cats would give that lecture given the chance.
I agree, he’s probably the most self aware character.
I also have to say, just because it seems like this isn’t really occurring to anyone else—Erin definitely has an ego, but I don’t think he’s completely coming from a place of entitlement? His wording here is very specific: “you have no experience being weak or needing help.” Erin’s certainly very powerful and privileged, but from what backstory we have of him—Tess saying that his father was the one with power in their household, not Erin or even his mother; whatever the situation was with Erin needing to go to the monks before—I would say that he may just have experience with being weak and even needing help. Idk, just a thought
Agreed, my read of Erin is that his ego is mostly posturing and playing the academic game, or at least a learned behavior, while the clinical examination, deep introspection, surprising empathy, and caring nature, these are the true Erin, that he mostly keeps bottled up under his Ruunaser mask.
Erin’s empathy even extends to the eldritch abomination possessing him–he’s beginning to understand it better than it understands itself!
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: eldritch dragon gods HATE him! defeat the forces of darkness with 1 weird trick!
Image source: weak
This is 100 a headline in the fantasy tabloids in my homebrew worlds now.
I’m not comvinced tbh.
“I could simply kill your allies and slip away before [the paladins] begin their search.”
Or you could just not kill his allies and slip away because none of them would notice right now. VD doesn’t need to know Dainix is in a cave, it’s enough to know that he’s not there, right?
I think Walter noticed that Erin’s body is quite fragile and definately slower that his allies. Navigating the caves is already dangerous, even without the threat of cave corruption (which is why VD didn’t simply run inside the first time; a simple traversing mistake puts Erin’s life at risk). If the others noticed, they would catch up in there, and that fight wouldn’t benefit anyone in the end. They are a patient being, it seems, and won’t take unecessary risks.
But he *did* simply run into the caves the first time, no?
You’re right, he did, but I meant not straight up running. Like, literally. You’d think he’d want to reach the adamant core as fast as possible, but
1) Erin’s body isn’t that fast, and it would get tired quickly
2) If he tripped and hit his head, fell, stumbled into poisonous gas or too many cave crawlers, it would be game over for Erin
That is why he walked, despite his excitement. So I think now that he knows that the others can catch up to him like last time, he wouldn’t risk to fight them underground, where the environment is extra hostile. (I know I wouldn’t)
(Scratch that, I *would* do it. And I do agree with you on the logical part, this a rare chance they’re getting. I’m just analysing what I think the reasoning is, not if it is the objectively smarter move)
The way I see it, Erin is in control as long as he’s awake and is able to wrest some control back from VD even when possessed, allowing him to paralyse VD at any moment. Additionally, Dainix is unaccounted for, but presumably patrolling the ruins. There’s a chance that he might notice VD slipping away and pursue in Soulfire mode. Without Kendal to intervene, there’s an even greater chance that Dainix would just kill Erin.
Not to mention that there may not be an entrance to the Singing Caves near enough to make the risk worth it. And if the Paladins could find Erin before he made it into the caves, they’d probably kill him too (Erin would help them with the paralysis trick).
wait but Dainix is down in the underground ruins with Falst right now– neither Erin nor the Void Dragon know that the two of them are missing, like @Rai626 said– Alinua’s exhausted, Kendal is asleep, and even though Tess would have a lot of fun punching him, I doubt it would do much. So Erin’s in a bad spot right now, and doesn’t know it. Like you said, he still has some way to resist the Dragon, but he’s pretty much the last line of defense right now.
Exactly. But since VD doesn’t know that Dainix is busy right now, he has doesn’t have the grounds to call Erin’s bluff.
The thing is, there is an entrance. Just two pages ago, VD said that. All they’re doing now is arguing about what VD will do once Erin has to go to sleep.
They started at the point where VD had no other choice but to control Erin as soon as he got too tired to fight back, and Erin is trying to argue him away from that point. So far it only seems to work because of Void forgetting his own statement “Now your guards are all gone” (seriously, almost every word of dialogue on this page hinges on the fact that he apparently already forgot this observation).
Half the comments are making better points than Erin has over the past 3 pages, tbh.
I don’t think it hinges on Voidy forgetting. It hinges on Voidy not having time.
Sure, they’re gone. For now. But last time VD ambushed Alinua while Kendall was preoccupied, they caught up to him hours afterward, which was clearly way before VD was in any danger of being able to free himself. Yes, it would take time to notice that Erin is gone, but the party would notice and be able to catch VD. And that assumes that it’s the PARTY who catches him, not the Paladins. The party catching VD would be the best reasonably possible outcome: the Paladins could conceivably catch Erin as well, and they have no interest in leaving Erin alive.
Don’t forget, he’d still have to fight Erin through the caves. While he likely will be more prepared to fight against any paralysis again, he’d need to be constantly on guard to stop any of his shenanigans. Not to mention the fact that Vash’s escape to possess Kendal may have made the Collector become more cautious and create additional, spirit/possession-countering defenses through the tunnels. While VD may be desperate to get to the bottom of the tunnels, he’s still somewhat cautious. After the first escape failed and his truly becoming aware of the weaknesses Erin as a host has, he’s being forced to consider his moves more, lest he risk becoming sealed away for another long period of time, a period the Paladins may use to fortify now that they know he’s still alive and trying to come back.
“defer to my expertise”,huh? Nice to see Erin acknowledging his hubris to his sick tat. V.D, just give up.
Dangit, the end italics didn’t work.
There, There Mint. I have done far, far worst. Just keep practicing & polishing & keep at it. No being that exists in time is always perfect. Mistakes are just a part of the way we learn. Only those who admit no mistakes are the ones who can NOT learn from them
Erin: “I don’t want your ego getting me killed. That’s MY ego’s job.”
I wonder if he’s yelling all this or if he’s speaking normally. Quite funny to think about if VD is just speaking in his head and Erin just looks like he’s speaking to no one in the middle of nowhere
How to train your eldritch horror:
Step 1: teach him the power of friendship
“Listen, son, I’m the expert on getting my ass kicked”
He really went “sit your ass down.”
His ego getting you killed? That’s a bit much coming from you Erin.
V.D. is unintentionally feeding Erin info; by referring to the Paladins as “her” followers, he’s giving more credence to the fact she’s a “real” god. I think Erin is starting to suspect that after his archive dive, and may be trying to get some indirect answers from V.D..
Not sure how I like Erin’s hypothesis that Alinua may be unkillable. Is that due to her constant connection to Life allowing her to heal all wounds? Or, though she didn’t get as warped as the Collector did when touching life, her biology changed to become that way?
Now begins the juggling game, both for V.D. between killing Erin’s counters to him and keeping the Paladins off him, and Erin between keeping the dragon under wraps, himself alive, and not putting his friends in unnecessary danger. He doesn’t want to send his friends into potentially deadly battle against the Paladins, but may be forced to. We also have no idea what the Paladins would think of Alinua; Life and L.D. may be both against V.D., but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily friends.
My head cannon is that life and LD are the same being
Mostly because we learned that the founder of the paladins was immortal, and the only immortal character we know of is the collector, and I’m assuming that there aren’t multiple immortal humans
I don’t think that makes much sense. firstly, LD was active and communicating with her paladins far before the collector awakened life. secondly, wouldn’t Alinua be more connected to the paladins? and what of the white hair dragon eyed stranger at the end of chapter 7- LDs “Champion”? even still, they have vastly different styles of text. your point about the ancient paladin is interesting, what did cause her immortality? my working theory is the creation of the storm did something similar to her to what happened to the collector, but even that is doubtful. thinking about if they were in fact the same is interesting too. it might explain why VD is so terrified of Alinua, but that could also be explained by the nature of life- constant growth and change. perhaps she put up the most fight of all the primordials? It’s going to be delightful to find out more 🙂
Nah the collector is too small. The founder of the paladins was an ancient, and much much bigger than the ‘cave-folk’. The collector was shorter than Vash’s incarnation, which is tall for a human, but not outrageously so. Further, the ancients can’t use magic.
Life is like, the actively growing and duplicating substances like cells, while Light Dragon seems to be souls themselves, which are magically immutable, because they are not comprised of any of the other elements.
And with the mortals you brought up, the timelines don’t fit together. Huracan became ageless over 4,000 years ago after witnessing the creation of The Storm, while The Collector became immortal roughly 300 years ago after invoking Life’s true name. Besides, Huracan was an Ancient, while The Collector is a human.
That’s what I get for not bothering to fact check my theory:P
I apologize if I came off as rude, I simply meant to start discussion. Your theory is interesting, and brings to mind the parallels between these two figures. and thinking about it, it may be true in a way. I think the current working theory is that LD is some kind of soul primordial. If I’m right the mechanism behind elemental magic is that you take an amount of primordial essence, or soul, and release it imprinted with your own will. Perhaps LD controls- or is in a way- that soul. this also brings into the question VD and his role, as it would make sense that if his other had a position within the primordials he would too. perhaps this is why he could kill them- we’ve seen with kendal that while it still hurts void can’t eat you unless you already have it within you. I have my doubts about this theory however, as I haven’t actually seen the primordial essence referred to as their soul, and danix seems neigh indistructable to void. VD did seemed surprised about that however, so who knows! perhaps there is a different balance between him and LD in each of the primordials, making easier or harder to kill them. I don’t know. once again, I do apologize if I sounded condescending. I’d love to hear your thoughts and problems with any of my theories if you have them.
Nah, obviously LD is the Amalgam Star.
LD is my mom
LD and VD are the same being split apart. They got some sorta yin/yang two-halves-of-a-whole going on, with one being destruction, and one being renewal.
I cannot express how much joy it brings me that Erin is actually making V.D. think about the fact that he possessed a person with the constitution of a limp spaghetti noodle. So many good expressions on this page too, BTW. SickTats McHubris strikes again.
official best line I have ever seen in aurora comments award
Erin telling an eldritch god to shut up because he knows better is such an act of hubris, and I love it
Battle of the hubrises
…oh. I think this opens a small doorcrack for Voidy character development! Oh dear! 😀
While I realize folks in this comment section are using VD to refer to the Void Dragon that’s not where my brain defaults to. I keep seeing VD and thinking Venereal Disease. I’m endlessly amused by the 2 situations of people anthropomorphizing a disease as well as just calling a supernatural horror like the Void Dragon a disease. (hehe) Thank you everyone.
There once was a primordial pill
Who just doesn’t get it, still.
He’s weak and alone
Without a body of his own
And must rely on Erin’s skill.
There once was a void-dragon pill
Who just didn’t get it, still.
He’s weak and alone
Without a body of his own
And must rely on Erin’s skill.
Oops, didn’t mean to do that. Apparently the site doesn’t like when I use the same first line three times in a row. It was saying I had already posted the comment, so I thought it didn’t publish it.
Good old Erin acting like his own ego won’t get him killed anyway
‘You have no experience being weak or needing help.’
I’m adding this page to my theory that something weird happened when Erin was a kid to turn him into the Elemental Magus, and he’s never gotten over the fact that he used to be weedy and powerless.
This and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to Erin’s secret during his convo with Tess, yeah.
My bet is he’s been to the Soul Monks before, and they made him an Elemental Magus.
Like… why’s he got the tattoos? I don’t think they’re there just for show, I think they’re how he’s an elemental magus. They are part of the modifications the soul monks did to him.
No other magic users I’ve seen use their tattoos to do magic. Chimeric plague life mages have a mark, but they don’t channel their magic through it. Alinua usually uses her hands. So did that one chimeric plague kid, I think.
I think Erin used to be someone with a whole host of magical maladies – aka all his elements were ALL out of whack, and the only way he survived was because the Soul Monks gave him a way to balance himself, by giving him magical channels for every element, via those tattoos.
We’ve seen someone change their soul already: Dainix. Granted, it was with the help of a forge god and via magic literally called soul fire, fire being a transformative element… but how was it done? Introspection, reflection, meditation. Therapy. Whatever you wanna call it.
Tattoos, especially back in ye olden days when they were applied by a needle getting repeatedly tapped with a stick, were applied during meditative rituals that required oodles of self control and discipline, to remain still despite the pain.
I think the monks either applied the tattoos in a deliberate, ritualistic manner that reinforced Erin’s meditation, through which he changed his own soul.
Also, the idea that someone can change someone else’s soul seems kinda weird, so I think the soul monks are just experts and they just taught Erin how to do it. Maybe he didn’t need to be an elemental magus to survive whatever ailed him, but he went and made himself into one anyway. Because if you can, why the hell wouldn’t you?
Of course, if he knew how to do it, he wouldn’t need to go back. Maybe he only learned how to open magical soul channels, not how to rip a hitchhiker out of himself?
I wonder if this artificial nature of Erin’s Elemental Magus…ness… will lead to some kind of issue where Void Dragon’s mojo doesn’t quiiiite jive with Erin’s, because VD was expecting a natural EM.
How to become an icon:
Step 1: tell the ancient eldritch abomination to shut up
Predictions:
a) the Void Dragon sputters at this and makes some passing remarks about Erin’s own ego…
b) but angrily accepts this, as he really doesn’t have any other options.
c) maybe one last page for the two of them to wrap up, then transition to one of the others– presumably Falst and Dainix, as young Falst is on the chapter cover.
d) Falst backstory please :3
“You can’t just blast every problem away with overwhelming power and win automatically”
It’s funny because this is exactly how I play video games most of the time.
“You ridiculous egotist!” from Erin to Walter is incredible
…. and the 2nd, unspoken line after that is: ‘It’s like I’m looking in a mirror’. ^_^
Void: “Her servants have had mere hours to mobilize against us.”
The Champion, somewhere in the distance: “…I’m getting close, my lady. I have the profound feeling that something is wrong nearby.”
In general, I’m eagerly awaiting the moment that Void’s hubris gets utterly shredded by The Champion.
Speaking of the Champion, do you have any idea how they might work? My first assumption is that they are similar to Erin in that they’ve been marked and possessed by his respective dragon, but even if that’s true that would have been done under very different circumstances I imagine. I do wonder what that could be? also, what is the Champions elemental affinities? is he perhaps an elemental magus from a time long past, rendered ageless and deathless by the account of his lady? does he have any at all? questions upon questions for this mystery man.
I don’t think the Paladin Champion has to be an elemental magus, considering that the whole setup to become Light’s avatar is a lot more voluntary than Void’s elaborate magus trap; as far as we know, any Paladin can become her avatar, even those with no affinity to non-light elements. Additionally, I think Lady Huracan’s agelessness was a unique, irreplicable circumstance, and that The Champion is just the latest in a long line of avatars. But I do agree that Light’s avatars would bear her rune and share their minds with her; The Champion’s eyes are almost exactly like Erin’s when Void controls him, only with a different iris color, suggesting that the nature of their relationship is similar, though definitely not identical, to Erin and Void’s. Light definitely gives The Champion full rein over their body, though, which makes sense; someone who granted free will to their species wouldn’t want to take it away from them.
Yes, that makes sense. it still brings up the question of any elemental connections they might or might not have. if they don’t have any- or even if have more than one, VD would have a major advantage in one on one combat no? but if they do have specific connections then perhaps they could negate that slightly? wait. just got an idea. The soulshaper monks can help open or close malformed links yes? and they do this by guiding people through guided practice meant to reshape the soul, right? what if, as champion of Light Dragon, they could gain an elemental link through manipulation of the soul? that would even a duel between them significantly methinks. then again, this is one on one I’m thinking of. LD has a whole order of paladins to back up the champion, and I doubt VD would be able to defeat them all. interesting thoughts nonetheless!
i love seeing schemes like this, the bad guy pinned from every angle, the hero being an absolute smartass, best stuff in storytelling.
“I have PLENTY of experience being weak and needing help!”
…I came here to say that as a joke but given the snippets we’re heard about his childhood from Tess that’s, oof. Poor Erin.
1) Erin, while I do appreciate that you are trying to control an evil eldritch void creature, you have precisely zero right to talk about ego. It’s your ego that got you into this mess in the first place.
2) V.D., you are the most foolish of fools. You didn’t even bother to take a look at his character sheet before possessing him! You MORON. His constitution score would’ve been right there.
3) “you can’t just blast every problem with overwhelming force and win automatically” Ha, clearly Erin has never watched me play Pokémon.
Seeing a lot of people saying Erin is being hypocritical, and while I see where they’re coming from, I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Erin might not *like* needing help, but unlike VD Walter, he is capable of recognizing when he’s in over his head. Furthermore, all the on-page examples of his ego coming back to bite him weren’t because he thought he was invincible. For instance:
-getting possessed by VD Walter was a combination of curiosity and CORRECTLY determining he could make it to the center of the storm
-initially being denied access to the paladin archives was, as he himself admitted at different points, more about having the rug pulled out from under him combined with his desperation for the info they had (AKA he needed their help but they said no, and he reacted poorly)
-blowing himself up to fight Tynan was a mix of defiance and self-sacrifice — he did it because he knew he was screwed anyway, not because he thought he’d get away unscathed
Therefore, in addition to correctly assessing VD Walter’s inability to comprehend his own weaknesses, Erin is fully justified in saying he has more experience in relying on the people around him
Being able to ask for help seems to be a common theme in this story. First with Kendal, then Alinua, then Erin, then Dainix, then Zuurith, now VD and Falst
Is it just me or is that moon suspiciously eye-shaped?
(Yes I know that’s the actual shape of a gibbous moon. Still.)
Hey VD, how’s it feel to have someone inside YOUR head, because Erin’s backing you into a corner like you did to him lol
(…Aw no, now I’m thinking about how deep the possession goes both ways. Like, I know all this is Erin’s own smarts, but I’m curious if he gets insight into VD’s emotions or thoughts or whatever approximation a primordial void dragon has to a mind. VD’s in Erin’s head, but does that mean Erin’s is in VD’s head?)
he needs a snicker
i never thought i’d see the most hubristic person in the gang scolding the primordial entity older than time yet here we are
You know, I realize we’re all well familair with Erin’s hubris, but it’s surprising how he doesn’t seem to get credit for his self-awareness. How many times has he subverted expectations by clearly being willing to admit to his own failings and limitations?
I’ve been reading FMA lately and keep getting confused when I switch back from manga and try to read the panels right to left. Does anyone else have this problem?
Yes
Same, not the other way around through. How far are you? I’ve read to chapter 93
My, the light is shining off Erin’s glass house tonight. What an excellent time to take up the hobby of projectile minerology!
Hot damn I love it when egotistic characters can actually back up their egos in some manner and Erin is killing it here, hope he is able to explain some of this master plan of his to the many people who will want to kill him in the future
You know, I’d bet money that Red is actually following accurate (accurate to her world) timing for the moon phases. I wonder when we’re getting a full red moon again.
Void: Oh no, I have to live with the consequences of my actions.
aww look at you, preaching about youself. character development baby
Late TL;DR: Mr. Ego shaming an egotistical villain? Interesting.
Voidy assures he’s not passified yet
But could use some protection, or so Erin’ll bet
Erin like: there’s only one of us in this relationship that has any clue how to be a human and it sure as shit isn’t you.
So much quality goin’ on in this comic + context text xD
Pot, meet kettle
Very funny to imagine someone watching this conversation without being able to hear V.D
“Defeat the forces of darkness with one weird trick”… I don’t know, making the forces of light aware of the situation has been a standard response to the forces of darkness for a long time. Christianities adore the trope, and I would be very surprisedif Zoroastrianism doesn’t as well. And calling in an opposing and roughly equal force has been a counter to problematic supernatural entities for even longer, well before dualistic religions. Calling in the Army Of Light and then using their looming threat to DICTATE TERMS to the forces of darkness is a uniquely Erin move though, as far as I know. If anyone else has done it I’d be interested to read that story.
Oh look! It’s the pot calling the kettle a ridiculous egotist!