Forever upset that ninjago went the creation = good, destruction = bad route instead of recognizing that they are two halves of change. Also it’s Lego for crying out loud, breaking apart your creations is an important part of the play cycle. Also the Lego movie tapped into this by saying permanence = bad, which I think is much more interesting.
(I just wanna say before you read this all the way through, only what's seen in the screenshots is confirmed canon. The rest is literally just me letting my headcanons take the wheel!)
Some very interesting things I saw on Twitter that my BF showed me! Shout out to Chrono Pinoy X on Twitter for the OG thread and the images!
Ok, so, Title Update 3 gave us a lot of new content! And one thing it gave us that I feel like might get looked over for folks who may not think about it, is Erik lore! Allow me to show you!
So, Alma and Erik both get special Campsite equipment that you can purchase to decorate your camp with. And if you have them as your handler at the time, they'll interact with the equipment at the camp. They even have voice lines! Erik talks about whatever animal is perched at one of his bird houses (Tho I've only ever managed to get him to speak at the Iceshard Cliffs once. And I hope he has more lines than that!) and Alma will drink tea with you at her tea table and chat.
"What does that have to do with Erik lore?"
Well, see, when Alma chats with you at her table. She's sometimes talk about Erik. Some of it is a little goofy and funny. (And I'll show you that in a second!) Buuuut, the big bit of Erik lore she drops...is this.....
So....this one is a fucking bombshell!
I could've guessed Erik was a child prodigy, he seems to be one of the youngest members of the entire Expedition Team. And given the way Alma talks, we already know he was pretty well known back at the academy for his academic skills.
But...like, how fucking young was he when he wrote that!? He wasn't old enough to get it published, so he had to use a Pen Name basically to get around that! But like...and I'm only going off the US here, but you have to be at least 18 to publish a book or...have a Parent or Guardian involved. On top of that, now, IDK how this works in the MH universe, but publishing something also requires money to get it done!
I have a few theories (though let's be real, they're more like headcanons, but I'm gunna try to make them make sense) about how this could work and what it could be telling us about his backstory. I get the sense that Erik might have been from a pretty well off family. (He way of speaking gives me that vibe. And his overall look.) Perhaps one with a strong connection to the Guild or one of it's branching influences. Honestly, I don't think it would be too far of a stretch to say that his family was close with The Academy in particular.
With that in mind, I could see Erik gaining the interest in Biology and Monsters VERY early on, especially if he was raised in it. And only getting more and more prolific with it the older he got. And when his family caught wind of that, I could see them taking the opportunity to show off his knowledge to the academy.
Only one problem, Erik is really really shy. Again, probably just speculation, but I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that Erik was probably and only child. He's already stated that he doesn't relate the best with people, and if he grew up with a sibling I don't know how possible it would make having no social skills if you had one. (I know everyone's different, but I'm going off personal experience here.) And being raised in privilege would also lead more into him not getting a whole lot of interactions with others too. At least, no one of his age group.
What I'm thinking happened is that The Academy took high interest in his skills, but because the poor boy was so shy, they couldn't really get much out of him at the time. So, he started to write down his findings and thoughts. Kinda like a diary, accept, this family would then shar e all of his work to The Academy. Finding some value in his work, they wanted to publish it. But there were a few problems.
Erik's age
If they used his real name, it could be traced back to his family, and once again, they'd find out his real age and they could be seen as less creditable despite the work's value
They needed money to publish the works.
So, they came up with the name to be used to publish the work, and his family paid for it. Of course later on down the road, Erik was let into the academy. His skills have since shot WAY past what he was capable of as a child, and he's more then capable of doing his work on his own! Without his families interference or his shyness getting in the way. (Though his ability to relate to others is still very much poor.)
But with an increase in skill, comes awareness of your past inadequacies. And....Ooooh boy that publication of his work as a child. Looking at it still gives him a knot in his stomach, and his cheeks flush red a little when reading it with his now more developed thinking process. And to this day, when he hears someone mention that work or asks him if he's ever heard of it, he still freezes some, and then goes on to dismiss the words of this "Rowen Liviere" childish conclusions. Which, takes most folks aback at first. As it's rare to hear Erik say something so harsh about...well...anyone's work. But they soon timidly come around when Erik explains the flaws with the work, and they move on.
It's not till several years later, when he meets and get's to know the folks within his Unit that he grows more comfortable with his past. And, when Alma mentions it, he just...let's the truth out. Admittedly, he's still a little embarrassed about it and still a little harsh, but it's less visceral now.
The other Theory i have is mostly the same, but instead of being from a well off family, I don't think I'd be stretching too far to say that he could also have just as easily been an orphan taken in by The Academy. I'd imagen as part of some sort of program, where they might test children in some regains, and if they prove themselves worthy, they'd be taken in, given food and board, and hone their skills for the guild.
And little Erik, was known in his village as an...odd-ball child to say the least. Always getting himself in trouble by following small monsters when he shouldn't be, eating many strange things just to see if he could, and just sitting and drawing or writing about a single bug for hours. On top of all this, he was a shy kid, and when he would interact with others, he wasn't taken very seriously, and ignored. Even when he tried to share something he liked or found interesting, he was shrugged off or worse...called crazy.
So, when the guild came by looking for some new blood, the whole village practically hung a sign around Erik's neck that said "Take me please!" When he was tested, he stunned The Academy with his knowledge and skills, even at such a young age, so they took him in without question. Raising him was pretty difficult, as he had a very hard time opening up to...anyone really about himself personally, but when asked about things he liked, the boy would not shut the fuck up.
During his time with them, they ended up publishing a very interesting paper the boy made discussing an interesting theory he had. But, there was only one problem. Erik was far too young to be published. And even if they did publish it, if they knew it came from a child, they'd be made laughing stocks of the academic community. So, instead they decided to just give Erik a Pen Name.
Story pretty much goes the same way afterwards, but you get my point.
Headcanon screeching aside, I think it's a little sad to hear Erik put down is own work like that. As I said before, it's very surprising to hear him of all people call something childish or naive, as if that wasn't to be expected of someone at that age. And Alma feeling bad for him, saying he must've walked a difficult path makes me even more curious about what his life was like prior to the events of the game.
(I have my own OC story that goes into that to some degree, but that's far removed from the subject, so I'll leave it at that!)
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BONUS:
Some more really funny Alma lines she has pertaining to Erik include:
Her noting that he watches people like Monsters rather then like...well people. (Cause of course he fucking would! XD)
Alma wondering how the fuck Erik knows that the Sap from the trees in the Scarlet Forest isn't poisonous! (We all know how he knows...)
Telling a funny story about Oliva and Erik seeing a Downy Crake for the first time! (It's less that what happened was funny, and more that if I was there to see it, it would be funny! XD)
Lastly, this little bit! More so Olivia focused, but further proof that Erik can read people well, not so much relate to them.
I think one of the most underrated relationships in this fandom is amy & silver. they are literally friends!!
we already know they share recipes with each other thanks to the sonic channel art of silver using amy's apple pie recipe, and in idw they both get really excited talking to each other about anything gardening related across multiple issues.
they're both people who deeply love the world and the people inhabiting it, with an even deeper emphasis on that than most other characters. if silver weren't only ever in the present to save the future, then the two of them would totally love seeing theatre shows, visiting popular tourist destinations, finding niche but beloved restaurants, watching live music, going thrifting, or even just doing people watching together.
I think if silver were in the present long-term, he and amy would have a wonderful time talking about the newest episodes of their tv shows or the recent books they've been reading. amy could vent to silver about her struggles with watching out for everyone else, since he isn't nearly as involved with her inner friend circle. they need to have brunch together right now!
Just watched Iron Lung, pretty good, even if I am a bit confused by what's going on in it. Well done, Markiplier! Now I will soon watch his playthrough of the game to see what the original inspiration was like.
Also I definitely felt the claustrophobia in it, and there were a couple times that a voice line was said and it sounded like it was coming from behind me, so movie theater ambient sound was a good factor here too. Won't get that from watching it at home when it hits streaming services, I'll tell you that.
