#✷ replies ， maria.

[galoogamelady]

@maria-ruta replied to your post “So. Multiple companions bugs out Automatron. Heres...”:

Meg undresses Buttons at night too have a good time with him and gets blinded with bright blue flashlight nipples

​

[johnbly]

[thatshadowcomic]

Might be more of a headcanon but if Shadow can swim, how did he get that "skill"?

Would it be something programmed with his creation or something he learned naturally when on earth? I don't imagine the Ark had swimming pools?

I think they would have had pools on the ARK, partly for his training. He was suppose to go to Earth as the ultimate weapon, they surely taught him to swim.

A HC of mine is that they had a small central hub area with a little nature section that helped with water purification and oxygen production, apart from the gas/water import. Maybe some kind of CO2 reclaim too.

If anything, swimming might have been one of the few fun activities Maria could do as she got sicker. It's thought the lower gravity of space helped with her NIDS, according to the wiki. I think Gerald would have built her one, regardless of what he was allowed to do, and Shadow would make a perfect lifeguard for her and the other kids on the ARK. :)

[jaylynx1412]

"oh cool, a sonic artist that draws maria and shadow."

[brucenorris007]

I've seen that post going around about Shadow and Omega and swearing; that the Robotniks don't swear, Eggman because he's pretentious and thinks he's above it all, Gerald. . . doesn't teach Shadow about it because he sees no reason for it

And while it's absolutely a fact that Rouge taught Omega how to swear--relishing the entire process--I find it absurdly bold of anyone to assume that Maria Robotnik didn't know the Fuck word

[crimescrimson]

Maria in Silent Hill 2 (2024)

[katyspersonal]

400+ characters in Elden Ring

my sister in radagon I struggle to name more than 30 💀

(In regards to this ( x ) post) Don't worry, there are just too many and it is fair to choose your 'group' and focus on them! Besides, I've got your back! I've listed them all under cut! But first things first:

It is actually ~283 characters! I swear I've misremembered somehow dhfhsfs ;-; Feel free to revoke my loredigger privilege and never trust me on anything ever again fdshfdhs

Like I said, it is about ~283 characters / ~82 of them are women / only 10 of them are buff or fully armoured (and only 4 of them have a dialogue). That's ~3.5% of the total Elden Ring's cast!

1) Torrent

2) Melina

3) Gloam-Eyed Queen

4,5) "canon" Godskin Duo

6) Maliketh

7) Scadutree Avatar

8) Elden Beast / Ring

9) Marika

10) the Grandmother

11) Radagon

12) Misbegotten Crusader

13) his distinct red wolf

14) a hero in Gelmir that was given one of Radagon's wolves I am not even kidding

15) Godwyn

16) Kristoff

17) Niall

18) Fortissax

19) Lansseax

20) Granssax

21) Godfrey

22) Godefroy

23) Godrick

24, 25, 26, 27, 28) five children of Godrick

29) Gostoc

30) Edgar

31, 31) Irina, Hyetta

33) Revenger

34) Mohg

35) Varre

36) Ansbach

37) Nataan

38) Nerijus

39) Ravenmont

40) Esgar

41) Okina

42) Formless Mother

43) Morgott

44) Oleg

45) Engvall

46) Messmer

47) Messmer's pet hippo :3

48) Kood

49) Queelign

50) Salza

51) Wego

52) Hilde

53) Base Serpent

54) Andreas

55) Huw

56) Edredd

57) Garrew

58) Miquella

59) Loretta

60) Leda

61) Dane

62) Trina

63) Thiollier

64) Dolores

65) Putrescent Knight

66) Malenia

67) God of Rot

68) Moore

69) Finlay

70) Millicent

71, 72, 73, 74) Mary, Maureen, Amy, Polianna

75) the sixth sister

76) Gowry

77) Cleanrot Knight in Stillwater Cave that is connected with Gowry's story

78) Blind Swordsman

79) Blue Dancer / Water Fairy

80) Maleigh

81) Elemer

82) Ranni

83) Celes

84) that ghost guy that says he welcomes Ranni

85) Blaidd

86) Iji

87) Bols

88) Darriwil

89) Adula

90) Floh

91) Seluvis

92) Pidia

93) Therolina

94) Jarwight

95, 96, 97) three other puppets (an Omenkiller, a Nox Swordsman, a Perfumer)

98) the woman whose body was used for Sellen to live in it again

99) Radahn

100) Leonard

101) Ogha

102) Freyja

103) O'Neil

104) Jerren

105) teacher of Radahn and Ogha

106) Red Bear

107) Dancer of Ranah

108) Rakshasa

109) Knight of the Solitary Gaol

110) Rykard

111) Daedicar

112) Zorayas

113) Eiglay

114) Winged Serpent

115) Ghiza

116) ghost guy in Volcano Manor

117) Tanith's bodyguard

118) Devonia

119) Siluria

120) Ordovis

121) Tanith

122) Bernahl

123) Bernahl's Maiden

124) Patches

125) Henricus

126) Anastasia

127) Diallos

128) Lanya

129) Juno

130) Alexander

131) Jar Bairn

132) Great Jar

133) three Great Jar warriors

134) Rennala

135) Rellana

136) Renna / Snowy Crone

137) Moongrum

138) Moonrithyll

139) Miriam

140) the first Carian Queen / Astrologer who discovered a Moon first

141) Carian woman depicted amongst others on Raya Lucaria's portraits (could be named Grana?)

142) Lazuli guy from Raya Lucaria portraits

(^^^ they might be the two non-Demigods yet buried in Liurnian's Mausoleums without bells or knights)

143) Sellen

144) Azur

145) Lusat

146, 147) the Twin Sages

148) Carolos

149) Olivinus

150) Hugues

151) Rabbath

152) Lhutel

153, 154, 155, 156, 157) other five dead Demigods (one is a bastard child of Marika lol)

158) Miriel

159) twin Omens guarding passage to Snowfields

160) Carmaan

161) Tricia

162) Miranda

163) Rollo

164) Dung Eater

165) Boggart

166) Boggart's friend that died behind the scenes

167) Tiche

168) Alecto

169) Fia

170) Rogier

171) Lionel

172) three preset Fia's champions

173) Vyke

174) Vyke's Maiden

175) that Finger Maiden who is found dead at Church of Anticipation

176) Gideon

177) Nepheli

178) Alberich

179) Ensha

180) Enia

181) Vargram

182) Wilhelm

183) Rileigh

184) Crepus

185) Istvan

186) Tragoth

187) Neidhardt

188) Roderika

189) Hewg

190) Goldmask

191) Corhyn

192, 193) Darian, Devin

194) Latenna

195) Lobo

196) Albus

197) Phillia

198) Gaius

199) Gaius' girlfrend/wife

200) Gaia

201) Romina

202) Hornsent Grandam

203) Grandam's dead son

204) Hornsent (the character)

205) Lamenter

206) Meera

207) Labirith

208) Jori

209) Ymir

210) Metyr

211, 212) Jolan, Anna

213, 214) those Nox women whom puppetry originates from

215, 216, 217, 218) four Silver Tears

219) Asimi ("canon" Mimic Tear)

220) Astel in Eternal City

221) Aurelia

222) Aurelitte

223) Boc

224) Boc's mother

225) Kenneth

226) Gilika, Maggie, Margot and Marigga (named Demi-Human Queens)

227) dead Demihuman Queen in Fort Haight

228) Onze

229) Garris

230, 231) two children of Garris

232) wife of Garris

233) Fell God

234) last Fire Giant

235) Arghanthy

236) Adan

237) Birac

238) Amon

239) a unique wounded Black Knife

240) Serosh

241) Stormhawk King

242) Deenh

243) Placidusax

244) Placi's God

245) that woman depicted in Farum Azula

246) Gladius looking mfer ALSO depicted in Farum Azula

247) Florissax

248) Eleonora

249) Ancient Dragon man

250) Senessax

251) Bayle

252) Igon

253) Greyoll

254) Greyll

255) Smarag

256) Ekzykes

257) Agheel

258) Borealis

259) Makar

260) Theodorix

261, 262, 263, 264, 265) five children of Greyoll (no I am not excluding them, they are non-respawning and killing each chips away from Greyoll's HP :( )

266) Yura

267) Shabriri

268) Kale

269) Midra

270) Nanaya

271) Madding Hand

272) the singular sealed Three Fingers

273) a Tarnished that befriended Ancestral Followers

274) Magnus

275) Logur

276) Rugalea

278) Ralva

279) the Outer God that Twinbird served

280) Twinbird

281, 282, 283) Rhia, Dheo and Miyr can be names of Two Fingers like Celes

284) bruh, you

___________________

Cut Content:

Floral Crucible person (in cut content tailsman)

Rico

Shane

Ondrej

Gnarrl

Guilbert

Goliath

Lacrima

[princessmacedon]

OH!! BERNIE GOING TO HELL!! FOR SHAME!! A THOUSAND YEARS OF HELL FOR BERNIE!!!! despite her culinary prowess it's taken her two batches to get the recipe just right, and if it weren't for her last sliver of rationale she would have yanked the tray out of the brick oven without mitts and run. the waft of pastries rouses enough sense back in her to remember the basket, the wrapping, and the sunflowers before she sprints. all the way across the courtyards, all the way to maria's room. she's wheezing like an old man hacking up ash by the time her knuckles thud against the door, and when it opens, she's only catching her breath a little bit when she greets maria.

"bernie remembered—" she wheezes, holds up her index. a second passes. "—i-i remembered... your favorites!"

what's your favorite dessert? what's your favorite tea? what's your home like? what are your favorite stories, and what are your dreams? two girls have shared these in their time together, blowing wishes on dandelions and marveling at sunflowers. bernadetta manages to straighten herself just in time to rustle through the basket of goodies, pulling out a sealed envelope and handing it to maria. there's a reddish tint from more than running that dusts her cheeks.

"um, happy birthday! and i sort of drew... well... y-you don't have to keep it if it's stupid! but i thought, you know..." inside, there's an illustration of a girl with hair red as roses—and beside her, a knight, an older brother with silver hair. bernadetta can barely look maria in the eye, but steals an occasional peek through her lashes. "just... something else to remember him by. for you. i hope you like it. or at least the sweets. o-or the flowers?"

It is a peaceful day today, and that is all-- or at least mostly all-- that Maria would ever dare to ask for. With her notebook laid out on her desk before her, the little cleric hums in between minuscule nibbles of cookies that are honestly too pretty to eat (how criminal of her!), breaking every so often to huff a quiet laugh when she catches the tinkling of little bells.

--the cacophony that comes next is not entirely without prelude, a chaotic crescendo of footfalls cresting into a thunderous rapping at her door. And Maria, though she rises from her seat, stands stunned a moment overlong ere she wades through her laughter to pull the door wide open.

"Bernie!" Comes the cheerful greeting, two voices weaving into a silly little song.

"Bernie remembered--"

"--you remembered!"

"--I-I remembered..."

"-- oh! Careful!"

"... your favorites!"

One hand darting out to gingerly keep the basket from tipping over, Maria's eyes sparkle as they flit over the promise of a gift, of remembrance and affection shared, and shares her own in kind, warmth seeping from her softly narrowed smile.

"...hee hee!" She had never doubted that she would. If a heart was a cup into which love was poured, Maria thinks that Bernie's would be a babbling brook. One with a pebbled shore, dandelions and wild grass hugging its bends, carrying toy boats to new adventures and bottled wishes out to sea. The sailors would be named such things as 'fruit mousse' and 'sweet-apple blend' -- what silly sailors they were! -- and the wishes would whisper to her curious currents, "only a story like a hundred thousand other stories, but it is unique to me in all the world"; or even, "to put my home together again... and my home, together again. Keep it secret, okay? Hee hee!" -- how novel, that wishes should laugh!

And all of them would be safe with Bernie; Bernie will remember, and carry it with her, and it will matter to her even when her knuckles hang at the door and pink speckles her cheeks and she's still wheezing a little bit, but not so ash-eating-old-man-like anymore.

"Hee hee... heeheehee!"

Then, if laughter was a song in love, in this moment Maria's sounds like nothing less than adoration. The cup overflows, the brook babbles (but wheezes less and less), and there is no more lovely melody than bright, unfettered laughter. Music still rushes from the corners of her smiling mouth as she takes the envelope in hand, coming to quietude as she gently unfolds the parchment.

"--oh...!" The little princess swallows her voice, blinking once, twice, three times and more at the picture in her hands. On the other side, Bernadetta just barely peeks at her through her lashes, but the reassurances stick in her throat like a marble. It is one thing to write what remains with her in memory, but it is another thing entirely to look at his face again, smiling beside hers. (It is also a secret third thing, that it should be a gift -- that it had been remembered, that it mattered, that it was always safe with Bernie.)

"... ...mm-mmm!" Holding it gently to her chest, Maria beams a smile full to bursting with sunshine, effulgent even through the few tears that prickle at her eyes. "It's not stupid! Not at all! Having a picture of him... and with me, too?" That was a wish she hadn't realized she'd held onto. "It's perfect! And it makes me so happy I think I might burst! Hee hee!"

Rocking back onto her heels, the little princess hastily-but-carefully tucks the picture back into its envelope; then, with her treasure newly secured, she lurches onto her tiptoes and throws herself forward from there, arms wrapped around Bernadetta's shoulders and a song of laughter now singing in her ears.

"And I remember, too!" A step back at that, though hands still linger on the other girl's shoulders, a promise made just for her.

"Hee hee... look forward to it, okay? I love it, Bernie! And I love you!"

[ranibwsprimklez]

stop bullying maria ok she cool stop ok ok she so muscular,,,z and hot,,,,

If thhe light doesnt come back before my tablet fuckinf dies i'll make myself a big fat sandwich with fries

[emeraldcity1900]

[lucky-draws]

companion piece/"reply" to this post: x - transcript under the cut:

Maria, Thanks for your letter. I'm sorry it took me so long to reply. I don't know why it did - it's not as if I were busy. I was touched by what you said. But I'm not sure what I can give you. And - I think you may have got things a little twisted. About how you got here, I mean. I just can't shake the feeling that I brought you into being. All that time in the hospital I spent wishing, wishing for some company, wishing I wasn't so ugly, wishing things were different - it's like the town took all of that energy and made something twisted out of it. It seems like the kind of thing this damned town would do, anyway. You asked me why I'm always at the lake. Don't you know? That's what ghosts do, isn't it? They end up staying in the places they were happiest. I loved this place in life. I still do. It's so peaceful. Even though the whole town is quiet now, I think the lake has its own kind of quiet. I don't feel scared of the silence here. Oh, I guess you'll tell me I'm not a ghost. You told me all those things I hardly understand - about Ernest and books and spells and little vials of white liquid and James, my James, out on the lake - and, well, in any case, it is true that when I pinch myself, my flesh seems solid enough. But this isn't living. I don't feel like I've been brought back to life. I'm not spinning at all - I'm a stopped clock. It's funny - you said you weren't much of a letter writer, but then you went and wrote all that stuff about music box dolls and parallel lines. Well, I sort of suprised myself with how much I wrote to James. I guess love and pain and loneliness and all those types of things make writers of us all. But I'm nobody's doll, or puppet, or clock. I'm just a living ghost. I loved James, and I still do, in a way that maybe only ghosts can. There's no use now in hatred or blame or regret. I wonder where he is. The town took his life in exchange for mine, you said - it makes sense, but I don't really know what to believe anymore or how this town works. Sometimes I have half a mind to go searching for him. But I don't want to leave the lake. And you - I'm sorry, I just don't know what to think about you. If I'm truthful, you scare me. And I know I shouldn't say things like, because I know how it is to feel like a monster, after all. But I spend all day looking at my distorted reflection in the lake - you'll understand, maybe, why I don't much feel like going to see it at the bar, too. Besides, I'm not sure someone as pathetic as me could make you whole again. I'm sorry, I guess I'm always letting people down. Write me again, though - if you want. It is nice to hear from someone. I'll always reply. Take care. Mary

[total-drama-brainrot]

Scuttles up to you hey do you have any jomaria thoughts?

Not really but I think they'd be very cute together.

Jo and Anne Maria are both different flavours of hater so you know they'd be talking mad shit about everyone together. Jo in an "I'm gonna wipe the floor with these losers" kind of way and Anne Maria in a "these guys are literally the most dysfunctional human beings I've ever had the displeasure of meeting" sort of way. They have a mutual respect for each other as the only relatively sane and reasonable bitches on the island.

Also I think Anne Maria would be a perfect counter to Jo's control issues; i.e. she'd challenge Jo's authority without making herself an outright rival, which is something Jo needs to overcome her innate need to be large and in charge. In turn, Jo would also challenge Anne Maria's prioritisation of her looks over the competition/the money.

They'd definately feed into each other's competitiveness though. Potential for an in-competition alliance-turned-romance perhaps?

[sweet-punch]

Continued from x

@fatesapart said: Another hedgehog? The girl stared at the pink hedgehog and a soft smile appeared on her face as she extands her hand out and shook her gloved one. "Yes. I'm Maria. Shadow's friend. It's nice to meet you, Amy! You..took a train here to meet me? But why?" She asked, curiously.

"I wanted to bring you a gift before the new year came!"

The pink hedgehog pulled out a potted plant from behind her back. It was a cluster of many stems of small white flowers, bunched together like the head of a cauliflower sprout.

"These flowers are yarrow plants: they're used to promote good health and soothe inflammation and wounds."

[theothervonkarmagirl]

@pri-rp liked for a starter!

Clara was in a good mood, giggling and humming to herself. But what made her so happy?

Ah. She was about to put some furniture together. But there were a lot of pieces. Perhaps she would appreciate some help...?

[katyspersonal]

who do you think fucked up worse…gehrman or maria?

This is an interesting question, and I kind of didn't think of it before! Time to take a closer look at their crimes I guess. Some of these will be held on the possibilities and 'safe assumptions' though and addressed for the full picture!

1) Both were involved in Fishing Hamlet massacre!

With Maria, we can conclude as much because she discarded her weapons in the well at the place specifically. Her version in the Nightmare realm, a Hunter again, is supposed to be what punishes her, and she is focused on keeping Kos/OoK away from rummaging through. Considering the nature of the Nightmare, as well as the Doll who has spiritual connection with her, it should come from her guilt and regrets rather than.. I dunno, discarding the hunt over natural 'character development' and just picking a cool place to forsaken her past!

Gehrman sleeps better according to the dialogue Doll has after you kill OoK and free it's soul, so if it tortured him so, I think it is safe to say he had to be personally involved too rather than stay back while his students did the job:

They both were involved with Byrgenwerth, following their quest for obtaining the eyes of the dwellers from their skulls, and I suppose cord of OoK?

The thing about this point is that the description is written as though it was Gehrman's curiosity which ruined Maria's "idealisation" of him, or WOULD ruin it had she learned of it! This makes me wonder whether she was really involved in Byrgenwerth all that much, or whether she was aware of the real purpose of Fishing Hamlet massacre beforehand? Her goal, within the Nightmare, is stated to mercy-kill us so we don't allow that curiousity corrupt us to the point of "rummaging through corpse" and similar things, further supported by her visceral attack being an embrace if it is lethal!

I am just saying that here the balance might slightly shift towards making Gehrman 'worse' than her. Maybe she was not aware that it all was not just killing "monsters" but also a pregnant mother with her divine baby, but "well you didn't ask :/". Maybe Gehrman deceived her to use her aid. Maybe he didn't think it would be a big deal for her seeing that Maria was also interested in evolution through talking with Great Ones, and assumed she'd be just as callous about which means to accomplish the goals with?

2) Both were grave-robbing, or at least okay with that!

This one is a little less obvious, but Tomb Prospectors were not the first to go to the Chalice Dungeons! ...It were actually Willem, Dores and Gatekeeper lol:

BUT ALSO it were Old Hunters! We can see the remnants of it by Old Hunter Vitus being one the summons in Chalice Dungeons, hear Gehrman encourage us to go into the Chalice Dungeons to become stronger as via "tradition" of the Old Hunters,

and the fact that one of the things that torture Maria (again, remember that Nightmare Realm is Hell that punishes) is a Chalice:

(A video ( x ) for a better look at the Chalice from a figure)

I'd say that it is not very nice to disturb the undead Pthumerians just struggling in remains of their civilisation! Interesting thing: we can conclude they are even staying there to protect the Great Ones or their remains!

There has been some sort of civil war between ancient great-ones-respecting Pthumerians and who late became Cainhurst nobles! Maria, ironically, fell onto the side of "entitled guys" descendants! But yes, I could see why bullying zombie guys to get more history and archeology relics from them might not seem like much for her at start. Experience in the Fishing Hamlet likely retroactively ruined this period of her life for her: delving into Chalice Dungeons was likewise 'not leaving the corpse alone'. The remaining Pthumerians were right having some honour and dignity. So, that came to haunt her in the form of Pthumeru Chalice. Gehrman is.. well he's here too I guess dfshfdhs

3) Both knew a little too much about Laurence's shady business and did nothing?

Old Hunters used to be friends with Healing Church's Hunters and even had their workshops located close to one another! Gehrman was friends with Laurence and Ludwig, who are both quite strongly involved with Moon Presence (Ludwig's sword and guidance, Laurence's affiliation being known since Byrgenwerth times), as well as the key figure in creation of Hunter's Dream:

This was most likely a bait-and-switch, seeing how the cord itself is still in the real Workshop, and not in the grasp of Moon Presence (unlike, say, Wet Nurse taking Mergo's cord)! I think the purpose of creation of the Hunter's Dream was to "buy time" for the research conceived by the scientists! Remember: Gehrman was known to have "madness of curiosity" that Maria resented, or at least would resent had she known! He might have been fully aware of what Laurence wanted to do and support it! My point here, that with such proximity, he must have known of all Laurence's crimes and agreed with them!

Maria was at least overseer of the Clocktower's Research Hall, which, again, was just beta!Choir.

This last line IS a bit confusing, because it makes it sound as though the nerds looking for the Eyes Inside and the Blood Ministers got split. Laurence and Ludwig make it weird, as Moon Presence is also an Eldrich creature and Ludwig is for sure full of eyes! What also makes it strange is that Choir, and then School of Mensis, are both upper echelons of the Healing Church, but Laurence is supposed to be above both of them.

I think this can be worked with! Let's say what if Choir formed after Laurence's death, which also happened after Maria's death, and Vicars after him were somewhat "powerless" and walked over by Choir and Mensis, only leaders in the name! But that still leaves the bit that the mentioned "division" happened after Choir was formed! Maria and Adeline, however, are locked to the existence of the Research Hall, so, the timeframe when doctors and blood ministers were 100% working together! We find the Eye Pendant that opens the access to the Research Hall in Laurence's hand, and human Skull of Laurence on the platform that hides the secret elevator to that Research Hall. Again, by the Nightmare Logic, they must be connected with Laurence's sins: he started this research, or sponsored it, or was overseeing it, and so on.

This point is not an absolute thing though, because one or both of them might be freed from guilt here. Maybe Gehrman was not as informed and agreeable as we could assume and Laurence did lead him around? Maybe Maria wanted but could not do anything being caught in the web of complicated connections, blackmail and risks for the people she cared about?

4) Both are willingly involved in questionable practices (Maria with research, Gehrman with the cycle of Dream and Hunt)

This point I feel like transcends the morality a little bit, as it touches the matter of 'it is bad if you do it, but it is also bad if you DON'T do it'. I really love Soulsborne universes for having guts to say "you can't win, just pick your poison", but I think it is still worth addressing!

It is up to interpretation in which quantity Maria is involved with the Research Hall! Nothing states whether she founded it, joined in the research later, stepped in and turned the tides (ba dum tss) of the research, or simply was a caretaker/nurse/etc of the broken mess while Research Hall was getting ready for a bit of rebranding. She can be very guilty, or she can be barely guilty but in either case if that was her "redemption arc" that was a pretty bad way to go about it. ...or was it?

Fauxsefka turns people into Celestial Emissaries so they physically can't become beasts instead, and is even stated to be a hero / heroic researcher by Miyazaki:

First, I don't do Death of the Author (in terms of interpreting media I mean, not in terms of a style of writing)! Like, nope. Never. It is just not for me. Creator's word is the final for me; Fauxsefka is the good guy in the story, apparently, and it makes sense considering the fundamentally broken place characters are in! Maria has similarities with Fauxsefka: not only both of them have Cainhurst roots, but also both of them seem to favour 'Stars' line of evolution for humans!

Whereas other patients are afraid of the horrors of the Deep Sea, a concept Miyazaki could not get over well into DS3, Adeline desires them! Other patients seems to have gotten it right, and you can see one of them also clings to Maria mentally to "not drown"; Adeline "didn't understand"! The balcony that Maria wants Adeline to go to so she can forsaken the Deep Sea and seek something "happier" holds unique kind of patients who can shoot cosmic arcane spells:

Herself, Maria is associated with these lumenflowers: their petals are all over her boss arena, and the way to her lays through a much bigger batch of flowers, where Living Failures, other 'Stars' Kin are, whose song lyrics also feature lines 'ave stellar' and 'ave Maria'!

So, how this is different from what Fauxsefka is doing, who is stated to be as much of a good person as possible within this context and with the burden of her knowledge? Fauxsefka was doing more or less rinse-and-repeat practice, with maybe a few patients not surviving the procedure but we don't know what happened: maybe that person was already at the brink of death and she tried to make them live like this.

^ This guy I mean. Maria, on the other hand, is in the time period where the doctors and scientists were only testing the waters (BA DUM TSSS) (ok I will stop) and it was not SO certain what was at the stake, what were the alternatives, what was awaiting the humanity. It is even possible that the beasts problem was not yet bad to the point of "you'll either become a beast, be eaten by a beast or become a Kin, humanity is DONE for!" ! This was an unethical research at the cost of real people! The weight of Maria's sin here really depends on the interpretation, though

As for the cycle of Dream and Hunt, this is complicated and lingers on one's interpretation of what the purpose of the Dream even IS! Its existence provides two things: 1) a hunter who is immortal for the night, thus can sustain the beasts with efficiency like no other, but also effect the continuity of the night ( x ) and 2) supposed sustenance to the Great One Flora of the Moon, who holds the hunt as a concept!

I used to be a bit more set on the idea that if beasts are not sustained and hunted, they will simply overpower those who are yet humans and eat them! It is a self-feeding cycle of people needing to self-defend from beasts, thus having to consume the blood as urgent means of healing and power-up since beasts are too strong, thus risking to become beasts themselves because the blood they consumed during that hunt corrupts them. So, the Hunter's Dream would be a good thing, as it'd help to 'buy time' during nights of the hunt in which not only beasts are more active but Great Ones too! While the Dreaming Hunter holds everything together, the greatest minds of the Healing Church can efficiently study the ways to end beasthood, or ANY problem of humanity, once and for all! It is just better to throw the hunting resources on the Dream, so the scientists don't worry about the beasts and can focus on research. However, I almost forgot that:

This implies that had there not been Mensis Ritual ongoing, people WOULD have the chance to simply 'wait away' the beasthood problem. That, since Rom is not stopping Mensis Ritual but just conceals it, what really makes the inner beast within everyone who consumed the blood inevitably come out is Mergo's cry that draws the Bloodmoon close!

So yeah, the point about Hunter's Dream being helpful for the research of evolution still stands, especially under assumption that the deal with Moon Presence helped to bring more Eldrich Arcane close for "feeding" her. The point about how if the beasts are not hunted they'll simply eat everyone, though, is vague. It is safer to assume that the Hunter's Dream and Research Hall both are both example of hubris of man even if approached differently. Attempts to draw in something dangerous and horrifying, but it is "justified risk" because if you manage to 'tame' arcane/blood, sure, humanity will prosper!

Like... yeah, sure, there IS dangerous and undesireable nature of man that ruins everything and might or might not still linger in humanoids' genes after Loran. But did humanity ASK any of you guys to keep trying to fix it with so many victims and sacrifices? Like, was it WORTH it?

This point is closely tied to 'knowing Laurence's bad antics and doing nothing', yeah. Maria didn't seem to like blood ministration very much, as she disapproved of Adeline becoming a Blood Saint, but she also didn't even approve of blood antics of her own clan! I am not sure what would be her opinion on the Hunter's Dream had she lived to the point when it was created, just that she herself is not willing to ever hunt, so I am leaving this point aside. Is this just blood ministration that she opposes but proximity with a Great One Moon Presence would be something she can see the potential of? Or would she and Gehrman have a pointless cat fight about whose methods are better when they are both hubris of man? In both versions they are 'guilty'! Besides:

In the end none of THIS matters either and everyone was fooled ( x ). The blood offering is a blood offering in any way; whether it is through spilling blood violently during the hunt, or offering the blood's 'red' with how celestial Kin all bleed red. Moon doesn't care what paints it red, in the end.

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My conclusion is: both of these characters fucked up almost equally! I think the balance shifts just a little bit and Maria is slightly better than Gehrman since she had some limitations set on how far she was willing to go. Her motivation was not in "curiosity" but strictly in helping humanity, even if in unfair ways, which is apparently not the case for Gehrman?

I'll say this though, NOW I am hooked on the idea of Maria and Gehrman being petty "rivals" ideologically (for as long as they could before Maria's own demons caught up with her). Especially since neither approach is better than the other and they are both cringe loosers! Again, lost comedy gold over Fromsoft making Gehrman's tender and warm feelings for her before and after her death plain. What is not lost, however, is the fact that the two should just kick Laurence and go home :pensive:

[moonstalk]

maria & jesse for @nocityfolk !

the sharp sting in maria's wrists was a reminder of the brutal hours she'd spent strung up. she could feel the raw skin, the slick warmth of blood seeping from the torn flesh as she finally managed to loosen the ropes. a metallic taste coated her tongue, either from the coppery scent in the air or the bile threatening to rise with each inhale. the room was dark, its foul stench suffocating and unmistakable—death had made a permanent home here.

a shudder wracked her frame as she dropped from her binds, knees hitting the dirt-caked floor harder than expected. pain shot through her, but she swallowed it down, listening intently to the footsteps echoing from above. they were a haunting reminder of what waited beyond the next creak of wood or turn of a doorknob. each step felt like a countdown, pushing her further into the shadows that swallowed the corners of the room.

it was then that she noticed him. suspended like she had been, struggling against the ropes cutting into his skin, face half-hidden in the gloom. maria’s breathing came shallow and rapid as her gaze darted between him and the ceiling, tracking the steps with the precision of prey.

reaching out, fingers trembling and raw, she pressed her palm against the rope binding him. it wasn’t easy; every movement made her bones scream and muscles threaten to seize. but she worked at the knots, loosening what she could until the tension gave way just enough for him to help himself.

❛ shh, ❜ she whispered, eyes wide with urgency, the shadows around them quivering. her hand went to her own mouth, fingers smearing blood across her lips as she stifled any sound. the smell of rot and decay burned the back of her throat, but she pushed the panic down. they couldn’t afford noise. not now. not when the footsteps were so close.