#(she fell in love with rogier)

[flaskofceruleantears]

In her humbler days of exploration of the Lands Between, Asteri made many friends, whom she holds very close and dear to her heart.

Asteri knew she would have to make her journey alone. But those she met along the way warmed her heart and gave her a sense of companionship and camaraderie she had lacked in her life.

She even felt love blooming in her heart, after a lifetime of stoic solitude. But, like all things in the Lands Between, it must come to an end sooner or later. Nothing lasts forever, and it always seems to vanish too quickly for her to ever really enjoy its presence.

[katyspersonal]

Perhaps Marika's situation is less about 'perpetuating the cycle' and more about reactionary paranoia?

I was thinking a bit more about the reveal what the Hornsent once did with Marika's folks and why (this ( x ) post by drenched-in-sunlight for context) some more!

Like, think about what kind of folks she has been oppressing in her reign past the point of simply taking revenge on the Hornsent! Misbegotten, for one, were also considered sacred due to odds of their contact with Crucible, so were the Crucible Knights fashioning themselves after it. With Fire Giants it was more plainly stated that there was a fear that they might burn the Erdtree once. And who knows if they would? Their fire had it's worshippers and was a godly thing too, and perhaps Fell God was called Fell for a reason? Albinaurics were creation by Nox, people who once angered the Greater Will itself, in their pursuit to have the 'Lord of the Night' and pretty much counter Marika's rule..

The thing I am seeing is not "becoming the very thing she sworn to destroy", but "if some folks believe their kind is blessed in any way this is an instant 🚩"! Because that's the shared link between the species she put under oppression - considering themselves and/or being considered divine. She didn't just take revenge or continued the cycle, she "learned" from her traumatic experience but she learned a bad thing, and now crippling some species believed to be "blessed" before they went "far" is her whole MO. She destroys them before they can even THINK of being purer and better than her! Because really, who is to tell they won't come after her and her family? After all.. the Hornsent did once believe they were divine, didn't they?

I know I compare her with Gwyn often, but whereas he was very cunning and smart in his fear, Marika was more outright oppressive. Marika is like if Gwyn personally obliterated Manus and all Pygmy but one and made humans live in constant humiliation and mistreatment 🤔 Because nothing and no one should be considered sacred besides those she personally blessed, or else it is 🚩🚩🚩. She didn't perpetuate the cycle but attempted to stop it, by solidifying herself and her vision as the one and only thing that can be "divine" or will EVER be divine. Better oppression by one power forever than the cycles of thriving and then being killed by multiple powers! It is the dilemma of being "preventive". You can't be nice about it, but how CAN you take any chances, after having seen what funny thoughts can lead to?

(On the brighter note this makes her/Radagon's alliance with Rennala much nicer because glintstone and moon sorceries were in the contrary with the Golden Order once but merged after marriage (according to Rogier's research, I trust that man lol). She didn't put Carians and other sorcerers under oppression at the end of the war. It means that love was the only thing stronger than paranoia, once ;-;)

[alberichfanpage]

i would like to ask about alberich for the character game~

(sorry for not saying there was no ask box, i thought maybe with sideblogs you had to go ask the main person or sth haha)

Thank you for the ask, I love your posts! (No problem, I should have checked before I posted it)

Before I start, I have a confession. Guys, I like Alberich a very normal amount; I just picked this blog name on a whim when I wanted to make a sideblog...

Favorite thing about them: Considering there is so little content on him in the game, it is pretty hard to pick between his little bow gesture, his spooky outfit and his immaculate vibe. My favorite thing is probably how he combines two of the most overpowered status effects into one build.

I ended up incorporating aspects of it in my Int/Fai playthrough but I am really considering doing a dedicated Alberich cosplay run just because it is that fun to use.

Least favorite thing about them: My least favorite thing is the same as my favorite. His build is great but awful when it is used against me...

Also, he has a big chunk of glintstone on his headpiece if you remove the hat but it doesn't glow with the erudition emote!

Favorite line: Invaded by Mad Tongue Alberich! <- scariest popup to see in a supposed safe place

brOTP: Gideon for sure comes to mind. There is this fan theory that Alberich is Gideon's son, biological (same hair color) or adopted (like Ensha and Nepheli). Alberich probably enjoyed performing the grim tasks of the All-Hearing Brute with less stoicism than Ensha. Very much a one-sided evil henchmen kind of relationship. That was most likely his undoing, too.

OTP: This one is so hard because I could see so many toxic pairings. I think him and Ensha pair nicely as the only two people you can fight within the hold. They also share the fact they are in service to the Hold.

Rogier could be really interesting as the ultimate big hat power couple. But specifically, those hats are a sign of heresy and they are in very close proximity within the Hold. Then again, Rogier has quite a bit of romance going on already and I think the poor guy needs some rest.

Speaking of pointy hats, since Alberich knows cold sorceries, it may be possible he had something going on with the Snowy Crone that Ranni based her current appearance off of.

Regardless, I believe there is not a world in which Alberich would be in a healthy relationship (post mad tongue title) so therefore all pairings would be very unhealthy lol

nOTP: Sellen could be interesting but I think he might be a little too heretical for her liking. She might be a little interested in what's going on with his red glintstones from a purely academic standpoint, though.

Random headcanon: Literally the only information we have on Alberich is his clothing description, anything outside of that is headcanon:

Alberich was an aloof yet disturbed heretical sorcerer said to have been driven mad by jeering tongues during his service to the Roundtable Hold long ago

I don't really buy it, but I really wanted there to be some connection between the Blood Star and the Formless Mother just to tie in connection because the faith blood sorceries and the blood incantations. I thought it would help to roundout the world building and show how thin the line truly is between sorceries and incantations. Alas, these things remain very separate.

However, we did get two new sorceries in the dlc that are boosted by Alberich's set/staff but are related to the Scadutree. While the Thorn Witches themselves are related to the Fell God. Honestly, the worldbuilding around these things are really weird. My only other headcanon is that Gideon tasked Alberich into exploring experimental magic for him.

Unpopular opinion: Alberich drops the Taunter's Tongue item and a lot people treat this as his tongue, but I like the theory that this is actually Ensha's tongue and that is why Ensha does not speak would really make the OTP toxic if true. Considering I see a lot of fanart with him with a gold tongue, I consider this to be unpopular.

Song I associate with them: He seems like he would like Christian Death, the song Figurative Theatre comes to mind because of this line:

Their razor-sharp tongues invite to relax as they slip the skin of your eyelids back

Favorite picture of them:

Very biased but this picture I took while cosplaying him is so good, I am not sure I could replicate this again if I tried.

Thank you again for the ask!

[tarnishedinquirer]

Margit, Rematch

Having wrapped up the last location on my list, it was time to face Margit. But first, I made a visit to Patches. I wanted to take every advantage I could into this fight. No hard feelings over him sending me to the Mistwood, of course. He told me he was packing up shop soon, so I made sure to get what I came here for:

A fetish bathed in golden magic. Shackles were used to bind the accursed people called the Omen, and these ones were made to keep a particular Omen under strictest confinement.Though faint, the shackles still retain vestiges of power — enough to trap the once-bound Margit on earth, if only for a short time.

So Margit the Fell Omen was of a race called... Omen. And they were once imprisoned using these shackles. I have a hunch that Patches was once imprisoned with or at least near them. I know that look from the mirror. He might call himself untethered, but his eyes are still in chains.

Now that I got a good look at the symbol, it had the triple rings of the Golden Order, representing unity and strength, combined by a wild branching pattern vaguely resembling a tree, but just as much resembling lightning. It was difficult to tell which way to orient the symbol, as the branches and roots of this chaotic tree looked the same. Could this be the Crucible?

It was now time. Right outside the gate to Margit, I found the summoning sign of a handsome spellblade calling himself Sorcerer Rogier. Another point in my favor.

I don't know what I expected when I used the shackle, but I did not expect it to hit him so hard or cause him so much pain. I also didn't expect it to have such an unhealthy, rotten color of yellow. It was almost halfway between the gold of the Erdtree and the maddening yellow of the Frenzied Flame.

He fell to the floor, flattening as if pressed down by some immense gravity. While he was down, myself, Rogier, and Aurelia whaled on him with swords, spells, and poison spray. He did not stay down long though.

When he stood, he started summoning hammers and blades of golden light. He complimented me on my skill, saying warrior blood must flow through my veins. In response I lunged, knocked him off his feet, and drove my blade into his chest.

As soon as I did, he began to dissipate into golden motes of light. A construct?! All this time, we were fighting a mere sending!

The voice of the true Margit echoed from nowhere and everywhere.

I shall remember thee, Tarnished. Smouldering with thy meager flame. Cower in Fear. Of the Night. The hands of the Fell Omen shall brook thee no quarter.

Rogier and Aurelia vanished and I was left alone to contemplate his words.

He left behind an extra talisman pouch, which the voice had surprisingly much to say about.

Small, withered bag, knitted by hand. Bestowed upon the ruling lord, or those attempting to become lord, by the elderly Finger Reader. As the voices of the Two Fingers, Finger Readers are said to live lives eternal, and one is even supposed to have served as a wetnurse to royalty.

That is... a lot to say about a pouch. The part about the Finger Reader serving as wetnurse seems almost like a non-sequitur. Unless...

Another life flashes before my eyes.

Twin princes, both deformed by a curse. They stand between me and a world's salvation (or is it destruction?). But before I can get to them, I must first pass their wetnurse. A frail old woman now, who loves the princes dearly. She hides the truth, but is murdered by a fearsome dancer.

I return to my own reality. Echoes, reflections, and parallels. Is Margit a prince? Does he have a twin? I butt my head against the limits of pure reason.

I may need to ponder alternatives. But for now, the way is clear into Stormveil Castle.

[nightingale-ghost-writer]

Okay but what do y’all think about a whole fic if I can make myself write it? (My “college AU” idea; not necessarily ACTUALLY in college, but definitely modern day)

It was a Friday night, the gang's ritual movie night, and it had been Devin’s turn to pick. Of course, that meant a new, reportedly terrifying horror movie. Devin sat at the foot of the couch, half-leaning against his brother's legs, laughing when Delia squeaked in terror and occasionally grabbing her legs or dancing his fingertips along the soles of her feet.

“Devin’s sensory theater”, he called it. It startled Delia, which in turn amused Devin, and Rogier had never seen him warm up to someone so quickly. He tried to tell himself that was all he felt, gratitude for Devin’s contentment.

But then Darian excused himself to go order more pizzas and bring more beer down from the kitchen, and the monster on-screen tore into a screeching heroine, and Devin turned and yelled and grabbed Delia’s legs. Delia shrieked, launching herself up and halfway across Rogier’s lap, and he instinctively raised his arms around her.

Devin fell to the floor cackling and Nepheli chucked from her seat across the room; Roderika scolded while Diallos and Lanya snickered, and even Corhyn smiled from his desk, where he sat studying and ignoring the rest of them as best as he could. Delia’s cheeks flamed as she steadied herself with one hand on Rogier’s chest, murmuring an apology.

And Rogier, damn him, realized that despite his best intentions- despite his jealousy, the betrayal he’d felt when Darian had brought her around, his determination to hate this woman who’d stolen the heart of his first love- he had fallen a little in love with her, too.

[goji-pilled]

the frenzied flame route and ending are interessting, even more so from a perspective of "saving melina" because to me that feels fitting into the whole theme of love in elden ring, and how far we are willing to go for people we love.

(see: rykard being willing to challenge maliketh for ranni, miquella wanting to save malenia, messmer starting the crusade for marika, etc.)

shabriri clearly knows humans, their hearts, their oh so fragile hearts, what they're willing to do if given the right push. he's seen it in vyke. at the point the tarnished reaches the mountain top of the giants they have already lost which companions? rogier? blaidd? fia? D? sellen? iji? yura? rya? diallos?

that kind of thing is draining, and now they're told they will lose their closest and longest companion? all so they can become elden lord? of course the right words can push someone like that to do horrible things.

and in the end you lose her anyway. either she dies as she burns the erdtree for you, or she comes to hate you for the destruction of the world she holds so dear, and changes very obviously.

it's a tragedy man.

and if you just do it because you don't care? well congrats you're just evil and a moron who genuinely thinks this is in any capacity a good thing, that fell for a manipulative speech because "may chaos take the world" sounds cool lol.

absolutely amazing when you make a video about ranni and some random calls you a simp only to add "may chaos take the world" at the end of their comment. like. girl. you fell for the manipulation and proudly act superior about it, get out of my house lmfao.

[latristereina]

The Catholic Monarchs and their family were familiar with Islamic art and culture since other former Moorish cities and towns, such as Córdoba and Seville, had already fallen into Christian hands. But the Alhambra was, and still is, different. Many of its rooms were small and intimate, their decoration spectacularly beautiful; its gardens were enticingly cool in the scorching summer sun; its setting was unique; its romance as the venue for the Moors’ last stand was beguiling. Isabella and Ferdinand both fell under its spell. 

They commissioned artists and craftsmen to restore it, albeit with alterations; they frequently held court there, and Isabella chose Granada as her burial place. But it was more than a work of art: it was the symbol of Christian success, the city that above all others represented the triumph of their faith over that of the Moors. Katherine shared her mother’s joy when the royal mosque was consecrated as a Christian church and a Franciscan monastery founded in what had been a leading Moor’s private house. Reverently, the Moors had carved Arabic inscriptions on the palace walls to glorify and praise Allah. “There is no conqueror but God” could be read everywhere, as it still can today. Neither Ferdinand nor Isabella would have had any quarrel with that sentiment, provided it was their God who was the conqueror. Capturing Granada and assuring the supremacy of Catholicism had been the queen’s personal crusade; Katherine and Juana, who would one day have their own crusades to wage, could appreciate that.

While the Alhambra brought them into close contact with Islamic art, learning, and wisdom, Juana and Katherine also grew up within the context of the European Renaissance. Keen to ensure that Spain was not a cultural backwater, Ferdinand and Isabella welcomed foreign scholars, endowed chairs in Hebrew and Greek in the University of Salamanca, and patronized artists from abroad as well as from within their own realm. Katherine and Juana may well have lived amid the bustle of a court that was forever on the move, but it was not a court bereft of ornament or exquisite artifacts.

Isabella’s art collection contained a number of stunning works. With an eye to posterity, she commissioned portraits of herself and her children, a few by one of her favorite court painters, Michael Sittow. While today many of her pictures, most on religious topics, are scattered through the galleries of Europe, many remain in Spain, some housed in the museum close to her tomb, a few paces away from the glass cases containing the standards and pennants that once dominated Granada’s towers. Thus it is still possible to gaze on pictures that Isabella loved, several of which Katherine and Juana too would have seen.

There is The Garden of Gethsemane by Botticelli, showing Christ kneeling beneath a comforting angel as He prays for the cup to be taken from Him; the disciples, separated from Christ by a wooden fence, sleep peacefully close by, blissfully unaware of what is to come. There are versions of the Nativity by masters such as Hans Memling, Rogier van der Weyden, and Dieric Bouts, all of breathtaking beauty. There are depictions of the Crucifixion that do not shield the viewer from the full agonies of Christ upon the cross or from the harrowing grief suffered by the Virgin at the death of her son. Such images are not for the squeamish. What is interesting, though, is that the type of painting that appealed to the queen, and to which she exposed her children, tended to be conservative and contemplative, with suffering a key theme: the queen bought Botticelli’s Garden of Gethsemane, not his Birth of Venus.

A similar emphasis can be seen in the tapestries that Ferdinand and Isabella accumulated over the years. They inherited some, received others as presents, but purchased most themselves, so that Isabella possessed about 370 tapestries by the time she died. Again they were religious or moral in tone, several being used by the queen and her family in their chapels or in their private places of prayer, and again the pain of the Crucifixion is overt.

- Julia Fox, Sister Queens

[sealer-of-wenkamui]

Some very interesting things happened today... First Fia asked me to return a dagger to its owner, not sure what triggered this event but she gave me it, and D said he knew who it belonged to. I guess its his twin’s...? Rogier ended up dying but left a letter about him having a twin... Anyway I didn’t think much of it at first.

Next time I returned to roundtable though, he was dead with Fia beside him having killed him?! Her dialogue here was so good (though is there a way to deliver her message to roundtable like she asked? I feel like I talked to everyone)... Well she is “one who lives in death” and she talked about waiting for their lord, the lord of the many and meek (sounds like the dark lord...?) And then disappeared. I love her even more now...

I also found the needle for the Millicent quests by beating a miniboss and she was cured, but now I’m thinking a scarlet rot infected woman missing an arm who gave me some prosthetic user’s something or other..... she sounds like Malenia...

I wandered into Redmane castle, which was suspiciously empty, but there was a festival being held for Radahn, and well, I needed to fight him to get to Nokron for the Ranni quest so I went for it. Weird fight....? Like I think you’re supposed to summon a bunch and fight it like an mmo raid or something. Because all but a couple attacks one shot me... And they scatter a bunch of summon signs all over the map. So for once in my life I used the npc summons... Still took a few tries (because mistakes often meant instant death)... The transition to phase 2 was really good though, there’s a lull in the music as he disappears only to come falling down like a star... But he’s just too dangerous to be close to in phase 2, because 90% of the time he has 4 rocks around him (that of course, one shot me), so I was just running and sniping with Loretta’s greatbow or fire arrows.... It was a long fight but I did it... I dunno if it was because I was underleveled or what that it was rather hard (I was lvl 45)

Activating his rune was a little more complicated than Godrick’s because you had to do some platforming. Oh also there’s a canonical reason his horse is comically small, he apparently just??? likes his horse??? So he learned gravity sorcery because of that. That’s so stupid I love it...

I talked to Iji to get a clue where the star fell after the fight, which was Limgrave (turns out it was really obvious thanks to the floating rocks) I thought I’d meet Blaidd there but he had some important task he’s off doing...? Iji wouldn’t specify...

But I at last arrived in Nokron, which I will be exploring tomorrow.