#and this isn't even getting into Malenia's eyes

[arx-aru]

not to say the mean thing out loud but. if you like finlay but refuse to portray her limp and use of a walking aid you maybe don't really like finlay so much as the vague idea of a wlw pairing for malenia

and in which case. an oc or something probably better suits you idk. finlay as a character is mostly a blank slate but she like other cleanrots are quite specifically using their spears/scythes as walking aids and was always as a knight afflicted with the rot to some degree(if that was even the source of her limp)

(yeah it's valid to depict her 'before' she got her limp but that's 1. technically baseless conjecture that she ever was a knight without one 2. not reflective of the relative lack of depiction of her with a walking aid as opposed to without(when she's explicitly a walking aid user) and most importantly 3. removing canon disability from a character is stripping away the sparse representation we get in the genre)

[death-rebirth-senshi]

"I leveled my character up to 200 because...why not, I deserve it" so true

[fandomhcs]

dating malenia would include:

good luck getting her to admit her feelings!!

however, if you succeed in wooing the goddess of rot? you may never find a softer hand, or a more gentle love than hers.

malenia, first of all, would NEVER in a million years believe that she was worthy of love, of a relationship. romance is, and may always be completely foreign to her.

her life has been nothing but duty, war, and rot for so long she never dreamed she would find love.

and yet here you are, standing your ground and proving to her time and time again that your feelings for her are true and pure. you break her, at first. you tear apart the world, the life she saw as her future. you shook the very foundation of her.

miquella would never let her hear the end of it. she could hear him laughing at her, even now.

while the beginning of your relationship with malenia would be rocky, full of doubt and fear, if you can get past that with her? if you can stay by her side? you will see a side of her no other being ever has.

she is naturally quiet and reserved, more keen to stay in the background and observe you rather than be involved in conversation. only a select few can get her to speak, much less hold a full conversation with her.

you come to learn that she is not at all as scary as she seems. sure, there is a great passion for violence within her. but that passion for violence, her confidence in battle, did not stem from rage or hatred. she fights because she wishes to protect those that she loves. she fights because she feels like she is the only thing standing between this world and her beloved brother.

the two of you often sit and read under the haligtree, enjoying the peace and quiet of each other's company.

you braid her hair, hushing her whenever she complains about the rot touching your skin. if you were scared of the rot at all, you wouldn't be with her now would you? she concedes, and over time does become used to your touch.

you may never need to tell her when you are angry, sad, or scared. she'll know. she is attuned to you in a way no other person may ever be. you can always confide in her, can always expect her reassurance and advice if wanted. she will never leave you to deal with your own problems alone.

whether you need her to be a shoulder to cry on, a knight in brilliantly gold armor, or a steady hand to strengthen your resolve, malenia will fulfill that duty. she make it her top priority to make your life as easy and peaceful as she can.

she'd never ask you to stay out of a battle, or tell you that you aren't able to leave the haligtree. but she lingers, she stays by your side more than she should. the idea of something harming you turns her stomach more than the rot. fear isn't something she is used to, but the first time she sees you hurt in a fight she panics. the threat is dealt with in short order, and she is beside you in a blink of an eye. her hands roam your face, your arms, your stomach. when she finds your wound the hiss of pain you let out feels like a sword through her gut.

it takes no time for her brother to heal you, but she cannot let you go for hours after. her fingers stay wrapped in yours while her other hand smooths back your hair. she doesn't allow herself to speak for a long time, until finally you hear her beg your forgiveness.

you know, that even after you reassure her it will take days, weeks, for her to feel safe to leave your side again.

she tries not to coddle you, but does sometimes fail. she knows your are capable. she knows that, she swears. but she cannot stop herself from standing vigil at your side whenever you leave the safety of your shared home.

her insecurity, her fear, can take a toll on your relationship. but if you talk it out with her, if you convince her that you are here to stay, and that you are safer with her than without, eventually malenia will bloom. (NOT THAT WAY.)

with time, and patience she becomes your strength and you her joy. she lets you drag her to the capital for visits with her parents, to sweep her up in a silly dance with music drifting through the haligtree. she smiles more, laughs more, and finally feels content in a way she never imagined.

her bad days may never fully go away. there will be days where she cannot fight the rot writhing within her, where she cannot move for the pain. there are days where she cannot let go of your hand for fear she may never feel you again. but those days get fewer and far between as time goes on.

the two of you become a team, a power couple feared by her siblings and respected by her people.

and random side note, occasionally you may or may not be able to convince her to let finlay join your bedchambers.

[blaiddfailcam]

Honestly I think the biggest giveaway that Radahn wasn't charmed is simply that his eyes lack the Unalloyed ubiquity of others in service to Miquella—including Mohg.

That isn't to say I think Radahn fully agreed to become Miquella's consort, either, of course. I almost get the sense he made a bit of a gamble, agreeing to the vow only if he could be slain in battle. The fact that Malenia had to abandon her pride to "meet his measure" illustrates just how powerfully Radahn resisted, and continued to do so even as his mind was withered away by her Scarlet Rot.

It's anyone's guess how the rules of Elden Ring's universe determine a soul's autonomy, but I don't suppose Radahn would have much control with his spirit transmuted into Mohg's body. Mohg may have been charmed, but lbr, homie was already a creep slingin' bloodflies in his youth to torment spirits—like Leda and Dane, I imagine the charm merely prevented him from restricting others chosen by Miquella, and to allow them to follow into the shadowlands. (Although, you'd also think he'd have wanted them to kill him sooner.)

the peepers ooooooh

[hubristicassholefight]

Swordswoman Showdown Round 1 Part 2

Ryoshu (Limbus Company) vs Malenia (Elden Ring)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Ryoshu

She just loves to kill, but it has to be artistically beautiful. If there’s no art, she’s not interested. And naturally, she does the killing with a sword.

Her sword is a massive nodachi and being based on Hell Screen by Ryonosuke Akutagawa shes an artist. Her art is clean cut murder. Never unsheathes it and can decapitate people woth ease; Chucked a knife at a chandelier and the narration goes on to explain how pretty skilled she is even after being weakened. The falling chandelier then hits no one and stops the fight briefly. Gets embarrassed and insists it was "a performance" She's so handsome <3. Chainsmoker too. Very cool. Very dork <3. Her eyes are red and flare up when mad but she looks like an angry cat <3, Might have a daughter if going by her source material? And given the setting said daughter may be her nodachi too. No matter which version she is she never leaves it behind regardless. Fond of acronyms when talking. From abusing to SANGRIA (Succinct abbreviation naturally germinates rather immaculate art to CHICK (Chirping hesitation isn't cool, kiddo) to threatening to BARF (Break all remaining fingers) on someones hands Cannot cook for shit, it was once described as a "poultry apocalypse" by a chicken monster who had a taste of it. Also scared away a donqui coworker when burning a kebab with her lighter. Fuckin Soda shrimp dance.

Malenia

She is arguably the hardest boss in any Fromsoft game.; She is the favorited boss of Animal from the Muppets.

[surelyspacejunk]

Melina is the Gloam Eyed Queen

I've come to this conclusion because I think the simplest possible answer the game provides is going to be more convincing than the 5D chess theory crafting required to explain her existence. Convoluted theories of her being the GEQ's child, or the GEQ sealed in a child, or cursed from an Empyrean rival or what not require theorizing how Melina could end up with the GEQ's powers when the simplest answer is that she simply is the GEQ.

If that's not enough for you I've listed below several reasons why I've come to believe that Melina is the GEQ.

1. The Frenzied Flame Ending shows you that Melina is the GEQ.

The Frenzied Flame ending shows her vowing to deliver destined death to you with the appearance of the Gloam Eyed Queen. I don't think it gets any simpler than the game telling you who she is.

2. The Shadow Realms may imply that there is a period of time between Marika's Ascension and the establishment of the Golden Order.

I list this as important because it slots Melina's story neatly into a timeline where it can exist and make sense.

The two biggest hints that this period exists are the Marika statues and churches scattered across the land (even in places Messmer's crusade could not reach such as the Abyssal Woods) and the hornsents' fixation on Marika's betrayal.

Some people believe the betrayal happened shortly after (or during) her ascension but that doesnt don't really sit well with me because the hornsent would have needed to trust her first for the betrayal to feel real. No evidence in game shows that the hornsent had much respect for the shamans beyond them being great concrete goo, so it doesn't really make sense that they'd feel betrayed by someone they feel below them. If they felt someone below their station had become a god they didn't accept, they would surely use the word cheated would they not? But they don't use the word cheated, they use the word betrayed. For a betrayal to feel real, the hornsent would have needed to trust and consider her to be an important part of their culture first. Perhaps they did not care all that much that Marika was a shaman, just that she was a successful result of the Divine Gateway they built. Surely after all the sacrifices they must have felt some relief that it worked out?

So after her ascension, churches and stakes are propped up through out the land before they are abruptly slaughtered and sealed away during Messmer's campaign. Sometime between those two events is where the GEQ's story fits in.

3. Dominula's Rituals show that both the GEQ and Marika share similar cultural traditions. Festive Grease ties it back to traditions in the Shadow Realms.

There are a number reddit posts that have connected the braids of Dominula's festivals to Marika and the Godskins. This reddit post points out cultural overlap of the flowers, runes and visuals seem to imply that they are honoring Marika from traditions that predate the Erdtree, yet in practice seem to be in-line with what the Godskins celebrate. I believe that the festive grease implies that the flaying traditions were done by the Numen shamans themselves which was then picked up by worshipers in Dominula. Perhaps, Melina herself incorporates the cultural flaying in her faction as a twisted and bittersweet way to remember the shamans that came before her. With all this laid out, it's easy to conclude that the Erdtree allows the Dominula tradition to continue despite it's connection with the 'heretical' Godskins, because it has always been a part of Marika's heritage as well.

4. Ranni and Melina's sealed eye implies that they are both Empyreans. (more info for Miquella & Malenia to follow.)

I also like the theory that all of the Empyreans are one eyed which would neatly explain what similarities Melina and Ranni may have. There isn't much visual evidence that Miquella and Malenia were one eyed, but people on reddit speculated that Miquella could have literally meant that he had one eye when when said, “I abandon here my eye”. For Malenia, it could have been that the rot had already claimed one of her eyes in youth as we could see with Millicent's sisters, with differing variances of their sight being afflicted by the Scarlet Rot. Hers is admittedly the shakiest conjecture, but it's a theory I like that visually links Ranni and Melina and gives unity to all the Empyreans born under the Golden Order.

This reddit post is the one that put me on board with the one eyed empyrean theory which lists a lot of evidence for this pattern. There are some points that make me pause though, because I could not verify some of these claims, such as the One Eyed Marika statue supposedly located in the Round Table. If they are talking about the Colosseum Marika, I think the statue is simply too damaged for that to be verifiable.

That said, I think this is an interesting observation, and it'd be interesting to see fanart of Miquella with one eye.

4. Melina is one of three other people who are familiar with Torrent, two of which are Empyrean Demigods.

This one is simple. Torrent seems to have a nose for power. Ranni seems to be familiar with him and we see promo material of Miquella riding him in the Shadow Realms.

5. The Drama

The drama of a Marika having Maliketh kill her child who rebelled against her sounds so messy and inline with the rest of the family's mess that I can't help but enjoy it. This is not proof of anything, this is me admitting that accepting Melina as the GEQ aligns with my flavor of Rule of Cool. Not to mention it would be in character for both Fromsoft and GRRM to have a daughter rebel against her mother and be crushed and erased from history for it.

So if we assume Melina is the GEQ, the timeline would imply that:

Melina, first daughter of Marika is born as an Empyrean.

Gains control over the Rune of Death and the Godskin Apostles.

Implements characteristics of the Crucible in her Godskins (with their animal/snake like features) and adopts the practice of ritual flaying.

Comes into conflict with her mother, Marika and is defeated by Maliketh.

Marika creates The Golden Order.

Various wars to consolidate the Golden Order's power are launched.

The Messmer's crusades are launched and sealed away with the Shadow Realms and are forgotten.

The Shattering happens.

Melina is left as a somewhat amnesiac spectral version of herself until the Tarnished guides her on their journey back to the Erdtree.

The rest is up to us.

====

And that's that.

As usual, all this theory crafting is just for fun and can be right or wrong. I know I already disagree with some of my Messmer/Melina theories I myself wrote(lol) but I've settled on this one pretty strongly lately and wanted to share.

[katyspersonal]

I start to feel like Irina and Hyetta are simply twins, maybe specifically the case of 'two people, one soul' twins thing going on

There could be ongoing prejudice against twins like this, and for a good reason? At least 'good reason' in the eyes of Golden Order believers. Darian and Devin are such twins and one of them is 'golden' but another is 'silver': and 'silver' is something condemned, connected with the Nox, so Devin was separated from Darian and basically sealed away. With Miquella and Malenia it isn't certain, they could have 'one soul' thing too as it apparently doesn't prevent the twins from existing as separate people. BUT! Coincidentally, one twin is pure gold, absolutely immune to any sort of aging and decay (even too much so for his own good), he can't be influenced by any Outer God or have his power alter unlike with other Demigods with whom we've seen their Runes "adapt" to what effects them. Meanwhile, the second twin is not only under influence of an Outer God from the start, but very coincidentally its the one thing specifically opposite to what Miquella represented. Endless rotting and decay, endless rebirth into something else.

And well, then Irina is a very average Finger Maiden. Okay not average since she's blind, but still, the one tasked to pass the will of the Two Fingers. And you see the trend of the second twin always being the 'opposite', and having the short end of the stick no less? And the opposite thing to this is Three Fingers; Hyetta is in the contact with Frenzied Flame rather than the Guidance of Grace! So, maybe, she was abandoned from this standpoint, like what happened with Devin and only Hyetta accepted.

I assume something specific has to happen as it is not EVERY twins pair; there is no this type of duality between Morgott and Mohg (as far as I can conclude), there are twin Maidens in the Roubdtable, and there were twin sages in Raya Lucaria. With the latter one I am not 100% sure, as they seem to be conjoined twins so abandoning one was not even possible, but also the reason might have been just that Raya Lucaria used to not abide by Golden Order's dogmas back then and thus even if they had some 'lucky/unlucky duality' they'd be allowed to exist in peace!

But yeah, I think it is just this simple: that Hyetta was not allowed into family, similarly to how Devin was separated from Darian? I think maybe it is also always the younger twin who gets 'the short end of the stick'. Maybe Irina and Hyetta also likewise had connection without having ever met each other, but it simply was not as wholesome as what D twins had and rather they feared each other!

[annelidist]

i don't know, i feel like even though theres no real textual information about Melina in the dlc, theres enough new information about other stuff that we can extrapolate about her (e.g. marika is not above taking out her childrens eyes, she probably had some fire/destined death related curse, pink hair is a mix of radagons red and marikas gold). but one thing we didnt get ANY information on is torrent. whats his deal. we got more information about him from the teaser image than actually ingame

ok yeah it is really funny that we still don't know what a spirit steed is. regarding melina, though, i don't think the dlc gets us any closer to a satisfactory understanding of her character. her closed eye is intact (as revealed in the main game's frenzied flame ending), her connection to destined death isn't touched on in the dlc, even the hair is a signpost to nothing in particular because, as we can see from malenia, miquella, and morgott*, pink hair is not a distinctive trait of marika-radagon offspring. she's just a mess of signifiers pointing in different directions, an unsolvable enigma far too vague and confused to be intriguing

*mohg is bald

[maranull]

What do you think Malenia’s ‘ideal world’ looks like, one where she never was infected with the Scarlet Rot?

Mmm, this is hard...

To me, Mal feels like a very unambitious person. She's content with being helpful to others (Miq, mostly) and getting better with her blade. At the same time, I feel she does things she wants in spite of the Rot.

So if the Rot wasn't a factor, I think the main change would be that she would be more relaxed, independent and obviously having all her limbs and eyes. She'd probably still follow Miq's ideas. And I think she'd still be the monster that she is with a blade. Maybe she'd be loved by more people. I think she and Finlay would still end up together somehow.

I dunno. The twins' curses are very central to their characters. While I'm sure that Miq's decision to break from the Golden Order was partly due to how the Order treated those it deemed cursed or blasphemous, but another big part was that it couldn't help him or his sister. And Mal's character is even more tied to her curse and her resistance of it. Despite it and the loss of her limbs, she becomes the most skilled warrior in the Lands. We see in the cinematic trailer (that shows the Bloom against Radahn) and in the cutscene to her second phase, that the Rot is always looking for an opening to take control. Winning against Radahn breaks her defences for a moment (I believe they were in good, even friendly terms before Mohg kidnapped Miq and I will die on this hill) and the Rot takes control, forcing the first bloom. And when we defeat her for the first time at the Haligtree, the Rot takes hold once more. Basically, she is in a constant mental battle against the Rot.

What I'm failing to say is that their curses are deeply connected to their characters and decisions, so in a world where the Rot isn't a factor, Mal is probably a very different person, and one I can't really imagine.

[ladygwyndolin]

Yeah the most popular fan take currently is that the vow was non consensual and pure evil Miquella is controlling poor uwu radahn because these guys don't want their fav to be an incestuous pedo warlord. It's so bad because they outright refuse to believe anything freyja says on the basis that "she isn't radahn" as if her being in his inner circle means nothing, all while taking ansbach word for word even though he also was only in mohgs inner circle and is not mohg himself therefore by their logic is also not completely trustworthy. It's so dumb because the final cutscene spelled it all out and was hilariously in your face to the point that I rolled my eyes about it because we could've gotten anything else we didn't already know but apparently shame on me for expecting radahn fanboys to have literacy because a majority still didn't get it. Why would Miquella beg Radahn to be his consort in the vision and for him to honor the vow if it all was all one-sided, in general why would he be lying to himself? The final fight labeling radahn as his promised consort is also pure evidence for it. Idk I guess the reality is now setting in for them that the price of prime radahn was the complete butchering of his character so they're now scrambling for coping theories

Man I had a whole long winded response to this prepared ready to talk about shallow critique and stuff but honestly there isn't really any point to it when it boils down to radahn fans being fucking cringe reddit morons who are only into radahn because he's simple enough to turn into a gigachad meme and love coping with malenia being stronger than them by being misogynistic about it so ofc they're gonna be stupid here. Lore only matters when it's surface level shit that u can use to make ur fun guts guy cooler. I hate men

[modeus-the-unbound]

First Elden Ring OC, the canon compliant one.

Yvelt, she is a Big Beefy Woman, olive complexion and 6'2. One of Hoarah Loux's tribe (refuses to ever use the name Godfrey without saying it like the most foul insult) and feels he betrayed her and their tribe after returning to The Lands Between (TLB) as a Tarnished. She starts as the Hero class and thinks Melina is weird/mildly untrustworthy.

Gets the Spirit Caller bell and in a moment of smartass teasing, refuses to say she is able to summon Torrent. She enjoys getting a rise out of this tiny woman. She doesn't recognize Ranni from her time in TLB before being sent away since she looks so different and is calling herself Renna. She progresses through the game normally, slaying Godrick and finding Rennala to be a pitiful sight. Then she finds Ranni and learns of her identity, she doesn't put much stock in an Empyrian reduced to a literal puppet. She turns down her offer to serve her and leaves for the Rahdan Festival.

She sees a woman in a church, heavily infected with scarlet rot, on the way to it. She recalls how this pox managed to harm even a demi-god like Malenia and feels empathy for the poor woman. She learns of the Unalloyed gold needle and goes through the process of retrieving it and then implanting it into the poor souls flesh. She leaves before the woman awakens, satisfied she did a good deed.

She is excited to battle Rahdan...until she sees him. She raises the spyglass to her eye at the top of the elevator to his arena. She recalls how he was talked about by his soldiers before the Shattering war, the hunched over figure is nothing like what she was told of. The sight of him eating his own soldiers corpses like a rabies infected dog sickens her. She kills him and moves on with hate in her heart.

She begins to truly hate, with a burning passion unlike before. It would be easy to aim it at Malenia, for doing this to him and to Caelid...but she aims higher. She recalled how the Stormveil castle looked prior to her departure. She recalls how grand and lively the streets of Leyndell were...and she begins to hate whatever god sent that damnable Elden Ring to this world!

She doesn't know how but she ends up in front of a massive door in the bottom of a makeshift tomb within the city. She pushes them open and see's the Three fingers. She eagerly welcomes their embrace, yes...let chaos take the world, Let Chaos Take The World! She gleefully goes forth to kill anyone who would slow her ascent to the mountaintop. Until she spies a red haired woman, she recognizes her. It's the woman from the church. She wants to approach and introduce herself, but something takes a hold of her. She goes mad for a moment and hits the redhead suddenly with a haphazard swing of her axe. The woman doesn't even have time to scream. She swings a few more times until she spies the Unalloyed Needle sticking out of her mutilated flesh.

The madness passes and leaves her alone with the corpse, this disturbes her. This...isn't what shs wanted at all. She didn't want to be controlled like a puppet...like a puppet. She takes the needle and races as fast as she can upon Torrent to Ranni. She begs Ranni to allow her to serve Ranni's goals of removing the influence of the outer gods from TLB. Ranni sends her underground, to retrieve a dagger. One forged from a dead god. Over the course of helping Ranni, she learns from Blaidd how to resist the madness of the Three Fingers. She becomes Ranni's most loyal retainer, and after injecting the Unalloyed Needle in a place outside of time, she becomes Ranni's Consort.

She doesn't see the irony of her relationship with Ranni after that. She is too focused on smashing her former tribe leaders head into the rubble. (And maybe cheering for joy when she realizes she is on the recieving end of Hoarah Loux's infamous power bomb) The way her loyalty and willingness to bend the world for Ranni, to destroy anyone in her Mistresses path and how it mirrors the path Hoarah Louxs walked with Marika, eludes her. She takes the mantle of Elden Lord in the name of her Mistress, following her on the cold dark path she treads.

Tldr, Hero class beefcake of a woman. Former member of Hoarah Loux's tribe. Goes down the Three fingers path out of resentment and bitter hatred at first, but then uses the Unalloyed Gold Needle to become free. Falls in love with Ranni. The end.

[adventurersdelight]

🔞 ( Valeria &. Malenia )

Rolling Out Headcanons (NSFW)

One thing that Valeria's always wanted to try is nude painting, both as the artist and the model. While she isn't very confident in her sketching and painting skills, she still wants to garner a deeper understanding for the subject matter and the beauty found in the humanoid form. By the same notion, she wants to see if someone would see the same beauty in her.

Malenia's the type of person that causes unknown disasters in her pursuit to uphold her ideals. What she perceives as pleasantries could be construed as a formal form of flirting. Mix that with a winning smile, sharp eyes, and the way she pulls her hair back, Malenia's "slain" many an "opponent" without even trying.

Not that she accepts the advances as she doesn't really get why shirtless people will throw themselves at her sometimes.

[whatdoyoumeanitsnotcanon]

What are your thoughts on Drunk Demigods? Who's the silly drunk, the sad drunk or the angry drunk? Who can hold their liquor? Who can't?

The Hangover: Elden Ring Edition

Godrick - The surprisingly silly and introspective drunk; the drunk you can have a conversation with, it seemingly makes no sense, but in hindsight, you realize that he dropped some gems when it comes to navigating life. If only he were like this sober...

Godwyn - The sentimentally silly drunk. His inner himbo comes out in full force and ANYTHING is liable to make him cry.

Malenia - Doesn't drink at all. Does love to be regaled with tales of her brothers' drunken antics, however.

Mohg - The kind of drunk that has an existential crisis whilst cuddling Varré at the same damn time. Pretends not to remember shit the next day. Can't hold alcohol for shit so he's drunk 1-2 drinks in.

Morgott - A mixture of the silly, flirty, and emotional drunk. Gets unusually hot when drunk so he takes his clothes off. Drops the Elizabethan English and ups the ante on double entendres with his consort. Proceeds to get emotional and talk about how he feels it isn't big enough for them. They find out that it pertains to his already huge ass tail that they love to play with. He is HORRIFIED when the consort humorously recounts the events of the previous night.

Radahn - The quintessential emotional drunk. Has a tendency to disappear, too, so don't take your eyes off him. Reveals an irrational concern about his consort being smothered in his glorious chest while actually hugging them and smothering them in said chest. Also cried about losing Leonard even though Leonard is living his best life in his stable. Woke up dangling off the castle ramparts once. Don't ask.

Ranni - The type to take a sip and that's it. Doesn't too much care for certain drinks after she secretly tried some alcohol without Rennala and Radagon's knowledge. It burned her mouth and that was all she wrote.

Rykard - The Lucille Bluth of the demigods. Can hold his alcohol like no one's business. Literally drank Radahn under the table (as in, Radahn found himself literally under the table, he was so damn drunk). Pays for it with a killer headache in the morning (that Tanith so graciously helps him recover from) but he manages.

[prismatic-starstuff]

People over here like Ranni this or Fia that or Melina. And meanwhile, I saw Malania and immediately was like 'Yes my queen' as she ran me through. We come up to her elbow and I was weak. (That also means she's like 8ish feet tall.) Anyway, Can I get maybe romantic headcanons for her? Especially if her S/o is immune to her rot or went with her and her brother to the Haligtree?

Malenia With An S/O: Headcanons

First of all: yes, her partner does come up to her elbow. Yes, she finds this incredibly endearing. Yes, she affectionately calls her partner 'my smaller half.' (No, she means no harm by it.)

Before her rot afflicted her too badly, she would simply lift them in her arms to reach eye level, chuckling softly as she rubs her nose against their own. After, she can still lift them, but it's more of a strain; so she's more likely to bend to their level, hands gently cupping their cheeks.

...if they want her to carry them, she'll do it. She doesn't quite understand her partner's fascination with her height, but she's flattered, and she wants to make them happy.

Malenia is idolised by many; but there's no one she idolises more than her partner. She thinks the world of them, adores every little thing they do; they could do no wrong in her eyes.

She's extremely loyal by nature. If her partner needs to go somewhere, she'll happily follow, gladly be their sword if they require protection on the journey.

She is Malenia, Blade of Miquella, and she has never known defeat; and she is renowned and praised by many for that... but her partner's praises are the only ones that affect her; the ones that bring colour to her cheeks and fluttering in her stomach.

Since her partner is immune to her rot, she is less physically reserved around them than most others; she doesn't feel the need to maintain distance from them in fear of harming them, doesn't feel worried about touching them...

She isn't the most cuddly person in the world, preferring to show her affections through her deeds; it's not that she dislikes cuddles though, it's just her nature.

However, if her partner is the type to enjoy cuddles, she'll happily provide; taking them in her arms, running fingers through their hair as their head rests on her shoulder...

She enjoys holding them close as they fall asleep in her arms at night; softly kissing their forehead, quietly wishing them the sweetest of dreams.

And, although she's a touch too proud to directly ask for it... she really does enjoy it when her partner runs their fingers through her long red locks, when they rest her head on her lap and encourage her to relax for once.

She is a woman of few words, but she's very straightforward about her love, and open about it. She'll tell her partner how much they mean to her and how much she loves them in simple and honest terms, and it's always heartfelt and genuine.

Malenia is an extremely family-oriented person. If her partner shows an interest in helping her to defend Miquella, she'll be so very grateful; will pledge herself to return the favour in any way she possibly can.

Whether or not her partner is capable of handling their own, they'll always have a big tall demigoddess of a bodyguard right there at their side ready to defend them if they even look like they're in danger.

(Partner has had to talk Malenia down on many occasions, assuring her that everything's okay and she doesn't need to fight anyone. Malenia apologises, murmuring that she just wants to see them safe.)

If her partner has any interest in learning to fight, or can already, Malenia enjoys sparring with them; enjoys seeing their progress if they're learning, enjoys being impressed by their ability if they're already a fighter.

After her rot takes more of a toll on her, she'll insist that they don't need to look after her; she doesn't want to put that burden on their shoulders, doesn't want them to think she's weak.

However, if they insist on helping her, on staying with her in the Haligtree... she'll be eternally grateful; will never let them go unthanked for their assistance.

And if they stay with her long enough to see her bloom... she'll take them in her arms and her wings, embrace them with such care, show them her true love rather than true horror.

All in all, she's a loyal and loving partner who'll defend the one she loves to the very last; who'll go to whatever lengths necessary to protect them.

[lichdragon-fortissax]

Hey! Love your analysis of Elden Ring lore, especially Morgott. So I'd like to hear your thoughts too. I'm very interested in The Shattering and the way Morgott goes about it. How someone from the sewers suddendly had to hold of a major war and grip the politics of court. There is a great theory video on YouTube by Hawkshaw that talks about Perfumers and mentions how they use fire for battle even though it was strictly forbbiden. That was most certanly Morgotts doing, having to use whatever resource he had. Just imagining how difficult it must have been to convince some noble fanatics to use fire and himself as well, since that isn't just against the Order but the Erdtree itself. Not only that, but actualy turning the order that helped people and even Omen and Misbegotten into war figures, that became so good at it Morgott was apointing some as leaders, must have been a moral conflict.

Oh, and the spear things in the trailer, their war use explained in the video (to spread, usualy poison, mists in the enemy ranks), I belive were before used by Perfumers in rooms to nicely spread the plesant concoctions. So just imagining some noble asking Morgott how does he intended to use the perfumes in the battlefileds and his eye just darting to that in the corner of the room "Stick it on a stick and just blast it lmao" It worked.

I don't watch any lore videos on youtube (mostly bc I like coming up with interpretations of my own nowadays), but tbh I think that the point Hawkshaw brought up about embracing forbidden tactics is actually the key behind Morgott's success as a ruler. We see from the draconic tree sentinel and many of the Leyndell knights that the arts of the dragon cult are accepted, even though they are heretical, so it's not too far off to assume that similar previously-forbidden arts were given a pardon as long as they were used to benefit the Erdtree. The Night's Cavalry also appear to use a magic that's not tied to the Golden Order, the Misbegotten have been armed even though they're still relegated to a poorer part of the city/segregated from the other armies, and, like you said, the perfumers use fire arts, despite them being previously forbidden. All of this was probably quite unpopular at first, but the advantages that they offered were too good to be turned down. And it probably allowed Morgott to get away with other little things, such as giving cloaks to the omen soldiers and weapons to the ones in the sewers, though I feel like breaking their chains was probably something that still had to be done in secret.

Honestly, I think that Morgott's loyalty lies only to the Erdtree, not the Golden Order, because even if he hates himself, most of his actions are all about defending the Erdtree/the Lands Between themselves rather than holding to the Golden Order's standards. Which, given the fact that Godfrey raised him and was all about that crucible magic, kind of makes a lot of sense

Likewise, Marika's most recent children (Miquella and Malenia) were cursed with ill health, so the populace of the city probably wouldn't have cared too much about their ruler being rarely seen, though I can see the appointing of 'Margit' to have raised some stink before people got used to a big Omen hulking about- either that or Margit absolutely ruining any and all invaders made them shut up and turn a blind eye to such blemishes

[bara-laika]

Commenting on Maleigh again.

> Or am I mixing up my shithole castles?

Yes, Millicent's arm is from there. It's even in the description: "When Maleigh Marais, Lord of the Shaded Castle, embraced this prosthesis, he claimed to feel the presence of his personal goddess". It's probably Malenia's old arm.

I wonder if he just kept that arm, or did something with it too. This is more of a headcanon, but like, imagine him saving himself for his Goddess only and using her metallic hand to touch himself, closing his eyes and pretending that it's her.

> Throw the heiresses to Malenia's rot back into the plague born of the same womb

That sentence sounds so esthetically beautiful but the action described in it is horrific.

I like how the servant and Finlay think that throwing infants in the swamp is better than leaving them with their father. Doesn't that sound like a death sentence? Or is that servant like "I can't murder infants with my own hands, but, first, they're rape babies so it would be better if they didn't exist, and, second, letting them stay here is also terrible, so I'll throw them in the rot since it's where they belong to and since nobody in their right mind would follow me to Caelid. If they die there then they die. They'll die before developing proper consciousness and won't have to suffer what their father might try to put them through. If they live, well, the pests there already worship their Goddess as a mother of abandoned children, these kids will fit among them"?

Damn, now I've developed a brainrot (the daughters line awoke something in me) and I'm thinking about a fic about Alternative Universe where something like that indeed happened, but that servant didn't take all of them away. I mean, there are 5 kids and only two feeble servant hands that aren't used to carrying a bunch of babies while trying to sneak out of a guarded castle.

(The castle was guarded at that time, I believe. I don't think the castle was *always* a wreck. It just got especially fucked by the bell-bearing hunter who refused to get executed and decided to steal the sword of house Marais, which happened way later. The poison was probably there all that time, but other than that it was a semi-normal noble castle).

So, that servant saves 4 children out 5.

Maleigh is devastated by the loss of his Goddes, but copes with turning all of his attention into raising his remaining daughter — Millicent (I'm, of course, picking this poor girl to torment, because she canonically resembles Malenia the most, she overall gets more characterizations than her sisters and even in canon her father (adoptive one) constantly compares her to her mother).

Will you be okay if I try writing something like a sequel to "Sick of body and mind" in this direction? A "what if" of some sorts?

I've never written a fic, especially in English (English isn't my first language, Russian is), so I can't say how long will it take and how good it will be.

Anon, I would be honoured if you wrote a fic! Please play with these ideas, I’m working from the thoughts of others and live for the collaborative process. Please feel free to pop it on AO3 and associate it with the fic itself (I think there’s a way to do that?). As for your language, I genuinely couldn’t tell English was your second language. Give yourself some credit. :)

All I ask is that Millicent is an adult, if the fic is to be linked to me. Underage is a hard line in the sand for me, but I reason this in-universe as ‘even evil has standards’, including weirdos like Maleigh. There’s no point in risking the injury and ill health of his one precious, remaining daughter, after all— if she is to bear him children, she must be able to handle it both physically and mentally.

As for the servant, the longer answer is more what I was going for! We are on the same wavelength. :)

Happy writing, friend, I hope you come up with something fulfilling to create. 🖤