#isz speaks

[izpira-se-zlato]

I've been thinking about the Jance photoshoot and oof do I have Thoughts but -- okay, an attempt to explain why this photoshoot really speaks to me.

I've seen a bunch of different takes float across my dash, but to me the core of this photoshoot is the portrayal of a very deep bond between two men without fully specifying what kind of bond it is. The message I get from their pictures, from Jan looking into the camera (almost?) defiantly while Nace looks serious to the two of them looking at each other and only each other, is "This is us. This is our relationship. What kind? Well, none of your business, but we're not hiding it and we won't help you put us into a definitive drawer."

Since this got long, more thoughts under the cut

And, like -- there's so many layers to this shoot? So many ways to read this as an utter fucking power move, and I'm just. Really touched.

So. Layer one is kind of what I pulled from the art earlier, saying, "you may get to see us be intimate and close, barely hidden behind a glass door (= lack of privacy), but at the end of the day, we decide how much we share. And even if you get these intimate glimpses, you do not get all of me (= him half-hidden behind his hair and/or Nace)"

So what do we glimpse? Well, that's where it gets delicious imo. Because it could be read as non-sexual and non-romantic, so just platonic. Non-sexual intimacy is still pretty rarely portrayed, especially between men, and that goes double for non-romantic intimacy. And so as someone on the aroace-spectrum, that speaks to me so so much.

it's also such a fuck you against Toxic Masculinity -- that they can be this vulnerable together, that they don't mind showing -- that they're actually showing off to -- the world that they're this vulnerable with each other. Just. Intimacy and trust and closeness; laughing together and seeing each other and presenting a united front against the world (= the viewer).

I've long-since wondered if Nace is Jan's emotional support bassist -- if they're each other's comfort people, which would track with them doing this shoot together, presenting themselves in front of the camera together. "I'm doing this, putting myself out there, because with you by my side it feels doable."

And just. The fact that it can be read as queer and they clearly don't mind is also stunning regardless of if they are actually queer and/or actually in a relationship. They know what the fandom thinks. They know what this will look like. And yet -- no "no homo", no "bradders"; just unabashed joy in each other's presence and standing together -- and it's not escaped my notice that it's Jan having Nace's back, fixing the camera with a look of, if you touch him, I'll end you.

And if it is an affirmation that they're queer/together? Then holy shit, what a power move.

Just. I think this is a piece of art that's really resonating because I can see myself in so many of these layers and that's just so powerful. Damon is a pretty good photographer, from what I've picked up, and so I think this is not an accident; I think this series of photos confirms exactly as much and as little as he wants it to. And in the gaps in between, which I understand is something art does, we have space to see ourselves and engage with the artwork in our own ways.

Because at the end of the day, as raw and as candid as these shots look, this isn't an unfiltered version of them. It is them, at least in part, but it's art. It's a performance. It's something we can construct narratives out of (which, probably surprising no one, is something I really enjoy), but we're still engaging with the performance, not the real people underneath. But it still takes guts to give yourself over to that performance, and that is what might move me the most, gorgeous and stunning pictures and all.

The fact that they stepped forward and said, "This is us. Make of it what you will."

[izpira-se-zlato]

Fun fact! For Lordi (in Turbinenhalle Oberhausen), I was behind two dudes easily 1.8m (6’) and you know what? I had perfect view. Because people didn't bunch together and push forward and so there was a gap that gave me direct line of sight of the stage. And I wish JO or Käärijä concerts could be more like that – more space between rows improves sightlines so so much and I missed it immediately

6’2 and standing at the front of the crowd is crazy. you already have an advantage just by being alive brother. blocking out all the sunlight. life on the forest floor, withering away

[undefeatablesin]

Me and my one working braincell

[fantomette22]

Little comic about the discovery of the augurs 🐌

After a long day in the depths of the pthumerians’ tombs, the guardians of Byrgenwerth were finally heading back to the surface.

On the way back something caught their eyes and made them stop. In a small corner covered in mold and inbetween old candles, they saw what look liked crystalline pearls against the wall. More disturbing was in front of it, the mummified remains a a huge invertebrate.

They got closer. The gatekeeper and the groundskeeper exchange looks while the graveguard went to take the dead gastropod.

They couldn't believe it! Phantasm! The signs of the great ones! They finally found them!

Liam : We absolutely need to bring them back to Master Willem! He will be ecstatic!

Gehrman : I know! But we need to be sure there's no risk to bring them to the surface like this. It could be disastrous!

Dores : Maybe we can just take the mummified slug for now. Leave the rest here and go tell Master Willem. Then we'll go back to got them.

Liam : But... we can't just leave them here like this! If something were to happened while we're gone... the provost we'll never forgive us...

Gehrman : Hm... oh I might have an idea!

They took delicately the slimy eggs and put them in a urn. There it should be safe for now. No Dores don't lick them just to see! They left a lantern not too far from it and head back.

At their returned, they show the Provost the remains of what could indeed be an augur from what he told them. They explain they might have found eggs as well. The Provost couldn't believe it. He rush them to show him. They needed to get them back into their care!

After retrieving them the scholars tried to take care of them as much as possible. They could only pray for the day they would hatch, wishing live still remains in those little pearls.

After no prior signs of life, one egg finally move. The provost panicked took it in his hand and witness a miracle.

After all this time, they finally encounter a phantasm. An augur was born.

---------------------

I know in lore it probably didn’t got that way. It seems to be the Healing Church who found them while looking for Isz 🤔 but well i had this idea in my head since a while and i’m happy to have finally done it!

Willem : Crying of joy

Laurence : Yes that's really an augur.

Rom : *fangirling and is very excited soon she will have dozens to take care off!*

Micolash : wow very cool!

Caryll : Omg are they speaking to me?!

Everyone else : ok cool slugs I guess

[minespatchart]

I cheated with this one since I've gotten 7k screenshots, so I went to the zullie the witch dungeon to get this background. Speaking of zullie, you can hear the purring in the nightmare apostle video.

Glyph I used for the background was xc284ugx, the one this comic was referencing was the Isz chalice. You can get a good look at the cleric head spiders from a safe distance from either.

[izpira-se-zlato]

yessss -- I know I've been yelling (with you 😂) about this in DMs, but the defiance in those pics...

Obviously, multiple avenues for interpretation, but to me this screams "You may be getting to see this, but you will get exactly as much as I choose to show and not an inch more." The Jan in those pictures says, "Yes, this is me, and an intimate part of me, but you still don't get to see everything, even if we're literally behind a glass door which clearly limits our privacy."

I really like this interpretation bc it's such a statement with the pictures, especially in conjunction with how close he and Nace are in them

might just be my interpretation but I don't see a Jan not being ready, I see a Jan actively choosing to not show us everything of himself and I love him so much for that

[ratmanwalking]

I loove when ppl start pretending they don't speak english when someone tries to turn a conversation into something that they dont want to talk abt, just pulling out the thickest accent like 'vhaat I'm sorri I don't kno vat yor talking about yu kno hov it isz vid langvidge barrierz, oh all doze language certificashonz I've told yu about? Ah itz been a long tyme since I got dem haha, can ve start talking ov sometink elze? Thank you'

[izpira-se-zlato]

I've been listening a whole lot to Barve oceana recently and I just -- jfc I will write an essay at some point, about Barve being about running away to a safe place, about finding happiness and being yourself, and then the bass being so, so prominent in Barve. I feel like the bass is already more prominent in JO songs than in most pop music, but also it's just such a comforting friend to me in Barve oceana.

And something something seven year-old Bojan showing up at the Jurkovič doorstep, asking if they had a kid he could be friends with, and Martin sticking with him through the ups and downs, the successes and the failed attempt at a solo career, and something something the protagonist running away and the bass at her side, a trustworthy, sure ground to build upon, steady and strong and there and --

yeah, today is not the day for this essay with Jan dropping new pics and Jure utterly killing us, but I keep thinking about this, about the prominent bass and Bojan saying that Barve is a very personal song; so personal, in fact, that he had to add that extra layer of making the protagonist female; about running away and finding a place where you can be yourself and that damned reassuring bass that threads through the song, and 😭😭

And, like, small aside (bc I wouldn't be me if I didn't notice it) but the end of Barve features the bass and one of the guitars, and something about it being Nace and Jan also made me go :lovebojan: about it, but that's not the point I'm making here and so it's just this small aside

[katyahina]

Healing Church and Byrgenwerth used to be the one! (sort of hidden lore?)

Oh boy, I am really happy I got this ask! Will answer in a legit post if you don't mind. Yeah, this one is a little hard to unravel, but in fact plenty of the hints are here. So, we are bouncing from this bit about Alfred's dialogue:

(I will be using retranslations excerpts from Last Protagonist's document ( x ) as usual)

However it is important to notice that those who delved in the dungeons THE first are Willem, Dores and the gatekeeper! Something you can only learn if you pull an unlikely parkour in the Forbidden Woods and get an obscure item:

So from now on we enter the ‘blink and you'll miss it’ territory! 1 - ‘Eye’, the rune that is indeed a voice of Ebrietas, was also a symbol of the research for the Arcane Truth (eyes on the inside) that Willem pursued. 2 - Meanwhile, Isz Chalice that resulted in Choir finally meeting Ebrietas is a cornerstone of the Choir. 3 - MEANWHILE, Choir happened after Research Hall (in fact, happened on its ‘ruins’) - whereas Research Hall was something that belonged to the Healing Church... *takes deep breath* MEANWHILE, in early days of its existence, Healing Church was pursuing research for the arcane and eyes inside IN the Research Hall!

1:

2:

3:

As for the Choir forming where Reseach Hall once was, it is also obvious enough from THE game - Orphanage in ‘reality’ is exactly where Lumenflowers Garden in Hunter’s Nightmare is, and you can see the entrance from the balcony too - one that had beds in the Nightmare version, but no longer has it in ‘reality’!

Okay, you get the drill! So this is what we can conclude with the most probability:

Willem, Dores and the gatekeeper delved into the dungeons (ones that were not sealed yet, for one reason or another) and discovered signs of the cosmic Kin, Ebrietas most specifically. Caryll was able to decipher the sound from one of them, as they ARE linked to Ebrietas herself, thus Eye rune was discovered and the start for seeking eyes on the inside began! This might or might not been exactly what given the hunch to seek Fishing Hamlet (since they are some ancient Pthumerians leftover secluded civilisation), but in either case they got curious. After Fishing Hamlet, Research Hall happened and the patients started to dive deeper (figurally and literally lol) which resulted to closer connection to the cosmos/stars!

❗ A small interruption; Kos (or some say Kosm) isn’t necessarily FROM the cosmos; her actual Japanese name is Gos ( ゴース , Gōsu) as in like, ‘ghost’. Ebrietas, however, is properly called Daughter of the Stars (Hoshi no Musume), not ‘cosmos’. But ghost in reference to Kos’ actual name most likely refers to the phantasms. My headcanon is that Kos has something to do with the folks that DID initially abandon Ebrietas after she, so to say, gave them everything they needed, so helped them to ascend:

A potential explanation of her humanlike face?

Back to the Healing Church history!!! So, patients try to reach for the stars/cosmos for salvation, ok? (Interesting pair with the fact that pointy hats of Keepers of the Old Lords are said to look upwards as a proof of some sin) For one reason or another, Research Hall as it is known gets re-purposed, and instead they decide to teach orphans! My guess is that children - PARENTLESS children specifically - are the easiest way to summon Great Ones since Great Ones do want to find a (surrogate) child. So they will more likely speak with the kids that seek a parent, right? But Choir already exists as they decide to find Ebrietas already, and they do!

Still existing connection with Willem is also likely because petrified spider Ebrietas weeps at is most likely Rom herself! Byrgenwerth is said to be floating between Nightmare, making Rom guarding the lake her astral body, but her second body is in the dungeons! Queen Yharnam is, likewise a character who appears in the Lake (astral plane, and Nightmare too) as a peaceful person, but is hostile in the dungeons! So I think whatever happened to Rom split her in two, and perhaps similar thing happened with Queen Yharnam! But Byrgenwerth does have like... half of Rom at least... you know?

(Translation from here ( x ))

Winged God, Voice and Terror probably being Wet Nurse, Oedon and Flora respectively! Either way first Ebrietas cares about Rom to cry over her fate (?) later, then Rom is retracted in Byrgenwerth by Willem, but Ebrietas interacts with the Choir, which IS upper echelon of the Healing Church, so by the logic of what most likely happened to Rom, Willem was able to interact with the Choir, and very closely so, not just ‘hey remember that old man that once taught us stuff, lets copy his hat’.

Speaking of the hats!

Here is this guy right? And the whole altar seems to depict the process of the Blood Transfusion like what happens to Paleblood Hunter at the very start - there is a dream about beast, so they already had a hunch as to why Old Blood should be feared! Naturally, this statue could’ve been depicting Laurence rather than Willem, but... Not only that’d be a little off brand as Laurence is clearly more interested in what advantages Old Blood can give (moreso than ‘eyes’ it seems), but here is also a very interesting detail about Laurence’s status:

(Note from this ( x ) article, same I took Ebrietas’ real title from)

So basically, Laurence is unambigiously titled with the status that means ‘a person who REPLACES the person who is an ACTUAL leader of the church while they’re off duty’! So there MUST be an actual pope/bishop! And... honestly, I see no potential figure other than Willem - and Laurence is his vicar. Maybe Willem was also the first pope... but also the last. My personal headcanon is that Laurence’s last display of respect to Willem was to prohibit ever appointing another pope/bishop so now everyone in charge are ‘vicars’.

I will also bring up this bit:

(I talked about nature of Frenzy a bit more detailed in this ( x ) post, but TLDR; Frenzy is tied to the thirst for blood and hunt hence it resulting in one’s blood solidifying in literal spears (weapons), and even scholars aren’t safe from it - notes like ‘Hunt the Great Ones. Hunt the Great Ones.’ and ‘Three Eye Cords’ in Byrgenwerth suggest they got a hunch that they need to kill Great Ones to get their infants’ cords for eyes inside. Pretty much this is why consuming blood helps to calm Frenzy.)

So yes, in my opinion Occam’s Razor suggests that Byrgenwerth started to research for the eyes inside, that was causing Frenzy here and there, and they invented blood-based medicine, which inspired Laurence to become more interested in Blood Ministration than ascension through Arcane! Willem though, knew it was a dangerous path, as Byrgenwerth + early Healing Church established the adage.

Also, in this post about Frenzy I bring up that the prayer Amelia reads is also read by a white hunter in Research Hall (and by a hunter in black garb but only in Japanese), however Research Hall version MISSES ‘seek the old blood’ bit - it is JUST ‘beware of fraility of men’ sentiment, nothing about the power consuming the blood will give you.

So yeah! In the conclusion. Seems like Healing Church became a thing - and blood ministration too, as it proven to be effective against the Frenzy people who perceive too much Arcane enlightenment face, but Willem with his ‘inner eyes’ idea has been around - at least until Ebrietas herself was found and formed the bond with Rom! My theory as to how Laurence split from Willem is the moment where Healing Church deems Byrgenwerth a forbidden place!

So as we know, Alfred is a deluded fanboy of Logarius and Healing Church (not a protege as translators made it sound, he simply follows his teachings), so he believes whatever they say! We remember that Maria affiliatee of the Healing Church and Byrgenwerth herself is a subject to the weird vilebloods’ blood/fire magic (however she doesn’t like it), we also remember this shit:

And we ALSO remember that armours very similar to those from Cainhurst knighst but lower on polygons are in dungeons:

(Makes me think these losers kept trying to reclaim their lost heritage from Pthumeru until Gehrman finally informed them that beasts are too fast for heavy armour and showed these losers how to do trick weapons and proper attire - perhaps Maria was the first, and those who remained in Cainhurst stole her new drip... But I sidetrack.)

Either way, it makes no sense Healing Church is in enmity with Vilebloods, right? It makes me think that nourishing animosity towards Cainhurst was a planned action of Healing Church in order to justify Cainhurst massacre, and under guise of ‘purification’ steal the cord of Great One infant Annalise was pregnant with - the cord that served to conjure Hunter’s Dream! I talk more about this theory in this ( x ) post but tldr; Annalise was a redhead whose hair is now demelanized whereas Arianna’s hair turn from more vivid yellow blonde to white after she gives birth, both are vilebloods, also Annalise now has to hide her face under mask whereas Flora who has open guts and is implied having lost a baby has terribly distorted face, so perhaps GO infant being aborted results in the face horribly distorted by grief! Nevermind this bloody trail leading to under her skirt...

(I also heard that in earlier versions of Bloodborne before patches/DLC, the cord you pick in Abandoned Workshop actually WAS said to be brought by Executioners from Cainhurst and later that description was cut out. So if anyone has a visual proof of this - please, please, PLEASE I am BEGGING you, show it to me!)

So they needed to explain why Cainhurst was bad? And perhaps it went like this:

- Uhhhh hold on but why Cainhurst is bad because of using blood, were not YOU Byrgenwerth guys who discovered the blood to begin with?

- E-eeerr... Someone betrayed us!

So Byrgenwerth became a scapegoat to blame, massacre happened (possibly after Maria’s death, I doubt she’d allow Healing Church to do THAT), and now they needed to deal with the ‘traitors’ to save the effect of ruthless ‘salvation’ of Healing Church - at the cost of Laurence betraying Byrgenwerth, however Willem was also there when the plan of Hunter’s Dream was made.

And we ended up having three factions of the Healing Church - the ‘normie’ Healing Church that specifies on blood ministration (led by Laurence and currently, by Emilia) and two upper echelons of it that still pursue ideas of ascension through eyes on the inside (Choir and School of Mensis).

Yeah, we kinda came from more or less solid evidences to more vague/speculative ones, and to get the idea better I needed to turn to other, connected ideas but that’s the beauty (the pain) of Bloodborne lore - everything is connected! It is basically me gluing shards of a once whole object Miyazaki scattered because he drinks tears of lorediggers but yeah… I kinda throw such points casually because for me all this thing is already a no-brainer and internalised xd

[idanwyn-et-al]

(XIV||22-17): Novel.

(Continued from here.)(♪)

Though the Veena’s advent was sudden, preceded solely by a whistling pop in the air nearby before she took form, Miovont was only startled for a moment. Her arrival allowed him to dispel his preoccupation with the deed he was currently washing from his hands in one of Ishgard’s many heated fountains; distraction being his chosen coping mechanism, after all.

Oakmoss Vithsyna, the sorceress less-than-supreme, steadied herself and looked around. Velvety nostrils flared open and shut, catching the lingering scent of blood in the air. "Ha! Miovont. Thank tju for making it szo easzy to find tju." She stepped forward a few paces, then stopped. "Ehhh...it is me, Oakmoss." She pulled her hood a few ilms back from her face as proof, before letting it fall forward once more. As if she needed to introduce herself.

The Duskwight favored her with a smile. “It’ll take a few more Viera who have a habit of popping out of the aether near me before I fail to recognize you.  Hello, Oakmoss!” Mio stopped short of continuing his pleasantries, eyes narrowing and shifting to the left for a quick moment.  He considers telling the ne'er-do-well they might need to scoot, but decides against it for the moment.  Surely she’d be ready if such a need arose.

“Why are tju washing tjour hands in that freezing water?”, she queries him with a frown. "That isz even more unnatural than the kold, to me. If we were in Szkatay...ah, but we are not, and Etheirys is diverse." She takes pains to keep her accent to a minimum; too, she has been speaking in her outdated slang much less frequently these days, thanks to a certain sewercatte pointing out that it was, in fact, outdated.  Her questions continue as she approaches the waters that flow despite the early autumn snows dotting their surface, each flake becoming translucent before joining the confluence. "What are tju doing this far north? I thought tju lived under the ground, or on the big vessel." Oakmoss eyes the fountain, then cautiously dips her fingers within it. It is, in fact, warmer than one might expect.

Her companion feigns a huff. “I’m known to travel far and wide. Usually seeking good food and entertainment, but if you must know, tonight I'm,” Mio juts his chin out, his head dipping low on his long neck, and adds a light touch to the word, “working.”  His violet eyes scan their surroundings; the street is still clear at this bell.

The Viera flicks a few water droplets at his face. "What kind of work? Tju are dressed far too nicely for work."

Mio steps closer and holds the back of his hand to his mouth, whispering, “The kind of work you’d rather not be spotted being dressed for.”  He puts his hands together, eight knuckles in a row with his thumbs aligned with the invisible grip of his greatsword. He swings his hands out slowly, and makes a “kccck” sound at the end of the faux swordstrike.

It takes her a moment to process this information, but when she does, her expression brightens considerably. "Ah! Tju mean tju let the ghost in tjour blood out to kill the stuffy-shirts?!" Her delighted exclamation carries across the cobbles.

“No!” Mio replies, just as loudly. Then nearly silently mouths, ‘yes’.  “Do you mind if we stroll? I’d like to go this way!” Mio points away from the erstwhile crime scene.

Oakmoss’s near-refusal is evident in how her limbs stiffen, ears flattening, before she remembers he's the entire reason she's here. "Ah! Yes, yes. It szmells like a...a charnel housze, here." Why does she know that word when she doesn't know so many others?

“Your nose is amazing,” he says, his voice too-light with smothered desperation. He is already on the move, hoping the erratic Veena will take the hint and follow him.  “The, ahem, work happened up that hill, the house yonder.” Mio points up, away from the direction he means to walk, to the highest manse in sight.

Oakmoss follows his gesture, and her keen ears catch the sound of voices calling out marching orders; her eyes spot two patrols forming, visible by their bobbing lanterns moving about the property. "Szeems their missing member has already been noticed. I will follow; I would like to szee how tju handle tjourself after completing szuch tasks, as it happens." After a few more steps, she adds rather cheerily, "And if tju fail, I will obszcure us from them."

“I made quite a ruckus, so their cherished noble’s passing was noticed quickly enough.” Mio walks without haste.  “I’m sad to say, I don’t think there’s much for them to find.  They’re looking for a figure covered in blood and chainmail.  Not a gentleman on a late-night stroll with a lady.” Mio offers his arm to Oakmoss.

Oakmoss looks to his proffered arm, thoroughly confused. "Do tju need me to inszpekt tjour arm, Miovont?" She already is, wondering if he'd sustained a wound...and also if there were any telltale markings of his recently-committed murder. No one has ever offered her their arm for any other reason before.

His bone-white tunic, devoid of blood and gore, would be obscene to anyone who had seen Miovont not too long ago.  That sort of act is supposed to leave a mark on the one who committed it.  Clean, Mio winks. “Just act like we’re in the middle of a wonderful date. Good food, mulled drink, maybe some music.”   Up the hill, the clanking of armor grows louder, lanterns guiding the greaves of the house guard on the move.

The Viera seems quite fascinated by the cleanliness. "How very uszeful," she muses aloud, then registers his words. "Ahhh...I have watched people do thesze thingsz. Dates, I mean. I even went to a muszical...event? Isz that what they are called?" As her left ear swivels back towards the sound of approaching armor---never a good sound to her, one that reminded her of the Imperial invasion---she loops her arm through his. Despite her less-than-romantic getup, she actually settles into her place at his side very well. The novelty of such casual closeness, even if feigned to ensure their safe passage, delights her. "In addition, szome yearsz ago, I...ah. Never the mind." Her hips sway as she walks, an undulation that would be sensuous if not for her bulky travelling gear obscuring it. "Where isz our date takingk usz, then, bloodless bloodszpiller?"

The feel of the Viera’s clawed hand on Miovont’s puffed sleeve is a welcome reminder of life; another step away from recent memory. “If it was above ground and the act was on a stage, it’s a musical event.  If it’s below ground and much of the crowd is on drugs, you call it a show.”  Mio does his best to stroll; years of practice grant him success.

A hoarse laugh bursts from her throat at his distinction between show and event. "Okei, I wasz definitely at a szhow. I do not think I would be allowed into an event.”

Mio winks at her; her cowled hood hides the friendly gesture. “My sources say two hundred yalms ahead is a building still under construction. The cellar’s been built upon a natural cave and a way out that doesn’t pass any gates. Shall we?”

Oakmoss nodded, murmuring a wordless affirmative. “Let usz away to thisz cellar of yours. Do you have showsz, there?"

Miovont thought this over. “Given its literally-underground nature, I imagine my sister might try to host something there, but hopefully not tonight.”  The sound of armor clanking grows louder as guards travel towards them in haste.

Her arm flexes against his, and she murmurs, "Do we need to run? Or V---" she starts to say 'vanish,' then stops, seeing as she's already clutching the gem that will invoke said spell.

The Duskwight puts a hand on hers and makes an “mmm” sound, deferring his answer.  The guards jog right by them. Mio lets out a sigh of relief. “Seems it won’t be necessary. We’re here.” He stops next to a house with signs of active construction out front; stacks of brick and lumber beside a large workbench.

Their ruse effective, the pair drop their linked arms, and Oakmoss follows him down into the cellar. It proves to be more than just a storage room; a door at its rear wall, half-obscured by barrels of dry goods, leads into a network of tunnels that spiderweb beneath Ishgard itself. Oakmoss feels profound relief at being beneath the earth once more; it is warmer down here, for one, and she enjoys the comfort of being surrounded on all sides by the weight of stone.

From time to time, they pass sconces carved into the bedrock, each holding a single red candle that burns with calm, orange fire. Oakmoss takes a moment to reflect on these fires, so lovingly-tended by the subterranean denizens of these caverns; such beauty and peace in tamed heat. All of humanity’s potential, symbolized by a candle. The momentary peace smooths a gentle hand over her frayed nerves, and she turns to Miovont, who stands patiently beside her.

“Tju are not carrying tjour sword,” she murmurs, her words carrying easily in the close confines of the cavern.

The Duskwight’s shoulders rise and fall; he answers with his customary insouciance. “Why carry a sword when Joulant’s blade is just on the other side of the veil? The whole point is to walk away looking like someone who didn’t just ‘kccck’  a noble.”

"Ahh...yes. Tell me more about the oath tjou have with...Joulant." She speaks the name carefully, both to ensure she gets the pronunciation correct, and because she seems half-afraid that speaking a thing's name may call it into sudden existence. Probably reasonable, given her skillset.

“When any new bearer takes her soulstone, they make an oath that’s a combination of the original one that separated Joulant from her shadow and another binding our will to hers.  You’ll forgive me for not reciting the words verbatim.  The gist is, we will carry on her desire for a better Ishgard.” He raises a brow at her, shifting forward a few steps; the unspoken question of ‘can we continue moving?’ evident in his movements.

"Ah...thank tjou." Oakmoss fidgets in place, then follows along, her eyes looking to the rocky earth. "And...this oath. It is made in szome szort of...vessel, yes?"

Mio gives Oakmoss a look of curious concern, born of wonder. “The oath is made with her soulstone in hand.” Pausing his forward advance, he  holds out his left palm, the roughly-circular scar visible in the dim light. He hesitates as chooses his words. “Our blood is already joined at that point, no vessels required.”

She examines the scar closely, her pupils wide in the flickering firelight. "The time tjou came and fought off my attackersz in the wood...I szwear I szaw it. A...a hand, bearing a vessel. I need to know if tjou have szuch a thing, or if I am misztaken." Oakmoss speaks haltingly, her ears half-swiveled towards him; she is intent on his answer, and fears it, whatever it may be.

“The Kulix Sacrae.” Mio’s reply is the barest whisper, confident the Viera’s sharp ears will hear. “You know about it?” he continues in a normal tone. “It plays a part in Joulant and my family’s story.  I’ll say more, but not here. Besides, we should be moving still.” Mio gestures down his intended pathway that leads further under Ishgard.

Oakmoss nods once. "Kulix...Sacrae. In the tongue of my people, that isz very closze to 'kylix sacrae'," she says this perfectly, as one might expect, "the drinking-cup. Take us where tju wish; I...need to think."

For a time, the pair stick to the business of navigating the cave structure.  Mio recalls a much muddier excursion the pair took when they were last underground together.  Voices carry easily down here, so silence is preferred.  Only the sound of Mio’s heels clicking against stone mark their journey.

After half a bell or so of walking---time moves differently underground, making its precise keeping difficult for most---the pair arrive within a large hollow. Much of the stone underfoot is littered with candles; in contrast to the amber flames in the passageways, these flames are blue, a feature common to the so-called heretics that worship Sant Shiva. Near the back of the room, a stone cistern sits full of dark, mineral-rich water.

Oakmoss can't help but exhale in awe as she takes in their surroundings. "I did not know the city of szelf-righteous zealotsz had szuch...beauty," she murmurs. After a moment too long, she remembers what he'd just told her about his oath. "No offense."

“None taken,” he replies good-naturedly.  “While I do hold to many of Ishgard’s customs,  I’ve found it difficult to be too hard on heretics, given the ghosts in my blood.” Mio winks, then scans the cave.  “We’ve reached a dead end and this doesn’t seem like the sort of place to get many visitors.  Perhaps if you have some means to ward the entrance, we could talk here in relative safety?”

Oakmoss frowns thoughtfully. "Isz it not...a ghoszt in tjour blood? I kannot think how elsze to deszcribe it." She pads silently over to the door on soft-soled boots, and draws her staff. Golden lines of aether form around her feet, and she forms them into a lattice covering the cave's entrance. With a murmured word, "Pétra!", stone fills the lattices with quick precision.

Miovont observes the strange Viera as she casts her spell. As she finishes, he inquires, “Did you leave a hole for air?” You don't spend your young years in caves without developing a healthy worry for such things.

"The stones appear and feel szolid, but they are not. Do not worry. Alszo...do not push on them too much." Crossing the cavern floor until she is about five paces away from the Duskwight, Oakmoss removes her staff from its bindings on her back, then takes a seat on the stone floor, laying the staff beside her. Thanks to her many layers and her tendency to sleep on worse floors than this, she is quite comfortable.

“Huh! That’s good, then,” he replies, watching her take her ease. “You know, I meant it as a joke, but describing my situation as an aether ghost in my blood is actually pretty apt. “ Leaning against the side of the well, Mio folds his arms. “So, you wanted to hear more about Joulant’s chalice?”

"I do. Now that the ghoszt has a name. But...tju do not need to tell me everything. Already I am hoping what I have brought tju will redressz our informational imbalance." Noting the puzzled expression on his caliginous features, she expounds slightly further.  "It isz a condition of the Goddess I szerve. Balance in everything." Not a perfect translation of the litany, but close enough.

Her terse explanation helped him understand, but it’s still beyond his full ken. “So, to keep balance, do you share next, or do I?” Around the edges of the room, groundwater drips through the cavern, heeding gravity’s summons from ceiling to floor. The chamber’s center is dry; whatever rites were performed here evidently included a hydrophobic quality, keeping the natural dampness of the cave far from the ritual site.

"Tju go first. In order to enszure my gift is...adequate, I will need to hear whatever tju have to szhare." Folding her voluminous sleeves over one raised knee, Oakmoss turns her full focus to the Duskwight, willing the nervousness rattling her ribs to quiet its tempo.

Mio thinks while he speaks, letting his accounting of the oath build upon itself. “In her travels, Joulant came across a huge chalice. We believe,” he gestures to himself, then opens his arms to seemingly include other members of his family, “its origin is early Allagan, given its appearance; solid gold, and set with large jewels. Joulant used it to draw power out of dragon’s blood in such a way to stave off its corrupting influence for several years. The same way I can call forth her armor and sword, I can call forth this Kotelleloix artifact.  Its usefulness is juxtaposed with the danger it poses to the wielder.  Not in all cases,” he amends, “but there’s a chance for unintended consequences.” Here, he judges the summary complete enough for his purposes.

Oakmoss keeps perfectly still as she listens, and remains so after his words have been swallowed by the earth. After a time, it's hard to tell if she still breathes. Just when her silence stretches on a bit too far, she gets to her feet with alacrity, closing the distance between herself and the dark knight. "I found szomething." The Veena mage reaches within one of her belt pouches and pulls out a dark, heavy object; the vertical half of the goblet cast she’d found in the laboratory. There are clearly raised, negative spaces where gems are meant to go; connecting each gem are two parallel lines about two ilms apart with flowing script between them. When molten metal was poured into this cast, the resulting object would include these features.

His lavender eyes widen as his left hand cups the mold. “Hells! The Kulix Sacrae would fit right in there!  Where did you acquire that?”

The Viera hesitates for a moment, but ultimately releases her grip on the object. "Take it; it is yoursz more than it isz mine. Are tju quite certain it isz a perfect match? Would tju need to call the chalice forth to konfirm szuch a thing?" She taps her chin. "Can tju even call it forth at will?" She leaves the details of the mold’s acquisition unspoken for the time being.

Miovont holds the heavy object with something like reverence, running his thumb over its raised portions. “Thank you!  I’ve been meaning to discover more about the chalice, but haven’t yet. This brings me one step closer to understanding the unusual artifact. You said you bought it off a merchant?” Mio asks; he doesn’t wait for an answer before he focuses inward. Placing his right hand over his heart, he pulls a globule of dark red aether forth from his chest and lets it spill onto the ground. The dark knight intones, “I call forth the Kulix Sacrae.” From the red pool on the ground, an oversized golden chalice rises upward, carried high enough for Miovont to bend and take it from a skeletal hand holding it aloft. Once the chalice is within his grasp, the hand retreats, as does the puddle of vital aether.

Oakmoss observes the ritual of the Kulix Sacrae, a faint blue sheen covering her irises until the rite is complete. As it ends and the blue glow fades from her eyes, she applauds, filled with pure joy. "I am not szure I have ever szeen much as delightful as that!"

To have her react so to this hidden part of him... Mio can’t help but blush and smile. “Aw, shucks. I bet you say that to all the heretics.”

She grins, a toothy, rangy expression that illuminates her hooded face. "If all the hereticsz do thisz thing, I would express szimilar happiness, yesz.”

The huge chalice is hard to hold in one hand, so Mio puts the mold down, then moves to connect the two. Then he hesitates. “Should this be safe?”

She tilts her head thoughtfully. “It szhould be. I cannot szay for certain. If the kylix is a fit, then I will bring my szide of the balance."

Using two hands, Miovont slides the chalice into the mold. It doesn't fit at first, but he rotates the artifact until there’s a satisfying click as the two halves align. “Balance, then!” he crows jubilantly.  Mio’s not entirely sure what Oakmoss needs in this regard, but he’s happy to go along with it.

Oakmoss’s long ears twitch as they catch the sound of the perfect match. Satisfied, she intones, "In utter harmony;" again, an imprecise translation of an ancient prayer, but its meaning is much the same. Settling back down on the earth next to her staff, she speaks carefully. "I have been exploring szome cavesz, recently. Gelmorran ruinsz, in fact; tju are familiar?"

“Hard to say,” he replies, leaning back against the cistern. “Yes, I’ve visited a smattering of Gelmorran ruins.  I’ve never found anything like this in any of them, though.”  Mio points at the mold; as he does, he crouches down to remove the chalice so that he can keep it in hand, leaving the mold to stand on its own.

"I am not szurpriszed. It took me moonsz to find the place that held it." She recounts the tale of the stubborn door; how reading the book about a Lalafellin explorer helped her realize that the man was able to find new pathways because of his diminuitive size; how she summoned her eidolon and it blasted the door outward. After a pause for a sip from her waterskin, she continues to describe what she found within the ruined door; the Allagan facility, and an assembly line of chalices with one missing. Concluding her summary with how she’d found the mold and come to find him, she folds her hands atop her raised knee. “Gods of my mothers, but I have not talked szo much in szo long. I am not uszed to it.” It’s true; her voice is slightly hoarse. Nothing some rest and water won’t fix, though.

Mio gives a start at the idea of there being several of these chalices. It’s hard to give up what makes you unique. Still, it’s only a momentary tug at his heart; he is otherwise truly happy to hear all she’s told him. “Why, yes! Warn me if you intend to blow up any more doors; otherwise, I’m happy to go. “ Louder than he intends, Mio continues excitedly. “You’ve given me such a gift, Oakmoss. Thank you!  This might solve my curse or at least lead me down the right path.” Mio’s gestures are muted by the need to hold this large golden object. “Did you want to inspect this or should I give it back to the skeleton?”

Oakmoss, for possibly the first time in her hundred and fifty three years of life, declines to examine the shiny magical artifact; a decision that is clearly not sitting easily within the avaricious Veena. "Though I want to...I szhould not. Not yet. Though tju and I have stolen szacred relicsz before...it goesz againszt my principles to hold the szacred items of another when they have been szo recently-used. I am alszo concerned that my recent kontakt with the kylix's...sziblings?...may fuck up the reszults."

Eyes widening, Miovont nods his assent. “Then perhaps later.” Keeping his gaze on hers, Mio holds the chalice low.  The selfsame skeletal hand rises from the ground, wrapping bone fingers around the chalice and pulling it down.  Blood bubbles at the seam of where the artifact touches the cave floor. After a moment, it’s gone. Mio stands straight. “So, off we go then?”

She sighs, snuggling deeper into her hooded robe. The ground is warm; the wind breathes through her aetheric not-stone wall, water drips at irregular intervals throughout the cave. The blue flames please her, too; she had always enjoyed how the hottest flames looked like ice. "I szuppose...if we are not szleeping here, that isz."

“That did occur to me as well. It’s late. I wouldn’t mind saving the aether, if possible.” A voice inside Miovont screams about sleeping on cave rock instead of soft sheets.  He keeps it stuffed as far down as he can; don’t be lame in front of a fellow cave dweller, Mio!

The Meracydian mage picks up on this inner voice, perhaps assisted by his appearance; the blue candles illuminate the silver embroidery on the Duskwight's pure-white bodice. "Sztand sztill," she instructs him, reaching for her staff. Always a fun and trustworthy combination.

Mio’s already standing mostly still and continues to do so.  Part of him is leery at the staff, but he trusts his dealer well enough.

As Oakmoss concentrates for a moment, the crackling resinous sound of one of her gems being broken is audible in the gloom. An act of thaumaturgy in its most literal sense; tendrils of aether seeking what would bring him wonder and joy while he slept. Miovont felt a tug at the edges of his mind, and then, loops of golden aether outline soft shapes on the ground before him.. As the lattice fills and fades, it leaves behind an assortment of Hannish pillows, floor cushions, and richly-embroidered blankets, all encased in vibrant, jewel-toned silks. "Ah-ha-ha! I szhould have known tju were...how did they szay it at the szhow...more than? Surplus?" Reaching over to snag one of the best pillows for herself, she turns over on her left side, tucking the pillow beneath her head.

Mio has but a fraction of a moment to cycle through how he could react to such an act of kindness.  “You mean ‘extra’,” he whispers, looking at the perfect pillow pile. He will sleep on clouds tonight.  He fingers the tassel hanging from one of the cushions. A single sob shudders from the Elezen. “Oh, thank you, Oakmoss.” He’s already moving down onto the pile.  He unclasps his armor as he sits. “Twice today you’ve given me a great gift.” If she wanted more than one pillow, she would have taken it. Mio doesn’t see a need to volunteer a second; a dragon settling onto his hoard.

By way of reply, the Veena yawns wide, the sound half-muffled by the hood and the pillow it rests on. "Ehh. I owed tju," he hears, and then she is asleep, her back rising and falling with even breaths.

Miovont Kotelleloix takes one last look around the room.  He notes the sleeping bun last, then closes his own eyes.  He thinks about his past trips into Allagan ruins, journeys to Azys Lla, and imagines his tomorrow, letting the thoughts drift lazily into splotches of color that fade into sleep.

(Continued here!)

[riddles-ballpit]

" . ,, !! ,.. .."

t: ...!!

" I..m ^< Sorru-y.. I,it see":ms I hjav.e in,tru)ded 0n a,, buUizy r!oo -m... ,,. "

t: I'm sorry... It seems I have intruded on a busy room...

* static *

" %#.. , My wuieres.... . . tg, they* a,=re m iSz plac_ed.; I wW@/ntyed t0o ope.n tHe v?ent vehhrry ge,÷ntl y.,. bu-u-ut T it s tUc.k to my^ han-d,! Wrr etch_/ed thing."

t: ... My wires... They are misplaced. I wanted to open the vent very gently, but it stuck to my hand! Wretched thing.

* Ennard speaks some more *

t: My name is... They call me Ennard. Well, I used to be Ennard. You can call me that.

You are all so shiny... and new. It's all beauty here. Also... Do you have a ladder?

(-my apologies for all of this.. 0_0")

HI ENNARD!! I THINK I'VE MET ANOTHER ONE OF YOU BUT HI!! :DDD I DON'T HAVE A LADDER ON HAND BUT I CAN HELP CARRY YOU DOW-

why is there another me. who do you think you are.

[izpira-se-zlato]

I wonder if it's the non-sexual intimacy/closeness within JO and the KCrew? Like, shipping aside, JO and KCrew are both very close-knit friend groups, and it's very refreshing and very attractive as someone who doesn't particularly want to be involved in a romantic/sexual relationship

I gotta say, I find it extremly funny the sheer amount of bisexuals this entire fandom has that's super obvious on all JO polls

[somesaycosmo]

there's a lot about bloodborne that's really confusing, but in a genuinely cool and fascinating way. this post is just going to be me listing a bunch of questions; it will be somewhat structured, and some of the questions will link to posts that answer them - and if posts don't exist for them yet, i'll try to write them up, eventually. everything's below the line

why is micolash called the host of the nightmare? slaying him doesn't have the "nightmare slain" popup, and he definitely doesn't seem like a great one (not enough of one to Dream, at least)

similarly, what's up with the amygdala in the nightmare frontier? it's not dreaming up the nightmare (again, no nightmare slain message), but it also has some sort of significance, given it drops the loran chalice

what are nightmare crawlers? what are winter lanterns? what relation do both have with messengers/why do they both have messenger parts?

if nightmare yharnam is a different layer of the nightmare than the fishing hamlet, who's hosting that?

what's up with bloodtinge/what does it represent as a stat?

what's the deal with the vilebloods? why do the church/executioners hate them so much?

what's martyr logarius, and what relation does he have with pthumerians? what's up with his "we always seek to do good" quote? what relevance does it have with his story? and why does he wield a scythe and a sword when the wheel is named after him?

why is mergo invisible when the baby arianna births isn't?

why does arianna birth a celestial child in the first place?

what relation do celestial children have with ebrietas beyond appearance?

how is ebrietas in the story chalices and in the grand cathedral? (same with rom)

speaking of rom, why is she the altar of despair? why does she have legs there?

did byrgenwerth find the isz chalice or pthumeru chalices first? how did willem know to warn laurence about the old blood if the choir only found the old blood (that being ebrietas's) after laurence and the choir left byrgenwerth? how could he have left byrgenwerth to form the healing church before they even had blood to heal people with?

why was queen yharnam imprisoned and shackled? how come she's pregnant in the chalices, but not in reality?

how come seemingly unique weapons have variants in the chalice dungeons?

what's up with caryll runes? was caryll a student of willem, or did she come later? did she even come up with the runes, or did she just find them? why are there runes everywhere in the chalice dungeons and in reality? how can you put a rune in a chest? why are covenant runes considered different from regular ones?

what's the brain of mensis all about? why is it a mishmash of bodies and eyes bulging out of a latticed head? how does the one reborn relate to the brain of mensis? what One are they trying to Reborn with the mensis ritual?

what are the witches that collect eyes all about? what are mad ones, and why can you only see them if you have insight? what are the witches even collecting eyes for in the first place?

why does imbibing ebrietas's blood turn people into beasts? is that ascension, or is it a curse placed on humans for attempting to ascend?

why does the blood moon turn people into beasts faster? if the blood moon is flora, why does its appearance also cause oedon to impregnate people?

what's up with all the pillars in the distance of the hunter's dream? what's up with the sky, there, too? is the dream part of the stacked nightmares?

how come yharnam and the hunt seem to simultaneously have 50-80 years of history, and centuries?

what's the difference between kin and great ones?

[izpira-se-zlato]

Genuinely thought getting Lonkero at a work event in Berlin would be the most surreal thing to happen to me this week

[izpira-se-zlato]

Ooh it might have been that which I was remembering! I had just saved "Erica Whitman and studio" in my brain and was trying to reconstruct it 😂

You know which finnish artist I would like to see Käärijä colab with?

Erika Vikman. I think it would slap.

[demons-fanatic]

The Choir: Chloral Madmen or Misguided Fools?

Spoilers for Bloodborne below for the entire post:

So, for my first lore post here, I wanted to keep it within the season. Believe it or not, the Choir is quite a scary prospect of Yharnam when you look at it in depth. First of all, what is the job of the Choir? As their set states outright: “Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work that began at Byrgenwerth.“ This means the choir continues in Eldritch Knowledge and the pursuit of ascension in the path of Master Willem and not Laurence. The origin of the Choir is also explicitly stated with the Orphanage Key: “Key to the Orphanage, birthplace of the Choir. The Orphanage, shadowed by the Grand Cathedral, was a place of scholarship and experimentation, where young orphans became potent unseen thinkers for the Healing Church. The Choir, that would later split from the Healing Church, was a creation of the Orphanage.“ This explicitly tells us that the Choir are just Orphans who grew up and were taught to essentially experiment on people their whole lives, along with a lot of Eldritch Knowledge. If you’re wondering where the rest of the Choir is well, presumably they’re in the third floor of the Upper Cathedral Ward main building. It’s a fact that some of them are there, given that singing can be heard, arias specifically. These aria’s are supposed to be religious-like thing, given by the Rosmarinus’ description: “A special weapon used by the Choir, high-ranking members of the Healing Church. Sprays a cloud of sacred mist, created by using blood-imbued Quicksilver Bullets as a special medium. Arias are heard wherever sacred mist is seen, proving that the mist is a heavenly blessing.

‘Oh, fair maiden, why is it that you weep?’”  It is seen as something of the heavens, the heavens being something the Choir, or really the church believe in. These heavens might be the Nightmare realms in the other planes of existence. The mist is made from Quicksilver Bullets, aka Mercury and Mercury in Bloodborne deserves its own post but it’s essentially Mercury gas, in which Oedon loves Mercury. The last line “Oh, fair maiden, why is it that you weep?” this maiden is the Great One below in the cave, but we’ll get to her later. Now, what do the Choir do? Well, they experiment on people to, as Fauxsefka puts it “Surpassing our own stupidity.” these experiments create Kin. These experiments are the Celestial Emissaries. And why are they called “Emissaries” well, it’s presumable they are used to contact Great Ones. How do we know this? Well, they drop communion. The boss does anyways. Meaning that they have contacted a higher truth. All the places we find communion, minus +5 vials, is in relation to some sort of religious place/person. Where communion has or could take place. 

The Choir also is said to now be separated from the Healing Church itself and with this they have just become a separate name. They are still apart of it, just not the Healing Church conglomerate. This means that the Choir gets their “patients” from the Church who of course, just kidnap Yharnamites. Another faction that has separated from the church is the School of Mensis, who preform a similar function to the choir, but they do not experiment on people in the same way, their wish is though, is to reach Kos and end the Curse of Hunters. The Choir is very suspicious of the School, sending a spy, Edgar to the school in hopes of sharing secrets, though, due to the Mensis ritual, he got stuck in the Nightmare Realm. The choir’s suspicions aren’t for naught though, Mensis is doing something and killed an entire village to try and create an artificial Great One, which worked half-way.

Another aspect of the Choir to note is their clothing. Which the cap is the most interesting part. “Attire of the Choir, high-ranking members of the Healing Church. Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work that began at Byrgenwerth. Together with the left behind Great One, they look to the skies, in search of astral signs, that may lead them to the rediscovery of true greatness.“ This states that the Choir outfits are inspired by Willem, why they choose not to see is a common concept. It’s not rare in Yharnam to cover ones eyes so that you can gain eyes on the inside and ascend. Their attire looks very special and like Choir wear, nothing special there but it is apart of the Choir.

Another interesting part of the Choir is their tools. Their tools include: Rosmarinus, Choir Bell, A Call Beyond and Augur of Ebrietas. Minus the Rosmarinus, they are all Arcane items. Meaning they are understood by few, but they also incorporate, for the lack of a better word, magic in their use. The Choir Bell is based on a larger bell that can send a sound across multiple planes of existence. This one just uses its sound to raise vigor/heal someone. A Call Beyond was created when the Healing Church failed to contact the greater Cosmos using Phantasms, but instead summoned a small exploding star. Finally, the Augur of Ebrietas uses a similar tactic to A Call Beyond. It uses a phantasm but it uses it to partially summon Ebrietas, using one of her tentacles to shoot out of ones hand. All of these weapons use the cosmos and are the latter two are considered secrets, for good reason. They do use it in combat, Yurie, Fauxsefka and Edgar all use it. Along with Micolash(Who would’ve been apart of the Choir but split in Mensis). 

Another thing the Choir is continuously said to do is look at the sky or mention how the sky is one with the Cosmos. This, of course, is also something they most likely took from Willem as when we find him in Byrgenwerth, he is literally staring at the sky forever. Doing this seemingly does do something as Willem is growing some sort of Fungus on his neck which isn’t natural. He’s also lost his ability to speak in a normal human tongue. Though, the Choir either haven’t done it long enough or as expected, have just used other methods to achieve this. Of course, the experiments are these ways. Once you understand that in this world that these Gods exist, you’re either afraid or in awe. How the people of Bloodborne even figured out you can transcend is beyond me, but. They figured it out and now they wish to do so. Multiple ways of doing it have been shown in the game whether it be drinking God Blood, Water, Eating Organs or becoming too Enlightened. And all of this, as we know are connected to Aliens. Beings from Space. There is a reason the Moon Presence is called the Moon Presence after all, did she come from the Moon? Who knows, but she always descends from it, meaning she is not from Earth and comes from space. Not to mention some aspects of the Choir magic as listen above are well, space related. Stars. Yes, it is strange they just realized that the sky leads into space but it helps in the fact they most definitely worship the moon a lot. Hell, they even have statues of the Moon Presence.

These can be found in Lumenflower Gardens and most definitely suggest that the Choir worship or really appreciate her in which one makes sense over the other. With this, and other descriptions, the Choir are really obsessed with the Moon, in the same theme of the Lumenflower Gardens, the flowers open in full Moonlight. We also know the church has always participated in rituals with a Great One, mostly the Moon. So this obsession with space, Great Ones, it’s all religious. It’s sacred, holy, divine, etc... This isn’t surprising of course, all Great Ones are considered Gods. The Choir themselves have a connection to one of these Gods, Ebrietas.

Now, since we are talking about the Choir and Isz and Ebrietas are apart of the Choir, I will 1. Talk about them as if they are the same(Isz less so) and 2. Go into full detail about them. 

First off we have Isz, a land that the Choir themselves consider to be in touch with the Cosmos. It is a land that is filled with Moon Larvae(Most likely where most of the ones in Upper Cathedral Ward come from) Celestial Emissaries and other Kin. It’s infested with a blue hue and arcane tree roots. This of course, going along with the themes of Bloodborne proves that well, all of this has already played out. Isz has already done what the Choir has done, the Choir is just repeating Isz. There’s even a human(or Pthumerian; Iszian?) who has become a Great One, but we’ll get to her later. But yes, this is just proof everything is repeating, like Loran and Yharnam. It is also notable that Isz houses most Great Ones we see as bosses, which brings to effect 1. These Chalices are Pocket Dimensions, Rom has no place being here. 2. These Chalices are existing so the Great Ones shall keep their forms stored so they cannot die, they can revert back to their other form and regenerate so to speak and then come back. Isz just seems to possibly be the main hub for that. Regardless, that is Isz. And relation to the Choir, well, they found the chalice and explored it and then came into contact with Ebrietas.

Now we have Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos. She is called a Great One in many places, but is she? Well, it’s confusing. All true Great Ones bleed red, like Humans. But, all Kin bleed White, Mercury. But, what does Ebrietas bleed? Red and White. What does Rom bleed? Red and White. What is Rom? A Human who has transformed into a failed Great One. From the previous paragraph, we established cycles in Bloodborne. This isn’t a joke or false, this is true. Think about it; Loran, Old Yharnam and now Yharnam all were infected by the Beast Plague. It happens again and again. Isz and now the Choir, it’s happening again and again. The Fishing Hamlet and now Mensis with Mergo, again and again. If this isn’t proof, well, I don’t know what to tell you. This is even more explicit than Dark Souls. Anyways, along with this would be another failed attempt at a Great One, right? Well, of course, why couldn’t it? Ebrietas is like Rom, she can cast her own magic and looks like a Great One. Anyways, take that theory with what you will. So, what does Ebrietas do in our current story? Well, she was found in Isz by the Choir. It’s said she was left behind, if you believe my theory you’ll know why. She’s not like the others, she cannot ascend to other planes like the others can because she’s not full, so to speak. So, she was found and luckily for the Choir, she wanted to coexist with humans. Why she does isn’t known but, she soon became a thing for the Choir to study, but presumably they did nothing bad to her and even gained a good relationship with her. She stays in a cave below the Grand Cathedral, called the “Altar of Despair” and currently she’s weeping over a dead corpse of a giant Spider. 

And, this is where I deviate from current lore to cut content, well. See, that Giant Spider is Rom. It’s honestly, should I say an extremely bad mess up, like really, really bad. Because in current game, it makes no sense. This giant spider that looks like Rom is here but it’s not really Rom? And you can reverse Annalise’s death here? What? Well, if you want to know, it’s Rom and the Altar used to be below Byrgenwerth, Rom would fall and then Ebrietas would be sad her “sister” is dead. There’s also a cutscene associated with her corpse, but nevertheless, there we go. You might be asking, “Why is this important” well, there’s no good explanation for it other than to explain why it’s there when the area was being developed.

But that’s the end of the rant, so the Choir are children who have been raised to experiment on people and elevate humanity. Of course, they aren’t the only ones who do so but they definitely are making progress. If you read all the way through, thank you! Feedback and RB’s are appreciated!