#lunar shadows

[pryotra]

Having just reread all of First and Lunar Shadows, I have a question about LS's last chapter - more specifically, Nitocris. She says to Hakuno when they all think she's about to sacrifice herself that “I was scared too. That day, and I was sure nothing was waiting for me, but I’m sure someone will be there for you. The Great Ozymandias would be sure of it as well.” does that mean she knew Gilgamesh would save Hakuno, or that she thought Hakuno was going to end up in the Throne of Heroes for everything she'd done? Or is she talking about the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife? I really like the idea that Nitocris thought Hakuno would end up in the Throne after dying, cause let's be real she probably will!

It's a bit of a mix honestly. Nito was...pretty sure Gil was going to at least go in there with her, but she does think that Hakuno will probably be engraved after making the wish she did. Essentially she restarted a dying timeline and gave them the hope to continue. Even if only one person remembers that, and knows that it happened, it did happen, and it did matter.

So while she was pretty sure that Gil wasn't going to let things end that miserably, she was also sure that if she does die, her spirit will be engraved.

Thanks for asking!

[frosted-leaf]

moonpaw and the other moon cats

🌑 Moon Shadow

🌘 Moonpaw

🌗 Half Moon

🌖 Moonflower

🌕 Harveymoon

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Miquella vs Ranni: Loyalty and Love

SPOILERS FOR SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE UNDER THE CUT, BUT COME FOR MY THOUGHTS!

There are so many essays I could write, comparing Ranni and Miquella, but I'm going to contain myself and focus on the most important aspect of comparisons: how they treat the concepts of love and loyalty and the people who give that to them. Especially in light of Miquella's instant kill "Heart Steal" attack.

The thing about Miquella is, even though he's kind, even though he's compassionate, he DOES NOT VALUE love and loyalty. And why should he? It's always been given freely to him. He can just force someone to love him anyway, stealing their heart. So, the people who love him are disposable, treated like pawns. Malenia? Literally left to rot in the home they built together. Mohg? Turned into a glorified guard dog. Even Radahn, turned into his perfect consort.

And Miquella probably does love them, but his perception of love is completely skewed by the nature of the fact that EVERYONE loves him. It's something he just gets. Something he uses.

Compassion and love are Miquella's weapons. They're what he uses to protect himself. It's cheap, something he can get easily.

Now, compare that to Ranni.

For Ranni, love and loyalty are dangerous. She's seen how ruinous and terrible they can be. She's seen her mother's mind wither away, a consequence of Radagon breaking her heart. She's seen Radagon break Rennala's heart for his love of the Golden Order.

The only people who loved her unconditionally are Blaidd and Iji, and even Iji's more around out of loyalty to the House of Caria than love for Ranni.

That is to say, Ranni respects and understands the power of love more than Miquella ever could.

Think of how she tells you to leave her to her lonely path. Her engagement ring, engraved with a warning to stay away, that her destiny is cold and lonely. Ranni pushes people away for their own safety, and that makes her love all the more valuable.

Love, for Ranni, is something at once dangerous and precious. The despondent way she tells you, once you've defeated the Baleful Shadow, to tell Blaidd and Iji that she loves them. Ranni knows what their love has cost them. Knows what it has bought her. She respects love and is naturally wary of it.

And that's what makes it so valuable.

Miquella doesn't appreciate love, because he's always had it.

Ranni treasures it because she's always struggled with it.

God, I love this game.

[lulila-safu]

*sigh* now I have to tag all these people...

and I put godwyn with the radagon/ marika linage, but because I got used to draw him alongside messmer and malenia

[mac-tirs]

the usage of different types of english in elden ring

most human/tarnished NPCs we meet, like rogier, ansbach, and nepheli, use late modern english:

"a sorcerer, as you might have guessed. i'm looking for a little something, here in the castle. when i'm not hotfooting it from the troops, that is." - rogier, first meeting "general radahn. a pleasure to see you, after all this time. but those remains do not belong to you." - ansbach, upon summon for PCR

but older demigods like messmer, ranni, and morgott use early modern english:

"thou'rt tarnished, it seemeth. mother, wouldst thou truly lordship sanction, in one so bereft of light? yet… my purpose standeth unchanged." - messmer, pre-battle cutscene "thou needst not indulge them unduly, but they too wish to appraise thy worth. it hath been a passing long time since a newcomer entered my service, after all." - ranni, after agreeing to serve her

then there are the younger demigods, like miquella, malenia, and potentially melina, who use a later variant of modern english, similar to the tarnished NPCs we speak to:

"if we honour our part of the vow, promise me you'll be my consort. i'll make the world a gentler place." - miquella, post-PCR cutscene "the scarlet bloom flowers once more. you will witness true horror. now, rot!" - malenia, phase 2 transition cutscene

finally, the hornsent NPCs like the hornsent, hornsent grandam, and the hornsent spirits such as the one outside the whipping hut, who use late middle english similar to the english found in shakespeare's sonnets:

"fie, another? ... then, as that woman would surely say, we are in our purposes well aligned. but understand. your kind are not forgiven. the erdtree is my people's enemy. by marika long betray'd, set aflame." - hornsent, first meeting "all your resentment lingers yet... the raw stuff from which i shall surely forge a curse. upon the dastard messmer's head. upon marika's children each and all." - scorched ruins hornsent spirit

i find it interesting how different the usage of english is in the game, and i feel that it can be a hint on how to properly date an individual's occupation in the lands between/land of shadow. the hornsent, being a people much older than many in the lands between, use the most archaic version of english, while the tarnished and younger demigods use a form of english more closely related to our own in the current period. older demigods (and marika herself, as heard from melina's recounts of marika's spoken echoes) use a form of english more closely related to the period of transition from middle english to early modern english.

additionally, another interesting thing to me: mohg is almost certainly nearly the same age as morgott (since they're referred to as twins), yet he speaks a little differently compared to morgott:

"tarnished, thou'rt but a fool." - morgott, post-battle dialogue "dearest miquella. you must abide alone a while." - mohg, pre-battle cutscene

this makes me wonder if it's possible that, assuming that miquella's verbiage is indicative of his younger age in comparison to the older demigods (aka the demigods born before the marika/radagon union), miquella's charm altered mohg's perception enough to also alter his manner of speaking and carrying himself in some way. if his pursuit of finery (dressing in embroidered robes and handling himself with poise, juxtaposing his bestial growls and strength) was mainly done in an effort to fit into miquella's ideal of a consort. of course, mohg could just be as vain as he seems to be all on his own accord, but i find that it's interesting to entertain the idea that even his current state of being was due to miquella's charm.

i'd love to hear what others think about this. i'm not very learned when it comes to english (it's not really my first language), but i find this all very cool to think about.

[trashingfish]

[eirliss]

Ranni The Witch

Twitter | Instagram

[tikal-the-echidna]

I just discovered that the Japanese Sonic twitter does a thing called sonic pict where they post a piece of official artwork every so often (monthly?) and I’m in love <3

They’re gorgeous and such lovely little insights into the daily lives of some of these characters!

[miyaneatworld]

Shadow of the erdtree doodles

[pryotra]

Lunar Shadows is over. My extra arc is complete. This is such a weird feeling.

I'm excited to start on the new part of things, so I'm going to try to get a few things out faster.

My order of business is a few chapters of Rota and at least one or two of Fragments.

[shisasan]

[val-of-the-north]

Caria Manor at some point. Probably. Potentially.

[winter2468]

Demigods: how well they would do as a guest judge on Drag Race

Godrick: Thinks he knows where it's at but doesn't. Nobody is having a good time.

Godwyn: Just kind of boring. Thinks he can reclaim but can't.

Ranni: Oh, she knows what she's doing here. Sits very prim and quiet, only to deliver something savage. Understands the importance of memorable accessories.

Radahn: Like Ranni, he knows how to accessorise, but he's way too obnoxious.

Rykard: Unhinged, but understands the value of presentation. Flawless understanding of aesthetic, unfortunately the aesthetic involves eating people. I don't think the contestants are safe. Or the other judges.

Morgott: Catholic guilt. Bad. Bad at it. I don't think he'd even show up as a judge, he's too busy praying on his knees in the nearest church. Without a prayer cushion.

Mohg: Slays. In both senses of the word. This is a man who knows performance, knows fashion, knows presentation, knows how to leave an impression. He. Knows. What. He. Is. Talking. About.

Malenia: Doesn't really *get it*, but does at least have an appreciation of dancing and athletics. She has unrealistic expectations for how fast a person can vogue. We aren't all as fast as you, Malenia!

Miquella: Actually does okay as a judge. Not as good as he *thinks* he does, but not bad either.

Messmer: That cloak? Those boots? Those snakes? That presentation? Look at that man and tell me he wouldn't understand what makes a good drag show. Unfortunately he's homophobic.

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

*The final battle is here. Miquella and his puppet against the Tarnished*

*Puppet-Radahn seizes the Tarnished, lifting them up to Miquella. Miquella reaches forward for their heart*

Miquella: I promise you, a thousand year voyage, guided by-

*There's a blast of blue light, burning Miquella's hand and throwing the Tarnished from his grip. Astonished, Miquella looks up... and sees that the moon is somehow, impossibly, in the sky, shinning*

???: My apologies, dearest brother.

*there's a shimmering blue light as a figure appears behind where the Tarnished kneels*

Ranni: But their heart is not thine to steal.

Radahn, SOMETHING breaking through the brainwashing: Sis...ter?

*The Tarnished rises, eyes blazing behind their helm, the Darkmoon Greatsword shining with light. the place where their heart lies iss glowing with moonlight*

Ranni: My dear Consort, eternal. This is mine charge.

*Ranni rises above the battlefield, hovering above and behind the Tarnished, framed by the full moon's light, it's baleful eye turned on those who would be Gods and Consorts*

Ranni: Free mine brothers, Mohg and Radahn both. Strike now, my beloved.

*Miquella shakes his head sadly and tightens his grip on Radahn. The momentary clarity in Radahn's eyes fades, and he roars, summoning up his power. The Tarnished brandishes the Darkmoon Greatsword in one hand, the Carian Regal Scepter in the other, and the place over their heart shines with their Lady's love. Earned, not forced*

*The battle is joined once more, Purple and Blue, Gold and White. Sun and Moon. Ranni and Miquella*

[driften-sea-snake]

would the youtube essays of the demigods be more summary or analysis

messmer: for every three hours of analysis he has three hours of summarizing. but really, no one is listening for either. most of his audience learned about him through a podcast called "found a new guy." they delight in performing psychoanalysis on the various neuroses and sexual hang-ups that ooze through his bitter personality

godwyn: mostly summary, but it isn't on purpose since he doesn't really know the difference. there is no evidence that he owns a shirt

morgott: it's clear from his voice (he won't do a face reveal) that he finds it worthy of contempt that you even need the analysis explained. there's not really summary either, he just scolds you a lot

mohg: you're an hour into the video and somehow it feels like the intro is still going. surely the essay proper is about to arrive, any minute now,

radahn: it's really more like a blog where he meanders through what he did that day. he records them in his car; his sunglasses stay on the whole time. in "essay" #1,071 he casually revealed miquella has been in the passenger seat, just off-camera, every time

rykard: very well-edited essay, with only enough summary needed to understand his interesting ideas. however, it seems he brings up his opposition to circumcision whenever he can. he always pulls back on the verge of ranting, but it's clear this occupies a prominent recess in his brain

ranni: the analysis produced by her astute mind is far out of proportion to the limited production value. there are still 144p videos? it's really just some unrelated video game footage while she talks. if anything, some additional context to her thoughts would help. she has never responded to a single comment, and seemingly has no interaction with her audience

malenia and miquella: they started their joint channel together when they were teens. in the decades since, they have published exactly five videos. their essays often seem to be leading up to really thought-provoking analysis. however, the project evidently always spirals out of control and they just upload a "part one" setup to their grand conclusions. there is no "part two" to be found, and three of their five videos are updates on their "progress." on each one is a pinned comment from marika saying "can't wait!!! xoxo"

[1000deaddraculas]

Moon and Shadow