#what with artorias and ornstein and such

[jathun]

ugh my winter/christmas depression has hit so hard i like call of duty now wtf

[katyspersonal]

Okay I just wanted to post before I forgot because I WILL forget, but there is something else interesting about Ornstein's story!

So basically, Heide was most likely the place where Lloyd, Gwynevere, her husband Flann and probably some other Old Gods left to! Lloyd's Tailsman and Divine Blessing are found in this place, it features statues that throw back to Egyptian God of Sun, Ra, that stands in Gwyn's pose and holds Gwyn's sword (very blatant throwback to their roots), the whole blue orb invasions stuff was something Gwyndolin governed and the royal family clearly needed a "system" like this with or without him, literal landmark Tower of Flame....

And, there is ALSO bootleg Ornstein:

thanks Kat very cool screenshot gfhgjg He is not named, which is thematically appropriate to the whole 'so much time passed that names got blurred, forgotten or replaced here', he has silver armor, he does godawful job as "dragonslayer" because there is literally a dragon outside AND he drops a ring that is supposed to be unique item - Ornstein's ring given to him and worn with time:

But the problem is, in Dark Souls 3, we do find Ornstein's actual ring, not worn down with time, and his armor, that is still golden! AND events of Dark Souls 3 happen after Dark Souls 2, of course.

I feel like the exact same suit of armor but silver and the exact replica of a ring is all a bit TOO much for just some guy that was inspired by Ornstein 😕 But what is also very interesting about Old Dragonslayer is that he uses darkness!Basically? I wonder whether this is a pointer towards this boss being both Ornstein and not! Like... he is literally like a "shadow" version of Ornstein, right? Same appearance, same ring, same tactics, but dark both visually and literally.

We know that powerful beings can fragment their Souls and they might even become something else! Manus is the most plain example, there is also Soul of Cinder that includes fragments of Gwyn and others, also all important Lords in DS2 linger on in spirit. It makes sense as Soul is "the source of life", so it's fragments can come to life too! So, what if at some point Ornstein got corrupted by Dark too, but instead of waiting to meet the same fate as Artorias, he separated the part of his being that got damaged and discarded it? Maybe even because of what happened to Artorias he figured it was safer than to wrestle with the Dark? And yet, it became its own being, albeit incomplete because it is just a piece of soul, amputated to not let the Dark go further. Maybe Ornstein didn't even know it would happen?

As for why it is here, in Heide, I suppose it isn't likely that Ornstein lived with others here! Especially with the implication that Ornstein stayed back in Anor Londo for hell of a lot of time even after all Gods but Gwyndolin left. I think Old Dragonslayer settled in Heide after it was ruined and abandoned. Either, Ornstein has been looking for where did old royal family go to and legends brought him here but here he discarded that piece of Soul... or the "shadow" itself ended up finding this place. Maybe on pure instinct, not knowing or remembering why, but desperately looking for something or someone familiar.

Makes me kind of feel bad for the guy, to think of it.. He didn't ask to exist. I wonder what would've happened if it met the "remaining" Ornstein, who probably doesn't even feel like he had lost that much

[syrakhanistan]

FromSoft music for PMMM-MGNQ characters

((Possible spoilers for both PMMM and MGNQ.

Moemura/Glasses - A Moment of Peace [DS1]

Akemi Homura - Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin [DS2]

Akemi Homura (Wraith Arc/Pre-Rebellion) - Malenia, Blade of Miquella [ER]

Homulily, Fated Demise - Dark Reality [KF4]/Lord’s Apparition [ER]

Homucifer; Akemi Homura, Devil of Love - Point of No Return [AC6]

Transcendent One (post-Homucifer) - Lady Maria Phase 1 [Bloodborne]

Awakened Transcendent One - Lady Maria Phase 2 [Bloodborne]

Faust/Human Gretchen - ALLMIND [AC6]

Kaname Madoka - Promised Consort [ER-SOTE]

Madokami - The Final Battle Phase 1 [ER]

Awakened Madokami, the Blessed Lady - The Final Battle Phase 2 [ER]/Do You Remember? take2 [AC:FA]

Kriemhild Gretchen - The Omen King [ER]

Ultimate Kriemhild - Nashandra [DS2]

Sayaka Miki - Knight Artorias [DS1]

Oktavia von Seckendorf - Lichdragon Fortissax [ER]

Sayaka Miki, the First Knight (Angel of Madoka) - Great Grey Wolf Sif [DS1]/Steel Haze (Rusted Pride) [AC6]

Sakura Kyoko - Rough and Decent [AC6]

Ophelia, Remnant of Flame - Ornstein & Smough [DS1]

Sakura Kyoko, Knight of Blood (Officio Eversor) - Nameless King [DS3]

Mami Tomoe - The First Hunter [Bloodborne]

Candeloro, Invitation to Despair - Administrator [AC3]

Mami Tomoe, Architect of Heaven (Officio General-Secretary) - Coral Guardian [AC6]

Nagisa Momoe, Angel of the Blessed Lady - Divine Beast Dancing Lion [ER-SOTE]

Charlotte, Scourge of the Banquet - Mytha, the Baneful Queen [DS2]

Hitomi Shizuki - For the Dark Soul [DS3]

Chiaki Matsuda (pre-Akashic) - Mohg, Lord of Blood [ER]

Chiaki Matsuda (post-Akashic) - Mechanized Memories [AC5]

Midori Hanegawa - Pontiff Sulyvahn [DS3]

Midori, Miracle of Salvation - Contact with You [AC6]

Kharn the Betrayer - Lord of Frenzied Flame [ER-SOTE]

Kharn, the Betrayed - Legacy [AC6]

Haruka Amane, Prognosticator for the Fallen - Abyss Watchers [DS3]

The Seven Deadly Sins, Forsworn of the Devil - Godskin Apostles [ER]

Vintage Karasawa, Raven of Lost Times - Maiden in Black [DSR]

Hazuki Amane, Warmaster of the First Officio - Infall [AC6]

The Stranger, Fool of Fates - Black Knives [ER]

Hazuki Amane, Godslayer - Sister Friede (Phase 2) [DS3]

Incubator, Master of Fate - Bayle the Dread [ER-SOTE]

Kyuubey, Abomination of the Void (post-Rebellion) - Kalameet [DS1]

Itchy, Emperor of Destiny - Elder Inquisitor [ER-SOTE]

Lucius, Scion of the Third - Laurence, the First Vicar [Bloodborne]

Oriko Mikuni, Master of the Past (Oriko in Oriko Magica) - Regal Ancestor Spirit [ER]

Oriko-Ahriman, Fallen Emissary (Ahriman controlling Oriko through the Staff) - Orphan of Kos [Bloodborne]

Kirika Kure, Sword of Agony - Suppression (PCA Helicopter) [AC6]

Isabeau de Beauvoir, the Burning Empress - Dragonlord Placidusax [ER]

Special Bonuses:

Kaname Madoka vs Akemi Homura - Gwyn, Lord of Cinder [DS1]

Madokami vs Homucifer - Soul of Cinder [DS3]

Sayaka Miki vs Kyoko Sakura - Remains [DS2]

Battle against Homulily and the Incubator - Lament over the Howling Age [AC5]

Inside the Akashic Realm, Home of the Witches - The Ancient Dragon (Ash Lake) [DS1]

Infiltrating the Transcendent One’s Tower of Solitude - Destroy the Ice Worm [AC6]

Mami’s Betrayal (PMMM and MGNQ) - Manus, Father of the Abyss [DS1]

Chiaki vs Midori (Reprise) - Cries of Coral [AC6]

Walpurgisnacht (PMMM) - Bell Gargoyle [DS1]

Walpurgisnacht (MGNQ) - Those United in Common Cause [ER-SOTE]

…

Yeah, this list is a bit funky. BUT I started thinking of it at random, started writing, and here we are. What can I say, really??))

[fantomette22]

Okay but what do you think about each of 'main seven' SoTE NPCs? (Leda, Freyja, Hornsent, Ansbach, Moore, Thiollier and Dane)? Which one is your favourite?

I'm glad you ask! But again I can't have ONE FAVORITE I'm bad at choosing one above all. ALL THE TIME!!!! 😂

Ok anyway I think each of those characters are very well done! Both individually and as a group!

They are all unique and quite interesting and I love their designs! And it is just so rare to have a big group like that of 7 SEVEN WHOLE PEOPLE who clearly have connections and interactions in a fromsoftware title like Hello?!?! (not just implied or in the lore).

Usually we have just a couple of like 2-3 characters per quest who really interact with each others. (and not just acknowledge/know the persons. Like Gideon & co or Sellen/Jerren quest or even Eileen/Henryk/Bloody Crow quest. It's usually a very limited number of npc per quests. Even for Ranni's quest there's not that much characters. As for Oedon Chapel all the characters don't really interact for each other besides Arianna/Adella and it's not positive XD

I found amazing they finally made a group of npcs we can really picture and see for our own eye!

Even if it's just in a cinematic of all of them together once lol or a battle to death. Just look at this...

I mean, in Bloodborne, many people do agree that, for exemple many important lore characters actually knew each others or even were hunters together at the same time (because it's up to interpretations, simpler and really fun & create cool& crazy stories!) but we can never be fully sure. For exemple did Laurence, Micolash, Rom, Caryll actually went at Byrgenwerth around the same time? If not years/decades apart? Same for old hunters like Maria, Ludwig, Izzy Gratia & co etc did they really hunt side by side and nit years apart?

On the contrary we are sure that Ornstein, Artorias, Ciaran & Gough fought together, same for Gwen & co but we don't really see it in game with our character.

I mean idk how to explain but it feel very impactful and unique to have all this unique characters work together/have links and made us the player, and our characters do quests with all of them! I'm glad Fromsoftaware did that at least!

And can we talk about this masterpiece of a fight and music?!!? they went so hard! omg it was incredible and so emotional! 10/10

Now what do I think of each of them? Oh boy

Well first they are seven of them. Like the seven guardians of light of kingdom hearts and many other thing. Like the number of runes we got on the main bosses 👀

This is a joke yes

-Ok let's go with Leda now

Since that artwork pop out I'm absolutely in love with the aesthetic ❤️ absolutely beautiful! Was very intrigued for sure. A dear a loyal follower of Miquella, what many people wanted to see or be! What an occasion. I appreciated her quickly for helping us!

But the more I advanced in the dlc the more I grew concerned, worried, scarred and even a bit terrified of her! I think no one expected it but she's capable of coldly doing the worst & killed past allies and that's terrifying. We know her sword literally have the blood of the past other needle knights too 😰 Still, I want to give a bit of nuance because it's up to interpretations but perhaps they did killed each others one by one and Leda just didn't kill her old squad all alone scary that things repeat itself... man must have been a big mess I really wonder what went down... probably a big tragedy too.

-Freyja : I really enjoyed her the antic/grec armor! That's so cool. It's so funny but when I met Freyja it went like this :

*Arrived in front of the npc* Hello sir! *talk to the npc*

*Freyja start to speak*

Me : Oh hello Ma'am?! 👀

I think many had assumptions with just the trailer! 😂 Likewise for Thiollier, on first trailer impression I would have assume a woman.

And I'm just so so happy that actually basic trope are swap! It just even more cool I love them so much!! <3

I really like her link with other characters and her quest in the storehouse. Girl is really the strong friend that need help in maths XD also her backstory with Radahn & Miquella is very interesting

-Speaking of Thiollier, I really like the guy too! <3 poor baby just wanted a hug from Trina... same fr I pity him a bit during that but after he calm down I know he's a true homies that will stand with me! I'm very intrigued by his backstory too... fell sad.

-Moore : aww look at this little guy 🥺 who like to collect stuff. So much autistic vibe jckfbh. Anyway he deserved better 😭

-Dane: really mysterious and interesting character for sure. I beat him first or 2nd try I thinK? Not that hard but he don't have weapons and is very strong respect! I like that he leave us message/ stuff around waterfall too

-Hornsent : very intriguing too 🤔 Also I screw up his quest kinda 💀 forgot to help him against Leda before Messmer dcnfnvnjfv also his link with Grandam (scorpion stew etc) and potentially Romina are very interesting! Why Romina? Well when I couldn't beat the final boss I discovered bro invade us just before Romina somehow?! I have no idea how did I missed him ?! So yes he try to block the way to the tower but more directly Romina. And he's a hornsent. So idk maybe there's a connection ?😅

-Ansbach : ah the goat! Of course I like the grandpa with a scythe and a helmet like the cainhurst one! 😂 What can I say I really like this character, he's wise and very kind towards us and looks so cool! He help us a lot. he have crazy ass revelation too O_O the only thing I can reproach him is that he used to work for Mohg and when he was younger probably did some very wild if not awful thing... he really don't feel that now hm? Anyway really like him too!

[hash-smash]

Other Headcanons of Gwyn's Knight's

Artorias

• Loves nature as well as animals

• He really enjoys field missions, especially in the forest outside of Anor Londo

• Golden Retriever vibes

• He doesn't like attending Gwyn's meetings because he doesn't like the idea of being stuck in the same place without being able to stretch his legs

• Has hyperactivity

Ornstein

• He is so meticulous in what he does that he must follow a specific routine, with times and everything.

• I love to think that he knows the names of each of his knights, as well as their abilities, weaknesses, and strengths.

• In his free time, he usually dedicates himself to art, both music and painting. He's not very good at it, but he enjoys it a lot.

• When he's in front of Gwynson, he unconsciously turns into a peacock, acting arrogant. When he realizes it, he feels very embarrassed.

• He hates when plans change at the last minute; it frustrates him a lot because he has a plan for everything.

Gough

• Despite being an honored knight of Gwyn, he still feels like he doesn't belong in Anor Londo, so he tries to stay out of all major decisions.

• He has never liked standing out; he's very shy, although he tends to express himself more with his companions.

• He was forced to participate in the war because, as a giant, he had no other choice, but he managed to surprise everyone with his skills with the bow and his loyalty, thus earning his title.

• He's not a big fan of animals, but he loves listening to birdsong; it truly relaxes him.

Ciaran

• She is very practical, excessively so. She only grooms herself as much as necessary, eats as much as necessary, and lives with only what is necessary.

• If there were black coffee and cigarettes in Anor Londo, that’s what she would have for breakfast every day.

• She doesn’t open up to anyone, least of all her companions, which is why she’s intrigued by Artorias—he’s so warm and friendly with everyone.

• She prefers staying in Anor Londo, doing missions with a roof over her head.

• She loves rainy and cold days, perfect for staying inside.

[maranigai]

character ask: ornstein?

(also unrelated, i would like to hear if you have any thoughts about dragonslayer armour)

Honestly, my only thought about the Armour is that its original owner was that one dragonslayer from the Sacred Oath item description (you know, the guy who presumably served NK and Ornstein) and was probably executed by Gwyn after NK's betrayal, but I never had any deep headcanons about them.

Unlike Ornstein, heh, the man has been my favourite DS paper doll for ages, so...

favorite thing about them

His relationships with NK, but as far as I know, my perception of said relationships is... not exactly common in the fandom. You see, I hc that NK was everything to Ornstein before his betrayal. The master, the tutor, the god - an entire life in one person. And then he left without taking Ornstein with him, leaving him alone to deal with Gwyn's rage and the consequences of betrayal. This was what broke Ornstein as a person, entirely - and what he never forgave NK for. So yes, even after the betrayal, Ornstein still saw NK as his only true lord, the person he had sworn his soul and flesh to - but he hated him with passion, for the lies, for the abandonment, for that damned sacred oath and the impossibility of getting freedom from it. Ornstein had hated NK for so long and lost so much to this hatred that when he finally met NK, finally learned that he was genuinely sorry for leaving him... to Ornstein, it didn't matter anymore, because nothing really mattered. And even when NK freed him after all, it still didn't matter. To me, their story is one of caged loyalty, hollow love and betrayed trust without redemption; I admit this is a more tragic take on them, but I love it this way.

least favorite thing about them

Ornstein as a character consists mostly of my own headcanons, so obviously I like them all lol. But what I don't like is the lack of a normal one-on-one bossfight against him and no, Old Fanservisslayer from ds2 does not count. I mean, come on FromSoft, he's the bloody captain of the Gwyn's four knights, he could easily be on the same level of a fight as Gael or phase 3 Friede, and he's a recurring character in every game of the trilogy, you could easily fit him in as a proper boss somewhere in ds3! Pls sign my 8 year old petition to replace the Ancient Wyvern at the Archdragon Peak with Ornstein.

favorite line

The man doesn't have any lines in canon, so I'll reference my own fanfiction because I can.

Some oaths can only be broken by death, master. And I’ve been walking here for too long.

brOTP

Two of them, actually. The first one is Artorias, who once saw the broken ruin of a man consumed with paranoia and hatred and decided that screw it, this guy is friend shaped and needs an emotional support (cheers for him for at least partly restoring Ornstein's faith in people after NK's betrayal). The second one is Gwynevere, who was there when her brother first brought his new apprentice to Anor Londo, and remained by his side throughout the ages, untill the final days of the final apocalypse in Lothric kingdom. So yeah, Artorias was the one who helped Ornstein not to fall into the despair, at least for a while, but Gwynevere was the only one who actually knew him as a person.

OTP

Surprisingly, Ciaran, in some unhealthy "enemies with benefits" type of relationships. Ciaran doesn't trust him and thinks he's a traitor like his liege who somehow gained Gwyn's forgiveness only to betray him later, but this also means she doesn't care much about Ornstein as a man with actual emotions, and doesn't feel guilty for using his company to distract herself from her own tragic unrequited love for Artorias. Ornstein himself appreciates her brutally honest approach and, frankly, is lonely and broken enough to accept even this surrogate of intimacy. So yeah, if you think this pairing is some sort of fucked up angst, you're correct, it is.

nOTP

Gwyndolin. I hc their relationships to be cold. Very, very cold. For Ornstein, Gwyndolin is a boy who's trying to play for his master without having any actual right to it - and Ornstein is sick of having masters. For Gwyndolin, Ornstein is a dangerous beast on a very thin chain, basically uncontrollable and unpredictable. So when Ornstein left Anor Londo, it was a moment of relief for both of them.

random headcanon

Ornstein was a ringed knight before NK noticed him and took him on as an apprentice. For this reason, he was always out of place in both Anor Londo and human lands, even before NK's betrayal.

unpopular opinion

I believe, my hcs on his personality in general? My Ornstein is cold, paranoid and bitter man with no trust in people and very little personal devotion to the gods of Anor Londo. He's not a completely emotionless monster of course, but he's still far more morally dark than most other versions I've seen in the fandom.

song i associate with them

I failed to pick only one, mea culpa.

Лора Бочарова - О Магии и Предательстве (but I couldn't find this thing on youtube in remotely descent quality, so without the link, sorry)

Мельница - Рукописи

Мельница - Кащей

favorite picture of them

This art by azotho

[mrslittletall]

fic writer self-recs

tagged by: @misskriemhilds (thank you and sorry for taking forever to do this)

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

Alright, without further ado, let's begin:

A Storm is coming (Dark Souls) This fic came to be because I was stuck with another fic of mine and frustrated and was like "Okay, but what would happen if Ornstein followed around the Chosen Undead during the second half of the game?!" I wrote the first chapter and added chapters whenever I felt like it and then this thing had over 40 kudos despite them not having gone on the adventure yet and I was like "??? Where did'ya all come from???" And then I started to put effort into this fic. My Chosen Undead, Tempest, grew into a proper OC. The story became a clear structure and outline. And the relationship between the two grew into a slowburn mutual pining romance. That is my most popular Dark Souls fic and I consider it my Magnum Opus as a writer. I sometimes write these two still for one-shots and they always always are so easy to write. They feel like a part of me now. Thanks so much to everyone who gave this fic a chance and stayed with it. Thank you so much.

Keeping it together (Dark Souls)

This is the fic I was stuck on and why I started to write Storm. It is basically about Ornstein dealing with Artorias' death. Horribly. I had a hard time myself during writing this, living through burnout. The year 2019 was my year to heal from everything and I made good effort but then... well, you know what happened in 2020... Anyway, I struggled a lot with this fic, but I think the last chapter of this is the best chapter I have written in my whole writing career. And it only happened because I took a deep breath and then suddenly everything was clear and I knew what I had to do. Off Balance (Hollow Knight)

Ah, another case of "I am writing this on a whim." This fic came to be because of some art of teenage Hollow and I was like "Oh, I want to make fic to this art". I first thought it might be a one-shot but I got ideas and continued and then it turned into a full fix-it and PK redemption arc. You can see in this fic how it grows and the characters with it. You can see how I make WL from sad mother to the queen she is, how PK grows into the role as a father but never stops struggling and how Hollow turns from the Pure Vessel into a child that enjoys life. This fic was extremely well received and I regurlarly receive kudos on it. I am coming back to this universe, I promise. It was just... after 2022, my life turned into hell. Hollow, Pendry, Rydellia, you are waiting for me, right?

Frenzy (Bloodborne)

Is that one of my best works? Honestly, it isn't, I really need to rewrite parts of it. But it is very dear to me. The idea was "What if Laurence got too close the Amydgala and turned into a catatonic state as result?" It was an exploration of the Frenzy status. Mostly from the caretaker POV of Ludwig and a little bit of Laurence (because he is not really there most of the time in the fic). I did quite some research on the topic but I vomited out this fic in a week (YES, REALLY), so it is pretty rough around the edges. Ranni and the horrible, annoying, obnoxious Tarnished (Elden Ring) I got this idea after the Mini Ranni quest in Elden Ring. I was like "Wow, she needs someone that shuts her up." And then I though "Hm, I need a Tarnished who can annoy her to no end." And who was grinning at me?! My version of Laurence (Bloodborne), who can be a horrible annoying obnoxious asshole! So I made an Elden Ring version of him and wrote him into this story. And it WORKED! This fic actually got quite some numbers. I guess I am not the only one who wanted to annoy Ranni xD Alright, let's see how many fic writers I can think of tagging... @within-its-cave @ruthlesslistener @deluxinn @redsixwing Go on, give your fics some love!

[akirainsanity]

Dragonslayer Ornstein & Artorias The Abysswalker

With and without helms and my own interpretation of what they look like under them

[greatvalueloki]

Clears throat

This is mostly Headcannons and random beliefs I have

Hello! This might contain Elden Ring and Dark Souls (1 and 3) spoilers, I don’t know, take a risk. I’m not scrolling back up to the top after I write all this. On top of this, if you’re an EldenLore Connoisseur, feel free to correct me if anything here goes directly against cannon. Some of the things talked about here (especially for NK) will be theory-bound.

This is essientally me just rambling bullshit about my autism-induced favorite game

I don’t think there will be Shadow of the Erdtree spoilers, but eh be wary. I ain’t warning you any further.

The Nameless King will be referred to as 2 different names here, if not by his full title. NK or Faraam. I am one of the believers that Faraam is his name, and I do not intent to change this idea unless direct cannon information is supplied. I do also believe he is Solaire’s father, but I am on the fence of my own beliefs so feel free to show me as much information against it as you want

This is only for Dark Souls, but, I also seperate “Lord” and “Lord of” into two categories since we don’t really get any races in Dark souls. A “Lord” is referred to as a race that can become a god/is close to a god (Akin to Empyreans.) Examples of Lords would be Artorias, Ornstein, the Black Knights, etc. As they very obviously are not human. Now, the distinction comes from the founding of the game, “Lord of Cinder”, “Lord of the Graves”, “Lord of Chaos”, etc. Someone who is titled “Lord of” Is a god, confusing right?

This is as far as my explanation for as to how Faraam becomes a god later in his life during the Everlasting Dragons war. Yes i’m aware it can be solved by just saying “oh he’s a son of Gwyn, of course he’s a god!” But that’s not my point, I like looking for answers. Even if they’re up the ass of Seath and 5 blocks away from the obvious. I consider Faraam a true god, as perhaps when his entire being was purged from history, Gwyn disregarded his status as well.

No I don’t think the worlds are connected by anything more than a multiversal barrier, BUT I do think they reuse parts of stories.

Now, to what I WANTED to talk about

When playing through soulsborne games, I always like to imagine what the parent - child relationships were like, and this often founds connections that don’t really matter. This means I connect The Nameless King and Gwyn, to Mohg, Morgott, and Marika. Both sets of child(ren) were abandoned on cases of Prejudice. Though they’re very different in both cases. Mohg and Morgott for being omens, Nameless King for affiliation with dragons. They were both banished out of their kingdoms at different points at life, Mohg and Morgott when they were very young (either toddlers or as soon as they were born, I can’t remember correctly), I suspect Faraam was at least 2000+ years old (Fuck trying to give accurate ages, I KNOW it was a LOOONG time though, ancient is not called ancient for no reason.) And since we don’t really get proper timelines for a lot of stuff, I’m going to assume NK was born near the beginning of the war on everlasting dragons. So the Omens were both children when they were banished, and Faraam was WELLLL over adult age by the time he was banished. At least, probably. We don’t get gauges for how Lord years compare to human years. 200 years could be 5 years old for all we know. But, anyway.

My entire idea wasn’t based on the fact they were both banished, it’s the fact that they both had a parent that hated them. Both are gods. While the terms of gods in dark souls are different than Elden Ring, power-wise it’s not too different (except Elden ring focuses on sections and vessels for power with their godhoods…. Yknow that’s not too different, looking at you Gwyn) but they’re similar and sure that’s where the connections end, but they’re both royalty. I’m sure I’m writing for no reason and my stupid ass is staring the obvious for fuck all, but oh well. However, NK looks like a combination of Mohg and Morgott to me - A man discarded by higher power, only to go and make himself a name and become a ruler once more. But, we also have early visage of omens(not the way you’re thinking) but look at the King of the Storm’s horns. They wind and twist like they weren’t supposed to grow that way, looking more like a dragon becoming an omen. Yes, shut up, I know that’s the only connection. I’m not going to keep talking about Storm King. Now, Faraam doesn’t have the cruelty of either Mohg or Morgott - we see that. His hand shakes when he has to kill the Storm King. Yes, Morgott is not cruel, simply following an order that does not care. But Archdragon Peak is one of the cleaner areas we see - Still crumbling of course, wouldn’t be a Souls game if things weren’t broken, but it’s certainly cleaner.

yes this is me just rambling about my favorite characters. I too wish the games were connected, but they’re not…. Looks to the multiverse and sighs

[redsixwing]

Give me Dragon Slayer Ornstein for the meme.

For the character meme!

How I feel about this character

Ornstein is genuinely one of my favorite bosses! Excellent armor, a+ aesthetic, wish we got more of his personality. The scraps we get are delicious, and I enjoy imagining him as a principled, steady old knight.

He slew dragons under the Lord of Sunlight. He saw Anor Londo rise and fall to the curse. He stayed when everyone else left, having already lost the rest of his close friends in the fall of Oolacile.

I like how in his cutscene, he places a gentle hand on Smough to absorb his power. I really like - and I didn't notice it until someone pointed it out to me - that he picks up some of Smough's mannerisms as he takes his soul - he starts laughing during his second phase, where Smough was the one laughing in phase 1!

His design is hot, his moves are hot, I wish we could wreak half the havoc with that swordspear that he can.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I don't have any romantic ships for Ornstein. On a purely aesthetic level I think he ought to kiss Artorias, but I have put zero effort into developing that into anything interesting.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

The rest of the Knights of Gwyn! Lots of headcanon incoming:

Ornstein sees Artorias as a promising young challenger, and encourages him to develop his unique skills. Artorias may not have been a dragonslayer, but he's a paragon, and Ornstein is one of the people responsible for enabling him to bloom into his full potential.

He sees Gough as a mighty fellow-soldier. Even as self-contained as he is, Ornstein needs someone he can be casual around, and Gough is that someone. His pride and his archer's patience make him a genuine pleasure to be around, and Ornstein enjoys sitting quietly and letting Gough talk. That Gough is a Giant, not one of Gwyn's folk, does not matter in the eyes of a dragon; Ornstein accepts him the same way.

He feels responsible for Ciaran, and offers her the same sort of steady encouragement that he gives to Artorias. Ciaran doesn't need to be trained in the same way - she's a master in her own right - but she enjoys his company, and doubly enjoys that he appreciates her work.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Not sure about the popularity, but I come down on the "that's really Ornstein" side of that particular debate.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

More! More! I want to know more about his personality, his wants, and why he did what he did. Also I'd pay good money for an Ornstein/Kalameet throwdown.

[newlondohollow]

Well hello. I think Artorias was one of the Silver Knights (no shit, right?). But I mean someone like Ledo, or a mentor.

What am I talking about? I'll explain now.

Ciaran and her Assassins have similar combat techniques. That is, "picturesque strikes" and an emphasis on crits, if necessary. The moveset itself and the properties of her weapons literally fit the combat style of the "Guardians of Pictures" more than their basic weapons.

The Spear Knights also use Ornstein's fighting style. Especially that charge attack.

You can also put an owl on a globe and say that the Archers are copying Gough. But I think that's unnecessary.

But what wouldn't be out of place is to pull the owl with Artorias. I noticed some similarities between the swordsmen's movements and Artorias's own moveset.

And not like Sif copies him. But rather more mundane variations of his attacks. A three-hit combo, in the same directions and angles. A shield strike, but for the abyss-stricken Artorias, instead of a shield strike, a hand slap. Or a blow followed by a rebound. Which usually continues with a downward blow, which crushes us into the floor.

If, for example, ds3 had "Abyssal Arena" where they could add heroes of the past, in my opinion, the "Healthy Variation" of Artorias would be very reminiscent of the Silver Knights. Especially if the healthy one had both the Sword and the Shield.

What do you think? How true can it be that besides Orni, the Silvers also had Artorias as a teacher?

//Although, technically, the opposite could also be true, where Artorias first trained as a Silver, and only then pushed off from their base.

Good observation! I agree it is very possible indeed. :D

[katyspersonal]

Hey guess whaaaaat!

BfhgjfhhhjFDHHI MGJG AAAAAA!!!! I can finally FINALLY go back to Dark Souls 2, after all this time! God, it was hard. Do not repeat. And IF you do, please hit every dragon's tail on your first run, you are NOT ready for NG+ buff, especially with Kalameet! And also prioritize unlocking Nito's arena as soon as possible, because the endlessly respawning baby skeletons in water pool before it are the fastest method to grind level, and you need 50 Int! You just equip silver serpent ring for even more Souls, turn on podcast to listen to while you terrorize the babies, and get out with Homeward Bone when you are out of heals.

Well despite it being hard, I still had a blast? The most enjoyable things are still battles of Artorias and Manus, their fights are the biggest fun I've had in this game, but like.. this game is genuinely fun to explore and vibe in and kill Drakes in

Special CURSES to:

1) Fuckin SOLAIRE for terrorizing me TWICE! Not only he gave me a jumpscare by not appearing until I restarted the game, but also he fucked me over at Ornstein and Smough! First he kept targeting Ornstein when I needed HIS Soul and I had to restart, then he KILLED him again and I had to die to restart. And then I got sick of killing giants to not have Solaire target them and trusted him to be normal, but not only he aggroed at giants.. he ALSO got stuck at them instead of following me to the boss, but x2 healtbar thing WORKED, so I had to fight the two in THIS condition, ALONE! And somehow still won?? Summons are really double-edged sword -_-

2) The guy who designed Siegmyer's FUCKING quest!!! On my first run I failed his quest by killing all Chaos Eaters. So, on my second run, I made sure to kill all but one. But the last one I had to kill was under such an angle that I HAD to drop down! So while trying to escape back, this last bitch HAD to fall into square hole to its death. 🤦‍♂️ I didn't lose hope though, because turned out there was one MORE Chaos Eater down there, it just was on the sideline rather than right where the floor fell, but still the same pool! So what do you think? HIS QUEST STILL BROKE!!! I SHIT YOU NOT!!! WHY DOES IT MATTER WHICH CHAOS EATER EXACTLY LIVES!!!! FHJJVJFKGMHIHK

3) FUCKING Four Crings! No elaboration, I just hate them. I have to print this screenshot:

And then FUCKING BURN IT!!! FUCK YOU!!! FUCK YOU AND YOUR STUPID ATTACKS!!! Whose idea it was that they get two long distance attacks which are impossible to dodge, so you have to stay close to not have them, BUT IN PROXIMITY THEY HAVE OTHER TWO ATTACKS THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO DODGE, AND WHILE YOU DEAL WITH THIS SHIT ANOTHER KING WILL SPAWN AND SPAM THOSE LONG DISTANCE ATTACKS!!!!

FUCK YOU!!!!!!! FUCK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

[denouementrpg]

What's New on Denouement? 12.17.24

Denouement is an 18+ pan/multifandom roleplay set in a unique world comprised of four distinct regions with their own quirks, charms, and troubles. We accept fandom canons, fandom originals, fandomless OCs, and even Denouement-born characters. Roleplay takes place across our forum, Discord channels, and Cboxes, allowing our writers total flexibility when it comes to how they want to tell their stories.

home | canons | discord

recently accepted characters:

jayce talis (league of legends: arcane) queen scarlet (wings of fire) gepard landau (honkai: star rail) match (dc comics) tatsumi kazehaya (ensemble stars!!) salem (rwby) roy batty (blade runner) stanley pines (gravity falls) moonwatcher (wings of fire) velox (original) charles xavier (marvel) the master (doctor who) arke hargrave (tales from cazilor) jack krauser (resident evil) loona (helluva boss) yanqing (honkai: star rail) suletta mercury (gundam) prometheus (hades 2) elliot alderson (mr. robot) nero the sable (final fantasy) jess pava (star wars) viego (league of legends) wren hoyes (original) the lone wanderer (fallout)

current wanted characters:

niki shiina & kohaku oukawa (ensemble stars) morrowseer, tsunami, qibli, & more (wings of fire) tatiana (shadows of valentia) tony stark, sam wilson, & natasha romanoff (marvel) gwyn, artorias, ornstein, & more (dark souls) kalista, mel medarada, ekko, & more (league of legends/arcane) poe dameron, snap wexley, obi-wan kenobi, & more (star wars) radagon/marika, godfrey, radahn, & more (elden ring) argenti (honkai: star rail) tony stark, jean grey, logan, & natasha romanoff (marvel) sonon kusakabe, weiss the immaculate, yuffie kisaragi & more (final fantasy) jonathan joestar & kars (jojo's bizarre adventure) yu-gi-oh characters (any franchise) sense8 characters

more about denouement:

A NEW WORLD. FORGED FROM THE HOPES, DREAMS, AND FEARS OF THE PEOPLE OF OLD DENOUEMENT. You enter our story at a time of change. Once, this world was ruled by Gods: gods who formed factions, and chose which rifters to favor based on their desires, their ambitions, their ideals. Then came The Hanged Man, a world-eating entity responsible for the destruction of countless universes in the multiverse. The people of Denouement managed to destroy him: but not before the damage he'd done was irreversible. And so, the only course of action was to use the original gods' final sacrifice to create a world anew. This world truly belongs to the rifters who live here, forged by their hopes, their dreams, their subconscious, their fears. Yours, too. Newcomer though you may be, the moment you arrive, your emotions, your drives, your inner demons -- they will begin to forge and shape the world as well. There are some, of course, who will never see it as true freedom. How could they? They've been stolen from their own worlds. Taken away from everything they know. From loved ones, from unfinished business, from their entire lives. From whatever ending was waiting for them. Hard to say if you'll ever really know if this new chance to write your own ending is a blessing -- or a curse.

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

i hope you're ready for a long answer.

OKAY, this is a little more complicated. dark souls has a plot that follows all three games, but it's more of a "dark souls 3 is a somewhat direct sequel to 1, 2 has a separate plot but what happens is important". it depends how much you value surprises, and honestly i think that, plot-wise, you can play them in any order. i played 1 and 3 and watched a gameplay of 2 before 3 so i got the "canonical experience", and especially 3 has like. a LOT of shoutouts to the first game, both with locations and characters, and it's a great ending to the trilogy

BUT.

i'd argue that even retroactively, the plot points are still intact. of course you're going to get a much bigger reaction to the abyss watchers in 3 if you know who artorias is while playing 1, but viceversa discovering artorias' story in 1 is going to be fun with the knowledge of the abyss watchers' existence in 3, for example; same goes with ornstein in 1 and his armor in 2 and 3

when it comes to mechanic. that's a little different. dark souls 1 is what i truly consider the "vanilla fromsoft experience", even more than demon's souls (another game of the series that has Nothing to do with dark souls if not certain characters dw). it's very arcade, a little arcaic, very slow paced compared to the others and missing some key elements and refining the rest of fromsoft games have, but it's still an incredible gem; dark souls 2, again, is kind of considered the fromsoft black sheep for many reasons, one of which being the different mechanics. it's a good game, but it puts a lot more emphasis in a LOT of boss fights, ganks and dangerous locations; dark souls 3 is my favorite specifically for the mechanics because, while not as much as bloodborne or elden ring, it requires you to get used to be way more aggressive than the others and hit hard. it's also by far the easiest soul game to me, and maybe the easiest fromsoft soulslike in general along elden ring. at least in my opinion :^)

TL;DR

it's up to you, really.

dark souls 1 is a more basic experience, a somewhat simpler plot, and still quite difficult. a little clunky, but still an incredible experience with a world you get easily lost in. it really rewards taking this slow, bosses included. > i think steam has the prepare to die edition, so the DLC should be part of the package. if you have to play even just one DLC, play this one. it's totally worth it.

dark souls 2 is a much "heavier" gameplay, with big emphasis in combat, boss fights and dangerous locations. a little bit of an "outsider" compared to the rest, i wouldn't recommend starting with this one but it's still a fun and much darker experience. great if you enjoy battles and a more cinematic, hollywood fantasy epic compared to the more vague plots of 1 and 3 > again, I think steam has the scholar of the first sin edition. It adds some extra lore and a different final boss compared to vanilla

dark souls 3 is the true sequel to 1, and an incredibly powerful experience. darker than the first and with emphasis on a more apocalyptic world, if DS1 requires patience this one tells you to be aggressive and fight further. easier than the other two in my opinion.

.....................and personally. DS3 is my favorite fandmsg

[malicious-fisheeves]

I was tagged by @bombcollar 👉👉

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 16 after the purge

2. What is your AO3 wordcount?

337,149

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Almost entirely Dark Souls and Elden ring, with one Kingdom hearts fic.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Accession (Elden ring, my ugly baby) - 352

Wondrous Fool (Dark Souls, Ornstein/Artorias) - 180

The moon is the mother of pathos and pity (ER, Carian fam) - 168

Such is Our Curse (DS3, Lothric and Lorian conspire) - 96

Wolf's Bane (DS supernatural au, more arnstein) - 95

5. Do you respond to comments?

I used to do it more but I've been weirdly shy about it lately

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hm. Arguably none of them are terribly happy? Moonfic series is currently Up There however.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Faults in Memory has a bittersweet ending, otherwise Wondrous Fool ends on a low key ominous note after a fairly happy fic, so?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Hm not particularly? or if I have I've forgotten.

9. Do you write smut? If so, which kind?

Not anything I'd post

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest crossover you’ve ever written?

Not really? However I did write a super natural investigator au with a background of capitalist decay for Wolf's Bane for a Dark Souls fic, so.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I believe someone translated Accession into Chinese, and the fic I wrote w bombcollar did too! I never oppose translations.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

(waves at Delta) - I also in general consider my works collaborative on some level. I joke on twitter about the scrunt philosphers but everyone's discussions have really made me re-think certain aspects of The Lore.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I'm not a Huge ship person tbh (I did enjoy my Arnstein fics but no longer have very many strong feelings on it as a ship).

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Wolf's Bane and the Faults in Memory rewrite linger on the edge of my brain every so often. I can see myself potentially getting back to Faults once more KH news comes out again but ehhh...

Accession's is more of a WIP I want to slide under a rug.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I've had strong characterization and am good at juggling perspectives! also foreshadowing

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I should kill my darlings more often, if it's not a one shot it can get Real long Real fast. I also wish I was better at getting Weird and abstract

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If I had a better grasp on other languages I could maybe see myself using it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

So secret lore, in the ye old days I wrote MLP fanfiction. Since lost to time.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Recency bias but I am very proud of the moonfic series insofar. I also actually still have a soft spot for To the Foot of A God, its the first time I really played with perspective (it's in 2nd person)! which I since have loved as a tool

Tagging: @princeparakeet and also anyone else who'd like to participate, this was fun!

[feartheoldblog]

R O B B I E I DESPERATELY NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR SIMS WORLD-- I HAVE TO. I'M OBSESSED NOW. Bls.

🙏

I’M SO GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE I HAVE SO MANY STORIES TO TELL

• Valtr and Yamamura have a lovely suburban home, a fairly healthy marriage and a pet fish. They had a spare bedroom so I decided to put Brador in. He started pissing everywhere and I ended up locking him in his room for like 90% of the time. I felt a little bit bad so I made Henryk and Simon and let them live in the basement so he had friends that did not randomly fuck on the living room sofa (wicked whims woes sorry). Henryk and Simon decided to start fucking so now Brador is back to square one 👍

• Originally I had 8 BB characters living in a house together. They are all now in separate homes (you can imagine how it went).

• Gilbert the Sick Man is a total cunt. He literally has the good trait as well as other nice traits but he’s got beef with half the town. He’s also why I had to separate the house. He basically pissed off Maria by insulting her, she got angry, Gehrman tried to comfort her, she got angry at him, then Gehrman got sad and Micolash got angry at him and they ended up fist fighting next to the barbecue and are now total enemies.

• Micolash lived alone in a house but I let him adopt a baby and now he is married to the babysitter (and tried to flirt with the new babysitter, their marriage is in shambles- he does not have the romantic trait)

• Gehrman (Micolash’s worst enemy) showed up at his wedding as a caterer and set the kitchen on fire

• Gilbert hated everyone so he lived alone, then decided he liked Vicar Amelia so now they’re living together. However, he fancies Smough but Smough finds him extremely unattractive. Ranni wanted to shag him but refused romance from him……… it’s complicated

• Iosefka has shagged like 60% of the town’s population. I support her in her endeavours 👍

• Radahn and Artorias are married and look after the two accidental babies that have been created. The best dads in the entire place 10/10

• Quelaag got knocked up by a random sim (one of the Rahrtorias kids) so I got werewolf Brador to kill him but I didn’t have the kill mod enabled so he basically just turned Quelaag’s baby daddy into a werewolf (and got his ass beat)

• I can’t remember who the other baby’s mother was but it’s being looked after any way ig

• Gascoigne got sad bc he had the family trait but no family so I made him adopt kids but he neglected them and Alfred had to look after them

• Logarius lives in a house with Godfrey and they both hit the gym together

• The Doll and Chapel Dweller are best friends <333

• I decided to be evil and make Arianna and Adella live together but they’ve ended up being best friends despite their opposing traits????

• Lucatiel and Emerald Herald are girlfriends- they would be married by now but they keep arguing sometimes so their relationship does not improve it is merely maintained

• Smough, Ornstein and Solaire all live together happily in the mansion of that one goth family i evicted

• Me and my partner’s BB OCs are chill as hell, married and do nothing wrong. Literally the only normal people

• Pate and Creighton live together and kinda despise each other but it’s fine

• Juno, Diallos, D, Corhyn and Rogier all live together but I stopped playing Sims because my mental health improved so I never got to see what would happen with them

• I forgot that Djura and Henryk were married with kids but Djura needs to move in with Brador so I’m gonna make them divorce and Henryk can live alone with the children

• Everyone that can give birth has been put on birth control. I learned my lesson 👍

• Also everyone wants Gascoigne carnally. Man cannot catch a break.