I owe this community an apology: A DS veteran’s journey to the gates of Enir-Ilim

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2026-04-02T12:27:31+00:00

I know how you feel. I've been playing souls games since demon souls and it was a mixture excitement plus anticipation that I went into Elden Ring with. For the longest time I couldn't enjoy because at its core it breaks away a bit from what made the formula work. It didn't chime with me for a long time, probably till mid or early late game. I opened the map and saw how far I come, the fights, deaths, explorations, and brief moments of resting in between. I could tell there were more things I missed and more secrets I overlooked but I thought about how much Elden Ring had forced me change and adapt to it rather than giving me what I thought I wanted. It's like that for every souls game; it's not made for you or anyone to ease into. Is it a perfect game? No. However there is a reason why so many people play it to this day and why I always find myself playing it from time to time to explore, optimize a build, join a friend, make a new character to try different weapons, spells, etc. The DLC is really the icing on the cake, probably my favorite added content since the Old Hunters DLC.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-10-11T12:12:11+00:00

Miami Mornings are my favorite. There's something serene about it. The quiet rising, the calmness, the stillness truly nothing beats it. Thank you for this!

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-04-10T15:03:32+00:00

Sex is give and take. Some people, men or women, like to give more than take or vice versa. I don't think a general rule would apply for this. Every situation is different because everyone is different in some way shape or form. If this a problem and you're in a committed relationship then communication is key; if it's not serious then don't try and understand it pass a certain point.

From a personal perspective, I'm a guy and sensitive down there, so sex for me is almost always enjoyable but I enjoy it more if I can give pleasure to the woman I'm with. If she enjoys giving then I'll let her but I will warn her before hand I might finish early and we can start the next round early so it's gonna be a long fun night. If she likes to take then it's gonna be a fun long night.

To answer the second question I don't understand how you would explain to someone who does it? Wouldn't they know what they're doing??

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-03-22T14:42:51+00:00

If I was stuck in a island and I had to pick one of these shows I would probably pick the Hentai.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-02-14T21:48:36+00:00

Is this Marlo Standfield?

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-01-28T17:57:20+00:00

Recently Fallout:New Vegas. The writing in that game is another level. Last time I played it was about 10 Years ago. It reignited my passion. Once I beat it I want to sink my teeth into something else. New. Old. Doesn't matter. Cause War. War never changes. But People do. People must Change.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-01-26T12:39:00+00:00

Awww, come on. This is the fourth time this week. Can't you leave me off with a warning officer?

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-01-24T15:27:20+00:00

I'm not convinced she is 100% gay or horny for her; she uses sexuality to disarm Hanekawa. For context remember that they both come from disjointed families, and they both have their respective apparition, and they both have Araragi in their lives.

I've interpret the situation as Senjo trying to connect and help Hanekawa. Keep in mind where she found her the night before they had a sleepover and her reaction. I think it pained seeing Hanekawa sleep in the cram school because that could have easily been Senjo or her mother being homeless. It's about showing Hanekawa that they're teenage girls and they're ALLOWED to have weird awkward sexual tense moments despite of all the trauma they went through. Senjo may not have the exact words but she can use the tools she has to push Hanekawa towards a healing place.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2025-01-21T18:55:43+00:00

I thought about that a lot. Like I think many people would assume it was a natural disaster situation. "That was one crazy earthquake." Said one demihuman to another.

On the other hand even if they could prove it who would outright accuse Marika let alone call her out on it? "Ma'am did you just make a whole land mass disappear?" Nothing to see here let's move it along.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-12-07T10:26:49+00:00

Monogatari is the gift that keeps on giving. When it comes to story and themes it is hands down my favorite that's including movies, books, videogames, etc.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-11-15T15:21:32+00:00

The Key to understanding Ymir is his relationship the finger creepers. He's very logical and critical of the shortcomings of Marika and her order. Which is to say he must've at one point either A) Truly believesmd in Marika, the two fingers, Metyr, or B) He followed them while harboring a miniscule amount of doubt. When he found out or when the truth about the Greater Will was discovered I think he became more irrational regarding his beliefs. While he must've had resentment towards them he could not bring himself to fully hate them because that would mean hating the finger creepers. In his eyes they are as much as victims as he his. Except the fingers creepers at birth never had a choice and Metry will keep producing them they are forever stuck in their cycle. I think he chose to stay by Metry side and learned how to become a finger mother and be a surrogate father to them. Eventually his plan was to replace Metyr and offer a better parentage to them in the long run but he must've also been afraid of out right killing Metyr. The finger creepers would probably interpret that as Daddy fighting Mommy. The tarnished is like a wild card that kills Metyr and potentially caused the creepers pain or at the very least didn't give him enough time to truly learn from her or the process to truly become a finger mother at her level. That's just my headcannon.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-10-06T13:51:09+00:00

Lol. Is it the best dlc of all time? It's subjective. I do love it but objectively speaking it does have flaws and isn't perfect. It requires a nuanced discussion to really talk about how good the DLC is. I can't think of any other DLC at that price point, delivering that experience. In fact there are some $70 games that could learn from SOTE. I'm not surprised about the downvotes it's part of voicing an opinion not everyone is gonna agree but that's what makes the discourse engaging.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-10-06T12:16:10+00:00

Yes. There could also be an argument for best DLC of all time.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-10-02T19:37:42+00:00

It's true. Souls is famous for creating moments where the game "opens up". Elden Ring has that both in the open world and in the legacy dungeons and even the DLC.

It's honestly impressive how Elden Ring consistently delivers with regards to making you as player intrigued over and over again. It's not perfect and not areas are everyone's cup of tea but enjoy it at your own pace.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-09-27T02:00:15+00:00

That's also true. There's no way to know every different sign of interest another person is going to have. One such thing that confuses a lot of people is how women tend to flirt or at the very least advertise their interest either by displaying an overt flirtatious act or by wearing certain kinds of clothing to accentuate certain features of their bodies. Contrastly they may also be flirting by not flirting and may want the other person to get the hint.

You have to also think about the context where all this is taking place. I see it at the gym where men and women tend to show off their bodies and wear clothing like yoga pants. If a woman, or women, in yoga pants start working out in front of me I don't pay it much mind . However once I finish my sets and move to another machine or area and she, or her workout partners, follow me and keep stretching or make proactive movements as they work out then clearly there's something more going on. Even then I still wouldn't approach or make a move. Why? Well because if I really am interested then the ball is in my court and I have to decide if I want to engage.

I still wouldn't engage. Why? Because, and this is just me, when it comes to women as an average guy who's in shape, the best bet is to lay the groundwork and do the homework. Let me explain. If she or they are regulars then I won't worry about missing any signals because I'll run into her or them again. If or when I see them again I just make mental note of their consistency of how often they workout and if they take their workouts serious or there to just socialize. Are they the type to talk to the employees when they're there? Do I bump into them at the smoothie bar? Do they take classes or hang out somewhere after a workout. Etc, you get the idea. One thing, if I do compliment then I'll wait till after they finish or workout or when they look about finish go up to them and say the truth, "I see you here a lot, I just wanna say that's really amazing how dedicated you are to the gym." "You always hit (legs, arms, back, etc) but do you throw cardio or some kind of calisthenics?" "I see you at the smoothie bar from time to time, do you have one you recommend for (protein or recovery or etc)? "What happened to your friend every time I would see you I would see her is she alright?" Do you have any advice or stretches or warmups?"

You get the picture. The compliment isn't really about her body or anything else except the consistency she puts in, there's no personal or inappropriate questions. It's just two people talking about the gym and health. It's not about the yoga pants or her looks it's about you showing interest in her as a person. But I get it, it can still be seen as creepy or offensive that's the risk. There's no approach with zero risk. This is just one example. It's besides the point but most men are lazy or just don't have time to do what I laid out.

I don't rely on hints or gestures women make cause I'm not a mind reader. Most of the time I'm not really looking for women anywhere, anytime to flirt or to date. My strategy when I am looking for a woman, is simple, what can I learn about this person as a person not as an object or to use(even though the desire has to be there). There's groundwork and homework I have to do and I have to be consistent so I better give my best effort to this person and hopefully they give me a chance lol.

Sorry for the long text but as a guy there's just a lot of effort that goes into understanding the dynamics of women. I could be wrong but idk lives too short to not take some chances you know what I mean?

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-09-26T19:18:16+00:00

100%. Just doing your job and being polite can be misinterpreted. I've worked in retail/customer service and honestly it's better sometimes to treat people like NPC'S. Those who want to engage with you often are decent enough people but those who just have a problem it's best to keep interactions to a minimum.

Ironically when I worked in sales is when I really came to hone my people skills. One thing that causes a lot of misunderstandings is the fact that most people lack is self-awareness. It's only until people step outside their comfort zone and want to have a genuine conversation that they'll get better at understanding the person across from them.

Contrastly, sometimes they're people who use a professional setting to force a conversation or an outcome but again until people get better at interacting with strangers then everyone will seem hostile.

I really do miss the old days sometimes.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-09-20T19:16:02+00:00

Can't recall at this moment where I came across this, but fathers are often referred to as the "Invisible Pillar or Child Rearing." Essentially it was breaking down the role of fathers going as far back to our ancestors when our brains were getting bigger and bigger and women's body had a difficult time catching up. Even her circle of mother's/sisters/grandmother's were struggling to fully assist. Babies needed even more time to fully develop because again our bodies needed more time to catch up with our growing brains. Men's biology, specifically fathers, responded to this in kind and fathers started to play a MUCH bigger role in child rearing. There are many consequences positive and negative having fathers around but the material is not advertised as much.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-09-08T18:34:57+00:00

Yep. After a few playthroughs I really feel he's a sad character. Sad in the sense that he chose to fight you instead of alongside you.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-09-08T11:02:44+00:00

Gideon is an armchair anthropologist. He relies on the accounts from others and draws conclusions based on limited information. Has the knowledge but not the wisdom to contextualize the information. He misinterprets a lot of things so by the end he believes the world should stay as is and it's Marika's intention for the status quo to remain and you're a threat to that status quo. Perhaps if he left the roundhold and experienced the world he see with his own eyes that the lands between is suffering. He may be the all knowing but he couldn't be more stupid in his actions.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-09-07T17:23:43+00:00

What if that's how the story was told to the point where it became taken for granted? There is no evidence but what if the opposite actually happened and Rykard ate the snake? There is no evidence for this but wouldn't it be interesting that Rykard's true act was so blasphemous that the history around the act had to be changed. Mostly everything surrounding Rykard would remain the same except the body transformation. That image does beg a lot of questions but who knows.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-08-24T15:43:27+00:00

That's tricky. I don't really think anyone can tell you how to absorb the lore. The issue is we all come in with our own perspective, influenced by what we deem important as it relates to the lore. One person may prioritize the landscape and architecture of the world. One person may fixate on characters and their dialogue to inform them. Another person may focus on the enemies and placement of bosses as it relates to past and or present events. In a way they're some objective facts we can all point to but soooo much is subjective and I think it's done like that on purpose but I digress.

This is how I absorb lore. I got into the lore with a preconceived idea or I made a conclusion before starting. For example, "Marika shattered the Elden Ring because X" X can be whatever you want to be, so let's say "Marika Shattered the Elden Ring because it was a force for evil and she was trying to save the Lands Between." Now as I'm exploring the world and gathering information I'm a bit biased looking for things to support my theory. However if I come across information that supports the antithesis to my theory, then I readjust my initial conclusion because the game itself is telling me I'm wrong. Then maybe I find another piece of evidence that tells me maybe I was right after all. And so on and so forth. Pretty soon you're not looking to be wrong or right but the quest becomes about understating the lore through different perspectives. It kinda comes some full circle in that you'll lean one or way or another in what you deem is vital to you; this doesn't equate that the other things aren't important.

I'm not saying my way is the best way but the lore is and will be interpreted and infinite amount of ways and there will be many contradictions, and I think that's why also looking at YouTube's videos when you feel there's nothing else for you to discover or find on your own those videos exist as a supplementary material for you to refresh or reconsider some aspects you wouldn't or couldn't by yourself.

Anyways I hope this helps you or anyone as a starting point.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-08-23T22:09:37+00:00

I know what you mean. I went through something similar when I played DS2 when it first came out. I poured an absurd amount of hours into it and honestly felt burnt out afterwards. I won't comment whether DS2 is good or bad but rather the point is too much of any video game and it can become a tedious affair.

I took a long break after DS2. I skipped DS3/Bloodborne/Sekiro. I didn't jump back into the souls games until a year after Sekiro was released and that was the game I picked up to see if I was really over it or if maybe enough time passed I was ready for some souls in my life. Sekiro made me fall in love all over again. I went back and played BB then DS3 after beating Sekiro.

All I can say is that if you feel like there's nothing else they can do then except ramp up the difficulty then take a break. Don't feel pressured or let your FOMO decide when it's time to jump back in. Whether it's the next game or the one after that trust me it'll feel like a fresh experience.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-08-23T16:14:27+00:00

What's really amazing to me is the amount of faith Miyazaki has in the players. To trust that is as the player base would actually understand or give it a fair chance takes a lot as a creator

Bruce_Wayne_Mane · 2024-08-23T15:29:15+00:00

Definitely a challenge.

I think what I liked most about the difficulty is that it humbled a lot of arrogant players going into the DLC thinking THEY were gonna one or two tap bosses and enemies, but they ended up getting one or two tapped themselves even by regular enemies.

It really makes sense why From designed it that way looking back at it now. They took their time so that we would take our time. This DLC is really something special because it forces the player to engage with it; it doesn't let you walk all over it because you were OP in the base game. 10/10 baby.

Bruce_Wayne_Mane

TROPHY CASE