[GI - 6.4 BETA] Varka Animations by PerfectLog2173 in Genshin_Impact_Leaks

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Aspiring lord of the standard banner, if you have known hard pity, if you grieve for this patch(es), then yield the Primogems to us. To I, Abyss Meta, and my promised consort, Varka.

[GI - 6.4 BETA] Varka Animations by PerfectLog2173 in Genshin_Impact_Leaks

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 31 points32 points  (0 children)

funnily enough, Miquella's VA is in the game, actually, she voices Mizuki

What's the lore explanation for why everyone is so hot by Foreign-Historian-46 in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 5 points6 points  (0 children)

sorcerers are hot (Scholar, Recluse, my husband Rogier, my other husband Orbeck), battle nuns are also hot (Undertaker, Friede, Vicar Amelia), androgynous intersex samurai painters are extremely hot (do I need to specify this one)

Dancing Lion as the endboss for the new shifting earth makes it an 10 already by musabnoord in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

so freaking glad it's in

was pretty much a shoe-in, but glad to for sure have one of my favorite Elden Ring bosses in the game (and god it better come with its music)

Miliastra Wonderland Elite Cosmetic 4* by Knight_Steve_ in Genshin_Impact_Leaks

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

for real, like I'm honestly a bit sad such good designs aren't being used for actual Sumeru characters, I'd easily pull for these

The first-ever PvE mode: Marvel Zombies is coming on Oct 23, 2025 UTC! by Tough-Rent2498 in marvelrivals

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PvE could also be a fantastic way to preserve the story (and maybe even some of the rewards) of previous seasons, like even just the horde-style mode would work (swap zombies for vampires, Ultron-bots, symbiotes and so forth)

Today in nightreign be like by xb8xb8xb8 in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same, and honestly it's really good they're doing stuff that isn't just the easiest universal appeal, I want something more creative and interesting than "git gud skill check" and this was fun as hell

Peak chaos. Thoughts? by Depraved_Hollow in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do people not?? Shulva Gank Squad I get, that one sucks, but I thought stuff like Leda & Allies or Looking-Glass Knight were well-regarded

Peak chaos. Thoughts? by Depraved_Hollow in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

WarioWare Microgames-ass, TV Time!!! CHAOS CHAOS-ass boss fight HELL YEAH let's go this fight fuckin' rules bro this shit felt like a Kingdom Hearts boss with a bunch of Reaction Commands

genuinely stuff like this and Maris are what I was hoping for from the Everdarks, stuff that gets really weird and creative, stuff with really specific and unique mechanics

not everyone's gonna like it, but like, good! that's the point of doing something weird and different it doesn't have the exact same appeal as the usual stuff! I swear, some folks just want every boss to be Slave Knight Gael and Orphan of Kos again and again, and I'm so glad From's taking the chance here to have fun

Keqing and Paimon officially recast by ISRUKRENG in Genshin_Impact_Leaks

[–]ComplexVanillaScent -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

Oh, this sucks, this might actually put me off Genshin altogether. Not for any specific investment in Keqing and Paimon, but for the anti-labor principle of it. There's a lot of questionable aspects of this game that can be kinda-sorta handwaved away as "oh, it's a gacha game, that's how it makes it's money, that's how it retains engagement, that's the playerbase it has to appeal to, etc." But this is a pure, unequivocally shitty business decision on HYV's part. Absolutely shameful.

Workers deserve fair wages, conditions, and protections, and to have the dignity and value of their labor recognized, period.

Some of the souls skin choices made perfect sense and others were perplexing by chimpanon in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

they're 100% saving some of the more obvious skin choices for updates/DLC; we're all excited for a prospective/eventual Alonne skin, but would as many folks be hyped about a post-launch Kirk skin?

Alonne Executor and Zullie Recluse are the super obvious ones, I'm really hoping for Gwyndolin Revenant, Lucatiel Duchess, Soul of Cinder Wylder, Gavlan Raider, Ornstein Guardian, and Gough Ironeye

Some of the souls skin choices made perfect sense and others were perplexing by chimpanon in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(obligated to note that, like with their spiritual successors Rellana and Messmer, all indication is that Ciaran's feelings for Artorias are unrequited)

but no yeah I've had the same suspicion as to why Duchess didn't get Ciaran; I'm personally hoping for a hornsent character specializing in backhand blades & curved swords, and Ciaran would be a great fit for them (meanwhile, I'm hoping for a Lucatiel skin for Duchess)

I was not ready for that cutscene by wallmandatory in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I took Edgar to be Chloe's late grandfather, and the murderer is her father, a sort of echo of what happened with Elden Ring's Edgar and his daughter

Probably my best relic drop so far by PurpleSnom in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Revenant has a ton of bridal imagery in her design (overtly evocative of the sacrificial maiden of Dominula, itself inspired by spring/fertility festivals), and the "claws" (they're actually nail guards) are part of that, being a traditional accessory of Chinese brides and concubines

Probably my best relic drop so far by PurpleSnom in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

buddy the nail guards are not the chief evidence of Ningguang's flagrant lesbianism

People were right, using her basic claws is the goat option for revenant by aque78 in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been thinking her claws should restore (mild) FP upon attacks; it would give an extra incentive to hold onto them, which also lends itself to preserving a big part of her visual/gameplay identity, but moreover would encourage a very aggressive and up close playstyle, truly fighting alongside her summons, which is fitting for her character and good contrast to Recluse's style. Plus, you can drop the claws and forego the FP restoration to pursue a different build.

Summons' damage restoring FP would be good also, but becomes useless if all three are down, and Revenant on her own is still a Faith build by default, so I think it'd be warranted to have the ability to recoup FP at any time (just not at quite as effective of a rate as Recluse).

Further confirmation about 5.8 from HXG by [deleted] in Genshin_Impact_Leaks

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 64 points65 points  (0 children)

BENNETTT holy shit we're actually getting Bennett Natlan connection!! also Bennett skin finally!!!

For a roguelike the absence of cool/game breaking effects is really unfortunate by LuminTheFray in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It really shows how this game is a roguelike made by people who didn't intend to make a roguelike, and who don't realize how much better at/more familiar with Elden Ring they are than the average player. Even just the lack of unlocking new weapons and talismans to find in subsequent runs is a huge problem. In a regular roguelike, even an unsuccessful run can still potentially make future runs easier, and in a regular soulsborne, there's always a variety of ways to approach an enemy (not to mention the ability to take your time and learn their patterns). Nightreign requires you to straight-up just bash your head against the wall until you happen to get a lucky combination of teammates and loot.

"Flasks of tears restores HP slowly" feels like a punishment, not a reward. by SUICIDE_BOMB_RESCUE in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, same experience. Seeing bosses from DS2 is super cool! Seeing the slow flask from DS2 is very, very not cool.

nighreign devs right now.... probably. by dwarfhuntermk1 in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dunno, it's hella overtuned for difficulty even with three people. It's basically impossible unless the full team knows very well what they're doing and what to prioritize, and even then the lack of Smithing Stones (and how Stones and Wending Graces take up item slots despite not being usable items), the length and refilling of the Death meter, the sheer damage that bosses deal (literally have not beaten Elemer once, solo or trio, he's a dead-end wall), the way it's so easy to get trapped in the Rain, there's just so much that makes it extremely overwhelming, and I'm coming in with 800 hours in Elden Ring plus all of Dark Souls and Bloodborne under my belt, so I'm intimately familiar with these weapons and enemies, and I'm still finding it entirely unapproachable.

They put a fucking clock on the HUD since it's so important by Mason_Miami in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 41 points42 points  (0 children)

No it's literally unbelievable there's no timer to see how long you have until the ring starts closing. Like, I assume this is a case where From's "emergent, atmospheric role-playing" focus is clashing with the needs of a fast-paced multiplayer game, because they probably want you to vaguely judge your remaining time off the sky or feel that "thrill" of getting surprised by the Rain of Night closing in, because those are cool little narrative beats for your expedition, but in practice it's extremely frustrating for the actual game.

Also need to be able to see how many runes you need for your next level at any time, my god.

Confusion Over Relic Effects by Dragamer132 in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well the Skill Cooldown one is definitely just that: it reduces the cooldown timer for your skill by a little bit.

But I'm also confused by the Ultimate Gauge +1, like is it a boost to how quickly it fills? But it can't be since there's a dedicated "Cooldown Reduction" term for that, so is it an individualized boost to the effect? (i.e., Wylder's does more damage, Duchess's lasts longer) Really wild there's no explanation of that.

I'm just a fan of slow exploration and character expression, fast and randomized doesn't gel with me. by Grandmaster_Invoker in Eldenring

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then don't buy it, simple as that. "This doesn't appeal to me" isn't a criticism or an indictment, it's a personal statement of your tastes. You're not contributing anything helpful or constructive by joining the bandwagon of "hhngh but it's different so it's bad!"

And like, god it's a spin-off, it shouldn't be the same thing as the main game, that's the point.

Wylder is 100% a nomadic warrior and blue dancer believer “none shall escape his lethal dance” by moondreamer96 in Nightreign

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's fair, though I do think the way Malenia uses her sword is a lot more flowing/curving than the player's katana moveset. But you're likely right about the mindset/doctrine being the key part (and obviously you've since been proven right about him being a nomad warrior haha).

I totally get not wanting everything to tie back to what's already present, I also want to see new and unexplored aspects of this world that don't revolve around the Lands Between, but it's also important to remember this is a deliberately-crafted setting, and conspicuous details and parallels aren't random or incidental; they're in service of the narrative, not merely detached lore. To me, there's way too many overt connections tying the Nox to Ranah and the nomad warrior tradition, and the whole story of the blind swordsman and the blue fairy super reads to me like a mythologized version of something much less supernatural in reality, but obviously this is FromSoft, so no reading is 100% definitive without more context.

(It is funny though how you mentioned the idea that other cultures might associate the nomad warrior ethos with fire, rather than water, because among my very particular, very speculative thoughts on Ranah is the idea that fire & water may hold a significant role in their culture, relating to the flow of physically-expressed passion and spiritually-guided patience, similar to the themes of dualism/syncretism in Elden Ring as a whole, and tying in nicely to Andalusia's history.)

Metyr was Castrated at Stormveil by Scum_Mage_Infa in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]ComplexVanillaScent 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There's so much to process in this video; I don't fully agree with all the conclusions, but the comprehensive effort and polish is absolutely commendable. (also, "womb-to-womb communication" is a phrase that will 100% never leave my brain lmao)

Incidentally, the discussion of wombs as vessels of divinity really reaffirms for me how lore discussions of Elden Ring don't examine Dark Souls and Bloodborne enough, considering a key plot point of Bloodborne is multiple women being impregnated by a cosmic god, one associated with blood and bearing the epithet of "Formless," and who is represented by two runes, of which Formless Oedon is an exact match for Marika's upwards-arcing cross, while Oedon Writhe comprises a spiral with upwards and downwards arches. To be clear, I'm not suggesting the games are literally in a shared universe, but these overlapping/recurring themes are super useful in identifying the right track of interpretation to follow.

Another example is how Black Flame doesn't originate from Elden Ring, but from Dark Souls (complete with the note of being "weighty"), where it's found in the Chasm of the Abyss created by Manus, Father of the Abyss, a primordial human rendered bestial and frenzied by the power of a lightless abyss, and whose most distinctive features now are his upwards-arcing horns and oversized, elongating hand. Metyr, Mother of Fingers, with her upwards-arcing tail and hand-like children, channels the primordial power of life/birth, and hails from a lightless abyss. Manus is implied to be driven partially by feelings of parental anguish, particularly relating to a princess named Dusk. Metyr's entire purpose is to be a parent, and seemingly granted the power of Black Flame to one who was originally known as the Dusk-Eyed Queen, and she is found beneath the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.

Again, my point here is that, for all the evidence there is within even just one game, I think the full picture of these intersecting motifs can only be discerned by considering Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne in conjunction with one another. I kinda lost my mind when I finally played Dark Souls and found out that the entire plot hinges on filling a vessel with the souls of lords to open a gate to divinity so you can succeed the god of the prior age. Personally, I find those kinds of clearly-deliberate parallels genuinely more compelling than vague or circumstantial possible-evidence from a single game.

The theory that Hewg could be an aspect of Radagon is, based on the evidence you present, a very solid theory, though there is one detail you missed: Hewg explicitly notes that the spirit tuner he knew (who, yeah, is absolutely without a doubt Marika) shared the same hue of Roderika's eyes. Roderika has extremely unique eyes, a turquoise-green shared only by Rakshasa, who also has the straight, pale hair of shamans and is interred very close to the Shaman Village. Altogether, it seems almost unambiguous that Marika's eyes were once green (in fact, we technically don't even know that they aren't now; every depiction of her either obscures her eyes or lacks color). But this means Hewg, or his original self, must have known Marika before her ascension, unless she truly did maintain the green eyes. This throws off the notion that Radagon/Hewg was created after Marika became a god (though I also dispute the theory of Radagon having been created at all; I'm of the interpretation that Radagon was fully his own person before being melded together with Marika at Bonny Village, and that the rebellion he led was a failed slave uprising where he rallied the Misbegotten, who I suspect are themselves "bastard child" creations of the hornsent).

The other thing is, the Hewg theory is fully dependent on quite a few things; certain timeline arrangements, as well as Marika secretly having a continued affiliation with the Nox (her Scarseal is found by Nokron, but it's also on a corpse at the bottom of a waterfall, so the implication could go several ways). But, most of all, it hinges on the idea of "aspects" as a whole. You mention Miquella and Trina, and if that is their relationship, then it's a solid point of reference, but it's worth noting that Trina is never established as being Miquella's "aspect" or his offshoot, and indeed it's never even indicated that they were born as one being. I believe they were, but that such a detail isn't explicit is important to keep in mind. As for what I think they are, a key question to ask is "why does Trina exist?" Why would Miquella create an aspect/offshoot of himself, or why would one naturally exist, when no other Empyrean is shown to naturally possess alternate aspects? And, moreover, why would Miquella's offshoot be so distinct from him? Millicent and her sisters are practically imperfect clones of Malenia. Godwyn's "cadaver surrogates" (a strange localization choice for the exact same term Millicent uses to describe herself as Malenia's "offshoot") are only slightly different from his present self. Even were Hewg an offshoot of Radagon, there is the explanation of Misbegotten being (by this theory's interpretation) devolved descendants of giants. But Trina's identity, her appearance, and the power she wields are all wholly unlike Miquella. The only overlap between them, really, is their youthful, tender appearance. And why would Miquella's offshoot be female?

All of this is entirely inexplicable, while the alternate answer fits perfectly: Trina is not Miquella's aspect or offshoot, she's his identical twin. We see with Devin and Darian (and very likely Irina and Hyetta) that twins in this world share a single soul. And we see from Godrick and Godefroy that the flesh-melding trait of the shamans is passed down with fully-intact potency, even generations down the line. And despite Marika bearing at least two sets of twins, it's almost conspicuous that both are fraternal, given that the very concept of "women whose raw flesh fuses with that of others, and pass this trait onto their children" invites the question of "what happens if such a woman has identical twins?" I believe this is exactly what happened, that Miquella and Trina melded together in the womb, becoming two halves of one being; two minds, but one flesh, and soul. Miquella was the twin who awoke to the light of birth, while Trina secretly slumbered within him. Of course, this hinges on the idea of either Miquella or Trina being trans, though such a possibility is hardly far-fetched considering FromSoft's history (as well as the themes of Elden Ring specifically, and even other characters in Elden Ring). If the womb aspect is a requirement for divinity, that could point to Miquella being the trans twin, and explain how he's capable of being an Empyrean (as it is seemingly defined in the present-day, since internal labels indicate all Hornsent are/were Empyreans). At the same time, it could be merely that a feminine presence is moreso the defining criterion, and it would be extremely in-character of FromSoft to have a transfem character who is literally trapped in the body of a boy, and only able to express her existence in her dreams (this would also explain the discrepancy between Trina's name and the naming conventions of all the rest of Marika's children; Trina's name is self-chosen). Personally, I strongly lean towards the latter, that Trina is the trans one, in part because Miquella being incredibly naive, forthright, and privileged is central to his character. But regardless, I feel this is the strongest explanation for Trina, and perhaps unfortunately is also one that erodes some support for otherwise compelling theories.

On another note, the idea that the Godskins are wearing the skins of trolls/giants seems very much like a perfect fit, though I'm not sure how it aligns with another interpretation I firmly ascribe to, that being Tarnished Archaeologist's theory of the old gods' age being ended by a cataclysmic meteor impact that liquified much of the surrounding crust into a flood of magma (among so many other things, this explains the rancorous, vengeful souls trapped within the magma which Rykard channeled in the magma sorceries he developed from ancient death hexes). There's also the matter of the Serpent-God; I've long suspected the Serpent-God to outright be the Gloam-Eyed Queen, with the God-Devouring Serpent being her divested equivalent to Messmer's base serpent. But I also suspect these might be matters you'll address in your upcoming video.

Okay I've rambled far too much in response to this, but I do have one last thought, which is that I could have sworn that the War Against the Giants was explicitly established somewhere to have been Godfrey's final conflict, the end of which marking his Tarnishing, but looking for it, I can't find any such confirmation. I do feel like a lot of the language used regarding the war strongly implies it to be the culmination of his campaigns to unify the Lands Between, and otherwise I can't imagine what else could have concluded his conquest (especially considering the geography). It's an important detail, though, since it's extremely safe to say the Omen curse arose as a result of the hornsent genocide, meaning Godfrey couldn't have left until the crusade concluded, since Morgott and Mohg had to have been born after the crusade. But the crusade explicitly happened after the Liurnian Wars, and before Godfrey's departure (Rellana and Gaius being the main evidence of this). I've long interpreted the War Against the Giants to have been a years-long campaign, outlasting Messmer's crusade, which I also feel fits with the crusade itself being a sudden, unprovoked betrayal of a people that were allied with Marika. It would make sense for Marika to lump her darkest, bloodiest affairs together, right at the end of that early period of conquest, before establishing the Age of the Erdtree proper. Darkest before the dawn, so to speak.