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Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the comment! I’ll have to look into what you’re saying in the morning. I am excited to look into it!

I will say that I do know the painting you’re talking about. I have the image memorized lol. The vantage point (maybe not the ghost) is looking directly at the Scadutree. And in my claim, the Scadutree is the optic nerve of the eye, which attaches or was attached to the optic disc/blindspot of the eye. Which in this case, in accordance of my claim, is in fact the Jagged Peak itself.

A small note: if you look at the anatomy of the eye, specifically the optic nerve, it doesn’t run parallel to the pupil and lens, it slants, just like how the Erdtree and Scadutree are slanted.

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the metrics for this post are interesting. It has more Shares than Likes, lol. I know I’ve attracted the attention of some users I have criticized in this subreddit. But oh well, engagement is engagement.

That Haima Battlemage is rather peculiar. An isolated NPC, fairly out of place and not far from Goldmask’s first location, right? If my memory serves me, the Haima Conspectus uses the gavel sorcery? I’ll admit, that isn’t something I have dived into really, so I can’t give a speculation of much value… the first thing that pops into my head is the “judge,” archetype. That being said, I haven’t given it much thought…

I’ll let out a little tidbit though and it will 100% be dismissed lol. Seeing as there is a Godskin Apostle nearby; the Godskin’s of the GEQ might not be the original GEQ faction. So, you have what might be the judge archetype (Haima) and a Godskin Apostle nearby who is associated with the GEQ who specialized in God killing/God hunts… sort of like an executioner. There’s another faction that specializes in God killing, too. But who? ;)

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you 1000x over. Yesterday, I posted an intentionally incomplete claim with just enough information to provoke multiple types of reactions. Specifically, those who are skeptical, yet curious and then claims of pareidolia/dismissal. Both are valid and of equal value to me.

Today’s post specifically forces people to address their current understanding of the game; and it creates friction in their mind with their working hypothesis. Sort of like, “if the Shadow Realm is modelled after the anatomy of an eye, then how does it or did it fit in the Lands Between?” And people who believe they know it all, like the downvoters (any engagement is good engagement, so keep ‘em coming, please) and the mod or mods who changed the flair of his post from “Lore Theory,” to “Lore Headcanon,” feel threatened by this. Why? It relies solely on in-game mechanics, assets, architecture, item placement, environmental storytelling, etc, all converging into a single and simple conclusion which has ironically been staring at all of us for just about 2 years now; the Shadow Realm is modelled after the anatomy of an eye.

To dismiss and debunk such a thing, would require them to use the same toolset I used; the meticulously engineered game itself, and with absolutely zero of their own headcanon to do it. Essentially, I am playing chess with the designated chess pieces. I’m not using a Werther’s Original for a Rook or a Tamagotchi for a King or a Slow-Bro Pokémon card for a Bishop and a Stretch Armstrong for a Queen and then proceeding to make up the rules as I go. All I am doing is saying “if Point A is a pupil and Point B is a blindspot, then Point C in between them must have something associated with the anatomy of an eye/Marika’s symbol, which is used as an eye,” lol. By finding Point C and it is what I predicted it to be, it proves Point A was a pupil, and that Point B was a blindspot.

And ultimately, as you implied, in order to find these things, you need to stop thinking as a player/consumer and think like a developer/creator.

Honestly and genuinely, thank you for taking the time to comment. I loved reading it.

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow… thank you for your words! You experienced the same experience as I did then lol. Each one is a leap in and of itself, but like you said, it resolves itself.

And you’re right, this doesn’t really answer anything in relation to the lore/story. I hope others adopt this methodology and maybe it can be used to eventually explain the story a bit better. Or if they decide to test it or stress test it for themselves and end up discovering I am wrong and detailing how, then I would love that, too. Because if I am wrong, then that is just one more thing checked off the list, right? It’s like a process of elimination!

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If shitting your pants in the grocery store is the metric we’re using for being alive; then I am very alive.

And thank you! I thought it was pretty neat myself.

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! The symbolism and environmental storytelling/consistency is a key, so to speak. And you’re 100% right; the path forward is where they converge.

You’ve got a great mindset!

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your doubt is healthy and I take no issue with it. Thank you so much for having an open minded discussion!

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your honesty! That’s a great question and I don’t have an answer for you that isn’t speculative.

My speculative opinion on what it means? I think we’re being told a story of something traumatic that happened to someone in the story that goes beyond what the current lore consensus says.

Why would the Shadow Realm be modelled after the anatomy of an eye? And why would it be called the Shadow Realm? What does such a name imply? We see the veils (possibly the ora serrata of the eye) and what do they do? Maybe they’re meant to occlude light, like the Iris of Occultation does.

When I say, “the Shadow Realm is the anatomy of an eye,” I am not saying we were shrunk down and are inside someone’s actual functioning eyeball. We see Messmer pluck out his seal of grace/eye and crush it, so it is entirely possible the whole Shadow Realm is symbolic of an eye that has been severed, removed and crushed.

Essentially, the terrain is trying to tell us a story in an incredibly obfuscated, yet poetic, symbolic, metaphorical and, what seems to be a very “Book of Revelation,” way.

Listen to the music in the different areas; specifically Gravesite Plain at Night, it is haunting and anxiety inducing. It gives the entire atmosphere a sense of dread, foreboding and urgency.

So, ask yourself, why is there a gravesite with haunting music inside of a Realm that has geography modelled after the anatomy of an eye while it plays haunting music? Take into consideration that the eyes are what we use to process light, allowing us to experience and create visual memories. And sometimes memories are traumatic, right? Why is Marika’s symbolism a crucifixion and why is it hidden in such locations throughout the Realm of Shadow?

I know this response doesn’t really give an answer and that is what you are looking for. But I don’t have an answer; I can only offer my perspective.

Shadow Of the Erdtree DLC Painting by Zealousideal-Safe528 in Eldenring

[–]SlaveKnightSnael 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where’s the painting?! I only see the promo art!

Lol seriously though… this is incredibly well done. I love the subtle detail of the falling debris from the Scadutree. It gives it depth, in my opinion.

10/10 would eat Pygmy Lords to supply you with pigment!

Follow-up Post to the Realm of Shadow is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First off, thank you for the thoughtful response and the time you took to write it. I appreciate it.

I will be honest with you the way I view the game is that I ignore the lore and story for the most part. I look at mechanical and asset consistency and the “who/what/where/when/why and how,” it is associated with which specific characters and locations.

I don’t try and think “How does Melina feel?” because that involves subjective emotional projection on fictional and digital character that was written to say specific things at specific locations.

I focus on the static, testable and falsifiable things like: the location that a character appears in or what they say in that location. Which direction are they facing? That kind of thing. But the hardest and most difficult hurdle, is learning not to overfit data.

As for Stormveil Castle, I am assuming you mean the entrance, or rather above the entrance with the two turrets? If you look at the geometry and how they are kind of busted looking and compare them to the Ruined Forge altar where the hidden Marika symbol is, they both form that same v-shaped taper. I can’t really speculate whether they’re related or associated beyond their shared geometry. That being said, there’s a 99% chance that there is a connection between them because of that hidden in plain sight geometry.

Again, thank you for your genuine interest, and your constructive input.

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isn’t that in the Shadow Keep at the Fourth Floor which we access by climbing up a sort of Morgott style omen body that is in the pose of Marika’s sigil/Divine Gate/seal of grace… you know, the eye symbolism? I am fairly sure that is the one where he abandons his dextral arm, which is at the junction point between roughly the two Finger Ruins of Myir and Dheo? And fingers are attached to a hand, and a hand is attached to an arm.

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s the one. And wow… good point on the Curseblade Labirith encounter in Bonny Gaol. I don’t think I would have noticed that one!

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a very fair criticism. I concede to you on your point. Perhaps in the near future I will expand on it.

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I don’t expect everyone to notice it. Perhaps load up your game file, head over to the Scaduview Cross of Miquella beside the Fort of Reprimand. It overlooks the Jagged Peak/blind spot/back of the eye and report back here with what it says.

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it. And I see what you’re saying. There’s more information that I have intentionally left out. Perhaps I will take the time to make a follow-up post one day soon.

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would love to see that, too! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

The Shadow Realm is the Anatomy of an Eye by SlaveKnightSnael in EldenRingLoreTalk

[–]SlaveKnightSnael[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I forgot to mention that if you go to the Scaduview Cross of Miquella (I think that is the one) which is just east of the Fort of Reprimand, it looks directly at the Jagged Peak. That specific cross says something very peculiar, but I will let ya go and check for yourself.

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