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[driften-sea-snake]

ABOMINATION

[driften-sea-snake]

The Greater Will Doesn't Exist

There is no greater will in the universe. Existence precedes essence. Limited by our mortal, subjective perspectives, it is natural to yearn for some sort of larger design or unity. The vast, lonely distances of individual consciousness make the universe seem like a collection of tiny islands in the vast expanse of an ocean, doomed to one day sink. It seems impossible to reach across and truly understand another's experience of reality.

Elden Ring's themes concern the solitude of consciousness and the struggle to connect to a larger unity of all existence. Marika and Radagon were the same individual, but once split were forever changed by their different experiences and could not simply merge again. This is a microcosm of many stories in Elden Ring. All life was once unified in the Crucible, free of the burden of subjectivity and disparity. Whether yearning for home, rebirth, understanding or a larger purpose, so many characters in one way or another wish to return to the Crucible. Regression is the pull of all meaning, after all. As the Frenzied Flame incantations make clear, suffering is inherent to subjective experience. This is represented by these incantations expressing pain-derived spells through the eyes, a symbol of individual perception. Hyetta seeks to literally use the eyes of multiple people to surpass her own limited perspective and find a more universal truth. In the end, the Frenzied Flame seeks to return the universe to the shared harmony of unified existence. However, much like Marika and Radagon, subjectivity cannot be undone. There is no going back to the Crucible. All the characters and factions of the Lands Between can do is hope to simulate it.

The Greater Will is the ultimate manifestation of this, a childish wish by an orphan to not be alone, adrift in the cold. The Elden Beast is a lost child above all else. Its isolation is underlined by the inability of most beings to even comprehend its "language." It must be very lonely to only be heard and understood by a handful of other individuals. However, there were other beings it was supposed to share existence with. If you look at the body of the Elden Beast, it is immediately clear that it resembles an Erdtree. It has roots, a trunk, and branch-like wings. That's because it is an Erdtree, or at least was supposed to be. At the very top of the creature is a bright orb-an eye. This single eye indicates a subjective experience of the universe. The Elden Beast is an Erdtree seed that, in the aftermath of the end of the Crucible, developed consciousness. Isolated from it's brethren, by chance or by choice it traveled to a world that held an Erdtree. This one was much closer to the days of the Crucible. Indeed, the other Erdtrees in the cosmic background of the final boss arena suggest that they still share a kind of shared existence or connection. Unable to give up its individuality the Elden Beast was left with the powers of an Erdtree and an eye with which to perceive the unity it could not join.

The Golden Order is the Elden Beast's attempt to use its powers as a sentient Erdtree to try to recreate the shared unity of the Crucible. If consciousness could not be reversed, then perhaps there was a way to get around it. If every single being in the universe were to agree on the same story of life and death, united and granted purpose by a larger design, would that not be a kind of unified reality? Grace literally changes the eyes of all individuals granted it. Most inhabitants of the Lands Between have golden eyes with which to view the world. Though all those eyes connect back to subjective experiences of reality, they see things in the same way that the Elden Beast's golden eye does. With Marika as its chosen vessel and god, the people of the Lands Between share the same cosmology and faith. At death, bodies are returned to the Erdtree so that they can forever be joined in unity, now having lost their individuality.

At the center of this shared narrative is the Greater Will. It's clear that people in the Lands Between believe it is a god that literally exists. However, I don't think this definitively has to be the case. Even if the Greater Will is an Outer God, these seem to represent primordial emotions and desires more than a being hanging out somewhere in space. In any case, I believe the Greater Will doesn't actually exist. The Elden Beast is described as a "vassal" of the Greater Will. It is an adherent of the idea that inherent order and purpose exist in reality. The concept of the Greater Will suggests that the universe follows some sort of design. It is only in that case that essence can precede existence. This kind of universal truth would exist beyond tiny islands of individual consciousness. For the Elden Beast this idea offers the unity of life that the Crucible once held.

The Elden Beast doesn't literally believe that the Greater Will exists out there. However, it does believe that its own efforts have in a sense created a greater, conscious force in the universe. There is a large degree of self-awareness to the Golden Order. It is a kind of narrative construction that seeks to avoid the organic, messy material changes and human agency that actually form history. It has to constantly adapt its story, expelling and welcoming elements to compensate for the changes of the world. Even references to and signs of the Crucible were eventually purged. The Golden Order is supposed to be a bastion of unending stability; reminders of the past and omens of the future have no place in an eternal present. Change is what the Elden Beast seeks to control. It was change that ended the Crucible, that led to the development of individuality and consciousness. However, life is change, and nothing lasts forever.

By the time Elden Ring starts, the end result of the Elden Beast's attempt to recreate the Crucible is eternal stagnation. It seems content to let the current state of affairs continue forever, or perhaps it is as lost and afraid as when it first gained awareness. The Golden Order demands faith in a shared, inherent purpose in the universe. It can only trust in something that exists outside the mortal, limited perceptions of individuals. The Greater Will does not require eyes to perceive it in order to exist. The Elden Beast does not realize that this kind of truth no longer exists after the end of the Crucible. It does not know how to put faith in the idea that the eyes of another person behold the same reality as ourselves, or that it is through those same eyes that the proof of our own existence is found.

[driften-sea-snake]

shadow of the erdtree ending where you’re elden consort and convince miquella to come home with you

[driften-sea-snake]

rennala with preceptors: look i trust all of you, just don’t tell anyone he’s actually marika,

radagon: *voice echoing down hallway* rennala i accidentally pissed on my balls again :(

rennala: actually i need you guys to wear these masks and take a vow of silence,

[driften-sea-snake]

miquella will not be the final boss of the dlc. you defeat messmer, enter the final room and discover another hand sticking out of a cocoon. that’s right, the world’s sleepiest boy is dreaming in a dream. owned. obliterated. maybe your lore theories are right, maybe they’re wrong. miquella is griffith? sorry there will be no Discourse and Debate. come back in a year for the second dlc, go on get outta here,

[driften-sea-snake]

tarnished: heyyyy buddy, not to get all “stepdad” on you, but i bet it would mean so much to your mom if you sent her a card for mother’s day,

miquella: i’m centuries older than you, like dude shut the fuck up

tarnished: okay!!! no worries buddy!!!

[driften-sea-snake]

godfrey must have fantasized about returning for years but when he shows up at his ex-wife’s front door everything plays out differently. the house she kept in the divorce is on fire. apparently his son was living in the basement and died there. he doesn’t even get the epic fight against the guy she left him for. instead his ex-wife’s soon-to-be third spouse shows up and promptly kills him. in his last moment he realizes the restraining order was actually to protect him

[driften-sea-snake]

my shit asoiaf take is that i want griff jon and dany to hang out and chill together maybe play a videogame

[driften-sea-snake]

there was only one strike

marika’s shattering of the elden ring and radagon’s attempt to repair it were not two separate events. it was the same hammer strike, done for two different reasons by two different people. though they shared one body, they did not share the same individuality. it’s the perfect culmination of marika and radagon’s story.

radagon is something like a fragment, clone, or bud separated from marika. however, the nature of subjective consciousness meant his journey turned him into a distinct person with his own experiences, desires and character. when he returned and rejoined marika’s body it was not the reunion of two halves of the same person. in this way it's an example of elden ring’s exploration of consciousness and individuality. regression is the pull of meaning, and all things share a yearning to converge. yet, just as life cannot return to the shared unity of the crucible, marika and radagon could not simply merge again. their different memories, emotions and relationships combined with the passage of time to create distinct individuality. when they reunited they did not find the comfort of one’s self, but all the intimacy and horror that goes along with the mortifying ordeal of being known.

marika’s story is defined in large part by a key contradiction. she wished to free herself of the golden order, disillusioned with the elden beast as its promises of eternity and a larger plan in the universe were called into greater and greater doubt. however, the golden order was also the source of her godhood. even if she was only a figurehead to exploit, the people of the lands between worshipped her because of it. to separate herself from the golden order and the power of the erdtree controlled by the elden beast would mean losing this status. based on their different personalities and histories, marika and radagon came to reflect the opposite sides of this contradiction. marika represented the possibility of rebirth, that destroying the elden beast and/or usurping its power would allow her to be an eternal god in truth. radagon embodied the ostensible safety of stagnation, which would mean coming to terms with the golden order and trying to save it. to do so would mean continuing to be trapped within those confines, but it would preserve her place as revered god. there is a comfort in misery, especially one that is known for a long time; the unknown can offer the hope of change and rebirth, but also uncertainty and the possibility of something worse.

this all ultimately led marika and radagon to bring their hammer down on the elden ring, but contained within that strike were the contradictions of two people and two goals. for marika, becoming a god in truth by usurping or destroying the elden beast, for radagon strengthening or reforming the elden ring in an attempt to allow the golden order to persist. marika yearned out of hope and ambition that she might become a god in truth while radagon trembled at the thought of losing the power and stability of her current position. it was an attempted resolution of their contradictions, both within themselves as distinct individuals and the golden order that empowered and trapped them.

[driften-sea-snake]

this is a really interesting take, and brings to mind that george rr martin wrote for a tv adaptation of the fairy tale and was clearly inspired by it with asoiaf and certain characters

Yunia and me had Mohg discussion and she gave me THE take.

Mohg Lord of Blood has very surprising parallels with Beast from "Beauty and the Beast". His symbolic flowers are roses, he's cursed prince stripped forever of his title trying to build noble society around himself while his palace lies in long forgotten ruins, he longs about life and glory that supposed to belong to him since birth. Mohg has omen bestial appearance, he's a monster, but he is also a royalty dressed in crimson and gold.

There's "supposed" to be a divine being that should ascend him to be a true lord, which Mohg awaited. A "beauty" in a way. But there's wasn't "a beauty", and never meant to be, there's only unresponsive decaying body inside a cocoon and vile delusions of insane lunatic. I find it poetic in a scary way.

[driften-sea-snake]

in the year before his death my father read through asoiaf, and it was basically all we talked about during that time. characters and themes and theories and joking references, he even said happy name day that year. it was a bright spot in an often difficult relationship. anyway i find it kinda funny that he died a decade ago and he still hasn’t missed out on anything with asoiaf. i mean sure, there was f&b, but the main series hasn’t progressed yet. i don’t know how to feel about that; i’m excited for twow but still find some sort of comfort in sharing the long wait with him, all these years later. this way his theories aren’t wrong. this way i haven’t missed out on any asoiaf discussions with him yet. this way time still hasn’t left him behind completely

[driften-sea-snake]

miquella’s story is actually about the horror of being turned from a boy into a man by puberty. in the dream world of the shadow lands miquella still has his beautiful, long golden hair. but in reality, his new adult body is bald and rotted. his transformation has destroyed both his childhood form and the ideal version of the body he imagined, left only to exist in a dream

[driften-sea-snake]

evil child-murdering billionaires who rule the world with a shit-eating grin: what if vast resources were used to put a chip in a monkey’s brain so you can beam advertisements for toothpaste directly to the monkey

me if i had those resources: *standing in an exact replica of ordina, liturgical town with my partner, who is dressed as a black knife assassin* im finally gonna be, so happy,

[driften-sea-snake]

*finding miquella in dlc* wow i think it’s so nice that your hair is beautiful and golden and literally glowing. that’s so nice. you deserve it. cause in reality, you know. bald. yeah we’re talking not a single hair left. *boss music starting* hey can you jerk off in here too, cause judging by things on the outside,

[driften-sea-snake]

if you became ranni’s consort at the end of the base game then the dlc is actually a road trip to get to know your brother-in-law. but uh-oh!turns out another, secret brother-in-law has invited himself too. get ready for some family fun!

[driften-sea-snake]

if you became elden consort in an ending then the dlc is actually an epic journey to meet your new stepson. can the lego sets you brought to make miquella like you survive messmer the impaler?

[driften-sea-snake]

this kinda just popped in my head but if you think about it most of the demigods have lost the Ability to Jack Off:

-godwyn’s body is a mess, even if he was capable of anything

-ranni and rykard lost their human bodies while radahn lost his mind

-malenia probably can’t, judging by the rot, and miquella is dormant at best in his grown body

-morgott could i guess but he just stands in front of the erdtree all day. he has issues with shame enough, no way he’d do it there

that leaves godrick and mohg:

-this is one of the few areas where godrick is ahead of his relatives so no wonder he went all out with those hands

-mohg. no obvious obstacles. probably. yeah.