#but Ludwig being actually the first Blood Saint is interesting!

[katyspersonal]

What's your interpretation that the left hand of cleric beast is much bigger that the right?🤔

Well, like I've pointed out before, the only explanation I am seeing is blood ministration being done on the left arm!

However, this might get a little more interesting with the Cleric Beasts, because Emilia is also one, yet her arms are symmetrical!

My closest guess to why it happened is because of something Healing Church has been known to do with female bodies. Namely - do some sort of surgery/manipulation/operation on them in order to change their blood type into 'holy blood' one, which they are able to share with the hunters!

English localization team had to use term "groomed" instead of whatever this actually says, and this is definitely going into top 10 of my biggest headaches with mistranslations! As you can see from the Japanese script retranslation ( x ), the meaning is more literal, implying a procedure. I always felt like it would be a surgery on bone marrow, since this is where blood cells are produced, and doctors in Bloodborne could have learned to alter them into having impossible type of blood!

So, as a female cleric, Amelia might have had her first communion with the holy blood as a Blood Saint, instead of generic blood ministration treatment like apparently everyone else has!

I am still not sure why female staff specifically was the Blood Saints, since apparently blood vials are not menstrual blood, as we can learn thanks to Adeline:

Maybe it could have something to do with menstrual cycle, though, because of the whole cycle of moon vs menstrual cycle thing, and Laurence being affiliated with Moon Presence, and then Micolash also stealing his swag and basing his own institution on:

I'd say this is either some sort of deeply rooted superstition within the setting, or in fact, yes, the holy blood links to the Great Ones who put HELLA importance on blood and birth, so being biologically female is crucial for that link to take intended effects.

Ludwig is an interesting case, though! He was SUPPOSED to have blood ministration too, like Laurence or Cleric Beast of the Bridge! Why would not the first Healing Church hunter and the HEAD of their hunters do something so crucial? Especially since Cleric Beast of the Bridge drops the Sword Badge with which you buy Hunter Chief Emblem, implying that this beast is currently what Ludwig used to be? But his left arm is not bigger. In fact, it is even smaller. So I am trying to think of the variants of what had happened here:

1) Ludwig somehow merged with an actual horse, so his anatomy is simply no longer judged through the same lense

2) Ludwig is a leftie, and this is where he holds his Holy Moonlight Sword, so its effect would be a "remedy" for possible arm deformations

3) Ludwig is not a simple beast, but the one with a lot of Kin features, so his anatomy is simply no longer judged through the same lense (+horses are primarily herbivores, and Kin is associated with the flora in the setting, so maybe that's why he went horsegirl mode instead of getting something weak like antlers lol)

4) Ludwig is trans and actually was the first to get Blood Saint treatment rather than regular blood ministration (+we take Adeline's blood from her right arm, and notice that his right arm is a little bigger)

5) Ludwig is a cis man and was the first biological male who attempted to receive Blood Saint treatment instead of regular blood ministration, but that didn't take the intended effect because the gods Be Like That in the setting + his unusual visions and mutation might be the side effect of that and that's why Healing Church stopped doing that with male organisms. Basically, if a male attempts becoming a living factory for the holy blood, it will go "wrong".

6) Combinations of the above points

.....Okay, that went a little unfocused from the initial topic, but you see my points here! Thank you for the ask!

_________________

Bonus ideas:

- Whereas Ludwig is holding the Holy Moonlight Sword in his left hand, Amelia also is grasping the Gold Pendant in her left hand. So maybe nothing was special about her, but holding a special item in the "effected" hand will remedy the asymmetry effect, and had Amelia not been doing that all the time, she'd be asymmetrical too?

- Amelia using recolored model for Bell-Ringing Woman for her appearance might be not accidental, but a fuel for the headcanon that she has Pthumerian blood too, and Pthumerians might simply evolve differently, or traditionally have different way they' go for the blood communition. Off the top of my head, look at Loran Clerics having same sized arms:

Basically, I can answer why Cleric Beasts and the huntsmen have asymmetrical arms, but not why people like Emilia and Ludwig broke the trend despite being the first in line to have blood ministration normally... Because I just have too many ideas, and my preference usually falls towards the most logical ones, but when there are equally logical ideas I become helpless :')

#bloodborne #cleric beast #vicar amelia #ludwig the accursed #bloodborne theory #bloodborne headcanons #use later #ask replies #i actually like the idea that part of ludwig's suffering is just great ones going 'bitch I said I wanted someone with MENSES for this one' #laurence would also not be above using someone as a lab rat but to his honor he clearly used HIMSELF as a lab rat as well dfsjhfdh #but Ludwig being actually the first Blood Saint is interesting! #he could share blood vials with his own knights right on the battlefield #i am just.. Basically Laurence and Micolash (ESPECIALLY Micolash) deeply resenting not being female works sooo well #I had that whole ass post about how creepy Micolash grew about themes of menstruation and birth and female organism in general #and like it scared myself so much that I legit had bone-chilling fear after reading my own shit that night fdshfhds #meanwhile trans Micolash would 10000% lack genital dysphoria and only want things like his former voice or breasts gone #the deeper you dig into bb lore the more you realize men of this setting tend to be really weird towards womanhood and all attached to it #it is just something I dislike to address because toxic fans tend to use it to bully Gehrman fans and tell cis men that BB is 'not for them #but it IS there too so #WHY I AM TAKING NORMAL ASS ASKS TOO FAR #no but when will it end? lol

[kanawolf]

Bloodborne

’m gonna assume this is for this meme! Thank you anon!

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Gilbert, Eileen, and The Doll are all tied for first. I love them all so much, equally, but for different reasons.

Least Favorite character: Eehh, probably Gehrman to be honest.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): The Hunter/Gilbert, Lady Maria/Saint Adeline, Gascoigne/Viola, Henryk/Djura, Yurie/The Hunter (specifically ladies or enby hunters, Yurie is not into dudes).

Character I find most attractive: I mean, hands down Lady Maria

Character I would marry: Gilbert. He is, as far we know, one of the few decent people in the game

Character I would be best friends with: Ideally Eileen, maybe Djura and the Doll too

a random thought: The statues on the bridge leading to Cathedral Ward are some of my favorite set pieces, not only with the aesthetics, but also with the lore connections. They look like people seeking aid, praying for help, and even weeping, which makes sense for both times, during the height of the Healing Churchs’ influence, and during the time the game is set in when everything is decaying and rotting away.

An unpopular opinion: I don’t know if it’s an unpopular opinion or not, but I have always wondered over the “Older Sister” that you meet in Gascoigne and Viola’s home after you tell the Young Girl where to go. I doubt that she’s actually the sister and oldest daughter of Viola and Gascoigne, but rather a playmate to the young girl from a different family who either has already lost her parents, or who’s family wasn’t very kind/loving and so she was jealous of the Young Girl for having good parents and thus pretended to be part of the family when the Young Girl left. I do love the two young girls as sisters though.

My Canon OTP: Gascoigne/Viola

My Non-canon OTP: All the ones in the top 5 ship question along with Viola/Eileen, Henryk/Djura, Henryk/Gascoigne, Yurie/Saint Adelaine, Yurie/Lady Maria, and and all the ships I have for The Hunter (specifically mine lol).

Most Badass Character: Viola, for going out into the streets to find and save her husband, and Eileen, for being an amazing mentor and continuing to do what she thinks is right even though she doesn’t dream anymore.

Most Epic Villain: Probably Ludwig. I really like his design, and while I would hesitate to call any of the bosses in the game the “villain”, I think in terms of lore, he has a pretty big impact, not to mention the cutscene in the middle of his fight, the dialogue, and the music all come together to make a really memorable moment and boss fight.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Gehrman/Maria, for a few reasons, including some personal ones.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I don’t think they really screwed up any of the characters, but I do wish they had done a couple things differently with Gascoigne, Viola, Henryk, and the Young Girl.

I think it would have been interesting if you got to summon Gascoigne and/or Henryk during the Cleric Beast fight, and I almost wish that they placed the Father Gasoigne fight after Vicar Amelia that way they both could be summoned for that fight too. Gascoigne and Henryk could both then have some dialogue about Viola and the Young Girl, and there could be some subtle dialogue about Gascoigne’s risk of going blood drunk and mad. That would then make it so that when you meet the Young Girl and she tells you her mom is missing because her dad wasn’t being himself, that would make that entire quest even more heartwrenching, especially when you see Henryk has also gone mad after you have to kill Viola.

Otherwise, if that hadn’t happened, I wish you could have found Viola before she dies, and instead could have sent her back home to her daughter with the promise that you’d do your best to save Gascoigne, even though he’d still be a major and necessary boss fight.

I think you should be able to save the Young Girl regardless though, she should’ve been able to be saved, and I wouldn’t have minded that being an escort quest/mission tbh.

I also think it would have been nice if you could save Gilbert and/or Eileen.

Favourite Friendship: Eileen & The Hunter, or I like to imagine Henryk, Gascoigne, Djura, and Eileen were all friends with each other too.

Character I most identify with: Probably Lady Maria. I too have thought of locking myself in a tower out of guilt over things I’ve done and wish to hide/forget but can’t. Otherwise...maybe the Hunter? Because I too am clueless about most things but also curious and when I can tell there is something or there’s an interesting puzzle, then I would also like to understand it all.

Character I wish I could be: I mean, probably Eileen, if I had to choose. She’s one of the few morally decent people, and she’s also super cool.

#boo talks #bloodborne #thank you for the ask nonnie!! #Anonymous

[sealer-of-wenkamui]

This playthrough was the first time I killed Ludwig’s head after the fight, so I was surprised by Simon showing up, he had some interesting dialogue too... calling him a true hero that died with his ideals untarnished.... and how the nightmare was born from the misdeeds of the hunters.....

Those two church hunters are always fairly difficult, but my augur helped me a lot this time

The Research Hall remains my favorite location in the game, it’s a bunch of my aesthetics all in one! Ophelia looks right at home there too... and would certainly help someone like Adeline, given what her goals are....

Adeline...its sad how she seems to tie all her sense of worth to how she used to be a blood saint, and how she’s trying to “be something” now.... Adeline you are fine the way you are! And Lady Maria certainly seems to think so....

Living Failures went down with ease, its all about targeting the mages... I got blown up by a meteor at the end, which is kinda embarrassing, but oh well

Then... Lady Maria herself... the best fight in the game if you ask me, its so much fun, not to mention that lead up to it! Hearing the patients talk about her as you ascend the tower, Simon telling you to kill her as she guards the real secret, opening the door to that stunning view of the clock, only to find her a corpse.... and the double meaning her words seem to take on once you learn about Kos and her involvement in the Fishing Hamlet incident. And her theme too, beautiful, with a sense of sorrow to it as well, the vocals starting as you finish the first phase.... the way she stabs herself there too... and the aftermath is great as well, the scene with the doll, confirming the connection between the two, and uncovering the secret she guards, especially interesting if you get the Rakuyo and read its description....

I... actually had way more trouble with her than I was expecting? She’s not easy, but she’s hardly super difficult or anything, and honestly doesn’t have all that much health...? Uhhh I guess its because Augustine was a skill build, so my viscerals did a ton of damage with her, and I relied a lot on parrying+viscerals for the fight. Also I didn’t have only 23 vit. My skill was only 10 or 11, so I couldn’t do that much even with clawmark.... so I struggled way more than I should have.... until I realized I was being stupid, I have an arc stat of 40, so USE IT. As soon as I started relying on my augur, I did WAY better, and won shortly after. it can parry too, and even if it doesn’t, it knocks her over so.... though I ran out of bullets at the end (her third phase really is brutal, it seems like she tries to evade you more too....?) but I stayed close and dodged to the left and managed to finish her off. The area was a bloodbath afterward... Oh, and I swore her chair and table survived, but when I came back from the dream they were gone...? I thought they stayed in my NG+ run... did I directly go to the the hamlet then, I forget..... I dunno

This is when I normally fight Laurence, but since I have no good bolt gems and can’t possibly fight him with fire, I’m doing a bit of the hamlet first to get those radial bolt gems. First though, those awful shark giants....and I thought I missed my high damage viscerals fighting Lady Maria..... hahaha, at least as Augustine I could get the first one halfway, do one more visceral, then fire paper away the last bit of health... I’m actually REALLY GOOD at parrying them now (I took a video when I finally did it, 4 parries in a row. I kept getting a bunch even on my countless failed runs). What ended up working (kinda) was parrying+viscerals, then once a visceral gets it past the halfway mark, swipe at it with fire cane (at least fire is effective...) as much as possible, then pick off the last bit of health with blacksky eye while dodging both and hoping not to die. The second one is easy enough if you can get the first one down.....

I got to the area with those bolt spell using enemies, and already got one radial, once I get another its Laurence time. I’m still at 23 vit and should probably level it more so I don’t have a bad time, buuuut I’m dumb and am leveling skl so I can try the church pick. So uhhh we’ll see how that goes. He was one of two bosses (the other being OoK because of course) that gave me trouble even on NG+....

#bloodborne blogging #about to have a bad time with laurence! #at least his theme is amazing too bad you can't hear it over REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[iamcrimelord]

Blood Borne: Sanguine Ardente Chapter 1

Daigo made his way down the stairs with the church acolyte leading the way. He only had on small clothes at the moment but that was why they were heading to the tailor and armorer. He stepped into the room once they reached it and looked around. The wall was lined with silver swords, black and white articles of clothing, and a row of simple fire arms. He nodded and got to work. The acolyte left him and he got ready. He put on a pair of black slacks and knee high boots and socks. He then grabbed a belt with slots for holding bullets, vials, and other tools onto his waist to both hold up his pants, but to also insure he had supplies on hand. He then put on a black shirt, vest, long coat with shoulder cape, and also a wide brimmed hat. He put on good sturdy leather gauntlets as well that he sliced the fingers off of so he could have more dexterity with his fingers. He then grabbed a silver sword and sheath, and then grabbed a pistol that he then put into a holster that he grabbed. He now looked like a right proper member of the church. 

As he finished getting ready, Ludwig walked in. Daigo turned to look at the man and held out his arms. “Do I look respectable enough?” He asked with a coy grin. 

Ludwig nodded. “Yes, you certainly pass as a church member...though perhaps you may wish to actually join us someday?” 

Daigo burst into laughter. “No offense Ludwig, but my faith in holy men at the moment is very, very small. Because when push comes to shove, they’ll look out for number one every time.” 

Ludwig shook his head. “A pity that is how you see us. But perhaps in time our actions will speak for themselves.” 

Daigo drew his sword and gave it a few practice swings. “We’ll see. I’m not so jaded as to not give people a chance to show me that they’re better than what I’ve seen in the past.” he sheathes the sword and walks out of the room. “Having said that.....forgive me if I maintain my aloofness.” 

Ludwig nodded in agreement and the two men left the room and proceeded to head out of the building. It was a bit of a lengthy walk but in time they found themselves out in the streets, watching the city of Yharnum go about its daily business. As they walked, Ludwig began to explain more about the city. “This is Old Yharnum. The city’s oldest section. A rather lovely spot in the city with the most history. Its also home to the oldest cathedral in the city. Its a popular visiting spot.” 

Daigo looked around as the man spoke, seeing the old buildings, and people move. It was so peaceful it seemed amazing that there was any sort of beastly plague at all. “I like it. It has a very quaint charm to it.” 

Ludwig came to a stop at one of the doors that lined the street and opened it. “Here is where you will be staying.” He said as he walked in.

Daigo followed him in and was led up stairs of what he could now see was a boarding house. They went to the top floor and came to a large black door with the communion symbol of the healing church on it. “This is your room.” 

Daigo walked in and saw a cozy room with a large trunk, a work bench, a praying altar, a large number of books, and a beautiful view of the main square where the boarding house was at. He took out a cigarillo and lit it, taking a puff and inspecting the room closer. The bedroom was off the side of the main room and a wash room connected to the bedroom on the other side. Once he saw everything he looked to Ludwig. “So...when do I get to work?” He asked. 

Ludwig reached into his belt and pulled out a black pocket watch with a golden communion symbol on it, tossing it to him gently. Daigo caught it with his free hand. “That is a Hunter’s Watch. It will alert you when a night of the hunt starts.”

Daigo opened the watch and inside he saw your typical black clock face with golden roman numerals inside of it. Each arrow gold as well. On the underside of the front clip opposite the watch face was an inscription: Praise the Good Blood. He smirked at that little statement as it reminded him of times past. He attached the chain to his own belt and put the watch away. “And what am I to do in the meantime pray tell?” 

Ludwig leaned against the door frame. “Well, you are to be given a weekly allowance to use as you see fit of 100 gold coins. You can use it for food, weapons, supplies.....or if you so fancy....there are mmmm..... special ladies about town who offer other more..entertaining services.” He said in a straight manner. 

Daigo cocked a very skeptical brow. “Huh...usually religious groups tend to teach its members to stay away from that.” 

Ludwig shrugged. “For what we do...sometimes a good distraction is needed. At any rate, make yourself cozy. The Hunt starts three days from now.” 

Daigo nodded. “Then I’ll have to make sure I’m ready. I look forward to seeing this...beastly scourge of yours.” 

Ludwig grinned. “It will really get your blood pumping.” He then turned and left. 

Daigo took another puff of his cigarillo and then noticed a book on the work bench, A History of Yharnum. Daigo shrugged his shoulders and sat down. Deciding to learn about the history of the city. He sat down, flicked some ashes off the tip of his cigarillo, opened the book, and began to read. 

According to the book, the church had been here for a rather long time, almost a decade and a half. They first came to Old Yharnum when the city was suffering a plague of something called, Ashen Blood. A lot of people had been dying of the disease and there was no cure for it. But then the healing church appeared and began to administer blood healing to the populace which not only healed the sick, but made them even stronger than before. It was no surprise to Daigo then as he continued to read that the church eventually became the true power of the city and built many cathedrals, hospitals, clinics, and other such places all over the city to the point that it surrounded old yharnum and then grew outward. Turning a smaller city, almost a town really, into a metropolis of medical experimentation and progress. Its healing blood being hailed as a miracle from the gods. Now the whole city was dependent on the church’s blood healing for medical treatment, but also for the economy. Apparently blood is made in such high quantities here they mix it into their drinks, and women known as Blood Saints go about distributing vials of their own blood for charity purposes. Daigo looked out the window for a moment upon reading that and wondered if he had not been summoned to a city of vampires. But he shrugged and resumed reading. Certain businesses not of the church were also in the blood brewing business though instead of healing it was in the making of sweets, liqueurs, sauces, seasonings, and any other form of edible goods. Apparently the effects of their healing blood was intoxicating. Though it begged the question...how many people willingly gave up their blood? And even among the willing, do they check to see if they are diseased in anyway? This would be something Daigo would have to look into on the side. In fact, Ludwig said he had three days before the hunt started. That meant he had three days to do what he did best...dispensed the most thirst quenching forms of justice...Frontier Justice. 

His thoughts were disturbed however when he heard a very heavy knock on the door. He went and opened it, and to his surprise he saw a giant of a woman with long red hair tied in a pony tail. She looked down and said in a husky voice. “You Daigo?” 

Daigo nodded. “Indeed...and you are?” 

The woman responded, “Name’s Gratia. I’m gonna be your partner for the time being for nights of the hunt.” 

Daigo took a step back and looked her over more. She was clearly well muscled. Had quite a few scars on her knuckles as well as one on her lip. She had eyes as green as emeralds and on her hip hung a large hatchet. “well, would you like to come in?” He asked her. 

She shook her head. “Sorry, got places to be. Just wanted to stop by and get an eyeful of ya.” 

“And do you like what you see?”

“You’re a bit on the short side. I was told you were a real tough fighter but..then again people think I aint all that smart either.” 

“And are you?” He asked.

“Nah, not really. But,” She held up a first, on it was a lump of metal that had finger holes in it, obviously for punching things. “Brains don’t do a lot of good against a strong right hook.” 

Daigo could not help but chuckle in amusement. “On that we can certainly agree.” Oh he knew he was going to get along with this one. 

“Well, nice meeting you mate. See you on the night of the hunt.” 

He nodded and watched her go. Now that was certainly an interesting encounter. He closed the door and made his way to the window. He opened it to let in a bit of the cool evening air. Down below was a man selling meats. He could hear him crying out to come and buy his fine imported meats. He could hear the slice and dice of his meat cleaver and heard people doing business with him. He sat down in his chair and took off his belt, coat, and hat. He propped his feet up on the window sill and leaned back. Now this was the life. He thought. 

------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, not far from Daigo’s new home, someone watched him from afar with a spy glass. So...they had managed to summon the Pyromancer. That...was going to complicate matters...

#Bloodborne #Short Story #Fan Writing #Fan Story #Story #Fan Fic #Fan Fiction #From Software #Pyromancer #Soulsborne #beast scourge #healing church #dark fantasy #fantasy #dark #the healing church #soulsborne fiction #the old hunters #ludwig #gratia #Daigo Belfir #the Pyromancer #Daigo

[katyspersonal]

Heyo! How about sharing some Bloodborne ships opinions/ideas? It's been a while since you talked about those!

To be honest, 'Bloodborne ships' is a concept so boundless and infinite that 'bottomless Sea' compared to it is just a pathetic shallow puddle, because in my monkey brain a BB ship is any character + any character out of consenting adults who are not blood related (and even in THAT case you'll probably have ghosts of people who ship Maria with Annalise trashing your pots at night at least once *eyesroll*). So I think, for the sake of this post having a start AND an end, I'll only touch upon "acknowledged" ships.

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, time to recall what is POPULAR! OOOooooOOOOoooooOOOHHHH-

WHO LIVES IN THE RESEARCH HALL UNDER THE SEA?

MAAAAARIAAADELINE

Mariadeline - I am always back and forth on this ship. It is shifting between 'it doesn't seem to have came to fruition in canon since Adeline addresses Maria as her superior, and also the ship is better in Adeline's Blood Saint stage since the horror of the Research Hall doesn't fit for some uwu fluff, and Adeline seems to be too carried by Arcane to care for simple human happiness anymore' and 'since WHEN canon "evidence" and timeline could stand in the way of imagination and simply enjoying the ideas?'. A struggle between my brain and my pp..... I think I like pretty much any way to go about this ship, but in my heart it will always be superior as attraction that not only never been resolved, but also has been a breaking point for Maria, with Adeline dying in her arms no less.

I do think they'd make a cute dynamic, it is absolutely the case where one does full autistic ramblings about their special interest (Adeline) and another just listens (Maria). I also do think they both suck at being direct about their feelings and every AU where they DID date needs the third party as a wingman xD

Laudwig (or Holyvicar, as I see often) - I do not have strong feelings on this ship? My engagement with this ship is passive (ie I just see fanart of it on my dashboard/timeline and might like it). It has a huge depth and drama potential, though! Which one became the beast first and how another reacted? How much Ludwig really knew about the Healing Church's nasty secrets; how much Laurence was hiding from him about their impending doom in the name of potential progress? I can say whereas Logarius is arguably a more useful 'pawn' in the grand plans, Ludwig's more knightly, 'naive' honor could more likely win Laurence over. I actually wrote my interpretation of the ship once! Observe:

Not a flawless ship, as Laurence has to keep many skeletons in his closet and Ludwig would have been sick if he learned HALF of the shit Laurence has to hide… Besides, there is no saying if Ludwig would spare Laurence should his precious moon sword call for hurting him. This relationship is more of a game with neigher side being allowed into depths of another's soul. However, despite his higher status, Laurence would be the one feeling more shy, helpless and red in the face because Ludwig is so big and strong and radiates hope and joy, whereas Ludwig would be more of passionate no-insecurity caring lover that had already organized a pretty date before Laurence even as much as had a THOUGHT about one. Alas with canon context in mind, this "ship" works better as a plot device to show messed up things about Church and things people gotten themselves into, to the point of no longer being allowed deep, genuine bonds.

Gehrmaurence (???) - This is canon because Gehrman basically moans his name in his sleep lol

Ok ok or OK seriously tho! I am kind of rooting for this ship and am always happy to see it recognised, I just, yet again, am passive about it and just 'like it when I see it'. It is undeniable that Laurence and Gehrman were close. Gehrman trusted Laurence enough to give himself to the "insidious Moon" in faith that Laurence WILL succeed at his designs while he sustains the Hunt for him, and WILL free him then. I do think that realising he has been failing Gehrman miserably was one of Laurence's most horrible, devastating fears when beasthood was taking him over, maybe even the last cry of his humanity. But it is that situation where character can share very deep and intimate bond without romantic involvement and it is still good; I'll certainly take them as 'friends doomed by the narrative' JUST as willingly as 'lovers doomed by the narrative'.

Gehrmaria - I do not even know whether I want to share my honest feelings about this one... lol OF COURSE I DO because nobody read the post to this point except for you anyway! xD Alright, but upon my arrival in the fandom, when I was digging up my own lore and sometimes comparing it to the fandom popular one, I was content with the idea that Doll creation was Kinda Sus and Gehrman was a bit creepy. Then I found Bellringermal's blog and was like 'OMG CURSED but you go girl!!!!!!'. Then I started to slowly develop the enjoyment of the ship that I desperately tried to deny and suppress because, again, back then I saw Gehrman as a creep, so I just blamed Mal

Yo but do you remember what actually triggered my researcher streak? OH LAURENCE OF COURSE YOU REMEMBER-

Right, I've had that dream about a snow/ice Great One attacking altered Yharnam, several characters gathering in a castle built-in the mountain, Rom being pregnant from Simon (wtf!!!!!!!) and… Maria was there too. There was that brief moment where Gehrman was awkwardly trying to see her from the shadows and someone asked Maria like 'hey who is that guy following you everywhere :т', from which Gehrman got scared and chickened away, and Maria was like '…nobody important'.

So after that time I woke up with the strange +15 Insight effect, because something about her intonation, her face and the context made me perceive the depth to which that bond went, and the complexity of her resentment. You know how in the dreams you sometimes can just... 'perceive' feelings and information that wasn't directly said? Telepathy. Makes sense, because dreams happen in the brain... or... DO THEY? So, I knew I NEEDED to grasp that exact sentiment and find out WHAT Maria was feeling in my dream. It felt significant. So that day I dived EXTRA deep into research and wrote the 'Let's analyze Gehrman, Maria and the Doll' ( x ) that not only is my real, genuine take on the relationship, but also the girls liked it and some changed previously harshly negative opinion on Gehrman.

I still wish I never poked my nose deeper on the matter and things just stayed that way, because this is the only controversial ship in the fandom and it constantly brings out the worst in fans. Letting people enjoy their ship and have their takes on the old man is far too much to ask from a western community, so for every toxic, mean-spirited, disrespectful hiss towards Gehrmaria shippers, I kept discovering new counter-evidence, new ways to see Maria and new redeeming qualities about Gehrman! Until I've lost the sight of whether I myself actually SHIP it, started to root for this ship to pick-up and prosper as a matter of 'cool people keep winning', lost the creepy but so needed 'darkness' of this ship as a concept... And although PLENTY of people thanked me for "saving" Gehrman's ass and the ship as a concept (not exaggerating), sometimes I wonder: would not it have been better to just leave things as they were and enjoy my own thing in secluded, individualist way?

Pfffft LMAO mfw you came to listen about ship dramas, but ended up listening about my PERSONAL dramas XD But yeah, my interpretation here is pretty darn simple. Maria might have had a crush but by now is greatly disappointed - based on Gehrman's curiosity that WAS digging through corpses to seek eyes for Willem, but she is disappointed in herself more than in him, he taught her a great deal but she also got her gentler, sweeter side practically ruined by the hunt, he liked her but never dared to approach her because of age gap and he just felt undeserving, he could not even dream of her because of his own regrets and crashing realisation of how much he failed her - including not being there for her to prevent her Minecraft… Another case of ship that never came to fruition in canon. But in an AU where it did happen, I think it would be bittersweet; Gehrman is older and beaten up by hard life, and is a callous brick in emotional situations at times, so their relationship would know some conflicts; not a bad thing, arguments are normal! They're both tough outside and gentle inside, both are capable of great self-sacrifice but also of great war crimes, lol. But Gehrman is just… a bit dead inside? They have enough in common to get along, but not enough to get bored by each other.

Valmura/Valtmura/whatever - Funny enough, they do somewhat remind me of how Gehrmaria is in my head! The 'dead inside', somewhat cruel and callous murderous mentor figure that Seen Some Shit before and might be intimidating with how far he goes and his sensitive, emotional, slightly naive, passionate student with great knightly chivalry that is effectively broken by walking this mentor's path, LOL.

So the same sort of relationship that is not ideal and almost certainly is canonically SCREWED, only Valtr pulls his big boy pants and sucks the grief up instead of succumbing to despair to the point of madness. I think this is a nice ship, the dynamic is great! Just the perfect balance of 'similar enough to get along but enough differences to have productive conflicts and not be bored' I do not find very often! (Also yes I keep completely disregarding power imbalance of mentor/student for both this ship and previous one, I hope ya'll are still hooked </3 )

Gasgoryk - I used to dislike this ship, actually! No shit, outright going 'grrrrrrr' seeing it because it reminded me too much of my internet childhood during my 12-13 years where the girls would always neglect the male character's canon crush/lover/wife to not "stand in the way" for their gay ship! It just felt like Viola was pushed aside despite being mother of Gasc's children...? And I thought the two ships could not coexist because Henryk MUST be Viola's father (source: younger daughter mentioning 'grandpa'). But I've since seen plenty of good interpretations, justifications for 'grandpa' commentary, and all in all, setting events in the past and AUs still exist! I just don't mind by now, I simply prefer Gascola more! But I think I enjoy the thought that Henryk might have had silent crush on Gascoigne that he never delivered and it was too late when he got engaged with his daughter; but the pain was forgotten when the first child was born!

Gascola - A lot to explore, a lot to speculate (wholesome and not much), doomed by narrative, IS CANON! Everything I love. Will always prefer this ship to Gascoryk or Violeen because... canon... guys this is SUPER canon... and they also have children, guys you don't understand, it is ACTUAL family... (too bad they all fucking die lol)

Micorom/Romicolash/whatever - This, my fellas, was my very first ship when I poked my nose in Bloodborne! I clicked with Rom so much almost instantly, and Mal was my first exposure to the ship, as well! I thought absolutely nothing could be more fun. Back then, my Rom had a different personality (simply she was sassy, bitter and a bit tired from being overworked by Micolash and Willem). I was fully prepared to become a Micorom type of fan and give this ship soooooooooo. muuuuuuuuch. CONTENT. ...but at some point I saw this:

And EVERYTHING clicked into place.

So yes, Rom being his sister is my official idea now. But- honestly, this is still such a great ship as a concept! It feels like no matter how Rom's personality is written, the two could have a great dynamic! And what is the outcome? Does Micolash end up being jealous and resentful because he hates to see the girlboss win- I mean, that Rom ascended and he didn't? Or he simply misses her and hopes to JOIN her when he ascends? I just don't know what a mf would have to do to not make a ship like this work imo, because these characters are just cursed to have The Dynamic TM no matter what. I definitely cheer people who ship it... Do what I can't! *sobs*

Hunter x Doll -

Ok ok ok listen dfhhdshdf With Bloodborne, everything depends on the interpretation, so it is not excluded there are ways to make this work! But this is just certainly not my thing.

Doll is an interesting case though, because like I said before, I think soul of Maria DOES live in her - without memories and sedated by the Moon, and Gehrman probably doesn't even know that himself. But when Doll is asleep - she is awake somewhere else and vice-versa, yadda yadda. However, before a hunter as much as looks at her the attracted way, she still needs to find a decent connection with her humanity. And there is her perception of her role as a servant for those hunters that will just stand and take it if they hit her. This is just... it is such a delicate matter that I can't even begin to cover it. It is not even the same level of delicate as complexities of mentor/student!

Rombrietas and Romurie/Yurrom - Perfect ships, nuff said. Though I feel like they are no longer 'popular' and are the thing of the begone era of the fandom (forgotten like Julie x Imposter). But from what I gathered, fandom of 2016-17 enjoyed them. I think that both of these are so likely that I can declare them canon-plaucible. As in, they could actually happen IN canon, not even in alternative/happier timeline. Ebrietas weeps the petrified corpse that looks like Rom when lyrics of her theme refer to Mensis ritual that Rom is covering; meanwhile, Yurie/Julie irrationally fights you on the way to Rom that even Willem encourages you to hunt... That's just two whole women to care about Rom deeply!

Of course not tryna push anything; Ebrietas could lament something else (maybe fate of humanity in general), and Julie could just be winning time for imposter Iosefka to do her experiments. But... why? x) I am very on board with the idea that Ebrietas worries about Rom all the way, seeing Rom becoming a 'spider' (association with Amygdalae and forbidden knowledge). She, who used to be a pawn of the Moon behind her, got in contact with her human side (as an adult celestial larvae), to the point of crying red blood when 'celestial' Kin have it drained of color normally.

AYYYYY that's why it is called 'Paleblood sky'!

Also an oldie:

She loved listening to Rom's 'epiphanies' and took her 100% seriously before it became mainstream x) Though Yurie was eager - getting angry at anyone that dared to criticize Rom even IF criticism was right! Meanwhile Rom always shared personal info with Yurie before anyone else. Plus they always had many shared interests - singing, nature, stars, bothering teachers long after classes are over with silly questions… Yurie having always been by Rom's side physically and mentally made her by effect keep Willem's teachings at heart even if other former Byrgenwerth students who joined Choir ditched those mostly. When Yurie ends up losing her sanity too, one thing she still holds onto is refusing to agree to harm Rom, completely ignoring Damian's pleading that not only it must be done, but also Rom will come out alright as a Great One.. really sad downfall.

Alfred x Crow - I am not very comfortable with the fact that Alfred... well... listen, it is a rather sensitive topic, so I will try to address it as discreet, subtly and maturely as possible. Alfred, as we can conclude... IS A GODDAMN RELIGIOUS FANATIC THAT THINKS VILEBLOODS SHOULD BE EXTERMINATED AS A KIND BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD HIS RELIGION DEEMS "IMPURE"!!! This ship is just certainly not my thing. I know Crow messed up a little by causing Eileen's death, but I am sure not even he is bad enough to deserve any advances by the guy that dehumanizes (devampirizes????) him by proxy. Sure, ship can fit into hatef4cking territory, but we talk about ship... like, relationship... relationshipies...

Ariadella - Fun fact! Despite this ship being basically the same problem as Alfred x Crow (except worse because Adella DOES kill Arianna), I used to like it initially! These two show the personalities that I can see as type of opposites that can mutually improve and complete one another! ...in a happier AU somewhere. But more often than not I am unhappy with the idea of "erasing" the fact that Adella considers Arianna worthy of being murdered in the scenario where she "dirties" the Hunter with her blood just for some shippy fluff. It is a back and forth for me, depending on how the ship is portrayed, and in what context!

Alfhunter - No strong feelings, it got nice art but I just shrug it off. Like, valid, but that's it. However, I do lay awake at nights and think:

"Man, but what could possibly make people see that psychotic religious fanatic beat a defenceless vampire queen into a bloody pulp and decide this is the most desirable man ever that they want to hook up their self-insert or mindchild with?" And you might ask: "Wait, doesn't line up, THIS is where you draw the line? But then how do you explain your crush on Micolash who's done much, MUCH worse things?". Well, I actually have an answer to that that will clarify your confusion and prove that I am not being a hypocrite! You see,

*gradually becomes transparent upon spinning around and teleports away like Rom*

#bloodborne #ask replies #bloodborne headcanons #multi character post #ships #thank you for the ask val.. i needed to distract #(until 3 AM...... lol) #it did bring back some memories hooooo boy #but yeah yurie x imposter went extinct.... for SOME reason? #like why? when i first joined fandom it was very alive and prospering! #i do not consider micoed popular because only like 4 people ship it #though i do refer to western community #when you check asian fandom you will SWIM in micoed and damico #very based