This is where I post my own Dark Souls Stuff. And maybe reblog other stuff that I like thats not Dark Souls related. You should follow my other blog if you like to see other people's Dark Souls stuff! (knightscanliketoo.tumblr.com)
Fanart of my favorite side-character from my favorite ongoing manga, from one of my favorite chapters (since she’s more expressive than in previous chapter).
So when I came across this great fanart online, I felt like I had to share. (I hope that my attempts to link to my source for it came out correctly; I wasn’t all too clear on how to properly credit them for it for that particular source website…)
(Disclaimer that this may look like a lore/theory post, but this is actually mostly a headcanon post/something I’ve compiled for writing purposes. My interest is more to point toward an idea I’ll be utilizing in my writing, rather than convince everyone that this is THE correct way to interpret Dark Souls)
So I’m in the midst of doing massive editing/prose rewrites/dialogue enhancements for A Moon’s Ascension and A Flame’s Consequence (I just added most of my edits for the former except for what I’ll be talking about in this post; the latter probably won’t be done for a while lol)... and I’m realizing I may have been oversimplifying Gwyndolin’s affinity with the moon this whole time?
As in, I’ve been labeling Gwyndolin as a God of the Moon, but that’s rather general, and I’ve been labeling him as such because of DS1’s description:
But items actually tell us that Gwyndolin is specifically the God of the Darkmoon:
Darkmoon Seance Ring from DS1:
Lifehunt Scythe from DS3
The power of the moon is strong in Gwyndolin — strong enough for Gwyn to take notice — but it is specifically the power of the Darkmoon. To me, this makes him a rather interesting case. He’s a child of the Lord of Light, but he’s tied to dragons through his serpentine body, and I’d say he’s placed closer to the Dark than any other child of Gwyn. Yes, the Dark!
“Dark” being in “Darkmoon” is not necessarily proof on its own, obviously, but I do think it matters when paired with things like the Sunless Talisman (Darkmoon Talisman in DS1) being explicitly compatible with the Dark.
No, Darkmoon light is not the Dark itself, but it is very close. See how the Darkmoon Blade miracle is more indigo compared to the purples of Velka’s dark miracles (see Karmic Justice). It’s also worth noting that both miracles are greatly associated with the idea of consequences, specifically the consequences of wrongdoing: vengeance and punishment. You can even argue that both Darkmoon light and the Dark are consequences of Light, whether it’s light reflecting upon the moon, or the dark shadows produced by light.
Adding a cut for the sake of being polite with taking up space, but my yapping from this point forward will be specific to my writing/speculations :)
For the purposes of my own fic continuity, I’m using the theory that Gwyndolin is the child of Gwyn and Priscilla, with Priscilla herself being the child of Seath and Velka. I have read other readings that speculate about his heritage, and I’m not trying to litigate all of them here. This is just the framework my fic is using because it’s the theory that makes most sense to me out of everything I’ve read.
In my own writing, something I was never completely satisfied by was Gwyn’s justification for raising Gwyndolin rather than leaving him with his mother. Why go through the trouble of raising Gwyndolin as a daughter to keep him from the throne — as I infer, per how Lloyd is suddenly denounced by the time of DS3 with Gwyndolin instead being the Allfather/“chief god” (主神) — rather than leave him somewhere out of sight and out of mind? I especially didn’t understand what it was about the moon that led Gwyn to raise Gwyndolin as a daughter, given Gwynevere is a goddess of sunlight. That’s why I had thought the moon affinity was just a cover-up, and that the real reason was because Gwyndolin has draconic features.
But now? Because this is specifically the Darkmoon, I not only think the moon affinity excuse is a stronger reason for Gwyn raising Gwyndolin as a daughter, but I also think it’s why Gwyn took in Gwyndolin at all. Yes, I still think Gwyn might be biased against Gwyndolin’s dragon heritage as well, but between the Dark and dragons, if there’s anything that’s shaped Gwyn’s motivations more, it’s the Dark (I think it’s very safe to make that claim, given his fear of the Dark is exactly what’s gotten us in this mess of fire-linking). So, from Gwyn’s perspective, Gwyndolin’s heritage would be dangerous. This is not just anyone with darkward affinities — this is someone of Gwyn’s blood carrying them. That might be something Gwyn wouldn’t want to leave unchecked.
On that note, Gwyn isn’t keeping Gwyndolin hidden either — we do see this backdrop in DS3, after all:
That leads into some ideas of what Gwyn may have seen in raising Gwyndolin himself. Maybe Gwyn kept Gwyndolin close because he meant to mold him into a loyal custodian of his Sunlight order and a servant of the fire-linking mission (which certainly worked). Or maybe he truly wanted to raise Gwyndolin as a dear child of his, despite Gwyndolin’s troubling affinities and the restrictions Gwyn put on him in turn (Gwyn may have tried, but no one said he was ever good at it rip). I personally headcanon both, but the latter might not be so clear in my writing due to character POVs and their biases.
This long post is all just to say: whenever my fic edits are done, alongside prose and dialogue embellishing, expect some fine-tuning regarding the logic of Gwyndolin’s affinity and heritage. Gwyndolin is not merely a god of the moon, but of the Darkmoon, and that distinction gives me a much sharper lens for why Gwyn might have kept him close, while also giving my Gwyndolin greater reason to be utterly ashamed of who he is. Don’t worry, Diana will be there to help him with fixing that :)
(maybe everyone else connected those dots ages ago and I am simply late to the party. ah well. better late than never 🙂↕️)
Dark fantasy illustrations inspired by anime and video games.
Shop drop! New prints available!
A4/8.3x11.7" Matte finish
Shinobi in the Snowy Woods (Kisame from Naruto), Dark Sun (Gwyndolin from Dark Souls), Holiday Anka (original content, originally created for the Holiday Horns digital zine)
A4/8.3x11.7" (very very shiny) Holo finish
Scarcrossed Ascelin (original content), Backhalls Ascelin (original content), All Hallows Cyneric (original content). Because of how incredibly sparkly this finish is, I won't be restocking it. Once these are gone, they're gone.
A5/4.5x6" prints
Laurence and Gehrman (Bloodborne fanart, matte finish. Originally printed in the For Whom the Bell Chimes NPC zine)
10.16×15.24cm/4x6" heavy cardstock Holiday Yari prints (original content, printed in Winter 2025. Limited run of 50 prints).
There's also a new Deluxe Prints bundle, with 25% savings compared to buying the items separately. This is a test promo, so only five are available. If you'd like to get one of each print at a discounted price, this is the best option!
gummygunk
pixelskylines
dededos
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
