#bloodborne analysis

[march7th]

a bit of some beginning notes and thoughts. consider this my personal study on the plain doll, the hunters workshop, sex and gender in the context of yharnam, as well as how the very game mechanics corroborate that character strength = strength of character. brief mention of gascoigne but this is doll-centric first

when gehrman says "this was once a safe haven for hunters. a workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons.. and flesh. we don't have as many tools as we once did, but you're welcome to use whatever you find. even the doll, should it please you.." like. when I first read it/heard it in 8th grade as an afab player, I was mortified. it grossed me out. the context of the world was painted immediately in the darkest possible light. even though the customization screen had very freeing feeling options that allowed me to make the future adult-me self insert twink body of my darkest prince hamlet inspired dreams, I realized bloodborne was immediately more than just intentional: this is a game that at its core.. is about women, and how they are treated within the context of the world around them.

you can't talk to the plain doll (a character who is basically the only way you can level up) until you receive something that in the top right of your screen simply looks like an eyeball. it is the symbol that refers to "insight" within the game. and I won't spoil how u have to obtain it because it's more fun letting people struggle, but yeah.

but, you can't level up without it. so any "new hunter" that has ever found the workshop or gone there, if they do not have at least '1' single piece of insight.. they cannot speak to the doll..so they're perpetually the weakest hunters: and even hunters fall to being beasts, so it goes.

gascoigne, one of the hunters you are warned not to go near or face, guards the church ahead: the main quest of bloodborne. and yet you find out that a music box is the key item to helping you in his battle. the music sets him out of his beastlike daze.

"beasts all over the shop.. you'll be one of them, sooner or later." he says this before turning to fight you, hinting at a darker context: the hunters workshop has been in peril for a while, outsiders aren't common, and yharnam is falling apart. you create your hunters origin, but once you set foot in yharnam, if you play to the end.. the story then creates the hunter. you don't control much of anything in this world: and if you want to make real change, you have to be willing to sacrifice pieces of yourself, to put your own life on the line and come back.

(beasts all over the old hunters workshop. and some hunters see them better than others, quicker, they can find and knock on the doors.)

even in gascoigne's own beastlike behaviors, he speaks to you, hunter to hunter. those who do not have the insight to level up in this world may think the doll of nothing more as a "plaything", and in a workshop where some people can see a living breathing woman, and others see a mannequin.. you learn how to spot something: a hunter without *any* insight.

despite the fact the church separated hunters into different workshops, there were cracks in the simplest workshop. the fact some hunters could exist, could be healed by blood, but would learn nothing: and not be able to find whatever it is that let's you see something that seems empty.. speak, and emote. and slowly through this world, you can only defeat the strongest monsters if you know how to speak to her. the simplest act is the first step: and the most integral. I theorize this is how they first found the beast disorder: finding those who can't respect a woman. like. legitimately.. that's my moral breakdown of the old church. every boss leading throughout the story feeds into this. I haven't read bloodborne reddit threads in a while because bloodborne is my favorite game ever but I now live in gacha game hell. but zenless zone zero ironically got me thinking about bloodborne again because of their name being phaethon and I was thinking about Greek myths and then I remembered. bro. bloodborne. so later sometime I'll make further story and literary information breakdowns or at least my theories of them

bloodborne's english translation and the words used are so intentional and the writing of bloodborne is fucking fantastic- i really need to talk about my love for bloodborne more. and im replaying it finally which is sparking this post!!!!

more to come soon my bloodborne hunter (named him chestnut 🐎)

[fantomette22]

Nightmare frontier (Loran) geologic interpretation

Alright, here I am to talk about another detail I noticed while replaying Bloodborne! It has more to do with well the geology of the nightmare frontier and from what it's based on in real life. I like analysis and trying to understand those in video game! But also might bue because I'm a technician geologist too XD Still I will try to stay simple and short.

So The Nightmare frontier in the Nightmare. This optional zone you can unlock thanks to Patches! And where we fight the Amygdala to obtained the Loran's chalice.

Notes : the nightmares are in layers. Mensis nightmare is on top then the frontier, under the fishing hamlet with the boats. And under the hamlet the hunter's nightmare/Yharnam of the dlc. For the one who didn't knew.

Notes 2 : The nightmare frontier is probably a nightmare originating from the region where Loran is (the out place area and the Loran chalice are goos indicator). You know that Pthumerian civilisation far from pthumeru & Yharnam who all become beasts... But if you are into the lore you probably know about Loran and all.

So in the frontiers we can find those strange stone hexagonal columns around :

Well it is a real geologic structures! Also named volcanic (basalts) columns, organ pipes etc (orgues volcaniques in French)

Volcanic columns of Panska skala. Source image : https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/ressource/orgues-volcaniques.xml,

So, how it's formed? Well it is a bit complex but I will try to explain simply. You see those are formed from (effusive) volcanism (don't cofound with magmatic plutonism). You see when a volcano create really liquid lava and don't explode it's effusive. The lava cooled fast on the surface (huge thermic difference with the air or water) and don't crystallised, it often formed basalts (this black rock without minerals visible) or similars stone (can be andesite too in that case or even diorite. It's the same "family").

Those columns are not directly made on the surface but meters under the first couch of lava or they can be formed in magmatic veins that came from a magmatic chamber (in the ground) but cooled way faster than the chamber: it can create those or dyke or sills for exemple/ A magmatic chamber who cooled of will be crystallised on the contrary and take a lot of time! (Thousand if not millions of year) Still it's seems those columns take years or century to become rocks. Still it is "fast" on a geological levels.

Apparently with specific conditions temperature it create this hexagonal columns. It is also similar when clay who became dry and cracked on the ground if you prefer.

Anyway those volcanic columns can be found in many places! Europe, Africa, Asia, America etc There are usually millions of years old and we can see them thanks to erosions of the more tender rocks around it.

The first pic I show are at 80/100km north to Prague in Czech Republic. And You know Bloodborne is a bit more based on easter Europe so 👀

Anyway I think this is very cool the devs inspire themself from those! Very Interesting!

SO what it says about Loran region and Bloodborne world then ?🤔 Well I'm not sure but it's sure is very ancient geologic formation and even in XIX century 2 big theories fought about geology so it sure could be see as specials for old civilisation! Especially in link with old great ones or smt. And maybe Loran could be closer to Yharnam than we think.

ALSO

You see those weird ?ball rocks? in the all the nightmare area? really remind me of pillow lava. You know when lava pierce through the ocean and cold really fast

Ok and I'm not sure for Yharnam or Cainhurst geology but pretty sure the fishing hamlet is volcanic stone too. Why? Well the huge massifs black stones and the BLACK SAND, like in Hawaii ! Or in Iceland. Volcanic region with huge volcanic activity.

Black sand always means it came from volcanic rocks or that it's rich in iron minerals for exemple.

[upright-hunter-rune]

A while ago I saw someone claiming that Lady Maria probably didn't wear her Hunter clothing in her day to day life, and so it can't be used to draw conclusions about what she wore casually, with the implication being that she typically more feminine clothing. That bothered me, but I didn't have a good argument against it at the time. Looking at the Cainhurst Knight set in game on a recent playthrough however made me realize two things that make me thing that she did wear the same clothing regularly, or at the very least clothing in a similar style.

1) The Knight's Set is clothing first, armor second.

While Hunters' outfits- including the Knight's Set- do straddle the line between armor and clothing, the Knight's Set is clearly a piece of ostentatious clothing just as suited to dinner parties as disposing of beasts. Additionally, we know what the Cainhursts wore into combat: silver armor that is very stylistically distinct from the Knight's Set or Noble Dress.

Maria's Set is a modification of the Knight's Set more in line with the fashion sensibilities of Yharnam's Hunters, but it doesn't actually provide much more physical defense. It in fact provides less physical defense than the Yharnam Hunter set, itself implied by its description to be substandard for the fight against beasts. To me this all implies that Maria's set is also intended to be a set of fine clothing, perfectly suitable for day to day use (if probably in need of regular washing to get the blood out).

2) The female version of the Knight's Set is not all that impractical for hunting.

The typically given reason for a woman to wear men's clothing is that it's more practical. Pants are easier to run in than dresses, etc. But this doesn't actually seem particularly true in the case of the Knight's Set. Most of the differences between the male and female set are minor changes in shape or ornamentation. The Knight's Dress, the most obviously different piece, is loose and layered in such a way as to allow for movement. It seems made to be fought in just as much as the male outfit, and generally doesn't seem like it would get in the way any more than the long coats found on other sets would.

So practicality probably wasn't Maria's reason for basing her outfit so heavily on specifically the male Knight's Set, with no influence from the female version at all. It probably was simply personal preference, and there is no reason to think that preference for masculine fashion wouldn't extend to other clothing she would have worn.

[fantomette22]

Table recapitulating the Doll reactions to the gestures of the player in Bloodborne [EN/FR]

The gestures in bold are the one you already have at the beginning of the game. All the other are obtainable later. To know more on the gestures : wiki & fextralife wiki

[fantomette22]

Brain fluid, Great ones, Blood and parasites.

I am replaying Bloodborne and I'm noticing a few new things.

I finally get to the research hall and read the brain fluids description again (in French & English)

Greyish amoeba-shaped brain fluid. Wobbles and bounces.

Extracted from a patient whose head expanded until that was all that they were.

In the early days of the Healing Church, the Great Ones were linked to the ocean, and so the cerebral patients would imbibe water, and listen for the howl of the sea. Brain fluid writhed inside the head, the initial makings of internal eyes. (…)

So… was i supposed to found out myself they actually have parasite inside ??

So one thing you need to know is that "brain fluid" or cerebrospinal fluid (liquide céphalo-rachidien/cérébrospinal en VF) is a transparent liquid where you have your brain and inside your spine for your nerves. It doesn't quite fit what we have in game right ?

But they did add water in it, right ? It also said (but it's more clear in French that it have an amoeba (amibe) shape.

What's an amoeba ? from wikipedia : "(...) is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape (...) Amoeboid cells occur not only among the protozoa, but also in fungi, algae, and animals. Microbiologists often use the terms "amoeboid" and "amoeba" interchangeably for any organism that exhibits amoeboid movement."

It's an eucaryote (membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus like our cells) and unicellular organism that can lived without and host in the earth or water for example (unlike our cells who need to be a part of a pluricellulaires organism).

But, there's some type of amoeba who act as parasite and actually can "eat" a brain💀 (actually it attacked the nervous system & cells from the cavity between the nose and brain ) do you see where I'm trying to get ?

The water they put inside the patients head... probably had microorganism inside it. If it's not the Kos parasites then others things really similar.

It will take too long to develop everything, maybe another day so really short : we know about the Kos parasite right ? And that Kos probably had parasites who infected and transformed the inhabitants of the Hamlet.

For the blood we literally have vermin, the loran silver beasts (+ the maggots), the bloodletting beast with the giant worms and the blood dregs. (the eyes that turned blind some parasite do that in real life too)

I thought at first that what caused the beast plague was "infected cells' like cancerous cells that created more organic materials, mutated their host and boom. And not just some bacteria or viruses (that is possible too XD but also vermin are those arthropods like parasites so I was a bit confused.

But now ! If we need to have a more scientifically and realistically approach about what happened in Bloodborne (and not just boom great ones dream magic) I think it can be caused by unicellular beings who composed the great ones and mess with everyone 👍

I mean diseases and organism disfunction (of the neural system for ex) are caused on a cellular if not molecular level after all (how molecules and drugs act in the neurons and synapses of the brain is really fascinating ! But it’s not easy to learn)

Also why are great ones so close to the first protozoan cells organism for some reason ?! There's multicellular organism I guess but exist on different planes of existence (if they're not aliens or smt) but bc of the parasites blood and all (odeon is kinda blood/ what we have in the blood) so they're probably really really old forms of life you (like unicellular organisms).I guess we could say that great ones are parasites of the mind !👈 👈 (ok enough of today)

Little bonus : the first unicellular appear between 3,5 and 3,8 billion years. The multicellular appeared 2 billions years ago, our Earth have 4,5 billions years, our solar system just a bit more and the universe is 13,8 billions years old. Homo sapiens sapiens (us) is like 200 000 years old 💀 but don't worry the homininae line appeared 10 million years ago!

Hey you know we're closer to the dinosaurs who lived at the end of the cretaceous (64Ma) than between the Dino of the cretaceous and the beginning to the triassic (first Dino : 230/250 Ma)? CRAZY HMMM ??????

Anyway I do believe Bloodborne universe is actually as fantastic as dark souls or Elden Ring and not super ultra realistic like our own world. Some things just doesn't make sense realistically and maybe don't have a possible realistic and scientific explanation (the dreams, great ones etc) but it's cool to try to used sciences to explain things in the universe ! That make its own world more coherent in its own logic I believe ! (it's like you know sci fi movies, Frankenstein and all. it's not possible in real life but based on true sciences stuff).

[evangelifloss]

I think a really pivotal moment for me playing bloodborne was when I first encountered Vicar Amelia. Going in I knew she was going to become a boss somehow, but seeing her hunched over and praying whilst waiting for the inevitable struck a cord with me, or rather, I fell under the assumption that whatever beastly form she became, it would be inherently feminised. Think the white fury from how to train your dragon-- her male counterpart looks like a dragon, but because she's female, she's very soft and all ferocious tendencies are removed.

But then as I watched her transformation, which was freaking awesome by the way, I was stunned to see that upon becoming a beast, she actually looked like one. She wasn't slender or lithe, her fangs/teeth were very pronounced, and her whole body was incredibly imposing. Her head in particular was BIG. It looked like, well, a beast, that wasn't "this is a FEMALE, THEREFORE SHE HAS ELEGANT FEATURES" rather, they chucked that entire notion out the cathedral window.

Also they gave her freakin' antler horns and strangely proportioned arms. Not to mention her shroud became shaggy tendrils of fur, and her hood ended up becoming part of the design. We never are granted the sight to see her face. Or more specifically, her eyes. And we know how obsessed the lore is with eyes.

Vicar Amelia was a terrifying beast, violent and savage. Fromsoft in this case, really said "beasthood is beasthood, we will not be making the female ones any different from the male."

I was too impressed by her design that I died relatively straight away once the battle began. In fact I was too focused on trying to get details on her appearance rather than fight.

Anyways Vicar Amelia's human and consequential beasthood form slaps. That is how you design a female "monster". Animation industry in particular take notes-- not every goddamn female anthro animal needs breasts or delicate features.

[fantomette22]

Bloodborne characters names meaning & signification

A few weeks ago, I looked at the meanings/origins of some of the characters names. Some were quite interesting! So, I’ve wanted to do a big post with ALL the names we know to share with everyone.

There are already some great posts about the translations of the original Japanese names and winch countries these names originated from (so I won’t go in details on that). 

I won’t detailed either how the dev might have chosen this or this name because it’s also the name of an important history/religious figure either. And I won’t be talking about the great ones names, the locations names or the item/weapon names (except a few). But this post on reddit explained it well. 

A lot of names have European roots. Latin (central& west), but also Slavic (north & east) and there’s a lot of old French names too. I hope this post could provide some insight or just be a reference if someone is looking for something. If you know something else let me know ! 

Let’s begin then! (I classified them by alphabetical order):

Adeline: Meaning noble, nobility, noble one.

Adella: Meaning noble too, kind…

Alfred: “elf/magical counsel”, wise counsellor, wise, sage…

Amelia: work, hard work / (Emilia (it might be the original intended name: rival, laborious, eager).

Annalise: Grace of/by God & similar sentences, or even graceful light.

Antal: break of day, inestimable worth/priceless one/beyond price.

Archibald: genuine, bold, brave.

Arianna: most holy, silver.

Brador is not a name that exist so the closet thing that exist is “Bardot/Bardeau”, it seems to be a location name to a family coming from Perigord (west France, actual department/county of Dordogne).

Caryll means “man” and seems to come from the name Carroll (man) or Charles (free man). 

Damian: to tame, subdue. In Greek Damianos means master, overcome, conquer; Saint Damien was the patron of the physicians (another Christian martyr).

Djura is not a name that exist. It would be a variant of Georges/Jorge apparently (farmer).

Dores: Came from “doré”, golden in French. It was given to people with blonde hair apparently. But it seems to mean pain, suffering, (lady of) sorrows. Came from Dolores meaning “pain”. That same latin word give “douleur” (pain) in French as well.

Edgar (/Edgard): means rich/ prosperous and spear.

Eileen: (little) bird, strength, desired, bright one, shining light in Greek, (derived from Evelyn it seems it could come from Irene/Helen… too)

Evelyn: desired, whished for (fit with the description of weapon?), beauty, water, island (fit with Cainhurst) and “whished for child” too… (it’s not the only one like you will see a bit later…it’s a bit weird that it’s another person of Cainhurst who share this meaning too).

Gascoigne: Like the origin of “Brador” it’s a French surname, meaning someone who came from Gascony/pays de Gascogne, actual department/county of “des Landes” & “Hauts Pyrénées”, southwest of France.

Gehrman:

Russian/Slavic origin and means spear, spear bearer/user or something related to it. And he indeed does have a scythe so… It’s also the alternative name of a Caloian/Bulgarian ritual. In it, a “clay doll/effigy” is broken or buried (funeral?) to fertilize the earth (circle of life & death too etc…)  So, it’s really interesting and intriguing. And “German” means Warrior.

Gilbert: bright promise, pledge, hostage, bright/famous (the feels T_T)

Gratia: favor, blessing, grace

Gremia: doesn’t exist too; the closet is Geremia who means “god is high/the lord exalts (Jeremiah, Jeremy…)

Henriett/(Henriette): home leader/ruler, keeper of the hearth

Henryk: home leader too

Iosefka: “god will provide”? it’s not really a real name. Jozefka/Jozefina see Jozef

Izzy: god’s promise, (gift of Isis/god). Could be another variant of Georges/ Isidore/ Isabel-Isaac…even Elizabeth perhaps…

Jozef: “Jehovah (he should)increases” (Joseph)

Laurence:  boy & girl name meaning “from Laurentum” (city in Italy). That came from Laurel (Laurier) too (the crown wear by the Roman emperor).

Saint Laurence is also a christian martyr figure during the end of the roman empire who was burned alive. When asked where he hid the treasures of the church, he says the true treasures where the people, the poors.

Leo (cut Vileblood hunter): in latin it means lion, so “lion hearted, brave” as well

Logarius: it doesn’t’ exist. This one is really complicated but from what I found the first half could be “reason, judgment…”+ Christians figure. From a retranslation we can find something close to “Roger” meaning “famous spearman”. 

Ludwig: it means “famous fighter/warrior/in battle” it fit well indeed.

Madaras: Is a surname, it seems to mean “impure, bald, humid, wet, spots…” it depends on the language too.

Maria:

I saw a lot of different meaning for this one. I tried to put everything I could here but there’s a lot. What’s sure is that I personally think that all this meaning perfectly describes our dear lady of the Astral Clocktower! It’s actually crazy how some of these seems to characterize her so well. (Well done fromsoftware)

So, we got: star/drop/lady of the sea, (sea of) bitter, “” sorrow (sometimes these meanings are mixed), rebellious, beloved/loved and “wished for child”.

A common 18-19th century name. (A lot of important figures had that name. The more known is Saint Maria/Mary the mother of Jesus.

Micolash: monkey/primate it seems but “Nicholas” means “victory of the people/people of victory”. St Nicholas is the patron of children, scholars, sailors…

Norbert (cut content, originally the name of the cleric beast: “northern brightness”. It was the name of a saint too.

Olek: “defender of men/humankind/people, protector of – “

Paarl: not really a name (or an African one at least) and means pearl & perhaps the Japanese name is closer to “Paul” that means small or humble. Name of a saint too.

Patches: Well, our dear spider… comes from “Peter” means rock/stone, fight, patch (Patch seems to signify “noble” too?). under this form it’s more a female name as well?

Rom (Roma in Japanese): Our other dear spider. Reference Roma/Rome the city and Roman (empire). It’s also another name of the goddess Lakshmi (Hindu)…

 Simon: to (be) hear/listen, reputation

Valtr: easily upset, unstable, unsteady but also to rule, army, warrior

Viola: purple; violet (the flower)

Vitus: “lively, life giving, life”; came from the latin “vitae” who give “vie” in French, who means life. Could come from Vitu/widu which signifies woods, forest.

 Wallar: wallfahrer, pilmgrim (family name) it’s in the theme or the chalice dungeon enemies. And Waller means “wall maker, powerful one”

 Willem: means “resolute/determined protector”, defender, guardian, helmet

(The Defender of knowledge/ eldritch truth? The protector of humans from it? It’s quite interesting as well).

 Yamamura: “mountain village” a Japanese name of course

Yurie (Julie): grace of the lily (Japanese) Depends of the 3 kanji used but could signified: reason, logic, blessing, friend, lily, branch… Julie would be a more appropriate translation, it means “youthful”

Bonus:

Mergo: related to water and hide, “flood, swallow, hide, conceal, bury »; the latin name gives submerged & immerged…

Flora: What a surprise, flowers

Lucen: it’s the name I give to my hunter; I wanted to named him “Lucien” but I needed something unique too, so I come up with this. It means “light”.

Byrgenwerth or the college of the grave, surround by water

Byrgen: burial place, grave, tomb, 

Werth : surrounded by water  

Cainhurst -> Cain. Son of Adam & Eve, killed his brother Able, sins etc… but I saw something relating it to some woods too?

Rakuyo: fallen leaf

[fantomette22]

Caryll Runes descriptions & what they do

I think someone already mention it but all the Caryll runes weren't translated or discovered by Runesmith Caryll themselves.

Based on the different descriptions, I might have figure out winch ones exactly.

I regroup and resume them in 2 categories. In the middle of doing it, I decided to add what each runes do as well without actually copy-paste every descriptions (there's 20 in total).

To know where to find them in the game, I recommend this really great and complementary post ! With every types of runes and where to find them ! With the one I just made I think it perfectly resume everything that need to be known about the Caryll runes.

Let's begin with the Rune Workshop Tool description to know more about Caryll and the runes.

Runes describe as being « a secret symbol left by Caryll » :

12/20 Runes. We can conclude that this ones where translated by Caryll themselves. if we don't count the covenant runes they're probably the most useful and used runes. Funny how the radiance & Corruption runes are both here too...

Other runes, just called « Caryll Runes » :

(Probably not not made by Caryll ? But may have been translated by them?  Or Caryll had nothing to do with them but they’re still runes translating inhuman sounds so they’re just called like this)

8/20 Runes.

Bonus, Runes on the Astral Clocktower :

By Sophie on Jerks sans frontieres that you may know from the Sinclair lore channel (Bloodborne & others video games podcasts).

There's 14 runes here but 2 of them don't exist in game or don't fully match with something we know (probably cut content but it's really intriguing).