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[-tetsuo-]

He isn't wrong, though.

 

[Neiteio]

he can do whatever he wants

I'm still free to say it's unnecessarily long winded and poorly constructed

I'm not dismissing anything. I'm saying it could be better easily if he was a decent writer.

I'm sure there is quality there, it's just obfuscated in it's current form and as a basic courtesy to the people who want to absorb his content he should make it clear, succinct, and well written

It is clear, succinct and well-written (barring some typos here and there). Some of the size comes from him repeatedly recapping (in clear, concise terms) things he already explained, so that the reader can maintain the thread he's weaving as he connects many, many details. He does it in a very logical fashion, never losing the big picture, which is why it has impressed so many people who have read it.

Could it be tightened up here and there? Sure. But given the scope of what it attempts to cover, it's an admirable effort, and a super-solid read.

 

[Trojan]

I thought Bloodborne was just about werewolves and top hats.

 

[The Xtortionist]

I thought Bloodborne was just about werewolves and top hats.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[Neiteio]

I thought Bloodborne was just about werewolves and top hats.

It is, but it's also about eyeballs on brains, and blood that could use a tan

 

[SamusPrime]

Miyazaki confirmed it was Laurence's skull in the interview in the Future Press guide.

Oh I didn't know about that. Are there any other tidbits like this in there?

 

[Neiteio]

Oh I didn't know about that. Are there any other tidbits like this in there?

Yeah, the essay sources not only in-game lore (item descriptions, item placements, attire worn by NPCs, their dialogue, animations, changes in voice actors, etc), but it also notes things Miyazaki confirmed in interviews, as well as the official guidebook, OST track titles, etc.

 

[GameAddict411]

No, it appears to be strictly a fan thing. It's really, really good. It might seem like a lot, but just read the first few pages. I suspect many of you will read more... and more...

The effort that went into making this is fucking incredible. Makes me feel bad considering how much I complain when asked to do papers for school.

 

[Lynx_7]

I've been meaning to read this ever since I beat the game. Guess now is a good time to do that considering I'm on the middle of my NG+ file.

The effort that went into making this is fucking incredible. Makes me feel bad considering how much I complain when asked to do papers for school.

It's much easier to write something out of love than obligation, so don't feel too bad. I can also write pages and pages discussing things I like but can't be arsed to write a paragraph for my papers.

 

[BriGuy]

Yeah BB definitely went wayyyyy down the route of obscurity and mystery, for better or worse. I can definitely see how people would either really love it or it would do nothing for them.

The true ending in particular fell really flat for me. I kind of had no idea what I was really doing or why I was doing it in the second half of the game. And then

Spoiler

I turned into a slug?

. I had people watching me play the ending and I had a really difficult time trying to explain what was happening in a few sentences. And honestly, that's totally fine. BB is an experimental Souls spiritual successor. It should be weird and obscure as hell.

"You're a thug now, you're a

Spoiler

slug

now, bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bloodborne."

 

[Neiteio]

"You're a thug now, you're a

Spoiler

slug

now, bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bloodborne."

Haha, amazing

 

[daniels]

Crazy Micolash was right

"Let us sit about, and speak feverishly. Chatting into the wee hours of...New ideas, of the higher plane!"

 

[PeskyToaster]

We need to develop a video game academia if we really want this entertainment medium to transcend that. Make a journal. Have standards. Get shit done.

 

[Afrocious]

Just saw thsi thread.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE stuff like this

Thanks for posting it Netio!

 

[Enlil]

Haven't read it but just posted in another thread that the story is really good. I will definitely read this.

 

[Neiteio]

Just saw thsi thread.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE stuff like this

Thanks for posting it Netio!

Glad it makes you happy

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

"You're a thug now, you're a

Spoiler

slug

now, bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bloodborne."

Oh man, tears over here.

 

[HardRojo]

Gonna save this so I can read it next week. It's EVO weekend man. My schedule is way too busy for the next few days.

 

[John Kowalski]

Amazing effort, but the fact that almost none of this is readily apparent to the average player means that the game's narrative is largely a failure. Just my opinion of course.

I haven't read the paper or played the game for that matter. But what you're saying isn't correct. There are numerous, numerous examples in other media of works who take years to see themselves understood by the public, often posthumously. But they were no less well accomplished or valid because of the effort they required to be truly understood, this was demonstrated by them affecting change and influencing new works regardless of how much dedication it took to dessicate them, actually shaping new trains of thought and sometimes giving birth to generations of new artists.

Oh dear he could have chosen another font for the old god's sake.

 

[byropoint]

"You're a thug now, you're a

Spoiler

slug

now, bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bloodborne."

Lol

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

The bit about "formless Oedon" being the voice of the crying baby you hear throughout the game

Isn't that Mergo? It makes sense, since you are in his nightmare.

 

[NinjaMuffin]

I thought Bloodborne was just about werewolves and top hats.

You need more Insight

 

[Neiteio]

Isn't that Mergo? It makes sense, since you are in his nightmare.

You might be right, although I'm inclined to think that based on the case TheXtortionist made on the previous page.

In either case, the whole "formless" concept never dawned on me until reading all of this.

 

[SamusPrime]

You need more Insight

Zing!!!

 

[Iva Demilcol]

"You're a thug now, you're a

Spoiler

slug

now, bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh bloodborne."

You just combined my favorite games released so far this year.

And you're the one to blame when someone makes a Bloodborne video with this song.

 

[Neiteio]

You just combined my favorite games released so far this year.

And you're the one to blame when someone makes a Bloodborne video with this song.

oh god there's an extended version

 

[Darth_Caedus]

I will read this when I have time. It seems incredible

 

[ramyeon]

Had this saved on my Kindle for awhile now, can't wait to dive into it once I've completed my play through. Kind of apprehensive at the same time though - there's a bunch I'd still like to explore in the game for myself before I do.

 

[CoolBatteryCharge]

Finished the first two chapters. Very interesting read so far. Not all that mindblowing, but I'm enjoying the theories on how certain aspects can be connected logically. Especially the part about how "Every Great One loses its child" contradicts Ebrietas being a "daughter of the cosmos" giving the question of if she was originally a Great One or instead became one.

 

[Oppo]

just finished. very fun read. lots of things i had not considered or noticed.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

I have not played Bloodborne yet, but I downloaded and will keep this file all the same until I do.

Someone should do this with Dark Souls, too. There are definitely enough people out there crazy with its lore (and it's fucking awesome, I am going through DS2 now myself, having finished DS1).

 

[Wynnebeck]

You know the singing brains?

Not brains. Cobbled-together Messengers.

And the body is the Doll's body.

Think about it.

Fuuuuuuuuu—

WAIT WHAT!?

 

[brandonh83]

Everything about this game blows me away, the game itself but also its twisted and labyrinthine depth to every aspect. It wouldn't blow my mind if I don't play a better game this entire console generation.

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

I can't imagine spending the time reading, let alone writing, this much about a video game

Indeed....

 

[genjiZERO]

The "story" in Bloodborne was the worst part. It was too obvious to let you be imaginative, but not developed enough to be interesting.

 

[derwalde]

Dat first post.

 

[Eppy Thatcher]

I've been very impressed with the amount of lore hunting and interpretations that people have pulled from Bloodborne. A lot of the stuff in this whole essay was stuff i had heard of before and thought about before but even then - if i take one new concept from these types of dissertations i consider them worth it.

In this case being the usually fairly straightforward player that I am I had not considered some of the notes in the game weren't left for the player themselves... and to think that the "Seek the paleblood..." note at the beginning was not instructions for our progress through the game but the goal of the Blood Ministrator himself? mindblown.gif

Time to play through again fresh with a new set of eyes

 

[Newtype-001]

The "story" in Bloodborne was the worst part. It was too obvious to let you be imaginative, but not developed enough to be interesting.

Eh i disagree. Its my personal favourite story /lore from the Soulsborne games.

 

[The Boat]

Man, that's a lot to read.

 

[Hypemaster]

Yeah I remember reading his posts when he would release it on Reddit. Good stuff.

 

[ramyeon]

The "story" in Bloodborne was the worst part. It was too obvious to let you be imaginative, but not developed enough to be interesting.

What am I reading?

 

[JudgmentJay]

What am I reading?

Clearly genjiZERO thinks on a higher plane.

 

[openrob]

#########

DISSERTATION SPOILERS:

#########

The theory about the Healing Church sheltering the children of Yharnamites and ascending them into Kin of Cosmos to harvest for more Old Blood in their Lumenflower Garden... The bit about Rom being an ascended baby girl, and Ebrietas being an ascended Pthumerian child... The Blood-letting Beast in the Labyrinth being Laurence, and the Madman being Ludwig... The connection between Oedon and Arianna, and Oedon and Queen Yharnam and Mergo... The bit about "formless Oedon" being the voice of the crying baby you hear throughout the game... The bit about the Nightmare Frontier being a dreamworld mirror of Loran... The double meaning of "paleblood," and Gherman's connection to Djurga and Eileen... The Doll being a Great One, and you her surrogate child...

It's hilarious how insane and random this paragraph is when you are as unfamiliar with the series as I am

 

[sn00zer]

It's hilarious how insane and random this paragraph is when you are as unfamiliar with the series as I am

I promise you it isnt much clearer once youve beaten the game. Game doesnt tell you shit. Honestly its better jut to make up a story as you go along and try not to read too much into the finer details.

Honestly I was very on top of the story until I got to the second cutscene in which a character spouted about five different names and places of characters I hadnt heard of.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Eh i disagree. Its my personal favourite story /lore from the Soulsborne games.

Easily. One of my favorite stories in all of gaming. It nails cosmic horror like no game before it and it's kinda brilliant how important story elements like blood administration and insight tie into the mechanics.

 

[Leon Raycloud]

This is great of you to do this thread OP.
Redgrave really made a very complete and informative thesis of the story of bloodborne he should get more recognition for what he did, the paleblood hunt is a fucking awesone read.

 

[Ottoni_Bastos]

Isn't that Mergo? It makes sense, since you are in his nightmare.

Spoiler

After you slain the mergo's nightmare you still can hear the baby.If you play the gascoine music box the baby actually laugh.His theory is that the cry you can hear is formless oedon trying to talk to you(since Great one don't speak english necessarily).

"Great Ones that inhabit the nightmare are sympathetic in spirit, and often answer when called upon."

I'm not saying he is right though...

 

[Oberon]

Even though the I liked the setting ( not as much as the other souls game), I found the characters pretty forgetable and the story overlry complicated even for from soft standards. However, If someone puts so much effort into writing this much, then I might give BB another chance.

 

[ramyeon]

I promise you it isnt much clearer once youve beaten the game. Game doesnt tell you shit. Honestly its better jut to make up a story as you go along and try not to read too much into the finer details.

Honestly I was very on top of the story until I got to the second cutscene in which a character spouted about five different names and places of characters I hadnt heard of.

This isn't true. Maybe if you play through the game without trying to piece together the story then yeah. I'm on my first play through and while there are definitely things I don't understand, I feel like I've got the main gist of what is going on pieced together - there's obviously a lot of blanks to fill in a and questions that need answering but that stuff can all be found within the game. Discovering the story is half the fun.

 

[RedAssedApe]

Poster child for tl;dr. What's reading? Lol