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aliensupersyn · 6 months

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Ranni the Trans Analogous Witch

For starters, I do not mean to make any wild claims about Ranni or if she should be considered transfem. Put those fears to rest, dear reader. That's for my eventual breakdown of Miquella's character. Instead, I offer a lens to see Ranni's story from a different perspective than one might not immediately be familiar with.

When people allow themselves to see the world in other's eyes, they can learn to focus on the similarities shared between them instead of the differences. Allow my analogy for Ranni's story to be a mirror, holding space for both the real and fictional.

Rennala and Radagon conceived three children between the two of them: Rykard, Radhan, and Ranni. The two fingers chose Ranni to become an Empyrean, alongside Miquella and Malenia, and each were candidates to succeed Queen Marika.

Though, what does it mean to succeed Marika and become the new queen? The queen would become a vessel for the Elden Ring. To be chosen as an Empyrean means that the Greater Will commands one's body from the first moment they get chosen, and it maintains that power until the Empyrean's end. Elden Ring places significant emphasis on the importance of the body and its connection to one's identity. For example, when the player reaches Queen Marika who betrayed the the Greater Will, you do not fight her. Marika's hair changes color, her dress becomes a skirt, signifying that you face someone else: Radagon. Though they share a host, they have different identifiable traits apart from one another, and their respective forms indicate the one currently present. In the cinematic, the golden haired Marika shatters the Elden Ring; Marika's Hammer reveals that Radagon attempted to repair it. Marika and Radagon may share the same host, but they cannot truly be the same person. The differences in their forms accentuates the differences in their ideals and personalities. Marika cannot escape her destiny as a God and vessel in any ending, and always ends as the Greater Will's puppet. Ultimately, becoming an Empyrean means that the Greater Will controls your body, and therefore your destiny.

The Greater Will's power has both literal and figurative demonstrations throughout Elden Ring; it encompasses militaristic, religious, and political power throughout the Lands Between. The Greater Will created the Erdtree, the Elden Ring, and the god Marika. It created its own God to be worshipped, defeating and alienating the other gods, who have been deemed "Outer Gods." The term "outer" signifies their alienation and their forced dissociation from the Greater Will's own God and other extensions of its power. The Greater Will exists in Elden Ring as an all powerful creation god who influences the written and oral histories and culture of the Lands Between.

The Tarnished Archeologist compares the Greater Will's influence to that of Catholicism. When comparing the Greater Will to the Catholic hierarchy, he says that "the Greater Will would be God, the Fingers are the Pope, those that hear the the words of God directly, and the readers are the church bishopric and clergy.[1]" His comparison demonstrates the the ways that the Greater Will dominates the Lands Between as its most influential God. Marika's own words reiterate my point:

The Erdtree governs all. The choice is thine.

Become one with the Order. Or divest thyself of it.

To wallow at the fringes; a powerless upstart.

Marika's tree, the power of the Greater Will, acts as the ultimate sovereign. It's will acts as the law of the Lands Between, and all must adhere to Marika's rule.

Yet Ranni refused to be controlled by the Greater Will, let alone Marika. Ranni broke away from the bonds of her own flesh and freed herself, forging her own path and eventually, her own reign, free from the control of the Greater Will. Here, I will focus on Ranni's flesh. After her armies defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen's, Marika sealed the Rune of Death away. Ranni salvaged the Rune of Death, used her body as a canvas, and sacrificed her half-brother Godwyn. While her flesh died, her soul was freed and lived on; in contrast, Godwyn's soul died, but his body continued to live.

Ranni's corporeal death can be read as a transitioning allegory. Not only because of the implication of modifying one's body and literally transitioning to a new one, but also because of what she sought freedom from. Once she was forced to become an Empyrean, she no longer held autonomy and control of her destiny or body. She would have to walk the path laid for her, just like everyone else, forever at the whim of the Greater Will. Ranni ultimately sought escape through the flesh. She "would not acquiesce to the Two Fingers. I stole the Rune of Death, slew mine own Empyrean flesh, casting it away. I would not be controlled by that thing," emphasizing how her body was directly connected to her sense of autonomy and control. Similarly, Marika's ideas, physical traits, and actions contrast to her other half's. Yet, Marika could not escape the Greater Will, and her body remains a vessel for its power in the end. Ranni's transition from a corporeal to a spiritual form emphasizes her individualism and rebellion against legislative control over her body.

Ranni takes control of her life and autonomy of her body back by transitioning into a spiritual form. One's body plays an important role in how they view themselves in and apart from the world. As a vessel of the Elden Ring, Marika saw herself as a puppet to the Greater Will, and knew that her body was what chained her to it. Ranni also understood the importance of the body and its connection to one's identity. She changed her red hair that signified her father, and instead donned a blue appearance that shines like that of the moon's light. Her transition was only the first step to her forging her own path and finding some kind of happiness, despite the mess in the Lands Between.

#elden ring #elden ring lore #ranni the witch #queen marika #rennala queen of the full moon #My friend and I were talking and we both gasped after I made a joke about Ranni being trans #dw miquella #I promise im gonna get to you!!#hope you guys enjoy this #lgbtq #trans

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esoteric-mantra-stuff · 11 months

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Hyperion (a Champion of Embers epilogue)

CW: For kinda gross eye stuff, but it's a glass eye so dw

Heyyyy, this is a short epilogue I wrote to tie up some remaining stuff. For now, I don't have anything more planned for this branch but if you have a request you'd like to see I'm open to suggestions. Feel free to recommend music for this fic too.

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The moon is high in the sky as you approach Bellum Church. Only a sliver of light remains at the very bottom, bathing the night with the moonlight it can. The dark moon shall soon be upon you, her power flowing yet hidden in the night sky. The waning moon gives way to the peaceful dark. It calls to you, but it’s a call you cannot answer. Not yet, at least. The patrolling Night Guard and the knights of the Cuckoo don’t see you as you pass them by. It’s almost impressive how dim they are. You reach the steps of the church uninterrupted, and inside, facing away from you, you see him. Clad in Rune Bear fur, brushing away at the dirt and grime of a familiar sword. It’s a sight that perhaps reminds you of better days, of a time when your brother would receive his sword as a gift, so proud of having earned it that he spent every day polishing its every detail with great care. It elicits within you nostalgia and a deep sense of sadness that… frustrates you. How can you bring the night far from emotion and faith if you cannot control these fickle embers of regret? The path that awaits you is cold and dark, an eternity in solitude while you keep the forces that guide this world far away in the night sky. To allow yourself to feel anything shall only bring you pain. That’s how you once felt. Now you’re not so sure.

You take a seat next to Aster as he polishes away the imperfections in the sword. He doesn’t acknowledge your presence beyond a twitch of his ear in your direction. You notice him only using one arm to care for the blade, leading you to discover that his other arm is missing. It seems his salvation was not without losses. It could have been worse, you suppose. A missing limb is not complex to replace in the Lands Between. Malenia, Blade of Miquella, comes to mind as an accomplished warrior who required a prosthesis for her arm. From a certain point of view, your entire body is prosthetic, though your situation is unique. Still, to cheat fate as he did, an arm is nothing. The destiny of all who embrace the flames is to sustain them, to keep the fire burning for all eternity. Slavery in exchange for power. You felt such shame upon letting Aster’s companion know of your failings. You had led him down this path through your miscalculations of the situation. He might not be here today If it wasn’t for that nameless Maiden’s bravery and devotion to him. Hence… why you’re here.

Aster is not speaking, not out of malice, just because he loves to vex you. He wants to see you squirm and struggle to bring up your failures. While he might have called it even, the strain in your relationship is difficult to ignore. Still, there’s almost an edge of normalcy there, constantly keeping each other at arm's length, not out of hatred but because this is how you are. You wonder what Blaidd would have thought about it, but you’ll never know. Eventually, you cave in, though let it be known that you could have stayed there until the Erdtree withered and died of old age. “... I can see that though hast returned to the land of the living. I was worried that the flames wouldst have bested thee, although thy companion never gave up hope. I must apologize for my error, even if thou hast returned safely to her side.” Without moving his head, he looks at you with his remaining eye. The corner of his lip quirks up in an almost imperceptible smile. “It’s not your fault. I knew the risks and agreed to your plan regardless. I don’t need you to worry about me but thank you. I’m… I’m okay.” You suppose he’s not wrong. You were worried about him, even if it frustrates you. Silence falls over the church, but it’s not the same tense silence that greeted you when you arrived. You sit by Aster’s side as he polishes your brother’s sword, seeing yourself reflected on the surface like a mirror.

You didn’t know what to make of your nephew when you first met him. Blaidd’s death shocked you, not just because Shadows cannot die, but because the perpetrator was his own son. You expected some wizened warrior, a veteran in combat. Blaidd was a formidable threat, so when a young wolfling showed up at Caria Manor, you couldn’t believe this was who had finally bested him, much less the one the Fingerslayer Blade had chosen as its master. Then when he confronted you about your disregard for your brother’s life, you wouldn’t admit it, but it got under your skin. What could such a child know about sacrifices? Were it anyone else, you would have ended his life where he stood for his insolence. You believed that Blaidd’s life had to end at the time. There was no other choice, so you shielded your heart from pain and buried the sadness you felt at the thought. Godwyn, Those Who Live in Death, Maliketh, and countless others who suffered because of your actions deserved justice too. Didn’t they? Then, what made Blaidd special? What right did you have to mourn his death? To take the dark path of the Empyrean was to become reviled by the Lands Between, and Blaidd made an oath to follow. No matter how much it hurt him, he couldn’t… abandon you. Perhaps you never stopped to realize that you had deserted him even before that Tarnished woman ever stepped into his life.

You look at Aster, and he looks back. You’re both the same now, a single eye but opposite sides of the face. Yet, if you’re so similar, then what does that mean for you? Could you have become something different, even as the stars dictated your fate? You don’t know. “I would like thee to have this….” You reach towards the single eye of your doll, pulling carefully at the glass sphere. You can no longer see with it once it's in your hand, so you guide yourself through your soul. “I’ll have no need for this doll once I depart towards the stars. Please, let this eye serve thee well. May it guide you through the darkness….” He receives it, looking down at it with care.”... thank you.” He says as he places it down and reaches for an item in his pack. That thing again. He extends the Fingerslayer to you, grabbing it carefully by the blade. How odd. The hilt does not push itself away from you as it did before. Could it be…? “It belongs to you. Perhaps it’s cheating, but my fate changed, and now it won’t obey me anymore.” Was it the flames or the needle that changed his fate? Who could say? You reach out and grab the hilt. The blade stays put, accepting you as its master. You’re… flummoxed, absolutely flabbergasted. You would never reveal your confusion, though. Instead, you bring the blade close, sensing its shape with your soul. “Now we’re really even… go on, I’ll be fine.” He says, returning to his polishing.

That should be your cue to leave, and perhaps you’ll blame it on a temporary bout of madness, but you approach him and hold him in your arms. “... perhaps I would have enjoyed… being part of thine family… in another life….” You say, putting your face against the warm fur of his head. He doesn’t pull away, even though your hold must be awfully cold. Instead, he reaches up and places a single hand on your right lowermost one. No more words spoken. Dawn approaches, and soon you shall have to depart from this world, but until then, you’ll hold on to what remains of your brother and the life he lived. Even if absolution is beyond you, this you can do.

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“Ah… so that’s where that eye came from?” You ask your companion, who sips away at his tea beside you. “More or less, I might have skipped over the part where she hugged me.” Aster says the striking blue iris that now adorned the left side of his face staring at you alongside its pale companion. “That was… awfully nice of her.” You say, not really sure what to make of this information. You stare at Viola and Briar as they stand by the skillet. You can hear them fighting over the proper way to cook mutton. They don’t pay much attention to you, though you imagine Viola has been listening to your every word.

Something cold touches your hand. It’s been tough getting used to it, Aster’s new prosthesis, that is. You intertwine your fingers with his brass ones. The arm is a marvel of technology. The brass casing is lovingly decorated with an impossibly intricate pattern of wildflowers at every border and intersection, with no screws or rivets to be seen and no exposed machinery underneath. The leather that covers the joints is soft to the touch but sturdy. If you close your eyes, it’s almost as if your wolf is merely wearing a gauntlet. The true marvel, though, was its tricks. Briar and Viola couldn’t simply make a regular prosthetic arm; they had to introduce a myriad of tools into it as well. Speaking of….

“Hey, Honey? Would you mind reaching for something to eat?” You say, pointing at the Mutton being cooked. Aster catches your drift immediately, and you smile when he sighs and lifts his arm toward the skillet. His hand folds down at the wrist, exposing the barrel of a device underneath. In less than a second, a dart (or perhaps more of a small harpoon) shoots out of the barrel while attached to a thin chain, hooks onto a piece of meat, and returns to its owner. He catches the meat and hands it over to you carefully, both siblings none the wiser about what transpired. “Thank you!” You say before digging in. Your companion shakes his head and merely cleans the device of any meat residue before returning the hand to normal. “This is a misuse of this device, you know?” He says, but you merely offer him a piece of your muttonchop, and he shuts up. “If you can’t use a grappling hook to steal food, then what good is it for?” You retort. He looks the hand over, inspecting its delicate artistry. “... I suppose you may have a point.”

“Have you gotten a good hang of all the tricks it can do?” You ask him once your meal is complete. Aster shakes his head, bringing a hand up to his face. “I haven’t even finished reading the user manual.” User Manual?! Just how many things did those two add? The shock must have shown on your face because Aster answers the question for you. “A foldable shield, retractable knuckles, a flamethrower, a spirit summoning bell, and a grappling hook. I have only tried the last two, however. Though the shield sounds very useful.” He turns to look at you, and a small smile crosses his lips. “We should train again sometime. That way, I can put all of them to use before we need to fight something.” You sigh, raising your arms in defeat. “Fine, but no flamethrower practice for me. I had enough fire to last me a lifetime.” Aster laughs, it's carefree and light. You wish you could hear it forever. "Deal."

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