Elden Ring - How does this even work?

[@ZullietheWitch]

While 800+ bones may seem excessive, they cut down on the complexity for most of his animations by having a second separate animation loop controlling some of the smaller arms. It's similar to how some gestures allow the player to walk while you're gesturing, by having the gesture and walk animations affect different parts of the model simultaneously, his little arms are effectively locked in a constant gesture while the rest of him is free to do the actual animations.

[@1r0zz]

It makes sense. Animating all those secondary limbs for each animation would be too complex and way too expensive

[@JoseViktor4099]

This must had been a modeling/ animation nightmare. Jesus.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

800 bones Hundreds of arms constantly gesturing Yet not one points down

[@1r0zz]

@@JoseViktor4099 As a self learning modeller I can say many fromsoft models are insane.

[@ramofeldduckington6257]

I know you don’t mean real bones, but considering the fact that the average python in real life has 1800 bones, Rykard only having 800 feels like a very low number actually, lol

[@VaatiVidya]

I like to imagine that all creatures in the Lands Between now live in fear of being stretched out and measured by Zullie

[@kyokyodisaster4842]

THE HORROR OF BECOMING NOODLE!

[@KillThisManNRK]

I should’ve expected to see you here Vaati.

[@GreenTheem]

Ranni: “wh- what’s happening to Astel?! The tarnished isn’t supposed to see that yet…they haven’t beat Radahn even!” Zulle-stretched Astel: *_mY bONeS FeEL kiNDa FuNnY_* Ranni: O-O

[@borgar1765]

getting stretched out by Zullie owo

[@uncleol]

Hello VaatiVidya

[@BigPapaKaiser]

*Coder, to Myazaki* "Sir, we have coded in 140 metres of snake, as you asked." "Excellent. Now tie it in a knot."

[@tarille1043]

"Also, give it feet"

[@uzn8545]

@@tarille1043 give it a lot of cute lil hands too

[@Ozzie143]

@@uzn8545Now… merge them all…. TOGETAHHHHHHH

[@OG-ColorfulAbyss.]

@@Ozzie143 AS FAMILYYYYYY!

[@kauaichan]

*flips table* 🤣☠️

[@danielled8665]

Just a little inside info from a snake keeper; if they have a bit of shed skin stuck at the end of their tail like that, there's something wrong. Usually it means their habitat is too dry, or they grew too fast and are overweight. Rykard needs a good long soak in a nice bin of warm water to help get that tail shed off or hes going to have restricted circulation eventually and lose the tail portion entirely. 😅

[@deen7530]

Rykard lives in a volcanic cavern, and it's implied the serpent used to be a lot smaller. So he's probably both dried out AND grew too fast. I hope Tanith has a large bathtub lol

[@umukzusgelos4834]

He sits in a puddle of lava when you fight him, no wonder he is dried out

[@halyoalex8942]

Need to fill up the giant bowl next to the Fire Giant boss fight 😂

[@Dinoman972]

​@@halyoalex8942 You mean the one containing the undying flame of the Fell God? Sounds like it would become the world's largest boiler.

[@EE-jp5ev]

I hope you know Rykard read this message and this was the last thing he needed to grow and eat the world. You made a man's dream come true with this comment - Very good!

[@kalimaude3532]

Really enjoying the idea of someone annoyedly untangling an enormous demigod like he was a knot of christmas lights.

[@ArtoriasTheDripwalker]

Rykard one day just had the silly idea of feeding himself to a giant snake.

[@syntax922]

Blasphemy!

[@Ämyr2006]

Bro got a little quirky

[@fulnaz3164]

​@@Ämyr2006just a little intrusive thought

[@mrjooxmanallah]

There was a prophesy…

[@dardardarner]

Hmm.. today I will feed myself to a giant snek

[@___.51]

Send out recusants to collect the runes of tarnished warriors, absorb the collected runes after the recusant has ripened enough, Rykard is on that passive income grindset.

[@venyogo2]

volcano manor is a mlm

[@Gakulon]

God damn rent-seeking behavior

[@VerbalLearning]

The Sigma Manserpent Mindset.

[@LordDragox412]

It's all just one big pyRykard scheme.

[@shutityoudumb]

Unfortunately for him, most AFK rune farm were patched 🙏

[@jankbunky4279]

I think the way his arms pop out to make Rykard sort of humanoid is a genius design choice. It's body horror that's disgusting, funny, and intriguing all at once.

[@JobForAMaxboy]

A lot of good body horror is quite funny. I feel like the uncanny valley sits somewhere between awful and hilarious

[@ninjatoriumnova2483]

@@JobForAMaxboy I was always a proponent of that idea. For example, lot of Junji Ito's most fucked up ideas are hilariously absurd, and all the better for it. Speaking of, Ito was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw Godwyn's corpse.

[@Camaraocompao]

Its blasphemous

[@atlander4204]

That final shot of the gigantic snake looming out of the mist was terrifying and you should feel proud of yourself.

[@mark0183]

One of the reasons why i want to play sekiro Edit: Finally played it and got the platinum achievement completely worth it 👍

[@raphael0208]

​@@mark0183You never played it before? Please, do it as soon as you can, it's an awesome game. Between Sekiro and Elden Ring, I still can't decide which one I like the most.

[@danksouls6128]

@@mark0183 then play it, its a fantastic game

[@منأسرةٍذاتِمفخر]

I imagine Rykard in the DLC looks like this

[@Legendaryium]

@@mark0183 you actually rememberd where you put this comment, then went back to the video and edited your comment to say you played the game. wow

[@hunterruigrok3328]

There's always a layer of unrealized potential to these fromsoft bosses. A serpent that would one day swallow the world, a blooming goddess, a great general afflicted with rot. I don't know if this is intended, but when defeating a boss, it always feels like stamping out the embers of what could one day be a mighty being. This was way more direct with Sekiro, as the inner reflections serve as an 'alternate' version of bosses had they not been defeated and allowed to grow in strength. Although with Dark Souls this felt the opposite, like you're just finishing off the hollow reflection of a once great power.

[@Pyre]

Every great force in Elden Ring is fighting to literally remake the world and the laws of physics in its image. The Scarlet Rot is currently winning after Marika intentionally sabotaged the Erdtree, but we see the effects of others too (The Formless Mother's influence, or *anything* tied to the Frenzied Flame). Your read is provably correct.

[@jotasietesiete4397]

Elden ring has quite a lot of bosses that are at their prime or stronger than ever when you fight them, with only a few, like Placidusax, being weaker than before.

[@BdrRm]

That still the case in ER and Sekiro sometimes In ER,Radhan is a mindless beast now, morgott is probably too old, Radagon is a husk controlled by the beast, Renalla doesn't even fight back, placidusax is half dead In sekiro,you can fight isshin while he is literally 2 hours from death,also Owl is too old,the divine dragon is rotted

[@smilingman4299]

@@BdrRm If we're talking about old, Godfrey comes to mind. We could argue for Maliketh as it seems like the Rune of Death has a negative effect on his body and mind, and of course Fortissax being corrupted by the deathroot

[@KeDe1606]

⁠​⁠@@jotasietesiete4397true, but it feels like the (canonically) absolute mightiest opponents are the ones who still have room to grow, or are way past their prime. Especially the Demigods. Rykard still hasn’t grown to his full potential. Malenia can (probably) still bloom one last time and become an actual goddess. Radahn is nothing but a mindless husk, who spends a large chunk of his power holding back the stars. Renalla… *has depression.* Godfrey/Hoarah Loux is *very* old (way past his „casually defeats countless Fire Giants“ phase), and has completely lost his Grace. Astel probably isn’t fully grown by the time we fight it. The Fire Giant‘s slowly turning itself into jerky. Placidusax is literally half dead. Fortissax doesn’t seem to be doing too well either. What with the whole „constantly covered in Deathblight“ thing. Gransax is a big ol‘ statue. Greyoll is already one foot in the grave. She can’t even move anymore. Godwyn is dead. Ranni cast aside her godly form (though it can be argued that she’s still just as strong, if not stronger than her prior form. We lack the info). Miquella… isn’t. And Radagon obviously isn’t in the best shape either. Half his torso is completely gone. But then there are also some more nebulous figures, like Morgott and Mohg, Godrick, Loretta, Sir Gideon Ofnir, Maliketh, the Godskins, (most of) the Dragons, and almost every other minor boss (especially the Tree Spirits and Avatars, and Elemer/the Bell-Bearing Hunters)

[@realkingofantarctica]

Outer God: "Hey, where did my world go?" Coincidentally planet-shaped Rykard: "Mmph, I don't know where your delicio-- um, I mean, your world went."

[@player0ne16]

💀

[@1ztype343]

ever see a snake swallow a gigantic egg

[@paladin181]

We should look for it, togethaaaaaaa!

[@jacklim7634]

The world: “Hmmm, I'm Mr. Frundles”

[@SioxerNikita]

​@@Iris-lh7rfNo thanks, I'd much rather draw prophet cartoons and be allowed the freedoms to talk and do mostly what I want

[@Psychx_]

Re: "Rykard seems almost more like a parasite taking over its host than a meal" Tanith saying "Please take purchase within me" while snacking on his remains hits home even harder now.

[@thorveim1174]

yep. Would mean she hopes that by eating him he will be able to take over her body, like he did with the serpent.

[@SmallAngryQueer]

ohhhhhhhhhhh shit that makes sense

[@sethstewart9704]

As far as the sword, I think it's more likely it's purposefully dissonant as Zullie put it. However, I always took it as the sword's blade was being formed from the writhing guts of the serpent. Maybe the hilt and crossguard were still whole, but the blade itself is composed of those who were once loyal to Rykard.

[@Mecceldorf]

There was certainly a sword before serving as a base, but with Rykard sliding along the snake and all I assume the blade is now more an amalgam of metal and flesh. Like a placid palate of sorts that hardens magically or physically outside the mouth, why am I thinking about this it’s disgusting.

[@jocosesonata]

I imagine it's a shattered sword held together by guts and flesh The blade is broken in pieces, spread throughout the snake's innards, with the hilt stuck at the throat, and when he pulls it out, he's actually forcefully reforming the blade with magic or flesh manipulation or whatever.

[@rashid8646]

Actually its a reference to the Sword of Kusanagi from Naruto. Orichimaru, the villain who uses it, is a snake-man who summons and uses snakes. He summons the sword by having a snakes head peak out of his mouth, then pulling the sword from it.

[@SkylerEvansAK]

​@rashid8646 It's a reference to Japanese myth and folklore that Naruto itself is also referencing, I sincerely doubt it's a reference to Naruto itself. Kusanagi is a mythical sword, considered an imperial treasure in Japan, that exists (though nobody ever sees it), and supposedly was used to slay an eight-headed snake monster (also called Orochi). Naruto is pulling from centuries of folklore in the same way tons of western media has biblical allegory in it (like, the Matrix is filed with it). It did not invent many of those ideas.

[@shaynehughes6645]

​@@rashid8646bro is gonna say "a snake with a dude's face on it? Definitely an Inuyasha reference."

[@CharlieFillmore]

1:39 When u don't want ur butt to touch the toilet seat

[@PeregrineCapn]

His face looks like groot fr

[@cho4d]

the legendary squat poop technique

[@cho4d]

also good for getting things moving without straining. don't question it, just try it some time.

[@Toodeadtocare]

🤛🗿🤜 🦵🦵

[@desmondcoppin591]

There is a misconception that the snake was large when it ate rykard, but I always thought it was actually quite small at that point. It’s also a way scarier concept to let a small snake slowly eat your entire body.

[@DichterNox]

In the beginning cutscene you can see how rykard gets eaten and at this time the serpent was very small in comparison what it is when we defeat it.

[@JamesMJaime]

The first thing he did was eat his own army, which would explain his growth and the mounds of corpses in his arena.

[@seanslaysean7097]

That would explain the bloating/tearing

[@supermexicanroboninja3116]

There's the snakeskin where you fight the godskin fatty in the volcano, that's probably the size of the snake before eating rykard

[@mani21axe40]

Could the snake, having eaten a great rune, gain power and size from that?

[@L0rdLexan01]

Symbiosis and assimilation seem to be really important concepts to Elden Ring-- Godrick grafts stronger limbs to himself, Godwyn is currently assimilating and being assimilated by the Great Tree, the concept of "life in death" for the Ancestor Spirits-- it's not really surprising that Rykrad is actually parasitizing the Great Serpent. For someone with as much ambition as Rykard, enforcing his will upon the God-Devouring Serpent seems par for the course. The way Elden Ring presents this assimilation as a negative thing is also interesting too, especially when contrasted by characters like Alexander, who follows the same principle but is instead treated as a heroic noble figure.

[@Squiggums799]

That is a really great point about Alexander. The Jars really are no different from the demigods, aren't they?

[@Armameteus]

The two key elements of ER's overall thesis are causality and regression. Causality is represented as things splitting apart, dispersing, falling to ruin and actions leading to events that spiral out of control. Conversely, regression is represented as things fusing together, returning to a more primordial state, repairing what was once broken and stagnation in an eternally "perfect" state. The characters you mentioned clearly represent the regression side of the thesis, with various different interpretations of the same idea of conjoining, fusing, assimilating, parasitising, etc., all to horrific ends. Alexander is one of few exceptions, in that his idea of regression is framed as personal growth; that collecting pieces of the greatest warriors in history and taking them all into himself, he can be imparted with great strength by essentially absorbing the best parts of history and becoming better for it.

[@jotarokujo3603]

Tbf we grow fond of Alexander because he's endearing and dismiss the moral implications of what he's doing because we want to like him. Were his character less likeable we would all think of him lke Seluvis.

[@tythebaker]

There's also Miquella who was assimilating himself with the Haligtree as well as the Erdtree burials we see at the ends of dungeons. Runebears as well.

[@xrosso6515]

​@@jotarokujo3603not really? Him take corpes of already dead Warrior,very different from the weakest demigod which Is killing everybody him want trying to get stronger and being a terrible lord,at least the others demigod have others problem to deal ,him Is creating the problem for himself

[@iggnifyre6333]

1:39 this is the most intimidating thing I've seen in my life. Forget T-pose for dominance. Rykard Squat for dominance

[@Subpar1O1]

Rykard made me feel extremely uncomfortable the first time I played, going through this volcano mansion and finding this giant serpent with a man's face on it's neck was just unsettling. I think it's all the moving tendrils and Rykard's face that creep me out the most. They did such a good job modeling him, he probably has one of the most complicated models in the whole game

[@SolaScientia]

He and Volcano Manor gave me the most Bloodborne vibes of the entire game so far (I'm playing quite slowly and am finally into the Mountaintops of the Giants and also the Consecrated Snowfield). That building with all the old dudes in cages and that super fast shits creeped me out so badly just from the noises alone. That hasn't happened to me in a FromSoftware game since the Upper Cathedral Ward.

[@jotarokujo3603]

I feel like a lot of the lore, particularly the whole idea of the outer gods is very Lovecraftian but gets overlooked because it doesn't have thay horror vibe. The concept of powerful godlike beings without comprehendable forms is at the core of Lovecraftian storytelling imo, and that is all over the place in the game. We also see people trying tp understand and obtain godhood via these beings. Interestingly I believe that Rykard and the serpent are some of the less Lovecraftian characters as that simply is the form of the God Devouring Serpent and Rykard isn't necessarily trying to become a god but rather destroy them.

[@YexprilesteR]

​@@jotarokujo3603 Its two sides of a similar theme

[@topcat59]

That poor snake, getting his body hijacked by this degenerate Vore loving demigod.😔🐱

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

Or "her". The Man-Serpents are described as being the God Devouring Serpent's offspring. Who could be the mother if not the Serpent itself? That would also mean Rykard is probably the father. Kind of f**ked up if you think about it.

[@Sorrowdusk]

Rhykard: Jokes on YOU! I'm into this

[@aimlesspassions1157]

Snake: Oh... I didn’t read the fine print. I was just hungy.

[@childofcascadia]

Rykard has THE BEST character model and lines in the game. The cutscene where he wakes up is just epic.

[@BaldorfBreakdowns]

"...Very well..." Somehow one of the greatest lines ever.

[@TristianTee]

TOGETHAR

[@kaptenkukang]

and best greatsword in the game

[@MrLeFluffy1]

TOGETHAAAAAA

[@XDarkGreyX]

More easily than we think, but probably still not pretty

[@WhatIsSanity]

It's not surprising that Rykhard wasn't entirely destroyed by the Serpent given he was/is a very powerful immortal demigod that literally can't die under normal circumstances, and that power was further enhanced by his great rune from the shattering. Said rune has regenerative properties, perhaps that helped in his amalgamation with the God Devouring Serpent?

[@cae2212]

I mean he can't be killed under normal circumstances but being eaten by a giant snake is far from normal. Also if something has god devouring in its name I think said think should be able to kill a God. I don't say thay your points are wrong but I feel like rykard must have probably done a bit more gain control over the snake

[@jacobfreeman5444]

I think it is more direct. The snake is a kind of living curse. His feeding himself to the snake was part of a ritual to add himself to that curse. To delibrately spurn the elden ring and join with that which acts to destroy it. In a word...blasphemy.

[@skinnybuggo]

​@@Iris-lh7rfnope! :PPPPP

[@bluegum6438]

You also see with Godwyn that the indestructible nature of the demigods begins to become rather parasitic when they're forced into a position where they SHOULD be dead. Godwyn's soulless body grows like a root fungus of the Erdtree, cancerous tumours seeping out of dark corners. Rykard got digested by a snake, but it looks more like he's digesting the snake now, reforming it from the inside. If Bloodborne taught us anything, wash your hands after you touch a dead god.

[@Gemini476]

The sword seems easy to explain as a reference to Japanese myth - I've seen plenty of depictions of the Kusanagi being inside Orochi's mouth.

[@ClockworkGearhead]

It would be funny if Elden Ring was actually a story about Western mythology and Japanese mythology fighting to the death.

[@ShadowKiller_Chumbu]

This also works as a reference to the sword used by Skull Knight in Berserk

[@1r0zz]

@@ShadowKiller_Chumbu Not everything is a berserk reference :V

[@aviannte]

FUCK I just KNEW I had already seen something similar when Rykard took out the sword!!! Two serpent men keeping swords inside their mouths because sheaths are unsafe for some reason.

[@ShadowKiller_Chumbu]

@@1r0zz yeah, but it could be anyways

[@tristanwelke7827]

I like the way he gains a sense of symmetry from asymmetry. The snake as a snake is lopsided and disorderly, but the snake as a coiled mass bears a (more) defined shape that has a weird balance to it. Honestly I think it would have been cool if phase 1 had the snake be more snake like slithering around and in phase 2 when Rykard "wakes up" it coils itself to gain symmetry for Rykard to function properly. Now this would likely be a programming nightmare, but, it could have been a cool way to more visually and functionally change the phases instead of phase 2 just kinda being the same thing with a big sword and sky explodey skulls.

[@hoodiegal]

I like how Rykard was trying to figure out a way to deal with the entire situation going on and then just stumbled across a snake going "i wanna eat the gods" and Rykard just went "damn, that's such a good solution, let's fucking go"

[@dand1253]

I assumed that the sword is pulled from the Serpent's mouth because its 'blade' is just the blood, bone, and viscera of Rykard, the God-Devouring Serpent, and all the countless others consumed. The blade fits because it wasn't so much being drawn from a sheath as it was being forged on the spot.

[@wigglerrave4020]

The problem with that is there is indeed metal underneath all of that flesh-gold, it would appear. The same sword without flesh is also visible in a painting of Rykard in Volcano Manor, meaning it was an old possession of his.

[@dand1253]

@@wigglerrave4020 Point, but it still seems possible that the Serpent's belly contains plenty of indigestible armor and weaponry from previous meals, and/or that Rykard was using the hilt of his old sword as the scaffold for constructing the blade. (Or, to put it in very irreverent terms, he used it in much the same way that you put a stick into a cotton candy machine for the sugar to spindle around :V ) EDIT: My big reason for continuing to argue this is that the sword used by the Serpent King is sized for a being of his scale, not for _Praetor Rykard._ Likewise, the text for the version of the sword you can get using his boss soul seems to describe that the sword - and perhaps even the Serpent King himself - is a kind of metaphysical particleboard. All of those devoured by the Serpent were then dissolved within its belly, melting and running together until all distinction was lost (save for the futilely writhing limbs emerging from the mass as a visual relic of what they used to be.) To digress into my own pet theory, I think that Rykard, after the Serpent devoured him, used his semidivine nature, the power of his Great Rune, and perhaps occult secrets he'd uncovered in his time at Mt. Gelmir to keep from being fully 'digested'. Instead, his being was corroded enough to _start_ flowing together with the unholy melange of its other victims, but in a way that let him turn that into a means of empowering himself. Instead of Rykard melting away and being lost within the sea of molten souls, the souls were _consolidated_ under Rykard's will - and before the Serpent could notice what was happening, he pulled the one lever that all these countless corroded dregs that used to be people had in common. A grudge, in the J-horror sense. They were killed by the Serpent, and so part of them would long for vengeance upon it. Rykard's great feat here was, in a sense, a kind of curse-ritual drawing on unquiet spirits. (While the hex sorcery of Mt. Gelmir doesn't align with that kind of magic - outside of the hex used by Rykard himself - the use of a term like "hex" feels more than coincidental.) By awakening the grudges of those devoured by the Serpent, Rykard was able to turn its own power against itself, and so the God-Devouring Serpent was itself devoured. However, even Rykard couldn't achieve such a thing without suffering consequences. He essentially became a grudge-bearing spirit himself, and the entire process involved repeatedly mingling his own spirit and will with that of others. He _debased_ himself, in the original sense of mixing valuable metals with dross to make counterfeit coins. The Serpent King is a debased alloy of Rykard, the grudge-bearing souls, and the Serpent itself - all of them now bound together as 'family'.

[@ariannasv22]

Now I shall never look at cotton candy the same way again

[@jorb333]

The sword clipping through the model reminds me of the fact that in most iterations of it, Wolverine's claws are too long to fit in his forearm, implying they either magically shrink or telescope when he retracts them.

[@colby1398]

Not even mentioning the poor design choice means Wolverine couldn't bend his wrists while the claws are retracted.

[@Sorrowdusk]

@@Iris-lh7rf There is only, Man.

[@rustedbranch]

0:37 is the point where you can see why I always thought the model looked like a giant hand giving you the middle finger.

[@enderkatze6129]

Kind of makes you feel sorry for the great serpent.

[@darkwhispersstories47]

My theory is that Rykard knew what the serpent plan is for him to begin with but as a manipulator he saw the Snake as a way for him to increase his own powers, so i believe that Rykard gains more and more control the more champions the snake eats That will explain why Tanith is so on the idea of feeding people to the serpent is because she actually feeds Rykard the power he needs to grow stronger

[@Bathezid]

It's pretty funny to see that even with the hacked camera, the Rykard cutscene still has the annoying lag between moments where the camera is supposed to cut.

[@Lonesomepage403]

The immediate question I'd had upon first seein Rykard was how many armature bones does his rig have with all of those little tendrils popping out of everything, Now im contemplatin how the heck they coordinated animating his actual limbs too lmao

[@AtelierMcMuttonArt]

Since the base pose is already coiled, I'd imagine it's just the model doing the heavy lifting to make it look super complex They've probably got several secondary bone chains along the serpent's looser coils to make it writhe around, but then just a traditional character rig for the main mass and limbs

[@DizzyEyes94]

A wonderful question: how in Marika's name DOES this monstrosity rig

[@niall_sanderson]

With extreme difficulty, if I were to guess

[@leilaclarridge5807]

Carefully

[@AtelierMcMuttonArt]

The base pose is already coiled, so it's most likely more simple than it seems- the main control bone at the base, the secondary main bone at the center of gravity, several bone chains along the snake's body to make it write, and then just traditional limb rigs for Rykard's arms and legs would be my guess

[@grillosantos8599]

painfully

[@synphilia4776]

The real boss fight was the poor riggers who had to tackle this monstrosity

[@Varthismal]

Almost same size as Carthus worm Rykard is Solaire confirmed

[@samfivedot]

Considering what the sword is made of, I like to think he wasn't actually keeping it within his body, but is instead forming it from his own innards. Pretty gnarly

[@jotarokujo3603]

I love that you said "gnarly". I never see anyone use it anymore.

[@samfivedot]

@@Iris-lh7rf I appreciate the offer, but I think a life of godlessness and hedonism is a better fit for me personally

[@jotarokujo3603]

I'd say it's crazy to recruit religious followers on social media, but it's worked before.

[@Decimus92]

That’s what I told myself lol

[@nytrul3159]

that rykard pose where the serpent is hidden is fucking hilarious and I laughed at it for an embarrassing amount of time

[@simbriant]

Rykard: By practicing the horse stance every day, you too, can exert control over any serpent that devours you. 😀

[@isaackane4931]

With how Rykard talks, I imagine that the serpent acts as either a sort of hive-mind or a type of prison that contains the power and consciousness of its victims. Rykard himself seemingly taken control of it, perhaps due to his godly nature. I'm sort of reminded of Full Metal Alchemist. As Father and the Homunculi contain countless souls within them, the end goal being to "devour" God. It could make sense as Rykard's desire to upset the Golden Order, its cycle of Rebirth, and acquiring power by simply consuming his fellow deities.

[@shagarumedic]

Most likely the case since Eiglay still attacks you in phase 2

[@henrikhumle7255]

Absolutely and without questions some of the best and most genuinely disturbing body horror From Software has produced to date. He is easily one of my favorite boss designs.

[@Racistlighting]

0:11 rykard got the drip

[@FamousZaggy]

On the topic of the manserpents: Groups of snakes are known to mate by coiling themselves together into 'mating balls', perhaps this could have inspired the tangled form of Rykard in the game.

[@Scaevola9449]

So he's just fucking himself all the time Gooning even

[@r3gret2079]

"Let us inspect his model, TOGETHAAAA!" -Zullie, probably...

[@thesuspiciousorange2526]

I like to imagine theres a very satisfying series of pops and cracks when Rykard is stretched out like that. Just really working all the knots and kinks.

[@bobboulden]

So I guess that the weird lag-spike during the phase-2 cutscene is caused by the sword loading in? Pretty odd.

[@lemogoat7777]

Kind of badass of Rykard to be the one in control, even after a giant immortal snake ate him, to the point where his limbs and face manifest out from inside the snake solely by his sheer, unrelenting, desire and resolve... He really is a menace.

[@algorithmicabyss4150]

I have always liked how Rykard makes use of both ways of interpreting "God Devouring Serpent" the snake ate him but he is the true parasite eating away at it's form as it grows

[@Mossybrain]

His face on the bottom of the snake always reminded me of Godwin's death mask that's in a few places. I think in a universe where death is kind of not allowed to happen anymore, the idea of making a meal into a grotesque parasite on the body makes sense.. If Rykard can't really die, he's still in there, even if his body has been completely digested

[@manthacake7881]

Rykard is one of my favorite bosses in the whole series. He's so unique!

[@Killopotamus]

And a very interesting challenge to fight without the weapon designed for the boss fight!

[@ShankMugen]

As several others mentioned, the Sword being taken out of the Serpent's mouth is a reference to the Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Kusanagi Sword/Sword of Kusanagi), which has been referenced in a LOT of Japanese media, the one that comes to my mind is Orochimaru (Snake-person) from Naruto keeping their version of the Sword of Kusanagi in his mouth

[@Watersheep9and11]

Dude imagine seeing stretched out rykard just roaming limgrave early game💀

[@thien0300]

Radahn plan: take over the capital, collect all shards of the Elden rings to rule the land. Ranni plan: kill her body to avoid being a puppet to the Greater will, kill her own fingers, push in a new aged. Rykard: snek eat, snek grow big, snek eat gods, i am the snek.

[@Omnywrench]

_Oh, you better not shout,_ _You better not snore,_ _You better not make any jokes about vore_ _Lord Rykard devours the world_

[@shadowkiller4000]

Rykard during thanksgiving: FAMILYYYYY... DEVOUR... TOGETHAAAAA

[@reachinghigher4259]

I feel bad for the snake. Rykard has taken so much control of the main body that the snake's head just hangs lifeless at the side, like its neck is broken.

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

I can't remember which video I commented on (might have been a BonfireVN vid) but I remarked how Rykard and the serpent seem to be an analogy to the Norse monster Nidhoggr as opposed to Jormungandr, who is the serpent most people would associate him with. While Jormungandr was the giant serpent that swallowed its own tail and would one day kill Thor during Ragnarok, Nidhoggr's likely much older and resides within Hel (or Helheim), gnawing at the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil. The fate of oathbreakers, cowards, and criminals who died in Norse myth were said to eventually be fed whole to Nidhoggr, destined to exist in eternal anguish being digested by the great worm. Given Rickard's obsession of eating people to gain their strength, it seems to me to be the best comparison between the two.

[@brucewayneisdeadpool830]

Giant Serpent: "Rykard, let me introduce you to a concept I'm a big fan of. I'm sure you'll love every second of it. It's very popular on the internet, and it's called vore."

[@wadespencer3623]

Given it's Rykard... yes he would love vore

[@corywertz9268]

I'm sure this has been said a thousand times, but every song on your videos is such a damn vibe. This one is a banger, feels like a castle basement or prison underground exploration that will eventually lead to a boss in a dark ass room.

[@fdhappy6930]

Could have been a badass ending with him devouring the very GAWDS.

[@SullySadface]

I thought that chandelier was part of his model for a sec

[@talongreenlee7704]

I assumed that the sword was meant to be a reference to Kusanagi No Tsurugi. In the legend, a god kills a serpent and pulls the sword out of its corpse. In Rykard’s case, a demigod pulls the sword out of a dead serpent. I thought it seemed too similar to be a coincidence.

[@EmeralBookwise]

I imagine the idea is supposed to be that bends while it's inside the serpent's body.

[@serbero9]

Rykard never skips neck day

[@Aranya1998]

1:45 Rykard's face here looks like he is about to join The Guardians of the Galaxy.

[@gabrielebrasolin8073]

I've waited too long for this, finnaly it's time

[@M01st_Nu6g3t]

I never realized rykards model was that big, my god.

[@thenewkid5181]

I always did wonder what the blasphemous blade looked like without all the limbs

[@Otohoto]

you can find a side by side comparison of this sword with and without the tendrils in the official artbooks of elden ring, i don't know if it can be found somewhere on the internet as a digital version but it's worth a shot

[@portalmanHUN]

It's a beautiful golden sword. Kinda wish we could get that version.

[@crabPEOPLE2000]

My mind went somewhere very different based on the title…

[@matiasluukkanen7718]

Rykard questline is near perfect, yet I can't but help to hope that Serpent Slaying Spear was not located in the boss area but had its own dedicated mini-quest to acquire. Imagine facing Eiglay without the spear, every defeat instead respawning you in the locale, with an objective of escaping the boss area akin to Seath encounter in DS1. Climbing away from the pit, while the great serpent spews poison and lunges at you. Escaping from the volcano manor with the inch of your life, while your former "buddies" are now hostile. Then being informed by Gideon the All-knowing, who already had Henricus to snoop around Recusants, that the only weapon that can reliably kill the abomination is an ancient spear. Imagine journeying to a distant dungeon in Mountaintops with that objective in mind, seeking the only weapon capable of hunting Eiglay, evading Recusant invaders from Volcano Manor. Then returning to Gelmir that has openly turned hostile, fighting your way through ranks to the top while Recusants bar your way, demanding another round from Tanith, and only THEN engaging Eiglay/Rykard with Spear.

[@dylan6091]

A fetch quest

[@mueezadam8438]

No good plan ever begins with being vored.

[@XDRONIN]

Rykard is definitely interesting in many ways, personally, I think because it seems (to me at least) that Rykard was well familiar with the Serpent long or planned for it before the events preceding Godwyn's murder

[@XDRONIN]

@@Iris-lh7rf Yeah, I have no interest in having sex with little girls like this so-called "prophet", so... No

[@portalmanHUN]

He was studying the volcano and the ancient magics and hexes tied to it way before Ranni's epic gamer move. He probably knew about the snake for a while.

[@XDRONIN]

@@portalmanHUN Correct, the game lore gives the impression that Ranni started the downfall of everyone and everything but, I think Rykard's story seems to say otherwise

[@hifromblaine3568]

1:43 Ryland with no snake is nightmare fuel

[@umitencho]

He looks like one of those mushrooms that grow on trees around the edges of his face or even like what moss looks like on the surface of tree limbs. My guess given time, Rykard's & the Serpent's face would have mixed into one. We are essentially seeing the birth of a new serpent entity half way through the process. The limbs and mind have become one, but the skulls are having issues compromising on how to mix. My guess is that devouring more humanoid beings like our character pushes Rykard's humanoid characteristics into winning the debate.Those who don't contribute are forced to become a part of his blade instead.

[@IAmAverageMan]

This is not what I envisioned by “Rykard stretched out”

[@alessandrodellalbani5641]

If the serpent can still eat us and has a sword in his mouth,it means that rikard's brain is not inside his head,but in the much higher serpent head,this is probably the reason why rikard can't fully speak,cause his brain is so far away from his mouth

[@ShadowKiller_Chumbu]

How does that make sense?

[@iboofer]

It's probably simpler than that. Snakes don't have vocal chords.

[@1r0zz]

Interesting idea, but I think it was more a artistic way to show us his “wrongness” state he is at the moment

[@stormillion5002]

No he's just french

[@lettuceprime4922]

in God Emperor of Dune, eons ago the title character fed himself to the adolescent larvae of the giant Sandworms of Arrakis, & several thousand years later, having grown into an enormous human-sandworm hybrid, he exerts an almost total control over his own anatomy. I believe at one point he intimates that his cerebral cortex is distributed throughout his body, & that his humanoid features are purely superficial. He has a skull with nothing inside it, & if hurt or destroyed his faculties are not impaired. He _is_ a sandworm now. Anyway even if Miyazaki wasn't influenced by Frank Herbert (which, Coral in AC6 was literally called _melange_ at one point so press X to doubt) GRRM definitely was.

[@archmagosno9902]

I like how his sword that he pulls out of the snake is reminiscint of the sword of actuation from Berserk. With the writhing hands and faces. The detail of bodies being pulled out of the mouth half digested is also a nice touch. He's super erie, and that's cool.

[@Bones_]

Was wondering if any model magic alludes to any deeper connection between Rykard and the giant spider hands considering their resemblance, even if it was just an initial connection that they later deviated from to make them their own thing.

[@itsawoodchuck4330]

Apparently those giant hands are cut off Rykard hands, like the ones you see coming out of the cut holes in the snake. In Gelmir Hero’s Grave you can find a weapon that alludes to this, the ring in the hands is also similar to the ones Rykard wears. Further evidence is the hands placement, the hands guarding the Carian Manor and Liurnia Devine Tower and Carian Study hall where Rykards co-conspirator Ranni resides and her body lies, and the hands guarding the way to volcano manor.

[@Bones_]

@@itsawoodchuck4330 I've felt that's one potential implication but it doesn't provide context for the ones in the mountaintops that are truly massive which is why it feels like they maybe initially had a link to Rykard that was then later changed/dropped.

[@MachineMan-mj4gj]

@@Bones_ He harvests the hands from the Giant corpses and reanimates them with blasphemous sorcery.

[@PyroSirBrad]

If Rykard is slowly taking over the Serpent then that does go hand-in-hand with Elden Ring's theme of plaguing. Such as the Omen twins, Malenia and Radahn with Scarlet Rot, Death Blight, Juvenile Scholars, and even going as far as Horah Loux with his pet Serosh.

[@theprelate4219]

The interesting answer to the vids titular question is that it doesn't work. The merge of God and Beast produced something neither intended nor would have desired. Both became something greater yet each lost far more than they gained. Eglai's semi immortal body is horribly tortured but cannot die while Rykard's mind is shattered yet his will remains indomitable. What remains of the two vie for dominance over a shattered form that cannot care for or direct it's followers. Even his own offspring revile their forms, Rya driven to suicidal depression over the revelation of her origin. It is a profane union.

[@mimisezlol]

That tail's got stuck shed. Someone put a lot of effort into making the serpent look obscenely unhealthy even if you ignore the empyrean tearing his way out of the damn snake.

[@andybone1562]

Another great video

[@jackgerhardt3243]

how do you know it just came out

[@ultraphoenix95]

@@jackgerhardt3243Did Zullie ever do a bad video?

[@YourOneStopShop]

Im guessing we are the only Tarnished in history to experience what it is to be a recusant but retain our grace.

[@ultraphoenix95]

Fun fact: I’m ophidiophobic (snake phobia) and I was far more scared and disgusted by Rykard than the God Devouring Serpent (which already scare me a lot). Ok it’s was not really a “fun” fact

[@nickhard7615]

I thought it was fun

[@walter1383]

That makes perfect sense to be honest. Most phobias a kind of mundane in the grand scheme of things, sure the God Devouring Serpent is a genuine threat, but at the end of the day, it's still a big snake. Rykard though really lives up to his title of blasphemous, as he just an outright abomination against nature and all of creation. We look at him and our subconscious mind instantly recognizes that "this thing should not be alive, should not be possible, should not exist" but it does which is why it's so terrifying. I have scoleciphobia/helminthiphobia, (worms/being infested by worms) and the Wormfaces had the same exact effect on me; I'd much rather encounter a giant monster worm in a video game than ever encounter anything like those again though.

[@86fifty]

Homggg, I didn't realize his limbs were so BIG, on the snake! Looming outstretched in the sky. True eldritch horror. Love these vids and the work that goes into them, huge props.

[@86fifty]

​@@Iris-lh7rf Oh, I've seen this before! You got another account? I see! Determined, aren't we? Next time, try putting the text in Arabic for the super fundamentalist vibes, if your goal is to spread xenophobia. But if you're no troll, and you're actually determined to gain converts - then you gotta up your game, man. Put your IRL self out there! The JWs in my city take over street corners in downtown every other month, that's your minimum for exposure!

[@hunterruigrok3328]

Literally first

[@data_5674]

you actually did it

[@hunterruigrok3328]

@@data_5674 I've been dreaming of this day since I was a boy

[@stevenneiman1554]

One kind of ridiculous headcanon I have is that Rykard's actual desire is to reunite his parents. He claims to oppose the Golden Order, but I think all he really wants is for the serpent to consume Rennala and Radagon so that they can live together forever.

[@TheDethBringer666]

guy probably just got eaten and said 'all according to plan' B)

[@SaydeDoesDnD]

My therapist: No Serpent Rykard won't hurt you. Me: 1:42

[@joshpalm]

Zullie's asking the right questions.

[@ranewolfe19]

we gonna stretch this out TOGETHAAAAA

[@Spazbo4]

i didnt even know he had legs

[@yamifroslass22]

Rykard: tanith would u still love me if i was a serpent .. ? Lady Tanith: _yes_

[@Deafmonkey21]

What's inside? Let's find out TOGETHAAAAAA

[@jacquiecotillard9699]

Hopefully Rykard slithered so that Leto II can run

[@AQ_77]

The sword pull is actually genius cinematography and symbolism on Miyazaki’s part as it perfectly showcases the gleaming satisfaction and quiet horror of pulling out a big bloody booger from one’s nose.. Bravo 11/10

[@ColtonGamingTV]

Just did a Praetor Rykard build recently and it always nice to learn more about him and the serpent.

[@phil_zupra_b5880]

Rykard stretched out looks like these dragons from Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of a Kingdom that fly around the open world. Im now imagining Rykard flying around in Elden Ring, that would be extremely scary!

[@scarvello]

One of my favorite boss fights in the game 🔥 I love how when you go back his head is just there trying to regenerate.

[@dreadknight0]

Well considering you want to Kill the Gods, offer yourself to the God Devouring Serpent and then take control of its body seems like a solid plan. Maybe as it happened in other Souls Games, if Rykard consumed enough champions he will eventually grow enough big to devoure the world

[@dudenintendo605]

Great video! Thanks Zullie!!! I keep Rykard well in my mind, because the first time I fought him I didn't see the weapon standing next to me! The first phase of him was not so difficult, but the second phase was so hard! Finally I found the spear/sword and was able to kill him!! Such a great fight!!! I feared an attack that never came; I though he will stretch out and goes snaking like a steamroller around the whole arena!! My luck he never did...

[@gamingminds7093]

Hi Zullie, nice to see you return. I hope your doing better!

[@SirBork]

“And together we shall devour the very gods” Probably my favorite line along with the scene