The enemy of all living things

Crossbreed Priscilla is an enduringly popular character, but there are still some oddities about who and what she actually is. If the fact that she exists is a threat to life itself, what might that imply about both her and the life she's threatening?
Song used: Snowpeak Ruins - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess OST

[@ZullietheWitch]

While Dark Souls 1 didn't have Frost as a status effect, it would eventually be introduced in Dark Souls III, where it behaves somewhat similarly to Bleed, so it feels like the Bleed buildup being used for Lifehunt may have been sort of working with what was available at the time. If Priscilla's nature is to oppose Fire, and had she been like the Maiden in Black or the Firekeeper, heroines who are directly involved in the endings of their games, it's interesting to think her purpose may have been to snuff out the First Flame entirely.

[@WafflesMgee]

And the fact that Freide's Scythe has frost to it only emphasises that.

[@headphonesinmyhead]

Pretty neat. Especially with frost being introduced in a painted world that also features a tower similar to Priscilla’s

[@koholos]

@@headphonesinmyhead Also the only place that has the power to create a world free from the concept of the Flame entirely, and that world is painted by someone who may be one of her kin.

[@cameronstone4495]

What do you think of the theory that Priscilla being Gwyndolin's mother?

[@LittleMountain90]

It's also worth mentioning that the "Lifehunt" weapons, Priscilla's Dagger and Scythe, are mechanically stronger than other bleed weapons - normal bleed deals 30% of a target's HP, but Lifehunt bleed deals 50%.

[@dragonite77]

the only boss in the game i can never beat thanks to her super OP move of politely asking me to leave.

[@willa1018]

Meanwhile Sister Friede: "I will pay you a Frostbite Ring to fuck off"

[@daveyjones8969]

@@dragonite77 I'm Canadian too...I even took off my shoes before romping around her realm...

[@FriendlyGoblinWasTaken]

Same, however she isn't safe on NG+

[@AlexofZippo]

Look, I’d let MOST things in Souls games off with a pass if they didn’t JUMP ME THE MOMENT I ENTERED THEIR FIELD OF VISION. Priscilla asked me politely to leave, and frankly I just wanted to give her a big old hug

[@filipwolffs]

​@@AlexofZippo Exactly. In a world where everything is extremely violent for some reason I'm not going to attack 1 of the few creatures that isn't.

[@crestfallenhussar895]

The gods rightly feared a bleed and frostbite build.

[@Digsidian]

"She can proc TWO %hp effects on my godly lifebar? Stick her in the painting."

[@TheSidetrackYT]

So that's why LMSH uses bleed and frost against Melania!

[@Xelkyr]

The real terror was Blackflame Elfriede, who's just nonstop Frostbite and Black Flame attacks and innate Bleed on her powerstanced scythes. What is with Painted Worlds always holding the meta monsters?

[@umitencho]

​@Xelkyr the most dangerous combinations sealed away in other dying worlds in an passive attempt to kill them or seal them off/away.

[@InstiGator805]

Because when a monster gets too strong, you need another reality to contain it..... Maybe we are being contained ​@@Xelkyr

[@stingerjohnny9951]

Maybe she’s even the REASON the painted world is snowy. She could be insanely powerful in an innate way that she can’t control.

[@aedile2819]

Disney's Frozen is a soulslike confirmed

[@That1J1]

I really like the idea that she is a cut heroine that could cause the flame to thaw and enter a different age than that of fire or darkness.

[@Digsidian]

Could be a genuine reason she needs to be sealed in another world in the first place. She could dim the warmth of the first flame by her very presence.

[@daveyjones8969]

Could she have put herself there, knowing she poses a danger? She obviously knows the way out.

[@talonwolf4415]

@@That1J1One could call that an Ice Age… Priscilla killed the dinosaurs!

[@umbek]

I'm ngl when you said "her element could be ice and that could explain her lethality" my brain immediately went "oh yeah because Ice is super effective against dragons, that makes sense"

[@DemonicEngineer]

Ah yes. Pokémon logic saves the day.

[@tsunagwyn2328]

2x damage from ice, also dragons in souls should take 2x damage from other dragons and fairy (if they exist in souls worlds)

[@Martyhero]

You are not alone there

[@Dinoman972]

But Dark Souls dragons are also part Rock so it's a two-way weakness.

[@Dinoman972]

​@@tsunagwyn2328 Dragons being weak to themselves is already a thing in Elden Ring funnily enough. They take extra damage from weapons coated in their own scales.

[@coraline2770]

3:01 oh i forgot how crispy Gwyn was until that close up

[@marsblue1049]

Kinda crazy how the end boss of DS looks like a badly made puppet without eyes.

[@LeonardoDaWerner]

He reminds me of Gol D. Rodger with that demented grin of his "You want my treasure? You can have it!"

[@Neuvost]

once you pop, YOU CANNOT STOP

[@coraline2770]

@@marsblue1049 yea really contrast to all the lost glory at Anor Lando

[@tomorbataar5922]

Forbidden bacon

[@aetherinfuse]

That theory on her powers being Ice-derived makes sense with the Lifehunt miracle in DS3, where it absorbs health. Cold objects don't just make whatever they're in contact in lower in temperature, they steal the heat from it. In a world where heat=life this would be a vampiric effect on the lifeforce of individuals. Maybe its also why the Lifehunt Scythe in DS1 makes you bleed, it is stealing your heat to function.

[@ladyabaxa]

To add to cold absorbing heat the temperature difference between a patch of hot and cold heavily influences how fast energy moves from the hot part to the cold. The larger the difference the faster it moves. Thus in Dark Souls those with the greatest life, usually also those with the greatest power, are affected the most strongly. It is quite literally entropy in action.

[@aetherinfuse]

@@ladyabaxa All the more proof, Lords, who are dependent on Fire for live, would be threatened the most by Lifehunt

[@UnkleSurvivor]

i think it makes me bleed because it is a sharp stick and it is being cleaved through my meatus 😶👍

[@seelcudoom1]

this is also backed up with eleum loyce in dark souls 2 , which also has several items that drain health from killing foes and who used ice to seal the old chaos, which is the flame of life burning out of control

[@VakovoSheggorri]

This honestly makes me think of "Destined Death" in Eldin Ring, and if Priscilla was made in another time, later down the line then she did, if her "Life hunt" would have potentially worked closer to that.

[@asagaetis]

Oh, so that is why Priscilla is barefoot. She was initially akin to the Maiden in Black.

[@yegor2]

and no other reasons

[@thetimehascome874]

​@@yegor2yep nothing at all

[@wolfiemuse]

Everyone likes making this joke but like, the doll has shoes, Melina has shoes… XD I GET IT but it’s not ALLLL of them lol

[@rigorm136]

@@wolfiemuseMiyazaki was heavily sedated when the decision was made to put shoes on the doll’s feet. He was so livid he decided to make the defiled chalice dungeon as a way of venting his frustration. Same thing happened with Melina, which is why the swamp of Aeonia exists today.

[@shakirashipslied9721]

Suure, that's why 😶

[@dullededge1395]

my life devouring dragon can't be this cute

[@Sara3346]

Whats that inspired by, some manga title? BTW where is your avatar from, I think I've seen the character before but my mind is blanking.

[@dullededge1395]

@@Sara3346 it's usalia from disgea 5

[@Sara3346]

@@dullededge1395 Thanks :-)

[@kenshi1960]

​@@dullededge1395 that's such a good title I wish it was real 🤣

[@Andomarn]

@@Sara3346 probably inspired by oreimo, aka ore no imouto ga konnani kawaii wake ga nai

[@MadamePianissima]

>Priscilla originally meant to be the heroine >Priscilla is barefoot. I can see the lingering influence.

[@AMabud-lv7hy]

Classic Miyazaki

[@thecandlemaker1329]

On Sister Friede? She's both barefoot AND a heroine who walked the same path as the main character, but gave up her mission to settle in Ariandel.

[@birblorde4434]

Omg Miquella. Miyazaki just can't help himself can he?

[@125discipline2]

@@birblorde4434 shota feet!

[@thomasgovender5874]

Why no barefoot melina...?

[@Tankboy-uv3lp]

Heroine Priscilla is a huge missed opportunity

[@Blu3-Fir3]

An ending where you and Priscilla rule over the Age of Dark, or extend the Age of Fire. What could have been...

[@unaffectedbycardeffects9152]

Well, time to make fromsoft release ds scolar of the fluffy tail

[@jordanrudderham7981]

Priscilla is Oscar the Fateless’ maiden (a la the shards of Manus in DS2) in another one of the worlds that comes about from Time breaking down (in my head canon).

[@chr0onomeister]

I wonder if they reused some of Pricilla's themes with Ranni, who is the another Ice themed character that represents a radical departure from the status quo.

[@Tankboy-uv3lp]

@@chr0onomeister actually makes sense ngl since they often use unused themes on other characters

[@gsjacobs]

a friend introduced me to Slay the Princess the other day and folks, I gotta say this all resonates.

[@nemonaught2772]

Such a good game! And now that you're saying it, I can see the resemblance! .... Now I want a Priscilla interactive novel.

[@wolfiemuse]

a friend started a playthru last week ish

[@nu1x]

"Your favorite DS1 waifu is antithesis of all life" Me: "..."

[@Tasorius]

Unreliable narrator.

[@maybemablemaples2144]

Sounds fake cause she's so fluffy 😊

[@wolfiemuse]

@@TasoriusHahahaha this made me grin, very funny

[@ronaldhanson2710]

“Still worth it.” - My friend watching this with me

[@paledrake]

Don't care, still love her.

[@khosatralkel9491]

As a genuine half-dragon, Priscilla represented the ideal that the dragon worshippers aspired to but could never reach for all time until the end of the age of fire.

[@sebastienvondoom8615]

This land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind

[@Dawnfeethers]

"Except the bonewheels. That's why we put them under the well."

[@atoucangirl]

*skeleton wheels intensify*

[@MrAxedead]

@@Dawnfeethers That's what happens when you enter the bone-zone.

[@Umbra_Ursus]

To quote Schwarzenegger: *"BULLSHIT."*

[@dragskcinnay3184]

I'm sorry sir, but I'l going to have to disagree there. Its. "Its inhabitants are kind". That being said, have a good day, sir 👋

[@saki453]

I misread the thumbnail as "what makes her so gorgeous" and I was like "She dragon :)".

[@mx2000]

I find it fascinating how Miyazaki builds his worlds seemingly “bottom-up”. While the worlds and its inhabitants are gradually designed and built, the storyline and meaning of things changes many times over, things are reshuffled, bosses swapped, etc. It’s certainly unique, and I am not sure if it would be possible without the kind of indirect storytelling that has become his trademark.

[@glorytoukraine5524]

No, this is literally how good stories and worlds are developed. Miyazaki didn't invent this, and it's present in media with way more direct storytelling.

[@mx2000]

@@glorytoukraine5524 I guess I meant mostly that with Miyazaki this happens well into the production phase of a project, and the texts are often adjusted even after the network test, right up to release. Stories are often rewritten in preproduction, of course, but once production begins, it is kind of locked in and only small changes are done. What I haven’t seen elsewhere is that the world is built (not just concept art, but the real, final assets), while at the same time the story is being constantly reshuffled and adjusted, _and_ they still manage to release stuff on schedule.

[@InternetHydra]

I don’t think it did 3 and ER much good, sometimes the feeling that assets don’t belong where they are is too striking to ignore. I’d say they’re worse then 2 in that regard, and 2 is literally an entirely different game’s assets reused and reinterpreted.

[@carlschrappen9712]

​@@InternetHydraCould you give some examples?

[@glorytoukraine5524]

@@mx2000 No, everyone does that too. It's much easier to adjust text and repurpose assets than it is to make entirely new models for everything.

[@Outside85]

Priscilla: I am the enemy of all life! Players: Oh fluffy tail!

[@RandomGuy0987]

Priscilla is one of those characters where you just want to pat them on the head and tell them it'll be alright.

[@XDarkGreyX]

Her face is still so amicable. Love the fluffy halfling.

[@petrow1tch196]

Ohh, idk how i never considered that, but ice being the "lifehunt" makes so much sense, and with how she was lethal to gods, and gods were fire and she was ice. I feel like suddenly realizing something that was very obvious lol. Also this made me think how if Priscilla was in DS3 then there would be frost instead of bleed on her weapons, but we already have a woman in the painting with frost scythe in DS3! Sister Friede! I cant think as of right now, but i wonder if there are more parallels between Priscilla and Friede. They both wield scythes, they both urge you to leave the painted world, but Priscilla has some sort of calmness and earnesty in her trying to get you out of the door, like she really wants this place undisturbed, while Friede tries to keep the painting rotting away, and i say she's kinda unkind to the inhabitans of the painting (and to her own guard to an extent). Im rusty on the lore of the dlc tho so im not sure im seeing the situation correctly, but anyhow, it made me eager to revisit the painting! Thank you for the great video!

[@felipecouto1102]

Im pretty sure there are items in Dark Souls 3 that show that Friede learned her Ice powers from Priscilla teaching her, for her to be the new guardian of the Painted World. Or, at the very least, pointing that the choice of a Scythe by Friede is thanks to Priscilla

[@watchfulwanderer6443]

It'd also explain why DS3 has so much more ice in it - with the First Flame waning, the opposing elements are becoming more prominent, and that includes ice.

[@Digsidian]

Tying frost to grim reaper imagery definitely seems to be a thing for the Souls games (besides 2, naturally).

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

​@@watchfulwanderer6443 That's honestly mostly just sullavahn. He's from the Painted World, and brought ice stuff with him. Pretty much everything ice in base DS3 can be traced back to him in some way, with the DLC being more up in the air

[@facundomontivero2299]

I only know that it's theorised that the painter girl is Priscilla's daughter.

[@TevorTheThird]

I never fought Priscilla. She never struck me as a boss fight monster exactly, despite knowing that you can trigger a boss fight with her. You meet her in the painting and she nicely asks you to leave, pointing to the door. So I do. Her status as both a prisoner and enemy to the laughably self styled "gods" just makes her one of the good guys. I think of her less as a boss than as just being any of the other NPCs who will defend themselves if you attack them. This NPC just happens to be a giant half dragon so she gets a name bar.

[@reggieisnotadog4841]

Whilst I agree with this; I did at the time think 'I didn't got through all of this bullshit just to not get a boss soul at the end' and gave her the old sword and board.

[@TevorTheThird]

@@reggieisnotadog4841 Well at the end of the day I've never gotten to use her boss weapons, so you've got me there :p

[@samwellcheck562]

Counterpoint: killing her lets you make an edgy scythe with a great bleed effect that's great against O & S.

[@RougeMephilesClone]

​@@samwellcheck562Huh. It never occurred to me, but you can fight Priscilla before O&S, can't you.

[@BeAsTMoDE528]

bro its a souls game, aside from headcanon they are hardly made to roleplay. you are dumped into a world on the verge of death, and you kill every last major figure in the world, because thats more or less why you were put there, without ever really knowing why. NPC quests don't really have interesting/satisfying outcomes unless done correctly, generally speaking there is no consequence for killing an npc or boss when you are "done" with them or their area. You arent special for not killing priscilla, nor is it a moral victory that you "never" killed her in what i presume is multiple playthroughs. All you did was miss out on content and then go to youtube and pretend you had an interesting take, when everyone has had that point of view since literally 2011. Everyone else just also decided to fight her because there was a fight. And the "shes just an npc, but she gets a healthbar" take is especially moronic because the game devs literally designed her differently to be fought like a boss. Its a game. There isnt some secret magical coincidental logic that gives her a healthbar. If they didn't want/expect that or see that as extra content theyd have just made her an actual npc.

[@usermarongoany5616]

In another universe, Priscilla would have been our level up tall halfbreed dragon waifu, sitting beside us at a fire. But alas, Miyazaki was either a genious for knowing he wouldnt be able to recreate perfection, or a genious for knowing we wouldnt be able to bear having less then that in future games.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Miyazaki went into a supply closet and did his business, then realized touching the dragon girl's bare feet probably wasn't the most intuitive level up system

[@_Salok]

We have enough barefeet level up waifus as it is

[@canoa223]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 "I assure you, gamer, it is of the upmost importance for the gameplay that to lvl up your player must kiss the giant woman feet"

[@Gigas0101]

There are people out there to praise the writing in Dark Souls 3, so there are totally people out there who enjoy bearing less than that in future games.

[@Silly_Illidan]

thankfully he was no genius

[@iissacc]

if not friend then why friend shaped?

[@Cheems59]

she is friend, she lets you leave

[@THEO00900]

Honestly, not simping, but she may be the most "benevolent" character in the soulsborne series. She spares you a fight, is willing to find the good in all these monstrosities in the painting world ( and don't tell me Priscilla is considered the same as a blob of flesh) and finally she never lied to us. All other protagonists mentioned in the video lie or at least avoid saying critical information.

[@charlesqbanks]

She is the host of a world where terrible and hostile monsters dwell in torment and endlessly kill one another. The spikes with bodies and torture devices seem to make that clear. She's a deluded miscreant as much as everyone else. ​@@THEO00900

[@world.prince]

⁠@@THEO00900okay definitely not the *entire* series. Getting a little too excited there

[@THEO00900]

@@world.prince by all means, only other contestant in my mind is the pale lady.

[@kosm999]

It's also worth mentioning she has a bunch of cut idle animations found in the game's files and someone even found a placement where she would temporarily be at Firelink Shrine. So yes, it's probably likely she was supposed to have a larger role. Similar to Lost Izalith, Priscilla might just be a victim of time constraints and shifting ideas (the painted world being Nito's original location, for example)

[@marhawkman303]

Well, Zullie used some of those animations though. :D

[@paledrake]

I sometimes wish we had a fully finished version of DS1 where the 2nd half of the game wasn't cut/heavily rushed where Pricilla is our traveling companion.

[@joepartlett4678]

Equivalent to Destined Death in Elden Ring.

[@pious83]

It would have been cool is she were able to blow out Bonfires, for example. Which would hint more at her level of threat in-game.

[@-TriP-]

imo it's more equivalent to the relationship between the Dark Moon (cold) and the Erdtree (the sun/heat)

[@Armameteus]

@@-TriP- It's probably more equivalent to the Flame of Ruin (fire/destruction) and the Erdtree (life/creation). The Dark Moon isn't really the opposite of the Erdtree; it's just another contender for the prevailing Order.

[@chr0onomeister]

​​@@Armameteus It's kind of the oppositie of the golden order though. The golden order is the Gods living among and directly ruling mortals, while the Darkmoon isolates the mortals on their own, free from divine interference. And I guess the flame of chaos is merging everything (back) together into one thing. It's an interesting distinction and I wonder how that compares with Pricilla as a being of cold, is cold the precursor to warmth, or is it another creation of the new age that's just an opposite(anathema) to the current ruling order?

[@Greywander87]

@@pious83 Yoooo, imagine a PvP covenant, perhaps similar to the DS1 Gravelord covenant, where you can snuff out the bonfires in another player's game and they have to invade and kill you to restore their bonfires. I feel like there's so so _so_ many different things they could do with the multiplayer and covenant system that the existing games have barely scratched the surface.

[@Zekrollax]

You know who *else* is the enemy of all living things?

[@lukeerickson665]

My mom

[@Zard0n]

MY MOM 💪

[@Kardfogu]

The Chosen Undead of course.

[@worldlinezero4783]

MY MOOOOOOOOM

[@alverdeo965]

MY MOM

[@MrBigNicholas]

i just wanna point out how much i appreciate and love the zelda music that you use in your videos. i get waves of nostalgia every time

[@axllow3914]

@lif6737 It's Snowpeak Ruins, Zullie always puts the songs in the description.

[@spyrelionsol7683]

Pricilla resting next to a bonfire was the spark my life needed, thank you Zullie.

[@newdivide9882]

“She’s the enemy of all life!” The enemy of all life in question: 2:43

[@flaw2071]

I want to live in a world where game Devs have no deadlines and can spend however much time they need to fully complete their games.

[@tzeentch7118]

Works for Star Citizen /s

[@Tasorius]

Maybe the next world is like that. There are so many unfinished things that need more time, perhaps infinite time. Many great masters have unlimited potential, but in this world they can't reach it because time is too limited, even when they are not stopped by impatient publishers...

[@gigagogagagio]

yeah but then every game is gonna take as long as silksong or star citizen as my brotha above said

[@TheMirksta]

I think if you truly have no deadline, you could easily get stuck tinkering and adding to a game way too much and could end up changing it to be worse. I would prefer it if most games had ~1 year extra though.

[@theirongoat8499]

@@tzeentch7118 See also: Duke Nukem Forever.

[@flavienmaillard3910]

Zullie : Priscilla is dangerous Us : Haha, fluffy tail 🥰

[@nophion2-electricboogaloo647]

"My Half Dragon Grim Reaper cant be this cute?!"

[@Bobgriffon]

Even the gods knew they were no match for that fluffy tail.

[@smallkidneyjoe4046]

The game's text is so mean to Priscilla, "There one was an *abomination* who had no place in this world." "Use the soul of this *crossbreed bastard child* and *antithesis to all life* ," what did she do to deserve this.. QwQ

[@COLDCHEMICALpresents]

That's something I wash the souls games did more of: playing with the authorial validity of item descriptions. They're always vaguely non-diegetic, but it would be interesting if *who* composed the text mattered. It would be an interesting way of adding a further dimension to the lore. Hell, acquiring item descriptions as stand-alone collectibles would be an interesting twist in a future souls-like. You could find contrasting perspectives on the same item that could reveal differing perspectives from different factions.

[@Tasorius]

Her existence and her power reminded the gods that they are vulnerable, which led to prejudice against her. The lore text is written by an unreliable narrator who is sometimes biased...

[@kodaxmax]

@@COLDCHEMICALpresents Go back and read some of the descriptions. it plays with it alot, just subtly. Note how it always talks about the gods of annor londo in a positive light, but is pretty dickish to humans and the dark soul. It specifically and noticeablly avoids naming gwyns firstborn, but knows and talks all about gwyndolins secrets. Infact most descriptions are full of subjective rhetoric and musing son the unknown. It definetly isn't an objective omniscient narrator, but come accross more like developer commentary or a biased scholar.

[@azure4622]

It'd be cool if we could find this "narrator" and -beat- talk to them peacefully

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

Mean? They are just stating facts

[@jmashups6804]

She's been my beloved since I first played DS1. I refused to ever beat her and still have never beaten every boss. She may be the enemy of all living things but she has captured the heart of this undead.

[@bobjohnson5557]

Yup, beat that game a dozen times, never killed her.

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

​@@bobjohnson5557seems like a skill issue

[@Hangman-yq5uh]

Best girl, always.

[@toshiro-kano]

Loser

[@BarafuAlbino]

Too sad that half of fun builds require her tail.

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

Wow, I don't think I've seen Lord Gwyn's face... quite that close before. Man, for some reason, I thought he at least had eyes left.

[@madnessnx]

0:55 My god this shot just looks fantastic. She's so beautiful

[@Consumstra]

It's interesting that Priscilla is one of the few who use ice so early in the series. Ice based bosses are hidden or in the dlc like in the future games, making fire much more prominent

[@PETHRIS]

I'm not sure what makes it stranger, the idea that Priscilla's weapons theoretically could've had DS3's frostbite in place of bleed, or the fact that the DS3 spell doesn't have any frostbite on it

[@Digsidian]

To be fair, the DS3 spell is drawing on Aldrich, not Priscilla, despite him being inspired by her.

[@alaraplatt8104]

AND she's cuuuute!

[@BLK_MN]

The deadliest aspects of these worlds has always been the draining of life's essence, usually blood, and the absence of warmth that gives energy to life, not just cold, but a cold that permeates everywhere, snuffing out warmth. Especially since Seath created her as an experiment to achieve immortality, Priscilla seems to embody concepts akin to permanancy: the cold and the dark. Life in this setting (allegedly, so say the Gods) needs light and warmth, and Priscilla lives despite having neither. From her, coldness and darkness would spread through the whole world, so she was locked away in an entirely separate world where her effects could be contained. She could have caused the First Flame to go out much sooner just by existing.

[@kamilmalach6383]

I wonder if Priscilla's storyline included an option to revert the world to its original state. Dark Lord ending isn't really natural, because concept itself exists because of humanity. Its an opposition to another concept. In dragon times there were no duality, no change.

[@price8346]

Then maybe Ranni is the final realization of Priscilla's storyline. An ice-aspected heretic whom you side with to abolish the current system.

[@Time4theJuice]

Blowing ice + flame could potentially create the gray fog the dragons lived in once more. 🤔

[@binhvan4893]

​@@price8346Priscilla suffered so Ranni can be married moment :(. I want a dragon waifu tho but 4 hand waifu is still fine none the less.

[@wolfiemuse]

@@binhvan4893Do what I did, make a cool looking dragon esque character, come up with a name that ends in -sax or -seax (common suffix of dragon names in ER), put a lot of time into the character creation, and come up with a story for it. Mine is Vyke and Lansseax’s daughter.

[@binhvan4893]

@@wolfiemuse Vyke and Lanseaxx's love story makes me feel sad ngl. Wish we had more interactions with lansaxx like an npc instead of a boss fight.

[@HansAlRachid]

Taken as its own little experience, I think the Painted World of Ariamis is still my personal favourite slice of Souls content. Great pacing, great visuals, great story concept, great variety and a wonderfully haunting, melancholy atmosphere. Just *chef's kiss* all around.

[@Tasorius]

The poison enemies sort of ruin the look of the place though...

[@HansAlRachid]

@@Tasorius You mean the bloated buggers? In the sense that they cover the whole place in blood when they pop? Or designwise? The place is meant to hold or provide refuge for the dangerous, unwanted and lost, so I always figured those fellows must carry some sort of dangerous plague or mutation that landed them there either so as to soothe them or contain them, personally. I also think they work as a nice prelude to the fleshy phalanx later in the courtyard area.

[@Tasorius]

@@HansAlRachid I'm just not sure they visually fit the theme of the place very well...

[@HansAlRachid]

@@Tasorius I can understand that, personally they don't bother me, but I'd assume someone at FromSoft actually agrees with you - that might be one reason why they added the environmental rot as well when they went back to the concept in Ariandel. Make it more contextual.

[@xenocross6597]

“She is the antithesis of all life” Meanwhile Priscilla: “Am depressed fluffball. Leave me alone.”

[@drnarwhal2888]

I can't get over all the clips in this video of her just standing around various places being a silly-billy. She's just chillin'.

[@TheBoxGhost_tm]

The theory is plausible. In thermodynamics, there's no technical concept of "coldness". There is only the quantifiable presence of thermal energy (temperature). If we're equating life to fire, then we're equating life with temperature. If she commands frost then that means she's able to *destroy* energy, which again from a thermodynamics and physics perspective is terrifying. You can't create/destroy matter and energy, only transform or transfer it. If she can conjure and control cold, she theoretically had the capability to permanently destroy anything if she figured out how to make the cold equivalent of Gwyn's rekindling of the First Flame.

[@spacetaco048]

I thought you were wrong but maybe you do be right. Cold and heat transfer each other so that they meet in the middle and balance out. If something is always cold and just sucks up heat and doesn't even become hot, then that thing must be infinitely cold so it basically does destroy energy. Almost like a coldness black hole except not even as possible as a black hole. So basically I'd be marrying a black hole except cold version??

[@marhawkman303]

@@spacetaco048 Yeah thinking again... this might explain why she was sealed. She could do this.... but if she does the effect is limited to the painted world... not reality in general.

[@WinterHE]

Her beauty can steal everyone's hearts, she was too pure for this world. Priscilla being removed from her heroine role is the most tragic thing that ever happened to videogames.

[@Suuuuuuuper]

Being cute and fluffy IS the antithesis of life in dark souls! But seriously, I had forgotten about that line in Priscilla's soul's description.

[@9armor]

Never could make myself fight Priscilla and sweet Ciaran.

[@adziup]

but.... but... all the sweet sweet loot!

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

Skill issue

[@JF-vz1ju]

If the devs didn't want Ciaran to die they shouldn't have made her drop a cool armor set

[@KazeMemaryu]

The painting girl in DS3 also might give more credence to ice being the antithesis of fire, and thus a threat to the Age of Fire itself when manifested in powerful beings such as Priscilla. When she speaks of her painting after receiving the Dark Soul, she describes the world she creates as a "cold, dark, and very gentle place." Those are descriptors strongly opposite of the Age of Fire, which is imbued with warm flame and its light, but also permanently trapped in a war against its own inevitable end. Not to mention the parallels between the Painted World of Ariandel and Ariamis in both being winter-flavored and featuring a scythe-wielding lady who would rather you leave than fight.

[@SpacePirateLord]

Well, of course, because Ariandel is just a restoration of the original Ariamis painting. The Painting Girl IS Priscilla, much like how the Corvians are Velka's Followers from 1, just re-imagined. If you know anything about the technical aspects of painting restoration in real life, you would know it is a lot of guesswork. The entirety of Ariamis was restored by Father Ariandel, and everything within was reshaped by his vision of what the painted world might have looked like, based on context clues by the pristine sections surrounding the decay. The problem is, unlike the way the outside world works, the inhabitants seem to remember at least something of each life (like how the one Corvian knows about burning and repainting the world), and Friede used this to her advantage by assuming a form similar to Priscilla, thus tricking the inhabitants into following her. She then put the real Priscilla where we find her, ensuring her rule and keeping the painted world from burning. By the way, funnily enough, introducing the player to a younger version of an established character was scrapped content from both Dark Souls 1 and 2. There was both a child Beatrix and Emerald Herald in the files of those games, fully functioning but with no dialogue. It wasn't until this moment that Miyazaki got to do something with the idea.

[@KazeMemaryu]

@@SpacePirateLord Huh, that's some really interesting stuff you just dropped on me! Much appreciated!

[@SpacePirateLord]

@KazeMemaryu No problem. The interesting thing about Miyazaki is how much weird tidbits of worldly knowledge he uses in his games. Kind of like how knowing anything about alchemy makes the story of Elden Ring click. Another fun thing are the context clues... The game also reveals who Priscilla's mother is as well, and it is indeed Gwynevere. The Queen of Lothric is revealed to be Gwynevere in item description, and if you look at her sons they have the same pale skin and white hair as Priscilla. If you go to many of the places where you can find her tears there are Corvians worshiping the area. Gael prays to an effigy of a goddess hidden behind a desecrated altar, and not the altar itself. Priscilla speaks of her mother teaching her how to create a world, when it makes sense that a fertility goddess would understand how to create. The rotating statue from Souls 1 is back and even easier to notice it is of a young girl gripping her mother's dress. Also if you follow the fact that Oceiros became possessed by Seathe's soul before Gwynevere once again fled, you can assume that fans were right about who the father was initially. History basically repeating itself through Ocelot, but even more tragic.

[@DarkSoulSama]

I think "Lifehunt" is represented in-game by her weapons' "Occult" modifier, not by them having bleed. Occult weapons deal bonus damage to "Divine" enemies, and the corresponding ember is also hidden in Ariamis. Maybe she's the origin of those kind of weapons, and the ember was used to replicate the same effect.

[@ZullietheWitch]

The implication that Lifehunt is represented by the Bleed status is sort of reinforced by the fact her weapons state the Lifehunt rebounds onto their wielder as well if used by a mortal, and the player correspondingly also receives Bleed buildup from them when attacking.

[@johnmasek2416]

I doubt that's true. While both weapons are described as having the power of lifehunt, only the dagger is occult. As well, the scythe's description states "in the hands of a mortal, its power will turn upon its wielder" and it causes bleed buildup to you with every attack, so it seems pretty clear that the bleed is meant to represent lifehunt.

[@ericbusch1669]

An important distinction is how much damage the bleed does. Normally, in Dark Souls 1, the bleed does, I believe, 30% of your total health. Her dagger and scythe are unique in that the bleed damage is 50% of your total health instead, as long as the wiki is to be believed. So, while it builds off the bleed meter, most likely to avoid having a whole new status just for two weapons, it exists in a semi unique state.

[@Archimedes.5000]

@@ericbusch1669wasn't it only the scythe that had this effect? And the dagger just has high(est?) buildup

[@sanjok5086]

Her weapons' bleed is unique, though. I'm inclined to think it's the two elements together - the Occult modifier and the unique bleed mechanics.

[@AlvenVinland]

Something that I wondered about her was why she is so dangerous to the gods if she can only make herself invisible. but now I remember the night of the black knives and it all makes sense. Considering that Miyazaki never abandons his ideas and eventually ends up integrating them in one way or another, I wonder if being a god-killer was her first role

[@AlvenVinland]

Plus, considering that Ranni also has an ice theme and was behind the attack on the gods, we could consider her as a spiritual successor.

[@carcerharlson9767]

She had to be sealed away, for none could resist the floof and feet.

[@86fifty]

Ooooooh, I love this headcanon! This sorta thing is my favorite type of Zullie content - all these close ups on the models we could never see at rest in game, various animations playing, like her blowing over her hand, and curled up near a bonfire... REALLY cool meta-narrative assonance that her role as Heroine Guide was cut, so she was literally moved out onto the fringes of the world, unable to affect any of the story. I will fully accept that Ice element headcanon for her :D

[@Zapdos7471]

I really enjoy the idea of a mythological being that is more like a universal force that reveals itself (like gravity occurring wherever there’s matter) than it is like fauna. It evokes a very real, often worrying feeling that certain things are beyond our understanding, as mythical being should be.

[@user-cx5vl9sq4e]

I hadn't considered the implications of her powers (and the Painted World) as a whole being themed around ice and cold in a world in which life is based on fire! Your videos are always so thought provoking.

[@CrashWeezerman]

Learning that she has ice powers I'm now picturing her singing 'Let It Go' in the painted world.

[@monkyfromheckheeheebanana6990]

i was under the impression Seath's element was "Soul" since he grandfathered soul sorcery, his coloration, and the connection he found between souls and crystals. but that's probably due to how vague crystal stuff is left💀

[@noarms1171]

I think a simpler answer would just be to say that his element is Magic, since "Soul" is kinda tied up with other concepts

[@Abyzz_Knight]

​@@noarms1171 yeah magic is closely tied to souls (which is why a lot of sorceries have soul in their name) but souls themselves are tied to a lot of things so magic makes more sense for Seath. Magic is the only dragon trait that Seath has left.

[@Tasorius]

@@Abyzz_Knight Not all forms of magic are necessarily tied to souls. Only Soul Arts.

[@Abyzz_Knight]

@@Tasorius well firstly I never said all magic is tied to souls I just said that magic is general is closely tied to souls and this is why a lot of sorceries have soul in their name. Second, soul arts is a Demon's Souls term. Magic isn't referred to as soul arts in Dark Souls.

[@Tasorius]

@@Abyzz_Knight Sort of sounds like the same thing. Too bad that Patches is in there to patch these worlds together. It's still Soul Arts.

[@Digsidian]

Feels like a better fit than what we got, honestly. Chaos / Heat is Life, where it births hordes of magma spitting symbiotic/parasitic bugs out of a tree of life, with an opposite in a single, ice based, grim reaper, so aligned with Death it can kill gods. The Death we got, Nito, always felt weird to me, since he and his minions are closer to being undead, which treads on the Dark / Physical aspects of the hollows.

[@eclipserepeater2466]

I kinda like Nito. He's just another Lord who just isn't really tied into the whole flame and cycle and struggle stuff that Gwyn and the Witches of Isalith are involved in. He just wants to live in his dark little hole and rule over funny dead folks. It's fitting that the lord of the underworld doesn't really give a shit about the affairs of the living. Where hollows crave heat and flame, skeletons just hang out in the pitch black, forever.

[@Doctorgeo7]

With Cold/Ice being opposed to Flame, there's a possible parallel between Priscilla and Ranni. Ranni was inspired by the dark moon and ice magic. Inevitably leading her to strive to overthrow the Golden Order. Meanwhile, Priscilla was locked away because of her existence being antithetical to Flame and the Fire Lords. Both, willingly or not, were opposed to the status quo of their worlds.

[@paulunga]

Huh, how interesting. I had no idea she was supposed to play a bigger role. It's weird to think about, Priscillia is one of my favorite DS NPC as is, specifically because she's this mysterious non-hostile entity in her own pocket dimension. I'd argue that "the gods being afraid of her" doesn't necessarily mean that she's inherently dangerous to normal beings. Gods are petty and self-absorbed in FromSoft games (and most mythologies I guess). I can see her playing a bigger role in the Dark Lord ending, maybe similar to Melina or Ranni in Elden Ring?

[@BeAsTMoDE528]

"Gods being afraid of her" just means she's inherently dangerous *to them*. Anything else is up to interpretation.

[@Mynestrone]

maybe she is a threat to the order of things literally in the sense that the developers did not know where to include her naturally in the game

[@arobotwithepilepsie6053]

Nicely thinking outside the box, keep going like that.

[@XadePsyconic]

The Painted World of Ariamis is so interesting in general. It's like a forbidden junk yard where the gods tossed everything (and everyone) that they deemed a potential threat to their livelihood. They sealed it all away in a painting and surrounded it with armed guards. You find Occult items, references to Velka, a dragon who couldn't accept death, rotting hollows, and of course the subject of this video - a woman whose very being is apparently feared. Priscilla's origin is absolutely mysterious, and is possibly linked to the peculiar doll found in the Northern Undead Asylum - a doll that was seemingly placed more recently, in YOUR cell, by someone who was apparently escorted by Gwyn's knights. There have been theories over the years - some say that Priscilla is the daughter of Seath and Gwynevere, other says she is another of Gwyn's secret children. The existence of Yorshka in Dark Souls III, who clearly has similarities to Priscilla, adds further mystery.

[@eclipserepeater2466]

And of course the gods feared the wheel skeletons enough to seal them away. And they couldn't even catch all of them!

[@DiranJiru]

That’s insane to think about. She was originally suppose to be the heroine. It’s so fascinating to learn about development of games and hear what crazy ideas they had to cut, both for better or worse.

[@metalmonster9536]

For a small prototype map, the Painted World is so unique and I really love the place. Nice visual presentations for the video as always, by the way

[@WillowEpp]

To this day I can't believe there's no Priscilla Covenant of Touch Fluffy Tailists.

[@Dyneamaeus]

Makes even more sense when you notice that the other disparities are divided among the 'Lord' souls. Light and dark, life and death, only heat and cold remain lordless. Priscilla of the Cold has a ring to it, given her design.

[@lemonlefleur6236]

I believe it’s a fairly common theory that Priscilla is the child of Seath the Scaleless and the Princess of Sunlight Gwynevere. It could be that the Lifehunt ability stems from this heritage as a form of curse born from Gwynevere joining with an entity who bore a shard of her father’s Lord Soul. Almost like an incestuous deformation. Alternatively, I’m of the mind that Seath may exist as an embodiment of “Disparity” or “Antithesis”, as if the world overly adjusted to the sudden disparity by spawning in Seath as disparity incarnate. He would be a dragon, but would lack their immortality. He would receive a soul shard from the Lord of Sunlight, but would wield powers linked to Dark or the Moon like magic and his cursed mist breath. He would eventually grant his body immortality, but his mind would begin to fade. If then he is a being of “Disparity”, then naturally his joining with the goddess of fertility would give birth to a being wielding the bane of all living things.

[@KickieB]

I just want to highlight that a vaguely heroine role as a scythe wielding maiden feels like another one of those "from-isms" , where they iterate on an idea from a previous property. In this case, Rurufon from Shadow Tower

[@quint3ssent1a]

I always thought that the danger of Priscilla was overstated and she ended in painted world just because Gwyn personally disliked Sith's experiments but couldn't just forbid them, and Sith himself couldn't give two shits about her after he deduced she wouldn't help him achieve immortality. So she was dumped in the landfill of all unwanted things, painted world.

[@alyseleem2692]

I dunno. " Antithesis to all life" is a bit much. Also, why couldn't he? In fact, do you think Seath even started experimenting while Gwyn was alive? Because the Darkmoon Knightess talks about it as if it happened recently. And Gwyn's been dead for a millennium.

[@quint3ssent1a]

@@alyseleem2692 he was kinda big on "friendship" with all who helped him fight the dragons, he even made Sith a Duke, so maybe he thought that direct intervention would be a faux pas, but I think he wouldn't be happy when after you fought so hard to exterminate dragons a dude who helped you suddenly announced that he's going to continue bloodline of dragons in that crossbreed.

[@PRDarkDreamer]

Heroine Priscilla is a huge fluffy missed opportunity.

[@zanesy6250]

Kinda like the knights of zamor hating the fire giants it seems that one major universal theme is the inability for opposites to coexist. It doesnt seem like light and dark can exist at the same time in a peaceful manner.

[@rikisalim6438]

She has so much potential as a deep character and heroine. It's such a shame she become completely forgotten.

[@innocentorphan1213]

I assume she wasn't meant to be huge in the original, but Miyazaki's foot kinks took over and he upscaled her 3x in the finished product.

[@Ikarusu]

Probably your most best title, the most raw title given to anyone ever.

[@Azriel637]

It could be something like She is not Death, but Absence of life. Like a void that represents not just the END of life, but the complete removal of it entirely. Cold as in the Darkness between stars rather then Ice and Snow.

[@r3gret2079]

The fact that videos can still be made about the original Dark Souls today, just goes to show what an incredible game it is, and just how talented of a creator Zullie is. I will forever be subbed, even past when the last flickering embers of the first flame finally die out for the final time.

[@evanmurphy118]

Never forget what Miyazaki took from us.

[@backyarddad4198]

Priscilla originally being a fire keeper but also being a creature of ice does cast some interesting implications that the intro line may have at one point been more direct.

[@joshuakim5240]

Based on the original plan to have Priscilla be the level-up maiden heroine, it's possible that the original concept of level itself in Dark Souls is Lifehunt Empowerment that enables the player to slay the gods, essentially infusing players with occult power. What's interesting is that this seemed to have eventually been reworked into Elden Ring's narrative regarding Destined Death, so Lifehunt was likely the conceptual prototype idea for Destined Death. Ranni may also effectively be "mini-Priscilla 2.0" due to being an ice-themed woman who uses a power that brings death to the gods to destroy their golden age, which really goes to show how Fromsoft's ideas are never truly scrapped, but rather end up becoming repurposed for future games under a new coat of paint.

[@enderkatze6129]

They say "don't judge a book by it's cover" But sometimes i can't get over the Cover.

[@rogaldorn2885]

as we can see Priscilla is a frost bleed build therefore must be locked away

[@SamueltheHamuel]

“Use the soul of this *crossbreed bastard* child and *antithesis to all life* to acquire-“ That description goes from so formal to aggressive and then back its funny.

[@applesthehero]

a secret third ending where you ally with Priscilla to use the power of lifehunt to bring a new era...

[@marhawkman303]

I get the feeling she doesn't want to end the world though..

[@applesthehero]

@@marhawkman303 not to end the world, just to end the age of gods and enter something other than age of darkness

[@marhawkman303]

@@applesthehero which she can't do while stuck in the Painted world?

[@applesthehero]

@@marhawkman303 exactly! there'd be a whole quest to free her

[@ZhouTie47]

Her element being cold/frost certainly ties the series quite nicely forward to Dark Souls 3 with Sister Friede and her scythe, plus any other connection to the snowy painted world.

[@L0rdLexan01]

Interesting to think about; a "Cold" world is similar in nature to the "Deep Sea" that Aldrich dreamt of, in that it's an alternative "ending" that cannot be actually achieved. The endings for Dark Souls are ordinarily Light or Dark, a continuation of rejection of the Age of Fire. But there are frequent hints that those aren't the only paths. Aldrich's dream of the "Age of the Deep Sea" and Priscilla's existence and anti-thesis to all fire based life (An "Age of Frost" I guess) are both pathways out of the Cycle of Flame that cannot be achieved-- for Aldrich because of his destined death at the hands of the Tarnished, and for Priscilla because she does not wish to leave Ariandel and usher in a "new age" even if she's capable of it.

[@Jeffmetal42]

No matter how many times I see it, the Everlasting Dragon's tiny little head on its huge body always makes me laugh. 🤣

[@ChunkyShartSpray]

Ranni is their second attempt at Priscilla.

[@Digsidian]

Miyazaki wanted four feet, but Martin wrote four hands.

[@phiengley]

Potentially third, as it seems like Yorshka was at one point also intended to serve as the heroine in her own game...?

[@xaldrortenderofthevats8948]

unimpressed with their second attempt then, after what she did to Godwyn, can't hold Ranni in any high regard. it always pays to do her quest, though, if just to hear her dismay at the final betrayal.

[@sebastiangonzalezceron5586]

Catch me off guard this video about the fluffiest of all characters in the Souls series and my personal favorite, thank you so much ❤

[@kodaxmax]

The "Antithisis to Life" is litterally the only pacifist in the game and arguably the sanest character, living in harmony with other denizens of her home. I just don't buy it. It's Annor Londo propoganda. They only feared that she could potentially kill them with lifehunt if she chose to and trained to. But she evidently chose not to. If she was truly so dangerous how could they physically force her into the painting? they didn't, she went of her own accord for their benefit. This is exactly how Gwyn treats the dark soul/humanity too. Just because they have the potnetial to indirectly cause his house to fall from power he cursed them all and subjugated them mercislessly. Lifehunt might be linked to occult damage, but also may have just been an unfinished idea. Havel who wields a dragon tooth, his armor is found next to an occult club. But thats pretty flimsy connection. It could also be linked to the curse debuff, which seeth applies. While initally it might seem odd that Ciri doesn cause curse with her lifehunt weapons, that may have been just because they didn't want the player to have a weapon with the ability to curse. It would be a pain to implement. Item descriptions are an unreliable narrator often making subjective claims and musing on unknowns. Specifically they always seem to praise the "gods" of annor londo and speak less favorably about humans and annor londos enemies. Consider how much they tell us at times, specific names and events. Yet never do they name Gwyns first born, despite knowing of gwyndolins secrets and true identity and stranger still the princess guard ring you get from gwyndolins illusion of gwynyvere claiming she, the last valid heir of Gwyn abandoned the throne to marry some nobody thats never mentioned again in the entire series.

[@michaelolaf9968]

This makes so much sense it makes me wonder why Miyazaki hasn't outright stated it in interviews...

[@tiredidealist]

Priscilla was actually intended to be my wife.

[@theultimatewindlord3144]

the humanity in the water is turning the fricking dragons scaleless!

[@tarille1043]

Dragon waif ❤ If we're considering that Priscilla is supposed to represent ice and cold... We could probably make some parallels with Sister Freide whom also wields a scythe and uses ice attacks (Also, can go invisible like Priscilla). I wonder if there's a connection there, or if Freide was simply inspired by Priscilla?

[@Bones_]

I don't know why Seath researching crystals to replace the scales he lacked never occurred to me but it makes so much sense I'm shocked I never made the connection sooner.

[@koholos]

So if her power is cold, Lifehunt could potentially be a form of ultimate entropy - 0 Kelvin or something - that stops both light and, thus, time?

[@ambion19]

She's gentle and comforting as hypothermia under soft snow

[@dantepizza6310]

Not only the softeat dragon, but also the perfect anti-Gwyn being. Very cool

[@definitelynotanAIchatbot]

SOFT EAT?! 😨😨😨

[@torquevonthorne948]

Opposites attract themselves... 😏 And the results can be quite powerful even if they can be see as abominations. ☀️🐍

[@Sara3346]

@@definitelynotanAIchatbot Maybe a typo from ''softest'' with the A key being so nearby to 's' on qwerty keyboards?

[@definitelynotanAIchatbot]

@@Sara3346 That is so scary! 😭

[@MythicMagus]

I remember when I played Dark Souls for the first time and being so surprised when I ran into her. I stared at her for several minutes thinking she'd attack me for sure. Her being non-aggressive makes a lot more sense if she was supposed to be a friendly NPC at some point.