Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep
In this episode, Phil and Kevin read and react to the first Bloodborne graphic novel, titled The Death of Sleep. It’s a fun time and involves a hunter carrying a lil fish monster kid through the wilderness of Yarnham.
Video Version
Automated Transcript
And then asks the child says What is your opinion child? A child says what is an opinion? And the hunter says an idea that deforms itself into thinking it's a fact. Which
Kevin Erhard 0:15
just Twitter your Twitter you are burnt. Oh,
Phil 0:21
you cannot handle the truth my friends. Are you listening Tucker Carlson.
Kevin Erhard 0:28
Hey there everybody. Welcome back to pixel it. My name is Kevin with me as always is Phil. Today, we are talking about the first Bloodborne trade paperback titled The death of sleep.
Phil 0:44
Our first our first trade paperback our first game, our first good game game.
Kevin Erhard 0:53
The first game good game.
Phil 0:54
Yeah, good game. The first among those?
Kevin Erhard 0:57
Yeah, the Triple G because yeah, Resident Evil Resident Evil and Halo. They're like, you can kind of, you know, kind of walk your way through those. But uh, Bloodborne
Phil 1:09
the whole entire purpose of that is to Yeah, you've got to be, you can't like, like, I've tried Bloodborne before I've tried playing it before. And it's not for me one of those games that you can have like a podcast on in the background or something like you really need to be concentrating. Because you're not getting any input beyond Oh, sweet Jesus, I have to jump and dodge and attack. Oh my god, it's a mess.
Kevin Erhard 1:35
Bloodborne is the equivalent of turning your radio down when you're about to make a turn on a intersection. right but but as a game? Yeah,
Phil 1:49
yeah. You find yourself in a neighborhood that you're not familiar with. You get a little turned around. And you instantly turn down the Stone Temple Pilots because you need to focus.
Kevin Erhard 2:00
Shut up STP.
Phil 2:01
Yeah. God dammit Scott wailing the rest of peace. But I've got to concentrate. Again. Again.
Kevin Erhard 2:06
I can't read the street. Some sweet music so loud.
Phil 2:10
I may I may have gotten lost in a rural area recently. I
Unknown Speaker 2:13
don't Yeah, there may have been a recent recent happening.
Phil 2:16
Yeah, maybe I don't I don't we don't need to get into it. But yeah, but I'll tell you in the, from what little experience I have with Bloodborne I will say that the the graphic novels they're doing are quite lovely. Yeah,
Kevin Erhard 2:35
I mean, it is the art, I will is pretty much it is as Bloodborne as it can be without it being the exact art from Bloodborne.
Phil 2:47
Pretty much I mean, yeah, it's it's they they do a good job of, of imitating it in the right way if that's even the right word. Sure.
Kevin Erhard 2:57
Yeah. So this this trade paperback, the depth of sleep encompasses the first four issues of, I guess the Bloodborne comic book series that Titan comics is publishing. And I don't know I I'm not entirely sure there was I was having trouble finding specific information as to whether they are still publishing new one.
Phil 3:26
I don't think they are because they've got the four volumes. And the first the first volume of it was published September 2018. And there are four issues per volumes that 16 issues so that's like a year and some change year and a half worth of Yeah, right. So theoretically, this is this is all she wrote. Quite literally. But but we are going to be covering volumes one through four in the next four episodes in the array Kevin,
Kevin Erhard 3:57
it sure is. So why don't we get right into it?
Phil 4:01
Let's do it. Yeah, it's brought to us I the first thing I notice it's brought to us it's written by la Scott and with artwork by pure pure Peter Kowalski which immediately stirs I'm not sure these folks are from around here. instincts on my part. No,
Kevin Erhard 4:21
I believe they're Polish well now Alice coats I'm actually I'm looking at the creator BIOS in the back now he is smarter smile Alice is he is from Los Angeles and pewter is from Poland.
Phil 4:39
Okay, so Okay. All right. So there are seven distinctly Eastern European sounding name for a writer. Yeah, men colors colors by Kevin Hart.
Kevin Erhard 4:50
I know I saw that. I just noticed that he's one of the colors and that is very close to my name. Yeah. It's not but it's very close and how
Phil 5:02
about
Kevin Erhard 5:04
how about that? Here's the thing is that I don't see I actually never see my name spelled the way My name is spelled that often out in the wilds. I see variations I you know you have your Amelia Earhart's short have your you there's been several Earhart's with with a tee at the end. So but I still get a kick out of it when I see someone within striking distance.
Phil 5:35
Oh, absolutely, absolutely it's a especially when they get the first name and their to
Kevin Erhard 5:40
sandwich, they get the first name in there. I've actually been receiving emails and we're already off to the races on talking
Phil 5:49
about this podcast you guys have ever listened to
Kevin Erhard 5:52
we are receiving emails from this guy. And I don't know who he is, but the emails are written all in German. Okay. And it they are their order confirmations for things there are I've gotten several of them. And I think it's I think it's somebody it's somebody in Germany, sending emails to a Kevin Erhard thinking that they spelled it right. And they might it might be with a tea at the end. I don't know if I'm doxxing Kevin Erhard to no joke to which these are supposed to be addressed. But Germany? Yeah. Oh, really?
Phil 6:44
Yeah. Anyway, because my last name killing is a way more common name in Great Britain than it is over here. If I meet someone with my last name, it's it's weird. It's it's but the the impression I've gotten from from other folks overseas is that it's a far more common name over here and especially, and I got an invoice from a hardware store a couple of years back with my name on it. And basically, they've gotten the same email as mine, but it was a I don't remember what it was. It was like a.uk email address or something like that. Somehow it had gotten to me. So I don't know if they're scamming. I don't know if that's because I gotta be honest, that's kind of a that's kind of an interesting scam. I don't know what the next step would be. But
Kevin Erhard 7:32
it is I I, I can understand very rudimentary German. So if I tried hard enough, I could read it or translate in Google Translate. But I'm not going to do that. Because these emails are not for me. No,
Phil 7:51
these are not your emails, sir.
Kevin Erhard 7:53
I am going to just let them sit there.
Phil 7:55
Let them sit there.
Kevin Erhard 7:57
So Bloodborne Bloodborne. Speaking of England, Bloodborne
Phil 8:03
Yeah, absolutely. Is that's what this takes place.
Kevin Erhard 8:06
Well, yes. And no yarn is more or less. A, I want to say 19th century. England, like London esque town. We don't have a lot of shots of yharnam wide shots of yharnam in this book, that we do have some courtyard scenes and some of the architecture and stuff like that, but yeah, yharnam when they stand in,
Phil 8:37
well, in the clothes, you know, you've got a lot of corner hats and stovepipe hats and waist coats and is a very Yeah, there's kind of a very, I don't know, 19th 18th century kind of vibe to it. I'm not good with yours and fashion. I'm not good with fashion. of any kind, really. So I just know it looks vaguely like people living around or pass the Revolutionary War. So it's got a lot of buckles, a lot of buck less blunderbuss everywhere brothers,
Kevin Erhard 9:09
everywhere. The our main character, the hunter, that's the only name that we're given for him so far. We're her
Phil 9:19
saying it's it's kind of it's kind of vague there.
Kevin Erhard 9:22
Yeah. Actually, the androgyny is commented on. Yes, at one point, but we start out with our, our Hunter, basically ruminating on the fact that they have been they've done all this before they're they're walking through yharnam killing people who are just attacking them. There's be sat on the street, everything's on fire and everything is just supremely familiar to them. And that it's it's happening Before this is all happened before, and but they can't 100 can't really place their finger on when or why or what exactly is going on.
Phil 10:09
Exactly. It's it's all familiar, it's all the same but different. It's the, it's the bloodiest version of deja vu you've ever seen deja vu with werewolves is basically
Kevin Erhard 10:19
what you're looking at. That's basically what you're looking at it right at the beginning. And it turns a bit when the hunters invaded into a church, a church like building by another group of hunters, except this one, the leader of which is not interested, and actually mentions like that is, it is the only one that kind of gives a moral judgment on anything that is happening in the story. Basically, the position of Yeah, the hunt is bad. This is not a good thing. We shouldn't be killing these beasts. Because they're, they're people, they are people, they're drugs, even though they are cursed. There are afflicted people, they are still people under neath that beastly form.
Phil 11:12
Now, and that's what he talks about with the, the Healing Church. And and speaking as someone who hasn't, who hasn't played the game as much. Now I know. Bloodborne is intensely vague when it comes to you know, the world and that sort of thing. But a couple of times in this volume, it comes up that the church is this kind of enemy force for a lot of people that they have strange rituals and that kind of thing. Does that hold up to what you see in the game? Basically?
Unknown Speaker 11:40
Yeah, it's
Kevin Erhard 11:43
one of the things that I've, that I took away from the game, and just we're gonna be spoiling elements of Bloodborne, as we kind of talk about this, because we can't talk about the graphic novels without spoiling bits of this story of the game. That being said, the game is not one of those games where it's, it's, I would call it spoiler proof for the most part, because
Phil 12:09
you're not playing it for the storyline. Really?
Kevin Erhard 12:11
Yeah. The storyline is neat, if you can suss it out. But that's not your that's not the draw to the game. Right. So, yes, and no. One of the things that I take away from the game is that all the institutions are bad. Okay, yeah. No organization doesn't have blood on its hands. Basically, everybody, everybody is in his nobody is good in blood borne. To an extent they've all done things that have kind of egregiously advanced the plot to where it is today, including the Healing Church, the hunters. Now, there's a whole bunch of here's, here's what I recommend if you need to, if anyone's listening, and in find some of these vague terms that we end up throwing out, meet or enticing to learn more about. There's a guy on YouTube and his name is vati Vidya, by Vidya, and he has these videos that will explain literally every ounce of lore in Bloodborne, including what the hunters relationship to the churches, the I forget, there's a there's a school, the school of mensis and how they are related to the church who Lawrence's who there's, there's a bunch of characters and it's all intertwined together. And we're gonna we actually run into we run into mentions of a few of them in this book. So the first the first mention is that the institution is the Healing Church. And yes, the only church could easily be blamed for what's going on. Currently, because it's all about the blood.
Phil 14:02
All about the blood. Yeah, blood is a constant thing that they're talking about once one form of blood or another and the big one ad, which it leads to here is pale blood. Yes. The search for pale blood and in order to transcend the hunt, transcending the hunt and that's the first time we we get a hint at why our main characters feeling a bit of Wolfie zombie deja vu here because they're stuck basically, in this cycle.
Kevin Erhard 14:37
It is the worst Groundhog Day you can imagine, you can imagine
Phil 14:40
is terrible. It's just terrible. And no amount of falling in love with with the What's your name? Andy mcdow. No amount of falling in love with Andy McDowell and proving yourself to be a good person is going to change things. You've got to get the pale blood
Kevin Erhard 14:59
get Yeah, what you don't need to learn French and French poetry? No, you just need to catch the kid falling out of the tree.
Phil 15:08
You just yeah. And the kid has to have a horrible, terrible flaky scalp, and milky blood and vaguely albino features.
Kevin Erhard 15:20
That kid needs some perk plus,
Phil 15:22
yeah, yeah, we're introduced to this kid, the child and I got to tell you, the Mandalorian child was way cuter. Same basic idea, in a way though, like this child with crazy powers of some kind that needs to be protected by our Hunter. But something about the child and the child. They say the pale blood will help the hunter transcend the hunt, and to entice the hunter to take the child and protect him. Her whatever it is. They show that the child's blood is indeed milky white. Right and it's really gross. It's very gross very Android in aliens kind of shit is it is it's what is the name of the wrote the androids from Alien Isolation? Oh, the health of the worker Joe's
Kevin Erhard 16:21
working? working working Joe's Yeah, yeah. Yeah. They're basically working Joe's. Yeah, this kid is he this kid is basically a sentient working Joe.
Phil 16:34
Yeah. It doesn't have not doesn't have much in the way of great conversation or anything like that. But yes, still vaguely robotic in a way. And I guess the idea is that, you know, help this kid out and you're gonna move past the over and over and over again. That you have been basically getting really used to it's, it's, it's it's really weird. To be completely honest, because it does have weird it's so weird because it's like we've seen this story before. You know, we've seen the heroes got to help the the the the young ingenue or what have you and everything like that it's but it's just got and this is basically the same story with this fairy ugly world surrounding you know, yeah, no hope whatsoever, I
Kevin Erhard 17:27
think and I think that is what makes the story attractive in a way is that it is a very basic story. And this isn't this this isn't necessarily this isn't the story of the game. This is the this is a story set in the universe of the game or the world right. But what makes this particular four issue arc so interesting is that yeah, it's that save this save the kid save the worlds but really, it's save the kid save yourself and escape the world. Right?
Phil 18:06
Right. You're right, there's no there's no,
Kevin Erhard 18:08
there's no saving this place. Yeah,
Phil 18:10
they go Yeah, the world that you are in is doomed period. They all seem to know it too. But they but what else are they supposed to do? So they're just constantly fighting back despite the fact that there's really nothing to do so our hunter takes on this this this child this this? They call it the pale blood child here. And the first thing you got to do is get the hell out of that town, basically. Yeah.
Kevin Erhard 18:39
And the so he the the hunter doesn't.
Phil 18:46
Yeah, and spoiler alert,
Kevin Erhard 18:47
he fails. He fails immediately. When for those of you who have played the game, when what shows up is the blood starved beast of
Phil 18:58
blood stars beast. Oh, yes,
Kevin Erhard 19:00
that is that is the trademark visage of the blood starts to beast is this disgusting creature which leaks poison out of its pores. And basically it looks like it has been flayed. And the skin but the skin was was not detached. It's just kind of like flying over its head. It's it's wrapped up in its own end trails. Really?
Phil 19:29
Yeah, but it all of its guts are not where they should be, you know, got terrible posture. Let's fair posture just bent over. Just just a real hill of a back they're not doing itself any favors. And I was thrilled because the reason that I'm frustrated that I can never get very far in Bloodborne is I'm a monster guy. I love monsters. I love monster designs. I love all that stuff. And this this this blood star beast is the first example of one of the many many monsters designs that I have seen from let's plays a Bloodborne or just stills that sort of thing I know that that game is full of kick ass monsters. And this is the first one that we get to see of that stripe anyway in this in this trade
Kevin Erhard 20:21
and it's actually great it's a great choice to use the bloodstock B's because for a lot of people who play the game, the Bloodstone of beast, it can be a bit of a wall.
Phil 20:31
Okay,
Kevin Erhard 20:32
it's it's probably the third it's the third boss you can run into
Phil 20:40
so it's an early it's a pretty early
Kevin Erhard 20:43
relatively early on it's also an optional boss you don't never you don't there's no if you're just playing the standard game, there's no reason you need to kill it. But people can can just get stuck on the blood starve beast because of how fast it moves. Every it's it's spewing poison everywhere, etc, etc. And our hunter decides to just try to take it on and gets poisoned breath until his skin and his his skin and his fats and his muscles and his hair are gone.
Phil 21:26
Yeah, yeah, basically basically this this thing keeps up acid on him. Her and and leaves nothing but a skull and creepy pale child child is just kind of watching with this strange bemused grin. And then we get the weirdest part. We get the big black and red you died screen.
Kevin Erhard 21:49
The you died screen from from software games where it says yeah, guide
Phil 21:55
which is which? I was not expecting that. There was a level here again, Joy there. Yes,
Kevin Erhard 22:00
it's a very it's over us Deadpool level of meta meta fourth wall breaking.
Phil 22:08
Right. Right. That you
Kevin Erhard 22:11
just out of this out of left field with this grim dark setting. Suddenly, you get the udeid screen.
Phil 22:18
Yeah. And and and the hunter wakes up now I've seen this setting before. So tell me what what's this setting the hunter wakes up. So this setting
Kevin Erhard 22:27
that hunter wakes up in is the hunters dream. So basically, the hunter wakes up and the doll is standing over top of him. And the doll is basically this this creation, this creation of gehrmans. And I might be wrong about that. If I get anything wrong about Bloodborne lore, or whatever. You the audience is free to email me at Kevin was right or wrong about Bloodborne. And here is why dot this is a real email address at
Phil 23:12
Angel fire dark mail
Kevin Erhard 23:13
that Angel fire slash geo cities calm?
Phil 23:18
Absolutely. Yeah,
Kevin Erhard 23:19
they can send send all the complaints there. And we have a new email address every episode for complaints. Yeah, only because that's just the way we set it up. And it makes it a lot easier to categorize them.
Phil 23:31
And if you don't hear back from us just hang out. it'll it'll come we'll be there.
Kevin Erhard 23:35
Just watch the screen up.
Phil 23:36
Yeah, just make sure you don't leave though. That's the thing ever keep an eye on that email. Yeah. Yeah, stay there. It'll be eventually but it'll be you. I please allow us to reassure you that our answer will be the best answer you've ever received in your life. Just hang tight, and don't cheat and play video game or something like that while you wait. We require your concentration. So
Kevin Erhard 24:03
we went up in the hunter stream here wakes up in the hunters dream the doll is standing over over the hunter and we get introduced to the doll. And the doll who is literally doll she's a living doll created by gehrmann the smirking gentleman sitting in the wheelchair.
Phil 24:26
Yeah, with with one foot.
Kevin Erhard 24:29
Yes, with one foot and which is probably the reason for the wheelchair. Let's be honest.
Phil 24:36
Oh sure.
Kevin Erhard 24:37
And gehrman garamond re iterates the the the MacGuffin for the hunter.
Phil 24:45
Yeah, the pale blood MacGuffin. Exactly.
Kevin Erhard 24:48
The pale blood MacGuffin, that's all it is is pale blood is a MacGuffin and pale blood is is this child is apparently chock full of pale blood to be seen. Because that's just a guess because the child's blood is white.
Phil 25:05
Right, right. I mean, it does hold up. I mean, it scans when you look at it from a purely superficial level. Yeah. So white blood, you know? Yeah.
Kevin Erhard 25:16
So the hunter heads back heads back into the back into the hunt the the never ending nightmare of the hunt. And instead of taking on the blood start basically really relives that opening moment a few times, right that of taking on the blood star of beasts. The hunter decides,
Unknown Speaker 25:36
let's escape out the back.
Phil 25:38
Yeah, finally finally breaks the pattern. That it clearly they've been on countless, countless countless times. The hunter finally in this multiverse, says, let's let's let's get the hell out of dodge. And yeah, they skip out the back and just head out into the woods. Yeah,
Kevin Erhard 26:01
yeah. And that's actually the end of the first quarter of this trade paperback. That's the first issue. So as far as setting up, what did you think in terms of setting where the story's going?
Phil 26:19
I thought it was interesting, because I know enough about Bloodborne, which is almost nothing to be fair, but I know enough about Bloodborne to know that it is a like you mentioned before, if you want to know the storyline, it's there to be found, but it's kind of like five nights at freddy's where you got to rely on people on the internet who are willing to do the deep, deep digging. Yeah, to find out all this stuff and put it together the people who could be solving murders with the level of attention to detail that they are putting towards these video games and their lore. You got to kind of rely on those people. And and so and they did a good job of giving you a little bit more, but still keeping you in suspense, I think was a good opening. And I think pretty solid.
Kevin Erhard 27:07
I think one of the neat things and some people mentioned as we were talking about the story is it's esoteric and ephemeral the the the the nature of it, but is on it's on this surface level supremely simple. is right it is you have a goal get the thing and get out everything else is window dressing.
Phil 27:41
Yeah, I don't think I don't think a person would need to have played the game or know anything about the game to to appreciate it so far. There are little things like the you died screen that might be a little easier to understand. The the kind of fourth wall breaking there, but outside of very small details. I feel like a reader first time reader never, never having experienced Bloodborne in the past could probably get something out of this still.
Kevin Erhard 28:12
Yeah, yeah. And as a as a little easter egg, not really easter egg. But the character in the beginning is a guy named the Jura. And he is that's the hunter that is not interested he's not interested in killing the beasts anymore. And this kind of actually sets the events of this story to be before the game itself. Because did you're taking taking like residents in a place called Old yharnam which he used it he basically turns into a beast sanctuary in the game. And when you find when you when you stumble into old yharnam to Jura warns you to back to turn around then go back the way you came. If you keep advancing into old yharnam he opens fire on you from the top of a bell tower using a mini gun.
Phil 29:18
Holy shit. Okay.
Kevin Erhard 29:20
And he is able to basically track you anywhere you go in old yharnam. From that from that vantage point.
Phil 29:29
Okay, okay. God. Yeah, well, so we've gotten so we do have, we do have bits that the Lord heads are going to be excited to see them. Yeah. Yeah. beyond just the aesthetic,
Kevin Erhard 29:44
your own that kind of thing. Beyond the aesthetic, yeah. All right. So we were into issue two And basically at this point, there is these. It's kind of set in this wooded area that is outside of yharnam. I forget the name of the woods, but it's not super important. It's not super important, but we get we get in some some more of the, instead of just your standard werewolf fare now we're getting into the weirder thing. Yes, regarding now Bloodborne.
Phil 30:41
And that's, and that's something I did read about. Or rather, I've seen videos about that topic, how Bloodborne starts out as kind of a classic horror aesthetic with werewolves and, you know, zombies and stuff like that. And then eventually, something shifts, and you're in a lovecraftian mind horror kind of thing. And this definitely seems to be getting into that because these two are crossing a bridge and they find just some figure walking the streets across the bridge with a torch in one hand, a sword in the other. And instead of heads it has this absolute branching mass of tentacles.
Kevin Erhard 31:28
Yeah, it's basically doesn't dozens of snake heads.
Phil 31:34
Oh, that is what that is. Holy shit. Yeah. It's weird. It is weird. I mean, weird, like, literary weirdness. Very, very cool. It's,
Kevin Erhard 31:45
it's there. It's this massive snake heads, and then you eat. He kills that. And he turns around, and there is just a tangle of gigantic snakes. And it's just, it's weird. It is not like, it is weird in a way that is, I guess is the word. The word uncanny could be you. Yeah,
Phil 32:09
absolutely. Absolutely.
Kevin Erhard 32:12
Because they are clearly. It's clearly they like these. That's just a big snake. And we're like, well, it's a lot of snakes. And they're kind of all connected to each other. And it's just a big mass of them.
Phil 32:24
It's a Rat King of snakes.
Kevin Erhard 32:26
It's a Rat King of snakes. And on the surface, you're just like, Oh, it's a Rat King of snakes. But then you're like, it's a Rat King of snakes. That it's large, it it kind of comes at you and waves, the right the weirdness what he is seeing,
Phil 32:45
but in a way, it's also kind of a classic trope because it it's a Hydra for all intents it's Hydra. Yeah, yeah. So multi headed snake thing. Now I get the impression here. Now, this is another thing that I might be wrong here. But the impression I got over the course of the fight seem to snake is that our hero is dying over and over again. Once again, we're back into the pattern of the of the snake killing it. And finally the hunter figures out the right pattern. And basically Molotov cocktails the hell out of this thing.
Kevin Erhard 33:26
Yes. Yeah, it's and that's that's kind of what I picked up on too is that for every time the hunter made progress, the snake kills the hunter until the
Phil 33:38
end, right, just just inching towards victory in a roguelike sense of the of it, you know, one little victory, but you still die and you take that victory into the next fight and then die again. Right?
Kevin Erhard 33:51
progress over and over. Yeah, progress is not. It's not an improvement upon like any statistical measures of your character progress is you the player and this is it's, I'm using this as a metaphor for the game progresses you the player getting better at what to expect,
Phil 34:14
right. And for any, any of our listeners who are kind of thrown by this, I happen to know that we have a few listeners who are not like hardcore gamers, so to speak. But anyone who's ever played a game of Super Mario Brothers, and you get to you know, King Koopa at the end, and you get killed the first time because you don't know what he's gonna do and he hits you with a fire or jumps on your head or whatever. And then the next two or three lives, you go in and you get to know Okay, he's gonna jump, I gotta run under him or jump over him here and grab the X or whatever. It's all the same. That's that's really what this is about what they're talking about. It's a more complex version of that. But it's the same thing that this Hunter is just Mario getting killed by browser over and over how to slide under there and grab that Golden Axe maybe a tip more terrifying browser but browser yes browser in a in a horrible world gone wrong when he got rejected by the princess one too many times
Kevin Erhard 35:17
this is actually a good time to point out that aren't nor the blocks in Super Mario worlds made of
Phil 35:26
of of Toad toads basically that is that is a fact yes all of the blocks are fungus people the people of the Mushroom Kingdom who have been cursed and now I don't know if that's the bricks per se blocks that you I don't know I feel like people would argue that you're you know Mario isn't in fact killing you know shape changed toads and tow debts when he busts some of those bricks up because they're they're more the the stones that you walk on and that sure which still rude But yeah, yeah, but that's that's true. That was in the that was in the original instruction guide if I remember correctly.
Kevin Erhard 36:09
Yeah, so I don't know Super Mario worlds are Super Mario Brothers. more terrifying than Bloodborne only precise side
Phil 36:18
and this and it's knowing shit like that. That is will the reason why Kevin and I made a podcast because we absolutely course we read those instruction guides. Of course we did. Of course we did. Yeah. So
Kevin Erhard 36:36
the hunters gets but is still busted up after the fight with the snake King. And we get introduced to yo Stefka. So you Stefka is a very interesting character. This is actually more characterization and dialogue that usfk hasn't this then she does in the game itself. Yeah. So you really only talk to the real USF get the beginning of the game, the hunter decides,
Unknown Speaker 37:07
hey, let's
Kevin Erhard 37:09
let's get patched up and goes to your stuffs clinic. And it gives the impression that the hunter has been there several times before. Absolutely.
Phil 37:17
And it's also an another detail. This is the first and only time in this volume that we see the hunters face. And it is very androgynous. Now up until this point, the hunters face up to the eyes have been hidden behind a mask. Usually it's a lot of the hunters when you see them. It's basically their collars pulled comically high up over their noses. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. And and how do you say your name again? Yeah.
Kevin Erhard 37:49
It's your Stefka,
Phil 37:50
your sepka. So your certificate says What are you a man, a woman with you? I could never tell. And the hunter replies I am a hunter. It's it's a pretty neat detail, because you get little details from the eyes that are sometimes more masculine, sometimes more feminine. And ultimately, in the end, it truly doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter. Yeah. And I think anyone, man or woman alike who played the game Bloodborne could agree with that. It doesn't matter whether the protagonist is a man or a woman. It makes no difference because either we're not to get your hands on.
Kevin Erhard 38:29
Yeah, or non binary. It
Phil 38:31
doesn't. Right. Exactly. Exactly. none of it matters. Because we're all getting our asses handed to us by the blood star of beast, valor Margolis and all that. Exactly, exactly. So we the hunter gets patched up and basically what does she say two to them. She says something that the healer says something like you Yeah, you shouldn't have come here Deer Hunter How foolish of you don't you know I cannot expose my patients to any risk of infection which I guess is talking about the village people that the Hunter was killing the shit out.
Kevin Erhard 39:11
Yeah. The the blood? The blood borne infection of beast hood.
Phil 39:18
Yeah, yeah. So the 100 takes a minute to use the lamp which I was for one surprised to find out is not a euphemism for getting the job. Used use. Can you explain to me what the lamp is? Kevin? Take a take some back.
Kevin Erhard 39:36
Yes, the lamps are your method of, of transversing the plains between the hunt and the hunters dream.
Phil 39:48
Okay, so the hunter goes back into the hunters dream to basically get some insight from our strange What was the character's name again? The one of the wheelchair gehrmann gehrman gets some insight from gehrmann about what is the next step here, basically?
Kevin Erhard 40:10
Yeah, and Garmin doesn't really give much in the way of answers.
Phil 40:15
No, I get the impression that that's not gehrmans forte.
Kevin Erhard 40:18
No Garmin, for the most part speaks in riddles wrapped up in enigmas, and kind of kind of like, assures the hunter away before the moon the not the moon presence spoilers. But before before the presence hears us, which is a reference to something called the moon presence. Okay. And, and basically the conversation ends with the hunter saying, Okay, goodbye gehrman heading back to your subsequent sepsis clinic.
Phil 40:49
What Yeah, yeah, exactly. We get an abrupt cut off there with gehrman and what's waiting for the hunter back at yourself because clinic there, but the blood starve beast, this
Kevin Erhard 41:00
beast. This is actually this is actually kind of an interesting concept. Where and I feel like if Bloodborne was made today, or maybe not because I don't know what I don't know how Miyazaki would would would do it, or if you'd want to, but if Bloodborne was made by somebody else, right, the concept of the blood the blood starve beast stalking you everywhere is actually kind of interesting because in the game obviously the bloodstock beast is just a boss in a room, right? You go into the room and you fight it and it's actually kind of in vogue to have a stalker enemy mechanic.
Phil 41:45
I mean, basically perfected it.
Kevin Erhard 41:49
Resident Evil has done it in three games but you know, there's there's Metroid dread is was announced at EA three by by Nintendo and Metroid dread is going to be a throwback to the old 2d style yes right game and it has a bit of a stalker stalking mechanic I believe with these these robots that are that are going after Sammis. So it's it's really
Phil 42:18
interesting.
Kevin Erhard 42:19
It would be interesting. I think it's neat that it's folded into this book that you have this blood start beast that is basically just on his on the trail to to get the hunter and the child
Phil 42:33
Yeah, and and you're not entirely sure if it's after the hunter or the child or both or what but yeah, they've they're basically writing out at this point. I get the impression the hunter isn't exactly eager to go out and fight the blood start beast all over again because they probably over how that's gone in the past.
Kevin Erhard 42:55
And as poorly in the past probably one of the creepiest single frames in it entire
Phil 43:02
I know exactly which one your favorite back is is the beast leaves.
Kevin Erhard 43:08
And the child says the beast is gone. The hunter says how and then it cuts into this. This extreme close up of the of the child with a bloody nose staring into the middle distance saying I made it leave. I
Phil 43:25
made it leaf. And I made it leave more methamphetamines please.
Kevin Erhard 43:32
I'm looking at the picture and I feel like the eyes are following me.
Phil 43:39
Yeah, it's Yeah, fuck. I wish you hadn't brought that up, Kevin. Um, hold on. Let me hold it up. out. And yeah, yeah, definitely getting good old European Renaissance painting creepiness. This is good. This is good. This is fine.
Kevin Erhard 43:59
This is fine. Fine. Is there a Layers of Fear book? Oh,
Phil 44:05
let's find out. All right, I'm gonna find out. Hold on. Layers of Fear novel. There is a there is a one shot comic. Oh, oh, wait, wait, hold on. This is I think it's a real I think now this is Spencer. It's juji ito but it's it's not it's it's unrelated to the game. It just happened to be named players affair.
Kevin Erhard 44:40
Maybe we could have a bonus episode around Halloween where we just read we just talked about gingy ito comics. I would be
Phil 44:47
fine with that. I just got into gingy ito and and yeah, some of them I think are intensely stupid. But the ones the ones that cuz everyone's been talking gingy up To me for a years and finally about one of the collections, and a lot of them I was like, This is the stupidest What in God's name. Are you people talking about? And then there are a couple of stories in there like Okay, nevermind, nevermind, you got it. Got it. Yeah. Understood under you know,
Kevin Erhard 45:16
Ito heard you and it's like, oh yeah, you think that's stupid?
Phil 45:19
You're not afraid of my drawings. Are you judging? And yeah, and then I and then I shit myself.
Unknown Speaker 45:27
Yeah So did you read the the AMA Gara fault? No, no, I
Phil 45:32
want to read that one I read the collection called smashed. Okay. Yeah.
Kevin Erhard 45:38
Which is interesting, which had some good ones but I have not I've not read that collection. Specifically, I've read the the the enigma of, of armorguard faults. I've read half of uza Maki, which is a real slow burn. One. And then there is hell. Oh hell star Romina.
Phil 46:01
Which is Are any of those the ones where people start seeing these gigantic versions of their own heads like on balloons floating around town? No. Someone I don't I need to find which one that one's and someone described that one to me. And I was like, God dammit, I need to read that. That. Yeah. Awful. But so far, I'm not all that impressed. The designs are pretty cool. Some of the monster designs are good, but and by the way, for our listeners, you know any of you who are giant manga Wiebe, nerds that sort of thing and that's your that's your jam and and I've read the wrong one or I'm just not getting it you know, I invite you to write me at no one gives a fuck you stupid weed nerds at hotmail dot Angel fire calm. Please make sure the subject line is your name, social security number and your banking account number.
Kevin Erhard 46:57
Yeah, that's both your account number and routing number.
Phil 47:00
Please make sure that it's clear which one is which. I don't want to have to ask you twice. I will get back to you shortly. So Jessica, she she kicks him out. Yes. It says like, yeah, I've done enough for you guys. Yeah, she's like, I helped you guys out. Get out of my blood library is basically what she says.
Kevin Erhard 47:23
And we get a we get a single shot of gehrman talking to something off camera that is revealed to be a giant eldritch tentacle monster beast thing lit up in the moonlight lit up in the moonlight. That is the presence or the moon presence.
Phil 47:41
Loving that
Kevin Erhard 47:42
for the thing. I love that for us and for gehrman. And for everybody involved.
Phil 47:48
It's a great final panel. I really it
Kevin Erhard 47:50
is a great final part. So far. The splash panels in this have been top notch.
Phil 47:56
Oh yeah, yeah, they're the illustrator is solid. It's, it's fantastic. It captures a lot of scope and it captures a lot of just general creepiness be and that's just and that's without a single monster. In the shot like there, there are plenty of moments where the monster comes in, of course, the monster scary. But
for example, in the opening of issue number three, which we're at, we get this big, just horrible, desolate landscape. Yeah, we're clearly nothing grows. And our hunter and the pale blood are wandering through it and having some of the longest conversations we've seen in this comic series up to this point.
Kevin Erhard 48:49
Yeah, most of it is. Yeah, there's, there's a lot of there's some conversation between the hunter and the pale blood. And then there's a lot of internal monologue. The hunter is basically trying to confirm that this is this is Right, right. We're doing the right thing, right. This is the this is the monster there. This is the child this is the thing I need, right?
Phil 49:10
I'm not crazy. This is the right move that child which is the child bleeds pale blood, it must be the pale blood right? And it's only fair to wonder at that moment, if you're making the right call. It does have my favorite piece of dialogue in this in this run. They're talking about the reasons that people wrap coffins in chains. I love that it's such a terrific detail. It is it is and you would think you would think there's only like one good reason not to wrap a confidential note several in fact several In fact, look duncan hunter details them and then asks the child says What is your opinion child? The child says what is an opinion and the hunter says an idea Yeah, that deforms itself into thinking it's a fact. Which. Just
Kevin Erhard 50:08
Twitter your Twitter, you are burnt
Phil 50:13
you cannot handle the truth my friends. Are you listening? Tucker Carlson. Oh my god. So yeah,
Kevin Erhard 50:21
Ben Shapiro.
Phil 50:23
Yeah. Have you heard the hunter my friend? Thunder is having a bit of a Yeah, an existential spill
Kevin Erhard 50:33
basically like an X. Mini existential meltdown. Hunters.
Phil 50:38
That's exactly what it is that the kid is just the kid has just collapsed. So the hunters carrying the kid while thinking like just thinking existential.
Kevin Erhard 50:48
He didn't he didn't mention that the kid the kid stops and collapses because it's he starts it starts bleeding out of
Phil 50:58
bleeding groans eyes, says the under a cloth please grab a rag. And he's like, yeah, sure why the kid goes, I'm bleeding and the kids just just blood pouring out of its eyes. So you know what the least you could do is give the kid a rag and maybe a quick piggyback ride. Why not? Why not? They do find themselves eventually at what appears to be an abandoned tower. And again, you want to talk about kick ass landscape detail and spooky. You know, it's so great. They've they're building a fire in the ruins of this giant tower. And they're having a discussion about a lot of things. They're just talking about. You know, the fear and the the beast and worry, the kid asks him Are you are you worried about the beast? You know, and and the hunter says the one that's chasing us now, you know, I mean, it's still we got some? Yeah, we're still ahead of it. We're good. And the kid says no, no, I know that. I mean, the one above us. And under looks up at the tower. There's nothing on the tower under says there's there's I don't know what you're talking about. And the kid being the spooky kid in the story, as is this child's right goes. Yeah, you know what, you're right. There isn't anything there. And you turn the page and it's just this shot of the tower and this eldritch nightmare, staring down at them while the kid tells the hunter Good night. Like, I, I was dating a girl once and I get I get not so much anymore. But I used to get night terrors pretty regularly. And and I always warned anyone who shared a bed with me. I'm like, it's usually not that bad. But you might hear me talking to my sleep, you might, you know, I might hop up or shout or something like that. And I am for that I am forever. Sorry. Right? And I didn't. And I don't always remember when these things happen. So my girlfriend at the time, the next morning, we wake up and she says Do you remember what you did last night? And I said, No. What did I do? And she said that she woke up about two or three in the morning. And I was running my hands along the wall behind the headboard of our bed. And she said what are you doing? And I explained to her that something was behind the wall pressing out trying to get through the wall. And she went fill up there's there's there's nothing behind the wall. And she said that I looked at the wall, looked at her smiled and went Yeah, you're probably right and rolled over and went straight to sleep. Like
Kevin Erhard 53:54
that's pretty much this scene.
Phil 53:56
That's pretty much this scene. And I'm sorry I didn't mean to do it. But that's exactly what you're
Kevin Erhard 54:05
seeing these amygdala monsters
Phil 54:10
and rather than panic a person I'm sharing a bed with I just concede the point and go Yeah, yeah, there's nothing there. We're fine. No, you're definitely not going to die in our sleep tonight though. I'll tell you one thing that is not gonna happen.
Kevin Erhard 54:25
Gosh, but yeah, it's it's really well paced reveal
Phil 54:29
is terrific. It's terrific. It's one of those things that you can only do with graphic novels but
Kevin Erhard 54:35
it was so effective. And I just love the next couple of pages in terms of the squeaky sweeping landscape.
Phil 54:42
Yeah, shots Yeah. So you start to realize these you get a hint of what where they are. Yeah, because they it's like I said it's this wasteland. And in one of the panels are walking and there is what is clearly the wreck of a ship.
Kevin Erhard 54:58
Yeah, or some ocean in the ocean. The far distance to
Phil 55:01
Right, right. So this used to be, you know, theoretically, you know, part of part of more of an, you know, maritime kind of area and now it's just, you know, like a waterfront base or something like Yeah, right, right. They do find they find another set of ruins and the body of what appears to be another hunter with a kick ass to the wheel club is I believe the proper term for it.
Kevin Erhard 55:31
Yeah, the blood Bloodborne fans affectionately call that the pizza cutter.
Phil 55:35
The pizza cutter. Okay. All right. I like mine better. But yeah, I guess we can go with pizza cutter. It is what it looks like. It looks like a pizza cutter that uses shark's teeth to cut through all that dough and cheese. Yes. So they found this spot and the kid says to the hunter. It's gonna catch up with us.
Unknown Speaker 55:55
Yeah, they're a S.T.A.R.S. Like, in the ruins of a church almost. It seems like
Phil 55:59
Yeah, yeah. At first you don't realize how big the ruins are. But yeah, it appears to be some temple, some sort of high gated Stone Temple. And the hunter says we're not running anymore.
Kevin Erhard 56:12
And the hunter waits and kind of has a little mention of of not really being sure if the hunter if they remember ever sleeping.
Phil 56:24
Right. Yeah, I don't know if he could sleep in a world like that. It feels pretty easy. Like, when would you? Yeah, I don't know and I haven't slept thing I'd prefer to be awake. But eventually the the blood starved beast just show up. And they're fighting and and it's going back and forth. One's winning ones, the other ones suddenly winning. And the hunter has this moment where they realize I I'm going to die. But I'll wake up again and I'll get this give another try. So instead of fighting for all they're worth the hunter kind of just gives in to what they assume is going to be death. Yeah, and then we get one of the most horrifying panels and we're pages in this and they all have to do with the kid. It's always the kid by the way. There are minimum three, maybe four moments in this book that is always just the grossest weirdest shit in this volume and it's always the kid. So the the beast it looks like it's about to lay down the final blow on our Hunter. And then notice is the kid just kind of standing there. Like Bobby Hill just kind of standing there. Kind of minding his own business. And then the kid says to the hunter that the hunter should cover your ears and appears to dislocate its jaw in the name of screaming and just as he got horrible moon blood pale blood whatever it is just dripping off of them distended horrible unlocked jaw like a boa constrictor eating a toddler. It is rush, and it literally splits the beast in Twain
Kevin Erhard 58:23
the beast has a moment of not realizing that it has been split in Twain and then it's just
Phil 58:30
it's a samurai movie moment.
Kevin Erhard 58:32
It's Samurai movie moment. explosion of blood covering the hunter.
Phil 58:39
Yeah, and the hunter just scowls. And they get instead of being like, oh, cool, thanks. The hunter. Just scowls at the good. Like, wait, the kitten, just fucked him over somehow. And it just basically just held me up. And I was wondering why the Hunter was so frustrated and then I realized this kid could have done this at any moment.
Unknown Speaker 59:04
You little you little shit you could.
Phil 59:07
I died dozens upon dozens of times that I know of. You could have done this any time you in grateful little shit. I'm taking you back to your mother and I am never paying child support again.
Unknown Speaker 59:27
I get it. I
Kevin Erhard 59:28
get it at this point. Yeah, the hunter is the hunters there. It just ends with with the hunters wide shot of the wasteland that they still have yet to cross. Right? You're just saying help me up.
Phil 59:49
And we come to the fourth and final issue in this volume, the depth of sleep. I really liked some of the details in this particular yes issue. They come to a town that is on the coast they're looking for they want that it's a fishing Hamlet a fishing Hamlet's yes
Kevin Erhard 1:00:10
yes which is this is the fishing Hamlet by the way is is one of the more like a Bloodborne obviously has its lovecraftian elements the fishing Hamlet is basically the shadow over innsmouth just plucked plucked out and put into the game
Phil 1:00:32
and that's all it is you know that's fine you know yeah it but that's exactly what it is. And the town is covered in goo like just piles of green algae and muddy and and and gore like because they're dead folks everywhere and they are making their way through and the villagers are gone but they're the you know the I don't know if the hunters trying to be you know i don't know optimistic for the kids sake or something but the hunter says I do not believe the villagers are gone forever. Yeah, which I'm glad that someone in this world could still hope for the bright sight thing.
Kevin Erhard 1:01:18
Hunters the hunter is really turned around and this duck just decided to be like You know what? Things aren't back bad.
Phil 1:01:26
Yeah, you know I've got a kid that can scream monsters into I suppose it could be worse in sweats milk blood. Yeah, I it's a it's a unique foster child but it's mine. So the kid points out a note that's been left for the hunter there from just seeing from Garmin and just knows that it's that it's from Garmin and that it's for the hunter without even looking at it. Yeah, in that spooky way that the kid does that the kid does. Yeah.
Kevin Erhard 1:01:59
And I kind of after reread this note it's it's kind of a long bit of text.
Phil 1:02:06
Yeah, with with all of the the the quick dialogue only broken by the occasional existential moments. An entire page is a lot to read at this point. In fact, we may have fucked ourselves over for the next actual novel we have to read for this podcast. Such as life, we just got to use two picture books. We did. We did don't read picture books, kids will rock your brain. So yeah, basically the gist that I'm getting from this letter as that gehrman is like you, you know, I think we all might be fucked over here Hunter.
Kevin Erhard 1:02:44
Like the gehrmans like kid could be pale blood could might not be I honestly don't know anything.
Phil 1:02:51
Right? And even if the kid is pale blood, I don't know if that's what we need. I used to know but I don't know anymore.
Kevin Erhard 1:02:58
And the guy who the guy who would know is dead.
Phil 1:03:03
Yeah. So good luck. Please try to make it to my churches potluck next week and bring that brown rice that you do. We will be doing
Kevin Erhard 1:03:15
bingo for charity.
Phil 1:03:17
Right? charity being the benefit of people who have turned into werewolves this week. Yes. Very important charity. The staff is getting smaller and smaller. It's weird. I don't know how that works. But yeah, so it's basically a real downer for all of the hunters wondering, am I doing the right thing? To find out that the one person that the hunter could maybe trust to know what the next step was? basically says, I don't know what the next step is. That that's Yeah, that's a bummer. That's a real bummer.
Kevin Erhard 1:03:55
I don't know what to do. And this is the oldest dude that he knows. Right? So the the the hunter finally is just just looks at the kid says What are you?
Phil 1:04:07
Right? Are you kidding? Yeah. Like, this is the first time you asked that question by the way. Come on, man. Like like
Kevin Erhard 1:04:13
you could have asked that question a while ago, buddy.
Phil 1:04:17
You Right, right. I know. You're used to seeing horrible flayed monsters with spine a dividend chasing around, but you can ask questions of the occasional milk blood kid. Like that's okay. No one's judging you.
Kevin Erhard 1:04:28
The child of the milk blood.
Phil 1:04:30
The the milk blood. It's a race I'm working for DND I'm working out the rules.
Kevin Erhard 1:04:35
I feel like that'd be a better a better. Vampire masquerade.
Phil 1:04:41
Oh God, yeah. No blood vampire blood line. Oh god. The milk bloods. Their nicknames are the sacklers. The kid has another little tipsy moment and
Kevin Erhard 1:04:58
30 thralls or cookies. I can't I can't do big cookies and no
Phil 1:05:09
Kevin Shut up. I can't do this. Damn it cuz I'm gonna write that. Kevin I'm gonna write that. I'm going to write that it's gonna be on storytellers fault. This winter. I guarantee you just in time for Santa to show up for cookies and milk. We're getting the milk floods your cookies and milk. A very rare bloodline from Vampire the Masquerade vatha anniversary family. Are
Kevin Erhard 1:05:43
you looking for something family? family? for Christmas?
Unknown Speaker 1:05:48
Get your cookies and milk floods
Kevin Erhard 1:05:49
ready?
Phil 1:05:54
Oh my god. I hope you're listening. Jason Karl. Coming Your Way, my friend.
Unknown Speaker 1:06:03
Jesus Christ.
Phil 1:06:07
Oh my god. All right, so the kid passes out again. Turns out having blood the approximate shade of bland yogurt does nothing for your constitution. Nothing and not Jamie Lee Curtis is not even there to tell you about the probiotic properties of it. Oh, would that she were Jamie call me Jesus. So you remember the the creepy antediluvian eldritch horror? That was a hanging out on top of the tower? Oh, yes, I do. Yeah, yeah. Well, it turns out the town is full of them full of full of them, but the hunter cannot see them. The kid can see them. The hunter does
Kevin Erhard 1:06:55
not have the eyes. They does not have the insight for them.
Phil 1:06:59
Yeah, no milky ice for the hunter. So again, guys, my call it one 800 contacts. We really we would love for you. We would love for you to sponsor our show. One 800 contacts
Kevin Erhard 1:07:17
for when you have no blood eyes.
Phil 1:07:20
For when you have milk blinds. That Cindy they'll send you your contacts for your milk blood eyes directly to your house, even if you have a weird blood bound style. I fuck. Okay,
Kevin Erhard 1:07:34
so so the kid passes out and then wakes up just in time to point out the the the eldritch terrors before the and and,
Phil 1:07:42
and and they're kind of standing century it doesn't appear that they are moving a lot, but I wouldn't want to touch them. No. So yeah, the kid basically does the trust walk with the the hunter who can't see
Kevin Erhard 1:07:58
now tandoor steps forward
Phil 1:08:00
exactly up here to the left don't move now turn now turn around now touch your butt. touch it again please get really in there now sniff it I gotcha Yeah, so yeah this going through all of this and you get the the the the shift in the kid's voice it's clearly something happening to the kid it's it's green now and the fonts all freaky you know I'm talking
Unknown Speaker 1:08:31
yeah it's not good. It's not yet it's it's gone from regular font to scary font.
Phil 1:08:37
Right and but they make it under and over around the the eldritch horrors and they're making their way to the docks they can see the boats and they're they the the hunters having momentary existential thoughts. If you have existential thoughts on milk blood for more than four hours please consult a doctor and the looks the hunter looks down at the child and and the child it's another one of those panels that it's all about why
Unknown Speaker 1:09:10
not fun?
Phil 1:09:13
Why is this not why is this okay? I this is horrifying. You want to talk about love crafty and the kid has gone full fish person with several rows of pointy teeth several
and asks the hunter Why are you afraid of me? Which I think we can all answer because you're a freaky fish faced freak. Yeah, you're
Kevin Erhard 1:09:36
a monster. The hunter. The hunter drops the child. Yeah, pulls down their mask and promptly vomits Yeah, I'm just gonna leave the child there like just like,
Phil 1:09:50
like finding like finding out you had a one night stand with a Trump voter. Just happiness and just purge yourself of all the horror and The hunter grabs their weapon and is basically ready to put down the killing blow on the kid who is still who is basically saying, you know, I get it the kid says I get it if you're gonna do this you know I get it I might not be what you're looking for which is understatement of the year. Yeah. And basic clear that the kid doesn't even know what's happening to it. Right? has no idea
Kevin Erhard 1:10:24
it thinks it was human once.
Phil 1:10:27
Right, right. And so in the moment, the the hunter right as they're about to bring the sword down on the kid remembers back in the town. All the talk from now what was this hunters name? Is this the hunter the Jura?
Kevin Erhard 1:10:42
So that's that's the kids kids references uncle the Jura?
Phil 1:10:46
Yes. And and Jura the hunter remembers did you're saying basically the beasts they were human once they still are. And so the hunter just doesn't have it in them and drops the weapon in the sand. And and they crawl in inside of a rowboat and and just disappear into the fog. Yeah,
Kevin Erhard 1:11:11
it's it's just the the most ambiguous ending you could get. We just picked basically leaves and they're evades the roll out into the ocean.
Phil 1:11:25
Yeah, and the hunter, you know, in their internal monologue basically says, I don't know what's gonna happen next. I don't know if this is the right thing to do. But But I gotta do something. So let's let's give this a shot. Yep. And and that's how the first volume of Bloodborne ends the depth of sleep. Holy shit. Yeah, Kevin, what did you think?
Kevin Erhard 1:11:47
I feel like talking about it really? opened it up a little bit more. In my mind there's there's a lot of existential dread in this. Yeah, cuz Yes. Especially through the hunter who is just trying to figure out what does any of this mean? The hunter I think there's a line in there where the hunter is not even sure if sure sure if they were a child once they don't even remember any they remembered nothing before the hunt. You know? They just remember the hunt.
Phil 1:12:18
Yeah, and it just it's just it's about it basically it's the existential Who am I have any 20 something English major but told through the lens of somebody who is actually doing something with their life Sorry, I used to be 20 something I'm we're allowed to say that we're allowed to say that
Kevin Erhard 1:12:45
our liberal arts degrees are allowed to say that
Phil 1:12:48
we're allowed to say that about other liberal arts degrees. Yeah, I agree. It's just talking through this has been really interesting because it is it is really easy just to flip through it and go nice, that was metal as fuck. And when I tell you what, we've got four volumes of these things, and and each of the titles of the volumes, sound like Cradle of Filth albums. You know, this one was the death of sleep, which come on metal. And next week, Kevin, you want to tell them what the name of the next volume is that we're gonna be reading next volume is that the healing thirst, the healing thirst that some vampire shit, I am pumped. I am really excited about this one. So for the next for three weeks after this week we're going to be we're going to be blood burning it up my friend. I'm really excited.
Kevin Erhard 1:13:43
I am excited to this is this. This was a lot of fun. Lots of
Unknown Speaker 1:13:47
a lot of weird and this is the truest This is the most true horror. I
Kevin Erhard 1:13:53
feel like we've talked about or horror in the sense of thing that things that I kind of find genuinely scary because Resident Evil is because I kind of categorize her as, as two things. There's like her as the aesthetic. Right?
Phil 1:14:11
Right there.
Kevin Erhard 1:14:13
It's horrific, gruesome, gory, whatever, it doesn't necessary. To me, I feel like things can can easily just be horror as an aesthetic. They don't necessarily have to be scary. They can just be horrific. They don't have to scare you or whatever.
Phil 1:14:27
I mean, the The Addams Family is horror as instead. Exactly. Exactly. But it does, but it's not really scary. It's funny, you know, so
Kevin Erhard 1:14:35
it's light hearted. Yes. It's it. You know, it's Gomez is the he is the wife guy that every every married man tries to live up to.
Phil 1:14:48
We have it's all we can do, man. Like I remember my dad telling my my dad told me once he said Atticus Finch is the Father. We all wish we could be. And he's right and Gomez Adams is the hustle. We all wish we can be we just got we're just, we're all just trying and God
Kevin Erhard 1:15:04
just trying to be our best Gomez every day.
Phil 1:15:07
It's it's That's it. That's it. And if your man ain't trying to be your Gomez, you need a better man. I'm not I'm not taking that one back that one is that one is sincere.
Kevin Erhard 1:15:17
I'm expecting that to be in somewhere in the vows of your Oh God.
Phil 1:15:23
Oh yeah. Oh yeah, I am. I am giving. I am I am. I'm giving my fiance Gomez with both barrels like that's all I can do. And it's because it's what she deserves. God dammit.
Kevin Erhard 1:15:37
I love that.
Phil 1:15:39
Oh, yeah, it's life is good service.
Kevin Erhard 1:15:41
Good. So Bloodborne though Bloodborne is I found this genuinely chilling at times.
Phil 1:15:51
It was dreadful in the actual sense of dread. Yeah, not not as another way of saying it's it's shitty. It was full of dread it was it was full of not just the horrible things that roam in the shadows. But the questions of why do why am I even going to bother fighting back against them?
Kevin Erhard 1:16:14
You know what again? Oh, vibes of so other than the lovecraftian stuff. It really gave me for some reason. Edward gorey vibe. Oh, sure.
Phil 1:16:26
Sure, I can see that. I can see that. Yeah, there's
Kevin Erhard 1:16:30
definitely the Smash cut close ups of the kid just like staring into the camera with those with those dead eyes.
Phil 1:16:38
Right. Nothing says gory, like spooky kids. Yeah, you know, like, it's, you know, I can totally see that. I can totally see that.
Kevin Erhard 1:16:46
All right. Well, I think that's it, everybody. Just remember, if you enjoyed this episode, go on down below, or wherever it is on the podcast platform that you listen on. And give us a five star rating and write us a little, a nice little happy review, or give us a thumbs up or whatever retweets, share. Whatever you can do. It really helps us and we just want to keep making more content for you. So with that being said, That's all for today. Thank you so much for listening. My name is Kevin. That's been Phil and take care, buddy.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai