._ , , . *|, * _ _ -+--+- _. _|* _ || | (_](_) | | (_] (_]|(/, * ._| , , ._ . . . . . _ . . _ _ -+--+- _. |,. . _.;_/*._ _ |*. , _ _| _ _ _| \_|(_)(_| (_](_) | | (_] | (_|(_.| \|[ )(_] || \/ (/, (_](_)(_)(_] ._| ._| ._| A N O V E L B Y M A R T I E " M U R D S " M O O D ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Chapter 9 to 5 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: (4/19/25 7:17 p.m.) "You, standing at a respectful distance, you now feel eclipsed, nocturnal, and numbed. It's your turn now. In the darkness that will dawn into another day, you have turned into the zombie." -Jean-Paul Sartre, from the Preface of The Wretched of the Earth, by Frantz Fanon (1961) FADE IN: (12/5/22 5:42 p.m.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. SCHOOL -- DAY (FLASHBACK) -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Young Manco stands at a chalkboard, the world around her blurred out. Chalk in hand, she writes words on the board. ON BOARD Me name is Margaret. ON MANCO Suddenly, a HAZY WOMAN with no discernible features grabs her arms and pulls them on to a desk. A ruler comes crashing down onto her wrists. Manco screams out. Another strike. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. MATER HOSPITAL -- DAY (PRESENT) -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco shutters awake from a trance, sitting in a hospital room with Professor Black. The old man inspects her wounded limb. BLACK: Intelligently selfish. MANCO: What's that? BLACK: You Indians need gumption to catch up. Heard that phrase earlier today. MANCO: I'll keep it in mind. BLACK: Well, I've cleaned the wound, but you will need to monitor for an infection for the next month or so. Sound good? MANCO: I can still feel the arm sometimes. BLACK: Phantom pain. You're just going to have to live with it, girlie. That prognosis doesn't exactly thrill her. BLACK (cont'd): It's a shame, being dismembered will prevent you from rising to heaven at the end of the Great Tribulations. MANCO: I mean, did I ever have a chance? The professor considers it, then promptly moves on. BLACK: Do you require laudanum? MANCO: Make it a few vials. By the by, have you ever heard of a Gwen Griffith? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER JAIL -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco walks through Mater, wearing Alice's headgear. She stop at the jail, sitting next to the street-level window. MANCO: If you're alone, say so. ALICE (O.S.): So. MANCO: So, how are we today, Alice? ALICE (O.S.): Feeling undead. You? MANCO: Well-medicated. ALICE (O.S.): So, you just come here to chat, or-- MANCO: Interesting job you Nimrods have. One moment you're selling folks off for a box of supplies, the next you're helping track down Milton's runaway slave. Real honest living you got, doll. ALICE (O.S.): I didn't know anything about it. MANCO: Well, if you did, you would just conveniently forget it, right? Alice clamps up. MANCO (cont'd): I found Gwen. She's infirm and holed up at the hospital on Roch Street. Now, as far as I'm concerned, our deal's finished, and I'm free to go scot-free. ALICE (O.S.): The deal is you take me to her. Get me out of here and we'll be finished. MANCO: Call it a difference of opinion. ALICE (O.S.): Manco, you owe me. I saved your life back in the mine. I didn't have to do that. And I could have told them you weren't a Nimrod, and they would have torn you apart. You owe me, Manco! Manco ponders her options. ALICE (O.S.) (cont'd): If you want me dead, fine. So be it. But I need to see Gwen before I go. MANCO: Reach out your hand. Alice sticks her trembling hand out of the small window. Manco grabs a hold of it and squeezes tight. She lets go. MANCO (cont'd): The Nimrods and deputies are planning a sting at the theater tonight. Maybe I could grab you after the hanging. ALICE (O.S.): I'm grateful, Manco -- wait. Wait, what do you mean after the hanging? MANCO: Folk are awful queer around here. They figure you need to survive a hanging before you become a -- what they say -- redeemed Lazarus. Then they toss ya in the caverns. And the bastards who don't survive disappear. Whatever the good Hell that means. Anyways, good luck not dying, Alice. Manco pushes herself up to her feet. ALICE (O.S.): Wait one thing! MANCO: What? ALICE (O.S.): Why was that border town named Mancos? Are you from around here? MANCO: Dunno. Rarely used a name 'til I met you. That sign is the first thing I remember. Not sure why. So it goes. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER STREETS -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco takes in the sights of Mater, an idyllic paradise for a certain sect of people. RELIGIOUS FOLK pile into a chapel. KIDS in the street play stickball together. A SERVER offers a line of HUNGRY PEOPLE bowlfuls of stew. Without warning, Manco's breathing becomes heavier and more hurried. She looks down: her hand is shaking worryingly. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. FREEZER -- NIGHT (FLASHBACK) -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco cries out in fear as she runs through a hazy, darkened freezer. There's some sort of large species wrapped up in plastic and laid across steel tables she keeps passing by. She reaches an exit and jumps through it. Falling on to the floor, Manco looks up to see a HAZY MAN standing before her. HAZY MAN: Why is you here!? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER STREETS -- DAY (PRESENT) -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Milton taps the shoulder of Manco, who's stuck in a memory. MILTON: Still feel up for tonight? MANCO: Huh, uh, yeah, yes. Yes. MILTON: Good, we want to make an example of these criminals by bringing the full force of Mater down on them. We actually could use an extra pair of hands at the theater right now. I heard some rumblings of impropriety. MANCO: Understood. MILTON: And if you feel like passing some time afterwards, stop by my place. Hiding her disgust, Manco heads off. On her way, she catches the city center where a grisly gallows stands. Winnie hangs lifeless, strangulation marks around her neck but also a bullet hole in her forehead. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. MATER THEATER -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco pushes open the doors to the ritzy theater. The young lady stops for a moment to take in the grand sights. The lights dimmed. The velvet seats are pristine. And then the film. She removes her goggles and gawks at the silver screen. (4/16/22 2:38 a.m.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. COLORADO PLAINS -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mrs. Vidal navigates the horse, with Mr. Nishio laying behind her on his stomach, hands bound. She wears a bandana across her face, goggles on her eyes, hat over her hair. MR. NISHIO: I may be mistaken about this plan. Exactly what Mrs. Vidal wants to hear. She balks at him. (12/5/22 5:42 p.m.) Manco's gaze is suddenly drawn to silhouettes of NIMRODS heading behind the projector screen. They seem in a sudden rush. (4/16/22 2:38 a.m.) MR. NISHIO (O.S.): What if they imprison me, or take me directly to the gallows, or-- MRS. VIDAL (O.S.): Nothing worth doing is without risk. (12/5/22 5:42 p.m.) Manco stumbles trying to join her fellow bounty hunters, the opium doing quite a number on her motor functions. (4/16/22 2:38 a.m.) MR. NISHIO (O.S.): Easier to say in your position. MRS. VIDAL (O.S.): You'd do anything for your boy? (12/5/22 5:42 p.m.) She reaches the stage, only to find a group of Nimrods forcibly pulling a NATIVE AMERICAN BOY from under the stage's floorboards. The CHILD'S PARENTS tearfully protest. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. CAMP -- DAY (FLASHBACK) -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= It's Manco's memory from before, sitting in a dry field. Her TRIBE, all around her, falls sick and dying, coughing up gobs of blood. Screams and yelling ring out in the air. A NIMROD approaches Manco and pulls her away. MANCO'S FATHER screams out. MANCO'S FATHER (O.S.): Not my daughter! Not my daughter! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. SCHOOL -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco stands at a chalkboard while a TEACHER, along with other NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS, look on watching the child. ON BOARD Me name is Margaret. ON MANCO The teacher grabs her arms, and pulls them on to the desk. TEACHER: If you're going to live in Mater, you must learn to speak like an American. She retrieves a long ruler and slams it down on Manco's wrists. She yelps in pain. It comes down again. And again. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A procession of students follow their teacher and a younger Gregory Caldwell on a tour of the hospital-cum-church. Further in the back, Manco is being antagonized by MEAN KIDS, who throw small bits of paper at her from behind. A few bigger kids run up and grab her and toss her into a room. The heavy door slams shut behind Manco. A lock clicks. ON DOOR Morgue =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- INT. FREEZER -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco pulls the handle and bangs on the door to no avail. MANCO: Hey! Hey, open up! Come on, guys! She turns around. FROZEN CORPSES hang in bags and lay on metal tables. Terrified, she runs through screaming. She reaches a door on the opposite side of the room. She bursts through, falling to the floor. She looks up. An OLDER MAN and BUTCHER stand before her. OLDER MAN: Why is you here!? Now, she observes the room. Butcher knives. Cooking pans. Cans of soup. Severed human appendages. Thick black blood. BUTCHER: Get the girlie out of here. She done seens what she shan't have seens! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. THEATER ALLEYWAY -- DAY (PRESENT) -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Manco runs out of the building and falls to her knees in the throes of a panic attack. Some YOUNG BOYS watch from afar. She tears off her headgear as she hyperventilates and gags. YOUNG BOY: Oh shit, look at the savage! They grab rocks from the ground and start pegging Manco. She rips her revolver out from its holster and aims. They scurry away. Manco falls to fours and tries to catch her breath. She grits her teeth, closes her eyes, breathes. (4/16/22 2:38 a.m.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER STREETS -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mrs. Vidal and Mr. Nishio ride through Mater. Dirty looks get thrown their way. Some sport satisfied, toothy grins. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. DEPUTIES' OFFICE -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mrs. Vidal stands next to the horse and Mr. Nishio as she converses with a CHIEF DEPUTY, who holds an open ledger. CHIEF DEPUTY: We don't have a bounty on a Nishio. MRS. VIDAL: I was told Mater wanted him alive for $1,000. I intend to collect. CHIEF DEPUTY: Seems you were told wrong, lady. MRS. VIDAL: Man was fomenting rebellion in St. Anthony. Someone needs to hang him. The Chief Deputy rolls his eyes and thinks for a moment. CHIEF DEPUTY: Milton might want him. Just leave him here and we'll take him to the cells. MRS. VIDAL: And let you get all the credit? He's my prisoner, I'll bring him over. CHIEF DEPUTY: Do as you please, Nimrod. Another DEPUTY walks out, catching the Chief's attention. Mrs. Vidal jumps on the horse and moves on from the office. CHIEF DEPUTY (cont'd): Deputy! Get a carriage over to the North Gate and load it up with the payment for the St. Anthony delivery. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER ALLEYWAY -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mrs. Vidal works to unbound Mr. Nishio next to the horse. MR. NISHIO: They got a delivery from St. Anthony? MRS. VIDAL: Could it be Viho? Your son? MR. NISHIO: Hm, perhaps we should wait for nightfall before trying to find them. As he rambles, an UNDEAD MAN is escorted briefly past the alley by two TOWN OFFICIALS via a catchpole at its neck. Perplexed, the two peer out to see the officials walking the creature to the mountains at the far end of the street. Mrs. Vidal and Mr. Nishio carefully start toward the group. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER STREETS -- CONTINUOUS -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the two draw closer, they can see more of the cavern. An iron fence blocks the wide entrance, sans for a single gate. The trail dips away from the street. No one else is nearby. The officials open the gate and push the Undead Man inside, quickly locking the barrier after. They then head off. Mrs. Vidal points for Mr. Nishio to take a different path. He nods, and she heads straight toward the mountain. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER CAVERN -- CONTINUOUS -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Giving one last look around to ensure she's in the clear, Mrs. Vidal walks up to the gate and peers inside. The mountain dips down into a deep black. Obstacles such as wire and boxes are strewn about the cavern's mouth. The Undead Man trips on to the ground. The sound of his body hitting the dirt seems to have set off hissing in the caves. MRS. VIDAL (whispered): Hey. Hey! The Undead Man turns around. It's Viho, his neck strangled raw. The sight of her friend hits Mrs. Vidal like a train. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): God help us. As Mrs. Vidal absorbs the shock, she turns to a voice. OLDER MAN (O.S.): Who the hell are you? She finds an Older Man gripping the arm of a little girl: Manco. The Older Man reaches at his back and pulls out a knife. He tosses Manco to the ground and advances on Mrs. Vidal. Suddenly, Mr. Nishio runs up and grabs a hold of the Older Man. The two growl as Mr. Nishio wrestles the knife away. They bash into the gate, making a tremendous amount of noise. Viho responds to it, as do the dozens of LAZARUS emerging from the dark cavern. Mr. Nishio is finally able to throw the man down and knock him unconscious. Mrs. Vidal gives a tap of gratitude on his shoulder but moves to comfort the young girl on the ground. MRS. VIDAL: Are you hurt? Manco, with tears streaming down her face, shakes her head. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): Mr. Nishio, we should be off. No response. She turns to see the problem. While dozens of undead crawl up to the fence, Mr. Nishio is transfixed on just one. His son, Oda. MR. NISHIO: Oda? Oda!? Oda! No, Oda!! His voice breaks as he bangs on the gate, drawing more undead forward from the Hellish mountain. MR. NISHIO (cont'd): What have they done!? Oda! Mrs. Vidal rushes up and places her hand on his shoulder. MRS. VIDAL: I'm so sorry, but we must go. TOWN OFFICIAL (O.S.): What's all that noise!? Get Milton! We need everyone, the Lazarus are awake. MR. NISHIO: Just go! Just, I can't leave my boy! He's lost. An alarm begins blaring out. Mrs. Vidal grabs Manco and they head back down the street. In the distance, Mater's border is still under construction. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER ALLEYWAY -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mrs. Vidal pulls Manco into the alley with the horse. DEPUTIES rush by on their way toward the caverns. Looking through the horse's saddlebags, she finds some rope and a coarse wheat bag. She kneels to speak with Manco. MRS. VIDAL: Hey, sweetie. What's your name? Manco is in shock, unable to comprehend Mrs. Vidal's words. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): I'm Evelyn. It's nice to meet you. More deputies, as well as a Nimrod, run by the alleyway. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): Honey, we need to get out of here. You're going to have to trust me. Mrs. Vidal lifts the bag to put over Manco's head. The little girl repels her, terrified of the darkness. Mrs. Vidal pulls her goggles up, showing Manco her eyes. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): Hey, hey, I promise I'll protect you. No one will hurt you. Just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER STREETS -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mrs. Vidal trots through the streets, packed with CITIZENS unsettled by the alarm near the mountains. Manco is lying stomach down on the back of the horse, her hands bound. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. MATER NORTH GATE -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= With everyone called to the mountain, no one is monitoring the carriage of supplies at the North Gate, which, while unfinished, still features a guard post some meters ahead. Mrs. Vidal dismounts the horse, pulls Manco off the back, and hides her in the back of the carriage. She runs to the front, where she finds two horses ready to pull the carriage. She climbs aboard and moves forward. Ahead, a GUARD signals for her to stop. She obliges. GUARD: This belong to you? MRS. VIDAL: You expecting another Nimrod? After a moment, he motions for her to move out of Mater. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- EXT. COLORADO PLAINS -- DAY -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Away from Mater, Mrs. Vidal scrounges through the carriage, finding an envelope filled with hundreds of dollars. She pockets the money as she heads to the front to join Manco. She climbs aboard and snaps the reins moving the carriage forward. MRS. VIDAL: Ever been to the West? Manco is silent. The sun is dying as they ride south. They begin moving past Mancos. It's only just a ghost town. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): There's this thing called the ocean. Just endless water. It'd be a sight for you. Doesn't rain much here, huh? Still unresponsive. Mrs. Vidal looks down at the money. MRS. VIDAL (cont'd): There's this ship I heard of. Can sail us away from here. Somewhere safer. Takes people with money. MANCO: Why did you help me? Her voice surprises Mrs. Vidal. MRS. VIDAL: Why? Because you needed help. You have to understand: What they did to you was wrong. It's not your fault. MANCO: Do other people need help? Mrs. Vidal pauses. The carriage is just past the town. She looks to the west, but she decides to navigate east. Manco stares at the sign welcoming people into Mancos. (3/7/23 4:07 a.m.) CUT TO BLACK: ******************************************************************************* (4/19/25 7:17 p.m.) EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a transcript of a video edited by Martie "Murds" Mood. Title: How Dark Souls Relates to True Detective -- strummerdood Description: Free Palestine -- Except for Palestine (2021), a nonfiction book by Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchel Plitnick Visibility: Public Restrictions: - Date: Oct 31, 2014 Views: 11,180 Comments: 36 Like (vs. dislike): 453 (98.1%) BOARD: Spoilers in-bound for: Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Demon's Souls, and True Detective Season 1 Hey, I'm strummerdood or Matt or whatever, I don't know. So, when I first played Dark Souls, I thought it was a pretty optimistic game. You know, people constantly delineate the hopelessness of existence, and the game's difficulty helps accentuate this philosophy, but in the end, you complete your pilgrimage. But then I watched True Detective, and then I read up on pessimism, and then I realized, Dark Souls is the most nihilistic game of all time. The Souls games take place at the time of a kingdom's death. A period of prosperity called the Age of Fire enters its twilight with the fading of the First Flame, a soul-granting flare of unknown origins. With the impending Age of Dark comes the Curse of the Undead, a state of consciousness after death. In both Dark Souls games, a lustful will to live accentuates the period during the fading flame. The birth of demons in Lordran can be blamed on the Witch of Izalith, who unsuccessfully attempted to curb the Age of Dark by duplicating the First Flame. And in Drangleic, King Vendrick seeks a cure for the undead curse, for which he has succumbed to. In an effort to assist his brother, Aldia tried to manufacture a fire keeper to coddle the dying flame, resulting in the Emerald Herald, Shanalotte. SHANALOTTE PRESUMABLY: I was born of dragons, contrived by men. Aldia also spawned an ancient dragon, a race who at one point, lived outside the Age of Fire and Dark. However, the entity failed to change anything. A TALL-ASS QUEEN: That thing is a prop. A false deity. Though he does offer an interesting perspective on how the kingdom came to fall. A FAT-ASS DRAGON: For the curse of life, is the curse of want. BOARD: Fun Fact: The first two noble truths of Buddhism (roughly) state life is suffering and desire causes suffering. Even before the fading flame, the lords and humans of these kingdoms lusted over power. After obtaining lord souls, Gwyn and his ilk annihilated the seemingly nonviolent ancient dragons and built Lordran on their bones. Seath the Scaleless in particular betrayed his race over covetous purposes. A FUCKING HOUSE CAT: Oh, it's like that awful traitor long ago. He coveted what he did not have and it drove him mad. Humanity also showed their susceptibility to grandiosity. In a bid for supremacy, the ancient human city of Oolacile fell victim to the seductive power of the dark, allowing Manis and his abyss to devour and mutate its citizens. In a fit of paranoia, Drangliac's King Vendrick steals and attacks the giants after being persuaded by his Queen Nashandra. As we learn in the end, Nashandra planned all along to sit at the Throne of Want and usher in the Age of Dark. Also, it's called the Throne of Want, so, you know... BOARD: Fun Fact: Shakespeare's Macbeth also features witches prophesying a king's fate and a queen convincing her husband to enact a war in a bid for power. Dark Souls' spiritual precursor Demon's Souls more directly confronted mankind's greed. The power hungry King Allant XII channels souls through a forbidden ritual, bringing prosperity to his Kingdom of Boletaria. But in doing so, he awakens the soul-devouring Old One who begins eradicating the race with demons. Human warriors then venture to Allant's doomed kingdom drawn to the alluring power of demon souls. Greed brings about the destruction of these kingdoms and subsequent undead curse, and in all three Souls games, the root of mankind's lust of power derives from their discovery of souls, bringing about a sense of self-awareness. BOARD: Fun Fact: In Greek mythology, Prometheus gifted humanity fire behind the Gods' backs. In retaliation, Zeus sent Pandora and her jar to the humans. When opened, the jar released evils and diseases upon man, but was closed before freeing hope. That consciousness dooms the human race creates interesting parallels with HBO's True Detective. Its writer and showrunner, Nic Pizzolatto, took inspiration from American horror writer Thomas Ligotti in establishing the show's philosophical underpinnings. During the first episode, The Long Bright Dark, Detective Rustin Cohle calls out human consciousness as the single greatest mistake in human evolution. BOARD: "I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware...We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self." -Rustin Cohle, True Detective And can the living undead of Dark Souls really argue this position? Before being imbued with the souls, humanity shambled along in the dark as unconscious Hollows. Now, they fear death, and their own will to live. WOMAN WITH FANCY HAT: Sometimes I feel obsessed with this insignificant thing called "self." But even so, I am compelled to preserve it. Am I wrong to feel so? Surely you'd do the same, in my shoes? The unseen forces of the world around them seem to agree, as unexplainable curses abound in these kingdoms. Consciousness being a contradiction of nature comes up often in the works of pessimistic horror writers, and consequently, a common motif of True Detective concerns the natural world attempting to snuff out humanity. School closures, town evacuations, dilapidated buildings, ruined police files, all blamed on the frequent hurricanes and storms that ravage the Bayou State. BOARD: "Nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself. We are creatures that should not exist by natural law." -Rustin Cohle, True Detective The pinnacle of nature's take over comes in the form of the antagonist's domain of Carcosa: a grassy, entwined passage of human bones, mummified bodies, and toddler clothing. Carcosa came to be a prominent fixture of gothic horror literature after being first introduced in the 1886 short story, An Inhabitant of Carcosa. Its protagonist learns of his death after coming upon his own grave in a copse amongst the ruins of the ancient city Carcosa. Carcosa later re-emerged in Robert W. Chalmers' classic and influential book of horror stories, The King In Yellow, where he describes it as a cursed city of lost souls. BOARD: Fun Fact: Like True Detective, Dark Souls features a Yellow King: Xanthous King, Jeremiah. Xanthous means "yellow." The Dark Spirit resembles Demon's Souls Old Monk, who was possessed by his yellow robes. Further connections of Carcosa in the sense of True Detective abound in the Souls series. Again, as described more meticulously in Demon's Souls, a deep fog literally cuts off kingdoms from the rest of the world, spawning demons within their walls -- not unlike Stephen King's novel, The Mist. Curiously, the Old One, who manifests himself through the fog, appears as an unformed mass of rocks, branches, and leaves. The Dark Souls games take a more measured approach, simply separating levels with fog gates but also illustrating nature's takeover with the decaying setting. DOOD IN A SWEET HAT: Everything's all run-down and dying. Even the seemingly untouched Anor Lando hides behind the facade of sunlight disguising permanent darkness. In another sense, the inhabitants of these kingdoms deny the natural order of the world. In Dark Souls 1, Darkstalker Kaathe believes Gwyn and his ilk resisted fate itself by prolonging the Age of Fire instead of ushering in the Age of Dark. A GIANT WORM MONSTER CALLED KAATHE APPARENTLY: Lord Gwyn resisted the course of nature by sacrificing himself to link the fire, and commanding his children to shepherd the humans. A similar exchange occurs with the Emerald Herald at the tail-end of Dark Souls 2. SHANALOTTE: By ones who would cozen fate herself, they are the ones who created me. Fate would not be bested and men were cursed once again. The people of these kingdoms have an insatiable will-to-live, and fate seems to play a cruel joke on them with the Curse of the Undead: in a sense, conscious immortality. Those afflicted with the Darksign are destined to live through death until losing their sanity and becoming empty vessels operating off instinct. BOARD: "Stringently considered, then, our only natural birthright is a right to die." -Thomas Ligotti, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race SAD DOOD: We undead will never die. And that's quite a predicament, really... Ironically, becoming Hollow and losing all of their humanity brings the living closer to nature. I mean, they're simply reverting to the natural state we found them in during the intro of Dark Souls 1. Demon's Souls' King Allant not only recognizes these aspects, but also craves retribution for humanity's unending lust for power. During the game's finale, we learn of Allant's true motivation for awakening the Old One. A GROSS-ASS GOOPY JAWN THAT I GUESS IS ALLANT: Surely you have seen for yourself the pain and suffering that fills this world! But fight poison with poison. God is merciful, and so, created the Old One. The Old One will feed upon our souls, and put an end to our tragic realm of existence. Channeling an Old One to annihilate humanity -- as well as the very existence of Dark Souls 2's Great Old Ones -- draws reference to H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, and the Souls series as a whole alludes to his misanthropic horror tales. Just going off a list of Lovecraftian themes, we have the following: 1. Analogous character designs, such as the squid-headed Tower of Latria prison guards, the gelatinous Wannabe Allant and Leechmonger, and the multi-eyed Manus; 2. Temporary victories and the inability to escape from their plight, the literal fate of those stricken with the Darksign; 3. Myriad of unanswered questions, as illustrated by the ever-pondering item descriptions and the multitude of speculative YouTube lore channels, which are dope; 4. Archaic vocabulary, like "cozen"; 5. Sinister direct relations such as this tool-bag in the Catacombs; 6. Isolated and detached individuals, a calling card for the series' tone; 7. The insignificance of humanity, which leads Boletaria and Oolacile down apocalyptic paths; 8. And of course, the mental fragility of its characters in the face of impossible truths, like how you'll eventually end up Hollow by going insane thinking about going Hollow. But perhaps the most interesting commonality with Lovecraftian literature involves dreams and dimensions. Cthulhu is a dead, dreaming God in an underwater corpse city -- a similar role played by Demon's Souls' Old One. BOARD: "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." -The Call of Cthulhu Lovecraft created a dimension called the Dreamlands, entered either through sleep or physically. Visitors meet with gatekeepers who judge their worth, and the Dreamlands feature a pantheon of Great Ones who can be killed by humans. Dreams figure heavily into pessimistic writing. As an unnatural entity, Rustin theorizes he exists in someone's fading memory. Chemically imbalanced after years of undercover drug work, he experiences visions, seeing patterns and ghosts while he works. BOARD: "This place is like someone's memory of a town, and the memory is fading." -Rustin Cohle, True Detective Of course, in the Souls universe, ghosts constantly walk around -- the kindred souls of other worlds. Never really think about it, but your avatar exists as a spirit in someone else's reality -- it's your bloodstain, your random meanderings. Those specters can even enter your world. Strangely, it's far more terrifying facing an aberrant, cognizant player than an innate, primitive Hollow. Even stranger, many players take their lives instead of fight their fellow conscious undead. But even within your own personal world, you visit dreamscapes and odd dimensions, such as the Painted World of Ariamis -- where you jumped down into oblivion to leave; the mysterious limbo of Things Betwixt -- where you jump down into oblivion to enter; into the past Oolacile -- where you affect change by rescuing Sif and battling Manus; and even into the dreams of long-dead Giants -- where you seemingly murder the Giant Lord during a raid on Drangleic. All told, how can you even be sure you're not just someone's nightmare ready to be awoken? DISEMBODIED VOICE: Is this some sort of a dream? What makes your avatar the so-called Chosen Undead when infinite other realities have their own Chosen Undead? I mean, where are these kingdoms anyway? Does the First Flame's influence reach to other kingdoms? Could you leave for another kingdom at any moment? BOARD: "To realize that all your life, all you love, all you hate, all your memories, all your pain, it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream, a dream that you had inside of a locked room. A dream about being a person." -Rustin Cohle, True Detective Or is this a separate dimension, a separate reality, maybe a purgatory -- who knows? CREEPY OLD LADY: You will stand before its decrepit gate without really knowing why. Discussions of being stuck in a dream coalesce into Rustin's -- and Friedrich Nietzche's -- greatest nightmare. During the episode, "The Secret Fate of All Life," the psychopath Reggie LeDoux informs Rust that he has seen him in his dreams and that Rust is now in Carcosa. He then tells him that he will repeat these actions, because time is a flat circle. BOARD: "You can't remember your lives. You can't change your lives...And that is the terrible and secret fate of all life. You're trapped, like a nightmare you keep waking up into." -Rustin Cohle, True Detective Dark Souls 2's narrative focuses heavily on endless cycles, the implication being that Drangleic stands on the ruins of Lordran. MASKED DOOD: Many kingdoms rose and fell on this tract of earth; mine was by no means the first. Anything that has a beginning also has an end. No flame, however brilliant, does not one day splutter and fade. But then from the ashes, the flame reignites, and a new kingdom is born, sporting a new face. We receive hints through the Lord Souls dropped by the game's four Great Ones, such as the Duke's Dear Freja dropping the Old Paledrake Soul and the Lost Sinner dropping the Old Witch Soul. Rekindling the First Flame resets the world, only for everything to happen once again. SHANALOTTE, I THINK: Once the fire is linked, souls will flourish anew, and all of this will play out again. Demon's Souls as well implies humanity will always awaken the Old One through their greed. But the most masterful illustration of eternal return is found in Lordran. Everything in its design features cyclicality. Gameplay-wise, you're essentially playing Edge of Tomorrow: Live. Die. Repeat. The repetition aspect becomes a function of gameplay, as you can retrieve lost experience after death; makes dying a fair bit less annoying. As you get more adept at running the levels -- resisting the greed of another hit, advancing little by little -- you come upon shortcuts to previous areas. Lordran slowly circles in on itself instead of jutting out in a horizontal, linear pattern, showing even the world design features cyclicality. Now, consider Lordran's timeline: Age of Ancients going into the Age of Fire, slowly headed for the Age of Dark. Whether the snuffing of the First Flame leads to true dark or another grey age of ancients doesn't matter. As we see in the intro of the game, and later confirmed in Dark Souls 2, the Age of Dark or Ancients will inexplicably end with an unexplained fire. Thus, nothing you do really matters. All the lust for power, the insatiable will-to-live, the entrenched wars, the petty deceptions, the inbred fear, the never-ending death, and the incurable curse; in the end, it signifies nothing. BOARD: Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing. -Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 24-28) A LITERAL BLUE GUY: How queer, you humans. How you go on, never separating truth from fiction. And yet despite these truths coming to light, hell, despite the intro of Dark Souls 2 telling the protagonist they're stuck in a fruitless cycle of death and empty fortunes, they continue on. So, why even go on this pilgrimage? In another nod to Ligotti, we do it because of our programming. GUY THAT SOUNDS INCHES AWAY FROM LOSING HIS SHIT: Not much to go on, but I have a feeling that won't stop you. No matter the bleakness of his world, Rust gets up and performs his duties to the best of his abilities in the same way the player pushes past Dark Souls' numerous challenges despite being told their effort will be all for naught. BOARD: "I tell myself I bear witness, but the real answer is that it's obviously my programming, and I lack the constitution for suicide." -Rustin Cohle But come on, right? You completed your journey! Everyone told you the pilgrimage was hopeless, but as a human, you conquered Gwyn, Nashandra, and Allant. It's optimistic! And now the future of the kingdom is in your hands. Even the small victory of choice matters somewhat, right? Except it's not your choice, is it? Throughout the game, you have two sides pulling you in either direction; moral hypocrites like True Detective's Billy Lee Tuttle, appealing to your humanity to get what they desire. In Dark Souls 1, Kingseeker Frampt tells you of your destined glory if you kindle the First Flame. He fails to mention the flare will incinerate you. On the other hand, Darkstalker Kaathe tells you to usher in the so-called Age of Man. But Kaathe has a history of misleading humans, as we saw with Oolacile. Also there are way more man-eating serpents than men. In Dark Souls 2, Queen Nashandra, hoping to begin the Age of Dark, uses the player to open the Throne of Want -- for which she can't do herself. Queens deceiving their Kings becomes a motif when considering the DLC, and Shanalotte reveals she has brought you to the land in hopes of taking the place of Vendrick, who failed to sacrifice himself to the flame. It appears she has some ulterior motives as well. Regardless, either choice sees humanity following a pre-destined fate only to arrive under the thumb of greater beings, whether that be dragons, giants, lords, serpents, or unseen gods. Man will not only be second, but they will be the pawns for those higher entities. BOARD: "More strange and awful, of course, would be to find this a living confusion -- life as the dream of a puppet." -Ligotti "So certain that they were more than a biological puppet. Truth wills out, everybody sees once the strings are cut off, all fall down." -Rustin Cohle The philosophies in the Souls universe serve similar purposes as they do in True Detective. Rust's theorizing on nihilism helps highlight the atrocities done unto children, motivating him to help rid the world of these evils. BOARD: "I think about my daughter now, and what she was spared. Sometimes I feel grateful. The doctor said she didn't feel a thing; went straight into coma. Then, somewhere in that blackness, she slipped off into another deper kind. Isn't that a beautiful way to go out? Painlessly as a happy child?" -Rustin Cohle, True Detective FromSoftware imbued their dark RPGs with strong pessimistic philosophies and references to show the bleak hopelessness of humanity's plight. SAD DOOD: To be alive...to walk this earth...that's the real curse right there. Whenever a Prometheus comes along to gift the Hollows fire, they use the flame to burn each other until all that's left is ash, only to start the cycle again -- the same results playing out like a reoccurring nightmare. A nightmare where the protagonist can never cut their puppet strings. WOMAN IN A FANCY HAT: Maybe we're all cursed, from the moment we're born. The only satisfaction comes in fulfilling our biological need to level up and get to the credits. We control our avatars like a marionette for our dopamine hit, and when the developer tells us we have a choice and we believe them and think the game's optimistic, no, they're pulling our strings. You know what, this game is sick! It's a sick game! (ON SCREEN: strummerdood died)