Aefenglom Application
Player Information
Name: Gwiggs
Age: 27
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
McGwiggles
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: The Plain Doll
Canon: Bloodborne
Canon Point: Post-canon, after the “Childhood's Beginning” ending.
Age: Unknown. She's a magical doll that lives in a weird timeless dream, it's hard to say.
History:
Wiki Link
If extra info is needed on Bloodborne's story (although not on The Doll's role in it specifically), this video is an excellent source.
The wiki page is pretty sparse, though, so allow me to give you some background:
The Doll is something of an enigma. Before she existed in the Hunter's Dream – before she was an entity capable of thought and feelings – she existed in the old abandonned workshop, as an inanimate, non-sentient doll, created by Gehrman, the lonely hunter of the old workshop.
It's heavily implied that she was designed to look like Maria (one of Gehrman's first students). While the Doll doesn't seem to know about Maria at all, there is undoubtedly a connection there, as the Doll mentions that she feels 'freed' when the player character kills Maria within the Hunter's Nightmare.
When the Hunter's Dream was created, it was made into a replica of that old abandoned workshop, and a replica of that same doll was created along with it – making the character known as The Doll.
Although the Plain Doll is not actually the same exact doll that might find in the abandoned workshop – and thus has no direct recollection of its existence – it's undeniable that she has a strong bond to the inanimate version of herself from the waking world. She knows, almost instinctively, that she was created by humans, for example. When the player character brings her the small, ornate comb from the old abandoned workshop, she says that she can't remember anything about it, but it still fills her heart with joy – a feeling she has never felt before.
The Doll's role in the Hunter's dream was a simple one: To watch over, and care for the Hunters she encounters. There is another agenda at play in that place, a far more sinister, manipulative one. Gehrman (the only other permanent resident of the dream) is not bound to the Hunter's Dream by choice. Rather, he has been bound and imprisoned by the Moon Presence – a Great One of immense power, using him (and the concept of the Hunt); arguably out of compassion, but undoubtedly to its own personal gain.
The Doll does not know what the Moon Presence has planned, nor does she seem to care. Such things are completely out of her control, and she already knows what her purpose in things is. And so, when Hunters come into the Dream, she does not trouble them with talk of such things. She allows them to go on believing that the Hunt is all about killing the beasts that stalk Yharnam, and she uses the blood echoes of their foes to strengthen them when they ask her to.
Her life fell into a pattern - a Hunter would arrive within the dream, she would show them kindness and strengthen them the only way she knows how, until they eventually go mad from the scourge (as was the case with Father Gascoigne and Henryk) or they find a way to break away from the dream by choice (as was the case with Eileen and Djura). Regardless of how their stories end, though, the Doll would always care for them. in her own way, until they cease dreaming.
The latest Hunter in this cycle was a special one, although the Doll did not know it at first. She helped them as they traversed Yharnam for the first time, strengthening them and encouraging them as the fought a great many powerful beasts and search for answers that no one seems to hold.
Hunters kill beasts, and the better hunters can even slay larger, more powerful beasts. It was mad exceptionally clear, though, that her latest Hunter was something special when they killed the Great One known as Rom the Vacuous Spider – an insectoid entity with many eyes, living within a lake.
This was the first Great One to be killed by this particular Hunter, but it would not be the last. Throughout the Hunter's travels (which were long, and contained many details that the Doll was not privy to), the Hunter fought many beasts, humans, and even fellow hunters. But their most significant prey were the Great Ones: Amygdala, the Celestial Emissary, and Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos.
Each fight was a harrowing challenge, and as the good Hunter cut their way through the beast-infested city streets and winding forest paths, the Hunter would return to the Hunter's Dream whenever they needed a reprieve. There, the Hunter would rest and give a substance known as blood-echoes to the Doll, and she would use those very echoes to strengthen them before they went on to face their next prey.
This cycle continued, until the Hunter found their way into the place called the Nightmare of Mensis – a warped, twisted realm where a group of scholars known as the School of Mensis undertook a terrible ritual to drag themselves into the realm of the Great Ones, in hopes of being granted godhood themselves. This ritual, it seems, was the source of most of the madness in Yharnam.
After killing Micolash, the leader of the school, the Hunter found their true target, and the end goal intended for them: Mergo. Mergo itself is a fairly helpless entity – the only challenged posed for the Hunter is by its Wet Nurse, who jumps to its defense.
After killing the Nurse (and, more importantly, the baby Mergo along with it) the Hunter is dragged back into the Hunter's dream one final time. It is there that Gehrman assures the hunter that they have succeeded, and that the hunt is now over for them. He offers them an out, that he could sever their ties to the Hunter's Dream and free them. The Hunter declines, and Gehrman attacks them as a result – trying, no doubt, to sever them by force if need be.
The Hunter succeeds in slaying Gehrman, and is then approached by his master: The Moon Presence, a Great One that had been using Gehrman and his hunt. Its end goal had been the death of Mergo, apparently, although it's unclear as to why. The Moon Presence embraces the Hunter, and attempts to make them into its new puppet – to take the place of the deceased Gehrman.
Thankfully, though, throughout their travels the Hunter managed to collect what amounts to an entire Great One umbilical cord - there's a lot of motherly/womb symbolism in the story, which is why such a thing holds such a significant amount of power. The Moon Presence is repelled by the arcane strength of the umbilical cord and the Hunter avoids enslavement to the Great One. Then, on much more even ground, the Hunter fights the Moon Presence and somehow manages to kill it too.
Something is different, about this death, though. Perhaps it's because the Hunter was bound to the dream that the Moon Presence created, but this was not like the other times they had killed Great Ones. Instead, everything went dark afterward.
When the Hunter woke up once more, they themselves had changed, becoming an infant Great One themselves, and have ascended to a plane that few humans have ever reached.
The Doll retrieves his infant from the ground and coddles, as if it were her own child.
[This is the canon point that she would enter the game from]
Personality:
The Doll's personality, first and foremost, revolves around a deep-seated love and devotion for humans. Specifically, a love for the humans in which she has been able to come in contact with – namely, the Hunters. The very first thing she says in the game, is as follows:
“Hello, good hunter. I am a doll, here in this dream to look after you. Honorable hunter, pursue the echoes of blood, and I will channel them into your strength. You will hunt beasts... and I will be here for you, to embolden your sickly spirit."
In this statement, she explicitly claims that her purpose in the Hunter's Dream is to look after the player character. This role, while important, doesn't appear to be exclusive to the player character, however, as she later says: “Over time, countless hunters have visited this dream.” And because she saw and interacted with them, it can be easily extrapolated that she served a similar role to the hunters she has met in the past.
Her entire existence seems to be to look after the hunters, and embolden them through the use of blood echoes. Even Gehrman seems to view her as a tool for hunters to use when he says, “We don't have as many tools as we once did, but... You're welcome to use whatever you find,” before adding in a whisper: “...Even the doll, should it please you."
This singular purpose is no doubt the reasoning behind her devotion to the player character throughout the game. She was made (or, at the very least, brought to life) with a purpose in mind, and she is simply fulfilling that purpose. But the way she treats the player character goes beyond just devotion. After the player character slays Vicar Amelia, the Doll says this:
“Hunters have told me about the church. About the gods, and their love. But... do the gods love their creations? I am a doll, created by you humans. Would you ever think to love me? Of course... I do love you. Isn't that how you've made me?"
This quote is extremely important, and it brings up three important points: The first, and most obvious, is that she outright expresses her love for humans – because the player character wasn't actually the Doll's creator, it can be assumed that 'you' is referring to humans, although the player character is certainly included in that group.
This is a bit of an oddity, because throughout the game, the Doll shows no sadness or remorse for the citizens of Yharnam – neither for the average people who are becoming horrible beasts, nor for the still-human members of the Healing Church who are cut down by the hunters. No, she only shows concern for Hunters, which are the only humans she has ever met. This shows that the Doll's love is not all-encompassing and does not operate on a grand scale. Instead, she bonds and connects emotionally to the humans she meets. (This aspect of her personality will be important later.)
The second point that the quote brings up is that the Doll is aware of the possibility that her love is unrequited. In fact, she seems to doubt that the Hunter she is speaking to would ever even think of loving her back. This does not deter her affection at all, however, as she soon follows it up with, “Of course... I do love you.”
In this, the depth of her devotion to the hunters shines through; she doesn't ask or even seem to want anything in exchange for her love. Another example of this is that if the player character chooses to attack the Doll, she will not fight back. Instead, upon leaving the dream and coming back, the Doll will be alive once more. When talked to, she bears no ill-will upon the player character for their actions against her, and offers the same services and kind words as she had before the assault.
The third point that is brought up is in the quotes, “Isn't that how you've made me.” The Doll seems to be aware of the possibility that her feelings in this matter are artificial. She does not love humans because of the kindness they have shown her, but rather she loves them because she was made to love them.
Her tone is not harsh, and the Doll doesn't seem to resent or be upset by this fact, however. It just seems to be a fact about herself that she is aware of, and I find that sort of interesting.
Also, there's a certain... passive amorality about the Doll that is immensely important to her character. Her priorities are clear: She ants to look after her beloved Hunter as best as she can, and seems to be very concerned about their well-being. It's rare, but sometimes the Doll can be heard praying for them when she believes no one is around to hear her:
"O Flora, of the moon, of the dream. O little ones, O fleeting will of the ancients... Let the hunter be safe, let him/her find comfort. And let this dream, his/her captor... foretell a pleasant awakening... be, one day, a fond, distant memory..." The sentiment in this prayer is clear: She wants the player character to be safe and comfortable and for the danger of the hunt to be over for them.
There's something extremely important to note here, though, and it's that the game has absolutely no other references to any sort of entity known as “Flora of the moon.” There is, however, a being within the Hunter's Dream known only as the Moon Presence, which seems to have a great amount of control over the dream itself and is the one who has shackled Gehrman to the unending dream that she calls home (a fact that the Doll may be well aware of, if only for the fact that she has spent many years in the dream with Gehrman, and he talks in his sleep about the things that bother him).
Operating under the assumption that she is praying to the Moon Presence (which seems to be the case) it implies a level of awareness of some of the things going on behind the scenes.
Which is where that 'passive amorality' I mentioned comes in: The Doll never actually gives the player character any clues or information regarding the Great Ones, or about the Moon Presence itself. At the same time, though, she doesn't seem to be involved or invested in whatever the Moon Presence has planned at all. She makes no active moves to aid it in any way, and she doesn't seem to particularly care whether the Moon Presence inevitably enslaves or is slain by the Hunter – she seems content to continue to watch over the Hunter whether they become a slave to the dream or an infant Great One.
To put it simply: The greater plots of Bloodborne seem to be largely irrelevant to the Plain Doll. She has a purpose to fulfill: Watching over and caring for the hunters who come through the Hunter's Dream. She does, genuinely, seem to care about those people. But the fate of Yharnam, and the goings-on of greater entities? Those don't seem to be the sorts of things she concerns herself with.
Abilities & Skills:
Inventory/Companions:
Choice:
Reason:
Sample:
Name: Gwiggs
Age: 27
Contact:
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: The Plain Doll
Canon: Bloodborne
Canon Point: Post-canon, after the “Childhood's Beginning” ending.
Age: Unknown. She's a magical doll that lives in a weird timeless dream, it's hard to say.
History:
Wiki Link
If extra info is needed on Bloodborne's story (although not on The Doll's role in it specifically), this video is an excellent source.
The wiki page is pretty sparse, though, so allow me to give you some background:
The Doll is something of an enigma. Before she existed in the Hunter's Dream – before she was an entity capable of thought and feelings – she existed in the old abandonned workshop, as an inanimate, non-sentient doll, created by Gehrman, the lonely hunter of the old workshop.
It's heavily implied that she was designed to look like Maria (one of Gehrman's first students). While the Doll doesn't seem to know about Maria at all, there is undoubtedly a connection there, as the Doll mentions that she feels 'freed' when the player character kills Maria within the Hunter's Nightmare.
When the Hunter's Dream was created, it was made into a replica of that old abandoned workshop, and a replica of that same doll was created along with it – making the character known as The Doll.
Although the Plain Doll is not actually the same exact doll that might find in the abandoned workshop – and thus has no direct recollection of its existence – it's undeniable that she has a strong bond to the inanimate version of herself from the waking world. She knows, almost instinctively, that she was created by humans, for example. When the player character brings her the small, ornate comb from the old abandoned workshop, she says that she can't remember anything about it, but it still fills her heart with joy – a feeling she has never felt before.
The Doll's role in the Hunter's dream was a simple one: To watch over, and care for the Hunters she encounters. There is another agenda at play in that place, a far more sinister, manipulative one. Gehrman (the only other permanent resident of the dream) is not bound to the Hunter's Dream by choice. Rather, he has been bound and imprisoned by the Moon Presence – a Great One of immense power, using him (and the concept of the Hunt); arguably out of compassion, but undoubtedly to its own personal gain.
The Doll does not know what the Moon Presence has planned, nor does she seem to care. Such things are completely out of her control, and she already knows what her purpose in things is. And so, when Hunters come into the Dream, she does not trouble them with talk of such things. She allows them to go on believing that the Hunt is all about killing the beasts that stalk Yharnam, and she uses the blood echoes of their foes to strengthen them when they ask her to.
Her life fell into a pattern - a Hunter would arrive within the dream, she would show them kindness and strengthen them the only way she knows how, until they eventually go mad from the scourge (as was the case with Father Gascoigne and Henryk) or they find a way to break away from the dream by choice (as was the case with Eileen and Djura). Regardless of how their stories end, though, the Doll would always care for them. in her own way, until they cease dreaming.
The latest Hunter in this cycle was a special one, although the Doll did not know it at first. She helped them as they traversed Yharnam for the first time, strengthening them and encouraging them as the fought a great many powerful beasts and search for answers that no one seems to hold.
Hunters kill beasts, and the better hunters can even slay larger, more powerful beasts. It was mad exceptionally clear, though, that her latest Hunter was something special when they killed the Great One known as Rom the Vacuous Spider – an insectoid entity with many eyes, living within a lake.
This was the first Great One to be killed by this particular Hunter, but it would not be the last. Throughout the Hunter's travels (which were long, and contained many details that the Doll was not privy to), the Hunter fought many beasts, humans, and even fellow hunters. But their most significant prey were the Great Ones: Amygdala, the Celestial Emissary, and Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos.
Each fight was a harrowing challenge, and as the good Hunter cut their way through the beast-infested city streets and winding forest paths, the Hunter would return to the Hunter's Dream whenever they needed a reprieve. There, the Hunter would rest and give a substance known as blood-echoes to the Doll, and she would use those very echoes to strengthen them before they went on to face their next prey.
This cycle continued, until the Hunter found their way into the place called the Nightmare of Mensis – a warped, twisted realm where a group of scholars known as the School of Mensis undertook a terrible ritual to drag themselves into the realm of the Great Ones, in hopes of being granted godhood themselves. This ritual, it seems, was the source of most of the madness in Yharnam.
After killing Micolash, the leader of the school, the Hunter found their true target, and the end goal intended for them: Mergo. Mergo itself is a fairly helpless entity – the only challenged posed for the Hunter is by its Wet Nurse, who jumps to its defense.
After killing the Nurse (and, more importantly, the baby Mergo along with it) the Hunter is dragged back into the Hunter's dream one final time. It is there that Gehrman assures the hunter that they have succeeded, and that the hunt is now over for them. He offers them an out, that he could sever their ties to the Hunter's Dream and free them. The Hunter declines, and Gehrman attacks them as a result – trying, no doubt, to sever them by force if need be.
The Hunter succeeds in slaying Gehrman, and is then approached by his master: The Moon Presence, a Great One that had been using Gehrman and his hunt. Its end goal had been the death of Mergo, apparently, although it's unclear as to why. The Moon Presence embraces the Hunter, and attempts to make them into its new puppet – to take the place of the deceased Gehrman.
Thankfully, though, throughout their travels the Hunter managed to collect what amounts to an entire Great One umbilical cord - there's a lot of motherly/womb symbolism in the story, which is why such a thing holds such a significant amount of power. The Moon Presence is repelled by the arcane strength of the umbilical cord and the Hunter avoids enslavement to the Great One. Then, on much more even ground, the Hunter fights the Moon Presence and somehow manages to kill it too.
Something is different, about this death, though. Perhaps it's because the Hunter was bound to the dream that the Moon Presence created, but this was not like the other times they had killed Great Ones. Instead, everything went dark afterward.
When the Hunter woke up once more, they themselves had changed, becoming an infant Great One themselves, and have ascended to a plane that few humans have ever reached.
The Doll retrieves his infant from the ground and coddles, as if it were her own child.
[This is the canon point that she would enter the game from]
Personality:
The Doll's personality, first and foremost, revolves around a deep-seated love and devotion for humans. Specifically, a love for the humans in which she has been able to come in contact with – namely, the Hunters. The very first thing she says in the game, is as follows:
“Hello, good hunter. I am a doll, here in this dream to look after you. Honorable hunter, pursue the echoes of blood, and I will channel them into your strength. You will hunt beasts... and I will be here for you, to embolden your sickly spirit."
In this statement, she explicitly claims that her purpose in the Hunter's Dream is to look after the player character. This role, while important, doesn't appear to be exclusive to the player character, however, as she later says: “Over time, countless hunters have visited this dream.” And because she saw and interacted with them, it can be easily extrapolated that she served a similar role to the hunters she has met in the past.
Her entire existence seems to be to look after the hunters, and embolden them through the use of blood echoes. Even Gehrman seems to view her as a tool for hunters to use when he says, “We don't have as many tools as we once did, but... You're welcome to use whatever you find,” before adding in a whisper: “...Even the doll, should it please you."
This singular purpose is no doubt the reasoning behind her devotion to the player character throughout the game. She was made (or, at the very least, brought to life) with a purpose in mind, and she is simply fulfilling that purpose. But the way she treats the player character goes beyond just devotion. After the player character slays Vicar Amelia, the Doll says this:
“Hunters have told me about the church. About the gods, and their love. But... do the gods love their creations? I am a doll, created by you humans. Would you ever think to love me? Of course... I do love you. Isn't that how you've made me?"
This quote is extremely important, and it brings up three important points: The first, and most obvious, is that she outright expresses her love for humans – because the player character wasn't actually the Doll's creator, it can be assumed that 'you' is referring to humans, although the player character is certainly included in that group.
This is a bit of an oddity, because throughout the game, the Doll shows no sadness or remorse for the citizens of Yharnam – neither for the average people who are becoming horrible beasts, nor for the still-human members of the Healing Church who are cut down by the hunters. No, she only shows concern for Hunters, which are the only humans she has ever met. This shows that the Doll's love is not all-encompassing and does not operate on a grand scale. Instead, she bonds and connects emotionally to the humans she meets. (This aspect of her personality will be important later.)
The second point that the quote brings up is that the Doll is aware of the possibility that her love is unrequited. In fact, she seems to doubt that the Hunter she is speaking to would ever even think of loving her back. This does not deter her affection at all, however, as she soon follows it up with, “Of course... I do love you.”
In this, the depth of her devotion to the hunters shines through; she doesn't ask or even seem to want anything in exchange for her love. Another example of this is that if the player character chooses to attack the Doll, she will not fight back. Instead, upon leaving the dream and coming back, the Doll will be alive once more. When talked to, she bears no ill-will upon the player character for their actions against her, and offers the same services and kind words as she had before the assault.
The third point that is brought up is in the quotes, “Isn't that how you've made me.” The Doll seems to be aware of the possibility that her feelings in this matter are artificial. She does not love humans because of the kindness they have shown her, but rather she loves them because she was made to love them.
Her tone is not harsh, and the Doll doesn't seem to resent or be upset by this fact, however. It just seems to be a fact about herself that she is aware of, and I find that sort of interesting.
Also, there's a certain... passive amorality about the Doll that is immensely important to her character. Her priorities are clear: She ants to look after her beloved Hunter as best as she can, and seems to be very concerned about their well-being. It's rare, but sometimes the Doll can be heard praying for them when she believes no one is around to hear her:
"O Flora, of the moon, of the dream. O little ones, O fleeting will of the ancients... Let the hunter be safe, let him/her find comfort. And let this dream, his/her captor... foretell a pleasant awakening... be, one day, a fond, distant memory..." The sentiment in this prayer is clear: She wants the player character to be safe and comfortable and for the danger of the hunt to be over for them.
There's something extremely important to note here, though, and it's that the game has absolutely no other references to any sort of entity known as “Flora of the moon.” There is, however, a being within the Hunter's Dream known only as the Moon Presence, which seems to have a great amount of control over the dream itself and is the one who has shackled Gehrman to the unending dream that she calls home (a fact that the Doll may be well aware of, if only for the fact that she has spent many years in the dream with Gehrman, and he talks in his sleep about the things that bother him).
Operating under the assumption that she is praying to the Moon Presence (which seems to be the case) it implies a level of awareness of some of the things going on behind the scenes.
Which is where that 'passive amorality' I mentioned comes in: The Doll never actually gives the player character any clues or information regarding the Great Ones, or about the Moon Presence itself. At the same time, though, she doesn't seem to be involved or invested in whatever the Moon Presence has planned at all. She makes no active moves to aid it in any way, and she doesn't seem to particularly care whether the Moon Presence inevitably enslaves or is slain by the Hunter – she seems content to continue to watch over the Hunter whether they become a slave to the dream or an infant Great One.
To put it simply: The greater plots of Bloodborne seem to be largely irrelevant to the Plain Doll. She has a purpose to fulfill: Watching over and caring for the hunters who come through the Hunter's Dream. She does, genuinely, seem to care about those people. But the fate of Yharnam, and the goings-on of greater entities? Those don't seem to be the sorts of things she concerns herself with.
Abilities & Skills:
Inventory/Companions:
Choice:
Reason:
Sample:
