I should have been better. But I’m not, and here I am.
A Defiler named Timmy sits near the Place of Grace within the Eternal City of Nokron. In this vast, overwhelming place, like all the other places he passed, flowed through his veins all the strength a warrior could hope for. The problem is, it’s completely useless to him now.
This supergod among demigods—like Kurt Russell if he lost an eye and suffered the kind of frostbite you would only get by making a naked snow angel in the Arctic—sadly Looking at the trusty medallion he had just unequipped. The badge was modified by a force of viciousness and taunting beyond his knowledge, making him completely invincible. So far, this medal has helped him defeat the likes of Renara, Godric, and the mighty Radhaan in one fell swoop.
The medal allowed him to waltz through an often bloody ground without ever getting a scratch – in blatant defiance of God, popular opinion, and, most shockingly, Hidetaka Miyazaki.
He threw it away.
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Immediately, he watched his health bar evaporate from a large lake into a small puddle, because during his exciting flight closer to the sun of ultimate power, he completely forgot to add vitality points. His body began to collapse, under the weight of the equipment, which would have been nothing more than a lead coffin to those without infinite abilities.
Without this medal, he is just a human being. A man is forced to strip naked and search his inventory for armor that won’t break his glass spine in half.
Once he had cobbled together some makeshift clothing, weak and fragile, he emerged from his walled shelter and took his first steps into a new life, across a dim stone courtyard lit by cold, distant stars. As he wandered, carefully avoiding the few smaller enemies that stood between him and his goal, he remembered how easy things had been so far.
The words of Hayao Miyazaki, who constantly advocated heroic struggle, echoed in his mind. “If we really wanted the whole world to play this game, we could keep lowering the difficulty. But that’s not the right thing to do,” the voice booms. “If we had taken this approach, I don’t think the game would be as good as it is now, because the sense of accomplishment the player gets from overcoming these obstacles is a fundamental part of the experience. Lowering the difficulty would take away the fun of the game – in my opinion. This would break the game itself.
As Tarnished arrives at the boss lair that awaits him, he ponders what his chagrin (which the game itself repeatedly calls “misconduct”) means for him entering this fight. He stared into the mist, wondering if he had given up his only chance to truly appreciate a great thing, for reasons that were as pathetic as they were stupid.
He concluded that he probably had. But, in some perverse and illogical way, this sacrifice was still worth it because it resulted in this. He passes through obstacles.
Inside, he was greeted by the same hellish creature that had forced him to give up, give up his runes, and teleport away just minutes before… a face that looked a bit like a frostbitten Kurt Russell. This time, it won’t be unkillable. But neither would Timmy. The pair of completely useless architectural mirror images – one piloted by a computer that knows what it’s doing, the other by a human who clearly has no idea what it’s doing – confront each other in front of a group of uncaring stone pillars.
Timmy fought hard and pushed his opponent to the brink of defeat. Then, for the first time, he dies (in a way that doesn’t prevent him from falling from very high things).
His soul slipped back to the land of grace at Knockron, humiliated and hopeless. He knew he couldn’t give up so easily, so he tinkered with his gear, swapping out the fire-based Ashes of War for a blood-based one, just like his comrades – who were actually good at fighting bosses – and had the skills to fight. Temperament required – recommended. He planted some runes and actually put some points into Vitality.
Then he tries again. And then again. And then again. Although he once panicked and tried to use the Star Scourge, it went completely wrong each time in incredibly stupid ways. He is going through this process. But despite his best efforts, he didn’t enjoy it. He felt like he was banging his head against a wall, but he didn’t think Adrenaline rush When he finally defeats his enemy, he will feel that it was all worth it.
He tries to find joy in life as a virtual whipper, but the confessions offered simply don’t appeal to him. He saw the vision and understood why others loved it so much. This doesn’t suit him. It doesn’t matter. He’s been quietly enjoying his perfect time with this twisted, imperfect version of Elden Ring. The only problem is, the world’s most useless unstoppable force now meets an immovable object.
But there is one last glimmer of hope. Last resort. Timmy went back to watch Tears of Mimicry again. Just before he passed through the mist, he lowered his weapon and removed his sword and shield. When he emerged on the other side, his clone rushed towards him and unleashed a series of punches.
Timmy re-armed his sword, staying afloat as the gentle waves washed over him. He almost felt bad doing it. almost.
As Timmy sat in his newly activated New Grace location, re-equipping his charged medallion and becoming invincible again, he heard Miyazaki’s words again in his mind. “I thought if I could find a way to control the game, I could turn it into anything I wanted. The bottom line was that if my idea failed, no one would care – and it already failed. .
This failure, the failure to think that you should try to be better at FromSoft games but just don’t want to, stands up.
It takes its stride, gets deeper into the game it takes control of, and turns it into what it wants it to be, allowing it to enjoy and appreciate the rest of the great work that went into crafting the experience, knowing for a fact that it’s been done so This is not the end of the world.
If you want to try Timmy’s Immortal Medal for yourself, check out this mod, Liar.
