>>512472849That's basically Melina's role. Would be best if we had some direct Marika monologue with the player, but the approach that was taken is an emphasis on indirectly showing the player who Marika is through Melina. They take it a step farther in the DLC by giving Marika a full backstory with the Shaman Village, and having Messmer, Miquella along with other NPCs directly refer to the Tarnished as Marika's Lord/Consort.
The approach is to show the humanity of Marika through indirect anecdotes, while implicitly showing her desire to be with the Tarnished through grace, the most important lore related mechanic in the game that allows for resurrection and spawn points, along with direct statements in the DLC that she chose the Tarnished as her Lord/Consort. It's essentially a dynamic romance unfolding between Marika and Tarnished in real time that shys away from the directness of Ranni's questline and ending.
By seeing all of Marika's indirect actions, and experiencing her very direct aid through grace, the player decides whether she can be redeemed and is worthy of their love, and what form that relationship should take (depending on the Rune they embed or alternative ending they choose).
Frenzy: existential rejection, there is no saving you aside from destroying you
Age of Stars: rejection, there is a better alternative to you
Age of Perfect Order: traditional wife, I can fix you and I know we can make this work so long as we honor our roles assigned by God properly
Age of Fracture: ordinary wife, I have resigned myself to never having the stability and happiness I dreamt of in a marriage
Age of Duskborn: dead marriage, I have resigned myself to rotting with copes in place of the real intimacy and excitement I yearned for
Age of Despair: whorish degenerate marriage, I have become identified with my shortcomings and impose them on everyone else including my wife
