LOS ANGELES — Controversy has erupted across the Souls community after popular Elden Ring streamer Emma “RegalMarika” Baxter announced she would be asking for an epidural during her upcoming childbirth.
“I personally don’t see the issue with it,” said Baxter during a ‘Blindfolded Two-Finger Only’ run of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. “At the end of the day I want the experience to be as smooth and painless as possible. I’m not looking to prove anything by suffering through intense agony. I am fed-up with the constant comments. I called 911 a few weeks ago after experiencing some chest pains. Turned out to be nothing, but what do I find waiting for me back home? A five-figure medical bill and some jerk called WildeStrikes claiming I was an ‘ambulance summoning scrub’.”
Despite Baxter’s complaints, there are those who are firm in their beliefs that she shouldn’t use an epidural.
“I always thought of RegalMarika as one of the real gamers,” explained Reddit user Involuntary Maidenless in a post on the Elden Ring subreddit. “Well, as real as a female gamer can be. I was willing to accept the allergy medication and the healthy diet. Yet to deny herself of the challenge of birthing a human into the world without resorting to pain relief? She’s really showing her true colors. She of all people should know to just git gud”
“This isn’t about me,” Maidenless continued. “This is about saving childbirth. If we don’t stand up and protest, then doctors are gonna casualize the birthing process for everyone. We need to maintain what makes a pregnancy special: and that’s pure, preventable pain.”
The sheer number of participants commenting on RegalMarika’s private medical choices has even led to some hospitals chiming in.
“We’ve received hundreds of comments and want to assure the community we are listening,” Bloodborn Maternity said in a press release. “We pride ourselves in delivering challenging yet satisfying births, and have no intention to nerf the process to appeal to a wider pregnant audience.”
At press time, fellow streamer Asmongold weighed in on the controversy declaring he would never even consider doing a pregnancy run due to the difficulty of finding a partner.
