These 2 are 100% Toxic Yuri. No one can change my mind.
Cordelia yearns for attention, and because Karlheinz is unable to feel anything towards anyone, Cordelia is stuck craving and wanting. Especially since Karlheinz doesn’t care for Cordelia, seeing her as a failed experiment and a means to an end.
Cue Beatrix.
Someone who can GIVE Cordelia the reactions and attention she wants, while still revelling in the same stoic, cold, nonchalant appeal that Karlheinz brings.
—All in the twisted comfort and solace in Beatrix.
And that somewhat tears Cordelia inside knowing that she must seek it out from Beatrix—her rival.
In a way, she finds herself loathing how Karlheinz sees her as disposable despite seeing Karlheinz as her drug, her innate need to be seen as a true woman or a true person in her own right. As in a way, she’s forfeited everything to him; her life, her soul, her.
So it’s quite scary to see herself so comfortable in the soothing—yet gentle—arms of Beatrix. So much that she starts to crave it. …And perhaps like it.
100% toxic since Cordelia—in her twisted senses—attributes these new found “acts of service,” albeit gentler than she’s used to, as something foreign yet needy. Needy in the way that she’s never thought she could be needed or valued in such a way.
It goes against her values, especially since Cordelia believes Beatrix is under her mercy, her whims. Only for Cordelia to realize the innermost parts of her has forfeited parts of her (shockingly unclaimed?!) heart to Beatrix—despite it being for Karlheinz.
Or so she thought.
It’s toxic in Cordelia’s possessiveness towards her inability to share Beatrix’s attention, border-lining her urges to ruin Beatrix in every way she can. Ripping and gnawing at skin, scratches—red streaky lines—coursing broadened backs, and stealing selfish bruising kisses, where sharpened fangs tear gums and burst lips like hot searing geysers.
Whereas Beatrix realizes she’s one of the only people who can “handle” or “deal” with Cordelia, in any way she sees fit. The sole person who can fully understand Cordelia’s insecurities and amateurish ways in which she displays it. Amateurish. That’s Cordelia. In comparison to Beatrix, that is, in terms of relationships and “playing house.”
But Beatrix is toxic, too. For every “model” housewife holds secrets unlike any other. She knows how to carefully manipulate Cordelia’s needs. The way in which she keeps Cordelia coming back when she’s in one of her “depressive” moods. Where she finds her self-worth attributed to whatever selfish desires she can enact and take—take, take, TAKE—from another. Never give. Always take.
And Beatrix? Always willing to give—for the right price, that is.
Cordelia is violently reckless in her love, where Beatrix monopolizes Cordelia’s immaturity in it.
Ok so I’m hella rusty here because I haven’t done analysis in a while. But I started thinking about this because I remember a post a long time ago that called Reiji weak for hiring a vampire hunter to kill his mother. And that’s stuck with me for a long while.
I know we talk about all of the trauma and pain all these boys have a lot but I feel like Reiji gets glossed over a lot simply because he’s really good at hiding that pain for the most part.
But when it comes out it’s glaring. He’s screaming for attention and appreciation as loudly and desperately as all of the other brothers.
Because here’s the thing, hiring a vampire hunter to kill his mother isn’t as weak as it is calculating. Everything Reiji does is so painfully calculated.
Reiji is ignored his whole life. We know that. He is the most neglected Sakamaki, which directly correlates to his standards of perfection. The more the neglect, the more he strives for perfection. All of the other brothers had some sort of recognition, regardless of how batshit it was. Reiji got nothing. Growing up it was as if he didn’t exist.
What Reiji wants most is recognition.
Shu is such a huge sore spot because Shu shadows all possibility for Reiji to get recognition. It’s why when Yui comes back with Shu’s scent (even though all she did was talk to him) Reiji reacts as strongly as he does, and whips her through the night. He resorts to physical lashing--to something that will scar over so that there will be a permanent reminder on her body that he exists. So that Yui will be forced to recognize Reiji, so that even if she doesn’t see him, she feels his pain. She knows he exists.
It’s the equivalent of a child throwing a tantrum for attention. Look at me. Focus on me. Hear me. See me. He desperately wants/needs to make himself known, but he does it in a way that assumes false composure. He is the living breathing definition of “fake it till you make it.”
So then looking at the whipping scene. Yui thinks to herself something along the lines of “are these scars the ones on Reiji’s heart? Maybe that’s too convenient...” but I don’t think it’s convenient at all. I think that’s precisely it. Reiji can lash out at Yui. Can leave his mark on her. He couldn’t do the same to Beatrix.
Lowkey starting to sound like Laito
Here’s where the vampire hunter comes in. I think a lot of people struggle with the concept because if Reiji hated Beatrix so much, why not just kill her himself? Why not own the entirety of the whole process? What’s the point?
To answer the first question, I don’t believe Reiji really hated Beatrix. I think he resented her. Heavily. But I don’t think he hated her. Above all he revered her for a very long time. And when he finally realized he’d never be recognized for going above and beyond her expectations, that’s where he had to shift gears. If he wouldn’t be noticed for his perfection, then he’d be noticed for his strength/power.
Ok, so with that in mind, it doesn’t make sense to hire someone to do the job for you, right? But I’d argue that it’s precisely because he didn’t hate her that he couldn’t bring himself to kill her the way the triplets kill their mom. Because quick aside, the triplets fucking hate their mom.
In my opinion, Reiji’s thought process was hire the vampire hunter so that Beatrix can suffer, so that she can feel pain and torment the way Reiji has all these years. And then, just before she dies, he reveals himself to be the mastermind who orchestrated it all. Beatrix then feels the ultimate betrayal of being killed by her son, and dies in anguish being forced to finally face Reiji and see him for who he is. Maybe even with a sprinkle of regret for neglecting him.
All of that backfires on him, however, because instead of feeling betrayed, Beatrix smiles, tells Reiji she was glad it was him who killed her, and dies in peace.
All his plans have fallen to shambles, cue the dramatic break-down.
Before I get to said breakdown, let’s take a moment to think about what killing means to vampires. For anyone new here, killing for vampires is the ultimate declaration of love. Previously I’ve analyzed Reiji wanting to kill his mom as a way of owning her, so that she’ll always belong to him. Similar-but-different to why Laito wants to kill Cordelia.
HOWEVER.
I think I’m going to amend that. Because I think this further explains why Reiji might have hired a vampire hunter. He hired the hunter, sure, but he didn’t directly kill Beatrix. He only orchestrated her demise. Showed up at the end so that he could have the satisfaction of seeing her take her last breath. So that he could look down at her. So that when/if she asked for his help, he could deny her of that. In other words, by hiring a vampire hunter, it’s the ultimate I don’t love you/fuck you.
He wants Beatrix to hurt. He wants her to feel that same rejection that he’s felt from her. He wants to be able to reject her in the same way she’s rejected him.
But. It doesn’t. Work. Because this bitch really dies with a smile on her face!!!
Okay so now we’re at his mini mental breakdown. All of the boys react to displeasing situations in different ways/have various coping mechanisms. Shu sleeps things off, Laito has sex, Kanato screams/goes to his doll room, Ayato challenges people/blows off steam and Subaru obviously resorts to violence/destroying things.
Reiji is interesting because he strives for solutions. He becomes engrossed in fixing whatever it might be that he found “unpleasant” or “disagreeable.”
In this case, obviously, he feels as though his mom died in the wrong way.
So he’s just gonna kill her again the right way. All he has to do is come up with a potion that will bring people back to life. No big deal.
People gloss over this a lot, I think. Like oh, Reiji just made a freaking revival potion in two days cuz he’s smart or whatever. He’s always brewing something anyway, how is this any different?
But guys. He’s been working on this shit for YEARS. Beatrix dies before Cordelia does, which means that he’s been trying to make this potion work since before Yui is born. That is 16+ years AT LEAST.
SIXTEEN. YEARS??? Who?? Has the patience for that??? It’s his life project. Bringing his mother back literally is his everything. He is consumed by the need to make her “die the right way,” to exact his revenge and make her suffer the way he’d originally intended.
So now imagine you’re Reiji. Imagine you’re chilling after hours of research for your life’s work that you’re so close to completing. And then this tiny little human comes in and READS YOUR DAMN PAPERS. Is it any wonder he nearly kills Yui in that scene??
People tend to not understand or act like he’s overreacting but that resurrection drug is literally all Reiji has. That’s his coping mechanism. It’s all he’s got left to hold on to.
It would have been the equivalent of Yui trying to hold Teddy.
And so Reiji loses it. Rightfully so. Which, I will agree, at first glance seems super out of character for his usual stoic demeanor, but now that I’m looking at it I think it was beautifully done and it really reveals a lot about him when you take the time to put it into context of everything else he’s been dealing with.
So yeah lol. I never know how to end these. This got a lot longer than I thought it would though lmao. TLDR; Reiji is hurting. Just as much--if not more than--his brothers. Not all mommy issues are created equal and Reiji doesn’t deserve such strong backlash all the time. But maybe that’s just my bias speaking :x
I was thinking of this for a while, We know canonically that Yui is actually perceived as a tomboy in japanese standards but what about Subaru? He was conditioned to believe he was a monster, but before Yui there was brides right? What would other brides think about Subaru if he didn’t have that image of himself? Is Subaru even considered attractive to japanese standards?
Iris: Ahhh I'm excited about this one!! THANK YOU NAT <33
Mirrors & Mothers; How Christa’s narrative haunts Subaru’s psyche.
Subaru, as introduced within the Diabolik Lovers franchise, is a temperamental tsundere with a lot of self-loathing and self-esteem issues. He is considered to be the ‘gentler’ and ‘nicer’ one of all the 6 evils we are introduced to at first, whilst still having his own level of fear factor to consider.
Due to the complications and bias surrounding his birth, he was constantly conditioned and fed a certain narrative by those around him that he was nothing, and simply a waste of a life. Many of the routes with him and Yui/MC/Player are built with one thing in mind, for Yui to act as a saviour towards Subaru and to see the ‘good.’
To start, I’d say that Subaru’s unhealthy, self-loathing, and overall suicidal mindset is a direct by product of what his mother, Christa, unintentionally forced down. Without her large involvement towards Subaru’s established mistrust in females, self-loathing behaviours, and borderline suicidal tendencies, he most likely would’ve only been seen as ‘gentle and kind Subaru.’
Let me explain. Christa’s role in Subaru’s life served as a direct catalyst for all his emotional turmoil and inner traumas that he tends to pin and overwhelm Yui/MC/Player with. Due to what Karlheinz did to Christa (assaulting her, which resulted in Subaru’s birth,) it set the framework for how her mental state would deteriorate over the years, especially in care of her child.
She canonically wasn’t allowed to attend most events after giving birth to her assaulters child, as she found herself going mad beyond comprehension. Even during the pregnancy, it’s hinted that she was already having mental breakdowns, and small fits surrounding the actuality of her child [Subaru.]
So from going to someone who was once (or still is) very revered and beloved by all, someone who’s sweet as sugar and everything nice, to a fragile, nervous, and almost borderline hysterical woman, is a large change for someone to cope with. Most likely, if not entirely, it changed Christa’s views on herself. Which would later on effect how she’d be able to find control within herself and how she’d conduct herself in a larger area, especially around others of high nobility class.
With that being said, when Subaru was around, mainly during his youth (5-8, perhaps even older,) he’d take the initiative to ensure that his mother was kept out of trouble and in ‘good graces’ with all that she interacted with. Truth be told, to deal with a ticking time bomb for a mother was proved to be a lot of stress and constant worry for Subaru. So much so, that he’d take it out on himself for being so powerless as to not offer any good or substantial aid to his own mother.
Christa and Cordelia would normally get into arguments at these large events, where Christa’s momentary sweet demeanour would change into that of a venomous viper. The topic of their arguments? The love for Karlheinz.
Christa’s entire ‘bipolar mood’ or instability comes from a split of love/care and hatred/loathing for a being, none other than her assaulter, Karlheinz, the king of vampires and her first cousin. Christa saw Karlheinz as an older brother figure if anything, so after he had manipulated, coerced, and assaulted Christa, her mind started to slowly shatter due to not being able to distinguish a select role for Karl.
It’s hard to bear with something as life ruining and petrifying as such an assault, but from someone you trusted, cared for, and possibly even looked up to? That’s another thing on its own. Which would lead to Christa and her select moods. Perhaps as a way to cope, would Christa still at times see Karl as her ‘older brother figure’ and call on him as ‘Nii-Sama’ (Brother.) And at other times, completely lash out at him or anyone else [Subaru] that looks even remotely similar to Karlheinz, lest she’s attacked once more or even reminded slightly of what had happened.
She often corrected herself as ‘pure’ and in a sense ‘holy,’ mainly due to her reputation within vampiric society as the ‘Fairest of them all’ and ‘The White Rose.’ Named for her unremarkable beauty, it would become Christa’s staple for a pure, almost haunting look. All of it would change, however, when the vampire king would lay hands on her. That would send her, someone who was known for their vanity and ethereal beauty, into a complete state of ruin as she could no longer consider herself as ‘pure.’ Instead, restoring to stating that the child inside of her is the reason for her ‘impurity’ and thus, shall be subjected to the cruelest of punishments for ruining her so badly.
That’s where a lot of Subaru’s mental health issues, especially regarding self-esteem and self-worth would stem from. From the moment he was born, he was subjugated to Christa’s double sided personalities. At one end, she’d call him ‘gentle, pure’ and an overall ‘sweet beautiful boy.’ On the other, she’d remind him of how much of a hideous monster he was, someone who’d been the exact epitome of impurity to walk the planet.
This was all occurring due to Subaru’s looks. As Christa heavily claimed that Subaru looked almost identical to how Karlheinz looks as of current. Which would be a further drive to her instability within the future. This would even go as far as Christa begging Subaru to kill her, putting her out of her own misery. And when he’d rejet, she’d instead, attempt to murder him, claiming that he’s a disgusting creature that should be killed for his sins.
Subaru would be conditioned to agree with the bad, choosing to reinforce the horrible feelings within him and isolate himself from the world as a result, lest he hurts his mother or anyone else even more.
His looks played a big role in how his mother chose to perceive him, as at times she’d mistake Subaru for Karlheinz, whilst others she’d state that Subaru looked so much like her.
For someone who valued looks as much as Christa, it’s no wonder why she lost her mind after the attack. She had major trouble in differentiating the two, which only added on to Subaru’s equally fragile psyche.
The Big Question…
Has any sacrificial bride found Subaru to be attractive, even with his overbearing mental distress? And is he even considered to be attractive, despite his attitudes and pre-established reservations?
In terms of who Subaru is as a character, he comes off as a loner, shut in, and somewhat angsty classic teenager. He’s known to drift towards alternative fashion, mainly dressing in black and in a ‘I don’t care about the rules’ punk kind of look. I wouldn’t say emo, however his closet heavily relies on black to show the trope of a boy defying the set authority and regulations set in place. Basically a ‘bad boy.’
Without his personality taking over, along with his short temper occurring due to small sparks of subtle humiliation directed at him, just based off of looks we can make these main assumptions.
A) His broad shoulders, and sharp features are mainly glamourized by Westeners instead of the continent of Asia.
B) In Japan, someone like Ayato, who had the dual of a baby-face and the subtle sharper, more masculine features, is the ideal standard for men.
But for Japanese Beauty Standards, Subaru fits into these select ones:
Facial Features:
Clear Skin: Smooth, clear skin is highly valued. Subaru is seen to have clear skin, any headcanons depicting otherwise are just that, headcanons. ☑️
Sharp Jawline: A defined jawline is often considered attractive. Subaru does have a sharper jawline in comparison to the other boys, curtesy of Karlheinz. ☑️
Double Eyelids: While not universally desired, double eyelids are often preferred. Subaru's eyes are double eyelids, so it aligns. ☑️
Symmetry: Symmetrical facial features are seen as a sign of beauty. Subaru's face does seem/come across as symmetrical enough, despite his hair. ☑️
Body Type:
Slim and Fit: A lean, well-toned physique is generally preferred over overly muscular builds. He is lean, and does have a toned physique. ☑️
Height: Taller stature can be considered attractive. Subaru is 5'10, which is considered to be tall. ☑️
Hair:
Stylish Haircuts: Well-groomed, styled hair is important. Trends often include natural, slightly tousled looks or more polished styles. Subaru wears his hair with one side covering one eye, and it's sometimes tousled. I'd like to say that his hair is a bit unconventional for everyday. ❌
Natural Colors: While hair dye is common, natural hair colors are often preferred. His hair is white, for the fantasy element, but Japanese fans seem to enjoy it. ☑️
Fashion Sense:
Trendy Clothing: Keeping up with fashion trends and having a good sense of style is important. Subaru's clothing is made for functionality, whilst staying with neutral colours, which is heavily appreciated. I'll give it a checkmark, despite his ripped and trashed shirts, only due to the main colour pallet in general and his overall simple style. ☑️
Attention to Detail: Accessories and well-fitted clothing are key components of a stylish appearance. He does have some accessories, such as his bracelet, his white boots, and his key necklace. They are more alternative if anything, in terms of taste. So we'll give him a checkmark, only on that basis. ☑️
Grooming:
Minimal Facial Hair: Clean-shaven or well-maintained facial hair is typically preferred. He doesn't have facial hair, so it works. ☑️
Neat and Clean Appearance: Overall grooming, including trimmed nails and good hygiene, is crucial. Despite his ripped up clothing and whatnot, he keeps his room and personal affairs clean enough. ☑️
Personality and Mannerisms:
Politeness and Humility: Being well-mannered and humble is highly regarded. He'll be polite when he can and cordial, however if he finds himself quickly embarrassed or in a situation that upsets him then he will stray from it quickly. His anger does seem to take up a lot of who he is at times, so for that reason, no checkmark. ❌
Soft-Spoken and Considerate: Gentle, kind, and considerate behavior is often appreciated. Subaru can come off as gentle and kind once he lets down his walls and breaks through his self-inflicted unhealthy persona. ☑️
In terms of anyone finding him attractive?
Since it’s been established that the Sakamaki’s and Mukami’s have their own harem of fan girls/boys (?) within the school, mainly the Sakamaki’s, it wouldn’t be so far off to have some individuals take Subaru as their preferred boy of choice.
Seeing how every boy has their set profile, and some people will drift towards whatever aesthetic or feeling suits them best. It really comes down to ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’
However the type of crowd Subaru tends to attract in terms of ‘fans’ or potential love interests, are those invested in the ‘bad boy’ image and loners who keep to themselves. In their heads, having someone who’s quiet, and sometimes known to be around shadier things, can be a marker. Since a lot of people do enjoy that certain trope.
I’d like to think that out of all the boys, he may have a moderate standing. But due to his own insecurities, he’d think otherwise or would find it awkward— especially with the constant comparison towards his older, more established, and almost genius at their own craft, half brothers.
Some sacrificial brides may have chosen Subaru in the past, based on the premise that he seemed the least harmful, but could have died due to his own excess of strength. (Mainly him not knowing how strong he accidentally is, and lashing out.)
if you feel comfortable doing so, mind telling your thoughts on subaru with a transfem partner? working on some DL ocs recently and want to get other's insight in a possible dynamic for them <3
Education Wise:
[How educated he may be.]
In my opinion, since Subaru is the youngest, I’d like to think he may be one of the more educated ones out of the bunch, but still not as educated on the trans community or LGBTQ+ community as other character in DL.
Like he knows what it stands for, and knows what it means to be transgender and all of that, however to dive into specifics he’s a bit clueless.
I don’t think he’d be opposed to learning, especially if it’s for an S/O. I just think that due to the times and environment in which he grew up in, he wouldn’t be very exposed to it so he’d have to pick it up via social media and modern pop culture.
(It’s canon that he loves playing smart phone games, so that alone tells us he’s into using his phone and devices. So it wouldn’t be a stretch if he had social media, but never posted on it and only used it to like certain things and stay up to date.)
Comfortability:
[How comfortable would he be in dating someone apart of the trans community?]
Honestly, I think out of all the characters, and especially his brothers, he and Shū would be the most okay with it. Seeing how they both tend to break out of the norm and standards placed within society— I don’t think they’d have a problem with it.
The only thing for Subaru, in specific, is that he finds himself unlovable. So for someone to think anything other than that of him, I think he’d be a bit shocked and honestly wouldn’t believe them.
However, take into consideration Subaru’s age (real age, not what we see as human age,) and what he’s been conditioned to understand and take in for most of his life. Chances are, the vampires come from a very unaccepting time, with only a few actually not caring as much.
Dynamics:
[Potential Relationship Dynamics and Innerworkings.]
• Subaru is a natural born protector, it’s in his character to want to protect whoever he cares about. He tried with his mother, but ultimately failed, causing him to grow self-resentment.
• Subaru would 100% need a lot of reassurance, considering how he sees himself as inferior to or the worst brother, as he’s the youngest and doesn’t have anything good about him. (That he proclaims.)
• It will take a bit for his walls to come down, seeing as he has major trust issues. But especially with women. (Due to his mothers abuse.)
• Realistically for a transfem S/O, he would take some time to understand, but wouldn’t be so quick to judge since he understands what it’s like for everyone to look at him in disgust/shock/approach him with judgement.
• He’d try his best to become somewhat educated for his S/O, however he’s trying his best, so he won’t always be on the mark. But it’s the thought that counts.
• He will 100% defend his S/O all the time. As in, if your OC is shy and can’t respond well to the judgement, Subaru will instantly take over and threaten to fight whoever it is that’s attacking his S/O.
• Quite literally a very protective person once he opens up to you, and trusts you.
• He’ll definitely try to be in the traditionally masculine role (just due to how he was raised, and in CL it’s stated that he idolized Carla or at least saw how he wanted to almost be like him and appear like his standing in a way.)
• However, in terms of labels, he’d only care if his brothers were teasing him or others were making his life a living hell and a bit unbearable.
I was talking to @shadyraisincookie and I thought this would be fun to do. I know @midnightnico is also familiar with the games, and much more familiar with the Japanese than I am so if you wanna chime in too feel free, since I only have knowledge of the songs and the only game I’ve played in the actual Japanese has been Vandead Carnival. Like in my other posts, reblogs are fine, but if you have something to add or say, then just send me an ask or message and don’t add to this post. Thanks :)
So I was listening to Gin no Bara recently and I realized I’d only ever heard Reiji’s and Kanato’s. So I went to give Laito’s a listen, and I almost flipped my shit because instead of ‘anata’ he used ‘omae’ and I thought I was crazy cuz I thought I’d heard Kanato’s and Reiji’s wrong all this time. But no! Kanato and Reiji are the only ones to refer to the heroine as ‘anata’ in their Gin no Bara versions. Everyone else uses ‘omae.’
And then I thought, oh this is interesting.
Especially when we consider the connotations these words hold in the actual Japanese. Because in translations everything always just becomes ‘you’ and loses the attached meanings. So I was like this begs to be talked about.
Anata, Kimi, and Omae
They’re basically listed in descending order according to...familiarity? I guess is what you could call it? That’s the best way I can describe it at least.
While anata can be a more formal kind of thing, which is why I think people assume it’s the go-to word for Kanato and Reiji, it’s more so associated with couples. Not quite ‘dear’ but I guess you can think of it like that. I don’t necessarily think Reiji or Kanato see her in this way, but I do think the way they see the heroine from the very beginning is different from the way the other brothers do. While the heroine will of course always be food, I feel that to Reiji and Kanato she also immediately becomes their ‘responsibility’ in a sense. She becomes their property in a way that is not quite like the other boys. Where I think the other boys feel she owes them everything, I find that to Kanato and Reiji, they also feel as though they need to provide her something as well. They look after her, even if its in their own fucked up way, even if its in a condescending way, but more than food she becomes something of theirs that they then have to take care of. Kanato also often refers to her using her own name, adding the -san honorific, which I think speaks volumes, considering he is acknowledging her for who she really is while simultaneously being respectful.
Ok so now we have ‘kimi.’ Which is like just sort of the default. I feel like most of the boys use it at one point or another. It’s the most natural way to call someone, so I won’t really say much about it, other than they’re comfortable enough to use ‘kimi’ with the heroine instead of like addressing her by name.
Which leaves ‘omae.’ This one puts the other person at a sort of arm’s length away in terms of familiarity I suppose. It can also come off as very rude if used the wrong way, and I feel like most of the time the boys probably are using it in that context. The one who stands out the most is Subaru just because he’s the one I’ve heard use it the most. So he clearly draws the line between the heroine, and himself. Like I said before, it’s what 4/6 boys use in the Gin no Bara, but that may or may not have more to do with the fact that it fits in the three syllables, and anata might be the wrong vibe (or even out of character) for anyone who isn’t Kanato or Reiji.
Anta and Kisama
I think it’s Shuu who often uses ‘anta’ which is the rude version of anata and I believe would basically be the equivalent of ‘omae’ but slightly sharper. Shin likes to use this one as well when referring to the heroine. Again, just another way to keep the distance between themselves, and her. They always place themselves as superior.
Carla we all know uses ‘kisama.’ And I think everyone gets the general idea that it’s not a nice thing to call someone. But I was surprised to learn the meaning as to why. “Kisama” is actually a very formal and respectful thing to call someone, but this person would have to be the emperor or have god-like status. So what “kisama” really is is just a super sarcastic and degrading comment because no one will ever really reach that level, and that’s what makes it so offensive. I don’t think there’s really an English equivalent to this, other than ironically calling someone “your highness” or something like that. But even then I don’t think it carries the same weight as ‘kisama’ does. I think this is particularly fitting for Carla to use, considering he is himself a king and one of the only founders left, so he already sees himself as above everyone else. And I think the fact that someone as simple as a human girl is the key to not only continuing the race but also the cure to his endzeit, no doubt that’s probably incredibly fucking irritating, not to mention frustrating, which is why I think he chooses this very harsh version of ‘you.’
Chichinashi, Bitch-chan, Kachiku, and M-Neko-chan
The following I can say with more confidence, because the analysis will remain the same across any language. All of these ‘nicknames’ I guess you could call them, are degrading in their own sense. I know Yuma also tends to call her “Sow” but I’m unaware of what it is he actually calls her in the Japanese so I’ll be omitting it for now. Regardless it’ll be the same sort of analysis as Ruki’s ‘kachiku.’
So Chichinashi, I’m sure most people know by now is literally ‘titless.’ Which is interesting in the context of Ayato. It’s no secret this is his preferred body part, so to define her as someone completely lacking of that feature is to put the heroine in a position that functions only to satisfy a sexual gaze. And with a name like Chichinashi, she doesn’t succeed in even that much. While obviously offensive, it becomes a constant reminder, not just to the Heroine, but to Ayato that because she lacks that which might make her sexually appealing, her only redeeming feature is the quality of her blood, and calling her chichinashi over and over seems to solidify this in Ayato’s head. In a way I feel like this is him convincing himself that he’ll never feel anything towards her, because no matter her personality she is lacking what he has determined to be an ideal feature. It’s his way of putting his walls up, to keep his emotions at an unreachable distance.
Bitch-chan and M-Neko-chan I find to be in the same category. First of all, they both include the ‘chan’ honorific, which can of course come off as flirty, but it’s also the honorific used for small children and women. What’s fucked up about it is that it functions to falsely neutralize the insult because it gives it the appearance as being ‘cute’ or ‘endearing’ when in reality calling someone a bitch or a masochistic cat aren’t really very nice. Both nicknames place the heroine in a position below themselves, arguable far below themselves, considering they’re on the animal spectrum, which already seems to ‘other’ her and again subject her to a single, male gaze. Neko gets a slight pass, considering a ‘cat’ doesn’t have the same negativity attached to it that ‘bitch’ does, but what drives Kou’s nickname home is the “M” he slaps in front of it. As I’m sure everyone knows, it stands for ‘masochist’ which like the ‘chan’ functions to neutralize the insults/abuse. Whatever he subjects to her will be fine, even if it’s painful, since he’s declaring her a masochist, and must therefore “enjoy it” when this is again not the case. To push it further, the masochist is always subject to the sadist, so again, by calling her as such, it reinforces the heroine’s position as beneath that of the boys.
Kachiku, while still an animal of sorts, is a bit different. Literally livestock, it is not roundabout in the way bitch-chan and m-neko-chan are. It makes it very clear that the heroine is food, that her only purpose is to function as food, and there is this ever-present looming feeling that she could be set up for slaughter, like any other kind of livestock. In her case, it’d probably be equivalent to being drained dry. Rather than placing her beneath him, what Ruki does is put her in a separate category altogether, and much like Ayato’s Chichinashi, it serves more as a reminder to Ruki himself that she will never be his equal. She is meant to be eaten, to be used for his own gain, so it creates a barrier that might stop him from developing feelings for her.
This is where I’m supposed to put some nice pretty sentence to tie everything all together, but honestly I don’t have that so I’ll just leave it at this haha. Just me doing some thinking. Hope I could give you all some food for thought~
