Pidge Talks - Blog Posts

Your analyzes are really helpful and so valuable to the community. It was from your latest analysis of Reiji that I got motivated to research the boys more thoroughly and became very knowledgeable about behavioral issues. But as I replayed each HDB and MB route, I suddenly realized something.

Each of the brothers is very different, but they all seem to share a lot in common when it comes to punishment and obedience. Despite being raised by such different types of mothers, many of the brothers use one common control tactic - a "reward" for obedience or punishment for disobedience. Of course, some of them can take the reward as such, while others have it quite twisted. And it seems that this practice really works on Yui, because this way they train her to obey without a second thought so that she can to avoid the pain, but I got the impression that they didn't see it that way. For most of the development of Yui's "relationship" with one of the boys, this goes to an extreme and eventually she starts to lose the line between pain and pleasure and things get complicated. But I wonder if they are doing this to make her a masochist? As far as I am informed, a man cannot suddenly become a masochist, but is born with such a tendency, and over time, so to speak, learns to awaken it. Does this mean that Yui is actually really a masochist, and it's not just words when brothers say so?

Of course I know your focus is mainly Reiji and I have no idea if you've played any of the other routes to you know. Also, Reiji isn't as mentally screwed up as Cordelia's sons and he acts very carefully and thinks his actions out more than his brothers. But since you also mentioned this reward and punishment tactic, I would be very happy if you could give me your opinion on the subject.

This is a very astute observation! You are right with each brother engaging in Operant Conditioning (or punishment and reward) even though they each have different mothers; I don't think this is coincidental. From what we see of their mothers, it can be implied that the behaviour is learned - we predominantly see this with Cordelia and her general behaviour, but we also see this with Beatrix and Shuu (I would mention Christa but I feel I lack a thorough understanding of her character). From each of the brothers, to the mothers and by extension even the Mukamis, they all seem to exhibit this form of behaviour; the only way for this to occur [beyond coincidence] is for there to be an interlinking variable. In this case, our good friend Karlheinz - CEO of Beans, Means, Heinz.

From what we learn from Ayato's and Laito's routes, it's implied that Cordelia met Karheinz when she was young - in other words, he preyed on her for her blood, and for her heritage. This can imply that Cordelia may have, in fact, been groomed (for Karl's plan) - since it can be implied that he too engages in the punishment and reward system. This is mainly theoretical, however, from Cordelia's extensive collection of fine jewellery - that, (if I'm right) come from Karlheinz (and can even be implied to be 'love bombing'). We know that Cordelia becomes self-destructive and abusive when she isn't with Karl, possibly implying that his time and gifts act as the "reward" - whereas him marrying Beatrix, Christa and generally discarding Cordeila acts as the "punishment". Cordelia possibly learned her behaviour from Karl and imprinted it onto her children - a sort of "cause and effect" if you will - whereas I've implied Beatrix to suffer from some form of generational trauma; though Karl may have also [possibly] used Operant Conditioning on Beatrix, and Christa, too.

And yes, you're right - some brothers are generous with the rewards and do something that actively makes Yui happy, such as Ayato, Azusa and Kou. However, brothers such as Laito, Kanato and Reiji present a more twisted version of 'reward' - such as Laito forcing himself on Yui [in basically every chapter let's be real] or Kanato wanting to turn Yui into a wax corpse - but that's heavily due to their response to their trauma.

You're also right about Yui being easily 'trained' via Operant Conditioning. However, I think this is a precaution - a means to demonstrate complete and utter control - and like I've mentioned with Reiji, he spares no time in enforcing that; meaning that he's likely done this hundreds of times before (and most likely so have the others). In other words, the Operant Conditioning may just be a standard routine among the brothers. I do like your interpretation that they're doing this so that Yui can avoid their punishments - it definitely puts them in a more sentimental light (and I appreciate that you've read it like this). For characters like Subaru, Shuu, Ayato (and even Kanato) I can definitely see this interpretation - as punishing Yui is more trouble than it's worth; they want her to behave and do exactly as they want.

However, for characters like Reiji and Laito, they particularly enjoy pushing Yui around, they enjoy making her slip up so they can punish her. I see this as more of a demonstration of power and control - as well as a boost to their ego. Reiji and Laito are two characters that lacked control and authority in their childhood - implying that their actions towards Yui are possibly a way to achieve that. For characters such as these, I don't belive that they want Yui to avoid pain in the beginning. Throughout the mid-way section and the end of their respective routes, they don't delight in Yui's pain - it's only in the beginning, and I think this is due to their trauma-response. In other words, the abused become the abuser - they delight in Yui's pain because she feels a physical manifestation of their mental/emotional pain. It's sadism at its most ironic.

So yes, I agree with you on that front - I don't think they see Yui's 'training' in a pet-like way - instead I believe it's a fail-safe. It's a way for each brother to be in complete control, while having the security that Yui can't escape, act out or leave them. At the end of the day, each brother values and desires affection and acceptance - using this form of control over Yui guarantees that. It's a twisted way for them to garner the emotional security they need.

However, I don't believe that any of the brothers use Operant Conditioning to actively or purposefully make Yui a masochist. From what I know, researched and from my own experiences, no one is born a sadist or a masochist. Instead, I believe it to be a learned response. Sadism and masochism are responses to pain - I don't believe people are intrinsically born to enjoy pain - it's called 'pain' for a reason. However, and this is drawn upon my own experiences, I believe that sadism and masochism arise from the exposure to suffering.

If you're exposed to constant and unyielding pain, there's only a small selection of responses to choose from. You can't run from it, you can't hide from it - fighting it only makes it worse - therefore, the only way to deal with the relenting pain is to accept it, tolerate it...enjoy it. I touch on this in my MB analysis regarding Azusa and Yui (and how Azusa is a "dark parallel" to Yui regarding this exact topic). Since the female brain doesn't full mature until mid-twenties, I can afford to take some liberties regarding Yui.

When you're exposed to heavy abuse and physical abuse as a child, your brain does funny things. Now, I'm only talking from my own experiences - so any other views on this are greatly appreciated. But like I said, when you're exposed to pain at a young age, your brain tries to rationalise it and find an effective response. If it's constant, unyielding and inescapable, you can either fight it - and in some cases, make it worse - or you can accept it. When you're a child, or a young adult, you're constantly told the message that you should enjoy life; that you have nothing to sad about or anything worth crying over. Notice how I used the word: enjoy. This is intentional because this is where the brain begins to warp. So, instead of crying about the pain, you instead learn to see the positives - that whoever's inflicting the pain is giving you 'special treatment' for example. This is what we see with Azusa and his attachment to Justin.

People inflict pain because they want to see you suffer; from how my brain responded to that, the only way to combat that is to enjoy it. Once the pain's over - or it's finally stopped for good - that sentiment doesn't go away; instead it finds something to latch onto. Think of your brain as one big circuit board, and the masochism as a cord. Once the pain stops for an extensive period, that cord becomes unplugged - and another cord is plugged in its place; the circuit board fills up. The masochism is still there, the cord hasn't disappeared; it's dangling, and it needs something to latch onto. Once you grow older, your brain develops more plugs, more sockets for different cords and branches that need to be filled in - one of those plugs is sexuality. Now obviously, sadism and masochism aren't intrinsically sexual, they are both sexual and non-sexual: the sexual being self-explanatory and the non-sexual being oriented around amusement - again, it's irony being displayed in its most painful form. But I digress, once sexuality opens itself up to the brain - like with Yui - the unplugged cord of masochism has a socket to wire itself into.

The point I'm getting at is that I believe masochism - and Yui's masochism - to be a trauma-response. It acts as a way for her to 'deal' with the pain - however, since her brain is underdeveloped, her mentality surrounding it warps and distorts. The line between pain and pleasure does become blurred. In other words, it can be implied that Yui's masochism (and Azusa's) are coping mechanisms that have become warped and distorted over time.

Note that Yui never starts the game(s) as a masochist. If anything, she hates the pain. Yet by the end of the game, she is a masochist. She's masochistic due to the severe mental stress she's under and the vile abuse she endures - and her brain can't revert back due to the extent of the distortion. Routes such as Reiji's and Laito's hinge on Yui's mentality unravelling; becoming fragile and mouldable - this is how the masochism is able to infiltrate, it's a coping mechanism (but instead of being able to abandon it, it's latched onto another part of her brain, her sexuality).

Furthermore, when the brothers refer to Yui as a masochist, it could be implied to be an exaggeration, a way to riddle Yui's mind with stress, denial and self-doubt. In other words, it could be implied that they're gaslighting her to sow doubt and make her more susceptible to their mental manipulation. Additionally, it could be implied that they're enforcing masochism onto Yui so that they can enact their own sadism onto her without any complications - to make her a 'willing victim' if you will. In essence, the brothers could call Yui a masochist in order to imprint their own views and needs onto her - sadism and masochism is the giving and receiving of pain. It can be implied that the brothers' sadistic tendencies act as an outlet for their trauma; they need a recipient to take the pain they're giving - that being Yui. However, the brothers' sadism and Yui's masochism doesn't match up.

The brothers begin their routes revelling in Yui's pain, yet they don't end their routes with the same sentiment. Yui, however, starts the routes trying to escape the pain, only to yield to it - and by the end of the route, revel in it. And I'm not just strictly talking about her own pain either. In Reiji's HDB manservant ending, we see Yui delight in the pain and subservience of others. She gains control over Reiji, in which she belittles and emasculates him, all while playing the role of 'Cordelia' - and in Kanato's HDB manservant ending, we see Yui brutally (and sadistically) murders the other brothers, revelling in the affection she believes she'll get because of it. In essence, sadism and masochism are learned responses or coping-mechanisms (gone wrong), but that's just my opinion.

You're also right, Reiji isn't as screwed up as the triplets, and he does think out his every move - painstakingly so. The only other brother I'd say who comes close is Laito,since they're both highly manipulative and predominately enforce Operant Conditioning - with Reiji’s focus being on control and Laito's being on sex. When Yui behaves, they each reward her in non-material ways - for Laito, it's sex or physical affection, and for Reiji, it's remedies when Yui's sick, her favourite meals etc. What they both 'reward' Yui with is their vulnerability. In other words, manipulative characters like Reiji, Laito, Ruki and Carla enforce Operative Conditioning to gain the comfort of control; only once that boundary is established do they 'mellow'. In other words, the need for punishment and reward is a basis wherein the brothers can build a relationship that they can thrive in.

I never understood Reiji's goals and intentions until I came across your blog. You have literally analyzed the entire game in such a detailed way that in the end you can't help but think about his psychology and character. I admit that before I read every one of your posts about this boy, I always found him to be the most boring Sakamaki brother and I couldn't explain his actions, but thanks to you I decided to give him 1 more chance. What I like most is the fact that even though he is your favorite, you don't justify or sugar coat him like many people do with their favorite character, but you appreciate, examine and explain his flaws and mental problems, trying to analyze like a true psychologist. Respect for the work you have done. I saw that you're planning more posts like this in the future and that you're going to try other characters like Ayato, who I think shares quite a bit of Reiji's personality. I can't wait for it.

Ah! Thank you, I'm glad you decided to give him one (1) more chance [even though you shouldn't, he's very rude]. BUT your point is exactly the reason why I wanted to analyse him in the first place. He's generally considered 'boring' or 'annoying' to deal with, and his dialogue can be hard to sift through if you're only looking at him at surface level.

I know I've said many times that I wanted More Blood done and dusted before now - and I genuinely thought I'd be finished, but sadly over 100k words isn't enough words for our boy - that and I'm ☆chronically ill☆ at the moment. I feel like a sick Victorian child lmao

I am getting through the transcripts, but very slowly. It doesn't help that I was on the verge of a stroke when someone decided to ☆delete☆ a section of my work. Thank you Ctrl + Z because I was about to invoke the most destructive gamer rage this world has ever seen.

I am glad that you decided to send this ask Anon since I never really knew how much this could help people understand Reiji (even if it's just from my perspective). I feel like the best way to thoroughly appreciate a character is to acknowledge their flaws, and I'm glad you're able to appreciate them too >3<

But I do think you're right about Ayato. I feel like he definitely shares a lot of traits with Reiji, but more so as his opposite. I feel like Reiji and Ayato have a ying/yang code to them; I stand by my interpretation that Ayato represents chaos and that Rejii represents order.

[For your diligence, please take this sanrio Reiji]

Also, mini rant: I can't be the only one that instantly thinks of Zhongli whenever they see the word 'order', right? The line just goes through my head like the plague, so now my brain decided to fuse him and Reiji together, and now I'm stuck with this:

that feels like a ☆violation☆ of fandoms

Hello. I wanted to tell you that your analysis is simply unique! Respect for all the good work you did on Reiji. I really enjoy reading DL psychology posts and this one was the best I've ever come across on all things guys. It's really sad that there aren't any for Ayato, Subaru, or some for Mukami.

Good luck with your blog development! <3<3<3

Awww thank you!! Still working on More Blood so there's development (just slow) but it does include analyses of the mukami's (though only what we see in Reiji's route; the same will go for the other games such as Vandead Carnival). So when I [finally] get round to that, stay tuned! I would like to delve into other characters in the future - definitely Ayato. Delving into Reiji's character makes me realise just how much these two parallel each other, which I find extremely interesting when it comes to their dynamic. Thank you for your kind words, Anon <3

Hello, I wanted to give you a recommendation that if after doing the analysis of Reiji's more blood route you did your analysis of the drama cd diabolik lovers bloody bouquet reiji or cd drama diabolik lovers more, blood vol.10 reiji, than the cd dedicated to wing same route, of course it is only a recommendation

Hello to you too! I'm planning on analysing Reiji's more blood vol 10 drama cd after the route analysis anyway, however I still need to analyse Reiji and Kanato's Do-S versus cd since I completely forgot about it up until now - but I'll get round to that at some point aha.

As for Reiji’s bloody bouquet, I will end up analysing that cd when I start analysing Dark Fate since it was released afterwards. I'll be going in order of the games, so don't worry; I do have a masterlist sitting in my drafts which will be released once More Blood is done, so it'll be easier to navigate and keep track of - but thank you for you're recommendation!!

I am glad to know that you are going to do the analysis of Reiji's route from more blood, I am going to wait patiently for it, because there is something in your analysis that catches me and I want to read it until the end, Reiji is my favorite character in all of DL and I I am glad to know that someone analyzes it in depth because there are things that I did not realize before and I could see them more clearly in your analysis, Greetings!

Ahh thank you for waiting patiently with me! I'm glad you enjoy my findings - in all fairness, this is something I love doing but it takes such a long time (and I know the analyses I've put up are already very lengthy). I'm happy that Reiji’s psychological findings didn't just resonate with me but with you as the audience too. I know my style of writing can be a tad convoluted and I was pretty worried that it would come across as confusing, but the fact that you're able to see the same things as me when it comes to Reiji's behaviour genuinely makes me so happy, both as a writer and as a part of the fandom!

Anyway, I hope you're glad to know that there is more content on the way - I'm hoping to get through More Blood as fast as possible (so far I'm at 200 pages) so that I can dive into more of his character. But, I have to say, if it's taking me this long to get through the second game then God help me when I get to Dark Fate and Lost Eden :')

Do you plan to do the reiji analysis of more blood? and also from his drama cd? And are you going to continue doing more reiji analysis? because I really like them and they are very interesting

Yes! I do, I'm currently working on More Blood at the moment anyway, I'm about half way through but it's taking me a little longer than I would have hoped since I'm at uni too. I do intend to fully analyse Reiji’s route in each game as well as his drama cd's and character songs - hopefully More Blood will be finished in the next few months, and I'm glad you like what I've done so far!

I always find Reiji to be dismissed by a lot of the fandom since he's not as profound as others, so I'm glad you're able to enjoy his character with me :)

Big Brain Time

Okay so now that I’ve managed to reel a few of y’all in, I just wanted to say thank you for reading my (small brain) analyses - I know there’s only two so far but there will be more I promise! I’m just finishing up on my transcripts for More Blood at the moment and BY GOD, that’s going to take a WHILE for me to analyse because there’s just so much content to delve into - I am not ready for this 80k word fiasco I S W E A R, this man’s gonna kill me.

So, I just wanted to say a quick hello - I’m Pidge, welcome to the Hell that is my brain -. ALSO! If you have any suggestions or thoughts, don’t hesitate to come and bug me; I’d genuinely like to talk to y’all on a friendlier basis and have some Reiji bullying hours, and it’s going to take a good few months for More Blood to be completely analysed, so if you want to talk - or bully (either is fine) - feel free to come and bug me :)