"If so, I wash my hands of it. Because God can rot. I decided to seek a higher power."
Dominique: An Introduction
Out of all the characters in Castlevania-successor Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the one that's stayed on my mind the most (especially since her own dedicated DLC game-mode released) is Dominique Baldwin. It's easy to see why. She's a strong female character with interesting motivations, a cool design (I absolutely love nun outfits), an intriguing dynamic with the main protagonist, and she has just enough left up to interpretation that it makes it really fun to dig a little deeper into who she is as a person. I tend to really fixate on characters who are just underwritten enough to make coming up with headcanons to fill the gap really engaging for me, so a lot of this analysis is going to be speculation based on the fragments we're given in canon (the shards, if you will.)
This shrine will have unmarked spoilers for the entire Bloodstained series thus far, so if you care about that sort of thing you have been warned.
Who is Dominique, exactly? Well, she's just a shopkeeper. She's a nun and she works with the Church, and is assisting main protagonist Miriam on her quest to save Gebel and destroy the Hellhold.. She can buy shards from you. Don’t you want to sell her all your shards?
...Of course, she has her ulterior motives. In reality, Dominique orchestrated everything- Gremory's possession of Gebel and Miriam's mission in the Hellhold- in order to use Miriam's crystal to summon Bael, the most powerful demon there is. Corrupting Gebel was only bait, and more than anything, she wants power. By luring Miriam to be possessed by Gremory, she can find the power she seeks and gain Bael's power for herself.
But why does she seek this power? We'll have to begin the tale from the beginning- with the Alchemists' Guild. In reaction to the Industrial Revolution, a decline in social standing and funds, and the fear of change, the faith-based alchemists retaliated to the shifting priorities of mankind by summoning a horde of demons to remind humanity of the "value" of the church and their work. And they did this by creating Shardbinders, humans imbued with demonic power, to sacrifice for the summoning. All but two Shardbinders died, the exception being Gebel, who lived through the ritual, and Miriam, who fell into a deep sleep before it began.
During the demonic attack, much was lost. This was a key, defining event for nearly every character in the game. Zangetsu, who lost everything he held dear; Alfred and Johannes, good people horrified by the actions of their fellow alchemists; Miriam, sleeping through the changes and shifts in the world; Gebel, betrayed and nearly killed as sacrifice… And fifteen-year-old Dominique, whose parents, exorcists, were slaughtered in battle.
Dominique and her family were devout members of the church, and God was silent to their strife. This sense of helplessness in an unforgiving world- and the horror of the loss she had experienced- sent Dominique down her path to seek power. In some internal material that was shown off during an anniversary video, Dominique's motives are described like this:
Not much is known about what Dominique got up to during this ten-year period before the events of the game, but it is mentioned in her in-game bio that she and Johannes were old friends. Additionally, Miriam was close with Johannes prior to her lengthy hibernation, but did not meet Dominique until the events 10 years later in the Hellhold. Based on this evidence we can presume that Johannes became friends with Dominique after the demonic attack ushered by the alchemists. It's a particularly interesting friendship given Johannes's former affiliation with the Alchemists' Guild.
One has to wonder if she grew close to him to learn more from his work in her quest for power, or if their friendship was genuine. I believe it was! After all, she was just fifteen, and ten years is an incredible long-con even for someone as dedicated and manipulative as Dominique. It's not hard to believe that she took comfort in someone who was just as disgusted by the actions of the alchemists as she was. However, later, Dominique does mention using some of his research to further her own scheme. I suspect the truth is a little in the middle. They started as genuine friends, but Dominique found him simply too useful a pawn to pass up.
Whatever happened in that time, ten years passed. And after those ten years, a great castle appears in England, heralding the return of demons into the world, with none other than Miriam's friend Gebel, the sole survivor of the ritual, having named himself its lord.
Dominique's scheme is to use the demon Gremory to possess and control Gebel, granting her the crystal necessary to facilitate the summoning of Bael. It's a little unclear at first whether Dominique had control over Gebel when he summoned the castle, but I'm leaning towards her involvement beginning after the castle appeared. Gebel's bio mentions: "It is said that his real purpose in summoning the castle was to give Miriam a place of her own, but as his Magi-crystal disease progressed, he soon forgot his own reasoning." Additionally, Dominique says this to Miriam before their confrontation: "Because once again the demons appeared, and once again, God stayed silent..." From this we can assume that Gebel actually summoned the demons first before Dominique decided to use him for her plan.
Regardless, Miriam woke from her slumber the same moment the castle appeared, and Dominique requests her and Johannes to come and help with investigating it; Miriam agrees due to a promise she made to Gebel years ago, that the two would never let each other fall to darkness and hurt others. Miriam and Gebel, much like Dominique, are orphans, and Miriam's despair at her sorrowful childhood was what made her so determined to never use her power to hurt another person.
The little group takes up residence in the ruins of the village Arvantville, with Dominique serving as shopkeeper. Interestingly, she can also buy shards, crystalized demonic power that's made itself part of Miriam's body, allegedly so that the church can research them further. While operating as shopkeeper, she also acts as a mentor figure to a young girl named Anne Knolles, who was orphaned by the recent attack much like Dominique was in her youth, and rescued from demons by Dominique and Miriam. The two were close enough that Anne was able to take up the shop in her stead without any trouble. It's hard to say whether Dominique tending for the young girl was another facet of her manipulation, or if she genuinely cared for her given their similarities. Anne seems to have a high opinion of her and calls her a nice lady.
Miriam's crystal is much more powerful than Gebel's, or any other Shardbinder's, so Dominique intends to have Gremory take control of her in a moment of weakness and have her complete the summoning of Bael with the aid of the Enochian tome known as the Liber Logaeth. However, she has too many pieces on the board: the demon hunter Zangetsu is exploring the Hellhold as well, along with Alfred, a former alchemist with his own suspicions- and a mission to stop the summoning. At first, the three are enemies, but once Miriam and Zangetsu begin to work together, her scheme is in jeopardy. Miriam acquires his sword, the Zangetsuto, which allows her to cut through Gremory's illusions, and manages to free Gebel from her control, though he unfortunately succumbs to the crystal curse overtaking his body soon after. Miriam escapes from the fate Dominique has planned for her, so she's forced to take things into her own hands.
With the shards Miriam has sold to her, and the knowledge she gleaned from Johannes, Dominique has made herself a Shardbinder, intending to use her own body to summon Bael. She rushes for the deepest part of the castle, and mortally wounds Alfred along the way. Miriam goes to confront her, and Dominique battles her to stall for time while the summoning takes place.
"You don't understand what power is for. You wield it stupidly, arrogantly. And now you pay the price."
In the end, Miriam defeats Bael before he can wreak any havoc, and Dominique dies as a result. The Hellhold dissolves, called back to whence it came.
Dominique has lost.
Holy Wisdom: Dominique and Her Beliefs
When I first played through Ritual of the Night, I thought Dominique was a very strange character. My thoughts could be summed up with "So demons killed her parents, so she wants to summon more demons? Huh???" It was easy to assume she was another villain who mostly existed to "summon Dracula"(or the equivalent). But after doing a little obsessive speculation, I think I get it.
Dominique is seeking power. I've already explained how I don't think Dominique was behind summoning the Hellhold, that was Gebel's doing. But what of Bael? I am of the opinion that she sought to usurp him or absorb him in some way rather than unleash him upon the world, unlike how I originally misinterpreted her goals. After all, she wants power. She wants that power to be hers and no one else's. (This is supported by the bad ending of Dominique's Curse, where she takes over Bael's throne- ironically giving her only an empty sense of victory...)
A main theme of Bloodstained is power and how it is wielded. One of the most important quotes in the game is "Our power doesn't make us good or bad. Our choices do."- it is essentially the game's thesis statement. Even when Miriam learns of Dominique's treachery and criticizes her- not for seeking power, but for hurting people to get it (indeed, costing the lives of three main characters!) and wielding it with arrogance. To Miriam, power is for protecting those close to you. To Dominique, power is for protecting yourself, and no cost is too great to gain it.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Dominique must have felt distinctly powerless in the wake of her parents' death. God did not protect the devout when she spent her whole life being told that He would. She was witness to evil powers beyond what she had ever previously comprehended. Her prayers couldn't save her from becoming a forgotten orphan, with nothing and no one to protect her. It's easy to draw parallels between a parent's protection and that of a god- the Christian god is often called a father, after all. Both forms of protection that she had put her faith in were shattered in one moment. So, if no one can protect her, she must protect herself. She needs power, more power than anyone else, so no one can hurt her ever again. She doesn't care what or who she has to sacrifice along the way.
Interestingly, it's said that Dominique views those who can't protect themselves from the demons as weak. Would that include her parents? Anne, who she rescued from the jaws of death? …Herself, who seeks the strength to overcome them? Is that her way of contextualizing what happened to the people she cared about? Does she stake everything on the belief that if she just becomes strong enough she can't be hurt again? That if she just gains control of what traumatized her, it can't be turned against her ever again? At least, that's the way I read it.
Despite her desire for self-preservation, she's remarkably self-destructive. This carries over to Curse of the Moon 2, where she is attempting to manipulate the party into killing both her and the demon Mephisto from the beginning. No matter her aims, Dominique is willing to destroy herself- shortening her life to become a Shardbinder, or allowing herself to become possessed- in order to accomplish what she sees as a greater good. However, in COTM2, her friendship with the party is what gives her the true desire to live.
Her vice isn't wanting to protect herself, but the carelessness with how she manipulates, hurts, and discards the people around her- the same people whose support could have given her the strength she needed.
Luxurious Overture: Dominique's Design, Name, and Trivia
Dominique's design took some warming up to, for me. It resembles kink gear more than a nun's robes. (I mean, she uses a whip and her name is one Freudian slip away from “Dominatrix”...) Like I mentioned before, I personally love outfits, so I always wished she had a proper habit, but I think I warmed up to the cute frilly hat. It's just a little funny seeing a woman trying to pass herself off as a normal and unassuming person from the church while wearing such an "unholy" outfit (but I'm certainly not complaining).
Her design is primarily black and white, but she has a lot of gold accents on her clothing. Interestingly, this associates her with the color yellow. Together with Miriam (blue) and Gebel (red), the three Shardbinders make up a primary color motif. However, Dominique's crystal is red similar to Gebel's, likely due to how it closely resembles blood and makes her look decidedly grotesque. But that's not the only design parallel she shares with Gebel. Based on the rose shaped crystals around her left eye, we can presume that the curse began growing there, similar to how Miriam's began on her chest. Interestingly, while her eye color is naturally blue, the corrupted eye seems to be greenish yellow with black sclera. Gebel's right eye has a similar effect, having a black sclera and red iris. Additionally, the golden bracelets Dominique wears are very similar to Gremory's, foreshadowing their allegiance.
In Curse of the Moon 2 she wears a frilly blue-and-white outfit with some black accents, and a long trailing coat. As she has a much different characterization in this game, it makes sense to give her a design that is "lighter". Interestingly, she still covers her eye with her bangs.
Dominique’s name is also of interest- it means "of the Lord". Ironic, given her hatred of God, but perhaps her affiliation is with a different lord. (Bael's name derives from Ba'al, which itself means "lord" as well). Baldwin is a name meaning "brave, bold friend", similarly ironic given her traitorous nature.
Additionally, the variety of paintings she keeps in her shop have an unsettling bit of foreshadowing to her betrayal, appearing unsettling and demonic when looked at closely. I wonder if she painted them herself? She seems to have an interest in photography, so surely painting isn't too far off as far as hobbies go. The paintings are easily ignorable, small background details, but reveal a darkness if you look closer- just like Dominique, easily blending into the background as a humble shopkeeper.
Moonlight Temptation: An Aside on Gremory
Many of the demons and bosses inhabiting the Hellhold draw their inspiration from the Ars Goetia. This includes Bael, who is considered the highest ranking demon and has a design very close to his appearance in the Ars Goetia, as well as Gremory, who is considered a duke of hell (consistent with how she is depicted in Dominique's Curse- this applies to the other bosses of that game, Bathin, Valefar and Focalor, however they are not the only demons in Bloodstained considered dukes in the Ars Goetia). The inspiration is clear in the design, function, locations and other aspects of the bosses of Ritual of the Night. For example, Vepar, who appears as the first boss that attacks the Galleon Minerva, draws inspiration from a demon who governs over ships and the sea. Out of all of these bosses, Gremory is the one with the most influence over the story, and accordingly, is the closest to Dominique.
"His office is to tell of all things past, present, and to come; and of treasures hid, and what they lie in; and to procure the love of women both young and old. He governeth 26 legions of spirits."
In the Ars Goetia, while Gremory appears as a woman, he is referred to with he/him and holds the masculine title of duke. However, in Bloodstained, Gremory is referred to with she/her, so I will be referring to her with she/her in the context of this shrine as well. One can immediately spot some of the parallels with how she appears in the game. Gremory grants arcane knowledge and power to Dominique through their partnership, and assists her in her quest to gain the Liber Logaeth, a hidden treasure. Procuring the love of maidens is an interesting detail, though. Could it perhaps be Dominique's sway over Miriam? Dominique's allegiance to Gremory? Gremory's ability to influence and possess people? It doesn't help that this could either be interpreted as gaining the love of women for herself, or helping women to gain the love they seek, the wording is a little ambiguous. Either way, this is very relevant to Dominique and their partnership.
When Gremory is defeated by Miriam, Dominique is mostly disappointed in her failure. Gremory is also an obstacle to her in Limbo. Due to this, despite their close allegiance, I doubt Dominique had much attachment to Gremory besides finding her useful. Gremory likely didn't know all of Dominique's plans either- her stated goal is to unleash and summon Bael into the world, whereas Dominique intends to have Bael's power to herself. Though Gremory was a secondary antagonist in Ritual of the Night I have no doubt she will make more appearances given how strong the moon-related imagery and motifs are throughout the series. Regardless, their partnership is a fascinating aspect of Dominique's grander ambitions.
Cursed Orphan: Miriam and Morality
Dominique and Miriam are narrative parallels; their early lives are marked by tragedy. They're even similar ages, though Miriam is technically 3 years older. Miriam was orphaned before the demon summoning, and it's not explained how exactly she lost her parents. However, she was cared for by Johannes and Gebel, who were said to be like brothers to her. However, her childhood spent with the Alchemists would not remain a happy one, as she was made into a Shardbinder, shortening her life significantly, as well as being planned to be killed for the sacrificial rite that she was miraculously spared from- not to mention the way she must have been treated by others due to being "tainted" by demonic influence, with many believing the Shardbinders to be demons themselves. In many ways, Miriam's childhood was even more traumatic than Dominique's. Fittingly, she also nearly gave in to despair.
Relevant quotes regarding how Miriam's past informs her views:
"Well...back then, the experiments left me feeling stripped of my humanity. The pain from the crystal was a constant reminder. At one point, I lost the will to live entirely. Gebel and I got into a fight over some stupid thing, and I shouted, "How long are you going to pretend you're human? We're monsters now." But I'll never forget what he said to me. "If we ask for the demons' power, then we're monsters. But if people force us to take it, then our power doesn't make us good or bad. Our choices do. That freedom of choice is proof we're human." It cheered me right up. I felt like a person again. And that was when we promised to stop each other if we ever lost the ability to choose."
"The pain she felt as a lonely orphaned child ties into her compassion, making her want to do everything possible not to hurt her loved ones and friends."
Immediately one can draw parallels to the villainous Dominique. Miriam's "pure" appearance, from before she was imbued with crystal, even closely resembles her. Miriam was essentially faced with the same choice that Dominique had- give in to despair and become selfish, or use what you have to protect others from the same fate. Miriam stays true to herself and her kindness; Dominique becomes concerned with gaining power over others. Miriam could have easily become Dominique if not for Gebel. Interestingly, COTM2's bad ending states that finding a place to belong gave Dominique the desire to live. One has to wonder if that would have been the same for ROTN.
Dominique, of course, is planning to betray Miriam, to corrupt her. But, interestingly, she has a more complex view of her than what is initially apparent. Let's look at that in-game bio again.
"While the church believes Miriam and Gebel to be demons, Dominique trusts them as human beings."
It's an interesting sort of contradiction. Her plan is for both of them to fall into demonic corruption- it's easy to assume this is a falsehood. However, Dominique's behaviour and interactions with the Shardbinders actually indicates otherwise- it's completely sincere. To Dominique, Miriam is just another person- a person to manipulate and use, sure, but Miriam is not an "other". This is such an interesting tidbit to me, because it's completely true.
If anything, Dominique respects Miriam like one would respect a venomous snake. Miriam is a person who wields immense power, and Dominique believes that power is the world's most important currency. Even when Dominique is revealing her treachery, she's impressed with Miriam's quick thinking, able to figure out the true nature of Dominique's scheme on the spot and being able to back her in to a corner. ("Smart girl. I like that.") Dominique takes her seriously as a threat, especially after her friendship with Zangetsu ends up being the spanner in the works. Despite this, she can't understand that true compassion is what grants Miriam her strength.
But what would have happened if her plan had succeeded? If Gremory had taken over Miriam?
Oddly enough, there's a scrapped cutscene from a "Dominique mode" that never came to be (in this form, anyway- she would receive her own unique DLC instead!) that depicts Dominique- already turned into a Shardbinder- confronting a corrupted Miriam. Similar to Zangetsu Mode, this would have presumably been an alternate, post-bad ending story wherein Dominique is the one to end the dark night.
What interests me so much about this scrapped cutscene is that it sort of swaps their dynamic while still being in character for both of them. Miriam has given in to despair and claims power for herself, in the same position as she was years ago, whereas Dominique believes in her humanity. It almost mirrors the promise Miriam once made to Gebel, with Dominique trying to talk her down, insisting that she's still human, and expressing that she's glad that she's the one to lay her to rest. It's fascinating, because it implies so much about what would happen if Dominique had succeeded.
She would have regretted it.
Is Dominique- the traitor, the manipulator, the usurper- capable of redemption? To some, this question is laughable. Of course she isn't! She laughs at the deaths of innocents; she's a megalomaniac. However, the Bloodstained series has always been a little back-and-forth about her morality.
After all, Johannes and Miriam agree, in the aftermath: "She could have done so much good, but…"
For example, in the Curse of the Moon side series, Dominique is a playable character and is portrayed as purely a good person, even sacrificing herself to save the party- planning to use her life to destroy the demon Mephisto from the very beginning of their adventure, and manipulating her comrades towards this end. When Zangetsu slashes at both her and Mephisto with the Zanmato sword, which only strikes down the wicked, Dominique is entirely unharmed. Characters like Robert must learn to trust her over the course of Curse of the Moon 2. It's a very curious contrast with how she acts in the "main canon" of Ritual of the Night. And while the two canons are entirely separate from each other (think of them as parallel universes), it's interesting to see what this might imply about ROTN!Dominique. After all, if she had made the same choices as Miriam, she would have been capable of so much compassion. They are the same in many ways.
And, again, she is someone who wants power but is horrified or disappointed when faced with her own success, with regards to the cut game mode, as well as the bad ending of Dominique's curse. Is she really so complacent with her own actions, when the corruption of Miriam is enough to make her want to dismantle everything she had built?
Her boss theme is even named "Repentance".
After all, she is not wrong to hurt; to desire; even Miriam only criticizes for hurting people to gain it, rather than wanting it at all. If she had only chosen to use her power for more noble aims, she would not have destroyed herself in her own ambition. Even making herself a Shardbinder is indicative of her self-destruction- she literally imbues herself with a curse that will slowly overtake her body and kill her. Is this the power she craves?
And at death she is presented with a crossroads. Purgatory.
Limbo.
Repentance: A Journey Through Limbo
So now we arrive at Dominique's Curse, the Castlevania II pastiche that focuses entirely on Dominique- set after the events of the main game. I was super excited for this when it was announced, as a huge fan of Castlevania II, and I was not disappointed. It's a true love letter to the original, and the fact that it focuses on my favorite character was just icing on the cake!
Throughout the DLC, Dominique must explore Limbo and seek council with Bael to free herself from the crystal curse overtaking her body, and escape back to the mortal world to exact her revenge. She must face the four dukes of hell, each hidden in their own dungeon- Bathin, Valefar, Focalor, and, interestingly, Gremory. Throughout her infernal journey, she must traverse villages and the various landscapes of Limbo, and find secrets, items and weapons in order to escape. (My favorite towns are Paulina and Notoria, and my favorite area is Lake Acheron, by the way!) Purgatory, of course, is a place where you go to be cleansed of your sins, representing the crossroads in Dominique's life. Limbo, more specifically, is where you are left after death if you don't deserve hell but haven't attained heaven, which is interesting given Dominique's morality. This divide is reinforced by the shifting of the moons, which turns demons from friends into foes. And indeed, there are three endings depending on your completion percentage.
In the worst ending, Dominique defeats Bael but accomplishes little, unable to return to life. This speaks to the futility of continuing down her road of evil, it is a self destructive path. But in her prison, she rules, having succeeded in her original goal of claiming Bael's power for herself. But at what cost? She's left with an eternity, trapped forever with her own hollow victory.
In the bitter ending, Dominique reaches the world of the living, but her curse is still in effect. She dies on the precipice of the vengeance she sought, her body overtaken by the crystal she implanted into herself.
In the true ending, she escapes and is cured of the crystal curse, robbed of her infernal power and her memories. She's found by Miriam, who decides to bridal-carry her back to Johannes, hoping for answers- suspicious of Dominique, but willing to nurse her back to health- which makes for one hell of a sequel hook.
I highly recommend this DLC. The gameplay is perfect for fans of classic Castlevania- it's an excellent and fresh take on Simon's Quest with a fair amount of challenge and enough content to keep you playing for a good long while if you want to 100% the game.
This DLC only furthers my thoughts that Dominique is capable of redemption- with the split endings and her escape from Limbo being indicative of a sort of repentance, robbed of her desire for violence. I have no doubt that in the in-development sequel, Dominique will be a bit of a complicated figure.
Voyage of Promise: The Next Chapter
What do I think will happen for Dominique in the sequel? Well, I think they're setting her up for a redemption. Recall Curse of the Moon 2, where Dominique's connection to her friends were what gave her the desire to live. In the position ROTN Dominique is left in after escaping Limbo, she is perfectly set up to discover friendship and connection in a truer sense. Particularly with Miriam, the first to dare to extend forgiveness. It will put her in a position where regaining her memory won't make her easily resume her revenge- Indeed, the true ending is the perfect avenue for Dominique to reconsider her life choices- even if she regains her memory, surely the close relationship she has with Miriam, would be enough to give her at least a little pause. Even Johannes believes in her capacity to do good. In Miriam's arms, the path has once again forked for Dominique. Will she make the right choice this time? Will she choose to enact more suffering unto the world... Or will she choose her love for Miriam?
Yes, I too have tricked you! Deceived you! You've fallen right into my plot. This was never a character shrine. It was a ship manifesto the whole time. I sort of jokingly shipped Miriam and Dominique as a "divorced yuri" sort of thing, but after Dominique's Curse was released, I began to take it a little more seriously, especially because the canon ending puts a spotlight on their relationship- I began imagining a million different slow burn romance scenarios where Dominique's conflicted desires for vengeance and for friendship cause her great emotional strife. I imagined Miriam's desire to help someone she cannot bring herself to fully trust, and the anguish it must cause her. The reasons have been carefully outlined in the above essay- their parallels, Dominique's potential for redemption, the weight they hold as narrative foils and how that ties into the thesis of the game itself. And you nodded along, of your own free will. Muahahaha!
Well, in reality it's because my reinvigorated interest in the ship was what made me take a closer look at this under-analyzed character. I think she's super interesting, and thinking a little bit too hard about how their weird toxic yuri divorce relationship would work granted me a lot greater of an understanding of Bloodstained's plot and characters! (And, to be fair, there is some canon basis even beyond the way Miriam bridal carries her in the DLC true ending, what with how flirty Dominique gets if you repeatedly visit her shop without leaving the room, and all.)
I think that the ship has immense potential to deliver on the promise of their status as narrative foils: the main difference between the two is the choices they made, and Miriam is giving her a second chance to choose. No matter how Dominique ends up deciding, their relationship is bound to be a fraught and fascinating one to explore, from both angles. Miriam can give Dominique the same connections that saved her COTM2 counterpart, just like how Miriam's kindness was enough to give the villagers of Arvantville the same will to keep living. But is it enough to change Dominique? Just on its own, that is an incredible dynamic to set up for the next installment. It leaves me eager to see what happens next. And while I don't think they'll end up kissing onscreen or anything- or were even really intentionally written with romantic tension in mind- any room to read that sort of tension between two complex, interesting female characters is a win in my books!
After all, Bloodstained is about the choices we make. The path ahead is paved with a thousand new choices for our favorite disgraced holy-woman to make.
'Till we meet again, Dominique. I'll be waiting.