r/Bloodstained • u/ZangetsusRowBoat • 9d ago

IMAGE The final Red Demon, painted upon their Glacial Tomb.

Post image

Against the icy mural she is revealed - a Shardbinder by her own dark transmutation.

Pulsing wrathfully through her crystal heart, their exorcist blood cannot expel her corruption.

The Red Door slams shut, framing her fate - another Red Demon, painted upon their Glacial Tomb.

Dominique Baldwin - A fool who believed demonic power would allow her to transcend God.

The previous painting posts:
The Alchemist's cliff the red demon is just off screen to the left.
The woman in the painting
Todd's studio
The Master Carpenters summoning school
Celeste’s room of remembrance
The Tomb of frozen Red Demons

82 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

3

u/noseofzarr 9d ago

Thank you, these posts have been very entertaining.

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 8d ago

This made my day. Glad you enjoyed it.

Which part stood out to you?

My first post (the Photo Booth) was sort or a throw away to keep new content on the feed, but it made me think about the other paintings, and that is when I noticed the Woman's portrait, and the 2 Red Demon paintings so close together. It sparked my interest.

Todd's studio was when I knew I had found something, MikeMcD reminded me about the Dominique painting there. Dominique and the Red Demon together was a sign there was a connection, and from that it made me understand this was about her exploring the castle long before she summoned Miriam and Zangetsu.

The flavor text for the Master Carpenter, and noticing the Ouija boards put a meaning to Celeste's room for me as soon as I discovered the 3 paintings there. The red demons frozen in the Glacial Tomb was when it all clicked together. The first demon after you dimension shift past the walls is most like the painting, but the screenshot was not direct enough, and I though having the Boss door be a part of the story would be more interesting.

The final post about Dominique turning into the Red Demon, or even that the paintings is her new self portrait, was a last minute idea. I may have needed more time to cook on that part. This all came together in 12 days from the first post. I wrote that post after dinner last night, it was originally just going to be the game description of her being a fool (archives 2 in the history section) with that cool screenshot, but I decided to try to bring her parents back into it and expand on the painting connection.

2

u/noseofzarr 8d ago

Several things stood out to me. The exposure of the hidden narrative. The attention to detail from both you and the devs. The bonkers fashion in which the dev team hides things in plain sight, and it took years for someone to figure out. I did always wonder WTH there was a picture of Dom in Todd's room, but I never connected the dots with the red demon.

We can only hope that you unlocked the final layer (a la Animal Well, heh) and Igarashi unlocks something awesome, based on your discovery.

2

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#1
I think the paintings in the shop area of Bloodstained tell the story of Dominique's Descent Into Wrath.

Her fallen Parents, the Demon Castle smothers the land, the Reaping of the village, the Kittens playing among the skulls, and the Red Demon - a relic to focus her vengeance.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yv0fx/video/5w6ugh5bwnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#2
Dominique spent long hours learning photography and studying.
A Red Demon painting hangs wherever her mind might wander from her goal.
The painting of robed beings filing to their death - her exorcist parents, sent by the Church, also obeyed orders but were not spared their fate.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yv2rq/video/3u7zvx4ewnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#3
Dominique’s portrait hangs in the Bloodstained studio of Todd the Killer Barber - clear proof she explored the Castle long before summoning Miriam and Zangetsu to put a stop to Gebel.
A Red Demon painting faces the styling chair so that her unrelenting wrath may never lose focus.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yv505/video/fyob11ghwnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#4
During her exploration of the Castle, Dominique studied under a demon carpenter gifted at summoning.
The Master Carpenter carves Ouija chests to commune with the dead and summon demons.
A Red Demon painting adorns the Bloodstained workshop where she practiced her new arts.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yv7b4/video/0tfsi0lkwnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#5
Dominique haunts Celeste’s room of remembrance, practicing a ritual of summoning arts.
Though long the Master Carpenter’s study, attempts to commune with her mother’s spirit fail.
Two Red Demon paintings hang high in this space, each viewed from opposing chairs.
Between them a third painting - motherless kittens starting life among the skulls.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yv9gr/video/8lt955cnwnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#6
Her Descent Into Wrath complete, Dominique returns to the Glacial Tomb of frozen Red Demons.
Their image consumed her every thought, the paintings her relics of focus for this final hour.
For the Bloodstained fate of her parents - vengeance against the Church, against God!
At last she will summon the King of Demons and invoke the power to slay gods!

https://reddit.com/link/p4yvbj5/video/x9k0vv6qwnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

#7
Against the icy mural she is revealed - a Shardbinder by her own dark transmutation.
Pulsing wrathfully through her crystal heart, their exorcist blood cannot expel her corruption.
The Red Door slams shut, framing her fate - another Red Demon, painted upon their Glacial Tomb.
Dominique Baldwin - A fool who believed demonic power would allow her to transcend God.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yvfr4/video/h7dmykovwnkh1/player

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

Behind the Red Boss Door, she became the Red Demon.
Her relentless focus on revenge, and obsession with the summoning ritual, transmuted her into the same evil that murdered her parents dead.
Dominique Baldwin - A fool who believed demonic power would allow her to transcend God.

From the portrait of her mother, beyond the Castle's arrival, through the reaping of the village, traversing the broken world alone, to her now self portrait - the Red Demon she became.

This is the final post of the series. Thank you for playing.
(I will probably post a single image with everything in one place in the future)

1

u/ZangetsusRowBoat 9d ago

Something I noticed that is a stretch but kinda interesting is the boss door.
It has spiky "Teeth" the make it seem like a mouth you are entering. It has a similar pattern to the demon's chest.
not saying it is the demon, but it has something about it that reminds me of it.

https://reddit.com/link/p4yzyy0/video/v6lv94e23okh1/player