u/ruby-throatedd

I feel like they're characters that people don't put side by side too often. They never actually met in their first lives (please correct me if I'm wrong), but comparing the two of them is super interesting imo.

While Morgana’s identity as a saint was built on lies, she completely devotes herself to that identity. She believes in God with her entire being, and spurns the idea of being a normal girl.

In contrast, Pauline is a full-fledged member of the convent, despite not actually wanting to be. Despite wanting nothing more than to be an ordinary girl, she is thrust into the role of “Saintess”—a role that Morgana herself says should be her own.

Pauline is devoted to God in name only, but finds herself elevated within the church as the benevolent Saintess. Morgana is devoted to God in both body and soul, and is constantly referred to as an ordinary girl by all of her peers (Jacopo, Maria, Mell initially).

Both of them are attached to mentally unstable men that hurt them. Pauline accepts Yukimasa in his entirety, but Morgana spurns Jacopo for his misdeeds. Pauline (the nun) is reflective of God's nurturing and forgiving side. Morgana (the saint) is more representative of God's righteous judgement.

This was part of an analysis I'm drafting, and I thought it was interesting enough to share by itself.

Hello guys. Yes, I created a Reddit account just for this. Sue me.

I wrote this analysis without much direction, but it’s been dwelling on my mind for some time, and I figured this was the best place to post it. I apologize if anyone else came to these conclusions and posted them here before I did, as I’m sure that I’m not the only one who made these connections. I'd just like to offer my two cents on Yukimasa and Pauline's relationship.

I always liked Pauline, which was why her conclusion in Reincarnation was frustrating for me to accept. I didn’t like how she became a doormat for Yukimasa, a sort of accessory to his happy ending. After giving it some thought, though, I can’t really picture her arc ending in any other way. While I was writing a fic for her, I realized (embarrassingly late) some key symbolism between her and Yukimasa concerning the ocean and, though not overtly, the moon.

The ocean, throughout media and literature, is often used to portray some sort of uncertainty. The connotation can vary between the range of “good” and “bad.” Many times, the ocean can symbolize a journey. The boundless expanse represents both the infinite possibility of adventure, and simultaneously the possibility of death. The sea is neither benevolent or malicious, but simply unreliable. Ships capsize, people drown. It’s just something that happens. The ocean is boundless in this aspect, too; it is something beyond our comprehension. It stretches across the horizon for as far as the eye can see. The forces of nature operate on a level that we as humans simply cannot grasp.

In many ways, Yukimasa resembles the ocean. While appearing calm to admirers, the depths that churn below are seemingly infinite and undoubtedly dangerous. There are countless risks to diving in its depths: being drowned, being crushed by the pressure, being devoured by an unnamed sea creature. The surface is only a fraction of the ocean’s true nature, but it’s the only fraction the mind can begin to grasp. We are comfortable to skate along its surface, but when we begin to fathom what lies beneath it, we grow apprehensive. We grow scared, because we can neither understand nor control it. It is simply there, and we are forced to adapt to its existence.

Yukimasa’s true nature is nothing short of beastly. He kills without remorse, without discrimination. When his madness is unleashed, nothing can sate it but blood. He tears apart anything and anyone in his path. One notable difference, though, is that Yukimasa is undeniably human. He understands his own madness and recognizes it as immoral. Yet, in many circumstances, he doesn’t truly care, and continues on that rampaging path of destruction—that is, without the influence of a tether.

The moon has a significant influence on the ocean. It exerts a gravitational force on the earth that pulls at its waters, and creates the phenomena we know as high and low tides. The moon only knows the ocean’s surface, and its influence is largely contained to that. But we cannot deny that it does indeed have a significant influence on the sea, which we already described as uncontrollable. 

Pauline is the moon. The tidal force between the moon and the sea, in my opinion, is akin to Yukimasa’s “tether.” Her influence keeps him grounded and “human.” Her influence makes him controllable, to some extent. Under the surface, however, his madness is fundamentally unchanged. His bloodlust and wild urges never disappear; they’re continually churning under the surface, waiting for the moment that the tether snaps.

At Pauline’s core, she yearns for an ordinary life with an ordinary lover. She mentions that she would like nothing more to live with Yukimasa, in a seaside cottage, where she can be her unapologetic self. We see throughout the game that this desire is her primary motivator, and it even transcends lifetimes. What I find most interesting about it is the mention of the seaside. In Door 2, she and Javi go out on the sea in a small boat. He tells her that the ocean is “a scary thing,” that it’s danger is beyond their ability to face. She agrees, and says that she knows that fact very well. Pauline goes on to say this— and this is what helped cement my understanding of her character:

“I trust in the sea’s gentleness. I don’t think it’s all that scary.”

She understands that the sea can be dangerous, but she chooses to believe in its more nurturing side—the side she loves to admire from her village. The side she would like to admire in a small cottage on the seaside, with a loving family. But she loves the ocean in its entirety, even beyond its tranquil surface, just as she loves Yukimasa in his entirety. She isn’t scared of him.

The sea is unpredictable. Likewise, Yukimasa is a highly, highly unpredictable man. Whenever he’s onscreen, we and the characters (Michel and Giselle in Door 8, for instance) instinctively become tense. We don’t know what he’s thinking, what he’s about to do, but we know what he wants to do. We just don’t know whether or not he’ll do it. Living close to the sea puts a person in danger of hurricanes, eroding land, flooding, and any manner of dangerous storms. The fact that Pauline’s ideal fantasy sees her living right on the ocean’s coast shows that she is willing to embrace that danger—in fact, she sees it as a fundamentally important aspect of her ideal life. She wants both the beauty and risks of the sea. More importantly, she also wants both the beauty and risks of a life with Yukimasa. 

The moon is predictable. We measure its orbit around the earth by its phases, which we understand as the lunar cycle. Pauline, again and again, chooses Yukimasa over her own safety. She is predictable; this choice, no matter how ill-advised and irrational, is expected of her. Just as the moon revolves around the earth, Pauline’s character—whether we like it or not—revolves around Yukimasa’s. They are bound by this unorthodox connection. Pauline wants Yukimasa, but Yukimasa needs Pauline. They are more and less than lovers at the same time.

Door 2

When she tries to reunite with Yukimasa, he mistakes her for a beast, and is overwhelmed by terror. Pauline, however, takes a more desperate approach. She confronts Yukimasa without fear—or at least, with less fear than concern. She is worried by his stark change in demeanor, and begs him to calm down. Even when he kills her and tells her to go to hell, she doesn’t hold anger or fear in her heart for him. She dies completely and utterly heartbroken, and Yukimasa continues on, too clouded by rabid madness to understand the weight of his actions.

Door 8

In Door 8, Pauline witnesses Yukimasa’s sadistic urges for herself. In this door, Yukimasa is fully conscious about his actions, and takes pleasure in them with a clear mind (or at least, an undoubtedly clearer mind than he had in Door 2). Once again, Pauline doesn’t feel fear towards him, and instead makes an effort to try and understand his actions. She trusts him implicitly, even after hearing and witnessing him torture Michel, and doesn’t spurn him. It’s also important to note that in this door, Yukimasa’s actions were to ensure Pauline’s safety and security. Her influence drove all of his unforgivable actions that take place in Door 8—conspiring with the lord, taking Morgana’s arm, bleeding her dry in the observation tower—and yet, he does not hold true romantic feelings for her. He is obsessed with protecting the peace and stability that she provides him. Similarly, the moon provides stability to the ocean—the gravitational force between the two provides a steady pattern, a rhythm for the two entities to fall into controlled by the lunar cycle.

All of this led me to one conclusion about Pauline’s character: even when she is made aware of Yukimasa’s true nature, the heart of her conviction towards him remains unchanged. She loves him in his entirety, even if it puts herself in danger.

Reincarnation

After coming to this conclusion, her and Yukimasa’s story in Reincarnation makes a bit more sense. She witnesses his violent urges firsthand and accepts them without anger, much to his shock and apprehension. They continue their journey as a couple, despite the fact that Yukimasa doesn’t harbor true romantic feelings for her, and the fact that Pauline knows it. But she doesn’t care. She is content to remain by his side, even if he ends up killing her one day. It may not be a satisfying end to her story, but it is realistic for her, and I’ve actually come to see it as a natural conclusion for her character. She is driven by the idea of love, and she is only capable of giving it in its entirety to one person. She welcomes his violent nature, even if it is directed at her.

Their dynamic is so fascinating to me. I’d love to discuss these two or any other characters from this game further. If you agree or disagree, or if I got any information wrong, please let me know. This was my first real analysis, and it was written off the top of my head, so I apologize if it seems scattered or unfocused. Thank you for reading my thoughts!