Nightly musings and daily rambles about IDV especially on Alice and Norton and Florian. I write a lil bit of everything from analysis to fanfiction. Just be prepare for a lot of yapping. [pfp by ImNotOKei on Vgen]
So...I made my own IDV News Website + Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Me~
"...almost every IDV character has passed the threshold of Oletus manor to participate in a deadly game of desire. Most never leave. Yet, their stories and the little traces of memories they left behind remain to be found, like ghosts hiding in the shadows."
I decided to try my hand at creating a website for IDV news similar to an actual gaming news site (which the Western media has failed us on when it comes to IDV specifically). And that is why the site was born. I know there are IDV news accounts on Tumblr and Twitter, but I haven't seen an actual site outside the wiki. Also helps me learn/practice journalism as well, so there's that.
It's very baby right now though. I only have a handful of articles up and I'm still learning as I go. While I've ran blogs before, that was more of a casual hobby. This is slightly bigger. Feels even more bigger when I'm launching this site on the same day I started playing IDV exactly a year ago. Huzzah~ Yippie~ If only we were AI-free! (Sad times we live in...)
Anyways, for more information on the site and a lil about me, I do have an About page already set up.
I plan to try my best to keep up with what's happening with IDV but I'm running the site on my own so while you should expect regular updates, I may miss something.
And lastly, despite it being a news site, I will still post about the lore and include perhaps some of my analysis posts that did well here and import it over to the website.
Still trying to get a footing on this site, so please be patient and understanding. I definitely have to open a tip/contact form for news help, too...I swear...
Tentative yet hopeful I can do something with this honestly...
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In Nightmare mode for Cryptic Notes, if you run around enough, you trigger conditions of "Doom" which is basically when Miss Nightingale becomes aware of your presence through the manor and makes things a little more difficult for you.
When she does this, she starts to "chant" or sing, really. It's quite lovely so take a listen.
Fun Fact: Sometimes she sends her birds to attack you and so far despite playing both Alice and Emil as well, Florian's been the only one to be attacked by them...I don't think Miss Nightingale likes Fin much, huh...?
And yes, that is a phantom Miss Nightingale who appears. I heard if she hits you, you're going to jail (i.e. the basement of the manor).
[Cryptic Notes] Versing Miss Nightingale and Some Thoughts
For those interested, here's a video of me fighting against Miss Nightingale in Cryptic Notes' new Nightmare mode where you can battle against her as a boss.
The original sound had to be cut out cause curse my computer's recording program for often times making the audio so crunchy it's unbearable *sigh*.
But here's also a photo dump of Miss Nightingale in the mode for those who wish to get a closer look at her but can't for one reason or another. Mind you, I have to move around a lot and concentrate on, y'know, not dying so the pictures aren't the best but I tried.
Miss Nightingale Masked:
She actually starts out the stage looking like the Miss Nightingale we know and love until you do enough damage to her (usually using her own birds trapped in cages against her, yes, I know, the irony).
Once you get rid of about half of her health, the words, "Doom deepens..." (how ominous) appears on the screen and she becomes unmasked.
Miss Nightingale Unmasked:
So that datamined image of Alice as Miss Nightingale from a couple months ago wasn't wrong at all. Interestingly, her hair is brown though which I always thought was an intriguing choice but perhaps it's really just to blend in with the color scheme since blonde hair is a little clashing.
And here we have our little froggy Fin slashing the poor woman (lol I'm so sorry...a frog vs a bird...). Anyways, I had just dropped a pallet on her too and took my chance. It...does feel quite weird technically fighting Alice but usually I only felt that way when I really thought about what I was doing.
But more often than not, I'm concentrating for the sake of my poor Fin's life since she can be very hard to go against cause her damage is NO joke. Plus, I play solo so I can only rely on myself to accomplish the fight...if I go down, I go down permanently.
Overall, the fight is fitting for Nightmare mode and I enjoy it the few times I played it. Once you realize how to fight her, she isn't too awful but I still have a lot of close calls.
In addition, the more you defeat her, the more story you unlock in regards to her and she is definitely supposed to represent the young unfortunate daughter of the family of the manor but already I've seen some differences between this cursed daughter and Alice.
But as I already discussed in previous posts on Cryptic Notes lore, not everything is 1 for 1. Speaking of, more lore has dropped with this update and I still need to unlock a whole bunch through completing quests and the like. I'll possibly discuss it in a future post?
To be honest, I'm still trying to take it a little slow after getting sick and I'm still behind on other posts (I haven't forgotten the Summer and Anniversary events!).
But overall, this does make me wonder if they are willing to show Miss Nightingale like this, will Alice really receive another identity in the game? A Hunter one? And if so, how and why? As of right now, I'm simply of the camp to wait and see rather jumping all in on my feelings right now.
Couldn't help but cry a little seeing Frederick not only land in jail but see that it was Miss Nightingale that did so lol
But yeah, Cryptic Notes' Nightmare Mode looks like it'll be interesting. I just hope I don't have too much difficulty going about it solo since they really love to show off these things with a team (naturally).
Truly, what a team...
Anyways, speaking of Miss Nightingale, here's a glimpse of her as a boss in Nightmare mode for those who didn't watch the trailer:
"Wherever the white coats go, life finds its light. Huge respect to every medical worker out there, and thank you for always being there to protect us!"
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Official Character Background Story for Doctor, Emily Dyer
Don't worry about the Japanese, the story is voiced in English.
It seems they may slowly but surely start putting out character background story trailers again for older characters like they did with Joseph and Kurt earlier this year.
Emily's birthday was back in March just like Joseph and Kurt so perhaps this isn't as random as you would think and that they're resuming that order.
If so, Prospector may be next because even though "Fool's Gold" has one, his survivor identity still needs one (see: Melly, Emil, "Orpheus," etc.)
Happy that it seems they have resumed character pvs for older characters, at least for now. This was a pleasant surprise and I hope we get more this year even if the next one takes another few months to get since it'll be great for the art team not to feel rushed (which is why I think they stopped these back in March).
If they go in order of birthdays like before, Prospector Norton would be next, but if they skip him for some reason (idky main story things I'd guess lol), then Martha aka Coordinator would be next.
Suddenly got pretty sick right before the weekend started and still feeling pretty poorly so expect less posts from me and my IDV news account for the time being. I never really get sick and not sure where this came from but I want to prioritize my health first and get plenty of rest~
"The New Hunter “Herztier” officially launches today!
The shedding of the old flesh is finally complete. And the caged Inner Beast has finally shattered its chains, revealing its true form.
Once again, the difference between the English and Japanese descriptions for their tweets is so interesting.
I personally prefer the Japanese one for obvious reasons especially since Ada is so tied to Emil and yet, so far with "Hertztier" she feels quite distant and even detached from him so it feels a little weird to me.
I also took a look at the Korean post for it too and saw it said the same thing as the Japanese so that's something else to note. But don't get me wrong, I do like both versions, as there are many sides to "Herztier's" grand entrance to the manor. I just find it interesting you can get two quite different impressions of him from both.
Anyways, I do like that Ada finally shows up with him in some way. Looking forward to seeing what they do with "Hertztier" moving forward.
Final manor game crew is eating it up this year, mhm.
I saw fanart of the final manor game crew detailing the fact that everyone got really cute fits except for Frederick so they juxtaposed him with the other three as kids (or chibis iirc) and poor Frederick being the adult towering over them.
But obviously you can see that Alice is missing. I mean, thankfully she is getting her sporty fit next month for the Nagoya Asian Games event so that's something! Happy to see my mains get something so quickly after COA IX.
Also, I just noticed poor woman is still being haunted by both identities of Norton. Look at the tiny "Fool's Gold" looking as if he wants to climb her LOL.
Not really "cute" though when you compare it to the ones above (though it does look like it could be...patiently waiting to see it in game).
Still, really funny that grumpy acerbic Norton has multiple at this point and even serious "Orpheus" but Alice doesn't (I also suspect due to the fact that Alice has "Little Girl" as her identity switch could be a factor in naturally letting the cute kid get the cute stuff while Alice herself is supposed to have a more mature image.)
Granted, I do think her Alice in Dreamland fit is in the same category as cute like the ones above, but it isn't recent. Still love it as it was my first "true" Alice first after Ib ("true" as in, Alice is herself more or less in the costume).
Side note: I'm also a little bias for her to get another "cute" fit since my other main Florian got a stupidly cute one recently.
Probably his best fit to date, hands down. Who knew his LINE Friends fit would be dethroned?
New Furniture Collection Featuring Cute Kitties Coming Soon!
"Who could ever resist these lively and adorable kitties? 🐱 Cat lovers, assemble!
Brand-new Collection Furniture and Summer Set Furniture are coming on August 13!"
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Season 43 Essence 3 Official PV featuring "Hertztier," Composer, and Perfumer.
It's been way too long since I have highlighted an artist in the IDV community but I thought now was a good time after seeing so many people praise the recent essence trailer. I even saw people expressing disappointment over how much of a downgrade Composer looked in-game in comparison to how he looked in the PV above.
The artist who has caused such a stir due to their incredible talent is juanmo, who has not only provided us with "Hertztier's" essence PV, but many more in the past.
Below is an example of some of their works as I know it:
Season 13 Essence 1 (2020)
This one featuring Painter's first S-tier is actually unlisted on YouTube but you should be able to view it with the link provided. This is perhaps juanmo's earliest work so you can compare and contrast just how much they've grown as an artist.
Season 15 Essence 2 (2021)
This essence was for the Breaking Wheel aka the Will Brothers.
Season 17 Essence 2 (2021)
This essence which dropped almost exactly a 5 years ago on August 12th, introduced the star-crossed couple of the game, Ada and Emil. I suppose it may not be a coincidence then that juanmo returned to provide their artistic talents to "Hertztier's" essence. Interesting as well that Emil's Hunter identity comes out exactly 5 years after they arrived at the manor.
Truly, it all feels less coincidental and more intentional.
Season 26 Essence 1 (2023)
Another essence which introduced a character to the game and this time it was our dear Journalist, Alice DeRoss, who received the juanmo treatment. It's quite a beautiful, if not solemnly tragic trailer with the artwork complementing the story really well.
Season 34 Essence 2 (2024)
This essence brought us the controversial yet beloved "Knight," Richard Sterling. Are you starting to sense a pattern here? It seems many of juanmo's works involve introducing characters to Identity V. I'm not sure what the meaning behind that is, but I'm certainly not complaining if people's first impressions of a character is through such gorgeous artwork such as juanmo's.
Season 39 Essence 2 (2025)
Lanternist aka Amanda Gaddis was the latest essence trailer by juanmo before "Herztier's" arrival to the manor. I personally remembered my eyes feasting on this one in particular as the art style, the colors, the story all were so engaging to me. I loved the pop comic-style of the essence. I do wish we get more of that in the future, bearing if it fits the theme of the essence, of course.
And lastly, the following one is special in the fact that juanmo's art style was intermixed with CG artwork, but their influence still shines above that even their art is only shown mostly in the beginning. It is also notable for being the trailer for Bloody Queen's SS-costume, False Hope. The first one that's not an essence trailer.
Honestly, I hope to see more of their work in the future. If you're interested in seeing more of their art, they have a Twitter and Bluesky account.
From what I can gather, they don't seem to post any IDV artwork unlike some other officially commissioned IDV artists, but if you're interested in Hazbin Hotel (specifically Alastor) and Wednesday then I'd check them out. They also post artworks on various animals and hybrids (half-human and half-animal beings) so they were definitely the right artist to call for "Hertztier."
Really and truly even until now I am slightly astounded that this is Emil.
Has this essence trailer convinced you to pull? I understand the art style of the trailer was so good that when the gameplay trailer dropped, it almost felt like false advertisement but I personally still really like all of the costumes within this essence. It's perhaps my favorite of the season though Emma's essence is very close, too.
Regardless, please do check out juanmo, one of the masters of the art of Identity V trailers. And here's to more of their work to come.
I really hope to do more of these kind of posts in the future without it being months in between posts in this series. After I learned who the artist was for "Herztier's" essence trailer, I learned how they contributed to various essences over the years starting all the way back in 2020 with Painter's Golden Ratio fit.
Honestly a fantastic artist who always provides eye candy in their artwork.
Note: Wow. Me? Make an Adamil fanfic? I mean, I've had them cameo in my fanfics before but never as the center but considering I've been posting about them consistently over the last few weeks, it's no wonder my brain is filled with them at the moment.
Anyways, this is a one sitting fanfic I wrote based on "Hertztier's" upcoming essence.
Full story on AO3 here (yes, below is only a preview).
The smog of the late evening blanketed the city of London, covering the stars which still tried to pierce through as if calling attention to their beauty. And yet, the only one who seemed to be gazing up to look at them was a young woman with somewhat bushy but well-kept dark brown hair that complemented her rather enigmatic beauty.
Though said beauty was being masked by a heavy sadness that threatened to fall from the woman's eyes as she tore her eyes away from the stars and back onto the busy London streets. She peered into the crowd of weaving bodies, feeling both out of place and awkward in a familiar yet unfamiliar place.
How she had gotten there and why, she had no idea. Thankfully, she seemed to have retained all her memories and knew that her name was Ada, but her main concern wasn't even herself, but of the person who should've been right next to her. Glancing down at her hand which she brought up close to her face, the young woman paused to force herself to relax.
A dull slightly rusted wire curled into the sharp of a ring was fitted onto her ring finger.
Where is he? Where was her Emil?
Ada glanced around once more and felt even more helpless and lost. This wasn't quite the London she knew. While it looked the exact same, she had noticed with some amazement that magic appeared to be a reality in this world.
However, it appears that similar to some of her childhood fairy tales, magic was seen as evil as only witches who wish to bring harm to hapless victims and ruin to society.
At first, Ada was skeptical over such a supernatural force existing in such a world, but as she walked the streets, observing and listening carefully, it certainly seemed plausible. Granted, there was even talk of a society that locked up all the magic and related items within London's oldest tower, so there must be some weight to the existence of magic.
And anyway, Ada found herself leaning to believe after realizing how magic and the attitude towards it was similar to her experience with hypnotherapy. Truly, wasn't science just a part of the "magic" of her reality?
But none of that mattered right now when her beloved was missing. Ada thought long and hard about when she had last seen Emil. Nothing. Just a blank in her memories. It was almost as if whatever had happened right before she had been transported here was actively suppressing itself.
Growing increasingly frustrated and unnerved over the whole situation, Ada quickened her pace through the crowd and took some heart in clutching her whistle which was attached to a chain so as not to so easily lose it.
Brushing past those who paid her no mind, Ada was almost at her wit's end when some words from a couple gentleman standing by a news stand caught her attention.
"I heard that mongrel you bet on lost horribly to Mr. Pierce's bread and butter," a gruff yet well-groomed man spoke jokingly to the man next to him. Both looked as if they were of nobility.
"Hrrmph," his partner grunted, looking disgruntled. "Arthur had sworn up and down the mutt was capable of holding his own, but I should've known."
Ada slowly stopped where she was and with a churning stomach heavy with foreboding tried her best to appear busy with window shopping (oh my, just look at how pretty the flowers on display are!).
"Still, nothing compares to seeing an actual brat fight those mutts. Always bet on man to conquer beasts of nature," the first man was saying heartedly.
The other man laughed. "Are you sure the boy wasn't a beast himself? Heard he once attacked a guard for some scraps and acted worse than the dogs."
At this, Ada's anger flared to blinding levels which nearly caused her to blow her cover. It was surely Emil that they were talking about, those scoundrels! Those absolute wastes of space.
Ada was never one for violence despite once subjected her patients to some awfully painful treatments which she had stopped doing ages ago. And yet, a large part of her wouldn't mind going back to those ways for these dear gentlemen who clearly need some sort of psychiatric evaluation.
Just as she was about to take some action, the clock tower in the distance rang out, tolling the hour. The two noblemen suddenly stood to attention with the gruff one mentioning how they were late for the next bout. And off they went in a flurry.
Ada wasted no time tailing them, feeling slightly sick to her stomach but the tingles of anticipation of finding Emil was too great to ignore. Even if…even if she had to face finding him in a state that was worse than his worse when she had met him at White Sand Asylum.
In the end, Ada was left rather out of breath by the time the two men had reached their destination—a rather seedy looking back alley within an entertainment district. Dark and somewhat cluttered with debris and trash, it certainly wasn't a place one would expect to find the sharpest of nobles.
And yet, as Ada sneakily made her way inside the venue, she came face to face with a sickening reality.
I saw someone juxtapose these two shots from "Hertztier's" Character Story PV and the essence trailer and I can't stop thinking about it cause it's so starkly contrasting.
I do love that his first essence includes the dog fighting ring, calling back to his canonical lore even if it's a core part of his painful past (which is one reason why they did it, I'm sure).
Because here at least, Emil has power and control while also using his magic to basically make those feel the same pain those dogs are feeling (and maybe Emil as well, though I have no idea if Fianna Emil here ever fought in the rings).
Also, I love how he clearly takes great pleasure in watching the chaos he created (look at that smile). I mean, the man has every right to be.
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(Auto-Translated story of Season 43 Essence 3 below)
"This episode's highlight story is about the magical containers within the Anti-Magic Tower, and the theme of this episode is Celtic magic.
Fianna represents soul magic; he can separate the soul of the person he touches into a heart soul and a beast soul, and erase one of them, or exchange the two souls of different people he touches.
Sinnan represents memory magic. She can emit a special fragrance that allows her to see the memories of others within her range and alter those memories by erasing their contents.
Uaithne represents bewitching magic; as long as he gets close to his target and whispers in their ear, he can make them believe any lie he tells.
In addition to the escape magic, there are also investigators of the "Balance Pact" in this story, who uphold their oaths and maintain the balance between magic and order."
It's a pretty short story but straight-forward and honestly appreciated this since back during the livestream I felt out of all the essences that were revealed for this season, this one was the "weakest" when it came to the story.
By that I mean that they didn't give us much so I was honestly kind of lost until the PV came out. Then, I still was like what's happening? lol
But I find it cool that each magic represents each character pretty well. Emil is self-explanatory. Admittedly, Vera, I need to brush up on her lore. Frederick is quite interesting and I kind of find him the most amusing (due to some jokes/memes I've seen in the community.)
Still, looking forward to seeing what these costumes actually look like in-game though. They even posted the Qixi Festival costumes' gameplay video the same day they revealed the design sheets and event rewards. Wowee.
