#florialice

Alice had once again found herself in a slight pickle but surely it was something our very astute and capable journalist could handle…surely, right? Yet, this was a situation that was not only a first for her but there was no precedent to for her to fall back on to help her settle this bizarre predicament she was in.

“Alice wants to go with me. We have a match later and it would be wise to use that time strategizing,” her usually aloof and grumpy prospector was saying in an unusually light and carefree tone that was not at all characteristic of his usual self. Not to mention the rather warm and polite smile he wore gave Alice pause, her mind not quite wrapping itself around what she was witnessing.

This feeling was made worse when the one Norton was talking to, her usually friendly and cheerful fire investigator now responded with a scowl that didn’t quite suite his face. “I disagree. You’ve spent enough time ‘strategizing’ in your little meetings together. I’ve been far too polite allowing this to go on because I never get to spend any bloody time with her.”

Oh my, hearing Florian remotely use any sort of bad word just felt…wrong. And yet, here he was glaring at Norton with unreserved loathing as Norton matched his gaze with a patient warmth in his expression only betrayed by the slight tease in his eyes as he knew full well he was getting on Florian’s nerves.

Oh dear…

The two men had seemingly swapped personalities. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out but as Alice stood in between to two, she had to reflect on how this exactly happened in order to figure out how to best approach this situation where fire and ice threatened to smother her.

In the end, Alice had to step in and bluntly tell the men that she’ll spend time with both of them but that they must calm down and allow her to gather herself before she would meet up with them again. Norton readily agreed to this and nodded his head in such a warm manner that it made Alice slightly blush.

On the other hand, Florian just pouted and grumbled a little, “Alright…” before trudging away to who knows where but Alice guessed he was returning to his room or the lab where she agreed to meet him after her matches.

For now, Alice decided it would be best to return to her room and organize her thoughts on how exactly this had happened. 

The day had started out normally enough. She had coincidentally ended up bumping into Norton on her way to breakfast and had gotten into some trivial conversation on their matches (turns out they were due to be in a couple again as well today!) 

“Should we talk a little strategy before the second match?” Alice had asked him. Upon looking at their schedules, they had no time to go over the plan for their first match together but the second one offered enough time to meet up.

“Sure,” Norton had responded. He still sounded a bit groggy from sleep. Then, as if remembering something as he checked his schedule again, grimaced and continued, “The match right before that one is with that weird alien woman. Sounds like it’s going to be a tiring one…”

Ah, he meant The Shadow or Ivy. Alice couldn’t agree more on the fact that matches against Ivy was literally soul sucking as many survivors complained how exhausted they were. The little alien or otherwordly being that seemed to possess her body touched the souls and hearts of the survivors chilling them to their very core.

It’s always an unpleasant feeling when someone unwanted invades your personal space, but how to counteract that when they invade your inner essence?

Alice could only bid him good luck and provide a couple tips but couldn’t help feeling relieved that she didn’t have Ivy today to deal with (for which she felt guilty feeling that way but who wouldn’t?) Instead, after the talk, she enjoyed her breakfast with Norton who quietly listened as she talked about various topics about manor life.

It was only when she was a match away from meeting up with Norton, that Alice encountered Florian coming from the greenhouse looking positively bright and shimmering with delight.

“Good afternoon, Alice~ How are you?” he greeted her as if she was a long lost friend who he hadn’t seen in a million years.

It slightly tickled her that Mr. Brand always seemed upbeat and friendly though naturally he must have his limits, surely?

Alice greeted him back just as politely and inquired about his day so far. Turns out he had been having a fine day with minimal matches but he was about to go to his last one which was coincidentally the Ivy match with Norton.

At this, Alice implored Florian to not antagonize Norton too much as the prospector never cared much for the fire investigator especially since their difference in personalities clashed often.

“Antagonise?” Florian repeated, sounding greatly amused. “I’m always quite friendly towards Mr. Campbell but he never seems to be agreeable to anything I say or do.”

When Alice gave him a pointed look, his smile became a bit more gentle in placation and relented, “I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises, Alice.”

It was enough since Alice perfectly knew how Norton was. Yet, she could never have expected what would become of the two between the time she talked to them and meeting up with them after their match together.

But still, this was…weird. Sitting in the pre-game lobby for the last match of the day was oddly…pleasant which came across as strange because Alice was in the room with a very smiley and dreamy looking Norton (dreamy as in head in the clouds), Frederick who was staring over at Norton like he had two heads, and Melly who also was staring at Norton but arguably with more disgust than anything else.

“Why…why is he like this? Explain.” Frederick asked Alice knowing full well she would know.

But she didn’t. Well, she had her suspicions especially after seeing Florian but it was best to keep it to herself. 

Thankfully, Norton spoke up for her, “Mr. Kreiburg, I heard your new composition the other night and thought it sounded nice. May I listen to it again tonight in the living room?”

Frederick looked at him aghast. “W-what?”

He was barely able to sputter that out when Melly with a frown asked, “Since when did you develop a taste in music, Mr. Campbell?”

Norton turned to her with a soft smile that made Melly lean back in her chair as if his brightness was blinding her. “I’ve always liked music, but just never had the free time for it in my line of work.” He glanced at her net which was placed carefully on top of the table in front of her. “Ever since we met, I’ve also grown a slight interest in your work as well. Bees are fascinating creatures, no?”

Melly was speechless. 

Frederick was speechless.

And Alice remained silent, rooted to her chair wondering how were they going to get through this last trial together. Well, at least it was a gang she was familiar with, right? Yet, as she caught Norton’s eye which twinkled with a warmth that seemed to seep right into her very heart, Alice began to doubt herself for once.

Ironically, or perhaps it was a cruel twist of fate, the hunter ended up being “Nightmare” who went for Melly first. Frederick mostly kept to himself but suddenly Norton was at his side wondering if he needed any help.

When Frederick had gotten over his initial revulsion, he responded, “No, I’m quite fine actually. Now please leave because your magnets are ruining my tuning for the calibrations.” 

Oh, right. Tuning forks and magnets didn’t really mix well did they? Norton apologized (my God, unheard of) and left to find his own cipher to do, but not before skipping over to Alice and checking up on her. 

“I think Melly is in need of more assistance than me,” Alice pointed out as Melly went down and got chaired. 

Norton insisted on going together so she could rescue and he could support their dear entomologist, and Alice couldn’t much say no looking at that hopeful pleading face so she accepted his offer.

To be honest, they did make a wonderful team and while the others were quite befuddled or downright turned off by Norton’s change in personality, Alice couldn’t help but feel a little pleasure in seeing him look so happy for once.

And most importantly, he seemed more at peace with himself and the others. But naturally, it couldn’t last. She knew this, but for the moment, Alice would allow herself to play along with this Norton as long as she could.

While the match ended in a loss since Norton’s assisting was…a little too much, Alice appreciated the fact that not only did she have a deceptively good time of it, but that Norton himself didn’t seem to beat up from the loss. 

After the match however, Alice couldn’t stick around because she had promised that she’d also spare some time for Florian. She bid a farewell to Norton who was going off back to his room to rest, and went in search of the now grumpy fire investigator. 

But before they parted ways, Alice confirmed with Norton her suspicions on what had happened to him for him to get like this. And naturally, it was just as she feared. Now, it was time to confirm the same with Florian.

Who she found was in the hallway leading to one of the labs of the manor. He was surprisingly in the middle of a conversation with Kreacher Pierson, resident thief and all around pain in the neck.

Alice had done enough investigating to know that he had been the one who had started that infernal orphanage turned asylum that many of her friends including herself had the displeasure of experiencing. While he wasn’t solely at fault, he wasn’t innocent either.

“Do I have to tell you again, you absolute bellend. Stay OUT of my lab.”

Ah, and apparently this fact about Kreacher wasn’t lost on Florian either as he confronted the older man with words Alice never knew he was capable of uttering. Granted, Florian was the one who set Kreacher’s orphanage on fire so shouldn’t the thief be the one upset here?

“Y-you accuse me of stealing but have no proof!,” Kreacher argued, his voice raising to a shout.

“But I do. Mr. Desaulniers and Miss Alice have graciously provided me with modified cameras that captured you sneaking around the lab and pilfering some of my things. Do you have a reasonable explanation for that, sir?” Florian’s voice was back to being calm, polite even, but you can tell from his eyes that his patience was still thin. 

Kreacher’s stutter got a bit worse as answered, “I-I-I don’t know what you mean.” He paused to glare more closely at Florian. “But when have you….when did you become so ungrateful to me, boy? Did my orphanage not provide you a home?”

“You mean your orphanage where kids were drugged and made to believe they were sick? Remind me, Mr. Pierson, what ever happened to the children who could never make you a profit?"

Kreacher balked and seemed perplexed at Florian’s behavior since he wasn’t used to the younger man being so aggressive with his words. 

When Kreacher started to argue again, Florian had had enough and snapped, “Bugger off already. If I see you around here again, I’ll take matters into my own hands. Just like I did back at the orphanage.”

Kreacher scurried away like a kicked puppy.

“Is he really this daft or just—“ Florian was muttering to himself but stopped when he finally noticed Alice staring at him with her mouth slightly open.

“Oh, Alice…hello,” he blinked, looking suddenly self-conscious. “Won’t you come in? I was about to conduct a combustion experiment if you wanted to watch?”

The overly polite tone laced with hostility was completely gone from his voice as the somewhat familiar gentleness Alice knew him for returned. It was truly a sight to behold as she agreed, putting aside the fact that she had seen a completely different side of Florian she hadn’t known existed. It was both fascinating to see, but worrying.

Alice agreed to enter the lab with Florian and watch as he did his experiment. This was one of the only times she had the pleasure of watching him conduct his experiment. The first time, she couldn’t stay long but it was nice seeing him in his element. 

Not many witnessed the usually bright and kind fire investigator look so concentrated and serious when confirming results of his experiment. Even taking a peek at his notes and scribbles of equations and scientific deductions proved there was more to Florian behind his seemingly absent-minded expression that deceived some into thinking he wasn’t as intuitive as he actually was.

And now was no different as Florian focused on the task in front of him, nearly forgetting that Alice was there. Still, he occasionally would glance up at her after writing his notes, as if to make sure she hadn’t disappeared on him. The third time he did this, he somewhat pouted and mumbled out a “sorry” and explained that he was at a crucial part of the experiment that could easily mess up the results if he lost focus.

Then he frowned, “Is this boring you?”

Alice shook her head and held up her own notebook. “I’m taking my own notes as well, but it’s always interesting watching you work like this. Not many see this side of you, so I’m grateful I can.”

Florian stared at her for a moment and looked as if he wanted to say something but a sudden poof of smoke followed by multiple little blue flames emerging from the dish he had out caused him to mutter out a small “Oh bloody hell…” before doing his best to get his experiment under control.

After he had done so with some effort, he turned back to Alice but quickly looked away again at his data sheets and science equipment.

Alice was a little surprise as he usually had something to say in response. Perhaps she had touched upon a sensitive subject?

But just as she was about to apologize, Florian spoke up, “Sorry, being here like this just reminds me of my parents. They were both chemists, as you know, and would frequently allow me into their lab to watch as they conduct their experiments and research.” 

He went quiet again and looked pensive, almost gloomy, which reminded Alice of what she needed to confirm with him. But first—

“Mr. Brand, while I can’t take the place of your parents, I hope you will continue to enjoy my company as I do yours because I really do like being here with you like this.”

He blinked again, staring at her like she had suddenly appeared before him out of the blue with three heads. Then he looked away, muttering to himself while shaking his head. Ah, there’s that part of his personality that seemed to have been switched out with Norton’s. Alice knew his emotions were probably just overwhelming him and thus he chose to push them aside and shut himself down.

She sighed but allowed him to simmer in the myriad of emotions he was feeling on top of possessing a personality that wasn’t his before she finally confirmed what she suspected and what Norton had told her earlier.

The simplest explanation for what had happened to them was the fact that Ivy had done something to them during her match with them. While Ivy was known for being possessed by some sort of alien or being not of this world, it was the fact that she was well-versed in the study of souls.

Thus, it was perfectly plausible that she had somehow swapped Florian and Norton’s personalities, if not, souls which was a rather harrowing thought.

So, that very night, Alice dragged both Florian and Norton over to the hunter’s side of the manor after she had promptly made contact with Ivy. Thankfully, she agreed to meet them on such short notice as it appeared she relished more in the night anyway. When they met over some tea, Alice explained the situation though she needn’t have to as it was obvious by Norton’s serene smile and Florian’s glower as they stared at Ivy realizing it was her fault this was happening to them.

“Just please let me do all the talking,” she had told them. She feared Norton would say something unnecessary that would sidetrack the conversation even if he had good intentions as it was pertinent to cut right to the chase. And she was worried that Florian would let slip a rude word or two that would not do before someone like Ivy. 

Alice couldn’t believe she was thinking that about them but here she was.

“Interesting,” Ivy smiled, finding the whole tale amusing as she carefully observed the two men like experimental subjects. She put down the teacup she had been holding, her attention fully enraptured now. “I did try something a little different today during their match. Perhaps it was more of a success than I thought.”

What exactly she meant, Ivy wouldn’t say, but she agreed to reverse whatever she had done to them on the promise it wouldn’t happen again. 

“Leave them to me,” Ivy said as she urged Alice to leave. “They’ll be their usual selves by tomorrow.”

While Alice was loathe to leave the two of them behind, Norton reassured her that they’d be fine while Florian silently agreed. Alice’s heart wouldn’t settle until she knew that they’d be fine but she left them with a good night and shaky faith in Ivy’s words.

Yet, the following day as Alice made her way to the dining hall for breakfast, her journey was interrupted by a bright voice calling out to her:

“Alice~! Good morning~”

She turned to see Florian waving to her rather excitedly. His usual gentle smile was even wider, showing off his little fangs that gave him a more youthful and flamboyant appearance. Next to him was Norton who looked mildly annoyed at how loud Florian was but he also gave Alice a small wave of greeting.

When the two men had caught up to her, Alice couldn’t wait to ask if they were well and if they were truly themselves after Ivy had been done with them because she had switched back their personalities, yes?

Cue both of the men expressing their confusion with tilts of their heads.

“You say our personalities switched?” Florian asked, repeating Alice’s words.

“Ivy? That alien woman?” Norton also repeated, but went on to say, “Both me and Mr. Sunshine here had a match against her but I don't remember much since nothing really happened.”

Florian nodded, looking thoughtful. “Yes, I don’t remember it too well either. I can’t even remember if we won or not…”

When Florian looked over at Norton for assistance, the prospector shrugged indicating that he couldn’t remember even that and looked as if he didn’t care to.

“But surely you remember our time together yesterday?” Alice questioned rather helplessly.

Her question wasn’t really directed to either of them so they both answered in unison:

“No, I remember.” "Of course, I remember~"

Norton continued first. “We were with that stuck-up composer and Plinius, right? That match is a bit of a blur but I remember having to help that woman multiple times because she couldn’t kite Orpheus.”

“And I recall that you meet me by the lab so I could show you an experiment I have been working on,” Florian added his own memory to the mix.

Truly remarkable how memory worked in this little manor of theirs. Alice wanted to ask more but Norton muttered that he was hungry and needed some food now as Florian agreed showing concern for both Norton and Alice as he gestured for them to quickly move to the dining hall. 

Alice allowed herself to follow along with the men, her mind still reeling over solving their little predicament that only brought on more questions. Still, as she looked back and forth between Norton and Florian, confirming that they indeed were themselves again, Alice decided to put the matter to rest for now. She was just glad that things were back to normal again…for now.

It was too hot.

Much too hot— it felt like it was suffocating everyone on earth. The temperature seemed to rise with every variable, while the people around the desolate city screamed and begged for mercy. The religious begged to repent, mothers kissed their children, and the children looked around lost as the sky turned into a colour much too bright for any ordinary day.

Was this it? With the amount of fire he had been around he had never experienced such an overwhelming feeling of warmth flowing all around his body— But it was too much. The warmth was not comforting, it didn’t even sear his skin like he had felt so many years ago, but it engulfed him from within. Did it hurt? He couldn’t even tell. It was just much too uncomfortable. And yet, his eye spotted a frenzied journalist in the crowd of people crying out.

She was blonde. That’s what he could decipher with the dawn slowly closing in on them. She was blonde and she had a gorgeous pair of eyes, and she too looked as frantic as the crowd. But the main difference was that she had no one to cry to, to look to, to hug as the world seemed to shrink on them.

She was alone. And so was he.

Even with how many lives he had saved in his years of living, not one person came to him to express their thanks at this crucial moment. He supposed it was only natural— there were people more important to them than him. Yet it stirred a feeling of such… Unease within him. His thoughts slowly seemed to grow more disquiet as he realized all of the things he had done yet no one had bothered looking at him other than a hero (which he was), nothing more than a figure in their life that had the time and courage to go into a burning building and save them.

The realization struck him again— He was truly alone.

He wondered if the nuns and sisters in the orphanage would be proud of who he was now. He wondered if his parents, who were up in heaven, would look at him now and tell him that he did a good job at living. Living? It felt more like surviving, really. Surviving by trying to keep his ego, his heart ablaze by… Setting fires. He was an arsonist too. He was not a good person, he was just as hypocritical as all the other people he had hated, the lies they spoke, the blasphemy they spoke of!

He really was no different. He really, really was just a man in the end. He was a human in a hypocritical society, a dystopian world, and he really believed that he was doing good by saving people from the fires he would start himself. What happened to his passion for saving people? Was the fire in his heart already put out? Did the fire he surrounded himself with engulf it?

Was this the time for self reflection? Most likely, but he didn’t seem to be able to bear these thoughts as he gasped for air. His gaze settled on the journalist once again. She was staring right back at him.

Was everyone he met this beautiful? When did the smile that had gotten wiped off when the heat exploded come back on his face?

She smiled back. In fact, she approached him, messily, of course, it was the end of the world!

She was heaving. The air hurts to breathe. But she was oddly well spoken through-out this matter, but his ears rang too much for him to process most of what she was saying.

“..You are alone? Aren’t you?.. Ah… Perhaps-”

That was all he heard before he felt the warmth of another body against his. It was nice, he thought. Has he ever held a person like this before? Other than his job? Had he had a life outside of helping people?

It didn’t matter right now. All he could focus on was the soft hums as the blonde woman continued to hold him, hugging him in the disaster that he could’ve never imagined happening.

He seemed to feel his face grow wet— Not out of sweat, but there were tears rolling down his cheeks, landing on the shorter woman’s hair, before she looked up at him, and seemed to give him a smile that seemed oddly optimistic despite it being the end of the world.

Was she crying too? He really couldn’t tell. He was much too disoriented to make sense out of anything. Anything except the journalist.

“-Alice, Alice DeRoss, remember me..”

Did she say that? That’s all that he could make out of reading her lips. Who even was she?

“Florian, right?..”

“-The orphanage, I don’t know if you remember..”

Why did she know about the orphanage? Perhaps she saw him in a newspaper back in the day, how the people always celebrated him for being a miracle.

Blonde.. Blonde hair.. Golden eyes..

Did he remember?

He blacked out.

—

She looked at the red sky above. She then looked at the crowd of people in a frenzy. It was unrealistically hot, even for a summer day…

A postman approached her and gave her a flyer in a distraught state.

“The world is ending! Say goodbye to your loved ones!”

What?

This can not be real. She only came to England a few weeks back, to discover who she was, to know the truth, to learn. Was it all pointless? Did she live just to suffer?

..Not that she had anyone to say goodbye to anyway. Perhaps if her parents were still alive (don’t think about their blood), or if her dear childhood playmate knew where she was (don’t think about his face.. No, she didn’t remember), she would be in a better place. She would have someone to bid her farewells to.

She.. She couldn't die like this. When she was still so young— She’s… She can't be all alone. There was no one she could run to, to hug and to tell them that she loved them, because she had lived most of her life in a constant state of paranoia.

No.. This.. This can't be possible.. I’m not supposed to die.. I’m not supposed to die like this, not when I haven't figured out the-!

Her eyes drifted along the crowd of people before she spotted the fire investigator that was popular with the people.

He was alone, really. He was dissociating, staring into space before lowering his gaze and pulling at his coat as if it would help him cool off.

He was distraught. He was alone.

And so was she.

Perhaps… Perhaps the last best thing she could do was help someone not be so alone during the final minutes of life.

She walked towards him (more like stumbled), and tried to speak.

Her voice was hoarse, and her words seemed to fade into the background of the city.

“Uhm.. Hello. You are alone, aren’t you? I am aswell.. Ah.. What’s the need for formalities when the world is ending..”

She observed his reaction. He still had the idiotic grin he had on his face when she was approaching him.

“..Perhaps-”

She hugged him. It was a tad bit uncomfortable, of course, but she hadn’t held someone like this in a while.

It was nice. There really weren’t any other words in her vocabulary. Despite the heat, she didn’t seem to process anything except the man.

It was.. She hadn’t felt anything similar to it in a long long time. It was nice— Ah, had he seen the man before? Suddenly, he seemed so familiar.. The bandages on his eye, the curly blonde hair..

It almost reminded her of the boy that would bug her back in the..

“I’m Alice, Alice DeRoss, I don’t know if you remember me..”

What was his name again? Fl.. Flower.. Flor..

“Florian! Florian, right? I was at the orphanage.. I don’t know if you remember-”

His whole body went limp on her.

He fell, and she did with him.

…Was it always this hot?

At least… At least she wouldn’t die alone.

-

I rlly dk how to tumblr and it wont let me tag ppl 🥲🥲 THANK YOU FOR READING WHOEVER YOU ARE

Oh my god how do i tag.. It wont let me tag.. WHATWVER DUDE

Flurries danced in the air, swirling down to earth gently as if they were figure skaters locked in a dance. They joined the already gathered snow laying on the hardened cold ground and would remain there for what would feel like an eternity.

This was nothing new to Alice who stood in the middle of this winter wonderland, but what did take her by surprise was the sight of a fox staring back at her from the shadows of a few trees. It wouldn’t have been too strange a sight if it hadn’t been for the fact that Alice was on her way to a museum that was just up ahead.

The path leading up to the museum was somewhat condensed with trees, so it shouldn't have been that unusual to see a fox here. Yet, Alice had couldn't recall ever hearing about foxes being in this area. Not to mention, it was a fox that appeared to be badly injured as half of its face appeared to be burnt away which in itself was cause for alarm for another reason:

Fire simply didn’t exist in this world. 

Long ago, it may have existed, but the witches and warlocks who studied magic had sought to eradicate such a destructive force in a world where ice and snow reigned. Ice and fire simply didn’t mix and everyone had agreed it would be better to be rid of the infernal power before it truly burnt their icy world into a flood that would wipe them out.

Alice had never seen fire herself as they had achieved their goal many years ago. Yet, she had read plenty of books about it with some showing her images that captured the fiery phenomenon that seemed to not only be a source of heat, but provide a warmth she had never experienced, and a source of light that electricity could easily replace...and yet, she felt it wouldn't feel the same.

Still, Alice couldn’t even imagine fire being a need in their world because even though they were cast in a neverending winter, it didn’t bother any of them. It never felt cold per se, it was just…comfortable and familiar. 

It was all she had ever known but Alice’s curiosity was never satiated and she always had wondered if it had been right to destroy the very existence of such an important element such as fire.

And now, something that shouldn’t exist was staring right at her and was now walking up to her gently. Its paws treaded lightly across the snow and she caught her breath as she realized with a start that it left tiny sparks of flame with each step it took, melting the snow slightly as it did so.

Then it reached her and almost as if by magic, she suddenly noticed in its mouth, an envelope sealed by a symbol that was vaguely familiar to her. 

Despite being captivated by such a creature and possibly seeing what appeared to be fire for the first time ever in her life, Alice still couldn’t help but speak up:

“Hello, is this for me?” the fox allowed her to take the letter from its mouth and let her read who the addressee was. “Ah, I suppose not, but I’ll deliver it to her because I’m actually on my way there now.”

Alice was never one to overstep others’ personal boundaries but this was such a surreal encounter, she wanted to be sure this moment, this fox was real.

And so, she reached out and decided to see how the melted snow felt like. Yet, she wasn’t sure if it was by her own miscalculation or if the fox misunderstood her intentions as it shifted its position at the same time, but her hand ended up mistakenly grazing one of its paws.

Still, that was enough for her hand to draw back in surprise. The warmth that had zapped her upon touching its paws caused her to gasp and step back a bit. 

It was a heat that she had never felt before and coursed through her veins in a way that made her body temperature rise. Even if it was just by a degree, it was enough for her to feel that difference between her cold body and this fox’s fiery essence. 

The fox, for its part, seemed slightly concerned which Alice found a little funny because she had never before encountered such an expressive animal before but for some reason she found it touching all the same.

“I'm alright, but I must go now. Thank you, I’ve never experienced anything like that and may never again. Oh, that’s right!” how could she possibly forget about her camera.  Given such an incredible experience she nearly forgot about her trusty companion. 

She brought it out and despite feeling a little silly, still asked, “May I take your picture? I want to remember this moment.”

To her shock, the fox seemed to understand as it seemed to nod its head. It then sat a bit more properly, its tail curling around it making it look completely at ease. Alice couldn't help but wonder if she was a fox whisperer because she never took herself to be good with animals like this.

For the fox's part, it didn’t seem to care which side she captured though it seemed to be aware of Alice staring at it’s injured side in a moment when her better judgement faltered. It tilted its head, its ears twitching almost as if it was a little amused by her hesitation. 

Seeing this, Alice decided not to dillydally any longer and after adjusting the camera to her preferred settings for the shot, she took a couple of pictures. 

And when she looked back up from her camera to thank the fox, it had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Even when Alice glanced around for it, all traces of the fox had gone including the melted snow that had already been replaced with freshly fallen flurries. No, wait…there was one thing the fox had left behind. 

Alice looked down at her gloved fingers and saw scorch marks left behind from the fox’s hot touch. While it had hurt in the moment, the lingering touch of the fox almost felt comforting in a weird way. It suddenly reminded her of the sun, an entity in the sky that was rarely seen in the ever grey skies of this world. The fox’s touch was like the briefest kiss from the sun’s rays before the world became hushed to the tones of snow and ice.

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊

“A fox you say?” the museum owner, a rather stout woman with tiny glasses, was saying as she pushed them up to squint at the envelope Alice had delivered to her. 

“Yes, it was a rather intuitive little creature,” Alice was about to say more about the fire and flames and everything but realized it may not be wise especially when it came to a woman like Miss Keigan Keogh. Instead, she adjusted the spare glove she had thankfully brought with her that had replaced her scorched one. It never hurt to be overly prepared.

“Hmph, I’ve heard rumors about a fox delivering calling cards such as this from that thief,” Miss Keogh told Alice matter-of-factly.

“Thief?” Alice repeated curiously. 

Keigan looked over at Alice a bit disapprovingly. “Have you not heard of that thief, Spirit Fox? I thought your paper had reported on his latest crime. Are you not in the know?”

Alice felt a slight flush of embarrassment that she didn’t let show on her face. She had just recently joined her paper so she was still a newbie but that was still no excuse to be ignorant. Though, she thought somewhat tersely, her colleagues were all men who didn’t believe a female journalist would make it in such a field so there were some things they kept from her. 

The reason she was here at this museum in the first place was because it was a rather easy interview assignment, or really supposed to have been if it wasn’t for this new development.

“Well, I suppose that thief isn’t worth wasting words on. The papers don’t want to give him the attention he craves so he sends these calling cards to announce when he’ll strike next,” Keigan was saying. 

“And he does so by sending a fox?” Alice pressed. She desperately wanted to know more about this thief and his fox, but did her best not to give away her anticipation.

Keigan scoffed and responded, “His so-called fox must be a demon from another world then as it is said to spew flame which is a power that hasn’t existed for centuries, as you very well must know, Miss DeRoss…”

She looked over at Alice pointedly who nodded her head. Best not to argue or debate the facts, Alice thought to herself as she gripped her camera, thinking about the picture she had just taken of the fox. 

With their conversation hitting an impasse, the museum owner turned back to the envelope and opened it after obtaining a letter opener on her desk. After perusing it, she harrumphed and tore it into pieces before throwing it into the garbage bin. 

“May I ask what it said?” Alice couldn’t help herself and had felt a bit of herself be torn apart as well. 

“Just some nonsense about stealing one of the museum’s most prized possessions, a grimoire we obtained from a generous anonymous donor about a month ago. I couldn’t help but read a bit of it before putting it on display and I must say, it was very enlightening,” Keigan thought over her words a bit in a brief moment of clarity. “Perhaps we should reinforce our security a bit.”

“When is a planning on stealing the grimoire?”

“Tonight,” was the curt answer back.

“Tonight?!” was the shocked answer back.

And so it was. Alice followed Keigan around in a bid to at least accomplish her purpose of coming to the museum to interview her as the museum owner went around enforcing strict measures and gathering her security. While it was hard to interview in this way, Alice was still able to accomplish her mission. 

But at the end of the day, naturally, her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to spend a night in the museum because a bigger scoop at landed in her lap.

But how to do that was a bit of a challenge because Alice was no thief nor was she used to staying illegally in public places but here she was, using her recently gained knowledge of how the security works at the museum to find a space she could take refuge in until the time came.

Fortunately, after saying her goodbyes to Keigan and feigning leave from the museum, Alice was able to recall a handy supply area that held inventory of museum collections either yet to be displayed or taken down from being exhibited. Not many wandered here and Alice could only hope this wasn’t the one instance someone would come by to check. And what was more, it was near the room where the grimoire was held.

Unfortunately, while Alice had taken notes of where the security cameras were, there was still a huge chance she’d be caught. Perhaps as she sat here and waited, she could come up with ways to figure out how to knock out the cameras if need be…

Oh dear…maybe she was in a slight predicament. But anything for the truth, right?

Time passed and Alice stayed alert, keeping an ear out for any movement or signs of noises of forced entry. Yet, nothing came for the longest time. Thus in order to tamper her patience, Alice cracked open her notebook and started writing down all she knew about this thief:

Had a very clever fox delivering his calling cards

Goes by the name “Spirit Thief” (for reasons Alice had yet to know)

Was still not too known yet but reaching prominence

Seemed to have no set motive in what he takes

Despite how unimpressed Keigan was, this thief has been successful in all his operations thus far…

Seems to act alone besides his trusty companion fox but rumors abound that he is seeking companions

And most importantly, he is tied to an element that no longer exists. Does that mean fire is

Alice stopped writing and looked up from her notebook sensing a shift in the air despite all remaining quiet. She stood up, for she had been sitting down by some paintings, and perked up her ears and listened closely.

It took a few moments of only hearing her own breathing, but there! It was a soft pitter patter sound that one could mistake for the fallen snow which usually got heavier at night, but this sounded like footsteps. Yet, Alice was perplexed. This sounded more like a fox’s footfalls than a human’s…

At this, her heart beat a little faster and she quickly gathered herself and her belongings to pursue the noise. She just had to first get herself out of this room which was locked. No problem, as she had learned how to pick locks because in her line of work it came in handy for…reasons. Certainly for honest reasons, of course.

Regardless, she was soon out of the room and carefully made her way to the room where the grimoire lay in wait to be captured or not to be. The museum was dark and naught a peep was heard as she tiptoed to her target. Alice remained calm and while the sound of footsteps had ceased, she knew her thief was somewhere nearby. 

Alice remained so focus that she nearly missed her turn, but upon seeing a light suddenly flood the hallway that she was in, made her snap back into reality. Oh yes, one of the security guards should be passing by right now and while she had been keeping track of their timing, her thoughts made her miss her cue.

She was about to be found and she barely had time to hide herself before the flashlight swivelled in her direction.  

But providence was on her side as a sudden commotion, not from the grimoire room as one would suspect, but from the nearby gallery caused the flashlight’s owner to swivel away from her to the new disturbance. Alice didn’t hesitate and took her chance to head into the grimoire’s room. 

Once inside, she could let out a sigh of relief before looking around swiftly to see if anything was out of place, including the grimoire. But, it appeared it was still safe and sound. Actually, this room looked as if it had remained untouched since she was in here earlier with Miss Keogh.

Alice cautiously approached the grimoire and peered at it closely. It did seem as if it was the real one for you never knew if the thief had already been here and replaced it. Yet, it seemed the same as ever as it rested within its glass case, humming with a dark energy that made Alice slightly cringe back a little.

She had heard rumors that the grimoire promised to grant one’s deepest desires but on the caveat that one must sign a contract with the devil. Alice found the thought a tad amusing though. Only because the devil was traditionally tied to fire which didn’t exist in this world. Which made her wonder about this thief…

Yet, when she thought about that fox from earlier, she hadn’t sense such malice or devilry but it had brought fire and thus, Alice had to get to the heart of this or she’d never forgive herself.

“Pardon me, am I intruding?” a sudden cheerful voice pierced her ears and with a start she jumped back a bit.

Her eyes met the fiery eyes of a face that was half burnt away as if fire had marked this individual as its own. At first, she had the briefest thought that this was her fox from earlier, but then she realized it was a human face she was looking at except…one of his eyes didn’t look like his at all, but that of a fox’s. That, and he was upside down.

This new stranger was outfitted all in white with splashes of orange reminiscent of the flames that seemed to be wavering behind him.

No, wait, as Alice’s eyes adjusted to this man’s appearance, for it was rather flamboyant (to put it nicely), she realized with a start that those flames were tails. Even the orange covering wrapped around his neck, covering a part of his chest wasn’t a scarf like she had thought but a fox that looked almost exactly like the one she had met this morning. Except it's burnt mark was on the other side of its face. Was it real? 

Her eyes must’ve betrayed her dismay for the stranger glanced down at the fox then looked back at her. “Are you worried this is real? Don’t be. Think of it as my guardian spirit.”

“You’re the thief,” Alice stated, for once her brain was racing to keep up with everything was happening. 

Spirit Fox nodded, a wide grin emerging on his face. Alice noted that he had rather sharp canines similar to an actual fox and this intrigued her further because as she took an even more careful look over of him, he appeared as if he was more of a fox turned human than an actual human being.

But what really got her was the fact that, “You’re on fire,” she couldn’t help but blurt out. “But fire doesn’t exist anymore.”

Spirit Fox’s grin became a bit more mysterious as he finally flipped himself down onto the ground and landed in a way where his pose resembled a predator about to pounce on his prey. Thankfully, he seemed more good-natured than that as he stared at her more closely as he stood up properly. 

“It is difficult to destroy something that should naturally exist in this world,” he said sounding neither bitter about it nor upset. He turned his eyes to the grimoire. “But this. This does not belong in this world and must face conflagration to reveal its truth.”

Conflagration? As in a huge fire? Alice frowned wondering what he was saying would even be possible but she quickly perished the thought. Just being in such close proximity to him made her sense a burning heat that radiated from his very being. She worried he would combust right then and there.

Seeing her expression, his tails shook in delight as he took a step toward the grimoire. “You don’t believe me?”

“I…” Alice hesitated, taking in this strange thief again. When she locked eyes with him, a sudden familiarity overtook her as she was reminded of this morning. “Is your little fox going to help you?”

She gestured towards the faux fox wrapped around his shoulders that resembled him in a way. 

The thief tilted his head in another familiar gesture and then broke into laughter that was almost infectious if Alice didn’t feel a bit slighted. 

“Apologies,” the thief quickly discerned that he had upset her and reached out his hand to her. “Why don’t I show you?”

Alice hesitated once again. Should she really trust this weird fire-wielding strangely dressed fox-like man? Still, his two eyes—one fox-like, the other human—peered almost pleadingly into hers and she rather quickly gave in to her curiosity.

Alice gingerly reached out and felt her fingertips brush against his. And almost instantly, the same zapping sensation she felt from this morning alighted in her, except it felt more controlled and spread throughout her like a blanket of warmth filling her with a sense that she would be okay. She would be alright and she whole-heartedly believed it.  

She almost stumbled from the sudden sensation of what she could only assume was the power of fire, but the thief drew himself away as soon as he saw her become unstable. 

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to showing this power in front of humans. I still am not sure how much I can share that would not cause you harm,” he confessed looking both concerned and apologetic.

“You’re not human?” Alice questioned, noticing his choice of words.

He gave her a soft uncertain smile. “Perhaps.”

It was the only answer he was willing to give as he glanced at his wrist, “Ah, I have enjoyed our conversation so much that I nearly forgot the time. I must go.”

At this, Alice couldn’t help but look over at the glass case and was shocked to see the grimoire was missing. Since when—

“But before I leave, I want to remember this moment.”

Alice was even more flabbergasted when he pulled at her camera—HER CAMERA, since when did he—and swiftly took a picture of the two of them together. But his words and gestures still sunk into her like a distant memory.

This morning truly felt like a world away now and in a sense it was, because she could never go back to being the Alice she had been when she had woken up this morning. Not after the encounters she had had today.

Meanwhile, Sprit Fox was apologizing to her (again) and handed back her camera. Certainly, he wasn’t called a thief for nothing. 

“Until we meet again, miss~” he turned to leave, but Alice who was looking down at one of her gloved hands, now scorched in a similar manner like this morning, couldn’t help but speak up.

“Don’t you want your picture?” she asked. 

“No need. I did it more for show than anything,” he responded back with a sort of cheekiness that seemed on par with her vision of a phantom thief. “And besides, I sear every memory in my mind for even fire cannot erase my most precious memories.”

She wasn’t sure how’d he escape this room but if how the fox disappeared earlier this morning was anything to go on, she feared this would be the last she saw of him.

“No,” she called out before he melted into the shadows. At this point, she could only see his tails, all aflame, swishing back and forth. But they had stopped and before he could say anything Alice continued, “Once they’re developed, I’ll give them to you. Just promise to meet me again in the snow..." she couldn't help but pause for effect to emphasize her point, "just like this morning.”

The tails pricked up a bit as if she had actually surprised him. Then they settled down again as he partially turned to look back at her. It was his fox eye burning with an emotion she couldn’t place from where she stood that met her gaze again.

At first, it just stared at her, taking her very essence in before seemingly glancing down at her slightly scorched fingertips. 

“I promise.” 

(Note: A little clumsy especially with Alice sneaking around the museum but don't worry Florian helped her intentionally and unintentionally as the staff will find out that their cameras have mysterious stopped functioning entirely as if the very footage had been wiped from existence. Fire magic mayhaps?

How did I play out writing Norton and Alice’s dynamic in When One Seeks the Sun/Fallen Star?

The first part of that two story series, When One Seeks the Sun, was inspired from the post I made on “The Supernatural in the Final Manor Game” where I really delved into the story of Orfeo’s Game. As most know, the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is part of the inspiration for the “final” manor game with Orpheus playing Orpheus, Alice playing Eurydice, Norton playing Pluto/Hades (interestingly, he is the only one who uses the Roman name over the Greek name when it comes to our cast of characters), and Melly plays Persephone.

This was only emphasized further in Cage of Yesteryear.

A painting of Persephone found in Melly's room in CoY.

Anyways, I just ran with the thought of what if the reason Pluto wanted Eurydice to stay in the Underworld was in order to basically keep her for himself? This line of thought came from the fact that in Orfeo’s Game, you can blame Pluto for being the one to cause Orpheus to lose Eurydice by tricking Orpheus in turning back. But when you read the actual Greek myth, it’s really Orpheus’ fault alone in turning back (tho a couple or so different versions do exist).

But yeah, their dynamic kinda stems from that. Of Pluto (Norton) trying to figure out exactly why he wanted to have Eurydice stay with him in Hades. It helped that I imagined even with her death, Alice would indulge in her curiosity over Greek mythology (one of her actual “likes” btw) and this would befuddle Norton who is like “What’s with her? Why does she not fear me like the others?”

Similarly, in “Fallen Star,” the sequel, it was inspired by “Fool’s Gold’s” essence from last year in October. I did a series of posts about it where I explored Christian themes because the term “fallen star” reminded me of “fallen angel” and imagined Norton as such since that is the name of his S-tier from the essence.

There was also this particular thing I said about it as well that launched the inspiration for the sequel:

From my Norton and Alice Aesthetics Pt. 2 post. The story went in a slightly different direction but I was already toying with the story idea in this post.

I just felt like they had both fallen from grace in their own ways and in order to seek redemption and bring about their own paradise in a way, they’d need each other to do that. If not, both would remain lost and be susceptible to succumbing to their own darkness.

I hope that answer makes sense? At the end of the day, it can basically be summarized like:

First story - I’ve finally found someone who understands me and not only that, but accepts me for me. I don’t want to let go of this feeling but am I really worthy of being seen in such a way?

Second story - While we’ve found each other again, one of us remembers everything, while the other does not but it’s clear we’re both suffering in our own ways and I’ll try to be the light in his darkness to carry us both towards a better fate even though I also have my past that’s needs to be addressed.

Yeah…something like that, haha…

What was my process for writing the angst in the last chapter/angst in general?

Girl, I’m not gonna lie…I just write…feelings. Emotions. Putting myself in the character’s shoes and how I think they’d feel in that situation. I’m rather an empathetic person myself, to an unfortunate degree, and add to the fact that I’m also sensitive, I guess that’s just honestly how I write.

I don’t even think I can write angst but apparently I do (lol). I suppose another part of that is the fact that I like to explore conflict as well. If I place the characters in this kind of situation, then how will they react?

Speaking of the opening of the chapter, I think about Norton being trapped in Alice’s little Pandora box. It was meant to save him from the black star that would consume him but it also triggered a panic in him from being in complete darkness. That was inspired by his birthday letter from this year. We knew already that Norton disliked “the dark” as seen on his profile but I think this is the first time they really got into that with his 2026 letter describing how he doesn’t like to sleep without having the lights on and even then he can still sleep fitfully due to nightmares (see below).

So things like that, where I look at a character’s profile and take their dislikes and sometimes further analyze their back story to determine what their worst fears, hates, etc. are to create conflict and angst.

Heck, someone as sunny as even Florian can still have something you can use to spur angst in your stories. All this while still keeping the character feeling like, well, themselves and not OOC makes it more believable I think and helps keep the writing feeling at least decent (lol).

How do you plan out mixing inspiration for your plots? Like what aspects do you focus on keeping in and what’s your process on how you’ll mix it with idv?

Okay, so you mentioned the florialice challenge and adding in Andersen’s work as inspiration but honestly I didn’t think I’d include it since I thought that story was going to be a one shot (lol).

But yeah, I ended up putting it in because I was like “Well, this story takes play in a wintry world and I’ve always had it in the back of my head for years of wanting to write a story based on Andersen’s work so now’s my chance!”

I also saw the connections between Fin and Ivy and while I was looking up the fact they came out during the same season, I watched their essence trailers and saw this shot from Ivy’s and felt sold to make her the “Snow Queen”:

The frost-like particles that Ivy seems to blow out before they are used to transition to the next scene reminded me of snow.

When it comes to what aspects I pick and choose to keep in my stories, I tend to naturally pick the ones I feel can fit the characters and the plot well without breaking that suspension of disbelief. Everyone’s writing is different but for the MOST part I personally like to keep my characters in character rather than OOC.

Again, I have plenty of instances where I break that and that’s okay. Fanfiction is not meant to be rigid but should flow like water—unpredictable at times, a rush of thought or as gentle as quiet contemplation. Something like that.

With characterization in terms of placing characters into different stories already in media, like Alice Found by Chance, while it is fun to smack your characters into any media you consume, for me I still think to myself “Could these characters fit into this show/book/game without compromising their core character too much?”

Like naturally, they have to change a bit to suit the environment they’re now in since they no longer are the prospector or journalist or fire investigator that we know of from IDVLand, you know?

For Alice Found by Chance, for instance, the main protagonist is a high school Korean girl. Like what? I’m equating her to a surly grumpy late-20s prospector from the Victorian era (lol).

But somehow it can work out because they have similarities that are compatible with each other despite being completely different people in vastly different settings. Both want to desperately change their fate. Both suffer from some debilitating medical condition that has the potential to turn fatal. Both are being influenced by someone who has power of them and they are hopeless to stop them…by themselves at least. Both have someone who can help change their fate for the better but they have to accept that fact first and the person that is trying to help them—see past outward appearances and see for themselves the other person as someone more.

I talked about it and showed some visual examples in my post on how I want to put my ships in every media I consume cause ship brainrot post a week or so ago if you wanna a bit more on other influences for my ships.

How do I figure out what characters to give cameos for?

I feel like whenever I put Frederick in these, he's always going through it and highkey doesn't wanna be there lol

You mention Melly in Over the River and Through the Woods, and that one was merely because the fanart that inspired that piece had Melly as the huntersman (woman), while Norton was the big bad wolf, and Alice was little miss red riding hood.

But as for other cameos, it depends. Besides more obvious ones like Wendy in the last chapter of Fallen Star where I just yoinked her from the essence story that was the inspiration for the fanfic, I guess less obvious ones would be Florian in the Seeking the Sun where he is obviously the one who ferries the souls of the dead back and forth in Hades.

That one was simply because I believe I ended that fanfic around the time the Halloween story came out and promo images/videos showed Florian rowing that boat in Samhain which is the realm of the dead in that story event.

Kinda kills me how he tries to touch the remaining life on that tree only to sadly watch it crumble. Oh Florian...

I also had Victor appear in a couple of fanfics written for the nortalice challenge that were one shots and that was basically because I quite like Victor as well. Simply put (lol). So I usually choose cameos if it fits the character (both lore-wise and game-wise) or just because I like them. But hopefully when I write more fanfics, you’ll be seeing me add characters I haven’t really written before because IDV really is a game full of interesting characters and I have at least a passing interest in pretty much every character in the game.

Frederick's face in all of these is how I imagine he's like whenever I have him cameo in a fanfic. He basically does NOT wanna be there but do so cause I said so (LOL no, legit reasons are that he has a connection to Alice and sometimes the role that needs filling, I end up thinking of him first)

When writing characters like Annie and Ganji (Two Lost Lambs) what did I think about first and foremost when characterizing them? What did I think about when creating the story focused on them?

This scene from COA VI's Funny Moments lives rent-free in my head.

Oh goodness! Speaking of other characters in the game (I actually didn’t see this question when I wrote that last statement above lol). But I didn’t think I’d be asked a question on this fanfic in particular, wow you’re really covering all the bases, here lol

Okay, but for Annie and Ganji, I think I was first and foremost thinking about how I wanted to address the more quieter aspects of their personalities along with their mental struggles since when I did that piece on Game 3 exploring if there was actual racism in that game (spoilers: there isn’t), I was really perplexed not many focused on the clear mental health issues plaguing each member of the game.

Thus I wanted to make sure I still wrote about that without making it the sole focus since I honestly believed in another life where things are better, Annie and Ganji could’ve definitely been friends, if not friendly acquaintances at the least.

Also, it helped that quoththeowl31 made up the prompt for me and I thought about how I wanted to approach it from there despite it being a bit off from what was in the prompt.

I mostly just focused on the build up to this I fear but if I did write more on the fanfic, I'd probably focus on a typical day at the toyshop as described above.

It’s always a fun, if not challenging, exercise in writing when exploring characters you’re not familiar with like that because you learn a lot about them and you also hopefully draw a bit more attention to them that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

How do I think about my earlier writing (Sun-Kissed Snow) has changed over time after writing things like the florialice challenge and when one seeks a fallen star?

I was actually just thinking about this the other day! I got a “kudo” on Sun-Kissed Snow this past week which made me think about my earlier writing and honestly…I wonder how people go and read my earlier works and like them (lol).

Like Glitch in the System is still my most popular fanfic on AO3 but I actually feel like it’s honestly not that great anymore and I feel the only reason it has that many views to begin with is because of nightwonder7’s comic they made of it when it first came out:

I still heavily appreciate this a lot as I NEVER thought something I created would inspire someone enough to create something from my work. I'm still in awe of this fact...

But obviously, I don’t want to be that harsh on it because I think it literally was my 2nd ever fanfic on nortalice so of course, it’s not perfection. Sun-Kissed Snow was my first and it’s not perfect either though…for some reason I think I like it a little more than Glitch in the System, at least right now.

But yeah, I’d like to think my fanfic writing has improved since then. Not greatly but enough where I’m not cringing when I look back at what I wrote. I’m still learning a lot though and hope to improve with time as with any craft or skill.

When writing dialogue in your fics (thinking Family and Dreams in the Holy City) what do you keep in mind when trying to figure out the voice/tone of the character?

Oh goodness, that’s the line you think of (LOL), but yes, I do like writing puppy/kiddy core Fin. I mean, watch the COA IX trailer again and see how puppy he is!

Like someone please get him on a leash...(the way he only starts being extra when he gets right next to Alice will always kill me)

Like I'm so serious, he only has one good eye and yet is standing at the edge of the rooftop embracing the wind à la Titanic "I'm king of the world" style. Like someone get him down before he falls to his death.

But getting to the question, when you bring up that particular story, I think about Richard firstly since he is the protagonist whose thoughts and thus tone of voice we hear in that story. Ngl when I first started writing IDV fanfiction, dialogue is what I struggled with the most because of being a bit frozen on how this character would sound? Would they say this? Would they say it like that or like this?

For Richard in the COA story, for instance, I find him to be a rather quiet, thoughtful rogue-like figure. He isn’t quiet because he is shy, obviously, but because he is quite observant of his surroundings and the people around him. He dislikes practically everyone except for the little group he has found in the others (and the band of other sinners that is at his disposal although he doesn’t feel that bond with them as he does with the others).

I imagine when he speaks, he is curt, frank and not too talkative unless he has to be.

It’s helpful seeing characters in story events as I can then mimic their manner of speech but the thing with story events is that characters can kinda sound the same since it is more important in conveying the plot and what’s happening in the story over keeping character personality at times.

Thus, it’s better to look at character trailers and the like to get a better read on how to “talk” like the character. So for Richard, again, when I was writing Trapped in a Nest of One’s Own Making, I thought about how he talked in his character trailer. He basically speaks to his sister throughout the whole trailer so it was a little easier that way.

Looking at the language used in Deduction notes if it's written by the character like with Richard above also helps.

For Florian, on the other hand, well…in the scene you’re specifically talking about…our man is drunk (lol). I made him a little more child-like by even having him say “Cuckoo” instead of “You” as I feel children tend to do that often…nearly made Florian speak in third person cause that is also a childlike thing to do, but I didn’t want to take it that far (lol).

But I’ve poked a lil fun at Florian’s manner of speech before in a previous post. It was all in good fun but I love how English he can sound both in accent and word choice so whenever I write his dialogue I try to keep it that way. I think this is more seen in my florialice story more than any other story tbh. While Fin looks like a derp especially in game, where he DEFINITELY looks like a “No thoughts, head empty” kinda guy, he has a LOT going on with him, truly.

Like...if this isn't the pinnacle of "No thoughts, head empty" then what're we doing here? Look at that face LOL I feel like they purposely make him look like a derp.

Someone said he looked like a bug at this angle, and I can't-

But dialogue is still something I wrestle with to this day but it definitely has gotten better since my first fanfic which barely had any dialogue until I snuck some in during the ending.

What’s your thought process when you’re about to start a new story? How do you plan to begin? I feel like you do a good job of establishing whose POV it will be from with an eyecatching start (Glitch in the System, Opportunity Hidden in Chaos).

The opening lines to An Opportunity Hidden in Chaos. This was my first attempt at writing a florialice fanfic though this was more me exploring a friendly relationship with them rather than being "romantic" with it.

My goodness, two stories I actually haven’t gone back to read in ages. Hold on…I need to know what you mean (lol)

Okay, got it. But to answer your question, I think it helped that I did take some writing related classes during my undergrad as I took a couple or so Fiction writing classes and actually some Screenwriting classes, believe it or not. Nothing much came from either besides retaining some pieces of information that can help one write better stories.

For one, it’s always important to have a “hook” something that can draw the reader into your story and keep them reading. It’s hard to do that with stuff that is not of interest to the reader so sometimes you have to really work harder for that.

I also usually like to envision the scene first though interestingly in An Opportunity Hidden in Chaos, I think the first scene I envisioned was of Florian in the grey courtyard of White Sand Street wanting to get a glimpse of the sun. It’s been some months since I wrote the fanfic so I can only guess that I thought it was a weak start and decided to instead begin with describing Florian’s reocurring nightmare of losing his parents to that horrible fire incident.

But sometimes I do like to start on a more quieter footing. Anyways, when it comes to establishing POV, I try to do that within the first couple of sentences. It’s good to just jump in with that without wasting the reader’s time in figuring out what’s going on.

Besides the hook, the quicker you establish characters and settings without hamfisting too much, I think that’s fine and helps create interest for the one who is reading your work. And from there, you can expand on that scene, add details, explore the characters more and etc.

What do I enjoy most about writing prominent characters like Florian, Alice, and Norton?

For me, I like exploring the limitless possibilities of writing when it comes to them. What settings can I put them in? How would they react? What would they say? I think the NetEase/Joker Studio writers also like doing that since we get AU stories like COA and T&I and whatnot.

But I also feel like when those story events fall short or we feel the desire to expand upon them in more satisfying ways, we can turn to art—writing, drawing—to satisfy our endless imagination for our beloved characters. Like I did have half a mind to explore a Cage of Yesteryear fanfic when it came out because so many expressed disappointment over how little story and new information we got (and I can’t blame them especially those who waiting TWO whole years for only a couple hours of content).

I never did but I think about how we as fans sometimes appear to hold more love for the characters and story than the official writers do.

But anyways, all of that and I also like exploring the characters especially Florian since…well I’m not sure what the fanfic literature is like for Florian (outside of Florimatt stuff) but I’m not sure if there are many Florian fanfics on AO3 that explore him like I do or in ways that I would like.

I’m NOT trying to sound vain or anything (I SWEAR! I SWEAR) but I feel like while I have seen some interesting discourse on him on Twitter of all places with a couple of threads on him, I feel like fanfiction isn’t the same since many writers usually write for self-indulgence and thus the characters are written how ever the writer wants to write them which is fine. Plus, fanfiction is usually not the place to do that I think...not sure since I'm still pretty new to this stuff...

But for me, however, as mentioned before I like to explore characters in settings and stories that don’t make them feel horribly OOC. It’s personal preference since if a character is too out of character, it can take me out of the story badly.

But yeah! That’s about it. Oh, another point I would like to make is that writing stories we know NetEase/Joker Studio aren’t going to explore is also pretty neat! I still have a worry that when May comes, Fin or maybe even Alice’s letter will cause me to rethink shipping them cause I’m paranoid like that (I’ve heard about some ships being destroyed once new information comes out about characters, I’d hate that to be the case for florialice but we just have to see…)

Regardless, I guess I can still have COA IX Alice and Florian if the OG lore wants to take the ship out back and execute it.

Hardest aspect about either of those characters to write about?

Oh boy, I’ll try to keep this short since I’m yapping way too much.

Norton: Interacting with others including Alice (perhaps especially her). I feel like I may make him open up too easily. If I had the time and energy and discipline, I’d probably do a more slow burn type of fanfic with them since I feel that would be more natural.

Alice: Keeping her in character. I feel like I write her the most OOC but I guess I just see her as a very sympathetic/empathetic character that wouldn’t want to see someone go through pain especially if the pain is anything like what she experienced (see the florialice fanfic). I also know I make her more touchy feely than she should be (again, see fanfic above). For future fanfics, I want to work on that.

Florian: Kind of similar to Alice for slightly different reasons. Florian is the “youngest playable character” of the three of them so he has the least amount of lore available. And also both Alice and Norton are in the main story and have had their time to shine multiple times. Yet, thanks to story events like last year’s Halloween event and COA IX, we get a better glimpse of his character though it isn’t OG lore stuff but we take what we can get for now.

Thus, I feel like there are some aspects of his character I’m getting wrong but obviously I shouldn’t beat myself up for information I simply don’t have at the moment. Despite my post from earlier this week, I know I’m not psychic (lol) and despite doing SO SO SO much analysis on Florian’s character I could be dead wrong on a lot of things. So we just gotta see what NetEase/Joker Studio does with him…

What’s your favorite way to use sentence structures to hit the reader where it hurts? (Weird questions ik, I’m thinking of how you used ‘Louis is…’ in Rainy Day Strings).

Watching Matthias' trailer lowkey feels like I'm watching the preview of a horror movie except this is Matthias' life unfortunately.

OH! Thank you for bringing that one up since I feel amongst my single character-focused fanfics I wrote back in February, that’s the least popular one. Ironically, it’s one of my favorites if not my favorite since Matthias is quite relatable (I also quite liked Richard and Sisterling’s one shot too).

But for that particular one on “Louis is…” I feel like repetition in general can convey a sense of both emphasis and in this case, madness. You know that saying that the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again expecting different results? Yeah, that’s quite Matthias-core in trying to rid himself of Louis.

I also wanting to quite that sinking despair of piling on various thoughts about Louis that plague Matthias day in and day out. Questions Matthias has asked himself over and over again despite the answers already being answered or left to the unknown since Matthias simply cannot formulate an answer that is satisfactory.

Sentiments also build up from these “Louis is…” statements because they are also things that Matthias heard from others. He didn’t necessarily have to physically hear it from their own lips, it was something Matthias tangibly heard through their body language and how they treated Louis over him.

When I think about such feelings, I wonder how I can convey that in my writing, like in descriptive words, as well.

WHERE DOES THE WRITING STAMINA COME FROM?

It's a secret~

LOL But honestly, not sure. I’m currently in a bout where I actually have little energy or passion to write anything at the moment. I guess the energy I expended these past few months has finally caught up and I need some rest. Last month alone I wrote 15+ fanfics. For March, it’s probably a similar number since I was trying my darndest to complete the nortalice challenge than the florialice fanfic.

I think it helps that I only work part-time at the moment, though most of my writing still feels more of a weekend thing as I mentioned I tend to go to the cafe. I usually do that on Saturdays hence why you can be on the look out for new fanfics that day.

But my writing also depends on bursts of energy and inspiration. It can be terribly hard writing when I have neither despite feeling the need to write. I also have days where life gets to me since I constantly struggle mentally a lot unfortunately. I’ve noticed my darker days end to happen at the beginning of the month lately so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers especially then AND especially now that we’re just days from April.

While I’m aware of this, as those who struggle with mental health will know, you sometimes are powerless in doing much of anything besides preparing as best as you can.

Anyways, on a lighter note, I thank you for all these questions. I honestly was surprised by a lot of them especially those of which I felt not a lot of people would focus on like the Matthias fanfic.

Really, I appreciated yapping about the fanfic process and hopefully it was an insightful and enjoyable enough read despite it’s length.

But I will tentatively say that when it comes to April I will probably not write as much, if at all, as the first 3 months of the year took up a lot of energy and time. Like I said, all that is finally catching up to me and I think my body is trying to tell me to rest for the time being.

Lastly, again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading my fanfics. I appreciate it since I know I’m not the best IDV fanfic writer out there but it means a lot people take the time to read my stuff cause this is all real new to me.

Take care and have a blessed Sunday/timezone~!

And I want to talk about them. Just in summary but one or two will probably be expanded on in a more in-depth post. Firstly, I’ll talk about some inspirations I’ve already mentioned in previous posts (specifically the nortalice challenge)

Possible Nortalice Fanfics in the Future

Alice Found by Chance/ Extraordinary You

Fun Fact: I first watched this drama in South Korea when I went to Busan in an overnight trip during my semester abroad there. Only properly watched it when I came back to the states though.

I already wrote a little bit for this already thanks to my nortalice challenge but for those that didn’t know, this is based on a webtoon/drama called, “July Found by Chance” or “Extraordinary You” (confusing but they changed the English title when it was made into an drama).

The basic premise is that Eun Dan-Oh, a high school student in Korea, comes to the horrible realization that she is a character in a manhwa and not even one of the main characters like she thought. Instead, she’s a side character that feels made to get the main couple together and not only that, but she is cursed with a medical condition, a weak heart, that could be prove to be fatal if the author so deems it.

Dan-Oh complaining to Number 13 (bro didn't even have a proper name yet) about her role in the story.

In order to change her fate, she tries to rebel but realizing she is forced to stick with the script, Dan-Oh must team up with someone who can work outside the script, a background character she names Haru. 

I thought this fit Norton and Alice quite a bit. While one would think I would make Alice the lead here, I didn’t and swapped the roles around so Alice is Haru and Norton is Dan-Oh. Why?

Norton and Dan-Oh are both those who try desperately to fight against the fate that has been handed to them to seemingly no avail. They both have been cursed with medical conditions that can prove to be fatal. They both can team up with someone who cannot only make them better as a person but can possibly help change their fate.

A heart condition and forced to love someone for 10 years for the sake of the plot. Christ...

On the other hand, I think Alice fits Haru well because not going to lie, sometimes I do feel as if Alice is pushed to the background in favor of other characters despite being really plot relevant and making a lot of important progress in behind the scenes. Haru also likes to draw and seems to have been watching Dan-Oh before they meet (not in a creepy way, mind you, more in a curious way…there’s also a plot reason but kinda spoilers.) 

Switching their roles around is also fitting since let’s be real, Norton is so freaking popular in the community that it feels as if he is the main character over Alice at times lol. 

Anyways, moving on!

Conan Doyle Estate Crossover/Peaky Blinders

Promo poster for the Peaky Blinders film coming this week (yes, the series is finished but this film is one I've been waiting on only to be hit with this date only a couple weeks ago, Yippie for me~)

Oh boy, how to describe Peaky Blinders? I mean, everyone knows about the crossover but probably not the Netflix show. Oh, but before that, the reason this inspiration even started was because there was a nortalice fanfic on AO3 where the story took place in the world of the crossover and Norton (dressed in his “Bird of Prey” aka Nymph fit) was like this boss over this gang or something? Anyway, it got deleted which was upsetting so I got inspired to make my own.

It was SUPPOSED to just be the crossover but then I realized that I could incorporate elements from the Netflix show, Peaky Blinders.

So what is it exactly? Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby family, a crime family in England right after the first World War as they try to become a more “legitimate business.” The leader of the gang is Thomas Shelby is too ambitious for his own good (I swear) and usually ends up dragging his family and those who work for him into plans that while there can be terrible consequences, it usually outweighs the rewards.

If you're still interested and want a more in-depth read, than go here to learn more about the world of Peaky Blinders and its characters. By the way, the Peaky Blinders were a real gang in Birmingham, UK, but naturally the events of the show are fictionalized.

Anyways, you can kinda see why Norton would make a good Tommy Shelby in a way. The kinks to this one are being worked out still but I did write a rough first part to this one thanks again to the nortalice challenge so read away if interested.

By the way, if you guys ever saw this meme floating around and didn't know where it's from, yup, besides the first clip every other shot is from Peaky Blinders. Um...what that says about the show is up to you to decide...

Now, the next part may turn off some but bear with me as I shift over to another ship I like.

Possible FloriAlice Fanfics in the Future

Love Through a Prism

This anime dropped recently back in January/February. I actually don't watch a lot of romance anime but I really liked this one.

I just recently finished watching this anime the previous week and loved it a lot. I watched it in Japanese but I feel I must go back and watch this in English (which I never usually do with anime as I love hearing the Japanese first and foremost as a weeb and someone STILL learning the language).

Premise: This anime follows the story of a Japanese aspiring artist named Lili as she goes from Japan to England during the 1910s. She only has six months to become number one in her class as it was a condition of her parents for if she doesn’t, she’ll be forced to go back home. But while in England, Lili ends up meeting friends who inspire her including one Kit Church who seems like an art prodigy as he is the one she has to beat in order to become number one. While at first he proved to be a weird and aggravating man, Lili slowly but surely grows to understand Kit more and builds up a friendship with him. And you see where this is going, right?

A field of lilies~ Now if I did ship anyone with Cheerleader this would be more fitting BUT who said we HAD to be 1 for 1 with the original media for fanfiction, hm?

Anyways, I thought it would be a fun idea to have these two in it since it’s easy enough for Alice to be in Lili’s place (the whole foreigner thing may have to be tweaked a bit since that was one reason I loved Love Through a Prism—intercutural relationships). 

Lili's arrival in England. I really liked the art style of this anime as well.

As for Florian, that was more tricky because hands down he seemed more like a STEM guy. I even toyed with swapping the roles of the characters like in "Alice Found by Chance" (actually a German exchange student Fin would be hilarious...maybe one day) but I feel like their roles would be better unswapped.

But literally the day after I came up with this idea and struggled to figure out how to fit Fin in this, if he could even fit at all, the March livestream teased that he’d be in their newest cosmetic series, Aura Rise Time aka ART series. 

Well…if that wasn’t a sign to go ahead and try this fanfic one day….

Anyways, I hope I do end up liking his fit but I’m immensely weary since I’m more of a pre-modern art gal (I like my impressionists! Van Gogh!). Modern art tends to be a hit or miss for me so hoping I like his fit since this also means Fin might not get anything else for a while. And yet, I feel like modern art does suit Florian more than its predecessor, I can’t lie lol.

Anyways, NEXT!

Doctor Who

A timeless British classic. I myself got into Doctor Who back in 2012 right before I went to England for a month to enjoy the Summer Olympic atmosphere! And ended up loving the series ever since.

Honestly surprised I haven’t stumbled across another Whovian on Tumblr yet. I follow Doctor Who tags and the community on here too (ignore my most recent likes…do people even notice such things? Did I just out myself?)

Anyways, for those that don’t know, Doctor Who is a long running British series that started allllll the way back in the 1960s and ran for a couple decades before stopping for years before being revived in the mid-2000s and since then it has been going relatively strong.

The series follows an alien, who looks very human, from the planet Gallifrey called the Doctor who is a Time Lord. A Time Lord is essentially one who can wield time-traveling technology but also one who is in tune with many timelines and such. It’s…a lot so I won’t get too into it especially since I feel like I’ll dedicate a post for this entry.

But! Basically we follow the Doctor on adventures across time and space as he works to resolve issues and problems that come up because he’s a hero of sorts that works for the common good, but Earth and its inhabitants are his favorites (and I use he/him because there have been many Doctors across the shows run with only one female Doctor to date, see above).

The Doctor's companions from the "NuWho" era aka the 2005-now era. From left to right: Rose, Martha, Clara, Amy, and Donna. And yes, typically women but there are some blokes in there as well.

But he doesn’t do this alone, naturally. He always has a companion or two alongside him to not only help him since even the sometimes all-knowing and all-powerful doctor needs a little human touch to keep him grounded and controlled.

From "The Runaway Bride," one of the many Christmas Doctor Who specials. Donna here is making the Doctor promise to find someone as their recent adventure together put into perspective that if left unchecked the Doctor's darker side can shine through.

If you’ve read the things I have been saying about Florian, then you know that the little I said about the Doctor can fit him well. A human-looking alien who thrives on the adventure of helping others alongside a companion who he needs not only to help him but remind him that chill once in a while? Yup, it can be a fit.

The Doctor also has travelled with companions across all walks of life from the unemployed (oh how I feel that) to those who think they’re nothing to medical students to journalists (journalists you say? Hmmm). 

I’d love to explore a Doctor Who crossed with IDV fanfic but the thing is…I’m rather too stupid for all that sci-fi wibbly wobbly timey whimey stuff so uh, if I do eventually do it don’t expect much. Like at all. Watch me. The way I’ll just rip whole episodes of Doctor Who and just stick Florian and Alice in it without adding much of my own LOL

But no, I’ll try to include some creativity. Try is the keyword here.

I just watched this episode a few days ago and when I heard this, the way I internally cried (lol) because it can also fit Florian so well.

Context: Martha, a former companion, warns Donna to be careful of getting too close to the Doctor as her family ended up being imprisoned and tortured by one of the Doctor's biggest enemies, The Master. They ended up all fine, but Martha's warning is still very valid.

Anyways, that’s it. I just wanted to get this off my chest. To be honest, I think the only ones I’d make a separate more in-depth post for are the FloriAlice ones since both the NortAlice ones have at least something written for them. 

Yeah…at this point I know I’m just indulging myself here but it’s really fun stuff that I want to write or really, try to write. Who knows? Might lead to bigger and better things (trying to be positive here)

I lied, there was more. But this is just a blurb as one of the first ideas I had for a FloriAlice fanfic series (and not just a one shot) was basically just inspired by that fact that Florian has fangs...

Since he was in the last Halloween event but only got a B-tier, I was like well, you know what? He's not going to have those fangs for nothing and thus, vampire Fin was born.

But no seriously, I wanted to explore a story in an AU where this man was a vampire based on a couple things, but I'll explore that in another post because I can't believe I forgot this smh.

What I will say is that a couple of manga and a rather well-known animated show inspired this one. I'll at least drop the show since everyone and their mother should know if (even if you haven't seen it):