⭐️ my favorite characters are: joseph desaulniers (photographer), naib subedar (mercenary), luca balsa (prisoner), shuichi saihara, toya aoyagi, tsukasa tenma, mizuki akiyama, kanade yoisaki, ryuji sakamoto, futaba sakura, curly, daisuke, anya, swansea, guest e, phoenix wright, desirée and ron delite, mia fey, miles edgeworth, bandit heeler, hatsune miku, megurine luka, kasane teto, fukase. kinich, gorou, alhaitham, ororon (from genshin impact), antonio, twiggy, fuchsia, claude.
(ive color-coded the character names and media names based on their sources!)
🐾 my hobbies are drawing, gaming, collecting plushies,,
🐾 weeklyidvphotographer on insta! (its a daily-type account)
🐾 i run a community on here called Desaulniers Appreciators, if there are fellow fans on here!
🐾 i also have an agere blog if you wanna check that out :,) just please be respectful and good and keep things completely sfw,, @muchtoolittle
🐾 i have an animal crossing blog too! @poopenfof
⚠️ DNI IF YOU ARE:
- racist, ableist, zionist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. do not interact with my account if you come from a place of unnecessary hate towards the people affected by whatever's listed above.
- anti-agere / a k1nk account. this only applies to my little blog but i'll put it here too for good measure: age regression is by NO means a k1nk, and minors are in this community. if you partake in k1nk and keep it between two consenting adults within your own walls, then i have no place to speak on that, but i WILL block if it gets mixed in with agere. i dont have anything against k1nk or people who do it safely, but i would rather you don't interact with my agere blog if you post about it.
- someone i know in real life. i dont tell people about my presence online because its basically the only place where i can be me to my fullest, and i dont want people i know irl getting in the way of that. and plus i am heavily uncomfortable with people irl knowing my online presence.
Gendered parenting is so weird. As a little kid I was a total daddy's girl, I was told I would always try to sneak into the garage, I was always very interested in everything he was doing and would follow him around while he was working, but while my family was never the type to outright say "you can't do that because you're a girl", they simply didn't entertain the idea that I could possibly be interested in cars. Then when my little brother was born, it was just assumed he would become a mechanic like our dad because he was a boy. Even though he, unlike me, didn't like being in the garage much and wasn't all that interested in what dad was doing. Once he got to a certain age, dad started making him help and would drag him away from his actual interests for it, which lead to a lot of arguing and not much actual learning.
Gendered expectations sort of create doubles of children. There's the real child with their actual personality, interests and behaviors, and then there's the Gender Child.
My real brother hated soccer and team sports. The Gender Child that existed only the minds of the adults in his life needed to play soccer because that's what a Boy Child does.
Growing up, I always felt like adults didn't actually know me as a person and they weren't interested in getting to know me. Because they felt they'd already learned everything there was to know about me when they were told "it's a girl".
When I talk about how I never got gifts I actually liked from my relatives (to this day I still don't like getting gifts that aren't something I picked out myself), it isn't actually about the gifts themselves. I don't even remember them. What I do remember is the feeling of being given gifts that were seemingly not bought with the real me in mind. They were for the Girl Child™️ version of me. The me that adults wanted me to be, not who I actually was.
Final for my illustration class: Mii history booklet!! I was making this before and after tomodachi life living the dream came out so if any information is wrong thats why. I’m not an expert on miis or Nintendo so forgive me if I got any information wrong!
I haven’t seen many ppl on tumblr talking about the boycott, but a recent update is that netease is trying to force their CC’s into a month long contract that restricts them from speaking anything bad about the game, and having to reimburse netease if they disobey it. Obviously, this is very creepy and predatory to idv content creators who are paid by them, and depend on the money.
They are offering 50% higher pay to those who stay with the program.
This shows that they’re loosing funds and they’re panicked.
These images and screenshots are from Zeus’s recent stream.
(As well as an informative thread on Twitter summarizing the stream, here)
Our voices matter more than ever now. Netease is sweating, we need to make it clear that this game will loose its players if they continue with the ai usage and racism. Don’t log in, don’t spend money on echoes.
Zeez’s video on the boycott
Also, don’t harass artists who continue to post fanart/other fanwork. We want human passion in this game! Showing love for the game with fanart will keep spirits up for the boycott ^_^
Also don’t harass content creators who choose to stay with netease, they are clearly being coerced.
It makes me feel like NetEase will double down on their usage of Generative A.I.
*sigh* Really trying not to lose hope but at the same time I realize I will have to give up a game I love because of Gen A.I.
Frankly Tech Bros and Billionaires ruin everything. I don't care if people see it as hyperbole and I'm gonna say it again: Tech Bros and Billionaires ruin everything.
All of this has really been hitting that "strong sense of justice" nerve I've got due to how unjust it is.
EDIT: That is to say, keep boycotting! The fight isn't over yet and as mentioned from above, this move is also a sign of NetEase beginning to sweat.
You guys are giving me life ♡ + PSA about IDV's Writers
Last night I got comments on my AO3 and it had me throwing my phone across the room because I can't with my own feelings sometimes lol (I'm serious though, I threw my phone across the room...where it landed safely on my bed lol)
Thank you kind stranger! Especially in these times when creatives feel threatened by AI, I feel this was too nice to get especially on a niche ship (cause I know that feeling). This came so timely because I was just trying to come up with another chapter for my FloriAlice story and I was feeling stumped and stuck in a corner. So I appreciate this a lot.
And this one meant a lot too because I think most fanfic writers will agree that when someone reads your work and says you did well on the character dynamics or personality/characterization, the light-headed feeling of actually doing right feels like you're over the moon.
I double this with IDV characters because while I know people are focusing on the art when it comes to the anti-AI movement, I've only seen a handful of worries over the writing being touched by AI as well (birthday letters and the main story and such).
I really REALLY hope not, but regardless, please don't forget the writers as well during this time. They're brilliant individuals as well and from what I've learned from videos like the conceptual ones for Alice, Mike, Norton, etc. I know they also put a lot of thought and care into them especially since they have identity switches.
Heck, I wish I could be that good at character design and writing and I salute them (if you need more writers, NetEase, hire me).
*ahem* But considering what we've learned about the CoY process, I can't imagine the pressure and stress the writers went through then and now. So again, please don't forget them and remember to show your appreciation for them too.
Though it's a shame. It's easier to find artists that have worked on/with NetEase than the actual writers themselves...I really wish NetEase/Joker Studio would credit their creatives better...
Given the recent discussion of Netease's plans in advancing the usage of the usage of LLMs and generated images in Identity V's art and writing direction, I want to note Antonio's design notes from 2020. I will be using automated translation, but the point transcends the uselessness of google translate.
Hello everyone! I've been responsible for the character designs of several survivors before, and the violinist was the first hunter I worked on. (The other two writers produced the brilliant designs for all the previous hunters; I'm in awe of their talent!)
...
In addition, I also hope that the character can transcend the elegance of a musician and have the qualities of "playing in madness" and "being manipulated in depravity" (laughs).
...
Under the strict supervision of the lead artist (crying), the new hunter's physique and temperament had to be distinct from the existing hunters (once again, I'm in awe of the brilliant character design! There's not much room left for newcomers). Besides the basic settings like being slender and tall, the long hair design, brought to life by the master artists, became a major characteristic of the character. Finally, a violinist who was once possessed by a demon was born:
These are the words of someone who loves what they created. These are the words of someone who adores Antonio and was proud at the effort of not only themselves, but everyone who helped design him. These are the words of an artist.
The Video Game Industry, like many industries, has had AI act as a parasite invading every corner. It's easier to name large studios and publishers that haven't have attempted to use AI than not. Capcom, Krafton, Larian, Warhorse Studios, and more.
Even before the invasion, layoffs are always around the corner. I found this interview with Jeff Kaplan, former director of Overwatch about the pressures he and his team faced to create increasingly larger profits. If they did not deliver profits, the team would be axed and the blame would be laid at his feet. The increasing skin favoritism in Overwatch towards popular characters was the symptom of a developer team trying to keep their air filled with lungs as the water of greed rose around them.
Netease has been particularly ruthless towards its own developers lately, with multiple overseas studios being axed. Before then, it has run games with beautiful art, interesting storytelling, and fun gameplay into the ground, until a decaying corpse dragging itself in the present day is what remains. Onmyoji fans can testify.
I've suspected something's been going on since 2025. In the behind the scenes video for Cage of Yesteryear, the developers seemed overwhelmed with the request to make a cutting edge, Triple AAA event and spent all their effort in one storyline, resulting in the technically impressive but unfulfilling main update. At the same time, the birthday art for the Asia and NAEU accounts had clearly become generated or assisted, which was most obvious in unpopular Hunters such as Nightmare and Keigan.
There was backlash and it stopped, but events such as Cage of Yesteryear and the of Sea of Remnants worsened my concern. Publishers are willing to guarantee a new game is a profit at any cost. Right now that means laying off anyone deemed unnecessary and replacing them with the snake oil that's LLMs. And Sea of Remnants is a very big bet.
COA IX felt like a warning sign. The willingness to drop subtly and discuss things like the nature of Orpheus and Alice's relationship felt... urgent. The themes of an AI incapable of creativity, forcing the world into a generated stasis were personal. It felt like a swan song.
Suddenly, I noticed Kurt's Global Art had cut-off legs, that the Truth and Inference buildup had the squiggly writing of a generated imagine (and untranslated Chinese behind it), and that the translations of some Character Day Letters were word-for-word Google translated (implying the loss of an English localizer). There were whispers on the Weibo that Netease was planning on firing some of the art staff.
And then whispers grew to shouts.
Joker Studios is a domestic studio under Netease. It is not Netease directly. NE aren't the people who make IDV a beautiful game. They're the higher ups who decide whether to implement AI into a studio and fire anyone they deem unnecessary. They're the ones who make many of the bad choices regarding IDV, but none of the great ones.
The writers, artists, programmers, developers, and composers of Joker Studios are who what made IDV this amazing game and Netease is throwing them away to maximize a profit. This has been the disgusting nature of the Video Game Industry the past decade and more.
Be angry about it. I'm currently working with my Marvel Rivals friends to see if we can use their global manpower to cause an upset, since Rivals is directly under Netease and is thus under threat as well. I know there are those trying to coordinate with other servers given the concerns voiced on Weibo and other sites. NAEU may be neglected, but it is not helpless. At the same time this has been going on, there has been a greater effort to create IDV-centric events in the USA. There have also been efforts to promote interest in Sea of Remnants in NAEU. Use this to advantage and be a nuisance.
Remember that companies take advantage of apathy to try and force acceptance. They are conflict-averse and profit-driven. Do not let anger at the state of the Game Industry go to waste.
I'm tired, I'm busy, but in a (un)surprising drop, none other than Joseph Desaulniers has finally obtained a video, and they have pulled out their all for one of the first breakout stars of IDV.
It looks like the theory they're releasing videos before birthdays has gained some support.
Now, let's react to our dear Dorian Gray-inspired Photographer. The English version is here and the CN version here. This will again be more informal than my already informal impromptus, given the suddenness.
I realized I forgot to link the English version so here it is.
The first detail I want to note is that Joseph's voice sounds his physical age (60) in the beginning of the video and the age of his photo self (17) at the end of his video. It's most obvious with the CN VA, but either way, the transformation should be appreciated.
Joseph is seemingly introduced at the end of whatever ritual he conducted in his Fourth Letter, in Claude's clothes, and his camera by his side. Behind him are paintings with scribbled out, glowing eyes. In front of him is a wall of light. He holds Claude's drawing from his childhood, one last look before he wanders to eldritch realms. It's likely these are pantings, but there's also the possibility these are the portraits containing the souls of his victims.
We then see Joseph in the developing room, as he walks through memories. The souls of those trapped within reach out of their portraits, begging for help they'll never receive. As elaborated upon in his deductions and letters, whatever Joseph did with his camera involved trapping those in the "Eternal Kingdom" that he sought to join. This process was indiscriminate, targeting young and old, men and women alike. Based off Joseph's Third Letter, their continued existence was unhappy, assuming these weren't visions caused by mercury alone (unlikely given Joseph's disappearance and what exactly drugs represent in IDV). Whatever it was, it appeared to be one-way, as Joseph observed to his dismay in his Fourth Letter.
We then see an older Joseph taking the photograph of a woman in a chair, which appears to have been part of the process of trapping someone in the Eternal Kingdom/Photograph Realm. This is replicated mechanically by Joseph's gameplay. Joseph here is currently an elderly man. We are walking reverse in time. Missing papers fly past him. The cost of returning to the past cannot be forgotten. It takes many souls to regain one.
We then see Joseph talking to someone, showing off an album of photographs, including what appears to be himself or Claude. They appear to possibly be in a train's cabin. This is possibly where Joseph got the camera. While their hairstyle seems very similar to Joseph, there is no indication of a mirror, meaning it is another individual with pale hair.
This is a crack theory, but I believe Ivory Tower could hold a clue. In last year's event, Joseph was acquainted with Andrew's father, Duke Kreiss. In his room, Tyrant Joseph has a portrait of a pale man with long hair and a beard, possibly Duke Kreiss. If there is any canon to Duke Kreiss, perhaps he's the one who introduced Joseph to the occult.
We then see Hangover Joseph breaking down, surrounded by portraits. The ghost, or memory, of Claude reaches out to comfort him. Our Photo Realm Joseph watches them as he walks on. Joseph laments that if only he could bring the "once" into the present. Hangover Joseph is his "Once" skin, depicting a timeline where the characters did not go to Oletus Manor. In this skin, Joseph slowly destroys himself in a drunken haze, rather than taking the rituals in an attempt at eternal youth, to be reunited with Claude. Joseph continues to walk past memories of his and Claude's childhood.
Joseph then transforms into his Hangover self, the self after he lost Claude, before he found a twisted hope. He walks in the memories of his childhood home, standing in front of a dozen paintings. Here, we see a young Joseph, and, as long hinted at from his deductions and Fourth Letter, Claude wearing game Joseph's default outfit. Joseph in-game is doing his best to present as Claude. Joseph's ritual was not to gain eternal youth, but to never see "Claude" age. He's in the body of his beloved twin brother, but not the soul. We also see Claude painting, confirming the suspicion why Joseph was so dedicated to painting before photography. Anything to keep a memory alive.
A part of me wonders, given Hangover's reputation and Joseph dressed less formally, if Joseph's parents were upset that Claude, respectable Claude, was the one who died.
In color, we see what Joseph is walking towards: Claude, painting a massive canvas of his and Joseph's childhood. Their parents laugh with friends, watching as Claude, holding a butterfly net, chases Joseph in a massive garden, Behind Joseph, the souls of the damned reach out. Were all the souls sacrificed worth a memory?
Claude turns around and says, in his voice, for the first time we've heard him, "Joseph?" But when he turns around, he is eyeless, like every npc character in IDV. He is not playable. He never was. Joseph got a body back but not a soul. A part of a memory, but nothing that made it worth remembering.
Joseph reaches out to his brother, happy, in spite the hands dragging him back. But the photo world pulls him back in, to join his victims, and the paintbrush falls out, into the real world. The camera now stands alone. Joseph is alone, the king of an Eternal Kingdom in a camera. Claude's bones decay in the real world.
A dearly familiar hand makes an appearance in the last shot. It appears that somehow, Orpheus acquired Joseph's camera and, with it, Joseph himself. It's likely this is connected to Mr. Leroux, who bought Joseph's equipment and was Amanda's mentor. Mr. Leroux is likely either a pseudonym of Joseph or possessed by him. Until we learn more, it's hard to ascertain. At least we now know Joseph joined Orpheus possessed object collection alongside Wu Chang's umbrella and Michiko's mask.
While I'm a little saddened Amanda didn't make a direct appearance, the reveals in this video. The visual support that yes, Joseph is likely possessing the camera, that Joseph's ritual to enter the Eternal Kingdom was, at its core, about Claude, rather than his own aging (as much as he dislikes it in his Deductions and Second Letter). But there's also some fascinating reveals, as well. Joseph was always more informally dressed than Claude, that Claude was a remarkable painter (not only a creator of doodles), and how vast the efforts to reclaim Claude have been. Everything Joseph has done has been to preserve a memory he watched decay in front of him. The long-haired Joseph, the naive, informal Joseph is the "real" Joseph. The charismatic echo we know is a performance. One made to honor the memory of someone long lost.
And the reveal that Joseph was acquired by Orpheus? Now those could have implications. There has been a theory over the years that the characters were trapped in the Manor through their portraits, but I would like to posit that the character selection menu is a photo album. It might not be diegetic but, there's also the chance it could be. Regardless, why Orpheus was interested in Joseph's camera remains to be seen. Hopefully we'll learn more soon.
