Miracles are often tied to religion and this kind of language used by the adults towards an younger/impressionable Florian who was already familiar with theology would help shape the present day version of him.
This is now becoming a little bit of a series I started on TikTok where I made videos exploring little talked about and/or unnoticed things about Florian. I’ve only done two focused on Florian’s connection to water and memories.
This time, I want to talk about Florian and religion which is a post that’s been a long time coming.
Obviously, I’ve already talked about the fact that Florian’s real life counterpart is St. Florian, a Roman soldier who was executed for not persecuting Christians when he was actually one himself. I have also mentioned how Florian’s father introduced Florian to theology from a young age in Florian’s 1st birthday letter.
Now, this is said in passing so a lot of people overlook that fact but it’s clear that it stuck with Florian. I mean, look at him saying “miracles this” and “miracles that” in his character trailer. Miracles are typically tied to religion, specifically Christianity and more so for Catholics. White Sand Street Orphanage, by the way, the place Florian would end up after his parents died was run by the Catholic church in the area. This is evident from the appearance of nuns in his trailer and his one deduction note that refers to a nun as “Sister” a common title to address nuns.
This deduction note also implies Florian used the drugs as fuel to start the fire at the orphanage despite his character trailer not showing that.
Also, this is just a little thing but the fact that Florian’s first ever sticker in game is labelled “Pray” is something to note.
Florian is seen here making a gesture as if he's praying. This sticker came out during the Halloween event last year (more on that in a moment.)
But how does this affect Florian in the long run? Like so what if he’s religious?
Well, it could just be a small aspect of his character and nothing more. However, I speculate that it’s a bit more complicated than that. While I don’t doubt Florian’s faith in theology or a higher power was solid in his early days, I feel as if as time went on, he grew less and less sure such a higher power existed.
See, this thought first formed in my mind when I played the Halloween event last year and Florian said this:
Most important part I think is: "Why cling to prayers for gods who've left, or to magic fading away?" and "From the very start, we never depended on magic. We can live without it...even without magic, humans can still move mountains."
It felt at odds with what I knew about him before, that as an individual who was probably religious and believed in God. And then it got me thinking, he probably did believe in a higher power. As his father had stated in his letter, it is important for people to believe in a higher power. A young Florian probably clung onto this until he was sent to White Sand Orphanage and something happened that broke that faith.
I didn't notice the first time I watched this that Florian's expression on seeing the nun tamper with the food/drinks for the children is that of shock or disbelief. Though to be fair, this GIF is slowed down to better see it too.
What was it exactly? I can only speculate that what he saw and discovered over the course of his years at the orphanage started to shake his faith until perhaps the cherry on top was the discovery of seeing the nuns drugging the children became the last straw (though naturally I assume he suspected the nuns for some time and it was seeing it with his own...eye..that he finally concluded what sort of action he should take.
But regardless, the very people who should have lived on the side of pure faith, those who prayed over the sick and unfortunate and preached goodwill, those who should have cared whole-heartedly for the well-being of the most vulnerable, ended up being the same ones who were hurting and exploiting them.
I have no idea if Florian was aware of some of the nuns' treatment towards the kids like Alice here (especially since Alice was said to have been in a separate area of the orphanage) but if he knew, that would've only added fuel to the fire. Look, you can see a nun seemingly leading the charge to antagonize a poor little Alice.
Anyways, it was probably a shock, and this is what led Florian to commit his first act of arson. And yet, he still tried his best to save everyone, even the orphanage staff apparently.
This feeling of being his own small miracle and passing forward the warmth, love, and sacrifice born from his parent’s death is possibly what led Florian to continue to indulge in such acts in order to not only cling onto the last vestiges of his parents’ memory, but be a hero. Twisted as it became, unfortunately, as it's even thought that Florian has a Hero Complex which isn’t a wrong speculation to make.
He mentions miracles here but I've always felt there's something more behind such a sentiment especially when I noticed just how little miracles are actually mentioned by him outside of this trailer.
Going back to what Florian says in the Halloween event, I’m led to believe that him wanting to become a hero wasn’t just for selfish reasons. He had probably looked up to those nuns and Christianity and yet when it failed him, he realized it was time to take matters into his own hands to help others.
As a man of science, I wouldn’t put it past him to believe himself capable of being the one people need in dark times where no one seemed to be coming to help—no higher authority, no God, no one who could be a light in the dark. If that’s how it was going to be, then he would step up and be that hero who could save people from these dark helpless times, from the impossible.
Despite all of this, Florian himself seems to hold no ill will nor disparages religion or believing in a higher power. In the above quote from the Halloween event, he explains things as how he sees it matter-of-factly.
For those that didn't know, his parents in that story experimented with magic. They were not witches, but normal humans who unfortunately died due to an accident involving magic.
Interestingly, Florian himself seems to be rather adverse to magic in the story, but uses it (specifically fire magic, of course) when he needs to protect himself and the protagonist from the undead. He uses it only when needed.
The protagonist points out that Florian's thinking is a little flawed since they're in a realm of magic. Florian would go on to say that's why he still studies it as the rules of magic still appear in this place.
In COA IX which has heavy religions, specifically Christian, themes, Alice observes in her personal notes that Florian “alone holds no deep hostility toward the Holy City.” That is rather huge if you remember that Florian is the only one who is able to see the reality of the Holy City from the start and yet, somehow, he holds nothing against the place or its Deity by extension.
This scene above is when they arrive and already making their way through the procession. Florian is the only one in the group to look positively impressed and awed despite the mission they have to do.
So why doesn’t he? Perhaps because there would be nothing for it since what difference would it make. Or perhaps Florian himself still holds a small belief in a higher power and hopes to seek out proof of such an existence?
Florian partially echoing what his father says in his first birthday letter. People always need something higher than themselves to believe in. Something for their peace of mind and survival in every day life in this beautiful but brutal world we live in.
Regardless, only time will tell if the IDV writers will continue to explore such aspects of Florian’s character but I wouldn’t be surprised if this more hidden and less noticeable side of Florian gets showed more in depth in the future whether that be through cosmetics, side stories, or main lore (rather that be his birthday letters or his canonical lore).
Side Note: Season 32 Essence 3 - Florian's debut as a Phantom Thief
Talked about this more in depth here.
Naturally I have to throw in there Florian's debut S-tier Essence where the storyline was him infiltrating a museum to get his hands on to burn an ancient demonic grimoire or cipher as it was also called in this sentence: After all, there is a second half of the rumour surrounding the cipher: "This is a contract with the devil, and an eternity of suffering equal to the wish will be released."
I already talked about how his essence strangely could tie into Novelist, Journalist, and "Little Girl's" respective debut essences despite the three being confirmed to be connected in their own series called "The Banquet of Vanities" which is heavily steeped in Christian influences (specifically the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, etc.). Yet, an outsider like Florian's essence oddly can be tied to the series as well.
I mean, heck...Florian above is literally confronting snakes in the above GIF. Snakes? An contract with the devil? Oh, Florian is the true Eve here (jk...unless? lol)
"Ding! Just on time! Your Red Bean Shaved Ice has been delivered~ Let's team up with the Fire Investigator and bring Beanie back to the Manor."
For those interested, the crossover is now available. Both Fire Investigator's A-Costume, Beanie, and B-furniture, Beanie's Daily Frosty Cup are available now in the Shop. Other goodies are available to get through matches and daily log-ins.
