#idv analysis

[sundae-nite]

Call of the Abyss For Dummies (Warning: It's Long)

This was certainly a mind-bending trip...

With the recent reveal of COA IX, it was finally time for me to dive into what Call of the Abyss truly is about. I’ve neglected it in favor of diving into the main story and its characters (namely Alice and Norton) along with learning about the canon lore of other characters in the game. But considering Alice herself is in this COA along with another favorite of mine, Florian, I decided to buckle down and do some lore research.

Fair warning: This will definitely be another doozy of a post similar in vein to my “The Supernatural in the Final Manor Game” post so grab your snacks and drinks, folks. But another note before that, while each COA deserves its own post, I wanted to attempt to condense it all into one post so that means I’ll more or less summarize and provide some thoughts on each COA unless I feel it necessary to really provide more details especially if it relates to COA IX or the main story or characters I know (I like to yap, what can I say?). 

Also, if you want a video that goes into some of the COA stories along with some really interesting theories, check out the video below from IdentiTheoret who goes over COA’s 1-6 (it’s about an hour long tho!) and COA 6-7 in a separate video. They also have similar videos on their channel so check them out if you liked the video! I also took some inspiration and quote them from the videos and will discuss some of the things they talk about.

Without further ado, on with the show!

What is COA exactly?

It's not just a E-sports tournament. (Seen above: NetEase headquarters, E-sports arena where the group stages took place for COA VIII, 2025)

When I first started playing earlier this year, I actually ended up catching the last bit of this year’s COA (mid-April was when I first started playing). I had no idea what it was besides the fact it was an actual E-sports tournament that apparently had an event in game. Had no idea the in-game stuff had its own big network of stories and connections that proved to be rather engaging and intriguing to follow. 

So basically, COA is short for “Call of the Abyss” and it is a novel that holds a series of stories written by Orpheus before he got amnesia. Each story appears to be connected to each other in some way. And each story has a different theme, setting, and characters that are partially inspired by the Cthulu Mythos written by H.P. Lovecraft though I’ve learned the Cthulu Universe continues to be expanded upon to this day through new authors and stories.

I’d like to confess here that I am not at all well-versed in H.P. Lovecraft’s works and have only done some research into it to find out about the inspirations behind Yidhra and Glaaki (supposedly the owner of that green eye in the Golden Cave). Regardless, the focus of this post is on COA lore but I felt I had to be upfront about it since I know some of you guys are more well versed in Lovecraftian lore than me. 

With that said, we can move on to discussing each story so far in the Call of the Abyss series starting with the first one, of course. From here, I’ll take what I learned from IdentiTheoret’s video along with what I could gather from the IDV wiki.

Call of the Abyss I: The Deep Sea and Pirates

Crew: Lawyer, Gardener, Thief, Coordinator. Hunter: Hell Ember

Theme: Arrrrrrrgh, Pirates~

Influence: Madame Butterfly (partial, I also don't discuss it but IdentiTheoret does!)

Background: This COA takes place during the height of the pirate age. Our adventurers had to beware of the Abyss, a place that was home to strange creatures and apparently the legendary Cthulu itself as they searched for treasure. Now, the first couple of COAs don’t have too much story going on with them or at the very least, it’s not as cohesive as the rest of the COA stories, but IdentiTheoret does a wonderful job making sense of it all and I’ll try to summarize.

Basically the focus of this COA is the relationship between the Pirate Captain (Hell Ember) and that target of his love, Caged Butterfly (Perfumer). The captain’s love and obsession in trying to find the perfect treasure for Caged Butterfly interrupts with his crews plans to search for more Abyssal treasure and this aggravates them. So much so, they basically throw Perfumer overboard where she becomes one with the Abyssal coral and lives. While the captain tries to get by despite being distraught over his lost love.

There’s not much else after that, but there is a connection to COA II, so let’s move on, shall we?

Call of the Abyss II: A City Locked in an Everlasting Winter

Crew: Magician, Mercenary, Perfumer, Mind's Eye. Hunter: The Ripper.

Theme: Wintry Steampunk

Influence: The city is based off of R'lyeh, a fictional island city created by H.P. Lovecraft which first appeared in "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928).

Background: For the background I’ll quote directly from IdentiTheoret:

“Call of Abyss II begins an unknown amount of time after the first in a place called Steam City. This city is…where the crew of the first event sealed the eye of the Abyss which they collected in the lost city. The eye holds great power and it also has the ability to make people around it go mad or maybe even deform them…The eye’s power is kept at bay in the extreme coldness of Steam City but when the city’s main source of power…begins to run out…the people…split into two groups. One seeks to keep the eye from being unleashed and find a new power source and the others who wants to use the ye to save and power the city.”

Again, wonderful job in summing it up in a way I could never. So this COA story focuses on an expedition group who wants to seal the evil eye away led by Spring Hand (Mercenary) and the group who wants to use the eye for evil ran by *checks note* Evil Eye Host (Ripper)…wait, that’s actually his name?? A little bit too on the nose but okay then (lol)

This COA story ends with the expedition group getting the eye after a struggle with their opposition but the problem remained: use the eye to bring power back to a city but cast the people into madness and calamity or seal the eye away forever and leave the city stranded in a never-ending icy winter?

In the end, whatever Spring Hand’s decision was, it resulted in the events of COA III…

Call of the Abyss III: The Clown and His Dancer

Crew: Cowboy, Mechanic, Seer, and Embalmer. Hunter: Smiley Face. Free A-tier: Female Dancer.

Theme: “Lovecraftian Mafia (yes, you read that correctly)

Background: This one is very interesting as we’re finally getting into a more solid storyline. The focus of this COA is a man named Pickman who abandoned his human identity and became the Netherwalker* (Smiley Face) who is an artist who runs his own museum to display numerous works of art that have been corrupted by Abyssal energy (y’all seeing a theme here? Abyssal energy = bad, very bad). His beloved but disfigured model, Vile Blossom (Female Dancer). 

*Nether is another name for the Abyss in this instance so he literally named himself one who walks the Abyss.

One day, an Auctioneer (Photographer) visits Netherwalker with the eye of the Abyss (from the previous COA) and offers it to him. The draw of the abyss was strong once he took it and this is probably when he actually became Netherwalker from Pickman.

Unfortunately, the abyssal eye allows Netherwalker to corrupt his paintings in a way that alerts the attention of an investigation bureau who apparently looks into things such as the Abyss.

Well, they send along Patchwork (Prospector) at first to check it out but he seemingly disappears. It is speculated IdentiTheoret that Patchwork was unfortunately drawn by the promises of the Abyss and either wanted the eye for himself or just straight up entered the Abyss and couldn’t get out because he was too injured.

Either way, the bureau sends in a team this time made up of Whiplash (Cowboy), Trickster (Embalmer), Surveryor (Seer), and Puppeteer (No, not Matthias, but Mechanic). 

They confront Netherwalker in a rather epic showdown accompanied by music (not joking, here’s the MV) but we soon realize the real mastermind behind the Abyssal corruption is Vile Blossom.

(Warning below: flashing lights if you watch the MV!)

The fight culminates with the arrival of Cthulhu who takes a liking to Puppeteer and uses its tentacles to bring her into the Abyss. Now it is speculated by IdentiTheoret that Whiplash dives in after her and they end up stuck in the Abyss—their fates unknown. 

I will say that this COA is certainly one you should look up and read for yourself or listen to how IdentiTheoret speaks on it because it was apparently a rather popular one and I can see why. NetEase really seemed to step up from the first two COAs with the cinematics, more thorough notes on the designs, heck…the whole showdown was made into a music video (lol). While it does have some shortcomings, like a lack of Surveryor and Trickster who just feel like they’re not there, it was a good step forward for the COAverse.

(But seriously, I didn’t talk about a lot covered in the video like the themes on corruption and beauty along with some other stuff. I just couldn’t bloat this any further.)

Call of the Abyss IV: Racing Ahead in an Endless Dream

Crew: Prospector, Priestess, Barmaid, Acrobat. Hunter: Gamekeeper. Free A-tier: Wildling.

Theme: Racing, racecars

Inspiration: Gamekeeper’s fit, Molten Hound, is based off of “Hounds of Tindalos” which is a fictional creature created by Frank Belknap Long.

Background: Now this is a COA I know a thing or two about as I researched it a bit due to the fact I wanted to know about Norton’s role in it as he’s the main protagonist here and Dream Witch being here also intrigued me as someone who wanted to know if this COA had connections to the main story or not. (Plugging in my other extensive and long post on the Supernatural in the Final Manor Game here once again.)

Well, let’s start from the beginning. Thankfully, they provided an extensive lore description for this event which I’ll provide in full:

“There are three mysterious giant corporations that study abyssal creations. They periodically hold underground racing events to experiment with their respective Cthulhu technologies: 

-Transportation giant (COA 1 Pirate Ship), as the event organizer, provides vehicles and researches the combination of machinery and Cthulhu.

-Energy giant (COA 2 Snow Energy), provides energy and researches the energy use of Cthulhu substances.

-Pharmaceutical giant (COA 3 statue activation and manipulation), transforms riders and studies the combination of Cthulhu and the human body.

The real controller of the underground race is the Dream Witch. The three major corporations send their riders to hold races in the Dreamland she owns. The winning rider in the 24-hour race is rewarded by the Dream Witch: a powerful life force and a huge benefit to the corporations.”

It goes on to say that Gamekeeper (Bane) is basically the antagonist of this story. As a previous winner of the race, this artificial sculpture crafted by the pharmaceutical company has gone out of control as he continues to absorb the life force of the other riders. Cue Prospector, Priestess, Acrobat, and others like Barmaid and Wildling who are participating in the current race together as friends and enemies who must unite to defeat the Gamekeeper. In this case, Norton is the main protagonist of this COA as it appears that only he has the power to stop Bane.

And so that’s what happens. It says that literally: “Ending: One day, the Prospector with a smirk will come to them with a young face. At that time, without words, seeing his face, they could understand that they had finally won. The young Prospector, in the end, could only watch his teammates grow old and die one by one. With the life they gave him, living alone.”

I mean, it’s great he stopped Bane and won the race, but Norton more or less made a great sacrifice of being the one who has to live alone knowing he was forced to take the life force of the others. Yes, this is pretty messed up.

But that’s how the races were. The only rule of the race was that you couldn’t stop or you’d be disqualified and probably be thrown out of the Dreamlands which is when you would rapidly start aging until you died. 

Another note to point out is from IdentiTheoret’s video once again that mentions the phrase, “The Shadow Out of Time” from this snippet from the summary on IDV wikia: “Lose a tail and break through all obstacles. What matters between the start and the finish line is the speed beyond “The Shadow Out of Time”!

This is quite interesting because besides the fact that it reminds me of Ivy, The Shadow who can also is referred to the “Shadow of Time and Space” (though I know little about Ivy’s lore but enough to know she as well as traverse time, space, and dreams) but the phrase above is also the title of an H.P. Lovecraft novella.

To put it simply, “The Shadow Out of Time,” is about otherworldly alien beings called the “Great Race of Yith” who have the ability to swap their minds with anyone in the past or present in order to gain vast amounts of knowledge of what has ever been known and what will ever be known on Earth. 

The protagonist, Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee (what a name) is a victim of the Yiths who possess him and exchange his mind and spirit with one of the own. Peaslee’s spirit and mind, in turn, are transferred into the Yith’s body and are essentially captives. 

But funnily enough, the Yiths are pretty kind and just ask their captives to write down everything they know (for reference, Mr. Peaslee is a university professor of economics, so a very suitable victim). Once he’s done, the he is transferred back to his own body.

However, it wasn’t like the Yith that was controlling his body was doing nothing while Mr. Peaslee was being held captive. The Yith was doing its own world journey to acquire knowledge, going to different places in the known and more unknown parts of the world. Regardless, once the Yith’s are satisfied, Mr. Peaslee returns to his body with his memory erased of the whole experience with the Yiths. But naturally, due to the fact that his own family noticed how different he acted during the whole experience, Mr. Peaslee wondered what exactly had occurred.

Anyways, this is getting long but to make a long story short, he and his son found out about other stories similar to his and tired to find evidence and proof of the memories of the Yiths to no avail. 

It sounds like an incredibly fascinating novellla but I wrote all of that to say how it definitely feels like it ties well into IDV lore not just with Ivy but with this race even with Norton himself.

The mere mention of such a story in this COA, I feel isn’t a coincidence. We already know the supernatural is at work in the main story including in the “final” manor game. Then is it possible, given the fact that Yiths do appear to exist (Ivy is proof) that they also have a hand in the game? This feels quite incredulous but when I read about the Yith who took over Mr. Peaslee’s body go on expeditions and travels around the world, I couldn’t help but think about Norton’s travels as he went to different mines around the continent in search of gold.

CoY confirmed that before going to the Golden Cave, Norton was in the Balkans but where else has he gone?

Now, it sounds a bit crazy, I know but it just continues to nag me how there feels like there’s something off with Norton. I just don’t know what. But considering I have previously said he may be influenced by the likes of Dream Witch, Glaaki (the green eye in the Golden Cave), and now Yiths, I just feel like there has to be something more at work within him, no? Even if it was for a brief moment or time period. Or perhaps I’m just talking nonsense. Who knows?

But going back to COA IV, it is evident that Dream Witch is a force that we can’t overlook. She is the true organizer of the race, not the transportation company, which Norton used to work for. She even grants the winner of the race eternal life and resources to the winner’s company to help in their Abyssal research. If we wanted to make parallels, I can’t help but think of Orfeo’s Game where Dream Witch is the true organizer of the game and the winner is basically promised the same thing along with granting their deepest wish. 

I also thought of how this race where you can’t stop, you must keep going or you will lose your life force and die, reminds me of OG Norton who constantly must persist in living day to day just surviving but not truly living. It’s very apt he was the protagonist of this COA because he fits quite well. 

Anyways, I’ve talked enough about this COA despite the fact that I could say more and we’re only about halfway there so let’s move on.

Call of the Abyss V: The Eternal Aurora

Crew: First Officer, "Prisoner," Enchantress, and Forward. Hunter: Geisha. Free A-tier: Postman.

Theme: City of Lights in an Eternal Night

Inspiration: “Metropolis” (a 1927 German Expressionist Sci-fi Drama film) and “Color Out of Space” (a 1927 Lovecraft short story)

Background: Oh boy, flashy lights, neon lights, mindless entertainment, splendid but greedy overindulgence—that is what the city of Metropolis holds for its citizens! The temptations are enticing but don’t be fooled by the splendour of the city because something darker lurks beneath the pristine surface blanketed by the flashy lights. 

So, from what I can gather, people also seemed to rather like this COA. This one is set in the city of Metropolis where endless indulgence in entertainment and debauchery is encourage. Feasts to your heart’s content! But the darker reality is that the media and entertainment in the city is controlled by one individual who continues to instigate and coax people to continue such mindless behavior. 

However, a few individuals take it upon themselves to take a stand and expose the controller behind Metropolis and reveal her secrets to the rest of the citizens of Metropolis before it’s too late to be saved.

This story is pretty straight-forward and easier to understand. The Metropolis itself is running on Abyssal energy through it’s neon lights (looking at Neon Vanguard description: “As he took down the neon lights in the most melodramatic effort to resist temptations, he accidentally discovered colorful creatures lurking inside” (ew btw)) if you were wondering where the influence of the Abyss was. 

To get a better understanding as to what’s going on, including who the controller, the Eternal Aurora is, I’ll quote IdentiTheoret: “…the biggest distraction for the people is the Eternal Aurora who is mostly referred to as “The Celebrity.” She is an android musician powered by the mysterious energy who pretends to be human and furthers the plans of the one in power. The people also start to merge their bodies with machines to forcibly become part of Metropolis and since the people have already been molded for submission many of them give in.”

They also go on to explain the inspirations of this COA but because I went a bit overboard explaining “The Shadow Out of Time” for the last COA, I’m gonna point you all to their video as I still have THREE other COAs to get through. 

Call of the Abyss VI: Horror in Space

Crew: Entomologist, Weeping Clown, Gravekeeper, Toy Merchant. Hunter: WuChang. Free A-tier: Batter.

Theme: Cosmic horror

Inspiration: “The Whisperer in Darkness” by H.P. Lovecraft, various 60s/70s sci-fi movies (when it came to effects and designs)

Background: Thankfully, this one has a full description on the IDV wiki so I’ll condense it for brevity:

“The actors woke from their midday break, recalling the information from the crew: a mysterious ‘investor’ who had never appeared before had gathered a group of actors, directors, screenwriters, and other crew members to shoot a space exploration movie…However, as the movie was shot, strange things kept happening in the crew: the investor replaced the director, the script plot was changed, the shooting equipment was out of control…Some people even found that besides the strange audience…some props with a living nature were also watching the crews actions. Everyone endured the increasingly absurd performance until the real “key shot”surfaced."

This COA is pretty in your face about the Lovecraftian inspiration what with the fact that right in Binary Star’s (Wuchang, the Hunter for this COA) description states: “The messenger of Yuggoth knows well—only by facing the starry sky beneath the whispers of the night can an instant of true wonder be captured and true joy be offered…”

Along with the fact that the COA pet is literally called, “Mini Yuggoth.”

But what is Yuggoth? Well, in the Lovecraft story, Yuggoth is the outpost on Pluto which was home to aliens called the Mi-Go who are fungus-based lifeforms. However in COA VI, they’re shown to be the typical tentacle-like creatures that we have become familiar with (if there’s any constant in each COA story, it’s tentacles). As for Yuggoth itself, it looks like an eyeball of a planet as seen in the trailer for the COA.

What’s interesting about the ending of this COA, however, is that implications of it. To provide a bit more background, Binary Star has obviously been corrupted by the influence of the Abyss and the whispers (we mainly see this through Black Guard). A traveller who journeyed through the stars and was used to performing boring old plots over and over again and yearned to create a plot that would satisfy their audience even if it meant they feasted on fear and pain. This gave Binary Star more satisfaction and power which they would need as they planned to take themselves and the crew to their final destination—Yuggoth.

Except, it’s implied on the journey there, it all went wrong and only Ecosphere (Entomologist) was able to escape with a fungi (which apparently was corrupted with, what else, Abyssal energy). She crash lands on a place that looks suspiciously like Metropolis and watches as it gets destroyed by large tentacles. It seems like the crew from the previous COA had maybe succeeded in toppling the Eternal Aurora as the city lights are dimmer than before with a lack of neon lights.

Girl...what have you done?

But Melly bringing back that fungi is important to the next COA. 

This woman just can't stop, won't stop when it comes to any sort of biology and life, huh? But we forgive her...well, maybe not once we look at the other COAs.

COA VII: Post-Apocalyptic Dreams Wrapped in Fungi

Crew: Composer, Antiquarian, "Psychologist," Patient. Hunter: Feaster. Free A-tier: Professor.

Theme: Fungal Post-Apocalypse

Inspiration: “Fungi of Yuggoth” by H.P. Lovecraft

Background: This COA is also mostly straight-forward as the official notes on it are quite extensive but as always I’ll try my best to make it short (it’ll not be short).

So, the fungi brought by Melly has spread everywhere and civilisation has more or less collapsed at the time we meet our COA VII crew. Sick and tired of being cooped up along with the depreciation of the arts and music, Pioneer Researcher (Composer and our protagonist), organizes a team to venture forth to find the source of the mycelium and destroy it. The team he gathered consists of Doomsday Rescuer (Psychologist), Rare Case (Patient), Mycology (Antiquarian), and Emergency Transport (Professor). 

They travel far, through ruined cities and the wilderness before arriving at a cave that descended down down down into the depths of the earth. There, they find the source of the mycelium, the Lord of Calamity (Feaster) but are overwhelmed by the despair and hallucinations that assault their senses (along with that spice of Abyssal energy, of course). 

For each of our gathered crew, the promises and dreams of a better life draw them in:

For Composer, the pull to once again indulge in the beauty of human art and civilisation along with his curiosity got the better of him.

For Psychologist, she succumbed to the illusion where she’d be with her lover forever.

For Patient, well, he’d follow his lover any where and his physical body was already failing in to an alarming degree.

For Antiquarian, her desire for knowledge and the attraction to this unknown power was too strong.

And for Professor, he was overwhelmed with despair and fell for the hallucination of resting easy in a pre-apocalyptic world.

Antiquarian's was a bit different as hers quickly transitioned to show us Professor's but we can infer that whatever she saw caused her to quickly allow herself to be taken.

It’s clear that at the end of the trailer, all of them succumb to Feaster and die.

Golly...what an image...

Call of the Abyss VIII: Over Yonder! Through the Mechanical Wasteland of Despair

Crew: Cheerleader, "Little Girl," Puppeteer, Aeroplanist. Hunter: Soul Weaver. Free A-tier: Novelist.

Theme: Mechanical Wasteland 

Background/Inspiration: Before I launch into the inspiration for COA VIII, I want to preface this by saying that this COA is the one that veers away from the overt Lovecraftian influences (though the short story, The Chain of Aforgomon, by Clark Ashton Smith was a partial influence) and takes more from Greek mythology. This is quite fitting as the protagonist is Orpheus who is once again faced with the seemingly impossible task of saving this one little girl who he only seems to hold vague memories of from a fate that seems inevitable no matter what he does.

(Side note: It's also interesting that once we get into both Orpheus and Alice's COAs the Greek myth inspirations have started again along with the Christian motifs.)

The Myth of Sisyphus

Sisyphus (1548–49) by Titian, Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

This aligns with the myth of Sisyphus who was a king of Corinth (known before as Ephyra) and is mostly known as for cheating death. The tale goes that Sisyphus angered Zeus by betraying one of his secrets, the location of Asopid Aegina, to her father the river god known as Asopus. He did this because he wanted a spring to flow within Corinth.

Zeus then ordered Thanatos, the personification of Death itself, to chain Sisyphus to Tartarus yet Sisyphus was one step ahead and managed to somehow chain Thanatos instead (some versions say it was Hades who was chained instead). This caused no one on Earth to die, angering Ares, the god of war, who took matters into his own hands and went to free Thanatos while handing Sisyphus over to him.

Then, once again, before Sisyphus died for real on Earth, he told his wife to dispose of his corpse in an unceremonious way in order to trick Hades or Persephone that his wife had disrespected him and thus persuaded them to let him return to Earth to sold his wife and receive a proper burial. Well, he was granted leave but he didn’t come back and wouldn’t return to the underworld until he died of old age or was dragged back by Hermes himself.

In the end, Hades had the last laugh for when Sisyphus was truly stuck in the underworld, he punished the king by having him push a boulder up a very steep hill in Tartarus. Hades, being the petty god he is I guess, used an enchantment on the boulder to have it roll away from Sisyphus just as he was nearing the top of the hill. In this way, Sisyphus would be locked in trying to roll that boulder up that hill for eternity.

Back to the Wasteland

The whole reason I wrote out the myth is because this is exactly the metaphor that is at the core of this COA as well as being an allusion to Orpheus’ own story whether that be in this COA or the main story.

Oh boy, here we go again...

Heck, Orpheus himself mentions it in his last notes from the story after witnessing a tragedy: “I find my thoughts drifting back to the story of Sisyphus, one I have read and retold countless times in the dim confines of that laboratory. My body and soul insist that no one could withstand the temptation to abandon that boulder and escape the endless cycle of failure and despair. Yet, during certain moments of my past, this tale—and the one who told it—sustained me through the darkest times, offering the promise of solace amid relentless toil.”

Okay, so for those who aren’t familiar with the COA VIII story, I’ll try my best to summarize it in a way that makes sense so you can understand what Orpheus is trying to say here.

The story begins with Orpheus awakening to a group of strangers who have been travelling across the wasteland as they simply just try to survive day to day. The wasteland itself is more than likely a result of the post-apocalyptic era the COA VII crew found themselves in before succumbing to it. Eventually, it seems, the fungi took over the planet in its entirety and the remaining humans and creatures learned to adapt and survive. Though a phenomenon called “erosion” continues to haunt them.

Erosion is when the outermost layers of the body begin to change into a wood-like surface and slowly begins to replace joints and muscles (basically flesh). The first couple of stages don’t really produce too many ill effects besides it replacing parts of your body, particularly when injured with the wood-like structures that are now your arms, your legs, your body, etc.

Matthias, for instance, is basically almost completely wood at this point.

The last two stages are worse however. In stage 3, the individual begins to “experience profound distortion of their cognition, as the pliant tubes that once served as conduits and anchors begin to act beyond their control.” The last stage has the individual irreparably altered and they’re transformed into an artifact within the wasteland. Said artifacts can be recovered by the crew including a “Whistling Finch” which I can’t lie, just reminds me of the flute from the main story.

Anyways, every one in our crew this time has been effected by the erosion, especially “The Guide” aka “Compasso” aka “Memory.” As per usual, the relationship between these two is the main focus here. Upon instantly laying eyes on her, Orpheus is convinced he knows her despite his memories being rather unclear and blurry.

Oh boy, Alice near drugs again...this will go well...but seriously, drugs and experimentation just seem to follow her as a child no matter the universe.

Despite this, he is “convinced that she perished in the disaster.” This disaster? Well, if you watch the COA VIII trailer, you notice the little girl being led into a shelter before being consumed with the mycelium that eventually went on to ravage the world in COA VII. Thus, we can conclude that in Orpheus’ vision, she died.

Seems like she was separated at the shelter...is this a parallel to the White Sand Orphanage? Only thing is, I'm confused on Orpheus' role here.

The little girl seemingly dies at the hands of the mycelium spread onto her.

Devastated by her loss, Orpheus does whatever he can to turn things right and he somehow manages to build a time machine that takes him back into the past in order to save her. Yet, is this the past he once knew? While the little girl present before him holds a doll that is very reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic era of COA VII with its built-in gas mask and clothes, she herself is as wooden in emotion as she is in body.

It’s here that the parallels between this COA and the main story really surface but while we understand that “Memory” is truly just a memory in the main story, in this COA the others acknowledge and recognize her as a great guide through the wilderness.

Granted, it could still be an illusion planted in Orpheus’ head because lord knows the wasteland is crawling with abyssal energy and it seems clear even from his flashbacks, he is not quite right in the head.

But what if, he also just time travelled into an alternate reality as well? I mean, know that we know a bit about the story of COA IX, it seems evident that they want to connect COA IX Alice with COA VIII “Memory.”

Yet, they’re more than likely not the exact same person. Once again, something probably happened to the two of them in the COA VII era in that shelter and it seems evident they were at the shelter together if you listen to the dialogue in COA IX. They’re eventually separated and when Orpheus finds Alice, she’s apparently dead.

I cut off the last line of this but I'll rewrite the only conversation since you can't hear in GIF form anyway:

Man ( I'm gonna assume Orpheus here): "Let's write a story!"

Little Girl (Again, assuming Alice): "About the world outside?"

A: "Let's draw something as our pen name."

A: "Why do people ask machines questions?"

O: "The people need an answer."

Is this the "pen name" mentioned in their conversation?

But as for her dying, it doesn't seem like it obviously. Again, COA IX’s lore is still coming out. While we do have the trailer now, I’m sure we can glean more information when it actually comes out and onwards from that since COA is months long.

For now, let’s lay to rest the theories of what and/or who Alice and “Memory” are and move on to finishing up this story.

So, after venturing with the crew for a time, it’s growing increasingly evident that they’re reaching their limits. Not to mention that Colossus (Violetta) seems to be purposefully sabotaging their efforts and their journey with little detrimental things. This culminates when they reach a place known as the “Oblivion Expanse” (sounds absolutely delightful…).

Here, things get a bit creepy and unsettling. It appears the erosion is beginning to effect them inwardly as well as Orpheus takes note from vomit from the “Guard” (Aeroplanist) that there are wooden fragments within it. The landscape of grassy and fungal vegetation has transformed into tubular structures that resemble veins or enormous worms. These tubes come together at a dark and vast abyss (oh no). As the team rests here, Orpheus becomes aware that shadow-like beings that blend in with the fog seem to harbor immense animosity towards him but he knows not what they want.

Tragedy strikes when Violetta suddenly seems to lose control of herself and attacks the others. If we know anything about these stories so far, it’s most likely Abyssal influence that caused her to go out of control along with the fact she was already acting quite suspicious in the days leading up to the attack.

Unfortunately, Matthias is her first victim and in the middle of trying to save him, Charles shoots an arrow that hits “Memory” instead. This sets off Violetta even more and throwing Matthias aside she charges them, stepping on “Memory” in the process.

As Charles and Lily charge into battle themselves with war cries, Orpheus can only helplessly watch, despair consuming him as he realizes he failed to save his dearest again. The other two survivors are horribly defeated and as Violetta starts to come for Orpheus, he beings to laugh despondently before falling into the abyss himself.

What happens to him afterwards is unknown. The necklace he wears is seen being worn by an passerby in the COA IX trailer and Alice clearly recognizes it because it distracts her from the mission long enough where she ends up jeopardising her own well-being and the mission (gee, I wonder where I’ve seen that before?) The necklace, by the way, seems to be from the post-apocalyptic era as the inside of it has a fungal species from that time (Delphi, anyone~?)

And with that, COA VIII can come to a close along with all the other yapping I did for the COA series. Wow, what a trip.

Closing Thoughts and Ponderings

COA IX had it's own post that I went more in detail about. Check it out here. I just didn't want to bloat this post up even more.

So, I definitely learned something by writing all this. Now, while I don’t want to keep you all too much longer and if you read this far then THANK YOU SO MUCH! This felt slightly worse than the supernatural in the final manor game post because there was so much to sift through and I still had to omit so much information and background from each COA so it didn’t get ridiculously convoluted and it still became that in a way.

Regardless, I appreciate it, if you read all this.

A tiny Norton for your troubles.

Now as for my final thoughts…well, thanks to watching IdentiTheoret’s video, it’s obvious that each COA is connected to each other in a rather linear fashion especially the last few ones. I think the IDV team was getting their bearings with the first couple of COAs and by the 3rd and 4th ones, they were getting their footing and by the 5th COA, they really started to take off. And now we’re reaching peak (I hope) with COA IX and I can safely say I’m more eager than ever to continue learning about the COAverse as the story continues with Alice and the others.

Very interesting that we go from such primitive society where the COA VIII crew had to hunt and gather to survive to going to technological society so advanced it can come up with its own god in such a convincing way it fools most people but at the end of the day its just a very sentient supercomputer with definite connections to Orpheus.

Another thing I want to talk about is the fact that after all this, I want to say that not only are the COA storylines connected but its clear the COAverse is supposed to offer parallels to the main story. That’s obvious from COA VIII and COA IX.

Honestly, this kinda makes up for so little CoY we ended up getting…maybe they did so on purpose knowing we would get something out of Alice and her story in COA IX.

In addition, thanks to IdentiTheoret, I learned that the Truth and Inference universe appears to be connected to COA as well. I won’t go into details about that since I suggest you to watch both of their COA videos as they explain it better than me, but I will say their theory that each badged Truth and Inference character is tied to the COA that shows up on their badge is food for thought.

If you don’t know what I mean, the main characters of T&I have badges on their character with a number and IdentiTheoret believes the number corresponds to COA.

Sorry if it's sort of hard to see but I'm pushing it with Tumbler's 30 image per post limit so...Anyways, I will tell you the numbers:

Emma: 1, Naib: 2

Joseph: 3, Eli: 4

Aesop: 5

WuChang: 6 (their's VERY interesting and I could be wrong here since even IdentiTheoret didn't believe they had a number but they do. The green badge attached to each of them looks like the symbol 陆 which means 6 in finance specifically. I don't know Chinese so someone can correct me if I'm wrong)

Tracy: 6, Norton: 7

In all honesty, I can see it but at the same time I’m trying to wrap my head around why? Also, the latest T&I character with a badge is Norton, who has the number 7 on his Dazzling Lone Wolf fit. That means he corresponds to COA VII which is interesting since he was the protagonist of COA IV.

But the number 7 doesn’t seem to be a coincidence either as I distinctly remember Norton himself saying 7 is his favorite number in this year’s Ivory Tower story along with the fact that Infernal Sin ("Fool's Gold's" first S-tier) is based on the 7th demon of Ars Goetia, Aamon, who is the demon of life and reproduction.

Thank God for the IDV wiki. 7 is considered a lucky number especially in gambling as has significance in religion and theology in general (7 deadly sins, 7 days it took for God to create the world, 7 virtues, etc. etc.)

So, basically, the lesson here is that if it feels like a coincidence in the IDV universe, it most likely isn’t.

Regardless, I’m going to end it there because as I said before I don’t want this end section to be terribly long. Thank you for coming out to my written TedTalk on Call of the Abyss lore. It’s been a wild last two days of feeding my mind with this stuff, writing it down, editing, and more. Thank be for the holidays but I still got responsibilities.

Still, this was fun but I’m gonna go rest now. Ciao~!

This video has every trailer, music video, and funny moments video for every COA so far so check it out if you have the time! Definitely worth it!

[tempestimes]

Norton's Daytime dropped and I am unwell.

WHEN I FIRST WROTE THIS, I had only seen the instrumental version on Twitter, I did not see there were actual lyrics posted to YouTube. So here we go again!!

IDV Character Song Analyses Masterlist

Music Basics

This song has a tempo of 110bpm per quarter note and is in 4/4.

It is played in A-minor.

It is an acoustic song played with the guitar and has a soft drum kit in the background. There's also some harmonica because yes.

First off, I'm so freaking glad it's a guitar song; it's an instrument i highly associate with him (not just bc of "Call the Shot").

This song is highly acoustic with the primary instruments being the guitar with a simple drum kit (bass drum, side stick, and a very soft crash). The song has a moderate tempo of 110bpm (per quarter note) and is played in A-minor. Overall, I'd describe it as a fairly simple song with some very distinctive parts.

(Edit: I think the song being in A-minor is actually really reflective of Norton as it is (from a pianist's standpoint) the 'easiest' minor key to play since it doesn't require any accidentals. For non-musicians, basically if this were played on the piano, it'd only use white keys, no black keys (sharps/flats). I think this is significant because of the other Final Game characters, Norton has the least formal schooling so it's not necessarily 'complex to play' with many accidentals or changing keys. The song, however, still remains very impactful as a result of the powerful voice of the vocalist pushing the song forward.)

I'm not as familiar with guitar music, so I don't think I can comment too much on the musical influence. I think the instinct is country, but the melodic guitar reminded me a lot of Japanese math rock, particularly the work of Ichika Nito -- who is influenced by jazz and metal.

The instrumental (and vocals) has a few rises and falls, with attempts made to climb higher and higher outside of the initial cap of G5 in the first iteration of the melody, likely symbolizing Norton's attempts to crawl out of the darkness (while he is ironically singing about staying in the darkness).

Tone-wise, this is a very melancholic song, but that constant push higher reflects a firm resolve to go beyond the constraints of the staff and of the cave.

Art Examination

The splash art has a few things going on in it. There's other miners in the background, some rats eating the crumbs of Norton's bread, Norton framed in the raisers of the cave (very boxy, very prison- or cage-like), and of course, there's the cave.

Oh also there's this.

I find it interesting how the Final Game character songs so far have had very particular items just out of view that make some indication of the characters' struggles and literal/metaphorical opponents or antagonists I suppose? Frederick had Bluederick (WHO I WILL GO BACK AND ANALYZE since he ALSO has vocals...I swear I need to be more on YouTube...) and Norton has the gold of the cave being feasted upon by the very wealthy.

Also an interesting note: the green jewel of the necklace at the very top of the frame. That seems a bit familiar to me...

Surely the color green isn't highly symbolic to Norton. Surely.

I think it's interesting the daylight that Norton is basked in isn't really from the sun at all, but rather from the gold. It says a lot about how he values sunlight and gold, and how these two are interconnected. Norton's Daytime is spent wishing to see the actual sun, but instead looking for the reflected or false light from the shining gold ("fool's light" am i right? aha. aha. i'll leave).

Last tiny thing I was thinking about when staring at this art:

No additional comment.

Lyrics

Now back with more edits and additional commentary!

Initial morning thoughts:

Norton's vocalist did a really wonderful job with his belts and while I have thoughts on the riffs he added, I do think it's fair to let Norton add some flair as he struggles to achieve what he wishes to.

"I drop down", "pull me down", and "drop me down" are probably one of the most prominent lyrics, literally sung an octave down, but as mentioned before the main vocals are pushing higher and higher. The shift from the active to passive positioning in Norton (dropping himself down vs being pulled/dropped down into the mine) reflects a lot about Norton's push and pull with fate and the battle between being resigned to a monotonous life in which he could die at any moment and reaching for something more, be it riches, safety, or at the very least the guarantee of being able to bask in the sunlight and the true daytime.

ALSO there is a VERY archaic use of the word 'welkin' which means heavens or sky, to those who are wondering. That is REALLY interesting to me as Norton isn't a character to use overly flowery language, much less something so archaic as 'welkin'.

New evening thoughts:

People have likely already read the lyrics over and over again or have just given it a listen and have gone "oh that's sad :(" but i'm shaking the bars of my cage there's more here let's get into some more specifics-

A couple of brief notes on the earlier verses (I think the very first part is self explanatory, though).

Last off the clock/calling me back: Obviously referencing Norton's work ethic. While he does make the choice to work hard instead of waiting for money to fall into his hands, it does have to be acknowledged the caves call him back because it is necessary for his survival to go back every day and work.

Sunlight distant/The bright never shares: Likely in the context of this song and the art, this is referring to the wealthy. While attaining wealth and being able to live outside of the mine in the distant sunlight is something Norton wants, there does come the flipside of indulging in greed (cough cough Fool's Gold) and the hoarding of wealth that occurs (and that he has no doubt witnessed).

Track down my past: Interesting line to me as it's unclear who is tracking Norton's past. The first thought is be Alice, but I am also interested in how anonymous/unanonymous Norton's life is as police and likely other reporters have tried to learn more about him and his life before the incident.

Chains start to break: Fairly self-explanatory, but I am thinking about FG starting around here

Those crowns are never ever to shine: Whose crowns? The wealthy's crowns? Or maybe the crowns Fool's Gold tends to wear? Symbolizing he has not truly gained anything? (oof. sad).

The following verse goes like this:

Hope comes close and tell me Open I am broke but still I am

I am really curious about this line about hoping telling Norton 'open'. What exactly is he opening here? His heart to the idea he can achieve and is worthy something better? Opening him to the idea of sacrificing others to achieve his goals? Opening him to the idea of simply surviving and continuing to live?

The following line is a lot! "I am broke(n) but still I am" really hammers in how resilient of a character Norton is, or even just how much he has survived through.

I discussed the active/passive positioning of Norton as either the one who drops himself down into the mines ('I drop down') or is telling others to drag/pull him down ('Pull me down'). Whenever the dropping/pulling lines are used, they are almost always in a lower octave and are in direct contrast to the melody in the vocalists' natural/higher range.

(I’lll be down) Two-coins finger time Brighter, brighter (Pull me down) Faith wakes inside now Deeper, deeper (I’ll be down) Eyes to the welkin Higher, higher (Pull me down)

*not too convinced on the 'I'll be down' line, it could also be 'drag me down', but it's very low and slightly distorted so I may be wrong.

The "Two-coins finger time, brighter, brighter" line actually made me think about how in classical mythology, two coins were placed on eyes to grant passage to cross the river to the underworld. This ALSO directly ties to Norton and how he placed coins on Benny's eyes, only for them to be stolen away (if I remember correctly, my brain is getting buzzy).

This entire verse best demonstrates the struggle Norton experiences as these two voices (one person) sing, one clinging onto the hope that comes close to him and the faith in a dream of reaching towards the welkin (heavens) while the other is being dragged lower and lower into the song.

One VERY fun thing I like is how before the final verse begins, we have both the lower and higher ranges singing the line 'My soul stays'. I don't know about y'all but to me, there are two interpretations:

Resignation and resilience/resistance towards fate united under a double meaning: the pain of Norton's soul being forever tied to the mines and the act of surviving despite everything. Surviving is painful, but the resilient soul - who he is deep down inside- remains and faces the pain head on.

An indication towards the conflict between Fool's Gold and the Prospector: no matter what happens who he is at his core stays, "fading, waiting, [he keeps] burning on" (I also appreciate the word choice of 'burning' to indicate burn scars/injury sustained from the explosion and also fire as a destructive but vital symbol).

(Last vow I choose) My soul stays (Last vow I choose) Let me still hold out And fading Waiting I keep burning on And my soul stays

I think the answer can be both, though I am open to hearing other folks' interpretations of these two voices singing together and how the final verse unites everything.

That is all from me for now! Sorry for the vague and also in-depth analysis I can't be normal about character songs.

[v0idprince]

Considering what Antonio’s manor room would look like, assuming that they All live in the manor at the same time.

Assuming they get basic furniture, a bed, chest of drawers and desk. I assume it would be primarily wood, with heavy paneled walls, and floral wallpaper.

The room itself has a very heavy feeling to it. Antonio’s room in particular I think is generally pretty dark, the light comes in through a window during the day, and with a few sparing candles here and there at night. It Feels dimmer than it actually is, because all his furniture is dark and cozy.

He’s got a pretty comfortable bed with a dark red soft blanket, and just one plain pillow underneath. He’s got a desk, lots of overflowing papers and notebooks on it, with wine stains on half. A wine bottle always sits on the desk, and beside his bedside table, though they are not Usually the same ones as the night before. He Does keep a glass in the room, and it moves around often. From the bedside table, to the desk, to the dresser, to the floor.

His closet is half-open with a coat hanging atop it when he’s not wearing it, otherwise it’s surprisingly neat. Theres a separate chair just for his violin, she gets her own chair, and is never in a proper case. When anyone but him is in the room, he’s holding her- he wouldn’t let someone else even attempt to touch her.

It’s a bit dusty and smoke-filled, which can either be annoying or sensual depending on your perspective. It smells kind of bad, but not in a .. dirty way, more in a decaying way. He’s practically a walking corpse- his blood doesn’t pump very quickly, and his stitches sometimes come undone. Occasionally he’ll spray cologne on both himself and in the room, so sometimes a wooden, warm, berry-like scent will fill the air, but there’s always an undertone of death. Decay, and a hint of mold are common smells alongside the Cologne and wine-smell. I think the cologne he uses smells like rosewood, amber, and dried out berries.

The air itself is very stagnant and heavy, it’s a shock sometimes when opening the door to Feel the air density change. It doesn’t help that the room stays generally warm, so the temperature difference from the hallway is also notable.

Overall he has a very comfortable room, weighed down with red black and brown, little spots of light from candles, and near-constant violin music.

[clintquant]

How would you describe Sam’s relationships to other Organization members? Vilhelm, Joshua.. maybe even Evelyn? Oh, and I know she isn’t really organization, but Melly too. What does he think about them?

I've been waiting /years/ for someone to ask me this... ahem-hem-hem.

Villhelm Lamb

Villhelm is an extremely manipulative and extremely well-connected individual, making for a very dangerous man to be indebted to- just as Sam is. In a way, Sam is a perfect target; hard-working, ambitious to a fault, lack of connections (outside of Demi) who would make a fuss about a sudden disappearance. It's difficult to say Sam has /nothing/ to lose, because we know Demi is his sole motivator for everything, but beyond that, there's little for him left. Especially if he believes there's the possibility for something more, better for the one person he's dedicated to, why /not/ pursue it? Why settle for giving himself and Demi less after all they've gone through? Dovlin, or the potential of what it could be, must've been lingering on him like a uncashed cheque. Sam wrangled their way to where they are now, he can do it again. This time, better.

Villhelm, in a way, is Sam's outlet, an outstretched hand to a life "better." He sponsored Sam's research, and with this comes a very pecuilar dynamic, of which Vilhelm probably feels as though he is "owed." It's been established he's not beyond putting his beneficiaries through "trials" to ensure their strength and loyalty, and Sam is likely no different. Try as he might to suck up, sweet-talk, wait on Lamb's hand and foot, it'll never be enough. Never be sufficient. If Sam wants his big break, it won't come without a price, of which Villhelm is sure to deliver with a charming smile!

In short: extreme power imbalance, probably the most unstable employer-employee relationship there's been. Tense with forced smiles and gentle nods.

Joshua

Joshua and Sam are close old friends from college. Honestly, I'm not sure where this fits in the timeline, but Joshua graduated an extremely famous and incredibly proclaimed scholar. I'm envisioning a sort of unspoken resentment, perhaps from Sam's side, as Joshua has been handed everything Sam worked for. Joshua's wiki notes there are rumors painting him as a "spoiled, rich fool," and while it is amusing to think of Sam resorting to such petty things, it's not outside the realm of possibility, especially knowing he is a manipulative/oftentimes cruel individual. Should jealousy play a part as I expect, very much a possibility. Again, Joshua has the money, resources, ability to be as fickle is he is, constantly moving on to the next thing, while Sam has been meticulously perfecting dovlin for who knows how long. I wonder, if ever, Joshua's wandering interest ever extended to their friendship.

Though, similarly, I believe it is an avenue for the life Sam has always wanted: comfort, acclaim, wealth. Joshua is a nobleman and their coziness could give Sam a grasp of that life and, again depending where this is in the timeline, could be a motivator to his leaving for the manor.

In short: Close friends with unspoken resentment/jealousy. Ultimately an asset or "connection" for Sam.

Evelyn Mora

Just looking at their backstories: Sam and Evelyn have a great amount of similarities. Orphaned and born with a natural talent, of which was recognized (at different points of age) by a wealthy party who, in one way or another, melded them into what the sponsor wanted them to be. Both are skilled at charms and tricks, though with this knowledge comes with a threat: no one knows a liar better than one.

There's the lingering knowledge, with every chance, fleeting interaction, they could uncover one another, dismantle all the haughtiness they present and flash an unsightly underbelly. They're both too proud to admit it, but ultimately, they are both just another cog in Villhelms ever-moving machine, loyalty ensured with the thing they care about most.

In short: Their paths would, likely, cross occasionally. Polite aqquaintences with noticable tension. Evelyn wouldn't meddle in mixology matters, and neither Sam in Faro Lady training.

Melly Plinius

Assuming Sam is the "old friend" gossiping with Orpheus about Joshua's love life, it could be that Sam knew from the beginning her relationship was ill-fated. It's hard to say whether Sam would believe the rumors of her after Joshua's death, presumably because Sam /may/ have been killed before, or, alternatively, worked with Orpheus to kill Joshua and frame it on Melly. Perhaps pity, or something of the sort. Solemn understanding of her upbringing and ambitions, yet in no hurry to inform her of Joshua's fickle nature before they are to marry.

In short: their interactions are sparse but polite. There's something there, however, like a joke Melly isn't in on. Sam is ultimately very selfish, though he may like to connect his actions to helping another, and, with Demi's livelihood on the line, likely has no interest in meddling in things that serve no direct benefit to him.

Thank you so much for the ask! Again, a lot of inferences and educated guesses from backstories, theories, and my own personal interpretation of Sam. He is not a great person, so it is to say a lot of his relationships would be valued at their benefit to him. He craves real connection, however, at least how I would think, it is just difficult for him not to see another and immediately think competition. Wonder who that could be, haha...

[willnaib]

If Richard Doesn't Get A Cuckoo Motif S Tier We Riot. I'm so serious. i've been sitting here PLAGUED with the potential bird imagery and twisted orpheus parallel that richard can create since last night — because seriously, they're the same character gone horribly wrong, especially with AoM in play. Orpheus inserted himself into the story, made himself a Deross by blood, positions himself as the older brother — and yeah, he was adopted, but he doesn't remember that at this point. he's fully gone after the delusion that he is Orpheus Deross. alice, too, is the same — searching for the last remaining "member" of her family in him, even if he isn't truly part of them to begin with, the kind of care that richard would only hope his "sister" felt in return to him. richard is a twisted mirror-image of everything orpheus fears he can become. i hope he shoots richard in the face emil-style. i love when idv has these twisted-sibling-twins storylines, even if it's a significant portion of the cast — it's just so fun to play with thematically. i can't properly word my thoughts but i'm plagued. i'm telling you.

[mystxmomo]

So not to start this off by coming across as my typical pretentious self but when considering aspects of a ship that are cute I personally like to allow it to be informed by the context of the characters within the ship. Like yeah you can make a first date be cute on any person, but the real treasure is found in things that are cute situationally to the character

I'll start with Edgar pairings because you know I'm not lying about him being my main little guy.

Edjose is the ship that, for me, I find the most straight forward "Oh. Little signs of affection are adorable on these two."

Like, I think of all the game five ships I write for, these two are the ones where the Cute Charm of the ship is the gradual acceptance of intimacy. José has grown up in an environment where the love he received was conditional to his work, and Edgar's love was supposedly unconditional but often inauthentic at best and explorative at worst. And (in the best case "these two come to understand eachother and have a healthier relationship" path) it's just inherently very cute for the two of them to have small moments of physical intimacy, understanding, and vulnerability.

Hmm. A specific scenario that has played out in my head that I've been looking for an excuse to include in my head being something like the two of them at a party together and Edgar, overwhelmed but masquerading it as anger, goes to place himself next to José. José takes notice and asks if he's had enough, touching the small of his back as he does it. Edgar glares at him, but it's clearly not with malice. José excuses the two of them from the room, and when they're alone Edgar spends like ten minutes resting his forehead against his shoulder.

Private, quiet intimacy. I think it's adorable on them.

Kevgar is cute like just conceptually to me. I know it's the entire premise of my main fic for them but I love the role reversal of "man introduced to gay culture by a man a decade younger and far more knowledgeable then him" I think it's nice especially give their character flaws and vulnerabilities. I think that Kevin has never actually gotten a chance to explore his own personhood before he doesn't have the vibe of a man that does a lot of introspection outside of self-flagellation and I think Edgar is good for him.

I think Edgar would for better or for worse know that Kevin is someone safe. Even before they like eachother or before they're getting along it's really hard not to look at this man and decide yeah he's wearing his heart on his sleeve he couldn't manipulate me if he tried, let alone that he wouldn't want to. Specific situation wise though I think?? It's something I've tried to write before and more specifically incorporate and have failed so if it pops up in a fic in the future don't look at me, but I think it would be kind of sweet if, pre-relationship, Edgar just Comes To Kevin when he gets in moods where he's getting really paranoid about the people he does trust taking advantage of it, or Kevin coming to Edgar when he's forced to be alone because being with someone he hates is better than being left to his own thoughts and guilt. And it's about the intimacy in the inherent trust that even if I hate you you won't hurt me. I think that's nice. That makes me feel warm and happy.

Edgar and Vera is really sweet because I think it's the only ship here where Vera would willingly eventually tell him about the full extent of her situation with her sister, the fact that she murdered her and took her identity, the fact she did it out of jealousy, ect. Like I think other ships here she might tell them bits and pieces, but with Edgar specifically I think there's a moment where she'd break and just dump everything on him, and he just like. Takes it? He accepts her for who she is, for better or for worse, because he does love (be it as a friend or romantic partner) Vera and wants the world for her! In return, I do think Edgar would tell her about killing his mentor, but I don't know if that holds the same amount of emotional weight for him as Vera's sisters death holds for her.

I included this scene in my uhh biography fic, but I do turn over scenes like. Melancholic dancing together. Sitting together and Vera leans in and whispers in his ear while blocking her mouth and they both turn and look at a character while she does it. I think Vera is a very physically clingy person, and I think she is the only person Edgar will let do that to him explicitly and publically. I think they like the idea that they're comfortable with casual touch and affection, and I think it's charming because in my head their end game relationship IS platonic.

I like? Edgar and Patricia? Like, clearly, given I wrote something involving them for his birthday. But I don't know if I have anything off the top of my head that would be "cute" for them, because I see so many of their interactions on the basis of mutual respect and the horrifying ordeal of being know. Like, I feel that so much of their relationship involves the inherent respect and seeing eye to eye and knowing eachother in ways others absolutely don't want to come to know you. So I don't know if I'd say it's?? Cute? But if I had to pick a scenario for them that would feel meaningful in some way, the idea of like. I would have to come up with an au to justify it, because canonically both Edgar and Patricia want Edgar dead. But protecting eachother or standing over eachothers bleeding out body.... In either direction. That would be nice to see for the two of them.

Vera/José is like...

I think so much about the appeal of this ship to me is the grief and the tragedy. They're both dealing so heavily with their own grief and trauma, and I don't think either of them are emotionally mature enough to help eachother deal with that grief when they're both handling their own. The aus I have for them are like. Madam Coral pulling Hook!José into the sea not by a song of seduction, but from the agonizing sobs that are echoing from the sea. The vibe of canon José/Vera for me is Vera acknowledging that this man tried to manipulate her but willing to disregard that in her own loneliness and exhaustion. They're standing there covered in dirt and grime looking at the damage the game has done

The only au I have that's kinda cute and fun for them is the. Basil au, because I think it's hilarious that Dill-Vera wants to fuck him like, canonically. She thinks he's hot. I lost the point of this question I know I'm supposed to be coming up with something cute for them but I think the point was that they are tragic. Uhh. So while my normal interpretation is that they would normally drag eachother down in their own misery... Hm. There is an au where they maybe mellow eachother out, and through eachother come to understandings about themselves. José maybe able to come to hear the way Vera's parents treated her (her "sister") and realize his own father never quite actually loved him (and he knew that, of course. He knows that love is conditional, he knows that care is secondary) and to that point, Vera (who sees the world through her perfumes craft, and how people only saw worth in it after it made money) is able to come to value herself beyond her worth as a perfumer. And there's connection there. And I don't think they'd ever truely be able to help eachother climb out of the realm of addiction, and I don't think they'd ever truely have the level of connection to eachother they could have with other partners (Vera is never telling him about killing her sister, José is never telling her the extent of the horrors he's seen at sea) but theres love and symapthy and empthy

And that's not cute. But it is heart warming

Anyway. Both of these characters are addicts with no emotional intelligence and no self-awareness. I hope this helps.

Vera/Patricia is ALSO a ship that's hard to come up with cute moments under the condition of romance because I ship it mainly under a toxic pretence, but like. At worst Patricia is actively trying to murder Vera, and using effection and comfort to calm her and help guide her to her death, and at best Patricia doesn't kill her, and Vera grows attached and their relationship becomes a little co-dependent bubble. And you can shape that in a way that's not DESTRUCTIVE, right? That co-dependence in itself isn't going to rip them apart. But the both of them have lived a very long, exhausting life. Vera never got acceptance from her community as herself, and Patricia ruined the acceptance of her community through her actions (it's more complicated then that, but as Patricia see's it, from her perspective.)

And so both woman don't have acceptance in their communities, and they can find that in eachother, and when you find that you want to keep it. And I think in doing so, they struggle to know Each other? If that makes sense. Something something the idea of eachother, seeing themselves in their partner rather than their partners actual issue, but knowing that vulnerability is there and knowing they connect with that vulnerability.

Something cute for them, actual situationship wise... It's not a specific situation because again. All of my situations with them are like. Patricia coaxing Vera to smoke to relax her, or Vera melting down in Vera's room. But I have this scene in my head for a scene from their main game where Patricia and Vera, both in their worn clothing and covered in blood, meet on the boat. The wind catches in Vera's hair, and she turns to give Patricia the smallest, most yielding of smiles.

For a moment, all is well.

Vera/Kevin

I think Vera Scares this man

I will keep it honest with you. I'm still working out their dynamic, so I don't know if I can come up with anything immediately cute off the top of my head for them. But I think Vera confuses this man, because she both confirms and contradicts his world view at the same time. On one hand she's dainty and elegant and kinda small and would be easy to... Hurt? Not to sound deranged. She's kind of pathetic in a way that would pull at Kevin's heart strings. But shes also very clearly manic depressed in a way that she has violently lashed out before, and gives me the impression of someone who goes through a lot of emotional swings. I think that contradiction would throw Kevin off.

And I think that's where the meat is. Like the meat is her challenging his view. But I don't know if that's cute that's just a straight forward dynamic. I think the idea of Kevin just scooping Vera up and over his shoulder is very cute. I don't even think she'd fight it like Edgar would, I think she's so touch starved that he scoops her up and she freezes up like a cat she's so thrown off.

I'm surprised I didn't hit José/Kevin sooner, but like. Gestures at the fandom. To be fair, they mostly got that covered.

I do think that the fandom does get the baseline of their dynamic wrong? This is a ship that, at the very least, starts as a hate fuck and has to grow from there. I think these two are verbally fighting in the streets and fucking in the sheets. But it's easier for me to come up with things that are cute and charming for them as a result, because the aspect of the enemies. It's about the little aspects of care while they deny it's aspects of care. Kevin gathering José up after catching him drunk because the instinct of being a hero overpowers the aspect of hating men? That's cute as hell to me.

I don't think. José is self aware enough to understand what he appreciates about Kevin is that Kevin disrespects him for who he is and what he does. I think José DOES like the fact Kevin is willing to challenge him so avertly. It would amuse him as much as it frustrates him, but would especially frustrate him when Kevin starts making points that are right. I think Kevin is, more then anyone here, someone that might make José actually question and crumble against what his idea of honor (because José's idea of honor IS bad. He thinks he is a good person because of his service to the queen, because of his role in the navy) is through direct confrontation and conversation. I can imagine Kevin and José arguing and José just stopping mid sentence and trailing off as he realizes, unfortunately, that Kevin might be RIGHT about something he's saying. He needs to sit down over it, and he expects Kevin to mock him for it, but I think by the point that this would happen Kevin is also sitting there looking at José essentially melt into himself and hold his head over his own world view and just

Quietly sit down and join him. Sitting back with him, rest an arm around his shoulders and sit with him.

And they have that moment where both of them understand. Yeah?

José/Patricia and Patricia/Kevin .... Give me a day or two to think on that one. I haven't put much thought into either of those dynamics. The most I've thought about José/Patricia's dynamic is in the post game au that came out before Edgar's letter where she was constantly exasperated and judging him for like. Still being alive, literally for that reason. Patrica doesn't respect José OR Kevin, I think she thinks they're both big miserable babies in drastically different ways. But she also thinks that of Vera, and I'm willing to ship those two. So I'll think of something unique and interesting for you in the future.

[tempestimes]

Memory's Epilogue released last night and i have too many and too few thoughts

I actually didn't expect to anything related to Alice at all last night, nor for Memory's song to be released first. But it makes sense to get the epilogue or post-script before our prologue. The main story starts with our Detective's search for a little girl, and at present, we are in the prologue with the Journalist. (So what happens in the main story after the prologue and before the epilogue? Who tells third perspective? ooo~)

This one took me much longer to write, and it's longer than the Polar Night post... Life has been a bit busy and I'm more tired than usual, but we're here now and I have many thoughts.

There is a content warning in this post for violent imagery in the Art Analysis section. I've rearranged the analysis from my usual order so that you can choose to click the 'read more' for my additional thoughts/reflections on one aspect of the art, but everything else is accessible and you do not need to read that additional section to get the main gist of this analysis. There's just one particular reference/comparison I wanted to make that includes some violent imagery that I've tried to make less graphic as possible.

Rambling intro aside, let's get into it:

IDV Character Song Analyses Masterlist

Music Basics

As always, let's start with some music basics:

Epilogue is a moderately slow song played at 70bpm. It is also the first of the character songs to also have a tempo marking alongside it: Andante, or "walking pace". It's played in 4/4.

Epilogue is played in D major.

It's primary instrument is the harp with some very soft strings in the background. The harmonizing of the vocals is also important to this song, imo.

QUICK THOUGHT: Harp ~= lyre?? do you see ?? do you see what i'm getting at ???

The first word that comes to my mind when listening to the instrumental of Epilogue is "wistfulness". And with the harmonizing hums, it's further highlighted. I'll have to look into it, but I feel like whenever adults hear children humming, there's a part of our brains that are instantly sent back to a nostalgic and wistful mood. But depending on context, it can also be a bit haunting, like in Epilogue.

Another great example of this is in Nausicaä: Valley of the Wind and the song The Distant Days. This song is orchestral but includes a choir of adults and children. The children hum the main melody with the adults coming in to support them. I won't elaborate much further, but I will suggest this song and film; they're both very good and totally not related to IDV in the slightest lol.

Another thing that has NO bearing on the song whatsoever: I wanted to say that this song from the use of the harp to the composition of the intro melody itself reminded me of the song Dreamwalker from Honkai Star Rail.

I doubt musical inspiration was actually taken from this song, but I think this is actually a really funny and interesting connection considering that this song from HSR is played in Penacony, the Land of Dreams. Even more specifically, Dreamwalker is played when you're wandering the area 'A Child's Dream', which is a large house with strange rooms and hallways where you're solving puzzles to climb on walls and ceilings- and it's all just the frozen memories from a character's childhood!

A realm formed from someone's distorted memories, where the course of streams has become aimless, and the hands of time have come to a halt.

The description honestly makes me think a lot about Memory and her ties to Oletus Manor.

I DIGRESS -- I got very far away from talking about the music, but honestly, I think the instrumentation is incredibly simple with the layering of harps and the way the humming and vocals carry the song forward. It's the kind of song that makes you sway...

Incredibly dream-like, while the harps rising and falling does reflect this, so does the ritardandos and a tempos (areas where the song slows down and returns to normal pace). It's the first of the character songs we've had for the Final Game that uses this as a device, but it is a very strong choice.

I've also feel like the character songs we've gotten this past week really do love using arpeggios and the rising and falling elements. Might make a separate post or just research on my own how these compare to the other character songs.

Art Analysis, pt 1

There's honestly a ton of little things in here that are really cool. Let's point out the obvious details.

The green river, stones, and twisting trees suggests that these are The Darkwoods. There's also a dripping green moon in the clouds.

On the river there is a simple row boat.

Memory stands with her back to the viewer, in the middle of turning around.

Beyond her is a gate that opens into warm golden daylight. On one of the gate's lamps, there is a raven.

On the stone platform/fragment she's standing on, we see a bow of pearls, words saying "Don't look back", black feathers, and her shadow.

Though, her shadow takes the form of a screeching bird with sharp things stabbing into/jutting out of it.

The visuals of this song are leaning heavily into themes of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with:

the river and boat: the river Styx

the Darkwoods: the Underworld itself (it's an eternal night of sorts...similar to the Halloween event just on the server)

the daylight beyond the gate: the exit/entrance to the Underworld

the literal text on the ground saying "Don't look back"

the Little Girl looking back over her shoulder: here, she, rather than being Eurydice, she mirrors the action of Orpheus.

A very minor thing, but it is interesting that the gate opens inwards towards the Darkwoods. Like the Underworld, the woods are guarded and it is easy to enter them than to exit.

I can't make out what the pearls could possibly represent, but I do have a number of thoughts on the shadow bird. The majority of them are under the content warning at the end of the post, but the content warning-less thoughts mainly circle around towards Alice and Orpheus' association with birds.

Orpheus, obviously, is tied to ravens. And I have seen speculations about Alice being Miss Nightingale with her golden cage and black feather mask. But that aside, there is also quite clearly the reference to Alice's connection to nightingales in the main story: when the young Orpheus is writing a story about him meeting a nightingale with a beautiful voice.

'When I was very young, there was a nightingale in the garden of my family home. It had a very beautiful voice. I loved it dearly and used to while away in its presence...'

Terrible screenshot quality aside, you can glean a lot from this text and how Orpheus writes about this nightingale companion of the story's narrator (a reflection of himself), a nightingale that lives longer than the average nightingale well into the narrator's adulthood, while remaining the same, very much like Orpheus' relationship to Memory.

I have further thoughts on the shadow, but they will go under the cut. You don't need to read them necessarily, it's just me tying the visuals to another reference.

Lyric Analysis

Need to take a break to say this post feels so short and so long. There's so much going on here and yet it's also very straightforward to me, especially in the lyrics.

There's a theme of what remains and what leaves throughout this entire song, and that mainly lays the idea of missing/faded memories. But there is also the theme of the personification of memory (ie. capital 'M' 'Memory') staying in place and fading away. while the listener is urged to move forward.

Over the course of the song where it begins with Memory beckoning her audience closer to her and spend time with her:

Come near Whisper what I used to hear Don’t stray Stay with me a little day

To a sad goodbye:

Don’t cry I was made to fade Not real Goodbye You left and I stay Here

There's a lot of small things, so we'll speedrun them.

One. There are several lines that indicate Memory's uncertainty and how her listener's perception of her is also imperfect:

And I reach for you but I don’t know why

You leave my name Far behind None comes to mind Only the echoes stay in my mind

No one knows my name

These lines also reference Memory's namelessness and the ambiguity of her identity, and to an extent, Alice's. Alice and Orpheus can't place the name of the Little Girl in their visions, and Alice is currently at the manor under a false identity.

Two. This line is referencing the piccolo and muse puzzle. (There are also other references to the night and starry skies.

Flute songs softly call Old lights fade down the long hall

'Play the nightingale's song and the gates under the starry sky will open for me.'

Three. These lines:

A house of lies I wandered through Each corner built with something true But none of it will belong to you

I actually find this really painful if we run with Orpheus being brought to the manor, but none of it truly being his. And at present, Oletus Manor is literally a reconstruction of something that was once true, but twisted around to serve the purpose of the games.

Four. These lines just make me sad.

I danced and shadows laughed I waited all for you.

Five. And this is Memory's goodbye.

Don’t cry I was made to fade not real Goodbye You left and I stay Here

It's spelled out here for us that Memory isn't real! She was constructed to disappear one day! And while everyone else moves forward, she has to stay in the past that must fade away.

There's something so tender and so sad about this song. At first, I wasn't 'entirely sure who Memory is addressing through all of this. But my gut is telling me it's Orpheus. And with more thought...it's obvious it's Orpheus.

While both Orpheus and Alice struggle with the retaining of their memories and find different ways of holding onto them, in the future, you can see how much Orpheus clings to this Memory of the Little Girl. It's like he has her in a death grip. Which is why I think this song is a bittersweet farewell, telling him that all stories have to come to an end, and that he has to say goodbye to her and to paradise.

Tempest's Epilogue

I had a conversation with someone recently and they quoted another person about how when we create something, if we hone in on a very specific experience, we unlock the potential for it to actually speak to a much broader audience as people find certain things to connect to. And I think this song follows that.

Waxing poetics a bit, but I think everyone carries some Little Girl inside of them: a memory they have difficulty letting go of, even if the details of it aren't entirely clear. But at some point, we do have to move forward and let go.

I fear forgetting, but nothing lasts forever. Memory is imperfect and precious and a place where we can idealize a past that never was. And I think that's beautiful.

In the meantime, I'm going to rest. This took a lot out of me and I've got a long day of work tomorrow, so the Alice part will come out later in the evening or even on Monday.

Thank you all for reading, and if you have further thoughts/commentary, I'd love to hear them! Analysis is most fun in community!

Art Analysis, pt. 2 (CW: Violent imagery)

The shadow of Memory actually reminded me of this particular shot from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

The open beak of the shadow bird itself shows that what it is experiencing is painful, and it just adds such a horrifying and terribly sad element to the visuals of the song.

I opted to provide one of the sketches of the RGU shot because in a way it's less intense than in the show itself. It's kind of difficult for me to recommend RGU to folks because of the sheer amount of content warnings it has, but at the end of the day, it is an absolute masterpiece and a key part of anime history (especially for yuri) and I think it's brilliant.

For context, in this scene from RGU, a young girl Anthy Himemiya, is being pierced by thousands of swords that represent the hatred of others. Anthy is a complex character to describe, but for her most poignant and relevant aspects to what I want to talk about in IDV, she represents how women and young girls are viewed in a patriarchal society

treated as princesses (or objects) that need 'saving'

vilified for every action they take

taken advantage of (by men) to play a specific role in fulfilling some greater purpose, be it the maintaining of the patriarchy or perpetuating cycles of abuse

All the while, though she is resigned to this "fate", Anthy wears an enigmatic smile on her face and is viewed by the titular character Utena as someone completely innocent if not at times a bit odd and quirky, someone who needs saving.

I've actually have been thinking about some of the similarities between RGU and IDV for a while now. While I don't necessarily have a particular character I would label as an 'Anthy' or an 'Utena', I do think in this instance, Memory takes on the role of an 'Anthy'.

Memory is loved and treasured by others (Orpheus), but she also lacks agency in how people understand her because she is simply a memory and a symbol for something that never was. Alice is real, Memory is not. For Anthy it is a bit more complicated, but a similar idea of having to play a role in a sort of game (sword duels) that motivates people towards a specific goal or wish- be it the desire for power or the desire to simply protect young girls? Reminds of something very familiar...

Memory is an essential part of this story and to the cycles of games that have been going on and on and on, as she can be interpreted to represent the impossible paradise that cannot be achieved. To have her end things by breaking things off with Orpheus in this song- as Anthy also must do herself in RGU- says a lot about her role in the story.

Anyway those are my RGU crazy thoughts. There's so much more to unpack there but I'm tired and actually have to rest. Thank you for reading.

[tempestimes]

"Orpheus"' Cloister made me feel. things.

For the curious:

cloister (noun): a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other.

Looks like Orpheus is trapped between a wall and a...colonnade.

It's actually interesting that the title references cloisters and cloisters aren't even in his art...Maybe someone else has an interpretation but I was thinking about cage imagery again...

This is a shorter post because I am very tired (and very excited for Cage of Yesteryear) so let's get into it.

IDV Character Song Analyses Masterlist

Music Basics

I'm actually obsessed with this instrumental you have no idea. I'm writing this the night Melly's Miniature Garden dropped and it is still probably my favorite instrumental.

Cloister is a slow song played at 62 bpm for quarter notes in 4/4. It includes the tempo marking 'Adagio' or 'slowly'.

It's played in D minor (one flat).

The primary instrument is the piano, but there are very soft strings in the background. In the vocal version, in addition to the vocalist, there are a soft choral elements.

I was actually tremendously surprised by this, but the vocalist is singing in a lower range than Norton who leans more baritone-tenor. (Unexpected for me at least, considering how much higher Orpheus' speaking VA voice is compared in Norton's.)

The piano is a fitting choice for Orpheus' primary instrument considering the Oletus Symphony game (It might have been fun to give him a piccolo or woodwind solo; that'd probably be associated with his younger self, though). It's also such a clean and elegant instrument when played a certain way.

I have to give props to the pianist because there is such a heavy and somber touch put into the performance of this song. It has a very different energy from Frederick's Concerto which is a bit more...erratic. But I'm left with similar impressions from the two, though they used different means of achieving these effects.

The piano melody that moves this song in and out (separate from the vocal voice) is a repetitive series of descending notes. Personally, I'm guilty of incorporating this into a lot of stuff I improvise and I am incredibly biased towards it; it's really easy to get a nice repetitive motion with your wrist/hand using this pattern of one steady note alternating with ascending/descending notes.

This part to me makes me think about unraveling as the hand playing the melody physically widens apart to reach lower and lower. I find that interesting when thinking about not just the Novelist but 'Orpheus' as a holistic character and this sort of 'unraveling' that he goes through over the course of his life as it just keeps going downhill. Of course, this piano piece does present as a very elegant and somber and sad piece, but the repetitive unraveling as Orpheus goes in circles says a lot to me.

On a separate note, the lyrics of the vocal part is also incredibly smooth and continuously flow together. It just feels like it's just one continuous train of thought going on and on, which is fitting for Orpheus and the games. When I was writing down the lyrics, I actually had some difficulty differentiating when I should mark something as a new verse. There isn't really a chorus to this song, more so that there are interludes where the chorus sings and maybe some subtle shifts or progressions in the melody.

Short note, I don't know how other folks have taken to interpreting the choral element, but I was definitely thinking about the voices of the survivors of games past (and with the art in mind, just important people from Orpheus' life).

I'm also really drawn to the additional accidentals/naturals they add in certain areas with the chord progressions, but I'll have to spend a bit more time transcribing/breaking these down properly on my own time. I don't think the chord progressions are of particular interest to most folks on Tumblr anyway.

Art Analysis

What isn't going on in this art?

Orpheus is standing on a platform with books and pages scattered on it, looking over an all-white labyrinth of stairs that lead to nowhere (which are also set ablaze in white-blue flame). His back is to the audience.

His shadow is very clearly of Nightmare, purple eyes and all.

Birds circle not exactly overhead, but over his head. (The perspective makes it more that they're circling over the maze in front of him.)

There are several figures scattered around the maze.

The moon's there too.

I think the vast majority of these motifs are really clear. Birds circle over his head like Nightmare's skill (though they aren't really ravens...) The maze imagery is directly tied to the Manor Games and the Ashes of Memory intro cutscene.

Nightmare is there because....Nightmare. It's also a parallel to Alice and Memory's art which also featured shadow birds in different states, but obviously neither bird is literally the characters' Identity Switch.

The fun part of Orpheus' art is trying to identify the characters throughout. Some are more clear than others. The figures closest to Orpheus are Alice holding her camera, Frederick with his cane, Melly with her veil, and possibly younger Orpheus with his hat (though I will admit I thought it was a slightly scuffed Norton at first lol).

Memory is also there, standing sideways on a platform below Orpheus. The man with the pitchfork is likely his father, and as for these two characters...

I'm really not sure. The silhouette of the character on the right actually vaguely reminds me of Evelyn, but they don't have a cane and I'm not well-versed enough in her lore to know if she has a tie to Orpheus at all. (I know enough to know it's speculated she has ties to Alice though.)

In general though, most of these characters are of people from Orpheus' past and his present, with Norton being a noticeable exception.

Lyric Analysis

There's a deep melancholy in these lyrics and foreboding energy as well that I think mirrors Memory's Epilogue very well. There are just so many small buzz words.

In the dim hollows The eyes linger Mist rise from vials A soft tale told before Drowned in dusk

There are so many ways to read this bit honestly. The mist rising from vials is a reference to the hallucinogenics. The soft tale told before could be a reference to the story of childhood paradise, but it could also just be the tale the vials tell over and over again, ie. the nighttime hunting game.

I'm interested in the 'the eyes linger' line though. I think the 'dim hollows' combined with that line establish what a haunted and haunting character Orpheus is, being trapped by time and also his own unwillingness/inability to look away from the past. What a guy.

I cannot reach Dark echoes drifting Thinning Might this destiny A muted warning in deep shadow

Again with themes of destiny and fate, and 'Orpheus' and Orpheus the myth being unable to grasp onto the thing they love most, even though they receive warnings literally or figuratively.

Writing mysteries Hunting pieces Words on page But my soul is broken pieces

A bit on the nose: references to Orpheus' writing, the hunting game and what he controls in it, and his fragmented identity (Orpheus, Nightmare, Villain Charm, etc).

Story and truth Both tangled as one

A bit on the nose again, but again with Orpheus' writing and own perception of reality/perspective making reality and unreality become indistinguishable.

From this point on, the lyrics turn from generally speaking about the haunting situation Orpheus is in to his inner conflict as he cannot recognize his own identity. Plenty others have discussed this topic more in depth so I won't really get into it here, but it does mirror Memory's own song very well in her own uncertainty about her identity and awareness that others can't even name her. The key difference is that Memory is able to end the song declaring that she is nothing but an illusion made to fade away. Orpheus on the other hand...

Memories drift beyond my reach All truths untold in silence

Ah, Orpheus is always doomed to reach out to the memories of his own past, be it the memories of who he is or the Memory of the Little Girl, and he can never reach them. :)

Now I could be misreading this line, but the choice of 'untold' is interesting to me. I'm reading this "all truths have been told, but they will become untold or erased when we are silent". It's so bizarre to me because of how mysterious Orpheus is; for all the flowery words he uses and the books he writes, he himself is such a mystery. He has little to rely on to guide his sense of reality as Detective and maybe Novelist to an extent, save for the truths or stories told by others. But even then, he as a writer (and not a journalist) shapes the narrative as he sees fit.

A writer has so much power to uplift and spread truth throughout their narrative, but using their words, they have the power to silence certain truths simply by not declaring them at all...

I don't have a fancy ending this time. It's just such a beautiful song and I really do love it. I will have this instrumental playing on loop (once I analyze all the other songs), thank you very much.