#idv ashes of memory

[squinkarts]

POV: you are Alice - Sketches I did for a few friends ( @zmoraq & @jellitianhearts) :hiii:

[nightwonder7]

So! How we feeling about the new showcase?

I WAS GRINNING LIKE AN IDIOT WHEN THE COY TRAILER DROPPED!!! >W< >W< >W< I wasn't at home during the livestream, you have no idea how hard it was to contain the excitement 😭😭😭I even had to rewatch the stream cause everything else that came afterwards went straight over my head cause I was still reeling fgdshjfsgfkgs

And HOOOOOoooooooo I was NOT expecting to see so much screentime with Alice and Norton in the same shots! QAQ It was truly a delightful surprise ;W; Waiter waiter! More Alice and Norton interactions please!! They're really feeding into my delusions, I swear to god... (o_o) Alice, why are you letting this man into your room after being warned to stay away from him? ',:-|

FINALLY after all this time we get a continuation of the main story!! We've been so starved, I could almost cry /hj 😭I'm both super excited and nervous honestly fsdghfjsgfdj How will the story unfold? Will they make it out alive? What the heck is going on? Who is that hooded figure? Why did Roy's name appear? Is this going to be the end of the main story? I mean, the final showdown took place in Darkwoods, yet we didn't see any shots of it in the trailer. Are they keeping it under wraps until the release, or will there be more main story? We will have to see.

I must say, there's something that's been nagging at me. I find this line from Norton in the trailer very interesting:

I love that line. But it sorta contradicts what we know about Norton purely from what we've gathered in AoM. He was in Darkwoods before he officially arrived, chasing Alice down, and he was in the cellar, drugging her down.

So why on Earth would he say this? Why not just say that he hasn't seen anything strange and leave it at that as to not arose suspicion towards him? Yes, he knows more than he lets on, but this line makes me think that he is also in the dark as well.

So we know that Norton has been paid to do something in the manor according to his 2nd B-day letter. For a long time we have believed he was paid to assassinate either Alice or Melly. But looking at the trailer, if Alice was his target from the start, he would have had ample opportunities to take her out, but he hasn't. Plus, if he had planned to kill Alice, why tell her to stay away from him? Why not try to get closer? And if Melly was his target, then I'd think it would be the same case. She's always in the greenhouse, mostly by herself; a good opportunity to take her out, wouldn't you think?

Rereading that letter again, he appears more like a mere game participant who sees the only opportunity to win the game is to clear out the people who are standing in his way rather than a wildcard.

But how would he then know about the cellar and the drugs?? Clearly there's got to be more to him! I'm fdsghfjafdhsa

What I'm trying to say is that I'm confused about where Norton stands in all of this. Is he here just for the game, or was he tasked to do something more? Is he in kahoots with someone, then who? Orpheus? Vilhelm? Roy? Is his alliance with Alice legitimate? He's the kind to do everything he can to get what he wants, but that can quickly go awry for Alice if he suddenly decides to stab her in the back to achieve his goals. Or is there a sliver of chance that he has a change of heart? I DON'T KNOW!! 😭

However CoY is going to unfold, I'm gonna be on the edge of my seat and enjoy all of it. We will finally know the truth of what went down during the final game. I cannot wait to see! But also, as I said earlier, I'm nervous sdhafjdskgaf A lot of past trauma is going to resurface for Alice, and I wonder how she is going to handle it all. Will she remain as calm and collected as she always appears, or are we going to see a different side of her? And what will be her fate? Please stay safe, Alice ;<;

[lobotoboyidv]

Inspired by my real reaction to today's reveal show. I Special thanks to @multifanforever for the art! :3

Audio is from an SML video, I don't know which one exactly.

[sundae-nite]

"Norton" in the Final Manor Game is Weird

I've had this ruminating on my mind for a hot minute and kinda just wanted to ramble about how I feel there's quite a bit of discrepancies about Norton on the day of the actual manor game he's involved in. I focus on him specifically because there's quite a few things wrong with him that bother me immensely.

(Note: I want to preface by saying this is just me rambling and not really an analysis/theory on what I believe happens during the "final" manor game.)

For starters, where is this man's most notable physical feature:

1. His nose piercings...?

Like, I don't think I've EVER seen Norton without his nose piercings whether it be in official art, cosmetics (save for the ones where his face his hidden behind a mask so think Orphan of Goetia or Ronald of Nice or "Two-Faced."), or, well, in the main story.

They're clearly missing. Heck, even when we see a close up shot of his hunter form in "Go Hunting," they're missing there as well. And yes, I do know that his hunter form is a FAR cry from the "Fool's Gold' we got, but remember, Norton didn't lose his piercings when he became a hunter.

As you can see, no piercings. But guys guys! He has his miner's hat on so it's definitely Norton, of course~ But really, his piercings...which apparently were only confirmed as piercings rather recently with the addition of the Affection System...before that some believed they were shrapnel or leftovers from the Golden Cave incident (Listen, I just started playing the game the day AFTER the Affection system dropped...I just got here lol.)

Really though, why'd this little lad already have nose piercings? He's barely 10 years old here probably? 😭

See, if these people can put those piercings on a little tyke, why'd they conveniently forget them during such an important event? Unless, y'know...Norton just felt like taking them off that day...Can...can you take them out? They feel like a part of him now...

2. Eye Color

2 years before we even see him in action in the main story/affection system, they were already messing with us. Smh.

Speaking of physical differences, I already dedicated a WHOLE post to how this man apparently has heterochromia and flips between having green eyes one moment and black eyes the next moment. This even reflects in his hunter form as "Fool's Gold" has one white eye and one black eye. Again, I thought it was due to just emphasizing his dual nature and whatnot and I read some theories in the comments of said post, I won't get too into again so just read the post if you want to.

Interestingly, in two of the images above from the lore videos, Norton is shown with red eyes! This man's eyes are truly a rainbow at this point. Can't help but think it's end game, he has detention and Alice and "Orpheus" are cooked. But really it may just be for visual effect.

3. Weapon of Choice

I know it's a small difference but still...why a normal axe??

I find it a bit odd that Norton's weapon of choice here is just a normal axe...of the wood cutting kind. I guess it's appropriate in getting through a door that looks like it's made of wood but wouldn't he have his pickaxe on hand?

Like, if he can so readily whip it out to scare Miss Alice here, then why leave his trusty pickaxe out of perhaps the most important event at the manor you're going to experience? It's the actual day of the game, so I'd think he would have it on hand especially since the games take place in the Dark Woods, an area that also has Bane's cabin where Norton is speculated to be staying at (I only think this because his 2021 letter sounds suspicously like they're telling him to stay elsewhere, away from the manor and from the others but I'm also a little confused by the wording).

Basically what I''m trying to say in short words is if he's pickaxe is in such close proximity, then why doesn't he have it and where is it? Perhaps it was taken from him? Who knows at this point...

4. Propensity towards Violence

This is an interesting point, but I find it both interesting and amusing that when you put the three lore videos together, Norton seems to be fighting everyone...or really showing violence towards everyone.

See here:

He punches Melly (shown) and eliminates her later on (not shown)

He punches "Orpheus" (to be fair, I see this as a defensive/instinctual punch cause "Orpheus" shocked him or it's a punch to snap "Orpheus" out of whatever drug stupor he's in.)

He outright seems to be fighting this unidentified figure in "Memory" (it could be "Orpheus" but it seems just as likely it's someone else. Some speculate it could be Frederick of Sam Bourbon...maybe it's someone else entirely)

He was a big boy back then. Must've drank a lot of his beloved milk.

On the other hand, he doesn't raise even a fist towards Alice from what we can see. Perhaps they thought it wouldn't do to show a grown monster of a man punch a little girl, but obviously it's probably something more than that. Many speculate that both Melly and Norton want to help Alice in the end and get her away from "Orpheus" and/or protect her.

I will say, clearly he snuck up behind them in order to target Alice. He just seems to try and grab her though, no punches thrown interestingly enough.

Guys, no, it's the opposite...they're trying to save "Orpheus" from Alice. Turns out she was the bad guy alllll along.

But on a serious note, you can really dissect these videos all day long (I know I've mentally run myself ragged) and considering I don't want to do that cause that is not the focal point of this post, I'll move on.

But I will say, the reason I feel that it is odd that he seems to violent is because Norton isn't really inherently a violent person. Sure, as "Fool's Gold" and sure, we can assume it may be because of the drugs but there's something off about the whole thing.

If you watch this whole sequence in the video, after the initial punch I mentioned above, Norton becomes defensive as shown above until "Orpheus" eliminates him.

I also want to add this. From Norton's trailer we see he gets bullied. We also know this from letters/deductions and whatnot but regardless, we know that interestingly, Norton never really retaliates or fights back (I mean, look above. That's sometimes enough to set off some people). That is, until the Golden Cave incident, of course.

But again, deep down Norton doesn't want trouble and keeps to himself mostly because he just wants to focus on securing himself a better life.

He basically says this to Alice in the affection system: "I don't want to be the center of attention, and I sure as hell don't want trouble."

Which is kinda ironic when you consider him in AUs (*cough* Truth and Inference *cough*).

Granted, another reason he may have been more defensive towards "Orpheus" is it is possible that Norton knows full well he doesn't have the physical strength or prowess to completely subdue "Orpheus." Considering Norton's health after all.

But then, why does he seem to pursue Alice and "Orpheus" so relentlessly knowing full well his own limits?

5. "Orpheus"' Norton vs. Alice's Norton

Wow...truly a glow up..."Fool's Gold" simps, you better thank Alice for this.

Anyways, this next section is going to state the obvious that I'm sure most people reading this have been saying since the beginning of this post. Well, duh Sundae...Norton is being seen through "Orpheus"'s eyes and we know how godawful that man's memory is. And yes, you're correct. All of this that I've rambled about is more than likely explained away by the fact that "Orpheus" is a horrible perspective to have.

As seen here from the conceptual ideas video for Journalist, if we trust their words (which I'm going to do for now because if I don't, I'll actually go insane), then Alice is our closest bet to what really happened.

Thus, we can conclude that Norton is a rather handsome devil in Alice's eyes while in "Orpheus"' eyes, he's this big monstrous being who is...less than conventionally attractive (yeah, let's put it that way).

I find it rather funny because it really kills me that Alice and "Orpheus" have such different perspectives on Norton despite how much of a complete jerk Norton is towards Alice (look, I know she sees him as a hunter before all that but give this to me).

I mean, considering this is her expression when Norton barely acknowledges her with a grunt, she has/had every right to imagine him uglier and more beast-like.

But Alice is too nice for that. I mean, look at how she imagines Frederick? A beautiful woman in a red dress despite his cold nature towards her AND pointing a gun at her? Yeah, okay...Alice, sure. At this rate, Melly is going to look like an actual angel since so far she's been the nicest to our dear reporter here.

Notice how "Orpheus" is the only one who doesn't look that conventionally attractive as a hunter? Hmm? Hmmm? I'm just saying y'all...

But speaking of "Orpheus," for his part, he doesn't particularly like Norton at all. And I'm not just talking about poor drugged up Novelist who is trying to protect his dear loved one from this...this beast!

This frame goes by so fast in "Da Capo" that you WILL miss it if you blink so much as breath...

So, "Nightmare" comes out right as "Orpheus" launches himself at Norton who he proceeds to beat him up as if Norton is the one who owes him money. But in all honesty, it's actually rather brutal to see how badly "Orpheus" punches out Norton. I always wondered why such a violence that seems to stem from a deep-seated hatred or something. Like, I know he's trying to protect Alice, but it seems a bit much. Heck, Alice even slips away from "Orpheus" in this moment so clearly she's not too comfortable sticking around him after that (understandable).

Considering Norton is full of so many discrepancies from his physical appearance to his very behavior, it makes one wonder about "Orpheus"' perception of the prospector. Considering Norton technically helps out "Orpheus" like he's just a tool for labor around the manor like aiding in scaring/corralling Alice towards "Orpheus" who causes her to pass out to having to drug her himself, what exactly does happen between Norton and "Orpheus" to apparently stop working together?

By the way, I always did wonder why "Orpheus" has Norton drug Alice back at the manor. Why not do it himself? Why trust someone like Norton with such an important task??

Like, this man was NOT gentle but go off "Orpheus"...

And we want to believe Norton has a ready change of heart to help Alice in the end? Hmmm...

But seriously, I do wonder what happens. I want to joke and say well, maybe Norton is out here still hoping he's going to receive his money and that's also another reason why he doesn't hurt "Orpheus" but eliminates Melly (who some speculate is the woman he's supposed to kill. Others believe it's Alice). Then is there a reason to seemingly help Alice? Did she not pay him for a question during their interview and he wants pay back?? Literally??

Okay, now I really jest. But at the end of the day, just like the main story, I'm just going to end this post abruptly without any sort of satisfying resolution and will drive you mad with more questions than answers.

Because NetEase/Joker Studio hates loves keeping us in suspense for their lovely story which will certainly answer most, if not all of these speculations with the next part most likely coming in November (Hint: No, it won't. We're just going to have to wait another 2-3 years for a conclusion, if even 😭)

When I saw this I couldn't help but think he's dissing "Orpheus" here. Ah, never change, Norton.

[akuma-tenshi]

i think my favourite thing about aom is that you can tell everyone (except maybe alice) fucking hates each other but they're also trying to be so calm and polite about it. the breakfast scene where orpheus infodumps about mary is the best example of it. his pointed comments so clearly digging into sore spots for both melly and frederick, melly's seething tone of voice when orpheus addresses her about loyalty before immediately throwing the heat onto frederick, frederick just setting down his drink, dismissing the whole thing, and then immediately fucking off but not without one last pointed glance at orpheus, it's so good. like i am just waiting for these people to rip each other apart. alice is on her own quest and getting dragged into these people's beef by virtue of just existing near them and being way too nosy for her own good, it's the fucking best

[sundae-nite]

I went to look at the Orpheus Wiki.

"After the game, police investigated the fire, and found that very few people survived, and those who did had no recollection of what happened or why the came to the manor. All of the manor workers were found dead and investigations revealed that their causes of death were unrelated to the fire. the bodies of the survivors were supposedly arranged in a way that made it seem like some sort of ritual was taking place."

So does that mean Melly, Alice, and Norton might have survived? 🥹

And this story about rituals, why would anyone perform a ritual with them, what would be the purpose of such a ritual?

Firstly, thank you for the question! And I apologize, this turned out to be a longer answer than I thought it would be. (Warning: If you guys send me a QnA, I'll YAP lol).

But yeah, this question is definitely one that is on the minds of a lot of people since it really isn’t too clear if Alice, Melly, and Norton survive in the end.

Sure, we have the lore videos like “Da Capo” and “Go Hunting” where we hear Melly get eliminated by Norton and in turn, we actually see him be eliminated by Orpheus. But considering that those videos were from Orpheus’ perspective who is notorious for having a very skewed and unreliable memory, it’s probably safe to say the actual events of the “final” game didn’t quite go down like that.

I mean, Norton doesn’t even quite look like himself as he is missing his signature scar and nose piercings…like why?

Unless they retcon it or something. Though these are older videos (like 2021ish?) Almost FIVE years now, good Lord... So take note.

I also want to point out, that I heard another sign that they may have survived is actually held in the Ivory Tower story. Now, this pertains more to Alice but for those that don’t know is that in the academy AU, a student named “Nightingale” supposedly dies in a fire in the academy’s clock tower but her body goes missing meaning she may be somewhere still on campus.

A question the detective team asks "Touchdown" in the first Ivory Tower story. Apparently he saw "Nightingale" in the library?

As we know, the AU stories that we play through can mirror the stories and fates of our beloved characters so perhaps Alice does survive (at least I really hope so!)

A bit more on what happened to "Nightingale" and "Orpheus" in the Ivory Tower story. While I do want to know what happens, I'm also in mourning we probably won't get school girl Alice any time soon...if at all *cries*

Anyways, as for the ritual…Okay, so long answer: my post on the supernatural in the “final” manor game. While I don’t necessarily address why there may be a ritual happening at the end of the game, I do go over how the supernatural effects Orpheus, Melly, Alice, and Norton and I know you smart detectives can put two and two together.

But to go into it in “brief” (I’m never brief lol), hearing that there was a fire reminds me of the rituals related to Dream Witch. If you actually click on my post above, I actually start it off with showing how Yidhra can be summoned in the Darkwoods (where the final manor game takes place) along with her little followers near the bonfire).

As seen here~

Ironically, it’s thanks to Alice that we know that Yidhra is tied to fire as stated in her notes on Lakeside Village in Yidhra’s 2025 birthday letter:

“The text claimed she could absorb the life of others, taking on their form, evolving through ceaseless assimilation…Her devotees held that dreams were the medium through which her spirit might be reached, and that a particular ‘immolation’ would draw her to the waking world. Those chosen in such a rite…should receive her gift and become an eternal part of her being. Dreams…scales…fire…”

An immolation by the way is usually a killing or a sacrifice specifically through burning.

By the way, the villagers of Lakeside Village were said to have disappeared after a large forest fire swept through the village. It should be noted that while Lakeside is more tied to Feaster, if you play on the map, you’ll sometimes see a figure of Yidhra out there in standing in the lake near the boat but closer to the exit gate on that side of the map.

But in the passage that you sent me, that report on the survivors also mentions that Orpheus was found in a coma on a cliff a few kilometers away from the mansion, suffering numerous burns throughout his body and severe head injuries.

It’s interesting that he is the only one who sounds like he is separated from the others but this also kinda reminds me of Orfeo’s Game.

See, in the “true” ending of the event, Orpheus appears to sacrifice Burke (a manor staff) before being asked by Yidhra, the organizer of the game, “Who is the shackle that has bound you to memories, Orfeo?” And that is Eurydice aka Alice and once Orpheus chooses her, he asks himself, “If I don’t look back, what will I see at the exit of the dream?”

Then a mystery man (interesting it says "man" and not woman, so is it truly Alice or is she a substitute for someone?) who is an adult Alice tells him to wake up and leave the manor because it’s over. Because in Orfeo’s Game, Orpheus has been playing this game over and over again in different dreams.

It actually does sound like it’s possible the “final” manor game is really and endless dream that he goes through over and over again until Orpheus forces himself to stop being stuck in the pass but look forward while letting go of those memories he had with Eurydice (Alice).

This tracks with what happens in the reality of the “final” manor game. But why the ritual? Why does it happen in the first place? It’s due to Orpheus himself. While Yidhra is the organizer, Orpheus seems as if he is the initiator, the one who started this whole thing because he wants to remain in the dreams of his sweet memories of the past…and yet, in doing so drags everyone else in as victims.

It’s important to note here, that Orpheus’ has interests in “theology” (under his hunter profile) and even admits to Alice in the affection system that he has “participated in a number of esoteric folk rituals, many of which aimed at achieving a ‘spiritual connection.’ These rituals are intricate, but they have been rewarding for both me and my companions.”

Orpheus and some companions...seriously, what is his plan with drugs and dreams?

Clearly, we shouldn’t forget the supernatural in these games. I think it’s very easy to lose oneself in focusing on the drugs and that’s why I made a post focusing on how otherwordly beings and forces are at work here and why Melly, Alice, and Norton probably didn’t realize walking through those manor doors would involve waaaaay more than they bargained for.

I’ve seen especially after CoY, many speculate that Orpheus is trying to recreate the manor incident in order to actually successfully save Alice this time…and that’s plausible. Let’s also not forget that he also appears intent on recreating their childhood paradise to the best of his ability and using a supernatural deity like Yidhra who is a master of dreams and promises eternal life through devotion, I can see why Orpheus would reach out to her and try to use her to gain what he wants.

From "Memory's" debut essence where Orpheus is seen as the one who ruined the paradise by apparently trying to recreate it at the expense of others.

Not going to lie, it’s all very confusing and as I’ve said before, I’m not a smart cookie when it comes to speculating about the “final” manor game. Still, I do hope they all survive as it would be a real pity and quite predictable if they all ended up dead. To be honest, even if the survivors said in that report you sent in are Alice, Melly, and Norton…it’s odd that it doesn’t mention them.

Interestingly (Weirdly?), old lore images like these pop up on the IDV wiki when reading about what happened in the incident of the "final" manor game...who are these realistic looking people? (lol)

Because would if you were a writer, would you not at least say renowned entomologist Melly Plinius who has been in the news recently due to her husband’s mysterious and untimely death was found to be a survivor of a tragic incident at Oletus Manor?

What about Norton? While not was well known as Melly, he recently attracted attention for being the sole survivor of the Golden Cave incident, so why not mention him, too? Alice is an interesting one as she went to the manor under a different identity and was more lowkey but still a journalist who had a lot of connections…

My point is, unless NetEase is being purposefully vague or omitted information on purpose, the three of them are technically missing. But then, they really are dead?

Not necessarily. It’s possible they’re still stuck in Yidhra’s dream (and remember, she can gift life, not death). Remember the Lakeside Village people who went missing? Disappearing 3 people is nothing compared to vanishing a whole village of people. Perhaps, when we return to Orpheus’ storyline in the present, he has the chance to redeem himself and set things right by confronting the past and embracing the future. It truly feels like the survival of the 3 hinges on Orpheus’ decision but can he succeed? Does he want to succeed?

"See you, Orphy."

Anyways, sorry for the ramble. This was waaaay longer than I expected but I hope that helps answer your question. Y’all be aware if you send in a QnA, I’ll yap probably lol

But thanks again! Take what I said at the end with a grain of salt because there’s still so much info we’re missing (and CoY barely gave us any new info, sadge) and I’d love to revisit this question in the future when we do get more clues. Have a good day/night!

[akuma-tenshi]

i got access to transparent versions of these designs so now i'm unstoppable. if i make an ashes of memory shitpost expect me to use these banger costumes instead of their boring-ass regular designs /hj

[akuma-tenshi]

this is how the confrontation went right